The next week and a half proved to be relatively uneventful, at least by Harmony standards. Gwen and Hank made slow but sure progress tracking Nick's activities, moving ever closer to determining Luis, Sheridan, and Antonio's whereabouts, while the trio remained tied up in the warehouse, knowing that, at any minute, Antonio could be forced to begin whatever it was that he had to do. Laura and Jessica worked on a plan for Reese, which was largely hampered because Jessica just couldn't agree to any time or way in which to tell him how she felt, causing Laura more than a little frustration.
At the mansion, Theresa and Phyllis began discussing a plan to bring about Ivy and Rebecca's downfall, though Alistair's shocking decision to name Kay as his heir had thrown a seemingly insoluble monkey wrench into their schemes for Ivy. Rebecca continued to stay at the mansion, mainly because nobody with any authority had thought to throw her out. Ethan remained at the estate at well, delighted that, as the elder brother to the Crane heir, he could feel useful again by giving Kay some pointers about the industry. He had also made the journey to the Bennett house several times to check on Laura. Like the other two Crane girls, Laura had always been resentful and ambivalent towards Ethan, but now she was grateful for him not only because he provided a modicum of consistency in her life simply by still being her half-brother even though everything else had changed, but also because he was the one other person in the world who could possibly understand how she felt at having her entire life taken away from her in one fell swoop. Pilar miraculously avoided a nervous breakdown as she performed her usual duties, worried about her missing sons, helped to look after her grandson, consoled her daughter, and attempted, so far in vain, to discover what was going on with Ivy and Kay. Finally, as the lessons that Kay was to be given from both private tutors officially and Cassandra in secret had not yet begun, she had been basically left alone apart from a couple press conferences. Tabitha had given her every book that might prove useful, and she poured over them all, thus far without success, while Ivy continued to have difficulties adjusting to modern life.
*****
"What on earth is that?" Ivy asked, perplexed, as Kay sat a small, thin, silver rectangular box made out of plastic down on the desk in her room. They both had spent a great deal of time in Kay's room, both to be left undisturbed while they searched for a reversal, and so that Ivy could keep a low profile in her condition.
"It's just a laptop. I asked my grandfather for one, figuring it would be able to keep track of any notes I take on those books easier than writing them out by hand," Kay replied offhandedly as she powered the machine up. Then, remembering that Ivy had come from the modern technological equivalent of the Stone Age, she added, "It's a computer. Don't you have them in your time?"
"Oh, I've seen them, but not like this," she replied in amazement as the Windows screen appeared. "They had a few at my college, but they were so big and bulky and just displayed a black screen!"
"Technology's come a long way, Mom. These are really common, and there are even some now that can fit in the palm of your hand. If you're here much longer, I should probably teach you how it works, since it would seem really weird if you had no idea how to use one all of a sudden."
"Is it really looking that hopeless, then?" Ivy asked uneasily, having grown more and more afraid every day that she would be trapped in this body forever.
Looking determined, Kay shook her head resolutely. "It's not hopeless, and I'm nowhere near giving up yet. Tabitha said that this would take a while, so there's no reason for us to panic yet. It's going to be okay, because I'm going to make it that way."
Having said that, Kay shifted her attention back to the tattered yellow scroll that she had been reading carefully. After about ten minutes, she jerked her head up with a triumphant, "Hah!"
"Did you find something?" asked Ivy, her features lit up with tentative hope.
"I've still got a ways to go, but it's a start," Kay explained. "This scroll describes some individual accounts of various magic spells, their side-effects, and sometimes their reversals; case studies, if you will. Well, one case mentioned is a wizard in seventeenth century Wales who accidentally got his uncle into the situation you're in now. This account gives us some information on exactly how the spell functions. According to this scroll, what the spell actually did was makes an exact copy of everything that makes you who you are: your memory, intellect, soul, you get the picture. It transported the copy into the future, which is good because that means that we didn't screw up the past or anything, since you still went through your life just as you were supposed to. The present you meanwhile is stuck in some sort of limbo, disembodied and in a state of suspended animation, unable to sense anything. That's a HUGE relief, because it means that she wasn't obliterated when you were transported here. If that had been the case, there wouldn't have been anything that we could've done. The other you just would've been gone forever."
"Well, what can we do now? Does it say what that wizard did?"
"Unfortunately, it doesn't point to a specific spell, and worse, it says that very few books containing the spell were copied, and nobody knows where those books are. What it does say is that the incantation he used called the uncle's soul out of its holding pattern, and anchored it back into his body. Some residue unavoidably remained of the inhabiting essence, but his uncle was mostly fixed."
