Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 18:53:23 GMT -5
Chapter 2 Part 1 The doorbell at the Lopez-Fitzgerald house rang as Teresa was hurrying upstairs to finish dressing for her evening out with Noah, Whitney and Fox. They were all going to the Blue Note for a night of dancing.
"Noah must be early." She said, running back down the stairs. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. "Lovely." She laughed snatching the shower cap off her head. Her long hair tumbled around her shoulders and she tried to make it less while as she pulled open the door. "You're early ... Ethan!" She said breaking off in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a father come see his daughter?" He asked quietly, looking her over. Taking note of her tousled hair he frowned. "Am I interrupting something?" "No. Come on in." She smiled, stepping out of the way. "I was just getting dressed." "Are you going out?" He asked walking into the house.
"Yes, in a bit." She said giving him a curious look. "Bella's upstairs asleep. But I guess it's all right to wake her. She's slept most of the evening." "Is Pilar here?" He asked looking around. "No, Mama's at the Bed and Breakfast." She informed him. "Why?"
"Who's going to be watching Bella while you're ... out?" Teresa frowned at the tone in his voice. What was his problem? "Paloma is on her way over." "I see." "What exactly do you see Ethan?" She asked staring at him. "And why are you really here? I know it's not to see Bella."
"You say that like I don't come visit our daughter every day." "You do, but you usually do it during the day time. At night you're usually at home with your wife and my son. So what gives?"
"You're being paranoid." He said dismissively. "But now that you mention it, I've been meaning to talk to you about Bella." "What about her?" "Well Little Ethan hasn't seen his little sister very much ..." "Thanks to your wife." Teresa snapped.
"Yes, well I'm trying to change that." "How? You know Gwen refuses to allow him to be with me. She has a restraining order that says I can't go anywhere near him remember?" "Yes and that's wrong." He said casually. "Which is why I'm here."
"Are you going to give me back my son?" "You know I can't do that. Gwen will never sign him back over to you." "So why are you here Ethan? To remind me that your wife has my son?" "Stop being so defensive Teresa." He said smiling, as he sat on the couch.
"Why are you smiling?" She said, utterly perplexed by his weird mood swings. "What's wrong with you?" "There's nothing wrong with me Teresa. I just came up with a solution to this situation."
"And what's that?" She queried. "It better not be you suggesting to me that I let you take Bella over to the mansion. Because I don't care what you say, I'm never letting Bella near that lunatic you call a wife. She tried to kill me. She's not getting anywhere near my daughter." "I understand that ... which is why I would never ask you to do that." "Then spit it out already." She said impatiently.
"Are you in such a hurry to go out that you can't spend five minutes discussing how to get your son to see more of his sister?" He said growing visibly irritated. "Of course not, but you're the one that's beating around the bush Ethan." She snapped. "Acting all strange and mysterious."
Ethan sighed. "Whatever. Here's my solution. I'll bring Ethan over to visit his sister." "You will?" Teresa asked, happiness radiating through her. "Oh Ethan thank you."
Ethan smiled as she hugged him tightly. Wrapping his arms around her he returned her embrace. "I knew you'd like the idea." "Like it? I love it!" She laughed looking up at him. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." He smiled down at her lovely face. "I can't believe this ... wait." Her face fell and she stepped out of his arms. "Gwen would never agree to this."
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 18:55:38 GMT -5
Part 2 "Well Gwen and I share custody." He said simply. "And I know she's going to be upset, but I'm doing what's best for Ethan. He deserves to get to know his sister, whether Gwen approves or not."
Teresa stared at him. "But what about Gwen?" "Well Gwen's just going to have to accept it." Teresa contemplated the potential fall out of this for a moment before dismissing it. She smiled widely as she stared at him. "Thank you Ethan. This ... I can't thank you enough for doing this. It means a lot to me."
"I know." He smiled. "So what time should I bring him over tomorrow?" "Time?" She gasped and grabbed his arm, looking at his watch. "Oh God, it's almost eight and I'm not even dressed yet." "Teresa ..."
"We'll discuss it when I'm finished dressing." Teresa said, running up the stairs. "I'll be down in a few minutes." Ethan watched her disappear and frowned as he sat back down on the couch. He didn't know why he was there. It certainly hadn't been to discuss Ethan Martin. That idea had only popped into his head when she'd started questioning his being here. He'd been on his way home from the office and suddenly found himself outside the Lopez-Fitzgerald home with a need to see Teresa.
He sighed as he looked at a picture of her and Ethan Martin that rested on the table next to the couch. He'd spent the entire day thinking of her. Granted he usually thought of her often, but today was different. There had been an urgency behind his thoughts today. An urgency that he didn't understand.
The doorbell rang then, distracting him from his thoughts. Standing he walked over to the door, expecting to see Paloma. Only it wasn't.
"Can I help you?" "Yeah is Teresa here?" Noah asked. "She's upstairs." Ethan said looking him over. "Can I come in?" He asked, noting that Ethan seemed to be deliberately blocking him from entering.
