~ Chapter 19 ~

Kate and John were hard at work, clearing up the table and dealing with the abundant leftovers. He felt flush with success as he let his mind wander back over the events of the evening. Marlena had clearly been affected by seeing him close to Kate. In fact, she'd been so upset that she'd headed up to bed shortly after Dr. North had, that pained expression still on her face.

As Kate began to wash the few remaining dishes that hadn't fit in the dishwasher, John grabbed a towel and started drying. He sent a grateful look in her direction.

"Thanks so much for helping me tonight, and for having such a great idea to begin with. It looks like it's starting to work already."

"Yes, it does," she responded, trying hard to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

This scheme was truly a double-edged sword for her. On the one hand, it gave her the opportunity she craved to spend time with John, the man she still loved. On the other hand, she had to deal with the reality that he was merely using her to make his wife jealous.

Beggars can't be choosers.

At least, by being in John's presence, she could take advantage of every chance to remind him of the special relationship they had shared. John's words broke into her thoughts.

"So, here's what I was thinking. Since things went so well tonight, we should probably escalate this."

"How would we do that?"

"Let's go out tomorrow night. Dinner, dancing, the works."

Kate's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she strove to get a grip on her fluctuating emotions. She'd like nothing better than to spend what sounded like a very romantic evening with John.

If only he truly cared for me.

She turned away briefly to compose herself, then put on her cheeriest smile.

"If you think it would help, I'd be happy to go out with you."

"Thanks, Kate. You're the best friend a guy could have."

He snatched her up in a giant bear hug, then proceeded to twirl her around the kitchen floor. A blush crept up her cheeks as she struggled to deal with his nearness. Breaking from his grasp, she sighed regretfully.

"It's late, and we're all done cleaning. I should be getting home."

"I'm sorry, I hadn't even noticed the time. Let me give you a ride. You can pick up your car tomorrow."

She offered a feeble protest, but he would hear none of it. After helping her on with her jacket, pocketing his keys and setting the alarm outside Marlena's and Alex's bedrooms, he led Kate to the elevator, where his true intentions became clear.

"I'm sure Marlena's still awake, and when she figures out that I've taken you home…" His words trailed off as inspiration struck again. "Could I hang out with you for a while once we get there? The longer it takes me to return, the more likely she'll be to think the worst."

"Sure, John. That would be fine."

Maybe, if I play my cards, right, I can get him to fall asleep on the sofa and really give Saint Marlena something to fret about.

Marlena was still awake, but her thoughts weren't fixed on John or Kate. In fact, she'd dismissed the duo from her mind the moment she had headed up the stairs, following closely on the heels of Alex's departure. Bypassing her own door, she'd padded the few steps down the hall to his, aching to see him again. As she was about to knock, she stopped herself. She wasn't normally one to live on the edge, but it would seem that her desire to be with Alex was making her reckless. Reluctantly, she gave in to reason and slipped quietly into her bedroom.

Once there, she replayed the evening's ending in her mind. It hadn't been her intention, initially, to pretend to respond to John's attempt at making her jealous. Oh, she'd figured out his strategy fairly quickly, but it had absolutely no effect on her. Alex was the only man she wanted, and his actions were the ones that mattered to her. Yet, she couldn't forget the time, a few days earlier, when he had feigned interest in Kate. Even though she'd soon realized that he was manipulating the woman, for an instant, Marlena had felt the most intense stab of envy imaginable. Giving him a taste of his own medicine was only fair. She hadn't been able to maintain the ruse, however. One look at the confusion on his face and she'd crumbled, her need to see him smile again greater than any imagined payback.

As she crawled between the sheets, she shivered. She wanted nothing more than to have Alex at her side, his arm around her as she drifted off to sleep. It would be hours until his early morning visit, and she yearned for his presence. Now that she had proof of their connection, she had a visceral need to learn more, and the only way to do that was to be with him. A slow smile played at the corners of her mouth as a thought occurred to her. If John was going to keep trying to make her jealous, it could work to her advantage. With a bit of luck, she might have a great deal of uninterrupted time with Alex in the near future. On that happy note, she closed her eyes – only to have them jolt open again at a sudden noise outside her terrace doors.

Alex had paced the confines of his room for what felt like an eternity. Although Marlena had made it clear that she'd only been teasing him earlier, it had taken his heart a while to beat normally again. The thought that he could so easily lose her had shaken him to his very core. He had to step up his efforts to get her to remember all of their past. Once that happened, no one would be able to come between them again, he was sure of it.

He contemplated his options. Maybe he needed to hypnotize her a few more times, to get to the truth he knew lay buried deep in her subconscious. Still, that was riskier now. Having built up the level of trust between them, he didn't want it shattered if she ultimately became aware of his somewhat unorthodox methods. There had to be another way to jog her memory. Well, there was, he acknowledged to himself, as he imagined the two of them kissing and what it could lead to, but that wasn't something that could happen with John Black constantly hovering nearby.

At that moment, the sound of voices drifted up from downstairs. Alex quickly disabled the security system and tiptoed down the hall, just in time to see John lead Kate out towards the elevators.

What a stroke of luck!

John was clearly taking Kate home, since he was wearing his jacket, which meant a good half hour, if not more, without interference. Retracing his steps, Alex carefully shut the door, and reactivated the alarm. With what he had in mind, he might not make it back before John did, and he definitely couldn't afford to arouse the man's suspicions.

Wrapping his robe tightly around himself to ward off the cold night air, Alex made his way on to the ledge that had become so familiar to him. Inch by inch, he eased closer to his target. As he jumped on to the terrace, his concentration wavered for an instant, causing him to stumble. The resulting noise seemed deafening, and he held his breath. When, after several interminable seconds, all remained quiet, he entered Marlena's room. Once his eyes had adjusted to the dark, he let out an inaudible gasp of dismay. The bed was empty. Where could she be? His concern was such that he didn't notice the slight movement to his right. Without warning, a hand shot out and gripped his wrist.

"Gotcha!"