Thanks to ThirteenXSeventeenXNineteen who did Beta work on this story. Her help is appreciated (someone needs to keep an eye on what I do here...)
This story begins where the Season Finale ended...
The Pain and the Call
It was too much. First, the pain was unbearable – worse than last time. Second, she had killed Brian.
"Chloe…" Amy hesitated.
"He kissed me." Chloe said, looking at her friend with eyes that reflected her pain and sadness. It was hard to understand the Uniter; she was having trouble speaking.
Amy bit her lip. "What can we do?"
"I need help," the Uniter managed to say.
"Ok. I'll call Alek"
"No." Chloe said quickly. "Jasmine." She immediately regretted it. She was sure Alek would come, and now Amy was going to know that something was wrong between her and the Mai guy, but she didn't have the strength to take it back.
Amy stared briefly, but nodded and pushed the buttons.
Paul was staring at Chloe, but speaking softly to Amy. "Blood."
Amy turned look at Chloe again. Her eyes widened as she saw the blood this time. She almost had her phone to her ear, but pulled it back down as she ran to her friend. Though it was a little awkward because Chloe was sitting on steps and Brian was lying there, Amy knelt next to Chloe. She touched her friend's arm, but pulled back when she felt Chloe flinch.
"Chloe, what happened?"
"I was shot … I need help." She was still having trouble speaking.
"Call an ambulance," Paul said quickly.
"No," Chloe argued. "Call Jasmine."
Amy sided with Paul. "But you could die!"
Chloe took as deep a breath as she could while her friends stared. "I already did. Call Jasmine."
Amy hesitated as the message sank in, then almost pushed the buttons on her phone before she remembered that she had already called. She moved the phone to her ear, asking "Why are you alone. Isn't someone always supposed to be with you?"
Chloe ignored the question and turned her attention back to Brian, though Amy's comment reminded her that she and her friends weren't safe. The woman that shot her could easily come back.
Paul hadn't gotten very close, he had only watched from a distance, but something suddenly occurred to him. "She said that last time she had to get up and run away before the assassin could get down the stairs of the tower. She should be able to ..."
"Paul!" Amy interrupted, then said "Chloe needs help. Call." into her phone, Jasmine's phone having going to voicemail.
"It's worse this time," Chloe said, answering Paul. Her voice was getting stronger, but she still couldn't force herself to pull away from Brian.
"Voicemail," Amy said. "I'll call Alek,"
Chloe almost shook her head, but gave in. "OK," she whispered. Her attention was back on Brain now. She moved her hand to stroke his face. It took more concentration than she expected, and it hurt to move, but she was able to do it. She could feel herself getting stronger, though the pain was still there, and Brian was still dead.
The Brother and the Key
'Brother?' Alek thought. It made him hesitate for a second, he could see that Zane didn't have a weapon in either hand - both were clearly visible.
"Is my brother a murderer?" Alek asked.
"Your brother is a …" Zane began before Alek moved against him. Alek didn't want to hear it, didn't care.
As they fought, Alek noticed the bloody knife on the floor near Jasmine. As he moved for it, he could tell that Zane was trying to beat him to it. The scuffle continued, and there was a lot of noise from the furniture being pushed aside or the decorations falling to the floor, but it became suddenly quiet when Alek reached the knife first and had it in his hand. Zane froze.
Alek stared at Zane briefly, trying to decide which way to move, when he heard her say his name.
"Alek." It was so soft it could not even be called a whisper. His eyes went to Valentina briefly before he heard Zane move.
Alek had only glanced back to Zane before seeing him go through the door. He didn't consider following for very long. Instead he dropped the knife and moved to look at Valentina's face. Her eyes were open, but she seemed frozen.
"What can I do?" he asked.
"Bathroom. Red…vial."
He knew where she meant. She had a private bathroom. It had been made clear to him years before that he was not allowed to enter it, but he knew that was where she wanted him to go – he knew there was no such item in the others.
He frantically looked through the cabinets and drawers until he found a red syringe. There was something in it, and he could see nothing else that might look like what she wanted, so he rushed it to her.
He was kneeling next to her, trying to decide what to with it when he heard. "Stick"
Alek grimaced. He had been hoping not to have to do that. He removed a piece of plastic that covered the needle, pulled her shirt up a little and pushed the needle into her side. He pushed it in as far as it would go before pushing the plunger down, forcing whatever was inside the syringe into her body.
It made him a little sick - he had no idea if he had done it right. There was a little blood as he pulled the empty syringe carefully out of her, but he couldn't see any of the liquid, though he wasn't sure if he was supposed to or not.
He held his breath until he saw her blinking, heard her breathing. He had no idea how much time had passed. He moved to Jasmine, trying to turn the girl over onto her back, when he heard Valentina speak softly.
"No. Chloe." It was more than a whisper, this time. He turned back to her.
"But Jasmine…" he began.
"I'll be able to move soon. I'll do what I can, but Chloe needs help now." The last word had some force behind it. She was getting stronger.
