PREVIOUSLY

Todd: (Pauses. Quietly:) Holding you and being close. Your touch is electric for me. Kissing you. (Lifts her hand to his lips and softly kisses the back of her hand, never letting it go. He holds it to his cheek and seems to melt for a moment. Quietly intense:) I think that's the most pleasure for me, kissing you and nuzzling you. That's so hard for me and when I can do it with you, it just feels so good it's scary. (Puts their hands to his chest and holds on.) I could kiss you and hold you all day some days. (Plays with her hair.) Like I said a long time ago, you're nice to look at and you're nice to think about. Sometimes all I want is just to be near you all day.

Tea: (Quietly:) Me, too, Todd. All of that.

Todd: Is this love?

Tea: I think it is, Todd. I feel the same way. All of it.

[Scene ends.]

**************************************************************************************************

[Scene: Same day. Asa's study, Buchanan Mansion.]

Asa: Why is it, Holden, that I can never rely on you to do what you say you'll do?

Max: I gave you no guarantees, Asa! And don't forget you have a few skeletons rattling around in your closet, so think twice before you go after Todd about his past!

Asa: Like what, Max? And why are you sticking up for that little cockroach?

Max: Like the fact that you faked insanity a few years back to test Alex's loyalty to you, a test she ultimately failed. I'm only saying "watch your back." The word now is maybe we were all wrong, maybe he wasn't faking it after all.

Asa: You little...... Since when are you defending him? Manning was faking too, so there's nothing we can hang on him about it now because everyone in town heard that tape at the Country Club. It was so good to watch him go down in flames like that, and it was his little girl who did it.

Max: At least it wasn't his "Little Buckaroo". Couldn't you have come up with something less demeaning to call Nigel?

Asa: Demeaning?

Max: One thing I'll give Todd is he doesn't insult his kid.

Asa: I was nuts then.

Max: Maybe we were all wrong, maybe he wasn't faking it after all. You were then, Asa, and you know it as well as Maggie and I do. You were faking the whole thing from start to finish, and you still lost your wife and the money we were trying to get back. What'd you win with your charade, Asa, really? Your sons both still think you really were nuts, and you know: I'm kind of inclined to agree with them. The whole thing was nuts.

Asa: You're saying that now only because it failed. And whose fault was that, Holden?

Kelly: (Walks in.) Well. That was quite a revelation, Asa. Thank you. (Icily:) I think I may put it on the front page of The Sun. 'Asa Buchanan: I faked insanity', Todd's going to love this.

Asa: If you print that, I will ruin you, you will be out of this family.

Kelly: Do you think I care what you think, Asa? Not anymore. (Turns on her toes and leaves.)

Asa: (Yelling after her:) You come back here, Kelly Cramer! What would Drew think?

Kelly: (Comes back to shout at Asa:) Drew is dead, and don't you dare use him to make your point with me or bind my loyalty to you in his name ever again! (Leaves again.)

Asa: (Stunned.)

Max: (Impressed at Kelly.) A backbone, oooo.

Asa: Go after her, Max!

Max: What? Me? Asa, you must be kidding. This is your mess, you fix it yourself. I'll handle Plan A with Blair. (Leaves the office.)

Asa: You do that, Max. And don't screw it up this time! (Smokes his Tiparillo, squinting and thinking.)

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Publisher's Office, The Sun. The next day.]

Max: Blair, I'm offering you a lot of money.

Blair: You mean a lot of Asa's money. Don't you ever learn?

Max: What's to learn? You want money, right?

Blair: (Warily:) Right....

Max: I want The Sun.

Blair: I'm not selling, not to you and Asa, and not without Todd's signature. This is his paper and we agreed to leave it for Starr.

Max: Asa's offering good money and a controlling interest.

Blair: To me?

Max: You don't have control now.

Blair: Asa's offering to give me a controlling interest? Me? The wife who tried to kill him when he had a heart attack by not giving him his medication?

Max: Details.

Blair: Motive: I have money, Max.

Max: I want The Sun.

Blair: No, you want to be the Son, Max. Asa's in particular.

Max: (Insincerely:) Hey! I'm hurt.

Blair: And I have The Sun. You've tried that before, Max, and all that happens is Asa uses you, often against Todd these days (not that I mind that). You screw up, Asa gets mad at you and decides to go do it himself after working you over. Have I got that about right, Max? (Smiles sweetly at Max, but is clearly tweaking him.)

Max: He used to think I was.

Blair: I know, and you're still so hungry for a Daddy you lap it all up like a kitten and cream, Max. You're pathetic.

Max: (Purrs, getting closer to Blair:) Pathetic is you going after Sam when he'd already dumped you and is still hooked on Nora. Pathetic is you holding onto your ex-husband-the-Psycho's newspaper when you could have had me, AND The Sun, and a whole lot of money.

Blair: (Disgusted, pushing him away:) Pathetic is you continuing to sniff around me like a puppy long after we're no longer a couple. Max, I don't want you. I don't want your -- Asa's -- money. I don't want to be beholden -- ha! ok, in debt to -- Asa for any reason.

