~ Chapter 17 ~

John found himself, once again, pacing the floor of the penthouse. Night had fallen, and there was still no sign of Marlena or North. John seethed as he imagined the two of them together somewhere, with the psychiatrist wielding his mind control over Marlena.

"If he's harmed her in any way, I'll kill him."

"John, you have to focus on our plan," Kate advised reasonably.

"How can I? She's been gone all day, and Tek's guy lost the tail on North. I have this awful feeling that he managed to track her down, and that he's been filling her head with garbage for hours. That quack isn't helping her. I swear he wants her all to himself."

Yet another man worshipping at the altar of Saint Marlena.

Kate fumed, but remained outwardly calm.

"Like I said before, he's not from here. How could he possibly find her? I'm sure it's just a coincidence that neither of them is home yet."

John snorted in derision, making his unspoken opinion of Kate's theory abundantly clear.

"I'd thank you not to refer to this place as North's home. He's only staying because Marlena insists on it. Personally, I'd kick him to the curb tomorrow if she'd let me."

Sensing that John's mounting resentment would interfere with their strategy for the evening, Kate strove to appease him. Leading him to the sofa, she began to work her magic touch on his temples. He started to relax almost instantly.

"Mmm… that feels so good. You know just how to help me."

Yes, John, I do, and if you'd only realize how deeply I care for you, your life would be so much better.

After a few moments, the tension eased from John's head and neck, and Kate seized the opportunity to prime him for what was to come.

"Remember, when Marlena gets home, you have to act as if you haven't been worried at all. Make it seem as if you didn't even miss her."

"That won't be easy for me. I'm not sure I can pull it off."

"Of course, you can. You have to. Everything depends on it."

"Right. Because if she sees me with you and thinks I'm moving on, she'll get jealous and want to be with me – even if she doesn't remember me yet. Am I missing anything?"

"No, that about covers it. Now, how about we start putting dinner together? I'm starving."

As the duo rose from the sofa, the sound of a key in a lock halted them in their tracks. The door opened to admit Alex, who was whistling a happy tune in his slightly off-key fashion. John felt his hackles rise at the sight of the man he despised.

What does he have to be so damn cheerful about?

"Good evening Mr. Black, Ms. Roberts," Alex greeted them.

Before John could respond, Kate placed a restraining hand on his arm.

"Hello, Dr. North. You seem pleased with yourself," Kate remarked.

"It's turned out to be quite a productive day."

Alex kept his tone casual, revealing nothing. He was too close to the finish line. Apart from personal satisfaction, there was little to be gained by antagonizing John any further.

"And just how was it productive?" John queried, his tone hostile.

"As you may recall, I set out to do some research today. I uncovered a great deal of useful information."

"I thought you were going to do that here," John countered. "Where have you been?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I decided to take a drive. I thought that getting to know Salem a bit better might help me in the work I'm doing with Marlena."

John's blood pressure was rising with Alex's every answer. The latter simply stood his ground coolly, almost tauntingly, confident that he'd gained the upper hand. Sensing that John was about to ruin their carefully crafted plan, Kate tugged at his sleeve.

"What?" he snapped.

Seeing the hurt look in Kate's eyes, he took her aside and apologized immediately.

"Sorry. The guy's yanking my chain and I can't seem to stop reacting. What did you want to say to me?"

"I was going to remind you that we were headed to the kitchen for some food before Dr. North arrived."

"Right. Let's do that. The sooner I'm away from him, the better."

Taking Kate's hand, John led her down the hall without a backward glance. Once his irritating houseguest was out of sight, he managed to relax again, and he and Kate began to rummage through the fridge and cupboards in search of the ingredients for a meal.

Alex grinned in triumph as he watched John go. He was in the process of hanging up his jacket when his ears detected the elevator's hum. Quietly, so as not to alert John and Kate to Marlena's arrival, Alex padded over to the penthouse door and opened it. His face lit up at the sight of his beloved, and he winked at her. She responded in kind as she stepped over the threshold into the foyer. The sound of laughter floated out from the kitchen, and Marlena looked at Alex questioningly.

"Who's that with John?"

"It's Kate. They're… cooking, apparently,"

"Then it would seem I really did buy far too much food."

"It won't go to waste, I promise. Besides, with the way John feels about me, I probably should think twice about eating anything he serves," Alex remarked, only half-jokingly.

As he reached to take the bags from her grasp, their hands met. Her skin tingled and her eyes darkened, longing evident in the look she gave him.

"I want to kiss you. Right here. Right now."

"Well, John does seem preoccupied at the moment, so I think I can accommodate you," he whispered, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Setting the food aside, he pulled her into his arms and bent his mouth to hers. The kiss was hard and fast, and left both of them wanting more. Before they could act on their desire, a loud voice interrupted them.

"Hey, North…"