Place: DiMera Compound
Time: Tony's Memory of 1991
"You look like hell," said Sebastian, setting the tray with Tony's breakfast on the table near the window seat. Sunlight poured into the room. Tony had spent the hour and a half since the sun had risen watching the vast blue expanse of ocean shining beyond the cliffs. It appeared serene but there were whitecaps further out."Thanks," he murmured, rubbing the stubble on his jaw.
"You're not going diving in that condition."
It wasn't a suggestion Tony noted but he was too tired to argue and since he'd planned on making his excuses anyway, decided it was time to spring the rest of his news. "No, you might as well mention it to Rolf and while you're at it, why don't you tell him that I'm not feeling well, and that I'm leaving early."
"Today?" Sebastian eyed him suspiciously. "If you take off now, after only being here a few days, he's going to imagine something is going on."
"Yes well, that's why Rolf and Father make such a good team," said Tony with extreme sarcasm.
"I see."
Tony was certain that he did and knew he could count on Sebastian to feed Rolf's paranoia in increments sufficient to bait the hook and lead Stefano where Tony wanted him to be, and at the right time as they'd already discussed. "I'd appreciate you doing something else for me too."
"If you're expecting me to give the same message to Marlena…"
"I would like you to find a safe place for your family, until this is all over."
Sebastian had turned around in order to pour Tony's coffee but now he stopped. He still had the carafe in his hand but was gazing out the window, probably debating on the easiest way to tell Tony to butt out of his private life, though in the end all he said was, "I'll think about it."
"Okay," said Tony as patiently as he could manage after the previous night, "I'll ask politely. Please do this, even if you feel its completely unnecessary, humor me."
But Sebastian shook his head as he turned to face Tony. "Your father's sense of honor would never allow him to use my family in that way."
"My father has no honor," Tony informed him coldly. "And he'll use any means at his disposal to achieve his goal. He'll use my children if necessary and he'd have no compunction about using your son as well, and your wife."
Doubt settled into Sebastian's eyes and Tony knew that he was fighting a lifetime of experience and tradition, one that Sebastian's own father had drilled into him.
"I know you don't want to believe it," Tony argued in earnest now. "Neither did I. Hell, I even let him sweet talk me back here with one incredible line of bull after everything that happened but there isn't a day that goes by when I haven't discovered new reasons convincing me that I should have done this years ago."
Sebastian nodded but didn't say anything and Tony's lips pursed together tightly in frustration.
"You know, he won't surrender without using every means at his disposal and if that means taking prisoners, he will."
Still Sebastian remained silent.
"That could be your wife downstairs," said Tony, jabbing his finger towards the floor. "I knew Marlena's husband. His only crime was having the audacity to put Stefano where he belonged and now, how many years later, it is quite possible that he is still paying for it."
"So is she," murmured Sebastian.
"Yes. Do you truly want to take that risk?"
"What about the risk we'll be running if we make my family disappear all of the sudden? After all, your father won't waste his energy finding proof, he'll need only his perceptions which he already has plenty of after everything Rolf has probably conveyed to this point and then, off go my family for safekeeping." Far more agitated then he was letting on, his eyes bored into Tony's "Stefano doesn't believe in coincidences, and you know that better than anyone."
"Let me worry about my father's perceptions," Tony answered him, a steady, rather disturbing expression gleaming in his eyes.
Sebastian frowned, not looking apprehensive really as much as he seemed to be realizing, not for the first time Tony was sure, just how dire the consequences might get, and Tony's guilt surfaced again.
"Sebastian, look, I'm sorry. I realize you had no idea what you were getting into when you contacted me and told me she was here."
"Yes, well…" he turned to finish pouring Tony's coffee and brought it over to the bed, handing it to him with a knowing grin. "Refusing Marlena isn't easy and so I expected you'd help her, but instigating a coup…" he shook his head in amazement, "that I didn't bargain on."
"There's still time to get out of this mess, if you'd rather. I'll find you a haven where Stefano will never find you or be able to touch you…"
"And if I'd known you were going to be insulting me now, I'd have asked Rolf to bring you up your breakfast."
Tony chuckled appreciatively and raised his coffee cup.
