Chapter four
 

The sun shone brightly as the brides-to-be got ready in their perspective rooms.  Theresa was on cloud nine.  Whitney tried to be happy for her, but she wasn’t. She was afraid that Theresa was going to get herself into more trouble if she went through with this wedding.

"Theresa I really have a bad feeling about this." She said. Theresa smiled sweetly at her friend.
"Ah you’re sounding just as bad as Charity and her stupid premonitions."

Theresa scoffed.  "I told you that Mr. Crane is going to take care of everything so I am not going to worry." Whitney stared at her clueless friend and shook her head.

"Fine, Theresa." She said. "You’re going to do what you’re going to do anyway regardless of what anyone tells you."

Theresa giggled "Oh Whitney, you know how long I have waited to marry Ethan. He is my life, my air, my everything."

"How are you going to live Theresa, he doesn’t have a job.  It’s a good thing that Luis gave him that fixer-upper car or he wouldn’t have any transportation right now."

"Oh Whitney." Theresa said sweetly. "Don’t you know? We are going to live on love just like Mama and Papa."

"Girl, maybe your parents lived on love, but my parents lived on steaks and potatoes because they had a college education and their own careers before they even considered getting married."

"Career, smareer," Theresa sighed, "we are going to be so happy."

"Living at your Mama’s house, in your old bedroom?" Whitney asked incredibly. "Hon, if I was gonna get married to a broke man and was staying at home, my Daddy would kill us both. And toss our bodies in his shed cause you know he wouldn’t pay for no funeral for two broke  people."

    She looked over at Theresa; Theresa was staring into space again thinking about Ethan. "Theresa!’ she yelled "Theresa!" Theresa looked at her with that empty look on her face.  "Girl it’s a good thing that you did graduate from high school."  Theresa looked puzzled "or you would have been mistaken for someone special."
"What do you mean by that Whit?" , I don’t get it." Whitney smiled at her friend and patted her softly on the head. "but I am special…Ethan told me so."
Whitney just rolled her eyes and sighed.

    Chad, Ethan and Luis went to the dining area, where the wedding was to take place, to check on the arrangements.  The room was decorated with flowers and candles.  "Wow." Chad whistled, "this room looks awesome"

"Gwen made the arrangements." Luis said

"She did an excellent job." Ethan admitted, "that’s the one thing about Gwen, she is a class act." As the guys were talking amongst themselves, someone was lurking in the shadows eavesdropping on their conversation, and in the stranger’s hands were several copies of Theresa and Julian’s marriage certificate along with several copies of their wedding photos. When the guys left, the eavesdropper came out of the shadows and placed copies of the marriage certificate and wedding photos around the room.

    Sheridan looked beautiful in her white formal gown. Gwen lent Sheridan her grandmother’s pearl choker to add just the right touch.  Gwen stepped back and marvel at her.

"Wow Sheridan."  She gasped "You are beautiful." Sheridan was speechless.

"Thank you." She said "you don’t look half bad yourself." Gwen smiled.  The royal blue dress she had on brought out her tan.
"Why thank you kindly ma’am." She said. She handed Sheridan her bouquet.
"What time is it?" Sheridan asked Gwen glanced at her watch
"It’s time to get married." Sheridan laughed
"The next time you see me in this room I will be Sheridan Lopez-Fitzgerald." The two women giggled like schoolgirls as they left the room.

    Julian was a nervous wreck as he waited for his lovely bride at the bar.  Bruce was joining him in several drinks.

"Don’t you think that you should slow down a little buddy?" he suggested, "You would want to be some what sober for this wedding."

"Shhh!." Julian whispered as he looked around, "not so loud." Bruce chuckled "Julian I can’t believe that you are willing to commit bigamy just to keep a woman like Rebecca from finding out that you have a young hot bride name Theresa Lopez Fitzgerald." Julian glared at him.

"I can see it now, both Mrs. Crane sharing your bed."  A wicked smile crept across Julian’s face as he thought about both Theresa and Rebecca sharing his bed.

