Here With Me – By Nicole R

She sat quietly, staring up into the inky velvet of the sky that was broken here and there by a million tiny pin pricks of stars.

A childhood promise came to her and she softly spoke.

“Star light, Star bright, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”

Smiling at the silliness of saying it out loud, she gathered up her blanket and headed for her car.

Dr. Marlena Evans was a beautiful blonde who that night was dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt with the Salem Tigers baseball team logo on it. Her hair was in a braid that bounced as she walked quickly.

As she got in her Jeep and started it up, she turned on the CD and smiled as “Save yourself” began to play.

She had listened to her sister’s fiancée Roman tell both she and Samantha not to get in the car without checking first, but Marlena felt safe.

They were in the middle of Salem Park’s parking lot with plenty of lighting. There was NO reason for those dire warnings to actually have to be listened to.

Until the hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her scream of surprise.

The voice was weak. “Help me, please?”

She nodded slowly, smelling the metallic scent of blood on his hand.

Gently she laid her hand on his, pushing it away from her mouth.

“I’ll help you, but I need to get supplies first and see how badly you’re hurt.”

There was panic in his voice. “No hospital!”

She began to turn and suddenly felt herself being pushed face forward onto the steering wheel.

“Okay, please don’t hurt me. I’ll see if I have any supplies at home.”

That seemed to finally calm him and Marlena slowly felt his hands leave her back.

“I’m going to start the car and we’ll go okay?”

She thanked god that her horn wasn’t working, that she hadn’t drawn attention. Her captor was too strong and she wasn’t sure as to how this could have ended.

Driving out of the park, she prayed it would all turn out okay…     

 

She had managed to get him to her loft, no mean feat considering he was already dead on his feet and she had to lean him against her to get him even near the front door of the building.

Moving as fast as she could, she got him into her loft and upstairs to her bed.

After lying him down and giving him the once over, she quickly got her medical bag and checked to see what supplies she had on hand.

She was jolted from her mental list by his broken whimper. “Please don’t hurt me.”

His hand was flailing in the air. As she caught it in hers, she shook her head as she lowered it to his chest. “I won’t hurt you.”

As he drifted back under, she shook her head. “Who are you?”

*~*~*~*

She woke up with a jolt as she checked the time on the bedside table, taking a breath only after realizing that it was 3 and she was now on a week’s vacation.

Blinking, she realized that she was still in the chair beside the bed, while her captor slash patient was still out for the count.

Quietly, she discarded the throw blanket that she had wrapped around herself and quickly slipped into physician’s mode, checking him over.

Once assured that she wasn’t going to lose him, she moved to her desk and sat down at the console, flicking on the monitor and making sure that the volume wasn’t on.

Soon engrossed in playing a game of collapse, she didn’t hear the patient stir.

Thinking that the light from the monitor woke him, she moved to his side.

“Where am I?”

“You’re safe, just keep still.”

He laid back against the pillows as she fussed over him, checking his pulse.

“Who are you?”

She looked up. “I should be asking you that question. I mean you did take me hostage after all.”

His blue eyes widened. “I did what?”

She smiled. “You’re supposed to be asleep, I gave you enough sedatives to keep you out the entire night.”

He shook his head. “I never meant.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You were hurt, people who are injured do strange things, now go to sleep. We can discuss this tomorrow.”

“Are you always this bossy?”

She delighted him with a smile. “Of course, that’s why I’m the doctor and YOU’RE the patient. Goodnight.”

*~*~*~*

The nightmares came at him with frightening speed.

Their tests, designed for clinical efficiency and to leave him with no dignity, the explosion, the pain after the crash.

Trust NO one ….

He woke up in a sweat, tears trickling down his face.

Trust no one and yet he was here.

*~*~*~*

She was sitting with her back to him when he came downstairs.

“I’m just feeling a little under the weather, its probably from sitting in the damp watching the fireworks. Nothing to worry about.”

He sat down on the step and listened to her tell her sister that she would talk to her later on.

Waiting until she hung up, he softly asked why she lied.

She spun around. “You scared me.”

He nodded. “I’m sorry, but why did you lie to her?”

Marlena paused. “Why would I tell her that I have an unknown man in my house, who hid in my jeep and was injured?”

He paused. “Good point.”

Marlena held up her hands. “It’s not that I don’t trust my sister, because I do. But I think you need to be kept secret and the fellow that she’s engaged to marry doesn’t take kindly to secrets.”

“I should go. I never meant.”

Marlena held up her hand. “You sir, are in NO condition to go anywhere other than upstairs back to bed.”

He was about to protest but she came to stand in front of him. “Please just go upstairs, we can talk tomorrow about you bailing out on me.”

Weakly he allowed her to help him up. “I won’t let you get hurt over me.”

She peered closely at him as she draped his arm around her neck. “I can take care of myself. Worry about you.”

“Me?”

She nodded. “Yeah you. I haven’t cooked for you yet. My motto is best way to get clients, feed them some good wholesome home cooking. DON’T tell them it’s my own home cooking.”

*~*~*~*

She woke up in a cold sweat, her hand automatically searching for the light switch as she heard the screams.

Reaching for her robe, she flew out of the guest room and went to her own.

Opening the door, she froze at what she saw.

“Oh my holy Buddha.”

He spun around and found her in shock staring at him with wide hazel eyes.

”What are you?”

Energy burst gone, he slumped to the floor and peered up at her.

Doctor mode taking over, she rushed to his side to help him up ignoring the sheen of fevered sweat that shone off of him.

Peering into his eyes, she searched him for signs of relapse as she softly asked again.

“Who are you?”

He closed his eyes, exhaustion taking him away. “Not of this world.”     

A mind at work is an awesome thing, especially when grasping for the first time an idea that while spoken of, was never given as a certainty.

Case in point the woman sitting on her sofa reliving what was said to her at the moment of exhaustion by her patient.

“It has to be from his injuries.”

She shook her head. “The fever. Fevers make people say strange things. He won’t let me go to the hospital to run tests. It’s the fever and nothing more.”

She absently scratched the back of her neck as she looked around the room.

“How do I get to prove this right or wrong?” She checked her watch.

“You don’t. Can’t you take anything on faith?”

She jumped and found him standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“No I can’t. I’m a doctor and that’s not in the oath.”

He sat down gingerly on the steps. “I can’t risk being found. Not again.”

She moved away from him and paused in the middle of the room.

“Okay, so wanting me to take things on faith is going to mean I ask questions and you’re going to answer them for me honestly.”

He studied her for a moment, realizing that she had gotten him this far and hadn’t turned him in for a fugitive. He could trust her.

“Fair enough. What do you want to know?”

It was too easy, so easy that in fact she was at a loss for words.

“Okay, well um.” She tilted her head. “What special powers do you have?”

He blushed. “I can heal people, change molecular structures.”

Looking around the room, he went to the sculpture on her table and changed it back to its original mound of clay.

“I don’t really know where I came from, the crash ensured that I have no firm memories of our home planet.”

“Wait a minute. You said OUR home planet?”

He nodded. “There were two others, but for our safety, upon coming out of the incubation pods.. We …we went our separate ways.”

He saw her expression and quickly shook his head. “And NO we’re not part of the Roswell crash if that’s what you were thinking of asking.”

She blushed at him. “I’ve been playing with questions for hours here, I did NOT say at any time they would be logical ones.”

He rubbed his neck. “I was captured shortly after the separation, I don’t really know how long they had me other than they did and the experiments were horrific.”

She nodded, remembering her intial response to his wounds.

“I escaped and found my way here.”

He lifted his eyes to her and smiled sadly at her. “Found my way to you.”

She came to kneel in front of him. “Those men.”

“Those men showed me that I cant trust anyone.”

She laid her hand on his cheek. “You trusted me.”

He nodded slowly, his hand coming up to cover her own. “That’s different.”

“How so?”

His blue eyes grew darker. “It was you.”

Before she could react, he was on his feet. “I have to go.”

Dazed, she watched him. “Go, go where?”

“I can’t put you in anymore danger.”

Before she could reply, there was a knock at the door.

“Hey Marley, it’s Roman and Sam.”

Freezing in place for a moment, she turned quickly to him and sprung into action.

Planting her lips on him, she mussed up his hair before tossing the couch pillows and blankets on the floor, stepping quickly out of her jeans and rumpling her hair.

He watched her as she yanked his shirt off him.

“Shouldn’t one of us buy the other dinner first?”

She glared at him. “You’re NOT leaving and I’m about to buy us some time here.”

“By stripping me?”

She kissed him again, rendering silence from him as she called out.

“Coming Sam hold it!”

She spun on her heel and shoved him on to the couch before going to open the door.

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

Sam burst in followed by the man known behind his back by Marlena as “Stonewall Brady.”

“We wanted to get you and take you to dinner.”

Marlena gestured to the fellow, who stood up. “We were already eating.”

Sam blushed and Roman took in the whole scene. “Oh I bet you were.’

He turned his attention to the other man, holding out his hand. “Captain Roman Brady.”

Marlena’s eyes widened as he stepped forward. “John Black.”

As they shook hands, Roman began to lead Sam away. “Close your mouth dear, you’re attracting flies.”

Marlena followed them to the door. “Okay sorry I can’t come out for dinner.”

Roman just nodded. “Sam will be after you tomorrow for news once she regains her composure.”

Marlena closed the door. “I bet she will.” Clamping her eyes shut, she shook her head. “I can’t do this.”

She opened her eyes and threw a tea towel at John, who was standing close to her.

“You’re making me think foggy, go get dressed.”

He looked taken aback. “What no good night kiss, no snuggle it’s just BAM then get out?” He shook his head. “I took you all wrong Doc.”

She sank to the floor. “Take your wash board abs, your hairy chest and go get DRESSED!”

He crossed his arms and shook his head. “Not till you kiss me first.”

Standing up, she came towards him and pouted prettily. “Get bent spaceboy.”

 

“I saw that.”

He jumped and found her standing beside him. “You cheated.”

John grinned, leading her away from the vending machine. “I did not.”

She nodded. “Oh no, you just waved your hand in front of it and boom there comes the Pepsi without the benefit of coins being put in the machine.”

They looked at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing.

“Okay, so I cheated.”

 

“MARLENA!”

John watched her bury her face into his shoulder. “Samantha.”

Her sister came walking up to them. “Nice to see you both dressed.”

Pulling her sister away from John, Samantha began to question her.

Chuckling to himself over her distress, John went to sit down.

Looking around the room, he found Roman Brady staring at him.

Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up, John wondered what he had done that would earn that look in the eyes of someone he had never met until just the day before.

“WELL!”

Marlena shook her head. “Are we even related?”

Sam gestured towards the man lost in thoughts. “Someone that gorgeous finally steals your head OUT of the medical books and you wont share that happy news?”

Marlena’s hazel eyes widened as she took her sister in.

“You have your little bit of heaven in good ol’ deputy dawg over there. Leave me alone for now. Keep this up and you’ll scare John away.”

Sam smiled. “No, I think it’s safe to say he’s here to stay.”

Marlena turned to look at John. “No, I don’t think it’s safe to say that at all.”

*~*~*~*

“Will you please wait!”

She kept walking and ignoring his words, which only served to make him even angrier. “Marlena please!”

It was ridiculous that she felt this way. She barely knew him and to hear her sister making those comments, knowing that it was her planning that allowed them to see what she had wanted them to see was making her heartsick.

There was no way that she could be in love with the man she barely knew and wouldn’t be able to have.

“Marlena WAIT!”

She didn’t hear him as the squeal of the tires knocked her out of her reverie.

*~*~*~*

He laid her on the ground and began coaxing her to stay awake.

“Hurts.”

He bit his lip. “I know it does honey. I have to get you to look at me please?”

She opened her eyes and as Blue locked onto Hazel, she felt his hands lying on her stomach as heat began to spread from them.

His eyes slowly closed and he began to repair the damage from her hitting the car.

Sensing they were coming he let out a yell. “Someone call a doctor!”

*~*~*~*

He sat quietly in the waiting room, frantic as each doctor and nurse came in and out of the ER. Hoping and praying that she was all right.

There was only so much that he could do.

*~*~*~*

She waited until the doctors left to arrange her X-rays before hopping off the bed.

Going to the bathroom, she closed the door and locked it before lifting up her shirt.

“Oh dear god.”

*~*~*~*

John saw her coming rushing out.

“You need to let them.”

Her eyes widened. “No, I don’t need to let them. Trust me I don’t need them.”

Worried, he laid his hand on her forehead to which she slapped it away.

“Listen to me spaceboy, I don’t think I really want them to see me.”

Craig came to them. “Marlena, you need to lie down.”

She turned and flashed a smile. “Craig I’m fine really. I want to go home and I know that John here will watch over me just fine.”

He was about to protest when Marlena stomped her foot down on his.

“I’m a doctor Craig, I know when a person is injured or not. I’m fine just a little shaken up and well, I know that with the tender loving care of my sweetie here, I’ll be fine.”

She looked at John then back to her friend. “I’ve already signed out.”

Craig pursed his lips. “John, if she has so much as a dizzy spell.”

“I’ll bring her right back.”

As they walked out, John glanced at her.  “Tell me.”

She shook her head. “Not till we get away from here.”

*~*~*~*

He waited until she came back downstairs from her bathroom, hair still wet from her shower.

“What is it? Why couldn’t you stay in the hospital?”

Ignoring his worried expression, she lifted her pyjama top.

“This is why I couldn’t. I didn’t feel up to showing them this.”

His eyes widened.

“Oh Marlena, I’m sorry.”

His eyes were drawn to the silver handprint on her stomach that seemed to be a beacon shining back at him.

“You’re sorry?” She shook her head. “How long does this stay on?”

He shook his head, which only freaked her out more.

“Don’t do that. What’s going on why does this look like my nightlight from when I was small?”

He bit his lip. “I was told it was only possible with my own people.”

“WHAT!”

He stood and tried to come to her, only to have her step backwards.

“The hand print only comes out when a couple from my world are bonded. Apparently at the moment of our births, we’re matched with our future bride or groom.”

“I’m not alien.”

He nodded. “That’s why I’m stunned. You have no reason to be doing that.”

“But here I am.”

He smiled at her, hoping to ease her mood. “Yes, here you are.”

She was in a panic, storming around the room as she glared at him.

“I’m not flying in no ship, no baby of mine will be levitating around the room. I mean I don’t even really know you and I can’t be involved with an alien!”

He blinked. “Won’t you at least ask how my foot is?”

She glared at him. “NO!”

Sinking onto the couch, she looked at him.

“John, we just met. How can I be bonded to you?”

He went to the window and gazed out.

“Do you believe in karma?”

She drew her robe tighter around her. “What, you’re saying we were meant to be together?”

He turned around. “Isn’t it nicer to think it was written in the stars?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what to think. You saved my life tonight and now apparently we’re bonded.”

John nodded, coming to kneel in front of her. “This all began because you saved me.”

He laid his hands on her face and this time a different warmth coursed through his fingers as he allowed her to relive the night just a few days before.

Tears slowly formed in her eyes. “John.”

Nodding, he smiled. “You were the first beautiful thing that I had seen when I escaped the facility. I knew I had to be with you.”

Lowering her head, she broke the connection.

“You don’t know me.”

He smiled. “They say that those bonded can do reverse connections.”

Bewildered, she tried to grasp the idea in her head.

Smiling, he took both of her hands and placed them on his head exactly in the spots where he had his hands on hers.

As their eyes closed, John felt a peace coursing through him as he was allowed to see her life from infant to that moment.

“I was right.”

She blinked as he lowered her hands. “You were right?”

He nodded. “We were meant to be together.”

“The subject is a male, late 30’s, 6 feet 5 inches approximately 220 pounds, was found at a crash site 90 miles from Salem, pods for two others were apparently ejected during crash. The Search Teams were unable to find the other occupants of the crash.”

Roman looked up from the report. “I don’t see what this has to do with me?”

The other man took the report from Brady.

“As the acting official representative of the Salem P.D. I would think this would be in your interest, the subject escaped from custody and is lurking out there somewhere with the honest hardworking citizens of your fair city.”

Roman smirked. “And what would you have me do? Announce on the evening news that we have an actual live alien in our midst, hasn’t done anything out of the ordinary to attract attention.”

The agent cut in. “Yet.”

Roman stood. “I have no reason to be causing a city wide panic when we have NO proof this fellow is here and besides, aren’t all aliens shape shifters? He would have already changed his looks to avoid detection.”

“You would do well not to be treating this with humor.”

Roman shrugged. “Why not, your people already destroyed my family. My father’s career and now you come to me with proof of something that your organization told him didn’t exist and had him run off for. What more could you do to me … to us?”

The other man’s smile turned into a leer. “Do you REALLY want me to answer that?”

“Your soon to be sister in law is an up and coming physician, do you want to be the cause of her suddenly blossoming career coming to a halt?”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

He grinned. “Try us Mr. Brady, just try us.”

Roman stood up. “You’re in MY office and YOUR threatening MY family. Boy do you have some nerve!”

The FBI agent smiled. “You have NO idea.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena woke up and saw she was lying on the couch cradled in John’s arms, his left hand in the exact position that it had been in when he healed her.

Shifting slightly, his grip on her tightened.

“Where you going?”

She smiled. “I’m going to get up. It’s morning.”

He looked lost and the fear in his eyes worried her. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

John smiled but his eyes were still distant.

She shifted so she was facing him. “What is it?”

“I dreamed again.”

Marlena nodded, squeezing his hand in support. “What about?”

He looked at their joined hands then back at her. “The same thing as before.”

