A/N- I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that I tied up all the loose ends neatly for you. I do have the epilogue to this story completed but I want to post it at Ruth and Angie's first-so when the new board is up I will post up the epilogue to this story simultaneously. As always, quality feedback adored-please, please drop me a line even if it's just to say you hated the story.

Chapter 15

A year later

She stood over his grave, her arms filled with the assortment of flowers she'd picked out earlier as she tried to begin the one sided conversation. She had so much to be thankful for but a part of her was haunted by the sacrifice he'd made for her and she knew that the only way she'd be able to move on with her life was by exorcising his ghost. Heedless of the rain that misted the air, Teresa dropped to her knees and reverently placed the flowers on his tombstone then let her mind drift to that dark afternoon that had changed her destiny.

Even now she could still feel the icy ball of terror that had lodged in her belly when the gunshots had rang out. Blind panic had assailed her when she felt Nick stumble against her and she'd realized he'd been shot but that was nothing to the terror that enveloped her when she saw Fox's inert frame slumped on the floor. A raw, grief stricken wail escaped her throat and she'd attacked Alistair like a banshee her anger giving her strength she otherwise would have lacked. Clawing at his face like a wild animal she'd felt savage satisfaction engulf her when she'd felt pieces of his skin underneath her fingernails and not even the knowledge that her death was imminent had taken away from her triumph.

Her own demise was unimportant; what mattered was that she'd marked him and whenever Alistair looked into a mirror he'd remember that she'd been the one to gouge his eye out. Almost numbly she waited for the bullet that would snuff out her life but when the shot rang out a pair of strong arms had shoved her out of the way and she'd turned to see Nick stumble to the ground, one hand pressed to his chest. Everything that happened afterwards remained a blank in her mind. Her next clear memory was of waking up in the hospital with Cody in her arms and her family (including Fox) by her side. Her relief at knowing both Cody and Fox had survived was offset by the sadness of knowing Nick had died protecting her from Alistair. In spite of everything he'd done, Teresa knew with absolute certainty that Nick had loved her and she couldn't let go of her feelings of guilt over the matter in which he had died.

"I never got to thank you for what you did," Teresa softly murmured.

"I never wanted your gratitude Resa," Nick replied dryly and a stunned Teresa lifted her head to see her former lover kneeling by her side.

"Nick?" Teresa murmured rubbing her eyes in an attempt to clear her head.

"In the flesh, so to speak," Nick retorted.

"But your dead," Teresa stammered uncomprehendingly.

"Don't remind me babe. Dying is damned inconvenient let me tell you," Nick told her with a half laugh. "Although in my case it was probably for the best. I wouldn't have enjoyed a stint in prison," he mused.

"Nick…"

"Querida, life is too precious to waste on useless regrets. The past cannot be changed. Make my sacrifice count for something and be happy," Nick murmured reaching out to twirl a strand of her hair with his thumb. Then just as quickly as he'd appeared he was gone and Teresa was once more alone with her thoughts.

"Resa, wake up." A male voice crooned in her ear and Teresa blinked sleepily up at Fox.

"I just had the weirdest dream," Teresa told him as Fox helped her to her feet.

"Yea well falling asleep at a graveyard will do that to you." Fox replied taking off his jacket and placing it around her damp shoulders as he guided her out of the cemetery. "You ok?" he asked when they had reached his car.

Thinking back to the encounter she'd had with Nick, Teresa smiled. Whether Nick's ghost had been real or a figment of her imagination wasn't important. What mattered was that she'd finally been able to come to terms with his death.

"I'm perfect," she told him honestly leaning over and pressing a soft kiss on his mouth. "But we have to make a detour on the way to the hospital." She added and Fox nodded before reaching out and linking their hands together.

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Harmony Police Department

"Are you sure you want to do this?" a concerned Fox asked as he anxiously scanned Teresa's tense features. To say that he had been surprised when Teresa had asked him to drive to the police department so she could talk to Sam was an understatement. He'd rejected the idea out of hand but she'd been so persistent he'd caved in. Now he wondered if he should have heeded his instincts and ignored Teresa's wishes.

"I have to do this. Sam…he was the only father I've ever known and what he did, shattered me. I need to confront him if I hope to move on," Teresa explained. "And don't take this the wrong way but I need to do this alone," she added softly and Fox nodded curtly, not trusting himself to reply.

