*****

Carlotta's house, same day

He steps out of his car, and the sight that greets him twists his heart. He watches her, staring off into space as she sits on the front porch. Like she's ...avoiding. His brain was screaming at him to run, to run far away....the doubt trying to pull him away from her.

Tug...tug

But he knew something had to give. If he wanted a future with her, and he did, he had to try and trust her, even though it took everything in him to do so, having been burned so many times in the past. Sighing, he begins walking up the path. He notices that Téa doesn't flinch, doesn't sense a disturbance around her at all, which sends a weird chill through him.

"Delgado?" he calls out softly, not wanting to jar her. She blinks quickly, his voice snapping her out of her trance. Her eyes focus on him for a second before she looks away.

"Look Todd, I'm really not in the mood for more of your twisted accusations, so if that's why you're here..."

"I'm not...I'm not. I, I just wanted to see how you were," he says, walking up and sitting next to her on the top step.

"How do you think I am?" she asks quietly, staring at her hands.

They sit in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own thoughts, their own demons. Finally, Todd turns toward her.

"Just tell me Delagdo...just tell me there was nothin' goin' on between you and that cop."

Téa rolls her eyes and stands up. "I shouldn't HAVE to tell you again, I've told you a million times already! But as usual, you don't trust me!"

"I WANT to trust you."

"But you don't Todd, that's the bottom line."

He rubs his hands over his face, frustrated. "I'm tryin' here, alright Téa?"

"Yeah, well I deserve more. You SAW me that night Todd. Did I look like a woman who just offed the man she loved for crying out loud? Look, I'm not having this conversation Todd, I have too many other things on my mind. I need you right now, so much...but if you're too caught up in your own paranoia, then just go, okay? Just go," she spits bitterly, turning to walk into the house.

"I don't want to go Téa...I wanna help...I'm trying so hard not to let it win."

Despite herself, she turns around. "To let what win?"

He runs his hand through his hair, leaning against the post. "The voice...the voice that's telling me that you're just like everyone else...that you betrayed me."

"The voice?"

Todd smiles sadly. "It's not what you think....trust me on that. But it's always been there...screaming betrayal. Even if it doesn't make sense. Téa, I was brought up believing that everyone screws you over in the end, most especially those who claim to love you."

"Claim? Is that what you think? That I just 'claim' to love you?"

He shrugs. "Sometimes....it's hard for me to believe anyone could love me."

"I know the feeling."

He looks at her. "Yeah, I guess you do. You never believed that I loved you. Still don't, do you? Guess I don't help matters when I pull crap like this."

She grins wryly. "We must be the two most screwed up people on the planet."

"Yeah...but I don't feel so screwed up with you," he replies quietly.

"Me either."

They stand for a moment, silently, until Todd reaches out and pushes her hair back from her face. Taking a deep breath, he finally utters the words he came to say.

"I believe you."

Téa raises her eyes to his. They fill with tears as she sees the sincerity in his eyes, mixed with the fear that was still there, the fear that he might be wrong, but the strength to take the chance.

"Thank you," she whispers softly.

"There's something else, Delgado."

"What?"

"I think you're being set up," he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the picture of Sykes. As it comes into her view, Téa backs away, the sight of her captor still proving too much for her.

"Why do you have that?" she asks shakily.

"I found it, in your desk at the Sun."

She looks at it, then blinks and looks quickly back at Todd. "You went through my desk? That's some trust there Manning," she says wryly. But that very statement causes a realization...he found the picture, which could be incriminating, and still found it within himself to trust her. She steps closer to him. "And you still trust me?"

"I'm just praying you don't make an idiot out of me."

A tear escapes down her face. "Don't worry, I won't. And as for that picture, I have no idea what it was doing there. I certainly never saw it before, and I don't recall him ever giving me a picture, even when we were dating."

Todd grimaces slightly at that, but forges ahead. "But who would want to set you up?"

She shakes her head. "I don't know...I have no..." her voice trails off, and she sinks slowly to the ground.

"What?"

"You know, there were times when Sykes was at the Sun...I mean it's not like he couldn't have gotten into my office rather easily."

Todd sits down next to her. "True...like the day that creep showed up with flowers and drooled all over you."

"For example," Téa says dryly. "Maybe we should call Bo."

"You kidding? The guy is trying to pin this on you...he won't buy that Sykes planted this."

"Probably not...so what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know Delgado...but we'll get you out of this. I promise."

*****

Meanwhile, across town...

Blair smiles as she watches Starr swing high on the swings. She was meeting Kevin in about an hour for an early dinner, and had taken an early day to spend some time with her daughter. She glances down at the copy of the Banner sitting next to her. She shivers slightly at the picture of John Sykes on the front page. True, she had never liked Téa, but even Blair felt a twinge of sympathy for her given the recent events. Not only having been kidnapped, but now being suspected of murdering her captor, not out of protection, but out of some twisted obsessive love.

Starr jumps off the swing and runs over to Blair. "Did you see me mommy?"

"I sure did sweetie, you swung the highest of anyone!"

Starr smiles, but Blair notices her face quickly darkening. "What's the matter?"

"Why is that creepy guy in the newspaper?"

Blair follows her daughter's gaze to the picture of Sykes in the Banner. "Do you know him Starr?"

"Not really...but he would follow Tee around and look at her funny. He was really creepy. I used to see him all the time when Judith would bring me here."

"You would see him here?"

"Not in the park...going into that building over there," Starr replies, pointing to the apartment building across the street. "Can I get an ice cream?"

"Sure," Blair mumbles, reaching into her pocket for a dollar bill. She hands it to Starr, who happily skips away to the ice cream truck. Blair's brow furrows. Sykes didn't live there, she knew that for a fact. So why did Starr see him going in there? She glances at the old brick building, not in the best of condition. She couldn't explain it, but she had a strange feeling. She takes out her cellphone and dials.

"I can't believe I'm about to possibly HELP Téa Delgado," she mutters. She hears someone pick up the phone on the other end.

"Llanview Police Department, may I help you?"

Blair takes a deep breath. "Bo Buchanan, please."