Blurred Lines

Chapter 25 - Little Lies

November 26, 1992

Shawn and Caroline Brady's House

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If I could turn the page

In time then I'd rearrange just a day or two

(Close my, close my, close my eyes)

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Isabella was already angry when they arrived at Shawn and Caroline Brady's home. She hadn't wanted to go at all, but John considered them family. She had at one time, but since Marlena's return, that feeling was becoming more estranged. The Brady family's love and devotion to the beautiful, intelligent, and now helpless Marlena Evans was too much for Isabella to take. She'd never hated anyone in her life, but she hated Marlena. She couldn't tell any of that to John, but he sensed her unwillingness to spend time with her, and it was only adding to the divide between them. The problem was she couldn't seem to do anything to stop it. Everything was changing, and as hard as she tried to grasp the strings and hold her life together, she saw it unraveling a little more every day. She wasn't communicating. John wasn't communicating. Instead they continued to live in the loft telling each other half truths.

John knocked on the door, and leaned over, whispering softly, "We won't stay long, Izzy-B. We'll say hello, and stay a half hour, but it would break their heart if I didn't come at all."

She sighed heavily, "I know."

The door opened wide, and Bo had a huge smile on his face as he greeted his sister, and John. "Why are you knocking?"

John started to say, "I just figured–"

"--don't be dumb!" Bo told them, ushering them inside. "You don't have to knock when you're family."

John started to shrug out of his coat, when he heard Sami and Eric's screams of joy. He couldn't help it. He smiled so wide, as he knelt down, and they ran into his outstretched arms. "How are my little beasties doing?"

"Still as wild as ever," Carrie said, approaching at a more moderate pace. John stood up with Sami and Eric in his arms, and Carrie kissed his cheek, "Hey Dad."

"Hey Punkin'," he said looking around. He hadn't seen Marlena in two weeks, and he had a feeling that seeing her now would be awkward. "Where's Marlena?"

"She's down in the pub kitchen with Grandpa. He loved the bread... really loved it. He's asking her about making it for the pub on a regular basis," Carrie said with a smile.

Setting the twins on their feet, John let them run off with Shawn-D, as he asked Carrie, "It was that good?"

"Grandpa said it tastes just like his Maimeo used to make." Carrie looked sideways at Isabella, and caught her sneer before she looked away. It upset her. Marlena was doing the best she could since the accident, and Isabella's attitude wasn't helping. As soon as Marlena had heard that John would be coming by with Isabella, she'd suggested to Shawn that they go down to the pub kitchen to discuss Shawn's bread order. Carrie knew that Marlena was hoping to miss John and Isabella completely. Carrie was also smart enough to know that John had been avoiding Marlena for the last two weeks at least. Something had happened between them, but she wasn't sure what. She watched Isabella walk over to the couch and sit down with Brady, and then she said to John, "Dad, Marlena really needs this. I think making the bread for the pub will help her feel productive. You know, she's been really down lately."

Glancing over at Isabella, he asked, "Is she still doing sessions with Kim?"

"You'd know if you asked her yourself," Carrie replied with a hint of frustration. "Something happened between the two of you. Did you argue?"