(Thanks to Jessica for the beautiful banner)

Chapter 1

~~Basic Black- Salem~~

John Black sat at his desk, going through some business papers when his phone buzzed. It was his secretary calling that his mail had just been delivered.

After telling her to bring it on in, John leaned back in his chair. He thought about the letters between Santo DiMera and Colleen Brady. And something bugged him. After the last of the letters were read, Grandpa Shawn confessed that he was the one who told his father that Santo was still married to Stefano’s mother, and that Santo had lied to Colleen. And that action was what drive Colleen to throw herself off of a cliff after taking her vows to become a nun. Or so everyone had thought.

The elder Brady then confessed that he felt that he was responsible for his beloved sisters death. Not only that, but Colleen’s death and what it did to Santo was the reason why Stefano hated the Brady family for all these years.

But the thing that was odd, was that Colleen Brady’s body was never found!

John was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear his secretary walk in with the mail, and then walk back out.

Has John began looking at the letters and packages that had been delivered, he noticed a note in it that said, ‘Look over towards your private elevator. I’ll be there soon.’ .

Not taking any chances, John reached in his desk and picked up a gun that he had there. He then pointed it, and was prepared to shoot just as the elevator doors began to open.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” John exclaimed, as he saw who was there.

~~The DiMera Mansion~~

Stefano DiMera was sitting by the fireplace, sipping his glass of brandy, and playing chess when Dr. Rolf entered the living room with a letter in his hand.

“Stefano, I’m afraid that I have some bad news for you.” Rolf said. “It seems that an old enemy is indeed alive and well.”

Stefano then took the piece of paper from Rolf, and read it.

“Well, it does indeed seem that she has fooled us all.” Stefano said, laughing to himself. “Have some of my best men get started on trying to find her. We must track her down before John Black or any of the Brady’s find out that she’s alive.”

“Stefano, if I may make a suggestion?” Rolf asked. And Stefano nodded for him to continue. “I think you should hire outside help with this matter. John Black knows about everyone that works for you. If you hire someone else, it could make it look like a random assassination attempt.”

“Good idea, Rolf. Alright, find me the names of every mob hit man or assassin. And quickly. I will not let John Black and the Brady’s win this time. Hurry!!”

“Right away, Stefano. I’ll start tracking down the names at once.” Rolf said, and he left Stefano alone once again.

“You will not escape from me this time, old woman!” Stefano said angrily to himself once Rolf was good.

~Basic Black- John’s Office~

“You don’t want to shoot me, do you old friend?” Said the person who had just stepped off of John’s secret elevator.

“Damn it, Shane. You almost gave me a heart attack.” John joked as he put the gun away. And then give his oldest friend, Shane Donovan, a hug. “How are you doing?”

“Busy. The case that I’m working on is actually the reason why I’m here.” He then showed John a picture of an old woman. “Does she look familiar to you?”

“Not really. Who is she?”

“Maybe this picture would look familiar.” Shane said, handing John a photograph of a younger woman.

And this time John recognized the woman in the picture. Or so he thought.

“It’s a picture of Sami.” John said. But then he realized that it wasn’t a picture of Sami that he was looking at. It was a picture of a young woman that he had seen recently.

He then looked more closely at the first picture. The picture of the old woman, and he noticed the eyes were the same.

“Oh my god! How can this be possible!? Colleen Brady supposedly died more than fifty years ago!” John wondered out loud in amazement.

“I heard some about the letters that Anna DiMera gave the family.” Shane explained, sitting down in a chair infront of John’s desk. “The ISA did some digging just to see if both Santo DiMera and Colleen Brady were in fact dead. Santo is dead for sure, but this picture of an elderly woman came across my desk one day. And eventhough she had gone through a name change, the ISA can verify that this woman is in fact Colleen Brady.”

“And her body was never found. Her supposed death was the reason why Stefano hated the Brady family all of these years. Shawn Senior blamed himself when he thought that his sister killed herself. Stefano blamed him as well.”

“What caused her to fake her death like that?”

“Well, all any of us could think of was that she was devastated after finding out that Santo lied to about being married. Santo was still married to Stefano’s mother when he met Colleen, and he never told her the truth until it was too late.” John said.

“We need to find a way to get to Colleen before Stefano does. Because if he does....”

“He’s going to kill her, and keep the feud going.” John said, finishing Shane’s thought.

“We really need to get the ball rolling on this. What are you doing tonight?”

“Doc and I are taking Shawn Belle out to dinner to celebrate their engagement.” John said. “Why don’t you join us? Doc and the kids would love to see you.”

“If you’re sure. Sounds like you’re about to become part of the Brady family again once Shawn Douglas and Belle get married.” Shane laughed.

“Yeah. But as you know I’ve been an honorary member of that family for years.” John said.

He and Shane then headed out of the office, and made their way to John and Marlena’s penthouse.

And John had no idea just how much of his past he will soon uncover once he begins his search for Colleen Brady.

TBC....

(Thanks to Kelly for the beautiful banner)

Chapter 2

~~Port Charles, New York. The Zacchara Mansion~~

Claudia Zacchara was working at her desk in the study room. With both her father Anthony and the family lawyer Trevor Lancing both out of the picture for good, Claudia was now head of the Zacchara mob organization. Her, along with her brother Johnny.

And now Claudia was determined to do what her father and Trevor failed to do. To kill Sonny Corinthos, and take over Port Charles.

Her thoughts then turned towards her brother. When Claudia showed up in Port Charles she was reunited with her little brother. Johnny had been so young and so angry when Trevor and Anthony had sent her way. And when she came back it was her and Johnny that took down Trevor, and made sure that their father stayed locked in a mental institution. However lately Johnny had been spending a lot of time with his girlfriend, Lulu Spencer.

In a small way, Claudia kind of respected Lulu. About a month ago when Johnny had gone missing, Lulu came to the house looking for him. Claudia did her best to scare off the young girl, not wanting to see her little brother to get his heartbroken. But the young girl held her ground, and was not intimidated by Claudia. And that took guts. Being the protective big sister, Claudia told Lulu that she would have to prove how much she loved Johnny. And warned the young Spencer girl ever hurt Johnny, that Lulu would regret it.

“Looks like you can use a hand gaining control of your organization, Miss Zacchara.” A voice said, snapping Claudia out of her thoughts.

