Lalalalala, this is the next to last chapter. And the climax of the story. Please tell me what you think.

Chapter 11

As Fox slowly made his way to the makeshift stage where Alistair and Teresa waited a bitter and much humiliated Ethan grabbed his brother by the collar.

"What the hell is going on here Fox? Last time I looked I was Teresa's fiancé," he hissed.

"I guess the lady changed her mind once again. Can't say I blame her much. Why settle for hamburger meat when you can have filet mignon?" Fox smirked. Pushing Ethan away and sauntering up on stage he pulled Teresa into a steamy kiss that left no one in doubt as to where her affections lay.

"Teresa, what the hell is going on here? You told me you loved me, you agreed to marry me? Why are you doing this?" Ethan shouted his rage apparent.

"I lied," Teresa explained succinctly. "Fox is the only man in my heart and the only reason I agreed to this farce was to teach you a lesson, you pathetic son of a bitch. You think I'm so slow witted I could still love you after you stole my son from me? The day you agreed to adopt my child was the day I learned to hate you Ethan. You let Gwen and Rebecca steamroll you into taking away my little boy as a penance for Sarah's death. Well, newsflash Ethan Sara's death was an accident, I never meant to hurt Gwen I was defending myself from another one of her vicious attacks," Teresa snapped.

"She's lying Ethan. Teresa attacked me. We got into an argument when I found her at the apartment and she told me she would never let us live in peace, that you loved her and had only married me because I was pregnant. I begged her to leave us alone, tried to get her to see that you had made your choice and she wasn't it but she wouldn't listen. The argument got out of hand and I started getting contractions. I begged Teresa to go for help but she laughed in my face and said she wouldn't play the heroine for our baby. The pain was so bad I could hardly see but I kept begging her to get help and when I saw her turn to walk away I reacted without thinking and grabbed her arm. That's when Teresa pushed me and the next thing I knew I was lying in a hospital bed and you were telling me that our daughter had died. If this guttersnipe had gotten help when I asked her to my daughter might still be alive," Gwen shouted.

Knowing that it was a waste of time to refute Gwen's accusation, Teresa simply motioned Alistair to play the incriminating tape and within seconds the entire room quieted as the residents of Harmony watched the fateful argument between the two women. Outraged gasps erupted from the crowd as everyone realized that Teresa was the one who'd begged Gwen to let her get help and it'd been Gwen who attacked Teresa from behind when the petite brunette had attempted to walk away.

"Oh my God, I thought Teresa had provoked that fight. You told me she'd pushed you and I believed you. You let me believe the accident had been Teresa's fault when the only one to blame was you," Ethan told his ex-wife.

"I wasn't the one making out on a secluded beach with his ex girlfriend while his pregnant wife was lying in a hospital bed fighting to save their child," Gwen shrieked. "If you had kept your pants zipped and stood by the vows we made none of this would have happened," she added spitefully.

"And maybe if you had stayed at the hospital like you were warned to Sarah would be alive." Ethan countered. "God, you make me sick. All this time I've been blaming Teresa for something that was your fault. I should have known the woman I fell in love with would never deliberately hurt me like that."

"Have you forgotten it was Teresa who sent the story of your paternity to the tabloids?" Gwen replied silkily.

"That's never been proven," Ethan replied stiffly. "How do I know you and Rebecca didn't send in the information and then frame Teresa for it? After what's happened tonight I wouldn't put it past you," he added scornfully.

"Well, you know what Ethan you're right. Mother and I were the ones who sent Ivy's letter to that sleazy tabloid and we were the ones who framed Teresa for it. The night you dumped me for the housekeeper's daughter was the most humiliating moment of my life and I wanted you to feel the same shame I felt that night. Finding Ivy's letter on Teresa's computer was very convenient. I could kill two birds with one stone because I knew you'd never forgive the person responsible for ruining your life. You loved being a Crane; the power and prestige that came with being the heir to the kingdom. And as much as you claimed to accept Sam Bennett as your father you've never recovered from that incident, your trust in Teresa was shattered. You made it very easy to continue blaming her for everything that went wrong in our lives."