She reached out and brushed a stray hair from off his forehead. “Your safe now but you will still have those dreams. You had quite an ordeal with those monsters and now you’ll have to get through the stress one day at a time.”

John smiled, the sides of his mouth turning up. “Is that the psychiatrist coming out?”

She grinned back in reply. “Ah no, that would be your bonded mate coming out.”

They burst into needed laughter as she looked back at him. “Are you okay with that Doc?”

She shrugged. “How can I not be? It’s not like your hard to look at. A girl could really do worse than being with a tall dark and handsome alien.”

John paused then smiled. “Yeah a girl could do worse.”

They sat up and she studied him.

“What?”

She grinned as she got up, getting her things ready to put on for the day.

“While I’m at the hospital, what are you going to do?”

John sat up, wrapping his hands around his knees. “I was planning on finding a job.”

“Really?”

He tilted his head. “You seemed surprised by that.”

“No, just how are you going to do this when you have no records of yourself.”

He waved his hands, dismissing the thought. “That’s easy.”

“It is?”

He smiled. “Yeah, I’m an alien with alien powers. I can fix that.”

She came crawling onto the couch. “Fine, but don’t do anything that will cause you to be put in Jail. I don’t think we need you catching attention THAT way.”

*~*~*~*

Her mind was a world away as she listened to all of her various clients discussing this problem or that situation.

Rubbing her temples for a moment earned a worried “Is everything alright?” from Mrs. Schmidt, who was fussing over her issues with her daughter who was threatening to run off and join the navy, because the recruits looked good in their dress whites.

“I’m fine Mrs. Schmidt, please continue. Did you try using the conversation technique that I taught you last visit?”

As she listened to the older woman prattle on, Marlena’s eyes widened as she saw the bubble in the painting with “Come to Dinner?” smack in the middle of it.

Blinking quickly, she saw the bubble change. “Please?”

Scratching the back of her neck, she then noticed the little green man in the painting that on closer look was waving at her.

Biting the inside of her lip to keep from laughing, Marlena spoke softly.

“I think what you should do is simply let her grow up. As a mother you’re wanting to keep her safe, but at 30 she is an adult and should be making mistakes so that she learns from them.”

The alien blew a kiss then disappeared from her view.

*~*~*~*

Roman looked over the reports on his desk, pausing as he looked at the photograph of his father.

Shawn Brady had been the police commander until the night in 1947 that changed his life, changing him so completely that ultimately he was let go from the force and became a fisherman.

His father never told him what he saw, but Roman knew that for a brief time he had been assigned to Roswell at the time of the crash and had for the rest of his life believed in aliens.

Roman was not his father’s son in that one respect. He dealt in facts.

The mere idea was beyond what he knew.

*~*~*~*

“So are you dressed yet?”

Samantha came in and froze as her sister stared in the mirror in her bra and panties.

“Sorry I didn’t know.”

Quickly, she went to the bed and grabbed her dress.

“It’s not like you’ve never seen me partially dressed before. I mean come on, we shared a room together until we were what 15, 16?”

Sam answered mechanically. “18”

She came around the bed. “Marley?”

“It was body paint okay, we got a little silly last night and boom I woke up with a hang over and a hand print.  No biggie.”

Marlena found herself chanting over and over. “Buy it oh please buy it Sami, please!”

She shook her head. “You and he are getting into some freaky stuff there sister mine.”

Marlena shrugged. “You said I needed to get away from the books Sam.”

“I didn’t mean jump right into the deep end Marley.”

Marlena studied her sister, hopeful that she averted yet another crisis.

*~*~*~*

“Hey honey, I’m home.”

She found Roman studying over some files at the kitchen table.

“Did you eat?” She paused to drop a kiss on his head before coming to sit beside him.

He nodded and muttered something vaguely about fish and chips.

“What’s all this?”

He turned a page in the file. “Just going over some of pop’s old files.”

“He was a well travelled policeman. The other day he told me that he had gone.”

The photograph was old but what it showed caught Samantha’s eye.

“That looks like her stomach!”

“Who’s stomach?”

She snatched the photograph. “She said it was body paint.”

Roman took the photograph back and flipped it over. “Victim 1947”

“Sam, who are you talking about?”

She looked up. “Marley, she said that she and John had been playing with body paint.”

Roman laid the photograph down.

A crash site 90 miles from Salem, pods for two others apparently ejected during crash. The Search Teams were unable to find the other occupants of the crash.

I have no reason to be causing a city wide panic when we have NO proof this fellow is here and besides, aren’t all aliens shape shifters? He would have already changed his looks to avoid detection

Why not, your people already destroyed my family. My father’s career ..

His eyes widened.

“Roman?”

Grabbing his jacket, he left the house.

*~*~*~*

John returned from his journeys to find Marlena pacing.

“Doc?”

Frantic, she looked at him. “You have to help me fix this. I made a mess and I’m scared.”

Coming to her, he made her sit down on the couch. “What are you talking about?”

She shook her head. “I never meant for her to see, I thought that I would be dressed before she came in the room.”

“What?”

She stood up. “My stomach. John, she saw the handprint. You have to fix this because if she’s told Roman, then we’re in trouble. We’re trying to keep you out of trouble, not having my future brother-in-law at your throat.”

He shook his head. “I’ve never tried to do that before.”

She clutched at his shirt front, pulling him to his feet. “TRY!”

Nodding he laid her on the couch, pulling her shirt up so that her stomach was exposed.

“I love you, you know that.”

She smiled. “I love you too, I’ll love you more if you get this gone before he comes.”

“How are you so sure that he’ll show up?”

She shook her head. “You don’t know Stonewall.”

Biting his lip, he laid his hand on her stomach and began to concentrate.

It was like a warm cloth being laid on her stomach and she felt calm until he suddenly yanked his hand away, his eyes wide in alarm.

Her eyes shot open. “John?”

He covered her stomach, muttering that he was sorry as he scooted away from her.

“John?”

The tension increased with the knock on the door.

Getting up from the couch, she turned slightly to him and raised an eyebrow as she shook her head. “We’re going to finish this conversation in a minute.”

Opening it, she found Roman standing in the doorway. “I need to talk to you Marlena.”

She let him in. “What about Roman?”

He turned to face her, noting that John came to stand beside her.

“I know that I can trust you and that what I’m about to say won’t leave this room.”

She looked at John, who nodded as she turned back to Roman. “You’re scaring me Roman.”

“Marlena, there was a crash about three weeks ago and I’ve been informed by the FBI that there may be alien involvement.”

She burst out laughing. “What are you saying, what that there’s an alien hanging out in Salem?”

He nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Sam said that she’s seen something on you that is a mark of the aliens.”

She blushed as John shifted from foot to foot. “Roman, that was role playing and I’m not going to go there with you, family or no family.”

He grew serious. “Marlena, let me see your stomach.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Or what, you’ll throw me in jail?”

Noting that her attempt at a joke failed and her voice became professionally icy.

“Sam would freak and so will I. Roman don’t go there.”

He stepped forward. “Will you let me see it or do I have to undress you myself?”

She looked at John, praying it was gone and willing him to stay still and not make a scene.

“Fine, but I’m telling you right now that I sure as hell don’t like that you’re bullying me.”

Lifting her shirt, she looked down and said a quick prayer.

Her stomach was pale pink and no print.

He looked taken aback as he tore his eyes away. “I’m so .”

She cut him off. “Yeah you’re sorry, not nearly as much as I am for letting you go on a goose chase. You heard those fools in the FBI, remembered the ordeal they gave your father, listened to Sami and BAM I’m cavorting with Aliens.”

She lifted John’s hand and poked his finger with a pin she had on the counter, showing Roman the blood that was welling up from the pinprick.

“Red Roman, It’s red.”

“I think that I should go now.”

She followed him to the door. “Yeah I agree. I think you should.”

As she hit the door, he apologized again and she coolly looked at him. “I don’t want to see you for awhile, when Sam asks why you tell her that it’s all on you.”

As she closed it, she shut him out of her mind.

The apology died on his lips as he heard her begin to cry.

*~*~*~*

“Oh doc.”

He came to her, scooping her up and drawing her to him.

She sank into the warmth of him as she softly muttered against the fabric of his shirt.

“I would do anything I had to in order to keep you safe.”

Lifting her face, she peeked up at him. “Thank you for healing the mark.”

He cradled her close again. “Thank you for protecting me.”

She moved away from him and took a deep breath.

“You saw something when your hand was on my stomach, what was it?”

She turned back and held out a finger. “Don’t think of covering it up.”

He nodded, his normally readable face calm and still.

“I couldn’t even if I wanted to. Being bonded means that I can’t lie to  you.”

She looked sceptically at her feet. “That goes for anyone in love. Tell me John.”

He looked at her and looked at his hands.

“I saw a couple of things. a baby and I saw your death.”

Kansas’s “Dust In The Wind” was playing on the stereo as she sank onto the couch.

“My death?”

She shook her head as she pushed a stray hair behind her ear.

“John that’s not funny.”

He sat down beside her, hunching forward so that his hands came to rest on his knees.

“I know what I saw and there’s no going back.”

She closed her eyes and got up from the couch.

“So how..” She found her voice failing her. “How does it end?”

He looked up and she saw his eyes were nearly black with emotion.

“How can you ask me that?”

Shakily she laughed, a hollow sound that hurt her ears. “How?”

She moved to the window, crossing her arms against herself.

“I’m told I’m going to die and yet I have NO right to know?”

As she lowered her head, he spoke.

“I shouldn’t have said a word.”

“Well you did and now we know and you won’t tell me!”

His voice was like ice. “I don’t want you to know. It’s better for one to know and live with the fear. I would rather know so that I can keep you safe!”

“Smother.”

She straightened up. “You want to smother, not keep me safe and I won’t have it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She bit her lip. “I want you to leave.”

His eyes widened. “WHAT?”

“I can’t be with you, not with this secret between us and I don’t feel safe knowing that you’ll be over me like a bad rash. I can’t live like this.”

Wordlessly, he went up to gather his things.

*~*~*~*

Bo Brady looked at the man on the other side of the bar.

“You’d keep a secret of some importance to your lady and would rather be apart from her?”  He shook his head as he gave the bar a swipe. “Man that’s stupidity.”

John looked at his new friend. “It’s love. I’d rather be away from her and keeping her safe then telling her and have her di ..”

He caught himself. “Then have her leave me.”

Bo shook his head, taking the glass of soda from John. “Stupidity.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena slept feverishly, her skin feeling on fire as she dreamt of him.

Sitting up with a gasp, she whimpered as she drew the sheets closer around her.

“John, I’m so sorry.” Tears began to fall as she settled back in bed.

*~*~*~*

Marlena felt like her body was made of lead, even her scalp hurt as she dragged herself around the apartment to get ready to go out for the day.

Sitting at the Java Café, she was viewing the world through squinted eyes as she heard the familiar chirp of her friend with the statement of the year.

“You chicka look like hell.”

She lifted her eyes to find her best friend standing in front of her table.

“Please do NOT tell me it was from a man, you do and I’ll rip his lungs out with a straw.”

Marlena winced at that and viewed the larger than life persona of the one person who would drag her kicking and screaming out of the pity party.

“Aren’t you ever on low maintenance?”

She sat on the stool in front of Marlena. “Now why would I do that?”

Rolling her eyes, Marlena glanced at the time. “M&M, did you feed the fish?”

McKenzie Morgan’s smile faded. “Oh god.”

Marlena groaned. “Why did I buy Charlie for you again?”

She waved a hand at her friend. “Doesn’t matter, poor sod’s lived this long with me he can keep a little while longer. What’s with the dragging lip there girlie?”

Taking a sip of her tea, Marlena smiled.

“How’s Scott.”

The eyes of her best friend lit up and it was off to the races as Kenzie began to ramble about how great the sex and chemistry was.

Clamping her hands over her ears, Marlena began to sing. “Lalalalalalala.”

Mckenzie looked at her friend. “What the hell is with the lalala’s, girlfriend we’re the same age, I mean it’s not like you’re not getting any. Sam told me about the eye candy shacked up at your place.”

“Kenz, leave her alone. Just cause YOU like swinging off chandeliers during sex doesn’t mean that she does. We’re not all that active in that part of our lives.”

Mckenzie squinted at the third member of the unholy trinity. “And why are you out and about?”

Michelle smiled. “All study and NO play makes Michie a dull girl.”

Mckenzie turned back to Marlena. “See SHE gets it!”

Marlena looked at her other friend. “All study and NO sleep makes Michie a weirdo. How long have you been up?”

Michelle shrugged. “At this stage of the school year, who needs time? Time is irrelevant!”

Mckenzie snorted. “So says the leader of the Borg.”

Michelle shot a dirty look at her friend. “Feed the fish today?”

Marlena began to choke. “I think it’s time we stage a Charlie intervention. That poor fish is traumatized.”

Michie nodded. “Poor fishie. Did she tell you about the time that he lasted for four days without food?”

Marlena shot a wadded up napkin at Mckenzie. “Oops guess she didn’t.”

“Is this any way for the oh so proper psychiatrist to behave?”

She peeked up at her sister. Sam was looking prim and proper so Marlena shrugged.

“It is on weekends.”

The trio burst out laughing as Sam walked away.

*~*~*~*

John watched her laughing and a slow sad smile drifted to his face as he turned to walk away.

“Going somewhere Mr. Black?”

He blinked. “As a matter of fact, I was on my way to my new job at the Pub.”

Roman shoved him into a dark alley. “Oh I think we’re going to go on a detour.”

*~*~*~*

“You can’t keep hiding from it.”

She looked up from the sweater. “I can if I really run fast enough Michie.”

The girls looked at each other. “I had something wonderful and I let it go. I just get to sort through do I want to chase after it or no.” “Well you can’t chase after this because it’s made for me.”

Mckenzie came out and Marlena’s eyes widened. “Oh no, that’s okay I really don’t want to chase after something that just burnt out my retinas.”

Michelle squealed. “Braille anyone?”

Mckenzie threw up her hands. “What?” She stroked the sleeves of the jacket. “It’s okay, you were made for me and you’ll match at least five pairs of shoes.”

*~*~*~*

The pain was worse this time because he didn’t know where it was coming from, where it was raining on him from.

He tried to block shots but it was useless and finally he curled up, willing for it to end. There was NO way that he would use his powers, Marlena would never forgive him for this.

But somewhere deep inside the voice telling him to fight grew louder.

Slowly standing up, he began to throw punches back.

*~*~*~*

They were walking back to their cars when something made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

Making an excuse to go back for a forgotten wallet, she was walking through the concourse of Salem Place when she saw him stagger towards her.

“JOHN!”

As he crumpled into her arms, he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

She stroked the hair away from his face. “I know but it’s me who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have let you go. This is my fault.”

Carefully she took him out of sight.

 

 She brought him back to her car, thankful that the girls had left but had put her packages in the car, leaving her keys on the seat.

Shifting him against her, she felt him burning up but still awake.

“Still with me?”

He weakly nodded. “Sorry.”

Fighting the urge to cry, she got the side door of her car open and laid him down on the seat.

“Buddy, say that once more and I’ll have to resort to drastic measures.”

That earned a faint smile before the blackness claimed him and as she closed the door, she began to cry.

“Buddha, what do I do now?”

*~*~*~*

“Hello?”

Marlena kept her eyes on the road and spoke into the cell phone, thanking god she paid for the hands free installation.

“Michie, it’s me.”

Michelle laid down her biology textbook and rubbed her eyes. “Do you know what time it is?”

Marlena nodded, mentally kicking herself for a) nodding at the phone as if Michelle would even SEE her and b) not checking the time.

“Sorry Michie, but I need a HUGE favour from you.”

On alert, Michelle sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“Something’s come up and I can’t go home to the loft. But I need someone to go grab some things for me.”

“Can’t tall dark and deadly get it for you?”

Marlena cringed. “Don’t let Kenzie make up any more nicknames please. I can’ t get John to get anything because he’s the reason something’s come up. He’s been hurt and I have to get him away from Salem. Michie, you can’t tell anybody please. Promise me you won’t tell anybody.”

“Not even Kenz?”

Marlena checked the gauge. “Actually yes please let her know. She can run interference for me at work and the clinic.”

“Be careful okay?”

Marlena sighed and pulled into the gas station. “I’ll try and I’ll be in touch so we can make the drop off of my things okay?”

Michelle promised and they hung up.

*~*~*~*

She had bought the cottage with the signing bonus that she received from signing with University Hospital.

Not even Sam and Roman knew of it, which was how she liked it.

The locals knew her and looked after her when needed.

Reaching for her keys, she got out and went to get John.

Her hand hit his wrist and she winced. “You’re burning up!”

*~*~*~*

It was dark where he was and he knew she wasn’t with him.

Looking at the ground, he found himself surrounded by symbols that he knew were from his world. Worried, he sank down as his hands went over them.

The fear grew from within, soaking him in a sweat as he began to call out.

*~*~*~*

Marlena sat on the side of the bed, her eyes reddened from tears.

“I don’t know what else to do. I’ve done everything medically and here we are.  It’s not like before John, you’re unconscious and getting worse this time.”

Getting up off the bed, she walked to the window and found the brightest star.

That night, it happened to be in the bottom of a cluster that to Marlena’s eye looked like a V shape.

“Please help me?”

Turning back to him, she laid her hands on his face.

“What do I do?”

Her chain of thought was broken by a knock on the door.

Quickly placing a blanket on John, she went to answer it.

“Dr. Evans?”

She smiled as she pushed the screen door open to let in the man. “Well hello there.”

“You’re needing help.”

