Back to Fan FictionThese characters do not belong to me; they are the property of Fran Drescher, Sweetheart Productions, et. al. Any reference to real names or characters is unintended.
by
Jackie
(unmaven@netzero.com)
Fran missed the ship that would take her to a new life with Mr. Sheffield’s brother in England. She had wanted to make a fresh start with Nigel in London. Nigel had asked her to come with him to England to get married. Now Fran was headed back home to her room at the Sheffield’s. She was devastated that she missed her chance at a better life. Meanwhile she hurt her ankle trying to run down the subway stairs to catch a train because it was raining and there were no taxis. When Fran got in the house she didn’t know how she would get her luggage up to her room with her ankle still in pain. She took off her boots which was difficult because her ankle was swollen. First she hobbled up the stairs with a bag and her purse, then she came down and dragged her other bag and packages upstairs. Just as she was entering her room she heard Mr. Sheffield come in. Thankfully she had missed seeing him. Usually when she was in a mood like this she couldn’t wait to be with him, but she just wanted to be alone tonight since he was the cause of her being feeling this way. When his brother came to visit unexpectedly Mr. Sheffield told her to show Nigel around the town. When she asked Max if he wanted her to stay home, he told her “don’t wait around for me.” Fran decided not to wait around for him. One night when they were out on the town Nigel told her that he was in love with her. Even though she isn’t sure of her feelings for him Fran finds a connection with Nigel. He has a kind of spark that his brother didn’t - he had a kind of zest for life. They were so different. Fran decides to lock herself in the room. She didn’t want anyone bothering her, not even the kids. Even a nanny needs some time alone. The next morning Fran’s ankle feels a little better. She decided to write Mr. Sheffield a note saying that she was taking some time off. She would call him about it. Then Fran decided to go to her parent’s apartment. When she arrived Sylvia was surprised to see her daughter. For a change Fran wasn’t in the mood to be with her mother. She went straight to her room. Compared to her room at Mr. Sheffield’s it was small and shabby, but she didn’t care, Fran decided she would try to get to London to meet Nigel when his ship came in. First she took some aspirin for her ankle then she fell asleep for awhile. When she woke up her parents were out so Fran made some calls to find out about getting a flight to so she could meet Nigel. She desperately wanted to be with him. Fran wasn’t totally sure if she should do it. She had feelings for Max and she had hoped he really did love her but right now being with his brother seemed to be right. Hopefully he hadn’t forgotten about her since she missed the ship. He probably thought she was in Max’s bed right now instead of being miserable in her old room at home. After making some calls Fran was able to get a flight to London the next day. This time she made sure that she got to the airport on time.
When Fran arrived in London Mr. Sheffield was surprised he hadn’t heard from Fran in a few days. He started to call her parents just to discover she had left him a note that she was taking a trip for awhile and didn’t know when she would be back. Mr. Sheffield hoped that she hadn’t left him for his brother. Now he remembered that silly comment he made to Fran, that she shouldn’t wait for him. He had just meant it as a little joke, but it seems as though she had taken it seriously. What would happen now – only time would tell? He was trying not to get nervous. Maybe she went somewhere else, and not to his brother in England.
Meanwhile Fran arrived in London and her ankle was acting up again. She would have to see a doctor but right now she would have to take some aspirin. When she got to her bed and breakfast inn that the airline set her up with Fran would have to put a cold compress on it. After Fran settled in her room the first thing she did was contact Nigel to let him know that she was in London and would meet him when the ship came in at the end of the week. Her stay in England would cost her a lot of money – something she could hardly afford, but Fran thought that if it could make her life happier she’ll gladly spend the money. For the next few days she decided to sightsee around town. Besides breakfast and a little food in the evening Fran didn’t eat that much, Fish and chips was about all that she could afford, but there was only so much of it you could eat before it upset your stomach.
