"How do you feel, Todd...alright?"

He runs a hand through his hair. "Uh...yeah, I guess. Tired."

She nods, then scans her notes again, reviewing. Finally, she shrugs and looks up at them with a smile.

"Well...I have to say, you've been doing extremely well these past couple of weeks. If I may ask, how are the two of you doing?"

Todd and Tea look at each other, then back at her, nodding and shrugging. Joely looks at them, waiting. Finally, Tea laughs and pipes up.

"Um...we're...uh...we're good."

Todd looks like he's trying to keep himself from cracking up. Both of their faces seem a little flushed. Joely looks between them both, sensing some embarrassment...but not a bad kind, not ashamed...more like she's talking to a couple of teenagers...or newlyweds. She looks down at their intertwined hands, and catches sight of Tea's ring, which she wasn't wearing before. She nods, smiling knowingly.

"Right. Okay, well...here's what I'd like to do. Personally, I think you're probably ready to move to outpatient status now. I've already talked to my colleague back in Philadelphia...an excellent therapist, and a very good friend of mine. So that's all set to go...but I'd like you to stay two more weeks, just to make sure. I don't want to send you away prematurely."

She looks at Todd seriously. "Do you think you might be ready to go home by then? Do you think you could handle it?"

He looks off to the side for a second. Then he turns his head, looking at Tea...who smiles encouragingly, opening her eyes wide. He sighs, tightening his grip on her hand, then nodding, slowly.

"Yeah...yeah, I think so...as long as..." he looks back at Tea.

"...as long as I have Delgado...and Shorty around."

Joely smiles wide, nodding. "Does that mean you two have reconciled?"

They look at each other again, then back at her, nodding. Joely gets up from her chair, tossing the pad down on it and stretching a little. She walks over and squats down in front of them, and speaks quietly, gently.

"I'm so glad. Because just between us...I haven't seen two people who share a connection the way you two do in a VERY long time. You're quite something to watch together...I don't know, there's an energy that comes from you both that's so rare, so incredible. A depth of feeling that's deeper than love, I dare say. It's a precious thing...so hold on to it...don't ever let each other go."

With that, she stands up. Todd and Tea sit there speechless for a moment, taken aback by her words. They look at each other, smile and stand up. Joely walks them to the door and waves as they step out.

"See you tomorrow," she says, leaning on the door. They start to walk away, when Tea turns back to look at Joely, and smiles at her.

"Thanks, Joely," she says quietly. Joely smiles back and waves just as her assistant comes up to her with some papers.

Tea looks back at Todd, squeezing his hand. He starts to walk, pulling her along with him. They head out the back, walking toward the guest house. As their feet squish through the wet grass, she notices that he's walking with a purpose, not just wandering, as had become their routine. She tries to look at him but his hair is blowing in all directions, making it impossible to see. They get up to the porch before she can get a good look at him. She watches him dig for the keys, then turns her back to him, pulling her coat closed, her breath coming out in steam. She looks off the porch toward the trees.

"Aren't we going the wrong way? Woods are over this way," she says.

He opens the door, then looks at her back intently. Without a word, he steps up behind her, and grabs her around the waist with both arms. Tea lets out a high-pitched squeal as he lifts her off the ground. She starts laughing uncontrollably, thrashing around as he turns and carries her inside, kicking the door shut.

Once inside, Todd puts her down. She regains her balance and turns around, still laughing...he reaches for her face and pulls her into a kiss. She closes her eyes, wriggles out of her coat, lets it drop and kicks it aside. They separate...Todd gets out of his coat in one swift move, catching it before it hits the ground and throwing it aside. Tea watches as he pulls her to him, starting to untuck her shirt and undo her button fly. She cracks up again, feeling her face getting hot as she kicks her shoes off.

"Look at you, horndog...who'd have thought?" she whispers between kisses, giggling.

He smiles devilishly, touching his forehead to hers, still fiddling with her jeans.

"Yeah, well...what can I say...got a lot of making up to do."

She laughs again. "You mean making OUT."

He cracks up, pulling her shirt free and up over her head. The shirt falls to the floor as he pulls her into him again.

"Shut up," he says breathlessly, going for her mouth hungrily.

