Running to catch up to her, he matched his stride to hers. "I'm going
with you," Noah said without preamble.
Piper jumped slightly at Noah's sudden presence. "What? Didn't you
chastise me about not attending the wedding?!" She shot off, pulling the
thin shawl as tight around her shoulders as possible.
"I was wrong," he replied simply. "You were right."
Piper stopped her tracks, eyed Noah warily, then she began walking again,
but she slowed her brisk pace slightly, unconsciously telling Noah she
didn't mind his presence nearly as much as she pretended she did.
"Where are we going then?" He asked slowing down with her. "To your
house?"
"I guess so," she said with a shrug. The outfit she wore along with the
high heels was definitely not made for the weather nor for moving a lot in
general.
He nodded, almost enjoying the pleasant silence that now fell between
them. At least it wasn't arguing or worse insulting. "Do you really think
it won't last?" He asked after a moment.
"Yep, a marriage can only work for so long when it isn't based on love,"
Piper said matter-o-fact. "There has to be someone out there who likes
Hallie for Hallie and I know plenty of women want Luke."
"I couldn't do it," he added, thoughtfully. "I mean, you're supposed to
get married because you love someone not because you want something more."
Piper nodded, "I don't understand it really, either."
"Maybe we will some day," he shrugged. He glanced at her out of the corner
of his eye, catching a shiver as the wind picked up. "Are you cold? Would
you like my coat?" He asked already peeling out of it.
"No-" Piper began to protest, but Noah had already placed the heavy jacket
on her shoulders. She bowed her head a little, "uh, thanks, but we're
almost my house anyway."
"You know Piper," he began, pulling at her hand to slow her down. "I've
really missed you."
Piper felt those familiar butterflies wings beat against her stomach. "I'm
sorry," she said lamely, jumping slightly at the skin-to-skin contact.
"Well, it's my fault. I guess I alienated myself," he said meaning
everything and nothing at the same time.
"Can we go inside?" she asked abruptly, "my legs are freezing and these
heels are killing me."
"Yeah," he muttered realizing that Piper wouldn't give an inch. She was
stubborn, like Maura, that way.
Piper hurried up the steps of the home, fiddling with the door to get it
open. She really was about to catch hypothermia, she wasn't trying to
avoid Noah. Sort of. Piper breathed once they stepped inside the warm
home, it giving her a sense of comfort in her time of extreme discomfort.
She shrugged off Noah's jacket, hanging it in the coat closet. In silence,
while she tried to think of something to say, she slipped off the
uncomfortable shoes that had rubbed some redness on her ankles.
It had been a long time since he had stepped into the Conlan home, but it
still made him comfortable. Like he was home again. The house was decked
out in holiday splendor, Maura's touch, he was sure. He ducked his head
into the living room and stared in awe at the tree there. It had to be at
least eight feet high.
Piper followed Noah into the family room. "I think we both alienated
ourselves...," she said abruptly from her position behind him. He was half
a foot taller than her, of course, she already knew that.
Noah nodded. "Do you...well, are you happy, Piper?"
Piper looked strangely at Noah. "What do you mean? Well, yeah, the play
was successful, I've always wanted to act, and my first place was Frank
Farley's, a lead role, nothing but greatness from here," she said
flippantly, with a toss of her hand. She dropped down into the buttery
soft couch in the family room, staring up at the tree.
"No, that's not what I meant," he replied sitting next to her. "I meant
with Chase. Are you happy?"
Piper wrinkled her nose at Noah, acting as though the question was absurd.
"Of course I am!" she said defensively, not wanting to let on anything
about her relationship with Chase. She knew if Noah found out about
anything Chase did or said to her, he would likely kill him. The thought
almost gave Piper a sense of warmth in that she knew Noah would still
defend her, but it was quickly replaced by common bitterness.
He nodded, feeling the pit of his stomach fall away. He had no right even
asking her that question. "As long as you're happy, that's all that
matters."
"Are you?"
Turnaround was fair play, he thought, the edges of his mouth curling into
a tight smile. Was he happy? God, he didn't know. Yes...no... "Sometimes
yes...sometimes no," he answered honestly.
"Why not?" she asked, almost defensively, feeling a protectiveness towards
Dinah which she quickly swallowed down.
"Well, Dinah's great and all. But..." He looked at Piper, frowning a bit.