The day of the ship’s arrival finally came. Fran get ready to meet Nigel when she realized her ankle was hurting again. She knew she had to see a doctor which she had been putting off for at least a week. But now Fran had to think about meeting Nigel. She was definitely feeling nervous. She didn’t know how he would feel when he saw her again. When the ship arrived it seemed as though it took a very long time till she saw Nigel. Fran thought it was hours, but it only took about an hour till Fran spotted him. She waved her hands in the air when she saw him. He came over to her although she couldn’t tell whether he was happy to see her or not. He gave her a light kiss on her cheek. Fran was a little disappointed at his greeting, she thought he was acting like his brother, but in reality they just got close about a week ago. As they were walking to the car to get back to the city Fran saw the limo was similar to the one Max had. Now Fran was wondering how different the brothers really are. As they were walking along Nigel asked Fran why she was limping. Fran told him that she injured her ankle last week. He said that he would take her to a clinic tomorrow. Fran knew that Maxwell would have taken her to a doctor right away, but then she thought if that was what she wanted she would have stayed with Maxwell. Meanwhile Nigel was trying to talk to Fran but she was deep in thought. He asked her if she wanted to out to eat after he deposited his luggage at home. Fran said that sounded good. He told her that he had to go to work at the nightclub later. Fran was disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to spend the whole evening with her but the original plan had been to cruise together for five days. They went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant, but even though it is her favorite, she didn’t enjoy the food that much. Afterwards he asked Fran where she was staying and he took her back. He told her that he was off on Mondays – that is when he would have time to bring her luggage to his place. Now Fran was hopeful that the relationship would work. Meanwhile Fran was just happy to have some company in London. She was hoping that Nigel would pay for some of her expenses since she had just about run out of money.
The next afternoon Nigel took Fran to a clinic so she could have her ankle checked. When they got there Nigel took her inside. He then told her he would pick her up in a few hours because she would have to wait awhile. Fran was disappointed that Nigel didn’t wait with her; she knew that Maxwell would have stayed with her for awhile if not the entire time. Fran was beginning to wonder if she made the right decision in coming to London to be with Nigel. One thing Nigel was right about was the wait for the doctor. It took a long time too see the doctor; in fact she let two people go before her who seemed in worse shape than her. When she finally did she a doctor she told Fran that she had a nasty sprain and needed to stay off her feet for about a week. Fran told the doctor that she was here visiting a friend and she didn’t think that it would be possible to stay off her feet for that long. The doctor advised her to be careful or she might have a problem for a long time. Fran said she would do the best that she could. When Nigel came to pick Fran up she told him the doctor told her to take some aspirin for the pain and to rest her ankle as much as possible for about a week. Nigel said that they should move her luggage to his apartment. He would get his maid to stay with her since he couldn’t be there all the time. Fran was happy that at least Nigel was taking an interest in her. But Fran noticed that even though the brothers were different they still seemed to have some things in common. Fran was getting concerned about how much time Nigel was going to spend with her. When they got to the apartment Fran noticed it was a town house similar to Maxwell’s but somewhat smaller. Nigel took her to her room. Fran noticed it seemed as though other women may have slept in it. She wasn’t too crazy about that. Now she remembered that Maxwell had told her about his brother being a ladies’ man, he and didn’t care for it. Meanwhile Nigel spent some time getting Fran settled and they talked for awhile. Later it was time for Nigel to go to work. She realized that spark they felt when they first went out didn’t seem to be there anymore. Fran wasn’t sure if it was her ankle that was causing it, or just being a new place where things are different.
The next week was lonely for Fran. She basically stayed in her room. Nigel’s maid brought her food. She hobbled to the bathroom to take a shower, but otherwise she just slept, read and watched television. Nigel came to check on her a few times a day. She had to admit that he tried to keep her feeling cheerful, even getting her some flowers and chocolate. When the week ended Nigel said to Fran that she enough of resting her ankle, that they should get out and have some fun. He told Fran that he wanted to take her to his club a couple of nights so she could find out what it was all about. Granted she was there one night with his brother. That was when Maxwell realized he was in love with Fran, but took it back. The place definitely held mixed emotions for Fran but if she wanted to be with Nigel she had to get over it. The first night they went Fran had a good time although she had a bit too much to drink. The next night Fran begged off, she wasn’t in the mood to go. She went two more times that week and realized that was too old to go clubbing more than once every few weeks. She didn’t know how Nigel did it – although he was a few year younger than Fran. But when Nigel had a day off she noticed that he watched TV and slept a lot. The next day Fran noticed that her ankle was bothering her again. She didn’t want to injure herself so she tried to take it easy on her feet for a few days.
Several days passed and Fran was feeling better so she tried to spend some time with Nigel but it didn’t work out. Either he was busy with his night club, or as Fran found out he went out drinking with his pals, sometimes even before work. She even suspected he was seeing someone else. So again it didn’t seem as though she was going to marry a Sheffield, her plans falling apart once again. Fran decided that she was going end the relationship with Nigel. She had to get back to the States, but she had to decide where to go, certainly not back to New York.
In the meantime Max had pretty much given up hope that Fran was going to return. She had been gone about a month and he hadn’t heard from her. The kids were angry at Fran because she left without saying goodbye to them. Even they suspected that Fran went to be with Nigel in London. Maggie told her father that he should have taken time out to show his brother around town or at least paid more attention to Fran while he was here. Then she said to Max that “I can understand that Fran left with your brother, I would have done the same if you didn’t pay enough attention to me”. Max realized that his daughter was right, but it was too late now, the whole family would have to pay the consequences, including Niles who would have to do more work, and CC would have to see the children more.
Max knew he had to start looking for some one to look after the kids even though they were older now, but at the moment he wasn’t ready. He had just lost his best friend, in fact the felt that she was more that that, she was like a companion. In fact he knew that if she wasn’t in love with him she wouldn’t have left. Max should have told Fran that he loved her, but now he wouldn’t get that opportunity since the relationship was apparently over.
After realizing that her relationship with Nigel wasn’t working Fran had to decide what to do with her life. One morning she packed her things and told Nigel she was going back to the United States. He didn’t seem upset about it so Fran knew she did the right thing. She didn’t understand why she got so impulsive about men. She hardly knew Nigel yet she went rushing off with him in hopes of marriage. She though to herself, “well since that didn’t work out, I’m through with men”. Fran had made arrangements to go to Chicago, she had a distant relative there, hopefully she could help her start anew there. In the meantime Fran had to figure out how to pay for this trip to London, Nigel had paid some of her expenses but she still had a lot of bills to pay. Fran knew she had to be careful with her credit cards or else she would be deep in debt.
The next year was a struggle for Fran. She tried to set up a new life in just outside the windy city. She took some courses and tried something different, she never did office work, but she got a job in a real estate office. Although her life wasn’t what she had envisioned things seemed to be going OK. But one thing she couldn’t escape was loneliness, although she went out with people from work and on some dates. Fran decided she wasn’t going to have another relationship with a man so after a few dates she ended the relationship or the guy never called back.
Meanwhile Max decided he was tired of having different nannies taking care of his kids. So Max decided he would get married again. He really wasn’t sure if that was what he really wanted but it would be best for the kids. It was a tough decision but it would be best for everyone. He certainly didn’t want to go through more nannies, it would be better to have a permanent relationship with a woman. So through some contacts he met a woman named Suzanne and they seemed right for each other. Suzanne had some ties to England as did Max. Her parents were born in England but came to the United States but Max’s parents did not. He knew Suzanne wanted them to get married so they decided to get engaged. Suzanne got along with the kids, of course not as good as Fran did. The kids still missed Fran; they still spoke or e-mailed her once in a while. When she got settled in Chicago Fran wrote Maggie a note so now the kids e-mailed her or called her at the beginning but then after awhile they all lost contact.
About six weeks after Suzanne and Max got engaged he started to think about Fran again. He bought Suzanne an expensive engagement ring, but he thought Fran would have deserved it more. Suzanne was also talking about a big wedding which Fran probably wouldn’t have wanted. But he realized that she would of also have wanted a big to-do. Max knew he was thinking about Fran too much lately. He hadn’t seen her in about three years. She had sent him an e-mail after she left his brother telling him that the relationship was over. They e-mailed each other a couple of times after that. Max didn’t even know Fran’s e-mail address was since she had mentioned she was writing him from a computer café.
Now Max was beginning to wonder if he made a mistake in asking Suzanne to marry him. He knew he had to see Fran before he made any plans to marry Suzanne. He didn’t want to make a mistake. Since he didn’t know where Fran lived in Chicago he decided to call her parents. Of course he could have had the kids try to look for her over the internet but he didn’t want to do that. When he called Sylvia answered and he told her he needed to get in touch with Fran. At first she didn’t want to give him Fran’s number, but Max told her that he missed Fran and wanted to see her again. He told Sylvia “If things go well, I might even get her to come back to New York”. Since Sylvia thought he seemed sincere, she gave him Fran’s number, but she told him, “You better not hurt her feelings again or I’ll be sure you pay for it for the rest of your life”. Now that he had Fran’s phone number he started to make plans to go to Chicago to see her. First booked a flight then he made a reservation at a four star hotel and restaurant in Sears tower. Now that he had everything in place he had to go out to Chicago and see Fran. It took him a couple of days to get up the nerve to call her. After all she left because he didn’t pay enough attention to her. He also thought that she might not want to see him again. If that were the case he might go any way and see if he could convince her to see him. Meanwhile Fran was lonely in Chicago. She had her friends but she still missed Mr. Sheffield and even though she had a good career she was sorry she left.
