Get it Back ~ Chapter 12

Another night falls...and Tea lies curled up on Carlotta's couch under a blanket, watching it get dark outside...having no idea what day it is, or had been. All the days seem the same to her now...wake up, shower, eat, have a torturously long therapy session, take a nap, eat some more, go back to sleep. That was pretty much it. She looks over at the coffee table, where the day's paper lies...but she just couldn't bring herself to look at it, afraid of what she might see. Ever since that day she saw her own name on the front page, announcing to the whole town that she was suicidal, she just couldn't do it. For that matter, she couldn't bring herself to get up off that couch. Even though she knows she's starting to go stir crazy, the thought of seeing other people scares her more than anything. Carlotta, okay, Cristian, okay...and she was getting more used to Rae being around, but just barely.

Anyone else...no way. Not now. So she stays put...but for some reason, she feels itchier today than before. So she gets up, hugging the bathrobe around her as she shuffles over to the window. She walks over to the side, instead of standing directly in front of it...just in case some stupid photographer's waiting to pop a flashbulb in her face. She touches the glass, feeling the cold air...then she touches her face, liking the coolness against her cheek. She looks down, scanning the area...a car passes by every now and then, a person crosses the street...but not much else happens.

Tea sighs, resting her head against the wall...suddenly wondering where Todd's been, what he's been up to...missing him. It seemed so long ago, that day she saw him down there, looking up at her from the street. She worries, instinctively...hoping he's alright. Missing him.

Then her mind makes the jump back to the day's therapy session, the questions about Todd, and their...unusual relationship. Of course, Tea had found it hard to explain much of anything where he was concerned...and Rae just sat there like the pro she was, nodding and looking interested. But she'd taken a lot of notes...that, Tea remembered. She couldn't help feeling like she was the subject of Rae's next book, which would probably be titled something like:

Why Supposedly Smart Women Fall for Guys with Major Issues: The Tea Delgado Story.

...Or...

How to Become Suicidally Depressed in a Few Easy Steps.

She laughs to herself at that one. Yep...I've made a real mess of my life...prime talk-show fodder. she thinks, pulling back one of the thick sleeves to look at her wrist, still covered with some light bandaging. She makes a face, suddenly remembering the doctors telling her...

"...another twenty or thirty minutes, and you'd have succeeded...good thing that guy found you when he did..."

That guy...what was his name? McIver? she asks herself, furrowing her brow. That sets off a whole new set of mental questions. Why HIM? How in the hell did HE find me? And how could he have known what I was doing, unless... Then she makes another face, disgusted, realizing that he must have been following her around...probably long before she'd run into him at the gym. And she hadn't noticed. Great...I'm a stalker magnet. God...what is it about ME... she thinks, as she walks back over to the couch and flops back down, throwing the blanket back over her.

She grabs the remote, shuts off the droning TV, and tosses the remote back on the table. Carlotta would probably be closing soon, and she didn't feel up to making small talk. So she reaches for the lamp above her...hoping to be out before she gets upstairs. But just as she gets a hold of the switch, she hears keys in the door.

"Shit," she mutters, reluctantly sitting up as Carlotta peeks in, with her usual sympathetic smile.

"Hey," she says, as she steps in, closing the door. Tea offers a weak smile back.

"You okay up here?"

Tea shrugs. Carlotta nods, clearing her throat. "Well...um...I know this probably isn't what you wanna hear, but...you have a visitor."

Tea looks at her strangely. Carlotta nods again. "Of course, I would've turned them away, but..."

"But what?"

"Well..."

Tea stares at her, trying to get some idea from her face...and somehow, she knows it's not Todd. Carlotta wouldn't have let him in the door anyway, so...it couldn't be him.

She rolls her eyes. "Oh...god, it's not Kevin, is it?"

Carlotta shakes her head emphatically. "Oh, NO...no-no-no."

"Well...WHO then?"

Carlotta sighs, heavily. "It's Starr."

Tea's face changes dramatically at that...eyes widen, mouth opens. "WHAT??"

