Chapter Twenty-Nine -The Return
At the exact moment that Brady was paralyzed emotionally by the haunting Phil Collins song, a black Lear jet was traveling swiftly through the night sky, on its way to Salem. The jet was the epitome of luxury; leather bucket seats, a DVD player, large screen TV, complete stereo system, plush loveseats available for comfortable lounging when seatbelts weren't required, a full bar…Basically, anything you could possibly want on the jet was within easy reach.
Lexie smiled as she leaned comfortably against the soft leather back of the loveseat. She brushed the hair out of the front of her face, smoothing the strand back into its rightful place. "Oh, this is my favorite part!" she gushed out, pointing to the large screen television that was playing one of her favorite movies, A Man And A Woman. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at her gorgeous sister sitting next to her.
Chloe smiled indulgently at her older sister, who was very near and dear to her heart. She really enjoyed spending time with her. "This is one of your favorite movies?" she asked teasingly, tapping Lexie lightly on her hand as she gestured towards the movie. She wrinkled her nose as she stated, "Somehow, I just can't see it."
Lexie shot Chloe a startled look, hardly believing the question had come out of her sister's mouth. She breathed an inward sigh of relief when she noticed the teasing sparkle in Chloe's large sapphire blue eyes. "In movies, sometimes. Yeah, I like things that are a bit…different, eccentric. You know, ideas that stray from the normal course of movie lovers."
"Hmmm…interesting," Chloe responded as she pondered Lexie's explanation. "Me, I go for more light stuff. You know, movies like America's Sweethearts or Coyote Ugly. Nothing too artsy, deep or cursed with heavy emotional ties. Fun fluff."
Lexie allowed a pleased look to cross her face. Our father has worked a miracle, she thought while she realized the importance of Chloe's statements. The Chloe of before would have preferred A Man And A Woman over Coyote Ugly any day of the week. She would have been totally fascinated by the overly emotional, the tragic, the deep stuff, like her passion for opera.
"Fun fluff, huh?" Lexie finally answered. "Well, I'm glad I got to pick the movie tonight, for our New Year's Eve celebration. I know I wouldn't have liked any of your suggestions."
Chloe looked startled and then grinned slyly at her sister. She picked up the remote and aimed it at the screen. "Well, let's say I just press this button right here and…" She laughed uproariously when Lexie reached over and playfully fought Chloe over the remote. Both women were laughing and smiling by the time Lexie emerged with the remote, holding it aloft like a prize.
"I won, I won!" Lexie chanted to Chloe. "See? It pays never to mess with your big sister, Chloe!" And you have no idea the complete truth of that statement, she thought inwardly as she recalled how Chloe had once teamed up with their other sister, Greta, and Hope Brady to take her and their father down. Her eyes gleamed with happiness and triumphant when she met Chloe's gaze.
"Well," Chloe answered as she moved closer to Lexie, "I am grateful that I have such a wonderful big sister!" She leaned in and hugged Lexie, never suspecting the sinister satisfaction Lexie felt by Chloe's action.
Stefano listened to his two exceptionally beautiful daughters discussion, pleased by Chloe's transformation. An unbelievably wide smile appeared on his face when he witnessed Chloe embracing Lexie. "Ah," he whispered softly so that no one else could hear, just himself, "Chloe feels so close to Alexandra. And to me. She is my daughter now, the part she was always meant to play."
He thought about how he had utilized Chloe's lack of memories to his extreme advantage. When Chloe had woken up after the chip had stolen all of her memories, leaving her mind a blank slate for Stefano to work with, he had started to manipulate Chloe's memories. She had been dazed and confused after the memory deletion, so Stefano, Lexie, and Rolfe immediately began supplying memories to Chloe about her life, memories that she completely accepted as the truth. She believed that she had lost her memory after a car accident in Ireland, where Stefano had hidden her away. Her past with Brady Black and the rest of Salem did not exist in her mind anymore.
From there on out, Stefano had molded Chloe's personality to his ultimate liking and had made sure that her passion for opera and singing was not a developed part of Chloe DiMera at all. He had believed that if Chloe could remember how important opera and singing had been to her before her memories were destroyed irreversibly, there could be a tiny chance that she could regain some memories, even though Rolfe had repeatedly assured his employer that nothing could cause Chloe's memories to return. They were gone, Rolfe insisted time and time again, vanished like smoke rings in the dark. Better to be safe than sorry, Stefano had decided, even though he had to deprive himself of the pleasure of listening to his daughter sing. One small sacrifice, he thought, given in for the rest of his plan.
