A Time For New Beginnings: Chapter 1
Setting: The Book Café (two weeks later)
Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald sat on the couch with Noah Bennett. Her heart leapt at the sight of him. Everytime she gazed into his warm, chocolatey eyes, she got a fuzzy feeling inside. It had been such a long time since she had seen him.
She had just finished telling him about the whole Gwen and Ethan fiasco, and Noah sat back in shock. He shook his head and grinned.
“Well Scarlet, you’ve really done it this time.” Theresa’s heart skipped a beat at the sound of her old nickname. It had been too long since he had called her that. She sighed, and clasped her hands tightly.
“I don’t know if Ethan will ever forgive me, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Well I have to agree with Whitney on this one. I think you should wait for Ethan to come to you. If you try and apologize to ease your guilty conscience, Ethan will be even more angry at you.” Theresa nodded and choked back tears that were threatening to escape.
“I know you’re right Noah, and I won’t go near Ethan. It’s not like I’ll see him anyway, I no longer have a job at the Cranes. I just don’t understand how I could have let things get so out of control. One lie built on top of another, and I couldn’t stop.” Noah took Theresa’s hand in his and smiled warmly at her.
“Well sweetie, you don’t have to worry about a lack of love, you have so many people who care about you, including me.” Theresa sat up excitedly.
“Does this mean you’re staying in Harmony for good Noah? Please tell me you are!!” Noah grinned slyly.
“For the time being, I have no previous engagements.” With that, Noah pulled Theresa to her feet and grabbed her hand. “Come on, I’ve missed it here, and I’d like to go for a walk, you know, see the old stomping grounds.” Noah and Theresa left the café hand in hand. What they didn’t notice, was Gwen sitting in the background, plotting her revenge.
Setting: The Crane Mansion, Julian’s office
Sheridan’s heart pounded with fear. Her palms were sweaty, and she felt dizzy. This was it. She wasn’t as much scared of Julian, but of her father. Even though he was not there, he always knew what was going on in Harmony. She knew that she and Luis had to protect their baby no matter what. Luis seemed to sense Sheridan’s fear, and he placed a comforting hand on the small of her back.
“It’ll be okay, Sheridan.” He whispered to her. Feeling the warmth of his hand on her back, Sheridan’s fears began to dissipate. Julian stared menacingly at Luis and his sister, from behind his massive oak desk.
“What do you want Fitzgerald? Tell me now, so I can get back to more important matters.” Julian’s voice was hard as steel, and his lips thinned at the sight of Luis’s hand on Sheridan’s back. Sheridan cleared her throat nervously and spoke up.
“Julian, something’s happened. Something you’re not going to believe. I doubt you’ll believe me, so I brought proof.” Sheridan pulled the slip of paper out of her pocket and handed it to her brother. Julian stared intently at it, and looked up sharply.
“What is this?” He asked. Sheridan held her head high.
“I went to the doctor, and Julian.. I’m pregnant.” Julian glared at her with fury. His hands grasped at the desk, and his knuckles turned white. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Finally he gasped,
“Who’s?” Sheridan turned to Luis.
Setting: The Book Café
In the darkened corner of the Book Café, sat Gwen Hotchkiss, planning her revenge. She had watched Theresa and this new boy “Noah” intently, trying to catch every word she could.
These days, Gwen seemed to be going insane. Her every waking thought was of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, and how she had taken the man that she loved. After the scene in the Lobster Shack, Theresa had confessed her plot to Ethan. She had quit her job at the Crane Mansion, and she was out of their lives forever. Everything was perfect. Or so she had thought. When Ethan came back into the restaurant, he told Gwen what Theresa had said.
“You were right all along Gwen. Theresa was in love with me, and there was no boyfriend.” Gwen’s triumphant smile dimmed, when she witnessed the look of devastation on Ethan’s face. He was upset that Theresa had lied.
“But Ethan, it’s all right now. Don’t you see? We can be together, with no distractions.” But Ethan had shook his head.
“I don’t know you anymore Gwen. I thought our love was based on trust and honesty. I thought you were different than all the other girls I’ve known. All they wanted me for was money. I guess I was wrong. You seem to think that anyone who doesn’t have money, doesn’t have the right to love someone who does. What Theresa did was wrong, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to forgive her, but at least her love was pure. It had nothing to do with gaining a social status. I don’t understand how you can say that she’s not worth anything because she doesn’t have money. You’re a snob Gwen, I can’t believe I haven’t seen it until now. I still love you, but I can’t be with you. You’ve taken away all that I saw in you, Goodbye.” Ethan had turned and walked away.
