Also, I'd like to note that I do not own ABC's One Life to Live or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.
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*~Marty and Todd ::: Chapter Ten~*
Marty's face had gone pale after reading the note and her heart pounded in her chest hearing Todd say the note was from Powell. "Why is he bothering us?" Marty cried out.
"I don't know, Marty. The guy is a psychopath... We both know that," Todd said with a heavy sigh as he stood and began to pace. "He's been locked in a padded cell for about 15 years now in Statesville Mental Hospital... I don't even know how he got out of there."
"Last I knew the asshole was catatonic. Clearly he's not... this is his handwriting. I'd recognize that scrawl anywhere," said Todd as his fear and worry began to increase for those whom he loved, especially Marty and Paloma,
'his girls' as Powell had written in the message. "I have to call Blair and John right away... and warn Starr, too. If Powell is out roaming the streets,
no one is safe." The last time Powell had been in Llanview, he had raped several women in the hospital and had murdered another.
Todd's heart clenched in his chest, as it seemed the nightmare from that night at Spring Fling was never going to end. Not for any of them.
Marty held Paloma protectively. "Yes, you should call and warn them," she said.
"Should we tell the police about the note?" she asked as she had no idea what they should do since they knew that Powell was targeting them.
"I'll leave that up to John. He's the former cop," Todd said as he reached for his cell phone. He proceeded to call Blair, but got no answer. He left a message on Blair's voice mail urging her to keep an extra close watch on the boys, as he had received a threatening letter from Powell Lord. He then tried calling Starr. He frowned as his daughter's voice mail picked up just as Blair's had.
"Starr, it's Dad. Listen Sweetie, I know you're really not talking to me at the moment,
but I'm worried about you and Hope. There's this guy who has been threatening Marty and your baby sister. His name is Powell Lord and he's a very dangerous man. Just be careful, okay,
Starr? I love you," Todd said into the phone. After hanging up, Todd went to the dresser drawer and got a gun.
After he had the gun ready to fire if necessary, he said to Marty, "Pack some things for yourself and the baby. We are going on a trip."
Marty didn't question Todd as she put Paloma into her car seat and propped it where she could keep an eye on the baby while she packed. After she had packed for herself, she quickly got dressed. Next she carried the car seat into the nursery. She began tossing items into a bag, whatever she would fit, so she would have the essentials for Paloma.
After getting dressed, Todd threw some of his clothes into a duffel bag and packed all the weapons he could possibly find in the house as well. He then got on the phone and began making some calls. He was going to disappear for awhile, but he wanted a bodyguard placed near Starr and also near Blair's house for the protection of his sons. He knew that if Starr or Blair needed anything at all, they could reach him via his cell phone. "Marty, you ready?" he then asked her, finding her packing up some last minute items in Paloma's bedroom. Todd felt very uneasy, knowing that psycho Powell had been roaming around in his house.
Marty zipped up the bag and picked up the baby seat with Paloma in it. "Yeah, we're all set," she said. She was half-afraid to ask where it was that they were going.
"Good," Todd said as he slipped the gun into the pocket of his pants. Why the hell had he fired his body guard? He really needed him on a day like today. Then he remembered that his bodyguard had flirted with his ex-wife Blair in his own home and had shared some of his secrets with John McBain. Right now he really needed a loyal bodyguard he could trust. If anything happened to Marty, Paloma, or anyone else he loved, Todd wasn't going to be able to deal with it.
"Let's go," Todd said, reaching for Paloma's portable bed. He threw the rest of the bags over his shoulders and began walking down the staircase with Marty by his side. They were about to walk out the front door, when they were met in the doorway by Tea.
"Tea, get out of the way. We are going," Todd said, trying to brush past her.
"Where are you going, Todd? And you mean to tell me you are back together with Marty, and you didn't even have the decency to tell me. I thought I meant so much to you... after that time we spent with each other while Marty was in the hospital," Tea spoke as she began to boldly caress Todd's sexy chest.
Marty carefully set Paloma down and glared at Todd's ex-wife. "That had better be a fucking lie," Marty quipped.
If Todd had written her that note and left her to be with Tea that night there would be hell to pay for both of them.
Todd pushed Tea's hand away angrily as she kept toying with his chest. "Stop it, Tea," he growled.