"Yeah. She just...came walking in with some girl a minute ago...babysitter, I guess."

"Oh my god..." Tea sighs, dropping her head back.

"She wants to see you...I couldn't just tell her to leave. She's such a cute kid, I couldn't do that to her."

Tea throws the blanket off, getting up. "Oh, god, Carlotta...I can't...I can't talk to her. Not now."

Carlotta walks over to her, gently grasping her by the arms. "I know you don't wanna deal with people right now, okay? But...this isn't just anybody, it's..." she shrugs, at a loss. "...it's Starr. And she's worried about something, I can tell."

Tea's shoulders drop. "Oh, thanks, Carlotta. No pressure."

"Oh, mija...couldn't you just...say hi?"

Tea sighs again, looking away. Carlotta waits...then gently shakes her.

"I'm sure it would mean a lot to her."

Tea glances at her, then away again...feeling her stomach knotting up with anxiety, but, at the same time, feeling flattered that Starr would risk going around her mother to come see her. She chews on her lip, considering...but knowing deep down, that she really couldn't say no.

Another heavy sigh...then she nods. Carlotta smiles. "Okay. I'll bring her up."

"No..." Tea surprises herself as she interrupts, taking her robe off. "...no, I'll...I should come down...I need to get out of this room SOME time. It's not packed or anything, is it?"

"No, not at all. I'll throw some dinner together for us," Carlotta replies, leaving Tea with a pleasantly surprised and grateful smile, as she ducks out.

Tea watches her go...then rubs her face roughly, running her hands through her hair. She stands there, in the middle of the room, wondering how she was able to just motivate herself like that all of a sudden. It was almost as if someone else had jumped into her body, and talked for her. Weird, she thinks, then she shakes it off, and trudges into the bedroom. She grabs from the pile of clean, folded clothes on the bed, throwing on a shirt, a pair of jeans and slipping into the sneakers on the floor. Then she glances in the mirror, examining her face...and she sighs at her pale skin and the dark circles under her eyes. She waves dismissively at her reflection, walking away from it.

Then she opens the front door, and creeps down the stairs leading to the diner...tiptoeing, even though no one could possibly hear her. She hears the sounds of civilization on the other side of the door...music, chatting voices, the clinks and clanks of dishes and silverware. She takes a deep breath, thunking her head against the wall...then another deep breath.

From her table, Starr looks up when she hears a creaky sound. The door in the back wall stands ajar now...but no one's come out of it. She makes a face...then slowly, slips out of the booth. Her babysitter, sitting across from her, gives her a strange look.

"Hey...where you goin'?" she asks, but Starr ignores her. The babysitter turns in the booth, watching her as she sneaks up on the door, stopping just a few feet away.

Starr tips her head to the side, trying to see in...but it's dark. She bites her lip.

On the other side, still hidden by the shadow, Tea sees her looking in...and knows, that SHE knows she's there. Tears spring to her eyes immediately, at her face, and how she carries herself...so intuitive, so curious...

...and so beautiful...a little angel, waiting for her on the other side of the door. How could she hide away from that?

Starr's eyes widen when the door opens all the way, and Tea finally steps out into the world again. The two of them regard each other with equal parts shock and happiness...then Tea kneels down to her respectfully, putting them at eye level. Starr looks back at her, and even though she sees the pale skin, sunken eyes and sloppy hair...a huge smile breaks out all over her face, and she throws her arms around Tea's neck, hugging her tightly.

Tea lets out an audible breath, overwhelmed by her outpouring of joy...and she wraps her own arms around the little girl, hugging her just as tightly, as she cries softly into her hair.

*****

Colin pulls up into his driveway, and shuts off the car. He sits there in the dark for a few seconds, breathing a sigh of relief...because he'd managed to get to the store and back without getting hassled by reporters, for the first time in weeks. He sighs again, before getting out of the car with his bag of groceries. He slams the door shut with his foot, hitting the button on his remote...the 'beep-beep' of the car alarm echoes up and down the empty street, as he walks up to the front door. He even manages to whistle a little bit...feeling somewhat back to normal. But when he sees the shadow of someone sitting on the steps, he freezes.

