Chapter Thirty-Eight -The Return
Tuscany was bustling with activity since a lot of Salemites were celebrating the beginning of the New Year with their friends or family at the upscale restaurant. Many of Salem's prominent citizens were in attendance already, with more to show up at any moment. The noise level was comfortable, while diners shared quiet conversations at their tables. Maggie Horton surveyed the scene with blissful contentment, a pleased look upon her face. She looked over at her beloved husband and whispered, "Every time I look at our customers and see how satisfied they are with Tuscany, I always feel so proud of the atmosphere that I've created for them."
Mickey took his wife into his arms, hugging her tightly from behind as he glanced around the active restaurant. "You should be, darling. Under your direction, Tuscany has become the best restaurant in Salem." He smiled down at his wife, his own pride for his wife shining forth from his eyes.
Maggie noticed the solemn couple approaching them and greeted them warmly. "Greta and Ethan!" Maggie assumed the duties of hostess and broke free of the warm hug from her husband. "What a pleasure to see both of you tonight. Are you two looking forward to the New Year?"
Greta forced a small smile to her lips, causing her face to lose some of its grimness. She mentally recalled the information John had shared with her and Ethan earlier about Chloe. She responded sarcastically to Maggie's question. "It promises to be a, mmm… interesting year, Maggie. Very interesting." Ethan was the only one there who picked up completely on the sarcasm.
Maggie was caught off guard by Greta's unexpected reply. "Oh, well, then! Ahh, let me show you to your table, Greta, Ethan." She glanced back in surprise at Mickey, who merely arched an eyebrow at her, while she led a subdued Greta and Ethan to their reserved table in a quiet corner of Tuscany.
Greta waited until a curious Maggie left the vicinity. "I am not really in a celebrating mood," she whispered over her menu to her husband. "After the information John shared with us this afternoon, I don't think I will ever get my appetite back." She looked down at her menu and then placed it with disgust on the table in front of her. She looked grimly at the beautiful artwork above Ethan's head, showing him clearly how much she did NOT want to be at Tuscany right now.
Ethan read Greta's reaction quickly. He had been expecting it. He reached across the table and grasped one of Greta's delicate hands within his strong grip, imploring her earnestly, "Greta, we can't let Stefano DiMera stop us from living our lives. He is completely capable of making our lives a living hell. We can't let him win."
"I know that, Ethan!" Greta snapped back, frustrated beyond belief with the surprising turn of events in Chloe's life and the effect that it would cause for all of the people who loved Chloe. "It's hard for me to sit here and enjoy myself, Ethan, pretending that everything's fine, when that bastard has screwed with my sister's mind! He's caused serious damage to her, Ethan. He's completely recreated her and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!" Her eyes revealed the depth of the anger and helplessness she was experiencing at the diabolical hands of her damned father.
Ethan breathed in slowly, letting his own rage at Stefano's nefarious scheme flow through him. "All right, Greta. I know you, sweetheart, very well, and I know that what DiMera has done to Chloe is going to be very hard for you."
"Well, you don't have to be psychic to figure that one out!" Greta interrupted him harshly. She sat back in her chair with a huff and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring slightly at Ethan.
Ethan closed his eyes briefly, praying for some more patience with his wife. Greta had been very angry and extremely hurt by her father's newest scheme. She had wanted to go back and confront Stefano after John had told them about his encounter in the foyer of the DiMera mansion, but Ethan had eventually convinced her that would not be a good move. "I love you," he began again, searching for a positive beginning to break through Greta's mood.
Greta's eyes immediately filled with tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. She knew that she was being unreasonable, but, dammit, the fact that she had lost Chloe as a loving sister hurt. She apologized with her eyes while she said, "I love you, too, Ethan." She closed her eyes and admitted softly to her handsome husband, "This is going to be so difficult, nearly impossible for me, Ethan. How am I going to face a Chloe who despises me, who hates the people she used to love so deeply?"
He left his chair and strode swiftly around the table until he stood next to Greta's chair. Ethan leaned down and pulled Greta close to him. He said softly but with extreme conviction, "We all have to deal with this, Greta, one way or another. And we will have to fight it, combat this nightmare somehow. There has got to be a way that we can reach her, that we can bring out the real Chloe."
Greta nodded once, so grateful for her husband's unconditional support. "You're right. And coming out tonight, after discovering the extent my father has messed with Chloe's life, is a small victory, a slight way to combat what he has done."
"Exactly right, Greta, sweetheart," Ethan answered. He placed a finger underneath Greta's chin and tilted it up so that they could meet each other's eyes. "I'll be here for you, every step of the way. Never doubt that."
Greta finally allowed a small but real smile to shine from her eyes and appear on her face. "And deal with my horrible moods?" she inquired, making a lame attempt at a joke.
