Author's Note: In the summer of 2000 when Passions was still in its early stages, I absolutely adored the relationship between Ethan Crane and Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. I discovered the wonderful world of fanfiction and even had my own fanfiction site, and this story was born through my enthusiasm for this show, this couple, and storytelling. This is the first fanfic I ever wrote, and though there are aspects of the story that I am tempted to change in 2010, I won't because the original (flaws and all) holds a special place in my heart.

I previously posted The Most Carefully Laid Plans on my site, Once Upon a Time, as well as on Turtle Run and Coffeerooms. It is no longer in any of those places and hasn't been for quite awhile, though I do still get e-mails from people from time to time wondering where they can find a copy. So in celebration of the tenth anniversary of this story, I decided to post it here.

Obviously, I do not own the Passions characters found within the story, though the original characters are my own. Nor am I affiliated in any way with Passions. No money is being made from this story. Believe me-if I did control Passions, the show would've gone much differently.

Chapter Twenty-One: "The Tumult"

"You couldn't stay away from me? Wh-what do you mean?" Theresa asked.

Ethan shook his head. "That didn't come out right. Let me rephrase that. I was talking to Chad, and he mentioned that you had a date tonight. He described the guy as a real player, and I was worried. So I decided that I should come and check on you. I couldn't stay away when I didn't know if you were alright."

"So that's why you were asking if I was alone," Theresa said, her understanding becoming clearer. She crossed her arms. "But what if I hadn't been alone? What would you have done? I'm a big girl, Ethan. I choose who I wish to spend time with. Besides, you gave up any claims on me a long time ago."

"That's not what this is about," Ethan insisted. "I was genuinely concerned for your well-being. Besides, I know how much you still miss Chuck. I didn't want you to do something and regret it later."

"Like someone you know?" Theresa shot back at Ethan. "As you can see, I'm fine."

"Look, Theresa. . . ."

"Just go home, Ethan! I'm sure Gwen is frantic with worry, imagining everything that I'm trying to do to steal you away from her." Her voice dripped in sarcasm as she turned away from him.

"What are you talking about?"

"I had a visit from Gwen yesterday. She let me know that she doesn't trust me. And you know what? I don't blame her. If I were her, I wouldn't trust me, either."

Ethan grimaced. He could only imagine what that visit had been like. Gwen had many wonderful qualities, but she also possessed a doggedness that rivaled no other. For that reason, he had the distinct impression that Theresa was downplaying whatever happened during their visit.

"I'll talk to Gwen; let her know to just leave you alone."

"Don't bother," Theresa said waving her hand dismissively. "I fight my own battles now."

"You certainly do," Ethan replied. "In fact, I feel as though we've been fighting one ever since I got here."

Theresa turned away from Ethan, feeling her anger melt. "I guess we have been," she said softly. "Maybe it's just easier that way."

"How can it be?"

Theresa closed her eyes and tried to gather her thoughts. She knew her emotions were about to run away with her, and that was something she could not allow. Measuring her words carefully, she spoke, "It took me a long time to get over you, Ethan. I had my hopes and dreams built around one person, which is never a smart thing to do. I am determined to never go down that road again, but being around you makes that difficult."

Ethan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was it possible that Theresa still had feelings for him even after everything that had happened? Stop it, Crane! he told himself. What do you have to offer Theresa now? You're a married man!

Noticing his torn expression, Theresa asked, "What are you thinking, Ethan?"

"Just that I wish I had done things differently. I'm sorry that I hurt you, Resa."

"Resa," Theresa replied softly. "I haven't been called that in years." She felt the old memories and the old emotions flooding back to her.

It had rained heavily that day, but it was over for the most part. All that remained were light showers bringing rain which fell gently to the ground forming perfect puddles outside on that warm day in May.

Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald looked outside longingly, forgetting to concentrate on what she was being told.

"Theresa, did you hear me?" Ethan asked.

Snapping back to attention, Theresa turned to look at Ethan. "I'm sorry Ethan. What were you saying?"

"Just that you did a wonderful job on the reports." Ethan studied his companion carefully. Something was amiss. She didn't seem her normal, exuberant self that day. " Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Just tired, I guess," she replied.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to come over on your day off. You are always helping me and my family, and I've just taken you for granted."

