Chapter 7

“Dr. Russell? Dr. Russell?!” Kay called as she entered the yellow Russell house. Grace and Eve were seated on the sofa shallowly gossiping. Kay couldn’t let Ivy die, or else there wouldn’t be a wedding, and in short she wouldn’t get Miguel.

“Kay honey, what is it?” Grace asked looking at her daughter with concern.

“There’s been a fire at the Crane’s, and Mrs. Crane is like dead! But she isn’t yet!” Kay blurted out.

Tears began to fill up in Grace’s eyes. “No! Ivy is such a good person... first my sister now my good friend? Why are you doing this to me God?” Grace asked breaking down in tears. “Ivy is too good a person.”

Eve forced a comforting arm around her friend. “She’s not dead... yet. I’ll go to the Mansion and we’ll save her.” Eve looked unpleasantly at the teary eyed woman. If she only knew what Ivy really was... she’d probably be jumping for joy.

“Kay stay here with Simone, she’s upstairs, we’ll go look after Ivy.”

Up at the mansion, Sam finished resuscitating Ivy. She coughed violently and Sam held her hand. He slowly lifted her body and held her head on his chest. Ivy began to take in her surroundings and realized she was in Sam’s arms. She closed her eyes again and smiled as he held her.

After a minute she opened her eyes once more and looked around. She couldn’t see anyone watching her. As she slowly lifted her head, Sam was relieved. “Ivy, you’re...”

She spun around and pressed a finger to his lips. “You saved my life, and you deserve a thank you.” Forcefully, and passionately, she kissed him. He didn’t resist and didn’t feel ashamed until a moment after they parted.

“Your welcome.” He whispered, out of breath.

Jessica was stunned, and felt tears swell up in her eyes. She didn’t think her father wanted Ivy Crane too. It was okay that he ignored her, but now this blow, this kiss, struck a knife through her heart. She took off, but kept the camera, silently down the hill. Just as Jessica had turned her back, Sam moved away from Ivy.

“I love my wife. Stay away from us.” He cautioned.

But Ivy just let out a weak laugh and in a tired voice managed. “Do you kiss her with as much passion as you just kissed me?”

Sam let Ivy sit up on her own and he looked off towards the debris from the fire. In an unattached voice he stressed, “There’s more to life than passion.” Turning to look at her he finished, “But I guess you wouldn’t know that, seeing how empty your life is- and the only enjoyment you get is from destroying my life.”

Sam watched Ivy’s head turn downwards as she clenched her fists. He couldn’t see her face but from the tension in her body he could see how much he had hurt her. “I’m sorry...” He continued, “I didn’t mean what I just said, that was shallow of me.”

Ivy glanced up and shook her head at him. “Maybe my life is empty. It’s just one big act, one of Shakespeare’s tradgedies.” Her head dropped once more. “And we all know how those end.”

Sam couldn’t understand what she was implying, so made a guess. “Ivy, don’t kill yourself.”

Ivy began to fiddle with the green grass. “Why not? What do I have to live for? My life is empty, you said it yourself.” She ripped a blade of grass from the ground and threw it down. “Please leave Sam.”

“But the fire...” He protested.

She looked up at him with an angry rage in her eyes. “Go, or I will have you thrown out myself.” Ivy attempted to stand, but faltered. Sam reached an arm out but she refused to take it. “When the doctors arrive tell them to leave on your way out.” She began a slow move into the mansion but turned around remembering something. It took all her strength and every ounce of courage she had to do it, but she reached under her blouse and ripped off her long gold chain. She tossed it at Sam’s feet where he could see the locket opened up revealing his picture.

He gently kicked the locket so he couldn’t see his face, and began the long walk home.

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“I’m so glad Mrs. Crane is okay!” Kay exclained at the dinner table that evening. That was the general atmosphere in the Bennett house.

The carnival, which would be kicked off the next day had everyone in high spirits. Grace had been so relieved to here about Ivy’s speedy recovery. “Now she and Julian will be able to kick off the carnival tomorrow!” Grace explained while dishing out two pieces of shaken bake to Simone.