"Of course it's a fucking lie," Todd said to Marty. "I never fucked her. Not since... well, you know when..."
"She came to my office when you were in the hospital, stripped down and threw herself on top of me. I told her to get the hell out," Todd said, glaring at Tea as he spoke every word.
"That isn't how it happened, Marty... don't believe him. I gave Todd a blow-
job and he loved every minute of it," Tea lied as she made the motion of oral sex with her hand and face. "He came in my mouth and I swallowed every drop..."
Marty reached out and slapped Tea hard. She really hated that woman; she was nothing but a whore. Turning on her heel, Marty picked up Paloma's seat. "I'll be in the car," she told Todd as she walked briskly away from Tea.
In shock, Tea cradled her bruised cheek after Marty had slapped it. She started to cry pathetically. "Todd, she hit me... Can you believe it... she hit me?" Tea sobbed.
"You must have really pissed her off, Tea. I've honestly never seen Marty hit anyone before until now," Todd said, trying not to crack up as he did everything in his power to push Tea out of the doorway and inch his way out the door. He had really enjoyed seeing Marty put Tea in her place. The woman had soooo been asking for it.
"But she didn't have to hit me. She's just jealous... Cause she knows you like fucking me."
Todd grabbed Tea, his hand tangling in her hair. "Shut the fuck up, Tea. I'm with Marty now. I DON'T WANT YOU!" he bit out. "I only slept with you when Marty and I were broken up... and to tell you the truth, you were a poor substitute."
"You dirty, rotten snake!" Tea hissed, trying to slap Todd for his cruel words.
Todd slapped her hand away and in the same instant, threw her out of his house on her ass. He then locked the door behind him and walked over to his car. He got in then, seeing that Marty had Paloma strapped in the back. "Ready to go?" he asked.
Marty had just finished securing her own seatbelt and smiled at him after she was done. "Yup, I'm ready to go," she told Todd, glad that they were leaving that slutty Tea behind.
Todd started the car as he returned Marty's smile. "I'm really sorry about Tea," he said as they backed out of the drive. "I don't know what I ever saw in that woman. She was always there... and always so handy whenever Blair and I were broken up. I guess mainly I just saw her as an easy lay."
"After you found out the truth and we were split up for awhile, there she was again... and only too willing to 'comfort' me in my pain. But she never really 'did it' for me. I apologize for the terrible things she said. None of it was true," Todd assured her. "I'd be much happier if I never saw her again."
Marty put her hand on Todd's leg as he drove. "I'm sorry to say I think the world would be a better place without her. She's no good for you, and I'm glad you can see that," she said.
"Maybe she'll go away before we come back." But Marty knew it was wishful thinking as she was certain the only way Tea would ever disappear was if she had died.
Todd grinned a little when he thought of Tea going away and never coming back. Despite everything (Powell's threat and Tea's persistence), he was glad he was here with Marty and they were finally back together in every sense of the word. His grin widened when he felt her hand on his leg. "A little higher,
baby," he said in a teasing voice.
Marty lightly smacked his leg. "Hilarious, Manning," she said with a smirk on her face. She couldn't help but notice Todd's look of almost-disappointment.
"Maybe later if you're a good boy," she joked. She turned to check on Paloma in the backseat who had managed to fall asleep.
Todd glanced over at her, hoping that wasn't a joke, because they had spent so much time apart and now really had a lot to make up for. First of all they needed to get somewhere safe, away from the threat of Powell and far from the rest of the world. Then they could indulge in each other, and he was sure that in each other's arms, they would be able to find an escape from the madness that had invaded their lives. "Everything will be alright, Marty, I promise," Todd said in a reassurance as he drove down the highway.
Marty glanced over at the man she loved. "I know," she said softly. "I trust you with my life, and with Paloma's, so I know you'll keep us safe. I just can't wait till we are far,
far away from Llanview and we can just be together and not have to worry about anything..."
"I love you," Todd told her, feeling so glad that she trusted him. She meant everything to him and so did their daughter, and he would gladly die before anything happened to harm either one of them.
"I know we are rushing off... but we should try to think of this as a vacation. We deserve it," Todd spoke. "You, me, and our baby girl. The rest of the world can just go away. It's just us... and nothing else is really important."
