Collision Course, Chapter 17
 
 

" I SAID, what the hell is going on here?!"
 

The wedding party was staring at the entrance to the Crane Living Room to see Ivy standing there with Julian, and  wheelchair bound Penny.

" Hello Mother, Father, Penny. I’m getting married."

Julian burst into a big smile.

" Married? Well, don’t let us stop you, Ethan. Hi Gwen?", Julian said waving to Gwen. " Ethan’s getting married, My Pet. Let’s just take a seat back here, and find out everything once the ceremony is OVER!"

" I’ll do no such thing, Julian! Ethan, what is the meaning of this?"

Ethan looked at Gwen, and said, " I have to talk to her. It’ll only be a few moments."

Ethan went back to his parents and Penny. He leaned down to give Penny a kiss.

Penny looked at him and deadpanned, " Yes, it feels as bad as it looks."

Ethan laughed. " I’m sorry Penny. I’d do anything to see you not in those casts."

" I’ll be fine, Ethan. I’m home! Isn’t that great?"

" It sure is."

" Ethan, I don’t mean to be a spoilsport, but, last time you wrote to me, you were marrying Theresa. But, that’s Gwen standing there."

" You’ve said a mouthful, Darling. I’d like an explanation too.", Ivy says, glaring at Ethan.

" Father, you take Penny into the Living Room and get situated. I have to talk to Mother."

" Anything, Ethan. But, remember, the lovely Gwen is waiting for you." Ethan could almost see the dollar signs dancing over Julian’s head as he thought about the Crane/Hotchkiss merger. Once they were inside, Ethan let Ivy to the Library and closed the door.

" Ethan, how could you do it? Why are you marrying Gwen? You said you loved Theresa?"

" Mother, I know what I’m doing. I’m a grown man, and I can make my own decisions."

" But, I wanted so much for you, Ethan. I wanted you to have love."

" I have love, Mother. Gwen loves me."

" But, not as much as Theresa."

" You don’t know that, Mother. You aren’t in any position to judge Gwen in the least."

" Ethan, you don’t have to do this. You can marry for love, Ethan. You don’t have to do what Julian and I did. Ethan, you don’t have to do this."

" I’m a Crane, Mother. I’ll do what’s best for the family."

" NO NO NO! That’s not you, talking. That’s Julian or Alistair. I raised you to be different from them. To be better than them."

" Why should I want to be better than my father and grandfather. Why shouldn’t I follow in Crane tradition and do what’s expected of me. You’ve always said it was my destiny. That THIS", he waves his hand around the room, " Was MY destiny…isn’t that right, Mother?"

" Yes, Ethan, but.."

" No buts, Mother. I’ve chosen. You said that you would back my choice no matter what it was. Well, I CHOOSE to marry Gwen. "

" Ethan, can you look me in the eye and tell me that you love Gwen more than Theresa?"

Ethan turned and looked Ivy in the eye. She was startled by what she saw in them. He looked, well.,….older.

" I can tell you this, Mother. I had a choice to make. And, I made it. I won’t have anyone cast aspersions as to whether I am capable of love. I love my family, Mother. I am my FATHER’S son. I was born to lead the Crane Empire, and I have decided to do just that. Gwen will become my wife, and never again will we have this conversation. She will become Mrs. Crane, and as her mother-in-law, and my mother, it will be your responsibility to make sure that she made to feel completely welcome in this house and in this family. Am I understood?"

Ivy nodded slowly.

" No more questions about Theresa. And, you better convince Father that I had a true change of heart. He’s the LAST person you would want to find out the truth behind my decision. He….and Sam Bennett."

Ivy began to tremble, but Ethan didn’t even wait to see if her knees had completely given out from under her for he was already out the door on his way to the living room.

Ethan walked back into the living room, smiled and kissed Gwen.

" You can proceed, Reverend."

" Well. We’re here to join this man, Ethan, and this woman, Gwendolyn, in Holy Matrimony. This is not to be gone into lightly, and if anyone has reason why these two should not be married, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Theresa was about to speak up, when she felt a hand over her mouth, and someone dragging her away. When they were a safe distance from the house, the hand let Theresa go, and she turned around to face the horrible person who tried to stop her.

" Mama?"

" Theresa, what are you doing here?"

" I’m here to stop Ethan from making a mistake. What are you doing here?"

" The caterer called me by mistake. They had been so used to working with me, an assistant didn’t know that I had been placed out of the loop today. When she called about ‘wedding arrangements’, I came over. I get here and see you standing outside of the Mansion."

" Ethan’s marrying Gwen. He can’t, Mama. He has to know  that what he’s doing is wrong."

" Did he tell you why he’s doing it?"

" It’s a Crane matter. I told him that he didn’t have to marry Gwen, because he wasn’t a Crane."