"Sure." Ethan said stepping back. "Thanks." Noah said, entering the house and walking to the living room. "Ethan was that Paloma?" Teresa asked from the top of the stairs. Seeing Noah she smiled brightly. "Noah! Hey ... I'll be down in a second."
The two men ... brothers actually ... watched her disappear before turning their attentions back to each other. "So you're Noah." Ethan remarked casually looking at him. "And you're Ethan." Noah said just as casual. "You've been away from Harmony for a long time." Ethan said sitting.
Noah watched him get comfortable, looking for all the world like he lived there. He smiled to himself, so what everyone said was true. Ethan still had feelings for Teresa. Why else would he be here acting like he was the man of the house? "Yeah I have." Noah said finally taking a seat. "It's good to be home."
"I guess a lot has changed in six years." "That's an understatement." Noah smiled. "I've got two new older brothers and two nieces." Ethan smirked. "Yeah that brother thing was a bit of a surprise to me too."
"I can imagine. You called off your wedding to Teresa because of it." Ethan frowned sitting up. "No that's not true. The wedding was postponed because Teresa was accused of being the one to tell the tabloid."
"Postponed means you would have gotten married at some later date." Noah mused. "You're married ... but not to Teresa." "Yes well things changed." Ethan said becoming heated. "You're right. Things do change." Noah smiled as he picked up the picture of Teresa and Ethan Martin. "Sometimes for the best."
"What's that ..." Ethan broke off when he saw Teresa coming down the stairs. He forgot what he'd been saying then, as he stared at her. Her long black hair framed her face, highlighting her already mesmerizing eyes. The sleeveless powder blue dress she wore showed off her petite figure to perfection.
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 18:57:16 GMT -5
Part 3 "Wow!" Noah said getting to his feet. "I didn't think it was possible, but you're actually more beautiful than usual." Teresa smiled at the compliment. "Thank you. I'm afraid we're going to have to wait a bit because Paloma isn't here yet. She should be ..." She broke off when she heard a cry. "Oh that's Bella ... I'll be right back." "I'll go see what's wrong." Ethan said standing. "You stay here and talk to your ... friend."
They watched as he disappeared upstairs. Noah gave Teresa a look that made her giggle. "Someone's not happy that I'm home." "Ignore him. He always gets this way when I go out with someone." "Really."
"Yes, it's nothing. I'm finally realizing that. He's just being a dog in a manger. He doesn't want me but he doesn't want me with anyone else." "And how do you feel about that?" Noah asked, watching her closely. She shrugged. "I still have feelings for him. But what good are they? Nothing will ever come of them."
"So ..." "Teresa, sorry to be late, but I ..." Paloma trailed off when she saw Noah standing with her sister. "Oh Noah." "Hey Paloma. Good to see you again." Noah smiled. "Oh you two have met?" Teresa asked smiling.
"Si, I met Noah yesterday when he first came home. I was with Kay, Jessica and Simone at the house." "Okay, well I'm not sure what time we'll be back." Teresa said, picking up her bag. "Oh and Ethan's upstairs. He should be leaving soon I guess."
"He is?" Paloma said in surprise, looking pointedly at Noah. "Yes he's ..." She broke off when she saw him coming down the stairs with Bella in his arms. "Is she all right?" "She's just perfect." Ethan smiled, looking at his daughter. "She just needed her daddy. Look at mommy Bella. Isn't she beautiful?"
Paloma's eyes widened at the rising tensions in the room. Only Teresa generated this much drama. Noah had been in town less than two days and already he was a part of some tug of war with her sister in the middle. What was it about her? "Can I talk to you for a minute Ethan?" Teresa said thinly, giving him a furious look.
"Sure." He smiled, and followed her into the kitchen. "What is the matter with you?" She asked spinning around the moment the door closed behind him. "Nothing, I'm just complimenting you." "No you weren't. You were being a JER."
"How am I a JER for giving you a compliment when lover boy out there was spewing them like water?" "Because you're not sincere. You're trying to ruin my night by making Noah uncomfortable." "Not sincere?" He repeated staring at her. His eyes swept over her in a hot glance as he stepped closer. "I've never been more sincere about anything in my life."
"I ..." She began, growing flustered from the look in his eyes. Bella reached out to play with her hair, snapping her back to reality. "Just stop it Ethan. You don't own me." He said nothing, just gave her a look that confused her even more, before holding Bella out to her. "Kiss our daughter good-bye." Teresa complied, leaning forward and kissing Bella on the forehead, then laughed when she grabbed a fistful of her hair again.
"Goodnight sweetheart. Be nice to your aunt Paloma all right?" She smiled smoothing the fine dark hair on her head. She looked at Ethan for a second before leaving the kitchen and walking back to Noah. "I'm ready when you are Noah."
Ethan watched as Noah helped her into her coat. She glanced back at him once and he waved Bella's hand at her, forcing her to smile and wave back. He grinned inwardly. He had no idea why he was being such a JER to her ... but he just couldn't stand that smug Noah. Paloma closed the door behind her sister and walked into the living room, eying Ethan speculatively.
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 19:00:10 GMT -5
Part 4 "Why are you trying to upset my sister?" She asked, sitting on the couch. Ethan sighed, his bravado gone now that Teresa was. "I have no idea. I don't even know why I'm here."
