Hey readers! Since I haven't been updating regularly, I made this chapter about three times the size of the last one! I think you will really like what is in store. This chapter will be the final chapter of part two, then we will do a time jump to when Sophie's baby is born (where the movie ended.)

Part Two

Chapter Seventeen

From Afar

For the first time in her life, the event that Sophie had planned had gone perfectly well without anything going wrong or taking a turn. The wedding reception was just as magical as the wedding. Everyone from the church returned to the hotel and even some of the hotel guests had been invited to take part in the celebration. It reminded her of the hotel opening party from just a few months ago, but this time, it had turned out even better.

"Oh Sophie, this is everything I could have asked for!" Ruby said about halfway into the evening. She threw her arms around her granddaughter and hugged her tighter than she ever had. She felt a second pair of arms wrap around them both.

"Thank you so much for doing this for us." Fernando said, kissing the top of Sophie's head. He held the two most important ladies in his life close to him for a few more seconds before letting go.

"You guys really like it?" Sophie asked, glancing around at the arrangements of flowers, lanterns, and golden balloons that had been put up around the tables. "Grandma, I was worried you were going to expect a full royal wedding."

Ruby laughed a bit. "Well, I must admit in the past I probably would have expected that." She leaned into Fernando. "But now I've come to realize that this is my royal wedding."

Sophie gave another look towards the lanterns and found herself remembering Donna and Sam's wedding. It didn't feel like it, but so much time had now passed. The lanterns that were set up over the tables looked identical to the ones that had been used at her mother's after-party.

"You okay?" Ruby asked Sophie, noticing the reminiscent glint in her eyes.

Sophie nodded. "Grandma, this is so much like Mom's wedding... I wish you had been there." It took her a moment to realize that this was probably not the right thing to have said. "You know what, that was insensitive of me...I'm sorry."

Ruby took one of Sophie's hands. "No, Darling, you're right. I should have been there." She would spend the rest of her life apologizing to Sophie for all of the events that she had been to proud and too afraid to attend.

Fernando, suddenly sensing the old feelings of regret and detachment, moved his arm around his wife's waist. "Come on, Love, let's go look at that cake."

Ruby let him guide her away from Sophie towards the biggest table in the courtyard.

"You remember," Fernando whispered into Ruby's ear, "This is our night. This is the wedding that we deserve and nothing should make you feel bad." He kissed her cheek as they stopped in front of the cake.

"I know, I know." she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I know that everyone has come to forgive me, but I will never know if she would have forgiven me."

Fernando opened his mouth to reply with new words of comfort, when he suddenly remembered something. The letter that Donna had written him before her death! He had never intended to share the letter with anyone, yet he felt so stupid for not showing it to Ruby. At the time when Sophie had shown him the letter, he had been so stressed out over getting Ruby back that he had almost forgotten about it. It now seemed silly to him that he hadn't thought to show it to Ruby.

"What?" Ruby asked, noticing the change in his face.

He tightened his hold around her waist. "Come with me. I want to show you something." He kept his voice light and calm, making sure not to worry her. Carefully, he lead her out of the courtyard into the hallways of the hotel.

"Where are we going?" she asked. She would follow him anywhere at this point, but was still curious as to what made Fernando instantly need to show her something. She held onto his arm with a firm grip until they stopped in the lobby near Fernando's desk.

Fernando was nervous to show her the letter. The last thing that he wanted to do was upset Ruby on their special night, but he trusted his heart and believed that Donna's letter would finally allow Ruby some self-forgiveness. He fumbled through some papers in the top drawer and extracted a small blue folder towards the bottom.

Ruby watched without saying a word as Fernando removed a single sheet of paper from the folder. "What is it?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

"Sit with me." Fernando requested gently. He held out his hand and pulled her into his lap so that they were sitting cozily in his desk chair.

Ruby put one arm around his neck and buried his legs underneath the many layers of her wedding dress.

"I never thought that I would share this with you..." Fernando began cautiously, "I don't think that Donna wanted me to share it, but I now understand that we have no secrets. I think you should read this."

Ruby looked back and forth from the letter to Fernando's face. "What do you mean you don't think that Donna would have wanted to share it with me? You never met her."

