Part 1
Rain hammered unrelentingly at the window of the taxi cab as they traveled down Main Street. She had once heard that a spring rain like this was supposed to be cleansing - healing even. She thought briefly how much rain she would have to douse herself in before she ever felt that way again. There was probably not enough water in all the world to make her feel whole.
Her eyes instinctively moved once again to the slumbering infant beside her. His little hands were clasped together as if in prayer and she kept thinking, he really should be praying. Praying that his Mommy didn t end up in prison and that they both didn t both end up dead. Of course, she considered the possibility that the baby would be much better off without her and her twisted legacy. Maybe she shouldn t be so selfish for once. Maybe she should simply give him away to someone who was whole and sane enough to raise him and protect him. She didn t want the darkness nipping ever constantly at her heels to touch him somehow - to soil his future, potential happiness.
But she felt truly selfish like people had accused her of being before because she couldn t imagine her life without this little guy in it. He had saved her. During the darkest months - the ones she couldn t talk about with anyone - he had been her sanity.
Is this it? The taxi driver asked, causing her to jump in her seat.
She tried to steady her racing pulse as she looked mournfully out the window at the stately mansion in front of her. Yeah, this is it, she murmured.
He nodded and stopped the car. They both climbed out. The cabbie came around to help her with the baby carrier but she snapped at him, Don t! Don t touch him! She didn t let anyone near her child, especially not people she didn t know. Even though she had learned the hard way that people you knew could often be the most dangerous and invite the most insidious types of evil into your world.
He stared at her like she was a crayon short of a full box and she murmured, Sorry. Though she didn t mean it. She did not trust him; she did not really trust anyone anymore. Except ...
Except Viki. That s why she had come to Llanfair. Because she knew, or at least hoped, that in spite of all she had done, Viki would protect her and her son. If anything happened to Marty, Viki would protect this child.
She had managed to squirrel away enough money for cab fair so she could pay the man and give him a small tip. She passed him the cash and then he slid his girth back into the driver s seat as she gingerly lifted the infant out of the backseat and clutched his car seat to her chest. She didn t want him any further away from her than necessary.
She watched the cab slide away down the street, then she turned and slowly walked up the path to the front door. She looked at her son and sighed. Its okay, we re going to be okay. She hoped to god that for once she wasn t lying.
She then pressed a little kiss to his light brown hair and raised her hand to knock. Here goes nothing, she murmured.
Soon enough she heard movement on the other side of the door. She started to second guess her decision to come here then as she thought how literally anyone could open that door - even Natalie. Natalie, who would no doubt scream bloody murder.
But it was too late to turn tail and run away. The door had been already opened.
Marty stared at Todd, noticing that he still carried the scar that haunted them both. He was the first man that had ever betrayed her, but certainly not the last. The rain was still falling and she thought it was fitting somehow.
"Marty? What are you doing here? Who's baby is that?" Todd asked. He was surprised to see her. As far as he knew she was still wanted by the police so why was she back in Llanview and where was Patrick.
"He's mine," Marty said protectively. "Can I come in?"
"Of course," Todd stated as he held the door open for her.
"Where's Patrick?" Todd couldn't help but ask.
Marty's mind flashed back to the day that she had left Patrick. She had tried to make it work with him, but he had changed since he was held prisoner by Irene. There had been a time that she was certain that Patrick would never hurt her, but she was wrong. He wasn't the same man that she had married.
Patrick had been drinking yet again. Marty knew from the smell that he would be in an ugly mood. She tried to line up the cans in alapabetical order just like he had asked her to, but nothing that she did ever seemed right anymore.
"God Marty, can't you do anything right you stupid Bitch. It's bad enough that we have to be on the run because you killed somebody in your deluded mind frame, but this...I just wanted order, but you couldn't even do that right," Patrick yelled as he slapped her across the face.
She begged him to stop, but it was like he couldn't hear her. He continued to hit her and kick her until she had finally passed out from the pain.