"I think you do." Paloma said watching as he let Bella climb all over him. "You're just not ready to admit it to yourself." "You think so?" "Si." She nodded. "You're not that good at hiding your feelings. Just from yourself." Ethan grinned. "I guess I'm going to have to work on that."
"Hiding your feelings?" "Yeah ... I'm not too sure I like being such an open book." She shook her head. "Forget about hiding your feelings. Try acknowledging them instead." "Then what?" "Then it's up to you." "Would you like to order drinks now?"
Noah looked over at Teresa questioningly as they sat down at their corner booth in the Blue Note. Whitney and Fox had yet to arrive, so Teresa shook her head and just requested water. When the waiter had brought poured their water and departed, she smiled at Noah.
"I always feel strange coming here." She said looking around. "I feel like a poser. Like I'm pretending to be an adult. Doing adult things." Noah laughed. "Tell me about it. Look at me, all dressed up looking like my Dad."
"It's like we're playing dress up. Like none of it's real." Teresa grinned. "Speaking of which ... what do you think of your faux mother Ivy? Isn't she a delight?" "She's something alright." Noah said his smile fading a bit. "I don't trust her." "Why not?"
He shrugged, sipping his water. "There's just something about her. And I really don't like how she just took my mom's place. It's too neat. I mean I know my mom left to be with her 'husband,' which freaks me out to no end, but Ivy seems to have slid right in there like everything had been arranged to her benefit."
"Knowing Ivy I wouldn't be surprised." Teresa said simply. "She always has an agenda. And I'm a lot like her so I know what I'm talking about." Noah looked at her suggestively. "So what's your agenda for tonight?" "To enjoy myself you perv." She laughed. "Just to enjoy myself."
"That shouldn't have to be on an agenda." He said frowning slightly. "That should be your life. I always thought your life would end up being amazing and always full of excitement." "Oh it's been full of excitement alright." She laughed. "Just not the right kind." "Ethan you mean?"
"Well he's certainly part of it." She said, toying with a breadstick. "Tell me about him." Noah said softly. "I know he's probably a touchy subject, but I just can't understand what it was about him that would make you love him so much that you'd do so many crazy things?"
"Not that many crazy things." He cocked his brow at her. "You confessed to Julian Crane's murder to try to protect him Teresa. I'd call that crazy." "Yes well that's just one thing." She laughed, then sighed. "Ethan. Wow, I've never actually had to discuss him before. Everyone in town knows everything."
"Yeah well don't leave me out. Fill me in." "Okay." She paused, wondering where to start. "Well you know I always had a crush on him." "Yeah ... that teddy bear he gave you when you were kids right?"
"Yeah. I thought he was perfect even then." She thought remembering. "But then as I got older I guess I built him up even more in my mind and suddenly he became my fantasy come to life, even though I hadn't actually met him." She laughed. "And even when I did meet him and we got off to a bad start ... he thought I was stalking him, then the most unbelievable thing happened. He fell in love with me. My dream come true. I thought my life was perfect." She sighed then, thinking back over the years. "But then everything fell apart. That tabloid story about his paternity and then I got the blame for it."
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 19:01:55 GMT -5
Part 5"And you still don't know who sent it?" "No." She said looking down at her water glass. "I probably never will. They got what they wanted and vanished without a trace. Ethan called off the wedding and the rest is history." Noah reached across the table for her hand and held it softly in his. "He's a fool. If he really loved you, he wouldn't have let some tabloid lie come between you." "Well it was more than just the tabloid." She admitted, trying to be fair. "I had lied to him. And above all Ethan cherished honesty. And I have to admit that I did lie about a lot of things. I just got in over my head and I had no idea how to get out and I didn't want him to ever lose faith in me so I covered. Tried to handle things on my own and it all backfired." "Still shouldn't matter." Noah said her hand warm in his. "You loved him and that should have mattered more than his high expectations. I'm just sorry I wasn't here for you." She smiled. "There's nothing you could have done. I'm my own worst enemy at times, you know that. I have a gift for making things worse than they already are." "See people who don't know you would think that." Noah said smiling. "But I know better. And I'm sure that at the time you were trying to make things better. You just have really bad luck." Teresa laughed. "You know me too well." "Certainly better than Ethan it seems." "You're probably right." "So where does Bella fit in with all this?" He asked casually. "What do you mean?" "You told me about the embryo situation." He answered. "Is she going to be the thing that brings you two together?" Teresa laughed bitterly. "Not likely." She said, swallowing the anger that always came with this conversation. "I already told you what he said about why he had to marry Gwen. He couldn't be with me because he had to marry the mother of his child. Well apparently the only qualifies if the mother of his child is Gwen. When it comes to me ... I'm dispensable." "I'm sorry." "Don't be. It was a hard lesson that I needed to learn." She said her voice hard. "Mama, Whitney, Luis ... they were all trying to knock sense into me over the years, telling me that Ethan would never be with me but I just refused to give up. I made a complete fool of myself over him. Humiliated myself in front of this entire town chasing after him, taking the blame for everything to go wrong in his marriage, because I was in love and it didn't matter because I thought it would all be returned." She laughed harshly. "Turns out I was wrong. Ethan didn't love me. He probably never has." "Teresa ..." "I spent five years of my life chasing a dream, only to get a rude awakening." She stared into the candle in the middle of the table. "He didn't leave her." She laughed again softly. "God what a fool I was. I'd become one of those women, hanging around accepting scraps from my married lover, believing the lies I told myself about him eventually leaving his wife. I was actually enough to think that I was better than them. I thought to myself that Ethan truly loved me and he was only with Gwen out of guilt and responsibility. That now that I had Bella, he would do right by me like he'd done with Gwen, only this would be even more perfect because he truly loved me and had always wanted to be with me. I thought we'd finally be together. That he'd be glad that I was giving him the family he'd always wanted. The life of love that he'd always wanted." Tears swam in her eyes as she glanced at Noah. "Only he didn't leave her. He lied. My perfect Ethan had lied. He said he had only married her for the baby, but that couldn't be true. Because here I had his baby ... by chance ... and he stayed with Gwen." Noah's heart broke for her as he watched a tear slip down her cheek. He wanted to smash Ethan into the ground for how he'd treated her. How could he not love her? How could he not want to be with her? Who wouldn't want to be with a woman that love them so much? "I'm so sorry Teresa." "There's nothing to be sorry about." She said, wiping away her tears. She laughed. "I'm finally cured. That's something to celebrate. "Celebrate huh?"
