Since You Went Away

by

Debi
(roarrrr35@hotmail.com)

Maxwell felt another nudge and knew someone else had bumped into him. Why on earth did he leave his Christmas shopping until five days before Christmas. He had come to hate the holiday and everything it entailed. It hadn't always been that way. Just ever since.... Well, he paused a brief moment and thought to himself, 'Ever since Fran had left him'. She breezed on out the door as fast as the wind that blew her into his life. Since then, nothing had been right in his life. That was five years ago. Five years, and since then his life had gone to hell.

His children had grown up and grown out of him. They didn't need him and he hadn't done much to let them know he needed them. They were attending schools outside of New York state. Most of his Broadway productions were flops, probably because he could never keep his mind on work. CC had threatened to quit several times if he didn't shape up, but he knew she didn't mean it and he counted on that. She had gone through a lot with him throughout the years, and he always counted on her to be there to bail him out of all the messes he seemed to get himself into lately. He was very grateful to her, because if she hadn't been around to hold the business together, it would certainly have gone down the toilet. She and Niles had married a couple of years ago and they were totally happy. They had a little boy, Ethan, who was a year old and he was the spitting image of Niles. It was so hard on him watching this happy family. Except for working directly with CC and Niles being his butler, he stayed away from them as much as he could.

So, here he was in Bloomingdales shopping for another holiday. It was one of the things he couldn't pawn off to someone else. Oh, he had tried. Niles absolutely refused to do it for him, and that left only himself to do the tedious task. Every year, he promised himself to learn the computer shopping network to get him out of the stores. But he didn't have an interest to learn the computer and he couldn't motivate himself to sit at a computer and learn how to shop. Little did he know that was fate's way of stepping in to right a wrong.

*********

Fran Fine found herself standing in line at Bloomingdales to visit Santa with her young daughter Molly. Molly loved Christmas and everything it stood for. She started talking about Christmas in September and never let up until the end of January. This was the eighth Santa this season that Molly had drug her mother off to. And it wasn't as if Molly had a specific item she desperately wanted Santa to bring her, she just loved the feeling of warmth and love that Santa made her feel when she hugged him after telling him what she wanted him to bring her for Christmas. Fran thought they surely must have visited every Santa in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. Well, it seemed like it. But this Santa in Bloomingdales was different. Molly insisted that she put on her best dress and she made her mother curl her hair just exactly like her mommy's. It was almost as if Molly had a sixth sense that this visit to Santa would change their lives forver.

*********

Maxwell was finally finished with his shopping and he couldn't wait to get out of Bloomingdales as fast as possible. He stood on his toes and surveyed the room to find the quickest exit out of this madhouse. As his eyes scanned the room, he noticed Santa over in the corner visiting with children. A wonderful memory ebbed its way into his mind of the first time he and Sara took Margaret to visit Santa. She couldn't have been more than two, and although she was slightly afraid of this jolly man in red, she was fascinated by him. She kept giggling the whole time she was on his lap and she never said a word. When Santa asked for a hug, she threw her arms around him as if she had known him since the day she was born. Maxwell felt a warmth fill him that he hadn't felt, well since he couldn't remember when. He scanned the line of all the mothers and their children and his eyes fell on one woman. He couldn't see her face, her back was to him, but she had long, dark curly hair. Just looking at those long dark locks took his breath away. He stepped closer to get a better look and he noticed she was holding hands with a child who had the same long dark locks as her mother. Santa motioned for the next youngster, which made the woman turn around. The minute she did, Maxwell felt his whole world stand still. There she was, Fran Fine. Max could feel himself getting a little faint and he found a counter to lean up against. He couldn't believe it, after all these years, she was really here and he wasn't just imagining it. She was really here.

He stood and watched them for what seemed like an eternity, although it must have been only minutes. When finally their turn with Santa came up, the child ran to him as if Santa was a long lost friend. He lifted her up and put her on his lap and they chatted as if they were catching up on old times.

They were almost done, and the photographer took a picture of the little girl on Santa's lap. Santa motioned for Fran to come over and have another picture taken with the three of them. Max thought this a little odd. He knew department store Santas didn't do this, but most mothers didn't look like Fran either. They waited a few minutes for the pictures to be processed, paid for them and turned to leave. Max followed at a safe distance. He wasn't willing to let the image of her go away quite so soon.

*********

"Are you ready for our trip to the park today?" Fran asked her daughter as they left Bloomingdales.

"I always love to go to the park, Mommy!" Molly answered as they hailed a cab in busy downtown Manhattan.

"Well, today you can't play on the swings, because you're still in your best dress. I'm not sure why you wanted to wear it when you knew we were going to the park after," Fran asked her daughter.

"I'll be careful Mommy, I won't get dirty. But I just knew today would be special and I had to look my best for Santa," Molly stated, giving her mom a huge hug.

*********

Max followed them to Central Park and kept his safe distance from them. The park was pretty empty and he could see them talking to each other. He couldn't hear everything they said, but he could pick up a few words here and there.

His mind now had a chance to clear itself and he started asking himself all kinds of questions. His first thought was that she was a nanny again and this young child was her charge. But he knew he had heard the child call her Mommy. Suddenly a knot as big as his fist appeared in his stomach. It was caused by the possibility that she was married and had a husband. He looked at her left hand, but he was too far away to see if there was a wedding ring on it.

She had left him so suddenly. One day she was prancing around the mansion in her short skirts tormenting him, and the next day she had resigned, telling him that her cousin Toddy had offered her a job in Europe for six months. He suggested she go to Europe for the six months and then return as their nanny, but she refused. He was shocked and hurt that she could leave his family so easily. Too late he would come to realize how devastated he was that she wasn't in his life anymore. He had always worried that if he didn't make some commitment to her, she would leave him and that's exactly what happened. But back then he couldn't bring himself to tell her how he truly felt, and the consequences were far more reaching than he realized they would be on him and his children.

It was then that his whole life started going downhill. The children blamed him for letting her leave just when they had become a family again, and one by one, he lost their trust, and he felt he had lost their love.

Max watched the two of them sitting on a bench. They looked so happy. Fran was reading her a story and the child was totally mesmerized by it. Fran leaned over and gave her daughter a big kiss on the cheek and the child giggled and hugged her mommy.

Max suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of loss. If he had only expressed how he felt about her five years ago, she would be his wife, not someone else's. He had to get away from this scene, but he struggled with the feeling that he couldn't leave them. If he did, he would most likely never see her again.

An hour later, Fran stood up with her daughter in hand and hailed another cab. Max watched as she stepped inside, and the cab drove away. His feelings of loss let loose like a river. He barely made it back to his car and he started sobbing.