When she woke up she was terrified of what Patrick could have done to her son. She crawled into his nursery, but he was still sleeping. Patrick was passed out and she knew that she had to leave him. It had been the first time that he had ever hit her and she swore it had been the last. She grabbed her son and took off without looking back.
"Marty, where's Patrick?" Todd repeated himself when she didn't answer. He was worried about her. She had a distant look in her eyes and then she started to cry.
"I need to see Vicki, please Todd. She's the only one who I can turn to," Marty pleaded.
Todd could see the stormy desperation brewing in Marty's dark-blue eyes. No doubt she was running from someone and worried about the safety of her baby. All Todd wanted to do was to protect her. He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, but he didn't dare.
"Marty, that isn't true. You have me, too. I'd NEVER let anything happen to you... or your baby. Whoever you're running from, I'm going to protect you. That's a promise."
Looking into Todd's expressive hazel eyes, Marty knew he meant every word. A soft little sigh fell from her lips as she felt a sudden surge of blessed relief. For the first time in over a year, she felt half-way safe. "Thank you, Todd," she whispered softly. "I appreciate that you want to protect me and my son, but I still need to talk to Vicki. It's very important. Where is she?"
"She's in the kitchen. You can go in and talk to her," Todd responded. He wanted to question Marty and demand she tell him everything that was troubling her and who or what she was running from, but he realized that now was not the time to force her to tell him all of her secrets. Marty had obviously been through hell, and he needed to make her realize she could trust him again.
The baby picked that moment to awaken from his slumber. He opened his little eyes and started to cry. Marty made a move to reach for him, but Todd was faster. He reached into the carseat and unsnapped the baby boy from the straps which had secured him into the seat. Gently he lifted the two-month-old into his arms. With a grin on his face, Todd looked into the infant's dark-blue eyes.
"He has your eyes," Todd said to Marty as he met her gaze.
"Yes... Todd..." Marty said in a little gasp as she tried to reach out protectively for her son.
"It's okay, Marty. I know how to care for a baby," Todd said with a little chuckle. "I think he's getting hungry."
"He probably is. I fixed him a bottle in the cab, but he went to sleep before I had a chance to give it to him."
"I'll give it to him then, while you go in and talk to Vicki," Todd offered.
Marty looked like she wanted to protest, but Todd was already cradling the baby in the crook of his arm as he made soft clicking noises of which to quiet him. Marty reached for the prepared bottle from the diaper bag and handed it to Todd. "I can handle this... no big deal," said Todd as he gently pressed the nipple to the baby's lips.
Todd smiled at the baby, then settled his gaze onto Marty. "He's awfully cute," stated Todd. "But I really don't think he's hairy enough to be Patrick's son."
A question hung in the air, but Marty refused to answer it. Instead she turned on her heel and headed for the kitchen. When she got there, she found Vicki standing near the stove preparing a pot of tea.
"Vicki," Marty called out softly.
Vicki turned to see Marty standing there. "Marty? What in the world?" Vicki gasped.
"I've come home," Marty said softly as tears shone in her eyes. "And I need your help..."
"I'm so sorry for all those awful things I did," Marty spoke in a soft sob. "I never wanted to hurt Natalie, Kelly, OR Dr. Buharai..."
"Marty-," Vicki said softly as she put her potholder aside and slowly approached Marty.
"No, Vicki. Please hear me out. I don't know what possessed me when I attacked Natalie and Kelly. And I don't even remember killing Dr. Buharai. It's all just a blur. A terrible nightmare. Whatever happened, I wasn't myself. Please forgive me, Vicki," Marty pleaded.
Vicki took Marty in her embrace while Marty softly sobbed. "I do forgive you, Marty. And I'm going to help you," Vicki promised.
Marty trembled in Vicki's comforting arms. For so long all she had wanted was for someone to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. She knew she had made the right choice when she had came here to Vicki's. Not only did she have Vicki's promise that she would help her; Todd too had offered his protection.
"Vicki, I'm... not alone," Marty stated as she pulled back from Vicki's embrace.
"Did you bring Patrick?"