John and Bo had planned the infiltration down to the last letter. They had been able to make sense of the signals they had been getting thanks to Officer Ruis. He had had the foresight to audio tape the signals, which was a good thing considering they stopped abruptly about a week before. Upon listening to them for what seemed the millionth time Bo was struck with where he had heard them before. He turned huge eyes on John.
“It can’t be. There’s no way.”
“What? Bo, talk to me.”
“That signal, no one else knows it. Just me and…and…Dammit, who’s playing head games with me?”
“Bo, calm down. Who else knows this code?” Bo turned back to look at John with venom flashing out of his eyes.
“Roman. Roman is the only other person who knew this code.” John took an involuntary step back.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
“All right, but Bo, we have some crazy stuff going on here, and all of us are reeling from it. This nightmare hasn’t stopped with Doc’s death. It’s only gotten more bizarre.” Bo and John both ran a hand over their faces. John watched as Bo struggled with what they both knew would have to happen.
“We gotta dig up Roman’s grave. Man, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but something really weird is going on, and we need answers.” John put a hand on Bo’s shoulder.
“You get the court order for the exhumation. I’ll be back in a while.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the only person who might be able to give us some answers.” On that comment John left and quickly punched numbers into his cell on the way out of the cop shop. In fifteen minutes he was outside of a house that he would never get used to seeing without one of it occupants. He walked slowly to the door and knocked hesitantly with the brass knocker. As the door opened, he braced himself for a fight if need be.
“John, what is so urgent, and why does my mother need to be here?” She moved aside for him to enter, and he touched her shoulder lightly as he walked past her.
“Lexie, I think you may be the only one who can help me. You and your mom. Is she here yet?”
“Yes, she’s upstairs putting Theo down for his nap.”
“All right, I’ll wait for her to come down.” Just then they heard footsteps on the stairs.
“Ah, John, dahling, how are you?”
“I’m fine Celeste. How are you?”
“Very well, thank you. What is so important that you needed me here with Alexandra?”
“Questions that only you can answer Celeste, about Stefano.” Lexie immediately went on the defensive.
“What are you getting at John? My father is dead. Can’t you just leave him buried?”
“He was never buried Lexie, that would give us proof that it was him who died, and if there is one thing that I learned about the old man – he never left any proof of anything.”
“John, if all you came over for was to make horrible comments about a dead man, who happened to be my father, then you can leave.” Celeste placed a calming hand on her daughter’s arm.
“John there is more to this than you have said, no? Why are you really here, and what questions can I answer for you?”
“Celeste, I need for you to give me all of the places where Stefano may hide or hide others. I don’t know if he is alive, and I’m praying that he isn’t, but what Bo and I came across today has the old man’s MO written all over it.” Lexie broke in then.
“What did you find?” John hesitated before answering.
“I’d rather not say right now, but everything that has happened as of late may not be as it seems.” Both Lexie and Celeste looked at John, confusion written all over their faces.
The theme to Mission Impossible broke the tension in the room. John looked around and then figured that it was coming from his hip.
“Damn it, Belle reprogrammed my cell phone again.” He answered hurriedly. “John Black.”
“John it’s Bo. Our hunch was right. Roman isn’t in his casket, and at this point, I’m going to lay odds that all of the others we’ve buried aren’t really buried either.”
“Damn it. And our best lead shot himself. I’m at Lexie’s; I’ll fill you in when I get back to the station.”
“See ya in a few.” John clicked his phone shut and looked pointedly at Celeste.
“I will start on the list immediately John. Listen to your heart over your mind, and you will find what you seek.” When Celeste had finished the list, she promised to call him if she remembered any more.
“Stefano’s holdings are endless and I have not seen them all. Many he kept hidden from everyone, including his children and his help, but I will try to help you as much as I can.”
“Thank you for this. I’ll be in touch.” When the door closed softly behind him, John inhaled deeply and gave in to the feeling that had been nagging him since he saw his wife take her last breath.
“I’m going to find you baby. I didn’t want to think that you could be alive after all that I saw, but now I know that you must be. Please don’t hate me for not knowing sooner. I love you, and I’m coming for you.”
