In His Corner, Chapter 17

Chapter 17

It was quite late by time Viki and her family left.  Starr and Blair were milling around the kitchen cleaning up while Todd sat on the couch staring at the television.  When they were finished, Starr went to say goodnight to her father.  Her kissed her on the cheek but did not acknowledge her in any other way.  When the door to her room closed, Todd got up, went into the other bedroom and grabbed a pillow and blanket. 

“What are you doing, Todd?” Blair asked, following him. 

“You take the bed, I’ll sleep out here,” he replied.

“That’s not necessary.  It’ll fit the two of us.”

Todd looked at it, aching at the thought of just sharing it with her.  But after their conversation before the majority of the Lord-Buchanans showed up, he couldn’t allow himself to go there.  “No, I think it’s best if I sleep out here.”  He walked past her, closing the door behind him.

As was typical for Todd over most of his adult life, sleep didn’t come to him, so he decided to turn on the television again.  He kept it low, so as to not disturb his daughter and his…her mother.  It was nearly two in the morning when Blair’s door opened.

“Todd?” she called softly.  He was sitting almost ramrod straight but didn’t respond.  Instead, she heard him mumbling something, but couldn’t make out what it was, though she did hear her name and Starr’s.  When she walked around to the front of the couch, again he had stopped and was staring, just as he had done when they were cleaning up.  “Todd, are you alright?”

“I keep asking myself that,” he stated, his voice monotone, still not looking at her.  “Starr asked me and Michael Corinthos asked me.”

“Tea and I were wondering about that too,” Blair admitted, “Right before you showed up with Skye and Carly, in fact, we were wondering what was going on with you.”  She rubbed his back but he jumped at her touch.  Todd immediately moved as far away on the couch from her as he could. 

Blair masked the pain she felt when she saw his reaction and he noticed it.  He always noticed everything about her.  “I’m sorry I slept with Carly.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.  We weren’t together when it happened,” she told him.

“I told Starr that I knew I’d get you back, that you’d come running to me.  You just needed to learn the truth about Tomas and when you did, you’d come back to me,” he explained.  Then he finally looked at her and had that sad smile of his on his face.  “Guess I was right about you coming to me.  May not be under the most ideal circumstances.”

Blair didn’t know how to answer him.  The truth was, she knew he was right.  From the moment she opened Tea’s door, she knew she’d go back to him.  Unfortunately, his little show of grandstanding in Llanview in front of Tea had only provoked her further down the path she was on at the time.  Even before showing up at Tea’s that day, she was wavering, the conversation with Starr from a few days before looping over and over in her mind. 

“Worst decision of my life,” he said.  “And knowing a whole lot of them…”

Blair just eyed him.

“Okay, worst non-criminal decision of my life,” he amended.  “And it did set me up for arrest, funny enough.”  He let out a laugh.  “I said it; I was only good with you, Blair.  Again, I was right.”  Then he hung his head, trying his hardest to hold back a sob.  “I was right.”

Blair didn’t know what to do.  She couldn’t think of any words that would comfort him and he recoiled at her touch.   She got up and was heading back to the bedroom, but then she looked back at him.  She walked back and knelt in front of him, trying to soothe away the tears.  She gently pushed him down on the couch and placed the blanket over him, as his tears subsided.  At last he fell asleep as she held his hand.  As she watched him, she whispered, “I know.”

******

In the morning, Viki decided to go to the MetroCourt’s restaurant for breakfast while Jess and Nat took the children to a local diner Starr had recommended.  She was already there when her cousins arrived.  A look of sadness passed over her features at the sight of Bree, Ryder and Liam, but she managed to cover it before anyone noticed.  After situating the kids at a nearby table, the three sat at one nearby and Jess began.  “How is Uncle Todd this morning?”

Starr sighed.  “When I came out of the room this morning, he was asleep on the couch and Mom must have fallen asleep while she was sitting on the floor.  I thought I heard them talking early this morning, but I was half asleep myself.  Yesterday was a long day.”

“I’ll bet,” Natalie said.  She was looking around the diner cautiously.  “Do you know if John comes here?”  

“I guess he would,” she said, adding, “I really haven’t been around him that much lately.”  Starr looked over at Liam.  “Are you going to take him to see his daddy?”

“There’s a restraining order against contact with him, Starr,” she said.

“But if you take him to see John…” the younger woman began.

Natalie looked to Jessica.  Her twin shrugged her shoulders.  “You knew coming here, there was a chance you’d run into John.  I even warned you about it before we left Llanfair.”

“Yeah, that was after you challenge me to confront Todd,” Natalie scowled.  “After breakfast, I’ll head down to the police station and see if he’s in.”

After they are, Natalie stuck to her word and bundled up Liam.  After she was out of view, Starr noticed AJ Quartermaine approach the door.  Seeing her there, he came over, cautiously.  Her warm smile let down his guard.

“AJ, I spoke to my dad.  He’d be fine with meeting with you.  We were just finishing up and heading over.  You can come with us,” Starr said.

“Thank you,” he replied.  Then he noticed the blond at the table with Starr.

