"Theresa, guess what?!" Gwen screeched as she walked into her room.
"What?" Theresa asked. "Hurry, I'm dying with suspense." she said smiling brightly.
"I'm pregnant and Ethan asked me to marry him!" She said happily.
Theresa smile instantly faded. "Oh. Well...that's...great." she said grabbing hold of her dresser.
"Are you ok?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." she said flashing Gwen a smile. She and Ethan had been secretly dating each other for awhile and it was a big shock to her that he was marrying Gwen. "He cheated on me." she whispered.
"What did you say?" Gwen asked again.
"I said I'm so happy for you!" Theresa said jumping up and giving Gwen a hug.
"Yes, and I want you to be a bridesmaid since you're a great friend." she said beaming.
"Ok. That's great!" Theresa said plastering a fake smile on her face.
"Well, I'll see you later I guess?" Gwen said as she walked to the door.
"Yeah. See you later...congratulations." Theresa called after her.
"Ciao!" Gwen closed the door and left a sobbing Theresa behind her.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ethan rubbed his eyes as he went to open the door. As he opened it Theresa immediately came running into the room with a binder.
"What color invitations do you want?" she asked as she flipped through the binder.
"It depends on what for." Ethan said giving her a weird look.
"Hello Ethan! For you and Gwen's wedding!" she said giving him a nonchalant look. She then looked down at the binder and pointed out invitations to him, "You could have white, but that might be a little too plain so you could get trim or maybe even lace!" she said as she pointed at a few invitations. "Or you could get flowers. They could be pink or purple or yellow...but you're a guy so you might prefer blue, or red, or orange-"
"Theresa." Ethan said quietly.
Theresa paused and looked at him. "Oh so you don't want white." She looked back down at the binder and flipped through until she saw beige invitations. "Beige is a nice color too, but that would be plain also because you couldn't really put trim on it. What about another color? Like a rose pink or a baby blue..."
"Theresa." he said a little louder.
"Ok, so lets not talk about invitations." she said slamming the binder shut. She paused and then wiggled her finger, "Cake." she said starting to pace the room. "What flavor cake do you want? Do you want vanilla or chocolate, or even strawberry or pineapple..." she then began to sob. "I think you can get any flavor you want. You know mama-"
"THERESA!!" Ethan yelled as he shook her.
"What Ethan?" she asked as she pried his arms off of her shoulders. "I'm just trying to help plan you and Gwen's wedding."
"Don't do this to yourself, ok?" he said silently. He stared at her as she got a glazed look over eyes and she began to shake her head.
She slowly walked over to the table where she had put the wedding invitations and flipped through until she stopped at a white invitation with pink and blue trim. She fingered it and then smiled. "You know, this would have been our wedding invitation...I had everything planned, the dress, the way we would walk in..."
Ethan walked up to her and put his hands up in protest. "Stop it. Please."
Theresa sniffed and grabbed her purse as she headed for the door. She stopped and turned around to say something more to Ethan, "You can keep that binder of invitations, there's some really pretty one's in there." she paused and then walked out of the door.
Ethan sighed and sat down on his bed. He had never seen Theresa act like that before. He never thought that him getting married to Gwen would take such a toll on her. But he had to marry Gwen, she was having his baby. He walked over to the table and began flipping through invitations when Theresa re-entered his room with tears in her eyes.
"What did Gwen do that I didn't?" she asked.
"Nothing, Theresa." he said. "She's pregnant with my child."
"Oh, so its an obligation thing?"
"Theresa." Ethan pleaded.
"What if I were pregnant too? What would you do then?" she insisted.
"I-I don't know. But that couldn't happen because we've never..." he said looking down at the floor.
"Mhmm." she said staring him down. She then sighed and turned to leave, "I guess I'll go home and mope around the house now."
"Let me take you." he said jumping to his feet.
"Why?" she asked turning around.
"I don't think you're in a state to drive home by yourself."
"Really, Dr. Ethan. First you're concerned about Gwen's health, so you marry her, and now you're concerned about my health. Don't let me keep you from your job Ethan, don't want to keep Gwen waiting since you're obligated to her. Don't worry about me getting home, worry about your fiancee giving birth to a healthy baby who you don't want to be a bastard. Why worry about me now anyway? You didn't seem to worry about me when you asked Gwen to marry you, I probably was in the back of your head."
"No, Theresa, you weren't in the back of my head." he said sighing. "I gave everything a good train of thought including you."
