Participants:
| Scene Title | The Truth About Teo |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Abigail comes with the hopes of bringing Sonny somewhat good news. Only to Sonny it's not. |
| Date | June 30, 2009 |
Solstice: Sonny's Home
The apartment is large, sprawling and appointed in a cooly masculine, modern style. The entire far wall is made up of windows that reveal the drifting snow outside. The floors are a deep hardwood, the furniture leather. The modern, shining kitchen is open concept. There's a winding staircase to the left that leads to a small hallway, with two bedrooms. The space is open and roomy - perfect for entertaining high profile guests.
Sonny Bianco - and yes, it's Sonny rather than any of his alter egos, has been more or less self-sequestered since his speech. He hasn't granted any interviews or made any other public speeches. His PR person has been telling anyone who asks that Dr. Bianco said what he intended to say at the rally, and that any further comment will have to wait until a later date.
He's had to suffer through a few of his father's shindigs, but fortunately, the crowd avoided hot-button political topics. Likely on request of Daddy Bianco.
The big, fancy apartment feels like a shirt stretched out in the wash after these past few weeks. He's seated on the couch with a tumbler of scotch. The TV is on, but he's not really paying attention.
She'd called, warned him that she needed to talk with him. Preferably later in the day as she ended up having a class pushed back. So with her name on the list of approved people that are welcome to head up, Abigail's knuckles knock on Sonny's door, standing in the upscale hallway in her canvas Keds, sundress, leather jacket and helmet. Messenger back slung over her shoulder and blonde hair loose. Daddy Bianco would likely be getting very mixed messages if he saw this. And be happy. But she's not here for that.
Fortunately, Harry Bianco has much bigger things to worry about than the state of his son's love life. Like the controversial things Sonny's been saying, or Frontline, or fires, or Humanis First. Poor guy. What a time to be mayor.
The doc answers the door. He looks better than the last time she saw him, but that's not really saying much when you have control over things like that. He cares more what people think of him as himself. As Sal, he could be scruffy and tired and pale. As himself, he feels the need to be more…presentable, even when alone.
"Hey, Abby. Come in." He motions inward. The place is spotless. It hardly looks like a home. Looks more like a fancy hotel suite.
"Hello Sonny" No going up on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek even though he looks like he could use it. Certainly not in the hallway. So in she slips so he can close the door and shut out the rest of the world. She'd never seen this place and frankly, in her opinion, it doesn't seem like him.
"How are you doing? I'm making some casseroles and stuff, for people, do you want me to make some and bring them by?" Alcohol on his breath, not good.
She would be one of the only people to hold that opinion. Most people see this place as exactly the residence that Dr. Salvatore Bianco should live in.
"No, no thanks Abby," he smiles gently. "I appreciate the thought. I'm spoiled here. Five-star restaurants five minutes away who will deliver if I tip well enough." His tone is quiet, a little distant. "Can I get you something to drink?"
'Five star restaurants don't make food like a home cooked meal and you should know that by now Sonny" It's gentle chiding, oh so gentle. Regardless, he'll find a casserole likely the next day as if to prove a point. "water, it'd be good. Throats a little scratchy, I think I shouldn't have sat out in the rain the other night." She does reach out, brush her palm along his arm before she kicks off her shoes, putting them neat by the door. "Lets get drinks, then we need to talk"
"Save your cooking for someone who'd normally eat Kraft Dinner or ramen, Abby. I'm okay." Sonny moves into the kitchen and tugs out a bottle. "Perrier okay?" He frowns, "I…my father's assistant stocked up my fridge. She really has no idea what I actually eat." He pulls back and holds the bottle out to her, then motions to the sofa.
"Tap water Sonny. I like tap water. Bottled fizzy water is made for alcohol drinks or Gin." She's trying to smile, trying to be upbeat for him. "Maybe you should leave a list? She could only guess instead of know. But then… you have five star restaurant two feet away" She lets him deal with the bottled water back to it's nest in the fridge while she susses out a glass so she can pour herself a glass from the tap.
"I do usually shop for myself. My speech was only a blip on the news, but it's enough to get a few people looking. So I'm not going out a whole lot." Sonny moves to the fridge, tucks the Perrier on, then hits a fancy button on the tap that filters the water before it goes into Abby's glass. No part of Sonny's real life is simple - not even a glass of water.
