Through the Darkness, Chapter Twenty Two

CHAPTER 22

August, 2013

Blair figured she’d get the kids up and moved into the Llanfair carriage house later in the morning.  With the exception of Sam, they’d all gotten to bed kind of late and she wanted them to sleep in on what she figured would be another long day.  But as it turned out, Jack and Starr hadn’t slept a wink the night before but were up with the rest of the family.  Jack had turned in early, but sleep was elusive.  Starr kept going back over files and reports all night.  It was only when the rest of the house was stirring that the Mannings joined in.

Blair had to admit that she enjoyed the stunned look Tina gave her when the redhead came down for breakfast.  Détente or no, she could still see Tina’s annoyance with her presence in the family and it made her smile.  But Tina held her tongue, which actually made her like her nemesis sister-in-law better than her own aunt at the moment.

As Blair was finishing her second cup of coffee the phone rang.  Tina jumped up immediately and answered it.  “Hold on,” she said, turning to her sister.  “Viki, it’s a very nervous sounding man wanting to talk to you.”

Viki took the phone.  “Victoria Lord…yes…what?” she exclaimed.  “When?  What’s his condition?  Yes, yes.  Please, let me talk to him.”  Blair’s gaze grew hopeful, especially when she heard Viki say, “Victor…Victor let the doctor’s help Todd.  We’ll be up as soon as we can.  Yes, we’ll bring Tea along.  Victor please…Please, my brothers have been through an ordeal.  You can until we arrive?  Yes, please help him as much as you can.  We’ll see you soon.”  Then she ended the call.  “Todd and Victor are in a hospital in Buffalo, New York,” she said, stunned.

“When did they get there?  How did they get there?”  Blair asked.

“Victor wouldn’t say, but he’s not allowing the doctors do anything without him present,” Viki answered.

“What happened?” Blair asked, fear creeping into her voice.

“He was shot when they made their escape,” she said as the phone rang again.  “Bo, yes we just got the call.  I don’t know, but Victor’s either being overly cautious or highly paranoid.  He wants Tea to come as well.  Okay, well see you all then.”  She turned back to the family.  “Bo got a call from the hospital as well.  He going to pick up Tea and meet us at the airport.  We’ll take the Buchanan jet up.”

“I’m coming with you,” Blair said getting up from the table.

“And so am I,” Starr added.

“Me to,” Jack up in.

Viki nodded to all of them.  “Tina, stay here.  If we find out anything, we’ll let you know.”

“And keep an eye on Sam,” Blair said over her shoulder.

They all arrived at the airport as Tea and Bo pulled up.  The other woman looked to be near tears.  “Is it true?” she asked.

Blair nodded, saying, “Viki spoke to Victor herself.  But he seems to have a gun on the doctors.  He won’t let them treat Todd.”

“Treat Todd?” Tea asked. 

“Viki only got a little bit, but Todd…Todd was shot,” Blair said.  “And Victor’s not letting the doctors near him for some reason.”

Tea grabbed Blair in hug.  Then they made their way onto the plane.  Once they were airborne, Tea said, “I got in touch with Dani.  When they’re done, she and Matthew will meet us there.”

It was a rather quick flight and the Buffalo police met them at the airport.  As they hurried the family to the hospital, Bo said to them, “I’ll be honest, I don’t like the sound of Victor’s mental state, so I don’t want us rushing in there.”

They got to the hospital and Blair forgot all about what Bo had just said.  “I’m Blair Manning, my brother-in-law called…”

“Blair?” she heard her name being yelled.

“Todd?”  She ran towards the sound and saw Victor standing beside Todd’s bed.  “Todd!”  She didn’t think anything of the situation and ran to her husband.  Following her was Tea, yelling for Victor.  When he heard his wife’s voice, he handed the gun over and ran to her.

But Blair wasn’t worried about them.  “What happened?” she asked through her tears.

“We escaped and I got shot,” Todd said.  She could tell he was in pain but he was smiling broadly.  Then, when he heard the two shouts of ‘Dad’ it only grew.

Blair looked up and saw Starr and Jack standing there.  She got up and away before Starr launched herself at her father.  “Oh, Dad!” she cried.

“Hey, Shorty,” he whispered.  “Shhh, it’s alright.”

Jack walked over and Todd shifted Starr to one side as Jack slide onto the other.  Blair was shocked to see her son, in tears, in his father’s arms. 

“We were so worried.  That video…” Jack said.

“Hey, I’m alright,” Todd told them.

It was then that the doctor came over.  “I’m guessing you’re his family?”

“Yes, I’m…I’m his wife,” Blair said proudly.

“Mr. Manning needs to get into surgery to remove the bullet.  It’s lodged in his knee and it could have become infected since we were not allowed to remove it because of his brother,” the doctor said.

“Well, my doctor is here.  Anyone got a melon baller available?”  Todd asked.

The doctor gave Blair a confused look, but Blair waved it off.  “Yes, please, take him to surgery.”  With a kiss from Starr and a meaningful look from Jack, Blair moved over to the bed and gave Todd a passionate kiss that made him happy he was lying down for.  They moved into the waiting room and came upon Victor, Tea, Bo and Viki. 

“How is Todd?” his twin asked.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Blair answered.  “They took him into surgery just now.”

Victor nodded and turned to Bo.  “I’m ready to be taken into custody now,” he said.

Bo looked him over carefully.  “We can wait until Todd’s out of surgery.  Right now, I’m more interested in how the two of you got here in the first place.”  He pulled out a chair and Victor sat down.  Bo took his handcuffs and attached him to the chair.  “It’s just a precaution.”

Before he began, Tea spoke up.  “He should be mirandized first,” the lawyer in her said.

“This can be off the record for now.  It has nothing to do with the charges he’s facing,” Bo answered.  Tea was about to make a retort, but held her tongue and nodded her agreement.

Victor took an hour to explain the last few days.  Starting from when he had been joined by his brother, he detailed their escape, including Todd’s shooting.  He looked to Blair.  “He wanted me to leave him to get out.  But, I was too scared of facing you if I did that.”

Blair appreciated the thought.  “Thank you so much.”

As Victor finished his story, the doors opened and Dani and Matthew ran in.  “Victor!” she cried and ran to embrace him.  “Mom called and told me…I didn’t believe her…are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think so.  We’re just, we’re just waiting for word on your father,” he answered.