Starr shook her head.  “Sorry, I forgot to introduce the two of you.  This is my cousin, Jessica Brennan.  Jess, this is AJ Quartermaine.”  Then she pointed over to the table with two children.  “And those are her children, Bree and Ryder.”

Jessica smiled at him as she offered him her hand.  “I think Starr mentioned you.  You’re her boyfriend’s father, right?”

AJ nodded.  “Biologically, yes, but I had conflicts with Michael’s mother and was never really a part of his life.”

Jessica looked intrigued but Starr gave a subtle shake of her head.  They paid the bill and headed over to the apartment.  Once inside, they found Todd at work at the computer.  Blair, though, wasn’t on the other end.

“Hey, you’re back.  You remember that piece I had yesterday?  I can’t seem to find it,” he asked as she took off her coat.  Then he looked up and saw Jessica and the kids.  “Hey, you came back?”

“Of course we came back, Uncle Todd.  Starr was telling me at breakfast that she was helping you and I was wondering if I could pitch in,” she confirmed.

“You want to come back to The Sun?” Todd asked, somewhat surprised.

Jessica nodded.  “I think I’m ready.  Bree’s in school and Ryder’s good with sitters, he’ll be starting preschool in a bit.”

“I can even have you work from home.  If Blair could do it with a newborn…”  His thoughts slipped back to Viki’s talk with him, years ago, about how Blair coped with the paper and baby Starr when he was thought lost in Ireland.

“We can work out details another time, but for now, I’ll help you here,” she replied with a smile.

“Well, I actually have found a very able assistant.” Todd’s lip quirked up in Starr’s direction.

“And right now, you have a meeting.”  She gestured to the blonde-haired man, who extended his hand.  “Dad, meet AJ Quartermaine.”

Todd was reticent at first.  He had heard all about AJ from Carly.  But the things she had said couldn’t be trusted, he realized now.  He took AJ’s hand and they shook.  “Starr, can you and Jess and the kids go down to the office.  See if your mother has any paperwork for me to sign.  I remember her saying there was some there but that she forgot them last night.”

They left and he and AJ were alone.  “Can I ask a question,” came the words out of Todd’s mouth and AJ took off his coat and laid it on the couch.

“Anything,” AJ replied.

“Why did she dump you for the mini-mobster?”

AJ had to laugh at that.  “I’ve actually asked myself that over the years.  In truth, she dumped me for my brother, but Sonny happened to be at his place one night and they fell into bed together.  She got pregnant but lost the baby when we had a fight on the stairs at my family’s house.”

“She seems to have a habit of dumping the god-looking guy for the sleaze bag.  Sonny Corinthos, Johnny Zaccahra.  Doesn’t stay with the AJs or the Jaspers.”

“You’ve met Jax?” AJ asked.

“Yeah,” Todd answered.  “Best handshake I ever had from another man.”  Todd sat back down at his desk as AJ sat at the couch.  “So, here to impart all your knowledge of Carly Corinthos Jacks, huh?”

“What do you want to know?”

“This is how she treats her friends?”

AJ shook his head.  “Unless you’re Sonny or Jason, yeah, pretty much.  Even Jax learned that.”  AJ leaned forward, “He may also be someone you’ll want to get in touch with, before she does.  From what I understand, he can get to her in ways, even Sonny can’t.  For him, she at least tries to be a better person.”

“Kinda figured that when I met him,” Todd murmured.  When AJ questioned him with a look, he replied.  “He reminded me of the male version of my ex-wife, well, my first ex-wife.  The second one, it was a marriage of convenience.  I needed a wife, she needed five million dollars.”

AJ thought about the comparison.  “Yeah, I can see that.  Blair seems like a hell of a woman.”

“You’ve met?” Todd asked. 

“Yeah, few night ago.  She recognized me because of my resemblance to Michael.  We got to talking about Carly, the kids, even the similarities in our relationships with our children’s parents.  She gave me a rundown of the two of you.”

Todd was uneasy.  “What kind of rundown?”

“Something about a faked pregnancy for money?”  Then AJ got very solemn.  “But that you two in love eventually.  I…envy that.  I’ve never really had that kind of relationship.”

Todd’s face grew sad.  He didn’t want to think about the pain he had caused Blair, despite how much he loved her.  It was always the same story.  He would always screw it up.  “So, what else can you tell me about Carly?  I have sadly gotten myself into a real mess this time.”

In His Corner, Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Starr came out of Kelly’s and saw AJ standing there.  A wave of guilt came upon her.  He may have lost his son because of his defense of her father.  She walked over to him.  “How are you doing?” she asked.

AJ smiled at her.  “Well, I at least got Michael to come over to talk to me this morning.”  He looked at one of the tables.  “I’d like to let you in on what I said.  Do you have a minute?”

Starr had been quite leery of AJ when she first met him.  She could see too many of her father’s worst attribute in the man.  But he was really going to bat for her dad and she felt she owed him at least a few minutes.  She sat down and waited.

“I told Michael that, from the day we first met at the Quartermaine mansion, I started looking into you and your family.  I would think your father would have done the same in my place,” he said. 

Starr nodded.  “I was kind of surprised he didn’t when Michael and I first started seeing each other, especially considering he was the son of Sonny Corinthos.”

