The Reason

AN: AU. This story takes place around the time that Marty and Cole returned back to Llanview. TSJ is Todd in this story...SH is Marty. Langston is a couple of years older than Starr and Cole. She is a senior in high school while Starr and Cole are Sophomores.

Marty had her and Cole's bags packed. When she left Llanview she never thought that she would return, but she had to go back and make sure that she was okay.

"Cole, he's here...let's go baby," Marty stated.

Cole picked up his bags and headed out to the truck without saying a word. Marty knew that moving to Llanview was hard on her son. He hated saying goodbye to his friends and her home, but it was hard for her too.

The thought of leaving the home that she had shared with Patrick was heartbreaking. She thought that they would spend the rest of their lives here, but now Patrick was dead and she was returning back to the place that held so many painful memories for her.

Marty took one last look around her home, picked up her bags and headed out to the truck.

"Hey Marty, let me get that from you," Jason Webber stated as he grabbed the bags out of Marty's arms.

XOXOXO

"Are you sure about this?" Jason asked as soon as Cole had fallen asleep.

"No, but I don't really have another choice. You haven't told anybody that we're returning back to Llanview...have you?" Marty asked.

"I've told my parents that I'm moving back to Llanview, but nobody knows that I'm bringing you and Cole with me and I won't tell anybody that your back in town until you're ready."

"Thanks Jason. I'm just...I'm not ready to face him yet."

Jason took a deep breath. He knew that the thought of facing Todd Manning again after all these years was tearing Marty up inside. "It's not too late...you just say the word and I'll turn this car around."

"I can't Jase. My daughter needs me...I haven't heard anything from her adoptive parents in six months and I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong," Marty stated as she looked out the window.

XOXOXO

Marty couldn't believe that a month had passed by since she had returned to Llanview and she was no closer to figuring out where her daughter's adoptive parents were.

"Hey mom, Markko invited me to a tailgating party after the game. Can I go?"

"You can go but I want you to be home by midnight and no-"

"No drinking. I know mom," Cole interrupted. "Are you going to be able to make it to the game?"

"I can't baby. I'm not feeling very well and I don't want to get sicker by going out, but Jason's going to go and he'll record it for me."

"Okay mom...love you," Cole stated as he hugged his mom goodbye.

XOXOXO

"Hey Starr, Langston, I'm glad that you girls could make it," Mitch stated.

Starr had to lie to her dad in order to make it to the party. He believed that she was at a study group at Llangston's house. She hated lying to her parents, but they were completely strict when it came to parties especially her dad. She couldn't pass up this party. Mitch was captain of the football team and a senior and he had asked her to the party when he could have asked anybody.

"Want a beer?" Mitch asked as he offered a cup to Starr.

"Sure," Starr stated as she grabbed the drink from Mitch. She had never drank before, but she didn't want to seem like a loser so she grabbed the beer and drank it.

XOXOXO

Cole and Markko walked into the party just as Starr and Langston had climbed onto the tables and started dancing.

Starr felt as if her skin was on fire so she lifted her shirt up over her head as she danced.

"What's wrong with Starr and Langston? Cole asked Markko.

"I don't know, but they don't look very good," Markko responded.

Mitch climbed onto the table and pulled Starr into his arms. "Do you want to go upstairs with me?" Mitch whispered into her ear.

Luke climbed onto the table and grabbed Langston's hand. "You look really tired Lang. I'll show you where you can lie down and sleep it off.

XOXOXO

"Hey Cole, welcome to the party," Ben stated.

"Have you seen Mitch or Starr?" Cole asked.

"Mitch took Starr upstairs to lie down, but don't worry...I'm sure Mitch will let you have a turn after he's done especially since you won the game for us. I've got to go find Michelle...enjoy the rest of the party."

Cole ran up the stairs. He had a bad feeling that Starr was in trouble. He entered the bedroom and saw Starr tied up and gagged on the bed. She was completely naked and the look of fear as Mitch climbed on top of her haunted him.

