Thomas Lord: Cloaked, Ch. 12

Todd was leaving the prison ward when Blair saw him, something else had stressed him out and he looked like he needed a distraction. Blair tucked her arm around his and pulled him close. She smiled at him and was rewarded with one of his rare ones. That spoke volumes to Blair, Todd was really upset and his need to keep it from her made him try to hide it behind a smile. She had seen almost all of his various expressions during their tumultuous relationship, so she knew whatever he had found out from Kym was bothering him a great deal, but he wasn't ready to talk about it.

"Alright I think it's time to get you some food, you're looking a little peaked. I'll catch you up on the follow up I was able to get you from some of the girls' families. Some of it was downright heartbreaking. There are a couple of girls who haven't been seen by anyone and they aren't telling the doctors anything. They keep saying they want to go back. Todd, it's so sad."

Todd walked Blair down the hallway and as soon as they were alone, he turned and pulled her into his embrace burying his face in her silky hair. "The next time I start to walk out on you, you have my permission to shoot me in the leg. I don't think I want to exist anymore without you by my side. Keep me sane Blair." he shuddered and his hold tightened around her.

Blair held him tight until he stopped shaking, as his hold loosened she tried to view his face, but it was unreadable. He really had been thrown by something and for now, that was all she was going to know. Even as she gazed at him, his look changed and he got that incredible look in his eyes that would send the chills down her back. His smoldering looks melted her heart and always made her feel like the most cherished person on the earth. He captured her lips and took away her breath but at the sound of someone coming down the hall, he quickly broke their hold, stopping just briefly to touch her cheek gently. Then he steered her toward the floor that Lily was on.

Lily's face lit up as they entered the room and they noticed she was wearing street clothes. Todd had forgotten to remove his ring before entering so he noticed she seemed much more relaxed. Lily's sharp eyes picked up on the fact that her great uncle was able to see and she squealed with glee. "Ali! You can see!"

Todd smiled and said "It's a little bit of magic I conjured just so I could see you. It'll only last for a limited time, but I hope it'll last long enough for me to also see your brother Chase. Is he coming with your grandfather and dad to pick you up?"

Lily laughed, "Yes they should be coming soon." she walked up to him and touched his cheek and said. "I'm so glad you came to help all of us. I saw a few of the other girls and I know they are happy to be home with their families also. I had a chance to talk to them when we had a group session and I told them about you, and they told me to thank you too."

They sat down and listened to her babble on, seeming so much better than just a few days before. Todd looked over at Blair and clasped her hand in his, giving a gentle squeeze. The door opened and Chase came walking in with Joshua, both were astonished by the fact that Todd could see. Todd told Chase it was a simple case of a magical spell that gave him the opportunity to see what young Chase looked like. He also told them what he had told Lily. He let them both know it was a temporary spell that he had to use sparingly, or he might lose its use altogether.

Joshua had looked at Blair because he was baffled by Thomas's statement. If he was indeed in possession of something that allowed him to see, why was it temporary. Blair asked Joshua if he would like to get some coffee with her and he accepted, he had a feeling he would get the story from her if he went with her.

Todd watched as Blair and Joshua left the room, he knew Blair was going to tell Joshua the full story and he really didn't want to think about how temporary his use of the implants was. The incident in Amos's conference room had scared him enough to know another surgery was in his future. He knew he was going to have to give up the use of the implants soon. Todd wandered out to the nurses' station and asked the nurse if he could have several sheets of paper and a pencil and then he returned to the room. He had Chase and Lily sit together on the bed and began sketching. They watched avidly from the bed until he showed them the finished drawing and then they clapped with joy at the picture he had made. He had perched them both on the branches of an old peach tree. Lily was sitting on a big branch with her skirt pulled up above her knees holding a basket on her lap, her legs dangling on either side of the branch. She was laughing as she watched her younger brother Chase hanging upside down from a branch above hers, beginning to drop a peach into her basket. Todd signed the picture Ali and told them to give it to their father when he arrived.
By the time Joshua and Blair arrived back at the room, Todd had finished two self-portraits of himself in genie gear, one protecting young Lily and another of himself looking mysterious and menacing for Chase.

