(Early June... about 4 months later. All has been blissful, and it's graduation day!)
Chloe and Brady walked into the Brady Pub to join a party that was already in full swing. Most of Salem had turned out to offer their congratulations to some of the class of 2002. Shawn's parents had the idea to turn the pub into graduation central to honor Shawn, Belle, Chloe, Mimi and Phillip. The pub, now decorated with balloons, banners and the Salem High colors, was packed with family, friends and other classmates.
"Wow... The Bradys really went all out."
Brady nodded, impressed with the layout. "Well, it's not every day that one of them graduates from high school. Plus, Belle, Mimi and Phillip... and now you too... you're all like family around here."
Chloe smiled happily. "That's so cool... You know, aside from one thing, this has been the greatest four months of my life."
Brady frowned. "Aside from one thing? What would that be?"
"I never thought I'd say it... but, I miss Nancy and Craig. It's not like I have many opportunities to see them, and I'm sure they see no reason to even talk to a kid that they didn't really know. It was weird seeing them at the ceremony tonight. I just wanted to go up and say something, but I couldn't."
Brady wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, never say never... The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "Ain't that the truth?"
Shawn and Belle came walking towards them hand in hand. Belle was smiling widely and grinned at them. "Hey guys... could that graduation ceremony have been any longer? Or more boring?
Chloe shook her head and laughed. "Probably not. But, I did like Kevin's valedictorian speech. I was really impressed."
Shawn nodded in agreement. "Plus, it was nice that they included Chloe and Jason. Giving honorary diplomas to their parents was really cool."
Chloe smiled sweetly, her heart warmed by the small tribute paid to her at graduation. "Yeah, I thought that was cool too..."
Brady grinned and pointed towards his sister. "But other than that, Belle's right. It was completely boring."
Belle grinned and winked slyly. "And that's what we have graduation parties for... to rid us of our boredom."
Chloe nodded firmly. "Right, so let's get to it... It's time to mingle."
The group turned together and made their way into the crowd. Chloe spotted Phillip sitting in a booth next to Mimi. Mimi stood up to walk away and Chloe turned towards Brady and motioned towards Phillip.
"I'm gonna go talk to Phillip... I'll be right back."
Brady nodded and let go of her hand. "I'll be right here... mingling and such."
Chloe walked through the group and sat across from Phillip. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Jan... Happy graduation... I guess... Is that even the right greeting?"
Chloe laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure... maybe we're supposed to just say 'congratulations'. Either way, happy graduation to you too."
"Thanks... I can't believe we made it, right?"
Chloe nodded and looked at him with seriousness. "Phillip... I wanted to thank you..."
Phillip tried to interrupt, "Jan... don't..."
"No, no, no. Let me finish. I know that I was a pretty detestable person before, and I know that all the stuff with Chloe was really hard on you. So, I wanted to thank you for giving me another chance. Some people wouldn't have, and I'm glad you did. You're a good... no, you're a great person, and I'm really glad that we're friends now."
Phillip looked down shyly and smiled. "You're welcome, but... You don't need to thank me, I need to thank you."
Chloe sat back and looked at him in surprise. "You do? For what?"
"Well, I know that you're the one who organized that intervention. And, that's what made me start to fix things in my life. You've really helped me through a lot of things over the past few months, and I appreciate that. If it wasn't for you... and Mimi... I'd still be a wreck."
"And Mimi?" Chloe raised her eyebrows curiously.
Phillip wavered, almost nervously. "Yeah, and Mimi too. You know, everybody thinks she's just annoying little Mimi who's always bugging everybody... but there's a lot more to her than you'd believe. Sometimes you gotta look past the image to see how smart and caring she is. With Belle, it's like what you see is what you get... everybody knows what a good person she is because she's always like that. But Mimi is... surprising."
Chloe grinned proudly. She had witnessed both Mimi and Phillip progress and mature over the past 4 months, and was amazed. If you had asked her a year, even six months ago, she would have thought the idea of Mimi and Phillip as a couple was absolutely ridiculous and totally unlikely. At this point, she figured that it would be any day now when one of them would admit their feelings for each other. They had spent a lot of time together over the past few months, with Shawn, Belle, Brady and Chloe already paired off, they had found friendship in each other so they didn't have to feel like the tagalongs with the already established couples.
"Yeah, Mimi is pretty great... I'm glad somebody is starting to notice that."
Mimi walked up to the table with two glasses of punch in her hand. "Starting to notice what?"
Chloe smiled at her as she laid the glasses on the table. "Ohhhh nothing... Phillip and I were just talking about how wonderful you are."
Mimi's face flushed red and she took a step back in surprise. "Huh? Have you guys been hitting the liquor cabinet or something?
Phillip laughed and shook his head. "Noooo... At least I haven't, I can't speak for Jan."
Chloe shrugged innocently. "I'm completely sober."
Mimi nudged Phillip over and sat beside him. "Well, now I'm completely embarrassed. But, thank you. I didn't know you were over here Jan, or I would have grabbed you a drink too."
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
Phillip looked around the room for a moment and then back to Chloe. "Jan, I don't think I've met your parents tonight… or EVER..."
Chloe shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think anybody has, actually. They couldn't make it."
Mimi looked disgusted. "They couldn't even make it to your graduation?"
"Nope. They were home about two weeks ago, and gave me some lovely parting gifts. You know, buy me off so I won't be so upset about them not coming to my graduation. No big deal."
