"Are you busy?" Craig looks up from his paperwork as Grace closes the door behind her.
"Well," he leans back in his chair with a wide grin. "Now that you mention it, something really important just came up."
"I'll just bet it did." Grace slides her hand behind her with a sensual smile and twists the lock on the office door until it clicks.
"You know, Doctor," Craig draws his arms up and laces his fingers behind his head as he leans back in his executive chair. His tone is serious but the slight smirk on his lips and the twinkle in his eyes gives him away. "You really should make an appointment before you go inviting yourself into my office."
"I should?" She advances across the office, unbuttoning her dress slowly and deliberately.
"Welll..." Craig can't take his eyes off her as she moves towards him. "I suppose I could make an allowance or two..."
"Under what conditions?" Grace skims the large, officious desk and moves in front of Craig. Drawing her hands across her shoulders, she slides the spaghetti straps over her skin and lets the butter yellow silk fall from her body.
Craig drops his arms and clears his throat rapidly as she leans against the desk in front of him, the white lacy teddy clinging to her like a second skin. He tugs at his tie and forces himself to look up at her face. Her eyes are alive with amusement and he finds himself suddenly grinning again. "I'm sure we can find some reason."
He reaches for her hand and pulls her towards him. Lowering herself onto his lap, she helps him discard his tie.
"You wouldn't be abusing your position of power now, would you Dr. Wesley?" she asks innocently as she undoes the top button of his shirt.
"Power?" He raises his eyebrows slightly. "Over *you*?" He shakes his head with amusement. "I think you're playing with me Marlena. You know you have me *completely* at your mercy. The only power I conceivably have is to say 'no' to you. And I don't even have the strength for that."
"Why would you want to?" The corner of Grace's mouth twists upwards unto a smile of victory as she unbuttons his shirt with nimble fingers and then runs her fingers admiringly over her chest.
"I don't," he tells her in a breathless voice as he slides his hand around the back of her neck.
She shivers as she feels his lips on hers and she closes her eyes, submitting to the sensations that he elicits with his lips and tongue.
She moans but then she freezes as she realizes she is replaying the encounter with John Black in the penthouse in her mind. Grace's eyes snap open as her muscles tense at the inexplicable invasion of her thoughts.
"Marlena?" Craig feels her pull away and he cups her cheek with the palm of his hand. "Are you okay?" He's concerned that she might have had a sudden change of heart and while he's desperately hoping that's not so, he knows he cannot push her to do something that she does not want to do.
Grace looks at him, surprised and a little thrown by his sudden gentleness. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
"I just thought-"
Grace lifts her finger to his lips to quiet him. "Well, *don't* think," she murmurs sensually. "Thinking... only..." she pulls his shirt down off of one shoulder and nips his skin gently between her teeth, "gets people... into..." She feels his hand sliding up the inside of one thigh and she gasps loudly, "*trouble*!"
"The only trouble I want to get *into*, blondie," he fixes her with such a look of lust that she actually trembles, "is *you*."
Grace exhales gently between slightly pursed lips as she stares back at him. Yet, suddenly it's not his face that she is seeing, but rather, John's and she has to blink several times before she can get rid of the disturbing visual.
"Marlena?" She feels Craig's hand in her hair and she has to force herself to focus on him. She *can't* let John get to her this way. He means nothing to her, in fact he means less than nothing. She can't stand him and that's why the argument with him earlier has affected her so. She feels as though he gained some kind of advantage over her and it's playing on her mind.
Forget about him Grace. He's not worth it. Not worth your anger, not worth ruining your afternoon.
She smiles at Craig as she climbs off his lap. "What are we waiting for?"
She pulls him up with her and then looks behind her at his desk.
Craig grins at the implication and shakes his head. "God, you really are trouble, aren?t you?"
"Incorrigible, my darling." She leans back against the desk and Craig shakes his head admiringly as he slides his hands over her shapely rear.
Grace pulls him into a passionate kiss that rather takes his breath away and then he feels his shirt being torn from his body. With blind hands, he begins to sweep items from his desk until it is clear and then he lays Marlena back on the expensive blotter...
~
"Will you be okay Granma?" Sami asks quietly.
"Oh yes," Caroline looks across at Sami with red-rimmed eyes. "I'll be just fine dear. Don't you worry about me."
"Well, I *am* worried about you," Sami says with a frown. Both of her grandparents have taken the news hard and they seem frailer than Sami has ever seen them. For her own part, the news of her father's death has stunned her but she knows that it will hit her in time, probably when she can grieve on her own. But right now, she has more pressing concerns on her mind.
"I think if you should worry about anyone Sami, it should be your mother, and John," Caroline's voice cracks as she John's name.