"A couple more hours, and we will be there," he said, looking over at Marty and taking in how beautiful she looked.
"I love you, too," Marty said with a smile. "And I'm so glad we'll be there soon. So, where exactly is it we are going?"
"Statesville," Todd said with a little smirk. "Figure he won't be going back any time soon to the same place he just recently escaped."
"They have a nice hotel there. I got us the honeymoon suite. I hope you don't mind," Todd stated. "Maybe if we stay busy doing 'other things,' it will take our minds off the craziness of Powell, Tea, and all the other Hell you and I have ever gone through."
"Well, I guess that will work as long as he doesn't decide to show up in Statesville for some reason. I hope he decides to run off to Mexico or something..."
"And he can take Tea with him," Marty added as an after thought.
"Tea?" Todd repeated. "You really don't like her, do you, Marty?"
Todd chuckled, then added, "I would even feel bad for Powell, if he had to listen to Tea for all that long... He would go even more nuts."
"Something has been bothering me though... and it has to do with Powell..."
"I honestly cannot stand her," Marty said of Tea. Then looked at Todd curiously and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Marty, Powell isn't going to give up, not till I am dead. He's just going to hurt more innocent people, until he gets what it is that he really wants. And he wants me," Todd spoke. "Part of me wants to just give myself up to him."
"Afterall, I'm the reason we are all going through this nightmare. There is no doubt I am to blame for all of it," Todd said. "I'd rather be the one to suffer, than you,
Paloma, my other kids, or even Tea."
"Todd, please don't say that. There has to be some other way. What would Paloma and I do without you? What good would it be to let Powell kill you?" she asked Todd, sounding almost hysterical.
Todd saw Marty's eyes become stormy with tears and his heart clenched with pain. "Who said I would let him kill me?" Todd answered. "It's going to be me or him... and I would fight for you with everything inside of me. Who's to say that if I'm dead, he wouldn't go after you, Starr, or someone else I love? That's why I know, none of us will have a single second of peace until I slit Powell's throat."
"I created a monster all those years ago, Marty... and I gotta fix it. It's all on me," Todd sighed. "But I'm not ready to do that now. But there will come a time... when I have no other choice."
"Are you sure that when the time comes you can destroy him without him overtaking you in the process?" she asked fearfully. Powell was clearly psychotic and determined to kill Todd, so what if something went wrong and Todd did die? What would she do then? She knew she wouldn't be able to handle losing Todd.
"I'd do anything I had to do to get back to you," Todd swore. "You are my life, Marty. I have loved you so long... and finally, after all the hell we have gone through, we have this chance to be happy. I will do whatever I must to keep you and our little girl safe."
*~o~*
After Todd threw her out, Tea went snooping around. She went into Todd's backyard, seeing a trampoline with a net around it as well as a nice swingset for his kids. "Todd and I should have had kids," Tea said to herself sadly as she looked around the yard. "I always wanted his baby." She didn't think it was fair that Blair had kids with him and Marty had just given birth to his baby. Even Margaret Cochran had gotten the pleasure of having Todd's child.
Powell Lord had lived in Statesville Mental Hospital over a decade, his hatred for Todd Manning growing. Todd had ruined his life and had destroyed everything. He wanted Todd and everyone Todd loved to die a slow, agonizing death.
Powell had been hiding outback in Todd's tool shed after he had put the note in Paloma's crib. He peeked out through a window, seeing a woman walking around in the backyard. A grin came to his face. "Oooo ... A play-thing," he said with a wicked little chuckle.
"Such a beautiful place... too bad he just shares it with Marty, not with me," Tea said sadly as she was walking along the grounds in back of Todd's home.
"Wonder what he keeps in this little shed?" Tea said as she approached the tool shed in the backyard. "Ohhh Todd, is this the place where you keep your kinky sex toys?"
She opened the door and stepped inside, looking around in the near-darkness.
She didn't see anything odd, just the usual yard-keeping items such as a lawn mower, gas can, and hedge clippers. Tea had been hoping for something more.
"What a shame... I guess this isn't the place where Todd keeps his blow-up doll," Tea said as she was about to leave. Suddenly the room went pitch-black as someone closed and locked the door. Tea screamed in fright.
