The Tangled Webs They Weave

The Tangled Webs They Weave
by Ellen

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Chapter 1

Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald and her best friend, Whitney Russell stroll leisurely along the Harmony shoreline. "It's such a beautiful day!" Theresa sings out happily. "The crystal blue water lapping against the white sandy beach.the seagulls gliding among the puffy clouds. Whitney laughs wryly. "What's gotten you in such a good mood, Theresa?" Probably something to do with Ethan Crane, she thinks to herself. "I had the most amazing dream last night!" Theresa replies, sighing dreamily. "I was in the Crane mansion, wearing a beautiful evening gown, sharing hors d'oeuvres with Ivy Crane. Then Ethan walked in with Gwen Hotchkiss, and--" Whitney cuts Theresa off. "Wait a minute. You dream of Ethan and Gwen together, and that makes you this happy?" she asks incredulously. Theresa laughs softly. "No, silly, Ethan and Gwen were having a huge fight! He told her that he never wanted to see her again, she slapped him, and then left! I ran over to see if Ethan was all right, and he looked at me and said.get this, Whitney. 'You're the only girl for me, Theresa!'" Theresa claps her hands together excitedly. "It's fate, Whitney. Ethan and I are destined to be together!" Whitney shakes her head, and plants her hand firmly on Theresa's arm. "Why can't you get it through your thick head, Theresa? When Ethan and Frank Lomax figured out that you were Ethan's stalker, they went easy on you. Ethan didn't want to cause trouble for your mother because he's so fond of her. He even allowed you to resign quietly from your job as Ivy Crane's secretary without Mrs. Crane finding out you were the stalker. You are lucky that you can still see the light of day! But even though Ethan didn't have you put in jail, you have to stay away from him. If you cause another "accident", there will be hell to pay for you." Whitney looks down, then says quietly, "I'm sorry for yelling, Theresa, it's just that." Theresa flashes Whitney a tight smile. "I understand perfectly, Whitney. The right thing for me to do is stay away from Ethan Crane." She bites her lip to keep herself from crying. Whitney wraps her arms around her best friend, and Theresa's tears spill over onto both girls.

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"Ivy!" Gwen calls out to her future mother-in-law. "Have you seen Ethan? I' ve looked all over the house for him. Oh, I hope he's not still upset about that whole stalker thing." Ivy nods, deep in thought. "I wish he had told me who the stalker was. He said that I wouldn't recognize the name." Ivy sighs. "I also wish that he had her put in jail. I'd feel that Ethan was safe if she was behind bars." Gwen smiles. "Well, I'm sure she won't bother him again. No one will! Now Ethan and I can concentrate on marriage plans." "What? Did Ethan propose to you?" Ivy asks, a horrified look on her face. Gwen frowns slightly. "No, he hasn't again.yet. But I'm sure he will soon. Don't look so shocked, Ivy. It will happen one day." Ivy swallows over the lump in her throat. "I.I'm not shocked, Gwen. Of course one day you'll marry Ethan." But not with my approval, Ivy thinks.

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The beach is the perfect place to clear my thoughts, Ethan thinks to himself. I need to forget about Theresa. Of course, the only reason she's been on my mind is because I found out she was my stalker. That's the only reason. The shore is empty, except for two girls huddled together several yards in front of Ethan. A girl with long, beautiful dark hair pulls away from her friend. She pushes some strands away from her face and turns in Ethan's direction. He instantly recognizes her, and calls out, "You! Theresa!" Ethan runs to catch up with her, but she spins around and dashes off in the opposite direction. He pumps his arms and legs, and due to his athleticism, reaches her in no time. He grabs her arm to steady himself, but Theresa jerks away. "Let go of me!" she cries. Ethan lunges for her, pushed by adrenaline. He knocks her to the ground, and lands on top of her. Theresa looks up angrily at Ethan, and their eyes lock. His face is practically touching hers, their hearts beating as one.

