Author's Note: Well this is my very first completed fanfic! Its kind of a parody, showing some of my opinions on the characters and storylines. If you have any feedback, please E-mail me at [email protected]. Happy reading! -Alicia
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This was going to be the best day of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald's life. Her wedding day. For as long as she could remember, she had dreamed of getting married. And not to just anyone. To Ethan. And now her dream had come true. A million wonderful thoughts went through her mind as she looked into the mirror. This was the first day of the rest of her life. She started to head towards the bathroom, but stopped when the doorbell rang. 'I wonder who it is!' she though, as she bounced down the hallway and to the front door. There were Chad and Whitney, staring into each other's eyes. "Umm...hey guys!" Whitney turned to Theresa, blushing. "Hey Theresa." "Yo Theresa," Chad said, looking slightly angry. "Come on in you guys...I was just about to get ready." Theresa turned, and the three of them walked into the house. "So what brings you here so early?" "We wanted to help you get ready. It is your wedding day you know!" Whitney said with a smile. "Alright...well come on Whitney. Chad, you can help yourself in the kitchen if you'd like." "'Aight." He said, and the girls went to Theresa's room. Theresa shut the door behind them, and leaned her back up against it. "Ok girl, what's going on?" "What do you mean?" Whitney asked nervously. "You and Chad! Come on...I see how you guys look at each other. Face it...you're in love!" "Theresa, will you get your head out of the clouds? I am NOT in love with Chad. We're just friends." "Alright, alright," Theresa said. "You keep telling yourself that. But watch, you'll see I'm right! You guys will be together...its fate!" Whitney groaned. "Come on...lets get you ready."
Chad Harris sat in the Lopez-Fitzgerald living room, sipping orange juice and reading the morning paper. He was reading a story about a family that was reunited with their daughter after 10 years. He sat back, and put the paper down. He wondered where his family was, what they were like. Maybe he has brothers and sisters...neices and nephews...cousins, aunts, uncles...he couldn't imagine what it would be like. He looked over at the mantle and saw the Lopez-Fitzgerald family picture. He got up and walked over to it. He picked it up and looked at the family. He smiled when he thought of how close they all were. He put the picture down, and looked at the other ones. Three pictures stood beside it: One of Ethan and Theresa, one of Luis and Sheridan, and one of Charity and Miguel. He sighed when he thought of Whitney. It made him so angry that she wouldn't admit to her feelings. When they were both alone, she was a totally different person: warm and open and caring. But as soon as anyone else was around, especially her parents, she would close up. As he was thinking of ways to make her admit her feelings, when all of a sudden the front door opened, and Pilar and Miguel came in. "Yo Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald, yo Miguel." "Hello Chad," said Pilar. "Hey Chad," said Miguel "Where you guys been, out so early on such a big day?" Pilar sighed. "I had to go get Miguel at the Bennetts. He spent the night there again last night, and when he tried to come home this morning, he got lost. He spends so much time there that he forgot how to get home!" "Wow, is this new?" Miguel was looking at some old trinkets that Pilar had been collecting for years. "Miguel! I have had those since before you were a baby! Thats it...no more staying at the Bennett house." But Miguel was too busy wandering through the house, reacquainting himself with the place he had lived for almost 18 years. Pilar sighed again, and turned back to Chad. "Well, what are you doing here?" "I'm with Whitney...she's helping Theresa get ready. But I think I'm gonna go get my tux, and go home and get ready. I'll meet you guys at the church. Lata." With that, Chad turned around and went out the door.
