Post by melindajo2000 on Dec 29, 2011 21:33:25 GMT -6
Old Acquaintances
It was New Year's Eve and Blair was all alone. Starr and Hope had gone out to Starr’s boyfriend's and Jack was at Tea's and Todd's, and she didn't have any plans. Years ago it would have killed her to be by herself, by now she didn't mind the quiet. It was kind of quiet actually. Dorian had moved to Washington D.C. and had invited her out, but Blair didn't want to deal with the hassle of traveling. No, a quiet evening in was just what the doctor ordered.
She started to clean before settling in for the night and came across her old wedding book. Not to Todd, but to him. The old Todd. The father of Starr and Jack. Yes, she knew that Todd was alive and well and living with Tea, but still, it seemed like some things had changed. For one thing, he certainly didn't look like the same man he used to. Gone was his scar, the identifying feature that made him stand out from the crowd. That was the big difference. Everything else was different. Just for fun she took out her other wedding album and started to remember both times. They were very different occasions, and she was a very different woman back then. As much as she loved Todd- this Todd- she still did- Blair knew that the happiest day of her life had been her first wedding. She and Todd had been through so much to be together... she knew him better than anyone else and she loved him anyways. And then when Starr was born...those were the best days of her life.
The tears faded away as she slowly started to fade away until she heard the doorbell ring. Groggily, she looked at the clock. It was a quarter to midnight. Who in the world would be coming to her house at that time of night? It must be one of the kids that forgot their keys. She just prayed that they hadn't been drinking. That was one of her worst nightmares. She slipped on her sweater, the one that was about two sizes too big and was leftover from Christmas, and ran to the door and opened it without thinking. She was stunned at who awaited her on the other side.
"Blair," he said as he looked at her for the first time in years. It couldn't be. This was impossible. This man had died, and came back as someone else. Todd was living with Tea and was with Jack and Sam. This wasn't Todd. There couldn't be two of them. Life was playing a joke, a very cruel joke on her.
But as she stared at the scar on his face and then as she looked into his eyes she knew the truth. This man was Todd. Blair didn't know when or where or how but all of the past years had been a lie. The man who had lived as her husband and had been raising her children was an imposter. This was Todd Manning. He had to be. If anyone knew the truth, it would be her. For once in her life she was speechless.
"Aren't you going to have me in for some tea and cookies?" Todd asked sarcastically as he made his way in.
"You..you can't do that. You can't just come back in here like nothing's changed. You're not real. You can't be. You died."
Todd stared at her for a minute with the intensity that he always had, before grabbing her and pulling her into a kiss. Blair slapped him and pulled away but he only pulled her back and this time she wrapped her arms around him, giving in to the long dormant feelings that had not ever truly died. Finally she pulled back, and looked at him, wanting to take him all in, not believing her own eyes.
"Todd.." she managed to say. "Is that you?"
"You know the truth Blair. You know it."
"Where have you been?"
"I can't tell you that. Not now. All that matters is that I came back and I want my family back. Where are Starr and Jack?"
"Well Starr's with her boyfriend and Jack is with T...Tea."
Todd frowned. "Starr has a boyfriend?"
Blair started to say something when the door opened. In walked Starr and Hope and Jack, and everyone stopped and stared.
"Dad?" Starr whispered as she began to cry.
Todd looked at his beloved daughter and smiled. "It's me. It's really me."
Starr nodded. "I know. I know."
Jack on the other hand was confused. He was a little too young to know his real father, so all of this was overwhelming. "Mom? What's going on?"
"Jack.... this is Todd...Todd Manning. I know it's going to take some time for you to accept it but this is your father," Blair walked over to him and gently touched his face.
Jack stared at the man in front of him and looked at his older sister. " You... you're the man from my dreams. I know you. I don't know how but I have these dreams where you're real and you talk to me."
"That's because I am real, Jack. I'm your father and I'm never leaving again."
Jack thought about it for a second. "Cool," he finally spoke up.
Blair and Todd laughed. "Cool," Todd repeated.
"Dad...I have to tell you something..." Starr spoke up.
Todd looked at her.
"Don't you want to know who this is?" she smiled.
"You have a babysitting job?"
"No, Dad. This is Hope. This is your granddaughter."
Todd's eyes widened as it suddenly hit him what Starr had told him. She had a daughter. She was a mom. He and Blair were grandparents. He had so many questions, and his first instinct was to get mad, but the noise from the television suggested that the ball from the New Year's Eve program was dropping, so he kept quiet. He had his family back, and he had a granddaughter. Starr placed Hopein his arms, and they all turned to watch the television. As the countdown began, they all knew that the New Year was going to be a challenge, but they were together, and that was the best event that had happened to them in a very long time.
