John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 3: Questions, Questions .......

Marlena faced John, even though what Kristen had said made her feel nauseous. What she found in his eyes confirmed her fears. Kristen was telling the truth. At least the truth as far as he knew it. Which meant......she couldn't even bear to think what that meant. Her eyes reverted back to Kristen. The other woman's smile was triumphant.

I'm the winner Marlena, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Kristen wished she could freeze the look on Marlena's face. This was her moment of glory and she was going to revel in it.

"Well, that was certainly fast work." Laura broke the silence, her caustic remark taking a bite out of Kristen's aura of self-satisfaction.

"First time lucky." Kristen wasn't about to let Laura spoil the moment. John had other ideas.

"C'mon Kristen, I think it's time to go." He told her forcefully. Kristen thought about arguing but glancing at his face thought the better of it.

"G'night all, sorry to bother you." He shepherded Kristen away like she was a naughty child.

Once outside he turned on her. "What the hell did you think you were doing in there?"

Kristen stood, shocked, with her mouth slightly open. It wasn't often that John got angry, and obviously, she'd pushed him a little too far this time.

"Honey, I'm sorry." She put her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart beating through his shirt. "I didn't mean to do anything wrong". John narrowed his eyes, shrugged off her hand, and walked past her.

"I think I'd better take you home." He rasped, his ire evident in his voice.

Marlena had waited until they left the restaurant and then headed wordlessly for the bathroom. In the restroom, she had splashed cold water on her face in an effort to keep the tears from falling.

How could you?

After everything they'd been through in Paris, after Will, after the way he'd kissed her......

After all that and most of all, after Kristen's lies. Why had he chosen to stay with her? She sighed. It was ironic really. What right had she to feel betrayed? She traced the outline of the tiles on the bench with her fingertip. Perhaps this was her punishment.

Haven't I been punished enough already?

She stood for several more moments and then, wiping away several tears that had escaped, she composed herself and returned to the restaurant.

Q had watched the whole scene with the sort of horrified fascination usually reserved for the carnage of a road accident. Marlena had come back to the table as silently as she had left. He felt an awkwardness that he was unaccustomed to. Eventually, she turned to him. The grief was still evident in her eyes, but she appeared remarkably self-possessed.

"Look, I'm sorry about what happened here." Her apology was made in a low hollow voice.

"My dear Marlena." Q wasn't an overly sympathetic person. His amusement at the predicaments humans forced themselves into usually precluded sympathy. Yet somehow this woman before him managed to draw feelings from him that he hadn't experienced since, well, he could hardly remember when. He took her hand. "Please don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for." She attempted a smile, but the tears were threatening again, and the smile stalled in a tremble. "Actually," Q continued, hoping his slight digression would distract her thoughts from the recent events. "I have a question you may be able to answer." She nodded slightly; her interest piqued. Laura sat by attentively. "John Black." He saw her slight flinch at the name. "I'm sorry, if you don't want to talk about -"