chapter 1:

Tea is living alone at the penthouse. She threw her niece out after learning that Roseanne had been spying on her. Roseanne didn't really care, she moved in with Cris.

Tea was happy to be alone. Well, she tried to convince herself that she was happy living alone, being alone. She didn't need anyone getting in her way, trying to tell her how to live her life. She was tired of people thinking they knew her, knew what was best for her. She no longer had anyone to interfere in her life since she wasn't dating any longer, her niece was living somewhere else and her surrogate mother, Carlotta, had turned on her. Even her days were spent alone since she quit her job.

Tea finally had some time to herself. Now, if only she could stop herself from crying all the time maybe she could actually believe she was happy.

Tea knows she should get a new job. Something that will keep her mind off of how pathetic her life appears. She can't find the motivation though. She doesn't need the money, doesn't want to work for anyone else, doesn't want to help guilty people get away with hurting other people.

For now she spends her days alone at the penthouse. Her nights are pretty much the same as her days except the view from the large window in the living room is altered by the darkness.

Two weeks into her self-imposed solitude Tea is lying on the couch in the living room reading a book, a romance novel. She swore off romance, and even meaningless sex, in her life but she still found herself reading about it and, even though she tried to stop it, fantasizing about it at night when she couldn't sleep.

As Tea is reading she is startled to hear the sound of a key opening the lock on the penthouse's front door. She puts her book aside, stands up and prepares to give Roseanne a stern lecture for not giving her back all of her copies of the key.

As the door opens and the bearer of the key comes into view Tea is stunned into complete silence for a moment as she stares at the person standing nonchalantly in front of her.

chapter 2:

Tea: You? (after taking a moment to compose herself she starts yelling) Get out! Right now, get out! Get the hell out, you bastard!

Todd: Nice greeting, Delgado.

[Tea looks away for a moment needing time to clear her head and remind herself to breath. Damn! Why do his eyes still have to be so magnetic? After giving herself a few seconds to accept the reality of Todd standing in front of her she looks back at him, directly into his eyes, hoping that her eyes won't betray her to him.]

Tea: Are you going to leave?

Todd: Why would I leave? I just got home.

Tea: Leave now or I'll call the police.

Todd: I own this place, remember?

Tea: You left.

Todd: I know. I was somewhere else and now I'm here...I'm back. I'm not as stupid as I look.

Tea: Yes, you are if you think you're safe standing...(taking a few extra seconds to breath)...so close to me right now.

Todd: I'm not scared of you.

Tea: Really?

Todd: I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

[As Todd walks past Tea, she grabs his arm.]

Tea: You're not going anywhere but out that door right now.

Todd (looking down at her hand still on his arm): Are you planning on physically throwing me out? Of my own home?

Tea: It's my home now. You abandoned me...(quickly correcting herself)...it. You abandoned it. I took possession of it. It's now mine.

Todd: I feel like hell. I'm in no mood for this right now, Delgado.

Tea: Don't you dare call me that.

Todd: It's your name, isn't it? Or did you change your name while I was gone?

Tea: Damn right I changed it. Eliminated Manning from the end of it.

Todd: Whatever.

[Todd shrugs Tea's hold off of his arm and turns toward the stairs.]

Tea: Don't you take one step up those stairs.

Todd (turning back toward her): Or what? Are you going to tackle me, Delgado? Excuse me...Tea.

Tea (angry that the sound of his voice saying her name still gets to her): Don't call me that?

Todd: Then what should I call you?

Tea: You can call me whatever you want to just do it some place else.

Todd: Are you staying in the master bedroom?

Tea: Yes.

Todd: Fine. I'll take your old room.

[Todd turns again and casually walks up the stairs as Tea silently watches him.]

chapter 3:

[Tea stands in the doorway watching Todd as he pulls clothing out of his suitcase and tosses it on a nearby chair. She notices that he also pulls out two picture frames. Despite herself she's touched by the thought that Todd must have been carrying two pictures of Starr around with him all the time he was gone.

