After All – By Huskerlaw

“What in the hell is wrong with us, John? We act like an old married couple! I mean, we used to make love everyday…hell, at least once! But now, it’s like…I don’t know…it’s like we take each other for granted.” As she spoke, Marlena turned away, unable to look at John’s eyes, knowing that he doesn’t want to hear what she was saying. Even she hadn’t noticed it at first, but for months now, their relationship had been different. It was easy to miss, the changes were so subtle. And even now, Marlena could not point to one day or event when their relationship changed. All she knew was that it had, and she desperately wanted her husband back, totally back.

 

“Marlena, I’d never…” John put his hand on her shoulder, trying to turn her around and pull her towards him. When Marlena turned around, John noticed her look of desperation. He had seen it before…and it nearly killed him to see it again.

 

“I know, John, not intentionally. But you have to admit that we’ve become too caught up in other aspects of our lives. You’ve been so focused on the ISA, Tony, Basic Black…” Marlena grasps John’s hands, pulling them towards her. Listening to her, John realizes that she’s right. Something has changed. The very thought that his actions were causing her pain made his stomach tighten and he silently vowed to make it up to her.

 

“Doc. Look at me. I love you SO much, I would never take you for granted. I’ve made that mistake before.” John put his hands on the sides of her face, turning her head toward him and pulling her closer. Marlena looked into his eyes and instantly softened, raising her arms from their defensive stance by her sides and resting her hands on his shoulders.

 

“I’m not questioning how much you love me; I’m just saying that neither of us is making the effort to keep this relationship interesting.” Marlena tried to explain, tried to make him see that she would never question his love.

 

“Since when did we need to make an effort?”

 

“I don’t know, but face it, there’s something missing. When was the last time we spent an entire day in bed? When was the last time we made love in the morning? Marlena turned and walked away, then looked back at John. “Shit John, when was the last time we even went on a date? I know I’m spoiled, but you used to surprise me with romantic gestures all the time. What happened?”

 

“I don’t know Doc, but I promise I’ll make it up to you. A few years ago I promised you I would never take you for granted again and I am sorry that you feel that something is wrong now. I love you, baby. Don’t ever forget that.” As he spoke, John walked over to Marlena and wrapped his arms around her waist.

 

“God, John, I will never question that. I love you SO much and I know you love me. I just want to find US, I’m afraid we’re losing the spark. No, not losing it…ignoring it. Our love is a gift and we’re letting it sit here on a shelf while we go on with our daily lives.”

 

Instead of responding to her verbally, John decided to show her his commitment to fixing their marriage. He moved his hands down her back, firmly pulling her towards his body and leaned in for a kiss. He kissed her lower lip, gently tugging on it before flicking his tongue out to taste her. Marlena willingly opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, beginning a slow dance of their tongues. Marlena ran her fingernails down his back, causing John to shudder; her hands eventually coming to rest at the base of his spine. As their kiss intensified, so did the movements of their hands. John lifted one of his hands to gently cup a breast, while the other remained to caress her and hold her close. One of her hands traced the waist of his pants around to his stomach, and began to unbutton his shirt. Just as John was debating whether to lead her over to the couch or carry her upstairs, his cell phone rang.

 

John tried to ignore the phone and instead lead Marlena to the couch without breaking the kiss. “John, I think you better get that, it might be important,” prompted Marlena.

 

“Honey, I can’t get the phone, my hands are a little bit full at the moment.” John explained as he ran his other hand around to her front and lightly caressed her neglected breast. “I can feel that, John, but that phone is really distracting,” Marlena laughed, pulling away slightly and looking pointedly at the phone.

 

“Whatever it is, it couldn’t possibly be more important than making love to my wife…” explained John.

 

“John, just answer the phone, then we can quit having this conversation and continue our much more interesting ‘conversation’!” exclaimed Marlena.

 

“Ok, fine, you win!” John sighed, reaching for the phone. “What? This better be important!” John yelled into the phone. As John talked on the phone Marlena walked around behind him and began kissing his neck, her fingers gently playing with his hair. “Doc, stop. It’s Kate. Let me deal with her…quickly, then we can continue…” John pleaded. Marlena ignored John’s plea, choosing instead to run her tongue around the shell of his ear while her hand snaked around to caress his stomach. “DOC!” groaned John. “Seriously, this will go so much faster if you’re not…distracting me.”

 

“Alright, you win, but make it quick. I’ll be waiting for you…upstairs,” Marlena said as she turned and sashayed up the stairs.

 

Once upstairs, Marlena quickly changed into a skimpy red negligee that she knew from prior experience would drive John absolutely wild. She then positioned herself on their bed so that the first thing John would see when he walked in was her form, splayed out across the bed. A few minutes later, John walked into their room, still holding his cell phone. “Doc, I am so sorry…” he began. “Wow! Damn. Baby, you are absolutely…you look…damn!” John stammered as he caught sight of his nearly naked wife.

 

“Cat got your tongue, John?” Marlena asked as she sat up and leaned slightly toward him. “That’s ok. What I have planned for you doesn’t require the ability to speak.”

 

“Doc, …I can’t believe I’m saying this…I have to go,” John groaned. “I’m really sorry, but Kate needs me. One of our biggest suppliers is trying to back out of a contract and he says he’ll only deal with me. Honey, do you have to sit like that?”

 

“What’s wrong, John?” Marlena asked as she leaned forward to reveal more cleavage.

 

“I SO don’t want to leave you right now!” complained John, looking wistfully from Marlena to the bed and then back again.

 

“Well, I can tell that at least one part of you doesn’t want to leave!” giggled Marlena, glancing at the obvious bulge in his jeans. “Can’t you stay for just a little bit? I mean, we can do this quick.”

 

“What I want to do to you will be anything but quick,” John grinned and winked at Marlena. “How about I go take care of business and when I get back I’ll make this up to you.”

 

“And how do you plan to do that, sailor?” Marlena asked as she sat up on her knees and wrapped her arms around John’s neck.

 

“That, pretty lady, is a surprise,” John joked.

 

“You know I hate surprises,” Marlena protested.

 

“Yeah, right. So you keep saying. I promise you’ll love this one, just like you have loved all of my other surprises.” John kissed Marlena lightly on the lips, but before he could walk away, Marlena tightened her grasp on his neck and deepened the kiss, forcing her tongue into John’s mouth. After a few moments, John pulled away slightly, ending the kiss. “Nice try, baby, but I really do have to go.”

 

“Hurry back.”

 

“I will. I promise I’ll make it worth the wait!” John exclaimed as he turned and ran down the stairs and out the door.

A few hours later, Marlena was pacing around the penthouse, eagerly awaiting John’s return when the phone rang. “Hello?!” Marlena answered, slightly out of breath from her sprint to the phone from across the living room.

 

“Hello, angel,” responded John. “It sounds like you were waiting for someone to call. Would that be anyone in particular?” He joked, knowing all too well how anxious she was for him to come home.

 

“Just my absentee husband. The bastard started something he couldn’t finish this morning,” she whined, deciding to play along.

 

“Started something he couldn’t finish, huh? Sounds like he owes you big time!”

 

“Well, he promised he’d make it up to me, but he’s been gone for hours and I’m a very impatient woman.”

