Facing the Truth – By GearJamGranny

Story Notes:

This story begins at the end of the plane scene (from asterisk to asterisk is direct quoting and belongs to the writers of Days of Our Lives) and going a different route than the original

*“Look at me…look at me.”

 

“I can’t. I’m afraid if I do, I’ll see the love in your eyes…I’ll see the passion, and I’ll be lost. And if I do, I’ll give my heart to you again, and that was never mine to give.”

 

“It was mine once.”

 

“It’s Roman’s now.”

 

“Doc, we closed off our feelings for a long time and whether tonight was right or wrong, we couldn’t hold back on those feelings any longer. So now the question is, now that we have opened up our hearts, are we ever going to be able to close them?”*

 

With that Marlena rushed out of the jet into the pouring rain, but it didn’t matter how far or how fast she ran, she couldn’t get away from John’s last words. She knew she would never be able to close her heart to him again. He was her heart, her soul, her life, and she was having trouble believing that after what she had just shared with him, she was ever able to give him up in the first place. Logically it all made sense. Marlena came back from the dead after five years, John was engaged, Isabella got pregnant, Roman came back from the dead after seven years, they each had a partner and were supposed to live happily ever after. In her car, Marlena giggled hysterically. “Golly, this sounds like a bad soap opera.” “I guess I head home to Roman, celebrate our anniversary, and go on with life, I just wish I knew how.”

 

Back on the plane, John was still sitting with his head in his hands. “She chose him again. Why didn’t I see it coming? Face it Black, when it comes to Doc, you’d let her go a million times, if it meant you got to spend one incredible minute with her.” John held up the blanket he had wrapped around Marlena after loving her and inhaled her sweet scent before folding it and replacing it behind the gray leather sofa. “I need to go check on her, make sure she’s all right. I never should have let her drive.” With that he pulled on his boots and left the plane, calling the pilot and the nanny to alert them of his change in plans.

 

Marlena pulled into the driveway, thankful that there were no lights on in the house. Maybe Roman had gotten called out on a case and she would have time to herself before having to face him. All dreams were shattered however when she opened the front door to a cacophonous “SURPRISE! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!” She found a smug looking Roman standing by the stairs and pinned him with a furious glare. He walked quickly over to her, and began, “Now Doc, I know you don’t like surprises, but I just…” “Roman, you’re right, I don’t like surprises, and to be quite honest with you, I’m not in the mood for this one.” Marlena suddenly remembered the room full of family and friends and pasted a smile on her face for them. “I’m sorry, it’s been a long day, and I wasn’t expecting this. Thank you so much for your love and for coming to this party, but I’m not really good company right now. Feel free to stay and enjoy yourselves with Roman, but I need to head upstairs.” With that Marlena turned up the stairs and shut herself in a room filled with memories of the two men whom she loved very much.

The doorbell rang shortly after and Abe opened the front door amidst the confused group to find John standing there. “Come on in buddy.”

 

“Hey Abe, what are you doing here?”

 

“Same thing you are, I think. Roman and Marlena’s anniversary party. Or what was supposed to be their anniversary party anyway”

 

“What do you mean, supposed to be?”

 

“No one knows, Marlena came in and lit into Roman and went upstairs for the night. I’ve never seen her act like that.”

 

John looked around the room, but didn’t see Roman and assumed the man went upstairs to try and smooth things over with his wife. John had no idea what to make of the situation, and his gut was wrenching with all of the possibilities.

 

Upstairs, Marlena changed into a pair of old sweats and a T-shirt. Only after she had them on and passed her dresser mirror did she realize that they were John’s, left in her “comfy clothes” drawer after Roman came home and John had to leave. For the first time in almost two years, she found herself getting angry at Roman for not giving her or John a choice, but that wasn’t totally fair either. All Marlena knew right now was that she was angry, and it wasn’t with Stefano this time, at least not completely. She was angry with Roman and, truth be told, herself. She thought she was being noble when she told John to stay with a pregnant Isabella; it hurt her greatly to know that John was in love with another woman, but at least Isabella was kind and generous and completely in love with John. Maybe she wouldn’t have been as willing to let John go if they hadn’t found Roman, but they had, and she felt that he deserved a chance to get back to his old life, but he had just picked up as though nothing had changed, when in reality everything had.

“Roman doesn’t understand that he and John are not interchangeable in my heart, he doesn’t get that his children aren’t kids anymore, that they’re young adults capable of making their own decisions, and he has no clue that by expecting us all to forget about John and how we felt that those feelings have just intensified.” Marlena’s thoughts were suddenly everywhere they should have been two years ago. A knock on the bedroom door roused her from her musings. “Doc, let me in.” She opened the door to a disappointed and slightly angry Roman.

 

“Care to tell me what that was all about downstairs?”

 

“I’m sorry to have snapped at you Roman, but you know I hate surprises, and like I said, today wasn’t a good day.”

 

“Want to talk about it? Because right now I’ve got a house full of people and I’d like to know if I should tell them to go home or stay because you’re going to decide to grace them with your presence.”

 

“Don’t you dare play the martyred party thrower with me, Roman Augustus Brady. I am sick of you acting as though you can plan my life, tell me where to be, who to be seen with, and making decisions as though I am one of your children. I did just fine on my own when you weren’t here, and I’ll continue to do so.”

 

Roman’s look was one of incredulity, and he was so wrapped up in the humiliation of having his wife ditch her own anniversary party that he didn’t realize he should just stop.

“Doc, what are you talking about? I don’t make decisions for you, but I planned a party for our anniversary, and you decided you didn’t want to attend because you’d had a bad day. Aren’t you being a bit selfish?”

 

Roman earned Marlena’s most shocked look, and then her wrath. “Selfish? You want selfish? How about a man who disappears for seven years, regardless of the fact that it was not his fault, and waltzes back into the lives of his wife and children expecting them to have not changed one bit. Not only does he expect them not to have changed but also to forget that anything happened in their lives while he was gone. Roman, Carrie, Sami, and Eric all grew up while you were gone. You don’t want to acknowledge that, but they did, and you need to start treating them like the young adults that they are. They had a wonderful father figure in John, but you want to act as though he meant nothing to them, that they only loved him because they thought he was you. He wasn’t you Roman. Even though he had your name and your memories from before you disappeared, he wasn’t you. He made his own wonderful memories with the kids while both of us were gone. John treated all three of the children with respect and love; he guided them through some really tough times, but he dealt with it all differently than you did and do. It’s why Carrie still goes to him with her problems and Eric still calls him Dad on occasion. And it’s why Sami stays as far away from him as possible.”

 

Roman couldn’t stand it any longer, he had to speak. “So you’re saying he was a better father than me, is that it?” Once the jealous voice in Roman’s head started talking he lost all sense of reason. “Don’t you think I would have done even better than John if I had been allowed to be here? I am their father after all; I know what’s best for my own kids! Doc, I was in Stefano’s hell-hole for seven years, and the only thing that kept me sane were images of you and the kids. I’m sorry if I wanted things to be back to the way they were before I left, but it’s damn hard to come home after seven years and find out you weren’t even missed.”

 

“Roman, you were missed, but why can’t you have let your family miss you, but still have John in their lives? I think it’s wonderful that our children had someone to love them as much as John did while we weren’t here. And now you bristle every time anyone mentions the time that he spent with us. Carrie loves him and the more you bark at her about Austin and the fact that you are her father, she will continue to turn to John until she no longer comes to you at all. Eric feels the same way, but Sami has always been her Daddy’s girl and she is so torn up right now. She loves John, but to show that would mean disloyalty to you, so she treats John with indifference so as not to bruise your oversized ego. Roman, you and John are not interchangeable, not with the kids and not with me.” She didn’t mean to refer to herself also, but Roman pounced on her words immediately.

 

“What do you mean with you? You thought he was me, Doc, that’s why you were in love with him, why you let him into our home, be a father to our kids. I know you’re friends now, but…” Marlena had turned her back on Roman and was rubbing her forehead with all four fingers, trying to work out some of the tension of the conversation. She soon realized that the only way to get rid of the tension was to face it head on.

 

“Roman, you need to sit down and listen to me.”

 

“But Doc…”

 

“No Roman, sit down, and listen. Don’t talk, don’t interrupt, just listen, all right?”

 

Oblivious to the goings on upstairs, all of the guests downstairs began to disperse. John stayed with Carrie, Austin, Eric, and Sami, ostensibly to help clean up, but he was worried about Marlena, and putting away food, chairs and dishes helped keep his mind off of the conversation that might be going on upstairs. When the clean-up was over and there was nothing left to do, John decided to go home. Without looking suspicious, there was no reason left for him to stay, so he said good-bye to Eric and Sami, and walked out with Carrie.

 

“Punkin, if you talk to Marlena later, have her give me a call o.k.?”

 

“Sure John. I just can’t imagine what was going on with her tonight. When she came in the door, she looked as though she had been crying. To be honest, she hasn’t been herself for a while. She puts on a good front, but she just always looks sad. Eric and I have talked about it, but Dad is clueless. He doesn’t seem to think anything is wrong. John, is anything ever going to be normal with our family again?” John’s heart broke as he watched the play of emotions go through his one-time daughter’s eyes. He enveloped her in a hug that he hoped would be reassuring and spoke quietly into her hair.

 

“I wish I had a solid answer for you Carrie. Just try to get some sleep tonight, and be there for Marlena when she needs you. I want to help her too, but right now I think I’m the last person she wants to see.” John’s words didn’t make sense to Carrie and she decided to lay all her cards out for once.

 

“John, this is kind of awkward for me to say, so just let me get through it ok?” John just nodded his acknowledgement. “You say you are the last person Marlena wants to see, yet you are the only person that truly makes her eyes light up. She is really herself when you’re around. Saying this makes me fell a little disloyal to Dad, but there isn’t any way for all three of you to win with the situation Stephano put you in. John, you and Marlena were in love, not because she thought you were Dad, but because of you, and Dad just expected everyone to forget about you and what you meant to us when he came back. You are a great person John, and I know that you’re still in love with Marlena. I don’t want Dad to get hurt, but I think that all three of you really need to take a step back and figure out where you need to go.” John was speechless for a moment as he looked at the young woman standing before him.

 

“When did you get so smart, Punkin?”, he asked with a half-hearted attempt at a smile on his face.

 

“John, you and Marlena are two of the people who taught me about unconditional love. I know Dad loves me, but I only have small recollections of him before Stefano took him away and to be honest, since he’s come back, he only seems to love me if I’m living the way he wants me to.”

 

“Carrie, your dad loves you, even if he forgets that you’ve grown up. He didn’t get to watch you grow into the beautiful young lady I see standing before me, so sometimes he forgets and he makes you nine years younger than you are. I know that’s hard for you to accept, but you growing up without him is hard for him to accept too.” Carrie just smiled and shook her head softly.

 

“John, you always do that; you always defend him. Why? He came home and literally pushed you out of the only life you have ever known. Why don’t you hate him, us? We let him push you away.” Suddenly there were tears in Carrie’s eyes as she realized the magnitude of pain that must have been inflicted on John in these past months. John just pulled her in for another hug and said simply, “Because I love you all so much.”

 

“Roman, a part of me died when I thought you fell to your death off of that cliff. The only reason I went on was for Carrie, Sami, and Eric. Then this amnesiac showed up at the hospital and there was something about him; I was drawn to him.”

 

“Because you thought he might be me, Doc, right?” Roman had a bad feeling in his gut and needed to remind Marlena how much she wanted him to come back to her after everyone thought he was dead.

 

“You interrupted, and no I didn’t think he was you. I don’t know why none of us realized this before, but John is much taller than you.” Marlena laughed a bit now in her recollection of the past and the absurdity of the situation they were all faced with. But a disgusted “humph” from behind her brought her back to the present.

 

“I can’t explain why I felt the need to help John, but I did, and while I was helping him regain his lost memories, I fell in love with him. Roman, there was even a point when we thought he might be Stefano, and still, I loved him.” Had she exhaled just a bit more forcefully, she would have knocked Roman over, so shocked was he by her admission.

 

“You thought that he was the man who kidnapped our children, killed me, and destroyed our family, and you were in love with him? Doc, how is that possible? How twisted is your mind?” Roman was reeling with indignant anger and grabbed the first thing he could reach. The glass shattered and the frame splintered as it hit the wall with all of Roman’s fury behind it. The picture of Roman and Marlena had tear holes from the broken glass. Marlena cringed back from him. She knew he would be angry with her admission but never thought he would become violent. As he rounded on her, she wondered at her intelligence in telling Roman the whole truth.

 

The shattering picture frame startled Sami and Eric from the television show that was on but not being watched. They had turned on the TV simply to drown out the raised voices of their parents. Sami was the first to find her voice, “Eric, what do you think is going on with Mom? I thought things would be like they used to be by now, but every day just seems to get worse. Do you think our family will ever be normal again?” Eric just shook his head. The only thing that ever felt normal to him was when John was their father, but he knew Sami felt differently about that.

 

“Sami, I don’t know what’s going on. I do know that Mom isn’t happy, even though she pretends to be, and Dad is convinced that everything will be perfect as long as we forget about John, but I can’t do that. John’s the one who taught me how to throw a curve ball and how to play a really good practical joke and more”, Eric’s voice cracked as his mind flashed through all of the years with John in the house, as their dad, “more than anybody else.”

 

“What you really mean is more than Daddy, right Eric?”

 

Eric looked at his twin, and to his surprise didn’t see anger or indifference, but sadness, though no tears had come to her eyes.

 

“I wish I knew how to feel, Eric. I loved John, but then Dad came back and I couldn’t keep loving John because it made Daddy so sad, but sometimes, I’d catch John looking at me, and he looked like he had lost everything, you know?” Then it finally hit Sami, “He did, didn’t he? We were his entire life, but when Dad came back John just walked away. Why didn’t he stay and fight Eric? If he loved us so much, why didn’t he fight for us?”

“I couldn’t Peanut.” Sami had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear John, Carrie, and Austin re-enter the house. “We thought we heard a crash; is everything all right in here?”

 

“We don’t know Da, um, John. Mom and Dad have been upstairs this whole time and whatever broke was in their room.” As much as Eric still wanted to give the name Dad to John, he shared the feeling of disloyalty with Sami whenever he called John, Dad.

And as worried as Sami was about what was going on in her parents’ bedroom, she was curious about John’s comment when he came through the front door.

 

“What do you mean you couldn’t fight for us John? Because you didn’t want to?” Sami really hoped that that wasn’t the case, and she wasn’t even sure she would have wanted John to fight her parents, but the question slipped out before she could stop it and now she had to face the answer. She needed to know how much, or if, John had really loved them.

 

John moved immediately to his knees in front of Sami’s place on the couch, and looked her right in the eye, “Sami, if I could have, I would have moved Heaven and Earth to make sure that you, Carrie, and Eric could stay with me permanently, but I had no legal claim to you. I had no past beyond Salem, and biologically you weren’t mine, and you had two parents who loved you and were taken from you. I couldn’t keep you from your mom or your dad either. It killed me to walk out that front door, to know that none of you would ever call me “Dad” again, but I didn’t feel like I had a choice. My entire life started with your mom, and when she put you in my arms for the first time Peanut, I cried. It seemed like everything I was supposed to do with my life revolved around being a dad to you and your sister and brother and being a husband to your mom. It was the most incredible feeling I have ever had, and I feel just as connected to all of you as I do to Brady.” John made a point to look at Carrie and then Eric before settling his gaze back onto Sami. “Blood, or lack of it, doesn’t change how I feel about any of you. Not ever.” John reached up and wiped the tears from Sami’s face, hoping that he had somehow mended things in her heart, but her expression was unreadable, and when she launched herself into his arms, he finally let go of his own tears that had been threatening to fall.

 

Marlena tried not to flinch as Roman reached for her, but Roman caught the slight movement and dropped his hand to his side. “Doc, are you that afraid of me?”

The look on Marlena’s face was priceless as she pondered the sheer stupidity of the question. “Roman, you just launched a picture frame across the room and shattered it into oblivion, and the look in your eyes when you turned toward me made me feel as though you wished I was the frame. So forgive me for jumping a bit at your touch.” Roman almost didn’t recognize the woman standing in front of him. The fathomless hazel eyes were blazing with fury and the alto voice was laden with sarcasm. This was not the same sweet, pliable woman he married, and he had no idea how to deal with her in this state. The only comfortable road he knew to take at this point was anger. “Well, how am I supposed to react to finding out my wife fell in love with the enemy? Doc, I don’t think I know you anymore at all. I’m not sure I want to.” With that said, Roman slammed open the bedroom door and pounded down the stairs. “I’m leaving.” He didn’t even know to whom he said the words as the front door’s slamming resonated behind him, and he never saw the open mouthed shock of the five people seated in the living room.

John hated to extricate himself from Sami’s embrace, but the need to see Marlena overwhelmed him. He excused himself from the room and ran up the stairs to a room he knew very well. The bedroom door was only slightly ajar, but he could see his beloved standing in the middle of the floor half way between the bed and the adjoining bathroom. John had no idea what to make of her state. She wasn’t crying, but she looked dazed. John’s first thought was perhaps Roman had hurt her in some way, but he banished that thought. “I know that as Roman I never would have been capable of hurting her, but Roman is different now; there doesn’t seem to be any softness left in him.”

 

“John, stop lurking in the doorway, wondering what to do next. You need to come in here so we can talk.” It never failed to amaze either of them the connection they had. How they could sense one another’s presence, moods; it was as though they were truly one person but in two bodies.

 

“Doc, are you all right? Roman didn’t hurt you did he? He flew out of here as though he were trying to escape, and he was angrier than I’ve ever seen him.”

 

“Actually John, I hurt him…terribly.” John’s thoughts went immediately to the plane and the beautiful woman in front of him, the way she smelled, the way she moved, the intense feelings she caused within him every time they were any where near one another. Honestly, he got those feelings whenever they weren’t together also, but he had to put all of that aside.

 

“Did you tell him about us, about what happened earlier this evening?”

 

“No, there was a part of me that felt that I should, but I couldn’t, I just couldn’t bring myself…”

 

”Doc, it’s o.k., I know how guilty you feel about us being together…”

 

“No, no, you don’t know how I feel, John. Why does everyone around me insist on telling me how I feel? The last time I checked the mirror, I was me, not you, not Roman, ME!” John took an involuntary step toward Marlena in the effort of calming her, but she backed away from his tentative embrace.

 

“John, I don’t want to fight with you. I just had more than I can handle with Roman, and I don’t want to fight with someone else I love tonight.” John seized on her last five words, but wisely chose not to say anything.

 

“I, we need to talk, but not here. There are too many jumbled memories here. Not that it really matters where we go, there are always going to be memories.”

 

“What about the loft? I know it’s mine, but maybe because Brady is there, it will make you feel safer somehow.”

 

“Maybe, I guess it’s the only place right now.” She gave a half laugh and continued, “Is it just me, or is this conversation a bit banal in light of everything that happened between us less than three hours ago?” Marlena asked as she laughed. It wasn’t the full laugh that he loved to hear emanating from her, but there was a spark in her eyes that he hadn’t seen a while, and it made John hopeful, for what he wasn’t even sure yet.

 

As they descended the stairs, four pairs of eyes turned toward Marlena.

 

“Mom, is Daddy going to be o.k.? He was really mad when he left. I don’t even think he saw us.” For which Sami was a little relieved. She had still been enveloped in one of John’s infamous bear hugs and didn’t want to have to explain that to her dad.

 

“Oh, sweetie girl, I don’t know what is going through your daddy’s head right now. I need all of you to be there for him right now though. I, ah, I’m not sure what is going to happen between your dad and me. There are a lot of unresolved things going on; things that we should have dealt with almost two years ago, but we didn’t, and now it might be more painful, and oh, I wish I had answers for you, but I don’t.” Marlena’s confusion was evident, but John silently noticed that she seemed much calmer than she did while running from the plane earlier that night.

 

“Mom, I think all three of us understand, kind of and in our own ways. Dad has made it pretty clear that our lives were supposed to go on status quo, as though John was never a part of our lives, but I know I can’t do that. John, I’m sorry, I know it really hurt you to leave us, but it really hurt me too to let you go. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t want to hurt my dad either. It’s all really confusing, you know?” John threw his arms around Eric and could only manage a, “thanks Kid” over the lump of emotion in his throat. This was why Eric loved John so much. John never hesitated to show his emotions, his love for those around him. Eric always felt safe with John.

 

“Marlena, are you o.k.? We heard the smash of something upstairs, and we could hear you and Dad yelling from outside. We came back into the house, and Dad stormed out.”

 

“I’m fine, thanks, sweetie. You know your dad. I told him something he didn’t want to hear and picked up the first thing he could and threw it. It was a picture frame, and I suppose I should go pick it up so no one gets cut on the glass.”

 

“Marlena, Dad never used to get so angry, why now? He has everything he wants, and if things aren’t going exactly his way, he badgers us until we conform.”

 

“Carrie, you don’t even live here anymore so don’t talk about Daddy that way. Just because he doesn’t bow down and worship you anymore doesn’t mean you have to talk about him like that!” With that Sami ran up the stairs to her room and slammed the door.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make her angry, but Dad just gets me so mad with his little dictatorship style, and I don’t think she and I are ever going to agree on this.”

 

“Punkin, it’s o.k., you heard everything Sami said earlier tonight, and I think she just needs some time to sort through everything.” This earned John a puzzled look from Marlena, but he gave a return look conveying that she would find out soon enough.

 

“Doc, I’m going to go check on Sami before we leave; I’ll just be a minute.”

 

“All right. Eric, Carrie, John and I have some things to talk about. I’m not sure when I’ll be home or what will happen once I get home. I need to ask you not to say anything to your father for the time being. Because of our earlier conversation, I don’t want him to jump to any erroneous conclusions.”

 

Carrie couldn’t help herself from asking, “Marlena, did you tell Dad that you were still in love with John?”

 

ohn knocked softly on Sami’s door, “Sami, peanut, it’s me. Do you want to talk?” He didn’t expect her to open the door, but she did, the scowl still marring the features of her face. “Did Carrie send you to do her apologizing?”

 

“Sami, is that fair? I know you’re mad, but do you really think so little of your sister?”

She hesitated before answering, “No, you know I don’t. She just makes me so mad sometimes. So does Eric. They both know exactly how they feel about all of this mess and I never know how I’m going to feel about something until I fly off the handle or break down in tears, and I’m tired of not being sure of anything anymore John.”

 

“Come here Peanut. Come here, let me hold you for a minute.” Sami went to sit by John on the bed and resisted for just a minute before snuggling into the remembered warmth and strength of her former father’s embrace.

 

“I don’t think that Eric and Carrie are so confident in their feelings either. They both love your dad and don’t want to hurt him, but they just react to the situation differently than you. Please don’t think I’m trying to belittle how you feel by trying to help you understand Eric and Carrie’s points of view, I just don’t want you to think you’re alone in your feelings, even though no one else is going to feel exactly the way you do, o.k.?” He got a small nod of yes from Sami and decided to forge ahead. “There are some things that you can always be sure of though Sami. One, your mom and dad love you more than anything else on Earth. Memories of you, Eric, and Carrie are what got them through all of those years of being held by Stefano.” John squeezed Sami a little tighter as she shuddered involuntarily at the mention of Stefano’s name. “Two, you can always count on your grandparents to be there for you. Shawn and Caroline and Frank and Martha love all of you to distraction and would do anything to ensure your happiness. And finally, I told you earlier and I will tell you as often as you need to or want to hear it, I love you Samantha Gene, and nothing and no one will change that.”

 

Marlena didn’t have a ready answer for the question just posed to her by the daughter of her heart. She moved to the couch and took residence on the end opposite Eric. For the second time that evening, she ran her fingers over her brow to release some of the tension.

 

“I’m sorry, Marlena, I shouldn’t have asked that. It came out before I knew what I was saying. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

 

“No, no, Carrie, it’s all right. You and Eric and Sami have a right to know how I feel, especially when it involves your dad. I told Roman about John first coming to Salem and how we didn’t know his identity, but that I fell in love with him even before we thought John was Roman. The thing that pushed Roman over the edge however was finding out that I was in love with John even when we thought he might have been Stefano.” Four gasps were heard in the room, and Marlena turned to find John and Sami at the bottom of the steps.

 

“Mom, how could you have been in love with someone like Stefano? He killed Daddy, or at least we thought he did. It’s sick to think you could have loved John if you thought he was that monster!”

 

“Sami, you were still pretty little when John first came to Salem, and I never confided in any of you all of the turmoil both John and I were going through trying to figure out his identity. By the time you were old enough to understand, it was ancient history and Roman was back, so it all got buried. I think it’s time you knew, that you understood where John and I came from and why we’re headed to where ever we’re headed to.” Carrie sat in the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace and Austin perched on the arm. Sami and John came farther into the room, and Sami sat down next to Eric on the couch. John grabbed a chair from the dining room table and placed it next to the couch, backwards, by Marlena. He needed to be close to her, to feel her reassurance, since he had no idea where this conversation was going to go; he just knew that whatever Marlena had planned was something she needed to do mainly on her own.

 

Roman wandered the pier below the fish market aimlessly. He had no idea what to make of Marlena’s admissions about John. He did know that he felt like hitting something, someone, and he didn’t really care who or what. He just wanted someone to feel as rotten as he did. Finally, he could stand the silence no longer, but he had no idea where to go. Roman didn’t feel as though he belonged anywhere right now, so he wandered and found himself outside the Cheatin’ Heart. Somehow he knew slamming down tepid beers wouldn’t make him feel better, but maybe it would make him forget everything Marlena told him earlier, at least for a while. He just couldn’t believe that his Marlena would fall in love with someone she thought might be Stefano Dimera. Despite the gnawing feeling in his gut, Roman still thought of Marlena as his. He walked into the hazy bar and parked himself in a corner, out of the way of the door and the pool tables and proceeded to drink himself into a stupor.

 

“Oh my. Just look at you all – my grown-up babies.” Marlena’s mind drifted quickly to her first few days with Carrie and holding the twins for the first time. John knew where her thoughts were; his were there as well, even though he now knew that those were not his true memories. “How did the time go so quickly? So many wasted years at the hands of Stefano. I heard your shock when I confessed to having been in love with John even though we thought he was Stefano. You have no idea how much anguish that caused me. I thought I was in love with a man who literally destroyed my family. Yet, at the same time, whenever I looked into John’s eyes, I knew that he was not capable of the evil that embodied Stefano Dimera. When we were on the run in West Virginia, we had everybody after us, Victor, the KGB, Bo, Shane and the ISA, and I’m sure that Stefano was there somewhere, but John took care of me and I took care of him, and even when it looked like I was his hostage, I was a willing participant. I don’t know how to convey to you the connection that we had then, that we still have.” She ventured a sideways glance to the man on her right and was rewarded with his knowing smirk, the one that made her heart do flip-flops. “And then I was gone for so long. When I finally found my way back to Salem after being on that god-forsaken island for five years, it hurt terribly to know that John had moved on with Isabella and that she was able to be there for all of you.” At the mention of Isabella’s name, Marlena reached over and gently took John’s hand in her own. “Once I got over the initial shock, I realized that it gave me comfort knowing that you had had a mother figure in your lives. The only way I could come to that conclusion however was knowing that the connection between John and me still existed. The night I came back to Salem, John knew without ever seeing me that I was here, alive, and he found me on the pier.” Suddenly something dawned on Carrie, “Is that why you left the engagement party John?”

 

“Yeah, it is Punkin. I felt terrible bailing on Izzy-B, but there was nothing that could have stopped me from getting to your mom.”

 

“So why Mom, if you and John have this incredible connection, are you and Daddy still married. I don’t want you and Dad to get divorced, but I don’t get it.”

 

“Oh, Sami-girl, this is where it gets even more complicated. When we found your daddy, we weren’t sure who was whom, and when tests proved that John was not Roman, everything seemed to be leading to John and Isabella staying together and Roman and me staying together. It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it’s what we could do at the time. Legally I was married to Roman, and Isabella was expecting Brady. I’m still not sure how we expected it to work. And then it all fell apart.” Tears sprang to her eyes as she remembered the conversation with John after Isabella’s death. John cleared his throat and spoke the whole truth for the first time, “When Isabella died, not only did I lose someone I loved very much, but I lost all of you all over again. Or maybe it was that I finally allowed myself to mourn the loss of my entire family. All I remember in those terrible months following Izzy-B’s death is waking up and going to sleep, and the only reason I did that was for Brady. In the course of less than a year, I lost a mother, father, two sisters, a brother, two wives, and three children, not to mention a job and a home. I had no idea where I belonged or who I was, and it didn’t seem like anybody cared at all. Everybody was so worried about how Roman would feel about this and how Roman would feel about that.” John suddenly jumped off of the chair and paced the room, no longer content with the confinements of sitting. “All I ever heard come out of Roman’s mouth was what I had taken from him; what about what he took from me when he came back? I had been given the most precious of gifts and then it was ripped away from me, and nobody gave a damn!” There were tears coursing unchecked down John’s face, but no one noticed through the moisture in their own eyes.

 

For a long moment everyone was speechless. John stood facing the French doors trying to gain control of his emotions. He never meant to strike out at Roman, especially when the man wasn’t even in the room to defend himself, but at that moment John came to the stunning conclusion that he no longer felt guilty for being a part of Marlena’s life or a part of the children’s lives. There was still anger at the predicament, sadness over the loss, but John found no guilt residing anywhere within himself, and when he turned back to his one-time family there was no trace of guilt there either, only love. He closed his eyes, knowing that when he opened them, all of the guilt would still be there; they had all lived with it for far too long. Marlena’s voice brought him out of his reverie, “John, do you realize that this is the first time that any one of us expressed anger over what happened. All of us felt that Roman had a right to his anger, but every single one of us pushed our own anger and hurt and resentment aside for him, to make everything more accommodating for him.” Marlena, even though still visibly moved by John’s outburst had reverted to her “shrink mode”, but what she said made sense.

 

“But Daddy did lose everything for so long,” Sami said as she tried to process her own feelings, “and so did we. Why can’t this be simple? Why can’t someone just send Stefano Dimera to HELL! I need to be alone right now.” Sami got up from the couch, gave her mom a hug and turned tentatively to John. “I know things have been weird between us ever since Dad came back, but you were really here for me tonight John, even though I didn’t deserve your love after treating you the way I did. Um, I just wanted to say thanks, and I, um, I love you.”

 

“No thanks needed Peanut, and I love you too.” Noting that Sami had dealt with just about all she could take tonight, John just squeezed her hand reassuringly and watched as she ascended the stairs to her room. She stopped on the upper landing and looked back down at him with a small smile on her lips.

 

Eric, too, was at his limit. “Mom, what you said makes a lot of things clearer for me. I was angry at Dad for the way he treated John, but I didn’t want to hurt him more than he had already been hurt, so I ended up hurting John and you and me and I guess the list could go on huh?”

 

“Eric, we all wanted to spare your dad more pain, but we lost our own feelings, and now we need to find them again so that we can all find a way to move on. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to come out of this situation unscathed.”

 

“I know you don’t know what the future holds right now, but no matter what decisions you come to, I want you to know that I just want you to be happy. After everything that you have been through in recent years, you deserve to laugh and feel real joy again.”

The tears were falling freely again as Marlena held her son, “Oh, my sweet, sweet boy. Thank you for your support and your love, but you need to be happy too; you need to just be able to be a carefree teenager, and hopefully you and Sami will both be able to do that soon.” Eric gave Marlena one last squeeze and then threw his arms around John, “I love you, Dad.” And for once Eric didn’t feel the guilt constrict around his heart at the earned name instead of the given one.

 

“I love you too, Eric. Get a good night’s sleep.”

 

“Obviously, this is my cue to go too. I think you both know how much I love you, and that your happiness means a great deal to me, but your trust tonight means more than you can know. I feel so relieved that I’m not the only one who gets angry with Dad’s whining and his insistence that we can just forget the past. I can’t forget, because without you John, there wouldn’t be any of the wonderful memories that I have. Because of you, I smile when I smell pancakes, hear someone talk about the Yankees, or see a little girl holding her father’s hand. You are a big part of my heart, and I will never willingly let go of you.” Her arms wrapped tightly around John and he kissed her on the forehead before she gave her step-mom a hug goodnight also. John shook Austin’s hand and told him to drive safely, and suddenly, John and Marlena found themselves alone.

 

Within 20 minutes they were at the loft. John shut the large metal door as quietly as possible so as not to disturb Brady and his nanny. When he turned into the room, Marlena was standing behind him with a note in her hand. She gave it to John and listened as he read it aloud: “John, I came by to find out how you were. My pilot called and told me that you canceled your trip to Italy, and when I tried to reach you on your cell phone it was either off or the battery was dead. I was enjoying my time with Brady immensely and decided to have a Grandfather – Grandson bonding evening. I hope you don’t mind that I gave your nanny the night off and have Brady at the Mansion. Please don’t feel you have to rush to come pick him up in the morning. I’ll speak to you soon, Victor”

 

“Well, I guess I didn’t have to be quite so quiet coming in tonight. Doc, I asked you here because I thought Brady would be here and it would make you more comfortable. If you don’t want to stay now, I will understand completely.” His look of tenderness melted Marlena’s heart.

 

“John, I know this goes against the way I’ve been acting around you lately, but I always feel comfortable with you. I just haven’t felt comfortable with myself because I haven’t been honest with myself.” She moved to the sofa and removed her coat. John took it and hung it over the barstool by the counter. As she sat on the end of the sofa closest to the fireplace, she patted the cushion next to her. He sat down gingerly, with plenty of space between them so as not to frighten her off, but she closed the gap and leaned her back against his shoulder. She took his right arm and wrapped it around herself so that her head was ensconced under his chin. John needed no more encouragement; he wrapped his left arm around her middle and placed a soft kiss on her crown of golden hair. “John, there is so much I have to tell you, so much I need for you to understand. Will you please just let me ramble through my thoughts, let me make my peace with what’s going through my head as I talk?” She tilted her head backward so she could see his face as he replied. “Take all the time you need; I’m not going anywhere. In fact you may need a crowbar to pry me away from my current spot.” He gave her a saucy wink, and she giggled nervously, prepared to bare her soul for the first time in almost two years.

 

She let out a long sigh before beginning, “I love you, you know. I have always loved you, and I wanted to tell you that now so that you don’t doubt it later while I’m speaking.” She felt the soft kiss on the top of her head and smiled, a peacefulness washing over her that had not been felt in so long. “For once in my life I know where I want to be, but I don’t have a clue as to how to get there. Even though there have been thousands of obstacles put in front of me, I always knew how to get from point A to point B. Now I don’t, and that scares me to death. When I was younger and Sam and I would talk about our futures, it was always college and my career, marriage after I was established as a psychiatrist. Then I met Don and we dated and broke up and dated and tried to get married and then got married and then divorced. You know, I don’t think my life has been simple since I was about eight.” She laughed as the memories scrolled through her brain. “Don was a good man though; he had the most insane sense of humor. He made me laugh all the time, even through all of the trauma with Sam. But we could never get past DJ’s death. When I look back on it all, I realize that it was best for us to separate because otherwise we would have destroyed each other with guilt. By divorcing we were able to stay friends, even though that didn’t happen overnight. Does that make sense?” She waited until she heard his soft affirmation and continued. “Life just continued until Mr. Patrick invaded my apartment with a grungy sleeping bag and refused to believe that I could take care of myself.” John chuckled at the memory, and then muttered “Damn” under his breath, but she heard it. “John, I’m sorry, I know it must be so difficult to have memories that aren’t yours, but feel so real.”

