Julian stepped into the Blue Note straightening his tie. The place looked dingy and unkempt, but people still frequented the bar even though the talent that had been wandering through lately had been questionable. Julian felt a tug at his heart when he saw the disrepair his beloved club had fallen into. Searching the room, Julain saw who he was looking for. Liz sat on the phone, an angry look contorting her face.
"You heard what about my club? Who said that? Oh...well, Harmony weekly doesn't always have their facts straight. They called me a WHAT!?!? I don't really care if you take the gig or not, I offered you what I felt you deserved and I'm not changing my offer. Hello?...Hello?" Liz stared at the reciever in rage. "I can't believe Harmony Weekly called me those horrible...."
Julian oiled his way across the floor, smiling." Well if any of what they called you included any description of what one would find on the bottom of a rotten log or rhymed with witch then I'd say they were right on the money," he said, helping himself to a seat next to her. Liz's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Get out of my club, or else Julian," Liz said venemously.
"Or you'll do what? Tell TC about my past involvement with Eve? If you recall, my dear, Eve already told him, which resulted with my rather unfortunate time spent in a cast I'm so sure you remeber," Julian said, noting the look of pleasure that swiftly crossed her face." But what you are neglecting to mention was the fact you were alread 'shacking up' with TC before the awful truth came out. Something I'm sure Simone would be thrilled to find out. Her perfect father playing musical beds between her mother and her whore of an aunt."
Liz's eyes widened in terror for a breif moment, then she returned to her angry face.
"You are in no position to talk Julian. Tell Simone I slept with her father before he left Eve and I'll tell Rebecca you are sleeping with Eve."
Julain shrugged his shoulders and helped himself to ome brandy being ungaurded under the counter. "Believe me, you'd be doing me a favor," Julian said casually,"whereas your lovely little behind would be out ont he street faster than you can say jazz club were TC to find out you are in fact his ex-wife's sister and planned her demise for years instead of the poor, innocent little misunderstood victim you claim to be so well."
Liz's eyes bulged with anger and she rose to her feet," Julian Crane! There is a reason you married Rebecca Hotchkiss and not my sister and I am going to find out what it is and destroy you!"
Julian kept his face stoney as he downed the rest of his brandy."You do that, Liz", he said as he calmly walked out the door.
 

Whitney stared at the phone next to her bed. Fox and she had rented a two bedroom apartment in LA so Fox could continue working with Chad, yet Whitney didn't have to see him. She was so torn. Should she call Chad and talk with him about why she had run off so hastily. But then, she thought icily, they had dicussed things over and over and they didn't seem to make any difference. SHould she call her parents? She hadn't talked to either her mother or her father in months and the last she had heard was they had split up. She didn't have any idea why. Would her father even talk to her? How was her mother doing? Tears sprang to her eyes.
"What am I supposed to do?" she wondered aloud, throwing herslef backwards onto the bed. A gentle knock made her dry her tears hastily.
"Whitney?" Fox's voice came through the door. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to figure some things out. You can come in if you want."
Fox walked through the door, looking worried. "I've heard you crying a lot lately, Whitney. What's going on?"
Whitney smiled at him. Always so understanding. "Oh you know, just realizing how stupid I was to run off to LA with a guy a barely knew in all honesty. The only times we were really together was around Theresa and Ethan during that whole obsession thing of hers and I think all her talk of true love got to my head. I'm starting to wonder if I really loved Chad at all or if I was just so desperate to feel what Theresa said she felt that I threw myself at the first man who looked at me that way."
Fox made a quick mental note in his head. What a great thing to convince Chad he was feeling when he went in to work the next day.
Whitney drew a deep sigh and pulled her knees up to her chin."I just wish i knew what was going on in Harmony. I wish I knew why my parents split up, if either of them would even talk to me, anything! I have no idea what's going on in my head, my heart...Fox, I'm so confused! I want to be with my family so bad, but...I don't even know f they love me anymore!" WHitney's eyes filed with tears as Fox took her into his arms.
"There there, how could anyone not love you?" he said soothingly. Whitney was too wrapped up in greif to even notice what he had said.
"I tell you what. WHy don't you give Theresa a call and see if you can spend a few days with her and Gwen in Harmony. I'm sure they would be glad to have you and you can find your family and discuss things with them adn get them to see things your way, that you had to grow up sometime. If you need me at all, I'm just a phone call away..I'll hop the next plane to Harmony."
Whitney pulled away from him beaming."Fox, you are so wonderful! I can see my family," she said, with fear in her voice."WHat if they don't want to see me?"
"DOn't worry about it until it actually happens, okay?"
Whitney gave Fox a quick hug and picked up the phone to call Theresa. "You know, I still can't believe those two moved in together on purpose,"she said, motioning to where her little black book had the words Theresa and Gwen's house written with a little drawing of a stick figure passed out in shock. Fox laughed.
"No kidding. WHo would have thought?"

