Chapter 3

A/N: I apologize for the delay. Once again, this is lightly based on spoilers for the week of December 3rd. So, if you are spoiler-free, then read no further. Thank you for all the incredible reviews. I hope you enjoy Chapter 3.

Markko and Langston drove back from getting the pizza in silence. Normally, they would have been finding something to banter about, but today they were just quiet. Langston finally spoke. "I really hope Cole can make it through this."

Markko had a worried look on his face. "Well, you did. I mean, you dealt with it."

"Markko, I pretended they were not dead. I hardly call that dealing with it."

"I just can not imagine what he has to be going through. Your parents are supposed to be there for you. I just do not understand how it could be that two people that I care about so much have lost that.

"Markko, do not try to make sense out of it. I never have been able to. We just have to be there for Cole.

---

Starr thought that Cole had fallen asleep. She slipped out of his grasp and attempted to lift his shirt, so that she could see how badly he was hurt. She wondered if he should be sleeping. It looked like he had a bad head injury. She hoped that her parents would be back soon. She knew that Langston and Markko were right that she and Cole needed to eat something. She did not even remember the last time that she had anything to eat. She needed to keep her strength up. Cole was going to need her. When she managed to pull his shirt up half way, Cole winced in pain. His eyes opened.

"Starr, what are you doing?"

"We have to get your chest to stop bleeding." He pushed her hand away.

"Starr, no, leave it alone. I deserve it." Cole's voice began to get louder. "Don't you get it? All I have is a gash on my head, and a hole in my stomach!!! I promised my dad that if anything ever happened to him, I would protect my mom. My mom died in a van. John was so busy trying to help me." Cole began to sob harder. "He should have helped her. It is all my fault, Starr."

Cole collapsed in Starr's arms. She rocked him back and forth. He just kept saying, "It is all my fault."

"Shh. Baby, it is not your fault."

"It should have been me. I wish it had been me."

Starr pulled back from the hug. "Cole, look at me. Your mom would want you to not blame yourself. This is not your fault. I am so glad that it was not you. I wish that it was not your mom, either."

Cole looked at her with the saddest look on his face that she had ever seen. "Why did my mom have to die, Starr?"

"I don't know, Cole."

"What happens to me, now? Am I going to have to go to a group home like Langston?"

"Cole, we will figure it out. Is there anything that you need? Can I get you something?"

"Yeah. I need my mom, " Cole said in a defeated, heartbroken voice.

Starr pleaded with Cole. "Please, let me see your wound. Let me try to help. I want to help you. I love you."

Cole relented. He lifted off his blood-soaked dark blue sweatshirt. Starr noticed that his t-shirt under it was completely soaked in blood. He lifted his shirt, and Starr saw it. It was a deep gash that was oozing of blood. He clearly needed stiches. It was then that Todd and Blair came home.

Todd was the first to walk in. He immediately jumped to anger when he saw Starr lifting the rest of Cole's shirt off. "Starr, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

Cole's head snapped in Todd's direction. Todd immediately saw the bruises, cuts, and the look in the kid's eye. Blair went over to him. "Cole, are you okay? You need to go to the hospital."

Cole tried to push back his tears, but found himself raising his voice. "I told Starr that I am not going!!! I do not deserve help. She did not get it. She died all alone."

Blair looked at him. "Who died, Cole?"

"My mom. She's dead." He glanced over at a shocked Todd. "So, now, you don't have to look at her and pretend to be sorry for what you did, anymore." Cole looked at Todd angrily, "See, I wonder if my mom was as scared when she was alone before the explosion as she did the night that you raped her."

Normally, Todd would have grabbed Cole, and threatened him. But, he felt for the kid. This kid was terribly heartbroken. He had lost the one parent he had left. Todd just looked at Cole and said, "I have to go make a call." Blair noticed the look on Todd's face. She had seen it many times before. Blair followed Todd out of the room.

"Cole, my dad told me that when they were in New Orleans, he and your mom agreed to put our happiness first. Did you know that my dad put up a one million dollar reward for you and your mom's safe return?"

"Starr, I am sorry. I just could not deal with seeing the man that raped my mom right now. I should go."

Langston and Markko came back. Langston looked at them, "You guys eat something."

She noticed Cole's chest. "Cole, you need to get that looked at."

"Langston, will that bring my mom back? Will my mom not be dead if I get this hole in chest fixed? Will it heal the hole in my heart, Langston?"

"No. It won't." Langston gave Cole a hug. "Cole, your mom would want you to take care of yourself. Remember that, and get that checked out. Markko, let's go in the kitchen."

"Okay. Cole, I am so sorry."

Cole managed to say, "Thank you, Markko. I appreciate it."

--

Blair and Todd were sitting outside. Todd was not being himself. Blair grabbed his hand. "Todd, are you okay?"

"I can not believe that Marty is gone. You know, we talked that day that she got taken. We agreed to put our children's happiness first. I told her why I was so desperate to find my son."

Blair was confused. "Why is that, Todd?"

"I wanted to try to give my son a good life, even though he was the result of Margaret doing to me what I did to Marty. You know, I never thought about it. But, Marty's real name was Margaret, and then I was, by Margaret. Fate has a way of biting you in the ass."

"Todd, you and Marty got past that years ago."

"Did we? We were never friends, which we should not have been. I brutally raped her and terrorized her. Not only that, I murdered someone she loved. You know that, right? After I raped Marty, I terrorized her and killed Suede Pruitt. Over the years, Marty and I had managed to be civil. I can't help but wonder if the last time I talked to her, there was more that I should have said. I always figured me and Marty would be arguing over our children for years to come.

Blair went over and put her arms around Todd. "Todd, you are not the same person that you were before. You have changed so much. You are wonderful father."

"How good of a father am I? Jack is shipped off to your cousin's. I don't even remember the last time that I spent any time with him. With Starr, I have tried to be a good father, but look at how I screwed that one up. I can not even find my own son."

"Todd, we will find him. You are so different now. You are not the same person who raped Marty. Don't ever think that you are."

Todd looked straight ahead, "I still wonder if I would have said, 'I am sorry, Marty. Forgive me,' if she would have." Todd found himself began to cry. "Blair, I am going to do what I told her I would. I am putting my children first."

Blair put her arms around Todd.

--

Starr was trying to bandage up Cole's chest when Dorian came in. She saw Cole's chest. "Cole, you need some stitches. What happened?"

"Hi, Doctor Lord. I am fine."

Dorian could tell by how quiet the house was that something was very wrong. "Nonsense." Dorian went upstairs and retrieved her medical bag. Starr went to the kitchen to get a soda. She saw Langston and Markko in the kitchen. They were just sitting there, talking.

"Hi guys. You can come in there."

"We just were trying to give Cole some space, " added Langston.

Starr was worried. "I don't know what is going to happen to him. Where does he go from here?"

--

Dorian began to stitch Cole up. "Cole, are you okay?"

"My mom's dead."

"Oh my God, what happened?"

"John rescued us. The van we were in went off the cliff, and I got thrown from it. My mom insisted John find me first. Once he did, we went back for my mom. The van exploded."

Dorian had not been expecting this. "I am so sorry." Cole started to cry again. Dorian continued, "Don't worry Cole. We are all here for you."

Todd appeared in the living room. "Cole, I know I am the last person you wanted to see. But, we are all here for you. Don't think this means that I like you, but I know how important you are to Starr, and to your mother."

Cole started to walk towards Todd, when he passed out. Starr walked in, and saw Cole on the floor. "Oh my God, Cole."

To Be Continued...

Is Cole going to be okay? What is he going to do? Coming Soon: Cole seeks revenge for Marty's death.