"Pete...Pete...who the hell is Pete? Slider's thoughts raced, and he tried to sift through the jumbled impressions in his memory for anything regarding this name.

"I can almost read your mind, Slider," Nick replied in a proud, vain attitude as he saw Slider's curiosity aroused.

Slider never deflected his hard look from Nick, and with a reserve to match Nick's said, "Okay, I'll bite, Nick...who is Pete?"

"As I said...a protector...someone who could give Todd what he lacked."

"Well, he had you...how could he lack anything?" Slider pointed out casually.

Nick's eyes lit up with scorn, but then he seemed to catch himself and replied evenly. "A little zinger, Slider...very unprofessional of you. Yes, he had me, but I refused to be a part of that maneuvering with his Daddy. Someone else had to be responsible for taking care of those times when Toddy's Daddy was subhuman. Intellect alone would not be enough."

"Okay...okay, Nick...settle down. So you planted the seed for a new personality within Todd. Let's get back to that night...."

Staring down at the long, shapely legs of Blair Cramer, Max Holden tried to filter out the impassioned speech of Victoria Lord Carpenter. Why she had to dredge all this stuff up again was beyond him. Viki, you always had a soft spot for that slime, and he used you like he used all of us. Thank God, this will be over and done with soon and the book can be closed on that psychopath's life.

Blair uncrossed her legs nervously as she listened to Viki. Maybe I could have done better by you, Todd, but I had my own battles to fight. You never made it easy either...people had to do cartwheels to please you. I knew all about having to start over, and I tried to get you to see your own destructive behavior. If you had let me...but you didn't...you just didn't...

"...we'll never know what Todd Manning might have become in time...with the right therapy and guidance. He had many strengths and burdened himself many times for the sake of others. Many of you have purposefully forgotten that Todd Manning did put his selfishness aside and saved the lives of Marty Saybrooke, C.J. Roberts and my own daughter, Jessica

"...This man...my brother...sought to fulfill his destiny in the midst of a haunting past, scurrilous personal attacks and a mind that consistently played tricks on him. I think there is one thing that Todd Manning became and knew how to be better than anything else...a survivor. "

The rigid pillar on which Del was leaning was not comfortable, but he didn't want comfort right now. He wanted to find Tea. Arriving early for the service, he had scanned the faces of those entering the room. At this point he wouldn't have put it past his cunning little sister to wear some sort of disguise so that she wouldn't be recognized. Nothing. She had vanished into thin air, and Del knew she must have done it with the help of some of her Puerto Rican friends. After making some inquiries, he had come to the conclusion that unless she was at her husband's funeral, she had left Llanview altogether.

Her deception had not made him happy, but in some sense, he understood it. Tea Delgado had always been a firebrand of emotion intermixed with intelligence and stubbornness, and she never failed to take action when she felt it was necessary. Nothing would stand in her way if she made up her mind, and Del both admired and was wary of her sudden bursts of will. So I have to stay here and wait for you to come back, chiquita. Whatever it is you think you're searching for, I know you'll come back here eventually...

"That night...that night was like no other night, wasn't it, Slider? When I think about it now, I'm amazed at all that happened in such a short period of time. It was the shutdown of the Todd you knew and the birth of me."

Slider felt impatience rising up within him like billowing waves. "Let's talk about earlier in the evening, Nick...the events that led up to whatever it is you're getting at."

You're not going to like any of this...and she's a part of it.

Nick's mood once more shifted, and he seemed all business as his words began to channel into Slider's mind.

Todd Manning sat in his father's chair perplexed that he was feeling as good as he was. It was his birthday, but that had never really been a great cause to celebrate. A few of the friends at school had wished him well, and Slider, his closest friend, had given him a gift...a baseball cap with the letter "Z" sewn on it. That gift had been the only one he had received, and he twirled it with two fingers as he thought about a day that had turned out much better than he had expected.

That girl...Michelle...she had been really nice to him in the hall today...asking him all kinds of questions. Slider had told her that it was his birthday.

Todd knew that Slider was getting close to her...closer than he had gotten to any other girl, and Todd was somewhat in awe of her. For the first time in a long time, he had started to notice someone of the opposite sex. It disturbed him that it was Michelle.

Staccato taps coming from the front of the house brought him out of his thoughts, and he swung his long legs down on the floor - brushing long, thick strands of hair away from his cheekbones where it had fallen. Walking across the thick, oriental carpeting in the foyer, he heard the taps get louder. Peeking through the long vertical side windows by the front door, he froze as he saw his visitor.

She hadn't seen him peering at her, and he wanted at once to pretend that no one was home. Another voice inside him began to whisper, and he spoke out loud. "Why? I don't really know her...maybe she'll go away...."

The taps on the door and the voice inside him had become so insistent that he reached for the doorknob and turned the lock. Swinging the door open, his dark eyes took in the form of the girl he had been thinking of. As she saw his face, her eyes shone and she seemed almost ready to jump with excitement. "Hi Todd!"

"Hi Michelle," he said cautiously, but she seemed not to notice that he was eyeing her with suspicion.

"Well, Todd...can I come in?"

He opened the door wider and braced himself awkwardly against the door as she walked in...holding a large plate wrapped in aluminum foil in her hands.

"Where's your dining room table, Todd? I need to set this down...by the way, you have a cool house!"

"Thanks," he said and heard the flat, dullness of his reply. What's she doing here?

