(A/N: Since I've started this fic, I've watched in fixated awe as Theresa has, episode by episode, shown herself to be far more despicable an excuse for a human being than I've ever envisioned her as. Originally, I saw her as delusional and nutty, but not fundamentally horrible, a fun soap character, with a storyline that had real potential with Fox. However, when she failed to show even the slightest remorse at Sarah's death, I started feeling disgusted; when she planned on crashing Sarah's funeral (initially before Lil' E was taken) while wearing Gwen's wedding ring on a chain around her neck, I started thinking Rebecca was more or less justified in her planned retribution; when she drugged the surrogate and kidnapped the embryos, I was mortified; when she RAPED Ethan (let's call the act for what it is, people!), I was appalled; when she announced that she'd rather let both children DIE than give one to Gwen, all the while lecturing Gwen and Ethan about the tenets of their Catholic faith, I thought she couldn't sink any lower. Gee, Theresa, maybe if you'd ever actually read the Bible you would've been familiar with the story of King Solomon threatening to cut the baby in half to test who it's real mother was—what am I saying, if Theresa had been there, she probably would've just tried to make sure Gwen's half wasn't any bigger than hers!

But now, oh yes, she's managed the impossible feat of topping even that pronouncement in terms pure unfeeling malice: after making a big to-do about her religious convictions (HA!) she's done an about-face and is actually planning to order a DNA test with the intention of specifically aborting GWEN'S baby so that Ethan and Gwen won't have anything to tie them together and he'll come back to her—WTF?!?!?! Whatever happened to the "connection" she felt with both children, and the love she professed regardless of their biological mother? Now, she's intentionally setting out to kill a specific baby in place of her rape-child in hopes of breaking up its parents. To be sure, the decision she has to make is a wretched one, but her motives behind her waffling decisions are absolutely abominable. Now, I don't want to personally insult anyone, but I honestly don't understand how anyone can defend her and claim she's just a misunderstood dreamer anymore when she's just made herself into an infanticidal monster!

As far as I'm concerned, Theresa should immediately and permanently lose any and all rights to Little Ethan, the surviving twin(s) regardless of maternity, and any future children she might yet produce, for their own sake. Actually she should be serving a good 20 year prison sentence for all the crap she's pulled. Of course that won't happen, and she'll come out of this mess not utterly destroyed, but if she winds up with LE, one or both of the twins (who I still suspect will both miraculously survive), AND Ethan to boot, I think I'll pull a Theresa myself and deny responsibility for any actions I might take regarding a certain twisted head writer. It's FATE, everybody.

Sorry for my not-so-little rant, but at times I just can't believe what I'm watching. All that said, in light of recent episodes I've come to believe that I've actually depicted Theresa too charitably in this fic, where she's only an incompetently ruthless, scheming, obsessive loony, and not fundamentally evil. For the purposes of this story, I'll continue her portrayal as I originally envisioned it, and now, even on the actual show, God help poor Fox if he winds up stuck with this psychopath.)

Since there wasn't really a whole lot to do in Harmony, Douglas and Abigail usually loafed around with their circle of friends after school at the Book Café. Martin Lopez-Fitzgerald was there, as well as Maria Lopez-Fitzgerald, Endora Lenox, Michael Dinh, Lani Kuntal, and, much to Abigail's chronic chagrin, Madeleine Andrews.

Along with the Dinh and Kuntal families, Madeleine Andrews had come to Harmony with her father about five years ago, when Uncle Fox recruited some of the nation's top doctors with the goal of transforming Harmony Hospital into one of the world's major research centers. After the death of his wife, Dr. Matthew Andrews had decided that he and his daughter needed a fresh start, and apparently he'd decided trading in Los Angeles for the East Coast was their best chance of doing so.

For some reason, she and Abigail had been instant enemies almost from the moment they first met. Whatever it was that initially triggered their animosity, neither could quite remember, but certainly it wasn't anything serious. Somehow, though, one thing after another kept pitting them against each other: now it was the school paper, and before that, the debate team, the tennis team, the community soccer league, and so on. Because they shared the same group of friends, and especially since Madeleine had started dating Abigail's best friend Martin, each went through the motions of maintaining a public truce, but their mutual hostility was never very far from the surface.

Michael sighed over his cappuccino. "Isn't there anything else to do other than hang around this stupid bookshop? Nothing interesting ever happens in this boring town."

Abigail could've sworn that she saw Maria and Endora share a smile that wasn't meant for anyone else to see. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she always felt that there was something strange, maybe even sinister, about those two, like they were in on something that nobody else was. Abigail tried to push the thought out of her mind, wanting to give her friends the benefit of the doubt. It was probably just some private in-joke, anyway; not surprising, considering that those two were practically as close as any sisters. Heck, they'd even lived under the same roof until they were six and Aunt Kay had mysteriously come into some money that had allowed her to set up a fairly successful rare antiques shop and she and Maria had moved into the outskirts of town.

