*****

The breakfast rush is winding down at Carlotta's diner, as Viki walks in, fanning herself with the morning edition of the Banner...not even ten o'clock, and it felt like midday in high summer. She brushes past a few patrons to get to the counter. A waitress in the back sees her and walks over.

"Hi," she says, coming around behind the counter. "What can I get you?"

Viki smiles. "Oh, hi...well, I'd ask for coffee, but it's too damned hot out there," she replies, still fanning.

The waitress nods, rolling her eyes. "Ugh...tell me about it. Been here since seven, and I already feel like I need another shower. Gross. This weather's so wacky...just the other night it was cold and rainy, now we're broiling."

Viki laughs a little, nodding back. "Mmmm...well. Y'know, just some water would be fine."

"Sure..." the waitress replies, filling a glass with ice and pouring the water. "...anything else?"

"Yes, actually...is Carlotta here?"

"I can't believe it," a voice says from behind her. Viki turns around to see Carlotta standing there, smiling. The waitress smiles and heads into the kitchen as the two women hug tightly. Finally, they separate, just looking at each other.

"Y'know, I've been wanting to call, but...with everything going on..." Carlotta starts.

Viki shakes her head. "Oh, don't even worry about it. How are you?"

Carlotta does a bit of a take. "Me? Oh...I'm okay...somehow I just figured this was about Jess and Cris, and the whole, big mess."

Viki rolls her eyes, shaking her head again. "No...not at all."

Carlotta makes a face, curious. "Really? Well...wanna sit down?" she asks, gesturing toward one of the booths. Viki grabs her water glass and sits down across from Carlotta, who wipes her hands on a towel, tossing it onto the table as she stretches out in the booth.

"So you mean we actually have things to talk about BESIDES our kids?" she asks jokingly, with a tired voice.

Viki smiles, nodding. "Amazing, isn't it?" she says, sipping her water. She sits back in the booth, slouching a little.

A short silence passes, during which Carlotta examines Viki's face. She tips her head a little, curious again.

"Although something tells me you're not just here to say hi."

Viki looks up, and nods, making a bit of a face. She sighs, finishing her water off.

"Oh, Carlotta...I don't EVEN know where to begin."

Carlotta sits up, leaning in closer. Viki sighs again, still not sure how to start off. Finally, she shrugs, deciding to just get to it.

"Um...okay, I know this gonna sound weird, especially coming from me, but...you haven't...by any chance..." she starts, stretching the words out. Carlotta bends slightly, anticipating.

"...heard from...Tea...lately...have you?"

Carlotta makes a confused face. "W-wha...did you say Tea?"

Viki nods. Carlotta sits back, looking at her for a moment.

"You're right. That DOES sound weird coming from you. I don't...I don't think I understand. What do you mean, LATELY?"

Viki sighs again, knowing she's got to start getting into the whole thing...she leans forward.

"I mean...within the last week or so," she says.

Carlotta looks at her strangely. "I haven't...seen or spoken to Tea since BEFORE she left...and didn't even know she was gone until after the fact."

Viki sits back at that, deflating a little...Carlotta grabs her hand.

"What?! What is it...you're starting to scare me."

Viki shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to...I just thought maybe...she might've contacted you."

Carlotta's brow creases tightly, trying to figure out what the heck she's talking about. Then, suddenly, she sits back again, a realization covering her face.

"Ohhh...this MUST have something to do with Todd."

Viki nods, somewhat reluctantly.

"But I thought...she went WITH Todd."

Viki nods again, shrugging a little. "She did...but I guess she left him at some point."

Carlotta sits there for a moment, trying to put it together...finally she nods, throwing her hands up.

"Of course she did. Obviously she only went with him because she was afraid for RJ...and now she's on the run by herself...god, why can't he just leave her alone," she says, disgusted, as she grabs the towel off the table, and gets up. She walks behind the counter and pours herself some water. Viki follows, sitting down across from her.

"Carlotta...even *I* don't pretend to understand what...why..." she starts, not even knowing how to phrase it.

"...why Todd continues to TORTURE her?" Carlotta finishes, leaning on the counter. "...yeah, well, I don't understand it either. But I'll tell you this much...and no offense, but he is the WORST thing that ever happened to her..."

Viki sighs at the familiar Todd-bashing, as Carlotta continues, angrily.

"...y'know, I've never seen anyone devastated so many times, the way she was. She gave him everything she had...and what did he ever give her in return? Pain...misery...suffering...abuse..."