One Thursday night when Fran came home after a tiring day she felt lonely. In fact she had just been thinking about Mr. Sheffield when the phone rang. She couldn’t believe it was him when she heard his voice. After the pleasantries were out of the way she asked him why he was calling. He told her that had some business in Chicago and he knew that she lived there so he thought they could meet and catch up after not seeing each other for several years. He told her he never got to apologize for not spending enough time with her. Fran was really taken aback, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see Mr. Sheffield anymore, but he was trying to apologize so she would give him another chance. She also felt she needed to talk to him because she left with only a note. When she asked him what he was doing in Chicago, he quickly tried to make up some story, which he wasn’t even sure if Fran believed. He was glad that Fran wanted to see him again. He really needed to find out if marrying Suzanne was right, or was he too much in love with Fran.
The next Friday Max closed the office for a few days. He felt that C.C. needed so time off too. She had been working hard lately. Even though it was a busy time since he had just auditioned people for his next production. He had decided who would get the part and had let them know about it, but he didn’t tell them when rehearsals would start. Before getting this production under way he had to get his life in order. He had to find out how he still felt about Fran. He felt that the relationship she had with his brother was pretty much meaningless. Both Fran and Nigel had told him so. Max had been hesitant to see Fran again but if he wanted to make a fresh start in his life he needed to speak to her in person.
Of course Fran was nervous to see Max again. She felt that she at least owed him an explanation of why she walked out on him which is probably the reason he was coming to see her. She thought that was he was looking for. She decided not to go overboard with the dressing to meet Max. She did have her hair done; she hadn’t had a good cut and blow in a while. The hairstylists suggested some touch ups for her hair which Fran was OK with. For her outfit she wore a pair of black flaired pants with a black top with sparkles and a pair of designer mid high heeled black patent leather shoes. To complete her outfit she put on a leather jacket that she had treated herself to. Fran looked into the mirror before she left and decided that she looked pretty good. She took the train into Chicago to meet Max and she walked from the station to the hotel to meet Max. He was sitting in the lobby nervously waiting for Fran. He didn’t know how he would feel when he saw her; would it affect his relationship with Suzanne, he wasn’t sure. Of course Fran was nervous also, it would be the first time she saw Max since walking out on him and the kids. As she walked into the hotel lobby and saw Max her heart started beating rapidly and she knew that instant her feelings for him hadn’t lessened. As soon as Max saw Fran he got up to greet her. Seeing Fran again made him feel alive – he gave her a kiss on the cheek and Fran hugged him. Fran felt the electricity and comfort that she always had when she hugged Max. As they left the hotel for dinner they didn’t hold hands, Fran felt she was ready but Max was still engaged to Suzanne and he didn’t want to betray her. When they entered the restaurant in the Sears tower Fran said she had wanted to go there but didn’t have anyone to take her. They talked during dinner – catching up on Max’s family and the changes that Fran made in her life. As the meal progressed Max told Fran that he was going out with someone but he wasn’t sure about the relationship. She had everything planned out in her head. He told Fran that he needed to talk to someone about it, that person was her. Fran basically told him that she was put off by this discussion. If that was what he wanted to talk about she was going to leave. Max didn’t expect Fran to react that way, he felt flustered. Quickly he decided to change the topic. He thought that he was going to have to figure out what to do with his relationship with Suzanne as the weekend progressed. After dessert they left the restaurant. Max took Fran’s hand into his. He asked her if she knew of a place that they could get a drink. Fran suggested a place a cab ride away. When they entered Max saw that the place was dark and romantic. He knew Fran wasn’t going to let him get away with out a fight. When they left the bar Max kissed Fran. They both felt the electricity go through their bodies. Max looked Fran in the eyes and they kissed again. Max knew the answer to his question about what he was going to do with his life. He was going to try to win back Fran.
By the time they tried to get a cab to get Fran back to the station it was too late for Fran to take the train back. Max said that they would go back to the hotel room. She didn’t have anything with her. Luckily there was an all night drug store open so Fran was able to get some things to get her through the night. Afterwards they went upstairs to the room. They both were tired but Max told Fran to take a shower first since he had to make some phone calls. She was a little bit annoyed about it but that was the way he always was. Meanwhile he left a message on Suzanne’s answering machine that their engagement was over. Even though he didn’t speak to her he felt relieved. Now he would be able to concentrate on being with Fran. When Fran came out of the shower he was more than ready to spend the night with her. The next morning the phone rang early and of course it was Suzanne. He told her that he was busy right now and that he would speak to her in a few days. Fran was surprised about that – he usually didn’t brush people off like that.
