PREVIOUSLY

He looks at her for a minute. Deep into her eyes and notices that there's no fear. Her eyes danced with nothing but joy, hope, and the possibility of all that the future appears to hold. He decides to follow her courageous lead and takes her hand. "Deal. One day at a time."

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Todd stands in the middle of where his living room used to be, getting one last look at his beloved penthouse. That penthouse had meant a number of things to Todd over the years. It was his and Blair's first real home. A place for the town losers to look down on everyone in Llanview. But then Tea moved in and changed things. Not just the decor, but the whole feeling of the place. Somehow, in the short time she'd lived there, every corner seemed to have her own special touch. Almost all memories of his life with Blair had been erased.

"I think this is the last of it," Tea says, surprising Todd and jolting him from his memories. He looks up and sees Tea coming down the stairs with a giant suitcase. She had insisted on packing up her own things, even though he'd hired a crew for the move to the new house. She was stubborn that way. He runs up to grab it from her.

"Tea, what do you think you're doing? You're not supposed to be lifting things like this." He takes the suitcase and follows her down the stairs. They reach the bottom and sit down on the last step. "I don't know why you didn't just let the movers take care of all of this stuff."

"I'm pregnant, Todd. Not helpless. Besides, I wanted to pack these things myself. A few special things I wanted to take care of. Some things for Starr, and some things for the baby. Things I wouldn't trust anybody else with."

"I guess I know what you mean," Todd says quietly, looking around the penthouse again.

"You're really going to miss this place, aren't you, Todd?" Tea sees the sadness on his face and feels a pang of guilt. Outwardly, he seemed excited about moving to a new house. The penthouse had plenty of room, but they thought a house would be a better place to raise the kids. But now, he seemed to be regretting that decision. Maybe she had pushed him without really knowing she was pushing him.

"At first I thought that's what it was. And it's partly true. I am going to miss this place. But I'm sad mostly because of what this place symbolized. This was where I started my life with Blair. This place reminded me of the kind of person I really am. Dark. Distant. Cold."

"Todd," Tea says, interrupting him. "That's not who you are anymore. You're not just this void . . . "

"Let me finish, Delgado. You're right. That's not who I am anymore. Things are different now. I used to see Blair when I looked around this place. Now, I see you. I see how you came in and slowly started changing things. A new sofa here. Some new wallpaper there. I see how you slowly you brought light and warmth to this penthouse. And how you brought a little light and warmth in my life, too."

"So you're really okay with the new house?" she asks, searching his eyes for the truth.

"I am. I really am," he says with a sudden realization. He really was okay with leaving the penthouse behind. Leaving behind a part of his life that needed to be buried. "Tea, this penthouse was a part of me. And I was a part of this penthouse. But I can't think about just me anymore. I have to think about Starr, and you, and the baby. We're like a team or something. And we'll be part of the new house."

"You know, Todd. In some parts of the world, people would say that we're like a family making a home," she says with a slight teasing tone in her voice. "Not your typical, everyday family, but a family nonetheless."

"A family, huh? That's what we got here?" Saying the words out loud frightens Todd. He tries to look away so Tea won't see the fear in his eyes, but it's too late. It's almost as if she knows what he's feeling before he feels it.

"Yes. That's what we are. But that scares you, doesn't it? Todd, it's okay to be scared. I'm scared too. You think I've ever been in a situation like this? I've never been married and pregnant and about to move into a new house. I never even thought I wanted any of that at this point in my life. My childhood was just as lonely and painful as yours. I have no idea what it takes to make a family.

"But one thing I do know is that we both love Starr and that's all she needs from a family. And in about 6 months, there's going to be a little baby that's going to need us as his or her family. I also know that despite what you think of yourself, you've become one of the best friends I've ever had. And right now, that's what I need from a family. But what about you, Todd? What do you need from a family?" She holds her breath for a moment, hoping her words didn't scare him to the point of shutting her out.

"I've never thought about it," he whispers. "All my life, I dreamed of having a real family. Having people who'll be there for me. And people who I could be there for. I never thought in a million years I'd have those people. So I avoided people to prevent the hurt I knew I would end up feeling when they realized I wasn't worth anything.

"But you slipped through somehow, Tea. You got closer to me than anyone else has. And you have this way of knowing things about me that no one ever has known. But in spite of that, you stick around. You know all the horrible things I've done, but you're still here. And not only that, you're sitting here telling me that I'm being the friend to you, when in fact, you're the one making me feel almost human again."

"Todd, that's because you are human. You are warm and caring and funny and smart. And the fact that you worry so much about hurting me only shows me how much you really care. I believe in you, Todd. Do you think I would have agreed to bring a child into this household if I didn't? You just need to hear it more. You need to hear it until you believe it yourself." She looks at him and smiles. As he smiles back, she can slowly see the fear melting away. It's still there, like a big iceberg. But everyday she can see that more and more of it is being chipped away. She could see that he was starting to believe that his life could be worth something.

"Thank you, Tea. For believing in me. You have no idea how much that means to me. To hear someone say something like that. And to trust them enough to believe it's true." Todd is surprised to hear himself say that word. He's never trusted anyone in his life. But today seemed like a good enough time to start. They sit in a comfortable silence for awhile before Todd finally stands up and looks down at Tea.

"Come on, Delgado. We gotta get home." He picks up the suitcase with one hand, and offers the other to Tea to help her up off the step. She reaches up and he feels her fingertips lightly dance across his skin until they wrap around his hand. He firmly pulls her up, but then relaxes his hand again when she's steady on her feet. But, he finds that his own fingertips refuse to separate from hers. Instead, his fingers gently fold in to meet hers, locking their hands together as they walk towards the door.

Todd stops to take one last look around the old penthouse. One last look at his old life. It was time for him to move on and find a new life. One filled with caring and trust. One filled with his family.

TO BE CONTINUED