Whisper My Name

Chapter 52

John and Marlena's Lakehouse

And it could happen any day

Everything could go astray

~ Under the Sky ~ Heart ~

Vivian Alamain awoke disoriented on a long soft couch, as four faces hovered over her, but it was her son's face that almost had her fainting a second time. Staring at him helplessly, unsure of herself, and unsure of him, she said, "Forrest?"

While she was unconscious, John had been bombarded with hundreds of memories of his mother, solidifying that the woman before him was indeed her. It was the way her hair felt between his fingers, and the smell of her perfume. The disconnect he had felt when the microchip was in place was gone, and all he felt was relief, and love. A single moment in time, but that disconnect was gone in an instant. Kneeling down beside her, John said, with a soft teasing smile, "Hey, Mom."

She started crying. She didn't know what else to do. It was helpless sobs as she struggled to sit up. She reached for John as if she were in a dream. "We thought you were gone. Everyone thought you had died in Grenada."

"It's a long story, and it's going to take awhile to get through," he told her, taking her hand in his. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Softly he said, "But if you're willing to listen..."

Vivian reached for him, touching his face softly, before throwing herself into his arms. Nearly ten years she'd mourned him, and there he was in front of her. "This can't be happening. I can't believe you're here. I want to know. I want to know everything."

"Would you like some water? Or some tea?" Marlena asked her. Vivian turned to see a blonde woman, with striking hazel eyes, trying to understand the role she played in everything. Where did one even begin to unravel a situation like this?

John sighed softly. He smiled at Marlena with an expression of absolute adoration, and Vivian's question was answered. He loved Marlena. She studied her son, as he said softly, "Yeah, Doc. Some tea would be nice. Do we have any Earl Grey?"

Marlena returned John's smile, placing her small hand on his arm, "We do. I'll get it."

Shawn still stood there, nearly dumbstruck, unsure of what to say or do. Vivian looked at him with sharp brown eyes, and said with stark bluntness, "What are you doing here, Shawn Brady? I don't even know how he knows about you."

Shawn stumbled over his words, unsure of how to respond, "Viv, you see there was some misunderstanding on my part–"

John cut him off gently, "Hey, Pop? Let me explain everything, because out of all of this mess... you and my mother are the victims."

Vivian snorted, throwing her legs over the side of the couch haughtily, while looking at Shawn with murderous intentions, "Shawn Brady a victim? I don't see how. He left me to raise his son with no care in the world, and now I find him here with you... playing father of the year. I was seventeen Shawn Brady! My father nearly disowned me!"

"It wasn't his fault," John said softly. "Mom, did you ever know a man named Stefano DiMera?"

Vivian gasped slightly. Everyone knew Stefano DiMera. If they didn't know him, they knew of him. She had spent her life trying to forget him. She looked at John with eyes that were surprised, and then she glanced at Shawn who simply nodded. Answering her son she said, "I knew him years ago. Briefly... but I was very young, and... he became obsessive. My father sent me on a holiday to put distance between us, because I was afraid." Looking sideways at Shawn, she said with her characteristic snark, "That's when I met you. Which I'm not certain is much better."