John stopped to pick up coffee on his way back to the station and met Bo at the back door. John handed Bo a cup of coffee and they entered the Commander’s office and closed the door. John was pulling the list out of his pocket to hand to Bo, when he heard the agonized sigh from behind the desk. He turned concerned eyes on a man that had made him feel every emotion under the sun as of late. Regardless of everything, John still thought of Bo as a brother.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing…and everything. My wife and older son are missing, my brother, who was murdered, isn’t in his coffin, a woman that I’ve loved like a sister for most of my adult life is missing as well, and I accused her of murder, watched her get shot on my initial order. I just need answers John.” There was a long pause as John watched Bo struggle with something else. “And I need to apologize to you.” Bo held up a hand so that he could get through what he had to say uninterrupted. “Once the evidence pointed to Marlena, I just kept pushing. I couldn’t see through the rage of my own loss and that of my family. With the exception of Tony, everyone that was murdered was related to either Hope or me, because Abe was practically family. And to think that someone I loved and respected as much as Marlena could be capable of all of that horror, well, I couldn’t think of it, so I pushed it out of my mind and dealt with her like I would a normal low-life scumbag. I should have known that there was more to it, I should have trusted Hope’s instincts and yours, but I was so angry and felt so betrayed. I’m sorry man. She is your wife, and you love her, and I should have respected that.” John stood stoically, letting Bo hash through everything. When he was finished, Bo extended his hand, hoping that John would shake it, but not ready to begrudge him if he didn’t. Instead John pulled the younger man into a brotherly hug.
“Thank you Bo. That means a lot to me, especially what you just said. Putting Marlena in the present tense instead of the past. I know that she isn’t dead. I can feel her for the first time in a long time, and I have a hunch that where ever she is, we’ll find them all, including Hope.”
“Then let’s get to it.” For the next several hours they went over the places that Celeste had written down and eliminated many of them just because of proximity. Suddenly John’s head snapped up.
“The tunnels. Bo that has to be it.” Bo was more than a little confused.
“What do you mean? What tunnels?”
“We need to check all the caskets. None of the plots were disturbed right?”
“Right, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.”
“How did they all get out if the plots weren’t disturbed and we know that they were in the caskets when they were buried?”
“Tunnels?”
“Tunnels, in the cemetery. Remember the night that Doug was killed and I told you that I was almost sandwiched between the walls in one of the crypts?”
“Yeah?”
“I bet that there are tunnels all over underneath the cemetery and that’s how the caskets were removed and put back without disturbing the ground above. If we can find the end point, we can go from there.”
“Damn, I need you back on the force again.”
“Yeah, you do, but at least this way I get all the fun ISA gadgets to help us out.” They both laughed as they called in a few officers to get them blueprints of the cemetery at St. Luke’s and a blueprint of the city’s sewer grid.
It was an all-nighter, but by the time they stopped to go home and get some much needed shut-eye, Bo and John had a good idea where to start looking. Then next morning they were back at it. A week later they were sitting on the rail of a boat, ready to go over the side and swim to the island that was in their estimation, the one place that everyone could be. Before Bo placed the breathing tube in his mouth, he had one more thing to say.
“You know, it’s creeping me out that Lexie owns this island.”
“Me too, but I’m really hoping that she has nothing to do with any of this. Whatever this is.”
“Stick close. We have no idea what we might be up against.”
“It doesn’t matter. If it means I get my wife back, I’ll fight like hell. In fact, I’ve already fought Hell, so this should be a piece of cake.” With that, they both plummeted over the side, backward into the water.
They didn’t surface until they reached the shoreline and tentatively checked to make sure there was no one there. Once they were safely in the shelter of the jungle, they stripped out of their wetsuits and put on the clothes that they had brought in the dry bag. Making sure that everything was safely put away and hidden in the underbrush, they marked the spot covertly and headed toward the unknown. They made their way quietly through the jungle with the help of the compass, but stopped abruptly when they heard a low moaning coming from ahead of them. John signaled to Bo to spread out and they crept toward the sound slowly, stealthily. Both had their guns drawn, but John just about dropped his when he came upon the source of the sound. He closed his eyes and opened them again slowly, as if that slight movement would make the image go away. Bo called out, hoping to spare John from what he had just seen, but he could tell by the look on his friend’s face that he was too late.
“Marlena, Roman.” He went running toward them and noticed as he got closer that Roman was injured.
“Bo, oh my gosh! How did you find us?” And then the feeling overwhelmed her. She knew, and as she turned slowly around, the most glorious sight filled her vision. It took everything in her power to manage to say the one single syllable that was her life.
“John!” She ran toward him as he stood there, and gave into the feeling that he knew would overcome him as soon as he put his arms around her.
“Doc. Oh God, Doc.” He held her as tightly as he dared while the memories flooded them both. The smells of lavender and springtime in her hair, the clean masculine scent of his aftershave, the way her head fit perfectly into the crook of his shoulder, and all of the other things that assaulted their senses and had been missing for the past few weeks. Once again, they were whole. John pulled back slightly to look into the hazel eyes that had haunted him and ran his thumb over her cheek bones to remove the moisture that continued to course down her face as she did the same for him. Slowly, achingly so, their lips met and time stood still. As they kissed the time apart melted away and nothing mattered but that they were together again. Everything else could be dealt with later, in due time.
