The nanny is copyrighted. I am just borrowing the wonderful characters for a while. So please don't sue me. I can't afford it.
This is my second (and I think my last) fan fiction. To all fan fiction writers: please continue; it is a real pleasure to read your stories and to recognise the characters.
Barb, thank you for your web site and allowing me to post it.
by
Mara
(jonaheve@hotmail.com)
It is just a normal morning in the Sheffield mansion. The kids are at school and Fran is sipping on her tea. Niles is on his way to the A&P. She looks through the mail. Only bills for Mr. Sheffield are there and one envelope in a distinctive manuscript is addressed to her. Is it her imagination or could it be a letter from the man she loves? "Nah, that can’t be". Then she opens the envelope and reads:
Dear Fran,
Sometime ago a friend of mine sent me this poem. He bought it in a Church in the South West England. When I red it, it didn’t remind me of my suffering, but mainly of yours. I have made up my mind and will put the past behind. Starting this afternoon. I know that I am in love with you. Ready to shout it from the rooftops. The limo will be ready at 12.30hr. Inside there is a package; wear it just for me. Your secret admirer.
Don’t quit.
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you 're trudging
seems all up hill.
When the funds are low and the debts are high
and you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
rest, if you must but you don't quit.
Life is queer with twist and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close your are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It is when things seems worst that
you must not quit...
She is surprised. Who could it be? Could it be Mr. Sheffield? It seems to be so; but she isn’t completely sure.
At 12.30 she is ready. Ready for this challenge. Niles isn’t back yet. She decides to write him a small note and put it on the kitchen table - What she doesn’t know that he has helped her secret admirer- She is wearing her black suit; the same she wore when she met Bobby Flekman. So goes into the limo without seeing the driver. In the limo is a package from Chanel and there is an envelope with –again- a poem.
She reads:
You Deserve The Best
This life is yours
Take the power
to choose what you want to do
and do it well
Take the power
to love what you want in life
and love it honestly
Take the power
to walk in the forest
and be a part of nature
Take the power
to control your own life
No one else can do it for you
Nothing is too good for you
You deserve the best
Take the power
to make your life
healthy
exciting
worthwhile
and very happy
Take the power
to reach for your dreams
-Poem by Susan Polis Schutz
Again there is a note in the same manuscript as before.
She reads:
Dear Fran,
You really deserve the best.
In this box there is a gown, a special gown. Made for a bride.
I want to fulfil your dreams. I love you, with all my heart, with all I am. Will you marry me?
At that moment the glass between the driver and the backseat of the limo opens. She looks up. Next to the driver is sitting Maxwell Beverly Sheffield. He looks in her eyes and says: "Francine Joy Fine: Will you?" Tears are in her eyes as she can only nod. He asks the driver to stop. Then he enters the back seat. She is surprised; he is wearing a tuxedo. Then he gives the driver permission to continue.
"Mr. Sheffield, I don’t understand.. What is this all about?"
"First of all Fran, call me Max"
He reaches for her hand, and puts on a beautiful diamond ring. Then he kisses her with all his passion and with all his love. This feels right for both of them.
"Fran, you have waited long enough. We both have waited long enough. Without your permission, I arranged a wedding. Our wedding. At this moment we are driving to the Waldorf Astoria hotel. Our families are there; waiting for the bride and broom"
"But, but,.. Max.."
"My God, you are speechless aren’t you?"
"Maxwell Sheffield, I don’t understand all this. But I love with all my heart and I will marry you even if it is today. But please explain something more would you?"
"My dear Fran. After receiving the "Don’t quit" poem of my friend…. I started thinking. I knew I hurt you because of "The Thing", but one thing was sure all the time: I am in love with you. I was / am afraid to loose you. Just like lost Sara. Going through all that pain again would tear me apart. Then it hits me. I realised that if I wouldn’t do something soon; I could loose you forever. And with that thought, I decided to make this move. You once said you I was predictable. At least I can change that for just one day. So made a lot of arrangements. Everybody was dealing with their part on this special mission: Niles, the kids, your parents, Val and even CC. They are all waiting for us; our wedding will take place within a couple of hours".
"But how? Niles is always a Yenta, what about the kids and CC? Making plans for our wedding?"
"Remember when I told you that we were working on our new project? Part two of the Widower? And we asked Niles to be the leading man? That project my love; was / is our wedding. This is part two of the Widower. Niles is my best man; Val and CC are your maids of honour. Everything is ready… and you probably will be even more surprised later"
The limo stops. Maxwell opens the door for Fran. He takes the box with the gown out of the limo.
He pulls her close and kisses her again and again.
"Fran, are you ready? In the hotel there is a bridle suit arranged for us. Your mother, Maggie, Grace and Val are there and ready to help you with your dress, hair and make up. Do you think you will be ready in -lets say- two hours?"
She still is stunned. "You bet. Baby"
But then she really realises what is going to happen. It feels great. He loves her! She looks at their entwined hands and grabs his tie. She kisses him wild and passionately.
"That is all for the road Mr! You know what I will be wearing tonight?"
He shakes his head. She takes her purse and put out a lip-gloss. The same lip-gloss when he proposed in front of his mother.
Then he answers. "This time darling, I am really looking for to the future, forward to our honeymoon, which will start later today, to see you at the age of 29 when you really 80. This afternoon will be perfect. Our lives will be perfect. You will be making me mad and I will be acting like a British cold sometimes; but living without those ‘benefits’… I can’t imagine" He chuckles.
"Me neither"
He kisses her again. Both are breathing heavily.
"Now shoot", he opens the bridle sweet, kisses her softly and than whispers: "I will be waiting for you".
Later that night in the bridle suite of the Waldorf Astoria two very happy married people are talking, kissing, cuddling and gazing at each other.
"Max, this was a beautiful day. I didn’t know that you planned all this and who could have thought that even Niles and CC were planning to get married?"
"Let me explain, darling. Niles told me several years ago he was in love with CC. Separately CC admitted the same. During the last couple of weeks when they were working on this day / this project. It hit them too. When Niles proposed to CC she accept and we decided to make it a double wedding"
"Our house will be full, Butlers, Sheffield’s, kids, my parents coming over…and what do you think about a Fine / Sheffield production?" She looks intensively at him.
He kisses her and when they both come up for air he answers.
"Fran I would love to ‘work’ on our production. You didn’t quit after all those years. You deserve the best".
"Honey, we both do".
The End
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