AJ winced slightly, but moved along.  “The file on your dad is, shall we say, extensive.  I made sure I had as much information as I could on him.  So it was from that that I learned about his conviction for rape.”

Now, it was Starr’s turn to wince.

“But I also learned about his childhood, why he went to Ireland, what led to his imprisonment for eight years.  I gave Michael a bare-bones account of my findings,” AJ explained.  “Then I cautioned him.  His mother has a habit of using people’s past against them.  She did it to me and I think that’s what she’s doing to your dad.  But Michael, his response was something I didn’t understand.  He said his mother would never do that to him.  What did he mean?”

Starr’s eyes widen.  She had never thought how Carly’s lie would affect Michael. 

AJ caught her expression and became more concerned.  “Starr, do you know what happened to my son?  Please, tell me.”

She closed her eye then opened them and began.  “You know Michael was in prison for killing his stepmother, Claudia Zacchara, right?”  AJ’s face remained neutral.  “When he was in prison in Pentonville…he was raped.”

AJ closed his eyes.  The full weight of everything hit him.  And when and if Carly’s accusation proved false…He wanted to laugh, not in victory because that was what he saw before him in the decade’s long battle for his son, but because Carly had, once again, dug up someone’s past and used it against them.  And in her quest for revenge against Todd Manning, she may have destroyed her relationship with her son.

“Thank you for telling me Starr.  It looks like you have lunch for your dad there, right?’ he asked.

“Yeah, my dad eats like a fiend.  He’s probably wondering where I went with his burger,” she replied.

“I was wondering, can I stop by later?  I haven’t had a chance to actually meet him yet.  I know my mom said he was at the church for Grandfather’s funeral, but as I was unable to be there myself…”

“Not tonight.  My Aunt Viki is coming over for dinner and I have a feeling, going to give him hell for something he did to my cousin Natalie.  I can check about tomorrow, if that’s okay,” she asked.

“That should be fine.  I look forward to your call,” AJ said.  He watched Starr leave, and then slumped back on the chair.  It had been what he had feared.  Michael’s reaction in the morning fit what Starr had just explained.  And it made AJ more determined to prove that Carly was lying about Todd Manning.

******

The rest of the day passed by faster than Blair had expected.  She wanted to get back to the apartment, but her earlier confrontation with Carly made her reticent.  It was scary to her how jealous she could still be of the thought of Todd and other women.  She knew that it was because whenever they were together, he had never even contemplated being unfaithful.  Hell, the one time he had thought he had committed adultery, she had signed divorce paper without him even knowing it. 

She unlocked the door to the apartment and was greeted by a heartwarming sight.  Todd was at the computer with Starr, showing her page layouts.

“When I started The Sun, we still laid these out on boards.  I still think that has elegance to it.  I mean, with technology, any hacker could get in and mess around,” he was saying.

Starr’s face turned bright red for a minute.  A memory of a childhood prank flashed through her brain.  Blair noticed and laughed out loud.

 Todd looked from her to their daughter.  “You two gonna let me in on the joke?” he asked.

“Some other time,” Blair said, looking thoughtfully at Todd.  “Starr, Viki’s bringing dinner, why don’t you go to that cake shop down the street and get dessert?”

Starr noted the look on her face and left in a hurry.  Whatever her mother had to talk to her father about, it was not going to be good.

Blair took her time taking off her coat and setting things on the desk from her bag.  Todd eyed her warily.  When she finished what amounted to procrastination work, she turned to Todd.  “Did you sleep with Carly on New Year’s Eve?”

Todd swallowed, a pained look on his face.  “She told you,” he stated.

“Threw it in my face, more like it,” Blair replied, he voice rising in pitch.  “I’m guessing that’s where the DNA came for the rape kit?”

“Yeah,” he answered.  “That would be where it came from.”

“Why?” she asked.  She wanted to know.

Todd looked at her.  He didn’t want to say.  He didn’t even know how to answer.  “It just happened, Blair.  It was New Year’s, new beginnings.”  He could see the hurt on her face.  He didn’t want to see it there.  “We went to the Haunted Star; she wanted to rub us being together in Johnny’s face.  He never showed because he’d been kidnapped by his lunatic wife.  After midnight, we left and went back to my hotel room.  From there things…”

Blair nodded her head.  “I shouldn’t be completely surprised.  I could tell that you two had gotten closer when you came back to Llanview.  She was defending you and all.”

“It hadn’t gotten that serious by then.  Hell, it was never that serious,” he said, then reconsidered.  “Okay, we may have nearly gone there on Halloween, but that was more revenge sex against Johnny.  And she knew I was still in love with you.”  He figured complete honesty might be a good idea at this point with Blair. 

Blair narrowed her eyes and Todd had the sense to look chastised for once.  “What do you want me to say, Blair?”

She never got the chance to answer, as there was a knock at the door.  Blair turned and went to open it.  “Viki, lovely to see you.  Please, come in.”

“Hello Blair, Todd.  I hope you don’t mind, but I brought some other guests with me,” she said, cheerfully.  On cue, Bree came running in, her little brother trailing after her.

“Uncle Todd!” she yelled as she launched herself into his arms. 

