Chapter 20

At the Mansion

Ethan and Gwen stepped into their room, and Gwen closed the door after them.

"So?" She initiated the conversation.

Ethan looked at her expectantly.

"Did you get your thoughts settled? Or do you need more time?"

Ethan hesitated, looking down before he answered. "Gwen...sit with me, please."

She walked over to join him, and he took her hand. "I think so."

"You think?" she repeated him. "Ethan, I don't understand what you needed to work out in the first place."

"Gwen, if I could explain I could. But I don't think it matters anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm over it."

"A second ago, you thought you worked things out. Now you have. Which one is it?"

He assured his wife, "I've worked things out, Gwen."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

She stared at him, doubt in her eyes.

At the Lopez-Fitzgerald's

Once Miguel and his mother said their goodbyes, he picked up a bridegroom magazine and eyed the picture on the front. Picturing the bride and groom, as himself and Charity, he smiled.

"Very soon, you'll be Charity Lopez-Fitzgerald. I can't wait."

He smiled again, looking up as the front door opened. Luis and Hank walked in carrying folders. Miguel stood to greet them.

"Hey, guys. What're you doing back?"

"I think I left a file that we need for one of these cases," Luis explained as he searched the papers on the family room table.

"You were working on it in here last?" Miguel gestured around the room.

"I'm pretty sure I was in here. Why?"

"I did some cleaning earlier. I might've moved some things. If those papers aren't here, they should be in your room."

"That's fine, thanks. As long as I find them."

While he and Hank fished around, Miguel teased. "So Hank...I hope Luis hasn't worked you to death yet."

The guys laughed, but Hank defended him. "No, no. Your brother's just a good worker. I'm up for the challenge. That's why I signed up for this kind of work."

"Well then, better you than me." The guys laughed once more.

"Very funny," Luis spoke up. "Anyways, let's find these papers and get back to the station."

"I think I found one," Hank skimmed over a paper. "Yep, this is it. The others should be-"

"-Close by," Luis finished with a triumphant smile as he held up the other papers.

"Okay. We need to get back to the station," as Hank said that, he and Luis started for the door.

"See you guys later," Miguel called after them as he took his seat.

"Alright, see ya buddy." Luis and Hank were soon gone, and Miguel went back to his magazine.

In The Library

Julian was just putting the phone back on its receiver, when there was a knock at the door. Without looking up, he spoke.

"Come-in please."

Pilar soon stepped in, approaching his desk. She stopped about two feet away.

"Julian, I talked with them. They all wanted to thank you, and they're fine with it."

"Great," Julian answered, "so I can start making these phone calls?"

"Yes. And thank you again for everything. This means so much."

Julian shook his head, "it's not a problem."

"So I guess I'll see you in a little while when they call us for dinner?"

"You should. I still have some work to finish, but I might be done by then."

"Do you need any help?"

Julian laughed. "I appreciate the offer, but this is tricky paperwork. Most of it's for Crane. You'd probably lose interest quick. I'm ready to fall asleep myself."

Pilar hesitated as she slowly walked towards the door.

"Okay, if you're sure...but if you think of anything, don't hesitate."

He smiled again, "thank you."

"After that generous offer for my son and his fiancee', I think it's the least I can do."

"Well after the years of service you've provided for this family, I thought it was the least I could do."

Pilar was rendered speechless a moment. Slowly, she nodded her head, smiling again.

"Thank you, Julian."

"Thank you, Pilar."

At that, she stepped out to leave him to his work. While he got back to work, Pilar lingered outside for a moment.

"I guess some people really can change for the better."

In the Family Room

Fox had Theresa laughing again.

"I'm not sure who can be funnier. You in your comic mood, or my brothers at dinnertime, on special occasions."

"Well, I do try," he smiled at her. "To be honest, I'm not sure where this humor came from. I'm always the cunning, sly one...not really the funny one."

Theresa leaned in, "well if you ask most girls...myself included...we'll take funny over cunning any day."

"Is that right?" he asked her.

"It is," Theresa assured him, leaning in for a kiss.

Unfortunately, the moment was disrupted when Gwen walked in from upstairs. The two pulled away, turning to her.

"Hey, you two."

She fell into the armchair, reaching for a magazine. There was no missing the compassion in Theresa's eyes.

"Gwen, are you feeling okay?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"What happened this time?" Fox felt bad to think this way, but assumed it was probably Ethan.

"He insists that he's over whatever he was going through. But I think he's just saying that."

"What do you think he was going through?" Theresa was confused.

Gwen shrugged, "I wish I knew. I just need him to talk to me."

Fox spoke up again, "can I offer a little advice?"

"Please do," she prompted him.

"Just give him a little time to come around. Whatever it is," he paused and they shared a look. "I'm sure he'll snap out of it."

"You know, giving him time was my original intention. But then I thought that if I stayed in his orbit, he'd come around."

"I know that seems like the right thing to do, but in fact it's the last thing I'd suggest. Sticking around kinda prompts him to tell you what you want to hear. Give him a little more time to sort his thoughts. When he's ready, he'll let you know."

Gwen attempted a smile, "thanks, Fox. That makes sense. And I appreciate that advice. I'll give it a try."

Fox smiled. "No problem."

A/N: My apologies for the delay. I could've sworn that I posted a few more chapters, but I guess something went wrong. In any case, I'll post the next three today. Before I do that, I should mention that I'm going to do another time lapse. Certain situations are set up accordingly, so they should flow properly, if I skip ahead a little bit. I'll be skipping ahead a week, to the night before Charity and Miguel's wedding. That should set the tone for the next handful of chapters. Let me know what you think.