Joshua marveled at the man who sat in front of him. Thomas Lord was indeed a puzzle. He was a reporter and an artist, he was dangerous and kind. It was a shame some of his demons had robbed him of his eyesight. Blair had informed him the sight was only an experiment and that Tom was seeing on borrowed time. From his drawings, it would be a shame when the loss was once again permanent. Still, from what C.J. said, his blindness hadn't impaired him on the dock. The night of Lily's rescue, he had been blind and still outmaneuvered the men guarding the warehouse. Thomas Lord wasn't going to let blindness keep him from succeeding, that was for sure.

C.J. walked in on the tableau of his uncle Todd performing as Ali and describing the adventure when he met C.J. and Sarah. He noticed right away that his uncle was sighted that day, but he expressed surprise when the children told him about it. It was then a simple matter of gathering the few things they had brought for Lily and they prepared to take her home.

C.J. turned to Todd. "The police have asked me to stay handy and available to be a witness against Frank and his bunch and I've gotten permission to take Lily home for now. It seems they are trying hard not to use any of the children as witnesses so they are grateful for anyone who has had eyewitness proof these men were involved. They asked me if I knew the reporter who was there the night of the raid, but I told them no. It seems even his boss won't give him up to the police." C.J. winked and shook his uncle's hand and gave Blair a kiss, giving them the address for the Farm and getting a firm answer that they would be out soon to visit.

Todd and Blair walked them out and headed to get a taxi back to Todd's hotel. As luck would have it their friend Emil picked them up and soon he was chattering away about all news concerning the children rescued on the docks. Todd evasively answered Emil's questions about Blair's and his involvement that night. He also asked that Emil keep the fact that he picked them up that night from the docks a secret between them. Todd tried to let Emil know it would be safer for him as well as them. Emil had nodded his agreement to that and dropped them off at the hotel.

Todd and Blair made their way to the room. Blair insisted he rest before sitting down and writing, and she would order them some lunch. He tried to rest but soon found himself sitting back at the desk pulling up any more information he could find on Daimler. Blair, knowing it was futile to protest, sat down and pulled open her own notebook and began checking for any news from Vicki and Star. The knock on the door indicated the food had arrived and Todd reluctantly left the computer to join Blair for lunch. Daimler would have to wait.

****

Gregor closed his phone and silently cursed. The Feds still hadn't released the Odyssey. He had a business to run and it looked bad to his legitimate business partners that the Feds had temporarily confiscated one of his ships. Uchen and his associates were looking into any possible leaks in the organization. Once they found the leak, whoever it was would be silenced permanently.

The lawyers had been slowly sealing leaks among the crew picked up on the dock that night. As long as they kept their mouths shut, they would be allowed to live and possibly be cleared of all charges. Unfortunately, several people had come forward to the police about some of the men and it appeared they were going down for the crime. The men who had been guarding Kym and her charges deserved to be hung out to dry. Their ineptitude the night before the raid was unforgivable, and Gregor had been generous allowing them to help guard the children. Of course, even there they had failed to alert the guards about the assault force, and they had been captured quite easily.

The capture of one of his best men still bothered Gregor. According to the lawyers, his head mercenary had been captured by an unknown party who had also managed to injure him in the process. That was a pretty good feat given Sid's battle record. Sid's report stated the man had been in Wilmington the day before and when he showed up at the Savannah site Sid and his men had captured him and had incapacitated him. They had also captured a cop. Somehow the two men managed to escape and the stranger got the drop on Sid. One of the other things Sid reported was that he thought he heard Kym acknowledge the man by name. It was that last bit of info that had Gregor upset.

Who was the man and how did Kym know him. She hadn't known any men except those he allowed her to service and she knew her place. Kym couldn't have known the man but why would Sid even say it, if it hadn't happened. Gregor made another call, it was time he found out what happened to his daughter.  A few calls later he had the information he needed. She was under a doctor's care and still being held because of her involvement with the children. It appeared someone claiming to be her uncle had insisted on the care and was also getting her a lawyer. Although he had lost track of Kym's mother, it didn't mean she couldn't have a brother out there. Was this uncle for real?

Gregor felt his anger stirring. Kym was his to do with as he would and the idea that there was an uncle out there who was aiding her was sacrilege. First, he had to deal with Kym. He had obviously been a little lax lately reminding her of her place. That was going to be quickly remedied. His contacts had been ordered to find out what they could about this uncle and when the time was right, Gregor would deal with him. In the meantime, he had to see someone else.