Her eyes showed the surprise that she felt. “How did you know that?”

Ben smiled. “Connections.”

He sank onto her couch. “He’s called me here.”

Her mouth opened. “Who’s called you here?”

He chuckled. “Your patient.”

As he walked past her into the bedroom, Marlena felt panic and ran after him.

“Ben, I’m going to ask you again. How did you know that I needed help and it was for him?”

He smiled and began to wave his hands over John, who seemed to calm down as the words began to weave their magic.

Suddenly realization hit her and she sank to her knees on the other side of the bed, her hands coming to her mouth as she watched Ben’s hands beginning to glow.

“You’re one of them?”

Ben chuckled. “Don’t say it like that, I’m not a disease or anything.”

She blushed. “He said there were two others.”

Ben nodded. “There were three others outside of him, but sadly his sister Isabella died during the trauma of the crash.”

She looked to John. “Why didn’t he?”

“Pain of losing a loved one causes extreme mental distress, he’s probably blocked her out.”

A tear trickled down her cheek. “How do I help him?”

Ben looked at her and his eyes narrowed. “You want to help him?”

She felt an irrational sense of irritation at him. “We’re bonded Ben. Yes I want to help him.”

He shook his head. “Wait, you said you’ve bonded.”

Ben looked her up and down as he began to shake his head, unable to believe her.

“No, your human. There’s NO way that you can be.”

She tilted her head. “He healed me from a car accident and there was a silver hand print on my stomach. He told me that it wasn’t a normal thing that it only happens to your kind.”

Ben held up his hands. “Listen, I’m not your enemy here.”

She stood up and he got the first sense of what true power laid in the woman that John apparently loved.

“Right now, John is the ONLY concern here and if you can or if you even know HOW to cure him of this fever, then by god you’re going to go through it and get the job done Ben!”

He shook his head. “Get my bag that I left out in the other room.”

As she went, he called out. “And bring water in a bowl.”

*~*~*~*

“Water, something in common with all of us. By drinking from the same bowl, we begin the connection. Opening the flow that goes back and forth.”

She watched Ben drink from it and she thought of how she had known him for nearly a year and never clued in that he wasn’t of this planet.

He handed her the bowl and as she was bringing it to her lips, he spoke softly.

“You’re afraid, but not of the healing. Your fear runs deeper. You fear for him. Someone you care for a great deal. Take a step back and see that you cannot stop this. It is bigger than you.”

A tear trickled down her face as her hand caressed his arm. “I’m sorry.”

Ben continued as John’s eyes opened and focused on him. “You’re here.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena sat curled up on her porch swing as she studied the sunrise.

“He’s sleeping.”

Joining her on the swing, Ben looked at her and she spoke.

“You know that I’m a doctor, I’ve always been the one who comes through in the time of crisis. I do what’s necessary, and I don’t panic. But seeing him just so sick and having no way of knowing what was wrong or how to help made me scared. Scared that one day something like this could happen to him again or to if the fates allow, a child of ours and I wouldn’t know how to help this person who means so much to me, who means everything.”

Ben looked out on the horizon. “When I told you that it was bigger than you, it was because John and the rest of us have a destiny to fulfill and I’m afraid that it doesn’t include you.”

She felt like ice as she continued to swing. “Ben, how is it possible that I could be…I could be the happiest that I’ve ever been in my entire life…you know, and now the saddest all at…all at one time?”

He shrugged. “You’re human.”

She sneered. “You’re alien and don’t know it all.”

“I do. I loved a human and it ended badly.”

She studied him. “Gee, with such a winning personality that you have, how could that have happened?”

Standing up, she came to stand in front of him. “You listen to me. Yes I know that I’ve only known John for a small amount of time, but there IS a connection, that handprint proved it and he had a connection that showed him I’m in his life for a long time and I will have a child Ben … John’s child and there’s NO way that I’m going to leave him. Do you understand?”

Ben grinned. “Don’t get your knickers in a knot. Sit down.”

She curled her lip. “Go to hell.”

As she stormed off, he smiled. “Quite the future Queen there John old boy.”

*~*~*~*

John felt as weak as a kitten as he came outside.

“What did you see in there?”

John sat down at the table. “Symbols and Ben I saw Isabella. She told me.”

His head dropped.  “Told you what John?”

“Told me it wasn’t my fault.”

Ben nodded. “It wasn’t you know. You had a job to do and you did it. You kept the rest of us safe and you didn’t take any of the human lives by crashing the ship in a residential area.”

“I know, but she was my sister.”

Ben nodded. “She was the Princess and you are the King.”

John nodded back and looked around the room. “Where’s Doc?”

*~*~*~*

She sat on the deck, dangling her feet in the water as she began to cry.

John had been undergoing all sorts of torture while Ben was free to emerge himself into the world around him.

Doubling over, she heard John calling her name “Marlena?”

Quickly drying her eyes she straightened up and smiled as he came towards her.

“Don’t have to pretend with me. Ben does have that effect on people.”

She smiled and leaned against him as he drew her to him.

“I’m alright love.”

She nodded. “I know, but he was free at the same time that you were in..”

“The facility, it’s okay you can say it you know.”

“I’m not leaving you. Is that clear to him?”

John kissed the top of her head and snuggled her closer. “Yes it is now.”

She straightened up and the look in her eyes made him smile.

“A good shot to the jaw works wonders.”

“You didn’t!”

He nodded. “No, no I didn’t but my second in command knows that the king when needed has a mean left hook.”

They burst out laughing and John’s smile faded.

“You’re my other half, brought me balance and there is NO way that I’m letting you go.  That dream isn’t real and there is NO way that I’ll let anything happen. We’re going to be parents somewhere down the road and we’ll face everything together.”

“So I’m going to be a Queen?”

He grinned. “You already are a Queen.”

She smiled back. “I am?”

He nodded. “Queen of my heart.”

He stood up and helped her back to her feet. “Well then if that’s true, then can I issue a command?”

John nodded. “Certainly.”

“GET BEN OUT OF THE CABIN!”

He grinned. “That I can do.”

She smiled back. “I should hope so because if you ever want to work on that future heir of yours, the mood killer has got to go.”

They walked back to the cabin hand in hand.   

   He closed the door and watched her at the window, arms folded against her stomach as she leaned her head against the cool window.

“Marlena?”

“I’ve wondered about this since the night you bonded me to you, what it would be like.”

She turned as if her body was weighted down with the heaviest material possible.

“Is that wrong?”

He broke the space between them with four steps and it still wasn’t close enough as far as he was concerned.

Gently reaching for her, he laid his hand on her cheek. “Not at all.”

“I want to be sure that.” She stopped, feeling like a schoolgirl as the blush crept over her cheeks, heating the underside of his hand.

“Sure that what?”

She felt four years old and tongue tied as she tried to put the words together.

A sweet smile crept over John as he nodded at her. “It’s okay, just say it Marlena.”

“I want to make sure we can still be friends after everything?”.

His fingers slowly moved from her cheek, tickling a path along her jaw.

“Yeah. I mean, we are, will always be.”

She nodded, distracted as his fingers danced on her skin. “Good.”

Lost in sensation, she almost didn’t hear him as he asked puzzled. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

She tore herself out of his arms. “John, when in the heat of passion, people do a lot of dumb things when they’re …”

She threw up her hands. “I can’t believe I’m doing this!”

He went to sit on the bed. “When their about to make love?”

She nodded. “Marlena, don’t analyze this.”

She began to pace, hands in fists. “And we’re friends?”

“Yeah. We’re friends.”

He threw himself back against the mattress, his words a moan to which she asked again.

“Just friends?

“Yeah. We’re just friends.”

As Marlena turned to go past him, his hands shot out and pulled her on top of him, his lips seeking hers.

Her hands joined his in removing clothes as they sailed on emotions, until she got a glimpse of speeding through space.

*~*~*~*

She sat on his lap, facing him as his hands roamed across her skin.

His fingers grazed her breasts, earning moans that he claimed with his mouth on hers.

As her head dropped to his shoulder, he whispered. “Do you like that?”

She felt weightless as he entered her, the images still flashing through her mind at a speed that left her speechless, nodding to the question.

Lifting her head as they hit the climax, she sweetly claimed his lips with hers.

He moved his hand down her arm, causing her to notice something.

“Do that again.”

They smiled as John continued the light show, moving his hands on her skin as if he was the conductor, and she his instrument.

“This is one HUGE step in human-alien relations.”

She draped an arm around his neck. “Shut up and kiss me alien king.”

Later, as John went to pull the sheets around them he saw something that made him freeze.. “Oh no.”

She sleepily asked what was wrong.

“Think the handprint was wrong, um Marlena get up and check your neck.”

Wide awake now thanks to his tone, she went to look in the mirror.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?”

She burst out laughing as John began to apologize.

“Sam teased me for years that I never got a hickey, well I got one and it bloody glows in the dark!”

He turned her around. “I am so sorry.”

She grinned. “Fix it spaceboy.”

As he went to heal her neck, he caught more flashes.

This time it was of a blonde woman lying face down and he could hear sobbing as they heard footsteps.

“HELP HER!”

He felt her hand lay on his arm. “John?”

Shaking his head, he softly answered. “Yeah?”

She dropped the bed sheet that she was using for a make shift toga.

“I think I’m ready for step two in human-alien relations.”

*~*~*~*

The world was dark and Roman’s mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, dry and cracked.

Shifting for a moment, he soon realized that he was tied up and the darkness was a blindfold.

As he struggled with the binds, a tinny robotic voice called out.

“Oh I wouldn’t struggle too much if I were you.”

“Why not?”

The blindfold was removed and he found himself face to face with his father’s worst dream come true.

“Cause for you, the worst is yet to come.”

Roman sneered. “Oh really?”

Ben chuckled from behind the alien mask he morphed from a mickey mouse mask he bought.

“Oh I wouldn’t be so cocky Captain Brady, cockiness only makes me more angry and when I get angry, I experiment on humans.”

“You came after one of mine. Now, I’m here to come after you.”

Pressing his hands together, Ben moved them apart slowly allowing Roman to see the green energy converging between his palms.

“I like to start slowly, working at the scalp.”

*~*~*~*

Roman slumped against the door of his house, everything hurting.

If he could prove that John had anything to do with this revenge beating he would. But Sam said that the landlord at Marlena’s said that he had seen them both leaving in Marlena’s Jeep, the morning after leaving John in a bloody mess.

“It’s nice to finally see Dr. Evans with a boyfriend who loves her.”

“Who’s using her.” Roman wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

Knocking harder, he sank to the pavement.

“Sam where the hell ARE you.”

*~*~*~*

Benjamin enjoyed riding his motorcycle, the wind and solitude suiting his solitary nature.

He could still hear the message from John’s mother that had been sent with them in the ship.

“I’ve sent with you my son, your sister, her betrothed who is your second in command, as well as another. The four of you make a complete unit.”

He was always the guard at John’s back and that was something that would forever stay in the front of Ben’s mind.

His duty was to watch over the King and his family.

“Their family.” Ben’s eyes clouded over, remembering Isabella.

She was light to John’s dark. Laughter usually came into a room before Izzy did to the delight of the Royal court who adored the Princess.

Ben adored her beyond reason and lost the light when she died in his arms.

He decided at that moment, John was going to be protected.

He lost the woman he loved, but would be damned before he lost his king.

Checking the time, he pulled into the parking lot of the Brady pub.

*~*~*~*

“Excuse me, I wanted that booth.”

Ben looked up from his menu at a woman who at that moment was the most annoying person he had ever met in this world or their home world.

“Well as you can see, I’m sitting in it so park your packages somewhere else.”

McKenzie snorted. “I always sit here.”

Ben peered up from the menu. “I’m paying for my meal, your not so go sit somewhere else.”

“I always sit here when I come to eat.”

Ben turned and examined the seat. “What’s your name?”

McKenzie blushed, at a loss for a moment. “Pardon me?”

“You always sit here, your name has to be here somewhere, I want to check so what’s your name?”

She tossed her packages down, crossing her arms in front of her.

“My name you inconsiderate moron is Mckenzie Mariah Morgan.”

Ben turned back around and studied her. “Nice name, but too bad it aint on here. So move along sister.”

“Sister?”

He nodded. “Bye.”

“You inconsiderate, ignorant waste of human flesh!” She threw her hands up in a gesture that Marlena or Michelle could have warned him was a signal to leave quickly, had they both been there.

“Too bad you have a brain, that’s just a waste of space that could have been better used for planting ferns or something useful to the environment!”

Caroline came rushing over. “What’s wrong Kenzie?”

She stood up to her full height. “HE IS!”

As she was taken to another seat, Ben heard her muttering.

“And his hair, Caroline that moron has NEVER heard that mullets are illegal in these parts!”

Ben turned back to the menu. “And as the mouth settles in the east, so are the days of my life.”

*~*~*~*

John lay quietly in bed, spooned against Marlena who was still out like a light.

Running his hand over her arm, he smiled as she snuggled closer to him. Waiting till her breath was even again, his hands roamed over her again, still not believing that she was really his.

His right hand came to rest at the side of her stomach and his eyes widened as a very faint tiny glow came back to match his own.

Remembering Marlena’s frantic comments about flying alien infants, he smiled softly and replied to the air around him.

“Goodnight Moon.”

She sleepily swatted his hand. “You make me glow, cut that out!”

He grinned and pressed his lips to her head. “Night sweetheart.”

*~*~*~*

Ben was on his computer, studying some files when he noticed a glow coming from the orb that he rescued from the wreckage of the ship.

Curious, he picked up the orb and laid it on the table in front of him.

“My son, if you’re seeing this then it’s time for you to learn of the prophecy.”

Ben’s eyes clamped shut. “John, you need to see this buddy.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena and John were standing outside the loft the morning they returned home and found Ben sitting on their doorstep.

“John we need to talk.”

Before they were to go inside, McKenzie’s car screeched to a halt behind Marlena’s Jeep.

“Chicka, we have GOT to talk. Okay, there was this guy.”

Marlena blinked. “Hello Kenz.”

The guys reappeared from getting the bags and Ben rolled his eyes.

“Oh my god not YOU again!”

She put her hands on her hips. “Bite me Mullet Man!”

Marlena and John looked at each other. “Okay they know each other.”

*~*~*~*

Roman lowered the camera with a sigh.

He had taken enough photographs of the foursome standing on the street across from him, the reward of staking out Marlena’s for days, hoping that the two of them would come back home soon.

He never told Sam of the hours spent being tormented and he wasn’t about to break down.

But he would get proof that John wasn’t human.   

 

Mckenzie was reading her novel at the Java Hut when Ben appeared.

Standing in front of her for a few minutes, he finally slammed his hand down on the table to get her attention.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph!” She glared at him. “What the HELL do you want?”

He leaned on the table. “Does those two concepts go together?”

She made a sound that could have passed for disgust. “They do when you’re around. What do you want flyboy?”

“I want to know more about Salem.”

She laid her book down. “Then go buy a map.”

He shook his head. “I need a tour guide.”

“Sorry, not interested.”

His hands shot out and took her book. “That’s going to rot your brain out.”

She tilted her head, taking the book back from him. “Do you two even have brains?” She paused. “In John’s case I take that back. He adores my girl Marlena. Proof enough he’s got one. YOU don’t have the taste to even dress yourself properly. So obviously I just answered my question. YOU sir, don’t have a brain.”

Counting to ten, Ben smiled. “So do you come or shall I use my alien powers?”

Clamping her hands over her ears, McKenzie started to sing. “Lalalalala…”

Grinning, Ben remembered how she learnt of just who and what he and John were.

He had been waiting for them outside of Marlena’s apartment, when this annoying creature had started ranting.

Marlena, knowing what McKenzie was about to do had rushed her friend inside.

And without fail, she began demanding answers.

Looking at both John and Ben, Marlena shook her head. “I tell you and you have to promise not to scream.” She glared at McKenzie. “Promise me.”

“Chica while I love you very much. I am NOT promising anything that has to do with that fool over there.” Her eyes were flashing. “Yes you Mullet Man!”

John and Marlena chuckled.

“Okay, Look at me Kenz.”

Ben began to time the amount of time it would take for the loud-mouthed woman to have a melt down once Marlena told her.

He was betting on five seconds once the news hit her.

She lasted 30.

As she went out the door, Marlena shot a look at Ben. “Do that stunt again and I’ll have your teeth knocked so far down your throat that you’ll have to shove your toothbrush up your ass to brush them. Understand!”

Ben looked at John. “What did I do, all I did was show her proof that we were aliens.”

John shook his head. “I don’t think they were ready to see our real selves there big guy.”

*~*~*~*

Once everyone was calmed and settled, Ben began to reveal what he had learnt that had gotten him to be waiting for them in front of the loft.

Pulling out the orb from the bag he had carried it in, Marlena was wide eyed, John was stunned and Kenzie, well was surprisingly quiet.

“How does it?”

Ben just twisted the bottom to reveal an alien symbol then laid it on the table.

“My son, if you’re seeing me now, it means that you have survived and are alive and well.”

Kenzie shoved Ben who had sat on her dress. “What happened to make you so ugly, if she’s one of you there’s obviously something wrong cause she’s beautiful.”

“I’ve taken this form because it will be familiar to you in your new world and it will ease the understanding for you to what I am about to say.”

Marlena shook her head. “Not liking the sounds of this.”

She looked at John, who was sitting forward on his chair while after a game of first glaring and then throwing beer caps at him, Ben reached over to clamp his hand over McKenzie’s mouth. “Do that again or even scream again and so help me I’ll beat you.”