Ivy gulped, afraid of the implications of what thought she understood her daughter's words to mean. "So, does that mean that I'll never get to go back, ever, because a version of me is already at her correct place in time? Then, I'll be trapped here until you find the spell, and then I as myself will basically cease to exist?"
Kay didn't quite know what to say. "Not exactly. The reversal won't erase you completely; a part of you will remain."
"So, I'll be a 'residue'?" Ivy protested, panic rising in her voice. "Bits of leftovers, here and there, stuck onto this other person, because that's who your mother really is, when it comes right down to it."
Kay didn't have an answer, her voice choked by an overpowering feeling of guilt as she realized the magnitude of the sacrifice that she was asking of Ivy. Kay would get her mother back, and things would be back in their right order, or mostly anyway, but the person in front of her would indeed be destroyed in any substantial sense. Although that was right in an abstract sense, since this person is a duplicate that should not exist in this time and place, the effect from Ivy's point of view was horrible. It had been Kay's doing, not hers, and now this Ivy would pay for it with what was really her life. Confused and unable to offer an argument, Kay simply said, "As I said before, I'm so sorry for all of this. Also, it's not like we can do this right now or even anytime soon. All we know is that there IS a reversal of sorts, but as for what it is or even where to look for it, we've got a total blank. No choices have to be made right now."
The two sat awkwardly in silence for several long moments, until Phyllis came in, and noticing their melancholy, remarked, "Well, you two certainly look depressed today!" Privately, she thought that she'd better relay this observation to both Pilar and Theresa, as further proof that something fishy was going on.
"What is it, Phyllis?" Kay asked impatiently, wanting to be left alone again.
"Mr. Alistair Crane wants me to inform you that he has decided to throw a party at the mansion tomorrow night, in honor of 'your brilliant entrance into the family and new position as Crane heir.' He says that many important persons will be there, but in acknowledgment of your roots, he has invited the entire town as well."
"Huh, that's odd," mused Kay. "I wonder why he'd do that. Anyway, thanks for the information, Phyllis. You may go now."
"Your welcome, Miss," Phyllis said, and she left, privately intending to eavesdrop for a minute or two and see what they would say.
Kay sighed. "Well, Mom, it looks like you're gonna have to play this role in a formal situation. It'll be seen as very odd if you don't attend a party in honor of your own daughter."
"Oh, just what I need!" Ivy groaned, her larger fears temporarily forgotten as she thought of all the people she'd have to talk to. "How will I ever be able to keep it up over an entire evening?"
"I know you'll pull through; I've got faith in you. Oh God, I'm going to have to see everybody! My old family, friends, everybody, and it'll be so strange! One thing's for sure: tomorrow is not going to be a dull night, not that a Crane party ever is."
*****
"Has everything been arranged?" Cassandra questioned anxiously as she visited Alistair yet again. "It's absolutely essential that you've set it all up properly."
"Relax," Alistair groaned, having grown incredibly sick of being pushed around in such a manner, though he knew that he could do nothing about it. "I'm not Julian, and I can handle something like this without any trouble. The invitations are all out, and I've hired all the needed people to prepare for the party. As to why you've insisted on my throwing this bash, I still have no idea whatsoever."
"I'm in shock, Alistair!" Cassandra declared with a feigned innocence. "You surely don't think that the occasion of your granddaughter's ascendance to the rank of Crane Heir doesn't deserve some sort of recognition!"
"I never said that," Alistair countered. "It's only proper to present her formally to the world into which she's entering. My issue is why you've insisted upon inviting all the locals. They've caused a great deal of trouble at previous gatherings, and it's certainly not like you've ever had any sort of feeling for the great unwashed, except perhaps as a tasty snack."
Cassandra smiled secretively, as was her habit when chatting with Alistair. "It's all part of my grand plan, which I don't wish to share at the moment. For the present, it is sufficient to say that I have looked into our Kay's past, and a meeting with her former family and acquaintances at this time, if influenced properly, could definitely be played to my advantage."
*****
Gwen and Hank stood in front of a dilapidated warehouse just outside of Boston, surrounded by various abandoned factories and truck yards. Their investigation had led them to this building, and they hoped fervently that this would not prove to be a dead end.
"So, what, do we just go in and see if we can find anything in here?" Gwen asked, not sure what to do now that they had finally arrived at what seemed like their final destination.
"Ordinarily, I'd say no, since we have no idea who or what is in there, but we don't really have any other alternative, and we haven't gone through all of this just to give up now that we're here. We'd better stick close by, and remain as quiet and alert as possible. That alright with you?"