Addie had spent the better part of the morning arguing with Jack and struggling to get everyone packed. Starr had packed for her and Hope but was still a little unsure why they were traveling all the way to Paris. Starr hadn't liked the idea of leaving Tea and Dani alone to face life without Walker, but she had agreed that Jack and Sam needed something to take their minds off his death and a trip to Paris was at least a diversion. They needed to get back together with their mom. Addie was so grateful her granddaughter had such a good head on her shoulder. Starr had quickly gotten the boys organized and they were finally headed for the airport. Addie hadn't had a chance to tell Starr where they were really going but hopefully, it would all become clear in Paris.

Gregor's limo followed the car as it left La Boulaie. His interest was purely subjective, both Blair's mother and daughter were too old for his taste. He was watching perhaps out of nostalgia. Addie had been a pretty young thing, the night he had taken her. He had been an exchange student back in those days and had worked part-time at a mental institute. He had discovered early on, that the night shift could get away with just about anything and he had started taking full advantage of all the young girls. So many of them had been left by their parents and forgotten and it had been easy to show just a little interest in them and they would fall all over themselves trying to keep your attention. There were many nights when he and Uchen had the place all to themselves. When they found out they both liked the young ones, they had formed a pact. Each would take their turn while the other kept watch for a stray nurse or Doctor.

Gregor had been keeping watch for Uchen when he noticed Addie getting too curious at the noises coming from the room next to hers. Just before she entered the room he intercepted her and began to try and put some moves on her. She was a little afraid of him and Gregor realized he like the thrill it gave him, it was a feeling of power. He began to tease her and watched as she got more confused and frightened.

He had distracted her enough that Uchen was able to slip out of the room he had been in. Gregor signaled him that he was going to take Addie. He wheedled Addie back into her room and began getting her hot and bothered. She was frightened by the feelings he was making her feel and she kept trying to tell him to stop but it only made him want it more. He finally trapped her and forced her down on the bed, Addie had never been with a man and her confusion only added to Gregor's high. He took her as she struggled, scared of what her body was doing, unable to stop herself. When he was finished with her, he patted her on the head and told her she had been a good girl. Then he told her she shouldn't tell anyone because they would think she was lying and punish her. Addie was one of the girls who didn't want to cause trouble so she promised not to tell anyone. After that night, Gregor switched to the more fragile girls working on their fears enjoying the high it gave him to dominate them.

When Addie began showing signs of being pregnant Gregor decided he and Uchen should get lost before the big wigs got wind of who might have gotten her pregnant. Knowing Addie wouldn't point him out, he convinced Uchen to leave first. Then when the doctors discovered Addie's pregnancy they assumed she had been raped by Uchen. Gregor left shortly before the child was born, but he found out Addie had a daughter. Naturally, his daughter was obviously not Asian but by the time she was born, there had been a number of other orderlies let go, so they were unable to determine just who had impregnated Addie. Since Addie complained that she missed Gregor they decided to give his last name to the child to appease Addie.

Gregor's phone rang, "Hello, ... What do you mean the Uncle is a ghost? If he's seeing her, the hospital should have a name. She refers to him as Uncle Tom, are you kidding me? I want to know who this guy is? If this is the best you can do, I'll find someone else. You have 24 hours. Get me his name!"

This was getting ridiculous. Someone had disrupted his slave-ring and now was sending messages through his daughter. The man was calling himself 'Uncle Tom', after a civil war book on slavery. Was that his way to announce, he knew of Gregor's involvement. The man appeared to have some knowledge of Kym's involvement, he was obviously trying to use Kym to get to him. Too bad he didn't realize that Kym was expendable. Still, Gregor was angry about the Odyssey still being held, and if this Ghost had anything to do with that then he had bitten off more than he could chew. When the car carrying Addie and the children turned into the Airport, Gregor instructed his driver to take him to his waiting Jet. Uchen was meeting him back in Savannah later that night, plans were being put into motion to reestablish the ring as soon as possible, his lawyers assured him the Feds could only hold the Odyssey another day. A number of the children were being moved this evening to a new port for delivery in several days. If the Ghost was their only problem and they could find no other leak in the organization then they could get back on track. If the latest shipment left on time they would know the leak was short-lived and the small dent could be filled in. Then he could dispose of this so-called Ghost

***

Blair had given Todd the information she gathered from the girls and their parents. She had been thorough and had gotten enough information to write several columns, but Todd chose to write two articles. The first was entitled "Human Slavery - The Found", in it, he told of the joyous reunions of the children reunited with their families. But he tempered the joy by revealing the struggle all the children would have as they had to readjust to their lives back home. They were no longer the innocents they had been when taken, and as such their lives were forever changed. He touched on the parents who had searched and been rewarded with the return of their children. Their joy was also tempered by anger, as they had to cope with the changes in their daughters and the frustration as they realized they could only help them so much.

