The next day Dorian and RJ were enjoying an afternoon lunch at the Palace Hotel Restaurant. As usual Dorian was talking to RJ about her favorite subject: herself. Although RJ got a kick out hearing Dorian ramble to him about her ongoing rivalry with Viki and the neverending saga of the Cramer Women, RJ was hoping that she would ask him about himself for a change. However, he knew that his best friend loved to be the center of attention and he just learned to deal with it. Dorian and RJ began to discuss the conversation they had over the phone yesterday."So you really thought I was pissed at you, RJ?" Laughed Dorian.
"You're so full of surprises, Dorian. It's hard to tell what you're going to do next."
"Tell me about it. I was thinking the same thing about you. RJ, I'm so happy that you broke up Max and Blair. I was really getting sick of that dead weight dragging my niece down. If he wants to ruin his life, fine. But I'll be damned if he took Kelly or Blair with him."
"Amen to that!"
"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a good friend to me. You're one of the only few men in this town that I respect and I could trust with my daughter and nieces."
"Stop it, Dorian. You're making me blush."
"RJ, you're so modest. I'm glad that I have you around. I have been so lonely lately with Mel and David gone. Cassie's in Switzerland, Kelly's too occupied with The Sun, Blair's been lusting for Max, and of course my sisters are institutionalized. I haven't really had a family, but at least I have a best friend."
"I could relate to that, Dorian. My brother and I haven't been on the best of terms lately and Rachel's in jail. Other than that, I try not think about family much."
"Well, RJ, I just want you to know that you are part of my family, and if you ever need any help, feel free to come and see me."
"I appreciate that, Dorian."
RJ and Dorian's emotional moment is interrupted when she sees Viki enter the room with Ben Davidson.
"Speak of the devil, it's Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead." Dorian said referring to Viki and Ben.
"Now Dorian, you're not going to start anything are you?" Asked RJ.
"After spending a week locked up with Viki in my basement, I had enough of her."
"You're not going to go after Viki? Why?"
"I have been feuding with Viki for several years and nothing good has ever come out of it, and I doubt that anything ever will. Look where my latest fight with her took me? I was at the mercy of a cold-blooded killer named Hugo Munroe and stuck in a damp room with Viki. It's no longer worth it to continue this vendetta I have against "Queen Victoria". If I don't quit while I'm ahead, I'm afraid something afwul might happen."
"You're pulling my leg, Dorian. You say you're giving up on Viki today, but we both know you're going to pick up where you left off tomorrow."
"I'm serious, RJ. I'm officially going to drop my grudge against Viki Carpenter. From now on, I'm going to concentrate on my family and self-renewal. Let's toast on it, RJ?"
Dorian and RJ pick up their wine glasses and make a toast.
"To new beginnings." Dorian says as RJ and her toast. They both drink their champagne.
"Call me a skeptic, but let's just say I'll believe it when I see it."
"Just keep your eyes open, RJ. I'm a woman of my word. Honest."
"Well there's one opportunity for revenge I just can't pass up." RJ says as he looks at Sykes sitting on the other side of the room with Tea.
"Ah ha. I know you been wanting to get even with John for sometime now? Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"Most definitely. Since I wasn't able to get justice through the IAD then I'll handle it my own way, but it'll be within the limits of the law."
"Well that's good. You were getting me worried for a moment."
"I don't know how you can be so calm about that corrupt cop right over there after all the drama he put us through."
"RJ, I'm so use to being railroaded for every crime in this town that cops just don't bother me no more."
"Well he's going to pay and I'm going to see to it that he does. If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have to use the men's room." RJ gets up out of his seat.
"Okay. I'll be right here."
RJ walks to the men's room to wash his hands and check out his hair. Just as he was looking at his dreadlocks, John walks in and attempts to provoke RJ into starting a fighting with him.
"Hey mophead! You have something to say to me? I know you do. Don't be bashful."
RJ finishes looking at his hair. He then washes his hands and responds to John.
"John, you know I don't engage in a battle of wits with unarmed opponents. Wise up, you wuss." RJ wipes his hands off with the paper washcloth and walks out the restroom.
Sykes looks in the bathroom mirror very dumbfounded. "He must have known I had a wire in my tie" he thought to himself.
On his way back to the table RJ runs into Tea and says hi to her.
"Well hello Ms. Delgado. It's so good to see you this afternoon."
"Why thank you." She said with a smile on her face.
"You're quite welcome." RJ spots John walking toward his direction. "I tell you how much your boyfriend loves to hassle me? I practically had to DRAG myself away from him."
Sykes walks over and says, "What is this I hear about DRAG? What are you doing with Tea?"
"I'm just being friendly to a friendly face. You know, you can learn a lot from me. How would you like to enroll in RJ's School of Charm?" Remarked RJ.
"How would you like me to run my foot up your......." Tea cuts off John.