Sheridan Crane woke up with the sun shining on her face. A warm breeze floated in through the open window, and outside, she could hear bees buzzing and birds chirping. It was the perfect spring day. She heard the shower running in the other room, and smiled as she recalled the events of the previous night. She stretched lazily in bed, and let herself enjoy the content feeling. Just then the shower stopped. A few minutes later her boyfriend, Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald stepped out of the bathroom, clad in only a towel. He walked over to the window and looked outside. With a smile on his face, he turned around towards the bed. It was then that he noticed Sheridan watching him. She was laying down in bed, and bathed in sunlight. His smile grew wider. "And I thought what I saw outside was beautiful." He said, walking over to her. He crouched down by the side of the bed, and leaned down and kissed her. "Good morning baby." Sheridan smiled. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" "Yeah...ya know all that strenuous activity tired me out." They both laughed, and kissed again. "Well today is a big day!" Sheridan said, forcing herself to get up out of bed. "Yeah...I can't believe my little sister's getting married!" Luis started to get dressed as Sheridan put on her robe. "Yeah...its exciting..." Sheridan said absently. Luis looked over at her with some concern. "You ok?" he asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." She couldn't tell him what she was thinking about. 'I hope the next wedding I go to is my own.' She walked over and kissed him again, and went into the bathroom to take a shower.
Ivy Crane woke up to the sound of men's voices in the hallway. She opened her eyes, and saw...nothing. She bolted upright in bed. All of her belongings were totally gone. And she knew why. Fuming, she got out of bed and went down the hallway to Julian's room. "Julian!" she yelled. Julian was asleep, facedown in the pillows, snoring loudly. "Julian," she said again. "Get the hell out of bed! Where are all of my belongings?" "You will find them on the curb outside the gates," he said, raising his head an inch off the pillow. "You have officially been kicked out of this house. And once you set up with the Harmony Homeless Shelter, you'll be receiving the divorce papers." "No!" Ivy screamed and dragged him out of bed. Julian fell to the floor with a loud THUMP, blankets and pillows falling all around him. He uncovered his face as she continued to yell obscenities at him. "You cannot divorce me! I'll tell Luis and Sheridan all about Martin Fitzgerald, and about the imposter, and yours and Alistair's plan to break them up." "Frankly DEAR," he said venemously, "your petty threats don't scare me in the least. Ahem, Suzanne, my pet," he purred to the maid that had just entered the room. "Would you please escort the soon-to-be EX Mrs. Crane out of the estate?" "You'll be sorry Julian! I promise you, you'll be sorry!" And with that, Ivy was thrown out onto the streets of Harmony, never to enter the Crane estate again.
"C'mon everyone! Breakfast!" Sam Bennett called up the stairs to his family, as he tossed two dozen pancakes onto a big plate and set it in the middle of the table. He soon heard several pairs of footsteps thundering down the stairs: Reese, followed by Jessica, who was holding onto his sweater; Simone, Charity, and lastly Kay, who dragged her feet when she walked, and sat down at the farthest end of the table by herself. They all served themselves pancakes and chatted about the upcoming day. "Hey guys, where's your mom?" Sam asked the kids as he munched on a pancake. "I haven't seen her yet this morning, Dad." Jessica said, as she gazed at Reese in admiration. "Charity dear, can you go up and tell Grace to come down?" Sam asked his neice. But she was staring off into space, shaking slightly and whispering, "The demons are coming. Evil is near. We're all doomed!" Sam groaned, and turned to his oldest daughter. "Kay, can you go get your mother?" "Sure dad," Kay said, and slowly got up and made her way up the stairs to get her mom. The door to her parents' room was closed, so she knocked on it. "Mom?" she called out softly. "Mom, are you awake?"
Grace Bennett stared at the Angel Girl in awe. "Please, tell me why you're here!" "You are in great danger, Grace. You must stay strong, for evil is near. It will effect those you love the most." The Angel Girl said cryptically. "Who? Who is going to get hurt by the evil?" Grace begged her to tell what she knew. "I have said enough," the Angel Girl said softly. "Stay strong Grace." And with that, she shrunk into a little glowing ball and flew out the window. "Wait!" Grace ran to the window, and tried to reach out to the angel, but it was too late. She stepped back in defeat. Just then, she heard a knock on the door. "Mom?" she heard someone say through the door. Grace went to the door and opened it. "Oh Kay," she said. "What's wrong Honey?" "Nothing Mom...Dad just wanted you to come down to breakfast." Kay told her. "Ok Sweetie...I'll be right down." She smiled at her daughter, and Kay went back downstairs. Grace took one last look at the window, and said a silent prayer before she went to the kitchen to join her family.