 

“Yeah, well, I have plenty that are mine, and that’s what I try to think of most of the time, but sometimes I just wish that it really could have been me with you for all of those years.”

 

“Yeah.” She didn’t know what to say, and her response seemed so inadequate, but she wasn’t sure what she felt about John’s admission. She felt her best course was to table that thought for now.

 

“Doc, I’m sorry, I promised I wouldn’t interrupt.”

 

“You didn’t. You are allowed to have feelings you know.” She gave the arms wrapped around her a squeeze and went back to her tale. “Roman was so infuriating. Here I was, a strong, capable, independent woman, and he treated me like I was made of bone china. We came from such different worlds, but eventually things changed, and we were so happy. Our household was crazy; Roman would disappear, but Don would pop up, or Eugene, and things just never seemed to settle down. We made it through the Salem Strangler, but poor Sam; I still miss her, even though things weren’t always the best between us, to say the least. Then I had the twins, and Stefano started terrorizing us, and now life will never be the same. Roman was gruff and stubborn, but he had a gentle side that few people saw.” She paused for a beat then asked, “Do you have any memories of the Salem Slasher?” The change in topics startled John, and it took him a minute to think through the images in his mind. Sometimes they didn’t come readily; he supposed this was because they weren’t really his. He grabbed onto a few fragments and asked, “Was there something with a mask, and Bo; I remember Bo bringing me things, but there’s a lot of haze around it; I can’t get a clear picture.”

 

“You have the general idea. Basically, people were being murdered by a man wearing a latex mask that looked like Roman. Bo was helping him out by finding places for him to hide, bringing him food and clothing, and getting him leads.” John listened, not sure where the story was going but willing to ride it out. “You probably think I’m silly for bringing this up, but my point is that I honestly believed that Roman was guilty of all of those murders, until Hope was attacked. Roman was with Bo when the slasher attacked Hope, and finally Roman had an alibi. I doubted my husband’s innocence, and I argued violently with Bo about it, and even though Roman had been with Bo, I still doubted him.” She turned into John’s embrace then, took his left hand, and placed a kiss on his open palm. She looked up into his eyes and gave her explanation for the story, “When you first came to Salem, wrapped in bandages and had every force known to man chasing you, I never doubted that you were a good man, not in my heart. My head made me run from you sometimes, but when I looked into your eyes, I knew that you were the most incredibly caring man. John, I thought you might be the man who killed my husband, kidnapped my children, and destroyed my life, and still I trusted you, believed in you, and loved you so intensely it didn’t matter what your name was.” John could no longer keep from interrupting her story. He pulled her into an explosive kiss that told her everything words would fail to. Her right hand wrapped around his neck and her fingers wove their way through the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling him into a more passionate embrace. Breathless, they finally parted. “I knew that whatever was in your past that you couldn’t remember would never hurt me, that you could never hurt me.”

“But I did, Doc. I caused you the greatest pain of your life. I forced you to acknowledge feelings that you wanted to stay buried, and because I chose to leave Salem, you acted on those feelings and we made love while you were and are married to another man. I…” She placed her finger over his lips and reiterated a statement from earlier in the evening, “You don’t know how I feel. I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I suppose I’ll have to jump ahead now.” She gave him a quirky grin and couldn’t resist teasing him just a little, “You always were the most impatient man I knew.” He retorted with, “This coming from a lady who can’t stand surprises!” They both laughed a little, knowing the truth, and Marlena continued with her tale. She still wasn’t sure what the actual outcome would be, but she knew what her last words would be to the man sitting beside her.

 

“John, I have loved three men in my life, and they all appealed to me for different reasons. Don had a wonderful sense of humor, he was ambitious, full of life, and made me feel as though I could do anything. Roman was my protector, my antagonist, my friend, and my battle opponent. It seemed we could fight over anything, and then make up. And then there is you. John, you have touched a part of me that no one else ever has. You are my very best friend, my knight in shining armor, someone who treats me as his equal, who makes me laugh until my sides split, who makes me cry because you love me so much. I don’t know what possessed me to think I could walk away from all of that. You mentioned earlier that you hurt me because I broke my vows to Roman, but I’ve broken my vows to you also. When we got married, the license said Roman Brady, but my heart said John Black, even though I called you Roman at the time. Your name doesn’t matter to me John, you are what matters. Everything that makes you who you are is who I am in love with. Do I still love Roman? Yes, I do. I am always going to love Roman, but I am in love with you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I’ll understand if…God, I don’t know if I can say this to you.” She was looking down as her sentence trailed off; had she been looking at John there would have been no doubt in her mind as to John’s reaction to her declaration. She felt a gentle nudge under her chin, forcing her to look up at John. When she looked into his beautiful blue eyes stained with tears, she knew that she had come home.

 

He leaned down and kissed her again, this time with tenderness and reverence. When he pulled back and looked into her eyes, he saw the truth; he was her present and future. What she had just spoken came back to him. She had used the past tense when speaking of Don and Roman, but when she said, “then there is you”, it spoke volumes to him. He wanted to make sure that all of the pieces of the puzzle fit. He didn’t want to push her too hard or push her away again. He knew with absolute certainty that he would never be able to survive if she left him again for Roman.

 

“Doc, I want you beside me for the rest of my life, but I need to make sure that it’s what you really truly want.” She started to protest, but he stopped her. “Please, hear me out this time. Every single minute of my life is spent loving you. It may not always be at the forefront of my mind, but that love is constantly there. When I do think about how much I love you, I don’t think I could ever love you any more than I do at that minute, but then you walk in the room or you speak my name and my heart expands again. There isn’t a place in my heart that doesn’t have a memory of you. You are where my life, as I know it, began and you are where it will end. Doc, I don’t want to put any pressure on you, but when we were on that plane I was ecstatic to think that you loved me enough to want to be with me again, and then reality crashed in around me. You left. You seemed so sure, but looking back now, I know that what we shared confused you, or at least I thought it confused you. I didn’t know what you were feeling, to be honest, I just know that when you left, you were crying, and I seemed to be the reason. I don’t ever want to be the cause of your pain, Doc. I think what I’m really trying to get at, and doing a very bad job of, is that I love you more than my own life. To hurt you, hurts me, but I know that if I lose you again, it will kill a large part of me, but I couldn’t bear for you to be with me and feel guilty about it. I need for you to be sure that being with me is really where you want to be, with no regrets.” He ran the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone to wipe away her tears, while his ran freely, and thought to himself, “Damn, I made her cry again.” All the while she was thinking the same thing about him.

 

“We keep doing this to each other, don’t we?” She let out a half laugh before taking his face in her hands, flaming amber eyes locking with blazing azure. Her words were slow and measured but laced with honesty and passion. “You, John Black are my everything. I wish to God I would have had the courage to see it before now, but the one thing that became crystal clear to me driving home from the airport was that I can’t fully live without you in my life. For the past two years I have been merely existing, never being my true self because I haven’t been with you. I am so sorry for hurting you so deeply, for rejecting what I knew in my heart was the most incredible love I could ever have. Please forgive me, let me spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” John got a mischievous glint in his eyes.

 

“Are you propositioning me or proposing to me Dr. Evans?” She laughed at the lecherous look on his face.

 

“Hmm, maybe we could do both. Would you accept if I asked you to marry me?”

 

“In a heartbeat.” His face became serious then. “But I think we have a few people to talk to and some issues to resolve before we go too far with our plans for the future.” Her face grew serious also and only one word escaped her lips.

 

“Roman.”

 

“I know you don’t want to hurt him baby, but there isn’t any choice.”

 

“Yeah I know, but it makes me sad to close a chapter in my life. Then again, I know the best of the book is still to come. What do you say, since we are the only two people here tonight, that we pretend the world doesn’t exist outside of the loft, that it’s just you and me, together?” John’s passion quickly found its way back to the surface.

 

“Is this the proposition part?”

 

“That’s my boy; I always knew you were a quick learner!” She leaned in and kissed him, leaving absolutely no doubt in John’s mind as to what she wanted. He broke the kiss only long enough to stand and sweep her off the couch. As he carried her to the bedroom, his lips never left hers.

 

He set her down and removed his old T-shirt from her body in one fluid motion. “You always did look better in my clothes than I did.” He cocked his head to the side and gave her a once over with his eyes. “Right now though I think you’ll look much better out of them.” She laughed at him, and he relished in the sound of her musical voice.

 

“Charmer.” He slipped his thumbs into the waistband of the sweatpants and lowered them. She placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself and stepped out of them. When he stood again, he kissed her with abandon. There was no hesitation, no second thought. He knew she was his to kiss for the rest of his life. He stepped back and admired the vision in front of him. She was still in the white lace lingerie she wore on the plane and he took in a long breath. “Doc, you are the most amazingly beautiful woman I have ever known.” She blushed slightly at his compliment.

 

“And you are just gorgeous, but there is one thing wrong.” He gave her a quizzical look.

“You’re too overdressed for the occasion.” They laughed together and the she quickly divested him of his clothes.

 

“Um, Doc, now you have an unfair advantage.” She gave him a devilish look and without warning knocked him down onto the bed and straddled him.

 

“Honey, I never said I played fair.” He was about to comment but the words were lost once her mouth claimed him. The only sound that escaped him was a strangled moan. Her mouth was making him lose control but he couldn’t bring himself to end the pleasure. She applied a slight suction with her mouth while one hand stroked the entire length of his shaft and the other massaged the base of his manhood. Finally he gathered his wits and pulled her up to engage her in a carnal kiss. The silky fabric between the two of them frustrated him and within seconds it was on the floor and she was on her back with her hands pinned above her head.

 

“Oh my, am I in trouble Mr. Black?”

 

“The worst baby.” And with that, his free hand traversed the length of her, barely grazing her nipples and running slowly down her stomach to her left leg. His eyes never left hers as he felt her tremble in anticipation, but he continued to ignore the more sensitive spots, traveling first down the length of her left leg and then back up to her inner thigh. He made a wide circle, up and around her stomach and then gave the same attention to her right leg that her left had just received. Her hips were moving involuntarily and small moans of frustration were escaping her lips. Just when she was about to beg him he took one breast in his mouth and teased her nipple to hardness. He nipped and he sucked and he licked first one breast and then the other, as her legs sawed in time with the pace of his mouth. Two fingers found her wet opening and she came hard against his hand. Before she even had time to ride out the high, he entered her and they started a new rhythm. Her now free hands clutched his taut backside. He was afraid he was being too rough, but he couldn’t stop, she had him more turned on than he had been in a long time, but she reassured him with one word spoken in a breathy command.

 

“Deeper.” And he obliged, only twice before he could take no more and exploded into her. When their breathing finally returned to normal, he asked about hurting her, but she was quick to reassure him.

 

“Intense definitely, and if that’s your definition of rough, then you can rough me up any time.” He loved the playful glimmer in her eye, and his heart swelled with pride and love. His Marlena was back. The joyful, mischevious, loving woman that he had fallen in love with so many years ago had returned. She caught him looking at her and questioned him.

 

“What are you thinking?”

 

“I’m thinking you look damn sexy all mussed up from making love to me. And I’m thinking that it’s good to have you back, not just physically, although that’s at the top of the list.” She pinched his butt and laughed at him.

 

“You are a sex fiend John Black.”

 

“Only when it comes to you baby, but this is what I’m talking about. You have your sense of humor again, there is an inner light that is glowing. Do you know that I haven’t heard you truly laugh since you came back to us from that island?”

 

“Well, it’s your fault you know. You’re the reason I’m happy. You make me feel alive in a way that nobody else can. Just being around you frees me. I love you for the way you make me feel. Of course the incredible sex is a bonus.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him, and he laughed.

 

“And you called me a sex fiend? Why do I get the feeling we aren’t going to get much sleep tonight?” And they didn’t.

 

It was dawn when they finally fell into an exhausted, but sated, sleep. The shrill ringing of the telephone shortly before noon roused them from their slumber. John’s voice was scratchy as he answered. “John Black here.”

 

“John, I’m sorry to bug you.”

 

“Eric? You’re not bugging me. Is something wrong?”

 

“No, not really. Dad’s been home and he’s looking for Mom. I told him she was up and gone early this morning, which isn’t really a lie since you guys left here after midnight, but I thought you should know.”

 

“Thanks, I’ll let your mom know. How are you and Sami this morning?”

 

“I’m fine, and Sami seems to be all right. She ran up to her room when she heard Dad’s car. She said she didn’t want to have to answer questions from him; she wasn’t sure what she would say, but she isn’t sulking, so that’s a good sign.”

 

“John?” Eric caught him just as he was about to say good-bye.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“How’s Mom doing? Are things o.k.?”

 

“She’s doing better than I’ve seen her in a long time Eric. We still have some things to work through, and it’s going to be rough going for a little bit longer, but I think Marlena is getting back to her real self.”

 

“Well, regardless of what happens with anyone else, you and Mom have my support, as long as she’s happy. That’s what’s most important to me John.”

 

“I know kid, me too. We’ll talk to you soon.”

 

“See ya.”

 

He felt her hand sliding up his back and into the hair at the nape of his neck. He turned to her and gave her an invigorating good-morning kiss.

 

“Mmmmm, I love waking up like this. How are Eric and Sami?”

 

“Eric said they’re both doing fine, but Roman’s been by the house looking for you. Eric told him you were up and about early this morning.” Her brow furrowed and John could see the wheels turning in her mind as she contemplated the inevitable conversation.

 

“Hey, you o.k. over there?”

 

“As o.k. as I can be with what I’m going to have to do in a little while. John, as happy as I am to be with you, I can’t help but be a little saddened by what is going to happen between Roman and me. Do you understand?” He pulled her into his arms a bit tighter before answering.

 

“Of course I understand. Roman was a big part of your life, and he always will be. You share three beautiful children and some incredible memories.” She smiled at his automatic inclusion of Carrie as hers. He always understood how much she loved the child she had not given birth too but raised as her own.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“For what?”

 

“For being you, for loving me so much, for being so incredibly sexy, for…” He silenced her with a searing kiss. When they finally came up for air, she found her voice first. “I hate to break up what could be a wonderful way to wake up, but I suppose we should get out of bed. We both have a lot to do today, and you need to rescue Victor from a very active toddler.”

 

“Hmm, well if we have so much to do, then we shouldn’t waste time or water by taking two separate showers.”

 

“How very wise of you. It’s no wonder I love you so, you’re just always thinking up the best ideas.” Needless to say, they spent more time in the shower than if they had showered separately, but they didn’t seem to mind as they toweled one another off. Finally a thought occurred to Marlena.

 

“John, I don’t have any clean clothes here. I didn’t even think of it when we left last night.”

 

“Well, here’s another reason to thank me then. When I went up to talk to Sami I stopped in your room first and grabbed you a few things. The bag is still downstairs; I’ll go get it.”

When he came back, she was towel drying her hair.

 

“I love when your hair dries all curly like that.”

 

“You like it like this? It’s so messy.”

 

“Uh huh, it reminds me of how you look after I’ve gotten done ravaging your beautiful body.” He took a predatory step toward her with each word, and at the end of his sentence kissed her with so much passion that she had no doubt he would ravish her again if given the chance.

 

“John Black, I swear I’m never going to be able to survive if you make love to me again right now. My senses are already on overload.”

 

“Are you complaining?” Her laughter rang in his ears.

 

“Um, no, but I do think we need to get dressed. If you’re a good boy, maybe you can convince me to come back later.” He put on his best puppy dog face, but she just swatted his arm and grabbed the bag in his hand so she could get dressed. To thwart any further advances on his part she headed to the bathroom, but she couldn’t help teasing him one last time. Just before getting to the adjoining door, she called his name. He turned from the closet and she dropped the towel she held around her.

 

“Just some thoughts to keep you occupied until later, Sailor.” Giggling she ran into the bathroom before he could grab her. She heard him yell, “Tease” through the door and figured he would make her pay later on, but she was looking forward to the cost.

 

He drove her home in comfortable silence. He knew she was thinking about the best way to talk to Roman, and he had no ideas, especially after the confrontation last night. He dropped Marlena off at the house, and gave her three gentle kisses “One for luck, one for strength, and one to remind you how much I love you. Give me a call later. I’ll be thinking of you.”

 

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

 

“Take as much time as you need; I’m not going anywhere.” He gave her one last kiss.

 

“What was that kiss for?”

 

“Just because.”

 

“Just because is good. I love you.”

 

“I love you too Pretty Lady. I’ll see you soon.” With that she got out of the car and went into the house.

 

“Sami, Eric, are you home?” They both came out of the kitchen.

 

“Hey Mom, we were just making lunch. Do you want something?” Marlena’s stomach growled loudly in response, and they all laughed.

 

“I guess I should eat something after that request.” She followed them through the swinging door and sat at the table while Eric made her a sandwich and Sami piled her plate with chips.

 

“What did I do to deserve this service? I’m not complaining, I like it, I like it!” Sami answered for both she and Eric.

 

“Well Mom, you had a pretty rough night, and we figure that you and John didn’t sleep much.” Marlena about choked on the potato chip she had just put in her mouth.

 

“Mom, are you o.k.? Here, I’ll get you some water.” When Sami had handed her mom the water she continued.

 

“You and John had a lot to talk about, and I know you, you don’t rest until everything is resolved.” Marlena just nodded her head as visions from the real reason she had been up all night scrolled through her brain. She fidgeted a bit in her seat, but neither of her children noticed.

 

“Mom?” She forced herself to focus on the conversation with Sami and Eric.

 

“Hmm? Oh, I’m sorry. My mind wandered back to last night.”

 

“It’s o.k.. I just asked what was going on. Have you come to any decisions yet?”

 

“Yes, as a matter of fact, we did. I wanted to talk to your daddy first, but I think I’d rather talk to you two now.” Eric was pretty sure he knew what was coming and was also pretty sure he was o.k. with it, but Sami was a different story. He was hoping she would be able to handle whatever their mom was about to divulge. Sami was pretty sure she knew what was coming, but had no idea how she was going to react. Her mom had this look in her eyes that Sami hadn’t seen since she was a very little girl, and even those memories weren’t complete, just snipits here and there, but she could sense a happiness surrounding her mom that she wasn’t used to.

 

“Eric, Sami,” she took a hand of each of them into her own, “I am still very much in love with John. I love your daddy, but the time that we were both away changed us and we can’t go back to what we had. To try and stay together would end up making everybody miserable, but it would hurt Roman the most. Eventually he would figure out that I was in love with somebody else and there would be a great deal of resentment and bitterness. I don’t want that for him, he deserves so much more. He deserves a woman who can love him with her whole heart.”

 

“Mom, I know this decision was really hard for you. Are you sure there’s no way that you and Dad would be able to make it through this?” For his Dad’s sake, Eric had to ask.

 

“No, honey, I know we couldn’t. Things are so different now.”

 

“Because of John.” That simple statement from Sami meant so many different things, but Marlena wanted to gauge Sami’s feelings.

 

“I know how much you love your daddy, sweet girl. I’m so sorry this is going to hurt him.”

 

“I know that Mom, I just wish nobody had to get hurt. I’m still not sure how I feel about all of this you know? I want us to still be a family, but nobody’s been happy around here, until today.” Marlena tilted her head to the side as she waited for Sami to go on. “There was something different about you when you came into the house. You didn’t seem so sad. I guess I’m starting to realize how much you and John really do love each other.” Marlena stroked the side of Sami’s face as she answered, a mixture of pride and a little surprise at the maturity Sami was showing.

 

“Yes, we do. Sami, I still love your daddy. We share an incredible history with some pretty great kids, but sometimes history isn’t enough to keep people together.” Sami just nodded her head, trying valiantly to keep her tears at bay, but Marlena came around to her and held her. It was her undoing and she sobbed into her mother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Mom. I know you’re really happy, but it’s still really sad to me, to know we aren’t going to be a family anymore.”

 

“Oh, baby girl, I’m sad too. It’s always sad to end something, especially something that was once so wonderful, but we’ll still be a family, just differently.”

 

“Mom, when are you going to talk to Dad? He was pretty frantic earlier, and he didn’t seem to have gotten much sleep.”

 

“I’m going to talk with him as soon as I can find him Eric. I just wish I knew how he was going to react.” The kitchen door swung open at that moment.

 

“Knew how who was going to react to what?” Roman looked at his younger daughter with concern as he posed his question to Marlena. Sami wiped her eyes hurriedly, gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and left the kitchen without a word. Eric mouthed “good luck” behind Roman’s back to his mom and followed his sister up to her room. Neither one wanted to be alone during the dissolution of their parent’s marriage.

 

Henderson led John to the nursery where Victor was rocking a sleeping Brady in his arms. Victor put his late daughter’s son in the crib and walked into the hallway with John.

“I hope my bringing Brady here last night didn’t upset you John. I just always feel closer to Isabella when I’m with my grandson.”

 

“I know what you mean Vic, and no, I don’t mind. It actually worked out well that you had him.”

 

“Oh? Why is that?” They had walked from the upper floor into the entryway and Victor waved John into the living room. “Would you care for something to eat or drink? I can have cook make us something while we talk.”

 

“Actually, something to eat would be good. I haven’t eaten since yesterday…sometime.” Victor raised his eyebrow in curiosity and motioned to Henderson.

 

“Henderson, will you have cook put together a light lunch for John and myself?”

 

“Very good Mr. Kiriakis. Will there be anything else?”

 

“Yes, please hold all calls until later.” Henderson nodded and left for the kitchen.

 

“So, John, have a seat. How did I help you by bringing Brady here last night?”

 

“It gave Marlena and me a chance to get some things settled. Things that should have been taken care of long before now but weren’t.”

 

“And where do you stand now that things have been settled?” Victor had a soft spot for the man sitting in front of him, and an enormous amount of respect. They had come a long way since 1986. Victor never would have guessed that he could have ever been congenial to a man he thought of as nothing more than a pawn, and there were times when he thought back to those days and felt some regret. It was not a feeling he was comfortable with or that he had often, but with John it surfaced on occasion. John had proven himself in Victor’s eyes as a good husband and father; he was also a formidable opponent in the business world, and Victor was hoping that John would be able to move on some day and find love again. John’s voice brought Victor back to the conversation at hand.

 

“To be honest Vic, I feel alive again. Marlena and I finally realized that to bury our feelings was like burying a part of ourselves. Neither one of is whole without the other. It’s going to be rough for a while yet, and neither of us is happy about her marriage ending, but at the same time, the old feelings she had for Roman have been gone for a while. And, of course, we’re also both upset about hurting him, but with the situation Stefano put us in, no one was going to come out without being hurt in some way. I just hope that people don’t turn Marlena into a modern day Hester Prynne.”

 

“John, I don’t think anybody in Salem has the right to judge either you or Marlena. We’ve all made our fair share of mistakes. To be perfectly honest with you, everybody has seen the love between you and Marlena, except the three people who needed to. When you are as drawn to one another as you and Marlena are, there is no hiding it or denying it. It would be like trying to knock the Earth out of its orbit around the sun.”

 

“Thanks Vic. I have a feeling there won’t be too many people in my corner.”

 

”I think you’ll be surprised by how many people want both you and Marlena to be happy. Yes, they’ll be sad for Roman, but the people who care about Roman, also care for you and Marlena. It’s a delicate situation, but not an impossible one to overcome.” They were called for lunch then and entered the dining room. The rest of their discussion revolved around Brady and his antics from the night before.

 

Roman was puzzled by the hasty retreat of his children and the apprehension he felt upon entering the room. There were no good vibes coming from his wife and he had a feeling she was in no better mood today than when he had left last night. He figured the best course of action was to play it cool and see where the conversation led him.

 

“So, where were you this morning? Eric said you were up and out early.”

 

“I was figuring out where we go from here, Roman.” Not a lie, but not the entire truth either; she didn’t want to put him on the defensive right away.

 

“What do you mean, ‘go from here’? We had a fight, now it’s over.” He had no idea how true his words were.

 

“Roman, this isn’t something we can just gloss over and forget about. How do you do that? Why do you constantly ask me to forget about things that are important to me? Just because something isn’t convenient for you or makes you uncomfortable, you expect everyone around you to forget it exists. I can’t, and I won’t.”

 

“Are we still talking about John, the interloper? Because to be honest, I’m sick of this conversation. He impersonated me and everybody thinks he walks on water. I don’t want to pretend to be his friend anymore, I don’t want you to have anything to do with him, and I certainly don’t need his help with my kids.” Roman’s face was red with the exertion of his anger, and Marlena had to stifle a giggle at the image Carrie had painted in her mind last night of Dictator Roman. However, his next sentence raised her ire.

 

“In fact, I’m going over to the loft and telling John in person to stay the hell out of my life forever.” Marlena was surprised by the calmness in her voice when she spoke, but it was a deadly quiet and sent a foreboding chill down Roman’s spine.

 

“Roman, you don’t need to talk to John. I’ve already talked to him.”

 

“I hope you put him in his place, told him that he doesn’t belong in our family.” Roman wanted this to sound more commanding than it did, but it came out more pleading than anything.

 

“I did put John in his place, but Roman, you aren’t going to like the place I put him in.”

 

“Oh, and why is that?” The snarky tone was back and made Marlena grind her teeth in frustration. This was not going at all the way she wanted it too, but he kept backing her into corners she couldn’t escape.

 

“Roman, I need you to be quiet and listen to me again o.k.? I know I tested your patience last night, but you just never listen to what anybody else is saying anymore. Ever since you came back from the island, it’s always Roman’s way or no way, and to be honest, I’m sick of it. I thought maybe once you got settled back into a routine, you would regain your sense of self, but it’s been two years. You are not the same Roman Brady I married, and I can’t live under this dictatorship anymore. The time we spent apart changed both of us too much, and we can’t go back. I’m sorry Roman.” There were tears running down her face. He looked at her with his mouth hanging open, trying to grasp the finality of her words.

 

“Are you saying you want to divorce me? Worse yet, are you divorcing me for him?” There was venom dripping from the last two words, and Marlena cringed inwardly at his hatred for the man she loved.

 

“No, Roman, I don’t want to divorce you; I need to. If I stay married to you, I’m going to lose myself, and I’ve already lost too many years at the hands of Stefano Dimera. We will end up hating each other if we stay married, and I don’t want that. The kids need to see two people who can still get along regardless of the fact that they are no longer in love.”

 

“Speak for yourself. I’m still in love with you Doc, and that’s never going to change. I’m not giving you up that easily, and I’m not signing any divorce papers. As for the kids, they need two parents who are married.” He stood so forcefully that the chair went careening backward into the cupboards behind it. He didn’t even look back as he stormed out the kitchen door.

 

“Well, that went well.” She laughed wryly at herself, realizing she had just used one of her husband’s famous phrases.

 

Roman didn’t even realize he passed John on the road; he was still so shocked and angry with Marlena’s little declaration. “How dare she think that she can just dictate to me that our marriage is over, especially for someone like John. She doesn’t know the first thing about him, except that he might have been Stefano and ‘still she loved him’.” Roman’s voice rose to a falsetto as he imitated Marlena’s words from the night before. His car shook as he slammed the door shut. He didn’t wait for the elevator, but climbed the stairs two at a time. His anger was in full force and he didn’t want to waste any of it waiting on a rickety old cage. He pounded on the door, but there was no answer. He pounded again, “John Black, you bastard, open the damn door! Open the door you coward!” When it finally dawned on Roman that indeed no one was there, he went back to his car to determine his next course of action.

 

John’s head whipped around as he watched Roman’s car fly past him. He could tell that the other man was not a happy camper. John headed straight for the house. He found Marlena in the kitchen, dry eyed and angry? He wouldn’t have expected it, but there she was, resplendent with righteous anger. He loved the golden flashes of lightning through her eyes, and was secretly glad that she was not angry with him and he could enjoy the beauty before him. Tentatively he approached her. “Doc? I just passed Roman on the road. I take it things didn’t go well, huh?”

 

“That’s an understatement.” She looked at him quizzically. “Where’s Brady?”

 

“The slugger fell asleep again in the car, so I put him on some pillows in the living room. So, how are you? You look pretty ticked.”

 

“How can someone make me so incredibly insane? John, I tried to let Roman down gently, but he kept backing me into a corner. Every time I turned around he was antagonizing me, and I finally just couldn’t take it any more. I lit into him with both barrels and told him we were just too different to make our marriage work. It all went so badly.” John came up to her and enfolded her in his arms.

 

“I’m sorry baby. I knew this was going to be hard on you. I wish that there didn’t have to be any pain. How are the kids? Do they know?”

 

“Yeah, Eric and Sami were here before Roman, and I told them what you and I talked about last night. They both took it pretty well, but they’re still sad to see the family split up. I haven’t talked to Carrie yet.” He kissed her forehead lightly.

 

“Daaadddy!”

 

“I think I’m being paged.” John took Marlena’s hand and led her into the living room. At the sight of her, two blue eyes reminiscent of his father’s, lit up and he came running to her.

 

“Marwa, Marwa!” The little bundle of energy hurtled himself full speed into her embrace, knocking her soundly on her behind. John burst out laughing at her expression of surprise, and she soon joined in. Brady chortled, pleased to be at the center of something funny, though he had no idea what he had done.

 

“Well Brady, I’m happy to see you too!” She hugged him tightly to her and he squirmed to get down. “That face could cheer anybody up!”

 

“Yeah, he’s done a pretty good job with me since he’s been born. He’s the only thing that’s kept me from just disappearing since I lost Izzy-B. Now I have quite a few reasons to stick around.” He winked at her as she looked at him, so sorry for what he had lost, but at the same time glad that there wasn’t another person to have to hurt on she and John’s road to happiness. “You better not plan on going anywhere for a very long time Sailor.” She stood up on her tip-toes to give him a gentle kiss on his lips. He hugged her briefly to him, but felt an insistent tugging on one pant leg. He bent down and hoisted Brady up into his arms. Marlena watched the play of John’s muscles under his shirt and licked her lips unconsciously.

 

“Daddy, me home.”

 

“You’re ready to go home, huh? Well, I suppose we could do that. Should we ask Marlena to come with us?” Brady shook his head enthusiastically. “So what do you say, dinner at the loft? We could ask Eric, Sami , and Carrie too.” He sensed her apprehension. “Too soon? I thought maybe it would be a way to tell Carrie and find out how Eric and Sami are doing. I’m sorry if I seem to be rushing things Doc, I just want so badly to be with you, and now that I know you want the same thing, I can’t wait for our life together to start.” He gave her a sheepish grin, and she had an irresistible urge to ruffle his hair the way she used to do to Eric when he was a boy.

 

“Well, we do all need to eat. Let’s see what kind of reaction we get from Eric and Sami.” She was rewarded with his most heart-melting smile.

 

he events of the last couple of days. And by the end of the evening they all felt as though this was the way it was meant to be. They had come full circle. It had been painful, and they all knew there would still be struggles, but in their hearts they were a family, however complicated it was. The three older kids left with kisses and hugs for everyone, except Brady who was already fast asleep for the night, and even Carrie and Sami seemed to be on the mend as they hugged their good-byes. John closed the loft door quietly behind them and turned to face the woman of his dreams.

 

“So, how should we occupy ourselves for the rest of the night?” She gave him her best serious look.

 

“I was thinking a rousing game of Cribbage might be in order.”

 

“Nope, don’t know how to play, sorry. How ‘bout Go Fish?”

 

“Make it Strip Go Fish and you’ve got yourself a deal, Sailor!” Frantically, John began looking for a deck of cards while Marlena laughed hysterically at his David Letterman approach to searching. Finally she got his attention.

 

“John, who needs cards? Isn’t the stripping the important part?” She had already undone the top three buttons of her blouse, and John caught a slight glimpse of her creamy skin and the black lace of her teddy. He swallowed convulsively and moved around the counter to help her. She took his hand and led him to the couch where she gently pushed him into a sitting position and then moved just out of his reach.

 

“Just sit tight. I promise I’ll make it all worth your while.”

 

“Doc, are you trying to kill me or something?”

 

“Or something, yeah. I started this little show this morning, so I figured I’d finish it for you. You don’t mind do you?” Her voice had an innocent lilt to it, but her eyes showed nothing but passion and pure lust for the man sitting in front of her. John had trouble making any coherent thoughts come out of his mouth.

 

“Um, no.” With that Marlena went back to undoing the buttons of her blouse. When she reached the last one she crossed her arms across her chest caressing herself in the process and pushed her sleeves off of her shoulders. John sat agape at her actions. She smiled at the effect she was having on him. As the blouse slipped off of her, she turned her back to him and undid the zipper on her skirt. Instead of just letting it fall, she bent at the waist and pulled it down the expanse of her legs. From behind her John gasped. His stare began at her feet and slowly went up the length of her legs. He saw black silk stockings topped with lace at mid-thigh and then the soft peachy skin of her upper thighs, hips, and behind. The back of her teddy left little to his imagination. There was a black mesh strap across her shoulder blades and “y” shaped mesh for the thong. When she turned around, he sucked his breath in sharply again. What she was wearing was strapless with lace bra cups and a lace panel to cover her womanhood, but the middle was made of the same black mesh material as the back. His voice came out a bit strangled as he struggled for words.

 

“God, Doc, you’re breathtaking.”

 

“I was hoping you’d like it. I did a little shopping before we met you for dinner.”

 

“I think I’ll have to let you go shopping more often.” He held out his hand to her and she took it and straddled his lap. He ran his hands up her sides and his fingers gently fanned her breasts. He placed a soft kiss just above the fabric of the teddy between her breasts and moved upward to the hollow of her neck. She moaned softly and arched her head back to give him better access. Her hips automatically ground towards his and he pulled her closer. By this time his mouth had found hers and they kissed with increasing urgency. Her hands were fumbling with his buttons and she finally gave up and ripped his shirt apart, hearing the buttons as they landed in their various spots. Finally she could run her hands across the crinkly hairs of his chest. She kissed her way down his neck to his chest and her teeth scraped across one of his flat nipples. She felt it rise with her touch and she explored it some more, lapping at it with her tongue, nipping it with her teeth. She loved the hissing sound of John’s breath as she toyed with him. His hips were moving against her making her more impatient for his touch. He put his finger under her chin and brought her face back up even with his. He stared into her soul with his cerulean eyes and said the words that were her undoing.

 

“I need you, now.” The games were over. He gently lifted her from his lap and undid his jeans. He pushed them down from his waist with his boxers and stepped out of them. Marlena looked appreciatively at him, and when he grabbed her around the waist her legs went instinctively around his middle. The wetness against his groin through her thong drove him mad with desire. He backed her up against the wall next to the fireplace.

“Oh my.” They were the only two words she could get out before his lips crushed hers in the most carnal of kisses. Tongues intertwined and she sucked his into her mouth again and again. Suddenly she felt the clasp on her teddy give way and it pooled at her feet. His mouth was on her again and she gasped at the electric jolt it sent through her body as his tongue delved repeatedly into her most hidden spot.

