Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat *NOT*, own Passions or anything even closely related to Passions! I may borrow some things sometimes like names, place, Jesse Metcalfe and Galen Gering... But I always return everything... ,Eventually! Aah, I'm just kidding of course! Had you going there for a minute huh? ;o)

Author's Note: This is only my second attempt at a Passions fanfiction, so please, be gentle. This story takes place right after 2/17's episode of Passions and will mainly deal with the characters Kay, Miguel, Charity, Luis, Sheridan, Whitney, Simone, Chad, Theresa, Ethan, and Gwen. I'll incorporate some other characters from time to time, but those are the main ones. Still makes for an interesting story though right? Please send feedback! Good, bad, opinions, suggestions, etc! ANYTHING! Just don't curse me out if you hate my writing. If you have constructive criticism, great! So... On to the story!

Rating: PG-14

"I'm a jinx."

Miguel looked at Charity, confused. "What are you talking about Charity?" he asked, bringing his hands up to her shoulders, but she moved back and Miguel brought his arms down. "You're not a jinx!"

"I am!" Charity nodded desperately, "Especially to you! Don't you see Miguel? You nearly died yesterday!"

"So did you!" Miguel countered; still not fully comprehending what Charity was talking about.

"But you almost died because of me," she shook her head, her blond hair bobbing. "You always almost die because of me. When you rescued me from the fire at my house, when you saved me from the train when I passed out on the train tracks, yesterday at the ice skating rink."

"Charity, that's insane! That wasn't because of you, none of those things were your fault."

"Yes they were Miguel. I'm afraid something else is going to happen to you and I can't bear the thought of that. Please, just go," Charity looked down, her eyes starting to fill with tears. Miguel just looked at her with wonderment.

~

"This is perfect Simone!" Kay exclaimed happily, her eyes still glued to Charity and Miguel. Kay and Simone were spying on them from Kay's room; she had opened the door a crack and the two girls had a perfect view of them.

"What are you talking about Kay?"

"Charity doesn't wanna see Miguel anymore because she thinks she's a jinx and will hurt him. She loves him too much to want to put him in danger and Miguel would never go against her wishes and try to force her to be with him! Now there's no way they'll be together anymore," Kay smiled, her dark eyes shining with hope at the prospect.

Simone shook her head. "I don't know Kay. What makes you think Miguel won't be able to convince her that she's not a jinx? You know he doesn't think she is!"

"I know," she sighed impatiently, "But once Charity hears all the rumors at school that proves I was telling the truth she'll be more convinced than ever."

"But there are no rumors going on about her at school."

Kay smirked. "Not yet."

"Kay Bennet, how can you even think of doing that to your cousin?" Simone hissed.

"Oh come on Simone," Kay rolled her eyes, "It's not like worst rumors haven't been spread before."

"But your own cousin? What will Charity and your parents think of you spreading rumors about her?"

"I won't be the one spreading the rumors," Kay shook her head, "You will!"

~

Theresa stared at the ring that was now sliding loosely off her finger.

"I'm sorry Ethan," she whispered to herself as she eavesdropped on Ethan and Gwen arguing, "but I can't let you marry her! She doesn't deserve you."

Theresa sighed and looked up heavenward. "I'm sorry," she sniffed, her eyes tearing up, "but I can't let Ethan marry Gwen. I know you understand! You have to! You know how much I love Ethan and would do anything to keep him from being hurt and in the long run marrying Gwen would hurt him. He doesn't truly love her, he can't!"

She looked back down at the ring. "And I know everyone thinks this is wrong, but I can't help it. Ethan loves me, I know he does. Deep in his heart of hearts he knows we belong together. Why else would he have put this ring on my finger? He could've taken his mother or my mother for that reason! He

chose me. It was FATE!"

"But then why did Fate decide to let the ring fall off now?" Theresa wondered after a short pause, sliding the ring to the tip of her finger. She stared down at it, thoughts of insecurity running through her head, but those quickly vanished. "No! Fate was at work before, but it only takes you so far. Then you have to make your own decisions. Maybe I have to prove my love for Ethan now by doing everything possible to keep him from marrying Gwen," Theresa nodded, satisfied with her theory and pushed the ring back to the

base of her ring finger.

~

Luis stared out over the water at the edge of the docks, the steam from his coffee blowing up in his face. He had been there since nearly sunrise, just thinking and evaluating his life. He had almost lost his brother last night and if the ice had cracked while Theresa was on the ladder he would've lost her too. He shook his head, not wanting the thoughts to invade his mind. If he didn't have his family, his whole family, what did he have to live for?

"Penny for your thoughts?" a soft voice spoke from behind him.

He turned and saw Sheridan standing behind him with a compassionate smile on her face. He smiled back and turned around. "I don't know if they're going for that cheap these days. They're pretty heavy."

"How about I lend you a ear? Maybe even two?" She walked over next to him and they both turned to look at the water. "What's on your mind?"

Luis shrugged. "A lot of things. Mainly about last night."

"You mean Miguel and Charity?"

"Yeah. When Miguel fell through that ice… I don't know. Something inside me snapped."

"You almost jumped in after him," Sheridan nodded, recalling the past night's events, "Hank and everyone had to hold you back."

Luis nodded. "When I saw him go into that water and thought that he may never come out, I went dead inside. I didn't know what to do. My family means everything to me," he sighed, taking a sip of his coffee.

"But he's okay now Luis," she tried to comfort him. "You were able to save him."

"But what if we hadn't been able to? What if he had been in there for too long? What if the ice had cracked while Theresa was over it on the ladder? I would've lost both of them!"

"But everything's okay," Sheridan said in a soothing voice, placing her hand on his arm gently, "You can't keep torturing yourself with the thoughts of 'What if'. You have to focus on the fact that it didn't happen. Everything turned out okay."

Luis placed his other hand over hers and smiled at her. "Thanks. I appreciate this."

"It's no problem," she breathed, staring deep into his dark brown eyes.

~

"Gwen!" Ethan cried after her, grabbing her arm.

"No, Ethan, no!" she screamed back, tears pouring out of her eyes. "I don't know what's going on with you, but I know you're keeping something from me and I don't like it! Why are you being so secretive about this ring? Why can't you give it to me? Unless you answer those questions right now, I'm out of here!" Gwen declared.

Ethan stared at her blankly. How could he tell her that the ring was on Theresa's finger? No matter how he told the story she would get mad at him and even more mad at Theresa. Even though Gwen had told him on numerous occasions that she had no more hard feelings towards Theresa, Ethan knew she still didn't fully trust her. He didn't blame Gwen, at least she wasn't openly bad-mouthing her anymore, but this information would send Gwen into a rage.

Gwen shook her head and sighed. "I knew it," she shook her head and turned to go.

"No, Gwen!" Ethan pleaded and grabbed her hand, bringing her close to him. She tried to pull away but he held her tight. "Just listen to me!" She stopped struggling and he pulled her to sit next to him on the couch.

"I'm listening Ethan, but not for long!"

"Okay, okay. Well, as you know, I was going to propose to you today."

"And you have, but without a ring, and you being so weird about it, it wasn't a very joyous occasion."

"Wait Gwen," Ethan took a breath, "I didn't mean to propose to you last night."

"What?"

Ethan thought quickly, he had to keep Gwen in his life! He had been with her for years, she was all he knew. "Well… Today's Valentine's Day and I had something spectacular planned out and I was… Am going to give you the ring today."

Gwen's face lit up. "Oh Ethan! No wonder you've been acting so strange!" she threw her arms around him. "You had a surprise outing planned and didn't want to tell me about it! So I am going to get my ring today? I am?"

"Of course," Ethan nodded quickly without thinking, "But I want to give it to you the way I planned to. It'll be perfect Gwen, you'll see!"

"I know it will Ethan," Gwen smiled, relief flooding her. "And I'm so sorry about over-reacting that way! I don't know how you put up with me sometimes. First with the whole Theresa thing, and now with the ring," she shook her head. "I'm sorry, so sorry! I promise never to act like that again. Oh Ethan, can you forgive me?"

"Of course sweetheart," Ethan grasped her hand and squeezed it lightly.

Gwen leaned in and kissed him, pulling his face closer to hers.

"I love you so much Ethan," she whispered in between kisses.

"I love you too Gwen. But now you have to go."

"What?"

"I have to get things prepared for today. I'll pick you up later when everything's ready."

"Well, okay," Gwen reluctantly agreed with a smile, "but come pick me up the moment everything's done! I can't wait!"

Ethan smiled at her and stood up with her. "Neither can I."

~

Theresa saw Gwen about to exit the living room and ran for the front door, letting herself out quietly. She ducked down behind the bushes and stared at the door. Gwen came out a moment later with Ethan right behind her. They kissed passionately for several moments before Gwen walked down the driveway giddily. Ethan released a deep breath and went back inside.

Theresa stood up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. They hadn't broken up. Ethan was still hoping the ring would fall off Theresa's finger. And it had. Theresa looked at her finger and slid the ring up a little. It was still loose, hadn't gotten stuck again. She sighed and more tears dropped from her eyes.

Taking a breath, she walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Ethan answered it right away.

"Theresa!" he exclaimed when he saw her, "Any luck with the ring?"

~

"What do you mean I'm going to spread the rumors about her Kay?" Simone demanded, her eyes narrowed.

"Simone, I can't do it! I'm her cousin like you said. The kids at school will think I'm cruel. But if you casually mention something about it then it wouldn't look so weird," Kay reasoned.

Simone shook her head. "No! No way, forget it Kay! I am not doing your dirty work for you," she moved away from the door and perched on Kay's bed, her arms folded.

"Simone!" Kay pleaded, "I hardly ever ask you for any favors. Can't you do me just this one?"

"No. *Forget* it," Simone stressed. "Being mean to Charity and talking bad about her behind her back is one thing, but spreading vicious rumors about her? That's beneath even you Kay."

"What does that mean?" Kay fired at Simone. "Okay, one, calling her a jinx is not vicious! And two, what do you mean beneath even me?"

"Nothing," Simone shook her head, "But I'm not doing it."

"Who's the one who covered for you the other night when Chad came over and your mom saw him here?"

Simone looked down, silent. "That was a completely different situation Kay."

"No it wasn't! You needed someone to help you out and I was there for you. Now you couldn't even do this one simple thing for me?"

Simone sighed and hung her head. "All right, all right! Enough with the guilt trip!"

Kay beamed and hugged Simone. "Thank you, you're the best!"

"I know, I know," she shook her head.

Kay ran back to the door to see what was going on with Miguel and Charity.

~

"Charity, this is ridiculous!" Miguel tried to convince her, "You are most definitely not a jinx. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Charity looked up with a smile. "Really? I am?"

Miguel nodded and tried to move closer to her.

"No Miguel!" Charity exclaimed. "I can't let you get close to me anymore," she shook her head at him, "I can't let anything happen to you. I care about you too much."

"Nothing is going to happen to me! When I'm with you I feel happier than I ever feel," Miguel said sincerely, taking her hands into his. This time she didn't pull away.

"Oh, Miguel, me too!" Charity grinned, nodding her head; "I feel the same exact way. But I don't want anything to happen to you. I'd rather be miserable than put you in harm's way!"

"I won't be in harm's way," Miguel swore, bringing her close to him. He hugged her and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burrowing her face in his shoulder. "Who told you this anyway?"

~

Kay, who had been glaring at the scene before her, felt her mouth drop open.

"No!" she hissed, "She can't tell Miguel I told her this! He can't know!"

Simone stood up and walked over to Kay with a smirk. "Face it Kay, your actions have consequences. Charity and Miguel may not be together anymore, but Miguel won't be with you either once he finds out you're the one who told Charity all this!"

"Shhh!" Kay whispered impatiently, straining her ears to hear what Charity would say.

Rating: PG-14

"Theresa?" Ethan looked at her. "Any luck with the ring?" he repeated his question.

"Um… Well," Theresa tried to stall, thinking of what she should say.

"How rude of me," Ethan shook his head, "Come in, come in." He led Theresa into the house. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

"No," Theresa shook her head; her thoughts not really focused on drinking. "No thank you."

"What about the ring? Did it come off yet?"

Theresa looked at Ethan. He looked so hopeful, his gorgeous blue eyes sparkling with pure optimism. Marrying Gwen would make him so happy… For now. But later on he would realize what a mistake it was! He would! She couldn't let him do it; she couldn't let him ruin his life like that. But then again, she shouldn't be trying to control his life like this. And she shouldn't lie to the man she loved. But why couldn't he love her too? He did, he had to! He just didn't realize it yet. She had to make him realize it.

"Theresa? Did it?" Ethan questioned again, his tone becoming a little more desperate.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't torture him anymore. Theresa knew he was in emotional torment and she didn't want to see him that way. Putting her hands behind her back she slid the ring off, it came off easily, just like before. Pulling it out from behind her back, she put on a happy smile. "Yes, Ethan, yes! It just came off as I was on the way over here!"

Ethan laughed; pure happiness was evident on his face. "Theresa, that's wonderful!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her. "You are wonderful! Thank you so much! I'm so sorry, this must've put you in such an awkward situation, but now it's over. Thank God it's over!"

Theresa managed a thin laugh, but she already felt a tear trickle down her cheek. Ethan was still hugging her so he didn't notice, but Theresa was in pure agony. She felt as if her chest might burst with all the sobs she was trying to keep in. That was it, she had lost him. Forever.

"Good-bye Ethan," she mouthed silently, another tear streaming down her face. Theresa pulled away from him abruptly, turning around right away so he wouldn't see her face.

"Well, I have to go Ethan. I'm gonna be late for school."

"Of course," Ethan nodded. "Oh, but Theresa? If it wouldn't be too much trouble could you come by soon after?"

At this Theresa turned around, confused. "Why?"

He looked at her with a desperate look in his eyes. "I need you."

Theresa felt her heart lift and a smile crossed her face.

~

Luis and Sheridan had left the docks and were now walking leisurely towards the center of town.

"You're lucky to have a family like yours Luis," Sheridan was saying, "You all love each other so much."

Luis smiled, knowing that Sheridan was right. "Yeah, I know. That's why I can't even imagine going through life without them," he said, his face darkening with sadness.

"But you're not gonna go through life without them. They'll always be there for you. Which is a lot more than I can say for my family," Sheridan added bitterly.

"You don't get along with them at all?"

Sheridan rolled at her eyes. "Not at all. You see the way I am with my brother; we're constantly at each other's throats. My father isn't much better… He tries and pretends he cares, but I know he just wants me out of his hair. Then Ivy… Well, she's nice enough, but we're not all that close. The only person I really care for in my family is my nephew Ethan. He's been there for me through everything; I don't know what I would do without him. Sometimes it's hard to believe he's even a Crane!" she laughed and shook her

head.

"But at least you could take all that money you have and put it to good use. You can buy a castle in another part of the world and never see them again."

"And you think that's what I want?" she looked at him in disbelief. "You think that would make me feel better, never seeing them again? What I want money could *never* buy! I want their love, not their money. God, what do you think of me as? A money hungry selfish, greedy wench who has no purpose in life except to live off her daddy's money?"

Luis looked at her in shock. He hadn't expected that outburst from her. "All right, I'm sorry. I never meant to imply that. I know you're not like that, I just thought that if you really hate them as much as you say you would feel better not being around them," he tried to explain himself.

Sheridan sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to explode like that. I'm just sick of people judging me by my name and the amount of money I have in my checkbook."

"I can understand that. I don't know what that feels like, but I can imagine."

"And I've tried to run away before… I was living in Paris before I came back to Harmony just because I didn't want to be bothered with Julian and my father. But, you have to face your demons sometimes. I don't want to keep running I want to face things. And if that means dealing with all this, then so be it."

"Well, I can't say I don't admire your courage Sheridan," Luis smiled at her, trying to make peace. He saw she was still a little miffed at what he had said.

"I have to say I admire it too," she joked, smiling also. "But sometimes I don't know if it's courage… Or stupidity that's keeping me here. I actually was thinking of going back to Paris once my community service hours are done with at the Youth Center."

Luis looked at her. "*Was* thinking?"

Sheridan shrugged. "I'm not so sure anymore."

"Well, what exactly is keeping you here in Harmony?"

Sheridan looked up at him uncertainly, not sure what to say.

~

"What?"

"Who got this idea in your head?" Miguel asked Charity.

Charity bit her lower lip. If she said that Kay had mentioned it Miguel might be mad at her. Besides, Kay was only trying to look out for her right? She just wanted to warn Charity, not to try to make her feel bad.

Charity shook her head. "No one. It's just something I was thinking about," she finally answered.

Miguel pulled away from her and looked at her face. "Are you sure?"

Charity paused. She couldn't lie to Miguel; she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

"Guys," Kay suddenly came up to them with Simone right behind her, "We're gonna be late for school!" She handed Charity and Miguel their bags. "Your mom came over before to drop yours off on her way to work," she explained to Miguel.

Miguel nodded absent-mindedly. "Thanks. Me and Charity will be right down."

"Miguel," Kay chastised, "We're gonna be late! Come on Charity," she grabbed Charity's hand and began to pull her down the stairs.

Simone shrugged and smiled sweetly. "She's right Miguel. We are gonna be late. And I think we've all had enough absences and latenesses this year!"

Miguel agreed reluctantly and him and Simone followed Kay and Charity down the stairs.

"Good morning everyone," Kay exclaimed loudly as she breezed into the kitchen and took a seat at the table next to Jessica.

"Why are you in such a good mood today?" Jessica looked at Kay with annoyance. "Thought of yet another scheme to try and get Miguel away from Charity?" she added in a lower tone, her voice full of disgust.

"Shut up you annoying twit!" Kay hissed as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. "I have matured over the last few months."

