It's Never Too Late

Chapter 2 - Hopelessly Devoted to You

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Guess mine is not the first heart broken

My eyes are not the first to cry

I'm not the first to know

There's just no getting over you

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Marlena felt like she had to find Kristen, and get her to understand how much John needed her. His coming to Tony's funeral was a disaster, but she understood why he'd done it. He was innocent, and he'd felt there was no need to hide; however, Peter's reaction combined with Stefano's had done nothing but confuse Kristen further. Marlena was hoping that by speaking with her one to one, Kristen would be able to clear the confusion of her mind, and discard the rhetoric that Peter was feeding her.

She would have to overlook the growing feelings of dread she had regarding John's relationship with Kristen. He deserved someone who would never doubt him. The problem was, this wasn't the first time. When Kristen had first come to Salem her hatred of John was born of years and years of lies told to her by her father and her brother. Once she had fallen in love with John, Tony's return combined with more of Stefano's lies, had her easily pushing John to the side and marrying Tony. While John was imprisoned at Maison Blanche, he'd talked about getting Kristen away from Tony, and an affair had ensued, but again, Kristen had pushed him away when she'd discovered he was a priest. As soon as his dispensation was approved, she was back in his life. Marlena didn't trust people who were faithless, and Kristen Blake DiMera was faithless. She didn't have her own thoughts and opinions, and when she did they were easily swayed by the words and whisperings of others.

The scene at the gravesite kept flashing in her mind, and it had her questioning if she should bother at all. Peter had offered to hold off on arresting John, laying the decision firmly at Kristen's feet. Instead of defending the man she claimed to love, she hadn't said anything. She'd simply stared at John with tears streaming down her face, as John's face slowly realized she wasn't going to intervene. Marlena was admittedly surprised. She still didn't fully understand. It was another example of Kristen's lack of trust. Her doubt would be the thing that would bring her relationship to ruin, and there would be no coming back from that.

Marlena sighed as she rounded the corner near the cemetery. None of that mattered. John loved Kristen, and needed her, and Marlena was going to do whatever she could to bring them back together. She stopped short when she saw Kristen leaning over Tony's grave. The dirt was still fresh as she laid a rose atop the mound, and started crying again.

Staring down at the grave for her deceased husband, Kristen was consumed and overwhelmed with guilt. She'd been a horrible wife to him. She should have tried harder, or perhaps she shouldn't have married him at all. The pressures of her family were always on her. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she had ever truly been free to make her own choices. If you asked her father or her brother they would deny it, of course, but they were always whispering in her ear, creating doubt and suspicion. She'd married Tony because she cared about him, but she'd mostly married him because Peter had pressured her, and Stefano had yet again faked his own demise, making her believe that John was involved. Wasn't that how it always went? She hadn't even been able to look John in his face when she'd allowed Peter to have him arrested. And what did it matter anyway? He had Marlena. She could hear her father's words in her mind, he has always loved Marlena... John is duplicitous... But was he? Her mind was a whirl, and then there was the evidence - Tony blaming John as he lay dying - The argument - John's own words... the only good DiMera is a dead DiMera...