The Ex Factor

Moreau Manor

Inside Moreau Manor, it was deadly silent for a moment once the ceiling and walls stopped falling. Cautiously, Kieran opened his eyes. He'd thrown himself over Sarah when the explosion happened, and she lay sobbing beneath him.

"Sarah? Sarah!" He snatched her in his arms. "Where does it hurt, sweetheart?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'm OK. Where's my mommy? Where's Theresa?"

Kieran picked her up and got to his feet. "Gwen! Gwen, Theresa, where are you?"

"I'm here!" Theresa called from behind him. Relieved, he turned around, looking her over carefully. She was covered with dust, and looked like she might have been hit by some small rubble, but for the most part she looked good. Her eyes met his worriedly, looking for any sign of Gwen.

Sarah sobbed louder in Kieran's arms. "Mommy? Mommy!"

"Here!" A strained voice called. "I'm stuck!"

"Gwen, my God!" They could barely make out her struggling form. Racing over to her they saw that Gwen had managed to pull herself into an upright position, but one of her legs was nearly covered with huge pieces of rubble. "I tihnk my ankle is broken, maybe my leg." Gwen whispered as she tried to twist herself out, her face white with pain. "I can barely move it and I can't get this stuff of of me."

"Mommy!" Kieran had set Sarah down so he could try to free Gwen, and now she ran to her mother's side, throwing her arms around her. "Mommy, don't leave me! Please, get up so we can go!" Sarah was nearly frantic with terror.

Theresa ran to help Kieran, tugging at the huge slab of concrete that was holding Gwen's leg in place. They both grunted and groaned as they strained to move it. It started to slide...oh so slowly...moving about an inch, then stopped.

"Kieran, we have to go!" Theresa glanced around her frantically. "Most of this section is still standing-it's the far part that's caved in. I think that means there's another bomb, meant to finish it off. We have to get out of here!"

Kieran's eyes met hers, and for the first time, Theresa saw real fear in them...not fear for himself, but fear for Gwen. "I can get her out...I just need a minute!"

"We don't have a minute!" This time it was Gwen who spoke. "Kieran, get my daughter out of here! That's all that matters, that Sarah is safe. Please, Kieran, leave me and go!"

"No!" Kieran shook his head. "I won't leave you, Gwen-don't even ask."

Theresa stood up, heart pounding frantically in her chest. "Gwen, give Sarah to me." She held out her arms for the child.

Gwen looked at her warily and clutched Sarah tighter to her. "No, Theresa...Kieran will get her out."

Theresa knelt down, forcing Gwen to look her in the eyes. "Gwen, you have to trust me now. Give Sarah to me-I will get her out of here."

Gwen looked at her, tears forming in her own eyes. After a second, she pushed Sarah at her. "Take her, Theresa. Get my baby out of here, please!"

Theresa nodding. Gathering up the protesting Sarah in her arms, she looked at Kieran.

"That way!" He pointed to the left, answering her unspoken question. "We will be right behind you!"

'I hope so.' Theresa whispered to herself. Hugging Sarah tightly to her, she began to run.

Jesenik- Grounds of Moreau Manor

"Through that door!" Ethan yelled to Jared. "We can get inside and start searching!" He pointed ahead of them and both men ran up the front steps of the manor. They had barely reached the top when it happened...the final bomb went off. The explosion was so loud they instinctively clutched their ears. Stumbling backwards, Jared felt himself lose his footing, falling...he hit the bottom of the steps with a sickening thud and lay there, motionless.

Ethan nearly fell too, but he reached out blindly and felt the cold stone of the handrail in front of him and grabbed desperately. Around them the noise thundered, sounding like the world itself was caving in. An enormous dust cloud rose...when the last bomb hit, it destroyed the last semblance of structure the building had. Every single remaining wall, every piece still standing...it all fell. Moreau Manor was no more.

After a minute in which Ethan was convinced that none of them would survive, the noise and thundering crashes around him finally eased. He stood up. It was quiet...eerily so. He could barely see more than a foot in front of him, the dust was so thick. Choking and wheezing, he staggered forward. "Theresa! Gwen! Please answer me-please! Anybody? Hello, can anybody here me? Theresa! Gwen!"

Desperately peering through the thick cloud, trying to see anything, Ethan felt moisture stream down his face. The dust stung his eyes, but it wasn't the source of the tears. He felt like someone had literally ripped his heart out, and the pain was so unbearable that all he wanted to do was dig his own grave in the dirt and cover himself up. But he couldn't stop now...not until he knew for sure.

There was no sign of anyone else either...Theresa, Gwen, Jared, Luis, Fancy, Paloma...were they all gone?

