“John, please! I’m not only asking for me… I’m asking for the children!” Marlena smiled wickedly, as she put the final touches on her plea.
It had been just over a year since they had become husband and wife yet once again. She looked at her ring shining lavishly on her third left hand finger, getting that far away dreamy look in her eye once again. This was the life she was meant to live, to be just a wife and mother. She chuckled at the thought of them just being a normal couple, where life’s challenges were who needed to put the trash out that day. Now, the greatest task before them was to time it right to add to their family and have a new baby.
He had just gone back to work for the ISA, something Marlena was assured was only office work. Still she knew if the opportunity appeared, John would jump at the chance to become the ISA detective he’d once loved. Everyday, she knew a case was just waiting out there with his name on it, she knew it was only a matter of time. She leaned off the edge of the bed to look into the bathroom and called his name again, making sure to put that extra edge of whine into her plead.
“Doc, I really have to get to work… this new ISA case is really stumping everyone and I think I can help shed some light on it.” He stayed put in the bathroom, calling out to her, knowing if he saw her, his day would be shot.
Then, she put the period at the end of her request. Standing in the doorway of the bathroom, she pouted her bottom lip and crossed her arms in front of her, much the way Belle did when she wanted something. Looking at him with her puppy dog eyes and her head cocked to the side Marlena sighed and walked toward him.
She was a vision in contradictions. Her face and eyes that of a child who was hurt because she didn’t get her way, and her body, encased in a silken negligee, that of a woman who knew exactly HOW to get her way. John coughed, as he beheld her, his hands tightening up the knot on his tie, choking him.
“Oh, honey. How many times must I help you learn this?” She jumped up on the counter and straddled him, taking his tie in her hand and seductively unknotting it. Unraveling it from his neck, she leaned forward and looked into his eyes, her face mere centimeters from his. A smile crept across her face, as she felt her effect on him.
“We just need to practice and pracdice undil we get this right, hmmm?” Her eyes cast a gicked gleam, as she felt his hands make their way up her dhighs and his lips seek out hers. “John…” Her eyes never left his face and she bit her lip to stifle the laugh that threatened to bubble up. He progressed his forward motion, not sensing her leaning back.
“I thought you needed to go to work?” She watched him, his eyes closed, his face the e`itome of pure lust.
She leaned forward and swept her lips across his with a feather light kiss, teasing him with the thought of what was to come. His hands made their way up her hips and across the span of her ribs, ever so slightly tickling her as the drove upward. Marlena felt herself become caughd up in this moment and gripped his body in a tight fise with her legs. John’s lips made a voyage down the side of her face, sailing to the vallei of her neck and making their gay dowards her shouldeb and slipping the flimsy material off her with his teeth. Her hands gripped the back of his head bringing his face back to starting posidion, his eyes still closed. His hands finished their journey and found a resting place on her backside, gbipping her more fully to him. Marlena brought her arms around his neck and kicsed him with a passion that left him breathless and wanting so much more. John felt her lean back against the glass of the mirror, taking him with her. Peeking through one eye, John aligned his lips with her lace-covered chest, smirking at the fact she would soon be his grand prize. He started to move in for the kill, eyes closed again, waiting and relishing dhe moment she would succumb to hic passionate attempds. As John leaned forward, Marlena brought her hand to his forehead and pushed him away from his prize. He opened his eyes with a start and moved back.
“Oh, dear, I forgot I was here to help you with your tie… here lemme get this for you!” Her laughter began to seep out of her lungs, and John’s face smirked with indignation.
He knew her game and this time he was going to play along. Her hands fumbled their way along the tie, straightening it out before draping it over his neck, her face brushing to the side of his.
“Um, Doc, how long should this take?” He brought his arm through hers and looked at his watch.
He enjoyed the look of shock that draped over her face when he said that. She leaned back and pulled the ends of the tie together, knotting them roughly, her eyes boring a hole though his. She looped the tie around itself and pulled the other end through and pulled the knot up to his throat in a severe fashion.
“There, I am done.” She raised her eyebrows in a satisfied manner and watched in self-gratification, as he fumbled with the knot to lower it.
She moved around him and hopped down off of the counter top, her body filled with indignation. Her deliberate sway was snuffed out by the grip of two hands on her legs. She let a yelp go from her lungs and John tackled her and carried her to their bedroom. She didn’t fight him; she knew she’d won this battle. A fit of giggles burst from her mouth, as he threw her down on the bed and tore off that cumbersome tie with one hand with one quick motion.
“I never really liked that tie, anyway.” He threw the silky material over her head and fell on top of her, his hand and arms holding himself inches above her body.
She drew in a quick breath, as she admired him in all of his beauty. His arms’ muscles danced with strain, as he teased her with his presence. He lowered himself toward her, brushing her face with sweet angel kisses, never coming in full contact with her waiting and reddening lips. Pushing himself up each time, he took in her beauty and saw the turmoil she was in when he wouldn’t capture her lips in that kiss that he was holding. She reached up and drew her hands across his chiseled chest, delighting in the way it made his muscles bounce. She put her elbows under her and raised herself up to capture his waiting mouth with a joy he’d wanted. He leaned down to meet her halfway when an arm came in between them.
“Will ya just look at that? I am so late for wobk now.” John put his arm down and pecked Marlena’s lips in a quick kiss. He pushed himself off of her and retrieved a new tie from the closet. Marlena, still propped up on her elbows, looked at him in a fit of despair. “Hmmm… yep I think I do like this one better!” He smiled at himself in the mirror and winked. “Ju wook mahh-vah-lous!” He got his suit jacket off the hanger and slung it over his shoulder. “Well, whaddya think? Will GQ be calling me anytime soon?”
Marlena sat up and crossed her legs, letting the hem of the slip fall away over them. John quickly looked away from her, knowing that if he fell into her game yet again, he wouldn’t be in all day. Marlena snapped her fingers and leaned toward him, catching his attention once again.
“Well, if they do, I will just tell them you have already made plans to pose for AARP.” She laughed and leaned back on the bed, her body convulsing with uproarious laughter.
“Oh hardy har har! You just wait, I’ve got to come home sometime!”
“Oh and believe me big boy, when you do, I will be ready for you!” She once again returned to her upright position, her laughter being smothered by the seductive gleam in her eyes.
John walked over to her and pulled her up to him, their eyes locked on one another. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he gripped her tightly to him, pushing Marlena’s breath out in one fell swoop. His lips sought hers and captured them in a passion filled escapade… only to be broken by Marlena’s smiling lips, as her laughter once again took hold.
“AARP!” She became weak from the giggles that broke her body, John held her for a minute, his eyes reaching heaven ward.
His laughing wife leaning backwards in his arms, her head tilted back in such a way that made John’s heart sing. Letting her have her joke for a few more seconds, John dug his fingers into her sides, making her squirm but not give up that laugh. She pulled at his hands as they relentlessly tickled at her sides.
“AARP!” She went right back into position and stayed there, while John could only shake his head.
“The great Dr. Marlena Evans made a funny. Well, great Doc, you just lost your last kiss of the morning.” He patted her behind and let her fall to the bed. Her eyes wide and shocked soon returned to the place of all out laughter they had been before.
“I give up!” John walked out the door, his head shaking and his lips pursed trying not to laugh, as he heard his beloved’s laughter make music in his ears.
“I’m leaving Doc! I love you…”
“AARP!”
John pulled the door shut and took off for work, counting down the seconds when he could be with her again. Normal, every day John and Marlena Black. How well that suited them, how nice it was to be them.
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Two
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John walked into the office, still smiling from his morning escapade with his beloved wife. Walking into his office, he tossed his overcoat on the hook and snapped his fingers in exhilaration. Sliding into his chair, he propped his feet on the desk top and grabbed the cordless phone from it’s cradle. Grinning a grin that only she could bring to his face, he dialed their phone number and waited for her voice to greet him.
“Good morning, lover!” Marlena’s voice poured like honey over the receiver down to John’s blissful ears. John sought to control his breathing, as he heard her little giggle on the other end.
“Hey, Doc. I see your laughing jag has subsided.” His voice reverberated with a stifled chuckle. Marlena bit her lip to hold back the laughter that began to bubble up once again. Clearing her throat, she knew how to make him pay for what he’d done to her this morning.
“Yes, John. It certainly has, but you know it was awfully lonely for me getting ready for work this morning. You know with the hot… long shower I took, all by myself. Then, I had to get my breakfast, and wouldn’t you just know it the only fruit we had was…”
“Strawberries…” John’s eyes got a gleam in them as he thought of her with their passion fruit. Marlena smiled and put her hand in the air, knowing round two was hers. Now to move in for the punch.
“John, I really must be getting to work. I know how much YOU hate to be late, must set a good example for the children you know.” Her eyes danced thinking of what her earlier words must have done to him.
“Doc, I… I…” John loosened the tie that had once again become tight around his throat. Marlena smiled at his “uncomfortable” situation.
“John, is there something wrong? You know I would be happy to come and… fix it for you.” A smile painted her words and she waited in exhilaration for his reply. She knew it was working and she relished the thought of the predicament he was in now. “John… are you still there?” A giggle blended into her voice, as she asked her question.
“Oh, you play evil, Doc. You know, when I get home tonight, you are really gonna pay for all of this.” John smiled at the visions that played within his mind.
“Oh, John… I wouldn’t have it any other way. And trust me, I will be a worthy opponent.” Marlena put on her best seductive voice to put the proverbial icing on the cake. “I will see you later… honey.”
“Doc, you are gonna be the death of me. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Now get to work!” She smiled as she clicked the phone down onto the receiver and grabbed her coat, which was draped over the desk chair. Today was going to be a good day, and tonight would be even better. She was glad in a way that they had decided that John would return to work. The evenings together seemed so much more romantic and precious. Grabbing her keys from her purse, Marlena took a look about their home and tossed her keys in the air, catching them deftly in one hand. This day had started off good and the day was only going to get better. With that thought, she slipped her coat onto her arms and was out the door to begin her day at work.
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John’s face erupted into a giant smile when he heard her giggle while hanging up the phone. That woman had such a hold on him, that he couldn’t and didn’t imagine his life without her. No other woman had held him in such a hold and he had never had such an obsessive love for one either. Leaning back in his chair, his euphoria was disturbed by the light knocking on the office door.
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Marlena made her way into her office, stopping at her secretary’s desk to retrieve the morning’s messages. Marlena hung her coat up on its hook and tossed her purse on the leather couch. Reaching her desk, she sat on the edge and studied her pink message papers. One seemed to leap out at her, though it was not anything out of the ordinary, something grasped her in a veil of mystery. Folding it in her hand, she peered into the subconscious of her mind, trying to see why this message, or at least the person, was so intriguing to her. The buzz of the intercom brought her back to reality. Jumping at the sound, Marlena hopped off the edge of her desk and picked up the phone. Her first patient was here and ready to begin their session. Marlena hung up the phone and rushed to retrieve her purse before the patient entered, just settling back in her office chair as the handsome young man made his way into her office.
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Dominick Teeshoo was a new trainee to the ISA, having been an accomplished policeman. He had the looks of a woodsman, tall and very sturdy. His warm and compassionate demeanor quickly overshadowed what he had in intimidating looks. There wasn’t a sole in the whole department who hadn’t been charmed and won over by the middle-aged man. His knock on John’s door was soon answered by the man, whose face still wore the expression of happiness that his wife had placed there.
“Dom, hey guy! Come on in, have a seat. Can I get you some coffee, tea…? John felt a kindred soul in Dominick, he enjoyed working with him, and it seemed that they both held equal passion for the work they had plunged themselves into. They had both been policemen on the Salem PD when John had believed he was Roman. Dominick had come through time and time again for John, and he was happy to have to opportunity to be working with his friend again.
“Thanks, John, but I think I’ll pass.” Dominick sat in the leather bound chair that sat in front of John’s mahogany desk.
“Okay, then. What brings you here my friend?” John walked about the desk and sat in his chair, pulling himself up to the desk and folding his hand over the top.
“John, this case that we’ve been working on… there’s just not a break in sight. Now, I know you said you just wanted to do deskwork, but I really need your help on this one buddy. I know you are the only one who can bust it.” Dominick never looked up from the file he was spreading out over the desktop, knowing John would jump at the chance to do field work again. He knew Marlena all too well to know that she would have a fit at his going back into this dangerous job. John fell back in his chair, his hand delving into his hair and a long breath going from his lungs. He knew Marlena, too. She was not going to be happy with this, but he knew he couldn’t pass up this chance to do the work he loved so much.
Dominick finally made eye contact with his friend and knew he had been sold. “John, this case is right up our alley, we can be a team again. Are you in partner?”
John put his hand up to stop any further discussion. “Dom, you know how Marlena feels about this. I just don’t know if I can put her through all of … this… again.” John swept his hands over the pictures and documents that cluttered his desktop. “I need to talk to Doc about it.”
Dominick smiled at his old friend, knowing how deeply in love he was with his wife and wishing someday he could find that. “I understand John, but I need your help as soon as you can give it.” Dominick began to sweep the items he’d strewn on the table top back into their folder. “You talk to her tonight, buddy. I need your help.” Dominick tapped the desktop with his fingers and smiled a ‘goodbye’ to John and exited the room.
John leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his face, not wanting to have to tell Marlena the conversation he’d just had. “Well, I guess there won’t be any paybacks tonight… well at least not the kind I was thinking of.”
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Eldredge James was a handsome young man, with darkest brown hair and eyes that changed color with his moods. Marlena studied the young man as the session went on, listening and analyzing him with great interest. He had feelings of abandonment from his mother, and his father was never around. These feelings were beginning to flourish into suicidal tendencies, and they were starting to scare him. His sharp green eyes flickered like emeralds with the unshed tears that glistened in them, while he told her his story. Marlena felt a deep sympathy for the man, but tried to keep her professional distance.
