The MST, Ch. 15

Blair and Tomas arrived back at her hotel. She was fit to be tied. They had found where Samuel lived but had missed him. Talk about bad luck. It was as if fate kept stepping in and putting roadblocks in her way. Blair remembered vaguely seeing someone entering a cab as she and Tomas had neared another apartment. She didn't think much of it at that time but in retrospect, she was certain that the person who had entered that cab had been Samuel. When she and Tomas had knocked on the door of the next apartment, an elderly gentleman had answered. Tomas had then asked if Samuel Toddman resided there and had shown the gentleman the picture. To their surprise, they were answered with an Oui. It had been overwhelming to think she was finally going to meet Samuel face to face. But then the landlord dropped the other shoe and informed them that Samuel had gone out for the day. Blair had been stunned. Tomas had thanked the gentleman and they had departed. Blair didn't even remember the ride back to the hotel. The next thing she recalled was Tomas sitting her at the bar and handing her a drink.

"Here Blair, drink this," Tomas said.

Blair took a quick drink and the world righted itself. After a second drink, Blair turned to Tomas, "Forgive me, I'm afraid I just lost it there for a time. We found him, but we didn't. I'm so frustrated I can't see straight."

"There is nothing to forgive. It was a bit of a blow to know we had the place where he resides but not him. But we can correct that tomorrow. We will simply call on him in the morning. For now, you should get some rest. I can see that today's revelations have taken their toll on you. I will pick you up around nine and we will go to see Monsieur Toddman. Everything is going to be cleared up. You will see." Tomas stood and escorted her back to her room where he wished her a good night and left.

Blair put down her bag and the picture and locked the room, but she couldn't relax. "I don't think I can stand to wait until tomorrow. I have to know if Samuel is Todd. I have to know tonight!" she grabbed up her bag and headed back down to the Lobby. She waited, pacing back and forth until the cab arrived. "#19 Rue Morgue" she informed the driver. Blair wasn't sure what was going to happen when she saw him but her stomach was doing flip/flops in anticipation.

****

Samuel walked into his apartment. He glanced around making sure everything was where he had left it. The hairs on his neck were once again raised as he recalled the conversation he just had with his landlord. He had just been informed that a couple had been looking for him and they had a picture of him. What did it mean? Why was someone looking for him? Did they have anything to do with Alex? Perhaps it was time to consider moving somewhere else. "I can't leave now, I'm this close to getting my memories back. How much longer do I dare stay? Am I just being paranoid? Perhaps there is a perfectly logical reason someone would be looking for me. No, I've got to leave, I need to be out of here by morning." Samuel started gathering his paintings together. If he worked all night he could leave by mid-morning. Hopefully, before anyone else came looking for him.

The cab pulled up to the apartment. Blair looked up and noticed that the lights were on in the apartment that the landlord had said was Samuel's. If she was going to do this she had to do it now before she lost her nerve. Blair headed up the stairs to the Apartment door."Ok, Blair, it's now or never!" and she knocked.

Samuel stopped what he was doing. There was a knock at his door. Maybe whoever it was would go away if he didn't answer. Then he heard her voice.

"Excuse me. Mr. Toddman are you in there? You don't know me but I really need to speak with you. Please if you're there, could we talk?" Blair anxiously asked.

He knew that voice. It was so familiar. The person behind that voice meant something to him and he wasn't waiting any longer to find out who she was. Samuel made quick strides to the door. Everything in him was yelling, "What are you waiting for, open the damn door!" Samuel opened it.

He couldn't believe his eyes. She was beautiful and she was real. Standing before him was his Muse, his lovely Blair. Where had she come from? How did she know him? Samuel realized he was staring and he started to invite her in, but suddenly she collapsed at his feet.

Samuel reacted quickly and picked up his Muse and carried her gently to his couch. She was truly exquisite. He went to the kitchen to fetch a wet cloth to wipe her brow with. He looked from her to his paintings and marveled that he was really seeing her. Samuel sat down next to her and carefully wiped her forehead. She stirred and opened her eyes. She didn't say anything, just reached up and softly touched his cheek. Samuel flinched afraid of the look he expected next, but it didn't come. Instead, she smiled at him and carefully pushed his hair off his face. His breath caught, as he realized she had done that before. She had always touched his hair. He couldn't speak, he just wanted to look and stay there in that moment.

Todd watched also, envious of Samuel. Blair should have been looking at him. Someone had trapped him and they were going to pay. They were going to pay big time. Todd closed his eyes and allowed himself to feel what Samuel was feeling. Those caressing fingers on his cheek and through his hair. He remembered the first time she did that. She had come to him when he had been all alone that Christmas. She had given him the best Christmas present he had ever gotten. Todd's eyes snapped open. He remembered, suddenly a large crack was heard behind him. He looked around and saw the original crack now extended completely to the top of the enclosure. At the bottom, a fissure had opened and memories were starting to seep out. It wasn't going to be long now.