They spent the rest of the weekend together. Before Max left he told Fran that he wanted to see her again. Fran was non-committal, she said maybe, but by the end of the week Fran missed Max and knew that she wanted to see him again. When she realized that she missed him, Fran called Max and they spoke often. Of course Max was busy trying to sort out his situation with Suzanne. Surprisingly he got Suzanne to give him back the engagement ring. He exchanged it for some jewelry for Fran. Her birthday was coming up and it would be the perfect time to give it to her.
Max made arrangements to come out to see Fran for her birthday. Everything was all planned out when Fran found out that she had to work that weekend. She had gotten a real estate license so when they needed someone extra Fran had to work. She told Max a couple of days before he arrived. He told Fran she would stay in his room again, but this time to bring a suitcase. She met Max that Friday night for dinner, it was a bit strained since they hadn’t seen each other in awhile. But after dessert Max gave her the jewelry for her birthday which made the evening more pleasant. They next night they went for dinner and a show, by the time it ended Fran was ready to fall asleep, when they got out of the cab Max had to help Fran to the room. Max helped her into bed and she fell asleep immediately. The next day they had brunch at a fantastic egg and pancake place in the city. Then Fran had to go to work for a few hours, later they just had dinner in the hotel. Fran was able to get off Monday, since she told them a friend was in from New York. Monday they did some shopping in the morning, then they had a quick lunch and Max had to get back to New York again. Both of them felt like they were getting closer again, Fran wasn’t sure how she felt about Max.
After Max left Fran realized that she wanted to be with Max, but she still wasn’t sure about the relationship. She wondered if seeing him again was the right thing to do, but she decided life would have been easier but definitely lonelier without him. Fran decided she was just going to concentrate on her life and not think too much about her relationship with Max right now, even though he had finally told her about his engagement to Suzanne who was twelve years younger than him. He told her that even though he had been happy with Suzanne, he still felt there was someone missing in his life, and that was Fran.
Several weeks later Fran got a call from her parents telling that they needed her to come to New York to clean out her things from their apartment. They were thinking of moving to a retirement community on Long Island. Fran told her parents they could throw everything out because she didn’t want to come back to New York anymore. But her mother told she that may there were important things in her room that she might one day need so she had better check it out. Reluctantly Fran got a plane ticket and came to New York. She didn’t tell Max she was coming; she wanted to do what she had to and go home as quickly as possible. When Fran stepped off the plane she saw New York had changed, Fran hadn’t been here in several years. Fran had worked in her room for several hours on Saturday, just as she was finishing up for the evening she hurt her ankle. It was the same ankle she had problems with a few years ago. All of a sudden Fran felt lonely. She even started to panic. Then on the spur of the moment she took a taxi over to Max’s house. By the time she got there it was almost midnight, Fran hoped he was home. She rang the doorbell; it seemed that it took awhile for someone to answer. Then Max opened the door; there was Fran. She was tired; her face looked like she was in pain. He said to Fran “what are you doing here, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? Fran could tell her was upset with her. Then she put her hand to her face as though she were going to cry. Immediately Max knew that he upset her then told her to come in. Max asked her why she was in town. He saw she was hobbling on one foot. Fran said her parents told her she had to clean out her room because they were thinking of moving. She didn’t want to spend much time in the city so she was just going to clean out her room then leave the next morning; then somehow she re-injured her ankle while working. Fran said she felt lonely but hurting her ankle was the last straw, she missed Max so she had to see him. Even though Max wasn’t sure how he was feeling at the moment he knew he needed to take care of Fran right now. They went to sit down on the sofa then said to her “let’s have a look at it”. Max saw she was wearing boots probably to cover up the swelling. He got up from the sofa and gently pulled them off. He looked at Fran’s ankle then gently touched it. She didn’t scream so he though the injury wasn’t that bad. Then he told Fran that he was going to get a special ice pack for the pain. By the time he came back a couple of minutes later Fran was asleep on the sofa. He gently put the ice pack on her ankle and let her sleep for a little while. Max wanted to get to bed himself since it was almost one o’clock in the morning so sat next to Fran to give a kiss on her forehead to wake her up. At first Fran though she was dreaming, but then she realized she was sitting on Max’s couch. When she awake Fran realized her ankle felt somewhat better. She decided to move closer to Max. She looked into his eyes; Max put his arms around Fran then the kissed passionately. They both knew that this kiss was something special; it was the one that bonded them. That kiss made Fran feel safe and cared for; while Max felt that electricity whenever he got close to Fran. They got up from the couch, her ankle still hurt, she said “ouch”. Then Max said to her “don’t worry, I’ve got you”, then he picked up her and carried Fran upstairs to his room. Once they got upstairs Fran told Max her to wait a minute. He came back with a gift box. Fran had no idea why he would be handing this to her when it was time to go to bed. When she opened it she there was a beautiful nightgown set. After that he told Fran to get ready to take a warm bath. When she entered the bathroom there was a terry cloth room with matching slippers plus all her favorite lotions and bath soaps. Fran knew she needed to take a nice long bath, but later she would definitely thank Max. Something like this required a lot of “thanks”. When Fran came to bed she told Max that she was overwhelmed by all his gifts. Of course they went to bed and spent more the night making love than sleeping. They next day they had breakfast together then Fran had to get back to Chicago.