For himself, he refills the scotch and moves back to the couch. "I…have a feeling I'm not going to like whatever you've come to tell me."
"Maybe, maybe not. Couple things really, and a favor. Favor first or the good news bad news stuff?" Buttons on faucets that filter water. No, really, she expects that. The place looks like it's a show home. Back to the couch she goes, bare feet padding across the floor and unlike their mutual friend, she doesn't perch on the floor or on the arm but settles down within an arms reach of him. THe glass of water sipped from then put down, the blonde pulls her feet up, tucking them under her.
"I…think you better tell me what you came here to tell me, Abby," says Sonny. His voice is low and tight. He stares into the liquid of his scotch, ice cubes protruding like glaciers in a caramel sea. "You know whatever it is, it isn't going to make me turn down a favour."
"That.. is a good point. Though you may beat my head in at the favor" But she turns, adjusts herself to face him. "Good job you did on the jumper in Teo's body. I wouldn't have known it was Teo's body unless he'd told me. Or unless Flint had told me after they tried to bash each others brains in"
"Abby…please…just tell me," Sonny is trying to be patient, but he's lacking that these days. He bends forward, fingers pulling through tightly curled hair.
'I met Teo. OR more appropriately, I met the person inhabiting Teo's body. Sonny, that's not Teo. Not the Teo we know. Deckard flat out told me and the person behind the driving wheel of Teo's body confirmed it." She leans forward herself to keep eye to eye contact. "our Teo is not at the driving wheel. But I need you to not freak out and.. go overboard or flip out when I tell you who is, okay?" She'll tell him, regardless of whether he can promise he won't. "It's Teo behind the driving wheel. Ten years from the future. Somehow.. he can back with everyone else and commandeered our Teo's body"
There really should be more shock on Sonny's face. Instead, his expression just sort of goes blank. It takes him a minute to say anything at all. In the meantime, he just stares, and you can almost see the wheels ticking.
Then, he exhales through his nostrils and tears his eyes from Abby. He bites his lower lip and slams his glass down.
"Fuck!"
Normally he's a lot more conscious of cursing around her, but no other word seems quite adequate. And then, quietly, almost too quiet to hear, he murmurs, "Are you sure?"
What is it with people and slamming stuff down around her. Abigail startles, eyes widening a fraction, but the former healer nods her head. "Our Teo wouldn't have known Sonny, what cop it was that gave my name and information to James Muldoon and John Logan. This Teo, this man, did. And that's what the cops out in Jersey who got killed were. The first one at least, the other two were collateral" She's afraid to reach out and touch him. "Our Teo wouldn't have done that. This, that Teo, is apparently trying to change things, from his future. Make it better I guess"
Too many things make sense now. And Sonny is beginning to wish he hadn't heard. It was a lot easier thinking of Ghost as an evil entity that needs to be destroyed. Knowing that it was Teo who hurt him this badly, who deceived him and is killing people just makes it that much worse.
He tenses very visibly. "Better for who?" he says quietly. Certainly not for him.
"I don't know Sonny. All I do know is that.. things aren't looking good for our teo right now. Cops want him for questioning, they came to my apartment, but, Agent Ivanov knows, and he knows that Teo doesn't look like himself right now, so that works in our Teo's favor. Because if he can 'change' his face, it means that our Teo was framed and maybe that will be enough." Tentatively, carefully and oh so slowly, Abigail reaches over to lay her hand on Sonny's arm. "It's not our Teo. He says that our Teo is safe. It wasn't the man we know and love who did.. all.. that." What goes unspoken is that maybe the things between Teo and Sonny might be salvageable. Might. She'll hold out hope.
"But it's something he could become," says Sonny. He tenses more under the touch and shirks. Not enough to draw away from her, but enough to communicate that he'd rather not be touched. "I…never thought…" he swallows. "…that…anything could make Teo do the things that…he's done. That's why I was so convinced it was something alien."
He picks up his glass again and takes a rather large swallow. "Well. I guess I never really knew him, did I?" He can't quite keep the bitterness from his tone.
