Chapter 12

This was stupid. They were in the air for twenty minutes now and Luis was thankful that he could see the cabin in the distance. Matt was annoying the hell out of him. When they got high enough, all three men took off the ear phones. There was silence for a few moments and Luis jumped when Matt broke out into song. He would do it every few minutes and he could sing in one of the highest pitched voices Luis had ever heard. First it was 'Get Your Freak On' by Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliot and it ranged all the way to 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion.

Luis' hands gripped tighter on the seat of the chair he sat in and he gritted his teeth tighter with every song. Now it was his breaking point when Matt thrust his head forward with a "Bye, Bye, Bye!"

"Matt!"

Luis' scream didn't seem to phase Matt at all. "Oh, sorry. Sometimes I forget that other people are with me. I'm used to driving alone and I got in the habit of singing. You ever do that? Sing in the car? Sometimes I sing at work and then when Ethan-"

"Matt!"

Matt winced. "Okay, okay. Sorry," he smiled to himself. This was fun.

Luis pointed through the windshield. "There's the cabin. The pad is behind it by the lake." Luis and Mark began preparing themselves and they were making sure they had everything they needed. Matt continued flying the helicopter, evilly contemplating if he should start singing again. Luis checked his pockets and padded his holster to make sure everything was in check. That's when he felt it. It was missing.

"Shit!" Luis swore.

"What's the matter?" Mark asked him from the backseat.

Luis stared off, not believing this at all. "She took my gun. Theresa has my gun…"

She was in the car, hidden by the trees that kept the cabin hidden. Her heart was pounding and her hand was writing fiercely on the paper that she had obtained from the glove compartment. As she wrote, her eyes were spilling tears when she saw the words her mind was saying. She wrote the last four words to the person it would be addressed to and she knew that she had never meant anything more in her life. She signed her name in the special way that she had ever since high school with the bottom of the T making a loop with the top and the H blurring into the T and the following E. It was almost a calligraphic dance when the curling end of the A sank down underneath the name and designed in a final flick of her hand.

By the time the letter was finished, Theresa reread it and folded it gently and wrote the recipient's name on the back. Now it was time and she couldn't be more ready. She pulled Luis' gun from the front of her jeans and stared at the dangerous piece of steel in her hand. It was an automatic 9 mm and she was sure it would do the damage it was known for-- the ultimate. Theresa pulled back the top of the gun and let a bullet proceed to the chamber, ready to explode with fierceness. She put the gun back into her pants and placed the folded letter on her dashboard. It was time.

After saying a silent prayer like her mother had taught her and after slowly stepping out of her car, Theresa began to make her way to the cabin. She could tell it was dark inside and the crunch of gravel beneath her feet heightened her frantic senses. Just as she got to the first step leading up to the door, she head the murmur of helicopter wings above her. When she looked up, she saw Luis' concerned face looking down at her. She turned back to the stairs and made her way to the door.

"Sorry, Luis. This is my fight…" And with a trembling hand, Theresa turned the knob and the door opened with a creak revealing a dark room.

It had begun and she knew that no matter how this would all end, her life would never be the same ever again.

Gwen had been in there for hours it seemed. She sat in a chair propped in front of her iron monstrosity and taunted a teary Ethan with news of Theresa's miscarriage. She mentioned how much of a failure Theresa was and how horribly she fought back the other night, almost as if she knew she was pregnant and she wanted to lose the baby.

The images of a struggling Theresa fighting for her life brought tears of anger to Ethan's eyes. The way Gwen was describing it was almost unbearable now. Now that he stared at Gwen, his heart filled with dread for knowing that he was and always would be the everlasting link between the two women; his wife and the woman that was hell-bent on destroying her.

"You know, Ethan, you should really tell Theresa to take some kind of self-defense classes. She was pitiful the other night. She didn't know how to fight back at all. She felt like a twig when I pushed her up against the wall. And I could have snapped her like one too… But I didn't. I wanted to see her suffer. And she will. I'll make sure of it." Gwen smiled when she saw the anguish in Ethan's eyes, knowing full well that he was trying to make it seem like he wasn't listening but he was. "The only real fight she seemed to give was when I told her that she would never see her son again. But you know what they say, never attack in anger. It only made it worse for her. The poor thing, she was trying to fight back but she didn't know how-- only making it easier for me-- I pushed her down the stairs and you could hear the pounding of her body all the way down. It was beautiful…"

Ethan's entire body was screaming for him to stay calm. His mind was reeling images of him attacking Gwen with every ounce of strength that his ravished body could summon. It was insane to think that this woman used to be his wife. She used to be the woman that he'd kiss before bed every night. But that was just it, she wasn't the same woman anymore. She had changed. Everything about her changed. Her mind, her heart, her soul. The Gwen that he had married no longer existed. All that was left in her place was a black void that only kept growing in size and filling with hate. A hatred for Theresa that would never seem to die. But then, perhaps the Gwen he knew was just an act and the heartless, soulless Gwen had always been there.

