Bo Brady hated waiting more than just about anything in the entire world. He waited for the flight in Salem, he disembarked and changed planes in New York and he waited some more. The overseas flight seemed to last forever and then finally, he was there in Paris and ready to find his sister-in-law, the beloved Marlena Evans. And damn if he wasn't still being made to wait! Sitting around this dull, boring office in the City of Lights, doing what amounted to nothing, instead of searching for her. He'd read the files, studied the maps and he was ready and raring to go.

Exasperated with the lack of movement, he blew it off at his friend, "Shane... we can't just sit around here and do nothing!" Bo was standing next to the room's only adornment, an over sized map of France, and wishing they had some idea of which direction their quarry was headed. "Marlena is out there somewhere with one of Stefano's trained killers.. .and from the looks of it, he's a real charmer. He'll use her, Shane... he'll draw her in and make her care for him... he'll get her believing he cares about her too, and then when the time comes, he'll turn on her."

"Bo... I know you're worried about Marlena and believe me so am I, but we can't go off half cocked on this thing. This guy is a smart one, he won't hurt her because he knows she's his insurance policy, not to mention his only chance for survival."

"Right... but with us, or with Dimera, Shane? What if he decides to give her to Stefano as some kind of peace offering or something. Marlena in exchange for his life and his freedom?"

Looking over at his Paris partner, ISA agent Shane Donovan nodded, realizing it was definitely a logical conclusion now that Bo Brady had brought up the same idea without any previous discussion. "We've thought about that too.... Bo, there's no question she's in danger, but I really don't think he'll hurt her or turn her over to Stefano. He won't want to take the risk that Stefano will deny him. John knows if that happens, he's going to suffer.... and suffer like no one else ever has, Bo. Honestly, it looks like Black is seriously wounded and I don't think he'll be going near Dimera or any of his compounds."

He blew out a breath he wasn't aware he'd been holding and conceded the point, "Alright... so, how do we get to them before Stefano does? "

"We're still working on it, Bo... his network in Western Europe is extensive.... it's possible he could find them before we do," Shane admitted reluctantly while staring at the identified Dimera strongholds on the map in front of him.

That was alarming at best, but he spoke softly, picturing Marlena in Stefano's grimy hands. "Shane if that happens, we might never see her again."

Standing at the far end of the map from his friend, Shane replied in agreement, "I know that... and we're going to do everything we can to locate them as soon as possible. We'll do whatever it takes, including making a public appeal to this guy if it becomes necessary." He winced when he saw the beginnings of Bo's reaction.

Bo nearly erupted at that one, " A public appeal? No way, Shane.... that'll only make things worse... getting the media hot and bothered. It'll turn this whole search and rescue operation into a circus and that's the last thing we all need, especially Marlena. If Black gets nervous, there's no telling what he'll do."

"Maybe so... but if he knows he has an out, a safe place, he might just take us up on our offer. It's a gamble we might have to make Bo, in order to save her life. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Are you? Or are you more interested in getting back at Stefano and this operative than in saving Marlena?"

Crossing the distance between them, Bo got in the man's face and bellowed at him, his breathing ragged from holding his temper as best he could, "How *dare* you ask me that! That BASTARD murdered my brother, Shane! Her husband! Of course, I want to take him down! Look, for all we know this guy Black or Stevens or whatever the hell his name is... he might have been a part of that. We don't know anything for sure about who he is, what he's done. I've read the files...there are no hard facts... it's all supposition. Yea, I'd love to nail him and Dimera, but the most important thing is saving Marlena. I won't ever forget that, I hope you won't either."

Cognizant that allowing his own anger and frustration to flare would not help matters, Shane was decidedly calm in the face of Bo's anger, "I won't Bo... we may disagree on methods but our priorities are the same. I swear to you now, I want Dimera too... almost as badly as you do, and I've been building a case on his slimy organization for a long time. But I won't let that get in the way of finding and rescuing Marlena from this John Black character. If we have a chance to capture Dimera in the process and bring him to justice, I'll consider that a bonus."

"Alright.... I believe you. So, what do we do next? I don't think I can handle sitting around here much longer, Shane?" Bo finally said, forcing himself to settle down.

As his friend was about to answer, the sound of a telephone ringing interrupted them. Shane's partner snagged it and answered with a simple "Hello?"

"Jacques.... I think we've got a lead on him...."

