Before she decided to leave Harmony Gwen paid a visit to Tabitha. She’d heard about the weird things that had happened over the years like the Bennett’s house getting sucked into the ground and the fireball. Gwen knocked on the door and Tabitha answered the door.
“Gwen dear.”
“Tabitha we need to talk. Can I come in?”
“Sure dear come in.”
“I want a baby and I think you’re just the person to help me.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand Gwen. Maybe if you saw a doctor dear?”
“Cut the crap Tabitha. I know you’re not the sweet old lady that everyone finds eccentric and harmless. I think you’re a witch.”
Before Tabitha could deny it Gwen pulled the cloth off the magic bowl that she’d forgotten to take back into the kitchen when Gwen came to the door. She looked inside and saw Fancy and Luis in her bedroom.
“Ah ha I knew it.”
“Hell’s bells.”
Gwen turned back to look at Tabitha with a smug look on her face.
“You’re going to help me or I’m going to spill your little secret. Think of how it will be for Endora to grow up without her mother.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“I would. So do we have a deal?”
“Why you little…”
“Well?”
“Come with me.”
Tabitha took Gwen down to the basement to make a deal with the boys in the basement.
“This mortal would like to make a deal with you.”
“Yes I want a baby that will help me bring down that bitch Theresa so I’ll finally get Ethan back for good.”
“You do realize the price for making a deal with the dark side is high don’t you?”
“I don’t care I’m willing to pay whatever it takes.”
“So you don’t mind paying with your soul?”
Gwen looked at Tabitha but she was determined to do this no matter the cost.
“If I get a baby out of this yes I’ll give you my soul.”
A contract appeared along with a quill.
“Now if you’ll just sign this dear.”
Gwen too the quill and signed her name.
“Ouch.”
“Well dear a deal with the dark side is binding with blood.”
Sure enough her name was in blood.
“So am I pregnant?”
“Gwen dear please go. This house has been like Grand Central so I’d like to enjoy the quiet.”
“Thank you.”
Gwen went up the stairs with a smile on her face confident that she’d finally be able to bring down Theresa once and for all. She headed off to the airport to leave Harmony.
“Enjoy Ethan while you can bitch. I’ll be back and I’ll have a surprise with me.”
She took the first flight out which took her to Hawaii. During the flight she imagined Theresa dying a horrible death.
“No dying’s too good for you. I want you to suffer for everything you’ve put me through.”
Gwen took a pregnancy test and found out that she was pregnant.
“Unbelievable it worked.”
Gwen went to see a doctor to make sure she was really pregnant. She rented a condo on the beach deciding to stay put until she had the baby. She didn’t want anyone to know where she was especially her mother. She wondered what would happen as the result of her deal with the dark side.
“That bitch drove me to it. As long as I get Ethan back and have my baby this deal with be well worth the price.”
Gwen touched her stomach. She wasn’t yet showing. Gwen stayed pretty much to herself and endured a few calls from her mother wanting to avoid her as much as possible. She continued to see the doctor and but found a midwife to deliver the baby since she didn’t want to be in a hospital since she might be tracked down that way.
One after she was out for a walk on the beach when a demon appeared before her. She let out a scream.
“Come on Gwen that’s no way to treat your new best friend. Demons have feelings too ya know.”
“Sorry but I don’t make a habit of hanging out with demons.”
“You do now.”
“What do you want?”
“Don’t ya know darlin’ we own ya which means no sittin’ pretty in paradise waiting for a little brat to come shooting out. You need to earn that squalling little baby you want so much.”
Holding a hand over her stomach she looked straight into the demon’s glowing eyes.
“I already have what I want.”
“Do ya now?”
“What are you talking about? Do all demons talk like you do?”
“The ladies find it charming.”
Whatever! What did you mean? I’m pregnant which was the whole point of this deal.”
“Nah you’re just getting fat. You’re dealin’ with the dark side darlin’ which means you need to earn the little sprat.”
“You mean I’m not pregnant?”
The demon started laughing.
“Mortals are so amusing. What did ya think we’d snap our fingers and presto chango you’re preggers?”
The demon grabbed a mirror out of thin air that worked like Tabitha’s bowl. It showed her neighbor Tina with her baby Jake.
“Ya know this girl right?”
“Yes she lives a few doors down with her husband and their son.”
