The Pool Hall Date

(As I mentioned somewhere in here, I love second guessing the show. I read a spoiler somewhere in the winter of 2000, that Sheridan and Luis went on a date to a pool hall, so I decided to write it. Once again, it happened nothing like this, but it was fun to write anyway.)

"Hurry up Sheridan," Hank yelled after her, "We're going to be late for our flight." Hank was running through the airport with his travel bag on his shoulder. Sheridan was trying to keep up, but was finding it difficult. She finally boarded the plane to find Hank sitting in first class patting the seat next to him. He was grinning from ear to ear. She gave him a half smile back, handed her carry on luggage to the flight attendant and sat down next to him. He immediately put his arm around her and kissed her passionately. "Now wasn't this the best trip you ever had?" Hank asked smiling. “You and me traveling Europe together? Paris, Monte Carlo, Madrid? Oh Madrid was wonderful, wasn't it? I can't wait to get back to Harmony and tell all our friends what we did while we were there. Imagine, you're now Mrs. Hank Bennett" Hank laughed. "I can't wait to see the look on Luis' face when we tell him our good news."

"Oh, I remember now," Sheridan said, looking uncomfortable. "And what a nightmare it was, too." Sheridan was feeling much better now that she realized it had all been a dream. "Whew," she continued, "Thanks Gwen for waking me up from that one!!" she let out a sigh of relief.

"I was married to Hank!" Sheridan croaked. "And we were coming home from Europe to tell Luis!" Sheridan was now sitting on the edge of the bed next to Gwen. "Gwen, this whole situation is tearing me up inside," Sheridan continued with a look of sadness in her eyes.

"Sheridan. Sheridan, look at me," Gwen said quietly. Sheridan looked at Gwen, and Gwen could see that Sheridan was in great pain. "Sheridan, have you told Luis how you feel about him yet?" she asked.

"No, no I haven't," Sheridan admitted. "I tried to last night, but we were interrupted... again by Hank and Beth. Actually I tried to tell him several times yesterday and each time there was Hank or Beth or both," Sheridan exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air. She was now pacing back and forth across the floor like a caged lion.

"I haven't told him, if that's what you mean," Sheridan replied dryly. "He spent half our date last night telling me what a great couple Luis and Beth make, how they were meant to be together, and the other half trying to get me to kiss him!" Sheridan rolled her eyes and continued her pacing. Sheridan now began laughing.

"It's funny, I had a similar conversation with Beth." Sheridan said. "She said I should hook up with Hank. She told me, he would be the only man in Harmony that I could have my dreams with. She said we could travel all over the world and then bop back into Harmony for a visit once in awhile." Sheridan stopped pacing and sat back down on the edge of her bed, placed her head in her hands and had a look of total gloom overtake her beautiful face.

"Duh! Do I have to spell it out for you?" Gwen said, shocked that Sheridan hadn't caught on to what had happened. "O.K." Gwen sighed and continued. "This is how I see it. Hank likes you. Beth likes Luis. You like Luis and Luis likes you."

"Beth and Hank got together and are working on keeping you and Luis apart by planting doubts and suggestions in your mind, because they each want you for themselves. They probably did the same thing to Luis," Gwen finished with a smile on her face.

Sheridan walked over and held up Gwen's hand. Sheridan was wide eyed and let out a slight gasp. "Oh Gwen, it's gorgeous." She smiled at Gwen and gave her a hug. "I'm so happy for you, both of you. You and Ethan deserve all the happiness in the world."

Luis was sitting at his desk reading the newspaper, but finding it difficult to focus. His attention kept drifting away from the paper. He couldn't get her out of his mind. All he could think about was Sheridan Crane. The way she looked, the sound of her voice, the touch of her hand, the way they danced together, being fed lobster...

"Sheridan and I have a serious matter that we need to discuss alone, Hank," Luis said curtly. He saw that Hank was about to protest and added, "It has to do with her community service hours, and is between Sheridan, myself and the courts."

Luis leaned a little closer to Sheridan and looked up at her with his big brown eyes and gently said, "Because I've had it with being interrupted every time we try to talk to one another."

Sheridan was finding it difficult to find the right words to say to Luis. She was now very nervous. The way he was looking at her caused her stomach to go in knots. She laughed nervously.

