Chapter Twenty-Nine

"That was one hell of a "Charlie's Angels" impression," Nicole Walker Kiriakis remarked immediately and loudly after the elevator doors closed, blocking off all sight of the three women who had managed to shock everyone in attendance.

"Nicole," Victor began warningly, hoping she wasn't going to embarrass him with a whining remark about the three astonishing women who had just departed Tuscany. It was hard to earn his respect, but that trio certainly did with their astounding actions. They were also standing close to the Blacks and the Bradys, who were able to hear this conversation. Victor did not want that group to hear a snide comment from his wife.

Nicole turned and gazed directly at Victor, with sincerity and admiration shining brightly in her eyes. "I mean it. I am seriously impressed with Hope, Greta, and Chloe. Damn, I didn't know they had it in them!"

Victor rewarded Nicole with a proud smile, glad that she had uttered such a satisfactory statement. He could tell that she was sincere in her remarks about the trio.

Belle responded, still slightly stunned, to Nicole's remarks as she and Victor left the vicinity, still discussing the evening's events. "I must say, Nicole is right. I can't believe what we just witnessed here. It was, like, totally amazing."

Shawn's first instinct had been to go after his mother and have her explain everything to him, tonight. But, his hurt at her deception to him and his father still ruled the rest of his emotions. He wasn't ready yet to completely forgive or forget his mother's actions. Maybe after we hear their explanations tomorrow, he thought hopefully, I'll be able to start putting the past behind me. He agreed with his fiancée, with his eyes trained directly on the elevator doors, "I know what you mean, Belle. They completely blew us away tonight."

"They had everything planned so intricately, down to the tiniest detail. I wonder how they came up with all of the evidence against Stefano." John thoughtfully rubbed his chin as he pondered the scene they had witnessed this evening. "It was shocking, the amount of information they collected over the past three years. It was simply perfect. How did they do it?"

Marlena couldn't prevent the large, pleased smile from adorning her face as she faced her husband. She was ecstatic about tonight. Not only had Stefano DiMera been brought down, but also she believed they were close to learning exactly why Chloe Lane had broken things off with Brady. She had always thought that there was a good reason for their break-up; now she was sure of it. Ending things with Brady and going after DiMera so determinedly. It seemed too coincidental. And, she knew from experience, coincidences never occurred if Stefano DiMera was involved. "We'll find out tomorrow, John, at the pub."

"I personally cannot wait!" Belle insisted happily, excited about the possibility of a reconciliation between Shawn and his mother. She wasn't certain about Chloe yet. Her mind was still closed against her and the pain she had caused Brady, unless Chloe had an extremely good explanation for trampling her brother's heart.

Brady listened to the ongoing conversations swirl around him while he soaked in the startling events of the evening. His emotions were in a turmoil, now more than ever. Outwardly, his face revealed nothing about how he was feeling. Inwardly, he was confused, excited, nervous, furious, sad, bitter…You name it, he felt it at this moment. He couldn't believe that Chloe had put herself in such a dangerous position. Taking on Stefano DiMera was not a piece of cake. And, yet, she had handled it admirably well, not backing down from the most feared man in Salem, who also happened to be her father.

He started to feel excited about meeting Chloe again and hearing her explanation late tomorrow morning at the pub. But, then, his memory painfully reinserted itself, stifling the small thread of hope that had been building within him. Chloe had completely rejected him and his love, three years ago. The bitterness fought his excitement and won, overtaking him as he realized that their break-up had been done by Chloe's choice. There was no way Stefano DiMera could have engineered their end of their relationship. He sighed slightly, feeling the familiar feelings of hopelessness and desolation overtake him.

At Greta's house…

Chloe flopped down on the sofa in the living room, still clad in her glamorous evening dress. "I think I am going to have this dress framed," she called out brightly to Hope and Greta as they entered the room, carrying a silver tea tray and a platter of chocolate chip cookies.

"I know exactly what you mean," Greta responded lightly as she gracefully placed the tea tray on the coffee table. She carefully made herself a cup of tea and then sat down next to Chloe on the sofa. "I mean, this night will go down as one of THE best nights of our lives! We have finally brought DiMera to justice!"

