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A Blessing In Disguise Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – New York State Of Mind

It wasn’t long before Theresa began to settle in at her new job at Crimson as she began production on her latest fashion line for the big Christmas fashion show at the Metro Court. Nina gave as much limited input on her selections for the show as much as possible, but for the most part she was greatly pleased and impressed with what Theresa had shown her thus far.

Theresa was also becoming fast friends with Lulu and Maxie, and she even found herself charmed and amused by Maxie’s bubbly but very eccentric and quirky personality.

Theresa also got along handsomely with Michael and his friends and despite of her knowing that Michael and Nelle were dating, she still couldn’t exactly deny her lingering attraction to him.

But having learned from all of the disastrous consequences that had befallen her in the past as a result of her directly trying to interfere with other people’s relationships, Theresa decided that it was best to simply leave them alone to their own devices. But that didn’t stop Nelle from trying to antagonize and harangue her every chance that she got.

One particular afternoon, Theresa was in the gym pounding and wailing furiously on a red punching bag. She was dressed in a dark green sweatshirt with a pair of black shorts and white sneakers.

Just then Nelle arrived in a gray T-shirt and a pair of green cameo pants and advanced over towards Theresa. Theresa then threw a swift side kick and then performed a spinning kick, watching the punching bag wobble just slightly.

“That’s pathetic,” Nelle scoffed as she sauntered over to the other side of the punching bag and delivered a swift and powerful right hook, causing the punching bag to flip over in Theresa’s direction only to wobble back into place.

“See? I can do way better.”

“What are you doing here?” Theresa growled; a bit miffed with Nelle for encroaching on her space.

“Everyone trains and exercises here,” Nelle shrugged as she continued delivering her punches and kicks. “What’s it to you?”

“Is this because I was accidentally flirting with your boyfriend?” Theresa retorted in a snarky tone. “I’m sorry about that, okay? That wasn’t my intention.”

“You better hope so, bitch. Michael is mine and I’m not letting anyone get in the way of our relationship,” Nelle shot back as she threw back another punch and Theresa retaliated with a powerful spinning kick.

“Wow, possessive much?” she narrowed her eyes with a scoff.

“You’re the one that was acting all thirsty over him and looking like you were gonna pounce on him any minute,” Nelle snapped.

Theresa’s body tensed up with anger as she threw a rolling kick.

“Are you seriously calling me a slut?” she snarled.

“Anyone that would purposely knock herself up just so she can trap an uber rich guy into marrying her would be what I would call a total hoe. And that fits you to a T,” Nelle smirked, delivering another sudden punch.

The punching bag rocked and bounced slightly as Theresa shivered in simmering rage, feeling extremely insulted and disgusted.

“I’m not that person anymore.”

“You say that now but I don’t believe that statement for a single minute,” Nelle declared in a haughty tone. “People like you don’t change. A snake can shed its skin but it would still be the same snake inside. Michael deserves a real woman, not a pathetic, sniveling, wimpy little coward like you.”

“Why I outta…” Theresa growled as she was right about to give Nelle a piece of her mind but then she was interrupted by a loud, male voice.

“Jeannie!”

Theresa practically sank to the floor, immediately embarrassed and mortified by the mention of her childhood name.

“Oh no… Andrew…”

“See ya,” Nelle smirked triumphantly as she walked away from her.

Just then a handsome and debonair looking man with dark brown hair and an athletic and lean build rushed over to Theresa.

“Hey, sis,” he said with a warm smile. “Glad I found you here.”

“Hey, Andrew,” Theresa gazed at him shyly. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to see you,” Andrew replied.

“But I thought Mom and Dad said that you were still in the ISA training academy back in London,” Theresa frowned in confusion.

“Nope,” Andrew shook his head. “I’m done with all that now. I graduated a few months ago. Mom and Dad actually told me about you moving up here to Port Charles so I figured now was a good time as any to see you. And by the way, Eve’s going to come by to see you too within the next couple of days.”

“Oh no, not her too,” Theresa groaned, face-palming slowly.

If there was one person in the whole world that she couldn’t possibly stand, it was Eve. When Eve was still in Salem, she and Theresa used to clash and feud a lot, especially where it came to Eve’s teenage daughter Paige.

Theresa also did everything she could to interfere with Paige’s budding relationship with her former drug buddy J.J. Devereaux, which now that she had thought about it, she really did have some feelings for him at the time.

But after Paige died, Theresa and Eve finally reconciled and were well on their way to completely mending their relationship. But that didn’t mean that there weren’t still some occasional rough patches along the way.

“Hey, be nice, Jeannie T. She’s still our sister, like it or not,” Andrew frowned, crossing his arms sternly.

“Unfortunately,” Theresa rolled her eyes.

“Anyways,” Andrew narrowed his eyes, not taking any lip from his younger sibling. “How is life in Port Charles so far?”

“It’s going really good,” Theresa said. “I’m making a lot of new friends and there are a lot of interesting and nice people in here. And Nina is a really awesome and kickass boss too and she makes Crimson a great place to work in.”

“Would that woman I just saw you sparring with count as being amongst your new friends?” Andrew inquired.

“I don’t think so,” Theresa shook her head. “I think she may actually have it out for me all because I was accidentally flirting with her boyfriend when I even had no idea the two of them were going out together and now she thinks I may try to steal him from her.”

“Are you though?” Andrew raised his eyebrow suspiciously.

“No way, Jose,” Theresa shook her hands to and fro with a shake of her head. “Those days are long behind me.”

“If you say so,” Andrew shrugged. “Just please try to behave, Theresa. You got it good here and I’d hate to see you mess it all up all because of one dumb mistake.”

“I know, Andrew, but I don’t need you looking out for me. I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself,” Theresa insisted sternly with a defiant pout.

“Hey, what good am I if I can’t even look after my own baby sister, huh?” Andrew chuckled as he placed a loving hand on her shoulder. “I’m always going to have to worry about you. It’s my job. I’m the one who’s in charge when Mom, Dad and Eve are not around.”

Theresa smiled, instinctively understanding that her brother really meant well, despite of her constant frustration and annoyance over his overbearing and protective behavior.

“So, have you met any cute and sexy British girls while you were in London?”

“Yeah, but none that actually particularly struck my fancy,” Andrew shrugged.

“Really?” Theresa frowned, rolling her eyes. “Oh, come on, Drew. There had to be at least a couple that caught your eye.”

“I wish I could say that,” Andrew sighed dejectedly. “Sorry, Theresa; it’s just that I was so preoccupied with training that I never had much time to socialize and hang out with other people.”

“That really sucks,” Theresa retorted sullenly.

“It’s all right,” Andrew gave a reassuring smile. “I’m sure I still have plenty of time to find the One. Maybe there will be some cute girl here in Port Charles that will catch my fancy.”

“I would hope so. Maybe you’ll have better luck than I do,” Theresa grumbled.

“Hey, don’t worry, Jeannie. I’m sure you’ll find a nice, decent guy that is going to be perfect for you,” Andrew assured her.

“Well… maybe,” Theresa scoffed nonchalantly. “If I can’t find a decent, hot guy in this town I can always jump straight back into girls. I really don’t give a crap.”

“Seriously?” Andrew retorted in a perplexed tone. “Aren’t you worried about what Mom and Dad may think about that?”

Theresa then burst out into an incredulous fit of laughter. “Are you freaking kidding me, Andrew? I could care less about what our parents think about what I do in my life. I’m a grown adult. I make and own my choices. I don’t feel any shame in acknowledging them as they are.”

“All right then,” Andrew sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Wanna grab some lunch?”

“Yeah, let’s stop at my place first so I can take a quick shower and then later we can go grab a bite to eat somewhere,” Theresa replied as she and Andrew headed out of the gym. “And while we’re at my place you are going to see your nephew, no ifs, ands or buts!”

“Okay, Jeannie!” Andrew laughed as he gave her a noogie and roped her into an embrace.

Later on after her lunch date with Andrew, Theresa decided to stop by at the Floating Rib to hang out and relax while Andrew stayed over at her apartment for a little while to watch over Tate. Theresa sipped slowly on a martini glass as she found herself lost in her thoughts, relieving her memories of the last several weeks.

“Hey, you’re new here, right?” the blonde woman sitting next to her inquired.

“Yeah,” Theresa answered, glancing over right at her. “I am actually. Who are you?”

“Ava. Ava Jerome,” the woman answered gruffly, taking a sip of her drink.

Theresa frowned. This woman didn’t seem overly friendly. But she wasn’t just simply going to be rude. She had to at least try to make a conversation.

“Wow, your name sounds like something a fashionita would have.”

Ava snickered, apparently being caught off guard by the strange woman’s comment.

“That’s very flattering but I’m nowhere close to being a fashionita. I actually own an art gallery.”

“Really?” Theresa’s eyes widened in astonishment. “Well that sounds very cool. I would really love to take my son there one of these days so he can learn more about art.”

Ava smirked. “You have a son, huh? What’s his name?”

Theresa beamed proudly. “His name is Tate. He’s a very sweet, adorable little boy and he’s always so adventurous and curious about things so I figured a trip to the gallery would be really beneficial for him.”

“Enjoy him while you can, Theresa. You’re going to wish he stayed little,” Ava retorted with a sharp bitterness in her voice. “I wish my Kiki was still a sweet, innocent little girl. Then I wouldn’t be having so many problems with her.”

Theresa suddenly had a very funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Kiki’s not into any sort of drugs or hard partying, is she?”

“Oh no!” Ava chuckled, waving off her hand. “Nothing like that. I wouldn’t allow her to be around Avery if she was.”

“Oh, so you have two daughters then?” Theresa queried.

“Yeah,” Ava mused. “I suppose Avery is roughly the same age as your Tate.”

“Cool!” Theresa grinned excitedly. “So… I guess maybe it’s okay if maybe one day our kids could have a play date together?”

“I don’t see why not,” Ava shrugged, taking another sip of her martini. “And I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for Kiki to have more friends. That way I would have way less drama with her and I get to have more me time. It’s a win-win.”

“Hello there, Theresa!” a sweet, soft Southern voice interjected as Theresa swiveled around to see Eve advancing towards her with a huge, bright grin.

“Oh no…” Theresa groaned, almost collapsing from her chair. “I forgot that Eve was coming today…”

“Come here, you sweet little scamp!” Eve cooed as she rushed over to Theresa and wrapped her in a huge, smothering embrace.

Theresa choked and gagged as she felt suffocated and trapped in her sister’s arms and was fighting to get out of her clutches.

“Eve… Y-You are squishing me…” she gasped as her face turned into varying shades of blue, purple and maroon.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry!” Eve apologized as she finally let go of her.

Theresa then bent over to catch her breath as she coughed and gasped deeply for several minutes. Then once she recovered from Eve’s vice-grip hug, she turned to face Eve with a glare.

“What the hell are you doing here? I thought that you weren’t supposed to show up for the next couple of days!”

“Well I got an early flight out here and I just couldn’t wait to see you, my little sister. How is Port Charles faring so far, my little successful fashion star?” Eve gushed excitedly.

“It’s going fine, Eve. I’m working with Nina Reeves at Crimson now; she’s my new boss,” Theresa replied.

Ava froze suddenly and pivoted around towards Theresa with a cruel sneer.

“You are working with that psychotic little witch?! Have you lost your ever loving mind?!”

“What the hell are you talking about? She’s my boss! She was the one that offered to expand my fashion line here and it’s all because of her that I can make a living in this town!” Theresa shot back indignantly.

“You got something to say to Jeannie T, you better say it to me,” Eve growled sternly, suddenly wedging herself in between the two women protectively.

“Hey, hold on, Eve; it’s totally cool,” Theresa assured her as she inched closer to Ava with a menacing glare. “What exactly are you insinuating about my boss?”

“Well, your boss is a total fruitcake,” Ava scoffed. “She was the one that stole my Avery from the womb in the first place all because she was so desperate to replace the baby that she lost eons ago while she was in a coma and it’s also because of her that I lost the great love of my love – Dr. Silas Clay.”

“Oh my God…” Theresa gasped in horror, suddenly feeling the world spinning around her as a familiar feeling of dread and terror pulsed through her veins.

Eve then saw that Theresa was about to faint and she quickly caught her in her arms just as she was about to fall to the floor.

“Come on, Jeannie. We better go.”

She then sauntered over to the counter and placed a fistful of $20 bills on it.

“Keep the change,” she said as she dragged her sister’s motionless body out of the Floating Rib.

It seemed like hours before Theresa finally came to and found herself lying on a couch back in her apartment with Andrew and Eve hovering over her.

“Uh what…” she mumbled as she quickly sat up, only for Andrew to forcibly lay her back down.

“Easy, Jeannie T. You had a horrible dizzy spell earlier.”

“What happened?” Theresa grumbled, closing her eyes and covering them, acting as if the mere presence of light bothered her.

“You fainted after you had a nasty confrontation with Ava Jerome about your boss Nina,” Eve explained.

Theresa then groaned and winced as flashes of memory of the encounter at the Floating Rib came back and then she experienced another sudden memory of her screaming in terror as she was grabbed in the woods and chloroformed.

“Oh my God…” she shivered, gasping and hyper-ventilating. “She couldn’t… she couldn’t possibly be that person… She couldn’t possibly be that woman that Ava was talking about… No… That can’t be her… The Nina that I know is so well put together and nice and… normal…”

She then took a couple of deep, calming breaths before she turned back to face Andrew and Eve.

“That can’t be the same woman, can it?”

“Well, a lot of people can change, Theresa,” Andrew frowned. “Who they might be 5 to 10 years ago may not be the same person they are now. Maybe you should ask Nina about it and get the real story.”

“There is also the possibility that maybe there’s a tiny bit of truth in what Ava said but it’s only her side of the story,” Eve rejoined.

“Yeah, for all we know, Ava could totally be exaggerating and making up everything she said about Nina just to get sympathy. I mean, what if she was having an affair with her husband or something?” Andrew shrugged.

“What Andrew is trying to say is that you can’t just go off on one person’s word alone. You need to hear as many sides as possible in order to get the complete truth,” Eve said.

“Yeah,” Theresa sunk into the couch, feeling horribly deflated and humiliated. “I can’t believe I actually suggested to that woman that we have play dates with our own kids together. And I can’t believe I’m still making an ass of myself by having these panic attacks in public.”

“Theresa, that isn’t your fault. What you went through with Kristen was one of the most traumatic and horrific experiences any person could possibly go through,” Andrew assured her.

