Long Way to Perfect (Whitney/Ethan) - Chapter 4
by soaphater
 
 
 

CHAPTER 4

Whitney couldn't breath, no she couldn't think. Wait, she couldn't move. But she did, slowly and carefully she fumbled her way back to her table and chair, siting down with a soft *thud*, her eyes wide, tears brimming, before spilling down her soft cheeks.

It wasn't that she was angry Ethan left with Theresa. No, that was it. That was *exactly* it! Ethan had, once again, fallen under Theresa's spell! Perhaps it was because Whitney had expected that he'd overcome his weakness for Theresa. Perhaps that was why she was so devastated. Did she feel more for him than even she herself knew? Was that why the pain gnawed, so ragged, at her now? Or was it because of her shame, which Theresa had so successfully tapped into just moments before, then smugly walked off, leaving her self-respect in tatters...

Between her shame and her anger, she was torn. She took a deep breath and looked out of the cafe' window, across the street. Watching, watching Ethan walk with Theresa to the passenger door of Pilar Lopez-Fitzgerald's car. Watching Ethan lean in momentarily, before standing tall with the now 1 + year old Ethan Martin in his arms. Watching Ethan now twirl around the beautiful little boy, who still so much resembled Ethan himself, even though she knew that was crazy, because the boy was biologically Julian's. And she knew that Ethan *wasn't* Julian's. There were no relations between the three, yet wasn't that strange...

Whitney suddenly felt a shame of a different sort, right at that moment. Why the hell was she in here pining away, and allowing herself to be all hurt and anguished over that wench of an ex-best friend?? It was *Theresa* who was now the societal pariah. It was Theresa* who was now the most hated and detested member of Harmony society. It was now *Theresa* who could go up in a billowing ball of flame, for all anyone cared. It was Theresa who'd been kicked out on her dainty little @ss by the all-powerful Cranes! Theresa, who had to bow to the beck and call of an ex-husband who still had control over her, all because little Ethan Martin was still his. Theresa who received her signed paychecks from Julian every month.

What did she, Whitney, have to be ashamed about? She thought to herself, after counting up Theresa's misdeeds and misfortunes (and this took a few moments. Enough that, by the time Whitney looked up and out of the cafe' window again, Theresa and Pilar, Ethan Martin....and Ethan, were gone.)

But, then again, Theresa was still in control of Crane Industries. That, in itself, was a mystery that not even Sam Bennett or Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald could fully understand. By some sheer force of will, or cunning, or luck, or maybe a combination of all three, Theresa had NOT actually run the company into the ground. Within the short amount of time between her coming into power at the company, and her divorce from Julian, the company had done a complete turn-around. Whitney was almost positive, in her heart of hearts, that there was more to it than just Theresa's blind luck. Even as Theresa's best friend, Whitney was under no illusions that Theresa wasn't necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed. (School had just not been her cup of tea, although she was very gifted in other areas.)

So the Cranes had kept her, but made her sign away so many different rights and decision-making powers, in those divorce papers. It also allowed Julian to keep a constant, hateful eye on her, as well as Alistair. This was something that Eve was still not too thrilled with, nor many other people for that matter. But perhaps they thought that, by keeping her busy, she would stay out of everyone's hair. Well, wrong! Whitney thought - guess again!

She angrily twisted her hands, her brow furroring with anxiety. Damn Theresa! Damn her coming in here and ruining her and Ethan's renunion...of sorts! She was so tired of being scared - scared of Theresa and her tantrums and her bitter barbs, scared of her sister, scared of her father, scared *for* her mother, scared of reactions from everyone. Her breath caught in big gulps, ragged, as she struggled to breath through what must be a panic attack. She looked around her, and then, suddenly thought:
-That's enough. Enough is enough. Get a *hold* of yourself!