"John calm down. We're in a public restaurant for crying outloud." Tea said.
"Temper, temper, detective. It's not nice to lose your cool so easily. Well I'll be seeing ya." RJ walks back to Dorian at their table.
Tea does her best to settle down an agitated John Sykes with minimal results.
"Get a grip, John. Don't let him get to you."
"Tea, I don't want you anywhere near RJ Gannon. He's a very dangerous man and you don't need a person like him in your life."
"Are you telling me who I could talk to? I'm capable of handling RJ. I have brothers and I took care of myself fine with them."
John and Tea continue to argue back and forth about RJ until she tells John that he's starting to act like Todd. Sykes doesn't like the fact that Tea compared him to Todd. Later at John's home he throws himself into the quietness and comfort of his apartment. He needed time to think of how he can effectively counteract RJ's blackmail scheme against him. John had no luck coming up with any ideas that would help him out. As he looked in the mirror, he kept pondering until his reflection disappeared and was replaced by Todd Manning.
At this point, John thought he was going crazy and he started talking to the mirror. To his amazement the mirror spoke back.
"Well if ain't Llanview's finest. Are you still keeping my leftover nice and warm?" Todd said referring to Tea.
"Manning, what are you doing here."
"I'm not Manning, John. I'm your conscience appearing in the image of Todd Manning. You see, somewhere inside you, you have a deep fascination over me. I know you do."
"That's nonsense. I don't want to be nothing like you."
"Well you already are, and I believe Tea pointed that out to you at the restaurant."
"She doesn't know what's she's talking about."
"Funny thing about mirrors. They say mirrors reflect how we see ourselves. After all, mirrors are the windows of truth and sometimes illusion. You know, I get a kick out of seeing you and RJ fight over my Tea like a bunch of cavemen. Unga bunga! Me, John protect the honor of lovely Tea against big bad RJ." Todd grunts and walks like a neanderthal in the mirror.
"Shut up, Todd. You don't know how to treat Tea, you abusive bonehead!" Exclaimed John.
"I think you have that backwards, John. Tea likes her men like I prefer my steak. Rough, tough, juicy and tender. Qualities that you obviously don't possess."
"Well I must be doing something right or she obviously wouldn't be with me."
"She's only with you cause I gave her to you. You can't even light her fire. Face facts, Johnny, you couldn't ignite her flame if you had a Zippo lighter and some gasoline. No wonder she's been running to RJ lately. You bore her to death."
"Tea enjoys my company. She loves me."
"I'm the only love in Tea's life. Not you or RJ. Remember that."
"Well she's forgotten that and I think it's time that you do the same."
"You're so naive, it's pathetic. When are you going to wake up and smell the coffee, cop? She's not in love with you."
"Stop taunting me, Todd. I have some important things to take care of."
"Oh yeah, that's right. You're in the middle of coming up with another stupid plan to take care of RJ Gannon. You know he smelled that entrapment scheme of yours from a mile away. Man, you're going to lose."
"I'm better than him and I'm better than you!" John picks up his baseball bat and smashes the mirror to pieces.
"You see I'm right. You're nothing. You're just glass." John looks at the fragmented mirror on the ground unaware that Todd's behind him.
"You nitwit! You thought you killed me, didn't you? Now you have seven years of bad luck."
"It can't be. You existed in the mirror. How could you be on the outside?!"
"You released me and now I'm free. Now that I'm on the outside, I would like to offer you my help."
"Why do you think I would want your help?"
"Because if I don't help you, your goose is as good as cooked."
"You have any ideas in mind?"
"Well it seems to me that the best way to handle RJ is to bond with the people that are close to him."
"I can't think of anyone that's close to RJ other than Dorian, and I know she won't give me the time of day much less entertain the thought of having a discussion with me."
"Well how about his brother Hank?" Suggested Todd.
"I almost forgot about Hank. Sometimes I wonder how those two can be related. Hank is more reasonable than RJ and has a good head on his shoulders."
"Well there you go. Since you work in the police station it won't be hard for you to talk to Hank either. So start right there and see where that takes you."
"You're right, Todd. That's what I'm going to do. After all, Hank is more tolerant of me. So how do I go about doing this anyway?"
"You're the detective. You figure it out."
"Todd, help me out, here. I'm begging you, please. Help me!" Todd's image fades away and once again John's left alone in his apartment questioning his own sanity.
The scene switches to RJ's apartment where he hears a knock at the door. He goes to open it and he sees Sophia Pellegrino with a copy of The Banner.
"Guess who made the paper ?" Sophia shows RJ the article about the holdup at the Crossroads Tavern.
RJ looks at it and is not pleased. He sees three paragraphs about the robbery attempt and his name and Sophia's mentioned.
"All this danger we endured at the hands of a wacko and this is the respect we get?!" Exclaimed RJ in a loud tone.
"Well that's the media for you." Remarked Sophia.
To Be Continued....