“Here’s your first assignment. This gal’s gonna call ya to watch the little brat.”
The demon pulled a vial out of his pocket and handed it to Gwen.
“It’s very simple you just pour this into the kid’s bottle easy peasy.”
“Why?”
“You want a baby right?”
“Yes.”
“This is the way to do it just kill this one and you’ll get one of your own.”
Gwent thought about the devastation she’d felt when she lost Sarah all because of that bitch Theresa.
“Thinkin’ of Sarah huh? Come on it’s not like you haven’t killed a baby before?”
“What?”
“Come on girl you can’t fool me? Deep down you know you’re really the one to blame for Sarah’s death.”
“No Theresa killed my baby!”
“You say that but you know it isn’t true. You left the hospital not givin’ her a thought when you went after Theresa.
Gwen started crying because she knew the demon was right. She didn’t even think about how she was endangering Sarah when she left the hospital when she was supposed to stay put. It was just so easy to lash out and put all the blame on Theresa.
“Now that Theresa is a pistol too bad we can’t her to join us.”
“What? What did you say?”
“Doing some wallowing? You mortals and your emotions. I was just saying that Theresa amuses me.”
“I’m sure she’d make a great demon.”
“You’re the one that sold her soul. No Theresa’s too much of a goodie goodie.”
Gwen couldn’t believe what she was hearing about that bitch who had turned her life into a nightmare for years.
“Whatever! I’ll do it.”
She took the vial from the demon and stuck it in her pocked and walked back home. She found a note on the door from Tina asking her to stop by. She walked down to Tina’s and knocked on the door.
“Gwen could you do us a favor?”
“Sure do you want me to baby-sit?”
“We just need to have a few hours out. I haven’t spent any alone time with Mick in ages.”
“No problem you two have fun and take your time.”
“We shouldn’t be out too late. Our cell number is on the table along with other numbers in case of an emergency.
“Go on you two have fun. I’ll just order some takeout and we’ll be perfectly fine.”
Mike and Tina left. Gwen ordered some takeout while Jake slept in his crib. She walked over to him and looked at his sweet little face. She stroked his hair pushing a stray hair back.
“I’m so sorry but I have no choice.”
She grabbed one of Jake’s bottles and poured the contents of the vial in it that the demon had given her. She suspected but didn’t really want to know exactly what the contents of the vial would do to little Jake because if she really thought about it she couldn’t go through with it. She put the bottle back in and grabbed another one to feed Jake. He had just drifted off back to sleep when Gwen’s food arrived so she put him back in his crib and went to get her food.
Gwen paid for the food and brought it over to the couch but she wasn’t really hungry. She just picked at her food. She tried to keep her eyes on the prize having her own baby along with the man she had loved her entire life.
“I have to do this since there’s no other way. I have to make that bitch pay.”
Gwen started shoveling in the food not tasting a bite. She put the TV on and fell asleep dreaming about the look on Theresa’s face when she realize that she had lost Ethan forever. She was shaken awake.
“Gwen wake up.”
“What?”
“It’s Tina and Mike we’re back from our night on the town.”
Rubbing her eyes she got up and apologized for falling asleep.
“I was the same way myself when I was pregnant with Jake. He’s out like a light. Mike why don’t you walk Gwen home?”
“Oh you don’t have to I’m only walking what a couple hundred feet.
“Thanks for watching Jake.”
“No problem he was a perfect angel.”
Mike walked her to her door and she said good night and let herself in. Inside she found the demon sitting on her couch.
“What the hell are you doing here? I did what you asked? I hope you’re not going to make a habit of just dropping in. Someone could have seen you.”
“Ya got a lot to learn girl about demons. No one sees me unless I want them to. Got any beer I’m mighty parched?”
“What you can’t just snap your fingers or something?”
“It would be called being polite after all I’m a guest in your home.”
“No you’re a demon in my home and I sure as hell didn’t invite you.”
“Careful girl or you won’t get the little bambino.”
“Are you just going to jerk me around or give me what I want?”
“It all depends on you.”
“What?”
“Did you think that making a deal with the dark side would be so easy? You really should talk to that girl Beth.”
“Beth as in Beth Wallace?”
“That’s the one that girl is all kinds of evil.”