Todd knows Tea's standing there but he ignores her, at least outwardly. Secretly he's been studying her since he opened the penthouse door. She looks good...very good. He can see there's a deep sadness in her eyes though. It hurts him to think that maybe he was the one who gave her that sadness.

Todd lays his body out on the bed and closes his eyes...wishing she would go away...wishing she were closer to him. Tea has the same desire to pull away and move closer at the same time.]

Tea: You can stay here tonight.

Todd: I don't need your permission...(opening his eyes and looking directly into her eyes) ...obviously.

Tea: Yes, you do. This is my penthouse now and I'm not giving up any of my rights. I am letting you stay here tonight as my house guest. Tomorrow you leave. That shouldn't be a problem for you. You're very good at leaving.

[Todd can see that Tea is trying hard to appear strong and unfeeling but the sadness in her eyes and even her voice give away her deep emotions.]

Todd: I'll stay tomorrow night too...the night after that...the night after that... If you don't want to share this place with me then you'll have to find some place else to live. I'm not going anywhere.

Tea: Why are you here anyway? Why did you come back? No one wants you here.

Todd: Really?

Tea: You blew it, Todd. You could have had so much and you threw it all away. You damaged ever relationship you had. You're not needed here anymore.

Todd (hurt but determined not to show it): What about Starr?

Tea (seeing that she hurt him and feeling slightly guilty about it): Starr?

Todd: Yeah, my kid. Remember her?

Tea (looking away, afraid of the tears that are threatening to come): I remember.

Todd (noticing Tea's sadness growing even deeper): Have you seen her?

Tea: Not as much as I would have liked.

Todd: Well, when you have seen her did she look okay?

Tea (looking back at Todd again): She looked beautiful.

Todd: Well, of course, she's my kid.

Tea (laughing despite herself): I should go. It's getting late.

Todd: Yeah.

Tea (starting for the door and then turning back toward Todd): Are you going to tell me where you've been all this time?

Todd: No.

Tea: Of course not. Well, we can argue more about living arrangements tomorrow.

Todd: And you can call the cops like you've been threatening.

Tea: Right. So, you better get some sleep because I'm not giving up. I will win.

[Tea turns and leaves.]

Todd (softly to himself): I'm not giving up either, Tea.

chapter four:

The next morning...

Tea awakens after a fitful night of sleep. She quietly approaches the room Todd is in. She finds him curled up on his side asleep. She has an urge to enter the room and sit beside him, to gently move his hair out of his face. She controls herself though and stays in the doorway watching her husband sleep...ex-husband she reminds herself. An annullment...a piece of paper that ended the farce that never was a real marriage.

Tea leans her head against the frame of the doorway as she thinks about what their marriage could have been...what she wanted it to be. She was willing to work so hard to make it work. Her chance to finally find some happiness. And, she could have made Todd happy too if he had just given her a real chance, if he had only trusted her.

Tea's posture stiffens as she recalls the brief moments of their last marriage...the real one. A few moments of sweetness and a whole lot of pain. And then he left, just walked away without even bothering to say good-bye. Just like...well, just like most of the people she had ever cared about. Why had she expected him to be any different? Why did she allow herself to think that this time it could have been different...this time it could have been real? A real marriage with real love and a real future. Love...it just leads to pain. It just fills your heart so it can then rip it from your chest leaving you with a permanent ache of emptiness...of loneliness that you'll carry until you die. At least Todd isn't dead.

Tea wouldn't admit it to anyone but she had been so concerned for Todd and what trouble he might get himself into wandering alone in the world. At least he was here in front of her and he was safe. Not that she cares about him. She does not care about him. She does not love him, not anymore. Well, that's what Tea's trying to convince herself as she watches him sleep. He looks almost peaceful while he sleeps. She can still sense the deep pain that she knows he carries with him at all times but for now he's quiet. For now he's safe. Tea leaves her husband...ex-husband...to sleep.

chapter five:

