Todd has been hiding in the attic at Llanfair, not letting anyone other than Viki know that he’s alive, and refusing to see his daughter or his wife.
V: Todd! (enters the attic holding Starr) Todd, I thought you might like to say hello to your daughter. Starr, here’s your daddy. (approaching a stunned and stricken Todd) Would you like to hold her? I know, you don’t think that it’s fair that I brought her.
T: (frightened) You’re right, it’s not fair! Now, get her out of here! (Viki doesn’t more but comforts a startled baby Starr) Did you here what I just said? Get her out of here!
V: (puts Starr down in an old crib and goes to Todd) You keep your voice down.
T: What did you tell her? Blair?
V: Blair?
T: Yeah, you couldn’t just walk out of the house with her.
V: Oh, for heaven’s sake, I didn’t tell her anything about you! I swore to you I wouldn’t, I didn’t. Starr is my niece. It is not an unusual request for me to ask to spend time with her, for heaven’s sake! Todd, look at her, she’s your daughter.
T: (almost hysterical) Don’t you get it? Don’t you get it? You have lived with it long enough! Don’t you get it?
V: (confused) Get what?
T: That thing! That curse--you know what I’m talking about. Dear old dad. Victor Lord and everything that goes along with that name.
V: Oh, that’s absurd!
T: Oh, is it? It happened to me; it happened to you! I will not let it happen to her. I am not going to ruin another life. (intensely) She’s pure, she’s clean, and I am not gonna let anything change that.
V: So, she’s not going to have a father.
T: (throwing up his hands) Hey, she’s done fine until now, let her think that I died in Ireland. Go ahead, you wanna tell her a story, you tell her that one. The best thing I can hope for, the best thing that I can hope for is that she never knows who I was, what I did.
V: (relentless) Yeah, what about who you are?
T: Who am I, Viki? You tell me because I don’t know.
V: Alright. You are my brother, and you’re her (pointing at Starr) father.
T: A kid’s father is whoever raises that kid, and that is not going to be me. Go on, take her out of here. (crossing room) Take the kid back to her mother.
V: (following him) No, Todd, no. No, I won’t do that.
V: Now, I am Victor Lord’s daughter. (getting angry) But there's no such thing as a family curse, it’s nonsense, and I don’t believe it! Nor do I believe in destiny. Our lives are in our hands, and we make whatever changes we want to.
T: (moving across room again) Ever get tired of lecturing people, Viki?
V: Oh, I don’t bother with just anyone.
T: So, it’s just family (facing her). Lucky me.
V: (waving finger at him) Listen, you, I have wrestled with an awful lot of demons in my time, and I never once threw up my hands and said I was giving in to some stupid curse. I have much too much to live for, not the least of which are my three children who need me! Into whose lives I want to belong and fit. Children who I am quite determined to see grow up strong and committed!
T: So where does this little pep talk end? Where are you going, Viki?
V: You have a child now, Todd.
T: Yeah, I can see that.
V: Don’t abandon her, Todd. (he moves away, and she follows, adamant) Our future is of our own making; can’t you see that? Choice is a big part of who we are and an even bigger part of who we will be. The biggest, biggest part of your future is sitting right there in that crib, that little miracle over there. (he turns to her) She is a little miracle, you don’t even know that. She was born two months prematurely. And for a long time, no one thought that she was going to live. But she’s a survivor. And she fought. And she’s fine. She’s healthy, she’s happy, and she’s beautiful. You can’t see that because you won’t even look at her! (she stalks over to the crib, picking up Starr and walking back to Todd) Todd, I really think it’s time you held your daughter.
Todd takes Starr slowly, an almost smile and tender laugh crossing his face as he looks at his daughter in his arms. He turns to Viki, and expression of simultaneous wonder and fear on his face, then turns back to Starr, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against her tiny one.
T: (touching Starr’s face gently with a single finger) She looks like whats-her-name.
V: I’m going to go.
T: No, I, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.
V: You’ll be fine. (opens chest) There are old blankets in here if you want to put her down. (spreads one out on the bed) It belonged to Jessica, and it’s nice and clean. There’s also some toys in here--
T: I got her plenty of them.
V: You did? You mean all those bags are full of toys?
T: (handing Starr to Viki, goes to bags pulling out a stuffed rabbit) You think she’d like something like this? (holding it out to Viki on the bed with Starr) Here.
V: Well, give it to her, Todd.
T: She’s not gonna fall off?
V: No. As long as you hold her and stay with her. Todd, she will be fine as long as you are fine. You’re not going to hurt her, alright? You don’t have to be afraid.
T: I’m not afraid.
V: Good, because babies know when you’re afraid. Now, I’ll be back (rising).
T: Wait, where are you going?
V: Sit down with her. Now. (he does so) I’m going downstairs, I don’t want anyone to miss me. Don’t worry, I’m not going to say anything (after a last look at her brother and his child, she slips out of the room).
T: (holding Starr) Starr. My little star. Not such a bad name. (he settles her in his lap, facing him) Know what? I, I got you something here. (gives her the rabbit, she grabs for it and crows happily as his face finally begins to crumple, filled with myriad emotions as he watches his daughter, his ‘little star’ laugh.)
