The Giuoco Piano

Chapter 48 - El Pes dels Records

"Yes, and I'm pretty sure she lied to me, and it was Grace who came out of the trance, not you," Kim says sharply. "Was it?"

"No," Marlena lies almost too easily. Kim is, of course, too perceptive for her own good. Grace had indeed, mimicked her and had been the one in control when Kim had brought them out of the trance. But Marlena had fought her way to the surface, taking back her body when she realized what was happening. She won't let Grace hurt her family any more than she already has. If she has any control over it, of course.

And the easiest and most direct way of ensuring that, is making sure she's nowhere near her family.

"Doc," Roman digs his fingers through his hair in frustration. He's sitting on the floor now, in front of the sofa staring up at her, his face a rictus of fear and misery. "You can't continue this madness. You're not making any sense. This is making you sick."

"This is exactly what Stefano wanted," Hope reminds her. "You're playing right into his hands continuing with this."

"You need help, Marlena," Kim takes her hand. She doesn't believe Marlena for a moment when she says it wasn't Grace who was inhabiting her body for those initial moments. She has too much experience with alternate identities to be fooled. "You helped me when I was suffering from MPD. Let me help you now."

Marlena pulls her hand from Kim's and stands, stepping around Roman and crossing the room. She feels hemmed in and claustrophobic with her family clustered around her. She appreciates that they mean well. But as much as they try to promise her that she's not alone, they are wrong. She is alone. She's more alone than she's ever been. And she's out of options.

"The only help I need is to get our child and our grandchildren back," she says sharply. "And if you won't help me do what I need to do, then I don't need you. I can do this without you."

"You won't be doing it at all," Roman practically shouts at her. "Have you looked at yourself in a mirror lately, Marlena? You look like a fucking stranger. You're giving DiMera everything he wants. And what he ultimately wants is you."

"All that matters is that the children are safe," Marlena crosses her arms in front of her.

"No that's not all that fucking matters!" Roman scrambles to his feet and rushes at her grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "You matter. We matter. Don't you understand Doc, I can't... I need you. I can't watch you walk into his clutches." He brushes the hair from her face. "Everything that we've been through... all the times we've saved each other from him. From his and his family's twisted games. You can't just let him win!"

"I'm not having this conversation!" she shouts back at him, putting her bent arms up between them and using them to bat away his touch.

"Marlena, you have to listen to him," Bo speaks up. "You... we love you, but Grace tried real hard to tear this family apart once before. You can't let her do it again. You can't let Stefano DiMera tear it apart."

"Stefano will take my children and all of you one by one until I have no one left," Marlena cries angrily. "Don't you get it? Don't any of you get it? He's not playing a game. It's me or it's all of you. One by one. Belle, Sami, Eric, Brady. Caroline and Shawn. Shawn-D. Andrew and Jeannie." She reels off each of the names in succession. Each name falls like a stone in between them. "Don't you tell me you wouldn't do anything to save your children? Every one of you. Because I know you would. You would move heaven and earth to keep your children safe. Well so would I. I have and I will."

"Marlena-" Hope starts.

"Oh, don't Marlena me, Hope," Marlena snaps. "If it wasn't for you, none of this would be happening in the first place."