She looks around...Todd's gone. She gets up slowly, peering over the couch to the bed. He's not there. She runs a hand through her hair, trying to remember everything that happened in the last couple of hours. Feeling a chill, she pulls the blanket around her tighter. She looks over at the door, then goes over to it, opening it slowly, quietly. The cold, late night air hits her in the face, waking her up. The lamp light spills out of the doorway and onto the porch.

She peers out, seeing a dark shape sitting on the edge of the porch. It's Todd. She lets out a relieved breath. The sound makes his head turn slightly, but he takes a while to turn himself all the way around and look her in the face. When he does, he's greeted by another amazing view of her...leaning against the doorsill, wrapped in a blanket. She's somewhat silhouetted, the warm glow from the lamps giving her an angelic rim light all around her form.

He looks down and away from this stunning image. Finally, he gets up, slowly...once again expecting her to vanish if he gets too close. But she doesn't. He steps up to her, able to see her face now. Her eyes are still sleepy, blinking a lot. She reaches up and rubs her knotted neck as she looks at him. She smiles a tired smile, then turns and walks back inside. He shoves his hands in his pockets, shuffling around for a bit.

Tea rubs her neck and legs...and stops, feeling a bumpy something or other in one of her front pockets. She reaches in...and pulls out the puzzle piece. It's creased and bent out of shape from being in there all day. She smiles at it and closes it up in her hand.

It's at least a few minutes later before Todd finally decides to come back in. He shuts the door, then turns and looks at the couch, expecting to see her there...but she's not. Todd feels his heart stop for a second. He glances around quickly...and sees she's in a heap on the bed. All he can see is the blanket and her feet. He sighs as he approaches her, slowly. He looks down on her, almost completely hidden in the blanket. Her face sticks out a little, and the fingers that are holding the blanket closed.

He runs a hand through his hair, pulling the stray strands that are blocking his view away from his face. Cautiously, he sits down on the edge of the bed. He spends several minutes just looking at her... listening to her breathing as she sleeps. It's a beautiful, soothing sound that makes his own eyes get heavier. He starts examining her face closer, then her fingers...his brow crinkles when he sees something sticking out...she's holding something.

He moves silently, carefully, trying not to wake her as he bends down, pulling himself onto the bed closer to her. He reaches out, his hand hovering over her fingers for a moment. He focuses on the thing she's holding and lightly touches her fingers. The sensation causes her to open her hand, and drop what she's holding. She stirs, twisting around and trying to burrow her way into the mattress...then she gets comfortable again and stops moving. He smiles a little smile, then looks down at what she was holding.

Pretty much lying down anyway now, he picks it up and rolls onto his back. He holds it up so he can see. A bent up, weathered looking piece of cardboard. He looks at it strangely, then stretches it out with both hands. His eyes widen when he realizes it's the puzzle piece...he looks at her again in disbelief.

His lips part like he's going to say something to her. Then he shuts them, his eyes starting to mist up again. He rolls over onto his side to face her, and watches her sleep for a long time, listening to the steady rhythm of her breathing. He feels himself relaxing, his eyelids growing heavier. His head falls down onto the mattress, inches away from her face. He blinks slowly, feeling her breath on his face.

Feeling a sudden, unusual urge to sleep, he reaches out, wanting to make sure she doesn't disappear on him. He takes her hand, resting limp on the bed, and gently closes his own hand over it, with the puzzle piece sandwiched between them. Unconsciously, she responds, feeling the warmth of his hand...her fingers close delicately around him, coming to rest on his knuckles. She stirs for a second, her mouth opening and a breath escaping before she closes it again.

Todd lies there next to her, holding her hand, and watches her for a minute. He thinks back to what went on in this very room not too long ago, still amazed at what she was able to do. A tear escapes his eye and falls downward, over his nose and into his other eye. He closes his eyes, just meaning to blink...but the fatigue has taken over, keeping his eyes closed. He takes a deep breath, and gives in to the urge...his breathing soon slows to match hers. Todd falls asleep comfortably for the first time in forever, knowing that as long as he's holding her hand, as long as he's attached to his lifeline somehow, he won't have to be afraid...of anything.

The next couple of weeks pass quickly, becoming a quiet, mostly enjoyable routine for them both. Walking, session, more walking...eating and sleeping in there somewhere. Tea gets know the woods pretty well as she walks along with Todd, who shows her all the neat things he's seen on his many, many outings.