" THERESA! You didn’t!"

" Yes, Mama, I did. I had to let Ethan know that he didn’t have to do what the CRANES thought he should do. I told him that he had other options. You want to know something, Mama? Ethan already knows."

" WHAT?"

" Yes. He knows that he’s not Julian’s son. And, he doesn’t care. He’s marrying Gwen, anyway. He just doesn’t get it. I thought Mrs. Crane would have talked some sense into Ethan. "

" Ivy is here?"

" Yes. She interrupted the wedding, and then she and Ethan went to talk. I thought she was going to talk Ethan out of making such a  huge mistake. "

" Theresa.."

" Mama, I’M supposed to be Mrs. Ethan Crane, and if I go and show myself, I KNOW That Ethan will come around. He’ll realize that he should be with me."

" Theresa, Ethan has chosen. He has chosen to remain a Crane by doing the one thing that Alistair wants over all else: the merger with Hotchkiss Enterprises. If that happens, even Alistair Crane would welcome Sam Bennett’s son into his family."

" No, Mama! I have to save Ethan! I have to make him see that he loves me! That his future is with me! I have to!"

Theresa begins to run towards the window with Pilar after her. She arrives at the window, just as the Reverend says, " I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride."

Theresa stares into the window, as Ethan leans in to give Gwen a passionate kiss. Pilar makes her way to the window, and she surveys the scene in the room, seeing Ivy standing in the back of the room in the corner. Pilar and Ivy lock eyes, and Pilar can see the sadness and desperation in them.

" Please help me, Pilar.", Ivy’s eyes cry out.

" I’ll be there, Ivy."

Pilar turns to her daughter, whose eyes are full of tears. Tears of broken dreams. Of shattered fantasies. Of seeing the life she thought she was going to have go up in smoke. Pilar reached out to comfort Theresa, and she recoiled from Pilar, as if touched by a hot poker. She began to run away, and Pilar called after her, but, knew that Theresa needed to be away from the Crane Estate. As far as possible.

Not being able to help her daughter through this, Pilar made her way to the front door. Ivy saw her immediately, and they went upstairs to Ivy’s bedroom.

The door was barely closed when Ivy cried out, " He  knows, Pilar. Ethan knows. "

" How?"

" I don’t know. We got home, and I saw him marrying Gwen, and I asked him what he was doing, and he said that he was fulfilling his destiny. The destiny that ‘I’ had told him was his since the day that he was born. He was marrying Gwen, and  there was nothing I could do about it. He warned me that I was not to fight him on this, or else Julian might begin to ask questions about it. And, that Julian…and Sam Bennett, would be the last people that I would want to find out the truth behind his change of heart."

" Mios Dio."

" Yes. I can’t believe this…I can’t believe that Ethan would.."

Ivy is stopped when her phone rings. Being to upset, Pilar answers the phone.

" Crane residence."

" Pilar, put me on speakerphone."

" Yes, Sir."

" Well, hello Ivy."

" Alistair?"

" Of course, who else. It was a glorious ceremony, wasn’t it? Ethan and Gwen make a fine couple, don’t they?"

" I.."

" Ethan is the right choice as Heir. I knew he wouldn’t let me down."

" Let…let you down?"

" Yes, Ivy. Ethan showed his colors. He showed that nurture beats nature everytime. He rose above his station as a Bennett to claim his place at the Head of the Crane Empire. You must be so proud."

Ivy and Pilar stare at one another. " Proud?", Ivy meekly questions.

" Your plan. Your plan to pass off Sam Bennett’s bastard as Julian’s son. Your ‘revenge’ on me.." Alistair stops to laugh.

" Surely, you didn’t believe that I didn’t know where you were on your wedding night, Ivy? Julian’s the clown, not I. It’s been amusing…watching you jump through hoop after hoop over the years, swallowing anything and everything…all for your bastard son. Well, you’ve been an asset, Ivy. And most of all, you’ve raised a perfect Heir. All those years, sending him away. Thinking that you would keep him from Julian and I. Wasn’t a bad idea, just a foolish one. But, I thank you for that. You’ve done well enough for Ethan’s education up to now. Julian and I will take over from here. "

" You leave him alone!"

" Or what, Ivy? What do you think you’re going to do? My son may be an idiot in a lot of areas, Ivy. But, the one area he’s an expert in, is destroying is enemies. Without my protection, Ivy, Julian would come after you like the pit bull he is. He’d destroy you, and you know it. Leave you penniless, cast you out and bar you from your children. Don’t be stupid, Ivy. You won’t say a word. You’ll be a good Mrs. Julian Crane, mother to the Heir of the Crane Empire. Ethan’s made his choice. As a man, he’s made his decision about his life. Do you really think he’ll THANK you if you strip him of the life he’s CHOSEN to lead? Do you think he’ll ever forgive you if you take away from him the Empire he has decided he wanted? No, I think not. No, you’ll keep your mouth shut, Ivy. You’ll smile on cue, and trade barbs with Julian, and find the comfort in the money and power. Now, I think Gwen is getting restless. It’s rude of her mother-in-law to not be there at her reception. Get downstairs. I’ll be calling the happy couple in 10 minutes. "

There was no time for a reply since the phone went click, and then dead.

