Todd and Blair arrive at the rectory, and Cassie is surprised to see them at the door.

Cassie: Hi!
Blair: Hi! Sure is cold out here.
Cassie: Please come in! I'm sorry! Get -- get warm!

Todd and Blair come inside. Blair smiles at Cassie excitedly.

Blair: I just couldn't wait any longer! I had to give you some news.
Cassie: What? You have news?
Blair: Yeah! I, uh -- say hi to your new cousin-in-law! Todd and I are married.

Cassie looks shocked, to say the least.

--end scene--

Cassie struggles with how to react to this news. She's genuinely a good person, so she doesn't want to be rude, even to Todd, but she can't muster up any real enthusiasm over her cousin marrying him. In addition to that, she still has Dorian's mysterious disappearance on her mind. (Viewers know that Dorian has been kidnapped by Viki's alter, Jean Randolph, and that she's being kept in a secret room underneath Llanfair.)

Cassie: I'm sorry, I -- I don't know what to say, uh --
Todd: Forget it.
Cassie: It's just a shock.
Todd: Yeah, no kidding.
Cassie: No, no, no, I mean, I didn't even -- I didn't -- I -- I had no idea!

Todd, tired of the awkwardness, offers to leave.

Todd: Look, why don't I just, you know --
Blair: No, no, no, no, why don't we all just sit down and talk? I want my cousin, who is my dearest and best friend, to get to know my husband.
Cassie: Blair, this is absolutely the most, uh... (to Todd) Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I really gotta talk to Blair alone a minute, and, um --
Todd: Right.

Cassie's inner war causes her to switch gears the moment she sees that she's made Todd feel unwelcome.

Cassie: Uh, no, Todd, wait, um, listen -- I'm just really trying to find out where my mother is, and --
Blair: (excited) Well, did you -- did you get some news? Did -- did you hear from her?
Cassie: Um, well, yes...
Blair: Well, that's great! Come on, everybody, let's sit down and talk! Tell me what's happening with Dorian!

Blair leads the charge into the living room, and Todd and Cassie have no choice but to follow her.

Cassie: She called.
Blair: Well, that is great! Where is she?
Cassie: She said that she's in Spain with David Vickers.
Blair: Well, then she really did go there, then.
Cassie: No, she didn't. It's not true.
Blair: How do you know?
Cassie: Well, because David's not in Spain. David is in a cell at the police station. He was arrested here last night in Llanview.

Blair reacts to this with some surprise.

--end scene--

There's yet another awkward silence in the room as Todd and Blair exchange a look over this news about David. Cassie picks up on the strange vibe.

Cassie: What?
Blair: What?
Cassie: Well, you and Todd looked -- what difference does it make to the two of you if David's here in jail?
Blair: (nervous laugh) Cassie, it doesn't make any difference to us one way or the other where he is! We're -- we're just surprised, that's all. We thought that, uh, he was in Spain with Dorian.
Cassie: Yeah, you and the rest of Llanview, but -- what I really want to know is what he's got to do with my mother's disappearance.
Blair: Cassie, "disappearance" is a very mysterious word. Look, if you got a phone call from her, and if she wrote Joey --
Cassie: Yeah, I know, I know, I know, but I've been saying all along, it's the way she left town, not saying goodbye....

Cassie breaks off, overcome with emotion. Blair goes over to Cassie and takes her hand reassuringly.

Blair: Hey. Look, we can see that you're upset about Dorian. How about if we -- if we leave?
Cassie: Thanks. I'm sorry, I'm just, uh -- I'm not concentrating well. (to Todd) Congratulations! (to Blair) And, uh, best wishes!
Blair: You know, we'll -- we'll come back later, and we'll all sit down and talk, right?
Cassie: Right!
Todd: (with less enthusiasm) Right.
Cassie: Uh --
Blair: Take care.

Cassie suddenly remembers something else she needs to tell Blair.

Cassie: Listen, I gotta -- I gotta tell you about Kelly.
Blair: Kelly?
Cassie: Yeah, our cousin.
Blair: Oh, she's in, um -- a school in Paris? A convent school?
Cassie: Nope, nope, not anymore! She's, uh -- she got kicked out. She's living here with Andrew and me.
Blair: Out of the convent school and into the rectory. Well, Todd, I think we're going to have to show this girl some real life.
Cassie: Oh, believe me, she's seen plenty of it.
Blair: Well, where is she? Is she upstairs? I want to meet her.
Cassie: Uh, Andrew's registering her at Llanview High. She'll be around.

Finally, Cassie has mustered up enough strength to say the next few words genuinely.

Cassie: Todd, welcome to the family.
Todd: (fake smile) Thanks.
Cassie: (to Blair) Uh, honey --

Cassie pulls Blair to her and hugs her tightly.

Cassie: (in Blair's ear) I hope this is what you want.
Blair: It is. Believe me, it is.

Blair pulls away and smiles again reassuringly at Cassie.

Blair: Take care of yourself, and, um, we'll talk to you later, okay?
Cassie: Okay.

Todd heads into the foyer, and Blair and Cassie follow behind him.

Cassie: Good night.
Blair: Good night.
Todd: Good night.

Todd and Blair head out the door, and as soon as it closes behind them, they stop for a moment to discuss what they've just learned.

Blair: I cannot believe that David Vickers is in Llanview!
Todd: Yeah, and in the one place that he's not going to be able to duck out from me. You know, I don't think I'm gonna pay a visit to Sam Vance. I think I'm gonna ask David why he hired her to investigate me.
Blair: Well, I'm supposed to go visit my mother.
Todd: All right, you do that. I'll see you back at your place when I'm done with the flim-flam man.
Blair: Todd, hey -- call it "our place." It's our place, okay?
Todd: Yeah, sure, whatever. (gesturing back to the house) Family business, huh? Well, Cassie sure seemed thrilled with our news.
Blair: Come on, she's going to get used to it. Everybody will. Come on, go get him.
Todd: All right. This time, it's advantage: Manning. See you back at your place.
Blair: Okay...our place.

--end transcript--