 

“Oh God, John.” Her legs were about to give way but he stood and supported her as her legs wrapped around him again and he drove into her. It was quick and intense and they both came at the same time. Once he could speak again he let Marlena know exactly what his plans for the rest of the evening were.

 

“Don’t think you’re getting away that easily for what you did to me this morning and for just now, Doc.” He laid her gently onto the floor. His thumb grazed the nub between her legs as his tongue continued to send her flying. Her hands were tangled in John’s hair as she bucked wildly under his ministrations. He felt her tighten against his mouth and reveled in her sweetness. He let her body’s vibrations subside and he slid up her length to kiss her again. She licked at his lips to taste them together on his. As her tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, his swiftly entered her and filled her completely. She gasped at his invasion and lifted her hips to take him in more completely. He grabbed a pillow from the couch and shoved it underneath her to lift her so she could meet him more fully. When he slammed into her again his tip touched her core and she let out a short gasp. With every thrust she felt her body shatter until she could hold back no more.

“Oh God, John, I’m going to come again.” It came out choppy and breathy, but he heard her and pounded into her with renewed vigor until they both shuddered with the explosion their bodies created. It seemed to take hours before their heart rates returned to normal, but they clung to one another and didn’t notice the time passing. It wasn’t until Marlena shivered slightly that John spoke.

 

“Are you cold baby?”

 

“Next to you I could never be cold. It must still be aftershocks.” He smiled as he lifted her from the floor and carried her to the bedroom. As they snuggled into the big comforter together John let out a long sigh. Marlena looked at him, concerned.

 

“John, are you all right?”

 

“Never better. You just never cease to amaze me.”

 

“So you liked my little surprise did you?”

 

“Liked would be an understatement. You had me completely enthralled, excited, enticed, enchanted, spellbound…”

 

“Ran out of “e” words huh?” She laughed with him and then looked him in the eye.

 

“I love you John Black. I love that we can be silly together and have the very serious effect on each other that we do.” She kissed him long and hard then, and he knew exactly what type of effect she was having on him.

 

“Um Doc, baby, you remember this morning when you said your senses were on overload?” A throaty “umm hmm” was his answer. “Well, you’ve got me there right now.”

She stopped her tongue’s perusal of his ear and neck just long enough to ask,

“Are you complaining?”

 

“No, um, no.” She had muddled his brain again with her tongue and mouth. “God woman, what you do to me.” He took her mouth with his and that was the end of the talking for the night.

 

At two-thirty in the morning they were wakened by a pounding on the door. John approached the door with caution, but flung it open when he heard Roman’s voice on the other side. “John Black, you son-of-a-bitch, open the door.” As the door scraped back Roman let his right hand fly and caught John square on the jaw. John went reeling into the room but steadied himself on the back of the couch. He was able to duck away from Roman’s next punch, and he grabbed hold of Roman’s right wrist and wrenched it behind the attacking man’s back. By this time Marlena had put on a robe and was coming down the hallway from the bedroom. When Roman saw her he went into another fit of rage. “Very nice Marlena. It hasn’t even been 24 hours and you’ve already shacked up with him.” Marlena was furious with Roman for his invasion.

 

“Will you please keep your voice down? Brady is asleep upstairs. Roman, why are you even here?”

 

“I’m here to retrieve my wife. Until those papers are signed, you belong to me. And I don’t plan on giving you up any time soon, so move it. You’re coming home with me, right now.” John still had Roman’s wrist hiked behind his back and involuntarily jerked it tighter at the command just issued to Marlena. “Hey asshole, will you let me go huh? I just want to pack up my wife and then we’ll be out of your hair.”

 

“Whether or not Marlena goes anywhere is up to her.” John’s voice was controlled, but low and laced with anger.

 

“Roman, I will not be treated as though I am an errant school girl. Right now I wouldn’t go anywhere with you. You’re drunk and you’re delusional. By law, yes, I am still your wife, but if there was any trace of kindness left in me for you, and there was, tonight you have ruined it.” John let go of Roman’s wrist.

 

Well, there’s your answer Roman. I think it’s time you left.”

 

“Don’t you dare give me orders Black.” Roman grabbed Marlena’s hand and pulled her toward the still open door. He hadn’t taken more than two steps before he found himself slammed up against the wall next to the fridge with John’s right arm across his throat. John’s eyes were cold and his words were measured.

 

“Don’t you ever manhandle Marlena again, or you’ll answer to me. She asked you nicely to leave. Be smart and take her advice.” That said, John turned Roman slightly to the right and shoved him out the door. Before Roman could stop the spinning in his head, the loft door had been shut and locked into place. He stood there glaring at the gray metal, wondering what to do next, and vowing that Marlena would never live without him.

 

John picked up the phone and dialed, softly cursing the hour. After four rings he finally heard a mumbled, “…llo?”

 

“Bo, man, I’m sorry it’s so late. This is John.” Bo sat up and scrubbed his face.

 

“Hey Bro, what’s wrong? Is it one of the kids?”

 

“No, it’s Roman. Listen, a lot of stuff happened today and he’s not dealing with it well. He was just at the loft. He’s pretty trashed, and I thought he might let you give him a ride home.”

 

“Yeah, o.k. Listen man, why don’t you just let him crash on your couch? Better yet, why didn’t you call Marlena?”

 

“Um, Bo, she’s the reason Roman came to the loft. Marlena is already here. Reader’s Digest version, she asked Roman for a divorce earlier today.” John could hear the muffled movements of a person trying to get dressed in the background.

 

“O.K., so where is Roman now?”

 

“He should still be outside the loft door. I haven’t heard the door to the stairwell close and there hasn’t been any noise from the elevator either. My guess is he passed out in the hallway, but I don’t want to open the door to find out. I don’t want to deal with him again tonight because I might rip his head off.”

 

“I’ll be right there. Why don’t you and Marlena come over tomorrow morning for breakfast and we’ll hash this through?”

 

“We’ll see you about nine. Thanks Bo.”

 

“Thank me tomorrow, when I’ve gotten some more sleep.”

 

John hung up the phone then and went over to the window. He placed his hands on her shoulders and tried to rub out the tension. She leaned into his hands and sighed as though her heart would crack.

 

“Where did it all go so wrong, John? I’ve just completely destroyed a man’s life. He’s the father of my children, and…” John turned her around then and placed a finger over her lips.

 

“Doc, you didn’t destroy Roman. Stefano played with all of our lives. This is just one big game of chess to him. By putting me into your life and letting you believe that I was Roman, he knew that at some time you would have to choose between the two of us. He knew that we would all suffer tremendously and we have. I’m so sorry that you’re being eaten alive by this guilt, but would you feel any differently if you had chosen Roman? Would you be able to be carefree and just move on knowing that I still loved you?”

 

“No, you know I wouldn’t. It would kill me to hurt you, but you would never react the way that Roman just did. You would never try to win me back by bullying me. I don’t even think he’s trying to win me back; he’s just claiming his territory.” He could see her temper flaring again, and tried to calm her.

 

“Doc, I can understand why he’s angry. He doesn’t see what’s been going on for the last two years. He is still only remembering what you had before he was taken by Stefano. For you to have fallen in love with somebody else is inconceivable to him, just like the children growing up without him. He’s stuck nine years in the past, and while it doesn’t excuse his behavior tonight, it does somewhat explain it.” She just stared at him, so proud of the man she was in love with.

 

“You have the most generous heart John Black. I don’t know how you can continue to defend him after the way he’s treated you.”

 

“Oh, don’t get me wrong Doc, I was ready to break every bone in his hand for grabbing you like that earlier, but I also know how much Roman loves you. We need to give him time. I think he’ll come around.” Marlena had a bad feeling in her stomach about it, but to John she just said, “I hope so.” He led her back to bed then and she fell asleep in the safety of his embrace.

 

The next morning, John and Marlena knocked on Bo’s door. He opened it a little groggily.

“Long night huh, Bo?”

 

“Not too bad. Roman pretty much passed out again once I got him to Mom and Pop’s.”

“So he isn’t at the house?”

 

“No, I figured that it would be better for him to wake up in neutral territory. So what the hell is going on anyway?” Marlena recounted to Bo the events of the last couple of days, minus the plane. When Marlena finished the tale, Bo just stared at her trying to collect his thoughts.

 

“Marlena, I never thought that you and Roman would split. You two were forever.”

 

“I thought so too, but so much has changed. Stefano took something from us and we can’t go back.” John spoke then, not sure how Bo would respond to his opinion.

 

“I’ve often wondered if any of this would have happened if Stefano had just let everyone believe that Roman was dead, if he hadn’t sent me to take Roman’s place. Would Marlena be getting a divorce, would the whole family be going through this hell, but the fact is that what we are living thorough is what we are living through. We can’t change it. If I hadn’t come along, Marlena might have fallen in love with someone else and she and Roman would still be at odds. You know it doesn’t do any good to speculate on the what ifs Bo. You went through Hell when you lost Hope and all the what ifs in the world didn’t bring her back.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Bo’s eyes were a little moist as a picture of his “Fancy Face” flashed through his mind.

 

“I’m sorry Bo, I wasn’t trying to be insensitive. I know how much it hurts to lose someone you love so much.”

 

“Yeah, I know you do, and to be honest, I guess I kind of saw this coming. I just feel bad for Roman. He’s my brother, but then again, so are you John. It’s just such a messed up place to be right now. So, how are you both doing? I’m sure Roman wasn’t in the best of moods last night when he came barging in on you.”

 

“We’re o.k..”

 

“Bo, I never wanted to hurt Roman, but my staying with him would hurt him more in the long run. I guess I never expected the reaction that I got.”

 

“Yeah, it seems a little out of control for him. I mean we both have the Irish hot head thing going on.”

 

“Nah, not you two.” They all laughed, and some of the tension abated.

 

“Look Marlena, just give Roman some time, he’ll come around.”

 

“That’s what I told her last night.”

 

“Bo, just to put your mind at ease, John and I aren’t planning anything permanent until everything is legally settled.”

 

“I wouldn’t have expected anything less from either of you. I know this is hurting you both as much as it is Roman.” He gave them both hugs and they headed across town to see Mickey.

 

For the next couple of months things just rolled along. Roman continued to vehemently protest the divorce, but his threats were all empty. He couldn’t use the children as leverage because they were old enough to decide where they wanted to live, and nothing he said to Marlena changed her mind. In fact he seemed to constantly push her farther away. He continued to stay at Shawn and Caroline’s, while Marlena kept her things at the house. She and John spent some time every day together, but for Eric and Sami spent their nights apart once Roman moved his things into his old room above the fish market. It wasn’t the ideal situation for them both, but they wanted to keep things as simple for the kids as they could.

 

John and Marlena were enjoying a quiet dinner at the loft. Eric and Sami had Brady at the house and told the adults not to worry about the time. Brady could crash there all night if needed. Sami had embraced her mom’s relationship with John wholeheartedly, and by letting go of her guilt and ambivalence toward John she was flourishing.

 

“So, what should we do with ourselves for the night Dr. Evans?”

 

“I was thinking it would be nice to just sit back and watch a movie with my favorite guy.”

“Oh, o.k., so when’s he coming over?” She swatted him on the arm, glad for his ever present sense of humor. She got up and put her dinner dishes on the counter but lost her balance on the way back to the table. John was to her like a shot.

 

“Doc, DOC!” He gently patted her face, but she was unresponsive. He picked her up and grabbed his keys and cell phone off of the counter. On the way to the hospital he called Sami to let her know where they were going and told her he would call back as soon as he knew anything. He also called Carrie to let her know, but hung up when he heard Marlena coming around.

 

“Doc, baby, talk to me. Are you all right? Do you hurt anywhere?” It took her a second to get her bearings.

 

“John, why are we in the Jeep? Where are we going?”

 

“I’m taking you to the hospital. You passed out on me back there. Any idea why?”

 

“A fleeting thought crossed her mind, but she dismissed it. No, not really. Maybe just stress. John, I’m o.k. now, can we go back to your place?”

 

“No, I’m not taking any chances with you. And don’t try to change my mind.” She put her hands in the air to surrender as they pulled into the emergency lot. He hopped out of the driver’s side and picked Marlena up to carry into through the emergency room doors.

 

“John, I can walk.” He gave her an exasperated look.

 

“Just humor me.” She rolled her eyes, knowing she would never win. He placed her into a wheelchair being pushed by a nurse he recognized and went to check her in. He saw Jonah as he was delivering some lab reports to the emergency desk and stopped him.

“Hey John, what are you doing here.”

 

“I just brought Marlena in. Listen, I know I’m not related to her, but can you do me a favor and put a rush on any lab work the doctors order for her.”

 

“I’ll do my best John.”

 

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Just then Carrie and Sami came through the doors.

 

“John, how’s Mom? Have you heard anything yet?”

 

“No, they seemed pretty busy in there, but Marlena’s position as a doctor gets her a little preferential treatment. I just saw Tom Horton head in there as well, so I’m sure he’ll move things along.”

 

“John, I hate to bring this up, but did you think to call Dad?” John just shook his head negatively.

 

“I think I should go call him.”

 

“Yeah, Carrie, I’m sorry. I should have thought to call him too.” He watched her retreating back for a moment before turning back to face the ER doors.

 

“John, what do you think is wrong with her?” Sami was clearly worried, and John took her in his arms to reassure her.

 

“I don’t think it’s anything really serious Peanut. She came to on the way here and figured it was just stress or something.” Just then Tom Horton came out of the ER to talk to John and Sami.

 

“John, Marlena asked to see you. She’s completely alert, but she wants to tell you what we found.”

 

“Thanks Tom. Sami, will you be all right?” Sami shook her head.

 

“I’ll stick around and talk with her John.” The elderly doctor turned to Sami then, “I haven’t seen you in a while Sami. School must be keeping you busy.” Knowing Sami wouldn’t be alone, John went through the swinging doors to find his soulmate. He actually passed her curtained cubicle and had to backtrack when he heard her voice.

 

“John, come back a bit, you passed me.” She laughed at the frazzled look on his face as he finally found her.

 

“You think it’s funny do you? So, what’s up? Why did you faint on me?”

 

“Nothing serious. I just need to get plenty of rest, eat a little more, try to control the stress level.”

 

“That’s it? Did they give you any sort of diagnosis?”

 

“Yes, pregnancy.”

 

“Oh, so…wait, pregnancy? You’re pregnant, like with a baby?” She couldn’t contain her giggles anymore.

 

“Yes, with a baby. That’s usually the way pregnancy works.”

 

“When? How far along are you?”

 

“I’m due in October, so I’m about eight weeks along.”

 

“So that means…”

 

“That means it could be Roman’s baby.” Her voice was tinged with sadness to match his eyes. Neither one of them saw the man outlined on the other side of the curtain, nor would they have wanted to if they could have seen the gleam of happiness in his eyes at the announcement that he may once again be a father.

 

Roman burst through the curtain at that moment; he just couldn’t wait to rub it in John’s face that he and Marlena would have another bond to each other.

 

“So, our baby is due in October huh, Doc? Maybe he or she will come on your birthday? What a great present. John, you could excuse us you know, give us a little privacy to celebrate.” Both John and Marlena stared at Roman with open mouthed shock. Finally Marlena composed herself enough to speak to the stranger standing at the foot of her bed.

 

“Roman, I’m not sure this is your baby. I’m sorry to have to say this to you, but even if it is yours, it won’t change anything. I still want a divorce.” John watched Roman’s demeanor change drastically from his position next to Marlena. The man’s face went from absolutely giddy to frigid in a matter of seconds. When Roman spoke he was barely able to conceal his loathing for the other man in the room.

 

“I will tell you this Marlena. When you find out that the baby you’re carrying is mine, prepare yourself to never see him or her again because I will fight you til my last breath for full custody. I will not allow some Stefano Dimera thug to raise my child. I might not have that control with Eric and Sami because of their age, but I will with this child.”

“How dare you! How dare you come in here and threaten my unborn child when you don’t even know if you have any rights to it or not.” John stroked the side of Marlena’s cheek in an effort to calm her and spoke softly into her ear.

 

“Doc, Dr. Bader recommended that you keep your stress level down. Come on baby, just relax. I’ll get Roman out of here. I’ll be right back.” Turning to Roman, John tried to keep his anger in check.

 

“I really think it would be best if you left.”

 

“Oh, you think it would be best if I left? Well, you don’t have any say in the matter. You don’t have any rights at all when it comes to MY wife.” Roman’s voice had risen a full two decibels and the veins in his neck were bulging.

 

“Roman, this is a hospital, and Marlena was just told to keep the stress down. You’re not helping her any with your childish antics. Now, are you going to leave on your own or am I going to carry you out of here?” John’s voice was low, but menacing.

 

“Black, I’d love to see you try to force me out of here.”

 

“All right Roman, you pushed me to this. Doc, I’m sorry.” John deftly grabbed Roman’s left arm and wrenched it behind the shorter man. Roman struggled but John got him in a headlock and forcibly pushed him through the curtain. By this time there were a few doctors, led by Tom Horton, headed their way.

 

“John, Roman, what is the meaning of this? You are in my hospital and I expect you to conduct yourselves like gentlemen.” John looked genuinely contrite as he looked at the older man. Roman was still spouting fire from his eyes.

 

“Tom, I’m sorry for the commotion, but Marlena asked Roman to leave. He chose instead to stay and threaten her. I’m just trying to get him out of her way before her anxiety level goes through the roof.” Tom looked at the two with concern but with steel flashing from behind his glasses.

 

“Roman, perhaps it would be best if you left for now. Carrie and Sami are still in the waiting room. Why don’t you go talk to them? It may help you calm down.”

 

“Yeah, talking to the enemy always helps me calm down.” Looking at Tom Horton, Roman mumbled an apology and left. He was humiliated by both the dressing down he got from a man he respected almost as much as his father, and by the way John Black had been able to get the upper hand so quickly. He didn’t even say good-bye to Sami and Carrie before pausing in the stairwell to compose himself for the drive back to the police station.

“My kids have all chosen John over me, Marlena thinks he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, but that baby she’s carrying, I know it’s mine. If there is any justice in this mess at all, I’m going to be a father again by Halloween. I know Marlena, better than that imposter ever could, and she’ll come back to me once she sees that I’m the father of that baby. Yeah, this is going to be perfect. I won’t live without you Doc, and you won’t be able to live without me. You’ll see.” With a strange smile on his face, Roman descended the stairs of University Hospital.

John stood with Tom for a few minutes, discussing in more detail Marlena’s condition.

 

“John, she really will be all right, but the stress is not good for the baby. Just try to keep her calm and out of the middle of these types of confrontations.”

 

“Thanks Tom. I’m sorry for earlier. I tried to reason with Roman, but he just wouldn’t budge.”

 

“I’ve lived next to Roman and Marlena for a lot of years John, and I’ve lived next door to you too. You’re all decent, good people and this is a tough situation. Somehow, it will end up the way it is supposed to.”

 

“Thanks Tom, for everything.” John went back to find Marlena sitting with her arms wrapped protectively around her middle, head back against the pillow, and tears streaming down her still pale cheeks. He immediately moved to her side and sat down next to her on the bed. Slipping his arms around her he whispered words of comfort into her hair.

 

“Shh, it’s going to be all right. I promise, Doc.”

 

“John, I want more than anything in this world for this baby to be ours, a tiny piece of Heaven that was made from our love. Roman is going to make this sheer hell for us though. Part of me doesn’t blame him for his anger, but I won’t continue to apologize for how I feel. It won’t do anybody any good.”

 

“Doc, I don’t blame Roman for being angry either. In his situation, he has a right to be irate, but he doesn’t have a right to lash out at you the way he has.” John shifted his weight so he could look into her eyes.

 

“There’s something you need to know.” He took her face between his hands and kissed her lightly on the lips, pure, unadulterated love emanating from his sapphire eyes.

 

“Marlena Evans, I love you with everything that I am, and I love this baby because it is a part of you. There is nothing in this world that I want more than to have shared in the creation of your little miracle, but if it turns out that Roman is this baby’s father, I will still love him or her as my own. Roman may not like that, but that’s the way it is. I love Carrie, Eric, and Sami as much as I love Brady, and this new baby will be no exception.” He wiped the tears falling from her tawny eyes with the pad of his thumb and surrounded her once again with his strong arms.

 

“I love you so.”

 

“I love you too baby.” He moved one hand down to her still flat abdomen. “And I love you little baby.” Dr. Bader found them like that a few minutes later, and cleared her throat to announce her presence.

 

“Sorry to intrude Marlena, but I have some news you were waiting on. I didn’t mean to make you wait so long but I had check on a patient in labor.”

 

“That’s all right. I know your schedule is dictated to you by impatient little ones.”

 

“Sometimes I wish they were a bit more impatient. This poor mom has been in labor for over 11 hours and it looks like she might be in for a long night, but back to you. Call my office tomorrow to set up your first prenatal visit. Tell the secretary that I want to see you in less than two weeks. Here is your prescription for your prenatal vitamins.

 

“Oh, yes, the horse pills. I don’t suppose they’ve shrunk in size in the last few years?” Dr. Bader laughed. “Nope, sorry. We’ll do an ultrasound at about 16 weeks to check on the size of the baby and find out the actual due date. Right now I’d say about mid-October. We can do an amnio at about 20 weeks to determine paternity, unless you want to wait until the baby is born.”

 

“Isabella turned down having an amnio with Brady. Is it painful or harmful?” Dr. Bader thought for a moment before answering.

 

“Most women do feel mild discomfort. We have to insert a needle through the abdomen and into the uterus to extract amniotic fluid. Obviously the needle is quite long and more often than not the mother is scared of that rather than the actual procedure. As far as harmful, anytime the infrastructure of the baby’s little domain is altered, there is a chance, however slight, of miscarriage. We reduce that risk significantly by waiting until the fifth month, but yes, there is a slight danger. The other benefits however, often outweigh the risks. We can test for genetic defects and abnormalities. To many expectant parents, an amnio is something they want so that they can prepare themselves for what might come.” John and Marlena looked at each other.

 

“Dr. Bader, I don’t have to make any decisions right now do I?’

 

“No, no, of course not. You just mentioned to me that you weren’t sure whether Roman or John was the father of your baby, and I wanted to let you know that you can know in as soon as 12 weeks or as late as 32.”

 

“Thanks Dr. Bader.” John shook her hand and she left them alone.

 

“John, I think it would be best for everybody if we knew sooner rather than later.”

 

“Why don’t we just wait and see how things go over the next few months. I don’t want to put you or the baby through any unnecessary trauma. Now, how ‘bout if I spring you from this joint?”

 

“Oh, I’d love it.”

 

“Good, I’ll go find your discharge papers.” John was back in just a few minutes with Tom.

 

“Well, John said you’re tired of our hospitality. I think I’ll try not to be too offended.”

 

“You know us doctors Tom, we make the worst patients.”

 

“Alice tells me that whenever I get sick too! Just sign these and you’ll be on your way. Good luck with everything Marlena. If you just need to escape, you know where the gate in the fence is.” He leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead.

 

“Thanks Tom. I’m sure I’ll be by to see Alice when I get the doughnut cravings.”

 

“So, you ready to go?”

 

“Um, not quite.” John looked at her.

 

“I think I need to change.” He laughed.

 

“I don’t know. With no back to that thing it is kinda sexy.” He winked at her as he left the cubicle to let her put her regular clothes back on. She emerged just a few minutes later, and they left the hospital hand in hand.

 

Carrie and Sami were already at the house, having left after they knew Marlena didn’t have anything wrong with her that a few months wouldn’t cure. When John and Marlena walked through the front door there was a hastily put together banner with “Congratulations” written out in pink and blue hung above the stairway. Ironically it was in the same spot where the anniversary banner had hung just two months ago.

 

“What have you all been up to?” These were the first words out of Marlena’s mouth after the congratulations died down. “It is way too late for a party now, you goofy kids.” They all looked pleased that their surprise put a smile on their Mom’s face.

 

“We just all wanted you to know that we’re happy there’s going to be another brother or sister to love. We’re all going to be here for you Mom, through everything.” Eric wrapped his mom in a huge hug, and Carrie and Sami joined in for a big family squeeze. John held back, but when Sami reached her hand out to him, he took it and just about engulfed everyone with his arm span.

 

“Thank you.” Marlena tried to wipe the tears off of her face, but they just kept falling. “I guess the hormones are kicking in already!” Everybody laughed, but Carrie’s next question brought them all back to reality.

 

“What happened with Dad, Marlena? He snuck by Sami and me when he was leaving the hospital. I think he thinks that neither of us saw him, but we did.”

 

“Oh my, where do I begin?” John took her elbow and led her to the couch. He sat down with his back to the arm and one leg folded underneath him. He pulled her down next to him so he could wrap his arms around her from behind. She squeezed his arm to thank him for the extra strength.

 

“John and I were talking about the baby’s due date, and realized that either your dad or John could be this baby’s father. Either Roman didn’t hear everything or he chose to ignore part. I’m not sure which it was, but he went on and on about how great this was going to be to have a new baby, and he made it seem as though there was nothing wrong between us. When I told him that regardless of the baby’s paternity, I still wanted a divorce, things got rather heated.” It was clear from her expression that she did not want to continue.

 

“Mom, tell us the rest of it. Carrie and I could hear Dad shouting all the way out in the waiting room.”

 

“Sami, I don’t want to say bad things about your dad to you. I don’t want you to feel as though you have to choose sides.” John offered to take it from there, and Marlena gratefully accepted.

 

“Kids, your dad is having a really tough time letting everything go. I can’t say I blame him. I know how tough it was for me to walk away, but your dad is not just upset. He has a lot of anger inside of him and today, his temper got the best of him. Tom had to speak a bit harshly to him, and I think it embarrassed him. You all know how your dad feels about Tom Horton. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t face you two in the waiting area.” Eric knew that things had gotten much more out of hand than John or his mom were letting on, but he was willing to let it drop.

“So, Mom, when exactly are you due?”

 

“Dr. Bader said mid-October, but they won’t give me an actual date until after the ultrasound in a few weeks.”

 

“What about whose baby it is?” Sami felt sheepish asking, but she needed to know.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I was doing o.k. with all of this, really, but the baby…I don’t know how I feel about it right now. I guess it makes a difference whose baby it is. I’m sorry.” Sami was concentrating on her shoes, but Marlena pulled away from John and scooted closer to her middle child. She took Sami’s hands in hers.

 

“Sami, you don’t need to be sorry. I know this is hard on you. It’s o.k. to be confused and upset. I am.” Sami looked up at her mother then.

 

“You mean you’ll be upset if the baby turns out to be Daddy’s right?” There was no malice in her tone.

 

“No, Sami. I’m upset because I’ve hurt your Dad and you kids. I’ve hurt John, and now I’m bringing a baby into the middle of all this turmoil. I won’t lie to any of you. I would love for this baby to be John’s because I am in love with him and he is my future, but we’ll find a way to deal with it if it’s your dad’s.” John cut in then.

 

“As far as finding out whose baby it is, we won’t probably know that until he or she is born. We could find out sooner, but that requires a test that might harm the baby.”

 

“Do you think Dad’s going to wait?”

 

“Eric, your dad doesn’t have a choice in this. Until we find out who the father of this baby is, all decisions regarding him or her belong to your Mom, and I will be there for her every step of the way, unless she tells me otherwise. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so harsh toward your dad.” Marlena took one of John’s hands in her own, giving him a gentle hand hug.

 

“It’s o.k. John. He can be pretty provoking sometimes.”

 

“You doing o.k. over there Peanut?” Sami had been once again drawn to her shoes.

 

“I’m here.” She took a long ragged breath, but didn’t take her eyes off of her shoes.

“Mom, I want you to be happy, and you’ve been happier than I ever remember seeing you since you decided to be with John instead of Dad. But now Daddy’s sadder than I’ve ever seen him. He doesn’t even come to see me. Just because you don’t want to be with him doesn’t mean I don’t, but he won’t even talk to me when I call Grandma and Grandpa’s. Maybe this sounds selfish but part of me really hopes this baby is yours and John’s so that Dad can’t use the baby to try and get you back and keep ignoring the three kids he’s already got.” Sami was still looking down, but her tears dripped off of her cheeks onto her mother’s hand. Marlena took Sami into her arms and rocked her.

 

“Oh baby girl, I’m so sorry for what you, what all of you, are going through right now.” She glanced at Carrie and Eric over Sami’s bowed head and saw the pain their father was causing them as well.

 

“I just don’t know what your dad is thinking right now.” When Sami’s tears were spent, she kissed her mom goodnight and gave John a hug. “I know how much you love her. Thank you for making her happy again.” She quickly kissed his cheek and hurried to her room. John just tucked her words into the memory box marked “Sami” in his heart.

Carrie hugged both John and Marlena before heading out the door to her own apartment. “I love you two, and I’m happy for you and the baby. He or she is very lucky to get you for parents.”

 

“Thanks sweetie. I love you too.”

 

“Me too Punkin. Drive safe.” With a final wave, she was gone. Eric too headed up to his room.

 

“I know the circumstances are awkward, but it’ll all work out. I know it. I love you Mom. Goodnight John.”

 

“Thanks honey, I love you too.”

 

“Goodnight kid.” John caught Marlena in the middle of a yawn.

 

“All right missy, it’s bedtime for you too. Let’s go. I have to get you tucked in and then get Brady untucked.”

 

“No you don’t.”

 

“Yes, I’m going to tuck you in, now move.” He gave her a swat on her behind, but she stood her ground.

 

“John, I want you to tuck me in, but you don’t need to untuck Brady. You can both stay here tonight.” He looked at her as if she were the most brilliant woman on Earth.

“Are you sure the kids won’t mind. I don’t want to upset Sami any more than she has been lately.”

 

“John, it isn’t you. It’s Roman. I just wish I could figure out what’s going on with him. I can see trying to distance himself from me, but not from the kids. Especially Sami.” John shook his head slowly.

 

“I don’t get it either Doc, but the problem isn’t going anywhere, so let’s get some sleep o.k.?” She took his hand and led him up to the bedroom they used to share.

 

About five months into her pregnancy, the divorce was final, without Roman’s signature. He had fought tooth and nail, but in the end the judge granted Marlena’s request without Roman’s approval. John and Marlena were just coming into the house from the courthouse when she looked at her watch.

 

“Oh my gosh, John, we have to be at the hospital in 20 minutes for the amniocentesis.”

 

“Doc, are you sure you want to do this now? We can still wait for the baby to be born.”

 

“Let’s talk in the car on the way.” The door they had just unlocked was quickly re-locked and they headed for University Hospital.

 

“John, I know you think this amnio isn’t a good idea, but Roman has been unbearable these last few months. Now that the divorce is final, I want to be able to move on with you. I don’t want Roman hanging over our heads every time we turn around.”

 

“I understand that. I just don’t want to put you or our baby at risk.” The words came out of John’s mouth so naturally. Marlena reached across the seat to caress her lover’s cheek.

 

“I love you so.” The tears started but she quickly tried to keep them at bay.

 

“I love you too, Doc. Both of you.” They entered the hospital and pushed the button that would take them to the OB/GYN clinic. Once Marlena had checked in, they sat and waited. Finally the nurse called Marlena’s name and put her through the usual procedures for expectant women. She was weighed, used the bathroom, and went in to her exam room to wait again. John was pacing in the room when Dr. Bader finally arrived.

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

 

“It’s o.k. It’s a doctor thing. John, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

 

“Huh, oh, sorry. I’m just nervous. I don’t like seeing Marlena in pain.”

 

“John, there won’t be much pain, just some mild discomfort, but it will be over quickly.” Dr. Bader put on her gloves and readied Marlena for the procedure. The nurse helped her get the monitor hooked up so they could see where the needle would be inserted into Marlena’s uterus and marked a spot on her abdomen. Dr. Bader showed John where he could stand and then she got everything started. John held Marlena’s hands through the whole thing and they talked softly together. Within five minutes it was over and more waiting began. Before she left, Dr. Bader gave Marlena some instructions for the night.

 

“You might feel some mild cramping throughout the rest of the day. It should subside within 24 hours. If it doesn’t, or if there is bleeding, call me immediately and come to the hospital. Also, I’m going to ask you to refrain from intercourse for the next 48 hours.” Marlena’s cheeks became a bit rosier, and John squeezed her hands gently, softly running his thumbs across the tops of her knuckles. “We’ll have the results of the paternity test back in a couple of hours. I’m going to put a rush on it for you. John, are you ready for your blood work?” He nodded affirmatively and stood so he could follow her out of the room to the lab.

 

“I’ll be right back Doc. I love you.” He kissed her forehead gently before leaving. Dr. Bader turned back to her patient.

 

“Why don’t you get dressed and then meet us at the lab Marlena?”

 

“O.K.” When Marlena stood, she felt a slight twinge in her belly, but dismissed it as one of the mild cramps Dr. Bader warned her about. She met John at the lab a few minutes later and once again, they left the hospital hand in hand.

 

“Listen Doc, I’m going to drop you off at the house so you can get some rest. You’ve had a long day and you look gorgeous, but beat.”

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Just some things to take care of.”

 

“You aren’t planning one of your elaborate surprises are you?”

 

“Somehow I don’t think you’re quite up for elaborate tonight.” She laughed lightly.

 

“No, you’re probably right about that.” They unlocked the front door to the house for the second time and John took Marlena upstairs to nap for a while.

 

“I’ll be back before Dr. Bader calls. Try to get some sleep; it’ll make the time pass more quickly.” His kissed her lips lightly and she parted her mouth slightly. Their tongues barely touched but both of them felt the room’s temperature skyrocket. Reluctantly he pulled away from her with a slight moan.

 

“Doc, if you kiss me like that again, we’ll break the doctor’s orders. Now be a good girl and get some sleep. I love you.”

 

“I love you too, spoilsport.”

 

“Right now two days seems like eternity, but I promise to make every little kiss, every touch that we miss between now and then up to you.”

 

“I’m holding you to that Sailor.” She sighed with longing as she watched his retreating backside.

Downstairs John wasted no time. He called Carrie and asked her to come by for dinner and just as he was hanging up, Sami and Eric came in the door from school.

 

“Hey you two, you’re getting home late. Everything o.k.?”

 

“Yeah, we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa’s to see Dad.”

 

“How’d it go?”

 

“Same old, same old. He wouldn’t talk to us. Grandma said he’d been in his room since he got home from court. She’s really worried about him. To be honest Dad, so am I.”

John noticed the name Eric gave him, but didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Ever since Roman started pulling away from the kids, Eric slipped more and more. Usually he caught himself and still called the man John, but tonight things had changed. John watched Sami watch her shoes for a moment before asking how she was.

 

“Hey Peanut, how are you feeling? Dumb question, I know, but it might help to talk.” She snuffled at John’s self-deprecating answer to his own question.

 

“I think that Dad just doesn’t care whether we’re around or not anymore.” John took Sami into his arms.

 

“I’m so sorry he’s made you feel like this Sami. You too Eric. I wish I could figure out what was going through his mind.”

 

“It’s o.k. John. It’s not your problem.”

 

“Whoa, hold on there. This is my problem. You’re hurting, and when you hurt, so do I. That’s what being a family is all about, and we’re all in this together. Unless you don’t want me to be. Just say the word and I’ll back off. I won’t stop loving you, but I’ll stop trying to help.” Sami’s response was vehement and startled even her.