 

“I know, it’s one of the many things I love about you, Doc,” laughed John. “You wouldn’t believe the mess I have to clean up here. Unfortunately, it’s going to take more time than I thought.”

 

“Longer? John, you’re driving me insane. I actually didn’t have anything planned for today so I’m stuck here, alone, thinking about you. Do you have any idea how lonely I am right now? I wanted you SO bad this morning and sitting here thinking about you hasn’t exactly helped, if you know what I mean,” Marlena whispered, knowing that John would be trying to imagine what she had been thinking about and that he would be turned on by the images his mind would conjure up.

 

“I promised you this morning that I would make the wait worth it and I intend to keep that promise. Why don’t you run down to Salem Place and buy yourself a new dress. Something sexy…and red,” he suggested, his heart rate increasing as he pictured her in a low-cut, clingy red dress. “By the time you get back I’ll be home, and we can embark on the very romantic evening I have planned.”

 

“That sounds excellent, John. I’m leaving right now and I’m highly motivated to find that dress quickly, so hurry home.”

 

“Hell, now that I have a mental picture of you in a sexy red dress I’ll just let Basic Black go bankrupt. I can’t wait to see you.”

 

“I can’t wait to see you, either. I love you, John.”

 

“I love you, too, pretty lady. See you soon,” John replied as he hung up the phone and quickly began delegating as much of the work as he could to Kate.

 

Thirty minutes later, John returned to the penthouse, knowing that it would take Marlena a while to find the perfect red dress. Figuring he had about an hour, he quickly got to work.

 

“Ok, let’s see…catered dinner, 12 dozen red roses, chilled champagne, pillows perfectly piled by the fire, candles lit, tuxedo on, and, of course, strawberries and cream in the fridge.” John ran through his mental checklist, making sure that everything was perfect before Marlena got home. “She should be here any minute and I absolutely can’t wait to see what sexy red dress she picked out.”

 

As if on cue, the doorknob turned, and Marlena walked in. “John, you’re home. I wasn’t expecting you yet, I was going to make sure that I was dressed…oh my gosh, John, this is beautiful,” she gushed as she glanced around the room at the roses, the food, the pile of pillows and blankets arranged in front of the fire, and, finally, her husband. “Honey, you look amazing. I absolutely love the sight of you in a tux. You know that every time you wear one all I can think about is tearing it off of you.”

 

“Yes, I do. That was kind of the idea,” John replied as he walked over to Marlena and reached for the packages she was carrying. “I see your shopping expedition was successful.”

 

“Very,” she replied as she teasingly pulled the packages out of his reach. “I feel a little bit under-dressed here, why don’t I go change into something…less comfortable?” Marlena leaned towards John and tried to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but John turned his head and caught her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist, effectively closing the distance that had existed between their bodies. She curled her arms around John’s neck and increased the pressure of their kiss. Their tongues collided and Marlena pulled John’s tongue into her mouth and gently sucked on it, giving him a hint of things to come. His hands were not idle. One slid from her waist, grazed the curve of her hip, then gently squeezed her ass. The other caressed its way up her side, then slipped in between their bodies to tenderly cup a breast.

 

Reluctantly, John pulled away slightly. “Doc, you are so sexy. Do you know what I want to do to you right now?”

 

“I think I’ve got a fairly good idea,” Marlena whispered as she reached down and caressed him through his pants. “At least, I know what part of you is thinking, but why don’t you tell me and we’ll see if we can make it happen?”

 

“I want to rip your clothes off, back you up against the wall…” he murmured, his voice a full octave lower than normal.

 

“Ooooh, that sounds…wonderful,” she interrupted, whispering seductively in his ear before touching the tip of her tongue to its shell. She ran one foot up the back of his calf to the middle of his thigh and used her new position to pull him closer. She could feel his erection, an insistent hard ridge against her stomach. “What’s stopping you?”

 

“I’m not sure,” John choked. He grabbed her thigh and gently removed her leg, lessening their intimate contact. “You’re making it very hard to remember…well, anything, actually.”

 

“I can tell I’m making something hard. Why don’t you quit thinking and start acting?”

 

“Because you went to all the trouble of buying a dress and I wanted to make tonight special. You wanted a romantic evening and that’s what you’re going to get,” he explained, stepping further away from her in an attempt to think clearly.

 

“Baby, it will be special. Very special…and romantic. But if you would rather get dressed up and eat dinner than ravage me, your wish is my command,” she replied as she turned and started walking up the stairs. “I’ll be right back.”

 

John watched her walk up the stairs, wondering why he had convinced her to stop. However, he knew that waiting would make their experience even more intense and, besides, he really wanted to see her in the dress she had picked out for the occasion.

“Well John, what do you think?”

 

John looked up and saw her, standing on the upstairs landing, striking a seductive pose. The dress had spaghetti straps and a neckline that was low enough to show the tops of her breasts. And although the dress went down to her ankles there was a slit up the right leg that revealed her thigh, nearly all the way up to her hip. Her shoes were sexy diamond-studded stilettos. “Wow. Doc, you look absolutely amazing! I mean, umm…WOW,” John stammered, letting his eyes wander over her, from head to toe and back again.

 

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” she replied as she walked down the stairs towards him. Once she was standing beside him, she turned around to reveal the back of the dress, which plunged all the way down to the base of her spine and, if she turned just right, allowed a glimpse of the curve of her breasts.

 

“Holy shit! That dress…you…I’m speechless. You look good enough to eat.”

 

“Then by all means…,” Marlena invited as she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him closer.

 

John ran his hands up her back, gently caressing her bare skin. Their lips met and their tongues collided. One of Marlena’s hands slid down to John’s ass and gently pushed their bodies together. Once again, she could feel his erection against her stomach and again, she reached between their bodies and cupped him. “God, baby…” he moaned into her mouth as he ground his hips against her hand.

 

With her other hand, Marlena began to undo the buttons John’s shirt. Her fingernails lightly scratched his skin and she tenderly played with a nipple. Her mouth began to follow her hand’s progress down his chest, licking random spots and sucking on the neglected nipple. Once her task was accomplished, she stepped back slightly and removed his tie, jacket and shirt. Grinning, she knelt down in front of him and grasped the zipper of his pants with her teeth.

 

“Doc, baby, stop. This evening is supposed to be about you.”

 

“It will be, John. But you’ve been walking around with this erection for well over an hour now, so I thought I would help you out and we can start over. Besides, you know I love to do this. Watching your face when you come is so sexy,” she explained as she continued to remove his pants and boxers. Before he could respond, she wrapped her hand around his shaft.

 

He looked down as she took him into her mouth. He was entranced by the sight of his incredibly sexy wife, kneeling before him, her hands and mouth working magic on his cock.

He could feel himself spiraling higher and higher and his eyes glazed. As his breath picked up and his muscles tensed tightly in anticipation, all he could feel was her hands and mouth. Half to steady himself against the overwhelming sensations and half to make additional contact with her, John threaded his fingers lightly through her hair as her head bobbed against him.

 

Sensing that he was close, Marlena began to take him even more deeply into her mouth. He could feel the tip of his penis touching the back of her throat and the warmth and tightness of her lips around his base. With a strangled gasp, he began to come, throbbing intensely with every stroke into her mouth. His orgasm seemed to last forever, yet was over all too soon.