Sam frowned at the mention of Ivy, he was still upset from their earlier encounter. Jessica was also upset from seeing the kiss, but had managed to get over it. She had apologized to God enough, and now it was time to get on with her plan.

“So Dad,” She began between bites of chicken, “How did you like walking up the aisle with Mrs. Crane? She’s so pretty, huh?”

Grace smiled at her husband as he choked down his meat. “You walked down the aisle with Ivy?” She said merrily. “That was so nice of you, honey.” Sam nodded, but continued to chew. “and you saved her from that fire! Ivy must really love you now-”

Sam slammed down his fork and began to violently choke. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t be so modest Sam,” Grace said. “You saved her life, she must be very grateful.”

Sam made an attempt to smile at his family and was about to speak when his wife spoke up again, “You know it’s funny how you keep saving people from fires Sam, isn’t it?”

Sam took this opportunity to switch the subject line. “Like in Boston when I saved you. I was so lucky to have found you Grace. You’re my angel.”

Grace blushed bright pink and Kay and Simone giggled. Someday it would be her and Miguel talking like that, Kay dreamed, as Simone imagined her own life with Chad.

A pained Jessica watched her father lead her mother on desperately wanting to say something but knew the time would come for that. It was obvious between Kay, Sam, and herself that there was no more being loyal, truthful, or faithful to the family. The Bennett family would crumble, but it would save many from hurting in the future. At least that’s the excused Jessica would use just to keep her sister from getting a moment in the spotlight.

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Ivy removed her bath robe and fell back happily onto her bed, a large smile plastered across her face. “I am a genius!” She said aloud hugging a pillow. “Sam, the thing I always loved about you is your conscience... and the thing I’ve always admired about myself is my incredible acting.” She merrily kicked the pillow at the door with her feet and turned on the radio.

Seconds later the door flew open and Ethan, Julian and Sheridan marched in overthrowing Ivy’s good mood. Julian slammed off the radio as Ethan picked up the pillow.

“What is going on in here?” Julian demanded to know as he took the pillow from Ethan and pounded it next to his wife who jumped. The pounding flickered the lights, or was it from the storm outside? Ivy couldn’t tell but she knew something was up, and she feared the worst.

She pulled the pillow to her chest and insisted to know why Julian had barged in. The two stared at each other for a long time until their son final broke them up by stepping between them. “Mother, it’s one in the morning and you were just in a serious accident. Father, Aunt Sheridan and I just wanted to know why you were-”

“Throwing things around and blasting the radio?” Julian raged cutting off his son. “You almost died today Ivy, and it appears your celebrating. What’s going on my darling wife? Are we keeping secrets... again?”

Ivy’s eyes widened. Julian couldn’t possibly know about her and Sam? She did kiss him in the yard when Julian was only metres away in the house. “Keeping secrets? Really Julian is that how you treat your wife? Have faith in me. No, no, I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Lay off Father, you said it yourself, Mother almost died so can you stop yelling at her?” Turning to his mother, Ethan sat down on the bed. “He’s just worried about you.” He continued gesturing to Julian, “but Mother what’s going on, this is so unlike you?”

Ivy looked away knowing she couldn’t lie to her son, not to his face. She looked at Sheridan and began, “I’m over tired you see, and frustrated about, the... the wedding and today’s rehearsal. I guess I was just angry.”

Sheridan sensed something else was going on and as Ethan and Julian left, they had obviously bought Ivy’s lame excuse, Sheridan stayed behind.

“I’m over tired.” Ivy reassured her sister-in-law.

Closing the door after Ethan and Julian, Sheridan took Ivy’s hand. “I told you before that this wedding confused me, and you told me it was because you had fallen back in love with my brother.”

“That’s right.”

Sheridan shook her head with frustration and said, “No, there’s more to it than that. Ivy, you love Sam Bennett.”