“It’s perfectly understandable that you’re still having some sort of PTSD even though it’s been a couple of years. You just need to deal with it and move on with your life.”

“I know, Andrew,” Theresa sighed. “It’s just… I should’ve been over it by now. Goddammit, it’s been nearly three years. I should have gotten over it by now.”

“Nobody ever truly gets over something that horrible,” Eve shook her head sympathetically. “You know, people ask me all the time if I’ve already moved on from my darling daughter’s death.”

“It gets a little bit easier with the passage of time but I still hurt and cry and pore over the precious memories of my sweet Paigey every now and then. Trust me, Theresa. You never get over it. Don’t let anyone minimize your painful truth whether it’s been 5 years or 10 or even 20.”

Theresa then got up and gave Eve a hug. “Thanks, Eve.”

“Don’t mention it, hun,” Eve smiled as she hugged her back.

Theresa then pulled away from her and started looking around frantically. “Where’s Tate?”

“He’s in the playroom; he’s fine,” Andrew answered confidentially as Theresa quickly bolted out of the living room and disappeared into the hallway in a mad dash for her son.

Eve then glared with narrowed eyes at her little brother. “Andrew Donovan, what the hell is the matter with you?”

“What? I didn’t mean anything by it,” Andrew shrugged, not understanding why Eve was all of a sudden mad at him.

Eve shook her head. “One day, little brother, when you have your own children, you are going to know what it’s like to worry about them day and night and to be always on guard for anything that might put them in harm’s way. You will also be second-guessing every choice and decision that you make and hope and pray that it actually ends up helping them in the long run.”

She then stormed out of the room, leaving Andrew alone to contemplate his thoughts.

A couple of days later, Theresa was slaving over at her desk revamping some of her latest designs. She gave it a once over, erased a couple of lines, added new ones and then examined it again, shaking her head.

“No, no, no… That doesn’t look right,” she muttered.

“Hey, Theresa? You all right? You’ve been really quiet all day,” Nina asked with great concern as she approached her.

“Yeah, just trying to get some work done,” Theresa retorted brusquely as she continued to scribble and erase over her drawing.

“Uh huh,” Nina nodded as she sat down next to her. “Listen, something is obviously bothering you and I would like to know what it is.”

Theresa paused for a moment, mentally debating on whether not she should say anything to Nina. She then realized that perhaps it was better if she actually told her what was really going on.

“Um… well you see… I ran into this woman named Ava Jerome the other day at the Floating Rib and she said some very interesting things about you.”

“Like what?” Nina raised an eyebrow.

“Like you stole her baby from her womb for one thing and she also claims that you were responsible for murdering Silas Clay, the very love of her life,” Theresa explained.

“Okay… that last part is not true at all!” Nina nearly exploded in an irate voice, her eyes flashing with anger. “I did not kill Silas; my mother did!”

“Really?” Theresa started, dropping her pencil and looking right at her.

“Yeah, really! And for another thing, Silas was my husband and she was the one that was actually having an affair with him!” Nina continued to fume and seethe furiously.

“Are you serious?” Theresa gawked in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m serious!” Nina exclaimed, letting out a big sigh and a shrug. “Okay, this whole thing happened more than 20 years ago, probably before you were even a twinkle in your dad’s eye. Silas and I were a young married couple trying to get our lives started and we were also looking forward to welcoming our first child together.”

Theresa became very quiet and serious, slowly processing and absorbing all this information in.

Nina then exhaled deeply while rubbing her temples.

“But my mother was very jealous, possibly because my father devoted a lot of love and attention towards me and that made her feel extremely resentful. So because she hated me so much, she decided that I just simply couldn’t be happy period and she ended up trying to kill me. However, her attempt failed and I ended up in a coma instead. And that’s where I spent the next 20 years of my life.”

“When I finally did wake up, I was more than 20 years older and I was no longer pregnant. And then I was told that not only was my child dead but I also couldn’t have any more kids.”

Nina shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes as she fought not to let them out.

Theresa placed a sympathetic hand on Nina.

“I’m really sorry, Nina. I mean, I thought for a long time that my mom was the devil but it turns out that I really didn’t know a damn thing at all. I mean, I had it pretty good with her compared to other people.”

“It’s all right, Theresa,” Nina smiled wistfully. “I’m just trying to move on from all of this and rebuild my life as best as I can. I mean, at least I got a good job, a loving brother, a great sister-in-law who is just amazing, a kooky aunt, a decent husband that I love, a great stepdaughter that I absolutely love as my own, and a couple of great friends.”

“Would you consider me as your friend?” Theresa frowned worriedly.

“Of course, Theresa,” Nina laughed. “You are already my friend.”

“Thanks,” Theresa smiled back. “I can see that you’re nothing like Kristen. Kristen only stole my baby because she wanted to use him as a means to get Brady back. I mean, not like I was any better in that department, but still...”

“I’m just lucky that I didn’t end up losing Tate forever to those sneaky DiMeras. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my son in my life. I don’t think I would anything worthwhile to live for. I mean, it’s already been tough enough watching my sister grieve and mourn her slain teenage daughter Paige. I don’t want to become a sad, mopey mess like her.”

“Well, as long as you surround yourself with people that really care about you and you throw yourself into the kind of work that you really enjoy, you should be fine. Maybe you should talk to Dr. Kevin Collins if you have any concerns.”

“Hey… that’s a great idea!” Theresa beamed. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Just as Nina was about to say more, a female German accented voice called out into the room.

“Liebchen! Are you in?”

“Oh no! That’s Liesl! I’m getting the hell out of here!” Theresa panicked as she started gathering up all of her belongings frantically and was about to quickly bolt out of the room.

“Oh no, you’re not,” Nina hissed as she grabbed her arm gently and forced her to sit back down.

Theresa whined and gazed back at the door; trembling and quivering even more with pure terror with every minute that passed.

It was then that Obrecht entered the room wearing a white coat with a black blouse underneath and a pair of white pants. She also had on her long, dark raven hair hanging loosely over her shoulders with short, cropped bangs on her forehead.

The minute she laid eyes on Theresa, her lips curled into a snarl and she started marching threateningly towards her, going in for the kill.

“What is SHE doing in here?” she demanded viciously as Theresa was about to cry and break into sobs out of pure fear.

“Please don’t kill me!” she wailed as she went down on her knees and prostrated before her, shaking. “I didn’t mean to call you an old hag! I was saying stupid crap in the heat of the moment! I didn’t mean any of it, honest!”

Obrecht frowned deeply and then roughly pulled up Theresa to her feet, delivering a couple of hard slaps across the face to snap her out of her pity party attitude.

“Stop with this childish nonsense!” she scolded her sternly. “If you really want to make it up to me, you better design a good dress for me. I could use some nice party wear.”

“R-Really?” Theresa stammered, still reeling from what she had just heard.

“Of course, Aunt Liesl!” Nina assured her, placing an arm around Theresa. “She would be more than happy to do it!”

“Y-Yeah, sure,” Theresa nodded with a sheepish grin, deciding to just play along.

“Good. Do not disappoint me,” Obrecht said and she promptly stormed out of the office.

Theresa then let out a big sigh of relief, running her hands through her face.

“I can’t believe I’m still standing and not six feet underground,” she muttered.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic,” Nina scoffed, patting her back. “Aunt Liesl isn’t really all that bad. Once you get to really know her, she can be a real softie underneath that hard and tough exterior.”

“I sure hope so,” Theresa grimaced. “I really don’t want to make a huge ass of myself with this project.”

“You won’t, Theresa,” Nina informed her. “We’ll start working on that design tomorrow.”

“All right then,” Theresa nodded as she got her things into her purse and headed out the door. “See ya tomorrow.”

“See ya,” Nina waved as Theresa headed out the door.

The minute Theresa got home, she noticed that Andrew and Tate were sitting on the couch, watching a football game. Tate then looked up to see his mother walk in and grinned.

“Mommy, you’re home!” he cried as he rushed over to hug her.

“Hey, kiddo!” Theresa beamed as she embraced her son and pinched his cheeks. “How is my sweet little boy? Are you being good for your Uncle Andrew?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Tate nodded.

Theresa then grabbed him and picked him up in his arms as she walked over to the couch and sat next to her brother.

“So who’s winning?”

“The Bruisers,” Andrew answered with a proud smile.

“Our home team,” Theresa almost laughed.

“Yeah,” Andrew sighed.

Theresa then turned to face Andrew while Tate picked up a white IPad from the table and started playing with it.

“So… how long are you going to be staying here?”

“Just for a little while,” Andrew shrugged. “I’m thinking of heading back to London and joining the ISA for real in a couple of months.”

“Really?” Theresa frowned, a bit disappointed. She was always annoyed at how little time she actually got to spend with her big brother, and someone – or something – is always keeping him away.

“But…” Andrew interjected, interrupting her thoughts. “I don’t know. I’m not too crazy about it. I mean yeah, I would love to have some adventure and excitement and being in the ISA sounds like a whole lot of fun.”

“But I don’t really like the idea of being away from my family for too long, especially you and… Tate. I would love to be in his life more, Jeannie T. I want to be there to watch him grow up to be a great man.”

“I want to eventually settle down with someone that I love and raise a family with them. And I can’t have that if I’m always going to be away on important missions all the time, like Dad.”

Andrew shook his head, regret and sadness set in his eyes.

“I always hated that when we were both kids we only got to see Dad every once in a blue moon and maybe once every other Christmas, Thanksgiving or even Easter.”

“I know that it was extremely rough on you to not have him around as often as we both would’ve liked, but it was just as difficult for me too. He was the one person that I know that would have been able to teach me all that I ever needed to know to be a real man.”

“The time that I did get to spend with him when I was very little before you even came along – that was the best. That was the one period in my life that I actually felt safe and secure, that I was really, really happy – with both of my parents.”

Andrew then noticed that Theresa was scowling and seething and he sensed that their discussion was now bringing up even more painful childhood memories for her, and he placed a hand on her shoulder, rubbing it tenderly.

“And my life was made even better when Mom and Dad had you, because that not only meant that I had someone new to play with, but also that Eve and I had another person to protect and watch over.”

“Yeah, but Eve was never really there for me growing up. She was too busy being married to Eddie and bringing up Paige,” Theresa retorted sharply.

“Yeah, but I was there for you, Theresa,” Andrew informed her gently, pressing her head against his. “Remember when Mom was very sick for a while when we were very little and you were so scared to be alone at night?”

“You used to come into my room and climb into bed with me just so you would feel safe. You would then hug me and beg me to never leave you alone and I would tell you that as long as I was here, the monsters were never going to get you because I would always keep you safe.”

“You remembered…” Theresa sniffled, tears brimming in her eyes. “You remembered…”

Andrew then sighed deeply and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples.

“I want so badly to make Mom and Dad proud of me. I mean, my whole life has been leading up to this. I need to be the one to protect my family when our dad is no longer around. I need to be the one who is not only going to save the whole world but also keep my loved ones safe. I am Shane Donovan’s only son. It is my destiny to take up his mantle and be the savior that everyone needs.”

“But you don’t need to sacrifice your personal happiness just to satisfy Mom and Dad’s wishes. You deserve to live your own life just like everyone else,” Theresa retorted insistently.

Andrew chuckled and shook his head. “Man, Theresa, sometimes I had your spunk and gravitas. Not giving a damn what anyone else felt or thought. You’ve always been a bit of a free spirit, you know. Always doing what you wanted to do, no matter what anyone felt or thought. But that’s not me. I don’t have that luxury. I have a role to play and I must do what I was born to do.”

“Well, if you really are that certain…” Theresa frowned, not entirely comfortable with what Andrew was implying.

It was then that Andrew’s phone buzzed and he pushed a button to wake it from its sleep mode. He then saw that there was a text and opened it up.

“Oh… I better go before it gets really late.”

“Where are you going?” Theresa asked curiously.

“I just met a cute girl at Charlie’s earlier and I agreed to meet her there tonight. I’ll see you when I get back,” Andrew said as he got up from the sofa, kissed Theresa on the cheek and then kissed Tate on the forehead. Tate was now curled up on Theresa’s bosom, fast asleep with the IPad sitting on his lap.

“Good night, kiddo,” Andrew smiled as he headed out the door.

“Bye, Drew; have a good time,” Theresa hollered as she set the IPad on the table and then carried Tate to his bedroom.

“It’s time for you to go to bed, Tater Tot.”

By the time Andrew got to Charlie’s, the place was nearly empty except for a couple of patrons and Julian was still at the bar table wiping some glasses clean. Nelle was sitting right in front of him, a shot of tequila in hand. Andrew then approached the table and sat down next to her.

“Hey. Nelle Benson, right?”

“Yeah,” Nelle smiled politely, gulping down another shot of tequila. “You’re Andrew Donovan?”

“Yeah,” Andrew nodded and he held his finger up, prompting Julian to walk over to him. “Hey, barkeep. I would like a cold draft of beer please.”

“Coming right up,” Julian replied as he disappeared into the back to get his order.

“So what brings you here?” Nelle asked Andrew.

“Just visiting my sister and my little nephew,” Andrew replied casually. “I haven’t had a chance to meet him in person since he has been born. My parents have been emailing me pictures of him while I was in London.”

“London, huh? Do you live there?” Nelle asked; her interest piqued.

“N-No, not exactly… We did for a little while when we were kids but we haven’t been there in a long time. My father had an old manor that belonged to his family for generations,” Andrew answered. “He’s actually British and my mom’s from an old Irish Catholic family.”

“How many siblings do you have?” Nelle continued as Julian brought over Andrew’s beer and Andrew took a big sip.

“Two, actually; an older half-sister and a younger sister. My little sister was named Jeannie at birth but she goes by Theresa now. She changed her name legally the minute she got out of high school. She hated being called that for the longest time but now I don’t think she even cares anymore.”

“Jeannie,” Nelle snickered. “What a dorky name. I can’t imagine anybody in their right mind this day and age who would want a dumbass name like that.”

“Hey, it was a family name that was dearly treasured by my father,” Andrew sneered, glaring at Nelle. “It was his mother’s nickname. My sister was actually named in honor of both of our grandmothers from both sides of the family as a matter of fact; one in particular that she was very close to until she died from complications of dementia a couple of years ago. Theresa took it pretty hard when she passed away. She was in a really bad depression for quite a while.”