She smiles as he kisses her hard. Her hands start pulling at his clothes, yanking his shirt up and out, sliding her hands up his chest and pulling the shirt up with it. He breaks away from her mouth just long enough to get the shirt and his boots off, then kisses her again, starting to walk her backwards. She unfastens his pants without even having to look, then reaches around to her own jeans and slides them down as she backs up. They walk like that until they bump into the arm of the couch. Tea catches herself before she falls backward, stopping and taking a second to get her jeans the rest of the way off.

They stand there for a moment, looking around and wondering how this is going to work logistically. Finally, Todd grabs her around the waist again, picking her up. She wraps her arms and legs around him as he carries her.

"Where are we going?"

He carries her over to the bed, and lays her down gently. She slides up toward the top, propping herself up on her elbows, grinning as she watches him twist out of his pants. She sits up, reaching around behind her back and unfastening her bra. She slips her arms through the holes and holds it up to him, wagging her eyebrows. He cracks up, and starts crawling toward her slowly. She giggles as she rests back down on her elbows, twirling the bra around her finger a few times, then letting it go and watching it fly off to the side. He takes one of her legs and hooks an arm under it as he gets closer to her. She bites her lip as he kisses her leg, starting with her knee and moving inward and down, along her thigh. His other arm hooks around her other leg. He lifts them up so that he has one leg hanging over each shoulder, and continues nuzzling the super-soft skin of her inner thighs. Her pulse quickens, realizing what he's going to do. She reaches up and touches his hair gently, circling around to his chin and lifting his face to look at her.

She smiles. "Y-you don't have to do that..."

He just looks at her...and sees in her eyes that if he didn't want to do this, she would deny herself. Tea sees nothing in his eyes but that same concentrated desire she saw this morning...and quiet devotion. She smiles bigger...so does he...but it's a smile full of wicked determination now, like she just dared him. His hands move along the outside of her thighs, sliding up along her behind to the panties she's wearing. He ducks underneath her knees and starts to pull them down. Before she knows it, they're off and tossed away, and Todd is back between her legs, practically eating away at her inner thighs. All she can do is watch, chewing on her lip as he inches closer...and closer...

She finally feels a wave of electricity shoot through her as he starts exploring her with his mouth. She slides down, letting her knees drop slightly, opening herself up to him. She's paralyzed by the rush she's getting now, enslaved to it...she can't even speak...all she can do is ride it, grabbing and clutching the pillows behind her.

Todd feels her pushing against him, and hears her moaning breathlessly...which just excites him more, getting off on getting HER off. He glances up and sees her head tilted all the way back, pulling pillows into her face as she clutches them. She looks back down at him, breathing hard and fast...she smiles, then bites her lip again. He can see in her eyes she's just about there...and goes a little deeper. She moans, holding her breath as her head drops back onto the pillows. She reaches down and grabs his hair...he moves his arms down her thighs and along her behind, pressing against it and pushing her hips up into him. She gasps, shutting her eyes tightly. She tips her head back again and clutches his hair, letting out some really loud moans as she feels the warm explosion of the best orgasm she's ever had in her life.

She collapses, sinking into the bed and letting go of his hair. Todd grins with devilish pride as he lets her legs drop off his shoulders and moves up her tummy, kissing it. Her chest heaves up and down...he rubs his face against her, feeling how hot she's gotten. She reaches for his face and gently pulls him up over her, just like she did earlier this morning. His hair slips out of her fingers and swings into her face. She smiles at him with that sleepy, sexy look...and pulls him down on top of her, kissing him deeply. She maneuvers around underneath him...her hands move down to the small of his back, pushing him down...and just like that, he sinks into her. Todd breaks off from her mouth to take a quick breath in. They look at each other, breathing heavy and fast, and smile as they move to that now-familiar rhythm, covering each other's faces with wet kisses. She grabs onto his shoulders and holds on as he thrusts into her, slowly and steadily. They stay like that for a while, all tangled up and fused together, until Todd feels his own climax about to overtake him. He separates from her mouth, brushing her lips with his. Tea gasps as she feels those final thrusts, the ones with all the force behind them...then she feels him relax, trembling as he falls limp on top of her.

She strokes his hair lightly, lost in that strange tingling fog as she comes down. She kisses the top of his head, and he lifts up to look at her. She smiles that famous smile and rubs her nose against his. He smiles back, there in that fog with her. Then he sinks back down, snuggling up to her, sighing. They wrap themselves around each other, letting their warmth and that fog put them to sleep for a while.