*********

Fran sat back in the cab and watched as the stores passed by. The cab slowly came to a stop due to gridlock from the Christmas rush and the 5 o'clock traffic rush. Molly was tired and leaned against her mom and closed her eyes. Fran's eyes did a double take as she saw the theater marquee in front of her that read "Grease", a revival, a Sheffield-Babcock production.

That name caused a myriad of memories to return. For five long years she had fought fiercely to push those memories into the far recesses of her mind as if they never happened.. But it was impossible when she had a reminder of it in front of her every day. Working for Maxwell Sheffield had been the most wonderful time of her life. But then one day she woke up in his bed, in his arms, after a night of drinking at Mona's party. After concluding that nothing had happened that night, both of them went on with their lives. But three months after that incident, Fran found out that her life would never be the same. A doctor confirmed what she suspected, she was pregnant. She first had a terrible fear linger within her about what the future held for her, raising an illegitimate child by herself. But her family and friends were wonderful and she never could have made it through that time of crisis without their help.

After she found out she was pregnant, she had decided to leave the Sheffield household. She knew that she was desperately in love with Maxwell Sheffield, and although she knew they were extremely attracted to each other, he had never given any indication to her that he any feelings toward her other than friendship. She thought seriously about telling him about his child, but every time she made the decision to do it, she backed out knowing that she wanted this child more than anything on earth, and if he didn't, well it would be a crushing blow that she wasn't sure she could recover from.

So, her life went on without him. She resigned, went to Europe to have the child and came back with her daughter.

Fran looked down at her daughter resting against her mother. She was so much like her father. She had that same fiery temper that her father had when he would get mad at her for some mishap she had caused, or he thought she had caused. She could picture him yelling "MISS FINE!", and it made her smile. Molly had his wonderful green eyes and she had inherited his ability to look at you and melt your heart with one gaze. But her daughter was totally the opposite of her father when it came to expressing her feelings. Molly carried her heart on her shirt sleeve and you always knew exactly how she was feeling. If you didn't see it in her eyes, she expressed it verbally.

She currently worked for Toddy in the fashion industry and did a little freelance costume coordinating on the side for a little extra income. She made a good living and only worked a specific number of hours each week to make sure she spent plenty of time with her daughter. She had a small apartment in Manhattan that she and Molly shared, and she felt that life was treating her very well . Every once in a while old memories returned to sadden her heart, but she would push them aside and remind herself how lucky she was. She had a beautiful daughter, a wonderful job and life was very good to her.

She didn't date as much as the days in the Sheffield mansion. Men were immediately attracted to her right off, but once she mentioned her daughter, they seemed put off. Either they never called back or the relationship never went anywhere. But Fran felt she had a very fulfilling life, and if a man was meant to be included in her life, it would happen at some time, and that special man would welcome Molly into his life as well as Fran.

*********

"CC, it's uh......4'oclock and I think I'm going to take a break and get some air," Maxwell said to his business partner, with almost a sense of urgency.

"Well, ok, but please come back soon because we need to go over some details as far as the costuming for this new play. I may have found a costume coordinator who does freelance on the side and word is out that she is very talented," CC stated.

Maxwell, didn't even respond and was out the door before CC could say another word. He drove to Central Park, parked as close as he could get and looked around in the hope of a slight chance that Fran would return to the park at the same time as she had yesterday.

Fifteen minutes passed and Maxwell was just about to leave, when he saw Fran and her child running to the swings.

"Molly, I'll be over here on the bench reading. Please don't leave the swings unless you tell me, ok sweetie?" Fran yelled at her daughter.

"Ok, Mommy!" Molly yelled back.

Max's heart started beating faster and he noticed how beautiful Fran looked. She was in skin tight jeans, with a leather belt around her tiny waist. She had a black turtle neck sweater on and a black leather jacket on top of that. Her hair was still a mass of curly locks framing her beautiful face.

Molly looked totally different from the day before. Her hair was pulled back into one long french braid trailing down her back. She had overalls on with the cuffs turned up and sneakers that had lights inside them that glowed each time she took a step. With her hair pulled back, he could see how much she reminded him of her mother. She was truly the most beautiful child he had seen in a long time.

Max watched them for 45 minutes and then they left, again in a cab.

For the next couple of days, Max came to the park to watch them. This must have been a daily routine for them because they came everyday at the same time.

*********

It was early in the morning of Christmas Eve, and Max and CC were still going over preparations for their next play.

"Maxwell, we still need to meet with the costume coordinator and go over our ideas. Dina has made an appointment for you to meet with the her at 3:30 today at the theater".

"CC, it's Christmas Eve, don't you think it's a little inappropriate to ask someone to meet us on Christmas Eve? " Maxwell looked at her with bit of exasperation in his voice. He didn't want to have to go meet anyone today so close to the time that Fran would be in the park. Dina had set up the appointment, and although she had proven to be quite invaluable since they hired her as their secretary, why on earth would she make an appointment on Christmas Eve when people were getting ready with last minute preparations for the next day.

*********

As Fran was getting dressed for her appointment, her stomach started to hurt. She was meeting with someone from Sheffield-Babcock productions and she prayed it was CC instead of Maxwell. She didn't know what she would do or say if Mr. Sheffield was the one she was meeting. His secretary Dina had been vague about who she was meeting today. When Dina had called her the first time, her immediate thought was to turn them down. But, she knew this was a great opportunity for her and she could certainly use the extra cash to stick in her savings account. She was so sure she was Aover" Maxwell Sheffield and she could handle it if she happened to run into him at some time.

She found herself putting on a conservative blouse and skirt. Her skirt came right to her knees, although it did have a slit on one side that showed quite a bit of leg, it was far from the usual short skirts she used to wear around the Sheffield house.

The door bell rang and Molly ran to open it. "Val, Val, come here and see my new picture with Santa," she said as she pulled Val into her bedroom.

"Oh Val, thank so much for staying with Molly. I shouldn't be too long." Fran had told Val where she was going, and although Val didn't vocalize it, she thought Fran was going to fall back into a hole that had taken her five years to dig out of.

"Bye Mommy, hurry back ok?" Molly said as she gave her mom a big hug. "It's a Wonderful Life" is on tv and you said you'd watch it with me ok?"

"Don't worry angel, I'll be home before you know it. I don't want to be anywhere else but with you for Christmas Eve". Fran blew her a kiss goodbye and Molly caught it and blew her one back.

Fran stepped in her cab and prayed all the way to the theater that CC would be the one she was meeting with.

*********

Maxwell arrived at the theater a bit early and went to his office to get some paperwork done before his appointment. It was approaching 3:30 and he knew his appointment would be here soon. All he could think about was that in one half hour, Fran would be at the park and he was missing a chance to see her. It put him in an extremely foul mood. Well, he would rush through this appointment as fast as possible and get to Central Park before 5pm.