“NO! I need you in my life. Don’t go John, please.” She started crying healing tears in his arms, and he held on to her tighter than he ever had. They heard Eric’s voice above Sami’s tears, choked as it was.

 

“How do you do that? How do you know what being a family is all about when you don’t remember ever having one, but our father, who grew up with family all around him, doesn’t have the first clue?” John took one arm and wrapped it around Eric.

 

“I had good teachers. Being a family with you came as naturally to me as breathing. That’s why it was so hard to leave. You are both worth more to me than my own life.” They stood that way for a long time, until the snick of the door caught John’s attention.

 

“Am I too late to get in on a family hug?” Carrie’s cheerful voice echoed through the quiet house.

 

“Not at all Punkin. Come here.” John gave each of them a kiss on the top of the head, backed up and clapped his hands together.

 

“All right, let’s get busy.” He had actually talked to the kids a few days ago about this little dinner for Marlena after the final court date. He knew that the ending of her marriage was going to hit her harder than she thought, so he wanted her surrounded by the people who loved her most. He figured it would help when they got the call from Dr. Bader later on too. After about an hour, they were done. Dinner was warming in the oven, two of Marlena’s favorite videos had been rented, and there were five vases of Lilacs scattered throughout the dining and living rooms. John was just about to go wake Marlena up when the doorbell rang. Carrie got to it first and took a squealing Brady from the nanny’s arms. John came around the door and grabbed his son as he launched himself into his father’s arms. Brady thought the game was fun so he turned back to Carrie.

 

“’gin, Ree, ‘gin.” She caught him just in time. Laughing, she admonished him.

 

“Next time give me a little more warning o.k., Brady.” John thanked the nanny for bringing Brady over to the house and took the small overnight bag from her. He dropped the bag into the guest room on his way to the master bedroom. He stared at the beautiful blond for a few minutes, loath to wake her. Finally he made his way to the bed and sat down carefully next to her. He stroked her cheek and whispered into her ear.

 

“Time to wake up sleeping beauty.” He kissed her softly at the nape of her neck, and she rolled over and stretched.

 

“Hmm, I like waking up looking at you. How long have I been out?”

 

“A little over an hour, but the troops are getting restless.”

 

“The troops? I hope they aren’t waiting for me to cook something.”

 

“Definitely not, but dinner is just about ready.”

 

“What are you up to?”

 

“About 6’2” at my last check-up.” She swatted his arm.

 

“Goof.” He helped her get up from the bed, and she shook her head at her unaccustomed awkwardness.

 

“If getting out of bed is this hard now, what am I going to be like in a few more months?”

 

“You’re going to be beautiful, but we could remedy the situation very easily you know.”

 

“Do I even want to ask?”

 

“I’ll just never let you out of bed.”

 

“I’ll be huge, you won’t even want to look at me.” She was teasing him and he knew it, but he kept up the banter. He just loved to see her eyes spark with mischievousness.

 

“You are, without a doubt, the most incredibly sexy pregnant woman I have ever seen. Give me two days and I’ll prove it to you.” He had her in his arms and was kissing her before she could get the last word in. When at last he let her go, she was too breathless to say anything more.

 

“Now, let’s go eat before the wrong appetite gets satisfied.”

 

Shortly after dinner was over the phone rang. It had been well over two hours, but the time had passed quickly, just as John hoped. Sami picked it up on the fourth ring when it was apparent that Marlena was incapable of moving. Sami turned to her mother.

 

“It’s Dr. Bader.” John helped Marlena to her feet and stood with his arms wrapped around the growing baby from behind. She leaned her back against his strong chest as she took the phone from Sami. The curtains on the French doors were opened, but the lights from inside made it impossible to see through the glass. From outside however, Roman had a perfect view of Marlena and John. He knew to whom Marlena was speaking, and knew that the outcome would be written all over her face. He was incensed that she hadn’t invited him over to be with her when she got the call. He knew that the baby was his. There was no way that God would take both her and a child away from him in the same day. As he watched her facial expressions, he thought to himself, “soon Doc, you’re going to see that you made the wrong choice and you’ll come back. I know we’ll be together again.” As Marlena listened to Dr. Bader she shivered involuntarily as a chill went down her spine. John tightened his hold on her, thinking she was getting the news she feared. Without knowing for certain, tears began falling from his sapphire eyes. Marlena too was in tears as she thanked the doctor and placed the phone back on the cradle with a shaking hand. She turned to him and hazel and blue locked for interminable minutes. Finally, she wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ear, “Our little girl can’t wait to meet her daddy.”

 

His hands slid back around to her expanding middle and he dropped to both knees in front of her.

 

“Did you hear that little one? I’m your daddy. I love you.” He choked through the words as he kissed Marlena’s stomach and then stood to kiss the mother of his unborn child. “I promise you Doc, I will be the best father this baby could ever ask for.” She looked at him, tears still pouring from her loving eyes.

 

“I know you will. I’ve seen you in action remember?” He followed her gaze to Carrie, Sami, Eric, and Brady. Both Carrie and Sami had tears in their eyes as they watched the tender scene unfold in front of them. Eric spoke first.

 

“Congratulations. Wait, you said girl didn’t you? Well, at least I have Brady to keep me company. Don’t I buddy?” Brady giggled as Sami punched Eric lightly in the gut, laughing at his theatrical “oof” as he doubled over in mock pain. From outside, Roman had gotten his answer. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to barge into the house and lay John Black out flat. For one fleeting moment he had thought that he truly was the father of Marlena’s baby. The way she put the phone down made him hopeful, but then John had gotten on his knees and kissed her stomach and then her. Roman wanted to throw up in the bushes but swallowed the bile. Suddenly a thought exploded in his brain, and he ran back to the fish market to work out the details.

 

After sending Marlena up to soak in a relaxing bath and getting a very excited and overly tired Brady to bed, John sat down with the three older kids. There was a question he needed to ask, and he hoped that they would all be o.k. with it.

 

“Kids, listen, I know everything is just flying past you. The past five or so months have been crazy and confusing and heartbreaking. I need to ask you all something, and I want you to be completely honest with me, all right?” Three heads nodded in unison.

 

“Now that the divorce is final and your mom and I know that the baby is ours, I would really like to marry her, sooner rather than later, but I need to know how you all feel about it.” Both Eric and Sami looked at Carrie. She was the oldest, the one they had looked to so many times during their mother’s absence. Carrie’s face lit up with a smile she couldn’t have contained for anything.

 

“I think it would be awesome for you and Marlena to get married again. Well, with your real name this time.” They all laughed and John felt some of the nervousness leave him. Sami decided to interject, and she looked John straight in the eye so he would know she meant every word.

 

“Mom loves you more than anything in the world John, and we would all be selfish and stupid if we denied your request to marry her. Six months ago, I probably would have gone flying out of here and thrown a tantrum in my room. Today, I’m telling you that I love you and it would be great for you to be a part of our family again. Thanks for not giving up on any of us.” John mouthed “Thank you. I love you too.” to Sami so he didn’t interrupt Eric.

 

“Dad, I think marrying Mom is a great idea, but it means a lot that you thought enough of us to ask us first.”

 

“Well, good, then I’m going to ask something else. Why don’t you all come with me tomorrow and help me pick out a ring?” They set a time and decided to meet at Salem Place.

 

John went upstairs to check on Brady before going to bed himself. He covered his youngest child with a blanket and spoke quietly to him.

 

“Brady, pretty soon Marlena’s going to be a part of our family forever, and you’re going to have a new baby sister. Your mom’s really looking out for us up there. Sleep tight slugger, I love you.” John crept out of the room as quietly as he had come in and headed down the hall. He knocked softly on the bathroom door in the master bedroom.

 

“Doc, you didn’t fall asleep in there did you?” He opened the door to find her up to her neck in bubbles, trying valiantly to scrub her back.

“Here, let me help you with that.”

 

“Why thank you kind sir. I think I better get out pretty soon though or I’m going to be permanently wrinkled.”

 

“All right, then just sit tight for a couple minutes more o.k.?” John ran out of the bathroom, and she could hear a closet door opening and then closing again, but had no idea what he was up to. Within five minutes he was back with a huge bath sheet in his hands.

 

“Here you are m’lady.” She stepped out of the tub and he wrapped the warm towel around her.

 

“John Black, I think you are the king of romance. Only you would think to warm up a towel for me in the dryer.” He did his best old western imitation.

 

“Aww, shucks ma’am. Twern’t nothin’.” They laughed together as he toweled her off. She grabbed an old t-shirt and pair of shorts to sleep in, but the shorts no longer fit over her burgeoning middle so she rolled them down to fit under her belly.

 

“I figured I should wear something not so sexy tonight, or actually wear something period, since we need to abstain for the next couple of days.” John looked at her in disbelief.

 

“You’re telling me that what you’re wearing isn’t sexy? Doc, I just watched you roll the waist band of those shorts down to accommodate our growing child. Baby, that’s about as sexy as it gets.” He walked up to her and took her mouth with his, but it was a gentle and reverent kiss. It was almost like their first kiss so many years ago. It was tentative and exploratory. His tongue entered her mouth softly, his hands on either side of her face. When he finally broke the kiss he rested his forehead on hers.

 

“Don’t ever tell me you aren’t sexy or desirable. You could have come out of that bathroom wearing a burlap sack and I still would have wanted to rip it off of you and make mad, passionate love to you. You could gain 80 pounds carrying this baby, and I would still want you. When I look into your beautiful eyes, that’s when I lose control.”

 

“Oh my, when you say it, I believe it.”

 

“Good, because I want to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.” He kissed her once more then and led her to bed. He slept the whole night with his arm protectively wrapped around the place where his youngest child lie growing.

 

The next morning dawned clear and beautiful. It was the perfect day to go ring shopping, and John reviewed the design for the ring he had in his head. As he watched his beloved sleep, he envisioned her expression as he slipped the ring on her finger. She turned toward him and opened her eyes.

 

“Hi.”

 

“Hi there yourself. Did you sleep well?”

 

“Mmm hmm. I always do when I’m in your arms.” He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss.

 

“I hate to run off on you, but I need to get Brady home and then get ready for a meeting this morning.” She gave him her best pouty face, but he made her laugh by running his finger over her bottom lip.

 

“Fine, I have patients this morning anyway. Will I see you later?”

 

“Count on it.” He kissed her again and got out of bed. After dressing, he came back and sat beside her.

 

“Doc, I love you.” He kissed her once more with barely restrained passion.

 

“Oh my. I can’t wait for you to finish that thought.”

 

“Soon, just one more day, and then you’ll see how many thoughts I’m going to finish.”

With that he attacked her neck and had her in a fit of giggles. When she caught her breath she lightly grabbed his bottom lip between her teeth and took his mouth with unbridled passion. His hand tangled in her hair and he pulled her closer. They were drowning in one another’s embrace when the door flew open and Brady came running in.

 

“Daaddee, ungee.” Brady opened his mouth wide and pointed to it. Both Marlena and John were still breathing hard as Brady pulled on John’s hand to try and get him downstairs for breakfast.

 

“Whoa, slugger. Slow down. I’m coming.” He turned back to Marlena and with eyes still heavy with passion, perused her face, as if seeing it for the first time, or perhaps the last. He caressed her jawline with his index finger and brought her mouth to his for a slow, emotional kiss. Before leaving the bed he leaned his head against her belly and kissed his unborn child.

 

“I love you baby.” He softly whispered, and brought his face back even with Marlena’s. “I love you too, Doc. I’ll see you later.” She gave him one last quick kiss as tears came unbidden to her eyes.

 

“I love you so.” That said, Brady got his father’s full attention and dragged him down the hallway to the stairs and then to the kitchen.

 

A couple of hours later he was sitting at the Java Café with Carrie, Sami, and Eric. He pulled his drawing of the ring out of his pocket and handed it to them for inspection. They all loved it and headed to the jeweler’s to pick matching wedding bands and have the engagement ring made. The shop owner looked up when the bells over the door rang.

 

“Good morning. How can I help you today?”

 

“Well, I need an engagement ring for the most perfect woman in the world.” The shop owner smiled at the man who was so obviously in love and pointed to the case where the engagement rings were housed.

 

“Actually, I have a design drawn out. Do you have someone who could make it for me?”

 

“You’re in luck. My master jeweler and I just got back from a buying trip, and she’ll be here for the next couple of weeks. He pushed a button by the door to the back room. The kids were all looking in the case at the matched wedding bands, trying to find the perfect ones. Promptly, a woman in her mid to late fifties came into the showroom.

 

“What can I help you with Mr. Patton?”

 

“This gentleman here would like to have an engagement ring made from his own design.” John handed the woman, who introduced herself as Claudia, the paper he had drawn some sketches on.

 

“What I’d like is to have an emerald cut diamond as the center stone. It needs to be at least two carats and flawless.” When her jaw dropped at his request, he assured her money was not an issue, but time was. “I need this as soon as possible. I don’t want to waste any more time not being married to her.” He continued with his description of the ring. “In the gold flanking the left side of the center stone, I would like a garnet, opal, emerald, and another opal. On the right side, I need an opal, aquamarine, opal again and an amethyst. I’d like these all to be marquise cut. Do opals cut well that way?”

 

“They do as long as we can find rough big enough. Is there a specific size to the side stones?”

 

“I think at least a quarter carat. This way they won’t be dwarfed by the center stone.”

 

“Obviously these are all birth stones. May I ask whose?” She was curious about the man standing in front of her. She could tell with each stone, he had memory flashes of who they represented.

 

“The center stone is for the love between Marlena and me. Never ending and infinitely beautiful, flawless and decadent, flashing with fire and passion. The garnet is my birthstone, the opal closest to the center stone, hers. The aquamarine is Carrie’s, two of the opals are for Eric and Sami, the emerald for our little guy, Brady, and the last opal is for the baby due in October. The amethyst represents when we found our way back to each other.” Claudia fought back tears as she saw the deep love for his family shining in John’s eyes.

 

“Well, I’ll get started on this right away. Have your children found bands yet?”

 

“Kids?”

 

“We did John, but we want you to look at them.” He walked to where they were standing. Mr. Patton had taken out a box with two plain gold bands sitting side by side in gray velvet.

 

“We know they’re plain, but the ring you designed for Marlena is so beautiful we thought it would be best complimented by something uncomplicated and simple, but elegant. We also figured you two had had enough complicated for a lifetime. Maybe this will be the start of a boring married life.” John laughed out loud and shook his head.

 

“Trust me, being married to Doc, is going to be anything but boring. I love the rings. These are the ones then.” He put them on his credit card, and made a down payment on her engagement ring. Claudia had all his numbers and promised to call by the end of the week with her progress. John was absolutely giddy as they left the shop.

 

“So who’s up for lunch? We might as well play hooky the whole day.” It didn’t take much to convince the kids as they headed to the Penthouse Grille.

 

Marlena opened the door to leave for the hospital and caught Roman mid knock.

“Roman, good morning. I was just on my way to the hospital.”

 

“I figured, but I’d really like to talk to you. Will you spare me some time. Please.” She might have refused him, but the please got to her and she let him in. He looked disheveled and sleep deprived and her heart went out to him. He sat on the couch and she perched on the edge of the matching chair. Something about him was making her uneasy, though she couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

“Roman, there’s something you need to know.” He looked up at her blankly. “I got a call from Dr. Bader yesterday. The baby I’m carrying is John’s. I know that hurts you, but maybe now you can have some closure and move on.” He shook he head back and forth until Marlena thought he might never stop.

 

“Move on? MOVE ON? How the hell am I supposed to move on when I don’t have a heart left? The woman I love ripped it to shreds, got herself knocked up by someone I called friend, and then left me for him. Very nice Marlena. Thanks for the shrink talk.” With that he stalked from the house. Shaking, she gathered her things together, listened for the departure of his car, and then headed to the hospital. She’d seen two patients and was expecting her third when she heard a soft knock on her office door.

 

“Please, come in.” She looked up and was startled to see Roman.

 

“Roman.” Her voice was icy. “I’m expecting a patient, and I think you said everything you needed to this morning.”

 

“Doc, I’m sorry. I was a complete bastard earlier. I wanted to try and make it up to you. Will you let me buy you lunch?”

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

“Please Doc. I know you don’t love me anymore, but I need for us to be friends. You’ve been the best part of my life and I can’t imagine what life will be like without you in it.” She thought long and hard before giving him an answer.

 

“Fine, but this is your last chance. Don’t think that you can talk to me again the way you did this morning. I won’t allow it; I will not be degraded by you again. Do you understand me Roman?” He shook his head affirmatively and waited in her outer office for her to finish with her half hour appointment. He offered to drive and they headed to Johnny Angel’s for lunch.

 

John was enjoying his company immensely and was glad he had talked them all into coming to lunch with him.

 

“Well, I hate to eat and run, but I have to talk to the ferry master about a little surprise for Marlena.”

 

“Planning to propose at the Horton Cabin, John?”

 

“I thought it might just be a nice place to get away for a couple of days. I’ll have to talk to Doc’s secretary and find out what the schedule looks like.” They gave hugs all around and as they were riding down in the elevator, John thanked them again for helping with the rings.

 

When he got to the Jeep, he called Marlena, figuring she would be at lunch. She picked up on the second ring.

 

“Dr. Evans.”

 

“Hey there beautiful. How’s your day going?”

 

“Better now that I’m talking to you.” Roman tried to keep from rolling his eyes as his ex-wife talked to her lover.

 

“What are you doing right now?”

 

“Going for lunch with Roman.” His old cop skills kicked into high gear, but he had no idea why all the red flags were going up.

 

“Is that a good idea baby?” Her heart melted at the concern she heard in his voice.

 

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m done with patients today at about 4:30 and then I have some paperwork to catch up on. Why don’t you meet me at the house around 6:00?”

 

“It’s a date. I’ll bring some Chinese take-out home with me.”

 

“Sounds yummy. I love you.”

 

“I love you too. Be careful.” As the connection broke, Marlena got the same chill down her spine that she had gotten the night before. As the connection broke, John pondered his word choice before hanging up. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and headed down to the docks.

 

Roman pulled his car into the parking lot above the pier and backed into a spot. He didn’t notice John’s Jeep parked four spots down.

 

“Doc, before we get to Johnny Angel’s I want to talk to you in private.” Marlena’s gut wrenched, but she dismissed it and turned as much as the seat belt would allow her.

 

“Roman, I would really like to go get lunch. I have a 1:30 appointment.”

 

“This won’t take long, I promise. I just need to make you understand.”

 

“Understand what?”

 

“Understand why I can’t let you go. You’re my whole world Doc, and without you I don’t feel like living anymore.” Marlena’s psychiatrist instincts immediately kicked in as she tried to talk Roman out of his suicidal mode.

 

“Roman, I know this is tough right now, but you’ve got three wonderful children who need you.” His next words were full of bitterness and sarcasm.

 

“Do they really need me? No, not when they have super stud John around. No, I thought that the only person who might still need me would be that baby you’re carrying, but that was taken from me too. Doc, there’s only one way for this to end the right way. We promised to always be together, and we’re going to be.” His voice was softer and his eyes were vacant. Marlena was still trying to talk him out of his trance when he gunned the motor and sped toward the guardrail separating the parking lot above the docks from the river below.

 

John’s head whipped around at the crunching sound of metal ripping through metal and watched in horror as a car tore through the rail and launched into the Salem River. John hurled his cell phone at the stunned ferry operator and barked out orders to call an ambulance and Abe Carver at the Salem PD. He jumped into a small aluminum fishing boat and motored to the crash site as fast as the craft would take him. On the way he clumsily removed his shoes and socks. He also took his small jack-knife out of his pocket so he could cut through the seatbelts. The trunk of the car was still visible above the water and the awful feeling of foreboding John had had earlier came back in triplicate as the realization hit.

 

“Oh my God, that’s Roman’s car.” He dove out of the boat and swam to the passenger side, knowing the only thing that mattered was getting his beloved to safety. He wrenched the door open only through sheer adrenaline and cut through the seat belt. As he dragged her limp body to the surface he willed her and the baby to be strong. Finally he got her to the boat and pounded her between the shoulder blades with the flat of his palm. It was enough to make her cough and vomit out the water in her lungs. When he was sure she was breathing on her own, he put her into the boat as gently as possible and went back for Roman. On the docks, Abe was questioning the spectators and the ferry captain, but no one knew much. Bo was pacing back and forth by the ambulance when John raced up and gave Marlena over to the paramedics. Bo lifted Roman out of the boat and laid him on the pier. When they were ready to transport Marlena one of the paramedics told John he would have to follow in his car. There wasn’t enough room for the two patients and him, along with the medical personnel.

 

“I’m going with her dammit, and don’t try to stop me.”

 

“Sir, be reasonable, we need to get them both to the hospital.”

 

“That woman lying in the ambulance isn’t just somebody I rescued, she’s my whole life and she’s carrying my child, and I am going with her.” The look on John’s face deterred the medic from arguing further. It was a tight fit, but John rode next to Marlena, holding her hand and whispering in her ear not to leave him.

 

Tom Horton was waiting at the entrance to the ER and took Marlena through the double doors that had brought John so much happiness just a few short months ago. Abe was beside him then, letting him know that the family had been called.

 

“John, do you have any idea what happened?”

 

“They were supposed to be having lunch Abraham. I had just told her I would bring over Chinese take-out for dinner. Dammit, why didn’t I listen to my gut?”

 

“What do you mean?” Abe had a healthy respect for John’s instincts and wanted to know what the man was thinking now.

 

“Something when were talking made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, you know? Roman has been so abrasive the last few months, and neither of us really blamed him for being angry, but he completely shut himself off from everyone. He wouldn’t even see Sami for God’s sake. Him wanting to have a nice lunch with Doc just didn’t fit.

Dammit Abe, she has to be all right.” Just then Carrie, Eric, and Sami walked through the doors of the main hallway. John took them immediately into his arms and relayed what he knew so far. Shawn, Caroline, Kim, Kayla, and Bo came in also. Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting Tom came out to talk to them all.

 

“Tom, how’re Doc and the baby?”

 

“How’s Dad. Dr. Horton?” Tom held up a hand to silence them as they all rushed to him.

 

“Marlena is holding her own. She has some significant bruising on her collar bone and hips from the seat belt, but there is nothing broken. Dr. Bader is still checking on the condition of the baby, but when I left there was a heartbeat.” John let out a long breath he hadn’t even been aware he’d been holding.

 

“The only concern we have right now is that Marlena hasn’t regained consciousness. She has no external injury to the head, but we ordered a CAT scan to rule out any internal hemorrhaging. I’ll let you know as soon as we get that back.”

 

“Can I see her?”

 

“For a few minutes. Patty, can you show John where Dr. Evans is, please?” He turned back to the whole Brady family.

 

“Roman didn’t fare as well I’m afraid. He was under the water much longer than Marlena. If John hadn’t gotten to them when he did, I have no doubt that Roman would no longer be with us at all. Right now it’s touch and go. He has a few broken ribs from the steering wheel and took in a lot of water. His right lung collapsed on us once and we got it re-inflated, but he isn’t strong enough to breathe on his own right now. The next 24 hours are going to be critical.”

 

“Tom, may I see him?”

 

“Caroline right now we’re moving him up to the ICU. As soon as he’s settled you can go in one at a time for just a couple of minutes every hour.” Tom left to go back and check on both Roman and Marlena’s status.

 

John pulled the curtain aside and let out a long sigh as he looked down at the pale woman lying on the starched white sheets.

 

“Hey pretty lady. You look kind of fragile lying here, but I know you’re not. You’ve done an amazing job so far of beating the odds. I need you to fight just a little bit more though Doc. I need you to come back to me.” Dr. Bader entered the cubicle and gave John a sympathetic smile.

 

“How’s our baby girl doing?”

 

“Incredibly well considering the trauma Marlena just went through. We’ve got her hooked up to a fetal monitor and her heartbeat is strong. She pointed to the flashing heart on the monitor in front of him. 136 beats a minute, right on target. We’re going to move Marlena up to a private room shortly.” John nodded and leaned over to kiss Marlena softly on the forehead. He had to swallow a lump in his throat before uttering the next words.

 

“What if she doesn’t wake up Dr. Bader?” His mind flashed back to her coma and the endless days and nights he spent talking to her, willing her to come back to him and the kids. “What happens to the baby?”

 

“The baby continues to grow. John, because Marlena’s body is functioning on its own, the baby is in no immediate danger. If she were on life support or her organs were systematically shutting down, then yes, the baby’s life would be at risk. Right now though, Marlena is basically just sleeping. The fluids in her IV are nourishing both her and the child, and I’ll continuously monitor the baby’s stress level with the fetal heart monitor and ultrasound. In fact, I need to do one right now. Would you like to watch?”

 

“Yes, I would. Thanks, for everything Dr. Bader.” She busied herself getting the small television screen into position and put the gel on Marlena’s stomach. Moving the wand around, she took the baby’s measurements, pointing out the head, little hands, and kicking feet. She also pointed to the little black spot that was pulsating rapidly.

 

“That’s your baby’s heart.” John’s tears were rolling silently down his face onto the blanket covering Marlena.

 

“Oh Doc, she’s so beautiful. She’s going to look just like you, I know it.” Dr. Bader printed off a picture of the sonogram and handed it to John. He ran his finger over the length of the tiny girl in the picture and placed it on the pillow next to Marlena. Tom came in then with some scrubs for John to change into.

 

“Bo grabbed your shoes from the boat, and you can put these on, so at least you’ll be dry.”

 

“Thanks Tom. Why isn’t she waking up? Do you know yet?”

 

“We’re stumped. The CT didn’t show anything unusual. Her brain waves on the EEG were normal, and by all indications, she should be awake. We’re just going to have to wait it out.” John hated waiting.

 

While they moved Marlena to her room, John went out and talked to the family. He got an update on Roman and gulped down some tepid black sludge that was being passed off as coffee. He didn’t see Kim come up behind him and jumped when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry John. I didn’t mean to startle you. How ya hangin in there?”

 

“I’m madder than hell and I’m terrified. That about sums it up.” He had always been able to be honest with Kim, and even after the whole fallout with Roman, she never changed her opinion of John. In her heart, he was still her big brother.

 

“Do you really think Roman is capable of intentionally hurting Marlena or the baby John?”

“Yeah, Kim, I do. I think in his warped mind, he figured that the only way for he and Marlena to be together forever was for them to die together. Kim, I watched that car rip through that guardrail. He never hit the brakes. He ran the car into the river deliberately. I don’t know what I’m going to do if she doesn’t come out of this.” His tears were again falling freely and Kim held onto him tightly, crying for all of them.

 

He let Carrie, Sami, and Eric see Marlena before he went back into her room. During that time he called Victor and asked for Brady to stay with him for the next couple of days. He also stopped in the gift shop and got a frame for the sonogram picture and placed it next to the bed in Marlena’s room. His last stop had been Tom’s office.

 

“Tom, sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could have an extra bed put in Marlena’s room. I’d like to stay with her at night, but those chairs aren’t really conducive to sleeping.” Tom gave John a knowing grin.

 

“Well, hospital policy prohibits it, but since Marlena has no life threatening injuries, I don’t see why the rules can’t be bent this once. I’ve been giving it some thought John, and I consulted with a couple of Marlena’s colleagues in the Psychology Department before saying anything to you. We’ve all come to the conclusion that perhaps Marlena is in this state because she doesn’t feel safe. It’s her mind’s way of protecting herself. With what you told us about Roman, her trust has been shattered. Perhaps you sleeping next to her at night will reach her subconscious mind and help her heal.”

 

“Thanks Tom, for trying to find the answers and for letting me be with her.”

 

“I hope it works.”

 

“Me too.”

 

As John was approaching Marlena’s room, he spotted Dr. Bader softly closing the door behind her.

 

“Dr. Bader, is Doc all right? The baby?”

 

“Yes, John. They’re both doing fine. The baby’s heartbeat is loud and strong. I saw an extra bed in there. Planning on spending the night?”

 

“Yeah, I just need to be close to her.”

 

“Get a good night’s rest. I’m on call all night if you need anything.” He gave her a terse nod and entered the room. He kicked out of his boots and lay down on her right side so as not to disturb the IV and monitors set up on her left. He lifted her slightly and put his left arm around her shoulders and turned on his side to surround her right hand with his over her stomach. He kissed her softly on the temple and started talking to her.

 

“Doc, I know it’s kind of late, but I need you to know a couple of things. First of all, you’re safe. I will do everything in my power to keep you with me forever. I’m so sorry Roman hurt you, but it’s not your fault. Doc, you can’t help the circumstances. We were dealt a cruel hand, but we’ve done the best we know how to do with it. I’m not sure if you heard them, but Carrie, Eric, and Sami were here earlier. They love you so much and just want you to come back to us. When you wake up you can see the first picture of our beautiful baby girl. She’s hanging in there. She’s a fighter just like her mommy. You’ve got to come back from where ever you are Doc. We’ve fought too much to be together to let it end like this. I love you. Sweet dreams.” He fell into a dreamless sleep, exhausted from the emotions of the day. He was awakened about dawn by the most delicious kiss. Her tongue gently coaxed his lips open. She nibbled on his bottom lip and made love to his mouth. His groan of desire brought him more fully awake and he pulled back to look at the woman he wanted more than anything. She was staring at him with passionate sparks flying out of her golden eyes. He reached out to her and gently touched her chin to make sure she was really there.

 

“Thank God. I thought for a minute I was dreaming.” He leaned toward her for another kiss and stroked her cheek.

 

“John, what happened? The last thing I really remember is being in a car with Roman.”

 

“You were with Roman when the accident happened. The car ended up in the Salem River.”

 

“The baby?” Her hand went instinctively to her middle and was rewarded with a slight kick. She let out a half laugh-half cry of relief. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the frame on the rolling tray. She picked it up and looked at John questioningly.

 

“Our baby girl’s first picture. I think she’s pretty photogenic, don’t you?” She actually laughed then. “Dr.Bader did the ultrasound last night and took that picture for us. She was all over the place Doc. Her little feet were kicking, and I’d swear she waved at me.”

 

“Stop making me laugh.” Her hand rubbed lightly at the bruise on her collarbone.

 

“Oh honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”

 

“It’s o.k., really. I’m just a bit sore. How’s Roman?” Her voice softened at the question.

 

“He’s in ICU. He swallowed a lot of water and ended up with some broken ribs.”

 

“Oh.” She thought for a minute. “John, how did we get out of the car? There weren’t any people around when Roman drove the car through the railing. He tried to kill me and our baby, didn’t he?” She didn’t want to believe it, but the fog around her memory had lifted and her tears wouldn’t stop falling.

 

“I was there.” She looked at him, and he took her face in his hands and wiped the salty water from her cheeks. I was talking to the ferry master about a surprise for you when I heard the car slam through the rail. I didn’t realize it was Roman’s car until I saw the trunk sticking out of the water. When I got to you, you weren’t breathing, but I pounded on your back and you coughed and started breathing on your own, so I went back for Roman. By the time I got him out the ambulance was there and they got you here. Doc, I thought I’d lost you. My mind kept flashing back to when you were in that coma and I couldn’t help you. Against Stefano, Orpheus, all the others, I’ve at least been able to look for you, to do something, but things like this I can’t fight. I can only wait, and I hate waiting. I’m so glad you’re all right. My life would be so empty without you.”

 

“But you would go on wouldn’t you?” He knew his answer was important to her.

 

“Yes. I’d I be mess for a long time. I was every time I lost you before, but I needed to be there for the kids. I missed you every second of every day and especially at night, when I had to go to bed without you in my arms, the pain was excruciating. It didn’t matter who I was with, you were still with me, in my heart, my soul.” Her tears had started anew, and he held her for a long time, just letting her deal with all that had happened.

 

“You’re always there, you know. You always save me, always know just what to say.”

 

“I love you.” His simple statement said more than any other words he could have chosen. Eventually Dr. Bader and Tom came to check on her and were both relieved to see her awake and alert.

 

“Dr. Evans, you gave us quite a scare. For that I’m putting you on two weeks paid leave.” Tom gave her his best COS stare, but couldn’t hold it for long. Finally the corners of his mouth turned up and he smiled at her.

 

“Welcome back.” Turning to John he said, “I’m glad our little experiment worked.”

 

“Me too.” He leaned closer to Marlena and whispered in her ear. “I’ll tell you later.” He nipped lightly at her lobe before turning his attention back to the other doctors in the room.

 

“John, if you don’t mind, I’d like to examine Marlena now that she’s awake.”

 

“No, I don’t mind. Doc, do you want me to stay or go?”

 

“You can go, but hurry back.” He kissed her lightly.

 

“Count on it.”

 

He called the kids to let them know Marlena was awake, and they promised to visit as soon as they could. He also asked them to call the rest of the family. John grabbed a bagel and coffee from the cafeteria and glanced at the morning paper. Sprawled across the front page were a picture of Roman and Marlena and a picture of the almost totally submerged car. The headline read: “Where did it all go wrong?” The article went on to describe the great love of “one of Salem’s finest, and the doctor who stole his heart.” There was also mention of the messy divorce and the fact that Marlena was carrying a “love child” by John Black. “How the hell do they consider this junk news?” Just then a reporter from the Intruder came up to John and started firing questions in his face.

 

“How is Dr. Evans doing? How is your baby? How do you feel about Roman Brady? What do…” John took the recorder out of the man’s hand and removed the tiny tape. He set it on the table and smashed it with his fist. Looking down at the other man, who was still sitting uninvited at the table, John stared him down.

 

“Here’s your comment.” He flung the mangled tape at the flustered reporter and stalked away with the newspaper clutched in his hand, his bagel and coffee forgotten. John ran into Bo on his way back to Marlena’s room.

 

“Take a look at this.” Bo scanned the paper and shook his head in disgust.

 

“Vultures, all of ‘em. They should be shot.”

 

“Can you help me keep them away from Doc? I don’t have the official capacity anymore.”

 

“You got it. How is Marlena this morning?”

 

“She woke up about 5:30 a.m. and she seems fine. Dr. Bader’s checking her out right now. You seen Roman yet?”

 

“No, you caught me on my way there.” An uncomfortable silence fell. Finally Bo spoke.

 

“Listen bro, I know what Roman did was way out of line, but let him give us his side before you light into him o.k.?” John contemplated his decision for a long moment before giving Bo his answer.

 

“Let me talk to Doc about what she wants to do. Most of this is probably going to be out of our hands anyway. You know how the DA gets at the smell of blood.” Bo grabbed John and gave him a swift hug.

 

“I’m glad Marlena’s o.k., and thanks, for laying off right now.” John just nodded, not trusting himself to say more and took a cleansing breath before re-entering Marlena’s room.

 

“Hey there Beautiful. What’s the verdict?” A glorious smile broke across her face when John walked into the room.

 

“Everything looks great. Tom came back to see me. He wants me to stay one more night, just to be on the safe side. I tried to convince him I’m fine, but he wouldn’t budge.” He kissed her briefly.

 

“Smart man. Although I would love to get you home and alone sooner rather than later.”