Theresa and Gwen found that living together was not nearly as bad as they thought it would be. In fact, both of them were finding it surprisingly enjoyable. Together they had cut Ethan out of every picture they had of him, then set them all burning into oblivian. They had stayed up long hours in the night talkign about memories and crying over pints of double chocolate ice cream. Slowly but surely, they were surprised to see their pain leaving them. Instead of their walls being covered with Ethan's pictures, they were covered with pcitures of their children and themselves, together and seperate. Gwen and Theresa had spent a day at a photographers getting pictures after they realized that they did, in fact, like each other very much after giving each other a chance. They knew Ethan was back in Harmony, but other than Gwen taking Alicia for a visit to the Crane mansion when Theresa took Lil Ethan (whom they were now calling Martin) for his three times weekly stay with Julian, they didn't see him at all. Ivy and Rebecca would look at Gwen with a look of pity and Theresa with a look of contempt everytime they came by, but what else was new.

Gwen looked up in surprise from feeding Martin and Alicia when she heard Theresa squeel from the back room.
"Of course we don't mind you staying with us for a few days. We would LOVE to have you," she was saying. Gwen smiled in spite of the fact that Theresa had neglected to ask her if it was trully alright.
"That could only be one person," she said to the two babies who smiled messily back at her.
"You'll never believe who's coming for a visit?" Theresa said excitedly as she rushed into the room a few minutes later.
"Whitney?" Gwen asked.
Theresa looked at her with surprise. "How did you know?"
"You only squeal like that for one person," Gwen said, smiling. Theresa laughed and shooed Gwen away fromt he babies.
"Away with you! You fed them breakfast. You need to take a break and put your feet up. I know that new case of yours if giving you fits and don't argue with me about it," she said sternly as Gwen opened her mouth. Gwen gave her an exasperated look and wandered off into the living room.
"Whatever you say, Captain. I live only to serve you, Captain."
Both Martin and Alicia laughed.

Gwen had just settled down when a brisk knock came to the door. She sighed heavily as she pushed herself up fromt he thick armchair she had set herself in.
"No way could Whitney get here that fast," Gwen was muttering as she opened the door. She froze at who she saw there.
"Hi Gwen. It's good to see you,"Ethan said.
Theresa walked into the living room.
"Who is....?"
She stopped suddenly and stared at him. Ethan looked from Gwen to Theresa, gaging the looks in their eyes. Gwen's eyes were narrowed and angry, but yet, there was a hint of hope behind them. Theres looked to be having an internal battle with herself. Her face turned from angry to pleading to hopeful, to sad all in a matter of seconds. Ethan decided to go with Theresa.
"Can I talk to you for a little, Theresa?" Gwen's eyes widened. A look of pain crossed her face which pleased Ethan. Theresa looked confused and happy and angry all at once. She looked at Gwen as if not sure what to make of it. Gwen shrugged and walked out of the room, crossing her fingers that Theresa would have the strength she wasn't sure she had. Theresa stood where she was still fighting her inner battle until Ethan motioned out the door.
"You mind if we go for a walk?"
Theresa paused, then nodded slowly, and walked, almost zombie like out the door.

