Todd & Marty's New Beginning Ch. 08

AUTHOR'S NOTE ::: This is the love story of Marty and Todd starting from the very beginning when they first met in college. It also includes several other characters as well as their storylines. This story 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. This story also deals with the topic of nonconsensual sex as well as other disturbing material, so if you are bothered by that please do not read any further.

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.

*~The Trial~*

Days passed and it was the day of Todd, Powell, and Zach's trial. Todd was feeling uneasy. His father was going to be there, and he really wasn't sure if he could face him. But Sam had promised to help him through it all.

When he walked into the courtroom wearing his jail garb, he saw that Marty was already there. She looked so beautiful, and he wondered how both she and their baby were doing. He walked passed her, longing to stop and say something as the guard escorted him to his chair up front. "Marty," he said softly as he was taken to be seated.

Marty hadn't wanted to come to the trial, but she knew that she had to be here. She looked up when Todd was passing by. He deserved to be put behind bars, and she hoped that the judge would be able to see that despite the many excuses Todd was likely to use in his defense.

The trial got underway, and Todd didn't turn to look when his father entered the courtroom. Hank Gannon was the prosecuting attorney. "I call Marty Saybrooke to the stand," Hank called out.

Hank waited and everyone in the courtroom held their breath when Marty came to the stand. "Marty, will you please tell the court in your own words, what happened on the night of The Spring Fling..." Hank encouraged.

Marty hated reliving the memories as she started to speak. "I arrived at the Spring Fling with my date," she said. "From the second I walked into the room, Todd was bothering me." She then went on to tell what happened that night including the details of the events which lead up to the rape.

"I was laying down upstairs in a room to sleep off the alcohol that was in my system when Todd came in with Zach and Powell," she went on to say. In a choking voice, she began to describe the horrid events that occured in Kevin Buchanan's room that fateful night.

Todd couldn't look at Marty when she spoke, recounting the details of the rape. He felt physically ill as she told the entire courtroom how he had raped her then allowed two of his buddies to do the same.

"Thank you, Miss Saybrooke," said Hank.

Then it was Sam's turn to cross-examine her. "Marty, is it true that you drink heavily and like to party?" asked Sam. "Before the Spring Fling, did you have sex with Todd Manning?"

Marty knew she had to answer Sam's questions honestly but lawyers always seemed to bother her. They always twisted the truth, making the testimony go in their own client's favor. "Yes, before Spring Fling I used to drink and party. And yes, I had sex with Todd," she replied.

"And was it consensual sex? Did you enjoy having sex with Todd?" questioned Sam. "Tell me, Miss Saybrooke, how many orgasms did you have?"

Todd listened, wondering what Marty was going to say.

"Look," Marty said in a growl. "It was consensual before the Spring Fling. The rest of it, however, is NONE of your business!" This line of questioning was utterly sick. She wished he would just finish with his stupid cross-examination already.

Todd sat there silently, wanting the cross-examination to be over as well. *Just take me back to my cell already* he thought. He'd rather be locked up forever then have to relive all of this.

"Please answer the question, Miss Saybrooke," insisted the judge. "Did you... or did you not, have an orgasm?"

"What does that have to do with anything!" Marty cried out as her eyes flashed with anger. "Do you ask all witnesses about their sexual encounters; their fetishes and the personal, kinky details of their sex life? That's NONE of your business!"

Sam turned to look at the judge. "Do I have your permission to treat this witness as hostile?" he asked.

"Yes, you do... but please remember the delicate nature of this trial," the judge responded.

"Okay, moving on to the next question. Marty Saybrooke, are you carrying Todd Manning's child?" Sam asked. As he said the words, a loud gasp came from the crowd.

As each moment passed, Marty found herself despising this lawyer even more. "Yes, I am," she said. "Again, what does this have to do with anything? This trial is supposed to be about the night of the Spring Fling."

"No more further questions," said Sam with a heavy sigh.

"Miss Saybrooke, you may step down," spoke the judge.

Hank called out, "I'd like to call Todd Manning to the stand."

Todd slowly stood, nearly colliding with Marty as she made her way back to her seat. As he got to the front of the courtroom, he swore on The Bible he would tell the entire truth.