Jessica looked at Kay for another several seconds and then shook her head. "Whatever it is, it won't work you know."

Kay glared at her. "You have no idea what you're talking about!"

Eve, who was at the stove making pancakes, looked at Charity. "Hi Charity, how are you feeling today?"

"Oh, I'm okay Dr. Russell," Charity smiled as she took a seat between Miguel and Kay. "I'm feeling a lot better!"

"Are you sure you can go to school today?"

Charity nodded. "I'm sure I'll be okay. Miguel and Kay will be there to help me," she continued smiling and looked at Miguel, who smiled back at her.

"I don't know," Eve sighed, "Miguel, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling great Dr. Russell," Miguel assured her, "I'll be able to take care of Charity."

"He's always able to take care of her," Jessica grinned, looking at Kay purposely.

Kay gave her a cold look, then turned to Miguel. "So Miguel we're gonna get together tonight and study for that History test tomorrow right?"

"Um… I don't know Kay. I think I may have to stay with Charity tonight."

"What! This is a *major* test and I really need some help studying. We've planned this study da-" Kay stopped herself as she was saying "date", "session for months! You can't just leave me hanging."

"I know and I'm sorry, but I wanna make sure Charity's gonna be all right."

"I'll be fine Miguel," Charity smiled at him, "You go and study with Kay."

Miguel looked at Kay. "Can't you find another study partner? Maybe Simone?"

"Simone's not in the class Miguel," Kay pointed out, ready to explode, "And you know how killer Mrs. Brink's tests are! And you're one of the best students in the class."

"I'm sorry Kay but I really want to stay with Charity tonight."

Kay huffed, her face growing red with frustration. What had gotten into Miguel? How could he just blow her off like this? She was supposed to be his best friend! She looked at Simone with disbelief, but Simone could only shrug uncomfortably and looked back down at her pancakes.

"Maybe Reese could help you Kay," Jessica suggested with a smug smile, "I'm sure he'd be happy to."

"Yeah," Miguel's face lit up, "Reese isn't in our class, but he has Mrs. Brink 4th period and they're covering the same material as us."

"But-" Kay began, but was cut off by Eve.

"Kids, hurry up! You'll be late for school!"

"I'm done anyway," Charity stood up.

"Me too," Miguel did the same.

The two filed out into the living room to get their coats, followed by Jessica. They all chorused, "Thank you Dr. Russell."

"My pleasure," Eve smiled and looked at Simone and Kay, "You two better get a move on too."

Simone nodded and stood up, pulling a shocked Kay by the arm. "Okay, bye Mom. Thanks!"

"Yeah, thanks Dr. Russell," Kay nodded distractedly, following Simone into the living room. "I have to talk to Miguel!" she whispered to Simone and walked a little faster to get her coat. She threw it over her shoulders, grabbed her bag, and threw open the front door, but Miguel and Charity were already out the gate and down the block.

"Face it Kay," Jessica said happily as she brushed past her, "You've lost him!"

Rating: PG-14

Sheridan continued looking up at Luis, hesitating about her answer. What was keeping her here in Harmony? Surely it wasn't her family, although she loved Ethan very much. Deep down she knew the answer… It was Luis. For reasons beyond either of them, Sheridan had fallen for him and she had fallen

hard.

"Sheridan? What is it? Is it Hank?" Luis asked.

Without thinking Sheridan nodded, she would take any excuse not to tell Luis how deep her feelings for him rang. He probably didn't feel the same thing for her. "Wow Luis, you must know me better than I thought," she smiled.

"It is Hank?"

"Yeah… I, uh, really like him," Sheridan looked away. It wasn't a total lie… She did like Hank, just not in that way and not nearly as much as she liked Luis.

Luis nodded, his face expressionless, yet something in his eyes betrayed his cool demeanor. He looked sad and even a little envious. No, that can't be it Sheridan thought incredulously. Could it?

"Well, you guys make a great couple," Luis put on a smile nodded, "I can almost hear the wedding bells!"

"It's not that serious… Yet," she added, "I don't want to rush into anything. Been hurt too many times to take any relationship callously."

Luis looked at her with concern. "How many is too many?"

Sheridan shook her head. "I think I lost count. I just always have my guard up from now on… Not that it always works. Usually the biggest jerks get by me. Those are the ones I have to worry about!"

"Well, you don't have to worry about Hank. He's not like that," Luis assured her.

"You're not either though," Sheridan said sincerely.

He looked at her in surprise and she looked down, not believing she just

said that.

~

"You… You need me?" Theresa repeated Ethan's words in a shaky breath.

"Yes," Ethan nodded, "You see, I told Gwen she would get the ring as a special Valentine's Day surprise… And now that I have the ring I can give it to her, but I don't want her to think I lied to her."

Theresa nodded with understanding. "So you want me to…"

"Help me plan the Valentine's Day surprise," Ethan finished, a hopeful smile on his face.

I can't do this, Theresa thought; I can't help him plan a romantic date with Gwen. That would be *too* painful! "I don't know Ethan…"

"I'll completely understand if you don't want to," Ethan quickly interrupted, "I've put you through enough for mine and Gwen's relationship."

Theresa bit her lower lip. She was the one that had jeopardized Ethan and Gwen's relationship on more than one occasion… And she had actually felt happy about it at the time. But now she felt horrible. I have to make up for it, she thought.

"No, Ethan, wait. I'll help you. I was just thinking if I had any plans this afternoon… But I don't so I'll be glad to help."

Ethan grinned boldly. "Thanks Theresa, you're the best! Seriously, I don't know what I would do without you."

If Theresa had heard Ethan say that a few hours ago she would've been overjoyed, but now that she had given him back his ring and he was definitely proposing to Gwen she found it fruitless to take pride in that compliment.

"I'll be over after school," she promised him.

"Great," Ethan followed Theresa to the door, a huge smile plastered over his face. "I'll be here."

Theresa smiled weakly and then opened the door and rushed out. She was about to burst into tears and she didn't want Ethan to see her that way.

Ethan waved, then closed the door and leaned back against it. He had the ring safely in his hands and Theresa was going to help him plan something for Gwen that night… Everything had fallen perfectly into place… So why did he still have this nagging feeling inside his head? He shook his head.

"Must not be that important," he reasoned, and flew up the stairs to start making some arrangements.

~

Charity and Miguel walked into their Homeroom smiling and holding hands, oblivious to the world around them. Kay and Simone walked in behind them, Kay sending daggers at Charity through her eyes.

"I can't believe this!" Kay hissed to Simone, shaking her head as they sat down at their seats. "How could Miguel just bail on me like that? He promised he'd help me study for the test weeks ago. And now just 'cause idiot Charity skated on to the thin ice and fell through, causing Miguel to fall through the ice too, he wants to stay and baby-sit her. She doesn't need a baby-sitter; she needs a nurse armed with sedatives and a straightjacket! Even a tranquilizer gun might be necessary!"

"Kay! That's your cousin," Simone chastised, "Besides, you're the one who didn't warn Charity about the thin ice. So, you have no one to blame for that but yourself."

"There *was* a sign. It's not like she can't read."

"The sign had fallen down!"

"So? Other people noticed it! Excuse me if the girl's clueless and acts like she doesn't have a brain," Kay snapped.

"Okay, okay. Calm down."

Kay sighed. "Damn! I was counting on spending some alone time with Miguel. I'm sure Miguel would be mine by the end of the night!"

"Why Kay?" Simone looked at her suspiciously. "What were you planning on doing?"

"Nothing! I was just going to charm Miguel with my natural beauty and intelligence. I know the material like the back of my hand… I just wanted to be with Miguel."

Simone shook her head. "Just give it up Kay. Maybe you and Miguel aren't meant to be."

"Don't say that! Miguel and I are meant to be… Charity is just a little obstacle we have to overcome to prove our love," Kay assessed. "Besides, even if me and Miguel *aren't* meant to be… I'm going to make us meant to be!"

"What are you going to do Kay?"

"What I should've done in the first place! I'm going to go over his house later and talk to him, alone and without any interruptions. And I'm going to tell him the truth."

"I don't know Kay… Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"Well it's all I can think of right now Simone! But I need your help," Kay looked at her with pleading eyes.

"What now?"

Kay smiled and looked slyly at Charity and Miguel, who were sitting in their seats lost in their own little world. "You know how before you promised you would help me with the whole 'Charity is a jinx' scenario?" Simone nodded, confused. "Well, we're starting that right now! I want this rumor spread all over the school by this afternoon."

"Kay, I don't think-"

"And then," Kay continued, ignoring Simone, "you're going to come over my house later tonight and tell Charity. Keep her occupied, do something! Meanwhile I'll rush over to Miguel's house and tell him. This time nothing's get in the way of him knowing!"

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this Kay," Simone said in awe at what lengths Kay would go to for Miguel.

"Believe it Simone! Oh look! There's Mindy Roxford!" Kay exclaimed excitedly. "She's one of the biggest gossips in the school. Go!"

Simone sighed, but began to walk over to the tall blond.

~

"Theresa!" Whitney called after her friend as she ran down the hallway at school. "Finally! You missed Homeroom, where were you?"

"I'm sorry Whitney," Theresa looked down.

"It's okay… What's wrong?" Whitney examined Theresa's face more closely. "Have you been crying?"

Theresa looked away. "I went over to the Crane mansion this morning, to see Ethan…"

"Oh no," Whitney shook her head, "What happened? Did Gwen find out the ring got stuck on your finger?"

"No. And it's not stuck on my finger anymore," Theresa slowly held up her hand, showing Whitney her bare ring finger.

"Theresa! You got it off? That's wonderful!"

"No, it's not! Now Ethan and Gwen are definitely getting married, and there's not a thing I could do to stop it," she practically yelled, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Oh God, Theresa. Please, calm down sweetie." Whitney took Theresa's hand and led her into the girl's bathroom. Making sure all the stalls were empty, she sat Theresa on a small couch and sat next to her. "Okay, tell me everything."

Theresa burst into tears. "I've lost him Whitney! I've lost him forever!"

"What happened?"

"Last night, after you left… The ring came off. I was just playing around with it and it fell off. And then Ethan called and asked how the situation was… And I lied to him. I told him the ring was still stuck. I lied to the man I love! How could I be so horrible?"

"Theresa, it's okay," Whitney tried to comfort her. "So what happened to the ring then?"

"Well, I felt so guilty so I went over there this morning... To see how things were going between Ethan and Gwen and I heard them arguing. And Ethan told Gwen that she would get her ring as a part of a special Valentine's Day surprise and she was happy. So I hid in the bushes until she left and then I rang the bell and Ethan asked about the ring… And he looked so hopeful and desperate and confused and panicky… I couldn't lie to him. I told him the ring came off. And he was so happy Whitney! He was so happy that he could finally marry Gwen," Theresa sobbed.

"I'm sorry Theresa," she said lowly. "But you know it had to happen eventually. You didn't expect for the ring to be stuck on your finger forever."

"I know…"

"But it's over now at least. You can move on with your life."

"Not exactly… I have to go back to the mansion today after school."

"What? Why!" Whitney demanded.

"Ethan wants me to help him plan his romantic Valentine's Day evening with Gwen," Theresa explained.

"What? Theresa how did you get yourself into that?"

"He asked me! How was I supposed to say no?"

"Like this: NO!"

Theresa looked down, even more tears escaping from her eyes now.

"I'm sorry Theresa," Whitney grasped Theresa's hand and patted it in a comforting manner, "But this is even worse for you. You should've made up some excuse or something.

"Too late for that now," Theresa shrugged, sighing. "I'll just have to deal with it."

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Theresa shook her head. "I don't know Whitney, I really don't know."

Rating: PG-14

Luis smiled at Sheridan. "I'm glad you think that."

Sheridan smiled back at him and their eyes met, sending out signals that

neither Sheridan nor Luis had the courage to say for themselves.

"Sheridan-"

"Luis-"

They laughed at their simultaneous timing.

"You go first," Luis offered.

"No, you."

"Okay, well… I was just wondering if-"

"Hey kids!" a voice boomed from behind them and they turned to see Hank walking up to them. "Having a party without me? That's not polite."

Sheridan and Luis smiled weakly at Hank.

"Hey Hank," Luis nodded at him.

"Hi. Hi Sheridan," Hank smiled at her.

"Hey Hank," she returned the greeting.

"So, what were you guys talking about?"

Sheridan shrugged. "Nothing special." Not yet anyway, she thought, disgruntled by Hank's awful timing.

"You wanna go get some coffee or breakfast?" Hank looked at Sheridan.

"What about…?" Sheridan looked at Luis.

"Oh no, it's fine," Luis shrugged. "I have to get to work anyway. Sam's away for a few days with Grace so I'm the man in charge at the police station," he smiled proudly.

Sheridan laughed. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, dude, that's great," Hank agreed, "Maybe now they'll notice what a hard worker you are and promote you!"

"Well, I guess I should show them what a hard worker I am by actually showing up. I'll see you two later. Stay out of trouble," Luis teased as he began to walk away.

"Can't promise that!" Hank called after him in a joking manner and turned to grin at Sheridan.

Sheridan smiled back, but for some reason Hank was beginning to get more and more annoying to her.

~

Charity and Miguel sat at a cafeteria table, eating lunch and talking softly.

"Miguel, are you sure you shouldn't help Kay tonight?" Charity asked. She had seen that Kay was a little more than mad that Miguel had decided to cancel their study plans.

"Don't worry about Kay. She'll be fine. Reese is an excellent tutor," Miguel smiled, touched by Charity's concern for her cousin. "Besides, I'm sure she'll enjoy being tutored by Reese more than by me."

"That's true," Charity laughed. "They make such a great couple."

"Just like us," Miguel said, squeezing her hand lightly. Charity continued to beam brightly at him.

"Can we interrupt the happy couple?" Jessica teased as she came up to their table followed by Reese and Simone, all holding lunch trays.

"Of course," Charity nodded.

Miguel looked around. "Where's Kay?"

"Oh," Simone pursed her lips as she sat down, "She's uh… Working on a project. She told me she'd have to miss lunch today."

"Oh," Miguel nodded, "She's not really mad at me is she?"

"Yeah, she shouldn't be," Reese spoke up, "I'll help her with her studying!"

Jessica stifled a laugh and took a gulp of milk.

Simone gave her a warning glare and turned back to Miguel. "No Miguel, she's not mad." At *you* anyway, she thought wryly.

"Well Kay's naturally smart," Charity said, still holding the smile she had smeared on her face all morning practically, "I'm sure she'll do fine on the test tomorrow."

Simone shrugged.

"What project is Kay working on anyway?" Miguel wanted to know.

Simone looked down, suddenly extremely fascinated with her runny string beans.

~

Two girls, a tall redhead and a chubby blond, stood in front of the mirrors in the bathroom.

"I heard it from Laura," the blond said, "Who said she heard it from Craig who heard it from Mindy. It all adds up!"

"I don't know," the redhead shook her head, blotting her lipstick, "A

jinx? There is no such thing!"

"Think about it Sandra," the blond continued, "She is awfully clumsy. And Miguel is always hanging around her. With her being that goofy Miguel is sure to get hurt in the process somehow!"

"But a jinx? That's too extreme Mary," Sandra stood her ground.

"I don't think so," Mary said haughtily, running the brush through her short hair, "I think it's just right. I hate that little goody-good anyway. You know that my Johnny likes her!"

Sandra rolled her eyes, but smiled. "He's not *your* Johnny."

"Not yet," Mary giggled. "And not ever if 'Little Miss Perfect' isn't knocked down off her pedestal."

"Come on Mary, give her a break. You don't even know her!"

"Thank God for small favors. You know," Mary added after a slight pause, "there was a rumor about her a few months ago, right when school started. Some people were saying she's a witch."

"A witch?" Sandra burst out laughing. "Don't tell me you believe that!"

"I don't know," Mary shrugged seriously, "But she does hang out with that freaky lady Tabitha and everyone in town thinks she's a kook. Some people say she's a witch."

"'Some people' are morons," Sandra shook her head.

"Whatever," Mary shook her head. "Come on, let's get to lunch. I wanna tell Johnny all about 'Jinx Charity'. See if he likes her then!"

The two girls put away their cosmetics and accessories and left the bathroom. Kay snuck out of the stall they were standing in front of, where she had been standing on the toilet eavesdropping on their conversation.

She smiled happily to herself. Everything was turning out just as she'd hoped.

"At this rate," she whispered to herself, "everyone will have heard this rumor by the end of the school day! And hopefully Charity will have too."

~

Sheridan sighed as she entered her cottage. That was the longest breakfast she ever had! And then Hank had *insisted* on going for a walk around the town to enjoy the early morning air. Sheridan shook her head as she slipped out of her coat and placed it on the coat rack next to the door. Setting her bag down on the little table in the entryway, she proceeded into the living room.

Sheridan had only been sitting on the couch for about two minutes when the phone rang. She reluctantly answered it; all she wanted right now was a nap.

"Hello?"

"Sheridan, good you're home!"

"Hi Ethan," Sheridan smiled, "Yeah, I'm home. Why? Do you need something?"

"Actually I do. I need your help with something. Could you come on over to the main house?"

"Is my brother around?" Sheridan wearily asked.

"No, he went out of town."

"Good. Okay, I'll be right over," she promised and stood up.

"Thanks Sheridan."

Sheridan placed the cordless phone back on the base and walked out of the cottage. She entered the main house and spotted Ethan in the living room.

"What's up?" she asked, walking over to him.

"I told you how the ring got stuck on Theresa's finger right?" Sheridan nodded. "Well, I had to tell Gwen something to make her stop pestering me about it and the only thing that came to mind at that moment was to tell her that I had a whole Valentine's Day surprise planned for her and she would get

her ring then."