 

Marlena continued to suck gently as he slowly shrank in her mouth. “Doc,” he whispered, his eyes closed. “That was amazing. I love you so much. You are so good at that.”

He felt her smile around him and he smiled as well, his breathing starting to calm somewhat. “Thank you,” he added as he looked down on her.

 

She released him and placed a sweet peck of a kiss on the tip of his penis. She smiled broadly up at him and rested back on her heels. “You are very welcome. Of course, you know, paybacks can be a bitch,” she joked.

 

“I can’t wait,” John exclaimed as he helped her to her feet.

“John, I can’t believe you did this all for me. You are amazing,” Marlena whispered as she glanced around the room. “The food, oooh…pillows by the fire, you, looking gorgeous in that tux…”

 

“Well, our conversation this morning was a real wake-up call. I haven’t been giving you the love and attention that you deserve, and after all we’ve been through that’s unforgivable.”

 

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, John. I’m just as guilty as you are. I guess we should be thankful that we have had the opportunity to get complacent. I mean, it’s been what, a whole year since a DiMera has tried to tear us apart?” She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. Looking up, she added, “this is new for us, not having to fight other people in order to stay together. I guess we just need to learn how to be a normal couple.”

 

“Normal? Us? Baby, I don’t think that could ever happen,” he laughed. “But you’re right, we should be thankful. There was a time when we never thought we would be together and we would have given anything to be worried about getting sucked into a routine and taking each other for granted,” John added as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

 

“You’re right, but enough about the past. You planned this incredibly romantic evening and I intend to enjoy it,” she winked, then placed a soft kiss on his lips. “The food smells wonderful.”

 

*********************

 

“Wow! That was fabulous. What’s for dessert?”

 

“All in good time, my love,” John teased as he turned on the stereo. “But first, may I have this dance?”

 

Marlena walked over to John and they began to dance, her arms resting on his shoulders, her fingers gently running through his hair. He pulled her close and traced slow circles on her bare spine.

 

As they danced, gentle caresses became sensuous and soft kisses turned more demanding until neither of them could wait to take their romantic evening to the next level. Slowly, Marlena pulled away, placing a kiss on John’s lips and running her hand down his chest. “I’ll be right back.”

 

“What? Where are you going? This was just getting interesting.”

 

“Trust me, things are definitely going to get more interesting,” she laughed, turning towards the stairs. “I won’t be long.”

 

As John waited for Marlena to return, he walked over to the pile of blankets and pillows that were arranged by the fire. Making sure that everything was in order, he sat down in the middle of the pile.

 

“John, that looks very inviting, but I think you’re a bit overdressed,”

 

He looked up to see her standing in front of him, in the sexiest black lingerie he had ever seen. The baby doll top was tied loosely between her breasts, allowing an unobstructed view of her ample cleavage above the knot and her bellybutton below and the translucent lacy black panties left very little to John’s imagination.

 

“Damn, Doc, you are so…sexy,” John stammered as he stood next to her, fingering the loose knot between her breasts.

 

“You like it?” She knew the answer. The expression on John’s face could not be mistaken…pure lust. Exactly the response she wanted. Without giving him a chance to answer, she stepped forward, closing the gap between them, and kissed him, running her tongue along his lips. He immediately complied, opening his mouth and deepening the kiss.

 

Marlena reached in between them and began unbuttoning his shirt, running her nails along each patch of newly exposed skin. Once his shirt was hanging open, she used it to guide him towards the pile of blankets, then sat down, dragging him with her. She leaned back, forcing John to place most of his weight on her. Before he could protest, she wrapped her ankles around his waist, keeping him firmly in place.

 

Their kisses became almost carnal, hands roamed over every inch of exposed skin, and bodies ground against the other, imitating a dance that would soon become reality. Slowly, John began to kiss his way down her body. Marlena complied, throwing her head back to allow him more access as he ravaged her neck. He moved down to the black knot, pulling it apart with his teeth as his hands moved to cover her newly exposed breast. His hands expertly kneaded and caressed. His mouth followed his hands’ journey down her body…her breasts, stomach, thighs.

 

He traced a light line of kisses down to the juncture between her thighs, and as he arrived at the swell of her mound, he hesitated, but Marlena pressed into his head with her fingers and shifted her hips just enough to let him know this was not only the right thing to do, it was what she wanted.

 

He looked up slightly and grinned at the play of emotions flickering across her face. “I believe you said something about paybacks earlier. I fully intend to reciprocate.”

 

Leaning back down towards her waiting body, John grasped her hips and pulled her legs up to rest on his shoulders. He buried his face back in her, his lips and tongue traced up and down, back and forth, teasing her and tantalizing her into a combination of tension and excitement. Back and forth he licked, stroked and nibbled, his hands working their way all over her body, and she sighed as she sunk into an almost hypnotic state of satisfaction.

 

A lightning bolt electrified her as his probing tongue flicked back and forth, tantalizing the hesitant nub into first an ache and then a focal point for all of her emotions, and she lifted her hips towards John’s questing tongue.

 

“J…J…John…please,” she panted. He could feel her body tensing and straining towards the peak. He concentrated on the nub and moved his tongue back and forth, sucking for a second or two, then flicking and nibbling until she could hold her breath no longer and she peaked, screaming her release, her back arching, her legs slumping on his shoulders.

 

John sensed this was the time, and as she relaxed from her orgasm, he quickly removed the remainder of his clothing and entered her in a smooth, deliberate penetration. She immediately climaxed again, his size and position combining to both fill her and stroke her most sensitive parts. He drew back until only his tip remained and rotated his hips as he entered her again. Marlena wrapped her legs around his waist as he repeated the motion again and again until her inner muscles clenched, signaling her third orgasm. Her contractions brought John’s release, the vibrations from his orgasm extending the length and intensity of hers.

 

After a few minutes, Marlena’s eyes fluttered open, seeing John’s face above her, his eyes showing a combination of love and satisfaction. She whispered, “I love you so,” as he cradled her head against his chest.

 

“I love you, too,” he whispered and they both succumbed to sleep, wrapped in each others arms.

As usual, John awoke before Marlena. Watching her as she slept, her body bathed by the early morning sun, was practically a daily ritual. After watching her for a few minutes, completely enchanted by her innocent beauty, John leaned over and lightly kissed her lips. Still asleep, Marlena smiled and sighed softly. He repeated the action, kissing her firmly enough to ensure that she would wake. She opened her eyes, smiling at him. “Good morning, baby,” he whispered, brushing his lips across hers once more.

 

“Good morning to you. You know, I can’t think of a better way to be woken up. I love it when your face is the first thing I see in the morning.” Marlena returned his kisses. “You know, last night was amazing.”

 

“Mmmm hmm, it sure was,” John mumbled as he continued kissing her for a few moments before gently pushing her away. “Doc, I’d really love to continue this, but I have a meeting this morning.” He kissed her one more time before climbing out of bed and heading for the shower.

 

“Oh, no you don’t. You can’t wake me up like that and then leave me with memories of last night…” she thought as he walked into the bathroom.

 

In the bathroom, Marlena stopped dead at the erotic sight of him, naked and glistening, his hands running through his hair. Her eyes watched the water trail its way down across his perfect sculpted chest, across his chiseled stomach… Unconsciously, she licked her lips.

