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The flight back to Llanview was excruciatingly quiet to say the least. Although Jason, Carly, Todd, and Blair had tried, they could not find their friends before they left Port Charles. Steve and Lou had not been in their room and in fact had not even spent the night. Manny and Marcie were nowhere to be found and neither Sonya nor Johnny answered their phones. Due to the fact that they wanted to get to Llanview as soon as possible, they had left on their own on an early morning flight.
And needless to say, the fact that both Carly and Blair were furious over being left in the dark about the packages until that morning made it for a very tense flight all around. The only conversations that went on during the flight were between Carly and Blair and Todd and Jason. It wasn't until they got to the Manning Building did Carly and Blair vent their frustrations onto their husbands.
"You had no right!" Carly began as her angry gaze shifted between the two men.
"As soon as you got that phone call you should have told us, Todd," Blair added. "Especially considering that the packages were addressed to us. You can't keep us out of the loop when it comes to personal information like this."
"She's right," Carly agreed, pointing at Jason. "What gives you two the right to decide what we should and shouldn't know about packages sent to me and Blair?"
The accusations and anger continued until both women were red in the face.
"We thought we were doing you a favor," Todd finally shrugged when it appeared the two women were finished.
"A favor?" Blair replied outraged. "How is keeping us from the truth a favor?"
"Look, you were having fun last night and we didn't want to ruin it," Jason added.
Carly narrowed her eyes at her husband fully remembering what happened in their hotel room after they had left the ball. "Funny you weren't too worried last night after we left," she told him in a knowing tone.
Jason simply smirked at her in return.
"Fine," Todd sighed. "We get it. We screwed up. We were wrong, you were right. Ok?"
Carly raised an eyebrow at Jason.
"What he said," Jason shrugged.
"You guys are such bastards," Blair muttered under her breath.
"No arguments here," Carly added looking at the two men.
"Ok, now that we've established that you hate us; can we just get on with what we have to do?" Todd asked.
"Fine," both women sighed.
Todd walked towards his desk and found the seemingly innocent manila envelopes sitting on the edge. He looked over at Jason and rubbed the back of his neck as he handed him the envelope marked for Carly.
"There were no prints found on these either," Jason sighed tiredly. "They weren't opened, but we guessed that there's not gonna be any prints found on the inside either." He handed the package to Carly and held it for a few seconds before releasing it. "Be careful just in case," he told her quietly.
She nodded slightly and sat on the couch by the office window.
Todd handed Blair her envelope, her face set in determination. "I know the drill, Todd," she told him before he could open his mouth. She sat behind the desk setting her gaze back on her husband. "I mean this is getting ridiculous," Blair sighed opening the envelope. "What's this going to be? Pictures of Carly's clothes or something?"
She refocused her gaze as she slid out the photos that were enclosed inside. She began to flip through the photos, her smile slowing dying and the color beginning to drain from her face.
"Blair?" Todd began, noticing her change in demeanor. "You ok?"
She didn't reply and the photos fell out of her shaking hands and onto the desk.
"Blair, what's wrong?" Todd asked concerned.
Blair's eyes began to water as she quickly stepped away from the desk and the photos. Pictures of her mother were spread out on the desk as well as pictures of herself from when she was growing up in Florida. Pictures of endless orphanages and foster parents. The images in turn put various painful memories she tried to bury back in her thoughts.
"Todd," her voice cracked.
He walked over to the desk and saw the contents as well. His eyes grew cold and he pulled out his cell phone. He called one of the guards and ordered that they get to St. Anne's immediately. He then called the institution and demanded to speak to his mother-in-law.
"I don't care if she's taking a nap! Get her on the phone now!" When they continued to refuse, he made his intentions clear. "I'm gonna be there in twenty minutes and I swear if one hair on her head is messed up, someone's gonna pay."
Carly and Jason stood off to the side watching the scene unfold. Carly moved forward to help Blair, but Blair waved her off.
"No, just give me a minute," she asked with a tremble in her voice.
Todd continued to bark orders into his phone and tried to comfort Blair as much as he could. "She's fine, Blair. Your mom's fine," he told her as he covered the mouthpiece of the phone.
Carly's eyes widened when she realized what was going on and she quickly looked down at the envelope in her hands.
"Carly, what are you waiting for?" Jason asked her softly.
"I can't do it, Jase. What if they did something to Bobbie?"