He didn't really want to spill his personal demons about his relationship
with Dinah to Piper, the one girl who despised Dinah more than anyone else
in the world. "It doesn't matter."
"Yes, it does, don't start telling me if you're not going to finish."
"Dinah wants way more from me than I can give her," Noah said staring
Piper down. "Okay? That's it. When we're hanging out and just being
friends, everything is great. But when she wants more, it isn't.
Satisfied?" He asked shifting away from her uncomfortably.
Piper's forehead formed a line of confusion. "So why are you her
boyfriend?" Piper challenged, "it sounds like you don't mind being
friends, but anything beyond that...," she trailed off at the look Noah
gave her, but she returned it with a defiant, hard one of her own.
"What do you care?"
Piper frowned at him, "just curious," she snapped, turning away from him
on the couch.
"Oh? And I suppose your boyfriend is the best in the world too," he
remarked.
"I never said that," Piper answered back, refusing to look at him,
"So Chase isn't as perfect as he lets on?"
"Nobody is perfect," Piper snapped, growing annoyed by Noah's attitude.
"You're trying to manipulate this like it's the other person's fault that
they don't see more in the relationship!"
"I'm not manipulating anything. I just asked a question," he answered
trying to stay cool.
"No, you're using the treatment I gave you earlier," Piper said, twisting
herself around to face Noah. "Trying to play it off like this enormous
problem is just a tiny little glitch within the system and we both know
neither one of is happy!" It was a little more than she had intended to
say and now she sat staring expectantly at Noah, breathing a little
heavier in her anger, and a hard, but desperate look upon her face.
"Okay, fine. So what are we going to do about it?" He asked gazing at her.
"I don't know," she answered lamely, sinking into the couch. "I just keep
hoping it will all go away."
Noah sighed, sinking back into the couch with her. "They don't go away
unless you ask them to," he muttered.
Scene 2:
"...eighty-three bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around,
eighty-two bottles of beer on the wall. Eighty-two bottles of beer on the
wall, eighty-two bottles of beer. Take one down, pass it around,
eighty-one bottles of beer on the wall..."
Jillie sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She hadn't
pegged Hallie for the traditional sort. Something about an hour long
ceremony seemed...redundant and inefficient. Neither of which described
the not-so-blushing bride. However, this was Hallie's "big day". Just
because the marriage was a farce, that didn't mean any expense needed to
be spared, now did it?
What a waste of time.
Her gaze swung from the couple kneeling at the altar, to the guests who
lined the pews of the old church. At least she didn't seem to be the only
one bored out of her mind. Jillie wondered, idly, if she could make a run
for the sacramental wine. Something told her the church didn't really
spring for the good stuff.
Shifting again, her attention was caught momentarily on her escort. He was
as handsome as ever, sparking a brief feeling of pride. Quite brief, once
she inconspicuously followed his gaze. Amazingly enough, Rick just didn't
pull off "subtle" while he was staring at her sister.
Maybe she could trip Maura on the way out of the church. Undoubtedly, he'd
be there to catch her fall. A real knight in shining armor, that was Rick.
But he wasn't the only one. Oh, no, there was another contender for that
position in Maura's life. Poor Maura. So delicate. So fragile. So noble.
So god-forsakenly self-righteous.
"Noble, my ass," Jillie thought. "What's so damn noble about running away
from the man you love and giving his kid up for adoption?" Who the hell
did Maura think she was? Always acting like some paragon of morality. "At
least *I* never got knocked up and lied about it."
Something needed to be done. Something that would prove to everyone, once
and for all, that Maura wasn't the saint she pretended to be. Something
that would knock her off that high horse of hers. Something...that would
change the way Rick Upton looked at her forever.
Jesus. This ceremony was going to outlast the marriage itself.
She glanced up to the rafters of the old church, counting the wooden beams
until she thought she might just fall asleep. The event of the season,
huh? More like the joke of the season. Who in their right mind would ever
think those two would last? It almost made her feel sorry for
them...almost. After all, they were consenting adults. Leave it to them to
ruin their own lives.
Sighing once more, Jillie glanced at her watch as the priest directed them
to kneel and bow their heads in prayer for the two souls being united in
holy wedlock on this joyous day.
She prayed that this would all be over soon.
