Chasing the Monsters: 59

Blair reviewed the events of the day as she waited for the cab outside her hotel.  She could hardly remember what came before Sam running upstairs and announcing Todd's leaving.  What were they doing just before that?  

It was family day.  

Now, nothing seemed real because her man was off running to do something that could take it all away from them.

It had been a little less than four years since Todd returned from being held hostage, and during that time, she realized, there had been nothing but emotional Hell for him, aside from the fact that he got his life, money, and family back.  They'd seen the end of Leona, of Carlo, and the pseudo end of Mitch.  He'd discovered his mother was still alive, and then there was Peter.  But the end of Peter Manning didn't seem to be in sight; Blair knew, as well as Bitsy, that what prompted Todd to run off to kill Zeus was more about Peter than it was about anything else.  She knew Todd, and she knew that everything he claimed to be "over" would take years to really fade.  Was he out there planning to chase and kill a monster that he couldn't ever really see dead? 

She had to find him.

The cab approached.  She got in, checking her phone for any sign of a response to her pleads to him to call her.  There was nothing except their wedding picture from the nineties staring back at her, and the time.  Midafternoon.  She estimated he'd been there a few hours already.  She read the address off her contact list to the driver.  He put the car and gear, and they pulled off.

The last time they had been in Greece was the start of everything about Todd's real past; he'd begun to remember the real abuse in his past right there in Athens.  She swallowed, remembering him at the hotel, in the middle of the night, half awake, and out of the bed, terrified.  Her eyes filled with water as she recalled that one of the only things that calmed him then was holding their son, Ray, who was a young baby at the time.  She wasn't going to ask herself why anymore.  It was what it was, and she knew it was taking over his mind this very minute.  "Todd, come on.  Don't do this," she softly said.

***

"Just do this," he said aloud and walked closer to the house.  As he did, he found himself, sweaty, with his shirt stuck to his back, hiding behind a patch of bushes with large thorns. 

Then, he heard some chatter.  "Come on, Isabella.  Over here!"  one sweet voice said.  The child had to be Sam's age, and the melodic tones made him realize she was a girl.  

A little pattering of feet scuffled along, and then another voice, "I'm coming!" smaller, and sweeter.

He gulped, and turned away from the two little girls.  

What the fuck are you doing, Manning?

"I'm going to get some rocks for Daddy," the little one shouted, gleeful.

"He'll like that.  I'll get some flowers for Mommy."

"I want Daddy to smile.  He smiles so nice!"

"He always smiles around you," Daniella said.

"He loves me," Isabella said.

Todd closed his eyes and felt his chest deflate.  He asked himself again.  

What are you doing?  Trying to take their father from them?  That makes you . . . that would make you just like Peter Manning, wouldn't it?  A real life nightmare, a monster. . .a failure. . .

"It's almost lunch," Daniella said, putting her hand out to the smaller girl.  Both had on very white cotton dresses with pink pockets.  The younger one, Isabella, had long shining blondish hair, and reminded him, subtly, of Starr. . .

Just stop.  Stop.  Think.  You're here because . . . of Sam.  You going to do this to Sam, Ray and Jewel?  After all this?  And Jack, Starr, and Blair?  Blair.  Forget killing this guy, just tell him to leave Sam alone, once and for all.  Remember, Timothy can do it, legally.  Strangling him, that's Peter, what he would do, and what he made you feel.  That's what put you out here, that's why you're in Greece, you lost your head over those memories, that's why . . .

His foot scraped against the stucco.

"Shhh," Daniella said, "Someone's over there."  

"Where?"  Isabella said, quite interested, her perky little voice lilting in the afternoon air.

"Somewhere, that way.  Don't go over there!"

"Why?  It's probably La Flor Del Oro," Isabella said, running toward Todd.  She came directly around the bush and stood, her little face beaming up at him, and said, "Who are you?"

He relaxed, and looked at her big, round, chestnut eyes.  "I'm . . ." he stopped, and then said, "a genie."

"A genie?  Like in-a-bottle-genie, or a lamp?"  she was precocious for a just-five-year-old.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"You're not dressed like one, but, well, can I have a wish?"

"Who are you talking to?"  Daniella said, walking toward them.

"A genie!" the little one exclaimed.