Todd was too shocked at seeing her to not react.  He hoisted her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  “Hey, Bree, what are you doing here?’ he asked as another little boy came in.  He looked remarkably like Liam, but that made no sense, as his mother was Todd’s least favorite niece. 

“We brought them,” Jessica Brennan’s voice informed him.  He actually smiled at the sight of her, holding a bag from Poluzzo’s.  Then Natalie came in.  While Jessica’s presence was a joy to him, Natalie’s, not so much.  He put Bree back down and greeted Ryder, who hugged him enthusiastically.  Liam was staring up at him, awaiting a hug too, and Todd obliged the boy and squeezed him gently, his eyes never leave Liam’s mother.  Jessica made her way further in and they embraced, Todd closing his eye briefly.  He remembered the day saving her, CJ and Marty and how it had been the start of his redemption.  When they parted, Todd and Natalie eyed each other like the normally did. 

“We need to talk,” the redheaded interloper said to him.

Todd turned to Viki.  “Can I have that lecture now?”  He was so looking forward to it, what with Jessica’s evil twin here.  Sadly he was afraid it wouldn’t be coming from Viki.

He was proven right when she shook her head.  “I think you need to have a conversation with my daughter, and now is the perfect time.” 

Natalie marched right into the bedroom and Todd followed, sullen faced.  When he was in, Natalie closed the door.  He turned to her and she slapped him.

He was rubbing his cheek as he said, “I was actually being a concerned uncle, just so you know,” he told her.

“Concerned uncle?  CONCERNED UNCLE?!  That’s what you call it!”  The last sentence was not actually a question.

“Well, okay, not entirely.”  Todd took a deep breath and sat on the bed.  “I had just been rejected by Blair in favor of a CIA-trained kidnapper.  John was the one who ruined my reunion with Blair.  It was a picture that fell into my lap.  The person who gave it to me thought it would look good on the cover of The Sun but I was kinda worried about the woman’s hitman of a husband.  And when I got into the office the next day, after Blair left, it felt right.”  He looked at Natalie.

“And what about me?  What about my son?  Did we not compute in the equation?”  Natalie’s voice sounded almost hurt.

“I thought you should know,” he said.

“Do you even know what the fallout of your helpfulness was?”

“Did Clint go after him with a shotgun?”  It was an ass thing to say, Todd admitted to himself, but he couldn’t resist.

“Worse.  He had a restraining order taken out.  Liam hasn’t seen his father since the summer.”  She walked over and looked out a window.  “And he’s been asking for his daddy.”

That statement caused Todd to remember the day he had to say goodbye to Starr at the stables of the country club.  It broke his heart then to see his little girl’s face when he told her he couldn’t stay any longer.  “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t make up for all the damage, Todd,” Natalie said.

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out.”

Natalie went back to the door without looking at him.  Then she stopped.  “Did you rape this woman, Carly Jacks?”

“No,” he said.  Looking up to the ceiling, he told her, “I’ll switch babies, I’ll wreck relationships.  I may even kill my brother.”  Then he got up and put his hand on her shoulder.  She looked him in the eyes.  “But I would never go back to that place again.”

Natalie may not have ever known her Uncle Todd that well, but the genuine sorrow in his voice, in his eyes, told her he was being truthful.  “Then I’ll stand by you.”  And she walked out into the living room, with Blair, Starr, her mother, her son, her sister and her niece and nephew all standing there expectantly.  She picked up Liam and brought him over to Todd.  “Did you give Uncle Todd a big hug when you saw him?”  Liam’s face screwed up in a frown.  “Then why don’t you do it now?”  She passed the little boy over.

Todd backed up a step but Natalie pursued him.  Todd looked around and then reached out and took the boy.  He laughed and played with Todd’s nose.  The great-uncle was laughing, finding himself surprisingly charmed by Natalie and John’s son.  Then Ryder let out a whine and Todd put the one down and sat on the floor, playing with both.  Bree joined in as the twins and Starr prepared for them to eat. 

Viki and Blair stood back, taking in the sight of Todd and the children.  Viki was enchanted, as she always was at watching this side of her brother.  But Blair was saddened, wondering where the Todd Manning she had fallen in love with years ago had gone.  

Through the Darkness, Chapter Two

CHAPTER 2

August, 2013

It wasn’t that Blair had ever felt unwelcomed at Llanfair.  But she generally went with Todd’s feelings about his ancestral home and he had always felt uncomfortable there, to say the least.  Sure, there was a little bit of truth in what Todd’s letter had said.  Viki had always taken Todd’s side, kept his secrets and she had to guess that those actions factored into any feelings she had about the Lord estate and the chatelaine of the manor herself.

But, as usual, Viki was gracious when Blair and Jack stepped inside.  “This is a lovely surprise.  What brings the two of you here?”

Blair looked at Jack and began, “Well, we wanted to check in with you and…and see how Clint is doing.”  It was a lame excuse and she was sure that Viki had seen right through it.

Viki knew Clint was the last thing of Blair’s mind, but she let it slide as she led Blair and Jack into the library and closed the door behind them.  “Actually, there’s still the seventy-two hour hold on him, so I haven’t checked in.  And they wouldn’t let Natalie in to see him either.”

