The scene back at Victor's home wasn't the most welcoming one. Blair was angry at him, in all her feisty beauty, for getting Starr involved in the escape, and of course, Starr's own decisions were not considered. It was his fault. He was almost overtaken at the sight and proximity of her. But, he was trying to protect her and the children. The thought of something happening to them, when he was so close to having them back, having her back in his arms, was too frightening to consider. Drastic times required drastic measures. So, he broke out, with Starr's adorable help, and ended up facing the music from his wife. "I'll make everything right," he had told her, and left, but not before remembering the location of the chip, and capturing the ring off Tina's finger.
Tea, who was constantly trying to get his attention to talk legal angles, was also none the happier with his choices. Tina, who he had not seen in years, was also present (imagine that, a will reading and Tina just appears). His biggest shock had been two things; Victor's will said he left everything to Irene, and Jack called the police and turned him in. So, this was what he reviewed in his mind while he made his way to the docks to meet his insane mother. "This is what I get for making fun of Blair's nutcase side of the family all those years," he said aloud. He stood, gazing over the ocean, his hair slightly moving in an almost-non-existent breeze, his eyes scanning the ocean for danger. On his hand, middle finger, the appropriate one even though it did not fit, was his biological father's ring. He knew he had once worn it, and that he had somehow lost it as well. Trying to remember the loss of the ring still brought some mild pain to him; he was still not certain how he had gotten into what he had gotten into for the previous eight years. It seemed his mind wasn't going to allow him to find out, either, at least not yet.
He thought of Jack, how pained he was, and how he knew it was his own fault, for in his own pain, he had given Jack away. In his own self-loathing, and certainty that Blair could not really love him, or share herself with another man's child and him equally, he had taken the baby away. Jack's knowledge of this had to be part of his hatred. There were few other explanations. He wished he had that to do over again, so that he could make it up to Jack, somehow, and treat him how he always treated Starr.
Though he was not always perfect with her either, he had loved and bonded with Starr immediately and held her closer to his heart than anything else in his life. He still could remember the day he left the clinic in Switzerland to board the plane. He had been tired, from lack of sleep, and edgy with nervous anticipation, but he had sought Tom and Pete relentlessly, and neither appeared. He had tried every trick he knew, including purchasing a lighter similar to his father's and attempting "the game." He waited, in the airport that day, with one meager bag of his belongings, and several, shiny, pink and white packages for Blair and the baby. Everything seemed to be positive ahead. He would be reunited with his family at last, and was coming back whole. Certain that Pete and Tom were gone, he had been able to rest on the plane ride. Well, as certain as he could be without knowing the series of events that followed in 1996.
And, here he stood today, thinking the same kinds of things. He would be reunited with his family soon, and wanted to be whole. He wanted to be rid of the past, and rid of the threat of Irene. He wanted to remember everything, deal with it, and move on from it. He wanted to make a life with her, more than ever. He wanted everything back. Of course, he had nothing to offer them but his love this time, and hoped it would be enough.
Irene came around the corner suddenly, out of the shadows, and proceeded to hold a gun on him while insisting she get the chip, which was embedded in the ring. At times, during the banter, he could not really wrap his mind around the fact that this was his mother who was holding him at gunpoint; that his mother was the one who was cruel enough to torture him for eight years and slice a scar into his unsuspecting brother's face. If all of that were true, he still had no proof or memory. But, this was his mother, who just admitted she had killed poor Louie and thrown him and the gun into the harbor. In his astonishment, he felt Pete rising up, but cast him down and talked from his soul.
"Give me the ring, Todd, and we can be finished with this, once and for all."
"You sick, disgusting monster." How many times had that word been hurled at him? It was perfect for this occasion.
"Is that any way to talk to your mother?"
"You are not my mother. You ma have given birth to me, but no mother would give her child to the likes of Peter Manning. You had me locked up, you had me tortured, I was shocked senseless, I was bled white for eight years."
"I really wish you would let this go."
He began to lose composure. "You kept me from my family. From all the people that I love. You took my brother and you just put him in my place..."
"And no one was the wiser."
"And now you've killed Louie? Louie, who pulled me out of the water. He saved my life when your goons shot me. Louie was a complete stranger, and he tried to help me, and look at you, you call yourself my mother, you're gonna kill me?"
"Please, Todd, it doesn't have to be this way."
"No, it doesn't!" He put the ring in front of her. "You want this so badly, this means so much to you? Fine! Go get it!" And he hauled back and chucked the ring into the ocean.
After carrying on for quite some time, screaming various versions of "no" and acting as though she was just murdered herself, Irene became wild-eyed and drew the gun forward toward him. After a few more words that he shot at her, she boldly shot him, causing him to drop to the pier. Blood seeped from the wound in his arm, and he struggled to his knees.
She circled like a lion surveying prey, and held the gun toward the back of his head. In his attempts to reason with her, he attempted to bargain more, not for himself, but for the fact that after he was dead, she was certain to kill his family, one by one, as promised, and he had to make it right. Suddenly, just when he expected her to pull the trigger and end his life, he heard a distant ruckuss, reminiscent of the Guy Armitage boat incident.
Hearing her subsequent words caused him to falter more. He fought The Dark Mass with every ounce of him. The pain in his arm was searing, the sound in his ears was deafening, as she explained it was the noise of the death of his family. The Dark Mass was attempting to take over, put him into a nothingness of escape, while Tom pleaded and cried in the forefront. Pete plummeted to the front, pushing by Tom and threatening to explode forward, but Todd kept him at bay. If anything, he would have to do this himself. Yes, Irene needed to deal with The Real Todd Manning himself.
Tweet
No comments:
Post a Comment
Provide us with feedback, but be courteous in your comments and criticism. Thanks!