Todd awakens with a start. It takes him several seconds to register where he is...Tea's old room. He spent many nights in this room watching Tea sleep during their first marriage. Todd sits up on the bed and leans his back against the headboard as he thinks about Tea. He knows that she'll still be angry at him. She'll probably continue threatening to call the police but he doesn't think she'll actually be able to do it. He recalls her face when he walked into the penthouse the night before. Shock, anger, sadness were all emotions he saw flash across her face but he also saw relief. He's pretty sure it was relief, anyway. But today he knows anger will be the emotion she'll show him. Even if she was slightly glad to see him last night he knows that there's no way she'll let him see that this morning. He gets out of bed and heads toward the shower. He wants to smell nice today. He has some courting to do.

Downstairs, Tea is sitting on the couch in the living room reading the newspaper. Well, she's pretending to read it anyway. She heard the shower shut off several minutes ago and expects Todd to come downstairs soon. She unconsciously runs her hand across her hair as she inwardly rehearses what she'll say to Todd when she sees him.

Unseen by Tea, Todd stands at the top of the stairs and watches her. She looks good in the morning. She probably smells good too. Todd determines that he'll have to find a way to stand close enough to her to smell her without raising her suspicions. She can't know that he wants her back. He can't give her that kind of control over him. He'll be subtle and sneaky. He'll get her to stay without even having to ask her to.

Todd (walking down the stairs): Why'd you chop off your hair?

Tea (turning her head toward him - startled by his voice): What? Oh, I wanted something new, something different.

Todd: Trying to become a different person?

Tea: That's your specialty.

Todd: Did you make coffee?

Tea: Yes, I did...(speaking to herself after Todd went into the kitchen)...for myself.

[Todd returns to the living room.]

Todd: I don't see any coffee.

Tea: After I finished mine I poured the rest down the drain. Sorry, I guess I'm used to living alone now.

[Todd sits down on the opposite end of the couch from Tea.]

Todd (gesturing to the newspaper in Tea's hand): Gimme.

Tea: When I'm finished.

Todd: You'll probably forget I'm here and throw it away, right?

Tea: I can't help it if I forget you're here. It's been a long time.

Todd: So, you've been living here alone this whole time? I thought Blair was going to live here with Starr.

Tea: She moved them into Dorian's.

Todd: So, you confiscated the penthouse?

Tea: Basically.

Todd: My kid's living with Dorian? I'll have to de-program her when she comes back here to live.

Tea: She's been spending a lot of time with Andrew.

Todd: Dorian?

Tea: No, Starr.

Todd: Oh, I thought you were saying there was something going on between Dorian and your former fling. He is still former, isn't he? You didn't take up with that loser again? Or did Cassie come to her senses and drop Kevin and get back with her ex?

Tea: She lost her senses and was sent to an institution.

Todd: You're kidding?

Tea: I don't consider mental illness a joke, unlike some people.

Todd: Well, that's one Cramer crazy down.

[Tea gives him a disapproving look and returns to pretending she's reading the paper.]

Todd: So, are you going to answer my question?

Tea: I'm sorry. I haven't been paying attention.

Todd: Did you go back to boinking Llanview's head hypocrite while I was gone?

Tea: Andrew?

Todd: Yeah. Did you?

Tea: No. I've been having sex with someone else.

[Tea watches Todd over the top of the newspaper in front of her as he reacts and then tries to pretend he doesn't care about her revelation.]

Todd: Anyone I know?

Tea: Yes.

Todd (going through a list of people in his head): Anyone I'm related to?

Tea: I don't know. Draw me a family tree and I'll tell you.

Todd: Just one? Or are we talking multiple partners?

Tea: Just one...multiple times.

[Tea almost laughs out loud at Todd's reaction.]

Todd (standing up): Well, aren't we the modern divorced couple...sharing our sex lives with each other.

Tea: What about you?

Todd: What about me?

Tea: How many sex partners have you had since you destroyed our marriage on our wedding night?

Todd: I knew you were going to hold that against me.

Tea (really needing to know): How many?

Todd: Um, let me count...