Blair sat reading the article and was amazed as she realized how much Todd empathized with the parents. He had started out sitting quietly as she began reading, then he had gotten restless waiting for her approval or disapproval and had started pacing. Something in the plight of these girls had struck at Todd's heart and she knew why. Todd's own past was driving him, although his rape of Marty was different, the outcome was much the same. His violent act toward Marty had changed her life permanently, Marty might have been able to make a life for herself, but she had never been free of the rape.

The girls had all been changed by the training and actions they had been subjected to. The eight girls who had headed for the ship that night had all been subjects of rape although they had given themselves to it. They had been so indoctrinated and brainwashed that they had no free will anymore when it came to the act. They were performing as they had been taught. Now free of the slavers they would have to come to terms with the reality of what they had done.

Even more devastating was the knowledge that several of the girls rescued had no families looking for them and instead of being happy to be free, they wanted to return to their captors. The hospital staff was in a quandary as the girls proved to be inconsolable and also continually tried to serve any male on the floor. The hospital had to make major changes in their nursing staff so that only women were on the floor where the girls were being treated. Blair had seen, first hand, one of the young girls throw herself at the father of another girl, she was like one addicted. By the time, the young girl had been sedated, all who witnessed it were in tears. The father whom she had approached had been mortified and later enraged as he realized his daughter was just barely holding it together herself.

When Blair had told her story, Todd had listened impassively. He hadn't said much, but she had seen the sorrow and then anger play across his face. For one moment, she had even seen Pete staring at her and had known Todd was working hard to keep a firm grip on his alters during her story. She stopped his pacing as she said. "Todd this is excellent. I know you're feeling frustrated and angry at the moment, but you've done all you can for those girls. This story will go a long way to educating the public about the real story out there. I'm proud of you."

Todd looked across the room at her remembering the early years just after he had found out about his real parents. They had been on top of the world, she had been expecting their child and he had decided to make something of a rag called the "Intruder". He had named the paper "The Sun" and had worked hard to make it a legitimate paper. She had been there, right alongside him, when they had faced the opposition of Kevin and the Banner. Sure he had done some cutthroat things to get the paper off the ground, but it hadn't fazed Blair. That was what was so amazing about her. When everyone in the town had reviled him she had been his friend. He had gotten past the hurt when he found out she played him for a fool because, in the end, he loved her. She was his other half and after everything they had been through, that fact remained. They completed each other.

She was trying to make him feel better, he heard it in her voice. She was concerned for him. She read him like a book and knew why this story was hitting home. That was just more proof of how connected they really were. He was keeping part of the story from her and she deserved to know everything.  Nothing was going to make it easier, but if she was forewarned and the truth was revealed the way he feared, at least she wouldn't be blindsided. He walked back to her and sat down. "Blair, I'm angry but not just at the circumstances these girls face. I'm angry at the man who might be behind this. I've been doing some investigation into the owner of the warehouse. He's a pretty big mucky-muck in the business world, but he's got some shady ties to the Japanese mob. You were there the night of the raid. Three men boarded the ship, but they escaped capture. Two of them were Asian and one wasn't. I found out today after talking to Kym, the third man was Kym's master and boss. That man is the owner of the warehouse and to my horror, he's also Kym's father."

Blair sat there for a moment, then Todd's words sank in. "My God Todd, are you telling me this man raped and enslaved his own daughter."

"Yes," Todd recalled his own horror when Kym had succinctly told her story. "She was bought by him after being trained by the organization and performed as she was ordered, then he told her about their connection. Kym had no idea how to react and because she was so conditioned, she accepted it and loved him because that was how she had been trained. The whole time Kym talked I kept seeing Vicki being told how beautiful and dutiful she was by my father, all the while he raped her." his voice broke and he closed his eyes trying to erase the memory of Vicki's face the night she told him what Victor had done.

