John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 128 - Squaring Off

Damn her!

The words ran through Q's thoughts like an incessantly irritating toy locomotive on a shortened track. He was perched on the back of the sofa across from Marlena and he was studying the bruising on her face. Kristen had managed to land a pretty good blow and it looked painful. He would heal that for her, if she would let him. But it would have to be later, when Laura wasn't around. For now, he could only listen as John spoke.

"Eugene, I know you left for a reason and I'm sure you really don't want to be here, but I'm asking you for Marlena's sake." John was feeling highly irritable, and he rubbed his face tiredly as he spoke. The last few weeks were really starting to take their toll on him.

"I know what's at stake John. You don't need to spell it out for me." Q felt more than a little impatient. Marlena was avoiding his gaze and it made him even more uncomfortable than he already felt. Not the least because he felt he was under the scrutiny of Laura Horton. He liked Laura and enjoyed her company but to involve her in the mess that was his friendship with Marlena...? He sighed silently as he thought about the implications. It wasn't exactly conducive to a budding friendship to have all of one's flaws laid out in the open like one was part of some ridiculous psychoanalytic study, was it?

"Good. Then you know how important it is that Marlena has round the clock protection." John's voice was tight with stress and his fists were curled up into frustrated balls. There was absolutely *nothing* about this situation that he liked, but he felt powerless to fix it.

He hadn't expected to feel quite so antagonistic when Eugene walked into the room, but then, maybe old habits die hard. They had cleared the air for the most part, but it was hard to stop feeling such overwhelming emotions overnight. As it was, they were now manageable, and he was able to bite his tongue. Mostly.

"Within *reason* that is."

"Oh, for goodness sake!" That was enough to rile Marlena's temper. It had been a hell of an afternoon and her patience was fraying in concert with John's. "I don't *need* to be babied, John. I'm not helpless, I don't need a bodyguard and I *certainly* don't need you two sniping at each other every time you're in the same room. I thought we'd been through this?"

There was a pause and then John's shoulders drooped.

"You're right, I'm sorry, Doc." He looked at Q, but his fists still tensed unconsciously, the balls of his knuckles whitening with each tightening of his muscles. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"Apology accepted," Q knew John's sincerity was limited but he wasn't about to make things any more difficult than they had to be. John turned immediately back to Marlena, filled with the necessity to convince her that this was in her best interests.

"But Doc, you *do* need to be protected, I know how independent you are and how much you hate being looked after..."

"Damn *right* I do," Marlena had all but forgotten her earlier terror and she felt herself becoming indignant. "I don't like being patronized, John."

"You're not being patronized Doc. We've been through this." He was frustrated by her stubbornness, as usual, but he knew how to choose his battles. This was one he wouldn't lose. "I need to know you're safe and I can't trust an alarm to make sure you're okay. Stefano can make it past those with no problems. He's proven that before."

"Nothing's foolproof," she countered. "Not even Gene. There's always variables."

"But there are fewer variables for me to worry about with Eugene here," John frowned. "Dammit Marlena, why do you have to be so argumentative?" He turned to Eugene who shrugged and rolled his eyes in a 'here we go again' intimation.