The figure stands up into the light...and Colin's eyes grow huge when he sees who it is.

"Wha-what the hell are YOU doing here?"

Blair takes a step toward him, folding her arms as she smirks. "Now is that any way to greet a lady, Mr. McIver?" she asks, making sure she lays on the twang.

He just stares at her, blindsided...which cracks her up. "My, my...look at those big eyes. I haven't gotten a reaction like that in a LONG time."

Colin finally manages to narrow his eyes at that, growing suspicious now. "Look, I'm sorry, but...again, what are you DOING here?"

"Well, I came to talk to you, of course."

He nods, slowly. "UH-huh...about?"

Blair's mouth curls up into another sneaky grin. "Oh, come on...can't I at least come INSIDE and tell you? I've been waiting out here for a good half-hour, y'know. I'm getting cold."

Colin studies her through the misty clouds of their breaths, still not sure what to make of her. Blair smiles wider, and a little more earnestly...then she shrugs, trying to encourage a response. Another minute passes before Colin tips his chin up at her, with a hesitant sigh.

"Fine," he mutters, stepping around her to get to the door. She turns around, looking him up and down from behind as he opens the door. He steps aside to let her in, with a half-assed wave of his arm. She nods back, sashaying her way into the foyer, shivering off the cold air as he shuts the door. She takes her coat off, watching as he simply walks away from her, into the kitchen. Then she hears the sounds of things getting put away...cabinets opening and closing, the clinking of bottles in the refrigerator.

So she looks around, examining the details of the house. A lot of dark, overly ornate wooden furniture...ugly, floral wallpaper in muted colors...basically a countrified, Victorian nightmare. She has time to shake her head at his obvious lack of taste before he emerges from the kitchen, carrying two beers.

"Beer?" he asks, handing it to her. She wags her eyebrows at him in a 'you gotta be kidding' look. He makes the same face right back at her, cracking up.

"Oh, excuse ME...shoulda called ahead if you wanted something in particular."

Blair takes the hit with a slight tip of her head...then she recovers, with another grin.

"You're right...sorry. Thank you," she replies, as she takes a bottle from him. She examines the bottle first, before taking a small sip.

Colin watches her, still cracking up. "It's just beer...plain old beer. I can't afford to be spending the extra money on those microbrews," he says, shaking his head as he then walks into the living room. Blair looks after him, waiting for an invitation that doesn't come...so after a second she walks in after him, taking little, ladylike sips from her bottle every once in a while.

"Well...doesn't really matter, I guess. Cheap or not, still has the same effect, right?" she asks, to no one in particular, as she starts to make a slow circle around the room. Colin's eyes follow her as he plops down on the couch...and when she moves around behind him, he turns around, hanging an arm over. Blair looks around, her fingers moving over the kitschy knick-knacks on the tables...but she can feel his eyes on her, so she turns to face him.

"So...were you TRYING to go for the wealthy-Waltons look here?" she asks, with a toss of her hand.

Colin looks at her strangely...then he half-laughs. "Something tells me you didn't come here to talk about interior decorating...which, by the way, I had no say in. That was all..." he starts, having to stop and sigh roughly before saying the name.

"...that was all Lainie," he finishes, quietly...taking another huge swig.

Blair nods, getting a strange satisfaction out of seeing a weak point in this guy she'd never even talked to before. Encouraging... she thinks, taking another small sip.

"Mmmm...well. You're right...I didn't come here to talk about that."

"Ah," he replies, sarcastically. "Are you...ever gonna get around to what it is you DO want?"

She laughs a little. "Yeah, actually. I understand...you were quite the hero recently."

His face changes at that...but he doesn't respond. Blair leans back against one of the tables, folding her thin arms.

"With Tea, I mean. Did the poor thing really try to do herself in?"

Colin cocks an eyebrow at her, knowingly...wanting to come back at her with some smartass remark. But instead, he finds himself simply saying:

"Yeah...yeah, she did."

Blair makes a phony sad face, pouting. "Poor baby," she says...and he gives her a distinctly unimpressed laugh.

