(This story revolves around the pairing of Todd and Marty & the pairing of Blair and Tea.)
"Whatever It Takes"
A strangled smile fell from your face.
It kills me that I hurt you this way.
The worst part is that I didn't even know.
Now there's a million reasons for you to go;
But if you can find a reason to stay.
I'll do whatever it takes;
To turn this around.
I know what's at stake.
I know that I've let you down.
And if you give me a chance;
Believe that I can change;
I'll keep us together whatever it takes.
She said, "If we're gonna make this work;
You gotta let me inside even though it hurts.
Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see."
She said, "Like it or not it's the way it's gotta be;
You gotta love yourself if you can ever love me."
I'll do whatever it takes;
To turn this around.
I know what's at stake.
I know that I've let you down.
And if you give me a chance;
And give me a break;
I'll keep us together.
I know you deserve much better.
But remember the time I told you the way that I felt;
That I'd be lost without you and never find myself.
Let's hold onto each other above everything else.
Start over, start over.
I'll do whatever it takes;
To turn this around.
I know what's at stake.
I know I've let you down.
And if you give me a chance;
And believe that I can change;
I'll keep us together whatever it takes .
~Lyrics by Lifehouse~
~*The Introduction*~
Todd Manning thought he was finally getting his life back together after eight long years of being held captive at the hands of his evil mother Irene. Yet everything went from bad to worse when someone shot his twin brother Victor and attempted to frame him for the murder. Then, not long after, he had to shoot his mother in self-defense after she had shot him in the shoulder and tried to blow up his entire family with a bomb. He was cleared of Victor's murder shortly after when it was discovered that Victor wasn't really dead; Irene had framed Todd when in fact Victor was alive and well and living with Irene at her compound in Louisiana. Irene wasn't really dead either even though Todd had been cleared of her murder as well considering he had acted in self-defense. The final straw for Todd was when Irene had her goons break into LaBoulie, kidnapping his son Jack and his nephew Sam. Irene left a note behind saying she wanted Todd to meet her at her compound and to bring the microchip from his father's ring and the disc Marty had taken from Victor. Todd had no choice but to give Irene what she wanted or Irene had threatened to kill Jack and Sam.
Todd frantically got in touch with Marty who was in Ireland and in possession of the disc his mother wanted. He was on his way to the airport to pick her up, considering they had to leave tonight for Louisiana. They had to get to Sam and Jack as soon as possible and get both boys to safety.
At the airport, Todd was waiting for Marty's arrival. He felt nervous as he had not seen her in over a decade. His heart was pounding as he caught a glimpse of her and discovered she was alone.
Where was Marty's Irish Boy-Toy Patrick? Had she left him at home? He couldn't help the smile that came to his face when she approached him. He had missed her. Ohhh dear God, he had missed her so much.
He hadn't realized until that moment just how much he had missed her. Looking into her amazing dark-blue eyes, he was speechless. Finally, after a couple of minutes, he found his voice. "Hello, Marty... Where's Patrick?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Tea Delgado was getting ready for the trip to Louisiana to rescue her stepsons, Jack and Sam. Tea threw her clothing and personal items quickly into a suitcase, knowing time was of the essence as they needed to get the boys away from evil Irene at once. That horrible woman had done awful things to both Todd and Victor so who knows what she might be doing to her own grandsons.
Tea had her suitcase packed and headed downstairs, thankful that her teenage daughter Dani would be staying with Starr and Addie during her trip to Louisiana so at least she wouldn't have to worry about her. Ever since Victor had been supposedly shot and killed, Tea had been even more protective of her daughter. Recently however, Todd had discovered Victor wasn't really dead, but with Irene. Tea hoped she could see Victor and resume her life with him. She still loved him, and her heart had been broken, thinking him dead.
Carrying her suitcase, Tea stepped outside and locked up the house. She saw Blair was waiting in the driveway in her car. "Hey," she said as she climbed into the car next to Blair after depositing the suitcase in the backseat.
"Are you the one driving us to Louisiana?" she asked. "And where is Todd?"
"I don't know; Todd just took off to somewhere," Blair responded. "He said something about having to take care of things."
"Are you disappointed it's me?" Blair asked her honestly once Tea had settled in. She started the car, pulled away from the house, and drove down the road to get out of the neighborhood and onto the main road.
"No, Blair, I'm not disappointed it's you. You know I can't stand, Todd. He annoys the HELL out of me," responded Tea as she settled back against the seat next to Blair. "But we gotta get going to Louisiana and get Jack and Sam away from Todd and Victor's psycho mother."