Viki makes a face, starting to take issue...but at the same time, understanding where she's coming from. Carlotta sees this, and sighs, trying to calm down a bit.

"...well. I don't have to tell YOU this. It's not YOUR fault. I'm sorry."

A short silence passes...then Viki gets up. "Carlotta, I hate to press you like this, but...are you SURE you haven't heard from her? Anything?"

Carlotta wrinkles her brow. "No, I already told you, I---" she starts, then another realization covers her face.

"...oh, wait a minute...are you FISHING for him?" she asks, with a slightly accusatory tone.

Viki opens her mouth to answer when the door swings open. The two women look over to see RJ Gannon walking toward them.

"Well, well..." he starts, his voice booming all over the empty room as he looks around.

"...hmmm...slow morning, I guess."

Viki looks back at Carlotta, closing her mouth tightly. Carlotta looks at her strangely, then glances back at RJ, who looks between the two of them, suspiciously.

"Oh...am I interrupting something?"

Both women shake their heads in unison, which makes them look even more suspicious. RJ makes a face, about to say something, when Viki suddenly reaches across the counter.

"I'll see you tonight," she says, grabbing Carlotta and hugging her tightly...then whispering to her.

"PLEASE...just come to the house, and don't tell him...or anyone else about this, okay?"

With that, she lets her go. Carlotta looks at her, confused...but as she looks at Viki's face, she gets the feeling she should just go along with it, even against her better judgement.

She nods. "Can't wait," she replies, flatly.

Viki smiles brightly, tucking her purse under her arm. "Eight's good, right?"

Carlotta just nods again. "Rrrright...eight. See you then."

Viki gives her a knowing look, then heads for the door. "Nice to see you, RJ," she says politely as she passes him.

RJ leans on the counter, watching her as she walks out. "Yeah, you too," he replies, then turns to Carlotta, who just looks at him blankly.

"What was THAT all about?"

She shrugs. "Just dinner," she says, casually, as she reaches under the counter for the tub with the dirty dishes. She hauls it up and rests it on her hip.

"So did you want something, or are you just loitering?"

RJ squints at her, sitting down on one of the stools and grabbing the newspaper that Viki left behind.

"Orange juice. Please," he says, super-politely. Carlotta nods, rolling her eyes a little, and he watches her carry the tub of dishes into the kitchen. Then he turns back, looking toward the door, as if he could still see Viki. He makes a face, still bothered by that whole weird exchange...and he wonders why.

*****

Later that afternoon, Todd paces around the Llanfair garden for what seems like forever, wearing a path in the well-kept grass. When he finally gets tired of it, he sits down on the step of the gazebo...looking around often, wondering what was keeping Viki. He alternates between getting angry at her for taking so long, getting angry at himself for wasting time...and feeling completely helpless. He sinks against the gazebo, feeling that pit in his gut again. He'd gotten to know it very well, over the time he was gone by himself...an awful, almost nauseating emptiness that only went away when Tea was around.

He closes his eyes and wishes...for something, anything that might tell him where she is. And as the world disappears from view, other images start appearing...again, quick flashes arranged in no particular order. He sees parts of the two of them...hands, arms, legs entwined...a shoulder, some hair...her closed eyes. He squeezes his eyes shut tighter, trying to see more...and suddenly he can hear himself, and hear her, breathing...fast and intense, along with the scattered images of their lovemaking, becoming a little clearer now. He sees his nose and lips pressed against her face, turned away from him. A longer, more coherent image now...as he sees Tea, turning her head back to look at him. Outside, Todd shudders, at seeing her looking at him, staring deeply into his eyes. She pushes herself up on her elbows and kisses him hard...

...then the memory splits apart again, breaking up into almost unrecognizable fragments, that just barely suggest actions. Todd shudders again, reacting to it like he was playing some kind of intense virtual-reality game. Loud, heavy breathing accompanies what looks like...maybe...him lifting her up? He couldn't tell...now he sees a hand grabbing some hair, pulling hard...accompanied by a sharp, gasping sound...

...and just like that, Todd jumps as he is thrown out of his own head, snapping out of it suddenly. He sits there, out of breath for a moment...then he buries his face in his hands, feeling totally drained. He makes no sound or movements, and for a while everything is quiet and still. But then he feels the presence of someone else close by. Ever so slowly, he moves his hands away from his face.