Mimi sighed softly. "That's really really... pathetic. I don't mean, you're pathetic... I just can't believe your parents would do that."
"I'm used to it, really. I think I've seen them like three times in the past 4 months... I know that I can't rely on them, so I just rely on myself."
Phillip pointed at her and interjected, "And, your friends."
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, my friends."
Chloe heard some noise at the back of the pub and they all turned their attention towards the back bar. Bo and Hope were standing together and Hope was tapping her champagne glass as loudly as possible. The trio in the booth looked at each other curiously and slid out to join the rest of the party. Chloe found her way to Brady and stood next to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
Hope cleared her throat loudly and tried to direct everyone's attention towards her. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"
The room quieted down and all eyes were on Shawn's parents. Hope smiled and spoke first, "Hello everybody. Thanks to all of you for coming out tonight. We just wanted to have a little party to congratulate our son, Shawn Douglas..."
The voices of Mimi, Phillip, Chloe, Brady and Belle yelled out in unison, "IT'S JUST SHAWN!"
A wave of laughter spread over the room as Shawn smiled in embarrassment. Hope laughed and continued, "Right, I'm sorry. Sometimes a mother forgets. Anyway, we wanted to congratulate Shawn, his friends and the rest of the Class of 2002 on their amazing achievements. You have all come so far and done so well. You should be proud of yourselves, as we are all proud of you. Bo and I want to wish everyone here the best of luck, and a bright, healthy, happy future."
Bo nodded and interjected his own thoughts, "I think my lovely wife said it better than I could. But, I just wanted to tell all of you how proud you make us, and your own families too... and I would tell you to continue to make us proud in the future, but I don't think I need to. You already know all that."
Bo raised his glass in a toast and the rest of the room followed, "Congratulations Salem High!"
Chloe smiled and Brady held her tightly, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. He whispered softly, making sure that only she could hear him, "Congratulations, Chloe..."
Chloe grinned and leaned back. "Aww, it was easy."
Brady kissed her on the lips this time, but broke off quickly to avoid an overly public display of affection.
They spent the next hour chatting with friends and family. The guests seemed to enjoy to the spread of food set up by Shawn's grandparents, and everyone was having a great time. Chloe and Brady made sure to take the time to thank Bo and Hope for having the party before quietly sneaking out to enjoy some time alone together.
***
(In Brady's Jeep...)
Chloe sighed softly and fastened her seatbelt. "That was fun..."
Brady nodded and pulled the jeep out of it's parking space. "Sure was... Those Bradys really know how to have a party."
"So, what next? I'm a high school graduate now, nothing's holding me back, you know... Of course, nothing was holding me back before, seeing as how my parents are never home, therefore I have no curfew or rules or restrictions or... well, you see my point."
Brady chuckled and drove towards the highway. "You mean, I didn't tell you I have a plan?"
"A plan for what?"
"A plan for us. And, it has to do with that big mountain over there."
Chloe looked at him curiously. "Really? Now you've peaked my curiosity... Of course, you know that's not really a BIG mountain. It's barely a mountain, technically speaking."
Brady looked at her briefly and rolled his eyes. "Don't get all scientific on me, just because you have a high school diploma now."
"I don't actually have a high school diploma. I have a blank piece of parchment tied off with a ribbon. The real diplomas come in the mail later."
Brady put a finger on her lips and made a shushing noise. "Stop... just enjoy the drive, don't banter with me."
Chloe pouted in silence. "No banter? But banter is what we do..."
"I know, and we'll get back to it soon enough... Just put on some music and enjoy the scenery."
Chloe sighed and grabbed a CD of her favorite classical music and turned it on. She sat back in her seat and took in the scenery around her. The road to Green Mountain was one of the most scenic drives in the entire state, she imagined. The weather outside was perfect that night, not too hot for June, and the breeze was just cool enough to keep you comfortable.
Brady muttered under his breath, "Classical music... you're a real party girl, you know."
"Heyyyy, it's your CD... Besides, with the forest and the moonlight and the stars... it's like one of those nature shows."
Brady sighed and changed the subject, "You know... there's something I've never told you."
Chloe cringed slightly. "Uh-oh. Something bad?"
"I don't think so, I don't know."
Chloe felt worried now and sat up straight. "Well, what is it?"
Brady hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should mention it. "It's about the night of your accident. I knew that you were out with Phillip that night, and I went to your house to wait for you. I stood outside your window and waited for you to come home, but you never did. I knew when your curfew was, and when you weren't home at that time, I kinda chickened out and went home. I didn't think of it then, but when I was driving away from your street, a police car was driving towards your house. It must have been the cops coming to tell Nancy and Craig the bad news."
Chloe nodded solemnly. "So, how did you end up finding out?"
"I went home and I was upstairs talking to Belle. Your mom called her and told her about you and Phillip. I was standing right there when the phone rang."
"Wow... And, why were you at my house by the way?"
Brady paused and bit his lower lip nervously. "I went there that night... to tell you that I was in love with you."
Chloe's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What? You did? I thought you said that you were afraid to tell me all that time."
"I was. And, if you had come home... I might have chickened out and not told you anyway. I don't know. But, I know that I wanted to tell you... I wanted to know once and for all if there was a chance for us, instead of letting all of this drag on and on forever. You know, I didn't want to be vicious and purposely break up you and Phillip, I just wanted to make you aware that your options were open. But, the more I stood there waiting the more afraid I got."
Chloe sighed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for telling me all this..."
Brady shrugged nonchalantly. "Why? Doesn't make a difference, does it?"
