Who's the Real Todd?: Chapter 3

Kelly stared at Todd. His whole attitude was very cavalier. She personally would be mad as all get out if someone took over her life. The fact that he was so calm bothered her. When Todd got calm it was like waiting for a cobra to strike. If this was Todd sitting across from her, then he was just waiting for the perfect time to strike, but when he struck, who would be the recipient of the anger that was being held back right now?  "You seem awfully calm about the fact that some other man has taken over your life for the last eight years. Not just your life but your family as well. I'm surprised you've contained yourself this long. When are you going to drop the other shoe, Todd? When are we going to be treated to a famous Todd outburst and who of us will you leave standing when you get your revenge? Are any of us safe?" Kelly watched as Todd's demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed and she felt like she had just offered herself up as a tasty dish to that cobra.

Todd felt his anger rolling through him at Kelly's words. He realized Kelly was asking him if he was going to retaliate against everyone who had betrayed him. It was the same question that had been tormenting him since he got back. Looking hard at Kelly, he answered.  "You want to know how mad I am at my family. Take a guess?" Todd's voice could have frozen water it was so cold.

He stood and moved away from Blair, right then he needed space between them. He moved to the Gallery, everything in him wanted to lash out. God, why had Kelly felt the need to bring up those thoughts? He stood with his back to Blair and Kelly and then caught a whiff of the alcohol still on the paintings, he remembered the last time he had lashed out and the end result. After the anger, the sorrow, and the hurt had come. In truth, the hurt was far worse than the anger. Blair and he had made definite strides to healing the hurt he felt because of her betrayal. Starr had also done everything she could to let him know she stilled loved him and was sorry for her part in the last eight years. Vicki had shown him the other day that she would never abandon him again. As he stood there he realized the anger wasn't as strong as it had been. He looked at the pictures and smiled and decided then and there to never get them cleaned. Once again, Samuel's muses had saved him. Todd turned back toward Kelly and Blair.

Kelly couldn't believe it. Todd was smiling, all signs of the anger he had just had seemed gone. What the heck  just happened? She watched fascinated by this Todd. He had always been mercurial but when he had felt betrayed, he had been like an elephant. He had never forgotten any betrayal. Something had just occurred before her very eyes. Todd had appeared ready to strike. Then he had turned on a dime and was now smiling at them, this was definitely a new Todd.

Todd looked at Blair and saw concern for him in her eyes. "I'm alright." She relaxed and smiled at him. He looked over at Kelly "What was that question again? Oh yes, I remember, my feelings. I'm angry, Kelly sometimes so much my blood boils. Do I want revenge? Yes. Who's going to be on the receiving end of that anger remains to be seen? Who's going to be left standing also remains to be seen? So if you're waiting for the other shoe to drop you're just going to have to wait." he smiled again.

Blair looked at Todd and said. "Todd, stop teasing her. She only stated that because of our past history. She's worried about me and Starr."

Todd grinned a silly grin in Blair's direction. "I can't help it, I'm just giving her what she's used to hearing from me," he walked back over and sat on the end of the couch the way he loved to do and looked at Kelly. "Oh alright, sheesh. Kelly, Blair and Starr and even Vicki have nothing to worry about. I love them, I have no plans to hurt them."

Kelly felt like she's stepped into a time warp. She felt like she was looking at Todd's Alter Tom. He was so easygoing, there had been times in the past that he had done some really screwball schemes in his efforts to get back together with Blair. His attitude right now reminded her of those times. She looked at his face and although he was smiling, she sensed he was serious. "Alright, I believe you don't want to hurt them but can you guarantee you won't."

"In all seriousness, I can hope that I won't. I can't guarantee anything," replied Todd sincerely. He dropped back down on the couch next to Blair. "Now let's talk about how the paper can help me get the proof I need against the Kipling Neuroscience Research Facility."

Over the next hour, Kelly found out that Todd had not lost his edge when it came to the newspaper business. As well as wanting to get some investigative reporters into the Kipling Facility to find out more about their programs and searching for evidence that Todd might have been experimented on there; Todd talked about following up the special edition with another article stating the events that brought Samuel to Llanview and his ambiguous relationship with the Lord family. Todd wanted to keep speculation mounting by the readers whether he might indeed be Todd Manning, without coming right out and saying he was. For the time being, as far as the public was concerned, he was Samuel Toddman. Kelly said her goodbyes still feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland. The world was indeed turning upside down. Samuel was Todd, Todd was someone unknown, and Kelly wondered what else could happen. On top of everything else, she was still in the dark about the identity of the mastermind behind the charade.