"You bitch," another voice murmured from the crowd and everyone turned to watch Ivy confront her daughter in law. "I stopped Teresa from marrying my son because I blamed her for ruining our lives when all this time it was you who'd ousted me to the tabloids," Ivy snarled raising a hand and slapping Gwen smartly on the face.

"You're not exactly a saint yourself, are you Ivy? So if I were you I wouldn't be so quick to judge," Gwen retorted. "Unless you want me to reveal your secret to everyone, I'm sure Sam would love all the sordid details."

"As if anyone would believe the words of a lying bitch like you," Ivy replied with a sneer. But inside she was trembling with fear. If anyone found out what she'd done to break up Grace's marriage not only would she loose Sam, she'd loose her son as well.

"What would I gain by lying Ivy? I've already lost everything that mattered," Gwen muttered. "I might as take you down with me," she added almost to herself.

"What's going on here Ivy? What's Gwen talking about?" Sam asked with a frown.

"Nothing Sam, Gwen is just steamed that Teresa ousted her in front of Ethan and she thinks she can make herself look better by making me out to look like the bad guy," Ivy murmured.

"Not so fast Ivy, I for one want to hear what Gwen has to say," Grace Bennett interjected.

"Go ahead Ivy; tell everyone what you did to assure the dissolution of Sam and Grace's marriage. Explain how you blackmailed David Hastings into pretending to be Grace's first husband and tricked Grace into believing that John was their son," Gwen taunted.

Ivy felt the blood drain from her face at Gwen's words. Knowing if she didn't deny Gwen's accusations she'd loose everything Ivy let tears well up in her eyes and turned to face her lover.

"It's not true Sam. I would never do anything so despicable. Gwen's lying." She cried.

"No she's not," another voice interjected softly and Ivy felt her world begin to topple.

"David, please don't do this," she softly begged him but David was resolute. He was tired of the games, tired of the lies. Grace deserved to know the truth.

"Ivy found my dossier inside the Crane vaults and she blackmailed me into pretending I was Grace's first husband. She provided me with the information I'd need to trick Grace into believing my story and hired an actor to pretend to be the priest who'd married us. Ivy knew Grace would feel honor bound to leave Sam if she thought I was her husband; she counted on Grace's sense of morality to make the decision for her. And she also knew having me pretend John was our son would cinch the deal." David explained.

When Sam began to pummel him with his fists David did nothing to defend himself for he knew he deserved every vicious blow. But it was the bafflement and pain he saw in Grace's eyes that hurt the most.

"I'm sorry Grace, so damn sorry," he murmured. "Whatever else you believe you have to know that not everything was a lie. I fell in love with you the minute I laid eyes on you." He added softly hoping Grace would at least believe that. But the set of her shoulders and the mulish cast of her lips told their own story and David knew she didn't believe him.

"Why did you set out to sabotage my marriage David? Why did you lie to me? You knew how much it hurt me to believe that Sam wasn't my husband, how I fretted over the fact that my children had been born out of the sanctity of marriage and you let me go on believing your lies. What did I ever do to deserve having my life turned upside down this way?" Grace cried.

"You didn't do anything Grace. You just happened to be married to a man Ivy wanted to claim as her own. And since she found out the truth about my son's parentage and threatened to tell him if I didn't agree to her plans, I had no choice but to obey Ivy's orders. I couldn't risk John discovering that I wasn't his father." David admitted softly.

"John's not your son?" Grace echoed her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Lori…my wife had several miscarriages before she got pregnant with our son. From the minute she learned she was pregnant we took every precaution. When Lori got through her first trimester we were elated and by the end of her second trimester we let ourselves believe that we really were going to be parents. We decorated the nursery, picked out baby names, bought all the things a baby would ever need. But all our plans were for naught because our child was still born. Lori was devastated. And I went berserk. Without stopping to consider the consequences; knowing only that I had to give my wife a child if I wanted her to live I snuck into the hospital nursery and switched the babies. I know it was wrong but Lori was my world and I would have done anything to make her happy."

