SLEEP - PART FOUR

PREVIOUSLY
Todd kissed her on the forehead, gave her a heated look, and promised to behave with Blair. Téa walked up the penthouse stairs with Starr. Turning from looking at the two most precious things in his life, he looked at the woman who knew and mirrored his demons and past mistakes better than anyone else, his ex-wife.
"So, Todd, who the hell are you today?"

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Todd looked at Blair with more quiet interest than malice, and so she was thrown off guard. She was used to him exploding in anger, but this was something new to her. Looking back on the last few minutes, she realized that he had been talking in a normal Todd voice, even though Téa was in the room, and Téa's cryptic exit line was making her nervous, also.
"So, did you tell the little woman that you're faking all of this. If you did, I'm surprised she's still here. But, I guess anyone who's still in love with you after seeing your true personality must be a little on the idiotic side."
"No, Blair, I didn't tell her I was faking, because I'm not. No, don't say anything yet. I know what Pete told you. I'm starting to be able to distinguish their thoughts from mine. I'm not faking."
"Sure, Todd. And the Cramer family is the sanest one on the block. You know you don't need to lie to me. For Christ's sake, we were staring to be able to tolerate each other again, and then you pull this! Lie to everyone else if you need to, but don't lie to me." Blair noticed her voice getting louder and louder, so she calmed down a little and tried a new tactic with him. "What is it, Todd? You worried I'll take the tape and tell Sam and Viki what's really up? If you go to jail, Starr doesn't have a daddy. I'm not going to do that to you."
"I'm not worried about you. You've actually been approaching civil lately, and I'm too smart to throw you away as an ally. Think about it, Blair. If I was faking, wouldn't it be more intelligent of me to just let you know the truth? Why would I risk pissing you off in some attempt to cover my *ss?"
Blair thought about this, and kept quiet for awhile. In the silence, they could both hear Starr giggling upstairs while Téa said something to her in Spanish.
"Okay, Todd. I'll indulge you in this a little longer. Say you aren't faking. Why are you out now? Shouldn't some crazy alter be running the show now?"
"I don't know why I'm out. I've been retaining some control every once in a while, but last night I told Téa what was happening, and since then I've been in control. Nothing's threatened me yet, and hopefully nothing will, so the little monsters inside won't feel the need to pop out and make a stand. That means, don't piss me off, or you won't be happy with who you're dealing with."
Blair gave an involuntary shudder. If this was real, the stakes were far higher than just covering up for Todd. She was used to his anger, and sure it got scary sometimes, but no scarier than other things she's seen in life. But, if whoever was in there took over completely, then she'd have to get out quick. And take Starr with her.
"So, they've all been real? Every sick, twisted last one of them, have at one point or another been a reality?"
"Seems that way. We just have to find a way to deal with this without me losing control."
"But that just makes it harder for all of us," a voice drifted from the top of the staircase. Téa continued to speak, as she came down the stairs.
"I put Starr to bed for awhile, so let's get it all out in the open." She came to sit down on the couch, and when Todd sat down beside her, he held her hand and squeezed it, giving her the courage to say all that she had been thinking about.
"If you were faking, we could just have you be the other alters whenever we needed them to make an appearance." She looked pointedly at Blair, "But, now that we all know the DID is real, there's a slight problem. To get someone else out, you have to feel threatened in some way. And the minute someone else comes out, we lose you. So, if we want you to stay out of jail, we lose you. And if we don't lose you, mentally, then we lose you for the next 350 years while you're in a jail cell."
"I'm not going back to jail." Todd said anxiously.
"I know, dear. I'm just laying out the stakes in all of this. This is not something we can screw up, so we have to know every angle."
Blair sat, incredulously looking at the two of them, plotting as if it was a foregone conclusion that this was a reality. Téa was right, the stakes were high, but it was taking her a little time to adjust to the fact that Todd, of all people, was telling the truth about his sheer insanity.
"Wait a second, shouldn't Sam know about this?" was the only thing that came out of her mouth.
Todd railed at her. "For God's sake, Blair! He already slept with you, you practically own him. Can you stop kissing butt for a second and pay attention to me?"
Téa felt it a wise decision not to comment on her husband's arrogance at this moment. "It is a valid concern, Todd. Sam needs to know that you're back, and that you have this much knowledge of what's going on. It can help the case or it can hurt it, depending on how we handle it."
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and all three heads turned to it in apprehension. Todd calmly got up and went to the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw it was Sam. He opened the door, silently, and Sam came into the living room of the penthouse. He said hi to Téa, gave Blair a quick kiss, and looked back at Todd.
"Coach, I've got something kind of funny to tell you."

TO BE CONTINUED