They had the funerals for Alistair, Beth and Marty. Theresa is planning on bringing Fox onboard as co-CEO. Next is all the planning.
Chapter 2
The next day Theresa goes to work. At the board meeting she announces that Fox will be her co-CEO of Crane Industries. There are applauses. Everybody is happy. Theresa has really turned the Crane name around. They now command respect for the right stuff instead of the fear that Alistair created.
Theresa worked until lunch and after a call to check up on Jane, who was spending the day with her mother, she went to lunch. She was meeting Jessica for lunch. Theresa had a plan to bring Jessica out of her shell and break through to her. Theresa was going to hire her to be her assistant. Valarie left to take care of her sick father and Theresa was in need of help.
At lunch Theresa and Jessica have a serious discussion. They talk about how she feels and how she has plenty of people who want her to succeed. Theresa then tells her of the job offer. Jessica is stunned. Was Theresa really offering her a job? She asks if Theresa was serious and Theresa says yes she is. Jessica jumps at the offer. They make plans for her to start the following week and finish lunch. Theresa goes to tell Fox of her new assistant. Fox knows that Jessica has a long way to go but that Theresa has her best interest at heart.
-Passions-
Fancy has had a long day of training. She and Palmona have been going through drills and have been out in the field with training officers. Julian has tried to talk Fancy out of becoming a cop but she found out she loves it. She loves helping people and protecting people. Luis had become used to the woman that he has come to love being placed in harm's way daily. He sees how happy this job has made both Palmona and Fancy.
Luis is taking Fancy out for dinner. It is to celebrate her completing her training. She is off for the weekend and then she is a full fledge member of the Harmony Police Department. She already has her assignment and is excited. She is looking forward to celebrating with Luis.
They go to the Seascape. It is romantic. They have a quiet dinner for two. Luis surprises Fancy with the news that he too has the weekend off and has planned for them to get away for the weekend. He asked Theresa to use the Crane cabin for that purpose. Fancy is thrilled. They would get out of Harmony and be alone. This would be the first time for them to be together. They finish the meal and go to the mansion to finish celebrating.
-Passions-
Palmona and Noah are having a quiet evening in his apartment to celebrate her passing her training. She has told him of her assignment and that she has the weekend off. Noah has planned a romantic getaway for the two of them. He asked his dad to borrow his boat. She was ecstatic. They would have their first getaway as a couple.
Palmona has confided that though she loves her new career, she sometimes fears that she might not be cut out for police work. Noah assures her that being a cop is in her blood. He tells her he often thinks about joining the force like his dad. Palmona encourages him. She tells him that Theresa would understand if he decided to become a police officer like Sam instead of working as Crane Security.
He tells her he will think about it and they enjoy the rest of the evening. Palmona spends the night after calling to tell her mother that she will be staying at Noah's. They agree to talk more about Noah possibly joining Harmony PD in the morning. They have a wonderful rest of the night.
-Passions-
(Collier and Company did not hire Gwen for the Crane money. Theresa merely gave them Gwen's resume. They fired Gwen when she went to Rome. She and Ethan have some money saved but Theresa is sticking to her guns and making Ethan serve out his contract with Crane. He still has two and a half years to go.)
Gwen knew that she would have to find a new job soon. The money was running out and they were in trouble. They also knew that Ethan would have to go back to Crane or he couldn't work as an attorney anywhere. Theresa has blocked all avenues available to them in getting a job elsewhere.
They were living on a tight budget. They were not only supporting themselves but Rebecca too. Gwen felt that she deserved more. She deserved to run Crane and have all that money. How dare Theresa ruin Gwen's plans? But none the less Gwen was adaptable. She would find a job no problem. Ethan would go back to work at Crane after making it clear to that she-devil that he wanting nothing to do with her except his children.
Speaking of children, the court hearing was the next day. She felt great. She knew that they had a case. Theresa was keeping the children away from their father out of spite. So typical Theresa.
Ethan came into the room as Gwen was lost in thought. He was going to tell Theresa, after the hearing, that he would come back to Crane. Hopefully she was sincere in her effort to move on. It hurt but it was for the best. He just wished it wasn't with his half-brother. Ethan still had some resentment towards Fox for being able to be with the raven-haired beauty.
Gwen and Ethan went over last minute details of their case. They then talked to Rebecca, who had just gotten home from her latest attempt to catch a man. Then the couple went to bed.
-Passions-
It was the day of the hearing. Both sides were confident that they would win. Theresa arrived early and went over any last minute details of her case with her lawyer. Fox was there to lend moral support. Ethan Martin was in school and Pilar was watching Jane at the mansion.
Ethan and Gwen arrived a long with Rebecca minutes before the hearing was supposed to start. Ivy was also there for moral support. They were very confident that if they didn't win custody then at least they would get unsupervised visitation. Gwen couldn't wait to see her children again. She still considered Ethan Martin her son, not Theresa. She believed Theresa didn't deserve to be a mother. Ethan was prepared for an uphill battle.
The bailiff called the room to order. Then Judge Zimmer came in. They were all seated and the judge laid down his rules. He said he would not tolerate outburst. If they didn't like what was being said then they should object. He also said that his ruling is final and make no mistake he would not take kindly to outburst when he reads it. He lets Ethan have first go as he had filed the custody suit.
Ethan starts out by saying he loves his children and feel that he should not be kept from them. He says he was kept in the dark about his son paternity for six years and has had his daughter ripped from him. Theresa's attorney objects and says that when she learned the truth about her son's paternity, she immediately told Mr. Winthrop. Plus she has not tried to keep him from his children, merely tried to keep a unstable influence from their lives.