Eve Russell was sitting in her kitchen, sipping coffee and reading the morning paper. Glancing quickly over the morning headlines, she saw a story that screamed out at her. "LONG LOST DAUGHTER REUNITED WITH FAMILY AFTER TEN YEARS." Eve thought about the baby boy that she suposedly lost. "Could Chad be my son?" She asked herself. Just then TC came into the kitchen from outside. "Hi Honey," he said, and kissed her on the cheek. He noticed the distressed look on her face. "Whats wrong Dear?" He asked her. "Oh, nothing...just reading a story in the paper." She lied, and closed the newspaper and set it down on the table. "So," she said quickly, changing the subject. "Why were you out so early this morning?" "Oh, I was out in the shed." "Oh, ok." TC got a cup of coffee and sat down with the sports section of the newspaper. "Where are our wonderful daughters this morning?" "Simone spent the night at the Bennett's last night, and our Whitney is at Theresa's house helping her get ready for the wedding." "I'm so proud of our Whitney. She's so perfect. She would never get caught up by boys and dating. She is going to be a world-famous tennis star." T.C. gushed. "Yes...our Whitney is wonderful." Eve thought about Chad again, and wondered if he was her long-lost son. 'What that would do to my family,' she thought sadly, as she looked at her beloved husband.
Tabitha Lenox sat at her table, reading into the lives of all the Harmony residents with her tarot cards. Everyone thought that today was supposed to be a glorious day; but she knew that they were all wrong. "Oh Timmy," she said to the doll who walked into the room, "I see very bad things happening for today." "What's gonna happen, Princess?" Timmy asked her, hoisting himself onto a chair, and placing two Martimmy glasses on the table. Tabitha absently took a sip as she turned another card over. She gasped and spit the drink out on Timmy. "Ahh!" he screamed as Tabitha coughed harshly. "Oh my Timmy...this is not good." "No kidding! Timmy just took a shower!" "Oh hush Dollface! This is important." "What's wrong Tabby?" "This day starts out joyfully; but it will soon turn to horror, as a secret is revealed. All will be lost for several Harmony residents." Tabitha told her companion gravely. "This day will be remembered forever."
"Gwen! Gwen! Wake up! Today is going to be a wonderful day!" Rebecca Hotchkiss threw open the shades of her daughter's room and pulled the covers off her. Gwen groaned, and pulled the covers back up over her head. Rebecca sighed. "Gwen, today is Ethan and Theresa's wedding day! The day we finally reveal the truth! That little slut Theresa will finally get what she deserves." "And I'll get Ethan back," Gwen said sleepily, raising herself out of the bed. "Yes! So come on, get yourself ready...we've got a big day ahead of us!"
Ethan Winthrop looked into his bedroom mirror. He didn't like what he saw. "Am I...balding?" he asked himself incredulously as he lifted his chin up and pulled his hair back. This wasn't good. He was only in his twenties. He sighed bitterly and lay back down on his bed. He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. He thought about the day ahead. He was so happy to finally be marrying Theresa! Memories of her flooded into his mind. He smiled at everything they had done together. He decided to give her a call. Before he could pick up the phone, there was a knock on the front door. He groaned. He got out of bed, and walked into the living room and opened the front door. Standing there was Chad. "Hey best man!" Ethan said to him. "Yo Ethan!" Chad said to him, giving him a high-five. "Big day!" "I know, I'm so glad its finally here." "Yo man, I'm glad you decided to marry Theresa. You and her are totally in love. I can tell." "Yeah, I can't wait until she is my wife." "Yeah, so, we better get ready! I picked up your tux so you can change and head over to the church." "Thanks man. I'll change and we'll head over." Ethan disappeared into the bathroom to change. He quickly finished getting ready, and the two of them drove to the church, eager to start Ethan and Theresa's new life together.