"No, but it's still nice to know."
Chloe slid back into her seat and got more comfortable. They spent the rest of their drive enjoying the music and the beautiful night sky together, her hand resting gently on his knee. Brady pulled the jeep off of the main highway and onto a narrow dirt road. The road led up to a small, quaint cottage surrounded by the lush forest.
Chloe looked closer at it as Brady pulled the jeep in front of it. "Brady, what is this?"
"It's a house."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that... but whose house is this?"
Brady got out of the jeep and walked around to Chloe's side, opening her door for her and helping her out. "It's our house... well, not OURS, I didn't buy it or anything. I'm just borrowing it... renting it."
Chloe turned to him and smiled sweetly. "It's beautiful..."
Brady grinned proudly and kissed her on the lips. "It's your graduation present."
"Wow, this is so great... But, I didn't get to pack my stuff or anything."
Brady grabbed her hand and led her up the porch and into her house. "Don't worry... I took care of it."
He led her into the master bedroom where his suitcase and hers were sitting beside each other in the corner. Chloe looked at him in confusion. "But how? When did you do all this?"
"I went to your house and packed all your necessities while you were at graduation rehearsal today. Benjamin drove everything up here for me. He's a nice guy, that Ben."
Chloe looked at him in amazement. "Wow, you really do know how to institute a plan."
Brady nodded in pride. "Yes, I do. I just hope I packed all the things you need. Belle gave me a list of all the necessities that you girls like to bring with you everywhere, so I think I got it all covered."
"I'm sure you did just fine... Thank you so much, Brady. Nobody has EVER done something like this for me."
Brady smiled and pulled her into his arms. "You're welcome, you know I plan on doing things like this for you for a very long time to come. Besides, it wasn't just for you... Now I get you all to myself, in a beautiful place, with no interruptions."
Chloe smiled and kissed him on the lips quickly. "No telephones." Another kiss. "No TV." Another kiss. "No parents." Kiss. "No friends." Kiss. "No annoying butler." Kiss. "Just you..." Kiss. "...and me."
"Talk about boring, right?"
Chloe shook her head. "Nope, sounds fine to me."
Brady held on to her hand and led her out of the bedroom. "Well, let me give you the grand tour. That was the bedroom. This is the living room. And over there's the kitchen and dining room."
"Does that mean we have to pee outdoors?"
"No, there's one in the bedroom. Sure, the place doesn't have much too it... but it's cozy, right?"
Chloe smiled and walked towards the kitchen. "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Brady motioned towards the small round dining table. "Then have a seat... I have something for you."
Chloe hesitantly sat down while Brady went into the kitchen and grabbed a few things. He returned holding some sort of cake, a couple of glasses and a plastic bottle of liquid.
He laid the cake in front of her and grinned. "Strawberry cheesecake... your favorite."
"Wow, you really know the way to my heart... And the beverage?"
Brady winked and poured the clear, bubbly liquid into the champagne glasses. "It's Sprite... we're underage, remember?"
Chloe laughed and nodded. "But, I've seen you drink before."
"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure we remain clear-headed tonight. No funny stuff."
Chloe took a sip of her Sprite and grinned. "Clear-headed? Why? Are we planning on doing some precision woodworking? Cause, I didn't know you were crafty."
Brady shrugged. "I've done some whittling."
Chloe looked at him in shock. "Really?"
"Yes, never tell anyone. My point is... I know what a mean drunk you could become, so I'm going to keep that habit from ever starting."
Chloe laughed heartily and took another sip of Sprite. "Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself to get through the night. I guess I should thank you then."
"You're welcome... And, I have something else for you."
Chloe looked impressed. "Oooh... I'm intrigued."
Brady stood and went back into the kitchen. When he returned, he was holding two small plates and two forks. He laid them on the table and cut a piece of cheesecake for Chloe, and one for himself.
"You brought me plates and utensils? Wow... the romance just doesn't stop with you."
"Noooo... I forgot to bring the plates and utensils before. The present is in my pocket."
Chloe gazed at him seriously. "Brady... you didn't have to get me something. I mean, all this... it's enough... it's too much actually."
Brady shook his head and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. "Shhhh... Just let me do something nice for the woman I love."
Chloe smiled and slowly opened the box. Resting on a burgundy piece of velvet was a silver heart locket on a chain. The front was engraved with an angel, and when she opened it there was a very small picture of Brady and Chloe together.
Chloe looked surprised and her eyes widened. "Brady... it's us. Like, REALLY us. Not the Jan me, it's the real me."
"Chloe, you are the real you. It doesn't matter whether you look like Jan or you look like Chloe."
Chloe smiled happily at him, still in awe. "Where did this picture come from?"
"You don't remember?" Chloe shook her head and Brady continued, "Last summer, when Phillip was out of town and we went to the park together that day. Remember how I held the camera in my hand and turned it around so I could get one picture of us together."
Chloe nodded, the memory coming back to her. "Yeah, I remember now. That's why we're laughing so hard in this picture. You made me sit on your lap, and you kept poking me in the side and making me laugh."
Brady nodded happily and pointed out the angel on the front of the locket. "And that's... that's because I think you are an angel."
"Cause I came back from the dead..."
Brady shook his head and smiled at her. "No, that's only half the reason."
Chloe sighed contentedly. "Brady... it's perfect, absolutely perfect. YOU are perfect."
"I hear that cheesecake is pretty perfect too. You should ask it though, just to make sure."