Her eyes full of tears, Blair reached over and drew Todd into her embrace simply holding him, allowing him time to get his thoughts and feelings under control. She felt him take a deep breath and released him. As he slipped free of her hug she tenderly touched his cheek. "You care so deeply about things and only show a few of us this part of you. You're not like your father Victor or Peter and you never will be."

He looked into her eyes and saw her love. Todd leaned in and captured her lips savoring the sweet taste then he withdrew and took her hand. "Blair there's a little more you need to know. This man I've been researching is named Gregor Daimler. I know you saw the name of the ship in the port. It belongs to his company. Daimler is here in the States according to Kym. He is very dangerous. I noted he had the same last name as you and I thought it curious at first, but Blair, Kym told me something else. Daimler told Kym he has another daughter, but his bio lists him as unattached and never been married. It's a complete long shot and I pray I'm wrong, but Blair, he might be your father."

Blair's eyes widened in horror at the suggestion and she shook her head. "No! He couldn't be my father, it's not possible. You yourself said he's rich and powerful, according to the reports on my birth, the man who raped my mother was an orderly. They couldn't be the same man." Blair got up and went to the mirror she looked at herself and saw fear in her eyes. There were suddenly knots in her stomach. God, she thought, it couldn't be true. All her adult life she had harbored a fantasy that her father wasn't really all that bad. She knew he had raped her mother but she had wanted to believe that maybe her mother had really loved the man and that he had left the hospital unaware that he had fathered a child.  She had always hoped that one day she and her mother could have a chat about him. Her mother would tell her about their love and when Blair found him, he would welcome her with open arms, happy to meet the daughter he never knew about. Now that dream went up in smoke. If Todd's suspicions were true then her Father was as vile as his own.

Todd walked over to his wife and held her, he knew the thoughts running through her head. She had always had a wild imagination and he knew he had shattered one of her fantasies. She turned in his arms and it was his turn to console as she cried. When she calmed down he drew her back to the bed, "Shh, I shouldn't have told you until I knew for certain. Blair, he might not be your dad. I wanted to talk to Addie before I told you anything but when Kym said she had a sister, my heart kind of sunk."

"I know you're trying to protect me, but I can tell you think he really is my father, and it's not just because of what Kym told you is it? There is something else." Blair sat there and knew she was right. Todd's expression said it all. "What is it?"

Todd walked over to the table and retrieved the picture and returned to Blair, handing it to her.

She looked at the face of Gregor Daimler and knew without a shadow of a doubt she was looking at her father. She had seen that face just moments before staring out at her from a mirror. There was no denying the traits they shared but she also saw something of her son Jack looking back at her. The Daimler traits were definitely dominant in her family.  She squared her shoulders. Alright he was probably her father but she didn't have to know him and neither did her family. Suddenly it hit her, she had a half-sister. A sister currently in the same situation as those eight girls. No wonder Todd had looked so devastated at the hospital. "We've got to get Kym away from him." Blair looked at Todd.

Todd nodded grimly "I'm already working on it. We'll free her, Blair, and you'll get a chance to help her. She's going to need you."

Blair held out her hand and he took it. "She's going to need us both.".

****

Amos was just getting ready to shut things down when Lord's article came into the office. He proofread it and sent it immediately down to make the early edition. Once again, Lord had written a fine piece and Amos liked the fact that he was working on the public's sympathy to generate a backlash against the perpetrators. It was necessary to keep the plight of these children in the public eye if they were going to win some kind of satisfaction against their abductors. The first article had generated great sales and had made the public aware of the problem right in their own backyard.

Just as Lord had said, the local government had received all sorts of flack over the fact that they had allowed this to take place and hadn't moved quickly to stop it. Some of the local politicians had been making a number of angry calls to his office wanting Lord to back off the story and let it die. Amos had told them that they couldn't stop the write-ups and if they tried, he would make sure the voting public would know which ones of their politicians were trying to cover things up.

Amos recalled his conversation with Lord the previous day and knew Lord wasn't going to stop until the public outcry forced the slave traffickers to leave U.S. soil or be prosecuted. He just hoped the man was being careful. Lord was writing about some mighty powerful people.  The calls from the Feds wanting to know where Lord was getting his information were indicative of some high-profile people getting involved with this story. Amos closed down shop and turned off his light, tomorrow was another day.