As Marlena got up from beside John, she listened to the near musical tones of the woman and her message from the other world.

“You have lived before. I say before because you four had been killed during the conflict that has ensnared our planet for nearly a lifetime. Our scientists duplicated, cloned and mixed your essences with human genetic materials so that you would be recreated into human beings.”

Kenzie bit Ben’s hand. “Let go of me you space monkey. So how does it feel to be freeze dried TV dinners?”

He glared at her until John told her to stop.

“We sent you to Earth to keep you safe from the enemy attacks but at the time we didn’t know that our enemies had followed you to Earth. You will know them only by the evil within.”

Kenzie let out a snort. “Great.”

Learn enough to use your skills, your knowledge, and your leadership to combat the enemy so that you can come back and free us.”

“I pray for that and also that I may once again hold you both in my arms. “

John felt sick. “You can’t do that now..”

She beamed out around her a gentle serene glow. “I live for that moment. Help us and always remember that I love you.  But at the time we sent you away, I sent you unaware of one important thing. My son, when it’s time, your child will be the key to saving not only our own planet but also Earth.”

“The oracles have foreseen the woman that you will fall in love with there and who will be the mother of your child, well she carries not just wisdom and great intelligence, but also beauty and the strength to be by your side when the war begins.”

John smiled as he turned to look at Marlena, who was leaning against the doorframe.

“I send with you to stand at your side, your sister, the man she loves, your general and second in command.”

Ben nodded at that as he and John both thought of the missing one.

“I also send to help you in the journey, your advisor.”

Ben spat out. “That traitor!”

John shook his head. “Not now.”

Kenzie turned around. “Guys, where’s Marlena?”

*~*~*~*

Ben found her outside on the roof.

“Don’t you think you should be inside?”

She continued to sit cross-legged on the ground, hands behind her for support as she studied the stars.

“Marlena?”

She didn’t turn around. “Where is it?”

He came closer. “Where’s what?”

She moved a hand and pointed upwards. “Home.”

Ben looked up. “It can’t be seen by the naked eye.”

Joining her on the ground, he continued to explain about the planet being one of the five planets that made up the Venus constellation.

*~*~*~*

“We should go out and look for her.”

John turned to find Kenzie looking pensive. “I mean it’s not every day that you find out you’re part of a legacy that will include giving birth to a saviour and being consort to an Alien King.”

He scratched the back of his head. “Gee thanks Kenz.”

She sat on the arm of the couch. “I don’t mean it in a bad way, I mean I always knew that Marlena was different but to tell her that would end up with her storming off.”

He sat down beside her. “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“Then support her while this sinks in.”

*~*~*~*

“What was it like?”

Ben looked at his hands. “I don’t know, I don’t think even John can remember what it was like. Sometimes I wake up and think I have memories but then I realize their only my hopes of what it was like.”

Marlena tilted her head. “That must really be rough.”

He nodded. “To know that you’re part of something really important and yet remember NOTHING of it.”

She nodded, her face unreadable. “Tell me about it.”

Ben looked at her. “He loves you and that will help.”

“So there you are!”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Yeah here we are.” He stood up to face Kenzie. “Don’t you have a cave to go hide in or is it a rock under?”

She came off the step and stood behind Marlena. “Well that depends mullet man, what rock did you slither out from under?”

Marlena clamped her hands over her ears. “ENOUGH!”

~*~*~*~*   

Marlena looked down at him mutinously.

“Admit it Black, you found it funny.”

He finished his push-ups and looked at her.

“You have to admit that her expression was funny Doc.”

He grabbed her foot and she landed on her back on the mat beside him.

”That HURT!”

He crawled over and pinned her under him. “Come on, just admit it.”

She began to squirm. “I aint admitting a thing.”

He tickled her. “Say it!”

Before she could, the phone rang. “Leave it Doc.”

She looked regretful. “I can’t, I’m on call.”

Watching her get up to get the phone, John shook his head.

“First thing I’m going to do is teach you NOT to answer the phone when I’m trying to seduce you.”

Checking the time, she wrote something down on a piece of paper then hung up.

“I hate to do this, but I have to go in for an hour to do an admit.”

John nodded and walked her to the door.

*~*~*~*

She got in the car, plugging in her cell phone and closed the door.

Before she could start the engine, a hand clamped over her mouth.

”Don’t struggle. It’s pointless.”

The sedative kicked in and the darkness came to wash her away.

*~*~*~*

John was in their living room listening to Prince’s Thieves in the Temple as he studied a picture of he and Marlena.

“Love come quick, love come in a hurry There are thieves in the temple tonight. They don’t care where they kick, just as long as they hurt you There are thieves in the temple tonight.”

As his fingers went over her image, he heard a scream rip through his skull.

He doubled over, sending the frame spinning to the floor.

“Marlena?”

*~*~*~*

Roman was sitting at his desk when the phone rang.

“Brady here.”

The voice on the other end was short and to the point. “We have the alien.”   

 

She lay still on the table, the shivers long since stopped while her heart was racing still faster than any sports car on the market.

It was scaring her beyond belief, this not knowing where she was or where the next blow was going to be.

“Good Morning Marlena.”

She forced herself to go rigid, the voice grated on her nerves to the point where she was positive that she had bitten a hole clean through the inside of her cheek.

“I said Good Morning Marlena.”

She willed herself not to be sick. “Where am I?”

“You’re safe. Someplace that “NOBODY” can find you.”

She understood that little dig very well, but continued questioning anyways.

“Why am I here?”

“That’s why we’re here.”

She began to struggle, pointless thanks to the bindings holding her in place to the examining table.

”You’ve made a mistake!”

The shapeless voice boomed louder. “Oh no we haven’t. You see Marlena, WE know what you are, and now, you’re going to tell us everything.”

She felt like screaming. “I’m Dr. Marlena Evans, I work at Salem’s University Hospital and I’m the younger twin of Samantha Evans by 5 minutes. Call her, she’ll confirm this.”

“It’s all up to you. We can do this the very easy way or you can make it as hard as you’re seeming to and we’ll discover just what you’re made of.”

She felt dizzy, like when as a child Sam had spun her on the swing in their backyard and then let her go careening in the opposite direction.

“What is your home planet?”

“Oh dear god, this is about John.” Her mind began going a mile a minute as her eyes shot open and spoke, hoping that her voice wouldn’t crack. “Earth.”

“Tsk … apparently you WANT it the hard way.”

She left her head to find the gowned technicians running in and she began to scream.

“WHY, WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?”

She saw the injection being prepared and she felt her voice fading. “I’m Dr. Marlena Evans, why are you doing this to me.”

She searched frantically around. “Why, why are you doing this?”

As the blackness claimed her again, she heard no answers to her pleas…

*~*~*~*

Ben drove in silence as he tried to remember the directions to her house.

“From tonight onwards, we don’t know each other, never SAW each other and as far as I’m concerned, I’m not related to you Benjamin.”

The four of them had crashed and Isabella died in John’s arms. Ben had looked to his sister, the court advisor for help and instead was slapped cruelly with her statement.

Ben didn’t know where Serena was nor hadn’t cared to find out until now.

John was frantic and the future Queen’s friends were beginning to wonder just where she was.

So to begin the pursuit of Serena, he had fallen asleep to the strains of Kenzie screaming about how insensitive he could be at a time like this, followed by Michelle’s telling her that Marlena explained about how Ben was able to walk through other’s dreams.

She pulled it from his hand for a moment. “He’s trying to find help. Do you understand Mac, he’s trying to bring us closer to Marlena!”

He found Serena’s location and woke to hear the trio having a pow-wow in the living room.

“I should never have let her go.”

“What are they doing to her? What if she’s already dead?” To Ben’s surprise, Kenzie’s voice was uncharacteristically soft. “What if we’re too late?”

He peeked around the sofa to find Michelle putting her hand over the other woman’s.

“Don’t say that.” Michelle surprised herself by just how strong her voice was sounding, covering just how terrified she was.

“Besides, we all know just how too smart for her own good Marley is. She’d never let anything like that happen.”

“They’re not going to kill her, they like the control factor too much for that.”

John turned and saw Ben watching them.

”Did you find her?”

“Who?”

Ben looked to Michelle. “Serena and yes I did. I’m going to head out for her.”

It had been to the strains of John saying “Be Careful” that Ben went to the car, planning just how to get his sister to rally to the family cause one more time.

As he made the turn a few hours later onto the street that led to Serena’s new world, Ben only hoped that the Royals very own little oracle had forgotten about how to use her powers.

“Who the hell am I kidding?”

*~*~*~*

“We’re going to try something new today.”

Marlena sat strapped to a chair, a head restraint keeping her totally immobile.

She watched as the shape stepped out of its clean gear to reveal a very familiar man.

Her mind tried to place him and finally as he twisted his ring, just who he was hit her.

Sam and Roman had tried to pair her up with a former ISA Agent friend of his. He was boring and Marlena bolted at the first convenient moment, thanking Mac for having her paged.

“Agent Wesley?”

He smiled. “You have your little tricks Dr. Evans and so I have mine.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sitting down in the chair nearest her, he leaned forward. “An example of one of your tricks is just how in the world did you manage to have everyone believe that you were normal?”

“That’s because I’m not what you think I am!”

He ignored her.

“Because here’s where things get really strange. “

He slipped from his pocket a slide. “These are your blood cells….” He looked up, his expression pure menace. “Completely NOT human.”

He broke into a smile that made her want to puke. “Still want me to call Samantha?”

She tried to close her eyes but couldn’t. “I told you all the way through this Marlena, I KNOW exactly what you are. So now you’ll be playing this game MY way. You’re going to start to answer every single one of my questions.”

As he rattled off the various facts to her, Marlena continued to answer honestly and truthfully, only enraging the man further.

She could see he was near breaking as he spat at her. “What do you know about that?”

Her strength was weakening as she softly spoke. “Nothing.”

“The last person you all killed was the very man who brought me into the profession. Tell me was it a single person doing the killing or were there others?”

She blinked. “What others?”

Switching tactics, he brought out an orb. “Tell me what happens when you bring all of these together?”

She began to squirm as she saw the technicians. “I … DON’T … KNOW!”

As they injected her, Wesley continued to speak but now he played with her hair.

“One of your partners escaped from here..” She began to weakly squirm on the gurney.

“Sshh … Ssh just tell me what I need to know and we can all end this, once and for all.”

*~*~*~*

“What the hell did I tell you?”

Ben looked at the tiny spitfire and realized she never changed.

“Hello Serena.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know you.”

He pushed past her into her apartment. “Yes, yes you do.”

As she began to protest, he held up his hand. “Its not for me.”

“Then who is it for?” She closed the door. “There’s NOBODY that you’d do a thing for. Everybody owes the great General, never the other way around.”

Ben chose to let that one go. “Because of your lack of care and healing, I lost my mate. Now I’ve come here for someone else who could very well lose his.”

She shrugged. “I told you, you all are…”

Ben’s voice was like ice. “John’s found his mate, she’s of Earth and she’s in trouble because of mistaken beliefs. You ARE going to help us bring her home Serena.”

*~*~*~*

Michelle sat across from John, who was lying on the couch.

“Is this something that you all can do?”

John tightened his grip on Marlena’s picture.

“I don’t know. It was a gift that Ben and Serena had. I know that my sister didn’t but had heard that it was a possibility for all the people of my planet to do if they chose.”

“Did you choose?”

John opened his eyes and spoke rather matter of fact.

“I never made an official out loud choice one way or the other. You see, when we were about 13, I remember as plain as day when …”

He sat up. “Ben almost died doing this. He went too far, went somewhere in his … mind.”

Michelle was silent. “And then what?”

John closed his eyes, the pain still remembered. “He barely made it back out.”

Michelle laid her hand over the picture. “She’d understand.”

“I wouldn’t …” He blinked and smiled. “I have to do this.”

Michelle nodded. “If you have to then you have to. Which means that I’m going to stay with you. If you have a light at the end of the tunnel, maybe you won’t get lost along the way?”

John nodded and closed his eyes.

As Michelle watched him drift away, she burst into tears as he softly called for Marlena to let him in.

*~*~*~*

He felt disoriented, like he did when he had been tortured.

But now he understood that it was from the drugs and so he began to frantically call to Marlena even while feeling that the room was spinning.

He began to call her as one would a small child.

“Marlena, c’mon please stop this. Stop and help me here?”

“I’m dreaming. I’ll wake up and you won’t be here. “

As he continued to call her, Marlena’s voice was distant and soft. “I can’t, John they’ve given me something.”

He paused and blinked to get reoriented. “Okay, okay honey please listen. Look for me, only me. Okay?”

She was further away; John knew he was losing her. “Marlena, c’mon honey. Where are you? Tell me where you are?”

“I … I don’t know.”

He followed the voice. “Baby, you have to help me here, give me something to work with here. Help me, how did you get here? Think harder please Doc!”

“I don’t KNOW!”

He found her curled up on the floor and as he slowly knelt to her side he laid his hand on her and can see her being wheeled down a corridor, his heart breaking at the shadows under her eyes and the dried tears.

“Who brought you here baby?”

Marlena’s response was to curl up tighter and a flash allows him to see Agent Wesley.

A blurred reaction from Marlena had John pause for a moment. “Roman?”

He blinked and tried to get Marlena to sit up. “Baby, what does Roman have to do with this?”

She sat up and her eyes were totally black. “Look again!”

The electricity that flashed between them had John dazed. “He’s friends with Roman?”

Suddenly Marlena was on her feet, pulling John with her. “You have to go … NOW!”

He couldn’t let her go, to leave her here was killing him.

“No baby, no, no I can’t leave you. I’m NOT leaving you.”

Marlena was getting panicky as she began to plead. “Go … NOW … GO!”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“You HAVE to!”

He couldn’t believe that she’d want him to leave her there that she would rather face this all alone.

Michelle sat helplessly as he cried out to the air around them.

“NO! …. Why?” He began to shake. “No, no not like this … stop it Marlena, please. I can’t leave you, I WON’T leave you.”

With a jolt, he’s awake and the cry of pain sent Kenzie running back in from the balcony.

“Doc! Doc!” Shakily he looked at the photograph. “Oh my god … Oh dear god.”

Kenzie knelt in front of him, eyes searching his face. “What is it, John what happened?”

John felt utterly helpless as he spoke in a voice that shook with the pain.

“Kenz, she’s so scared, she’s just so scared.”

Ben came in with Serena at that moment.

“John, I know how much you love her but right now we have to focus on things. You have to tell us what you saw. That’s the only way we’ve got to help her now do you understand?”

John blinked. “Oh my god. Roman … he KNOWS who has her!”

Ben looked at the three women. “Are you sure? John we can’t just get him without absolute proof.”

John glanced at the photograph. “I’m sure … she told me and there’s something else. He’s drugging her and hurting her.”

Kenzie hugged Michelle while Serena finally spoke. “Where is she? Where … where is?”

John shook his head. “I .. I don’t know, the flashes went so fast. I just don’t know where she is.”

Serena stepped forward, taking the photograph from him. “Your Majesty, think hard. She’s had to give you something, no matter how small it is. THINK here!”

Michelle felt an instant dislike to this bossy rude woman. Glancing at Kenzie, she knew that the feeling was shared…

John began to pace, working through the memories…

“Okay, she did… at least I think she did. I think I know just where I’ve seen it all before.”

*~*~*~*

Samantha hung up the phone.

“What’s wrong honey?”

She looked up at Roman. “I can’t find Marlena anywhere.”

”Oh I’m sure she’s out with Michelle and Kenzie somewhere.”

Hugging her, Roman smiled. “And she’s far away from her little alien.”

*~*~*~*

They were all crowded around Marlena’s little laptop.

“How the hell can you do that?”

John shrugged and Michelle let out a chortle. “Ancient alien secret…”

Serena read over his shoulder.

“This is where they had you … when …”

John nodded and spoke aloud. “ Skyline Military Base.”

As he scanned through the various files, he suddenly pointed and felt hope for the first time since this began. “THIS IS IT!”

As they peered at the photograph, he was ready to go rescue her.

“That’s the exact symbol that I saw as they wheeled her down the hall. This is what she showed me. It’s on the floor of the main hall on the base.”

Serena was the voice of reason. “Not so fast, this has been abandoned for years.”

John peered at her and then lifted his shirt to show the scar on his back.

“THIS says it’s not … that is exactly where she is.”

Mackenzie tried to be calming influence. “Okay … so now we have NO choice. We have to go to Roman.”

Ben looked at her as if she said they should reveal themselves and walk down Main Street.

“What the hell have you been smoking? After what we just found out about this Agent who has Marlena, you want us to go to Roman freaking Brady? Brady’s probably in on the whole stinking thing!”

She held up her hands. “Look, I know you’re upset. We ALL want Marlena home, but we have no choice okay? We need to get Roman involved here. He’s going to marry her sister!”

Michelle glanced at John who was silent again. “We can’t go there on our own.”

John shook his head. “No, no you can’t, but WE can. Serena, Ben and I can and have protected ourselves when needed.”

Kenzie shook her head. “With what, your so called GIFTS?”

Serena looked at her with disgust. “Why not?”

“Because you don’t know what’s there, who to use them on, you could probably get killed or worse, you could have MARLENA killed!”

Mac and Michelle both stood up. “Too bad, she’s our friend and we’re not being left behind!”

Serena spoke with the first once of compassion that either John or Ben had heard in their lives.

“Okay, I’m laying it out. The truth is that you’re both liabilities. BOTH of you and we’ve got a better shot of getting on base and saving Marlena without the two of you and as you said yourself, that is the only thing worth remembering, right?”

