~Chapter 1~
Teresa lay on her bed curled up in a ball. She was now living at the cottage on the Crane estate. Sheridan had recently moved out after having her marriage to Antonio anulled. She was living in a home she and Luis had built together. Teresa heard a soft rapping on her door.
"Who is it?" She barely whispered.
"Teresa, it's me."
Teresa slowly slid from the her bed and walked over and opened the door, "Fox."
Fox inched into the room, "Teresa, I knew I'd find you here. Why do you do this to yourself?"
Teresa threw up her hands, "Why not? What else do I have in my life that is worth anything?"
"Don't say that!" Fox grabbed Teresa and shook her, "Look at me!"
"Fox, you're scaring me." Tears came to Teresa's eyes.
"Good, someone needs to." Fox drug Teresa to a full length mirror. "Look at yourself!" He forced Teresa to look at her image in the mirror. She grimmaced at what she saw. Fox shook her again, "Look at yourself. You haven't bathed in days. When was the last night you brushed you hair. These are the same damn pajamas you were wearing three days ago. God, what the hell are you doing to yourself? Where's the Teresa I saw when I first came back to town? So alive and full of life." He sighed as he looked at Teresa.
"That Teresa is gone Fox. She's dead to me. She no longer exists." Teresa dropped her face to look at the ground.
"Don't do that, Teresa." He reached from behind her and held up her chin. "You look down to no one, Teresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. You are a beautiful, smart, loving woman. You are so much better than Ethan, Gwen, my mother, Julian. You are the best person I have ever met."
"Fox..."
"Let me finish, Teresa." Fox scolded her. Teresa nodded. "Do you know how much I care about you Teresa? You are the only person in Harmony that has taken the time to get to know me. To look past all the rumors and see me for what I really am. Hell, you make me feel better about myself. I actually like me now." Teresa laughed. "There you go", Fox smiled. "Look at that, you can light up a room with that smile. You're amazing. Ethan is stupid not to see that. And if he does, he's stupid to ignore it."
"Oh, Fox, what would I do without you?"
Fox came around and pulled Teresa into an embrace, "The question is, Teresa, what would I do without you?" Fox starred at the image of him and Teresa in their intimate embrace. It was almost as if he could see into the future. See things that were to come to pass.
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Up at the Crane mansion Gwen was also studying her image in the mirror. "Ethan, do you still think I'm beautiful even with this big stomach." She rubbed her belly.
"Yes, Gwen, you are a very beautiful woman." He said coming up behind her and putting his hand over hers on her tummy.
"I can't wait until this baby gets here."
Julian came walking by Gwen and Ethan's open door, "Have you two seen Fox?"
"Julian, you know we don't keep up with Fox." Gwen spit out.
"Actually, Julian, I believe I saw him head over to the cottage."
Julian grinned, "Ah, like father like son. Always trying to score with the ladies."
Ethan walked over to the door, ready to slam it in Julian's face, "One thing I think you've forgotten, Julian, is Teresa won't fall for Fox's games."
"Oh contraire, my dear Ethan, seems she fell for mine." He smirked.
Ethan almost pounced on Julian, but Gwen ran over and held him back, "What do you need with Fox anyways, Julian, I thought you two hated each other?"
"That much hasn't changed, Gwen, but since he is the new heir to the Crane fortune, he must be involved in the major decisions. I'm getting ready to join Father in a conference call. He has requested that Fox be there. If you two will excuse me." Julian turned and headed downstairs.
Ethan slammed the door. " If that man wasn't nice enough to let the two of us live here, I would..."
"Shut up, Ethan. Why do you always stand up for Teresa? Why do you always let her come between us?"
"Gwen, don't start this." Ethan said rubbing his temples.
"Why not, Ethan? You still love her don't you? You're never going to forget her, are you?"
"How can I, Gwen, when you won't let me? In case you haven't noticed you're the one who seems to bring her up all the time..."
"How dare you, Ethan! Don't you dare try to blame this on me. You know that Teresa is a coniving little bitch, but yet you still seem to love her."
"Gwen, look, Teresa may have done a lot of bad things, may have lied and schemed, but what she did, she did out of love for me. You yourself, have done silly things for love, haven't you? Teresa is basically a good girl, she just has a lot of growing up to do."
"You would think after she gave birth she would've grown up. And after she lost Little Ethan she still kept up her lies and schemes. Like I said, she is a bitch and she was a horrible mother."
Ethan walked over to the window and starred out, "Gwen," he said calmly, "Teresa is a wonderful person. And she was a wonderful mother. I would hope that you would have more respect for the fact that she lost Little Ethan. You're about to give birth to our child, Gwen. How would you fell if our child became ill and didn't..." Ethan's words trailed off as tears came to his eyes. "Gwen, I love you, and you should know that, but I won't listen to you degrade Teresa anymore."
Gwen just starred at Ethan dumbfound.