Tea (getting off the couch suddenly): Never mind. I don't need to know. It's none of my business. What you did, or do from now on, is no concern of mine. Pack your stuff and get out before I call the police.

Todd (looking at his watch in an exaggerated manner): Wow! It took you a lot longer than I thought it would before you threatened me with the police again.

Tea: I mean it.

Todd (not believing her): Oh, I know you mean it.

Tea: I have connections in the police department.

Todd: Bo? You've been boinking Bo? Does Nora know? Are you going after the Buchanan bucks? Because that's the only reason I could understand anyone wanting to be with that self-righteous, boring, know-it-all loser. Well?

Tea: It wasn't Bo. Nora's with Sam now, by the way.

Todd: You're kidding. Why?

Tea: They have a baby together.

Todd: They do? Wow, leave town for a few months and everything goes berserk.

Tea: It was more than a few months.

Todd: So, what else did I miss? Is Viki a lounge singer? Did Kevin win a Pulitzer Prize? Is Asa running the Sun?

[Todd laughs to himself as Tea prepares to really enjoy herself.]

Tea: Is Asa running the Sun really so far fetched?

Todd: Hell yes. There's no way that old buzzard's going to get anywhere near my paper.

Tea: It's not your paper anymore, remember? You gave it to Kelly, Blair and Max.

Todd: Yeah, well, now I'm back so I'll take it back from them.

Tea: If you had been smart and used a crafty attorney to draw up those contracts you gave them maybe that would be an option now but since you didn't...

Todd: What? You think they'll fight me on it?

Tea: Well, I don't know, maybe you could convince Kelly and Blair to give you back their shares but Max...

Todd: What about Max? (getting agitated) Stop playing games with me and tell me about my paper.

Tea: Me? Playing games?

Todd: Come on, Tea. You know how much I care about that paper.

Tea: Right. More than you ever gave a damn about me. I know that. Which is why I don't understand why you gave it away.

Todd: I thought it would be fun to put those three at each other's throats.

Tea: Well, it didn't work out that way, at least not for long.

Todd: Tell me already.

Tea: Kelly fired Blair.

Todd (laughing): Good for her. Maybe I'll consider keeping her around. Maybe she can keep Briggs in line for me.

Tea: Max isn't there anymore either.

Todd: So, Kelly's been running it by herself? How's she doing? How's circulation? She's not going soft on all the hypocrites in this town is she?

Tea: She's not running it alone.

Todd: I know, Briggs is the one who's probably really running things. I knew that Briggs would take care of everything until I got back.

Tea: Asa.

Todd (confused): What about Asa? Did his illegal dealings finally catch up to him? Is he in jail where he belongs?

Tea: No. He's at the Sun.

Todd: What?!

Tea: Max sold his shares to Asa.

Todd (laughing, wanting desperately for Tea to be joking with him): He couldn't.

Tea: He did.

Todd: No. No. This is a joke, right? Come on, Tea. Tell me you're joking.

Tea (not feeling as good as she thought she would about telling Todd): No joke. From the coverage I've seen concerning the Buchanans I would say that his influence is greater than the small percentage he owns of the paper.

[Todd starts to head quickly for the door.]

Tea: Where are you going?

Todd: I've got to save my paper from that vulture. (looking at her briefly) You coming?

[Todd doesn't even realize what he's saying until the words are out of his mouth. It's so natural for him to expect Tea to be right beside him helping him fight for his paper...his kid...his life.]

Tea (stunned): I'm not your lawyer anymore. I tore up that check you left in my hospital room...my retainer. I'm not your lawyer.

[Todd reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash and hands it to Tea.]

Todd: You are now.

[Tea doesn't know what to say. She's tempted to take the job. She has missed the excitement of having a good legal battle to fight. And, it would be good to be without the restrictions she had to deal with in the district attorney's office. But it would mean working with Todd...very closely...and possibly for a long time.]

Todd: Come on, Delgado. I need you.

chapter seven:

Tea: Wait.

Todd: Tea...

Tea: If I were going to be your lawyer again...which I'm definitely not...my advice would be for you not to go storming off to the paper right now.