On the flight home Fran knew they had to be together forever. She decided that they should get married. Fran would arrange for a simple wedding in Las Vegas. These days you could have a nice affair that wasn’t cheesy.
A few days after Fran got home she decided to plan the wedding herself. After picking out a date she called Max to tell him that she was going to Las Vegas in a couple of months and wanted him to come along. Of course he said it was fine, he asked Fran if he should make any arrangements, she told him to just make arrangements to meet her in Chicago, after that they would fly to Las Vegas. Fran knew this would cost her a lot of money but since she would be keeping the party small she could handle it. Then Fran called Max’s kids. She had spoken to them off and on during the last few years. She told them she was planning a surprise wedding that Max didn’t know about, but she definitely wanted the kids to be there. It took Fran another few weeks to get everything arranged. She found a place that had show music that would be perfect for the ceremony. Then she found a hotel where they could book a few tables but it included food plus entertainment for the reception. Now that she had those things done Fran had to look for a dress; she definitely would try to get something on sale. She wanted something simple that just went below the knee. Her fantasy was to get a beautiful wedding gown, but in reality it wasn’t going to work. She also had to make sure they had a license and rings for the ceremony. Finally she decided they would go to Malibu for the honeymoon.
As the time for the wedding approached Fran felt excited but also nervous. Everything was in order but there were still some last minute details. Niles was coming in from England to be the best man. He was a personal chef and caterer, but only did it part-time. She also invited Max’s brother and sister. His sister would be coming, but of course Nigel wasn’t. C.C. was coming, but only for the reception. Since Niles left her life is lonelier than ever.
Finally the day approaches, Max is excited to see Fran. They haven’t been together in several months. When they meet at the airport they run to each other. Then they get on a plane to Las Vegas. Later that evening they have a quiet dinner when Fran tells Max that she has a surprise to for him. Max is excited to hear what Fran will tell him. She holds his hand; then tells him she planned a wedding for them next week. Instead of feeling happy Max is furious with Fran, but he decides not to get angry at her in the restaurant. He tells Fran he is shocked b this and he needs to think about it. Now Fran realizes that maybe she shouldn’t have done it – what if he says no. After dinner they go straight to the hotel room, both of them are exhausted. Once they are in bed Max just wants think about whether he should marry Fran. Of course what she did was underhanded. If he said no to Fran it would be the end of their relationship. She hadn’t asked if he was interested in marriage, but on the other hand she wanted them to be together forever. He had broken his engagement with Suzanne to be with Fran, so if she decided they should get married that’s what they would do. Tomorrow he would go out to get an engagement ring; meanwhile he needed to get a good night’s sleep. After breakfast the next morning he told Fran that he needed to go out shopping. He went to the Cartier’s in Las Vegas where he got a ring for Fran as well as a set of matching wedding bands for them. That evening they went to dinner and a show after that they went back to the room. Fran was beginning to think that Max didn’t want to get married because he didn’t mention anything about it. It was late when they got back to the room so they went straight to bed. Max made sure that Fran was in bed before him. As they were relaxing Max said to Fran “if you want us to get married we have to do it properly”. He pulls out a box with the ring and takes it out of the box, kisses her hand then puts the ring on her finger. Fran is overwhelmed by the ring, which is only two and a half carats, but is surrounded by diamonds. Max bought a five carat ring for Suzanne which he didn’t want to do again. They kiss each other; then Fran asks Max if he is sure about it. Then he kisses her again. Max takes her into his arms and strokes her entire body, he starts with her legs, then her stomach which is flat that Max can feel her muscle, then slowly he touches her breasts and both of them feel the electricity then later they make love like never before. The next morning Max awakens first feeling happier than he has in months. Over breakfast Fran tells Max she loves the ring, of course they kiss again.
