The Devil You Know: Chapter 21

Reginald heard the limo pull up in the drive of Llanfair and went to open the door for the family.  He greeted Viki and Tina, who both accept it warmly, but Todd and Victor trotted into the house as if coming home from parent/teacher conferences, where they were the misbehaving students.  Todd at least gave the butler as sour smile.  His twin looked like he was looking for a way out of the place from the minute he stepped inside.

“Lois has rooms made up for you, so why don’t you put your overnight bags upstairs,” Viki said.  Victor hustled up the stairs, but Todd, with his cane and bad back, had to take them a bit slower.

Viki and Tina walked into the library to wait for their brothers.  Viki went to pour herself a glass of water.  When she finished, she turned to her sister.  “Something tell me it’s going to be a long night.”

“Maybe this really wasn’t such a good idea,” Tina hedged, think the situation over. 

Viki walked over to the mantle, sweeping a little bit of dust away.  “No, actually, I think it was one of your more brilliant ideas,” Viki replied with a smile, which Tina returned gratefully.

“Sorry, sis, but I have to disagree with your there,” Victor said, walking in.  “I’d rather be at home with my wife and kids.  But someone” he eyed the red-head, “thinks we need to all talk.”

“I think it’s a great idea, actually,” Todd commented as he answered.  Tina smiled in appreciation, but Viki knew he said it just to be contrary to his brother. 

“Todd, you look a little stiff.  Why don’t you have a seat,” Tina said.  Unfortunately, the doorbell rang.

Todd, being the closest, held up his hands.  “I’ll get it,” he said, deciding to be helpful for the night.  Anything to show up Victor.  On the other side, he found an man in a checkered shirt and work jeans.  “Who are you?” he asked impolitely.

The man looked at the house number.  “Does Viki still live here?” he asked in return.

“Yeah.  Who wants to know?”

“I’m Charlie Banks, her ex-husband,” the man said, holding out his hand.

A memory of a conversation with Blair up in the cabin flashed through Todd’s mind, though he was surprised he even remembered it, as he had just been shot.  “Oh, yes, Viki’s last husband.”  Todd stepped aside, shaking the outstretched hand.  “I’m her brother Todd.”

“I know her brother, but I don’t think you’re Todd,” Charlie argued mildly.

“Ah, yes, you must have met the model 2.0 of Todd Manning aka Victor Lord, Junior.  I’m the original.”

At that, Viki came into the foyer.  “Thank you, Todd,” she said in a tone that indicated he should get out of the room.

“Well, it was nice meeting you, Charlie Banks, and no fooling around with my sister.  She’s getting married tomorrow,” he told the other man.  Then thinking better of it he added, “On second thought, maybe you can talk her out of this foolish idea of getting back into bed with Clint Buchanan.”  With that, Todd headed back into the library.  After he was in, Viki closed the doors behind him.  “But I wanted to hear their conversation.”  He grumbled some more, went to fix himself a drink and crashed onto the couch.  “She really married that lump?”

“That the guy she met at the greasy spoon in Texas,” Victor informed him.

“Explain to me again why she decided on a career change from publisher to waitress,” Todd said.  “I think I missed that one after I got back from my eight years locked up and away from all the people I love…and Tina.”

“Why do I think you’re never going to let us forget that?” the sister still in the room asked.

“Because you’re right,” Todd admitted.

Viki returned to the library and closed the door again.  “In the morning, I want you to apologizes to Charlie.”

“Why?” he sputtered.  “What did I do?”

“Aside from being rude?”

“Oh, he was just being himself,” Victor said, a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Or I could say I was just being you.  I highly doubt you welcomed him into the family with open arms,” Todd retorted.  “Why is he here?  Trying to rekindle the flame?”

Viki shook her head and looked skyward for any assistance.  “For your information, I invited him.  He help me realize some things in my life last December.  And when we split, we did so amicably.”

There was silence in the library that stretched for a few moments.  Then Victor began snidely, “So what do we all want to talk about?”

‘What about some people’s attitude adjustments?” Tina remarked.  “Look, how often have we had this opportunity to all be in the same place, under the same roof like a real family?”

“Yes, because life growing up with Victor Lord would have been so wonderful,” came Victor’s rejoinder.  When he saw Viki’s look, he at least felt contrite.  “Sorry, I know…”

“No, you are right.  Life with Father…was hell.  I don’t want to think what he would have done with any of you,” Viki thought aloud.

Todd found himself staring off into space at the mention of the old man.  The picture of Victor Lord, the one in Sloan Carpenter’s biography melded with the image of Peter Manning which melted into another memory.  Unfortunately, that one was elusive.

His expression was noticed by Tina.  “What are you thinking, Todd?” she asked.

Todd tore his mind away from its wanderings at the sound of her voice.  “Nothing.  I wasn’t thinking of anything.”

“Liar,” Victor called out.  “You were thinking about Peter.”  A knowing look settled on his face.

Todd looked down, playing with an invisible piece of lint on his slacks.  He didn’t want to confirm his twin’s assessment, but he couldn’t ignore it either.  Finally, he nodded slightly looking into Victor‘s eyes, which softened in sympathy but also seemed to laugh with glee.  “Get out of my head, will you?” he said, almost jokingly

“Well, Viki had to deal with Father, Todd had to deal with Peter.  I didn’t have such a great father figure either.  Ted Clayton turned out to be a psycho also,” Tina said. 