Gwen never liked Beth but the thought of getting some advice from her didn’t sound like such a bad idea since she was in the same kind of situation as her but it never got her anywhere except for having Marty.
“Well she didn’t do that great of a job since she never got Luis back?”
“She does have a child though and some would consider that enough.”
“I doubt that she feels that way.”
“Why don’t you ask her yourself.”
“How would I do that I don’t know where she is.”
The doorbell rang.
“Hmm I wonder who that is.”
Gwen got up to answer the door and found of all people Beth standing there in front of her which was so weird. She had Marty with her. Gwen started thinking that she could help out Sheridan by telling her where Beth was so she could finally reunite with her son.
“Don’t even think about it Blondie.”
“Think about what?”
“Telling Sheridan about where I am unless you don’t want to have that baby you’re so desperate for.”
Beth walked in and grabbed a bottle of beer that was sitting on the table. She pointed at Marty and he disappeared.
“What the hell?”
“Gwen don’t you get it by now the only way you’re going to get what you want is by really joining us and doing whatever it takes to get what you want? I don’t have Luis but I have his son and I’m not letting anyone take him away from me.”
Gwen sat down on the couch and started talking to Beth. Even though she couldn’t stand Beth she had to admit that this seemed to be the best way to get a baby which would bring her and Ethan closer together creating a bond not even that bitch Theresa could break.
“What do I need to do?”
“It was a good start putting that vial in the baby’s bottle but it wasn’t enough. You have to earn your baby Gwen. So I’m going to leave you two girls alone but I’ll be back.”
Beth pulled out of the air a bit book of spells along with a bowl so they could see what was happening in Harmony.
“Gwen are you willing to do anything?”
“Yes I am.”
“Even if that means killing a few people along the way. I have to admit that I admire that Vincent/Valerie person and in a way I’m proud to be related.”
Gwen had no idea what Beth was talking about because it made no sense and of course Vincent was dead.
“I know what you’re thinking Gwenie. He’s not dead so he’s still wreaking havoc on Harmony. I’m so proud to call him my brother/sister.”
“Brother/sister?”
“Don’t you get it Blondie?”
“Didn’t you ever wonder why the two were never seen together?”
Now that she thought about it they weren’t ever in the same room.
“Oh my God are you telling me that Vincent and Valerie are the same person.”
“Yeah kind of like Glory and Ben on Buffy and please don’t say the G word.”
“Unbelievable how did that happen?”
“I don’t know the details but Daddy doesn’t like him very much but I have to admire the creature for everything he was able to do although I’m not too happy about him trying to kill my beloved Luis.”
Gwen’s mind was racing and totally grossed out because that very sick individual raped his own niece and had an affair with his uncle as a man and a woman. It made her wonder how he managed to switch back and forth.
“So are you ready for your Dark Side 101 Training?”
“I guess so.”
“Come on it’s fun and it’s not like you’re using your soul now anyway and as long as you get what you want a soul is a small price to pay right?”
Gwen started having second thoughts but thinking about the baby she’d get made her determined to do this no matter what it took. Beth came by daily to teach Gwen new spells that caused pain and turmoil in Harmony and other places. Gradually Gwen didn’t feel anything about the pain she was inflicting because she was yearning for that day when she’d go back to Harmony and get Ethan back. Each day she was growing bigger and bigger and she could even feel the baby kicking.
One day Gwen was sitting on the couch relaxing and watching TV when her water broke so she reached for the phone.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said the demon as he appeared.
“I’m in labor.”
“Well in a matter of speaking you are but you can’t go to the hospital.”
He clapped his hands and a demon appeared.
“What the hell?”
“Exactly you made a deal and you’re getting what you asked for but it won’t be that easy.”
Gwen was tied down where she screamed herself hoarse. Her mother called and she tried to sound normal and not cry out as she was whipped repeatedly over and over as part of the process of earning a baby. She’d lost track of how many babies she was forced to kill and instead focused on the baby she’d get. Finally after what seemed an eternity there was a lightning flash and a baby appeared in the demon’s hands. He handed him to Gwen.
Looking down at him she said, “He’s beautiful. You’re going to help me get your Daddy back. I’m going to call you Jonathan.”
After she’d recovered she made her way back to Harmony unaware of what was to come as a result of her deal with the dark side.
By Barbara Desmond