*And so I can meet up with Victor,* she silently added.
~*o*~
Marty couldn't help but smile at the sight of Todd. Wow, had she ever missed him! She was surprised herself at just how much she had missed this man she had once hated. "Todd- hi!" she spoke.
Then a slight frown came to her face when he mentioned Patrick. "Yeah, well, that didn't exactly work out. We didn't see eye to eye on some things..."
*Patrick and his damn horse obession,* she was thinking. *Ughhhh! There is no way I am gonna come second to a bunch of animals.*
"Really? You broke up with Patrick?" Todd said to Marty, glancing outside to see if he saw any pigs flying past. He never thought he'd see the day, but he had to admit he was happy. He had never been able to stand the thought of Marty with any other guy.
"Thank you for coming, Marty. This means the world to me, that you would come and help me find my son and my nephew Sam," Todd spoke. "You do have the disc with you?"
"You're welcome. Yes, the disc is safe," she said. She was holding her bag securely where she had the disc stashed.
"Let's get going," she urged. "We need to get your son and your nephew back."
After Marty had gotten her luggage off the conveyor belt, Todd lead her outside to the SUV he was driving. "I know you aren't going to like this," he said as they got into the vehicle. "But Blair and Tea are along for this trip as well. We'll be meeting up with them later tonight at a motel."
Soon they were headed down the highway toward their destination. The trip was going to take them the rest of the day and then the greater part of tomorrow. He hoped his son and nephew were safe in his mother's evil clutches. To keep his mind off the fate of the kids, Todd made conversation with Marty. "So, how was Ireland?" he asked her. "I haven't been back since I got shot four times and nearly died. That wasn't a pleasant experience."
He still couldn't get over the fact that she and Patrick were through. What did this mean? Marty had left 'the love of her life,' the man she had claimed over and over again was 'the one.' Part of him wanted to rejoice; that Marty was now free to love someone else and move on with her life, but a greater part of him was terrified. For one time in their lives, they both were free, but it didn't matter; they'd never, ever be together. Years ago he had ended all possibility of a future romance with a cruel and violent act.
Marty relaxed in the passenger seat as she listened to Todd talking. "Ireland is still nice. And I know your experience there wasn't so great, and I'm sorry about that..."
"I wouldn't have gone back either if those things had happened to me," she admitted. She could fully understand Todd not having gone back to Ireland considering his horrific experience there.
Todd stiffened when he heard Marty's words. Was there some sort of hidden innuendo in what she had just said? How would she ever think of going back to what they had once had, after he had hurt her so deeply? It just wouldn't be possible, would it? "Yeah, Marty," he said dryly. "It's very smart of you to avoid all that has hurt you in the past." Glancing over at her, he was thinking of himself and all the terrible times he had hurt her. God, how he hated himself for it. Everyday of his life he remembered, and it was like a knife through his heart.
Marty quickly glanced at Todd. "I just meant I understand why," she said to him. She couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Sometimes she thought about them; about their past and what they had once had, before that fateful night of the Spring Fling.
Meanwhile, Blair and Tea were driving down highway. "We will get there as fast as we can," Blair promised Tea. She was worried about Jack and Sam, and she prayed that they were both safe.
"Thank God," Tea whispered as she sat in the seat next to Blair. Over the past few years, she and Blair had become quite close. She loved Blair's kids as her own. She was extremely worried about Jack and Sam and wanted them both to be reunited with their mother.
"How many hours until we reach Louisiana?" Tea asked as already her butt was starting to ache. She hated long car rides.
"We've got a ways to go," Blair told Tea as she drove.. "But we'll be stopping at a motel tonight."
"Todd should be caught up with us by then. We could listen to music or something," she offered.
Smiling at Blair, Tea got another idea. "Sing to me, Blair," she encouraged. "Your voice is so beautiful." She loved hearing Blair sing. Maybe if Blair sang, it would keep her mind off the fact that Jack and Sam were in Louisiana with their wicked grandmother.
Blair blushed at Tea's sincere compliment. "Ummmm... alright, " she agreed as she wasn't so sure if this was a good idea. She paused a moment as she tried to think of a song. In her beautiful voice, she began to sing...
"It's a light full of dreams;
And wishes do come true.
There's a sky full of stars;
But only one like you.
It takes years;
It takes time;
For the light to reach the earth and shine.
Look at you, here you are;
Burning bright, my little Starr.
There've been times along the way;
where the distance seemed to pull our worlds apart;
But on that day you were born;
God hung a new star in my heart..."
~Lyrics by Kassie DePaiva~