The end
It was New Year's Eve and Blair was all alone. Starr and Hope had gone out to Starr’s boyfriend's and Jack was at Tea's and Todd's, and she didn't have any plans. Years ago it would have killed her to be by herself, by now she didn't mind the quiet. It was kind of quiet actually. Dorian had moved to Washington D.C. and had invited her out, but Blair didn't want to deal with the hassle of traveling. No, a quiet evening in was just what the doctor ordered.
She started to clean before settling in for the night and came across her old wedding book. Not to Todd, but to him. The old Todd. The father of Starr and Jack. Yes, she knew that Todd was alive and well and living with Tea, but still, it seemed like some things had changed. For one thing, he certainly didn't look like the same man he used to. Gone was his scar, the identifying feature that made him stand out from the crowd. That was the big difference. Everything else was different. Just for fun she took out her other wedding album and started to remember both times. They were very different occasions, and she was a very different woman back then. As much as she loved Todd- this Todd- she still did- Blair knew that the happiest day of her life had been her first wedding. She and Todd had been through so much to be together... she knew him better than anyone else and she loved him anyways. And then when Starr was born...those were the best days of her life.
The tears faded away as she slowly started to fade away until she heard the doorbell ring. Groggily, she looked at the clock. It was a quarter to midnight. Who in the world would be coming to her house at that time of night? It must be one of the kids that forgot their keys. She just prayed that they hadn't been drinking. That was one of her worst nightmares. She slipped on her sweater, the one that was about two sizes too big and was leftover from Christmas, and ran to the door and opened it without thinking. She was stunned at who awaited her on the other side.
"Blair," he said as he looked at her for the first time in years. It couldn't be. This was impossible. This man had died, and came back as someone else. Todd was living with Tea and was with Jack and Sam. This wasn't Todd. There couldn't be two of them. Life was playing a joke, a very cruel joke on her.
But as she stared at the scar on his face and then as she looked into his eyes she knew the truth. This man was Todd. Blair didn't know when or where or how but all of the past years had been a lie. The man who had lived as her husband and had been raising her children was an imposter. This was Todd Manning. He had to be. If anyone knew the truth, it would be her. For once in her life she was speechless.
"Aren't you going to have me in for some tea and cookies?" Todd asked sarcastically as he made his way in.
"You..you can't do that. You can't just come back in here like nothing's changed. You're not real. You can't be. You died."
Todd stared at her for a minute with the intensity that he always had, before grabbing her and pulling her into a kiss. Blair slapped him and pulled away but he only pulled her back and this time she wrapped her arms around him, giving in to the long dormant feelings that had not ever truly died. Finally she pulled back, and looked at him, wanting to take him all in, not believing her own eyes.
"Todd.." she managed to say. "Is that you?"
"You know the truth Blair. You know it."
"Where have you been?"
"I can't tell you that. Not now. All that matters is that I came back and I want my family back. Where are Starr and Jack?"
"Well Starr's with her boyfriend and Jack is with T...Tea."
Todd frowned. "Starr has a boyfriend?"
Blair started to say something when the door opened. In walked Starr and Hope and Jack, and everyone stopped and stared.
"Dad?" Starr whispered as she began to cry.
Todd looked at his beloved daughter and smiled. "It's me. It's really me."
Starr nodded. "I know. I know."
Jack on the other hand was confused. He was a little too young to know his real father, so all of this was overwhelming. "Mom? What's going on?"
"Jack.... this is Todd...Todd Manning. I know it's going to take some time for you to accept it but this is your father," Blair walked over to him and gently touched his face.
Jack stared at the man in front of him and looked at his older sister. " You... you're the man from my dreams. I know you. I don't know how but I have these dreams where you're real and you talk to me."
"That's because I am real, Jack. I'm your father and I'm never leaving again."
Jack thought about it for a second. "Cool," he finally spoke up.
Blair and Todd laughed. "Cool," Todd repeated.
"Dad...I have to tell you something..." Starr spoke up.
Todd looked at her.
"Don't you want to know who this is?" she smiled.
"You have a babysitting job?"
"No, Dad. This is Hope. This is your granddaughter."
Todd's eyes widened as it suddenly hit him what Starr had told him. She had a daughter. She was a mom. He and Blair were grandparents. He had so many questions, and his first instinct was to get mad, but the noise from the television suggested that the ball from the New Year's Eve program was dropping, so he kept quiet. He had his family back, and he had a granddaughter. Starr placed Hopein his arms, and they all turned to watch the television. As the countdown began, they all knew that the New Year was going to be a challenge, but they were together, and that was the best event that had happened to them in a very long time.
The end