Scene 3:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Michael Conlan." Luke
squeezed Hallie's arm as they turned to face the guests. Hallie's face was
arranged in a beatific smile, nodding to each guest she made eye contact
with as they made their way down the aisle. It had been a long ceremony
and a rather boring one at that. But it was over now and they were
married. That was all that mattered.
He saw Liza Gennaro in the last pew on his side. He hadn't expected that
and his stomach lurched at the sight of her. She smiled at him as they
passed. Swallowing hard, he managed to nod to her without being too overly
enthusiastic. Hallie would not be pleased if she caught that exchange, he
reminded himself.
He was married. He had to tell himself that again and again as they rode
to Four Winds in their limo. He was married to Hallie. They should be
bubbling over with excitement but all he felt was a bit of satisfaction
that they had gone through with it despite all the people who had warned
him not to and the people who absolutely detested the idea. Like Stephen
Roth. He wished he could have seen his face when Jamie took him outside.
There was still the matter of Hallie's indiscretion with him, but that
could be dealt with later. For now, it was their day and they had managed
to get it done.
"What are you thinking about?" Hallie asked. Luke raised his eyebrows in
surprise at her question. They hadn't spoken since their "I do's."
"Just how we managed to pull it off," he replied.
"Pull it off? You mean the wedding?"
"Well, yes. There was a moment there when I wasn't sure if we would be
able to, after all." He patted her hand affectionately and turned back to
the window.
"If you mean Stephen, I told you I took care of that."
"I didn't, but now that you mention it, you took care of him nicely. I'm
very proud of you. Let's just hope he stays away from the reception."
Hallie gave him a look and turned her head away.
"He's not going to ruin our day, I promise. Now, let's talk about
something else. Like what we intend to do when we find out Gwen's secret."
"Well, I can tell you what we plan to do. We use it to get stock for you.
And when you have it, you and I will have a controlling interest in ME and
we can run it as we please," she said without looking up at him. "Does
that answer your question?"
Luke shrugged. He grinned at Hallie while casually reaching over and
pushing the control for the divider window. "So, we're married you know."
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"And?"
"Well, we're married and alone." Hallie nodded, but didn't move.
"Luke, I'm in my wedding dress. If you think I'm going to ruin it just so
you can have sex in a limo, you're wrong. So get your mind out of the
gutter."
Luke shrugged and turned back to the window. Far be it from him to assume
that marriage was supposed to be fun. Or spontaneous. Of course, he hadn't
embarked on a marriage, he remembered. He had embarked on one hell of a
business deal.
Scene 4:
"Well that was certainly interesting," Jude remarked as their car pulled
away from the church. Maura shrugged, but smiled nonetheless. "Are all
weddings like that, do you think?"
"Why, how many have you been to in your lifetime Jude?"
"Two. Jamie's...and Hallie's. And Jamie's was on the beach in Florida and
it was about 5 minutes long. I assume Hallie's ceremony is a bit more
traditional."
"For Catholics maybe," Maura laughed. Jude took her, hand and turned it
over, kissing her palm.
"I love your laugh," he said softly.
"You do? I always thought I laughed like a seal."
"You most certainly do not!" He inched closer to her, entwining his own
fingers in hers. "How are you feeling? Better?"
"Jude, I told you it was just a really bad case of the flu. Dr. Gordon
says I'm fine. Stop worrying. Even though I do think it's terribly sweet."
"There's plenty more where that came from," he replied leaning in to kiss
the exposed skin on her neck. "In fact, if I remember correctly, we were
right about here..." He trailed off, cupping her cheek in his hand and
bending his mouth to hers. Hallie and Luke may have had a boring wedding,
but it was enough seeing Maura in her bridesmaids dress. He'd never seen
her look so beautiful. In fact, he'd heard several comments from other
guests on how beautiful she and Jillie were. Hallie was the bride and won
her fair share of compliments but Maura and Jillie together were
remarkable.
Maura sighed as they broke apart, her mouth curving into an unconscious
smile. "Yes, I think that is where we were. Maybe later..."
"Absolutely," Jude affirmed for her. Maura settled comfortably against
him, fitting her head neatly into the hollow beneath his chin. "Are you
tired?"
"No. I was thinking though...well, I saw Cynthia at the wedding. I guess
you told her she didn't have a deal?"
"Yes," he said, his expression clouding at the memory. "She wasn't too
happy, but then I don't really care how she feels about it."