"Look, uh...I'd rather not talk about that, if you don't mind."

"Why not?"

"Because it was a horrible experience, that's why not," he snaps back. "Have you ever seen someone slit their wrists before? You ever watch someone bleed to death? It's pretty fuckin' awful."

Blair does a take at that, somewhat put in her place. "Sorry," she offers, taking another, bigger sip of her beer. Colin lets out another tired sigh, as he finishes off his bottle. He gets up, leaving her to go back into the kitchen. She looks after him, chewing on her lip for a moment...then, with a deep breath, she follows him.

The kitchen is dark, except for the faint moonlight coming in through the window, and the glow from the refrigerator. Colin looks up at her as he grabs another beer, and slams the door shut, putting himself back in the shadows.

"Look, Blair...why don't you just cut the crap, okay? Why are you bugging ME? I don't get it."

Blair leans against the doorframe, studying him. "I wanna know what your beef is with Todd," she says, finally.

Colin rolls his eyes at that. "Ohhhh...well. I see now...on a little fishing expedition for your hubby, that it?"

"Not necessarily."

Irritated, he takes a step toward her, slamming the bottle down on the table...and she raises an eyebrow, at the universal sign of patience wearing thin.

"Alright, y'know what? You can just take your skinny little butt and get the fuck outta my house. I don't have time for this."

"I just...wanna know why you hate him so much," she replies, like she didn't even hear him.

"What--are you KIDDING me?? Where the hell have YOU been??"

Blair chuckles, straightening up. "Well, I mean...it's not like he doesn't deserve it, I'm sure he does. Just about everybody in this town hates him for one reason or another...and he deserves every goddamned bit of it."

Again, Colin has to stop...thrown off by her tone, especially in those last few words. Because it sounds very much like...she hates him, too. Blair takes the opportunity to step in, finishing her beer and slamming her bottle down next to his. He watches her in the bluish moonlight, as she wipes the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, something he wouldn't have expected her to do.

"I wanna know because...I think we could help each other," she says, quietly.

His brow tightens at that. "What? The fuck are you talking about? How could *I* possibly help YOU...or you help ME?"

She sighs, gearing up for the big sell...standing as tall as possible. "It's amazing how two people...who would ordinarily have NOTHING in common...can come together when they have a common goal."

At this point, the two of them are only a couple of feet apart. Colin studies her carefully, knowing she's trying to play him somehow, trying to get him to do something for her. After a moment, he lifts his chin a bit.

"What do you WANT?"

Blair grins. "Well...if my hunch is right, I want what YOU want."

"Which is WHAT?"

"Todd...OUT of the picture."

Colin hesitates, sizing her up. "Mmm-hmm...well, if EVERYONE hates him so much, why'd you pick me?"

Her grin widens, becoming more mischievous. "I have a plan...that's PERFECT for you, AND for me."

He has to bite the inside of his cheek at that...knowing, on the one hand, that whatever she has in mind is a lot more beneficial to HER than to him. But on the other hand, he's captivated by her...deviousness...which lights her eyes up, and puts a flirtatious tilt to her head . He takes her in for another moment, hating to admit to himself that he's getting kind of turned on by her.

"Yeah, well. I'm SURE it's perfect for YOU, but...what's in it for ME?" he asks, trying to sound unaffected.

"Well...a chance to fuck with Todd..." she purrs, putting special emphasis on the word 'fuck.' "...and...another shot at stealing Tea away."

"I can manage that without YOU," he fires back.

She shrugs. "Yeah...I suppose you could," she says, cocking her head to one side. "But you wouldn't get PAID for it."

His eyes widen a little at that...and she smiles, wagging her eyebrows.

"Are you serious?"

"Oh, yeah...dead serious."

He half-laughs, still not buying it. "And why in the HELL would you do THAT?"

She takes another step in toward him. "Because...I need Todd outta here for as LONG as possible. I need time...to set things up for Starr and me. I need time to get us both outta here, and as FAR away from him as we can get. You can help me...by luring him away."