Gwen looked up from the table with tears in her eyes. Sure, she had gotten carried away, but she couldn’t believe Ethan would throw her away for some conniving little witch. A poor little girl who would never amount to anything, who would spend the rest of her life trying to achieve what Gwen all ready had. Money, power, beauty, and everything else you could think of.
So, it was time to put her plan into action. She had just the thing to knock Theresa off her pedestal, and put her back where she belonged, in the gutter, with all the other garbage.
Chapter 2
Setting: A secluded forest in Harmony, near a small lake.
There Ethan sat on his favorite bench, in his favorite part of Harmony, thinking of the past. Staring into the crystal clear waters, brought back many childhood memories. Playing in the lake with Sheridan, and looking to Pilar for admiration.
As Ethan was reminiscing, he heard a yell coming from behind him. He jerked his head up, and caught a glimpse of dark hair streaking through the trees. He heard another yell, and jumped up to see what it was.
Setting: A secluded forest in Harmony, beside a small lake.
Theresa struggled to keep up with Noah. He tugged harder on her arm, and she stumbled after him.
“Noah, where are we going?” She cried. Noah didn’t answer, but sped up instead. Just as they were nearing the clearing, Theresa tripped over a stump and tumbled to the ground, along with Noah. She landed hard on top of him, and she laid her head down on his chest. She tried to catch her breath, and she could feel his racing heart. She lifted her face level to his and gazed into his milky eyes. He stared intently at her, and abruptly Theresa jumped up. She wiped her denim shorts free of dirt and helped Noah up. He brushed himself off.
“Nice one Scarlett. Now can we get going?” He took her arm again and continued down the path.
“Noah? Where are we GOING?!” She yelled at him, as he started to run again. He didn’t answer, but when they reached the clearing, she needed no explanation. She shook her head.
“NO way! Noah Bennett, if you even think about it., you won’t live to see your twenty-first birthday! “ But Noah paid no attention to Theresa’s warning, and without hesitation, he hurled her into the icy water. She screamed as she reached the surface, and her dark hair fell in a tangle around her head. The icy water seeped through her clothing and she shivered. She struggled to get to the shore, and as Noah reached down to help her out, she tugged him in with her!
“DAMNITT! This is the coldest water I’ve ever felt!” Theresa giggled with delight. She punched Noah playfully in the arm.
“I can’t believe you did this to me! I don’t even have a towel!” She cried. Noah shrugged and smiled.
“Who needs a towel?” He asked. With that, he peeled off his shirt to reveal a hard, muscular chest. He reached over and pulled Theresa’s shirt over her head. She sank down into the water to hide from him. Her cheeks flushed red. Noah raised his eyebrows.
“Scarlett, I’ve seen you more naked than that. Although I must say, you’ve sure filled out since then!” He teased. Theresa hid her face and giggled nervously. Her teeth chattered, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Noah reached down and picked her out of the water. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and hugged him tight for warmth.
“So, what are we still doing in the water?” She breathed. Noah shook his head.
“I don’t know?” He whispered, clasping her tighter.
“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I’ve missed you so much. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt this way.” She tried to push the nagging guilt about Ethan far from her mind. She was with a gorgeous guy, in a scandalous position. What’s not to love? She smiled seductively at Noah, and laid her head down in the crook of his neck. Her pulse raced, and her heart pounded. What would happen next?
Ethan gaped at the scene unfolding before him. There was Theresa, wrapped sexily around some guys body. With no shirt on! His breath was coming in rapid gasps, and he couldn’t figure out why? What did he care if Theresa had a new love interest. He was happy that she had gotten over him, that was the whole point wasn’t it?
Setting: Julian Crane’s office
With a rage Julian had never known before, he raced around his desk and lunged at Luis. He held Luis’s neck between his powerful hands, and squeezed with all his might. Luis fought back, and released himself from Julian’s hold. Luis lifted his arm and slugged Julian in the side of the jaw. He knocked the old man back against his desk, and was about to go in for more, when he remembered Sheridan. He turned to see her shocked expression.