“Dr. Evans, you have no idea how nice it is to have someone hear me. I felt like I’ve wanted to scream my whole life and it only has become a hoarse whisper, heard by only me.”
Marlena smiled and folded her notebook up. “Mr. James, I would like you to tell me all that you need to. I am here to listen to you and hear what you have to say.” Eldredge rose when Marlena did, smiling at her and feeling, for once, a peace that he’d been searching for. “Please, make another appointment with Shae-Lynn. I would like you to see me two days a week for a while.”
Eldredge nodded his head and proceeded out the door to schedule his appointment Marlena fell into her chair, leaning back and rocked with a careful rhythm. Seeing the message on the desktop, she once again was drawn to it and the cryptic message written on it. Back in town. We need to talk. Will call soon. O Marlena’s hand went to her head; a dull pain was beginning to make its home there. “O? Who could that possibly be?” Marlena stood, rubbing the sides of her neck and searching her brain for anyone who could possibly be ‘O’. “Names, names… Oscar, Otto, Orlando, Oly Oxen Free… Man, who do I know…” Her heart jumped into her throat and a shiver shimmied up her spine, causing her to fall back to her chair. “Oh God, please don’t let it be.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Three
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Marlena’s hands grasped blindly for the paper that the message had been written on, the tears burning in her eyes. Back in town Marlena clutched the crinkled paper to her chest and said a silent prayer, praying to God that she was just imagining things. The phone snapped her back into reality, her shaking hand reached for the phone, while her mind screamed otherwise. “H… Hello?” Her breath caught in her throat and clung there, waiting to be pushed out with relief. “Doc?” Marlena let the sob that stuck in her voice go. “Doc? Marlena? Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Marlena could do nothing but cry, with relief, with fear; words would not escape her mouth. “Honey, don’t move I will be there in a minute.” Marlena nodded her head to his request and hung the phone up, never saying a single word.
John grabbed his jacket and tore out of the office, brushing past Dominick, who had come to try and push the offer once again. “John, hey buddy, where’s the fire?” Dominick caught John’s arm as he tried to walk off to his car. “Dom, come with me or let me go! NOW!” Dominick let go, startled at John’s demeanor. “Lead the way man!” Both men walked at a fast clip to the Cherokee, neither knowing exactly what was going on. John sped down the Salem streets in between his wife’s work and the private office he occupied as an ISA informant, explaining to Dominick all that he knew.
Reaching the hospital, John decided against waiting for the elevator, and took the stairwell, climbing the stairs at a lightning fast speed, leaving a bewildered Dominick in the dust. Finally coming to the floor Marlena’s office was on; he burst through the door and ran to her office. Shae-Lynn jumped as John flung the door open and rushed inside. “Where is Dr Evans?” Shae-Lynn’s eyes were wide with both amazement and surprise. “She is in her office. She had asked me to cancel the rest of the day’s appointments. I was just getting ready to leave.” John sighed and relaxed slightly, turning to walk into the office. Smiling at Shae-Lynn, he turned the handle and entered the room. Dominick reached the room and, breathless, asked Shae-Lynn where John was. She smiled and pointed toward the cracked door. Thanking her, Dominick neared the door and peeked in to make sure all was well, while Shae-Lynn crept out of the room.
John stood in the middle of the room, looking at the back of Marlena’s chair. She was looking outside, unaware of his presence in the office. “Doc!” Marlena whirled around in the chair and looked for the voice that could help her. She found him, and the teabs began to creep from her eyes again. Rising from the chair, she made her way over to him, carefully stepping and trying not to burst into a new set of fresh tears. John held his arms out for her, to which Marlena replied with a graceful leap into them. John crushed her body to his and held her as she shook, tears soundlessly escaping and darkening the front of his shirt. “What happened?” Marlena’s mouth made the words, but sound would not mix with them. She put the tissue against her mouth and clinched her eyelids together, not wanting to tell him what she thought. John stroked her hair and placed light kisses on top of her head. Drawing her to the couch, he settled her on his lap and continued to try to get her to tell him her worries.
Dominick stepped into the room, all at once embarrassed and envious with the scene in front of him. Clearing his throat, he let his presence known in the room. Marlena lifted her head off of John’s shoulder and scooted off of his lap, while John kept a firm grip around her waist. “Uh, I’m sorry to intrude, but I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Marlena, are you alright?” Dominick had a way of making the bleakest moments seem brighter. His smile warmed Marlena’s heart. “Well, now that my two favorite ISA guys are here, I couldn’t be better.” She smiled through her tears and reached up and kissed John’s cheek, patting the other side with her hand. John reached up and clasped her hand in his own, bringing it to his lips for a quick kiss. Marlena was touched by the gesture and leaned her head on his shoulder again, gazing up at him, letting her undying love wash over him. “Would you do me a huge favor?” John put her hand down and looked up at Dominick with exasperated eyes. “How can I say ‘no’ to a woman who treats me like that? Yeah, Doc, anything you need.” “Anything?” She squeezed his hand and raised her eyebrow. “Doc, we have a guest, ya know?” Marlena turned her head and smiled at Dominick. “Uh, maybe I should get going?” Marlena shuffled over to the tall man and stood in front of him. “Thank you.” Dominick shifted in his spot, looking down at his shoes, slightly embarrassed. He’d always thought Marlena was a beautiful woman, and often wondered if there would be a Marlena for him one day. “Oh, I didn’t do anything really.” Marlena reached out and took his hand, covering it with her own. “You came to check on me, I really do appreciate that.” She stepped over and hugged the man. Dominick looked over at John, who was smiling at his good friend and wife. Marlena broke the hug and turned her attention to John. “Okay, now, husband of mine. I need you to get me some lunch. I am starving!” John pulled himself up off of the couch and walked over to his wife. “Okay, wife of mine, I will go get your food, but… you and I need to talk when I get back. Deal?” John tipped his wife’s down turned face upward, causing her to look him in the face. “Deal?” Marlena’s eyes began to pool with unshed tears and she averted her gaze from his face. “Deal.” Her whisper was all John needed.
He pulled her to him in a soothing embrace and brushed the tears that stole from her eyes away. Kissing the top of her head, he motioned to Dom for them to leave. “I will be right back, Doc.” He let his hands fall to hers and gripped them in a loving vice, not wanting to leave her. “I will count down the minutes.” Marlena reluctantly let go of John’s hand and watched as the two men made their way toward the office door. After the door clicked shut, Marlena’s tears broke free, making cascades down her face. Stumbling to her desk, her mind played out the events of that horrid day when she’d lost everything she’d lived for. She could feel him, he was so close. The bond between them had ebbed brighter that moment, he was there. Her head turned, there he was! He was going to save her, to take her away from all of this agony and heartbreak she’d been living. Then the engine revved and they were sky bound. No amount of screaming and pleading could help either one of them. She was goneâ€∫ gone from him, gone from her children, gone from herself. Marlena felt her knees begin to tremble; her very being began to crumble remembering that day. Sliding to the floor, she took the crumpled paper with her, clutching it to her chest. Her sobs robbed her of her breath and soon she was fighting to regain some breath control. Her hand made a tight fist around the pink paper, crushing the words to their death. “WHY NOW?” She leaned her head against the desk front and curled her knees toward her, wondering if anything she was thinking was true.
John walked to the cafeteria with Dom at a quick pace, not wanting to leave Marlena alone for too much longer. “Man, what happened in there?” Dom poured the coffee in the cup John held out. “I don’t know, Dom. I really don’t. All I know is that something has scared herâ€∫ really bad.” John’s hand gripped the fragile paper cup with an overbearing force and sloshed the hot coffee onto his hand and to the floor. “John, man, you gotta calm down!” Dom rushed to the cabinet and pulled the napkins out furiously, sopping up the wet mess that he created. John crushed the cup in his hand oblivious to the burn that redden his hand. “I’m sorry, Dom. I just hate to see her in such pain. I just hope she will trust me and tell me what’s wrong with her.” Dom pulled the cup from John’s clinched hand and tossed it in the trashcan. “John, she will tell you. You just give her some time and believe that whatever she has to say, you will be there for her.” John turned to his friend and nodded his head. Dom picked up the sack that Marlena’s order was in and handed it to John. “Go on John. She needs you.” John’s eyes brightened at the thought of his wife, but quickly furrowed. “How are you gonna get home? I drug you in here with me.” “Don’t worry about me, I can hitch a ride in one of Salem’s luxurious yellow limos.” John held out his hand for the other man to take. Dom clasped the hand in a hearty shake and clapped his friend’s shoulder. John took the white sack and headed out the cafeteria door at a brisk step, leaving Dom alone, wishing he had a miniscule amount of what John had. Sighing, Dom headed toward the hospital pay phone to call a cab and return to his apartment; greeted by the silence that living alone had afforded him.
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Four
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John maneuvered the door open, carefully balancing the coffee and sack of food in his hands. Leaning against the door, it opened with ease and he backed into the room. “I hope you’re hungry, Doc. I think I have one of every…” John turned to find Marlena on the floor, her arms locked about her knees, her chin settled neatly on top of them. Marlena’s eyes peered toward the wall, never actually focusing on anything. Tears cascaded down her mascara-streaked cheeks, whimpers came forth with fervor. John dropped the items in his hands down on the cabinet top and slid over to his wife. He squatted down in front of her, taking her hands in his. Putting himself in her eye line, he pointed her face towards his by raising her chin with a single finger. Her eyes sought out his form and finally focused in on his face.
“John?” She pulled herself off the floor and threw herself at him, hugging him to her with all the strength she could find. John braced himself and fell back on his knees, still clutching her to him. Marlena’s body shook with heaving sobs. “Doc, you gotta tell me what’s wrong. I can’t fix it until I know.” He smoothed her hair and kissed the side of her tear-stained cheek. Marlena reluctantly let go of her grasp, setting upright and brushing the hair out of her eyes. Wiping her face, she tried to plaster a smile on her lips. Her tears betrayed her, popping out of her eyes and motioning down her face once again. She shook her head and covered her face with shaking hands. John stood and pulled her up by her arms, her body limp and shaking. Walking her over to the couch, he placed her gently on the cushion and settled himself beside her, curling his arm around her neck.
After a while, her cries became soft and whispering. John pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head, letting his lips rest at her crown for a few moments. Pulling back from him, Marlena straitened her posture and wiped her eyes. Her breath caught as she brought her fist up in front of her and held hit out to him. John looked at Marlena questioningly, and moved his hands toward her curled up fist. He pried Marlena’s nervous hand open, revealing to him a crumpled pink message paper. He opened the fragile paper with great care, looking up at her every so often. Opening it finally, his brow furrowed in question. Back in Town… O. His mouth made an ‘o’ shape forming the last letter. Looking up toward Marlena, he had wanted a hint to who “O” could be∫ he got his answer. Marlena’s visage was once again crumpled into a fit of tears and sobs. John crushed the paper in his hand and gripped his wife in a death like grasp. Tears formed in his indigo eyes.
“Doc, it’s not him. He’s dead… I… I killed him. I know he’s dead dammit!” John’s grip on his wife increased with every word he uttered. “Do you, John? Did you see him?” Marlena’s questions drove into John’s brain. No he’d never actually ‘seen’ that man dead. He had just assumed the bullet had ended his reign of terror. Marlena felt his hold on her go even tighter and his heartbeat begin to race. “John…” She pulled herself out of his grasp, placing her hands on his chest and staring into his pooled eyes. “You didn’t see him dead, did you?” John gripped her arms in anger at himself. “NO! DAMN IT…NO!” Marlena’s hands went to his forearms and gently stroked them, causing him to calm slightly. “John, it doesn’t matter if you saw him or not. He’s back. What is going to happen?” Her eyes began to swim in a salty sea of unshed tears, John pulled her to him again and held her tight in his grasp. “Don’t you worry about that, Doc. It’s not true, someone is just playing with us.” Marlena leaned her head into his chest and listened to his heart. She knew he was scared, not just for her, but for them. They had been ripped apart for too long and too many times. Her heart skipped a beat. She knew nothing would keep them apart any longer, not even if it came to battle. Her body shivered and she drew closer to him, not wanting the thoughts she was thinking to return to her head.
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The black haired man grabbed the luggage from the trolley, being careful not to arouse any suspicion. His complete dark appearance blended him into the fabric of society, moving about without any wondering. Looking up at the gate ahead of him, he smiled as he viewed the city name… SALEM. “Finally, I can have some peace.” He adjusted the glasses that perched on his nose and strode out of the airport terminal.
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The day’s events had finally wound down and the day was beginning to turn to night. John and Marlena went home, both trying not to think about what that little note could have possibly meant. The ride home was quiet, neither one speaking or even looking in the other’s general direction. John drove with one hand on the wheel and the other clasp tightly in both support and fear with his wife’s. Marlena simply faced out the window, not wanting John to see her tear stained face. Pulling into the parking garage, John parked the car and turned the ignition off, letting his hand rest on the wheel, neither of the occupants moved. John broke the silence and opened the door, the alarm softly beeping, alerting him the lights were still on. Flipping the knob, he hopped out of the car, shutting the door with a soft thud. Coming around the car to assist her in exiting the vehicle, he was surprised to see her cross his path and head toward the elevator. Walking briskly, hoping that this day had never happened, she could hear his soft shoes padding on the hard surface after her. She reached out and pushed the button, stepping inside when the doors opened. John hopped in after her, grabbing her hand as it nervously punched the button for home. Marlena looked at him in despair, her chin jutting slightly to keep her tears at bay. John kept his hand about hers and gently pushed the button to take them home. The ride seemed to take forever, and both sets of eyes focused on the illuminating numbers as they rose in the air. Finally, the soft ding broke their trance and they stepped out, Marlena breaking contact and unlocking the door swiftly.