"Chloe, darling," he began as he approached his two lounging daughters. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, a sign of his deep affection for his newest creation, Chloe DiMera, who had been refashioned to his own specific criteria. "I really must apologize to both you and Alexandra for such an intimate New Year's Eve celebration. Just the three of us, on a jet. Not much of a party, is it?"
Chloe stood up from the loveseat. She pressed her own kiss on her father's cheek. "All we need is each other," she insisted to her father while she cupped his cheeks gently. Blind love shown from her eyes as she continued, "I didn't want to go to some party anyway, where we wouldn't know half of the people there. This is much better. Plus, we are on our way to our home, in Salem. It's very exciting, Father. I can't wait to start the new year in a brand new place!"
"Yes, it should be very exciting," Stefano responded as he placed his hands on Chloe's shoulder. "I cannot wait to show you the sights of Salem, Chloe!" He then paused and inquired, "Would you mind getting that battle of champagne I have on ice at the bar? We are closing in on Salem and I want us to celebrate the DiMeras' return."
Chloe agreed immediately, smiling warmly at her father. "Of course I don't mind, Father!" she answered, reaching around her father and gifting him with a snug hug. "I'll be right back!" she called over her shoulder to her father and Lexie as she walked gracefully to the bar.
As soon as Chloe was out of earshot, Lexie stood up and hissed at her father, concern lacing her voice strongly, "Are you positive that she is ready for Salem, Father? There are so many memories for her, so many people that knew her before you recreated her. What if she starts remembering or questioning everything we have told her?" Her eyes reflected worry at the multitude of horrible possibilities that could afflict the DiMera family by their return to Salem.
Stefano placed a comforting arm on his daughter's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "Do not worry yourself, Alexandra," he crooned out lowly. "There is not a chance in hell that our Chloe will be affected aversely by anyone or anything in Salem. She is a DiMera, a true DiMera now, and is completely loyal to our family. There is nothing to worry about."
"I want to believe you," Lexie whispered back, "but I can't help worrying. What will happen when she sees people that she knows, especially Brady Black?"
Before he answered his nervous daughter, Stefano glanced over his shoulder at his other daughter at the bar. She had her back turned to them and was in the process of getting champagne flutes from the cabinet. "That concern has already been attended to, as you well know. It has been the most integral part of my plan for Chloe, as well as the Black and Brady families. I have made sure that it will NOT fail, Alexandra. Chloe will not welcome any of the former people into her life after the reeducation she has received from us. She despises the Bradys and the Blacks as much as we do and sees them as our enemies. I am not concerned, Alexandra, not in the least."
"Oh, Father, I hope you're right," Lexie responded with a slight frown. She knew how powerful Chloe and Brady's love had been. "We both know John very well. He's relentless when he goes after something that he wants. It's only logical for me to think that Brady is the same way. Once he knows Chloe is back in town, he will do anything to get her back."
"He won't succeed, Alexandra. Chloe is ours now. There will be no resurrection of Brady's Chloe Lane. She has disappeared without a trace." Stefano lowered his voice as Chloe began to walk over towards them, carrying three champagne flutes and the bottle of imported French champagne. "Here she comes, Lexie. Put your worries behind you. She's a DiMera now," he reiterated firmly.
Chloe approached her father and sister, a radiant smiling wreathing her face. She was completely oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. "Here you go, Father!" she cried out gaily, handing him the bottle of champagne. Stefano accepted the bottle and filled the elegant flutes. After they each had an elegant glass in their hands, Chloe insisted, "We need a toast and I think that you should be the one to give it, Father! After all, we are returning to Salem, a place that you haven't been to in a long time."
"Very good," Stefano responded, with a smile for his youngest daughter. "A toast? Hmmm, let's see. Here's to a successful return to Salem, no matter what our arrival brings!"
The three of them then clinked their glasses as Lexie hid her worries about their upcoming return behind a smile. Before taking a sip of the champagne, Chloe added to her father's toast, "Whatever happens, we will deal with it. Together. The DiMeras are invincible!" She knew that they would be facing enemies of the family, mainly the Blacks and the Bradys, and had prepared herself for it.
Stefano grinned contentedly at Lexie over the rim of his glass. Chloe's addition to his toast had proved to him how devoted she was to the DiMera name after her transformation. Wonderful, he thought as he sipped the elegant champagne, absolutely wonderful. Two of my daughters, standing strongly by my side. Watch out, Salem, the DiMeras are back! He laughed at his evil thoughts, causing both of his daughters to look at him indulgently. They were used to his sudden, unexplained bursts of mirth by now.
