Blair packed her bag in relative silence. Todd was flicking his fingers across the iPad screen with channelled focus at the foot of their bed. Merrie was sprawled out in the middle, her mouth still sucking at the thumb which had long fallen away.
They'd laid with her, nestled between them for over an hour. Todd rhythmically stroking her tiny red curls as Blair sang 'All the Pretty Little Horses' her feet tangled up in her husband's. His free hand also lazily stroking long locks of her blonde hair away from her forehead.
There was a soft knock, Todd lifted off the bed and slipped the door open. John McBain stood awkwardly on the other side. He looked back at her with a wistful smile.
"Starr's ready." The cop said softly, behind him she could see Dani standing rod straight, she smiled over John's shoulder at her.
"Give us a few minutes." Her husband said softly, the other man nodded moving back. Blair had already scooped Merrie off the bed and was holding her tight to her body. She squirmed into a comfortable spot. Todd stood in front of her, taking a long slow breath. She leaned forward into his chest sandwiching the baby. "Ready?"
"Let's end this, Todd." Her voice was firm, resolute. "Let's just end this."
He pressed his lips to her forehead before pulling back. She took her hand and led him out the door.
Dani and Sam joined them as they walked down to Starr and Michael. Natalie was just coming back in the door. She looked at her cousin.
"Jessie's waiting for you in the lobby." She told her softly.
Starr Manning hugged her brother and sister before turning to her parents with wide eyes. Blair made a small squeak as she pulled her daughter in. Todd looped his arms around the both of them.
"See you soon, Shorty." He whispered evenly as she pulled away and sunk down to the floor where her daughter stood.
"Have fun on your adventure." She told her little girl. "Be good for Aunt Dani. Mommy will see you in a few days."
"Promise?" She asked, a sassy hand poised on her hip.
"I swear." Starr told her giving her a quick hug. "Be good for Aunt Dani."
"I will try." She muttered with surprise honestly, as her mother stood.
"Try hard." Starr laughed, as she made her way out the door.
Blair looked up to see Vicki ushering the Buchanan kids to the sofa. Natalie joined them, sitting between Bree and Liam, holding the little girls hand.
"The Banner is all set to run." She reported as she hugged each of them.
"Thanks Sis." Todd sighed, kissing her cheek before letting her fold her arms around his neck.
"Take care of your, Brother." She reminded.
"I will, Mother." He teased, pulling back and giving her a meaningful wink.
"I want you both home in time for Christmas."
"I'll do my best." He sighed again. Blair touched his hand and he turned to look at her before looking at Sam.
"You'll help Dani?" Sam nodded and Todd picked up Hope, whispering something in her ear.
Blair and Sam shared a long look before he dropped his face into her side his long arms wrapping around her waist. Blair bit her lip, dipping her hands into his unruly curls until Dani's hand came down on his shoulder.
"Can you help Bree get the boys and their things in the lobby?" She asked softly. He nodded, waving the rest of the crew over. Natalie was giving out kisses and last minute reminders to her niece.
Blair watched Dani fall into her father's arms until Todd pulled back with a sniff, kissing Meredith's head and taking a few steps into the dinning room. She turned her baby in her arms and gave her a long look.
"You be good for your sister." She begged, pressing kisses to her face before handing her over. Dani took her in shaking arms, her red eyes holding Blair's for as long as she could. Todd, reached his hand back, pulling her away with him as Dani gulped back tears before joining the rest of the group in the lobby.
Michael Corinthos put his hand on Dani's back and herded them into the elevator. Only when the door closed did Blair start to cry.
…..
In her beautiful Tahiti office Tea Delgado was losing her mind. She wanted to go to Llanview. She needed to go to Llanview. She wanted to hold her baby. She wanted to argue with her husband. She wanted to have awkward small talk in Spanish with the adult daughter she was all but estranged from. She did not want to stand here waiting.
Her phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen, eyebrows knotting, it was not who she expected to see on her caller id.
"What's wrong?"
"Delgado." There was something about that voice that still put her on edge, still made her heartbeat a little faster. "I can't talk long so don't interrupt."
"Todd what the hell is go-!"
"I said don't interrupt. You never listen. Michael Corinthos is going to call you any minute and say a sentence. You can't write it down. You can't tell it to anyone. It's a code and you have to memorize it."
"Wha-."
"Just repeat it back to him." Todd interrupted. "If this thing goes wrong, our children's lives may depend on you memorizing it."
"Okay." She said softly.
"Tea?"
"Okay." She said with more authority.
"You're the only one I know I can trust with this." He said simply. "You know why?"
"Why?" She whispered.
"You're immune to our charm." She could hear the tease in his voice and she couldn't help but smile. "I know you won't ever tell Victor, or me."
"How will I know what I need to-?"
"Vicki." He said quickly. "Vicki will tell you."
"Okay." She swallowed hard. She wanted to ask him about Tommy. She wanted to ask him about Victor. She wanted to tell him to tell Dani she was sorry. "Todd, I-."
"Make up with Danielle." He said quickly. "I'll take care of everything else. Just.. make up with Danielle."
"I-."
"Just hear her out Tea, it's worth it." She heard him sigh. "She's a great girl. She's an unbelievable girl. Thank you.." If she didn't know better she'd have thought he was trying not to cry. "For her."