As she walked down the long corridor the butterflies that had settled in her belly began to dance and Teresa felt herself begin to hyperventilate. Suddenly feeling dizzy Teresa forced herself to take slow, deep breaths until her stomach settled down once more and when she had regained control of her emotions, she nodded to the warden who went to release Sam from his cell.

As Sam walked into the room, Teresa let out a startled gasp. This man wasn't the monster of her dreams. Sam appeared to have aged thirty years. His gold hair had gone completely white and his bronzed complexion was ashen and pallid. The dark circles under his eyes were mute testimony of his many sleepless nights and he had lost so much weight his clothes didn't fit properly. Gazing into the blank eyes of the man she had once called father with some shock, Teresa realized that she the hatred that had festered inside her for so long was gone. There was nothing she could do to change what happened. Hating Sam gave him too much power and Teresa was tired of feeling bitter. Deciding that talking to Sam was a waste of time, Teresa turned to go but Sam's raspy voice stopped her in her tracks.

"For what its worth I'm sorry," he mumbled and Teresa froze.

"Don't…don't you dare apologize to me," Teresa ground out squeezing her eyes shut in a futile attempt to keep the tears at bay. "An apology isn't going to fix everything you've broken. I idolized you and you betrayed my trust in the vilest of ways."

"I never meant to…"

"Never meant to what Sam? Rape me?" Teresa scoffed. "We both know that isn't true and don't insult my intelligence by trying to convince me otherwise. You knew exactly what you were doing that night and what's more you enjoyed it. At least be man enough to admit that."

Sam lowered his gaze, a slow flush staining his cheeks and Teresa pressed a hand to her mouth as bile rose to her throat.

"You…make…me…sick" she enunciated clearly contempt flashing in her dark eyes.

Walking over to him, she slapped him hard. Sam recoiled but made no effort to defend himself.

"I swear to you that as of this moment, I will never spare you another thought Sam. But you will spend the rest of your life remembering me." Teresa told him. "Every time that door locks behind you, every hour that you are trapped in this godforsaken place, you will remember that though you robbed me of my innocence, I deprived you of your freedom."

Without another word she turned her back to Sam and rapped hard on the door. When the warden opened it she brushed past him and fell into Fox's waiting arms. Cradling her slender frame against his, Fox stroked her hair and when the tears finally abated Teresa drew a shaky breath and smiled up at him. Returning her smile, Fox lifted her chin and pressed a kiss on her upturned mouth then he pressed a hand to the nape of her neck and guided her towards the exit.

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Harmony Hospital

"I'm so nervous," Teresa admitted as they waited for the nurse to arrive with the precious document that would alter their lives. Teresa knew Fox loved her, she felt it with every fiber of her being, but Cody? Could Fox truly love Cody, accept her as his own if she turned out to be Sam's?

Fox squeezed her frigid fingers. "There's nothing to be nervous about," he gently reprimanded her.

"I can't help it...I..."

Fox gently kissed the top of her head. "Don't be nervous," he repeated his voice tender.

Scanning Teresa's anxious face he read all the unspoken questions that lay there. Staring at her for a moment, he nodded his head as if he had made an important decision then stood up. "Let's go."

"Go where?" Teresa gaped, her eyes as large as saucers, as Fox dragged her to her feet and pushed her towards the stairs. "We have to wait for the nurse; she'll have the results..."

"We don't have to do anything," Fox replied easily.

Just then the nurse called out their names, a sealed white envelope in her hands, and Teresa stopped dead in her tracks. "Don't you want to know what it says?" she asked hesitantly.

"No. I already know what it says," Fox replied, not even turning around. "That beautiful little girl is mine. I don't need a document to validate what I know in my heart to be true."

"Fox," Teresa exclaimed.

"Cody is my daughter in every way that counts, Resa" Fox replied fiercely. "I love her and she loves me and we both love her mommy. That's more than enough for me. The only thing that would make my happiness complete is if my daughter's mommy agreed to become my wife."

He said it so matter-of-factly that Teresa didn't catch the double entendre right away and when she did she could only gawk at him.

"Will you marry me Resa?" Fox asked simply and Teresa gazed at him with stars in her eyes.

"Yes Fox, yes of course I will marry you. Being your wife is all I have ever dreamed of." Teresa replied and heedless of the people milling about Fox scooped her up in his arms and spun her around.

Feeling dizzy with happiness, Teresa closed her eyes and whispered a prayer of thanks. Her nightmare had finally ended and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her happily ever after had just begun.