"Who knows, maybe Theresa learned her fighting techniques from Mommy Dearest here," she referred to Pilar. "It was crazy, Ethan. They both came at me knowing they had nothing to defend themselves with. You'd think they'd be smarter than that!"

"You heartless bitch!" Pilar yelled.

Gwen switched her focus over to her in the corner of the dark room with a blink. Her lips turned upward in a smile. "Yes… well, now you see what your daughter has made me." Pilar stared at her and saw the truly hateful monster that she was. Ethan tried his hardest to block out anything that Gwen was saying. His heart broke for Theresa and he could just imagine how badly she was hurting; she had just lost a baby- a baby he knew she wanted. A baby that he wanted. And it was all Gwen's fault.

"Don't cry, Ethan. The baby probably wasn't even yours."

Ethan finally looked up at Gwen, his eyes slicing with anger. "Don't ev-" he began but he was interrupted by a sound.

Gwen turned her eyes toward the ceiling and she listened intently. The thump of the helicopter got closer and Gwen's mind registered and she smiled again. "Good," she said looking back at her prisoners. "She's here." Pilar and Ethan looked up suddenly afraid. They wanted to be saved but they knew if Gwen got to her first, Gwen would kill her. "Let the games begin," Gwen smirked.

Ethan shot up from his cot and went to the extent of the cage. "Gwen, please!" he pleaded.

"Ah, ah, ah…," Gwen warned. She once again pulled the black remote from her pocket and pressed down on the red button. Ethan ripped his hands away just in time and was careful not to touch the electric metal. "Careful, now. I wouldn't want you to get hurt. I'll save that for Theresa…"

The sickening dread of knowing he could do nothing upset him and made Ethan even more furious. All he needed was that remote-- the very remote that was wedged between a retreating Gwen's hand.

"Oh," Gwen began, turning back to Ethan, "and if you make it easy for her find you, if you make any noise or yell, you can just say goodbye to your son…"

Ethan stared at her, not believing she'd even threaten it. "You wouldn't…," he whispered.

She was silent and took a few steps closer to the cage. Her smirk was wicked when she spoke. "Try me."

Ethan didn't say anything and he once again saw the dangerous fire in her eyes. Without another word, Gwen left the dark room, the door slamming behind her. Ethan and Pilar turned to each other, their eyes full of worry. And the word uttered from Ethan's mouth carried the smooth sound of love just as it always had: "Theresa…."

Carefully, under Luis' order, Matt landed the helicopter quietly, trying his best not to sing; Siquo's voice and 'Wild Wild West' just popped into his head. Mark jumped out of the helicopter when Luis called him back.

"Give Matt your earpiece," he said turning to Matt. "Stay here. Let me know if Gwen comes out here, got it? If you see anything, or if anything goes wrong, call the chief."

Matt nodded hesitantly before asking, "Well, what's gonna go wrong?"

Luis didn't answer his question and jumped out of the chopper. Matt looked quizzically at a departing Luis and fumbled trying to put the ear piece on. The cord hanging from the bottom kept getting in his mouth.

"Oh, and Matt," Luis reminded, "for the love of god, no singing!"

What was she getting herself into now? Her heart was pounding against her ribs and the surge of adrenaline was flowing all throughout her body. The 9mm was cocked in her hand and she tried to keep her hands from shaking.

The last memories of being here flooded her mind. Even though Ethan was no longer a Crane and Julian and Alistair had cut him off years ago, Julian granted him unlimited use of the cabin for his clients or for himself. Ethan brought her up her a few times before he was outed as a Bennett. They would cuddle by the fire and he would hold her and listen to her hopes for the future, making wishes on the flames that all of her dreams would come true.