Under oath, Hank began the questioning. "Mr. Manning, did you and your frat buddies rape Marty Saybrooke the night of the Spring Fling? Can you tell us in your own words exactly what happened?"

Glancing over at Marty, Todd began to speak. "I did a lot of drugs that night, and Marty and I argued. I discovered she was upstairs, sleeping off the alcohol she had consumed, so Zach, Powell and I went up to the room where she was lying on the bed. I proceeded to tie her to the bed. While she lay there helplessly, I raped her," spoke Todd as everyone in the courtroom gasped once again. "Then I sat there and did absolutely nothing, while Zach and Powell did the same." Suddenly there was chaos in the courtroom after Todd's testimony.

"Order in the court!" yelled the judge, slamming his gavel onto his bench.

Marty sat uncomfortably in her seat. She was glad that at least Todd was telling the truth, though it looked like most of the courtroom was in shock. She wanted to believe that this was a step in the right direction for him, but she couldn't be sure. For all she knew, he had something up his sleeve. She waited and listened.

Finally the judge managed to get the crowd quieted and calmed down again by threatening to clear the courtroom. After Hank had finished questioning Todd, it was now Sam's turn to do the same. "Mr. Manning, are you in love with Marty Saybrooke?" was Sam's first question.

"Yes, I do love her," said Todd. "I think I've loved her almost from the beginning, but I was afraid to show her my love. I was afraid of losing her."

"Did you attend the Spring Fling with the intention of committing rape?" asked Sam.

"No, I never intended anything like that to happen. I had taken too many drugs... and it just sort of ..."

"...happened," replied Todd, as he looked down at his hands, studying them. "I regret it, but I can't take it back now."

"Todd, can you tell the court about your childhood? Do you have a history of being abused?"

"Yes..." Todd said as he happened to look up and glance at his father. Peter Manning's face turned bright red and he gave Todd a warning look that could have killed.

"Please tell the court about the abuse you endured since your childhood," prompted Sam.

"This is hard for me..." spoke Todd as his voice faltered. He looked like he was close to crying. "I used to watch my father beating my mother. One day I looked around... and she was just gone. I was eight then... and she didn't come back. She left us."

"After she left, my life was awful. My father called me names ::: stupid, worthless, monster, things a kid should never have to hear. And he would beat me. Repeatedly. With his belt or whatever he could get his hands on. Sometimes he would hurt me with the belt buckle, smacking it against my back... and sometimes, he'd pick up his lighter, his most-prized possession; and burn my hand with the flame until I'd beg him to stop," Todd spoke, as his blue eyes filled with unshed tears. "I never cried. I hadn't shed a single tear since the day my mother had left. I thought if I cried, I'd have to care... and I didn't want to care about anyone."

"I endured it all... never fighting back. Not until my fourteenth birthday," Todd explained.

"What happened on your fourteenth birthday?" Sam questioned.

"I tried to kill my father," said Todd softly.

"Heavens!" Vicki gasped as she sat in her seat right beside Marty. She had come to support Marty through the trial. The whole courtroom was gasping and making comments and once again the judge had to slap his gavel down onto the bench.

"Order in the court!" he yelled.

Once it was quiet again, Sam returned to the questioning. "I know this is difficult, Todd... but please tell the court why you wanted to kill your father," urged Sam.

"It was my birthday. My friend Michelle had came over to see me. She had baked me a chocolate cake with chocolate icing... and candles. I hadn't had candles or anything special since my mother had gone. She was the only person in school who was nice to me, since I was an outcast. I was good at football, but that's the only thing I had going for me. I didn't study, just passed so I could stay on the team," Todd spoke. "When Michelle came with the cake, I couldn't have been happier. But then... my father came home."

"I knew my father would be angry cause I had a friend over, so I told Michelle to hide in the closet. She did, but when my father came in, he saw the cake... and he knew. He took my birthday cake and he smashed it against the wall. He hit me so hard I fell to the floor and then in a rage, he went looking for Michelle."

"When he found her, he called her all sorts of disgusting names ::: slut, whore, bitch. She left the house crying. That's when my father said, 'Go get the lighter.' I got the lighter and we played his sadistic little game. The game where he would see how much of the fire I could take before crying out for him to stop. He then took off his belt and pushed me to the floor. After he stripped me, he began whipping me. Again and again, hitting me everywhere with the buckle."