"Will she try to hurt Jamie?"
"Not intentionally, I don't think. I mean, Cynthia has always been a bit
ambitious where her career was concerned. She'll do her best to make a
name for herself using the Masons, but she won't go after Jamie unless her
client directs her to. And with that woman, there's no telling." He shook
his head briefly. "But enough about Cynthia. This night isn't about her.
It's not about us either," he added with a sheepish grin, "but it could
be."
Maura was about to answer but the limo rolled to a stop in the circular
drive of Four Winds. She squeezed Jude's hand quickly, before climbing out
of the car. Jude followed shortly after her, taking her arm in his. They
turned toward the front door to take their place in the reception line.
Maura stopped suddenly, bearing down on Jude's arm for support. He looked
where she looked, his gaze resting upon Rick Upton. Of course, there would
be a downside to this, he thought, climbing the steps with Maura.
"You look very nice, Maura. Jillie with you?" He asked, ignoring Jude.
"She's with Jory. I'm sure they'll be along shortly," Maura replied. She
kept her face turned away from Upton, just showing him her profile,
smiling at Jude.
"I see you're feeling better. I guess that means you're in your right mind
now. Because, God knows, you'd never ask for me over...him...if you were
in your right mind." Maura's head turned sharply at his words, her eyes
glaring at him.
"I can't believe you!" She managed before Jude put a restraining arm on
hers.
"Look, Rick," he said, directing his comments to both of them. "Maura is
very grateful for your help the other night. But why don't we let this go
for now. If you'd like to continue it later, I'm sure we could do
that...privately." Rick stared at him, his posture aggressive. Almost
instantly though, he relaxed and nodded.
"I'm sorry, it's been a rough week, please accept my apologies." He dipped
his head a little to Maura. Jude was fairly certain he was restraining
himself from doing more than that. He guided Maura past Rick, relieved
that that was over, but he spoke to soon. "Oh Maura?" Maura glanced over
her shoulder. "Maybe you and I could get together sometime after this is
over. There is something I need to discuss with you. It's about someone
you might know," he said waving. Jillie came up behind him, ending any
answer to his odd statement. They exchanged puzzled looks but gave it no
more thought as they took their place in the receiving line.
Scene 5:
Piper rested her head against the couch, watching Noah intently. He
glanced at her and Piper dropped her eyes with a blush. Chase could sit
next to her and she was less than interested, but with Noah next to her it
was different. Shouldn't she feel that way about Chase? Of course, she
should, but she couldn't and never would. Finally, glancing back up Noah,
Piper noticed Chase's BMW tear into the driveway.
"Oh great," she mumbled, "um, maybe you should leave..."
"Why?" Noah asked, startled out of his own thoughts. He glanced out the
window, watching Chase practically running up the sidewalk to the front
door. "Oh. Maybe I should. I'll go out the kitchen door," he said, rising
from the couch.
Piper nodded, following Noah to the kitchen, but without a knock Chase
flung open the door. The first thing Piper could think of was to push Noah
into the pantry. She slammed the doors behind her, pinning herself against
the door.
"Hey, beautiful," Chase said, a little out of breath, he gave Piper a kiss
on the cheek, then swept back across the kitchen. "C'mon, the wedding's
over, are we going to Four Winds?"
Piper merely nodded, throwing on a smile.
There was little room to maneuver around in the pantry, so he stayed
still, trying not to knock anything over. He heard Chase greet her and it
made his stomach turn.
"Are you wearing that?" Chase asked skeptically.
"Huh?" Piper asked, looking down at the dress. "The dress? Um, yeah, I
wore it to the beginning of the wedding."
"Aren't you going to be cold?" Chase asked. Piper knew where this was
going and she wished Noah wasn't here to hear this.
"Nah, I'm fine, I have this old shawl of my mom's to go over it."
"But...," Chase trailed off, "it's a little showy don't you think?"
"I wouldn't wear it if I thought so," Piper retorted.
What was his problem? Noah wondered. Piper looked great in that dress. And
compared to some of the things he'd seen Jillie wear, it was downright
modest.
Chase arched an eyebrow at Piper's attitude. Piper ignored his look and
pushed herself off the doors.
"Let me get my shoes and the shawl and I'll be ready for the reception."
Piper pulled her shoes back on, grabbed her shawl, and a jacket from the
hall closet.
"Who's jacket is that?" Chase asked.
