Terri Englund

Theresa Jean Englund, née Woodward (May 9, 1943 - ) is Lance's widow, Caleb Hennessy's girlfriend and possible accomplice, Brett Woodward's adopted younger sister and was Carol Mathison's best friend until her untimely murder.

Early life:
It is revealed in book three that Terri is the adopted child of John and Ella Woodward. She was raised along side her older brother Brett, and the two share an exceptional closeness. Terri admires her brother for his integrity and dedication to what is right, while Brett dotes on his "Peaches" and does his best to protect her, no matter what she might be up against. It was implied strongly in book three that abuse was a problem in the Woodward home, but Brett pointed out that Terri did not see the worst end of it, and that he was very glad about that.

As a girl, she met Carol Rogers and the two became best friends, a bond that lasted into adulthood. While they were vastly different - Carol brash and outspoken and Terri reserved and demure - they complemented each other well, and supported one another through a great number of personal tragedies, such as the loss of Carol's husband David Mathison and Terri's devastating series of miscarriages.

In the summer of 1961, barely a month after she turned 18, Terri married the older Lance Englund with her parents blessing. It was believed that theirs was a happy union, until cracks became evident around the time John and Ella Woodward were killed in an accident house fire in December, 1965. After her parents died, Terri admitted that she lost her way. She decided to reinvent herself, unhappy with the turn her life had taken, and embarked on a number of physical transformations. In addition, she started spending less time at home, which only strained relations in her marriage even further. However, the bottom truly fell out of the troubled Englund marriage when Terri first ran across drifter Caleb Hennessy in the park, in early 1966.

What began as a mutual friendship and connection quickly turned into a torrid affair, which Terri made no effort to hide from her husband. Shocking those closest to her, she even turned to heroin abuse under Caleb's guidance, and her personal life unraveled even further.

Lance/Terri/Lucas:
In book one, Terri was shown to feel rather stuck in her unhappy marriage. She was certain that it would never work out, but upstanding Lance refused to consider the possibility of divorce, despite the fact they fought constantly. He even went so far as to pay a visit to the man Haven Park knew as Lucas, to tell him to stay away from his wife. Caleb remained unfazed by Lance's attempt at a threat, and told Lance that he was powerless to stop the attraction that he and Terri felt.

The next morning, Terri approached the subject of marriage counseling to her husband, who was all for it until he found out that she'd talked her brother, Pastor Brett, into being the mediator. Lance angrily fired off a number of insults about what a crackpot he found Brett to be, but Terri held her ground, telling him that if he did not concede, she would pack her bags and walk out. Under the condition that she not turn this into a "huge public spectacle", Lance agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Later that day, during the wake for Terri's best friend Carol, Lance attempted to bring his wife out of her shell, and she exploded at him for how concerned he was about what the town thought of him. With that, she stormed out of the church reception hall, and Lance was close behind. He angrily confronted her once more, but was interrupted by an irate Caleb, who arrived out of nowhere. Lance once more attempted to threaten Caleb, and when that didn't work, he punched him. Horrified, Terri attempted to intervene, but Caleb ended up pulling his switchblade out on Lance. To prevent any more violence, Terri made the choice to leave with Caleb, despite Lance telling her that if she did so, she was not to come back home.

A few days later, on July 9, Terri nervously waited in her brother's office for the counseling session she'd set up days prior. She wondered whether Lance would show up at all, especially after she'd delivered such a crushing blow by leaving with Caleb, but he did. Terri expected Lance to really go for the throat, especially when he began to allude to the many secrets she'd been keeping from her brother, but Lance saved the majority of his ire for Brett, again firing off that he was a crackpot and then stalking out before any real headway was made. His restraint caused Terri to rethink her decision to leave him, but she went back to Caleb's apartment that evening anyway.