"Hey Cole...do you want to play bang the drugged whore with me and Luke. After we're done fucking Starr and Langston we'll let you have a turn. Don't worry...I slipped something in her beer. She's not going to remember a thing in the morning."

Cole looked at Starr and he felt sick fearing that he was too late. Did Mitch rape Starr? He lunged at Mitch and hit him over and over again.

XOXOXO

"Hey Jason, how was the game?" Marty asked as he walked into the door.

"It was great. Cole scored the winning touchdown. Don't worry, I got it all on tape."

"I wish that I could have been there."

"About that Marty...Cole's worried about you. He's noticed that you haven't left this house since we arrived in Llanview. I know that you don't want to run into Todd, but you can't hide out here forever."

"I know Jase. I just need a little bit more time to figure out where Langston's adoptive parents are."

Marty hid when there was a knock on the door. Jason answered it to find the Private Investigator Sam Mcall standing there.

"Hello Jason, is Marty here as well," Sam stated as she walked through the door.

"I'm right here," Marty stated as she came out of the bedroom just as Jason shut the door and locked it.

"It took some digging but I found out what happened to the Wilds."

"What did you find out?"

"They died in a car crash in Europe six months ago," Sam stated.

XOXOXO

"I just want to sleep. I'm so tired and I don't feel very good," Langston stated.

"Don't worry Langston...I'm going to make you feel so much better," Luke stated as he unbuttoned her jeans and began to pull them down.

"Don't...leave me alone," Langston said as she tried to get up.

"You're such a tease...you know you want me," Luke said as he pushed her back down on the bed. He pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and held it against her throat. "There's some rope underneath the bed. Get it out for me."

"Please...please don't kill me," Langston stated.

"Then do what I say."

Langston retrieved the rope and handed it to Luke.

"Get on the bed," Luke ordered.

Langston laid down on the bed and whimpered as Luke tied her wrists to the bed posts.

"If you scream for help, I'll kill you."

"I'll be quiet," Langston stated.

Luke cut her panties off and traced the folds of her Vagina.

"I've wanted you for such a long time. Ever since I was a freshman, but you thought that you were too good to date somebody like me. Now I'm going to make you mine in every way that matters," he stated as he removed his pants and climbed on top of her. He rammed his penis into her over and over again as she cried out in pain until he released his seed into her.

"Don't tell me that a slut like you was a virgin?" he asked as he noticed the blood on the white sheets.

Langston didn't answer him. She tried her best to look away.

"You were a good fuck even if you were inexperienced. I'm glad that I got to be your first. I'm going to go see if Mitch is ready to trade," Luke stated as he shoved his socks into Langston's mouth and left the room.

XOXOXO

John Mcbain and Oliver Fish had been called about a wild high school party that had gotten out of hand.

When they arrived on the scene all chaos broke lose as the high school kids tried to get away.

"I've got things under control down here if you want to check upstairs," Fish stated.

John headed up the stairs. He opened up the door and saw Starr naked and tied up on the bed while some boy he didn't know was repeatedly hitting another boy.

"What's going on here?" John asked.

"Mitch tried to rape me...Cole saved me," Starr stated as she cried.

John called an ambulance and told Fish that backup was on its way.

Once Mitch had been loaded on the ambulance he sent one of the other police officers to guard him. He placed Cole under arrest for assaulting Mitch. He took Starr and Cole to the police station.

XOXOXO

"Starr what happened?" Blair asked as she headed into the interrogation room.

Starr sat in the chair shivering. She was wearing sweats that one of the officers had told her.

"I'm sorry that I lied to you. I went to this party. I drank and went upstairs to one of the bedrooms with Mitch. He...um...he tried to rape me," Starr said as she looked at her father's face.

"He WHAT?" Todd shouted.

"It's okay dad, Cole saved me."

XOXOXO

"Langston's parents have been dead for six months? Why wasn't I contacted?" Marty asked.

"It appears that Langston has been telling everybody that her parents are out of town and forging cheeks in their name to pay the bills, " Sam explained.

The phone rang and Marty stepped out of the room to answer it.

"Oh my god, I'll be right there. Marty gasped.