Chapter 2

Whitney looks on, as Theresa and Ethan lie so close on the sand. "Oh, Theresa. How did you get yourself into this mess? Now Ethan will probably accuse you of battery or something." Suddenly, a hand touches Whitney's shoulder. She looks up into the eyes of Noah Bennett, the handsome 19-year-old who attends a prestigious boarding school. "Noah! Welcome home!" Whitney cries happily. She studies him for a minute. "You look amazing! I didn't think it was possible for you to get any more handsome!" Noah laughs happily. "You don't look so bad yourself, Whit! How's that best friend of yours doing? What trouble is Theresa getting herself into lately?" A sparkle appears in Noah's eyes when he mentions Theresa's name. Whitney crinkles her brow slightly, noticing the look in Noah's eyes. "Theresa? Oh, she's, you know." Whitney looks over at Theresa and Ethan, still frozen in the same compromising position. "At home! In fact, why don't we go pay her a visit? Come on," Whitney says quickly, grabbing Noah's arm and steering him away from the scene on the beach.

Theresa and Ethan stare deeply into each other's eyes, licking their lips nervously, neither pulling away. This is what I've always dreamed of, Theresa thinks. Ethan breathes in shakily, and after what feels like an eternity, leans in a little closer to brush his lips on Theresa's mouth. She touches his cheek with her hand, and he places a hand underneath her neck. Theresa turns her head a little, and whispers, "I wasn't stalking you, Ethan. I was so nervous around you.because of the way I feel about you. I've wanted to tell you for so long, but I never had the chance." A smile plays on Ethan's lips. "Boy, am I glad I didn't have you thrown in jail," he says playfully. He pulls Theresa to her feet, and holds her tightly in his arms.

Gwen taps her foot nervously on the carpet. She slumps against the sofa cushions and sighs loudly. Pilar enters the room then, and smiles sympathetically at Gwen. "I'm sorry, Gwen. I know you're worried about where Ethan is. He has been gone practically the entire day, hasn't he?" Pilar asks. Gwen smiles sadly. "Yes, Pilar, and the strangest thing is that he didn't even tell me where he was going. I was planning on a romantic picnic for the two of us today." Gwen gazes into space. "I was hoping tonight Ethan would propose to me again. I won't be foolish this time and say no to him!" she laughs. Pilar rubs Gwen's shoulder affectionately. "Ethan loves you, Gwen. There is no one else in this world he would rather be with. I'm sure it will be no time at all until you and Ethan set a date for the wedding." "Thanks, Pilar." Gwen stands up to face Pilar, and goes on to say, "I want you to sit in the front row with my family at the wedding. You've always been such a dear to me." Pilar envelops Gwen in her arms. Wouldn't my Theresa love to see me embracing Gwen Hotchkiss, Pilar thinks to herself, a wry grin on her face.

Ivy watches Pilar and Gwen from the hallway, a stony expression on her face. I will not let Gwen Hotchkiss marry my son, Ivy thinks angrily. I can't allow it, because if the marriage does take place, I'll lose everything. Ivy closes her eyes, and remembers that fateful day just over a year ago. The man grabs Ivy around the neck, and covers her mouth with his hand. "Do you understand me, Ivy? DO YOU?" he yells. Tears spill down Ivy's cheeks. He releases his grip on her neck slightly, and uncovers her mouth. "Why are you doing this to me? Why?" she sobs. The man frowns menacingly at her. "I will lose everything if that son of.if Ethan marries Gwen. Everyone I am close to will be affected if the truth comes out. The same goes for you. We can't let that happen, Ivy, and we won 't.right?" he growls. Ivy whispers between her tears, "But Ethan loves Gwen. He wants to spend his life with her. I know about the agreement, but what am I supposed to do? I can't break up my son's relationship with his girlfriend, I just can't." "Come on, Ivy! There will be other girls for Ethan, but if our secret comes out, you and I will be the big losers." Ivy opens her eyes, and tries to clear her thoughts, but the man's final words ring in her ears for the rest of the night.