"And as for the other…" Sebastian continued, turning back to the table and setting the rest of Tony's breakfast out. "I'll organize something but I'm not going to send them anywhere until we're ready and Stefano is on his way here, otherwise you might as well just tell him what you've got planned right now."
Stifling his objections, Tony kept silent, telling himself it was more than he'd expected in the first place. Sebastian had a sharp, incisive mind, but he could also be obstinate to an extreme, a trait Tony had been thankful for on more than one occasion so it would hardly be fair to complain about it now.
Once he finished laying out Tony's meal, one they both knew Tony hadn't the appetite for, he picked up the tray and asked, "Anything else?"
"Just one thing, I need to see her again, before I take off."
"You'll be needing another diversion then," said Sebastian and he eyed Tony curiously. "I thought you might be leaving after breakfast."
"If I'm not in a condition to dive, I doubt I'm in any condition to fly that plane either, at least not until I get some sleep."
Sebastian nodded and headed to the door. "Of course." His tone was carefully controlled but Tony knew him too well and wasn't surprised to see a grin when his profile came into view just as he pulled Tony's door shut.
He'd been dreaming. He couldn't remember what it was about except that it wasn't good because his heart was already pounding when he woke with a start to find Sebastian's hand on his shoulder, shaking him. His friend's other hand hovered at his lips, warning Tony to keep his voice low.
"What?" he asked, feeling the blood beating in his ears.
"It's the twins," Sebastian told him grimly, "they're gone."
Wide-awake now, he didn't bother to grab his robe as he jumped up and headed into the bathroom, furious with himself for not anticipating this move. He'd purposely begun to slip information to people, knowing it would get back to Stefano, though not enough to bring this on, or lead his father here just yet…but it had and if Stefano felt the need to move the twins, Tony knew Marlena would be next. In fact, he might have only a matter of days.
When he came out, he found his clothes already laid out on the bed and Sebastian collecting the remnants of his breakfast and setting them one by one onto a tray. "Marlena, does she know yet?"
Sebastian nodded, but continued what he was doing without any further comment, leaving Tony fearing the worst.
"That bad?"
Sebastian turned and faced him with a strange glint in his eye. "She had to be sedated."
"Had to be?" Tony's anger must have shown because Sebastian checked his urge to laugh.
"I'm not quite sure how as yet, but she managed to break out of the laboratory upstairs and she followed Rolf and Gaston down to the boat."
Tony's eyes widened, and his smile curved sideways. "And?"
"Too bad I didn't have a camera," Sebastian smirked. "Rolf has a couple of scratches down the side of his face that were a breathtaking sight to behold."
Tony had to bite his lip to hold back his laughter and then another thought hit him. "They didn't hurt her, did they?"
"No, I pulled her off…"
"And lived to tell about it…" drawled Tony as his eyebrows shot up. "I'm impressed."
Sebastian's own smile grew wry. "Yeah, so am I. That woman has got a mean right hook."
"What comes from having a cop for a husband, I guess."
"A what?"
"Her husband. He was a policeman."
"Ah yes, she told me about him, and about the rest of your…" but he stopped and quickly turned around to busy himself with wiping off the table.
For a moment Tony was tempted to ask just what Marlena had told Sebastian of Salem but reminded himself this was hardly the time for such a conversation. "So, Rolf didn't use the plane?"
"No, there was a boat docked, the Renee."
Tony's heart skipped a beat. "Stefano's personal yacht."
"Yes, it seems he's taking no chances with his grandchildren," returned Sebastian with a brief but pointed stare in Tony's direction, and Tony clenched his fist shut to keep from throwing the nearest object at hand.
"Did you see him?"
"No, but I was rather busy and Rolf wasn't about to stick around after all of that. He seemed pretty anxious to be gone. By the time I drug her halfway up the path, they were already on their way."
Grabbing his belt off the comforter, Tony squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tension away as he slid the end of belt through the first loop. At least the twins weren't going far. He'd feared Stefano would send them to unknown location, or perhaps one of his numerous South American compounds but not right away apparently which meant all he had to do now was figure out which of the neighboring islands Stefano had chosen.
"You're not worried," Sebastian observed from behind him.
"I believe," said Tony, sitting down on the bed to put his shoes on, "that we could be in luck, but I need you to be ready in a day or two."