Ivy gripped the bed clothes tightly and met Sheridan’s pressing gaze.

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“Well? Tell me the truth!” Kay yelled slamming the door to her bedroom with Jessica. “You may be able to fool all the others but I’m sharper than you think.” Jessica rolled her eyes in disgust as Kay continued to accuse her. “I know a plan, and thankfully your’s failed! Maybe if I had tried to stop the wedding by killing Mrs. Crane it would have actually worked!”

Jessica climbed into her bed and spat, “For the last time I didn’t set it up so the speaker would crush Ivy! Why would I? That damn thing almost killed Dad!” Jessica pulled up the covers and sarcastically finished, “And like your schemes to break up Miguel and Charity never fail? Right, Kay.”

“You hate the fact I’m gonna be in the wedding, don’t you?”

“So?”

“You’d do anything to stop the wedding, and this little plan was only the beginning. Well listen to me, after I’m famous I won’t even acknowledge the fact that you’re my little sister!” Kay taunted as she held up a Seventeen magazine. The cover was a picture of Britney Spears and her younger sister.

The tension was extreme as Kay turned out the lights. Kay’s breathing was hard and strained. Jessica spoke up, forcefully at first but her voice softened to a firm whisper. “Kay, I wouldn’t try and kill Mrs. Crane. If you don’t want to believe it, fine, but you have no proof therefore no argument. Don’t talk to me about it again...” Jessica trailed off to a pause. “Don’t talk to me again period.”

With that there was silence. Both girls lay awake, but the only sound came from outside where the bushes rustled from a stray cat or squirrel and the storm ended. Both girls, trying to put the other out of their minds, concentrated on the sound. Their concentration unfortunately strayed, like the animal outside and the found themselves each scheming.

A convinced Kay was determined to show Ivy, her father, and the world that her sister was trying to stop the wedding. Unfortunately she was on the wrong track, thinking Jessica had tried to kill Ivy, instead of just video taping her father with the woman.

Jessica began to snore to make Kay think she was asleep. The idea of Kay getting what she wanted made Jessica sick, but she knew that she would prevail in the end. After all she had what she needed to stop the wedding. Reaching silently under her bed, Jessica pulled out the video and put it under her pillow.

The scurrying sound had gotten louder, but Kay and Jessica had drifted to sleep. Another loud scamper and then a thud onto the girl’s bedroom window. Timmy, soaked from the storm, rubbed his behind as he picked himself off the floor. The doll was dressed in a Bond disguise. He flipped out a mini-walkie-talkie and began, “Come in Mama Witch, come in.”

The voice from the other end was that of Tabitha’s. “Timmy, would you stop the act and do what I say? Now, Jessica just slipped the tape under her pillow. Get it out and hurry up. Over.”

Timmy followed the orders and within a minute had retrieved the tape from the bed. “Mission impossible? Timmy thinks not.” Timmy said triumphantly, and returned down the trellis and into Tabitha’s house.

Inside the house, Tabitha sat at her magic bowl and was cleaning up. She ran to Timmy and grabbed the tape. “Timmy go into the basement and get the camera.” She ordered staring happily at the tape.

“The basement?” Timmy said in shock.

“Well what- oh, I forgot about our friends down their.” Tabitha said snapping out of her happy state. “Never mind I’ll get it come tomorrow.”

Timmy sat on the sofa and took off his Bond coat replacing it with his lounging jacket. “What is Tabby up to now? Why did you steal the tape of Ivy and Sam from Jessica. Timmy thought Jessica needed that to stop the wedding.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking a lot, and the way I see things is that the more evidence of Ivy’s need for Sam the better. The Cranes will be the guests of honor at the carnival tomorrow, and Jessica thinking she lost the tape will get some more ‘proof’ and then will give her the tape back. Plus, I can’t have Jessica putting a stop to the wedding yet. I still have plans for Ethan, Hank, and Kay.” Tabitha broke out into a cackle as Timmy sipped silently on a martimmy.