Todd: Why not?

Tea: It would be more advantageous to take Asa by surprise. You should have your lawyer, who will not be me, look over the contracts you used to give away the paper first, check for any loopholes and then prepare a surprise attack. Do you have copies of the contracts?

Todd: The idiot who prepared them for me probably does. I'll have him send them over and you can look at them, okay?

Tea: I'm not your lawyer.

Todd: The money you're clutching in your hand says you are.

[Tea tries to hand Todd back the wad of money he gave her. He refuses to take it.]

Todd: You can't go back on a deal.

Tea: There was no deal. I did not accept your offer. I am not your lawyer.

Todd: I'll call that bozo. Does this surprise attack thing mean that I can't tell anyone I'm back? I want to see Starr.

Tea: What's more important to you Starr or your paper?

Todd: Starr.

Tea: Good answer.

Todd: I might be a horrible father but I love my kid more than anything, you know that.

Tea: I thought I did.

Todd: What's that supposed to mean?

Tea: Why did you leave her?

Todd: Didn't have a choice.

Tea: I'm sure she'll forget all about you abandoning her when you tell her that.

[Tea instantly feels guilty for using Starr to hurt him.]

Todd: I don't expect her to understand. I don't understand. I just know that I love her and I really need to see her. I want my paper back. I want Starr to have it someday if she wants it. I hate the idea of Asa contaminating it. If I had to choose between the paper and Starr though Starr would win. I'll always choose her over everything else. I know it doesn't look that way because I left her.

Tea: Why did you leave?

Todd: I had to.

Tea: Why?

Todd: I was falling apart. I couldn't do that in front of her. And, I was hurting other people too...people I never meant to hurt. I had to get away to save everybody from me.

Tea: And now?

Todd: Have I put myself back together?

Tea: Have you?

Todd: No, at least not perfectly. I'll never be perfect. I can only be me.

Tea: Why did you wait so long to come back?

Todd: I don't know. I kept thinking I would come back tomorrow or next week and it just kept getting longer and longer. I want to make it up to Starr. Do you think I can? Do you think I really messed her up by leaving?

Tea: I think she understands as well as she could. You'll have to prove yourself again. You may have to work hard to make her feel as secure as she did before.

Todd: You'll help me, right?

Tea: I'm not your lawyer, or your wife, anymore.

Todd: But you'll help me, right?

chapter eight:

Todd: Come on, Tea...for Starr.

Tea: Don't you try to use my feelings for Starr to get me to do what you want.

Todd: Did you work while I was gone?

Tea: Of course I did. Hank offered me a job.

Todd: You didn't take it, did you?

Tea: There weren't a lot of offers coming my way after you so publicly humiliated me.

Todd: A prosecutor? No. You were definitely not meant to be a prosecutor. You're a defense attorney. You fight for the little guy.

Tea: You? A little guy?

Todd: In this town I am since everyone is constantly trying to squash me against the pavement. Are you still working for Hank?

Tea: I quit a couple of weeks ago.

Todd: We always did have perfect timing.

Tea: We had lousy timing.

Todd: Whatever. After working for Hank you must be anxious to get back to doing what you do best. You can help me get Asa the hell away from my paper and you can help me get Starr back here where she belongs.

Tea: I'm sure Starr is fine where she is.

Todd: I thought you said she was spending a lot of time with Andrew. And, she's living with Dorian. Even I don't deserve the hell of living with Dorian. Come on.

Tea: I don't know.

Todd: Why did you quit your job?

Tea: Hank and I had a difference of opinion.

Todd: About what?

Tea: It's not important. I just realized that it wasn't the right place for me right now. I didn't like having to follow someone else's rules.

Todd: Work for me. No rules at all here.

Tea: You make them up as you go along.

Todd: Working for Hank must have been like working directly for the Buchanans since they own him.

Tea: They do not. He does give Bo a lot of slack though.

Todd: If you work for me you can take on the whole Buchanan bunch. That should be fun, right?

