*****

Tea opens the door quietly, returning from her long walk.

"Del?"

No answer. She walks down the tiny hallway, checking in all the rooms. "You still here?"

She comes back into the living room, realizing she's alone. She looks all around, and finally spots a note taped to the phone. She walks over and sits down in the chair beside the phone, reading the note.

"T --- I was waiting for you, but I got called into the station early. CALL ME as soon as you get back, I'm worried sick here. ---D."

Tea smiles at the little piece of paper...then grabs the phone and dials the number on the note.

"37th Precinct," answers a slightly annoyed, blasé receptionist.

"Uh, hi...Delmonico Delgado, please," Tea replies, walking toward the front window.

"One moment."

Tea opens the window and sits on the ledge, staring out at the city while the call is transferred.

"Delgado," Del answers.

"Hey, that's my line," she says, playfully.

"Oh, my god...where the hell did you go?"

"Y'know, I actually ended up back at the old place...weird, huh?"

At his desk at the station, Del sits with his feet up on top of the pile of paperwork he should be going through.

"Baby, don't EVER do that to me again, okay? Especially after you drop a bomb on me like that."

She smiles to herself. "I am...REALLY sorry I laid all that on you. That was really bad."

"Hey, it's okay, that's what I'm here for, but...y'know, just...I dunno...let me know where you're going next time."

Tea cracks up at that. "Deal. So...you gonna be late? Should I get us some dinner?"

"Well...as usual, I have no idea what the hell's goin' on. I'm probably gonna have to head out here in a minute. I'll call you later, though. You're not going anywhere ELSE, are you?"

"Wasn't planning on it, but...y'know...I thought I might drop in on Abuelita. Where is she these days?"

"Oh...oh, um..." Del says, surprised...not having thought of their grandmother in quite a while.

"...actually...she's back on the island, baby."

"Really?"

"Yeah, she moved back a while ago. Got tired of the city...missed the beach."

Tea cracks up again. "Right...Baywatch babe...that's her."

Del cracks up too. "Yeah, right...no, actually, she was pretty sick there for a while."

She makes a face at that. "What happened?"

He sighs, leaning farther back in the chair. "Eh...she caught pneumonia, and she was laid up for a good couple of months. Got pretty scary...I almost called you...but she pulled through okay..."

Tea bites her lip, feeling suddenly guilty for not being around.

"...and the whole time, she just kept saying, 'when I get better, I'm going home.' And she did, god bless her. She managed to score this great little place near the water in Carolina. Actually, I got a card from her a couple weeks ago...it's up on the fridge."

"Oh, god...sorry, Del...I'm sorry I wasn't here to help."

"Don't worry about it, she's fine. She didn't want me calling anybody anyway, and besides...I figured you were pretty busy with your own problems."

She rolls her eyes, feeling even guiltier. Then she hears somebody yelling at Del in the background.

"Hold on," he says, covering the phone...then he comes back. "Alright, look, I gotta run...so can you just do me a favor and stay put tonight? Don't make me worry about you while I'm on the other side of town."

She smiles. "Staying put. Check."

"Alright. We should go get a drink or somethin' when I get back."

"Sounds good. I'll see ya."

"Later," he says, then hangs up.

Tea gets up from the window ledge, and walks over to the refrigerator, looking over all the stuff held to the door with magnets. She spots the postcard...a typically tourist-y one, with a picture of one of the many historical forts in Old San Juan. She lifts it off, turning it over to read it. It takes her a second to adjust to the words, not having read Spanish in a while.

Hello Del ---

Thank you so much for your letter, it's always wonderful to hear from you. I'm fine! I feel so much better now that I'm back home. I'll have to get somebody to take a picture of this lovely little house of mine and send it to you. Or better yet, you should just take a month or two off of work (ha ha) and come and see me! You would love it here, the view is breathtaking...and it's nice and cool most of the time with the ocean breeze. And of course, I would love to have you. If you talk to Tea, please extend her the same invitation...and send her my love.

Take care, Del...and write me again soon!