"Sheridan! Come on, we're gonna be late!" Luis stood by the door of the cottage, tapping his foot impatiently. He never could understand why it took women so long to get ready. But it was well worth the wait, he thought to himself, as Sheridan rushed out of the bedroom and walked towards him. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go." "Not so fast," Luis smiled and put his arms around her waist, drawing her in for a kiss. "Mmmm...you look beautiful." Sheridan laughed. "Why thank you Officer. You don't look so bad yourself you know..." she leaned in and kissed him again. Pulling away, she looked into his eyes. It was too easy to fall into the trap. Way too easy. "We really do have to go. Come on." she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him outside. They were halfway to the car when Sheridan stopped abruptly. "Wait! I forgot the camera! I'll be right back!" she ran back into the house. Luis sighed, shaking his head and smiling. How he loved her. All this wedding stuff that had been going on recently had got him thinking about their future. He knew he wanted to spend his life with her, more than anything. But he didn't know how she felt about it. Sure, she loved him, but enough to marry him? He didn't want to think about it if she didn't. She finally emerged out of the house, and shut and locked the door behind her. "Are you ready now?" Luis asked her with fake impatience. "All set." They both got in the car and drove to the church, not knowing that this would be a day that would change their relationship forever.
"Yes...thank you." Ivy hung up the phone and looked around the small hotel room. "It will have to do for now." she had told the hotel manager when she arrived a few hours ago. Now she was settled, changed and ready to go to the wedding. 'I wonder if Sam will be there,' she thought happily. She grabbed her purse and headed out the door, eager to see the most important men in her life.
"Come on Grace...do I have to go?" Grace glared at her husband. "Yes! It is Theresa's wedding you know. We have to be there to support her." Sam sighed. "Fine. I'll go...for Theresa's sake." They both finished getting ready, then got Charity and headed to the church.
The Russell's ride over to the church began in silence. T.C. stopped at a red light, and looked over at Eve. She was staring out the window. "Eve, are you ok?" "I'm fine," she said as the car started moving again. "Just thinking about a patient." "You are so dedicated to your work," he said to her admirably. "But really, you should just put it out of your mind for the day. You'll have a much better time." Eve managed a smile. "Alright. I'll try." But there was no way she could think of anything else but her son.
Sheridan and Luis entered the small church and looked around for Pilar. They found her in the front of the church, standing with Ethan and Chad. "Hijo!" Pilar said, holding out her hands to Luis. "Hi Mama," Luis said, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Sheridan gave Ethan a hug, and Pilar as well. They exchanged a few words, then Father Lonigan came over to them. "We're almost ready to start, if you would please take your places." He told them. "Excuse me, I'm going to go tell Theresa." Pilar said, and disappeared into the back of the church. Ethan and Chad stood in the front of the church, and Luis and Sheridan sat down in the first pew. Luis took Sheridan's hand and leaned close to her. "Have I told you how beautiful you looked today?" he said, kissing her on the cheek. Sheridan smiled. "I believe you have." "Well then, I'm telling you again...you look absolutely amazing. Tell me again...why are we here, when we could be...other places?" "We are here to see your sister get married," she laughed. "But don't worry...we'll be out of here as soon as we can." "Sounds good to me." Luis looked at her in the eye, and gave her a kiss. "I love you." "And I love you." "I've got to go and give Theresa away. But I'll be back before you know it." He leaned in and gave her another kiss, and with a wink, got up and walked to the back of the church.