Blair nodded.  She tried to think of something else, but, failing that, she came out with, “I heard from Todd today.”  She glanced at Jack and added.  “We both did.”

Viki perked up at the mention of her brother.  “Is he alright?  Where is he?”

Jack noticed the change in demeanor.  He looked to his mother as she said, “He’s fine, but I don’t know where he is.  He didn’t tell me that.”  Blair took a deep breath.  “Viki, there’s been a lot going on since Todd came back to town.”

“You could say that,” Viki responded.  “And I suspect you’ve known about a good deal of it.”

“Todd has told me what’s been going on.  He didn’t want to worry you.  That’s why he hasn’t said anything,” Blair tried to cover.  Then, she reached into her purse and pulled out three notecards, handing the top one to Viki.  “Before Todd left Port Charles, he received this note.”

Viki read it and looked shocked.  “He knew Victor was alive before he came home?”

Blair nodded, but it was Jack who spoke.  “It was weird.  After Victor burst in at the hospital, we were all stunning.  But the look in Todd’s eyes…it was more like a confirmation rather than a shock.  You’d think that he’d go white at seeing the guy he thought he killed.  But it wasn’t like that at all.”

Viki looked at Jack as smiled.  She wanted to comment on his uses of her brothers’ names, and not Dad or Scarface.  It appeared as though Jack may have turned a corner with his father.

“And when we went to the coffee shop,” Blair added, “he was almost nonchalant about thinking he killed Victor.  If that had been me, I’d have been shaken.”

Viki remembered a time when Blair had shot a man and thought she’d killed him.  She’d nearly had a nervous breakdown.  It was Todd who had taken control of the situation.  “So Todd was aware that Victor was alive.  And of course, he wouldn’t have got to the authorities with this information.”

“He was more worried about Dani.  She’d been drunk dialing him and the first thing he asked me at the club was if I’d seen Dani,” Jack said.  “Then, she passed out right there and we all headed to the hospital and, well, that was where Victor showed up.”

“Viki, there’s a lot more than just Todd knowing Victor was alive,” Blair said, trying to get back on track.  “After he was back, after Victor left again, he came to the club, told me he had to show me something.  But before we could go, some took a shot as us…at me.” 

“Yes, I remember, he came over the next morning to see if I was okay,” Viki said.  Blair pulled out the next note and handed it over to Todd’s sister.  Her refined manner fell to the wayside as she read the names of on the card.  “Natalie…”

“All the family that’s at least in town, plus Starr.  We’ve all been set up as targets.  Todd thinks they got to Dani with the drugs and tried to get to me with the shooting.  He has Shaun on as security at La Boulaie for the rest of us,” Blair explained.

Viki looked from the second note back to the first.  “‘Finish what you started or else’.  Do they mean…?”

Blair nodded.  “Kill Victor.”  She took a deep breath.  “Todd had a plan for that.  He got a dead body and was going to have it tattooed with the same symbol Victor has, the same as the one on those notes, and dump it in the river.  When the authorities found it, he’d give Natalie his DNA sample so that it showed up as Victor’s.”  Pulling out the third note, Blair finished her story.  “Before the body could be found, Todd got this note.”

“Oh, God,” Viki gasped, her voice barely above a whisper.  She looked up and saw tears forming in Blair’s eyes.  She got up and gathered the woman in her arms.  When she pulled away, she said, “That’s why he had to leave?  Because this…this organization was forcing his hand?”  Blair could only nod her head, as she tried to keep her emotions in check.  “What does Todd, or Victor for that matter, have that they want?”

Blair was able to calm herself down.  “Todd doesn’t know.  And this symbol, it’s different from the one that of the group that held him for all those years.”

Viki heard the unspoken name Blair was thinking.  At one point, she had believed her father had been the root of all evil within the family.  Now she was seeing that Irene was just as bad, if not worse. 

“There was one silver lining to Todd leaving,” Blair began.  Her gaze fell to her hand and she slipped off a long gold ring she wore on her left finger.

Viki eyes grew bright as she smiled at Blair.  “Oh, darling,” she said as she hugged the woman again.  “When Todd first returned, that Halloween, he told me he was determined to get you back.  I’m so pleased to see that it’s finally happened, even under these circumstances.”

“The thing is, Viki, it’s supposed to be a secret.  I told Tea, because we’re in the same boat, and I told Jack.”  She put her hand on her son’s shoulder.  “He had a right to know.  But Todd gave me the choice to tell you everything, and it has to remain a quiet.  I know how good you are at keeping his secrets.  I need you to keep mine.”

Viki understood what she was saying.  She nodded her assurance.  “Is there any help you need?  I would do anything to bring my brothers home, you know that.”

Before Blair could answer, the doors to the library opened to Natalie and Liam.  The redhead stopped in her tracks at the sight of Blair and Jack.  “Oh, hey Mom, I didn’t know you had company.”

Viki stood up.  “Blair and Jack just stopped by to see about your father,” Viki explained, easily keeping up the appearance of a simple visit, out of concern.

“Yes, your mother said they didn’t let you see Clint when you went to the hospital,” Blair remarked.

