Disclaimer: I don't own it or get paid for it : ) I don't own the
characters and therefore have no hope of making any money off this.
**I'm so excited I have more reviews! It doesn't take much. LOL! Dawn: no, I won't try to make you feel sorry for Kara, well not intentionally! : )
jnp: I like your idea about forcing Kara to see Stiles and Terri together. It's making me think...
From 40
"I want her out of my house, now." Terri said as she walked to another part of the room and folded her arms across her chest.
Kara ran into Stiles' arms waiting for protection.
Stiles gently pushed her away then asked Terri to give them some time alone.
"No."
Stiles walked over to Terri and looked her in the eyes. "Honey, please. Give us a few minutes."
"Fine, I'll be upstairs with OUR children."
CHAPTER 41: "Good Riddance"
As Terri left the room, Kara rubbed her very sore arm.
"A.B., this can't be true. How can she be alive? What is she doing here?"
Stiles didn't even know where to start; he hadn't decided what to say yet.
"Let me see your arm."
Kara held out her arm for Stiles' inspection. Once he determined that it wasn't broken, he asked her to sit down.
"I'm sorry about your arm, really. I need to ask you something and I want the truth, okay?"
Kara nodded okay while trying to figure out how she was going to convince him that she didn't know Terri was alive.
"Terri said that she broke into my hotel room on Andros and that you saw her and spoke to her. Is that true?"
"I saw a woman who looked like her in our room, but she told me she was the maid."
"Did you find a gold locket in the room with a picture of Terri and me?"
Again, Kara nodded yes. "Kara, you're a very intelligent woman. When you saw that photo, you had to have realized it was Terri in the room. Why didn't you say anything?"
Kara's mood suddenly shifted from morose to sarcastic. "What was I going to say, I think I saw your dead wife today?"
"Kara, when you realized it was her, you could have said something. You knew Andros was special to us. Even if you weren't sure when you saw her at the hotel, you had to have known when you saw her at the house."
"No, I didn't. She had red hair and green eyes. I'd seen pictures of Terri; she didn't even look like the same person. I wasn't sure and I didn't want to upset you for no reason."
"Don't you mean that you didn't want me to look for her?"
Once again, Kara's mood shifted, this time to sympathetic and loving. "I didn't want you chasing a ghost." Kara took Stiles' hand in hers. "I love you and I didn't want to upset you."
Stiles snatched his hand away, "Kara, I thought I loved you, but how can I love someone who lies to me? You know how much Terri meant--means to me! You must have seen the pictures of the kids at the house; you knew Jack was mine, how could you keep me away from my son?"
. "I didn't know he was your son! I thought he was that other woman's son just like you did."
Now she was just plain desperate .Kara kept talking, but quickly ran out of excuses; she could see her future crumbling in front of her. The more she tried to convince Stiles that she loved him and was thinking of what was best for him, the less he believed her. When she claimed to be able to make him happier than Terri could, Stiles ended the conversation.
"Kara, we're finished. Right now I can't even stand to look at you. You don't love me, you love yourself. Our engagement is officially broken I want you out of my house!"
Kara looked pitifully at Stiles then down at her engagement ring as large tears began to stream down her face. He didn't feel even a little sorry for her.
Stiles looked down at Kara's hand, "You can keep the ring. There's a small box of your things in the garage. Do you want them now or would you rather I send them later?"
"A.B., please I'm sorry. I . . ."
"Save it Kara. I'm not interested in whatever feeble excuses you have left. I'll send your stuff later," Stiles added as he walked her to the door and opened it.
"How can you do this to me?"
As angry as Stiles was, he was a little sad; he honestly thought he could love this woman, have children with her. "I'm not doing anything to you. You did this to yourself. Goodbye Kara." Stiles gave Kara a light push out the door as Terri peaked around a corner. She was by her husband's side before Kara could get her down the first step. Terri had listened to everything from the top of the stairs. The last thing Kara heard was the door hitting its frame as Terri slammed it shut and slammed Kara out of her life.