"Did she buy it?"

"Yes, but now I actually have to plan something! The good news is though that Theresa managed to get the ring off her finger, so one hurdle cleared. And she's going to stop by later when she gets out of school to help me plan something for tonight, but I need your help too."

"Theresa's going to help you? Well, she's very generous."

Ethan smiled. "I know. She's wonderful; she's nice and funny and so kind."

Sheridan looked at him in disbelief. "Ethan… I don't know, but from the way you talk about her… Are you in love with her? Or do you like her at least?"

"Sheridan! How could you ask me such a thing? Of course I don't love Theresa! I'm marrying Gwen!"

"Okay, calm down!" Sheridan laughed, "I was just wondering Ethan. But it sure does look like you think a lot of her."

"I do," Ethan nodded, "Just not in a romantic way."

"If you're sure," Sheridan shrugged, though she doubted he was. Looks like both Ethan and me have fallen for a Lopez-Fitzgerald, she thought with a smile.

Rating: PG-14

"So are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Whitney asked Theresa for the umpteenth time.

"I'll be fine Whitney," Theresa nodded, though she wasn't all that sure. "I'm just gonna go over there and try to focus on the fact that Ethan and Gwen are together and happy and nothing will change that."

Whitney looked at Theresa sadly. "There's still time to call and cancel," she reminded her, "You can say you have a lot of homework and need to go to the library or something."

"No, I made a promise and I'll keep it." Whitney nodded in understanding.

"Great way to be spending Valentine's Day huh?" Theresa remarked sarcastically.

"Like my day's been a thrill," Whitney pointed out. "I had a Math and Biology test and now I have to go to tennis practice. I'm about ready to drop!"

"Why don't you skip the tennis practice then?"

"Are you crazy? My dad would flip!" Whitney shook her head, her dark curls bouncing. "I'll just go and try not to collapse. It's better than starting this whole big thing with my dad."

"One day you're gonna have to tell him Whit."

Whitney shrugged. "Not today though. My playing tennis means so much to him… Probably because he couldn't achieve his tennis dreams. I don't want to let him down."

"Okay… But take it easy okay?"

"I'll try. Oh, I almost forgot. I put my racket in my dad's office. I have to get it now."

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna head over to the Crane's now I guess. Get this whole thing over with."

"All right. I'll call you later Hon," Whitney gave Theresa's arm an affectionate squeeze.

Theresa smiled and waved, then exited the school building. Whitney walked over towards the staircase, then paused.

"I am way too tired for this," she muttered, and instead went over the elevator. She pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come down. The doors opened and Whitney stepped inside. Just as the doors were closing a hand reached in between them and they opened again and Chad stepped into the elevator.

"What are you doing here?" Whitney demanded.

"I can't use an elevator now?"

"What are you doing in the school?"

"I work for your Dad, remember? I have to meet him in his office."

Whitney rolled her eyes, "Great. Just great!"

Chad sighed and leaned against the back of the elevator. Suddenly the lights in the elevator flickered and it trembled, then it stopped.

~

Charity walked down the hall, smiling brightly at everyone that passed by. Usually they returned her smile, but today they just shot her strange looks. Her smile faded and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Did she have something on her face? Her hands flew to her cheeks, but she didn't feel anything. Up ahead she saw one of her good friends.

"Hi Mary!" Charity ran up to the blond.

Mary shot her friend Sandra a humorous look. "Oh, hi Charity. How are you?"

"I'm great," Charity smiled, "What about you?"

"I'm fantastic," Mary grinned. "Oh, you reminded me! I have to leave now."

Sandra and her began to make their way around Charity.

"Oh," Charity nodded, a bit confused. "Somewhere special you have to be?"

"Yeah," Mary nodded, "Since I'm in a fantastic mood I have to be away from you."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't want you *jinxing* it," Mary smiled sweetly, then turned and her and Sandra hurried away, Mary laughing hysterically.

Charity's face dropped.

"Oh no," she said to herself tearfully, "Kay was right! There are rumors going on about me!"

~

Theresa rang the doorbell to the Crane mansion nervously, taking a deep breath.

"Calm down Theresa, just calm down," she said lowly to herself as she waited for the door to be answered.

"Theresa!" Pilar exclaimed when she saw her daughter standing on the doorstep.

"Hi Mama," Theresa said sheepishly.

"What are you doing here? Did you finally come to your senses and decide to give Ethan the ring?" Pilar questioned.

Theresa nodded as she entered. "Yes, but I did that this morning. I came here and heard him and Gwen arguing and I felt guilty so I gave him the ring."

"Thank God!" Pilar looked up heavenward in relief. "But then why are you here now?"

"I'm helping Ethan plan a romantic evening for Gwen."

"What? Theresita, have you gone crazy?"

"He asked me Mama! What was I supposed to do?" Theresa shrugged.

"But this will be so painful for you Theresa," Pilar predicted, "You still have feelings for him, I know you do. You shouldn't be here helping him plan something for Gwen."

"I know Mama," Theresa looked down, "but he needed me. And I'm stronger than you give me credit for! I can do this."

Pilar looked at her daughter sadly. "I hope you can Theresa, I hope you can," she stroked Theresa's hair.

"Theresa, you're here," Ethan said happily as he came down the stairs with Sheridan right behind him.

"Hi Theresa," Sheridan smiled warmly at her.

"Ethan, Sheridan," Theresa nodded at them.

"Well, come on upstairs," Ethan took her gently by the arm. "I called Sheridan over before so she could help us and we have some ideas already."

"Great," Theresa managed a smile.

"We'll tell you about them upstairs," Sheridan said as they led Theresa upstairs.

Pilar watched the three of them with a sad expression.

~

Kay watched as Miguel stood by his locker, laughing and talking with Reese. Kay sighed. Why did she have to love him so much? She didn't even know! All she knew was that she wasn't able to live without him and she wanted him so badly it hurt sometimes. If only he could look at her as a woman, not just another one of the guys. Although ever since Charity came into his life Miguel hasn't looked at anyone else that way, Kay thought bitterly.

"Take it easy Kay," Simone came up to her, "You'll burn a hole in his head."

Kay dragged her eyes away from him. "I can't help it Simone. It's like this force pulling me towards him."

"But *his* force is pulling him to Charity," Simone reminded her, "And vice-versa."

"Not for long," Kay smirked, "Once Charity hears the rumors about her being a jinx she'll be terrified to be with Miguel. You know how gullible she is!"

Simone shook her head. "I worry about you sometimes Kay. And I really worry about Charity with you after her like this."

Kay sighed. "It's not like I'm gonna kill her Simone!" she hissed.

"Really? I thought that would be your next plan." Kay shot Simone an annoyed look and Simone rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry," Simone sighed.

"Oh my God, Simone look!" Kay whispered excitedly, her eyes glued to the end of the hallway. Simone turned to see Charity running down the hallway, her hand over her mouth, tears running down her cheeks. Everyone turned to look at her as she passed by in shock.

"Charity?" Miguel asked, stepping forward, confused.

Charity paused and looked at Miguel. "Miguel!" she choked out, then shook her head and kept on running, right out the main doors of the school. A few people snickered nervously and that sent everyone else into hysterics.

"Charity!" he called, running after her.

Kay laughed quietly, a delighted smile on her face. "Well, I guess she heard about the rumors."

"I can't believe I was ever a part of this!" Simone shook her head, ashamed.

"Lighten up Simone. It's just a silly rumor. Charity's just too hypersensitive. But now with this rumor and my telling Miguel the truth… She doesn't stand a chance with him!"

"I still don't see how this is going to make Miguel just forget about Charity and run to you."

"Well, once he sees Charity doesn't want to be with him he'll back off. And then when I tell him how I feel he's going to realize he loves me too and we're perfect together," Kay explained patiently to Simone, a hopeful glimmer in her eyes. Simone just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever Kay," she said under her breath, her skepticism obvious.

~

Luis closed the folder he had been skimming through and placed it back in the filing cabinet. Thumbing through the stacks of other folders he picked one out and opened it, scanning the papers in it.

"Hey buddy!" Hank came up behind him.

"Hey Hank," Luis looked up from the folder, "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I was just passing by and decided to pop in."

"Oh, is this what the unemployed do? Wander aimlessly around and annoy the working people?" Luis smiled.

Hank laughed. "Well, that's what I do at least. So, big case?"

"Not really, just trying to get some paperwork done about other previous cases. Nothing too exciting going on in Harmony right now, crime-wise. And that's the way I like it."

"Yeah, but wouldn't it be better for you if something did happen? You could solve the case and win the promotion!" Hank pointed out, following Luis to his desk.

Luis sat down, looking at Hank with an amazed look on his face. "Hey, I would never wish harm upon anyone just for my needs."

Hank shrugged and looked down at Luis's desk. "Hey," he said, picking up a flyer, "What's this?"

Luis glanced at the flyer Hank was holding. "Oh, it was faxed over this morning. It's a warning about a rapist from Pennsylvania. They suspect he's headed up north. They're warning all the police stations from Pennsylvania up to Maine."

"Sounds serious," Hank remarked.

"It is. He's a psycho. I've read a few reports on this guy; he's a convicted felon. But I doubt he'll come to Harmony, probably doesn't even know this place exists."

"I hope so!" Hank shuddered.

"So how was your breakfast with Sheridan?" Luis asked, changing the subject. He had had Sheridan on his mind all day and couldn't help feeling a little resentful of Hank who had been with her all morning.

"Fantastic," Hank grinned, "I'm telling you Luis. Sheridan Crane is the woman for me! And I know she thinks I'm the man for her. We'll be getting married before you know it."

Luis smiled tightly.

Rating: PG-14

"Charity!" Miguel called after her as he raced down the stairs of the school. "Charity please! Charity!"

She finally stopped and turned around, still shaking from the sobs that racked her body. "No Miguel don't! You can't be around me anymore."

"What? Is this because of that whole jinx thing again? Charity that's ridiculous."

"No it's not!" she shook her head violently, "It's true." "No it isn't! I-" Miguel was cut off as he flew backwards. He had stepped on a piece of ice and slipped.

Charity screamed. "See! I am a jinx!" She turned and began running again.

"Charity, no!" he struggled to stand up, wincing at the pain in his back. He began to run after her, but she was already out of sight.

Kay and Simone, as well as a bunch of other onlookers had come outside to witness the action and Kay was overjoyed.

"Oh my God! Did you see that Simone? That could not have gone better if I *planned* it!"

"Did you?"

"What? Of course not!" Kay shook her head. "But I can't say that I'm terribly upset that this happened. This I will definitely be able to use as an advantage," she predicted, smiling slyly.

~

Theresa, Ethan, and Sheridan had been discussing plans for Ethan and Gwen's romantic night in Ethan's room. It was taking forever because Ethan kept on rejecting all the ideas Sheridan and Theresa offered him; he was being so picky.

"Ethan," Sheridan groaned, "I understand that you want everything to be perfect, but don't you think you're being a little impossible now?"

"I am not," Ethan tried to defend himself, "Do you think I'm being impossible Theresa?"

Theresa shrugged, a little uncomfortable with the spotlight on her. "Well, I…"

"See," Sheridan smiled triumphantly, "That's just a polite way of saying 'Of course you are!'"

Ethan rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Who's hungry? I know I am!"

"Yeah me too. Can you ask Cook to fix me up a turkey sandwich?" Sheridan asked.

"Of course," Ethan nodded, standing up, "Anything for you Theresa?"

"No, thank you," Theresa said softly, shaking her head.

"Okay, I'll be right back," Ethan left the room.

Sheridan glanced at Theresa, who was sitting stiffly in Ethan's desk chair. She had been very quiet ever since she arrived, not the way she usually was. Sheridan also noticed a look of sadness about her.

"So, Theresa," she tried to start a conversation, "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Theresa replied, "How about you?"

"I'm doing great," Sheridan smiled. "Oh, how's your brother Miguel?"

"He's doing much better."

"And Charity too?"

"Yeah," Theresa nodded, "They're both back to normal."

"That's good."

Theresa remembered something about the night before. "I saw you last night with Luis."

Sheridan grinned. "Yes… He, uh, saved my life actually. I was about to skate into the thin ice myself and he warned me about it."

"Yeah, that's Luis. He's always playing the hero."

"Well, he does a good job of it," Sheridan laughed, remembering how he had also saved her in New Mexico when she had almost drowned. "I guess he likes showing off his cop skills."

"There's more to it then that," Theresa said without even thinking. She immediately regretted it afterwards.

Sheridan looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

Theresa bit her lower lip. Great, she thought in a panic, Luis is going to kill me. Well, no going back now. "Well, I can tell he thinks of you as more than just another rescue. He likes you."

"He does?" Sheridan found herself smiling dumbly. "How can you tell?"

"Just the way he looks at you I guess. I haven't seen him look at anyone like that since…"

"Since?"

"Since when he was dating Beth in high school actually," she admitted.

Sheridan was taken aback. She had suspected Luis had feelings for her, but she didn't think they ran that deep. But she knew that she liked him very much. Maybe they could make it work after all, despite all the odds against them. She looked at Theresa again and saw her playing idly with her hands.

"Theresa? Could I ask you something a little personal?"

Theresa looked up at Sheridan. "Um… Yeah, sure."

Sheridan took an inward breath. She had suspected that Theresa had feelings for Ethan ever since Gwen had started her jealous rants. At first Sheridan thought that the notion was insane, but after thinking about some things she had realized it may not be that far-fetched after all. There was only one way to find out.

"Do you… Do you have feelings for Ethan?"

Theresa looked at Sheridan in shock. What was she going to say!

~

"What happened?" Whitney asked in a shrill voice, looking around the elevator.

Chad shrugged. "I don't know… Damn, the elevator must be stuck or jammed or something."

"Oh my God!" Whitney went over to the panel of buttons and began pushing them furiously. "Oh my God!"

"Whitney, chill!" Chad looked at her oddly. What had gotten into her?

"Look we can use the emergency phone here and call your dad in his office. He can call the janitor and they'll get us out of here in no time," he tried to assure her.

"Good, good," she nodded, "Calling for help is good!"

Chad went over to the emergency phone panel underneath the buttons and put the receiver to his ear.

"Damn!"

"What? What?" Whitney asked, panicked.

"The phone's down," he informed her, placing the receiver back in it's cradle.

"Oh no! What are we gonna do?" she wrung her hands nervously.

Chad shrugged and sat down on the floor of the elevator, leaning back against the wall. "I guess we just wait. Nothing else we can do."

"There *has* to be something else we could do!" Whitney was now pacing around the small confines of the elevator. "We can't just sit here and wait to starve or dehydrate or something!"

"Whitney calm down. I'm sure it won't be *that* long."

"How do you know? What if we're stuck here for days! Or weeks? What if the air supply runs out? The air supply will probably run out!" she shrieked, and banged on the elevator doors. "Hello? Can anyone here me? Hello!"

"Can you just calm down," Chad stood up, "We won't be in here for weeks or days or probably even hours. Your dad will wonder why I'm late and then probably someone will try to use the elevator and discover it's broken. Then they'll try to fix it."

"Everyone's gone! There's no one left in the school building. We might be stuck in here all night! Oh God no!" she began pounding on the walls again.

"What is the matter with you?"

"I… I," Whitney gasped between deep breaths; "I have… Claustrophobia!"

Chad's face dropped. "Oh no, no, no. This cannot be happening," he shook his head.

~

"I have to look perfect Simone!" Kay exclaimed, flipping through the clothes in her closet.

"Perfect for what? Being rejected?"

"I will not be rejected," Kay rolled her eyes, "I have to look perfect for stealing Miguel's heart."

"And in the process break Charity's heart?" Simone accused.

"She's a big girl, she can take care of herself. Come on, Simone. Please, help me!" Kay begged.

"Okay, okay," she walked over to the closet and stood beside Kay.

"What about," Kay dug deeper into her closet and pulled out a strapless red mini-dress with a slit up the side, "this?"

Simone raised her eyebrows. "And you would be keeping that thing up how?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kay glared at her.

"Never mind," she shook her head and took the dress from Kay, throwing it on her bed. "No way! You need something a little more…"

"Flashy?" Kay finished for Simone.

Simone looked at her in shock. "Kay, you don't want to scare him off! Miguel's very shy and not that experienced when it comes to girls… Charity is one of the few girlfriends he's ever had and probably the one he was most serious about. You have to take it slow!"

"But I don't want to take things slow," Kay whined, "I have been waiting to get Miguel ever since last summer. Slowing down is the last thing I want to do! I want to speed things up."

"At any cost right?"

"Simone, what is your problem?" Kay rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to be my best friend and help me, but you act like you don't even want me to get Miguel."

"I do want you to get Miguel… Just not in this way. I want you to get him fairly. And I don't want to see Charity hurt like this."

"Oh, quit worrying about her! She'll be okay. Let's think about *me* here! Now… Maybe I can mix and match. Like this skirt with this-"

Simone stared at Kay in shock. "I cannot believe you! You are so incredibly selfish it's not even funny! You know what? Forget it, I'm not helping you anymore! You don't deserve Miguel, he's *way* too good for you. And Charity is the perfect girl for him."

"You don't mean that," Kay shook her head.

"Yes I do. I can't even stand to be in the same room with you right now!" she began to walk towards the door.

"Simone!" Kay screamed at her.

"What?" Simone turned around with a sigh.

"What about Chad? I'll help you win him over!"

"Oh that's pathetic. Now you're trying to bribe me. Before I said okay because I thought maybe you would reconsider all this, but this is way too far. I can't believe I was so stupid to agree to this in the first place. God, what do you do to me Kay! I'm telling Charity about all this… Maybe I can still salvage her and Miguel's relationship."

"Simone you can't do that!" Kay screamed at her as she followed her out the door and in the hallway.

