Chapter 1

"Thank you so much for helping me clean out the attic today." Grace Bennett said to her best friend, Eve Russell.

"It's no problem at all. Where do you want to start?" She asked as she looked around the filthy attic.

"Hmm...well, we can start by going through those boxes by the window. Maybe we can find some stuff for the rummage sell." Eve nodded and the two women walked over towards the window. They each grabbed a box and began going through them.

"This must be Sam's old box." Eve said as she pulled out a torn up picture of him and showed it to Grace.

"I've never seen this picture before." She began as she grabbed it from Eve. "It's torn right down the middle. What else is in that box?" Eve continued digging through the box and then found a small plastic bag inside. She looked inside and found a small velvet jewelry box. "What's that?" Grace asked, her suspicions rising.

"I don't know. Let's find out." She opened the box and then gasped. "Oh my God! It's beautiful!"

"Let me see." Grace said as Eve handed her the box. She was astonished when she looked inside. She stared down at the beautiful diamond engagement ring. It was aligned with smaller diamonds and they were set on a simple gold band. "Wow. I wonder whose this is."

"I don't know, but it is the most beautiful ring that I've ever seen."

"Wait, Eve. There's an inscription inside."

"What does it say?" Grace looked inside at the inscription and gasped, dropping the ring. "What is it, Grace?"

"Read what is says." She instructed as Eve picked up the ring. It read: Sam and Ivy-1975

"Oh my God." Eve and Grace were both completely shocked. "I can't believe this, Grace. What does this mean?"

"I don't know, Eve. Let's look through that box."

"Okay." They both continued diggng through the box. It was filled with old letters, pictures, and several nes clippings. Grace picked up the stack of pictures and began looking through them. The first one she came across was one of Ivy by herself. She had long, curly hair and she was younger. She was wearing a beautiful, long, pink dress and a diamond necklace. The next picture was one of Sam and Ivy kissing each other and they looked very much in love. The pictures that followed were all mostly Sam and Ivy together and then pictures of Ivy by herself, some of which were torn down the middle. There were also a few pictures of Sam torn in the same fashion.

"Look at these, Eve." She grabbed them from Grace and looked through them.

"I can't believe this. They look....nevermind"

"You can say it. They look in love. I can't believe that Sam lied to me. He said he never knew Ivy Crane. Here he had a relationship with her and almost married her."

"But he didn't, Grace. He married you."

"That doesn't mean anything. These pictures show that he loved Ivy very much. What do those letters say?"

"I haven't read them yet." Grace took them from her and began reading one of them outloud: My Dearest Sam, I can't wait to see you again tomorrow. I wish that we could stop hiding from my family and I could tell the whole world that I'm in love with you. You are the only thing that matters to me, Sam. If I never would have met you, I would have been miserable. I just wish that my parents could see it that way, but they don't care. The only thing that matters to them is social status and how much money someone has. Those things aren't important to me, love is. I just want you to know that you are special and you will always hold a place in my heart. Love Always, Ivy "If Sam didn't still care about her, why would he have kept all of this stuff?" Grace said. Eve was beginning to think that Sam still loved Ivy, but she didn't want to tell her best friend that.

"That's crazy, Grace. The pictures were ripped up and put in the attic."

"He would have gotten rid of them." Eve didn't know what else to say to comfort her. They sat in quietly for a few minutes until Grace finally broke the silence. "I have a plan."

"A plan? What are you talking about?"

"I need to find out more about Sam and Ivy. I'm going to find out if they still love each other."

"Why don't you just ask Sam?"

"Because he'll say that he doesn't love her and he didn't want to hurt me by telling me about his relationship with Ivy."

"Well what do you plan to do?"

"Follow them around. Do research into both their pasts. I'll find out for myself if they still love each other and why they broke up. Will you help me, Eve?"

"Okay, Grace. I'll help you."

Chapter 2

Grace and Eve didn't finish going through the box. They put it aside and proceeded to clean out the attic. When they were finally done, they decided to go to the Book Cafe to get some coffee. When they arrived there, they spotted Ivy sitting at a table talking with her son, Ethan. Grace decided to go up to them while Eve got the coffee.