Chloe laughed and took a bite of the cheesecake. "Definitely perfect."
Brady smiled and took a bite of his own cake. "Did you know that you can never use the word perfect too many times? Especially when in reference to me..."
Chloe muttered through a mouthful of dessert, "I'll keep that in mind... thanks."
They quickly finished their dessert and Brady leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, sighing deeply. "So, Chloe Lane, Jan Spears... now that you're officially graduated, what are you going to do with your life?"
Chloe groaned. "Ugh. You mean I have to think about it?"
"What about your singing?"
"Can't do it. It's mostly a biological thing. I can hold a tune and everything, but this body is an alto. With some training, I could be alright, but some bodies just aren't built for opera."
Brady nodded and frowned slightly. "Fascinating... So what else is there?"
Chloe shrugged sadly. "I don't know. Music was always 'it' for me. I never even considered other possibilities. And now that I can't be a soprano at the Met, I'm one of those lost and directionless teenagers that have television shows on the WB about them."
"Well, that's a thought... you could be an actress."
Chloe shook her head and wrinkled her nose up. "Noooo, I don't think so. I was thinking about being... a teacher. But, I'd teach little kids, not teenagers. Teenagers are ick. You can do more guiding when the kids are young and impressionable."
"I happen to think that would be a very noble profession."
Chloe nodded proudly. "But, I am still young... so I've got time to think about it."
"That's right... live in the now, be young, enjoy your youth... Dance with your extremely handsome, perfectly wonderful boyfriend."
Chloe winked at him and grinned wickedly. "I would love to, but he's not here... he's out of town for the weekend."
Brady rolled his eyes and stood from his seat. He reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it tightly, standing with him. "Well then, you'll just have to settle for me."
Chloe paused, as if she was considering and weighing her options. "Alright then... I hope you have music."
"I do..." Brady led her into the living room and pushed a few buttons on a small CD player next to the couch. He turned back to her and smiled. "Hope this will do..."
Chloe smiled back at him as he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. The music started and they began moving together, holding each other tightly.
***Earth angel, earth angel
Will you be mine?
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you***
Brady smiled and whispered into her ear, "I think this is our song..."
"We don't have a song, Brady..."
"But we could..."
Chloe smiled and laid her head on his chest, listening to the music playing behind her.
***Earth angel, earth angel
The one I adore
Love you forever and ever more
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
I fell for you and I knew
The vision of your loveliness
I hoped and I pray that someday
I'll be the vision of your happiness
Earth angel, earth angel
Please be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
I fell for you and I knew
The vision of your loveliness
I hope and pray that someday
That I'll be the vision of your happiness
Earth angel, earth angel
Please be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you***
The song ended, and another slow song began, but Chloe stopped dancing. She looked up into Brady's eyes and sighed softly. "I love you so much, Brady Black. I can't even begin to tell you..."
"You don't have to, because if it's even half as much as I love you, then it's perfect."
"Are we turning into one of those gross mushy couples that say things like, 'I love you!', 'No! I love you more!' all the time?"
Brady nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Okay... just promise to smack me if I start calling you schmoopie or muffin-butt or something."
Brady laughed and winked at her. "Oh, but I like muffin-butt. That one's good. You can use that one."
Chloe rolled her eyes and started to speak, but Brady silenced her with a deep passionate kiss. Chloe had worn a dress with thin spaghetti straps that night, so her neck, shoulders and arms were completely bare. Brady's kiss made her melt in his arms so that her body was even closer to him. He moved his lips from hers and kissed her neck gently, slowly inching his way down her bare shoulders with his lips. Chloe sighed with joy and ran one hand through his blonde hair. Brady moved his way back up and kissed her on the lips once more.
Chloe broke away with a sigh, still holding on to him tightly. "Brady... I love you."
"I love you too."
Chloe nervously whispered, "I want you."
Brady looked somewhat shocked, as if he didn't expect for her to make the first move. "Are you sure? You know I won't do anything that you don't want. We can wait as long as you want."
Chloe shook her head. "No, Brady. I know why we came up here... and I want it too."
"No, that's not the reason why I brought you up here. I don't want you to think that I brought you here just to take advantage of you. I brought you here to spend time with you."
Chloe nodded and smiled weakly. "So... you don't want to?"
Brady looked at her with both eyebrows raised. "Are you kidding? I would have done it a long time ago, if you had asked. I love you Chloe, and I would love to make love to you... But, I never wanted to pressure you."
"You're not pressuring me. I was waiting for the right moment, and this is THE perfect moment. So, let's not ruin it with a bunch of talk?"
Brady grinned slyly. "Wellllll... if you insist."
"Do you..." Chloe stammered a tiny bit. "Do you have, you know, protection?"
"Hey, I used to be a Boy Scout, and you know what our motto is."
Chloe paused to think about it and raised one hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper?"
Brady laughed and shook his head. "No... 'Be Prepared'... it's a way of life for any hormonal young man."
"Well then... lead the way."
Brady pulled her closer and kissed her deeply again. He deftly unzipped the back of her dress with one hands and pulled the straps down. The feel of his warm hands on her cool flesh made Chloe tingle all over. They moved together to the bedroom, holding on and never letting go.
***
(Hey! I don't write NC-17. Use your imagination, it's probably much naughtier than anything I would write. And if you don't believe in sex before marriage, pretend that they went in the bedroom and played a rousing game of Scrabble.)
