PREVIOUSLY

"We sure fooled them," he says, finally breaking the silence. "This didn't end like I had quite expected. I never thought we'd get caught. But at least the judge had compassion and didn't throw the book at us. Thinking that this marriage is actually real. But that's just crazy."

Tea's eyes shoot up to look at Todd directly. Her eyes flashed with all kinds of emotions - anger, disbelief, disappointment. But mostly hurt. His last comment had stung her. Why couldn't he just admit it, she wonders to herself. Maybe she was just imagining it all. The way she felt. The way she thought he felt. To him, the idea of them being together was just - crazy. Yeah, crazy was the word he used. Maybe she was crazy. But she didn't have to stand there and look foolish, too. She turns and runs up the stairs before he could see her tears.

"What have I done?" Todd mumbles to himself. She looked so hurt. Like she was about to cry. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her, but that's exactly what he just did. "What have I done now?"

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Todd sits at his desk, mindlessly flipping through stacks of papers and documents. Without thinking, he picks up the amended copy of his and Tea's contract. He looks at it and thinks back to the day they came up with it. He doesn't remember who proposed what that day. Did she offer to stay? Did he ask her to? He couldn't remember anymore. All he knows is that he couldn't have imagined what would have happened to him and Starr if she had left. He looks towards the stairs and sighs. He knew what he had to do.

Todd slowly ascends the stairs and takes a quick peek in at Starr. She was sleeping peacefully with the covers tucked neatly under her chin. Tea must have been in there to say goodnight just before he did. He gently closes the door and walks down the hall, continuing his search. He looks in his bedroom, not really expecting to find her in there, but disappointed when she wasn't.

He finally finds her in her bedroom. A half filled, open suitcase on the bed. She was throwing things in, not even bothering to fold them.

"You're packing," he says in a surprised tone. Although, he wasn't really surprised at her actions. He had expected them. He had pushed her too far this time. And in the process, he ended up hurting her. Something he never wanted to do.

"Yes. You have Starr back. The judge knows that this marriage was just an act. And all of Llanview knows that this isn't your baby. There's really no reason for me to stay," she says, wiping away her tears.

"Oh," he says, almost in a whisper. He looks down to try to think of something to say. But his words were failing him as usual. Then he sees the contract still in his hands. He tears it in half and hands the pieces to her.

"What's this?" she asks looking at the torn document. Her eyes open in surprise when she realizes what it is.

"That's our contract. Now, you won't have to worry about me suing you for breach of contract or anything," he says with a little smile. "Besides, I don't think my lawyer would approve of me taking you to court."

"No, your lawyer wouldn't approve," she says, smiling back at him.

"And you don't have to worry about the money or anything. You can have whatever you want or need. To make sure you and the baby are taken care of." He walks over to her and places his hand on her face, gently wiping away a lone tear from her cheek with his thumb. "You're free of me and my crazy life. Go and be happy. That's all I want. For you to be happy."

She looks at him and is once again surprised. Downstairs, she didn't think he cared anything about her. But now, he was up here, standing so close to her that it made her knees weak, telling her to go and be happy. At that moment, she realized that there was only one place she could go to be happy. And that was in his arms. She reaches up to her face and grabs the hand still stroking her cheek.

"Believe it or not, Todd, I am happy." She steps a little closer to him so that she could feel his warm breath blowing down on her, covering her with a strange sense of peace. "Right here with you and Starr. I don't want to leave. But, you two don't need me now. I don't see a reason to stay. Can you give me a reason, Todd?"

She stares into his eyes, trying to search for any glimmer of hope in them. She wanted so badly to stay with him forever, loving him for the rest of their lives. But she wasn't sure he wanted to same thing.

He looks back at her, staring at her intently, trying to get the nerve to do what she's waiting on him to do. She was waiting on him to give her a reason to stay. He wants to, but he doesn't know if he can. More than anything, however, he knows that he can't risk losing her. Not now that he knows that he wants her.

He leans over and kisses her. Gently at first, but then more passionately. But, she just pulls away. Slightly confused at his actions.

"Don't like that reason?" he asks. "How about this one?" He kisses her again deeply and desperately, as if her mouth was the sweetest morsel he's ever tasted. His lips then trail over to her neck and he begins to nibble gently. He moves frantically over her body, not wanting to miss an inch of it. The passion consumes them and they give into their emotions. Finally and truly becoming man and wife.

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The next morning, she lays in his arms, listening to him breath. Wondering if last night was a dream. But, she knew it was real. Everything that happened. Every sweet kiss. Every sensual stroke. Every minute they made love was real. But what did it all mean?

"Todd, are you awake?" She asks, gently nudging him with her elbow.

"I'm up. Just thinking. About last night, about us," he says, biting playfully on her earlobe.

"Todd," she says, pulling away from him and sitting up. "Last night was . . . "

"What, Tea?" He starts to get worried. He was finally able to show her exactly what he was feeling, but now he was getting the impression that it all was for nothing. She still doubted how he felt about her. She still didn't know what was in his heart.

"Last night was amazing. You spent a lot of time trying to convince me to stay." She looks at him and is almost lulled into a trance by his lips. She kisses him, gently tugging at his lips with her teeth.

"Did it work?" he asks slyly, smiling through the kisses.

"I don't know. Why do you want me to stay?"

"I thought I made it clear last night," he says with another mischievous grin. He leans in to kiss her again, but she puts her hand up to stop him.

"I need to hear you say it, Todd," she says seriously. "I need to know that you're feeling for me what I'm feeling for you. I know words are hard for you, but those words are important to me. I have to hear them."

"I didn't expect this. Any of it," he starts. "I thought I had lost my chance to love. I thought that Blair and I threw it all away. All I wanted was another chance with Starr. And all you were supposed to do was help me."

"But you helped me in more than that one way. You came into my life, into my crazy messed up life and fixed everything - including the empty hole in my chest where my heart used to be. You became my heart, Tea. My heart and my life. I started to believe in myself again. I started to have faith in life."

"Everyday as your stomach grew bigger and bigger, my faith also grew bigger and bigger. I know that biologically that child isn't mine. But he seems like a part of me. It's like he's the embodiment of my hopes and dreams from the past having a chance to finally be born. That's what he is. All of my hopes and dreams. Everything I always wanted. And also some things I never even knew that I wanted."

"So, he may not be a product of our physical union, but he's as much mine as Starr is. And not even sharing genes could make him any more my child. I love him. Already. I don't know him, but I love him. And I love you for giving him to me. I love you for all that you've given me. But mostly, I just love you. Just because I was meant to. I love you, Tea Delgado Manning. And I want you to stay with me. Forever."

He leans in and tries to kiss her again. This time, she's too stunned to stop him and allows his lips to capture her own.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" she finally says with a smile and kissing him back. "I love you too," she whispers. With all of my heart."

They fall back into each other's arms and celebrate their newly discovered love. A love that's been around for all of eternity, but a love they've only recently opened their eyes to. Everything else was long forgotten and from that moment on, neither could remember a time when they didn't love each other.

The End.