 

“Ooooh, I love the way your mind works. Come here you.” She wrapped her right arm around his neck and pulled him down next to her, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. His left hand caressed her jawline and slowly moved down her neck to tenderly stroke her injured collarbone. He laid a gentle kiss on the bruised flesh and raised his lips back to hers. His fingers continued their downward exploration and lightly circled her breast through the coarse fabric of the hospital gown. Her soft gasp made him forget where they were, until they heard a forced cough from the door. John reluctantly pulled away from Marlena as Sami approached the bed. She had an embarrassed smile on her face as John stood rather awkwardly and moved to the opposite side of the bed so Sami could sit by her mother. Marlena reached her hand out to her daughter as she sat down.

 

“How’s my sweet girl this morning?” Sami laughed ironically.

 

“You’re the one lying in the hospital bed and you ask me how I’m doing? I’m hanging in there. How are you?”

 

“I’m wonderful. Dr. Horton said I can leave tomorrow. He just wants to observe me for 24 hours, and Dr. Bader wants to keep monitoring the baby just to be sure there’s no post traumatic stress.”

 

“Speaking of stress, do you remember how you got here? John said that you were kind of groggy when you woke up.”

 

“Yes, I was, but I remember. I didn’t at first. I think that we are very lucky that John happened to be on the pier.”

 

“Yeah. He’s the resident white knight.” She gave John a thankful smile and laughed at the blush in his cheeks and neck at her teasing. She turned back to her mom. “Dad started coming around earlier. I stopped to see how he was doing and Grandma told me he was muttering in his sleep. The doctors said his vital signs were stronger this morning too.” Sami watched as a curtain fell over her mother’s eyes. She understood after what her dad had put them all through, but tears still formed in her eyes.

 

“Sami, did something else happen, was there other news about your dad?”

 

“No, it looks like he’s going to be o.k.”

 

“Talk to me. Why the tears then?” Marlena squeezed Sami’s hand a bit tighter and John leaned forward almost imperceptibly.

 

“I just noticed how you distanced yourself when I mentioned how Dad was doing. I know he did something really wrong, and part of me hates him for it, but I can’t just shut off my feelings completely. Why did he do it, Mom? Why did he try to kill you?” Marlena took a deep breath as she tried to sort through everything in her mind. John hadn’t pushed her on this, and she knew that Bo was keeping the DA at bay for as long as he could, but she also knew she was going to have to confront everything eventually. She felt John tenderly take her left hand in his, carefully avoiding the IV tube still attached to the top of her hand. He pressed her fingers lightly giving her his strength. She turned and gave him a tremulous smile before relating the story.

 

“Oh sweetie, I wish I knew what exactly was going through your dad’s mind when he drove that car off the lot into the river. He said something to me about not being able to live without me, so I tried to talk him out of suicidal thoughts, but what he really had in mind was us dying together so that we wouldn’t have to live without one another. I should have seen it when he distanced himself from everyone. I should have seen the signs, but I was too busy being mad at him for the way he kept badgering John and me.”

 

“Doc, you can’t blame yourself for this. There were plenty of people who wanted to help Roman, but he wouldn’t let them. Kim tried numerous times to get him to talk, to open up but he wouldn’t return her calls, and he’d lock himself in his room when she came by. He wouldn’t even see his kids for God’s sake. The one thing that should have pulled him through and he turned his back on them. I’m sorry, I know I sound harsh and unfeeling, but I’m sick of the selfishness of this man. Yes, he was hurting from losing you, but that’s no excuse to try and take your life. I will respect whatever decisions you make throughout all of this Doc, but I will let you know right now, I have no tolerance left for Roman Brady, and I’m damn angry with him. I will not force a confrontation with him, but if he gets in my face, I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to hold back as well as I have these last few months.” Marlena nodded her head, knowing that John was truly at the end of his rope. To be honest with herself, she was too.

Meanwhile, Roman was continuing to improve. He tried speaking but the breathing tube made it impossible. He started choking with the effort and two nurses came running at Bo’s holler down the hall. The tube was removed and Bo sat with Roman, hoping he would say something. Roman’s first real uttering was, “Doc? So sorry.” He fell asleep then. Bo quietly left to talk to everyone waiting in the lounge.

 

“He’s awake, kind of. They took the breathing tube out and he muttered something about being sorry to Marlena, but then he went back to sleep. We’ll just have to wait a little longer to find out what he says about the whole crash.”

 

The next day, Marlena was released, and Roman continued to improve, but he wouldn’t talk to anyone and he refused to eat. Caroline stopped by to visit Marlena just before her discharge. The older woman poked her head through the door.

 

“How are you feeling dear?”

 

“Wonderful now that they’re letting me go home.”

 

“I’m so glad you and the baby are all right.” Marlena noticed the shadows under her former mother-in-law’s eyes.

 

“Caroline, how are you doing? I know this all must be very difficult on you.”

 

“I just don’t understand Marlena. Why did he feel that he had to, to do what he did?” She couldn’t bring herself to admit that her oldest son had tried to kill someone. “And now he’s awake, but he hasn’t spoken and he refuses to eat. Oh Marlena, I know I have no right to ask this of you, but will you try to talk to him?” Caroline saw the look of surprise pass over Marlena’s face as she contemplated what to do. Finally Marlena shook her head.

 

“Caroline, I don’t think I can right now. If it were just me, I might feel differently, but he tried to take the life of an innocent child, my child, and I can’t forgive him for that right now. I’m sorry.”

 

“I understand dear. I just needed to ask.” Caroline rose as though she had aged 20 years in the past few days and slowly walked to the door. She turned before leaving.

 

“I really am so glad you and the baby are all right.” Marlena just nodded her thanks and watched as the door closed slowly.

 

Shortly after, John came in with a nurse, a wheelchair, and a huge bouquet of pink lilacs.

“M’lady, your chariot awaits.”

 

“Oh my, and what a handsome escort they sent.” He handed the bouquet to the nurse so he could sweep her up into his arms and deposit her gently into the chair. The nurse handed Marlena the flowers then and took her to the entrance of the hospital. They waited patiently for John to bring the Jeep around. Instead of letting Marlena walk out, he again carried her. She laughed at his feigned exertion.

 

“You big goof, I can walk you know.”

 

“Yeah, but this way I get to have you in my arms, and I’ve missed that.” He gave her a quick but thorough kiss before buckling her carefully into the passenger seat.

 

“Let’s get you home.”

 

“That sounds wonderful.” She reached over and ran her hand along his thigh, effectively distracting him on the ride to the house.

 

It was quiet when she opened the door. Marlena expected the kids to jump out with a loud “Surprise”, but then she remembered that it was a school day for Eric and Sami and a work day for Carrie. She let out a long breath as John set her on the couch.

 

“Hey, are you o.k.? I didn’t jostle you or anything, did I?” The concern on his face brought tears to her eyes. She reached up and placed her palm on the side of his face.

 

“No, I guess I just expected the kids to be here. I lost track of the days in the hospital.”

 

“Well, Carrie said she’d come by tonight for dinner if you’re up for it, and Brady is with the nanny. I thought his energy might overwhelm you today.” She smiled at him.

 

“You are so good to me.” The phone stopped her from going any farther. She reached behind her and lifted the portable off of its cradle. John headed into the kitchen to make her some tea.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Yes, is John there?” Marlena couldn’t place the woman’s voice on the other end.

 

“He is, but he just stepped out of the room. May I ask who’s calling?”

 

“This is Claudia. I would really like to speak to John if possible please.” Marlena was intrigued.

 

“Just one moment, I’ll see if he’s available.” She wandered into the kitchen and placed her hand over the mouthpiece.

 

“John, there’s a woman on the phone who would like to speak to you.” Without turning around he asked teasingly, “Does she sound sexy?” Marlena’s hormones kicked in and tears formed quickly in her eyes. She blinked rapidly to stop them.

 

“Her name’s Claudia.” John’s head whipped around and his smile was blinding. He kissed her quickly on the temple, took the phone, and moved to the dining room. He didn’t see the devastated look on Marlena’s face.

 

“Claudia, I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

 

“I didn’t expect to call so soon to be honest, but once I got going I was just so excited by the whole project, and I couldn’t stop. Everything just fell into place perfectly. If you have some time this afternoon, you can come by and look at the ring. If it’s what you want, you can take it home, if not, I’ll fix it for you.”

 

“I’ll be there, probably after the kids come home from school. I don’t want to leave Marlena home alone.”

 

“Wonderful, I’ll see you in a couple of hours then.”

 

“Thanks for calling Claudia, you just made this day even better.” He replaced the phone in the charger and went back to the kitchen. Marlena tried to wipe her face clear of moisture before John saw her, but she wasn’t quick enough.

 

“Doc, what’s wrong? Why were you just crying?”

 

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She got up and headed upstairs. John was close on her heels. She tried to shut the bedroom door on him, but he was too quick and too strong. She lay down on the bed, her back to him. He went to the opposite side and sat, his weight causing the mattress to tilt and her to shift involuntarily closer to him. He reached out to wipe a stray lock of hair from her eyes, but she swatted his hand away. He stared at her in bewilderment.

 

“Baby, you’ve got to talk to me.”

 

“Why don’t you just go talk to Claudia?” Her voice was snarky and she was mildly ashamed of herself, but she couldn’t help it. She had no idea why he would get so excited to talk to the woman on the phone. John wanted to laugh at her little tantrum but the devastated look in her eyes stopped him. He changed positions so that he was lying next to her on his side. He didn’t touch her, but was at eye level with her.

 

“I’d rather talk to you. Claudia is working on a little project for me, and she called to tell me that it was completed. It was a very important assignment, and I didn’t expect her to finish as quickly as she did. I’m always getting business phone calls. What made this one different?” She shook her head, wondering what in the world would make her doubt this man’s love for her.

 

“I don’t know. When you asked if she sounded sexy, I lost it. I don’t remember being this insecure about myself when I was pregnant with the twins. I just feel so big and unattractive. Maybe I’m still trying to cope with everything that’s happened since I dealt with how I really feel about you. John, I’m so sorry. My heart didn’t doubt you for a minute, but these crazy hormones sure do a number on my head.” He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

 

“Marlena Evans, I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone in this world. You are my beginning and my end, and you are all of my wonderful moments in between.” He kissed her again, this time fusing his mouth to hers and running a strong hand up her thigh and over her hip.

 

“I think I know what you need.” She looked at him, knowing exactly what she needed.

 

“What’s that?”

 

“A nice, hot bubble bath.”

 

“That sounds good. I need something else though.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“You, in the tub with me.” He smiled at her.

 

“I think I can arrange that.”

Before they were even off the bed, they were tearing at each others clothes, trying to see who could get the other undressed first. As the tub filled, Marlena stood in front of the mirror, pulling her hair up into a haphazard pony tail. She watched John walk up behind her through the reflection in the mirror. He kissed her neck and placed one arm around her belly and the other across her breasts. His hand molded and caressed the swollen nipples. His other hand moved lower to rest on her pubic bone. She could feel him getting harder against her lower back and watched his eyes darken with passion in the mirror. Her right arm snaked around his neck and drew his head down for a searing kiss. As his tongue found hers, his fingers found her wet opening. Two of his fingers followed the same rhythmic in and out pattern of his tongue while his thumb danced circles around her sensitive nub. He slid down her back just a bit and withdrew his fingers. She whimpered at the loss of him. He ran his tongue down her neck and placed hot, open mouthed kisses under her hair line. When she bent over slightly to give him better access, he entered her from behind. She gasped at the fullness of him and braced herself against the sink. He put one hand back on her pubic bone and watched her reactions to his thrusts in the mirror. The voyeuristic aspect of it was thrilling to him, and he took his hand away from her breasts to lift her chin.

 

“Open your eyes Marlena.” She did and watched in the mirror as she and John danced the oldest of dances. She left one arm around his neck but brought her other around to push him farther into her. She could tell he was waiting for her.

 

“John, move your hand lower, touch me again.” He obliged and his thumb once again rubbed her and brought to the threshold of ecstasy. She locked hazel with blue in the mirror and he delved deeper until they both had to close their eyes to the torrents of passion that erupted within them. Spent, they braced themselves against the sink. The splash of water made them both turn to see the tub overflowing. John quickly turned off the spigots and pulled the drain. Marlena grabbed towels and placed them over the quickly forming puddles. When just enough water had drained from the tub, John replaced the stopper. He picked Marlena up, deposited her into the warm water, and climbed in behind her. He pulled her back against him and whispered seductively into her ear.

 

“Did that little demonstration help prove to you that you are the only woman I want?” She laughed as she ran her nails along the tops of his thighs.

 

“Yes, it also proved to me that we should fill the tub first next time, and then get naked.” His laughter filled the room and he started nibbling at her ear, working his way along her jawline.

 

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” He knew that as the baby grew, they would have to be more careful, but she just drove him into such a frenzy that he had trouble controlling himself.

 

“No, it felt incredible. I never thought watching myself in a mirror could be so erotic, but it seems everything I do with you is erotic and sensual.” His mouth was still working its magic around her neck.

 

“I just have this need to be with you Doc. It’s as if, even when I’m buried inside you, I still can’t get close enough. I don’t know how to explain it.”

 

“I understand. Why do you think I’m always asking you to go deeper, or to thrust harder? It’s this need to be as close to you as humanly possible. I’ve never needed that with anyone before. I’ve never wanted that with anyone else.” She turned her head to him and opened her mouth to his questing tongue. He finagled his way past her so that he was in front of her and pressed her up against the back wall of the tub. Her legs were bent up on either side of him and he was on his knees, his arms braced on either side of her head. He kissed her again, pummeling his tongue into her mouth again and again. He kissed his way down her chin, to the hollow of her neck and straight down to the valley between her breasts. His right hand stayed where it was and took all of his weight while his left connected with her left breast and kneaded it gently. His mouth was busy with her right side. He suckled her lightly at first, then with increasing suction. His tongue glided over the turgid peak and circled it until she cried out in frustration. Not to be rushed, he switched sides and paid homage to her left breast with his mouth while his right hand circled and plummed at her other breast. He kept his lower body just out of her reach and laughed against her breast when she swatted his arm in disappointment.

 

“What’s the matter baby?” He looked at her guilelessly, but she surprised him by pushing against him and knocking him off balance. She took his mouth ruthlessly and her hand found his slightly limp member. Before he knew what her intentions were, she was under the water with him in her mouth. The feel of her hot mouth combined with the tepidness of the water made his skin break out in gooseflesh. She resurfaced triumphantly and straddled his now bulging manhood. He pushed her dripping hair out of her face and cradled it between his palms. Their mouths came together as she impaled herself on him and he inhaled sharply. She took him to the hilt and moved her hips quickly back and forth. When she saw on his face that he was close she lifted herself almost all the way off of him and then slid all the way back down the length of him. She pumped him over and over, taking him deeper every time. He groaned with pleasure and she came hard with one final thrust. He followed right after her and she collapsed on top of him. There was more water on the floor than in the tub at the end of their bath, but neither one noticed.

 

They had barely toweled one another off and gotten dressed when they heard the front door open.

 

“Mom? Dad? Are you guys here?” Sami and Eric turned at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Marlena gave each of her children a welcome home hug and asked how their respective days were. While she was talking to Eric, John pulled Sami aside and whispered to her about his call from Claudia. He asked her to call Carrie and invite her for dinner. Then he handed her a list he’d been carrying in his pocket for the last few days. She promised to take care of it. They were still whispering when Marlena’s voice broke into their conversation.

 

“Care to share over there?” Both John and Sami looked up guiltily. John tried to recover, but knew he was failing miserably.

 

“Um, no, not really. I’m going to run out for a little bit though.” She tried to weasel it out of him.

 

“To any place particular?” He smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth.

 

“Nice try Nosy Norman, but I’m not telling.” With that he was out the door. He called her two seconds later from the car.

 

“Hello?”

 

“I love you.” That was all he said, and he sat patiently waiting for a response. She was waiting for him to say more, but when she heard nothing but his solid breathing on the other end, she replied.

 

“I love you too, even though you’re completely crazy.” He was still laughing as the phone disconnected.

 

“Nut.” She muttered to herself as she turned back to her twins. They were no where to be found. “What is going on around here?” She followed noises to the kitchen, but when she walked through the swinging door, again no one was there. She noticed the back door ajar, and headed into the yard. There were Eric and Sami, running across the grass, through the gate to the Horton’s. She just shook her head, knowing that she would find out eventually what they were up to, but hating every moment of the suspense. Since she was alone, she placed a call to Mickey.

 

“Mickey Horton here.”

 

“Hi Mickey, it’s Marlena. How is the paperwork coming along?”

 

“Actually it’s ready. Would you like me to drop it by? I’m on my way out for the day, and was going to stop by Mom and Dad’s for a few minutes anyway.”

 

“Oh, that would be wonderful. Thanks for taking care of this so quickly.”

 

“Not a problem; I’ll see you soon.” She had butterflies in her stomach as she replaced the phone.

 

John parked and literally ran to the jewelry shop in the middle of Salem Place. Claudia came out of the back room when she heard the chimes above the door.

 

“John, I thought that might be you.” Her eyes were twinkling. She was hoping he would be as pleased with the ring as she was. “Let me get the ring.” She was back behind the counter in an instant with the ring sitting on a stand under a black cloth. When she removed the piece of fabric, the center diamond caught the light just so and sent color flying onto the walls. It was more breathtaking than John had hoped.

 

“Claudia, it’s beautiful. It’s almost a shame that Marlena is going to completely outshine it.” She smiled warmly at him.

 

“I’m so glad you like it. I had to go with a four carat diamond. All of the smaller ones had something wrong with them. They were either too yellow or had major inclusions, but this one was perfect. Colorless, flawless, and the fire in it took my breath away. All of the side stones are 35 points. I hope it’s all right that I upgraded it just a bit. I was afraid if we went smaller that they would be dwarfed by the center stone, like you mentioned. And I tried to match the opals the best that I could. I went with a blue green hue to compliment the aquamarine and emerald, letting the amethyst and garnet stand out.”

She watched him stare at the ring for interminable minutes.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m still stunned. I could see it in my mind when I designed it, but it wasn’t nearly as gorgeous as this. Thank you Claudia, this is perfect.” She put it into a gray velvet box, and then put the box into a gift bag. She wished John well and he rushed out the door to finish gathering things for Marlena’s surprise.

 

His final stop before going back to the house was the loft. He donned his tuxedo and dressed Brady up in a little suit. “Tonight slugger, we’re going to ask Marlena to marry us.” Brady’s eyes lit up at the mention of his soon to be mother.

 

“Me see Marwa now.” John laughed at his son’s impatience. It mirrored his own.

“We’re going to see her real soon, I promise. Here, you play with your trucks; I’m going to call the house quick.” John dialed and hoped that one of the kids would pick up. Carrie answered on the third ring.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey Punkin, how’s everything there?”

 

“Going a lot smoother than I thought it would. Mrs. Horton called Marlena earlier to go over for tea, so we’ve been able to get everything ready in secret.”

 

“Thank God for Alice. Is there anything that we still need?”

 

“No, I don’t think so. The florist delivered the arrangements about a half hour ago, and John, they’re wonderful. The whole house smells of lilacs and roses. The table is set, and the caterer from The Penthouse Grille said he was on his way, so the food should be here in about 10 minutes. Eric, Sami, and I are all dressed, and Sami is taking Marlena’s dress over to the Horton’s so you can pick her up. We’re all set at Proposal Central.”

 

“I knew I could count on you kids. See you in a few.” He turned back to his son who had created a demolition derby with the trucks.

 

“Ready to go see Marlena slugger?” Brady clambored to his feet and was out the door and headed down the steps before John could get to him. Brady was hauled into his father’s embrace just before he slammed down the metal, spiral staircase.

 

“Slow down buddy, I’m anxious to see her too.” Brady’s chant of “Marwa, Marwa, Marwa” which closely resembled “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, didn’t let up the whole way to the house.

 

Sami entered through the kitchen door of the Horton’s with a garment bag held high to keep it from dragging on the floor.

 

“Sami, I’m so glad you’re here.” The older woman’s eyes twinkled with mischief. Alice Horton was the most devoted matchmaker in Salem, and she was thrilled to have been involved in the surprise that John had planned for Marlena this evening.

 

“Sami? What are you doing all dressed up? You look beautiful.” Sami beamed at her mother’s compliment.

 

“Thanks, John bought the dress for me.” She did a quick spin and the A-line skirt flared slightly. Still laughing she handed the garment bag to Marlena. “He bought this one for you.” Marlena’s eyebrows knit together.

 

“What is he up to?” She unzipped the burgundy bag to reveal a stunning black crepe dress with a lace overlay on the bodice. “Oh my.”

 

“Mom you better hurry up and get dressed; your date will be here in about a half hour.”

With that Sami gave both her mom and Mrs. Horton a kiss on the cheek and headed back to the house. Alice winked at Sami as she closed the door behind her.

 

“Why don’t you go upstairs and change dear. Use any of the guest rooms you’d like.”

 

“Thank you Alice.” Marlena raced as fast as she could up the stairs and when she had closed the door to one of the rooms behind her, she leaned against it to catch her breath. She wasn’t sure if her racing heart was due to the short burst of exercise or for her upcoming “date”. She took the dress out of the bag. The hemline would hit her just above the knee, and it had an empire waist with a low, square cut neckline and slim, double spaghetti straps. She hung the garment bag on the back of the door and noticed three boxes nestled in the bottom. One contained shoes to match the dress. They were black closed toe heels with a rhinestone closure on the ankle straps. The second one she opened had a black strapless, sheer lace bra, matching lace panties, garter belt and silk hose. She blushed slightly at the thought of John envisioning her in them as he picked them out. The third box was black velvet and the size of a paperback novel. When she opened it, she gasped. Nestled inside was a necklace laden with black opals, a matching bracelet, and matching studs for her ears. Her eyes watered over and she took a few long, ragged breaths. She changed as quickly as she could and descended the stairs to ask Alice to help her with the finishing touches. The older woman adjusted the rhinestone clip on the back of Marlena’s maternity formal, and clasped the necklace and bracelet around her neck and wrist. Marlena jumped when the doorbell rang.

 

“My goodness, you’d think this was my first date.” She laughed nervously as she and Alice went through the living room.

 

“Stay here. I want to see John’s face when he sees how beautiful you look.” Marlena gave Alice a beatific smile. She could hear everything from where she was standing but couldn’t see John, nor he, her.

 

“Good evening Alice. Is my gorgeous date ready yet?”

 

“Yes, John she is, and you’re right, she looks incredible. I should compliment you on your taste.” He smiled from his heart.

 

“I love spoiling her.” Alice invited him into the living room then and he stopped dead when he saw her.

 

“Doc, you’re stunning.” He walked slowly toward her and she came around the sofa to meet him.

 

“Thank you. You’re pretty dapper yourself.”

 

“Dapper huh?”

 

“Mmm, hmm. You know I love how you look in a tux.” He hugged her briefly, but just long enough for her to whisper in his ear.

 

“I love how you look out of it too.” He coughed a bit to hide his laugh from Alice.

 

“We should get going, or our reservation might get cancelled.” He turned to one of his partners in crime and kissed her cheek.

 

“Alice, thank you so much for helping me with this. I owe you one.”

 

“You know I just like to see true love win. That’s the best payment.” Marlena gave Alice a parting hug and John closed the door softly behind them. On the front porch, he took her left hand in his and gently kissed it just above her ring finger. Her wedding ring from Roman hadn’t been worn since she declared her love for John at the loft. She had taken it off just before making love with him. Because of the summer sun, there wasn’t even a pale white circle there anymore. They strolled next door and she stopped him before they entered the house.

 

“Do you need to get something before we leave?”

 

“No.” She waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn’t, she asked another question.

 

“Are we picking up the kids?”

 

“No.” She was getting frustrated by his one word answers.

 

“So what are we doing here if we are going to be late for our reservation?” He took out a black silk scarf and tied it loosely around her eyes. She protested, but he asked her to trust him. She couldn’t refuse.

 

“Can you see anything?”

 

“No, and you might consider that a blessing so you don’t get socked.” He loved when she got feisty, and that was part of the reason he loved surprising her so much. He knew it would always get a rise out of her. He took her hands and led her through the front door. He stopped by the steps and removed the blindfold. She blinked her eyes and surveyed the room.

 

“John, it’s beautiful.” The room was bathed in candlelight and there were at least fifteen arrangements of lilacs and roses. All of the flowers were white, lavender, or pink and heady with fragrance. The table was set for six, the only incongruity in the setting was the airplane plate and sippy cup by the highchair. She turned to him, the ever present tears threatening to fall again.

 

“This is wonderful, thank you.” She kissed him gently and pulled back reluctantly when she heard Eric ask if it was safe to come out of the kitchen. John gave the o.k. and there was suddenly a flurry of talking and activity, thank yous and hugs. Dinner went quickly, and they decided to leave the dishes until after the food had settled. As everyone was taking their places in the living room, John took Marlena’s hand and led her to the center of the room. The kids made a circle around them and even Brady seemed to be caught up in the unspoken excitement. Marlena surveyed the scene, knowing what was about to happen but not quite able to convince herself of it. She seemed stuck in a surreal world where the most wonderful thing was happening and she was watching it from outside of herself. John got down on one knee, still holding onto her left hand. Noting that Marlena was shaking uncontrollably, he asked Carrie to bring a chair over. Once Marlena was seated and he was sure she was all right he began.

“Marlena Evans, I have been in love with you ever since I can remember. There was something in your smile when I first met you that made me come back for a second look, and when I looked into your eyes, I realized that I needed you in my life, forever. You and the children are the most incredible gifts I have ever been given and I want to be able to cherish you for the rest of my life. I want to wake up beside you every morning and go to sleep with you in my arms each night. I want to comfort you when you’re scared and share all of the joys life has to offer us.” His hand moved to the small bulge of her stomach and she covered it with her own. “Will you marry me?” She swiped at her falling tears with the back of her free hand then caught one of John’s with her thumb. She looked into the swirling depths of his azure eyes.

 

“More than anything in the world, I want to be your wife. Yes, I’ll marry you.” There was so much more she wanted to say, but the words stuck in her throat when he opened the ring box. He took the token of his commitment to her and slid it onto her left ring finger. It was a perfect fit. She held her hand up to the light and it refracted into thousands of tiny rainbows on the ceiling.

 

“John, it’s beautiful.” Her brain hadn’t yet processed the birthstones. “All of the stones are so beautiful, so unique.” He smiled, knowing her tears would start anew when he told her why he had chosen the ones he had.

 

“Doc, the stones were specifically selected.” She looked at the ring, then at him. Realization started to dawn. He told her exactly what he had told Claudia about the diamond.

 

“The center stone is for our love. Strong but infinitely beautiful, flawless and decadent, flashing with fire and passion. The garnet is my birthstone, the opal closest to the diamond is yours. The aquamarine is Carrie’s, two of the opals are for Sami and Eric, the emerald for Brady, and the last opal is for the beautiful baby growing inside you.” She barely managed to choke out her question.

 

“And the amethyst?” He took her cheek in his palm and rubbed his thumb over the moisture.

 

“For when we found our way back to each other.” She threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. A joking voice brought them back to the living room from their private heaven.

 

“Um, aren’t you supposed to wait for a priest to say, ‘kiss the bride’, not ‘bride, you may attack the groom’?” The whole room was alive with laughter.

 

“So, you were all in on this huh?”

 

“Yep, John dragged us along for ring shopping and everything.” Sami ducked as a pillow went flying past her.

 

“Dragged you? I get it, you just went along for the free lunch right?” Sami elbowed Eric lightly.

 

“You weren’t supposed to tell him why we really went.” They all broke into another chorus of convulsive laughter. Suddenly Marlena sat up straight and put her hand on her belly. She grabbed John’s hand and placed it under hers. He looked at his fiance and grinned from ear to ear.

 

“She’s got a strong little kick.”

 

“You don’t need to tell me. I guess she didn’t want to feel left out.” John reached up and took Brady from Carrie. He was starting to nod off, but John asked if he wanted to feel his baby sister kick.

 

“Where baby?”

 

“In Marlena’s tummy. Put your hand here.” Brady pulled his hand back immediately.

“Move.” John laughed.

 

“Yes, that’s your baby sister. She’s moving around.” Brady scrunched his nose and thought for a minute. He put his face close to Marlena’s stomach. John thought Brady was going to kiss the baby, but Brady surprised him.

 

“Baby, pway me.” Once he had stopped laughing, John tried to explain that the baby wouldn’t be able to come out for while yet. With that Brady went to his bag of toys by the television and pulled some out to play with.

 

“He’s going to make a good big brother.”

 

“Yes, he is. John there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

 

“It seems serious, are you o.k. Doc?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine, I’m better than fine. I’m engaged to you.” She kissed him quickly. The three older kids were still around them.

 

“John, I talked to Carrie, Sami, and Eric before I did this, just to make sure they were all right with my decision. I had Mickey draw up some papers for me, and I’d like you to take a look at them.” She rose from the chair and went to the desk. John had a small feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

 

“Baby, is there something you’re not telling me? Are you sick? Did you make out a will?” She was quick to reassure him.

 

“No, nothing like that. I’m sorry if I scared you. Oh, here they are.” She came back to her chair and handed him the legal documents. He glanced at them, then up at her. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat but wasn’t completely successful. When he spoke his voice was thick with emotion.

 

“You want to adopt Brady?”

 

“Yes, I do. If that’s what you want. I’m not trying to take Isabella’s place in his life, but I want him to know how much I love him, and you too.” He took her into his arms and kissed her ear as he whispered to her.

 

“This is a wonderful gift. Thank you.”

 

Eric and Sami were picking up the table while John took Brady up to the guestroom for bed. Marlena motioned for Carrie to come sit next to her on the couch. Carrie took her step-mother’s left hand and inspected the ring on her finger.

 

“John’s design was beautiful, but the actual ring is incredible. Do you know that he never even asked me about putting my birthstone in there? He just did it, as though I belonged to you, like Eric and Sami.” Her eyes were shiny and a little sad.

 

“Carrie, you are just like Eric and Sami, and Brady and the new baby too. Oh sweet girl, I know I should have told you this when we talked before, but everything happened so fast.” Carrie gave Marlena a puzzled look.

 

“I wanted to adopt you too. It always broke my heart when Anna would forget your birthday or wouldn’t have time to talk to you when you called to tell her you got an ‘A’ on a science test. I even asked your dad about it once, but Anna wouldn’t relinquish her legal claim to you. Part of me can’t blame her, but it hurt you so.” Carrie looked down at her folded hands in her lap.

 

“It must have hurt you when I wanted to go live with her. I know I was pretty much a brat when I came back.”

 

“No, you were hurt and confused, and a little trying at times.” That comment elicited a smile from both of them. “Carrie, I couldn’t legally show you how much I wanted to be your mom, so I tried to show you in other ways. I always thought I had been successful, but now tonight, I’m not so sure.” The younger girl shook her head slightly.

 

“No, Marlena, you have always been here for me. You listen to me and even if you don’t agree with me, you support my decisions. I mean, take for instance the argument we had over Dad versus John just a few months ago. It upset you the way I was feeling about Dad, but you didn’t try to force me to reconcile with him, you let me work it out on my own. You respect me, and I know that you love me just as much as you love Sami, Eric, Brady, and the new baby. I guess I was just jealous that you’d never made it legal with me. I’m sorry for being so childish.” Marlena took Carrie in her arms.

 

“Carrie, don’t ever apologize for how you feel. I’m sorry I never told you sooner how much I did want to make you a legal part of my life. Legal or not, you are always a part of my heart.”

 

After all of the kids had either left or gone to bed, John and Marlena found themselves alone amidst the fragrance of roses and lilacs, candles the only light in the living room, soft music playing from the stereo.

 

“Are you feeling up to just one dance with the man who just asked you to marry him?”

“Hmm, as long as he puts me to bed after.” She smiled up at him drowsily. He took her hand and helped her to her feet. They fell into step with each other as naturally as breathing. Her right hand wrapped in his left against his heart. Her left arm encircled his neck as his right arm pulled her closer and his hand rested at the small of her back. As they swayed to the music, they lost themselves in the embrace. John inhaled her sweet scent of lavender and bent down to nibble on her ear. He whispered to her.

 

“Doc, I am the luckiest man alive. Thank you for agreeing to marry me.”

 

“Don’t thank me, I love you, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. I’m sorry it took me so long to figure out how much I needed you and wanted you.”

 

“No more apologies. We’re finally almost to forever.” He had her sit on the couch while he snuffed the candles and turned off the stereo. When he came back from turning off the kitchen light, she was asleep. He carried her upstairs and laid her gently on the bed. He slipped her shoes off of her feet and removed her jewelry, except for the ring he had put on her left hand earlier. John unzipped her dress and was sliding it as carefully down her body as he could when he heard her sleepy voice.

 

“You wouldn’t be trying to take advantage of your fiancé would you?”

 

“No, but I could if you want me to.” She laughed raspily. “Why don’t you see how I look in what you sent with the dress before you make your decision.” He walked around to the other side of the bed and turned on the small lamp on the nightstand. He finished removing the dress and stared at the vision in front of him. Slowly John’s eyes took in her face, her eyes half lidded with sleep and desire. Down to her throat, and the small indentation in the middle of her collarbone, her perfectly shaped shoulders, slender arms, and long manicured fingers. He shivered involuntarily at the magic those fingers worked on him. He traveled back up her arms and started down her chest. Her eyes never left his and she saw herself reflected in the tides of his emotions. She saw the deep appreciation he had for her body as he reverently worshipped it with his sight. His eyes glossed over slightly when he reached her rounded abdomen, and she saw the love he had for his child flicker through the passion. Just as quickly, the heat returned as his gaze slipped farther down her body. Finally, while staring at her toes with their pink polish on them, he broke the spell.

 

“Doc, I could stare at you forever and never tire of your beauty.”

 

“Sailor, I could say the same about you.” She took his hand and had him lie next to her on the bed. Slowly she removed his shirt, belt, and socks. Tantalizingly she undid the buckle of his belt and unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers. She hooked her fingers under the waist band and pulled both his pants and boxers down the length of his legs. She started at the opposite end of him. His eyes were mesmerized by what he saw in the tawny depths of his soon to be wife. She examined his feet, memorizing every toe, the way his foot flared and then slimmed at the ankle before widening again at his calf. Her eyes traversed the length of his muscular legs, noting the swirl and pattern of the hair, remembering briefly Stella’s imprisonment that caused the faint pink scar on his knee. Her breath caught slightly as she reached the span of his hips and his sex nestled at the juncture of his thighs. He saw her eyes darken with longing, but she continued her visual exploration of his body. She followed the narrow, soft trail of hair up from his pubic bone until it became more coarse and crinkly and spread across his entire chest. She thought of all the times that hair curled around her fingers, tickled her tongue as she teased his nipples. His long tapered fingers arrested her sight next. She loved his hands, for a myriad of reasons. They wiped her tears from her cheeks, held children with so much love and tenderness, and brought tidal waves of pleasure to her. Finally she reached his face and amber and sapphire locked in love, passion, and unspoken reverence. She took his cheek in her palm and bent over him, just barely grazing his lips with hers. He groaned with want. She smiled coyly at him and leaned in for another teasing kiss, but he placed his hand around her neck and brought her mouth down to his forcibly. Just before their mouths fused together he stopped and ran his tongue around her bottom lip, and sipped at her lips. He rolled her over on her side and spooned up behind her, quickly divesting her of the lacy garments and placing feather light kisses on her neck and around her ear. He caressed her breasts and let his hand slip down her stomach to the soft hair between her legs. The moisture there quickened his heart rate and she felt a slight pulse on her lower back. He slid his body down hers slightly and entered her. Without moving for long moments he reveled in the tight wetness surrounding him. He placed soft kisses along her jaw and ran his tongue behind her ear. At her words he began to move slowly in and out.