"Bobbie's fine, Carly. She has guards on her and if something was wrong, they would have called. She's ok."
"But for how long, Jason? How long till this sick game is gonna stop?"
He couldn't answer her and tapped the envelope with his index finger instead. "We need to know what's inside so we can figure out where to go from here."
The question that continued to roll around in Blair's head was why. Why her? Why her mother? Nothing made sense. "Mama," Blair whispered. She grabbed her purse and made her way to the door, but Todd was there to stop her.
"Blair, no. It could be a trap," he tried to dissuade her, shoving his phone back into his pocket.
"Todd, get out of my way!"
"Blair, listen to me," he told her quietly as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I told you I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. I meant it. Just trust me on this. I'll go check on Addie. You stay here."
"Like hell," she finally answered him. "I'm going to go myself, Todd. I want to see my mother."
Todd, seeing the grim determination on her face, nodded his agreement. "Ok, but you have to promise me, Blair, you're gonna be careful."
"Yeah, ok," she mumbled. She took in a steadying breath and finally turned to Carly. "What--what was in your envelope?"
"I haven't opened it yet," she told her, her gaze flickering back to the envelope in her hand.
Jason eyed her quickly. "Open it, Carly."
"No."
"What do you mean 'no'?"
"I'm not playing this game anymore, Jason. I quit. I'm not gonna let some sick freak make me panic over shit that I shouldn't panic about."
"Carly you need to open it to see what's in there," Blair told her from the entryway, her voice calmer. "It could be a clue about who's doing this."
She nodded slightly finally agreeing and ripped open the seal. It was no surprise to her that the contents were similar to those of Blair's. Photos of her as a child in Florida, her adopted mom Virginia, and Bobbie were her prize. And although she was, needless to say extremely upset over the circumstances of obtaining the pictures, Carly knew that she wouldn't ever let them go. And unlike Blair, there were no hidden hurts that rose to the surface. Just feelings of sadness over her now deceased mother who had loved her with all of her heart.
Carly wiped a tear away she didn't realize had fallen as Jason placed a hand on her shoulder. "You ok?" he whispered.
"Yeah," she smiled at him. "I'm ok."
Noticing that the photos Carly received were not distressing, Blair walked over to her. "What is it?"
"Just pictures of my mom. Both of them."
Blair smiled sadly. "That's good. It's good that they're happy memories for you."
Carly squeezed Blair's hand in response. "I'm just sorry you can't say the same," she told her sadly.
"Me too," Blair whispered.
"Look, you guys can stay here," Todd told them, running a hand through his hair. "But we're gonna go check on Blair's mom."
"No," Carly interrupted. "We want to go. Besides I really don't think we should split up at this point." She looked to Jason in question.
"Carly's right. We need to stay together."
"Ok," Blair nodded. "Where we're going . . . I'm not going to lie to you. There's a reason my mother's there, but she's . . . fine."
"It's ok," Carly reassured her, placing a hand on her arm. "Hey, I've been in a mental hospital so it's nothing I haven't seen," she told her trying to lighten the mood. "And Jason visited me there all the time."
Jason snorted in return as Carly chuckled.
Blair smiled at them. "Ok, if you're sure . . . let's go."
~~~~~~~~~
Blair slowed her steps as they neared the sitting room doors at St. Anne's. "Listen, if you guys want to wait out here, it's ok. Sometimes she doesn't respond to strangers and she can get scared . . ."
"Blair, we're coming with you," Carly interrupted her with a smile.
Blair smiled at her in return and walked in to the spacious room. "Hi, mama!" Blair exclaimed happily as she saw her mother sitting on the couch crocheting.
"Blair!" Addie answered equally happily.
Mother and daughter hugged as Jason and Carly looked on.
"How have you been, mama?"
"Really good," she answered simply and tilted her head away as her focused eyes went to Jason and Carly.
"I know you," Addie told Carly stepping away from Blair's hug.
"You do?" Carly asked, smiling slightly. "Because I don't think we've met before."
Addie carefully studied her as Carly shifted nervously on her feet. "Oh yes, I know you," Addie told her pointedly. "From a very long time ago. Before I saw my Blair again."
"Mama," Blair told her gently holding onto her hand. "This is my friend Carly. She doesn't live here in Llanview."
"Oh." She tilted her head to the side, still watching Carly. "No, I know you. But it's ok if you don't remember." Addie smiled at Carly and touched the curls of her hair as Blair looked on. "You're very pretty. You have hair just like my Blair." She turned to face Jason and she stepped back a bit. "He looks mean, Blair," she told her daughter quietly.
