Wow…chapter 9. I would like to thank all of you who left feedback. You are amazing and I love you all to pieces! I'm sorry this chapter took so long. My muse ran away from me, and it took two very patient, awesome people to help me get back on track. Yezara, Ally, thanks so much for your help. Ally, I hope this was worth the wait, and I hope you enjoy your entrance into this fic. I hope everyone enjoys the chapter. I will get ten up as soon as I can, and I promise it won't take over 2 months this time, either.

Laura

Unconditionally-Chapter 9

"Where do you think you are going?" An icy voice questioned, stopping Theresa in her tracks. Rolling her eyes, she rotated to find herself on the receiving end of a deadly glare from her nemesis. If she'd had her way, the bleach-blonde terror would have been out of the mansion. But Rebecca was Julian's wife and Gwen was her daughter, and Alistair seemed to have no problem with the living arrangement, so Theresa was forced to keep silent on the issue.

"I'm taking Ethan Martin and Jane to the park, Gwen." Theresa answered, struggling to keep her annoyance in check. "It's a beautiful day out, and I thought it would be nice for them to have some time to play outside instead of being cooped up in the mansion all day."

"You don't have the right to just go off with Jane whenever and wherever you please, Theresa." Gwen stated, smirking. "Jane is still in the legal custody of Ethan and I. You can't take her without permission."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I have 'permission' from Ethan, isn't it?" Theresa responded, smiling. "He knows what I'm doing with our daughter, and in fact, he's the one who suggested it."

"Ethan suggested it." Gwen repeated, the smirk now nowhere to be found.

"Yes, he did. He wantsLittle Ethanand Jane to have some time together. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my children to the park."

"You can't watch the two of them by yourself." Gwen objected.

"Of course I can." Theresa responded, allowing her frustration to filter into her voice. "It's not like I haven't taken my children to the park before."

"But they can be a handful, and you aren't the most watchful person, Theresa." the blonde sniped, covering her maliciousness with a thin veneer of concern. "Someone should go with you."

That's it. Theresa thought, all thoughts of self-restraint vanishing into thin air. She has insulted my ability as a mother for the last time. Her hands clenched into fists, Theresa was seconds away from throwing a punch, when a cheerful voice coming from the stairway brought her back to sanity.

"I'm going with her." Ally, the children's nanny, announced as she reached the bottom of the staircase. Approaching the group, she smiled at the children, ruffling Ethan Martin's hair affectionately, then shifted her attention to Theresa and Gwen. "Ready when you are, Mrs. Crane. Sorry it took me so long."

"That…that's alright." Theresa responded, covering her surprise at the intervention. She winced as she observed Gwen transferring her hate-filled glare to Ally. Deciding to pull her own intervention, she placed herself between Gwen and Ally, smiling at the nanny.

"Well, if you're ready to go, I say we get out of here. Ready guys?" She asked cheerfully, laughing softly when Ethan Martin nodded excitedly.

"Let's go mommy!" He exclaimed.

"Wait just one second!" Gwen objected.

"Later, Gwen." Theresa responded, taking Ethan Martin's hand and allowing Ally to take control of the stroller. With that they walked out the door, leaving an outraged Gwen behind.

"Thank you, Ally. I really appreciate you stepping in. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't."

"Always happy to help, Mrs. Crane." Ally responded.

"Call me Theresa."

"Okay." Looking beyond her, the nanny smiled. "Isn't that your sister pulling into the driveway, Theresa?"

Turning to see what Ally was talking about, Theresa smiled.

"Paloma!" she exclaimed, rushing over and hugging her baby sister. "It's so good to see you. What are you doing here, hermana? I thought you worked today."

"I'm here to visit you, of course!" Paloma answered, laughing as Ethan Martin jumped into her arms. "Hey there, little man." she greeted the little boy with a hug, swinging him around before sitting him back down. "And as for work, another girl has her anniversary with her husband tomorrow, and asked if we could switch. I thought I could use this time to kidnap you for lunch, but it looks like you're already busy."

"We're going to the park. Care to come with us?" Theresa offered.

"That sounds like fun."

"Great."

Introducing Ally and Paloma to one another, the group piled in the car and headed to the park.

Watching her sister play with her children, Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald smiled. Despite their rocky beginning upon her return to Harmony, she loved her older sister, and wanted her to be happy. The look of joy on her face as she played with Ethan Martin and Jane was one that she had feared she'd never get to see.

She'd been thrilled when she'd heard about Ethan's decision to follow his heart. But with Alistair's return, she could not ignore the deep-down fear she felt for Theresa. She'd heard stories of what he was like, and had been witness to some of his evil. The stories from her mother of what he had done to her sister were enough to make her sick.