"I tried to scream... but nothing came out. The pain was so severe, I thought I might pass out. And then... IT happened."

"What happened, Todd? Please tell the court what happened on your fourteenth birthday..." coaxed Sam.

Swallowing hard, Todd felt his tears start to slide in currents down his cheeks. "My father dropped his pants, and he raped me."

Peter Manning stood up then, screaming, "It isn't true! I never touched him!" Fiercely, the old man tried to go to the front of the courtroom, but he was detained by a guard.

"Sit down or you will be removed from my court!" yelled the judge.

Peter Manning was bodily placed back in his seat as Sam went on questioning Todd. "After the rape, what did you do?" asked Sam.

"I got dressed, picked up a knife, and tried to attack my father. I wanted him dead after what he did," said Todd. "I had the knife in my hand and was about to walk into his bedroom... but as I walked down the hallway and passed in front of the full-length mirror, I saw my own reflection. I dropped the knife and I decided NOT to kill my father. No matter what he had done, I couldn't live knowing his blood was on my hands. I decided never to tell another living soul what had happened that night. I decided also that I must have deserved it, what my father had done... because he had always called me bad, stupid and told me how terribly worthless I was... I believed he was probably right."

"And when I went back to school, Michelle was no longer my friend. She was too afraid to associate with me after what had happened. I had dared to care about someone yet again, but then I had lost her... just like I lost my mother," spoke Todd.

"And the night of the Spring Fling, did you feel as though you had lost Marty too?" inquired Sam.

"Yes... we had this huge fight and she was on the arm of another guy. She had told me we were over... so yeah, I thought I had lost her. It was so hard to deal with it all, especially my feelings..." Todd spoke. "So instead of dealing with my emotions, I attacked her. I raped Marty Saybrooke."

"Thank you, Todd. I have no further questions."

"You may go back to your seat now, Mr. Manning," said the judge.

With his head hung low, Todd returned to his seat. "I call an hour recess for lunch. All rise," spoke the judge.

As they left for the recess, Marty didn't know what to think. It had been an eventful trial, that was for sure. She knew that Todd was hurting but it still didn't give him proper excuse for having hurt her. In her eyes, he had done an unspeakable act just as his father had done. It was like a cycle. She put her hand on her stomach, feeling very afraid for her unborn child If one day Todd tried to see his child who knew if he would be a changed man. She feared his harshness and anger would rub off on their child or perhaps it was was already there, hidden in the infant's genes.

"Marty, are you okay?" Vicki asked worriedly, seeing Marty press a hand to her tummy. "Is it the baby... or are you just hungry?"

"Would you like to get some lunch with me at the coffee shop across the street?" Vicki asked. She knew she couldn't spend another minute in this courtroom after Todd's painful testimony. It made her feel physically ill to think of what Peter Manning had done to Todd. It reminded her far too much of her own attack by her father.

Marty glanced over at Vicki. "No... no, lunch is good; baby is fine," she said. She went with her friend towards the coffee shop across the street.

"Thank you for being here today," she said to Vicki. Today would have been much harder for her if she was alone.

"You're very welcome. I wanted to be here for Todd, too. He's my brother, no matter what he's done. You know, I cannot help but love him. He's been through a lot... losing his mom so young... and considering what his father did to him," Vicki said as she and Marty made their way to the coffee shop across the street.

After Marty and Vicki had left, Todd didn't move. He just sat there, seeming emotionally exhausted. "Todd, let's go have lunch," Sam suggested. Todd wasn't allowed to go far, only to get a bite to eat, and his attorney and a guard had to stay near him at all times.

"Okay," Todd said quietly as he stood. As he got to his feet and turned, he saw his father standing there.

"I don't have a son," Peter Manning said to Todd in a voice full of contempt. "My son is dead."

*~0~*

At the cafe across the street, Marty and Vicki were talking. "Marty, just so you know... our father, Todd's and mine, he wasn't any better than Peter Manning. He attacked me when I was a little girl," Vicki said sadly. "And I had lost my mother just a few years before that. So, I can kind of understand Todd's pain, his feeling of abandonment and the betrayal he feels."

