Starr Manning walked off her private plane and into her waiting limo with all the confidence of the celebrity she pretended to be. Once safely inside, she pulled off her sunglasses, changed her shirt and stuffed her hair into a ponytail and out the back of a ballcap. Yanking off her five inch heals, she wiggled her jeans off to reveal a pair of leggins. She pulled on a plain black coat. Tossing everything else into a dime store duffle bag she signaled the driver to cut through the narrow alleyway, where she exited the car before it had come to a complete stop and slid effortlessly into the waiting taxi and watched the photographic mob follow the limo out the other side.
"Nice job." She jumped slightly before turning to look at the other passenger. "No one saw a thing."
She took a staggered breath before throwing herself into her mother's waiting arms.
"You should have told me you were coming!"
"And ruin the surprise?" Blair laughed.
"I almost had a heart attack!" Her daughter slapped at her playfully before hugging her again. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"Me too."
"I can't believe you're really here." She sniffed back a tear. "How is-?" She glanced at the driver.
"Wonderful." She whispered. "She's wonderful. I'll tell you all about it when we get to our room."
…
Jack's phone chimed and he looked down in relief, keying in his code before heading towards the door.
"Where you going?" Todd yelled over the high pitched screeching coming from the floor by his feet.
"No place." He huffed. "I called in reinforcements."
Usually his Dad had no trouble corralling the brood of Manning kids on his own, but since his mother had gone to New York with Starr things in the fortress had gone to shit. When Jessica had come to pick up Sam, who had begged off staying at Lanfair with Bree for the weekend, she'd mentioned that Aunt Tina was restless since Cord had gone to San Diego, Texas to be with Uncle Clint. One more well placed tantrum from his baby sister had solidified Jack's mission.
"Who?!" Todd shouted before grabbing up a closed eyed, roller skating Hope, mid way through a stage performance of 'Be our Guest', just before she slammed into the middle of Merrie's fit. "Careful!"
"Tina Roberts." Announced the security system. "Confirmed. Please advise."
"Jack!" Todd pleaded.
"Validate!" He pressed the panel with unnecessary force.
"Val a Did!" Merrie screamed, her tiny legs kicking wildly as she threw herself on the floor.
Jack swung the door open and pulled his Aunt inside.
"Oh my." She gasped, pressing her hand to her chest and quickly handing Jack her dog before starting up the stairs to Todd and the girls. "You should have called sooner!"
….
When they led Cole Thronheart into the visitors room Starr's heart clenched, despite her irritation.
"Starr." He smiled at her, she reached for her mother's hand.
"Hello Cole." Blair told him softly, as her daughter regained her composure.
"Hi Blair." He said politely, before turning back to Starr. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you." She bit her lip.
"Cole do you know why we're here?" Blair prompted.
"You want to talk about the accident." He sighed. "Starr I'm sorry that I said those things before. I was confused. I know now.. " He gulped. "That Hope died."
Blair watched her daughter swallow hard.
"I think it was just too much to take, you know? Facing the fact that she had died, again. I think that's why I couldn't believe it, but I'm working with the doctors here and they've really helped." He adjusted his sleeve, revealing a familiar faint spiral.
Starr looked at her mother, Blair frowned.
"We are really happy to hear that Cole. We were hoping that we could talk about both stories. The one that you know now is true, and also the one that you thought was true when you were very sick." Blair asked him gently. "The one about seeing your parents? Before Todd helped you get to LA?"
"It's crazy." Cole shook his head. "My parents are both gone. Hope is gone." Starr's lip trembled and she adjusted her grip on her mother.
"You said that something happened with your dad. That he told you a story.." Starr whispered. "About how God and redemtion, second chances?"
"Starr I don't want to talk about it." He shook his head. Starr tried a few more times before Blair had enough, she locked eyes on his tattoo.
"Three branches one tree." Blair's voice was firm and cold, it made Starr jump. Cole turned towards it mechanically.
"We are one…" The young man whispered.
"Do you know your orders?" Blair continued.
Starr looked between the two of them, her mouth agape.
"I.." He struggled for a minute. "I am to stand down."
"Before that." Blair demanded.
"I am the piper." He told her proudly.
"Has Lazarus risen?" She asked, her mouth drawn into a line.
"He has chosen Jairus' daughter."
"She was not dead merely asleep." Blair's hand shook in Starr's grasp. "Has Lazarus risen?"