“Who the hell are you?” She demanded to know.

“Forgive me for not immediately introducing myself, my dear. My name is Stefano DiMera. And I’m here to help you.”

~~Salem- John & Marlena’s Penthouse~~

“Doc! I’m home!!” John yelled, as he and Shane walked through the door of the penthouse.

“Oh good, you made it. Belle just called. She and Shawn are on their way over. And Bo and Hope will be joining us at dinner tonight.” Marlena said to her husband, and then giving him a kiss on the cheek before he went to change for dinner. And it was then that she noticed Shane for the first time. “Oh my gosh! Shane!! It’s so good to see you!”

“Hello, Marlena. You are looking as lovely as ever.” Shane said, as he gave one of his oldest and dearest friends a hug.

“What brings you to Salem?” Marlena asked.

“Well, I’m working on a case for the ISA. And it ended up leading me here. John and I are planning on filling you in later on. But, I hear that a congratulations is in order. I bet both Shawn Douglas and Belle are looking forward to finally getting married.” Shane said.

“They are. I haven’t seen Belle this happy in such a long time. She positively glows whenever someone mentions Shawn’s name, and when she’s around him. And you have yet to meet their daughter.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. John came out of the bedroom dressed in a nice suit and tie, and he answered the door. And there was Shawn, Belle, and Claire.

“Pop-pop!!” Claire squealed, as she gave her Grandpa John a big hug.

“There’s my little Claire. How are you doing today?” John asked.

“I’m fine.” Claire replied shyly, and then gave her Grandpa John a big hug.

“That’s good. Izzy, you look beautiful.” John said to his daughter.

Belle was dressed in a strapless white dress with black patterns on it. And her hair was pulled back with a beaded headband.

“Thanks, daddy.” Belle said, and she gave John a light kiss on the cheek.

Belle then walked over to where Shawn was talking with Shane Donovan. John followed, still carrying Claire.

“Congratulations to you both on your engagement.” Shane said, to Shawn and Belle. He then noticed Claire, who was having fun playing with John’s tie. “And this must be your daughter.”

“Yes, this is Claire. Claire, sweetie this is your daddy’s Uncle Shane.” Belle said, introducing them.

Eventhough Shane and Kimberly were divorced, all of the Brady and Black families still considered him as part of the family.

And so after Shane got to meet Claire, and Shawn told John and Marlena that Bo and Hope would meet them at the restaurant after Chelsea arrived to watch Zack and Ciara, the group left for Chez Rouge.

~Port Charles- Zacchara Mansion~

“What the hell makes you think that you can do anything to help me? I don’t even know you!” Claudia said, as she walked out from behind her desk.

“Ah, but we are so much alike you and I. We both want the same thing. To take control of what belongs to us. In your case, you want to be rid of Sonny Corinthos so you can be the head mob boss of this city. And me, let’s just say that I want to be rid of someone who has been the problem of my family for years.” Stefano explained, as he walked over to a table and began to pour some brandy into two glasses.

“How is it that you know so much about me, Mr. DiMera? And I know very little about you.” Claudia asked, as she took the glass of brandy that he offered her.

“Let’s just say, I did some quick reading on the flight over here. And for right now, all you need to know about me is that I can be your ally or a very bad enemy.”

“What kind of deal are you looking to make?” Claudia asked.

“How about, I help you with your Corinthos problem. And in exchange, you take care of having someone killed for me. Deal?”

Claudia did have a great offer to consider. Sonny would be taken care off, and she wouldn’t have to left a finger. But there was still something about this man that said he was going to ask for more than what he said. But for the time being, she decided to strike a deal with Stefano. That is, until she figured out exactly what he had planned. However, Stefano was right about one thing. They were both after the same thing. They were both looking for a way to exert their power. And she could get rid of Sonny Corinthos, and not having to left a finger to do so.

“It’s a deal!” Claudia said, smiling seductively.

~Salem- Chez Rouge Restaurant~

Maggie Horton was able to seat John, Marlena, Shane, Bo, Hope, Shawn, Belle, and Claire in a private dinning room. That way, they could all enjoy the evening together as a family.

When Maggie had returned, Shawn asked her to take Claire for some dessert that way the adults could talk. Throughout the dinner, John brought up that there was some information about an upcoming ISA mission that he was needing to discuss with them.

And so, Maggie took Claire in search for something chocolate.

And once they were gone, John began to go into detail on a plan that he and Shane devised on the way back from Basic Black. He didn’t want to tell everyone that Colleen Brady was alive and that Stefano probably knew she was alive as well, at least not just yet. Not until all of the Brady’s were together. All Marlena, Shawn, Belle, Bo, and Hope were told was that Shane needed help with this ISA assignment.
The plan was to gather the rest of the Brady family the next morning at the pub. Shane figured that they were going to need at least one doctor on board for this plan to work, and at least two more cops from the Salem PD. Marlena then suggested Abe and Lexie, since they were both trustful. And John figured that Bo and Roman would be able to help out since they are on the police force as well.

“One last thing, I’m going to need help getting out of the country. Any idea’s?” John asked.

“How about asking Sonny Corinthos? He did say that he would be welling to help you out if you ever needed it.” Belle said.

Early last year John, Marlena, Shawn, Belle, Bo, and Hope went to Port Charles for a charity auction that was being held at the local hotel. And while the three couples were gathered in the hotel lobby, gunmen invaded the hotel.

Hope, Bo, Belle, Shawn, Marlena, and John ended up being held hostage for twelve hours along with several Port Charles residence. The only bright side to that situation was that they ended up befriending the rest of the hostages.

Along with John, Sonny Corinthos was able to over power a couple of the masked gunmen. And Sonny offered to return the favor, and told John if he ever needed any help just ask.

Belle’s suggestion of asking Sonny for help was a good idea to John. He figured with both Sonny and Jason Morgan’s help, he would be able to sneak out of the country without Stefano figuring out what was going on.

That is, as long as his plan worked.

After John excused himself to make a call to Sonny, Maggie came back with Claire. And everyone couldn’t help but laugh as they saw chocolate all over her little face. Maggie left a few seconds later, and returned with some dessert for everyone else.

John then came back, and said that Sonny and Jason would be in Salem late the next afternoon.