It's late afternoon now, the session is over and they're back in the familiar woods, walking in silence, as was their way. Tea walks next to Todd, looking up at the trees, hearing the leaves and branches crunching under their feet. It's a particularly gorgeous afternoon, the sun is still bright in the sky...and they feel an interesting mix of warmth in the sunny parts and cold in the shady ones.

They walk until they get to the first clearing in the woods, a common rest area for them. Tea finds her favorite big rock and sits down on it, rubbing her gloved hands together, but not really because she's cold. She blinks...then squints, realizing there's a sunny spot right where she is. She looks up and sees the openings in the canopy, like thousands of holes poked in a blanket. She gets a good eyeful now that she's adjusted to the light...then closes her eyes. She sits silently, elbows on her knees, hands folded, head up and eyes closed...feeling the simultaneous heat and cold, listening to the ambient noises all around them.

Todd watches her from a few feet away, then tilts his head to one side...recognizing the familiarity of what he's seeing. Ever since she got there, Tea's had this magical aura about her...something she'd always had anyway...but for some reason it seems to have grown much stronger. He smiles to himself, feeling privileged, like he's the only one who knows what she really is...she's not a person, she's...an enchanted, other-worldly spirit...an angel, maybe. The wind shoots in just then, taking his hair and messing it up. He runs his hand through it as he walks over and squats down beside her, his own face now sharing the sunny spot with her.

"You look like a lizard...just sunning yourself on that rock."

Her eyes still closed, she smiles. She opens her eyes and looks at him, eyebrow raised.

"I LOOK like a lizard? Better explain yourself, Manning," she says, with mock irritation.

He tosses his hair back. "Eh, shut up, you know what I mean."

She cracks up. A minute or so passes, in silence. She looks over at him, still squinting with the sun in her eyes. He's fiddling with a twig on the ground...picking it up, he looks back over at her, their eyes locking.

"You think the doc is right?"

Tea blinks, glances down a moment. In session today, Joely had mentioned that Todd might be ready to move to outpatient status finally. Since the episode in the guest house, Todd and all of his alters showed a dramatic change. With Tea there, they all seemed to be quieter, calmer...especially Pete, who was always the most worrisome. This had allowed Todd some much needed time to focus, and gain more control over them...and in the weeks that had passed since that night, he rarely switched. Joely said she would start looking up her colleagues on the east coast, to find a suitable therapist for Todd to see back home, while they discussed it between themselves.

She looks back up at him, her lips moving to one side as she thinks.

"Well...I...I think so, yeah. But..."

His brow creases. "What?"

"...you're the only one who knows for sure."

He blinks...then looks up, squinting into the sun. The twig slides between his fingers, from one hand to the other. She looks at him a moment, then back up into the sun, closing her eyes again. She hears the leaves crunch as Todd shifts around. When she opens them again, he's right in front of her. She pushes back a bit in surprise, then smirks. Todd sighs.

"I kinda like it here. Wish we could just stay here."

Tea nods. "Yeah...I could definitely get used to this."

He holds up the twig, rubbing it. "But I guess...I should go if the doc says I can. I miss Shorty a lot."

She smiles. "Yep...she needs you."

"So what now?"

Her brow crinkles. He points at himself, then at her. She tilts her head back a little. "Oh."

"Are you gonna take off when we get back?"

"Why would you think I'd do that? I mean, I'm HERE, aren't I?"

He looks down. "Well...I wouldn't blame you if you did. I...uh...I...really screwed things up."

"Hmmm. Well, don't get me wrong...I've been wanting to throttle you."

"You told me to get out of your life."

Tea cocks her head, swallowing. "I know."

"Do you mean that?"

She sighs. "I meant it at the time. You lied to me...made me look really stupid...you made me FEEL really stupid. But...at least I think I understand why you did it now."

He back up at her, shamefully. "There's nothing to understand. I was...an idiot. I didn't trust you guys...I didn't think you'd be able to keep me outta jail. All I knew was that I wasn't going back there...and you were right. I didn't care who got hurt by what I did...I just wanted what I wanted. *I* was the one who was stupid...I actually thought I could just NOT think about the fact that I really DO have all these people running around in my brain. Like they would just go away or something."

Tea nods, sighing. "You REALLY didn't know, did you?"

Todd shrugs. "I don't think it was so much that I didn't KNOW. I...I...had a feeling something was wrong...I'd actually felt it for years. But...well...you know...I came from a really screwed-up family. Besides...nobody wants to ADMIT that they're nuts, Delgado."

She smiles, then takes a deep breath, closing her eyes again for a second and tilting her head back. She laughs to herself, which makes Todd look at her strangely.