“Sorry to hear that, Andrew,” Nelle replied in a sympathetic voice. “I never knew my own mother growing up and she died when I was quite young. The only person I had in my whole life was my dad, but even we didn’t see eye to eye from time to time. One day we had a particularly bad argument and I was so angry at him that I decided to leave the house and never return. I haven’t spoken to him in years.”

“Well, maybe you should try to patch things up with your dad before it’s too late,” Andrew suggested. “I know that my other sister Eve is wishing every single day of her life now that she had done just that with my niece Paige.”

“She pretty much destroyed her relationship with her own daughter all because she wanted what was best for her and she would do anything it took to accomplish that, even if it meant sabotaging her romance with that Devereaux kid.”

Andrew shook his head, taking another sip of his beer and sighing deeply.

“I still don’t understand how it happened. I mean, I know that Eve was horribly depressed over the issue with her vocal cords, but Jesus… she didn’t have to go and jump into bed with a boy more than half her age and alienate her daughter in the process… I will never be able to make any sense of this mess.”

He then hung his head, gripping on his beer with his eyes stinging with unshed tears and his face quickly draining of color and turning ashen gray.

“Paige was a sweet, innocent, bright young girl – smart as a whip. She should have graduated from Stanford and become a doctor by now, not brutally murdered by a psychotic killer and buried six feet under. It’s just not fair. Not fair to my parents, not fair to Eddie and certainly not fair to Eve.”

“Come on, Andrew; enough of this pathetic maudlin talk,” Nelle rolled her eyes with a scoff as Andrew finished up his beer. “Let’s go have some fun. No need to dwell on all of this depressing stuff.”

Andrew then breathed deeply and beckoned for Julian to bring him another bottle of beer. He then turned to look at Nelle with a soft smile.

“All right then.”

“Say, you don’t happen to be Theresa’s brother, right?” Julian asked as he brought over another bottle of beer to him.

“The one and the same,” Andrew replied.

Julian then scoffed with an incredulous expression as he crossed his arms and looked right at him.

“You are aware that just the other day she actually got into a bar fight with one of my patrons?”

“Of course I’m aware,” Andrew laughed. “It’s all right, though. Theresa just has a tendency to have a short temper, that’s all.”

“Okay then. Just promise me that you’ll make sure that she doesn’t lose it with any more of my customers. I can’t afford to lose my business,” Julian informed him sternly.

“Sure thing, Mr. Jerome,” Andrew nodded.

“Anyways, it’s closing time. You two should head out now,” Julian added.

“Let’s go to my hotel room and have some more fun,” Nelle suggested as she took him by the hand and they left the bar.

When Andrew and Nelle got to the Metro Court, they went to another bar and began drinking even more heavily, laughing and cheering. Eventually Andrew got so drunk that he lost complete control of himself and everything became a blur.

At some point in the middle of the night, Andrew and Nelle stumbled into Nelle’s room and continued to party and drink into the wee hours of the morning. Then they danced together with Nelle in Andrew’s arms as Nelle began to strip seductively for him. Andrew then gawked at her in confusion and laughed.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“What does it look like?” Nelle smirked as she soon was wearing nothing but her underwear.

Andrew blushed and pressed his forehead against hers, smirking.

“You’re the most beautiful girl that I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, there’s a lot more where that came from, you strong, sexy man,” Nelle purred demurely with coquettish eyes as she led him to the bed and then climbed on top of him. It wasn’t long before the two began to undress and make out heavily and they soon started making love.

The next morning, Andrew woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing on the night table. He then sat up quickly and picked it up, feeling his head throbbing and pounding in sheer agony.

Ugh… I’ve had way too much to drink last night…

The moment he answered, a shrill female voice started shrieking in his ear, making the pain in his head even worse.

“Andrew, where the hell are you? I’ve been waiting up for you all night. Where have you been…?”

Andrew glanced over to see if Nelle was still sleeping beside him and to his surprise the spot next to him was empty. He then inhaled sharply, willing the massive pounding in his head to go away.

“I had way too much to drink and I decided to get a hotel room to stay for the night. I didn’t want you to see me like that. I was super wasted.”

“Well, come over then and I’ll make you something to eat for breakfast; I’ll even brew some coffee,” Theresa offered.

“That sounds heavenly,” Andrew smiled weakly. “Well, see ya sis. I’ll meet you in about 15 minutes.”

“Okay,” Theresa said and then she hung up.

Andrew then went into the bathroom to take a quick, hot shower and then got ready for the day. After he got dressed, he left the hotel room and checked out in the downstairs lobby. Andrew then got into his car and drove off to Theresa’s apartment.

Nearly 20 minutes later, the doorbell rang and Theresa walked over to answer it. She was surprised to see Andrew standing in the doorway, looking very frazzled and haggard.

“Wow, you look like hell,” Theresa gawked in amazement.

This was a new side to Andrew that she had never seen before.

“Thanks,” Andrew mumbled gruffly as he entered the apartment and walked through the living room and into the kitchen, not even noticing Tate sitting in front of the T.V. watching cartoons.

Once he entered the kitchen, he sat down in front of the table and put his head down, groaning.

“So what happened last night?” Theresa asked as she went over to the counter to make some coffee from the coffee machine.

“I told you; I got horribly wasted last night and I ended up having sex with a girl I just met hours before,” Andrew grumbled, shutting his eyes tightly.

“What’s her name?” Theresa asked.

“Nelle,” Andrew groaned.

“What?!” Theresa gasped in a horrified and appalled voice. “You slept with her?! Andrew, what the hell?!”

“She was an attractive and nice looking girl. What the hell was I supposed to do, ignore her? Besides, she and Michael are already on the outs anyway. It’s not like he’s gonna care.”

“But I do,” Theresa growled as she took out the coffee pot and turned off the coffee maker so it could cool off. She then poured some coffee into a cup and brought it over to Andrew.

“You know, I have a mind to pour this all over your dumb, thick headed skull.”

“Please don’t,” Andrew moaned. “I already feel like crap as it is.”

“I hope you’re not considering going out with her again. She’s bad news, Andrew. I can’t quite figure out why, but I have this bad feeling that she is. You need to be careful. You don’t want to be stuck with her for life, trust me.”

Andrew glanced up with a small, sleepy smirk and groggy, glassy eyes.

“You know, you’re beginning to sound just like Mom.”

“That’s because I am a mom, you dork,” Theresa rolled her eyes. “Now drink your coffee and hurry up. I got errands to run.”

“All right, Miss Bossy Pants,” Andrew grumbled as he began to sip on his coffee slowly.

THANKSGIVING 2017

PORT CHARLES, NEW YORK

THERESA’S APARTMENT

7 P.M.

It was a little over a month later and Theresa was at the dining room table, wearing a green apron and setting up all kinds of dinnerware. She then brought out big plates of food, with one containing a big pound of turkey. The table was also covered in a nice satin white table cloth with a couple of golden stick candles already lit.

The doorbell rang and Theresa squealed as she rushed over to get the door.

“They’re here!” she shrieked and then she answered it.

The minute she opened the door, a huge group of people came filing in, with Maxie and Nathan first entering the apartment, then Liz and Franco, then Andrew and Eve, then Michael and Nelle, then Dante and Lulu, then Brad and Lucas, then Kim and Drew, then Ava, Kiki and Avery, and then Nina and Valentin.

Liz and Franco were accompanied by Cameron, Aiden and Jake, while Michael and Nelle were accompanied by Josslyn, Kim and Drew were accompanied by Oscar and Dante and Lulu brought over Rocco and Charlotte.

“Hey, everybody! Glad you all could come!” Theresa grinned as she greeted everyone with a hug and a hello.

Tate then rushed into the living room and was immediately spooked by all of the people in the apartment.

“Who are all these strange people, Mommy?”

“These are our guests, Tater Tot,” Theresa beamed, swiveling around to face her son.

“Wow, nice place you got here, Theresa,” Brad commented as he and Lucas surveyed the interior.

“Yeah, definitely looks a lot better than ours,” Lucas quipped.

“We could always invest a bit more in having some interior decorating done,” Brad suggested.

“Yeah, but let’s wait until we started our own family first,” Lucas hissed in a low whisper.

“What are you guys talking about?” Theresa asked.

“Oh, nothing!” Brad grinned nervously.

“Don’t worry, Theresa. We’ll tell everyone at the dinner table later,” Lucas reassured her.

“Hey there, Theresa,” Nina greeted Theresa as the two women hugged. “It was so nice of you to invite all of us over to your house for dinner.”

She then gestured over to Valentin, who then shook her hand. “By the way, this is my husband Valentin Cassadine.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Theresa nodded.

“Thank you for being such a gracious hostess,” Valentin smiled in a warm and charismatic manner.

“No problem,” Theresa nodded.

“I’m surprised that a beautiful and charming woman like you is currently single,” Valentin started to compliment her but he was quickly interrupted by Nina clearing her throat warningly and directing a pointed glare in his direction.

“Sorry,” Valentin apologized with a sheepish grin.

“It’s okay. That in itself is a very long and complicated story,” Theresa waved her hand graciously.

Nina then saw that Tate was cowering and hiding timidly behind Theresa’s leg and she attempted to give him a disarming smile.

“Hello there. What a cute little munchkin you are.”

“Say hi, kiddo,” Theresa gently encouraged him as Tate continued to bury his face in her leg, whimpering fearfully.

Theresa then sighed and shrugged, looking at Nina apologetically.

“Sorry, he just gets so shy sometimes.”

“No worries,” Nina waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sure he’ll say hi when he wants to.”

“Hey,” Kiki approached Theresa as she turned around to face her. “You’re Theresa Donovan, right?”

“Yeah. I take it you’re Kiki Jerome?”

“Yeah,” Kiki nodded. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Theresa.”

“Same,” Theresa replied.

“Tag! You’re it!” Jake declared as he tapped on Aiden’s shoulder and Aiden, Cameron and all of the other kids dashed off after him.

Tate just looked on sadly as he was at a loss on what to do. Then Avery approached him and tapped him on the arm, smiling sweetly at him.

“Hey, wanna play tag with us?”

Tate then hesitated for a minute before he gazed at her and nodded with a smile of his own.

“Okay.”

Then he raced off after her as he joined in with the other kids, laughing, giggling and shrieking.

An hour and a half later, when everyone had sat down together to eat and celebrate, Theresa had Andrew sit at the very end of the table so that he would be the very first person to carve up the first slice of turkey. But first she wanted to say grace.

“Okay, now I know that there might be some people in here that don’t exactly believe in this sort of thing, but this ritual is especially important to my family, so I would like everyone to hold hands together and pray.”

Everyone then bowed their heads down, held each other’s hands and got ready for Theresa to say her grace.

“Thank you, Lord, for this bountiful harvest. Thank you for giving me another full year of good health and happiness with my family and friends and thank you for allowing me to have an opportunity to make positive changes in my life. And I am especially grateful that we all get to sit here together and spend some time together in peaceful harmony as children of God. Amen.”

“Finally!” Charlotte snapped as she dug into her turkey and started stuffing her mouth.

“Charlotte!” Lulu hissed sternly.

“Oh… I didn’t know that you were religious, Theresa,” Nina quipped.

“That was for my family,” Theresa quickly explained while glancing briefly at Andrew. “I’m not actually a practicing Catholic, not since I was a kid. But ever since I had my battle with breast cancer a little over a year ago, my faith has gotten a lot stronger.”

She then narrowed her eyes, fidgeting and playing with her turkey slices and churning around her mashed potatoes and gravy absentmindedly.

“I’m just not all that crazy about going to church on a regular basis though.”

“Well, at least you’re trying and I say that’s pretty admirable,” Kim complimented her.

“Yeah, it’s pretty refreshing to see someone actually say grace on Thanksgiving or during any mealtime really. Nobody does that anymore,” Lulu retorted.

Andrew smiled and admired Brad discreetly from across the table as he and Lucas continued to whisper amongst themselves.

Maxie then took a bite of her turkey and glanced over at Nathan, exchanging a knowing glance with her husband.

“Well, I think it’s time we share some big news with everyone.”

“What is it, Maxie?” Lulu asked.

Maxie paused and then looked at Nathan again before she turned to face everyone.

“Everyone, Nathan and I are going to have a baby.”

There was a brief silence as all of the guests tried to process what they had just heard. Nina’s hands flew to her mouth and her eyes were practically filled with overjoyed tears.

“I can’t believe my baby brother is going to be a father!” she shrieked as she rushed over to hug Nathan tightly.

Lulu also flew over to embrace Maxie as the two women squealed excitedly.

“This is so exciting!” Lulu exclaimed. “When were you planning on telling us, Maxie?”

“Oh, don’t sweat it, Lulu. We’ve known for only about a week,” Maxie waved her hand casually.

Theresa suddenly became uncomfortable and skittish and she glanced around to see Andrew practically sinking into his seat, still gawking and staring at Lucas and Brad with love struck eyes.

“I got some news too,” Nelle announced, not wanting to be outdone.

Michael grimaced and gazed at Nelle uncertainly.

“Nelle, this is their moment. I don’t think we really should…”

“Michael and I are also having a baby!” Nelle blurted out as shockwaves reverberated throughout the table.

Josslyn practically dropped her fork in surprise at the news. “Wow, that’s great, Michael!”

“Guess that makes you an auntie now,” Nelle smiled as she hugged and nuzzled Michael tenderly.

Andrew suddenly felt his whole body go cold and convulse with pure revulsion as his mind was now reeling from yet another bombshell.

Nelle is having a baby with Michael? But how? That isn’t possible! She told me that she and Michael weren’t even together anymore before we hooked up. That baby can’t possibly be his… right?

Theresa also felt her stomach plummet down sharply as her heart sank at the news.

My chances of ever being with Michael have now been really shot to hell. He’s stuck with that witch for life. This can’t be good at all! Does this universe really hate me so? I’m trying… I’m really trying to be a better person! I have been for the past two years! Have all efforts been really for nothing? Am I doomed to be alone and single for the rest of my life with only my beloved son to keep me company?

She then glanced over to see Maxie and Nathan chatting away with Dante and Lulu as the two couples were gushing excitedly about the new baby.

“You two should totally be Baby West’s godparents!” Maxie grinned.

“It would really mean a lot to us if the both of you were able to play a vital role in our child’s life,” Nathan replied.

Dante then pulled him into a bro hug and patted him on the back.

“It would also mean a lot to us too, Nathan; more than anything in the world. You know we got your back.”

“Thanks, Dante,” Nathan rejoined. “Promise me to look after our child should anything happen to either one of us, all right?”

Dante and Nathan exchanged a loving embrace again and the two fist-bumped.