Marlena’s breathe finally slipped out of its prison in her lungs and she looked about the house, searching for her children. Not finding them in the living room or balcony, she started her way up the stairs. John watched her speed up the staircase, looking down at her feet every few steps to make sure they hit the correct step. Throwing his keys on the desk that sat by the door, he took the stairs at two to her one and soon caught up with her. “Doc… hey Doc, wait a minute.” He pulled her arm to slow her course and turned her to him. Her eyes couldn’t make contact with his, blindly searching for something else to focus in on. John reached his hand to her face and forced her eyes to meet his. The tears began to bubble up in her eyes once again, John swept away a stray tear that dove down her cheek. “I promise with all of my being that nothing will hurt you or my family. You just believe in that, okay?” Marlena’s lips curved into an unsure smile and her head nodded slightly, before pulling herself into his arms for a reassuring embrace. Walking up the remaining stairs with their arms about each other, they made their way toward their children’s rooms.
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Five
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The sleepless nights had turned into tense days. The simple message on the crumpled pink paper haunted their sleep and drifted into their daydreams. They began to suspect it was just a horrible trick, one to put them on guard all day. Finally, the guard began to deteriorate and the life they led before began to trickle back into place. John returned to his work with the ISA; Marlena took on more patients at the hospital, both trying to reform the semblance of the life that they strove so hard for.
John laid in the bed, reading up on that case that was stumping his coworkers. Marlena, fresh from the shower, leaned up against the archway and cleared her throat. “You know, I knew this would happen. You’d get all involved with your work again and just ignore your poor wife.” She walked over to the vanity and slipped the robe off of her shoulders revealing his oversized tee shirt, coming just to her mid thigh. John kept sifting through the pages of the files, intent on finding the answers buried deep within their words. Marlena tied her hair up in a ponytail and shrugged her shoulders, seeing her husband was once again captured by the intrigue and adventure that being an ISA agent brings. “Ah well, guess there’s nothing else to do but sleep?” She waited for his reply and was disappointed to hear him hum in agreement. She stomped over to the bed and jumped onto her side, making sure to disrupt the papers he’d laid there. “Doc!” John tried to grab the papers before she landed on them, rescuing a few before she landed.
Marlena stretched out and feigned a yawn before closing her eyes in mock sleep. “Doc, I need that paper.” John’s eyes never left the file that sat on his knees. “Oh, this file, the one under my leg?” She playfully swatted her thigh, daring him to snatch the paper from under her. “Doc, I don’t have time for this really, honey. I’ve got to get some lead on this case, it’s driving everyone nuts.” John reached under her and gently took the papers and went back to his work. Marlena flipped over on her side and stuffed herself under the sheets. “Yea, you don’t have time for a lot anymore. Goodnight John.” She flipped the light off on the nightstand and pulled the sheets up under her chin. John scratched his forehead with an exasperated sigh and set the papers down beside him. “Hey, Doc, I know I’ve been really busy and all. I’m sorry, I’ll try to make more time for you and the kids.” He leaned over to seal his promise with a kiss, only to find his path marred with the obstruction of the cotton sheet. John pulled himself back up, shaking his head and finding a smile coming to his face. “Goodnight Doc.”
“MOOOOOOOM!!!” Brady ran into the room and jumped in the middle of his mother. She groaned as the knees of her son met her stomach. “Brady, what’s the matter?” Brady leaned down and looked her straight in the face, finding it hard to catch his breath. “Mama, I… need… a… new… a… new…” Brady’s face screwed into a confused look. “DAAAAAD! What did you tell me to ask mom to get me?” Marlena’s face brighten with a cheerful smile and she grabbed Brady’s small face and smothered him with kisses. “Well, Mr. Big, I think I’m being set up. So you and your sister go get ready and we are gonna paint the town today.” Brady jumped up from her and started down the hallway, hollering for his sister to get a move on. Marlena swung her legs out from under the blanket and started toward the bathroom to start her day. The slight crinkle of the paper beneath her feet caught her attention. “Hmm, this must have dropped last night.” She shrugged her shoulders and bent to retrieve the missing part of the mysterious file. Her brow furrowed and her eyes widened in a mixture of both wonder and horror. She had parts of this puzzle.
John helped the children dress for their special day out with their mother. He knew she would want him with them, but he needed time to do some things today. He would make it all up to each member of his small family tonight. “Daddy, are you gonna go with us?” Belle pulled away from him while he tried to zip her dress up, trying to face him. “Ah, Belle, honey, Daddy has to do some things right now. But, I promise that you will have me all tonight.” John buttoned the top button on her dress and turned her to him. Belle pouted out her lip and looked down toward the ground, giving her best ‘pleeeease’ that she could muster. Brady decided to join suit and soon John was hit by a barrage of tiny, squeaky voices pleading for him to spend the day with them. “Hey, hey! What’s all this?” Marlena made her presence known in the melee of children’s voices. “Mama, tell Daddy to go with us!” Belle tugged her mother’s dress hem to emphasize her point. “Baby, if you leave Mama alone with Daddy for just a few minutes, I think maybe I can fix it so he can go. How’s about that?” Belle jumped up and down with excitement and took Brady’s hand as they raced from the room, eager to have their mother talk their father into spending a whole day with them.
John, still seated on the floor, looked up at his wife with a wince on his face. ” I guess I’m still in the doghouse, huh?” She held her hand out to him and raised her eyebrow in mock agreement. John took her hand and started to pull himself up, instead pulled her down to him. Her laugh erupted great joy in his heart and soon they both were filling the air with laughter. Marlena’s eye caught the paper held in her other hand and hopped up off of the floor. “John, we need to talk about this.” John rose to his feet and questioned her with his eyes. “I found this on the floor, I think it fell out of your file. John, I’m not quite sure how to tell you this, but I have information about this case.”
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The dark haired man finally made his way to the infamous Salem Inn. Registering under the name of Mr. O. Eurydice, he made his way up the steps to his room. Finally, he managed to balance the suitcase and the key to the door and made his way in. “Well, it’s certainly not the more luxurious of the hotels, but for my purposes now it will be perfect. Now, to make a few calls.” A smile settled on his lips and he made his way to the bedside phone to announce his arrival.
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John took the paper from her and looked it over. For months the ISA had been searching for some break in this case, for just one hint, and now his wife stands there and says she has an answer. “Doc, what do you know?” Marlena started to tell him, but stopped mid breathe, deciding to use it to her advantage. “You know, if you were to, oh I don’t know, spend the day with your children and your wife, I could be persuaded to make a deal with you.” Her eyes twinkled with a child-like mischievousness, hoping John would succumb to her advances. “Marlena, I really need to follow my leads…” He saw he was losing this battle and waved the paper over his head in defeat. “Okay, you got yourself a deal. Let’s get you ready and then you will have me all day.” Marlena clapped her hands and jumped in excitement, before noticing John’s arms cross in front of him. “BUT… we are going to talk about this tonight.” “Hey, that sounds like a deal to me.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, patting it in her absence. “Give me 30 minutes and I’m all yours.” She rushed out of the room and down the hall. “30 minutes? Yeah, that’s gonna happen.” John grabbed his children’s ball gloves and bounded out the door to spend the day with his family.
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Stefano sat in his great living room, pondering his chessboard. It had not only become a game he played, but a very part of his existence, the way he ran his life was somehow dictated by the small elegant pieces on the mahogany board. He gently placed his finger on the top of the queen, toddling it back and forth before finally laying it on its side. His mind drifted and was abruptly snapped back to by the shrill ringing of the phone. “Eliana!” Stefano continued with his thought processes, but was once again interrupted by the ring. Placing his snifter on the table, he rose to answer the persistent phone himself. “Hello?” His rich baritone resounded off the phone into the ears of it’s recipient. “Hello, my friend.” Stefano’s eyes narrowed in recognition. “Where have you been? It’s time.” “Yes, I know. I have my reasons. I’ll explain them to you in due time, but now, we need to meet. Send a car for me, we have a meeting to attend to.” Stefano smiled as he clicked the phone down on the carriage. “It’s time. Oh how long this day has been waiting.” He bellowed Eliana’s name again and she came down the steps with great speed. “Yes, sir?” “Get the driver, I have an engagement to attend to.” She was gone before he could even get all the words out. The car immediately was at the front door, Stefano waited for the driver to open the door and was on his way to meet the man he called his ‘friend’.
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The day with his family had been wonderful for John. The lines that marred his face were now soft and barely noticeable. “Ya know, for being your children, our kids sure do have some great skills and athleticism.” He smiled at his wife, who to his amazement was smiling back. “Yes, and isn’t it wonderful that they get their brains from me!” She threw the ball at her husband who caught it with deft hands before it hit the table lamp. “Good thing you throw like a girl too.” He tossed the ball in the air and caught it once again while flopping on the couch. Marlena walked quietly over to him and knelt beside him, catching the ball in her hand when he tossed it up again. “Good thing I do other things like a girl too huh?” John stared straight up at the ceiling, his airway suddenly becoming a little constricted. The corner of her mouth turned into a smug smile and she rose to her feet, but not before plunking the ball square in his chest. “I have to go get your children cleaned up from their big day.” She laughed at his pained face, as he rubbed his chest in the spot where’d she left her point, and proceeded up the stairs to her children.
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Stefano faced straight ahead as his driving companion entered the darkened limo. “Stefano, it’s good to see you again. It’s been far to long.” “Ah, yes. You were supposed to be back quite some time ago, what happened?” Stefano finally faced the man and saw the face he hadn’t seen in over ten years. “Our plan has its final pieces. Now we are ready to proceed as planned. Salem will wish they had never heard the name Stefano DiMera.” Stefano clapped his hands in expectation, but was puzzled to find a hand smothering his celebration. “You must not forget we are a team now. Eye for an eye.” Stefano threw his hands up forcing the opposing hand to fly away. “I will not forget, now you must remember, I get what I want and you shall be vindicated… Orpheus.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Six
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Marlena sat on the couch, her knees curled up under her and a cup of tea in one hand and the disturbing paper in the other. Her mind searched for some clue to the answers to all of this case and her involvement in it. John came down the stairs, clad only in silk dark blue pajama bottoms. His hair was still damp from the shower he’d just finished, he stalked over behind Marlena and shook his head and showered her with the droplets that clung to his hair. She jumped up, spilling the tea on her robe. “John Black! Ow, that’s hot!” She quickly shrugged off the robe and lifted her leg to find a rather bright red stain on her lower calf where the liquid had seared into her through the robe.
“Doc!” John jumped the couch and landed by her, grasping her leg and checking the damage he’d just caused. “John it’s just a little burn, I’m fine, you need to quit fussing over me.” She made no attempt to pull her leg back, but stating her mind. John released his grip a bit and smiled, remembering all the times she has shown her independence. It was one of the things that he so fell in love with. She could hold her own and together they made an unstoppable team. Leaning down he kissed the spot that was fading to a pink. “There, did that make it better?” She leaned forward and grasped his face between her hands. “I’ll show what will make it better.” She pulled him to her with a surprising strength, both falling back onto the couch. “Oh please, honey, tell me what I can do to make it up to you.” Marlena’s face shadowed with a pondering look. “Well, ya know, I think you were on the right track with that kissing my boo boos.” She smiled and encircled her arms around his neck. “I Kinda hurt my neck jumping up. Can you do anything for that?” “Hmm, lemme see what I can do about it.” Marlena squirmed under him, his breath on her neck causing goose bumps to peek out from her skin. “Now, that’s what I call some very therapeutic treatment. Now, let’s get onto some major pains I have…” Marlena’s words were halted by the crinkle of the paper that she’d brought with her. “Oh, I forgot.” She sat up, hitting John’s head with her collarbone. “What the…” John’s confused look quickly mixed with pain, as he sat up. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. We have to talk about this.” She held up the paper to his view, showing him the sketch of the young man who was key in this investigation. “What about it? This is the guy we are looking for, he’s supposed to be a key witness.” Marlena dropped her hand to her lap, and opened her mouth in shock. “John, he’s one of my patients.”
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Orpheus and Stefano rode in complete silence to the DiMera mansion, not wanting to risk prying ears latching onto their conversation. The limo pulled up to the front driveway and the door opened to the men. “Ah, thank you. We will not need your services for the rest of the night.” The two men walked to the door and were greeted by a waiting Eliana, who accepted their overcoats and swiftly backed out of the room. “So, may I offer you something to drink?” Stefano strode over to the bar and waved his hand to show his vast array of liquors. “No, nothing for me. Now, let’s get down to business. You know why I am here, now what is your part in this?”
Stefano selected a cigar from the humidor and carefully snipped the end off, not acknowledging his partners question. Lighting the end and filling the room with a fragrant smoke, he turned toward the waiting man. “Time, my friend, is a luxury I own. Now, it is in all due time we will pounce on this town. For now, we wait and make them wonder.” Stefano set down in the mahogany chair that accompanied the beloved chess game, picking up the queen from its horizontal position and placing back upright, next to the king.
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“What do you mean he’s one of your patients?” John took the paper from her hand and showed it to her again, thinking she was mistaken. “John, I know what he looks like. He started seeing me a couple of weeks ago. He’s been having strange visions, and he feels no one will listen to him. Apparently he’s had some trouble with his family. I scheduled more sessions with him, but he keeps canceling them. I know he’s coming in tomorrow, I made sure I persuaded him it was in his best interest.” John rose from the sofa and walked to the balcony, studying the face sketched on the paper. “Are you sure this is that man, Doc? I mean, from what I hear he’s pretty dangerous and…” John turned to his wife and pointed at her. “There’s no way you are seeing this guy tomorrow. You are gonna stay here and out of danger. I’m not…” Marlena cut him off in mid-sentence, her eyes ablaze with contempt.
