Fire and Ice
Disclaimer: I disclaim. Days of our Lives and its characters belong to Ken Corday and company. I am writing this simply for fun.
Rating: T for Teen, but might move onto more mature chapters. I'll warn ahead of time for any that need it. This first part has a bit of language.
This is my first Phloe story. I hope you enjoy. This is especially dedicated to the devout Phloe fans and fanfic writers. You have been great inspiration for this story.
I started as a Phloe fan, but kind of lost faith after the coma storyline for Philip. I didn't like Chloe there. I stuck around to watch until Jay left, but at times I didn't completely want Phloe anymore because I was just so unhappy with how Philip's character was being destroyed. It's a joy though to see Jay and Nadia back on the show. I hope the writers can do them justice this time while keeping the characters intact.
I have written fic before, AU fic for Philip and Mimi. I always loved their friendship and saw potential after the island storyline. I'm also currently working on fic for a primetime show, One Tree Hill.
Genre: I'd categorize this mostly as a romantic drama. It will be intense at times, angry, sad and happy.
Timeline: The story takes off in the near future, which I am making up. Then it will go back to when Philip was at the hotel and first saw Chloe...and eventually move back to that near future. That means the story is part cannon/part AU. Philip and Chloe are adults, as on the show now, written possibly darker, with Philip having a noticeable limp from his war injury, and a made up minor injury. He is seeking out Belle, as on the show, with a few differences, and he is heavily involved in his work at Titan. Chloe is divorced from Brady for reasons that I will most likely make up, and reveal. Philip is intrigued at Chloe being back and she's intrigued to see him too. Is it more than that? Uh…the story will tell, lol.
The story is sort of told in a poetic way at times by a rose, a fire and ice rose. You might remember, Philip gave Chloe one when they were teens. Doing research on this rose, it actually very well fits who Chloe and Philip are, and their relationship. By the way, hopefully this title has not been taken for a story...it just worked so well for what I'm writing.
Dialogue: Sometimes I will use dialogue from the show. When I do I will surround it with this: and edit the font to italic. Those words I credit to the Days writers.
Onto the story…
A storm hits Salem one fateful night. Traps two. Enraptures them. This is the beginning and the middle. The return to a love story that ended all too soon, all too wrong. This night…begins a second chance. But also there are secrets revealed, furies, fears, tears, and…
Neither red nor white… Not innocent or malevolent… A hybrid A mixture Of purity and mystery Cold and hot Blood on ivory pale skin Spiritual and feeling Forbidden and passionate I am Snow White and her Evil Step Mother… I am two sides of it all blended into one… I am… Fire And ICE White is for the friends and family. Yellow is for peace and happiness. Pink is for pretty flirtation. Red is for the lover. Black…Death. But I… I am for the monster and the angel. I am the cries of passion naked souls utter. I am obsession and possession. I am straight down the middle. I am dark and bright. Those who give me, give away a piece of their soul. Those who give me, have the fears of a child. Those who give me, whisper with conviction and terror… I desire you. I care for you. I am yours. Please… Be mine. I am it all. I am ice and FIRE. There are many who have given ones just like me. I have waited for my turn, and finally now…it comes. He hands me off. One who has given an ancestor of mine before… My petals leak the quiet and the rage. They hold inside the passion. The needing. The wanting. The secrets. I am flames burning. I am the frost on the morning window. I am cold and without feeling. I burn with emotion I barely can handle. Those other color variations certainly couldn't. I am handed on a night of storms. The lightning comes within inches of my thorns. The rain wettens my beautiful hideous petals. And they leak like blood. They stream like snow. I am given. I am taken. And with it…returns all the feeling of the past. And the new silence of the present. But I know what lurks underneath what is not said, what is not expressed with words. I know… For I am the hybrid. The two. I am…Fire and Ice. This is my story. This is their story. Starting one night of rain. Falling back to the beginning. Come inside my warm chilled petals. Hear what I have to say. Let the fire and ice of my existence take you…as I take you… Forward and back. And then beyond...
It had arrived in all its fury and rage.
For days it had been warned about on the evening news, in the Spectator newspaper. Talked about on the city streets. All the stores increased their sales of umbrellas and rain coats. People stocked up on candles and lighters.
And now…it was here.
The shrill winds screamed as a door flew open. The door was the front entrance of a large house, a dark mansion. The major light it shone now was when the lightning illuminated its windows. Eerily, ghostly.
The woman paid it no mind as she ran fast. Even in heeled boots, she didn't slow down. Didn't think about the earth's wetness. The ground cover that was usually rough, now sloshy, wet, slippery. The rain immediately soaked her long wavy hair, the color of tea and coffee mixed into one. Dark and yet interlaced with bright highlights. The wetness stuck to her heart shaped face, masked with elegant, but thick makeup. Its ruin already coming as the pouring rain marred it. Mixing with her salted tears.