Theresa smiled at Ethan. He was such a thoughtful, sensitive man. That was only one of the reasons she loved him. "I promise it's not that, Ethan. I love to spend time with you. Helping out, I mean," she was quick to add.

"Then what is it? Is it Chuck? Are you missing him?"

"Good heavens, no!" Theresa said more forcefully than she had intended. If I hear Chuck's name one more time, I am going to scream! she thought to herself. "I mean, it has nothing to do with him."

"I'm glad this isn't about Chuck," Ethan stated.

"You are?" Theresa asked, hope swelling within her.

"Of course! I consider you to be one of my best friends, Theresa. I hate that this guy hurt you so badly, but it's good to know that you're moving on. Any man would be lucky to have your love."

"Do you really think so?" Theresa asked.

"I know so," Ethan stated emphatically. "So if this isn't about Chuck, what is it?"

Theresa took Ethan's hand and led him to the window. "Do you see it, Ethan?"

Ethan looked out the window, but all he saw was a gloomy, foggy, rainy day. "What am I looking for?"

"The possibilities...the puddles."

Ethan looked at Theresa. "The puddles?"

"Don't tell me you never went puddle jumping when you were little!" Theresa teased.

Ethan smiled. Theresa was unlike any woman he'd ever known. She found delight in the smallest, most obscure things, and in many ways, she opened up the world for him.

"I can't say I ever did," he replied.

Her eyes grew dreamy. "When I was a little girl, Miguel, Paloma, and I used to love to go outside when it was raining. Mama never liked for us to be outside in the rain, so we'd try to sneak out. Our laughter always gave us away though. We would jump in the puddles, trying to splash the water on each other. Mama would make us come in, convinced that we were going to catch our deaths. Of course, now that I'm older, I know it must have been horrible to try to wash our clothes after our puddle jumping escapades. But Ethan, it was so much fun."

"It sounds like it. My brother, sisters, and I never had that much interaction. We were always in boarding school. I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like to be together like that."

"I do have good memories," she replied.

"What about now? Do you see Paloma often?"

She shook her head. "No. Nor Miguel, for that matter. When Paloma went to live with my tia, um, my aunt in Spain, it was hard. But we don't really have the money to go and see her, and she loves Spain so much, I'm not sure she'll ever want to come back to Harmony, unless it's for my wedding or Luis's or Miguel's."

"Why did she leave?" Ethan asked.

"That's a long story," Theresa said, once again looking out the window.

Her expression was melancholy, and Ethan wanted to make the pain go away. He took her by the hand. "Come on," he told her as he began to lead her to the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I need help with something."

"What?" she asked.

"Because you are, of course, an expert puddle jumper, I thought you could show a novice, like myself, the finer points of puddle jumping."

"Ethan, are you serious?" Theresa asked.

"Aren't you always the one who is telling me to do the unexpected?"

"So true," she replied. Impulsively, she stood on her toes and kissed Ethan on the cheek. "You are the best!"

"So I've been told," he said with mock seriousness.

She playfully punched his arm. "In the immortal words of Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald, 'Last one outside is a rotten egg!'"

Theresa had never had so much fun in her entire life. The first thing she did was take off her shoes, and she instructed Ethan to do the same.

"Come stand next to me," she told him, curling her finger.

Not knowing her intentions, he did as he was told. Immediately, she jumped in the puddle, splashing him with water. An all-out water war soon ensued, culminating in Ethan picking Theresa up off her feet and laying her in a puddle.

Shocked by the cold water, Theresa squealed. Between fits of laughter, she reached out and tickled Ethan who was leaning over her. Catching him off guard, Theresa managed to roll him around onto the ground. Still being tickled, Ethan grabbed her hands and pulled her down on top of him. "Did anyone ever tell you that you don't play fair?" he asked laughing.

"Who ever said we were going to play fair?" she asked with a devilish grin.

Their eyes met, and both became quite aware of their close proximity. Yet neither wanted to move. Ethan touched her face. She was so beautiful, so innocent. If you only knew what I was thinking, he thought to himself.

"Theresita, Ethan, what is going on here?" Pilar asked, coming outside, carrying an umbrella.

Ethan and Theresa looked up at her mother and quickly came to their feet. "We were puddle jumping, Mama."

"It looked more like wallowing in the mud to me," Pilar commented wryly. "Honestly, the two of you are going to catch your death!"