"Oh." she said clasping her hands together. "So I'm the dismissed and rejected one. Why don't I go home now, throw a pity party and get drunk!" she said waving her hands in the air.
"Theresa I'm really concerned about you." Ethan said sincerely.
"Well don't be!" she yelled. "I don't need you or ANY man. As long as I have myself and my family I'll be fine. Have a nice life Ethan." she said angrily and stormed out of the room.
____________________________________________________________________________________
"Oh my gosh. He's really marrying Gwen." Theresa said to Whitney as she sank into her bed.
"I know honey, and I can see you're taking it a little hard." Whitney said comforting her.
"But Ethan's my soulmate, and fate will bring us back together." Theresa said matter of factly.
Whitney sighed, "Not this fate thing again."
"But it's true, Ethan and I belong together." Theresa said wistfully.
"Theresa, stop this ok? Ethan is marrying Gwen, he LOVES Gwen-"
"Only because she's pregnant with his child!" she interjected.
Whitney sighed again. "I give up."
"No Whitney, never give up on your hopes and dreams...they'll happen someday..." she drifted off as a tear fell down her eye and she then began to cry. "I can't believe this is happening!" she sobbed. "E-Ethan, the man I love is marrying someone else. I had this all planned, he was supposed to marry ME, ME, ME!"
Whitney walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Sh, it's going to be ok."
"No, its never going to be ok. My worlds crumbling and I don't know what to do." Theresa felt like she was falling and she didn't no how she was going to get back up.
______________________________________________________________________
"I have a feeling that somethings going to happen which will bring me and Ethan back together!" Theresa whispered to Whitney an hour before the wedding was going to begin.
"Which one is it, Theresa?" Whitney asked snapping. "Is it that you're scared to move on or you're scared to let go?" she then shook her head and walked off.
Theresa sat down and began to think. "Whitney's right. I'm scared to let go." she got up and went off to find Whitney.
_________________________________________________________________________
"Oops, sorry." Fox said as he accidentally bumped into a woman.
She looked up and smiled, "Thats ok."
Fox's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, she was absolutely gorgeous. "I'm guessing you're in the wedding." he said looking at her dress.
"Yeah." she said softly.
"I'm Fox Crane, and you are?" he asked sticking out his hand.
"Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald." she said smiling and shaking his hand. "I have to go, talk to you later?"
"I'd love to." he said smiling.
"Ok, bye."
"I don't think this move to Harmony is going to be bad after all."
______________________________________________________________________
Whitney sat down on the bench outside of the church and sighed. She wished Theresa would give up her whole fantasy thing with Ethan. She had heard it all of her life and she was so sick and tired of hearing that they were 'destined to be together'.
"I think its that I'm afraid to let go." Theresa said quietly as she sat down next to Whitney. "All my life I've been thinking about one man...Ethan. He was like the center of my world and I did whatever I could to please him...but I'm just being disrespectful to myself by holding on..."
"What do you mean?" Whitney asked intently.
"If I hold on...If I hold on to this dream that Ethan and I will be together one day then I'm just going to hurt myself even more because its probably never ever going to happen.'' she said beginning to make sense. "I think its just that I find such a security in the thought that Ethan's mine, that...no matter how this is affecting me and hurting me I still hold on because of that one thought...that one hope...that one dream that I've had all my life...I'm scared because I've devoted my life to him and when I let go...I don't think I'll know what to do with myself."
Whitney grabbed her hand, "Well I'm here for you, and so is your family. You don't ever have to worry."
Theresa smiled. "Thats one thing I don't have to worry about. I know you guys will always be there for me." she paused and looked down. "Ethan's marrying Gwen. Ethan belongs to Gwen. Ethan and Gwen." she wiped her eye and looked at Whitney. "You know, Ethan and Gwen sounds better than Ethan and Theresa."
Whitney laughed, "Remember the name game? Like I think my name would sound better next to a Raymond or something."
Theresa giggled, "But your name sounds way better next to a Chad."
"So you're ready to do this?" Whitney asked wiping the tears off of Theresa's face.
"More ready then ever." she said as they both got up. "Goodbye Ethan." she whispered. She then followed Whitney to go to the wedding.
_________________________________________________________________________
"I'd like to make a toast!" Rebecca said tapping her spoon against her wine glass. "A toast to my Gwennie and her happiness to Ethan!"