Piper sighed as she pulled it on, "I don't know, Chase, I just grabbed it,
probably Jory's." She looked down at the jacket, starting slightly. Noah's
jacket. Oh well.
"I think I've seen that Noah kid wearing it," Chase said.
"Maybe it is, he happens to be a friend of the families, Chase, look can
we leave?" Piper asked, hearing some rustling in the pantry. Chase looked
that way and Piper attempted to loudly rustle the jacket in attempt to
explain the sound.
"Shit," he mumbled, knocking into a shelf at Chase's comment about his
jacket. What were they thinking? Well, if Chase Garrett wanted a rematch
he would be ready. In fact, he would just as soon get it over with. He
reached for the doorknob, but stopped as Chase spoke again.
"Piper, what's wrong with you?" Chase asked, moving closer to her.
Instinctively, she took a step back, not here, not with Noah watching.
She'd rather Chase hit her in private than with Noah so close by. The
humility would kill her.
"Nothing, I'm just exhausted from trying to wrap up the play and squeeze
in exams at the same time," she said, rubbing her own shoulder, she really
was exhausted.
Chase wrapped an arm around Piper's waist and she had to restrain from
cringing. She also wished Noah couldn't see this. Hell, even she didn't
want to see this.
"It's all over, don't worry about it now, how about I take you out to eat
later?" He asked, leaning in closely to here.
Piper squeezed out of his grasp, "actually the best thing for me right
now, would be sleep, a couple day's worth."
He relaxed his hand on the doorknob, keeping his breath in even though he
wanted to exhale in relief. For a moment, he had thought... Well, that was
ridiculous. Piper would never let Chase touch her like that.
Chase sighed, "Piper-," he began in that tone he often used when angry
with her attitude.
Piper felt like she was suffocating with Noah and Chase so close at the
same time.
"Chase, let's go, we're going to be late for the reception," she said,
pulling him towards the door, trying to be a little more enthused.
He waited as their footsteps fell away. Somewhere, he heard voices again
and a running set of feet. Thank god, he thought, Piper was coming back.
He waited for another heartbeat but no Piper. In the dark of the pantry,
he heard a soft click though, and turned quickly to see the lock turning
on the door. He reached down and twisted the knob. It wasn't turning.
Shit. He tried again. What the hell? Oh shit. He was locked in the Conlan
pantry. Wonderful.
Scene 6:
Gwen was the last of the bridal party to arrive at Four Winds, arriving
well after many of the guests themselves. Maggie was with her after
Stephen's sudden disappearance just before the ceremony, though Gwen was
certain he would reappear before too long. She could see Hallie and Luke
making the rounds around the ballroom, making conversation and doing a
fine job of campaigning for themselves. At least Hallie would be
distracted for a while, maybe she would forget her childish vendetta. It
would be a welcome change.
She motioned for Maggie to go on without her while she took a detour to
her office. She just needed a moment to collect her thoughts before
meeting the hordes. Slipping in quietly, she fumbled for the light,
starting in surprise when it flicked on with no help from her at all.
Stephen sat quietly behind her desk, his hands on the desk in front of
him, watching her as she dropped her keys into a tray by the door. Though
she was startled by his appearance she wasn't surprised at all.
"Hello, Stephen." She unwrapped her shawl and draped it across the sofa.
"I'm sorry you missed the wedding. It was lovely."
"You mean the wedding you were supposed to stop?"
"Stephen, I couldn't have stopped Hallie from doing this. She's been
determined to marry that Conlan boy since he proposed." She sank down on
the sofa, arranging her skirt carefully so as not to wrinkle it. "It was
folly on my part and yours to think we could interfere."
"We had a deal."
"Yes, we did. And you never gave me proof that you slept with Hallie,"
Gwen returned. She arranged her face in a placid expression. Stephen Roth
was still an ally and had to be treated as such. "And I did delay it. It
is now December 21. Not November 21. I gave you a month."
"Our deal is off, Gwen." He stood, crossing his arms over his chest. "I
won't hurt Hallie like you seem to want to."
"Oh how noble." He narrowed his eyes and made a move towards her. "So you
don't want to hurt poor defenseless Hallie?" The sarcasm dripped from her
voice. "I feel sorry for you. She has you wrapped around her finger.
You'll do anything if it means she shows you any kind of attention. That
is pathetic."
