PREVIOUSLY

She could feel herself coming to the brink, to the edge of the cliff. She'd been there before, but she had always been able to pull herself back. That's what she had to do, because there would be noone there to catch her if she fell.
Tea got up and returned, as usual, to her office. But not for long. She had a date.

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If you stood at just the right spot, behind the bushes, at exactly the right angle, outside of the big picture window, you could see right into John Sykes' house. There was a pretty good view of the living room, and just a little bit of the kitchen and the front hall.. Fortunately most of the action was taking place right there in the living room, where Sykes and his beautiful guest were visiting after a night out. Tea Delgado, in a smooth blue dress, smiling through lowered lids at her date, neither of them thinking to close the window blinds. They weren't expecting an audience at the moment, much less Tea's ex-husband. It was a creepy thing to do, but then, Todd was a creepy guy.

He crouched in the bushes, more and more agitated by the minute. He had found them together, having dinner, and he couldn't get the image out of his mind. He followed them back here, not long ago, and was waiting.. for what? For her to go, so he could go home. Well, the hotel anyway. Fortunately he had them right in sight, could see everything, except maybe when they would go in the bedroom.. But they hadn't yet, but surely they would, because why else would they be here, and surely it hadn't taken this long for the Rev to get Delgado in his bed, or maybe that was the other way around.. He couldn't stand to look at her, but glared continually at Sykes. Slimy bastard, Todd didn't trust him. Well, he had even less than the lack of trust he had in everyone. That is.. Anyway, there was something lower than low about this guy, and seeing him near Tea.. Why this guy, if it had to be someone else then anyone else but this guy!

He was all over her in the restaurant, staring at her with those cold eyes, touching her all the time.. And she egged him on, those seductive looks, that low voice.. That outfit, god, it drove Todd crazy to watch her like that, looking so good for someone else, the way she had never done for him.. How could she still do this to him, after everything, he just couldn't get her out of his mind, and still he needed to see her, to be reassured that she was there somewhere. Those beautiful eyes, that voice, that smile, always for someone else.

Tea was holding a drink, but she was only pretending to drink it; Todd had seen her do this before. She liked to keep herself sharp, she said, and losing your edge gives other people the advantage. She had the advantage then, because Sykes had drained several glasses. He was leaning in suggestively when he talked to her, and staring openly. "..another?" he heard Sykes ask, when she finally finished her glass. She nodded and said something else, leaning over towards him. Todd strained to hear, cringing at their closeness. She broke off and leaned back, watching Sykes with smouldering eyes as he rose with her glass and headed into the kitchen.

But then she quickly stood up. She ran a hand through her hair, looking quickly around the room. He held his breath, what was she doing? Glancing quickly at the kitchen, she moved to her destination -- the answering machine, on the table. Quickly, with a studied maneuver she replaced the current tape with a duplicate from her purse, and returned to the couch before Sykes could return with her glass. "Thank you," she told him, before a noise from outside drew their attention.

Sykes went to the window and looked out, but there was nothing. "Probably the neighbor's cat," he said as he turned away, just missing the sight of Todd Manning fleeing the yard, doubled over in laughter.

Oh, oh, oh, that's too rich! Delgado's conning him! That moron's part of her investigation! Oh Tea, you even had me fooled, you're good, you're too good.. He sat in his car and laughed and laughed. It felt good. Delgado, you're amazing..

As the laughter died away, his satisfaction was disrupted by the unsettling fact that he had almost been caught by that Dudley Dooright cop, with Delgado right there no less. That, and Julian Black's voice from that afternoon, telling him to stay away from Tea.

I'm not stalking her. I'm just..

He drove back to his hotel room in silence.

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we're manufacturing hearts we've got the perfect thing the word on the street we've got the new love machine heart with an on/off switch and a remote control now you can program how you feel before you walk out the door

well you can leave em hot and you can leave em cold and you can give em what you want and you can get up and go and you can take your heart out and you can put it back in I think we found the way to put the fun back in sin

it's not like an organ more like a valentine it's cherry cherry red and it beats on time we're trying to reduce that heart on heart crime you bring your heart to us we'll get it purified

what are you waiting for?

- "Heart Factory", Sleater-Kinney

Tea got back to her apartment and found Roseanne lounging in her front room, watching a movie on cable. "Hey, how was your date?" She asked as Tea came in. Tea startled for a second but recovered quickly- Roseanne had a tendancy to come and go unannounced, and she was starting to get used to it.

"Fine, it was fine. What are you watching?" She tossed her purse aside and joined her niece on the couch.

"Dunno, I'm just flipping through. Some old movie. Looks okay."

"Oh, I know this one! She's dying of a mysterious illness and she doesn't want to tell him.. or something like that.."

"Ah, one of those tragic love stories. You like that stuff? Too melodramatic for me." Roseanne bounced up off the couch for a soda refill.

"They're all tragic," Tea says to noone in particular.

"What was that?" Rosie shouts from the kitchen.

"I said, bring me something too. Something cold." Tea slumps on the couch and kicks off her shoes. She felt that kind of tired that went clear down to the bone, too tired even to rest, just to keep plodding ahead.. Or to watch a trashy old movie.

"So," Rosie hands her a coke, "was your evening a success?"

"Yes, depending on your definition of success. I got what I wanted." Hopefully.. The tape would probably have nothing important, but even that would prove something. John Sykes was either the only innocent man in that police department.. or the only guilty one. She was looking for the connection, the one that would tie the Llanview police to the LA mob to the FBI.. Somewhere in there was the conspiracy that had framed her client, and policy be damned -- noone was going to pull the wool over Tea Delgado's eyes... What a way to spend an evening, huh? Romancing a guy to get to his phone..

"Well good, it's about time you were back on the market. And he's cute. A little strait-laced, but he's got that.. old movie star look.."

"Which old movie?" Tea laughed. "He's handsome, sure. He knows how to wine and dine a girl, too.."

"Yeah, I can smell the wine part from over here!"

"One glass, Rosie, un poco. Hmm... He was a little disappointed when I didn't go for further, ah, servings.."

Roseanne cracked up. "Too much information! Too much information! I don't want to hear about any SERVINGS!" Meanwhile, as the two laughed, the couple on screen cuddled contentedly, unaware of the impending disaster. "Don't get too comfy foks," Rosie turned back to the tv, "you're in the wrong movie."

"Story of my life," Tea yawned, standing up. "I'm going up to bed. You can stay down here if you want."

"You're pooping out on me already? Man, you're no fun!"

"Nope, I'm no fun at all," she deadpanned, heading into her room. "Goodnight Rosie."

Tea undressed slowly, stopping to stare at herself in the mirror. All in a day's work, huh Tea? She shook it off. She needed this case, this would be the make or break. And Matt was counting on her. This stuff was nothing compared to what she'd done in the past, anyway.

So why did she feel so empty?

She lay in bed restless, her mind working, going in a thousand directions. This is how it's done. You have to be tough. You have to pull through, if you're not successful you're nothing. If you're not a lawyer, you're nothing, and a lawyer's got to be tough as nails, if she's a woman, and if she's going to really make it. I have to make it. Forget about the other stuff, that's not for you. Everyone else can have their picket fences, it's a sacrifice I have to make. Better not to risk it anyway. Not if.. not if it means being hurt like that again. Better not to have a heart.

Better not to have a heart..

End Part 14

Next: Revelations (I promise)