"OK, here goes. Luis, yesterday was all a mistake. A big mistake. Just like New Year's Eve in fact. I couldn't believe it would happen twice. I had such a wonderful time on our date the other night... I didn't know how to get out of it... I thought they were from you" Sheridan was rambling, hardly making any sense. She was near tears at this point.

"I thought the flowers were from you. I thought I was accepting a date from you. I didn't know it was Hank standing behind me," she blurted out, finally. Sheridan exhaled as she finished. Now she waited. Waited for his response.

"Because I didn't want to hurt Hank's feelings she said sadly. “I know what it's like to be hurt. Then I realized that I hurt you instead. Yesterday was about the worst day of my life." her voice trailed off.

"I don't know where our relationship is headed, Sheridan. I don't know if it will work or not. But I do know this" he said in a low voice as he gazed right into Sheridan's beautiful blue eyes, "I had a GREAT time with you the other night. I found out that we had a lot more in common than I thought. I haven't that good a time in along time." Luis was smiling.

Sheridan's heart leapt as she heard him say this. Shyly she asked, "Well then would you go out with me tonight? There's a lot more about you I'd like to get to know, too." Sheridan's shy smile turned into a sexy smile.

Luis was the first to break the ice. The two had just been standing there gazing at each other, for what seemed like an eternity. "So where do you want to go tonight?" he asked with his head cocked off to the side. He was still smiling intently into Sheridan's sparkling blue eyes.

Sheridan was still in a half dream state and said without thinking in almost a whisper, "Anywhere as long as it's with you!" Sheridan realized what she had said the minute the words came out of her mouth. Her cheeks became red again and she broke off her gaze with Luis, momentarily. Luis' smile only grew larger as he heard her say this and watched her reaction to her own words.

"O.K." Luis stated quietly. His eyes never left Sheridan's face and his smile never left his own. "How about we go to the Pool Hall? You do know how to play pool, don't you?" Luis was playing with her now.

Luis bolted to the door to open it for Sheridan. "I forgot I locked that!" He said with a nervous laugh. He was now only inches from Sheridan. She smiled at him. He smiled back. He was very nervous, just then. `Why do I get this way every time I get this close to her?' he thought.

The door now open, Sheridan walking out the door, turned back to Luis and said in a seductive voice, "I thought Hank was you in the storage closet, when I asked him to go to the Sea Scape." Sheridan gave Luis an ever so sexy smile. "See you tonight” she finished in the same voice. She turned and walked out of the Youth Center.

Luis just stood there. His mouth open, stunned by what she'd just said. His heart was pounding. His palms sweaty. `She wanted to ask me out New Year's Eve' he thought `not Hank. Whoa!' Luis grinned as he thought about what this meant. Luis turned around and walked back to his desk. "I can't wait till tonight" he said out loud to himself.

"It was great," Hank replied. "It's going to take me awhile to convince her I'm Mr. Right, though. She's been hurt so many times, she still says she doesn't want a relationship, but she'll come around."

"I told you man, she's mine!" Hank snorted. "I mean after all, who did she go out with last night, huh? It was me, man. Not you. I win!" Hank was so full of himself at this moment, Luis couldn't stand it.

"You do that man," Luis replied. "Let me know what she says, will you? Luis couldn't help but to add the last question, but managed to fight back any emotion that might show on his face.

Sheridan was standing next to her living room couch, with the telephone next to her ear. "Gwen, it's Sheridan. Can you come to my cottage for a few minutes? Yes!... I need to talk... I'll tell you when you get here! O.K. Bye." Sheridan couldn't control the excitement in her voice as she put the phone down. It began to ring again almost the second she placed it in the cradle.

"Hello" she answered happily. The radiant air about Sheridan soon left. "Hank" she said trying not to sound too disappointed. "Yes, I had a good time too, considering the circumstances... I'm sorry Hank, I really don't feel like going out with you tonight...I'm fine really... I just want to spend a quiet evening... I'm not ready to get serious with you Hank... Maybe some other time then... I don't know Hank... Please don't bring Luis into this conversation, Hank... I'll talk to you some other time, Hank... Good bye."

"Yes, Gwen, it did go well." Sheridan smiled. "We got interrupted again, though by Hank. I think Luis thinks like you do, because he told Hank to leave. He told him we had to talk privately about my community service and then he locked the door."

"See, I told you." Gwen stated emphatically. "There are too many coincidences of the two of you being interrupted. It's almost as if it were planned by your father and Julian." Gwen laughed as she said the last part.

