A/N: When I started posting this fic back in August, it was close to completion. I had 2-3 chapters at most left to write, and since I already had over 60 'in the can', I thought updating twice a week would give me plenty of time to finish. Well, life got in the way and things didn't work out as planned, so for the next while, updates will be on Thursdays only.
~ Chapter 48 ~
Having poured herself another cup of tea, Marlena curled up once again on the chaise. Her features, which had been open and unguarded a moment before, had darkened noticeably. She eyed Frank, who was looking at her expectantly.
"I know I promised you details of the breakthrough I had this morning. I honestly do want to tell you all about it, but right now I'm furious at my daughter, and I really need to vent!"
"I sense that young Sami is not as angelic as she appears."
Marlena laughed aloud at Frank's remark.
"I'm impressed. You barely exchanged two words with her, and you've already managed to capture Sami in a nutshell. From everything I remember, she's a schemer, always trying to make things go her way. The irony is, her plotting usually ends up coming back to bite her. For the most part, she's a very unhappy woman."
"And why is that?"
"She's never gotten over me divorcing Roman. She wants us back together, even now. In fact, she came here today to find out why I wasn't with her father, since she'd heard that I'd kicked John out of the penthouse."
"While I'm sure her stubbornness on that issue is upsetting, I doubt it would make you as angry as you are. What else happened during her visit?"
"She's the reason Alex got called to Washington for his dressing down by the APA."
"You spoke to her about it, and she confessed?" Frank couldn't hide his surprise.
"Hardly. I didn't suspect that she was involved with the complaints until she let it slip that she'd seen Alex and me at the Salem Fall Fair last night."
"Ah, now I get it. And what, exactly, did she see?"
Having witnessed it first hand, Frank was well aware of how profoundly the love ran between Alex and Marlena, and how difficult it was for them to hide their feelings. Nevertheless, if they'd been spotted being intimate in public, Alex could be in a great deal of trouble.
"We were at the ring toss. He had his arms around me, helping me aim at the target. I explained that to her, and I think she bought it."
"I assume there was more…"
Marlena hung her head as Frank allowed the silence to stretch between them. When she dared meet his eyes, the look she gave him was sheepish.
"Let's just say we got caught up in the moment on more than one occasion. But we did try to keep it to times when we were out of sight."
"Such as?"
Her cheeks reddened as she recalled the events of the previous evening.
"On the Ferris wheel. On the funhouse ride."
"Bet you went around more than once."
She nodded, clearly embarrassed. Hearing their actions put into words made them seem like lovesick teenagers.
If the shoe fits.
"No need to feel ashamed, Marlena. It's what I would've done in Alex's place."
Marlena glanced up at him, startled by his admission.
"Now, don't get me wrong. Your behaviour entailed huge risks, and you're suffering the consequences. But I fully understand why you did it. You love each other deeply and you've been apart for years. You still can't be together in all the ways that count, since you have yet to remember a large chunk of your past, especially as it relates to Alex."
"You're right. I love him so much that I want to make up for all the lost time. I also just wanted a stress-free night, for a change. I hate that my daughter, of all people, chose to stir up trouble by filing a complaint against Alex with the APA. I've just had this fabulous breakthrough, and I want him here to share in my achievement. Instead, he's fighting for his professional life in some bureaucrat's office in Washington."
"Sami was simply looking out for you," he countered. "She doesn't know about your past with Alex. She truly believes that he's behaving unethically towards you. It shows how much she cares."
"She also doesn't want me with anyone other than Roman, so her motives aren't entirely selfless."
"I'll grant you that, but you need to put it behind you. I'm quite certain that Alex will be able to extricate himself from this mess with little more than a slap on the wrist."
"You think so?"
"I'm positive. He's wriggled out of tighter spots than this one. It will all work out, trust me."
"I'll try."
"Good. Now, about your breakthrough…"
At his prompting, she offered Frank a brilliant smile.
"I remembered my past with John today!"
"You did?! I'd say congratulations are in order. How did it come about?"
"I was served with divorce papers."
Frank's eyebrows knit together in bewilderment.
"John wants to divorce you? I thought he still loved you, and hoped the two of you would reconcile."
"That's what I thought, too. I guess we were both mistaken. Maybe he's ready to let me go."
Frank briefly pondered her words, before shaking his head.
"I doubt it. There's more to this than meets the eye. I'd stake my professional reputation on it."
"So, what are you saying? You think the papers are fake? They looked legitimate to me."
"May I see them?"
"Of course."
Marlena padded over to the desk, and picked up the thick sheaf of papers she'd placed there earlier. Wordlessly, she handed them to Frank, who scanned them quickly, his practiced eye missing nothing. Marlena waited impatiently for him to voice his opinion.
"Well?"
"This Jeff Lupin – is he John's customary attorney?"
"Not as far as I know. I've never heard of him."
"Why do you think John would choose a new lawyer for something so personal? Wouldn't he be more comfortable dealing with someone he's familiar with?"
"I'm sure he would, but Frankie's a friend – to both of us, apparently. Maybe John simply didn't want to put him in the middle of our battle."