Bo watched as his brother’s facial expression changed from rapturous to crestfallen in a matter of seconds. More than anything though there was extreme pain from his injury. Bo hated to break John and Marlena apart but he needed to find Hope and get to the others.
“John, man I hate to do this to you, but we need to find out what’s going on.” John broke the kiss but continued to stare into his wife’s eyes.
“Baby, what happened to you? If you and Roman are alive, is everyone else too?” The entire time he was talking to her, his hands were caressing her face, smoothing the wrinkles of the fabric of her shirt, threading through the silk of her hair. He had to reassure himself that she was truly there, that she wasn’t a figment of his imagination or just another inebriated dream. Although he knew that this time he was completely sober, for maybe only the second time since her death.
“John, everyone is alive. The first person I met when I got here was Alice, and then Roman and Abe. They explained everything to me. The only person I haven’t seen is Jack, but we think he is still alive and hopefully with Jennifer. She’s here too, and so is Hope.” Marlena turned to Bo. “Hope is alive, as are Caroline and Victor. Bo, I’m so glad you haven’t lost almost your whole family, and I’m so sorry that I somehow had something to with this. It killed me to know that I had caused you so much pain. I hope that someday you can forgive me.” Bo looked at Marlena, indecision in his eyes. “Without knowing everything, I still don’t know what to believe, but no one is dead, so I can’t blame you for being a murderer. This is all so crazy. Right now though, we need to get you all off the island before the person behind this figures out that John and I are here. How do we get to everyone?”
“Bo, there are cameras everywhere. Whoever is behind this knows every move we make. You and John can’t go into Salem and rescue the others. You’d be detected.”
“So, what do we do Doc?” She looked at John, knowing he wouldn’t like her idea.
“You let me go. I’ll bring everyone out here if I can get us through the force field. We may have to come in small groups though.”
“Force field?”
“Yes, there’s an electric fence running the perimeter of the replicated Salem. Hope and Doug have both gotten zapped pretty hard by it.” She was quick to add her reassurances of both Hope and Doug’s well-being when she saw the stricken look on Bo’s face. John was still trying to figure this all out.
“You mean that whoever planned this has you living in Salem?”
“Kind of, but I’ll explain that later. Roman needs help and we need to get everyone out of here. I’ll be back.” Before John could stop her, Marlena disappeared through the trees toward the fence. Bo kept himself busy by trying to keep Roman’s foot from bleeding, and John paced repeatedly, replaying what he saw just before Bo shouted to Roman and Marlena.
“There has to be a plausible explanation. She’ll tell me when we get home. We can sort this all out.” He continued to pace. “Damn it, how could I not have known she was alive? How could I let her down like this?” He turned abruptly, gun drawn when he heard rustling through the brush. He had the safety off and Bo was hiding in the thick brush behind Roman when Doug, Alice, and Maggie came into the slight clearing. All of them breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the others. Bo got on his radio and gave orders for the boat to be standing by and ready to go at a moment’s notice. John led the small party, Roman included, down to the part of the beach that was still mostly hidden by the cover of the jungle. Alice, Maggie, and Doug filled John in on what they knew as they walked with Roman supported on either side by John and Doug. Once John knew that Alice and Roman were both comfortable, he headed back to Bo to wait again. It had taken everything in his power not to leave Roman to struggle down to the beach by himself, but John had tried valiantly to keep his jealousy at bay.
“Bo, Maggie told me that Jack and Jen are both lost in the jungle. Maggie isn’t even sure that Jennifer is alive, although Alice knows her grand-daughter and is sure that both Jen and the baby are all right.”
“I’d go with Mrs. H.’s gut. I don’t think she’s ever been wrong.” Just then Hope, Abe, Victor, and Caroline came into the clearing. Bo folded his wife into his arms and then gave his mother a huge hug.
“Ma, I can’t…I missed you.” He couldn’t choke any more out as his tears trickled down his face.
“I wasn’t sure I would ever see you again, but when Hope showed up on the island, I knew you wouldn’t stop looking until you found her. I’m so glad you found us.”
“So am I.” He turned to his father and gave him a warm hug as well. “Victor, I’m really glad that you’re alive. We need to talk about some things when we get back to Salem.”
“I’m glad to be alive too Bo. Thank you. I have quite a few things that I think you should know before we get back to Salem though. We can talk on the way.”
“All right.” Bo turned to John. “You want to take Victor and Ma down by the others? I need Abe and Hope to help me find Jack and Jen.”
“You know where everyone is right? Just beyond the bend where we came up on shore?”
“Yeah, we’ll meet you there.” John led the two others to where the rest of the group was hiding, and then headed back to wait for his wife. Bo took off into the jungle with Abe and Hope to find Jack and Jennifer, along with Patrick.