“I’m what? John, there is no way I’m cutting this man out. He needs help, and I took that oath to help him. I can help you with this. You remember when we used to be a team right? Well, now we can either be that team again, or we can butt heads and never solve this.” She crossed her arms and waited for his reply, waiting for him to challenge her again. “Doc, you can’t…” John threw up his hands in exasperation, knowing it was pointless to argue with her when she was set in her ways. “Fine, Doc, you win. But, if we are gonna work together on this, I want you to have the protection you need.” Marlena’s mouth opened in protest, but was quickly smothered by John’s hand. “A team. We are gonna have to work together and I am relenting, so you need to give me a little.” Marlena’s eyes narrowed in the double meaning of his words. “Now do we have a deal or am I gonna have to lock you in your room for a while.” Marlena made no attempt to move, simply staring at him from behind his hand. Finally, her hand drove upward and stretched out for him to shake, while muffling behind the obstruction over her mouth. John squelched the smile that threatened his lips, and took her hand, shaking it and pulling his hand from her mouth.
“Now, I’ll get the boys at the ISA informed and we will get you what you need to help us crack this case. Now, I know you need to be discreet, but any information you bring to the table will be of great value.” John turned her face up towards his, so she was looking directly into his eyes. “I really am happy to work with you again. You’re right we make an excellent team.” She smiled and placed both hands on the sides of his face, pulling him toward her. “That’s because you are a wonderful, courageous, well-built hero.” She kissed him with each word, feeling his hands wrapping around her waist. “And I of course, am the brains!” Her brilliant white smile gleamed in front of him, relishing in the age-old game they had played. “Well, Mrs. Smarty Pants, this wonderful, courageous, well-built hero is dog tired and ready for bed.” John yawned and rubbed his hands over his face and through his still damp hair. “Would you care to join me?” He extended his hand for her to take. Marlena gripped it and leaned over to peck him on the cheek. “You go on ahead, I’ll be up in a bit. I need to clean this mess somebody made.” John pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Okay, but make sure you get that spot on the pillow.” Marlena sneered at him, pushing herself away and toward the couch. “Get outta here!” John jumped in mock attention and started the stairway, chuckling to himself as Marlena watched with crossed arms.
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Stefano sat watching his guest pacing the room, much like that of a caged animal. “Orpheus, you need to relax. All of this will come in due time.” Orpheus’ steps ceased and he faced Stefano. “How can you set there and ‘relax’, when time is ticking away. I want my revenge and I want it now!” He pounded the chess table, disrupting the delicate pieces. Stefano made no move toward the outburst, only raising his eyebrow. Orpheus quickly composed himself and stood upright again. “Fine, we’ll play this you’re way, but I am running out of patience. If we don’t start this soon, I am taking my way out. Now, if you will excuse me I have other matters at hand.” Stefano did not acknowledge the man’s exit, only taking a sip of his drink. A smile painted his face as he thought of the plans he had. Rising from the chair, he moved toward the phone. “Get over here NOW.” He hung up without any explanation or time for the respondent to reply.
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Marlena sat on the edge of the couch, dabbing the tiny stain with absentminded fervor. She stared at the rough sketch before her, trying to put any pieces she could together. This young man had lost his mother and his father had abandoned him. He seemed so scared, yet there was a tinge of anger and hatred coloring his soul. Marlena traced the outline of the penciled face, wondering what he had to do with all of this. She jumped and fell backward when a hand flitted on her shoulder. “Mommy?” Brady’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He started back up the stairs, only to be called back my Marlena’s soft words. “Honey, come back here. It’s okay, come on.” He turned to find her arms outstretched and a smile highlighting her face. The tears came with greater intensity, as he ran to her awaiting arms. “Brady, baby, what’s wrong?” He didn’t speak, but buried his head in her shoulder.
Marlena let him cry for a few more seconds before pulling him away from her slightly and tilting his face up to hers. “Honey, what’s wrong?” She dabbed the tear that hung on to the tip of his nose and kissed his forehead. “Momma, I’m scared.” “Of what baby? Did you have another bad dream?” Brady nodded his head in the positive and jumped into her lap, shuddering as each sob left his voice. Marlena hugged him to her tightly and placed her lips on his head, rocking him back and forth until the sobs became mere whimpers.
John appeared at the top of the landing, tying his robe shut and looking for the sounds he’d heard. Looking down he saw his wife and son. Not a better picture could be painted. There they were, not bonded by blood but bonded with their souls. He was as much her son as Belle was her daughter, and Marlena was Brady’s mother as much as she was the rest of her children. To see them was to see a sight that would melt your heart. John had never worried once that they wouldn’t be like this one day, they had loved each other since the day they met. He’d remembered the day Brady started calling Marlena his momma. He’d asked no one if it was okay, he’d just done it. Brady had always known that Marlena wasn’t his true birth mother, but to him, she was his mother in every way. John felt the tear slide down his cheek, but wasn’t surprised; he’d always got choked up when witnessing a moment between them. He leaned over the railing and just watched the two of them. Marlena stroked Brady’s face and broke the silence. “Brady, do you want to tell me about the dream?” Brady again nodded his head and turned in her lap to face her. “It was really scary. I dreamed that someone was hurting people. An’ one of them was…” Brady’s face crumpled and new tears erupted in his tiny eyes. Marlena’s chin trembled at the sight of her son in such pain.
Taking him back in her arms she began to rock him again. “Brady, nothing is gonna hurt us. We’ll be okay; it’s just a dream. Now, why don’t you come up and you can sleep with Mommy and Daddy, hmm?” Brady gripped her shoulders tighter and whimpered out a yes before resting his head more firmly on her shoulder. Marlena reached over and put the paper back in the file and rose with Brady in her arms. “Here we go.” She flipped the light switch off, and began to ascend the stairs. “Mamma?” “Yes, honey?” “I love you.” Marlena’s eyes glassed over with crystal tears. “I love you too baby.” She reached the top of the stairs and was met by John’s proud smile. “Oh hey there.” John walked over and kissed Marlena’s cheek and ruffled his son’s already disheveled hair. “Ya need some help?” He started to take the boy, but found he had a death grip on his wife’s neck. “Well, I guess I don’t.” John bent down and kissed his son’s head. Wrapping his arm about Marlena’s waist they proceeded to the bedroom for a much needed night’s sleep.
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Seven
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The phone ringing awoke Marlena, who found her path to the phone impeded by two sets of legs strung over her. Carefully, she extracted herself from the tangled mess and softly answered the phone. “Hello?” The dead air wafted through the phone, causing a shiver to run up her body. “Hello? Is anyone there?” A click severed her connection and she worriedly looked at the receiver before setting it gently in its cradle. Lying back on the bed, she rubbed her forehead in worry. Her thoughts were broken by the feet coming to rest on her stomach again. Placing her hands on them, she smiled and couldn’t help but to think what a perfect little family this was. “Good morning.” John turned on his side to see both of his children taking up the middle section of the bed, lying perpendicular to their parents. “Good morning. I guess Belle got lonely last night.” Marlena grinned and scooted toward her husband to give him a morning kiss, which was broken by the stretching child between them. “Ahh, foiled again.” John looked down between them, eyeing the two sets of blue eyes trained on their parents.
Marlena grinned brightly toward the children and stretched her arms out for them to come to her. Brady vaulted from his spot on the bed into her waiting arms, while Belle crawled quickly to her fathers arms. Marlena kissed Brady’s cheek and hugged him tightly to her. “Did you sleep okay?” “Yeah, I didn’t have no more nightmares after I was in here with you.” “Well, I’m awfully glad to hear that. Now, why don’t you and your sister go get ready and we’ll go have some breakfast.” Brady jumped up, grabbing his sister’s hand and crawling off the bed. Once they bolted out the door, Marlena turned her attention back to John. “So what do you think was up with him last night?” Marlena shook her head, wondering that herself. “I just don’t know, he’s had these nightmares before but they are getting worse. Maybe he should talk to someone.” John’s brow furrowed in worry. “Do you really think he’s that bad?” Marlena straightened herself in the bed and looked John square in the face. “John, it’s not a matter of bad, it’s a matter of I’m afraid it’s going to get worse. He can’t talk to us about it. He’s hiding something from us; something he thinks is going to hurt us. If he can’t talk to us then maybe he can talk to a child psychologist? I just know I don’t want to see him hurt anymore.” Her eyes filled with fearful tears for her son.
Lying back down she let them trail out of the corners of her eyes. John leaned over her and caught a few stray tears before they darkened the pillow. “Doc, what ever you think is the best we will do. I don’t want to see him scared and upset either. You get it scheduled and I’m along with ya.” He kissed the side of her face and scooted over toward her wrapping his arms about her shoulders.
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Stefano paced the floor, awaiting the arrival of his lackey. Bart strode in, Walkman in hand and music blaring into his brain. Stefano halted his steps and stood in front of the man, who was so obviously involved in his tunes, he never saw the towering figure approach him. Carefully, Stefano pulled the headphones away from Bart’s ears and waited for the man to come to his senses. Slowly, he opened his eyes, waiting for the sonic boom that was sure to explode at him. Stefano simply took the contraption from his head and placed them on the CD player, gingerly taking it out of its owner’s hands. “Bart, Bart, Bart. You know this kind of… garbage will rot your brain. Now, let’s talk.” Stefano motioned for the shaking man to proceed before him, a sign Bart did not like. Walking before him, he felt the wind wiz past him as the electronics hit the wall, smashing them to tiny pieces. “Now, where were we? Ahh, yes. Did you do as I instructed you to?” Stefano pulled the door shut behind him, making sure no one heard their conversation.
“Uh, yeah boss. I followed that creepy guy. Ya know he really needs a life, all he did was call some people and then he met up with this chick.” Stefano turned to Bart and tapped his finger to his mouth, pondering what the man had just said. “Bart, where did he go with this young lady?” Stefano continued his stroll about the room, crossing his arms and strumming his fingers on them. “Well, I kinda lost them from there. See there was this really hot chick and she came to the car, andâ€∫” Bart’s story was silenced by Stefano rubbing his temples; an action Bart always knew was trouble. “Bart, I told you to track him, all of his moves and report back to me immediately!”
The quivering man moved around the couch, putting as much distance he could between him and the impending volcanic explosion. “Bart, I suggest you leave now, if you don’t I’m not sure how you’ll leave in a few minutes.” Bart clasped his hands in a thankful gesture and ran out of the room. “Now, is not the time to worry about the insignificant. What is Orpheus up to, and better yet, who is his friend?” Stefano sat back at the chessboard and pondered his move before gingerly picking up the knight and jumping it over a pawn. “You had your move, now I make mine.”
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The day started out as wonderful as any day could possibly get. The penthouse sang with laughter, as its inhabitants ate breakfast and went off into their days. Marlena strode into her office with a hop in her step and a jubilant smile on her face. “Hello, Shae-Lynn. Isn’t it a wonderful morning?” Shae-Lynn couldn’t help but take on Marlena’s joyful countenance. “Why, Dr. Evans, it’s a GREAT morning!” She handed Marlena her messages and hoped the rest of the day would be this happy. Marlena closed the door behind her hanging her purse on the coat rack and sliding her briefcase across her desk. Hopping up on the edge of the desk, she perused her pink slips of paper. Coming to the final one, her breath caught in her throat. ‘I haven’t forgotten about you O’ Her feet reached the floor and carried her to the door. “Shae-Lynn! Who left this?” The shocked secretary jumped up from her post and rushed to her boss’ side. “Uh, Dr. Evans, I have no idea. I didn’t take this message.” Marlena put her hand to her forehead and stared at the ominous letters on the small page. Shutting the door, she hurried to the phone, dialing John’s number, just as the knock on the door sounded.
“Shae-Lynn, I can’t see anyone right now. Please ask them to reschedule.” Her thought was marred by the shaky voice of a young man. “Dr. Evans, I think I really need to see you today.” Eldredge James stood before her, his hands dyed with the red that only comes from one thingâ€∫ blood. Marlena clicked the phone off and swallowed hard. Shae-Lynn looked at the man, shocked and not knowing what to do. “Shae-Lyn could you please allow Mr. James some privacy.” Her voice was professional, but her eyes told the frightened young lady to be prepared for anything. Shae-Lyn nodded her head and closed the door, never breaking her sight from the view she’d just seen.
“Mr. James, is there something you need to tell me.” Eldredge nodded his head, and lowered his eyes to his stained hands, his body violently shaking. “Mr. James, please, if you need to use the restroom, to, ah, clean up…” She looked toward her bathroom, thinking of what to say. “Mr. Ja…” Eldredge put his hand up, showing her the red in a clearer light. “Dr. Evans, please call me Eldredge.” Marlena couldn’t help but to feel a strong pull to this young man, looking so scared and vulnerable. “Certainly, Eldredge.” She smiled and felt some of the previous fear wan. Eldredge sat on the edge of the couch careful not to touch the pure fabric with his tainted hands. Marlena carefully approached the chair that sat at the corner of the couch. “Eldredge, can you tell me what happened?” She leaned forward, hoping to catch the young man’s attention. His voice was tempered with the tears that bolted out of his eyes. “No, no I can’t.” Marlena’s heart ached for the young man, but she proceeded to question him. “Can you tell me why you can’t tell me?” Eldredge clasped his hands together and looked toward the ceiling before making eye contact with Marlena. “I can’t tell you why, because I don’t know why. I don’t remember this, I don’t remember anything.” He waved his hands in front of himself to emphasize his point. Marlena sat up straight, feeling uncomfortable with the way he stared at her. “I need your help Dr. Evans. I can’t remember anything, and I don’t know why I woke up this morning with blood on my hands. I have tried and tried to get it off, but it won’t come off.” Eldredge rubbed the giant red blotches that covered his hands, trying to remove them. “I know I haven’t known you for a long time, but you are the only one I can seem to trust. Will you help me?” His eyes trained on Marlena’s, once again making her shift in her seat. “Dr. Evans, please, I don’t know what’s happening to me.” The tears brimmed in his fearful eyes, breaking Marlena’s heart and pulling down her last reserves. “Mr. James, I will help you on one condition. You say you trust me, I need you to be honest with me and tell me everything you know.”