FLASHBACK
"Whitney, I don't know what I'm going to do!” Ethan’s cried out, hugging her fiercely. Whitney melted into his broad chest, inhaling deeply the scent that was so familiar to him. She hated to see him so anguished, knowing that he didn’t deserve all of this pain, knowing that she would’ve taken the force of it, if she could have. First, his parentage, then the Theresa/Gwen debacle, his engagement to each, Gwen’s losing her baby and moving away, the discovery that Ethan Martin really wasn’t his, Theresa’s refusal to divorce Julian, now her refusal to leave that all behind…so much pain in such a small span of time. The only bright spots seemed to have been his deepening friendship with Whitney, and the reuniting of Sam and Ivy, his parents.
“Ethan, you have to think about what’s best for you – you can’t think about anyone else right now. No one’s been thinking about you through all of this!” Whitney pulled away, looking up at him, her eyes searching his, trying to ensure that he understood what she was saying.
“But you’ve been so strong with me, for me – you’ve been my rock, like a best friend to me, Whit!” he protested, taking a hand, pushing aside a tendril of curly hair, to see her eyes more clearly.
“You’ve been so good to me,” he continued.
“And you to me, Ethan,” Whitney said, her voice trembling. She suddenly didn’t know what was happening here. Ethan was one of her closest friends, but in his arms she felt safe, loved, warm, needed…wanted. Was that possible with this gentle man? She was suddenly scared – this wasn’t right!
She went to pull away from him. Sensing her resistance, he did a very un-Ethan thing: he pulled her towards him, lowering his forward to hers, their brows touching, their arms wrapped around each other.
Slowly, they bent toward one another, until their lips softly brushed. Whitney felt herself pour her entire body and soul into that tender touch. Ethan felt as though time itself stopped, and everything was contained in that moment and space between their two bodies.
“I can’t leave now…not without giving ‘us’ a try…” he murmured against her lips.
“I will be here when you get back…you HAVE to be away for a while. You have to be alone, and make sure you’re okay in that place first. We have all the time in the world, Ethan,” she whispered back to him, shocking herself with the realization that she was letting, no, BEGGING him to leave. She knew then why – she wanted Ethan, whole, not in shards like he was in that moment, the shell of a strong man, broken by so many lies and pain. She wanted him to heal and be strong again, and not use her love and desire as a rebound. She was willing to wait, for what she thought would be a great and lasting friendship, and maybe more. Her friendship with him, unlike so many others in that tiny town of Harmony, was indeed built on trust and innocence and faith. She felt that was a darned good beginning, and that perhaps their potential future would be a different story that so many others around her.
“Leave, and when you return, we’ll see where to go from there,” she promised softly, touching a finger to his lips, then forcefully taking his arms from around her waist, as though it were the most painful thing in the world. And, in that moment, it was.
His eyes begged her not to, but he knew it was best. He had to start over, alone first. And come back to her a better man. This much he knew, if he didn’t know much else.
“I’ll be back, Whitney, and we’ll start again,” he promised her back, and leaned in for one final kiss.
“Goodbye,” he whispered again against her lips.
The gasp behind him caused them both to pull away in startled fear.
“Oh my God!” Theresa wailed, shock turning to disbelief turning to anger, as she rushed towards them…
END FLASHBACK

Whitney jerked back to the present, as a shadow fell over her table, blocking out the brilliant light outside. She looked up, surprised, into finely chiseled features of Nicholas Crane, the last person she wanted to see in her present state. But, being Whitney, she put on a brave front, graciously motioning with her arm for him to sit down.

He smiled, a smile almost identical to Ethan’s. Seeing him here, instantly, Whitney found it hard to believe still that he and Ethan were no relation.

“What are you doing here?” she asked pleasantly enough, but her sadness must have shown through the façade of pleasantries.

His smile widened. “You seem almost disappointed, Whitney,” his concern almost turned to offense. His smile dazzled, almost hurt her eyes. His looks were too beautiful in their perfection, his teeth too straight, too white, too perfect. She looked back at him, and through the clouds of annoyance and unbridled frustration, she started to see a clearer path. The smile she offered him was almost sincere.

“Nick, you and I are friends, right?” she started.

He laughed, as if disbelieving she was even inquiring about this.
“Of course!” he answered her.
“Well, I have a proposition for you and only you….you wanna hear it?” she smiled coyly at him, knowing it would ultimately get to him. And it did. He was intrigued.
“Tell me more, milady,” he grinned back at her, mischeviousness seeping into his tone, as he fell back into a personality he was more used to. This town had gotten far too boring lately...