 

Instinctively aware of her gaze, John had opened his eyes and was watching her with a small smile.

 

“Hey, sailor.” She drew her hands down across the full mounds of her breasts in a seductive glide, her eyes fixed on him all the while, and then let them drift firmly across the taut, firm plane of her stomach and onto her thighs. “See anything worth having?”

 

“Damn, Doc. If you are trying to make me reconsider taking a shower solo, you’re doing a great job.”

 

Marlena laughed, low in her throat, a wicked, salacious purr, “That was my intent. Is my plan working?”

 

“I spent so much time watching you sleep this morning, we really don’t have time…”

 

“Then make time. You’re the one that chose to kiss me awake this morning and you know full well what that does to me,” she teased as she climbed into the shower and wrapped her hands around his neck. Maintaining her hold, she kissed him deeply and wrapped one leg around his waist.

 

“Doc, you little minx, I really don’t…” he started to protest until Marlena, using her newly found leverage, pushed him against the wall, and began grinding him gently between her soft curves and the chill of the tiles. Any resolve John had left completely disappeared.

 

His hands slid down her body and he applied gentle pressure to her hips. His head bent to kiss her, his tongue demanding entrance, which she gave willingly. Marlena’s head dropped to one side to give him greater access to the long curve of her throat. He kissed his way along her neck and shoulders and then came back to lap at the water streaming down across her throat and onto her breasts.

 

His hot gaze traveled hungrily across enticing curves and then rose swiftly to her face, to where her eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed with the rosy hue of desire, her lips trembling and slightly parted, her breath panting softly as she anticipated more of his touch.

 

John growled softly and pressed himself firmly up against her, their bodies matching touch to touch at a hundred different points of contact. His lips held mere inches from hers, close enough that their breath mingled in soft, rapid pants.

Marlena cried out as she felt herself assaulted by the pleasurable sensations of having him move against her, firmly and rhythmically.

 

John ran his hands over her breasts, her hips, curving them across her stomach. John’s lips lightly to the sensitive patch of skin at the inside of her elbow and then ran them up her arm to her shoulder as he continued to use his hands on her, heating her, teasing her, driving her into a frenzy; squirming and writhing against him, yet never drifting down to where she wanted him to be.

 

Impatient now, Marlena wrapped her other leg around his waist, rubbing herself up against the thick shaft pressed against her stomach. A deep moan of arousal was her reward.

 

“Oh…god…I want…”

“Yes, now baby…please…”

 

He slid the palm of one hand down in a lazy glide across her stomach, feeling the delightful quiver of her muscles follow his path.

 

She gasped he entered her. He paused, his breathing shallow and rapid with excitement now as he withdrew again until only the tip of him lay within her. He moved her steadily back and forth, using his grip on her hips to control the smooth rocking motions of their bodies for a time. Then, as their excitement mounted and their movements became slightly more frenzied, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

 

John closed his eyes, feeling his groin tighten with a familiar, delicious pleasure as he thrust steadily back and forth between her thighs. Their orgasm came over them in gradual waves. Spent, he let his cheek rest against his wife’s damp shoulder, breathing hard as a long, low sigh of utter contentment escaped him.

 

“Glad you stayed?”

 

“Hmmmm, absolutely,” he sighed, kissing her lips lightly. “God, I love you.”

 

“I love you too. But now, don’t you think you should be getting to work?” Marlena laughed as she swatted his butt.

 

“Oh, I see…make me late for work, use me for your own illicit purposes, then shove me out the door,” he teased. “If I’m ever going to get out of here, you need to take your gorgeous naked self into another room, since I obviously have no self-control where you’re concerned.”

 

“Well, yes sir! I’ll just get out of your way,” she snickered. “Thank you for last night…and this morning!”

Marlena rushed into her office, running late for her first appointment. She tossed her briefcase on the desk, knocking an envelope onto the floor. “Hmmm, that’s odd. I don’t remember that being there yesterday,” she thought as she reached down to pick up the nondescript envelope. Flipping it over, she noticed it was addressed to Marlena Evans. She thought that was strange. Nobody called her that. Dr. Evans, yes, but Marlena Evans? “Weird,” she said, confused by the combination of the use of her first name, a seemingly personal touch, and her maiden name, which she only used professionally.

 

“What’s weird?” Marlena’s secretary, Barb asked as she placed some files on the desk.

 

Marlena looked up, still holding the letter in her hands. “Oh, nothing really. I just found this envelope sitting on my desk. Do you have any idea where it came from?”

 

“No. Nobody’s been in here since you left yesterday, Dr. Evans.”

 

“Ok, I’m sure I just forgot it was there. Thanks,” Marlena replied.

 

After Barb left, Marlena sat down at her desk and opened the mysterious envelope. The note inside consisted of one sentence: For everyone I have lost, you will lose two. Just then, the phone rang, startling Marlena. When she realized where the noise was coming from she reached for the phone, laughing at herself for being so edgy.

 

“Dr. Evans.”

 

“How’s my beautiful wife?”

 

“Better, now that I hear your voice,” she responded. “I miss you already.”

 

“I miss you too, baby. What’s wrong? You sound kind of…I don’t know, nervous,” John asked, picking up on the slight change in his wife’s tone.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just got this really strange note. One of the hazards of psychiatry, I guess,” she sighed. “I’m sure it’s nothing. I just need to figure out which of my patients sent this, then we’ll have to have a chat about boundaries.”

 

“Now you’re making me nervous. What was in this note?”

 

“Honey, it’s nothing. Seriously. Now I know you didn’t call to talk about my problematic patients, so what did you call me for?”

 

“I wanted to thank you for making me late. You are amazing, you know that right?”

 

“I have been told that once or twice,” she grinned. “I hate to cut this short, but speaking of late, my first patient is about to be here any minute now.”

 

“Duty calls, huh? Ok, I’ll talk to you later. I love you, Doc.”

 

“I love you too,” Marlena responded.

 

The rest of the morning went by uneventfully, but when Marlena returned from lunch, there was another white envelope addressed to Marlena Evans sitting on her desk.

 

“What the hell?” Marlena thought as she picked up the envelope. She opened the note, again finding one sentence: For everyone I have lost, you will lose two. “Barb, was anyone in my office while I was gone?” Marlena asked as she stepped out into the reception area.

 

“Not that I know of, Dr. Evans. I went down to the cafeteria for lunch, but I wasn’t gone very long,” Barb responded, concerned by the worried look on Marlena’s face. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I found another note. This is really weird. Are you sure you didn’t see anyone?”

 

“No, I swear I didn’t, Dr. Evans. I don’t know who could have gotten into your office, it was locked, right?”

 

“Yes. I locked it myself before I left…and it was locked when I got back.”

 

“Do have any idea who is leaving them? I mean, could it be one of your patients?” Barb asked.

 

“I thought it was, but I can’t come up with who would leave a note like this. It just doesn’t fit. None of my current patients seems the type to threaten…” Marlena caught herself. Figuring there was no point in scaring Barb and remembering doctor/patient confidentiality, she continued, “Oh well, never mind. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Could you call maintenance and have them check the lock, though. I don’t want anyone getting into my files.”