Teresa lay on her bed curled up in a ball. She was now living at the cottage on the Crane estate. Sheridan had recently moved out after having her marriage to Antonio anulled. She was living in a home she and Luis had built together. Teresa heard a soft rapping on her door.
"Who is it?" She barely whispered.
"Teresa, it's me."
Teresa slowly slid from the her bed and walked over and opened the door, "Fox."
Fox inched into the room, "Teresa, I knew I'd find you here. Why do you do this to yourself?"
Teresa threw up her hands, "Why not? What else do I have in my life that is worth anything?"
"Don't say that!" Fox grabbed Teresa and shook her, "Look at me!"
"Fox, you're scaring me." Tears came to Teresa's eyes.
"Good, someone needs to." Fox drug Teresa to a full length mirror. "Look at yourself!" He forced Teresa to look at her image in the mirror. She grimmaced at what she saw. Fox shook her again, "Look at yourself. You haven't bathed in days. When was the last night you brushed you hair. These are the same damn pajamas you were wearing three days ago. God, what the hell are you doing to yourself? Where's the Teresa I saw when I first came back to town? So alive and full of life." He sighed as he looked at Teresa.
"That Teresa is gone Fox. She's dead to me. She no longer exists." Teresa dropped her face to look at the ground.
"Don't do that, Teresa." He reached from behind her and held up her chin. "You look down to no one, Teresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. You are a beautiful, smart, loving woman. You are so much better than Ethan, Gwen, my mother, Julian. You are the best person I have ever met."
"Fox..."
"Let me finish, Teresa." Fox scolded her. Teresa nodded. "Do you know how much I care about you Teresa? You are the only person in Harmony that has taken the time to get to know me. To look past all the rumors and see me for what I really am. Hell, you make me feel better about myself. I actually like me now." Teresa laughed. "There you go", Fox smiled. "Look at that, you can light up a room with that smile. You're amazing. Ethan is stupid not to see that. And if he does, he's stupid to ignore it."
"Oh, Fox, what would I do without you?"
Fox came around and pulled Teresa into an embrace, "The question is, Teresa, what would I do without you?" Fox starred at the image of him and Teresa in their intimate embrace. It was almost as if he could see into the future. See things that were to come to pass.
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Up at the Crane mansion Gwen was also studying her image in the mirror. "Ethan, do you still think I'm beautiful even with this big stomach." She rubbed her belly.
"Yes, Gwen, you are a very beautiful woman." He said coming up behind her and putting his hand over hers on her tummy.
"I can't wait until this baby gets here."
Julian came walking by Gwen and Ethan's open door, "Have you two seen Fox?"
"Julian, you know we don't keep up with Fox." Gwen spit out.
"Actually, Julian, I believe I saw him head over to the cottage."
Julian grinned, "Ah, like father like son. Always trying to score with the ladies."
Ethan walked over to the door, ready to slam it in Julian's face, "One thing I think you've forgotten, Julian, is Teresa won't fall for Fox's games."
"Oh contraire, my dear Ethan, seems she fell for mine." He smirked.
Ethan almost pounced on Julian, but Gwen ran over and held him back, "What do you need with Fox anyways, Julian, I thought you two hated each other?"
"That much hasn't changed, Gwen, but since he is the new heir to the Crane fortune, he must be involved in the major decisions. I'm getting ready to join Father in a conference call. He has requested that Fox be there. If you two will excuse me." Julian turned and headed downstairs.
Ethan slammed the door. " If that man wasn't nice enough to let the two of us live here, I would..."
"Shut up, Ethan. Why do you always stand up for Teresa? Why do you always let her come between us?"
"Gwen, don't start this." Ethan said rubbing his temples.
"Why not, Ethan? You still love her don't you? You're never going to forget her, are you?"
"How can I, Gwen, when you won't let me? In case you haven't noticed you're the one who seems to bring her up all the time..."
"How dare you, Ethan! Don't you dare try to blame this on me. You know that Teresa is a coniving little bitch, but yet you still seem to love her."
"Gwen, look, Teresa may have done a lot of bad things, may have lied and schemed, but what she did, she did out of love for me. You yourself, have done silly things for love, haven't you? Teresa is basically a good girl, she just has a lot of growing up to do."
"You would think after she gave birth she would've grown up. And after she lost Little Ethan she still kept up her lies and schemes. Like I said, she is a bitch and she was a horrible mother."
Ethan walked over to the window and starred out, "Gwen," he said calmly, "Teresa is a wonderful person. And she was a wonderful mother. I would hope that you would have more respect for the fact that she lost Little Ethan. You're about to give birth to our child, Gwen. How would you fell if our child became ill and didn't..." Ethan's words trailed off as tears came to his eyes. "Gwen, I love you, and you should know that, but I won't listen to you degrade Teresa anymore."
Gwen just starred at Ethan dumbfound.