"It's alright, mama," Blair reassured her. "This is Jason. He's Carly's husband."
Jason stood where he was and uncrossed his arms. Carly elbowed him slightly causing him to react to Addie. "Hi," he told her simply with a small smile.
"Hello," Addie answered. "Are you very mean?" she asked him curiously.
He smiled at her again and shook his head. "No, not very."
"Oh," Addie nodded.
"Jason loves Carly very much, mama. Just like Todd loves me."
Addie nodded knowingly at Blair's comment. "I understand now. He's her Todd."
Blair tilted her head to the side at the comparison her mother made. "Yes, mama, he's her Todd."
"Do you fight like Todd and Blair?" Addie asked them seriously. "They fight all the time, but they never stop loving each other."
Carly took Jason's hand and smiled. "Yeah, we're just like that."
"Mama," Blair began sitting on the couch and bringing Addie with her. "Has anyone come by to visit you?"
"Yes," she nodded. "Lindsay came by a few days ago and we played with clay. I like Lindsay, she's my friend."
Blair ran her hand down her mother's hair. "She likes you too, mama . . . Has anyone else come by?"
"Just Dorrie. I think she came to see me the same day as Lindsay." She paused slightly before shaking her head. "No," she amended. "That's not right. Dorrie came before that."
"Anyone else?"
"You and your friends," Addie smiled as she turned back to Jason and Carly.
Blair patted Addie's hand. "Anyone else you remember?"
"No, just the sisters. Sister Karen wanted to play badminton, but she said it's been too chilly outside."
At that moment, Todd came in through the doors and Addie jumped up to greet him. "Todd!" she exclaimed happily.
"Hey, Addie," he smiled genuinely at her. "How's my favorite mother-in-law?"
"Todd, do you know Blair's new friends? This is Carly and her Todd."
Todd couldn't help but smirk at her comparison. "Yeah, I know them, Addie. The sisters treating you good?"
"Oh, yes. They're always so nice to me."
Blair caught Todd's eyes and she lifted her brows in silent question and he quickly shook his head once in answer.
"Addie," one of the sisters called. "It's time for lunch. You'll have to say goodbye to your visitors now."
"Ok, Sister Eileen."
She turned to Blair and hugged her tightly. "I have to go now. Will you come back soon?"
"Yes, mama. I promise."
Todd wrapped an arm around Addie as well. "You be good, Addie. Don't let the sisters steal any of your stuff."
"Oh, Todd, you're so silly," she laughed. Carly and Jason said their goodbyes as she waved to them. "Goodbye," she told them happily.
Sister Eileen followed Addie out the doors and it was just the four of them in the room.
"No one's been in to see Addie except Lindsay and Dorian," Todd told Blair.
Blair sighed in relief and sat back down on the couch. "She says she hasn't seen anyone either."
"Do you know the two people that came here?" Carly asked Blair cautiously, taking the seat next to her.
"Yeah," Blair sighed. "Dorian . . . that's my aunt, Addie's sister. And Lindsay - Lindsay Rappaport - she's a friend of the family. She wouldn't do this."
"So we have nothing," Carly sighed.
Todd came to Blair's side and crouched down next to her. "Look at least we know Addie's ok here. The sisters aren't going to let anything happen to her," he reassured her. "I told them what's going on, Blair. They wont let any strangers in to see her and they know a guard is gonna be watching her too."
"Oh, God, Todd, if anything happens to her . . ."
"It won't. I promise. She's safe here. Safer than being with us or Dorian actually."
"Yeah, ok," Blair finally agreed.
Carly stood and walked over to Jason, concern in her eyes. "Jase, about Bobbie?"
He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. "Bobbie's ok. I have a guard on her. Nothing's going to happen to her, Carly. I promise." His hands moved down her arms and pulled her into a hug. She squeezed him hard, the need for comfort suddenly strong.
"Listen," Todd began, "I think we should finish this up back at the office."
"Yeah," Jason nodded as Carly released her hold on him, but he found himself holding tightly onto her hand. "We need to figure out what to do next."
~~~~~~~~~~
As they made their way back to the Manning Building, all four of them silently wondered what the next step in their plan would be. Carly had spoken to Bobbie who was unaware of what was going on and Jason confirmed that a guard would always be with her. Unfortunately, they somehow felt it would be unnecessary. There was no immediate threat felt or made by whoever was leaving these gifts for Carly and Blair. All that there was, was gut wrenching curiosity and suspicion.