"I guess we should go inside," Ethan said.

"You're right," Theresa said.

"Go up the back way. I don't want you tracking mud and water all over the house," Pilar said as Ethan and Theresa walked past her. "Oh, and Theresa, we'll talk about this tonight at home."

"Yes, Mama."

"Dios, salva mi hija de ella misma," Pilar muttered.

Theresa emerged from the bathroom wearing a pair of Ethan's sweatpants and a button-up shirt. With a towel wrapped around her wet hair, she felt as though she were in a cocoon. She didn't mind, though. It made her feel cozy to be wearing Ethan's clothes, though they were hopelessly baggy on her.

"You certainly clean up well," Ethan said, looking up at her from his laptop computer. He, too, had showered and changed.

"Getting cleaned up after being in the mud would make anyone look better," Theresa said smiling. "Thank you, Ethan."

"For what?"

"For helping me to not miss my sister so much. For being my puddle jumping partner."

"We're making quite a habit out of being partners, aren't we?" he asked. "First, we were duet partners, then cookie partners, and now puddle jumping partners."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she said softly. She swallowed hard. Soon he would be a married man, and he would never know how much she loved him. What would it be like to watch him marry another woman? She shuddered at the thought.

Seeing her tremble, he asked, "Are you cold?"

Without waiting for her response, he jumped up and rubbed her hands and arms. "Better?"

"Much," Theresa said looking up at him. "Gwen is a lucky woman. I hope that someday I will marry someone as kind and caring as you are, Ethan."

He saw the sadness in her eyes, and had to stop himself from wanting to just hold her. "There is someone out there for you, Theresa. Someone who will love you the way you deserve to be loved."

"From your mouth..."

He smiled at her warmly. "It will happen," he promised.

She nodded. "Um, I guess I should probably brush my hair and dry it."

"Sure," he replied.

She removed the towel from her head and her long, dark hair came tumbling down her back. She pulled a hairbrush from her purse and sat on the edge of his bed.

"May I?" he asked extending his hand to take the brush from her.

"Of course," she replied giving it to him. He sat on the bed behind her and began to gently brush her hair.

Theresa closed her eyes. She felt as though she were in heaven and hell at the same time. His gesture was innocent, but intimate. He showered attention on her, but they would never be together. No, we have to be! her mind screamed. Fate would not bring me this far just to desert me!

Ethan moved his hand along the nape of her neck, moving her hair aside. She drew in a breath, praying that the moment would never end. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

Seeing the tear, Ethan asked, "Did I pull your hair? Did I hurt you?"

Theresa turned around and looked in his concerned, blue eyes. "No. You've been so gentle," she replied softly.

He reached out and wiped her tear away. His hand lingered on her cheek, and she reached up and placed her hand over his, wrapping her fingers around it. She closed her eyes again, trying to gather her strength.

"But someone hasn't been gentle enough with you," he whispered.

Her eyes opened and she looked at him intently.

"You are so beautiful," he said. "I can never get over it."

Theresa placed a finger over his lips. "Sssshhh," she said. She leaned forward and touched his lips with her own. A dam of emotions was released as she kissed him with her entire being. She could hardly believe her own boldness, but she couldn't hide what she was feeling any longer.

Ethan tasted her, teased her. He tilted his head, kissing her deeply. His tongue sparred with hers, leaving both of them breathless, wanting more.

She tugged at the hem of his shirt, bringing it up until she had pulled it over his head. Lightly, teasingly, she ran her hands down his chest resting them at his waist.

She leaned back on the bed, and brought Ethan down on her. He kissed her feverishly, the heat within him becoming almost unbearable. He traced her neck with kisses as his hands reached between them and began to unfasten the buttons on the shirt she wore. She moaned softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Suddenly, they heard the door to the bedroom open, bringing them both back to reality. Theresa's eyes grew wide when she saw Julian Crane standing in the doorway.

Julian cleared his throat. "Well, it seems I've interrupted something. I'll come back later." He winked at Ethan. "I knew you had it in you, Son." With that, he closed the door.

Ethan moved away from Theresa and sat on the edge of the bed. Leaning forward, he rested his head in his hands. "This has to stop," he said.

"I...I know."

"I'm sorry. I've only made things harder on you, taking advantage of you the way I have."