“You got it, Nate.”

“Lucas and I are also discussing adding a little bundle of joy to our family,” Brad added. “I mean, the details aren’t exactly finalized yet, and our lawyer hasn’t found anyone at this time that would be willing to give us her child, but when she does, we’ll let everyone know then.”

“That’s great, Lucas,” Maxie quipped. “You and Brad must be thrilled.”

“We both are,” Lucas said as he and Brad gazed into each other’s eyes lovingly, making Andrew’s heart drop sadly.

“Well, enough baby talk. Who’s ready for dessert?” Liz announced.

“Me, me, me, me!” Aiden, Jake, Cameron, Avery and Tate crowed as they all raised their hands.

“Sounds like a lot of eager McBeavers at this table,” Maxie giggled as Theresa, Andrew and Eve began serving out dessert.

After everyone had their fill, they stayed at the table for a little while longer to chat and get to know each other better. Meanwhile, the kids eventually got bored of playing tag and gathered together on the living room sofa to watch cartoons and play on the latest hand held consoles.

It was a little after 9 p.m. when everyone finally started heading home and were filing out the door.

“Thank you so much, Theresa. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving feast,” Liz informed Theresa.

“Yeah, you should do this more often. You have a knack for being a solid hostess,” Lucas added.

“Well, good luck to you two with the pregnancy and all,” Theresa said to Maxie and Nathan.

“Thanks for the well wishes, Theresa,” Maxie nodded respectfully.

“And the same goes to you, Michael,” Andrew added, shaking Michael’s hand.

“Yeah, hope to see you around, dude,” Michael nodded back, returning the handshake.

But then Nelle yanked him away from the Donovan siblings and practically dragged him out the door.

“C’mon, Michael! We gotta go!”

“Hey, Nelle, hold up!” Michael exclaimed.

When the guests were all gone, Theresa closed the door and picked up Tate in her arms.

“Come on, cub. Let’s hit the hay,” she sighed in an exhausted voice as mother and son retired for the night.

CHRISTMAS EVE 2017

PORT CHARLES, NEW YORK

METRO COURT BALLROOM

6 P.M.

Theresa was pacing and walking around frantically and nervously, checking off every item she had on her clipboard one by one. It was an hour before the Christmas Eve fashion show to introduce Theresa’s new fashion line for the season and she was a nervous wreck.

“Let’s see here… check, check, check…” she mumbled under her breath.

“Hey, Theresa, how are you holding up?” Maxie asked as she approached her and noticed that she was anxiously pacing around.

“Hey, slow down girl! The fashion show isn’t going anywhere!”

“I know that!” Theresa snapped indignantly. “I just need to make sure it all goes off without a hitch. This show is either going to make me or break me and I cannot screw up even once!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Maxie reassured her calmly as she put a hand on her back and rubbed it gently. “Breathe in and out slowly. Breathe in and out slowly. Breathe in and out slowly. Just take it easy. Seriously, you’re going to make me freak out, and I absolutely cannot be under any undue amount of stress.”

“Why?” Theresa asked.

“Well, I had a really bad viral heart infection when I was a little girl and as a result I needed a transplant right away. Unfortunately I had to wait a while for a donor match to show up. Eventually that match did come, but it wasn’t what I expected or even wanted.”

Maxie’s eyes lowered sadly as she said this.

“What do you mean?” Theresa inquired.

Maxie then gazed up at her new friend, her eyes awash with misty tears.

“My cousin B.J. died in a horrible bus accident when she was only 7 years old. She was essentially brain dead when she got to the hospital but they kept her alive long enough for me to be able to receive her heart.”

“I’m so sorry,” Theresa said sympathetically as Maxie struggled to maintain her composure. “I lost someone too. I had a cousin that died in a hit and run accident many years ago and it affected my Aunt Hope for a long time. She and my uncle Bo never really got over it.”

Maxie inhaled sharply, wiping the tears away from her eyes. “The good news is that even though I don’t actually have B.J.’s heart beating inside of me anymore, her spirit still lives on. As long as I remember the good times that I had with her, she will never really die.”

Theresa nodded grimly. “I just wish that I had been a better granddaughter to my grandmother in the beginning when I first came to town. If I knew that she was going to die so soon, I wouldn’t have been so damn rotten in the first place.”

“Hey, at least you know that she loved you, right?” Maxie queried.

“I suppose so,” Theresa shrugged. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ve even done enough to make her even remotely proud of me.”

“Well, I’m sure that she is extremely proud of you and is amazed at how far you’ve come in life. I mean, I know for a fact that your fashion line is going to be the bomb!” Maxie cheered.

“You really think so?” Theresa raised an eyebrow.

“Girl, I know so!” Maxie laughed and punched her in the arm playfully.

“Let’s go, ladies; the show is about to start,” Nina announced as she beckoned the other two women to follow her.

Within an hour and a half, the fashion show was already well underway as several of the models pranced and sauntered on the catwalk, turning and pivoting coyly while showing off Theresa’s new Christmas designs. Many of them were dressed as sexy, seductive female versions of Santa Claus while some of them were dressed as adorable but pretty reindeer and elves. The techno electric music was pulsing and beating overhead with the multi-colored Christmas themed lights spinning and rotating in a very careful, deliberate and choreographed manner. Many audience members cheered and raved as the models strutted their stuff and even a couple of guys gave wolf whistles and cat calls.

“Well, I’d say that is a sign of a job well done,” Nina declared proudly, impressed by how the fashion show was playing out so far.

But just then Nelle stepped out into the catwalk, dressed in a skimpy yet sexy Santa Claus outfit that showed off her midriff along with a pair of fuzzy black boots. She then arched her eyebrow seductively as she made several different poses and cameras and cell phones flashed all over her amidst even more cheers and howls.

“That little skank…” Theresa seethed as she was right about to climb up to the catwalk and deck her in the face but Maxie grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“Hey, cool it, T. Don’t blow it; it’s your show.”

“She’s trying to sabotage it!” Theresa shot back furiously. “She clearly doesn’t like that I’m getting so much attention and she wants to divert all of it to herself! It’s not bad enough that I’m never going to be the next Mrs. Michael Corinthos Junior, but now she wants to ruin my fashion career too?!”

“Um, Michael’s dad Sonny is technically Michael Junior. His grandpa Mike is Michael Senior,” Maxie quickly explained.

“Oh…” Theresa quickly deflated, feeling like quite the fool.

Just then, Nina, Maxie and Theresa heard a familiar female laugh.

“Don’t ever change, Theresa.”

Theresa spun around to see Nicole approaching the trio and she flew over to embrace her with an ecstatic and giddy grin.

“Nicole! I can’t believe you’re here!” she shrieked as she hugged her tightly.

“Well, I figured it was time to move on,” Nicole shrugged as she hugged her back. “Besides, I can’t manage this company without you anyway, Theresa; well, technically I could, but I miss you too much to not want to.”

“Awww, you old sap,” Theresa giggled as Maxie and Nina soon joined them.

Theresa then pulled away from Nicole and gestured over to the two women.

“Nicole, these are my new friends Nina Reeves and Maxie Jones. Girls, this is Nicole Walker. She is not only my cousin-in-law but she was also my partner back when we were still running D.W. Design together in Salem and she’s also Tate’s godmother. Eric is his godfather.”

“Cool; pleasure to meet you, Nina,” Maxie replied as she shook her hand.

“It’s also a pleasure to meet you too, Nicole,” Nina added.

“I see that your fashion show is going very smoothly,” Nicole observed astutely as she watched the models on the catwalk. “Nice going, partner.”

“Yeah, aside from the fact that a certain Ms. Nelle Benson is trying to destroy my debut and make me look bad in front of potential investors and patrons,” Theresa scoffed with a side eye.

“She’s just jealous because she’s got the hots for one of the most eligible and richest bachelors in town and he’s currently dating someone who’s only been in town for a little while,” Nina whispered discreetly to Nicole out of Theresa’s earshot.

“Gotcha,” Nicole winked.

“And they’re having a baby too, so that’s really complicating things a lot,” Maxie added.

“Oh, I see,” Nicole nodded.

After the fashion show was over, Maxie, Nina, Nicole, and Theresa were leaving Crimson when a car suddenly pulled up and stopped. The front doors then opened up and Brady and Melanie stepped out, with Brady carrying Tate in his arms.

“Brady! Melanie! What are you two doing here?” Theresa gasped in surprise. “I thought you guys were still in Salem!”

“We wanted to surprise you. Brady and I decided to move out here permanently over a week ago so that we can see Tate on a more regular basis; we just went back to Salem a day early so that we could have Christmas dinner with Grandma and Victor before we left,” Melanie answered as Tate rushed over to hug his mother.

“Mommy!”

He then looked up to see that Nicole was with the group and also ran over to hug her too.

“Auntie Nicole!”

“Hey, little squirt,” Nicole smirked as she hugged him too. “Great to see you.”

“I missed you and Uncle Eric so much,” Tate beamed.

“So did I, kiddo,” Nicole smiled back.

“So uh, Theresa… Me and Brady were kind of wondering if maybe you’d like to come over to our place for Christmas? Just the four of us?”

Theresa then glanced over at the other women apprehensively and Maxie gave a thumbs up.

“Don’t worry, Theresa. We can hang out together on New Year’s Eve,” Nina reassured her.

“And Eric would also love to see you tomorrow morning anyway. So go and take up Melanie on her offer,” Nicole urged her friend.

“Are you really sure?” Theresa frowned uncertainly. “I mean, we’re not exactly friends…”

“But we’re still technically family,” Melanie interrupted her. “I’m practically Tate’s second mom anyway since he’s also with me and Brady a lot too. Besides, let’s bygones be bygones, especially for Christmas. Tater Man would also love it if he can have both of his parents together tonight.”

“All right then, if you’re sure…” Theresa said, furrowing her brow apprehensively.

“Okay, that’s settled,” Brady clapped his hands. “Everyone let’s climb into the car and head home.”

Theresa then hugged the girls goodbye and she and Tate climbed into the car with Brady and Melanie as the four headed off to Brady and Melanie’s place to celebrate the rest of the magical evening.

NEW YEAR’S EVE 2017

PORT CHARLES, NEW YORK

METRO COURT BALLROOM

9 P.M.

A huge crowd of people were gathered in the Metro Court as they were busy enjoying themselves, drinking and dancing the night away. Many of them were dressed in the most elegant and lavish evening gowns and black tie suits. Several of the guests have already paired up with their significant others and were having a good time. It seemed like every single person in Port Charles had someone with them – well, everyone except for Theresa.

Theresa was busy sitting at the punch table, drinking a huge goblet of the finest red wine with her close gal pal Anne, who had also decided to move out to Port Charles a few days ago for a change of scenery.

“God, this sucks,” Theresa mumbled, staring at her goblet of wine. “It’s like I’m the only single woman here.”

“Well, that makes two of us,” Anne shrugged, taking a sip from her glass of wine. “At least we get to commiserate together.”

“What are you two ladies doing sitting here alone?” Obrecht demanded as she advanced towards the pair.

Theresa then jumped with a startled and astounded look on her face as she saw that Obrecht was wearing a dress that she had just designed for her just weeks before – a simple dark black sequined lace gown with her shoulders exposed and her hair styled in a short, layered bob.

Anne then put on an akimbo with a short, pointed glare.

“Who the hell are you?”

“And what the hell are you doing hanging around with a girl more than half your age?” Obrecht sneered.

“She’s my best friend, in case you haven’t noticed,” Theresa snapped sassily.

“Yeah, we’re like two peas in a pod,” Anne interjected.

“Lucy and Ethel.”

“Auntie Mame and Vera Charles.”

“Mulder and Scully.”

“All right, enough with these ridiculous pop culture references!” Obrecht quickly waved her hand in an exasperated tone. “I don’t have time to argue with a curly haired moppet and little Miss Minnie Mouse.”

“Hey!” Theresa growled.

“She does have a point; you do kind of sound like Minnie Mouse,” Anne snickered.

“Anne…” Theresa whined. “You’re not helping!”

“Don’t fret, meyn kleyn eyner,” Anne reassured her. “Seriously, you need to learn how to keep your cool. You’re supposed to be a professional businesswoman. It’s totally not a good look on you.”

“What the hell are you even saying?” Obrecht scoffed.

Anne rolled her eyes with a glare. “None of your damn business,” she retorted in Yiddish.

“Take a walk off the pier, you ugly old witch,” Obrecht snarled back in German.

“Up yours, bitch!” Anne spat back.

“Suck my big fat one,” Obrecht snarled cruelly.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Theresa shrieked, suddenly perplexed and bewildered by Obrecht and Anne suddenly speaking in strange tongues.

“None of your business!” Obrecht and Anne yelled shrilly at Theresa at the same time.

“Okay; jeez, whatever,” Theresa rolled her eyes, pouting with her arms crossed.

“Come on, lady; let’s not ruin this good vibe we got going here. It’s a party; we’re here to have fun,” Anne grumbled exasperatedly.

Obrecht averted her gaze sullenly with a thin line and sighed deeply.

“I suppose you’re right,” she retorted reluctantly.

“Whatever,” Anne scoffed. “I’m tired of this bitchfest already anyway. I’m going to go see if there aren’t any hot and cute guys lurking around.”

She then walked off and disappeared into the crowd.

“Oh, Anne,” Theresa shook her head. “Sometimes I wonder why I put up with her. But she has been one of the only people that has stuck by me even when I was at my absolute worst, so that’s gotta count for something.”

“You should consider yourself very lucky,” Obrecht replied coolly as she turned around and started to walk away.

“Hey, um… Liesl?” Theresa stammered, scratching the back of her head nervously.

“What?” Obrecht scoffed, peering over her shoulder coldly.

Theresa smiled sheepishly, batting her eyes innocently. “You actually look really lovely tonight.”

Obrecht’s face remained emotionless at first but then she broke into a huge smile and her eyes shined brightly with a jovial gleam.

“You don’t look so bad yourself, young one.”

“Oh my God, this is gonna sound crazy,” Theresa giggled anxiously as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. “I-I mean, I uh… This is going to sound really, really, really weird, but um… I was wondering if maybe you would like to dance with me?”

Obrecht then broke out into an amused laugh, her eyes gazing at her with a mocking and incredulous gleam.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t possibly mean it.”

“Actually I do,” Theresa insisted; her voice strong and firm with a hint of resolve in her voice.

Obrecht’s face faltered and paled and her eyes shrunk with disbelief and astonishment.