"I'm sorry Sam, I've got to go to the police station, Cole's been arrested. "

"Do you want me to go with you?" Jason asked.

"No, stay here and finish talking to Sam. I'll be back as soon as I can."

XOXOXO

After they finished processing Cole they escorted him to the interrogation rooms.

"I understand that you saved my daughter tonight. Thank you," Todd said as he shook his hand.

"Cole are you-" Marty stopped mid sentence as she saw Todd.

"Marty Saybrooke? What are you doing here?" Todd asked.

"Cole is...Cole is my son," Marty stated as she looked into Todd's eyes.

XOXOXO

Todd sat down as the color drained from his face. He couldn't believe his luck...that the boy who saved his daughter was the son of the woman that he had raped.

Cole looked at Todd and then looked at his mom. He could sense a sudden tension that filled the room. "How do you two know each other?" Cole asked.

"Cole, I was informed that you were arrested for assaulting another student. What happened?" Marty asked as she tried to avoid Todd's penetrating gaze and avoided answering Cole's question.

"I didn't have a choice mom. He was going to rape Starr. I know that you hate violence but I had to stop him from hurting her."

Marty felt like all the oxygen had been sucked from the room as memories of the night that she was raped bombarded her mind. "Is...um...is Starr okay?" Marty asked as she forced herself to look at Todd.

"She's fine...thank's to your son. You raised a good kid."

"Well, I'm glad that Starr wasn't hurt. I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anybody," Marty said as her voice began to break with emotion.

"Mom, are you okay?" Cole asked as he looked at his mom with concern. She was shaking and her eyes were filled with a pain that he didn't understand. It was as if she was speaking from experience.

"I'm fine...It's just been a long-"

"Marty Saybrooke?" Blair asked as she walked into the room with Starr and John Mcbain. "I thought that you left town to get away from Todd so why would you come crawling back to this town after all this time? Did you miss rubbing Todd's mistakes in his face? Did you want to come back and play Llanview's greatest victim?

"Shut up Blair, Marty is Cole's son. She has every right to be here," Todd stated as he looked at Marty nervously. It was obvious that she hadn't told Cole about their history from the look of confusion on his face.

"Oh god...you've got to love the irony of that," Blair stated as she laughed.

"Mom, what is she talking about? How do you guys know one another? Did Starr's dad do something to hurt you?"

"Starr's dad and I knew each other in college and we had a disagreement," Marty stated as she looked towards the door. She felt sick and nauseous...the room was spinning and she was having a hard time staying in the moment as the laughter and taunting of the past came back to assault her.

"But did he hurt you?" Cole asked.

"No baby...he didn't hurt me."

"What was your argument about?"

"It was a long time ago Cole and I really don't remember," Marty stated. She felt the walls closing in around her and she needed to get out of there before she had a full blown panic attack. "Can I take my son home?" Marty asked John.

"The D.A. has decided not to press charges since he was acting to stop a violent crime from being committed. I need him to come with me to sign some paperwork and then he's free to go" John stated.

Cole followed John out of the room while Marty gathered up his belongings. "Cole obviously doesn't know our history and I would appreciate it if you didn't say anything to him," Marty stated as she looked at Todd and Blair.

"Why didn't you tell him Marty?"

"I have my reasons," Marty stated as she headed out the door.

Marty headed straight to the bathroom and threw up as the unwanted memories continued to assault her. When she was done she splashed some cold water on her face as she tried to compose herself.

She walked out of the ladies bathroom and found Cole waiting for her. She did her best to smile for him as she grabbed his hand and headed out the door.

XOXOXO

"Come on Fish, we have to get these suspects down to the precinct," Brody stated.

"I want to check upstairs one more time," Fish stated.

"Why? John already cleared the upstairs."

"I don't know...I just have a bad feeling that something isn't quite right. Why don't you start loading the suspects while I have one last look around," Fish stated as he headed up the stairs.

Fish gasped as he opened the last bedroom door and found a young teenage girl, naked, gagged and tied to the bed.

He called for an ambulance while he untied her restraints and removed her gag.