Lance's murder and escape to Casper:
Noting her strange behavior, Caleb asked her what was going on, and she admitted that she'd met her husband for marriage counseling. Caleb did not take that well, informing her that he thought her choice was already made. He made a thinly veiled threat about how people that betray him get hurt, then left, dressed in all black. He refused to tell Terri where he was going, instead leaving her with one of his switchblades and the strict instructions that she was not to open the door to anyone, no matter who they were. Terri tried to press him about where he was going, but he refused to tell her. While he was gone, she used heroin well into the night, before passing out. She was awakened by a frantic and battered Caleb coming in, and he insisted that they needed to go. Incredibly high and unaware of exactly what he meant, Terri agreed to go along with him.

They found themselves in Casper, living under the assumed identities of Paul and Nancy Robinson. After she'd had time to come down and examine the ramifications of such a disappearing act, Terri had serious misgivings, and even attempted to phone her husband while Caleb slept, but he awoke just as she was reaching toward the phone. He told her that this type of life was a lot easier than she thought, and repeatedly stressed that he needed her with him, because he couldn't do anything without her.

Within a few days time, Terri's withdrawals began to eat away at her and she furiously urged Caleb to do something about it, but he insisted that he needed to keep a low profile until he could see what the scene was in Casper. Terri began to take matters into her own hands, but Caleb managed to stop her with only a few words. She again asked him what he was hiding from, and again, he refused to tell her about it.

That night, he finally embarked on what he called "Operation Night Crawler" and returned to the motel room with a veritable combo platter of substances that he intended to sell. Still, he and Terri made sure to heavily sample all the goods. The next morning, while Caleb slept off his partying, Terri was awakened by a housekeeper, who asked if she wanted any service, and handed her a complimentary newspaper. Shaken and paranoid, Terri used the newspaper to fan herself and the State News section fell to the floor. As she bent to retrieve it, she spied her husband's photograph, and the article made her blood run cold: her husband had been brutally stabbed to death on Saturday night -- the same night that Caleb left with a knife, and insisted they had to get out of town. She put two and two together and came back to Haven Park, convinced he'd killed both her husband and best friend.

Return to Haven Park:
After arriving back in Haven Park, Terri immediately sought out her brother Brett, and she told him what she'd learned about Caleb. Then, she went to the police to relay the same thing, despite her apprehension that such an act could cause Caleb to lash out in some way. Detective Michael Goldman fiercely interrogated her, getting her to admit that she'd been having an affair with Caleb, and that she knew about his criminal past and criminal lifestyle, but stopped short of pressuring her into admitting any involvement in the crimes.

The next day, an irate Caleb called First Baptist, demanding to know Terri's whereabouts. Brett attempted to play dumb, and Caleb told him that he would kill him if he didn't tell him where Terri was. Immediately, Brett swooped into protect his sister and whisked her to a small motel in the middle of nowhere, where they spent the day together. Upset by the turn of events, and suffering through drug withdrawal, Terri attempted to divert attention away from herself by asking Brett about the state of his marriage. Initially, Brett didn't volunteer much, but eventually, he opened up to his sister about his wife Julia's infidelity, and how broken he was, among other things.

Later that night, Brett was stabbed as he returned home, and Michael again found an emotional Terri at the hospital. He used the opportunity to again toy with her, baiting her into admitting that she was adopted. He then made several references to how close she seemed to Brett, despite the fact he was not her real brother. Irate, Terri demanded he leave her alone.

Terri stayed at the hospital and was one of the first people to see her brother when he regained consciousness. When Shane showed up, Terri asked his advice on what to tell Brett, and he volunteered to handle it while she left the room, unable to be there when it was revealed that she'd inadvertently caused his injuries.

Later that night, Terri paid a visit to the police station and again encountered Michael. She told him that she wanted to see Caleb, and when he continued to persist about why, she let the cat out of the bag: she was expecting his child. Police chief Elton Frazier allowed her to visit with Caleb for five minutes, accompanied by an officer. Terri fiercely tore into her former lover for killing those she loved, while Caleb tore into her for being a lying bitch. She attempted to tell him she was pregnant, but he did not seem to want to hear it. Though she'd hoped for closure and a sense of release, Terri only left the station feeling worse.