Sheridan laughed, too. "Yes, they would love to make sure Luis and I never get together." Sheridan had an uneasy feeling as she thought about her father and Julian. Her smile became a frown.

Sheridan grinned as she thought of where they were going. "Well, I told him to take me someplace he liked to go where we can have some fun, so we're going to a pool hall" she laughed. "I told him, we Cranes prefer to call it billiards, though." Her smile faded. “I guess I'll find out if I can fit into his world tonight, won't I?"

Gwen gave Sheridan some encouragement. "Sheridan, if Luis loves you the way I think you love him, I know you two can find a way to make it work. You are the one who always said true love conquers all!"

Sheridan was in her bedroom putting on the finishing touches of her makeup when she heard someone knocking at the door. She immediately sprang to attention, her stomach, once again in knots. "He's here," she said letting out a nervous sigh. Sheridan hurried towards the door, stopping in front of it to compose herself before she let Luis inside. Having gathered herself she slowly opened the door.

Luis stood there with a big grin on his face. "Hi beautiful," he said. His eyes surveyed Sheridan in a manner that made her blush. Sheridan was wearing a form fitting, light blue sweater and black pants. "You look great, Sheridan," Luis said with a voice of approval.

There were several other exchanges similar to this as they made their way to the back of the pool hall to an empty table. Sheridan couldn't help but notice, how everyone was looking at her as she walked through with Luis. She was very nervous and self conscious, but tried not to let Luis see how she felt.

They finally reached an empty table in the corner. It was half way between the pool tables and the dance floor. All of the pool tables were occupied at the moment, and the dance floor was empty. Luis pulled out a chair for Sheridan. She took of her coat (with Luis' help of course) and sat down. Luis removed his own coat and sat down at the chair next to her.

Almost as soon as she answered him, a waitress came over to their table. "Luis, it's great to see you! I haven't seen you in ages!" she smiled at Luis, glancing at Sheridan wondering who the beautiful blonde was that was with him.

"Hi Sharon," Luis smiled. "I've been pretty busy, lately, you know?" He could see the looks Sharon was giving Sheridan. "Sharon, this is my date, Sheridan. Sheridan, this is Sharon, the best waitress in the place." Luis grinned.

"I'm pleased to meet you as well," Sheridan smiled back. She was beginning to feel a little less awkward. Sharon leaned down and whispered in Sheridan's ear, "He's a great catch, honey!"

Another man standing at the bar, overheard this conversation and looked over towards Luis and Sheridan's table. They were deep in conversation, laughing and appeared to be having a wonderful time.

This is something," Roy said. Luis has hated the Crane family for as long as I can remember. Including Sheridan. Hank told me all about it. He told me they do nothing but fight when they're around each other." Roy then started to laugh and howl.

Roy stopped laughing and then leaned over the bar towards Bill. (Sharon had just left to deliver her drinks) "Hank also told me that he was dating Sheridan Crane. He said he was hoping to marry her!"

"Oh, you know Hank," Bill said in slight disgust waving his hand through the air, "Always the dreamer, the schemer, and looking for a fast way to make a buck. He probably sees Sheridan as his meal ticket".

Luis and Sheridan were so engrossed in their conversation with each other, they didn't see or hear Sharon return with their drinks. They were leaning in towards each other over the table. Their faces were only inches apart. They were looking at each other with such intensity and such love, that Sharon couldn't help but smile.

"Here are your drinks you lovebirds!" Sharon accused sweetly. Luis and Sheridan each pulled back to an upright sitting position and blushed. "Here is your wine Miss Crane, and your draft Luis," she smiled.

"Oh, I wouldn't let these guys get to you" Sharon continued. "They need something to talk about and tonight it looks like you're it! They lead boring lives most of the time, and this sparks it up a bit. Besides, you guys make a great looking couple. Anyone looking at you could see that!" With that Sharon left and went to another table where a new couple had just seated themselves.

Luis was looking very uncomfortable, now. Sheridan was trying not to look at him. This is what Beth had been telling her. The local people would never accept her as one of their own. The Cranes were all about yachts and private planes, she remembered. She had a pained look on her face, and glanced over quickly to see Luis' face. He was looking directly at her. His was wearing a fake smile, she thought.