"Hey! Are you CRAZY?" The door opened further, revealing a man dressed in a dark sweater, narrowed black pants, black shoes. The man now raced out the door too, letting it fly backward with the motion, the strong winds betraying its austere stiffness.
His pace was quick, but halted. Strained and handicapped. He had grown up an athlete. His body always firm, strong, and hard. Now though that perfection suffered from the injuries of a solider. Still, he didn't let it daunt him. He fought against the handicap, strived to beat it, and accomplish what he needed.
"Hey!" He called out again, running with his defined limp. A small inconsistency. He was used to much worse, of weather and setting. He was used to the blood dripping from his hands of wounded brothers. Dead comrades. He was used to the pain of losing a half of his limb.
Oh yes…much worse.
"Stop! Stop now!" He screamed, ignoring the harshly falling rain. In hot pursuit. Needing to catch up with the fleeing woman.
She turned around, saw his shadowy form limping after her. The entire time she had been here, since she had come back to Salem, she hadn't viewed exactly what his injury meant. Now as she witnessed it, she stared in shock for a second. How many times had she watched him racing down the field of their football stadium? Laughing and running as he played ball with his then friend at Salem Place. Another tear fell down her face as he limped noticeably, but she pushed away her feelings and started to run again. Needing to escape.
"CHLOE!" He yelled out fiercely now, his voice battling the strong winds and pounding rain hitting his face. "Get back in the house!"
She reached the door, put her hand on the silver handle, fished for the keys from her purse, calling back quickly. "NO! You go back inside!"
"We have to talk! Come on."
"We talked enough." She whispered, finally getting the door open as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, a charge of thunder boomed around them. She gasped, even as exciting it all was. Started to slide her body into the car.
He reached it, reached her. Pulled her arm roughly. Pulled her outside, slammed the door shut. "Give me the keys."
Seeing him panting hard, maybe a little harder than she was because of the unfortunate injury, she shook her head fiercely. "No."
His jaw clenched hard, his eyes cold and forcing his desires. "Give them to me Chloe. And stop this craziness. I'm not going to let you drive in a storm like this one. You're coming back inside with me."
She shook her head again, this time a little less confident though. He was a boy when he left. Still struggling to become a man, but not quite there. When they first started out, he excited her, thrilled her. All the weirdness and innocence she had then, feeling so protected by the gentleness of him. Along with it was an edge, but it was tempered by his boyish love for her. His need to have her with him almost every minute of the day. An obsession that smothered her. Still she craved it, desired it, wanting to be that important to another soul, loving being needed.
"Now."
But now, as he grasped her hand tightly, as his roughened voice commanded her, she shuddered just a touch. Now he was a man, a commander. A soldier, who even though he often tried to hide it, still had that gentle heart. Only now it was more passionate.
More…
She pushed away, coming in contact with an object in her coat. She grasped it, pulling it outside of the pocket it lay in. Gasped as its thorned edges cut into her unprotected upper wrist. Looked down at the ice and fire. At the scarlet strain of blood touching her white skin. Looked up to him, seeing his eyes concerned on hers. Hearing his voice suddenly change. Gentle and boyish.
"Chloe…"
She dropped it, finally letting out her pain. Looked down at the car. Looked back to him, down to his imperfect leg. And ran away, in the other direction. Away from the house, straight to the…
He simply watched with a widened mouth, stark open blue eyes, before he started to chase again. Letting out a tired and angered sigh. "Damn Chloe! What are you doing?"
A flash of lightning struck a tree. It sent a branch crashing to the ground. Startling her. She fumbled, fell. Hitting the muddy ground, hard.
Seeing the lightning, seeing her falling, hearing the wet slap as she landed roughly, Philip stopped, gasping. "CHLOE! Oh man…oh man…"
At the last minute she managed to touch it all with her hands, gloved hands. Caught at it before any of the mud could touch her face. She got up to her knees now, noticing how it covered her clothes. But she didn't care. She had to…to…
She was getting up. Oh crap. Why was she doing this? Thank God she was okay, but what was she thinking? Why wouldn't she just stop? Listen?
He moved down to the ground, picked it up, what she dropped. The rain had already washed away any bits of mud. It was perfect. Its scarlet-porcelain petals not marred even from the bleeding it had caused her. He pushed it into his pants pocket and started the chase again.
She had never acted predictably. Never sensibly. She ran anytime she was hurt, pained, or scared. She rejected so much. As now she rejected him. Still…he wasn't at all ready to give up. It didn't matter what happened in the mansion, the reason she left its darkened interior. The ensuing argument, accusations...and threats. All that mattered now was her safety…and just that. Any deep feeling had fled years ago. Now it was just about protection.