 

“I love the way you feel inside me.” The love they made was not spine shattering but soul connecting. After their completion, John’s voice was still a breathy whisper that tickled her ear.

 

“Every time I make love to you is better than the last.” She turned her head and they kissed long and languorously, finally falling asleep nestled together and confident in their future.

 

She broached the subject over breakfast the next morning. Sami and Eric had already left for school, Brady had been picked up by the nanny and taken to a morning play date, and John had called into the office. Marlena insisted she was feeling fine, but John insisted a little louder that there would be no argument. He was staying with her for the day.

 

“John, I know you won’t like this, but it’s something I need to do. I…”

 

“You need to see Roman?” She smiled at their connection and the furrow of worry between his brows.

 

“Carrie called while you were in the shower. She said her dad was finally starting to respond to people. I think I want to wait a few days, but I wanted you to know that I need to have closure with this.” He nodded slightly and raised his eyebrow as he thought about what he almost lost.

 

“Doc, I understand your need to find out why Roman tried to kill you and our baby. Please understand that I need to be there with you when you do. I promise to try and control my temper, but I have to look that man in the eyes and hear for myself his justification of his actions.”

 

“All right. Thank you, for understanding.” He stood to take their dishes to the sink and placed a kiss on her head. They moved on to more pleasant conversation after that, and decided that the end of August was perfect for their wedding. It was just under a month away, so they used their day together to get the plans in motion. They hired a wedding consultant, booked the Penthouse Grill for both the wedding and reception, and John snuck upstairs to make arrangements for the honeymoon. The next few days flew by as Marlena continued to make decisions about the wedding. She had already asked Maggie to be her Matron of Honor and Carrie and Sami to be bridesmaids. Both her parents were flying in for the wedding, but she was walking down the aisle by herself. John had secured Abe as his best man, with Bo and Eric as groomsmen, and if Brady actually walked down the aisle, he would carry the rings.

 

Before she was completely ready for it, the day of her visit to Roman had arrived. He was actually being discharged later in the afternoon, so she called to tell the nurses she would be there before noon. When she and John arrived, they entered the room together, and it was obvious from the crestfallen look on Roman’s face that he expected only Marlena. She approached the bed, but John remained in the background, tall, imposing and oozing hatred for the man sitting in the hospital bed. Roman met John’s icy stare only once, but it got his Irish temper flaring. He bit his tongue, hard, to try and make Marlena comfortable. She broke the tension first and got right to the point.

“Roman, I want to know what the hell you think you were doing.” She was the most shocked in the room at her vehemence. John barely stifled his grin. “That’s my girl.” Neither one was prepared for Roman’s apology or remorse. His voice actually cracked.

 

“Doc, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t see my life without you in it. I had no life without you.”

 

“And us dying together would have accomplished what exactly? Aside from leaving the children orphans, of course.” She almost didn’t recognize her voice as it passed through her lips, but a voice in the back of her head kept telling her not to play the victim anymore. Roman had gotten off the bed and was standing in front of her, pleading with her to understand.

 

“Doc, I didn’t think. I just reacted.”

 

“Yes, well then consider this a reaction too.” Her right hand flew from her side and connected with his jaw. The blow sent him careening into the chair next to the wall and he cried out in pain, both from the punch and from his ribs. Immediately John was by her side.

 

“Doc, are you all right?”

 

“What are you asking her for? I’m the one she just clocked.” A nurse came running in.

 

“What is going on in here?” She noticed Marlena shaking her hand and the look of concern on John’s face. “Dr. Evans, are you o.k.?”

 

“Why does everyone keep asking her if she’s o.k.? I’m the one who screamed in pain.”

 

“Mr. Brady, why are you in that chair and not in bed? You haven’t been released yet.”

 

“Well, I might have been in bed if my ex-wife hadn’t just hit me with a stiff right hook.”

The emphasis on the words ex-wife weren’t lost on the group in the room.

 

“Doc, I think we should take off, unless there was something else you wanted to say to Roman.” She turned to a man she no longer knew, and with great sadness in her eyes for the man he had become, said her parting words to him.

 

“That punch was for the baby I’m carrying. I don’t care enough about you anymore to hurt you.” She was shaking as John made her sit on the sofa in the lounge. He asked one of the orderlies to bring him a cup of ice and a towel. When they arrived he wrapped some ice and placed it over her bruising knuckles. With a twinkle in his eye he placed a light kiss on her cheek.

 

“Remind me of your mean right hook when I’m getting on your nerves. That way I know to stop before I need a steak for my eye.” She attempted a smile, but it fell flat.

 

“John, I’ve never struck anyone before in my life. It just made me so furious to think that he had the gall to assume an apology would make it better. Our children could have ended up orphans, but all he could think about was what he had lost. I know the kids would have still had you, but they would have gone through life with this horrid void. And you would have lost a child in this and a woman who loves you more than her own life. Hitting him was the only outlet I had. I couldn’t find the right words, nothing would have been enough.” He took her into his embrace as she struggled to justify her actions. When she seemed a bit calmer, he pulled back and looked into her hazel eyes.

 

“Doc, I know that you’re having a hard time dealing with the fact that you just struck another human being, but let me ask you something. Would you have been angry with me for hitting Roman?”

 

“No, I don’t think so. I would have understood.”

 

“I’m not angry with you either. I don’t blame you for what you did, and I don’t respect you any less. In fact, I think it made me respect you a little more.” She looked at him quizzically.

 

“No, I’m not condoning violence, but for the first time in a very long time, you took complete charge of your life and your situation. You didn’t sit back and wait for someone else to make a decision for you. You did what you needed to do to soothe your soul.” She just nodded, overwhelmed again by the love she shared with John. She looked up at him.

“Can we go home now?”

 

“Whatever you want.” He kissed her briefly and they walked to the parking lot hand in hand.

 

Three weeks went by in a flurry of excitement. Dresses were picked out, tuxedos were rented, flowers were purchased, and the bride and groom hardly saw one another. Two days before the wedding, Marlena’s office phone rang.

 

“Dr. Evans speaking.”

 

“Yes, I need some help desperately.” She smiled as she recognized the deep voice.

 

“I see, what’s the problem?”

 

“Well, I’m due to be married in two days.”

 

“Are you getting cold feet?”

 

“No, nothing like that. I just haven’t been able to see my fiancé very much these past couple of weeks and I miss her.”

 

“What can I do to help?”

 

“Have dinner with me tonight?”

 

“That seems a bit rash, taking another woman out for dinner.”

 

“Well, I heard you’re the best, and if anyone can make me feel better, it’s you.”

 

“Flattery will get you everywhere. What time sailor?”

 

“I’ll pick you up at seven.”

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“It’s a surprise. I love you.” With that he disconnected and she scowled at her end.

 

“He knows I hate surprises.” But Marlena smiled as she looked at her left hand and the reminder of his last surprise.

 

At seven sharp the doorbell rang. Marlena opened it and Brady ran through her legs, almost knocking her over. John caught her elbow as they both watched the tornado with brown hair toddle as fast as he could up the stairs to find Sami and Eric. Still holding her elbow, John turned Marlena to him and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to hers. He leaned his forehead to hers and whispered.

 

“I’ve missed you.”

 

“I’ve missed you too. Do you want to come in for a minute?”

 

“Yeah, I need to say goodnight to Brady, and I want to say hello to Sami and Eric.” They walked up the stairs together and John whispered where they would be to Sami. Brady already had Eric engaged in a game of horsey, and Brady was nearly choking the older boy as he held on for dear life. As they got into John’s Jeep, Marlena asked again where they were going.

 

“Patience is a virtue, Doc.” She laughed.

 

“Never had it, never will.” He took her hand as they drove along the familiar roads.

 

“We’re going to the loft aren’t we?” He just smiled, so she poked him in the ribs. He jumped and the Jeep lurched to the right. Instantly she looked contrite.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Yeah, well it’s a good thing I’m such a good driver, but don’t think I’m going to forget what you just did.” He wagged a finger at her but couldn’t keep the smile off of his face.

 

John had Marlena enter the loft ahead of him. When she flipped the light switch, she saw a trail of pink rose petals leading through the living room and up the staircase.

 

“Oh, somebody forgot to sweep today.” He slapped her fanny.

 

“Very funny Doc. Just for that, you can clean them all up.” She grimaced and then kissed him with all the pent up longing of three weeks.

 

“Um, Doc, seduction isn’t going to get you out of broom duty, but I like your style.”

 

“You do huh? Maybe I’ll just have to try harder.” She winked at him and started along the path of petals to the stairs.

 

“Shall I follow these or would you like to assign me chimney duty next?” He reached her in two strides and kissed her in exactly the same hungry manner she had just kissed him. “Let’s go upstairs.” His voice was raspy and he watched with rapt attention as she ascended the staircase. He shook his head to clear the passion and quickly caught up with Marlena just as she was going through the door to the roof. She let out a slight gasp as she surveyed the transformation of ugly concrete to lighted splendor. There were tiny white Christmas lights all around the edge of the roof. A table for two was set in the center of the outdoor space and another table, with soft music coming from a portable stereo, was off to the side. There was also a love seat over by the stereo.

 

“Wow, you must love the woman you’re going to marry an awful lot to go to this much trouble for her.”

 

“I do, and like I told you earlier, I’ve missed her terribly.” He took her into his arms from behind and they swayed slightly to the music, his face next to hers. The trance was broken by her stomach’s growling. He was laughing as he led her to her seat and held it out for her.

 

“I guess we know whose patience the baby will have.” She swatted him with her napkin.

 

“And she’s going to have your inability to sit still. She’s been moving non-stop lately.”

 

“Maybe she’s just excited to be getting married in two days.”

 

“Maybe. I know her mommy is.” Marlena met John’s eyes over the table candles and watched how the light changed the hues from azure to sky to sapphire. It was so easy for her to lose herself in him. He reached across the table and took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers.

 

“I love you Marlena Evans, soon to be Black.”

 

“I love you too, so very much.”

 

After dinner, he led her to the love seat. The sun was just beginning to disappear over the horizon and the sky was vivid with deep rose, scarlet, flame orange, and tinged with indigo. They sat there, ensconced in each other’s arms, content to just be together. The sky was alive with starfire before they finally decided to move back into the loft. Stifling a yawn, Marlena looked sheepishly at John.

 

“I’m sorry, I just got so relaxed out there in your arms.”

 

“I’m glad that you feel so safe when you’re with me.” She placed a soft kiss on his lips.

 

“Always.” He got a lecherous look on his face then.

 

“You know, if you’re too tired to undress yourself, I could be persuaded to help you.” She laughed at him.

 

“Mr. Black, why is it that you always seem to be trying to get me naked?”

 

“Because I am, and it’s your fault. If you weren’t so damn gorgeous and sexy, we wouldn’t have this problem.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“That’s a fact.” They got one another undressed and John scooped Marlena into his arms and placed her on the bed. He covered her to her chin with the fluffy comforter and crawled in next to her, taking her in his arms. Her head found its familiar spot in the crook of his shoulder and she adjusted her body along the length of his, her arm draped around his waist.

 

“You know Doc, I’m thinking, and this is a crazy thought since we’re lying here naked, and it’s been far too long already since we’ve made love, but we’re so close to the wedding, what would you say if we waited until Saturday night? I want everything to be perfect, and a couple more days of waiting would make the wedding night that much more intense. What do you think?” All he got was a muffled, “Umm, hmm.” He just shook his head and placed a kiss on Marlena’s temple before snuggling a little closer to her and falling asleep himself.

 

The day of the wedding was cloudless and beautiful. Carrie came back to the house after the rehearsal dinner the night before, and Eric was at the loft with John. Marlena, Carrie, Sami, and Maggie were all meeting at ten o’clock to get their hair and make-up done. Two of the conference rooms at Titan were being used as dressing rooms. The wedding consultant that John and Marlena hired was hard at work, making sure that everything went smoothly. She surveyed the room for the ceremony. There were fifty white chairs draped with pale pink organza, an arch, draped in white organza, for the bride and groom to stand under while exchanging their vows, and dozens of flower arrangements done with lilacs, roses, and lilies, all in various shades of pink and white. The men’s boutonnières were in the Groom’s Room and were miniature star-gazer lilies. The women were all carrying the full grown version in their bouquets. Sarah, the wedding consultant, was thrilled every time she looked at the brilliant magenta outlined in white on the bridal flowers. Marlena’s bouquet was in all white however, and the lilies were exquisite. Sarah left the ceremony room to examine the reception hall and chat with the chef about last minute details. The dining room tables were decorated with all white linens and a simple centerpiece. A single white rose, tinged with pink, was present at each place setting. A card, written in Marlena’s elegant script was attached to each rose with a slender white silk ribbon. On it were these words:

“A pink and white rose is a sign of enduring love, and because it is a single rose, it also symbolizes perpetual love. We wish you that in your life and are so grateful you were with us today to share in our new beginning. John and Marlena”

 

As Sarah finished her preparations, the wedding party arrived through separate doors to get ready. Abe and Bo met Eric, John, and Brady at Titan. Before the latter three arrived, Bo and Abe discussed Roman’s situation and his probable fate.

 

“I don’t get it Bo. Roman still thinks that all of this is somehow John’s fault. I’m a little worried with him being out on bail.”

 

“Yeah, me too, but Pop isn’t coming today just so he can keep an eye on Roman. I don’t think Roman will show up though, and if he does, he won’t get far. John has every rent-a-cop in the city rented.”

 

“I pulled in some extra officers too. The commissioner wasn’t too thrilled about overtime pay, but he didn’t want any more bad press for the force either.” Just then the door opened and all conversation about Roman ceased.

 

“Man, it’s about time you got here, Abe and I were beginning to think you ditched us. Billie would have killed me if I would have had to take your place.”

 

“Lexie definitely would have locked me out tonight.”

 

“Like Marlena would want either of you anyway.” John took one punch to the arm and one to the gut for his comment.

 

“Well, at least the bruises won’t be obvious until the honeymoon.” Eric turned bright red and cleared his throat.

 

“Oops, sorry kid, didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

 

“Thanks, it’s that mom thing, ya know.” Brady piped up at the word “mom”.

 

“Daddy, Marwa mommy.”

 

“Yep, slugger. Marlena is almost officially your mommy.” To the rest of the group he finished his thought.

 

“Mickey said that the paperwork should be all filed and a court date set by next week to make everything legal for Brady’s adoption.”

 

“That’s great John. I think it’s wonderful that Marlena is adopting Brady. It’s not like she didn’t love him anyway.”

 

“You don’t like to ever think of anything bad, but if something were to ever happen to me, I know that Brady would stay with Doc.”

 

“All right, enough of this talk, let’s get the groom ready for a wedding.” Bo’s suggestion didn’t go unheeded and they all got into their traditional tuxes, including Brady, who kept pulling on his tie. Eric pulled John aside when they were dressed.

 

“Dad, I just want you to know that I’m glad you and Mom are here today. She’s been happier lately than I ever remember seeing her. And thanks for making me a part of this day.” John dragged Eric into a bear hug.

 

“Eric, you’re a part of my family, a part of my heart. This day wouldn’t be nearly as special if you weren’t standing up at the altar with me. I love your mom more than anything, and I plan on making her happy for as long as God gives us.”

 

Over in the Bride’s Room, Maggie, Carrie, and Sami were all dressed and were parading around in fashion show style as Marlena oohed and ahhed over their dresses. They were all a pale pink silk with wide shoulder straps and square cut necklines. They had empire bodices and A-line skirts. Marlena gave each of the women pink sapphire and diamond earrings to match their dresses.

 

“You all look just beautiful.” Maggie checked the mirror one more time.

 

“Marlena, I never thought that I could wear pink with my hair, but this shade is so subtle, it works.”

 

“Well, Mom, what do you think? Time for the bride to get ready?”

 

“I suppose so. Don’t want to be late for my own wedding.” Just then the door flew open and a grinning Brady came running into the room.

 

“Marwa, mommy, mommy.” She picked him up and hugged him to her.

 

“My goodness, what’s this all about?” She pulled back a little so she could look into his cherubic face.

 

“Daddy said you Mommy.” She thought for a minute, trying to decipher Brady’s toddler talk.

 

“Did Daddy say you could call me Mommy?” He nodded his head enthusiastically and squirmed to get down. Bo came around the corner.

 

“Brady, we were supposed to be getting a drink of water. What are you doing here?”

Brady looked up at Bo and laughed as he went skipping off and chanting.

 

“Marwa mommy, Marwa, mommy.” Marlena’s eyes were glistening.

 

“He came to tell me I was his Mommy.”

 

“Yeah, John told us all that the court date would probably be set next week. I gotta go catch up to the runt or we may be minus a ring bearer for the ceremony.” Carrie was handing tissue to Marlena as the door closed behind Bo.

 

“What a great wedding present.” Marlena turned around dabbing at her eyes.

 

“Thanks Carrie. It sure is. Speaking of weddings, I’m still not ready.”

 

“Well, then let’s get cracking missy.”

 

“Absolutely stunning. Marlena, John isn’t going to know what hit him when you walk down that aisle.” Marlena smiled at her long time friend.

 

“Thank you Maggie. Carrie, Sami, and Eric helped me pick it out, and we went through a lot. They just don’t make maternity wedding gowns.” They all chuckled and stared in the mirror again at Marlena. Her hair was piled on top of her head with a few loose tendrils framing her face. The gown was barely off white and the bodice had a sweetheart neckline with a flower motif and crystal beads that sparkled in the light. It rested off of Marlena’s shoulders and had a tulle train attached at the top of the back of the dress. The skirt was tulle overlaying satin and had just the right amount of fullness so it rustled as Marlena walked. The side seams were let out to accommodate the baby, and the bride was radiant as she waited for Eric to tell them it was time.

 

“Mom, I just wanted you to know how happy I am for you today. You look beautiful, and I hope that someday I find someone I can love and who loves me as much as you and John love each other.” Marlena took her daughter in her arms.

 

“Oh sweet girl, you will. You’ll have more happiness in your life than you’ll know what to do with.”

 

“Marlena, I’m so glad that you and John are together and happy, finally. What do you say, should we get you married?” As if on cue, Eric knocked at the door. He let out a long whistle when he saw his mom.

 

“John just might faint at the altar Mom. You look awesome.”

 

“Why thank you handsome.” She took her son’s arm, picked up her bouquet, and let him lead her to the room where in just a few minutes a dream would be fulfilled. She would become Mrs. John Black.

 

Marlena barely heard the harp’s strains of “Canon in D” over the pounding of her heart. She watched from the side as Brady, Sami, Carrie, and Maggie made their entrances. Once Maggie was down the aisle, the harpist changed selections and “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” softly wafted through the air. She heard the collective rising of people, and Sarah motioned for her to round the corner and start her march toward the bridal arch and John.

 

John waited impatiently at the end of the aisle as Brady made his way down front. His son performed like the star of the show and finally sat with his nanny, only when bribed with a bag of fruit snacks. John smiled at Sami and Eric, Carrie and Bo, and finally Maggie and Abe as they all processed and took their places on their respective sides of the arch. He took a deep breath as he waited for Marlena to make her appearance. He knew she would look beautiful as always, but his heart stopped when he finally saw her. The only word that popped into his mind was angelic. She was absolutely radiant.

 

Marlena held John’s gaze all the way down the aisle. The entire congregation ceased to exist. He took her hand, kissed it reverently, and they approached the minister together. The ceremony was traditional except for the exchanging of vows. When the minster came to that part, he let the bride and groom take over.

 

“Marlena and John have written their own vows. Marlena, what would you say to John?” She stared into John’s eyes, that small bit of Heaven on Earth and tried to keep her own eyes from glossing over.

 

“Oh my. Here we are again, and yet everything is so different this time. You and I are not the same people we were seven years ago. Time has been cruel, people have been crueler, yet through it all, here we are. Our love is thriving, but it’s been tested, beaten, and altered, and through it all, it has come out stronger and so have we. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I am not truly alive without you in my life. So today, I pledge to you all of my tomorrows, and whether they are sunny or stormy or full of laughter or tears, it won’t matter because we are together, and together we can make it through anything.” She wiped an errant tear from John’s face as he removed her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

 

“John, your words for Marlena.” Before beginning his pledge to her, he mouthed “I love you”.

 

“Marlena Evans, how do I love thee? I thought about using a poem, but there is no one else who has ever loved anyone the way that I love you, so I just had to go from my heart. You are the circle of my life, the one person who has always been there. You’ve brought me back from the brink of despair, saved my life, restored my soul, and loved me with your whole being. I don’t deserve you, but I thank God every day that he has blessed me with His most beautiful angel. So today, I pledge you all of my tomorrows, knowing that each one will be better than today, and today is pretty good.” She smiled through her tears and again he wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. There were a lot of people wiping stray moisture from their eyes in the room. Marlena and John were so lost in the moment, the minister had to repeat his request for the rings, and Abe had to grab John’s shoulder to rouse the groom from the golden depths of his almost wife’s eyes.

 

“John, do you have a ring for Marlena?” Abe handed the solid gold circle to John. He turned back to Marlena and placed the ring at the tip of her left ring finger. He recited the memorized words from the minister.

 

“A circle is a symbol of unending love; it has no beginning and no end. I give you this ring as a token of my love, fidelity, and trust.” John slid the thin band onto her finger and kissed the spot where it would rest for their life together. Marlena took John’s ring from Maggie and placed it at the tip of his left ring finger. She too recited the pledge.

 

“A circle is a symbol of unending love; it has no beginning and no end. I give you this ring as a token of my love, fidelity, and trust.” She slid the thick band onto his finger and kissed the spot where it would rest for their life together. Again sapphire and amber locked in a private world.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. John Black. Son, you may kiss your bride.” John needed no encouragement. He took Marlena’s face between his hands and placed a feather light kiss on her lips. He smiled at her and then pulled her into a more passionate embrace that ended with him dipping her back against his thigh and leaving her completely breathless. Everybody watching sent up whoops of laughter. Rose petals were thrown at the happy couple as they recessed down the aisle.

At the reception, John and Marlena barely got to eat. Everybody kept clinking their glasses trying to get the newlyweds to kiss.

 

“I think I’m the best kissed bride in the history of Salem.”

 

“Baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” This time he kissed her without the encouragement of tinkling glassware. When the music started playing, the bride and groom made their way to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife. He took her hand and wrapped it in his against his heart, while his other hand pulled her to him at the small of her back. Her free hand entangled itself in the hair at the nape of his neck.

 

“I love this song. It always makes me think of you.”

 

“Funny, I picked it because you’re my inspiration.” They lost themselves to their embrace as Peter Cetera and Chicago sang “You’re the Inspiration”.

 

You know our love was meant to be

The kind of love that lasts forever

 

And I want you here with me

from tonight until the end of time

 

You should know, everywhere I go

You’re always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul

 

Baby, you’re the meaning in my life

You’re the inspiration

You bring feeling to my life

You’re the inspiration

Wanna have you near me

I wanna have you hear me say it

No one needs you more than I need you

 

And I know, and I know, yes I know that it’s plain to see

We’re so in love when we’re together

 

Now I know, now I know, that I need you here with me

From tonight until the end of time

 

You should know, everywhere I go

You’re always on my mind, in my heart, in my soul

 

You’re the meaning in my life

You’re the inspiration

You bring feeling to my life

You’re the inspiration

Wanna have you near me

I wanna have you hear me say it

No one needs you more than I need you

 

Ohhh…

 

Wanna have you near me

I wanna have you hear me say it

No one needs you more than I need you

 

You’re the meaning in my life

You’re the inspiration

You bring feeling to my life

You’re the inspiration

Wanna have you near me

When you love somebody

’till the end of time

When you love somebody

always on my mind

No one needs you more than I

When you love somebody

’till the end of time

When you love somebody

always on my mind

 

After their dance was over, they cut the cake. Marlena pleaded with John not to make a mess on her face, but it was a pointless request. She ended up with icing on her nose and her cheek, along with a little in her mouth.

 

“Oops, guess I got a little messy, let me get that for you.” Before she could get the napkin to her face, John used his tongue to lick the white frosting from her nose and cheek. He pulled back and looked into her eyes before nibbling on her lips.

 

“There, all clean.” His eyes had darkened considerably, and Marlena decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. She leaned in to whisper in his ear.

 

“I know where I’d like to lick frosting off of you, but since this is a little too public, I’ll settle for your mouth, for now.” Her words hit their target and John shifted his weight a bit to try and minimize his growing discomfort. She took her index finger and loaded it with creamy white icing. John wasn’t sure what to make of the look in his wife’s eyes, but he stood his ground,“after all I asked for this.”Marlena ran her icing laden finger around her husband’s mouth, outlining his lips and enjoying the deepening hue of John’s sapphire eyes. “Oops, better clean that mess up.” She leaned in close, but brought a napkin up and wiped his mouth. She could feel his body shudder with disappointment.

 

“Missed a spot.” She used her tongue and licked the corner of his mouth that the napkin missed, then kissed him with abandon, sending his senses reeling. As the crowd around them cheered, John whispered to Marlena.

 

“Doc, I have to get you out of here.” She looked at him through innocent lashes.

 

“Why Mr. Black, aren’t you enjoying yourself?” He kissed her hard before answering her.

 

“This is wonderful, but I’m at the point where I want to see what you look like under your dress.” She giggled and swatted his arm.

 

“We have to wait just a little longer. I promise to make it worth your while.” She ran her tongue along the outer edge of his ear before her older son pulled her away for a dance. John shook off as much as he could of the passion filled cloud she surrounded him with and went in search of Sami.

 

“There you are. May I have this dance, pretty lady?” Sami smiled at John’s gentlemanly bow.

 

“Yes, thank you.” She curtsied and took his hand as he led her to the dance floor.

 

“Sami, maybe I shouldn’t say this too you right now, but I’m glad we worked things out between us. I really missed you these last couple of years.” She swallowed back her tears.

 

“I missed you too John. Thanks for not giving up on me.”

 

“You’re the second person today to tell me that. Haven’t you learned by now that I never give up on the people I love?”

 

“It’s starting to sink in, yeah.” They finished the dance and Sami placed a kiss on John’s cheek before going to find Jamie and Lucas. A few more songs played, and finally John was able to get Marlena into a corner, alone. He kissed her senseless, running his tongue along the roof of her mouth and outlining her lips. She moaned deep within her throat. His voice was hoarse with passion.

 

“Doc, please, can we leave now? I don’t think I can take any more torture.” Her voice was raspy too, but he could hear the teasing note in it.

 

“Since when is being with me torture?” He kissed her again.

 

“It always has been. You are the most exquisite torture devise ever created.” He sucked the tender skin behind her ear and trailed wet kisses down to her collarbone.

 

“Oh, John, yes, let’s go before we do something to really embarrass ourselves.” She glanced around quickly to make sure they were still alone before she grabbed the front of his tuxedo pants, kneading his throbbing sex. She kissed him carnally and he pulled her to him. If not for their clothing they would have been making love right there. He ripped his mouth from hers and dragged her toward the back exit. He wanted no well wishers stalling their get-away. Carrie watched them go, a bemused expression on her face. Maggie came up behind her.

 

“Did I just see John and Marlena go out the delivery entrance?”

 

“Yep, that was them all right.”

 

“I wonder why they didn’t say good-bye or tell anyone that they were leaving?”

 

“Maggie, from what I saw, I don’t think either of them was in the mood to talk.” Maggie looked at Carrie, realization slowly dawning on her face.

 

“Oh.” It was all that needed to be said.

 

John pulled Marlena into a quick kiss once they were in the Jeep. She gave him a sideways glance as he pulled out of the executive parking garage.

 

“So I guess I shouldn’t even bother to ask where we’re going should I?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“Will it take us long to get there?”

 

“It’s within driving distance.”

 

“So, we aren’t taking the Titan jet?” He glanced at her and saw the smirk on her face. He took his right hand off the wheel and ran it along the length of her upper thigh.

 

“I wish we could, believe me, but Dr. Bader said that at only seven weeks from your due date, we should stay within an hour of the hospital.”

 

“Well, maybe we’ll just have to save that for another time.” She licked her lips. John took her hand and kissed her palm, running his tongue along her life line.

 

“You better keep your eyes on the road Sailor. I want you in one piece for this honeymoon.”

 

“Well, it isn’t much farther. We should be there in about fifteen minutes.” Just then they passed a sign for Galena – 10 miles.

 

“Now that we’re almost there, will you tell me where we’re staying, what you have planned for us, are you going to feed me?” He laughed at her inability to just let surprises happen.

 

“Hmm, no, no, and only if you’re a good girl.” She swatted his arm and looked out her window as a large mansion came into view. There was a small, unobtrusive sign in the corner of the lawn, Higher Ground Victorian Mansion. She let out a gasp of delight as John pulled the Jeep into the winding driveway behind the stately building.

 

“We’re staying here?”

 

“Yep.” He hopped out, ran around and opened her door, before opening the hatch and pulling his one bag and her two bags out of the back. As they entered the foyer, John rang the bell at the desk. Marlena tried to take everything in and her attention was immediately drawn to the three story winding staircase. As her eyes wandered the ceiling she noticed the cranberry glass hanging light fixture. She turned to her husband.

 

“John, it’s magnificent. It’s exactly where I would have chosen to stay.” He kissed her nose and winked at her.

 

“I know.” Just then John and Mary Lou, the owners, came from the library.

 

“Mr. Black, how nice to see you again. This must be your new bride.”

 

“The dress gave me away, didn’t it?” They all laughed. “I’m Marlena Evans, oh, excuse me, Marlena Black. You know, I like the sound of that.” John squeezed her around her waist.

 

“Doc, this is John and his wife Mary Lou. They own this beautiful place.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Well, what’s say we get you checked in? I’m sure you’d rather see your room than sit and talk to us on your honeymoon.” Marlena blushed slightly as John signed the forms and took the key. Mary Lou led them up the staircase to the third floor. She stopped at a door adorned with a brass nameplate. Engraved on it was, “Julia’s Room”. As she unlocked the door for them, Mary Lou went through her typical parting statement before leaving guests for the evening.

 

“Mr. Black, everything is ready, just like you asked. If you need anything, please feel free to call, and breakfast will be served at 9:00 tomorrow morning.”

 

“Thank you Mary Lou, I’m sure everything will be wonderful. Good night.” Without another word, he pulled his bride into his arms and carried her over the threshold. While he was getting the bags from the hall, Marlena surveyed the room. The center of attention was the four poster walnut bed nestled between two six foot windows. It had thick posts that went from floor to ceiling and a wooden canopy that was intricately carved. The crocheted coverlet was ivory and was made to look over one hundred years old; it was covered with pink rose petals. There was a two step walnut stool and a matching blanket chest at the foot of the bed. To her right was a marble fireplace with a black iron grid covering it. To the left was the bathroom, complete with claw foot tub and pedestal sink. The toilet even had a pull chain instead of a handle. John came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle.

 

“Do you like it?”

 

“Like it? John it’s beautiful.”

 

“No, you’re beautiful.” He turned her around and kissed her tenderly. “I love you Mrs. Black.”

 

“And I love you so.” He held her for a long moment then brought his hands up to either side of her face and kissed her again. His tongue passed her lips and with every stroke his mouth became more insistent, giving as much as it was demanding. He trailed wet kisses along her jaw and down to her collarbone as his hands roamed the length of her back, cupping her bottom and pulling her to him. She could feel the beginnings of his arousal and nudged herself as close as her expanding belly would allow. Marlena took her husband’s head in her hands and locked her hazel eyes with his blue. Both were flashing with unspent passion.

 

“John, I’ve missed you. I need to feel you next to me, inside of me. We can take our time later, but this time I want you, now.” She kissed him, making love to his mouth with her tongue. Her hands nimbly undid his tie and the buttons of his tuxedo shirt. As she pulled it over his toned biceps, she placed a kiss on each shoulder and made a wet trail with her tongue back up to his mouth. She let the shirt fall to the floor and in seconds had his pants and boxers around his ankles.

 

“Um, Doc?”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“I think we have a problem.” She followed his gaze downward and burst out laughing. His shoes were still on and stopped him from removing his clothing.

 

“Hmmm, you being immobile might be kind of fun.” She squatted down and untied his shoes so he could toe them off. She helped him out of his socks and he stepped free of the rest of his clothes. She eyed him appreciatively.

 

“You are beautifully made John.” He kissed her and turned her around so he could undo the back of her gown. She heard his sigh of relief when he found the hidden zipper.

 

“For a while I thought I was going to have to undo every single little button.”

 

“Knowing how impatient you are to get me out of my clothes, when the seamstress asked me if I wanted button holes or a zipper, I opted for the latter, just for you.”

 

“Thank you, all the easier to undress you my love.” He wriggled his eyebrow and chuckled before turning back to her body. He kissed her neck and followed the zipper down her back with more wet kisses. He slid his hands back up to her shoulders and slowly pushed her dress down her arms. When she stepped out of it he draped it over the chair by the fireplace. She was standing in front of him, clad only in her white strapless bra, matching lace bikini panties and thigh high white silk stockings.

 

“Doc, you really are an angel. You’re the most beautiful woman I know.” He picked her up and set her down in the midst of the soft pink petals on the bed. He removed her stockings, slowly sliding each one down her shapely legs. Her bra and panties didn’t last much longer.

“Marlena, let me love you, let me make you my wife in every sense of the word.” He kissed her lips, moving slowly down her body, bracing himself on his arms so as not to put any weight on her. He took one breast in his mouth, laving it with his tongue, then paying homage to the other. He gave her belly a small kiss and ran his tongue down from her belly button to her pubic bone. Her back arched and he lifted her legs over his shoulders and loved her with his mouth. Marlena tangled her fingers into his hair as her body responded to his ministrations. John rubbed her nerve filled nub with his tongue and sucked at it lightly.

 

“John, oh…” His tongue moved down to her wet opening and slid in and out as he drank of her essence.

 

“Ahhh…” She gave a sharp cry and he felt her muscles spasm around his tongue. He came up along side of her and she grabbed his face between her hands and plunged her tongue into his mouth, tasting what only he could do to her. He looked into her eyes.

 

“Baby, I love the sweet taste of you.” His fingers were making lazy circles around her breasts and he could feel her heartbeat returning to normal. John turned Marlena onto her right side and spooned up behind her. He snaked his right arm under her neck and around to her chest, while his left hand rested on her hip. She placed her left leg over his and he entered her slowly, torturously, bit by bit. Finally she begged him.

 

“John, please, now.” He pulled her hip back and she felt him bury himself fully into her.

 

“Uhhhh, yes.” They moved together and his hand moved from her hip to her pelvic bone, holding her steady as he pulled out and pushed back into her.