Love,

Abuelita

Tea smiles sadly, rereading the last lines...then it fades as she feels another pang of guilt, for not spending more time with what was left of her family. She lingers on the written words, noticing the penmanship...still remarkably neat and clear, considering how old her grandmother was now. She smiles again, tacking the card back up on the fridge...then she walks back out into the living room, and flops down on the couch. She stares out the window, her mind going in so many directions at once, it just feels like a big blur...a heavy weight that causes her eyes to close and her head to drop. Within minutes, she falls into a deep sleep.

*****

Viki walks through the Llanfair gardens, looking around for Todd, wondering if he was still around at all. She brushes past the various long stems and branches sticking out, finally coming across the gazebo. She stops for a moment, seeing him sitting there on the steps, leaning against the side. He looks up and sees her...then looks back down, at the blade of grass he's holding.

"Starr get home okay?" he asks.

She nods, walking over and sitting down on the steps with him. "Yeah, she's fine. She's such a good kid...it was great to see her again," she says, plucking a piece of grass from the ground.

Todd looks over at her, watching her for a moment...then he clears his throat. Viki looks up at him.

"Uh, listen...thanks."

"For what?"

He shrugs, flicking the blade of grass away. "For bringing her here...covering for me with Blair."

She smiles, looking over the blade of grass she picked...then flicking it away, just as he did.

"That's alright. I knew you needed to see her."

He nods, leaning back against the side of the gazebo again. "Yeah, we, uh...got a lot straightened out last night."

"Really?" she asks, curious.

He nods again, but doesn't say anything. Viki looks him up and down, then looks back at the grass. A short silence passes before he speaks again.

"She really understands, y'know? I mean...more than she should at her age. I don't even think she knows how well she understands..." he says, then makes a face.

"...that didn't make ANY sense, what I just said."

Viki smiles at him again. "Yeah, it does. I get it. Starr, she's...an amazing little girl."

Todd looks over at her...and nods, actually giving her a grin...the smile of a proud father. Another comfortable silence passes between them...then Viki gives him a questioning look.

"What are you going to do now?"

Todd sighs at that, shrugging. "I have no idea," he says, softly.

Viki lingers on his face, turned away from her...then she rubs his arm, gently, and gets up. He looks up at her as she offers her hand to him.

"C'mon."

He hesitates...the simple, affectionate gesture such a foreign thing to him. But he finally accepts it, taking her hand and getting up. They head back to the house, hand in hand...and Todd steals glances at her, noticing how slowly she takes the steps now...as if her energy were mostly gone. He feels suddenly guilty, having just about forgotten what she'd been through lately.

"Um...so...how...how're you feelin', you okay?" he asks, cautiously.

She looks over at him, surprised. "Oh...yeah, I'm okay, I guess."

"You sure? I mean, you're moving like an old lady here."

She cracks up at that. "Well, thank you, Todd, I appreciate you bringing that to my attention."

He sort-of cracks up too, as they approach the kitchen door, in the back. Both of them stop suddenly when they see Carlotta standing there, knocking away. They both exchange surprised glances...then Viki lets go of Todd's hand to walk toward her.

"Carlotta?"

She whirls around, startled. "Oh...hi."

Viki smiles politely, but wrinkles her brow. "Uh...what's going on?"

Carlotta notices that Todd's eyes are locked on her, anticipating. She clears her throat, taking a few steps toward them.

"Um...I, uh..." she starts, her eyes starting out on Viki, then gravitating toward his. "...I wanted to talk to you, if that's okay," she finishes, meekly.

He squints at her, then glances at Viki...who looks between them, then heads for the door.

"Oh...okay, I'll be inside, then," she says, trying to get out of the way as quickly as possible. Todd looks away for an instant, watching the door close, then is right back on Carlotta.

"What...one's not enough? You gotta rip me another one?"

Carlotta folds her arms, shaking her head. "Believe it or not, I didn't come here to yell and scream."

"Then what ARE you here for?"

"I just wanna know...how you do it."

He makes a face. "What?"

"I stayed up all night after you left. All I could think of was that look you gave me...your eyes...the way your voice changed when you said Tea's name..."

And that quick, Todd's face goes from defensive to exactly what she's describing...Carlotta's eyes widen, and she points at him.

"Yeah...that. I spent the whole night reminding myself of all the horrible things you've done to her, but still...all I could see was that face. How do you DO that? How do you manage to get people to feel sorry for you after everything you've done?"

