Back to Fan FictionThese characters do not belong to me. They are the property of Fran Drescher, Peter Jacobsen, and Sweetheart Productions. I am only using these characters for fun. Please do not sue me.
by
Jackie
(Unmaven@aol.com)
It is a Saturday night and Mr. Sheffield went to bed early. He didn’t want to stay up late or go out since Fran and Pierre got married. He tried to tell her that he didn’t think Pierre was the right man for her, but Fran was so excited about getting married that he didn’t have the heart to stop her from going ahead with it.
The entire family including Niles and C.C. went over to France where the wedding took place in a town outside of Paris. It was a small affair with only close family and a few friends. Mr. Sheffield helped pay for the airfare for Val to come, of course she was the maid of honor.
Even though it was a nice wedding Mr. Sheffield didn’t enjoy himself very much. He kept thinking that he should of asked Fran to marry him when they came back from France, instead of taking back "the thing". Now he had to witness this marriage that he didn’t think was a good idea in the first place. Mr. Sheffield was daydreaming about how if he had played his cards right he could have been the bridegroom, and not Pierre. He wished he could tell Fran to call it off, but there was no way he could do that without embarrassing himself. The children were also very upset that Fran was getting married. They knew they wouldn’t be able to see her much anymore. They were older now but still went to Fran for advice. Even Fran’s mother who was desperate for her daughter to get married wasn’t thrilled about the wedding. She also didn’t think that Pierre was the right man for her daughter. Until she met Pierre Fran was always talking about how she wished Mr. Sheffield and her could get closer. Seeing Mr. Sheffield there made it more difficult for Sylvia to witness this marriage. After the ceremony and reception the only people who seemed to be happy were Fran and Pierre.
* * *
It was about two months since Fran got back from her honeymoon and she hasn’t spoken to Mr. Sheffield or the kids. Mr. Sheffield has not been himself since the wedding. His work has suffered since he hasn’t been able to concentrate because he misses Fran. He notices that he has been drinking too much. The effects of the liquor dulled the ache in his heart. Meanwhile Fran is having problems with her husband. Fran got a new job in a department store where she is working many hours a day. She did this so they could pay the rent and other expenses. Pierre was not working much but he always seemed to be busy. When Fran got home late at night many times he wasn’t there. Nor was he home on the much on the weekends, so Fran was alone when she was had time off from work.
One night Fran called Pierre to tell him she was getting off work and she that would be home in a little while. Pierre said that he would be there, instead when she arrived Fran found Pierre had left her a note that he went back to France and would remain there for a couple of months. Fran was devastated, she had gone out of her way to support them both and now he left her.
Fran was thinking that she hadn’t spoken to Mr. Sheffield in a while. She missed him and needed him so much. Fran just started crying and didn’t know what to do. She had wanted so much to be married but it didn’t seem as though it was working out. Now that she needed Mr. Sheffield she wasn’t sure how he felt about her anymore. Fran felt like she was spinning out of control. She needed a man in her life, but right now she felt like she had none. Pierre left her, she felt like a ton of bricks fell on her, and what about Mr. Sheffield. Fran felt she had couldn’t stay in the apartment any more so just grabbed her purse and ran outside so she could get a cab from Brooklyn to Manhattan. After she got in Fran checked her wallet and realized she barely had enough money to get her to the city. When Fran arrived at the Sheffield’s house she got out and told the driver to wait because she didn’t have enough money to pay him the full fare. He didn’t say anything, Fran was grateful. She hoped that someone was at home or she was definitely going to have a problem. Fran rang the doorbell and it took a few minutes for someone to answer since it was after midnight. Finally Niles opened the door, he was surprised to see Fran. He could tell she seemed very upset so he told her to come in. Niles asked Fran what she was doing here. She said she had a problem and she needed to see Mr. Sheffield. Niles said to her that it was late, Mr. Sheffield was in bed, but he would wake him up. (Niles thought that even though he didn’t want to bother Mr. Sheffield so late anything that would get those two together was worth it.)
