"Fox, we're ready!" Theresa yelled up the stairs. Fox had finally taken time off work and they were going to take the kids for a walk in the park.
"Mommy, what's taking Daddy so long?" Little Ethan whined impatiently.
"He'll be down here in a few minutes." she replied. "Fox!" she yelled again.
Finally Fox came running down the stairs with his cell phone in hand.
"Are you ready now Daddy?" Ethan asked.
"I hate to do this to you bud, but I can't come." Fox said patting him on the head.
"Why?" Ethan asked disappointed.
"Because I have something really important to do." he responded.
"We're important too!" Ethan yelled.
"Ethan!" Theresa scolded him.
"It's not fair! Everytime we're about to do something you leave!" he screamed at Fox.
Before Fox or Theresa could say anything, Ethan took off his hat and bounded up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him.
"Well, that went smoothly." Fox said to a smiling Danielle.
"Why can't you come?" Theresa asked.
"Alistair needs me at the office."
"Why can't he ask Julian? He knows its your vacation time!" she replied angrily.
"Look, I can't contest whatever Alistair tells me to do. It's my job." he argued.
"Right, and I shouldn't interfere with your job so go ahead, go. I'll make up some lie to tell Ethan about why his father can't spend one day of quality time with him." she said hotly. She turned on her heel and went up the stairs after Ethan.
"How come Daddy's always leaving?" Ethan asked as Theresa entered the room.
Theresa sighed and sat down next to him. "Cause your daddy's a very important person."
"It makes me sad when he's gone." he said. He then laid his head against his mother's shoulder for comfort.
"It makes me sad too." she whispered as she stroked his hair.
"When I get all grown up, I'll never leave you." he suddenly said sitting up.
"Good," Theresa smiled "cause I don't know what I'd do without you."
Ethan gave Theresa a hug and jumped up. "Let's go to the park!"
"To the park we shall go." she laughed chasing him down the stairs. Her smile faded when she saw Fox still standing there. "I thought you had to go to work."
"I um, I called in and told him I wouldn't come." he answered. "Family before work, right?"
Theresa looked at Fox and smiled. The look on Little Ethan's face was priceless.
"Well, we should get going!" Fox said clapping his hands together. He picked up Danielle and Little Ethan followed him out the door. When they were almost in the car they realized Theresa wasn't with them.
"Mommy! Aren't you coming?" Little Ethan asked Theresa who was standing at the door.
"No. You go ahead and have fun." she grinned.
Fox smiled and blew her a kiss. She waved goodbye and whistled as she walked back into the house.
_______________________________________
"Mr. Winthrop." A man said entering Ethan's office.
"Yes?" he asked looking up.
"We've spotted Fox Crane." the man reported.
"Good, now we can carry out our plan. Make sure you make it fast and you go unseen." Ethan ordered.
The man nodded and left to fufill his orders.
________________________________________
Theresa frantically raced through the hospital looking for the room Dr. Russell had told her. "Please don't let it be too late." She jumped over chairs, pushed past nurses, and swerved around people. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She finally came to a halt when she saw her family and the Cranes gathered around a room. No words could escape her mouth because she was out of breath.
"Is this the room." she panted to Pilar.
Pilar opened her mouth to say something but Dr. Russell came out of the room before she could say anything.
"There you are!" she greeted Theresa.
"Is he..is he ok?" she asked desperately.
Dr. Russell sighed and looked down at her clipboard.
"Oh God, no.....please, don't tell me....." Theresa cried.
"You made it." Fox appeared as he pushed past family members.
"Fox!" Theresa squeezed him tight. "I thought it was you who was in the hospital."
"No, its not me." he answered shaking his head.
"Then who is it?"
"It's Danielle." he said hoarsely.
"Danielle suffered from a bullet to her heart. We tried to remove the bullet, but the damage was to traumatic for her to recover....I'm sorry." Eve reported.
The life was suddenly sucked out of Theresa and she fainted into Fox's arms.
__________________________________________________
Fox closed the door after the last person left. Today had been Danielle's funeral and everyone stopped by to give their sympathy. He looked over at Theresa and it broke his heart to see the state that she was in. Her eyes were red, her nose was puffy and she just stared into space. Fox walked into his office and picked up the phone.