Sebastian looked surprised. "But Rolf may not be back that soon."
"I'm afraid he will be. In fact, I'm almost certain he'll be back to collect Marlena and I just hope he doesn't show up before I discover the secrets I need."
"The location of the twins."
He acknowledged Sebastian's assumption with a nod as he finished buttoning his shirt and then as he rolled up his sleeves, added, "There is something else too. Another piece of information I need to find before I can send her home."
"Regarding her husband."
Tony twisted around on the bed so he could see Sebastian. "She told you."
"Well, it was pretty obvious that she was upset this morning. She looked in even worse shape than you did."
With a chuckle, Tony said, "I hope you didn't tell her that."
And Sebastian smiled back a bit nervously. "If I had, I probably would have ended up with a pair of gashes in my face to match the ones she bestowed upon Rolf."
The picture in his mind of Marlena raking her fingernails across the good doctor's face generated a degree of satisfaction Tony hadn't experienced in weeks now. Not as satisfying as getting his own hands around Rolf's neck, but gratifying nonetheless. "I can think of few things that would make Marlena loose her cool like the sight of my father's men stealing her children away but she's pretty understanding otherwise. I think you're safe enough."
"Something I have no intention of taking for granted," Sebastian told him, "not again."
Tony didn't even try to hide his amusement as he turned back to pull on his boots. "Suit yourself."
"So what do you know about him so far?"
"Who?"
"This man, masquerading as her husband…as Roman Brady."
Tony frowned. "Other than the fact he's clever, or has incredible luck, not nearly enough."
"And you haven't told her everything that you do know about him so far, have you?"
There was no hesitation in Sebastian's tone and Tony wasn't sure if he was irritated or thankful that his friend took liberties that no one else had to the nerve to take when they were around him. "No."
"What kind of work did he handle for Stefano?"
"I'm afraid it's more a question of what didn't he do. So far the list is pretty extensive, and frankly the idea of sending her back there knowing that she won't be any safer with him than she is right now…" His voice failed him and Tony found himself unable to verbalize his fears.
"Are you sure that isn't just an excuse," Sebastian asked finally, after several moments of awkward silence and Tony's temper flared instantly but before his fury came spewing out, Sebastian threw up his hand, "Look, I know you don't give a dn about what Stefano or anyone else thinks at this point, but Marlena is a different story, and…"
"Yes," Tony snapped, interrupting him in a way that made it clear he had no intention of discussing it further. "I already know that."
He'd told himself he was doing this for Roman, and Carrie, as well as Marlena, but he knew better than Sebastian how utterly ridiculous that sounded. If he didn't care at all, perhaps it would be easier but the idea of one of his father's minions touching her, manipulating her, maneuvering his way into her heart and her life as he had and sticking her in the middle of this impossible situation made him so angry it terrified him. Worse yet, what if this man was responsible in any manner for her presence here now? How could he send her back under those circumstances simply because of how it would look to her if he didn't, not to mention how the hell he'd explain it to her. Christ, she was in love with the man. And then, there was the matter of what Rolf and Stefano had done today. Her dream of getting back home was the one thing she had left after all of that. "So what do you do, when none of choices at your disposal make one blasted bit of sense?" He hadn't meant to say it aloud and was surprised when he got an answer.
"Pray."
Tony's head jerked around to find Sebastian looking back at him and Tony could see he was serious. "You're starting to sound like Marlena."
"And you, my friend, are even more cynical than I remember. I would have thought you might have learned more from being locked up all those months."
"Oh, I learned all right," said Tony, fully aware of how cold his voice sounded. "And if I'd taken it to heart sooner, I wouldn't be in this hellish predicament, and neither would that woman downstairs."
"Tony…" said his friend, shaking his head and gazing back at him evenly. "If you're going to start blaming yourself for how you feel about the man, you'll drive yourself crazy."
His words touched deep, into a place Tony had done his best to seal away because the pain was simply too unbearable. "Crazy," he informed Sebastian, "has had its appeal on more occasions than I care to remember, but I don't seem be cut out for it. Apparently I haven't the talent."
"That or you just haven't been pushed far enough as yet."