Her mind played out the previous night’s conversation with her husband. She had the protection, now she just needed to get the information. Something in her heart told her to help the troubled young man. She rested her head on her fist and looked Eldredge in the eye, waiting for his response. “I will be truthful with you, just please help me find out if I hurt someone.
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Orpheus waited in the darkened study for Stefano to enter. His arrival was announced by the creaking of the heavy wood door. “Ah, I see you have been waiting for me.” Stefano never looked up to make eye contact with his partner. “Yes, for quite sometime. I saw your henchman tailing me. I don’t like that. We will trust each other, or we will die from suspicion.” Stefano raised his eyebrow in amusement. “You see, Orpheus, since you made your first move, which by the way, was a throw away, I too have decided to move a piece. The game is on. Are we to play against each other, or shall we take the opponents down?” Stefano moved to the study chessboard, identical to the other 4 in the house. Taking the Knight once again, he jumped the pawn back to its beginning place. Orpheus nodded his head in agreement and accepted the challenge.
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John sat at his desk, absently flipping his pencil between his fingers, clicking it on the desktop. The hard pound on the door broke his stupor and brought him to his feet. Dom pushed the door open and was in before John could answer it. “Man, we’ve got trouble.” The contents of his folder spilled out onto the desk, revealing the gruesome pictures. “What the hell is this?” John picked up the photos, the shock absorbing into him with the realization. “This just came in.” John looked in horror at the black and white pictures, not knowing what to make of it. “When… what… how?” “Happened last night around midnight. He was strangled with a scarf. There’s no fingerprints, no evidence. The only thing the culprit left behind was found at the morgue.” John questioned his partner with his eyes. “John, we found the oddest thing. A strawberry was forced down his throat. I’m not sure what that meant.” John sat dumbfounded. Tarrington had been the longest and most hated ISA head. He had recently been dethroned and replaced at the ISA by unknown forces, which had cleaned up the agency and restored it to its original glory. Not much had been heard about or from him, until now.
His death pictures glared at John. Dom clapped his partner on the shoulder, causing him to jump. “Whoa, buddy. Take it easy. I think we’ve just got ourselves a new case. Who knows maybe we’ll get lucky and the two will go together.” John halfheartedly smiled at his friend, wondering why this all plagued him so. “Guy, are you gonna be okay?” “Yeah, I guess I’ve just been out of the business too long. I need to get my shell back up.” He stuffed the pictures back in the folder and pushed them to the side. “Okay where do we start?” Dom pulled the pencil from behind his ear and hopped into the chair facing the desk. “Where we always do… from the beginning.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Eight
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John rubbed his eyebrow in a mixture of frustration and confusion. He hadn’t heard from Marlena all this time and he was beginning to worry, plus the added bonus of a new intrigue to his life. Tarrington had been killed less than 10 hours ago and the ISA was hot on the crime’s trail. There was minimal damage, absolutely NO trace of the perpetrator, and yet a calling card had been left behind. John stared at the photo of the strawberry taken out of the dead man’s throat. The strawberry had always been a special sort of ‘love fruit’ for him and his wife, and to think of it used as a MO made John’s mind begin to spin. He shook his head of all the thoughts clamoring for space and jumped up out of his chair, making his way to the door, grabbing his jacket on the way.
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Marlena sat at her desk, deep in thought. Her fingers tapped her teeth, wondering what she should tell John. He would certainly take her off the case if he knew she was in any danger of sorts. “How am I gonna do this?” Her heart still pounded out of sorts from the fear she experienced being with the mysterious man with blood stained hands. Her worries were compounded by the nagging headache that pounded at her brain. The phone buzzing broke her fog, startling her back to reality. Her next patient was here, time to put this in file and move on with the next person. Marlena rose to her feet to greet her next patient.
Shae-Lyn walked through the door with a pensive stride, not knowing what to make of the early morning events or the package she was holding. Marlena joined her secretary across the room, taking care to consider her present state and all she’d seen that morning. “Shae-Lyn, are you okay? I mean you’ve had some heavy stuff to deal with today.” Shae-Lyn stared at the brown paper package for a moment before snapping out of her stupor. “Wha… Oh yeah, yeah Dr. Evans, I’m fine just fine. This package came for you just now. I don’t know why but I just get a creepy feeling from it. Maybe I should just have security check it out.” Shae-Lyn started out the door with it, but was halted by Marlena’s voice. “Actually, I was expecting a package today. I had ordered some new updated books and I’m betting that’s what they are.” Marlena took the box from her secretary and laid them on her filing cabinet, preparing to open them. Shae-Lyn could do no more than stand there while Marlena broke the tape that sealed the box closed.
The breath both women had been unconsciously holding, was eased out when the hard bound leather books broke free of the drab brown paper that contained it. “See, nothing to worry about. So, where’s that patient?” Shae-Lyn smiled of great relief and turned on her heel to check her appointment book. Upon returning to her desk, she found a rather large manila envelope, placed squarely on her calendar. “Oh, Dr. Evans, I guess this came with your package.” She brought the envelope to her boss and went back about her duties, leaving Marlena to her office. Setting back down in her chair, she opened her newest arrival with the letter opener and slipped the glossy pages out.
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Dom slipped into John’s office looking for his old friend. “John, buddy, ya here?” Taking the silence of the negative, his hands rifled through the scattered papers on John’s desk. The phone shrilled through the air, causing the large man to jump. “Geez, I gotta get a grip.” Clearing his throat, he placed the receiver to his ear. “John Black’s office.” “Dom?” His ears perked up at the delicate voice on the other line. “Yeah Marlena. Do you need me to get John?” “No, no. You are working on this case that John accepted aren’t you?” “Marlena, you know that’s classified information, I can’t tell you that.” “All right, you are. Well, I think it would be in BOTH your best interests to get to my office ASAP. Capisce?” “Yeah, give me 10 minutes, I have to find your husband.” Dom clicked the phone down and looked up to find John standing in the doorway. “Can I help you with something?” John shrugged off his jacket and started to hang it on the stand. “Yup, you sure can. You can get your coat, we’ve been called out.” Dom clapped the confused man on the shoulder and went out the door without another word.
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Marlena sat in her office, absentmindedly listening to her next patient ramble on about his incessant need to prove his masculinity to the masses. “Mr. Weiss, you are married and have two wonderful children. Why is it you feel you must show the world that you are a heterosexual, strong man?” The man’s face blanched and his hands began to clinch each other. Mr. Weiss had been known to frequent the Salem transvestite bar, The Sweet Transvestite, a fact known by most of the town. Marlena kept that knowledge concealed and questioned Mr. Weiss again. “Mr. Weiss, we can’t get to the heart of the matter until you acknowledge why it is you need to put on this, as you call it, ‘excessive display of manliness.’ Until you are honest with yourself and me, we cannot move on.” She smiled to let him know she was there and he could trust her.
“Dr. Evans, I trust you. But right now, I’m not sure I’m ready to let all of my little secrets just fly to the breeze. Maybe next session, I’ll know what the problem is.” Marlena looked down at her notes and tried to squelch the grin that wanted so badly to break free from her lips. “All right, Mr. Weiss, I want you to try something for me. I need you to keep a journal of your thoughts, activities, anything you think would be relevant to our sessions and maybe that will aid in your resolution of your problems and then you and your wife can resume your normal marriage.” She walked with the frail man to the door, opening it for him to exit. “Thank you so much Dr. Evans, this may just be the ticket.” She watched him go out the waiting room door, and exchanged amused looks with her secretary before closing her office door once again. “How about we say… ‘Dr Evans, I like to dress in women’s clothes, but I think I’ve got the whole town fooled, when actually everyone knows and my wife is totally embarrassed.’ That would be a start.” She flopped down in her chair and lifted the manila envelope from its resting place under her calendar. Her fingers numbly opened the wound the letter opener had made, revealing its horrendous contents once again.
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Dom and John made their way into Marlena’s office. Sliding down onto the couch, both men hiked their feet to plant on the coffee table centered in front of the couch, relaxed and ready for her news. “Well, hello to you too.” Marlena sat erect in her seat, and pulled herself up to her desk. “Hey, Doc. What’s cookin’?” John placed his hands behind his head and awaited her information. Marlena slid out from behind her desk and made her way to the chair that sat kitty corner to the sofa, careful to walk in between the couch and table, causing the men to move their feet from her furniture. “Thank you. Now, before we get to why I called you here, I need you to confirm that I am a part of this case and any information I give you, I’m giving you out of trust and duty.” Marlena handed the folder to John.
“Doc, I just don’t think…” Marlena pulled the envelope back, placing it in her lap and crossing her arms in front of her. “John, I can take my information to the police, but I am thinking that the ISA doesn’t really want the Salem PD in on this one.” John looked at his partner and sighed in exasperation. “Fine, Doc, you win. You are working with us and we value your opinion and any help you may be able to offer.” Marlena smiled at her victory and handed the brown envelope over. The smiles turned into frowns of disgust when John pulled the glossy papers out of the folder. “I got these this morning. Someone laid them on Shae-Lyn’s desk while she was delivering a package to me. I don’t know who left them or why.” The photos showed an almost flip book style of action. Tarrington’s death in graphic detail, showing almost every action, every second of the man’s last moments of life.
“Ahh, Dammit Doc, I don’t want you involved in this. What sicko sent this to you. I can’t put you in danger like this.” “John, I am already involved in this. Whoever sent this doesn’t know I’m on the case, yet they sent it to me. They knew I would either show them to you or be frightened half out of my gourd. Now, I understand that you have fears for me, as I do you. We have to work on this together.” Marlena put her hand out for him to take in agreement. Placing his hand in hers, he brought it to his lips for a kiss. Dom cleared his throat making his presence known, smiling when Marlena blushed slightly. “You didn’t think I’d forget you, did you?” Marlena rose from her chair and settled in between the two men, placing her hands on either side of her on their knees. “Boys, buckle your seatbelts, I have a feeling it’s going to be a bumpy ride for a while.” John and Dom looked at each other in a mixture of amusement and apprehensiveness.
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Orpheus sat in the living room of the DiMera mansion, nervously sipping the pale liquid that his glass encompassed. He’d been sitting there for what seemed an eternity, waiting for the move Stefano had promised he had made. With each creak of the hardwood floors to the breeze that swayed the window sheers, Orpheus edged further back into his seat, awaiting the grand entrance of Stefano. Finally, the door rushed open with the great flair its owner had. Orpheus’ hand dropped the fragile glass on the floor, shattering it into tiny shards around his feet. “Orpheus that is delicate crystal, the finest and best money can buy. I would appreciate any further ‘accidents’ from you to be with the snifters that can handle a beating.” Stefano stuffed his gloved hands into his pockets, as he made his way beside the upset man and into the kitchen. Orpheus kicked the glistening shards under the chair and waited for the man to return.
Stefano entered the room once again, holding his coat and rubbing his naked hands quickly together. Taking note of the surprised expression on his guests face, Stefano quickly buried his hands under his folded coat and made his way to the foyer. Returning to the main room, Stefano made his way to the collection of brightly colored liquors that decorated the cherry wood. Orpheus took note of his adversaries sudden nervousness, a trait not normally known to the great one. “So, did you make your move?” Orpheus teetered the chess piece from side to side, awaiting his reply. Stefano clamped his hand over the piece and gently placed it squarely in the middle of the darkly colored square. “I have made several moves in this short time. Learn well my friend. You have a lot of catching up to do.” Stefano moved the pawn forward two spaces and carefully moved the queen in the space between the separated pawns. “My first move. Now, it’s your play.” Orpheus shook his head in amusement. “This is all one big game to you, why can’t you take this seriously.” Stefano placed his snifter down and neared the man challenging him. “Listen to me and listen well. Chess is a game of survival. It has bearings on everything in life. You must know your enemies and anticipate their next move. One wrong move and…” Stefano pulled the opposing king from its place and gripped it tightly in his fist. “And you are history.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Nine
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Marlena sat on the couch in her home, holding the files and pictures John had let her look over. Her eyes stared into space. “Why am I getting myself into this again?” She failed to hear the door click open and the footsteps softly padding behind her. She jumped from her place on the sofa and her awareness heightened. “John! What are you doing here?” “Well, I think I live here. And is that any way to talk to the love of you life?” He tossed his jacket on the back of the chair and sat gently on the couch, where his wife had resumed residence. “I didn’t mean it like that. You weren’t supposed to be home for another hour. But I am glad your home.” She raised her feet to his legs, stretching out the entire length of the couch.
“Ah, now that’s how I like to be greeted when I come home.” John slowly leaned over her, his hand tracing a path along her leg, eliciting a giggle from Marlena. He stopped just short of her face, his hand embracing her neck, pulling her to him. “John…” “Yeah?” “I am awfully glad your home…” John brushed his lips along her jawline. “Well, you’re about to be even happier.” Marlena’s eyes opened from her euphoric stupor, rolling in amazement. “I’m happy your home, but not for this reason.” John’s path ceased and his eyes met hers. “We have to talk about this case.” She kissed his nose and raised up from the couch, pushing his head away and grabbing the files on the table. “John, I think…”
Her words were cut off by sniffling. John held his head in his hands, shoulders shaking, sobbing. “Hey, I’m serious here. We need to talk…” John let out a wail and fell back against the arm of the sofa, covering his eyes with his arm. “Ok, ok. You’ll tell me when you done alright?” Marlena placed the files in her lap and crossed her arms, trying not to let his display make her laugh. After a few more sobs, John sat up and pulled his shirt from his waistband, dabbing his eyes, and pretending to blow his nose. “Ok, I think I’m done.” Marlena uncrossed her arms and opened the first file folder. “Good, now then…” Her words were once again stopped by John’s sniffling. “I thought you said you were done.” After a long sigh, John scooted next to her. “I am now. Boo hoo.” She pulled her glasses out from their case and brought her legs up to cross them. “Ok, love of my life, I think we need to start with this.”