"What kind of monster are you?" Grace cried. "You stole another couple's child. Did you even stop to think of their pain, their loss? The utter devastation they'd feel when they were told that their baby had died?"

"I couldn't let myself think of any of that or I'd have gone crazy. I knew that sooner or later someone would put the pieces of the puzzle together and realize that those babies had been switched so I made plans for us to leave Boston as soon as Lori was released from the hospital."

"Oh my God," another voice murmured from the crowd. "It was my baby you stole. I knew my son hadn't been still born. I remembered having held him, crooning to him, rocking him to sleep and thinking my little boy was the most precious thing in the world right before I fell asleep. When I woke up the doctors and nurses told me my baby had died but I didn't believe them. I knew there had been a mistake; I knew my son wasn't dead."

"Eve, are you saying John is our son?" a flabbergasted Julian asked.

"Wait a minute Eve you had a son with Julian Crane? You were Julian's mistress?" an outraged TC asked his wife.

"TC I can explain," Eve started, seeing the fury grow on TC's face. The truth washed over him in waves, and when he looked at Julian, all he saw was red. With a bellow he lunged himself at the WASP, and began to pummel him. "You son of a bitch, I'll kill you for touching my wife! You...low...life...bastard!"

"TC, TC stop it, stop it." Eve cried wringing her hands with despair.

"TC, stop it he isn't worth it." Sam told his best friend as he dragged TC off of Julian.

"You're a son of a bitch Julian but if you're so in love with my wife you can have her. Because I am through with her," TC roared wiping the blood off his hands and then spitting at Julian's feet.

"TC, you have to let me explain," a tearful Eve pleaded.

"I don't have to do anything Eve. You had twenty odd years to tell me that you'd been the mistress of the man I most hated in the world and you kept quiet. It's too damn late for explanations," TC coldly replied before storming off.

"TC please," Eve cried running after him but TC shrugged off her touch and walked away leaving a pitiful Eve sobbing on the ground.

"Well this certainly turned out to be more entertaining than I thought it'd be," an amused Teresa whispered from the sidelines as she and Fox watched the action below.

"Yea, the residents of Harmony have never been known for their brains." Fox muttered.

"Speak for yourself Crane," Teresa teased with a gamine grin. Fox smiled down at Teresa and bent his head to press a kiss on her soft mouth.

"So, when were you planning on telling me what you and Gramps had cooked up?" Fox asked.

"I'm sorry Fox I wanted to tell you but Alistair convinced me that…"

"That the plan would work better if I didn't know what was going on." Fox finished for her. "That's what I gathered when I went to confront him and he told me I should learn to trust you."

"I never meant to leave you out in the cold and I wouldn't blame you for being mad," Teresa murmured.

"Babe, I knew something was going on and I knew my grandfather was responsible for whatever scheme you'd cooked up. I admit I was hurt and angry when you dumped me and hooked up with my brother but even then a part of me knew that whatever you were doing had to be part of Alistair's grand plan."

"I love you Fox, I love you so much," Teresa told him.

"I love you too babe. And now that you've announced our engagement to the world I think it's time we made it official." Fox replied pulling a black velvet box out of his pocket and presenting her with the emerald and diamond engagement ring he had selected months ago.

"Oh Fox, it's beautiful." Teresa gushed.

"Not nearly as beautiful as you," Fox replied. "So will you make me the happiest man on earth and agree to be my wife?"

"Yes, Fox, yes." Teresa cried wrapping her arms around him and raining his face with kisses.

From the dark shadows Alistair watched the happy couple with a grin on his face. Everything had turned out exactly as planned and he couldn't be happier.