There in front of him, is Starr, looking like a little angel in her white sundress...she smiles and waves. Todd lets out a relieved breath and grabs her, pulling her to him and hugging her tightly. She hugs back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Hi, Daddy," she says quietly, and matter-of-factly, like she just saw him an hour ago.

At a loss for words, he just hugs her as tightly as possible. Overjoyed at seeing her again, but also overwhelmed with stress, he lets himself cry a little, burying his face in her hair. Starr says nothing, and just continues to hug him back.

A little farther away, Viki watches the scene with a sad smile. She stands there for a while, then takes Starr's overnight bag and turns back, heading for the house.

*****

Carlotta walks up to the front doors of Llanfair around eight o'clock, stopping before she rings the bell to fan her neck with her hand. She hits the button, then wipes the sweat from her face, and wipes her hands on her skirt. Viki opens the door and a blast of cool air hits Carlotta in the face.

"Oh, thank god...central air," she sighs.

Viki smiles, stepping aside. "Come in," she says, as Carlotta enters...then closes the door and stands in front of her.

"Thanks for coming."

Carlotta pushes her bangs off her forehead. "So what is this about? You know you had RJ all suspicious."

Viki nods. "I know, I wasn't expecting to see him there...I'm no good at hiding things anyway."

Carlotta makes a face, growing impatient. "Hiding WHAT? Viki, will you just tell me what is going on already?"

Viki opens her mouth to speak...then Carlotta notices her eyes drifting to a point somewhere behind her.

"What??!" she exclaims.

Viki says nothing, and just points behind her. Carlotta lets out a frustrated sigh, turning around. She stops short when she sees Todd standing there. Her eyes nearly pop out of her head, and her mouth falls open in shock. That only takes a second, though...then her mouth closes, setting angrily.

"Oh my god," she growls, then whirls around, glaring at Viki, who starts to say something...but Carlotta whirls back around to face Todd. She stares at him for a moment, then walks right up to him.

"Where is she?!" she demands.

Todd sighs, looking at Viki. "See...I told you. She doesn't know, either."

Carlotta gets back in his face. "Hey!! Don't talk about me like I'm not here! I asked you a question!!"

Todd glares back at her...then laughs, humorlessly. "She left ME, Carlotta. I have no idea where she is."

"We were hoping YOU might," Viki says, quietly, from behind her.

Carlotta turns her head slowly, eyeing her. "You...what?" she starts, turning her whole body around. She stares at her for a second, putting it all together.

"Ohhhhh...*I* see," she says, nodding...then turns back to look at Todd, her eyes flashing.

"Well, let me tell you somethin' right now. Even if I DID know where she was, even if I had the VAUGEST idea...I would NEVER tell YOU."

Todd runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek, as Carlotta sticks a finger in his face.

"You said it yourself...she LEFT you. And it sounds to me like she doesn't want you following her."

"Well, I didn't ASK you what it sounded like," he snaps back, as he swats her finger away.

Carlotta shakes her head. "You're amazing, y'know that? You REALLY just don't get it. Anybody with a clue could tell she only went with you in the first place to protect RJ. There is no YOU AND HER anymore...you blew your chances with her a LONG time ago. But you can't just let her be, can you? You're never gonna let her get on with her life."

Todd bends down slightly, to get right in her face. "I'm not discussing Tea with you. So you can leave anytime," he says, coldly.

Viki rolls her eyes at that, walking over and standing beside the two of them, staring each other down.

"Ohhh-kay---" she starts, but Carlotta just talks over her.

"Gladly," she growls back at Todd, then heads for the door. Viki makes a face at him, but he remains where he is.

Carlotta turns back around as she opens the door. "Y'know, Todd...you always seem to land on your feet, no matter WHAT you do. You've tried to KILL people, for god's sake...but you're standing here, all safe in this big house, with the protection of your family. But have you even stopped to think where Tea might be right now? How she's feeling, how scared she is?"

Todd bites his lip hard at that, seething, as she continues.

"No, I bet you haven't...and I know why... 'cause you don't CARE. You don't care about anything else or any ONE else, except yourself. You're a completely self-centered, self-absorbed, MISERABLE human being, and because of YOU, I might never see Tea again. Don't think I'm gonna forget that."

With that, she walks out, slamming the door behind her. Viki and Todd exchange glances...then Viki goes running out after her. Todd clenches his teeth and his fists, swinging around, desperate to hit something. He settles for grabbing onto his own hair, as he storms into the kitchen.

"Carlotta! Wait!" Viki yells, as she catches up to her, at the end of the driveway.

