Who's The Real Todd? AKA Samuel Toddman: Ch. 1

Chapter 1

    Kelly stared. What the hell!  In front of her stood a man looking like Todd used to. She didn't know what to say. He had come in and just calmly stated he was Todd Manning. He was obviously delusional, but why was Blair with him? "OK let me get this straight, you think you're Todd Manning. Uh, I don't think so. I happen to know for a fact that he's lying in the hospital. You don't even look like him. Well, you look like he used to look, but you're not Todd Manning. Come on, Blair, you seem to know this guy. Who is he really? Wait, I know now, you're that distant relative the boys have been talking about, Samuel. That's it, you decided to play a late April Fools joke on me." Kelly looked at Blair. "You had me there for a sec."

Todd sauntered over to her desk and shuffled some of the news articles. "You know, Kelly, you used to be much more perceptive," he picked up the headline she was working on. "Oh come on, this is the best headline you could think of "King Buch Headed For Hoosegow?" I thought you would have classed it up for Vicki's sake." He smiled at her.

Kelly felt chills run down her spine. It was uncanny. His whole demeanor, his speech, it was so Todd. She walked over and grabbed the headline from his hands. "It's a work in progress," she looked at him. "How would you do it?"

"OH I don't know, maybe something like ‘BE's CEO Buchanan - Prison's New Royalty’ or ‘Buchanan-Chairman of the Board Now Chairman of the Yard’.  I think those work better for me," he looked at Kelly  "What do you think?" He wandered back over to Blair "You know Blair. She has changed." he looked back at Kelly "She can't see the truth even though it's right in front of her. I'm deeply disappointed. Let's try this again. Good Morning Kelly, it's been a long time. How did that whole living in Texas with Kevin work out for you? Wait? Let me guess. Not too well if I know Kevin." He saw Kelly wince. He had struck a nerve. Blair took a step toward Kelly and Todd stopped her.

"Blair don't apologize for me. I can do it myself. Kelly, my apologies if I'm insensitive. I never intended to bring up something painful." his voice dripped with sarcasm.

"That's exactly what you intended Todd, it's what you do. I still don't understand what Blair sees in you," said Kelly getting mad at him. Then she realized what she had just said. She glanced over at him and he was smiling that grin that used to infuriate her. It couldn't be true. It isn't possible that Todd Manning is standing here.  Blair called him Todd, surely she knows he's a fake. Why is she helping him?

"Look I don't know what you hope to accomplish with this little charade, but it's not going to work. You're not Todd and you could never be Todd. How do you think you can get people to take you seriously? Todd will tear you to pieces when he finds out you're attempting this. Blair, why are you standing there pretending it's true? How could you let yourself fall for this? And you," she gestures toward Todd, "You made a mistake, Todd only had one scar on his face. You went a little overboard in the makeup department. That's a dead giveaway, someone gave you some wrong information. You're a pretty sloppy imitation if you ask me."

"That's just it Kelly. I'm not the imitation. The man laying in the hospital is the imitation. You say that my scar proves I'm a fraud. Well, I'll agree about one thing. It wasn't there the last time my face was seen in this town, I didn't receive it until that final night in 2003. Maybe what you should be asking yourself is why you're working so hard to deny what you're seeing." Todd walked around and sat in Kelly's chair. "As a reporter I think my questions would be, 'What if?' ' What if it's true?' 'Where has he been?' 'Why is he standing in my office?' I'd be curious to know where he came from. 'Why is his ex-wife here?' 'Why do I feel I know him?' and most importantly, 'Why is he getting to me?' because I am getting to you, Kelly. You know it’s true and it's driving you crazy."

Kelly scowled.  He was right, he was getting to her. He was also right about the questions. "OK, I'll give you that, I have a lot of questions. How about answering them."

"Finally, I thought I was going to have to write the whole interview myself. I would have, but I thought editing might think it strange to be receiving an article written by a man who's in a coma. Shall we begin?" Todd stood up and sat on the edge of the desk and winked at Blair. She smiled back.

"Well that's just sickening, You'd think you two were an item or something. Blair, stop flirting with the man. You barely know him." Kelly growled after seeing the wink.

Blair laughed. "Oh Kelly, you couldn't be further from the truth."

Kelly looked at Blair and back at Todd. "You've got to be kidding me. You don't know anything about this guy. Please don't tell me there's something going on between the two of you. You've known him, what, a couple of months? How could you let yourself be drawn in like that especially after Eli? Because I know I'm right about one thing," she turned back to Todd. "The boys think you're Samuel, isn't that correct?" Todd nodded. "Well, then why are you saying you're Todd. You can't hope to make it stick. Vicki knows who you are. She'll never let you get away with this." She looked at Todd, but he just smiled at her.