“You can’t be serious.”

“Well, you better believe it, sister,” Theresa growled determinedly as she grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dance floor.

They soon waltzed right into the midst of the crowd as Theresa pulled her into her arms and they started to dance.

By this point a lot of people were heavily plastered and were too distracted from their mind-numbing drunkenness to notice anything strange or amiss going on. However, it did not quite escape some people’s notice.

Nina was busy slow dancing with Valentin when she saw Obrecht dancing with Theresa from the very corner of her eye.

“Um, Valentin?” Nina asked. “Is it me or is that my Aunt Liesl dancing with Theresa Donovan?”

“I guess you’re probably right,” Valentin replied as he took a quick glance at the dancing pair.

“Ah, it’s probably nothing,” Nina waved her hand dismissively with a smile. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. I’m just glad that Aunt Liesl’s having fun.”

“Since when are your mom and Theresa so chummy?” Maxie asked Nathan as the married couple was also dancing.

“Beats me. Maybe Mother was actually happy with the handiwork that Theresa’s done,” Nathan shrugged nonchalantly.

“Maybe, but this whole thing still seems pretty weird,” Maxie quipped suspiciously. “I mean, last time I checked, they were practically at each other’s throats.”

“As long as Mother isn’t causing any ruckus or mayhem, I honestly don’t care what she does,” Nathan retorted off-handedly.

Theresa and Obrecht continued to slow dance together as Theresa wrapped her arms around her and looked into her eyes, blushing. Obrecht smirked and pulled her closer to her as she placed her hand on the small of her back.

Theresa stifled a giggle. “Any lower and people would be wondering what the hell is going on.”

“I don’t care,” Obrecht declared flatly.

“You seriously want to cause a major scandal here?” Theresa hissed sharply.

“Let them talk. It’s not like either of us are perfect angels,” Obrecht scoffed dismissively.

“What do you mean by that?” Theresa demanded suspiciously.

Obrecht smirked deviously. “I know all about you and your criminal past, little one. It’s not so hard to look it up.”

She then noticed the color from Theresa’s face rapidly fading and giggled.

“Don’t worry liebchen. I am not going to embarrass you in public like that.”

“Oh, okay,” Theresa laughed sheepishly. “Man, you really had me going there for a minute.”

Before long, midnight rolled around and everyone started the countdown to ring in the New Year.

“Three, two… one… Happy New Year!”

One by one, everyone shared a passionate kiss or a hug with someone next to them. Even Anne puckered her lips and attempted to kiss Scotty.

“Come here and kiss me, big boy.”

“Uh, I don’t think so, lady,” Scotty retorted brusquely and walked off.

Theresa was then taken aback when Obrecht pulled her in for a big smooch on the lips. After a few minutes, she pulled away and recoiled in shock and horror.

“What the hell was that, Liesl? People are going to see us!”

“I don’t see what the big fuss is about,” Obrecht shrugged nonchalantly, not seeing what Theresa was panicking about.

“Okay, that does it!” Theresa yelled, making a criss-cross motion. “I think that you’ve had way too much to drink and maybe it’s time I take you back home.”

“But what about your son?” Obrecht inquired.

“Eve’s babysitting him tonight. He’ll be fine,” Theresa insisted as she grabbed Obrecht and stormed out of the ballroom.

As soon as Theresa and Obrecht got back to her apartment, Theresa led Obrecht into the guest bedroom.

“Okay, this is where you are going to sleep tonight. I’ll be in my bedroom if you need me.”

She then disappeared into her bedroom and immediately changed into her nightgown. Just as she did so, the door knocked and Obrecht opened it, dressed in a simple black nightgown.

“I’m really sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Theresa,” she apologized as she entered the room. “I just got caught up in the heat of the moment.”

“It’s all right,” Theresa said as she rolled up the comforter sheets and climbed into bed. “I was just startled, that’s all. I mean, I’m not actually entirely uncomfortable with it; after all, I did experiment with a couple of girls when I was in high school but guys were always my primary M.O. It has absolutely nothing to do with you.”

“Well, I am relieved then,” Obrecht smiled as she crawled into bed with Theresa and turned on the T.V. with the remote.

The T.V. screen then showed a huge throng of people cheering and celebrating enthusiastically as a whole burst of fireworks exploded into the air right in the middle of Times Square.

“You know, I’ve always loved to watch the fireworks display at the park every New Year’s Eve when I was little and when I couldn’t go, I would always like to watch the ball come down at Times Square with my family,” Theresa explained.

“At least they love you,” Obrecht scoffed.

Theresa pivoted around to face her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Obrecht hung her head sadly. “My parents never really gave a damn about me. All they ever cared about was their precious Magda. I was nothing more than an inconvenience to them and they felt like I would never be as wonderful or as beautiful or as perfect as her.”

Her eyes then brimmed with tears as she closed her eyes and fought hard to not let them out.

“They devoted all of their love and attention to my sister. To them she could do absolutely no wrong since she was their most prized golden child. I could never do anything right in their eyes.”

“I was a genius child prodigy who got a rare scholarship to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country for child geniuses and they didn’t care. I was one of the very few girls at that time who got such an honor and it was like it was merely a drop in the bucket.”

“All they ever cared about was how well Magda did in her ballet recitals and how perfect and flawless her etiquette and manners were or how she was the smartest, prettiest and loveliest girl in the room and that everyone should automatically bow down to her. And I was the one who got in the way. It was almost like I never should’ve been born.”

“I’m really sorry, Obrecht,” Theresa murmured sympathetically. “That Magda sounds like a horrible monster.”

“Yes she was, but she was also my sister. What was I supposed to do?”

“Well, you could always kill her,” Theresa suggested with a shrug.

Obrecht then let out a surprised but amused laugh. “If only it were that easy, little liebchen.”

“Believe me; I wanted to kill Andrew for a long time because he stole so much attention away from our parents. My mom and dad would act like he was so perfect, wonderful and amazing and that he was the best thing to ever happen to our family,” Theresa narrowed her eyes scornfully.

“But with me it was almost like I was an embarrassment or a mistake that they didn’t really want to acknowledge or accept. I mean, I know now that deep down they didn’t actually believe that and that they had so many problems between them that basically spilled over into all our lives, but back then it did not feel that way.”

“The more that my parents continuously praised and gushed over Andrew, the more they scolded and chewed me out for every wrong thing that I did and they would be a lot harsher with me than they were with him when he did something wrong. Eventually it just kept building and building up and finally I couldn’t take it anymore and I started lashing out at Andrew. Our little feud then evolved into a full on sibling rivalry and it was years before we could even reach a place of mutual understanding and peace.”

“Honestly, I would rather have Andrew as my best friend and trusted confidante than spend a single minute with Eve. Trust me; she isn’t nearly as bad as your sister, but she can get pretty annoying really quickly.”

“Sounds like you have quite the family,” Obrecht chuckled.

“Yeah; I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Theresa chuckled back.

Obrecht then kissed her softly on the lips and this time Theresa didn’t fight back or hesitate. She then turned off the T.V. and the lights as she and Obrecht then lay down together and started making out heavily. It wasn’t long before they gave in to their passionate, wanton lust and found themselves in the throes of lovemaking.

#days of our lives #general hospital #crossover #alternate universe #may december romance #family drama #sibling rivalry

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phoenixgirlreviews-blog · 5 years

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A Blessing In Disguise Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here

Theresa was hanging onto a huge boulder on top of a waterfall, looking up at a small group of people crowding around above her, with one young blonde-haired woman with bright blue eyes reaching out towards her.

“Hang on, Theresa!” she yelled. “Just hang on!”

“I’m trying!” Theresa yelled as she nearly lost her grip on the boulder and she tightened her grip even more, determined to not let go.

She looked down to see a much older stern-looking woman with dark black hair and blue eyes and an elderly man clinging to her legs. Theresa then mustered all of her strength to pull herself up to safety, but to no avail.

“I can’t! They’re too heavy!”

“Don’t worry, Theresa! Everything’s going to be just fine! Just focus and don’t let go!” a brown-haired man with a scruffy face and an average build bellowed as he also reached out to help her.

Theresa then looked into his eyes and felt herself freeze in astonishment. For some reason she wasn’t feeling particularly scared, worried or frightened. She actually felt… safe.

Safe?

How could she possibly be safe around this man? She doesn’t even know him, much less his name.

But before Theresa could entertain any more questions in her head, her fingers suddenly slipped and she was tumbling down rapidly towards the rushing and crashing water, screaming and flailing for her life along with her companions.

“Theresa!”

Theresa screamed out with pure and blood-chilling terror as she fell faster and faster to her doom.

Then before she knew it, everything went black.

Theresa shot up in her bed, panting and hyper-ventilating with her heart racing and throttling wildly in her chest and her body covered in sweat. She took a couple of deep, calming breaths and she briefly glanced over at her alarm clock.

2 a.m.

Theresa ran her hands through her face, exhaling sharply and massaging her temples. This was the third time this week that she had been having this nightmare, and she wasn’t exactly sure why.

At first Theresa rationalized that maybe it was just because she was mentally adjusting to her new surroundings and her anxiety was somehow manifesting into these weird and bizarrely vivid dreams. But now she wasn’t so sure anymore.

As far as she could tell, Tate seemed to be adjusting rather well to his new home, as well as any normal 2-year-old would be. Sure sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night, crying and begging for Maggie and Victor and sometimes for his dad, which was perfectly normal considering how close he had been to all of them, especially his dad.

After all, it was Brady who had first suspected that Tate was his son, even before Theresa did, although she had nagging suspicions for a long time beforehand that something was horribly wrong after Kristen had her goons kidnap her and also arranged to have her baby stolen from her womb.

Theresa shook her thoughts out of her mind. Now was not the time to think about that. She had a whole new chapter in her life to build. Kristen DiMera was dead and she and Brady are responsible and mature parents now, and most importantly – sober. No one was going to take away the greatest joy of their entire lives from them, not even a deranged psychopath like her.

Theresa then fell onto her back again and closed her eyes, begging and praying for sleep to overtake her again.

The very next day, Theresa walked into General Hospital with Tate in the stroller as she sat down in the waiting room, waiting to be called up for her appointment.

While she was leafing through a local tabloid magazine, a young and attractive dark-haired woman appearing to be in her early to mid 30s and wearing a purple nurse’s outfit passed by her and then noticed her sitting there.

“Oh hey there, haven’t seen you around before. Are you visiting a relative here?”

“Actually no; I just moved here a couple of days ago,” Theresa answered, glancing up from her magazine.

“Oh really?” the woman smiled earnestly and then held out her hand. “I’m Elizabeth Webber. But everyone around here calls me Liz.”

“Theresa. Theresa Donovan,” Theresa replied, smiling and accepting her handshake. “I’m from Salem, Illinois. I’ve lived there for about 4 years before coming up here. But before that I was living in L.A.”

“Oh wow, sounds really amazing!” Liz exclaimed in astonishment. “Seems like that would’ve been a very cool place to live.”

“Yeah, it was… for a while anyway,” Theresa bit her lip, averting her gaze hesitantly. “My stepdad worked with a lot of famous and well known producers in Hollywood and some of them would even come over to my house sometimes for dinner. But that was a long time ago.”

“Oh…” Liz frowned, noticing Theresa’s reticence. “Sounds like you aren’t very comfortable talking about your childhood.”

“It wasn’t exactly the easiest or the happiest,” Theresa explained with a sigh, narrowing her eyes sullenly. “My parents split up right after I was born and I never got to see my dad very much because he was away working all the time.”

“My mom was also too preoccupied with her work as a child psychiatrist to take care of me and my brother Andrew properly and as a result we were left alone with Philip a lot. Suffice to say he wasn’t exactly the nicest or most pleasant person to be around.”

“Well, what happened with him?” Liz asked.

“He was a tyrant and a total asshole; he would often take out his rage on me when Mom wasn’t looking and blame me for a lot of crap that wasn’t even my fault. I was also angry at my mom for basically driving my dad away and for a long time I hated her for not only ignoring me and neglecting me but for also devoting so much time and attention towards Andrew. He was like the kid that could do absolutely no wrong in my parents’ eyes. It was pretty obvious as far as I was concerned who the real favorite was.”

Theresa paused, breathing deeply to keep herself from shaking from the painful memories flashing in her head.

“But it’s okay. It’s not like he’s my real dad anyway. It’s old news and I’m not interested in hashing out all that old family drama again. And I’m just so glad that my parents are finally back together after all this time.”

“And the best part is that ever since I had my son Tate, our relationship has improved tenfold and we got even closer when I had my bout with breast cancer last year.”

“Well, congratulations, Theresa,” Liz beamed and she bent down to look at Tate with a disarming and sweet smile. “And he is such a cutie. You and your husband must be so proud.”

“Oh, well actually I’m not married,” Theresa flashed a sheepish grin at the comment. “Well, not anymore anyway. It’s… kind of a long story. You see, I had a very turbulent and complicated relationship with the father of my child and we were super knee deep into drugs and alcohol back then.”

“We were so screwed up mentally and psychologically that we even went to Vegas and got married on a whim. The day that we finally got our marriage annulled, we actually had one last romp in the sack and then… well you know the rest.”

Theresa then laughed nervously with a slow face-palm, gazing up at the ceiling with pure disbelief and incredulity.

“God, I was so selfish and narcissistic back then, thinking that I was so entitled to his love and money. We weren’t exactly good for each other, but at the same time, Tate was the absolute best thing that ever happened to us. When he came along, we had no choice but to clean up and get sober for our little boy. I always say to everybody that kid represents the very best part of us. My brains and his heart.”

“That is so sweet,” Liz replied and then breathed deeply while running her hand through her hair. “Well, I’m not exactly the best role model when it comes to healthy and long term relationships either. I have three boys with three different guys.”

“The father of my eldest son Cameron got killed in a horrible shoot-out with the police and the father of my youngest son Aiden just… ran off and disappeared one day. I haven’t really heard from him since and sometimes I don’t even know if he’s even alive anymore. At least you know where Tate’s dad is.”

“Well… I can do a hell lot worse,” Theresa shrugged. “I could’ve ended up with a total psycho for a dad like Cal Winters and I also could’ve ended up with an assassin for a dad who kills people for a living.”

“Well… my middle son Jake has a dad who is in a um… very similar profession,” Liz forced a nervous and uncomfortable smile as she says this.

Theresa let out a loud exhale with a small chuckle.

