Todd and Blair arrived back at The Sun and went straight to Todd’s office.
“What are you going to do now?” Blair asked as she took a seat on his couch. She curled up comfortably, tucking her feet under her, then she watched as Todd proceeded to the wall behind his desk and prepared to open the safe. “You’re not getting a gun out are you?”
Todd paused, puzzled by the question and looked at Blair. “Why would I be getting a gun?”
“I thought you might try and go after Tomas even though Bo asked you not to.”
She looked so adorable curled up on his couch and he remembered all the times she used to do it when The Sun was just getting started. He smiled across the room at her and responded. “Well, when we left Bo and John, I did entertain thoughts of getting to Tomas and wringing the truth out of him. Then you told me about Calmar. I decided it was time to find out just what is so special about that damn microchip.”
“How can you do that? You threw it away into the Lantano River right before your mother shot you.”
Todd turned back to his safe and reached inside then closed it back up. He walked over to Blair. “That’s what I told you and the police, but the truth is the ring is the only thing that went into the water. I kept the chip. I’ve had it all along, now I need to find out why everyone wants it so bad.” He opened his palm and showed Blair the small delicate chip lying in his hand.”Not much to look at, is it? I held onto it because I figured it could prove useful. I had no idea Victor was being held for “it” until he was tortured the same way I was. Since I had no way of giving it to whoever held him, I’ve kept it locked up.”
“Why didn’t the group that took Victor just take you instead?”
“Tomas, I guess. It’s clear he’s mixed up in this somehow. He must have told his superiors that I didn’t remember “it” and that Irene had had no luck getting it out of me. He probably suggested Victor to them, thinking that Victor lied to Irene all these years and was keeping it for reasons of his own. No one but Irene knew I finally remembered where it was, and that was the day she shot me and I killed her. Remember, Tomas wasn’t at Victor’s when I took the ring from Tina.”
Blair looked at the tiny chip in Todd’s hand. It was amazing to think that something so little had taken Todd from her for eight years. “How are you going to find out what’s on it?”
“I have my means, but you don’t need to stay here. This could take me the rest of the night.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you home. You should get some sleep, and you’re way too distracting to keep around right now.”
Blair grinned mischievously, then she stretched slowly, displaying her body and letting Todd get a good look at what he was about to send home. “Um, you know I could just sleep here and you wouldn’t have to lose time taking me home.” She watched as his jawline twitched and his stare got intense. His nostrils flared and she knew she had him hooked. She licked her lips and saw his eyes follow the movement. Uncurling her legs, she took his hand and stood up, then moved in close and rubbed against him suggestively. Whispering in his ear she said. ”Or we could finish what we started this afternoon before we were interrupted.” She nibbled his earlobe and heard his intake of breath.
Todd had been trying to resist her but knew it was a lost cause when she caressed his ear. Dropping her hand, he pulled her into his embrace and nuzzled her neck. “God, Woman, you’re driving me crazy,” he paused long enough to get her attention.
Blair was frustrated, why was he stopping. “What are you waiting for? I’m here for the taking. Stop wasting time.” She couldn’t help herself, his kisses were already stirring her and she wanted to continue.
Todd heard the huskiness in her voice signaling she was already turned on. He smiled and slipped the chip into his slacks' pocket. The chip would just have to wait. His woman was in need. “Who could resist an invitation like that.” In seconds, he had nimbly removed her blouse and was working on releasing her luscious breasts. Blair, too, was working on getting him out of his clothes. Soon there was nothing between them. He ran his hands lightly over her body and then lowered her to the couch. She was everything he remembered and more. He joined her on the couch and began to explore every part of her. It had been so long, but he had never forgotten how much he loved to touch her.
Blair loved the feel of his hands as they began their exploration. God, how could I forget his touch? Todd had always been an excellent lover. He had always taken care to make her feel cherished and now was no different.
Todd’s hand kneaded her breasts gently and then he covered her nipple with his full lips sucking at it while his tongue flicked the tip. She quivered at the exquisite sensation and arch her back in desire, wanting more. Todd slowly savored her. Blair tasted like strawberries, and he fought the urge to take a bite. Instead, he ran his tongue down her midriff and heard her soft moan as she shivered with delight. His hand traced her taut body, loving the feel of her silky skin through his fingertips. With each stroke, her body responded with a slight ripple. Soon she began to elicit sounds of pleasure and was urging Todd to continue what he was doing. The sounds of her moans were all he needed, as his body responded in kind.