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 19:04:09 GMT -5
Part 6"Yes." She smiled. "We should get champagne for this." He smiled. "As soon as Whitney and Fox get here." "Good." Noah looked down at her hand in his, small and delicate. He couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been in love with her. Four years ago when he'd heard about her engagement to Ethan Crane he'd kicked himself for not having had the courage to make his feelings clear. He knew she always knew deep down, but with him gone how seriously had she taken his unrequited teenage love? Now years later, she was nursing deep pain caused by that idiot brother of his and god knows if she'd ever recover. Hell she was probably still in love with him. "Are you still in love with him?" He asked, his brain rushing the words to his tongue before he had a chance to fully process the question. Teresa paused for a moment, then smiled sadly. "It's utterly , but I am." A knot tightened in Noah's chest at her words but he forced himself to ignore it. What did he expect? Just listening to her talk about Ethan he could hear how much she loved him. That kind of love didn't just disappear ... if it ever did. He just hoped it would. Teresa deserved better than to spend her life loving from afar. Especially his fool brother who had misused the love and trust of a woman who had given him everything she had. "I'm a fool." Teresa continued, unaware of Noah's inner turmoil. "I can't believe I still love him. Every night I go to sleep hoping that when I wake up that it'll be gone, but the minute I open my eyes I know it's still there because I'm waking up from a dream of us being together." "Loving someone too much doesn't make you a fool." "Yes is does." She contradicted. "It makes me a huge fool. Especially when I continually leave myself open for him to hurt me. When I love him even after he's broken my heart repeatedly. But I'm not going to be the fool anymore." She announced, smiling again. With her free hand she wiped away her tears. "I'm going to be the best mother I know for my beautiful Bella. She's going to have a mother she can be proud of. Not one who is going to make her ashamed." "That would never happen." "Of course it would." She insisted. "What do you think would happen if I'm still pining after Ethan in sixteen years? What child would respect a mother like that? Sitting around waiting for him to smile in my direction? I don't want this for my daughter. So I'm not going to set it up as an example for her." Noah smiled as the determined look on her face. "So what do you have planned?" "Well first I'm going to move on." She stated. "I'm going to get a life, a job and I'm going to do my best to make sure that I fall in love with someone who is not Ethan. Someone who will actually love me back." She stopped when she saw him smiling at her, a curious look on his face. "What?" He shrugged. "I'm just thinking how much I admire you." "You wouldn't have a few year ago." She laughed. "It wasn't very pretty." Noah shook his head. "Maybe so, but if there's one thing that I've always admired about you, it's been your determination and your capacity to love and love completely. Although ..." He said teasingly. "I'm too sure about fate." Teresa laughed. "Oh everyone's sick of hearing me talk about fate and I can't blame them. I sounded like a fool. Fate this, fate that. God I was so delusional." "No." He said shaking his head. "No you weren't so don't even think that. You Teresa, you're one of those pure human beings who believes in the power of love. That anything's possible as long as you have love on your side. Your optimism is incredible." "Delusional." "No. Not at all. What's so delusional about hoping for the best? That's one of the things I always loved about you. That you could see the bright side no matter how bad things got. Remember when we were kids, and we'd all be wishing for a white Christmas? No matter what the forecast you always believed that on Christmas day we'd wake up to snow. And you were always right." "Well we live in New England ... that's not a hard wish to come true." "Yeah but there are no guarantees. But once you believed in it, then so did the rest of us." Noah said gently. "You believed so we believed. It was like you were some mythical fairy who we could always believe in. You'd always got us snow."
