Author's Rantings:Why is it always the girls on Passions who are psycho-crazy about fighting over their lovers? I mean, really, none of the guys are that crazy. If they are fighting for their women, they always have 'good intentions'. They don't scheme and plot and plan. Well, David kind of does, but only because Ivy makes him. And Fox is kind of scheming, but he's not crazy in the head (i.e. Ivy, Rebecca, Theresa–even though I love her dearly–, Kay, Beth). Why is that? I want to see some guys go crazy over their women. In fact, I demand it!

P.S. Thanks for all the reviews! You guys make me want to do this. :)

Seeing Red

For what might have been the first time in her life, Ivy Crane was left without a snide remark on her lips or a quick rejoinder at the tip of her tongue. For a moment, she merely stared at Fox and Theresa before managing to stammer, " What are you...what is this...?"

Soon, another voice had joined her at the doorway. " Mother, what's wrong?"

Fox couldn't help but smirk as Ethan came into view, followed by Gwen. *Is it sadistic*, he wondered, *to take such perverse joy out of pissing Ethan off?*

Similar to Ivy, Ethan and Gwen merely stared for a moment, and then Ethan was across the room, pulling Theresa away from his brother. " Fox, get your hands off her!"

Fox kicked into action. " Do you people mind? We were kind of in the middle of something here..."

He glanced over at Theresa, who had somehow managed during the chaos to rumple her hair and slide one strap off her now-bare shoulder, making for a very convincing– and sexy– picture.

" Ethan– ETHAN, calm down." Theresa said breathlessly, straightening her clothing as she spoke. " Fox and I were just...talking."

" Is that what they're calling it these days?" Ivy inquired dryly, seeming to have regained use of her tongue.

Gwen was eying Theresa warily. " Just what, may I ask, is going on here?"

Theresa glanced at Ethan and then crossed back over to Fox, sitting beside him on the bed. " Fox, maybe it's time that we told them."

" Told us what, Theresa?" Ethan demanded.

Fox wrapped his arm around Theresa. " I guess we can't put it off any longer. Everyone, Theresa and I are in love."

" What?!" Ivy shrieked. " I guess one Crane wasn't good enough for you, was it, Theresa? You just had to go back for more!"

Ethan was clearly livid, despite his best efforts to hide it. " How long has this been going on?"

" Three months this Tuesday." Fox answered automatically, gazing at Theresa adoringly. *Oh, he's good,* Theresa thought admiringly.

Gwen seemed to be on the verge of exploding. " What is it about Theresa, anyway?" she snapped. " Does she have chocolate flavored skin, or something?"

Fox grinned at his brother. " Would you like to field that, Ethan, or should I?"

" Unbelievable," Gwen fumed, and turned and stormed out of the room.

Fox looked to Ethan and shrugged. " I told you your wife wanted me."

" Shut up, Fox." Ethan said through gritted teeth. He turned and started out of the room. " Gwen, wait!" Reaching the doorway, he stopped and promised, " This isn't finished yet, Fox. Theresa, I'll talk to you later."

Ivy turned her wheelchair to follow Ethan out of the room. " Well, I wish I could say I was surprised at your behavior, Fox, but you know what they say. Like father, like son." With that, she made her exit, shutting the door behind her.

Theresa waited until she was gone then turned to Fox and squealed. " We did it! Did you see the look on Ethan's face?"

Fox couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. " He looked about ready to kill, lover."

Theresa stopped and gave him a look. " Lover?" she repeated dubiously.

Fox shrugged. " Well, you needed a new nickname. And besides, it'll add credibility to the entire couple thing."

Theresa smiled. " I like it."

Fox smiled in return, then glanced down and noted that her shoulder strap was still hanging free. Without thinking, he reached forward to fix it and felt a slight jolt as his skin brushed against her own. Feeling suddenly stupid, he explained, " You, um...your strap was– "

Theresa was staring at him, a strange sensation running through her body. She quickly shook it off. " Oh, well...thanks."

A phone rang, breaking the silence. Theresa jumped to her feet. " That's my cell." She picked it up and hastily switched it on. " Hello?" Her eyes widened and she covered the receiver. " It's Whitney." Fox sat up straighter, his full attention caught. " Oh, hi, Whit. How's it going?"

" Theresa," came the voice on the other end of the line, " Ethan just called. He told me everything and begged me to talk some sense into you."

" I don't need sense, Whitney," Theresa gushed, " I'm in love."

" With Fox? Theresa, what happened to Ethan?"

Theresa exchanged a conspiratorial smile with Fox. " Ethan's of the past, Whitney. Haven't you been telling me that I should move on?"

" Yes, but..Fox, Theresa? He's such a womanizer."

Fox made a face. Theresa hurriedly argued, " You don't know him like I do, Whitney. He's very sweet and smart and funny. He makes me feel like I'm a princess."

" That's great, Theresa, that's really great, but I don't think you want to go into this blindly. I just want you to be careful. I mean, Fox may be good-looking and charming, but he's also a Crane."

" I don't know whether to feel complimented or offended," Fox muttered.

" Thank you for that, Whitney," Theresa returned sincerely, " but I don't want you to worry about me. Fox is a great guy," she looked at him meaningfully, " and I trust him." She paused, letting this sink in. " You know, I think you'd like him too if you got a chance to know him better."

" It's not that I don't like him, Theresa– "

" Then why don't we all get together tonight?" Theresa suggested off-handedly, as though the idea had just come to her. " You, me, Fox, Chad."

A beat. " Sure, Theresa. That sounds like fun."

" How does the Blue Note at eight sound?" Theresa suggested.

" That sounds great. I'll tell Chad."

Theresa smiled triumphantly at Fox. " Great."

" Oh, and Theresa? Be careful."

Theresa merely laughed at this. " Bye, Whit." She hung up the phone and turned to Fox with a grin stretching across her face. He hadn't seen her smile like that in ages. " See? The plan is going great!"

" You call that great?" Fox countered sourly. " Whitney sounded like she half-expected to see me on the next episode of America's Most Wanted. She objected to almost everything about me."

" You aren't looking deep enough, Fox," Theresa assured him. " How did she come up with a list of objections to you so quickly? She had obviously thought those faults over in her mind, which means..."

Fox grinned despite himself. " She was thinking about me."

Theresa smiled back. " Exactly."

" And she said I'm good-looking."

" Yep."

" And charming."

" Well, naturally."

They smiled at each other. It was a friendly sort of exchange, companionable, like two old friends. At least, that's what they told themselves when their minds played that moment over again in their memories.

" Well," Theresa spoke up abruptly, " I should go. I have a big date to get ready for tonight." She flashed him an impish smile.

"That's right," Fox played along, " I can't wait to walk in the Blue Note with the most beautiful girl in Harmony on my arm."

" You haven't won Whitney yet." Theresa cautioned him.

Fox met her gaze evenly. " That's not what I meant."

Theresa laughed, for lack of anything better to do. " Oh, well...thank you." She turned to go and paused at the door. " Oh, and Fox?"

" Yeah?"

" Try your best to look good tonight." she teased.

Fox flashed her his pearly whites. " Don't I always, lover?"

***

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