Flesh and blood

Author's note: I do not own any soap opera or their characters. Everything is the sole property of their creators. Yadee yadda. Consider yourself warned.

Also, I would like to clear a point. Sarah is now 4 years old in this, not a baby *wink to a faithful reviewer*. I have SORAS-ed both Ethan Martin (6) and her to suit the purposes of this story. Only Jane is the right age, 11 months old.

A little while later…

"What a cozy little town! The scenery is breathtaking."

"Yes, it is just as I remember…the lighthouse, the salty breeze and of course, tons of perfectly maintained flowers and trees. Let's not wonder why it is called Harmony." Jason Morgan smiled at his wife. She had always been a nature lover. As had been Damien, despite his allergies.

"So I guess that if Dad ever wanted to move away from Port Charles, this is where you'd want us to settle?"

"Definitely, Spin. And the fact that one of my aunts lives here with her family wouldn't hurt either." Liz released a happy sight, thinking of all the familiar faces she'd see again in approximately fifteen minutes to half-an-hour. "I wonder how she is doing." Her husband chipped in.

"Who? Pilar?"

"Her too but I meant Theresa. I haven't seen my cousin ever since she visited me after I gave birth to Cameron."

"Well, Mom. According to the Harmony Herald, she's a fresh newlywed." She turned her head towards her adoptive son – how weird it was to call him her son when only nine years separated them – who sat in the back of the car.

"What?"

"She and Crane Heir Nicholas Foxworth Crane married in a private ceremony a little over a month ago." The former mob enforcer frowned.

"You seem surprised Liz."

"I am Jase. She never mentioned it in her last letter. I am so going to give her a run for her money for keeping it from me." Silent befell the group as they entered in the harbor town. Furiously typing away on his portable computer, Spinelli thought of the phone call he'd received the previous week. He'd been sniffing around the PCPD confidential files when the ringtone of his cellphone had startled him. Checking the caller ID, he hadn't recognized the number.

"Hello?"

"Damien Spinelli-Morgan?"

"Yes, this is I."

"My name is Alistair Crane. You are a private investigator doubled with a computer genius, right?"

"Yes, but may I ask how you found this number?"

"That is of no importance as of right now. I have an assignment for you which would pay very well should you accept it."

"First, I need a down payment to be wired into my bank account before I promise anything."

"That won't be a problem. Just give me the number and it'll be processed in the next minute." Hesitantly, he gave the number. Soon enough, a generous sum had been transferred.

"I'm listening, Mr. Crane. What is it?"

The man had been very thorough in his explanation, specifically insisting that this be done in complete secrecy. He'd spent five days searching the net before finding what his client had asked. Eyeing the disk which lied next to him on the backseat, a smile crept on his lips. The destructive info kept on it would prove extremely helpful for Theresa. Jason's voice got him out of his thoughts.

"Now, where to Spin?" He quickly checked his computer screen.

"From this intersection, you continue three lights then turn left. That should be Star Crescent Avenue. Raven Hill Road crosses it further down south." Feeling her cellphone vibrate, Elizabeth flipped it open.

"Hello? Luis! Long time no talk! … Yes, that was me. Why? … Yes, we were heading there. … Oh! … What? Behind us?" She threw a look in the passenger's sideway mirror. "I see you. Yeah, I'll tell him … Ok." Hanging up, she laughed a bit. Jason swiftly glanced at her.

"What's going on?"

"That was my cousin, Theresa's older brother. He wants us to stop at the next gas station."

"Why?"

"Apparently, she isn't at the Crane Mansion. He's probably going to tell us where she is and how to get there." Following his wife's directions, he stopped at Kenzo Gas. A minute later, Luis was also pulling right beside them. Exiting the car, Elizabeth was engulfed in a tight bear hug.

"Lizzie, you don't know how nice it is to see you!"

"Likewise, Luis."

"Still petite… That hasn't changed."

"It's not my fault you're as tall as a giraffe." Smiling stretched from ear to ear, the Irish-Latino man turned his attention towards the two other men. Jason stepped closer and extended his hand.

"Jason Morgan, Elizabeth's husband."

"Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. Nice to meet you." Laying eyes on Spinelli, Luis hesitated.

"That can't possibly be Cameron, can it?"

"No, silly! That's Damien, our adoptive son, but we usually call him by his biological surname, Spinelli." explained Liz, clearly proud. "Cameron came down with a cold before we left Port Charles so Jase's parents kindly offered to babysit him while we'd be gone." At that, Jason stiffed a bit. He still wasn't at ease with leaving his youngest son at the Quartermaine Mansion, especially near Edward.

