"It never should have happened like this. This isn't the way it was supposed to end." These were the words running through the mind of Gwen Hotchkiss. She stared out the window, the pane blurred by the relentless rain. Every so often lightening would flash and thunder would roar, as if scolding her. She certainly felt that she deserved it. "How freaking appropriate," she thought. "Perfect execution weather."
"Oh! Gweny, it's back!" squealed the high-picthed voice of her mother, Rebecca.
Gwen turned, disgusted. "Mother, you are, without a doubt--"
Rebecca cut her off. "Shhh!" She turned up the radio.
The news music played and the anchor woman spoke up. "Welcome back to WPAS news. We have just recieved word that Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane, covicted killer of her husband, Julian Crane, has been successfully executed. Mrs. Crane shot and killed her husband this past January."
Rebecca squealed with delight. "Gwenny, the plan worked perfectly! Theresa confessed to the murder and now she's toast! Ethan is all yours!"
Gwen was enraged and disgusted by her mother's behavior. She picked up a vase and heaved it past her mother's head. It crashed to the floor, shattering into a million pieces looking about as broken and unfixable, Gwen figured, as her mother's sanity and morals. "You sick bitch!" spat Gwen at her mother. "Theresa just died! Okay? A human being is dead because of you! How the hell can you live knowing that you caused the death of an innocent person? Theresa didn't deserve to die. Granted, she and I had irreconcilable differences, but that is no reason to take her life from her. She had a baby, mother! She was engaged. She had so much going for her! And Pilar! Imagine how that poor woman must feel! If she weren't such a good Christian this would drive her to suicide! You are a cold, heartless, soulless waste of flesh to be held no higher than the womanizing bastard you killed in the first place!"
Rebecca was stunned. "Gwenyth," she paused, taking in everything Gwen had said. "Well, surely you're not suggesting that I... killed Julian."
Thunder crashed and Gwen let out a low, almost maniacal laugh. "I certainly wouldn't put it past you, Rebecca!"
Rebecca took offense to being called by her first name by her daughter. She attempted to scold her by standing up and making herself look like the adult. "Gwenyth Hotchkiss! I am your mother and I will not be spoken to in this manner!"
Gwen continued laughing. Was this woman for real? "Well, tough cookie, Becs. You are a sick, sadistic piece of upscale trash! You deserved to be in that chair. You were the one that should have had all those painful volts go through your body, bursting you arteries open and liquefying your brains, well was little you have, anyway!"
On an impulse, Rebecca reached over and slapped Gwen so hard, her head turned. Gwen clutched her cheek and looked at Rebecca with utmost hatred. "I hate you," she said, "and if there was a way I could prove to Chief Bennett that you are the real killer, I would do it in a flash. I'd want the whole world to know who you are and how many innocent lives you've destroyed."
Rebecca would have spoken, but the door bell rang. There was something different about this ring. It seemed sad and lonely. Muriel, the made came down the stairs and answered it. "Mr. Winthrop, please come in," she said, upon seeing a soaked Ethan standing outside. He came in and Muriel took his coat. He looked around the foyer and into the living room. He saw Gwen looking back at him with those sea-colored eyes full of love and adoration.
Gwen ran past Rebecca and into the arms of the man she loved. She wept into his chest. "Oh, Ethan, I'm so sorry. I never liked Theresa, it's true, but I never in a million years wanted this to happen to her. I would never want anything like this to happen to someone you love," she said. Her emotions and words were genuine and Rebecca turned her back. The honesty and goodness was making her sick. Ethan's embrace was a loose detatched, expected of a man that just lost the woman he loved most. Gwen looked up into his eyes and saw that they were filled with pain. She wanted so badly to take that pain from him, but she knew nothing would do that unless Theresa could somehow be returned to him. She took him by the arm and the him into the living room, he remained silent for the entire trip. She sat him down in an arm chair. "Can I get you something? Anything? Tea? Coffee? Brandy? Anything, Ethan, you name it and it's yours."
"Oh, could you get me a Sherry, dear?" asked Rebecca.
"Get it yourself!" Gwen shot back. Rebecca, as if afraid inched away and poured herself a drink which she downed in one gulp. Gwen turned back to Ethan. "Ethan, I want to make this as easy as possible for you. I hate to see you hurting like this."
"Thank you, Gwen," he said at last, "but there's nothing really that can make this any easier for me. Theresa is dead and so is a part of my soul."
Gwen hugged him once more and he pulled away slightly, but stayed within her hold. "I wish there was something I could do. Maybe you should take a vacation. You know. Maybe spend a few weeks in the mountains alone or... with a friend." She felt guilt ofr suggesting it immeidately after she said it.
"Actually, Gwen, I had that planned, but a little bit different," he said. "Instead of a vacation, I've decided to leave Harmony permanently."
She stared at him in shock. "Permanently? But, but Ethan...." She had nothing to say.
"I can't stay here, Gwen. I have to get out. I just came to say goodbye." He stood and hugged her, placing a light kiss on her cheek. The spot where his lips once touched her was soon occupied by a descending tear. She watched helplessly as Ethan left.