“What happened to Todd?  Mom just told us to come here.”

“He was shot while they were escaping.  The doctors don’t think it’s too serious, but he’s in surgery now,” Viki informed her. 

It was another half-hour before the doctor returned to tell them the surgery was a success.  “He’s being moved to recovery, so you should be able to see him shortly.”

Bo looked to Victor.  “I have to take you into custody now.”  Victor nodded, as Bo said to Matthew, “Can we go back with you, or are you going to stay here?

Matthew looked to Dani, who said, “I think I’ll stay here.  You go back with your father.”

“You sure?” Matthew asked.      

“He’s my father,” Dani replied.  Blair caught the look that passed between her and Victor, but he nodded at that.

“Okay, Tea, do you want to come back with us?” Bo asked.

“Yes, I think it’s for the best,” Tea answered.

“Hold on, I got that file you wanted,” Dani said, reaching into her bag and pulling it out.  “What’s up with it anyway?”

“We found out that Clint Buchanan was being drugged and Dad…Dad was acting way crazier than normal when we were up in Port Charles last year,” Starr said.  “Larry Wolek wants to compare Dad’s labs against Clint’s, see if he was being slipped the same drug.”

“We’ll see that Larry get the records,” Bo answered as he led Victor away

A nurse returned and told the Todd could have visitors.  Viki looked to Blair.  “You go ahead, we’ll wait.  I know you need to see him the most.”

Blair followed the nurse into the room and Blair saw Todd laying in the bed with his eyes closed.  It broke her heart to see him even like this.  But when she crossed over to him and touched her fingers to his scar, his eyes opened and he smiled at her.  “I thought for a minute there I was dreaming.”

“So did I,” she replied as a tear fell down her cheek.  She bent down to kiss him.  Viki and the kids are going to want to see you,” she told him.  “Except Sam, they’re all here, Starr, Jack and Dani.”

“Dani came?” Todd asked a bit surprised.

“She was actually in Port Charles.  We were following up a lead, about the note you got when you were still up here,” Blair explained.  “And she also got your hospital records from when you were in General Hospital.”

“Why would you need my hospital records?” Todd asked.

“It’s a long story and I’ll tell you in a little bit.  But you should really get some rest,” she said.  She kissed him again, vowing to never stop.  When she pulled back, she asked him, “Right now, I am so happy I have you back.  I never want to lose you again.    Is this what that means?  Does this mean it’s all over?”

Todd took her hand and kissed it then gave her a melancholy look.  “No.  And unfortunately, I think it’s about to get much worse.”  

Through the Darkness, Chapter Twenty One

CHAPTER 21

August, 2013

Jack had thrown a few days’ worth of clothes into his bag and went to do the same for Sam.  “Where’s your Spiderman suitcase?” he asked.

“Why do you need my suitcase?” Sam asked, getting off his bed and going into his closet.

“I think Mom’s about to blow up against Aunt Dorian and won’t want herself or any of us to stick around for the fallout.”  He took the bag and repeated the task he had just done for himself.  “I don’t think it’ll be more than a few days.”

“Where are we going to go?” was the next question.

“I don’t think Mom’s thinking that far ahead,” Jack admitted.  “You got any toys you want to bring?  Tell me now.”

Sam looked pensive for a minute.  “There’s my Spiderman Web Shooter.  I don’t want to leave that behind.”  Jack looked around the room until Sam told him he’d left in in Dorian’s office.

After grumbling about Sam being in places he shouldn’t be, he ordered his brother to stay in his room until Jack returned.  Heading down the back stairs he went into the office and searched around the room.  The desk was a mess and in shifting papers and files looking for the toy, a number of them fell on the floor.  Grunting some more, Jack bent over to pick them up.  While he was under the desk he found the Web Shooter and he reached over to grab it.

That was when the name jumped out at him – Pellegrino.  He had seen the articles The Sun had been running on the financial state of The Banner.  It was all very subdued for the competition, but he figured Todd wasn’t competitive enough to rub Aunt Viki’s misfortunes in her face so publicly.  He opened the file and had to do a double take.  It looked like a lot of lawmaker jargon, but it made mention of SEC code and open investigations.  Why would Aunt Dorian have this information?  She was on the Intelligence Committee if he remembered correctly.  He decided to take the file and look it over more closely when they got to wherever they were going to.

Instead of going back the way he came, he headed out to the foyer and up the main stairs.  That was when he heard two voices.  It was his mother and Dorian’s and neither sounded happy.   

“I’m sorry, but I must have misheard you,” Dorian said.

Blair leveled a gaze at her.  “No, you didn’t,” she replied.  “You will not say a word against my husband.”

Dorian seemed to blanch when she repeated herself.  Then she shook her head.  “No, please tell me you did not…did not remarry…” she stuttered. 

Blair approached her slowly and then, standing inches from her, removed the gold ring she wore over her wedding band.

“Now I know you’re lying.  Todd Manning would have never gotten you a ring like that!” Dorian proclaimed. 

“I don’t need any diamond to symbolize the love I have for Todd,” Blair informed her.  “I came to tell you that I’m taking the kids and leaving tonight.”

“Why?  For pointing out what a psycho that man is?” Dorian yelled, her voice getting shriller.

“My kids are right now traumatized by what happened to their father.  And you, no surprise, are no help.  I get that you can’t stand Todd, but Starr, Jack and Sam love him and they need to be in an environment that loves Todd too.”  With that, she turned her heals and headed for the door.

“So, you’re going to go to Llanfair?” Dorian asked derisively.

“I will see if we can stay with Viki.  If not, we’ll go to the Palace,” Blair said.  She opened the door and found Jack standing outside.  She wanted to be annoyed he had eavesdropped on her, but the false bravado she had just displayed washed out of her.  Wordless, he made his way up the stairs, followed by her.  Fifteen minutes later, all four were downstairs and piled into the car.

“Do you think Aunt Viki will even put us up?” Jack asked.

“I don’t know,” Blair answered.  But she was not surprised to see Viki very generously opening her home to Blair and the children.  Sam was put to bed and Jack decided to turn in.  Starr plunked herself in the library and wanted to go over the files again, even though she admitted she probably wouldn’t find anything else.

Viki offered to make Blair a cup of tea and Blair was thoughtful enough to grab a bottle bourbon to add to it.

Viki eyed her sister-in-law.  “That bad?”

