This idea came to me when I realized that Theresa and Fox are both going through baby angst right now and it was a perfect opportunity for them to talk, which they never seem to do anymore. I seem to have a strange affection for one shots that bring them closer, but don't actually get them together. My other one was one, too. I hope no one minds, but this will be a one-shot, too. And I don't think Fox knows the baby's name yet, but I'm pretending he does. This is rated for a few curses.
Theresa walked down the wharf, not truly absorbing anything around her. She had to get out of the house. Right now, she wasn't sure she could look her mother in the eyes. Saying such horrible things had been an extreme reaction and now, more than anything else, she was ashamed.
After wandering through most of Harmony she had somehow ended up here. There was something about looking at the ocean that made her feel calm. The waves crashed against the wood and it was strangely comforting to know that something was in as much turmoil as she was.
A sudden wind sent a chill through her spine and Theresa regretted for the slightest second the choice she had made to leave her jacket at home. It was the beginning of the summer season, but it got chilly at night, especially near the ocean.
But, just as quickly, she welcomed the biting sensation. At least this way she knew she could feel something. She had been feeling numb for hours and it was good to have the reassurance that she was indeed alive. If only in theory, while not actually in practice.
Was it so wrong to want to keep her child? Really, why did Gwen want to raise her baby, anyway? Sure, they said she could visit anytime, but who knew how long that would last. Mentally, she berated herself. She had to follow Luis's advice and trust Ethan. She could do that.
……………………………………….
Fox wandered aimlessly on the wharf, having no clear direction in mind. He had gotten rid of Carla as soon as he could. Dating around just wasn't as fun anymore. And after seeing Whitney and Chad at the Blue Note there was nowhere he'd rather be than away. Just away from them and everything they represented.
He simply couldn't understand why no one could see his side in this whole debacle. Whitney gave away his son without talking to him, then Chad went behind his back to adopt him. The whole situation was absurd and wrong on so many levels.
The ocean made its presence known at that moment by crashing a little harder on the dock than he could remember it ever doing before. There was something about this place that made Fox feel better.
The ocean made him feel small. It was so powerful. In a way it reminded him that the world was huge and he was only one of many. That thought was comforting in itself. There were millions of other people in this world; many much worse off than him. He wasn't sure if he believed in God, but the ocean seemed to make the Almighty more plausible.
It was then he noticed the raven-haired beauty standing off to his right staring in abject sadness at a point somewhere beyond space and time. Why did it seem that Theresa was always so sad? It wasn't fair to such a vibrant person and he knew exactly who to blame.
Gently he rested a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, pretty lady, what're you doing out here all by your lonesome?"
"Hey, Fox," she offered him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It was times like these he hated Ethan more than ever, "I'm just… looking."
"Looking, huh? Well, why don't we sit down on that bench over there and you can tell me all about it? Or maybe you'd rather talk about why you look like your world's been shattered, yet again?"
Theresa allowed him to lead her to the bench, but it didn't seem fair to dump her problems on him. Fox had his own troubles and she really didn't want to add to them. Whitney was her best friend, but what she was doing to this man that had done so much for her made it hard to be sympathetic. Her pain would just add to his and in the process hurt them both.
"I'd kind of like to focus on someone else's problems for now, if you don't mind."
It was almost as if he'd sensed the response that had been on the tip of her tongue. His warm hand came to rest on top of hers and the comfort that enveloped her was too hard to explain, or resist. He'd been so comforting the first time this had happened.
"You know you can tell me anything, Resa." That was when the dam burst.
"She's gone, Fox. They took her away," she was the picture of devastation at that moment. Her eyes were downcast and her voice was laced with anguish. He wanted nothing more than to fix all her problems, though he hedged away from the reason why.
"What do you mean?" he whispered softly. This was a whispering conversation if he had ever had one.
"The courts granted Ethan and Gwen temporary custody of Jane. They took my daughter and there was nothing I could do. And now, she's in a house she doesn't know. What if she starts crying for me? I won't know and then she'll think I've forgotten her. Or that I don't love her."
"Shh, don't let that kind of thoughts take over. I know Jane would never think that, Theresa. She may be a baby, but I'm convinced that she knows. She can feel it."
He had to believe that, because it was the same thought that helped him know that his son would not grow up thinking his father didn't want him. Fox had to keep on trusting that, because if he didn't it would be too painful to bear.
"I pray to God you're right. I just… it's so hard to be away from her, you know?"
"Trust me, I know."
The look in his eyes called to something deep inside her soul. His sorrow was a permanent fixture in his routine now and Theresa felt a new kind of grief at the way his zest for life had withered. Fox didn't deserve this.
"I'm sure you'll get her back."
"I'm trying really hard to believe that. I have to trust that Ethan loves me enough to give Jane back to me. Fate wouldn't let it turn out any other way."
He didn't want to understand the sting he felt at the mention of Ethan. How could she possibly still love him after this? That kind of devotion was not something his asshole half-brother deserved and right now the only thing on his mind was getting her to understand that.
"I wouldn't put too much faith in Ethan if I were you."
"Don't start that again. He loves me, I know he does."