Rebecca came up behind her, hoping what she expected wasn't coming. Gwen turned to her mother. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She immediately turned and rushed for the door. Running out without a coat into the pelting rain and the flashing lightening. Rebecca just stood there and watched, taking another sip of her drink. She would let the fool run. As far as she was concerned, Gwen was no longer her daughter.
"Oh! Gweny, it's back!" squealed the high-picthed voice of her mother, Rebecca.
Gwen turned, disgusted. "Mother, you are, without a doubt--"
Rebecca cut her off. "Shhh!" She turned up the radio.
The news music played and the anchor woman spoke up. "Welcome back to WPAS news. We have just recieved word that Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane, covicted killer of her husband, Julian Crane, has been successfully executed. Mrs. Crane shot and killed her husband this past January."
Rebecca squealed with delight. "Gwenny, the plan worked perfectly! Theresa confessed to the murder and now she's toast! Ethan is all yours!"
Gwen was enraged and disgusted by her mother's behavior. She picked up a vase and heaved it past her mother's head. It crashed to the floor, shattering into a million pieces looking about as broken and unfixable, Gwen figured, as her mother's sanity and morals. "You sick bitch!" spat Gwen at her mother. "Theresa just died! Okay? A human being is dead because of you! How the hell can you live knowing that you caused the death of an innocent person? Theresa didn't deserve to die. Granted, she and I had irreconcilable differences, but that is no reason to take her life from her. She had a baby, mother! She was engaged. She had so much going for her! And Pilar! Imagine how that poor woman must feel! If she weren't such a good Christian this would drive her to suicide! You are a cold, heartless, soulless waste of flesh to be held no higher than the womanizing bastard you killed in the first place!"
Rebecca was stunned. "Gwenyth," she paused, taking in everything Gwen had said. "Well, surely you're not suggesting that I... killed Julian."
Thunder crashed and Gwen let out a low, almost maniacal laugh. "I certainly wouldn't put it past you, Rebecca!"
Rebecca took offense to being called by her first name by her daughter. She attempted to scold her by standing up and making herself look like the adult. "Gwenyth Hotchkiss! I am your mother and I will not be spoken to in this manner!"
Gwen continued laughing. Was this woman for real? "Well, tough cookie, Becs. You are a sick, sadistic piece of upscale trash! You deserved to be in that chair. You were the one that should have had all those painful volts go through your body, bursting you arteries open and liquefying your brains, well was little you have, anyway!"
On an impulse, Rebecca reached over and slapped Gwen so hard, her head turned. Gwen clutched her cheek and looked at Rebecca with utmost hatred. "I hate you," she said, "and if there was a way I could prove to Chief Bennett that you are the real killer, I would do it in a flash. I'd want the whole world to know who you are and how many innocent lives you've destroyed."
Rebecca would have spoken, but the door bell rang. There was something different about this ring. It seemed sad and lonely. Muriel, the made came down the stairs and answered it. "Mr. Winthrop, please come in," she said, upon seeing a soaked Ethan standing outside. He came in and Muriel took his coat. He looked around the foyer and into the living room. He saw Gwen looking back at him with those sea-colored eyes full of love and adoration.
Gwen ran past Rebecca and into the arms of the man she loved. She wept into his chest. "Oh, Ethan, I'm so sorry. I never liked Theresa, it's true, but I never in a million years wanted this to happen to her. I would never want anything like this to happen to someone you love," she said. Her emotions and words were genuine and Rebecca turned her back. The honesty and goodness was making her sick. Ethan's embrace was a loose detatched, expected of a man that just lost the woman he loved most. Gwen looked up into his eyes and saw that they were filled with pain. She wanted so badly to take that pain from him, but she knew nothing would do that unless Theresa could somehow be returned to him. She took him by the arm and the him into the living room, he remained silent for the entire trip. She sat him down in an arm chair. "Can I get you something? Anything? Tea? Coffee? Brandy? Anything, Ethan, you name it and it's yours."
"Oh, could you get me a Sherry, dear?" asked Rebecca.
"Get it yourself!" Gwen shot back. Rebecca, as if afraid inched away and poured herself a drink which she downed in one gulp. Gwen turned back to Ethan. "Ethan, I want to make this as easy as possible for you. I hate to see you hurting like this."
"Thank you, Gwen," he said at last, "but there's nothing really that can make this any easier for me. Theresa is dead and so is a part of my soul."
Gwen hugged him once more and he pulled away slightly, but stayed within her hold. "I wish there was something I could do. Maybe you should take a vacation. You know. Maybe spend a few weeks in the mountains alone or... with a friend." She felt guilt ofr suggesting it immeidately after she said it.
"Actually, Gwen, I had that planned, but a little bit different," he said. "Instead of a vacation, I've decided to leave Harmony permanently."
She stared at him in shock. "Permanently? But, but Ethan...." She had nothing to say.
"I can't stay here, Gwen. I have to get out. I just came to say goodbye." He stood and hugged her, placing a light kiss on her cheek. The spot where his lips once touched her was soon occupied by a descending tear. She watched helplessly as Ethan left.
Rebecca came up behind her, hoping what she expected wasn't coming. Gwen turned to her mother. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She immediately turned and rushed for the door. Running out without a coat into the pelting rain and the flashing lightening. Rebecca just stood there and watched, taking another sip of her drink. She would let the fool run. As far as she was concerned, Gwen was no longer her daughter.