"I was scared for a minute there. I mean, it hasn't been a decade since you last spent your summer vacations in good old Harmony, has it?"

"Not even half as long." Amused, Spinelli looked around.

"You live in a very nice-looking and nature-loving town."

"Appearances are not everything, Spinelli. Don't get fooled, you'd be deceived." He grabbed his walkie-talkie. "HPD, this is Officer Lopez-Fitzgerald." He waited a few seconds for a response.

"Yes, Luis."

"I'm at the Kenzo Gas station. Gonna take my half-hour break if everything's good."

"You can. Officers Beaumont and Bennett also are on duty."

"Well received. 10-4." Throwing the communication device in his cruiser, he turned his attention back to his cousin and her family. "So, what brings you to Harmony?"

"Took some time off from the hospital and decided to visit the family. Moreover, Spin has a client here to whom he must turn in an assignment."

"Assignment?"

"Yes. I'm a PI."

"Private investigator..at your age. Impressive."

"Thanks."

"Who's your employer?"

"That is confidential."

"Come on, I'm your adoptive cousin once removed. You can tell me." Eyeing Theresa's brother, Spinelli judged whether or not he could be trusted. Finally, he relented.

"Alistair Crane." Luis' eyes widened.

"The old man employed you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, aren't you full of surprises. I like that!" Elizabeth exchanged a look with her husband and smiled wider.

"Okay. You said Theresa isn't at the Crane Mansion so where is she?"

"My my, eager to see my baby sister, aren't you?" She smacked him playfully in the stomach. "Ow! Alright, I'll tell. They're at the Seascape. It's a fancy restaurant on the other side of town, not too far from the wharf. I can lead you to it if you want to."

"Sure. Spin, get back in the car with Jase. I'll ride with cousin dear."

A nervous-looking Gwen entered the Harmony Holiday Inn, immediately straightening her velvet jacket.

"Welcome to the Harmony Holiday Inn. I am Sookie, ready to assist you. Do you wish to get a room?"

"No, thank you. My aunt and I already have a reservation."

"Name, please."

"Andrea. Andrea Evans." Looking over the reservation sheet, Sookie nodded and gave her a key.

"Last room on this level. To the left. Enjoy your stay."

Unwilling to be recognized amongst the 'low working class', Gwen hastily walked down the hall and entered room 23 where Rebecca, sporting a black wig, was waiting for her.

"Finally! What took you so long? I thought you'd never come." Rolling her eyes, the blonde dropped her purse on a nearby chair.

"I had to wait for Ethan to leave with Jane. He thinks she might be coming down with something so he scheduled an appointment with Dr. Russell to find out. Else, he would have been suspicious, especially since I told him that I had nothing planned for the day."

"Hmpfff… I don't understand how you can possibly think you owe him any kind of explanation when you have to go somewhere. He's not your father and even less your boss."

"Maybe not Mother but that's what a good wife does. She and her husband tell each other when something unexpected come up. Apparently, that's something you would have known had you ever acted like one." Rebecca ignored the insult.

"Jonathan was weak, Gwen. I handled everything, down to what boxers he should wear."

"Well, I'm not like you."

"That is crystal clear."

"And a small miracle I thank God every day for." Eyeing her daughter, the strawberry-blonde frowned.

"What is it with you today?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired and extremely uncomfortable. I've had one hell of a morning so let's just cut to the chase. I've asked you to meet me here because I need to know something very important. My future depends on it."

"What is it?"

"When I went to the grocery store earlier, I saw Theresa exiting the Daily Private Lives' office tower with an envelope in her hands."

"So?"

"So? That's all you have to say? Need I remind you Mother that we sent the letter which exposed my husband's true paternity to that same tabloid?"

"I remember it oh so perfectly, Gwennie. That was my idea."

"Well? Aren't you worried, even a little bit?"

"Why would I be?"

"What if she found out it was us?"

"There is no way Terrorsita could have possibly gotten her greedy little hands on any proof."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Completely. There is no more proof of our involvement. JT deleted the email ages ago and along with it, destroyed the surveillance video footage of the night you met him to incriminate the little chalupa." Rebecca walked to the mini-bar and opened a bottle of champagne. Pouring herself a flute, she took a few sips. "Gwennie, you need to relax and forget about the tabloid issue. Everything was foolproof." Grabbing her purse again, the blonde started to walk towards the door.