Daniella rounded the bushes, and seeing Todd, she looked horrified.  "That's not a genie!  Look, he has a big scar on his face!  That's a stranger!"

"How do you know?  He could be a genie with a big scar and be a stranger!"

"No, let's go," she said, grabbing her sister's hand.

Todd said, "You don't have to be afraid . . ." but before he could say more, the older girl interrupted.

"Mama!  Mama!  Daddy!"  she said, running and pulling Isabella by the hand.

Todd straightened himself.  

You're not going to kill anybody, and you're damn well not going to scare those beautiful little girls.  

He followed them toward the house.  It was time he had a civil but direct conversation with their father.

***

The cab stopped, with the house closer but still in the distance, and Blair took out her phone. She dialed, and held it to her ear.  "Todd, answer, please?"  When she got no response, she put the phone back into her pocket.  "Please, be all right, My Love.  Please, don't fall apart."

Blair stepped out of the cab and could see the house from the road.  Handing the driver some money, she fixed her skirt and removed her jacket.  She'd forgotten that it would be balmy and sunny, and it was too uncomfortable with her jacket on.  She headed down the road toward the Zelenko home, hearing her own heels tapping on the very dry pavement.  She stopped in the center of the road and realized she was shaking.  She was terrified of losing him, and more, terrified of him losing his own mind.  "And you, Blair Manning," she said as she slowly made her way down the slight decline, "how could you think for one minute he could face all these terrible things and just forget about it?  Just move on as if it never happened?"

For some reason, it was her own mother's voice she heard in her head:  "Blame won't work, just be there for him, whatever happens."

That was what she planned to do, as she picked up her step.

***

The children had gone inside and chose the kitchen as the first place to look for their parents, which put them in direct route to Tea, who was fixing lunch for the family.  Todd, instead, took the path to the left, toward the other side of the house, which led to the living area, and a small hall, toward a door.  As he moved closer to the open door, he could hear his own son's voice:  "Can you tell my Dad, when you see him?"

He stopped, and listened, flattened against the wall to hide his presence.  Zeus said, "I can tell him, sure, Sam."

"Okay.  I'll call you again someday.  When I'm big enough to make you seem small," and the connection ended.

Todd realized what he had heard.  Sam had called Zeus, not the other way around.  He walked into the study, behind Zeus' back, slowly.  Without turning, the man said, "So, you're here, huh?  What did you come here to do, Todd, rid the world of 'The Impostor?'"

***

"Mama, there's man, he's outside,"  Daniella said.

"What man, Poquita?"

"A man, a stranger."

"No, he's not really a stranger, I don't think.  He was nice, Mama," Isabella said.

"Everyone's nice to you, Silly."  Then Daniella turned back to her mother, "He was American, I think.  I feel like I saw him before."

"That's because he's magic!"

"He is not magic, Isabella.  He's just a guy."

"No.  Mama, por favor, listen to me.  He is a genie!"

Tea dropped the butter knife she was holding and turned toward her girls.  "What?  Isabella, what did you say?"

"He said he was a genie.  I asked him if it was a bottle or a lamp, but he just said for us not to be afraid."

Daniella chimed in, "He had a scar, Mama."

Tea hustled both of the girls immediately out of the kitchen and to the staircase.  "Chicas, I want you in your room, right now.  You may play the dress-up game.  I don't want you to come out, no matter what.  You must promise me."

Both little girls nodded and scampered up the stairs.  Tea heard the door close behind them.  

It was then that she realized she still held the butter knife in her hand and headed to the other side of the house.

***

"I was," Todd admitted.

"And?"

"I'm . . . not Peter.  I can't do this to my kids.  To Blair."  His voice caught when he said her name.

"I read about all this shit, with Peter Manning, your mother, Bitsy.  You've been through a lot.  I don't blame you for wanting to kill me."

Todd tried to focus but realized his heart was beating out of control against his sternum.  "I did, I planned on it."

"I know.  I figured.  Sam sort of hinted.  By the way, he wants you to call home before you say or do anything."

"He called you."

"He did.  He doesn't want to talk to me, anymore.  Problem is, I only remember half of the reasons why.  The rest I caused this past year."

Todd grimaced, "You don't remember?"

"Not really."

"Neither did I," he said, leaning on an armchair.