Stiles didn't say anything as he looked out the window watching his now former lover and friend walk down the driveway. He was angry with her for keeping him away from Terri, but he was also conflicted: Only six months earlier, he had pledged his undying love to this woman and asked her to be his wife. He was a little worried that he would miss her.
Stiles' inner conflict was written all over his face as he turned from the window. Terri didn't like what she saw. She wanted his attention on her—only her. Although she knew Stiles thought she was gone when he started dating Kara, Terri was still jealous of their relationship. She was still hurt that he had fallen in love with someone else.
"Hey," she said as she put her arms around him and looked into his eyes, "Now we can get back to 'and they lived happily ever after.'"
Terri kissed Stiles then took his hand and began leading him up the stairs before he could say anything. "The kids are taking a nap, why don't we celebrate."
Stiles looked at Terri and hesitated. When Terri saw his hesitation, she kissed him with a little more urgency. She smiled inside as he eagerly responded only to pull away a few moments later.
"Uh, I'm sorry honey, but I really need to get some work done for Carl before I go back in Wednesday. Can I take a rain check?"
Terri frowned but said 'sure' in the sweetest voice she could manage. As Stiles left the room, Terri sat on the couch and tried to figure out how to get Kara Matthews out of her husband's heart.
FRIDAY NIGHT: two days later.
Stiles could tell that Terri wasn't completely happy; she seemed distracted and almost uncomfortable being with him in their house. He thought the surprise party he'd planned would be the perfect thing to lift her spirits.
Carl and Jackson were the first to arrive. Once Lex and agent Shelton (who was now working for the CIA) and Joshua got there everyone sat down in the living room and looked at pictures of Jack and Ava. The fun started when they met the live version of Jack who happily entertained the adults.
"Everyone, the real reason I asked you here was to see Jack and Ava's mother."
After a few moments, what Stiles said sunk in.
Jackson, the analyst, asked the question everyone else wanted the answer to. "What, I thought Terri was their mother."
"She is. That's the real reason I invited you here. Terri didn't commit suicide; she's very much alive."
As the men's faces contorted in confusion, Terri walked into the room.
"Hi."
"Terri?"
Terri smiled at the first man to recover from his shock and held out her arms to him. Joshua was the last one of them to see her alive and he was going to be the first one to welcome her back.
Joshua went to Terri and held her so tightly she had trouble breathing.
"I'm so glad to see you. But your letter said. . ."
Terri interrupted Joshua as she pulled away from him. "I know and I'm sorry I had to deceive all of you again. Stiles and I wanted Quinn to think that I was really dead; we needed his confession. We thought it would be more believable if all of you were there too. I'm sorry about that."
It was Jackson's turn to go to Terri. "I don't care. I'm just glad to see you. I can't imagine what you've been through. Tell us what really happened to you all those years ago.
When Terri finished her story, Joshua asked to speak to her alone.
"Terri, this is my fault, all of it. I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything. I know in my letter you said you'd been able to forgive me, but I haven't been able to forgive myself even after I found out Quinn faked your death. Stiles, those beautiful children, you—all of you suffered because I obeyed a ridiculous order from a self-centered egomaniac. I want you to know that I truly am sorry. I love you; you were like the daughter I never had and I let you down."
Terri hugged Joshua, like she always did when he gave her advice or just listened to her talk. "Joshua, I know and I have forgiven you. Quinn told me about the deal he made with you and Stiles told me how you tried to get me out. It's okay, really. What's important is that we're all here, together."
Stiles stood in the background watching Terri and their friends get reacquainted; he was thrilled they were there for her.
***************************** While Stiles was putting the kids to bed Terri and Carl discussed her future with the Agency.
"Terri, I know things are different after everything you've been through and twins, but I want you to know you are welcome to come back; we've missed you and your work. You're one of the best the agency's ever had."
"Thank you Carl, but it's just too soon. Stiles and I need to talk and honestly, I don't really know what I want to do. I still have a design firm on Andros. Can I have some time?"
Carl hugged Terri, "of course you can. Take as much time as you need; it's a standing offer. "
Terri didn't tell Carl, but she wasn't planning to make any decisions until she knew the outcome of Robert Quinn's trial; she still a little afraid that he held her future in his hands.