*********

Fran arrived at the theater and it was 3:25pm. After asking for instructions, she walked down the hall to the office and knocked softly on the door. Her heart was beating rather fast and she was chanting to herself, "Please let it be CC, please let it be CC". She heard someone get up and walk to the door. As the door opened slowly, the churning in her stomach went into full gear. There standing in front of her was Maxwell Sheffield.

*********

Maxwell was absolutely shocked to see Fran Fine standing in front of him. He wondered perhaps if she saw him at the park the last few days watching her and Molly and she was there to tell him to leave her alone. He must have stood for several seconds in silence, and then he realized Fran had an odd expression on her face. He finally realized he needed to say something.

"Miss Fine! Uh, what are you doing here, I mean....it's so good to see you again." Maxwell felt like a total fool stumbling over his words.

"Mr. Sheffield, didn't your secretary tell you I was coming?" Fran explained to him.

"My secretary?" He asked, and then it came to him. "Oh, you are the costume coordinator?"

"Yes, you didn't know it was me?" Fran seemed a little nervous and somewhat agitated that he didn't even know the name of the person that was coming to meet him.

"Uh, well, no, Dina, uh my secretary, made the appointment and CC told me just before I came and I'm not sure she knew your name". Maxwell felt like the more he talked, the more asinine he sounded. "Well, anyway, please come in and sit down. Please tell me, how have you been?" He didn't know what to say to her.

"I've been great," she responded. She moved past him and came further into his office to sit down. Just as she did this, she got a whiff of his cologne. Oh God, he was wearing Aramis. At that very second she knew this was the worst mistake she could have ever made. A flood of memories bombarded her mind of her and Maxwell Sheffield together. Him hugging her, kissing her, consoling her after disastrous dates. In one small fraction of time, Fran knew that what she thought had taken her five years to accomplish simply flew out the window. She knew she was still in love with Maxwell Sheffield.

Max walked back to his desk and sat down. As he did this, his attention went immediately to Fran's left hand. His eyes zoomed in on her ring finger. There was nothing there. He felt an immense sense of relief.

Fran wanted to get out of there now as fast as she could, but she knew she was trapped like a rat in a trap.

"So Mr. Sheffield, how have you been?" Fran asked, trying to be as cordial as he had been to her.

"I've been great too!" He answered, although he was lying through his teeth.

"How are the children?" Fran asked.

"Oh, the children, well they are all very well, thank you." He didn't want to respond with the truth. Well, my children hate me and left me for greener pastures right after you left.

"Well, perhaps we should get on with business," Maxwell said. He was so frantic about the possibility of saying something wrong, he wanted to stick with business until he could be by himself and think this situation through. "Please come down the hall, all the costumes are in wardrobe. I'll tell you a little about the production and then you can take some time to look over the costumes and give me whatever feedback you may have."

Fran followed him and realized by his tone of voice, and wanting to stick with business that he had never felt the same way about her that she had about him. . She was hoping he would tell her that she was not the right person for this job. She realized now that there was no way she could work with him everyday and be reminded of old memories. She had no idea what had gotten into her in the first place to even consider working with him.

They ended up down the hall and Maxwell opened a door that led them into a room that housed all the costumes. A very large rectangular table encompassed the middle of the room and the outer areas contained racks upon racks of clothing. "Please have a seat Miss Fine." Maxwell motioned her toward the chairs. They both sat down next to each other and Fran immediately crossed her legs. Maxwell eyes were drawn instantly to the slit in her skirt which gave him ample view of one of her legs and upper thigh. A shot of electricity ran through his entire body. He let out a small moan, which he promptly disguised by coughing and then thought to himself, 'Oh, how on earth am I going to get through this appointment? One look at some skin beneath her skirt is wreaking havoc on my body.'

"Well, Miss Fine, I am impressed by your ideas and I think you will make a tremendous addition for our production. I'd like to get together tomorrow and discuss more about your ideas" Maxwell stated. There really wasn't much more to discuss, but he wanted to see her again soon without having to spy on her at the park.

"Mister Sheffield, you do realize that tomorrow is Christmas Day don't you?" I do have other commitments with my family," she asked a little perplexed that he would forget that tomorrow was the most beloved day of the year.

"Oh, yes, of course. I totally forgot. Well perhaps the day after, say around 2pm?" Maxwell asked. He was not very happy that he would have to wait until the 26th to see her again.

"That would be fine. Do you want to meet here?" Fran asked.

"Well, just come to my office and we can come down here to discuss the costumes." Max responded.

*********

The holiday passed quickly and being with her family made Fran totally happy. She pushed Maxwell Sheffield out of her mind, at least for Christmas Day. Molly was delighted with all her new toys and kept herself busy playing with them. This gave Fran some quiet time in the evening to mull over her appointment tomorrow with Mr. Sheffield and how she would handle it. She cursed herself that she ever agreed to do these costumes for Sheffield-Babcock Productions, but she was so sure at that time that she was over Max and could handle anything life put in her way. She knew now she was wrong, but there was no way to back out now.

On the other hand, Maxwell's Christmas was a typical one for him for the past few years. The children had come home, but they were all quite somber and more than willing to leave by the end of the day. It saddened Maxwell greatly that his children were so eager to leave him so soon on Christmas Day . He went into his office to see if he could get some work done, but all he could think about was Fran.

*********

"So, Miss Fine, I am delighted about your ideas and I think they will work just marvelously." Maxwell beamed from ear to ear. The truth be told, he woke up feeling better than he had in ages. He had taken more time to get ready and had even put on one of his best suits, which he only wore for special occasions. When he walked out the door, Niles couldn't believe the change in him and he was especially curious as to what had elicited this change.

Max thought how radiant Fran looked today. She had on a sweater and skirt that was reminiscent of the days she worked for him at the mansion. The skirt wasn't quite as short, but he certainly did a double take at her when he saw her entering his office. He half expected her to come around to his side of his desk, sit on the edge and cross her legs. In the past when she had done this, he'd always had an overwhelming desire to pull her into his arms and kiss her. But today, she came in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. Soon his mind came back down to earth and they started talking about the production.

After talking about her plans for the costumes, Fran remarked, AOh, I'm so glad you like them Mr. Sheffield." At that moment, her cell phone went off. APlease excuse me Mr. Sheffield, I'll just be one moment. I apologize for having my cell phone on in a business meeting, but I asked my babysitter to call me. My daughter was feeling a bit under the weather when I left this morning and I asked my sitter to check in with me," Fran said as she watched his face for any kind of expression as she mentioned her daughter.

"Oh hi Lynne, how is Molly?. She is, great. Thank you so much for calling me. I should be home within the hour. Oh, that early? Well, since she's feeling better, could you drop her off here at the theater on your way? Oh, that would be great. Thanks again Lynne." Fran smiled at Max as she put away her cell phone.

