The Shadows Fall: Chapter 8

A carriage ride through the city was what he had planned for them, and she mounted the carriage with enthusiasm.  Sitting, she pulled her fur shrug closer, and snuggled next to him.  The Autumn air was crisp and energizing; the day was one with a deep blue sky without a single cloud overhead.  The leaves on the trees lining the streets were still at the point of turning colors and hanging on for life.

Folks were definitely staring, and she loved it.  Throwing her head back, she laughed and put her head on his shoulder.  "Where are we off to, Mr. Manning?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Two-Minutes-to-Be-Manning.  You'll have to wait and see."

Todd had arranged it so that they would be taken the most round-about route to get to their destination, to fool her into confusion about the location of the ceremony.  Each time they neared a possible venue, she would guess and be wrong.  Finally, she gave up guessing and just enjoyed the ride, sun shining off his hair.  "You look so happy," she said to him, touching his face.

"I am so happy."  He was as happy as he thought he could be, if this was what happy felt like.

"I can't believe how much I want to see this look on your face.  I've seen it sometimes, but, not enough in your life, Todd.  You deserve this."  He looked away from her for a moment.  She continued,   "You deserve love and you deserve happiness."

He looked back to her.  Surprising her was his response.  Instead of denying his worth, "Then, I'm getting what I deserve today, I guess."

She blinked back tears, not wanting to ruin her make-up before the ceremony even began.  Finally, they turned a corner and she excitedly sat up.  "The park?" He smiled, and she hugged his neck.  

Disembarking, the crowd was already present.  It was a small group, but every person there meant something to either of them or both.  Their children were scrubbed-faced happiness; Viki was beaming with pride; the cousins were giggles and smiles as they walked off from the carriage and toward their place, together, at the archway right behind their bench.  Todd's 'minions,' as he called them, had done an amazing job of transforming the park into an airy cathedral with flowers, pedestals, and chairs with crimson cushions.  Attached to the ends of each aisle of chairs were floating gold balloons with trailing red ribbons.  As they walked down the red carpeted aisle, she whispered, "Someone leaked the color scheme."

He smiled, whispering back, "You couldn't have expected me to piss off Dorian more, and go pink, could you?"

At the makeshift altar, which was composed of the park bench where they first found each other and scarlet ribbons, Andrew waited.  Blair choked up, not expecting her cousin's ex to officiate.  They joined hands in front of him and paused, looking at each other.  Opting for a simple and traditional script for the ceremony, Todd wanting to have her be Mrs. Manning as quickly as possible, after the long wait they had endured.  Following the vows, the ceremony halted, and Todd looked at her, questioningly.  "What's up, Blair?  Change your mind?"

"No.  It's time for your gift."

He waited.  She backed away from him and headed to a small area reserved for the organist and took the microphone.  He teared up immediately, knowing that he was about to hear her angelic voice.

The very thought of you makes
My heart sing
Like an April breeze
On the wings of Spring
And you appear in all your splendor
My one and only love


The shadows fall
And spread their mystic charms
In the hush of night
While you’re in my arms
I feel your lips so warm and tender
My one and only love


The touch of your hand is like heaven
A heaven that I’ve never known
The blush on your cheek
Whenever I speak
Tells me that you are my own


You fill my eager heart with
Such desire
Every kiss you give
Sets my soul on fire
I give myself in sweet surrender
My one and only love


The blush on your cheek
Whenever I speak
Tells me that you are my own
You fill my eager heart with
Such desire
Every kiss you give
Sets my soul on fire
I give myself in sweet surrender
My one and only love


My one and only love

The crowd fell into applause, and he approached the grandstand, and pulled her into an embrace.  Kissing her, the audience melted away for a moment, and separating, he helped her descend the small platform to return to the archway and the Reverend Carpenter.  

As he pronounced them man and wife, Todd took her face in his hands and kissed her with a backdrop of claps and sparse cheers.  They turned to make their way back through the guests to the carriage, and he scanned the crowd, feeling the overwhelming press of family and friends.  People he knew, and that knew him, surrounded them on both sides.  He scanned the faces; some who had hated him, feared him, and wanted nothing but him behind bars.  He began shaking, but countered this with a reminder in his own mind.  Manning, that's all behind you.  They wouldn't be here if they didn't see it differently now.  Don't ruin this.  Don't.