“I want to apologize.  I went back on our deal,” Blair said, pouring a finger of bourbon into the teacup as Viki brought the water to a boil.  Then she looked at the older woman.  “I told Dorian about Todd and I.”

“Oh dear,” Viki replied, her face taking on its typical ‘Dorian’ look.

“Yeah, she made a comment.  It wasn’t even the worst one she could have come up with.  But, I don’t know, I think my nerves are just frayed over all this that it hit me wrong.  I told her she was not to speak of the father of my children that way, speak of my husband that way,” Blair remembered with a chuckle.  “She didn’t believe me.  She may still not.  I told her and just walked out.  I can’t deal with it anymore.”  Viki pour the water and Blair took a sip, finally feeling relaxed.  “I had actually been thinking about finding a place so that when we did get Todd back, he wouldn’t have to step foot into La Boulie.”

“Well, it’s not La Boulaie, but for the time being, I could have you stay in the carriage house.  It’s not that I’m throwing you out, but it would be a little more private, if you’d like that better,” Viki offered.

It actually sounded like a good idea.  Her kids weren’t on top of everyone else in Llanfair and it would contain the inevitable visit from Dorian to not escalate into the main house.  She nodded her head in thanks.

Now, she had to put her focus back on finding Todd.

**********

The door opened again.  Two voices could be heard.  “Yeah, it’s better that they used the gas on them when it’s night time,” Voice One said.

“Just put the food on the table,” Voice Two ordered.  “I don’t like being in here with them after the stories I’ve heard.”

“Ah, they’re out like lights.  Besides, how much damage could the do really?  I mean, they one up top is kinda scrawny to begin with,” One replied.

“He killed one of ours with his bare hands,” Two retorted.  “Just get a move on.”

Todd realized it was now or never.  Opening his eyes, he and Victor, in perfectly timed unity, leapt off the bunk and tackled the guards.  One was so caught off guard, he never saw Todd’s body as he was slammed to the floor.  Two, a little more cautious, put up a little more of a fight, but several blows of Victor’s fists stopped him.  He checked the guy and found his sidearm, while Todd grabbed the rifle the other one had. 

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Todd said and Victor nodded in agreement.  They hurried out the door and over to the opposite wall.  Victor peeked around the corner, and not seeing anyone, signaled Todd, who moved ahead.  They leapfrogged each other for a few more turns until they heard an all too familiar voice.

“I don’t know why you showed up here.  I have everything under control,” Allison Perkins could be heard. 

Neither brother heard the reply but sensed them approaching.  Victor looked around and saw what appeared to be a closet.  He waved Todd in but the other man didn’t move at first.  Victor had to haul him in under protest.  They got cover just before Allison and her companion passed by.

“What the hell was that for?” Todd asked, pissed off.

“It’s too risky,” Victor said.

“I was trying to figure out who her partner is!”

“And you would have given us away!” Victor retorted.  He opened the door and, finding no one outside, signaled to Todd.  Todd moved out of the closet and down to the next corner.  Around it, he saw an exit sign.  He gave thumbs up and Victor moved next to him.  Todd counted down from three and Victor headed to the door.  He had his hand on the knob when a shot rang out.  He turned around and saw his twin on the floor, clutching his knee.

Todd looked up and saw Victor.  “Just go!” he yelled, his face contorted in pain.

Victor looked at the door and back at Todd.  He was maybe ten feet away.  Victor was about to leave when he thought of Blair.  He turned back and fired his gun behind Todd’s position.  He must have hit someone, because he heard a cry and the firing stopped.  Then he rushed to Todd and pulled his brother’s arm around his neck.  “Can you walk?” Victor asked.

“You’re risking yourself, you idiot,” Todd answered as he was put upright.

“I’d be risking myself if I left you, brother,” he answered looking Todd in the eye.

Todd got the meaning and nodded.  “Don’t want Blair…under arrest for shooting anyone again,” he said with a grimace. 

Together, they made it out the door.  It opened to a large parking lot on a dawning morning.  Victor went to an older Accord and, using his elbow, broke the passenger side window.  He got the door open and threw Todd in, who yelped in pain.  Then he made his way to the other side and repeated the action.  Getting in, he looked under the steering wheel.  He grabbed at the wires and after a few tries, the car started.  With that, they were off.

Todd was a little surprised to see the outside of their prison.  There were no guards around, no one armed expect the two inside.  It was disquieting but he put it out of his head for a minute.  Once they were on a main road, Todd said to him, “We need to figure out where the hell we are in the first place.”

“We need to get you to a hospital in the first place,” Victor told him.  “Look, where a few miles outside of Buffalo.  That’s a start.”

“It’s nothing that…a melon baller…can’t fix,” Todd grunted out.  “You’ve got…an arrest warrant out for you.  If you have to…just drop me outside…the emergency room.”

Victor shook his head.  “You said Tea even wants me brought into custody.  Trust me, I know how to play this.”

Victor managed to find his way to the Sisters of Charity Hospital.  He pulled up next to the door for the ER and hoisted Todd out of the car.  Going in, he yelled, “Help, my brother’s been shot.”

A doctor and three nurses came scurrying over.  “When did it happen?” the doctor asked.

“Within the hour,” Victor asked as Todd was put on the stretcher.  As the rushed him to a cubicle, Victor gave them further information.

The doctor nodded and then said, “Sir, you’re going to have to stay here.”

But Victor wasn’t having any of it.  “I’m staying with my brother,” he said in a deathly calm.

“Sir, we need to get him into surgery to remove the bullet,” the doctor insisted.

Victor walked around to next to Todd.  Todd gave him a puzzled look.  “Victor, what the hell are you doing?”

Victor didn’t answer him.  Instead, he pulled the gun he had since the escape.  In a calm voice he said.  “You call Victoria Lord, Llanfair estate, Llanview, Pennsylvania.  Tell her her brother has been admitted to the hospital.  Call Bo Buchanan at the Llanview PD.  When they get here, I will leave my brother’s side.  But not a minute before then.”         

Through the Darkness, Chapter Twenty

CHAPTER 20

August, 2013

As Blair, Tea and Larry approached the front door of Llanfair, Tea turned to the others.  “Look, please don’t say anything about….”  She put her hand on her stomach.

Blair saw the look in her eyes and nodded.  She understood that, while Tea may have passed the crucial stage of the pregnancy, she and the family were all under a lot of stress.  After what happened last year, Blair understood that Tea wasn’t taking any chances.  They walked into Llanfair and proceeded into the library. 