"You have a daughter Miss Fine?" Maxwell asked her. He felt since she didn't know that he already knew she had a daughter, it would be rude not to ask about her.

"Yes, Molly, she was a little under the weather today. Probably all the goodies and excitement from yesterday, but Lynne says she's feeling ok now. I hope you don't mind if Lynne drops her off here. She has an appointment she needs to get to soon.. Molly won't be any problem. She always carries her crayons and paper around in her backpack and she can sit here and draw while I pick out some costumes." Fran looked at Maxwell again to see what reaction he had to any of this conversation. Fran couldn't detect any kind of emotion in Maxwell's face at all, and it was just one more thing that made her realize he didn't have the same feelings toward her that she had toward him.

"No, Miss Fine, that is quite alright. I'm so glad that she's feeling better. I can't wait to meet her." Max kept playing the game. He wondered what kind of reaction he was conveying to her, but he fought hard not to express any emotion at all. After all, he had been following her around for the past week like a psychotic stalker just to get a glimpse of her and her daughter. He knew she had a daughter, but he didn't want to let on that he knew far more about her than she realized. Max's thoughts came back to Fran and he said again, "Yes, it will be very nice to meet your daughter." He actually was quite excited to see little Molly again.

Maxwell went back to his office and soon Lynne dropped Molly by. Molly was intrigued by all the costumes and her mom told her all about the new play and how they would use the costumes.

Soon, Molly sat down and started coloring and Fran went back to the racks and racks of costumes trying to find just the perfect one for a certain scene.

Max came back in an hour later and saw Molly sitting at the table with her crayons and he could hear Fran rustling around in the back of the room in one of the clothes racks. He noticed Molly looked like bright little sunbeam in her red corduroy jumper. She had a white turtleneck under it that had hearts all over it. He approached her and knelt beside her.

"You must be the young Miss Molly I was told about". Max said as she turned to him.

"Yes I am, who are you?" Molly asked with a great deal of curiosity, but a smile light up her face.

"My name is Maxwell, but you can call me Max." I'm a friend of your mommy's, A Maxwell pointed toward the racks where her mother was.

"And how old might you be young lady?" Maxwell asked her.

"I'm five years old!, Molly responded, AWell, I will be in a couple of months."

"And how lovely you look Molly, all decked out in hearts." Max smiled back at her.

"Oh, that's because I'm a Valentine's baby, huh mommy?" Molly was still smiling from ear to ear. She liked this man, he was very nice, and when he talked he had a different accent than anything or anyone she'd ever heard.

Fran had heard her daughter talking with someone and peeked out from behind a rack of clothes to see who it was. What she saw melted her heart. Maxwell was hunkered down to Molly's level and they seemed to be in an intense conversation. Just as Fran poked her head out a little further, she heard Molly say, "Oh, that's because I'm a Valentine's baby, huh Mommy?" Fran wasn't sure what their conversation had been, but she nodded and said, "Yep, you sure are," knowing that Molly was born on Valentine's Day.

Fran stepped forward and said, "Molly, this is my boss Mr. ...." And before she could finish her sentence, Molly said, "Oh Mommy, we already met. Max is a very nice man. I just love the way he talks." Molly looked up as Max and Fran's eyes met each others.

'Max', Fran thought. She wasn't on a first name basis with him after working for him for years, or even after she had fallen in love with him, and her daughter had just barely met him and was already calling him by his first name.

"Mr. Sheffield, is there something you need?" Fran asked almost timidly.

"No, nothing Miss Fine. I was just checking in to see if there was anything I could do for you and Molly."

"Molly, would you like some juice? I have a small refrigerator in my office and there is some grape and orange juice in there?" Max didn't take his eyes away from Fran for one second while he asked the question to Molly.

"May I have some juice mommy?" Molly asked with a pleading look.

"Sure sweetie,." Fran responded.

"Molly, my office is just down this corridor on the left. The door is open, just go in and help yourself, ok?" Max told her.

Molly took off down the hall.

"She really is a beautiful child Fran. I can tell you have done an excellent job raising her, but then that's nothing new to me. You raised my children most beautifully." Max realized what he said and looked down a little embarrassed. "Your husband must be very proud of you and Molly". Max added just to see how she would respond.

"Oh, Mister Sheffield, that is a beautiful compliment, thank you, but I'm not married. It's just Molly and me.” Fran wasn't sure why he thought she was married. She didn't wear a wedding band and she was still using the name Fine. Perhaps he was "testing the waters" to see if she was committed to someone. Oh that was just plain nonsense. She knew he had no feelings for her other than friendship.

Max's heart leapt when she said she wasn't married. He felt pure joy inside. He had already come to the conclusion that most likely she wasn't married. She didn't wear a ring and Fine was her maiden name. His mind started racing about who Molly's father was, but at the moment he didn't seem to care. Fran was single, she was here with him and he was, at that moment, more happy than he had been in a long, long time.

"Miss Fine, I'm having a New Year's party here at the theater. It's for all my associates and their families and I would love for you and Molly to come. The evening will be starting early and there will be a lot of other children here also for Molly to play with."

"Oh, I don't think so Mr. Sheffield, we have already made some plans with my family," Fran lied. "But thank you anyway".

Max felt his heart drop to his stomach and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that you have made other plans. I know Molly would have such a great time. Dina has planned some wonderful activities for the children."

"Mommy, we don't have anything planned. Please, please can we go to Max's party?" Molly had her juice in one hand, and was just entering the room again when she heard her mother's excuse for not coming to the party.

"Well,...well, we'll see ok?" Fran stammered a little, quite frustrated that her daughter had just caught her in a blatant lie.

"Thanks Max for my juice," Molly said and then she sat back down and started coloring.

"Mr. Sheffield, I think I've decided on a couple of costumes for the second act. If you have a minute, I'll show them to you."

Max walked toward Fran and she felt her heart start pounding in her chest, the closer he came to her. Why did this man have this ability to make her feel like this after so many years. She had an overwhelming feeling that she would never shake free of his control over her. Working for him again was only making it worse.

Max and Fran started looking through some of the clothes racks at the back of the room Their faces were only inches from each other. When they both realized how close they were to each other, they both stopped and turned toward each other. There was an intense uncomfortable moment of silence between them, and Max felt himself coming closer and closer to those luscious red lips. He was almost there when...

"Mommy, Max, look at my picture! I drew a picture of this room and all the costumes here." Molly was slowly coming toward her mother with her picture, and Fran stepped back as soon as he saw her daughter.

Fran was stunned at what had almost happened. She could hardly respond to her daughter. Had Max actually tried to kiss her?

"Oh sweetie, that's a wonderful picture. You are so talented!” Fran responded to her daughter, but her mind was still elsewhere. Max look at the picture and praised Molly for her talent. Molly sat back down smiling from ear to ear.