Ethan and Theresa walked for a few minutes in silence until Ethan cleared his throat.
"I really miss you Theresa. I was surprised when you left. I honestly couldn't understand why you left so quickly."
A look of anger flashed across Theresa's face, but Ethan didn't notice.
"Living without you has been pure Hell. I think about you all the time, I want to be with you Theresa. It can be how you always dreamed! You me and Lil E, a family! I love you Theresa. I want to be with you, for the rest of our lives. I can't be without you.?
Theresa stopped and faced him, her eyes shining and eager.
"I love you too Ethan, and I feel I always will. You can't believe how long I've wanted to hear those words, how great it would be to be a family...."
Theresa trailed off. Her faced, which was so happy a minute ago, changed to rage. Ethan caught on and quickly tried to pull Theresa into a hug, but she pushed him away.
"You said my dream..." she said quietly."You said, we can live like a family like I've always dreamed. You didn't say like we've always dreamed."
"Oh..eh...it's my dream too, Theresa. It always has been. You me and Lil E."
"His names Martin."
Ethan looked at her in shock. What happened to the girl that would throw himself at his feet begging him to take her back? Where was the girl willing to do anything for him in order to amke him love her? WHat was going on? He wasn't prepared for this.
"And what about Gwen? Don't you want her and ALicia and you to be a family?" she asked, accusingly.
"No...I mean yes...I mean, she doesn't look, ready..I mean..."
"Oh I know what you mean," she said angrily."I'm easily manipulated whereas Gwen's not. I can have me head easily turned by the promise of strong, powerful Ethan Winthrop to take care of me. 'Poor widdle Thewesa needs a big strong man to pwotect her' that's what you think, don't you?"
Ethan froze. This was not going well at all.
"Well I have news for you Ethan Winthrop. I do not need you. As much as I thought I did, I don't. I can do just fine without you. And another thing, I would never hurt Gwen by getting back with you. You hear me? Never! She in these few short weeks of us living in the same apartment has shown me more compassion and understanding than you ever have and you don't know how grateful i am for that. I hurt her so badly int he past, I will never do again. Not for you. Not ever again!"
With that, she turned on her heel and marched back tot he apartment leaving Ethan staring shell shocked after her.

Gwen, Martin and Alicia were sitting in the living room when Theresa came through the door in tears. Gwen looked worriedly at her and motioned for her to sit down next to her. Theresa did, pulling Martin onto her lap.
"That was so hard Gwen. I didn't think seeing him would be so hard. He said all the right things, how he wanted for me and he and Martin to be a family, how he loved me and wanted to be with me, but then I realized something. he thought he could manipulate me into taking him back. He didn't care which one of us it was, he just picked me today because he thought I was the weakest.I don't need that. Really, I don't need that."
Gwen put a reasurring arm around the younger woman. "You are a stronger woman than I Theresa Lopez-Fitz Gerald."
Theresa laughed. "No way, Gwen. I almost cracked. It's you who makes me strong. You and Martin and Alicia," she said, smiling at the faces around her.
"Common Theresa, lets get out of here. It's a beautiful day. How bout some ice cream for everyone, my treat."
 
 

Luis sat sulkingly on the pier, his mind on Sheridan as always. He was repalying their parting over and over in his head, wondering if he did the right thing and second guessing himself over and over.
"Well hello stranger," a familiar voice said behind him. He turned and looked at the smiling face Theresa, who grabbed him in a big hug the moment he saw her. Laughing he pulled her off of him and looked at her.
"You look awfully happy. Mama said you had moved back here and in with Gwen. We were all sure you two would have killed each other by now."
"Quite the contrary, we're getting on famously," she said, motioning to Gwen who was running the double stroller Theresa and she had bought for the babies and chasing sea gulls. Martin and Alicia were laughing histerically. "I never knew what a great person she is. Of course, I never gave her a chance. I let my pursuit of Ethan get in the way of getting to know Gwen and I'm honestly very sorrya bout it now."
Luis looked at Theresa in shock. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"
Theresa laughed. "It's still me, just a little older and wiser. It took getting away from Ethan and hearing things from Gwen's point of view to make me see the truth about him. I even then, I almost caved today."
"You mean, he's back here too?"
"Yep. Came back to get one of us back. Problem is, he doesn't know which. Today it was me because I'm more easily manipulated," she said coolly. Luis looked at her with amazement.
"I am very very impressed Theresa. You're like a completely different person."
Theresa smiled. "Enough about me. How are things with you?"
Luis sighed. "Not so wonderful. Sheridan and I..we're over."
"Oh no..Luis!"
"No, it's for the best...I think. I hope. She just wouldn't tell Antonio the truth and I, like a fool, clung to her with all my might until I realized that things will never change. And honestly, even if they did now, it would be too late. I just don't see her the same way I used to."
"You mean you don't love her anymore?"
"Of course I still love her, I always will. I just...well, I can't explain it. I guess when I realized she would rather have me as an affair then break up for good with Antonio, I realized she asn't who I thought she was and that wasn't good."
"I know what you mean," Theresa said quietly. "I'm sorry Luis. But you are one hot looking guy. You could get any girl. I'm sure theres one out there for you somewhere."
"Yeah Theresa. You and your hopeless romantisism. But I'm through. Been burned one too many times. Well, I gotta go. Great seeing you lil sis," he said kissing the top of her head and walking away.
"Poor Luis. He would feel so much better if he had someone. He deserves someone wonderful, perfect. Someone who would never hurt him," Theresa thought. Then suddenly, an idea popped into her head."Perfect," she said aloud as she watched Gwen laughing with the babies.