Viki looked up at her in-laws.  “Tea, how are you feeling?  Blair told us you’ve had a stomach bug?”

Tea nodded.  “Yes, but I’m actually feeling better, thank you for asking.”

Viki then turned her attention to Larry.  “Did you ever find Clint’s medication?”

“That was why I came here,” he said as Natalie, Jessica, Jack and Starr returned from the kitchen.  Tina and Cord also appeared and Larry informed them, “The pills were in his desk at his BE office.  But there was a problem with them.”  He took a folder out his briefcase and paged through it.  “He’s supposed to be on an anti-rejection medicine for his heart transplant, correct?”

“Yes,” Viki answered.  “Ciclosporin, I believe.”

“That was not what the pills I found were,” Larry told her.

“What?” Natalie’s voice was heard.

“He was taking pills, but they weren’t for his heart.  All I can see is, it was for the neurological centers,” Larry said.  “I can’t even tell you what it is exactly.  The hospital’s pharmacist has never seen this compound before.”

“Do they have any idea what it could be for?” Jessica asked as she and her sister came over and read the file with their mother.

“Best guess, and it’s just that, a guess, but it could have something to do with mental states,” Larry replied.  The room offered him a variety of confused looks as he struggled to explain further.  “It could heighten paranoia, anxiety, make the patient more susceptible to reasoning.  A sample is being sent to the FDA for further testing.”

“How long has he been taking it?” Viki asked.

“Well, from the looks of it, I’d say at least eight months, probably longer.”

Cord pulled Larry aside and asked him more questions, but Blair caught a look in Starr’s eye.   “What are you thinking?”

Starr looked up quickly, like a deer caught in the headlights.  “It’s really far off, Mom,” she said.

Jack let out a short laugh.  “The last time you came up with an off the wall theory, you were proven right.”

Starr turned to her brother and then back to Blair.  “Look, when I was up in Port Charles with Dad, he was acting…weirder than normal.  There was definitely some paranoia going on and he was just…different.”  She offered her mother a sympathetic look.  “When he got back after stopping your wedding, he was certain you’d come back to him soon.  I even called him on it and he said something like, ‘what’s that obvious?’” And then, all of a sudden, he was on TV declaring his love to Carly Jacks.  Even Michael thought it was strange.  We didn’t even know they’d gotten like that.  But it was that kind of bizarre behavior.”

Blair processed what her daughter was saying.  “Starr, your dad has always been a touch paranoid…”

“I know that, but this…this was over the top, even by his standards,” she said.

“You think he could have been fed whatever Clint was drugged with?” Jack asked.

“I know it sounds crazy…”

Jack shook his head.  “No crazier than the identical twin brother who look nothing alike.”

Blair looked pensive and it must have attracted Tea’s attention.  The lawyer came over and inquired about what they were talking about.  When Starr finished, Tea inhaled deeply.  “The night…the night I gave birth, Todd was in a full on meltdown.  Laughing manically, unable to concentrate, things like that.”

“And when he confessed to me about the switch, he told me that woman in the woods, Heather Webber, it took a lot of work on her part to convince Dad to go along with it,” Starr told them.  Her eyes slid towards her brother and she said, “He’d done something like that before.  One thing about Dad, he doesn’t really screw up the same way twice.”

Tea and Blair walked over to Larry, who was still speaking with Cord.  “Larry, sorry to interrupt.  This drug, it could be found in the blood stream?” Blair asked.

“Yes.  I’m having tests run.  We know that Clint hasn’t had his anti-rejection meds, now I’m having his blood sample tested again the pills I found.”

Tea was on the phone before he finished his sentence.  “Starr, was he hospitalized at all while he was in Port Charles?”  Starr indicated yes and then the other end of the call seemed to pick up.  “Dani, I need you to go to General Hospital in the morning.  I’ll send over an affidavit if needed, but I need your father’s hospital records from,” she looked to Starr.

Starr thought quickly.  “It was late January or early February.”

“Late January, early February.  All test that were run at that point.  I’d assume they’d do a blood test on him,” Tea said.  “You’ll be leaving in the afternoon?  Okay, have you found anything out?”  There was a long pause and Blair could hear Dani on the other end.  “And she’s sure?  Okay, I’ll let Bo know.  We’ll see you tomorrow.”  She ended the call and turned to Blair.  “Dani said she spoke to the hotel manager, Olivia Falconari.  She said she remembered someone dropping off packages for Todd.  Usually, Todd would ignore them, but the last time, she was asked to slip a note under the door of his room.”

Blair looked at Tea for a minute.  “Does she know what the courier looked like?”

“The woman didn’t give a firm description, but said he was a young, African-American man, clean cut and business-like.  Kept telling her he was trying to make contact with Todd, looking for a job at the Port Charles Sun.”  Then Tea went over to Larry.  “I just wanted to let you know, Dani’s going to get Todd’s hospital records from when he was in Port Charles.  Starr has a suspicion that whatever drug was being given to Clint may have also been given to Todd.”

Larry looked to Starr.  “What was he acting like?”

“He was definitely acting manic.  Half the time, he didn’t even make any sense.  My dad may do crazy stuff, but he’s more calculating about it,” Starr said.

Larry nodded and turned to Tea.  “If Dani has any problems getting the medical records, please call me.  I can say I’m his doctor, he’s been admitted and I need his complete medical history.”  He looked at his watch.  “I have some things I need to check on at the hospital.  Let me know when Dani gets back.”  With that he left.

“I think I’ll be going too,” Tea said, sending a knowing look to Blair, who nodded.  “If I hear anything else from Dani, I’ll let you know.”

After Tea was gone, Blair turned and saw Viki sitting on the couch reading the report Larry had made.  She went over to sit down next to her.  “How are you holding up?” she asked.

“I can’t help thinking that I may have pushed him into this,” Viki said. 

“Oh, Viki, why do you think that?”

She looked at the report again.  “I should have just accepted his generosity with the whole Pellegrino debacle.  But, as always, my pride got in the way.  And he reacted, like I would think a Buchanan would react.  Then with what he did in Natty’s name, it just further pissed me off.  So I broke the engagement.  I felt I had to.  And that only drove him over the cliff faster.”

“Viki, this was being done to him before any of that happened.  Larry said it had to have been for at least, what, eight months?’ she asked, putting her hand on the other woman’s shoulder. 