Then the phone when dead. She sat there, frozen in place waiting for the key to something she didn't understand.
A few moments later the phone rang again.
"This is Tea Delgado." She said calmly.
"It is my grandmother's house." The shaky voice of Michael Corinthos.
said softly.
"It is my grandmother's house." She repeated back to him.
He hung up the phone. Tea sat down slowly at her desk and thought about her grandmother's house. She pictured each room. She pictured the children inside. She pictured it being picked up by a tornado. She saw it knocked down by a bulldozer. She envisioned it on fire.
She repeated Michael's phrase over and over again inside her own head.
….
Moments before Michael had stood face to face with Dani Manning. He watched her evaluate each child as they walked into the new space, silently making sure they were all accounted for. She looked at Sam, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Get them settled?" She whispered to him and he gave her a quick nod. She looked at her baby sister alseep against her shoulder and then back at Starr's boyfriend. "Be careful out there." She told him airly. "Don't forget about us."
Then Dani Manning closed the door in his face. The sound of shuttering steel clanked in his ears as he watched the panel go dark before taking a few steps back.
He dialed the number and waited for the woman on the other side to answer.
"It is my grandmother's house." He said as slowly and clearly as possible the second she said her name. She repeated it and he hung up the phone. Slowly returning to the elevator. He had to admit it to Starr at some point, that the crown for most complicated family was most definitely hers.
….
Two floors up from Michael Corinthos, Todd Manning was standing in the garage and putting his wife in a car with John McBain. Her teary eyes held his as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
"I'll see you in a few hours." He whispered softly, she gave him a shaky smile before stepping back into the lobby as the 1st security door rose. A few minutes later he was in the back of CJ's tinted police car next to Natalie. He watched his least favorite niece clench and unclench her fists. He reached over and laid his hand on top of hers.
"The kids are safe." He told her softly. "I swear to you, on my life. On your mother's life... "
She gave him a quick watery smile and he pulled his hand back.
"I'm sorry. About Llanfair and Sam." She sniffed. "You tried to warn me about a hundred times."
"CJ says you had it under control." Todd shrugged. "I pity the idiot that gets in path of a red headed Lord woman."
He could see her smile reflected in the window glass.
"This is going to work." She sighed.
"The last time you and I went on a car ride like this I was taking you to your possible demise." He sniffed, turning to face her. "That seems like another lifetime ago."
"We got out of that mess then, and we'll get out of this mess now." Natalie gave him a determined look.
"Damn right we will." He chuckled, watching as they left the Fortress unnoticed, despite the steady stream of media that surrounded it. Every eye was focused on his daughter, just as planned.
…
Bo Buchanan was more than irritated when he turned on the news and saw Starr Manning giving a press conference in front of Shelter, he was outraged.
After two years of being virtually Manning free, he was now overloaded with them. It had first come to his attention that Victor Lord, who as far as he was concerned was Todd Manning light, had shown up at Llanfair after three years of being dead.
"Todd Manning's don't die Bo, you know that." He muttered to himself with a sigh. Then some 'government agents' had come to swoop him out of lock up at two in the morning and take him off to parts unknown. The whole time, there seems to be some confusion on if he's really Victor at all, or the also not so dead Walker Lawrence. When he'd asked, he'd been flat out told by his own niece, who was his subordinate, that it wasn't her place to say and I'd have to ask John.
John who was conveniently on loan to the FBI. Over the years he'd often pondered that it was more the case his chief detective was actually on loan to him. He had not yet decided if John was 'on loan' due to Todd/Walker/Victor, or if his leaving two days before had been some random coincidence. Anna Devane was not returning his phone calls.
The LPD had also been called the day before to the scene of a 'Manning' in progress at the Palace when the Jr. Manning had disturbed the peace, and committed some light vandalism before running off through a headwind of tabloid reporters that were there because rumor had it, Starr Manning was in town.
The next thing he knew, Blair Manning was in his office yelling that her son was missing and she was afraid Todd/Walker/Victor had something to do with it. Demanding to see who ever it was right away. When he'd let her know he was no longer there, she'd lost it. Yelling about how once again, her family had been kidnapped, probably by rouge agents, right out from under his nose.
He wasn't sure she was wrong, but that didn't make it any less irritating that Starr Manning, international superstar, was now in front of the cameras, explaining to the world how his inept police department had allowed the disappearance of his brother by the hands of her Uncle (who maybe wasn't dead, or maybe wasn't her uncle at all.) She made a plea for him to return, she shed ugly angry tears, begging her mother, who had apparently gone in search of her brother, to return. She tearfully, sorrowfully made a direct eye contact with the camera appeal to Blair herself.
"Mom I know you believe Dad is out there, and that he'll help you find Jack, but he's not. Please come home. Come home. Please." The was sobbing then, so much so that Jessica was coming to her side, moving her to her boyfriend (the mobster's son, how fitting) who was just arriving. Jessica was feverishly trying to remove the microphone from her lapel as she continued to wail. "I've lost everyone, Michael everyone. I can't lose anyone else, please come home."
"The LPD clearly doesn't care about the Manning family. So we will be offering a reward for their safe return. The captors are considered very armed, and very dangerous. If you see them we're asking that you do not approach, but call the number on your screen now." The mob son was telling the camera. "All useful tips will receive a cash reward."
"Damn it!" He smacked the table, sending pens and papers scattering.