****

Blair rolled over and slipped out of bed, Todd had had another rough night and she knew he was still struggling with his demons. Everything he had learned about Kym had just brought all his hatred for his own father to the front and with that came his own self-loathing. She knew the only thing keeping Todd from sinking was his love for her. Blair was determined to find a way to help him wade through the sickness that inhabited him. Victor Lord and Peter Manning were the bottom feeders and it looked like she could add another name to that list, Gregor Daimler.

Blair shook her head, she didn't want to think of the man who had raped her mom. Blair sat down next to Todd, reaching to move his hair off his face. He stirred and looked up into her eyes. He had the most beautiful hazel eyes, they were windows into his soul. She knew so many people peered out of his eyes. Tom, Rodd, and Samuel had all seen the world through Todd's eyes even Ms. Perkins. Pete would say they all looked at the world through rose-colored glasses and only he and Todd saw the world with all its ugliness. She feared Pete was probably right. As a result, Todd struggled every day to find something beautiful to glimpse for even a moment, it was the only way he could find balance. She leaned over and kissed him."Good morning. We have a big day today and we're not going to think about work. Momma and the kids are arriving today." His eyes lit up at her words and he reached up and pulled her into his embrace.

A short time later while Todd was getting ready, Blair admitted the bell boy with breakfast and opened Todd's copy of the Savannah Herald. Thomas Lord's story was on the front page. She read it once again and noted that Amos had left it intact. She felt proud that Amos thought the article needed no editing. Todd was an excellent reporter and Vicki would be so proud of him.

Todd walked out of the bathroom and looked at Blair, she was still tousled from their morning love session and seemed very pleased with herself.
"What's got you so happy?"

"I'm admiring my husband's article and feeling so proud of him. Todd, you should continue to write. When we finally do return to Llanview I think you should do some of your own reporting. Llanview needs to know what you're capable of. It's time they found out you're so much more than your past." she slid off the bed and came up to him buttoning the rest of his shirt. " People know that Samuel is an Artist, but they don't know you can paint too. You've always taken a back seat to your reporters and when you were starting out you were rough around the edges with your editorials and articles. But your writing has grown in leaps and bounds and I want Llanview to realize you're more than a rich man's son playing at being a newspaper publisher. They need to know you're a serious journalist."

Todd grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes, "Blair, I don't really care if they ever find out. The first time I came here, I got the job to find out if I was capable of writing something Vicki would be proud of and I did. It didn't change me though, I went back to Llanview and made the same mistakes all over again. It's not what I can do that's going to make a difference with those people back home. I have to find a way to change the part in me that continually destroys my life. If I can conquer myself then I'll be able to prove I've changed to the citizens of Llanview." he smiled at her expression, he had actually surprised her.

"You better finish dressing the Limo will be here to get you soon. I'm having our stuff moved to the penthouse suite upstairs so we'll be able to accommodate everyone," he shoved her toward the bathroom and sat down to eat, grabbing the paper at the same time. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her enter the bathroom and smiled to himself. In reality, he was very happy that Blair was proud of his work, it felt good to be a voice for those girls and children. He knew he was treading on some nasty toes and he had to be careful not to tread too heavily. His main goal was to get them to back off and leave the States, but he wasn't sure he had enough power to do more than cause them some irritation. Still, he actively wanted to get Daimler. The man had made a mistake coming to oversee the delivery this time and as long as he was in the States, he was fair game as far as Todd was concerned. Todd stood up and walked over to the picture he had shown Blair the night before. He was very distinguished on the outside but on the inside, the man was rotten to the core. Todd was going to get Kym free of him and then he was going to find a way to get rid of Gregor permanently.

****

Cassie had watched the first group of decoys leave with Adriana and noticed that they indeed had someone following them, she snapped a picture of the men following them, making a note to send the photo to John McBain the first chance she got. Then she noticed another group of decoys exit the airplane and head off down the concourse looking for another plane. She was watching and sure enough, another group of men followed them she took a picture of them also. As planned, the crew exited the plane, and she watched one more group of men depart leaving the area, getting their picture as well. The three pictures would no doubt help the Feds round them up. Cassie had been standing at another gate so she wouldn't be connected to the one Addie and the kids were on. Suddenly she watched Addie and Starr and the children exit escorted by a flight attendant, she moved forward to intercept Addie.