John was starting to wonder if he should head to wherever to find Marlena when she came through the clearing for the last time with Tony and Cassie in tow.
“Doc, what took you so long? I was about to come looking for you.”
“I had trouble finding Cassie since I had no idea where she was staying on the island. Tony helped me, and here we are.” She looked around, puzzled. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re all waiting down on the beach, and Bo, Hope, and Abe went looking for Jack, Jennifer, and Patrick.” John’s sentence trailed off slightly softer than it started.
“Doc, you o.k.?” She looked at him distractedly.
“Hmm? Oh, I’m fine. Why?”
“You just seem, I don’t know, disoriented or something.” John’s eyes alighted on the strap around her neck. “Where did you get the canteen?” She fingered the nylon strap absentmindedly.
“I picked it up when I went back to the penthouse for something.” John took the canteen, unscrewed the cap and sniffed the water before tasting it slightly. He didn’t even bother to replace the cap before flinging the container through the foliage.
“John, why did you do that? What if we get thirsty?” Her eyes were barely blazing though he could hear the anger in her voice. It was strange to watch her try to articulate feelings that were suppressed by whatever was in that water.
“Marlena, that water was tampered with, and my guess is that there was some sort of tracking device in that canteen, so we better move.” He looked over at her and took her hand. “Honey, how much of the water did you drink?” She scratched her head in thought as they walked.
“A few sips, but that was before I found Tony.”
“I don’t recall her drinking anything since we’ve been together.” Tony looked at Cassie.
“I don’t either.” John’s face relaxed a bit.
“Good, maybe that means that whatever this is won’t last for very long.” He tucked a thought into the corner of his mind to be brought out again when they got home.
They reached the others and waited at the appointed spot for Bo and the rest of his group. John’s ears perked up as he heard the faint hum of an inboard motor approaching.
“The boat’s coming. That must mean that Bo, Abe, and Hope found Jack and Jennifer.” He looked over to see Marlena checking Roman’s wounded foot and swallowed the bile threatening to rise out of his throat at the look Roman was giving Marlena. “She’s my wife Roman, and you’re just going to have to deal with that. You have a wife of your own waiting at home for you.” A slight wave of guilt passed through John at the thought of Kate, but he quickly pushed it aside as he heard Bo yelling for him from farther up the beach. John hurried to the smaller group as quickly as he could and took Jennifer out of Bo’s arms as Bo struggled to support a delirious Jack as well, and Abe held Patrick up. The younger man was having trouble walking due to the huge gash on his calf. As John was holding Jennifer, her entire body spasmed with a strong contraction.
“Jennifer, are your contractions regular? And do you have any idea how far apart they are?”
“I think they’re pretty regular, but I have no idea how far apart they are. I was on a ledge when Patrick pulled me up and then Hope, Abe, and Bo found us all. How’s Jack doing?”
“He’s hanging in there Jen. John, she’s only had one since we got her and that was about fifteen minutes ago.”
“Thanks Hope. I heard the boat just before I heard Bo calling me, so it should be there when we get there.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, only to come upon a squabble as they neared the hiding spot. Bo’s Irish temper got the best of him.
“What the hell is going on here?” Victor took the initiative.
“There is a row boat here that seats six people along with the rower and Tony has determined that he should go in the first group. I don’t trust him and thought that he should go last. Alice, Caroline, obviously Jennifer, Jack, Patrick, and Roman should go first.” John spoke up.
“I agree with Victor, but Jen is in labor so she needs to lie down.”
“No, John, I don’t. But thank you. Let’s get as many as we can on the boat as quickly as we can. How long will it take to row to the other boat?”
“About fifteen minutes barring any large waves.”
“Then let’s get going.” The boat was loaded and sent off silently toward the larger cruiser that sat silently in the semi-still waters. When the row boat came for its second group, Maggie, Cassie, Doug, Abe, Hope, and Marlena were loaded into the small craft and sent seaward. At last the boat came back a third time for Bo, John, Tony, and Victor. By the time the four men reached the larger craft, Jennifer’s labor was full-blown and preparations were being made for the baby’s entrance into the world. Jack had been given water and broth and was slightly coherent while Patrick and Roman were in another cabin with Caroline and Maggie taking care of their wounds. Just before reaching the safety of the real Salem, Steven William Devereaux was born. Marlena, Hope, and Alice were there to help Jennifer, while Jack fought off the delirium to be there for both his new son and his wife. Once Jennifer and Steven’s needs had been attended to, the three women left to give the new family some privacy. John saw his wife emerge from the cabin and walked over to her to wrap his arms around her. He led her to the small couch and sat down next to her.
“Abby is going to be thrilled to have a baby brother.”
“They had a boy huh? How is everyone doing?” Marlena smiled at the picture she had just left.