Chloe and Brady walked into the Brady Pub to join a party that was already in full swing. Most of Salem had turned out to offer their congratulations to some of the class of 2002. Shawn's parents had the idea to turn the pub into graduation central to honor Shawn, Belle, Chloe, Mimi and Phillip. The pub, now decorated with balloons, banners and the Salem High colors, was packed with family, friends and other classmates.
"Wow... The Bradys really went all out."
Brady nodded, impressed with the layout. "Well, it's not every day that one of them graduates from high school. Plus, Belle, Mimi and Phillip... and now you too... you're all like family around here."
Chloe smiled happily. "That's so cool... You know, aside from one thing, this has been the greatest four months of my life."
Brady frowned. "Aside from one thing? What would that be?"
"I never thought I'd say it... but, I miss Nancy and Craig. It's not like I have many opportunities to see them, and I'm sure they see no reason to even talk to a kid that they didn't really know. It was weird seeing them at the ceremony tonight. I just wanted to go up and say something, but I couldn't."
Brady wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the forehead. "Well, never say never... The Lord works in mysterious ways."
Chloe chuckled and nodded. "Ain't that the truth?"
Shawn and Belle came walking towards them hand in hand. Belle was smiling widely and grinned at them. "Hey guys... could that graduation ceremony have been any longer? Or more boring?
Chloe shook her head and laughed. "Probably not. But, I did like Kevin's valedictorian speech. I was really impressed."
Shawn nodded in agreement. "Plus, it was nice that they included Chloe and Jason. Giving honorary diplomas to their parents was really cool."
Chloe smiled sweetly, her heart warmed by the small tribute paid to her at graduation. "Yeah, I thought that was cool too..."
Brady grinned and pointed towards his sister. "But other than that, Belle's right. It was completely boring."
Belle grinned and winked slyly. "And that's what we have graduation parties for... to rid us of our boredom."
Chloe nodded firmly. "Right, so let's get to it... It's time to mingle."
The group turned together and made their way into the crowd. Chloe spotted Phillip sitting in a booth next to Mimi. Mimi stood up to walk away and Chloe turned towards Brady and motioned towards Phillip.
"I'm gonna go talk to Phillip... I'll be right back."
Brady nodded and let go of her hand. "I'll be right here... mingling and such."
Chloe walked through the group and sat across from Phillip. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hey Jan... Happy graduation... I guess... Is that even the right greeting?"
Chloe laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure... maybe we're supposed to just say 'congratulations'. Either way, happy graduation to you too."
"Thanks... I can't believe we made it, right?"
Chloe nodded and looked at him with seriousness. "Phillip... I wanted to thank you..."
Phillip tried to interrupt, "Jan... don't..."
"No, no, no. Let me finish. I know that I was a pretty detestable person before, and I know that all the stuff with Chloe was really hard on you. So, I wanted to thank you for giving me another chance. Some people wouldn't have, and I'm glad you did. You're a good... no, you're a great person, and I'm really glad that we're friends now."
Phillip looked down shyly and smiled. "You're welcome, but... You don't need to thank me, I need to thank you."
Chloe sat back and looked at him in surprise. "You do? For what?"
"Well, I know that you're the one who organized that intervention. And, that's what made me start to fix things in my life. You've really helped me through a lot of things over the past few months, and I appreciate that. If it wasn't for you... and Mimi... I'd still be a wreck."
"And Mimi?" Chloe raised her eyebrows curiously.
Phillip wavered, almost nervously. "Yeah, and Mimi too. You know, everybody thinks she's just annoying little Mimi who's always bugging everybody... but there's a lot more to her than you'd believe. Sometimes you gotta look past the image to see how smart and caring she is. With Belle, it's like what you see is what you get... everybody knows what a good person she is because she's always like that. But Mimi is... surprising."
Chloe grinned proudly. She had witnessed both Mimi and Phillip progress and mature over the past 4 months, and was amazed. If you had asked her a year, even six months ago, she would have thought the idea of Mimi and Phillip as a couple was absolutely ridiculous and totally unlikely. At this point, she figured that it would be any day now when one of them would admit their feelings for each other. They had spent a lot of time together over the past few months, with Shawn, Belle, Brady and Chloe already paired off, they had found friendship in each other so they didn't have to feel like the tagalongs with the already established couples.
"Yeah, Mimi is pretty great... I'm glad somebody is starting to notice that."
Mimi walked up to the table with two glasses of punch in her hand. "Starting to notice what?"
Chloe smiled at her as she laid the glasses on the table. "Ohhhh nothing... Phillip and I were just talking about how wonderful you are."
Mimi's face flushed red and she took a step back in surprise. "Huh? Have you guys been hitting the liquor cabinet or something?
Phillip laughed and shook his head. "Noooo... At least I haven't, I can't speak for Jan."
Chloe shrugged innocently. "I'm completely sober."
Mimi nudged Phillip over and sat beside him. "Well, now I'm completely embarrassed. But, thank you. I didn't know you were over here Jan, or I would have grabbed you a drink too."
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
Phillip looked around the room for a moment and then back to Chloe. "Jan, I don't think I've met your parents tonight… or EVER..."
Chloe shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think anybody has, actually. They couldn't make it."
Mimi looked disgusted. "They couldn't even make it to your graduation?"
"Nope. They were home about two weeks ago, and gave me some lovely parting gifts. You know, buy me off so I won't be so upset about them not coming to my graduation. No big deal."
Mimi sighed softly. "That's really really... pathetic. I don't mean, you're pathetic... I just can't believe your parents would do that."
