The Doppelganger Ch. 02

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the love story of Marty and Todd. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story will be submitted in several parts and is based off the hit soap One Life to Live, yet the "history" has been changed somewhat to suit the purposes of this story. Not all the parts of this story will contain erotic sex scenes as there is a plot. First and foremost, this story is a romance/drama, not a sex story.

Also, I'd like to note that I do not own ABC's One Life to Live or the characters and I will NOT be receiving any payment whatsoever for writing this story. It is intended for entertainment purposes only.

This story takes place BEFORE Marty attacked and killed her psychiatrist, stabbed Kelly, and pushed Natalie from the roof at Angel Square. In this story, those events will not happen. This is my take on the two-Todds story including Marty and with an eerie or supernatural twist. Hope you enjoy the story...

~*o*~

"Alright, Marty," Todd spoke in agreeance. "Let's get you out of this place..."

"And how do you propose to do that?" Marty asked.

"I have my ways," Todd said with a slight chuckle. "Sit tight... I'll be right back..."

Marty watched as Todd made his way out the window. As soon as he was out of sight, Marty began to feel uneasy. What if he didn't come back? What if he was just an illusion after all? How could ANY of this be real?

St. Anne's was a high security facility. How in the world would Todd ever get her out of here? Marty had so many questions to ask him if he ever did come back...

Not even a half hour later, there was a soft knock upon Marty's door. "Ummmm... who is it?" Marty asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"It's me, Sister Mary Alice," came a voice. "I'm here to take you to your evening session with your psychiatrist."

Sister Mary Alice? Who in the world was that? "Well, alright..." Marty replied, feeling a bit perplexed as she moved toward the door.

A moment later, a key turned in the lock, and there stood a tall figure dressed in a nun's habit. Marty couldn't stop herself. She burst into laughter. "Todd?" she murmured, trying to control her soft giggles.

"Yes, it's me," Todd replied with a little smirk. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

Marty grabbed a duffel bag containing her possessions as Todd motioned for her to join him in the hallway. She just couldn't get over how ridiculous he looked in that nun's habit. "We gotta hurry," Marty said urgently as she gradually got her wits about her. "If anyone sees me, they'll lock me up and throw away the key. I've already escaped St. Anne's once..."

"How did you manage that?" Todd asked as they cautiously made their way down the hall and toward the staircase.

"It's a long story," she sighed, not wanting to get into it now. "Let's go..."

Thankfully it was late evening and most of the nuns had gone to bed. Todd and Marty made their way down to the first floor, only to discover there was a guard standing at the entrance of the building. As they rounded the corner, they were almost seen. Thinking quickly, Todd pulled Marty into a supply closet before anyone saw them. "Shhh... don't say a word," he whispered as Marty was about to protest. Softly he pressed a finger against her lips. Marty's eyes became huge pools of dark blue as she gazed at Todd in the near-darkness. How was Todd going to get them out of this one? And how in the world could she stand TOUCHING him?

After a few moments, their close promixity became a bit too much for Marty. She attempted to put some distance between them, but found it to be impossible. They were in such a small space, and any sound or movement they made might alert the guard. "Todd," Marty whispered, feeling uncomfortable. She could feel Todd's warm breath against her cheek along with the constant pounding of his heart against hers. Quietly, she looked away from him, her own heart skipping a beat.

"It's alright, Marty," Todd spoke softly. "I'll have us out of here in a moment..."

Marty heard footsteps coming closer, then the distinct sound of someone walking briskly down the hall. No doubt the guard. Once again, her eyes widened, seeing Todd withdraw a gun from within the dark nun's habit he had donned. "Todd? A gun?" she gasped, freaking out at the thought of Todd being forced to use the dangerous weapon. The nuns had been good to her here; she couldn't possibly live with the thought of anyone getting shot.

"Come on, Marty... now's our chance," Todd insisted, opening the door and tugging her along behind him. There was no one in sight as the two of them made their way hastily down the hallway and toward the front door of the mental institution. A few moments later, Todd was disarming the security code so the door would release without sounding the alarm.

"Todd, hurry!" Marty gasped, seeing the guard in the distance, making his way down the long narrow hall they had just vacated.