"What, no comeback?" Luis said playfully, trying to lighten Sheridan's mood. He knew the remarks Sharon made had hit home with Sheridan. However he wasn't going to let them ruin his evening.

"Well Luis and I roped off the area last night, so it shouldn't happen again," Hank said. "But I'll tell you man, we thought we'd lost them more than once. It's nothing more than a miracle they're still alive. Then Hank couldn't resist, "And a little help from yours truly," he boasted. Hank was smiling and threw his hands up in the air to emphasize the point.

"We've been on a few dates over the last few months. Unfortunately everyone of them has been ruined. " Hank offered. "But not anymore! I'm going in for the kill, very soon!" Hank looked very confident and cocky.

"Well, you know, stupid stuff really," Hank explained, "Last night for example, Sheridan was skating on the thin ice, and Luis had to be the one to save her, then the real tragedy didn't help. New Years Eve, I was supposed to have a date with her, but the fake Martin Fitzgerald kidnapped her, and once again Luis saved her. We had a date on Halloween, and Luis got into the middle of that one too. We saw the magician early in the fall, and Sheridan got locked in his box accidentally and Luis saved her that night too. But from now on, it's just going to be the two of us" Hank smiled as he said his last smile.

Roy had been drinking his beer, and gulped hard as he listened to Hank's story. He started choking. Bill started patting him on the back, knowing exactly what had caused Roy to choke. Roy finally stopped choking. "Well good luck to you Hank"

"Sure Hank," Bill smiled. "Coming right up." Bill turned his back to get Hank his beer and glanced over at the pool tables. There he saw Luis and Sheridan playing what looked like an intimate game of pool. "We're going to see some fireworks tonight," Bill muttered to himself. Roy was thinking the same thing.

Luis and Sheridan were playing a very friendly game of pool. They teased each other every time one of them missed a shot. Gave advice to each other, accusing each other of trying to sabotage their game. Sheridan and Luis were standing only inches apart right now. They were both relaxed and happy. Each held a pool stick in their hand. They were gazing intently at each other.

"O.K. Here goes," Sheridan finally said. She turned towards the pool table to make her shot. She was finding it hard to concentrate. Luis had moved in closer and was still watching her wearing the same smile. She glanced over her shoulder to see him standing ever so close. "Luis," she pleaded. But that only made him look at her that much more intensely. Sheridan had no choice. She had to make her shot. She missed terribly.

"Thanks for the beer Bill," Hank said. I'm headed over to the pool tables. He was looking for someone to play with when he spotted Luis. "I wonder what he's doing here tonight?" Hank asked out loud. " Well maybe he'll play a few games with me and I can beat him at pool too." Hank laughed, very pleased with himself. As he got closer to the table, he saw Luis had someone with him. Someone he was having a very good time with, but he was blocking his view of the girl. "Boy, I guess Luis listened to my advice about Beth". Hank said, Still just talking out loud to himself. As Hank closed the distance to the pool table he watched this scene unfold.

`Two can play at this game' Sheridan thought. "Luis, I just wanted to give you a piece of advice." She reached up and whispered in his ear in the sexiest voice she could find, "You can't win." She then blew him a kiss in his ear. She backed away with a grin on her face.

Luis was in shock. He couldn't believe what she had just done. `Oh man` he thought, then he started smiling to himself. The smile becoming bigger and bigger. He glanced from the ball to Sheridan and back again. His concentration was lost. I gotta make this shot he kept telling himself. His thoughts kept bouncing back and forth from his shot to Sheridan. Finally he pocketed the ball. He stood up and looked at Sheridan. He then walked over to her, slowly. "I told you I was going to win," he teased. He was smiling at Sheridan in a way that made her go weak at the knees. He was inching closer to her. Sheridan caught her breath. "Lets go finish our drinks and we'll talk about a rematch" he said, enjoying the torment he had just put Sheridan through.

Luis and Sheridan had such a good time playing pool they had forgotten there was anyone else in the place. They had been totally involved with each other since almost the start of the game. They gave no thoughts to the comments Sharon had made to them, regarding their being the talk of the pool hall that night. As they turned to go back to their table, their was a figure blocking their path. They looked up and there stood Hank Bennett in front of them, bigger than life.

Luis and Sheridan were startled to see Hank standing there. It never dawned on Luis that Hank may be here tonight, otherwise he would never had suggested it. He wanted Sheridan to himself tonight. No interruptions, no mix ups.