Fernando nodded. "I know that. But she found out about me, Ruby. You should just read the letter. Sophie found it in Donna's old things and gave it to me. She wrote it before she...died."

Ruby could not comprehend these words. Her heart began to race and she felt chills running down her arms. "She...knew about you?" Her shaking hand grasped the letter that Fernando was handing to her and she began to read.

Dear Dad,

If you are reading this, then that means that I had enough courage to send you this letter. You do not know who I am, but I know you. I am your daughter, Donna. I have only a matter of weeks left to live and I thought that you at least deserved the chance to hear from me at least once in your life, even if it was just in a letter.

My mother's name was Ruby. I'm sure you will remember her. I've seen the pictures of you two from Mexico. She used to keep locked away in her jewelry box. She would take them with on every tour, and I would always sneak in to look at them whenever she was on stage. She ended every show with your song, and that's how I figured out that it had to be you who was my father, not to mention how happy you guys looked in those pictures.

I know you are probably wondering why I never tried to contact you before now. When I was a child, I wanted so badly to ask my mother about you, but I knew that it would hurt her, so I kept my curiosity to myself. As I grew older, however, the temptation got stronger. I found myself wanting to write to you, but I didn't have enough courage. I was afraid that you would not want me, or that you would not like me because I would remind you too much of my mom. I'm sure you would not have felt that way, but there was just so much fear in getting to know the man behind the song.

Now, as someone who has little time to live, and as someone who got to experience a good life, I understand so much more. I am less mad at my mother every day, because I finally know what it is like to be a mom and to be afraid of making the wrong parenting choices. If by any chance you still remember or care about those old days you spent with my mother, I ask you to forgive her too. It is not as easy as it seems being a parent, and there are no right or wrong ways to raise a child because kids do not come with instructions. After all of those years listening to my mother singing your song and keeping your picture so close, I know that she regrets nothing more than leaving you out of fear. I will never have the time to forgive her, but I hope that you can do that for me, because life is too short.

If you should choose to, you can meet your granddaughter Sophie. But if you choose not to, I understand that as well.

Ruby finished reading the letter that Donna had never completed or signed. She had no tears to offer because everything had become numb.

"My Love..." Fernando whispered, kissing her hair, "She knew that she was sick. She felt she had no time to make things right with you. But she always wanted to, Baby." He moved his face so that he could gently kiss her cheek. "She understood why your mother-daughter relationship had been rocky. She came to understand how hurt you were after Mexico..." He took the letter from Ruby's hand and set it down on the desk so that he could tightly wrap his arms around her without smashing the letter.

"I just can't believe all those years she knew about you..." Ruby whispered in disbelief. "She knew about those pictures...about our song..."

Fernando smiled warmly. "Doesn't it feel at least a little good? Knowing that Donna at least knew that her parents were in love? Knowing that she wanted me to forgive you and that she wanted me to meet Sophie?"

Ruby nodded her head. "Yes. Of course it does." She then let out a small laugh of disbelief. She was torn between a deep emotion and a deep sense of relief that Donna had at least come to understand why it had been so hard for Ruby to be loving.

"So, you kept pictures of me?" Fernando asked jokingly.

Ruby rolled her eyes and leaned into his shoulder. "Yes, but to be honest, I could never bring myself to look at them. Just like I could never bring myself to be a good mother... It just hurt too much." She finally felt her eyes get a bit wet. "But knowing that those pictures were there...it was enough. And I guess, in the end, as terrible as I was to Donna, knowing that she was ours was both hurtful and healing."

Fernando moved from her cheek to her lips and kissed her sweetly in the dimly lit lobby. "I love you." He said moving a hand into her platinum blonde hair and twirling it around his fingers. "You have every right to a happy life."

They sat there for another moment before Ruby finally smiled. She felt many of her regrets and self-resentments begin to heal. She would make the most of this marriage and this family, and although she could never go back in time to be with Donna, she would spend the rest of her life taking care of Donna's precious little girl, and loving the man who had helped bring Donna into the world.

xxx

Once again, the celebration lasted until nearly three in the morning. The staff members were the first to leave considering that many of them had to work the next day, and shortly after, the guests returned to their rooms. In the end, it was just the family left, gathered together in the messy courtyard, sitting around a table filled with dirty dishes and the half-finished cake.