Fran told Niles that the cab driver was waiting outside because she didn’t have enough money to pay him, could he tell Mr. Sheffield that she needed to borrow some money. Niles says OK, then he goes upstairs to wake up Mr. Sheffield. Niles knocks on the door and Mr. Sheffield wakes up in a crabby mood, asking Niles what he wants from him at this bloody hour. He tells Mr. Sheffield that Ms. Fine is downstairs, she seemed very upset and nearly in tears. She mentioned something about needing money to pay the cab driver that brought her. Mr. Sheffield quickly puts on a robe and gets his wallet. He comes downstairs where the driver is waiting impatiently in the hallway. Mr. Sheffield pays him the fare plus a big tip for all his trouble. The driver leaves in a much better mood.
Mr. Sheffield closes the door and sees Fran sitting on the couch where she is crying uncontrollably. He runs to get her some tissues and asks Niles to get some water. He sits down next to Fran trying to quiet her down so he can find out what happened. Finally Fran calmed down somewhat. Mr. Sheffield looks into Fran’s face then touches her cheek. He asks her what happened to bring her here at this hour. She tells him that Pierre was supposed to be at home when she got back from work but instead she found a letter saying that he went back to France. She thinks her marriage is over. Mr. Sheffield tries to comfort her but is nervous because Fran is still technically married. He tells her that things may not look as bleak in the morning. She should go up to her old room to get some rest. Fran asked him how come none of the kids took her room. He said that he didn’t he know, that maybe they were comfortable with the set up they had. He walked up Fran to her room to say good night, but he really wanted to give her a passionate kiss, but knew it wasn’t right. Her marriage might be over, but one can never be sure and he didn’t want to cause any more trouble. He was hoping that they would not get back together so he would have a chance with Fran. He missed Fran immensely. Mr. Sheffield went back to bed but couldn’t sleep. He was thinking that the house wasn’t the same without Fran. He definitely noticed the kids were not behaving as well as they did while Ms. Fine was there. Even though she wasn’t trained, she knew how to deal with his kids. Grace was more depressed now, Maggie was out of the house on dates more than ever. Mr. Sheffield just hoped she wasn’t doing anything that she shouldn’t be doing. Brighton was acting out and misbehaving much more than he had in awhile.
The next morning everyone is up and Fran comes down for breakfast. The kids are surprised to see her. They ask what happened and Mr. Sheffield tells them that Fran’s husband left her, they definitely were not surprised. After that he tells the kids to go upstairs so they can talk alone. Then Mr. Sheffield tells Fran that he is sorry about what happened to her marriage but he told her in the first place that he didn’t think it would work out. He told Fran he needed to get back to work and Fran had to get on with her life. He told her she could stay here for a few days or go back to her apartment, her choice. This made Fran feel more despondent than ever. She felt she lost both men in her life.
Later against her better judgment Fran calls her mother to tell her that Pierre went back to France. She said Pierre told her he wasn’t sure when he would be coming back. Her mother is screaming at her, saying what is she going to do now that she doesn’t have a husband. Sylvia tells Fran to come and stay with them, but that is the last thing Fran wants to do. She decides that since there is nothing left her to do at the Sheffield’s house she will go home at get ready for work. At least it will be a distraction. Fran gets back to her apartment, she feels out of sorts knowing that Pierre isn’t there anymore. It takes her awhile to get herself together and when she left the apartment she still felt horrible. The entire day seemed to pass in a fog, as did the rest of the week.
Finally she had a couple days off from work. When she wakes up the first morning she feels lonely, missing her husband very much. Fran has an ache in her heart, so on a whim she decides to go to France to see if she can find Pierre and talk to him. Fran knows this trip will cost her a fortune and she has no idea how she will pay for it, but she feels that this is something she has to do. Later that day she boards her flight to Paris. When she arrives at the airport she gets a taxi that takes her to the city. On the way there Fran remembers being in France with Mr. Sheffield. She feels sad thinking that if things had worked out she might have been married to Mr. Sheffield, not Pierre. She tries to get those thoughts out of her head focusing on the present. She is still in love with Pierre and wants to desperately to save their marriage.