"I'm not saying that anyway justifies what he did to you. That was so wrong... and he needs to pay for hurting you," Vicki said as she and Marty entered the coffee shoppe and took their seats at a booth. "But knowing the hell he's been through, I cannot help but want to reach out to him. He seems so alone in this world."

"Vicki, I know you're a kind and forgiving person and you care very much. I can't blame you for that, but my worry is that if Todd doesn't go to jail or if he gets out, he'll want to see this child. I know it's his baby, too. I just don't know if I can trust him or anything he says right now. I want to believe there might be some good in him; that he means the things he says, that he truly cares but I just don't know..."

"I know you have a lot of confusion, Marty, so you should not make any major decisions right now," spoke Vicki as the two of them looked at their menus. "I really don't think it's possible Todd won't have to serve any jail-time. He's going to Statesville, but it's just a matter of how long."

Vicki then looked up, seeing Todd enter the coffee shoppe, accompanied by Sam and a guard. As he walked by Marty and Vicki's table, Todd gave them a nod. "Hello, Sis," he said to Vicki.

He then looked at Marty. "Hi," he said softly.

"Come on, Todd," Sam insisted, nearly dragging Todd away. Todd went to sit with his attorney at a nearby table. Instead of looking at his menu and deciding what he should order, his eyes were glued to Marty.

"I'm not really hungry, Sam," Todd spoke. "I'll just have some coffee."

"Todd, you need to eat something. You're losing weight."

Todd laughed. "Not like it matters. I don't play football anymore," said Todd. Lately he hadn't been eating or sleeping much at all. Sam was really worried about him. The more he got to know Todd, the more he felt like a father-figure to the younger man.

"I know," Marty responded to Vicki softly. She just wished she had all the answers. She hadn't responded when Todd had spoken to her, but only because she didn't know what to say. She had so much confusion right now, and most of all she needed some honest answers. She glanced at her menu in an attempt to decide what to order.

When the waitress came to their table Vicki ordered a chicken salad sandwich and a cup of coffee. "I thought Nora Gannon was Todd's lawyer. Sam Rappaport has obviously taken over Todd's case. He and Todd seem as though they are becoming very good friends," said Vicki as she tried to make conversation while waiting for their food to arrive.

"I guess maybe Nora couldn't handle the case or something," Marty said after she had placed her own order.

"Yes, it would seem that Todd likes Sam," Marty remarked after having taken a sip of her water.

After their food arrived, Vicki began eating her sandwich. The food was good here and so was the coffee. Vicki then glanced down a her watch. "An hour has nearly passed already. I suppose we better hurry it along," she told Marty.

"Yeah, I suppose it is time we got back," Marty agreed, finishing up with her lunch.

Todd's coffee arrived and he sipped at the hot liquid as Sam chattered on and on about the case. "When are they just going to lock me up and have it over with? I hate spilling my guts in front of the court. I won't do it anymore. I have absolutely nothing else to say," spoke Todd.

"Well, hopefully you won't be asked any more questions," Sam said to Todd. "Next, Powell and Zach will be brought to the stand... and then there is the sentencing."

"Good, I just want to have it over with," said Todd. He polished off his coffee, then just stared at Marty. He wondered what Marty and his sister were discussing.

With a heavy sigh, Todd hurried Sam along.

~*o*~

After lunch, Todd and Sam went back to the courthouse. Todd tried to keep his cool as he listened to the rest of the trial. Zach went up for questioning first. "Yeah, I raped Marty, but the chick was really asking for it. She showed Powell and me her panties. She wanted it," spoke Zach. Once again the crowd was reacting when they heard Zach's statements.

Then Powell came to the stand. "I did rape Marty Saybrooke, but I didn't want to. Todd made me do it," Powell said as he began blubbering and crying like a child. "It's all TODD's fault!"

Powell became so hysterical, he practically had to be carried back to his seat. Everyone could hear him sobbing as the judge called another recess for two hours so he could make a decision.

Todd went out in the hallway with his attorney and the guard so he could get something to drink.

Marty dropped her head in her hands once they were out in the hall again for the recess. All she wanted was for this to be over. She couldn't help but think it was starting to look bad. What would the judge say or do? Would Todd, Zach and Powell have to pay for their crime?