“And yet, I do,” she replied.  Then she looked at Starr and Jack in conversation.  “Starr thinks something similar was being done to Todd?”

Blair’s gaze turned to her daughter.  “Todd’s behavior all last year was erratic to begin with. I don’t know if it’s true, but we don’t have much to go on.”  Then, she looked back to Viki. 

“Do you know how many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call him?  I was so worried about him being alone.  He’s never been good alone in the world,” she said, a sad smile on her face.  “And I just couldn’t.  I couldn’t get over my…disappointment.  Not even in the murder charge, but him the fact that he felt he couldn’t come to me.”

“I know the feeling.  And after Cole and Hope…he vowed to me, then and there, that he’d never stop trying to put us back together.  He said those exact words.  And what did I do?”  A humorless laugh bubbled out of her.  “Maybe someone should have me tested for that drug.  I can’t even remember what I even saw in Tomas.  It was more, trying to get him out of my mind than anything else.”  Then she looked at Viki.  “Did I ever tell you, he proposed to me in Port Charles?”

Viki smiled at her.  “No you didn’t.”

“Yes, we had dinner after Starr’s concert and he assumed that my being there alone meant that I wanted to get back together with him,” she explained.  “And I told him I was getting married to another man.  I showed him the ring and he bitched about it being too small.  And he challenged me to tell him I loved Tomas and that I didn’t love him.”  She looked at Viki, who offered her a sympathetic look.  “I couldn’t…I could not tell him I didn’t love him.  I’ve loved him longer than even I’ve acknowledged.”  There were tears in her eyes as she asked, “Why didn’t I say yes then?  We would have had more time together!”

“You will have all the time in the world, Blair.  We’ll find him.  Todd has come back from the dead for you, more than once.  And I know my brother.  He’s fighting to get back to you now,” Viki said.

In her heart, Blair knew this.  Todd had fought back from massive injuries to come back to her.  He’d fought his own cynical heart.  He’d fought through eight years of torture.  He never stopped fighting to get back to her.  She sat upright and smiled at Viki.  “Thank you for that.”

“Any time, darling.”  Then the clock chimed and Viki looked at her watch.  “Would you like to stay for dinner?  Dorian’s still out of town, right?”

Blair looked over and saw that Jessica and Natalie had brought their children down.  She thought of Sam, who’d been at his friends all day.  “Thank you for the offer, but I want to get home with my kids.  Try to offer them some normalcy.”  She got up and began rounding up Jack and Starr.  “But, we’ll be back in the morning.”

Viki nodded.  “Alright, we’ll see you then.”

Blair made a stop to pick up Sam then they all decided to get Chinese takeout.  Once that was picked up, the headed back to La Boulaie.  They ate and were cleaning up when a voice boomed through the house.  “Darlings, I’m back!” Dorian’s voice called.

Blair’s expression widened and was mirrored by her two elder children.  “Wasn’t she supposed to be back a few days from now?” Starr asked.

Blair nodded as Dorian sashayed in.  “Hello, my darlings,” she said, then noticed Starr.  “Starr, dear, what are you doing back?  I thought you were having a wonderful time in Los Angeles?”

Starr didn’t know what to say, but Jack, surprisingly answered.  “We had a family crisis and thought she should be back for it.  What are you doing back early?”

“Carl was called away on urgent business and since he was unsure of how long it would take, I told him I had been away too long as it was,” Dorian explained.

Blair took the pause in the conversation and looked to Sam and said, “Why don’t you go upstairs and get out some books for storytime?”

“Is there going to be a grownup talk?” Sam asked grumpily.

“Yes, there is,” Blair admitted, sending her youngest son upstairs.

“There was a crisis and no one call me?” Dorian asked, her face growing angry.

“It was a crisis with the Lord family,” Blair informed her.

“Oh.”  That seemed to perk Dorian up.  “Is the paper being shut down?”

“It had nothing to do with The Banner,” Jack said curious why she’d think it was The Banner.  “My father was kidnapped!”

Blair was taken aback by how emotional Jack was when he said that.  But it didn’t seem to faze Dorian.  “Kidnapped?  Or did he screw up again and run away?” She turned back to Blair.  “The smartest thing you did was dump that ne’er do well.  No matter how much Viki thinks he’s a poor innocent.”  She turned and headed for the foyer.

Something snapped in Blair.  She knew Dorian and Todd had never and would never get along.  Dorian saw Todd was little better than his father and Todd never had gotten over any number of things Dorian had pulled to keep them apart.  In a low voice, she whisper, “Go upstairs and pack overnight bags.”  When neither moved, she repeated herself, stressing to her children that she meant it.  Jack and Starr hastened up the stairs. 

She headed into the living room and closed the door.  Still facing that way, she said, “I’ve had to do a lot of thinking in the last few day.  All the time that Todd and I have been apart.  And we’re both to blame for most of that.  We’ve lied to each other, our priorities weren’t where they should have been.  We’ve come together and been torn apart,” she began, “A few days ago, Jack was talking to his father over a video conference.  Bo was there.  And while the connection was up, masked men came in and shot Todd with a stun gun.  A subsequent investigation has been launched about not only that, but the fact that people Todd loves are being targeted to make Todd jump through hoops.”

Dorian sat there and said, “You’re serious?”  By the look Blair gave her, she didn’t need an answer.

“I have been trying to keep it together for my children.  I have been trying to keep it away from Sam.  I will not have you shoot you mouth off about the father of my children,” she said.  “I will not have you speak like that about my husband.”

Through the Darkness, Chapter Nineteen

CHAPTER 19

August, 2013

Starr went into Llanfair’s kitchen to just get away.  She was becoming depressed with the lack of leads they had to even work with.  They’d been over the case files Nora had brought over ten times and they hadn’t tuned up anything new.  While she appreciated all the help Jessica, Brody, Det. Jobek and even Natalie were giving, every moment that passed without any news made her more and more fearful of the worst.

She went to the refrigerator to look for a soda but didn’t find any there that she would drink.  In a moment of rage, she slammed the door and let out a scream.

“Are you alright sweetie?” a voice asked her.

She was ready to turn around and yell at her Aunt Viki.  She should know how Starr was feeling.  Why would she ask that stupid of a question?  But then, she saw it was her Aunt Tina.  Her father’s voice in her head reminded her that would be the one to ask such a stupid question.  “I’m fine,” she replied.