At the sight of Cassie, Addie became confused."But I thought Adriana was meeting us."

"Addie, the plans changed slightly. If all of you will follow me you'll be seeing Blair in no time." She took Hope from Starr and led them to a special exit that took them down to the tarmac where their luggage was being transferred into a limo. They all entered the limo and it took them to a private airstrip where a jet was waiting for them. Both Starr and Jack groaned. Starr turned to Cassie. "Just what is going on. I thought we were going to Mom. Isn't she in Paris?"

Cassie smiled, "I know you don't want to hear this, but we have to take another flight. Believe me, I'm as tired as you, but this is necessary to protect all of you. This private jet is much more comfortable than the commercial jet so the children should be able to sleep on this flight. It will all be explained by your mother when we see her."

Jack grumbled all the way up the steps but when he saw the interior of the plane he shut up. The private jet had many amenities, and Jack soon was happily ensconced playing a game console that wouldn't interfere with the operations of the plane. Sam and Hope were fed and bedded down shortly after the flight took off and Cassie sat down to fill Addie and Starr in on what she knew.

Starr was finally grateful for some explanations. From the moment they had entered the limo outside La Boulaie, things had taken a strange turn. A federal agent had informed them that there would be decoys that looked like them boarding the plane and when they had arrived at the airport they had been instructed to exchange clothing with one of the groups. Jack had been told they were taking the precautions because they might have been followed and Sam was told he was playing a game. They were escorted to the plane and boarded separately from the rest of the passengers so no one would see them arrive as a group. Then they had again been delayed from exiting until both decoy groups had left, in fact, they had been taken into the cockpit area, for the few minutes it took to empty the plane, so that no one would see them. The Pilot and co-pilot had allowed Jack and Sam to sit in the flight chairs and the boys had been ecstatic. Now here they were winging someplace else. "Cassie why are the Feds so concerned about us all of a sudden."

"Starr ever since Todd's death, the Feds have been keeping tabs on you. They're pretty sure the killer or killers looking for Samuel have been watching all of you in the hopes you'll lead them to Samuel. Your mother wanted all of you out of Llanview, but she doesn't want Hesser's men to know where you are. So with the help of John McBain, and his friends in the FBI, this elaborate plan was put into play. Since Samuel appears to have disappeared it was feared someone might try and hurt one of you to get Samuel to come out of hiding."

Addie looked at Cassie, "Well then, where is this plane taking us?"

"We're going to my house in Savannah, that's where Blair is."

"You're kidding, we just flew all the way to Europe only to turn around and fly back to the States." Starr was astounded. "Mom was that afraid for us?"

"I'm not sure of all the reasoning behind the elaborate charade, Starr, but I think it may have something to do with your father."

Starr looked at Cassie hopefully, "Has Mom found Dad?"

Cassie smiled and nodded, "I believe she has. I haven't seen him, but the last time your mom and I talked, as we set this whole thing up, I got the distinct impression that your father is the reason your mom wants you all in Savannah."

Starr looked over at Addie. "If it's true, then all this is worth it." She looked at her daughter sleeping peacefully. They might be seeing her dragon very soon.

They all soon fell asleep and were awakened by the attendant telling them that they needed to buckle in for the landing. Starr was busy getting Hope together, when Sam said, "Mom's here. She's waiting for us. "

Jack rushed to the window and sure enough, a Limo was waiting as the plane came to a stop. His mom was waving, standing alongside the car.

As they departed the airplane, Starr noted that her mother was definitely happier than when she had last seen her. Cassie was right, her mom had found her dad. Starr couldn't help but feel butterflies that they might be seeing him shortly too.

Blair was giving hugs to Sam and Jack, as Hope and Starr got to the car. She then hugged Starr and gave her granddaughter a kiss. After hugging her mother, she said,"Momma, I'm so glad all of you are here. I've been so worried since I heard about Walker's death. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for the funeral."

Sam's little hand took his mom's and Blair looked down at her son and realized just how much he had lost recently, she hugged him tightly again and urged everyone to get into the car so they could go to their temporary new home.  It was as if a shadow crossed Jack's face at her mention of Walker's death and she knew he was hurting too. Both her boys were in need of some loving and now that they were with her she could give it to them. She hoped the surprise they had awaiting them would fill some of that emptiness.