He didn't seem too bothered about Vicki denying him. In fact, he wasn't worried about Vicki at all. Kelly began to get a queasy feeling in her stomach. What if it's true? "You just told me you were Samuel. And Vicki told the EMT's several weeks ago that a distant cousin was in her father's tomb. I know that because Tea asked me to squelch the story about Victor's return from the grave. In fact, she said you asked her to stop the speculation, Blair. Tea said Vicki didn't want a lot of rumors to begin with the man in the Tomb. Why did Vicki do that? You were the man in the tomb?" she looked at Todd and he nodded once again. She was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.  It was weird that Vicki’s distant cousin went to Victor Lord’s tomb. "Why did you go there?" she asked.

"Let's just say I had some unresolved issues that had to be addressed." said Todd grimly.

"Why were you taken out on a stretcher?" asked Kelly

"I had a heart attack and if Vicki, Blair, and Starr hadn't been there I wouldn't be here now." he answered.

"But that means you're Samuel. Why are you saying you're Todd?" asks Kelly.

"I went into that Tomb as Samuel and I came out as Todd." he replied stoically.

"Whoa, what do you mean you went in as Samuel and came out as Todd?  You make it sound like you're two people. That's a little crazy even for me. Next you'll be telling me you have DID. That's not very smart. We all know Todd doesn't have DID." said Kelly, "Blair, surely you can see he's got a screw loose,"

Todd was frustrated. Kelly was so sure he was an impostor. Suddenly he found himself inside looking out.

"Oh Blair, she's as exquisite as ever, is your cousin." Rodd found a rubber band and put his hair back. "Kelly it has been so long, you are truly bellisima." Rodd walked to her and trailed his fingers along her face and down her neck. "Come let us leave this stuffy office and let me show you how a man can treat such a one as you."

Kelly turned with alarm at Rodd's first words, to have him so close and seductive was unnerving. She had never forgotten the moves he'd tried to make on her when she had gone to buy the Sun. This man exuded sexuality out of every pore.

Blair jumped up realizing that Todd's alter was in place. "Rodd, behave yourself.  You keep your moves to yourself."

Rodd turned his gaze on her "Mia Cara, all women pale beside you." Blair felt herself blush at his words. Rodd swung back around to Kelly. "My dear, I'ma so sorry but Mia Bella has my heart," he kissed Kelly's wrist and turned his attentions to Blair. "Mia Cara let me take you home and give you a proper loving."

Blair smiled, "Rodd, you know my heart is taken, I love Todd so I'm afraid that's a no."

"Isa your loss." said Rodd.

"Rodd that's enough. Leave Blair alone," said Todd, "Get back in here!"

Rodd piped up. "Mia Cara perhaps another time."

"Rodd!" Todd found himself back in charge and looked at Blair "Sorry, you know how he is. Thank You." he turned back to Kelly "I'm sorry, Rodd has been angling to get out for awhile, I guess he saw his chance and took it. I hope he didn't alarm you."

Kelly looked at Blair and at Todd and backed away slowly. "No, this is all so bizarre. I really can't take any more of this right now. You can't be Todd. Blair, tell me I'm right. All of this has been some joke right."

"Kelly everything you've seen and heard today has been the truth. This is not a joke. He is Todd." replied Blair.

Kelly looked at Blair. "You really believe that don't you? You've fallen for that fake charm and those terrible imitations of Alters. I thought you were smarter than that Blair but you're a fool. Listen, Samuel, I'm not sure why you want to be Todd Manning but you're not very good at it. Not to mention, your information about Todd is bad. Blair should have told you that Todd faked his Alters. Does Vicki know you think you're Todd? I mean you really need to see someone about those delusions."

"Enough!" Todd yelled, "You don't believe me, I get that, but would you please Shut Up. God, I can't understand why Manning even brought you on board. You have got the most annoying habit of believing only what you think is right. Like all those times you stuck your nose into our lives. I think back to every time Blair tried to tell me Jack was mine but you kept stopping her.   So what happened, she lied to me and I gave away my own son. Do you know the anguish that caused us both, and it could have been prevented if you had minded your own business? Oh, I know I made major mistakes all those years ago, but Blair and I have gotten past them."