Michelle looked at John. “Bring her back to us?”

John hugged her. “I will, I promise.”

Ben laid his hand on John’s back. “We have to go.”

Kenzie surprised them both. “You come back to me spaceboy.”

*~*~*~*

It had gone almost too perfectly, breaking into the base and sneaking around the dark deserted corridors until they found the right door.

Laying his hand on it, John whispered. “She remembered this, it was in her mind.”

Serena nodded. “Then she’s in there.”

Ben held out his hand, erasing them from view as an agent walked by.

“How do we get in?”

Serena looked around. “Only one way, in here. They always patrol in air holes.”

John shook his head. “How did you know that?”

Serena shrugged then laid her hand against the metal, concentrating.

“When you’re hunted for no reason nearly all your life, its easier to catch on.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena was in the state of not quite awake or not quite asleep.

“Tell me about the crash, what about that orb that I showed you. Is it the communicator for you to call home?”

Noticing she was falling away, he ordered a nurse to wake her.

“Marlena, don’t make me kill you, just tell me what it is.”

He leaned forward, pinning her face in his hands as he instructed them to inject her with more of the drugs. “I am going to find out about this one way or the other. You see, this is getting us nowhere. I want to be nice, but you’re not cooperating.”

Marlena continued to drift away, sending him over the edge.

“WAKE HER UP! I don’t care how long it takes, I want all the drugs out of her system and I want it out NOW … I want her to be completely coherent and restrained for the next phase!”

*~*~*~*

Michelle and MacKenzie sat quietly at a booth in Salem Place.

“They have to have found her by now.”

Michelle looked up from her drink. “Yeah, they’re probably in the car on their way back this very minute. Marlena’s probably fast asleep in John’s arms and he’s promising to never let her go.”

“Yeah, I really could believe that one.”

Kenzie shook her head. “Stop reading those romance novels!”

“Yo, listen to me. You believe what you want and I’ll do the same.”

Kenzie paused. “Yeah, lets keep dreaming and it will soon be true.”

*~*~*~*

Roman came into the Station to find Abe standing at his office door.

“Was it my turn to buy lunch?”

Abe shook his head. “I need to talk to you in your office.”

“I’m being fired?”

Abe just gestured towards the door. “I need to talk to you in private.”

Once Roman had sat down, Abe began to explain.

“Marlena’s car was found abandoned early this morning. There had been signs of a struggle and also blood that has been tested and found to be hers.”

A slow realization hit Roman and he suddenly excused himself, saying something about having to tell Sam before she heard it from the media.

*~*~*~*

“Dear god, I don’t know what to do. I’ve been trying to figure out what went wrong. I never thought that it would be the person I care about that was the one taken, it was never meant to be Marlena.”

Michelle froze at the entrance of the church.

Roman was coming through loud and clear and she was feeling heartsick realizing that Roman had known about this all from the start.

“Roman, we don’t know any more than you do but right now I think you need to get it out in the open.”

“I’m sorry Michelle, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh I think you do and if the same conclusion that you just did has been reached, that THEY don’t know what to do … then Marlena’s going to need a lot more help than what YOU can give.”

As Marlena’s friend left, Roman was left thinking out loud.

“What if she’s right? I could never forgive myself if something actually happened to her that I could have, that maybe I should have, like … prevented?”

He looked at his watch. “Give it till four. If there’s no word by then …”

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “It’s going to be just fine …” He continued to talk himself into this. “Yeah, its fine.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena lost track of her internal time clock with over and over torture routines of drugs, ice baths, periods of isolation, electro-shock and back to the beginning to start again.

The only thing for certain was that she wanted to just let it go …

Just to simply give up.   

 

She curled up in a ball, her hands tucked under her cheek as she continued to sob.

“This isn’t a dream, your really stuck here and there’s no way out.”

If it hadn’t had been for the baby, she would have bailed out.

A sense of shame washed over her as she remembered the night she first contemplated dying.

It was as if a butterfly flittered across her stomach and it was such a jolt that she laid her hand on top of her new standard issued scrubs.

The tears of relief that it hadn’t been hurt turned to those of terror as she realized that the baby had endured all of this, that it had heard her pleading for release, for John, for they both were the same thing in it’s mother’s totally confused and traumatized state.

She had spent hours apologizing and it was in that newly found fight state, that she began plotting and had it only end in the worst horror that she could never ever had dreamt up.

They slammed her into a chair, restraining her at hands and feet and slipped on a sensory depriving helmet, or so Marlena had thought.

She could hear them say, “Start it.”

The visions that assaulted her mind left her as boneless as jelly.

*~*~*~*

“We have a problem here.”

He turned and stared at the Lab technician with a detached glare.

“And it is?”

The tech paled. “She’s not alien at all.”

The agent’s expression didn’t change, but his voice did.

“Come again?”

“We ran the next batch of blood tests as you requested and this time, it came out 100 percent red blood cell and to be sure, we ran a second set. You’ve screwed up.”

“Yes, for the last time.”

Both men turned to find a man standing in the doorway with a gun trained on them.

“See here.”

“No YOU see here, she’s ours and this is the end of the line for you.”

Ben fired and took them both out.

He turned to John and Serena, “GO GET HER!”

*~*~*~*

The sobbing was slowly subsiding and she decided to try and sit up.

She could hear a commotion and from the crack in the bottom of her cell’s door, she could see two sets of feet there.

Allowing a foolish wish, she felt her heart call out to John.

*~*~*~*

Serena turned around to find John doubling over.

“What?”

“She’s in there!”

She turned around and closed her eyes, laying her hand on the door.

At first the glow that came from her was a pure white as it made contact with the metal of the door, then it became redder and redder as it began to feed off of the anger of the little oracle.

The alarms going off didn’t penetrate the shell around Serena but the command she issued had John running for Marlena.

*~*~*~*

The room was in total darkness at first but he soon found the tiny bundle that was his Marlena.

Her hair was limp and the aura of sickness was around her like a blanket.

Stunned at the level of lifelessness in front of him, John silently prayed.

”Please let me keep her safe. I can’t lose her or our baby.”

Reaching out, he spoke softly but urgently. “Doc, it’s me.”

Her head shook. “Dreaming.”

He sat back on his knees. “No you’re not. I’m really me and I’m getting you out of here.”

She began to whimper and her eyes opened. “You’re not real. They showed me. You’re dead. Ben’s dead and everyone I love is dead.”

He felt like throwing up. “Marlena it’s me. I’m real and can prove it.”

Tilting his head as she whimpered, he softly whispered. “Ask me anything.”

“How did we find out…” Everything was so heavy as her head sank down again.

“How did we find out what?”

Her voice was muffled. “That I was destined for you?”

He gathered her up, worried with the lack of resistance from her. “You glowed.”

The tears welled up. “You’re ….?”

He laid his head on hers as Serena and Ben appeared. “I’m yours.”     

 

The rescue party drove for hours, Ben and Serena in the front while John sat in the back, refusing to let go of Marlena, who was clutching the front of his shirt and shivering violently as he tried to sooth her to sleep.

“Ben how much longer?”

He looked at John via the driver’s mirror. “As long as it takes for me to feel safely secure in that I lost our tail.” He gestured to Marlena.

“How we doing?”

John laid his head on hers. “I don’t know.”

He looked to Serena with a scared look in his blue eyes. “Couldn’t you dream walk her?”

Serena glanced to Ben and nodded as she reached around to lay her hand on Marlena’s back.

The speed to which she was allowed in scared Serena, who was used to some form of resistance.

From the little she knew of their future Queen, Serena was expecting a gentle soul who was for those she loved a true fighter and what she found shook her to the core.

It was black and ruins were all around her as she found Marlena curled up in a ball, knees to chest and arms wrapped around her knees.

Kneeling down, she tilted her head and studied the younger woman.

“Who are you?”

Blinking, Serena found that Marlena had lifted her head, resting her chin on her knees.

“I’m Serena Rostov.” She smiled. “At least that is my earth name.”

Recognizing the name, Marlena nodded. “You’re a friend of John’s.”

Serena nodded. “And YOU.” She held out her hand.

“You are the future Queen who has a very big destiny to fulfill.”

Marlena looked at the offered hand and took it in hers.

Serena winced at the chill and covered well.

“You’ve been through quite the ordeal. You’re very strong.”

Marlena shook her head, feeling sleepy and almost shy. “I’m not.”

“I was weak, so very weak at a time when I don’t have myself to think of.”

She lifted her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”

Serena smiled.

“Of course you are. That’s part of the very big destiny I was referring to.”

Marlena felt an ease coming over her as she regarded the other woman with curiosity starting to show from her hazel eyes.

“How big?”

John felt Marlena easing against him and he smiled at Ben.

“I think this is going to be okay after all.”

*~*~*~*

“Sami, please!”

She held up her hand at Roman. “You did this, for WHAT!” She shakily looked around the room. “To prove an utterly useless point. YOU had NO proof.”

Roman sank to the chair. “I did.”

“So what, you played god when you had NO right to. NO wonder that they did what they did to you.” She ran her hand through her golden hair.

“You had policemen rough John up for what?” She glared at him. “You know what, Nothing snaps more sense into men than a good anal probe. They should have made sure it was a hot poker!”

Slamming the door shut, Roman cursed himself out for telling the truth, for lying to Sam ….

For everything.

*~*~*~*

Michelle and Mac were waiting for them at the Cabin as they pulled up.

They waited until John returned downstairs from tucking Marlena up into bed before bombarding him with questions.

Smiling, he sank onto the sofa and glanced to Serena, who was standing warily beside her brother.

“I owe you the world.”

Serena shook her head. “No, it’s me who owes you. I forgot what it was like to be part of a team, what our particular team was and my role in that. Rescuing her, well it’s made me rethink a few things and that includes.”

She paused and gestured to the elder brother she once adored.

Ben snorted. “Gee thanks.” Walking out, they noticed Mac leaving behind him.

Serena and Michelle were about to speak when they noticed that John had fallen asleep.

As she tucked a quilt over him, Chelle glanced to Serena. “Want some tea?”

*~*~*~*

“How is she?”

John kept his eyes fixed on Marlena, who was walking quietly with Serena, who after the rescue insisted on staying with her family and friends.

“She’s having nightmares still but hasn’t spoken of them.”

Michelle nodded and looked to the two women walking along the shoreline.

“Now it’s just the two of us, what really made Serena stay?”

He looked to Michelle. “I know what I think, but she’d deny it. She has enough trouble saying how much her brother means to her.”

He nodded. “Yep, she’d deny the very reason.”

“And that is?”

John grinned and turned away from the window, leaning against the kitchen counter.

”Serena fell for the power of hazel eyes and a smile that engulfs your heart.”

Michelle smiled in return. “Marlena is a soul that makes your heart glad when she’s here and hurts when she’s not.”

“Nah, The Oracle is destined to be the Queen’s advisor.”

They looked up to see Ben coming in with Mac, who was munching on a chocolate bar.

Michelle grinned. “If Marley and I knew that was ALL it would take to keep you quiet, we’d have invested in shares of the Hershey Company.”

Ben shrugged. “It’s a gift.”

Mac shot daggers at him and muttered something about Snapple fetishes.

John rolled his eyes. “I’m not the only one who’s going to be in love with an Earth woman.”

Ben sat down at the kitchen table. “No, you’re going to be the only one who isn’t driven insane by a mouth that doesn’t shut up.”

Propping his head on his hand, he looked to Mac. “Save the glare sweets, I’m not melting.”

John turned and saw Marlena was kneeling and Serena was trying to calm her. “I’ll be back.”

He flew out of the cabin so quickly that he was off the deck before the door closed.

*~*~*~*

“What’s wrong?”

He knelt down, waiting for the explanation as Marlena sank into him.

Serena shook her head. “It’s best she explains this.”

Waiting until she was gone, Marlena drifting in the warmth of being safe in John’s arms and in his love looked up and sighed.

“What is it?” His eyes drank her in. “Is it the baby?”

She shook her head. “It’s really eerie how you do that.”

“Do what?”

She started to stand up with his help. “See right into me.”

He smiled, a hint of a blush on his cheeks. “Well shucks, that’s just so easy when I love you as much as I do.”

John was surprised by her turning her head and walking away, hurt tingling his voice as he called after her.

“Wait will you please?”

She stood still, allowing him to catch up.

“I don’t know what it is or how I can help if you won’t tell me.”

Turning her around to face him, he was stunned to see tears down her cheeks.

”Doc?”

“I wanted to die.” She looked at him, the tears sparkling on her cheeks.

“They showed me things and did such horrible things and no matter how I tried to explain, they refused to believe me and I wanted it all to end, I wanted to die.”

He gathered her close. “Its understandable, considering what they put you through.”

She shook her head. “No, no it’s not. I’m a Doctor; I’m supposed to save lives, to VALUE human life. John, I wanted to end not just MINE but our child.”

She shivered. “How can you stand to look at me?”

He knelt down on one knee. “I can, because you’re my future, you’re my friend and my support.” A twinkle shone in his eye. “Not to mention the bravest woman I know.”

She tried to take her hand away from him. “Nothing you can do makes me think any less of you or love you any less than I do. Why not forgive yourself.”

She shook her head. “John, I could have harmed the baby.”

He shook his head. “Our baby is half you, half me which makes IT all survivor and you’ve distracted me from what I had planned to do at some point today.”

She paused. “Which was?”

“This.” He cleared his throat. “You’re everything to me, everything I wanted and I want you in my life for all time. Marlena, will you marry me?”

Before she could speak, he continued. “I want to make your fears, my fears. Your joys, my joys and your love, our love in all that life will offer. Marlena, marry me?”

She nodded mutely, tears of joy dancing down her cheeks.

“I survived the worst that can be thrown, I want my happiness now and I want it with you.”

John slipped the elegant diamond on her hand. “Then so let it be done.”

*~*~*~*

Ben and Mac stood at the top of the stairs that led to the beach.

“They deserve it.”

Mac looked sideways. “What about you?”

Ben blinked. “What about me?”

“Don’t you deserve happiness?”

He walked away. “I’m a soldier, not supposed to have any.”

She grinned and caught up to him, sliding her hand into his.

”Well, we’ll just have to see about THAT.”

Michelle glanced out the window and chuckled to herself.

“What’s so funny?”

She turned to find Serena coming towards her. “Ben and Mac.”

“They’re destined for each other as well.”

Chelle blinked. “How do you know?”

“He puts up with her fussing and she likes to boss him. They’ll work.”

No sooner was that out of her mouth, but Ben’s arguing could be heard loud and clear.

“Hey, I’m an oracle not a miracle worker.”

Their laughter rocked loud and clear out the window where it mingled with the wind chimes ….   

 

John had fallen asleep with Marlena safely tucked into his embrace, her fingers wrapped into his shirt front.

But when the scream tore through the air, he found that he was very much alone.

Getting off the bed, he found the others all assembling in various states of awake.

As always, his first thoughts were of Marlena, who was missing.

“Where’s Marlena?”

He was turning around when he caught sight of her on the patio sitting on the ground looking absolutely dazed.

Moving past Ben and Mac who was dozing on his shoulder as she stood beside him, John came outside and froze.

Marlena was doubled over, her hands pulled into her chest as she rocked.

“Doc?”

She shook her head. “This is bad … very bad.”

As John started to speak, she clamped her hands over her ears and began to shake her head vehemently.

“Marlena?”

The pressure was building in Marlena’s ears and she began to cry. “Please stop!”

Serena came outside. “Marlena, you need to sleep. Let’s get you inside.”

As she herded Marlena into the Cabin, Serena shot a worried glance to John.

*~*~*~*

Ben came back from putting Mac to bed and found John still in the same spot where everyone had left him.

He was staring off into space, hands on the railing and the tension was coming off of him in waves.

“She’s going to be alright.”

John nodded. “Serena says its just left over stress from the kidnapping and to give her time.” He turned and smiled. “I’ll believe the little Oracle for now.”

Ben grinned back. “I can’t believe it. All it took for Serena to stay and work on the mess that led us to separate was one look at Marlena.”

“The future Queen.”

Ben grinned. “I stand corrected.”

The smile faded. “She’s proven herself to be more than worthy to be your wife and the Queen of our Planet. But ….”

John raised an eyebrow. “But what?”

“I’m worried. Do we know what the prophecy is for her and the child?”

He shook his head. “It never said, only that the child was the key to saving not just home but here  … Earth.”

Ben nodded. “I think I need to go back to do some research with the orbs and the files.”

John nodded then froze. “Be Careful?”

Ben stopped. “You think I wouldn’t be?”

*~*~*~*

Marlena woke up and went to the dresser to get a comb for her tangled curls.

As she worked through the mess, she glanced up in the mirror and froze.

Her face was gone!

It was as if what was once a lively face full of expression was washed away, leaving a blank slate.

Shaking her head, she turned away from the mirror and went downstairs.

*~*~*~*

“Hmm, is that breakfast I smell?”

Marlena nodded. “Yes it is.”

Mac made to come over. “Pregnant ladies shouldn’t be overdoing it, here let me.”

Marlena started to shake. “I’m fine, I haven’t burnt anything. Leave it!”

Mac was in the mood to tease. “Lemme, let the pro do it.”

“I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!”

As sudden as she let out the outburst, Marlena yanked her hand away from the plate she had been laying food onto.

“Oh my gosh, would you look at that.”

Marlena’s eyes welled up with tears and ran out.

“What’s going on?”

Michelle cheerily piped out from the kitchen table. “Good News, Marlena’s feeling sort of better.”

John blinked. “And the bad news?”