Once Fran arrives in Paris she needs a place to stay. She finds a bed and breakfast hotel where she settles in. She starts making some phone calls right away. Finally Fran tracks down Pierre, and he is surprised to hear from her. She tells him that she really wants to see him to discuss what happened. Pierre agrees to meet her and they get together for dinner. When the meal was over Fran was hopeful that the evening would continue, but Pierre immediately tell tells her he has go, and Fran should return to where she is staying. Fran gets back to the hotel, but instead of feeling better as she had hoped, she feels more devastated. Even though, she decides that she should try to see him one more time before she goes home.
The next day she goes to visit him again. When she arrives at his house she sees Pierre being intimate with another woman. Fran just runs away with tears running down her face not even knowing where she is going. After a couple of minutes she starts to calm down and gets a cab back to her bed and breakfast. Fran gets back to the room and lies on the bed. She covers herself with the blankets because she can’t stop shaking or crying. After awhile she is so exhausted that she actually falls asleep. The next thing Fran knew she is waking up in her hotel room not remembering where she was. Fran hardly has any energy since she didn’t eat much the day before. She goes and takes a shower hoping that would make her feel better so she could go downstairs for some breakfast. After Fran got dressed she decided she was going to enjoy eating in France and not worry about her situation. As Fran approaches the dining area downstairs there was a beautiful spread. Fran had a lovely breakfast. After that she felt more energized. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, so she decides to go for a walk. When she returned she felt she was ready to go back home and started packing. All of a sudden everything hit her, she sat on the bed and started to cry.
Fran missed Mr. Sheffield, in fact, she was aching for his touch and his words. She didn’t know how she felt about Pierre anymore. Her initial love for him was becoming much less very quckly. She needed Mr. Sheffield more than ever. When she went over to his house the evening that Pierre left, Mr. Sheffield wasn’t as responsive as she would of liked, but Fran needed him now. She decided to call hoping they could have a conversation, and does so after a lot of procrastinating. After a couple of rings Niles picks up the phone and hears Fran’s voice. He says that he is so happy to hear from her because Mr. Sheffield tried to call her several times but couldn’t reach her, he was very worried since he also tried to call her parents but they were in Florida. Then Niles goes into Mr. Sheffield’s office to tell him Fran is on the phone. He rushes to get it feeling relieved when he hears Fran’s voice. Mr. Sheffield tells Fran he was trying to get in touch with her and hoped she was OK since no one answered the phone at her apartment. Fran tells him that she went to France to see Pierre, but ultimately found him with another woman. After she tells Mr. Sheffield this Fran starts crying and is unable to speak anymore. When he hears how upset Fran is, Mr. Sheffield makes a quick decision. He tells Fran not to worry because he is coming to France to bring her home. They can try to sort out this mess afterwards. Fran says that it isn’t necessary, but Mr. Sheffield says he wants to do this. He tells Fran he will be there the next day, in the meantime she should get some rest and try to forget about Pierre. She tells him that he was probably right after all, that she should not of married Pierre, but he was so charming she thought he was sincere. Finally they end the call. Then he tells Niles to pack his bags because he is leaving for France as soon as possible to bring Ms. Fine home.