Theresa sat in the back room of the church, smoothing out her dress. "Oh Whitney, I'm so excited!" she said, jumping up and down and grinning widely. "In a few minutes I'm going to be married to Ethan! All of my dreams are coming true!" Whitney took the veil off the back of a chair and placed it on top of Theresa's head. She arranged the gauzy material around her face, making her look young and innocent. "There you go," Whitney said, stepping back and admiring her handiwork. "You look absolutely perfect." Theresa turned around and looked in the mirror. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Oh Whitney," she breathed. "Its perfect!" She turned back around and hugged her best friend. "Thank you." Just then Pilar opened the door. "Theresita, all the guests are here, and Ethan and Chad have just arrived. We're ready to being the ceremony." Theresa took a deep breath. "Ok! Lets get going!" They both grabbed each other's hand and left the room.
Ethan stood at the front of the church. He was nervous as hell. He kept putting his hands in his pockets and taking them out. "Yo, Ethan, you ok?" Chad asked him from his spot behind him. "Y-yeah, I-I'm ok." Ethan managed to spit out. "You don't sound ok man. You look really pale." "I'm just a little jittery, that's all." He felt like he was gonna pass out. "Alright man, just take a deep breath, everything's gonna be ok." All of a sudden the music started playing. "Just relax man...remember, you want to do this." Chad told him. But Ethan didn't even hear him; the back doors of the church opened, and all he saw was Theresa. She began to walk towards him, floating like an angel on Luis' arm. Every fear that Ethan felt melted away when she reached him. Luis lifted her veil and kissed her on the cheek. He shook Ethan's hand, and took his seat next to Pilar and Sheridan in the front row. Theresa took her place beside Ethan, and Whitney straightened out her dress before going to her spot to the side of her. Ethan looked over at Theresa and smiled. She smiled back. Then they both turned towards the priest, as he began. "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen..."
"...and if anyone objects to their glorious union, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace." The tiny church was silent. All of a sudden the back doors opened. Rebecca stormed in, with Gwen trailing behind. "I object, Father," Gwen said angrily. "And I think Ethan will too, after he finds out what his little SLUT of a fiancee did to him!" Rebecca exclaimed. A series of gasps and whispers ran through the church as Rebecca slowly sauntered up to the couple. She looked Theresa straight in the eye. "Ethan, you said you wouldn't stop until you found out who knew that you weren't a Crane...right?" Ethan looked at her, puzzled. "Yes, I did. Why on earth is that a reason to interrupt my wedding?" Rebecca smirked, and turned around to face everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen..." she said, her smile getting bigger. "I know the name of the person who knew that Ethan was not a Crane." Ethan still had a puzzled look on his face. Theresa was starting to get it. Her big eyes got wider; her mouth opened slightly and she started to shake uncontrollably. Rebecca paused before she spoke, soaking up the drama of the moment. "Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald." The whole church was quiet for a few moments. Then, several comments could be heard throughout the crowd: "Dios mio!" Pilar murmured in horror. Grace and Charity were equally horrified. "The evil...the evil is here!" they both said in unison, shaking back and forth. Miguel put his arms around Charity, and Sam put his arms around Grace. Then Ethan spoke: "I don't believe you Rebecca." Rebecca laughed. "Oh you don't? Well then, why don't you ask your fiancee there? I'm sure she'll tell you the truth, won't you, Theresa?" Ethan turned to look at Theresa, his breath shaky. "She's lying, isn't she Theresa? Come on...tell me she's lying." Theresa was silent. She only looked at him with huge eyes, and continued to shake uncontrollably. "Theresa? Please...tell me she's not telling the truth. TELL ME!" Theresa began to cry. "Its true, Ethan," she whispered. "I knew that you weren't a Crane." Ethan looked at her for a moment. His fists clenched by his side, his jaw set and he himself began to tremble. "You knew..." he whispered. "You knew," he screamed, "and you didn't tell me? You didn't say a DAMN word!" "Ethan PLEASE, listen to me, I only did it to protect you!" Theresa was crying harder now. The tears running down her face brought makeup with them; multicolored drops stained the front of her white dress. "PROTECT me? How in the hell is that protecting me?" "Ethan, I was going to tell you, I-" "NO! I don't want to hear your excuses. You had plenty of chances to tell me that you knew, but you DIDN'T. And I can never forgive you for that." And with that, Ethan turned around and stormed out of church. Chad, astonished at the events, ran after Ethan, yelling "Yo...yo...yo Ethan! Wait!" Theresa stared after him, then broke down. She sobbed hysterically as she tore out of the church into a side room. Pilar and Whitney went running after her. Rebecca and Gwen gloated. They gave each other a high-five, and slowly walked out the back of the church to go to a bar and toast their victory. Sam stood up quickly. "This is rediculous!" he yelled disgustedly. "I'm out of here!" He got up and left the church. Ivy followed close behind. "Sam! Wait!" she yelled after him.
