PART SIX

Tea sits indian style on the bed in her dimly lit hotel room, wrapped up in a thick Palace bathrobe, which she hugs around her as she stares intently at the objects in front of her.

Her wedding ring...the annulment papers...the puzzle piece, all lined up neatly in a little row, like a shell game. She is clearly deep in thought, examining each object with her deep brown eyes. The only sounds are those of the local classical music station, playing softly in the background. After what seems like forever, she finally breaks the silence with a deep sigh, and buries her face in her hands, fairly certain now that she gets the message...even though, as always was with Todd, she's still UNcertain.

She looks at the puzzle piece again...and wonders, knowing she can't sign the papers now, at least not until she sees him face to face again. They need to have it out. But...how? Her brow crinkles.

She picks it up, and starts a one-sided conversation in her head, as if she could channel her thoughts to him through it.

So you DO love me. Great. NOW what? I mean, you must want me to be with you, whereever you are, right? Otherwise, why bother sending this?

Her temper starts to rise. God...this is so insane. How can I possibly answer you when I don't know where you are? What is the point of all this, Todd...what do you expect me to do? You send me this, and then you give me no options. No clues. No answers. Nothing.

In a sudden burst of frustration, she grabs everything and throws them all across the room...the papers fly, the puzzle piece floats down to the floor and the ring makes a tinny little sound as it hits the wall and then the floor. She gets up and paces, consumed in a terrible, volatile mix of emotions. Anger, confusion, hurt, worry...and most of all, that awful, nauseating emptiness again...the combination of longing and intense need, eating away at her, making her physically sick. She walks the length of the room, back and forth, back and forth, feeling desperate...and lonelier than she's ever felt in her life. She never thought she'd have to feel this again, not after having to go through a parent abandoning her...but here she is.

And in the middle of all this, there's a knock at the door. Totally distracted, she doesn't hear it at first. Then it seems to get louder, and she turns to look. The feelings are running too strong inside her now to be able to put a lid on them, but she goes to the door anyway, with all these emotions painted on her face.

She opens the door, to find John Sykes smiling down at her. Their eyes lock. His smile fades.

"Oh, Tea..." He reaches out to touch her face. She seems absolutely frozen, staring so deeply into his light eyes...as if she can see everything, but at the same time, it's like she's not even there. His hand gently makes contact with her cheek, and she closes her eyes.

The battle inside her begins. All she knows now is what she feels...what she needs...and its voice is much louder now than that of her logic and good sense, which seems to have split off from the rest of her and become a distant noise. His hand is still a little cold from outside, but even so, it seems to put her at ease. Tears start to fall from her closed eyes.

Sykes caresses her face, feeling the tears and gazing at this amazing sight before him. He knows EXACTLY who is on her mind right now, but at this point, doesn't care. He just wants her...he's wanted her since the first time he ever saw her. And he's never seen her like this...so unguarded, so vulnerable, and most of all...so at ease with him. Her eyes are still closed. He's afraid to speak...afraid that she'll snap out of the apparent trance she's in.

She opens her eyes slowly, and he holds his breath. She looks into him again, and he can see that she's deciding what to do now. In that split-second, he decides to go for it and pulls her to him. She stiffens for a second, taken by surprise. But she quickly relaxes and seems to lose all strength in her legs, as she feels what she hasn't felt in months...the softness of lips against hers as he kisses her.

Instead of resisting, she becomes totally lost in it, trying to process it all...it didn't feel like Todd kissing her. This kiss was absent of any feeling except hunger. He wanted her badly, and THAT was what she wanted to feel right now. She lifts her arms up and holds his face in her hands, finally responding to it and opening her mouth to allow him to go deeper. He locks his arms around her waist, lifts her up off the floor and carries her back inside. He puts her down gently, forcing them apart. The door shuts, and Tea opens her eyes again, looking up at him.

And in that moment, the sudden realization of what she's about to do hits her like a ton of bricks. She looks at him and sees...Andrew...Kevin...people she USED...in the exact same way. She blinks, her face taking on a completely different look...and Sykes' face seems to deflate.

"Oh my God..." she whispers.

"Tea, what's wrong?"

She covers her mouth and steps back. He closes his eyes for a second, knowing the window of opportunity has just shut on him. Tea closes her eyes too, but to center herself...she puts her hands out in a calming motion.

"Okay...okay...um...John, I...I'm...I can't..."

"...do this right now?" He leans back against the door, totally shot down.

She shrugs weakly. He looks down, trying to get himself together. Finally, he nods, then bumps his head back against the door, making a thunking noise.

Tea is overcome with embarrassment. She approaches him, apologetic.

"John, I'm so sorry. I...I shouldn't have let you do that."

"Why not? It's obviously what you wanted."

His tone is extremely sharp, and harsh. She shrinks back, taking the hit...a little bit of THAT side of him again...she runs her tongue along the inside of her cheek, sighing, then nodding.

"Right...yeah, okay...I deserve that."

He stands back up and takes a step closer.

"Why won't you let me comfort you, Tea?" He's practically whispering.

Her head falls back, and she bites her lip. Then she looks back up at him.

"John...you've been a good friend to me since Todd left. And...that's what I REALLY need. Believe me, it's not that I don't think it would be great...but...I've been here before...with other friends...and I've just realized that it doesn't solve the problems. It just ends up ruining everything."

She reaches out and takes his hands in hers. "And I just...I don't want to ruin things with you. Can you understand?"

His defeated face brightens some, and he smiles at her. He's so desperate to have her...but, he's waited this long, he can certainly go longer. He nods, squeezing her hands. She smiles back, relieved. They share a silence before Tea lets go of his hands, folding her arms.

"So...what are you doing here, anyway? It's so late."

"Yeah, well, you know..." He just trails off, shrugging.

Another slightly awkward silence...he looks at her and knows she wants him to leave. He decides not to risk her anger.

"Well. I'll...uh...I'm gonna go." He reaches behind him for the knob. She nods, and leans on the door as he steps back out into the hall, and turns back around.

Their eyes lock again. She's still too embarrassed to say anything, so she just smiles her famous smile. He decides to bust one last move before he leaves, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips, kissing it, and brushing it against his face. Her eyes take on another completely different look. He smiles, thinking he's just scored big points.

What he doesn't realize is that even though she is looking AT him, she's NOT seeing him...she is suddenly far away...and sees only Todd...and the many times he did the same exact thing. A chill runs down her spine, and she trembles a little as she gently frees herself of Sykes' grasp. She smiles again, but it's a nervous one.

"Good night, John," she whispers, as she closes the door quickly. She locks it and then takes a couple of steps in before covering her face with her hands, breathing heavily, like she's having a panic attack.

He stands outside the closed door for a second, firmly convinced that he's got her now, and that it's just a matter of time before she caves. He turns and heads for the elevators, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out...a plane ticket. He examines it as he punches the down button and waits...then he slips it back into his pocket, grinning.

"Still...can't hurt to have some insurance," he says quietly to himself.