*********

That evening Maxwell Sheffield felt rather melancholy. Niles made him dinner and after he finished his dinner, he went into his office. Talking to Molly had sent a wave of sadness over him, a sadness for his children. He missed them so much. He pulled out an old scrapbook and started to leaf through it looking at all the wonderful pictures of his children when they were growing up. Tears started to form in his eyes and he promised himself he would work harder to restore his relationship with his estranged children.

As he kept looking at the pages, his eyes fell on one particular picture and a shockwave was felt throughout his entire body. He wondered how that picture had made its way into his children's scrapbook, but he was even more floored at the face staring back at him from the picture. There in front of him was a picture of himself, and the caption read, "Maxwell, age 6". He grabbed the top drawer of his desk and rummaged through it, finally laying his hands on what he was looking for, a black marker. He took the picture out of the scrapbook and with the marker started drawing in curls at the top of his head in the picture and long dark curls by each side of his face. When he was finished, the face in the picture staring back at him was Molly's.

Maxwell was dumbfounded and he started asking himself, 'How could this be? Fran and I never....' He stood up and started pacing the room back and forth. He mentally went over their relationship from the time Fran entered his house to the time she left. He went over it month by month, year by year. The more he concentrated on it, the more confused he got. He started talking to himself aloud as if he could come up with an answer quicker if he could hear himself. 'We never.. ever....well the closest we got was waking up in each other's arms the night Fran got drunk and I was sick. He suddenly silenced himself for about ten seconds and then said aloud, "Oh, my God."

'How old did Molly say she was? Five, yes five in a couple of months . That would be February. Yes, she said she was a Valentine's baby.' Maxwell started rifling through his desk again, this time for old yearly day planners. He finally found the right year and started looking through the pages, getting more frantic by the second for an answer. Fran left in August, he remembered it well, because he had a new production opening late summer and he was looking forward to her accompanying him to it, but she left two days before it opened. When was Mona's party? What month was it?' He usually kept track of what he did each day and kept it in his day planner. He turned to July of that year, scanned through it, nothing. He turned to June, still nothing. But when he turned to May and scanned the entries, his eye fell on May 8th. It read, "Flu-took the next day off to let flu medicine wear off". Max knew that was the day they woke up together.

Suddenly Max started counting the months starting with June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January----February. That made 9 months.

A small smile fell over Maxwell's face, and at that moment he knew without a shadow of a doubt why Fran had left him, she was pregnant with his baby. Molly was his daughter.

*********

Fran tossed and turned that evening going over and over that moment when she knew Max had tried to kiss her. She was so sure he had no romantic feelings for her. She just couldn't understand what had happened. She finally fell asleep and all those thoughts made her dream of herself in Max's arms, making love to him. She used to have dreams like that all the time, but thankfully she hadn't had one in years. Now they seemed to be back with a vengeance. Oh God, why did she ever think she could work with him again. When she awoke the next morning, she was in a frightful mood.

*********

Max hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. He kept going over all the events that had transpired in the last couple of weeks. The most important question on his mind was why Fran hadn't told him she was pregnant before she left. He had laid awake and thought about this for hours. It was apparent in those days that they were extremely attracted to each other, but at that time, he strongly felt that falling in love and committing to someone else would be betraying Sara. If Fran had told him about the baby, would he have believed her? In those days, she went out with a lot of men. He wondered if she kept the truth from him because she might have thought he would accuse her of pawning someone else's baby off on him. It was five years later, he had no idea how he would have reacted to her news then.

Then again, on the other hand, perhaps all her flirting with him was simply that, flirting and nothing more. Maybe she didn't want to be tied down with a baby and a husband. Now he was just confusing the situation and himself.

Although Max hadn't sleep more than a couple of hours, he woke the next morning in a delightful mood. Fran was single, he had a beautiful new daughter, and this time he would make sure neither one of them would ever leave him again. He would see to that if it took his last dying breath.

*********

The New Year's Eve party was in full kick and Max was as nervous as a thirteen year old boy going through puberty just waiting for Fran to show up. Perhaps she wasn't coming. He didn't even want to think of that as a possibility. She had to come. She didn't know it, he thought, but this was going to be the beginning of their new life together.

"Hey sweetie, can you come in here and zip me up?," Fran yelled in her high pitched nasal voice. Molly came running as she yelled, "Alright, already, I'm not in the next building ya know Mommy, you don't have to yell so loud!" 'Yeah right,' Fran thought, 'she's never heard herself."

Fran had taken a good two hours getting ready and they were running extremely late. The whole time she kept asking herself how she had let this little munchkin talk her into this.

"Come on Mommy, we're going to miss all the fun. I'm sure Max is waiting for us," Molly had her coat on and was standing impatiently at the door. Boy, did that bring back memories of Max waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her to accompany him to all those openings of his Broadway productions.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure he probably hasn't even noticed we're not there yet. Ok, let's go," and with that, Molly pulled her out the door.

*********

"Yes, Richard, I'm sure the new year will be much better for Sheffield/Babcock productions." Maxwell was off to the side of the room talking with a few of his associates and he noticed a glint of black and red coming from the corner of the room. He lifted his head to see what it was. Fran and Molly had just entered the room and they both stepped down a few steps to enter the main area. Max felt his heart beat get faster and thought perhaps he may be having a minor heart attack. He drew in a few breaths of air to relieve the feeling and slow his breathing. He could see several of the men turn to look at Fran as she made her entrance. Max could certainly understand why, she had never looked more beautiful. Well, the word beautiful just didn't do her justice. She was wearing a black evening dress that hit her a little over the knees. The top had a lace covered bodice and showed just enough cleavage to be extremely sophisticated but enticingly sexy. The sleeves were capped and she wore her signature stiletto heels. Her hair was done up with a cascade of curls down her neck and a few at each side. She was absolutely breathtaking. Molly was at her side holding her hand wearing a taffeta plaid dress in Christmas colors, with a huge black velvet collar, black tights and red shoes to match. Both mother and daughter looked stunning.

"Mommy, Mommy, there's Max." Molly immediately she let go of her mother's hand and ran to him. Max saw her running to him and he picked his daughter up and gave her a huge hug and kiss on the cheek.

Fran could not believe the scene that just happened in front of her. Her daughter hardly knew him. Did Molly have some psychic feeling that this man was her father, or was it as simple as him having that same uncontrollable pull over his daughter that he had over her.

"Miss Fine, I'm so glad you and Molly could come. I know you won't regret it. The evening is going to be filled with lots of excitement."

Fran muttered to herself, "I'm not sure how much more excitement I can handle."

The evening progressed on and everyone mingled, talked, danced, and ate until they couldn't eat another bite. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves completely. There were several games going on for the children and it allowed the adults to enjoy themselves with their friends.