"A cheerful thought," Tony shot back, dryly. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Tony's stare was hard and it glared momentarily but broke at about the same time the corner of Sebastian's mouth began to quiver trying to hold back his own laughter. "Don't you dare say it," Tony warned him, knowing full well he was about to be reminded of but Sebastian was beyond saying anything. He'd grabbed onto the back of a chair and slid down onto the seat as memories brought laughter bubbling out and in a matter of seconds, both of them were doubled over.
"You…" Sebastian choked trying to catch his breath, "Lord, I nearly peed my pants that night. I still don't know how you managed to talk that policeman into letting us go and of all the places to pull a stunt like that."
"What, Turkey is a perfectly civilized country."
"The hell it is. You obviously haven't been on the inside of one of their prisons."
But Tony's smirk was humorless, along with his eyes. "I've seen enough."
"Well, if that's not your idea of crazy…"
"Oh? And just who the hell was it that decided we could get the information without simply paying the man off in the first place, in which case, that stunt as you so blithely put it, wouldn't have been necessary."
Sebastian didn't argue the point though his smile thinned considerably as he shook his head at Tony. "So, how did you do it?"
"What?"
"Bribe the policeman into ignoring the obvious."
"I didn't bribe him…exactly," and he shrugged. "I hardly had anything left to bribe him with after that little fiasco, but as it happened, the family name has it uses, on occasion.
"In other words, you blackmailed him."
"No, I offered him…" Tony swallowed, looking almost sheepish, "insurance."
A snort of laughter escaped Sebastian. "Something tells me I don't want to know what that means."
"Probably not."
"And I probably shouldn't bother asking you just how a lowly, rather dim-witted police officer chose that precise moment to show up either."
Tony stared at Sebastian, his heart in his mouth suddenly "Oh, dn."
As Sebastian waited with confusion slowly clouding his eyes, Tony leaned over to yank open the bottom drawer of the nightstand and reaching into an ornately carved teak box, pulled out a gun, and then a container that he stopped to check. It held a half-a-dozen clips, all fully loaded. "It was a set up, the police showing up in the bank that night, in Istanbul," he explained to Sebastian curtly, " and so is this."
"A set up…how could it be?
"The policeman was Tazari's cousin."
Sebastian blinked and then demanded, "And just when the hell did you learn that?"
"A few months later, when he showed up in my office to collect his…" Tony hesitated. In the midst of this exchange, he'd already stood up and thrown several items from the top of the nightstand onto a pile on the bed before stepping over to open the closet.
"Reward?" laughed Sebastian, who was starting to get the picture.
"Yes," came the muffled reply from inside the walk-in. "A job working security in one of my companies, but one that he got only after I got the truth out of him about who provided you with the information in the first place, and, the actual location of that blasted safety deposit box."
Sebastian had never questioned where or how Tony had managed to retrieve the number of the Swiss account they'd been tracking for months. For one thing, he knew Tony well enough. The fact he didn't supply the information up front meant he'd done something to get it that was best left where it belonged, in the dark. And even Sebastian had to admit that it hardly mattered. Once he had the account number, he'd been able to recover what was left of his family's treasures, a search he'd inherited from his own father who'd been trying to find it since the end of WWII, and though it wasn't enough to ever restore their life as it had been in his grandfather's day, a little justice was better than none. "So it was Tazari who set it all up." Not sounding shocked, Sebastian wore an expression ever so faintly disgusted when Tony emerged from his closet with his bag and a handful of clothes. "And I walked us right into it," he muttered. From his chair, he watched as Tony slid the box of clips into an outside pocket of his bag and the gun into the back of his jeans. "What are you doing?"
"Stefano moved the twins because he's certain I'll follow, and in my haste, or stupidity, leave Marlena behind."
Sebastian whistled softly. "Yes…and of course, Rolf will be waiting to collect her the minute you're gone."
"I have to admit that I'm awfully dn tempted to let her stay, just for the pleasure of letting her finish off what she started this morning, but I can't risk it. Rolf is liable to bring reinforcements."
"But she's not awake yet."
"In that case," smiled Tony, "I'll carry her and you can take this," he said, tossing Sebastian his bag from across the room.
"Swell," said Sebastian, who shot back a dour looking smile in Tony's direction. "It should make a marvelous screen when the shooting starts."
