Stefano grabbed Marlena before she could run out of the washroom. He looked deeply into her eyes, and she stood there quiet as a mouse, not moving a muscle.
Stefano- Hello, my fair Marlena.
Marlena- What do you want? Are you going to kidnap me?
Stefano- Ah, Marlena, my dear. You are very beautiful, yet smart as well, but this time you are wrong. I’m not here to kidnap you. In fact I’m doing the opposite.
Marlena- Ok, well what do you want?
Stefano- I’m leaving.
Marlena- Leaving what, you bastard?...First you take Hope, then put Gina in her place. You better hope its Salem your leaving because Bo is going to hunt you down and kill you, like the animal you are.
Stefano- Is that a threat, good doctor? But if you really want to know, I don’t have Hope. I never did.
Marlena- You are a liar Stefano.
Stefano- I swear I have had Hope, or Gina for that fact. I just heard about all this goings on in Salem, I was headed back to see Lexie.
Marlena- You make me sick, and she thinks you have changed. Well boy she’s going to get an eye opener when she finds out that you are the monster that we all know and hate.
Stefano- Marlena, you have no proof of that. Now Marlena, I wanted to speak with you about something, before you go look for Hope.
Marlena- Ok, if you don’t know anything about that, how did you know I was here to look for Hope.
Stefano- Well I just assumed you would be. John and Bo are here, are they not? Well I wanted to tell you I’m taking a vacation.
Marlena- Vacation! From what ruining lives? Kidnapping? Blackmailing? From what?
Stefano- My dear little comedic doctor, you always have something to say, don’t you? I’m leaving Salem, and out of your life. I will be going away from sometime.
Marlena- How about forever?
Stefano- Don’t get to emotional now Marlena. I will be back.
Marlena- When?
Stefano- When you least expect it.
Stefano gives a nod of his head as he leaves. He walks to the door as Marlena stops him.
Marlena- Wait, I now I can’t stop you from leaving or even yelling to get the police, but you can at least tell me where Hope is.
Stefano- Hope will be fine now.
Stefano walks out the door. He walks by her bags still seating outside the washroom in front of the phones. He puts a letter into a side flap of the large traveling bag. He walks away. Meanwhile back in the washroom, Marlena ponders what he just said really means. She runs out the door to look for him, but he is long gone. She looks everywhere, but does not see him.
Marlena- What does that mean “ Hope will be fine now”? Does he know something? What is he up to now?
******
Bo and Hope walk slowly into the living room of the castle. John follows in after them. Bo lays Hope down on the couch. Bo and John search the room to make sure its ok to stay in there. John tells Bo he’s going to search the rest of the house. As John walks off to search the castle when there is a banging sound at the door. Bo and Hope watched to make sure it was not Stefano or his men. But Doug, Julie, and Kayla all walked in.
Hope- Daddy!
All of Doug’s mind was on Hope. He saw her and ran to her. He hugged her so tight she could not breath right.
Doug- Oh Princess I thought I was going to lose you.
Hope- Oh Daddy. I’m here, I’m ok.
Doug let her go and looked her over to make sure she was ok. Hope stood up to greet Julie.
Julie- Oh Hope, darling.
Julie ran to her too. She hugged and kissed Hope. Tears ran from Julie’s eyes. Hope was holding her tight when she saw Kayla standing there talking with Bo about what happened. Hope let Julie go, to see Kayla.
Hope- Kayla is that you?
Kayla- Yes it is, Hope. It must be 10 years since the last time I saw you.
Hope hugged Kayla as she talked. Kayla and Hope held hands as they sat on the couch. Bo told Julie and Doug the whole story about what happened to the car, and Hope’s memory.
Doug- So she lost more of her memory?
Bo- It looks that way. I want to get her back to Salem and looked over to make sure she’s fine.
Julie- That sounds like a good idea Bo. We should get the first plane back home.
Bo- We are using John’s plane, so we all can just board that and head back soon.
Bo, Doug, and Julie all watch Hope, and Kayla. Bo knows that he almost again lost the love of his life. They have been through so much, and now finally together, but for how long? Their love has survived through everything, death, others marring, explosions, Stefano Dimera, and all his children. Finally together.
******
John was looking at all the antics upstairs. He looked in all the rooms to find nothing that would lead them to Stefano. He found a lot of the stuff that would help them tie Kurt to Hope. John looked out windows to the gardens. He was at the end of the hallway then he looked out the window. He looked down at all the gardens and was about to look away when he saw a body. He looked as close as he could to make out Kurt’s body.
John- Kurt???
******
Stefano, Bart, and Rolfe were now all on Stefano’s jet. They were headed to Stefano’s island. All men shared drinks as they toasted to their successes.
Bart- Well Boss, you finally out smarted those morons from Salem this time.
Rolfe- Yes, Stefano, you did really give them a run for their money. Now what’s next?
Stefano- Yes I am. I will sit back from my desk on the island and monitor things from there. After
I am done with Salem, they will never be the same, ever again.
Stefano, Bart, and Rolfe smile and click glasses.
---The End---