"I'm used to it, really. I think I've seen them like three times in the past 4 months... I know that I can't rely on them, so I just rely on myself."
Phillip pointed at her and interjected, "And, your friends."
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, my friends."
Chloe heard some noise at the back of the pub and they all turned their attention towards the back bar. Bo and Hope were standing together and Hope was tapping her champagne glass as loudly as possible. The trio in the booth looked at each other curiously and slid out to join the rest of the party. Chloe found her way to Brady and stood next to him as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
Hope cleared her throat loudly and tried to direct everyone's attention towards her. "Can I have everyone's attention please?"
The room quieted down and all eyes were on Shawn's parents. Hope smiled and spoke first, "Hello everybody. Thanks to all of you for coming out tonight. We just wanted to have a little party to congratulate our son, Shawn Douglas..."
The voices of Mimi, Phillip, Chloe, Brady and Belle yelled out in unison, "IT'S JUST SHAWN!"
A wave of laughter spread over the room as Shawn smiled in embarrassment. Hope laughed and continued, "Right, I'm sorry. Sometimes a mother forgets. Anyway, we wanted to congratulate Shawn, his friends and the rest of the Class of 2002 on their amazing achievements. You have all come so far and done so well. You should be proud of yourselves, as we are all proud of you. Bo and I want to wish everyone here the best of luck, and a bright, healthy, happy future."
Bo nodded and interjected his own thoughts, "I think my lovely wife said it better than I could. But, I just wanted to tell all of you how proud you make us, and your own families too... and I would tell you to continue to make us proud in the future, but I don't think I need to. You already know all that."
Bo raised his glass in a toast and the rest of the room followed, "Congratulations Salem High!"
Chloe smiled and Brady held her tightly, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. He whispered softly, making sure that only she could hear him, "Congratulations, Chloe..."
Chloe grinned and leaned back. "Aww, it was easy."
Brady kissed her on the lips this time, but broke off quickly to avoid an overly public display of affection.
They spent the next hour chatting with friends and family. The guests seemed to enjoy to the spread of food set up by Shawn's grandparents, and everyone was having a great time. Chloe and Brady made sure to take the time to thank Bo and Hope for having the party before quietly sneaking out to enjoy some time alone together.
***
(In Brady's Jeep...)
Chloe sighed softly and fastened her seatbelt. "That was fun..."
Brady nodded and pulled the jeep out of it's parking space. "Sure was... Those Bradys really know how to have a party."
"So, what next? I'm a high school graduate now, nothing's holding me back, you know... Of course, nothing was holding me back before, seeing as how my parents are never home, therefore I have no curfew or rules or restrictions or... well, you see my point."
Brady chuckled and drove towards the highway. "You mean, I didn't tell you I have a plan?"
"A plan for what?"
"A plan for us. And, it has to do with that big mountain over there."
Chloe looked at him curiously. "Really? Now you've peaked my curiosity... Of course, you know that's not really a BIG mountain. It's barely a mountain, technically speaking."
Brady looked at her briefly and rolled his eyes. "Don't get all scientific on me, just because you have a high school diploma now."
"I don't actually have a high school diploma. I have a blank piece of parchment tied off with a ribbon. The real diplomas come in the mail later."
Brady put a finger on her lips and made a shushing noise. "Stop... just enjoy the drive, don't banter with me."
Chloe pouted in silence. "No banter? But banter is what we do..."
"I know, and we'll get back to it soon enough... Just put on some music and enjoy the scenery."
Chloe sighed and grabbed a CD of her favorite classical music and turned it on. She sat back in her seat and took in the scenery around her. The road to Green Mountain was one of the most scenic drives in the entire state, she imagined. The weather outside was perfect that night, not too hot for June, and the breeze was just cool enough to keep you comfortable.
Brady muttered under his breath, "Classical music... you're a real party girl, you know."
"Heyyyy, it's your CD... Besides, with the forest and the moonlight and the stars... it's like one of those nature shows."
Brady sighed and changed the subject, "You know... there's something I've never told you."
Chloe cringed slightly. "Uh-oh. Something bad?"
"I don't think so, I don't know."
Chloe felt worried now and sat up straight. "Well, what is it?"
Brady hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should mention it. "It's about the night of your accident. I knew that you were out with Phillip that night, and I went to your house to wait for you. I stood outside your window and waited for you to come home, but you never did. I knew when your curfew was, and when you weren't home at that time, I kinda chickened out and went home. I didn't think of it then, but when I was driving away from your street, a police car was driving towards your house. It must have been the cops coming to tell Nancy and Craig the bad news."
Chloe nodded solemnly. "So, how did you end up finding out?"
"I went home and I was upstairs talking to Belle. Your mom called her and told her about you and Phillip. I was standing right there when the phone rang."
"Wow... And, why were you at my house by the way?"
Brady paused and bit his lower lip nervously. "I went there that night... to tell you that I was in love with you."
Chloe's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "What? You did? I thought you said that you were afraid to tell me all that time."
"I was. And, if you had come home... I might have chickened out and not told you anyway. I don't know. But, I know that I wanted to tell you... I wanted to know once and for all if there was a chance for us, instead of letting all of this drag on and on forever. You know, I didn't want to be vicious and purposely break up you and Phillip, I just wanted to make you aware that your options were open. But, the more I stood there waiting the more afraid I got."
Chloe sighed and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you for telling me all this..."
Brady shrugged nonchalantly. "Why? Doesn't make a difference, does it?"
"No, but it's still nice to know."