Chapter 3

Theresa stretches out on her lounge chair underneath a beach cabana. Ethan is perched on the end of the chair, smiling sweetly at her. She grins lazily. "I can't believe I'm sitting on the beach talking to Ethan Crane. This is a dream come true for me!" she says happily. Ethan takes her hand. "Me too, Theresa. You're everything I could ever want in a woman." He checks his watch, and is shocked at the time. "Oh my God, it 's almost 9:00 at night! Where did the time go today?" he wonders. Theresa laughs. "We spent the entire day talking and laughing together. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun." Ethan moves to kneel down awkwardly in front of her, and says, "Theresa, I had the most amazing day of my life. I want to see you again, very soon. In fact, it'll take all my strength to say good-bye to you tonight." "What's going to happen now, Ethan? You're in love with Gwen Hotchkiss, right? If it's friendship that you want from me.I don't think that would be enough. I wouldn't be able to face you knowing that." "That what, Theresa?" Ethan asks. She sighs sadly. "That I love you but my feelings will never be returned." Ethan sighs, and grips Theresa's shoulders. "Theresa, I just spent this day sitting here on a beach getting to know you. The kiss that we shared was so passionate and wonderful. And here you are, asking me if I just want to be friends?" He caresses her cheek with his hand. "I'll talk to Gwen and try to make her understand. My love for her has changed since I've met you." Theresa smiles wryly. "You mean after I stopped "stalking" you," she says jokingly. Ethan laughs. "Even before that, I couldn't get you off my mind. Theresa, fate kept bringing us together. And, well.I've never wanted to mess with fate." He lifts Theresa to her feet, and gently kisses her beneath the pale moonlight.

~*~

"You didn't have to walk me home, Ethan," Theresa says, a huge smile on her face. "Although I can't say I mind that you did." Ethan takes Theresa in his arms for a last, lingering embrace before saying good night. He backs away slowly as she pulls open the kitchen door. "Good night," she whispers, then closes the door behind her. Ethan exhales shakily. "Good night, Theresa." He stands looking at the door for a moment longer, then turns to walk away in a dream-like state.

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Theresa twirls smoothly into the living room. She flips on the light switch, and glides to the window. "Wait until Whitney hears about this!" she whispers dreamily. Suddenly, two hands reach from behind Theresa to cover her eyes. "Guess who?" the familiar male voice says. "It can't be! Noah?!" Theresa cries. She spins around, and exclaims, "It is you! Welcome home, I've missed you so much!" Noah laughs delightedly. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, Theresa. Come here!" He snatches her into a warm hug, their arms wrapped tightly around one another.

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Ethan walks with a bounce in his step to the end of Theresa's street. He pauses for a car to pass, and shoves his hands in his pockets. He closes his right fist on a small metal object. "Theresa's barrette! I promised to hold it for her until the end of the night," he remembers. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I kept it for the night, but.this would give me an excuse to see her again." Ethan turns on his heels and jogs along the sidewalk until he reaches the Lopez-Fitzgerald home. He looks up at the house, and sees a light shining from a lower window. A figure sways in the light, and long dark hair swishes gently around the person's shoulders. "There she is," Ethan whispers, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He dashes to the window to let her know he is there, but when he moves closer, he sees that Theresa is hugging someone. His brow furrows, and he ducks behind a hedge so as not to be seen. Theresa leans away from the other person - a young male, to Ethan's dismay - and takes his face in her hands. She perches on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek sweetly. "Maybe it's her younger brother, Miguel. I know that it's not Luis. That must be it, Theresa's just." His breath catches in his throat. The male touches Theresa's chin and leans in to kiss her mouth. Ethan whips his head around and looks at the barrette in his hand. He tosses it into the grass angrily, and tears away from the house.

Chapter 4

Theresa jerks away from Noah's kiss. "What are you doing?" she cries. Noah looks puzzled. "I thought that's what you wanted, Theresa." He looks down at the floor, and continues, "I've had feelings for you for the longest time. Since I've been in boarding school, the one thing that's kept me sane is this." He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a folded sheet of paper. Theresa accepts the tattered sheet from him, and opens it carefully. Her breath catches in her throat as she realizes what it is. "This is a note I wrote you freshman year. I told you all about life in Harmony, and how much I missed having you around. I can't believe you still have this," she says softly, looking up into his eyes. Noah takes her hand and smiles gently. "I read it every night before I go to bed. It meant so much to me, T, and it still does." Theresa lets her breath out in a shaky exhale. She looks down at the note, her loopy handwriting sprawled across the page. Her eyes focus on the last sentences she wrote: I don't know how I'll go through life without my best friend. I love you, Noah Bennett. Her heart pangs, and she glances up into Noah's searching eyes. "Noah, about this letter." "T, when you sent this note to me, you must have been in love with me. I always treasured it because I wanted to believe you'd wait for me.that when I came home you'd still have those feelings for me." Theresa stares up at her best friend, the person she's always considered a brother. How can I tell him that I don't love him, and that I've already moved on with my life? She scratches her head nervously and swallows around the lump in her throat. "Why don't we take a walk outside?" she asks, biting her lip. Noah nods and they head for the kitchen door.