 

“Baby, I’m so close.” He rubbed his middle finger over her swollen nub and felt her body shudder. His release came just before hers and their bodies trembled together. She put her left arm behind her, cradling his cheek in her palm, as she exhaled softly.

 

“Oooh, I love you so.”

 

“I love you too Mrs. Black.” They stayed cradled in one another’s arms for endless minutes.

 

“I’ll be right back.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“Most definitely.” She kissed him softly and went into the bathroom. He pulled the coverlet back and stretched out on the white cotton sheets. Flashes from the wedding permeated his mind and he smiled as he remembered his first glimpse of her coming down the aisle toward him, wiping her tears as they exchanged vows, kissing her for the first time as his wife. His brain jumped from that image to her telling him what she would like to lick icing off of and his body responded exactly the way it had when she first told him. She came out of the adjoining room, took one look at her naked husband and a lecherous look crossed her face.

 

“My, my, what have you been thinking of while I was gone?”

 

“You wanting to lick icing off me.” She blushed a bit.

 

“Oh, that.”

 

“Yes, that. I’ll be right back” He went into the bathroom and she heard the shower curtain being moved. Within seconds he was back, a sliver tray in hand.

 

“Is that what I think it is?” Her smile was wicked and laced with lust.

 

“Can’t have a honeymoon without strawberries and whipped cream.”

 

“Hmmm, no we can’t. Where were they hiding?”

 

“I had a cooler hidden in the tub. Mary Lou took care of this for me.”

 

“Remind me to thank her.”

 

“Later, much later.” John set the tray on the night table and climbed back into bed with his wife. She looked longingly at him.

 

“So, who gets to go first?” He loved the way her hazel eyes flashed golden sparks when she was aroused.

 

“Why don’t we do it together?” The double entendre wasn’t lost on her and they both picked up the two largest strawberries and dipped them in the cream. Never breaking eye contact they found their way to one another’s mouths, each taking a bite of berry. John took what was left of his and moved it over one of her breasts, leaving a trail of white cream and sticky red juice. He bowed his head and lapped at her sweetened breast, making her gasp.

 

“Mmm, I should eat strawberries off of you more often.”

 

“Well, I have another one in my hand.” He took it from her and repeated his previous action on her other breast. She kissed him and scooped some cream into her hand.

She moved down the length of him and wrapped her cream filled hand around his engorged penis. He jumped slightly from the cold jolt, but her tongue warmed him quickly. Marlena still had part of the dessert on her fingers and she made eye contact with John before sliding first one finger then the next into her mouth. He groaned from deep in his throat. She kissed him then, letting him taste the remnants on her. Slowly she made her way back down his body to the melting white cream. She ran her tongue along the soft velvet skin and licked at the tip, causing John to writhe with anticipation. She ran her finger between the juncture of his legs, pushing slightly on that sensitive spot, then massaging the base of his manhood. She heard his sharp intake of breath and took him fully into her mouth.

 

“God, Doc…” She used her tongue to completely wipe away the remains of the whipped cream and continued to suck him into her hot, wet mouth.

 

“Baby, stop, uhhhh, God, I want us to come together.” She flipped her hair away from her face and he grabbed her head between his hands and kissed her thoroughly. She straddled him and braced herself on her arms as she rocked back and forth, feeling him slide in and out of her inner walls. He licked back and forth at her breasts as she worked them both into a frenzy. For the second time that night they shuddered together and collapsed replete, at least for the moment.

 

She awoke the next morning to golden sunlight streaming through the huge windows, birds cheering their love from the trees outside, and two eyes, bluer than the twilit sky watching her slumber. He ran a finger along her jawline and kissed her tenderly.

 

“Good morning, Mrs. Black.”

 

“Ooh, I’m so glad it wasn’t a dream. Good morning to you to. What time is it?”

 

“About seven.” She closed her eyes.

 

“Too early.” He laughed at his non-morning person wife.

 

“What if I help you wake up? I even promise to feed you afterwards.” The baby obviously liked that idea because Marlena’s stomach growled its approval.

 

“All right, you win.” She looked up him through her thick lashes. “Now, how do you plan on waking me up?” He threw the covers off of her and the air conditioned coolness of the room caused gooseflesh to appear.

 

“Great, you’re going to freeze me to death.” He bent down and ran his tongue over her mouth, biting softly on her full bottom lip.

 

“Actually, I plan to heat you up, not freeze you.” He took her hand and almost had to drag her out of bed. He went into the bathroom and started the shower. He made sure it was the right temperature and helped her over the edge of the deep tub. John followed her in and pulled the burgundy curtain closed on the oval rod. He placed her under the warm spray and watched as rivulets of water cascaded down her creamy skin. He took some shampoo and lathered her golden mane, loving the feel of her silky tresses as they ran through his fingers. Next he took the bottle of conditioner and combed it into her hair. She relished the feel of his hands on her and butterflies flittered in her tummy at the tenderness of her husband.

 

“Do you know that I fall in love with you repeatedly each day? You’ve got me completely spoiled.”

 

“You’re worth spoiling. Besides, you’ve spoiled me too.”

 

“Uh, uh. You are the king of romance. There’s no way I could spoil you half as much as you do me.”

 

“I’m not talking about doing things for you. I’m just talking about you.” As he continued talking he was massaging body wash over her limbs and torso. “That radiant smile of yours? I love that a few extra watts get added when I walk into a room. I love that when we’re together, the rest of the world seems to disappear. I love that you take such good care of yourself, that you always smell so incredible, that you always look so beautiful. There isn’t another woman in the world who could make me feel the way you do, and that is why I’m spoiled. There isn’t another man in the world as lucky as me.” He brushed her lips with his and then entered her mouth with his tongue, probing and sucking gently. Her hands wandered down his back and pulled his hips toward hers. He lapped at the water running down her neck and followed the tiny rivers to her collarbone and breasts.

Marlena’s body arched upward instinctively to give John better access to her. One of his hands slid down her back and cupped her bottom before sliding between her thighs and massaging her moist mound. He slid two fingers into her hot center and she released a moan of sheer bliss. Her hand had found his pleasure spot and was gliding over the slippery, swollen flesh.

 

“Doc…” It was a nothing more than a breathy whisper. He laid his mouth close to her ear. “Turn around.” She braced herself against the wall and he fondled her breasts with both hands, kneading them and rolling both nipples.

 

“John, I…I can’t…” She couldn’t hold back when his fingers found her again and delved deep between her folds to her core. He felt her body let go and nibbled at her neck while she caught her breath.

 

“Why do you always do that to me?” He feigned innocence.

 

“What?” She reached her hand back and fondled his hardness while waiting for his answer.

 

“Why do you always make me come more than once?” He ran his tongue along the rim of her ear.

 

“Because I can.” She squeezed just a bit more and was rewarded with a throaty groan.

 

“And because it gets me just a little harder when I hear those sharp little cries come out of your mouth.” She turned her head and kissed him full force.

 

“So what are you waiting for Sailor, make me scream again.” He entered her as carefully as his passion would allow and pulled all the way out before entering her again and again.

His thumb and middle finger worked magic on her swollen bundle of nerves and her cries put him over the edge. With one last full thrust they came together, both taking an eternity to recapture their breath. He got out of the tub first and wrapped her in a huge fluffy towel before drying himself off. Once they were both dry and wrapped in warm terry cloth robes they lay down on the bed enveloped in one another’s arms.

 

“Hmm, we have about forty-five minutes ‘til breakfast. What should we do with ourselves.” She laughed at his trademark raised eyebrow and turned over so her back was to him.

 

“Let’s go back to sleep.” He swatted her fanny and rolled her back over to face him.

 

“You mean I didn’t succeed in waking you up? I must be losing my touch.”

 

“No, it’s your touch that made me sleepy again. Too much vigorous exercise.” He wiped his fingers across his forehead in mock relief.

 

“You had me worried for a minute. I thought I was going to have to practice more.”

 

“If you need a practice partner, I’m always available.” He gave her a smacking kiss on the lips.

 

“You’re the only one I ever want to practice with.” She totally switched gears on him.

 

“I thought you said something about feeding me?”

 

“Oh yeah. Can’t have you fainting from hunger on me. Why don’t you get ready and we’ll see what Mary Lou cooked up for breakfast.” She got off the bed and went to her suitcase to choose her clothes for the day.

 

“One request Doc?”

 

“What’s that?” She didn’t turn around, but kept rummaging through her things.

 

“Leave your hair curly today.” She looked at him then.

 

“For you, anything.” With an air kiss she disappeared into the bathroom.

 

“Um, Doc, we are married, and I have seen you naked…a few times. You can get dressed in front of me.”

 

“No, I can’t.”

 

“You can’t? Why not?” She was laughing when she answered him.

 

“Because you’ll keep trying to take my clothes off again.” He laughed outside the door.

 

“O.K., you got me.” When she finally emerged, John was dressed too and they headed for the dining room hand in hand. It was just as beautiful as Marlena expected. Each table was set for four with fine china, crystal goblets, and fresh flowers. They chose a table by the window that wasn’t occupied and sat side by side. John poured Marlena some orange juice and decaf coffee before filling his own glass and cup. Shortly thereafter, Mary Lou brought out their breakfast on a sterling serving platter. Both plates were piled high with Belgian waffles, smoked bacon, and fluffy scrambled eggs. There was also a bowl of fresh strawberries and a plate of lightly browned toast.

 

“Oh my goodness. Mary Lou this looks delicious. Thank you, by the way, for the strawberries last night.”

 

“Oh, don’t mention it Mrs. Black. My John and I like to make our guests’ stays as memorable as possible. Did you sleep well?” John took Marlena’s hand in his.

 

“Yes, we did. Thank you.” She smiled at the couple.

 

“Good, well, eat up before it gets cold. If you need anything just let me know.” She walked over to one of the other couples and attended to their needs.

 

“What a nice lady. How did you ever find this place?”

 

“One of the buyers for Basic Black mentioned it a while back. I didn’t pay much attention because there was only one lady I would have ever thought to bring here. When fate made it possible, I called Gary, and here we are.” She leaned over and placed a light kiss on his lips.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

“Would you like a strawberry?” The devilish glint in her eye made him take her unspoken challenge.

 

“I’d love one.” She picked one up and held it to his mouth. He took a large bite, making sure to get her fingers into his mouth as well and pulled back slowly. She popped the remaining bit of fruit into her own mouth as cobalt and topaz locked. He picked up another berry and held it against her lips, rubbing slightly, daring her to open her mouth. Her tongue darted between her lips and licked his finger before she took her bite. She saw the color change in his eyes and smiled triumphantly. Her growling stomach broke the spell. He shook his slightly and laughed.

 

“We’re going to have to teach our little one not to interrupt us so often.” They ate until they were full to bursting and went back to their room to plan their day.

 

“Well, we have staying here naked all day or shopping.” She laughed at his choices.

 

“Now, which one do you think I’ll pick?” He put his lower lip out hoping to change her mind with his boyish pout.

 

“I think you’ll pick shopping. Maybe we could compromise?” She just looked at him, trying to figure out what his mind was cooking up.

 

“I’m afraid to ask.” His face was deadpan.

 

“Naked shopping.” She laughed so hard her sides hurt her. It only made her laugh harder that John had not the slightest expression on his face.

 

“What? I thought it was a pretty good idea.”

 

“Yeah, it is. If we want to spend our honeymoon in jail for indecent exposure.”

 

“Fine, you win. I’ll take you shopping and I’ll wait ‘til later to get you naked.” She leaned closer to him and stopped just before their mouths touched.

 

“You’re on.” They kissed then as though they had never kissed before. It was tender, exploratory, and full of restrained passion. When at last they parted, they sat for a long moment connected only by their foreheads.

 

“Well, Mrs. Black, a day of shopping awaits. Shall we?”

 

“By all means.”

 

They spent the day wandering the little shops of Galena. They looked at antique books and furniture, quaint little clothing shops and they found the perfect furniture for the baby’s room. They were sharing an ice cream cone when John brought up something Marlena hadn’t even thought of.

 

“So, Doc, we just bought furniture for a nursery. Where exactly is the nursery going to be?” She stared at him in stunned silence.

 

“I don’t know. I can’t believe I never even thought of it. I don’t want to stay at the house and the loft isn’t big enough.” He saw the panic enter her eyes. “John the baby is due in seven weeks. What are we going to do? There isn’t enough time to house hunt and move and decorate and…” He cut her off by putting the cold ice cream in her mouth. She saw it coming and tried to move to the side, but she wasn’t quick enough and ended up with it not only in her mouth but on her nose and chin.

 

“Oh, buster, you are in so much trouble.” Unfortunately she couldn’t say it with a straight face and they both burst into laughter. John kissed her chin, then her nose, and finally her lips to clean the sticky ice cream off.

 

“Mmmm, you taste good.” She swatted his arm.

 

“The only reason I taste good is because you keep covering me with food.” He crooked his eyebrow.

 

“Is that a complaint I hear?”

 

“Not if you always clean me up with your tongue.” Before he could respond, he found her tongue sliding along his and wandering the inside of his mouth. He groaned at the sensations she caused in his body. He pulled her closer with his free hand and deepened the kiss. Finally they pulled apart and rested their foreheads together, still breathing hard.

 

“Doc, can we be done shopping, please?” With a wicked gleam in her eye, she kissed him again. Lost in the moment her hand roamed enticingly up his thigh, her thumb running the crease between his leg and hip, her fingers reaching around toward his butt. She felt his jeans grow tighter with each passing second.

 

“Oooh, honey, I think you might be getting a little uncomfortable. Why don’t we go back to the inn and see if I can help you out…” She leaned in and finished the sentence in a whisper. “…of your clothes.” He expelled a long breath before standing gingerly.

 

“I think we better hurry.” He dumped the melting ice cream cone in a waste basket and practically dragged her to the Jeep. On the way back to the bed and breakfast, she brought up the lack of a nursery again.

 

“John, I’m still worried about what we’re going to do.”

 

“Don’t be. I’ve actually had a realtor looking for houses for us. I just didn’t want to bring it up ‘til after the wedding.” She looked at him in exasperation.

 

“So why make it sound like you didn’t have the first clue what we were going to do with furniture?” He just laughed.

 

“Surprise!” She smacked him in the leg this time, hard.

 

“Ouch. What was that for?”

 

“For looking for houses without me.”

 

“I didn’t look without you. I gave the realtor some general ideas and told him to call me if anything came up. I figured later, after the honeymoon, you and I would make a more detailed list of things we wanted. I didn’t expect to find the perfect furniture for our baby girl here.” She crossed her arms over her chest, but she wasn’t really mad at him, she just didn’t like feeling out of the loop.

 

“Did you talk to the kids about it?”

 

“No. C’mon Doc, don’t pout on me.”

 

“What did you tell the realtor to look for?”

 

“At least six bedrooms, a Jacuzzi in the master bathroom, finished basement, five acres or more, a pool.”

 

“Six bedrooms?”

 

“Well, Sami, Eric, Brady, Baby, you and me, Carrie, if she ever wants to stay with us. I should have asked for seven so we would have a guest room, but we can still do that.” She was laughing softly and the humor kept growing until she was shaking with mirth. John didn’t get it, so he asked.

 

“Doc, did I miss something?”

 

“Are you sure that will be enough room? Maybe we should just build something equivalent to the Taj Mahal? How about both an indoor and outdoor pool, or tennis courts and a polo field?” They were walking into the building and up the stairs to their room as her laughter echoed down the three story staircase. He looked at her, playing along.

 

“Are you mocking me?” He said this in his most passable snobbish accent. “My dear, we shall have servants and drivers for the eighteen cars we’ll own. Let’s not forget the riding stable and thoroughbred race horses. Of course there will be a pond complete with swans.” She was lying on the bed; her legs would no longer support her due to her hysterics. She wiped the water from her eyes and begged him to stop.

 

“You’ve lost it. I can’t even imagine living like that. All I want is you, the kids and a roof over our heads.” He saw where she was and approached her stealthily.

 

“You forgot one very important thing.”

 

“What’s that?” He reached her and wrapped his arms around her, whispering it into her ear.

 

“A very large bed.” She pulled back and looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.

 

“What do we need that for?” He attacked her ear, nibbling down along the V-neck of her shirt.

 

“So I can ravish you daily like this.” She liked the game they were playing and continued.

 

“Why do we need a bed for you to kiss my neck?” He splayed his palms across her enlarged belly and ran them upwards to her breasts.

 

“I want to touch you here too.” She lay back against the pillows.

 

“Oh, I uh, I can see, um where the bed, John, that feels good…” He was kissing her collarbone while his fingers strummed at her tightened nipples through her shirt and bra. “where the bed would come in handy. Any other, oh my…um, reasons?” His hands had found their way under her shirt and were fingering the lacy material of her lavender bra.

He slid his hand under her skirt and up her bare thigh, running his finger along the elastic leg of her panties. His answer was merely a whisper.

 

“Because when I touch you here, I know your knees go weak.” With that he slammed three fingers into her wet core and she gasped from erotic shock. He withdrew and she shivered slightly at the loss of him. He helped her sit up so he could disrobe her and she worked on his clothes at the same time. They both wanted one another so badly that there was little fanfare to the removal of clothes. He laid her back onto the pillows and sat on his knees between her legs.

 

“Tell me if I hurt you.” She nodded, trusting him. He was the most generous lover she had ever been with, and she knew the passion with which they both loved one another. He pulled her legs up parallel to his chest so that her feet were even with his head and her bottom rested on his knees. He grabbed her ankles and kissed each one before moving his hands to her hips and easing into her. She gasped loudly at the intensity she felt, at how deeply he was buried in her. His blue eyes locked with her golden ones, and she nodded her approval. He started rocking slowly, but her body spurred him on, meeting him thrust for thrust. They both shattered in one heartbeat and she brought her legs off of his chest, down around his hips so he could lie down next to her. They didn’t break contact but lay there together, relishing in their connection.

 

“John?” She paused, waiting for a response from him.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“I think we definitely need a really big bed.”

 

The four days of their honeymoon came to a quick close and they headed back to Salem hand in hand. Marlena dozed while John snuck glances at her along the way, thankful for the gifts in his life. He kissed her lightly when they stopped in the driveway of the house.

 

“Oh, we’re home already?”

 

“Yep, you go on in, I’ll get the bags.” He found her sitting on the sofa, sifting through torn photos.

 

“What’s all that?”

 

“Torn pictures of Roman and me. He must have come here after the kids went to school. He shredded them all, even pictures with the kids.” John put his arms around her as the tears fell.

 

“The kids will be so upset. Why would he do this?”

 

“I don’t know Doc. Maybe we should just let this go, without trying to find out why. If he thinks, oh hell, I don’t know what he’s thinking. I do know that I’m getting the locks changed though.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her. “Or you and the kids will come stay with me at the loft until we find a house.”

 

“John, I don’t think that’s necessary.”

 

“You don’t? Did you suddenly forget the swim you took, courtesy of Roman? Doc, I’m sorry, but I will not risk your life again.” She nodded, knowing he was right. The front door opened just then and Eric and Sami came in from school.

 

“Hey you two.” Eric noticed the salty tracks down his mom’s cheeks. “Mom, what’s wrong?” As both teens approached the couch they saw the torn photos on the coffee table.

John filled them in.

 

“We just got here a few minutes ago and found this mess.” As Sami and Eric rifled through the pieces of their parent’s past they found bits of theirs as well. Sami’s eyes overflowed as she picked up a picture of her parents, holding she and Eric shortly after they were born. It was ripped into four pieces, one for each person. She pieced it back together but it didn’t fit right.

 

“Why did Dad do this?” Sami no longer gave her father the endearment of Daddy. It just didn’t sound right coming out of her mouth anymore.

 

“We don’t know peanut.” Marlena reached out her arms to Sami.

 

“Come here.” Sami sat by her mom. “John and I were just talking and saying that it is probably best if we either get the locks changed here or go live at the loft for a while.”

“We’ve also been talking about buying a house that’s ours. We’d really like it if you two came and lived with us.” Eric and Sami both looked from one parent to the other. Eric spoke first.

 

“I don’t want to live with Roman.” He saw the look Marlena gave him when he called his father by his Christian name. “I’m sorry Mom, but he just lost the last of my respect today. I understand his anger with you and John, but he has no right to just walk away from Carrie, Sami, and me. I want to live with you and Dad.” John gave Eric a quick hug.

 

“I do to.” Marlena hugged Sami a little tighter.

 

“Well good. We’ll step up the search tomorrow.”

 

Two days after John and Marlena returned from their short honeymoon, the adoption of Brady was finalized. A small party was held at the loft for family and close friends, and Brady was in Heaven with all the attention and presents. After that, things fell into place rather quickly. For the next few weeks, Roman was ignored, the baby continued to grow, and a new house was found.

 

It was nestled in the woods that ran around the mansions back by Victor’s and Donovan Manor. Marlena fell in love with the outside and wanted to buy it on the spot. The gardens were in full, early fall bloom and the yard was well manicured. There were mature oak, maple, and elm trees, along with towering pines and a few apple trees. The house itself looked like an old southern plantation house complete with six two story pillars and wrap around front porch. The house was white with black storm shutters and dark oak front doors. It wasn’t nearly as large as the surrounding houses, but was quaint and spacious inside when John finally convinced her to look beyond the exterior. She nearly squealed in delight crossing the threshold. They walked into a two story foyer with winding oak staircase, pine hard wood floors, and crystal chandelier. To the left was a formal dining room that led to the kitchen. On the right was a formal living room, complete with fireplace. Following the hallway next to the stairs, they found a powder room, entrance to the kitchen, a good sized family room, also with a fireplace, and a sun room that had sliding glass doors leading out to the deck and in ground pool. Each of the rooms had four inch baseboards and crown molding, but despite the old feel of the house, the kitchen and bath were surprisingly modern. Marlena asked the realtor about it.

 

“Have there been a lot of updates in the house?”

 

“Yes, the couple who owned it was older, but when they moved to be closer to their kids, the children went through and modernized the house, making sure it would meet codes when they finally sold it. Now that the owners have passed away, the children are selling.”

 

“That’s sweet that they held onto it for their parents.” She slipped her hand into John’s as they continued their inspection. There was a utility room off of the garage entrance behind the kitchen. When she opened what she thought was a broom closet, she found a hidden staircase. Intrigued, she turned to John.

 

“Where does this lead?”

 

“To the upstairs. It’s the staff staircase.” The realtor went on to explain that it was easier for the hired help to be discreet by using this staircase rather than using the formal one in the front of the house. Marlena wrinkled her nose at the musty smell coming from the narrow space.

 

“Obviously it hasn’t been used in a while.”

 

“No, the house hasn’t actually been occupied for many years, but a cleaning agency was employed to do monthly cleanings. I’ll make sure they air out this area and give it a good cleaning before you move in. Shall we move to the upstairs?” Marlena and John followed up to the bedrooms on the second story, and again Marlena was taken with the moldings and woodwork throughout the house.

 

“This place certainly has a lot of character.” They walked into the master bedroom, which was as big as the living room at the old house, and both Marlena and John gasped at the marble fireplace and floor to ceiling windows. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

 

“This room will definitely fit a really big bed.” She laughed at him and slapped his rear, glad the realtor had gone ahead of them to turn on the lights in the master bath. It was exactly what John had requested. There was a double sink, oversized Jacuzzi tub, and separate glass walled shower. John leaned over and kissed his wife’s temple. She knew exactly where his thoughts were, because hers were in the Jacuzzi too. They wandered through the other seven bedrooms and three baths before returning downstairs. Suddenly, Marlena remembered the hidden stairwell.

 

“Where does that come out upstairs?”

 

“Into the hallway. There was a large linen closet with a smaller door next to it.”

 

“I just assumed that was another closet.”

 

“That was the point.” They wandered into the basement, which ran the whole length of the house, including under the garage. It was finished but needed to be decorated.

 

“This will make a fabulous rec. room. The kids are going to love it.” Husband and wife looked at each other, and John turned to the realtor.

“When can we move in?”

 

“How about now?” Thus the whirlwind of moving and decorating began. Marlena’s due date was only two weeks away and John wanted the house to be ready before they had the baby. He hired as many workers as he could find and they concentrated on the upper two floors first. The house was painted, colors picked, patterns decided on, and new carpeting installed and cleaned. Three days before the baby was due, the movers put all of the boxes, furniture, and clothing into the new house. Carrie, Austin, Lucas, Jamie, Sami, Eric, Bo, Billie, Caroline, Shawn, Maggie, Mickey, Shane, and Abe were all on hand to help. Kim stayed at the old house with all of the kids. John kept forcing Marlena to sit down, only to have to chase her down again. She turned to him, exasperated after the third time.

 

“John, I can’t just sit around while all of our family and friends are working so hard.”

 

“Doc, you’re nine months pregnant for God’s sake. Dr. Bader told you to take it easy at your last appointment.”

 

“I know, I just…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but doubled over in pain instead.

 

“Doc, come on, sit down. MAGGIE!” Maggie, Caroline, and Sami all came running into the kitchen.

 

“John, what’s wrong. Marlena, honey, are you all right?”

 

“I’m fine, Maggie, thank you. I just had a pretty powerful contraction, that’s all.”

 

“Have you been having many?” She looked at Caroline, thankful that the rift between she and Roman hadn’t extended to his family as well.

 

“No, this is the first, and it caught me off guard. I think it might just be Braxton Hicks.”

 

“You mean those fake contractions? It looked pretty real to me Doc. You’re still a little flushed.”

 

“I’ll pay attention. If I get another one I’ll let you know.”

 

“And you’ll come out to the family room and sit down, right?” He gave her a pointed look.

 

“Yes sir. I’ll sit down.” He kissed her forehead.

 

“Thank you. I love you, that’s the only reason I’m nagging you.”

 

“I know, and I love you.”

 

“Mom, do you want some water or something?”

 

“Water sounds great sweetie, thanks.” For the next couple of hours, Marlena sat twiddling her thumbs, watching people scurry to and fro, putting her house together. Finally she got up and padded to the nursery upstairs. The beauty of it brought tears to her eyes. The room was painted baby pink with darker pink teddy bears in different sizes sponged sporadically onto the walls. The trim was all white, as was the furniture. There was a four drawer dresser and a child’s sized armoire, a small desk, and the crib. And in the corner was a wooden rocker, complete with white eyelet cushions, for those bedtime lullabies and late night feedings. Marlena picked up the stuffed bunny John had bought and hugged it to her, softly talking to the daughter still growing inside of her.

 

“Hey there baby girl, it’s mommy. I can’t wait to see you, to count all ten little fingers and all ten little toes. I hope you have your daddy’s beautiful blue eyes and his strength of character. I love you so much already. Your room’s all ready for you, so you can come out whenever you’re ready.” She didn’t realize John had been leaning up against the door jamb, listening to her. He came up behind her softly and ran his hands around her tummy, rubbing it in small circles. He placed a light kiss on her neck and came around the front of his wife, dropping to his knees and kissing her belly.

 

“Baby, ignore everything your mommy said about being like me. You are going to be as radiant as the beautiful woman carrying you. You’ll have her contagious smile and laugh, her wonderful blonde hair, those captivating golden eyes, and her compassion and love of life. And you’ll have a daddy who loves you so much.” He gently kissed her stomach again, got to his feet and pulled Marlena into an emotional embrace.

 

“We’re so lucky to have you in our lives, all of us.”

 

“No Doc, I’m the one who’s lucky.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I thought I told you to stay on the couch.”

 

“I was there for over two hours and nothing happened. I wanted to come see how the nursery looked.” They were interrupted by Austin and Eric.

 

“Hey Dad, the troops are getting restless. I think we should order them some food.”

 

“All right, let’s go see who’s up for pizza and which place we’re going to keep in business for the next year!” They laughed as they descended the stairs together. When the nine pizzas finally came, they disappeared in a flurry of hands and mouths. John shouted above the feeding frenzy to get everyone’s attention.

 

“Hey, hey, chew more quietly, will you?” He got a napkin thrown at him by Bo. “I just wanted to say thanks for everything. You’ve all been here for a lot in the past few months and Doc and I really appreciate it.” He looked down at his wife and gave her a heart stopping smile. “The house looks great, and we promise, we’ll have an official house warming, welcome baby party once everything settles down a bit.”

 

“John, you and Marlena never settle down!” The house erupted in laughter.

 

It was strangely quiet after the hustle of the day. Sami and Eric were finishing putting things away in their new rooms and Brady was sound asleep in his round baseball bed.

John and Marlena were sitting in the sun room watching the moon reflect off the lake that was down the hill from their back yard.

 

“So, you think you’re going to like living here?”

 

“I think it’ll do, but I’m still holding out for the polo field.” He pinched her behind and she jumped a little. She looked up at him, content to be in his arms, regardless of the surroundings.

 

“I’m going to get some water. Do you want anything from the kitchen?”

 

“No, why don’t you let me get it for you?”

 

“Because I need to move a bit. I’m feeling rather restless.”

 

“Are you all right, no more contractions?”

 

“I’m fine, just twinges here and there, but no contractions.” He watched her as she disappeared through the door, but was beside her in seconds when he heard the glass shatter on the ceramic tile.

 

“Doc?” She was holding her stomach, glass and water all around her feet. She looked up at him, panic in her eyes.

 

“John, my water just broke. The baby’s coming, fast.” She had no shoes on and didn’t move, so John walked to her, picked her up, and took her to the sofa in the family room. He ran to the base of the stairs and yelled up to Sami and Eric to come down. Running back to Marlena, he picked up the portable phone and dialed 911. He was still talking to the dispatcher when he sat by his wife. Her face was contorted in pain and she was trying to breathe through a gut wrenching contraction. He hung up and asked how she was doing.

 

“She’s coming. I don’t think we’re going to make it to the hospital.” He wiped her forehead with his hand and laid her back onto the pillows. Both Sami and Eric came running in.

 

“What’s going on?” They noticed their mom at the same time. “The baby’s coming isn’t it?” It was asked in unison.

 

“Yeah, and your mom doesn’t think she’s going to make it to the hospital. Can you two wait for the ambulance?” Glad to be out of the fray, they both eagerly agreed.

 

“O.K., baby, you’re doing great. I’m going to check to see how our baby’s doing.” He lifted her skirt over her knees and removed her underwear.

 

“John, I need to push, now.”

 

“Hold on for just a second, short breaths, you remember. There you go. Good girl. Yep, I can see her head. When I tell you, push for the count of ten. Keep breathing.” He ran into the kitchen and washed his hands as quickly as he could and grabbed some of the new towels from in the drawer. Then he yelled for Sami to grab two big bath sheets from upstairs. As soon as he got back to Marlena, he placed the towels under her and gave her the o.k. to push. She grunted a little as she bore down.

 

“One, keep going baby, five, here comes her head. O.K., take a minute, and then we’ll get her shoulders out o.k.?” He heard Eric talking to someone as Sami came running in with the large towels. One of the wheels on the gurney had a squeaky wheel, so he knew the paramedics were coming down the hallway.

 

“O.K., Doc, ready, push. Left shoulder, right one, she’s out. She’s out.” There were tears streaming down his face as he held up the squalling baby girl for her mother to see. He laid the angry pink bundle into one of the paramedic’s arms so they could suction the baby’s nose and mouth and went to sit by his wife. He kissed her forehead and then her lips.

 

“What a way to move in, huh? Maybe you shouldn’t have told her that her room was ready until tomorrow.” Marlena laughed softly as she was lifted by John onto the gurney and the baby was placed in her arms. Both Sami and Eric were transfixed by the scene.

 

“Mom, were we that small?”

 

“Actually, you were smaller. Oh, but I remember exactly how you looked when you were born. The nurses put you in my left arm, and Eric in my right at the same time and I thought my heart would burst. Just like now.” She smiled at her two older children and they leaned down to kiss her cheeks. John told them to call everybody and to give them a call at the hospital if they needed anything.

 

“I’ll come home in the morning to check on Brady. If you all want to come visit then, we can go together.” He hugged them both and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Once Marlena was situated in her room and Dr. Bader did an examination, John went in to spend time with the new mom and baby.

 

“Hey pretty lady and pretty baby. How are we doing?”

 

“Dr. Bader said everything looks good. The pediatrician will check on the baby tomorrow morning, and she’s going to stay in the nursery overnight so I can sleep. They’ll bring her to me for feedings.”

 

“She. I think we need to name her something. Any ideas?” Marlena looked at John with a thoughtful expression.

 

“I’ve actually been thinking of this for some time, but I don’t know how you’ll feel about it. I would really like to name her Isabella.” She watched her husband’s eyes gloss over as he processed her idea.

 

“Why? I think it’s a beautiful idea, but Doc, it seems a bit odd that my current wife would want to name our baby after my deceased wife.”

 

“I thought you would think that, so let me explain. Isabella was a beautiful, gracious woman who was willing to walk away from you when I came back. She understood our love, our bond. And even though it would have broken her heart, she was still willing to give you up so that you could be truly happy. Then Roman came back, Isabella was pregnant with Brady, and everything seemed to work for the best, but Isabella knew that you and I were still connected. When she made that video asking me to take care of you after her death, I think she knew that deep down we would eventually find our way back to each other, and I think that she is smiling down on us and our little girl.” Tears were falling from both sets of eyes as he took her into his arms and stroked her hair.

 

“Thank you. I would love to name our daughter Isabella.”

 

Two days later, on October 23, they took Isabella home and finally started to settle into a family routine. On the baby’s one week birthday, after everyone had settled in for at least a few hours, John placed three small boxes on Marlena’s lap in bed. She looked at John, who had an expectant smile on his face.

 

“What are these for?”

 

“For you, just because. If you don’t want them…” He reached for one, but she got to it first. She opened the small hinged box. Inside was a charm for the bracelet John had given her for Christmas.

 

“It’s a ring.” She looked at him. “For our wedding?” He nodded. The next one contained a house and the third a baby carriage. She looked at him again, this time with tear filled eyes.

 

“Thank you. They’re wonderful.” She leaned over and kissed his mouth, loving the feel of his stubble against her chin and cheeks. The kiss quickly went from innocent to passionate, and they pulled back reluctantly.

 

“It’s going to be a long six weeks Doc.”

 

“I know.” She set the charms on her nightstand and turned into John’s arms, letting him hold her until Isabella awoke a few hours later.

 

When Belle, as everyone came to call her, was just over a month old, friends and family gathered at St. Luke’s for her christening. Abe and Lexie were her godparents, and there was a party held at John and Marlena’s new house after the ceremony. No one noticed the man lurking around the grounds, going from window to window, watching as people flitted from room to room. He left in his car, smiling to himself, knowing what would come next on his agenda.

 

Thanksgiving came and went and Marlena was back at work, so she and John employed Chelsea to take care of both Brady and Belle during the day. Chelsea stayed until even after Sami and Eric got home from school and fixed dinner for the family each night before going home. It was on one such day that Marlena called and asked Chelsea to stay late. Eric and Sami both were going to study groups for upcoming tests and Marlena had just gotten the all clear from Dr. Bader at her six week postpartum check up. She was hoping that she could convince John to go out for dinner to celebrate. Chelsea was glad to stay and Marlena called her husband, sure that he would want to spend a quiet evening out with her. She waited patiently for him to pick up the private line in his office.

 

“John Black.”

 

“Hey there sexy.”