Tea: I don't know.

Todd: I know you want to. I can tell. Just look at the contracts, okay?

Tea: I'll think about it.

Todd: I knew you'd do it.

Tea: I said I would think about it.

Todd: Same thing. (moving toward the phone) I'll call that idiot and then I'll call Viki or does this surprise attack against Asa mean I can't call my sister?

Tea: Were you in touch with her much while you were gone?

Todd: Haven't spoken to her since I left.

Tea: Have you spoken to anyone?

Todd: No.

Tea: Have you been reading the local papers.

Todd: I haven't been local. Why?

Tea: Well...

Todd (worried): Did something happen? Is Viki okay?

Tea: Viki is fine. There was an accident, though.

Todd: Viki?

Tea: No. Jessica. She's fine now but her...her baby didn't make it.

Todd (stunned): What? How? What happened?

Tea: She was hit by a car.

Todd: And she's okay?

Tea: Yes.

Todd: But her kid?

Tea: No.

Todd (sitting down): Oh.

Tea: Are you okay?

Todd: What do you mean she was hit by a car?

Tea: It was a hit-and-run.

Todd: Did they catch the creep?

Tea: Lindsay was charged.

Todd: Sam's ex? Did she do it?

Tea: She denied it and then confessed and then plead not guilty.

Todd: Do you think she did it?

Tea: I was prepared to prosecute her.

Todd: You?

Tea: I was on the case until Hank removed me from it.

Todd: Why'd he do that?

Tea: I was too aggressive in my attempts to prosecute her.

Todd: Is that why you quit?

Tea: That's part of it. I'll leave you alone so you can make your calls.

Todd: No! I...I don't know what to say.

Tea: You will.

Todd: She's just a kid.

Tea: I imagine Jessica's grow up a lot recently.

Todd: Yeah, I guess.

Tea: I'll be upstairs.

[Tea leave a stunned Todd alone in the living room.]

Chapter nine:

[Todd stares at the phone for quite a while trying to think of what to say to Viki and Jessica. It was hard enough to think about talking to Viki after everything that happened before he left and being gone so long but now he has no idea what to say about Jessica's baby. Finally, he forces himself to dial the number. Neither Viki or Jessica are home though so he hangs up without leaving a message. After a while Tea comes back downstairs and finds Todd standing by the window, staring off at the distance.]

Tea (standing near Todd): Did you call your sister?

Todd: Tried. She wasn't home. Neither was Jessica. I also tried calling Dorian's but no one's there either. Is there some big party everyone is at?

Tea: If there were I wouldn't know about it.

Todd: How is Jessica handling it?

Tea: I don't know.

Todd: Haven't you seen her?

Tea: No.

Todd: Why not?

Tea: I didn't want to intrude.

Todd: How could you intrude? She's family.

Tea: She's your family.

Todd: So, just because you ditched me you ditched my whole family too?

Tea (angrily): Me?

Todd: We can argue about that later. I just want to know why you didn't see Jessica. I thought you liked her.

Tea: I did. I do.

Todd: Then why? Viki must have been inviting you over to her house all the time after I left. I thought you would get closer to her and Jessica.

Tea: That never happened.

Todd: You didn't accept her invitations?

Tea (with sadness evident in her voice): I wasn't invited.

Todd: Well, you were probably too busy anyway, right? You said you were seeing someone. Should I prepare myself? Will he be showing up here?

Tea: That's over.

Todd: Why?

Tea: He wanted me to be someone that I'm not.

Todd: Then you don't need him. And, you've got lots of friends anyway.

Tea: Do I?

Todd: Well, yeah. There's Carlotta. With me gone she probably actually came over here.

[Todd notices tears forming in Tea's eyes.]

Todd: Did something happen to Carlotta?

[Todd watches Tea's face as she stares at the view before her. He can see the deep sadness being replaced by a cold, distant look as Tea tries to hide her feelings from him.]

Tea: Carlotta is fine. She's just not a part of my life anymore. No one is.

[Tea shakes her head slightly and shuts down her emotions as best she can.]