"Yes. But I'm not the one trying to keep Hallie from learning a secret am
I?" Stephen stepped in front of her and loomed over her. "It must be quite
a secret."
"What do you want, Stephen? This is tedious."
"Is it? Well, then I'll make it short. All bets are off, Gwen. Find
yourself someone else to do your dirty work. You might try Luke Conlan.
You may need each other in the future."
"All bets are off? What does that mean?" He smiled down at her, taking her
chin in his hand.
"For someone as smart as you are, Gwen, surely you understand that I have
to think about what I want right now. And what I want is not what you
want. You want Hallie to be blissfully ignorant of your secret because you
like the status quo. And you don't want to lose anything. But I want
Hallie to know what your secret is. You know why?" Gwen shook her head
slightly. "Because it would make her extremely happy. And I want Hallie
happy. So we're at odds then."
"What are you going to do?"
"I shouldn't tell you...but right now, I am going to find Hallie and try
to convince her that I still love her. And if she doesn't believe my
words...well, there is always plan B." He let her go and moved to the
door. "Just remember Gwen, I gave you fair warning. All bets are off." He
disappeared out into the hallway, letting the door close gently behind
him.
What was that all about? All bets were off? And he had a plan B. Gwen
paced the office nervously. No, Stephen was all bluster. He was no more
than a second rate con-man. She had nothing to worry about, she told
herself. She picked up her purse and took out a compact, touching her face
with powder before holding her head high to enter the sea of well wishers
at the reception.
Scene 7:
The reception was underway at last. All the meet and greets she had done
had to be tiring, Stephen thought from his place in the corner, but she
would greet everyone in attendance. That was how she operated. He waited
patiently and was rewarded when at last, she spotted him, alone in the
corner, his head ducked away so she couldn't see his face. She wouldn't'
have come over if she had.
"Hello, I didn't see you over here," she started. Her sentence broke away
as he turned and smiled at her. "Stephen!" Hallie cried, surprised by his
sudden appearance. He snaked a long arm out to her and pulled her towards
him.
"Surprised to see me? I told you I would come," he added, breathing softly
in her face as he stared down at her. Surprise turned to fury as Hallie
collected her thoughts. She pushed his arms away twisting to remove
herself from his reach.
"I can't believe you! You were going to ruin my wedding!" He grabbed at
her again, gaining a tight grip on her wrists, wrenching them a little as
he pulled her along with him to a small room behind the kitchen that had
once been the cooks bedroom when the Masons had live in servants.
"I'm not finished yet," he warned as he shut the door behind them.
"You are finished, let me out!" She stamped her foot in a fit of temper.
"No. Hallie. Christ, I can't believe you married that...mutt. Why couldn't
you have forgiven me? I would have done anything for you. I still will."
She stared at him, her eyes like cold sapphires in the dim light of the
unused room.
"You haven't got the slightest idea what I need, do you?" She asked. "I
need a man who won't betray me. Luke will never betray me. You though, you
took the first opportunity to betray me and you did it gloriously, didn't
you?"
"God, don't throw Maggie in my face again. When will you grow up?" He took
a step towards her, amused when she took a step away. She looked lovely in
her dress, he thought, letting his eyes roam over her. She flinched a
little, as if letting him look at her was painful somehow. "Hallie, I love
you. What do I have to do? You want me to cut my heart out and give it to
you? It's yours already. Tell me what I have to do."
"I told you and you didn't follow through," she whispered, her eyes boring
into his.
He could end this right here, he knew. But he wanted her to love him. Not
use him like she used Conlan. He would only use Morgan's information if
she pushed him to it. He wanted her to admit she loved him without
anything in return.
"What you set out was impossible. Hallie, I'm asking you. Begging you.
Tell me you love me."
"No!" He had his hands on her before she could say anything else, his
fingers digging into the fleshy part of her arms as he shook her gently at
first.
"Goddam you Hallie! Just say it. Say, 'I love you, Stephen.' How hard is
it to admit it?" He demanded, the shaking growing fiercer. He could see
the shocked expression in her eyes turn to hurt.
"Stop...it...you...you're hurting me..." He let go suddenly, accidentally
shoving her away. She stumbled backwards into a chair and crumpled against
it, letting out a small howl of pain.
"Oh god, I'm sorry." He knelt at her side, cupping her face tenderly.
