John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 27 - Two Truths Don't Make a Lie

The silence that filled the air in the living room of the penthouse was awkward and oppressive. The lights were either dimmed or out completely and it added to the atmosphere. John regarded Marlena with a false bravado. He had sounded confident, like he knew what he was going to say. In reality he had no idea where to even start. Marlena crossed her arms in front of her and glared him.

"I have nothing to say to you."

John held the book out in front of him like a peace offering.

"Don't you want to talk about this Marlena?"

"Not particularly." Marlena snatched the journal from his hands and hugged it to her like it afforded some form of protection.

"Don't you even want to know how I came by it?" John needled cautiously.

"Not particularly," Marlena repeated. "I just want you to leave."

"I'm not going to, Doc." John said softly, stepping toward her. "Not till we've resolved this."

******

Q sat alone in his room and listened to the voices as they drifted up lazily from downstairs. Given the freedom, he would have listened, but Marlena had asked him for privacy and that was what she was going to get.

Not that he liked it. Just like he didn't like the way he was feeling lately. Even though he knew his only hope of getting back into the Continuum was to get Marlena and John back together, he was finding that he was less and less inclined to want to do it. He cared so much about Marlena and all John seemed to do these days was cause her tears. And Eugene hated to see her cry.

******

Marlena laughed at the irony of it.

"Nice try John. It's just a pity that you're about three years too late."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you've blown it. There's nothing *to* resolve anymore." Marlena turned her back on him and walked into the living room. Her heart sank as she heard him follow. She had hoped he would just go, but really, she had known that he wouldn't make it that easy for her. He never did.

"But what about last night?" John pressed.

"What *about* last night?" she retorted angrily, turning to look out of the window, not trusting herself to look at his face.

"You felt it. I know you did. Marlena, what we have is special, you can't just throw it away." He put his hand on her shoulder but stepped back in surprise as she violently shrugged it off. She turned around and looked him squarely in the eye, then in a gesture of defiance, she threw her journal on the coffee table with all the force she could find.

"What we *had* John. Last night was a lie. You've been prepared to walk away from what we had for years now. What was I supposed to do? Wait around forever?" she asked bitterly.

"That's not how it was at all Marlena," John's reply held a hint of anger. "I was trying to protect *you*. You have suffered so much pain, I didn't want to be the source of any more. I love you too much for that."

"That is the most *pathetic* thing I've heard," Marlena said vehemently. "Maybe if you hadn't been so wrapped up in *Kristen* for the past three years you might have seen that every time you talked to me you hurt me."