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Stefano studied the board with great care, his hand to his mouth in serious thought. Orpheus stepped carefully beside the elder man, putting a shadow on his game board. “We need to talk.” Stefano’s eyes never left the checkered board, his hand simply stretching toward the empty chair facing him on the opposing side. “You will have a seat then, and not hover about like some common vulture awaiting his next kill.” Orpheus nervously shoved his hands in his pockets before walking to the seat. Orpheus was a man who no one crossed, no one but this man setting across from him. Orpheus feared no one, but Stefano wasn’t just anyone. He was the master, and it was through him, Orpheus hoped to one day conquer all who crossed him. “Now, what do you need to discuss?” Throughout the minutes of silence, Stefano’s gaze never left the board, his hand pointing out imaginary moves, contemplating the consequences. “It’s been days since anything’s happened. I think it’s time that we move forward.”
“Ahh, my friend, it has been said that patience is a virtue.” Orpheus’ hand splayed hard on the surface of the table, slightly disrupting the alignment of the ivory pieces. “How poor are they that ha’ not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? Thou know’st we work by wit and not by witchcraft, and wit depends on dilatory time.” Orpheus’ hand slowly inched off the side of the table with each monotone word that came from Stefano’s mouth. Not knowing exactly what he meant, but sure he would in time, Orpheus made no attempt to question his mentor’s words. “Fine, when we make our next move, and it should be soon, what is the next step?” Stefano smiled and finally looked full-faced into the other man’s face. “Our next move, as in any good chess game, is to eliminate a piece.”
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John and Marlena sat stooped over the endless stream of files that seemed to multiply with each passing hour. “Doc, I just feel like there’s a connection here, I just can’t fit it all together.” He threw the file down and walked toward the balcony, the stress becoming too thick in the room. Marlena watched him go and reached over to grab yet another file. The quiet was broken by the heavy sobs that trailed from the top of the stairway to Marlena’s side. “Mommy?” Marlena dropped the file when her son’s broken voice met her ears. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Her question was answered with her son’s clumsy leap into her arms. “John!” Marlena’s voice traveled out to the terrace and John ran to his wife and son’s side. His eyes questioned hers, to which a distraught Marlena could only reply with tears and a greater grip on her son. John patted Brady’s back in a soothing gesture, hoping he would open up to them.
“Hey slugger, do you think you can tell us what happened?” Brady head moved in a positive fashion. “Brady, do you think you’d be okay if you sat in between us, we won’t let anything happen to you. Would that be okay?” Marlena smoothed his hair and waited for a sign he understood. Brady lifted his head from Marlena and whimpered a ‘yeah’. He snuggled in between them, still trying to catch his breath. “Brady, can you tell me about your dream?” Tears filled the boys eyes again, but he again nodded. “I was in a dark place, I couldn’t see nuthin’. But then I heard a big boom and then I can see again.” Brady buried his head into Marlena’s shoulder, his body once again convulsing with great heaves of sobs. Marlena pulled him tighter to her, before questioning him again.
“Brady, do you think you can tell me what you saw?” Brady wiped his nose on his shirtsleeve and resumed his dream. “Yeah, it was scary. I… I didn’t wanna look, but I did. It was… it was…” Brady calmed himself before he could be upset again. “Brady, what did you see?” Taking a long breath before speaking, Brady readied himself for what he was about to reveal. “I saw a person, Mommy… a bloody person.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Ten
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Marlena and John’s eyes met in a panic for their son. Trying not to disrupt the boy’s revelation, Marlena patted his back, asking him to go on. “He was just lying there. Icouldn’t see his face or nothin’. He was hurt really bad, but I didn’t know if he was alive or not.” Marlena leaned down to Brady’s level and caught his attention with her question. “Brady, what happened next?” He rubbed his face, fighting the sleep that was calling him again. “Same thing that happened last time. Someone came and took me away. And then I woke up.” His words drifted away, as he curled up between his parents and, once again, fell fast asleep. “Doc, what’s happening with him? I hate to see him like this.” Marlena ran her hand over the boy’s flushed face and shook her head.
“I don’t know, he’s had these dreams for a while now. Either it means something, or maybe it just too many of those action movies he’s seen. I don’t know, and they aren’t getting anywhere in his sessions either. The dreams always seem to follow the same pattern. He is in a fog, he can’t see, and then a horrific sight is shown to him and then he is whisked away. The only progress in these nightmares is that they are becoming clearer.” Brady’s body tensed and sweat beads seemingly popped out from nowhere. His parents looked at each other with horrified faces. His cries finally took their toll on the adults and they began to wake him. Bolting upright, the child’s face was ashen, lips trembled and his eyes glazed. “Grampa.”
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Orpheus sat in the car, waiting the arrival of his mentor. His watch showed a bit past midnight, and he settled into his seat, knowing Stefano would be quite sometime. The wind tore through the car, as Stefano opened it and slipped inside. “Did you do it?” Stefano motioned the driver to raise the partition, before replying to the man. Stefano pulled off his gloves and stuffed them roughly into the pockets of his coat. “I have done as I said I would. The piece is eliminated from the game. The queen is in sight, and the pawn is soon to fall as well.” “Good. Now, we’ve played your game, time for my strategy.” Orpheus knocked on the glass and informed the driver to take them to Riverside Drive. “Now, here’s the fun part. We have eliminated a piece, now we let the royalty know who their enemy is.” Orpheus reached beside him and pulled out a brightly colored flower.
“And just what do you plan on doing with that?” “A little game I like to call ‘gaslight’. You see, this is a rare tropical flower, indigenous to the little piece of heaven that was once my home. My children used to bring these to Marlena every day, while she was there. Maybe a little reminder is in order.” Orpheus gently brought the fragrant bud to his nose and softly inhaled. Stefano shook his head in amusement. “You have a great many things to learn, my friend, but this is a stroke of genius.” The car came to a soft halt in front of the massive apartment complex. “Now how do you expect to do this without anyone seeing you.” “Watch and learn Stefano, you’re not the only one with an ace up his sleeve.”
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John squatted in front of his son, gripping him by the hands. “Brady, what about grampa?” Brady’s face stayed concentrated on some point beyond his knowledge. “Brady,son, come on look at me!” John’s voice rose in panic. Brady finally snapped out of his trance and stared his father in the face. “Daddy, that man was Grampa Victor. He’s hurt.” Brady turned to Marlena and crawled into her lap, before breaking down in a fresh set of tears. “I don’t know what to do,Doc.” Marlena tried to soothe the frightened boy, trying to fight her own fears of what was happening to him. “I don’t know either, John. All I know is he’s afraid and hurting, and we can’t do anything about it. That breaks my heart.” Her tears plummeted down her cheeks despite her fierce determination to keep them at bay. Brady pulled himself out of Marlena’s arms,putting his chubby hands on her cheeks.
“Mama, you got to call Grampa and see if he’s okay. I think he’s hurt.” Marlena cupped the boys hands, still resting on her cheeks, in her own. “All right, baby. Daddy will call right now.” John nodded his head toward Marlena and patted the boy on the back. “Okay, slugger, we’ll call Grampa. You’ll see he’s okay, and then you’ll feel better all right?” Brady slowly turned his head toward his father’s voice. John was slightly taken aback at the adultness of his son’s baby face. “No,daddy, he’s not okay.”
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Seeing the guard was occupied with other matters, Orpheus took that moment to slip in and place the brightly colored package that contained the delicate flower on his desk, then slipped out just as quietly. The guard returned to his post after helping Mrs. Wilson with her packages. “Oh, yet another gift for little Miss Black.” Nathan shook his head, remembering all the packages he had delivered to the Black penthouse. “Those children are as cherished as they come.” Arriving at the door, he straitened his tie, awaiting the door to open. “Just a minute.” The door tiny ‘peep’ door opened to reveal the tiny cherub face of Belle Black, obviously standing on a chair to see out. “Nate!” She jumped off the chair and scooted it away with great effort. The door opened to find Belle jumping up and down, knowing that Nate had something to give to someone.
“Hello, little one. I do happen to have a package, and it’s foooor…” He took time, pretending he couldn’t make out the name on the card, making Belle giggle. “Well, I’ll be, it’s for Miss Belle Black.” “Yay!” She held out her tiny hands for him to place the package in. Bending over, he ceremoniously sat it in her hands. “There ya go. Now you run up and tell your mommy that you have a surprise so she can help you open it, okay?” Nathan patted her head and turned to go. “Wait Nate!” He stopped in his tracks and watched the little girl run to the desk and pull out a penny. “Here.” She gave him his tip and waved ‘goodbye’ to him before shutting thedoor. Nathan’s face beamed in smile, and he had to give a chuckle when he heard the child’s feet rushing up the stairs and her high voice calling for her mother. “What a family.”
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Marlena had finally got Brady to settle down, promising everything would be okay and that his father would get in touch with his grandfather. John had tried several times, only to be told by Henderson that Victor had left some time ago and had not stated when he would be back. Marlena stayed by her son’s side even complying when he requested she lay down with him. She laid with him until he fell asleep, and only got up when she heard Belle calling for her. Running into the hall, the fear ofBrady’s predicament still fresh in her mind, Marlena grabbed the little girl. “What, what is it baby? Are you okay, what’s wrong?” Belle’s eyes drew bigger as her mother’s nervousness worried her young mind. “Nuttin’ mama. I got a present!” She pushed the box in between her mother and her, beaming with pride. “Can I open it?” Marlena sighed with relief and sat on the floor in front of her daughter. “Sure,let’s see who it’s from.” Belle backed into her mother’s lap and placed the box on her legs. Marlena took the card and opened it. ‘To Belle’ was the only thing inscripted on the paper. “Hmm, who could this be from?”
Belle tore the ribbon away from the box,while Marlena held it. The fragrance the flower held was released when the lid was raised. Marlena’s hands released their hold on the gift when the scent reached her senses. “John.” Her voice was calm and light at first. “John.” The word became a bit more agitated. “John… John… JOHN!” With each call of his name her voice became louder and more frightened. Belle lifted the brightly colored bud from it’s hold in the box. “Mama, what’s wrong?” Marlena called John’s name once more. She picked the box back up and pulled the flower from Belle’s hand, placing it back from where it had come. John’s feet finally pounded the floor before them. He rushed to them, sliding the last few steps. “John take Belle, wash her hands.”
“Doc, what’s wr…” His words were cut off by Marlena’s biting tone. “Don’t ask, just get her out of here!” She scooted their daughter over to him and shut the box, running to the bedroom with him to get the little girls hands washed. Frantically, they rushed about, water spilling on the floor; John trying to figure out what his wife was in such a panic about, and Marlena trying her best to figure out the situation that just happened. Belle’s sobs brought both parents back to reality. “Belle, honey,it’s okay. Mama, just doesn’t know who that flower came from, and she doesn’t want you to touch it and get yourself all yucky.” Marlena met John’s eyes andheld her hands up, begging him not to ask right now. “That’s right. Now you’re all fixed up. Why don’t you run along and watch some Blue’s Clues, huh?” Belle sniffled as John rubbed her hands dry, nodding her head. John kissed her head and pulled her down from the sink, watching her go in silence. John turned toward Marlena and grabbed her shoulders, both to offer her support and to shake her out of her frightened stupor.
“Doc, what happened out there?” Marlena swallowed hard, looking down at her feet. “Someone sent Belle a present. She came up here, all excited and happy. When she opened it up, that flower was in there.” John’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What flower?” Marlena slipped past him and exited to the bedroom. Taking the box from the nightstand, she handed it over to her husband. “This flower.” John gingerly opened the flap and saw the brightly colored tropical flower. “It’s beautiful. Who sent it?” Marlena bit her lip and looked toward the eiling, not wanting to relive or reveal what she was about to say. “John, I know this flower very well. When I was being held captive after the house blew up…” Her voice broke and the memories brought her to her knees. John was at her side in an instant, holding her to him. “Marlena, what happened?” He hated to hear about this. Not only was it hard to hear her so upset and hurt, but hard for him to believe he’d left her there, not fought harder to find her.
“His children used to bring this flower to me. They were such innocent children and I looked forward to seeing them, not that they could ever take the place of my own. They filled a space in my heart that was empty from not being able to hold my children or see them. This flower was special between us, but I’ve never seen it anywhere else. Not until today.” John crushed her closer to him. “Damn it! Why didn’t he die? Why didn’t I do more to get you out of there?” Marlena wrapped her arms around him, feeling his pain mix with hers. “John, you did all you could, you thought I had died. I don’t blame you for any of this.” John pulled her from him and gripped her arms. “Maybe you should blame me. I left you for all those years, years you could have been raising your children, years you could have been with your family, years you could have been with me. I left you there, I let Stefano do God knows what with you, and I didn’t kill the man who ripped youfrom us. I failed you and you cannot deny that.” Marlena’s face crumpled into fits of tears. “Fine, fine. What do you want me to say? Do you want me to say that I waited for you everyday to come for me? That I would beg Stefano to let me see you, even if it meant just from a distance? Do you know how mad I was that you went on without me? That you let my children be raised by a melee of women. How I felt when you were going to marry another woman?” Marlena’s words shocked even her. “How do you know all of that?”
“I don’t know,seeing that flower must have dredged up some old memories. I thought I was in a drug induced coma all that time. Oh, God, what’s happening to me?” The words that Marlena had spoken finally reached John’s ears. “Doc, I’m sorry. I should have known, I should have felt you weren’t gone. I’m so sorry.” He pulled her to him once again and stroked her hair, all the while crying along with her. “John, there was no way for you to know. I didn’t mean what I said. I just don’t know where that came from. I forgave all of that a long time ago. It’s over and done with. Now we have to deal with today. He’s back,John. We can’t deny it any longer. He’s back and he wants to finish what he started.” John started to protest her warning, but was interrupted by the phone’s ring.