AMiss Fine, would you care to dance?" Max asked her. Without giving her a chance to say no, he took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

It was a very awkward time for Fran, as he pulled her close and started leading her around the dance floor. She had a quick flashback of her old Kindervelt reunion, and how Max had shown up to rescue her from Judy Silverman. That night he'd led her around the dance floor with moves she had never made before. Everyone had stopped dancing to look at them. They stared at them as if they were a couple completely in love. That was the night she realized she was falling in love with him.

Fran could feel her cheeks get flush as he held her closer. He pulled back a few seconds later and met her eyes and said softly, "Fran, you look so beautiful tonight... God, you are so beautiful". Fran could feel her cheeks redden even more. Was he playing games with her? She was starting to get totally confused and she didn't like the feeling of being out of control.

Fran stopped immediately dancing at that moment and said, "Oh, Mr. Sheffield, it's really getting late and I really need to get Molly to bed". Max knew that the way he said that comment must have scared her.

"But, Miss Fine, it's only 10:45. You need to stay and welcome in the new year". Max wasn't ready to let the evening end and he wanted her to stay in his arms just a little while longer.

"No, we're way past Molly's bedtime and I think we need to get going. But it was a lovely party, thank you so much for inviting us." With that said, Fran start walking toward Molly.

Max quickly followed her and said, "Well, let me take you home. My limo is outside and this time of night, it will be impossible for you to get a cab."

"No, I'm sure we'll be fine," Fran responded, and grabbed Molly's hand and headed for their coats.

As Fran helped Molly put her coat on, Max looked at her and said firmly, "Miss Fine, I must insist. You will not get a cab this time of night on New Year's eve. I do not want you and Molly standing outside in the cold for what could be hours waiting for a taxi." To impress this point upon her, he picked Molly up in his arms as if to take control of the situation and led Fran through the crowd toward the door.

Molly wasn't quite sure what was going on between her mommy and Max, but she was tired and leaned her head on Max's shoulder. Just as he walked through the door, Molly propped her head up and said, "Stop Max, stop." Max stopped immediately and looked at Molly. She was pointing her finger up toward the ceiling. He and Fran both looked up and they saw Fran standing in the door frame right underneath a sprig of mistletoe.

Molly giggled and said, "So, aren't you going to kiss her Max?"

Fran looked at Max and was mortified that her daughter had put her in this position.

Still holding Molly with one arm, Max leaned over very slowly and stroked Fran's cheek with the back of his hand. He leaned in closer and barely touched his lips with hers. It might have looked like a very sweet, chaste kiss to some onlooker, but when their lips touched, everything and everyone around them disappeared. They could both feel time getting slower. They both had an overwhelming feeling of contentment and peace, and they both knew at that moment that the other was their soul mate. Max pulled back slowly, and Fran immediately leaned back against the door frame to steady herself because her legs were jelly.

After Max pulled himself back, he looked at Fran. Whoa, he had never dreamed that such a slight wisp of a kiss could affect him like this. The feelings he had were unlike anything he had ever felt with anyone. He could also feel himself getting extremely aroused and he hoped Fran couldn't see it. He wondered how it had affected her. He noticed her lean back against the door frame to steady herself. Maybe she did have feelings for him too.

The ride home was almost silent, with neither of them speaking at all after that kiss. By the time they reached Fran's apartment, Molly was fast asleep. Max picked her up and carried her into Fran's apartment. Once they were inside, Molly stirred and woke up.

"Thanks Max for inviting us to your party. I really had a really great time," Molly slurred her words, not quite fully awake. "Mommy, can Max come over for dinner tomorrow night? It's my night to pick out what to have. Can I pick out who we have come to dinner too?" Fran and Max looked at each other a little surprised at her reasoning. Then they looked back down to Molly.

'Out of the mouth of babes,' Max thought, secretly thanking Molly for her childlike innocence.

Fran was shocked that Molly had asked this. What had gotten into her lately? Was she trying to play matchmaker? Fran paused for a moment and then said, "Sure sweetie." Then she turned to Max and said, "Mr. Sheffield, you are certainly welcome to come over for dinner tomorrow. I know you are very busy with this new play coming soon, so I'll understand if you can't." She wanted to give him a way out, but surprisingly, she hoped he wouldn't use it as an excuse.

Max was filled with elation because of the evening's events. "I would love to," he answered. He knew Fran must have been a little unnerved over Molly's suggestion. But things couldn't have worked out better if he and Molly were conspiring together. He gave Molly a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "Have a wonderful night's rest my little one." The, minute he said it, he knew he shouldn't have. Fran gave him an extremely puzzled look. Molly, totally unaware of what was going on because of Max's statement, kissed him back on the cheek."Goodnight Max", she said and then he set her down and she went off to her room to change into her pajamas.

"Well, Miss Fine, I will see you tomorrow evening then."

"How about 7:30, is that ok?," Fran responded.

Max nodded and said, "Until tomorrow night then. I hope you also have a wonderful night's rest..

"Goodnight Mr. Sheffield, and thank you so much for inviting us to the party, we had a wonderful time. Thank you also for the ride home. We'll see you tomorrow evening."

Maxwell went out the door. Fran closed the door, leaned against it and asked herself aloud, "Oh, what am I getting myself into again?"

*********

The next day went by so fast and before she knew it, Fran was in her kitchen preparing for dinner. She decided to be casual and she put on one of her miniskirts with a sweater. Molly dressed casual too, wearing jeans and a sweater.

The doorbell rang and Molly ran into the living room to answer it. She opened the door, and greeted Max with a big hug. "Hi Max, come on in, Mommy's still in the kitchen cooking dinner". Max stepped into the kitchen, and with a total look of astonishment on his face said to Fran, "Did she say you were cooking?"

"Yes, I know, miracles never cease" Fran explained. "But when you're single, raising a child and you don't have a wonderful butler to cook gourmet meals for you, you learn to cook them yourself". Fran paused and then added, "Well, having a sister who is a very successful caterer to teach you how to cook doesn't hurt either," and she chuckled to herself. Then she saw his slightly worried expression. "Don't worry, you won't get food poisoning tonight. I've been doing this for quite some time and we're both still alive," she said pointing to herself and Molly. They all started laughing.

Max looked at her and she looked so domestic with a little apron tied around her waist. He wanted to go over to her as she was stirring something on the stove, put his arms around her waist and hug her as if he never wanted to let go.

Fran turned back to face him and she got a better look at him. She noticed he was wearing black slacks and a black cashmere sweater. He came closer and handed her a bottle of wine that he had brought with him. "Here, I thought we might have a little wine with our dinner," he said. She could smell his cologne. He was wearing Aramis again. Was he tormenting her on purpose or was she just imagining it? Just the sight and smell of him caused butterflies in her stomach, and she steadied herself against the stove.

