John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 85 - Masque

Morning. A smile dawns with the sun. Today is the day.

Elsewhere, darkness shadows evil. Light is snuffed out as easily as life can be. Will be.

Tonight is the night.

******

Sami and Eric were the first to receive invitations, the messenger hand-delivering them when Sami opened the door to get the morning paper. Sami had handed Eric his and then opened hers, staring at the expensive sheet of white parchment paper with the stiffly embossed gold letters. It simply stated that her presence was requested at the Penthouse Grill on the evening of May the sixth. Tonight. No indication as to what the occasion was, or who was inviting them; just that they were requested to dress formally for the occasion.

"What occasion?" Sami asked the rhetorical question. Eric shrugged and dropped his invitation on the bench.

"Who else is going to be there?" he wondered idly as he walked into the living room to check on Will.

"You don't *suppose* our parents might be there?" Sami asked snidely. She was feeling a little bitter that she hadn't seen anything of her mother and barely anything of her father since he had arrived back in town. It was as though Marlena had disappeared off the face of the earth, and when she had finally seen Roman and asked him, he had only mumbled something about Marlena having the flu. Of course, he had never been particularly good at lying, and Sami knew a whopper when she saw it.

"C'mon Sam, you should be happy that they are spending so much time together," Eric sighed patiently. Sami just couldn't seem to find it within herself to be happy, whatever happened.

"But Eugene is still there," Sami pointed out. "I mean, do they have some sort of weird threesome going or something?"

"*Sam*," Eric rolled his eyes. "Cut the dramatics, will you? I am sure there is a perfectly good explanation. They are all old friends after all."

"Yeah, and rather new something else as far as Mom and good old Eug are concerned," Sami shook her head. "I don't care if they go or not. I'd rather not see them. Any of them."

"Oh, I suppose you'll hang out with *Saint* John then." It was Eric's turn to become snippy. He hated how much time Sami and Will had been spending with John in the last few weeks. It felt like a betrayal of their father. John always seemed to be in the background, dropping into the pub, or even into the apartment Eric and Sami were now sharing. However, although John had tried to engage him in conversation, Eric tried to avoid John as much as he possibly could during these times.

"So, what if I do?" Sami raised her eyebrows. "I mean it's not like Dad has been rushing to spend quality time with his children and grandchild now, is it?"

"Oh, I give up," Eric couldn't stand having this conversation yet again and he shrugged his shoulders as he picked up his keys. Pulling on his jacket, he turned to her. "I'm going to see Kate Roberts about that photography job. I'll see you later."

Sami watched him close the door behind him and shook her head. Then she looked down at the invitation again, her expression curious. Who was behind this and what were they up to?

******

It was only several minutes later that Austin Reed heard the sharp rap of knuckles on his front door. He was buttoning his jacket as he opened it and he was handed two envelopes. He thanked the messenger, tipping him several dollars and then he turned back to the apartment, closing the door behind him.