*****

Carlotta bangs on the front doors of Llanfair, not caring what time it is. Finally, she hears a sleepy voice on the other side...

"Yeah! Just a MINUTE! Jeez..."

The door opens a crack, and Carlotta pushes her way inside, forcing Viki back a few steps.

"Oh...Carlotta??" Viki asks, sleepily, still dazed.

Carlotta whirls around, completely wound up. Viki blinks at her, then closes the door.

"Wha---what's wrong? What's going on?"

"How could you, Viki??"

"How could I WHAT...what're you talking about?"

"Ohhh, don't even...you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!"

Viki rubs her eyes roughly, then puts her hands out, in a calming motion. "Carlotta, I...I have no IDEA what you're talking about. Now just...calm down---"

Carlotta just talks over her. "How could you just STAND there and let that...that snake brother of yours work me over like that??"

Viki just stands there...still trying to catch up. She shrugs, completely dumbfounded. Carlotta steps right up to her.

"You must have known what he did to her...don't EVEN try to tell me you don't...and knowing all that, you STILL...let me walk right into his trap."

"What he did...did to whom?" Viki asks...then she suddenly realizes.

Carlotta nods. "Yeah."

Viki backs a few steps away. "Alright...hold on. Where's Todd now?"

Carlotta laughs, humorlessly. "Todd...is in New York...where TEA is. Like an idiot, *I* sent him up there...thinking that he really wanted to try to work things out with her. Obviously I had NO IDEA what he'd done, or I would've called Bo instead of giving away Tea's location!"

Viki glances away, suddenly remembering Todd whispering in her ear...

"...I'm scared, Viki...I'm so scared that I...that I raped her...and I can't remember..."

Then she shakes her head, partly to get the thought out of her head...and partly confused.

"Wait a minute...where'd you get the idea that he'd done something to her?"

Carlotta's eyes widen...she stares at Viki for a second, incredulous...then folds her arms.

"I GOT THE IDEA...from YOUR son...and I don't appreciate you trying to pretend like you don't know what I'm talking about!"

Viki's face sinks...and she shuts her eyes for a second. "Oh my god..."

Carlotta walks up to her...the two women stand there, speechless for a moment...for different reasons. Finally, Carlotta shakes her head, her eyes filling with tears...tears of hurt, but mostly tears of anxiety...and fear.

"Viki...I...I thought we were friends...I can't BELIEVE that YOU...that you would just stand by and LET this happen. God...don't you realize how bad this is??"

Viki shakes her head, vigorously. "No...no...Carlotta...you don't understand---"

"I understand perfectly!!!! I understand that Tea is in serious danger now...because of ME...because *I* was stupid enough to believe his lies...and because YOU stood by and LET me do it!!! And you KNEW...you KNEW what he'd done!!! How could you??!!" she yells, crying freely now.

Viki keeps shaking her head, trying to get a word in. "Carlotta, please...just listen to me...PLEASE..."

Carlotta glances away from her, wiping her face harshly...then she looks back at her.

"What did you do, when he told you that he RAPED her, huh? What, did you just give him a hug and say, 'aww, that's okay, Todd, I know you didn't MEAN it...just give Tea some time, she'll GET OVER IT???!! HUH??!! That what you said??!"

Viki sighs at that, realizing how out of control things have gotten in such a short time...she shrinks back a little, as Carlotta continues.

"God...you are SO determined to protect him, no matter what...why is that? Why, just because he was abused like you were? I'm very sorry about that...but that doesn't give him an excuse to take it out on other people..."

She takes a second to let out a quiet sob, at the next thought. "...especially the people that really care about him...ESPECIALLY...the one woman who really loves him. Viki...can't you see how horrible this is? Doesn't the thought of Tea on the run...alone...scared out of her mind...traumatized...doesn't that affect you AT ALL?? Are you so BLINDED by your loyalty to Todd that you CAN'T CARE about her?? I mean, I'm standing here thinking about it, telling you about it...and I'm so sick to my stomach at the thought of what I did and what might happen to her now, that...that I really just want to die."

Viki bites her lip, at Carlotta's pain...pain so strong that it makes her own eyes tear. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out...as if she wasn't entitled to a voice at that point. Carlotta lets out a long, long sigh, wiping her face again. She lingers on Viki's face, still baffled by her behavior...then shakes her head, turning away from her to head for the door. Viki tries to go after her, but finds herself glued to the spot...as if she wasn't entitled to comfort her, either.

Carlotta opens the door, letting the night air cool her face off, and take some of the edge off her anger...then she turns around to face Viki.