Hank continued "I don't need to ask, now do I? As for me, I didn't have a date or anything, so I decided to come down here and see what was going on. I figured I'd play a few games of pool... You know Luis." Hank was still smiling.

Sheridan was avoiding looking at Hank. She was very uncomfortable with this discussion. Luis too, was beginning to get uneasy. He knew how Hank felt about Sheridan, and how convinced he was that Sheridan wanted him. He also knew that he had lied to Hank earlier in the day, and egged him on regarding asking Sheridan for a date tonight.

"You know it's funny, you guys are the talk of the pool hall tonight," Hank said. He didn't know this, he was just trying to make them uncomfortable. "The minute I walked in that's all I heard, Luis is here with Sheridan Crane! Can you believe that? I never would have believed Luis to be a gold digger! I never thought Luis would be seen with a member of the family he believes is responsible for his father's death. Can you believe it? A Crane coming here! Who does she think she is? Not enough rich, snooty guys around, she's gotta take one of ours away?" Hank was very pleased with himself. He was on a roll.

Sheridan's head started filling with all the things she had been told in the last two days. The local people will never fully accept a Crane. Luis could never live your lifestyle, can you live his? If you care about him, then why do you want to hurt him?

Sheridan was now wishing she had never asked Luis out. How can this be happening? Julian was right. She watched the two best friends fighting. It was all her fault! Tears started streaming down her face. She started backing away. Neither one noticed at that moment.

Luis calmed down and gathered his composure. "I didn't tell you I was going out with Sheridan tonight because I wanted us to be alone. Sheridan and I haven't been able to talk in two days, because every time one of us opens our mouths, someone comes over and interrupts us. We have some things we need to settle."

Luis looked frantically for Sheridan, and saw her no where. He asked several people if they had seen her and they all said no. Finally Luis was at the bar. He saw Roy sitting there. Luis was feeling sick.

Luis ran out the door as fast as he could. He had to find Sheridan. He couldn't lose her. Not now. Not ever. He looked up and down both sides of the street. Not seeing anyone he took a chance and ran in the direction of the water. Luis could see a figure running aimlessly toward the beach. He bolted after her. He didn't call her name, yet. He was afraid she'd run faster and he knew she was a good runner. Finally he was within fifteen feet of her he called her name.

"Sheridan, Hank and I have been competing for the same girls since we were kids. Luis said. He gently brushed the tears away from her face. "You know what?" Luis smiled, I'm freezing out here. We left our coats in the pool hall. What do you say, we go get our coats and I take you home". Luis's voice, now became very soft. We need to talk".

There was something about the way he looked at her, the way he gently caressed her face that Sheridan couldn't resist, The sparkle was back in her blue eyes, as she gazed into Luis' beautiful brown eyes. He was the most beautiful man she had ever met. Not just his physical appearance, but his heart and soul as well. How could run from this man?

Luis put his arm around Sheridan trying to keep her warm until the returned to the pool hall. His keys were in his pocket, so he opened the door of his jeep for Sheridan so she could wait outside while he got their coats. The last thing Sheridan needed tonight was another confrontation with Hank, or anyone else.

Luis was back in a flash and they drove silently back to the cottage. Though the trip was silent, they both kept turning to look at each other. It was almost as if they could read each others thoughts.

Luis sat down next to Sheridan. Until now, he hadn't thought about much, except getting Sheridan away from Hank. Now he realized he was sitting on a couch with Sheridan with only the light from the fire. His heart started pounding. He knew they had to talk, but how? He had a lump in his throat that wouldn't go away.

Sheridan looked at Luis. `Oh no' she thought. There was that look again. Her stomach was in knots and she couldn't talk. She just stared into those gorgeous eyes. She couldn't help it.

Sheridan felt like she was in a dream. She gave a gentle nod and smile. Luis slowly leaned toward Sheridan, their lips becoming closer, until they finally met. It was a soft, gentle kiss at first. They broke off the kiss to look at each other. They started to kiss again. The kiss became increasingly intense. It was the most passionate kiss either of them could remember. They were totally lost in each other finally having given into their feelings. Both wanted this night never to end.

After awhile, a long while, their kiss ended. They just sat there on the couch holding each other so tightly, as they didn't want to let the other go. Sheridan looked into Luis' eyes and smiled. "I love you, Luis". It was no mistake. She meant every word of it.