Life, as we all know, goes on. Todd had decided that suicide was not the way to go. He would go back to Llanview, try to get his old life back and settle with whatever he could get until her body was discovered. There would be no denying that he had killed her. The proof would be there. Even after all these months, the DNA would prove that he had been intimate with her and Llanviewites would think the worst. He knew that no one would believe that he was finally capable of loving her…really, truly, deeply, madly loving her. He was prepared for this. He would deal with anything that they could throw at him. The good news was, the state her body would be discovered in was a death penalty state. He wouldn’t suffer much longer. Although, as time went by, he couldn’t believe his misfortune. Day by day, week by week, month by month, he dealt with what the hypocrites of Llanview threw at him and still no discovery. He mailed her letters to RJ and Roseanne from the state of Ohio. He ran into the Llanviewites, the next generation, on the road, on the run. How funny he wasn’t the only one. He told everyone that asked that he had no idea where Tea was. He told himself it wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t sure at this exact moment where her body was. Sam was the only one who really pushed the issue and he had told him, “Hell, I hope (his anger with her evident for taking her own life). Heaven, probably” (his true self shining through, his weakness not to lie to Sam evident!)
Mainly, he spent his days bantering with Blair. Nothing pleased him more than causing her the most pain, the most grief that was unhumanly possible for him to dole out to her. It was his hobby. It was his passion. He had found someone he couldn’t love, someone he didn’t respect and used her to fill his days. Shorty still wanted them to end up happily ever after, but he knew better than that with Blair. Blair was someone he would never be able to be with, because she was someone he couldn’t be together with. He would never open himself up again to the vulnerabilities that Tea had opened in him. Even though it was only briefly, he wouldn’t be able to go through that again. He laughed at himself knowing that he had told Tea the same thing about Blair. But this time, he had self-imposed his body and his soul from experiencing true love.
Yes, he had been drunk and weak one night, but he hadn’t done more than allow her to pleasure his physical needs. It hadn’t even been that fulfilling. The experience had left him feeling less of a man than he could ever remember. Blair had pumped and stroked his penis for almost an hour still unable to achieve satisfaction. She had sucked and licked and almost pulled his foreskin from its head trying to appease her own satisfaction by bringing him to orgasm. Partly, he was messing with her head, partly he was just uninterested. But mainly he gave in and ended the torrid tryst to get her away from him. It was such a complete and utter disappointment that he decided then and there that night that Blair was not a sexual experience that he cared to repeat ever again.
Twice he had taken Starr from her mother, knowing it was a much better fate than for Starr to end up with Blair. Sometimes he feared that Blair would take Starr from him, but mostly, he just didn’t want to be around her. She was still playing her same games. She had tried to open old wounds and get him back into her web, but he had insulated himself well, this time, even without Tea’s direct help, but knowing that Tea was the real reason he wouldn’t be deceived by Blair ever! Now, here he stood at a crossroads, Blair standing before him, proclaiming her love of Max Holden, six months pregnant with Holden’s demon spawn. Or so she said. For all he knew, that one fateful night, she had captured his semen and forced into her own body. So far she wasn’t faking the pregnancy (that he could tell, because he actually didn’t allow himself to get that close to her) and she wasn’t trying to pin the paternity on him. As she doubled over in cramps, she cried out desperately for Todd to save the life of her unborn sprite. Todd stared above her, grinning in ironic delight, hoping the child would be spared a mother like Blair and that he would be spared a half child to protect Starr from. He told Blair that she had whined enough and it was time to stop faking her pain. Nothing she could say or do would make him ever believe anything she would ever tell him. She screamed then grimaced in pain as another contraction contorted her body. As Todd approached closer to better examine the situation, he noticed an odd protrusion from her midsection.
Blair: What are you looking at?
Todd: If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re giving birth to Alex’s kind of child.
Blair: What are you talking about?
Todd: Is that a pillow in your dress or are you just happy to see me?
Blair: (screaming in the pain of another contraction) It doesn’t matter Todd.
Todd: I want to know, I want to know!
Blair: Here (reaching under her dress and pulling out the pillow). It’s not what you think though.
Todd: Why were you faking another pregnancy? Did you hate me so much Blair that you wanted to keep me away by faking a pregnancy with another man? Trust me, you didn’t need to go to all that trouble.
Blair: It’s not what you think Todd (still obviously in pain). I can explain (doubling over in pain).
Todd: (rising to his feet, looking at Blair with total disgust and contempt) Shut up, Blair. Shut up! You will never change, will you Blair? Always manipulating and twisting things like the sorry little twit that you are. When will you ever learn that this is NOT the way to get a guy. (Each word from here on out is drug out, emphasized for the dramatic effect he’s trying to imply.) Liar. Faker. Bitch. You can stop the performance, cuz I’m not buying. You are the weakest link, Blair. Good Bye.
Todd slams the door and never looks back. He had sent Shorty to Niagra Falls with Judith. She was the only one he ever truly trusted Starr with and Judith had agreed, due to the circumstances and to the fact that they would be in separate rooms and public places most of the time. And she really did love Starr. Todd called Judith from his new gray Jag.
Todd: Judith. I’m heading your way. How’s Starr?
Judith: She’s fine, Mr. Manning. When will you be here?
Todd: In about five hours. I already have the car packed and I’m on my way now. Nothing will stop me from getting there.
Little did Todd know that his life was about to change forever again. And not all of it for the good.