"Not yet." Cole's mouth curled into a snarl. "Not yet."
"Who chose Jairus's daughter?"
"Mary at the knee of the savior." He mumbled.
"While Martha prepares the feast." The tall blonde ground out through clenched teeth.
"Mom?" Starr squeaked.
"Who are the three branches?" Blair's leaned forward ignoring her daughter.
"But Jesus said 'Let the children come to me. Do not stop them!'"
"Who are the branches?" Her whisper was harsh. Starr glanced around the room but on one seemed to notice.
"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
"You tell me." Blair Manning accentuated each word, slowly looking deep into the shiny hypnotized eyes of her granddaughter's father.
"And you shall know the Lord your God, he is the faithful God keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and obey his commands."
"What are your commands?"
"Let the little children come to him." Cole said smartly. "They will come to him."
"Over my dead body." Blair whispered, her lower lip trembling. "Over my dead body."
"How is it going over here?" Came a soft melodic voice. "Cole are you having a nice visit?"
The man's eyes blinked up at his attendant and Starr watched the malice and mania drift away.
"Yes." He smiled. "I'm telling Starr how much better I've been doing."
…
Todd had to admit that Jack hadn't been totally off base as he leaned back in his chair and looked out at Hope as played on the rooftop garden. He turned to look at Tina, Meredith settled asleep against her chest.
"Thank you." He said flatly. "For coming." For a second Tina Roberts considered a sarcastic come back, but one look at her brother and all she did was smile and pat his leg. "I don't do well, without Blair."
"You do fine." She told him softly.
"We're having some trouble with Hope lately, not listening."
"It's difficult, keeping children away from the world, it's a prison. Even if it's one for their own good." Tina sniffed. "And Merrie."
"And Merrie." Todd sighed. "I think we're too old to have a toddler."
"There are two kinds of Lord women, Todd." Tina told him as a matter of fact. "Soft strong girls that internalize their pain, that carry on with grace and poise. The Vickis, Merrie, Jess and Hope. Then there are fiery girls, the ones that lash out and attack the world. They fight and claw and demand everything they desire. The Tinas, Natalie, Tess, Sarah, Dani, Bree and apparently your darling little Meredith."
He considered it for a moment.
"What about Starr?"
"Your Starr is different. She was born fiery and demanding, but then something happened."
"What..?" He turned to face her.
"What do the Vicki's all have in common? Remember who Jess thought her father was…"
"You're saying I did this to Starr?" He scoffed.
"No Stupid, the loss of you did this to Starr. It made her a Vicki." Tina shook her head like he was an idiot, and for a moment he entertained the possibility that Tina was right. "Victor's not a good father. Not as good as you are anyway. We're just lucky she didn't develop a bunch of alters. "
"Do you think she could ever be a Tina again?" He mused, his eyes following Hope across the playground.
"You want her to be a Tina?" His sister whispered softly. Todd shrugged. "You hate the Tina's."
"Blair's a Tina." He pointed at her. "I love her."
"Blair's smart." Tina shook her head.
"Natalie's smart." He told her pointedly. "Dani is smart. Hell Tina, you're not as stupid as you used to be."
"Why thank you, little brother." She said sincerely. He chuckled.
Todd's phone rang on the table he picked it up with a smile.
"Hi Babe. How's New York?" His brow furrowed and he pulled himself up from the chair. "Hold on. Hold on. It's okay." He put his hand over the phone. "Can you watch the girls for-?"
"Go!" She waved him away with a worried look.
"Blair? Honey, calm down. Where is Starr?"
….
Starr Manning watched her mother carefully as she paced the Lord jet, only taking her seat when the pilot told her he wouldn't land until she did.
"I didn't even ask if you were ok." Blair said suddenly. "That had to have been hard for you, seeing Cole like that."
"Mom, what was that?"
"That was the organization." Blair shivered slightly. "That's what takes people who you know and love and turn them into something totally different. Someone you don't recognize."
"That's what they did to Victor?"
"More than once." She rubbed her face.
"And Uncle Clint." Starr thought to herself out loud. "What about Dad?"
"Your daddy's brainwashing didn't take." Blair looked at her hands. Starr's stomach lurched as the plane costed to the ground.
"We're taxing to the hanger now Mrs. Manning." The flight crew informed her, mother and daughter sat in silence until they deplaned and slipped into the the waiting car.