"That's for sure, Michael. We should all take a trip this summer, or over Easter break," Abigail responded after shaking off her inner monologue. "Somewhere exotic, too. Harmony is dull as dirt, and I'm sick of dodging tourists three months of the year. I'm sure my mother could arrange a cruise, or maybe another tour of Europe, for all of us."

"Oh, great," Madeleine muttered. "Remind us all that between your mother and your uncle, you can get just about anything that you want."

Abigail narrowed her eyes. "Oh, like you're so working-class, Madeleine. You're the daughter of an ultra-important neurosurgeon and you're going out with a Crane!"

The rest of the group sighed. Here they go, as usual, drudging up the same list of alleged offenses that they always did. About time, too, since it had been over a week since either had directly insulted the other.

Madeleine slouched casually into her chair, all the while looking her adversary right in the eye. "Well, at least I don't use family connections to get extracurricular positions I'm too young and inexperienced for."

"I happen to be editor of the paper because our advisor liked my work better than yours," Abigail retorted. "And I don't go around tripping people down flights of stairs just so my biggest rival can break her arm and I can get the number one singles position just in time for regionals."

"Oh, come on! I didn't trip you and you know it. Knowing you, you probably threw yourself down those stairs so you'd have an excuse not to compete."

"Why, you—"

"Hey, both of you, why don't you just give it a rest?" Martin stepped in, deciding he'd better stop them before his girlfriend and his best friend started drawing blood. "Look, why don't you just agree that there's been misunderstandings on both sides and let it stop there?" he implored, though he knew it'd probably be about two weeks, if he was lucky, before they were at it again.

"Alright, Martin," Madeleine answered reluctantly, "I'll try." For her part, Abigail merely nodded, and both refused to look at each other.

"Well, now that that's decided," Lani began, eyeing both of the combatants warily, why don't we actually talk about this trip. I actually think that sounds like a lot of fun. May be if we…"

And so the scene went on, a superficial peace having resumed in the lives of the teens, most of them unaware that a most sinister force was even now threatening to wreak havoc on them from the inside.

"Mom, I'm home!" Endora announced as soon as she and Maria had entered the living room of the Lenox home. Apart from the obvious signs that a teenager now inhabited the dwelling place, the interior of the house had changed very little over the past couple of decades, the decorum still that strange mixture of old lady eccentricity crossed with faint suggestions of the occult.

"Anyone else with you?" her mother's questioning voice called out from the kitchen.

"Only Maria."

"Well, then come on in!" The two friends casually tossed their jackets onto the sofa (much to the consternation of Fluffy Jr.), and complied, only to find Tabitha Lenox crouched over the blue bowl that had sat in the center of the kitchen counter for as long as either of them could remember, her brow furrowed in concentration as she closely monitored something, or, as was more probable, someone.

After a brief moment, apparently satisfied with whatever it was she'd just witnessed, she swiftly clapped her hands and welcomed the two girls.

"How was school today, Endora?" Tabitha asked after giving her daughter a quick peck on the cheek. "Get up to any trouble?"

"Not anything exactly evil," Endora admitted sheepishly. "But Mr. Montgomery did have the hardest time keeping his toupee on after he gave me a C on my history essay."

"There's nothing wrong with that, on an off day. Sometimes, you know, it's the sum of little humiliations that can really destroy people's mental health." After this affirmation, Tabitha then turned her attention to Maria, whom she greeted warmly, as usual. "And how are you, dear?"

"Pretty good, Aunt Tabby."

"And your mother?" Tabitha inquired. "It's been a couple of weeks while since we've chatted. Is she still bringing pain and suffering to all the good people of Castleton?"

"She does her best," was Maria's brisk reply. "She's been above quota for six months straight now."

"Oh, I am glad to hear it!" said Tabitha sincerely. Not only did it nicely service her pride to know that her former pupil in the Black Arts was still doing so nicely for herself in a neighboring district, but Kay Bennett had, over the years, become her very dear friend, an affection that extended to her daughter.

Maria, meanwhile, was attempting to steal a peak into the bowl, once again disappointed to see that Tabitha had taken the precaution of dissolving the image. "Hey, Aunt Tabby, do you think I could take a look, see something what's going on?"

Sometimes, Endora just had to roll her eyes at her best friend. Maria tried something along these lines nearly every time she came over, and always got the same answer.

Sure enough, Tabitha shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Maria; you know I can't show you any magic if you're not an official trainee."