Ivy went over to her vanity, and sat down, staring into the mirror.

" He knew, Pilar. All those years…and Alistair knew. He was laughing at me!"

Ivy gets up and throws a perfume bottle up against the wall.

" Yes, that’s how it seems, Ivy. But, whatever Alistair knew, he didn’t force Ethan to marry Gwen."

" Oh, didn’t he? He manipulated the situation, as much as he did with me and Sam all those years ago!"

" No, Ivy.", Pilar says quietly. " You manipulated the situation when you lied to your son everyday of his life. Telling him he was a Prince instead of a Pauper. Alistair is right: Ethan is a grown man, and he made his OWN decision. He had the choice, just as YOU had the choice all those years ago. Ethan is his MOTHER’S son, for he chose just as you did all those years ago: for money, power, class. He CHOSE to be the next Head of the Crane Empire. He broke my daughter’s heart while doing it, as you did Sam’s. But, the choice was HIS. I don’t feel sorry for Ethan. He made his CHOICE. And, you, as his mother, put him in this position. YOU made him vulnerable to Alistair Crane. I think you know that Alistair is right about Julian…so, I think it’s best that you get downstairs to the reception as soon as possible."

" Pilar, but…"

" No buts, Ivy. Just go."

Pilar helped Ivy with her hair, and made sure that she looked ‘presentable’, and hugged Ivy before she sent her on her way. As soon as she knew that Ivy was on her way, Pilar made her way down the backstairs, to look for Theresa.

Ivy came into the Living Room, and Julian handed her a glass of champagne.

" My Pet. Everything alright?"

" Oh, shut up, Julian."

" It was a wonderful ceremony. Such a profitable one, too."

" You’re disgusting."

" Ah…sticks and stones, Darling. I’m numb from all the money Crane Industries is going to make because of this marriage. "

Ivy rolls her eyes and walks away from Julian, over to Ethan and Gwen.

" Well, I guess congratulations is in order, Gwen." Ivy opens her arms to hug Gwen.

" Thank you, Ivy."

" Wonderful wedding, wasn’t it, Ivy?", Rebecca purrs.

" I’ll see the pictures. "

The phone rings, and Julian calls over to the group.

" Well, hello, Ethan and Gwen."

" Grandfather."

" I wanted to congratulate you on the wedding. It was lovely."

Julian looks around the room. " And you would know this, Father…."

" Because, I was listening to it. I couldn’t be more proud of you, Ethan. You’re a true Crane. You will be an excellent Head of the Family, and you couldn’t have picked a better partner than Gwen."

" I know that, Grandfather."

" Gwen?"

" Yes, Mr. Crane?"

" Alistair, my dear. We’re family now."

" Alistair."

" If you look in the desk, you’ll see a wedding present from me."

Gwen opens the desk drawer to find a jewelry box. She opens it to find a diamond set.

" Oh, Alistair, it’s beautiful."

" It dates back to one of the first pieces ever mined by the DeBeers. I want you to wear it to the wedding celebration that I will be holding for you when you return from your honeymoon."

" Celebration? Does that mean you’ll be there, Father?", Julian asks.

" Yes. I will be returning home. Well, I’ve taken up enough time. I wish you a long and productive marriage. Goodbye."

The phone clicks, and they’re standing there, until Ethan turns to Gwen, " May I have this first dance?"

" Of course."

Ethan and Gwen dance to the music, and Julian goes over to Penny and asks, " May I have this dance?"

" Daddy, I’m in a wheelchair."

" Technicality."

Julian begins to spin the chair around, and then pretend to waltz the chair back and forth, making Penny laugh hard.

" Daddy, you’re the  best."

" I do try."

Rebecca comes over to Ivy. " Well, Ivy, I won."

" What did you win, Rebecca. You’ll never be Mrs. Julian Crane.", Ivy says snidely.

" No. But, my daughter is happy. She’s with the man he loves, and as you repeat ad nauseum, Cranes don’t divorce. So, I guess your Cinderella plan for the Housekeeper’s Daughter went up in smoke.", Rebecca laughs.

" You know Rebecca, you really are a bitch."

" But, I’m happy bitch tonight, Ivy. ", Rebecca says, gulping down the rest of her champagne and getting another one.