“That is true,” Viki replied.  “He tried to con money out of the family, then he murdered a good friend.”

“And then there’s you.” Todd fixed his brother with a gaze.  “Where did Irene stick you for thirty-three years anyway?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” came Victor’s reply.  “I’m not looking to my past.  It’s not worth it.”

“Good for you.  However, some of us made promises to our kids about telling them about our pasts.  That’s why I’m taking Blair and the kids to Chicago after the wedding.  I’ve got some loose ends that need tying up,” Told informed them all.

“That’s very good, Todd.  I think it will help you immensely,” Viki said, a smile beaming from her face. 

Todd was embarrassed by his sister’s display and got up to take a picture off the mantle.  “So none of us had happy childhoods, right?”  Then he turned for them to see the picture.  “What as life with Victor like for Merrie?”

Viki rose and took it from his hand.  “Father thought Merrie was very weak and docile.  He never pushed her like he did me.  But she was actually quite rebellious, in her own way.  Like marrying Larry Wolek.  They had a few rough spots, but she knew he was the one for her and she won’t hear a thing Father said against him.”

“I got that sense when I…you know…” Todd said sheepishly.

“What are you talking about?” Victor asked. 

Todd sat on the arm of the chair Victor was occupying.  “When I was shot, I thought I was going to die and this woman appeared to me.  It was Merrie.  I remembered her from the at picture there in Viki’s hand.  And she knocked me upside my head and berated me.”  He spread his hands, thinking of how to explain it.  “Think of a typical Viki lecture, only with violence.”    

“But did it work?” their eldest sister asked.

“Well, I guess…in a way,” he stuttered.

“Good, so I know how to get through to you next time.”  Viki got up and replaced Merrie’s picture.  Her eyes shifted to a shot of her and Joe. 

Tina stood up and walked over to her, seeing what had drawn her attention.  “Do you still miss him?”

“Yes, I do.  As much as I loved Ben or Sloan or Charlie or even Clint, there’s still a part of my heart that belongs to Joe,” Viki sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. 

“You mean Ben’s,” her brothers said in unison before giving each other a dirty look.

She chuckled at their duet.  “Yes, I mean Ben’s.  But think of how different my life would have been if Joe hadn’t died all those years ago.  How different all our lives would have been”

“Well, for one thing, no Asa Buchanan darkening our door,” Victor observed.

“Oh, definite check in the plus column,”  Todd agreed. 

But then Viki pointed out, “If I never had to meet Clint, then no Cord.”

“Another point on the plus side,” came Victor reply.

“No Cord means no CJ and Sarah,” Tina retorted, “which would probably have meant no pardon for someone in this room.”

No comment was forthcoming from either of the men.

“Plus, no Clint means no Jessica, who I know is still both your favorite,” Viki imputed.

“Okay, so two, maybe three Buchanan benefits,” Todd reluctantly agreed.  Then he thought about it.  “No Asa may have also meant no Blair he would have married, even if she is Dorian’s niece.  And no Blair would have led to no custody battle and no Tea.”

Victor connected the dots Todd had laid out.  “Yeah, I guess.”

“I never really thought of Joe,” Todd began.  “The only time we were in anything close to the same orbit was when I showed up at the cemetery after coming back from Ireland.”  He smiled at Viki.  “You thought you were looking at a ghost.”

“I still remember you, raging at Blair for her betrayal,” Viki replied.

“Worst mistake of my life, after going to Ireland.  The years I wasted,” he grumbled, finishing off the drink in his hands. 

“But she took you back,” Tina said.  Then she paused, a realization coming to her.  “If you think about it, they all have taken us back, Cord, Clint, Blair and Tea.”

“Not me,” Victor objected.  “Tea and I have never had a breakup.”

“Yes you did, when she thought she was getting Todd Manning back,” Todd countered.  “She thought that ‘Todd’ had finally chosen her and she was wrong.  And besides, look at what she had to put up with, with that thinking.  I heard about Powell’s return and how she and Blair got caught up in it.”  He went to pour his another glass.  “Why do they do it?”

“Do what, Todd?” Viki asked.

“Take us back.  Haven’t we screwed up their lives enough, with affairs and crazy schemes and all our past coming back and biting us, and them, in the ass?” Todd questioned.

“Because they love us,” came Tina’s simple answer.  “And I think we are blessed for it.  I mean, we were just talking about how crappy our childhoods were.  But if we hadn’t gone through those, would we have ended up with them?  I’d take that trade-off if I knew I would fall in love with someone like Cord.”

“And Clint helped me so much in dealing with the trauma of what Father did to me,” Viki added.  “We were even together then, but he was there and he listened and he cared for me.”   

“Hell, I was shocked when Tea stayed by my side when all that mess came out last summer.  I was willing to let her go, but she wouldn’t hear of it and I loved her so much more for it,” Victor said.

“And Blair has always been there.  She’s seen the worst of me, time and time again.  Most women who have run from that first moment.  Hell, she did when she first saw the monitor,” Todd remembered.  “But we had a connection from the very beginning.  And it has given me everything good in my life since that day.  That‘s why I‘ve never loved any other woman but her.”

In that moment, the siblings silently realized that the journey to this point may have been long and hard, but the payoff had been worth it.  And, that the loves of their lives had truly saved them.


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