A/N: Just a few thing that you'll have to know before you start to read, Kristen never lost John's baby in Paris and Marlena has yet to read John's Aremid letter. As far as she is concerned, John loves Kristen and she is only a friend.

Disclaimer: If I owned Days, do you really think I would be sitting here writing fanfics instead of writing some decent scenes for John and Marlena? Days belong to Ken Corday and NBC, not me...

It was true, what she had feared ever since she came back from Paris, ever since she has started to feel this discomfort again, the same symptoms she had felt when she was pregnant with Belle. Her worst nightmare had come true, she was pregnant and there was just one person who could be the father, the man whom she hated more than anything else in this world. Stefano DiMera.

"What the hell I'm I going to do?" Marlena asked herself aloud, feeling the tears fall down her cheek. She had taught about abortion with Belle, she had even made the appointment but when it all came down to it, even if it meant risking her own life, she couldn't put the baby in any danger, she couldn't lose her baby. She couldn't take an innocent life then, and she couldn't do it now, no matter the circumstances.

The baby growing inside of her was innocent, it couldn't be blamed for what her or his father had done, and it had never done anything wrong. But could she look at that baby and not think about the mental and physical hell she went through in that castle? Will she be able to love that child the same way she loves Belle, Sami, Eric and even Carrie and Brady? Or will she remember Stefano DiMera and the hell he put her through everything she looked it him or her?

Marlena jumped at the sound of a knock on the door, John entered and saw the look on her face, "Is everything alright, Doc?" He didn't really have to ask, the look on her face, plus the tears she had cried told him everything he needed to know, then he looked over at the dresser and before Marlena had the chance to react and remove the clearly visible pregnancy test, he saw it.

The way Marlena looked at him told him everything; it was that connection between them, the ability to read each other's emotions and feelings just with a look. They never needed more than a second or two to tell exactly what the other one was feeling. "It's his, isn't it?" John asked, his voice wasn't filled with disgust or disappointment. It was filled with compassion and worry.

Marlena was shocked, not just by the tone of his voice but the fact that he knew. He knew that she had let Stefano touch her that she had given in to what he wanted. "How?" she stuttered, the surprise clearly visible in that one word. "I saw you and Stefano on the VR Googles. I found a set of them here in Salem." He answered,

"You... you saw us?" Marlena was shocked, had John witnessed the single worst moment in her life? John saw the look on her face, and realized he should have been more precise. "No, I didn't see see you. I saw you agreeing with him and the moment I saw you in Paris, something had changed about you and I knew then that you had gone through with it."

Marlena turned her back at John, not wanting to look at him when she asked the next question, afraid of what his eyes might tell her that his mouth is to afraid to say. "Will you ever be able to look at me the same?" she asked. John had never seen her this fragile, not even during her divorce, not even when the truth about Belle came out and she was suddenly left alone, never had he seen her in such desperate need of comfort and hope. So John did the only thing he could think of doing, he went towards her and gently placed his arms around her,

"Marlena you are the bravest person I know of, you never let anyone take you down. You have been through so much in your life, and still… you manage to be strong and walk with your head raised. And this… knowing what you did for our daughter, what you did so she wouldn't have to grow up without parents in her life, because you thought I was dead.

" He put his arms on her shoulder and turned her around so she faced him again, "You should never be ashamed of what you did to protect our little angel. " Then he gave her a look that spoke more than a thousand words could have done, "Thank you" she said, embraced him and let the tears float freely.

When she finally parted from the safety of John's arms, and managed to control the crying and the emotions, she looked up and straight into his eyes. They were so filled with understanding that she almost broke down again, before realizing that she had to tell her friends and family, she had to tell the people who had been hurt the most by Stefano that she was pregnant with his child.

"Even if I am so grateful that you understand John, more grateful than I can ever tell you. I have no idea what I'm going to tell the people I love, Stefano has hurt them so much, John. How can I tell my children that I am carrying the baby of them man that took their parents away from them? How can I tell Shawn and Caroline, or Bo and Hope? They'll never understand, John. Never."

Marlena buried her face in her hands, in total despair. Marlena's sobs were the only sound that filled the room; John tried so desperately to find a solution, a way to make this okay. He's the reason she ended up in that mess, he hadn't been able to protect her, and he hadn't been able to keep her safe.

John looked around the room, trying to find a way to save Marlena from all that agony when his eyes locked on a picture of him, Marlena and Belle on her nightstand. It had been taken after Marlena had been freed from the devil, and then it hit him. The perfect solution. "You won't have to." He started, "

What do you mean; people will know I'm pregnant. And it's not like I have been with a whole lot of men since Roman left…," she said, "because I only want you" she finished in her head. She turned away, "And if you think I'll ever abort this baby away…" she started, feeling the tears inside when she remembered how close she had come to abort away Belle, her only sunshine in this whole mess.

"I mean I thought about it with Belle, hell I even made an appointment to do it…" Marlena blurted out, never realizing that this was a piece of news she'd never shared with anybody, and John was shocked. He just stood there, "You were going to abort away our baby?" he asked, then realized that this wasn't the place or the time, not at all.

Marlena turned around, "I don't think I ever would have. I can't do that, John. This baby is a part of me now; he or she is growing inside me." She said, looking into John's deep blue eyes. He took Marlena into his embrace again, "Hey, I wasn't talking about abortion. I know you to well to ever think that you would get rid of something so innocent, no matter whose his or hers father is." Marlena was just more confused then before. "Then what John, what did you mean?"

"I'm going to claim this baby as my own…"