"There it is!" she said and sailed airily through the foyer to the large dining room with its long, formal table and ornately carved chairs. Setting the plate down, and with a little rustling of the foil, she suddenly whirled around and grinning broadly said, "Happy Birthday, Todd!"

If someone had thrown a firecracker into his home, it would not have been as much of a surprise as this was. A girl he knew only very slightly was in his home wishing him a "Happy Birthday" and had brought him a chocolate cake. He tried to rummage in his mind for some reason why she would be here saying this to him. None of it made sense. Suddenly he began to distrust the sudden happiness of the moment and wonder if someone had put her up to this.

"Did Slider send you over here?"

"Slider? No...why would you think that? This was all my idea, Todd."

Seconds passed and a feeling of euphoria began permeating the soul of Todd Manning. It was a feeling so intense that he almost staggered back as he was becoming aware that this act of kindness was meant just for him. Not only that, but it was her...her...the only girl he could seem to work up enough nerve to talk to...at least a little. Slider had always had no trouble with the girls...he was easy and natural, but not him. It didn't take much to understand that he was horribly shy around girls. Sometimes when he would listen to the voice within him, he would get more confident for a little while. It usually didn't last very long, though.

"What do you say we cut a piece of my cake, Todd?"

Todd nodded in something of a stupor as she followed him out to the kitchen. Every step he took made him think he must be in the middle of one of his dreams, but this one was like no other he had ever had. He directed her to the cabinets where the plates were kept and watched as she raised up on tiptoe to get a couple of dessert plates. His eyes followed every move of her body as she dropped back down to the floor.

"You get the forks. I see the perfect knife!"

Joining her again in the dining room, he was even more aware of the loose, thick hair hanging down her back and the way she tossed it back and forth as she walked. She had already cut down into the thick icing and sliced a large piece of cake.

"Here Todd...just for you! Hope you like it!"

It could have tasted like mud. He would have thought it was the most wonderful piece of cake he had ever eaten. To his surprise, it was delicious and wonderfully rich, and he savored the warm, moist crumbs and icing as it oozed down his throat. Between a mouthful, his lips began to curve up and a smile began to form.

"...it's good...it's really good, Michelle."

"Ha! I bet you thought I couldn't cook!"

"No...no I didn't."

"I'm just teasing you, Todd!" she laughed and bit into a piece of her cake with obvious pleasure. "Yum...I've been waiting all afternoon to sample this. Yep...pretty good if I do say so myself."

Todd watched her again fascinated by everything she did and as she smacked her lips with satisfaction, he found that he wanted some answers to the confusing questions circling around in his head.

"Michelle...thanks a lot...I mean...no one ever...this is great! But..."

"But what?" Michelle stopped chewing and focused in on him.

"I don't know you that well, and this is all so...well, I'm not used to getting..."

"Presents, Todd? I guessed that about you. In fact, I've been wondering about you a lot lately."

Todd swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't like anyone getting too close to him, and ordinarily he would have clammed up, but her very presence in his home seemd to have hypnotized him.

"You know, I've got girlfriends who say you're just very stuck-up, but I don't agree with them. Some of them would even like to get to know you if you gave them half the chance."

Todd's eyes hazed over with anxiety. The more she talked, the more he knew that he was incapable of getting away from her prying eyes. Something inside him wanted to run away, yet he remained fixed to his spot. She's kind of cute...the whispering voice said...she likesyou, Todd!

"Oh, Todd, you have chocolate all over your mouth!" she said and giggled, causing him to almost close his eyes with embarrassment. Reaching up with his hand, he started to wipe across his mouth, but her strident voice stopped him. "No don't, Todd...I'll get a towel."

As he wiped the corners of his mouth with the towel she brought from the kitchen, he fought again for control of his feelings. This girl had pushed her way into his home, and she was there with no knowledge of what kind of world he lived in. No matter what the voice said, it was better that she never knew. She had to go...now

"Uh...I've got to do homework...class project stuff. Thanks again, Michelle...for the birthday cake."

Michelle's eyes betrayed nothing of her disappointment that she was not asked to stay longer. Looking out the window, she emitted a low whistle. "It's getting late...almost dark...I do have to run. Walk me out, Todd?"

The two of them walked out onto the large front porch. The now dimming light of the sky flickered through the tops of the trees, and Todd looked out at the scene with a mixture of relief and regret. He would have given anything to lengthen this moment as he stood on his front porch with a pretty girl. All of a sudden he wanted to talk to her about so many things that were trapped inside of him -- only getting out when he could talk to someone he trusted. His large shoulders slumped down more as he valiantly tried to treasure the moment in time and not think about anything else. Pushing his hands down in his pocket, he heard a voice and realized it was his own.

"Nice night, huh?"

It was a simple comment, but it was enough to convince Michelle that she might become bolder with him. "Todd, you're different, but I like that. Don't get mad if I ask you something, will you?"

He just stared at her as she moved in closer to him -- her large brown eyes inviting him into their depths as she inched toward him.

"Can I give you a birthday kiss?"

The sincerity of her question was not in doubt, and his skin tingled with the utterance of the word, "kiss." He turned in surprise and saw her waiting expectantly for his reply -- all her youthful vigor primed for this moment.

Nick stopped and looked at Slider who was also waiting expectantly. "I told him to do it, Slider...I told him to go for it!"

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