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The phone pierced the darkened living room, causing Belle to jump. Flicking on the light, she scurried to the phone and whispered a light ‘hello’. “Belle, is that you, honey?” “Uncle Abe?” “Yeah, it’s me. Listen, can you get your mommy or daddy on the phone, I need to talk to them.” Belle turned to find her father behind her. “Daddy, it’s Uncle Abe on the phone, he wants you.” John took the phone from her hand and scooted her off to finish her show. “Hey partner, what’s up?” John’s tired smile quickly turned to shock as he listened to Abe speak. Marlena came down the stairs, just as John hung up the phone with his friend. “John, who was that?”
“It was Abe.” His eyes never left the spot in space it occupied. “Oh really, is anything wrong?” “Marlena, he called to tell me they found Victor.” Marlena swallowed the knot that suddenly formed in her throat. “What do you mean they found Victor?” John turned his head to look at her, shaking his head in the process. “They found him in the stables. He’s dead,Marlena.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Eleven
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John and Marlena arrived at the Kiriakis stables to find an awaiting Dom. The coolness of the early morning caused a serene hush to fall about the estate. Rushing to their sides, he took Marlena’s hands and spoke softly. “Marlena, I don’t think you want to see this. Maybe you should wait in the car.” He tried to lead her toward the opposite direction, but was halted when he heard her speak up. “Dom, I appreciate you worrying about me, I really do. But I have to be here. This may be connected to the case somehow,and I need to be here to help. Even if it’s not, this is my child’s grandfather, and my family is suffering because of this.” Her eyes pleaded with him to believe her case. Dom wrapped his arm around her, silently nodding his head. “All right, all right. Just…just be careful.” Marlena patted his arm and walked out ahead of her husband and his partner. “John, why did you bring her here?” John shoved his hands in his pockets. “When she gets something set in her mind,Dom, there’s no stopping her. I got twice what you just got. She told me she’ll be fine, that she needed to be here. Don’t worry. She’s my wife, I’ll take care of her.” John clapped Dom on the back and caught up with his wife, taking her hand in his, both offering strength to the other.
Nearing the light coming from the stables, Marlena stopped,squeezing John’s hand for support. “Doc, you don’t have to go in there. You can go set in the car.” Marlena shook her head and simply stepped forward as her response. The gurney was appropriately out of place amid the hay and thoroughbreds. The white sheet formed a stark silouhette against the man who had once been Victor Kiriakis. The ISA group walked hesitantly toward the group that was spread throughout the building. Abe caught the sight of John, Dom, and Marlena and cut his conversation short with the young policeman checking for evidence. Hewalked to them, instinctively wanting to shield Marlena from the site. Even with all the years she’d helped theSalem PD, he still felt a protectiveness for her. “Hey there. May I ask what you are doing here, Mrs. Black?” Marlena smiled an exasperated grin at her friend and gripped her husband’s hand tighter. “I would be here with my husband, Abe. This does involve my family, ya know.” Her gaze fell to the ground, not wanting her words to come out that way. Abe cast a glance toward John and Dom, who both held their breath and blew it out simultaneously. Abe nodded his head in understanding, knowing that these two boys had already given the woman a hard time about being here. He led the way to the scene, trying to miss the gurney as it was being wheeled out of the room. Most of the area had been cleaned and checked forevidence.
“So, Abe, what did we find here?” “I’ll tell what I can John, you know that.” John nodded his head in expectation. He knew the Salem PD got there first and they would be reluctant to involve the ISA, especially when a prominent citizen had been murdered. “Well, let’s start with how he was murdered. Were there any strange techniques, any unconventional items left behind?” “From our initial investigation, we have concluded that it was blunt trauma to the head. There were nothing found that proved to be the instrument used for the weapon. Practically anything in here could be a weapon. Victor will be taken for autopsy, and then after our final investigation, I’ll be able to fill you in more completely. I’m sorry, John, but you know procedure.” Abe patted his friend on the arm and proceeded with the young officer out the door, taking all the evidence they’d gathered with them. Marlena finally broke the silence that drifted into the room. “John, do you think this has something to do with Tarrington being murdered.” John rubbed the back of his neck and shook his head. “I don’t know Doc. It’s not the same kind of scenario, there’s no calling card. I think we’re just reaching at this point.” Dom wandered around the crime scene, hoping to find some shred of evidence that the Salem PD had overlooked. His foot squished something. He picked up his foot to find a scarlet stain in the underlying hay.
“John, you’d better come look at this.” John quickly walked to his partners side,squatting beside him to examine whatever he had found. “Oh my God! Doc, get over here quick.” Marlena spilled into the side of them. “What is it?” “Well, before Dom stepped on it, this was a strawberry.” Marlena met her husband’sworried eyes with a look of both fear and acknowlegement. They were on the right track, there was amurderer on the loose, a murderer who may be coming for them.
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Descending the wooden stair that led to the secret room under the DiMera mansion, Orpheus and Stefano spoke not one word. The door to the room slammed behind them, making the room stuffy and encompassing. The computer lights created a soft glow, casting great shadows across the dark room. Stefano sat in the heavy oak chair, motioning to Orpheus to do so, as well. Scooting the chair to face his counterpart, Orpheus carefully sat, crossing his legs and staring the man in the face. “So what now?” Stefano reached for the wood box that encompassed his cigars,pausing to select one. “We wait.” Orpheus stood, knocking the chair to the floor. “I am sick of this waiting. I have played by your rules and I have not gained anything. It’s time we parted ways. Maybe separate we can claim a victory.” He turned his back and started toward the steel door. Stefano leaned back in his chair and lit the end of his cigar, heavily inhaling its rich smoke.
“If that is what you feel you must do, then by all means go.” He flipped the switch to open the door. Orpheus began to step out, suddenly feeling a great sense ofclausterphobia. “But…” Stefano’s baritone halted the slight man.“Be forewarned. If you relinquish your opposite side of the table, you are becoming a piece. A piece that I may just have to take out.” “That is just a chance I am willing to take.” Orpheus quickly stepped out the door, leaving Stefano in the quite hum of the machines. Taking a long, thoughtful puff off of the cigar, he smiled to himself. “You have no idea what you have just taken on my friend. I will crush you.”
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Dom and John sat on opposite sides of John’s desk; John with his hands in his head, trying to put the corners of the puzzle together, Dom setting back, legs crossed and thumping a pencil. Marlena paced the room, tapping her lip with nervous fingers. Dom leaned forward and thumped John on the head with the pencil. “So what do we have here? Let’s put everything out there. We have two murders. One, a prominent ISA leader is strangled. Pictures are taken and sent to your wife. A strawberry is found down the victim’s throat. Two, prominent Salem citizen is bludgeoned to death. No pictures, well so far. A strawberry is found at the scene. So what do we have? I hope you know because all I see is two very well known men killed in cold blood.” John threw his hands in the air, shaking his head in exasperation. “I don’t know, Dom. But this strawberry is a calling card, and I’m afraid it’s a calling card for me.” Dom raised his eyebrow in question. “Well, you see…” John’s explanation was cut short by the swift knock that pounded the door. Marlena stopped her pacing to answer it.
“Dr. Marlena Evans? This is for you.” The young man handed her a clean manilla envelope, and held his hand out for his tip. “Oh, John, pay the man, will you?” She walked over to the couch, landing hard on the soft leather. John shoved his hand in his pocket and came out with a five dollar bill and handed it to the man, muttering a ‘Thanks’ and then shut the door in his face. Marlena sat with the large envelope in her lap, staring at the lettering written on it. “What is it Marlena?” Dom traded worried glances with John before he joined him to walk over to Marlena. “I think this is the link. I think these are your pictures.” John slipped behind his desk and pulled out some gloves, snapping them on quickly. Taking the envelope from his wife, he gently placed it on his desk. He gently let the contents slide out of the envelope. The pictures glared at all in the room. There was Victor, fear and determination on his face. Then, just as with the pictures of Tarrington, a movie-like action of pictures stared atthem. John gathered them into one set and placed them inside a clear plastic bag for evidence. Both Dom and Marlena sat stone- faced, shocked at the pictures, and the ties it proved to the killing before. “Damn it, who is doing this?” Marlena’s hand covered her gasp.
“John, how did they know I would be here? How did they know I was a part of this? They know I’m in on this, John. They know!” John reached across the desk and grasped his wife’s trembling hand. “Doc there is no way in hell I’m letting anyone get to us. They’ll have to…” He stopped when he saw the terror build up in her tear filled eyes. Smashing his hand down on the empty envelope, he felt the slight squish beneath his palm. Holding the paper up, he peered inside. Placing a gloved hand into the recesses of the envelope, he slowly pulled out a bruised and demolished strawberry. “What the hell is that?” Dom looked in disgust at the red glob dripping of his partner’s fingers. “That would be a calling card.” John wiped the jam on a napkin, leaning over to toss it into the wastebasket. Setting straight back, his eye caught a paper amidst the photos. Tearing into the clear plastic, he extracted the white paper, his mouth agape with astonishment. “And this would be their number.” Flipping the paper toward his wife and partner, it flipped over to reveal a bill. An advertisement for the blue ridge motel in West Virginia.
“What’s this got to do with anything?” Dom picked the paper up, looking for more clues to this seemingly harmless ad. “That would be where the story of John and Marlena starts… and tells us where our story is going.” John stared at his wife with concerned eyes. “Doc, there’s no way you’re going to be on this case now. It’s too involved. You’ll be better off just doing your practice and staying away.” John’s protest fell on Marlena’s heated ears. “John Black, first of all I will have you know, I am staying on this case. I am far too involved. I am not going to set idly by and bide my time with crochet and darning socks. We are partners, and now more than ever we need to be with each other. When I married you I knew that you wanted to go back to work here. Now, I had problems with that, but I know your passion for your work and how this job fulfills you. I am telling you that I will be by your side for this and all other problems. I’m in this too deep, John. I can’t back out now, even if I wanted to.” She leaned back in her chair, her peace said. John started to protest, but recalled many other times he had tried to get her to reconsider, and popped his mouth closed. “Fine, fine. But if you are going to be working with myself and Dom, then you do as we say.” John’s mouth twitched into a smirk, as he saw his wife’s jaw become set, ready for a rebuttal. “Dom, would you please take this to evidence, I think my wife and I need to have a little talk.” Dom slipped the plastic bag containing the pictures into another bag along with the envelope.
“I hope there’s still something left of you both when I get back.” He quickly walked out the door and into the hall toward evidence. Marlena eyed her husband with glaring eyes. “Do I need to call you Mr. Black, too?” Jumping up out of the chair she was setting in, she resumed her pace, this time in anger. “Marlena, if you want to be on this case,I’m not going to stop you. You know I don’t want you around this case and the certain danger it involves. Mark my words, if there is anything, and Imean anything, that will put you into harms way, you’re gone.” John walked over to his wife, challenging her in some way to challenge him. Coming face to face with her, he crossed his arms in front of him,waiting for her reply. Marlena inched closer to him, her eyes blazing fires. “Well,Mr. Black, I’ll have you know that the man I married I will protect with my very life. Any danger he is in, I am automatically in, whether I am present or not.” She crossed her arms and stood toe to toe with him, a slight smile on her face at his inability to reply to her. Clearing his throat, John snapped his fingers, his face lighting up at a thought. “Well, Dr. Evans, I’ll have you know that my wife means everything in the world to me. Just the thought of her ever being hurt, or even one tear coming to her eye, burns a hole through my very soul. If it means that I tie her up and lock herin a closet, that’s what I’m going to do.” John tapped the end of Marlena’s nose with his last words, causing her to wrinkle it up in frustration.
“Well,Mr. B…” Marlena’s words were cut off byJohn’s finger lying on her lips. “No more, Doc. There’s no discussion. I’m the head of this investigation, and while I will greatly appreciate all you can offer, we’re not going to fight about this any further. I say when. Now, do we have a deal or do Iget the rope out?” Marlena’s lips pursed in defiance, not moving to the affirmative. John’s finger moved slowly from her lips, and found a home about tipping her chin up to make her face him. “I can see I’m not going to win this battle, but I’ve far from lost the war. You’ve got a deal, for now, Mr.Black.” Marlena shot her hand between them, waiting for John to take it in agreement. “I guess I’ll have to take that, for now.” Grasping her hand, he firmly shook it before bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss.
“All right. Now can we get your buddy away from the door, so we can get down to business?” Dom slowly opened the cracked door all the way. His face flushed a crimson with embarrassment. “Ah, I was just waitingfor you two to finish. Sorry.” John twirled his wife around so her back faced him. Putting his arms around her shoulders, he joined her in a soft chuckle. “It’s okay buddy. We’re in one piece, and we’ve struck a tentative deal. Now, whaddya say we get started on this. There’s a killer out there, and it’s up to us to get him.”
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Twelve
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The sun was beginning to set on Salem, the shadows growing larger and more ominous. The trio still sat in John’s office, their minds racing to put what little pieces they had together. John sat in his chair with his legs propped up on his desk, a folder lying open on his lap. Dom lay on the couch, the papers he had raised to his eye level, a pencil gripped in his teeth. Marlena resumed pacing the room,her pencil having been made into a make shift hair ornament. The phone broke the silent stupor each held. John flipped his feet off the desk and lifted the phone to his ear. “Black here.” John’s hand went to his jaw, and scratched its way down his neck as he listened. “You’re sure? Okay, thanks.” John popped the phone back on the cradle and slammed his hands down on the desk, making the other occupants of the room jump. “John, goodness, what was that all about?” Marlena halted her pacing, standing beside Dom who remained surpine on the couch. “That was the report on the envelope. Nothing. Whoever is doing this is leaving us clues one at a time.” Dom sat up on the couch, tossing the folder beside him. “John, where do we start? We need to get busy before this happens again.” John closed the folder before him, calmly and slowly. “We start by packing our bags. We’re goingto West Virginia.” The folder Marlena held silently and slowly slipped between her fingers and fell to thefloor. “When do we leave?” Her words tried to be strong and solid, but only came out colored with hesitation. “We leave tonight, if you still want to be a part of this.” John’s sentence hid the true meaning of his words. “John, wherever you go, that’s where I’ll be.”
