Three months later

Todd sits in a lawn chair, with his feet propped up on the edge of the hot tub. He is leaning back far enough to cause the lawn chair to only have two legs touching the roof. He holds a half empty bottle of beer in one hand and his cell phone in the other. He looks up at the starry sky and wonders why Téa hasn’t called yet.

The morning after what Todd calls their first date, they had finally had the conversation that Téa had insisted upon and Todd had dreaded. Téa needed to slow things down, and the manner in which she chose to accomplish that was to go away for a while to think. She had promised him her absence wouldn’t be permanent...she would be back. Although Todd didn’t believe her, he decided to try that trust thing and have that faith thing he hears so much about, and he stayed put and waited for her.

He threw himself into his work, which has been a good thing for D&D&M Investigations, since Téa has been gone and Del’s hours have been decreased, due to an increase in time spent with Kate.

Kate and Del got engaged a month ago, and she moved in shortly thereafter. Kate and Todd get along fine; although, it’s difficult to watch Del get so mushy.

Todd checks his phone, to make sure it’s turned on and working. It is. He sighs and says aloud, "Call me, Delgado. I need to hear your voice. Where are you?"

~~~

In the hallway

Téa struggles with her bags, as she puts her key into the lock. She lets herself into her apartment and her eyes open wide at what she sees. The place is a mess. Todd’s clothes are all over the floor, and fast food containers litter the counter top. Rather than get angry, Téa just laughs, as she realizes Todd took it upon himself to move in to her home during her absence. Funny, he never mentioned that to her during their telephone conversations.

She puts her bags in her bedroom, noticing that Todd has obviously been sleeping in her bed, too. She smiles at the memory of the last time she was in that bed.

She makes her way back down the hallway, kicking Todd’s clothes out of the way as she goes. When she reaches the living room, she takes in her surroundings, realizing how much she has missed this place. Her eyes fall upon something new on her photograph table, and her grin turns into a broad smile. There, right in the center of the table, is an 8x10 photograph in an ornate silver frame. She picks it up and moves her fingers lovingly over the image of Todd and Téa waltzing at their second wedding. She puts the photograph back in its featured location and softly laughs. "You’ve got nerve, Manning...I’ll give you that."

She wonders where he is, so she decides to give him a call.

"What took you so long? Do you know what time it is?"

"Hello to you, too, Todd."

"Hello. What took you so long? Do you know what time it is?"

"I’ve had a busy day today, and this is the first chance I’ve had to call."

"Where are you? Tahiti?"

"Why do you think I’m in Tahiti?"

"I have no idea where the hell you are, since you constantly refuse to tell me. I was just guessing."

"I haven’t told you my whereabouts because you and I both know you wouldn’t respect my wishes for privacy. You’d be on the first plane to...wherever I am."

"Damn straight!"

"So, where are you, Todd?"

"Nuh-uh. If you don’t tell me where you are, then I don’t tell you where I am."

"Are you alone?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yes."

"Good...what are you wearing?"

Téa laughs. "I’ve missed you."

"I’ve missed you, too. What are you wearing?"

"Tell me where you are, and I’ll tell you what I’m wearing."

"Fine. I’m on the stupid roof, looking at the stupid stars, wondering when the hell you’re gonna stop being so stupid and come home to me."

Téa smiles. "You’re on the roof, huh?"

"Yeah. I was getting sick of staring at the walls in our apartment."

"Our apartment?"

"Yeah. It’s mine, too. Didn’t I tell you that?"

"No, you never mentioned that."

"Is it okay with you that I moved in?"

"Yes, Todd. Actually, that works out great."

"It does?"

"Yes, it does."

"So, what are you wearing?"

Todd hears Téa’s cell phone disconnect. "Just turn around and see for yourself."

Todd is so startled by the sound of Téa’s voice behind him, he jerks and causes his chair to fall backward. Téa rushes to help him up.

"Are you okay, querido?"

"Yeah," he says, catching his breath.

"You forgot to lock the roof door. Surprise!"

"Yeah, uh, I’m surprised. You’re here.." He pauses and stands up, pulling her into him in a tight embrace. "You’re really here....you came back."

She hugs him tightly. "I told you I would come back."

"I know you did."

"But, you didn’t believe me, right?"

"Of course not." He pulls back and looks into her eyes. "God, I’ve missed you," he whispers. Her eyes fill with tears, and he pulls her into a kiss. He breaks off the kiss after several moments and releases her. "So, what have you decided? Did you come back to dump me for good?" He sits down in his lawn chair.

Téa takes a deep breath. "Not exactly."

Todd stares at his shoes, trying to brace himself for the pain to come. "Then, what...exactly?"

"I’ve, uh, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking these past few months about a lot of things, and I’ve finally made some very important decisions."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Well, for instance, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not cut out for investigations. I miss being a lawyer, so I’m going to return to the profession that suits me best."

"Defense or Prosecution?"

"Defense."

"Good. What else have you decided?"

"I’ve decided..."

"Yeah? What?"

"I’ve decided that..."

"You keep stopping, so maybe you haven’t decided?"

"Yes, I have. Just give me a moment. This is hard. I’ve never done anything like this before, so give me break, huh?"

"Fine."

"The biggest decision I reached was about us, about our future."

"Jesus, would you just dump me now and get it over with, please?"

"Dump you? Oh, hell, I should just do it and quit thinking about it."

"I knew it."

Téa walks over and kneels down beside Todd. She takes his hand in hers, and he gives her a questioning look. "Todd Manning, will you marry me?"

Todd stares at her for a long time. He finally finds his voice. "Did you just...?"

"Yes, I just asked you to marry me. I figured you’ve asked me so many times, it had to be my turn by now."

"No way." He lets go of her hand and jumps up, running his fingers through his hair.

"No?," asks Téa, heartbroken.

"No. No. You don’t get to ask me. That’s my gig. I do the asking." He drops down to his knees in front of her on her knees and places his hands on her cheeks, tilting her face up to meet his. "Téa, you’re gonna marry me, and this is the last time we’re ever gonna do this, because this time it’s forever, you got that?"

Téa laughs through her tears. "Yeah, I got that."

He kisses her gently. He pulls back and touches his forehead to hers, closing his eyes and sighing. "I love you, Téa."

"I love you, too, Todd."

The End

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