"You know, I think that this hotel was meant to host weddings." Tanya said, sipping what was left in her wine glass.

Sophie was leaning against Sky looking both awestruck and exhausted. "I agree, but they sure are a lot of work."

Harry glanced down at his watch for what seemed like the tenth time that evening.

"Are you in a hurry to leave us or something?" Bill asked, nudging Harry in the arm.

Harry looked over at Fernando. "Um...of course not...no...not at all."

Everyone suddenly looked at Harry suspiciously, knowing that he was the absolute worst when it came to keeping secrets.

"Is it time?" Fernando asked Harry. It was clear that the two of them were planning something together.

"Time for what?" Tanya demanded on knowing, sitting up a bit taller.

"Well," Fernando said, addressing the table. "I haven't had the opportunity to take my beautiful wife on vacation, so Harry was kind enough to help me plan a little honeymoon."

Ruby felt a smirk tugging at her lips. "You did not!" she said, looking from Harry to Fernando. She was indeed very tired, but all giddiness returned at the mention of vacation. There was nothing she loved more than the luxury of traveling, and the thought of doing it with Fernando had been something she never thought would happen in her lifetime.

"That's so sweet..." Sophie sighed, placing a hand over her heart. "I mean, I assumed you took the next week off for some reason, Grandpa, but I didn't know you had actually planned a honeymoon."

Fernando clutched onto Ruby's hand. "I had to plan something big and beautiful for this lady here. She only deserves the best."

Harry stood up from his chair and gestured for everyone to follow. "It's that time."

Ruby looked at Fernando in disbelief, already imagining a vacation that was both extravagant and relaxing. She could already see herself in her beautiful dresses walking along some exotic beach somewhere with Fernando by her side...with no one to bother them.

"I suppose you want to know where I'm talking you?" He whispered to her.

She linked her arm through his as they began to follow Harry out of the courtyard. "Paris?" she asked. "Spain? Italy?" She could feel her cheeks begin to hurt from smiling so much.

"I'm not telling." Fernando teased her.

They walked all the way out of the hotel and down the pathway towards the docks and the deserted street. It was beginning to get cooler outside as the waves of the ocean became bigger in the autumn breeze. In the distance, Harry's private plane was made visible by the lanterns that were lit among the road and the docks.

"Oh my..." Ruby stammered, feeling her heart melt. She was used to private planes and luxurious methods of travel, but never in a million years had she expected Fernando to surprise her with a private trip to some far away place.

"I made a few calls at work." Harry said. He stopped walking once the reached the end of the pathway. They were still several feet away from where the plane was sitting, but this seemed like the ideal place to say goodbye.

"Thank you, Harry." Fernando said. "I am very grateful for all you've done to help me arrange this special surprise for my beautiful wife."

"So this is goodbye then?" Rosie asked, stepping forward. "We're all leaving Kalokairi in the morning and will be gone by the time you two return."

"Goodbye for now," Fernando answered with a sweet but sad smile, "but Sophie's baby will be here in another six months and we will be looking forward to seeing everybody once again."

The magic of the day was still lingering in the nighttime air. The wedding had not only been a celebration of long lost love, but it had also been the ideal opportunity for everyone to be brought together once again. The family was strange and unlike any other, yet once they were together, everything seemed to make sense. Sophie stepped forward to hug her grandparents, and everyone else followed.

"Enjoy your honeymoon and be sure to get laid." Tanya said abruptly.

Sophie raised her eyebrows.

"Don't mind her," Rosie apologized with a laugh, "Too much to drink again..."

Once everyone was done saying goodbye to Fernando and Ruby, Harry walked with the newlyweds over to the private plane and introduced them to the pilot and co-pilot. "Have a great trip!" he wished them, giving Ruby a final kiss on the cheek and shaking Fernando's hand.

Fernando stepped up onto the plane and held out his hand to help his wife. She was still wearing her wedding dress and her obnoxiously high heels.