Seeing Theresa hug Ethan Martin and Jane, leaving them in Ally's care and heading over to sit on a bench to rest, Paloma joined her.

"Little Ethan has a lot of energy." She commented.

"That he does." Theresa grinned in response. "I'm glad you came with us, Sis."

"I am too. How have you been, hermana?" Paloma questioned, deciding on the direct approach. "I know a lot has happened in the last month or so."

"I've been…okay." Came the careful reply. "Things with Ethan are going well. He's filed for divorce, and although Gwen is fighting tooth and nail, it's only a matter of time before it goes through."

"That's great, Theresa. Have you and he…."

Laughing, Theresa shook her head.

"Not that it's any of your business, my nosy little sister, but no, we haven't. Not yet. Things are too complicated right now. We both want things to be right. Ethan is still married to Gwen, and I'm still married to Alistair."

Pausing to consider her next question, Paloma continued.

"What about Alistair?"

Theresa, startled by the bluntness of the inquiry, could only stare out at the scenery, as she attempted to formulate the right words.

"Fortunately for me, he's been too busy with whatever his latest heinous scheme is to attempt to enforce me to do my 'wifely duties'. He hasn't tried anything since he's been back. Nearly a week, and nothing. Part of me is relieved, and part of me is terrified, knowing that at any moment he could make up his mind that he wants to and…." Shaking her head, she sighed. "Agreeing to marry Alistair was the biggest mistake of my life. I don't know how I'm going to get out, how things are going to work out."

"Why don't you just leave, Theresa? You and Ethan, you could just take the children and run. Make a family, make a life together." Paloma encouraged. "No one would blame you, hermana. And if they did, they would just have to get over it!"

Theresa smiled at the romanticism of the words, and the supportive spunk that was characteristic of all the Lopez-Fitzgeralds.

"That sounds amazing, Paloma. There's nothing more I would like than to disappear and be a family with Ethan and the children. But running wouldn't solve anything. Because no matter how far or fast we would run, Alistair would eventually catch us. And he wouldn't take his anger at our running out on me. He'd take it out on Little Ethan. He'd leave Ethan, Jane and I alone, and take Little Ethan away. I'd never see my son again. I can't do that to my little boy. I won't. I have to protect him, no matter how much it kills me."

"I'm sorry, Theresa." Paloma said, hugging her sister, offering what comfort she could give.

"It's okay." Theresa replied, returning the hug. "Things may feel a bit hopeless right now, but I still have to believe that Fate has a plan. If there wasn't, if God didn't mean for things to work out in the end, then Ethan wouldn't have come to his senses. He would still be with Gwen."

"Now that's the big sister I know and love." Paloma smiled. "Ever the optimist, no matter what."

"That's right, and don't you forget it." Standing and stretching, Theresa motioned to Ally to bring the children over. "I'm thinking the Book Café for lunch." She declared, taking Jane into her arms. "Who's with me?"

At the cheers from Ethan Martin, Paloma chuckled. As they made their way back to the car, she silently promised herself that she would do whatever it took to help her big sister. She deserved it.

Pulling a brush through her hair, completing her nightly pre-bedtime ritual, Theresa couldn't help but feel apprehensive. She knew, as she told Paloma, that it was only a matter of time before Alistair decided to enforce his 'husbandly rights'. And she didn't know what she was going to do when that happened. Setting the brush down, she sighed.

"I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I come to it." She muttered to herself, turning off the lights and crawling into bed. "I just hope my luck holds up."

She had just fallen into a light sleep when she heard the creak of her bedroom door, followed seconds later by the feeling of someone else entering her bed.

Please be Ethan, please be Ethan, please be Ethan. She thought desperately, refusing to open her eyes. When rough hands gripped her shoulders, shaking her violently, she realized with horror that her luck had run out.

She looks beautiful like this. Alistair mused, enjoying the terror in his wife's eyes as they opened. If there wasn't a plan to set into motion, he might have allowed himself more time to savor her fear. But there was, so he continued.

"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty." He decreed, smirking evilly. "Your husband is lonely, and he wants your…special attentions."

"Not tonight." Theresa responded with false bravado. "I'm tired Alistair. In case you didn't notice, I was trying to get some sleep."

"Oh, I noticed that. But I do not care whether or not you are tired. I want you, and now."

"Please, don't." she whispered, her eyes pleading with him not to do what she knew was inevitable.

"You can say please all you want, my dear. I will get what I want, even if I have to fight you to get it." With those words he proceeded to rip off her nightgown, causing her to whimper and attempt to pull away, crying out for Alistair to let her go.

"Leave me alone, you monster!" Theresa yelled, doing what she could to fight him off.

At the feeling of a strong hand grasping his shoulder and spinning him around, Alistair almost smiled.