Samuel jerked as the memory hit him and his hand went up to engulf Blair's. He took her hand just like he had done that night so long ago. He didn't know what to do next. Somewhere in his past, he'd had a relationship with this woman and a strong one at that. He thought of all the paintings. If they were real scenes from his past then much had happened between himself and Blair. He put her hand down and moved away. He needed to put some space between them at this time until he could figure out what it all meant.

Blair blinked, feeling bereft when Samuel had taken away his hand. Why had he moved away? She gathered herself and sat up. When Samuel had opened the door, she had felt the years fall away as she saw Todd standing in front of her. It wasn't possible but Todd was standing across the room from her. He was older and he had a second scar on his face but the moment she saw him, she knew she was seeing Todd. "Todd, what's the matter? Why did you walk away? Are you still mad at me for something that happened years ago? What's going on?"

Samuel stared at her. Why was she calling him Todd? She had known his name was Samuel at the door but now she was calling him something else. This night had just gone from unbelievable to weird. "Excuse me, but are you alright? I think you have me confused with someone else. My name is Samuel. You came here to talk to me, correct?" If he could get her talking, "Here let me get you a drink. that should help and we can start over." Samuel poured her a glass of wine and brought it over to her. He sat down opposite her. "Perhaps you'd like to tell me what brought you to my home so urgently."

Blair took a deep breath. Just what was Todd up to. He acted like he didn't really know her and like he wasn't Todd. He was putting on some kind of act for her. Why? She looked around the room. All of his paintings were of Vicki, Tea, and herself. Blair remembered the young teller telling her Samuel had three women in his life. Were these paintings his three women? What was going on? Samuel handed her a drink and sat down. She heard his question. Where should she begin? "Okay, Samuel, I'm sorry, you remind me of someone I knew named Todd. When I woke up I thought you were him. I'll start at the beginning. I received a painting from my late husband. It depicted a portrait of me during my second wedding to Todd. I came here to find the artist of that portrait and to find out who might have commissioned it. I managed to trace the portrait back to Tomas' Gallery where Tomas informed me that you were the artist of my portrait. You are quite elusive Mr. Toddman, could you perhaps tell me how you were able to paint that portrait? Also could you please tell me where you got such intimate details of my life?”

Wow! thought Samuel. She gets right to the point. Now how do I answer that? Samuel cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I'm going to be able to answer that. You're right, I'm the artist that painted your portrait but I can only tell you this. No one commissioned me. All of my paintings come from within me. If I see it in here (Samuel points to his head), and feel it here (then points to his heart), I start painting. My dear, I had no idea you were real until you collapsed at my door. You can see what I've painted, are you telling me these depict moments in your life." Samuel sat back as he waited for her answer. He watched her face as she looked around at his paintings of her. She looked at them eagerly then her face became shadowed. As she turned back to him he saw anger and fire in her eyes. God, he'd love to paint her right now.

"How can you do this to me! Just what game are you playing at, Todd? You know perfectly well all these moments are real. They're all moments we've shared. Why are you sitting there pretending you don't know me? These paintings are proof you do. Tell me the truth. Why have you been hiding all these years?" Blair was angry. So angry she almost threw her drink at him. He was just sitting there stunned. What was going on, he wasn't getting angry in fact he seemed truly confused. In some ways, she was reminded of another time in Todd's past when he had appeared confused, but that had been a sham. She thought back to the days when Todd had pretended to have DID like his sister Vicki. He had really been quite good and if he hadn't confessed to her that he was faking, she might have begun to believe that he suffered from the same illness as his sister. "You can drop the act, Todd. I'm not sure why you're pretending to be this artist Samuel, but I know better. Just who did you get to paint all of these? We both know you can't paint."

He sat there flabbergasted. She was magnificent when she was angry, but he didn't understand why she kept insisting he was this Todd. Obviously, this Todd was someone with who she had a strong connection and a relationship that must have been extremely volatile. "Whoa... Ms... I'm sorry I don't know your name. Madame...I assure you that I am Samuel and I am the painter of these paintings. I have no idea who this Todd is that you keep talking about or what you mean by keeping up this act. I am an artist who has been living a rather quiet life until recently, that is until today. I must say since you dropped at my feet not long ago that the day has taken a decidedly delightful and quirky turn. If you would allow me, to prove to you that I am the artist. I would love to do a sketch of the real you. You make my simple paintings of you seem dull by comparison."