"Nothing is foolproof Mother. There's always a flaw, as small as it may be."

"Not this time. Besides, don't you think you would have heard from her already if she'd found anything? Stop worrying yourself with such petty matters."

"Spoken by someone who has nothing to lose now that she has wormed her way into the married Governor Norrington's bed and is living off the alimony her ex-husband is spitting out each month so you stay away from him." With that, Gwen was gone.

Katherine sat on the terrace, enjoying cupcakes and trying to wrap her mind around everything that she'd been told in the last hour or so. Francesca was moving back to Harmony with her husband of the last three years – a very charming and polite officer of the law – along with their daughter and Alex's two children born from a previous marriage. She'd been away for so long that it was really hard for the elderly woman to truly believe this small miracle.

Indeed, as soon as Fancy has been old enough to attend boarding school, Ivy and Julian had sent her away. It didn't matter that she was only twelve years old at the time nor that she was far from ready to be left alone in another country…another continent entirely. It was the way of the Cranes, some kind of tradition within the family. Ethan, Paige (AKA Pretty) and even Fox had all been shipped off as well. But out of them all, Fancy has been the most shy and reserved, keeping her thoughts very well concealed…a secret garden. And it is in that secret garden that she'd mustered enough strength to survive on her own abroad and develop a fierce loyalty to those whom she cared for. If pushed too far, she could prove to be as deadly as a royal cobra, willing to destroy everything and everyone in her path. But be on her good side and you could expect unwavering support and unconditional love. All of that, Katherine had seen when her son's eldest daughter had briefly come home the summer in between her graduation from boarding school and her first year of university. During that short amount of time, she'd been her sunshine, taking her mind off a Crane wife's duties.

But, as usual as it had been with her grandchildren, save Ethan of course, Fancy had all but deserted the Mansion and Harmony once her freshman year had begun. Not that it was a surprise… Julian and Ivy had constantly been at each other's throats back then and the tension it caused in the house had been too overwhelming for their offspring to bear. But now…now Francesca was back. Just as Alistair and Theresa were about to unravel the town with their revenge plan, unleashing hell on all those who had hurt the newest Crane wife and got away with it scot free… Logically, Katherine would have considered it a mere coincidence but her heart told her otherwise. Something was off with the too neat timing of her return.

Forcing that thought in the back of her mind, she observed her husband. He was still holding on to Sarah, showering her with love and attention. Another thing that was off as well. In all the years that she'd been with him, Katherine had never once seen Alistair so loving and caring. Yet, there he sat, completely enamored with Fancy's daughter, unaware of anything around him save that little girl.

"You look million miles away, Grandmother. Something on your mind?" Her granddaughter's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"No. I just can't help but wonder if I'm dreaming all this. You being here is a wish come true."

"Not to worry, I assure you. My moving back with Alex and the kids is definitely happening. Besides, I don't think Grampy would survive just another visit."

"Indeed, anyone can tell he is very happy to have you home. As I am. It's been far too long."

"Five years, I know. But you surely understand why I didn't bother even visit since then. Mother and Father's animosity towards one another was part of the reason. And then, Ethan's status as Mother's favorite never did sit well with me either. And what's more, I really did had to focus all my energies into my studies. Especially for the four first semesters."

"I do. Nursing school is very demanding. It was worth it thought, wasn't it?"

"Very. It gives me such a sense of accomplishment to be able to help people, to make a difference."

"That's what nurses do."

"Yeah." Fancy smiled and glanced at her grandfather who was still completely and utterly engrossed in a story Sarah was telling.

"You and Alexander have a very beautiful daughter." At his wife's side, Alex stiffened, clearly uncomfortable. "Alistair is clearly proud and enamored with our first great-granddaughter."

"Oh, she's your great-granddaughter alright. Just not by us." Katherine sucked in a breath, surprise written all over her face.

"Wh..what?"

"We're her guardians, not her parents."

"What do you mean? It does not make sense! How can she possibly be my great-grandchild if she is not yours?"

"Look at her, Grandmother. Really look at her and tell me who she reminds you of." Refocusing her gaze on Sarah, the elderly woman observed her for a short while and was hit by the striking resemblances between she and another grandchild of hers…

"Her cheeks, her nose…and her eyes… God, those eyes are… She is Nicholas's, isn't she?"

"Yes, Katherine. Sarah is the child of our first and only grandson." Alistair said, sitting down next to his wife.

"But…how?"