Ah, the Knight in Shining Armour. He thought. Right on time.

Ethan had been in his room, studying a book on divorce law in an attempt to find a way to speed up the proceedings between he and Gwen when he heard footsteps in the hallway. Assuming it was the late night help wandering the halls, or the nanny going to check on the children, he shrugged it off and went back to his reading.

The sooner Gwen and I are divorced, the sooner Theresa and I can focus on finding a way to get her out of her marriage to Alistair. He thought, smiling at the idea of he, Theresa, and the children being a family.

Moments later, however, his happy reverie was broken by the sound of a terrified voice yelling for someone to let them go.

"Theresa." Ethan whispered, shooting out his chair and making a beeline for her room. The sight he found upon entering the room sickened and angered him. Seeing Theresa standing there, her nightgown in shreds, her voice full of terror as she yelled at Alistair to leave her alone, filled Ethan with a fury he'd never known before. Spinning the lecherous, despicable old man around, Ethan didn't think before laying into him, unleashing all his hatred into a series of devastating punches. Only the feeling of Theresa's hand pulling him back, and the sound of her voice begging him to stop before he killed the old man, convinced him to stop.

"I warned you, you sick SOB!" He roared at the fallen man. "I told you that you weren't ever to touch her again. You should have listened."

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, he turned to Theresa, gently pulling her into his arms, uncaring of the servants who had gathered at hearing the commotion.

"Are you alright?" He questioned tenderly. "He didn't…"

"No." Theresa shook her head, clinging tightly to him, needing his warmth and comfort. "He didn't get that far before you walked in."

Realizing fully what had happened, and what it could mean, Theresa paled, pulling away.

"You've got to leave." She told Ethan. "You can't be here when he wakes up."

"Why not? I'm not scared of him Theresa." Ethan assured her.

"But I am!" She cried. "Alistair's not just going to accept what you've done to him, Ethan. He's going to want revenge, and he's going to want blood. I can convince him not to have you killed, only to fire you from Crane, but only if you leave, and leave now."

"I'm not going to leave you here to his mercies. I love you. I want to protect you."

"And I love you, Ethan. This is my way of protecting you. Jane needs both of her parents, and I need the man I love with all of my heart and soul to be safe. Please, Ethan, take Jane and go."

"But what if he tries to hurt you again?"

"I'm going to have to take care of myself. I know I can do it. But for now, the most important thing is making sure that you're okay. I can't survive this marriage with Alistair if you're not safe, Ethan."

Taking a moment to think things through, Ethan sighed.

"Okay. If it means that much to you…I'll go. But I'm only a phone call away if you need me. I don't care what time it is, where I'm at. You call, and I'll be here."

"I'm counting on that." Kissing him, wrapping her arms around him, Theresa fought back tears. She knew it was what had to be done, but that didn't stop the fear she felt at being without Ethan in the mansion. Pulling away, she ordered the servants to take Alistair to the mansion's hospital wing.

"I'll have Ally help me get Jane ready while you're getting your things together."

Nodding, Ethan gave her one last kiss before exiting the room. Coming face to face with Gwen, he bit back a sigh.

"What happened?" Gwen questioned, concerned.

"I caught Alistair trying to rape Theresa and I stopped him. Jane and I will be leaving shortly." Moving past her on the way to his room, he stopped at his doorway when he heard her declare:

"I'll go with you."

"No, you won't. That's not necessary. Stay here with your mother."

"I'm not just going to let you leave with my daughter, Ethan." Gwen stated icily.

"You're right, you won't."

"I'm glad you understand."

"You won't let me leave with your daughter because you don't have any control over the matter and because Jane isn't your daughter. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to pack." With that, he entered his room and made quick work of packing.

It was midnight when there was a knock on the door of the Bennett home. Unable to sleep, Ivy answered, surprised to see her son and granddaughter.

"Ethan, what are you doing here so late? Is something wrong?" She questioned.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you guys, mom. I got into it with Alistair, and Theresa thought it would be best if I wasn't living in the mansion right now. Would you mind if Jane and I stayed here for a while?"

"Of course not." Ivy assured, moving to give them entrance into she and Sam's home. "Come in, come in. You can stay as long as you like. What do you mean you got into it with Alistair?"

"If you don't mind, can I explain it in the morning? It really is late, and Jane and I need some sleep."

"Of course. You know where the guest room is, and you can put Jane in the room we have made up for when she stays with us. We'll speak in the morning."

Hugging her son and kissing her grandchild goodnight, Ivy shook her head, watching the pair head up the stairs.

When Alistair told me to be ready at any time, he meant business. She thought, realizing that whatever happened must be part of his plan. Let the games begin.