"Maybe he does, but obviously not enough," Fox continued on, despite the warning fire in her eyes, "He continually chooses Gwen over you. The hypocrite preaches at you about doing the right thing, yet he can't see the way Gwen manipulates the situation to her advantage."
"I don't want to hear this."
"Too bad, you need to. Ethan doesn't love you the way you deserve, Theresa. He never believes in you. He lets Gwen and Rebecca run amok. He took your children, on two separate occasions. Connect the dots, sweetheart, he isn't the man you think he is. If he was, you wouldn't be out here right now."
His words hit much too close to home for comfort. If she let herself admit that what Fox was saying was true, then she would have to admit that her life up until this point had been striving towards the wrong thing. She would have no goal, and that was terrifying.
"I'm not discussing this. Why don't you tell me why you're out here? I mean, if you're allowed to pass judgment on my life, I think I should be given the same courtesy."
Theresa's words and demeanor were challenging and he knew he couldn't back out of this. Everything in his being was screaming at him to ignore the proposition, but the underlying concern in her doe eyes touched something in him that he couldn't name. While he did not want to think about any of his problems, they spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"I ran into Whitney and Chad at the Blue Note," Fox took on a new wounded expression as he continued and she felt her heart break a little more, "Did you know that he named my son? The fucking bastard named my son. Miles Davis Harris, that's my boy's name. Shouldn't naming the baby have involved me? It's bad enough I missed the birth, but now I'm missing everything. His name should mean something, and it does…to Chad. I hate him. I've never really hated anyone before, but I hate him."
"Oh, Fox," silently Theresa switched their hands around so she was the one comforting him, "I am so sorry for everything you're going through."
She couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Why did she give him up? Help me understand it," he turned an imploring gaze on her face and his intense brown eyes begged for an answer she couldn't give, "I know you have an obligation to Whitney as her best friend, but I'm your friend, too. Just help me understand."
She wanted so badly to tell him. Right now she hated Whitney for letting Fox believe Miles was his son for so long. It shouldn't have started in the first place, but who was she to judge anyone else's actions. But, he was desperate and she was determined to help him see the truth, one way or another.
"You're right; Whitney and I have been best friends since we were little kids. She's stuck by me through a lot of crap…"
At this point a part of him wanted to yell that he had been there for a lot of it, too. He had held her hand and let her cry on his shoulder. He had kissed away her tears and supported her through some of the most difficult times in her life. He knew he was a better friend than Whitney had ever been and a damn better boyfriend than Ethan, although he was ignoring the part of him that was trying to ask why that was relevant.
"I've put her through a lot, but... there have been things I've done that she hasn't agreed with and there are things she's done that I don't agree with. This is one of them. I can't tell you everything, Fox. It would be a betrayal of the worst kind. I couldn't do that. All I can do is help you," she let a little smirk cross her lips as she used his words, "connect the dots, so to speak."
"What dots? What does that mean?"
"Think about the timeline of events, I don't think that's giving away too much. You have all the pieces, now you have to connect them."
"I think you're mixing up your analogies, Hun."
Fox smirked at her. He wasn't sure how or why, but suddenly it seemed like there was hope of figuring this out. Theresa's crazy clue gave him something to think about. He always felt better when he had directions or a formula. It was one reason he had always liked math. There was a formula to everything with only one answer. It was simple and direct.
"Forget the analogies. It'll come when you're ready to figure out the truth."
"I'm not sure how, but you've made me feel a lot better, Miss Lopez-Fitzgerald," playfully he swept one delicate hand in his own and brought it to his lips. He gave her a rakish grin and grazed a kiss to the soft skin, "Thank you."
She was unprepared for the rush of heat that swept through her body at the slight touch of his lips. They had barely made contact, but she could feel a deep blush rise to her cheeks. It brought up memories of long forgotten nights that they had shared while dating.
Theresa told herself that Fox was a handsome man. On some level of course she would be attracted to him. She simply couldn't accept the fact that it would be anything more. It wasn't and it couldn't be.
Fox could almost feel the tension his teasing gesture had put into her. She wasn't the only one. Her perfume was pulling at all his senses, driving him crazy. He had heard somewhere that the sense of smell was one of the strongest triggers to invoke memories and in that second he knew it was true.
Memories of the days when they spent every waking moment together crept into his consciousness. There was deep longing for something in his soul right now that he did not want to explore. Things were getting too deep for his liking and he had to get away.
Nervously, Theresa pulled back her hand, "It's getting late. I don't want Mama to worry. I'd better go."
"Good idea. Just, promise me you'll think about what I said. Connect those dots, maybe you'll be able to figure out some things of your own."
"I will if you will."
"Deal."
Theresa said goodbye and walked away slowly. Fox couldn't be right about Ethan. It was a prospect that she had never prepared herself for. He loved her, that was all there was to it. But somehow she didn't have as much faith in that as she did before. Maybe there was more to her life than this. She shook her head ruefully; Fox's little speech was starting to get to her.
Fox watched her walk away before turning to leave the opposite way. This little outing had done him some good. Now he needed to figure out the cryptic message he'd been left with. He walked with a new spring in his step, confident he would figure it out soon.