"If Alexander wouldn't mind going with Bristol, Sarah and Little Ethan and AJ down to the stable with Barthelemy…" He exchanged a knowing look with Fancy's husband. "I would much prefer if none of the children were there for this."

"Sure." Once Alex and the kids were gone, the Crane patriarch withdrew a cigar from his jacket's breast pocket and lit it.

"Do you want to tell her, Grampy or should I?"

"I can start and then you can take over when you became involved." Nodding to her grandfather, Fancy took a bite of chocolate-flavored cupcake. "It all started in 2003, a little bit after Gwen pushed Theresa down her and Ethan's bedroom window. Dr. Caroline Ortecho, a reputed OB-GYN – now an excellent and reputed pregnancy specialist – at Harmony Hospital, called me in the middle of the night with information she was sure I would like to know. She'd just found out the child Gwen carried at the time was not Ethan's and that it mysteriously shared my rare blood type which, at least to me, was impossible. I ordered researches to be conducted all across the country's databases with the DNA sample she'd taken during the amniocentesis. Only one result matched. A Crane…"

"Nicholas..."

"Yes. In the meantime, Ethan and Gwen had flown out to Los Angeles, seeking a pregnancy specialist there. Dr. John Abel. Determined not to allow Rebecca's daughter to raise a Crane, I contacted him. He agreed to help me out. For three weeks, he sent me weekly reports on the pregnancy's progress. That's about when Caroline noticed abnormalities in Gwen's file. First, the last ultrasound she performed indicated that she was in her twenty-sixth gestational week."

"That's twenty-four weeks from LMP… meaning last menstrual period." explained Fancy, getting into 'medical' mode.

"Yes. But yet, according to Dr. Ortecho, the fetus couldn't have been more than twenty-three weeks old…twenty-one from LMP. If you do the math, three weeks were missing."

"Which is enormous when you think about it and how much of a difference it could make at birth."

"Second, she had found out the baby's DNA did not match Gwen's." Taking in his wife's horrified expression, he chuckled. "Indeed. Not the mother. How shocking! Puzzled by all that, I wanted John to perform another amniocentesis but when he told me how risky it was now that Gwen has worked herself into a precarious situation, I went the PI road. Hiring two of them, I ordered another round of research in the country's medical database. Once again, there was a perfect match. Even more shockingly, with a Harmony resident."

"Sarah's mother lived here?"

"She still does. And you know her, Dear. You see, it is none other than Fox's wife. Theresa."

"Oh God! When Fancy told me to really look at her earlier, I only saw her resemblance to Nicholas. But now that I think of it… She has so much of Theresa physically as well." She closed her eyes, letting everything dawn on her. "I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. But… There is something that I don't understand. How did Gwen manage to be pregnant with their baby?"

"Very simple, Dear. In 2001, shortly before the exposure of Ethan's paternity, he and Theresa had talked about having children. However, due a motorcycle accident she'd had the previous year, they consulted with Caroline's colleague, Dr. Ronald Culvert. Tests had proven that there could be complications with conceiving so they agreed to freeze some of her eggs in a private New York clinic. With the double wedding fiasco and everything that spanned from it afterwards, I somehow don't think neither Ethan nor Theresa ever thought about those again." Fancy sneered.

"Basically, we can correctly guess the bitch probably passed herself as Theresa and stole the eggs."

"That would be a very likely assumption, Francesca." Katherine said. To say she was disgusted was the understatement of the year.

"And, if Fox being Sarah's father is any indication, that isn't the only thing she stole. I know for a fact that my little brother would have never ever slept with Gwen. He's never liked her." Alistair nodded in agreement.

"I don't see how she could have gotten her hands on Nicholas's..."

"I believe I know, Grandmother. She must have gone to a sperm bank." Taking in her shocked expression once more, Alistair grew amused.

"What?"

"In this day and age, a lot of couples experience fertility deficiencies. Sperm banks are there to help either men who have a sperm count too low for successful conception and their partner start a family or even supply single women who want to be mothers. As much as you may find it difficult to imagine my brother donating his genes so willingly, this is the only logical reason why he did so."

"You call that logical?"

"Well, not technically. Especially to your generation, no insult intended."

"I assume he went to Oakdale for his 'donation'." the Crane patriarch said, accentuating the work 'donation' with live quotation marks.

"Yes, Grampy. It was done at Memorial Hospital where I was a student nurse."

"When?"

"December 2002. Right before he came back to Harmony."

"What is the viability of a 'donation'?" At that, Katherine sighed. Not that is disgusted her per se but the subject had never been her favorite in a conversation.