Powell grabbed Tea in his arms, squeezing her as he kept her still. "If it isn't the lovely Ms. Tea Del Gado, Todd Manning's beautiful and passionate ex-wife," Powell said in a wicked voice.
"Let me go!" Tea screamed. "Don't touch me... or Todd will kill you!"
"Todd isn't going to help you now," Powell laughed cruelly.
"Who are you?" Tea demanded as the lights came back on and the guy tied her to a chair in the middle of Todd's tool shed.
"Let's just say I am an old "friend" of Todd's. We went to college together, he and I," Powell answered as he fingered a shiny knife in his grip.
"Why are you doing this to me?" asked Tea.
"Because I want to destroy anyone who has any meaning at all to Todd. I want to torture him... making him see how it feels to lose everything he has,"
Powell explained.
"Well, you got the wrong girl then. Todd doesn't care about me."
"You were his ex-wife... he married you... You were his lawyer... and everyone knows you two loved to fuck," Powell observed.
"Yeah, we always did have a wild and hot sex life," Tea agreed.
"So, its really gonna kill him when he finds out I shoved a knife in your guts..."
*~o~*
When Marty and Todd arrived in Statesville, it was late afternoon. Suddenly, it began to storm. "What is it with you, me, and storms?" Todd said as he grabbed their baggage and got ready to go inside to their hotel room.
Marty kept Paloma covered so she'd stay dry as she rushed into the hotel with Todd. She laughed at Todd's remark. "I don't know; I guess the storms like us," she responded although she hoped that wasn't a bad sign.
Todd chuckled at Marty's comment as he paid for their room. Then they got on the elevator, Paloma and luggage in tow. "I'm glad you aren't afraid of the storms anymore, Marty," Todd said, looking into her eyes as they waited for the elevator to reach the seventh floor.
"I have you; I don't need to be scared anymore," she told him honestly. "I know you'll keep me safe."
"That's one promise I will always keep ::: Never again would I let anyone hurt you, Marty," Todd said as they walked to their hotel room. Once inside,
Todd set up the portable crib and started a fire in the fireplace. As rain fell in torrents inside, they were safe and warm in a romantic hotel room.
Marty removed Paloma from her seat after setting everything down and held her daughter tenderly in her embrace. "We are so lucky to have Daddy," she said softly while Todd was making the fire.
Todd had a nice fire crackling in the fireplace. He went to sit next to Marty who was holding Paloma. "Hey, Princess," he said, softly caressing her little cheek. Paloma smiled at her parents as Todd slipped an arm around Marty to hold her close.
"I'm the lucky one," Todd said as he looked into Marty's eyes.
Marty smiled as she carefully leaned over to kiss him so she would not crush Paloma in her arms.
"We're both lucky, Todd... after all we have been through."
"I'm the luckiest man alive when I am with you," Todd said in an almost whisper as he reached over to tenderly caress a stray lock of hair from Marty's face. "Why don't you feed Paloma and get her ready for bed... and I'll call room service and order us a romantic steak dinner? Does that sound good?"
"That sounds perfect," she agreed with a smile. She kept busy feeding Paloma while Todd was ordering them dinner.
Despite everything, she was looking forward to spending some time with Todd, just the two of them, in such a romantic setting.
Todd ordered two steak and baked potato dinners complete with a garden salad and Italian dressing. "And your most expensive bottle of wine," he added as he placed the order to room service.
After he hung up the phone, he helped Marty clean up Paloma who had just finished eating her babyfood. He kissed his little angel's cheek, then helped Marty dress her for bed. After they had Paloma put down for the night in the portable crib, Todd went over and sat down on the edge of the huge king-sized bed.
"You, me, and the honeymoon suite," he spoke in a husky voice, reaching for Marty. "What more could a man want?"
Marty laughed as she straddled him, her hands on his shoulders. "Mmmm... you tell me,
Mr. Manning. What do you want?" she murmured as she gazed deep into his eyes.
She would give him anything he wanted.
Todd's eyes widened when beautiful Marty settled herself in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her there. "You, always you," he said softly, gazing into her eyes. Very slowly, his lips lowered to hers in a passionate kiss.
