Chapter 5

At the Penthouse John continues to toss and turn in his sleep. Clearly that whatever he was dreaming was upsetting him. Stefano stood over him holding a device. John wore a thick beard, he wore a military uniform he appearance bruised from Stefano's treatment of him. John fought to get to Stefano but chains kept him grounded to the dungeon wall. Stefano chuckled at his struggle with the chains. Though the walls weakened from John's strength, he could not break free.

"You are my pawn you will do what I say and you will not cross me. If you do cross me, I will take everything you hold dear away from you forever. You will never find them you may try and find them but you will never find me."

"I won't do what you say. I am not your pawn anymore DiMera do you understand me. I'm not your pawn…I don't belong to anyone but myself"

Stefano turned the dial up on a hand device. John reacted with pain he fought it and each time Stefano would bring it up another notch.

"You are my pawn you will do what I say. I am the one making demands you cannot get out of here you will never get out of here. You are my pawn forever."

John continued to fight the pain cursing through his body; perspiration poured from his body through every pore. Finally, he loose his battle with Stefano and goes into a trance.

"I am your pawn I will do what you say. What is it you want with me?"

"Ah now that I have you under my control again I have a very important mission you must go on."

"A…mission…

John replies hypnotically to Stefano. Stefano smiled and unchained John from the dungeon wall. John stood up slowly and faced directly forward as Stefano told him his "mission."

"Your mission begins here the very bottom of a very exotic castle. Built in the 1700's this is where your life began as my pawn. Today it begins as my pawn forever. Your tasks are simple, find this painting…"

Stefano shows John a picture of a painting of a castle in the suburbs of England surrounded by a moot and moor.

"The painting is located inside the home of Lili Faversham. She is a very wealthy and very lonely woman. I want you to introduce yourself as a "concerned priest" lure her away from her home by any means. Take her for a day out on the town let her believe that you are trusting. She is lonely she will believe you. Distract her in any way you can she must not be near the painting. This painting will be the last of my collection. Do not let her know what your true agenda is. When you complete this mission, you will not remember what I have asked of you and you will not search into your past to find it. Do you understand your commands?"

"I…understand"

"Very good"

Stefano unlocks John's chains handing him his pastoral clothing; as short time later John is clean shaven placing the last of his pastoral clothing on, the collar.

"Remember my instructions do not let outside things distract you from your mission. You will be rewarded with your freedom once your mission is complete."

John nods lightly and escorted out of the dungeon. Stefano lets out laughter as John heads to the Faversham residence.

John bolts up in bed as his dream concludes. John breathing heavily picks of the phone receiver nearby.

"Kurt, I know it's late but I need you to fuel the jet we are leaving tonight. I'll tell you where we are going when we meet in thirty minutes."

"Yes, Mr. Black."

John hangs up the receiver.

"I know where you are Doc, I know."

John quickly climbs out of bed pulls clothing from his dresser and rushes down the stairs.

"I just hope you are still alive when I reach you. Don't give up Marlena I'm on my way."

Meanwhile back at the castle Marlena is startled awake. Something wasn't right, she couldn't tell what it was yet but something wasn't right. To her surprise, Roman was no longer in the same room. Marlena feared the worst. Shaking the fogginess from her head, she tried to remember the last thing she was doing. Breakfast…Bart brought in their breakfast for the first time in weeks the morning sickness that plagued her for weeks was gone. She ate her breakfast as if it were her last. That was all she could remember….

"Tony must have drugged the food. Oh Roman where are you?"

Marlena pulled the covers from herself and raced to the door. Hitting her hands on the door, she begged someone to come, anyone. When no one came Marlena went back to the wall moved the item blocking Roman's escape route. At least Tony didn't discover the wall yet. Wiping the tears from her eyes Marlena pulled the metal from its hiding spot.

"I have to get out of here before Tony finds out about the baby."

Marlena said as she placed her hand across her stomach.

"I must get out of here not for myself but for you little one. I just pray that those drugs didn't cause you any harm."

Marlena went back to the wall.

Across the way, Roman wakes to Tony standing over him. His vision was blurry and his head hurt. He looked around the room and realized that he was no longer in the same room. His first concern went to Marlena and the baby but he would not show his concern for her. He didn't want to give away any information that could leak to Tony her condition. He slowly sat up still chained the same way he was in the other room.

"Tony where is Marlena what did you do to her?"

"I did nothing I just wanted to speak to you alone."

"Tony you never want to talk especially to me."

"I had Bart drug your breakfast and take you here. We have much to discuss and I will not release you back to your ex-wife until you answer my questions."

Shaking his head to clear his mind Roman looked at Tony.

"What did you put in our breakfast?"

"Oh no I won't give out that information is privileged."

"Well the least you can tell me is if Marlena is okay?"