"It's okay...help's on the way," he stated as he placed a blanket around Langston who was shivering. It was obvious to Fish that something terrible had happened to this girl.

"Why would he rape me?" Langston asked over and over again.

XOXOXO

Fish sat in the waiting room hoping that the doctor's examination wouldn't reveal what he feared to be true. He had a daughter now and the thought of anybody trying to hurt her the way that they hurt Langston was too much to bear. He tried to reach Langston's parents but it went straight to voice mail.

"Hey Kyle, was she...was she raped?" Fish asked as he searched Kyle's eyes.

"Yes...she was raped, but the son-of-a-bitch left behind his DNA, so I'm hoping that you'll catch the little bastard and make him pay. Have you had any luck reaching her parents?"

"No...poor kid, she really shouldn't have to go through this alone."

"I gave her a sedative so hopefully we can find her parents before she wakes up," Kyle stated as he squeezed Fish's hand.

XOXOXO

"Hey Cole, how are you-are you alright Marty?" Jason asked as soon as he saw the look on her face.

"I'm alright Jace, it's just been a long night. Cole, why don't you go upstairs and get ready for bed?"

"Mom, are you mad at me?" Cole asked.

"No baby, I'm very proud of you for saving Starr tonight," Marty said. She wanted to hug him but she couldn't trust herself not to flinch. She was still shaken from seeing Todd again and she was trying her best to keep the memories of that horrible night in the past where they belonged.

"Okay mom...love you," Cole stated as he headed up the stairs.

"I love you too," Marty called after him.

"Okay Marty, Cole's upstairs now...what's wrong?"

"I saw Todd tonight at the police station. Cole saved his daughter Starr from being raped tonight."

"Oh...I'm sorry...do you want to talk about it?"

"No, what happened with Sam after I left?"

"She's going to contact social services and the police with her finding's about Langston. Sam also left behind a business card for Alexis Davis. She's a lawyer and Sam thinks that if you act quickly that you could have custody of Langston before the week is up."

"Okay, I'll call her first thing in the morning. Jace will you watch Cole for me?"

"Of course, but where are you going?"

"I want to go for a walk...I'm starting to get a migraine and I'm hoping that the fresh air will do me some good."

"Okay, call me if you need me," Jason said. He felt helpless...it was obvious that Marty was struggling with seeing Todd again. He wanted to help her but he didn't know how.

XOXOXO

Todd sat in his study watching the rain fall out the window as he thought about Marty. On nights like this he always thought about her...he had so many regrets when it came to her. He owed a debt that could never be repaid and now he owed her son as well.

If Cole hadn't have been there then some disgusting monster could have destroyed his daughter the same way that he destroyed Marty. She was still in so much pain...and she was still afraid of him even after all these years. He had to find a way to make things up to her...he needed to be the one to take away her pain and prove to her that he would never hurt her again.

He put on his jacket...he needed to clear his head so that he could come up with a plan.

"Where are you going?" Blair asked as he headed for the front door.

"Out."

"You're going out to find her aren't you? Why is Marty so much more important to you then your family?"

"Starr's sleeping and I'm going to be back here before she wakes up."

"Starr's not the only one who needs you. I need you to," Blair stated as she sexily walked over to him and pulled him into a kiss.

"Goodbye Blair, I'll be back later," Todd said as he pulled away from her kisses and walked out the door.

Blair sank to the floor in despair. It didn't matter what she did, Todd would never love her the way that he loved Marty and she was really tired of watching him chase after her.

XOXOXO

Marty sat on the pier watching the rain drops fall into the river below. She took a swig from the bottle of Vodka that she picked up from the liquor store. She knew that she shouldn't be drinking but the temptation had been too strong to resist. Her head hurt so bad and she couldn't shake the demons of Spring Fling. She desparately wanted to be there for Langston, she knew what it was like to lose parents to death. She wanted to tell Langston that she was her mother but she was terrified of what Todd would do when he learned the secret that she had kept from him for all these years.

"Hello Marty," she heard his familiar voice say. She turned around and saw his piercing blue eyes penetrating into her soul.