Tea: What about those contracts?

Todd: I called that jerk. He's sending copies over.

Tea: I'll be upstairs.

[Tea quickly walks up the stairs uncertain about how much longer she can keep her emotions under control and not wanting Todd to see her cry.]

chapter ten:

[Tea looks at herself one last time in the mirror to make sure it doesn't look like she's been crying before going back downstairs where Todd is.]

Tea: Have the contracts arrived yet?

Todd: No, not yet. Look, about Carlotta...

Tea: I don't want to talk about it.

Todd: What happened? You were so close to her. She hated me. She must have been thrilled that I left.

Tea: She was.

Todd: So, what happened?

Tea: It's not important.

Todd: Look, we've got some time before the contracts get here. Did you have a fight with Carlotta?

Tea: We disagreed about something.

Todd: What?

Tea: My right to privacy.

Todd: I don't get it.

Tea: She told someone something that she knew I didn't want that person to know.

Todd: What?

Tea: We're not married anymore so that's none of your business.

Todd: Well, can I at least know who the someone was that Carlotta blabbed whatever to?

Tea: John.

Todd: Who's John?

Tea: John Sykes.

Todd: The cop?

Tea: Yeah.

Todd: Wait a minute. Is he the guy?

Tea: He's out of my life now too.

Todd: I know, you said everyone is. Except me, of course. You're stuck with me unless you move out because I'm not going anywhere.

Tea: I earned this penthouse.

Todd: How?

Tea: For putting up with you.

Todd: I gave you millions of dollars for that.

Tea: I gave it away.

Todd (angry): What?

Tea: I didn't want it. I was earning my own money.

Todd: How the hell could you do that?

Tea: I gave it to charity, Todd. I didn't flush it down the toilet.

Todd: You might as well have.

Tea: You give money to charity.

Todd: That's different. I need to give stuff away to look good. You already look good.

[The messenger arrives with the contracts. Todd quickly gets rid of the messenger and hands the documents to Tea.]

Todd: Well?

Tea: I just started reading. Give me a minute.

[Tea continues reading as Todd watches her carefully. Tea's facial expression gives Todd no indication what she's thinking. Finally, he can't take it anymore and goes into the kitchen to get something to drink.]

Tea (as Todd returns to the living room): I can't believe you signed these contracts. What were you thinking?

Todd: Are they really that bad?

Tea: They aren't of any use to us. There are no provisions in here stating that they can't sell to whomever they choose. There's nothing that would make possession revert back to you. You were really stupid.

Todd: I wasn't thinking clearly.

Tea: That might be your only hope.

Todd: What?

Tea: Well, legally you were considered mentally incompetent around that time. Do you know what day your psychiatrist filed the papers with the court stating that you had integrated your alters?

Todd: No.

Tea: Your faking the DID was never proven in court so maybe...

Todd: What?

Tea: It would never work.

Todd: What wouldn't?

Tea: If you hadn't been caught faking the DID then if you signed this contract before you had convinced your doctor that you had integrated your personalities then you could try to claim that these contracts aren't legally binding because one of your alters signed them. And, Kelly, Blair and Max all knew about the DID so they couldn't claim they were unaware of your mental condition.

Todd: Okay, let's do that.

Tea: But it won't work. You got caught faking, on tape, remember?

Todd: You can work around that, can't you?

Tea: It would be tough. Besides, I'm not your lawyer.

Todd: You've got to help. There's no one else I can count on to do this for me, for Starr's future.

Tea: It's not winnable.

Todd: Max and Blair were blackmailing me. Can we use that?

Tea: How were they blackmailing you?

Todd: They threatened to let everyone hear the tape. Hey, can't we say that I only signed the contracts because I was being blackmailed?

Tea: What about Kelly?

Todd: We could say she was blackmailing me too.

Tea: Was she?

Todd: No.

Tea: You may just have to accept that your paper is gone.

Todd: Never.

Tea: Look, Todd...

Todd: You make it happen. I want my paper back.

to be continued...