"Usually, when not cryogenically frozen, semen remains at full effectiveness for seventy-two hours, just like in the fallopian tubes. If frozen, it goes up to a full two months in a bank. After that, it is discarded."

"Which method did Fox opted for?"

"If my memory is right, the first one. And it was to go to Alex's sister, Katie."

"Yet, it didn't."

"No. Gwen somehow got to it first. And we all know what she did with it. That's how Sarah came to be." Katherine nodded her head in understanding.

"All that is clear but it doesn't explain why she is in yours and Alex's care."

"That would be my doing, Katherine. Knowing she was Fox and Theresa's child, I couldn't possibly allow Gwen to keep her, could I? So I traveled to Los Angeles, biding my time until she would go into labor and give birth. I had men watch her every moves, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. During that time, I contacted Fancy and explained the rather unconventional situation."

"I was in shock myself when he told me, Grandmother. Completely aghast at Gwen's actions. I mean, when you see the big picture in its entirety, she lied her way to the altar, tying Ethan to her forever with a child she wasn't even pregnant with in the first place. Then, to keep up her grand scheme, she purposely got implanted with Fox and Theresa's embryo, all the while covering her tracks. No one could have foreseen the desperate measures she would resolve to so she could trap my half-brother and keep him away from the woman he truly loved. And knowing about Sarah's true parentage, I couldn't help but accept getting the baby into my care. Alex agreed as soon as I told him. We couldn't fathom the idea of her raising my niece, especially me."

"Knowing they were on board reaffirmed the necessity of my plan. I arranged with Dr. Abel to have the baby immediately brought to me after birth and replaced with a very human-like wax figure. John had already prepared a death certificate stating the child had died due to a lung defect. But, as you very well know, Gwen got into a heated fight with Theresa and ended up rushed to the hospital in full labor. Unexpectedly, this turn of events was exactly what we needed to fake a death."

"We were very fortunate that Gwen kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Of course, John asking Ethan between saving either his wife or the child added to the whole masquerade. Because of that, neither Big E or his treacherous wife ever doubted Sarah, the name Grampy gave her and the one they coincidally chose also, had been stillborn."

"I thought the death certificate stated that she'd died…" Katherine said, a little confused.

"John changed it. Considering the circumstances, it was more appropriate."

"I see." Fancy continued.

"I stayed with Sarah while the doctors cleaned and checked her out. I also noticed them that I thought she was a tiny bit small. It worried me. Taking into consideration the three missing weeks Dr. Ortecho had spoken to Grandfather about, it became clear she had not been overdue like Gwen had wanted everyone to believe but a tad premature. And when she was given a clean bill of health, Alex and I took her back home to Oakdale."

"All of that is fine, Alistair. Yet, I have to wonder why you didn't inform Fox or Theresa they had a daughter then."

"Why with everything that unraveled after Sarah's 'stillbirth', I thought better of doing so. For our great-granddaughter's sake. Neither one of them were ready to welcome her home, especially after Rebecca manipulated Julian into taking Ethan Martin from his mother and spewing his paternal rights over to her daughter's husband so they could adopt him, punishing Theresa for ostensibly causing the stillbirth. From there, things just got uglier. No. She was better off with Fancy and Alexander."

"While your intentions were honorable, Dear, I can't help but think you could have come forward with the truth and stopped the horrid mess Gwen's war of revenge created for nearly two years before her parents got back together."

"Katherine, would you have preferred that Sarah come back to a stable and happy home or a broken one with war on one side and deception on the other?" Fancy resisted smiling at how flawlessly her grandfather had silenced her grandmother using her maternal instinct against her. "That's what I thought. It was never the right time. Still isn't."

"What? You won't tell them now that she's right under their noses?"

"Eventually but not yet. Theresa still has scores to settle with the Hotchkiss women. I would hate for Sarah to get in any unwanted danger before the bitches have been dealt with properly. But don't you worry, Beloved. If everything goes according to our new granddaughter-in-law's plan, they will know soon enough."

Fox and Theresa has just exited the Seascape when the latter heard her name being called.

"Theresa Andeana Lopez-Fitzgerald!" Looking to her left, she spotted a red-cheeked brunette stomping her way. Surprise etched on her face as she recognized the woman.

"Elizabeth? What, in the name of everything that is Holy, are you doing in Harmony?

Next on Time to move on:

Jane's diagnosis is established.

It's an eventful afternoon at the Crane Mansion.

Review greatly appreciated please. -Laurie-Lee