"And you know what? If anything happens to her...I probably will," she says, quietly...then she leaves, closing the door behind her...leaving Viki standing there, alone in the foyer...at a loss.

*****

The sky has turned from black to dark blue as Del comes trudging down the street. He yawns as he walks up the steps, digging in his pocket for his keys. He starts to go for the knob, and the keys slip out of his hand, making a light jingling noise as they hit the ground. Del flinches from it as if it were a loud crash...moving in slow motion, bending down like an old man to pick the keys up...

...when another hand...that's not his own...grabs them. Del stares for a second at the empty space where the keys were, then slowly looks up to see the hand holding them out in front of him. He follows the hand, to the arm to the rest of the body that has emerged from the shadows. He squints, trying to focus...then his eyes widen when he sees the face.

Del stands up immediately, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline...and snatches the keys out of Todd's hand. The two men stand there for a minute, just staring each other down...then Del leans against the door.

"Well, well...the hell do YOU want?"

Todd takes a deep breath, to calm the flutters of healthy respect. Never having had brothers or sisters growing up...or much of a family at all, for that matter...he really took notice of other people's...the way they interacted, the way they took care of each other. And even though Tea's family wasn't close, even though they were scattered all over the place...she still had one. At the very least, she had Del...the epitome of the 'big brother,' physically and otherwise. As he stands there with him on the stoop, Todd can't help but feel intimidated, like he's back in high school...looking up at the big brother of the girl he likes...the big brother who doesn't like HIM one damned bit...

...the big brother who could still wipe the floor with him, even in his alcoholic haze...and who was probably just waiting for any excuse to do it at this point. Todd takes another breath, knowing he had to respect that...and also realizing, to some extent...that this was an impossible situation. He knew he was going to have to deal with Del, but hadn't really thought about how to do it on the way up, because...well, he wasn't there yet. All he could think about...was Tea...seeing her again. The logistics of it, the details...didn't matter.

At least, it didn't matter in the car...now, of course, it was an entirely different story. Del was a different story. With Viki, with Carlotta...it was always difficult, but in the end dealing with them had a payoff. As long as he was honest, Todd got some understanding...and almost always got what he wanted...but with Del...no. Del wasn't the least bit interested in Todd's soul-baring, or his motivations...

...he just wanted him GONE. And for all his resourcefulness, Todd finds himself to be pretty much out of ideas at this point.

"You don't have to cover...Carlotta told me where she was," he finally says, simply.

Del takes that in...then glances off to the side for a second, to keep his short fuse from blowing immediately. Then he looks back at him, lifting his chin up slightly, looking down at him.

He shrugs. "Uh-huh...and?"

Todd does a slight take, shrugging back. "And...I...I wanna see her."

"Oh, you wanna SEE her...at five o'clock in the friggin' AM...huh...okay..." Del starts, pausing...then makes a face.

"...well, I've got a better idea. Why don't YOU get your sorry ass off my stairs."

Todd sinks a little at that, sighing. "Look, I'm not here to..." he starts, unable to find the right words.

Del takes advantage of his hesitation, finishing for him. "---to what? Cause trouble? Bother her?! You gotta be kiddin' me, man. And if you think I'm gonna let you anywhere NEAR her, you're even dumber than I thought you were."

He takes a step toward him...Todd backs up, into the corner of the doorframe.

"Y'know, I seem to remember telling you before that if you ever hurt her, I'd kill you...that ring a bell?"

Todd glances around, nervously...knowing he's trapped. Off his look, Del nods.

" 'Course it does...how could anybody forget something like that, right? And I know it's been a couple of years, but...I hate to tell you, man...I haven't warmed up to you any since then. I still feel pretty much the same."

With that, Del starts to open the big outer door, pushing Todd aside. He glances over his shoulder as he starts to head in.

"I'm not kiddin' around here...I've had a long night and I'm not in the mood for your pathetic ass...so GET LOST. NOW."

Todd backs off, just a hair...just enough to look him squarely in the eye. He shakes his head.

"No...I'm not going anywhere."

Del turns to face him...and he seems to grow a few feet taller, becoming this huge wall blocking the doorway. Todd takes a deep breath...then folds his arms across his chest, making his stand.

"Y'know, I can appreciate this...big brother thing...but the fact is, it's not up to YOU whether I stay or go...it's up to Tea...and I'm not going ANYWHERE until I see her, you got that?"

Del stares at him for a good, long time, without a word. Todd returns the stare, determined to hold his ground...