"It's funny," Hope added as she picked up a cookie from the platter and took a seat on the sofa on the other side of Chloe. "After all these years, we are the ones who have succeeded in getting Stefano DiMera. So many people have tried and failed, miserably. I guess we had the proper drive and the right motivation."

"Yeah," Chloe agreed as she made her own cup of tea, pouring milk from the cute cow creamer into her mug. "Completely destroying three lives, and clearly enjoying the wreckage, is definitely excellent motivation!"

Greta brought her legs up under her, curling them comfortably on the sofa. She sipped elegantly from her cup. "Exactly. Stefano certainly didn't know the effects his scheme would have on all of us. If he did, I don't think he would ever have come back to Salem. He's definitely down for the count."

"TKO!" Hope laughed, delighted with her response to Greta's colorful description. "The three of us certainly pack quite a punch."

The smile that had adorned Chloe's face faded as she began to experience a twinge of melancholy, a surprising emotion to feel under the successful circumstances of the night. She placed her mug carefully back on the coffee table.

Greta stopped laughing abruptly when she looked at her extremely quiet sister, who seemed to have taken herself out of their private celebration. She was staring off into space. "What's wrong, Chloe? You look, oh, I don't know, sad or depressed or something. What gives?"

Chloe looked at the two women who she had formed such a special and unique bond with, due ironically to Stefano DiMera's interference in all of their lives. She sighed slightly, and then slowly admitted to them, "I'm not quite certain. I know that, by all rights, tonight was a rousing success, and I am really ecstatic about that. But, I can't help feeling that I still lost, somehow. I don't know if the score has really been settled between us and Stefano."

Hope was experiencing the same feeling, elation combined with a slight depression. She faced Chloe and Greta directly as she began to help Chloe deal with her conflicting emotions. "Chloe, I am experiencing the same feelings you are right now."

Hope chewed on her bottom lip for a minute, gathering her thoughts, before she continued, "We went after Stefano DiMera simply for revenge, plan and simple. No arguments there. And we completely succeeded. He's been taken into custody, and there is no way he can escape."

"But?" Greta prompted Hope, after Hope had paused briefly. Greta realized that Hope was not finished with making her point. Chloe watched Hope carefully, waiting for her friend to fully explain her feelings.

"And if feels outstanding, amazing, wonderful, you name it, that we brought DiMera down. Revenge can be a terrific motivation. I know we all agree with that." Hope saw Greta and Chloe nod their heads in agreement. "However, revenge does not get back what we lost at the hands of Stefano DiMera. It is not equal to what we could have had, what we should have had, if he had only not interfered so drastically in our lives." Hope thought briefly of the family she had lost, and may never regain. Her face reflected a lost, wistful expression that showed exactly how Hope was feeling at this moment.

Chloe closed her eyes in resignation as Hope perfectly explained her situation. "That is exactly it. Now that the adrenaline is gone, the excitement has disappeared, all I want to do is cry, for all that we lost." A tear made its way quietly down her face as the image of Brady Black formed behind her closed lids. Was there even a point in explaining things to him? she wondered heartbrokenly.

Greta cried out lightly, slightly frustrated with her sister and her best friend, "Oh, sweetheart! Don't do that!" She hugged Chloe tightly to her, comforting her in the only way she possibly could right now. "This is a night for happiness, for celebration!"

Hope joined the embrace, grateful for the understanding and love that existed between them. She had the same pain that Chloe did, and could completely sympathize with her. Now that their goal had been met, uncertainty clouded their lives. How would Bo and Shawn react to me? Hope wasn't sure, so she just held onto her friends tighter.

"All right, enough of this!" Greta exclaimed suddenly, breaking their connection. "I know that both of you are concerned about certain people's reactions to our explanations tomorrow. Well, actually, later on today."