"I'm surprised you have so much concern for Marlena. She isn't your wife any longer I'm sure that John would be angry to find out you were making your way back into her life would he?"

"Tony that's not what happened."

"Oh, that's not what I heard. See a little birdie told me that you had Marlena in your arms comforting her."

"That doesn't mean anything Tony, she was upset I did what I would do with anyone, and I tried to calm her down."

"Does it bother you that she is pinning over John right now that she would rather be with him then you?"

"Marlena and I divorced a long time ago, though we remain good friends, my life is with Kate now."

"It doesn't look that way to me."

Roman was confused briefly until Bart came it with photographs of them together before Marlena married John.

"How did you get these pictures?"

"I have my secrets and I know you have yours."

"I have no secrets Tony and I resent that you assume that I have them."

"That's enough Roman, I know that you married Kate because you couldn't have Marlena. Don't you think that Kate knows that she will always be your second choice?"

"Second Choice, Tony you need to get your facts straight. I love Kate very much she is my future. Marlena is my past she has a new life with John."

"Why don't you admit it Roman, why don't you just say what I know. I know that you still love Marlena; I know that you have always loved Marlena. If it were, your choice to choose between Marlena and Kate you would always go back to Marlena. Try and rediscover you love and pray that you can have that deep love you once shared."

"Tony I will always love Marlena we share two children and because of that we will be bonded to each other. Marlena loves John very deeply she wouldn't just leave him because I admit my feelings to her."

"Are you so sure? Isn't that what you did to her all those years ago? You left Marlena because you were so angry about her affair with John."

"I admit there was a time that I would have loved it had John died. I would have loved that John hadn't walked into our life and disrupted it. However, your father did that to us Tony, I blamed John for a long time about my marriage falling a part but that was years ago. John and I are friends now and John makes Marlena happy I would never take that away from her."

"But you can't help but think of how things could have been? How different your life would have been if you never left Marlena don't you?"

"Sometimes I wish I never left her but at that time I just needed something new. I left Marlena because I knew that she still loved John very deeply. It angered me that John took over my life when your father held me captive all those years. I don't even know my children because of your father. I missed most of their lives I can't get those years back. Nevertheless, John has those memories, the memories I should have made with MY family. When I got back and discovered, John had taken over my life I wanted to kill him yes. Not only did he have my children he shared the same bed with MY wife, made new memories with MY family. That was a long time ago Tony and you cannot force me to have those feelings again no matter how hard you try. My life is with Kate and our children."

"That we have in common Roman. John took both our wives away from us. Not only did he have your wife he took Kristen away from me. That's all John Black does that's all he'll ever do. He steals wives from others leaving us angry and bitter. How do you know that John hasn't take Kate from you?"

"Because Kate loves me, we share children. We missed a great deal of time with Rex and Cassie because of your father. We will never make up that time."

"Have you forgotten Roman, it wasn't long ago when Rex and Cassie were mine and Marlena's children. You stole them from me you always take what isn't yours.

"We didn't TAKE them away from you Tony they were never yours to keep."

"They were MY children something that I have always wanted. You have enough children I have none Rex and Cassie were all I had and they liked being DiMera's. They could have made something of themselves they could have inherited the DiMera empire."

"Why do you think I put you and Marlena in the same room Roman? HMMM? What do you suppose is the reason behind my motives."

"You want to ruin John and Marlena's marriage. You are so selfish how dare you take John away from Marlena he makes her happy. They have a daughter together and someday they will have grandchildren together."

"A daughter they never would have had if my father hadn't interfered."

"What makes you think that John and Marlena wouldn't have found each other if I hadn't been taken away? What makes you think that wasn't what your father "planned."

"Because I know…John was my father's pawn and he would have stayed his pawn if Marlena hadn't become John's therapist."

"I can't believe it your jealous of us. You can't help but want to kill us. You DiMera's are all the same you think that what you all do justifies your behavior. Well I have news for you Tony Kristen never loved you. She only married you because she was afraid for John. Love was never in the park with the both of you."

"Kristen did love me and we would have been happy if you never came back to Salem. John would have always been Roman and Kristen would never have fallen in love with him. Now Kristen is dead and it's all John's fault, well, he will never see his precious Marlena again."

"Your father said the same thing Tony and John has always come back for her. Their love is stronger now more then ever; and I promise you this…John will find us and will take Marlena away from you and together they will live happily ever after. It's fate you have to accept your defeat; DiMera's don't win and they will never win."

"We'll see Roman. Bart get this clown out of here."

"Where should I take him Boss?"

"Back to Marlena…let them share this time together because tomorrow Marlena will be my wife and you Roman will rot in my dungeon for eternity."

"Marlena will never love you Tony, she wouldn't love you if you were the last man on earth."

TBC…Chapter 6