“Welp… Brady may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he’s one of the nicest and most compassionate and wonderful guys you’ll ever meet.”

“Great, so can I have his number?” Liz quipped.

Theresa laughed with a knowing glare. “I don’t think so, girlfriend. Brady is already spoken for.”

Liz then stepped back, holding up her hands defensively.

“Okay, chill. I was just asking.”

“Theresa Donovan?” an innocent and doe-eyed woman with a slender build, long, dark brown hair and wearing a doctor’s outfit appeared out of her office as she approached the two women.

“Oh hey,” Theresa greeted her as she stood up and shook her hand. “Dr. Kim Nero, right?”

“That’s right,” Kim nodded with a warm smile. “You must be Theresa Donovan. Welcome to Port Charles.”

“Oh thank you,” Theresa replied as she grabbed her stroller and turned to face Liz.

“It was really nice meeting you. Maybe we can set up a play date with our boys and hang out sometime.”

“I’d like that,” Liz nodded as she walked away. “I’ll leave you to it. Gotta get back to work.”

“Alright, bye,” Theresa grinned as she watched Liz disappear into a corner.

“Well, well, well, looks like you made a brand new friend,” Kim smiled as Theresa whipped around to face her. “You must be pretty popular.”

“Well, maybe a lot more now than when I was a kid,” Theresa shrugged.

“Come on into my office then,” Kim beckoned her as Theresa followed her into the examination room.

As soon as the two women entered the room, Theresa took a seat on a metal chair right near the door while Kim sauntered over to the counter and looked over her clipboard, examining its contents carefully.

Theresa glanced over at Kim with a thin line, looking very puzzled and befuddled. Kim then sensed that Theresa was watching her and turned around to face her.

“What is it?”

Theresa then let out a small, sheepish laugh, grinning bashfully.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I could almost swear that you look a lot like someone that used to be in Salem.”

“Really? Who?” Kim asked.

Theresa grabbed the handlebar of the stroller, rocking it slowly back and forth with her right hand as Tate slept.

“My uncle Steve used to be involved with a woman named Ava Vitale a long time ago. She was really obsessed with him and she tried to break up his relationship with my aunt Kayla numerous times. They actually met during a period where everyone thought that Uncle Steve was dead and he didn’t even know who he was.”

“Wow, sounds insane,” Kim’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Yep,” Theresa nodded. “You seem a lot nicer though.”

“I’m sure a lot of my friends and family can attest to that,” Kim chuckled as she turned back to her clipboard.

“Now then… your son’s name is Tate Donovan Black, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“And his birth date?”

Theresa flinched nervously. She and Brady were never really sure when exactly Tate was born, seeing as he was with Kristen in Italy at the time, but then they went to a doctor to try to determine how old he actually was. He then determined that Tate was anywhere from a couple days to a couple weeks old, so his parents concluded that he was probably born sometime in mid to late March.

“March 30th, 2015.”

“Okay, so he’s 2 years old,” Kim nodded. “What about his medical history?”

“Well…” Theresa frowned, tapping on her face thoughtfully. “He did have a congenital illness that required a bone marrow transplant. But other than that, he’s been perfectly fine. He’s been putting on weight and he’s hitting all his milestones like he’s supposed to.”

“Excellent!” Kim beamed as she then looked up right at Theresa. “I also see that his immunizations are all up to date and he’s due for another one very soon. Let me take a look at him.”

“Come on, kiddo,” Theresa urged as she unbuckled Tate from his stroller and handed him off to Kim.

Kim then brought him over to the examination table and checked out his ears and eyes first.

“Okay, now say aw,” Kim instructed and Tate opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

Kim then examined his throat with a light and studied it carefully, nodding with great interest.

“Uh huh… Uh huh…”

Kim then pivoted around to face Theresa with a solemn expression.

“He may be developing a little bit of a sore throat. You might want to get that taken care of as soon as possible.”

“Okay, sure,” Theresa nodded, a bit concerned and nervous.

Damn it, I’m such an idiot! Why the hell didn’t I notice that?!

Kim then listened to his heart for a few minutes and moved on to check his lungs.

“Okay, Tate, now I want you to breathe in and out deeply a couple of times.”

Tate nodded and did as he was told.

Kim then turned back towards Theresa with a satisfied smile.

“Well, his lungs and heart are both fine. It’s just that sore throat you need to worry about. I’ll write out a prescription for some medication just in case so we can nip this problem right in the bud. You can pick it up when you get to the pharmacy.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Theresa nodded gratefully as she went to pick up Tate from the examination table and placed him back into the stroller.

“Oh, and Theresa?” Kim interjected.

“Yeah?” Theresa raised an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

Kim smiled warmly with a compassionate and understanding gleam in her eyes.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I know how difficult it can be raising a kid all by yourself sometimes.”

“Wait, you have a kid too?” Theresa questioned her suspiciously.

Kim averted her gaze with a wistful expression.

“Well, he’s not so little anymore. His name is Oscar and he’s in high school now. His father Drew came to town a while ago and now we’re both trying to do the absolute best we can with him.”

“Just like me and Brady,” Theresa murmured pensively.

She then glanced up at Kim again.

“So what’s Oscar like?”

“He is the most loving and sweetest boy that you’ll ever meet. He is also extremely thoughtful and intelligent and he does very well in school. I couldn’t ask for a better son.”

“I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful and amazing boy like my Tater Tot either,” Theresa gushed excitedly, overjoyed and thrilled that she got to brag about her offspring with a fellow single mom.

Kim then broke out into a short laugh, amused.

“That’s your nickname for Tate? That’s so adorable.”

“Yeah, I just started calling him that when I first brought him home and it has stuck ever since,” Theresa explained with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure that by the time he goes to high school though that he’s going to start hating me for that nickname but until then I’ll just be more than happy to keep using it without any shame or embarrassment.”

“All right then,” Kim nodded as Theresa got up and started heading out the door. “See you in six months?”

“Yeah,” Theresa replied and just as she was about to leave, a lanky and gawky brown-haired teenage boy walked right through the door.

“Oh, hey Mom,” the boy greeted Kim in a friendly and earnest voice.

“Hey, Oscar,” Kim beamed as she walked over to him and hugged him. “How was school?”

“Good,” Oscar nodded and then he stopped the moment he met eyes with Theresa. “Um, Mom, who is that?”

“Oh, this is one of my patients, Theresa Donovan,” Kim answered as she gestured over to her. “Theresa, this is my son Oscar.”

“Hey, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Theresa said.

“Likewise,” Oscar nodded.

He then turned to his mother. “Mom, I’m going over to Josslyn’s house to study with her. Is that okay?”

“Sure thing, honey,” Kim answered.

“Cool, thanks Mom!” Oscar grinned as he rushed out the door again.

Kim chuckled while shaking her head. “Aw, teenagers. Just wait till Tate becomes one, Theresa. Then you’re going to wish that he was a cute little munchkin again.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Theresa retorted in a sardonic and wry voice and she also headed out of the room. “See ya, Dr. Nero.”

“See ya,” Kim waved goodbye as she watched Theresa leave.

As Theresa was walking through the lobby of the hospital, she was full of smiles as she was mentally relieving her meetings with both Liz and Kim.

Wow, I never would’ve imagined that everyone would be so nice here. I honestly thought this town would be filled with nothing but assholes and creeps. Maybe Port Charles isn’t nearly as bad as New York City itself. I think I’m really gonna like it here-

But then Theresa was abruptly jolted out of her thoughts the minute she felt the stroller crash something and she nearly fell onto the handlebar. She glanced down just in time to see a much older woman bending down and frantically picking up a clipboard and a couple of loose papers. When the woman finally rose to her feet with her things, Theresa froze in horror and fear the minute she got a very good look at her.

She was very stern and severe looking with a long nose and sharp, intense blue eyes and her long, black hair was tied neatly into a bun. She was also wearing a white doctor’s outfit and had on a pair of black boots.

“You stupid girl, watch where you’re going!” the woman snarled in German with a curt sneer on her lips as Theresa suddenly stepped back with pure dread and terror in her eyes, clutching tightly onto her stroller. Tate began to whimper and sniffle with fearful tears seeping out of his eyes.

“Mommy!”

“Hey, Doctor!” a deep, brassy, female voice bellowed as a large, portly, middle-aged black woman charged right into the area and stared the other woman down fearlessly. “Leave that poor girl alone!”

The elderly German woman growled and stormed off, not wanting to have a confrontation right in the middle of the lobby.

Theresa then let out a breath she didn’t even realize she was holding and sighed in relief.

“Thank you so much, ma’am,” she informed the older black woman. “I got so scared; I didn’t know what to do. That strange lady literally came out of nowhere and just started raving and yelling at me in this really weird language…”

“Think nothing of it, child,” the older black woman waved her hand dismissively with a reassuring, disarming smile. “That was Dr. Obrecht. Don’t pay any mind to her.”

She then noticed that Tate was still shaking and crying and she bent down to pick him up and cradle him in her arms.

“Awww, you poor baby. Did that mean old lady scare you?” she cooed softly.

Tate nodded as he kept on sniffling and whimpering. The older black woman then pulled him into a hug and comforted him.

“It’s all right, little one. Auntie Epiphany is here. Nobody is gonna hurt you or your momma when she’s around.”

Tate then gradually began to calm down and relax as he buried his face on the crook of her shoulder, still trembling.

“Hey, I never got to ask you what your name is,” Theresa interjected.

“Just call me Epiphany. I’m an old friend of Liz’s,” Epiphany explained as she rubbed soothing circles on Tate’s back. “Any friend of hers is a friend of mine.”

“Theresa,” Theresa said with a confident yet self-restrained smile. “I’m Theresa Donovan.”

“Yeah, I know who you are,” Epiphany smirked. “Liz told me all about you.”

“She did?” Theresa quipped with a curious eyebrow.

“Yeah, she sure liked you enough,” Epiphany replied. “Listen, if you ever need anything or you just want somebody to talk to, you can come to me.”

She then handed Tate back to Theresa as she put him back into the stroller.

“Um, thanks, Epiphany. I’ll hold you to it.”

Theresa then rushed off with the stroller as she quickly made a mad dash out of the hospital.

“See ya!”

Later that evening, Theresa hired a babysitter to look after Tate while she went out to Charlie’s to unwind and have fun. She was sitting alone at a table, slowly sipping on a pink strawberry martini.

She saw a couple of people file into the bar and got their drinks as they sat down together and had a good laugh. Theresa nodded dumbly and just ignored them, continuing to sip on her drink.

Just then, a couple of young blonde women appearing to be in their early to mid 30s came over to Theresa’s table and sat down with her.

“Hey, what are you doing sitting here alone?” the younger of the two asked her.

Theresa shrugged weakly, not exactly in the mood to engage in any sort of conversation.

“Just chilling.”

“Just chilling?” the older of the two blonde women reiterated incredulously, narrowing her blue eyes and glancing briefly at her companion. “Don’t be silly. Lulu and I are not letting you sit here all by yourself.”

Theresa took another sip of her drink and pointed at them.

“So one of you is Lulu?”

“Yeah,” the latter nodded. “I’m Lulu and this is my best friend Maxie.”

Maxie grinned enthusiastically.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Theresa offered a weak smile. “I’m Theresa. My son and I just moved here.”

“So where is he?” Maxie asked.

“He’s with the babysitter,” Theresa mumbled, making a sudden and odd wave of the hand. “His name is Tate.”

“So are you married?” Lulu inquired.

“Lulu!” Maxie hissed, elbowing her sharply.

“You wish,” Theresa smirked sarcastically, taking more sips out of her martini.

Lulu then studied her intently, narrowing her eyes.

“Um, no offense, but you seriously look like hell.”

“Is it that obvious?” Theresa giggled, rolling her eyes. “Well, that’s because I’ve had a hell of a day. My son may be coming down with a sore throat, I’ve been having recurring and vivid nightmares for the last couple of days and I almost ran over an old German lady with my own son’s stroller.”

“Yeah that ‘old German lady’ is my mother-in-law,” Maxie retorted while exchanging weird and befuddled glances with Lulu.

Theresa nearly choked on her vodka as she coughed and gasped violently, pounding on her chest. After taking a couple of minute to catch her breath, she gawked at Maxie.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Yeah, her name is Liesl Obrecht. She’s one of the many doctors that work at GH,” Maxie explained.

“Oh my God…” Theresa groaned as she sank into her chair while slowly running her hand on her face. “I cannot fucking believe this.”

“What?” Lulu asked.

“Your mother-in-law scared the living daylights out of my son and she nearly ripped me to shreds!” Theresa yelled angrily, clutching her drink tightly. “She probably would have had me for lunch if Epiphany hadn’t stepped in!”

“Wow, I’m really sorry to hear that, Theresa,” Maxie frowned sympathetically. “But please don’t blame yourself. Liesl isn’t exactly the easiest person to live with, trust me. Just don’t take it too personally.”

“Well, all right then,” Theresa averted her eyes with a sullen glare. “I suppose you’re right.”

Just then a group of young people sauntered into the bar and sat down at another table. Theresa then looked up to see a dashing young man with boyishly good looks and short, cropped, dark black hair.

“Wow, who is that?” Theresa gawked in amazement upon noticing the young man sitting several feet away from her.

“Well um… That’s Michael Corinthos, Sonny and Carly’s son,” Maxie replied, glancing over to see him.

“Really?” Theresa smirked, her face suddenly brightening up and her posture straightening up dramatically. “Well, I better say hi to this gorgeous, sexy hunk then!”

She then bolted out of the table and confidentially sashayed over to where Michael was sitting.

Lulu and Maxie grimaced anxiously together with worried looks.

“You didn’t tell her that he already has a girlfriend, did you?”

“Nope.”

Michael was sitting around with his friends laughing and drinking beers when one of them noticed Theresa approaching their table with a huge bounce in her step.

“Hey, who is that girl?” Brad asked.

“I have no idea,” Lucas shrugged.

“Beats me,” Dante interjected.

Nathan just took a swig of his beer, smirking with pure amusement.

Once Theresa reached the table, she tapped Michael on the shoulder. Michael then stopped what he was doing and turned around to see her gushing and beaming at him with entranced eyes.

“Oh, hey, miss. What is your name?”

“My name is Theresa. What’s yours, sexy face?”

Dante then coughed to hold back a laugh with his fist covering his mouth. Lucas and Brad snickered and gave themselves a high five.

Michael just smiled politely, tickled pink that the new girl in town was taking such blatant interest in him.