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Sept 30, 2007 19:07:33 GMT -5
Part 7She laughed. "Okay now you're letting your flattery go to your own head. I'm not responsible for the snow Noah. I can only wish for it like everyone else." "Yes, but I'm sure you wished harder and more often than any of us." He smiled. "And that's the point. You never gave up. You were always willing to believe. In snow, in Santa, the Easter bunny ... you name it." Teresa grinned. "Now I know I was delusional." Noah laughed and shook his head. "Well, maybe a little, but trust me when I say this Teresa. Your willingness to believe in love and the power it weilds. It's not foolish. And if you try to change that part of you ... you'll end up changing every part of you and then you won't be who you really are. You won't be the girl we all believed in." She was silent for a moment, taken aback by the sincerity of his speech. Then she looked at him. "What are you trying to tell me Noah? To keep looking on the bright side? Believing in love? The love that I feel for Ethan? Should I keep believing that it'll work out eventually with him?" "Oh no." He said quickly making her laugh. "No, that's one belief you can give up. I'm just ... I just don't want you to change who you are. You're perfect this way." Teresa blushed and laughed softly. "Always with the flattery." Noah smiled at the sound of her laughter. "You know of all the things I missed about Harmony ... I think I missed the sound of you laughing the most. You were just always so happy. So full of life." "Oh boy now you're being cheesy." Teresa teased. "My laughter? My laughter doesn't inspire fond memories." "I don't know about that." He grinned. "Remember that one time in Midnight Mass when we were about fifteen? Well I was fifteen and you and Whitney were fourteen. And we had switched the hymn books on every other bench from the old edition to the new one and every time Father Lonigan called out a hymn number, half the people would start singing one song and the other half would sing something else? You couldn't stop laughing through the service, which got Whitney laughing, and me. Your mother just looked at you and sent the three of us to the church basement. Teresa giggled at the memory. "And you ever troublesome, stole two bottles of sacraments wine and poured into the punch for the reception afterwards and no one could understand why everyone was so friendly and slurring." "Until Kay ratted us out." He laughed. "Man I was grounded for a month after that." "So were Whitney and I." She said laughing again. God she hadn't thought about any of that for years. Had her life ever really been so carefree? Noah smiled as he watched her, her eyes shining brightly with good humor and her mouth stretched in a smile that took his breath away. Staring at her, he couldn't believe that he'd wasted so much time not coming home. Leaning forward suddenly he kissed her and felt everything in and around him stop for one long instant before he pulled away and the world started moving again. She stared at him, confusion mingled with surprise and something else he couldn't put his finger on. An apology sprang to his lips but before he could utter it, she lean forward this time and kissed him. Her hand reached up to touch his face before she pulled away, a thoughtful look on her face. "That was ... different." "Different good?" He queried, suddenly unsure of himself. "Different interesting." She smiled. "But very good." "So does this mean ...?" "That depends." She said her face growing serious. "On what?" "On whether you're willing to take a chance on me given the risk of my one track history." "Absolutely." He said, not a doubt in his mind. She smiled. "Absolutely good." [glow=teal,2,500]This the end of chapter 2 please give the feed back so enjoy the new chapter.... [/glow]
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Post by luisismine on Sept 30, 2007 20:31:33 GMT -5
As much as ;D,I love Noah and Theresa too.Can't wait for more.
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Post by tinka♥belle on Oct 1, 2007 15:56:19 GMT -5
Awsome new story, more soon please!!
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Post by Kimberella on Oct 2, 2007 11:32:56 GMT -5
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
[M:0]
Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Oct 3, 2007 20:18:58 GMT -5
Chapter 3 Part 1"ETHAN!" Ethan smiled as he closed the front door of the mansion behind him. Ethan Martin was running towards him an excited look in his face. "You're home!" "Of course I am sport." Ethan said, stooping to hug him. "You ready to go?" "Yes. Nanny set out my jacket in my room and made me wait down here until you came." He said excitedly. "Can we go now please?" "Why don't you go upstairs and have Nanny help you put on your jacket and I'll meet you back down here in a few minutes all right?" "Okay!" Little Ethan said in the same excited tone that he'd said everything else, before bounding up the stairs. Ethan smiled and shook his head in amusement, before going upstairs himself, at a more sedate pace. He was a little later getting home than usual. Having been trapped at work on a new project that Julian had introduced. He'd been impatient to leave, knowing that this was one of the evenings that he took Little Ethan to his mother's house. Changing quickly out of his suit and into jeans and a tee shirt, he grabbed his coat and left the room. At the top of the stairs he came to a halt, swearing softly under his breath as he saw Gwen at the front door looking out. She turned suddenly and saw him. "Ethan!" She said immediately. "I thought I heard a car drive up, but I'm wasn't sure since you're not usually home on Thursday evenings." She took in his casual clothes and the coat. "Are you going back out?" Ethan came slowly down the stairs before answering. "Yes. I was taking Ethan Martin out for a bit." "Where?" She asked casually. "Nowhere special." "Can I join you?" She asked looking carefully at him. "I'd like to be a part of whatever you two do on evenings." "It's more of a boy's night out kinda thing." He said wary of