“Jen and Steven are doing great, but Jack will need some hospitalization once we get back.” John looked at his wife tenderly.
“And how are you doing?” He kissed her temple and waited for her reply. He could hear her ragged breathing as she fought against the tears.
“It’s pretty amazing you know? I thought I killed all these people, but they’re all alive. I was shot, you buried me, and yet I ended up on this island with all my victims. And now here we are, headed home, thanks to you and Bo. This whole journey started with death and is ending with a miraculous new life.”
“It’s still so unreal to me. I watched you take your last breath. I carried you through the streets of Salem, made a shrine to you at St. Luke’s, and watched as this psychopath mortician stabbed you with a scalpel just to prove to me that you were dead.” John closed his eyes and tried to block out that horrid memory as Marlena laced their fingers together.
“John, it’s over. We’ll figure out who is behind this, but right now I just want to go home, to our real home that has all of our memories and the feeling of you and our children in it.” He kissed her temple one last time before the boat docked.
There were three ambulances waiting at the pier to transport Roman, Patrick, and Jack, Jennifer, and baby Steven to University Hospital. Marlena turned to John as they loaded Roman into the back of the second vehicle and requested something unexpected.
“John, I’d like to go with Roman. Will you call Kate and let her know what’s going on?” John steeled his temper and schooled his emotions.
“You can ride with me, and I can call Kate on the way.” Marlena tried not to see the hurt in his eyes as she answered.
“No, I’ll just meet you there.” And before he could protest she was jumping in the back of the ambulance.
“What the hell just happened?” He stood there for a moment as he watched the flashing red lights disappear over the crest of a hill. Hope’s hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
“John? Are you all right?” He blinked rapidly and shook his head slightly.
“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine, thanks.” Without another word he headed to his Jeep to call Kate and drive to the hospital. Knowing she would be at the office, he dialed her direct line.
“Basic Black, Kate Roberts speaking.” He hesitated slightly before speaking.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
“Kate, don’t hang up. It’s John.”
“John, where are you? All I got was a message from our secretary saying that you were going to be gone for a couple of days, maybe more.” She decided to lay it all on the line. “I’ve missed you.” Another wave of wracking guilt shot through John’s gut.
“Um, Kate, where I’ve been concerns you, so could you meet me at the hospital?”
“Are you hurt? Was there an accident?”
“No, I don’t want to explain it over the phone, just meet me at the ER entrance. Please.” He disconnected then so he wouldn’t have to try to explain more. Against his will, his mind reminded him why he felt guilty every time Kate’s name was mentioned. He was transported to the Basic Black rooftop; it was raining and he and Kate kissed, but beyond the guilt of betraying Marlena’s memory he felt nothing. John ran his hand through his hair as he pulled into the ER parking lot and parked his black Jeep. “There’s never been anyone that makes me feel the way Marlena does. I’ve never loved anyone the way that I do her, and I just hope that Kate doesn’t think that there could ever be anything more between us than friendship.” John slammed the door a little harder than intended and walked slowly toward what he felt was an uncertain future. “My wife, my soul mate, is in there with her ex-husband, and I have no idea where I stand with her right now.” As his fists clenched at his sides, his mind wandered again to the past. He was asking her if she really wanted him to go, and her silence spoke more than words ever would. As he walked out of the penthouse with his bag over his shoulder, he was so lost in the vacant look in Marlena’s eyes that he didn’t hear Kate approaching until she spoke his name.
“John?” He took a deep breath to chase away the ghosts as he focused on the woman standing before him.
“Kate. I’m glad you’re here. We need to talk.” She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Neither one of them saw Marlena as she came through the door off the balcony. She retreated immediately before either of them caught her in the corridor, but John knew, he could feel her in his gut, but he would have to find her later. Right now Kate needed to know that her husband was alive. John backed out of her embrace and put her at arms length. He sighed at the look of confusion on her face. As he was about to tell her the most important news of her life, they were interrupted by the ER doctor.
“Oh, Mr. Black, have you seen your wife? I wanted to update her on Mr. Brady’s prognosis.” John gave the doctor a pointed glance before turning to Kate. She was fuming.
“Excuse me, but are you new here? Dr. Evans is dead. How dare you ask if Mr. Black has seen his wife.” John tried to butt in, to no avail.
“Kate, this is…”
“No, John, this man deserves to be reported to the board. For him not to know that one of the most established psychiatrists at University Hospital is dead is unforgivable.” John saw the knowing look cross the doctor’s face.
“You don’t know yet?” Kate looked at John in exasperation.
“Kate, Marlena isn’t dead, and the Mr. Brady that Dr. Williams referred to earlier is Roman.” John turned to the bespectacled doctor.