"Whoever did this is going to pay." he said angrily as he dialed Dylan's phone number.
"Were you just about to call me?" Dylan said suddenly appearing.
"Yeah." Fox answered has he hung up the phone.
"Here I am and I've got some information."
"Tell me what you got." Fox replied.
"It was Ethan. Ethan hired someone to shoot at you, things went wrong and your daughter got shot instead." he reported.
Fox angrily hit his fist against his desk. "I'm going to kill that bastard, and this time I mean it!"
"No you're not." Theresa said quietly as she walked into his office.
Dylan looked from Fox to Theresa. "I'll be going man. Sorry about your loss."
"What do you mean I'm not?" Fox asked after Dylan left.
"I thought you would have learned your lesson already about trying to kill someone."
"Theresa, he killed our daughter! She would've been alive if I had killed him last month. Heck, if you wouldn't have called him!" Fox yelled.
"Why do you keep bringing this up?" she screamed.
"Because, a lot of things would be different if you hadn't done that. If you hadn't called him our daughter would still be alive."
"Oh, so now its my fault? Is that what you're saying?" she yelled back.
"No, Theresa I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." he said getting up to touch her, but Theresa took a step back.
"Don't touch me." she said icily.
"Theresa..."
"It scares me to know that those hands you used to pull a trigger to kill Ethan are the hands that play football with our son.. gawd, the hands that hold me...." she cried. "I told you not to bring the children into this Fox. I thought we made it clear that there was a line between your work and our family but you've crossed the line and now Danielle is dead!"
"Don't blame it on me! You think I wanted this to happen?"
"I don't know what to think anymore...." she paused "This job has changed you. It's like you're a different person now."
"No Theresa, it's still me."
"The old you was caring and compassionate and loving. But now you're violent and explosive and you don't stop at nothing. I tried to stop you from going after Ethan but you didn't stop! How could you try or even think about taking an innocent life?"
"You tell that to Ethan! He's the one who took an innocent life!" Fox yelled.
"Why do you keep trying to justify what Ethan did with what you did?" she screamed. "There is no justification. You both had the same seed of violence in your heart."
"But he killed someone and I didn't! Don't give me that bull crap!"
"ME give YOU bull crap?! Why don't you stop giving bull crap to our son! You tell him you're going to do something with him but then you cancel at the last minute. Do you see what that does to him? Do you see how it breaks his heart even more every time you tell him you can't spend just one minute with him? I'm tired of lying for you and making up excuses why you can't go to the park or play a game with him. I'm tired of waiting up late at night wondering when you're coming home...if you're ok...if you're hurt...I hate what your job is doing to you and our family." she sobbed.
"I know, I hate it too." he said quietly.
"Then quit."
"I can't." he answered.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because its my job!" he boomed.
"Just find another job!"
"Theresa, I've been raised to do this job. I've inherited this job. This job is what makes me a Crane."
"And your job is what is making your family fall apart." she spat angrily.
"Maybe I could take more hours off-"
"No. That's not going to help at all. You're still going to be going after Ethan and other people."
"I can't quit my job, ok!? I just can't. There's no way." he argued.
Theresa looked down at the floor. "Well....you've made your decision, so now I'll make mine.... I'm leaving you."
Fox looked in desperation at Theresa's words. "No Theresa please don't. I love you, you can't leave me."
"Then quit your job." she said softly.
"I can't leave."
"Then I can't stay."
Fox searched Theresa's eyes and saw that she meant what she said. "Theresa...we love each other."
"But sometimes you've got to make sacrifices for the one you love." she replied as tears spilled down her face.
"Theresa..." he cried as he wiped the tears from her face "I don't want to lose you."
"Just because I'm gone doesn't mean I'm lost to you." she answered. "I'll always love you but I can't stay."
Fox sniffed, "I understand."
"Ethan and I will be leaving in the morning." she said quietly. She then turned and began to walk away.
"Theresa." he called after her.
Theresa stopped and turned around.
He slowly made his way over to her. When he reached her he planted a long sweet kiss on her lips. When it was over, neither wanted to move.
"I should start packing." Theresa said after a few moments.
Fox nodded but held on to her hand.
"Fox." she whispered as she looked down at his hand.