"Watch me!" Simone screamed back, not turning around.

"But… You're my best friend! I need your help."

"Find someone else!"

Kay stared after her with a shocked and almost painful look. "But… I don't *have* anyone else," she whispered to herself with saddened realization.

~

Charity embraced herself as she walked towards her house, a few stray tears still leaking down her face. She had wandered aimlessly around town ever since she had run from the school building a few hours ago, dreading going home because Miguel would surely find her there. But now it was getting dark and she knew everyone would be worrying about her. Maybe she could just lock herself in her room and curl up in bed and cry herself to sleep.

She was just about to insert her key into the lock when it swung open and Jessica was standing there.

"Charity!" she exclaimed, hugging her, "Where have you been?"

"I was just walking around," she said softly as Jessica pulled her into the house. "I needed time to think."

"About the rumors," Jessica nodded in understanding.

"You heard them too?" Charity asked, her voice cracking and fresh tears glistening in her eyes.

She nodded reluctantly. "Yeah… I'm sorry. But I can tell you right now that I don't believe them! And Miguel doesn't either."

"But I do," Charity said.

Heavy footsteps were heard on the stairs and then Simone came down, joining Jessica and Charity. She had an agitated look on her face, but that was quickly replaced with a sympathetic smile when she saw Charity.

"Hi Charity," Simone smiled kindly.

Charity tried to smile back but didn't really succeed. "Hi Simone." "Are you okay?"

Charity shrugged. "I guess I will be."

"Look, Charity, there's something I have to tell you," Simone began.

Another set of footsteps were heard on the stairs and then Kay appeared, her arms crossed, a tight look on her face. She smiled grimly at Charity and then focused her attention on Simone. Simone shook her head and turned back to Charity. She opened her mouth to say something more, but this time the doorbell rang.

"Hold on for a second," Charity said, and turned to open the door. Her mouth dropped when she saw Miguel standing there.

"Charity-"

"Miguel, no," she cut him off, "Please go."

"No," Simone spoke up, "I think you both need to hear this!" She looked back at Kay with a meaningful look.

Kay's mouth dropped, her face going white and all she could do was stare at Simone in shock

Rating: PG-14

Theresa stared at Sheridan in shock and fear. "Do I…have feelings for Ethan?" she repeated Sheridan's question dumbly.

"Forgive me, I don't mean to be so nosy," Sheridan tried to explain herself, "But it's just something I've been thinking about. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. But if you do tell me, rest assured I wouldn't tell Ethan. Or anyone for that matter."

"I…" Theresa hesitated. Sheridan did seem insanely nice and Theresa felt she could trust her, but what good would it do telling her? Maybe it would help relieve her of some of her burdens. But a lot of other people knew, Whitney, Pilar, Miguel, Luis, and that hadn't really helped her.

"Theresa?" Sheridan asked gently, bringing Theresa out of her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Theresa said quickly, "Yes I do have feelings for Ethan."

Sheridan widened her eyes in surprise. "Wow… I didn't think you would actually tell me. So… For how long now?"

Theresa sighed, looking upwards. "Oh, ever since I could remember Sheridan. I remember Mama would come home and tell me the most adorable stories about him and I just fell in love with him. I didn't know it at the time, but I know it now," she smiled dreamily. "But don't worry," Theresa added quickly, "I won't try to take him away from Gwen. I can see how in love with her he is and I don't want to run it."

"That would probably be best," Sheridan said sympathetically, "Sometimes you just have to let go. Ethan cares about you too, but he loves Gwen. He wants to marry Gwen."

"I know," she nodded, "I know. And I know that Ethan only thinks of me as a close friend, you don't have to tell me that Sheridan."

"Actually I didn't mean it that way."

"What?" Theresa snapped her head to look at her. "What did you mean then?" she asked with baited breath. Oh my God! Theresa thought with excitement, She's going to tell me Ethan loves me!

~

"Whitney… You just need to *calm down*!" Chad tried talking some sense into the panicked brunette who was pacing around the elevator. "You aren't going to accomplish anything by panicking like this!"

"Oh yes I am," Whitney declared, "It makes me feel better."

"Well, it doesn't make me feel better! Could you please stop?"

"No," she snapped at him, her brown eyes narrowing. "Are you aware you're talking to a person who has a severe case of claustrophobia and is trapped in the small confines of an elevator? I don't think you are," she continued, "because if you were you wouldn't be asking me to CALM DOWN! I am on the

brink of disaster; I'm about to go off the deep end. If we don't get out of here soon… I don't know what I'm gonna do! It's been *hours* and there's not been even a sign of help. My father probably thinks you just blew him off and I'm supposed to be at tennis practice right now and my dad won't let *anyone* even try to interrupt me. And they also think I'm going to Theresa's afterwards and God knows when she'll be home and on top of all this-"

Suddenly Chad grabbed Whitney in the midst of her rambling and sealed her lips with his, embracing her in a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her closer to him, his lips capturing hers. She hadn't even had time to react and on instinct her arms snaked around his neck and her tongue began playing with his. After a few moments he let her go and she stepped back, a dazed look on her face. She wasn't even able to speak and just stared at him in confusion.

Chad shrugged casually. "I had to think of a way to shut you up!" he explained innocently.

Whitney opened her mouth to yell at him and chew him out, although since no coherent thoughts were running through her head she had no idea what she would've said. But just then the light flickered and sparks began flying out of the lights at the top of the elevator, raining down little sprinkles of electricity on them. Whitney yelped and Chad hugged her to him, shielding her face by burying it in his shoulder.

Then the elevator was consumed in darkness.

~

"What do you have to tell us Simone?" Miguel asked curiously as he glanced at Charity, but she continued to stare straight ahead at Simone.

"Hi guys," Eve came to the top of the stairs and looked down at everyone, "So here's where you all are. What's going on?"

"Simone has to tell us something Dr. Russell," Charity answered, looking up at her.

"Oh?" Eve looked at her youngest daughter in surprise, "What's so important Simone?"

"Well-"

Kay glanced up the stairs at Eve desperately and then at the front door, which Miguel was standing next to, Charity right beside him. She was cornered. Everyone was there and Simone was about to announce what Kay had done. They would never forgive her. She would lose her two best friends, the respect of Dr. Russell, who would with no doubt tell her parents. She would be grounded for life and they would hate her! Not to mention it would give Jessica even more of a reason to hate her and Charity would probably get so

much attention and sympathy from the whole event that the rumors Kay spread would be like a favor to her.

Kay ran down the remaining stairs and, pushing past Simone, Charity, and Miguel, ran out the front door, choking on her sobs.

"Kay!" Miguel called after her as they turned to stare at her in shock.

"What's gotten into her?" Eve wondered as she made her way down the stairs to the entry hallway.

"Maybe we should go after her," Charity suggested.

"I'll go," Miguel volunteered. "I can tell she's probably still upset at me for canceling our study sessions. Maybe I can clear things up between us. Please don't go anywhere, I need to talk to you too," he said to Charity, pleading with his eyes.

Charity nodded reluctantly and Miguel ran out the front door after Kay. Why have I been chasing after girls this whole day? he wondered to himself.

Charity stared after his retreating form, then closed the door and turned to Simone to try to take her mind off of Miguel. "So Simone, what were you going to tell us?" she asked.

Simone stared at the door Kay and Miguel had just rushed out of. Should she tell? Charity did deserve to know, but was it worth it? Simone looked at Charity, Jessica, and her mom, hesitating.

~

Kay ran out of her front yard and down the block, pausing by a huge oak tree at the end of the street. She leaned against it and tried to hold down her sobs, but tears were streaming down her cheeks and she pressed her hand to her mouth to try and stay quiet.

How could Simone turn against her like that? She was supposed to be her best friend and now she was going to ruin Kay's chances with Miguel forever. She would even ruin their friendship! And then who would Kay have? She wasn't exactly the most popular girl around, but at least with Simone and Miguel

around she wasn't too concerned about that.

"Kay?" Miguel asked cautiously, coming up behind her.

Kay remained with her back facing him. "What?" she asked, her voice raspy from her tears.

"What's wrong?"

Kay shook her head. "Forget it Miguel, it's nothing."

"It can't be nothing," he persisted, walking around to look at her face. "Look at you! You're crying. What's the matter?"

"It's nothing," Kay repeated, with a little more hostility then she had planned, "Why don't you just go and comfort your precious Charity? I know that's where you wanna be!"

Miguel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Why are you acting like this? What does Charity have to do with this?"

"Everything!" Kay practically screamed. Was he really that blind? "She has everything to do with everything! She ruins everything, especially my life!"

"What? How can you say that?"

Kay had regretted the words as soon as they had left her mouth, but it was too late to do anything about it at that point. "You don't understand Miguel, there's no way possible that you can. Just forget about it and leave me alone," she said, trying to turn away from him, but he grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Oh yeah, I understand everything perfectly. You're jealous of her! You have no reason to bad-mouth Charity, but you're so angry with yourself you want someone to lash out on. I just can't believe you would choose innocent Charity. She's probably the sweetest person in town!"

Kay stared at Miguel in shock. "Excuse me?"

"I can't believe you Kay. When did you turn into this…? Vile, selfish

creature?"

"Me? Oh, I'm selfish? That's a laugh!" she spit out at him, "Imagine if someone unexpectedly came into your life and took away everything you had; your parents attention, your best friend, your room, everything! Then tell me I'm selfish!"

"Charity never took anything from you!" Miguel yelled. "You're just so spoiled you can't take it when someone *seems* to have more than you. And Charity loves and trusts you so much… And all this time you've been feeling this way!"

"And you're just so blinded by her you don't even take time to notice anything else around you!" Kay retorted. "As soon as Charity came into your life it's been 'Charity this' and 'Charity that'. It never ends with you! Don't you have time to register anything else in your life?"

"What is your problem? I like Charity a lot, can't you be happy for me?"

"No I can't be happy for you when you're just completely ignoring me and acting like you hardly know me! You're supposed to be my best friend Miguel, what the hell happened to that?"

"Nothing! It's just…" he trailed off, looking at the ground.

"It's just Charity's here now so who the hell cares about me right?" Kay accused, her face red from all the screaming she had been doing.

"No, that's not the way it is-"

"That's *exactly* the way it is!" she interrupted him. "Charity just sucked you into her trap and now you can't get out… You're just too blind to realize that's what happened!"

"Why do you hate her so much? What did she do that was *so* awful to make you think of her like this?" Miguel demanded, stunned by the outbreak of emotions Kay was showing, all of anger and resentment.

"You can't tell?" she looked at him in annoyance.

"All I can tell is that you are so jealous of her you can't even think straight! Just because she's this sweet, beautiful, caring person doesn't mean you have to hate her!"

"Oh, and you think I'm jealous because she has those qualities? Like I'm not beautiful and sweet? Thanks a lot Miguel! Wow, it's times like these that I know why I'm so fortunate to have you as a best friend!" Kay screamed at him sarcastically.

"Well, excuse me, but you're not exactly acting like a sweet and caring person right now," Miguel shrugged coldly.

"And you think I'm jealous of her?"

"Yes, I do," he nodded.

Kay stared at him for a moment, tears springing to her eyes. No! She wouldn't let him get the satisfaction of seeing her cry and confirm his suspicions. "Don't you *ever*, and I mean *ever*, come near me again!" Kay spat out hoarsely, her throat tightening with the sobs that were coming.

"No problem," Miguel shot back coldly.

Kay shook her head and turned around, sprinting towards the other side of the block. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew was that she had to get away from him, and everybody else, right now otherwise she would explode. She just needed to be by herself.

~

Luis stepped on to the street Miguel was standing on and stared after Kay's back, as Miguel was doing.

"Wow," he shook his head, "That was pretty heavy."

"Luis," Miguel looked at his brother, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just on patrol and heard the commotion. What was that all about?"

Miguel shook his head. "I don't even know… All I know is Kay is acting like a selfish, jealous brat."

"What? Jealous of who?"

"Charity."

Luis nodded with understanding. "Oh… So, she told you huh? You should've let her down easy little brother. A broken heart is the most painful injury."

"What?" Miguel looked at Luis in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Kay told you she had feelings for you. That's why she's jealous of Charity," Luis shrugged, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What?" Miguel nearly laughed. "That's ridiculous!"

"Then why is she jealous of Charity?" Luis demanded.

"Well… Because Charity is getting more attention from Mr. and Mrs. Bennett. And she's so nice, and sweet, and everyone loves her… And…"

"Sorry Miguel," Luis shook his head, "Those things are just cover-ups. Kay's in love with you! Don't tell me you can't see that. I picked that up just from this little conversation you two had here. And I didn't even hear all of it."

"No way," Miguel was stunned, "That's insane. Kay's my best friend. She doesn't have feelings for me."

Luis rolled his eyes. "Hey, you're insulting me here! My brother isn't this stupid!" he teased. Miguel shot Luis an annoyed look and Luis cringed. "Okay, okay. Calm down. But sorry little bro… I'm right and you're wrong. Kay loves you… Well, at least likes you. And right now you completely broke her heart."

Miguel was shocked. Could Luis possibly be right?

R for some mildly sexually graphic scenes and some language.

"Oh my God!" Whitney shrieked, "What if the elevator falls? The cord could snap and we could fall!" She was really crying now, tears making their way in course trails down her cheeks. "We're gonna die aren't we? We are!"

"Whitney! Shh… It's gonna be okay," Chad tried to comfort her, rocking her in his arms.

"No, it's not! You said that we would be rescued soon… That was about five hours ago! We're gonna be stuck in here overnight. And God knows how long after that! It'll be hours before someone even attempts to get us out. My parents will be worried sick! I'm missing tennis practice and I should be studying for a test I have tomorrow. I don't have time for this!"

"Calm down Whitney. Right now tennis practice and tests don't matter. You have other things to worry about… Like being stuck in a dark elevator."

"Oh no, see that's where you're wrong," she pulled out of his arms and turned her back to him so he couldn't see her face. Not that he could see her face anyway through the darkness. "Tennis *does* matter. Under no circumstances can I ever miss a practice! My father will kill me and it'll be harmful to my career."

"Career? You're seventeen, you shouldn't be worrying about your career right now! You should be having fun and hanging with your friends or something."

"Yeah, thanks," Whitney rolled her eyes, "Like I'm really gonna take career advice from you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Chad countered.

"Nothing, forget it. Look, I know what's best for me okay? And right now that's focusing on my tennis skills and nothing else!" she declared, determined.

"Sure, whatever you say Whitney," he shrugged. "But you're gonna regret it. One day you're gonna look back and think about your teenage years and realize you missed out on the most fun years of your life. Trust me, I speak from experience!"

"What? Stop acting like you're some wise counselor! You're probably just a few years older than me so quit trying to impress me with your knowledge of the world," she shook her head.

"All right, I may be only a little older than you," Chad admitted, "but I do think I'm wiser than you! I had to grow up much faster and so I know what you're gonna miss out on if you don't take things into perspective."

"You know what? I didn't ask for your advice or opinion or whatever, so please keep your comments to yourself! The last thing I need is *someone else* trying to take control of my life!" she yelled at him.

"All right fine. But we're gonna be in here for a while… I just thought I'd try and make conversation."

"I'd rather just wait to rot in here in peace!" she exclaimed, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms in front of her indignantly.

Chad just shook his head, but kept his mouth shut.

~

Kay kept on running. Her legs were quivering beneath her and her side was hurting, but she just knew she had to get away from Miguel and all his hateful words. She couldn't believe she had blown up at him like that, but that was just something she had been storing inside of her for so long. However, he wasn't all that innocent right now either. As soon as she mentioned one thing about Charity he got all defensive and practically bit her head off.

Finally Kay couldn't take it anymore and collapsed against a small stone wall in the park where she had run to, dropping her head in her hands.

"He loves her so much!" she whispered to herself, tears mingling with her sweat and dripping off her chin. "How can I compete with that? How could I ever have thought that I could compete with that?"

Now she knew. Miguel would choose Charity over her any day. Their friendship didn't mean anything to him any more and he certainly wasn't interested in pursuing any other kind of relationship with her. But she loved him so much and it hurt so badly that he could just drop her like that.

Why Charity? What made her be the special girl? She didn't even know Miguel and Miguel hardly knew her! Kay was the one that had always been there for him. Through everything! His father's disappearance, his brother's dropping out of school to support the family, his mother's grieving period.

Through failed tests, and broken bones, and everything else *she* had been there to help him through it. And now this was the way he thanked her, by abandoning her as soon as he found Charity.

She sucked in a breath and tried to hold back the rest of her tears.

"I will *not* cry over him anymore," she vowed to herself as she wiped the tears away from her face. "He doesn't care about me, then I don't care about him!"

But Kay knew this was just her anger speaking, she still loved Miguel. She would probably always love Miguel. There was nothing she could do to stop that.

Kay was so wrapped up in her misery and sadness that she didn't notice the creeping figure coming up behind her. She didn't hear the sounds of his boots stepping on the grass, determined and purposeful steps. Only when he wrapped one of his hands around her mouth and the other went around her neck did she realize she was in big trouble.

~

"Thanks for coming by Theresa," Ethan smiled at the petite brunette as she stepped past him out the front door. "You were a lot of help. Both of you," he added, looking at Sheridan too.

"Oh, it's no problem Ethan," Sheridan grinned at him, "You just have a wonderful time with Gwen tonight. We planned the perfect evening for you!"

"I know," Ethan nodded, smiling widely. "Oh, Theresa," he looked at her, "are you gonna be okay getting home? Do you need me to walk you home?"

"No," Theresa shook her head; "I'll be fine Ethan. You just get to your romantic evening with Gwen."

"I don't know… I would feel better walking you."