"Theresa! Gwen! Anybody, for God sakes, please answer me!" Suddenly he stopped and stared, sure for a moment his eyes were playing tricks on him. Out of the dust a figure appeared, but the air was so thick he could barely make them out. He ran towards it, praying, begging, bargaining...

It was a man, a tall man, dressed in the odd ancient warrior style costume he'd seen the other men wearing, and in his arms he held...

"Gwen!" Ethan cried out. "Let her go!" He charged forward, tackling the man, and all three of them fell to the ground. He pulled the man away from Gwen and drew back his fist, ready to pummel him.

"No!" Gwen cried out. Ignoring the agonizing pain in her ankle, she crawled forward, grabbing Ethan from behind and pulling him back. When he turned to face her, this time it was her who drew her arm back and struck Ethan as hard as she could, directly in the face.

"Gwen! It's me, Ethan!" Ethan cried, holding his hand over his nose, which was bleeding profusely.

"I knew it was you, Ethan, and believe me when I say you had that coming!" Gwen glared at him fiercely and the other man got up.

Before Ethan could stop him, he again lifted Gwen into his arms. Turning back to Ethan, he looked at him. "I'm Kieran Brady. I'm here to help."

Ethan looked at him in disbelief and started to lunge at him again.

"Stop, Ethan!"Â Gwen cried. "He's telling the truth! He saved my life!"

Ethan looked at her in amazement and that's when it hit him. She was there, in front of him. She was alive!

"Gwen, thank God!" He reached out and grabbed her hand. "I thought you were...wait, where's Theresa?"

Panic leapt into Gwen's eyes. "You didn't see her?" She turned her head, looking desperately at Kieran. "No, no...I can't lose her again!" She looked back, straining her eyes to see through the dust.

Ethan looked at her, surprised at her strong reaction. Since when had she cared about Theresa? Kieran was stroking Gwen's hair, murmuring soothingly to her. Ethan felt a rip of jealousy tear through him. Who the hell was this stranger and why was he handling Gwen with such familiarity? Then her words registered, and he felt agonizing pain jolt through him once more. Theresa...where was she?

"Ethan!" A deep male voice came from behind him, and Ethan turned to see Luis staggering up the steps, carrying Fancy in his arms. A disheveled and bloody Paloma was beside him.

"Oh my God, Fancy! Luis, is she ok?"

Luis looked at him and Ethan could see the quiet terror in his eyes. "I don't think so, Ethan. She got hit pretty hard, and that was before the last blast hit. She's unconscious." Gently, he laid her on the ground. "Ethan...we have to get help, fast!"

Ethan nodded, his heart in his throat.

Luis looked at the other two. "Gwen, my God!" He eyed Kieran warily and the tall man held up a hand in an 'I surrender' fashion.

"I'm a friend, here to help." Gwen nodded at Kieran's words and Luis's wariness eased. He looked around.

"Where's Jared? And Theresa?"

Ethan shook his head, surprised he could even do that much when he felt like the life was draining out of him. "We don't know." he whispered.

Gwen began to sob. "No, Kieran, no...please, no!"

"We'll find them, Gwen, I promise." Kieran knelt down and gently put Gwen next to Fancy on the ground. He stood up, looking at the others. The despair in his eyes told them that he wasn't so sure.

Gwen struggled to a sitting position. "I have to go-I have to find her! I have to bring her back!"

Ethan stared at Gwen in bewilderment, wondering if she'd hit her head. Why did she want Theresa found so desperately? Normally, this would be the point where she'd be making remarks under her breath about hoping Theresa was crushed under ten feet of rubble. He put a soothing hand on her back, but Gwen flinched away.

"It's alright, Gwen. We'll find her." Slightly stung by her obvious anger towards him, he nevertheless tried to keep his voice reassuring. Inside though, he didn't feel that way. If they didn't find Theresa, he didn't know how he'd make it through. All he wanted, more than anything, was to see her again.

"OK, let's spread out. Paloma, if you could stay here with Gwen and Fancy, Ethan, and I, and this guy, whoever the heck you are-' Luis indicated Kieran with a flick of his finger, 'We'll start searching so-" Suddenly he stopped, staring. "Look!"

Through the dust another figure had appeared, looking oddly bulky and hunched over as it stumbled towards them. Ethan took a step, barely daring to breathe, then another, then another...

He was running now and he wanted to cry out with joy when she lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes.

"Theresa, thank God!" Reaching out, he yanked her against his chest, stroking her hair, her face...then suddenly he pulled back, staring in shock at the small figure in her arms.