Johnny and Sonja had called Jason, apologizing for their disappearing act, but not explaining where they had been. Steve and Lou's call came shortly after, as well as Marcie and Manny's. But the two couples in Llanview were unconcerned. The sit and wait act was taking its toll on their patience.
"Maybe we're looking at this all wrong," Jason began as he paced the floor in Todd's office. "We're looking for the wrong things. We know that whatever this is, it's about the two of you," he told Carly and Blair. "Whoever's sending this stuff wanted the two of you to meet or they wouldn't of sent Carly Blair's pictures or vice versa."
"Ok, so we met, big deal," Carly sighed. "Aside from maybe competing in the same business, there's no connection between us."
"True, nothing noticeable until today. You both grew up in Florida. Any chance the two of you met before and don't remember?"
Blair and Carly looked at one another and shook their heads. "No, I'm older than Carly so we wouldn't have been in the same circles and we were never in the same city."
"You sure?" Todd asked. "I mean, Blair, how many foster homes were you in?"
She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Too many to count, but even if we were in the same city at the same time, it would have been briefly. I was moved around within months of each home." The newly opened wounds continued to sting Blair. "I don't wanna talk about this anymore," she trailed off quietly.
Todd squeezed her hand. "Ok, Carly what about you? You remember anything?"
She shook her head slowly. "It was so long ago," she sighed. "I skipped school a lot went to the beach with Carly." Off of Blair and Todd's look, she further explained. "My best friend growing up, her name was Carly. Carly and Caroline, we were inseparable." She paused slightly thinking back to that time in her life. "I might of met Blair, but I don't remember. And if I did, it was nothing that makes it stick out in my memories all these years later."
"Maybe we should go to Florida?" Todd suggested.
Blair squeezed her eyes shut at the suggestion. She didn't know if she would be able to handle it.
"What about Luke?" Carly quickly suggested. "He was still in Florida for a few years after I was born. Maybe he knows something."
Jason nodded slowly. "He saw Blair at the ball . . . didn't he say you looked familiar?" he asked Blair.
"Yeah, he did, but then he changed his mind," Blair told him quietly.
"Maybe if we show him the pictures of Blair's mom and Blair when she was younger, he might remember something else," Carly added.
"It's a long shot," Todd shrugged. "Might as well give it a try."
"I--I recognized him," Blair finally whispered softly and all eyes turned to her. "I recognized him when we were at the ball, but I don't know from where."
"Luke? Are you sure?" Jason asked.
"Yeah . . . he, um, he creeped me out. No offense," she told Carly quickly.
"None taken. He creeps me out sometimes too."
"Then I guess we're going back to Port Charles," Todd sighed.
"I'm pretty sick of this back and forth," Carly frowned.
"All of us are," Blair agreed. "When I said I wanted a vacation, this isn't what I had in mind."
~~~~~~~~~~~
The trip back to Port Charles was the opposite of the trip to Llanview. Jason and Carly were huddled alone in a corner as were Todd and Blair. And aside from the roar of plane engines, the only audible noises coming from the cabin were the few private whispered conversations the two couples were having.
Jason had taken note of Carly's silence since the minute they were airborne. He had thought that it was due to exhaustion, but she never fell asleep. He was hoping that she would say what was on her mind, but when he realized that she wasn't going to speak unless he initiated the conversation, he did just that. "Hey," Jason began as he squeezed Carly's hand. "You ok?"
She shrugged slightly and laid her head against his shoulder. "I don't know," she confessed. "This is all so weird . . . I just want it to stop."
"I know," he nodded. "Hopefully Luke can fill us in on something," he told her softly.
"Yeah," she mumbled.
"What aren't you telling me?" he finally asked her after a few more moments.
She snorted in return. He knew her so well. "I'm a horrible person, Jason," she began sadly.
His forehead crinkled in confusion. That was the last thing he expected.
"How long has it been since I mentioned Virginia? She was my mom. She loved me like I was her own and I wanted to have nothing do with her. I was obsessed about finding my birth mom that I just didn't care what she was going through. I don't even think I've ever mentioned her to Michael." A tear ran down her cheek. "I'm a horrible daughter, Jase."
Jason took her hand again. "Carly, you're not horrible," he told her sincerely.