"What will I be wearing on this honeymoon?" Ruby asked in a serious tone. "I haven't packed a thing."

Fernando lead her over to two large, comfortable leather seats. "I think you'll find that I packed a few things for you. I know what outfits you like and I know what outfits I want to see you wear..." he smiled mischievously, taking her hand in his once they were comfortably seated.

"So I can expect to find all lingerie when I open my suit case?"

He gazed into her eyes, imagining the next couple of days with her in complete private with nothing to worry about but each other. "I think I'll let you be surprised, Mi Amor." He kissed her hand.

After the plane took off, Ruby leaned comfortably on Fernando, grabbing onto his arm and not letting go. "I love you." she said softly, feeling her eyelids getting heavy with sleepiness from a long, long day.

He gently leaned his chin on the top of her head and could still smell her perfume lingering. "I love you too."

xxx

Ruby finally opened her eyes and could tell that several hours had passed since she had fallen asleep. She immediately checked to see that Fernando was still next to her, feeling that magical sensation all over again. She held up her hand to admire her new, ruby wedding ring that he had gotten for her so many years ago. She wanted to know the story behind it although she was certain that the story would end with her leaving Mexico and him not having enough time to give it to her.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cienfuegos, we are about to land." said the flight attendant.

Fernando was already away and had a book propped open in his free hand. Ruby was still securely holding onto his other arm.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cienfuegos." Fernando said, smiling at his beautiful wife. She looked like an angel even when she had eyeliner smudged on her face.

Her heart hammered in her chest when he called her this. She had completely forgotten that she could now steal his last name. "How do you know that I want your last name?" she teased him, raising her eyebrows a bit. "After all, Ruby Sheridan is a well known, famous name back in the U.S."

He looked at her testily. "I see you're just as stubborn as you were before we were married. Very well...if you don't want my name..."

"I'm kidding..." Ruby giggled, moving up to kiss him good morning. She knew that she had fallen asleep for their entire flight and wondered how long he had been awake for. Judging by the book in his hand, he had been awake for a few hours.

"You're beautiful when you sleep, you know." he said. He put the book down and held up her hand to look at the wedding ring as the plane began to make its descent. He had imagined how it would look on her finger time and time again, but actually seeing it there brought on a feeling that he could not describe. The color and shape of it against her pale, smooth, and slightly aged skin made the ring look like it belonged there. It did belong there.

"So where are we landing?" Ruby demanded, not even knowing what continent they were on. She had no clue how long she had been asleep for.

"It's still a surprise." Fernando said, smirking. He kissed her lips quickly. "Just trust me."

His smooth, sexy accent made Ruby trust him instantly. She continued to hold tightly to him until they finally landed about twenty minutes later.

"You'll probably want to change out of that wedding dress." Fernando suggested, although his eyes would never get tired of seeing her in the stunningly beautiful gown. He handed her a small backpack that was shoved on top of a luggage rack. "I packed your favorite day=to-day outfits in there. Just comfy things."

Ruby barely owned any outfits that could be considered "comfy clothes", but she was still a bit tired after the wedding and wasn't going to object to whatever Fernando had chosen to pack for her. She stepped into the tiny bathroom stall for a moment and went through the backpack, pleased to see something glittery peaking out at her. She took out a long pair of glittery black leggings and smiled. These would be good enough. After all, she assumed that since it was the first day of their honeymoon, they would probably just be checking into the hotel and relaxing...nothing too fancy. She also tugged on red top that was low cut and accentuated the height of her chest. She knew that Fernando had packed this one on purpose and giggled to herself as she put it on and made sure that it hugged her body in all of the right places.

Fernando had also quickly changed into a pair of designer jeans and a plain white dress shirt.

"Jeans?" Ruby asked in surprise. "I didn't think they were your style..."

He shrugged. "I'm a man of many surprises."

Ruby pulled up one of the window shades to try and see where they were, but all she could see was a massive airport and several planes taking off around them.

"Hey...no cheating." Fernando said, playfully closing the shade.

The flight attendant hung up Ruby's wedding dress so that she did not have to shove it into any of the bags or suitcases and promised to safely keep it on the plane until the return-home trip. Ruby waited on the plane while Fernando and the flight attendant carried a few suitcases and bags off of the plane.