"Please forgive me," he whispered. A tear shimmered in her eye briefly
before she nodded her head. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear," he
added.
"I know, I forgive you, Stephen. It's just that it hurt so much," she
replied, blinking away the tear.
"I know, I'm so sorry." He leaned forward and kissed her. Lightly at
first. But when she responded, he pulled her closer to him feeling the
warmth of her as she breathed in rhythm with him. Her arms reached around
him, embracing him as he reclaimed her. It lasted for only a moment until
she pulled herself away from him.
"I love you Stephen, I do. But I made a deal with Luke. We're going to
take ME away from Gwen. That was something you and I would never be able
to do," she said softly, the anger in her voice dissipated. "Because our
passion was for each other. Please, just take that for what it's worth and
move on. I'm married to Luke now."
"But you don't love him." He shook his head, confused. "It won't last. We
at least stood a chance."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry but my mind is made up." She got to her
feet, limping a little where she had hit the chair. "Goodbye, Stephen."
He let her go. What else was there for him to do? He had confessed his
love for her and hurt her in the process and still she didn't want him.
Because he couldn't give her the one thing she really wanted. Or at least
that was what she thought. He could give it to her. But there would be a
price to pay. He weighed the consequences in his head against losing
Hallie for good. There seemed to be no choice. He had what she wanted. He
had Gwen's secret and by God, she would get it. Maybe then she would
realize who was the right man for her.
Scene 8:
He emerged at last after a few moments to gather his thoughts, to the
tinkle of glasses as a round of toasts to the new couple went out. Jory
Conlan finished an interesting story about Luke as a teenager that was
mildly amusing and the guests raised their glasses. Now was as good a time
as any. He strode across the room, snagging flute of champagne as he went.
He kept his gaze fastened to Hallie as he made his way to her. She saw him
after a moment, her eyes widening in...shock? Horror? He didn't care. He
was about to give her the best damn wedding gift she would get all night,
even if he wasn't the groom.
"I have a toast to make!" He announced loudly to the guests, getting their
attention. All eyes turned to him and a lull fell over them. He smiled and
bowed to Hallie and Luke, ignoring her warning expression. Jamie and Jude
were both by his side like a pair of CIA agents guarding a president.
"Don't do it," Jamie warned under his breath.
"Mr. Mason, if I were you, I'd stand back and let me have my say," Stephen
warned, his eyes narrowing to slits. "This could be a lot worse if you
interfere." Jamie and Jude passed a glance between them, both of them
backing away ever so slightly. He turned back to the crowd and raised his
glass. "I've known Hallie for a long time. And she's the brightest woman I
have ever had the pleasure to have known in my life. That being said,
marrying Luke Conlan may well be the biggest mistake she'll ever make." He
saw Luke rise out of his chair, but Hallie held his arm. "But that is only
my opinion. And I say that because I am in love with her. Hallie is
bright, yes she is, but she's determined to make her life exactly the way
she wants it. Hallie," he turned to her, tipping his glass. "You are one
of a kind."
He took a small drink and glanced at the shocked expressions on the faces
of her guests. Gwen stood rigid with anger at him. Ah yes, he was making a
spectacle in her home, giving the society mavens something to wag their
tongues about afterwards. This was nothing. Just the beginning.
"I wanted to get you a gift," he continued. "But what do you get the girl
who takes whatever she wants?" He paused, acting as if he were thinking
intently on the subject. He snapped his fingers dramatically. "I know! Why
don't I give her the one thing she has been after for months now." He
walked closer to Gwen. "All bets are off," he told her cheerfully yet
again. "My gift to you, Hallie? I'm going to give you your aunt's dirty
little secret."
Scene 9:
Gwen stared at him, her mouth hanging open in complete shock. She could
hear the buzz of the guests at his words but it was faint compared to the
roaring of her own blood in her ears as her face burned red with
embarrassment.
"That is quite enough Mr. Roth!" She snapped. Stephen paused next to her
and tapped his chin with his index finger, pointing it at her as he
spoke.
"No, I don't believe it is. It's not enough until I've given Hallie my
gift." He turned to Hallie and shrugged. "You asked for this. I was hoping
you would come to your senses and this wouldn't be necessary. But seeing
as how I have to continue to prove myself to you, here it is."
"Stop it!" Gwen cried. Stephen turned an amused glance at her.