The objection is sustained and Ethan is told to move on. Ethan tries to prove that he and Gwen have a stable environment. The judge questions where they live and they answer the Harmony Bed and Breakfast. He ask if they are working and Ethan has no choice but to say no. Ethan says they are looking for work and have savings. He goes on to say that he has family support. Though the only ones to show up are Rebecca and Ivy. The judge asks if they plan on looking for a place to live other than the B-n-B. Ethan scrambles to say yes.
Zimmer asks a few more questions. Mainly about Gwen and her mental state following the birth of Jane. Then Ethan rests. It is Theresa's attorney's turn. His name is Mark Wright and he is the new lead counsel for Crane Industries. He starts by pointing out how Theresa has turned her life around. He also points out how the adoption of Ethan Martin by Alistair terminated Ethan's parental rights to the boy. Wright also shows how Theresa allows Ethan to see his children and how he refuses unless Gwen can be around them too. He states that if Ethan really want to see his children then he would. He also showed several instantances of Gwen flying off the handle. Of how she would try to kill and harm Theresa and how she never sought help.
Wright presented more evidence that Theresa had only the best interest of the children at heart. She had a home, a job and vast family support. After a few more questions from the judge, Wright rests. Then Ethan made a last plea. Trying to convince to judge to see things his way. Then it was Wright's turn. Wright laid out the facts and asks the judge to make the right decision. The judge thanked both sides and retired to make a decision. It would take less than an hour before Zimmer had a decision.
The room was called back to order and the judge came back in. After everyone had taken their seat the judge delivered his ruling. "I have thought long and hard on the matter before me. While I don't doubt that both sides love these children, I can only find one place for them. I find that they are best at their mother's and I also find that Mr. Winthrop and he alone should have supervised visits with the children. I am ordering Mrs. Winthrop in to counseling and parenting classes. If she successfully completes the course of treatment set before her, I will revisit the visitation issue. So ordered" says the Judge.
There were outraged gasps in the courtroom. Though no one said a thing, remembering what the judge said at the beginning of the hearing. As the parties leave, Rebecca grabs Theresa's arm and tells her that this is not over. Theresa shrugs Rebecca off and tells her that no one is going to take her children. That is Gwen got the help she needed then she could be around her children. Fox told Rebecca to leave Theresa alone. That she needed a new tune, this one was getting old. Fox and Theresa left to tell Pilar the good news.
Ivy was in a daze. Theresa had won again. How could she? It seemed that since Alistair died she just keeps on winning. She gets her children and Crane. She also get her claws into her youngest son. Ivy thought Kay was bad enough, but Theresa. What was the world coming to? And Julian was of no help. He couldn't get the will overturned and boy, did he try. Now that her alimony was drying up and she would have to get a job soon. What would happen to her?
Ethan was stunned. He had lost. Also he had to get to the Crane mansion and ask for his job back. The only good thing is that Theresa hasn't asked for child support. He knows that his wife is in a fragile place right now so he suggests they both go to the mansion. Maybe Theresa will be kind enough to let them see the kids. Ethan Martin should be home from school. He makes his suggestion to Gwen and they agree. They both head to the mansion. They arrive a half hour after Theresa and Fox.
They are let in by a maid and shown to the living room. There Fox, Theresa and Pilar are watching the children and talking about the hearing. Theresa has the nanny take the children upstairs as Ethan and Gwen are shown in. Gwen is disappointed that she cannot see the children. Ethan asks for his job and Theresa tells him he will have to work for Wright, as he is the new lead counsel. Ethan is angered and tries not to show it. He does a good job and accepts the job along with the demotion. It is a cut in pay as well but it is a job.
He and Gwen leave and when they get back to the B-n-B, Gwen sets up an appointment with a psychiatrist. She chooses one her mother has dirt on. She tells her that she wants a rubber stamp and for it to happen in sixteen sessions. If the doctor, Tara Greene, disagrees then she would tell the world that she sells her patient's secrets to the tabloids. Dr. Greene agrees and schedules her first appointment for the following week. Gwen is feeling better.
When the doctor says she is cured then Ethan will go for custody again. They will be living in a house and prove to be better parents then that Theresa. She and Ethan spend the rest of the evening looking over real estate ads. They plan on calling a realtor in the morning. Rebecca comes home with Ivy. They were out planning on taking down Theresa. Gwen tells them her plan and then Ethan comes back in. They tell Rebecca and Ivy about their plan to move and they all say good night.
-Passions-
Miguel and Kay have moved forward with their plans to marry. She doesn't want any more secrets between them so she tells him about her powers and at first he freaks. But then he calms down and realizes that it doesn't change Kay. She is as she has always been. Just now without a big secret weighing her down. Tabitha is skeptical at first but Miguel proves to be a good ally.
He keeps not only Kay's secret but hers as well. Tabitha feel safer that there is someone who know and can take care of Endora if anything happens to her. Seing as how now that she is mortal. Tabitha had her powers stripped rather than hurt Kay.
Sam is looking forward to walking Kay down the aisle. He has forgiven her for keeping quiet about the whole thing with David. He knows that Ivy must have threatened her or something. This just increases his anger toward Ivy. He is relived that Jessica seemed to be doing better. She is working for Theresa and is going from strength to strength. She is beginning to enjoy life again and that spark is back.
Sam heard what happened at the courthouse. He heard that Rebecca is once again blaming Theresa for her daughter not getting her way. He wishes Rebecca would just grow up already.