Early the next morning Mr. Sheffield gets to France. He goes to his hotel room to freshen up then calls Fran. She is ecstatic to hear his voice but she tells him she just woke up and needs to get ready. He asks Fran when he can see her. She says he should take a nap and come over in a couple of hours. Mr. Sheffield is anxious to see Fran, but he also feels very tired so a short nap might do him good. Meanwhile Fran knows she looks terrible so she has to get herself together. At the hotel Mr. Sheffield tries to rest but after an hour or so he becomes impatient. He calls to let her know that he will be there soon, but Fran isn’t nearly ready. She still needs to finish her makeup to cover the bags under her eyes. Fran doesn’t want him to see her like this, so she rushes to finish but Mr. Sheffield is there before she is done. She tells him she will be there shortly. He nervously waits for a little while, it was getting to the point where he thought she decided she did not want to see him, then all of a sudden Fran rushes out and runs towards him. She gives him a hug, and then he kisses the top of her forehead. When he looks at her he sees the rings around Fran’s eyes, even though she tried to cover them up. He also notices how much weight she lost. He was glad he came because he saw Fran is in as bad a shape as he thought. He knew the situation was partially his fault. Fran wouldn’t of married Pierre if he hadn’t let their relationship flounder. Outwardly they were not much more than good friends, but inside he knows that he is in love with Fran. He also knew without a doubt that Fran had feelings for him before she met Pierre, although he didn’t know how she felt about him now. Mr. Sheffield realized he had another chance with Fran, he certainly didn’t want to ruin it this time.
After their embrace Fran suggested they go to a little café and have a bite to eat. Fran tried to talk to Mr. Sheffield about what happened with her and Pierre. While they were talking about the problem with Fran’s marriage her eyes started to get watery and she started sniffling. She tried to hold back her emotions because they were in a public place. When Mr. Sheffield saw how upset Fran was he put his arms around her and told her to just try and relax, they would talk about things later. It was a rainy afternoon so they decided to go shopping. This would make Fran forget her problems for a while. Everything was very expensive, but she bought little gifts to take back home. When they were done Fran noticed that Mr. Sheffield was tired, she said they should call it a day. They went back to his hotel and Fran was able to walk back to her place from there. The next the next day did some sightseeing together. Going back to the hotel in the evening he noticed that Fran seemed to feel a little better. The following morning Mr. Sheffield went to a lawyer to see if he could find out how Fran could annul her marriage. Later when he came back they had a quiet afternoon. That evening they both decided to leave for home the next day.
They got back to the States and Mr. Sheffield asked Fran if she wanted to stay with him, but Fran decided she rather go back to her apartment in Brooklyn. Mr. Sheffield was very disappointed, he thought things would be back to they way they were, but clearly not. For the next month or so Mr. Sheffield and Fran didn’t see much of each other. Fran decided to try and date again. She didn’t want to rely on Mr. Sheffield for a relationship, even though he seemed to be interested in spending time with her. On some nights after work Fran went out with Val to bars and clubs trying to meet guys. They did this for a few weeks, but Fran was meeting the same people over and over again, she realized it wasn’t worth doing anymore. A few times Mr. Sheffield invited Fran for dinner but she said she was too busy. Then one time Mr. Sheffield asked her to dinner after Fran had quit the dating scene, she said yes. Fran said she would be there after work, but by the time she came it was so late that dinner was almost over. Grace and Brighton were supposed to go out but stayed home to see Fran, but Maggie had a date and decided to go. They had a nice, comfortable evening. After that Fran came over more often. Mr. Sheffield and her even went out on several dates. Fran also went out with the kids together. She also went out with each of the children separately.
