Part XXVI

Fox seemed far away, lost in his thoughts.

"A quarter for your thoughts."

He laughed as he recalled that day at the church when he had told her that.

"A quarter? I thought it was supposed to be a penny."

"Well, I was fake married to Julian Crane, I learned that they don't things the way the common people do."

She sat closer to him and spaced out for a few minutes. He looked at her, wondering what was going on in her mind.

"You seem serious, Teresa. You never get like this unless you're about to blab something huge."

Teresa looked at him with a smile.

"No one knows me the way you do, Fox."

"And no one knows me quiet like you do either, Teresa. So what's going on in that pretty head of yours?"

"What if you had the chance to change things in your life and make it better. What if you discovered that everything you held to be true is not?"

"Okay, Teresa.help me out here. I don't think I'm following."

"Okay, let me put simplify it for you, Fox. How do you feel about me?"

He looked at her completely thrown by her question, he stared at her feeling uneasy.

"I.I."

"Did you come to Los Angeles because of Whitney?"

She looked at him, anticipating his answer. He looked at her.

"Look, Teresa. I won't lie to you. I had, maybe even still have a thing for Whitney, but I don't love her if that's what you're implying. She is one of the reasons why I came here."

"If Whitney isn't the only reason you're here.."

"Then why am I here? I'm here because my father wanted me to leave Harmony. The night at the hospital when you thought that Ethan was hurt and I drove you there, I ran into Julian and we had a showdown.I wanted us to start over as father and son, I wanted to have a relationship with him and he said that he didn't want any part of me."

She looked at him shocked by what he had just said. But then, why should she be surprised that Julian would treat Fox like that?

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Fox. Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were closer than that."

"We are close, Teresa. Extremely close. But you were hurting over what Ethan had told you and how Gwen and Rebecca had behaved with you. I didn't want to burden you with my own problems."

"Don't you know that you can never burden me, Fox? You and I are friends. In fact you are my best friend and so much more than that. Is that why you decided to leave Harmony?"

Fox nodded his head.

"Yes, I needed a change of scenery and since Chad and Whitney were coming here, I decided to join them."

"So, your mystery woman."

"was Whitney. But I know better, you have to believe that, Teresa."

He smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

"The only 2 people I was going to miss beyond words were you and your son, because you were and are the only good thing going in my life. You're like the family I never had. When you were living in the mansion, there was this humanity around me. I felt warm inside and then you left and you took it all with you."

"Is that why you wanted me here with you?"

He nodded as he looked at her.

"I always want you around, Teresa. You're the only person who knows everything about me, who never judges me or compares me to Ethan. You are the only person I have this much fun with, even when you get all serious on me like right now. Most importantly, you have shown more faith in me than anyone ever in my life."

She laughed at his remark and slid her hand in his. He looked down and smiled. It felt warm and.and perfect.

"Why are you getting like this on me, Teresa? What's up?"

"Last night, when you and I went down to the beach for our nightly swim, you said something when I was going on and on about how fate would bring Ethan and me together."

She paused for a second.

"Do you remember what you said to me? About the man who would come in my life."

"Yes, I do."

'You'll end up with the person you are destined to be with and Ethan is not it. The man you will end up with will love you unconditionally, with all your flaws and qualities and will your son as well because he is the best part of you. That man will look past everything and will see you, Teresa, and no one else and he will never let anything stand in his way to be with you. He will love you because he won't have the choice but to love you when he lays his eyes upon that beautiful face of yours.'

"Fox, you never did answer my question, how do you feel about me?"

"I care for you a lot, my feelings for you are certainly there and I can't deny or push them away because they constantly come back. And if it wasn't for you been so damn stubborn about Ethan, I think that you and I could have had something great. But you chose to stay behind in Harmony because of him, and the only reason you're here is because your mother insisted on it."

"No, I came here to give him and Gwen their space, so that they don't have to worry about me and that she can deliver a healthy baby. But they are both here now, and I'm still keeping away from them."

"You mean from Gwen."

"Umm, okay, I was keeping from Gwen, but now I'll stay away from Ethan too. Fox, I had a dream tonight and I realized something."

He looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face.

"When you left, I missed you a lot. I felt like a part of me was gone with you, a piece of myself. And I didn't really understand that feeling because you and I were just friends. But I think I understand where those feelings come from."

She stopped and saw that she had his attention. He was looking at her and he gave a hand a gentle squeeze.

"Fox, about the dream that I had tonight.the talk you gave me about fate and destiny been linked together and how we can't force either because we might miss out on what's really meant to be. I understand now that the future will take care of itself."

"So you were actually listening to me?"

"I always listen when you talk to me, Fox. I just pretend I don't."

"Tell me about your dream."

"Well, it's kind of embarrassing."

"You started, you have to finish and I'm really curious right now, so don't back down now."

"In my dream, you and I had become a couple and we were even married."

He looked at her and smiled.

"Wow! That is one thing I didn't expect."

She got up from her chair and crossed her arms on her chest.

"I knew you wouldn't take me seriously."

It was his turn to get up. He touched her shoulder and slid his hand right along her arm. She turned around and faced him, seeing him in this new light or was it? He was so different, so amazing and she adored him because he was everything she had ever wanted and because he was her comfort and he was the one person she never wanted to disappoint like she was the one person he never wanted to do wrong.

"Tell me, Teresa, were we happy, you and I?"

"Very happy, and very much in love. And it felt so right and so wonderful and it was so beautiful, Fox. And I felt all of it, here in my heart, and I loved every second of it and how it made me happy to be with you."

Fox kept looking at her and his smile widened.

"And when I woke up, I saw this picture of us together and how happy we looked together, and it got me thinking about how genuine we are with each other and how close and dear you are to me and how empty my life would be without you in it. I came to rely on you so much and I came to really care about you and to really like you. I know that my feelings for you run deeper than I ever cared to admit before."

"How do I know you are been sincere about this, Teresa? No later than yesterday, you were saying that Ethan was the man you wanted, and tonight with all these cryptic messages, you are telling me that I'm the one for you, is that it? How do I know that you won't go running back to Ethan?"

"Have I ever lied to you, Fox?"

"No, you never lied to me, Teresa. I guess all of this came as a surprise to me."

"That maybe my feelings for are so deep that I'm willing to jump in with you? To risk everything?"

"No, that you feel the same way I feel about you, Teresa."

"Kiss me, Fox."

She didn't have to ask him twice. He bent his head slightly as she stood on her toes and closed her eyes. She felt his lips brush lightly against hers.

"I wanted this since the first time I laid eyes on you, Teresa."

"I guess I would be lying if I said that I wasn't attracted to you since I met you, Fox."

Once again, his lips brushed against hers and this time, their mouths opened a little to give each other access, and as Teresa felt the kiss deepen between them, she felt her that her heart was about to explode as well. She knew that if things felt this right, then what she felt for Fox was real. A whisper crossed her lips.

"Fox."

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Yes?"

"That was the best kiss I ever had."

"I've always wanted you, Teresa. You're like this person who is beyond my reach, that I dreamt of having many night but couldn't."

"Well, now you can Fox."

They smiled at each other, happy that finally their friendship was blossoming into something more. They both found a place where they finally belonged.

"I was thinking that w should go down to the beach, just you and I tomorrow."

"Whatever you want, Teresa."

'About love, maybe it isn't an emotion or a feeling. Maybe love is a just fact, maybe it's just a truth.'

He took her hand an they walked inside the living room as they made their way to his bedroom.

"You are my truth Fox."

He pulled her to him and kissed her head as they walked inside his room.

"As you are mine, Teresa. As you are mine."