She moved toward him and rested her head on his bare back. "Ethan, I'm the one who kissed you," she reminded him. "I know I probably shouldn't have done it, but you make me feel things that . . . ."

He interrupted her. "Don't say that. I can't be what you need me to be."

"But there is something between us, Ethan. I can feel it."

Ethan turned around and looked at her. He thought he would drown in her beautiful, brown eyes. "Resa, I've never known anyone like you. But there can't be. . . ."

"Resa?" she interjected. She smiled a little at Ethan's nickname for her. "No one has ever called me that before."

Her eyes held so much hope and life. Ethan couldn't bear to extinguish that. "Do you like it?"

She nodded. "I love it." Just like you, she silently added. "Ethan, do you think your father will say anything about seeing us together?"

"No," Ethan said with certainty. "Father prides himself on his prowess. Strangely enough, I think he was proud of me just now. God, I feel like such a toad. Gwen deserves better, and so do you."

"Ethan, I never do anything that I don't want to do. Please remember that, okay?"

"Anything and everything seemed possible to us back then," Theresa said.

"It still is," he replied.

"No, not anymore, Ethan. I'm not the silly little girl who saw the world through rose-colored glasses. The truth is that no matter how much I wanted you, wanting you didn't make you mine. I won't apologize for how I felt, but you were never mine to love."

"I did love you, Resa," Ethan said.

"I know. I've always known. Sometimes love just isn't enough." She walked to a table and picked up a framed photo of Chuck. "I used to think that my sheer willpower could move mountains. Call it Latin-Irish bravado. How foolish I was!"

Ethan rested his hands on Theresa's shoulders. "Don't say that."

"Why? It's true. I remember that I used to think that we would be together because of my determination. And then, when Chuck died, I kept telling myself that if I didn't allow it to be said that he was gone, if I didn't allow it to be true, it wouldn't be."

He wrapped his arms around her from behind. All of her defenses seemed to go down as she melted into his strong arms. "I can't even begin to imagine what it must have been like for you. When I heard about your engagement, I was surprised, but I always wanted to you to be happy. And then when I found out about the accident . . . . it just didn't seem possible."

"Will our lives ever be uncomplicated, Ethan?"

Suddenly, the phone rang. Theresa hesitated. Whoever it was, she didn't want to talk to them. But what if it was important? After another moment, Theresa said, "I suppose I should get that."

She walked to one of the end tables and picked the cordless phone off the receiver. "Hello?" she asked wearily.

"Theresa." The voice was harsh, and Theresa immediately recognized it as being Gwen. "Where is he?"

"Gwen, what are you talking about?" Theresa asked.

Ethan, hearing his wife's name looked at Theresa.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. I spoke to Chad tonight and he tried to tell me that he didn't know where Ethan was, but I think he knew very well where Ethan was. He wouldn't lie to me unless you were involved."

"So you're looking for Ethan?" Theresa asked, so that Ethan could hear what was being said.

"That's what I just said," Gwen replied impatiently.

Ethan looked at Theresa and shook his head. Gwen would never understand why he had to go and see Theresa, why he had to make sure that a player wasn't taking advantage of her.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I don't know where he could be." She hated lying...and hated knowing that if Gwen discovered she was lying, it would be confirming Gwen's rationale for being suspicious. "Listen, I'm very tired. It's been a long day, so goodnight." She hung up the phone before Gwen could get in another word.

Theresa looked back at Ethan. "I don't like lying."

"I know, and I wouldn't ask if it weren't important. I should get home."

Theresa frowned. "Yes, you should."

"Goodnight."

"Yes, goodnight," Theresa said, watching him walk out the door. She felt a knot in her throat. Why did he have to come? He'd done nothing but awaken the old feelings in her, and it made her feel miserable.

Then realization struck her. It was something that Gwen had said. She was distrustful of Chad, but perhaps she had reason to be. It was Chad who sent Ethan on his quest to make sure she was alright; Chad who knew very well that she didn't feel anything romantic toward Drew. He was trying to play matchmaker!

Theresa groaned. The last thing in the world she needed was Chad's "help."

She sat down on the sofa and pulled her knees to her chest. She felt a tumult of emotions, many of them involving Ethan Crane. "What am I going to do?" she said aloud as the tears began to roll down her cheeks.