 

Marlena went back into her office and began preparing for her next patient when the phone rang. “Dr. Evans…hello?” Silence, but she could tell that someone was still on the other end of the line. “Hello?” Marlena heard the person laugh briefly, a dark, evil laugh. Then the line went dead…

“I thought it was, but I can’t come up with who would leave a note like this. It just doesn’t fit. None of my current patients seems the type to threaten…” Marlena caught herself. Figuring there was no point in scaring Barb and remembering doctor/patient confidentiality, she continued, “Oh well, never mind. I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Could you call maintenance and have them check the lock though. I don’t want anyone getting into my files.”

 

Marlena went back into her office and began preparing for her next patient when the phone rang. “Dr. Evans…hello?” Silence, but she could tell that someone was still on the other end of the line. “Hello?” Marlena heard the person laugh briefly, a dark, evil laugh. Then the line went dead…

 

Chapter 7:

 

Ok, now this is beyond weird, it’s scary, Marlena thought as she hung up the phone. I have no idea who is doing this, but they seem to be escalating. First notes, now a phone call, and they obviously have access to my office and my private line.

 

Knowing that rapid escalation was typically a sign of desperation, Marlena figured she’d better find out who was sending the notes and calling her before they followed through with the threat in the note.

 

“For everyone I have lost, you will lose two,” Marlena whispered. “Who has lost someone, and why do they think I am to blame?” She knew she needed to tell John about the latest note and the phone call, but didn’t want to tell him over the phone, knowing that he would overreact and probably demand that she came home anyway. She picked up the phone and dialed his office at Basic Black.

 

“John Black.”

 

“Hey honey. How late are you working today?” She asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

 

“Actually I was just about to leave. Since someone made me miss the meeting this morning, we had to reschedule and I don’t have much to do.”

 

“Great. I’ll meet you at home then!” Marlena smiled, glad he was going to be home. She needed to bounce ideas off him…and she knew he’d be furious if she kept this from him.

 

“Ok! Wait…why are you coming home early?” John asked, suddenly concerned as he remembered the note she received earlier that day.

 

“Because I want to spend time with my husband. That’s ok with you, isn’t it?” Marlena teased. She knew that if she told him they needed to talk, he’d be suspicious and she didn’t want to do that. She could just imagine him speeding home, worried about her.

 

“Of course it is. An afternoon alone with my wife sounds absolutely wonderful. I’ll see you in about 30 minutes,” John replied as he reached for his coat. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too. See you soon,” Marlena replied.

 

After hanging up the phone, Marlena stood up, gathered her coat and purse, and walked out of her office, making sure she locked the door on her way out. “Barb, I’m leaving for the afternoon. If anything comes up, call my cell. Actually, if you notice anything out of the ordinary, call me, ok?”

 

“Ok, Dr. Evans. Is everything all right?” Barb asked.

 

“Yeah, I think so. I just have to find out who sent those notes,” Marlena answered as she walked out the door.

 

********************************************

When Marlena walked in the door, John was already there, waiting for her. “I am such a lucky man…home alone with my beautiful wife in the middle of the day. I wonder what we should do,” he joked as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, placing a light kiss on her lips.

 

Marlena briefly returned the kiss, but then pulled away slightly when John tried to deepen the kiss. “Whoa, baby. What’s wrong?” John asked.

 

“Nothing…well, at least I hope it’s nothing,” Marlena replied, trying to figure out how to tell John about the notes and phone call without launching him into full out protection mode. “Let me start over. You know when you called me earlier, I mentioned that I had received a strange note? Well, I got another one…”

 

“You got two strange notes? From the same person?”

 

“Yes, I think so. And I also got a weird phone call,” Marlena said carefully, expecting John’s overreaction.

 

“Notes and a phone call. Ok, start at the beginning here, where did you find the notes and what did they say?”

 

“The first note was sitting on my desk when I got to work. It was addressed to Marlena Evans, and it said…” She paused for a moment, putting her hand on his arm. “John, you have to promise me you won’t freak out.”

 

“You’re scaring me. But if you’re asking me to promise I won’t try to protect you, you’ve got to be kidding. Just tell me what it said.”

 

She dropped her hand, bringing it to her lap, unconsciously twirling her wedding ring around her finger. “Alright. It said, “for everyone I have lost, you will lose two,’” Marlena replied, reaching her hand out and gently placing it on John’s arm once again. She noticed the clenching of his jaw, the slight flexing of his biceps; he was responding the way she knew that he would. He was slipping into protection mode, that persona of his where he would do anything to ensure her safety, and though she liked the safety that persona offered, she knew that he often shut her out when he got like this, and she wanted him to work with her for once.

 

“And the phone call?”

 

“Whoever it was didn’t say anything, they just laughed and hung up, but it was really creepy,” she replied. “John? Tell me what you’re thinking.”

 

“I’m thinking that I’m going to catch whoever’s scaring you and I’m going to teach him a lesson. Do you have any more clues? Do you know who it is? Because when I catch that bastard…”

 

“Damn it, John. I knew you were going to react like this. Stop!” She demanded, as she placed her hands on his face and forced him to look at her. “I don’t want John the mercenary, I want my husband. Don’t you dare shut me out. You are not going after him alone. Not this time.” She pulled him closer, wrapping her arms loosely around his waist. “Look, we don’t even know that I’m in danger, it could be some harmless little prank.”

 

“You don’t believe that any more than I do. I’m sorry that I kind of overreacted, but if I ever lost you, I don’t know what I would do. You are my world, you know that, right?” He responded, as his fingers played with her hair.

 

Marlena leaned in, resting her head on his chest. “I love you John, and I need your help, but you have to promise me that we’ll work through this together, ok?”

 

John kissed the top of her head. “Absolutely,” he replied as she lifted her head and returned his kiss, her lips gently caressing his.

 

Marlena reached down and grabbed John’s hand, lacing her fingers with his, then led him over to the couch. “Ok, then let’s talk about who it could be…” She began as her cell phone rang.

 

“I’m sorry, I better get that.” She stood up again, rummaging through her bag for her phone. “Hello, Dr. Evans…ok, we’ll be there right away,” Marlena said as she hung up the phone. “That was Barb. She said that she found another note…and a videotape.”

“I went down the hall to get the mail. I was only gone for a second,” Barb explained as John and Marlena walked into the reception area. “I made sure that your door was locked before I left, and then I checked again when I got back. It was still locked, Dr. Evans. But then, it has been the other times too, so I decided to look in your office. That’s when I saw the note and videotape.”

 

“Ok, thanks Barb, and thanks for calling me. You’ve had a really long day, why don’t you go home? John and I can take care of it from here.”

 

“Are you sure, Dr. Evans? I mean, if I can do anything to help…”

 

“I’m sure, Barb, you’re job description doesn?t exactly include securing the office against note-wielding intruders. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m sure by then we’ll have this figured out.”

 

“Thanks, Dr. Evans. Good luck!” Barb replied as she collected her coat and purse.

 

While Marlena was getting rid of Barb, John had walked into her office and picked up the note. He was going to open it, but decided to wait for Marlena.