Chelle pointed to the plate in Mac’s hand. “She’s burning plates instead.”

Serena’s eyes widened in alarm as Marlena let out a scream and John went running yet again.

“Oh this isn’t good.”

Chelle looked to the other woman. “Why not?”

Serena pursed her lips. “I’m not 100 percent sure, but she’s in for a rough spell.”

John found the dresser runner in flames and Marlena shaking her head. “All I did was come up and was going to brush my hair rather than be mad at Mac.”

She began to cry. “What’s going on?” She blinked. “What’s wrong with me.”

John shook his head. “Love, I don’t know.”

As he came to embrace her, he got an electrical jolt from Marlena.

“Doc?”

She started to shiver and lifted her hands to show him.

“Oh my god.”

Marlena looked down, transfixed at the green electrical currents that were passing from one palm to the other.

“Why am I doing this?”     

 Marlena sat in the middle of the sofa looking rather mutinous as she glared at John.

“I’m sorry?”

She held up her hands, palms facing each other but inches apart. “Try it again.”

John grimaced and spoke from his frustration at the pain she was suffering from.

“I DON’T KNOW!”

Running his hands through his hair, he turned and yelled for Serena.

“What?”

He pointed to Marlena. “What is this, it’s hurting her.”

Serena shook her head. “It’s because she’s pregnant.”

“Come again?” Ben chuckled. “Looks more like PMS.”

Marlena held out her hand and a current zapped the stereo.

“Does THAT look like PMS to you?”

Ben shook his head. “No, but remind me never to make you angry.”

Marlena looked to Serena. “What is this really?”

Serena came to sit with her. “Because you’re carrying the heir and your not one of us, your harnessing great powers right now to protect the baby and also to compensate for the difference in atmosphere.”

Marlena nodded. “So it’s temporary?”

Serena shook her head. “No.”

Mac began to choke on her drink. “It’s not?”

Ben looked around the room. “It’s because of the Royal Four.”

Marlena blinked. “The who?”

Ben smiled. “The King, his Queen, his advisor and the oracle. When the ship crashed, the original was made of the King, his sister, Serena and me. Now you’re expecting John’s baby. Your now the new member and have been given powers accordingly as the Queen.”

Marlena got up from the couch, throwing the light throw off her shoulders.

“So what … I’m going to be making like a nuclear plant every day for the next oh 8 months or so?”

She didn’t let them answer. “Oh this is great, I’ll be seeing patients and being a live buzzer, jolting them awake during sessions. Oh this will go really well for patient turn over.”

John was coming to her when she held up her hand. “Don’t.”

She turned around to look at the brother and sister. “This isn’t temporary and I have NO clue what I’m dealing with here, is there any way that I can be trained so that I don’t harm any of you?”

She finally faced John. “I couldn’t bear it if I was to hurt you or our baby.”

She lowered her arms so that he could hug her. “I should never have gotten you involved with this.”

She laid her head on his chest. “It’s too late and I don’t regret any of it.”

Lifting her head after a couple of seconds, she looked at him. “You go pity once more and I’ll be forced to do this.”

She touched a finger to him and they saw a tiny spark hit John.

“OW!”

She smiled. “Don’t make the Queen mad.”

As he waved his finger, he gestured at her. “Kiss it better.”

She grinned. “Suck it up big boy.”

Mac nudged Michelle, who was silent. “She’s not Queen yet and she’s already power mad.”

Chelle nodded. “I hate to be the party pooper here, I really do.”

Marlena turned. “Chelle?”

She stepped forward. “You’re pregnant and have undergone an ordeal. What’s going to happen with Junior when you’ve not undergone any tests to make sure that he/she or ET is okay?”

Marlena sank to the couch. “Oh no.”

Serena looked to the group. “This child is going to be a hybrid and such potentially could pass as fully human. But for safety’s sake, we’ll keep this amongst us. NOBODY tells about the powers.”

Marlena froze. “Oh no.”

They looked to her. “Roman.”

She paced. “If he’s gotten to Sam and told her all about his adventures, he’s dangerous.”

She came to stand in front of John. “And I think my sister is not much better.”

John slipped his arms around her waist. “What, you think she’ll turn on us?”

She frowned. “No, but if this is the FBI who are after you.” She stopped.

”If they’re after us, then as my identical twin she’s in trouble.”

John nodded. “Your right.”

“What are we going to do?”

John turned to Ben. “Marlena and I have to make a visit.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena looked at the house and shook her head. “Thank god it’s getting cold enough for mitts and coats.”

John nodded, his eyes falling to her hands covered with black woollen gloves.

“Are you ready?”

Marlena glanced to him. “No, but we can’t leave her unprotected.”

He nodded. “Come on, let’s go.”

She climbed out of the car and ran right into Roman.

“Hi Marlena.”

She began to shake and tears welled up into her eyes.

“John…” The voice was soft at first and grew in intensity. “JOHN!”

He turned at the scream and ran to her. “What is it?”

She crumbled into his arms. “I’m in trouble.”

Checking her hands, John’s eyes widened as the charge was going right up her arms.

“John?”

He looked at Roman. “You caused this, stay the hell away from me and mine.”

Gathering her up, he went to the door.

“John?”

He looked at Samantha. “We need to talk and Marlena needs to lie down.”

*~*~*~*

Samantha didn’t miss a beat. “So what do I do?”

Marlena spoke. “You just be careful, watch your back when you go out.”

“I have Roman.”

John looked down at Marlena, who had her head on his lap. Fearing a repeat of the green electricity, he was about to speak but Marlena; strangely calm beat him to it.

“Roman is the reason we’re in the mess we’re in now. He beat John up at Salem Place, he called the goons on us and I spent four days in hell.”

Her hand came to rest on her stomach. “I don’t trust him. I know you love him but for everyone’s best interests, he needs to stay away from us. If ANYBODY comes now, we’ll come after Roman.”

Sam got angry. “Wait, that’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is being kidnapped from the hospital parking lot and subjected to tests beyond the description of ANY horror movie writer. Samantha, I’m pregnant. Your niece or nephew was subjected to the torture as well.”

Marlena sat up. “I have never hated anyone as much as I do your husband.”

“So where do we go from here?”

Marlena and John stood up to leave. “I don’t know, I’m not your keeper Sam, but I wanted you to be prepared.”

Roman watched silently from the stairs as the sisters did their goodbyes.

Neither knowing it was going to be the last time they spoke.

 

BOOK TWO

 

 John stood beside the jeep, looking at the skies.

The phenomenon had been going on for nearly a week and had been growing steadily worse.

Tonight was the worst of it, but all day he had been having these feelings, flashes.

All leading him to one conclusion terrifyingly clear with each of the passing days.

He had to get home to his wife.

*~*~*~*

Marlena stood at Salem Place, listening to Mac rambling on about Ben.

“And I think tomorrow I’ll be making the first move.”

Distracted, she was playing with her rings.

“Hullo, Earth to the Alien Queen.”

Marlena shot her a look. “How about standing on the bench and announcing that?”

Mac rolled her eyes. “Your married now, its safe.”

Gesturing towards the sky, Marlena looked at Mac. “This ISN’T safe.”

“It’s a fluke … weather patterns.”

Marlena grabbed her bags and started to walk. “Aw Marlena, loosen up.”

She spun around. “I can’t. Not now, there’s too much at stake.”

Stopping, she turned around to face Mac.

“You better get it through your head. You take this to the next level; you’re going to have a whole new set of responsibilities. You HAVE to think of the group.”

Mac’s face grew stony. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“She means that you can’t be selfish and think of your needs and desires. There’s a secret that needs to be kept. You can’t just tell anybody.”

They turned to see Ben standing there.

”You saw what it did to Samantha.”

Mac turned to see Marlena’s eyes grow cloudy. “I’m …”

Marlena held up her hand. “I’m tired and not feeling well, I’m going home. John should be back tonight. Excuse me.”

As she walked away, Mac turned to go the other way. “I’m not good at this.”

*~*~*~*

John came home to find the loft in darkness.

As he flipped on the lights, he saw her note before the lights went totally out.

He muttered in the darkness. “Not funny Bernie. I paid the rent.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena drove home in a fog.

Ever since that day when she and Sam had had their final chat it was all a blur.

She didn’t even remember getting married. But they did and it was simple and lovely and very quiet.

It had been just Serena, Michelle and her boyfriend Wes, Mac and Ben and of course her and John who were all at the chapel in Brookville.

They wed on the first day of Spring and Marlena remembered that she was prettily in a white maternity dress with roses in her blonde curls as she tearfully kissed her new husband, who promised to make it all go away.

“What?”

He softly smiled as he wiped her tears. “This hole in your heart. She will come around.”

John watched the hazel eyes grow cold. “She made her decision by taking Roman back.” She shook her head. “John, she knew but she chose him anyways.”

He hugged her. “Love makes people do strange things.”

She was about to speak, but saw Mac and Ben arguing. “Yeah it does.”

Drawing up to a stoplight, she laid her hand on her Stomach.

“Mommy loves you, sleep safely.”

*~*~*~*

John stood at the window watching the light show as the loft door slid open.

“Now that’s what every woman should come home to.” She laid her packages down.

He turned and grinned. “What power outage and candles?”

She met him half way. “No, a nearly naked man clad only in jeans.”

He grinned and kissed her deeply. “You forgot the smile.”

She laid her hand on his cheek. “Um, no … this smile is not forgettable.”

*~*~*~*

Michelle turned from reading and found Wes studying his laptop.

Getting up from the couch, she came to stand behind him with her hands on his shoulders.

“You okay baby?”

He blinked and covered her hands with his. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

Resting her chin on the top of his, Chelle suddenly froze at what was on the screen.

Playing dumb, she asked what was the constellation.

“It’s the Venus constellation.”

Smiling, she ruffled his hair. “And why are you staring at that Venus, when you have ME?”

He nodded. “I do indeed.” His smile faded. “Chelle, I have something to say to you.”

Coming around to sit on his lap, she looked him in the eyes. “What’s wrong?”

He looked up. “I need help, I need to see a psychiatrist.”

She blinked. “For what, your one of the most well-adjusted men that I know.”

Wes blinked. “For weeks, I’ve been missing chunks of time, wake up in places I don’t remember even getting to. I can’t stand booze so I KNOW I’m not a drunk.”

She hugged him. “I know someone, I’ll call her tomorrow.”

*~*~*~*

“Sit down.”

Mac stopped and turned to face an unreadable Ben. “I don’t WANT to sit down.”

He got up from the dinner table and forced her into a chair.

I LIKE my carpet, lord knows it was ridiculously overpriced and I don’t want it wrecked ahead of time by an airhead who can’t even see past her big nose.”

Mac put a hand to her nose. “It’s NOT big.”

Ben grinned. “No its not, but it DID get you to stop and be still.”

She smiled. “Yes it did and you’re right. You went to all this trouble for me and the least that I could do is sit and enjoy dinner.”

He nodded and got up. “Dinner’s over.”

She shrugged. “But I haven’t started.”

He held out his hands. “Your not the cold leftover type.”

She smacked them away. “And how the hell would you know what I am?”

He caught her by the waist and drew her to him. “I know all sorts of things.”

“Like what?”

He smiled. “You’re a woman who just wants to be loved, wouldn’t willingly hurt her friends and LOVES shopping and pretty lingerie.”

“You have a good sense of humour, but can have jokes pulled on you and having you believing them faster than anyone should be believing them.” She remained silent and he continued. “And you’re the most exasperating, infuriating and wonderful woman that I know.”

Mac blushed. “I am?”

Ben continued. “You are. When I lost Isabella, I didn’t think I would or could lo..” He stopped. “Could care for anyone again. Then I saw John with Marlena and I realized that that was what I wanted for myself. I had been the general for so long that I lost touch with the side who wanted to have someone to care for.”

She moved forward, capturing his lips with her own. “We’re not going to sleep tonight.”

*~*~*~*

John rolled over in bed and his hand hit empty space where his wife should have been.

Sitting up quickly, he called her name.

Getting no response, he quickly got dressed and began to search the loft.

*~*~*~*

After a futile search that included John debating if he should phone Ben, Serena or Chelle, he finally remembered he didn’t check the roof.

As he headed out, he saw her purse and keys on the entrance table and knew she wouldn’t be far away.

*~*~*~*

Marlena stood quietly on the roof, standing very still with her arms at her side.

Her hazel eyes were unseeing of anything around her as John came bursting out of the roof door.

“Doc, you scared me. What’s wrong, why are you up here alone.”

Looking upwards, he saw the fiery asteroids were still shooting across the sky.

Turning his attentions back to his wife, he was wrapping his arm around her when his hand grazed her cheek.

Despite the heat, Marlena was ice cold.

The fear he had earlier came back in full force as he tried to rush her inside.

Marlena was like iron and to his horror he couldn’t move her.

Stepping in front of her, his eyes widened.

“Doc?” He searched her marble face, trying to find signs of her. “What’s happened?”

The voice that came from her was like nothing he had known.

“Their coming …”

John shook his head. “Who?”

“They killed you once before, you need to get ready.”

He still didn’t know what to do. “How do we tell who these THEY are?”

Marlena’s eyes opened and John saw no hazel, only pure white.

His fear was obvious as he began to shake her. “ANSWER ME!”

She turned those fearsome eyes on him and spoke.

“You’ll know them by the evil within.”

“What?” Before he could get his answers, Marlena crumpled into his arms.

Brushing the hair from her forehead, John looked up to see the meteors were no longer shooting across the sky.

They were raining down on Salem.   

 

The city was in chaos from the onslaught of the meteors but for two, it was as if time was standing still as he dove further and further into her, the spell of the warmth of the water was mingling with the floral scent of the soap that they had used to wash and explore one another with.

Ben was roaming her skin, lavishing attention to first one breast then another as he continued the assault while Mac was trying to figure out a burning question.

Was it supposed to be like this?

*~*~*~*

Brody Wesley Alexander Windham Pryce, known to the world, as Wes was frantic as he tried to find his girlfriend, who had gone down to the basement to grab her telescope just seconds before a meteor hit the backyard.

Chelle’s screams soon alerted him to her location.

*~*~*~*

John rushed Marlena back inside as the phone began to ring.

Laying her down on the couch, he lunged for the phone.

“Hello … Hello?”

Serena spoke. “Are you two alright?”

He nodded, his gaze returning to Marlena who was still seemingly unresponsive.

”John, what is it!”

He turned his attention to the phone. “It’s Marlena. You need to get here.”

Serena nodded, wincing at the shower. “I’m on my way.”

As they were about to disconnect, he spoke quickly. “Serena?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful please…”

She spoke with a confidence that she did not feel. “Of course.”

*~*~*~*

They were spooned tightly together and Mac thought she was going to die as his fingers moved through her curls as he continued to thrust into her.

As she opened her eyes, she caught sight of something through the open window.

“Oh my god.” She nudged Ben. “I’m not stopping.”

She couldn’t breathe and she shoved him again as she began to fidget. “Ben LOOK!”

His eyes widened as he too took in the sight from the window.

“We have to get dressed.”

*~*~*~*

Chelle and Wes were driving to the blaring strains of Aimee Allen’s “Start A Revolution”

She was driving with the ease of a stunt driver as she swerved here and there to avoid the debris.

“I have to find them.”

Wes was about to reach for the stereo but Michelle fixed him with a glare.

“Touch it and I’ll break your fingers, cute or not NOBODY comes between me and my driving music.”

Wes looked at her. “Do you have any idea where we’re going. Michelle, you had a box fall on you.”

She hit a hard right. “Yes I did but I’m fine. I need to check on my friends.”

*~*~*~*

John cradled his wife as one by one Serena and the others came in.

Each of them doing a sigh of relief as they did the mental head counts of who was there and who was not.

It was when Michelle and Wes came in that Marlena showed her first sign of reaction.

Mac had said hi to Wes when suddenly Marlena sat bolt straight up.

“WHY ARE YOU HERE!”

Everyone looked to each other, trying to figure out whom she was referring to.

She got up from John’s lap. “Why are you here, why now.”

He knelt down on one knee. “Your Majesty.”   

   

Marlena woke up cradled in John’s arms.

Reaching up a hand, she tried to soothe the worried expression in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

He looked down at her, surprise shining in his eyes. “Y … you really don’t remember?”

Pushing off of his chest with one hand, she sat up. “That’s not funny, why would I ask if I remembered.”

She turned around to see the group staring worriedly, including a dazed Wes who was sitting by himself on a chair.

“What’s going on?”

Mac placed the tray on the coffee table. “Apparently two things.”

Marlena looked scared. “Okay and those are?”

Mac straightened up and wrapped her arm around Michelle, the grin being only described as a cat that ate the canary like.

“First off, Chelle here by dating our Wesley here has apparently joined the so I’m dating an alien club.”

Michelle shoved her arm off. “Shut up.”

Marlena blinked. “Okay and so what’s number 2?”

“Number two is that we have to be on guard now.”

“For what?”

Ben cuffed Wes. “Tell her now that she’s awake.”

“They’re here for you and the child.”   Marlena jumped off the couch.

“Oh yeah, that’s going to make her feel so much better. Did you ever hear of TACT?”

Michelle swatted Wes in the arm.

“Why me and my baby?”

John hugged her close while Ben glared at him. “Tell her, you’ve upset her might as well finish it.”

“Because as the expectant Queen, you are the tool to have his Majesty abdicate.”

John shook his head. “They can HAVE the planet. I’m not the same man I was there, my destiny is here with my wife and baby.”

She lifted her face from his chest. “You can’t mean that.”