She ran still, confused and remembering. A night so many years ago. Where she ran from him too. A night of fire and rain. Ice and flames. Running with him to make love. Running away from him, claiming rape. Two emotions, one of beauty, one of utmost ugliness. He of course hadn't literally hurt her physically in any way. It was just when she saw his secret, his suddenly alive father, like a ghost, she had felt like she had been betrayed, her emotions…raped. And yet later, after the hospital visit to protect him, she returned with him to the place where they nearly made love. She surrendered to his arms as he held her.
As…
She pushed it away, the rush of feelings of the past. Forgot the fire and ice she left behind. Looked forward. Seeing it…
Off in the distance. Shortening now with her every step. Hearing the increasing thunder, seeing the flashes coming lower, cutting another tree branch, she ran to it.
Philip stopped now, letting out a hissing sound as another branch of tree snapped under the lightning's power. He looked away though as he noticed through the blinding rain where she was going. What she was doing.
She stopped at it, reached for the heavy wooden doors, tried to find one that was open. Finally searching out one on the side, small and mostly hidden. She slipped in. Panicked a bit at first, then found it, the light. She switched it on.
It wasn't hard at all to follow her. Even with the advantage she had of having two solid limbs. He too slipped inside the side door. Calling out. "Chloe…where are you?"
She pushed into an empty stall, propped up piles of hay to hide her location.
Philip had played hide and go seek plenty as a kid. It had aided him in war when he had to smell out the enemy. Easily now he stalked the different stalls. Well knowing of this stable. Totally aware of where there were horses and where there were not. "Chloe…this is ridiculous. Come out here. We have to go back to the house. Chloe come on…the storm is worsening. Just come out and let me see you."
Another scream of thunder. A shard of lightning hitting the wires above. The stable's light turned to blackness. She screamed. Philip sighed, but felt no fear. "It's okay…come out here."
She still resisted, knowing this was a silly child's game, but not ending it…not yet. She didn't want to see him. Didn't want to talk…
Didn't want…
He touched, felt his way. Felt the nearby shelves as a shard of lightning caused a tiny bit of light. He was used to fighting in darkness. Hiding in hidden corners. Used to only having his wits to survive situations that would terrify some enough to leave them pissing in their pants. He was used to it all. "Chloe…come on…"
She was shaking. In the darkness with him. Oddly terrified of the storm. Of the stable. Of…him.
The man he was now, so much more than what he was before. So fierce and…passionate.
He used the next moment of lightning. Calmly finding a flashlight. He lit it, watched it illuminate tiny bits of the darkness. "Chloe, don't make me search you out. Come here and stop being so ridiculous. You have to know…you can't hide from me. I know every inch of this stable. I WILL find you."
A memory stirred in her mind. Him telling her…
"You take everything as an attack…" She had then. Believed that everyone was out to get her. But now it was just one man.
Who she feared.
Who she desired.
Who made her ache.
Who made her run.
"Philip…" She whispered shakily. Too quiet for anyone to hear.
Still, he turned from his direction. Scent…was a powerful ally. He had learned to use all of his senses well. Learned that when your eyesight was taken from you, your hearing disabled, your mouth closed, all you had was your nose. It made your nostrils as acute as a dog's. It taught you animal behavior and instinct. And her scent was one of the most powerful he had ever known. Intoxicating. He followed its aura now.
She started to hear him close-by. To feel him. Her body trembled with want, fear…and indecision. She moved her hands over the hay, searching…finding. A blunt object. Carefully she lifted it into her hands. Started to get up from her kneeling position.
He stopped at one empty stall. Shined the flashlight over it. Nothing. But it was there…so strong now. That scent of sweet dry wine. Enflamed and chilled. Her scent. He followed it, even in his temporary handicapped sight.
She moved up a bit more, lifted and…
He whipped around at the sound, the motion, ready for it.
She cried out in shock as she felt strong hands lock around her waist.
As he whispered dangerously into her ear,
"Got you."
I am given this night, thrown on a soaked ground, and thrust into a pocket. Still, my petals barely are scraped. My scarlet porcelain still intact. I am…almost perfect. And not quite. Only those with emotions on either sides give me, receive me. Like these two. But the story can't completely start here. It has to go back. To when she first came…back. To those first days. Only then can the anger, the fear, the passion of this night be understood. Only then… The story will continue in chapter one: We Meet Again Until then… Fire and Ice
Thank you for reading. If anything is unclear just let me know. Some things might be a little confusing now, but with each chapter more will be revealed. Please just be patient with me. I tend to not always write that fast, but I try to write as thoroughly as I can to give quality chapters.
Feedback is lovely and always appreciated.
Mara