Marty returned his soft kiss from where she sat upon his lap. Her fingers tangled in his hair. "I love you," she whispered. She was ready to have all of him again.
*~o~*
"Please.. don't kill me," Tea begged. "I'm sure if you call Todd, you could make some sort of deal with him."
"I thought you said Todd doesn't care about you..."
"Well, lately, he's been overly absorbed with Marty. I just hate her!"
"What? You hate Marty? I will not tolerate anyone bad-mouthing Marty, is that clear?" Powell said as he freaked out. "NEVER, EVER will you speak badly of Marty."
"Okay, okay..." Tea said as tears of frustration filled her eyes and started to spill. "Will you please just let me call Todd now? My cell phone is in my purse..."
"Maybe Todd would be willing to make a trade... Marty for you?" Powell suggested hopefully.
"I'm not sure if Todd will agree to that, but it's worth a try," Tea said,
knowing that Todd would never give up Marty, not for anything.
"Okay, we'll call him then. Are you willing and prepared to beg for your life?" asked Powell.
"Yes, anything... just let me talk to Todd," Tea begged.
Powell reached for Tea's purse. He then unzipped it, pouring it's contents all over the floor of the shed. He held up something and laughed. "Your diaphragm?" he chuckled.
Nervously, Tea gave a laugh. "Uhhh yeah... that's exactly what that is..."
she said, thinking that the last time it had been used had been her last passionate encounter with Todd and that had been months and months ago.
Powell tossed the offending object aside and picked up Tea's phone. "So,
what do you think Manning's up to right now?" Powell said with a smirk.
"How should I know? Maybe he's fucking Marty..."
"Marty will be mine," Powell said with an evil laugh.
Cell phone in hand, Powell hit Todd's name in Tea's phone directory. The phone began ringing. Powell pressed the phone up to Tea's ear. "Be prepared to beg for your life..." Powell said in a menacing voice.
"Ohhh come on, Todd...please answer," Tea said urgently.
*~o~*
Todd ran his hand through Marty's long hair, tangling his fingers in the curls and cupping the back of her head. He kissed her even deeper, his tongue sliding into her mouth to taste her sweetness. His cock began to throb inside of his pants as their kiss got even hotter. That's when he heard the annoying and persistent ringing of his cell phone.
Todd reluctantly pulled back from Marty. "I gotta get that," he said apologetically. "It might be Blair about the kids... or Starr."
With Marty still on his lap, Todd reached into his back pocket of his pants to grab his cell. "It's Tea," he said with a deep sigh. "Should I answer it or would you like to do the honors?"
Marty let out a heavy groan. "I'll let you answer. I might just hang up on her before she says what she needs to say," answered Marty, quite annoyed with the interuption.
Giving Marty an apologetic look, Todd flipped open his phone. "Yeah, whattaya want?" he demanded into his phone with a frown on his handsome face.
"Todd, it's Tea," she said, stating the obvious. "I'm in trouble. This guy... he said his name is Powell... he kidnapped me... and he has me tied up in your tool shed."
"What?" Todd exclaimed. "Is this some sort of a sick joke?"
"No, Todd. It's true... He said he's gonna kill me, if you don't give him Marty."
A dark look came to Todd's face. "Tell Powell he can just go to Hell!" Todd growled.
*~John and Blair~*
A couple of weeks had passed since they had gotten Mickey, and John had hired some movers to help them with the big move. Jack turned out to be a good help as he helped John arrange the furniture. Sammy tried to help, too. It wasn't long at all until the new house was ready. Then the much-anticipated call had come from the adoption agency. Their new baby girl was ready for adoption. She was now just a few hours old.
"Blair," John said after hanging up the phone. "The agency called. Our new daughter will be here in less than a half hour."
"Oh my gosh!" Blair gasped. "Is everything ready? Did we get everything we'd need for Kassia? What if we're missing something?"
John smiled as Blair began to panic about having things ready for their new little daughter. "Relax, Blair. The baby's room is ready... and we have everything we need. Now all we gotta do is love her," John reminded, taking Blair in his arms. He wondered what the boys would say when they come home to find they had a new baby sister. He also wondered about what kind of dad he would be. He very much enjoyed his role as a stepfather, but this would be different. This baby would be THEIRS.