“My name is Michael Corinthos III. But you call me Michael.”

“What brings you here then, Michael?” Theresa asked.

“Just hanging out with my buddies,” Michael replied, turning back to face the other men.

“Cool! Me too,” Theresa squealed, feeling extremely excited and giddy at getting the chance to speak with her new crush.

“You friends with Lulu and Maxie?” Lucas queried, beckoning over towards Maxie and Lulu.

Theresa glanced back at the two women and nodded.

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, why don’t you come and sit with us?” Nathan offered, pulling up another seat. “We’d really love to get to know you better.”

“Really?” Theresa’s eyes gleamed as she glanced back at Maxie and Lulu for reassurance and Maxie nodded.

Theresa then nodded and was about to join the men when suddenly Nelle came gliding through the door and flew over to Michael, swooping her arms around him.

“Hey, babe,” she said as she and Michael shared a kiss.

Theresa’s face then suddenly drained of color and she suddenly felt faint and dizzy, horrified and appalled that her latest chance at love had officially been shot to hell. Brad then noticed that Theresa was shivering and trembling with her eyes filled with sheer dismay and disbelief.

“Um, are you okay, Theresa?” Brad inquired concernedly.

“I uh… I gotta go!” Theresa exclaimed as she was now suddenly scrambling to exit out of Charlie’s.

But just when things couldn’t possibly get any worse, Obrecht walked right through the door and stopped right in her path, baffled and aghast that their paths have crossed again for the second time that day.

Theresa stopped and stared silently at the older German woman for a moment, not moving or reacting. But then within a matter of minutes her face quickly changed into an ugly and vicious snarl, her eyes flashing with a furious and evil gleam.

“You…”

Obrecht growled back, her fists clenching tightly.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded in a thick accent.

Theresa then let out an arrogant laugh. “So you actually do speak English.”

“You watch your tongue, you insolent little girl!” Obrecht snapped back.

“Little?!” Theresa shrieked, now showing up her fists and taking a step forward with a menacing stance. “I’ll show you little, you ugly old hag!”

“Ugly, old hag?!” Obrecht spat with a contemptuous glare. “You stupid kids have no respect and appreciation for your elders! I’ll show you respect!”

She then delivered a swift backhand to Theresa’s face, sending her reeling to the ground. Theresa then got up to her feet, still feeling the stinging impact of the blow on her face. After taking a couple of minutes to collect her bearings, she then charged right at Obrecht with a scream and gave her a swift kick to the face. Obrecht nearly recoiled from the blow as she held up her nose, which began to bleed profusely.

She removed her hand and saw that there was blood pooling in the palm of her hand. Everyone gasped with horror as they all realized that the fight was about to take a very ugly turn.

Obrecht then pounced her to the ground and began to assail her with several punches and uppercuts to the face and jaw. Theresa did her best to fend off the blows as she punched and slapped her repeatedly in the face. She then delivered another swift kick to the chin, forcing Obrecht to roll off her.

Just then, Julian, Dante and Nathan rushed over to the two women and Nathan and Dante helped Obrecht get up on her feet.

“Easy, Mother. You’re badly hurt,” Nathan shushed her gently as Obrecht whined in pain, her eyes black and blue and her nose all a bloody mess. Julian then grabbed Theresa and helped her up too.

“All right, you ladies out,” he ordered as the three men helped the women out of the bar.

It was over an hour later and Theresa was lying in a hospital bed fully bandaged up, as was Obrecht. The two women were now recuperating in separate rooms as Nathan and Maxie were staying with Obrecht and Lulu, Dante, Michael, Nelle, Brad, and Lucas were staying with Theresa.

Theresa groaned and sobbed in bed, lying weakly on her back.

“Mother, what the hell were you thinking?” Nathan demanded.

“She disrespected me,” Obrecht growled in exasperation and anger, wincing and grimacing. “And I needed to teach her a lesson.”

“Well that doesn’t mean that you get to beat up a defenseless, tiny girl in the middle of a frickin’ bar!” Maxie chastised her.

“She started it! And she broke my nose!” Obrecht protested.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Liesl,” Maxie crossed her arms sternly.

“Just get some rest, Mother. We’ll see you in the morning,” Nathan instructed her as he and Maxie left.

“Nathan…” Obrecht pouted as she turned to glare at Theresa.

“This is all your fault. If you only have kept your mouth shut…”

“Well maybe you should stop acting like a psychotic maniac and then perhaps you might have more friends around here,” Theresa snapped.

“I don’t need any friends. All I need is Nathan, Maxie, Nina and Franco,” Obrecht insisted.

“Okay, suit yourself,” Theresa rolled her eyes and closed her eyes to sleep.

Obrecht then rolled her eyes and also went to sleep.

When Theresa finally got discharged from the hospital, she spent the next several days recuperating at home. She was also banned from going to Charlie’s for at least a month for the bar fight with Obrecht.

As a matter of courtesy, Theresa called Maxie up to personally apologize to her for picking a fight with Obrecht in the first place. Maxie accepted the apology, but Obrecht still refused to forgive or even acknowledge her.

Then the day finally arrived for Theresa’s big interview with Crimson. She put on her best work clothes and makeup, hired a babysitter to watch Tate again, and drove off to meet with her prospective new boss.

Once Theresa arrived at the lobby of the Aurora Media building, she came across a beautiful and attractive brunette woman with a slender and thin build, accompanied by a muscular built man with dark brown hair and a scruffy face.

“Oh hey! I’m here for the Crimson interview. Do you know where it is?” Theresa asked.

“Yeah, it’s right upstairs,” the woman answered, gesturing towards the elevator.

She then offered a hand.

“By the way, I’m Sam McCall. This is my husband Drew McCain.”

“Hey,” Theresa beamed as she shook both of their hands.

“Hey, if you’re here for Nina, you can just wait in the office. She’ll be here soon,” Drew explained.

“Okay, thanks,” Theresa replied as she quickly raced for the elevator.

Just as she got there, another tall and lanky woman with long, blondish brown hair and an athletic build caught up to her as they both entered the elevator. Once the doors closed, they soon ascended up the floors as they were heading for their destination.

Theresa then glanced over to see who was standing right next to her and gave a polite smile.

“Hey, are you working for Crimson too? Because I’m heading there right now for an interview.”

“I’m Nina,” the woman announced, looking over at her.

Theresa jumped in surprise, not having expecting to run into her like this.

“Um… wow…” she stammered as she gave her a once over. “I wasn’t really expecting you to um…”

Theresa collapsed on the back of the elevator, feeling particularly overwhelmed and embarrassed.

“Jesus, I honestly thought you were going to be some old lady or something…”

Nina chuckled with a playful smirk. “Nope, I’m not quite there yet.”

“Okay,” Theresa laughed.

“So you’re Theresa, right?” Nina raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah,” Theresa nodded.

Nina then studied her carefully, eyeing her recent injuries.

“That a black eye you got there?”

“Yeah… that was from a bar fight from a couple of days ago,” Theresa answered nervously, feeling very uncomfortable.

“I’m guessing that was over a guy, right?” Nina quipped emphatically.

“Yeah…” Theresa’s eyes darted to and fro, feeling even more apprehensive. “Something like that.”

The elevator doors opened and Nina and Theresa stepped out as they headed for the Crimson office. Upon entering, Nina advanced towards her desk and took a seat. Theresa also sat down right in front of her, her resume in hand.

“All right then. Let’s get started,” Nina announced as she grabbed her resume and looked it over.

“Huh, interesting. Seems like you have quite the work history.”

“Yeah, I only have a high school education,” Theresa frowned. “I don’t even have a college degree to speak of. But I was able to hold down my job at human resources at the hospital back in Salem and I did build a brand new fashion house with my former partner Nicole Walker from the ground up.”

“Well, for someone with a high school education and with a history of drug addiction, that is extremely impressive,” Nina mused, continuing to read over her resume. “Not to mention that you were on parole for roughly two years too while you were in Salem.”

“Yeah, I had to get my act together,” Theresa shrugged. “I needed that good ol’ kick in the butt to straighten myself out. Although sometimes I kind of slip back into some pretty bad habits.”

“Like that bar fight with my Aunt Liesl?” Nina questioned her suspiciously.

“What?!” Theresa gawked with a start. “How in the blazes did you know about that?”

“Maxie told me,” Nina answered coolly. “She also works here, in case you didn’t know.”

“Oh…” Theresa inhaled sharply, feeling suddenly awkward and humiliated. “Well, she did tell me that she was her mother-in-law.”

“Yeah, well that’s because Nathan is also my brother,” Nina replied. “And he’s a cop.”

“Okay…” Theresa scratched the back of her head. “That would explain why he helped those other officers drag us out of Charlie’s the other night. But you see… that was totally not entirely my fault. Liesl was the one that came snapping at me unprovoked. I didn’t even do anything. I only just accidentally bumped into her with my stroller.”

“Wait, you have a kid?” Nina asked.

“Yeah,” Theresa answered. “A son – Tate. He’s 2-years-old. I’m currently sharing joint custody with his dad Brady, which coincidentally was also my ex-husband, and if you were to ask around any of my old friends and associates back in Salem, that was a relationship that probably shouldn’t even have happened in the first place.”

“And if I were to ask around your associates back in Salem about you, would they also tell me about your constant habit of getting into bar fights with little old ladies?” Nina queried, tapping on her finger on her desk.

“N-No!” Theresa shook her head with a sheepish smile. “N-Not usually.”

Nina then pursed her lips, gazing right at Theresa.

“Okay, your history of drug addiction and alcohol is extremely concerning and therefore I’m going to have to subject you to random drug tests every so often. Also as long as your activities outside of work don’t adversely interfere with Crimson business, your ability to work here won’t be affected. Your uncanny talent for creating all kinds of fashion-wear for all sizes and ages would be a great asset to this company and I am willing to utilize it to the fullest extent possible. So come to work on time, give your 110% effort and make some amazing fashion lines and you will have a bright future here. Congratulations.”

Theresa let out an excited cheer and threw her arms around her in a hug.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise you that you won’t regret it!”

“And Theresa?” Nina added.

“What?” Theresa frowned.

“Please do me a favor and do not antagonize my aunt anymore. I don’t want you to keep showing up with bruises and black eyes. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am!” Theresa nodded and saluted.

Nina chuckled. “We’re going to get along just fine, kid.”

#days of our lives #general hospital #alternate universe #crossover

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phoenixgirlreviews-blog · 5 years

Text

A Blessing In Disguise (Days Of Our Lives/General Hospital Crossover AU)

Chapter 1 – Goodbye Salem, Hello Port Charles

SALEM, ILLINOIS

THERESA DONOVAN’S APARTMENT

SEPTEMBER 19TH, 2017

8 a.m.

The alarm rang and Theresa’s eyes shot up as she quickly rose out of bed, her blondish brown hair all messy and hanging in her face. She then went into the bathroom and got ready for the day – brushing her teeth, washing her face and even combing out all of the tangles from her hair.

Theresa groaned and screamed in frustration and agitation as she pulled and tugged with all her might to get a particularly huge knot out but to no avail.

“Ow, ow, ow, dammit!”

Then after several more minutes of messing and fighting with the knot and finally getting it under control, she heard a loud voice calling from the hallway.

“Mommy, hurry up! I wanna watch my favorite show!”

“In a minute, Tater Tot!” Theresa hollered as she gave a couple more strokes of her hair and then ran her hands through it slowly.

“Okay, that’s better.”

She then dug into her closet and got out a great outfit – a pretty purple floral blouse and a pair of navy blue dress jeans with dark black combat boots. After getting dressed, she then went over to the mirror to admire herself for a moment, fixing up her hair into a half-bun with a clip and a pick. Shortly thereafter, she turned towards the door and headed out of the room.

Several minutes later, Theresa walked downstairs with Tate in her arms and then went over to his high chair, where she placed him in securely. She then went over to the refrigerator and took out a couple of puree baby food jars, placing them on the counter.

Theresa picked up a banana flavored baby food jar and pulled out a drawer, whipping out a small metal spoon. She then opened up the jar and stuck the spoon in.

“Okay, Tate, here comes the choo-choo train!” Theresa announced as she brought over the jar of banana puree to her son and took out a spoonful, offering it to him.

Tate frowned and shook his head, grimacing and crossing his arms defiantly.

Theresa then licked her lips, circling the spoon in the air with one hand while making a rubbing motion on her belly with the other.

“Mmmm… Yummy banana! Come on, Tate! Don’t you want to grow up big and strong like Kion?”

Tate hesitated for a moment, considering her words. Then after a few short minutes, he opened his mouth and allowed his mother to feed him.

After Tate was done eating, Theresa cleaned him up and took him in her arms, heading upstairs.

“Come on, kiddo. We better get ready to go to your dad’s.”

AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER

THE KIRIAKIS MANSION

The doorbell rang and Brady opened, revealing Theresa and Tate in the doorway.

“Hey, Theresa! Glad you can make it!” Brady smiled warmly as the two exes hugged.

Theresa stepped into the mansion with Tate and the baby supply bags in hand.

“Yeah, traffic was rough,” she griped as she entered the living room and sat down on the couch, exhaling sharply.

“How was work?” Brady asked as he sat down next to her.

“Pretty good. Our summer collection was a huge success and got a lot of great publicity. Everyone is still talking about it on social media,” Theresa answered with a small, satisfied smile on her face.

“That sounds amazing, Theresa. You should be really proud,” Brady complimented her.

“Aw, it was nothing,” Theresa blushed, feeling flattered. “Nicole, Kate and Anne deserve all the credit too just as much as I do.”

“Ah, so the wicked witch of the west finally showed up,” a gruff male voice intoned as Victor and Maggie walked into the living room.

Theresa glared with a scowl but fought to keep her tongue.

Tate then jumped out of her arms and rushed over to greet his great-grandparents.

“Grandpa Victor!” he shrieked excitedly as he embraced the old man joyfully. “You’re here!”

Victor chuckled, his face immediately brightening at the sight of the blonde haired child.

“Great to see you too, my boy.”

“Ready to have some fun today, my little one?” Maggie grinned brightly at him.

“Yeah, Grandma Maggie!” Tate exclaimed, doing a fist pump.

“Let’s all go into the garden then,” Maggie declared as she grabbed Tate’s hand and walked off, with Victor following them.

Melanie then came downstairs and met up with Brady and Theresa in the living room.

“Oh hey, Theresa. Wasn’t expecting you for another hour,” she grinned with an earnest and friendly expression.

