Grace prises her eyes open and groans, the almost inhuman sound emanating from deep inside her. The pounding, which she thought was somewhere outside, in fact seems to be keeping up a relentless pace inside her head. Rolling over, a wave of nausea hits her and she closes her eyes again.
After Bo's visit the afternoon before, she had found herself in the unusual situation of not being in the mood to see Craig. So instead, she had dressed in her slinkiest outfit and gone out for a night on the town. If it could be called such in Salem. But even after a few too many martinis and any number of men clamouring for her attention, she hadn't been able to find one that intrigued her enough to take home. Instead, she found her way home alone, filled with an odd yearning that she doesn't understand and definitely doesn't like.
She manages to force her eyes open enough to make out the figures on the clock and curses when she realizes that it is only an hour until 'Roman's' funeral. Maybe she should just not turn up, but then, she could lose the opportunity to create a little more tension within the Brady family and that just wouldn't do.
With a supreme effort, she raises her body from the bed and swings her long, bare legs out from under the sheets...
~
"Mom?" Sami's stomach flips as she moves in front of her mother. Marlena's face is pale and there are dark circles under her eyes, only enhanced by the black hat that she wears atop her golden hair. However, as seems usual lately, her dress is nearly too fitting, with a plunging neckline that is almost unseemly, given the circumstances. "Mom, are you okay? I've been trying to get hold of you for days." She tightens her grip on Will's hand as her mother looks around the room. Anywhere but at Sami.
"I'm fine," she says in a low voice.
"Mom, I...." Sami knows what a hopeless liar Marlena is and this isn't any exception. "Mom, you look *terrible*."
"Well thanks sweetie girl." Grace replies, her words dripping with sarcasm. "I'll try and get to the beautician's before I bury your father the next time shall I?"
"Mom!" Sami actually takes a step backwards, stunned by the vitriol in her mother's tone. "I only said that because I'm *worried* about you."
"Well you don't have to bother," Grace returns nastily, "after all, you never did before. Why start now?"
With that, she walks away from Marlena's daughter, leaving the young woman to look after her in complete bewilderment.
"Oh Marlena," Caroline Brady makes her way over to where Grace stands staring at the casket, wishing the Advil would kick in. "How are you, dear?"
"I've been better Caroline," Grace says softly, hoping that she somehow approximates how Marlena might behave in this situation. "It's all so hard to believe. That Roman's actually *gone*..."
"I know, dear," Caroline nods, her eyes downcast. "It's like a nightmare. I keep expecting Shane to call and say it's all been some terrible mistake."
"We both know Shane's not going to call Caroline," Grace says quietly. "Roman is dead and we have to get used to it."
~
Stefano slides into the back of the church during the ceremony, his eyes fixing on Grace as he listens to the minister drone on about Roman Brady's exceptional life. He can't help but smile at the irony of it all. If only the Brady's knew that the man they had been lauding all these years as their precious 'Roman' was nothing more than a hired thug....
It is as though Grace can sense his presence as she turns around. Catching his eye, she gives him a tiny smile before she looks back to the front of the church.
He is pleased to note that John sits on the opposite side of the aisle but he notes that his former protégé casts glances in her direction on a very regular basis. And he's not the only one. There are several men in the congregation that seem to be rather more interested in 'Marlena' than is appropriate, given the occasion.
It is only when the service is ended and everyone is rising, that John notices that Stefano is there.
"What the *hell* are you doing here?" He stalks up to Stefano and stands chest to chest with him. "Don't you think you've already caused this family enough grief, old man?"
"I have simply come to pay my last respects to Roman," Stefano grins enticingly. "He was a good man."
"So, you didn't just make his life and the lives of everyone here a misery," John's throat is tight as he faces his nemesis. "You want to play your games in death too. Is *nothing* sacred with you?"
"I could ask the same questions of you, John," Stefano says guilelessly as he looks over at Hope.
"You *bastard*!" John explodes, grabbing the lapels of Stefano's suit and slamming him back against the stone wall of St. Lukes. "Why don't you mind your own fucking business and stay out of our fucking lives."
"John!" Bo pulls on John's arm, trying to get him to back off Stefano. The last thing that the folks need is for John to cause a scene with Stefano in here. Not at Roman's funeral. "John, c'mon bro! Don't let him get to you."
"*Get* to me?" John's lips are drawn back, revealing his teeth in an animalistic snarl. His eyes are narrowed as he thumps Stefano back against the wall, once again. His azure eyes are startling in their intensity as he glares at Stefano. "This old man made me what I am today Bo." His voice is little more than a growl, his threat filtering through the gathering in the old church. "If he suffers at the hand of the monster he created, it's only fitting."
"Oh, John," Marlena's voice reaches him and he freezes at the acidity in her tone. "Don't you think it's about time you started taking responsibility for your own actions?"
"Doc, you know as well as I do what this *bastard* has done to this family," John pins Stefano's neck to the wall with his forearm and turns to stare into the oddly unfamiliar hazel eyes beside him.