Natalie had a faraway look in her eyes for a moment.  Then, as is a spell had been broken, she replied, “Yeah, the doctors were going to be doing an evaluation all night and I wasn’t allowed to see him.”  Then, swinging Liam’s arm, she said, “So we decided to come and check up on Grandma!”

Liam ran over to a crouching Viki and gave her a hug.  “Well, I’m so glad you did.”

“And I also came to tell you that I spoke to Kevin this morning.  We had an impromptu board meeting and Cord’s coming back to Llanview to run BE while Dad’s incapacitated.  He and Aunt Tina should be here in the morning,” Natalie informed them.

At the mention of Tina Lord Roberts, Blair couldn’t help but roll her eyes.  “Viki, I have a feeling that you’ll be needing to batten down the hatches.  Jack and I’ll get going.”

“Blair, I’ll walk you out,” Viki told her.  She looked down at Liam.  “Why don’t you and your mommy go into the kitchen and we’ll have a snack.”  Liam jumped up and down a few times and ran off, his mother following him.  Blair, Jack and Viki went into the foyer.  As she opened the door, she said, “I will keep all you told me a secret.  I realize how dangerous the situation is.”

Blair smiled.  “Thank you, Viki.”

“But I would like to be the one to tell Dorian about your marriage,” she added with a wicked smile.

Blair was somewhat unsurprised by the idea that the prim and proper Viki Lord would still be an adolescent bitch given the right circumstances.  She tried not to hide the smirk on her lips as she gave an acquiescing acknowledgement to the request. 

When they got to the car, Jack turned to her.  “Aunt Viki’s gonna have a field day with that one, isn’t she?”  He shook his head.  “Why do they hate each other so much?”

“I think they’ve gotten to the point that even they don’t remember why,” Blair admitted.  They pulled into the driveway at LaBoulaie and noticed an unfamiliar car there.  “Wonder who’s here.”

“Yeah, that’s not Uncle David’s car,” Jack agreed.

They walked into the house and could hear Dorian’s laughter wafting through.  A male voice could be heard, apparently continuing whatever story Dorian was reacting to.  “So I told the Senator, ‘That’s not what that’s used for.’  Not that he’d know, being that he’s around a hundred years old.”

“Oh, I can only imagine,” Dorian replied after she calmed down.

Blair and Jack walked into the living room to find Carl Peterson sitting next to Dorian, sipping a glass of wine.  Dorian caught Carl’s gaze and turned around.  “Oh, darlings, I didn’t even realize you two were out!  Come and join us!”

Blair took the sight in.  “Actually, Dorian, it’s been a long day and I’m kinda tired.”

“And I have some reading I need to finish up for class tomorrow,” Jack said.

“Not before I introduce you to my friend, Carl Peterson.  Carl, my nephew, John Cramer” Dorian swallowed as she said, almost under her breath, “Manning.”

“Hello, John,” Carl said holding out his hand.

“It’s Jack.  Aunt Dorian just likes saying my full name,” Jack replied, grimacing.  He hated whenever his full name was used.  It usually meant he was in some kind of trouble.  And as he thought that, he also realized he had a reaction to Dorian’s almost choked out addition of his surname.  For once, he kind of liked the fact that Dorian had a hard time saying it.

“Manning.  Almost as big in this town as Lord…or Cramer.  A rather unique lineage you have.  They grand-nephew of a senator on your mother’s side and the grandson of a publishing magnate on your father’s,” Carl said.

At that, Dorian almost choked on her wine and Blair and Jack’s eyes widened.  Jack had always tried to not think of who his grandfather was.  Even Victor had instilled in him a loathing of Victor Lord Sr.

“Um, like I said, I have work I need to do,” he repeated as he hustled up the stairs.  He got to the top step and turned at the sound of Dorian’s voice.  “We all try not to think about that man in this house.”

The reply came, “That’s right, you were married to him for a brief time.”  Jack had been aware of that, somewhere in the back recesses of his mind.  That probably had something to do with Aunt Viki’s request earlier. 

“Yes, and it was not a happy marriage,” Dorian’s voice trailed off as she returned to the living room.  Jack had become engrossed in trying to hear the rest of the conversation he didn’t notice his mother standing over him when she found him there.

Blair looked back down the stairs.  “That would be the main reason why they hate each other.  And I think that’s also the reason Viki really wants to spill to Dorian when the time comes.”  

Through the Darkness, Chapter One

CHAPTER 1

August, 2013

The envelope was marked “MS. BLAIR CRAMER AND MR. JOHN CRAMER MANNING”.  It was large and fat and was delivered by courier service.  No return address was evident.  When Blair took it from the deliveryman, a chill ran down her spine.  She took it into her room and opened it.

Inside the one large, legal-sized envelope were four smaller ones.  Two were addressed to Blair, the large one and a smaller one.  Surprisingly, a smaller one was marked for Viki Lord and the remaining two were addressed to Jack, one marked confidential.  Blair opened the letter-sized one for her and read it in silence.

Not surprising to her, it was from Todd.