T.C. got up right after. "Those damn Cranes...always ruining peoples' lives!" he said angrily. "What are you talking about? Ethan is not a Crane!" "Yes he is...he was raised a Crane, and he'll always be a no-good CRANE!" T.C. started making his way out of the pew. "T.C. where are you going?" Eve asked, getting up and following him. "I need to go...I need to go to the shed!" Seeing no need to stay, the rest of the guests began filing out, until only Luis and Sheridan remained. They stood in the aisle, shocked at the events which had just taken place. "I can't believe Theresa knew that Ethan was a Crane and didn't tell him." Sheridan said slowly. "Me either." "She caused him a lot of pain by not telling him." "Hey," Luis said angrily. "Ethan caused Theresa a lot of pain too. He didn't even give her a chance to explain herself." Sheridan sighed. "Listen Honey," she said as she put her arms around his waist. "let's not argue about it. They'll get through it if their love is strong enough." Luis smiled and kissed her lightly on the lips. Just then Father Lonigan appeared in the church. "Ahh, what a shame," he said, walking towards them. "This beautiful wedding ceremony gone to waste." "I'm sure someone will get to use it." Sheridan said. "Yes..." Father Lonigan paused. "Have anyone in mind?" Sheridan immediately thought of a certain couple: her and Luis. 'He'd never want to marry me,' she thought sadly. "Can't say that I do, Father." "Oh I think you do. You're thinking of two people right now," the priest said to her. Sheridan inhaled sharply. "Am I?" "Yes. You're thinking of two people who want very much to get married. But their own doubts are keeping them from it. If only they would admit their feelings to each other, they would live a long and happy married life together." Sheridan just looked at the priest amazingly. She then turned to look at Luis. He was staring at her. "Luis..." she began. Luis put his finger to her lips to silence her. He then looked directly into her eyes. "Sheridan...I know who you're thinking of." He removed his finger, and moved his gaze down to her lips. He leaned in and kissed her softly. When he pulled away, he looked down and took her hands in his. He rubbed his thumb over her ring finger on her left hand. A slow smile crept upon his face as he looked back at her eyes. "I love you Sheridan." Tears filled Sheridan's eyes as she realized what he was really saying. "I love you too, Luis." Even though he couldn't see them, Father Lonigan knew what was happening. "So...will there be a wedding today after all?"
Epilogue
Sam stormed into his house, furious about the events which had just taken place at the church. He sat down at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands. "How could it be possible for me to have a son like that? So arrogant and power-hungry! He may not be a Crane by blood, but he sure as hell is one by practice." Sam said to himself bitterly. "Sam?" he heard a voice at the door which made his fury rage harder. He turned toward the figure. "Ivy," he said menacingly. "How dare you come to my home after everything that has happened." "Sam, please, I just needed someone to talk to. I have no one else." "Well whose fault is that? Who made her own life, as well as everyone else's, hell because of all the secrets she kept?" "Sam-" "No!" he yelled. "I'm not going to listen to another word. Goodbye Ivy." And with that he shut the door in her face. Ivy was devastated. "He hates me," she whispered. "He hates me, and he'll never forgive me!" She then remembered another person: Theresa. "She knew about the letter. She knew and she didn't tell him." Ivy was so angry that she forgot about Sam, and began to make her way back to the church.