Max: You wouldn't be in debt, this is a buyout, not a loan.

Blair: I know what it is, Max. It's a buy-off. Asa wants to get to Todd and stick it to him.

Max: Asa is promising to keep you on as Publisher.

Blair: And I know exactly what a promise from Asa Buchanan to me means, even if he were to put it in writing in his own blood in front of reliable witnesses. IF he could find any that he didn't buy off or have something on.

Max: Now, Blair. Asa's prepared to be quite generous here and --

Blair: No. And you know Todd isn't going to sell, either.

Max: Why are you taking Todd's side in this?

Blair: I'm not. I'm taking Starr's side. Where are your kids, Max? Huh?

Max: (Evenly:) You know where they are.

Blair: (Icily:) At least I'm watching over my little girl personally.

Max: What if Todd sold The Sun to you?

Blair: (Feigning interest:) And I sold it to you?

Max: (Grins:) Now you're talking.

Blair: (Firmly:) I'm not talking anything with you, Max. This paper is for my little girl.

Max: (Incredulous:) Are you still hung up on Todd?

Blair: No. But he is the father of my only surviving child and I will do everything I can to secure her future.

Max: Even holding onto this worthless rag?

Blair: If it were worthless Asa wouldn't be offering so much money for it, Max.

Max: Touche'. So --

Blair: Don't start, Max. I have a paper to run.

Max: (Slyly:) What're you working on?

Blair: Out, Max!

Max: No, what're you working on?

Blair: None of your damn business, Max.

Max: (Peers at blank computer monitor, touches a key, it remains blank except for icons.) There's nothing open on here.

Blair: (Patronizing:) Brilliant, Max. Figure it out all by yourself?

Max: (Puts on his best mocking face and tone, brightly:) Why, yes, Blair.

Blair: There's nothing written yet, Max. And it won't be until you're out of this office. So, get out. I've got work to do, Max. I have a paper to run. You know, a day job? Pity you don't have one, Max.

Max: Okaaaay...... But this is not the last of this, Blair.

Blair: I'm sure it's not, Max. Bye......

[Max leaves.]

[Scene ends.]

[Scene: Kelly arrives.]

Kelly: (Enters office.) Blair, you'll never guess what I just found out.

Blair: (Bitchily mocking:) What is this, Grand Central Station? What? They're having a two-for one sale on shoes at Logan's and you want me to go shopping with you? I can't, I have a job.

Kelly: (Makes a face.) No. Rather more interesting than that, Blair.

Blair: (Mockingly perky:) Lemme guess: Two-for-one on sequined party dresses? Feather boas? Mini-skirts! Power suits!

Kelly: (Impatient:) Blair! Do you want to hear this or not?

Blair: Fine. I've exhausted all of your more usual reasons for distracting me at work. Shoot.

Kelly: (Tightly:) Don't tempt me.

Blair: (Mockingly:) Oooo.

Kelly: (Slowly, drawing it out almost seductively:) I heard a rather interesting argument yesterday between Asa and Max at Asa's office.

Blair: (Impatient:) Well, spit it out, already! Max just left here.

Kelly: I passed him in the hall. Do you remember a few years back when Asa went crazy? Before Carlo was killed, or left town with Alex, or whatever which of him did?

Blair: (Interested:) Yeah... I heard something about it.....

Kelly: Well, it seems he faked it. All of it.

Blair: (Laughs.)

Kelly: Max discussed it as if he'd always known about it, and Asa didn't deny a word of it.

Blair: Either they're setting you up --

Kelly: I'd dropped by for a social call and I was coming down the hallway, they weren't expecting me and they didn't know I was there listening until I made my presence known by stepping into Asa's office. It was hard to miss the shouting.

Blair: So, this is true?

Kelly: I suspect if you were to ask Nigel, he'd be able to tell you a lot. It seems to have involved him unwittingly.

Blair: How so?

Kelly: Does the phrase "Little Buckaroo" ring any bells?

Blair: Not with me, but I didn't spend much time in that house during that time, for some odd reason.

Kelly: (Smirking:) Perhaps having to do with divorce?

Blair: (Glares:) Yeah. Maybe.

Kelly: I don't have much to go on but what I heard, but after Todd's lies this suddenly seems to level things between them quite a bit. I'm no great fan of Todd's, nor of Asa's, mind you.

Blair: Who is? Todd, I mean? They're never going to kiss and make up, not with Todd after Bo all the time.

Kelly: I no longer really care what Asa thinks now. Do you know what he tried to do as I was leaving?

Blair: What?

Kelly: He tried to guilt me by invoking Drew's name.

Blair: Well, Asa's a snake, and you know he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants, including using his kids and grandkids.

Kelly: You're not much more pure.

Blair: (Suddenly angry:) Out!

Kelly: Fine. I have some more research to do. Maybe we'll get a frontpage story out of this in the end.

Blair: (Glares.)

Kelly: Bye. (Leaving.)

[Scene ends.]

TO BE CONTINUED