Ethan realized what she was doing and grinned down at her, so proud of the way she was rallying. "Every last one of them," he admitted. Ethan gently caressed the soft skin on her cheek before he went back to his chair. He stopped suddenly and looked across the room. "Well, look at that!" he said aloud.
"What?" Greta asked. She turned around in her chair and peered over the green foliage that always adorned the restaurant. "Oh. John and Marlena are here. And Bo and Hope are with them. That's wonderful, Ethan. They must be celebrating the birth of their new granddaughter."
Greta glanced at Ethan a moment later, a hopeful look lighting up her face. "We'll talk to them later, right? See if anything new has come up about Chloe?" Her eyes widened while she waited for Ethan's confirmation.
"Anything you want, darling," Ethan answered. He would willingly crawl through broken glass for his amazing wife, if it would make her happy.
Ethan scanned the rest of the room. A wry smile crossed his face when he noticed the other people in attendance. "Greta, we're not the only ones here tonight who love Chloe Lane. Over there is Victor Kiriakis."
"He never had a love for Chloe," Greta answered sharply while she tilted her head to her side. "In fact, I would say that he barely even tolerated her, even though she made Brady ecstatically happy after they reconciled last year. At least Nicole won't be with him, after he so publicly divorced her a few months ago and kicked her out of Titan for having an affair with Austin Reed, of all people." She shook her head at the stupidity of Austin, who had allowed himself to be devoured by that man- eater.
"Well, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," Ethan shot back good-naturedly, laughing at Greta's interruption and her view on Victor Kiriakis's marriage. "Brady's with him, Greta. I'll bet that he wanted to attempt to forget about his encounter with Chloe earlier today and celebrate the beginning of the New Year with his grandfather."
Greta wrinkled her nose while she recalled the results of Chloe's first meeting with Brady. "I cannot believe that she slapped him, Ethan! Oh my god, that shocked me so much!" She craned her elegant neck, looking unobtrusively for Brady Black. Sure enough, he was dining with his grandfather at a quiet corner near the back of the restaurant. "Poor Brady," she murmured to Ethan. "I can only imagine how he is feeling right now."
"It's not everyday that the love of your life returns and belts you a good one," Ethan answered, attempting a small amount of levity.
Greta didn't appreciate his attempt at a joke. "Ethan!" she scolded him, reaching across the table and lightly slapping him on the wrist. "That's not funny."
"But it made you smile," he countered smoothly, pointing to Greta's lips.
Greta brought her hands up to her lips and felt her smile grow bigger. "Morbid, isn't it?" she asked. "Thanks, Ethan."
"Any time," he replied. Then, Ethan announced to Greta, "Craig and Nancy just arrived, too. Maggie's leading them to a table close to Brady and Victor. I bet John had a hard time explaining everything DiMera had done to Chloe. I can only imagine how Nancy reacted to the news." John had gone over to the Wesley house immediately after Greta and Ethan had dropped him off at the penthouse.
Greta shivered slightly while she pondered Nancy Wesley's reaction to the news of Chloe DiMera's return to Salem. Hysterical was the only word that came to her mind. "Well, I do believe that everyone is trying their best to deal with the awful news about Chloe. Maybe there is hope that everything will turn out all right in the end." She lifted her eyebrows while she searched for some optimism in the horrible mess her father had created.
Greta's eyes narrowed when Ethan didn't respond. In fact, it didn't appear that he had even heard a word that she had said. He was staring, absolutely transfixed, at something over her right shoulder. "Ethan?" Greta finally asked while she tapped his hand lightly. "Hello? Are you in there?"
Ethan couldn't prevent the discouraged look that appeared on his face when he finally reacted to Greta's prompting. "Unbelievable," he muttered lowly, more to himself than to Greta.
Greta blew out a breath of air, rolled her eyes at her husband, and questioned Ethan impatiently, "What the hell is going on now?"
"Look behind you, sweetheart," Ethan answered slowly, turning his own astonished eyes on the trio that had just entered Tuscany. He shook his head slightly, trying to convince himself that they were merely a figment of his imagination. No such luck.
Greta chewed on her bottom lip nervously and ever so slowly turned around in her chair. Her mouth dropped to the floor when she immediately spotted the new arrivals. "Oh shit!" she gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "So much for attempting to celebrate the first day of the New Year."
"Maybe going out to eat wasn't such a hot idea," Ethan admitted finally as he watched Dave lead the DiMera party to a table located in the center of the room. He noted that the bustling restaurant had been brought to a standstill as every eye in the place followed the progression of Stefano DiMera and his two daughters. "Well, at least it's going to be one HELL of an evening," he said to Greta, who shot him an extremely pissed of look.