And once the family was all back at the table, they continued to enjoy the evening.

But little did they all know that once John’s plan was put into motion and he went looking for Colleen Brady, that it would change all of the lives of the Brady and Black families forever.

~~New Ross, Ireland. St. Obbin’s Bed & Breakfast~~

An old woman sat in a rocking chair, sipping a cup of hot tea, and staring into fireplace.

She hated that she had to keep her family safe this way. But she figured that it was the only way to protect them from Stefano.

“Excuse me, Miss Brady. You wanted to see me?” Came the voice of a young woman. She was in her early to mid twenty’s, right around Belle’s age.

“Ah, yes. Tell me, Crystal. Is the young man, still asleep?” Came the voice of the older woman, who had a thick Irish accent.

“Yes, he slept all the way from Austria. And I must say, I felt really bad for taking him away from his wife like that. She must be frantic with worry.” Crystal said.

“I know you did dear. But he’s family, and he must be kept safe from the DiMera’s. And what of his wife? I take it you and Rob weren’t able to get her, were you?”

“No. By the time we got back for her, she had already packed up and left. But Rob was able to find out that she was heading back to the U.S.”

“That’s good. Because that’s where I’m sending you and Rob next. To a town called Salem.”

TBC....

(Thanks to CRene for the beautiful banner)

Chapter 3

~~Salem- The Brady Pub~~

The following morning, John called an early family meeting at the Brady Pub.

Most of the Horton’s and Brady’s were there. Tony and Anna were there as well. John, Marlena, and Shane wanted Tony and Anna there because not only was Tony John’s brother, but once Tony found out that the plan was to bring down Stefano for good he was more than welling to help.

Nick had arrived with Bo, Hope, and Chelsea. And he offered to watch Zack, Claire, and Ciara upstairs. And so after promising to fill him in on everything and giving Nick a kiss, Chelsea joined Bo and Hope at one of the tables.

When everyone had shown up, John had told Caroline to keep the door unlocked. As he was expecting at least five more people to show up.

And once everyone had arrived and taken their seats, John and Shane stood up by the bar and got everybody’s attention.

“As some of you already know the main reason for my visit is because a situation came up at the ISA.” Shane began. “Someone who was long believed to be dead has turned up very much alive. And she’s needing protection. I can’t tell you all the details until this person is found and is safe, but I’m here to ask you all for a favor.”

“Just name it.” Bo said.

“We need your help faking my death.” John said. “We need to make it look as real as possible. Because, I’m going to need to get out of the country without Stefano DiMera finding out. Like Shane had already said, I can’t give any of you the detail, but this person is an enemy of Stefano’s. And I plan to take this opportunity to bring him down for good.”

“Where do we start?” Roman asked.

“We need to find a place, in public where my supposed ‘death’ will take place. I want it to appear to the whole city that I was killed. That way we won’t have any trouble fooling Stefano. Anyone have a place in mind?” John asked.

“I’ve got a nursing class tonight. It’s downtown. And it’s fairly busy that time of night.” Belle said. “But what kind of accident were you planning, daddy?”

“I think it was a car accident is what we decided on.” Came a voice from the doorway. “Am I right?”

“You are correct.” John said, moving through the crowd to shake the man’s hand. “Good to see you Sonny. Jason.”

Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan had just arrived from Port Charles several hours earlier. After checking into the Salem Inn, they got directions to the pub from Marlena. And within minutes Sonny, Jason, Spinelli, and his girlfriend Nadine had shown up along with Sonny’s bodyguards Max and Milo.

“Greetings Salemites!” Spinelli greeted, as he and Nadine walked through the door.

“Everyone, this is Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. And this is their computer whiz kid, Spinelli.” John introduced them.

“Also known as ‘The Jackal’, the assassin of the cyberspace, full time friend to Stone Cold, and private investigator. And this is my girlfriend, the lovely and fair Nadine.”

“John, may I talk with you for a minute?” Roman asked. And then he and John went to another part of the pub. “John, what the hell are you thinking? Sonny Corinthos is well know mob boss, and Jason Morgan is know just as well as a Corinthos’ hit man.”

“Roman, I appreciate your opinion. I really do. But when we were held hostage in that hotel, Shawn had to help on of the other hostages carry a wounded hostage to safety. And when the hotel exploded Doc, Bo, Hope, Izzy, and I got separated by the blast. Hope, Bo, Doc, and I were the first ones to make it out. And Sonny made sure that Belle made it out safely. He’s a good man, and I trust both him and Jason. Plus, I think that Spinelli’s computer skills could come in very handy later on.” John said.

“Alright. I’ll trust that you know what you’re doing getting him involved.” Roman said, shaking John’s hand.

Once John and Roman made their way back to the group, the meeting began again.

It was planned for Belle to call her dad to tell him that she had locked her keys and that she had left her textbook in the car. She would wait until she got into the building, that way there would be people around to hear her make the call.

Once John and Marlena would be infront of the building where Belle was at, someone would drive by and pretend to hit John.

Lexie agreed to have an ambulance standing by, awaiting a call from Marlena. Kayla and Steve planned on being the two in the ambulance, while Roman would be the driver.

Once in the ambulance, John would get fake blood put on him. And when once the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Lexie would assign herself to John’s case. And after at time as passed John would be given a drug that would make him appear to be dead, but he would still be very much alive.

Each one of the members of the Brady and Horton families had a part to play in this plan. And so, after getting their assignments, the group split up and awaited a call from either Marlena or Belle later that night.

~~Zacchara Family Mansion- Port Charles~~

Johnny walked into the study looking for his sister. He had overheard Claudia’s entire conversation with Stefano DiMera.

And there was something about that man that Johnny didn’t like. And that was because Stefano seemed to remind him a lot of his father. Both out for power, and doesn’t care who gets hurt in the process. Claudia, in a way was like that. But at least she cares about who would and wouldn’t get hurt. He learned that the hard way. A few weeks ago, she had put a hit on Sonny Corinthos. However, it went terribly wrong. His sister had hired a hit man to do the job. That man was Dr. Ian Devlin, and a doctor at the hospital and good friend of Dr. Patrick Drake’s.

