~ Chapter 16 ~

Alex couldn't hear anything beyond the pounding of his own heart. If he wasn't mistaken, Marlena seemed to have recognized him. Had their kiss triggered some of her long dormant memories? He remained mute, waiting to hear what she would say next.

Marlena gazed in wonder at the man in front of her. Why hadn't she realized it before? The clues had been there all along, hers to decipher. Yet, it had taken her all this time to put the pieces together – the flashbacks she'd been having of him, the familiarity of his scent, the way she felt so at ease in his presence, the strong physical desire he aroused in her… The truth had been staring her in the face, but she'd been blind to it until now.

"It's you… You…" she whispered, a tone of awe in her voice.

"Yes, it is me. You remembered," he whispered back, equally awestruck that they had finally arrived at the moment he'd been waiting endless years for.

"I have so many questions…"

"Shh… There'll be plenty of time to talk later. Right now, there's something I need to do."

He cupped her face in his hands and drew her towards him. Slanting his mouth over hers, he funnelled years of unfulfilled longing into the kiss. Alex felt like a parched man who had finally found water, and he drank it thirstily, not sure he could ever get enough. Marlena responded to his passion with her own, more certain in her heart with every passing second that her love for this man was deep and true. When they finally drew apart, it was merely to breathe. Neither was willing to let go of the other for even an instant. He couldn't stop touching her, needing to confirm for himself that this was not just another of the many dreams he'd experienced during their time apart.

"It's real… You're real… You're here with me, and you remember…" His speech was halting as he attempted to gain some measure of control over his emotions.

"Some of the past is coming back to me, yes. But there's so much I still can't put together."

Marlena shivered involuntarily. Suddenly made aware of their surroundings, Alex noticed that the sun was about to set, and that a chill was creeping into the mountain air. His arm still tightly around her, he led her to his car.

"We'll be more comfortable in here."

They settled themselves in the back, wanting to avoid the distance that the front's bucket seats would impose on them. She curled up in the warmth of his embrace and sighed contentedly.

"I feel as if I've come home," she confessed, as she gifted him with a dazzling smile.

Even in the minimal light that dusk provided, he could see how happy she was, and the grin on his face matched hers. Ecstatic didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling. Tipping her face up to his, he kissed her again, gently this time, before locking his gaze on hers.

"Tell me what you do remember," he prompted.

"You helping me study," she began, as the memories resurfaced, more clearly and more vividly than ever.

"You didn't really need that much help. I tried to convince you that you did, though."

She eyed him quizzically, and he hurried to explain.

"It was an excuse. A ploy to spend more time with you," he admitted, his tone a mite sheepish.

"Truth be told, I think I probably encouraged that. I could have done it on my own, but you made med school fun. No one else in our class had quite your way with a study session."

"That went both ways. You made those long hours bearable. I actually looked forward to studying when I knew I'd be doing it with you."

They lapsed into silence, visions of those long-ago days filling their heads. Marlena was the first to resume the conversation.

"There was a night we went to the movies… a whole group of us. There was Tom, and Carol… I've forgotten what we watched, but it had scary parts and I was glad you were there…"

"I put my arm around you, near the end of the movie," he added, continuing her thought as if it were his own.

"And then I caught you staring at me. It seemed like you wanted to kiss me."

"Oh, you have no idea. But my chance evaporated when the lights came up."

"You more than made up for it later," she reminded him, a pale pink flush creeping up her cheeks.

"That I did. I've had a quite a fondness for oak trees ever since."

He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. She burrowed even deeper into his arms.

"Do you remember anything else?"

She averted her eyes, a sudden bout of shyness overtaking her.

"I can see us in bed… making love…" she revealed quietly.

He gave an inward shout of joy at her response. She was already remembering far more than he'd expected her to. It was only a matter of time before all of her memories came flooding back. He'd have to stay close by, to help her deal with the traumatic ones, but the first barrier had crumpled, and he could barely contain his elation.

"We were deeply in love, and blissfully happy," he declared, his voice low.

She looked up at him again, and now he saw doubt and confusion in her expressive eyes.

"I know. I can sense that. So, I don't understand why we didn't stay together. If we were so in love, what separated us? Why do I also remember being so miserable?"

A shadow crossed his face. He felt as though he were about to relive the most horrible days of his life. She lifted her hand to smooth the creases from his furrowed brow, and he leaned into the warmth of her palm.

"I wish I could explain everything, but I can't. What I've counselled you about getting your Salem memories back also applies to this. The answers have to come to you when your mind is ready to deal with them. If I tell you now, I could cause you irreparable harm, and I'd never forgive myself for that."

She was about to argue with him, but the words remained unspoken. She knew, without an ounce of doubt, that he loved her and would never purposely hurt her. She'd have to be patient. It would be difficult, but she was positive that, with Alex by her side, she would remember all the missing parts of her life in due time.

"It's okay. I can wait," she assured him.

As she spoke, her stomach emitted a loud gurgle. The mood in the car shifted instantly, and they both began to laugh.

"You a little hungry?"

"Famished, actually." She heaved a sigh of dismay. "I suppose we really ought to be getting back to the penthouse. John must be out of his mind with worry."

Alex, biting back a sarcastic retort, chose to keep his thoughts to himself. He walked Marlena to her vehicle, and made sure she was safely buckled in.

"I think it's best if I arrive first," he recommended. "Otherwise, John will assume that I followed you, and he'll be spoiling for a fight. Although I don't want to leave you up here alone. It's almost completely dark now."

"You go ahead. I'll be right behind you. Oh, and I'll stop off and pick up some Chinese food. That should take me a good half hour."

"Great idea. Get enough for John, too."

"That'll be no problem. I always order far too much anyway. See you soon," she whispered, already regretting the time they would have to spend apart.

"Soon," he echoed, leaning in to kiss her again.

As Alex drove off, happiness bubbled up inside him. Marlena was back in his life, and almost all was right with the world. Once he got John Black out of the picture, everything would be perfect.