To Love Again

Disclaimer: You have to get the picture by now... I don't own Passion and anything else I might use in this story that isn't used by my beautiful mind.

A/N: I'm so very sorry that I didn't update sooner but I sort of got a small writers block and when I did finish I didn't have time to update. It was so funny I got writers block for this story but I got this huge idea for another. Anyway I really hope you like this chapter.

Chapter 26

The Meeting

Ethan walked into Alistair's office and stood before him. "Ethan so glad that you could make it... have a seat." "What do you want Alistair?" Ethan looked into Alistair's eyes angrily. "Well Ethan I assume that you know your plan has gone... well Theresa's still alive." "I know perfectly well that you screwed up Alistair. I saw her this morning." Ethan said with frustration while nonchalantly flopping into a seat across from Alistair's desk.

"The man that I hired was an incompetent fool... he screwed up the simple task I gave him." Ethan gave an abrupt snort. "Looks like your having a little trouble finding yourself good help these days." "Yes well this generation just seems to bare rotten fruit." "What is it that you wanted me here for? Our little business transaction is over." "I wouldn't think so since Theresa is still alive." "Well thanks to your information on Gwen I don't think there's a point in having Theresa dead." "I know cruel things Ethan and what you're doing."

"Don't speak of cruel things to me Alistair... I guess I just couldn't handle seeing Theresa with Fox and... well... love can drive you to do certain crazy things." "Apparently you and Theresa deserve each other." Ethan only smiled. Since Ethan had found out all of Alistair's secrets he decided to blackmail him. Alistair was surprised at the sudden change in Ethan... he remembered that the boy had barley grieved for his deceased daughter.

You wouldn't think that Alistair could be so easily blackmailed but he had no choice. At first he had been outraged and then he had taken action by hiring a hit man but of course had to retreat his course of action when he found out that Ethan had prepared for such a thing. He had found that Ethan had proof and that once he was dead all the Crane secrets would be sent to the tabloids.

No sweet talking Ethan was going to change his mind. Obviously Ethan hadn't fully recovered from his daughter's death and had twisted him into what he had once dreaded most. He had become Alistair... a true Crane although he wasn't blood. Even though it was hard to believe, Alistair had once been like Ethan, a powerful man but he had also had a heart.

Once his wife Katharine became ill and slowly passed away his heart melded into a block of ice so thick that nothing could thaw it. Like Ethan he hadn't any time to grieve properly. He was quickly corrupted... and then he turned his attention to his second love... power. His passion for power grew and as it grew he felt that he had to control everything, even death. He was like a God in his company... he looked down at the people below him and ruled over them like a king able to crush their dreams with an iron fist.

"Alistair I really don't have any time for this. I don't need you to deal with taking care of Theresa... I'll deal with her myself when the time comes." He said getting up from his seat. Alistair had at first thought he was going to deal with Theresa himself. He didn't want to find her back in his family and then end up clearing a path for Luis to come sticking his Latino nose where it didn't belong but Ethan had beat him to the punch. Alistair didn't worry all that much about Ethan who was merely killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

He was getting Theresa away from Fox the only cost of it all was knowing that Ethan had power over Alistair and he didn't like it one bit. As long as Ethan was happy with Theresa he didn't have to worry but Alistair vowed if Ethan tried crossing him again he would make sure he rued the day he ever left the womb of his whore of a mother.

This whole situation had started when Ethan had called Alistair a couple of days before Theresa had happened to call Ethan. That day he had let Alistair know of what he had on him. Next thing you knew Theresa had made a call to Ethan before talking to Alistair. Alistair had just wanted to put Theresa out of her misery and quick so he planed to hire a person to perhaps kidnap her but then all too soon his plans began to change when Ethan called. Ethan demanded that Theresa be taken out.

Alistair had been surprised, this was the woman that Ethan had once loved. What had happened to him? What had changed in his feelings? Ethan knew that Fox was alive after overhearing a conversation between Pilar and Julian and then he had been confused even more so when Theresa called. He was so tired that he had forgotten that Fox had been alive.

In Ethan's now twisted mind, he just wanted happiness but had lost it all when he saw the cold body of his little baby girl in the hospital. She wasn't ever going to be able to grow up and live a normal happy life. He wasn't going to witness her very first words nor was he going to witness her very first date. He would never see her strive for her goals and then perhaps one day get married and produce kids of her own. Ethan had tried to hold on to Gwen as he tried to hold on to the only thing he had left of his daughter.

His heart slowly became cold. He knew he could have many more children but when he had seen his daughter's body lying in that plastic crib it had somehow changed him. "Ethan... before you leave don't add any great suspicion that I or you were involved with anything that has happened to Theresa." "That would be the last thing I'd want Alistair for a great man such as yourself I'd think you'd know that." He said with a smirk. Alistair's grip on the cigar in his hand constricted.

'How dare Ethan think he could disrespect me in such away?' But he did say anything to put Ethan in his place. One false move and all Alistair had worked for would be down the drain. "Have a nice day Alistair... don't have too much fun sitting behind that desk." He said turning and leaving. Once Alistair heard the click of the door behind Ethan he crumpled the cigar in his hand. As long as Ethan didn't cross the line there would be no need in killing him.

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A/N: What do ya'll think about the change in Ethan? Was it surprising? This chapter was going to be way off base. I had Alistair manipulating Ethan but then it just looked like the whole Luis and Antonio situation. I decided on making Ethan evil. I naturally don't consider Ethan evil it's just while I was almost finished with this chapter I got this new idea and well here we are with this chapter.

Ps: If the question of the whole Ethan finding out all the Crane secrets makes you mind kind of swim I'm sorry if you have questions I'll try my best to answer them. If your thinking about 'now Ethan has found out the secrets which means he knows about the conflicts with Sheridan' well lets just say that Ethan doesn't really know what he wants anymore so he really didn't take Sheridan's feelings into perspective.

I know this makes Ethan way out of character but I wanted to do something that would kind of make the story move along. The idea I had before was going to make this story probably take forever. Anyway just to add it looks like you might have to wait again for a little while for the next update. Please don't be mad I'm going on vacation and I won't be near any computers for at least a week but I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as I can, promise.