So she pulls her hand away, settles it back on her lap with her other hand. "Ten years Sonny, is a long time to change a person. Maybe something happened, that made him become the way that he is then" She knows from Niki, what changed him. That fateful day that Al died, but she's not about to share that with Sonny. "Maybe he's working to make sure that doesn't happen? He can't stay in our Teo's body forever" She doens't know what to say to make it better, to get that look out of his face and the tone back to what she knows. She can't touch him and make it all go away no matter how hard she'd pray.
"The man I've spoken to doesn't seem like a man who has regrets. He's a man full of rage and hate who doesn't give a damn what he destroys here." Sal's words are barely audible and he says them to his ice cubes before swallowing a mouthful.
He takes a deep breath, then as calmly as he can muster, asks, "What was your favour?"
"It's nothing Sonny. I can do it on my own. I shouldn't have come here and told you. I thought it would help you to know it wasn't our teo. But it's not helping. I should go, I'm on the scooter and I still have to get home. I got homework still too. Are you going to be okay alone? You can come over to my place. I have the blow up mattress and you can have that. Leo's living with me again" She sets about to peeling her feet out from under her and place them flat on the floor, scrunching her toes in a bit.
"No, Abby. It…may not make things better, but I'm glad I know." Sonny's voice is capable of some powerful tones, as he demonstrated at the rally. But right now, he sounds very, very small. Now a new emotion - guilt for the hate and venom spewed at the man who is in some way still his Teo - even if he's changed a lot. "I said I'd help you. Just tell me what it is," and then after a beat, adds, "Please."
"If you treat them like the two different people they are Sonny, it helps" He's sitting, she's standing and it's after a deep breath that she mumbles something out, hoping that he hears it and she really doesn't have to repeat it.
"I can't go anywhere right now. People are watching me. I have to be careful until I'm back as Sal. And my father wants me to stay around awhile longer. It's hard to sneak away at the moment." Sonny doesn't comment on her request. Instead, he stands, sets his drink down and moves to his desk. He pulls out a prescription pad, scribbles something on it and hands it to her. "Promise me you'll monitor your blood pressure. You can use one of those devices at a drug store." For those few seconds, he switches smoothly to 'doctor mode.'
He keeps prescription pads at home? Abigail's surprised. No really, she's surprised. "I was also going to see if you knew of a doctor and a dentist that might be good, cause.. I'm not going to be getting back what I had. So.. that means that I'm actually going to have to, you know, go see them now" So many little things she took for granted with her gift. How many times did she get rid of headaches? Got a cavity? whoosh, gone without a thought.
"I'll see who's available," says Sonny, "And I'll let you know." Not so odd that he has them at home. This isn't the first time a friend has come to him for a prescription of some kind. He tosses the pad back onto the desk. "Be safe, Abby."
He's a series of persona's. Connor, Sal, Dr. Bianco, and a half dozen others that he seems to rotate through with varying frequency. Right now, he seems stronger because he's being doctorly. That will only last for the time it takes for her to get to the door.
She's not heading for the door, not quite yet. She's stepping forward to take the square of paper and then, regardless of whether he's stiff or not, there's a chase and gentle kiss to his cheek and her arms wrapped around him impossibly tight.
"Shitty things, Sonny, happen to good people, for no good reason other than they were shitty things. What was done to you was undeserved because I know you loved him with all your heart. You need to be strong Sonny, like you are right now, and even more impossibly stronger. There's something big happening and .. and the world is going to need you. Our Teo is going to need you. I'm going to need you. Everyone is going to need you. Salvatore Bianco, the really gifted plastic Surgeon with the big heart and big eyes."
Sal is extremely stiff in Abby's embrace. "My…Teo. I'm…beginning to think he never was actually mine," He reaches up to squeeze her shoulders, then to give her a gentle push. He doesn't mean to be dismissive, he's just…got a lot on his mind. And after all of this, it's going to be awhile before he lets his guard down with anyone. "People might need me, but I…think I need to be alone right now." He gives her a tiny hint of a smile. "Be careful, Abby."
"Sometimes we need to be alone" She nods to that. She can understand that. She also understand the little push away. So she heads to the door, a glimpse of the tattoo's on her back that Sonny has likely never seen before peeking up from the back of her dress. "Maybe in your solitude Sonny, you can figure out how someone without an evolved Gene, was able to wield an ability" She's slipping her feet into the flats at the door, tucking the square of paper away.