"You know what? I'll walk her," Sheridan volunteered. "I was just about to go into town and stop in the Book Café. You don't mind do you Theresa?" And this'll give me a perfect excuse to run into Luis, she thought excitedly.

"No, of course not. Thank you Sheridan."

"Yes, thank you Sheridan. I'll see you two tomorrow then. Thanks again for all your help," he said kindly before closing the door.

"Well, come on Theresa," Sheridan began walking down the driveway of theCrane mansion towards the front gates, "I know you probably want to get home early. Homework and all."

"Yeah," she nodded, "I guess I should. I'm actually supposed to meet Whitney soon at the Harmony Country Club. She's practicing there today. Actually it's pretty late. She probably went home to study, I can just catch her tomorrow."

Sheridan nodded and the two walked in comfortable silence for a little while.

"Sheridan?" Theresa asked quietly.

"Yes?" Sheridan turned to look at her.

"Um… I was just wondering about something. You know how we were talking before while Ethan went to get you a sandwich? What were you going to say before he came back in?"

Sheridan paused. She had been about to blurt out her suspicions about Ethan's feelings for Theresa when her nephew walked in. And she took that as a sign that she should just keep her mouth closed. She had hoped that Theresa would forget about it, but of course she hadn't.

"Excuse me?"

"You were about to tell me something about Ethan's feelings… Towards me,"Theresa prompted, hopefully. "But then he came in and you never got to finish. I was just wondering what he was going to say."

Sheridan shook her head. "I'm sorry, Theresa, I can't really remember right now. It was probably just a passing thought," she shrugged, feeling horrible inside about lying to her like this.

Theresa nodded, not convinced at all that Sheridan was being truthful. She knew she was lying, but didn't want to push it. It would all come out in due time, Fate probably had it planned. But at least now she still had hope. There is a chance Ethan has romantic feelings for me, her mind screamed and a smile spread across her face.

~

Ethan closed the door after Sheridan and Theresa and walked over to the phone. He dialed Gwen's number and waited for her to answer.

"Hello?" she picked up on the second ring.

"Gwen."

"Ethan!" Gwen smiled into the phone, "Is it time for my Valentine's Day surprise yet? Please say it is! The suspense is killing me. And I can't wait to get that ring on my finger so I can *officially* be on my way to being Mrs. Ethan Crane."

Ethan smiled. "Don't worry Gwen, you will not be disappointed. How fast

can you get ready?"

"It depends… Ready for what?"

"For a wonderfully romantic evening. Not too formal, but not all that casual either," he tried to explain.

"Well, I guess I can pull something together in maybe a half hour if I hurry? Will that do?" she asked.

"Perfect," Ethan nodded, "I'll see you in half an hour then. I'll pick you up."

"Okay… But Ethan, what are we doing? I'm dying to know!" Gwen exclaimed.

"You'll see soon. I'll see you then."

"Okay. I love you!"

"I love you too The-" Ethan stopped himself in shock.

"What?" Gwen asked, confused. "What did you just say?"

"I love you too… The wait is almost over," Ethan quickly recovered, thinking fast. "Sorry, spoke a little too fast there, my words got jumbled up. I'm just so excited!"

Gwen laughed. "Me too Ethan. I have been waiting for this day ever since I could remember!"

"I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay, see you then!" Gwen hung up, a content look on her face.

Ethan hung up too, but he looked troubled.

"I can't believe it," he murmured, "I almost said Theresa's name. What is getting into me? I guess it's 'cause she just left and I had spent the entire afternoon with her. Or maybe it's Sheridan's crazy talk about me having feelings for Theresa," Ethan shook his head with a laugh. "How crazy is that?"

He pushed the thoughts out of his head and rushed upstairs to begin getting ready to propose to Gwen, the *only* woman he loved… Right?

~

Kay struggled against her attacker, trying to scream, but his hand was muffling the sound. No one would be able to hear! She tried to kick back against him, but he was so much stronger than her and easily just picked her off the ground, dragging her over to a small shed that the town public works system used to store gardening and cleaning materials.

Halfway there though she managed to wiggle out of his grasp a little and he fell over her, sending them both toppling into the grass.

"Fine!" he growled, "We can just do it here!"

Kay continued to try to fight him off, but he was no match for her and soon he had a knife pressed to her throat. Her breath caught in her throat and she cut off all the sobs she had, but the tears continued to streak down her face.

"Please," she whispered, her voice choked with sobs. "Please… Don't…" Kay begged.

He ignored her pleas and roughly grabbed her by her hair, bringing her face inches from his, pressing the knife harder against her throat. "Just shut the fuck up and stop moving!" he hissed, his disgusting breath finding its way up her nostrils. She fought the urge to throw up.

"Don't… Don't kill me… Please…"

He released her hair and her head dropped back down on to the hard ground. She blinked rapidly a few times, trying to get rid of the dazed feeling.

Before she knew what was happening he had unbuttoned her pants and was trying to push them down her thighs. Upon realizing what he was planning on doing she opened her mouth, ready to try to scream, but he anticipated that and put his hand over her mouth again before even a small screech could leave

her mouth.

"Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up!" he roared, punching her squarely across the face.

Kay groaned in pain, literally seeing stars flash in front of her eyes.

He managed to get her pants down to her knees and then went for the waistband of her underwear.

"Please, please, please, please, please," Kay chanted over and over again, shaking her head, trying to deny this was happening.

But there was no denying anything when she felt him push her legs apart and enter her in one swift motion. The pain was so severe she felt as if she had slipped out of consciousness for a moment. Kay bit down on her lip, trying to find a way to relieve the pain, until she could taste blood, but then she realized that was from when he had punched her a few moments before.

He had let the knife slip away from her throat and was now digging his fingers in her arm as he continued to push into her, grunting with each thrust. It was only a few minutes, although to Kay it felt like hours, before he released himself in her.

Laughing obnoxiously he brought his lips to her ear and whispered teasingly, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

She wasn't sure why, but this set her off. All the fear and anxiousness and anger that had built up inside of her in the past ten minutes or so was released and she began to scream like there was no tomorrow, letting her anguish be released through her vocal chords. He reached for his knife that lay on the ground next to her body.

Miguel and Luis were walking back towards the Bennett's house when Miguel picked his head up and strained his ears.

"Do you hear that?" he asked Luis.

"What?" Luis looked at him in confusion.

It came again, this time more clearly.

"It's someone screaming!" Miguel exclaimed, terrified.

Luis reached for his gun in his holster. "Stay here!" he ordered Miguel. Luis set out in a run, sprinting towards the direction of the scream. Sounds like it's coming from the park, he determined to himself.

"Wait! Luis!" Miguel called, running after him.

"Stay back!" Luis screamed, immediately regretting it. He didn't want to scare anyone off. But then again he didn't want Miguel being hurt or going anywhere near the probable crime scene.

~

He heard a noise and then a male voice saying, "Stay back". Looking at the girl on the ground that was still screaming her head off he hesitated. If he stayed to kill her they would catch him. He couldn't risk that. Zippering up his pants he got up, knife in hand, and ran off in the opposite direction of the voices.

~

Luis ran through the park. The scream was the loudest here and he knew the person was somewhere close by. He made his way into the clearing by the park shed and then stopped dead in his tracks.

"Oh my God," he whispered, staring in shock at the sight of Kay Bennett laying on the ground with her pants around her knees, screaming hysterically. Her hair was in a tangle around her face and tears were streaking down her cheeks.

"Kay!" Miguel exclaimed in a panicked, shrill voice when he reached Luis. "Oh my God!" he ran over to her and tried to wrap his arms around her, but her eyes were tightly closed and she didn't realize it was him. She screamed even louder and tried to push him away, flinging her arms about wildly.

"NO!" she yelled, her voice raspy and barely recognizable. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!"

PG-14

"Are you sure it's nothing?" Jessica persisted, following Simone into the living room.

"Yes, I'm sure," Simone nodded firmly. She had decided that now was not the time for her to spill her guts out to everyone. Charity and Miguel had enough to deal with; they didn't need the added burden of knowing Kay was out to sabotage their relationship.

"You sounded pretty serious though sweetie," Eve continued to question her daughter. "I just wanna make sure you know that you can always tell me anything."

"I know Mom," Simone smiled.

"Okay, good. Charity," she turned to the blond, who was still standing in the hallway by the door, lost in her own little world, "how are you feeling?"

"What?" Charity turned her head to look at Eve. "Oh, I'm fine Dr. Russell. Don't worry about me."

"Well I'm your doctor, that's my job," Eve smiled. "Everything went okay in school today?" Charity shrugged, not really wanting to tell her about the rumors.

"Are you sure? Did something happen?" Eve pressed. Charity shook her head. Eve looked at Simone, who looked away guiltily, and then at Jessica, who was genuinely confused.

"I have no idea," Jessica shook her head. "Did it Charity?"

Suddenly there was a loud scream from somewhere outside. They all heard Luis' voice screaming, "Stay back" at someone and the screaming continued.

"What in the world?" Eve wondered as she rushed over to the door and flung it open. She jogged down to the end of the gate and saw nothing, but heard someone screaming, "No!" several times.

"What is it?" Charity asked, worriedly. She hugged herself and shivered.

"Mom?" Simone ran outside too, followed by Jessica.

"You kids go on inside. I don't know what's going on here, but I don't want you in any danger!" Eve ordered.

Just then they spotted Luis running up the block. He was speaking into

his radio.

"Back-up requested immediately!" he screamed into it, "Harmony Park. The northeast section, by the shed. Get them quick! And an ambulance!"

"Oh my God!" Eve gasped. "Luis, what happened?"

"Dr. Russell, hurry!" he yelled as he neared. "Kay was attacked, she needs your help!"

"What?" Eve exclaimed in panicked.

"What do you mean attacked?" Jessica asked quickly, her face converting into a worried expression.

Luis shook his head. "No time to explain now!"

"Let me get my medical bag," Eve said as she ran back into the Bennett house. Charity followed her, but Jessica and Simone ran ahead of Luis to see what had happened.

Eve grabbed her black bag from the coffeetable in the living room and then raced out the door again. She ran behind Luis as he led her to the spot and she froze when she saw the sight.

Kay was sprawled on the floor, her eyes closed and shivering involuntary, her teeth chattering. Miguel had her in his arms and was trying to comfort her, but Kay seemed like she didn't even notice him. Jessica was crying hysterically and Simone, who was getting teary as well, was trying to comfort her. They were both shocked to see Kay like this.

Eve jumped into action and knelt down by Kay. She noticed, with a breaking heart, that her pants were undone and there was blood and what appeared to be semen everywhere. Oh no, she thought, please don't let it be what I think it is!

"Kay," Eve tried to get a response from the quivering young girl, "Kay? Can you hear me Kay? It's Dr. Russell." She took her hand and patted Kay's cheek, but no response. She continued shivering and convulsing every now and then. "Kay?"

"What's wrong with her Dr. Russell?" Miguel asked in a strained voice. Eve could tell he was trying hard not to cry.

"I'm not exactly sure Miguel…" She spoke as she opened her bag and took out a tiny eye light. Lifting Kay's eyelids she shined the light into her pupils. They became smaller, but Kay didn't become alert. "I think it's post-traumatic stress. It's put her in a state of shock… Kind of like a coma, but a little less serious," Eve determined, trying to keep her voice from breaking.

"Will she be okay?" Miguel wanted to know desperately.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully. "I have to get her to the hospital, assess her injuries, and then I'll try and provide a diagnosis."

"The ambulance is on its way," Luis spoke up from behind them.

"Good," Eve nodded. "What exactly happened?"

"We heard a scream and then we came and just found her like that," Luis explained. "She was screaming hysterically, but all of a sudden she just stopped and started shaking."

Eve nodded, confirming her suspicions. "Yeah, definitely looks like post-traumatic stress."

The ambulance sirens were heard and then a moment later they pulled up directly in the park. The paramedics rushed out and got the stretcher from the back then brought it over to Kay.

"Be careful," Eve warned as they gently pried her from Miguel's arms and fastened her in the stretcher.

Miguel stood up and began to walk with them to the ambulance.

"Sorry," one of the paramedics said, "Only family members can go in."

"I'm her sister!" Jessica spoke up in the middle of her cries and rushed over to the paramedics. "I'm her sister," she repeated, "Can I go with her?" They nodded and Jessica jumped into the back of the ambulance.

"I'm Dr. Russell. Kay Bennett is my patient and I'll be treating her at the hospital," she said as she got in behind Jessica.

The paramedics nodded at each other, then one hopped in.

Eve turned to Luis as the ambulance prepared to drive away. "Luis, I need you to do me a favor. Contact Grace and Sam at this number," she pulled out the card of the ski lodge from her pocket and handed it to him. "Tell them what's going on and have them come down here as soon as they can and meet us at the hospital. And can you please take Miguel, Simone, and Charity home?"

Luis nodded, taking the card from Eve. "Of course, but I don't think they should be alone. I don't know who did this, but I sure as hell want to find out."

"Good point," Eve nodded. "I think they'll be much safer at the hospital anyway. Do you think you can bring them there?"

"Sure. I'll just wait for my back-up and then contact Grace and Sam and bring them right over."

Sirens were heard again and then a few squad cars pulled up.

"Here they are. We'll be at the hospital. It'll be okay," Eve assured the three teens who were shocked into bewilderment. The other paramedic closed the ambulance doors and then got into the driver's seat. The ambulance pulled away with a squeal.

~

"That was quite the little scene," Grace laughed and shook her head. "Who knew Julian and Ivy had that much passion in them!"

"I sure didn't," Sam remarked as the two made their way back to their room.

"Well… It seems like we have some competition now," she teased, as she took his hand and led him into the room.

He pushed the door closed behind him and pulled Grace close, kissing her. She laughed and responded eagerly, running her hands through his hair. They were about to lay back on the bed when the phone rang.

Sam groaned, but lifted his lips from hers to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Bennett?"

"Yes, that's me," Sam replied, sitting up. Grace sat up as well and

placed her head on his shoulder, kissing his neck.

"I have an urgent call for you from a Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald. Can I put him through?"

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Yes, of course."

There was a pause and then Luis' voice. "Sam?"

"Luis? What's wrong?"

"Um… I don't really know how to tell you this Sam…" Luis broke off.

"What happened?" Sam asked in a panic. Luis sounded worried and tense, not his usual self. Grace looked up at Sam in worry.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There was… Kay was… She, um…"

Sam felt his stomach drop. "Kay?"

"Oh my God!" Grace brought a hand to her mouth. "Sam, what happened!"

"Luis, what happened to Kay?" Sam tried to keep his voice even although

his hands were trembling.

"She was attacked," Luis finally answered, "Miguel and I found her in the park a little while ago. I think… I think she was raped Sam."

"What!" Sam bellowed, jumping up.

"Sam what is it?" Grace was screaming, her face going deathly white.

"Where is she now?" Sam demanded.

"At the hospital. Jessica and Dr. Russell went with her and the rest of us are going there now… I'm sorry Sam, I-"

"It's not your fault Luis. Grace and I are on our way home."

"Okay," Luis hung up.

"Sam, what happened!"

He turned to look at her in shock. "Kay… She was… Attacked and… And raped," Sam stuttered out.

Grace gasped.

~

Theresa and Sheridan came up to her front gate.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked Sheridan.

Sheridan considered this. Luis was probably in there. It would be nice to see him. "I guess I could stop in for a few moments and say hi to Pilar," she nodded.

Theresa ruffled through her bag as she made her way up the walk to the door. "Shoot, I forgot my keys," she said as she rang the bell.

Pilar opened the door, a distressed look on her face. "Theresa, Sheridan? What are you two doing here?"

"Hi Mama. Sheridan was nice enough to walk me home and I invited her in,"Theresa explained.

"You didn't hear what happened did you?"

"No… What?" Theresa asked quickly.

"Luis just called me. Kay Bennett was raped a little while ago. Miguel and him found her in the park."

"Oh my God!" Sheridan gasped. "Is she all right?"

"We don't know. They're going to the hospital right now to be with her. Miguel sounds very bad."

"Oh no," Theresa shook her head, her big brown eyes getting teary. "How awful! I want to go to the hospital," she declared, "I have to see if Miguel and Luis are all right and how everyone is doing. Charity and Jessica must be devastated!"

"Theresa, no. It's dangerous out there… They still haven't caught whoever did this, but I know Luis will. He sounds like he's ready to kill the guy," Pilar said, worry evident in her voice.

"I can imagine," Sheridan spoke up. "Don't worry Pilar, I'll go with Theresa to the hospital. I want to see what's going on anyway. I spent some time with Kay at the Youth Center. She seems like a nice girl. A little confused at times, but I know she has a good heart."

"See Mama, there's nothing to be worried about!" Theresa said, her voice cracking. She couldn't believe something like this had happened in her little town. Harmony had always seemed so perfect.

"Please, both of you be careful!" Pilar warned.

Miguel stared at the hard tiled floor of the hospital waiting room. His elbows rested on his knees and his hands propped up his head, which felt like bowling balls were rolling around in it. All he could think about was Kay and the sight of her lying on the ground like that. She appeared so helpless and scared he had nearly burst into tears then.

'It's all my fault,' Miguel reasoned with a heavy heart, 'If we hadn't gotten into that *stupid* argument she wouldn't have run to the park and then none of this would've happened! How could I be heartless and accuse her of being jealous of her own cousin? I never meant to hurt her… I love Kay! She's my best friend…'

This triggered another thought. 'Could Kay possibly be in love with me like Luis said? No, that's impossible. We've known each other since we were 4. She's never showed any sign of being interested in me that way. We're just really close and some people just mistake that for deeper feelings, but they're not. Are they? I'll never forgive myself if she doesn't make it through this!' Miguel sighed and he shifted in his seat, dropping his head against the wall behind him.

