For anyone catching up, this story is an E/T/G story that was written back when Ethan and Theresa finally consummated their relationship for the first time since his marriage to Gwen by making love at Crane Industries. In this story, a mystery concerning Sarah's death forces Gwen and Theresa to work together for the first time, and the two of them learn some harsh truths as they fight to find out the truth about what happened to Gwen's daughter. Cat fights and backstabbing ensue, but if they can't make peace for at least a little while, both of them just may end up dead. Meanwhile, Ethan struggles with his feelings for Theresa vs. his marriage to Gwen, knowing he has the hardest decision of his life to make.

This story is long finished, but I'm archiving it here in case the fan sites close after Passions ends its run this summer. I doubt anyone's reading at this point, but if you are and you want faster updates, please let me know via review or email and I'll do a massive uploading spree. :)

I love reviews. If you're so moved, please leave me one. :)

Later That Night:

"You've made this very easy for me, Ethan." Gwen sighed to herself as she looked back at her darkened house. "Working later again-you probably won't be home for hours yet, and by that time, I'll be long gone. I'm sorry I had to do this, but you pushed my back into the wall." She'd left him a note, on his pillow, telling him just enough to keep him from thinking something bad had happened to her, but not enough to let him know where she was headed. Not that he wouldn't figure it out pretty quickly, but she hoped to have enough of a head start that he wouldn't be able to stop her.

Sheridan, standing next to her, couldn't hide her apprehension. "Are you sure you want to do this, Gwen? I understand, believe me, I do, but this could be dangerous, and going alone-I don't like it. I think you should tell Ethan. Try to make him understand. He should be with you."

"Yes, well with the way Ethan's been acting, he'd have me in a straitjacket before I could finish a sentence. I have to do this, Sheridan. Thank you so much for agreeing to take Jane. I knew I could count on you."

"Of course." Jane was snuggled in Sheridan's arms. She gave the tot a gentle kiss on the forehead. "You know I adore Jane. It will be a joy to have her."

Gwen gave Sheridan a quick hug and kissed Jane's cheek. "I have to go. I'm going to miss my flight if I don't hurry."

Sheridan got in her own vehicle, strapping Jane into the car seat in the back and giving Gwen a final wave before she pulled away.

Gwen got into her own car, hurriedly pulling out of the driveway. She was barely halfway down the street when a black limousine pulled out of a side street. She slowed, waiting for the car to pass, but it didn't. Instead it stopped, in the middle of the road, completely blocking her way. "What the hell?" Gwen leaned on her horn, honking loudly. "What are you doing? Move!" She yelled out of the window in frustration. She honked again, but there was no response, and the car didn't move. Getting out of the car, she strode over to the driver's window, banging on it angrily. "You need to move your car!"

The driver didn't respond. He didn't even look at her. Gwen was about to scream in frustration when one of the black tinted windows rolled down.

"Good evening, Gwen." Theresa smiled sweetly at the irate blonde.

"Theresa, what are you doing?!" Gwen was beyond furious. Did that nosy wench ever stop interfering with her business?

"I'm here to help, Gwen. And if you want to get to Prague tonight, I suggest you get in."

So she knew. Gwen couldn't even bring herself to be surprised. Theresa had a way of wheedling information out of anyone, even before she had all the power of being Alistair Crane behind her. Seeing no other way around it, Gwen climbed into, seating herself across from Theresa. "I don't know what you're up to, Theresa, but I have my own way to Prague. I don't need you."

"Right." Theresa snatched the airline tickets out of the lining of Gwen's purse before she could stop her. "Just as I suspected. You have to make four different connections and have over a dozen hours of layover time. Ethan will catch up to you before you even make it out of the U.S."

Gwen glared at Theresa but she couldn't think of a thing to say. That smug faced brat was right, and she knew it.

"On the other hand, the Crane jet is fully fueled, stocked, and ready to go. Straight to Prague. We'll be there before Ethan can lift a finger to stop us."

"Us? You're joking, right? I'd rather take a trip with the Creature from the Black Lagoon. I'm not going anywhere with you. I'm not taking your deal, Theresa. I won't give you back Jane. So just let me out and get the hell out of my way."

"Not before you look at this." Theresa said, handing Gwen a large, manila envelope. "I think it just might change your mind."