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Ethan kicks at stones in the walkway of the Crane mansion. Damn you, Ethan, for being so stupid, he thinks angrily. You actually trusted Theresa and believed that she was in love with you. You know better. You know that the "locals" are all the same, out for money, lust, and nothing else. His heart constricts after that thought, and he shakes his head sadly. "That's not true," he murmurs. "Theresa isn't like that. But why? Why would she turn to some other guy after all that happened between us?" He grinds his teeth, for the pain is too strong even for him. A wave of hurt washes over him, and he yanks the front door open. It turns easily, and he is greeted with Gwen's astonished face on the opposite side. "Ethan!" she exclaims, throwing her arms around his shoulders. "Where were you? I was so worried! Oh, I do hope you're all right." She kisses his cheek lightly, and pulls him into a tighter embrace. Ethan breaks free of her grasp and cries out, "No!" Gwen stares at him, a shocked expression on her face. Ethan glares at her, the realization hitting him that he cried out aloud. "What in God's name is the matter with you, Ethan?" she whispers. Ethan's head pounds, and he thinks of holding Theresa in his arms on the beach.of walking her home, hand-in-hand.of returning to her home and seeing her locked in another man's embrace. Tears bite at the corners of his eyes, and he suddenly knows what he has to do. He looks at Gwen tearfully and falls to his knees. "Gwen." he whispers dejectedly. "Will you marry me?"

Chapter 5

Theresa leads Noah out the back door and around to the side of the house. Before they can walk any further, Noah takes Theresa's arm and steers her around to look at him. "T, you gotta tell me what's going on. What you're feeling. What you really want." He stares searchingly into her eyes, longing to brush his lips on hers once more. Theresa bites her lip and fights back the tears that form in her eyes. "Noah, there's something you need to know. And it hurts me so much to have to say it, but." Suddenly, her eyes light upon a sparkly silver object in the grass. She ignores it and turns back to Noah. However, a nagging sensation pulls at her, and she moves quickly to the shiny piece of metal. She kneels down to get a closer look at it, and recognizes it as the barrette she was wearing this evening. "That's funny, how would it wind up." Her breath catches in her throat, and she emits a single syllable: "No." She freezes in shock, knowing that her worst fear has come true. "He saw me with Noah, he thought---oh God." After finally winning Ethan Crane's heart, she has lost him.forever.

~*~

Ivy watches from the top of the stairs as her son proposes to Gwen Hotchkiss. Tears spill down her cheeks as she realizes that she will soon lose everything, everything she has worked so hard for. After all, Ivy's life is her son, Ethan. She remembers again the menacing words that have haunted her throughout her life: If our secret comes out, you and I will be the big losers. "NO!" she screams without hearing her own voice. "NO, YOU CAN'T DO THIS, NO!" Ethan and Gwen whirl around to stare at Ivy, who gazes blankly down at them. She suddenly begins to sway and tips forward, falling down the lavishly carpeted stairs. "Mother!" Ethan cries, rushing to break her fall. He dashes to her side and cradles her head in his arms. "Damn it, Gwen, call an ambulance!" he shouts impatiently. "Yes, yes, of course," Gwen replies, obviously flustered. She takes a last, lingering look at her future mother-in-law and runs to the phone. Her hand shaking violently, she punches in the emergency number as quickly as she is able to. Ethan rests his forehead on his mother's, his heart pounding due to the many turn of events that have occurred. Everything is going wrong, he thinks to himself. First I saw Theresa with another man, then I forced myself to propose to Gwen, now Mother has fainted! My God, what will happen next? Pilar runs into the room just then, and cries, "Ethan, Sheridan's fallen ill, she must be taken to a hospital right away!" Her eyes light upon Ivy, and she rushes to her side. "Oh, Mrs. Crane, what's happened to you?" Ethan buries his face in his arms, wishing he could run away and leave the world behind. "I can't do this," he mutters to himself. "I can't deal with all this, I just can't." He leaves his mother in Pilar's hands and directs Gwen to bring Sheridan in the ambulance with Ivy. He stumbles bleary-eyed to the door and yanks it open, stepping out into the frigid air. "Have to go, can't do this anymore, have to get away." he mumbles incoherently and makes his way to his car.

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