Simone paced around the waiting room nervously, wringing her hands, her big lips pursed in worry. 'This is all my fault! If I hadn't threatened to open my big mouth about Kay's being involved with the rumors about Charity she never would've gotten herself into this situation. I was mad at her, but I didn't want this to happen to her! She's my best friend… Even though she doesn't act like it most of the time. But she's a good person. Deep inside I know she is! And she just *has* to make it through this!'

Charity leaned against the wall, next to Miguel's chair. She had never seen him look so filled with despair. He had hardly even looked at her throughout the whole trip to the hospital and barely spoke two words to anyone. He just appeared to be lost in his own thoughts, probably grief-filled ones.

'This probably happened because of me!' Charity shook her head. 'I am a jinx. The rumors are true and now this proves it. I was around Kay right before she ran outside and I caused her getting attacked and raped. I'm such bad luck… I'll never be able to live with myself again! And now I can never be around people I love; I'll just bring them heartache and pain. Maybe I should just run away and never contact any of them again!'

Luis sat on the chair across from Miguel, staring at the wall right above Miguel's head. He couldn't help but feel guilty about what had happened to Kay.

'I'm a cop; it's my job to protect the citizens of Harmony. And I did a really poor job of protecting Kay. And the attacker is still on the loose somewhere around Harmony. Everyone on the Harmony PD is searching the whole town and I'll join them soon; I just don't want to leave Miguel alone right now. He's taking this really hard… I hope he's gonna be okay. I hope Kay's gonna be okay. I hope Grace and Sam are going to be okay.'

He suddenly realized how hard an impact this was going to have on a lot of people and resented himself even more for goofing around on the job.

'I should've taken that warning from Pennsylvania more seriously! I just overlooked it because I thought that it could never happen in my town. Well, guess again Luis!' he chastised himself.

All four of them, Miguel, Simone, Charity, and Luis, were lost in their own worlds of self-blame and pity. They didn't even hear when the swinging doors were thrown open and Eve stepped into the room. She cleared her throat and everyone looked up.

Miguel jumped up from his seat and rushed over to Eve's side.

"Dr. Russell, what's happening?" he asked quickly.

"Well, we're still in the process of running some tests. Nothing's for certain yet Miguel. I just wanted to see if Sam and Grace were here yet."

"I called them about an hour ago, they're on their way," Luis informed her.

"Okay, good. Thank you Luis."

"Will she be okay Mom?" Simone asked fearfully.

Eve hesitated. "I'm sure she'll be fine honey. Nothing's for certain yet and I don't want to give you any false information."

They all nodded in understanding.

"Can we see her?" Miguel wanted to know.

"Well, right now she's in between tests and in the ICU… But, I guess one of you can see her for a little while…"

"Can I go?" Miguel asked quickly. No one objected so he followed Eve down the hallway and around the corner to the ICU.

"She's right in there," Eve pointed to a door. "Only five to ten minutes okay Miguel? Will you be okay?"

Miguel nodded, even though he wasn't all that sure.

"Okay," she gave his arm a motherly squeeze of affection. "Well, I'm going downstairs and check on Jessica. She's dealing pretty roughly with all this. Her uncle Hank took her to the cafeteria to try and calm her down, but he's not all that well himself so I wanna make sure they're okay."

Miguel nodded in understanding. "Okay Dr. Russell. I'll show myself into Kay's room."

"Don't worry. It's not as bad as it seems," Eve tried to assure him before continuing down the hallway.

Miguel paused, took a breath, and slowly pushed the door to Kay's room open.

*When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart

I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you

It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold

When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore*

Miguel gasped when he saw Kay. She looked so small and helpless in the large hospital bed. There were a lot of needles sticking out of her, all connected to huge machines around her bed. She had a tube going across her upper lip and an IV was dripping liquid into her hand. Miguel bit his lower lips as he walked slowly over to her bedside. Could she hear him if he tried to talk to her?

*Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone*

He pulled up a chair next to her bedside and sat in it uncomfortably. Gingerly taking her hand, which was free of the IV tube, into his own, he sighed. How did things get all screwed up all of a sudden?

"Kay?" he whispered, then a little more forcefully. "Kay? Can you hear me? I hope you can, 'cause right now I really want to talk to you. Please Kay, can you open your eyes?"

Miguel stared at her face hopefully, trying to ignore the big purple bruise on the left side of her face. He also noted her cut lip and the fingerprint bruises around her elbows and choked back a cry. Kay didn't move

and Miguel swallowed hard.

*When you feel all alone

And a loyal friend is hard to find

You're caught in a one way street

With the monsters in your head

When hopes and dreams are far away and

You feel like you can't face the day*

"I'm sorry," Miguel shook his head as he tightened his hand on her hand, "I'm so sorry Kay. I'm so sorry we got into an argument, I'm sorry I accused you of all those horrible things, I'm sorry I've been neglecting you. I never wanted anything like this to happen to open my eyes. Please Kay, you have to make it through this… I can't live without you."

*Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone*

"You've always been there for me Kay. Since day one, whenever I needed you, you were there. No matter what, you dropped everything just to be a friend to me. And I'm sorry I couldn't do the same for you. But if you just come back and let me have another chance I swear I'll never let that happen again! Who else is gonna be my best friend Kay?"

*Because there has always been heartache and pain

And when it's over you'll breathe again

You'll breathe again*

He could almost hear her voice. "You have Charity now," she would say, "You don't need me anymore."

"That's not true," Miguel argued against his mind. "Charity or no Charity I will *always* need you. No matter what! I've known you since practically the day I was born… You're like another part of me. I just forgot that for a moment. But I swear I'll never forget that again if you just wake up and just… Just talk to me again Kay," he stuttered, his voice cracking.

*When you feel all alone

And the world has turned its back on you

Give me a moment please

To tame your wild wild heart*

"Please Kay. I can't stand the thought of never talking to you again… Of never hearing your voice again or looking into your eyes," he gently touched her face, caressing the bruise. "And don't you think for one second that I don't care about you just because of Charity. I care about you more than you know. I… I love you Kay."

With that Miguel lowered his head, his forehead touching her limp hand, and let his tears fall.

*Let me be the one you call

If you jump I'll break your fall

Lift you up and fly away with you into the night

If you need to fall apart

I can mend a broken heart

If you need to crash then crash and burn

You're not alone

~Crash and Burn by Savage Garden*

~

Charity watched with a sinking heart as Miguel cried next to Kay's bed. She longed to go over and hug him tightly and assure him that everything would be okay, but she couldn't. She had heard the way he talked to Kay. It was obvious; he loved her. And not just as a friend or a best friend or even like a sister. No, Charity could tell. He loved her as so much more than that, in a romantic way. He was *in* love with her.

"I should've known," Charity said quietly to herself, shaking her head. "I should've seen it coming. Kay and Miguel were always so close. And for a while I thought she loved him and even considered her the *other* girl at one point, but now… Now I know, *I'm* the other girl."

She backed away from the door, tears forming in her eyes. She felt horrible thinking about herself at a time like this, but she couldn't help it. She loved Miguel with all her heart and up until now she thought he loved her. She couldn't accept that he didn't.

"This has to be some mistake," Charity shook her head. "He can't *love* Kay, she's his best friend. Maybe I'm just blowing this whole thing out of proportion," she sniffled, "Maybe he does just love her as a friend. He probably thinks of her as a sister. He won't be able to see her as anything else… But what if he does? What will I do then? I can't live without him."

~

A strange noise was heard, like someone clinking something together, and then a head popped out around the corner. A mass of blond poofy hair topped off with a huge neon orange bow appeared, a smaller face with short red hair and a tiny stubbed nose next to it.

"Can you believe this Timmy?" Tabitha whispered to her short companion, who she was carrying in her arms. "Things are really starting to heat up around here! Charity's acting very jealous of her cousin because of the way Miguel's acting towards Kay!" she exclaimed excitedly in a low voice.

"Timmy doesn't understand," Timmy shrugged. "Why is Tabby so excited about… Charity being jealous?" he stuttered out.

"Because Tim-Tim," Tabitha tried to explain, "Charity is showing the first signs of non-goody good behavior! This might just be the ticket we need to finally bring her over to the dark side."

"But doesn't Charity need to kill Miguel before Tabitha can bring her over to the dark side?" Timmy wondered.

Tabitha looked at Charity once more with a gleeful expression on her face before pulling back around the corner and looking at Timmy. "That's the thing Timmy. Last night I was thinking about it and realized we had to act fast to bring her over to the dark side. So I was reading through my books and came across something I missed the first time. Another way to bring her over is to have her have feelings and thoughts of *evil*. And then have her carry them

out."

"How are Tabitha and Timmy going to know that Charity is having evil thoughts though? And how are they going to get her to do them?"

"Don't you ever do anything besides ask annoying questions Timmy?" she sighed in frustration. "I'll work out the kinks, don't worry. But for now this jealousy is a start! Jealousy is a very powerful emotion… It can lead to rage, betrayal, *murder* even!"

"Charity can't murder anyone. She's the sweetest person ever!" Timmy insisted.

"Humph," Tabitha smirked, "We'll just see about that Timmy. She maybe sweet now, but wait until I get through with her. She'll be meaner than her cousin Kay in no time. Especially with these turn of events."

"Timmy doesn't like this Tabitha," the doll shook his head, "Timmy doesn't like this at all. He doesn't think you should play with people's lives like this."

"How many times have I told you not to think? It's not your good for you! You'll break that *tiny* little brain of yours. I shouldn't have even put one in you when I made you!"

~

Chad and Whitney had been sitting in silence in the elevator for about two to two and a half-hours. Whitney was nervously drumming her fingers on her knees, sweat beading down her forehead. Her breaths were becoming a little more ragged and all she could think about was how the air would run out very shortly. She had done her best to remain calm, but she felt that she was going to explode at any minute.

Her eyes had gotten used to the dark so she could see a little clearer now. She looked at Chad and could see he was staring straight ahead at the closed elevator doors.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry," she finally spoke.

Chad was quiet for a moment. "Excuse me?"

"I said I'm so-"

"I heard you. I was just making sure what you said was right. Could this possibly be true? Could *the* Whitney Russell be apologizing to me? Some street-kid from the wrong side of the tracks?" Chad teased her.

Despite herself, a small smile spread across her face. "Well, I might have overreacted a little," she reluctantly admitted.

"A little?" he challenged.

"Okay a lot! Boy you really enjoy this don't you?" Whitney added after a slight pause.

Chad was confused. "Enjoy what?"

"Seeing me apologize and admitting I was wrong!"

"Well, it's a very rare sight."

"Well, you weren't completely innocent in all this either!"

"Excuse me?" Chad looked at her. "What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it says, you were wrong too. You shouldn't tell people how to run their lives Chad, it's none of your business."

"I was just trying to offer you some good advice," he explained himself.

Whitney laughed sarcastically at that. "No, you were just trying to butt in with your opinionated self."

"All right, all right. You got me there. So we were both wrong. So what now?"

She thought to herself for a moment. "So now we both apologized and admitted our mistakes and promise to never do them again. Or at least *try* to never do them again," she added.

Chad laughed and nodded. "Okay fine, got yourself a deal. So whaddya say? Can we call a truce while we're stuck in here?"

"I guess so," Whitney agreed. "It's bad enough that we're running out of air here, I don't need to waste it arguing with you."

"Good," he stuck out his hand.

She looked at it, then slowly extended her arm and placed her hand in his. A warm tingle went through her arm and she liked his touch, but she tried to ignore it. With a one firm shake she quickly let go and pulled her hand back.

"I'm not contaminated Whitney. Jeez!" Chad shook his head.

"What? I never said you were."

"You sure act like it sometimes," Chad retorted, rolling his eyes. "Except for before," he added with a slight laugh.

"What do you mean before?" Whitney narrowed her eyes at him.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"No I don't! Would you please explain yourself?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember," he accused, turning his deep chocolate brown eyes on her. She couldn't help but stare into them. "I know you remember that kiss. And I know you enjoyed it."

"I did not," she protested feebly, lost in his eyes. "You forced yourself on me, that was not enjoyment."

"Like you didn't want it to happen."

"I didn't!"

"So you're telling me," he said as he moved closer to her, "if I were to try and kiss you again right now you would push me away?"

"Of course," Whitney said, but she didn't sound very convincing.

"Right," Chad tried to humor her. "And if I gently brushed the hair away from your face like this," he demonstrated, lightly trailing a finger up her cheek and pushing a curly tendril behind her ear, "and caressed your cheek like this…"

Whitney could feel herself losing control. She was so weak right now with lust for him that he could've done just about anything to her and she wouldn't have protested in the slightest.

Chad began to lean in to her; his head titled and eyes closed. Whitney responded by closing her eyes and waiting, her heart pounding out of control.

PG-14

Whitney held her breath as she felt Chad moving closer to her. Suddenly he stopped and she opened her eyes, looking into his.

"I'm sorry," he shook his head before breaking out into a huge grin, "but this is just too easy!"

A fire of rage lit up in Whitney's dark eyes and she shoved Chad back, making him stumble and roll on the floor. He didn't care though; he was too busy laughing.

"You *jerk*," she spat out at him in disgust, "What is your problem? Who the hell do you think you are to touch me like that! You have no right!"

"Like you didn't want me to," Chad smirked. "Please Whitney. You're not mad about me touching you. You're mad about me stopping because you wanted to kiss me."

"I did not," Whitney argued.

"Just admit it and I'll leave you alone. Admit it Whitney," he chanted.

"You wanted to kiss me and were disappointed when I pulled away.

"I didn't want to kiss you! I was just waiting for the right moment to hit you!" she tried to explain herself.

"Sure you were Whitney, sure you were."

She glared at him. "You are so annoying and arrogant it's not even funny!

Forget this stupid truce, it's obviously *not* working."

Chad sighed. "Come on Whitney, I was just joking with you. You really need to lighten up."

"And you need to stop being such a moron," Whitney shot back. "Can you please stop acting so immature? We're in a very dangerous situation right now!"

"It's not that dangerous. I've been in much worse," he offered as comfort, though Whitney didn't see it that way.

"Thanks. Now I feel better!" she quipped sarcastically.

"I tried," Chad shrugged.

Whitney rolled her eyes. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep." She set herself up in a corner of the elevator, using her jacket as a pillow. 'Please God,' she prayed silently, 'let us get out of here alive. If he does anything else I don't think I'll be able to resist from killing him!'

~

"My baby! My precious little girl!" Grace sobbed against Sam's chest. Sam hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I can't believe this Sam! Please tell me this isn't true!"

"I'm sorry Grace," was all Sam could offer, tears of his own trickling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry. Don't worry, everything will be okay."

Grace just continued to sob, seeing her daughter lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

Eve, Hank, and Jessica looked at the scene with pain in their eyes.

Jessica was crying openly, terrified of seeing her parents like that. Hank took hold of her hand and squeezed it in a reassuring manner.

"Grace, Sam," Eve interrupted them gently. "Would you like to come to my office now? There are some things I would like to discuss with you."

They nodded and followed Eve out of Kay's room. She made her way down the hallway and then went through a door into a smaller hallway. It was almost deserted. Pushing open a door on the right she motioned for Sam and Grace to go ahead of her. They did so and took seats in front of her desk.

"Will she be okay Eve?" Grace asked, her eyes red and her mascara running.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you two about," Eve said as she handed Grace a tissue. Grace took it and dabbed her eyes with it. "Kay's condition is very unstable and unpredictable now," Eve relayed as she sat down in her leather chair. "Physically she's not that bad. She has a few bruises on her face, a cut lip, some bruises on her arms, a cut on the back of her head, some… Some vaginal bruising. It could've been much worse. There are still some tests we need to get back though, concerning pregnancy and STD's."

"Oh my God!" Grace gasped, her hands shaking as she brought the tissue up to her face. "Oh my God!"

Sam had paled, but tried to keep his composure. He nodded. "When will those tests come back?"

"Sometime tomorrow morning. It may be too soon to tell though so we'll test her again tomorrow and then again the day after. I don't want to take any risks." Sam and Grace nodded and Eve continued. "That's the physical aspect of it, not too bad. Emotionally and mentally however…" Eve shook her head. "We really have no way of knowing. Kay can only determine that when she wakes up. It's up to her to decide how to handle it."

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Grace choked out.

"I don't know Grace," Eve shrugged sympathetically. "There's no way I can tell. But I do know that Kay is a strong girl and she has a lot of people who love her and will help her through this. Trust me, that's definitely an advantage."

"What do you recommend we do?"

"I don't know Sam. It's different for everyone. I've had a few patients in this situation and they all went to therapy. It really did help actually."

"What's wrong with her right now?" Sam wanted to know. "Why is she… Why is she like that right now?"

Eve sighed. "She's in what I call a 'Shock Coma'. She was shaken up so badly she retreated somewhere inside herself and doesn't want to come out. Whether she wakes up today, tomorrow, next week, or whenever is up to her. It's a syndrome of post-traumatic stress."

"She'll eventually wake up though right Eve?" Grace asked, near hysterics again.

Eve wasn't sure, but she nodded. "I'm sure she'll be just fine Grace. Kay's body just needs some time to relax and recuperate. Don't worry, she'll probably be up by tomorrow."

Grace nodded, sighing in relief. "I just can't believe this happened! I just… I can't believe it," she broke off crying. Sam jumped out of his seat to wrap her in his arms and Eve could only stare at them in anguish, not knowing what to do.

~

"Ethan, where are you taking me?" Gwen asked, laughing as Ethan led her somewhere, his hands covering her eyes. She knew they were at the beach, she could tell she was stepping in sand.

"You'll see," Ethan laughed.