His jaw sets hard, and he moves in closer, his voice lowering.

"You can leave, anytime."

She continues right over him, ignoring his words. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were actually sorry..."

He feels his face getting hot with anger...but Carlotta just keeps going, as she studies his face, fascinated.

"...do you really love her? Is that something you're even capable of?"

Todd gets right in her face. "None of your goddamn business! Look, if you're not gonna help me, fine, but I'm THROUGH trying to explain myself to you...to anybody! So do me a favor...butt out, and get lost!!"

Carlotta stares back at him, as if trying to decide something. Todd clenches his teeth, ready to blow.

"I said get the hell outta here...right now."

She lingers on his face, her gaze steady...then takes a step back, amazingly unaffected.

"I know where she is," she says, softly.

It takes a moment for the anger to subside enough to let that sink in. Todd's mouth opens slightly, and his breathing starts to pick up a little.

"What?"

She nods back. "I found out where she was right before you came over... 'course I had no intention of telling you anything."

"Yeah, and I bet you STILL have no intention of telling me, right?"

"I'm still not sure I'm doing the right thing by coming here, no."

Todd stands there, helplessly...completely at her mercy. "Well, what do you want from me, Carlotta? Want me to beg or something?"

"No...I just...want you to be straight with me, that's all."

"Why...what's the point? I could stand here 'til next year telling you that I would never hurt her...but you won't believe me."

Carlotta nods slightly. "Hmmm...you've got a point there. But what have you got to lose? I certainly can't think much less of you."

His eyes widen at that, stung...but after a moment, he sighs, pacing around a bit. "I don't know...I don't know what I can possibly tell you, except that I just...I need to see her. I need to know that she's alright."

"Well, I can tell you that right now. She's fine," she says, turning to follow him.

Todd turns and glares at her...then he shakes his head.

"Besides, why do you NEED to see her? What do you think is gonna happen?"

He sort-of laughs, knowing that Carlotta has no idea what's really going on.

"I don't know."

"Well, what if she doesn't want to see you? What if she never wants to see you again? Will you let her be?"

He looks away, not having really thought about it. "I...I don't know," he mutters.

Carlotta sighs as she stares at him for a moment, then she shakes her head. "Y'know, I thought I saw something in you last night...a little glimpse of something...deeper, I guess...something better than what's on the surface. I thought to myself, 'maybe he really does care about her, maybe I just don't know the whole story...'"

Todd turns and looks back at her, as she approaches him.

"...and for a few minutes there, I even thought I was doing something wrong by not telling you...like I was standing in the way of something. But I'm looking at you now...and I don't see it anymore."

He just continues to stare at her, speechless...Carlotta steps right up to him, lowering her voice.

"See...you have to understand...that I love her too...like the daughter I never had. So I feel like I have to protect her."

His face softens a little, at her gentle tone, and her honesty. He starts to speak, then he catches himself, and thinks about what he was going to say...realizing the words may not be true now...

...but he says them anyway, quietly. "You don't have to protect her from me."

She raises an eyebrow at that...and he reacts, rolling his eyes. "You don't, Carlotta...I would..." he catches himself again, knowing he was about to say something else that may not be true now.

"...I would NEVER...hurt her," he says, more to himself now...using the words to try and negate the images that were constantly running through his head.

"How can you say that, Todd? That's all you've ever done."

He does a take at that...then he walks away from her. Carlotta watches as he paces around for a moment, then whirls around to face her.

"How the hell do you know? Were you there the whole time?"

"I know enough," she says, folding her arms.

He strides up to her. "If all I ever did was hurt her, why did she stay with me at all? Huh?!"

"I think you keep her tied to you with your suffering, that's what I think."

"Oh, gimme a break with that analyst crap...she LEFT. Obviously I'm not THAT good at keeping her TIED to me."

Carlotta stares right back at him, eyes blazing. "Then WHY should I tell you where she is? What good is it gonna do?"

Todd lingers on her face...then walks a few feet away, turning his back to her...taking several deep breaths to calm himself, realizing that his temper was getting the better of him, and the conversation was going nowhere. After a moment, he turns back around, glancing at the kitchen door. He sees Viki there, watching, and makes eye contact with her. Suddenly, he hears her advice in his head...