“Then you like to take your frustration out on refrigerator door?” Tina questioned again.

Starr wanted to cross her arms and act like a petulant seven year old again, but she couldn’t.  Her face went straight from anger to tears.  Tina walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug.  “It’ll be alright, honey.  Your dad will be back,” she said, soothingly.  “If for no other reason than to haunt me.”

Starr chuckled at that.  Although Tina had been away for much of her childhood and no one really spoke fondly of her, she did appreciate her aunt’s presence.  While it was absolutely clear that Aunt Viki adored her father, Tina’s take on Todd was much more weary, a loving big sister, but one who lived to annoy  “Thank you for that,” Starr said.

“Come, sit down.  I’ll make you a cup of tea.  That’ll help, right?”  Tina led her to the table and then went to the stove.  Starr was rather surprised to see her aunt move so deftly around the kitchen, filling the pot with hot water and putting it on the stove.  When the water boiled Tina set out two cups and saucers and poured the water, letting the tea bags seep.  “I know you are worried about Todd.”

“I’m getting more worried about my mom.  She’s been through this before and I know the last time, it nearly killed her,” Starr said.

Tina nodded.  “But she knew she was having his baby and that gave her comfort, Starr,” Tina told her.  “Your father will come home.  I promise you that.”

“Of course he is,” Jack said, coming in.  “We’ll never be rid of him.”

Starr was usually ready to jump down Jack’s throat for any comment he made about their father, but she saw the glint in Jack’s eye.  It was the same teasing look Todd bad.  That put her at ease.  “Now we need to just reassure Mom,” she said.

Natalie and Jessica came in then just then.  “Hey, Mom was looking for you,” the blonde said.

“Oh, Starr just needed some time alone,” Tina explained. 

“Yeah, thank you for that,” Starr replied.

Natalie’s eyebrows went up to her hairline.  “Aunt Tina comforted you?”

“I was just telling her about when Todd was thought to be lost in Ireland.  He came back from that.  He’ll always come back for his family and Blair especially,” Tina said.

Natalie looked to Jessica.  “Didn’t you hate that Todd was your brother and that he was married to Blair?  From the stories I heard, that was the impression I always got.”

“Yeah, I remember when Mom told me that they had gotten remarried, you threw out the word ‘exorcism’” Jessica added.

Starr and Jack moved their attention back to Tina.  Instead of their aunt looking uncomfortable by the reminder, Tina admitted flat out, “Yes, I hated that Blair married him.  But I was right for my reasons.”

“Because he had learned he was Victor Lord’s heir, right?” Starr asked.  She was remembering the story now.

“Yes, it was because of that.  She did just marry him for his money.  Trust me, I know that scam,” Tina said.  Then, after an exaggerated sigh, she said, “Because I did something similar with Cord.”

Starr narrowed her eyes.  “You did?”

Tina nodded and looked quite proud of herself.  “I found out that Cord was Clint’s son by one of Asa’s maids.  Asa didn’t approve of the idea of a half-Mexican grandchild and sent the woman away.  Cord came to Llanview to look up his mother’s old ‘friend’ and I put the pieces together.”

“Much like Mom put the pieces together that Todd Manning and Irene Manning could be related,” Starr responded.

“And then when I did get the proof, I may have rushed Cord down the aisle to share in his windfall.  And then I was presumed dead, came back, we remarried a few more times, the last without our children there, and well…”  Tina’s voice trailed off.

“So the reason you’ve hated Mom all these years is, she stole all the moves from your playbook,” Jack surmised. 

Tina looked thoughtful for a minute, then nodded her head, a wicked smile on her face.  “And much like Cord and I, Blair loves your father deeply.  And that love will sustain her when he can’t be here.”  With that, she left.

“Words of wisdom…from Tina Lord Roberts?” Natalie asked, perplexed.

Jessica went over to the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice.  As she poured herself a glass, she said, “You know the saying.  A broken clock is right twice a day.”

Starr smiled at that thought.  That broken clock had given her back her hope.

********

When Todd awoke, he found himself on the lower bed.  He sat up immediately and looked around.  He was still in the same room.  Tentatively, he called out, “Victor?”  He was answered by a low moan.  Todd stood up and looked at the top bunk.  Victor was rubbing his eyes obviously waking up himself.

“What happened?” He asked.

“I think they may have pumped in some knockout gas,” Todd guessed.  “They must have figured it was the only way to come in without us rushing them.”

“How long have we been out?”

Todd shook his head.  “I have no idea, but I figure it’s been a while.”  Todd looked to the door again.  “We have got to find a way out of here.”  He heard the panic rise in his own voice.

Victor must have caught onto it too.  “Alright, calm down.”  He actually showed a measure of concern for Todd.  “We’ll get out of here.”  Victor went back to the door.  “What’s come over you?”

Todd put his hand to his forehead.  “I think the quack was right.  I don’t know, I’m just getting anxious for some reason.  My head’s…my head is getting noisy again.”

“Noisy, what do you mean?”

Todd closed his eyes, trying to settle on a mental image.  “Starr was singing up in a club in Port Charles and when she was going to make her debut, Blair came up.  After the show, we went back to my hotel room.  I had arranged a romantic dinner…candlelight, good wine.  I told Blair then and there that she quieted the voices in my head…she has the power to calm me down.  And now, I feel…I feel it slipping away.”

Victor looked to his brother.  “That was the first clue to me.”

“What was?”

“I remember all the times when I went searching for that.  I had the memory of the calming effect.  And I never found it, not with Blair.  Not even with Tea, to be honest.”  Todd opened his eyes and look at his twin.  “Don’t get me wrong, I sense a connection with Tea, but it was never anything like that.”

“When did you realize that?” Todd asked.

Victor looked to be searching his own memories for a minute.  “I never felt it.  Even when I first got to Llanview.  I saw Blair, I felt there were feelings there, but there was something missing.”  Then he looked at Todd.  “Until you just said it, I couldn’t even put it into words.”

“I was so lost for a time there.  I felt like I was being drugged.  Blair was all set to get married and I came back and told her her fiancé wasn’t who he said he was.  Turned out, the guy shared the same face as an international arms dealer.  And I could see she believed me, I could see it in her face.  And I went back to Port Charles, fully confident that she’d be right behind me,” Todd said, caught up in the memories.  “And she never came.”  Then he shook his head.  “But again, being around her, I was calm and at peace.  I barely even registered the cat fight she got into with Skye Chandler Quartermaine.”