Their times at the cabin were always magical. They would play in the hot tub and watch the steam rise into the winter air and later they'd make their own steam; an uncontrollable desire. The one night that he had brought her up here that Gwen knew about for certain was the night that she caught them snuggling by the fire to keep warm, and that was their first confrontation at the cabin. Tonight would be their last…

It was strange to be in a place that held so many happy memories and now would be a place of fear. Gwen was here somewhere and Ethan… She didn't really know anymore. Passing into the living room, Theresa saw that Gwen had covered the furniture. White sheets collected the dust, giving off huge, monster-like shapes. Even though she wanted to charge into the cabin, her feet seemed more comfortable to step through carefully. The quiet sound of her rubber-soled shoes was like a touch to a pad, gently easing her nerves.

After seeing the living room was empty, Theresa continued her path down one of the hallways, focusing her attention to a door that had a crease of light beneath it. Her thumb and trigger finger tightened around the sweat-moistened gun, increasing the pressure on the bullet. She wouldn't give Gwen another chance to beat her. Theresa took hold of the brass knob and turned it slowly, the silence surrounding her allowing her to hear each click.

Her hand, shaking in both anticipation and fear, pushed the door open, revealing what lay inside. The illuminated room spread light into the darkness of the hallway, giving it a sudden glow. The door was open and Theresa was ready. Just as she had seen in police movies and such, she took a step back and pressed her back against the wall next to the doorway. Both hands were around the gun now and she held it upright next to her face, preparing herself for what was to come. Strange, she thought. Even thought she had opened the door, she still heard no movement. Theresa took one more deep breath and thought of her family and why she was here. Suddenly finding her courage renewed, Theresa flipped to face the room, the pistol aimed in front of her.

The room was empty. When she stepped inside, all Theresa saw was a large bed covered in expensive dressings. Now that she looked at the bed, she could see that the covers had recently been disturbed. Slowly, Theresa crouched down and saw that there was nothing underneath the bed. She looked up and slowly scanned the room for any sign of Gwen. There was nothing. Her eyes quickly registered a closet on her left side-- the door was closed-- making her senses squirm. Theresa stared it for a long minute, trying to gather her strength. Slowly, she traced steps toward the closet and her hand reached out, ready to touch the doorknob.

Her chest quickened and her breath stilled. There was something waiting for her behind the door, she could feel it. She rested her hand on the knob and felt her wrist turning with exaggeration, slowly tensing her body. Her hand was on the final click but the next sound was no door opening. The clang was loud and had a resonating, steel-like sound to it. The hand that was to the door jumped back at Theresa in fright and her heartbeat pounded harder against her ribcage. Her breathing suddenly became shallow and the room seemed to pulsate around her, making her throat constrict and making it harder to focus.

What was that sound? She didn't smell any sign of animals so it couldn't be a cat or something… Again Theresa pointed the gun in front of her and led herself out of the room and into the darkness of the cabin. She walked down a narrow hallway that curved and found herself amidst many closed doors. But there was one up ahead on the left that seemed to be open. Theresa clamped on the gun and told herself to be brave. With a spin and a kick of her gym shoe-soled shoe, she kicked open the door and it swung back and forth on the wall behind it.

The kitchen was modern looking with marble counters no doubt imported from Italy's Carrera and racks of crystal glasses and steel pots and pans hanging above the island in the center of the room. High-tech appliances sat against the walls and the floor was tiled in what appeared to be imported marble as well. As Theresa looked around the lavish cuisine area, she found that four cabinets were swung open below one of the sinks and dishes, pots, pans, and even some silverware was strewn about. This was no animal if she had even the slightest suspicion of it being so. Someone did it purposely and it didn't seem like there was a reason other than to get her in here. But why?

With that thought in mind, Theresa quickly took her guard again and carefully cased every nook that was possible for hiding. There was a dining room table that was exquisite but it looked as though it hadn't been dusted in years. The china was stunning and Theresa tried her best to make sure that Gwen wasn't behind her every few seconds. Over by the refrigerator that looked as if it held food for a supermarket, Theresa saw a small garbage can on the floor. When she looked closer, a sickening feeling washed over her when she saw the crimson stained photo. She and Ethan were holding each other, both with huge smiles and the picture was covered in a dried, red liquid. When Theresa picked up the picture that she had a copy of in her wallet, she saw the frame and the shattered glass underneath. The shards were too covered in what she finally realized to be blood and she knew that it could only have come from one person-- Gwen. Theresa slowly let the picture fall back down and when she turned around, the shock of her life stood before her…

Luis and Mark trudged slowly up the walkway and then Luis changed his direction. Before he could reach the few steps leading up to the front door, Luis walked away.