“Sheridan, let’s get out of here, it’s obvious the only way Julian knows how to communicate, is through violence.” He took Sheridan’s hand and led her out of the mansion, and back to the cottage. She slumped down at the kitchen table, feeling defeated.
“What are we going to do Luis? Julian and father are never going to accept this baby, let alone the two of us.” Luis reeled in shock.
“The two of us?” He asked. “ There’s a two of us?” He looked confused. Sheridan glanced warily at Luis.
“Well, I thought we were going to do this together? I mean, that is what you said?” Luis sat down heavily on a chair.
“Yeah I said that, I mean, of course I’ll be here for the baby, always.” Sheridan’s face crumpled in a mixture of devastation and anger.
“Oh.” She said curtly. “ I guess I was mistaken.” Luis peered at Sheridan.
“What did you think I meant?” He asked. Sheridan choked back tears.
“Nothing, never mind. It doesn’t matter now. Just go away and leave me to Julian and father. I can handle this on my own.” She slammed the chair back and ran to her bedroom. Luis sat dumfounded, not taking in what had just happened. What had he said to upset her? Had she misunderstood his proposal? He wanted to be there for his child, but he didn’t want anything more.
Sheridan wiped furiously at the tears streaming down her face, as she packed her suitcase. She stopped long enough to phone the airport and order the Crane jet to be readied. It didn’t matter where she was going. As long as it was away from Luis, and all of Harmony.
Setting: Outside Tabitha Lennox’s home.
Gwen hid nervously outside Tabitha’s cottage, and waited for the old hag to leave. It was time to put her plan into action. Once she saw Tabitha leave, she jimmied the door open with her credit card. She crept inside the house and took a look around. There was nothing unusual, aside from the fact there were old magic books, herbs, and tarot cards lying around. And there, sitting on a chair, hand clasping a large spell book, was Tabitha’s beloved doll. The wretched thing went everywhere with Tabitha. Gwen was surprised it wasn’t with her now. Gwen snapped back to attention, and searched for the thing she needed. Then she got an idea. The spell book. That would work! Why not, it was proven, that hexes could be conjured. She turned back to the book, and missed Timmy trying to escape. He went back into doll mode, and Gwen hurried over to the book. She tried to lift it off the table, but something was holding it down. That dumb doll! It was like it was holding on to the book or something. Gwen panicked when she heard the back door open, and Tabitha’s voice humming a tune. She yanked the book, and doll, and made a run for it. She ran down the street carrying a giant spell book, with a Timmy attached to it. She ran all the way home, and set the book down on the table. She heaved a sigh of relief, and looked down at the doll. Great, more evidence against her. She had to do something with the doll. Then she remembered the machine that Ethan had got her to get rid of excess firewood. She grabbed the doll, and not hearing the whimper that came from it, she headed for the back yard. And the wood chipper. She could always buy Tabitha a new doll! to understand this.
Chapter 3:
Setting: Theresa’s house
A knock on the front door awoke Theresa from her dream. She had been dreaming about her experience with Noah. It made her warm all over, just thinking about it. She grinned sleepily and stretched her limbs like a cat. The knocking became more insistent and Theresa frowned. Then she remembered Mama was at work, Luis had gone to see Sheridan, and Miguel had gone out to dinner with Charity, she had been too tired to go. She jumped out of bed, and ran downstairs in her nightie. The air was cold on her bare legs, but she wanted to get the door before the person left. She made it to the door just in time. There was Ethan. Theresa stepped back in surprise. He looked terrible! He was bleary eyed, and his clothes were rumpled. She could smell the alcohol on him from inside the house. She rubbed the sleep form her eyes, and pulled his wavering figure in from the cold.
“Ethan? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Gwen?” She asked. The question was innocent enough, but it made him angry.
“HA! Gwwven is a bootch!” He said, slurring his words. Theresa was taken aback by the venom in his voice.
“You two didn’t work things out?” She asked quietly. The guilt all came flooding back. Ethan glared at her.
“Iss all your faalt. Yoo caused this. Did you have a nice swim?” He asked. His senses seemed to be returning. His drunken innocence was replaced by rage. Theresa took a step back into the living room.
“You’re spying on me now?!” She glared at him. “ You have no right. It’s not like you have to worry about me anymore Ethan, you don’t care about me remember? You love Gwen. Not me. I’m just poor trash, nothing more. I’m going to find someone who loves me for me. Like Noah. I don’t love you anymore Ethan, like you and Gwen said, it was a childish fantasy. One I knew wouldn’t come true!” Tears sprang to her eyes and Ethan tilted his head to the side, and looked at her with a mixture of emotions. He reached out and wiped a tear from her eye.
