~*La Boulie*~
Tea and Blair had awakened in each other's arms. They crawled out of bed and headed downstairs in their nightgowns and robes. To their surprise, Starr and Dani were making breakfast in the kitchen. Jack stood there observing while Sam sat at the table, playing with his Spiderman action figures. Little Hope sat in her high chair near Sam, eating her morning Cheerios. "Are you girls making breakfast?" Blair asked with surprise.
"Yes, Mom," responded Starr as she turned the pancakes on the griddle. "It's about time you and Tea got up."
Tea actually blushed at Starr's words as she stood next to Blair. Watching the whole exchange, Jack made a groan of disgust. "Mom, all of this just makes me sick," Jack grumbled. "Bad enough you were with McPain, Eli, and then Tea's brother Tomas. But now you are sleeping with our own sister's mother? What the hell?"
"Jack, we've already talked about this..." Blair said with a heavy sigh. "Tea and I are happy together. You just need to accept it and show us some respect."
"Whatever," Jack said hatefully as he sat down at the table with a grumpy look upon his face.
Dani took the bacon off the stove and set the platter upon the table while Starr brought over a huge plate full of pancakes. "Breakfast is ready," said Starr as she tried to break the tension in the room.
Tea sit down next to Sam, and Blair had taken a seat beside Tea. "Everything looks great," Tea said cheerfully, giving Dani a smile when her daughter had come to sit across from her at the table.
"I love pancakes!" Sam said happily as he began to fill his plate.
"So do I," said Tea, although she was feeling a bit nauseated. It was one of those things that came along with being pregnant. Covering her mouth with her hand, the scent of the freshly cooked bacon was really getting to her.
"Tea, are you okay?" Blair asked with concern.
"Mom, what is it? Are you sick?" Dani asked her mother, a worried expression upon her face.
"I'm... uhhh... well, Blair, should we tell them?" Tea asked hesitantly as she gazed over at Blair.
"Sure, Tea. I think that now is as good a time as any. We're all here, together," Blair responded.
"Alright," Tea began, giving a long heavy sigh as the tension was almost unbearable. "Kids, I have some amazing news for all of you..."
"What's this?" Jack interrupted in a nasty voice.
"Shut up, Jack, and just listen to Tea," Blair snapped as she'd had more than enough of her son's rude behavior.
"Mom?" Dani gasped, sounding upset and worried.
"It's okay, Dani. I'm- I'm going to have a baby," Tea said as she held her breath, waiting for the kids's reactions.
"A baby?" repeated Dani in a shocked voice.
"Wow!" Starr exclaimed in surprise, looking from Tea to her mom.
"Ohhh, so this means that Victor- MY DAD is this baby's father," Jack said angrily. "And you are keeping this kid from him, too, because you are going to raise it with my mom."
"Well, you wanna know what I think? I think this is bullshit! Everyone deserted my dad. You just walked out on him!" Jack said as he was glared angrily at Tea. "I don't give a damn about you, my mom OR some stupid baby!" he yelled as he got up from the table, left the kitchen and slammed the door loudly behind him.
~*Llanfair*~
Morning sunlight came filtering through the drapes in Marty's bedroom. Awakening, Todd's eyes were stinging from the unwelcome intrusion. He had been sleeping so peacefully with Marty all cuddled up in his arms. Looking down at her beautiful face, waves of tenderness brought a small smile to his lips. As much as he'd like to stay and hold her, he knew then that he must go. He didn't know what her reaction would be if she would awaken then, finding herself curled up in his arms. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable or upset about the night before, so he chose to leave the comfort of her bed. Carefully he slipped out of her embrace and quietly left the room.
Much later, Marty sat outside in Vicki's flower garden, a cup of coffee in her hand. Staring out at the many fragrant flowers, Marty was thinking of the night before. Todd strode into the garden, taking a seat next to her on the ceramic bench.
"About last night..." he said softly, looking into her eyes. He paused, seeing she had somethig she needed to say.
"I wanted to say thank you," said Marty. "Thank you from keeping me from doing something stupid, such as having sex with Victor. Had I slept with him, I know I would have regretted it so deeply."