Dear Mrs. Manning,

I’m sending you some papers I should have had prepared before I left town, but as it was a rush job and I had other things I needed to do that were more important, I had them done now and sent to you.  The large envelope contains papers I had drawn up for the running of The Sun in my absence.  I know you took it as an insult, but I really think the club is a stupid idea.  You shouldn’t be tending to a small corner of Llanview, populated by kids, some younger than our daughter.  You should be commanding an empire, one we dreamed of ruling together years ago.  As such, the paper is yours while I’m away.  Then, when I do return (and I will be, when I figure out who’s behind this mess) you and I will rule it together, the rest of the town be damned. 

I’m also sending a note to Viki, but only give it to her if you think she should know what’s been happening.  She knows something is up and that the excuse I gave her for leaving was bullshit.   I’m sure she’ll be haranguing you for information, if she hasn’t already.  But I also know that she’s kept secrets about me from you and you have every right not to tell her anything.  I trust you in all things.

I have two notes for Jack.  One I’d like for you to be there for him to read, the other is strictly confidential.  If he’s open to the first one, give him the second.  If not, hold it until he is open to it.  Viki said I was getting through to him and I hope I finally have, although I doubt it, with my sudden exit.  (What can I say?  He’s definitely a chip off the old blockhead.)

I know our marriage was supposed to be a secret, but I get the feeling that won’t be for long.  Just don’t tell Delgado.  Or Dorian, for that matter.  With her husband’s MIA, and her suspicious of every breath I take, I doubt she’ll be very supportive of anything related to you and I.  And Dorian would prefer you kill me and dump the body in the Llantano River.  If you give Jack and Viki the notes, they’ll know too, but Jack should and Viki will be there for you, more than Tea or the Head Witch.

And burn this note when you’ve finished reading it.  I addressed it to Mrs. Manning and I don’t want certain people under your roof to know anything.  And Dorian is liable to snoop around and find it.

I miss you every day.

I love you,

Todd

Blair had a hard time reading the last line.  The ink was getting smudged by the tear running down her cheek and hitting the paper.  She reached for the large envelope and, as promised, it had the legal paperwork that gave her control of The Sun.  She looked at the clock.  It was too late in the day to go there and make the announcement, so she decided to wait till the next day to take charge.  She picked up Todd’s note and laughed a bit.  He specifically told her not to tell Tea about their marriage and her sister-in-law had been the first person she had run to.  Not that she had actually said the words, “Todd and I got married”.  Tea had deduced the sex and Blair’s silent confession just followed, almost naturally.  And Todd had been right.  Tea hadn’t been supportive…at first.  But she replayed the memory of Tea reaching out to her at the Man of the Year dinner after Carl Peterson’s speech about sacrifice and reassuring her that Todd would come back.  She knew Tea wasn’t even sure if Victor would return home to her. 

Blair held the other three envelopes, to Viki and her son, when she heard Jack come into the house.  He called to her and she asked him to come into her room.  When he appeared in the door, she told him to close the door.

“I received a package today,” she informed him, holding up the envelope.  “It’s from…it’s from your father.”  She saw Jack’s intake of breath and braced herself for his normal protestation of Victor as his father.  Surprisingly, none came.  She took that as a good sign.  “There were a number of letters in it, as well as legal papers giving me control of The Sun.”

“You, running The Sun?” came Jack’s incredulous response.  He sounded so much like Todd in that tone of voice, it made her miss her husband even more.

“I will have you know, I’ve run it a number of times over the years.  And while pregnant, mind you,” she retorted, making Jack break into a smile.  “There’s two notes here for you.  Todd asked that you read this one,” she handed him the small envelope, “with me here.”

Jack looked at her hand and took it from her.  He opened the envelope, took out the note card and took a deep breath as he began to read.  After a few minutes, he looked back up at his mother.  Blair grew so anxious she asked, “What does it say?”

Jack handed the letter to his mother.

Jack,

I know you still can’t stand me, but let me get this out first.

I love you.  I haven’t said it enough to you from the minute your mom found out she was pregnant with you.  And, I’ll admit, Viki was right.  I’d have loved you even if you were Holden’s kid. 

Too much time lost.  And now, so much more.  But in my absence, I’m leaving you an important job.  You need to look out for our family.  Your mother, your brother, Dani, Tea, Viki, hell, even any of your cousin who are around (okay, maybe not Kevin).  We’re all in danger.  I’m trying to figure a way out of it, but there are people that are pulling my strings and using the people that I love to get me to do it.  Your mother will fill you in when you’re done with this.  But keep an eye out.  Be wary of anyone who comes into your orbit.  Do I sound paranoid?  Good, it’s not such a bad thing. 

Also, I’ve given over control of The Sun, in my absence, to my wife.  If this is being read with who I am hoping there, you know who I’m talking about.  And don’t get mad at me.  She insisted we get married.  I was afraid, I still am afraid, of her being in more danger because of this.  Protect her above everyone.  I know she can live without me, I just can’t live without her.

Since I’m leaving her in control of the paper, I would love it if you would work beside her. You were doing some great stuff, even if it was aimed at me and I want to see it nurtured more.  If you do decide to do that, read the other note I sent you.  If not, she’s gonna hold onto it if you change your mind, she’ll give it to you.

I love you, Jack.  Take care.

Your Father.

Blair looked up at her son, who was leaning against the dresser in silence.  He looked back at her.  “When was the wedding?” Jack asked at last.

“We went down to City Hall after you and Sam left that last day,” she answered him.