her nonchalant attitude. "Boys night out huh? I never considered Teresa a boy, but then you would know more about that than I would, wouldn't you Ethan?" She said, her voice dripping with ice. Ethan sighed and simply waited for the explosion that he knew was coming. "Aren't you going to say anything in your defense Ethan?" She snarled stepping towards him. "No apology for lying to me for weeks?" "What exactly do you want me to say Gwen?" "I want you to admit that you've been sneaking Ethan Martin out of this house and taking him to see Teresa and that baby." She shouted. "That you've been lying to me for A MONTH." Ethan stared at her and simply shrugged. "Yes Gwen you're right. That is exactly what I have been doing." "That's it?" She said taken aback by his casual attitude. "That's all you have to say to me?" "Well clearly you've known what I've been doing Gwen and you never said anything about it, so what's this really about?" "This is about me having custody of Ethan Martin. Not to mention a restraining order that bars Teresa from coming within one hundred feet of him. Which means I get to say who he gets to be around. And it will not be Teresa!" "Well we share custody Gwen. Not you alone. And I happen to believe that he deserves to get to know his sister. And I didn't discuss it with you because I knew you'd get like this." "He deserves to know his sister?" Gwen repeated, her eyes wide. "SARA would have been his sister but she's dead. Dead because of Teresa. She killed our little girl and you are just too to see how evil she is." Ethan's jaw clenched at her words but he held his tongue, knowing that he was partly in the wrong by keeping his activities from her. "I understand how you feel Gwen, but I won't allow Little Ethan to be punished for something that had nothing to do with him." "You do NOT know how I feel. I lost my child Ethan. All because of that ..." "Sara was my child too Gwen." He snapped. "I felt the loss as deeply as you did, but that still doesn't give either of us the right to treat this little boy like he doesn't matter." "How can you do this?" Gwen asked perplexed. "Why can't you ever see through Teresa? What hold has she got over you?"
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Oct 3, 2007 20:20:39 GMT -5
Part 2 "There's no hold Gwen. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do." He said simply. "It's not right to expect him to grow up in the same town as his sister and pretend that there is no relation. It's hard enough with you trying to pretend that his mother never existed." She stared at him incredulously. "That's what this is about isn't it? I should have guessed." She said laughing bitterly. "Teresa ... it's always Teresa with you." "You're getting worked up for nothing Gwen." "No I am not." She shouted. "You're always thinking about what's best for her. How to work some angle for her. I think it's disgusting that you still love her after everything she's done to us. Admit it Ethan ... Admit you still love her."
"I'm ready." Ethan Martin shouted hurrying down the stairs. Ethan turned from her and smiled at the little boy, stooping to tie his undone shoe. Gwen's eyes widened slightly as she stared at his back. He hadn't denied it. Always in the past Ethan would have been fast to reassure her of his love for her and his indifference for Teresa. There was none of that today. "Ethan ... we were having a discussion." She bit out tightly. "No Gwen you're yelling and we have to leave." He said straightening up. "We'll be back a little later." "Aren't you even going to apologize?" She asked grabbing his sleeve. "Deny my accusations?"
"Why don't you go wait for me by the car huh?" He said to Ethan Martin, who nodded and immediately ran out the door. Turning to Gwen he sighed slightly. "Gwen, I am sorry that I wasn't up front with you about Little Ethan. I should have told you what I was doing." "Is that is?" Gwen taunted as he turned to leave. "Where's your denial?" "We'll be back late." He was all he said as he left. Teresa shifted Bella to one arm as she opened the front door. A laugh escaped her when Ethan Martin barreled into her, hugging her tightly around the waist. Ethan laughed and took Bella from her arms, so she could bend and hugged her son.
"Hey you. I missed you." "I missed you too Mommy." Ethan Martin smiled. "I haven't seen you in two whole days." Teresa laughed softly. "Well that is a long time. But we get to see each other more often now don't we? Three days a week." "I still missed you Mommy." Her smile faded slightly and tears brimmed slightly. "I miss you too sweetie. Every second that we're not together." Blinking away the tears she smiled again. "But we're together now, so why don't we get you out of this jacket and you can go play with your sister all right?"
"Yes Mommy." He smiled, giggling as she hugged him tightly. "You're squishing me." "I know ... mommys get to squish a little." Teresa laughed, unzipping his coat. "Say hi to your sister." "Hi." He said quickly before racing off to play with the toys that he knew his mother always had set out for him. Ethan followed close behind and deposited Bella in the musical walker and securing her in it. He sat with them for a few minutes before getting up and going over to where Teresa sat at a desk, looking through furniture catalogs.
"How's the job going?" He asked, sitting in the chair nearby. "Wonderful." She smiled. "I still can't believe how lucky I am that Grace asked me to redesign her bed and breakfast and turn it into an inn." "That was really generous of her." Ethan said, watching her. "But she knew you'd be perfect at it. Interior design isn't that much different to fashion design. And from what I remember you're a natural at it."
"Thank you." She smiled. "It's been an amazing month. Ever since Noah came home, things have been going perfect. He got a job. I got a job. And a perfect one at that. I can be at home with Bella and I can even take her with me when I go shopping for the inn. It's perfect. And to top everything off, I get to see my son." "Noah got a job?" Ethan asked, trying not to sound too interested. "Where? When did this happen?"