Caleb's suicide and aftermath:
A few days later, Terri went to see Brett in the hospital and confided in him about how soundly the community at large was judging her. She was especially upset by how the town seemed to judge her unborn child, and told Brett it was enough to make her want to leave and never come back. He admitted that he felt the same way. Terri spent much of the next few days by her brother's side, and did her best to ensure that his homecoming would be a pleasant one...despite the fact that Julia had moved out in his absence, and had neglected to do anything about the pooled blood on the floor from the night he was stabbed.

The day that Brett arrived home, Shane dropped by, presumably to break the news that Caleb had committed suicide. Terri was shaken by this, and was even more shaken when she found her brother on the floor of the bathroom later that evening, surrounded by pills. She told him that they would get through this, though she didn't know how, and did her best to comfort him.

The next day, Terri went to see Julia and delivered a few of the belongings she'd left behind. She also used the opportunity to confront Julia on her affair. Julia did not take well to Terri's accusations -- especially in light of her own infidelity with Caleb. Terri stood her ground, however, telling Julia that she was going to make sure everyone knew who was to blame for Julia and Brett's breakup. Later that day, Shane attempted to talk to Terri about the phone call she received from Caleb's mother, and did his best to offer support, but Terri wanted no part of it. Inwardly, she struggled to reconcile her feelings for Caleb in the aftermath of his suicide, and found that despite it all, she still loved him.

After Shane left, Terri went to check on Brett and found him having taken some of his pills to regroup. She asked him why he'd told Shane about Dana Anderson's phone call, and later confided her mixed feelings about Caleb's death. She was afraid that Brett would hate her for still feeling that way for the man who'd stabbed him and done harm to so many others, but he assured her that he understood, using his lingering feelings for Julia as an example. As the pills began to take hold, Brett asked Terri to stay with him, and told her that she would make a good mother. Terri said she could only hope he was right.

Later, Terri was awakened by an approaching thunderstorm, and was surprised to find Brett had not moved an inch since she nestled into bed with him an hour ago. That, and coupled with his concerningly loud and guttural snoring, helped her resolve to hide his pills, lest he develop a dependency on them. To escape the snoring, she retreated into the bathroom, and checked the bottle. To her surprise, there were only seventeen capsules left, meaning her brother had ingested ten of them earlier in the day.

Horrified, Terri raced to his side and tried to wake him up, with little success at first. After several arduous attempts, she was able to get him into a sitting position, but it took getting sick all over both Terri and the bedding to make him come around. Mortified, but relieved, Terri set about trying to clean up the mess and did her best to console him when he broke down. In a moment of uncharacteristic vulnerability, Brett told her that there was a pain inside him that just would not die, and repeatedly expressed his desire to make it stop. Terri tried to insist that he would get through this, but he reminded her that he'd had to watch them die, and there was no possible way he could get through that. Believing that he meant having witnessed the fire that killed their parents, Terri apologized for not doing more to help in the aftermath, and said she would make it stop for him if she could. He said he didn't know why he did it, and Terri, who assumed that he meant the overdose (and also assumed it was some sort of suicide attempt), said he did it because he was hurting, but couldn't do it again, promising that they were in this together and saying he could not give up on her now.

Later, Terri busied herself with laundry while Brett slept off the effects of his overindulgence. When the phone rang, she assumed it would be another surprised parishioner, hoping to make him reconsider his resignation earlier in the day, but was surprised to find the caller was Dana Anderson, Lucas' mother. Dana apologized for coming on too strong the night before, and pleaded for a chance to talk to Terri, because there were many things she wanted to ask her. Terri tried to refuse, but Dana persisted, saying she wished she could've been closer to her son, and asking what he was like, because they'd never formed a close enough relationship for her to know. Terri thought about firing back that there was a reason Dana never got to know her son, but refrained, saying that she didn't know what he was like, either -- she thought she did, but she now believed he'd misrepresented himself and his affections. Dana said she was sorry that "Cal" had hurt her so, and that he'd hurt so many people and she didn't know why, before switching gears and telling Terri that if she truly wanted her to leave her alone, she would. Terri affirmed she did, and hung up the phone before Dana could leave her number, should she ever change her mind.