Without a moment to spare, Todd managed to disarm the security system and the door came abruptly open. For the first time in months, Marty was free. She stood outside a moment, inhaling the fresh air and the cooling breeze as it played upon her skin. A slight smile came to her face as she cherished her freedom. Todd, seeming mesmorized with the sweet look upon her face, came to his senses to grab her arm and pull her along toward the car he had waiting in the distance. It was an old cluncker he had hot-wired at the Minute-Man Motel, but at least it had gotten him to his destination. "So, how do you like my wheels, Marty?" Todd asked teasingly as he was starting the engine.

"I won't ask," Marty quipped as the car started up and Todd was speeding out of the parking lot. She had so many questions, but before she could ask them, they had to get safely away from St. Anne's. She didn't want to go back there... not now... and not ever.

As they were driving back toward Llanview, Todd glanced over at Marty sitting in the passenger's seat. "We have a lot ot talk about," he said to her as though he could read her mind.

"Yes, we do..." Marty agreed as she looked at the man beside her, still in awe that he was here... and that this was really Todd. It was a lot to take in, and her fragile mind was still trying to process it all.

"We have all night," Todd breathed as they neared the Llanview city limits sign and a moment later they had pulled up at the Minute Man Motel. Marty began to wonder... what were they doing here?

"Home sweet home," said Todd as he and Marty left the car, and he unlocked the door to the room where he had been staying. A moment later, they stepped inside the scantily furnished motel room. Marty lay her duffel bag down on the small desk next to the beat-up loveseat as Todd removed the disguise he had been wearing, tossed it aside, and sank down on the bed.

"You're safe here, Marty," he murmured, running his fingers through his hair absently, so glad it had gone off without a hitch and no one had been injured during Marty's escape.

Marty took a seat on the loveseat, gazing over at Todd. "We need to talk," she said softly, honestly having no clue where to begin.

Todd glanced over at her, trying to relax against the very uncomfortable, lumpy bed. "Alright, Marty, you're good at that. I'll let you start..."

"First of all, where have you been these past eight years?" she questioned. "What happened to you?"

"Mitch Williams was threatening Blair and my kids... and I went to straighten him out. He and his thugs beat me to a bloody pulp, locking me in my dead father, Victor Lord's tomb," Todd explained. "I honestly don't remember much after that."

"Only that it was dark in there, very cold, and I was bleeding..." Todd replied. "I thought I was dying..."

"...Maybe I did."

"Well, obviously you didn't, Todd, because you are here now... and you are talking to me. What happened after that?" Marty asked.

"I haven't the slightest clue. My next memory was waking up... and it was eight years later," Todd answered. "And I had no idea at the moment who I was, what had happened... and the strangest thing was that there was this guy standing over me..."

"His name is Agent Baker, and he's a bastard. He used electric shock on me. Nearly fried my brain, but eventually the memories began to resurface..."

"I remembered Blair, I remembered Starr ... Tea, Jack, and Vicki..." Todd spoke. "And... I remembered you."

Their eyes met as Todd continued. "I knew I had to get out of that place, away from that psycho Baker. He kept saying, 'You know where it is... and you must give it to me. We've waited eight long years for you to wake up and tell us where IT is.' And he kept insisting I give him IT, whatever it is. But I had absolutely no clue what the guy was talking about, so he kept shocking me, sending bolts of electricity through my body. Later, when I told him I had no idea what IT was, he became angry, saying if I didn't tell him what he wanted to know, he had no use for me now and he wanted me dead. That's when I knew I had to get out of that place. I had to get free..."

"I had to get back here... back to my family... to Llanview..."

"To you," he almost said, but he stopped himself before the words burst out.

After a moment, Todd then went on to say. "So, I escaped."

"It was that easy? You just got up, and you walked out?" Marty questioned.

"No, Marty, it wasn't that easy...not at all," Todd responded, not wanting to go into the details of his escape, at least not now.

"Anyway, I came back to Llanview only to discover that someone else has been impersonating me for the past eight years, and he's living my life. He has Tea, my ex-wife in his bed, my kids think he's me, and he has his hands all over my fortune. I've been lurking around, finding out what I can, but it hasn't been easy, because one of Agent Baker's little friends followed me here to Llanview. He showed up in Dorian's backyard carrying a gun and nearly shot a little boy I had befriended. The guy's name was Agent Kent, but he's dead now," Todd went on to explain. "I had to kill him, Marty. He nearly hurt Sam..."