Nodding nervously, Gwen agreed, and the two of them walked up to the old rusty door that formed the entryway. Gingerly, Hank turned the handle and opened the door, and the two flinched as it emitted a loud squeak. Knowing that it was now or never, they went in and began exploring the place.
They proceeded uneventfully, Hank walking in front, through several large darkened rooms, until Hank silently motioned for Gwen to go no further. Listening intently, Gwen could faintly make out two distinct voices seeming to emanate from the room in front of them.
"This isn't fair," complained the first voice. "We've got the worst job in this whole scam. How come we've got to babysit those two while everyone else has an actual part to play?
"Don't be an idiot," ordered another voice. "Somebody has to do it: part of the plan hinges on someone being here to hold them captive and get rid of them if Brian should double cross us. Besides, think of it this way: we can just sit there and do absolutely nothing, avoiding all of the dangerous work, and we get equal pay with everybody else."
"So Nick tells us, anyway. With us both stuck here, what's to keep him from skipping off with our share of the money, and leaving us high and dry?"
"Ah, you worry too much. Why can't you just—"
But Gwen did not here the rest of what the guy was saying, because at that exact moment a huge rat scurried right up to her feet. By biting her tongue, she managed to avoid screaming, but could not help giving it a swift kick, which caused it to run off, but not before screeching loudly. Gwen cursed silently, and prayed that the two guys hadn't heard it.
Apparently, her prayers hadn't been answered, because the first voice said, "Hey, did you hear that? Sounds like someone's snooping around. We'd better go check it out."
"They're coming over here!" Gwen whispered urgently. "What do we do now?"
"There's nothing else for it," Hank replied, surprisingly calm, though he spoke as fast as he could. "We're gonna have to fight them. Sounds like there's only two of them, and we can jump 'em."
There was no time for Gwen to reply, as two men appeared from around the corner, but before they could spot our duo, Hank nailed one right on the jaw and sent him out cold, while Gwen attempted to clip the other, but he saw her coming and easily deflected her punch, holding her so that she was rendered effectively powerless. He grabbed the gun he had been wearing and began to take aim, but luckily for her, Hank saw what he was doing, and grabbed Gwen's assailant. Before the crook could react, Hank threw him against the wall furiously, smiling in grim satisfaction as he hit the wall and was also knocked unconscious.
"Hank, I—I don't know what to say! You were amazing!" Gwen gasped, as soon as she had had time to register precisely what had happened.
Hank looked uncomfortable, and modestly replied, "It wasn't anything, Gwen, you were just in a bit of a spot, and I got the guy."
"It was more than that! He was about to kill me, and I couldn't even move! If you hadn't gotten to him when you did… Well, you certainly saved my life!"
"Don't mention it," Hank insisted, turning slightly red. "It was well worth saving, and we're supposed to be looking out for each other right now. We'd better get going, it sounds like they've got at least two of them here, and we don't know how long we've got until these guys wake up."
After stopping to disarm the unconscious thugs, Hank and Gwen continued to explore the warehouse. It wasn't long until they came upon the central room, which appeared to be lit up. They went in, and in the middle of the room found Luis and Sheridan both tied up. The captive couple looked up in shock to see Hank and Gwen, of all people, standing before them!
"Hank! Gwen!" Sheridan shouted, incredulous with delight. "What are you doing here?!"
"Yeah," added Luis, smiling widely. "How'd you two ever manage to find us in here?"
"Long story," replied Gwen. "Thank God you're okay; we've been worrying that by the time we found you, it'd be too late. We'll tell you the whole story later, but the short version is that Hank here figured out that you'd been kidnapped almost immediately, and we've been tracking you ever since."
"And we never would've succeeded if it wasn't for Gwen here," Hank beamed, throwing Gwen a look of unabashed admiration. "She was incredible, knowing how to go about tracking Nick's whereabouts and arranging everything."
"You weren't so bad yourself!" Gwen laughed. "He drilled people for information, and even saved my life a few minutes ago, by knocking out a guy who almost shot me!" Gwen explained for Luis and Sheridan's benefit.
