Dance with the Devil: Chapter 32

The Manning/Lord/Buchanan contingent was sitting in the Metrocourt’s restaurant waiting for Matt Harmon to show up and discussing the events going on Llanview.  Todd was telling his sister about his encounter with Sam Morgan and hiring her and Spinelli to look into what happened to Victor.  “I told him to look up Roxy.  That will a laugh riot when they get talking.  Neither one will understand a word the other will say.”

Viki just smiled at Todd.  “I do actually appreciate that you are trying to find your brother,” she said. 

She was about to continue when Clint spoke up.  “Ah, this must be Dr. Harmon now,” he said as a man rolled up in his wheelchair. 

Todd just turned to Clint.  He was about to say something when the doctor held out his hand.  “I guess this wasn’t what you’d expect,” he said politely.  “I can assure you, Mr. Manning, I am a quite capable surgeon.  And if you need a recommendation, here she is.”  An older blonde woman came down and stood behind him.  “Todd Manning, Dr. Monica Quartermaine, chief of staff at GH.”

Monica greeted the party and sat down.  She went over her experience with Dr. Harmon from his residency years ago.  “He fought hard to prove himself but he has succeeded.” 

They continued to talk more about the procedure and a time table for the surgery.  Then the conversation moved to another matter.  “So, Dr. Quartermaine, I hear we’re going to be neighbors,” Todd informed her.

Monica raised an eyebrow.  “You bought the estate next to me?  Well, that is interesting.  I would have thought that you would be returning to Pennsylvania when you were all healed.”

Todd looked at Viki.  His expression softened as he said,  “Llanview will always be my home, where my family is.  But it’s too small.  Blair and I decided we want a fresh start.  It’s something we should have done years ago but things got in the way.  I’ll always got to Llanview to visit but living there…”

“Todd, wherever you are happy, than that is where you should be.  I would at least like it if you returned for my wedding,” Viki said.

Todd made a face as he looked at Clint.  “Not again?” came out the whine.  “You’re really hitching your wagon to this cowboy,” he said in mock disgust.  “What would Asa say if he were alive?”

Clint laughed.  “He’d be tickled pink, I’d say.  Asa came to think of Viki and Nora as the daughters he was never blessed with.”

“That he did, Clint,” came a new voice.  The party turned and saw Bo an Nora enter the room.  “Hell, he was throwing us enough curveballs when you and Nora and Viki and Charlie got married.”

Todd had a vague memory of hearing the name Charlie.  When he looked at Blair, she reminded him, “I mentioned him after I found you in the cabin.  Viki and Charlie had a double ceremony with Clint and Nora.”

Todd raised an eyebrow at the Llanview district attorney.  “You,” he asked, pointing at Nora, “married him?” pointing to Clint.  Nora gave him a steely expression as Todd ran the image through his mind.  “And how did Police Commissioner Bo feel about that?”

“He kissed her the night before the wedding,” Clint said in a ticked off attitude.  “And then there was the stunt your brother pulled in church.” 

Todd looked to Viki, who rolled her eyes recalling the day.  When Todd implored her to tell him, she said.  “As they were getting to the part about objection, his cellphone went off with the most obnoxious ringtone you could imagine.  And then he took the call, interrupting the ceremony.  And guess who that call was from,” she said, glaring at Blair.  

The woman in question nearly choked on her drink.  Todd smiled at her with pride but then  asked,  “Why were you calling the jerk?” 

Blair sighed.  “I may have been slightly drunk and annoyed that he was there with Tea.  And Dorian may also have been slightly tipsy herself.  But she called it.  She said that it would always be Bo and Nora and Clint and Viki.”

Todd roared with laughter.  “God, I really did miss the social event of the decade.  I would have paid money to see that wedding!”  He turned to his sister, whose expression had turned from a sweet one to her typical annoyed face.  He tried to reign in his laughter, assuring her that he would be there for her when she remarried Clint.

She touched his cheek and smiled as she said, “You’d better.  And just to let you know, I will be confiscating you phone before the service.  I certainly don’t want a repeat of that wedding.”

As the adults were enjoying their dinner, Starr and Danie were at the docks.  Danie had calmed down.  “It’s just been so difficult the last few weeks.  And now with my mom.  And I don’t know where to turn,” she said.

“If it’s that difficult, maybe you can stay with us,” Starr suggested.  “We’ll have plenty of room for you in the new house and you and Dad can finally get to know each other.”

Danie shook her head.  “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.  Besides, Aunt Viki is letting me stay with her and my mom is at least aware of that.”

Starr sighed.  “Well, at least while you’re here, you and Dad should talk.  You are, after all, his daughter,” she reasoned.

Danie got up from the bench.  “We should get back to the diner.  I’m really hungry.”  With that, she left a very confused Starr behind. 

By time they got back to Kelly’s, Molly Lansing-Davis had joined the boys and was in a conversation with Jack about the ins and outs of Port Charles High.  Danie sat back down at the table, but Starr went over to the counter. 

Joining her there was Michael, who had a concerned look on his face.  “Something wrong?” he asked.

Starr looked back as Jack introduced Molly and Danie.  “My sister, Danie.  I know she’s been through a lot lately, but when we were talking out on the dock, whenever I mentioned out dad, she was acting all skittish.”

“Does she have a close relationship with him?” Michael inquired.

Starr shook her head.  “No.  I’ll admit, Dad’s been…I don’t know, weird about her since he came back last year.”  She turned to him.  “One of the things my dad hates most about my grandfather Victor is that he left four illegitimate kids, my dad, my Uncle Victor, my Aunt Tina and another one.  Dad’s always been kind of old-fashioned about children.  He never really seemed interested in having them with anyone other than my mother.  Uncle Victor, he was another story. He accepted Danie immediately.”

Michael could tell something from the look in her eyes that her last statement stung with her.  “How did you handle that?”

“I was fine, but it did hurt.  My ‘dad’ and I were in a bad place for a long time and honestly, we never healed.  But, I’ll admit, it did feel like I was being replaced by Danie,” she replied.

“Until Todd came back.”  It was a statement, not a question.

“When Dad came back, he just felt right.  I felt safe and happy, even before we knew as much as we did.  He never raised his voice, he never threatened me, he never left any doubt in my mind how much he loved me,” Starr confided.  “I saw the same with Jack and I even see it with Sam.  We’re the children of Blair Cramer and that’s enough for Dad.”

“But  Danie is Tea’s daughter, so she’s different?”  When Starr nodded, Michael shook his head.  “That’s one thing about my dad.  He has never treated any of us differently, even if we have different mothers or are adopted.  My brother Morgan, Kristina, Dante, hell, even Molly, he loves all of us equally.”  Michael then offered his opinion, “It shouldn’t be like that.”

“Well, that’s the difference between our fathers,” she said with a sigh.  “I guess my dad is just not wired to that kind of thinking.”

The Manning family finished up and left the diner.  As they arrived back at their rooms, their parents, aunt and uncle were also at the door.  Danie saw Todd, but only offered a quiet good night to him before going into the suite with Viki and Clint.  A few minutes after the Manning retired to their own rooms, Blair remembered she had to tell Viki something.  “I’ll be right back,” she said, giving Todd a quick kiss.

When she made her way to the other room, she heard voices on the other side of the door that hadn‘t been closed the entire way.  “He’s never cared about me anyway!  Why shouldn’t I tell him?  He’ll finally be rid of me as an obligation.”

“Danie, you don’t realize what your father has been through, what he still has to go through.  And I can’t imagine how he’ll react, let alone Blair,” Viki’s voice tried to say calmly.

“But that’s the point!  He’s not my father!  Mom lied to get him to love her and the Todd Manning here, in this hotel, never did and never will!” Danie’s voice yelled.

Blair threw open the door the rest of the way, anger boiling over.  To the shock of the suite’s occupants she said, low and almost deadly,  “Tea lied to about her daughter to get Todd?”  

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.