Chapter Thirty-Seven -The Return

Lexie entered the living room and quickly scanned it. She sighed gratefully when she noticed that Chloe was not in attendance yet. Lexie turned her full attention to her father and then asked him anxiously, "Do you really think going out to dinner at Tuscany is such a good idea? I mean, it's already been a red-letter day for us. Chloe completely ignored Bo and Hope at Salem Place, did not recognize Brady and then slapped him, and she also defended the DiMera family."

Stefano arched his eyebrow and then laughed aloud at Lexie's apprehension. "Alexandra, we are already home free. Chloe has already withstood the hardest test of her return to Salem. Coming face-to-face with Brady Black…Well, I must say that she reacted much better than any of us expected! I am very pleased with my youngest daughter, very pleased indeed."

Lexie's facial expression revealed her uneasiness with the plans for the evening. "I know, Father, I know, but, I guess I don't want to press our luck too much. There are some pretty strong memories for Chloe here. And, well, I still fear that some of them may begin breaking through the wall that you created." Lexie bit her lower lip, her eyes glinting with anxiety. She turned away from her father and gazed unseeingly out the window.

Stefano rolled his eyes from his position behind Lexie's back, amused at Lexie's continued worry about Chloe's return. He approached her slowly from behind and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Let me explain everything again, Alexandra," he whispered patiently into her ear. "Chloe Lane does not exist anymore. Rolf and I didn't create a wall between Chloe Lane and Chloe DiMera or an alter ego, like Princess Gina. We completely erased Chloe Lane. Chloe Lane is gone. She will never resurface. Never," he added emphatically, infusing his tone with conviction.

Lexie turned around and faced her father, who still kept his hands lightly on her shoulder. Most of the worry disappeared from her face, but Lexie couldn't help feeling a little concerned. "I know all of that, Father, and my belief in you and Rolf is enormous. I am still worried, I guess, and I will continue to be until Chloe has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is totally loyal to you and no one else in this town."

Stefano surveyed Lexie's features, trying to discover if she truly believed the words she had recently spoken. He knew that Lexie could be the weak link, that she could very easily break under pressure, and he did NOT want her to be the failure of Chloe's return to Salem. After he weighed her statements with her facial expressions, Stefano nodded his head with satisfaction. "Yes, I can understand your concern, Alexandra. That is why we are going to Tuscany to celebrate the New Year, in fact. Tuscany will be crawling with many familiar faces from Chloe's past. Tonight, well, is another test for my youngest daughter. I want to see how she will react to other Salemites."

Lexie digested her father's reasoning slowly and decided that flaunting Chloe before all of Salem would definitely constitute a trademark move of Stefano DiMera. "Do you know who will be dining at Tuscany tonight, Father?" Lexie asked suddenly, even though she already knew the answer.

"Of course, darling, of course!" Stefano answered with a smile of satisfaction. "I had some of my people check the reservation list. There will be a lot of people who were important in Chloe Lane's life sharing a cheerful New Year's Day dinner with their loved ones." The smile of satisfaction that was on his face changed to a smile of pure malice, the type of smile that only Stefano DiMera could wear. He was anxiously awaiting Chloe DiMera's introduction to Salem society.

Lexie sighed while her father stopped his explanation. She put her hand on her hip, demanding Stefano impatiently, "Well? Can you let me in on it? Who's going to be at Tuscany tonight?"

"Wait and see, Alexandra. I predict that tonight will be a very interesting evening, indeed." He paused for a few seconds and then continued, "After all, it is New Year's Day, the day to celebrate the beginning of a brand new year with the people who mean the most to you. I want Salem to witness the strength and the loyalty of the DiMera family firsthand, tonight."

"And that is your prediction?" Lexie questioned him, starting to understand her father's determination to dine this evening at Tuscany. "The wonderful people of Salem will see that Chloe has been converted to "the dark side."" She laughed a little bit at her pun.

Stefano joined in his daughter's laughter, enjoying the parallel that Lexie had drawn. "Exactly, Alexandra. That is what I want all of Salem to realize. And dining out at Tuscany tonight is one of the easiest ways to make Salem accept the fact that Chloe is a true DiMera now."

"Well, I don't think that Bo and Hope or John and Brady would be able to argue with you there," Lexie noted, remembering how Chloe had reacted to some of the most important people in her life as Chloe Lane. "So, you see tonight as another test. Possibly the biggest test for Chloe DiMera. Well, I say we do it, then, Father."

Stefano eyed his daughter with pleasure. "Excellent. We will be near Chloe the entire night, to analyze her behavior when she meets people from her former life. We may also have to be ready to counteract the truth of her former life, too, Alexandra. Some Salemites may try to convince Chloe about her life as Chloe Lane. We will need to prevent that at all costs." His eyes hardened while he prepared himself for the inevitable.