A couple of months later Mr. Sheffield asked Fran to go with him to one of his business functions. Fran had to work late so she was only able to get ready for the party afterwards. By the time they arrived they just made the opening. The party didn’t end till after 1:30 in the morning. While they were waiting for the limo Mr. Sheffield noticed that Fran was very tired. The car arrived, he helped Fran into it then he got in. He put his arm over her shoulders and told Fran to rest her head. Fran felt so comfortable that she fell asleep almost immediately. Seeing this, Mr. Sheffield decided he wanted Fran to come home with him. He did not want her staying alone in her apartment. When they arrived home Mr. Sheffield woke Fran and told her he wanted her to stay at the house overnight, he just wanted to be sure that she was OK. Fran was so exhausted she didn’t mind. He helped Fran out of the limo and into house. When they walked into the hallway they were still holding hands, Mr. Sheffield looked into Fran’s eyes, then they kissed. It was just meant to be a light peck on the lips but it turned into a passionate kiss and Fran put her arms around Mr. Sheffield holding him tightly. She felt there was a kind of spark between them that never happened with Pierre, Fran was scared. She had already had one failed marriage so she didn’t want to make another mistake. She knows that she loves Mr. Sheffield, and wondered if her feelings for Pierre had been genuine like the ones for Mr. Sheffield. Had Pierre just made up some ruse for her to fall in love so she could support him as Mr. Sheffield suspected. Besides making another mistake Fran was also worried about her relationship with Mr. Sheffield. How many times had he kissed her but it really didn’t mean anything. Mr. Sheffield noticed that Fran had tears in her eye and wipes them away with his finger. Then he touches the bottom of her chin with his hand, and asks Fran softly what is bothering her. Fran tells Mr. Sheffield she is scared about where things are going. She made a mistake the last time in her relationship with Pierre and is afraid what will happen with them. Mr. Sheffield looks into her eyes and tells her not to worry that everything would be OK. She could tell he was serious. They kissed again holding each other tightly for a little while. Fran knew this time things were different.
* * *
After that night Fran went back to her apartment. She continued to see Max and the kids. Sometimes was she working so hard that even Mr. Sheffield had to tell her to take some time off. Then one day Fran comes home and finds a large envelope in her mail. She opens it and there were her annulment papers. Upon seeing them she felt and sense of relief that her failed relationship with Pierre was finally over. Fran calls Mr. Sheffield at the house, but he is out of town, so she tries to get him on his cell phone. When he answers C.C. is there, she realizes Mr. Sheffield is speaking to Fran and becomes very annoyed. C.C. is still trying to get Mr. Sheffield to have a relationship with her. Fran tells Mr. Sheffield that she is finally single again. He says he will be home on the weekend and that they’ll celebrate. C.C. hears this and thought he meant them, but makes it clear that the celebration is with Fran.
When Mr. Sheffield comes back, they spend the entire weekend together. They take a romantic carriage ride in Central Park. There was a chill in the air and they were sitting close together holding hands with a blanket over their laps. Later they had a romantic dinner. Mr. Sheffield even stayed at Fran’s apartment that night. The next day they just took it easy, they went for brunch, later they took in a movie. After that weekend Mr. Sheffield and Fran got much closer. Fran also tried to spend more time with the kids, but it was hard since she had more responsibility at work. Since she and Pierre split Fran became an assistant manager of the shoe section in the department store where she was worked. Mr. Sheffield was very happy when Fran got the promotion.
Then on a rare weekend when she had some time off Fran told Mr. Sheffield that she needed a vacation and wanted to take a trip somewhere, did he have any suggestions. He told her that he would like to join her if it was OK. Fran was so happy about that she started jumping up and down for joy. But the Mr. Sheffield mentioned that he wanted to bring the kids. Fran got upset over that because she thought they could spend some time alone, but Mr. Sheffield said they would have plenty time for each other since the kids were older and could take care of themselves. He suggested they could bring Niles along just in case. Fran said that sounded all right to her. Mr. Sheffield immediately made arrangements for a trip to Aruba. He wanted this trip to be special since he decided he was going to ask Fran to marry him. He was getting weary of Fran just staying at the house or him going over at her place. Things were so much better since Fran came back into his life. The kids were happier and their behavior was much improved. Mr. Sheffield finally admitted to himself that he was in love with Fran. He wanted them to spend more time together and to take care of her. She gave them so much. Also he was beginning to think he would lose her again if things stayed the same. Little did he know that Fran was very content with her life right now, she wasn’t thinking of marriage again.