Gwen stared at her suspiciously before breaking the seal and opening the envelope. Reaching inside, she pulled out the contents, and then gasped at the glossy photograph she was holding in her hands.

"Oh my God. Sarah." Her voice was a shocked whisper.

"It's a computer generated photograph of what she might look like now. Look at that face, Gwen, and tell me you don't need my help. Tell me you won't do anything to find her."

"Sarah." Gwen traced every line of her face. "My little Sarah. My daughter." Unable to say anything else, she clutched the photograph to her chest, tears streaming down her face. "I have to have you back. I have to." It was completely silent for a moment, the only sound Gwen's quiet sobs. Finally, her chest stopped heaving and she lifted her head, her streaked face both angry and grief stricken.

"Damn you, Theresa." She inhaled deeply. "How can you do this? Look beyond yourself for a minute and what you think I did wrong. Think about Jane. Whether you like it or not, she thinks I'm her mother. She loves me. She's bonded with me. How can you say you really love her and still rip her away from the only home she knows? Don't you care what that will do to her?"

"I love her too, Gwen! She's a baby-she'll adapt. She was with me first and she adjusted to being with you. She'll adjust to being with me again. And..." Theresa swallowed hard. "I won't cut you out of her life, Gwen. I'm willing to give you visitation."

"Visitation. That's just wonderful. What a generous woman you are, St. Theresa." Gwen spat.

"Come on, Gwen, the clock is ticking. What's it going to be?"

Gwen swallowed hard, defeated and broken. "You win, you spiteful bitch, and may your blackmailing soul burn in hell. I'll sign the papers as soon as we get back in Harmony...IF Sarah is with us."

"No." Theresa shook her head. "You'll sign the papers now. I don't trust you, Gwen." Pressing a button, the partition behind them slid up to reveal two figures in the seat behind them.

Gwen gasped as she recognized Theresa's lawyer, Woody, and her own lawyer, Tom Calloway. They were bickering as bitterly as Theresa and Gwen themselves, barely taking notice of the two women.

"This agreement is immoral and just plain wrong! There is no way I'll allow my client to sign it!" Mr. Calloway barked.

"Tom, Tom, don't just sit there and whine. If Ms. Winthrop wants to sign, you must be resigned!"

"Could you stop talking like that?" Tom Calloway snapped back. "That whole rhyming speech is very, very annoying."

ahem Theresa cleared her throat and the two lawyers looked up.

"Gwen, I strongly advise you against signing this agreement." Mr. Calloway looked at his client. "You will be returning all parental rights to Theresa Crane. You will no longer have legal custody of her, and getting it back will be nearly impossible." Tom Calloway looked at Gwen beseechingly.

Gwen closed her eyes as pain pierced her heart. "is the visitation agreement in there, Tom?"

Tom nodded reluctantly. "Right here." He handed her the brief.

Gwen looked at it and then glared hatefully at Theresa. "One day a week. Eight hours with my little girl. You are unbelievable."

"It's more than you gave me, Gwen, and it's a binding contract. I won't be able to deny you seeing Jane, ever. I think I'm being more than generous."

"How can this be legal without Ethan signing it? He's Jane's father." Gwen looked bewildered.

"I can answer that." Woody leaned forward. "Right here, in this clause. If you can't convince him to sign, the agreement is null and void."

Theresa looked at Gwen. "I trust you'll be sufficiently motivated to get him to sign. Otherwise, if I've helped you to find Sarah and you renege on the contract, I'll be in a legal position to destroy you both. I'd hate to do that to you, Gwen, but I will if you make me. You want Sarah, and I want Jane. Sign the papers." She handed her a pen.

"I'll never forgive you for this, Theresa." Gwen leaned forward and shakily signed her name on the signature line.

"What else is new?" Theresa sighed. She pressed the intercom. "It's time to go, Fred."

Lopez-Fitzgerald Residence

Pilar stifled a yawn with her hand, tightening her robe around her as she went to answer the door. The knocking continued loudly as she approached. "What on earth..." she mumbled to herself.

"Jared!" Pilar was surprised to see an anxious looking Jared in front of her. "What are you doing here? Where is Theresa?"

Jared looked distraught at her words. "I was hoping she was here. May I come in?"

"Of course, but Theresa is not here. I thought she was with you."