"I don't think that will be a problem, Father," Lexie answered with conviction because she had been a part of Chloe's recreation. "Chloe trusts us. She will believe anything we tell her. Look at the results of Chloe's first meeting with Brady Black earlier this afternoon. Chloe thinks the Bradys and the Blacks are telling her lies to try and break up our family, thanks to you. That was a brilliant move on your part, Father, absolutely brilliant."

Stefano headed towards the liquor cabinet and poured two fingers of brandy into tumblers. He offered one tumbler to Lexie and picked up the other for himself. Before he drank the liquid, he responded to Lexie's praise. "Thank you, darling. I knew that we would have to come up with a plausible excuse for the information people will share with Chloe here, in Salem. The aborted wedding, her history with Brady, her relationships with other people in Salem. Telling her that there was a huge conspiracy at the hands of the Bradys and the Blacks revolving around her memory loss was the simplest possible explanation. Our Chloe is now convinced that many people in Salem are trying to break our family up. And, I believe with absolute certainty, that Chloe will prevent that at all costs." He raised his glass and clinked it together with his Lexie's. "Cheers!" he said in celebration, extremely pleased with the way he had handled Chloe's return to Salem.

The object of their conversation walked gracefully down the staircase and entered the foyer. She looked through the open doors of the living room. "Father! Lexie!" Chloe called out happily from the foyer and smiled with genuine pleasure at her family in the living room. Chloe was dressed in a long silver dress, with a high slit up her leg, revealing a good portion of her thigh. The dress was nearly backless and the front showed a good deal of cleavage. Her hair was pulled back with a silver comb, allowing only a few tendrils to softly caress her face. In all, Chloe looked magnificent. She entered the living slowly and pointed at the tumblers curiously. "What are you celebrating?"

Stefano ignored her question and put his hand over his heart and announced dramatically to the room at large, "Chloe, you look absolutely stunning! The diners at Tuscany will not be able to keep their eyes off of you tonight!" Which was completely true, but it had nothing to do with her physical appearance. Chloe's sudden reappearance in the fascinating world of Salem would be enough to draw everyone's attention.

Lexie reached over to the bottle of brandy and poured her sister a generous amount of the fiery liquid. She placed her hand over her stomach, quietly ordering the butterflies in her stomach to calm down. "Have a glass of brandy, Chloe. We will be leaving for Tuscany shortly." She handed the tumbler to Chloe, who accepted it gracefully.

"I am so happy that we will be celebrating the beginning of the New Year together," Chloe said, smiling warmly at her father and sister. She brought the brandy to her lips and sipped it. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she started coughing uncontrollably. Stefano playfully patted her on the back. "What is this stuff?" she asked him, after she wiped the tears of pain from her eyes.

Stefano smiled indulgently at Chloe, enjoying her company immensely. "It's brandy, dear. My favorite kind."

Chloe eyed the half-full tumbler with distaste and placed it with a smart snap on the table. "I hope you don't mind if I forgo the drink, Father. It's quite horrible."

Stefano threw back his head and laughed uproariously. He drained his own glass and then placed an arm around each of his daughters, smiling blissfully at each of them in turn. "We will have a wonderful time tonight, darlings. After tonight Salem will know that the DiMera's are a close family."

Chloe tilted her head slightly after she remembered the other sister who resided in Salem. "With the exception of our other sister, Greta," she added coolly to her father's statement. "She decided not to accept her place in our family. I really cannot fathom why she turned her back on you, Father. So heartless and cold."

"I agree with you completely, Chloe," Lexie said, delighted with Chloe's description of Greta. "Greta has forsaken the DiMera name and all that goes along with it. Her choice, Chloe, one that she may someday regret."

"Well, I know I would regret not being a DiMera!" Chloe exclaimed vehemently, wrinkling her nose in disgust at Greta's decision. "I don't know what I would have done without the two of you, after I lost my memory from that car accident. Lexie, Father, both of you have given me so much strength and have helped me overcome the pain of losing so much of my life. I'm grateful to all you have done for me, so grateful." Her smile revealed the misguided love she felt for her father and her sister.

"Oh, Chloe! I am so happy that you are my sister!" Lexie murmured while she pulled Chloe into a quick hug and then handed her over to their father, who embraced Chloe much longer and harder.

Stefano pulled back and smiled at his creation, completely delighted with her stated loyalty to their family. He cupped her cheeks and said to her, "You make me happy, Chloe, very happy indeed. Are you ready to dine at Tuscany?" Chloe nodded swiftly and Stefano motioned for his daughters to lead the way out of the living room.

He followed them slowly and then halted suddenly by his chessboard as Lexie and Chloe left the living room. Stefano glanced down at the board and picked up the white queen. He turned it over in his hand and studied it for a moment. "Maybe I finally have my queen," he mused softly, referring to Chloe. He briefly remembered Kristen and Lexie, his other daughters he had tried to fashion into that role, but they had both fallen short of his ideal. "Chloe has the ability to surpass my highest expectations. I can't wait to see what this evening brings." He placed the white queen down reverently on the chessboard and departed from the room.