"And I don't understand why I couldn't have dessert at the restaurant," she complained. "Everything looked so delicious Ethan! Why did you drag me away?"

"You'll see."

"You've been saying that ever since we left the restaurant. When will I see?"

"Right now," he said with a smile and removed his hands from her eyes.

Gwen looked around and gasped when she saw what Ethan had prepared. A huge blanket lay sprawled on the sand right next to a bonfire, sending flames shooting up in the air. There were also a bunch of candles placed strategically around as well as wildflowers spread over the blanket. Gwen saw a picnic basket on the side. With the sound of the waves lapping against the shore and the full moon hanging above them in the cloudless sky it looked absolutely perfect.

"Oh Ethan!" Gwen breathed. "This looks gorgeous! How did you do this?"

Ethan grinned, delighted that Gwen approved. "I had some of the servants from the house set it up while we were at dinner. I told them just how I wanted it and they did a wonderful job."

"This is perfect," Gwen shook her head, smiling.

"That's what I was going for. Now, sit down. I know you're upset about missing dessert at the restaurant, but wait until you taste Cook's strawberry short-cake. You won't even think about that restaurant food."

Gwen laughed and sat down on the blanket, warming her hands and face on the fire. Ethan took the picnic basket and took out a cake platter. The cake did look heavenly. Ethan cut it and quickly placed it on a plate. Taking a fork he took a small piece and brought it to Gwen's mouth. She opened her mouth, keeping her eyes on Ethan, and swallowed it.

"Umm," she licked her lips.

They went through other various deserts like this, feeding each other among their light-hearted conversation, both laughing all the time. Gwen was the happiest she had been in a long time and she enjoyed having Ethan all to herself.

When they were finished with the desert Gwen wrapped her arms around her and shivered. "It's really chilly Ethan, are we going to leave now?"

"I can take care of that problem," Ethan said in a confident voice and produced another blanket from the picnic basket. He poured another glass of champagne for each of them before throwing the blanket around both of them and drawing Gwen close in his arms.

She smiled contentedly and took a sip of the bubbly drink. "I love you Ethan," she said as she leaned back into his warm embrace.

"I love you too Gwen. I loved you from the moment I first saw you and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he whispered in her hear.

She sat up straighter. "Ethan, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Ethan took Gwen's champagne glass and set it down along with his own.

"Gwen Hotchkiss, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?" he asked as he produced the ring from his pocket and held it out in front of her.Gwen gasped, tears springing to her eyes. She had been waiting for this day for so long! "Oh Ethan… Yes!" she answered quickly, letting him slip the ring on her finger. "Yes, yes, yes! Of course yes!"

Ethan laughed and she pounced on him, sealing his lips with hers as they kissed passionately. He was finally hers! And she was *not* letting him go.

~

"You can't blame yourself Luis," Sheridan told him, taking his hand into her own. "It's not your fault. You can't expect to protect this whole town by yourself. You're not Superman, you can't be at twenty different places at once."

"I know," Luis nodded. Everything Sheridan was saying was making sense, but he couldn't still help feeling that it was because of his carelessness that Kay had been raped. "You're right. But maybe if I had taken that warning more seriously."

They were sitting in the waiting area, their knees touching, holding hands. Even with the situation that had brought them there, Sheridan couldn't help thinking that it felt so right. Suddenly they were startled when the doors flew open and Sam stormed in, a look of rage in his eyes.

"Luis."

Luis stood up quickly, dropping Sheridan's hands reluctantly. "Yeah?"

"What's going on? Who do we have out there?" he asked.

"All the patrol officers are scanning the area and we just phoned in the Pennsylvania National Guard. The guy broke out of their prison and they're sending someone up as soon as possible," Luis answered.

Sam nodded. "Okay. I'm going."

"Sam, you sure that's the best idea? I know you're probably not thinking rationally and-"

"I'm going," Sam declared through gritted teeth. "That… That bastard," he spat out, "took advantage of my daughter and I'm sure as hell not gonna sit back and let him get away with it!"

Luis nodded, too scared to try and argue with Sam when he was in this state of mind. "Sure, sure Sam. Whatever you say. But I'm coming with you."

"Okay," Sam nodded. "Let's go," he said as he walked towards the exit.

Luis looked at Sheridan. "I gotta go," he said apologetically. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Sheridan nodded, standing. "I should go too."

"Are you gonna be okay getting home?" Luis asked quickly.

"I'll be fine," Sheridan assured him with a small smile. She loved the way Luis always looked out for her.

"You have your car right?"

She shook her head. "No, actually I don't. But I'll walk really quickly and-"

"No way. I'm giving you a lift home."

"No, Luis, that's not necessary."

"Yeah, it's not," Hank entered the room. "I'll give Sheridan a ride home."

"Hank no," Sheridan said quickly, "I don't want to disturb you at this time."

"No, it's fine. I need to get away from here for a while anyway."

Sheridan looked at Luis. If Hank took her home, Luis would feel better, and so would she for that matter. She couldn't deny the fact that she was a little afraid with this madman on the loose. Nodding, she relented. "Okay.

Thank you Hank."

"It's no problem," Hank forced a smile.

Sheridan turned back to Luis and smiled. "Be careful," she said.He smiled back at her and pulled her into a quick hug. Sheridan inhaled his cologne and relished being in his arms, her body getting cold when he pulled back.

Luis went over to Miguel and Theresa, who were sitting and talking quietly.

"I'm going out, trying to see if we can find this guy. Miguel, walk home with Theresa and walk Simone too. I don't want any of you out there alone, got it?" Luis lectured.

Miguel nodded and so did Theresa. "Don't worry Luis, we'll be all right," she assured her older brother. Noticing that Sheridan was leaving too she spoke a little louder. "Thank you for walking me home Sheridan."

"It was no problem Theresa. And I hope Kay gets better," she added, directing her last comment to Simone, Miguel, and Charity as well. They all smiled tightly.

With that Luis, Sheridan, and Hank walked out.

~

Simone sighed in frustration and walked over to where Theresa and Miguel were sitting. "I wish they'd tell us something," she complained. She turned to Theresa and tried to change the subject to get her mind off of what had happened to Kay. "So did my sister go home?"

"What?" Theresa asked, confused.

"Well, she was over your house right? Did she go home now?" Simone questioned.

"She wasn't over my house," Theresa shook her head. "I was just coming back from the Crane's when Mama told me what happened to Kay and then me and Sheridan rushed over. I haven't seen her since school ended. You haven't either?" she asked in a panic.

Simone shook her head with wide eyes. "She was supposed to go to tennis practice until 5 and then go to your house. I haven't seen her since school either, I just assumed she was at your house."

"Oh my God," Theresa shot up.

Miguel looked at her. "Oh no, Theresa. You don't think that…"

"I don't know, I don't know! But what if that is the case? Oh my God! We have to tell someone!" Theresa went on in a shrill voice.

Miguel stood up too and took hold of Theresa's arm. "It'll be okay Theresa. Calm down. Let's just go tell Dr. Russell. Maybe she knows where she is."

"Right. Please let her know," Theresa said to herself as Miguel, Theresa, and Simone walked towards Dr. Russell's office.

Charity watched them go sadly. They had completely forgotten about her.

PG-14

"Did she call?" Eve asked in a worried manner.

"No," TC answered, gripping the phone so tightly his knuckles were paling. Simone was standing next to him in terror, scared that her father might send the phone shattering into plastic splinters.

Eve sighed. "I don't know where she can be TC! You called the police and they said they informed Sam right?"

"That's what they said. Of course I haven't seen Sam since last night when he came by the house and asked if I had seen anything suspicious. And then he was long gone by the time you called. I even called the Harmony Country Club and they said she didn't come in the entire day," TC informed his wife in a tight voice.

"I can't believe this TC," she whined, her eyes tearing over. "I don't want to think the worse, but what if-"

"No!" he exclaimed, cutting her off. "Don't say that Eve. Don't worry, I'm sure she's okay."

"But, TC, what if… What if something did," Eve stopped abruptly, biting her lower lip. She couldn't stand the thought of it. Now she knew what Grace must be feeling like.

"Well then I feel very sorry for whoever did it because I will personally pay them a visit and tear their heart out!" TC screamed. Eve didn't doubt for a second that he was kidding.

"Daddy!" Simone cried, fear in her large hazel eyes.

"Let me talk to Simone."

TC handed the phone over to his youngest daughter. "Your mom wants to talk to you."

Simone took the phone and placed it gently on her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm really scared Mom. Dad's really scaring me," she replied in secrecy to her mother when TC had left the kitchen.

Eve took a breath. "Don't worry baby, your father's just very worried right now about Whitney. He's not thinking clearly and just screaming things out that he would never do," she tried to convince her daughter, although she wasn't all that convinced either.

"Has there been any sign of her?"

"No. But at least we know she must not be hurt otherwise I would've known about it since I'm here at the hospital," Eve assured Simone. That was mainly the reason why she had stayed all night. She wanted to be sure that if Whitney were brought in she would be there. "Now don't worry about it honey.

Everything's gonna be okay. Whitney probably has a very rational explanation for this and she'll come home soon and explain it. For now- just get ready for school and try not to think about it."

"I can't go to school Mom," Simone complained. "Not with Kay in the hospital and Whitney missing!"

"I know Simone, it's hard. But I think it would be the best thing to do.

You would be able to get your mind off of everything. Besides, what good would it do hanging around the house all day worrying?"

"But I wanted to come to the hospital and see how Kay's doing. She's not awake yet is she?"

"Not yet," Eve informed Simone sadly. "But we're hopeful that she'll awaken sometime today. But I really think you would be much better off going to school. I'd feel better knowing where you were."

"But wouldn't it be better for me to be there with you?"

Eve paused and then reluctantly relented. "All right. You can stay home. But you are to stay here in the hospital all day, I don't want you wandering around town."

"I promise I won't," Simone vowed. "I'll walk over there with Theresa, Miguel, and Pilar. They're all coming to see how Kay's doing."

"Okay. Let me speak to your father again. I love you."

"I love you too Mom. Here's Dad," she said as she handed the phone back to TC.

"Hello?"

"TC, call me here at the hospital the *second* you hear something, okay?"

"Of course honey," TC promised.

"And I told Simone she could come stay with me at the hospital today. I think she's a little too upset to go to school today. She'll be coming here with Miguel, Theresa, and Pilar."

"If you think it's best."

"I do."

"I'll call you the minute anything comes up," he reassured her, sensing the heavy worry in her voice.

"I just hope that's soon."

~

Whitney had been drifting in and out of a restless sleep all night. The elevator floor was not exactly the most comfortable place to sleep and it didn't help that the thought of being in the same confined space with Chad made her shudder, not to mention that she was starving and really had to go to the bathroom badly.

She turned to her side and tried to take her thoughts off of it. She had almost dozed off again when she felt Chad's strong arms encircle her waist and pull her back snugly against his chest. Whitney opened her eyes in shock and was about to start yelling at him when she realized Chad must still be asleep. She could feel his breathing tickle the hairs on the back of her neck and shivered, not from being cold but from something completely different.Whitney froze. She was scared of moving. 'What if I wake him up and then he thinks that *I* rolled into his arms. He's conceited enough to think so!'

Contemplating her situation, she couldn't believe she wasn't as upset as she thought it would be. She actually felt almost… Could it be that she felt happy being in his arms? She did feel much warmer and safer. Smiling she snuggled back against him a little more.

Chad felt something brush against him and he stirred awake. Whitney's eyes widened in horror and she paused. Chad opened his eyes groggily and was surprised by the soft curls that were brushed out in front of his face. He lifted his head and looked down to see a 'sleeping' Whitney in his arm. He chuckled softly to himself and shook his head.

"Well… I'll be damned," he murmured. He stared at her face. She really was beautiful, with soft, perfect skin and smooth, perfectly proportioned lips. Chad noticed a curly tendril sticking to her cheek and softly brushed it aside, cupping Whitney's cheek.At this Whitney's eyes flew open. Chad was scared that she might start screaming at him, but the look in her eyes was one of surprise and mild amusement, not anger. Here goes nothing,' he thought as he leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers. Whitney was too shocked to do or say anything, but when he came down for another kiss she surprised both of them by returning his kiss. She accepted his lips willingly and wrapped her hands around his neck, bringing him closer to her.

~

Timmy was happily dreaming, off in his own world where Charity and him were cruising on a yacht and the evil Kay was serving them Martimmy's. He sighed contentedly and turned to his side, causing a broom to topple over and hit him on the head.

"Ow!" he screamed, jolting upright. He looked around and saw Tabitha peeking out of the door. He got up and walked over to her. "Tabitha, Timmy doesn't understand why him and Tabby had to sleep in a… In a janitor's closet!" he complained, scrunching up his nose.

"Shh!" Tabitha waved him away, then pulled back and closed the door. "Don't talk so loudly Timmy! You're sure to get us caught. And we had to stay in here for the night so we could be the first ones here when Grace and her brood come in. I want to speak with Charity, start on my next plan!"

"Oh no. What's Tabby going to do now?"

The old blond woman laughed evilly. "Don't you worry about that Tim-Tim. But before you know it Charity will be on our side and then the real fun can begin!" She turned around and snuck a look out the door again. "There they are Timmy!" Tabitha exclaimed excitedly as she spotted Grace and Hank coming around a corner followed by Jessica and Charity. She hoisted Timmy up on her hip, and making sure there were no doctors or nurses in sight, flung the door open and ran out in the hallway, walking quickly to catch up with the Bennett's.

"Grace! Oh Gracie darling!" Tabitha called after the petite redhead.

Grace turned around and Tabitha could see, even from that distance, that her eyes were red and puffy. Her face looked sallow and she hardly managed a smile for their 'kind' old neighbor.

"Hello Tabitha. What brings you here?"

"Well, I just heard about poor Kay," Tabitha said in faux concern, her neighborly caring routine perfect, "and I just had to rush right over and offer my sympathies. I am so sorry! How is the poor girl?"

Grace sighed heavily and Hank put an arm around her shoulder in a comforting manner. "We don't really know. I'm going to talk to Eve right now about her condition."

Tabitha nodded in understanding, smiling sympathetically. "Of course, I won't keep you then. My best wishes of course!"

"Thank you Tabitha," Grace nodded, then turned to Jessica and Charity.

"You girls stay here in the waiting room. If your father comes in Jessica, tell him we're in Dr. Russell's office."

"Of course Mom," Jessica nodded.

Grace and Hank continued down the hallway and Charity and Jessica sat down. Jessica buried her head in her hands. Tabitha walked over to stand in front of them.

"How are you girls holding up?"

"We're okay Tabitha," Charity answered for her and Jessica in an emotionless tone. There were heavy cirlces under her eyes and she looked tired.

"I'm going to the cafeteria," Jessica announced, standing up. "I need some coffee. Do you guys want anything?" she asked Tabitha and Charity.

"Oh yes, could you get me some tea, Jessica?" Tabitha asked sweetly.

"With milk and sugar?"

"Sure," Jessica nodded and walked off down the hallway, her shoulders sagging.

Tabitha watched her go with a smile. 'This is perfect. A moment alone with Charity! This is my chance.' She sat down next to the blond and smiled cheerily. "So really Charity, how are you? I can tell you're not as okay as you seem to want people to think."

Charity shrugged, a little uncomfortable. "No, I'm fine, Tabitha," she assured her. "I mean, it's a big shock and I don't think I even comprehended what's really going on yet, but I'm not bad."

"Yes, big shock indeed. Can you imagine what dear Kay had to go through?

Lucky for her there's so many people here who care about her. Grace, Hank, Jessica, you. And I'm sure more will come! Why, I'm sure any minute Miguel is going to come bursting through those doors. You have no idea how close those two are. You've only known Kay and Miguel since the summer, but they've known each other since they were about four or five. Why, I remember when they were just little wee children," Tabitha laughed, "how they used to play around in the Bennett's backyard. I used to come out and give them milk and cookies.

They were so cute together! And then when they began growing older I was certain something was going to happen between them. Romantically I mean. And then-" She stopped abruptly. "Oh, I'm so sorry dear. I'm getting caught up with my memories. That's not really important right now though is it?" Tabitha pressed, watching Charity's reaction with glee.

Throughout Tabitha's whole speech, Charity had sat stone-eyed and expressionless, staring at the wall across from her. Her mind was reeling with the pictures Tabitha was painting for her and all she could keep hearing in her mind was Miguel's words that she heard him say to Kay the night before: "Charity or no Charity, I will *always* need you."

"Charity dear, are you all right?"

Charity shook her head to clear her thoughts and then turned to Tabitha. "What? Oh yes, I'm fine. If you'll excuse me, I want to go see my aunt and uncle. I wanna see how Kay's doing," she fibbed as she got up quickly and practically ran down the hall.

Tabitha watched her go with a malicious glint in her eyes and a smug smirk on her face. "That went well!" she commented to Timmy with a laugh.

Timmy came out of his doll state and shook his head. "Timmy thinks Tabby's mean. Very mean!"

"Good," Tabitha chirped and laughed at Timmy's stunned expressions. She would get Charity over to the dark side sooner than she thought.

~

Luis and Sam were walking back from the police station when they spotted Beth opening up the Book Café across the street. Luis and Sam looked at each other, nodded, and sprinted across the street.

"Hey Beth," Luis said casually as him and Sam neared.

"Hi Luis," she flashed a happy smile at him, then looked at Sam, "Chief Bennett."

"Hi Beth, how are you?" Sam tried to make small talk.

"I'm doing good. Is something wrong? You seem upset," Beth noted, a look of concern crossing her face.

Luis and Sam exchanged significant glances and then Luis turned to Beth.

"You wouldn't have happened to see a man looking like this pass by did you?" he showed Beth the flyer of the alleged rapist.

