Unspoken

Chapter 33

December 1, 1992

The air was crisp, and the wind was gusting as John and Marlena made their way towards the large office building that housed Micky Horton's law firm. John held the door, as Marlena made her way inside, shaking the snow from her hair. He came in behind her, and took her hand in his as they headed towards the elevators. "He's on the sixth floor," Marlena said after John hit the up button. "He should be expecting us."

John was quiet as they rode the elevator to the sixth floor. He'd gotten a very unexpected telephone call from the ISA the day before telling him the results of the DNA test that was done. Tony DiMera was his nephew, and Shawn Brady was his uncle. He knew he'd likely never remember anything from his past, but he'd have liked to have at least one memory of his mother.

"Are you okay?" Marlena asked.

"Yeah," he replied quietly. "Just thinking about those DNA results. It makes the genetics complicated, doesn't it? Sami, Eric, and Carrie are my what? Second cousins? Alais and Ryan are their siblings... and their cousins. Stefano really fucked up our lives, didn't he?"

"Yes... and no." She sighed, wrapping her arms around his bicep. "I wouldn't change anything if it meant I might never have known you. I'd keep it all the same if it got me to this point with you."

The elevator stopped, and they stepped out together. They faced a floor to ceiling glass wall with the law firm's name printed on it in frosted letters. John stared down at Marlena for a moment, and then he said, "I wouldn't change anything either... it's just complicated. That's all."

"I'm not going anywhere," she told him softly. "You're stuck with me."

"Stuck, huh?" He smiled, and reached for the handle to the door. "I guess I can handle that."

The receptionist looked up when the door opened, and he smiled at them. "Hello. Welcome to Horton, Smith, and Adams. How can I help you?"

"We have an appointment with Mickey," Marlena replied.

"Oh, um, let me see..." The man seemed flustered as he flipped through what John assumed was Mickey's schedule. "I don't see–"

" –Robert?" Mickey called from his office doorway, "It's fine. I scheduled them, and forgot to mention it to you."

Robert deflated slightly in relief, as he said, "Oh... oh! Okay!"

"You two can come in," Mickey said with a smile. He held the door to his office open as he said, "I'm going to have to apologize to Robert later. He prides himself on being organized, and I just pulled the rug out from under him."

John smiled, "How have you been, Mickey?"

"Melissa and Sarah are keeping Maggie and I on our toes," he laughed. "Never a dull moment at our house. Even though Melissa is married, and Sarah just started college they still manage to find ways to cause chaos."

Marlena couldn't help laughing. "Strong willed girls are the future leaders of the free world Mickey Horton, and don't you forget that!"

"How could I?" He rounded his desk, and sat down with a chuckle. "Between my mother, Jennifer, and Hope... they learned from the best."

Marlena saw the two chairs sitting across from Mickey's desk, and she sighed with relief when John moved his right next to hers. She didn't want that space between them, not for a meeting like they were about to have.

Mickey noticed the move, but didn't mention it. Instead, he said, "I have the paperwork for the custody drawn up, although I'm going to be honest with you Marlena... after Roman paid me a visit yesterday, I don't think he's going to sign these. So it may end up before a judge. The house could be tricky too. It's in Roman's name, but John paid the mortgage for five years. The house was purchased in February of 1983. Roman lived there from February of '83 to October of '84. He's lived there most recently from September of 91' to the present date. By my calculations, his residence in that home, in total, is less than three years. You'll likely end up in court over the house too."