Carlotta turns around. "Viki..." she starts, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry," Viki cuts in, a little out of breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have sprung that on you like that."

"You're right, you shouldn't have. What were you thinking?!"

"Please, don't go. Just hear me out, okay?"

"No!" she yells back, getting her car keys out. "There is NOTHING you could say to me that would make me feel sorry for that...that..." she trails off, taking her anger out on her keys, jamming them into the lock. She gets the door open and throws her purse inside.

"...besides, I already told you, I don't know where she is."

Viki leans against the side of the car, sighing. Carlotta shakes her head, knowing what she's probably going to say.

"I don't wanna hear it, Viki. I don't wanna hear about how misunderstood he is, and how he really does love her, and blah, blah, blah. If Tea left him...she doesn't want him to find her. Period, end of story. He should get that through his head...and so should you," she says, as she gets in the car.

Viki stands back, watching helplessly as Carlotta starts it up and drives off in a huff. She stands there for a moment after she disappears from view, just shaking her head. Then she starts back up the driveway with a heavy sigh. She goes around the back way, and re-enters through the kitchen, where she finds Todd sitting at the counter, head in his hands. She closes the door behind her quietly...he looks up as she goes to the fridge, getting out a pitcher of iced tea.

"Well. That didn't work at all, did it?"

Todd looks at her strangely. "Don't tell me you didn't expect that."

Viki shrugs, pouring tea for herself. "I figured she'd be angry. But I also figured that YOU would've made more of an effort."

He gets up and walks over to her. "What're you talking about, effort. She didn't even give me a chance to say anything! She just launched into me!"

She puts the pitcher down, placing a hand on her hip. "And what were YOU expecting...for her to be nice? Even civil? Are you kidding?"

He does a take at that. "Oh...are you saying I deserved all that?"

Viki stares back at him for a moment, sighing. "Tea is like a daughter to Carlotta, you KNOW that..."

Todd looks away, shifting around, as Viki continues.

"...so what I'm SAYING, is that you should have been prepared for her response."

He looks back. "I WAS prepared. I TOLD you she wouldn't know anything, and she wouldn't tell me if she did."

Viki shakes her head. "That's not what I'm talking about. If you knew she was going to react the way she did, you should have been ready to TRY to get past it."

"What does THAT mean?"

"It MEANS...that if you want her help, you're gonna have to DEAL with her, Todd, not just immediately give up and tell her to get lost...which is exactly what you did. You're never going to get anywhere that way."

He throws his hands up. "How am I supposed to deal with her? She hates me! Besides, she's YOUR friend, not mine."

Viki sighs at that, then takes her tea and walks to the sink, leaning against it.

"Y'know, there was a time not so long ago when I would have taken it upon myself to take care of all this FOR you...and *I* would be the one chasing Carlotta down, trying to talk to her, begging her to help you. But I realize now...that it's just not the thing to do."

Todd folds his arms across his chest, staring at her coldly.

"So...what...I'm on my own, that what you're saying?"

She takes a sip of her tea, then stares right back at him, unblinking.

"I did what I could, I got her to come here. But I'm not going to be the middleman between you and her, I'm not going to be your mouthpiece. It's not fair to me, and it's not helping you anyway. You're the one that loves Tea...you're the one who needs to find her..." she says, dumping the rest of her tea.

She walks over to him, looking up at him with kind, yet determined eyes.

"...so YOU'RE going to have to talk to Carlotta, not me."

Her gentle tone breaks his guard down a little, and he looks down.

"What's the use? She doesn't know anything," he mutters.

Viki smiles. "You really think that? You really think she has NO idea where Tea might go?"

Todd looks back up, to see her shaking her head, still smiling a little.

"Well...what do I say, Viki? What can I possibly say to make her help me?"

She shrugs. "You can't MAKE her do anything...but you CAN talk to her. She may not seem like it to you, but she's a reasonable person...and I think it would go a long way with her if YOU went to her yourself."

His eyes suddenly cover over with anxiety. "Yeah, right...so she can rip my head off again."

Viki rubs his arm gently. "If Carlotta has any idea where Tea might be, and I think she does...you have to take the risk. At least, try a little harder."

He rolls his eyes a little. "You mean I have to suck it up and take whatever she dishes out."

She shrugs again, nodding. "Basically, yes. Small price to pay, I think," she says, then chucks his arm again, heading for the foyer. He follows her with his eyes.