Mac chorused her friend. “John, you’re the king. You can’t mean that you’ll give up all they fought for to keep you safe. You have to go home to help them. Don’t let them win!”

Marlena turned back to John, a faint smile on her face. “Yeah, what she said.”

“I’m not leaving you and our baby alone to who knows what.”

Marlena shook her head. “I can keep myself safe, I have those powers.”

She paused. “I can’t control them, but I can protect myself.”

John shook his head till She pinned his face in her hands.

“Go and do this. I want our baby to be proud of its daddy and it wont be just any little hybrid that says his daddy is the King of one planet and helped to save another.”

John nodded. “You’re right as always.”

“I’ll go but Ben and Serena will stay with you.”

Marlena shook her head. “Oh no they wont.”

He was about to speak when she laid her hand over his mouth.

“You go with the team. Three are better than one, especially when they know what they’re doing.”

Serena shook her head. “Won’t work.”

Marlena turned around. “What do you mean?”

“It has to be the four square. Isabella was the missing piece.”

The room fell silent.

Marlena took a deep breath. “What about me?”

John nearly gave himself whiplash. “What about you … YOU in case you haven’t noticed are very pregnant. YOU aren’t doing anything.”

She ignored him. “Serena, can my powers be harnessed enough to be of help?”

Ignoring the glare from John, Serena looked thoughtful and looked at Ben.

“What do you think, can we do it?”

He nodded. “It’s going to have to.”

John sank onto the couch. “Glad to see the war council is ignoring the King.”

Marlena came to stand beside him, sliding her hand in his. “That’s because the King sees with the eyes of the husband and father on this. John, this is bigger than us.”

“Hold on, there is another possible here.” Michelle looked at Wes. “What about Wesley?”

Ben let out a snort. “What about Wes?”

“He channelled the other, why not use him as the way to contact reinforcements?”

Wes turned to Michelle. “I thought you loved me.”

“I do, but your not pregnant.”

Wes pushed his glasses back up his nose. “Thank god.”

Laughing at the visual, Mac turned around and blinked. “Where’s Marlena?”

The disembodied voice called down. “Getting dressed.”

*~*~*~*

“The importance of control is to feel it flow through you.”

“Like a river?” Ben nodded.

“See the rock dead ahead?” He pointed at a medium sized boulder.

Marlena nodded.

“Put your hand out and concentrate.”

Marlena closed her eyes and did as she was asked.

It was soft at first, the flow becoming stronger as it surged down her arm.

After a couple of minutes, the arm began to shake and she opened her eyes.

“Ben, the rock’s not moving.”

It was then that they heard the squeak followed by laughter.

Turning around, he began to laugh. “No it’s not but Mac IS.”

Marlena turned, saw Mac levitating and as her concentration broke, Mac fall.

“Good thing I was standing in sand. Concrete and I’d have to hurt you Queenie.”

Marlena brought her hands to her mouth. “Oh Mac, I’m so sorry.” It was when the group broke for lunch that found Mac standing in front of Marlena.

“We need to talk.”

She patted the spot on the boulder she was sitting on. “Sit.”

“We need to discuss Alien Sex.”

Marlena nodded as she chewed her sandwich. “What about it?”

“What about it?” She leaned forward. “What about IT?”

Smiling, Marlena shrugged. “Announce it to the whole group why don’t you?”

Mac shrugged. “Why not, I mean the trainers are alien, you’re carrying baby hybrid and apparently now Michie and I are dating them.”

Marlena rolled her eyes. “Point taken, anyways what do you want to know?”

Mac sighed. “What was it like for you and John?”

Hazel eyes widened. “Why?”

“Because I want to see if it was only me who felt this way. It went beyond description, I thought I was going to die because it was TOO good.”

Marlena smiled but as Mac continued to explain about the various positions suddenly clamped her hands over her ears. “Whoa, down Mac. I didn’t need to know THAT much information.”

Mac blushed. “I’m sorry, it’s just that he’s not like other men and it’s too perfect.”

Marlena nodded. “Their truly unique and we’re keeping this our little secret cause yes alien sex is beyond description.”

Mac glanced to Wes and Michelle who were squabbling over something.

“I wonder if there’s an alien version of the missionary because I swear he’s that type.”

Marlena began to choke on her sandwich.

*~*~*~*

The desk was scattered with photos of the seven people they were told to get.

The shots had been candid, taken at places around Salem.

“Who do we target first?”

The man seated leaned back in his chair and thought.

“We can’t go for her, because she’s too obvious for a first strike.” “What about the King?”

His glare left no doubt. “His Majesty stays to the end. He needs to KNOW who took his world from him.”

“What about the other earthlings?”

He shook his head. “No, if they’ve been “touched” by the aliens in any way, they could potentially be powerful. We need to watch them and the Queen.”

His assistant pointed to the last photo. “What about her?”

The smile was slow in coming. “Ah, the oracle.”

Leaning forward, he allowed them to see the scar that ran down his jaw.

“She’s it.”

*~*~*~*

“HELP ME!”

Everyone came flying to where Marlena was and froze.

She had managed to produce a shield around herself.

Ben looked concerned. “How did you do this?”

She shrugged. “I heard a noise and held out both hands, here we are.”

John began to step towards her and looked at Ben before breaking into laughter. “Nice teacher you are. Get her to levitate Mac and don’t tell her how to undo anything. You fail.”

Marlena began to shake. “This isn’t funny, not anymore. Guys help me here please?”

Michelle’s eyes widened. “John hurry.”

Everyone watched as Marlena’s hands began to be covered with green sparks of electricity.

At first, Marlena seemed transfixed but then soon let out a scream.

“IT HURTS!”

Flinging her hands forward, the shield broke but she shot currents outwards.

Mac looked at Michelle. “This isn’t good, she’s going to hurt herself with these if she can’t get them under control.”

Michelle looked for Serena. “Isn’t there any way to help her?”

“Yes there is.” She pulled her bag out from the jeep. “John grab Marlena.”

His head shot around. “What?”

Ben chuckled. “Yeah, not so tough now are you?”

“I need to have Marlena lying down so we can channel her abilities better.”

John glanced to his wife.

“I’ll do anything, right now I’m too scared that I’ll hurt any of you.”

*~*~*~*

Serena placed the last orb at the top of Marlena’s head and then went back to her bag to pull out a small metallic book.

“What is that?”

She glanced to Michelle. “That’s the book that was in the ship with us. I’ve been trying to transcribe it for clues on how to help Marlena in the pregnancy and I had found a spot that showed how to help focus her.”

“Someone’s coming.” Marlena turned her head. “If we’re doing this, do it NOW!”

As Serena started to chant, Marlena felt a coolness wash over her as she began to rise.

“What the hell?”

“Marlena calm down.”

She opened hazel eyes to look at John. “I’m floating here and your telling me to be calm?”

She was going to say something when she was suddenly wracked with pain.

“Serena stop….” She began to contort. “Something’s wrong.”

Ben watched his sister and his eyes widened. “They’ve found us.”

Lunging at his sister, he knocked her over which got Marlena down.

John ran for Marlena and she scurried away. “Doc?”

She stood up. “Hurts… my hands.”

Her eyes widened and she turned quickly, holding out her hands.

The sparks were fast and accurate.

As the man fell, Michelle looked at Mac. “Wasn’t herself she’d hurt.”

Wes ran to the body and rolled him over.

“Wes?”

He called over his shoulder. “Ben come here.”

John turned his attention to Marlena while Mac and Michelle dealt with Serena who was shaken up.

“Doc?”

She shook her head. “They found us John, there’s no going back now.”

Eyes widening, John turned to where the two men were. “Ben?”

Ben looked up and shook his head. “It’s them.”

John pulled his wife to him. “John, I’ve killed a man.”

He cradled her tighter to him. “You saved us.”

She burst into tears. “Doc, its alright. You did what you had to do.”

He pulled her away and laid his hand on her stomach. “You’ve kept our family safe.”

Drawing her back to him, he rested his head on the top of hers.

“In the end, that’s all that matters.”

She shook her head. “But I’m supposed to save life.”

He glanced at Serena. “And you did. You saved OUR lives.”

 

“What the hell do you call what happened out there today?”

Serena shook her head but John went for her throat. “She nearly died because of what you said would HELP!”

Marlena came into the loft behind them, still quiet and having not said a word since the incident with the assassin.

Under the worried eyes of Michelle, she went and sat on the loveseat pausing only to grab a throw from the side of the couch.

Wrapping herself up, Marlena tried to make herself seemingly as small as possible considering her baby belly hindering the attempt.

Turning around, she pulled John aside. “She doesn’t look too good. Maybe she needs a doctor, she could be hurt.”

Ben turned to look at Marlena, who had laid her head on her arm.

“Mich is right John. Maybe we should take her.”

Fighting his concern of discovery opposed to the concern over his wife and baby, John nodded. “Yeah, for all we know she could have internal bleeding or be in shock. She needs help.”

Mac sounded an alarm. “It better be to a hospital outside of Salem. If it comes out hybrid baby isn’t human, she’s in trouble if they recognize the illustrious Dr. Evans.”

John blinked. “Yeah, yeah you’re right.”

Going to Marlena, he knelt down. “Baby, we’re going to take you to the hospital to get checked out okay?”

To his amazement, she didn’t protest as he slipped her into his arms and headed out.

*~*~*~*

“Well hello Mr and Mrs. Black.”

John looked up from Marlena, his hand tightening around hers.

The young woman smiled. “I’m Dr. Riley, my friends call me Val.”

Marlena smiled. “For Valerie?”

She hesitated. “No. Promise you won’t laugh?”

Marlena shook her head. “Promise.” She nudged John, who also promised.

“It’s short for Valentine. I was born February 14 and my parents thought this was a great time to show off their sense of humour.”

Marlena smiled. “That’s a lovely name.”

Val smiled in return. “So let’s find out about you here for your chart okay?”

John held his breath as Marlena began to tell her information.

“And so with moving and all, I realized that well I didn’t have a obstetrician and well here we are.”

Val beamed at the couple. “And here we are. Okay lets get to work and find out what we’re having.”

John cleared his throat. “What we’re having?”

Val looked from wife to husband. “You didn’t want to know if you were having a boy or a girl?”

Marlena burst out laughing at the image of her holding an alien that busted into her head and she heard John speaking in her head. “How would we tell?”

At his wife’s relaxing John nodded to Val, realizing that if they all looked human, it was very well possible the baby would be. “Sure.”

*~*~*~*

“Well okay, before I say anything… any preference?”

Marlena tore herself from the monitor. “Uh, I don’t. As long as it has ten fingers, toes and is healthy I’ll be thrilled.” She turned to her husband. “John?”

“Um, I never really thought of it. I’m the same as Marlena.”

Val grinned. “I really have got to love first time parents.”

Marlena blinked. “How so?”

Reaching for the pen, she jotted a couple of things. “In this happy daze, I could tell you that you’re expecting a three headed alien baby and you’d be like uh huh that’s great.”

Marlena’s eyes widened. “It’s an alien?”

Val grinned. “No… what we have here is one very healthy looking, thumb sucking ..”

She typed on the keyboard.

John felt anxious. “Thumb sucking what?”

Val grinned and looked back. “Thumb sucking baby boy.”

John leaned in and kissed his wife’s cheek. “A little boy.”

Val looked to both parents. “I take it that this is okay?” John looked up, wiping his eyes. “This is great.”

“Well then, I think you should hear something else.”

Marlena blinked. “What?”

Val hit the volume button. “This little song.”

Marlena’s eyes widened. “His heart.”

*~*~*~*

Later while Val finished writing up her notes from the checkup, she felt a gun at the back of her neck.

”Wha, wha… what do you want?”

The gloved hand came around and snatched her notes.

“You don’t tell anyone of this.”

She began to shake. “Why do you want this, it’s just notes.”

The gun pressed in further.

“This baby … it’s an extremely important baby and as such, needs to be kept secret. Do you understand. Again, I’m telling you. YOU don’t tell anyone of this meeting or that these notes have gone. Do you understand?”

Val couldn’t speak as she heard the click of the gun. “I SAID…”

She closed her eyes and prayed her voice worked. “I … I understand.”

As quickly as the man appeared, he disappeared and she burst into sobs.

“What the hell is going on here?”

 

January 24, 2013

“I can’t do this.” He shook his head. “I can’t.”

His blue eyes were pleading. “If I’m successful, if I can do this, you and I won’t exist. Not as we do now.”

John, if you don’t do this, we’re going to die. Everyone will. John, you have to do this. You have to try it.

“If you don’t do this, we’ll die.” She was calm and resolute as she pinned his face in her hands.

“I love you and you CAN. This is going to help prevent all of this.” She searched his face and suddenly smiled.

“Thank you.”

He blinked. “For what?”

“For every smile, every moment I’ve had with you.” She blushed. “For every kiss.”

He rested his head against hers as the gunfire came ever closer.

She moved her head away and her voice grew in intensity.

“John, for all that we loved and all that we’ve lost. You’re going to go back.”

He was close to tears. “This means I lose you.”

She nodded. “At least we’ve had this time. I’ve loved you and will always love you.”

He walked away and she saw the flash at the same time he heard her scream…

*~*~*~*

Now …   He dreamt of a little boy running towards him, arms flung wide open as he was scooped up into his daddy’s arms.   All the while, Marlena stood quietly by and serenely smiled at the display. John woke up with a jolt, his arms securely wrapped around a sleeping Marlena.   It took him a couple of seconds to realize that it was the door and so carefully easing her out of his embrace, he came to the door and found Ben holding a file.   “What’s that?” Ben came in, head shaking. “I really think this baby daze your in isn’t funny anymore. You LEFT this with the Doctor.” John’s eyes widened. “You didn’t … Ben, tell me you didn’t.”   He laid the chart on the table. “She’s alive, but I couldn’t impress on her enough just how important little hybrid is and how she wasn’t to tell about it.” “What did you do?” “I scared her with the gun.”   John turned to check on his wife, found her still sleeping. “Ben!” He held up his hands. “My job is to protect the Royal House. I did what I had to.” John shook his head. “Ben, we saw him tonight. He’s human.”   It was Ben’s turn to be stunned. “What?” “On the ultrasound, he comes out as a little human. She didn’t know anything. Marlena had it covered.” He shook his head. “Aw no.” John nodded. “Aw yes, you created a big mess there.”

Ben slumped against the counter. “I’m not sorry.”

John glanced back at his sleeping wife. “You’re going to be. Marlena liked the doctor.”

“Marlena liked the doctor what?”

The men turned to see a sleepy Marlena sitting up. “What’s going on?”

Before they could answer, they heard screaming from the hallway.

Ben glanced at John. “That sounds like Mac and Rena.”

He went to check it out while John went to help Marlena up.

*~*~*~*

He opened the door in time to hear Mac sneer. “Do you have ANY clue just how angry I am at you right now? You nearly had Marlena killed.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She put her hands on her hips. “When it comes to my friends, you damned better know that I do. Serena, I don’t know what happened to you today, but you listen well. Something happens to her because of you, then by god or whatever pagan alien god you worship, I’ll get you.”

Marlena’s voice rang out. “Knock it off… I’m fine, the baby is fine and we’re all for the good. We can’t be fighting amongst ourselves here.”

Mac turned around. “Your up!” Hugging Marlena, she began to ramble.

“Grab your coat, we need to go.”

Marlena blinked. “Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Mac waved her hand. “Who cares, c’mon I have Michy in the car.”

Marlena glanced to John who shrugged. “Girls road trip.”

She smiled. “Okay, let me get my jacket.”

John glanced at Ben. “She goes and YOU make this right.”

“Make what right?”

“Ben scared Val.”

Marlena froze. “You did what?”

“I thought that she … that the baby was …” Ben was clearly in distress.

“Didn’t you think to ask John and I how the sonogram went?”

Ben nodded. “I did once I was finished.”

Marlena glanced at Mac. “Oh I’m so glad he’s yours.”

*~*~*~*

“No way.”

Michelle looked back at Mac who was grinning and Marlena, who frankly looked confused.

“You’ve made us drive nearly an hour to here?”

“Marley, we need excitement.” Mac glanced at her friend. “Besides, she’s a prophet Mom swears by her.”

Michelle looked at Marlena. “Oh yeah, there’s a recommendation.”

Marlena shook her head. “I’m nearly ready to pop like a jiffy pop popcorn here, that’s about as much excitement as I can do right now.” She made a face. “Besides, a psychic?”

“You two are wimps.” Mac pulled into the driveway of the house.

Getting out, she came to the other side and helped Marlena out.

As Mac grabbed her hands, she grinned. “C’mon, it’ll be fine, besides we all want to know what we’re in for with our hybrid freaks don’t we?”

*~*~*~*

Mac came out mad and swearing.

Mich leaned to Marlena. “Guess that rules out a marriage between the control freak and the General.”

Marlena began to laugh as Madame Zenouska came to the door. “Who’s next?”

Grinning, Marlena pushed at Mich. “Her.”

“What about you?”

Marlena gestured to her belly. “It’s going to take me some time to roll like a weeble to get up. So you go and I’ll start rollin.”

It was then as Mich began to head out that Mac began to cry. “She said we’re only going to be bed buddies.”

Marlena just rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah, this was a GREAT idea.” *~*~*~*

“Hello?”

Ben turned around in the phone booth, located just steps from the medical office.

“I’m sorry for what I did. Their file is back on your doorstep.”

Val walked to the window. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“Because I did this out of love for them. There was a reason for the suspicions.”

She peeked through her blinds. “What’s that?”

“John is a VIP, very hush that he’s here and no one can know of him or their location.”