Meanwhile Fran was excited. She immediately started to get ready for the trip. Since she had a discount on clothes where she worked, Fran went crazy shopping. Finally the day arrived and they left for Aruba. When they arrived the weather was beautiful. The sun was shining, the water was a deep blue color. When they got to the hotel Mr. Sheffield and Fran went to their suite where they had adjoining rooms. The vacation was idyllic. Max and Fran had breakfast together in the mornings, later they went to the beach. In the afternoons they spent time with the kids. Evenings they had romantic dinners followed by dancing or listening to music. On the last night of the vacation Max and Fran had a romantic dinner at a restaurant by the water. Afterwards, they went dancing and they held each other close. When they came back to the room Max took her out to the verandah. The moon lit up the sky. He brought out two glasses of champagne and made a toast. Fran told Max she felt very happy, it was such a beautiful evening. She looked at Max and told him he looked so relaxed and handsome. He complemented her by telling Fran that she looked lovely. Then he looked into her eyes and they kissed. Fran felt like she was in a dream. She couldn’t believe this was happening. All of a sudden the kiss ended, Max looked into Fran’s eyes again and he told her that her loves her, will she marry him. Fran said to repeat what he said. Max puts one hand around Fran and the other in his pocket to get the ring. Meanwhile he gives Fran a quick kiss then pulls away, Fran feels nervous, but before she could say anything Max shows her the ring and says, "will you marry me", Fran. She is speechless, but says to him "what do you think", he slips the ring on her finger. Fran puts her arms around Max, they hold each other tightly, then Fran puts her head on his shoulder. She tells Max that she loves him so much, and then kiss passionately. Max then tells Fran to look at the ring. She was so excited about the proposal that she forgot about the ring. Fran looked at it and told Max that it was so beautiful, it was too much. She thought the ring was at least five carats, but it was actually seven and one-half carats. Fran said that the ring was "too big" and much too expensive but she loved it anyway. Max said she deserved it. Finally they decided to go into the room to be alone. They would tell everyone in the morning. That night Fran stayed in the same room with Max.
Before they knew it morning came and everyone went to breakfast. Fran showed the kids her engagement ring, they were excited. They were happy that Fran would stay in their lives permanently. It was a horrible time for them when Fran was married to Pierre, since they didn’t they didn’t see Fran at all. When Niles found out that Max and Fran were getting married he called C.C. and he thought she was going to faint.
* * *
Time passed quickly and it was Fran and Max’s wedding. They got everything together in about three months because they didn’t want to wait any longer to get married. For this wedding Fran had a beautiful designer wedding gown instead of the suit she wore last time. Max wore a beautiful black tux he bought especially for the wedding, it cost a fortune. Fran told him that he never looked so handsome as long as she knew him. All the kids were in the wedding party. Max even helped pay for Val’s dress as the maid of honor, Niles was the best man. They had a rabbi and priest to perform the ceremony under a chuppah. Mr. Sheffield was anxious for the wedding to be over with. And when it was over Max broke the glass with his shoe. Then Max and Fran had a long kiss. Before going into the reception they spent a few minutes with Fran’s parents. This time her mother was beaming with happiness that her daughter finally married the right man. She even kissed and hugged Max. He wasn’t thrilled about that part but he knew that’s what some families did.
At the reception they had a great time dancing, eating and mingling with most of the 125 people that were invited. When the party was slowing down they left to go to an elegant honeymoon suite in a fancy hotel in the city. After that they were going on a luxurious cruise for their honeymoon.
* * *
Since Fran and Max were married time flew by very quickly. Fran was still working but changed her hours so she could be home at night with her family. Fran was now the manager of the shoe section now, so it was easier to set her own schedule.
A few months later Fran wasn’t feeling well, she thought it was a bug but it wouldn’t go away. Finally Max told her to go see a doctor. That is when Fran found out that she is pregnant. She was so excited; she wanted a baby so much, especially with her husband that she is so in love with. When she told Max he was shocked and uncertain about it but when he saw how excited his wife was he changed his mind. Fran couldn’t believe how her life changed in such a short time. She was so happy, she now knew that this marriage would be forever.
The End
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