"I'm going to Andrew's, to pick up Starr...I'll tell her you'll be back later," she says, with emphasis on the last sentence.

Todd rolls his eyes again, getting the hint...he nods, reluctantly. Viki smiles.

"Good. Back soon."

He watches the door swinging shut behind her, then looks away, making a face. He paces around the kitchen for a while, psyching himself up...then heads out the back door, making a beeline for Angel Square.

*****

Carlotta opens every window in her small apartment above the diner, even though the air outside is just as warm as the air inside. She sits down on the couch with a tall glass of water, tilting the oscillating fan toward her. Then she slouches down, trying not to move around...but her mind is racing. She makes a face, knowing that she had lied...sort of. She actually had a couple of pretty good ideas as to where Tea might have gone. But there was no way she would share that information...especially now that she knew Tea had left Todd. Her brow creases...she wonders if she should try to contact her, warn her that he was snooping around.

She thinks on it for another moment, then reaches for her cordless phone. She dials a number and waits.

One ring...two rings...three...

Carlotta makes another face, thinking she might be wrong...when suddenly, someone picks up. She sits up, surprised, almost spitting out the water she was drinking.

"Oh...hello?"

"Hello?" he says again.

"Um...I was looking for Del."

"This is. Who's this?" he replies, with a low, smooth-sounding voice.

She smiles, relieved. "Oh! Del, it's Carlotta Vega, how are you?"

"Carlotta!" he exclaims, happily. "God, it's been so long! I'm good...como estas?"

She laughs a little. "Aiiii..." she sighs. "...uh, actually it's pretty crazy right now, but...you can hear all about that later. I wanted to ask you something, it's kind of important."

"What's that?"

She sighs, hoping her hunch is right. "Is Tea there with you?"

Silence. She bites her lip, waiting. On the other end, Tea's brother, Delmonico, sits by the phone in his apartment, hand over his mouth. He turns around, looking toward the bathroom, hearing the shower running. He sighs, heavily, finally putting the phone back up to his ear.

"Yeah...yeah, she is."

Carlotta lets out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god. Is she alright? Can I talk to her?"

Del rubs the top of his clean-shaven head. "She's in the shower right now. But...I guess, considering...yeah, she's okay."

Carlotta stands up, pacing the apartment. "Look, I don't wanna push her. I'm sure if she wanted to talk to me, she would have called. But...you need to tell her something for me, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah...what?"

"Tell her...that Todd is back here, and he's looking for her."

Del stands up too, gritting his teeth. "Ohhh...god...dammit..."

"I know, I know," she replies. "I just found out. Viki asked me to come over, and I knew it had something to do with Tea, but...I certainly didn't expect to see HIM standing there. Then they started asking me if I knew where she was. I couldn't believe it."

"You didn't tell them, did you?"

"No, of course not! I didn't even know for sure that she was with you..." Carlotta replies, then jumps when she hears the door buzzer.

"...hold on a sec," she says, then walks over to the window and looks down. Her eyes widen when she sees Todd pacing around outside. He walks over to the door and buzzes her again. She yells down, dropping her arms so he won't see the phone.

"What do you want?" Todd looks up and sees her in the window. He swallows hard, his pride making a big lump in his throat.

"Can I...talk to you...please?"

She makes a disgusted face. "Wait there," she barks, then disappears from the window.

"Ohhhh...crap," she says, into the phone.

"What?" Del asks.

"Todd is downstairs, right now. He wants to TALK to me," she says, shaking her head.

"Alright, well...I'll tell Tea what's going on. DON'T...SAY...ANYTHING, okay?"

Carlotta laughs, humorlessly. "Oh, you don't have to tell me. If I have anything to say about it, he'll never find her."

"Alright. Thanks for the heads up, Carlotta...and I know Tea sends her love."

She smiles at that, sadly. "Take care," she says, then hangs up.

She takes a moment to drink the rest of her water...the whole time, preparing herself, mentally. Then she walks out, heading downstairs...ready to go head-to-head with Todd for the second time that night.

*****

Del stands by the window, phone in hand, looking out at the city. He hears the water shut off and sighs, turning away from the window. He sits back down on the couch, rubbing the sweat off his head. Things are quiet in the apartment for a few moments, then he hears the bathroom door open. He looks up as Tea appears in the doorway, clean and stringy-haired from the shower, dressed sloppily in his NYPD t-shirt and shorts. She offers him a tiny smile, the best she could do these days.

She takes one look at his face...and that tiny smile disappears.