Chloe thought about the meeting at the pub with severe reservations. The awful conversation with John Black haunted Chloe as she remembered the warning he had given her, earlier this evening, to stop playing games with Brady. Brady, well, he had stayed away from her the entire night, not making a single move in her direction. Of course, that could possibly have been because she had avoided him at the ball. Chloe took a deep breath and admitted aloud, reacting to the self-doubt and insecurities that were hounding her, "I'm not going to tell Brady or the rest of the Blacks about my deal with DiMera. At least, not right away. I just don't see a future with Brady right now. I mean, he can't stand being near me anymore and his family, with the possible exception of Dr. Evans, despises me."

Hope looked at Chloe, surprised by her admissions. Then, her own insecurities about Bo and Shawn reasserted themselves as she agreed with Chloe. "I feel the same way about Bo and Shawn," she whispered. "Even when we tell them about our plans for DiMera, I don't know if I can completely open myself up to them again. If they rejected me, the pain this time would be unbearable."

Greta looked in astonishment at the two women in front of her, not believing what she was hearing. "Are you two kidding me? Chloe, you can't be serious! The Blacks will completely understand, and they will be so grateful for your sacrifice."

"I don't want their gratitude," Chloe insisted, defending her decision to protect her heart. Brady had once told her that she "lead with her head, to protect her heart", a statement she totally agreed with. "All I wanted was Brady's love, but I don't think any reason in the world can salvage it. His father was very adamant tonight, when he insisted that I was no good for Brady. I simply can't, Greta. Knowing the truth would only hurt Brady more. I just can't go through it again."

Greta frowned deeply at Chloe, showing her clear frustration and annoyance at her little sister, and then turned her displeasure on Hope. "And you are not going to tell Bo and Shawn how completely devastated you have been? That you have mourned for them every single day since you left them? Come on, Hope!"

Hope stood up quickly as she responded strongly, "It wouldn't make a difference now, Greta. Three years I've been out of their lives. Shawn doesn't even want me to come to his wedding!" She stopped as the hurt poured out of her and then she fled the room, seeking the solitude of her bedroom.

Chloe followed Hope quickly, also wanting the privacy of her own room, where she could cry for all of her lost dreams. Her insecurities had resurfaced, big time, after that talk with John Black and the other confrontations she had had with various members of the Black family since her return to Salem. At the moment, any possible future with Brady Black looked pretty bleak.

Greta watched in amazement as her closest friends in the world left the room. "What blatant stupidity!" she exclaimed, her face revealing her extreme frustration with them. "Some celebration," she added sarcastically as she threw her hands up in the air, annoyed at how the night had turned out.

Ethan entered the living room, glancing in concern at Greta. "Why do you look like that?" he questioned her as he took off his tuxedo jacket and sat down on the coffee table, meeting her gaze levelly.

"No good reason," Greta answered smartly and sarcastically, a snide look entering her eyes. "Only my best friend and my little sister have decided not to share some pertinent information with certain people. They are so damn stubborn and infuriating!"

"And no one's ever used those words to describe you, huh?" Ethan asked as he rubbed Greta's shoulders in comfort, trying to distract her from her growing concern over Hope and Chloe. He knew Hope and Chloe well, and had silently predicted this reaction from them all along.

A sudden inspiration hit Greta, a way to overcome Chloe's insecurities and Hope's defensiveness. She placed her hands on Ethan's cheeks and brought him closer to her. "I'm ignoring that remark right now, Ethan, because I just had the BEST idea!" A huge smile adorned her face as she leaned in even closer to him and whispered lowly to him, explaining exactly what she wanted to do tomorrow at the pub. "What do you think?" she finally asked him. "Will it work?"

Ethan pulled his wife to him, smiling lovingly into her face. She was so damn beautiful! he thought irrationally before he answered her questions, "I predict that, by tomorrow evening at the latest, two extremely happy women will be extremely grateful for your loving interference!"

He leaned down and picked his wife up from the sofa, carrying her up the stairs towards their bedroom, in imitation of Scarlett and Rhett's famous trek up the staircase. (Only, she wasn't struggling and he wasn't drunk.) "Now, let's put you worries aside for the night, and make this a real celebration!" Greta's sudden peal of laughter echoed through the house before she kissed her husband passionately.