"Luis, where ya goin'?" Mark asked concerned.

"Shh." Luis warned. "I'm going 'round back. Gwen's probably waiting for us up front."

"Okay, I'll take the front."

"No, you won't. We have no idea what kind of weapons Gwen or anyone else has inside there. Follow me and we'll see where we go from there."

Mark gave no argument and for some reason, he got the feeling like he was in some war zone rather than a lavish getaway.

Luis walked with a hunch, keeping his head below the windows to keep out of sight and he checked in on Matt back in the helicopter every once in a while.

"Matt, it's Luis, you there?" he began.

"Hey there, looky-loo." Luis had finally come to the conclusion that Matt was beyond all mental help. "Catch any bad guys yet? Or no. How's this? Bad girls…?" Matt immediately fell into hysterical laughter and Luis almost wished that he hadn't contacted him at all.

Luis broke through Matt's laughter and tried to get him to concentrate. "Matt, pay attention! Mark and I are going through the back but keep an eye out for Gwen."

"Why? Is she coming out already?"

Luis rolled his eyes and shut off the connection. "And to think that guy went to Yale…"

Ethan and Pilar were beside themselves and they had no idea what to do. If they shouted, they might be condemning themselves, Little Ethan, and Theresa to death. If they said nothing, they left Theresa alone at the hands of Gwen and the pressure was becoming too much for them.

Ethan was sitting with his face in his hands and he hated being so close to Theresa and yet not being able to help her. He was her husband and he promised her that he would do whatever it took to protect her. Ironic, wasn't it…? He promised to protect Theresa and yet he was the one locked in a cage. What was he supposed to do now? His wife was at the mercy of a psychotic woman that would do anything to get what she wanted and he already knew that she wanted Theresa dead.

"What are we going to do, Ethan?" a shaky voice asked from the corner.

Ethan turned to Pilar and stared for a brief second. For a moment, he thought he saw Theresa's eyes staring at him and it seared into his soul, cutting and slicing at his heart with anguish. "I don't know what we can do…"

Ethan and Pilar had heard the loud bang that Theresa went to investigate and they hoped that Theresa was okay. But who were they kidding? She was now in the hands of a monster.

The gun was still in her hand but it was pointing downwards as she stared down the chamber of another.

"Hi, Theresa," Gwen greeted, her voice dripping with distain. "You finally got my invitation. I've been waiting for you." Gwen's pistol was aimed at Theresa's head and Theresa didn't know what to do. Her chest spasmed in a breath as she tried to speak.

"Gwen, I--" When Theresa tried to speak, Gwen pulled the hammer back, telling Theresa this just wasn't the time for small talk.

Gwen smiled wickedly, relishing in the fact that she could make Theresa squirm so. "Oh, Theresa… I've been waiting for this." The black tube was cocked in front of her face; the color mirroring the darkness of Gwen's heart. Gwen crossed her left foot in front of her right, making Theresa turn with her, starting a slow circular motion between the two. "How's it feel, Theresa? To know that you lost everything to your enemy…?" Theresa said nothing and made sure she paid attention to Gwen's finger around the trigger. "It's what I've felt ever since you killed Sarah and stole everything that I've ever loved."

Theresa felt a deep lump at the back of her throat. No matter how many times Ethan had told her otherwise, she still felt guilty. She felt responsible for everything that Gwen accused her of and had finally convinced herself that Gwen was right. She was to blame for everything.

Theresa opened her mouth to speak and Gwen's gun plunged closer to Theresa's face. "I don't think so," she snarled. Gwen and Theresa continued their round path with a slow, shaky pace. Gwen mentioned Ethan and Theresa's ears were ringing in her pressing thoughts to think of a way out. If she ran, Gwen would undoubtedly shoot her. If she tried to call out, Gwen would shoot her. If she tried to point her gun up at Gwen, Gwen wouldn't think twice about ending her life. It was as simple as that. It was almost ironic when Theresa figured that her life was in the hands of the person that hated her the most and couldn't wait to see her dead.