Chloe slid back into her seat and got more comfortable. They spent the rest of their drive enjoying the music and the beautiful night sky together, her hand resting gently on his knee. Brady pulled the jeep off of the main highway and onto a narrow dirt road. The road led up to a small, quaint cottage surrounded by the lush forest.
Chloe looked closer at it as Brady pulled the jeep in front of it. "Brady, what is this?"
"It's a house."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes, I can see that... but whose house is this?"
Brady got out of the jeep and walked around to Chloe's side, opening her door for her and helping her out. "It's our house... well, not OURS, I didn't buy it or anything. I'm just borrowing it... renting it."
Chloe turned to him and smiled sweetly. "It's beautiful..."
Brady grinned proudly and kissed her on the lips. "It's your graduation present."
"Wow, this is so great... But, I didn't get to pack my stuff or anything."
Brady grabbed her hand and led her up the porch and into her house. "Don't worry... I took care of it."
He led her into the master bedroom where his suitcase and hers were sitting beside each other in the corner. Chloe looked at him in confusion. "But how? When did you do all this?"
"I went to your house and packed all your necessities while you were at graduation rehearsal today. Benjamin drove everything up here for me. He's a nice guy, that Ben."
Chloe looked at him in amazement. "Wow, you really do know how to institute a plan."
Brady nodded in pride. "Yes, I do. I just hope I packed all the things you need. Belle gave me a list of all the necessities that you girls like to bring with you everywhere, so I think I got it all covered."
"I'm sure you did just fine... Thank you so much, Brady. Nobody has EVER done something like this for me."
Brady smiled and pulled her into his arms. "You're welcome, you know I plan on doing things like this for you for a very long time to come. Besides, it wasn't just for you... Now I get you all to myself, in a beautiful place, with no interruptions."
Chloe smiled and kissed him on the lips quickly. "No telephones." Another kiss. "No TV." Another kiss. "No parents." Kiss. "No friends." Kiss. "No annoying butler." Kiss. "Just you..." Kiss. "...and me."
"Talk about boring, right?"
Chloe shook her head. "Nope, sounds fine to me."
Brady held on to her hand and led her out of the bedroom. "Well, let me give you the grand tour. That was the bedroom. This is the living room. And over there's the kitchen and dining room."
"Does that mean we have to pee outdoors?"
"No, there's one in the bedroom. Sure, the place doesn't have much too it... but it's cozy, right?"
Chloe smiled and walked towards the kitchen. "It's perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Brady motioned towards the small round dining table. "Then have a seat... I have something for you."
Chloe hesitantly sat down while Brady went into the kitchen and grabbed a few things. He returned holding some sort of cake, a couple of glasses and a plastic bottle of liquid.
He laid the cake in front of her and grinned. "Strawberry cheesecake... your favorite."
"Wow, you really know the way to my heart... And the beverage?"
Brady winked and poured the clear, bubbly liquid into the champagne glasses. "It's Sprite... we're underage, remember?"
Chloe laughed and nodded. "But, I've seen you drink before."
"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure we remain clear-headed tonight. No funny stuff."
Chloe took a sip of her Sprite and grinned. "Clear-headed? Why? Are we planning on doing some precision woodworking? Cause, I didn't know you were crafty."
Brady shrugged. "I've done some whittling."
Chloe looked at him in shock. "Really?"
"Yes, never tell anyone. My point is... I know what a mean drunk you could become, so I'm going to keep that habit from ever starting."
Chloe laughed heartily and took another sip of Sprite. "Fine, whatever you need to tell yourself to get through the night. I guess I should thank you then."
"You're welcome... And, I have something else for you."
Chloe looked impressed. "Oooh... I'm intrigued."
Brady stood and went back into the kitchen. When he returned, he was holding two small plates and two forks. He laid them on the table and cut a piece of cheesecake for Chloe, and one for himself.
"You brought me plates and utensils? Wow... the romance just doesn't stop with you."
"Noooo... I forgot to bring the plates and utensils before. The present is in my pocket."
Chloe gazed at him seriously. "Brady... you didn't have to get me something. I mean, all this... it's enough... it's too much actually."
Brady shook his head and pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket. "Shhhh... Just let me do something nice for the woman I love."
Chloe smiled and slowly opened the box. Resting on a burgundy piece of velvet was a silver heart locket on a chain. The front was engraved with an angel, and when she opened it there was a very small picture of Brady and Chloe together.
Chloe looked surprised and her eyes widened. "Brady... it's us. Like, REALLY us. Not the Jan me, it's the real me."
"Chloe, you are the real you. It doesn't matter whether you look like Jan or you look like Chloe."
Chloe smiled happily at him, still in awe. "Where did this picture come from?"
"You don't remember?" Chloe shook her head and Brady continued, "Last summer, when Phillip was out of town and we went to the park together that day. Remember how I held the camera in my hand and turned it around so I could get one picture of us together."
Chloe nodded, the memory coming back to her. "Yeah, I remember now. That's why we're laughing so hard in this picture. You made me sit on your lap, and you kept poking me in the side and making me laugh."
Brady nodded happily and pointed out the angel on the front of the locket. "And that's... that's because I think you are an angel."
"Cause I came back from the dead..."
Brady shook his head and smiled at her. "No, that's only half the reason."
Chloe sighed contentedly. "Brady... it's perfect, absolutely perfect. YOU are perfect."
"I hear that cheesecake is pretty perfect too. You should ask it though, just to make sure."
