John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 18 - Storm Warning

Sami picked her way along the path. The surface of the stone was flooded from the rain that had fallen rapidly and heavily. The storm wasn't over yet by any means. It appeared to be just beginning. Overhead, lightning sliced through the sky like a jagged scar. It was followed several moments later by an enormous clap of thunder. Sami pulled her coat closer around her and continued up the path. Reaching the front door of the DiMera Mansion, she noticed that none of the lights were on.

Deciding that it didn't necessarily mean anything, she used the heavy brass doorknocker. She waited for a minute or so and then tried again. She stared at the door, willing it to open. It remained steadfastly closed. Sami frowned, wondering if perhaps this wasn't a sign. A sign that she should forget about Marlena's journal and go home to her nice warm bed. Let them work out their problems for themselves. She turned around and stepped off the doorstep. Suddenly, very faintly over the wind, she heard what sounded like a human cry. She stopped and stood very still, listening. Hearing the sound again, she went back up to the door and put her ear to it. Again, a cry and she stepped back from the door as if she had been bitten.

Sami quickly made her way around the side of the house and peered through the window. It was so inky black she could hardly make out a thing. She rubbed on the window, but the rain merely smeared the dirt that was already on there and made it more difficult to see. She moved along the wall, fighting the clutches of the wet bushes, and looked through another window. Again, she couldn't see anything, and she was about to give up when she heard another cry. It was a cry of pain, a high-pitched keening, like an animal caught in a trap, and tendrils of cold fear grabbed at Sami. She looked back through the window and a sudden flash of lightning illuminated the room in a blaze of harsh blue light. A cry caught in her throat as she saw a figure crumpled on the floor.

******

Q appeared in the penthouse. The living room was dark, except for the occasional flashes from the lightning. The bursts of light illuminated the raindrops that dribbled down the window and they cast long shadows across the room. Q looked in the direction of the stairs. Everything was quiet, just as it should be.

He had sent Kristen back to the DiMera Mansion alone. He could have gone with her and tormented her even more, but he suspected she wouldn't be much fun for the next few days. Not after the blubbering mess she'd turned into at the sight of John and Marlena in each other's arms. He smiled sadistically. She'd deserved it. He'd never intended to bring her to the penthouse but when she'd been so thoroughly obnoxious and nasty...well, she deserved everything she got.

He turned on his heels and went into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and turned his nose up at the contents. A few wilted lettuce leaves, a couple of soft tomatoes, and some moldy cheese graced the top shelf. The middle shelf held a three-day-old lasagna that Caroline had dropped around. A jam jar, complete with the evidence of a child's grubby fingers, sat in the door, next to milk cartons which, thankfully, were fresh. Q closed the door and snapped his fingers. A plate of fries appeared on the table, along with a bowl of sour cream. A cup of tea completed the 'snack'.

Before Q could sit down, there was a disturbance in the air before him and Q2 materialized. Q2 picked up a couple of fries and winked at Q as he stuffed them in his mouth. Q raised an eyebrow and then wordlessly seated himself. Q2 followed suit.

"Nice work Q," Q2 spoke through a mouthful of fries.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you it's *rude* to talk with your mouth full?" Q asked cuttingly.

"Since when did that ever bother me?" Q2 grinned. "You either for that matter."

"Why are you here Q?" Q eyed him suspiciously.