Chapter 2:

The darkening blue of the sky seemed to slow down the town as cars coming from work lined the interstate system, creating controlled chaos on the roadways. Chloe was mesmerized by the burning red brake lights, and the bright white headlights that colored the gray roads that were separated by large cement blockers. She was more than exhausted and felt entitled to a goodnight's rest. After a while of driving Chloe finally caught a break from all the evening traffic and hit a road that would take her directly home without any diverges.

Chloe parallel parked in front of her house noticing an unfamiliar vehicle parked right in front of her car, she quickly walked into her house leaving the dress hanging up in the back of her car. She swung open the door allowing her bag to hit the floor with a loud thud. "Chloe, is that you?" Her mother called from the living room. "I was just about to call you." Chloe slowly and carefully followed her mother's voice into the living room surprised to see Valentina and her two "bodyguards" sitting on her couch. "You didn't tell me where you were going after school, we've talked about this…" Chloe heard the upcoming speech at least twice from every person in the room. "I'm not going to start lecturing you in front of your friends kiddo, but we will talk about this when you get back."

"Back?" Chloe asked looking at Jasmine and Alek for a hint, Alek winked at her and smirked which made Chloe's stomach drop with an unwanted heart speed. He could hear her heart, she was absolutely sure of it. But she could hear his race faster than her own, and that excited her- it was a rush that had caught her off guard so many times that it'd become normal to blush in his presence, normal to automatically fall by his side when she could. She shifted her gaze with haste towards Jasmine who only stared between the two.

"You're going to stay the weekend with Jasmine, remember? Teenagers these days, selective memory and all that." Meredith made a parent joke towards Valentina, Chloe knew that Valentina could not relate to that with Jasmine. Valentina was such a disciplinary type parent that Jasmine could never afford to mess up unless she wanted to fall out of good graces.

"Oh!" Chloe smiled, "I forget all about that! Sorry, I've been a daze all day…" Chloe tried to sound normal as if she was not terrified to be spending two nights under the same roof as Alek. She glanced at him, catching his eyes as he turned towards Valentina.

"Of course I will have to miss the fun" Alek sighed with a cleverish look in his eyes, "I have to field trip to Washington State this weekend." Chloe wanted to laugh at his lie, Washington had to be his cover story. Meredith seemed completely convinced that the girls would have run of the house, and as she exchanged numbers with Valentina and told embarrassing stories about Chloe to her Jasmine, Chloe and Alek snuck up the stairs into Chloe's room.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked, sensing that something was going on with the whole situation. Why would Valentina need to get involved? Something just didn't feel right in between the silences.

"There's been some activity that has raised suspicion, and since the last visitors you had were trying to change you into a killing machine- we're taking precaution." Alek explained, "It's nothing to worry about."

"Jasmine!" Valentina called from what seemed to be the foot of the stairs, "I need you for a second." Jasmine nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Alek, you wouldn't lie to me?" Chloe asked him seriously, "How bad is this activity?"

"We have it under control, but it's a lot of unwanted guest…Or should I say uninvited guest that we did not expect to show up any time soon." Chloe nodded at his words, "I wouldn't let anything happen to you Chloe." He said seriously pausing before he added in, "It's my job to protect you."

"Would you stop saying that?" Chloe said without thinking, "You say that as if that's the only reason you're protecting me. Alek you care about me, and I care about you. You're a good friend. I just don't want you to put your life in danger because of me."

"We better go down stairs." Alek said without responding to what she said, Chloe felt as if she stepped over her boundaries. She'd been doing that more and more lately, she didn't know what was wrong with her.

"I'm sorry if that was weird." Chloe said, "What do you say to the guy that puts his life on the line for you all the time?" She wondered out loud.

"I know you care about my life Chloe, but I was trained to take care of your life first. Please" He raised his hand to touch her, "Don't thank me yet, not until my job is over." Chloe turned around and grabbed a bag, going through her closet and putting clothes into it. Alek left somewhere between her search for pretty clothes.

You like him.

Chloe looked outside her door for a second and then swung the bag over her shoulder, "Alright I'm ready." Chloe said with a smile, "I promise I'll behave mom." Meredith smiled, and squeezed Chloe's hand.

"Alright Kiddo, I'll see you Sunday…" Meredith said as Chloe went to walk out the door with Valentina, Alek and Jasmine ahead of her. "And Chloe-"

"Yes?"

"I love you." Meredith's tone was sweet, and a little sad. It made sense, Chloe had always had two friends, two people that she could trust with everything in her life. They'd had countless sleepovers throughout their years, mostly hosted by Meredith. Chloe was finally branching out in Meredith's eyes which meant that Chloe was growing up.

"I love you too" Chloe smiled and walked out the door, shutting it behind her. This should be an interesting weekend, Chloe smiled to herself, then she remembered something, "Oh no…." Chloe sighed dramatically, "I have a paper due by midnight."

Jasmine and Alek laughed at her, "I finished that paper Wednesday you know, the original due date?" Jasmine said with a smile, "And Alek probably doesn't even plan to do it."

"Not at all." Alek agreed with her, "You should care less about your grades, they don't really matter." He told Chloe, "Especially in American English, it's all a bunch of human perspectives on what they thought happened when it reality they had no idea."

"Well" Chloe said prepared to defend herself, "Maybe in your case you don't need to know American History, English or anything human but as the Uniter I need to know all sides of history." Chloe paused at the driver's side door of her car, "Point proven?"

Alek shrugged then turned much more serious, "Come straight to the building, don't pause to do anything that will get you in trouble. We'll be driving behind you to make sure." Chloe rolled her eyes at him.

"We're serious Chloe, you need to make sure you're more aware of your surroundings." Jasmine agreed with Alek, glancing over at him to make sure they were giving her the best message.

"I think I can take care of myself." Chloe said with a smirk, "I have claws too." She opened her door and climbed in, letting the loudness of music come over them.

"Turn that off." Alek leaned over her and pressed the volume button, "That's a distractor." Chloe frowned at him. "You can't hear someone speeding up to run you off the road when you're listening to the Billboard Hot 100."

"Okay, okay I won't listen to the Billboard Hot 100." Chloe laughed at them as she shut the door, locking them out of her car as she hit the volume button again.