"Like what?  My real memories are still foggy, in pieces.  But I've still got yours."

"No, you don't.  You only had what I could remember, and what I could tell them.  You don't have even the tip of it.  There are light years of shit you never could dream of."

Zeus was thoughtful about it.  "That sounds like fucking Hell."

"It is.  But that's not why I'm here," he said, faltering.  Zeus could see his palor changing.

"You've been in the heat too long," he said, standing.  "What about some water?"

"Stay there," Todd ordered.  "I just want you to leave Sam alone."

"The truth is, if you'll hear it, I didn't want to do this to Sam in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"Get away from him!"  Tea screeched and both men turned to look at her.  She was holding the butter knife in one hand and was crying.  "Get out of here, Todd."

Zeus said, "Tea, we're talking this out.  Todd's leaving.  He got what he came for."

"No, not really," Todd said, and his eyes were focused on Tea.  "What did he mean, Tea?"

"Nothing.  Just get out."

"He didn't want to contact Sam.  He didn't want to do it.  That means he did it for you."

"I said get out!" she shrieked.

"I heard you.  But what's this about, huh?  Trying to take Blair's son?  And why?  Because of me?  Ever since I've known you, it's always been about taking her place, hasn't it?"

Tea, who was crying uncontrollably, had tears running down her face, and her hands were shaking around the butt of the knife.  She said, "You!  You deserve nothing!  You do nothing but cause pain to everyone around you!"

"Like you, right?  Like the pain I caused you?  Is that what you mean?"

"Yes!  Like that!  You're a sick man, who can't love and can't make any woman happy."

Todd's face twisted with recognition, as Zeus' collapsed with hearing her words.

From behind all of them came a voice.  "First off, he's made this woman very happy, ever since he first spoke to me on that park bench," Blair stepped into the room from the patio french doors.  "And second, why should you care?  He never made you happy, because you never even wanted who he is, Tea.  You wanted what you thought he was, who you expected him to be.  You wanted what I had.  It took me until today to really get that."  She looked at her husband and said, "You told me she wasn't my friend, and I didn't believe you."

"Hair braiding," Todd said.  She could see through his bravado.  He was leaning awkwardly and losing control.

"Look, Sam stays, he doesn't want to come with me.  You both should just go," Zeus said.

Tea interrupted, "What, you bitch?  I married him because he needed me to so he could keep his daughter.  Remember?"

"My daughter.  Our daughter, his and mine.  And he told you up front what that marriage was to him.  Simply a job,"  Blair said.

Todd took over.  "I told you it was a business deal, nothing more."  His eyes were still on Blair as he spoke.  "I was dying inside, from losing Blair, you knew it.  And you pushed, and pushed for more.  You knew I couldn't give you what you wanted.  But it didn't matter, to you" he said, looking at Tea.  "I couldn't be what you wanted, and I'm sorry for that.  Haven't you gotten over it?  You have two beautiful girls somewhere in this house and a man that loves you.  The love of your life, you call him.  Why isn't that enough?"

"Even if it is, you've never suffered enough for everything you did to me, and everyone else in Llanview.  And you don't deserve that boy.  You'll ruin him."

"I might not deserve Sam or any of my children.  But Blair does.  And you're not taking another child from her," Todd said.

Tea lunged toward him, not intentionally wielding the knife, but it was still in her hand.  Todd grabbed her arm just as it was coming down toward Blair, who had stepped in the middle, and Zeus, who was silently watching, bellowed, "Hey!  Don't put your hands on my wife!" and before anyone could stop it, he had grabbed Todd from the back and pinned him, face first, against the far wall, leaning against his back.  Todd elbowed him and squirmed free, and Zeus grabbed again, pushing Todd back against the wall, with his arm over Todd's throat.  Blair swore to herself would never forget her husband's face.  

Zeus looked directly into Todd's eyes, a cold expression as well, and said, one word at a time, "Don't you ever touch her again."  Blair frantically ran to stop her husband; the look in his eyes spoke volumes to her.  That was when Zeus used his free arm to push Blair out of the way.

Todd took his right hand and stuck it to Zeus' neck.  Blair was horrified; Todd seemed to be gone somewhere else, as he squeezed Zeus' neck, and the man now married to Tea started to go to his knees.  

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