Fox closed his eyes as reality hit him. He looked down at the hand of the woman he loved and let it go. As she walked away he cried for his lost love.
"Mommy, what's taking Daddy so long?" Little Ethan whined impatiently.
"He'll be down here in a few minutes." she replied. "Fox!" she yelled again.
Finally Fox came running down the stairs with his cell phone in hand.
"Are you ready now Daddy?" Ethan asked.
"I hate to do this to you bud, but I can't come." Fox said patting him on the head.
"Why?" Ethan asked disappointed.
"Because I have something really important to do." he responded.
"We're important too!" Ethan yelled.
"Ethan!" Theresa scolded him.
"It's not fair! Everytime we're about to do something you leave!" he screamed at Fox.
Before Fox or Theresa could say anything, Ethan took off his hat and bounded up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him.
"Well, that went smoothly." Fox said to a smiling Danielle.
"Why can't you come?" Theresa asked.
"Alistair needs me at the office."
"Why can't he ask Julian? He knows its your vacation time!" she replied angrily.
"Look, I can't contest whatever Alistair tells me to do. It's my job." he argued.
"Right, and I shouldn't interfere with your job so go ahead, go. I'll make up some lie to tell Ethan about why his father can't spend one day of quality time with him." she said hotly. She turned on her heel and went up the stairs after Ethan.
"How come Daddy's always leaving?" Ethan asked as Theresa entered the room.
Theresa sighed and sat down next to him. "Cause your daddy's a very important person."
"It makes me sad when he's gone." he said. He then laid his head against his mother's shoulder for comfort.
"It makes me sad too." she whispered as she stroked his hair.
"When I get all grown up, I'll never leave you." he suddenly said sitting up.
"Good," Theresa smiled "cause I don't know what I'd do without you."
Ethan gave Theresa a hug and jumped up. "Let's go to the park!"
"To the park we shall go." she laughed chasing him down the stairs. Her smile faded when she saw Fox still standing there. "I thought you had to go to work."
"I um, I called in and told him I wouldn't come." he answered. "Family before work, right?"
Theresa looked at Fox and smiled. The look on Little Ethan's face was priceless.
"Well, we should get going!" Fox said clapping his hands together. He picked up Danielle and Little Ethan followed him out the door. When they were almost in the car they realized Theresa wasn't with them.
"Mommy! Aren't you coming?" Little Ethan asked Theresa who was standing at the door.
"No. You go ahead and have fun." she grinned.
Fox smiled and blew her a kiss. She waved goodbye and whistled as she walked back into the house.
_______________________________________
"Mr. Winthrop." A man said entering Ethan's office.
"Yes?" he asked looking up.
"We've spotted Fox Crane." the man reported.
"Good, now we can carry out our plan. Make sure you make it fast and you go unseen." Ethan ordered.
The man nodded and left to fufill his orders.
________________________________________
Theresa frantically raced through the hospital looking for the room Dr. Russell had told her. "Please don't let it be too late." She jumped over chairs, pushed past nurses, and swerved around people. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. She finally came to a halt when she saw her family and the Cranes gathered around a room. No words could escape her mouth because she was out of breath.
"Is this the room." she panted to Pilar.
Pilar opened her mouth to say something but Dr. Russell came out of the room before she could say anything.
"There you are!" she greeted Theresa.
"Is he..is he ok?" she asked desperately.
Dr. Russell sighed and looked down at her clipboard.
"Oh God, no.....please, don't tell me....." Theresa cried.
"You made it." Fox appeared as he pushed past family members.
"Fox!" Theresa squeezed him tight. "I thought it was you who was in the hospital."
"No, its not me." he answered shaking his head.
"Then who is it?"
"It's Danielle." he said hoarsely.
"Danielle suffered from a bullet to her heart. We tried to remove the bullet, but the damage was to traumatic for her to recover....I'm sorry." Eve reported.
The life was suddenly sucked out of Theresa and she fainted into Fox's arms.
__________________________________________________
Fox closed the door after the last person left. Today had been Danielle's funeral and everyone stopped by to give their sympathy. He looked over at Theresa and it broke his heart to see the state that she was in. Her eyes were red, her nose was puffy and she just stared into space. Fox walked into his office and picked up the phone.
"Whoever did this is going to pay." he said angrily as he dialed Dylan's phone number.