...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...you're never going to get anywhere that way...

He lingers on her face for a moment, then walks back over to Carlotta, trying to speak as calmly as possible.

"Look, Carlotta, I...I understand where you're coming from, okay? And I'm...actually glad that Delgado has somebody like you looking out for her..."

Her eyes widen at that...and her mouth falls open a bit, as he continues.

"...and I know I've never given you any reason to believe what I say, but you gotta just...trust me on this. I...I do love her. I always have, I just...I'm no good at showing it. But Tea...she knows that...she knows ME. And when we left here, she went with me because she wanted to. I didn't force her into anything."

He pauses for a second, gauging her reaction. It's clearly working...Carlotta's become a captive audience, just standing there, gaping at this sudden burst of...sincerity. Todd swallows hard, hoping he doesn't blow it in the next sentence.

"And she's left me before, but this time is different, something is...something is definitely wrong..." he says, starting to see those images again. He takes a few steps away from her, to avoid her eyes.

"...Delgado, she...if she's fed up with me, she'll definitely let me know it. She'll get right in my face and slam the door on the way out. But she didn't do that...she just left, without a word. That's not like her."

Carlotta finally gets over her shock long enough to speak. "So what happened? You must have some idea."

Still with his back to her, he closes his eyes, seeing those flashes of memory or dream again. He takes a deep breath, then turns back around and walks up to her, with just enough nerve to look her in the eye.

"Look...if I find her, and she tells me to get lost...I'll do it..."

She squints a little at that. He nods, continuing. "...I will. I know you don't believe this, but, I don't get off on torturing her. I don't want to tie her to me with anything. I only want her to be...happy. And I don't wanna be...without her, but if what she wants is for me to leave her alone, I'll do it. I won't like it, but I'll do it."

Carlotta sighs, finally breaking eye contact with him to stare at the ground for a moment. Todd watches her anxiously, knowing she's deciding.

"...but I gotta hear it...and I gotta hear it from HER."

She looks back up at him...and actually grins. "So I guess I AM standing in the way of something, aren't I?"

He doesn't return the smile...but his face relaxes considerably, and he shrugs, a little more comfortable now.

"Well...not to be rude, but...it's between us. It's really nobody else's business, y'know?"

Despite herself, Carlotta's grin widens at that....and she nods, taking the hit graciously. She steps closer to him, looking up into his eyes deeply.

"Thank you, Todd. Thank you for finally being honest with me...and for letting me see that something again. It's a good look for you...you should try it more often."

He nods slightly, letting more of that vulnerability show. She lingers on it, then reaches into her purse for a pen and a scrap of paper. He watches her as she scribbles on it, and starts to hand it to him. He reaches out to take it, but she snatches it away, her face suddenly deathly serious.

"I'm telling you right now...if you're lying to me, you're gonna regret it. I'll spend the rest of my life making sure of it."

...and with that, she holds the paper out again. It takes Todd a moment to recover from the warning...then he nods, respectfully, and takes the paper from her hand. They stand there for a moment, eyes locked...then Carlotta breaks away, and starts to walk back to her car. He watches her go for a second, then looks down at the paper...a Manhattan address...and a name...Delmonico Delgado. Suddenly, Todd feels a ton of stress leaving him in a long, relieved sigh, that's been waiting to come out forever. He turns back around to see Carlotta getting in her car...and he takes off after her. As she puts the keys in the ignition and starts the car, she sees him sprinting up to her. She makes a face, rolling her window down. He stops in front of her, catching his breath...

...then he leans in and plants a tiny peck on her cheek. Carlotta's mouth falls open as he pulls away slightly.

"Thank you," he whispers, lingering on her face for a moment...feeling as if he really were looking at Tea's mother. Carlotta can only nod back, smiling a little. The moment hangs between them a little longer, then she puts the car in gear. Todd stands back, watching as she drives away.

Then he looks down at the paper again, noticing a nervous fluttering in his chest...the good kind, one he hasn't felt since Tea took his hand in the cabin...and for the first time in what seems like years, the fragmented, disturbing images he'd been seeing in his head disappear, taken over by the one thing that always made them go back to each other...

...hope.