"One more thing." Fernando said once all of the luggage had been removed. He already felt the smile tugging at his lips. He extracted something thin and sparkly from his pocket. "You're not allowed to see where we are."

"A blindfold?" Ruby asked, her jaw slightly dropping. "Do you have some secret fantasies that I don't know about?"

Fernando chuckled as he stepped forward and forced the blindfold around Ruby's eyes. "I just want it to be a surprise..." he placed a soft kiss on her hair. "And I would hardly call my fantasies a secret. This isn't the first time I've had you in a blindfold, Mi Amor... or don't you remember?"

Ruby felt herself wanting to melt in his arms standing there in the middle of the plane, but she was also insanely curious as to where he had taken her for their honeymoon. "Well, lead the way..." she said, trying not to show what an effect his romantic words had on her.

With great difficulty, Fernando helped Ruby down the steps onto the pavement, trying not to laugh at the sight of his high-class wife wearing a blindfold. She was still wearing dramatically high heels, but he had given up on attempting to make her wear flat shoes. "Okay..." he told her, keeping a tight hold on her hand. "We are getting into a car now."

"A car?" Ruby repeated, following him a bit awkwardly into the backseat of a vehicle. "How did you manage to get a car to pick us up on the runway?"

He wrapped an arm around her once they were settled in the back of the car. "You aren't the one with connections." He gently began to caress and massage her shoulder as the car drove away from Harry's private plane. "I'll explain later..."

They drove for what felt like half an hour, Ruby finally getting used to the complete blackness before her eyes. She wasn't worried about anything at all as long as Fernando kept a close hold on her.

"Looks like we're almost there!" He told her excitedly. Something in his voice had changed now, almost like he was a young adult again.

When the car stopped, Fernando took his time helping Ruby out of the back seat. He held firmly onto her had and smiled at her in delight, loving the clueless but carefree look on her face.

"You know, you're a very lucky man." She teased him. "If any of my previous dates had asked me to do something this crazy, they would be out on their ass in no time."

Fernando intertwined their fingers. "I know, Love, I am a very lucky man." He then turned to face the driver of the car who had also stepped out alongside them to help with the luggage. They were in front of a very fancy looking hotel. "Do you have the key?"

The driver pulled a room key from his pocket. Fernando had very carefully planned everything ahead of time in order to give Ruby the greatest surprise possible. He took the key into his free hand and slipped it into his pocket. A moment later, staff members from the hotel were rushing over to put the luggage on carts.

"No nos traigas el equipaje hasta mañana." Fernando instructed the men that were helping with the suit cases.

Ruby's ears perked up at the sound of him speaking smooth, fluent Spanish. This always sent tingles down her spine and reminded her of the days when she first had met him in Mexico.

"This way, Love." Fernando said, leading her into the lobby of the hotel. He walked slowly to make sure that Ruby didn't trip over anything, but by now she was an expert in high heels.

Ruby knew that they were inside of a building, and it soon became very clear that they had gotten into an elevator. She tried to hide how excited she was, but it was impossible. She had been on many vacations and tours around the world, but she could not recall those trips making her feel even half as happy as she felt now. Traveling had almost lost all of its excitement after her many lonely years on the road, but Fernando had brought it all back to her.

They did just a bit more walking before coming to a stop.

"Can I take the blindfold off now?" Ruby asked impatiently.

Fernando slid the room key into the door and unlocked it. "Just a second..." he took her hand once again and moved her into the room, making sure that the door shut behind them.

The room was not a suite or anything over-the-top, but it was indeed a very charming little space that was well decorated and welcoming. Fernando felt his heart jump into his throat the second he began to look around the room at the pieces of artwork on the walls along with the neutral colored bedspread.

"How about now?" Ruby repeated herself, growing even more impatient. The sassiness in her voice was bolder than it had been all week.

Fernando moved his hands to untie the blindfold, and he let it fall to the floor. The second that Ruby could see again, Fernando stood up tall behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and looking around the hotel room with her.

"Fernando...is this...?" Ruby didn't want to say it out loud just in case she was incorrect, but something about the room was oddly familiar. She felt memories coming back to her as she glanced over the exquisite pieces of Mexican artwork that were hanging on the walls.