 

“Hey there yourself. What’s up?” A Cheshire cat smile formed on her face.

 

“Maybe you, if you’re in the mood, that is.” She could hear his lecherous grin at the other end of the line.

 

“So, Dr. Bader gave you permission to resume ‘normal activities’ huh?”

 

“Yep, but I don’t think what we do together is what normal people do. I think we’re somewhere off the charts.”

 

“I will definitely agree with you there.”

 

“How about a quiet dinner out, then a more boisterous evening in?”

 

“I can’t wait. Do you want me to pick you up at the hospital?”

 

“No, I think I want to go home first and change, then say good night to the kids. I still miss being home with Belle and Brady during the day. Sami and Eric both have study groups tonight, so Chelsea is staying late.”

 

“All right, I’ll meet you at home and we can go out from there. Remind me that we owe Chelsea a big Christmas bonus.” Both of them marveled at how quickly the time flew.

Christmas was only two weeks off, and neither had started shopping.

 

“I’ll see you in a little while. I love you.”

 

“I love you too Doc.” She finished up with her last patient and filed her paperwork before she called Bo.

 

“Bo Brady.”

 

“Bo, hi, it’s Marlena. Are you busy?”

 

“No, my shift is just about over. What’s up?”

 

“I’m just wondering if a trial date has been set for Roman yet.”

 

“No, but the DA is pushing pretty hard for sooner rather than later. She’s pretty ticked that he’s been out on bail for four months already. Thankfully he hasn’t done anything stupid.” Bo knew about the pictures and had kept a discreet eye on Roman for John and Marlena.

 

“Thanks Bo, I’m sorry, I know this is hard for you. You’re kind of stuck in the middle.”

 

“Marlena, Roman is my brother, but so is John, and I’ve known you for a really long time, so yeah, it sucks sometimes. I don’t understand why Roman did what he did, but he’s been doing the counseling thing and keeping his nose clean, so maybe he’ll come around. At least I hope so.”

 

“Me too. Thanks Bo.”

 

The first order of business when Marlena got home was kisses and hugs for Brady and Belle. Brady came running to her from the kitchen.

 

“Mommy, mommy, up!” His arms were outstretched and she wrapped hers around him tightly as he launched into her. She planted kisses all over his face, and he wriggled to get down. He took both hands and rubbed his face vigorously as she laughed, knowing what he would say.

 

“No kissy Mommy. Uck.” He was gone as quickly as he came, and she marveled at the energy of a seventeen month old. She found Chelsea and Belle in the family room on the floor. Belle was on her back kicking at a musical toy and Chelsea was singing along with each tune.

 

“Hi Chelsea. Hi there sweet girl.” She leaned down and picked Belle up. The little girl’s face lit up at the sound of her mother’s voice. Her hands and feet started going and little bubbles popped in her mouth from her gurgling. Chelsea discreetly went into the kitchen to check on dinner.

 

“Did you miss me?” Brady found them then and was running through the room making car noises. He was running so fast that he didn’t even see John until he was smack on his butt staring up six feet into his father’s face.

 

“Whoa there slugger. Way to crash and burn.” John bent over and picked up his son, who was anxious to be on the go again. The car noises resumed as John sauntered over to his wife and placed a hot kiss on her mouth. His tongue wrestled with hers and his hand slid down her waist to her hip and around to her bottom.

 

“No kissy Daddy.” They pulled apart and laughed as they saw Brady’s defiant stance. He was staring up at them with his hands on his hips, his little face screwed into a scowl. Marlena carefully handed Belle to John and scooped Brady up, depositing him on the couch. She leaned down beside him and covered his face again with big smacking kisses, tickling his neck and making his squirm. He giggles were infectious and the whole room echoed with laughter. Finally Marlena stopped and she looked into a face so much like her husband’s that her breath caught for a moment.

 

“No kissy.” Then he attacked her, but his kisses were just open mouthed and slobbery. She laughed at his determination, and how quickly he tired of the game. She wiped her hand over her face, still laughing. Chelsea called Brady in for supper and John took Belle into the kitchen so she could sit in her bouncy chair and watch Brady eat, while he and Marlena went up to change for their night out. Marlena hadn’t even gotten to the closet when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her from behind. He placed feather kisses down her neck and turned her so his mouth could capture hers. Forehead to forehead they both caught their breath.

 

“Doc, I haven’t been able to think of anything other than making love to you since you called.” She smiled.

 

“Me either. I’ve missed you these past few weeks.”

 

“I’ve missed you too.” She gave him a mischievous grin.

“I remember a few nights where I had you breathing pretty hard.”

 

“Yeah, but it isn’t the same. It feels incredible, but it’s so much more magical when we’re completely together.” She wrapped her arms around him so her mouth was next to his ear.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” She ran her hand through his hair and found his mouth with hers. Her tongue glided along the roof of his mouth before she withdrew it to nibble on his bottom lip. She was whispering in his ear when he pulled her bottom toward him and her soft middle met with his hardness.

 

“How about a quick demonstration for what you’ll get after dinner?” A low throaty groan escaped him.

 

“Doc, once I get you undressed, you won’t be putting clothes on until you go to work tomorrow, and even then I may make you play hooky, so if you want to eat tonight, go get ready.” She pulled his ear through her teeth, making him quickly lose his resolve, but he tore himself away from her and pushed her gently toward the closet.

 

“Get dressed. I’ve waited over six weeks to ravish you and I want to make it slow and exquisitely torturous.” Her body shivered at his words and she watched his backside as he disappeared into the bathroom to shave. She chuckled at her thoughts. “My husband is too damn sexy for his own good.”

 

Chelsea and the children were in one of the spare bedrooms upstairs when John and Marlena were ready to go. It had been made into a play room and Brady had toys all over. He was trying to get Belle to play with one of his cars as Marlena walked through the door.

 

“Belle’s still too little to play cars with you Brady, but Mommy will play for a minute.” She got down on the floor in her evening dress and her car chased Brady’s as far as her arm could reach. John told Chelsea that they would be at the Penthouse Grille. No other information was needed; she had it all downstairs already. Marlena gave Brady just a hug and told him to sleep well before taking Belle from John.

 

“I’ll see you for your two a.m. feeding sweet girl.” She kissed her daughter’s cheek and handed her back to Chelsea.

 

“I love you Slugger. Sleep tight.”

 

“Wub Daddy.” Brady gave John a kiss on his cheek before he ran off to play with something else.

 

“How come you get kisses?” Marlena was laughing as they left, and John just shrugged.

 

The stares they gave each other all through dinner were hot enough to melt steel and when they decided to dance the other patrons felt mildly voyeuristic. It was as if no one else existed. John and Marlena couldn’t keep their eyes off one another. He kissed her with tightly reigned passion numerous times, but each kiss brought him closer to losing control. It was sweet persecution. They had just returned to the table when John’s cell phone rang.

 

“John Black.”

 

“John, it’s Sami. I’m sorry, I forgot that you and Mom were going out to dinner and I just called the house but no one answered. I figured maybe Chelsea just didn’t pick up because she was putting one of the kids down, but when I tried back ten minutes later she still didn’t pick up. I’m sorry if I’m bugging you.”

 

“Sami, you are never a bother, and thanks for telling me. When will you be home?”

 

“Probably about forty-five minutes or so. Jamie’s mom is going to drop me off.”

 

“All right. We’ll see you then.” He snapped the phone shut, his cop skills kicking into overdrive and he called the house. No answer.

 

“Doc, we’ve got to go. I’ll explain on the way.” Marlena had to practically run to keep up with him. While they were going down in the elevator he called Abe.

 

“Carver here.”

 

“Abe, it’s John. I need a car at the house.”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Maybe nothing, but I’ve got a bad feeling. Nobody’s answered the phone there for at least the last twenty minutes.”

 

“Where are you?”

 

“Doc and I are just leaving the Grille.”

 

“I’ll meet you at the house.”

 

“Thanks Partner.” Marlena was getting more frantic with each passing second.

 

“Tell me.” He told her what Sami had said and what he knew, which wasn’t much. When they pulled into the drive two squad cars were already there, along with Abe’s unmarked car. John noticed that the lights were still on, the door locked, but the silence was eerie.

 

“Chelsea?” Marlena ran up the stairs two at a time, headed for the children’s rooms, John close behind her. Both the crib and the baseball bed were empty. She checked every other room to no avail. Abe, Bo, and the three other officers were checking downstairs but having the same luck as John and Marlena. She was in full fledged panic mode now. John wasn’t in much better condition. He opened the linen closet door, but found nothing, then he heard a thump. It came from the smaller door on the left. He motioned for Marlena to get against the wall and he ripped open the door to the hidden staircase. Chelsea was tied up on the landing, duck tape over her mouth, and a small trickle of dried blood on her temple. John peeled the tape away as carefully as he could and yelled to those downstairs. He helped the nanny to her feet after releasing her from her bonds.

 

“Chelsea, what happened.” She was in hysterics.

 

“I’m so sorry. He came in, hit me with something, and tied me up before he took the children. Mr. and Mrs. Black, I’m so sorry.” She dissolved into a fit of sobs. Two of the policemen helped her downstairs so they could question her further. Abe got on the phone and enlisted the FBI immediately. He wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with the feds, but at the same time he knew that they needed every available resource.

 

Her voice was pleading as she called to him.

 

“John?” He took her in his arms, knowing that this time it wouldn’t be enough to reassure her and hating this monster for what he was doing to their family.

 

When Eric and Sami got home, Carrie had just arrived and the whole house was crawling with police and search dogs. John filled them in as much as he could, but there wasn’t much to go on. The house didn’t show any signs of forced entry, there were no signs of a struggle, with the exception of the knock on the head Chelsea had taken, and there had been no request for ransom yet. While he was talking to the kids, Abe came into the sun room with two FBI agents.

 

“I’m Dan Ross and this is Kevin Kase, Mr. Black. I’m sorry we’re meeting like this.” John shook hands with both agents. His first impression was that they would do everything they could to ensure the safe return of his children. It was a relief to trust them.

 

“So am I. These are our other children, Carrie, Sami, and Eric, and my wife, Marlena.” The special investigators were looking at the pictures that Marlena had given to Abe moments before. They turned to the police commander.

 

“What do you have so far?” As Abe filled them in, John held Marlena and tried to reassure her. Both agents turned back to the family.

 

“Carrie, Sami, and Marlena, would you mind coming with me? I just want to ask a few questions.” The three women followed Agent Kase into the family room. Marlena looked back at her husband, hoping for strength. He gave her a small nod and she crossed into the other room. Agent Ross stayed in the sun room with John, Eric, and Abe.

 

 

Agent Kase motioned for the three ladies to sit. They all did, on the sofa with Marlena in the middle. He grabbed a spindle backed chair from the kitchen and placed it in front of the couch so he would be at eye level with the others.

 

“May I call you Marlena or would you prefer your professional title?” She smiled at the younger man.

 

“Marlena is fine, thank you.”

 

“Marlena, you and your husband were at dinner earlier, correct?” She nodded her agreement.

 

“Can you give me your story from there?” Marlena recounted to him all that she knew from the time they got the call from Sami to the present.

 

“Is there anyone that you can think of who may want to hurt you or your children?” She thought quickly and knew that she had to be honest, even though she didn’t want to believe it would come to this.

 

“There have been six people in my life who have hurt me tremendously. Of those six, four are most assuredly dead, one is presumed dead, and the other is on bail.” Tears formed in her eyes as her brain recounted each horrid encounter. Agent Kase saw the anguish on her face and gave her a moment to collect herself.

 

“I know this is hard, but can you give me a brief synopsis of each person. I want to make sure we don’t overlook anything.” She nodded and each daughter took one of her hands, lending unspoken support.

 

“In 1981 I was raped by a man my ex-husband Don and I considered a friend. His name was Kellam Chandler. He was killed by one son as he tried to kill his other one. My identical twin, Samantha, tried to take over my life and imprisoned me in a sanitarium. She was strangled by a serial killer in 1982. In 1986, I was kidnapped by a man named Orpheus. He and my ex-husband Roman had a run-in, and Roman accidentally killed Orpheus’ wife. To get revenge, he took me, but John found me and killed Orpheus. Unfortunately, Orpheus had me aboard a plane that was rigged to explode and Stefano DiMera got ahold of me and held me for five years in San Cristobal; I found my way back to Salem in 1991. He has kidnapped my other three children at various times, but is presumed dead, thanks to an erupting volcano. One never knows with him though. Just last year I was kidnapped and imprisoned by an imbalanced woman named Stella Lombard. John found me and saved me from being buried alive. She was killed by a truck.” Marlena saw the struggle within the agent. She knew her life had been more than a little strange.

 

“Marlena, you said six. So far you’ve only mentioned five.” The statement was gently probing, and she knew she had to voice her fear. She still didn’t want to believe it.

“About six months ago, my ex-husband Roman purposely drove his car into the river. I was in the car with him and was five months pregnant with Belle. He said that he couldn’t live without me and he didn’t want me to live without him. Had John not been on the docks, all three of us would have died. I thought that Roman was doing better, but when John and I returned from our honeymoon, we found pictures of Roman and me, along with the children, torn to shreds at our old house. We never confronted him; maybe we should have.” The tears started flowing harder as she thought about her babies and wondered where they were, if they were asleep, scared, cold, hungry, or crying for she and John. Agent Kase spoke with both Sami and Carrie, trying to find missing pieces of the puzzle. In his mind however, he had Roman Brady as his top suspect.

 

In the sun room, John and Eric were going through much the same line of questioning. At the end of both summaries, Agent Ross also had Roman Brady on the top of the suspect list. John was still pacing as Agent Ross conferred quietly with Abe. John exploded.

 

“Abraham, there has to be something we can do now dammit.”

 

“John, we’re doing everything we can.” Just then Bo came in.

 

“I just got back from Ma and Pop’s. Roman cleared out. Pop said he hasn’t seen Roman since about four-thirty this afternoon. There weren’t any transportation tickets purchased in his name and no one fitting his description or that of the kids has left Salem by bus, plane, or train. No rental cars either that we can find. We’ve got a blanket on all the terminals, and road blocks up at all major and minor checkpoints, so hopefully we’ll stop him.” He turned to John then. “Man, I’m so sorry. How are you holding up?”

 

“Anger is the only thing keeping me going right now.”

 

“And Marlena?”

 

“She’s devastated.”

 

“We’re going to find him John.” John just gave a short nod of his head. Agent Kase re-entered the room and Marlena half collapsed into John’s embrace.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Black, thank you for all of the information. We’re going to go non-stop until we find your children. You have my word.” Again, John just nodded. Kevin waited until they were in the driveway before telling Dan about Marlena’s life.

 

“She’s had more shit thrown at her than 50,000 others combined. We need to find her kids, alive and soon, because I don’t think she can handle any more.” They went to their van to retrieve the phone taps, recording devices, and other devices they would use to help locate the Black children. Most of the police force was gone and Abe helped the two FBI agents set up in the dining room.

 

In their room, John and Marlena lay on their bed, fully clothed, just holding one another. Both sobbed, needing the release from the emotional hell of the night. Finally they found solace in each other. They made love but it was slow, gentle, and healing. Their coupling was a soothing balm to their shattered souls, and as they lay there slipping in and out of fitful dreams, they held tight to the other.

 

The ringing of the phone at four a.m. made John sit bolt upright.

 

“John Black.”

 

“Hello, you smug bastard. Let me tell you something you already know. Yeah, I have ‘em, and no, you’re never going to see ‘em again. Have a happy life.” John sat listening to the dial tone. His temper snapped and he hurtled the phone against the wall, watching as pieces flew haphazardly around the room. He felt Marlena’s hand on his shoulder.

 

“It was Roman wasn’t it?” He shook his head sadly.

 

“Yeah. He said we’re never going to see them again.” He held her for a long time as she cried again, vowing silently to make Roman pay for the pain he was causing Marlena and all five children. They got dressed and went downstairs, hoping to find that the FBI’s sophisticated equipment had found a clue.

 

A couple of the techs were replaying the recorded conversation, trying to decipher back ground noise. The phone call had been too short to get a location and they correctly assumed Roman was using a cell phone, so location wouldn’t really matter. Everyone was still going with the theory that Roman was no farther away than he could drive, but there was still a lot of ground to cover. John was surprised to see Abe walk out of the kitchen, steaming cup of coffee in hand.

 

“What are you doing here so early, Part?” Abe’s eyes were glassy from lack of sleep, but his mind was still clear.

 

“Never went home. Kevin and Dan asked me to help them with a profile on Roman and possible hiding places. We were just finishing when Roman called.”

 

“I need to help you Abe. I know I have no official clearance anymore, but I have to find my kids.” John pulled his long time friend aside. “I already called Vic. He’s got some guys underground checking into black market rings. He said he’d let me know what he found out.” Abe nodded but looked John right in the eye.

 

“I didn’t hear that.”

 

“I know. I can’t leave anything to chance though. I won’t lose them.” Abe patted John’s back. John wandered into the kitchen and found Marlena, staring out the window, hot coffee in an untouched cup. He placed a hand on each shoulder and tried to massage some of the tension out. He knew it was futile, but it gave him something to do other than pace. And it gave him a reason to touch her, to remind her that together they could still do anything, get through anything. She crossed her arm over her body and held onto his opposite hand.

 

“I miss them. The house is too quiet, and I should be rocking Belle right now, giving her her four-thirty bottle.” She swiped at stray tears. “Damn these tears, and damn Roman.” She pounded her fist on the counter, rattling the spoon sitting there. “I have to do something John. Let’s get in the car and just go. I know it sounds hopeless, but I can’t just sit here doing nothing, waiting for him to call again and taunt us. I have to find my babies.” He kissed her temple and they walked into the dining room to tell Abe their plan. Agents Ross and Kase were back and had muffins and bagels for their crew. John wanted to know what their progress was.

 

“You guys find anything out while you were gone?” Agent Ross held the bag open to John and Marlena but they both shook their heads negatively.

 

“We found some background noise on the tape, but not being from around here, Dan and I can’t place it. Take a listen.” Both Marlena and John strained to hear the noises that had been singled out.

 

“It sounds like some sort of machinery, definitely a diesel engine.” Both agents shook their heads, and stopped the tape.

 

“We got that too, but here’s the sound we couldn’t place.” The tape was started again and a slight “whoosh, splathunk” was heard. It was rhythmic but very faint. Both Marlena and John shook their heads.

 

“Abe, anything?”

 

“Nope, and I heard it earlier this morning, but still nothing.” John took Marlena’s hand in his.

“Abe, we’re taking off for a while. Neither Doc nor I can just sit around here waiting any more. Let Sami and Eric know that we’ll be back, and call my cell if you find anything.”

 

“I’m going to have to insist on coming with you.” Both John and Marlena looked at Agent Kase, wondering if he had an ulterior motive.

 

“Is there a specific reason?” The question came out a bit sharper than John had intended but with his nerves frayed and only about three hours of sleep under his belt, he wasn’t into pleasant conversation.

 

“I’m not insisting because of suspicion; I want to see where your thoughts take you.” He turned to Marlena. “You were married to this man and knew him very well. There may be places that you haven’t thought of, but he has, and by wandering Salem, your mind may be triggered.” Marlena laughed in spite of herself.

 

“That was pretty good. Are you sure you’re FBI and not a psychiatrist?” He laughed too.

 

“Actually, I majored is in psych, with a minor in sociology. I figured they’d come in handy doing what I do.” Agent Ross and Abe promised to keep them apprised of any new developments and John forwarded the home phone to his cell in case Roman called again.

 

“Well, let’s get out of here.” John took Marlena’s hand and they went looking for something, anything, that might lead them to their children. As they were driving, Agent Kase asked them questions about their life together, and again he was amazed at what they had both been through. Finally he commented on it.

 

“You know Marlena, last night when I asked you about people who might want to hurt you, I never expected what you told me. You went through it pretty rote, as though it didn’t affect you any longer, and I marveled at your composure. Now I can see that both you and John derive strength from each other. In this crazy world that we live in, it’s nice to see two people so committed to one another.” Glad for a minor distraction Marlena turned to the younger man in the back seat of the Jeep.

 

“You seem too young to be so cynical.”

 

“Yeah, well, finding out your wife cheated on you will do that to you.” John heard her short gasp and watched from the corner of his eye as her face went pale.

 

“Doc, you don’t think…”

 

“I don’t know. Maybe this isn’t all about the divorce.” Kevin was watching the by play with interest. He had obviously struck some chord without meaning to.

 

“Is there something I should know?” John nodded slightly to Marlena and related that fateful anniversary night to Agent Kase.

 

“No one knew, no one knows. We want to keep it that way.” John emphasized each word. “If Roman doesn’t know, we don’t want him to, understand?”

 

“Yes, and it will go no further than this car. You have my word.” Marlena’s quiet voice confirmed Kevin’s decision to keep quiet.

 

“Thank you.” Suddenly Marlena yelled for John to stop. They got out of the Jeep and wandered down to the water’s edge. They were at the far end of town, where the river widened out. About four hundred yards away was a small island.

 

“Roman and I went out there just a few times. Nobody knew we did. It was just an overgrown piece of mud in the middle of the river, but there was an abandoned cabin out there. When he was supposed to be dead, we met here so no one would see him. I’m sure that’s not where he is, but something told me to look.” Then they heard it, very faintly, and her heart stopped as her breathing increased.

 

“whoosh, splathunk”

 

“John, did you hear that?” All three looked around frantically and their eyes alighted on it at the same time. The wooden pier, buoyed in the water with sun faded blue plastic barrels. As the waves went under the barrels, they rose and fell again, making the soft noise in the background of Roman’s phone call.

 

“Dan, we think we found something… Yeah, get Abe and some of his men out to the edge of town… Hang on…” Kevin turned to John. “Where exactly are we?”

 

“Tell him County Line Road and Rawson Avenue. Abe will know.” The agent nodded.

 

“Dan, County Line Road and Rawson Avenue. John said Abe will know the area…O.K., we need a boat too…Yeah. See ya.” He turned back to the expectant couple. “They’re on their way. So’s an ambulance, a few boats, and a couple of search dogs.” Marlena stared out toward the island, her arms crossed protectively across her frame.

 

“John, what if he isn’t there? Then what?” John walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

 

“Then we find someplace else that has docks like this.” Remembering something, he turned back to Kevin. “We heard heavy machinery too. We’ll need to check around here for construction sites or something like that.”

 

“I’m on it.” Kevin walked up the embankment and headed in the direction of the dilapidated waterfront buildings. John turned back to his wife, his breath freezing in the chill December air.

 

“We’re going to find them Doc, and I’m going to move Heaven and Hell to bring them home.” She looked up at him, unshed tears in her eyes.

 

“I don’t think I’ve told you since this nightmare started how very much I love you. I know you won’t stop until Brady and Belle are back in our arms.” She kissed him gently, and relished in the safety of his embrace, hoping that their children would soon feel that same protection.

 

It only took about fifteen minutes for the area to be overrun with officers and vehicles. There were four aluminum fishing boats, three search dogs, six police officers, two ambulances, and four FBI agents. Both Marlena and John were sure that there were others that they could not see also. As Agent Ross readied the teams for the rescue, John had a heated discussion with Agent Kase.

 

“Look, you found a digger and a bulldozer up there behind the buildings. This is where Roman has my children. I’m going and you won’t be able to stop me. I was a cop, and a damn good one.” Kevin shook his head, knowing that it was futile to try and stop John, and knowing that if the situation were reversed he would feel the same way.

 

“Fine, you ride with Bo, Agent Ross, and me.” John looked at his wife before stepping into the boat.

 

“I’m bringing them back. I love you.” He pulled her into a fierce kiss and jumped into the boat, his gun already out of the holster. Abe stood beside Marlena on the dock, radio in hand, monitoring the progress of the SWAT team. She watched all four boats as they approached the island from different directions, leaving nothing to chance. The boats were only ten yards away from the island when the shack in the middle exploded and was consumed with fire. John hurtled himself into the frigid water and ran for the burning cabin. He found a way in and screamed for his children. Boards were collapsing around him, fire licking at his damp hair, causing blisters on his skin. He was pulled out by Bo and Kevin.

“John, are you crazy?” Seeing the wild look in his former brother’s eyes, Bo stopped the lecture. “Did you see them?” John just shook his head, tears running freely down his face. He felt a tearing in his soul and looked toward the dock he had just left.

 

Marlena collapsed to her knees when she saw the building explode. Her brain registered the sound a few seconds after the sight.

 

“NNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GOD, NNNOOOO!” Her cries were guttural and her fists repeatedly pounded her knees as her eyes overflowed. Abe was beside her, knowing that there was nothing he could do to console her. He was in constant contact with the island, but they knew nothing except that the cabin had exploded.

 

Officer Ruis came running up to Bo and Agent Kase, who were still with John. He was holding a rattle in his gloved hand.

 

“Detective Brady, we found this in the brush on the other side of the shack.”

 

Bo grabbed a pair of gloves from his pocket and took the rattle. He held it so John could see it. John winced as he wiped his eyes with his burned hand. Suddenly his face burst into a radiant smile.

 

“Bo, they’re alive. Oh, thank God, they’re alive. Call Abe, tell him to tell Marlena.” Bo shook his head.

 

“No, man, not ‘til you tell me why this rattle made you think that. No one could have survived that explosion.” John was still beaming.

 

“Look at the rattle Bo. Kevin do you follow me here?” The agent nodded. Kevin had already figured out where John was going, but let him tell Bo.

 

“That rattle is from Belle and Brady’s diaper bag, the one that we noticed was missing with the kids. Bo, look at the rattle. It’s clean. If it had been in the house when it exploded, even if it had been thrown from the house with the force of the blast, it would be charred or dirty, but it’s not. And don’t tell me it could have been there since last night. It snowed out here, and it wasn’t buried in the snow.” He looked at Officer Ruis for confirmation of this. The man shook his head negatively, smiling at the implication. “It was dropped recently. Roman wanted us to think the kids were in there, but they weren’t. Give me your radio.” Bo handed it to John, still looking at the rattle in disbelief.

 

“Abe, this is John. Abe, do you hear me?”

 

“Yeah, go ahead John.”

 

“Is Doc there?”

 

“Yes, she’s right here. John you need to come back, now. She needs you.”

 

“Let me talk to her.” Abe handed the radio to Marlena, showing her which button she should depress to talk. She put the earpiece into her ear.

 

“Baby, can you hear me?”

 

“Yes, John, our beautiful babies.” Her sobs increased at the sound of his voice.

 

“They’re fine Doc. They weren’t here.” She was glad she wasn’t standing because her legs would have given out on her again.

 

“Are you sure? John, how?” He told her his theory and her tears started anew, this time for joy and relief.

 

“They’re making me come back while they search. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Knowing they couldn’t have run him out of there without a good reason, she asked why.

 

“John, what aren’t you telling me?” He smiled, loving how well she knew him.

 

“I went into the cabin after it exploded. I just went on reflex, the need to find Brady and Belle. My hands got a little singed.”

 

“We’ll see how little it is when you get here. John, I love you so.”

 

“I love you too Doc.” She handed the radio back to Abe and relayed John’s findings to him. He reconfigured the SWAT team and had them start an initial search of the surrounding buildings. He was still shouting at one of the team leaders when John’s boat came back.

 

“I know this isn’t how you normally operate, but we have a little boy and a little girl who are depending on us to find them. Now move.” John was hacking as Marlena helped him out of the boat and to one of the waiting ambulances. The paramedic gave him oxygen and started cleaning the burns on his hands and arms. Marlena sat at the head of the gurney stroking his forehead, thankful that he was alive and that her children were safe. She prayed they would all stay that way.

 

In a run down car he paid only two hundred dollars for, Roman headed for the opposite side of town. He knew that a blanket had been thrown over the city, but he still had one place to go that no one would think of. At least he hoped not.

 

“Damn, I didn’t count on her remembering that cabin. I’ll just have to try to buy some more time so I can get out of town.” He looked back quickly at the two children in the backseat. Regardless of how he felt about their parents he could never harm the kids. Part of him wished he didn’t feel that way, that he could just make it easier on himself to escape. As he thought of John and Marlena his anger boiled over.

 

“They need to pay, to have everything that they hold dear ripped away from them.” He looked again at the sleeping children. “I promise you two that you’ll have great parents who will love you and want you.” He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see the utility workers until it was too late. The car lurched to the left as it smacked into the Salem Energy truck and the front end of the car fell into the three foot by three foot hole in the road. One worker was trapped under the car. He had ducked just in time and escaped serious injury. His co-workers placed a call to 911 and hurried to the motionless vehicle.

 

The ambulance driver listened as his toner went off in the dashboard. The dispatcher’s voice came through the speaker.

 

“Life Line 1 & 2, you have a call at the intersection of Drexel and Howell. 10-50 PI. Repeat, Life Line 1 & 2 you have a call at the intersection of Drexel and Howell. 10-50 PI. Please respond.” Jim picked up the mike, “10-4 dispatch, Life Line 2 is 10-8.” They heard the other driver follow suit. “10-4 dispatch, Life Line 1 is 10-8.” Abe came running up to the back of the ambulance as John and Marlena were climbing out.

 

“We just got a call. A man and two children were just in a car accident. We don’t know much else except that they’re not far from here.” Jim, the paramedic, filled Abe in. That’s the call we just got, I bet. Car crash with personal injury at Drexel and Howell?”

 

“That’s it. John, Marlena, you come with me. It may be Roman and the kids.” They ran as fast as they could to Abe’s car. He flipped on his light and siren and they followed the ambulances at breakneck speed through town.

The four paramedics scrambled out of their vehicles and headed for the damaged car. John, Marlena, and Abe were close behind them. Abe held them back, out of the way, but in the line of sight. They listened with straining ears to the medics.

 

“There is an infant and toddler in the back seat, both in restraints. They look o.k.”

 

“Driver has a head wound, semi-conscious.” John and Marlena waited anxiously for the children to be taken from the back seat. Both let out screams of joy when they saw Brady, crying, but seemingly fine, extracted from the car. Abe could no longer keep them back, and they followed Brady and Belle, who had also been released from her car seat, to the waiting ambulance. Marlena held Belle and John held Brady as the two medics checked the children. Neither was injured and they were free to go home.

 

 

The elated parents called Sami and Eric to tell them what all had happened in the past five hours, promising full details upon their return home.

 

“Abraham, what happened with Roman?”

 

“They got him out of the car. He seemed stunned, but not seriously injured. He’s in the other ambulance. Right now the biggest worry is getting the car dislodged without hurting the man trapped in the hole.” Marlena gasped.

 

“There’s a man trapped under the car?”

 

“Yeah, they were digging for new underground wiring when the car crashed into the SE truck and got stuck in the hole. The worker ducked just in time, but now they need to get him out.” John changed the subject back to Roman.

 

“So, tell me your thoughts about Roman. I know what I want, but that’s not the way the justice system works.” Marlena placed a calming hand in her husband’s bicep.

 

“He’ll be taken into custody, and held without bail, if the DA has anything to say about, and I’m sure she will. She’s also going to push for a quick trial date.” Marlena recounted her conversation with Bo from the previous day.

 

“I gave Bo a call, golly, was it just yesterday? It seems so long ago. Anyway, he told me that the DA was pretty upset that Roman was out on bail for over five months with no trial date set.” Brady reached for Marlena just then and she shifted Belle in her arms so she could hold both children. John was going to take Belle when an officer approached them with a handcuffed Roman. Without warning, John spun around and clocked Roman in the jaw.

 

“You son of a bitch. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you rot in jail.” With his hands shackled, Roman could do nothing but hurl insults.

 

“John, one of these days your past will come back to haunt you and your perfect little world will come crumbling around you. On that day, you’ll see me again, doubled over, laughing my ass off at your pathetic life.” John’s fists clenched and unclenched at his sides. It took everything in his power not to go after Roman again. His final aide was the small voice in Marlena’s arms.

 

“Daddy, home.” He looked at his wife and two smallest children and nodded.

 

“You got it slugger. Let’s get you home. How about pancakes for a late breakfast with Carrie, Eric and Sami?” At the mention of the other children’s names, Roman stood a little straighter. Marlena noticed it, and she faced her ex-husband, furious sparks of green and gold flashing from her hazel eyes.

 

“Yes, Roman, Carrie, Sami, and Eric. Your children, the ones you decided to abandon in this stupid quest for revenge or whatever your motive was. Do you even know why you did this? I hope you feel it was worth it, because I don’t think your children will ever forgive you. I hope that you and your pride will be happy together Roman, if you even have any of that left.” She started walking toward Abe’s car then, John following.

 

“I did it all because I love you, because I couldn’t stand losing you.” She turned back to him for a final time.

 

“Don’t tell me you love me. If you truly loved me you would have wanted me to be happy, not dead, not shattered.” They left him standing there with the officer, waiting to be transported to his cell.

 

The house was full of people when John and Marlena returned with the children. Cheers and tears were flowing freely. Agents Kase and Ross were cleaning up their equipment in the dining room, when John found them.

 

“I just really want to thank you for all of your help.” Both agents looked at the man standing before them. Kevin spoke first.

 

“John, I’m just glad it turned out the way it did. I wish all of our kidnapping cases were as successful.”

 

“Me too. A lot of times even when we get the kids back, the family has been irreparably damaged. I don’t see that happening here.” John smiled.

 

“Nope, Doc and I are in this for the long haul.”

 

“Yep, you’re stuck with me.” With his back to the door, he hadn’t seen her come in. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he placed his arm around her shoulder.

 

“I’m sure that my husband thanked you, but I wanted to also. You two worked straight thorough and we are so grateful. Will you stay and have some breakfast with us?”

 

“It smells delicious, and as much as we would both love to say yes, we have to get back.” Dan nodded his agreement with Kevin. After the two agents left, John and Marlena took a minute by themselves in the foyer. They wrapped their arms around one another and held on, reveling in the security they once again felt. Finally their world was on an even keel.

 

“Doc, you are amazing, do you know that?”

 

“Only because I have you.”

 

“I’m serious. I’m so proud of you. I know how scared you were for the kids, but you held it together, and now they’re home, and we’re all together again.” He kissed her softly, and she looked into the blue eyes she loved so much.

 

“You didn’t see me on that pier when the cabin exploded. I wasn’t very together then.”

 

“I know. I felt your anguish. I wasn’t thinking too straight myself.” They both looked at his bandaged hands. She looked at him again for a long moment.

 

“John, I know that you can’t promise me that our life will always be perfect, or normal, and it most certainly will never be boring, but when the storms come, promise me that we will face them together. Promise me that we’ll turn to each other for comfort and strength, not let things tear us apart.” He pulled her a little tighter before releasing her and staring into her soul.

 

“Doc, you are the reason I get through each day, whether it’s normal or not. You are my strength, my hope, my love, everything. There is nothing that I ever want to go through without you by my side. I’ve done it before and it was way too hard. I promise you that we will never let anything come between us.” He kissed her again, letting her tongue mate with his before they wandered into the family room. They stood in the entryway watching their family; Eric was playing Brady’s favorite game – horsey, and Belle was on Carrie’s lap blowing bubbles at Sami. They smiled, wrapped in one another’s arms as the smell of pancakes wafted through the house.

 

~~~~~ THE END ~~~~~