"Look at you!" Blair's entire face lit up when she came through the door of the nursery and saw Starr bouncing in her crib. "Look at how gorgeous you are!"

Starr lifted her arms towards Blair and let out a delighted squeal. "Mama!"

Blair picked up her daughter and squeezed her tightly. "Oh, baby girl, I missed you so much!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reveling in the sweet scent of her child. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks and kissed Starr over and over and over again, half-afraid to let her go after being separated from her.

Viki watched for a few moments, noting that Blair had gone from suspicious to incandescent in an eyeblink. She wished Todd were here so she could smack him again. Actually, Viki wished that she could line up a whole group of people and mow them down for their roles in this misery. Herself included. Objective you are not, Victoria, she chastised herself. You let a mother get hung out to dry just because you don't personally get along with her aunt. You let Todd's pain blind you to what was best for him and for Blair and for Starr. Your little brother is trouble and you let him suck you into his side because you want to fix things too much. "Blair, come with me. I have a place where the two of you can be alone."

"This isn't enough?" Blair looked around the nursery.

"You said yourself that there is a court order against you seeing Starr right now," Viki reminded her. "And this house does tend to have visitors. I think this is a safer option for you."

Blair looked at her daughter and nodded silently.

Irony was a funny thing, Viki decided as she climbed the stairs to the attic with Blair in tow. This was where Todd had first met his daughter and was, most likely, the place he decided to kidnap her as well. Viki wondered if her family was just cursed with bad timing. She had actually been encouraging Blair to move on with Patrick and, as it turned out, that was the very thing that drove the wedge between Blair and Todd.

And as for Tea, Viki didn't know what to think. She was inclined to sympathize with Tea for the way Kevin had used her but now she wasn't so sure. She went from one Lord to another and Viki wondered if the victim act wasn't just that. She opened the door to the attic and let Blair in with Starr. "I'll leave you alone," she murmured.

"Viki," Blair's voice softened as she turned to face her. "Thank you so much."

Viki smiled and close the door, leaving mother and daughter alone.

"Oh, let me look at you," Blair touched Starr's face gently. "You've gotten so big and I've missed it! I've missed you!"

"Mama not gone..." Starr giggled.

"No," Blair felt her eyes burn with unshed tears and hugged her daughter tightly. "Mama's not gone. Mama's always going to be with you, little Starr. Always."

Todd looked out the window of the law firm of Colton, Westhouse and Blake and wondered what Blair was doing. He was surprised at his feelings. He'd managed to cut off his need for her for so long that it surprised him how ravenous he was for her now that he'd let himself have her again. Cut it out, Manning, he berated himself. You've got more important things to worry about now. Focus and then you can have your damn fill of Blair.

Right now he was focused on the movements of a shrewd eyed man sitting behind a large mahogany desk perusing the contract he'd made with Delgado. Lawyer/client confidentiality don't fail me now. Todd was taking a risk by giving the lawyer the information he had. He was risking losing an awful lot but staying in the contract might mean losing even more. For once, he was going to rein in his stubborn pride and go for the golden ring. He had it in his hand once, he could get it back.

Jeremy Westhouse cleared his throat to get Todd's attention. Todd turned away from the window and took a seat across the desk from him. "Mr. Manning, you've got quite a problem on your hands."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Jeremy smiled slightly. "Well, your finding an unethical lawyer to perpetrate a fraud in order to hold onto your child isn't the most unusual case that has crossed my desk. It's not even the worst."

"Really?" Todd blinked. He was so used to being told that every action he had was the wrong one. It was rather refreshing to have someone casually shrug off fraud like it was no big deal.

"It wouldn't be the first time a lawyer did something unethical, Mr. Manning," Jeremy said with a wry grin. "Lawyers have a reputation for being sharks for very good reason. My only question to you is this: If you were going to get an unethical lawyer, why didn't you hire a good one?"

Todd raised his eyebrows. "How do you mean?"