"Welcome back, Love." Fernando whispered to her.

Ruby instantly knew that they were back in Mexico, and she had not been back since 1959. Every time her band had begged her to return to Mexico on tour, she had flat out refused to. There was no going back...not without him.

"I hope you are happy." he said to her softly, kissing up the back of her neck. He knew right away that her silence meant that she was swept away in the moment and unable to believe that they were really back where they had began, finally able to rewrite the hurtful ending to their love story in Mexico.

"Is this the same room?" Ruby asked, fighting back a tear.

Fernando smiled into her skin. "Yes."

Ruby looked down at the bed. Although the old bed had probably been replaced with a newer one, she could remember two passionate young lovers sharing their first night together in this very room. She had been rich, spoiled and successful, and he had been broke solider at the time, but the first night that they had spent together had been the beginning of the greatest love story every imaginable.

"Can we...?" She turned around to face him, not knowing why she suddenly felt so nervous. Fernando was her husband, and yet he would always make her go weak at the knees with the way he managed to constantly surprise her and take her breath away.

"Of course we can." He said.

Neither of them turned on the light or opened the blinds. Fernando placed one hand on Ruby's face and brought her lips to his, kissing her like no time had ever passed between the two of them. He gently began to back her up towards the bed and push her down onto the comforter. He kissed back down her neck to her chest, his hands playing with the hemline of her shirt.

Ruby, unable to wait any longer, moved her hands downward to meet his and began tugging off her shirt. "Mmm..." she moaned softly into the air, feeling him pulling down the glittery leggings that she hadn't really gotten the chance to wear or show off. When his lips began to kiss up her thighs towards her tan lace underwear, she moaned again, moving her hands into his hair and gently tugging at it. "Get...up here..." she demanded, trying to regain her breath.

Fernando, chuckling softly, moved back up onto the bed so that he was hovering over her. Ruby began to unbutton his shirt rather quickly, her fingers moving with purpose. He stared down at her concentrated expression as she did so, admiring the way that her messy platinum head of hair was spread out all over the bed. Some of her makeup was still smudged too, but everything about this vulnerable look was even more alluring to Fernando.

"You know, it's a shame that this is the only time I ever saw you in jeans..." Ruby said once she had gotten off his shirt. "Now turn over."

Fernando did what his was told, rolling onto his back as she climbed on top of him, straddling his waist with her legs. She reached down to undo his pants, feeling his excitement growing underneath her hands. She knew what she could do to him...and it would never stop bringing her immense satisfaction.

"Only you, Mi Amor..." he half groaned, half whispered.

She levitated her body a bit to pull down his jeans, then paused for a moment to look down at her husband, realizing that this was the first time that they would ever make love as husband a wife, and it would be in their special place. An even larger smile appeared on her lips.

Fernando turned her back over so that he was on top of her again.

"Taking too long, am I?" Ruby asked mischievously.

"I've waited my entire life for you." He said, kissing her lips. "I can't wait any longer."

And she tightened her legs around him, then rested her hands on his back, giving herself to him completely. She could feel the heat from his body pressed up against her, and it was something that no amount of time could ever change the sheer pleasure of. Everything in that moment felt so right. It wasn't like vacation at all...it was more like coming home.

Ruby moaned into Fernando's skin as he pushed without hesitation inside of her, closing every bit of space between them. The ecstasy that he brought to her was a constant surprise. Her skin tingled in every spot where it made contact with his. The warm and pleasant sensation began to build up between her legs as she let go of her self control and cried out in delight.

They held tight to one another until night fell over the city, knowing that this would be the first of several magical nights that they would share together over the next week and the next lifetime.

Fernando kept his arms around his wife once they had finished, playing with her hair as he always loved to do. He kissed up her neck and bent over to kiss her cheek. He knew in that moment, no matter how many more adventures or vacations they would go on together, having Ruby back in his arms would forever feel like a surprise. She would never become someone that he would take for granted, and he would never get used to the joy of embracing her. This was his happy ending, and it had only just begun again.

End of Part Two.

To be continued.