"Hello, Ivy. I haven't seen you since the ski lodge." Ivy looked up at her and smiled.

"Grace, it's nice to see you. How have you been?"

"I've been great. How was your second honeymoon with Julian?" Ethan practiclly choked on his coffee.

"Honeymoon?" He asked as Ivy shot him a warning glance. The look didn't go unnoticed by Grace.

"It was.....surprising." Ivy said as she tried to find the words to describe it.

"That's good. Well, I'll leave you two alone now. Talk to you later." Grace said as she walked around the corner. She stopped and stood far enough away where she couldn't be seen by them but close enough so she could hear what they were saying.

"Second honeymoon, Mother?"

"I forgot to tell you that Julian and I ran into the Bennetts while we were there. Sam walked in right after I discovered Julian with Suzanne and then Julian accused us of having an affair. Grace walked in a little while after that and then Julian realized that he had made a mistake. Grace just assumed that we were on our second honeymoon."

"I still can't believe that Father could treat you like that. How could he be so unfaithful to you?"

"You're Father never treated me like that."

"What? You found him with Suzanne and you said she wasn't the first woman that you caught him cheating on you with. What are you trying to say, Mother?" Ethan was starting to get very confused and suspicious.

"I just meant that before we were married you're Father never treated me like that. But I can see now that it was all an act." Ivy was proud of herself for her quick save. Lately she was starting to get more careless when it came to Sam. If she wasn't careful, Ethan's paternity was sure to come out soon.

"Oh, okay. Well, I have to get going now, Mother. Theresa said she has a birthday surprise for me. She's always so thoughtful."

"Yes she is. Tell her I said hello and don't forget about your birthday dinner tonight. It's just going to be me, you, and Sheridan. I have an idea. Since Gwen is out of town, why don't you bring Theresa with you?"

"That's a great idea. I'll ask her if she wants to come. Goodbye, Mother."

"Goodbye, Sweetheart." Shortly after Ethan left, Grace came out from around the corner and sat down at a table with Eve.

"I saw you nosing around by the corner. What did you find out?" Eve asked, her curiosity driving her insane.

"I found out that at the ski lodge Ivy caught Julian there with another woman."

"So the rumors are true. I knew that man was a pig."

"I never thought they were really true until I heard Ivy and Ethan talking. Also, Ivy started acting a little strange."

"How so?"

"Ethan said that he couldn't believe that his Father would treat her that way. She said that he never did treat her that way. When Ethan asked what she meant, she made up some lame excuse."

"Then do you think she's lying about Julian having an affair?"

"No, I think that's true. I just think she's hiding something."

"Like what? It might be her past relationship with Sam. I doubt her son knows anything about that."

"I don't think that's it, either. I just have a feeling that it's a very important secret."

'You're starting to sound just as crazy as Charity.' Eve said to herself.

"I have an idea, Eve. Come on."

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Grace and Eve came home from the Book Cafe and Grace went back up to the attic. When she came out, she was holding the box of Sam's things.

"What are you doing, Grace?" Eve asked her with a suspicious look on her face.

"Let's bring these to Charity's room." Eve nodded and then they walked into Charity's room. Charity was sitting on her bed reading a magazine.

"Aunt Grace, Dr. Russell, what's in the box?" She asked as she put her magazine aside.

"I need your help with something, Charity." Grace said as she pulled out the small velvet box and one of the love letters. "Hold these." Charity looked at Grace as if she were crazy, but did as she was told. She took the box in one hand and the letter in the other. After a few seconds, she began to get visions.

*Visions*

"I love you, Sam." Ivy said as she looked into his eyes.

"I love you, too, Ivy. I'll love you forever." He said as he leaned his head down and kissed her.

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"Pilar, where's Ivy?" Sam asked.

"Ivy's gone. She's married to Julian now."

"No!"