...then finally, Del just turns away, slipping through the open door and forcing it shut before Todd can get in. In the entryway, Del bends slightly to give him one last dirty look...then he waves at him, with a mocking grin...and heads up the stairs. Todd watches him go, teeth clenched...then he runs down the stairs, onto the sidewalk...looking up at the building to see which windows are going to light up.

Del shuffles down the hall to his apartment, and quietly opens the door. He starts to go for the light switch...then stops, seeing the window and the dim, early morning light coming through it. He closes the door behind him and walks over to the corner of the window, looking down. He sees Todd standing there, and shakes his head.

"Yeah, I thought so...slick sonofabitch."

He turns away from the window, and starts to head for the bedroom to look in on Tea. As he rounds the corner, he catches sight of the notepad on top of the answering machine. Too tired to think much of it, he gives it a passing glance as he walks down the hall to the bedroom. He turns the knob as quietly as he can, poking his head in...

...and sees the empty bed, looking the same as when he left. He makes a face...then looks all around, as if she could be anywhere else in the small apartment. The bathroom door stands open, and he walks in, glancing around. He immediately notices the sink, which had been cluttered with stuff...now cleared off. Del's brow knits tighter, as his alcohol-induced haze burns off, quickly...

...he runs back into the living room, grabbing the notepad. His lips move as he reads to himself.

Del---

I'm so sorry about this, but after you listen to the message, you'll know why I didn't wait for you to come home. I know this is probably going to put you in a bad position, and I'm sorry---but I can't face anyone right now, my head is just too screwed up. I have to be by myself---and that's all anyone needs to know---including Todd.

Thank you so much for being there for me---you saved my life. I love you more than you'll ever know. I'll call when I can.

Tea

Then, at the bottom, a sloppily written addition:

PS: I took a little something off the fridge.

Del rips the page off, smacking the answering machine button...Carlotta's sad, canned voice comes through, relaying the news one more time...then it ends and the machine clicks off, filling the room with a stifling silence. Del stands there for a moment, gripping the table, trying to figure out what to do next. Could he even do anything? He had no idea where she went...it had been hours, she could be anywhere...down the street, in the next state...

...at the airport...

His eyes widen suddenly, remembering the note...he looks at it again.

...I took a little something from the fridge...

He steps into the kitchen area, his eyes scanning the refrigerator door...and finally falling upon the empty spot, where Abuelita's postcard had been. His mouth drops open, as he puts it together in his head...then he shoves the note in his pocket and runs out, barreling down the stairs and back outside. He stops short when he sees Todd, still there, leaning against a parked car, arms folded.

Todd cocks an eyebrow, immediately picking up on something. Del walks down the steps toward him, slowly...and Todd stands up, taking a few steps forward to meet him. But before he can say anything, Del reaches in his pocket and produces the note, handing it to him as he passes him...walking into the street and opening the door of the car Todd was leaning on. Todd makes a face, turning with him...then he glances at the note. His lips part as he reads Tea's words...then he looks back up at Del, who leans on the open car door.

"That's right, she's gone. Looks like Carlotta had some second thoughts..."

Todd's face sinks...Del shakes his head at him. "...y'know, I ain't too happy with Carlotta right now, but I can't even imagine what kind of lies YOU told just to get the info outta her."

Todd crushes the note in his hand, feeling his face getting hot...and suddenly jumps across the hood of the car, catching Del off guard. Todd grabs him by the collar, pinning him against the car.

"I have HAD it with you and your big mouth...and I don't remember you being there when I was talking to her, so what the hell do you know about it, huh? Nothing, that's what. Now NONE of this is any of YOUR business...it's between me...and Tea. So you tell me...WHERE DID SHE GO??!"

Del looks at him for a second, then suddenly grabs his wrist...and in one smooth, often-used move, he twists Todd's arm around behind his back, and before he knows it, he's the one pinned up against the car. Del puts his lips right by his ear, speaking quietly.

"Y'know, you have a MAJOR problem with comprehension, bro...you really oughta see a specialist about that...among other things..." he starts, twisting his arm tighter. Todd grimaces as Del continues.

"...but in the meantime, let me run it down for you AGAIN. Tea is my SISTER...she is my FAMILY. So it is ALL...MY...business, you got that? Now you can read...you know what she said. If you REALLY care about her, you will RESPECT her wishes and you will LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE!!"

With that, Del pulls Todd away from the car, turning them both around. He lets go of Todd's arm, pushing him out into the street. The two men stare daggers at each other for a moment, then Del starts to get in the car.