"Alright... fire it at me."

"A Black Range Rover was spotted on A43 outside of Lyon, leading toward the mountains. He was in a hurry... must have some kind of a hideaway tucked up in there somewhere."

"Good work, Sergeant.... we'll get right on it. Alert the local authorities and get a helicopter fueled and ready to hit the air ASAP! We'll meet you at the strip!"

"Done sir!"

He said nothing further, preferring to speak with Shane immediately. "Shane... there was a black Rover spotted moving at a fairly high rate of speed on A43 in Rhone Valley. Looks like they're headed for the Alps."

"The Alps... I would have guessed the Riviera... it's more Black's style, but that works for me. It has to be him."

Two seconds later, the three of them were rushing off toward the silver BMW Shane was driving while on the Continent.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She awakened with a jolt... the Range Rover was careening wildly. Her tired eyes struggled to focus. Seeing her captor/companion slumped against the door, Marlena grabbed the wheel, but his foot was pressing down on the accelerator.

They were going to crash...

"Oh, God... help me please!" she screamed as the labored to control the speeding vehicle. It fishtailed wildly as she worked at dislodging the foot. At last, she was able to move his right foot and get hers on the brake pedal. After a few more harrowing moments they came to a screeching halt on a grassy knoll.

Looking around her as she caught her breath, all she could determine was that it was late into the night, nearing morning, and they were presumably somewhere in the French countryside, where he finally mentioned they'd been headed.

Immediately after regaining her bearings slightly, her doctor's instincts kicked in and she checked his pulse. It was very weak and his shirt was once again covered in blood. "Oh, you're just impossible! I warned you, John... and now you almost got *both* of us killed..." she muttered as she searched for something to press on the wound so she could stop the bleeding.

Obviously, the doctor who was supposed to have taken care of him provided purposely shoddy treatment and the stitches had worked themselves loose. If for some reason John weren't apprehended immediately, his escape would continue to be hampered by the wound. It seemed there was no way she could give him the care he needed without some kind of facility. But, what options did she really have? If she took him to a hospital they'd be discovered, and John arrested and imprisoned, something she now knew would destroy him. Or worse, Stefano Dimera would find him and take him away to be tortured. She shuddered at the thought of what that monster would do to a man who betrayed his trust and tried to break away from his control.

Whatever he believed, whatever the papers she's glanced at said about him, she knew he wasn't the heartless cold blooded thief and killer he was being made out to be. Despite all outward appearances to the contrary, it seemed to her that John Stevens was a man who felt things deeply, who was willing to risk his own life to save a stranger. In her heart of hearts, Marlena now believed him to be a good and caring man, regardless of what he had supposedly done over the length of the past several years. Now, if she could only find a way to make *him* believe that!

She lightly slapped at his cheeks, nearly crying as she tried to get him to come around, "John... John...please you have to wake up... I can't take good care of you here... I can't even move you so I can drive... "

Still nothing, his eyes remained closed and his body slumped against the door which was below her because of the position in which the Ranger Rover stopped. She shook him as gently as possible, "Oh, please, John... you're bleeding badly... and you could die if I don't get you somewhere I can take care of you..." She was weeping out of fear for him. 'How was that even possible?' her mind kept asking.

Before she could answer the question for herself, she sighed with relief. At last, he was responding to her desperation, "Mmm... just let me die... go....leave me.... You can make your way to the authorities... you'll be safe.... They'll believe that I was holding you hostage all this time."

"No, I'm not leaving you... "

"You have to... I can't.... help you... I'm a... goner and you know it.... Go... just GO!" he urged, using whatever remaining strength he had to grasp at the handle and push open the door, landing his body on the cold snowy ground, the blood making bright red streaks on the light dusting of pure white powder.

"Oh, God... John... no... "

It astounded her. She was crying--hard, fearing for the life of a man who had kidnapped her, dragged her in and out of places all over Paris. She was finally free to leave him, go back to the city, and make her way home to all the people she loved. Instead, she was begging him not to die. It made no sense whatsoever to her mind, but it was her heart which was responding to the bleeding man who seemed willing to sacrifice his life to save hers. But in her eyes, that meant he was giving up, quitting, and she hated that with a passion.