"And also I wanted to thank you for being such a- a 'gentleman...'" she spoke for lack of a better word. "...and not taking advantage of me in my drunken state when I threw myself at you. I can't believe how I behaved last night, Todd, and I am so sorry."
"You were drunk..."
"Yes, but that's no excuse. I just wanted to get laid," she admitted. "I drank too much, and I guess for a moment, I had reverted to my old ways..."
"My brother is scum, Marty. He would have taken you to bed without even a second thought, regardless of whether or not you were drunk. Had I not shown up when I did, he would have taken advantage of your drunken state and he would have had his way with you. But thankfully, I came in when I did, so now I don't have to kill him."
"It wasn't easy for me to refuse you last night, when you threw yourself on me. I wanted you so badly, but I'm not like him. I will never take advantage of you again in any way, shape, or form. But I guess you cannot say the same for Victor. Just three years ago, when you lost your memory, he tricked you into his bed, and he hasn't changed. He's still that same disgusting snake he was then."
"I may be a lot of things, but I would never hurt you again, Marty. And I'll never let Victor or anyone else hurt you either," Todd added.
A pained expression came to Marty's face when they spoke of Victor. "Lately he won't leave me alone. It's like he's obsessed with me."
"He should have other things on his mind right now. Tea just told him she's pregnant with his baby," Todd told Marty.
"My God! Tea's pregnant!" Marty gasped. "He's about to become a father again?"
"Yep, looks like he got one good shot in before Tea started bedding down with Blair," said Todd.
"And he wasn't even going to tell me that before he slept with me?"
"Getting you into bed has been the only thing on my brother's mind," was Todd's answer.
Shaking her head, Marty was totally disgusted with Victor. She honestly didn't want to waste her breath talking about him another moment. "Enough about Victor, Todd," she said. "Let's talk about last night; let's talk about us..."
~*La Boulie*~
After Jack went running out, Starr looked upset and appalled by her brother's behavior. "Tea, I am sooo sorry," Starr apologized. "Jack didn't mean that; really he didn't."
"Yes, he did," Tea said tearfully. She tried to hold them back, but suddenly she couldn't control the tears which had started rushing from her beautiful brown eyes.
Blair reached for Tea, taking her into her arms. "I'll talk to him, Tea. Everything is going to be okay," Blair said to Tea soothingly.
"Jack was just being brutally honest," Tea said as she cried on Blair's shoulder. "He's not happy at all about this baby. And he's angry at all of us because he thinks we've deserted Victor."
Dani just sat there, unusually quiet. "Mom, please tell me this isn't true," Dani finally spoke up. "Tell me you're not having another kid. My life is already so messed up. My dad isn't really my dad. And my real dad is back. My mom has become some sort of ... well, lesbian... and now you're telling me you're having a kid, too?"
"Dani, please... I didn't plan this..." Tea began, pulling out of Blair's embrace and reaching out to Dani.
Dani jerked her arm away. "Just leave me alone," Dani hissed, standing up from the table and disappearing out of the room.
For a moment, no one said anything and all that could be heard was Tea's soft sobbing. Then when no one else knew what to say, little Sam stood up from the table, going over to Tea. Quietly he wrapped his little arms around her neck. "I'm excited about the baby, Tea," said Sam. "I can't wait to be a big brother."
"Ohhh Sam," Tea murmured as she held him so tight. She was smiling through her tears. And despite everything, Blair smiled, too.
~*Llanfair*~
"What about us, Marty?" Todd responded, nearly holding his breath as he waited for her reply.
"I needed you last night after you carried me upstairs. I needed you to hold me in your arms," she spoke softly as her gaze locked with his and tears shone in her eyes. She realized having him holding her all night had been exactly what she had needed for so very long.
"Long ago, I needed you... and you didn't stay. But last night I needed you, too. When I needed you most of all, you came through for me. Thank you, Todd," said Marty.
Gazing at her, his heart turned over in his chest. Without a word, he pulled Marty against him in a hug.