Jared shook his head, looking worried. "No. I went to the office about an hour ago, just to pick up something I'd forgotten, and I found this." He held up an opened envelope with his name scrawled on it. Pilar instantly recognized her daughter's handwriting. "Obviously Tess didn't expect me to find this until tomorrow morning. It basically says she's sorry, but there was something she had to do, and I shouldn't expect her back for a while. That's it. No details, no way to reach her. And she left a lot of instructions behind, for me to settle the Stuart Allen case, a private detective report that ruins any chance of Julian ever getting custody of EJ, and a sealed copy of her will. Pilar, I don't know what's going on, but it almost sounds like she thinks there's a possibility she might not come back."

"My God." Pilar put a shaking hand over her mouth. "I had no idea...she said nothing to me!" Desperately, she looked around the room, searching for some clue Theresa might have left behind. Her eyes fell upon an envelope propped up on the kitchen table. Sprinting towards it, she barely noticed that 'Mama' was written on the front before she was tearing it open, Jared reading over her shoulder.

"Dear Mama,


I want you to know that I thought a lot about what you said to me the other day. It hurts to admit it, but you are right, Mama. I've become someone I am not proud of. I've let winning Ethan's heart and getting back at Gwen for everything she's done consume me to the point where I've forgotten what it was like to just wake up and try to do my best every day. I do want to do the right thing for my children and be that shining example you spoke of.
It's over. Chasing Ethan, fighting Gwen...that's all part of the past. But there is still one thing I have to do. I have to get Jane back. I'm not going to use trickery, or deception, or games to do it. I'm going to right a past wrong.
Please understand that this is something I have to do, and don't worry. Just pray for me, and know that I am trying to become a woman that you all can be proud of. I love you. Give my love to Papa, Luis, Miguel, and Paloma as well. Kiss EJ for me and let him know I'm thinking of him, every minute. I will be home as soon as I can."


All My Love,


Theresa

"Oh, Teresita..." Pilar put a shaky hand over her heart. "What have you done?"

Jared looked pale. "Pilar, what the hell is going-" More pounding at the door disrupted his thoughts. "Let me get that." He hurried over to the door. "Theresa-" he began hopefully as he yanked it open, only to come face to face with the last person he wanted to see. "Ethan." His annoyance vanished as he saw that Ethan also held a small sheet of stationary in his hand. "You heard from her too? Where is she? Where is Theresa?"

"Theresa?" Ethan walked in the room, looking alarmed. "This is from Gwen. She's gone. She just took off somewhere. I was hoping Theresa might know where."

"Theresa's gone, Ethan." Pilar was close to tears. She handed him the letter. Ethan read it, his face whitening.

"They're together. They must be. They've gone on some crazy hunt for Sarah. My God, I can't believe this."

"Wait a second. You think Gwen and Theresa are together?" Jared shook his head in bewilderment. "Somehow, I really doubt that."

Pilar spoke. "No. I think you're right, Ethan. Theresa believes that Gwen and Ethan's daughter is alive. I think Gwen believes it, too. Theresa has convinced herself that she needs to bring Sarah back. This is all my fault! If I hadn't said the things that I said to her...oh, Ethan, I am worried that both of them are in terrible danger."

Crane Jet

Theresa stared out the window in wonder as the spires of Prague's ancient buildings appeared below. "Wow." She whispered, more to herself. "It's so beautiful!" She watched in awe as the Crane jet circled lower and lower. "I never even imagined what it could be like."

Gwen, seated across the aisle from Theresa, was hardly in the mood to enjoy the sights. The anger she'd felt at being forced to sign over her rights to Jane had only built over the last ten hours. 'If you like it so much, maybe you'll decide to stay here.' She thought to herself, staring at Theresa balefully. 'How I'd love knowing you were halfway across the world from me. Yet here we are...together. I must have done something really awful in my past life to deserve this.'

Now that they were there, Theresa was beginning to doubt her earlier confidence. 'It's so big' She thought to herself worriedly. 'Somehow, I never thought it would be so big. But this is our only lead. The person who called Gwen called from here. We have to find them, no matter what it takes.'

When the plane had come to a complete step, several men clad in black suits came in from the crew's quarters. "Mrs. Crane, here is the security detail I've organized for you two. They will accompany you everywhere." Fred, who had been recently appointed Theresa's new bodyguard, bowed his head respectfully.