Dr. Devlin learned that Sonny would be supervising a shipment of coffee at his warehouse. However, what he didn’t plan on was Sonny’s girlfriend Kate Howard and his son Michael showing up. Devlin had been able to make a clear shot, but Sonny saw the reflection of the rifle and pushed Kate to safety. Dr. Devlin took the shot aimed at Sonny, but the bullet ricocheted and hit Michael instead.

And Johnny knew that if Jason Morgan hadn’t killed Dr. Devlin, he knew that Claudia would have. Claudia had once told Johnny that people in the mob business will get killed, but she would never, ever go after an innocent child. And Johnny has noticed that his sister still felt guilty that Michael got shot.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed a large folder on her desk, and it was marked ‘Brady Family Photos’. Johnny opened the folder, and began to look through the pictures. He noticed that on the back of the picture were the names of the people on it. Johnny also saw a note, which he assumed was from Stefano, with instructions on how to ‘take care’ of these people.

However one certain picture caught his eye. The picture was of a young couple with a little girl who appeared to be at least four years old. They were sitting in a booth in what looked to Johnny was a restaurant, and the young couple was helping the little girl cut a cake. It must’ve been the little girl’s birthday, because there were stuffed animals and balloons everywhere in the picture. He looked on the back, and it had written ‘Shawn Brady and Isabella Black with their daughter Claire’.

“John, what are you doing?” Claudia asked, as she saw her brother looking through the pictures.

“Making sure you do something else that you regret.” Johnny answered, holding up the picture of Shawn, Belle, and Claire.

“You weren’t supposed to see those pictures.” Claudia said.

She then walked to her desk, and began to put the pictures back in the folder.

“Why the hell are you doing business with Stefano DiMera? Do you even know what kind of guy he is?” Johnny yelled.

“Johnny, don’t you understand? He can help us take care of Sonny once and for all.” Claudia said, trying to get her brother to see the reason why she’s working with Stefano.

“No matter who gets hurt, right? I did a little research on your new friend Mr. DiMera. Do you want for me to tell what I found out?”

“You were listening in on a private conversation?” She asked, and Johnny just nodded. “Alright, what did you find out?”

“That he’s know as ‘The Phoenix’. And the reason for that is, is because he’s cheated death so many times. And that he treats all of his enemy’s as pawn’s in his sick games. Do you know who I was thinking of when I was reading up on this guy? Our father. Do you really want to be involved with a man like that?”

“This is business, it’s nothing personal. Johnny, you have to trust me. I’m not going to do anything to hurt these people. Especially not the little girl and her parents. I know what kind of man Stefano DiMera is. Please, just trust me.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Johnny said, not sure if he could believe his sister or not.

“Where are you going?” Claudia asked as he left.

“Out for a drive.” Johnny replied, as he left the house.

Not really knowing if he could trust his sister, Johnny was already making plans to get to Salem. He had to warn the Brady family that Stefano DiMera had hired Claudia to kill some old woman, and that she had also been ordered to kill any one of the Brady family members who got in the way.

But first, he had to see Lulu.

~~Salem Park- Salem~~

It had turned out to be a beautiful day outside. And so Shawn and Belle decided to take Claire to the park for the rest of the afternoon. They had packed a picnic lunch, and they had let Claire play on the playground after they had eaten.

Shawn and Belle were sitting on the blanket, enjoying the warm sunshine and each other when Claire ran up to them.

“Mommy! Daddy! Look who’s here!!” Claire said.

Both Belle and Shawn looked to see who Claire was pointing to. And they saw Sonny and Jason, both being guarded by Max and Milo, sitting on one of the park benches going over the final details of John’s plan.

“May I go and say hi to them? Please?” Claire asked.

“Okay, but stay over there so that we can still see you.” Shawn said.

“Okay, thank you.” Claire said. And then after she gave Shawn and Belle a kiss, she ran over to where Sonny and Jason were.

Shawn and Belle laughed as they saw skip over to were Sonny, Jason, Max, and Milo were. As Shawn looked at his daughter, he couldn’t help but think that Belle wouldn’t be here with him if it wasn’t for Sonny Corinthos.

~Flashback~

All hell had broken lose after the police had cut the power at the Metro Court hotel. Nikolas Cassadine and Shawn had taken that chance to grab Dr. Robin Scorpio, who had been shot, and made a run for it. However when they had made it outside Shawn and Nikolas realized that Belle and Nikolas’ girlfriend Emily were not there with them. And Nikolas was just about to go back inside to look for them when the hotel exploded.

The minutes had dragged on for Shawn while he waited for Belle to be brought out of the hotel wreckage.

Bo and Hope were the first ones to make it out. Several minutes later John and Marlena came out with Emily.


Bo and Hope were trying their best to keep Shawn from doing something that he might have regretted later. And so finally, Shawn walked infront of hotel wreckage and said a prayer that god would return Belle to him.

Just then, he saw two figures coming out of the hotel. He saw Sonny and his now ex-wife Carly Corinthos. And he noticed that Sonny was carrying someone. It was Belle!

After assuring Shawn that it seemed that all Belle had were some cuts, bruises and being knocked unconscious, Sonny gently handed Shawn the love of his life.

“Thank you!” Shawn said, and held on to his beautiful Isabella.

~End Of Flashback~

Shawn was brought out of his thoughts at the sound of Claire laughing. Belle was playfully chasing her all around the playground, and Claire ran behind Jason and hid behind his legs so her mommy couldn’t catch her.

Laughing, Shawn joined Belle, Claire, Jason, Sonny, Milo, and Max.

“I’m so sorry about Michael.” Belle had said to Sonny. And she gave him a friendly hug. “Dad told Shawn and I what happened. Did you catch the guy who shot him?”

“Spinelli and I were able to track him down. Listen if you talk to Patrick Drake anytime time soon, don’t tell him anything.” Jason told Belle.

“Why? What does Patrick have to do with the guy who shot Michael?” Belle asked.

“Because, the guy was a friend of Patrick’s from medical school. Robin already had doubts about that guy. And right now, both Robin and Patrick don’t need any stress in their lives.” Jason said. He wasn’t about to have Robin’s pregnancy in jeopardy due to stress.

“No problem.” Belle said. She then turned to Sonny. “If there’s anything I can do, please just let me know.”

“You can don one thing for me. No matter what John has planned or what happens when he leaves on this ISA mission, you two never let that little girl of yours out of your sight. Because no matter how hard you try, sometimes it’s hard to keep your children safe.” Sonny told both Shawn and Belle.