He started towards Kelly but Blair grabbed his arm and he reluctantly stopped moving forward.  "I lost out on eight years of my son's and daughter's lives. I'm not losing anymore. Believe it or not, I am Todd Manning, and the man you believe to be me is an impostor. I don't have to prove it to you. but I thought you might want the scoop for the paper. You see I'm not just back claiming to be Todd Manning, I'm back to get everything that is rightfully mine and that includes this paper. So enough with the nice guy, you're fired." Todd was furious. He had expected some disbelief, but for Kelly to talk to Blair that way was too much. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an official-looking paper. "This says that I own fifty-one percent of this Paper. That is, Samuel owns fifty-one percent, and since I'm also Todd Manning I own the other forty-nine percent. I'm sure even someone with your limited imagination can figure out that can only mean I own one hundred percent of the Sun.  Now Get Out!"

Kelly looks at him in shock. For the first time, she took a hard look at the man in front of her. The rage coming off him was palpable in a very scary familiar way. Slowly his words sank in, she remembered when Blair was carrying Jack and the numerous times she stopped Blair from telling Todd the baby was his. She had believed that Blair was better off without Todd in her life, and Todd was right, they both had suffered as a result. Kelly hadn't seen him this mad in ages.

Todd angrily tossed the papers at her and strode to her desk. He grabbed the phone and called security. "Yes, please come to the executive offices and escort Ms. Cramer off the premises....Who's ordering this? I am.. I'm the new Owner..... Yes, and if you continue to ask questions you'll be following her out the door."

Blair went to Todd. She could tell something had really riled him up. "Todd, calm down. What's the matter? Why are you so mad all of a sudden.?"

Todd looked at Blair and back over at Kelly. "Blair, I'm sorry, I can't take this anymore. This doubt on everyone's face. All of you took him at face value even though he looked nothing like me. Now I come home and I'm the impostor. Why do I have to prove I'm me? The only thing that changed about me is the added scar. None of you even checked his story, but all of you have been double-checking mine from day one. I'm sick of it. Look at her, so convinced I'm a fraud, and then she called you a fool for believing me. That's it, I'm through taking things slowly." Todd angrily flung the desktop items to the floor and leaned forward on the desk trying to get his emotions back under control.

Blair moved in closer and put a tentative hand on his shoulder. He angrily shook it off but as she started to withdraw he grabbed her hand and pulled her close once again. "Todd, it's alright to be angry. This is just going to take some time. Please let me talk to Kelly. You shouldn't fire her, she's been keeping the paper going in Walker's absence. I'll handle this right now." Blair looked at Kelly "Why did you antagonize him? If anyone is a fool, it's you, Kelly. Can you honestly stand there and tell me, after this, that you think he's a fake."

Kelly didn't know how to answer Blair. She realized as she listened to him talking to Blair that he was right. She had automatically jumped to the conclusion that he was the fraud. When in fact there wasn't any proof that the Todd lying in the hospital bed was the real Todd. Oh, sure Kevin had found out about a man who had sustained many injuries who had undergone facial reconstruction. But the file had contained no actual pictures of the patient. Kevin had accused Walker of being Todd and he hadn't denied it and had even begun blackmailing Kevin. They had all just assumed he was telling the truth when it later came out he supposedly was Todd Manning.

She looked at the man standing next to Blair, everything about him screamed Todd at her. She had been thrown for a loop with all the talk about alters. Rodd had also surprised the hell out of her. She had gone on the offensive because it scared her that he might really be Todd. Then when he totally lost his cool, she remembered just how menacing Todd could be when crossed. Kelly looked down at the papers on the floor and picked them up. They were very official and basically stated that Samuel Toddman owned fifty-one percent of the Sun and had the controlling interest. If he really wanted her gone then she was out the door. "Blair, I don't know what to think anymore? Samuel if you want me out of here then I guess I'm out of here."

Just then security showed up. "Ms. Cramer, I believe we're to show you off the premises."

"Wait," said Todd, his emotions once more under control. He turned back towards Kelly and the security. "Gentlemen hold on. Kelly, I find myself shy one managing editor.  Would you be interested in working for me, in the same manner as you worked for Manning? Mind you, this paper is about to go in a whole new direction. What do you say?" asked Todd.

Kelly couldn't believe it. Who was this man? "Samuel...I'll stay and be your managing editor but I can't call you Todd. I'm not ready to go there. If you can live with that then you have an editor."

"Gentlemen, you can go. Thank you. Kelly, welcome aboard." Todd walked over to her and offered his hand. She took it and they shook. "I hope you'll forgive my outburst Kelly, this is just a very frustrating time for me. By the way, I am Samuel, Todd asked me to convey his apologies. If you have any questions he asks that you wait till the next time for your answers." Samuel turns to Blair, "We need to go, Blair. Kelly, Todd will be in touch soon."

As they exited the office, Blair turned to Samuel, "What's going on. Todd said you had left?"

Samuel looked at Blair concern on his face,"I promised Todd I would be here if he needed me, and Blair right now he needs us both. Let's get home."