Frank frowned, clearly disagreeing with Marlena's assessment.
"Divorce is a wrenching, painful process. Having someone who knows and likes you both would've gone a long way towards making it easier. I'd say that John's choice of representation was deliberate."
"Not only does John want to divorce me, but he's going to be nasty about it? That doesn't sound like him."
"You're right. That's why this makes no sense. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that these are a ruse."
"I don't understand."
"It's my belief that John has no interest in divorcing you. I'd say he cooked up this elaborate plot to make you think he wanted out of your marriage, but he secretly hoped that you'd be so shocked at being served with these papers that your memory would return. Once it did, you'd go running back to him, and pick up where you left off."
"Well, the first part worked. I've recovered a great deal of my past today. But it hasn't made me want to reunite with John."
"Are you certain about that?"
"Of course, I am!" Her response was instantaneous, and vehement. "You, of all people, know how much I love Alex."
"I do, but the two of you met up again during a time when you'd forgotten all traces of your past, including your years with John. It wouldn't be surprising if, now that your memories of him have returned, at least a part of you wanted to be with him."
"But I honestly don't…"
Frank held up a hand to silence her.
"You shouldn't make that decision so quickly, Marlena. Give it some serious thought, before you totally dismiss the idea of going back to your husband."
Swallowing the denial that she'd been about to utter, Marlena sat quietly, letting the memories wash over her. She recalled the good, the bad, and everything in between that she'd shared with John, experiencing a torrent of different feelings as images flashed before her. Searching her heart deeply once more, she reached a definite conclusion.
"I will always care for John. We were a couple for a long time, underwent a great many highs and lows, and we share a daughter. She'll bind us forever, and as such, John will remain a part of my life. But I don't love him anymore, at least not in a romantic way."
"Do you believe you should stay together for your family's sake?"
"Good heavens, no! If I thought that, I'd still be with Roman, and maybe Sami wouldn't have become such a manipulative young woman. I've seen firsthand how a child can be scarred by the decisions a parent makes, but I have no intention of sacrificing my newfound happiness so that my grown children can get what they want. Besides, each of my daughters is rooting for her own father. I can't make both of them happy."
"You have a point there," Frank chuckled.
"What I want – no, what I need – is to recover my past with Alex, so that we can build our future. He's the love of my life, and we've lost so much time. I need to focus on retrieving those memories, and dealing with whatever happened to me – to us – all those years ago. It's all that matters right now."
A smile brightened Frank's formerly impassive face.
"Yes, I'm supposed to be impartial, but Alex is like a son to me, and it delights me to know that you care for him as much as he cares for you. You understand, though, that once your family hears about your amnesia lifting, they aren't likely to give you a moment's peace. They've been waiting for this for months."
Marlena sighed in frustration.
"What you're saying makes perfect sense, but we still have so much work to do for me to be whole again, and free to love Alex unreservedly. I haven't got the time to devote to some big family reunion. I'm not ready. My therapy isn't finished, not by a long shot."
"Speaking of which, you've told me that you remembered your past with John today. What about the rest of it? Your children? Other spouses? Friends? Has any of that resurfaced?"
Marlena sat back to mull Frank's question over. Letting her mind wander, she was startled to realize that the divorce papers had triggered much more than she'd originally thought. She could recall, in vivid detail, events from her childhood – Christmas with her parents, bike rides with her sister, Samantha, neighbourhood friends, teachers, her first date, her first kiss… She could visualize meeting Don, and marrying him, as well as the loss of their son, DJ. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she attempted to process all the memories that were flooding through her.
Frank handed her a tissue, which she accepted gratefully. Once she'd dried her eyes, the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a soft smile as she pictured the first night Roman had spent sleeping on her floor… the meal she cooked for him… feeding each other strawberries and whipped cream… the country inn… making love… their wedding… her honeymoon spent with Don, rather than her new husband… the pain of his supposed death…
Moments with friends, moments with family, the birth of her children… everything that had been repressed for so long, including the terrible things she'd suffered at the hands of the DiMeras and others, was no longer a mystery to her. It was as if a huge veil had been lifted, and she could finally see clearly again. She was awestruck.
"I remember. I remember everything."
"Think carefully now, Marlena. This is critical. Search your mind. In all that's come back to you today, do you have any memories of Alex?"
Silently, she examined all of her recollections. The minutes stretched out as she strove to get a glimpse of her past with Alex that was new, rather than something she'd already recalled in the weeks since he'd been back in her life. It was no use. That particular slate was as blank as ever. She turned to Frank, crestfallen.
"No. Nothing." A sob escaped her. "What's the matter with me? This is so important. Why do I remember everything else, but not this?!"
Frank reached over and took her trembling hands in his. His gaze caught and held hers.
"The amnesia you're suffering regarding your past with Alex is rooted in far different causes than the bout you've just undergone. As such, it will take greater effort to unlock those particular memories."
"Whatever we have to do, I'm up for it. Can we keep working?"
"Not right now, Marlena. There's something else you must deal with first."
"What's that?"
"You have to talk to your husband. He deserves to know the truth."