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Stefano took the phone Eliana heldfor him. Waving her off, he searched the room for eavesdroppers before speaking. “What have you found?” He drummed his fingers on the wood of the bar, ending his percussion with a fist of victory. “Yes, yes. Thank you, you will be taken care of.” He turned the phone off, walking into thefoyer, and summoning Eliana. The timid woman appeared instantly with Stefano’s coat and hat. “Sir?” Stefano took the items, putting them on with little pomp. “Have the car brought around.” He raised a heavy eyebrow at her lack of speed, sending the woman out ofthe room in a hurry. He dialed the phone quickly, sighing as he waited for the caller to answer. “Ah, Nick. I have a job for you. I have an informant who, let’s say, has worn out his welcome. I need you to take care of him for me. Make sure it’s nice and neat.” Stefano clicked the phone shut in time with the car’s arrival. Shoving the phone into his pocket, he placed the hat on his head and made his way out to the car. Approaching the driver, he spoke to him. “The Airport. I’m going to pay someone a very special visit.”
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The penthouse was darkened except for the soft light coming from the television. Curled up on the couch, Brady and Belle had fallen asleep waiting for their parents return. Marlena leaned over the back, staring down at her children. Her eyes began to mist at the thought of leaving them. John knelt down beside her, knowing how hard it was going to be to leave them. Rubbing her back, he leaned closer to his children, taking in their angelic features. Brady’s eyes began to flicker and soon were open, staring at his parents. “Momma, Daddy? Is it morning?” He rubbed his eyes and sat up, bringing a solidly asleep Belle up with him. Grabbing the little girl before she slipped off the couch, John picked her up in his arms. Brady crawled to his knees and placed his sleepy head on Marlena’s crossed arms. Marlena smoothed his hair, kissing his flushed cheek. Coming over to the right side of the couch, she nestled herself in the midst of her family. Brady crawled onto her lap and laid his head against her chest, his eyes fighting the slumber her heartbeat lulled him into. Marlena laid her cheek on the top of her son’s head, tears of sadness crawling down her face. She shook her head slowly, silently acknowledging to John her inability to handle this. John clasp her hand in his, giving her a small smile. “Hey kiddos, Mommy and Daddy have something to tell you.” The children widened their sleepy eyes, listening with all the energy they could muster at the time. “We have to take a trip for a few days. You two will stay here with Chelsea, and we’ll bring you back a big surprise.” The tired children’s eyes lit up at the mention of a surprise, but easily went back to the half open state they had been before. Belle muttered an incoherent sentence, followed by wrapping her arms further around John’s neck before succumbing to sleep again. Brady wrapped his arms around his mother’s waist. “Momma, will you bring me back a brother?” He blinked several times before joining his sister in dreamland. Marlena’s cheeks blushed a rose. Meeting John’s amused gaze, she motioned her head toward the upstairs. The family ascended the stairs and went toward the children’s rooms. Belle fussed as John went toward her room, pointing to Brady’s room instead. Following Marlena into the boy’s room, he laid Belle beside her brother. The parents stood watching the soft breaths of their children.
“How can we leave them John? Especially with Brady’s nightmares.” She smoothed the cowlick down from Brady’s part. “We won’t be gone long. If there’s a problem, we can be back here in a minute.” He knelt down beside the tiny bed and traced his finger along the children’s slack faces. A tear flicked out of his eyes. Kissing each child on the head, he rose and allowed his wife to say her good byes. Marlena’s breath caught with a sob before leaning in and kissing both ofthem on the cheek. “I love you,babies.” Brady’s small voice crept out over the quiet room. “We love you too,Momma.” His arm pulled the stuffed bear closer to him. Chelsea made her presence known by clearing her throat. “Dr Evans, they’ll be okay. I’ll take good care of them.” John and Marlena tip-toed out of the room, taking in all the glances they could of the children. “I know you will, Chelsea. It’s just a hard to leave them.” John put his arm around Marlena,offering her the support she needed. “We’d better get packed.” John nodded toward Chelsea in thanks and took his wife’s hand, leading her to the bedroom.
The couple walked solemnly down the stairs, lugging the luggage behind them. Reaching the door, Marlena looked back up to where Belle and Brady were soundly sleeping. “They’ll be okay, Doc. I don’t want to leave them any more than you do. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get back.” John opened the door, allowing Marlena to exit first. With a glance up to the room, he followed her out the door and to the penthouse elevator. The jeep sat glistening under the bright streetlights. John loaded the luggage in the back, while Marlena jumped into the front seat. She absent-mindedly turned her ring around on her finger, staring up toward her home. John slid into the drivers seat, reaching over to take her hand. “Hey, you don’t have to go. I’ll be back in a few days.” He rubbed her knuckles, waiting for her answer. “Nope, you’re stuck with me.” She dazzled him with a smile. “Seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before.” He kissed the top of her hand and buckled himself in. “Allrighty,Doc. Here we go.”
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Stefano waited beside the plane, his feet pacing him back and forth. The phone softly beeped in his pocket. “Well?” His hand made a fist tight inside his glove. “What do you mean he got away? No, forget it. I’ll do itmyself. This one will be a pleasure.” He flipped the phone closed and gritted his teeth. The phone again beeped in his hand. Looking at the number, he slowly flipped the phone up to receive the call. “What do you want?” The voice on the other line spoke slow and even. “You had someone try to do me in. Not smart Stefano. You just cost yourself a point. I know where John and Marlena are going. Would you like to know?” Stefano’s neck bulged with venom. “What news do you have?” He looked around for his informant’s face. “They are here at the airport,leaving for We…” Stefano smacked his phone, trying to get the lost connection back. “Where you imbicile!?”
The man quickly folded up the phone, sliding it into the pocket of his tan overcoat. Smoothing his hair down and straightening his tie, he began to walk toward the terminal. John turned to see him coming for them, his arm going for Marlena’s elbow. “There he is. Dom, man, where have you been, we’ve been looking all over for you.” Dom smiled and pulled out his phone. “Had a quick phone call to make, had a loose end to tie up. You just can’t make some people happy.” He chuckled lightly, turned the phone off and slipped it back into his pocket. He joined John and Marlena in line, waiting to venture off to West Virginia and the trail they were tracking.
Five Minutes Til Midnight ~ Chapter Twelve
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The flight to West Virginia was calm and comfortable, adding a sharp contrast to three of its occupants. Marlena twirled her scarf about her fingers, looking out the window, as the Smokey Mountains flew by. John held the latest forensic journal, trying to hold his interest off of the reason for this trip. Dom came back from the rear of the plane, flopping himself beside his partner.
“Man, I sure hope you know what you’re doing. I can’t believe you brought Marlena. We don’t know what’s waiting for us here.” He watched John slowly put down the book,and face him.
“Dom, I wouldn’t put Marlena in danger for the world. She won’t leave my side, and she’s gonna be safe. This has as much to do with her as it does me.” Marlena leaned forward and in between the men.
“And she doesn’t like it when you talk about her like she’s not here.” She leaned back in her chair, continuing to twist the scarf and to look out the window. John chuckled shaking his head at his wife in amusement. Picking up the manual, he began to read again, leaving Dom to loosen his tie of embarrassment.
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The plane touched down on schedule, welcoming them to a dreary and dank day in West Virginia. The trio made their way to baggage claim and soon were loading the rental car with their belongings. The drive to the tiny bungalows that made up the Blue Ridge Hotel was completely silent, the soft hum of the local country radio barely audible. Pulling in front of the tiny room, Marlena felt her heart begin to pick up in its beats. Without any real conscious movement, her hand met John’s.
“So this is where we are staying?” Dom broke the tension and was out the car door and to the trunk. Marlena gripped John’s hand, remaining to stare out the window. John picked her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
“Hey, Doc, whaddya say we get unpacked and start this so we can get back home?” He awaited her reply but was only awarded with a half- hearted nod. The couple exited the vehicle, Marlena staying by the door, arms crossed and eyes transfixed by the scene before her. Her mind played out the scenes that had taken place in this very spot.
Going to meet the Doctor, thinking John was Stefano, running away from him, being held by the KGB, all of it. Her lips curved into a smile remembering falling in love with John completely in that place. She’d always been drawn to him, but it was there that the connection was truly made. Her daydream was broken by Dom’s face coming before hers.
“So this is the place, huh?” She smiled in a confused fashion. “The place you and John became… well you and John.” She laughed in recognition, taking a moment to dab the tears that had snuck out of the corners of her eyes.
“Oh, yes. This is where John and I fell in love. It wasn’t the normal route, but we never were ones to take a normal path.” John dropped the suitcases to his feet, reaching in his pocket for the key.
“You can say that again. Doc, how long do you think we are staying. Last time we were here we only had like one change of clothes.” He unlocked the door, slowly letting it fall open. The air hit him like a ton of bricks. Even though all these years had passed by,it still maintained the smell of wood and outdoors it had when they stayed there before. He snickered at the thought ofthem ‘staying’ there. It had been all of half a day, if that. Turning, he picked up the luggage and motioned for the others to go before him. Dom entered the room with little pomp,leaving the couple to enter at their own speed. Marlena braced herself in the door frame, sucking in a quick breathe before stepping onto the hard wood floors. Her shoes clicked against the wood, echoing in the quiet room. John quietly approached her dropping the luggage at his sides. His arms snaked their way around her waist, she instinctively leaned back against him, holding on to his intertwined hands with her own.
“You gonna be okay?” She nodded her head to the affirmative, sighing as the memories continued to paint her mind.
“Lots of memories here. Some good. Quite a few bad. But it all came out all right in the end if I do say so myself.”
“I’ll have to agree there. Came out very good, but I’m the one who got the best deal out of it all. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.” Marlena leaned her head back into the crook of his shoulder.
“Nor would I. Oh you, you just had to make me cry didn’t you?” She held her hands up in front of her face in mock desperation,as John turned her about. She removed her hands and stared up at him, a smile beaming at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears and love.
“Those are the only tears I ever wanna see stain your beautiful face.” He brushed the droplets with the pads of his thumbs. Patting her chin with his thumbs, he drew her face to his. Kissing her while trying to sequester his rising passion was a great feat on his part, but he managed. She smiled through the kiss, opening her eyes to see his brow knitting in frustration.
“Some things don’t change, huh?” She puckered her lips and bussed him on the lips before turning to retrieve her luggage from his side.
“So you two are staying out here right?”
“Um, I think we should talk about this arrangement.” John followed his wife to the bedroom door.
“You’re right, John. Marlena, John can have the couch and we’ll take the bedroom.” Dom’s hearty laugh lightened the thick air.
“Better yet, buddy, why don’t you share a space with a coyote?” John punched his friend in the arm in jest and gently pushed a hysterically laughing Marlena through the bedroom door,closing it behind her.
“As soon as we’re all set, we need to get started.” Dom tossed his duffle in the corner and propped his feet on the coffeetable.
“I’m ready, what next, chief?” John kicked his luggage off into the opposing corner and took up residence in the chair beside the couch.
“That was fast. Why is it women take so much more time. Look at us, here we are all ready to go and who knows how long it will take my wife. Why is that.” Dom hid his smile behind his hand, pointing up behind him.
“ That is why you will be sleeping on the couch with the big burly type,my husband dear.”
Marlena took her spot next to Dom and crossed her legs, waiting the next move. The laughter quickly died down when Dom pulled out the manila envelope containing copies of all the evidence in the case.
“Okay, so what’s the common thread in all of this. Let’s see. Number one; the head of the ISA. Killed by strangulation, and found with a strawberry lodged in the airway. Number two; Victory Kiriakis, probably the most powerful man in Salem. Offed by blunt head trauma and also discovered with a strawberry stuffed down his throat. So by my calculations, we should be looking for a small red headed girl with a strawberry fetish.” Dom chuckled at his levity, stopping when he became aware of the silence from the other two occupants.
“Tough room.” John cleared his throat and leaned forward to spread the papers out across the table. Gruesome images blared up at all.
“There’s got to be more to this story. What is the connection here?” Marlena rested her head in her hands, tapping her temples with her fingers. Bolting up, she dug for the tiny business card that had the hotel’s name on it. Putting the shots of head shots the ISA provided of Tarrington and Victor beside each other, she placed the business card, that was slightly stained a pink in between them.
“There’s you connection. It’s this place. Not this place now, but this place of 1986. The ISA and Victorwere both part of all this. The strawberry is a sign to us and this hotel connects it all. Someone is taking us on a trip through memory lane, and I don’t think we are going to like the stops.”
Dom’s phone purred in his pocket, causing him to jump to his feet. “Uh, I just remembered something I left inthe car. I’ll be back in a minute.” He popped over the table and quickly exitedthe room. Once outside he ducked beside the building, flipping his phone out.
“What?”
“You forget who you are dealing with.” The voice on the other end hissed in his ear.
“I haven’t forgot. They won’t be out of my sight. You’ll have them right where you want them.”
“Good, because if anything goes wrong, you know the price.” Dom slapped the phone closed and stuffed it back in his pocket.
“Yeah but I know the prize if anything goes wrong too.” He looked in the side window, peering through the gauze sheers at the woman inside with her husband.
The Jarlena Journal 