Her large brown eyes began to glisten with unshed tears, but she didn't respond this time. She just shrugged a shoulder a few seconds later. "I guess," she finally replied.
"You don't believe me?"
Carly finally lifted her head from his shoulder. "I guess . . . I don't know, I guess I was just thinking of everything I have . . . everyone I have . . . and it made me realize just how much I take advantage of everyone. Like you for example, Jase. How many times have I taken from you without giving it a second thought?"
"You don't take anything I don't want to give, Carly," he told her softly. "And you give back just as much as you take. You make it sound like you've never done anything good ever."
"It's true," she muttered.
He titled his head to the side to regard her softly. "You gave me Michael. You gave me Ethan. You gave me you, Carly."
The corner of her mouth curved upwards. "More like inflicted and threw myself at you."
He shook his head at her. "No, you didn't. And what about Marcie and Sonya? Would they be your friends if you were so horrible? What about Manny and Johnny? And Bobbie and Luke and Laura and Lucky? Do I need to go on? They all love you, Carly. If you were as horrible as you think you are, they wouldn't care about you the way that they do. You're wrong." He stroked her cheek with his thumb. "If you were so horrible, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you again. The day I came back to town, I never thought that we would end up together. But when it happened, you made everything just fall into place."
"I love you," she told him softly.
"I love you too, Carly. Nothing will ever change that." He still noted the sadness in her face. "Maybe--" he paused slightly at his thought. "Maybe when all this is settled, we can take Michael and Ethan down to Florida. You can tell them all about Virgina and I can take the boys into the ocean like I did with Michael when he was a baby."
The tears finally broke free and made their way down Carly's cheek. "Jason . . ." she shook her head and wiped away at the tears, her mind reeling at how lucky she was to have him in her life. "I think that's a great idea . . . that day at the beach is still perfectly clear to me, Jason. I don't think I'll ever forget it. I knew, even then, that we belonged together. All three of us."
"All four of us now."
She smiled softly. "Yeah."
"I can still remember it too, Carly. It felt right walking out and having you waiting there."
She tilted her head upwards to kiss him softly. "I know. I can't wait to go back."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Me too." His focus shifted to Todd and Blair after a moment. "You think she's ok?" he asked Carly softly, his eyes still on Blair.
Carly's gaze traveled to her friend. "Yeah. I think she'll be ok. I know it must be hard for her. And she's dealing with it lot better than I would have . . . I was the lucky one," she murmured softly.
Blair was pressed against Todd's side, trying to keep the chill she felt all day at bay. Thoughts and sounds and smells she had buried years ago were laid out before her. It was all too overwhelming. She felt like she was six again. Unwanted. Unloved. A waste of skin and space.
"Blair," Todd murmured against her hair. "Listen to me. I know," he sighed trying to decipher his thoughts. "I know you've been dealt a lot today and the last thing you want to do is talk to that old man, but you can do this Blair. You're not alone. You're not a little kid anymore. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Addie's ok. The kids are ok . . . you're ok."
He waited for a response, but none came. Inwardly Todd cursed and swore that whoever was putting his wife through this ordeal would pay. He felt Blair shift closer to him. If she moved any closer she would be sitting in his lap. But unbeknownst to Todd, the feel to connect to someone, to feel their warmth, was the only thing keeping Blair sane at the moment. Every bruise. Every scream. She was reliving it all over again. A never-ending slideshow that wouldn't stop no matter how much she wished it away.
She squeezed her eyes shut hoping that the barrage of memories would stop, but the darkness made everything so much more real. She was just so incredibly cold.
A shiver went up her spine involuntarily and Todd squeezed her even harder to him, placing a kiss on her head. She felt it and it warmed the tips of her toes. At least it was a start.
Her eyes flickered to Carly and Jason and her eyes met Carly's.
"I'm sorry," Carly mouthed to her.
Blair nodded once in acknowledgment. Blair wanted to scream back 'don't be, you were the lucky one, just be thankful you weren't like me'. She wouldn't wish her childhood on her worst enemy. But she knew, somewhere deep inside, that she and Carly were connected. They were different, but they were so alike in so many ways. And Blair knew that aside from Todd, she finally felt like someone understood. That Carly could empathize with her. That her concern and apology were not coming from an empty place. And with that knowledge the warmth she felt in her toes reached the rest of her feet.
Chapter 10
Family Secrets Home Page
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