"Why don't you tell them, Gwen?" Stephen dared. "Or shall I?"
Gwen's face drained of color at his words. How could he know? It was
impossible! Hallie's gaze shifted to her, giving her an odd predatory
look. Hallie smelled blood; Gwen's blood. Jamie made a movement to
Stephen, intending to throw him out, she realized, She shook her head at
him. She wouldn't admit defeat this way.
"No, Jamie," she said. "Stephen will leave on his own. He's just causing
trouble for us because he's deluded himself where Hallie is concerned."
She glared at Stephen briefly before returning a softer look to Jamie. "I
have no secrets from my family."
"You're a liar!" Ellen interrupted. All eyes turned to her as she
struggled to remain calm, determination stamped across her features.
"Daddy told me before he died, You do have a secret and Jamie deserves to
know!"
"This is neither the time nor the place, Ellen."
"Isn't it though?" She turned an apologetic gaze at Hallie. "I'm sorry it
has to be at your party. Ever since Daddy died, I've wanted to tell Jamie.
He deserves to know. But you always managed to stop me somehow. But not
tonight. I intend to tell him everything I know."
"Would someone tell me," Jamie began, "what is going on?"
"She lied to Daddy," Ellen told him, cutting her eyes to Gwen. "He said he
loved you but she lied to him about you from the day you were born."
"Ellen Corrine Mason! You don't know what you're talking about!" Gwen
snapped. "This is really quite enough. This is a party for your cousin."
"Mother, I think you had better tell me what Ellie is talking about,"
Jamie answered, his voice deadly quiet.
"It doesn't matter. None of it does."
"How can Jamie's real father not matter?" Ellen demanded.
"What?!" Gwen's body went rigid with anger. "Jamie's father is James Mason
II."
"Daddy said he wasn't the Mason heir!" Ellen announced, shrinking back a
little at Gwen's angry stance.
"It's not like that!" Gwen cried out, turning to Jamie. She reached for
him blindly, but he pulled away, keeping himself distant, the shock of the
revelation evident on his face.
"Mother, I think you had better tell me everything now," Jamie said, his
tone final as he reached for Michaela's reassuring hand. There would be no
other action as far as he was concerned.
Gwen felt the tears burning in her eyes, making her eyesight blur around
the edges. He sounded so much like his father. And here she was hurting
him. "God, I was naive and stupid. But I loved your father and he is your
father," she began her voice faltering. "And he loved me too. Until Bella.
She tried to take him from me and somehow I let her. She stole Jimmy from
me. But I won him back. It took me a year to do it, but I did it. I knew
he would never forgive me if he knew what I had done, but I needed him."
She looked up at him, oblivious to the onlookers around them. It was only
her and Jamie now. No, there was Jude just at Jamie's left, as he always
was.
"What did you do?"
"I had a baby!" She replied. "We were engaged when he left me for Bella.
But he didn't know that I was pregnant. I knew but I didn't tell him. I
wanted to hurt him. And I didn't want him to marry me because he had made
a mistake. That is no way to start a marriage. Morgan helped me. He took
me to New York and took care of me until the baby was born. After...after
it was over, Jimmy found me and we were so happy!"
"What happened to the baby?" Jamie asked ignoring her overwrought
condition.
"W-what? The baby...," she swallowed, gazing at the eyes that stared at
her, Ellen's shocked brown, Hallie's delighted blue, Dane's confused
green. They must think her despicable. "I gave the baby away," she said
shortly, drawing herself up again. "The baby was mine and Jimmy's but he
wouldn't have forgiven me for not telling him. And it was too late by
then. So I gave the baby to people I trusted."
Stephen stepped up, pausing at her elbow. "Very dramatic," he murmured in
her ear. "It was a boy," he continued for her. She turned a wild look on
him, shaking her head vigorously. "You couldn't keep the boy without being
married. And you didn't want the boy's father or his family to know. So
you gave him to people you trusted." Stephen turned his gaze around the
gathered Masons, settling on Jude. "And who did you trust more than
anyone, Gwen?" He gripped her elbow, giving it a vicious squeeze. "Tell
them who you gave your first son to," he demanded.
It came out as barely more than a whisper. "My brother," she admitted,
sending a shiver of shock through the crowd as, one by one, each pair of
eyes turned to stare at her brother's son, Jude Fontaine.