 

“She’s gone. Let’s have a look at that note.” John handed her the note, which she opened. “Interesting. It’s a different message this time. It says, ‘Marlena, you don’t remember me? I’m hurt. Be assured I’m not one of your pathetic patients trying to get personal attention from the beautiful Doctor Evans.'” Marlena said, shrugging her shoulders and fingered the videotape. Holding it up to John, she said, “Hopefully our mystery note-sender will reveal himself.”

 

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” John replied as he took the tape from Marlena. “Let’s take a look.” John pushed the tape into the VCR that was set up in her office so that she could watch the deposition testimony of a client who was being evaluated for trial.

 

At first the screen was black, but then, “Oh my god…Sami!” Marlena screamed, her hands cupped around her mouth, her body suddenly shaking. On the screen Sami was kneeling on a cement floor, hands tied behind her back, bandanna covering her eyes. Sami was whimpering, and suddenly John and Marlena understood why. A hand holding a gun entered the picture, and the gun was placed against Sami’s temple. The hand applied enough pressure to make Sami cry out,”No, please don’t…please?” Sami begged.

 

Suddenly, the room was filled with the man’s evil laughter as the screen went blank.

 

Marlena began sobbing, “Who would do this? Why Sami? She’s just a child, she’s only 16. Oh god, John, what are we going to do?” John wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. “Shhh, baby, we’ll find her. She’s going to be ok,” he whispered as he stroked her hair.

 

“He’s got my baby. She’s scared, John. What if he hurts my baby?” Marlena’s tears were soaking into the front of his shirt, her entire body was shaking.

 

John pulled back and brought his hands to her chin, “Look at me, Marlena,” he asked, lifting her face until their eyes met, hazel locking on blue. “I know you’re scared, honey, but we’ll find her, I promise you that. How many people have tried to beat us? It’s never happened, and it’s not going to happen this time.”

 

Marlena managed a feeble smile, “I know. You’re right. We’re going to find her, and she’ll be fine. But damn it, he’s hurting my child. I swear, when we do find her, I’m going to kill that bastard.”

John and Marlena walked into the penthouse hand in hand, Marlena slightly leaning against John for support. John turned, capturing her in his arms, “I want you to trust me, Marlena. We will get Sami back. I think we should call Shane though, maybe the ISA can help.”

 

Marlena looked away, and John missed the grimace that passed briefly across her face. “Yeah, you may be right. I guess it can’t hurt to ask.” She tried to ignore the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. There was no way this was related to…no that was years ago. She fought back tears, unable to deal with the idea that what was happening to Sami could possibly be her fault.

 

Unaware of Marlena’s sudden mood shift, John let go of her and walked over to the desk to call Shane. “Shane? Hey, it’s John. Yeah, listen…we’ve got a situation here. Sami’s been kidnapped. We got a videotape. No, no clue who it is. Thanks Shane, I really appreciate it.” John hung up the phone and turned towards Marlena, who was staring out the balcony doors, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.

 

When she realized John was off the phone, she quickly wiped the tears off her face and turned around. “What did he say?”

 

John embraced her, his arms around her waist, “He wants a copy of the videotape, and he’s looking into it. I think I should go down to the station and talk to the Salem PD. Why don’t you stay here and wait for Brady and Belle to get home?”

 

“Yeah, ok, that’s a good idea,” Marlena nodded. Not ready to let him go, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. “I love you, John. I couldn’t get through this without you.”

 

“Hey, shhhh… it’s ok.” John replied as he rubbed her back. “I would never make you go through this alone. I happen to love you too, you know.” He tried to make light of her comment, but there was something about her tone…she sounded lost; genuinely concerned that he would leave. “You’re stuck with me Mrs. Black. I’m not going anywhere…except the station, that is.” He placed a light kiss on her lips, then turned to go.

 

Marlena didn’t let go of his neck, instead she pulled him back to her and kissed him again, her lips hard against his. For a moment she was desperate, terrified that secrets from her past would tear them apart, ready to do anything to ensure that didn’t happen.

 

John pulled back slightly, confused. “Whoa. What was that about?”

 

“Nothing. It’s just…I’m…it’s been an emotional day to say the least, I don’t want you to leave, even though I know you have to,” Marlena fumbled for an excuse. “I’m just scared.”

 

“I know you are and I don’t blame you, but we’ll get through this, we always do,” he said, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too. Just…be safe, ok?” Marlena said as she hugged him and then turned to open the door. “And hurry home!”

 

She closed the door behind John and began wandering aimlessly around the living room, lost in thought. Could Sami’s kidnapper be connected to her past? And if so, how was she ever going to tell John?

 

Marlena’s eyes landed on the numerous photographs that sat on top of the grand piano. She picked up a picture of her and John, running her finger over John’s face. As she sat it back down, she noticed a picture of Sami. “Oh, my sweet girl, is it possible that my past has put you in danger?” She carried the picture over to the couch and sat down. “No, it couldn’t be. That was so long ago. Besides who would it be? For everyone I’ve lost, you will lose two. What does that mean…lost? Were they killed, was he separated from them? Who is ‘them’?” she was talking to herself, trying to figure out who would have kidnapped Sami and why. “I never killed anyone. Sure, I sent people to jail, but people go to jail all the time and they don’t stalk the prosecutor when they’re released.”

 

Marlena’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of children’s voices in the hallway and she quickly stood and placed the picture of Sami back on the piano. “Mommy! Guess what I made at school today,” yelled Belle as she pushed open the door and ran into the penthouse.

 

“Me first! I scored the winning point at recess!” screamed Brady.

 

“Whoa, both of you stop. One at a time. Belle, you go first. How was Kindergarten today?” Marlena kneeled down in front of Belle, helping her remove her coat and backpack.

 

“I made a necklace out of macaroni…see?” Belle asked as she pulled the necklace out of her backpack and dramatically presented it to Marlena. “It’s for you!”

 

“Well thank you, Belle. It’s beautiful!”

 

She gave Belle a hug and then turned to Brady. “Now what were you saying about scoring the winning point?”

 

“We were playing kickball at recess…2nd grade versus 3rd grade…and the score was tied when the bell rang. We decided we had time for one more play and I was up to kick. I kicked it right past the tallest kid in the 3rd grade!” Brady boasted, his arms high in the air, demonstrating how tall the 3rd grader was.

 

“Wow, the star of the 2nd grade kickball team! Congratulations buddy!” Marlena gave Brady a high five and tried to smile.

 

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Brady asked. He always picked up on the slightest change in mood, and he noticed Marlena’s forced smile.

 

“Nothing, Brade, just adult stuff. Why don’t you and Belle go upstairs and play? Your dad will be home soon and I’m sure he’ll want to hear about your day,” she replied.

 

“Ok, if you’re sure. C’mon Belle, last one upstairs is a rotten egg!” He yelled, already halfway up the stairs.

 

Marlena needed a few moments to pull herself together. She wasn’t ready to tell the kids about Sami and she knew she’d have to pretend that nothing was wrong, which meant that she was going to have to do more than go through the motions. “Ok, girl, you’ve got to pull this off. Everything’s normal. You’re going to go upstairs, play with those kids, and act like you don’t have a care in the world,” she said to herself. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Ok. No time like the present.” Marlena went upstairs, changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and headed towards the kids’ rooms.

 

“Hey, what are you two doing?” she asked as she entered Belle’s room.

