"Your Boys?" asked Ethan looking up at his father shaking his head and looking up at his father in disbelief. Nothing was going as Ethan had hoped. He had called this meeting to inform his family that he and Theresa had come to some sort of conclusion about the boys and he hoped that this would call the family to back off. Instead, much to his dismay they seemed as determined as ever to get the boys in the mansion.
"Look father Eli and Joshua our my boys. MY BOYS not yours and I will
do what is best for them."
"Well for goodness sakes Ethan we all want what's best for the boys,"
said Julian turning to face his sons and what's best for the boys is to
be raised here as Cranes where they belong."
At that Ethan laughed.
"What is so funny?" asked Julian not the least bit amused.
"Father you are always going on and on about Cranes needed to stick
together and Cranes needing to raised up together but where has it really
gotten the Crane children? Sheridan hates us"
"Thanks to officer Luis..."interuppted Julian.
"My sisters and brother hardly set foot in this house," continued Ethan.
"Well they have busy lives," interjected Julian again.
"Yeah lives that they have gone out of their way to make sure that we are not included in," through out Ethan bitterly.
"What is your point Ethan?"
"My point is that we don't have the first idea on how to be a family."
"And those self-righteous trouble making Lopez-Fitzgeralds do?" asked Julian letting out a little laugh.
"Well as a matter of fact they do. I haven't seen a close relationship between siblings then I have with them. That's what I want for Eli and Josh."
"And that is what I will make sure they have," said Julian taking another sip of his drink."
"Oh please like you did with me and my brother?"
"Leave your brother out of this. Besides any animosity between you and Bailey stems from your mothers ridiculous obsession with you, I mean the boy was only angry at you because he knew that you were Ivy's favorite."
"Well isn't that just like you," said Ivy who up until now was sitting quietly as the two men in her life went at it."Blame me for the problems that you caused. May I remind you that you did your share to pit Ethan and Bailey against each other."
"Look I don't want to talk about Bailey and me. I just want you to understand that Theresa and her family can give the boys the kind of closeness that I never had with any of my siblings," said Ethan determinedly.
"Nonsense," said Julian. "Ivy can you please talk some sense into your son."
"Ethan honey are you sure that you can trust Theresa." asked Ivy her hatred for Theresa evident in her voice. Ivy had hated Theresa for the moment she found out about her affair with Ethan. At first it was because she thought she was a trouble making golddiger, then it was because in what seemed to be a nano second to Ivy Theresa ahd replaced her as the most important woman in Ethan's life. Theresa had nearly ruined all of Ivy's plans for Ethan. Her influence over Ethan had always been too great and too disastrous. But if Ethan had been tarnished by Theresa's influence Eli and Josh would not be, she would make sure of it "I mean she is a liar and opportunist how do you know that she just isn't using the boys to get to us."
"To us?" asked Ethan his anger building.
"To you." said Ivy looking Ethan squarely in the eyes.
"Theresa is a good mother, I can see that every time I see Josh and Eli. She would never use them for anything, unfortunately It seems that I can't say the same for you." said Ethan storming out.
Ivy called for her son and just watched him go.
"I don't care what Ethan says," said Ivy walking towards Julian" that little trollop will not raise my grandsons. I'll see to that myself."
"I don't know buttercups, Ethan seems pretty determined to keep the children with their mother."
"Well you and I both know that Ethan isn't thinking with his brain," said Ivy.
"He never did when it came to that girl. What it must be like to love so much hey Ivy."
Ivy just looked at Julian and turned away. She would not let Theresa
Lopez-Fitzgerald have Ethan. She just wouldn't.
Theresa tucked the blanket around Eli and kissed his sleeping forehead. She looked at the book in her hand, "Cinderella" and couldn't help but smile at the memories... so many memories...but the past was the past. All Theresa had was the present and the future and she was determined to make the most of it for herself and her sons.
Eli stirred a little and opened his eyes and tugged at his mother's skirt.
"Mommy," he said still a little bit sleepy.
"Yes honey what is it?" asked Theresa smiling and kissing her boy on the cheek. "I just wanted to make sure that you were here."
"Of course I'm here honey why wouldn't I be?"
"I had a dream. I dreamed that me and Josh were in the forest and this evil witch was trying to get us and she told us that we had to live with her and that we would never see our mommy again.," said Eli crying a little.
"Oh honey," said Theresa wiping her sons tears. "That was just a bad dream."
"But that's not all mommy right before she was about to get us that man came and saved us."
"What man?" asked Theresa still smiling.
"That man we keep running into, Ethan," said Eli smiling.
Theresa looked at her son in disbelief not sure how she felt about him dreaming about Ethan, let alone dreaming about Ethan as a hero.
"Did he?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," said Eli smiling" he was a real hero like Uncle Luis."
"Really," laughed Theresa. Boy would Luis laugh to here himself being compared to Ethan. "Do you like Ethan Eli?" she asked not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer."
"Yes," said Eli yawning. "He's nice, just like daddy."
Theresa's face turned white.
"What do you mean honey," asked Theresa her voice shaking.
"You told me and Josh that our daddy was nice. Ethan is nice so he is like our daddy."
"Yeah, " said Theresa rubbing her hands through her sons hair. " Just
like your daddy."
Gwen looked into her dresser mirror and continued to brush her hair. It had been a really long day. She and Ethan had just come back for dinner and instead of discussing their wedding or anything having to do with their life together they spent the whole night discussing Theresa's children.
"No," she said reminding herself. "They are Ethan's children too and I am just going to have to find a way to deal with that."
No sooner then she finished her thought did she notice that Ethan had come into the room and sat behind her. He stared at her lovingly and ran his hand up and down his shoulder.
"Tell me what you're thinking," whispered Ethan as he softly kissed Gwen's shoulder.
"Do you really think that this can work Ethan? Us sharing custody with Theresa?" she asked not turning to face Ethan and playing with her brush.
"I really do Theresa and I both think that this is what is best for the boys."
"Shared custody." said Gwen putting down he brush and sighing.
"Gwen honey what's wrong I thought that you would be thrilled."
"Thrilled," said Gwen angrily jumping up from her bureau. "Why would you think that?"
"Gwen I'm confused I thought that you wanted me and Theresa to come to some sort of amicable conclusions," he said looking at Gwen intensely.
"What I wanted? Really Ethan I didn't realize that what I wanted was even being considered here."
"Of course it is why would you say that Darling?" said Ethan softly coming towards her in an attempt to comfort her."
"Don't darling me," said Gwen pulling away. "You promised Ethan. You promised that Theresa would no longer be a part of our lives."
"Look Gwen I know that this is hard for you..."
"No you don't," spat Gwen angrily. "You have no idea how I feel. You have no idea how it feels to know that the women that you hate more then anything in the world have the children that you will never have, I will never have your children Ethan."
Ethan watched as Gwen broke down into tears and pulled her into his arms.
"I know that it is rough for you darling, but I told you that doesn't matter. I don't care if we can't have children of our own and now with Eli and Josh we don't have too."
Gwen pulled away from Ethan and Ethan gently put her face in her hands.
"They are great kids Gwen, you are going to love them. You are going to love them so much."
Gwen allowed herself to be drawn back into Ethan's arms and closed her eyes not sure if she ever really could love the children of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald.