The Devil You Know: Chapter 15

As they were heading to the car, Todd’s phone rang.  “It’s Viki,” he announced as he went to answer it.  “Hey, sis.  Yeah, we were just heading back to Crème Brule.  Okay, I don’t think that’ll be a problem.  See you in a few.”  He ended the call, climbing into the car.  “Viki want us to go over to Llanfair.”

“Did she say why?” Blair asked, pointing the car in the direction of the Lord family estate.

Todd shook his head, wordless.  After getting out, Todd, Blair, Jack, Molly and Sam trooped up to the front door.  Ringing the bell, Todd was surprised to see his own butler answer the door.  “Reg, what are you doing in Llanview?”

“Oh, that was my doing, Mr. Manning,” said Nigel as he approached the group entering the foyer.  “With all the added family that was going to be here for this weekend, Mr. Buchanan allowed me to hire additional staff.”

“Yeah, Nigel called me last week with the offer and since you gave me the time off, I figured, what the heck.  Can’t be any crazier than the Quartermaine’s at Thanksgiving,” Reginald explained.

Todd looked between the two men.  “I didn’t even realize you two knew each other.”

“Oh, Nigel sent me a sympathy card after he heard you had hired me,” the Manning butler said.

When Todd gave Nigel a look, Asa Buchanan’s former manservant merely shrugged his shoulders.  He was prevented from say anything further by the entrance of Viki Lord.  Todd looked at her as he said, “You called, I’m here.  What up?”

“Maybe the children would like a snack.  I have fresh baked cookies in the kitchen,” she said, eying Jack, Molly and Sam.  “Nigel, if you would please.”

Nigel hustled the kids away as Reginald went off in another direction.  When they were gone, Todd finally noticed the doors to the library were closed.  “Okay Viki, what’s going on?”

She gave him a stern-faced look.  “Todd, tomorrow, all the family will be here and then we have my wedding.  I would like this weekend to go as peacefully as possible. To do that,” she said as she opened the doors, revealing her son, Kevin, “I want the two of you to hash out any differences here and now, and leave it for the rest of the time you are in each others presence.”

Kevin Buchanan stood up as the door were opened and when he saw his uncle, his face fell.  “So, it is true,” he said, looking Todd over.  “You really are back.”

Todd turned to Viki and Blair.  “Can you give us a few minutes?”  With that, he ushered them out of the room and closed the door.  Then he turned back to Kevin.  “It’s been a long time Kev.”

“Not long enough if you ask me,” he said, moving over to the bar.  “When Mom first told me last year about you and the other one, I didn’t believe it.  Then, hearing you were on trial for murder, well, that start to convince me it had to be true.  But seeing you now…”

“Yeah, that’s me, ex-con Todd.”  He moved to sit on the couch, putting as much emphasis into his back injury as he could.  It garnered him no sympathy from Viki’s son.  “How have your last nine years been?”  When Kevin didn’t answer immediately, Todd began, “I was beaten, drugged and tortured for most of that time.  Screwed me up so bad that I did a time warp.  Came back and no one believed it was really me.  Found out I had been replaced by a twin brother I never knew I had who sent a wrecking ball through my wife and kids while I was gone.  Then I was convinced I killed the SOB, which only separated me more from my family and basically made me an exile.”  He then gave off a piercing stare.  “And how was your charmed life while I was gone?”

“I see you haven’t changed much, Uncle Todd.  Still the same arrogant bastard you always were,” Kevin retorted. 

That pissed Todd off more.  “Let’s see if I remember what I looked over in the archives.  You married Kelly Cramer, became Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, left that for your granddaddy’s company.  Now you live a sweet life in London, from what I hear, so all in all, who’s had the better last decade?”

“I lost two sons, Todd,” Kevin told him roughly.

“I lost a granddaughter I didn’t even know for six months,” Todd retorted.  “I’m sorry about your sons, though.  But, hey, thanks for exposing ‘Todd Manning’ to Llanview.”

“What are you talking about?”

“From what I hear, you figured out who ‘Walker Laurence’ was before everyone else.”

Kevin let out a sigh.  “Starr was the one who believed it first.”

“Starr was a little girl who missed her father.  But I should expect a bozo like you to fall for something like this,”  Todd yelled.  “You know what, if anything, it’s you who hasn’t changed in all these years.”

“Is that so?” Kevin challenged him.

“You still think we’re in the KAD house…in that room.  Now, I may never forgive myself for that night, but others have.  And, according to Blair, Marty was one of them,” Todd replied.  “At least until my crazy brother tried to make her fall in love with him when she was suffering from amnesia.  That’s beside the point.”  He let out a sigh.  “Fine, I’ll admit it.  I’m an A number one fuck-up.  Have been since college.”

“Yeah and look what it got you.  Millions of dollars, a sister you don’t deserve, a woman and kids who seem to adore you, despite everything,”  Kevin said, shaking his head in disgust. 

Todd looked away.  “You know what I’d give it all back for?”  Kevin turned to him, giving him an incredulous look.  “Your childhood.”

Kevin let out a derisive laugh.  “My childhood?”

“We were both adopted and even though I can’t stand most of the Buchanan men, you got a great father in Clint.  You try having Peter Manning as your dad and see if it doesn’t screw you up.  I may have made it a lot worse, but Peter…”  Todd flashed on a memory of his adoptive father yelling at him, pushing him around.  He didn’t remember exactly when or where it was, but he must have gotten lost in the memory, because he took a while to hear Kevin’s voice. 

“Todd?”  The other man finally looked at him.  “Where’d you go to?”  There was the sound of actual concern in his voice.

“Look, Kevin, for Viki’s sake, we should just stay out of each other’s way this weekend.  Besides, you may have fresh meat tomorrow, so you won’t have time for me,” Todd said, getting up to leave.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s a guy coming to dinner.  His name is Nikolas Cassadine.  I already warned him off Jessica, but he may not take my advice.  Just keep your eye on him.”  With that, Todd opened the door and was nearly knocked over by Viki, Blair, Jack, Sam, Molly, Reginald and Nigel, who had obviously been eavesdropping.  “Your son’s still in one piece,” Todd informed his sister as he came into the foyer.  “Look, Blair, my back’s really bothering me.  Let’s get back to Dorian’s mausoleum.” 

After they left, Viki found her son still in the library.  “How are you doing?” she asked.

“I still can’t stand him,” Kevin admitted, “But…he got me thinking.”

“About what?”

“Do you think he’s changed?  I wouldn’t think that was ever possible,” Kevin admitted.

“I know he has.  He had changed the minute I first saw him last year,”  Viki said gently.  “I did overhear part of what he said to you earlier.  About still being in that night.  Well, he still lives in another night, the one where I told him what my father did to me when I was a child.”

Kevin took his mother’s hand.  He remembered the agony she went through all those years ago, reliving those nightmares.  “Mom, if it’s too much…”

“No, I’m fine.  But when you see Todd, you still see him from all those years ago whereas I see the man who was happy and waiting to get married, and having it all crushed with the truth of what his father, his biological father, was.  He’s never gotten out from under it and I think it’s done far more damage then anything else,” Viki explained. 

Kevin stood up and looked out onto the patio.  “He kind of zoned out for a minute.  Know what that’s about?”

“Well, he was diagnosed with PTSD and despite what a number of people in this town may think, I do believe he is suffering from it.  I think he has been for a long time,” Viki said.  “What were you talking about when this happened?”

“He mentioned that I was the lucky one, being adopted and raised by Clint.  I do remember Peter Manning being unpleasant, but I never really thought about just how bad he was,” Kevin said.  “If you had known about Todd, about how Peter really treated him,  would you have stepped in?”

“I never thought about that, but yes, absolutely, I would have.  No child deserves to be treated like that,” Viki replied.  Then she chuckled.  “Can you imagine if I had raised Tina, Todd and Victor, along with you, Joey and your sisters?”

The image ran through Kevin’s head and he rolled his eyes, thinking of how his mother would have been able to handle that.  “We all would have been a handful.  But we would have all been loved.”  With that, he kissed him mother o the cheek.  “Okay, I promise you, I’ll be pleasant to Todd and Victor this weekend.  Can’t promise anything beyond that, though.”

Viki’s eyes danced and she embraced her son, silently thanking him for his promise.


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