 

“We’re trying to decide what to play. I want to play Power Rangers, Belle wants to play Barbie’s,” explained Brady.

 

“Well you know where I stand on that. I’d take Barbie’s over Power Rangers any day,” she laughed, winking at Belle.

 

“Stupid girlie toys,” Brady sulked. “All you ever do is fix their hair anyway, you don’t really play with them.”

 

“Who says doing their hair isn’t ‘playing with them’? It should be illegal to play with a Barbie who has bad hair, it just isn’t right,” Marlena protested. “But Brady’s got a point. It’s not really fair to make him play with ‘stupid girlie toys’. Both of you like playing video games, right? Let’s play Mario Kart. Belle, why don’t you and Brady play first and then I’ll take on the winner?”

 

While Belle and Brady played, Marlena sat behind them on Brady’s bed. Once again, Marlena’s mind wandered back to the videotape of Sami. Her mind replayed the scene of Sami, kneeling on the cold floor, shaking. Then, in slow motion, the gun appears, resting on Sami’s temple. Sam begging him not to hurt her, the man’s evil laugh. There was something about that laugh, but as hard as she tried, she couldn’t place it. She was lost in thought when their game was over.

 

“Mom? Mom!” Brady yelled, placing his hand on her shoulder and pushing it gently.

 

“I…I’m sorry. What?” Marlena responded, shaken back to the present, the image of Sami and the sound of the evil laughter fading for the moment.

 

“I won. You’re up,” Brady responded. “Let’s go. I’m totally going to beat you!”

 

“Yeah, we’ll see about that, buster!” she challenged, reaching for a controller. “Now which button makes the cars go fast?”

 

“The green one!” Brady responded, rolling his eyes. “You’re going to be easier to beat than Belle.”

 

“On your marks, get set, GO!” yelled Brady. He was immediately ahead of Marlena, who had managed to drive the car into a wall.

 

“Mommy, you’ve got to back up…not the red button, use the joystick. Now push the green button.” Belle instructed.

 

“Actually, Belle, I think I’m going to have a little fun with your brother,” she whispered as she used to joystick to turn the car around so that her car was headed the wrong direction.

 

Belle giggled as Marlena’s car headed towards Brady’s, setting him up for an unexpected head-on collision. Then, suddenly, SMACK, Marlena’s car sent Brady’s careening backwards.

 

“HEY! How’d you do that?” Brady demanded.

 

“Do what? I’m just driving along…”she laughed, feigning innocence.

 

“Yeah…BACKWARDS!” he laughed. “Here, let me help you.” Brady took the controller out of Marlena’s hands and righted her car. “There you go, now try to stay on the road!”

 

“Wow, Brady, you totally beat me. All hail Brady, King of Mario Kart!” Marlena joked as Brady raised his arms into the air and laughed.

 

Downstairs, John had just walked in the door. He smiled as he heard Marlena and the kids laughing. She’s amazing, he thought to himself. No matter what happens to her, she always makes sure her kids are happy. He started up the stairs towards Brady’s bedroom.

 

“No way, I want a rematch!” yelled Belle.

 

“Uh uh. I’d just beat you again anyway,” he responded. “I want to play Mom again so that I can beat her even when she’s not driving backwards.”

 

“I’m going to take a break from the video games, Brady. Why don’t you play with Belle?” Marlena responded. She suddenly sounded very tired, all of the fun and laughter gone from her voice.

 

“But, Mom…” he began to protest. “You look sad again. Sure you’re ok?”

 

“Yeah, buddy. I’m just tired. I had a long day at work.”

 

Brady wasn’t the only one who heard the change in Marlena’s tone. John knew it was his turn to entertain the kids, and hopefully Marlena as well, so he went into Belle’s room and got a handful of gumballs from her gumball machine. He popped two them into his mouth as he walked into Brady’s room.

 

“Daddy!” “Dad!” Belle and Brady started yelling at the same time as they both ran over to give John a hug. “I beat Belle and Mom at Mario Kart!” “Yeah, but Mommy was driving backwards and she hit Brady’s car and it went flying!”

 

John looked over their heads at Marlena, giving her a huge smile and whispering “I love you.” Marlena returned the smile and whispered, “Me too,” back at John.

 

“Since you’re both being so competitive, who wants to learn how to blow the bubbles bigger than your head?”

 

“Bigger than my head?” Belle asked, eyes wide. “How do we do that?”

 

“Like this…” John began blowing a bubble, which did in fact grow almost as big as his face before it popped, leaving pieces of gum all over John.

 

Both of the kids were laughing and pointing, “Dad, you’ve got gum all over your face!” “Do it again.” “Show us how!”

 

John handed both kids a gumball. As they were working on chewing their gum, Marlena climbed off the bed and walked toward the door. John stood up and grabbed her hand. “I’m going to order some pizza. I’ll be right back,” she explained.

 

“Hey kids, why don’t you practice a little bit? I’m going to go make sure your mom doesn’t order anchovy pizza.”

 

John walked up behind Marlena just as she was hanging up the phone. “Hey, are you doing ok?” John asked as he massaged her shoulders.

 

“As good as can be expected, I guess. Look, I really don’t want to talk about it. I mean, I can’t, not right now. I’m barely pulling this evening off as it is, ok? Let’s just go back upstairs and wait for the pizza. After dinner, we’ll do baths, stories, and put the kids to bed. Then we can talk.”

 

“Ok. Have I told you how much I love you recently?” John asked, continuing the massage.

 

“Yes, you have, but you can say it again.”

 

“I love you,” John whispered, kissing her neck.

 

“I love you too,” she responded, turning in his arms so that they were face to face. She leaned in and kissed his lips, her hands running across the muscles on his back.

 

“Daaaaaad, Belle’s trying to blow her bubbles into my hair!” Brady yelled.

 

“Duty calls!” John laughed, kissing Marlena lightly one more time before bounding up the stairs, Marlena following close behind.

 

**************************

 

“Finally. The kids are in bed. I feel so awful lying to them, but they don’t need to be burdened with this, at least not until we know what we’re dealing with,” Marlena sighed, sinking into the couch beside John.

 

“I absolutely agree. You are so amazingly strong, do you know that? After everything that has happened today, you were still able to pull off a normal evening for Brady and Belle.” John pulled Marlena towards him, hooking his arm around her neck.

 

“What choice did I have? I can’t let that bastard ruin my other kids’ lives, now can I? That would be giving him far too much power,” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. “What did you find out at the police station?”

 

“Not much. They don’t have any information about a kidnapper; there are no other missing kids.”

 

“I don’t think either of us believes this is a serial kidnapper. There has to be some connection to me, I just wish I could figure out what it was.”

 

“I know, honey, but I’m sure you’ve been beating yourself up trying to figure that out all evening. You’ve had an absolutely horrible day and it’s late. Why don’t we try to get some rest?”

 

”Yeah, like that’s going to happen. I wouldn’t mind spending some time wrapped in my husband’s arms, though. Are you game?”

 

“Always,” John replied as he stood and took her hand, leading her upstairs.

“This is ridiculous,” Marlena thought as she glanced at the clock. “5 am. I might as well give up.” She had been tossing and turning all night, drifting off to sleep only to awaken less than an hour later. John had finally fallen asleep and she didn’t want to disturb him, so she quietly climbed out of bed and got ready for work.