She had such mixed feelings about this evening. On one hand, she really wanted to be near him. She wanted to talk with him and find out all about the children and what they were doing these days. She had wanted to have kept in touch with them so much, but she decided against it because it would have been playing with fire. She also knew it must have hurt the children immensely, and they probably had a lot of animosity toward her.

"Well Miss Fine, I must admit that was certainly the best eggplant parmigiana I have ever had," Max looked at her with admiration and added, "You have truly become a wonderful cook".

"Well thank you Mr. Sheffield, I quite actually enjoy cooking if you can believe that. I find it very relaxing," Fran responded. "Mr. Sheffield, why don't we go in the living room and we can sit and talk for a while." Then she turned to Molly and said, "And you, missy, need to go get ready for bed".

"Oh Mommy, can't I please show Max my room first?" Molly grabbed Max's hand and pulled him out of the kitchen toward her room.

"Ok, but only for a few minutes. I'll just stay here and clean up a little." Fran turned around, but they were already gone. She could hear Molly talking his ears off telling him every name of every doll and stuffed animal she had in her bedroom.

Fran and Max tucked Molly in bed, kissed her goodnight and sat themselves in the living room on the couch. Max looked at Fran lovingly and said, "She is truly a joy isn't she"?

Fran looked at him, a little taken back at his statement. Then a feeling of deep regret bore down on her that she had kept him from his daughter for the last five years. "Yes she is," Fran said, but then added as an after thought, "but then you haven't lived through one of her crying spells yet" and she laughed out loud.

The next couple of hours were spent talking and laughing about old times and discussing all of Fran's old antics. Max asked to see some baby pictures of Molly, and although she thought it an odd request, Fran pulled out a couple of scrapbooks and they looked through them while Fran told him story after story that accompanied each of Molly's pictures.

Fran thought it a bit unusual that Max had never asked about Molly's father. Although, she thought to herself that was it was probably for the best because she wasn't sure what she would say if he asked.

A while later, they were seated right next to each other on the couch and Fran leaned over to put the second picture album on the coffee table and she brushed just slightly against Max's thigh. That slight touch against her body sent Max over the edge. He couldn't stand it any longer. His eyes caught hers and he pulled her over to him and gave her a very sensual kiss. Fran tried to pull away, but Max pulled her back to him and starting kissing her neck and moved up slowly until he had reached her mouth again. Fran couldn't fight it any longer and she started kissing him back with all the pent up emotion she had been feeling for him the last couple of weeks.

As Max continued this barrage of kisses on Fran's mouth, he lowered his hands until he found the edge of her sweater and started up underneath it, feeling her bare skin against his fingers. When he reached the back of her bra, he felt around for the clasp. Fran immediately pushed him away and said out of breath, "Mr. Sheffield, this is not a good idea."

Max drew in a deep breath, looked at Fran intensely, trying to read what was those huge brown eyes were telling him. Then he suddenly said, "Fran, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't call me Mr. Sheffield anymore, please." His voice was calm and quiet, and at that moment he knew this charade between the two of them had to stop. "Please call me Max, ok? You're not my nanny anymore." Max knew now was the time to take this relationship to the level he should have taken it to years ago.

Fran hesitated for a few moments and finally responded, "All right. Max, this is not a good idea."

Max then took a hold of one of her hands, brought it up to his mouth and kissed her palm. He inched himself a little closer to her and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. He looked her in her eyes and said, "Do you have any idea how miserable I've been since you went away?"

Fran was so startled by these words, she was speechless.

Max kept looking at her, not once breaking eye contact. He tried to interpret what she was thinking. He couldn't see anything, but he continued anyway. "Fran, the worst mistake I've ever made was the day I let you walk out of my life, out of my children's lives. I am so much in love with you, I can't think straight if I'm not near you. These past five years I have only merely existed, just getting through one day at a time. Please, please forgive me for not expressing this to you before you left".

Fran was absolutely stunned by his revelation. She found herself inching back a little further back from him on the couch. Then she looked down and back up to him trying to get her thoughts together. When she opened her mouth to speak, for probably the first time in her life, nothing came out.

Max knew that what he had just revealed to her had frightened her terribly. He could see it in her face. But he felt it imperative that she had to know the way he felt. It just wasn't a matter of the two of them any longer. He had a child that he wanted to know. He wanted to be a part of her life. He wanted Molly to know her father. If Fran rebuffed him, he would still be as miserable as he had been for the last five years living without her, but he would get to know his daughter. At this point, he felt he had nothing to loose.

By now, Max was starting to get really scared. Fran still had not said a word. She hadn't responded to anything he had just said. She just sat there looking like a frightened doe. He pulled her back to him and kissed her with a very tender kiss. She responded to the kiss, but was still silent. He pulled back slightly, still looking at her beautiful face and pleaded, "Please Fran, say something."

Fran just couldn't seem to get her thoughts together. She was still so shocked at what had just occurred. Never in her wildest dreams did she think this evening would take a turn like it had. She wasn't sure what the future would bring for her and Max, but she knew she had to tell him the truth about Molly before this went any further. She finally pulled herself together and said, "Max, I need to tell you something."

Max knew immediately what she was going to say. He put his finger on her lips to silence her. Then he smiled, looked at her very tenderly and said softly, "Fran, I know that Molly is my daughter."

Fran looked at him incredulously and the only thing that she could get out of her mouth was, "What? How? When?"

For the next two hours, they sat and talked. This time, they were both completely honest and forthright about their feelings for each other and the things that had transpired the last five years. Max admitted to her about seeing her in Bloomingdales and following them to the park on several occasions. He told her about his picture in the photo album and how he had deduced that Molly was his daughter. They talked about his children, and their relationship with their father now. They talked and talked, and before either of them knew it, it was the early morning hours of the next day and they were both emotionally exhausted. They fell asleep in each other's arms on the living room couch.

At 6:00 am, Max woke up and saw Fran asleep in his arms. He pulled her face up to his and gently kissed her as if he were Prince Charming waking his princess. Fran was confused for a moment about where she was and what was going on, but then she recalled the previous evening's events.

Fran smiled when he kissed her and Max looked at her beautiful face and said, "Fran, marry me. Marry me today. I don't want to live another day without you by my side as my wife and Molly as my daughter."

Fran's reaction at first was extreme fear. It had taken her five years to straighten out her life without him. Things were moving too fast and she felt extremely confused. But suddenly a feeling of complete peace washed over her. She looked at Max, at his kind and gentle face and she knew this was what she wanted, this was what she had always wanted. She reached up and touched Max's face. She leaned up closer and kissed him gently and said, "Yes, yes I'll marry you, I love you so much, I've always loved you".