"Sam?" Marty gasped, speaking of Blair's adopted son. "Are you sure he's alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine... Cute kid," Todd said, smiling fondly when he thought of his little friend. "Whose kid is he anyway?"

Todd was confused because the child had said Starr was his sister. Obviously, since Sam was just now turning seven, he couldn't possibly be the boy's father. "He's.. He's the son of the imposter Todd, I suppose, his son with Margaret Cochren," answered Marty. "Blair adopted him."

Todd appeared almost relieved. "Well, at least I don't have any kids I don't know about," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Wait a minute, Todd..." Marty started, not knowing quite how to tell him this. How would she tell him about Dani?

"What, Marty?" Todd asked, looking over at her sharply.

"I have another kid?" he suddenly demanded.

"After the imposter Todd took me to into his home and coerced me into bed with him, Tea came to town to represent him when we went to court. And not long after, her teenage daughter came to Llanview. Her name is Dani," Marty explained. "She's just a year younger than Jack and according to Tea, she was conceived on a desert island..."

"Wait... wait! Hold it... now wait a minute!" Todd exclaimed. "Tea? The island?"

"Dani's my daughter?" he gasped, remembering that in all these weeks of snooping he had been wondering exactly who this Dani might be.

"Yes," Marty answered, knowing it had to be a big shock to Todd, finding out he had a teenage daughter he had never known about.

"No way," said Todd. "Why in the hell did Tea never tell me this?"

"I guess at first she thought Danielle belonged to Ross Rayburn..."

"So now I have three kids," said Todd as it all began sinking in. But then to Marty's surprise and shock, he reached for the photograph he had been holding onto, withdrawing it from his pocket and giving it over to Marty.

"So, who is this?" he asked, referring to the picture of Hope.

Marty hesitated. How could she ever tell him this? How would Todd take the news?

"Todd, Starr is not the same little girl she was eight years ago. She's grown up... and she's a mother," Marty said softly.

"Hope is... our granddaughter."

"Wait.. wait... did I hear you right, Marty?" Todd spoke with confusion. "You just said, OUR granddaughter."

"That's right, Todd. My son Cole and your daughter Starr had a baby. Her name is Hope, and she's our granddaughter, yours and mine."

Todd looked at the photograph lying in Marty's hand, trying to wrap his mind around that one. Starr had given birth to a baby. He was a grandfather. And Marty and Patrick Thornhart's son, Cole was the father of his daughter's baby. After a moment Todd met Marty's gaze and he said very softly, "She's beautiful."

"Yes, she is," Marty said in agreeance as she just couldn't believe he had taken this news so well. "Are you okay with this, Todd? You aren't mad?"

"No, of course I'm not mad. I have a granddaughter. Starr's a mommy," said Todd. "Why would I be mad?"

"Well because the imposter Todd was furious. He tried to kill Cole..." answered Marty.

"It's been a mess... all of it, but right now my son is in prison. Not because of imposter Todd though. It's a very long story," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Starr and Cole were in love, right? Why would the man impersonating me try to kill him?" Todd asked.

"I dunno, he said he had to protect Starr, and he hated Cole. He found them in bed together, and he lost it..."

"There's more, Todd... I just don't know how to tell you..." Marty spoke, her voice quivering.

"You have to tell me, Marty. We have to make some sense of this. I gotta get my life back. Please, help me," Todd nearly pleaded.

"Alright... I'll try, but it isn't going to be easy for me..." Marty relented as she struggled to push the painful words past her lips.

She was trembling as she looked over at Todd, trying her best to explain the complicated life she had led since her return to Llanview. "Todd, I have lost everything..." she said sadly. "I lost Patrick. I lost Cole... and ..."

"It all started when I was in that accident and I lost my memory. I told you how the imposter Todd took me back to his place, he nursed me back to health, and I fell in love with him..." Marty began to explain. "We were planning to be married... and he told me his teenage daughter was expecting a child..."

"When he told me about the baby, my heart lept. I wanted that baby to be ours so very much. And he had said that his daughter was planning to give the infant up for adoption, and that the two of us could adopt the baby when it was born. I had no reason not to believe him. I was sooo in love with him... but unfortunately, I had fallen in love with an illusion. I should have known that something was wrong... because I started having these horrific nightmares..."