From there, she went to check on her brother, and pondered what to do with his pills. Her initial thought was to hide them, but she was reluctant to do so, because it reminded her of something Julia would have done. She also considered flushing them, but was worried about what might happen if he woke up in pain. After a scary moment, where she couldn't tell if a heavily-sedated Brett was still breathing, Terri changed her mind, resolving that the only way to save him from falling into dependency was to flush the pain pills down the toilet.

The next morning, Terri tensed when she realized that Brett was looking for his pills, and tried to beg off when he asked her to give them back. After a brief standoff, she admitted that she'd flushed them the night before, but tried to insist she'd only done so because she was concerned about this. Furious, Brett refused to listen, retreating into his bedroom and locking the door, but Terri persisted. She reminded him how much he'd scared her yesterday, and said she was worried about where he'd end up if he didn't stop now. This prompted him to open the door, asking if she was concerned he would end up like her -- and revealing he was aware of her drug abuse. Though caught off guard, Terri admitted it, even showing him the now-healing track marks on her arms in an attempt to break through to him, but he didn't want to hear it, calling her the most selfish person he'd ever met and telling her to get out of his house, because he was done with her.

Shaken, Terri paid a visit to Shane, believing that if anyone could get through to Brett, he could. She apologized for having to involve him in this, because she had heard of the shooting yesterday, and knew he had enough going on already, but needed his help. Although a bit reluctant, Shane agreed, and invited her in to tell him what was going on. There, Terri broke down, relating the whole story about Brett taking too many pills, her flushing them, and his furious reaction. She expressed concern that now that she had left, he might try to get more pills, because she knew first hand what that sort of dependency could drive a person to do, and pleaded with Shane to help him, because he wasn't listening to her.

Later, Terri returned home to await word on Shane's visit with her brother, and thought back over the past few years. She reflected on how her marriage to Lance had ultimately crumbled, and admitted that it was likely a mistake to marry him to begin with. That, however, did not diminish her remorse for her affair with Lucas, because she believed that was the catalyst for Lance and Carol's murders, and the reason Brett got stabbed. She thought back to the day she spent with Brett in the motel, hiding from Lucas' threat, and was ashamed that she did not do more to keep Brett from leaving, especially given that she knew Lucas had threatened to kill him earlier in the day. She resolved, however, that he was in good hands now, because Shane took his welfare just as seriously as she did, and she was confident that he would be able to get through to him.

Post Haven Park:
In the epilogue of book five, Terri is shown as having relocated to Morgan Hill, California, and is the mother of a six month old son named River. Even a year later, she still finds Brett's suicide too painful to reconcile, and has given all his possessions away, stashing his photos and bible on the top shelf of her closet; however, she continues to wear his wedding ring on a chain around her neck, viewing it as a more unobtrusive tribute. She harbors a deep resentment for Haven Park, believing they'd pushed Brett to kill both Julia and himself (seemingly unaware of his other crimes), and moved to California several months ago, having signed Lance's money back over to his family. Now, she works two jobs, and relies heavily on her friend and neighbor Nancy, who serves as a reminder that good people still exist in the world. She ponders legacies, and laments that though Lance, Carol and even Lucas seemed to leave one, Brett did not, but soon comes to realize that his legacy was the selfless love he had for her, which taught her how to love her son.