“Skye Chandler…that shrink’s daughter?  She hooked herself up with another guy?” Victor asked.

“No, she thought Dr. Alan Quartermaine of the New York Quartermaines was he father.  Even after it was proven false, he adopted her.  But she was involved with this guy that had the same face as Blair’s moronic boyfriend and she same to help me prove it was indeed the same guy,” Todd explained.  “Anyway, I was calm again.  And, like, the minute I got back, the noises started up again.”   

“You should just marry her again,” Victor said almost derisively.  Then, he added, “You really should.”

Todd smiled again.  In his mind, he saw Blair’s face as she took his hand and slipped on a wedding band.  “We did.”

“You did what?” Victor asked.

“We did get married,” he replied feeling that calm he always felt with Blair in his life.  “Just before I left, she wanted us to get remarried.  I…I didn’t want to,” Todd said, catching his brother’s look.  “It wasn’t because I didn’t love her or want to be with her…”

“It was because you were afraid for her,” Victor finished.  “I know the feeling.  Tea wanted to know what was going on, demanded I give her answers.  I couldn’t.”

“What happened, Victor?  Why did you run?” Todd asked.  Victor didn’t answer and Todd’s voice got louder.  “Victor, talk to me.  Like it or not, we have to work together.”

Victor let out a breath as be began to unburden himself.  “There was a guy that I saw in the coffee shop.  He had the same tattoo that I was branded with.”

Todd saw he was finally getting somewhere.  He reached for his brother’s wrist and pushed up his sleeve.  “I’ve had run-ins with this symbol.”

“The guy was probably after me,” he replied, seemingly trance like.  “I had to get out, get out soon.”  Then, as if hearing his brother’s words, he said, “You’ve seen this symbol?”

Todd let out a humorless laugh.  “I knew you were alive before you barged into the argument I was having with Delgado.  Why did you think I punched you?”

“Cause you love me so much?”

Todd held up his brother’s arm.  “I got a message about you on a note, with this symbol,” Todd said, pointing to the tattoo.  “And they wanted me to finish what I started.”   

Victor seemed to see a pattern.  “He was there to do the job if you didn’t.” 

“Maybe,” Todd replied.  “Someone wants you dead, brother.  Someone who’s actually not me, but they want me to do the dirty work.”  Todd leveled his gaze at his brother.

“Then we need to figure out who that is,” Victor said, meeting the stare and smiling, a mirror image of his twin.    

Through the Darkness, Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER 18

August, 2013

Todd lay on the bed and, as was normal, didn’t sleep.  Too many thought were crashing around in his mind and he couldn’t even concentrate on any of them.  But one bit of information stood out to him.

Victor had told him that he had not fired the gun that had “killed” his brother. 

Todd could not comprehend that.  Sure, he had pleaded innocence right after it had happened.  He had gone right down to the LPD to give his statement.  And eventually, the formal police investigation hadn’t pursed him.  But then, he admitted, he got sloppy.  After his mother’s haunting led him to remember, and Tomas began to look into him, he had begun to fall back on his old ways, acting squirrelly, unconsciously drawing attention to himself.  That had led John McBain and Tea to investigate him.  He really brought them down on him when he had arranged to have Tomas kidnapped and framed for the crime. 

He had justified that at the time, as Tomas was with Blair and he wanted her back.  David Vickers had told him she had chosen the man who had kidnapped him and the only way he saw to even the playing field was by eliminating the competition.  It had worked; he and Blair had come back together, at last.  And that had fallen apart when John had barged into their room and arrested him for Victor’s murder.  After a little bit of bail-jumping, he had been put on trial for the murder but he had been found not guilty due to a diagnosis of PTSD.  It had been a desperate move his lawyer thought was a long shot, given his history of using mental illness to get out of trouble.  But when the trial was over, Todd had joked to the doctor about how the excuse had worked. 

The expert looked him in the eye.  “Mr. Manning,” he said, “that was no joke diagnosis.  You are suffering from the disorder.  I strongly advise that you seek medical help or else it will continue to manifest itself in other and worse ways.”

At the time, a small shiver ran down his spine.  But then it was forgotten, as he had received a call from a PI he had hired in Port Charles, informing him that Starr had been arrested for attempted murder.  The doctor’s warning all but forgotten, Todd hopped on his plane and headed north.

As he was once again imprisoned without much more than his thoughts, he went back to the night Tea had given birth.  Had his mania that night been a symptom of the PTSD?  Had the pressure and the guilt about Victor led him to agree to the hare-brained scheme of a true wacko?  He shook his head.  He didn’t want to remember that night.  Then, the guilt about Victor’s death had nearly eaten him up.  Now, the fact that Victor was alive and his son was not devoured him whole.

“You’re being way too quiet,” his brother’s voice said.

Todd sort of wished he was alone with just his thoughts.  “I’m still not getting it,” he said after a long pause.

“What aren’t you getting?” his twin asked.

Todd sat up and got down off the top bunk.  He looked at Victor square in the eyes and asked, for the tenth time already, “How could I have not shot you?”

“Seriously, you still don’t get that?” Victor asked.  “You did not pull the trigger.  You did not barge into my house that night.  You were not in my living room.  Not that tough.”

“But you don’t remember who it was who did pull the trigger, did barge into you house and did stand in your living room?” Todd asked, still bewildered.  When Victor had told him that it was not Todd, he had harangued his brother for a good hour, trying to find out who it was.  Victor appeared to have tried to recapture the memories, but in the end, could not.

“No, I don’t,” Victor admitted.

A nasty cackle bubbled out of Todd.  Victor eyed him for a minute.  “What’s so funny?”

“When I jumped bail, after Starr was in the accident, McBain caught me in a courtroom, ready to shoot the guy we thought…we thought caused the accident,” Todd explained.  “Blair and Starr were there, as was the mobster’s ex-wife and son.  I’d met the chick a day before and we commiserated together over the fact we couldn’t see people we cared about because of other people.  Anyway, before John took me out, I asked her, ‘Do you think I killed my brother?’  She said she didn’t know.”  Todd turned away from Victor.  “For a minute, for not even a minute, I questioned it myself.”

“How did you get off on it?” Victor asked, sounding curious.