**I'm so excited I have more reviews! It doesn't take much. LOL! Dawn: no, I won't try to make you feel sorry for Kara, well not intentionally! : )
jnp: I like your idea about forcing Kara to see Stiles and Terri together. It's making me think...
From 40
"I want her out of my house, now." Terri said as she walked to another part of the room and folded her arms across her chest.
Kara ran into Stiles' arms waiting for protection.
Stiles gently pushed her away then asked Terri to give them some time alone.
"No."
Stiles walked over to Terri and looked her in the eyes. "Honey, please. Give us a few minutes."
"Fine, I'll be upstairs with OUR children."
CHAPTER 41: "Good Riddance"
As Terri left the room, Kara rubbed her very sore arm.
"A.B., this can't be true. How can she be alive? What is she doing here?"
Stiles didn't even know where to start; he hadn't decided what to say yet.
"Let me see your arm."
Kara held out her arm for Stiles' inspection. Once he determined that it wasn't broken, he asked her to sit down.
"I'm sorry about your arm, really. I need to ask you something and I want the truth, okay?"
Kara nodded okay while trying to figure out how she was going to convince him that she didn't know Terri was alive.
"Terri said that she broke into my hotel room on Andros and that you saw her and spoke to her. Is that true?"
"I saw a woman who looked like her in our room, but she told me she was the maid."
"Did you find a gold locket in the room with a picture of Terri and me?"
Again, Kara nodded yes. "Kara, you're a very intelligent woman. When you saw that photo, you had to have realized it was Terri in the room. Why didn't you say anything?"
Kara's mood suddenly shifted from morose to sarcastic. "What was I going to say, I think I saw your dead wife today?"
"Kara, when you realized it was her, you could have said something. You knew Andros was special to us. Even if you weren't sure when you saw her at the hotel, you had to have known when you saw her at the house."
"No, I didn't. She had red hair and green eyes. I'd seen pictures of Terri; she didn't even look like the same person. I wasn't sure and I didn't want to upset you for no reason."
"Don't you mean that you didn't want me to look for her?"
Once again, Kara's mood shifted, this time to sympathetic and loving. "I didn't want you chasing a ghost." Kara took Stiles' hand in hers. "I love you and I didn't want to upset you."
Stiles snatched his hand away, "Kara, I thought I loved you, but how can I love someone who lies to me? You know how much Terri meant--means to me! You must have seen the pictures of the kids at the house; you knew Jack was mine, how could you keep me away from my son?"
. "I didn't know he was your son! I thought he was that other woman's son just like you did."
Now she was just plain desperate .Kara kept talking, but quickly ran out of excuses; she could see her future crumbling in front of her. The more she tried to convince Stiles that she loved him and was thinking of what was best for him, the less he believed her. When she claimed to be able to make him happier than Terri could, Stiles ended the conversation.
"Kara, we're finished. Right now I can't even stand to look at you. You don't love me, you love yourself. Our engagement is officially broken I want you out of my house!"
Kara looked pitifully at Stiles then down at her engagement ring as large tears began to stream down her face. He didn't feel even a little sorry for her.
Stiles looked down at Kara's hand, "You can keep the ring. There's a small box of your things in the garage. Do you want them now or would you rather I send them later?"
"A.B., please I'm sorry. I . . ."
"Save it Kara. I'm not interested in whatever feeble excuses you have left. I'll send your stuff later," Stiles added as he walked her to the door and opened it.
"How can you do this to me?"
As angry as Stiles was, he was a little sad; he honestly thought he could love this woman, have children with her. "I'm not doing anything to you. You did this to yourself. Goodbye Kara." Stiles gave Kara a light push out the door as Terri peaked around a corner. She was by her husband's side before Kara could get her down the first step. Terri had listened to everything from the top of the stairs. The last thing Kara heard was the door hitting its frame as Terri slammed it shut and slammed Kara out of her life.
Stiles didn't say anything as he looked out the window watching his now former lover and friend walk down the driveway. He was angry with her for keeping him away from Terri, but he was also conflicted: Only six months earlier, he had pledged his undying love to this woman and asked her to be his wife. He was a little worried that he would miss her.