"Julian, you old dog you.", Bruce commented as Julian laughed that sneaky dirty low down laugh, as Bruce continued, "Mrs. Crane the younger on Mondays, Mrs. Crane the elder on Tuesdays, and on Sundays ‘little julian’ shall rest."  The two old men chuckled.

Rebecca smiled as she came up on the two old men.

"What’s so funny?" she asked

"Nothing my dear." Julian replied "just a joke between old friends."  ‘

Rebecca knew Julian and Bruce too well.

"Uh-huh." She said.  "Come on Julian it’s time for the wedding to start."  Julian finished his drink "Come on Bruce, join the festivities."
"Might as well." Bruce said "I want to be there when the fireworks begins." Bruce followed them into the private dining room.

The stranger that was sitting in the dark corner of the bar, with his face half hidden behind the plants, settled his bar tab and walked quietly out of the room.

    Henry, the resort Justice of the Peace was a nervous wreck! Not only was he in danger of losing his license, but also he feared for his very life!  He heard rumors about what happen to people that cross the Cranes; some just disappear from the face of the earth!  Henry loved his life too much to cross the Cranes, so what if he performed these weddings it’s not his doing he had no other choice.  He like breathing on his own too much to go against Julian Crane.  His assistant knocked on the door.

"Yes Matthew?"

"It’s time." Matthew answered.

"Okay I-I’m on my way."  Henry wiped his forehead. "the brothers at the convention will never believe this story." He mumbled as he went to the dining room.

    Theresa and Whitney met Sheridan and Gwen at the entrance of the private dinning room.  Theresa was dressed in a white lacey gown, while Whitney was dressed as her normal  self in a cheap teal colored bridesmaid gown.  "that girl needs some serious fashion tips." Gwen said underneath her breath.  Theresa and Sheridan greeted each other with a kiss.

"You look so lovely Sheridan." Theresa squealed.  Sheridan smiled.

"Thanks."  She said "so do you."  Gwen had to admit that Theresa did look sorta nice but not she wasn’t going to tell her that.  Gwen and Whitney went into the dining room to join the guys at the altar.
"are they ready?" Luis asked.  Gwen nodded.  Henry signaled for the organist to began the ‘wedding march’ Rebecca, Julian and Bruce sat down at the nearest table. To watch the ceremony, Rebecca had already had it planed to speak up when the Henry asked if there anyone here who object to the wedding.  Rebecca will stand up and expose Theresa for the little skank that she is!
 
    Then she and Julian would get married and she will convince him to adopted Ethan , then he and Gwen would get married. Just like it was supposed to be.  Theresa and Sheridan joined their grooms at the altar.  Luis was grinning from ear to ear. "I love you." He mouthed Sheridan blushed.  Theresa took hold of Ethan’s hand and gazed into his eyes.
"Oh Ethan,  I waited all of my life for you." She said "I loved you ever since I saw your picture in the glamour mag…um the first time I laid my eyes on you."

"Oh Theresa I just love you, you are so honest, and sweet."  Gwen wanted to barf "oh please." She said to herself "the twit is about to commit bigamy."  Theresa sticks her tongue out at Gwen and turned to the Justice of the Peace.  Whitney looked embarrassed for the girl. "how immature." She thought, "Ethan is marrying a child."

    Henry, cleared his throat and began the ceremony…
Rebecca placed her bouquet down on the table, she glanced at the place mats on the table."oh how cute, the place mats in the copy of marriage certificates."  She began to read the certificate her eyes popped out, this is Theresa marriage certificate.! "Oh Gwen, how clever!." She looked up at the couples.  Henry looked at Theresa very strangely, but Theresa was oblivious to what was going on around her.  She had her eyes on Ethan and Ethan alone.  "Now it time for the vows." Henry replied." First, Luis and Sheridan will repeat them and then Ethan and Theresa."  He said.  As Ethan and Theresa repeated their vows to each to other, Gwen looked around the room, and saw a picture of Theresa on the wall with her arms around……"Julian!!!!" , she and Rebecca shouted in unison.  Everyone turned around