She extricated herself from the vehicle, and raced around to the other side where he was lying half in and half out of the front seat. Kneeling down beside him, she argued with him, examining him at the same time, "No.. John.. you are NOT going to die out here!! Do you hear me... I won't let you do this! I'm going to save your life whether you like it or not and then..."

"What... and then we're going to... deal with what's been happening between us?" he managed to squeak out by some miracle, despite his growing lethargy and his ingrained belief in his own inherent evil.

She scoffed but it was exaggerated and she knew it. "Us... oh, please don't flatter yourself... I'm a doctor and it's my sworn duty to save lives.... That's all it is... I took an oath and I can't leave you here to bleed to death."

So did he, and his reply was equally sarcastic, "Yea.... I hear ya, Doc..."

"Stop calling me that... You haven't earned the right to call me that!"

He laughed at her display of pride and then groaned, clutching his bloody abdomen in agony. "Oh... it's getting really...bad, isn't it?" he asked, coughing and moaning again for the effort to talk to her.

There was blood in his mouth, leaking out to cover his lips when he coughed and she gasped at the sight of it. "Oh... I won't lie to you.... yes.... it's very bad, John," she said, mopping his fevered brow and working to stop the flow of blood from the wound. "I have to get you somewhere I can clean and bandage the wound again... can you tell me where we're headed?"

Seeing that she was one determined lady who wouldn't take no for an answer, he nodded, cognizant that it meant he was giving in to her assertive nature. "Yea.... Help me...get back... in the...car?" he asked through labored breaths, hating to be so dependent on another person, but conceding that it was his reality. He was dying from a gunshot wound to the gut and if it weren't for her, he would quite probably already have been in a grave.

She opened the rear driver's side door. With that accomplished, her moist hazel eyes meeting his blue ones rather hesitantly, acknowledging the meaning of his concession, she smiled warmly and said, "Of course..." as she reached underneath his shoulders to start the effort. Using every ounce of strength she had inside, and relying on him to assist by using his feet and legs, Marlena managed to get him into the back seat of the car. After helping him to re-position himself so that he could lie down more comfortably, she covered him with a blanket she found folded on the seat. By the time that task was completed, she was exhausted and he was out cold, shivering with fever.

Suddenly struck with fear that he was going to leave her, she tilted her head toward the dark night sky, littered with a million bright and shining stars and began to pray. "Dear God... please don't let him die... I can't begin to understand why, but somehow I know that deep inside...John is a good man... and he's been hurt Lord... many, many times... I can see the pain hidden behind his eyes... please God, help me to save his life, help me find a way to show him that goodness. Amen."

John was stirring in the back seat, moaning about something... "Gina, no... Gina.. you're all I.. have... no.. no please don't go! I'll be alone again... Please don't leave me! Don't... leave me."

He was so upset, so restless and agitated, and Marlena determined to do whatever it took to help him settle down into sleep, including pretending to be that other woman. She spoke softly, reaching out to take his hand, "It's okay, John... you're alright... it's okay... "

"Gina... is that you, Gina?" he cried out in his feverish delusion, thinking he heard her voice.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she answered as if she were, "Yes... it's me... sleep my love... rest and soon we'll be safe... together."

It seemed to work, his breathing almost immediately slowing down, his eyes closing, his body beginning to surrender to the overwhelming fatigue. She let go of his hand and placed both of them on his chest and tugged the blanket up around his neck. "Rest... yea... gotta get some rest... so we can get away.... we have to get away from him... start a new life... "

Tears sprang to her tired eyes as she realized what he'd been trying to do. He wanted to leave that life of crime and settle down with the woman he loved. And now she's dead. "Yes...yes, baby... we'll start a new life... "

Marlena sighed as she looked in the rear view mirror. He was sleeping again.. 'So, he *was* in love with her. That part of the story is true... but she's gone... was she really the only person who ever loved him? "Oh, John... I hated lying to you like that.. but you're hurt so badly.... I had to do what would calm you... I hope you don't remember this later on..."

As she turned her attention to where they were supposed to be going, it suddenly occurred to her that he hadn't had a chance to tell her anything specific. Looking out the windshield at the light snowfall which covered the hilly ground in front of her, she blew out a long sigh embodying a mix of frustration, fear, and a hint of sardonic self reproach. "That's just terrific Marlena... it's late into the night, you're somewhere in the middle of France with an unconscious fugitive from justice, and you have absolutely no idea of where he was trying to take us."

Chapter 10

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