Stiles' inner conflict was written all over his face as he turned from the window. Terri didn't like what she saw. She wanted his attention on her—only her. Although she knew Stiles thought she was gone when he started dating Kara, Terri was still jealous of their relationship. She was still hurt that he had fallen in love with someone else.
"Hey," she said as she put her arms around him and looked into his eyes, "Now we can get back to 'and they lived happily ever after.'"
Terri kissed Stiles then took his hand and began leading him up the stairs before he could say anything. "The kids are taking a nap, why don't we celebrate."
Stiles looked at Terri and hesitated. When Terri saw his hesitation, she kissed him with a little more urgency. She smiled inside as he eagerly responded only to pull away a few moments later.
"Uh, I'm sorry honey, but I really need to get some work done for Carl before I go back in Wednesday. Can I take a rain check?"
Terri frowned but said 'sure' in the sweetest voice she could manage. As Stiles left the room, Terri sat on the couch and tried to figure out how to get Kara Matthews out of her husband's heart.
FRIDAY NIGHT: two days later.
Stiles could tell that Terri wasn't completely happy; she seemed distracted and almost uncomfortable being with him in their house. He thought the surprise party he'd planned would be the perfect thing to lift her spirits.
Carl and Jackson were the first to arrive. Once Lex and agent Shelton (who was now working for the CIA) and Joshua got there everyone sat down in the living room and looked at pictures of Jack and Ava. The fun started when they met the live version of Jack who happily entertained the adults.
"Everyone, the real reason I asked you here was to see Jack and Ava's mother."
After a few moments, what Stiles said sunk in.
Jackson, the analyst, asked the question everyone else wanted the answer to. "What, I thought Terri was their mother."
"She is. That's the real reason I invited you here. Terri didn't commit suicide; she's very much alive."
As the men's faces contorted in confusion, Terri walked into the room.
"Hi."
"Terri?"
Terri smiled at the first man to recover from his shock and held out her arms to him. Joshua was the last one of them to see her alive and he was going to be the first one to welcome her back.
Joshua went to Terri and held her so tightly she had trouble breathing.
"I'm so glad to see you. But your letter said. . ."
Terri interrupted Joshua as she pulled away from him. "I know and I'm sorry I had to deceive all of you again. Stiles and I wanted Quinn to think that I was really dead; we needed his confession. We thought it would be more believable if all of you were there too. I'm sorry about that."
It was Jackson's turn to go to Terri. "I don't care. I'm just glad to see you. I can't imagine what you've been through. Tell us what really happened to you all those years ago.
When Terri finished her story, Joshua asked to speak to her alone.
"Terri, this is my fault, all of it. I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything. I know in my letter you said you'd been able to forgive me, but I haven't been able to forgive myself even after I found out Quinn faked your death. Stiles, those beautiful children, you—all of you suffered because I obeyed a ridiculous order from a self-centered egomaniac. I want you to know that I truly am sorry. I love you; you were like the daughter I never had and I let you down."
Terri hugged Joshua, like she always did when he gave her advice or just listened to her talk. "Joshua, I know and I have forgiven you. Quinn told me about the deal he made with you and Stiles told me how you tried to get me out. It's okay, really. What's important is that we're all here, together."
Stiles stood in the background watching Terri and their friends get reacquainted; he was thrilled they were there for her.
***************************** While Stiles was putting the kids to bed Terri and Carl discussed her future with the Agency.
"Terri, I know things are different after everything you've been through and twins, but I want you to know you are welcome to come back; we've missed you and your work. You're one of the best the agency's ever had."
"Thank you Carl, but it's just too soon. Stiles and I need to talk and honestly, I don't really know what I want to do. I still have a design firm on Andros. Can I have some time?"
Carl hugged Terri, "of course you can. Take as much time as you need; it's a standing offer. "
Terri didn't tell Carl, but she wasn't planning to make any decisions until she knew the outcome of Robert Quinn's trial; she still a little afraid that he held her future in his hands.