“Dr. Williams, please meet Kate Brady, Roman’s wife.” The doctor reached for Kate’s hand and caught it just as she fainted. John left her in capable hands and went in search of his own wife, knowing that Roman would explain everything sufficiently. John headed straight for the balcony and was not disappointed when he opened the door and saw the slightly fuzzy silhouette of Marlena in the deepening twilight. He stood there for a moment, just awestruck by her beauty and thankful once more that she had been returned to him.
“Hey there beautiful. Penny for your thoughts?” She smiled as she turned to him.
“Last time I gave you a nickel.”
“Now, I was hoping you wouldn’t remember that. A nickel it is.” He breathed deeply as her glorious smile faded and he realized that it had never fully reached her eyes. Marlena sighed raggedly before beginning.
“Nothing will ever be the same between us will it?” John waited a beat before answering; making sure that she had finished her thought. It made his gut wrench to think that she had so little to say.
“Probably not, but every time something has come between us, things have never been the same once we’ve found our way back home. It’s always been better.” He took her and turned her to him, making sure she could see his eyes. “And you are my home Marlena. You are the one person I feel safe with, the one who always lets me be myself, who is completely honest with me, and who has loved me and stood by me regardless of the circumstances.” He could see the tears glistening in her eyes.
“But you never did what I did.” She tried to turn away from him, but he wouldn’t let her.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” Shock was written all over her face as she took in the seriousness of his comment.
“I tried to kill nine people. According to the truth serum I was under, I enjoyed killing nine people. Regardless of the fact that they are not dead, I am accountable for attempted murder. How can you look at me, much less tell me I did nothing wrong?” John took both her hands in his and stroked her knuckles as he brought her long, thin fingers to his lips.
“Because I know you, and I know that had you been in control of yourself, not under some drug or whatever you were under the control of, you would never have said an unkind word to any of the ‘victims’, much less physically hurt them.” She looked down at her feet as her brain tried to reconcile John’s words with what she felt inside. When his strong arms wrapped around her, she shook uncontrollably as all of the guilt and anguish of the last months came pouring out of her. John stroked her hair as he let her cry, thankful that she was in his arms, and for a moment all of the doubts about her feelings for him were gone. When her racking sobs subsided, he suggested that they go home. Hand in hand they left the hospital.
As they crossed the threshold of the penthouse Marlena was assaulted by all of the memories that had been non-existent in the replica on the island. And when John came up behind her and put his arms around her, she knew that she was home.
“There is nothing in the world that feels like this.” She settled back into John’s embrace and reveled in the strength of his chest as she felt it rise and fall with each breath. After a long moment she turned to him and placed her lips over his, savoring the taste of him, the slight scratchiness of his day old beard, the way their bodies curved together.
“I’ve missed you so terribly, and I’m sorry for all of the horrible things I said to you and put you through, but I never stopped loving you. Not for a moment.” John crushed her to him and ravaged her mouth before releasing her just as abruptly.
“Doc, there is nothing that I would rather do right now than take you upstairs and make love to you, but I can’t. God, I can’t believe I’m saying this.” John couldn’t even look at Marlena as he raked his hands thought his hair.
“Neither can I really.” Suddenly the embrace at the hospital slapped Marlena in the face and she remembered the way Kate and John were dancing the night that the island host threw them that horrid party. “This has to do with Kate doesn’t it?” John’s jaw dropped at the mention of Kate’s name. He knew he had to be honest with her if he hoped for her to be honest with him, and he needed answers.
“Yes and no. Why do you think it has something to do with her?”
Marlena recounted to him how the host had let them see the party through a closed circuit television. A smile crossed John’s face.
“Then you know that Sami and Lucas are engaged?” Her hands flew to her mouth and she cried out in joy.
“No, we didn’t see that part. My sweet girl is engaged? She looked so happy that night, and now I know why. Tell me about it.” John took her hands again and led her to the sofa.
“I will later, but right now, we have things we need to discuss.”
She nodded slightly and let him continue. “So, you saw Kate and me dancing. We’ve been friends for a while and we both lost the loves of our lives. We spent a lot of time together.” Marlena waited for him to continue but figured that he wouldn’t volunteer any information.
“And did you become more than friends?” John shook his head slowly. He didn’t want to tell Marlena that Kate was the one pushing a relationship, but he would if it meant making his wife see that he loved her and only her.
“No, we kissed once, but the only thing I felt was guilt. It felt to me like I was betraying you, and now I know why. Even thought my brain kept telling me that you were dead, I could feel you in my heart. You were still very much alive there.” Tears were sliding slowly down Marlena’s face as she realized all over again how very much she loved this man sitting in front of her. His choice of words startled her.
“So, tell me about you and Roman.” She faltered slightly as she groped for the right words.
“What…what about us?” He took both her hands and stared deep into her eyes.
