The Christmas season has arrived and TnT have decided they will go away somewhere, just the two of them, spend some time together, and Téa has left it up to Todd as to "where" they will be going. Téa is decorating the Penthouse for the holidays, placing poinsettias around the stairwell as Todd comes through the door...... spying what she's up to, Todd immediately turns around and heads back out the door...
Téa: ( laughing ) What's the matter, Ebenezer? Can't take a little holiday cheer?
Todd: (turning around, re-enters the room) There's nothing to cheer about..... it's disgusting out there. You can't go a block without three people smiling at you and... (sarcastically) "Happy Holidays".
Téa: I think the proper response is.... "same to you".
Todd: Yeah..... right.
Téa: (goes over to arrange garland on the fireplace mantle) You know, it's not easy being you. Beset by my need for some kind of normal family life and Christmas spirit everywhere, you know...... will you help me with this, please?
Todd: (standing on the other side of the fireplace) Why are you making my whole house green?
Téa: Oh, you can be as humbug as you like, but I intend to see that this is a fabulous Christmas for Starr, which is what you want too and we both know it..... so drop the act, Manning. (Todd quickly and carelessly drapes his end of the garland over the mantle ) Very good..... you're pretty good at that.
Todd: Yeah..... last year I had to do it all by myself.
Téa: Aha!
Todd: Well.... no, I don't want to talk about it.
[Todd sits down in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, and Téa perches on the floor behind him, as she continues to arrange poinsettias.]
Téa: So, did you finish making arrangements for our trip?
[Todd "grunts".]
Téa: Is it...... is it that place in the country that we're going to go to? (Todd just nods his head) Do not forget that I'm a child of the urban blight. So I want to go to a Christmas tree farm, pick out our own Christmas tree and have it trucked back here. Maybe you could even chop it down yourself.
Todd: Oh, you're kidding, right? Some tree-hugging cop arrest me for illegal logging? We're.. ... we're going to The Bayberry Inn.
Téa: (delighted) Ooohhh, that's what I thought. I heard that's a beautiful place tucked away in the woods...
Todd: Whatever. We'll have dinner, we'll eat, we'll do that 3-D puzzle of the Kremlin, and then we'll watch college football..... because Christmas stinks without college football, you know that.
Téa: (cutting her eyes at him) You and your rosy view of the world.
Todd: I'll get that.
Téa: (getting to her feet) No.... I will get that and make sure it doesn't come between us and our getaway.
Todd: What is it?
Téa: The Bayberry Inn.
Todd: Yeah? Well, look, I know my credit card went through so what do they want?
Téa: (reading) A Festive Holiday Getaway.
Todd: (taking the faxed message from her) What's that?
Téa: (smiling at him) Apparently, it's...... it's what you planned for us.
Todd: What??!!
Todd: (reading) Live in The Donner Lounge?....... I can't do this..... I don't do festive.
Téa: (still smiling) Oh, really?
Todd: I called the guy on the phone for a reservation and the clerk said.... "do you want the traditional package?"..... I said "yeah, whatever".... I thought that meant, like, clean towels and furniture and electricity.
Téa: That would be standard........ not traditional.
Todd: Ok, so maybe they would throw in, you know, some eggnog in a carton and maybe a Yule log burning on the tube.... but, I mean, that's about as traditional as my family ever got.
Téa: (very amused) Well, lucky for me The Bayberry considers traditional.... (reading over his shoulder, gasps) "Midnight sleigh rides! Candlelit champagne dinners..... Caroling".
Todd: (agitated) Look, I'm going to call now, alright? I'm going to take care of this. There's no way I'm going to do any of this. I said I would go away. There's no way I'm going to get on a sleigh and I would cut my own throat before I would sang any Christmas carols! (answering the phone) What? What do you want, Judith? Really? Oh, I'm so sorry and I hope you feel better and take the rest of the week off (hangs up then quickly picks up the phone again)... and "Merry"... (but Judith has hung up, says to Téa with a smirky grin on his face) Judith has bronchitis.
Téa: Don't sound so pleased.
Todd: Hey, look, nobody's here to take care of Shorty. There's no way we can go anywhere.
Téa: (determined) Yeah? Think again.
Téa: I'm sorry Judith's not feeling well, but that's no reason for us to cancel our plans.
Todd: Oh, no, no ,no...... I think that's a perfect reason.
Téa: Your family can help us out, I'm sure Viki would love to have Starr for a few days. Oh, I could just call Abuela.
Todd: (quickly) No, no...... I mean no, like, she's probably really busy at this time of year. Besides who's gonna take care of the Bird?
Téa: Jessica's crazy about the bird and Moose seems pretty fond of her too. I'm sure Viki will have no problem with that.
Todd: Yeah..... right. They probably won't turn us down..
Téa: I'm sure of it.
Todd: (not giving up YET) But you know, it just doesn't feel right somehow, trying to...... making Viki bail us out.
Téa: You're kidding, right?
Todd: No, no, I'm serious. What's-his-name..... he's home now.
Téa: Joey?
Todd: And Jessica's there.... and I'm sure Viki wanted to plan a nice pre-Christmas dinner for the two of them. And I..... I think we shouldn't go anywhere, we should stay here. We can eat here, we can do that 3-D puzzle, I can even order food. (quickly hurries over to the desk and picks up the phone, talking fast) I can do that... there's that great pizza place down by The Sun. They'll bring it right over, whatever you want, extra cheese..... you could get guacamole and rice and beans on yours.....
Téa: (cutting him off) Hey, hey, hey! We had a deal. I said I wouldn't walk out of here if you were willing to make an effort. The only way we can go forward from here is if we go out of town..... alone...... together.