“Why?  Looking for a cover if you kill me?” Todd retorted.  Then, he frowned.  “I got a shrink to tell the court that I had post-traumatic stress disorder, brought on by all the bonding I spent with Mommy.”  He chuckled again.  “The court bought it.  I was free.  And I thought it was all bullshit, but…now I’m thinking, what if my memory is because of the PTSD?”

“You really do need a shrink,” Victor told him.

“Says the guy who nearly strangled me with his bare hands, tried to poison me and, oh, ripped the head off a stuffed giraffe,” Todd catalogued.  “Let’s face it, we both have issues.”

Victor turned towards the door.  “There has got to be a way out of here,” he mused, looking at it again.

“Have you tried to get out?” Todd asked.

“No, I was waiting for our brotherly reunion,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.  “Yeah, I’ve looked at this thing for days.  It’s solid steel, no locks on this side.  “I’ve tried ramming it, unscrewing the hinges, but it won’t budge.”

“Here, give the former football standout a try,” Todd offered.  “Besides, I’ve broken out of prison vans, evidence closets and places that are all too similar to these accommodations.”  Todd gave the door a few tries, but it still wouldn’t open.

The next thing he heard was a hiss that came from the ceiling.  He and Victor looked up and saw a gas coming from a vent above.  “What the hell?” he said.

As it continued to pump into the room, Todd began to feel sleepy.  “I think they may have found a way…to overpower us,” he said.

“Well, this…is new…” Victor replied as he slumped to the floor.  After a few minutes, the brothers were out cold.  Neither heard the door open or see who was coming in to check on them.

**********

Blair walked to the door of Tea’s condo.  She had called the other woman earlier and didn’t like how she had sounded on the other end.  When Jack had returned, she took the keys and drove over, wanting to make sure the lawyer was okay.

Blair knew that as much as Todd’s disappearance was affecting her, it was worse for Tea.  At least Blair didn’t worry about a manhunt for her husband or having him be labeled as armed and dangerous.  But Tea had that to deal with, on top of Victor being away.

She knocked on the door and after a few minutes, it opened to a woman who looked worse for the wear.  “You look terrible,” Blair said.  “Are you feeling alright?”

Tea stepped aside and allowed Blair entry before saying, “No.  I’ve had, I don’t know, a nervous stomach or something for a while.  I’m plagued by anxiety attacks, my heart goes a mile a minute.”  She collapsed on the couch.  “This whole situation is making me physically ill.  And that’s not even taking into account what I’m going through with Daniella.”

“Have you seen a doctor about it?” Blair asked.

“After my panic attack at the cardio class, Dani insisted I go to the hospital.  But by the time I got there, my blood pressure was fine, my heart rate was normal so they didn’t do any other test.”     

“Come on, get dressed.  I’m taking you to the hospital,” Blair ordered.

“Blair, I’m fine.  Just a nervous wreck.” Tea replied.

“I’m not taking no for an answer,” she insisted.

“I heard from Dani, just before you got here,” Tea said in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

Sadly, it worked.  “Did they get to Port Charles?”

“Yes, and they found the hotel.  She said she and Matthew got a room and they’ll stay until they find out anything.  I told them to look up the owner of the MetroCourt.  What was her name?  Carly…”

“Carly Jacks,” Blair answered. 

“Yeah, she was getting close to Todd, right?”  Blair’s face darkened and Tea seemed to perk up.  “How close did they get?”

Blair chose not to respond.  “You, go get dressed.  I’m taking you to the hospital.”

When they got there, Blair saw Larry Wolek.  “Larry, could you do a check up on Tea.  She’s been complaining about stomach issues, panic attacks, stuff like that.”

Larry looked at Tea.  “How long has this been going on?” he asked.

With a humorless laugh, she said, “Since my husband went on the run.”  Larry signaled nurse and told her what test to perform. 

Once they walked away, Blair turned to Larry.  “By the way, thank you for taking the time to talk to Jack.”

Larry smiled.  “I think I should be thanking him.”  When Blair gave him a quizzed looked, he explained.  “Merrie’s been dead for so long, I forget I was once a member of the Lord family.  No fault of any of them.  But time moves on, lives change and we tend to forget our connections with people.  But talking to Jack, it made me remember Merrie and how happy we were together.  It made me remember that I was once a part of that family.”

“I guess it never computed for me either.  I came into the family without the greatest reputation and Todd’s always held himself somewhat apart from the rest of them.  He’s only ever been really close to Viki, maybe Jessica too.  But the rest of them?  He and Kevin have hated each other for years before he learned the truth and he barely tolerates Tina.”

“I can promise you one thing…Merrie would have forced her way in.  No way he’d have relegated himself to the outsider,” he said.  “She was like that and I think after she died, Viki took up that mantle.”  Just then, the nurse returned and signaled she had completed everything as ordered.  He told her to take the samples to the lab put a rush on it and Blair headed into the cubicle Tea was in.  “Larry is ordering a rush on the tests,” Blair told her. 

“You do realize this is all a bit ridiculous?  I’m just under a load of stress and it’s finally taken its toll on me,” she reason.  “You of all people should understand that.”

“Look, I just want to be sure.  If anything happens to you before Victor gets back, I don’t what to hear it from him.  Just like if anything happens to me, do you want to deal with Todd?” Blair asked.

Tea didn’t answer but seemed to concede the point.  They went to the waiting room and sat there for an hour, until Larry returned.  “Tea, can I see you in private please?”

Tea turned to Blair and her sister-in-law nodded.  Then, she followed the doctor into his office. 

That had Blair worried.  She had meant what she had said.  She’d had to deal with Victor thinking he’d lost Tea once.  It had been an awful time for the man and it made her realize how much Victor loved Tea.  At the time, it had awakened her jealousy but also drew on her sympathy.  Now, it left her at peace, finally seeing that it wasn’t that ‘Todd’ had fallen out of love with her, but that it was the fact that Victor had never loved her.  And even though Todd wasn’t there, she felt his love radiating from the ring she still kept hidden on her finger.

Tea came back into the waiting area, a stunned look on her face.  Blair stood up immediately, panic coming off of her.  “What is it?  What did Larry say?”

Tea’s hand moved to her stomach.  “It’s not a stomach flu or even anxiety.”  She looked down at her belly and a smile dawned on her face.  “I’m pregnant,” she said, as tears welled up in her eyes.