Just then they all heard some rustling around in the trees and bushes, causing Milo and Max to be on alert.

And as a young beautiful woman stepped out of the bushes, they drew their guns.

“Whoa!! Don’t shoot! What’s going here, Belle?” The young woman asked.

“Aunt Chloe!!!” Claire squealed, as she ran over. And Chloe Lane Black scooped up her niece and gave her a big hug.

Meanwhile, Shawn told Max and Milo to put their guns down. And Belle explained to them that Chloe was her sister-in-law.

“Chloe, it’s so good to see you!” Belle exclaimed, hugging one of her oldest and dearest friends. She then started looking around for her brother. “Where’s Brady?”

After Chloe had hugged Shawn, she turned to Belle with a sad expression on her face.

“He’s not coming. In fact, I have no idea where he is.” Chloe said, genuinely upset and worried about her husband.

She then went on to explain how she and Brady got in a small fight, and after she came back a short while later from getting some fresh air, he was gone.

“Actually, I was kind of hoping that John could use his ISA contacts to try to track Brady down.” Chloe said, hopefully.

Belle was torn. She didn’t know if she should let Chloe in on John’s plan to fake his death or not to. She didn’t want to lie to one of her friends. But thinking like her father, Belle decided that it might be best if at least one person wasn’t filled in on the plan just for safety’s sake.

Just as she was about to speak, Belle then realized that she needed to get ready for her nursing class. After she made it a point that she had to get ready and telling Shawn that her class started in about two hours, Sonny, Jason, Max, and Milo all left for the hotel to start putting their part of the plan into action. And Shawn, Belle, Claire, and Chloe headed back to Shawn and Belle’s place.

~~Two Hours Later- Brady Pub~~

Chloe, Max, Stephanie, Chelsea, and Nick had joined Shawn, Belle, and Claire for dinner.

Chloe was able to talk with John about Brady missing. And he called Shane to see if he can put some ISA agents on the case to try and find where Brady disappeared to. After dinner, Belle left for her nursing class.

She had signaled to John, Marlena, Sonny, and Jason that she was leaving. And as soon as Belle walked out the door, Sonny told Max to get the car ready.


And then several minutes later after Jason told Spinelli to wait here at the pub, him, Sonny, Milo, and Max left. They stayed behind Belle in their car just far enough to make it look like they weren’t stalking her.

It was decided that Jason would be the one who would ‘run down’ John. Jason would drive the car, and just at the last second, he would pull away from John making it look like Jason had hit him with the car.

Sonny and Jason were both thankful that the windows were tinted dark, that way noone would be able to identify Jason as the one driving the car later on.

~~Salem University- Nursing School Building~~

Belle had been talking to some of her fellow nursing school classmates. She had befriended a few ladies upon starting the class. Sure she loved her friends from Port Charles and her family dearly, but it was nice having a group of friends outside of the Brady and Horton families.

One of the ladies, Carrie would always come in with pictures of her almost 2 year old daughter whose name just happened to Annabelle.

And it was before class that Belle, Carrie, Jo, Kelly, Jennifer, Ashley, Jessica, Randee, and Kelsea would all get together and talk, or go out for a quick cup of coffee.

They were just about to head out for some coffee with Belle realized something.

“Damn it!” She exclaimed.

“What’s wrong?” Jennifer asked.

“I left my car keys locked in my car. Would you guys mind waiting up until I can get my keys?” Belle asked.

“Sure.” The other ladies said.

And Belle dialed her dad’s cell phone number.

“Hello?”

“Dad, it’s me. Listen, I locked my car keys in my car. Do you think you can come down, unlock my car door for me please?”

“Sure thing, Izzy. Your mom and I are on the way.” John said.


“Thanks dad. Wait, how’s Claire doing?”

“She’s fine. Right now, she, Chloe, and Shawn are playing a board game with Spinelli and his girlfriend.”

“Great. See you in a bit.” Belle said, and she hung up her cell phone.

And after she hung up with her dad, Belle sent a text message to Sonny and Jason saying that John was on his way.

~~Several Minutes Later~~

It didn’t take long for John and Marlena to get to the University parking lot. Marlena had called Belle, and found out that her car was parked right in front of the nursing school building.

After retrieving Belle’s car keys and locking the door back up, John stole some private time alone with Marlena.

However they had stopped their loving kisses when they saw Belle and her friends walking out of the building.

But then out of nowhere, a car came racing at John at full speed. And hit John just as he was in the middle of the street.

“JOHN!!!!” Marlena yelled, as she ran towards her husband.

“DADDY!!” Belle yelled, as she reached John’s seemingly lifeless body.

Some of Belle’s friends joined them. But before they can look at John and see that he was really okay, she rushed Carrie and Jessica inside to call an ambulance. And Marlena told the ladies to make sure that they mention her name, and that it was John Black that was hurt.

Marlena then bent down to tell John that the ambulance was on the way.

The first part of the plan was now complete. But now came the hardest part, convincing the town that John Black was dead!!

TBC....

(Thanks to Sara for the beautiful banner)

Chapter 4

~~Salem University- Nursing School Building~~

“Daddy!?! Daddy, please say something!” Belle cried, as she and Marlena kneeled over John’s seemly broken body.

Belle had one of her friends go and call an ambulance a few minutes ago, while a few of her other friends joined her. And Marlena was about to call again to see where it was.

“Izzy.” John softly said, as he pretended to be in pain and gasping for breath.

He was aware that a group of Belle’s nursing school classmates were there with her. And in fact, he was in a little bit of pain. He had sprained his ankle as he jumped away from the car at the last second.

Just then Marlena, John, Belle, and Belle’s nursing school friends heard the sirens of the ambulance off in the distance. And within minutes, the ambulance had arrived and began loading John in it, and left for the hospital.

After Belle’s friend Carrie had called the ambulance earlier, she made sure that she came back with Belle’s purse and coat knowing that Belle would either be riding in the ambulance with Marlena and John, or she would be right behind the ambulance in her own car.