Blair nodded as John spoke to her soothingly. "Okay," she responded as she started to calm a bit when she was in his arms. Soon they would be meeting their newborn daughter. She loved the thought of that; THEIR daughter.
John just stood there, holding Blair and loving the sensation of her in his arms. "I wonder what she will look like," John said as he cuddled Blair.
"I'm sure that she will look just like an angel."
As the minutes ticked by, John and Blair embraced. Then the doorbell rang. "She's here," John said as he took Blair's hand and they walked to the door together.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. McBain," said Tamara, the woman from Llanview Adoption Agency. "Meet your new baby daughter." She then placed the dark-haired baby girl into Blair's arms.
"Hi, Kassia," John said as he gazed into his new infant daughter's dark blue eyes.
Blair looked at the beautiful baby in her husband's embrace.
"Ohhh, she looks just so precious; so beautiful," she gasped. She hoped that Kassia would be happy with them. She was already falling in love with this little girl.
Kassia looked up at her new parents with innocent trust. "Sammy and Jack are just gonna love her," said John as he brushed his lips softly against the new baby's forehead. "I mean, who couldn't, with that cute little face?"
"I'll leave the three of you alone to get acquainted," said Tamara as she turned to leave.
"Thanks for everything, Tam. I owe ya one," John said as he showed her to the door.
After Tamara left, John went to sit on the couch with their new baby. "She's daddy little rosebud," John said as he crooned to little Kassia. John then smiled at Blair, hoping she was just as happy as he was.
Blair was sitting next to John and couldn't help but gush over the darling little baby. "She's absolutely perfect!" she said. "I don't even know how to describe her.
There aren't enough adjectives."
"That's because she really looks like she could be our daughter. Someone up there picked the perfect one for us," said John as he handed the baby girl to her new mommy. He couldn't help but smile, because Blair looked so entirely beautiful holding their new baby daughter. "When the boys get here, we have got to take a lot of pictures," John spoke. "I was thinking of having a family portrait done of all of us, so we could hang it over the fireplace mantle. What do you think, Blair?"
Blair held the precious little girl in her arms. "Yes, we should have a family portrait," she said with a bright smile.
"Hi, Kassia," she said softly. "I hope you like it here. I'm your mommy."
Kassia looked up at Blair, blinked her little eyes, then gurgled. "I think she approves," laughed John. "Do you think she's hungry? Should I go fix a bottle? And ummm... how about her diaper? How do we know when she's wet?"
Blair checked the baby's diaper. "She's dry right now, but I am sure she's hungry," she said to John. "We can both go and fix her the bottle." Blair stood, holding Kassia. It had been a long while since she had held a newborn and she had missed it.
"Okay, I'll hold her and you can fix the bottle this time. I'm going to watch carefully and take some mental notes," said John as he and Blair walked into the kitchen together. He wanted to take an active role in his daughter's care.
"That sounds like a good idea," she said as she handed Kassia to John and then went to the kitchen with him. She showed him carefully how to prepare the bottle as step-by-step she explained the sterilization process.
John watched as Blair prepared the bottle. Soon it was ready and just the right temperature for the baby. John thought he could make it himself now,
since he had been shown the proper way to prepare the bottles. "I think she's getting hungry," John said, as the baby started rooting around with her little mouth. "Hey now, I don't have boobs!" he said with a laugh.
Blair laughed as she handed John the bottle to feed the baby. "I think Daddy will have to feed you this way,"
she told Kassia with a little smirk.
John gently pressed the nipple to baby Kassia's lips until the baby caught on and began to drink her bottle. John smiled, seeing his new daughter enjoying her meal. "She's so sweet," John said, softly kissing her tiny head. "She just got here, and already I would do anything for her..."
Blair wrapped her arms around John as she watched him feed Kassia. "I know the feeling," she said softly. "There's just something that makes you want to give the moon and the stars to your children. She's so precious."
"Now I can really understand the deep love you have for Sammy, even though he is not your biological child. I love Sammy and Jack... and I really love this little girl, too," John spoke. "In fact, in my heart, she's 'OURS,' our little girl... and I just can't wait to show her off to the world. Too bad my dad wasn't here to see her. He would have loved a granddaugher." John's heart was sad, because sometimes he really missed his father.