A few days later both Max and Fran are running around to get the final details done for the wedding. They get a marriage license and make sure that everything is set for the ceremony and reception. Also Fran’s parents come in. They all have dinner together, it is somewhat uncomfortable and Fran is hoping that Max won’t back out in the last minute. After that the kids, Niles, and C.C. arrive. Fran is excited to see them all, including C.C. Niles was still angry that she walked out on the Sheffield’s but is happy to see that they are finally getting married. When she goes to greet the kids they are very cool towards her, especially Brighton, since he was very close to Fran. He hopes that his father will treat Fran well now that they are supposed to get married. He knows that part of the reason that Fran left them is that his father didn’t pay enough attention to her. Even Maggie who used to be close with Fran isn’t that friendly with her. Only Grace seems to be OK with her. Now Fran realizes that she is going to have a big job ahead of her to get everyone on her side again. When Fran decided to plan the wedding she thought everything would be as easy as pie but now realized it would be a lot of work. They all had dinner that night, Fran felt it was definitely strained, she was thinking she didn’t really know if she was ready for this.
The next day Fran felt tired so she stayed in the room while Max went out with the kids. Fran was sitting on the lounge chair, she began to think that maybe she should call off the wedding. She would lose thousand of dollars but it was better than ruining her life again. Even though Fran felt anxious she fell asleep but she heard Max when he opened the door. She woke up as Max was taking off his jacket then sat next to her on the chair. He saw that Fran didn’t look happy then he takes her hand and says “What’s on your mind, you look deep in thought? Fran said she didn’t want to talk about it. But then Max counters “We’re getting married in a few days; I should know what’s on your mind”. Fran says – should we do it? Max replies “why not”. Fran tells him in a quiet voice that “maybe I didn’t think things through again. I get too impulsive with men.” I ran off with Nigel and that was a mistake, now I wondering if I’m doing the same thing again. I live in Chicago, you live in New York, how will we work things out, and the kids aren’t that crazy about me anymore, which I can’t blame them since I ran out on them. Max tells Fran “ don’t worry darling, as long as were together we’ll work it out, , Fran then told him, I’m not sure, I hope so. Max didn’t like seeing upset like this, he moves closer to her and put his arms around her. She puts her head on his chest. Right away he sees Fran start to relax. He calls her name softly, then she responds to him by moving her head up and they start to kiss. Afterwards Max says to Fran, see how we feel when we are together, it feels right. Fran says to him, love isn’t everything, but Max counters by saying when you lost love once and you found it again you don’t want to lose it. Then Fran takes his arms and wraps them around her, she tells Max, “I guess I didn’t make a mistake this time.” They have a few minutes of quiet time then they get up from the bed.
Before Fran knows it the wedding day is here. Of course she is nervous. She told her mother not to come in the dressing room because it would be too much. The girls and Val help Fran with her dress. She is wearing a designer dress that has a lot of class. She decided that she wanted something short and simple so the dress only is just below the knees with white pearls going all through it. She decided to wear a box hat instead of a veil. Meanwhile Max is putting the finishing touches on a new tuxedo that he bought. Brighton tells him that this time he had better give Fran more of his attention than he did before or she’ll walk out on them again. Brighton told his father that he doesn’t want to get close to Fran again if that’s the case. Max assures his son that now that they will be married he’ll have to pay more attention to Fran since she will be his wife. Then Niles shows up in the dressing room. He greets Max by saying “it’s about time old boy”. Max is in his late forties and even though Fran never told him her age, he knew for a fact that she was in her early forties by now. Max and Niles had a quick drink to toast his marriage, then Max told Niles he needed a minute alone. Niles told him, he better not think about calling things off. Max said he just needed a few minutes to think. He wondered if they would have any children, if they did he knew it would have to be soon. They never discussed it, but he knew that Fran had always wanted to have a baby; he wasn’t really sure whether he wanted anymore children or not, only time would tell. All he knew is he was happy that he finally would have Fran in his life again.
It was time for the ceremony to start, Max walked to the wedding chapel. He had spoken to the wedding coordinator and had made some changes to the basic ceremony. Some of the changes had cost some money but he decided it was worth it. Fran was very nervous just before the ceremony was supposed to start. The girls were worried that Fran might be sick, but then they called her to walk to the chapel, as soon as she saw Max all her nerves were gone. Fran was surprised to see a wedding canopy decorated with flowers. The ceremony was somewhat different from what Fran anticipated. Max had them put in some Christian and Jewish pieces. At the end of the ceremony Max broke the glass when the judge pronounced them man and wife. Fran hugged her new husband, while Max wanted to kiss her.