"John, don't forget, he saved my life." Hope appears beside Bo, her face etched with concern. "He has changed, I swear he has."
"What, so you want him to be godfather of your baby I suppose?" John laughs, the sound oddly high-pitched. "You know *nothing* Hope, nothing of Stefano and nothing of what is going on here, so just shut the hell up."
"*John*!" Bo's anger flares as he wrenches on John's arm but John's anger is evidently more determined than his. "Man, you aren't helping anybody here."
"Don't count on it Bo," John glares at Stefano, his eyes narrowed in hatred.
"John, for God's sake!" Grace glowers at him furiously. "Let him go. Bo's right, this isn't going to help *anyone*."
"His death would help *all* of us," John snarls, pushing forward against Stefano's burly frame. The bearded man starts to gag as the pressure of John's arm begins to choke him.
"Oh for Christ sake John, don't be so pathetic," Grace snaps as she pulls on John's arm. He's too determined though and she is not sure anyone could pull him off his prey. Her lips thin as she moves back beside Stefano and draws back her hand. Aiming carefully, she strikes John on the chin with the heel of her palm, rocking his head backwards with the force of her blow.
John staggers backwards, dazed for a moment as Grace takes Stefano's arm. He is still gasping for air as she manoeuvres him to the doorway to the amazement of the stunned onlookers.
"Come on," she says with an amused smile. "Before there's any more trouble."
"Wait," Stefano turns to look at the faces of the assorted attendees and their shock at the sight of the beautiful Dr. Marlena Evans escorting him from the church. His mouth slides into a broad smile as he sees Abe and Bo holding John back and a small laugh shakes him before he and Grace exit the church.
~
"Ha ha ha!" The laughter shakes him as he leans back into the plush leather of the limousine seating. "Oh, my darling Grace, did you see their faces?"
"Oh yes," Grace arranges herself opposite him, shedding her hat and letting her blonde hair loose around her face. "I don't think they *quite* knew where to look." She smiles as he pops the cork on a bottle of champagne. "I must say, your arrival at that farce of a funeral was quite inspired."
"And you played your part perfectly, my dear." The champagne begins to bubble over and he is quick to dribble it into a crystal flute. "It seems that the Brady's are in quite a state of flux."
"That's why I think we should strike while the iron is hot," Grace arches one eyebrow in suggestion. "I think it might be time to reveal John and Hope's nasty little secret, while they're already reeling from..." she grins wickedly, "dear 'Roman's' death." She kicks off her shoes and stretches out her shapely legs, propping them up on the warm leather beside Stefano as he hands her a glass of champagne. "I rather think that it might be the one thing might completely tear the Brady's apart." She takes a sip of the pale golden liquid thoughtfully. "That and losing their 'beloved' Marlena to the enemy..." One stockinged foot rubs down Stefano's thigh and his breathing suddenly falters at her proximity.
"Do you think it is a good idea to reveal it quite so soon?" he asks carefully as he hooks two fingers under his tie and tugs on it uncomfortably.
"Oh, yes I do." The corner of her mouth curls into an amused smile and she draws her toes down the side of his calf before she eases herself over to the seat beside him. Her voice is like satin and it is cool against his skin even as he feels the warmth of her body against his. "Why don't you let me help you with that?"
Turning side on, she fastens her fingers around his tie and begins to draw the expensive silk out of the perfect knot. Stefano can see the rise and fall of her glorious cleavage with each breath she takes and the joy of having her so close is almost overwhelming.
"Grace," there is a definite tremor in his voice as she draws the tie from around his neck.
"Mmmmm?" She raises her tawny eyes to his black ones and smiles sensuously.
"Grace. My darling, oh my Queen..." He is almost afraid to touch her, but the temptation is too overwhelming and his fingers brush the spun gold of her hair. Her cheeks are pink as he lays the tips of his fingers against the soft skin and then Grace feels his hand on her thigh and she feels flushed with power. The mighty Stefano DiMera, trembling like an ingénue beneath her touch, wanting her more than he's ever wanted anything in his life. And knowing that she is the one thing he cannot take without her consent. Because to break her would be to destroy what he most desires and he will not consider such a trade-off.
And as much as she wants him herself, to feel the ultimate power of DiMera laid bare beneath her ministrations, she knows she cannot. He wants what he cannot have and if he can have her, then she loses her power over him. And she loses her respect for him in his weakness. Their passion for each other is a double-edged sword, undeniable and yet impossible. To give in to their desires would be to destroy what makes them so powerful together.
And they both know it.
Of course, that doesn't mean that she can't play with him.
Grace fixes her eyes on Stefano's broad lips and brushes her own against them in a slow dance of tantalizing unattainability. When she pulls back, he lets out a soft sigh of regret and she picks up her champagne glass.
"To us," she whispers breathily, "and to the end of the Brady's. Once and for all."