A silence passes as Colin takes that in...again, the difference in her tone surprising him...soft, even...and serious. Her words seem genuine, even a bit...pleading. Like she really does need his help. He puts a hand over his mouth, rubbing his face as he looks at her, considering.

Finally, after another moment...

"So...what EXACTLY do you want me to do?"

Blair takes a deep breath, folding her hands under her chin. "I want you...to grab Tea...and run."

Colin lifts his chin at that. "She's not a football, Blair...you mean you want me to KIDNAP her."

Busted, she sighs, looking away. "Yeah...I guess I do," she whispers.

He shakes his head. "No. I can't do that."

She looks back, getting right up to him now, and grabbing him by the arms. "Colin, please...just...hear me out, okay? It's not as bad as it sounds---"

He looks at her like she's completely stupid. "You gotta be shitting me. Do you have ANY idea what she's just been through? She's in a VERY BAD PLACE, Blair...we're talking SERIOUS depression here...clinical, y'know? The last thing Tea needs is MORE trauma. If I do this, god only knows what the long-term consequences are gonna be. I am NOT gonna be responsible for sending her to the psych ward!"

Blair takes a step back, unable to come back at that...because she does know. She knows her family history, her very own history...she knows clinical depression very well. But still...at the moment, her own immediate needs outweigh any compassion she might have.

She sighs again. "You gotta help me here, Colin, I'm...I'm pretty desperate."

"Why?" he asks, with a toss-off shrug. "WHY are you so desperate? I mean, you've been dealing with this asshole for years...you had his kid...hell, you're married to him NOW! You must've known what you were getting into, so...why the sudden desire to take off?"

Blair hesitates to answer, glancing down at the floor for a second...then she shakes her head.

"It's a long story."

"Let's hear it anyway."

She looks back up at him, sighing. "The short version? Todd and I have always been better allies than lovers, but...I did love him once," she says, her eyes drifting a bit. "I saw the same good person Tea must've seen, buried under all that shit he carries around with him. That hooked me for a while."

Colin nods. "Mmmmm...that, and the MONEY," he starts, cocking an eyebrow. "I'm sure once he fell into that Lord fortune, he was MUCH more attractive, right?"

Blair does a take at that, sort-of insulted...but then, despite herself, she laughs. "Well...YEAH," she says, in the same way one would say, 'duh!'

He laughs at that, taken off-guard, shaking his head. "At least you're honest about it."

"Oh, please...it's not like Todd didn't KNOW IT. It's not like he doesn't know it now. We married each other this time strictly out of convenience. I get some...security...and so does he."

"Ah, l'amour...c'est beau, no?" Colin teases...and Blair laughs a little. Feeling more relaxed now, she hops up on the breakfast bar, the little island in the middle of the kitchen. She leans forward on her hands, as he steps in front of her.

"So...if this is a marriage of...SECURITY...why're you planning to run?" he asks.

Blair breathes deep, not really wanting to dive into the details...but knowing she has to dip, at least. "Well...let's just say...I'm not feeling so secure anymore."

"Because of Tea?"

She cocks an indignant eyebrow at that. "This has nothing to do with jealousy, if that's what you're getting at. I couldn't care less who Todd wants to fuck these days...and I'm sure he feels the same way about me."

Colin takes that in, as she pauses, looking down for a moment. "My only concern is for me, and my daughter," she says, quietly, and he makes a questioning face.

"So...what, you're worried he's gonna hurt you or something?"

She looks up. "Yes...yes, I am," she replies, laughing to herself...getting lost in her thoughts, kind of forgetting Colin's there. "And I NEVER thought I'd have to say that...I mean, I always knew he had violent tendencies, but...HE knew it too, and still, he was always so good with Starr. I figured I could count on him to keep himself in check, y'know? But..." she shakes her head, remembering their confrontation in the penthouse...how degraded she was; and how frightened she was when she saw Todd at Starr's school.

"...not anymore. If he can hurt me, he can hurt her," she finishes, shuddering a little.

Colin stares at her for a moment, intrigued, and even...a bit concerned. He wrinkles his brow.