"See, I knew Gwen and her bitchy mother will do something to ruin your wedding Theresa." Whitney said.  Gwen ignores her and tore the picture of Julian and Theresa from the wall, while Rebecca held up the marriage certificate. She was fit to be tied.  "You slut, you little conniving skank!"  Bruce grabbed her by the waist.  "Run Julian, while you have the chance."  He said.  Gwen stepped in front of Theresa and showed her the picture. Theresa began to shake and quiver.

    "Explain this and for once in your life be completely honest." She said. Ethan ripped the photos from Gwen’s hands. In the pictures there was Julian and Theresa sloppy drunk standing in front of Henry.

"This got to be some kind of joke."  He said "Gwen what is this?"

Gwen wanted to slapped this fool on the spot.

"Theresa?" Theresa began to hunch over as her eyes filled with tears. "It’s true!"  Rebecca shouted "look around you there are copies of the marriage certificate everywhere!"

Everyone went to the tables and sure enough there was copies among copies of the marriage certificate with the photos.  "Where’s Julian? I am going to kill the weasel."  Luis shouted

"I have first dibs on "little Julian." Rebecca screamed, "lorena bobbit had the right idea"!

    Theresa cried as she explained how she and Julian became husband and wife.  "and when I woke up next to him I knew it was a mistake, I thought it was you!" Ethan stared at her.
"You slept with him?"  he yelled "You slept with Julian?"

Theresa didn’t answer.  "I thought it was you!!"  she screamed.  "Ethan don’t leave me, I love you, and you know that I would never do anything like this if I wasn’t drunk."

Gwen began to laugh hysterically.

"Gwen you planted this didn’t you?" she said accusingly "You were being too nice."

Gwen wiped the tears from her eyes.  "Theresa I wish I could take credit for this."  She said "but as much as I hate you, I would never hurt my mother like this."
 

"She’s right Theresa, Gwen could never be this hateful." Ethan replied.
 

"Why thank you, Ethan." She said, "I’m not like this little high school bitch you left me for."  Theresa lunged for Gwen.

"I hate you, you evil bitch, no wonder it was so easy to manipulate Ethan, you don’t have a nice bone in your body." Ethan stared in bewilderment.

"Theresa you manipulated me?" Theresa eyes grew bigger.  Gwen smile just got wider.  "but how?"

"You might as well tell it all honey, don’t clam up now." Gwen replied, "You know how much ethan loves honesty."

"Theresa, what exactly did you do?"

Theresa began to cry  "Oh Ethan,"  she sobbed "I have loved you from the moment I saw you in a magazine, I knew then that I had to meet you."
 

"What magazine?  Theresa?"

"I have been collecting photos of you ever since I was a little girl."

"I worship the ground you walk on Ethan."

"See Ethan, I told you she had a crush on you."

"Shut up Gwen." Whitney said "can’t you see that the girl is hurting?"

"Am I supposed to care that the skank is hurting? After what she did to me?"

"Gwen I didn’t really mean to hurt you, it just that Ethan was my fate.  My destiny."

"BULL,  Theresa. Ethan was an engaged man, I suppose the words ‘spoken for’ mean nothing to you,  does it?"

"Ethan, I knew that you would fall in love me once you got to know me."

"So you went after Ethan regardless of how I felt."

"Gwen you didn’t deserve Ethan; you were so mean."

"Mean?" Gwen shouted "How was I mean?"

Theresa couldn’t answer her.

"How was I mean, Theresa?" Gwen repeated "Was I mean when I defended you to my mother? Was I mean when I hired you to plan my wedding?"
 

Theresa sobbed "You, you had something I wanted…Ethan."

Ethan looked confused "Wait a minute, Theresa. What about your boyfriend Chuck; he was real wasn’t he?"

Theresa looked around the room "Theresa, wasn’t he?"