She heard the hesitation in his voice and fell for it. “VIP … what’s the problem, he in exile or something?”

Ben hesitated. “Yeah in exile.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena sat across from the woman, silent and feeling silly.

“It just tells you what can be. It’s up to you to decide just what to do with the information that I give.”

Marlena smiled. “You’re right. Its just that … well I’m.”

The other woman smiled. “Nervous.”

Marlena nodded. “Well its not every day that you’re face to face with a real.”

The older woman nodded. “Yes, well let’s get to it.”

She examined Marlena’s hand. “Oh my.”

Marlena grinned. “I haven’t had a manicure, yes this I know.”

Zenouska shook her head. “No, it’s just that I never saw a hand with lines like yours.”

Marlena peered closer, trying to see what the psychic was.

“You have a great decision to make and it’s coming soon.”

Marlena smiled. “I’m about to give birth soon and we’re deciding on home or hospital.”

Zenouska shook her head. “No … you’ll soon have a great weight on your shoulders.”

Shaking her head, she reached for her tarot cards.

“Lets see where your fate lies.”

Marlena curiously watched her shuffling the cards and laid them in the pattern.

As she turned them over, she gasped.

“Is something wrong?”

At Marlena’s bewildered expression, Zenouska shook her head. “No.. It’s just that.”

Shrugging, Marlena looked first to the cards and then to the other woman. “What?”

“It’s just that well … the cards have never gone this way before.”

“What?”

“This man you love, he’s different.”

Marlena couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, yes he is. He’s something all together out of the ordinary.”

“He’s very important, this man you love. He’s a leader.”

Marlena’s face changed as she remembered the talk they had had earlier, of her staying behind when they were to go home.

“Yes, he has this whole other destiny. One that doesn’t include me.”

Zenouska laid a hand on hers. “That’s not true. He chooses love.”

Blinking, Marlena couldn’t believe despite having heard John say that same thing time and again.

“He what? No, no that’s not true.”

Zenouska smiled, her hands sweeping over the cards. “The reading is clear. You marry your true love. You have happiness.” She pointed to one card.

“The card here? Intimacy, sex … You will not be left…” She smiled. “Wanting for anything.”

Marlena blushed and had a flash of watching John holding their little boy…

*~*~*~*

She studied herself in the mirror and her hand came to gently rest against her stomach.

”He chooses love.” A smile came across her face as a crack of thunder hits.

“Marlena.”

She turned, a look of bewilderment comes over her face as she looked at the bathroom window and saw John.

“John?”

*~*~*~*

Ben and John along with Serena were going over their book and trying to find matches from the book to go along with the images that John had described from when he was sick.

The phone rang and Serena answered. “Hello?”

The men saw her expression turn distasteful as she pulled the phone from her ear.

“Ben, its for you.”

*~*~*~*

“You’re NOT John, he’s home with Ben and this isn’t real. I’m hallucinating.”

He stood beside her as she shook her head. “I’m not an hallucination.”

She stopped and looked at him. “I don’t know WHO you are, but you’re not John. MY John is home and I shouldn’t have come out tonight. Go away.”

He sighed. “Look, I do know that this is overwhelming.”

She started to pace. “You think this is overwhelming?” She pointed to the house. “I just learnt wonderful news, then you show up.” Her eyes widened.

“You …. You’re a shape shifter. Wes did say that I’d know.” She tilted her head to examine him. “You’re not John, you’re an alien that can change into him, with that beard and that gray hair.”

His hand went to the top of his head. “Grey hair?”

Throwing up her hands, Marlena walked away.

“Do you really see gray hair?”

“This isn’t funny.”

“HOLD ON!” He began to run to catch up with her.

She began to struggle against him. “NO! You let go of me now.” He tried to calm her. “Marlena … Doc, it’s me.” Tears were welling up in her eyes. “Please, just let me go. Let go of me.” He pulled her to him, stroking her back to calm her. “Marlena, if I was a shape shifting alien, I wouldn’t be able to tell you that in 30 seconds, I’ll show up here with Ben and Serena.” Marlena began to count down. “5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1.”

With nobody in sight, she turned and looked accusingly at him.

John shrugged. “So I’m not accurate.”

They turned to see John’s jeep roaring up.

“When they couldn’t find you in the house and Mac’s car was still in the driveway, Mac phoned us at home. We had been working on transcribing the book along with my dream symbols.”

They saw John flying out of the car and taking the steps 2 at a time.

“I was so frantic, all I could remember was that idiot Wes saying they had come and were coming for you and our baby.”

He reached out to touch her stomach, only to have Marlena smack his hand away.

“How I managed to not get the police on me, I’ll never know.”

She turned and looked solemn. “Why are you here?”

He looked at his hand, the wedding ring now gone and all that had been left was a white band.

“I can’t tell you too much, Marlena. I need you to act normally through this. I can only tell what you need to know…but 10 years from now, we are taken over by our enemies.”

She blinked. “Ten years, Wes said they were here now.”

He nodded. “They are, but at the time we first knew… He stopped. “That was the early arrival of scout troops.”

“Uh so who’s taken over?”

John leaned against the tree. “Us, Earth… Everyone. Which is why I’m here. Marlena, nobody can know about this. We need to be precise.”

She was about to speak when he turned to face her. “Nobody can know, especially my younger self.”

They watched as everyone came out. Mac was sobbing while Chelle walked out with Serena, John and Ben bringing up the rear.

“Why not just go to John with this?”

He led her in the opposite direction. “Because it’s possible that I do that and we could be facing a reaction.”

“Reaction?”

He nodded. “Madeline said.” He smiled. “She’s going to be a friend of yours very soon. Anyways, she said that for he and I to meet, it would lead to both of us being destroyed.”

Marlena just nodded, seemingly calm. “Oh.”

She turned to face him. “Marlena, what’s about to happen over the next few days is critical to the history of this planet. Things between us are about to change…”

She shook her head. “What things?”

His hand came to rest against her stomach. This time she didn’t swat his hand.

“With the arrival of this little one, nothing ever comes between us. It grows deeper.”

She looked pale. “Until the end of the world?”

He nodded. “Yes. The closer we got, the worse it became for..”

“Who?”

He looked up. “Serena. We didn’t know at the time but the attack on you that day when Ben had tried to train you, well that had been planned. They used her in the attempt to get you.”

Watching her with that news, John continued. “The guilt she got thanks to Wes got so bad that she had to leave again.”

“Without the four square, it just fell apart. Serena was essential to the survival of the group.”

“Who made her guilty?” She shrugged. “I know that we ..uh.. John and I never made her feel bad.”

John shook his head. “That was something we never found out, we just got the letter one morning with her apologizing for the mess at the training and we never saw her again.”

She stood very still. “What do I have to do to prevent this?”

He faced her. “You need to make me fall out of love with you.”

Marlena began to shake. “How, how do I do that when I can’t imagine a life without you?”

John didn’t want to be cruel, she looked so happy and then there was the child…

“25 minutes before I came here, I held Ben in my arms … he was dead. Two weeks before that, Mac and Michy died with our son in a raid.”

Marlena gasped, her hand went to her stomach in a protective gesture.

“Now you have to do this. You have to find a way.” His hand came to rest again on hers, over the child who had been the light of his life.

“All of our lives depend on it.”

She began to cry.

“What can I do that would make you hate me so badly that you’d turn away?”

He tilted his head and shook his head. “I don’t know.”

 

“My Dearest John,

I’m sorry that I couldn’t be what you wanted. The wife you deserved.

I’ve left and I’ll ask that you respect my decision enough to leave me in peace.

I will in time send you word on the baby.

Marlena.”

He crumpled up the letter and threw it across the room with a roar.

“THAT’S BULLSHIT!”

Serena rushed to comfort him. “It’s alright, we’ll find her.”

John turned to look at their inner circle. “How, we’ve tried to dreamwalk her, she won’t let anyone in.”

Ben looked at the calendar. “We’ve tried the good Doc, we haven’t tried the baby.”

Everyone realized that it had been nearly a month since Marlena’s apparent disappearance and that if all had gone to plan, there was now another person in their world, a little boy…

*~*~*~*

Marlena sat quietly beside her son’s carriage as she allowed the sunshine to seep into her bones.

With the other John’s help, she managed to leave Salem and he had managed to teach her how to block herself from outside forces that would try to dreamwalk her.

The baby had been born two weeks before in a quiet motel off of the highway, with just the other John for help.

As they stared at the very chubby and surprisingly to Marlena, the very healthy little boy, Marlena pressed a question towards the man, who stared at the child as if he was a last meal.

“In your time, was he born this way?”

John had shaken his head. “No, we had left Salem after the assassin attempt and went to the crash site to retrieve an orb that held information as to a secret “cave” of sorts that had been prepared for us by a previous search team. It had information on us, things we would need to have for when we were to go home.”

She nodded, wanting him to go on.

“You had him there and we again had a visit from a message from my mother. Who welcomed her grandson and explained his future role to everyone.”

Marlena had felt tears come down her face, followed by a gently shaking hand.

“I shouldn’t have told you this. I’ve made you do things that prevented that from happening now.”

She had fallen asleep and when she had awakened a few hours later, he was gone.

“I’ve gotten things for the two of you to last you for awhile, I have paid for the room and also left you money to do you for a long time. Don’t worry it is legitimate, I haven’t done anything wrong.”

She folded the note up and decided to look towards trying to make things right, remembering what he had ended the letter with.

“It’s now past the point of danger, it’s over and it’s a new world that you have brought our son safely into. Yes I know that sounds strange but there it is. He is mine but not yet mine. Either way, it’s a new world and new decisions can be made.”

Standing up, she went and checked on the sleeping baby with a smile.

“I think that it’s time for you to go and meet your daddy.”   

 

Marlena woke up from her dream of taking her baby home to Salem and found that nothing had changed as she looked around the room that was now her prison.

She was still very pregnant and still very much in the hands of the man who wore her lovers face.

Shifting carefully, she rolled on to her side and remembered the conversation from the other night.

“You tell me something absolutely horrific and to my question of how you say you don’t know?”

John nodded. “Isn’t there anything you can think of?”

She stepped away, head shaking a mile a minute. “No.  YOU came here. YOU think of something.”

Turning away, she spun right back around. “And another thing… I do this and everything changes, what about my baby?”

“What about it?”

“John leaves and so does my child. I end up with nothing but these precious and horrible memories. I can’t do this.”

He lunged forward, gripping her arms. “You HAVE to.”

She wrenched away, a grimace on her normally placid face. “No, no I don’t.”

“Yes, yes you do.” He pulled out a weapon. “Orders are orders M’Queen.”

“Who ARE you?”

“You shall know us by within?” He grinned. “Something along those lines?”

Her eyes widened. “Wes?”

“No, no I’m not that pansy. I hated him then and I loathe him now.”

“I shall know them by within.”

Carefully, she got out of bed and held out her hand, concentrating as she felt the power surging…

*~*~*~*

Serena had found work at the hospital, becoming one of their most preeminent research physicians.

She had been on duty for nearly 15 hours when she heard the voice inside her head.

It was tired and sounding like it was in great pain.

“Where are you?”

Marlena sobbed in relief at having found help. “I’m … I’m.”

There was silence that Serena tried to probe. “Marlena?”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

*~*~*~*

She drifted to sleep in the passenger seat of the truck, thanking the woman who graciously stopped to pick her up.

The only word Marlena could say before collapsing into darkness was “Salem.”

*~*~*~*

John looked to be close to bursting as he faced Serena. “What do you mean you lost her?” He shrugged. “Serena, this is the first clue in months that we’ve had and you LOST it?”

She turned to face him. “She sounded weak and in pain, what the hell did you want me to do, mind beat her until she focused?”

Michelle tried to ignore the fighting and continued to pound the keyboard in search of answers and hit on something.

“Hey Ben?”

He turned. “What?”

“How far was the base to the crash site?”

He paused and came closer. “About 15 miles, why?”

She turned Marlena’s laptop to face him. “Not anymore…”

*~*~*~*

John stood outside and stared at the stars.

“I don’t know where you are love, but I can’t help but feel that you’re close by.”

He felt an itch at the back of his neck, but ignored it to continue speaking to her.

“Now you know, if someone was to hear you and not know the situation, they’d really be worried about you.”

He turned around and found Ben standing behind him.

“I want to believe that it’s her, but I can’t …”

“You know, she is the most stubborn and strong willed person I know not withstanding Mac. If there was ANY way for her to come home to you, I have no doubt that the good Doc would find it.”

John looked solemn. “There’s wishes and then there is the fact that she went and blew up a deserted army base.”

Ben surprised him by chuckling aloud. “Guess by not focusing her new skills isn’t such a bad thing now.”

Mac’s voice came from the doorway. “Guys, we have to go.”

*~*~*~*

Marlena didn’t know the name of her guardian angel that had dropped her right to the door of University Hospital, but she knew now she was safe and so slept while the night emergency staff bustled around her and the unborn baby.

But she woke straight away upon hearing John’s voice.

The next thing she knew, Val had led the whole group into see her.

”Considering the fact that you scared the hell out of me..”

She glared at Ben who looked considerably sheepish. “I can see how important this was for not just my patient, but all of you. So I’m breaking this one rule.”

They waited until Val had gone before rushing to Marlena, who remained silent throughout the welcoming home.

Michelle squeezed Marlena’s hand. “We were so worried about you both.”

Mac studied her friend. “Cat got your tongue?”

To their surprise, her hazel eyes welled up with tears and she turned away from them.

John stepped forward, gathering her hand in his. “It’s okay baby, it’s all just overwhelming. Finally being home will do that.”

“How can you all stand to look at me, you don’t know what I did.”

He reached out to stroke her hair. “Doc, we have you two home and your safe. The rest doesn’t matter.”

She began to cry. “Go home.”

As she proceeded to get more upset, Val came in and ushered them out.

*~*~*~*

“I’m not going home Val. You can get mad, but I’m not leaving the hospital.”

She studied the father to be and finally nodded in defeat. “Okay you win. But I finally have Marlena calm. You’re not upsetting her again.”

John watched her go and went to stand by his wife’s door.

“What happened to you Doc?”

*~*~*~*

Serena woke up with a gasp, earning a concerned look from Mac, who had guard duty on her while John who had come quickly come home for a shower and change of clothes.

“What?”

She gazed around the loft, totally disoriented for a moment.

“Black, it was utterly black.”

Michelle looked at Ben, while Mac asked the question they were thinking.

“What was?”

Serena stood up, stretching to hear her back crack. “I tried to dreamwalk her and it was as if someone shut off all the light in Marlena. I heard someone sobbing.”

Mac looked at Michelle. “I’m going in.”

Before anybody could stop her, she was gone.

*~*~*~*

John and the others arrived and found Marlena sitting quietly in bed while Mac continued to rail at her.

“You won’t speak, you’re hiding something. Don’t say you’re not because next to Chelle and John, I know you best. What could possibly have happened to have turned you this way?”

“Easy Mac, not like this.” Chelle spoke under her breath. “Remember she’s pregnant.”

John looked to see Marlena’s hands in fists. “She’s scared.”

“Marlena, ANSWER ME!”

The fists flattened white on the hospital sheets and the anger that shone through her hazel eyes was white hot enough to have them back away from her.

“You want to know. FINE, John’s future self came and met us at the psychic’s. Told me enough that I had to go with him. I had to protect John at all costs because he told me that where he had been …”

She calmed herself. “He told me that everyone I loved, except him had just been killed. Including my son. I didn’t want to believe, but when he told me that I had been the one to send him home, I knew it made sense.”

Marlena blinked the feral look out of her eyes. “I had to make John fall out of love because his safety and all of yours depended on it. THAT was why I left. I didn’t know until later that it was all for nothing. That it was a trick and nothing more.”

“The future was a trick by John’s enemies from up there.”

Mac’s eyes widened and Marlena continued, now aware of who was standing at the door.

“It was round 2 of torture the pregnant lady and it was to ensure that the Queen came back to you all with the mind made of Swiss cheese.”

She doubled over. “But I showed them, oh did I show them that final night.”

“I never thought that I would have the strength to annihilate an entire base. But I did it.”

She let out a whimper. “It was only when I dreamt that it came back to me. I killed John.”

He came to her. “You didn’t kill me. Love look at me.” As she peered up at him, he smiled.

“You did what you had to in order to protect your family. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

She burst into tears as she buckled against him. “I didn’t … mean … for…”

He stroked her hair. “I know sweetheart. I have you home and that’s all that matters.”

His smile faded into a look of pain. “OW DOC!”

She never lifted her head. “I’m in labor…”   

One Year Later

It’s a different world now that we have, thanks to the slender woman who is cradling our sleepy son and crooning to him in the growing twilight.

Liam Riordan Black is the light of his mother’s eye and adored by everyone who meets our little Prince.

As I watch them, I thank god for his blessing in bringing her home to me and for keeping them both safe. Up there, as Marlena puts it I was a King but I had no love or home. I was to have a kingdom with duty above all else.

Here I am still that man, but I have a wife I would kill to protect as she had me, I have a little son with another baby on the way and a large extended family.

Ben and Mac were married on the longest day of the year and if I’m not mistaken we’re soon to have Chelle married to her Wes, if she and Mac can stop arguing over bridal colors.

Serena is touring the world, promising to be home in time for the arrival of our second baby.

It’s been a year of change that despite the shadows in Marlena’s eyes from time to time, I think she’d not take back and I know that I wouldn’t change.

Here with me in the summer twilight as I hear Liam’s sleepy laugh and Marlena softly sing a lullabye, I have the world.

 

The End