"About a week. He went on the interview a while ago, but since they were interviewing other people, it took them a while to get back to him. But they confirmed it two days ago and he starts next week. Crandell Boat Design hired him to oversee some new project. I'm not sure what he'll be doing there, but it has something to do with his degree in engineering. They want him to help with coming up with a faster boat engine ..." She shrugged. "I don't know but it's great because now he doesn't have to leave town to find a job in his field."
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Oct 3, 2007 20:22:50 GMT -5
Part 3 "That's great." Ethan said, with fake enthusiasm. "Lucky him." "I know." She smiled. "And Ethan ... than you again for doing this. Bringing Ethan Martin over here to spend time with his sister. You really have no idea what this means to me." He smiled. "I've told you Teresa ... it's no big deal. You don't have to keep thanking me every time I come over here."
"I do." She said turning away from the catalogues. "I know it can't be easy for you doing this and having to go against Gwen. So for that I'm very thankful." "Well you're welcome." He said quietly. "And it really is no big deal, because this just means I get to spend more time with my daughter." "I think she feels the same way." Teresa laughed looking over at Bella. "She lights up whenever you come over." "She's going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up." He smiled. "Just like her mother."
Teresa glanced back at him for a quick second before looking away. "I'm no heartbreaker. If anything I'm the one that ends up with my heart broken." "I don't think ..." "What's that on Little Ethan's arm?" She asked quickly interrupting. She knew where this was going. The same place it had been going for the past month. He'd try to fill her head up with stories about their past and then he'd go home to his wife. She was not in the mood to be toyed with. Ethan smiled as her avoidance. "He was climbing up the side of the mansion."
"WHAT?" "It's no big deal, he's fine. He was climbing up the trellis outside his bedroom window." "Where the hell was the nanny?" Teresa snapped fiercely, as she stood shaking. "The woman who you pay to spend all her time with my child after Gwen and Rebecca took him from me, after accusing me of neglecting him." "She was looking for him. They were playing hide and seek."
"Is she insane?" She gasped. "Who the hell would play hide and seek with a child at that mansion?" "There was no danger." "No danger?" She whispered fiercely after seeing Ethan Martin glance up at their harsh tones. "There is a maze on the grounds. There are two pools. There's a nearby cliff. And God knows what else is in that house with Rebecca living there. And you're trying to tell me there's no danger?"
"He's fine Teresa." Ethan said putting his hands on her shoulders. "He didn't get that high up. He fell, got some scratches and then he got up and ran around again. I got worse injuries than that as a child and I'm sure you did as well, and we both survived." "That's not the point. That's my son Ethan." She said, tear brimming. "And he's in danger at that mansion." "Now you're exaggerating Teresa." "I am not. You can't leave a child alone in a house like that or on the grounds. There are too many things that he can get into that can harm him."
"Teresa, stop this." He said pulling her into his arms. "I promise you that I won't let anything happen to your son." "Swear to me!" "I swear to you." He said, closing his eyes as he held her. "I won't let anything happen to him." She stepped away from him and stared up at him. Something in his voice triggered feelings deep within her. Feelings that she'd been trying to put behind her. "Mommy ... the phone is ringing."
"What? Oh ..." She said tearing her eyes away. Reaching for the phone she answered quietly and immediately laughed, glancing briefly at Ethan before leaving the room. Ethan sighed at her departure, which could only signal one thing. Noah. His eyes grew cold as he walked over to the kids.
"What's wrong?" Little Ethan asked as he sat. "Nothing's wrong Sport." Ethan smiled. "Life's just complicated." "Why?"
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Oct 3, 2007 20:24:43 GMT -5
Part 4 "Why? Well because we adults make it complicated. We make things harder on ourselves than they need to be." "Why?" "I really don't know."
Little Ethan smiled. "What's com ... comkated?" Ethan laughed softly. He'd was having a conversation with a five year old about life. "Complicated ... Well is when you're not sure how to do something, because there are so many other things involved." "What do you want to do?" Ethan thought for a minute before responding. "I just want to be happy." "Then be happy." His namesake said simply, not understanding why that was hard for him to do.
"I'll try." Ethan laughed softly. "You're a very smart kid you know that?" "My mommy always says that. You too." "Well that's because you are. Just like your mommy." "What am I?" Teresa asked coming back into the room. "Smart ... like me." Little Ethan piped up making her laugh. "Ethan said so." "Well Ethan's right." She said sitting next to him hugging him. "You're the smartest little boy in the world."
"You're squishing me again Mommy." "Yeah, but she gets to do that." Ethan smiled. He noticed the phone in her pocket and looked at her. "More work?" "No that was Noah." She said simply getting to her feet and returning to her desk. "Checking up on you?"
"No? Why would he?" Ethan shrugged. "Just wondering. You two still dating?" "Yes." "How's that going?" "It's going great." She smiled. "Is he treating you right?" She stared at him. Taken aback by his gall. "Better than you did."