"What are you doing here?!" Starr was still replaying the day when he mother's voice drifted into her head and she turned to see her father in seat beside her mother. "The girls?"
"Tina is with them." He assured her.
"You shouldn't have left the house." Blair wailed as his arms came around her. "It's not safe."
"You call me hysterical and I'm supposed to wait at home?" His voice was high and panicked. "You're lucky I didn't come to New York. Hi Shorty." He released one of her mother's shoulders and pulled her to him.
"Dad." She sighed into his embrace before pulling away.
"Starr was with me. When I-. She saw it." Blair sniffed, leaning her head into Todd's shoulder. "I shouldn't have done that. I-."
"You did what you had to do. " Todd told her firmly. "I called McBain. He and Anna are heading up there now to follow up." He kissed her face and looked at Starr with a gulp. "You okay?"
"I just-. I didn't know there were still things we didn't know about.. everything."
Todd took a deep breath, he had decided when he left Llanview in search of Victor that the kids wouldn't be left in the dark. He'd told Jack as much as he knew back then. When he'd followed the trail of breadcrumbs to the surprisingly not dead Cole who'd led him to Baby Victor (later be renamed Tommy Lord, at his father's' request) he couldn't really keep the kids out of the loop on that. Especially when that meant that Hope was also likely alive.
"We have to be very careful, Starr." He sighed, rubbing his hands up and down Blair's back. She nodded.
It had been Victor's request not to tell them everything. He hadn't told them how he'd killed Heather Webber, on site, the second he'd had Tommy in his grasp. It had only been later when he wondered if she knew where Hope was, if he should have spared her. Anna Duvane had been the one to tell him that there was no way Heather would have given her up, even if she had known
"You okay, Babe?"
"I'll be okay when we're home with the children and the system's armed.." She breathed into his ear.
…...
Bo Buchanan's hackles were raised. He'd just gotten off the phone with a very heated FBI agent who informed him, in no uncertain terms, that he was not to be investigating anything related to Todd Manning.
And furthermore, he was not to discuss any information about Manning or any of his relatives with the press, or even more importantly, anyone from the District Attorney's Office. Which was a cute way of saying his wife.
He didn't like this at all. He didn't like the fact that the FBI was apparently investigating Manning. He didn't like the fact that Cord had suddenly left town on business, without mentioning to his uncle what that business was. Or Mathew for that matter, who was working with him at BE. He didn't like that Vicki had called him and asked for an updated schedule of past and future visit dates for Clint's court appointed case workers. He didn't like that she had meticulously gone over it with him, asking if he was sure it was a complete list; or how she'd waved away any concern with a simple: 'I'm just trying to insure the facility is aware' when he asked why this had come up at all.
He had asked, as he had before to be added to the list of visitors allowed to see Clint at the Southern Texas facility and had been again told no.
"He doesn't do well with visitors." She told him sadly before wishing him a happy early Thanksgiving and hanging up the phone.
He didn't like feeling lied to, especially by the Lords, which is why he was trying again to reach Cord. He heaved a sigh of relief when Cord Robert's voice came on the line.
"Finally." He said gruffly after his nephew's hello.
"Yeah, I heard from Matthew and my secretary you've been trying to get a hold of me. I'm sure you know I'm away on business."
"BE business?" Bo asked expectantly. Cord made an uncomfortable noise.
"That is where I work." He informed him blankly.
"It's just that Mathew didn't seem to know much about it."
"Look." Cord paused with a soft grunt. "I value everything that Matthew has brought to BE, it's been nice having him with me, with Llanview being a little short of Buchanan's right now, and with Jess running the Sun." He cleared his throat. "But you can't think that a Jr. Executive is going to be fully informed on what the CEO is working on."
Bo pushed out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb.
"No. No of course not." He sighed.
"If you're asking me as a shareholder, I'm sure I can have someone send over a-."
"No." He stopped him, looking up at the ceiling. "No I-. Thank you that won't be necessary." He was being ridiculous. This was nothing. 'Business man goes on Business trip' was hardly a headline worthy of the Banner or Sun. "I'm sorry. I think I'm just feeling a little detached with Clint out of commission and-."
"That I understand."Cord said softly. "When I get back we can get a beer or something. I'll catch you up on the latest BE gossip."
Bo chuckled, shaking his head at how quickly he had dove into conspiracy theories. He hung up the phone not knowing he had just placed a few weights on the heavy burden his nephew had recently been given.