He scanned the crowd again, and saw him.  A fedora topped his head, his face was shrouded in shadow.  By his posture and the way he remained stationary, motionless, among the group, Todd recognized him immediately.  Before he could make himself speak, darkness closed in around him, and as much as he fought it, he could not.  He stopped, bringing his hand to his forehead.  He squeezed his eyes shut, and grabbed onto Blair's arm, still linked with his, for support.  She stopped, steadying him.  "Todd?  What is it?"  The crowd became a small swarm of buzzing, which seemed louder to him than it was.  Starr and Jack both rushed forward, and Viki was attempting to keep order and distract guests to give him 'a moment.'  You're ruining her day.  Don't.  Get out of the black and walk the rest of this way.  The carriage is not that far...

Without warning, he went down.  Blair let out a small cry, Jack, who had been behind him incidentally captured his shoulders and let him down easy.  Ray raced to the family, and both Bo and John stood nearby, thinking they might possibly lend assistance in some way.  John instinctively searched the crowd with his trained eyes.  Blair began to panic.  "Oh my God, Ray, what's wrong with him?  He's been....he's been doing so well."

Within moments, his eyes fluttered open, and he saw her, over him, stress all over her face, tears in her eyes.  "No, Blair, don't cry."

She felt relief rush over her.  "Oh thank God, Todd, you're all right.  You're here."

"I'm here.  I saw him, Blair.  He's here.  He wants to hurt us."

She looked to Ray, who said, "Who, Todd, who's here?"

"Carlo.  He's here."

John pulled his gun from his pocket and continued to scan the group and the perimeter of the park.  Seeing nothing but family and friends of the couple, he moved away, gun in hand, to check the area.  Bo continued to skim the group and the edges of the cathedral area.  When he turned back, Ray and Jack were helping Todd to his feet.  Blair said, "We have to get him home."

"No, no," he said, "we don't have to do any such thing.  We're going to the gazebo for champagne and hors d'oeuvres.  I'm fine."  Turning to the guests he said,  "Sorry folks, I was just overwhelmed by..." everyone got very quiet, "by the beauty of my wife, Mrs. Manning, her gift to me, and a little too much sun without any breakfast."  He looked gray.  

Viki took a cue from her brother and said, "Let's follow the carpet to the reception area, everyone," and the guests followed.

On their way, Dorian turned to Kelly and Cassie and said, "I wonder what that was all about?"

"Mother, please!"  Cassie admonished her, and the two cousins lead Dorian toward the gazebo.

Todd, Blair, Starr and Jack, with Little Sam in tow, took a different route.  The planned family ride in the carriage around the park was, with everything in his power, still going to happen.  "Let's go!"  Sam said, smiling, I want to ride in that thing!"  Pointing, he ran ahead of them to the carriage.  It was adorned with gold and red ribbons, sparkling crystal and the horses were white with red bridles and accents.  Jack and Starr followed him, Starr lifting the front of her gown as not to trip.  Blair looked to her husband.  "Are you all right?  What happened back there?"

"I don't know, Blair.  One minute I was loving you being my wife again, the next I was seeing the crowd looking at me.  I was thinking how...well, how the crowd is not really there for me.  Most of them have hated me at one time or another.  Then I saw him.  He was standing in the back of the group, he had on a hat, pulled down so I could barely see his face, and for some reason, it made me remember...I remembered The Grim Reaper.  I couldn't see the man's face, but I knew it was Carlo.  It really felt it was."

"No, honey, it wasn't Carlo.  He's in jail.  He's in Statesville for life, you know this."

He stopped, looking from her, to the kids, loading the carriage.  "I froze.  I felt that terror, Blair.  It's been such a long time, and I felt it, to my bones."  He shuddered, and she could still feel his trembling hand tight on her arm.  "I thought that was over."

"It is." She covered his hand with hers, "but nothing says you won't remember it and that it won't come back to scare us now and then.  It was a long time, Todd, and it was a lot of pain."

He swallowed.  "Not today, Mrs. Manning.  Hey kids, make room for your mother and I."  And he lead her to the carriage, sun in her hair, and claps heard from Sam, Jack and Starr, started by Little Sam of course.

***

At Statesville prison, Carlo Hesser was napping in his bunk.  A guard appeared at his cell.  "Hesser.  Time for that phone call you wanted."  He got up lazily. The guard continued, "You makin' extra personal calls in here now?"

"I suppose I am, young man."  Carlo, flanked on either side by a guard, went to the phone.  Placing his hand on the open receiver, he turned to them.  "By law, I am granted privacy.  If you'll excuse me."  They made their way across the room to guard the door.

He picked up the phone, and putting it to his ear, he heard  "Hello?"

He said, "Good afternoon."

The voice responded, "It worked."

He smiled cruelly. "Excellent.  Move forward,"  and hung up the phone. 

  

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