"Here here." Theresa said along with everyone as she sipped her champagne. She then stood up, "I'd like to make a toast too." Ethan threw her a weird glance but Theresa ignored it. Instead she looked at Whitney and smiled. "I want to say that Gwen has been such a great friend to me and whatever makes her happy makes me happy, even if it means marrying Ethan...I wish you two and your child tons of happiness!"
"Here here." everyone said as Theresa sat down.
Theresa sighed and took another sip of her champagne, she had confidence in herself that she could do this. She was going to do this, she didn't need Ethan anymore.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Theresa!" Ethan called after her as she walked out of the mansion.
She stopped and turned around to face him, "Hi Ethan."
"What you said in there...you weren't lying were you?" he asked.
Theresa smiled and shook her head. "No, I meant every word of it. I love you Ethan and I want to see you happy so...if you find that happiness with Gwen...so be it."
Ethan grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to have your blessing on our marriage."
Theresa just smiled. "Bye." she said as she walked off to find Whitney.
"Bye!" he called after her.
_________________________________________________________________________
"So..." Whitney said as Theresa approached her. "What did Ethan want?"
''He wanted to thank me." Theresa said still smiling.
"You just can't stop smiling now, can you?" Whitney giggled.
"Nope. I like this feeling, this independent feeling. I don't need any man to make me happy. I think I'm going to die an old maid." she said looking at Whitney.
Whitney laughed, "YOU, independent? Nu-uh. I don't think that would last long."
"You wanna bet?" Theresa said jokingly.
"No bet, but I still don't think you can do it. I tried it but then I gave into Chad." Whitney smiled at the thought of Chad.
"Do you think you could teach me?"
"Teach you what? How to be independent?" she asked.
"No, how to like you know...make guys think I don't need them." Theresa said innocently.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah.....Ok!" Whitney said looking at the pity face Theresa was putting on. "I'll do it. Tomorrow at the Blue Note, ok?"
Theresa just laughed.
"What's so funny?" Whitney asked puzzled.
"You're no longer looking at Miss Lopez-Fitzgerald, you're looking at Miss Independent!" she said striking a pose.
"You're crazy girl, did I ever tell you that?" Whitney said smiling.
"Along with some other things...Should I name them?" she joked.
Whitney smiled and put her arm around Theresa, she finally had her best friend back.
"What?" Theresa asked. "Hurry, I'm dying with suspense." she said smiling brightly.
"I'm pregnant and Ethan asked me to marry him!" She said happily.
Theresa smile instantly faded. "Oh. Well...that's...great." she said grabbing hold of her dresser.
"Are you ok?" Gwen asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." she said flashing Gwen a smile. She and Ethan had been secretly dating each other for awhile and it was a big shock to her that he was marrying Gwen. "He cheated on me." she whispered.
"What did you say?" Gwen asked again.
"I said I'm so happy for you!" Theresa said jumping up and giving Gwen a hug.
"Yes, and I want you to be a bridesmaid since you're a great friend." she said beaming.
"Ok. That's great!" Theresa said plastering a fake smile on her face.
"Well, I'll see you later I guess?" Gwen said as she walked to the door.
"Yeah. See you later...congratulations." Theresa called after her.
"Ciao!" Gwen closed the door and left a sobbing Theresa behind her.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Ethan rubbed his eyes as he went to open the door. As he opened it Theresa immediately came running into the room with a binder.
"What color invitations do you want?" she asked as she flipped through the binder.
"It depends on what for." Ethan said giving her a weird look.
"Hello Ethan! For you and Gwen's wedding!" she said giving him a nonchalant look. She then looked down at the binder and pointed out invitations to him, "You could have white, but that might be a little too plain so you could get trim or maybe even lace!" she said as she pointed at a few invitations. "Or you could get flowers. They could be pink or purple or yellow...but you're a guy so you might prefer blue, or red, or orange-"
"Theresa." Ethan said quietly.
Theresa paused and looked at him. "Oh so you don't want white." She looked back down at the binder and flipped through until she saw beige invitations. "Beige is a nice color too, but that would be plain also because you couldn't really put trim on it. What about another color? Like a rose pink or a baby blue..."
"Theresa." he said a little louder.
"Ok, so lets not talk about invitations." she said slamming the binder shut. She paused and then wiggled her finger, "Cake." she said starting to pace the room. "What flavor cake do you want? Do you want vanilla or chocolate, or even strawberry or pineapple..." she then began to sob. "I think you can get any flavor you want. You know mama-"
"THERESA!!" Ethan yelled as he shook her.