"What happened?"

Blair looks back at him, like she just woke up...then she clears her throat. "Um...that's...that's not really important. But...let's just say the clock's ticking now, and Todd knows me pretty well. He knows I'll try to run with Starr...and wherever I go, he'll be right on my ass."

Colin sighs, thinking...then he shakes his head, still not convinced. "But I...I still don't understand why you're asking ME to help you with this, Blair. Seems to me you just need to pick up the kid and go."

"What I NEED...is a head start on him. Look, the fact is, because of some...mistakes...I've made, stupid ones...if this goes to court, ten to one any judge would give full custody back to Todd...and I can't have that. I refuse to let that happen. I would rather spend the rest of my life in hiding with her than let Todd have her. She is MY baby...she is the ONLY good thing in my life. I WON'T let him take her from me," she says, with a lot of passion in her voice...and as she looks at him, she can see he's at least thinking about it now. Almost there...almost there... she thinks...then she leans in toward him a little bit more.

"We can help each other out here...we can. You can give me the head start that *I* need...and I...can give you the money that YOU need."

Colin backs off a little at that, somewhat miffed at the continued suggestion. Blair smiles knowingly.

"Oh come on, Colin...I know what's going on with you. Between your divorce and the whole Nora situation, you're broke and jobless. And I'm sure you're only in this house until your ex decides to sell it out from under you, so...sounds to me like you need cash...and quick."

After a second, he wags his eyebrows. "Yeah, maybe...but that doesn't mean I'm gonna cave to the first offer I get...especially when it involves kidnapping."

Now it's Blair's turn to do a take. She laughs. "Y'know, you're not sellin' me with this righteous act. I mean, it's not like your intentions toward Tea were ever GOOD ones. You were just gonna use her to get to Todd, so don't bullshit me. You're not above anything."

The silence is heavy, and tense, as they stare each other down for a moment. Finally, Colin puts his hands on the countertop, on either side of her, leaning in close. Blair stays perfectly still, not wanting to look intimidated. She watches him carefully, as he looks her up and down, side to side.

"Well, I have to admit...it's tempting. But somehow...I get the feeling you're trying to set me up," he says, his voice low.

Blair tips her head back a bit, taking a second to wet her dry lips. "There's no setup. There's only me, offering YOU some much-needed funds to do exactly what you were gonna do anyway," she replies, staring him directly in the eye.

Colin considers it all, as he takes her in. He could definitely see now, how she reeled Todd in. Clearly, she was a force to be reckoned with when she wanted something badly enough. And as much as that tells him he should probably just pick her up and throw her out of the house...again, he can't help but like it, her audacity...her scheming, conniving...and oh, so seductive nature.

For her part, Blair feels the victory is already hers. She's won him over, no doubt...she can see it in his eyes, and it gives her that sudden, power-trippy arousal she loves so much. They look at each other with a new awareness, as she sits up tall for a second, shoulders back, her chest out and in his face...then she leans back in.

"C'mon, Colin...work with me...let me help you," she whispers, putting her lips dangerously close to his.

He blinks, through her breath on his face, feeling a little fuzzyheaded...and unable to tell if it's from the beer, or her...or both. He shakes his head back a little, away from her, to look her in the eye again.

"You'd better not be fucking me, Blair," he says, with sudden clarity and control. "You double-cross me, and it'll be the last mistake you ever make. Got it??"

Her eyes widen for a split-second, flashing with a playful glint...and she smiles. "Well...I won't double-cross you, I promise. But...fucking you might not be so bad."

Colin's mouth almost drops to the floor at that, as she moves in, giving him a soft, wet kiss on the mouth. In shock, he actually stares at her for a few seconds, watching her sucking on his face from this weird angle. Then lightheadedness comes back on him fast, warming him up...completely draining his resolve...and his common sense. He grabs Blair, one hand around her tiny waist, the other hand on the back of her head, pulling her in quick and close. She lets out a dreamy sigh, as he responds, kissing her back hard. Then he drags her off the counter, and they sink to the floor.

To Be Continued