Alek nodded and ran through the door. He was almost to the stairs when he turned back, pulled out his key, and locked the door – hoping Jasmine had not given Zane a key. He then ran down the stairs.
He was headed for Chloe's house when he heard his phone.
The Hope and the Games
Chloe couldn't believe it when she felt it. Had Brian moved? She couldn't believe what she saw when she looked at him either.
"Amy!" she called, interrupting her call. "Has he opened his eyes?"
Amy was turning to look when Chloe heard Brian breathing as well.
She felt a sudden surge of energy – not that the pain was gone, but hope was back.
"Brian?" Chloe asked softly as Amy moved towards them. "Are you alive?"
She felt him try to sit up now; both she and Amy helped him.
"What happened?" he asked.
Chloe immediately pulled him into a hug, but released him and backed off a little when Amy whispered "Chloe" and shook her head.
Brian looked at Chloe with and expression that told her he was confused and hurt. She was trying to figure out what to do when Paul spoke.
"Dude, do not kiss her again!"
"Paul!" came from both Chloe and Amy at the same time. Both glared at him.
"Not helping," Amy said to Paul as Chloe looked back at Brian. He was sitting on the steps a couple of feet away from her. He was looking at Paul and Amy as well, but then turned back to Chloe with a questioning expression.
Chloe grimaced as she said "But he's right. Please, don't do that again." She wanted to add 'at least until I can figure out why you're alive,' but thought better of it. Then she saw where he was looking – at the blood on her shirt.
She looked away and pushed herself up. It was hard, she still hurt, but she did it. She thought about trying to help Brian up, but instead said "Paul, see if he can get up."
"We need to go." Chloe added, moving towards the door. "The woman who shot me might still be here."
"I think I saw her leave," Paul said. "I saw someone get in a car and drive away."
Chloe was at a door by now, trying to stretch herself without increasing the pain she still felt, waiting impatiently for the others to catch up. "Still, we need to go to Valentina. She needs to know."
Chloe was quickly outside, looking at two cars – Amy's and Brian's – trying to decide what to do when she heard Amy's phone behind her.
"Alek," Amy said, then offered her phone to Chloe. "Do you want to...?"
Chloe was still embarrassed by what Alek had overheard earlier when she told her mother she thought she was in love with Brian. She shook her head.
"No. Tell him…" She tried to concentrate and finally said "tell him we're going to Valentina's. Tell him to find my mom."
"Your mom? Chloe, he needs to know and you need help now."
"Don't tell him I died again." The Uniter quickly said, speaking softly, hoping Brian wouldn't hear. "Tell him to go to my mom. She might be in danger." She was really trying to justify not seeing him just yet when she said it, but then she got a feeling that it might be true.
Amy quickly answered, hoping she hadn't waited too long. She hadn't, Alek was there, but not happy.
"Not really in the mood for games. Where's Chloe?"
Amy cringed a little at the harshness of his voice, but did as Chloe asked. "She's on her way to Valentina's now, but she needs you to find her mom."
"Valentina's isn't safe. Where's Chloe?"
Amy looked desperately at Chloe, who was trying very hard not to look at Brian. Brian was staring at her.
"He says Valentina's isn't safe."
Chloe closed her eyes and rubbed her head with her palm, trying to think. Valentina's not safe? What could that mean?
"Then tell him to go to my house."
Amy repeated the message into the phone. Alek's response was harsh.
"Is she kidding? Someone is trying to kill her! Kill all of us! Where is she?"
"Someone did kill her!" Amy yelled back into the phone, then cringed at her words.
She looked at Chloe, who was rubbing her head again. Alek was silent, then gone – no longer on his phone.
"He hung up," she said more to herself than anyone else.
Chloe couldn't stand this anymore. If nothing else, she needed to get away from all of this, all of them. She ran towards home, leaving the others behind to sort things out for themselves.
She slowed to a walk when she was near home. She pulled her own phone out, and hesitated, finally deciding to text rather than call. She knew that what her mother was doing was a big deal – she didn't want to interrupt. Plus, she really wasn't sure she wanted her mother to see her in this condition. But the Uniter was worried. She needed to be sure her mom was safe.
The Mom and the Offer
Meredith thought everything was going as well as she hoped. Whitley seemed receptive to whatever she said. It was in a quiet moment that her phone vibrated. She didn't hesitate to look at it.
"Chloe's home, and apparently worried about me."
"Chloe?" Whitley asked.
"My daughter."
"Chloe King." Whitley said softly. Then looked Meredith. "Do you want to skip this last part and go home?"
"Would it be terrible?" Meredith asked.
"Not at all. I'm sold on you. We can drive you straight home," He offered.
"But my car's back at the restaurant."
"I can have my son deliver it to you tomorrow. I just need a key and an address."
Meredith considered the offer. They were actually closer to home, it would save some time. And Chloe's text had made it sound like her daughter was worried.