“Doc, don’t do this. Don’t shut me out. When Bo and I found you in the jungle, you and Roman were kissing passionately.” Suddenly he shot out of his seat and started pacing in front of her. The memory he had fought so hard to repress was searing the backs of his eyelids and every time he blinked he saw them together in the lush setting of that tropical paradise. She sat still with the exception of her wringing hands.
“John, I…he was hurt…he wouldn’t shut up, and I had this feeling that someone was watching us.”
“Damn right someone was watching you. Your husband…your very much alive husband was watching you. And to think that I felt guilty for kissing Kate when I thought you were dead, but you…you knew that I was alive. Roman knew that Kate was alive, but yet both of you just decided to that it might be a nice time to rekindle old feelings. I swore that I would never feel this way again Marlena, but here I am, wondering if you’re going to go running out the door into his arms again.” There was a deafening silence as John waited for his wife to answer.
“No.” It was all she said before she turned and walked upstairs.
John stood there in the center of the room stupefied. He had no idea which end was up or what to do next. John had expected a fight, tears, anger, anything and everything but her actual reaction. He ran frustrated fingers through his already tousled hair and made his way upstairs. Sighing heavily, he knocked on the bedroom door. When he got no answer, he opened it slightly and called her name. Being met by the silence once again, he entered the room and glanced around. There was no sign of Marlena, but he heard soft music coming from the adjoining bathroom. Walking to the closed door, he again knocked tentatively. He heard nothing so he decided to start talking to the door.
“It might give me more answers than my wife right now.” “Doc, look, I know I got angry downstairs, but I guess I don’t understand how you could have been kissing Roman when you knew that I was still alive, and yet I have no reason to be angry with you when I kissed Kate. I should have known you were out there, but I didn’t. I let you down, big time, and I’m not sure that I’ll ever forgive myself.” John started pacing, tired of talking to a piece of wood and flung the bathroom door open to find Marlena standing there, dripping wet having just gotten out of a bubble bath. They stared at each other for long moments; Marlena not in any rush to cover her naked flesh, and John in no hurry to look away. As John strode slowly toward her, he could feel his jealousy building, hoping against hope that his wife and her ex had not done the unthinkable, and before he knew it he had unbuttoned his shirt and thrown it aside. Marlena’s eyes darkened at the well chiseled chest of her husband and she could feel her heartbeat increase as he closed the gap between them and crushed his lips to hers. This was not the loving kiss that they had shared upon seeing each other for the first time; this was carnal and possessive, raw and hungry.
“You’re mine Marlena, and I won’t share you.”
“I don’t want to be shared, and I certainly won’t share you either. I plan on showing you exactly why you don’t need any other woman.” Marlena walked him backwards into the wall and attacked him with all of the pent up frustration and longing of the last few months, but John met her kiss for kiss, touch for touch. Their hands roamed everywhere, their tongues mated and battled for conquest, and their hips constantly ground together as they sought release. John caught Marlena off guard and turned them so that she was now the one pinned against the wall. He took both of her hands between one of his and secured them above her head as he used his other hand to unfasten his jeans and wriggle out of them. He toed out of his shoes and never once broke the intense kiss between him and his wife. Once he was free of his garments, he took his free hand and pulled Marlena by her bottom toward him. They both groaned loudly as their bodies came into full naked contact with each other. Marlena’s voice was breathy and harsh.
“Take me to bed.”
“No, I want you here…now.” Marlena pulled back a fraction of an inch from her husband’s questing mouth and looked into eyes that were black with desire.
“Here? Here is good.” And she once again captured his mouth with hers while her arms tightened around John’s shoulders. John bent his knees slightly and entered Marlena as he lifted her against the wall. Her legs instinctively wrapped around him and he pounded into her more roughly than he meant to. Neither could hold back the moans of pleasure at that first rebirth into their sexual coupling. Marlena pressed her heels into John’s taut buttocks and urged him to go faster and push her harder. As they rushed headlong into a spine shattering climax they were both chanting “mine, mine, mine” to the erotic rhythm that only they could hear. Mustering the last of his strength, John carried his wife into their bedroom on rubbery legs and snuggled under the covers with her. He kissed her tenderly on the top of her head as he ran his fingers though her hair and she ran lazy circles around his chest with her fingertips. Her soft voice broke the spell that they were both under after the intense love making.
“John, I need to explain something to you, and I want you to know that I’m telling you the truth; I’m not making something up to spare your feelings or make you think that nothing happened when something really did.” John raised her chin and looked down into the hazel eyes that he loved so much.
“Doc, you are the most honest person I know, and I know that you would never lie to me, even if it meant your own unhappiness. I’ll believe you, whatever you tell me.” She blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall and began her explanation of what happened on the island.
