John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 95 - The Why's That Bind

Gene looked up as he heard the door open, and he felt his stomach churn as Marlena glared at him. John had told her the truth, and now it was his turn to pay the piper. And looking at her, he didn't know if he was going to make it through this in one piece.

Following her into the room, he turned around as she slammed the door behind her.

"Well?" she demanded without prevarication, her hands on her hips.

"M-Marlena, I...." Words failed him and he was suddenly struck by how much she reminded him of the 'old' Marlena, the one he had known in his previous incarnation as Eugene Bradford in the early 1980's. She had terrified him on occasion then, and the fury that burned in her eyes was frightening him now.

"Marlena, don't you think -" John tried to interrupt.

"No John," she waved his words away, "I want to hear what Eugene has to say on this matter. I want to know why when he claimed over and over that he wanted to be my friend and he wanted to help, the one thing he *didn't* do, was tell me the *truth*. I want to know why he didn't think I would be interested to know that Kristen was carrying *my* baby."

"We thought it was best..." Q offered lamely.

"*Best*? Best for *whom* Eugene?" she asked sharply, the thought of his deception feeding her bitterness.

"Maybe it worked out best for *you*, but it certainly wasn't best for me. Or John."

"That's hardly fair Marlena," Q countered, red-faced at her implication.

"Fair? Oh please don't talk to me about what's *fair*," she sounded highly exasperated. "I found John talking to what I *thought* was Kristen's baby, I heard him tell it that he loved its mother and that they were going to be a family. Then I came home, and you took me to bed Eugene. So please don't quote *fairness* to me."

"You *what*?" Q felt as though he'd been kicked in the stomach. That wasn't how it had happened.... it wasn't how she had *told* him it had happened. She had told him that she and John had broken up. For good. He had assumed.... well he wasn't sure what he had assumed. Maybe he had chosen just not to think about it too carefully. But if he had known the truth...

John watched the exchange silently. He had plenty of his own reasons to be furious at Eugene, but he could see that the man was genuinely shocked, and more than that, he was devastated at the thought that he had hurt the woman he loved. John could read the expression like he was looking in a mirror and he almost felt sorry for the guy.

"Doc, why don't you give him a break," John suggested, not at all sure that he wanted to hear the rest of this discussion. "You know, he made a mistake. We both did."

Marlena completely ignored John and continued to glower in Q's direction.

"You *said* you were my friend Gene. You said you loved me, that you wanted me to be happy."

"It's true, all of it was.... *is* true," he tried to reassure her.

"Then *why* did you lie to me? I trusted you. How could you make love to me and know that John was only with Kristen because of *my* baby?" Struggling with her emotions, she turned her back on him.

"It wasn't like that Marlena," Q took a step towards her, "If I had known about what happened with John, I would have told you the truth. You *have* to believe me."

"*Why* do I have to believe you?" she turned back to him, betrayal white-hot in her eyes. "You *knew* how much I loved John, how much I wanted to be with him." Her anger crumbled as she faced him, and tears filled her eyes. She was so tired, so damn tired of feeling like this. "I don't understand, Gene."