"About that night, about the Spring Fling," Marty spoke. "Eventually, some memories surfaced, and I knew I had been raped. But even so, he didn't say a word. He kept me with him, making me fall deeper in love with him, spinning tales about our life together and the baby we were about to adopt, and I was happy. Blissfully happy. Then came the day when it all came crashing down..."

"John McBain came, telling me the truth, although I didn't want to believe it. John said that the man I had fallen in love with was in fact Todd Manning, the man who had raped me all those years ago, and although my memory was skewed, I hated myself for letting him do that to me, for making me fall in love with him... for lying to me all those months... and coercing me into his bed," Marty said softly. "And I think what hurt most was that there wasn't going to be any baby. The infant he had told me we were to adopt was in fact my own granddaughter, Cole's little girl. And imposter Todd had planned to steal her upon the day of her birth..."

"So, that night at the hospital after I had discovered the truth, I took these pills, so there would be no chance of me conceiving his child. I was furious with him and I wanted there to be no possible way a child could be born of such a union."

Todd didn't say anything, just looked at Marty with horror as she told him all she had been through. It seemed the Imposter Todd had wrecked havoc upon the lives of all the people he cared about with his lies and destruction. "I was a mess after that happened... because despite everything, I was still in love with him. We went through the trial, and Tea came to town. He got off scott-free. And through all of it, he claimed to LOVE me. So, on New Year's Eve night, I lured him to the top of Palace Hotel and told him how he had hurt me... and I-I presuaded him to jump off the roof and into the icy river. "

"And I felt absolutely nothing as I watched him fall..." Marty spoke as another shudder moved through her. "I know that night, I was losing it then. My anger and my resentment toward him was controlling me. And from that point on, my mind began to snap... and I probably would have done something awful."

"I take it he survived the fall," Todd said softly, stating the obvious.

"Yes, unfortunately he did, and not long after, I got my memory back, and John and I found out we were having a child..." Marty said as her voice trailed off. Todd looked at her, not missing the tears shining bright within her eyes.

Suddenly then, more painful memories spilled out. She told Todd about Hannah pushing her down the stairs at the hospital, and the loss of her unborn child. "I think after that, I totally lost it... I had lost the baby, and not long after, I had lost John, too, when he went back to his ex Natalie. It was just like before, when I had lost Imposter Todd and the child he and I were going to adopt. And then Cole got sent to prison for stabbing Hannah," Marty went on to explain. "I had a breakdown and ended up in the mental ward of St. Anne's. I had kidnapped John and Natalie's infant son, Liam, thinking he was my own baby with John. So there you have it, Todd... I have been in there for months, trying to make some sense of my complicated and mess-up life..."

"I've lost so much. I lost Patrick, I lost John... I lost Cole... I- I lost my baby I was having with John," Marty spoke. "I even lost Imposter Todd and the child he claimed he and I were going to adopt..."

"I have lost everything, and ohhh God, I- I even lost you..."

Todd shook his head in denial. "No, you haven't, Marty," he insisted. "I'm right here, and you'll never lose me."

"You're stuck with me," he said with a slightly sarcastic chuckle. "We need each other... and we always have. We were born under the same star, remember?"

Looking at Todd, Marty didn't say something for a few moments, as though she were struggling with her own inner demons. "Todd, there's something I have to tell you..." Marty finally spoke, the breath trapped in her chest.

Her eyes were luminous with unshed tears, and Todd could sense she had some sort of huge confession she'd been hiding for God knows how long. He wasn't sure if he could take it.

"What is it, Marty?" he quietly asked.

"Years ago, something happened... right after the Spring Fling. I was sick; I thought it was my Lupus, but it wasn't. You were in prison then... and I was alone..."

Marty drew in a ragged breath. "I went to Larry... and I discovered I was pregnant. At first, I thought it was a result of that awful night... but Larry did an ultrasound and come to find out, I was too far along. It wasn't from the Spring Fling, the baby was conceived earlier."

"The baby was yours, Todd. I was pregnant with your baby..."

"I was so scared. I didn't want to raise a child all on my own... and after what had happened, I almost... well, I almost didn't go through with the pregnancy. But then... I came to love the child... and I wanted our baby. And after awhile, I was actually happy... because I had already lost so much, my parents, my best friend Megan, Luna... you..."