"What'd she take from the fridge, huh??" Todd asks, loudly.

Del stops for a second...then he just keeps going, getting in the car and shutting the door. He starts it up, rolling the window down.

"Oh, almost forgot...Carlotta said something about some other folks heading up this way..."

Todd makes a face at that. Del cocks his head, knowingly.

"...think she said RJ...and Kevin? Sound familiar to you?"

Del watches Todd carefully, watches his eyes, darting around, nervously...he nods.

"...yeah, thought it might...well, I don't imagine you wanna be here when they show up...which should be any minute now, by the way. So if I were you...I'd leave. NOW."

Todd walks up to the car, slowly...bending slightly to see in the window. Del keeps his eyes on him, ready for anything.

"Where...did she go? You gotta tell me...please..."

Del makes a disbelieving, somewhat disgusted face at his change in tone.

"Oh...ohhh...this what you did to get to Carlotta, huh? Put on the sad eyes, and that pitiful voice? Well, Carlotta's always been kind of a sucker that way...and I'll bet it works on Tea, too, doesn't it? Hmmm...you ARE slick, man, I'll give you that...but it ain't workin' with me."

Todd's whole body deflates a little at that. "Del...don't do this, man..." he starts, gripping the doorframe.

"I'll DO whatever I WANT...and if I EVER catch you sniffing around my sister again...I WILL kill you. Now get the hell away from my car."

With that, he puts it in gear and pulls away from the curb, barely giving Todd enough time to let go of the door. Del watches Todd in the rearview mirror trying to sprint along behind him...and shakes his head, as he gets smaller...and smaller. He lets out a long breath, sinking into the seat as he starts driving faster.

It only takes a few seconds for Todd to realize how useless it is to run after him...and he stops in the middle of the street, hunching over, breathing hard...watching as Del's car rounds the corner and disappears, tires squealing. He straightens up after a moment, looking around...the street is quiet, empty...the sky has lightened up, with the sun about to rise. He staggers back, falling against another parked car, still looking around...at a complete and total loss...

...wondering when he was going to wake up...wondering when Tea was going to wake him up, and put her arms around him, and push his hair behind his ear like she always did...

...mijo...wake up...

The sound of her voice in his head knocks his legs out from under him, and he sinks to the ground. He pulls his knees into his chest, pushing himself up against the car...trying to make himself disappear...disappear into his own head. He didn't even care that he was sitting out in the middle of the street anymore...he just wanted to keep on hearing her voice, seeing her face...

...but suddenly, a hand reaches down and grabs him by the neck, yanking him up off the ground. And before he knows what's happening, he gets turned around and his face gets slammed down onto the hood of the car. He starts struggling, having no idea who is doing this to him...then he looks toward the other side of the car, and sees a person standing there. He struggles against the hand holding him to look up...

...and he sees Kevin, head cocked to the side to look at him. He waves.

"Hi there."

Todd's eyes suddenly flash with renewed fire, and he starts struggling harder. Standing behind him, RJ keeps a hold on him, making faces as Todd thrashes about wildly.

"Lemme go, GODDAMMIT!!!!"

RJ and Kevin exchange glances...then RJ leans over him. "Oh, no...no way...your ass is mine now."

Kevin watches with an impressed look as RJ picks Todd up like an animal control officer would pick up a stray cat...roughly, by the scruff of the neck...and starts dragging him down the street toward their car...never even breaking stride as Todd does his best to fight him. Kevin giggles a little, then starts to head for Del's apartment.

RJ unlocks the trunk with one hand, while the other keeps a death grip on Todd, who punches at his arm as hard as he can. RJ twitches a little, but is too determined to give. He gets the trunk lid open and turns to face Todd, who tries desperately to get a swing in...but is too far away to reach. RJ stares at him for a second, his bright eyes shining against the darkness of his skin and hair. He yanks Todd closer to him, putting them nose-to-nose.

"You really thought you were gonna get away with taking a shot at ME, you little maggot?"

Todd can only grunt his response, with the chokehold on his neck. He gasps for a breath, just glaring at him.

"...and with RAPING TEA, too?? Well...think again!!"

With that, Todd feels a combination of relief as RJ releases his neck...and blinding, white-hot pain as he gets a closed fist in the face. It sends him flying, back down onto the sidewalk, right on his butt. RJ looks up and down the street to make sure nobody's seeing this violent display...then steps onto the sidewalk, squatting down beside him...hovering over him. Todd looks up through blurred, watery eyes at RJ...at the long braids hanging down around him like a curtain...then RJ's face seems to get farther and farther away, as he fades off into unconsciousness. RJ watches Todd's eyelids flutter, finally closing...and his body relaxing.