"Security detail? Well, you just love to bask in your own self importance, don't you, Mrs. Crane?" Gwen said sarcastically.

"They are here for both of our benefit, Gwen. Do you think you could manage to stop complaining for once and concentrate on what's important? We're here to find Sarah, and we could use all the help we can get."

Gwen bit back an angry retort. As much as she hated to admit it, Theresa was right. Sarah was their focus now. Everything else paled in comparison.

Forty minutes later, they were out of the airport and speeding through the city in the back of yet another black limousine.

"So, where do we start?" Gwen looked at Theresa.

Theresa sighed as she stared out the window. "I have no idea."

"That's just great. After all your promises, you are just useless." Gwen's voice was a hiss.

"Well, excuse me. I'm sure you have some brilliant plan up your sleeve. After all, you were heading to Prague by yourself before I offered you my help. So let's hear it, Gwen. Let's hear the elaborate scheme that years of expensive higher education helped you cook up." Theresa snapped back. Gwen glared at her fiercely but didn't answer. "That's what I thought. You're as confused as I am. But at least we're here. This is our one solid lead. So unless you have something useful to contribute, kindly keep your mouth shut." Theresa leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. 'I'm sorry, Mama.' She thought to herself. ' I'm trying to control my tongue and my temper but that woman would tempt a saint to murder. This is going to be very, very hard.'


Blessed silence filled the limousine for a few moments as Gwen and Theresa both let themselves get lost in their thoughts. Theresa chewed her lower lip as she tried to clear her exhausted mind. "Wait a second!" She pushed the intercom so she could talk to the security detail, who were seated nearer the front of the limousine. "Fred, back in Harmony, when we tried to trace Gwen's mystery caller, the only information we could come up with was that they were calling from Prague. Now that we're here, can we do some kind of reverse trace, using the phone companies here? Could that help narrow it down to a specific phone number, or at least a smaller area?"

Fred's voice was hesitant. "Perhaps, Mrs. Crane, but I'll need the information from the previous trace. We'll need to contact Harmony P.D."

"No problem." Theresa picked up her cell phone. "I'll just call Luis and-"

"Are you crazy?" Gwen knocked the phone out of her hand. "You can't call Luis! No one can know where we are, Theresa. If Ethan finds me..." She broke off. The last thing she wanted Theresa to know about was that Ethan wanted to hospitalize her. Who knew how Theresa might try to twist that to her advantage, plus it just pricked Gwen's pride, the thought of Theresa knowing just how bad things were in her marriage.

Theresa raised an eyebrow. "Gwen, Ethan can't stop us now. We're already here. I don't know what you're so worried about. Maybe he could even help."
"No!" Gwen glared at Theresa fiercely, then realizing she'd have to come up with some sort of explanation, sighed. "Ethan just...he doesn't believe Sarah's alive. He doesn't want any part of it. I just...I don't understand why he doesn't want to bring our daughter home." Her voice trailed off as she turned away, not wanting Theresa to see how upset she was.

"It's not that he doesn't want Sarah home, Gwen. It's just...Ethan can't bring himself to hope. Sarah's death hurt him so badly. He's afraid if he allows himself to believe she might have lived, and then he can't find her, he'll lose her all over again, and he won't be able to handle the pain."

Gwen gave Theresa a look of deepest loathing. It galled her, how Theresa seemed to have that irritating insight into Ethan's every emotion. "And you just think you know him so well, don't you?"

Theresa looked calmly into Gwen's eyes. "Yes." She said simply. "I do. Anyway, I still think Luis is our best bet. I'm sure he wouldn't tell Ethan..." She sighed as she saw the doubt in Gwen's eyes. "OK, you're right. He totally would. Let me just think for a minute...wait! Fancy and Paloma! They're at the police station, doing that cadet training. They could get the information and send it to us, and I'm sure they'd be discreet."

Gwen nodded slowly. "OK. Just make sure they don't tell Ethan-not a word, Theresa."

Theresa shook her head, slightly mystified by Gwen's paranoia, and then picked up her phone and began to dial. "This had better work." she murmured to herself. 'We need something new to go on. This caller could be anywhere. Sarah could be anywhere. We have to narrow it down, or we'll be here for years.' She looked at Gwen. 'And frankly, I don't think I can spend another day in her company without killing her.'

To Be Continued...