Maria responded with a typical seventeen year-old's pout. "But, Mom never lets me watch when she's at work. She keeps saying that just because she ended up working for the Dark Side in order to be able to provide for me doesn't mean she wants me to turn out that way. How am I going to learn witchcraft if you won't teach me anything?"

As always, Endora's mother remained firm. "You know how I feel about this. I just don't feel comfortable making you my apprentice before you're of age."

"You're already training Endora," Maria pointed out obstinately.

Tabitha sighed. In oh-so many aspects of her personality, Maria truly was her mother's daughter. Both tended towards one-track thinking, and neither ever knew when to just give it up. "She's my daughter, you're not. And, she's part demon, which you're just not."

With an annoyed grunt, Maria exclaimed, "I don't see why you have to respect age limits or parental permission. You're evil!"

"That doesn't mean that I'd feel right going against a colleague and friend's expressed wishes regarding her daughter. I do sympathize, dear, but you'll just have to wait a little while longer."

Maria decided she'd better to let the subject go. For now. "Fine."

Relieved, Tabitha asked them if anything interesting had happened today.

Maria piped up right away. "Not really, Aunt Tabby. Those morons we're supposed to hang out with for cover are as boring as usual. We did get a nice little bitch-fest between the two blonde wonders, no offense, Endora, but that didn't last very long."

"They're not all morons," Endora said thoughtfully. "I think Abigail suspects there's something weird about us."

This gained most both Maria's and Tabitha's undivided attention. "Oh?" said Tabitha, cocking her head inquisitively.

Maria was genuinely confused. "What do you mean? She hasn't said anything."

"It's not anything she's said, and I could be wrong, but the way she looks at the two of us sometimes, it's as if she senses something's off and doesn't quite know what to think."

Tabitha digested this new information. "Sounds like the kids are growing up and getting a little smarter. I wouldn't worry too much, just don't either of you let anything slip about us. That reminds me, though; our Friends in the Basement will most likely want the torment to begin for this generation soon."

Endora didn't want to say so outright, but she wasn't really all that sold on the idea. "Do we have to mess with the Winthrops? I actually sort of like them."

Maria snorted. "You mean you sort of like Douglas," she observed pointedly. "As in, you're completely crushing on him."

"I am not!" Endora declared, though she was blushing slightly.

Maria shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, I'd actually better be getting home. Mom's actually trying to cook without "help" tonight, so she'll probably need me to help clean up once everything explodes."

After Maria was gone, Tabitha gave Endora a more thorough looking over, as she was concerned by her daughter's subdued demeanor. "Is everything all right, my little hellbeast?"

Endora turned away. "It's fine, Mom."

Tabitha raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. A mother can always tell. Now, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really," Endora insisted, though she kept looking down at her hands. "But, do we have to mess around so much with people we actually know?"

The old witch was surprised by her daughter's question, to say the least. "Why, Endora, that's what we do! I'm a witch, and you're practically demonic. And, need I remind you, that these are mere mortals we're talking about?"

"Yeah, I know, but doing horrible things is just not as much fun when you actually know your victims, and these people are my friends. I'm…I'm afraid I'm just not measuring up to the great evil I'm supposed to be."

Tabitha didn't know what to say at first. She had not been blind to the observation that the child's initial magnificently impressive inclination towards malevolency had gradually diminished through the years. This of course worried the old witch, though she certainly wasn't about to tell her daughter that. "Don't worry, Endora. I know exactly what's going on with you."

"You do?" Endora asked, fairly surprised considering that she herself had no idea why she was having all of these feelings that went against everything she had been taught.

"Of course! You're just going through a rebellious phase, trying to "find yourself," as the Muggles would say. Young people didn't go through it too much in my time, but nowadays it seems to be the norm. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll go right back to your wonderful, malicious personality before long."

"You think so?" Endora asked hopefully.

"I'm sure of it. After all, not many young girls attempt their first murder before they're even born, and on their own father, too!"

"That's true," admitted Endora, brightening up a bit. "And I was something to fear last year when Hecuba escaped from her bottle and we spent six months fighting her."

"I'll say you were!" Tabitha agreed. "You utterly destroyed a powerful witch centuries your senior. Not many young hellions can lay claim to that, let me tell you! And now's our big chance to really make the citizens of Harmony suffer."

Endora swallowed. If she was ever going to get over this phase and fulfill her birthright, she knew she couldn't start getting all squeamish. "Alright, then, what are we going to do now?"

Tabitha smiled gleefully. "Good old Theresa is at it again, this time trying to find a way to destroy the Winthrop family at its very core. I think we'll help her this time. In the meantime, I need you and Maria to make sure that Abigail and Madeleine continue to hate each other. Oh, it does my heart good to think of all the old wounds that are about to get ripped open in the most painful of ways!"