John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 33 - Opposition

Q awoke to darkness and the sound of stifled weeping. He knew it well by now, but it pained him, as ever, to hear it. As his eyes became adjusted to the semi-darkness, he spied Marlena sitting on the bottom level of the staircase. He swung his legs out of the bed and quietly made his way to the source of the sound. As he neared her, he saw the little package of gold sitting at her feet. The facts came together quickly, and he lowered himself onto the step next to Marlena, wrapping his arms comfortingly around her as he had so many times in the past week.

******

Sami awoke early, even earlier than her son. She was unsure what had woken her, but a sense of unease hung around her like an invisible veil. Will lay safe and sound asleep in his crib but after checking on him, Sami couldn't seem to find sleep again. Finally, she slipped out of bed and throwing a robe on she padded her way towards the stairs, intending to make herself a cup of tea.

She stopped on the landing as she heard both her mother's tears and saw Q comforting Marlena. Instinctively she knew that this was the source of her unease. Eugene's familiarity with her mom was disturbing to her. Intellectually Sami knew that Marlena needed a friend to help and guide her through this time and she also knew that she was too involved in the situation to be that friend. Since she had finally accepted John again her energies and expectations had been focused on the idea of Marlena and John finally being together and creating the family for Belle that Sami had never been able to have. Still, it seemed to her that the dependence that Marlena was developing on Eugene Bradford was neither healthy nor helpful.

As she stood frowning on the landing, it seemed that Eugene sensed her presence and he turned to look at her. Marlena was still oblivious to everything but her own emotions as Q beckoned to Sami to come down. She reluctantly made her way down the stairs till she was standing on the other side of her mother. He motioned for her to sit down and, almost as if he had known what the young girl was thinking, Eugene peeled himself away from Marlena. He waited till Sami had placed her arms protectively round her mother and then he put the small package on her lap before he made his way unobtrusively to the kitchen.

"Mom?" Sami brushed Marlena's hair behind her ear with a nervous finger. Marlena had always been the one in control, the one who knew what to do. That was one of the things that had made her so easy to blame all these years. But now she seemed more unsure, more frightened of her future than Sami ever had, and Sami wasn't sure she was ready for the role of comforter. What answers could she give her mother if *she* couldn't find them?

"Mom, what's wrong?" She looked at the tiny, gilded box which sat on her knee. There was no answer from Marlena. "Is it this present? Is that what's upset you?" She practically whispered the question as if the impact would somehow be lessened if her voice was softer. A small nod gave her the answer she needed. "Mom do you mind if I open it?"

There was no movement for a moment and then Marlena moved away slightly.

"Go ahead." Her voice sounded like it bore the weariness of the world. Sami wondered again how much she was sleeping lately. The circles under her eyes told a different story than the one she gave out.

"Are you sure?" Sami asked, afraid that she had unwittingly offended Marlena.

"Sure. Yeah." Marlena nodded her head, wiping away the last of the tears. Suddenly she felt tired and a little foolish. She had to stop these episodes. She was losing control of her emotions and it scared her.

Always in the past she had been able to lock away the worst parts of her life. She hadn't been able or willing to break down in front of others. *Especially* not her children. They had been through so much and she had made it a point of being strong in front of them. She had saved her tears for the early hours of the morning when she was alone, and she could let go of her emotions without fear of reprisal. But now, now she seemed to have no control over herself, over the way she reacted.