"I mean, given the nature of this entire case, you would have most likely retained custody of your daughter without having to partake in a fraudulent marriage. Courts are loathe to break up families, Mr. Manning, even when they should. And given the fact that your ex-wife had given you custodial rights of the child while she was away it stands to reason that you would have retained those rights and your ex-wife's aunt would have had very little to say about it."

"The battle axe is pretty influential."

Jeremy leveled a cool gaze at Todd. "Your family is no slouch when it comes to influence, either."

"So you're saying I was an idiot?"

"I'm suggesting that someone may have taken advantage of you when you were not at your best," Jeremy said diplomatically. "Grief does things to people and there have been many instances when grief and desperation lead a person who would usually see a set-up down a blind path."

"You think I can get out of this contract because I was real sad?" Todd looked skeptical. "That seems a bit too easy to me."

"That's why you're not a lawyer, I imagine," Jeremy said dryly. "Mr. Manning, there are a number of options available to us."

"Us?"

"Am I or am I not your lawyer in regards to this dispute?"

Todd grinned. "I'd say you are."

"Very well then," Jeremy nodded and began to take notes. "The first thing we need to do is figure out what you want and then we figure out how to get it for you."

"I want my daughter. I want Blair. And I want out of this damn contract with Delgado."

"How far are you willing to go to get what you want?"

"How far do I need to go?"

Jeremy smiled, his blue eyes crinkling. "Very good, Mr. Manning. This time it would be much better for you if you didn't take the most desperate route without knowing what your options are."

"All right," Todd frowned. "I know I messed up. How do I fix it? Hell, I already promised Blair that I would. What do I have to do to get it done?"

"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" Jeremy steepled his fingers and leaned back in his chair. "There are a number of issues that need to be neutralized before you can officially reunite your family, Mr. Manning. The court decisions regarding your ex-wife must be rectified and that will take time. Also, there is the issue of your current wife."

"What about her?"

"A woman who enters into a marriage of convenience for money is after something specific," Jeremy said quietly. "Now, you have to decide whether you are willing to give her what she wants or find a way to make it so that when you take what she wants from her, she won't retaliate against you."

"Delgado has to be ready to lose as much as me, huh?"

"Precisely," Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "She did a very good job of covering herself with this contract of yours and you didn't do as thorough a job. There are some outs that can be arranged but not without a great deal of noise and scrutiny. I don't see you being particularly eager to have the microscope taken to your life right now."

Todd sighed. Fucking Patrick, he raged inwardly. If it weren't for that stupid mick I wouldn't be in this damned mess! "What kind of trap do I need to set for Delgado?"

Jeremy smiled. "What is it that she's most afraid of losing?"

Todd found himself grinning. This could be fun...

Blair watched Starr sleep and wiped her cheeks. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't stay with her daughter. She had to go back and continue trying to get the courts to recognize that she wasn't a danger to anyone except Tea Delgado.

And on that front, she had learned her lesson. No witnesses. She'd almost killed Asa that way and it was still a point of pride to her. Mrs. Wanna-Be Manning would do well to watch her back when she was alone, that's for sure. No one took her daughter away and then crowed about it.

She stroked Starr's head softly and then went downstairs to find Viki waiting for her in the foyer.

"I have something for you, Blair."

"Really, Viki, you don't have to do anything else. Seeing Starr was so special..."

"I know," Viki smiled. "But I have something that might give you a reason to come by on a regular basis. And one never knows who one might run into here, after all."

Blair cocked her head.

"You know, I was very impressed with the way you handled The Sun while Todd was gone," Viki's voice shifted to a conversational tone. "And your writing is quite good, it always was. I was wondering if you would be interested in doing some freelance work for The Banner."

"Freelance work?"

"Of course, I would be your editor," Viki said with a glint in her eyes. "And I have to warn you that I am quite the stickler when it comes to my paper. Perfectionist doesn't quite cover it but it's close enough. At any rate, I'm certainly willing to offer you a decent price for your words. If you're interested that is..."

Blair smiled. Wait until I tell Todd I'm working for the enemy. "Consider me interested, Mrs. Carpenter. Shall we discuss details?"