*********

Niles was worried when Mr. Sheffield hadn't returned home by early morning. He knew he had been acting strangely the last couple of weeks. There could be a simple explanation, but he decided he would wait a couple more hours. If he didn't show up for breakfast, he would call the police.

*********

Fran and Max walked into Molly's bedroom and woke her up. Molly was surprised to still see Max here, but she was so happy to see him, she didn't question why. Fran got her dressed and they sat her down and told her the truth about Max. She was elated.

"Max, Max, can I call you daddy now?" she asked.

Max hugged her and said, "Oh, my sweet Molly, I would be upset if you didn't." Molly hugged him back and squealed with joy, "Oh, I'm so happy today, I have a daddy and it's you!"

*********

Max called Niles and apologized for not letting him know he would be out all night. He calmly told Niles he was flying to Las Vegas that day to get married, and he would really be honored if he and CC came along to be witnesses. He then told him he would be home in an hour for breakfast and he would bring his fiancé with him to meet them. He invited Niles and CC to sit down with them for breakfast, and they could talk about the arrangements for Las Vegas.

Niles was so stunned, he could hardly say a word. He hung up, and literally ran to his wife to tell her the news.

An hour later, the dining room was all set up for breakfast. Niles and CC were there waiting anxiously for Max and his fiancé to arrive. When Max entered the dining room, his right arm was wrapped around Fran's waist and his left hand was holding Molly's hand. Niles almost passed out.

The reunion between Niles and Fran was bittersweet. They hugged each other and both didn't let go for what seemed ages. Max pulled Molly in front of him and introduced her to Niles and CC. "I'd like you to meet my daughter Molly. Molly, these are my very good friends, Niles and CC. I know you will grow to love them as much as I have." Grins spread on Niles and CC's faces, and they both hugged Molly and then gave Max a big hug too.

*********

Val and Sylvia had agreed to tend Molly and Ethan for the day and evening, and the two couples flew to Las Vegas. The four friends talked and laughed and answered all their unanswered questions until before they knew it, they were approaching the Las Vegas runway.

When Max and Fran returned home as man and wife, all the sadness of the last few years were dwindling into discarded memories of the past. They both looked more radiant than Niles had ever seen them.

Max called his three children and told them he had purchased tickets for them to come home from school to meet his new wife and daughter. They were, needless to say, totally shocked by the news. He told them about the rearrangements, and he told them he expected them to fly in Tuesday of next week. His tone of voice gave them the indication that he would not accept any kind of excuses.

*********

That evening Max had booked their wedding night at the Waldorf Astoria in the penthouse bridal suite. Niles and CC took Molly for the evening and were looking forward to getting to know her better.

Fran and Max were both a little nervous. Although they had made love before, which had produced their beautiful child, neither one remembered it. It had been a long time since either one had been intimate with someone.

They exited the elevator and stood in front of the door to their suite. Max opened the door, turned to Fran and quickly lifted her in his arms and carried her over the threshhold. He closed the door and put her down very gently.

Neither one had said a word up to this point. Max then leaned over, kissed her and said, "I love you more than life Mrs. Sheffield. I'm going to thank God every day for bringing you back to me." Fran smiled and answered, "And I love you too Mr. Sheffield." They both smiled at each other and he took a hold of her hand and led her into the bedroom. They started kissing each other very slowly and then they started undressing each other.

The next few hours were spent expressing their mutual love for each other. Then they fell asleep in each other's arms.

*********

Maggie, Brighton and Grace met each other at a nearby restaurant after their flights arrived in New York City. They discussed their father's sudden marriage and asked each other if anyone of them had any indication of this sudden event. They wanted to get each other's input before they hailed a cab to go see their father and meet his new wife and her daughter. They felt it would be easier to face the coming events if they arrived in numbers. They opened the door of the mansion slowly, walked in and placed their luggage on the floor.

Fran had been showing Molly pictures from her old scrapbook for the past few days, and by now Molly knew every picture of Maggie, Brighton and Grace by heart. Fran told her lots of stories about them and answered the tons of questions Molly had about her siblings. For the past few days, all Molly could talk about was meeting her brother and sisters.

Molly heard the door shut, eagerly awaiting their arrival, and ran to the living room. The minute she saw them, she yelled, "They're here, they're here!"

Maggie, Brighton and Grace were totally flabbergasted when they saw this little girl running in their direction yelling that they had arrived. She ran non stop to them as if she'd known them forever. She had waist length dark curly hair and a short plaid jumper on with a bright turtleneck underneath. They knew this was probably their stepmother's daughter, and they felt a little threatened that she felt so at home in their home, the home they grew up in.

Molly ran up to Grace, threw her arms around her and said, "Oh, I'm so glad you're here Gracie, I'm your little sister Molly". Grace was completely taken back at first and she didn't know quite how to react, but the child was so endearing, she hugged her back with tremendous force. "Thanks Molly, it's nice to meet you," Grace responded.

Molly next went to Brighton and said, "Hi B, I'm your sister Molly. Oh it's going to be so much fun having a big brother," and she reached up to hug him. Brighton looked at her with an element of surprise and question. He turned to his sisters as if they could explain who this child was and what was going on. No one called him B but Fran, and that was many years ago. Nevertheless, he bent down and returned her hug.

Molly went to Maggie last of all. She stopped dead in front of her and looked at her for a few moments. Then she said, "Oh Maggie, you are so pretty, much prettier than your pictures." She reached up to put her arms around her and Maggie leaned down and hugged her back.

When Molly realized the introductions were over and her parents still hadn't come into the living room, she yelled again, "Daddy, Mommy, where are you? I said they're here!"

Fran and Max were in a world of their own hugging and kissing in the kitchen, and they were awakened from their own little reverie when they heard Molly yelling, "I said they're here!"

"Ok sweetie, we're coming, we're coming" Fran yelled, matching the pitch and intensity of her child's voice. Max winced and thought to himself, 'Like mother, like daughter.'

Maggie, Brighton and Grace immediately recognized that distinctive voice. They all smiled and turned to look at each other with a look of surprise and hope in their faces.

At that moment, Max and Fran entered the living room with their arms around each other.

All three children stood frozen for a moment, as if time stood still. Then they all yelled in unison, "Fran!" and they ran to her as if they were five years old too. Molly stood by, a huge grin forming on her face. It was the most wonderful reunion anyone could have ever witnessed.

*********

EPILOGUE

The next few months were as different as night and day from the previous months before Fran and Molly's arrival at the Sheffield household.

Maggie, Brighton and Grace all moved home and attended schools in New York. Max's relationship blossomed with his children and he was so proud of all four of them. Maggie, Brighton and Grace absolutely adored Molly, and after a few months, they couldn't imagine their life without this little munchkin in it. Max's business thrived and he felt the Gods were smiling down on him. But the frosting on the cake was Fran's announcement eight months after their marriage that she was pregnant and expecting twins.

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