“When you saw me kissing Roman, that wasn’t the first time; it was the second. John, I didn’t kiss Roman because I still had feelings for him; I kissed him because I was expected to.” She watched in fascination as John’s eyebrow shot up and she briefly wondered if he really had any control over it. Shaking the irrelevant thought from her mind, she continued.
“The whole set-up seemed to be for the sake of Roman and me getting back together. I don’t know why or who went to all of the trouble, but I thought that if I made it look like Roman and I were getting closer maybe we could figure something out. The first time we kissed was right after I saw you and Kate dancing on the TV. I was so worried that you might be moving on and falling for Kate, and Roman was too. We went out on the balcony and he kissed me. I let it go longer than I should have because I thought that the island host might be watching. That’s why I kissed Roman in the jungle too. When I heard you and Bo approaching, I thought it might be the host and I kissed Roman, hoping that we might find out this person’s identity. John, I brought only one thing with me from the island.” She got out of bed and went to her dresser to retrieve her journal. “I wrote in this several times a day hoping that I might be able to piece things together. I’d like you to read through it sometime.” This time she couldn’t hold back her tears. “I thought I might never see you again, hear you call me ‘Doc’, feel your arms around me, and writing made me feel closer to you. John, I need you to know that you are the only man in my heart. You are the only one who has been there for a very long time, and you are the only one who has ever been a part of my soul.” He reached over and very lightly touched her face, wiping the tears away before leaning in to give her the softest of kisses.
“I love you Marlena Black, and you are my soul mate, my life, my every reason for breathing.” She leaned into the kiss and whispered into his ear as he trailed light kisses down her neck.
“Make love to me again.”
“I think I can handle that request.” John took Marlena’s face with both hands and kissed her slowly and thoroughly before laying her back against the pillows and reacquainting himself with every part of her body. In absolutely no hurry, they let the frenzy grow little by little as they tried to make up for the last few months. Between kisses they shared stories of what happened in their lives while they were apart and shared the intimate conversations that only two lovers can share. John and Marlena soon found themselves gasping for breath as their hands began to stroke and caress with more boldness.
“John, I’ve missed the way your touch makes me feel, the way the world disappears when I’m in your arms.” John stroked the side of her face before pulling her into another mind-numbing kiss. “Promise me that if I ever try to send you out of my life again that you won’t listen to me.”
“You’ll need crowbars and dynamite baby.” She laughed that rich, throaty laugh of hers, made even deeper by the passion that John was unleashing on her body, and the sound of it made John’s whole body tremble. “Marlena, I’m going to make love to you like no man has ever made love to a woman before.” She looked into the stormy sea of his eyes and knew that there was no where else in the world for her.
“You always do.” Once again their mouths meshed, tasted, teased, and gave the promise of so much more to come. John had one hand tangled in her hair while the other ran the length of her, barely skimming her over-heated flesh. She too had one hand roaming, laying claim to his body again after far too long. As his tongue and teeth scraped over the soft flesh of her breast her need overcame her.
“John, I need you.”
“No, we need each other, but you’re going to have to wait with the other need a bit longer.” He kissed her nose and she smacked him hard on the butt.
“Tease.”
“And you wouldn’t have me any other way.”
“I can think of quite a few ways to have you.” With that sentence out of her mouth she turned John over quickly and worked her mouth down his lean torso.
“Doc…” It was all he could manage before giving over to the heat of her mouth as it engulfed him and sent wave after wave of pleasure through him. “Baby, please, I need to be inside you.”
With a wicked gleam in her eye Marlena asked the question that got her thrown onto her back and the wind knocked out of her.
“Is that the same as needing me now John?” As John pressed her hands above her head and supported himself just barely above her, she got her answer as he sheathed himself within her.
“Now.”
They both trembled when the force of their passion erupted and they lay spent in each other’s arms. John kissed her temple softly as she curled into his arms. She looked up at him dreamily.
“I’m so glad that you and Bo convinced us all to wait until morning to let everyone else know what was going on.”
“Well, it was already close to midnight when we got back to town and it seemed harsh to wake everyone only to shock the hell out of them. Besides, it gives me a chance to have you all to myself for a while.” He pulled her closer and kissed her softly. “I missed you more than I ever thought possible. When I thought you were dead, I died right along with you.” Her hand came up to his cheek and her thumb rubbed the high cheek bone as he continued.
“Marlena, I’ve lost you so many times in my life, but it never gets easier; it isn’t something that I could ever get used to. I’m not whole unless you’re by my side.” This time Marlena leaned toward her husband and kissed him so softly he wondered if it was another one of his dreams.
“I love you John Black, with everything that I am and everything that I have.”
“I love you too Marlena.”
They drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms, not caring what might lie ahead, only knowing that they were home, where they belonged.
The Jarlena Journal 