Tea wakes up a couple of hours later. She stretches, twisting her body all around and yawning. She looks over and sees Todd snoozing away, laying on his stomach, clutching the pillow under his head. She grins at him, rolling over to plant a kiss on his shoulder. He stirs, then opens his eyes sleepily. He sees her in his face and smiles.

"I'm dead, right? You must be that angel that greets everybody at the gate."

She smiles wide, blushing at the complement, then laughs. "That's Saint Peter, you heathen."

He grins, then sits up and watches her as she slides off the bed and walks around the room naked, picking up the clothes lying about and tidying up.

He runs a hand through his hair. "Sorry...guess I missed THAT Sunday school lesson."

She laughs again as she digs in the dresser for her sleeping wear. She slips into another t-shirt and the cutoff sweats. She rubs her head, finger-combing her messed up hair, then heads for the kitchen.

"I am SO hungry. Aren't you?" she yells.

He shrugs, then starts to get up, tossing blankets and pillows aside. "Yeah, I could eat."

"Hmmm...not much here...oh...this'll do."

He hears her pulling out plates and stuff as he looks around for his clothes. He finds the t-shirt and sweats he slept in last night and puts them back on, straightening his own hair out. He shuffles over to the window, and looks out...it's dark now, but the moonlight is bright after the rain cleared out the sky today. It lights the woods up with a beautiful, silvery glow. He turns back and jumps onto the couch.

Tea comes back out with a couple of plates, and half a loaf of bread, putting them down on the table behind the couch. Then she runs back in the kitchen and comes back out with two jars and a knife. She sits down next to Todd, turning toward him and folding her legs under her. She grabs a plate and two pieces of bread, and opens one of the jars. Todd looks at what she's brought out, turning to face her, sitting like she is.

"PB and J...that the best you could do?"

She cocks an eyebrow at him. "Hey, don't get snippy with ME, Manning. I hate to tell you, this is pretty much ALL YOU HAVE."

He smiles as he reaches for a plate and some bread, and watches her slop a huge knifeful of peanut butter on a slice of bread.

"Whoa...those are MY rations, Delgado...gimme that," he says, grabbing the jar away from her.

She giggles as she runs her finger down the knife, scooping the leftovers up onto her finger. She grins at him seductively as she licks her finger slowly, her lips getting stuck together with peanut butter. She makes a point of licking her lips as she hands him the knife. He takes it from her, grinning back at her.

"Wow," he says, dunking the knife in the jar, realizing that he's getting turned on by just about ANYTHING she does now. He shakes it off, then slaps some peanut butter on the bread and starts munching away. Tea takes the knife back and scoops some jelly out, and puts the jar back on the table. She stops for a moment, seeing the pictures sitting there. She smiles as she puts her sandwich together, taking a big bite, then reaching for the picture of Starr.

"She is SUCH a cutie," she says softly, glancing up at Todd. She cracks up when she sees him chewing endlessly, his mouth all stuck up with peanut butter. He gives her the evil eye, trying to get his food down and his lips apart. Suddenly he gets up and walks to the kitchen. Tea giggles, still hearing him chewing. She takes another huge bite of her sandwich as Todd comes back out with a big bottle of water, guzzling. He pops the bottle out of his mouth and moves his jaw around as he sits down.

"That's better," he says, smacking his lips. "Damn."

He puts the bottle down and picks up Starr's picture, smiling at it.

"I can't wait to see her," he says softly.

Tea grabs the bottle and takes a swig. Then she takes another bite, and brushes the crumbs off her hands, chewing.

"Meebe oooh shud call er."

Todd looks up at her, grinning. "And you complain about MY manners. Stop talking with your mouth full."

She smiles, cheeks swelled up.

He looks back at the picture. "Yeah...I SHOULD call her. Blair'll probably hang up on me, though."

Tea swallows, sighing. "Well...even SHE knows how much Starr misses you. I don't think she'll be THAT cruel."

He takes a deep breath, letting it out as he puts her picture back. He tosses the last bit of bread in his mouth and washes it down with the water. He looks at Tea, who's just finishing up, brushing her hands off. She reaches for the bottle...he pulls it away. She looks at him in surprise, then puts on her saddest, most pitiful face, whimpering like a puppy. He cracks up, then hands it to her. She grabs it and takes a huge swig.

Todd takes their plates and puts them on the table, staring at her with that look again. Tea pops the bottle out of her mouth as he raises up on all fours and starts crawling toward her.

She starts laughing immediately, putting the bottle down, muttering to herself in Spanish.