Luis and Sheridan ran up the steps of Sheridan's cottage, holding hands and laughing. Sheridan opened the door and started to lead her in, but stopped suddenly. "Wait!" he said. He backed up, and she backed up. Then he picked her up and carried her over the threshold. He kicked the door closed and set her down on the couch. She kissed him sweetly on the lips. "I can't believe we just did that." she said giggling. "I know...its crazy. But so right." She turned around and lay back on his chest, sighing happily. He put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "So, Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald...what shall we do as our first order of business as a married couple?" She looked up at him and grinned devilishly. "I think I have an idea..." Luis raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Then please, by all means, tell me." Sheridan got up off the couch and pulled him up to his feet. "I think I'd rather show you..." She kissed him again, this time with more passion. She then took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom, where the two newlyweds spent the the first day of the rest of their lives.
Rebecca and Gwen sat in the local bar, sipping martinis. "To us," Rebecca raised her glass to her daughter. "The future Mrs. Cranes." They both laughed as their glasses clinked together. Rebecca took a sip, then set the drink down. "I don't believe I've ever had that much fun. The look on Miss Fajita's face was priceless!" "She got what was coming to her." Gwen said bitterly. "I just hope Ethan wasn't hurt that badly." "Don't worry Dear," Rebecca told her. "It's not like not marrying that tramp is a big loss. And besides, you'll be there to comfort him." "That I will. He'll forget all about Theresa in no time. That I promise you." Gwen smiled as she took another sip of her martini, and reveled in joy.
Ethan sat on the beach, looking out at the ocean. He had been sitting there for hours, watching the people walk along the shores and the clouds roll by in the sky. Chad had come to try and talk to him, but he wouldn't hear it. He couldn't see Theresa just yet; he needed time to think. Now the sun was setting, and the sky was flooded with pastel colors. Ethan looked up at it. Normally he would have been moved by the beautiful display, but today he felt nothing. He was still too in shock over what Rebecca had told him during his wedding. He continued to look out over the ocean, wondering where his life would take him after this day.
The paramedics were grim-faced as they rolled the stretcher out of the back of the church. Pilar and Whitney followed close behind, crying hysterically. Just then Ivy came back to the church, steaming mad. She was about to give Pilar a piece of her mind. But when she saw the stretcher with a body covered with a white sheet on it, she stopped short. "What the hell happened?" she asked Pilar. "Ther...There...Oh Dios mio, my Theresita!" she cried into Whitney's shoulder. Whitney cleared her tears long enough to tell Ivy: "Theresa killed herself." Ivy gasped. "Oh my...God! What happened?" "After Ethan left, she ran to the back of the church, and locked herself in the bathroom. Me and Pilar tried to open the door, but we couldn't. We finally broke the door down and when we did, she was...she drowned herself...in the toilet." Whitney resumed sobbing. "Ohhhh..." Ivy was shocked. "That's horrible. I can't believe it. I'm so sorry Pilar." But Pilar was too emotional to speak. Whitney led the woman over to the side of the street to console her, as they loaded Theresa's body into the back of an ambulance. Ivy slowly walked back into the church. The room was empty, and the only light came from the few lit candles and the weak sunlight coming through the stained glass windows. She sat in a pew and thought about the day's events. She was amazed at how all their lives had changed in a few short hours. What had started a glorious day had ended up a horrifying one. A tragedy from a triumph, she thought gravely. Ivy sat in the church for a long time, reminiscing about her family members. She finally got up, and, giving the church one last look, walked out the door.
"Well Timmy," Tabitha said gravely, staring into her magic water bowl. "I told you things would change today. Ivy said it best: A triumph and a tragedy. One couple ends its life, while another begins theirs." She looked over at Timmy and grinned. "All in a day's work." Timmy looked at her, horrified. "Tabby didn't!" Tabitha smiled mysteriously. "Wouldn't you like to know Tim Tim...wouldn't you like to know?"
THE END