Kevin strolls up to them, looking down at Todd in a blacked-out heap on the ground, shaking his head. RJ stands up, brushing himself off.

"So? What's up, where are they?"

Kevin shrugs, glancing up at the apartment windows. "I dunno, nobody's answering, I don't think they're there. Think Del might've taken her somewhere else?"

RJ rolls his eyes. "How the hell should *I* know, man??"

Kevin just shrugs again, thinking...then his eyes widen as he gets an idea. "Oh...wait a sec...Del's a police officer, right? He should have a pager or something...we'll just call NYPD and have THEM find him."

RJ thinks about it...then sighs, not really knowing what else they can do at the moment.

"Well, we better go find somewhere to hole up before he comes to," he says, bending down to grab Todd's arm...peeling him off the sidewalk and hauling him up. He stuffs him in the trunk and starts to close the lid.

Kevin makes a face. "The trunk? What, you goin' all 'Goodfellas' here or somethin'? Why don't you just put him in the backseat?"

RJ turns, looking at Kevin like he's the dumbest person on the planet...then slams the lid shut.

" 'Cause it's MY car...and I don't want his stink on my upholstery," he says, coldly...pushing past him to get to the driver's side. Kevin makes another face, then walks around to the passenger seat and gets in...barely getting the door closed before RJ pulls away from the curb and speeds down the street.

*****

Going with his gut, Del races through the crowds at JFK...stopping short when he sees the arrival and departure monitors. He stands there, scanning the board, panting...finally coming across a flight bound for San Juan. He sees the gate number, then the word "BOARDING," flashing like a big red light. He curses to himself, then starts mowing through the crowds again.

He sprints into the waiting area...and finds it empty, except for a couple of airline workers cleaning up. His eyes drift to the big windows...and he sees the gangway, but no plane. He runs up to the desk, digging for his badge. The airline workers stop, looking up at him as he flips it open.

"NYPD...when did this flight leave?"

One of the workers, an older, graying woman, looks at her co-worker, then at him.

"About five minutes ago."

Del shuts his eyes, cursing to himself again. The two workers exchange glances as he thinks...then he looks back at them.

"Alright, I need the names of all the passengers on that plane."

She looks at him suspiciously. "Uh...let me see that badge again, please."

Del hands her his badge, and she inspects it...looking to her co-worker, who shrugs. She hands it back to him.

"Just a minute, please," she says, starting to type into the computer behind the counter.

"Thanks," Del says, then he meanders over to the big windows...staring out at the maze of runways. He sees a couple of planes taking off, their gigantic engines pushing them off the ground and into the air...and he wonders which one his sister is on. Then he feels a tap on his shoulder...he turns around and the woman hands him a printout.

"Thanks," he says again, grabbing it from her and scanning it, quickly...through the A's, B's, C's...

He sighs heavily when he reads... 'Delgado, Tea.' The airline workers look on as Del slumps into one of the plastic chairs, crushing the printout in his hand.

*****

Tea rests her head against the window, watching the world getting smaller beneath her...and feeling the glass getting cooler against her skin, as the plane climbs. The sky becomes clearer, turning a brilliant blue, and pretty soon all she can see are clouds, for miles around. She tips her head, trying to get a look beneath the plane...but she can't see anything. The world has, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. She looks back up, zoning out at the view...at the beautiful, billowy white clouds...

...and suddenly imagines herself outside the plane, flying in and amongst them...finding the biggest, puffiest one to lie down on. Lie down...go to sleep...

...for a couple of hundred years...that oughtta do it...then when I wake up, I can just...start over...

She closes her eyes at the thought...suddenly wondering if two hundred years would even be long enough to wipe the slate of her life clean and start again...to be a new person. She sighs, feeling a wave of drowsiness coming over her...and she settles into the cramped coach seat. As she drifts off, her thoughts start swirling around...becoming less like thoughts and more like really short dreams...

...sleep...like Sleeping Beauty...like Snow White...right...I'll just sleep until my prince comes to wake me up...with a kiss...

...my prince...he WILL come...won't he...? ...oh, but...he'll have to fight the dragons first...the dragons...blocking his way...

...oh...well... that's okay...I can wait...I'll just sleep...

...then it'll be...it'll all be fine...we'll live happily ever after...

Unconsciously, her brow furrows at that...then her face relaxes, as sleep finally does overtake her, relieving her of having to think...at least for a while.