"I am." Sami runs her fingers through her long silky hair. "I don't know what is wrong with Mom at the moment, she's behaving so strangely."
"Well it seems like whatever it is, it's something that's happened between the two of them," Bo interrupts the conversation, his face serious. "John's been miserable for days. I saw him down on the pier last week and he would barely talk to me."
"What could be so *awful* that it could come between them like this?" Sami feels the familiar pang of concern intensifying inside her chest. "Whatever it is, it's obviously got Mom totally freaked out."
"I don't know," Bo shrugs and looks questioningly at Caroline, who shakes her head.
"I guess the news about Roman, on top of the stress she is obviously already under..." her voice cracks again and she claps her hands over her face. "Oh, Roman.... It can't be true... not my Roman...."
"Oh Ma," Bo murmurs gently as he slides his arm around her shoulders. "I wish it wasn't true, but it is. Abe wouldn't put us wrong. He was there, he saw Ro... Roman...."
"I can't believe I'll never hear his voice again, or see his smile," Caroline sobs against Bo's shoulder. "All the times... all the miracles...." She looks up at Bo with forlorn eyes. "There are no more miracles, are there?"
"No Ma," Bo shakes his head with tears in his own eyes. "I think this time we're all out of miracles."
"Are you okay Sami?" Austin crouches down beside Sami's seat. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I don't know," Sami sighs, "I don't think it's hit me yet in all honesty. I keep thinking it must be some kind of mistake, but I know it isn't. It just feels so totally surreal."
"Do you want to see if you can find your Mom?" Austin leans his head on one side. "I'll drive you if you do."
"Well, hopefully John found her and they're sorting things out now," Sami shrugged.
"I'm afraid not." She looks up at the voice to find a distraught looking John standing in the doorway.
"You didn't find her?" Sami stands as John comes towards them.
"No, I found her, but I think I just made things a whole lot worse." John sighs as he pulls up a chair and swings his leg over it so that he is sitting backwards on it. Sami sits back down as well, concern plainly etched on her face.
"What's happened John?" Caroline asks with emotion clouding her voice. "Why is Marlena so upset with you?"
"Oh Caroline," John's voice is hoarse and he lowers his eyes in embarrassment. "She found out I lied to her, about something really important. She has every right to be angry with me."
"What John?" Sami asks, her forehead lined with concern. "What was it that you lied about?"
"I really can't go into it now Samantha," John replies awkwardly. He can't tell them, not this way. Not now. "Just trust me, it's bad. And now, your Mom wants a separation."
"A *separation*?" Caroline repeats, stunned almost into silence.
"Yeah," John nods, his eyes stinging and blurry. He looks up at his family and shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I hurt her. I let her down, let you *all* down."
"You didn't let us down, bro," Bo says softly. "You and Marlena will work this thing out, I know you will."
"I don't know any more," John shakes his head desolately. Bo has no idea just *how* much he has let the family down and he hates that he is still keeping this from them. But he doesn't know how to tell them without making things a hundred times worse. "She *hates* me. I can't even get her to listen to me, to talk to me or anything."
"Well, she's not exactly being Ms. Congeniality to *anyone* at the moment," Sami notes acerbically.
"It's my fault, Sami," John looks at his step-daughter with haunted eyes. "I did this to her, she's just trying to deal with the fall-out. And now with your Dad...." He shakes her head. "She won't let me look after her, so she's going to need her family more than ever now."
"But she sent Belle away," Sami exclaims. "That's what I don't get. Mom *adores* Belle. Why would she send her away with things being so hard for her?"
"She said it was because she didn't want Belle caught up between the two of us," John explains quietly. He has tried to call Belle in the intervening days, but he has only managed to reach an icy Martha on the phone and he wonders how much Marlena has told them.
"It still doesn't make any sense," Sami maintains stubbornly and John is suddenly struck by how like her mother she is.
"We'll look after her, bro," Bo lays his hand on John's arm. "Marlena is family. We'll make sure she's okay."
"Thanks Bo," John nods miserably. "I appreciate it. And whatever happens, please, all of you remember that both Marlena and I love you all with all our hearts."
"Whatever happens?" Hope emerges into the pub and John freezes instantly. "John, what's going on? Why was Marlena so upset with you?"
"Uh... I really don't want to go through it again," John looks at his watch deliberately. The last thing he wants to do is explain to *Hope* why it is that his wife wants to leave him when *she* is the primary reason. "Look, I have some things I really need to do. Bo, fill the rest of the family in, will you?"
"Yeah, sure," Bo blinks in bewilderment as John slides backwards off the chair and stands. "I'll catch you all later, okay?"
"Sure thing." Sami watches as he departs the pub and then turns back to the dismayed family.
"Wow," Hope raises her eyebrows as she looks at Bo in surprise. "Was it something I said?"