"Chuck?" Luis replied, "my sister wasn’t dating a guy name Chuck."

Whitney broke the silence.  "There was no Chuck." She said, "that was one of my clients that did me a favor."

"That was a lie?" Ethan sounded hurt "what else did you lie about?"

"Ask her why she scanned your mother’s personal papers into her laptop."

"Shut up, Gwen." Theresa hissed.

"Theresa I know that you didn’t send the information to the tabloid, but tell me why you did it?"

Theresa remained silent "please Theresa tell me."

"I- I was so hurt Ethan, when I thought that you had chosen Gwen over me." She explained. "Rebecca told me that you had decided to marry Gwen, so I went home and decided to go away to forget you….I found the papers by accident it was in mama suitcase. I- I don’t know what I was thinking, I thought that if I scanned the papers and showed them to Gwen then she wouldn’t want to marry you because you were not a Crane."

"But he choose you, why didn’t you tell him once you became engaged?" , Gwen asked. Theresa gave her the evil eye. Gwen smirked.

"Because, because I didn’t want to hurt Ethan. I love him too much."

"But yet, you were willing to use them if he had chosen me instead, go figure." Theresa held on Ethan tight.

"Ethan, we can still get married," she cried, "Ethan I can’t loose you, I’ll die without you."

Ethan pushed her away. "You know Theresa, I don’t know you as well as I thought I did." he said.

"Here I was thinking that I was in love with this innocent, naïve girl….you are none of those things!"

"But Ethan, it was fate!" she screamed.

"No Theresa, it was all of your lies and schemes."

"But, you love me."

"Do I or am I in love with the illusion of who I THOUGHT you were?" he walked away.

"Ethan, Ethan!" she screamed as she ran after him.

    Gwen felt vindicated.  She went over to Bruce and kicked him in his butt. "Let go of my mother, you slime!" ,she yelled "I can’t believe that you were going to let my mother go through with the marriage knowing that it wasn’t legal!"

Bruce let Rebecca go. "Come Mother, let’s go!" She grabbed Rebecca by the hand.  On her way out the door, she saw the sad look on Sheridan’s face.  "You go ahead mother, I’ll catch up with you later."  Gwen went over to Sheridan.  "I’m sorry." She said "I didn’t want to ruin your wedding." She took luis hand and placed it over Sheridan’s.
"Luis, marry Sheridan now."  She said "I have never seen her so happy."
"Do you want to go through with the ceremony?" Luis asked her.
"Only if you want to." , she replied. Gwen sighed "but Theresa needs you right now."

"Yes Luis, she does."  Gwen interpreted. "Sheridan told me that the next time she was in her hotel suite her name would be Sheridan Lopez Fitzgerald." Luis grinned, "well okay, lets not make Sheridan a liar."  Henry who was mopping the sweat off his forehead cleared his throat.
"Shall we continued the ceremony?" he asked Luis and Sheridan smiled at each other "Yes." They said in unison.

    A few moments later Sheridan was now Mrs. Luis Lopez Fitzgerald.

"Don’t worry about Julian." Gwen told Luis, "there won’t be anything left of him once my mother is finished with him." She gave her best friend a big hug. "Have a wonderful life." Sheridan smiled. "and makes lots of babies."

Luis blushed. "Well Sheridan, let’s not disappoint the lady. Let’s go." Sheridan gave her bouquet to Gwen.  "Next time it will be you."  Gwen chuckled as Luis and his bride walked out of the room hand in hand.

    The stranger, bemused at the going on around him, slipped out of the dining room unnoticed.  His taxi to the airport was waiting for him. The doorman smiled as he opened the door. "Sir, I hope that your stay was an enjoyable one." The man handed the doorman a hundred dollar tip. And smiled.
"I had a wonderful time." He answered as he got into the back of the taxi.
The doorman face lit up.  "Come back again."

"Thank you and I will."  Johnathan Hotchkiss replied as the taxi pulled from the driveway.
 

The end of part one