Blair gasped as Todd entered her, her fingers digging into his shoulders as they moved in sync. Lost in the moment, they eagerly sought to make up for lost time. Todd clung to her as the years apart heightened all his senses. Her inner core molded around him as he delved deeper into her center. The room was silent but for the cries of pleasure as they peaked together. He collapsed into her arms spent but satisfied. He eased out of her and gathered her close beside him, listening to her contented sighs. She snuggled closer and her hand lightly touch his chest in slow circles.
Blair felt loved and fulfilled at that moment but also knew she was losing the battle to stay awake. Tell him. Tell him now, he deserves to hear you say it. So much had happened since he had declared his love the previous afternoon. It was time. She gently kissed his chest. “I love you, Todd. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but everything got compli...” her voice slurred, “..got...compli.. ca..ted… “ It trailed off. Her eyes fluttered shut and sleep took her.
Todd held her and listened to her soft breathing. She had said the words he had thought he would never hear again. He was finally home. Really home. But he couldn’t be truly happy with her until he proved to everyone else in the town that he hadn’t killed his brother. Bo, John, and Natalie knew the truth, but they wouldn’t fully believe it until they saw Victor alive and well. Todd slipped out from under Blair and made her comfortable on the couch. He covered her sleeping form with a soft throw and watched amused as she wrapped it around herself without waking up. She had no idea just how dear she was to him, but she would soon.
He reached and moved a strand of hair off her face and thought back to all the times he had denied himself those kinds of touches after he had gotten back from Ireland. No more, Blair. No more anger, no more self-loathing. Too much time has already been lost, we deserve to be happy too. He gathered his clothes and got dressed, then walked to his desk and removed the chip from his pocket. Pulling open his desk drawer, he took out a small toolbox and went to work opening the back of his computer.
A short time later he started up his computer, watching for the data that would tell him the chip was functioning. There it was. With a double-click of his mouse, the file opened. As he read, it became blatantly clear why the chip had been so valuable to his mother and why the organization that had Victor wanted it. Todd hooked up an external drive and quickly copied everything on the chip to it. Then he wiped out the memory of it from his hard drive and removed the chip. He opened a jewel case and carefully stowed the chip. That finished, he unhooked the external drive and headed down to the morgue, and entered the safe that held all The Sun’s data files. Stashing the drive, he exited and locked the safe.
Todd had ordered all new locks and security measures in place after gaining back control of The Sun. Only a select few had access to the morgue, and he was the only one who could get into the safe. Even his office safe had been engineered with several measures to ensure no one could access the contents. He had even borrowed from his mother’s organization and installed a print recognition device. It would only accept his thumbprint. He knew he had gone overboard on the security but after years under his mother’s thumb, he had found himself a little paranoid. Not trusting his memory, he had decided technology would protect his secret and now he knew it had been a wise choice.
He made his way back to his office and sat down to think about everything he had just read. The chip was a powder keg. His mother had used it to her advantage and the loss of it had been tremendous. Victor was in a very precarious position. Tonight the people, who were holding him, probably knew their deception had been found out. The coroner, who had declared Victor dead, had been killed. There was only one way to save Victor’s life now. He had to find a way to make contact with the captors. Tomas was the key, but even now John and Bo were tracking him down. If they found him, he would deny everything. After all, Tomas had gone out of his way to appear innocent of any wrongdoing, he would simply explain away his fingerprints on Victor’s body, by saying he had gotten into an argument with him earlier that day or something.
Todd rubbed his eyes and the back of his neck as his head started pounding again. The headache was back. He looked around half expecting to see Irene standing behind him but there was nothing. He hadn’t killed Victor, but Irene had somehow convinced him he had. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair trying to remember his last conversation with his mother.