"You know, Theresa, I want you to know that I'm doing you a favor. You've seemed to make a royal mess of everything in your path and I'm happy to relieve you of it all." Their winding circle stopped and Gwen made sure that the tip of the gun was pointed in the center of Theresa's forehead-- the exact place for extensive, fatal damage. "And I want you to know that I will take care of your family. I'll love Little Ethan as my very own and Ethan… well, we'll pick up right where we left off before you bewitched him and took him from my life." There was a silent pause and Theresa did her best not to dwell on what Gwen had just said. It was too painful to think of what she could be losing. But Gwen was right. They fought the battle and Gwen won-- just as she said she would. "Say goodbye, Theresa…" Gwen's finger tightened on the trigger and Theresa closed her eyes. She heard a loud noise and saw a flash.

BANG.

The sun had risen overhead and Luis and Mark felt like hunters as they crouched around large windows and ducked behind bushes. They were on their guard while looking for a safe way in. They couldn't use the front entrance; it was way to obvious. While the cabin was tiny in comparison to the Crane Mansion, it was still relatively large. Luis had seen the blueprints once and he could remember that it held five bedrooms, one master room, a large kitchen and dining room, four bathrooms, a hot tub, the helicopter pad that he had just landed in, two parlors, and three fireplaces. Not to mention that as large as it was, the price of the small estate came from what furnished it inside.

The sound of the wind easing through the bushes was the only other sound besides his pulse that Luis paid attention to. Mark was close behind him, mimicking his every move with caution, keeping his eyes sharp for any movement. As the first birds of the morning began to sing, Luis slowed his motions and stopped next to a fold in the outer walls that would hide him from view. He had spotted his way in up ahead and paused to ready himself.

Luis' voice was in a whisper and almost out of breath when he spoke to Mark. "Okay, see that window up there?" he asked, cocking his head in the direction that he wanted Mark to look. "It's low enough for us to get in."

Mark nodded peeked past the covering of the fold and looked at the small, arched window that seemed to be no bigger than three feet wide. "But how do you know that Gwen isn't in there?"

"I don't. We're just gonna have to take a chance." Mark gave Luis a quizzical look. He had never known Luis to be a risk taker when it came to official police business. He was usually an aggressive man but still a smooth cop nonetheless. "Look, that's my baby sister in there. Gwen has my mom and my nephew and my brother-in-law. I have to…" Luis didn't wait long enough to seek his partner's confirmation and he turned in to station à la Matt.

When Luis turned the channel to Matt's receiver on the gauge on his hip, it took a minute before he heard anything and a crackling sound annoyed him while he tried to make out what he was hearing. Through the fuzz, Luis could have sworn that he heard the chorus to 'Genie In A Bottle' and it scared him to say the least.

"Matt! You there?"

The message back sounded something like, "Ipdk jek keker"

"Hello? Matt, can you hear me?" There was more static and Matt's words continued to be jumbled into some alien language beyond comprehension. "Okay, Matt," Luis began, finding himself almost yelling as if it would help matters. "Listen, I need you to stay where you are and me and Mark are gonna go inside. Okay? Matt?"

"Ah, budk eemi… crkz," Luis heard Matt replied.

Luis took that to mean that Matt understood and switched the turner off. Mark asked if Matt understood what Luis said and Luis nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, I think so... All right, let's go." The two men walked with their backs bent forward to the window a few yards away, ready to break the defenses and live up to their job description. Luis was right, the window was low enough for them to get in and they were lucky that no one was waiting for them inside. He was right about it all but what he didn't know was that Matt didn't hear what he told him. He heard something entirely different.

Matt sat in the pilot's seat of the helicopter with his earpiece in his hand. The confused look on his face wasn't the one that usually accompanied his persona but it was more intense and he wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. While Luis said that he and Mark were going to go inside and asked Matt to stay where he was, Matt heard, "Leave where you are. Me, you, and Mark are gonna go inside, okay?"

Matt wasn't sure if he heard Luis correctly but he did hear those words and Luis did seem to have a certain kind of panic in his voice. It was time. Matt unbuckled himself and grabbed the sides of his jacket and pulled them close, prepping himself. "All right," he said to himself. Carefully, and with an unusual slow trod, Matt hopped out of the helicopter, feeling like he was on a mission. As he stepped around the gray monstrosity, the lyrics were inescapable and he said them proudly:

"I'm having… the time of my life… and I owe it all to yoooouuuuu…."