Chloe laughed and took a bite of the cheesecake. "Definitely perfect."
Brady smiled and took a bite of his own cake. "Did you know that you can never use the word perfect too many times? Especially when in reference to me..."
Chloe muttered through a mouthful of dessert, "I'll keep that in mind... thanks."
They quickly finished their dessert and Brady leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, sighing deeply. "So, Chloe Lane, Jan Spears... now that you're officially graduated, what are you going to do with your life?"
Chloe groaned. "Ugh. You mean I have to think about it?"
"What about your singing?"
"Can't do it. It's mostly a biological thing. I can hold a tune and everything, but this body is an alto. With some training, I could be alright, but some bodies just aren't built for opera."
Brady nodded and frowned slightly. "Fascinating... So what else is there?"
Chloe shrugged sadly. "I don't know. Music was always 'it' for me. I never even considered other possibilities. And now that I can't be a soprano at the Met, I'm one of those lost and directionless teenagers that have television shows on the WB about them."
"Well, that's a thought... you could be an actress."
Chloe shook her head and wrinkled her nose up. "Noooo, I don't think so. I was thinking about being... a teacher. But, I'd teach little kids, not teenagers. Teenagers are ick. You can do more guiding when the kids are young and impressionable."
"I happen to think that would be a very noble profession."
Chloe nodded proudly. "But, I am still young... so I've got time to think about it."
"That's right... live in the now, be young, enjoy your youth... Dance with your extremely handsome, perfectly wonderful boyfriend."
Chloe winked at him and grinned wickedly. "I would love to, but he's not here... he's out of town for the weekend."
Brady rolled his eyes and stood from his seat. He reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it tightly, standing with him. "Well then, you'll just have to settle for me."
Chloe paused, as if she was considering and weighing her options. "Alright then... I hope you have music."
"I do..." Brady led her into the living room and pushed a few buttons on a small CD player next to the couch. He turned back to her and smiled. "Hope this will do..."
Chloe smiled back at him as he pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. The music started and they began moving together, holding each other tightly.
***Earth angel, earth angel
Will you be mine?
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you***
Brady smiled and whispered into her ear, "I think this is our song..."
"We don't have a song, Brady..."
"But we could..."
Chloe smiled and laid her head on his chest, listening to the music playing behind her.
***Earth angel, earth angel
The one I adore
Love you forever and ever more
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
I fell for you and I knew
The vision of your loveliness
I hoped and I pray that someday
I'll be the vision of your happiness
Earth angel, earth angel
Please be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you
I fell for you and I knew
The vision of your loveliness
I hope and pray that someday
That I'll be the vision of your happiness
Earth angel, earth angel
Please be mine
My darling dear
Love you all the time
I'm just a fool
A fool in love with you***
The song ended, and another slow song began, but Chloe stopped dancing. She looked up into Brady's eyes and sighed softly. "I love you so much, Brady Black. I can't even begin to tell you..."
"You don't have to, because if it's even half as much as I love you, then it's perfect."
"Are we turning into one of those gross mushy couples that say things like, 'I love you!', 'No! I love you more!' all the time?"
Brady nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Okay... just promise to smack me if I start calling you schmoopie or muffin-butt or something."
Brady laughed and winked at her. "Oh, but I like muffin-butt. That one's good. You can use that one."
Chloe rolled her eyes and started to speak, but Brady silenced her with a deep passionate kiss. Chloe had worn a dress with thin spaghetti straps that night, so her neck, shoulders and arms were completely bare. Brady's kiss made her melt in his arms so that her body was even closer to him. He moved his lips from hers and kissed her neck gently, slowly inching his way down her bare shoulders with his lips. Chloe sighed with joy and ran one hand through his blonde hair. Brady moved his way back up and kissed her on the lips once more.
Chloe broke away with a sigh, still holding on to him tightly. "Brady... I love you."
"I love you too."
Chloe nervously whispered, "I want you."
Brady looked somewhat shocked, as if he didn't expect for her to make the first move. "Are you sure? You know I won't do anything that you don't want. We can wait as long as you want."
Chloe shook her head. "No, Brady. I know why we came up here... and I want it too."
"No, that's not the reason why I brought you up here. I don't want you to think that I brought you here just to take advantage of you. I brought you here to spend time with you."
Chloe nodded and smiled weakly. "So... you don't want to?"
Brady looked at her with both eyebrows raised. "Are you kidding? I would have done it a long time ago, if you had asked. I love you Chloe, and I would love to make love to you... But, I never wanted to pressure you."
"You're not pressuring me. I was waiting for the right moment, and this is THE perfect moment. So, let's not ruin it with a bunch of talk?"
Brady grinned slyly. "Wellllll... if you insist."
"Do you..." Chloe stammered a tiny bit. "Do you have, you know, protection?"
"Hey, I used to be a Boy Scout, and you know what our motto is."
Chloe paused to think about it and raised one hand in the Vulcan salute. "Live long and prosper?"
Brady laughed and shook his head. "No... 'Be Prepared'... it's a way of life for any hormonal young man."
"Well then... lead the way."
Brady pulled her closer and kissed her deeply again. He deftly unzipped the back of her dress with one hands and pulled the straps down. The feel of his warm hands on her cool flesh made Chloe tingle all over. They moved together to the bedroom, holding on and never letting go.
***
(Hey! I don't write NC-17. Use your imagination, it's probably much naughtier than anything I would write. And if you don't believe in sex before marriage, pretend that they went in the bedroom and played a rousing game of Scrabble.)