"What Ethan?" she asked as she pried his arms off of her shoulders. "I'm just trying to help plan you and Gwen's wedding."
"Don't do this to yourself, ok?" he said silently. He stared at her as she got a glazed look over eyes and she began to shake her head.
She slowly walked over to the table where she had put the wedding invitations and flipped through until she stopped at a white invitation with pink and blue trim. She fingered it and then smiled. "You know, this would have been our wedding invitation...I had everything planned, the dress, the way we would walk in..."
Ethan walked up to her and put his hands up in protest. "Stop it. Please."
Theresa sniffed and grabbed her purse as she headed for the door. She stopped and turned around to say something more to Ethan, "You can keep that binder of invitations, there's some really pretty one's in there." she paused and then walked out of the door.
Ethan sighed and sat down on his bed. He had never seen Theresa act like that before. He never thought that him getting married to Gwen would take such a toll on her. But he had to marry Gwen, she was having his baby. He walked over to the table and began flipping through invitations when Theresa re-entered his room with tears in her eyes.
"What did Gwen do that I didn't?" she asked.
"Nothing, Theresa." he said. "She's pregnant with my child."
"Oh, so its an obligation thing?"
"Theresa." Ethan pleaded.
"What if I were pregnant too? What would you do then?" she insisted.
"I-I don't know. But that couldn't happen because we've never..." he said looking down at the floor.
"Mhmm." she said staring him down. She then sighed and turned to leave, "I guess I'll go home and mope around the house now."
"Let me take you." he said jumping to his feet.
"Why?" she asked turning around.
"I don't think you're in a state to drive home by yourself."
"Really, Dr. Ethan. First you're concerned about Gwen's health, so you marry her, and now you're concerned about my health. Don't let me keep you from your job Ethan, don't want to keep Gwen waiting since you're obligated to her. Don't worry about me getting home, worry about your fiancee giving birth to a healthy baby who you don't want to be a bastard. Why worry about me now anyway? You didn't seem to worry about me when you asked Gwen to marry you, I probably was in the back of your head."
"No, Theresa, you weren't in the back of my head." he said sighing. "I gave everything a good train of thought including you."
"Oh." she said clasping her hands together. "So I'm the dismissed and rejected one. Why don't I go home now, throw a pity party and get drunk!" she said waving her hands in the air.
"Theresa I'm really concerned about you." Ethan said sincerely.
"Well don't be!" she yelled. "I don't need you or ANY man. As long as I have myself and my family I'll be fine. Have a nice life Ethan." she said angrily and stormed out of the room.
____________________________________________________________________________________
"Oh my gosh. He's really marrying Gwen." Theresa said to Whitney as she sank into her bed.
"I know honey, and I can see you're taking it a little hard." Whitney said comforting her.
"But Ethan's my soulmate, and fate will bring us back together." Theresa said matter of factly.
Whitney sighed, "Not this fate thing again."
"But it's true, Ethan and I belong together." Theresa said wistfully.
"Theresa, stop this ok? Ethan is marrying Gwen, he LOVES Gwen-"
"Only because she's pregnant with his child!" she interjected.
Whitney sighed again. "I give up."
"No Whitney, never give up on your hopes and dreams...they'll happen someday..." she drifted off as a tear fell down her eye and she then began to cry. "I can't believe this is happening!" she sobbed. "E-Ethan, the man I love is marrying someone else. I had this all planned, he was supposed to marry ME, ME, ME!"
Whitney walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. "Sh, it's going to be ok."
"No, its never going to be ok. My worlds crumbling and I don't know what to do." Theresa felt like she was falling and she didn't no how she was going to get back up.
______________________________________________________________________
"I have a feeling that somethings going to happen which will bring me and Ethan back together!" Theresa whispered to Whitney an hour before the wedding was going to begin.
"Which one is it, Theresa?" Whitney asked snapping. "Is it that you're scared to move on or you're scared to let go?" she then shook her head and walked off.
Theresa sat down and began to think. "Whitney's right. I'm scared to let go." she got up and went off to find Whitney.
_________________________________________________________________________
"Oops, sorry." Fox said as he accidentally bumped into a woman.
She looked up and smiled, "Thats ok."
Fox's heart skipped a beat as he looked at her, she was absolutely gorgeous. "I'm guessing you're in the wedding." he said looking at her dress.
"Yeah." she said softly.
"I'm Fox Crane, and you are?" he asked sticking out his hand.
"Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald." she said smiling and shaking his hand. "I have to go, talk to you later?"
"I'd love to." he said smiling.
"Ok, bye."
"I don't think this move to Harmony is going to be bad after all."
______________________________________________________________________
Whitney sat down on the bench outside of the church and sighed. She wished Theresa would give up her whole fantasy thing with Ethan. She had heard it all of her life and she was so sick and tired of hearing that they were 'destined to be together'.
"I think its that I'm afraid to let go." Theresa said quietly as she sat down next to Whitney. "All my life I've been thinking about one man...Ethan. He was like the center of my world and I did whatever I could to please him...but I'm just being disrespectful to myself by holding on..."
"What do you mean?" Whitney asked intently.
"If I hold on...If I hold on to this dream that Ethan and I will be together one day then I'm just going to hurt myself even more because its probably never ever going to happen.'' she said beginning to make sense. "I think its just that I find such a security in the thought that Ethan's mine, that...no matter how this is affecting me and hurting me I still hold on because of that one thought...that one hope...that one dream that I've had all my life...I'm scared because I've devoted my life to him and when I let go...I don't think I'll know what to do with myself."
Whitney grabbed her hand, "Well I'm here for you, and so is your family. You don't ever have to worry."
Theresa smiled. "Thats one thing I don't have to worry about. I know you guys will always be there for me." she paused and looked down. "Ethan's marrying Gwen. Ethan belongs to Gwen. Ethan and Gwen." she wiped her eye and looked at Whitney. "You know, Ethan and Gwen sounds better than Ethan and Theresa."
Whitney laughed, "Remember the name game? Like I think my name would sound better next to a Raymond or something."
Theresa giggled, "But your name sounds way better next to a Chad."
"So you're ready to do this?" Whitney asked wiping the tears off of Theresa's face.
"More ready then ever." she said as they both got up. "Goodbye Ethan." she whispered. She then followed Whitney to go to the wedding.
_________________________________________________________________________
"I'd like to make a toast!" Rebecca said tapping her spoon against her wine glass. "A toast to my Gwennie and her happiness to Ethan!"
"Here here." Theresa said along with everyone as she sipped her champagne. She then stood up, "I'd like to make a toast too." Ethan threw her a weird glance but Theresa ignored it. Instead she looked at Whitney and smiled. "I want to say that Gwen has been such a great friend to me and whatever makes her happy makes me happy, even if it means marrying Ethan...I wish you two and your child tons of happiness!"
"Here here." everyone said as Theresa sat down.
Theresa sighed and took another sip of her champagne, she had confidence in herself that she could do this. She was going to do this, she didn't need Ethan anymore.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Theresa!" Ethan called after her as she walked out of the mansion.
She stopped and turned around to face him, "Hi Ethan."
"What you said in there...you weren't lying were you?" he asked.
Theresa smiled and shook her head. "No, I meant every word of it. I love you Ethan and I want to see you happy so...if you find that happiness with Gwen...so be it."
Ethan grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to have your blessing on our marriage."
Theresa just smiled. "Bye." she said as she walked off to find Whitney.
"Bye!" he called after her.
_________________________________________________________________________
"So..." Whitney said as Theresa approached her. "What did Ethan want?"
''He wanted to thank me." Theresa said still smiling.
"You just can't stop smiling now, can you?" Whitney giggled.
"Nope. I like this feeling, this independent feeling. I don't need any man to make me happy. I think I'm going to die an old maid." she said looking at Whitney.
Whitney laughed, "YOU, independent? Nu-uh. I don't think that would last long."
"You wanna bet?" Theresa said jokingly.
"No bet, but I still don't think you can do it. I tried it but then I gave into Chad." Whitney smiled at the thought of Chad.
"Do you think you could teach me?"
"Teach you what? How to be independent?" she asked.
"No, how to like you know...make guys think I don't need them." Theresa said innocently.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Yeah.....Ok!" Whitney said looking at the pity face Theresa was putting on. "I'll do it. Tomorrow at the Blue Note, ok?"
Theresa just laughed.
"What's so funny?" Whitney asked puzzled.
"You're no longer looking at Miss Lopez-Fitzgerald, you're looking at Miss Independent!" she said striking a pose.
"You're crazy girl, did I ever tell you that?" Whitney said smiling.
"Along with some other things...Should I name them?" she joked.
Whitney smiled and put her arm around Theresa, she finally had her best friend back.