Irene’s last words to him had been that she would always be with him in his mind and in his soul. Had there been more to that statement? When she had shown up in the cabin and tormented him before Blair showed up, he had been convinced he was just in shock from the bullet. Her words, what if they were said deliberately? Could everything he had experienced after that moment, have been an implanted suggestion? Todd drifted off to sleep while still questioning the actions of his mother.
Todd found himself walking down the hallway that led to the cells of the LPD. He paused and watched the scene taking place in front of him. He saw himself sitting in the cell with his back to his mother. She was in the opposite cell and talking nonstop about “it” again and that all he had to do was tell her where it was. She began praising him for completing his mission.
“What do you mean? What mission?” his other self, responded.
“Why killing your brother of course?”
“You’re wrong, I didn’t kill Victor? I have proof, all they have to do is find my friend. He’ll give them the gun and it’ll all be cleared up.”
Todd watched as his other self, became agitated and upset. He wanted to tell himself that Irene was lying, but all he could do was watch. Irene came back from her visit with Bo and started in again. Todd was helpless as he listened to her droning on and on about what a disaster he was as a son and how he had proven it by killing his brother. The Todd in the cell seemed to be ignoring her and trying to block out her voice like a child might by covering his ears. Then Todd noticed something strange. Irene began repeating the same phrase over and over again. “Todd, I want you to listen to me. “
He watched as his other self, stopped trying to cover his ears and slowly lowered his hands, and just sat there. The next words out of his other self’s mouth shocked him to his core.
“I’m listening, Mother.”
“That’s my good boy. Mother has something to tell you. I want you to listen carefully. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Good. You will continue to believe you didn’t kill your brother, but deep down you’ll know you did. You killed your brother, Todd. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I killed my brother.”
“Excellent! It was raining and you went to confront your brother. Are you listening?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Todd watched in horror as his mother planted the suggestion into his hypnotized other-self. He tried to call out to wake the other Todd up but found he had no voice. Not just no voice, but no mouth either. He started to scream, but there was only silence.
Blair woke up to a crash and saw Todd thrashing about on the floor, his eyes wide open filled with horror, and struggling to scream, but all that could be heard was a muffled moan. She raced to his side. “Todd, what is it?” She was terrified, something was incredibly wrong, and he didn’t seem to see her. Suddenly the thrashing stopped and he became deathly still. Todd’s eyes closed and then he began to cry softly. Blair pulled him into her arms and just held him. “Todd, it’s alright, you’re safe. I’m here. Shh, it’s okay.”
Todd became aware that Blair was holding him and wrapped his arms about her tightly. To be so helpless and unable to speak had terrified him. Was it true? Had he dreamed what had really transpired in that cell? God, had she hated him so much she made him believe he killed his brother? He had to know if he still had a voice. “Blair.” It wasn’t much more than a whisper but he heard it. The relief he felt was enormous. Feeling stronger, he loosened his stranglehold on her. He always hated it, when he let someone see his weaknesses, but strangely for the first time, it didn’t bother him that Blair had seen it. Years of torture had finally made him aware he wasn’t Superman and he had realized that Blair of all the people in his life wouldn’t judge him for his weakness. “Blair, I’m okay now.” Even as he said it, he became aware that Blair had come to his aid straight from the couch and was holding him without any clothes on. He also noted they were both on the floor.
Blair felt his arms release and heard his words. She let go and sat back from him. “Todd, are you sure? I was so worried. Do you want to talk about it?”
Todd smiled ruefully and stood up, offering his hand to her as he spoke. “I’ll tell you everything, but first I need you to get dressed. My mind is muddled enough as it is.”
Blair blushed at his words, flattered but she knew it wasn’t the time for a sexual escapade. Something had happened and Todd needed to talk about it. She walked back to her clothes and carried them into the bathroom as Todd proceeded to lift his chair back up off the floor. Coming back out dressed, she noted his hands trembling a little bit as they folded the throw that had covered her. She watched as he gently sniffed the covering, and hugged it close for a moment. Walking to him, she wrapped her arms around him from the back. “I feel the same way about you. Talk to me, do you remember the nightmare?”
Todd turned in her arms and gently kissed her forehead. “Unfortunately, I remember every bit of it. I dreamed of my mother. Blair, I know what happened, and if I could, I’d kill her all over again.”