"Theresa, what...who..?"

The child looked up, fixing her brilliant eyes on him. They shone brightly in her grime covered face. She looked at him quietly for a moment before she smiled. "Hi, Daddy. Where have you been?"

Everything froze in place as Ethan stared at her. Eyes just like his own gazed back at him. "Sarah?' He reached a shaking hand out to touch her. "How can...how did...Sarah!" He fell to his knees in front of them, staring up at his daughter, tears streaming down his face. "I never...I never thought...oh my God, my little girl!"

Theresa was crying again as Ethan stared in wonder and amazement at his daughter, shock and joy radiating from his face. He touched her so gingerly, as if he were afraid she'd melt away.

"I can't believe it...I can't believe it!" Laughing, he held out his arms and Sarah jumped into them.

"Where's Mommy?"

Ethan turned to see Gwen, tears streaming down her face, holding out her arms to her daughter. He started to go to her, then turned back. "Theresa, thank you. Thank you so much!"

Theresa nodded, wiping her eyes, then spotting the others, she hurried over to them. "Paloma, Luis!" She threw her arms around her brother and sister.

"Theresa, we were so worried! You are crazy, do you know that?" Wiping her eyes, Paloma hugged her sister tightly. Theresa cried out in pain and pulled back.

"What is it?" Everyone turned towards her in panic.

"My hand." Theresa looked down and winced. "We got turned around in there...it was so dark and I couldn't see where I was going. I must have gone the wrong way but we found a way out. We were almost clear when the last bomb hit. I put Sarah under me but we got hit with a lot of stuff. Something crushed my hand-I think my fingers are broken."

"We have to get you all to a hospital." Luis looked at her. "Fancy got hurt too, Theresa." He indicated the prone figure on the ground. "I think she's pretty bad."

Theresa put a hand over her mouth as she saw Fancy's limp figure. "Oh my God!"

"And Jared..." Paloma's voice trailed off and she shook her head.

"What?" Theresa's voice rose in panic. "What happened to Jared?" Frantically, she looked around.

Luis shook his head. "I don't know, Theresa. We haven't seen him since the last explosion. He and Ethan took off to look for you guys over here."

Ethan stepped up to Theresa, still holding Sarah firmly in his grip. "We were going up the stairs and the bomb went off. I couldn't see or hear anything...when it stopped, he was gone. He can't be far."

"The dust is starting to settle now." Luis said. "Let's find him, and get help."

They could hear sirens in the distance now, getting closer and closer.

"Oh, thank God." Paloma whispered. "Help is coming."

"I have to find Jared!" Theresa was terrified. "You said you were by the stairs? Where...look!" she pointed. They could barely make out a dark figure prostrate at the bottom of the stairs. Theresa ran towards it, Luis, Paloma, Kieran, and Ethan close behind.

"Jared!"

He was so pale, lying there, with blood trickling down his face, eyes closed.

"Jared, no! Please be OK, please!" Moving awkwardly with her broken hand, Theresa patted his face gently. "Jared? Jared, wake up." Her chin quivered. "Jared, please, you're scaring me!"

A slow groan answered her, and Jared's head moved slightly.

"Jared!" Theresa cried, patting his face again. With excruciating slowness, his eyes finally opened. Then a slow smile crossed his face as he saw her looking down at him.

"Tess. Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Theresa laughed with relief. "You're not so bad, yourself. Just lie still, ok? Help is coming."

When he saw that Jared was alright, Luis turned and ran back up the steps towards Gwen and Fancy. "You hanging in there, Gwen?"

She nodded, fresh tears still showing on her face. "I'm perfect. Just perfect." Then her face fell as she looked at Fancy. "She's breathing, but she hasn't moved or opened her eyes. I'm sorry, Luis."

"She saved my life." Luis knelt down and fingered a lock of Fancy's blond hair. "It should be me lying here, and not her." He stroked her face. "Fancy, you gotta hang on, OK? I promise, I'm going to stay with you. I'm going to help you fight, but you have to stay with me, alright?" He took her delicate hand in his large one, looking impatiently towards the woods. "Where's the damn paramedics already?"

Almost as soon as he spoke, he saw Rina burst out of the woods and behind her EMTS came out of the trees, carrying stretchers and equipment, looking horrified at the sight before them.

Luis heaved a sigh of relief, then leaned over, dropping a gentle kiss on Fancy's forehead. "See, Fancy, they're coming. You're going to be alright. You have to be."

TBC...

The end is very near! In the next chapter, find out if Fancy will be ok and coming soon, Gwen and Ethan have a very serious conversation.