"Were you just about to call me?" Dylan said suddenly appearing.
"Yeah." Fox answered has he hung up the phone.
"Here I am and I've got some information."
"Tell me what you got." Fox replied.
"It was Ethan. Ethan hired someone to shoot at you, things went wrong and your daughter got shot instead." he reported.
Fox angrily hit his fist against his desk. "I'm going to kill that bastard, and this time I mean it!"
"No you're not." Theresa said quietly as she walked into his office.
Dylan looked from Fox to Theresa. "I'll be going man. Sorry about your loss."
"What do you mean I'm not?" Fox asked after Dylan left.
"I thought you would have learned your lesson already about trying to kill someone."
"Theresa, he killed our daughter! She would've been alive if I had killed him last month. Heck, if you wouldn't have called him!" Fox yelled.
"Why do you keep bringing this up?" she screamed.
"Because, a lot of things would be different if you hadn't done that. If you hadn't called him our daughter would still be alive."
"Oh, so now its my fault? Is that what you're saying?" she yelled back.
"No, Theresa I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." he said getting up to touch her, but Theresa took a step back.
"Don't touch me." she said icily.
"Theresa..."
"It scares me to know that those hands you used to pull a trigger to kill Ethan are the hands that play football with our son.. gawd, the hands that hold me...." she cried. "I told you not to bring the children into this Fox. I thought we made it clear that there was a line between your work and our family but you've crossed the line and now Danielle is dead!"
"Don't blame it on me! You think I wanted this to happen?"
"I don't know what to think anymore...." she paused "This job has changed you. It's like you're a different person now."
"No Theresa, it's still me."
"The old you was caring and compassionate and loving. But now you're violent and explosive and you don't stop at nothing. I tried to stop you from going after Ethan but you didn't stop! How could you try or even think about taking an innocent life?"
"You tell that to Ethan! He's the one who took an innocent life!" Fox yelled.
"Why do you keep trying to justify what Ethan did with what you did?" she screamed. "There is no justification. You both had the same seed of violence in your heart."
"But he killed someone and I didn't! Don't give me that bull crap!"
"ME give YOU bull crap?! Why don't you stop giving bull crap to our son! You tell him you're going to do something with him but then you cancel at the last minute. Do you see what that does to him? Do you see how it breaks his heart even more every time you tell him you can't spend just one minute with him? I'm tired of lying for you and making up excuses why you can't go to the park or play a game with him. I'm tired of waiting up late at night wondering when you're coming home...if you're ok...if you're hurt...I hate what your job is doing to you and our family." she sobbed.
"I know, I hate it too." he said quietly.
"Then quit."
"I can't." he answered.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because its my job!" he boomed.
"Just find another job!"
"Theresa, I've been raised to do this job. I've inherited this job. This job is what makes me a Crane."
"And your job is what is making your family fall apart." she spat angrily.
"Maybe I could take more hours off-"
"No. That's not going to help at all. You're still going to be going after Ethan and other people."
"I can't quit my job, ok!? I just can't. There's no way." he argued.
Theresa looked down at the floor. "Well....you've made your decision, so now I'll make mine.... I'm leaving you."
Fox looked in desperation at Theresa's words. "No Theresa please don't. I love you, you can't leave me."
"Then quit your job." she said softly.
"I can't leave."
"Then I can't stay."
Fox searched Theresa's eyes and saw that she meant what she said. "Theresa...we love each other."
"But sometimes you've got to make sacrifices for the one you love." she replied as tears spilled down her face.
"Theresa..." he cried as he wiped the tears from her face "I don't want to lose you."
"Just because I'm gone doesn't mean I'm lost to you." she answered. "I'll always love you but I can't stay."
Fox sniffed, "I understand."
"Ethan and I will be leaving in the morning." she said quietly. She then turned and began to walk away.
"Theresa." he called after her.
Theresa stopped and turned around.
He slowly made his way over to her. When he reached her he planted a long sweet kiss on her lips. When it was over, neither wanted to move.
"I should start packing." Theresa said after a few moments.
Fox nodded but held on to her hand.
"Fox." she whispered as she looked down at his hand.
Fox closed his eyes as reality hit him. He looked down at the hand of the woman he loved and let it go. As she walked away he cried for his lost love.