"Don't get all defensive." "How can I not? Do you hear yourself?" "I'm just making sure you know what you're doing." "I know exactly what I'm doing." She snapped. "For once, I'm doing something with both eyes wide open." "I'm not too sure." He said shrugging.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He shrugged again. "I don't know ... I'm just not sure it's a good idea for you to date him." "Thank you for your concern Ethan, but my private life is none of your concern." Teresa said coldly. "Your private life is very much my concern." He said frustrated. "We share a child and any ... any guys that you decided to date are going to be around her." "So?"
"So I don't want just any one around my daughter." He flared. "Bella doesn't need unsavory influences in her life." Teresa stared at him and burst out laughing. "You think Noah's an unsavory influence? Who even says that?" "It doesn't matter." He snapped. "Look, I don't know him, but ..." "Exactly." She interrupted, glaring at him. "You don't know Noah." "Neither do you."
"Of course I know him. We grew up together." "You know Noah the child and Noah the teenage boy, but you have no idea who Noah the man is." Ethan said his voice rising. "Six years is enough to completely change a person.
"Well that's true." Teresa agreed as she looked at him. "You're nothing like I thought you were six years ago. Then again, maybe I never even knew the real you. Maybe the Ethan I thought I knew, was just a fantasy that I made up in my mind and never really existed."
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Brown Eyed Angel
Short Story
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Brown Eyed Angel Ethan & Teresa R Soul Mates And True Lovers![ss:"Farewell Passions"]
Posts: 107
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Post by Brown Eyed Angel on Oct 3, 2007 20:33:45 GMT -5
Part 5 "That's not true and you know it." He insisted. "I'm the same person I always was." "We're going to have to disagree." "Teresa I had to make some difficult choices. You know I ..." "Difficult for who Ethan?" "What are you talking about?" He asked puzzled. "I'm talking about how all these difficult choices of yours resulted in me suffering. While you lost nothing."
"I lost Sara." "Don't you dare blame that on me." She said her voice rising. "Of course not Teresa. I'm just pointing out that I've lost as well." "Well I lost my son, my home and my family's well being Ethan. So let's not even begin to compare losses here." "You have all that back now."
"Not my son, and certainly no thanks to you." She snapped. She nodded towards Ethan Martin. "You think this is some kind of substitute? Being allowed to see my son a few times a week? Like that makes up for him being taken from me?" "I didn't say it did. I would never say that." He said quietly. "I was just pointing out that you have so much now. Bella." "Yes my Bella." Teresa smiled. "I'm grateful for her every day." She looked at him. "She's the only good thing you ever gave me." He watched as she stared defiantly at him, daring him to argue with her. He itched to grab her and prove her wrong, but he couldn't. Instead he asked her ...
"What about my heart?" That caught her off guard and she paused before responding. "What about it?" "I gave you that ... wasn't that worth something?" "No." She said immediately. "Because you took it back. You took it back and you gave it to Gwen. Your wife. Who you proved time and again means more to you." "That's not true Teresa. You meant more to me than anyone." "Is that right?" She said sitting back in her chair. "Is that why you married her? I meant so much to you that you had to marry another woman? Then allow her to take my son and almost take Bella?" "No, that's not what I meant. You know why I married Gwen. I had to do right by her and the baby."
"Yes, but what about me Ethan? The woman you supposedly loved. What about doing right by me?" She asked tears coming to her eyes, only to quickly wipe them away. She stood and shook her head. "You know what? I don't care. It's not important to me anymore. I don't care to hear your excuses or your reasoning for trampling all over my heart. Because I'm moving on and I'm going to find love again with someone who actually loves me. Someone who'll give me what you couldn't."
"NO!" He shouted startling her and the children, particularly Bella who started to cry. Shooting him a vicious look Teresa went to get her daughter. "Teresa I ..." "I think you should leave Ethan." She said as she soothed her daughter. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get upset. I don't ..."
"I don't care Ethan. Don't you get it? Not anymore. Please just leave." She said coldly. "Come back for Little Ethan in an hour." He started to protest again, but decided against it when he saw Little Ethan's wide eyes staring up at him. Grabbing his jacket he quietly left the house. Noah entered the youth center through a side door and headed straight for the basketball court. Entering, he saw Fox bouncing the ball a few times before taking a shot that sailed neatly through the air before making that familiar swooshing sound as it dropped through the basket. "Three pointer." Noah said dropping his bag onto the low bench of the bleachers. "You might not be so easy to beat after all."
Fox laughed as he turned and saw him. "I'm a Crane. We never lose." "We'll see about that." Noah said grabbing the ball from him. "First to twenty-one?" Fox laughed at the challenge and they immediately launched into a game, playing hard as they pushed each other around. Each determined to prove himself better than the other while enjoying themselves. Fox took the final shot and grinned with pleasure when the ball sank into the basket.
Noah grinned and gave him a congratulatory slap on the shoulder. "Good game." "Yeah it was." Fox agreed, pulling out his water bottle and squirting himself in the face with it, before taking a sip. "Haven't played that hard in a while. You obviously don't like to lose." Noah laughed. "Who does?" "Certainly not me." Fox smiled.
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