“Theresa.” He whispered. He lessened the distance between them. Her heart started to pound. She had always dreamed of this moment. She knew what was coming. But tonight it was different. It wasn’t love she felt. It was fear. His eyes were glazed over dangerously, and he seemed to look through her, not at her. His other hand found her hip, and pulled her to him. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but it was impossible. He looked at her with a confused smile. Like he didn’t know where he was. His fingers tightened around her waist and it started to hurt. She winced.
“Ethan stop it. You’re hurting me.” But he didn’t let go, he held her tighter.
“It’s okay Theresa. This is what you wanted. I can’t stop thinking about the way you looked today, all wet. It made me wonder, why I hadn’t seen more in you before.” Theresa was beginning to panic. She didn’t know what to do to get him to stop. He was no longer the sweet caring Ethan Crane, he was a threat to her.
“Ethan you don’t know what you’re saying. GET OFF ME!” She cried out. He reached his hand behind her head and crushed her lips to his. She cried out and tried to jerk her head away. She fought, but he had her in a tight embrace. She thought she might faint from fear. But she had to get away from him. He grabbed her bottom and she started to cry. He still had his lips pushed against her. She knew what she had to do. If she didn’t get out of there she knew what was going to happen. She opened her mouth and bit down hard on his bottom lip. He yelped in pain, and she could taste his blood in her mouth. She spit it on the floor and made a run for the kitchen. She grabbed the car keys in her trembling hands, and was almost out the door when Ethan ran up from behind.
“BITCH!” He yelled. He grabbed a handful of her hair and she turned and kneed him in the groin. He doubled over in agony, and she ran for the car. She jumped in and quickly turned the engine over. She gunned the accelerator and sped out onto the street. Ethan wasn’t far behind. He had lost all sense of reality and he chased her in his car.
As Theresa sped down the street, she quickly turned to see if Ethan was behind her. She caught a glimpse of his headlights. She gasped, and tried to calm herself down. She couldn’t let panic overtake her. She turned back to the road, and saw something running down the middle of the street. She tried to swerve, but it was no use. She hit the figure at full speed and it crashed through the windshield. Theresa screamed and everything went black. The last thing she heard was crunching of hard steel, and her own blood curdling scream.
Setting: Crane Private jet
Sheridan sank back into the leather couch, in the Crane’s private jet. It was over. She said good-bye to Harmony and all the friends she had met. There was no way she could do any of this without Luis. And he had deserted her. She knew that he would stand by his word about the baby, but it just wasn’t enough. When she had found out she was pregnant, she found she hadn’t been sad. But happy, because she thought it was the one thing that would keep her and Luis together forever. She thought he had felt the same way.
She laughed bitterly and wiped away a tear. Well, no time to pity herself. She had another life to think about. She thought of where any child would love to grow up. Beverly Hills California. A safe neighborhood, wonderful private schools, anything a kid could ask for. And, lots of single moms. Sheridan touched her stomach, and tried to imagine a life of knowing that it was Luis’s child. She vowed never again to fall in love. It always hurt her. Even the guy she had thought was different than all the rest, was just the same.
Sheridan looked out her window and stared out at the black of night. It was time to get on with her life, take care of her baby, and make a new life for herself.
The plane gave an awful shudder, and Sheridan frowned. Why couldn’t any pilot fly straight? The plane dipped to the side, and Sheridan slid along the couch. She jumped up once she realized something wasn’t right. It didn’t sound like the engine was running anymore. Panic struck her and she ran for the cockpit. But before she could get there the plane started a nose-dive. Sheridan was thrown against an oak table, and she slid to the ground. She tried to crawl towards her seat to buckle up, but another twist of plane hurled her forwards against another seat. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious, lying on her stomach.
Setting: The Crane Mansion
Luis burst through the Mansion doors and headed straight for Julian’s office. Pilar ran after him and tried to get his attention.
“Luis! What are you doing here? You know you’re not welcome after Julian found out about Sheridan being pregnant with your child!.” Luis waved a hand at his mother.
“Not now Mama! I have something to take care of.” Luis barged into Julian’s office without knocking. Julian looked up in surprise and disgust at the sight of Luis.