"You know...I don't know why I thought that just telling you to get lost and not seeing you would solve anything. But...I think being here has...it's helped me figure things out. I think I'm ready to move on now...now that I know what's really going on with you."

He starts to get nervous. "Move on?"

She takes a deep breath, then leans in closer. "Yeah. First order of business when we get back...is to rip up those annulment papers."

He sits back, eyes wider. Unconsciously, he starts shaking his head in disbelief.

She smiles, her brow crinkling. "Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Do you...remember what happened that night?"

"What...when you kicked me in the nuts?"

She laughs, instinctively. "Oooh...sorry. Uh...yeah."

He looks down again, examining the twig. "Sorta. I don't know, it's hard to describe...it's like I'm watching someone else run my brain and my mouth and all...but I'm still in there seeing it, I just can't do anything about it. I remember...some things...I remember hearing him call you some really awful names...and holding you down."

Her voice lowers. "I-I'm really sorry I had to do that to you...but...he...he was gonna smash my face in...at the very least. I had to do something."

He keeps his head down, ashamed. "No, I know. I'm glad you did. I wanted to help you...but I couldn't."

She nods. "Did you hear what I told him?"

He looks up, glancing off to the side, thinking...finally shaking his head.

"No...I remember hearing your voice...but...I couldn't make the words out."

She takes another deep breath. "I told him...that I love you as much as he hates you."

His eyes lock with hers, and his head tilts to one side.

"...and...that I know what he's trying to do to you...and that I wasn't going to let him. I made sure he knew I wasn't afraid of him," she says, leaning in again, putting them nose-to-nose.

"So you see...I'm not going anywhere unless I go there with you. For better or worse, you're stuck with me, Manning."

He bites his lip, still looking deeply into her big brown eyes, taking her words to heart. He notices the sunlight enhancing her aura, giving her that heavenly rim light again. They stay like that for a moment...then he opens his mouth, hoping something eloquent will come out...but nothing does. She smiles her famous smile, and moves in a little closer, bumping his nose with hers. He closes his eyes, feeling the softness of her skin...and is suddenly overwhelmed by it all. He reaches up and cradles her face in his hands.

"You really DO want to stay with me, don't you?"

Her smile widens, her eyes closed too. She lifts her arms and places her hands on top of his.

"Are you going to make me repeat myself?"

"Well...maybe one more time, yeah. I just want to make sure I heard you right."

"Ohhhh, fine," she says, pulling back an inch. She looks him straight in the eye.

"I wasn't entirely convinced then...but I am now. We CAN do this. We CAN make this work...and we will...'cause we HAVE to. I love you, Todd...and I refuse to live without you. THAT clear enough for you?"

He smiles, in earnest...something he hasn't been able to do in ages. He presses his hands against her head, checking her as he always does...eyes, mouth, eyes. He takes a breath, getting up all the nerve he possibly can, and starts to pull her closer. Their noses touch. She smiles and closes her eyes...feeling his breath on her face, her lips part, ready for him. He hovers over them a second, nuzzling her nose. He keeps his eyes open until the last possible second, brushing his bottom lip over hers...she takes a quick breath in and holds it. After another lingering moment, he pulls her all the way in, closes his eyes and kisses her full on. She exhales, and he feels it on his face. There's a second or two of tension, as they get used to it again. They almost pull back...but they soon relax, becoming totally immersed in it. Todd's hands move from the sides of her face up into her short hair, trying to grab on and hold on to it. Her hands stay hanging on his arms, and she opens her mouth wider. He feels the wet heat of her mouth and tries to pull her closer, and instead ends up pulling her down off the rock. She opens her eyes, realizing she's losing her balance. Todd lets go of her, but it's too late...she tips over and falls into him, and he falls flat on his back, sending leaves flying. She lands on him with a thud.

They lie there like that for a second, in silence. Since they're not looking at each other, they don't see the other starting to crack up. Finally, Todd feels her shaking with laughter. He looks up just as she does. Her giggle busts out louder, and she gets up, holding her belly and laughing like crazy. He heaves himself up and brushes himself off, her laughter making HIM laugh. He walks up to her and bumps her as she finally calms down, wiping tears from her eyes and holding her gut.

She shrugs at him. He smiles at her, shaking his head...then he suddenly grabs her and pulls her into a play headlock. She screams and laughs, smacking him. He makes a loud smacking noise as he kisses her head and starts to drag her back to the house. The woods echo with the sounds of Tea shrieking and laughing.