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"Don't make me do this, Father. I don't want to marry Julian Crane. I love someone else." Ivy yelled as tears fell down her cheeks.

"You will do as I say! If you don't marry him, that bastard baby that you're pregnant with won't live to see the delivery room and your mysterious lover won't live to see tomorrow!"

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*End of Visions*

Eve and Grace stared at Charity. She looked as if she were in a trance.

"Charity, what do you see?" Grace asked.

"I don't understand it, Aunt Grace. I can't tell you." Charity didn't want to tell her aunt that she saw her husband with another woman in her visions.

"Please, Charity. Tell us everything that you see. We need to know."

"Okay. I see Uncle Sam....with Ivy Crane."

"Okay, Charity. What are they doing?"

"A lot of different things. They're saying they love each other and then Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald tells Uncle Sam that Mrs. Crane married Mr. Crane. Then I saw Mrs. Crane talking with her parents and they said she had to marry Julian Crane or they would kill her unborn child and Uncle Sam. I don't understand what any of this means, Aunt Grace. What's wrong with me, Dr. Russell?"

"Nothing, Charity. Why don't you take a nap." Eve suggested as she took the letter and box from her hands. Charity nodded and then laid on her bed. Grace and Eve left the room.

"What baby was Charity talking about?" Grace asked as they walked down the stairs.

"I don't know, but I know how we can find out. Let's go to the hospital and look up Ivy's medical records." Grace nodded and they headed to the hospital.

Chapter 3

Eve and Grace arrived at the hospital and snuck into the room where the medical records are kept.

"You could get into a lot of trouble for this, Eve. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it, we won't get caught." Eve went up the computer and hacked into Ivy's medical records.

"Go back to the year 1975." Grace said and Eve did as she was told. They skimmed the computer screen for a while and not much came up. All of the sudden, just what they were looking for popped up.

"Look, Grace. This shows that she got a pregnancy test down in late July of 1975. Nine months after that would make it April." They sit back and try to think for a moment.

"Oh my God, Eve."

"What is it?"

"Today is April 4. When I was eavsedropping on Ethan and Ivy earlier, Ivy told Ethan not to forget about his birthday dinner tonight."

"Let's look up Ethan's birth certificate." Eve got back onto the computer and after a couple of minutes, Ethan's birth certificate appeared across the screen. Two things specifically caught their attention: His name said Ethan Samuel Crane and his birthdate said April 4, 1975.

"Does this mean that Ethan is Sam's son?"

"I don't know for sure, Grace, but that's how it looks. What do you want to do?"

"I think I'm going to take Sam out to dinner tonight."

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"Thank you for bringing me to dinner tonight, Ethan." Theresa said as they walked into the Lobster Shack.

"You're very welcome, Theresa. Let's go find my Mother and Sheridan." He said as put his hand out for her to take. "Shall we?"

"We shall." She said as she took his hand in hers. They found Sheridan and Ivy and sat down with them.

"Oh, Theresa, you look beautiful." Ivy said as she noticed the beautiful dress Theresa was wearing.

"Thank you, Mrs. Crane. So do you."

"Your brother doesn't know you're here, does he?" Sheridan asked her.

"Luis would be so angry if he knew. Please don't tell him, Sheridan."

"Your secret is safe with me."

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"This was a great idea, Grace. Where do you want to sit?" Sam asked as they walked inside the Lobster Shack.

"Well, it looks like all the tables are gone. Look, Sam. It's Ivy." Sam looked over to where Grace was pointing and then he noticed Theresa sitting with her.

"Is that Theresa over there with three Cranes?"

"Oh, I guess it is. I wonder what she's doing over there. Why don't we go say hi." Grace suggested as Sam nodded his approval. They walked up to the table. "Well, Ivy, we meet again." Ivy looked up from the table and saw Sam and Grace.

"Grace, Sam, it's great to see you."

"What are you doing here tonight?"

"Well, it's Ethan's birthday and we're having dinner."

"Well happy birthday, Ethan." Sam chimed in.

"Thank you, Chief Bennett."