Blair and Todd looked at one another after Kelly left. Only hours before Todd had been berating himself because he feared his anger was going to be his undoing. Now Kelly was in their corner and they could begin to move forward with the plans to trap Carlo and for Todd to regain what really belonged to him. "Todd, things are starting to go our way. You have to be pleased that Kelly is helping. For now, though, I need to go check on Jack and find out what's been going on with him lately. Are you going to be alright?" asked Blair

"I'm better than I thought I was, Blair. When we arrived back from the Sun's offices I almost wanted to call it quits. You pulled me back from the edge, for now, I'll stay here. When Kelly questioned me about my anger, it began to once again swirl within me. I remembered just how angry I felt because all of you accepted Manning without really asking for proof. I was standing over by the paintings wanting to once again lash out but then I caught a whiff of the paintings and remembered the night that I lost it. I realized that the hurt I felt was, in fact, stronger than the anger. You and Vicki took so much of my hurt away when you both stood by me several days ago. I have to hang onto what you gave me that day, it's part of what is sustaining me. You go and check on our son. I want to know if anything else has happened to the other young man. I'm here if you need me."

An hour later Todd received a call from Kelly, it turned out Clint Buchanan had been released from custody and all charges against him were dropped. After discussing strategy on finding out all the 'whys' for the sudden turnaround, Todd let Kelly go. He hadn't heard anything from Blair and began to wonder if everything was alright with Jack. While he waited for some word from Blair, Todd decided to call the hospital and check up on Manning. He waited for an answer, then the phone was picked up.

"Hello, can I help you?" Dani answered.

"Yes, my name is Samuel Toddman and I'm a distant cousin of Todd Manning and I'm trying to find out how he is doing. Are you a nurse? I was wondering if there was any change in my cousin's condition." asked Todd.

"No, there's been no change, but I'm not a nurse, I'm his daughter Dani. I don't remember my mother telling me about any distant relatives. How did you find out about my Dad?" asked Dani, there was no answer, only silence on the other end of the line. "Hey, are you still there?" Dani looked over at Shaun.

Shaun took the phone. "Hello is anybody there? Look whoever this is, you're upsetting Dani." the connection was cut. " Dani, whoever it was hung up. What did he say to you? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Shaun.  He said he was a distant cousin and he was trying to find out how Dad was. I told him I didn't know of any distant relatives and the line went quiet. Shaun, you don't think that could have been the shooter do you? I mean why did he get quiet all of a sudden?" Dani looked from Shaun to her dad. "You don't think it was somebody who might want to hurt Dad some more, do you?"

Shaun quickly reassured her,"Dani, I'm sure he was just who he said he was. A distant relative. Look when your mom gets back, we'll ask her if she knows of any distant relatives that she didn't mention to you. Did he give you a name?"

"He said his name was Samuel Toddman, but I still don't remember Dad or Mom talking about anyone like that." said Dani and she sat back down to keep watch over her dad.

In the Penthouse, Todd was staring at the phone. Her words were rolling around in his head  ‘I’m his daughter, Dani. I don’t remember my mom telling me about any distant relatives.' Todd stumbled away from the phone and sat down. She said she was his daughter. Todd Manning's Daughter. Todd reeled as the words sank in. He had another daughter and this one was with Tea. It didn't seem possible. How could Tea have kept a daughter, secret from him? Why didn't she say something when she saw him that first day back in Llanview, she never once mentioned a child? Why if they had a child, didn't she tell him on the island? My God, she knew how he felt about his children and she never let him know he had a third. Was Dani the reason she left him back in New York? No, She hadn't said anything about being pregnant in New York. She had just said he couldn't give her what she needed and then left him. Maybe she hadn't known she was pregnant when she left. God, he had to talk to Tea.

Todd thought back to that second day that Samuel was in town when Samuel had driven to Mannings house. Todd remembered watching with Samuel as a teenage girl had arrived at Mannings house. Could that have been Dani? Todd got up, his thoughts going back to his time in New York with Tea. He had been so in love with her but he had struggled with the intimacy part that Tea had needed so desperately. The first couple of months had seemed fine. They had managed to have some semblance of a loving relationship but the last month Todd had begun having his nightmares again and their relationship had started coming apart. He still remembered the anguish he had felt when he read her letter. He had tried to find her but gave up. Then he ran into Jessica and her boyfriends, after seeing and talking to Jessica he decided to return to Llanview. He had needed to talk to someone and Vicki had seemed the logical choice. After returning to Llanview his mind had turned to renewing his relationship with Starr. Then he and Blair had found their way back to each other.

All thoughts of Tea had retreated to a corner of his mind and didn't resurface until she arrived at the front door of LaBoulae right after Blair divorced him again and had left with the kids and taken full custody of them with her. Somehow or other Tea learned of his plan to kidnap Starr and Jack and thwarted him in Hawaii. Then they had ended up on that godforsaken island. Shortly after his cohort Ross left the island to try and get some help, he and Tea found themselves alone. He began building a raft to get off the island but somewhere along the way he and Tea reconnected. They had one night before he set sail to try and get back to his kids and Blair. He still remembered her standing on the beach, that was the last time he saw her until she showed up at his door. The day she showed at the door he already knew she had married Manning, Samuel had found that out. but Samuel hadn't known about Dani. Todd walked over to the portrait of Tea, "Damn Tea, why didn't you tell me?"

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