“Yeah, just wanted to be here on time,” Theresa shrugged casually.

Melanie didn’t respond but acknowledged her with a silent nod.

Over the past couple of years, Melanie and Brady had become much more committed and devoted to each other as a couple, much to Theresa’s chagrin.

Even after Tate was discovered to be Theresa and Brady’s long lost son and was brought back home to Salem, she still desperately hung on to a tiny sliver of hope that somehow Brady would eventually see her in a brand new light upon realizing what a great mother and person she really was and take her back.

But as Brady and Melanie’s relationship continued to thrive and Theresa focused more on her new responsibilities as a first time mother and a newly successful fashion designer and savvy businesswoman, she slowly began to realize that she was wasting her time hoping and praying that she and Brady would miraculously get back together and it was high time she had to move on.

It was a cold and hard truth that at first Theresa wasn’t prepared or even willing to accept at first, but eventually she got to the point where she came to terms with it. And after a long while, Theresa slowly began to let go of her dreams of a future with Brady and worked harder at building a more prosperous future for herself.

And if she really had to be honest, she even admitted to herself that she would rather be happier as a single working mother than an unhappily married woman.

“Cool. Well, have a great day then, Theresa,” Melanie smiled with a wave.

“Thanks, Melanie,” Theresa nodded politely and she turned around to face Brady.

“Well, gotta go. I’ll stop by after work to pick him up.”

“Sounds great,” Brady replied with a nod.

“Okay, see ya,” Theresa waved goodbye and quickly headed out the door.

After another successful and hard day at D.W. Design, Nicole and Theresa went out to grab a bite to eat. They stopped at a local deli that had recently opened up and got some sandwiches.

Theresa took a huge bite out of her turkey and cheese sub and moaned in satisfaction with a huge smile on her face.

“Ugh, this is sooo good.”

“Yeah, now that is what I call a real sub,” Nicole declared as she also munched on her salami and ham sub and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“Yep,” Theresa nodded as she swallowed her food and took a sip out of her water bottle.

“So how are things with you and Eric?”

“We’re doing good,” Nicole replied after taking a moment to swallow her food. “Eric is really happy with the work that he’s doing and a lot of people on social media are singing him endless praises. I’m so stoked just mentioning it.”

“Yeah, it’s really nice for Eric to finally find a passion that allows him to do what he loves and still be with you,” Theresa quipped. “I always had a feeling that you two were meant to be together.”

“Oh, really?” Nicole smirked coyly with an inquisitive eyebrow. “Did you?”

“Well…” Theresa grinned sheepishly with a casual shrug. “He literally turns into a completely different person whenever he’s with you. At least you are able to get him to stop being such a grumpy sour puss all the time.”

“Well, he helps keep me sane and grounded. That’s why I love him,” Nicole replied.

“Yeah,” Theresa sighed deeply. “I kind of feel bad though that he had to give up the one thing that he devoted so much of his life to. I mean, I don’t personally care for religion or even church, but I know how much it meant to him.”

“Yeah, but just because Eric can’t be a priest anymore doesn’t necessarily mean that he can’t still be a devoted, loving disciple of God,” Nicole rejoined.

“True,” Theresa nodded.

The two women then fell silent and continued to eat their meal. Theresa gazed down in deep thought as she nibbled on her sandwich periodically, looking very troubled. Nicole then noticed Theresa’s sudden change of mood and frowned anxiously.

“Hey, you okay, Jeannie T?”

“Yeah,” Theresa replied glumly, taking a long drink of her bottle. “You know, I was thinking about that offer we got a couple of weeks ago from Crimson to expand our brand out of state and establish a new office in New York.”

“And?” Nicole queried.

Theresa took a deep breath, exhaling sharply.

“I’m actually thinking of accepting it and moving to New York.”

“What?” Nicole started, nearly choking on her water and gawking in bewilderment.

“Theresa, are you nuts?! You have everything you could ever want here. You have a very successful fashion line, an adorable and sweet baby boy who loves you and a couple of really great and loyal friends. What more could you possibly want?”

Theresa frowned, averting her gaze and playing with her hair.

“I-I don’t know. I just feel like there is something missing in my life and I can’t figure out why. Like there’s this really weird funk I can’t seem to shake myself out of.”

“Like what?” Nicole inquired.

“Well…” Theresa trailed off, pondering. “For one thing, I haven’t dated anyone ever since Brady and I had called it quits and none of my other relationships have quite panned out so far.”

“I mean, everywhere I turn, everyone around me seems to have someone in their lives. You and Eric, Brady and Melanie, Chad and Abby, Will and Sonny and even J.J. and Gabi. Me? I have nobody. It’s like I’m literally the only single young woman in the whole town and no one wants to touch me with a ten foot pole.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Theresa,” Nicole reassured her with a gentle squeeze of the hand. “Trust me; you are going to find that special someone.”

“It’s only a matter of time before you are going to find that perfect guy who is going to love you for you. Believe me, if I would’ve realized that years ago, I could’ve saved myself a lot of heartache and drama.”

“True that,” Theresa laughed.

“So what is this Crimson company exactly?” Nicole asked.

“Well, it’s technically a subsidy of this multimedia company called Aurora and it’s run by an older blonde woman named Nina Reeves.”

“She had seen a whole bunch of articles and videos on our company and she was so impressed that she had decided to extend the offer to us. But if you don’t want to move our company to New York right now, that’s fine, Nicole. I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not comfortable doing.”

“Thanks, kiddo,” Nicole smiled, gazing at her intently. “I appreciate the sentiment. But are you sure you really want to go through with this?”

“I haven’t really decided yet,” Theresa mulled. “I still need to figure things out. I mean, I’m scared of leaving all of the things and people that I love behind, but at the same time I’m also not sure if I should really pass up this offer. I mean, who knows if I’m ever going to get an opportunity like this again?”

“That’s a good point,” Nicole retorted.

Theresa checked her phone and then picked up her paper wrapping and water bottle.

“I better go and get Tate from Brady’s. I also need to discuss this with him once I figured out what I really want to do.”

“Good luck then, Theresa,” Nicole hollered as Theresa dumped her garbage into the trash can and then started to walk back to her car. She glanced over at Nicole and gave her a small wave.

“So I’ll call you or text you later?”

“Sure,” Nicole replied. “See you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, bye,” Theresa hollered as she left the deli.

The following afternoon, a car pulled up in front of the local cemetery and Theresa stepped out of the vehicle, carrying a bouquet of roses, lavenders and daffodils.

She then walked past several long rows of graves as she slowly scanned the area in search of one particular resting place she wanted to visit.

Finally, she arrived at her destination and she knelt down on the soft grass, setting down the flowers beside her as she took out the ceramic vase from its hole.

The minute she laid her eyes on the engraved inscription on the grave marker before her, her eyes welled up and she fought back tears.

CAROLINE BRADY

BELOVED MOTHER, WIFE AND GRANDMOTHER

“Hey, Grandma,” Theresa murmured, her voice holding back a choked sob. “It’s me, Jeannie. I need to talk to you about something.”

She glanced up at the dark, cloudy sky and noticed the soft gusts of wind picking up. Theresa then turned her focus back to Caroline’s grave.

“I got this really great job offer to go to New York and expand my fashion line there. This Nina woman seems really excited to work with me and I also feel the same way.”

She then paused, feeling at a loss for words.

“But I…”

Theresa shook her head, chuckling wryly.

“I don’t want to leave everything that I know behind. I don’t want to leave behind my friends, my family, everything that I’ve ever known or loved…”

“But I also want a chance for my fashion brand to grow and thrive, and I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself if I turn down this opportunity. I need to evolve and adapt as a businesswoman and entrepreneur – otherwise, what’s the point? Grandma, please give me a sign; show me that I’m going on the right path, that I’m making the right decision.”

Right as she said this, a cold burst of wind blew directly into her face, almost sending her tumbling into the ground.

Theresa landed on her hands and knees and looked up just in time to see a stream of dead and dried leaves dancing and circling in the wind. Just as she was getting up to her feet, she heard a soft voice that was so faint that she almost didn’t catch it at first, and yet it sounded so familiar and clear in her head.

Do it.

Theresa then stood up suddenly, looking up in confusion and bewilderment as the voice continued to ring in her ear.

Just do it.

“Grandma?” Theresa whispered, wide-eyed.

Do it.

The voice continued to whisper softly to her until it gradually faded away.

Finally Theresa let out a big sigh and relaxed, suddenly not feeling so scared and apprehensive anymore. She then looked over to her left and smiled tenderly upon noticing that there were some flowers left at her uncle Bo’s grave.

“I’m glad that Aunt Hope hasn’t completely forgotten about you, Uncle Bo, even if she is Aiden Jennings’s new wife now. I know that there’s a part of her that will always love you no matter what.”

She then said a few prayers before turning around and walking away, her resolve and determination strengthening with every step that she took.

“Wait, you’re leaving? But why?” Brady demanded in shock and horror upon learning what Theresa had just told him.

“It’s time to make a new change in my life, Brady,” Theresa informed him calmly. “I’ve been in this town long enough and I’ve done all that I could ever do here. I’ve spent the last couple of years trying to make a living and be a good parent to our son. And now I have a chance to start over in a brand new town and have brand new adventures.”

Brady frowned, rubbing his chin with a puzzled look on his face.

“Okay… But can’t we at least talk about this before you run off to a whole other state?”

Theresa then burst out laughing hysterically, her eyes beaming.

“Why else would I be here, Brady? Trust me, I’m not that dumb.”

“What’s this I hear about someone moving?” Victor demanded as he stormed into the living room.

Theresa then turned to face Victor with a proud smirk.

“Well, I’ll have you know that I’m not going to be around here for much longer. I’m accepting that job offer from Crimson and I’m moving to upstate New York.”

“What did you say?” Victor gawked, his eyes bulging in disbelief and leaning in closely to make sure that he had heard correctly.

“She said that she’s moving to New York, Dad!” Brady bellowed in a loud voice.

“Really? Truly?” Victor reiterated incredulously as he was fighting to keep an increasingly widening grin from crossing his face.

Then after a few minutes of silence, Victor let out an excited holler as he jumped and yellowed for joy.

“I don’t believe this! It must be my lucky day! The wicked witch is finally leaving this ivory tower! Hallelujah!”

He continued to celebrate and rejoice in a boisterous and loud manner as Brady stood there with a slackjawed and mortified expression and Theresa covered her mouth and fought to keep herself from laughing.

“What on Earth is going on here?” Maggie demanded as she entered the living room with a suspicious look on her face.

Brady shrugged.

“Granddad is just excited that Theresa’s moving away to New York because she got a new job offer.”

“Oh, really? Well then, congratulations, Theresa. Brady and I wish you the absolute best of luck,” Maggie replied as she went over to Theresa and hugged her.

“I won’t!” Victor declared loudly as he continued to cheer and hoot in the background.

“Aw, thanks Maggie. That really means a lot coming from you,” Theresa blushed as she hugged her back.

“It’s no trouble, Theresa. You are Tate’s mother, and in my book that makes you family,” Maggie informed her earnestly.

“Yeah,” Theresa looked away with a guilty expression. “I know you had every right to hate me after all the crap I’ve pulled with Brady and Melanie…”

“Oh, hush now…” Maggie interjected, putting her hands on her shoulders and gazing into her eyes. “It’s all in the past. What matters now is the person you are now.”

“Thanks,” Theresa blushed sheepishly in a low voice.

“So I guess we’re going to court now to hash out the new living arrangements,” Brady sighed, dropping his shoulders and hanging his head.

“Yeah,” Theresa nodded, sharing his concerns. “I just need to figure out how I’m going to tell our own son that we’re about to rip him away from everything that he’s ever known and loved.”

After breaking the difficult news to their son Tate, Brady and Theresa headed back into court in order to update their current joint custody agreement.

“So it is agreed then that the new amended custody agreement is both to your liking?” the judge announced.

“Yes, Your Honor,” Brady answered.

The judge then turned to face Theresa with a neutral, emotionless expression.

“And what about you, Ms. Donovan? Do you also find this acceptable?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Theresa nodded.

The judge then turned his attention to the whole court, raising up his gauntlet.

“Then let it be on the record that both Ms. Donovan and Mr. Black are both in agreement that the minor child in question, Tate Donovan Black, will spend the large majority of the year with his mother in Port Chales and will then spend every summer and every other Thanksgiving and Christmas with his father in Salem. I hereby approve of this custody agreement until further notice. Dismissed.”

Theresa, Brady and their lawyers then parted ways and headed out of the courthouse but the two former spouses met up with each other halfway and gave each other one last embrace.

“Good luck, Theresa.”

“Same to you, Brady.”

A couple of weeks later, Theresa was already at the local airport and was waiting to board her flight with Tate and Anne.

Theresa glanced up at the flight information board every few minutes, waiting anxiously for her flight to be called.

“I can’t believe this is really happening,” Anne replied sadly, hanging her head. “I’m never going to see you again.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Anne; I’ll come by for a visit every now and then,” Theresa assured her.

Anne gave her a wistful and tender smile.

“You know, I can’t believe we’ve been friends for like what, 4 years? It feels like we’ve known each other for our whole lives and it also seems like yesterday that we first met and became best buddies.”

“Yeah, where did the time go?” Theresa chuckled, shaking her head. “And to think all I ever cared about then was worrying about getting the next high and not giving a damn what anyone else thought.”

“Funny how life can change so quickly in so little time. And now I have a prosperous career and a beautiful baby boy that I love and treasure more than anything in the whole world. All I need now is a good-looking Prince Charming and my life will be complete.”

“Well, maybe you’ll find him in New York,” Anne suggested.

“Yeah, maybe,” Theresa suggested.

Anne gave her a loving squeeze with a nuzzle.

“Promise you won’t forget me?”

“I’ll never forget you, Anne,” Theresa beamed as she pressed her head back against hers.

“Flight to Port Charles, New York now boarding,” a female voice intoned.

“Well, this is it,” Theresa sighed as she picked up Tate and her luggage. “I’ll miss you, Annie.”

“Good luck, Jeannie T,” Anne replied sadly as the two women shared one last tender embrace before Theresa turned and walked away, heading straight for the boarding gate.

Anne watched her best friend leave as she eventually disappeared into the thick crowd of people bustling and moving about. She then collapsed on her knees and broke down into inconsolable, hoarse sobs, the reality of the whole situation finally crashing down hard on her.

#alternate universe #general hospital #days of our lives #romance #drama #single motherhood

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