Sheridan stared, amazed at their great luck, and also a little surprised at how amazingly well Gwen and Hank seemed to be getting along. Sheridan had been gone a long time since the boat explosion, but she clearly remembered listening to her best friend complain about that obnoxious, nosy Hank who'd been pestering her lately. Now, the two of them acted quite cozy, and Sheridan couldn't help but wonder if something was developing, a romance perhaps in its earliest stages; for Gwen's sake, after the Ethan breakup, Sheridan certainly hoped so. She remembered how it'd been with her and Luis, mutual hatred slowly giving way to love…
But she forcefully stopped that thought. She was with Antonio now, though she had found that she had had to remind herself of that fact more and more frequently every day. She felt guilty having these feelings when Antonio had just yesterday been taken away, to do whatever it was that Nick wanted done, but she couldn't help it, and now that Luis was there and Antonio wasn't—
Sheridan's stream of consciousness was instantly broken off when Hank asked where Antonio was. "I'm afraid you were too late to find him here," Sheridan said angrily. "That Nick guy is pulling some sort of operation, and he's forcing Antonio to work with him on it."
"Yeah," said Luis, gritting his teeth at this unwelcome feeling of helplessness. "He left a couple guys to guard us, and told Antonio that if he left or sabotaged the scam, he'd have them kill Sheridan and me instantly. Thing is, as long as he doesn't know that we've been rescued, he'll have no choice but to do exactly as Nick says, and we have no clue where he is or what they're doing, though Antonio thought they might want his help navigating a boat of some kind."
"Oh, great!" muttered Gwen. "I'd thought for a second that we had actually come to the end of all this, and now we have to track down Antonio as well."
"Well," said Hank placidly, "you can continue to use your connections to find out where Nick has been, and I bet those two lowlifes have a good idea of the master plan here. We can swing it."
Hank and Gwen then promptly untied Sheridan and Luis. They waited several moments while the two got used to standing up properly, and Hank finally said, "Alright, we'll tie the crooks up, wake them up again, and drill them for everything they know."
"Right," agreed Luis. "And then, after we get Gwen and Sheridan safely back, you and I will set off on the mission."
"Excuse me!" yelled both Sheridan and Gwen, almost in perfect unison.
"There is NO way I'm being left out of this now!" Gwen protested, irked by Luis' presumption. "I started out on this, and I'm going to see it through to the end. Anyway, you need me; you heard Hank say that he couldn't have got this far without my knowledge of how to get things done."
Luis looked decidedly uncomfortable. He hadn't meant to be sexist, but his natural sense of chivalry had caused him to speak without thinking. "I'm sorry, Gwen, I, uh—"
But before he could come up with an actual response, Sheridan cut him off. "I'm coming along too, Luis, and you'll just have to deal with it."
This time, Luis was adamant. "No. I don't want to give you orders, but it'll be much too dangerous, and I don't want you getting hurt. I couldn't stand it again."
"Look," Sheridan glared. "Antonio's in trouble, and I know this is painful for you, but he's my fiancé. Part of the reason he's in this mess is because he can't risk my getting hurt, and the least I can do now is to do the same for him. I've spent the past year acting like a simpering, helpless fool, but I'm Sheridan now, not Diana, and I want to actually DO something, not just sit back and cry for help. Besides, the way things have been going the past few years, I'm not totally convinced that staying home in Harmony is any safer than chasing after a master crook on a top secret score."
Knowing that he couldn't fight her for long, Luis relented, even smiling a little. "Fine, Sheridan. You always were as stubborn as a mule, and I guess you do have a couple good points there."
"Hey guys, if we're all decided that we're all coming along, we'd better hurry, Hank warned anxiously. "We don't want them waking up before we get back, and we've already wasted a lot of time talking." Nobody had any objections of any sort, so they briskly left the room, each hoping that the unconscious thugs would give them some valuable information about Nick, Antonio, and the scheme, whatever it was.
(A/N: Yes, I know, many of you are groaning at yet another Crane party. But really, isn't the fact that there will ALWAYS be a party at the Crane mansion periodically one of the things we really love about the show? I mean, it's certainly one of the things I love. For me, it just wouldn't be Passions if all the characters, no matter how irrational their presence would be, did not show up at the mansion in formal wear every once in a while. So, I want to keep the tradition alive in my writing. In addition, as most of you know, Natalie Zea will soon be leaving the show, to be replaced by original Gwen Liza Huber. As I didn't watch the show when she was on, I cannot determine exactly how I feel about this, but I do know that I will miss Ms. Zea, who always brought to Gwen a sense that she had integrity and brains no matter what the writers made her do. For the purposes of this story, readers should continue to imagine her as Gwen. Also, I definitely envision the Ethan of this story as Travis Schuldt. No offense to the actor, but the new guy just ISN'T Ethan, as nobody could make Ethan so endearing while remaining incredibly dense like Mr. Schuldt could.)