"So how old are you, Ethan?" Grace asked, trying to be even more nosy.

"25."

"So you were born in 1975?"

"Yes." Everyone was looking at Grace as if she were crazy. Ivy was starting to get nervous.

"So, Ivy, that means you got pregnant around July of 1975. Is that right?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. You know, we really should get back to our dinner."

"Sam, didn't you leave Harmony around July of 1975?"

"Yes, Grace, but that's not important. Why don't we leave the Cranes alone and let them enjoy their dinner." Now Sam was starting to get nervous.

"I'm sure they don't mind. Ivy, when did you marry Julian?"

"July of 1975. Why all the questions, Grace?"

"I'm just curious, that's all. A lot of things happened in July of 1975. Let's see, Ivy got pregnant, Sam left town, and Ivy married Julian. Ivy, are you sure you didn't know Sam then?"

"I'm sure."

"What about you, Sam? Are you sure you didn't know Ivy?"

"I never knew Ivy. What's with all the questions?"

"You had heard of her, though?" She asked, ignoring Sam's question.

"Well, yeah. Who hadn't?"

"You liked her a lot, didn't you?"

"What? I didn't even know her."

"Oh, my mistake. You must have had all these pictures of her up in the attic just for safekeeping, right?" Grace said as she pulled out the pictures and letters. "It's kind of funny that there are love letters from Ivy to you, especially since you didn't know each other. They must have been for another Sam. But then that doesn't explain the pictures of you together, does it? Were you just posing together because she was the Governor's daughter and you wanted her autograph?"

"Grace, I---"

"You know what's even funnier? Ethan was born only nine months after Sam left town. And you know what, Sam? Eve and I ran across his birth certificate and you'll never guess what his middle name is. It's Samuel!" Ivy and Sam kept looking at each other and it was obvious to Ethan that they were both scared. Ethan, Sheridan, and Theresa were just flat out confused. "You know what would be funny? What if Ethan was your son, Sam?"

Chapter 4

Ivy started feeling really dizzy. She couldn't believe that Grace had just said that. If the truth came out, all hell would break loose. Ivy stood up to deny Grace's accusations.

"Grace, this whole thing is crazy!"

"Crazy? Are you sure that Ethan isn't Sam's son?" Grace shot back. All of the sudden, Ivy fell to the ground and was out cold. Sam immediately ran to her side. "Was it something I said?" Grace asked. By Sam's quick reaction to Ivy, all of her questions were answered. Ivy and Sam still loved each other and she knew that she couldn't stand in their way. She was very hurt by everything, but she actually felt relieved. For months she had been jealous of Ivy Crane and in the pit of her stomach, she knew that she had every reason to be jealous. Ivy had something that she could never have: Sam's everlasting love. And now he'll realize that they share an even deeper bond: a son. She also knew that once the truth came out that Ivy lied to Sam about Ethan because his life was threatened, he'd love her forever. Grace was going to do the only thing that would work out for everyone. She was going to step aside and let them be happy. Before quietly leaving, she left a stack of papers, a letter, and a small velvet box sitting on the table.

"Mother, can you hear me?" Ethan said as he knelt down by Ivy's side with Sam.

"Ivy, wake up." Sam said. Finally, her eyes began to open and she looked up at them.

"Sam? Ethan? What happened?" She said as they helped her sit up.

"You fainted. Is what Grace said true? Is Ethan my son?" Sam asked. Ivy couldn't deny it anymore.

"Yes, Sam, but---"

"You mean you have kept him from me?!" He said as he cut her off.

"I had to. Please, let me explain."

"No! I don't need any explanations from you! You've kept my son from me and now I've probably lost my wife! I never want to see you again." Ivy felt the tears rushing to her eyes. Her worst fear was coming true. She was going to lose Sam and possibly Ethan.

"Ethan--" She said as she turned to him.

