It's breakfast time at the Buchanan Mansion. Someone's sitting in the living room reading Asa's copy of The Sun -- but the person's identity is hidden by the raised newspaper. Meanwhile, out in the hallway, Asa is bellowing for Nigel.

Asa: Nigel! Where in the hell's my paper??

Asa enters the living room and sees the person on the couch. Assuming that the person is Max, he goes to pour himself some coffee.

Asa: (calling to Nigel) Nevermind! (to the figure) I'm glad you're up, Max. What did the oil futures close at yesterday?

When the figure doesn't answer him, Asa quickly realizes something is wrong -- he strolls over to the person on the couch and snatches the paper away. It's Todd!

Todd: Peek-a-boo.

--end scene--

Asa: How in the hell did you get in here??
Todd: You disappoint me, Asa. I thought you'd have a heart attack at the sight of me.

Todd's got his feet propped up on the table next to the couch -- unamused, Asa yanks them off.

Asa: (bellowing) Max! Blair!

Max and Blair come running into the room.

Max: What is it, Pa?
Blair: What's going on??
Max: (seeing Todd) Get out of this house.

Todd gets off of the couch and heads over to the breakfast tray to pour himself some coffee.

Todd: I came here to visit Starr. Relax. Oh, and to get some breakfast. Because it's the most important meal of the day.
Asa: Well, get it at your sister's! She's a big sucker for strays!
Max: (heading for the phone) I'm calling the cops.
Blair: (alarmed) No, Max!
Max: Why not?
Todd: (still pouring coffee) Yeah, why not, Blair?
Blair: (ignoring Todd, to Max) Starr, she's upstairs. What if she came down here and saw her daddy being carried away by the police?
Asa: So what? The kid better get used to that scene.

Blair glares at Asa.

Asa: I'm going to have Nigel build me another moat -- fill it with quicksand!

Asa leaves the room. Just then, the doorbell rings.

Blair: Max, can you get the door, please?
Todd: (mockingly) Yes, Max, be a peach and get the door, won't you?
Blair: Please, Max, I can handle this, please!

Max reluctantly leaves the room. Blair glares at Todd, who turns away and takes another sip of his coffee.

--end scene--

When the scene returns, Todd is back on the couch, daintily sipping his coffee. Blair sits down next to him.

Blair: (frustrated) What are you doing, Todd?? You trying to ruin everything here? I'm trying to be a part of a family!
Todd: Well, then, why don't you get "Pa" to sign over his shares of The Sun to you?
Blair: What am I supposed to do, Todd? Just slip Asa a mickey and then maybe he'll just sign over his shares to me, huh?
Todd: (innocently) Well, it's not like there's anyone else in the world you can get the two controlling shares from.
Blair: Kelly owns -- (suddenly breaking off) Oh, no. I'm not going to take that from her.
Todd: Well, then, don't ask.

Blair stands up.

Blair: You just want me to take it from her? Is that what you want, Todd? Well, I can't do that. She was just shot!
Todd: Well, she'll get over it.
Blair: Besides, we're getting along now.
Todd: (disgusted) Oh, Blair, you have gone soft! What kind of example are you setting for Starr?
Blair: A good one! I feel, Todd. What, do you want our little girl to grow up with no heart, no soul, like you?
Todd: No, I want her to grow up tough enough to survive. I want her to grow up the way you used to be. You better toughen up, Blair!

Now Todd stands up.

Todd: Look, you cannot have it both ways! You have to decide whether you're going to use Kelly or lose Max! You have to decide! So you better figure out what's important to you, Blair!

--end scene--

When the scene returns, Blair is stalking out of the living room and into the foyer, with Todd following close behind -- coffee cup still in hand.

Blair: (in a hushed but nasty tone) Fine, Todd! I will get you your stupid shares, and then will you just leave me alone?
Todd: Someday, you'll thank me for this. (he defiantly takes another sip of coffee)
Blair: Just get out of here, would you?? Put the coffee down --

Blair suddenly breaks off as Max approaches.

Max: Move it, Manning.
Todd: Okay. But next time, I want doughnuts.

Todd slips out the door -- and yes, he takes the coffee with him. After the door closes, Blair tries for some damage control.

Blair: Look, he just -- he just wants to see Starr, and I told him that we would figure out some type of visitation schedule.

Max has a pained expression on his face. Something else is going on here.

Blair: Max, what's wrong?
Max: I have to go to Ireland. My PI got a lead on Will's whereabouts.

Max goes into the living room. Blair follows after him.

Blair: Do you really have to go?
Max: I told Asa I'd do it. I really don't want to -- not with Todd around.
Blair: Look, I can -- I can handle Todd.
Max: He wants something from you.
Blair: You know what, he just wants to see Starr. He's been gone for a long time and he just misses her, that's it.
Max: He's a murderer, a kidnapper and a convicted rapist. What else do you want?
Blair: He won't hurt me. We have a child together.
Max: And I want to have a child with you, too. Makes me very protective.
Blair: Tell you what. When you get back, I think we need to start working on that again, huh?

She and Max kiss.

Max: Sounds good to me.

They then walk out into the foyer.

Max: Listen -- I want to spend the rest of my life with you, okay?
Blair: Mm-hmm.
Max: Don't let anything happen to you.
Blair: I don't want anything to happen to you, either.

They kiss again.

Max: I'd better pack.

Max goes upstairs, leaving Blair looking very conflicted. She goes back into the living room and angrily picks up the copy of The Sun.

Blair: Todd!

Then she goes to the phone, picks it up, and makes a call...

--end scene--

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion, it turns out Todd didn't leave after all -- he snuck back in, and now he and Starr are sneaking into Asa's study.

Todd: Hey, you wanna play hide-and-seek?
Starr: Okay.

Starr goes to the window, closes her eyes and starts counting as Todd starts messing with things on Asa's desk.

Starr: One, two --
Todd: No, not that kind of hide-and-seek.
Starr: There's another kind of hide-and-seek?
Todd: Oh, yeah, there's a much better kind of hide-and-go-seek.
Starr: How do you play it?
Todd: Well, you open up Asa's drawers and seek out what he's been hiding.

Todd sits down at Asa's desk and tries one of the drawers, but it's locked.

Starr: I already tried. Grandpa Asa locks them all. He yells when you try to open them.
Todd: (rifling through folders on the desk) You want to color instead?
Starr: I don't have any paper.
Todd: We don't need paper. You know that painting out there in the hallway?
Starr: Yeah.

Todd gets up from the desk and walks out to the hall, Starr trailing behind him.

Todd: Funny-looking lady?
Starr: Mm-hmm?
Todd: I think she needs a moustache.
Starr: And vampire teeth!
Todd: Oh, that's very good, I hadn't thought of that.
Starr: Do you think Uncle Max is mad about Mommy's revenge?
Todd: (confidently) No. Not yet.
Starr: But will he be?
Todd: Oh, yes, definitely. He definitely will be.

--end transcript--