She goes to wipe her mouth, but he moves in quick and kisses her, sucking on her lips, tasting peanut butter and jelly as he forces her mouth open. She reaches up and cradles his face, pushing his hair out of the way.

"Mmmmm....dinner..." he says, between kisses. She smiles and pulls away for a second.

"Oooh....ummm...aren't you going to call your daughter?" She blinks innocently.

He sighs, slumping back. Then he turns, looking outside, and sees how dark it is now. He turns back to her, leaning forward again. She moves back, smiling and sliding down under him, propped up on her elbows. He lowers himself down on top of her, resting his chin on her chest as she strokes his hair.

"She's probably in bed by now...she SHOULD be, anyway. Hmmm...I'll call her tomorrow, after school."

Tea thinks a moment, then nods in agreement. She plays with his hair for a moment as he stares at her.

"You happy, Delgado?" he asks suddenly, but quietly.

She looks at him, surprised. Then she sighs, locking eyes with him and smiling, saying everything with no words. He smiles back. She reaches under his arms and pulls him up over her like a blanket, kissing his neck. She runs her tongue up to the back of his ear, then whispers hot into it...

"I'll show you how happy *I* am."

He closes his eyes, then turns his face to hers, catching her lips and kissing her deeply. They sink down into the couch, wrapped around each other.

A car pulls up to the cheap motel outside of Llanview around 1AM.

Sykes gets out of the car, looking around him suspiciously, but the place is deathly quiet. He opens up the back door and pulls out some shopping bags full of stuff. His coat flows out behind him as he walks to one of the rooms on the bottom floor. He looks around again as he knocks on the door with a gloved hand.

The door opens a crack, stopped by the chain...a face peeks out. When Sykes looks in, the door shuts a second. He hears the chain release and the door opens again, a little wider. He steps in and the door shuts quickly behind him.

Sykes looks around the dim, dingy little room, putting the bags on the table. The man who called him from the pay phone last night lights up a cigarette and sits down on the edge of the bed.

"Hope you got enough for BOTH of us."

"This should do...you won't be here long," Sykes answers, as he walks over to the bed and looks up toward the top, his eyes falling on the shape under the blankets. He walks slowly around to the other side and squats down to get to eye-level. He looks back at the smoking man.

"She alright?" he asks softly.

He nods. "Yeah, she's sleeping now. I had to give her something to calm her down. She was pretty noisy there for a while."

Sykes' eyes widen. "What did you give her?"

The smoking man blows out of the side of his mouth, giving him a dirty look. He smashes the cigarette into the ashtray on his lap, then walks over, squatting down next to him.

"Relax, man...what, do you think I'm stupid? I gave her children's cough medicine...just to make her sleepy. She'll be fine."

Sykes sighs with relief, then looks back at the little girl sleeping soundly in front of him, curled up tightly, hugging her stuffed animal. He tilts his head to the side and reaches out, stroking her long, blonde hair.

The smoking man looks at him strangely. "So...what do you need this kid for anyway?"

He shoots him a look. The smoking man backs off. "Sorry...nevermind," he says, getting up.

Sykes glares at him as he walks away. Then he looks back at her...and smiles, smugly, to himself. He whispers to her in a cold, creepy way as he pulls the blankets up around her shoulders, tucking her in.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little Starr. How I wonder...hmmm. I wonder how a beautiful girl like you could have the devil for a father."

The smoking man looks at him strangely, as he starts going through the shopping bags full of groceries and stuff. He shakes his head as Sykes strolls over to him, pulling an envelope out of his coat and handing it to him.

"Good job, D," he says, calling the smoking man by his first initial only, as was part of their deal.

D takes the envelope, opening it and fanning through the bills. He nods. "So...what now?"

"Just sit tight...and stay put. They probably won't notice she's gone until this morning...but once they do, the PD'll be crawling all over the area. I'll call you in a while."

Sykes tosses him a cell phone as he turns and heads for the door. D follows him, placing a hand on the knob. Sykes gets one step outside and turns back to him, finger pointed.

"Oh...DON'T make any calls from that phone."

"Yes, sir, boss," he says sarcastically, mock-saluting him as he closes the door on him.

Sykes hears him locking up, then walks back to his car quickly, getting in and firing the engine up. He sits there a moment, letting the engine warm up, staring at the window of D's room, where Todd Manning's daughter now sleeps. He starts laughing to himself as he backs the car up and drives off back to Llanview.