~~Salem University Hospital~~

Within several minutes, the ambulance carrying John Black had arrived at the hospital. Marlena rode with John, while Belle followed behind in her car. She was able to call Shawn and tell him that John was on the way to the hospital, and that he and Claire should get ready to head over to the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the first person to see John being wheeled in on a gurney was Stefano DiMera. He had been visiting Andre, Tony’s look alike cousin, who had recently jumped off of a television news building to avoid being taken into police custody for kidnapping Roman and killing Benjy DiMera.

Stefano saw John as he was wheeled by Lexie and another doctor into the emergency room. He had blood running down the side of his face, and it looked like that he was having trouble breathing.

After seeing Marlena go into the ER with John, Stefano ordered Rolf to go in and observe. Stefano then saw Belle run by, and he grabbed her arm.

“Isabella, what happened to your father?”

“You have no right to ask about him. Not after what you’ve put both of my parents and the Brady family through over the years. Now please, let go of me!” Belle said, looking at Stefano with hatred in her eyes.

Just then Shawn, Claire, Spinelli, Nadine, and Chloe showed up.

“You heard the Fair Isabella.” Spinelli said, as he and Shawn walked over to Belle. “Unhand her right now, or the Jackal will have to strike you down Evil One.”

“You heard him, let her go. NOW!” Shawn yelled.

“I pray that your father wasn’t killed because of the feud.” Was all Stefano said. And after he let go of Belle’s arm, he turned and walked away.

“Are you alright?” Shawn asked.

“I’m fine. He just stopped me as I was going into the ER with mom. Thank you for coming over.” Belle said, hugging Shawn tightly. Everytime she comes in contact or even sees Stefano DiMera, it gives her the creeps.

“That was really brave of you, Spinelli.” Nadine said. And she gave him a one arm hug, as she and Chloe were each holding one of Claire’s hands.

“Yes, it was very brave of you to stand up to Stefano DiMera like that. Thank you, Spinelli.” Belle said, as she hugged him as well.

“You are most grateful, Fair Isabella. But the Jackal was most confident that Stone Cold and Mr. Corinthos-Sir would have taken care of the Evil Phoenix if he had become a threat.” Spinelli said.

Just then Belle noticed Sonny, Jason, Max, and Milo walk in.

“Mom and Dr. Carver is in with him now.” Was all the Belle said.

And at that moment Marlena walked out of the ER. She hugged Belle, and whispered very softly that they’re all being watched by Dr. Rolf.


“Well, how is he?” Belle asked.

“He’s not good sweetie. Lexie said that your dad has a broken back, and a lot of internal injuries. The doctor’s agree that he won’t make it through the rest of the night. We need to start gathering the rest of the Brady’s here to say their goodbyes.” Marlena said, trying to work up some tears.

After hearing Marlena explain the extent of John’s ‘injuries’, Sonny began to think that maybe his friend didn’t get away from the car in time. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a man lurking around in the background. And from what John described, it looked like that it was Dr. Rolf that was spying on them. And he knew that Marlena was giving a good performance.

Sonny then told Jason and Milo to take Shawn, Belle, Marlena, Spinelli, Nadine, Chloe, and Claire to the waiting room. After the group had left, Sonny had Max get Dr. Rolf before he could make it back to Stefano.

Rolf tried to run, but Max was quicker and was able to catch up to him. And Max then dragged Rolf back to Sonny, who was waiting in an empty exam room.

~Exam Room~

“Do you know who I am?” Sonny asked.

“Yes sir, I do. You are Sonny Corinthos.” Rolf said, trying not to look scared. When in fact, he was scared out of his mind. Dr. Rolf learned all he could about Sonny Corinthos, because Stefano had ordered him to research on the mob boss. Since Stefano was doing business with Claudia Zacchara, both Stefano and Rolf had to learn about all of her enemies.

Although meeting Sonny Corinthos was more intimidating than Rolf thought it would be.

“Good. Now I want for you to get a message back to your boss for me. You tell Stefano DiMera that if he comes near John Black’s hospital room or even comes near his family, I will personally make sure that he becomes a patient here in this hospital. You got that?” Sonny asked. And Rolf just nodded. “Good. Now get out of here!”

With that, Rolf quickly opened the door and left in a big hurry.

~Outside of John’s Hospital Room~

Within minutes, the Brady family began to arrive one by one. They were given updates every so often by Lexie and even Kayla, who was just assigned to John’s case.

“His organs are shutting down. And he’s having more difficulty breathing. I think that it’s about time for you to go in and say goodbye.” Kayla said, with tears beginning to form.

Sonny and Max had just walked up to the group at that point. And Jason walked over and told Sonny that it was almost time.

Once John was given the drug to make him appear to be dead, Jason, Sonny, Max, and Milo were going to sneak him out of the hospital. With Roman and Abe’s help, they will be able to take John to a police safe house where John would wait until during the ‘funeral’ to sneak out of the country.

They then watched as Shawn and Belle went into John’s room, while Claire stayed with Chloe.

~John’s Hospital Room~

“Hi daddy.” Belle said softly, as she and Shawn approached John’s bed.

“Hi baby. Hey there Shawn Douglas.” John said. And Shawn gave him a smile, as he put his arm around Belle.

“I don’t want to say goodbye. But the doctors say that I have to. I love so much!” Belle said, as she leaned down to hug her father. She then whispered that Sonny is keeping a look out for Stefano. “The wedding isn’t going to be the same without. And Claire is really going to miss her pop-pop.”

“I know that you and Shawn are going to take good care of that little girl. And I know that you both are going to be very happy together. Marriage is a big step, but I know that the two of you are going to make it.” John said, squeezing Belle’s hand. “I’m going to miss walking you down the aisle. You’re going to be such a beautiful bride, Izzy. Shawn Douglas, come here son.”

Shawn then sat down beside Belle on John’s bed.

“I want for you to take good care of my Izzy, and my granddaughter. I’m so glad that the two of you made your way back to each other. And I would’ve been so honored to have you as a son-in-law.” John said, and Shawn leaned down to hug him. “Bring Claire in, I want to see her.”

Belle then wiped the tears from her eyes, and went to get her daughter. And moments later, she and Claire returned.

“Hi there Claire. Come up here and sit with me.” John said, and he patted the side of the bed next to him. And Shawn lifted his daughter up, and sat her on the bed.

“Are the doctor’s making you feel better, Pop-pop?” Claire asked.