"Just leave, Mother. You make me sick." Ivy held back the tears and quickly left the Lobster Shack. Sheridan saw how upset she was and decided to go after her. Theresa stayed behind to comfort Ethan. Sam didn't know what to say. He looked down at the table and noticed the papers sitting there. He picked up the letter that was sitting on top and read it to himself:

Sam,

If you are reading this letter, than that means that I was right about you loving Ivy Crane. I should be angry, but I'm not. Eve and I found a box of your things up in the attic and discovered the sacred memories that you hid in there. By the looks of the many pictures, I can see that you and Ivy have an unbreakable bond. We had Charity hold some of the items in her hands and she had visions. I know it may sound crazy, but I believe her. One particular vision was of Ivy with her parents and they told her that if she didn't marry Julian, they would kill you and your unborn child, Ethan. If you don't give her a chance to explain, just know that she did what she did to save your life. I know that you still want to be with her. You have my blessing and my understanding. Go be with her. I also left you divorce papers and the engagement ring that you made for Ivy in 1975. You know what to do. I will never forget the memories we shared or the good times we had and we will always have our children.

Love, Grace

After Sam finished reading the letter, he felt horrible for what he had said to Ivy and what he had done to Grace. But he did feel better knowing that he had Grace's blessing.

"Read this, Ethan." He said as he handed him the letter. "I have to go do something. I'll talk to you later."

Chapter 5

"I've lost them both forever, Sheridan." Ivy said as she began to cry. Sheridan had finally tracked her down by the pier.

"You haven't lost them, Ivy."

"You were there. You heard what they said. They wouldn't even let me explain."

"They're just angry and surprised. After they cool down, they'll come around. I know that Ethan loves you very much." Sheridan reassured her.

"I know that. If they don't forgive me, I don't know how I can live." She said as she broke down in sobs. Sheridan came up and put her arm around her.

"Don't talk like that. It's going to be okay."

"Sheridan, can I talk to Ivy alone?" Sam asked as he came up to the pier.

"Of course." She said before leaving.

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"I can't believe how awful I was to my Mother." Ethan said to Theresa as they walked through the park.

"Ethan, don't be so hard on yourself. You didn't know."

"Thank you for being here for me, Theresa. You're a great friend." He said, smiling. "I still can't believe that Chief Bennett is my Father."

"Neither can I. Maybe Luis won't object to us being together." Theresa said, not realizing it.

"What?"

"Did I just say that outloud?" Theresa was getting scared. She couldn't believe what she just said to Ethan.

"Yes, you did. What did you mean by that? Do you have feelngs for me?" 'Please say yes! Please say yes!' He said to himself. He knew that he had feelings for her.

"Yes, Ethan. I'm in love with you."

"Well, then there's only on thing I can do." She gave him a terrified look and she was on the verge of tears. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss. "I'm in love with you, too, Theresa."

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Ivy stared at Sam, with tears in her eyes, not sure of what to say. He walked up to her and looked into her eyes. She wasn't sure what he was going to do, so she just stood there nervously. Finally, she broke the silence.

"What did you need to talk to me about?"

"I am so sorry that I didn't let you explain. You are the most unselfish person that I have ever met. You saved my life and our son's life and here I was saying cruel things to you. I hope that you can forgive me and that you will marry me." Ivy was taken aback. 'Did he just ask me to marry him?' She asked herself.

"What? You want me to marry you?" The tears were now falling from her eyes. Sam took his thumb and gently wiped them away.

"Let me do this the right way." He got down on one knee and held her hand in his. "Ivy, I have loved you since the first moment that I saw you. Even though we weren't together for all those years, I never stopped loving you. Everyday my love just grew stronger and it will continue to grow stronger for the rest of our lives. I would be very happy if you would do me the honor of marrying me. So, Ivy Winthrop Crane, will you marry me?" He asked as he took the ring out from the velvet box and slipped it on her finger.

"Yes, Sam! I will marry you!" Sam stood up and took her into his arms and kissed her. "But what about Julian and Grace?"

"Grace already filed for divorce and we'll work something out with Julian. It's going to be a tough fight, but we can get through it. I love you."

"I love you, too."

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THE END