Beth glanced at the flyer with confusion. "No, I haven't. Sorry. Why? What's going on?"

"He's a convicted rapist from Pennsylvania and we have reason to believe he's in the area," Sam answered her.

"Oh my God," Beth gasped, "Well, why do you believe he's in the area?"

Sam cleared his throat and sighed. "Well, um… My daughter, last night, was…"

Beth understood and her jaw dropped in shock. "Oh my God, Chief Bennett, I'm so sorry. Is she okay?"

"Kay's a strong girl. I know she will be."

"Kay? I just saw her the night before last at the pond and then… Oh my God," she put a hand over her mouth. "Just last night? Where?"

"In lighthouse park. Down the block from the Bennett's," Luis stepped into the conversation.

"Wow," Beth shook her head. "I can't believe this. And he's still on the loose?"

"Unfortunately," Luis nodded bitterly. "We're posting these flyers around town and we alerted the Pennsylvania police, they're on their way up here.

Don't worry, he's probably long gone by now, but… Just in case, be careful," he advised his ex-girlfriend.

"Don't worry, I will," Beth nodded. "And if I see any sign of him I'll be sure to alert the police," she promised. "I hope you catch him soon! And I hope Kay gets better Chief."

"Thank you," Sam smiled tightly and him and Luis began to walk down the block.

Beth shook her head again and entered the Book Café in awe. A rape right here in Harmony? Just a few blocks away? And the victim was someone she knew?

This was too much. She flicked the light on in the Book Café and closed the door. She didn't even have time to scream as the man jumped on her and wrestled her to the ground.

~*~

Ethan stared as his bride walked up the candlelit aisle, carrying a beautiful bouquet and wearing a gorgeous wedding dress. Ethan was standing next to the minister, looking at the veiled woman in adoration. As she neared she took his hand and the two smiled at each other before facing the minister. He smiled at them kindly, sensing the love the two had for each other.

"Dearly beloved," he began his speech, "We are gathered here today…""You may now," he paused dramatically, after the two had exchanged their vows and put on their rings, "kiss the bride."

Ethan smiled nervously, gingerly lifted the veil, and leaned in to kiss his gorgeous wife, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. The church erupted in applause and Theresa and Ethan laughed, taking each other's hands and running down the aisle. They ran down the stairs of the church, giggling and hugging each other as rice and confetti surrounded them. They stopped every few feet and posed for pictures, after all they were the picture-perfect couple.Then there were flashes of their wedding reception at the Crane mansion. Ethan and Theresa dancing, cutting the cake, kissing, laughing, dancing again. Ethan took Theresa's garter off as the guests cheered them on and threw it into the crowd. Then Theresa stood on a chair and tossed back her bouquet, laughing a delicate laugh as someone jumped up to catch it.And then they were off in the limo towards the airport to disembark on their honeymoon. As the limousine doors closed they leaned in for a passionate kiss and the guests cheered and applauded yet again. The limousine drove off in the sunset with the happy newlyweds inside, excitedly awaiting their life together.

~*~

Ethan stirred awake as he felt a pair of lips against his.

'Theresa,' he thought happily and opened his eyes, expecting to find the pretty brunette beside him. He was startled when he saw Gwen staring at him with a happy and amused smile on her face. He sat upright, looking around in a confused manner.

"Ethan?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

He shook his and tried to wake himself up. "Nothing," he said, "Nothing at all.""What were you dreaming about? You certainly looked happy. Were you dreaming about me?" Gwen teased in a light-hearted manner as she rolled into his arms.

The dream guiltily flashed before his eyes, but he covered his guilt with a smile. "What? Oh, I don't remember."

"You probably were. I was dreaming about our wedding," she confided with a smile. "I can't wait until we get married!" Gwen squealed excitedly, extending her hand and admiring her engagement ring. "This is so perfect Ethan. I love you so much," she kissed him deeply. "I want to get started on our wedding plans as soon as possible! I was thinking maybe a summer wedding?

How beautiful would that be? Maybe we could have it on your family's yachts? How perfect would that be!"

Ethan wrapped his arms around Gwen tightly and listened to her jabber on about how she envisioned their wedding. He tried to pay attention to her, but he couldn't help his mind from wandering to the dream about Theresa. Did it mean something?

PG-14

Grace sighed heavily as she watched Miguel walk into Kay's room and take her limp hand gingerly in his own. Hank squeezed her shoulder in comfort and guided her out of the room.

"Come on. Let's give them some time alone and get some coffee," he said as they walked towards the elevator. Grace nodded silently, her eyes tearing over.

Theresa, Simone, Pilar, Charity, and Jessica also decided to give Miguel some privacy with Kay and they walked over to the waiting area. Miguel stared at Kay in disappointment. She should've been awake by now!

"Come on Kay," he muttered, squeezing her hand. "Come back. Come back to me!" He knew his demands were in vain. She probably couldn't even hear him, but if he didn't hear the sound of his own voice at least he would go insane with all the beeps and buzz of the various machines surrounding her.

Dr. Russell had assured everyone countless times that most of them were just for precautions, but they still scared him. What would Kay think when she woke up? If she woke up, a nagging voice in his head reminded him.

"She will wake up!" Miguel argued with himself. "Kay," he directed his voice at her, "You have to wake up. I know you must be scared right now and you may not want to come back, but you don't have to be scared. I'll be here for you. Everyone will be here for you; your parents, Jessica, Simone, Theresa, your Uncle Hank, Charity, everyone! You just need to wake up.

Please?"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Miguel turned to see Reese standing there. He looked at him in surprise.

"Oh my gosh," he gasped when he saw Kay. Miguel continued to stare at him with a questioning gaze. "I heard that it was bad, but this is… Wow."

Miguel felt anger rise up in him. "It's not that bad Reese!" he snapped.

"She'll get better. It's not like she's dying!"

"I know, I know," Reese said quickly. "She looks so… So small," he added after a slight pause, stepping farther into the room.

"It's just 'cause there's so many machines around her and the bed's so huge," Miguel explained, looking back at Kay.

"And so pale," Reese continued, not really hearing Miguel. "Are they putting the right nutrients in her IV tube?"

"Reese, why are you here?" Miguel asked impatiently.

Reese looked a little hurt, but tried not to show it. "I heard about what happened to Kay and wanted to see how she was."

Miguel nodded and stayed quiet, continuing to stare at Kay. He really wanted to be alone with her, but he couldn't just tell Reese to get out.

"Um… Miguel? Do you mind if I have a moment alone with Kay?" Reese asked.

Miguel looked at him in shock. "What? Why?"

"Well, she is my girlfriend," Reese reasoned, "And I just want to be with her."

"She's not your girlfriend."

"We went out on a few dates," Reese said defensively. "And even you said how much she likes me!"

Miguel swallowed hard. He reluctantly let go of Kay's hand and moved back to let Reese take his place. A pang of jealousy went through his heart at the sight of Reese holding Kay's hand. That wasn't supposed to be Reese there.

That was supposed to be him!

'But I'm just her best friend,' Miguel rationalized to himself. 'Reese is her… Her boyfriend,' he struggled to acknowledge it. With a heavy heart he walked out of the room and back to the rest of his friends.

~

*I don't want another heartbreak

I don't need another turn to cry

I don't want to learn the hard way

Baby Hello, oh no, goodbye

But you got me like a rocket

Shooting straight across the sky

~

It's the way you love me

It's a feeling like this

It's centrifugal motion

It's perpetual bliss

It's that pivotal moment

It's Impossible

This kiss, this kiss

(Unstoppable)

This kiss, this kiss*

Chad and Whitney continued kissing with a fury. They were oblivious to everything around them, completely absorbed in each other. Whitney couldn't quite describe what she was feeling since absolutely no coherent thought was running through her head, but all she knew was that it felt right. The tenderness of his lips upon hers and the gentle and caring way he held her was driving her wild; she had never experienced anything like this before.

*Cinderella said to Snow White

How does love get so off course?

All I wanted was a white knight

With a good heart, soft touch, fast horse

Ride me off into the sunset

Baby, I'm forever yours

~

It's the way you love me

It's a feeling like this

It's centrifugal motion

It's perpetual bliss.

It's that pivotal moment

It's unthinkable

This kiss, this kiss

(Unsinkable)

This kiss, this kiss*

More than anything Chad didn't want the kiss to stop. He had been with a lot of other girls in his time, more than enough, but never once had he experienced what he was experiencing with Whitney at that moment. Their kiss was so filled with passion and desire it overwhelmed even him.

*You can kiss me in the moonlight

On the rooftop under the sky

You can kiss me with the windows open

While the rain comes pouring inside

Kiss me in sweet slow motion

Let's let every thing slide

You got me floating, You got me flying

~

It's the way you love me

It's a feeling like this

It's centrifugal motion

It's perpetual bliss

It's that pivotal moment

It's subliminal

This kiss, this kiss

(It's criminal)

This kiss, this kiss

~"This Kiss" by Faith Hill*

Suddenly the lights in the elevator flicked on. Chad slowly began to pull away from Whitney, anticipating her reaction. Would she start complaining and screaming about harassment charges or would she just kill him herself? The kiss had left Whitney speechless though and all she could do was stare at Chad in amazement and surprise.

They both opened their mouths to say something, but before either of them could utter a word the elevator began descending. Whitney scampered up off the floor and threw on her jacket. Chad slowly stood up in a daze, standing fully upright just as the elevators door slid open.

Ned, the school janitor, was standing in front of the doors when they opened. Chad and Whitney shakily stepped out.

"My Lord, were you kids in there since yesterday?" he asked in shock.

Whitney and Chad nodded silently, the kiss still fresh in both their minds.

"Are you all right?" Ned wanted to know.

They nodded again.

"Do you want me to call anyone to come get you?"

Chad took control of the situation since Whitney could barely focus on the elderly man standing in front of them. "Um, no Sir, thank you. We'll be fine." Chad tried to put an arm Whitney to guide her out the building, but she quickly brushed him off and set off down the hallway swiftly on her own.

~

"It was just the most perfect night Sheridan!" Gwen swooned, resting her head on Ethan's shoulder. The three of them were in the Crane living room, Ethan and Gwen on the sofa and Sheridan on the armchair. "The stars and moon were shining brilliantly and everything Ethan had prepared was exquisite! I

nearly cried when I saw it," the blond laughed.

"I'm so happy for both of you!" Sheridan grinned broadly, standing to hug her nephew and his fiancée.

"Thank you Sheridan," Ethan smiled, hugging her back.

"And Sheridan," Gwen continued, "I would be honored if you would be my maid of honor."

"Really?" Sheridan asked, surprise evident in her voice. "Me? I don't know Gwen, wouldn't it better to have a close life-long friend or something?"

"Don't be silly Sheridan! You're one of my closest friends now and I cherish you dearly. I want you to be my maid of honor. Please?" Gwen implored, a hopeful smile on her face.

Sheridan smiled and then laughed. "Of course! I would love to."

"Oh, thank you Sheridan!" Gwen squealed, jumping to hug her. "Everything is working out wonderfully!

"It's no problem Gwen," Sheridan laughed again.

"Oh, look at the time," Gwen glanced at her watch. "I have to meet my parents for breakfast. Wait until I tell them the news!" she exclaimed happily, then turned to Ethan. "I'll call you later okay?" Ethan nodded and Gwen kissed him lightly on the lips before standing up and moving towards the entryway. "Good-bye Sheridan," she smiled at her.

"Bye Gwen. I'll see you later."

Ethan saw Gwen to the door and then came back into the living room to sit with Sheridan.

"Wow," Sheridan smiled, staring at Ethan. "You're getting married Ethan! Can you believe it?" Ethan smiled and simply shook his head. Sheridan furrowed her eyebrows in concern. "Ethan, are you all right? You've been awfully quiet this morning."

Ethan started to nod, then stopped. "I don't know Sheridan, something's been bothering me."

"What's up?" Sheridan asked with worry, going over to sit next to Ethan.

"Does it have something to do with Gwen?"

"Not really… It's actually about this weird dream I had last night."

"A dream?" she looked at Ethan in confusion. "You're worried about a dream? I thought you were a little more practical than that Ethan."

"Usually I am," Ethan sighed in exasperation, "but for some reason I can't get this particular one out of my mind."

"Well, why don't you tell me about it?"

"I dreamt… I dreamt that I married Theresa," he finally admitted, blushing a little.

Sheridan's eyes widened in surprise. "Theresa? Well… It was just a dream Ethan. It didn't mean anything. Unless you think it meant something… Did you think it meant something?" she asked quickly.

"I don't know! I mean… I can't stop thinking about it. It's really bothering me and I don't even know why."

"Do you think that you may have feelings for Theresa?" she questioned. Sheridan knew that she had suspicions about Ethan and Theresa, but were they actually true? She knew now that Theresa had feelings for Ethan, but could they be mutual? And if they were, what would happen between Ethan and Gwen?

Ethan was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I mean, no!" he added right after. "Of course I don't have feelings for Theresa. I don't even know why I'm making such a big deal out of this, it's nothing. I think I need some more coffee," Ethan laughed nervously.

Sheridan smiled tightly, not really convinced. "Yeah, guess so. Well, I should get going. I want to get over to the hospital and see how Kay Bennett is doing."

"Oh that's right, Chief Bennett's daughter. I heard about what happened to her, how awful! Will she be okay?"

"I'm sure she will be Ethan," Sheridan smiled, standing up. "I don't know any major details, but hopefully I can find something out today."

Ethan stood up with her. "I hope she'll be okay. Offer the Bennetts my regards."

"Of course. I'll see you later Ethan," Sheridan kissed him on the cheek as he walked her to the front door. "Don't worry about the dream, it was just a dream."

Ethan smiled as he closed the door behind Sheridan. With a sigh he walked back to the living room and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"It was just a dream wasn't it?" he wondered aloud to himself. "It couldn't have been anything more. I'm being ridiculous. It was just my imagination working over time!"

'But it felt so wonderful thinking she was your bride,' a voice in the back of his head reminded him.

Ethan paused, then shook his head and poured himself some more coffee.

"Miguel?" Charity asked in a small voice, fumbling with her fingers nervously.

Miguel had been staring at the floor between his feet, but looked up when he heard Charity. She sat down next to him and looked at him in apprehension."Hi Charity," he acknowledged her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Are you okay?" Charity asked, putting her hand over his gently.

"No, I'm not," Miguel sighed, taking his hand from beneath Charity's and running it absently through his hair.

Charity sighed. "Miguel, remember yesterday when I was talking about being a jinx and having to stay away from you?"

"What?" Miguel looked at her in confusion. Then it hit him. That had seemed like so long ago. So much had happened since then. Had it really only been a day? "I mean, yeah. Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"Well, I think I was wrong. It was stupid of me to think we should break-up just because of that. And I don't want to break up Miguel. I really care for you and I don't want to lose you just because of some silly rumor at school," she explained in a hurry, eager to have him back to being her boyfriend.

Miguel just stared at her. "Why are you even bringing this up now Charity? We have more important things to worry about besides our relationship right now! Kay was just raped last night! Who cares about us?"

"I do," Charity said meekly, her eyes glassing over.

"Look, I'm sorry Charity," Miguel apologized, immediately feeling guilty about snapping at her. "But right now I don't really want to talk about this.

It's not the time."

"Why not?" Charity demanded. "Don't you care about me anymore Miguel?"

"How can you ask me that? Of course I do. But right now what happened to Kay is my top priority. I thought you would understand that. She's my best friend and your cousin. How can you act like nothing's happened?"

"I'm not acting like that!" Charity cried, then lowered her voice when she realized that everyone could hear her. "But we can talk about other things besides Kay. Us ignoring our relationship won't help her get through this."

"Maybe not," he agreed, "But right now I can't think of anything else but Kay. This really isn't a good time to talk to me about something."

She stared at Miguel in dismay. "I knew it, I knew it! You love her don't you? And you want to be with her and you want to break up with me!"

"Charity, what has gotten into you? First, I do love her, but only as a best friend. And secondly, how can you think about yourself at a time like this? Can you imagine what Kay had to go through! And here you are, unable to get anything through your head but the fact that for once everything is not revolving around you!" Miguel could hardly believe he was saying this to Charity, but he had all this anger and didn't know who to take it out on. And he wasn't exactly completely wrong either. With a frustrated sigh he stood up and stormed out of the waiting room.

Charity watched him go in horror. Tears trickled down her cheek, but she made no attempt to brush them away. She turned and saw Simone, Theresa, Pilar, and Jessica staring at her in shock. They all turned away when they saw her gazing at them. Charity ran out of the waiting room too and ran for the bathroom.

~

"Yes Timmy!" Tabitha exclaimed in happiness. "Did you see the way Charity just blew up? This is going perfectly!"

Timmy pulled his head back from around the corner and turned to Tabitha.

"Timmy feels so bad for Charity! Miguel is completely ignoring her," he complained. "If Charity was Timmy's girl Timmy would treat her with respect."

"Yes, well, she won't ever be your girl will she?" Tabitha snapped at him in distaste. "Unless we can somehow get her on our side," she continued in a persuasive tone.

Timmy looked at Tabitha skeptically. "What does Tabitha mean?"

"Well… If Charity joins the Dark Side and works with us, then she'll be able to get to know you. Who knows what could happen then?"

"But… But then Charity wouldn't be her sweet self that Timmy loves!"

"Oh, she would be towards you," Tabitha said absently, trying to act like she didn't care much about it. Timmy would think it weird if she pushed it too hard.

"Really?"

She tried not to burst out laughing. "Don't take my word for it, find out for yourself."

Timmy looked up at Tabitha in confusion and indecisiveness. Was Tabby really telling the truth? Or was this another of her evil schemes?