“No. The doctor’s aren’t able to make me feel better.” John said, not knowing how to explain that he was ‘dying’ to a four year old. But by the way her mommy and daddy were acting Claire knew.


“Are you going to go to heaven?” She asked.

And with tears forming in his eyes, John just nodded. He then hugged her, as she threw herself into his arms.

The scene was too much for Belle to handle. She wanted to tell Claire that John was going to pretend to die, but like John she didn’t know how to explain it to a four year old. While Shawn stayed with Claire in John’s room, Belle went out into the waiting room with the rest of the family.

And suddenly she felt a cold shiver go up her spine. She looked around and saw Stefano DiMera watching them all.

Luckily, she was standing in between Marlena and Sonny. So she lightly nudged Sonny’s arm, and she directed his attention to where Stefano was. And as Stefano turned to leave, Sonny was right behind him. Either noticing that the Brady family had gathered for one last goodbye to John in his room

~~Hospital Hallway~~

“I take it that you didn’t get my little message.” Sonny said, stopping Stefano in his tracks.

“I got it alright, Mr. Corinthos. But with your arrival, I couldn’t help but be curious of this was all a set up.”

Sonny then walked up to Stefano, so that he was standing toe to toe with the Phoenix.

“Well, as you can see it’s not. You can tell that John Black’s wife and daughter are all in pain because they are about to lose him. And from what I hear, you’re about to lose your greatest pawn. Isn’t that what you used to call him?”

“Uh yes. John Black is one of my finest pawns....”

“Is? Don’t you mean ‘was’? The doctors are saying that he’s not going to make it much longer. That means you’ve lost any way of getting back at his family.”

“But, a mutual acquittance that we both have in common will make sure that I come out on top in Salem once and for all.”

“A mutual acquittance? Who would that be?” Sonny asked.

“You’ll found out soon enough, Michael Corinthos Jr.” Stefano laughed, and turned to leave.

“How did he know that was my real name? Sonny wondered as he walked back to the waiting area outside of John’s room.

After noticing that the Brady’s were still with John, Sonny took out his cell phone and made a call.

~~Port Charles- PC Police Department~~

Maxie Jones was visiting her boyfriend Cooper Barrett at the police department where he was a police cadet about to graduate from the police academy.

Maxie and Coop had been together for a couple of years now. He was one of the gunmen who held the hotel hostage. When he was sent to retrieve a briefcase for his boss in the hotel vault, he took Maxie as a human shield. And the two of them had gotten locked in the vault for the entire time. In that time, the two began to open up to each other. When Sonny had learned that Coop was one of the gunmen, he decided that he would have Coop work for him on the inside of the police station instead of turning him in. And while he was working for Sonny, Coop really got into becoming a police officer and took the job seriously since he was working on turning his life around for the better.

Just as Coop was about to steal some private time with Maxie, his phone rang.

“Cooper Barrett here. Yes sir.” Coop said into the phone. “I’ll tell Commissioner Scorpio, and I’ll make sure that I get some time off. Yes sir, I’ll make sure that they’ll be on the plane with Maxie and I. Okay, bye.”

“Who was it?” Maxie asked.

“That was Sonny Corinthos. We need to get to the hospital and pick up Robin and Patrick, and then pick up Kate Howard. John Black was hit by a car earlier this evening, and he doesn’t have much time left.” Coop said, loud enough for Mac and Lucky to hear.

However, earlier that day Sonny had called Coop and told him about the plan to fake John’s death for an ISA assignment that John as been given. Maxie, Robin, Patrick, and Kate were only other ones who would be told.

After Mac told them that he would pick up Robin and Patrick and get them to the airport, Maxie and Coop left to pick up Kate Howard. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t be the only ones on board Sonny’s plane to Salem.

~~Salem- Hospital~~

After Sonny made his call to Coop, he headed back towards John’s hospital room. There he found Nadine and Spinelli sitting on a couch and playing with Claire. Max and Milo were guarding the hospital room. And Marlena was there waiting for him.

“John wants to see you.” She said.

And just as they passed through the door, where all of the Brady’s were gathered around John’s bed, Marlena told Sonny that Lexie had just given him the drug and that it should take effect anytime now.

“How are you doing, old friend?” Sonny asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I’ve been better.” John said. He could then feel sleep come over him, and he knew the drug was beginning to work. And before John fell asleep he motioned for Sonny to come closer. Sonny did, and John said to him, “Protect my family.”

With that, John appeared to have flat lined. But really, he was in a deep sleep.

Phase two was complete. Now onto phase three, pulling off the funeral.

TBC....

(Thanks to Jessica for the beautiful banner)

Chapter 5

~~Salem- John & Marlena’s Penthouse~~

It’s been almost a week since the supposed death of John Black. The city of Salem was rocked by the news that one of the most beloved citizens was dead. So much so, that John’s ‘death’ made the front page of the newspaper.

However, what noone except the Brady and Black families, and a few close friends knew that John Black’s death was faked in an attempt to fool Stefano DiMera as John went on a very important ISA mission.

Another death occurred during the course of the week as well. The death of Andre DiMera. He had died as a result from the injuries he received after jumping off of the roof of a television station.

And today was the day that the funeral for John Black was to be held.

Roman had assured Marlena earlier that John was safely in police protection at the safe house, and that immediately following the service at the church Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan, and Milo would be boarding Sonny’s private plane along with John to leave the country. And that Sonny was leaving Max behind to look after Marlena and the rest of the family.

A knock on Marlena’s bedroom door broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up from reading the newspaper, and saw Belle standing in the doorway.

“There’s someone here to see you.” She said, with a small smile on her face.

And a handsome young man entered the room.

“Eric! Oh, my son! It’s so good to see you.” Marlena said, getting up from the bed and hugging her son.

“How are you doing? Is there anything I can get for you?” Eric asked.

“No, I’m fine. Thanks!” Marlena said. She then turned to Belle, and asked. “Belle, sweetie did you tell Eric about what’s been going on?”

“Yeah, Shawn, Sami, and I filled him and Greta in when they got here. I figured that would be better instead of calling. Just in case Stefano was listening in somehow on our phone calls.” Belle explained.

“That’s good. We need to continue on as if John is dead. And once he completes his ISA assignment, then everything can get back to normal.” Marlena said.

Marlena then went to explain that she was able to e-mail Austin and Carrie to inform them on what was happening, and that they were going to have to trust in John’s plan.