Todd: (sarcastically) Which is it....... alone or together?
Téa: (matter-of-factly, firmly) I'm going upstairs to pack. I assume you will be going to Viki's to make arrangements for Starr and Moose.
Todd: (finally giving up) I assume that I will also.
Téa: Then I'll see you back here and we will go to The Bayberry Inn. They are expecting us at tea time.
Todd: What, do you mean like golf?
Téa: No, I mean caroling and glugg.
Todd: I don't know what that means.
Téa: (going up the stairs) Well, you'll find out when we get there, won't you?
Todd: (muttering to himself) Whether I want to or not.....
[Todd leaves to go to Llanfair and Rachel comes by the Penthouse, hoping Téa will go Christmas shopping with her. Rachel is very surprised that Téa is leaving for a weekend getaway at The Bayberry Inn with Todd, and she accuses Téa of.... "finally sleeping with the enemy...excuse me, your husband"... but Téa insists this trip has nothing to do with sex (even tho she's packing a sexy, little red nightie to take with her! LOL!) But when Rachel continues to "press" her.....]
Téa: (laughing, wrapping the nightie around her ) Force of habit. I probably should pack a flannel nightgown. Going away with Todd definitely has nothing to do with sex.
Rachel: Then why are you going away with him?
Téa: You know, this isn't a cavalier decision. I fell ridiculously hard for Kevin and he ran off with Cassie. I swore I'd never let anyone get that close again.
Rachel: And then Todd Manning waved $5 million in your face.
Téa: Have you ever seen $5 million? Neither have I. But I figured a sterile marriage.... how hard could that be? And then.... right away, I..... I fell in love.
Rachel: With Todd?
Téa: With Starr. And all my bitterness and resentment towards Kevin and anyone else that hurt me in the past just fell away. All I wanted was a little human contact, a look, a touch.
Rachel: I've always known that you've had a heart and a soul... the question is does Todd have a heart and a soul?
Téa: Well.... he would say no, he doesn't, but every now and then, I glimpse a bit of humanity in him. I'm hoping in these few days away together, he'll learn to trust me a little... and trust himself. And maybe we can live out the rest of the contract with a some kind of connection and affection between us.
Rachel: You realize you have quite the challenge ahead of you.
Téa: Yeah.....but Starr is worth it. And if I can't keep being a good stepmother to her, if...... if I shrivel up and disappear for lack of human contact, what good am I doing on this earth anyway?
[Understanding where Téa is coming from, Rachel takes the gown, folds it, and places it in Téa's suitcase, as she asks Téa.... "what have you got to lose?".... The scene switches to Llanfair. After Todd very awkwardly "explains" that he and Téa are going away for the weekend and need someone to look after Starr and Moose, both Viki and Jess reassure him that they would love to help them out. Todd walks out to the foyer, preparing to leave, and Viki walks him out.]
Viki: Todd, where are you guys going to go?
Todd: We're going to The Bayberry Inn.
Viki: Well, I hear it's wonderful this time of the year.
Todd: I'm sure it is.
Viki: I'm glad to hear that you and your wife are going away alone. I hope you have a wonderful time.
Todd: Hey, no.... it's not what you think.
Viki: How do you know what I think?
Todd: Well, you're right.... I probably don't know what you're thinking..... but you're probably going to tell me.
Viki: There's nothing wrong with expressing my hope that you and your wife enjoy yourselves.
Todd: I'm going to go get Starr. You have to get back to your family.
Viki: They're your family too, Todd. You know, when you come from a very dark past, it's sometimes a little hard to adjust to the brightness of normal life. You've paid for your transgressions. You're allowed to be happy...... well, on occasion, anyway.
Todd: (small but 'adorable' smile ) I'm gonna go get Starr.
Téa: So there's nothing to keep us from going?
Todd: (disappointed) No, I can't seem to think of a thing. (the phone rings) I'll get it...... What? Hey, Briggs. Wait, wait , slow down.... hold on (looks over his shoulder at Téa) there's a problem at The Sun.
[Téa immediately slumps down in the chair she's sitting in.... "visibly" disappointed.... which does NOT go "unnoticed" by Todd.]
Todd: Briggs? Wait.... stop. Whatever it is, you're gonna have to take care of it, alright? I'm going out of town. Yeah, right now, and I'm not going to able to be reached, so you go ahead and act as me and tell the people at Finance I said it was Ok..... right. (starts to hang up the phone, then says into the receiver) Hey Bri... Merry..... (Briggs has hung up).
Téa: So do you have to go to the paper?
Todd: No, I told Briggs to take care of it. (Téa canNOT believe it and the look on her face shows how surprised she is) Your eyes are popping out of your head, Delgado.
Téa: Sorry..... I didn't mean to stare.
Todd: (sits down in the chair facing Téa) Alright, I got you something. Alright, you're doing that thing with the "bug" eyes again, alright? Cut it out. I heard the weather forecast on the way back, and they said it was going to get cold, real cold, real fast..... so I figured I'd get you this.
The next moments betweeen TnT are extremely electrifying..... Todd has a woolen scarf for Téa, and he reaches over and places it around Téa's neck, then very gently removes her hair that is trapped beneath it, brushing it out of the way on both sides of her face.... watching him, Téa is completely stunned.... and the ''romantic'' feelings both Ts are feeling towards each other are threatening to spill out onto the surface!
Téa: (low, soft voice) Thank you.
Todd: (equally soft voice) Yeah.
[For just a moment, TnT look deeply into each other's eyes, then Todd very quickly and nervously gets up from his chair.]
[Téa doesn't say anything... but as she watches him as he makes his way up the stairs, we see from the look in her eyes how "affected" she is by the "emotional" connection TnT had just experienced.]
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