Shawn-D reached the correct room and knocked on the door. Lily promptly answered. "Oh, hello Mrs. Faversham. Is Greta here?"
Lily brightened up upon seeing him, "Shawn-Douglas, what a delightful surprise! Greta? Ah, I'm terribly sorry dear, Greta went shopping today with Dr. Evans. I don't know when she'll return."
"Oh, ok." Shawn-D glanced around nervously.
"Would you like some tea and scones?" Lily broke the awkwardness.
"Sure, but I've never had a scone before." Shawn-D followed Lily to the couch and sat down. Lily held the tray of scones up for him and he selected one.
"Gina absolutely loves these." During Lily's random comment, Shawn-D took a bite and found the scone rather tasty. Soon the two settled into pleasant conversation. She asked about the boarding school and he answered her questions, but didn't appear as excited as he once was.
Then his phone rang. Shawn-D excused himself and took the call. He returned to the couch shortly after, "That was my Dad. He told me that Doug and Julie would be arriving soon and that he wanted me to go with him to pick them up at the airport."
"Well, it was such a nice visit. I hope we can do this again."
"Me too." Shawn-D hugged her, said goodbye and then left.
After Greta had left, Marlena continued her search for John. She headed upstairs, contemplating Greta's sudden nervousness. She was fine until she came back down and suddenly seemed so interested in the dresses. Marlena entered her bedroom and realized what made Greta so flustered. John was appropriately covered, but Marlena could tell he was asleep in the nude. She stopped at the foot of the bed. Well, that's odd. John only sleeps nude after being intimate with me. Marlena walked around to his side and shook him awake. "John?"
He grunted, opened his eyes and slowly sat up. Marlena noticed his confusion as he realized where he was, "How'd I get here…" He looked down at himself, "…and naked?"
Marlena touched his arm to comfort him, "I'm wondering that myself, John." She leaned back after hugging him. "What's the last thing you remember?"
John narrowed his eyes in thought. "After you and Greta left, I enjoyed a couple cups of coffee while reading the day's news. Gina showed up looking for Greta."
"Gina?" Marlena was perplexed and suddenly felt that Gina had something to do with John's current state.
John nodded. "The last thing I remember…is having tea with her." Quickly, Marlena was on her feet, bounding downstairs-with John on her heels after hustling to put some pants on. "What is it?"
Two teacups were still on the coffee table. Marlena turned to him, "Which did you drink from?" She picked up the cup he pointed to and sniffed it. There wasn't anything alarming about it. The tea appeared and smelled as normal as can be.
"You think she drugged me?" John questioned. Normally he wouldn't be so offended at the accusation toward Gina, but after two doses of the serum, his mindset was altered. John furiously shook his head, "She wouldn't need to do that! Not to me!" Marlena touched him to calm him, but he jerked his arm out of her reach.
"What's wrong with you?" Marlena grew scared-but only of losing John to Gina.
John was about to snap again at her, but stepped back, "I'm just upset that I can't remember the past few hours." Actually, he could, however the serum prohibited him from showing disgust or elation towards his romp with his Gina-at least not in front of Marlena. Even while he was asleep, he had heard Gina's warning to not reveal themselves just yet. And he ALWAYS trusted Gina. But his transformation was still incomplete, so he couldn't tell Marlena anything anyway-because even thinking about what he had just done, made him hesitant to cause Marlena any pain.
"I have the feeling that Greta might know. She was acting rather odd after discovering you in bed. She seemed so eager to leave suddenly." Marlena commented.
John nodded to show that he heard her. However, he was still silently brooding about his conflicting feelings toward Marlena-of how he wanted her, but simultaneously unable to stand the sight of her. Then there was his feelings for Gina-knowing that she was supposed to be his 'enemy', but desperate to finally be with her once and for all. He turned and grabbed his jacket, "I need some fresh air." And he was gone before Marlena could protest.
"Gina, we are so good together!"
"I need you Gina-in my arms, in my bed, by my side."
"Mother?" Greta reached out and shook her mother out of her reverie.
Gina looked at her daughter after slipping from the memory of her time with John in the Sub, "I'm sorry." She had taken Greta to Aldo's room at the Salem Inn. With what she planned to share with Greta, Gina thought Aldo's room was safest. Gina noted that Aldo and the others were out, but she knew they would keep her secrets if they heard them. She moved out of the open door, watching Greta walk further into the room, gazing at the various easels.
"I didn't know you were staying here too. I wouldn't have bothered Lily." Greta began.
"I'm not." Gina had seen how her daughter eyed the various easels. "I've been staying with Stefano." Greta's eyes grew wide, but Gina simply tipped her head, "Do not worry, Greta. He has been more than a gentleman towards me. But I know of your dislike for him-which is why I refrained from asking you to join me."
"Oh." Greta nodded. "Well, you still haven't explained how you and Father John..." She watched as her mother edged to a table and set her purse down after pulling something out of it. "What is that?"
"John couldn't return to us on his own, so I had asked Dr. Rolf for some assistance." Gina then held up the vial. "This is bringing our family together, my dear Greta."
As much as she wanted Father John back, Greta was appalled. "We can't…"
Gina angrily interrupted, "I am only getting back what is rightfully ours. That bastard DiMera took our John away and gave him to another woman-another family!"
Greta blinked when she spoke against Stefano-only moments after defending the man. "I thought you and Stefano…"
Again, Gina cut her daughter off, "Oh, don't get me wrong, Greta…Steffy and I are cordial…friendly…but if he were to discover what I've done…" Gina shook her head, "My precious Greta…you and I have suffered long enough! Don't we deserve OUR happiness?!" Greta was silent as she let that question sift into her thoughts. "I know that John wants to come back to us."
"How can you be sure?"
"For a few glorious hours…he was mine." Gina spoke of the moments she shared with John on the shores near Hawaii. "Glorious indeed! Oh it was heavenly!" She clasped her hands together.
"Hawaii? Wasn't that were he and Marlena honeymooned?" Greta frowned.
Gina waved the question off. "He was so happy…to make me happy. But just as we were about to plan on how to safely get to you…he was taken away again."
"Bo told me how upset Marlena was. He expressed theories that you took John under Stefano's orders." Greta commented.
"John was ours first…was he not, Greta?" She found she couldn't argue with her mother about that. "Oh, Greta…I know how you miss him so! So many years you were just as alone as I was."
Gina's last comment was convincing-actually the whole conversation was convincing to Greta. She recalled coming home to find John and her Mother gone, physically and mentally-respectfully. And then all those lonely years in the Bayou only urged Greta's desire for her family back. Greta shook her head of those thoughts and looked at Hope, realizing that seeing her this past week-she could no longer see ANY traces of Hope, there was only Gina. And it was her mother's eyes that pleaded with her. I'm sorry Bo; I can't help you at the party tomorrow. "What do you need me to do, Mother?"
And Gina knew she had won her daughter over. She hugged her daughter, feeling so elated. "John and I have decided to announce our love. We've decided it has been a secret long enough." Gina moved to sit on the couch, turning the vial in her hands. "And after the party, we-you, John and I-will live out our lives in Europe, our home!" Greta allowed herself to be swept up in the excitement. She sat down beside her mother and hugged her.