After spending several minutes together, the limousine that Sonny had arranged to take John’s family to the church had arrived.

~~St. Luke’s Church~~

Johnny Zacchara had stayed hidden behind some trees at the church. After saying goodbye to Lulu, he hopped on a plane to Salem. And he was determined to keep the Brady and Black families safe from Stefano DiMera.

Upon his arrival in Salem Johnny saw in the paper that today was the day of John Black’s ‘funeral’, and figured that it would be the best time to approach the Brady and Black families since he figured that they would all be together.

However, what Johnny didn’t plan on was Sonny Corinthos spotting him once the limo had arrived at the church.

Sonny had told Jason, Max, and Milo to stand by the entrance of the church and wait for him.

And as mourners began to arrive at the church, Sonny made his way over to behind the church where Johnny Zacchara was waiting for him.

“What the hell are you doing here? Did your sister send you to spy on me?” Sonny asked.

“No. I came here to warn you. And to warn them.” Johnny simply said.

~~Inside St. Luke’s Church~~

Bo, Hope, Zack, Ciara, Chelsea, and Nick were the first ones to enter the church. And as soon as they walked in, they were amazed at what they saw.


Placed on both sides of the casket were two beautiful floral arrangements, and a big photograph of John and Marlena together and a big photograph of John.

“Who would do something like this?” Hope wondered, after Chelsea and Nick took Zack and Ciara to their seats.

“I’m not sure. But whoever it was loved John very much.” Bo said. He then saw Father Jansen walk by. “Excuse me, Father. But who arranged all of this?

“The flower arrangements and pictures came in last night. And they were from a Miss Vivian Alamain. Do either of you know her?” Father Jansen asked.

“Yeah. She’s John’s aunt. Is she here?” Hope asked.

“No. In the letter she said something about not being welcomed back. But Miss Alamain covered the cost for the entire service, the floral arrangements, and the burial. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I need to see to the final arrangements.” Father Jansen said, and he left Bo and Hope.

“I guess she loved John more than any of us thought.” Hope said, as she and Bo took their seats.

~~Outside Of The Church~~

“Warn us about what?” Sonny said, grabbing a hold of Johnny’s shirt by the neck.

“That my sister is working with Stefano DiMera to bring down the whole Brady family.”

“You know, your whole family is a nut case. So, why should I believe you?” Sonny asked, tightening his grip on Johnny’s neck.

“Because it’s the truth.” Johnny simply said. “And because I don’t want to see any more children getting hurt because of some feud.”

Johnny then showed Sonny the few pictures of the Brady and Black families that he was able to get from Claudia’s desk before he left.

“Where did you get these?” Sonny asked.

“From a folder on Claudia’s desk. And I overheard her talking to Stefano DiMera afew days ago. He was mentioning something about an old enemy who turned out to be alive. And he wanted Claudia to take care of that person, John Black, and all of the Brady family. Look, I feel so back about what happened to your son. And I don’t want any other kids getting caught in the crossfire. Claudia told me to trust her, but from what I’ve heard about Stefano DiMera there’s no backing down from a deal made with him. You have to stop them.”

It took Sonny only seconds to put together that Stefano was going after the same person that John is needing to protect. And just maybe with Johnny’s help, they can put an end to Stefano and Claudia’s madness once and for all.

“Oh, I plan to stop them alright. And you’re going to help.”

Just then the limo carrying Marlena, Belle, Shawn, Claire, Eric, Greta, Sami, and Lucas arrived at the cemetery.

Robin Scorpio and Patrick Drake were among the first ones to greet their friends. Both giving the Black family a supportive hug.

And after they were introduced to Eric and Greta, Patrick and Robin went over to talk with Jason Morgan. It was then that Marlena noticed Robin handing Jason a slip of paper.

“Here, this is my cousin Aidan’s cell phone number.” Robin said to Jason. “He’s basically a privet investigator, but he’s my mom’s nephew so he’ll be able to get you out of any trouble if you need help.”

Noticing that they were being watched by Dr. Rolf, Jason gave Robin a nod as a silent thank you.

Just then, they noticed that rest of the Black and Brady families began filing into the church.

~~Inside St. Luke’s Church~~

Upon arriving in the church, Marlena and the rest of the Black family were greeted by Maxie, Coop, Kate, Jax, and Carly. And then after giving their condolences, the group from Port Charles took their seats.

Marlena, Belle, Sami, Eric, and Carrie went up to the coffin, placed their hands on it, and said a silent prayer.

They then took their seats up in the front, as Father Jansen walked in and began the service.

~~Police Safe House~~

John Black, alive and well, watched from a tv monitor that was hooked up to a camera at the church as his ‘memorial service’ began.

He watched as one by one his family and members of the Brady family got up to speak. John hated putting his family through this, but it had to be done in order to fool Stefano.

And his family was about to be put to the test because when Marlena was getting ready to speak, John noticed an angry look on her face. And that could only mean that Stefano was at the church.

“Just hang in there, Doc. Hopefully, this will all be over soon.” John said, as he watched Marlena confront Stefano.

~~St. Luke’s Church~~

“You have no right to be here!” Marlena said, as she angrily approached Stefano.

“I came to offer my sympathies to your family. That is all.” Stefano said, not moving from his place in the middle of the church.

“You heard the lady, Mr. DiMera. You’re not welcome here.” Came the voice of Sonny Corinthos, as he walked up behind Marlena. “If you don’t leave right now, I’ll have no trouble removing you from this church.”

Sonny then signaled for Jason, Max, and Milo. And without hesitation Max and Milo walked over to Stefano, took him by his arms, and escorted him out.

After the church had calmed down from Stefano’s unwanted appearance, the service continued. The remaining members of the Brandy family got up to speak. Shawn and Belle took Claire up so she could put a picture that she drew by John’s picture. And Bo and Hope did the same with Ciara and Zack.

Finally, it was time to move to the cemetery for the burial. And Bo, Roman, Steve, Tony, Shawn, Abe, and Sonny were the ones who rolled the casket out of the church .

However when everyone was out of the church, no one saw Stefano sneak back in. He went up to John’s picture, took out a chess piece of a pawn, and sat it on top of one of the drawings left behind.

“Checkmate.” Stefano said.

TBC....