Blair softly kissed John's cheek. "I'm sorry about your dad," she spoke. "I bet he would have."
"And you are right, Sam is my son, regardless of the fact that he was adopted, and I feel the same way about Kassia," she said with a smile. "You're so good with her, John."
John smiled happily at Blair's words. "That's because I always secretly wanted a daughter," he told Blair. "Now Starr's all grown up with a darling little girl of her own... it's great to have this child in our life. She's going to make us feel young again."
"I still can't believe Starr's a woman now. Eighteen... They grow up too fast, John, I just want to keep Kassia as little for as long as we can."
"Once they grow up they go away and hardly come back," she added with sadness.
"At least we are lucky she still lives here in Llanview and we get to see little Hope quite often," John reminded. "And she and Schuyler are a couple. As long as he teaches at the high school here, I doubt they will move. I think it's Jack we gotta worry about. Never before have I seen a 12 year old as girl-crazy as that boy is..." John chuckled when he thought about Jack begging to go on his first date.
"Oh God, please don't remind me," she groaned.
"He's growing up MUCH too fast," she said as her cell phone rang. "Excuse me while I get that..." Blair went to grab her cell phone, finding out it was Starr who was calling.
John continued to feed baby Kassia. After she completed her bottle, he raised her to his shoulder and began to gently pat her back to burp her. He then held her close as he waited to see who Blair had been speaking to on the phone.
Blair had finished talking to Starr. She hung up with a worried look upon her face. "That was Starr," she said to John quietly. "Todd left her a voicemail saying Powell is on the loose in Llanview."
"Powell Lord?" John said in shock. That man was bad news. Several years ago, he had broken out of prison, and he had left a trail of rape victims in Llanview. One woman unfortunately died at his hands. After that, he had been locked up in Statesville Mental Hospital. No one was safe if that guy was out roaming the streets. "Does Bo know about this?" John asked.
"I don't think so, but I'm not sure. Maybe you should call and tell him," she said as a shiver of fear ran down her spine.
Seeing the fearful expression on Blair's face, John reached for the phone. "Yeah, Bo," he said into the phone. "Keep a look-out for Powell Lord. According to Todd Manning, he's broke out of the mental hospital in Statesville.
If he's out there, Llanview isn't safe." Bo promised to check out Todd's story and get right on top of it, then John hung up the phone.
"Our daughter is sleeping. Shall we put her to bed?" John asked Blair.
Blair nodded, trying not to think of that psycho on loose. "Yeah," she said to her handsome husband. "That's a good idea." She went with John into the nursery they had put together for Kassia so they could tuck in their new baby daughter.
Once in the nursery, John lay little Kassia down in the black wooden crib in the middle of the room. She looked like a precious angel lying there in the crib so small and defenseless. John then reached for Blair, placing a warm kiss upon her brow. "We have a couple of hours before the boys get home from school. What shall we do, sexy?" he asked suggestively. He was hoping to get Blair's mind off of Powell.
Blair could really use the distraction and grabbed John by the shirt pulling him behind her towards their bed. "How about each other?" she said with a smirk as they entered their bedroom.
"You're right," John agreed. "We never do each other enough." At times it was difficult finding adult alone-time with a kindergartener and a pre-teen boy in the house. Now with the new baby added to the equation, they had to take every chance they could get to make love. John pulled Blair to him and began to kiss her as though he were a man starved.
Blair pressed her body to John's as she kissed him passionately. "You can do me whenever you want," she quipped as she grabbed him by his shirt.
John helped Blair remove the shirt, popping the buttons as he carelessly freed it from his body. After it fell to the floor, he worked on the zipper of Blair's dress. He slid the zipper down, watching the fabric of the dress fall down her body. "You look so sexy," he said in thick voice as he began to kiss her full breasts. He nipped at her soft skin, feeling a nipple go hard in his hot mouth.
She let out a moan of pleasure," Oh John," she breathed running her fingers through his jet-black hair.
"Ohhh yeahhh..." she said, feeling his mouth on her nipples. He knew just how to use that sexy mouth.
Blair and John forgot about everything as they became totally lost in one another. And in that moment, neither of them knew that their family would soon experience terror beyond what had been found in their most horrific nightmares.