 

About 20 minutes later, she walked into her office, tossed her jacket and briefcase on the chair just inside the door, and walked over to her desk. The desk was covered with unfinished paperwork…sessions that needed to be dictated, files that needed updating…it was obvious that she had been distracted. Marlena quickly scanned the desk for signs of a note, or even anything out of place. Satisfying herself that nothing was out of the ordinary, she grabbed a stack of files and began catching up on paperwork.

 

For an hour, Marlena struggled to focus on the work in front of her, but her mind kept drifting back to the period of months after Roman died…the period that she had never told John about. When Roman died, she had been distraught…and angry. Her intense hatred of Stefano DiMera had frightened her. She knew that if she didn’t do something about the anger, it would eat her alive. So when Shane approached her about working for the ISA to bring down the DiMera empire, she had readily agreed.

 

It had all started innocently enough. The ISA was going to use her as bait to capture Stefano. After all, his obsession with her was hardly a secret. But it turned out that she had an adventurous side. She not only thrived on the excitement, but she also turned out to be a highly effective ISA agent, so she kept getting new assignments. All of her cases had something to do with the DiMeras, typically going after one of his thugs. It had all seemed harmless, at least until the day Shane told her that they wanted her to tail a man the ISA suspected was connected to the DiMeras. The man was working at the hospital, so everyone figured that Marlena could watch him without him suspecting a thing. Well, even that seemed routine at first, until she fell in love with him…

 

Marlena was jolted from her reverie by the sound of the phone ringing. She shook her head and slowly picked up the phone. “Hello, Dr. Evans.”

 

“Hey Doc. Why didn’t you wake me up before you left this morning?” John asked.

 

The sound of his voice caught her off guard. “Oh, um, John. Didn’t you…I left a note, didn’t you see it?”

 

“Yes I did, and you know you never have to thank me for holding you all night. I would hold you forever if that’s what you needed,” he replied. “You sound, I don’t know…distracted, concerned…maybe a little startled. Is everything ok?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” she tried to laugh. “I was just catching up on paperwork and you know me when I’m working….single-minded intensity. So the phone did startle me a bit, but I’m just fine,” she tried to make her voice match her words. The way John could read her emotions always amazed her. Most of the time it was a major bonus, but trying to hide anything from him was nearly impossible.

 

“Okay,” John replied, not sounding entirely convinced. “You didn’t find anything else in your office this morning, did you?”

 

“Just a huge pile of work, but otherwise, no…nothing,” she replied. “What do you have planned for today?”

 

“As soon as Brady and Belle are off to school, I figured I’d go down to the Salem PD and check on their progress with Sami’s case. Do you want to join me?”

 

“Yes, absolutely,” she replied. “I need to stay here a bit longer and catch up so that I don’t get sued for malpractice, but I’ll meet you down there…like about noon?”

 

“Sounds great. I love you, Doc,” he answered.

 

Marlena felt a lump in her throat as she heard the warmth and sincerity in his voice. “I love you too John,” she replied as she hung up the phone.

“Sami’s kidnapping is connected to my time with the ISA. I just know it is. But how? And why?” Marlena questioned as she walked around her office, trying to focus on the brief glimpses of past cases that kept floating through her mind. “There’s only one person that can help me answer those questions,” she said as she reached for the phone.

 

“Shane? It’s Marlena. We need to talk. No, we don’t know anything more about Sami’s kidnapping, but I have a feeling you can help me. I think we need to meet in person and talk about this. I really don’t care how busy you are. Look, I’ll save you a trip…we can meet at ISA headquarters. I’ll be right over,” Marlena stated as she hung up the phone, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

 

She drove across town to ISA headquarters in record time, determined to get to the bottom of Sami’s kidnapping. Within 20 minutes she was standing in front of Shane’s office. “Can I help you? Excuse me, you can’t just go in there…” Shane’s secretary objected as Marlena walked past her desk. She stood up and tried to move in between Marlena and Shane’s door.

 

“He’s expecting me,” she replied as she walked past the secretary, pushed the door open and walked in.

 

Shane’s head snapped up, startled at the intrusion. “Oh, Marlena. Come on in.” He walked around the side of his desk and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry about Sami.”

 

After a moment, Marlena pulled away and motioned for Shane to sit down. “I’m really hoping that you can help,” she began as she sat in the chair nearest his desk. “There’s a connection between Sami’s kidnapping and my time with the ISA,” Marlena stated, staring intently at him, a look of determination on her face.

 

“What makes you think that? It’s probably Stefano, or even one of your patients. It seems a bit odd to assume it has something to do with an event that occurred over 10 years ago.”

 

“Call it mother’s intuition. For the life of me, I can’t figure out who it would be, but something tells me that you are in a position to enlighten me a little.”

 

Shane shifted uncomfortably in his chair and briefly glanced down at his desk.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Now tell me, what does this mean?” she asked as she pushed one of the notes across his desk. “For everyone I have lost, you will lose two. I put a lot of people in jail, but this seems darker than that. Care to comment?”

 

“Marlena, the cases you worked on, well you’re not in the ISA anymore. It’s all confidential. I can’t just…”

 

“God damn it Shane, don’t railroad me!” Marlena screamed, as she smacked her fist on his desk. “This is my little girl we’re talking about. If you know something that could help us find her, so help me…” she trailed off, regaining control she sat back down. “Shane, I can tell that you know something. Why don’t you just make this easy on us both and tell me?”

 

“Ok, yes, you’re right. Marlena, one of your former cases just got out of jail. We had a tail on him…we lost him, but our sources indicate he’s been in Salem,” Shane sighed, he was looking at his hands, avoiding eye contact.

 

“And? There’s more, isn’t there? Which case? Why does he want revenge?” Marlena prodded.

 

“Yes, there’s more. The guy’s name is Rick,” he looked up at her. She looked perplexed. Figuring that she didn’t recognize the name, he continued. “It was a case you worked on only briefly. He was one of Stefano’s henchmen and we were trying to bust him for mob activity.”

 

“Shane, I don’t remember this guy at all. If I only dealt with him briefly, then why…”

 

He cut her off, holding his hand up to stop her. “Let me explain. We found out that Rick was deeper into the DiMera organization than we originally thought. To make a long story short, we decided that we had to get rid of him so we planted a bomb in his car. We didn’t involve you in that decision because you were new and having you kill people was never part of the deal. Marlena, the hit went bad. His wife and kids used the car before he did. All three of them died and he was right there to see it happen. Their deaths were all over the news and we couldn’t finish the hit, so we arrested him based on the mob activities we already knew about. From day one, he vowed to get revenge on the person that killed his family.”

 

“But I didn’t kill his family!” Marlena exclaimed, once again jumping out of her chair.

 

Shane stood up and walked around the desk, “I know that, but, well, you were the agent assigned to the case, so if Rick looked into it, and I assure you that he did, he would assume that you were behind the hit.” He took her hand, “Marlena, I’m so sorry. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

 

She pulled her hand back and walked away, “Well, now that we know who we’re dealing with, we can get to work and find Sami.”

 

He walked over to where she was standing and looked her in the eye, “Marlena, what are you going to tell John?”

 

~~~~~