They had a good time at the reception. There were only twenty five people, they included some of Fran’s family, Max’s sister and a few of his friends and business associates. They danced and ate the hours away, it was getting late so they decided they wanted to be alone. They spend the night in a honeymoon suite, then took off to Malibu for five days of relaxation. Both of them felt comfortable with each other even they hadn’t spent much time together over the last few years. When honeymoon was coming to a close Fran got nervous over whether they would be together or they would end up going to their own places. On the day they left Max told Fran that he would come with her to Chicago. Fran felt excited, she felt that Max was really trying to get their marriage off on the right track. She knew that he was sacrificing a lot by coming back home with her to Chicago. After a long flight back to Chicago they got back to her apartment. When Fran opened the door he lifted her past the doorway. Then they started to unpack and put things away. Max noticed that apartment was really only large enough for one person. They would have to find something larger perhaps on swanky North Shore Drive.
The first night in the apartment was relaxing. They decided to order in some food and watch TV. Max felt relaxed and happy for the first time in years. Fran realized that the missing link in her life had been Max. They had another enjoyable week together although Fran had to return to work. It was nice spending the week with her husband, but after that Max said to had to return to New York to check on his show and some other business. Max had been in New York about ten days, Fran was missing her husband. They could tell the difference in her at work. She had been much more cheerful when Max was there. When they spoke he told Fran that they would have to have a commuter marriage unless she wanted to move back with him. Fran said no – she didn’t want to go back to New York, it held bad memories for her. Max told her that if her parents needed her she would have to come back no matter what. Fran told Max that he had a point; she was definitely getting concerned about her parents, especially her father since his health problems seemed to be getting worse. Max told her that they would talk about her coming back for the opening of his new production in six weeks. After all he wanted his new wife at his side at premiere night. Fran realized that she would have to give in or she wouldn’t see her husband at all. Now that she was married going back to New York shouldn’t bother her that much. Fran decided that she would go to see Max on the weekends. Fran went to see Max in the city for six straight weeks. She definitely enjoyed her time with Max, but she was very lonely the four other days back in Chicago. Fran took off a few days for the opening of Max’s new play. She even bought a new gown, Max thought she looked gorgeous. The play got a good review and Fran got along with everyone. Max thought it was one of the best evenings he ever had. After they worked out the kinks in the play Max went to Chicago to spend some time with Fran. When he got back to the apartment he decided they needed something better, so while Fran was at work he looked for another place for them. Within a few days he found something that he though Fran would like, of course it was pricey, but what was he saving his money for. He bought the place and got a new bed room set for them. He called a mover to take the rest of Fran’s stuff to their new place. Then he met Fran after work, and of course she introduced her new husband to her boss and a couple of coworkers. They were impressed that she married such a handsome, debonair man. They took a taxi to their new apartment and Fran was shocked. She was surprised that Max did such a thing. When she got to the apartment she saw all her old furniture plus a new bed room. There were three bed rooms, a dining room, and TV room, library and an office, plus a terrace. Fran knew it cost a fortune and there was plenty to decorate. She knew that she would be busy for awhile.
Max decided to stay in Chicago for a couple of months. They were getting in a routine now. Max was even trying to see if he could work out doing a show there. He knew Fran felt more comfortable being in Chicago than New York. Even though Max tried to work out doing a show it would take a lot more work to get something going. Max reluctantly decided to go back to for awhile. This time Fran felt she wasn’t able to come and be with him on weekends. Max came to Chicago once or twice but found it was taking him away from his work. Now that he had two properties he had to work hard. He didn’t tell Fran but having two properties was almost more than he could afford. They would definitely need Fran’s salary to make ends meet. He was even thinking of selling the townhouse and getting a small apartment in the city to cut expenses. Meanwhile in Chicago Fran was working harder than ever. She talked to Max everyday, and they text messaged each other all the time, but Fran still felt lonely. For several weeks Fran worked everyday. Then one day when Max called Fran she didn’t sound well. He told to rest for a few days. He would try to come out for the weekend. The next day he spoke to Fran and she sounded worse. Then Max decided he had to go to Chicago to see his wife. When he got to the apartment he found Fran in bed looking totally exhausted. He cancelled all his plans for a few days to nurse his wife to back to health. When she felt better he decided that he was going to sell the house in New York and start a new life in Chicago with Fran.
When he told Fran of his decision, Fran was surprised that he would give up New York for Chicago but happy that her life was finally looking up.
The End
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