The Lost Interlude: Another Place and Time:
In part one of the lost Another Place and Time interlude, taking place in the alternate timeline of 1981, Terri is still married to Lance, inexplicably enough, and is expecting her third child. She has two sons, Jack and Ben, the latter of which acts out and is doing poorly in school. It appears that Terri is something of a supermom, as well as Lance's faithful housewife. She takes a detour from her busy day to eat breakfast at the diner and encounters a couple with a rowdy child in the booth next to her. Silently, she judges them for being so permissive, when suddenly, the father of the toddler says her name. At first, she struggles to place him, but quickly realizes that he is Caleb. He inquires about Lance, and tells her that he thinks of Brett often, as no one had ever been kinder to him than Brett had. Terri, uncomfortable and surprised, says as little as possible. Caleb tells her that he never meant to disappear, and that he'd tried to keep in contact with her from prison, writing her multiple letters per day. Terri says that she never received them. Caleb then surprises her by asking if she is the one who sold him out to the police. Instantly, Terri denies it, telling him it was Lance. Caleb asks her to tell Lance thank you for him, as he doubts he would still be alive if he hadn't been locked up. Just as he is turning to leave, Terri rises from her seat, saying she has something to tell him.

Boulevard of Broken Dreams (the prequel):
Book 4.5 finds Terri newly married to Lance, and striving to be the best wife possible. She meets up with Carol for lunch, and the subject of Brett's new job comes up in short order. Carol notes that she thought Lance was going to offer Brett a different (read: better) position at the store, and Terri maintains that she has no say-so over such matters. After a bit of needling, she does admit that it bothers her, but insists there isn't anything she can do about it, prompting Carol to launch into a tirade about how little Lance appreciates her and how she has to "make him". Terri pays this advice little mind.

That evening, Lance arrives home in a foul mood, railing about how difficult it is to find good help at the store. Not making the connection, Terri attempts to distract him with Brett's birthday card (a card he is noticeably reluctant to sign) and a reminder about their dinner with the family. Lance denies knowing anything about it, then tells Terri the reason he had such a hard day: Brett (and Louie) took off an hour and a half early, with one delivery left to make...and, to make matters worse, they did so in Lance's truck. He alludes to pressing charges, then firing Brett, and a horrified Terri begs him not to, pointing out how much Brett needs this. She insists there has to be a rational explanation behind it, because she refuses to believe her brother would ever help himself to Lance's property, which turns his anger onto her. Fiercely, he berates her for making excuses for Brett, saying that her father was right about her all along. Emotionally, Terri tells him that isn't true, even bring up a painful childhood memory to prove how wrong her father was, and always had been. Lance finally softens, and agrees to let her talk to Brett and try to get to the bottom of the matter before making any rash decisions. He also declines her invitation to join him that evening for dinner.

When Terri arrives at Brett's house, she finds him a drunken mess, but tells him she needs to talk to him anyway. She reveals that Lance is very upset about the truck, but Brett doesn't appear to care, and even passes out in the middle of his own birthday party. A short time later, Terri wakes him up and asks again about the truck. It takes a moment for him to register what she's asking, but once he finds out that Lance is talking about firing people, he sobers up in a hurry. He almost admits that Louie was the mastermind of the whole thing, but realizes he has a lot more to lose in this situation and assumes full responsibility for the stunt. Though clearly disappointed, Terri concocts a cover story on the spot, planning to lie to Lance about the truck breaking down instead. Brett says he does not wish to lie about it, but Terri tells him it's the only way he can keep his job, and tells him to never do anything of the sort again.

Character conception and representation:
In the original version of the story, Terri was a colorful, campy, dramatic romp of a character to write. She was no less troubled, but instead of making poor choices, this version of Terri scammed and lied her way through life, even going so far as to fake a pregnancy to hold onto Lucas.

In this version, I made the choice to soften the character, and cut out the over-the-top aspects of her personality. This Terri has made a number of poor choices, but she has never set out to hurt or intentionally deceive anyone. She is just a very spoiled little girl, accustomed to getting her own way, and often unaware of how selfish this really makes her.

During Independence Day 's webseries era, fashion icon Edie Sedgwick served as Terri's visual representation.