Now it was Blair's turn to be stunned. It couldn't be true. Could he really not know he was Todd. It was true he wasn't acting like Todd. She was going to have to call his bluff. If he was Samuel, then he would be able to produce a sketch of her. She needed to figure out what was happening. "Alright Todd, we'll play things your way for now." Blair calmed down. "You say you're Samuel Toddman. I'm going to give you that chance to prove it. Where would you like to do this sketch?"

Samuel stood up not believing his good fortune. He offered his hand to help her up. "Come this way...?" he looked at her askance.

"Blair" she replied and followed him into another room. It was clearly his studio, paints and supplies were everywhere. There was a painting leaning against the wall. Blair gasped when she saw it. That night was emblazoned in her memory. Then she came face to face with the painting on the easel. She looked at it in shock, she had only heard stories of that night but she knew it was the night he had sustained the injury that had left him scarred. "Why was Todd telling all his personal memories to a strange artist and did he really plan to try and sketch her just to keep up this charade?"

Samuel turned at her gasp and saw the painting she was looking at. "Forgive me, Blair. That is one of my darker paintings. Let me remove it. I wouldn't want you disturbed by it." He carefully removed it and placed it out of sight. "There that is better. Would you mind sitting here?" He gestured to a settee nestled among some ferns.

Blair sat down. She felt a little self-conscious, was he really going to keep up the act? Oh well, while he pretended to sketch she had a chance to study him. He seemed different that was for sure. There were the beginnings of some grey appearing at his temples and of course there was that new scar on his cheek. Where and when had he gotten that? She recalled the days she had spent looking for him after his disappearance. Blair thought back to the night she had gone to his father's tomb convinced that Mitch had buried him there. It had seemed hopeless. Everyone said he had gone on the run because he had killed Sam and later it had come out that Lindsay was responsible for Sam's death. She had gone through so many different feelings back then. She'd hated him one minute and missed him the next, all the while trying to keep her hopes up that he would come home. When Walker had come into their lives, she had fought tooth and nail not to fall in love with him, but she had. Then everyone began to suspect that Walker was Todd with a new face. That slowly became a reality, and Walker Lawrence ceased to be and Todd took back his life. Walker/Todd was still living Todd's life in Llanview. She would face that mystery when she got home. One mystery at a time and this one was proving to be a doozy.

Todd hadn't been able to take his eyes off her. She looked great and when she had yelled at Samuel, he had wanted to laugh. She was always great on the attack. She really didn't know she wasn't in his presence, but he was pretty sure if Samuel kept drawing, she would soon find out Samuel was real. Damn, he had tried for years to keep that secret. When Sam had forced the issue of his father Peter Manning, he had lost a number of days. He had awakened to find Tom in charge and had quickly stepped back in before anyone realized what had happened. It was funny but his memories surrounding his alters were still somewhat intact. He remembered coming and going a lot during those days as he let Tom and Rodd take over. There was one day that proved to be important to him and the alters but that memory was just out of reach, except for the fact that it had something to do with Blair. It didn't really matter now, Blair was about to find out his alters were real and he was helpless to stop it.

Samuel knew her face like the back of his hand and in no time he was able to capture it on canvas. He wanted to make it special, so he pictured her as if she was a Goddess languishing on a riverbank amongst the ferns. Then he reached for his pastels and started putting some color into the picture. She was beautiful, but he had to make her realize he was Samuel. He sensed a lot of anger in her toward this Todd, and he didn't want her to leave before he could figure out what his connection was to both her and Todd. He knew another key to his puzzle had arrived at his door this night. She was as important to regaining his memories as Alex was. Samuel also sensed that he would have to be careful. Alex was mixed up in something dangerous and he didn't want anything to happen to Blair as he tried to unravel his lost past. He paused to look at his work. As always she was still his Muse and he cleared his throat to get Blair's attention.

Blair looked over at him. Aware more than ever how strange it seemed to be sitting here with Todd. Was he finally going to come clean and show her he had just been pretending? How much longer was he going to continue this? She smiled and said. "Have you finished already? You're not going to keep this farce up, are you? I know you didn't paint these." she waved her hand toward the art in the room. Samuel smiled enigmatically. "Oh okay, show me this great work" Blair held out her hands. Samuel walked over and placed the canvas in her hands then stood back to see her reaction.

Blair was speechless. The piece of artwork in her hands was phenomenal. He appeared to have captured her in the midst of thought. She felt special because she sensed love coming from the canvas. He had indeed put feeling into the canvas and it was for her. She looked up. This was Todd but it wasn't. A thought entered her mind and this time it took root. What if everything that had happened in the past wasn't faked? Could it really be true? If it was, then the impossible was probable and that meant one thing. The man in front of her right now was Samuel. My God, she was in the presence of an alter and his name was Samuel Toddman.