He nodded once.  “Why were you crying that night?”

“The keynote speaker was talking about the sacrifices soldiers make, being away from their family, to protect them.  Now, Todd’s about the furthest thing from a soldier, but the analogy fit and his absences was still fresh that it upset me.”

“Is that what you meant by secrets?  That you and he got married?”  Blair only nodded.  Jack shook his head.  “You two…you can’t stay apart from one another, even though it always ends in disaster.  Why do you keep doing that to yourselves?”

“Because we love each other.  Despite what your father said, I can’t live without him.”  She patted a spot next to her on the bed and Jack sat there.  “If I hadn’t been pregnant with your sister when we thought Todd had died in Ireland, I would have flung myself into the ocean to be with him.  Just because I have lived without him doesn’t mean I actually can,” Blair explained.  When Jack gave her an incredulous look, she went on.  “That was what I meant that night you came home to find me in tears.  That kind of love, it’s all consuming.  I hope you do find love, maybe even that kind, but it comes with great pain too.”

Jack decided to let it drop as he took the note from her again.  “What kind of danger is he talking about?”

That was explained over the next hour and Jack’s mind was reeling.  It sounded crazy, but then Blair showed him copies of the notes Todd had received over the past few months.  When Blair had explained everything, she told him about Todd’s note for Viki.  “He’s left it up to me to decide if Viki should be let in.  What do you think?”

Jack was a bit stunned that he was being asked a question like that.  He’d never been let in on secrets, much less big ones like this.  A petty part of him wanted it to remain such between him and his mother.  But then he thought about the talk he’d had with his aunt about Todd and Victor.  He knew how much she loved them both and how much she worried about them.  Jack had never really noticed that closeness between Viki and Victor, but it was very clear with Todd.  “Does Aunt Viki love Todd more?”

Blair was a little surprised by the question.  Her first instinct was to say no, but she shifted through the memories of the three Lord siblings and she realized that Todd and Victor’s relationships with Viki were very different, mostly because they were very different.  “I don’t think it’s a matter of loving one more than the other.  Todd came into Viki’s life at a time she was going through a breakdown.  When she came out of it, Todd was there to try and help her and in helping her, she helped him.”  Blair paused for a minute to collect her thoughts.  “The night before we got married for the second time, Todd learned what had been done to Viki when she was a child.”

“Victor Lord molested her, right?” Jack asked.

She nodded.  “Just before we separated for the night, we had a doctor’s appointment and after that, I told Todd I thought I was having a girl.  He then dropped me off here and went on to Llanfair to tell the family about the wedding.  He also asked Viki about his father…and Viki told him what he had done to her.”  Jack could see her mother lost in thought.  “He was horrified by it and coupled with what he had done to Marty…He also believed that it was in him to do the same thing to his own daughter.  He took off and no one knew where he had gone.  But Viki eventually did and talked him off the proverbial ledge.  Since then, they had a connection.”

“But Victor had his memories, right?  Wouldn’t he have felt that connection too?” Jack asked, trying to sort things out.

Blair sighed.  She could see her son trying to understand the odd family dynamics but the Lord tree was so twisted, even she had a hard time with it.  “It’s just a different relationship.  I think, in her heart, Viki sensed the differences in them and that’s why she reacts differently to them.”

Jack nodded at that.  “She’s worried about Todd more though.”  It was a statement and one that Blair couldn’t deny.  As she nodded, Jack stood up.  “Then I think Aunt Viki should know.  I mean, I’d want Starr to know if I were in danger, even if after she got me out of it, she never let me live it down.”

Blair stood up and hugged Jack.  “I agree with that.” Then she held up the second note for Jack.  “Do you want this?”

Jack looked at the envelope in his mother’s hand but shook his head.  “Not right now, but soon.  I need…I need to think some things over.”

 She understood what he was saying and nodded to the door.  “Come on, let’s see your aunt.”  With that, they left.    

New Story--Through the Darkness

Yes, I'm back.  I have been writing since One Life to Live has been back on the air and I will get around to publishing what I have of that story at some point.  But, I realized, I jumped the gun with it.  I should have waited until the show had actually reached it's hiatus.  Not that I thought it would be so long, with no end in sight.  (I do believe, thought, that it will come back.)

As such, this is how I see the current tattoo.org story going.  We know a lot of the players involved, besides the Lord and Manning families.  And I'm trying something different in this story.  It's much more of a Jack and Blair story than a Todd and Blair story.  I'm out of my comfort zone writing this POV but I'm going to give it a try and stick to as true of characterizations as I can.

It's been pointed out on any Todd story, onscreen or in fanfictions, Blair and Jack get the short end of the stick.  I myself have been guilty of it with my writing, even though I try to avoid it.  So I'm going to do all I can to stay on point as we see Blair with Todd with her emotionally as she struggles with the physical separation.  But mostly, we are going to see Jack some to grips with being the not only the son of Todd Manning, but the grandson of Victor Lord.  And we'll see him use that cunning brain, one of the many traits he got from both his parents, as he begins to see the dangers that face him and his family.  

There will be appearances later on of Starr and even Todd, but for now, this is Blair and Jack Manning's time to shine.