“What do you want? Have you come back for another beating? Get the hell out of my house.” He yelled . But Luis stood his ground.
“Where’s Sheridan? I just went to the cottage and all her things are gone. What have you done with her?” Luis slammed a fist down on Julian’s desk. He looked up in shock.
“I was going to ask you the same thing Luis. The Crane jet was ordered to leave this evening, and I figured you and Sheridan were on it. You knew what I would do to the both of you if you stayed in Harmony, so you took off. But now that you’re here, it’s obvious you screwed it up with Sheridan, and she’s left you before anything could start!” Julian laughed with delight. Things were looking up. Sheridan was out of the way, the only thing left to do, was get rid of Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald.
“I have to find her. I’m going to get her back.” Luis ran out of the house. Julian sat back in his chair and lit a cigar. Yes, things were looking up. His and Father’s plan had worked perfectly. It was just a shame that Luis hadn’t been on the flight, he could have killed two birds with one stone. Oh the irony of that one. Julian picked up the phone, and called Father to tell him the good news.
Setting: Harmony airport
Luis charged through the airport, dodging bags and passengers as he went. He made to the private plane desk and talked to a teller.
“There was a plane that left this evening. The Crane’s private jet, I have to know where its destination was. You have to tell me.” The woman stared back at him with disinterest.
“That is private information sir, you’ll just have to go ask one of the Cranes.”
“I don’t have time for this!” Luis yelled. His rage was about to boil over. “ Just me where the damn plane was going.” With that he flashed his badge at her, and her eyes widened with fear and shock.
“ Um, the plane was headed towards Beverly hills California, it was supposed to land early this evening. But………. There’s no record of the landing time here. So, that means that either the plane had to make an unscheduled landing, or something is not right. If you want, I can call the Beverly hills airport and find out if the plane was late. Would you like that?” luis was too stunned to answer her at the moment; he just stared at her with surprise. “Officer?” the clerk repeated. Luis looked up at her, confused. “would you like me to call the airport officer?” she said again, impatiently. Luis nodded, and narrowed his eyes.
“Yes, do that. Hurry though, something could be wrong.”
Luis’s heart began to pound furiously as the clerk began to dial the number. What if something terrible had happened to Sheridan? Or to his baby? He didn’t know what to do. Luis slumped against the service counter, and remembered his last conversation with Sheridan. What if he was responsible for her leaving? If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself. The clerk jerked her head up suddenly from her conversation on the phone, and shook her head sadly.
“ I’m sorry officer, it seems that there’s been a problem…..”
Chapter 4:
Setting: Harmony Hospital
Noah sat with his head in his lap. Pilar sat beside him and Miguel beside her. Miguel was trying to comfort his mother, and noah was trying to stop shaking. How could this have happened.? Pushing aside his fears of worry, he let the rage begin to show. Damn ethan!! Because of his stupidity, a tragedy had sstruck the town of harmony. Tears of grief sprang to his eyes, and he looked over at pilar. Her shoulder’s heaved with sobs, and she buried her head into miguels chest. He stroked his mothers hair, and wiped a tear from her face.
Noah’s eyes narrowed with fury. Ethan was going to pay. Drunk or not, he wasn’t going to get away with the damage he had caused. Noah was going to make sure of that.
setting: police helicopter
Luis scanned the ground’s surface for any signs of wreckage. His heart raced at the prospect of finding Sheridan alive. The search and rescue team said there was a definite possibility that part of the plane was still in tact. There were hunting cabins around the area the plane was suspected to be in, but no hunters had seen or heard an explosion. That was the best news Luis could of heard all day. They had been searching for half a day and Luis was exhausted. He was still hopeful that they would find her part of the plane intact before nightfall. He couldn’t bear to wait another day, to see if Sheridan was still alive. He just couldn’t lose her. Not after everything they had been through.
He gazed out at the land, covered with rocky terrain. It would be a miracle if they found her alive. The plane had dipped to the left, and luis squinted out at an unfamiliar spot on the horizon. Through the towering trees Luis could see a large piece of metal. Luis grabbed his binoculars, and skimmed the surface.
Yes! It was definatly the wing of the cranes private plane. HIS Sheridan was down there!
He motioned to the pilot, and they began their descent. He prayed for sheridan, he prayed for their baby, and he prayed for one last chance to be able to tell her how he felt. He prayed for the two people he loved most in this world.
