Chapter Twenty-One

Chloe awoke on a small, but cozy, bed underneath a white blanket. She sat up slowly and surveyed her surroundings. The room around her was mostly dark except for one bulb in the middle of the ceiling. There was a large big screen TV against the opposite wall.

Chloe slipped out from underneath the blanket and stood up. She noticed that she was dressed in a white pair of pajamas, and that wasn't the only thing that was changed. No longer did she look like Jan, for she had returned to her previous body somehow. She stood for a moment and admired the change, enjoying the added height and running her fingers through her straight hair that reached down her back.

"Wow... wish I had a mirror in here..." She muttered under her breath.

She heard a knocking at the door and stared at in surprise. "Uhh... come in, I guess..."

The door creeped open slowly and Keyes tentatively stepped inside. "Look, I knocked... I know how much you hate me creeping up on you like I usually do."

Chloe didn't even bother to respond to his statement. She crossed her arms angrily and sat on the edge of the bed. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and her voice broke a little as she talked, "You lied to me, Keyes. You said I had at least sixty more years."

Keyes sighed sadly and sat on the bed next to her. "Chloe, I... I've never lied to you. You were SUPPOSED to have at least sixty years. I don't know how you do it kiddo, but you keep on changing the path. I guess when God built you, he made you stronger than most."

Chloe looked at him in confusion. "I changed the path? Brady... he WAS going to die, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, it was supposed to be him. Nobody here expected you to do what you did. You've got a strong will, Chloe, amazingly strong."

"So, I changed the path and it led Brady to his death, but I changed it again. What if he had never found out the truth about me being, well... myself."

Keyes pulled something that looked like a remote control out of his pocket. "Well, let me show you. See, this room is usually where we take you after sign-in and you get your life to flash before your eyes. But, YOU get to something else entirely."

Keyes clicked the remote and the TV turned on. The scene playing before them was like something out of a movie, only it was a movie starring Chloe in Jan's Body, and Brady. The picture showed Chloe walking around the campus of Salem University with Brady. They were chatting about idle things when Brady smiled at her and clasped her hand in his. She stopped and looked at him closely, and he quietly whispered, "I love you," and kissed her gently on the lips.

Chloe sighed softly and looked at Keyes. "When does this happen?"

"About 2 years after the accident. He had to be given time to get over your death."

Chloe looked surprise. "Two years? I really did screw up this time. We would have ended up together anyway."

Keyes nodded. "You're soulmates, the two of you. Most people never find theirs, and you two found each other."

Chloe buried her face in her hands and cried softly. "I can't believe this. I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. I got myself killed because I didn't follow the rules. Brady almost died because I couldn't keep things to myself. I'm so sorry."

Keyes put a comforting arm around her as she sobbed into his chest. "I know, it doesn't seem fair right now. And, I wish I could fix the mistake I made but I don't have the power. Only HE does."

Chloe lifted her head and nodded sadly. "I understand. I just want to know one thing, what happens to Brady now?"

Keyes clicked the remote again and the TV began showing scenes of a much older Brady. "He goes over the edge for awhile, but then he remembers your words about being happy and moving on. So, he honors your wishes... he comes back from the breaking point. He's never the same of course, since he's lost you twice... But, he does get married, and has children and lives a long happy life. He never forgets you. You're always going to be in his heart."

Chloe wiped a few tears from her face and turned her head away from the TV. "And what about the car accident? What if you had taken the right person?"

"Boy, you are just full of 'what ifs' and 'what might be' tonight, aren't you?"

Chloe frowned slightly. "I just need to know. What harm could it do now, right?"

Keyes shrugged and clicked the remote again. He began fast-forwarding through the events that would have followed the accident. She sees herself and Phillip recovering from their injuries, going to their prom together, going on a summer trip with Shawn and Belle, and a breakup at the beginning of college.

She waves her hand for Keyes to pause. "Whoa... why did we break up? We look pretty happy before that."

"You go to New York for music school, Phillip stays in Salem. Plus, the thrill is gone. High school relationships rarely last. And, well... that's all I'm allowed to show you. But, there was a happily ever after in there somewhere. A very happy ending, actually."

For the first time since her arrival, Chloe grinned at Keyes. "Wow, you really did screw up too."

"And I'm glad you have a sense of humor about it."

Chloe shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think I have much of a choice anymore. I've cried, screamed and yelled already... none of that helps. Might as well laugh."

"It's not over yet."

Chloe looked at him in near horror. "You're kidding me, right? How much worse can it get?"

Keyes shook his head and waved a hand to reassure her. "No, no, no. Not worse. Better, I hope. King is in a meeting with the boss right now, they're discussing your situation and what to do about it."

"You mean... there IS something that can be done? I figured that this was it. Stick a fork in me, I'm done. You're not going to put me in ANOTHER body, are you?"

Keyes looked unsure. "I don't know yet. That's what they're figuring out right now. I think there are other options to be discussed though. We'll just have to wait here and see."

Chloe looked somewhat impressed. "Wow, other options... And God is having a discussion about ME? I'm surprised..."

"Don't be. Needless to say, He was intrigued by your display of will and would like to help you out."

"What kind of options are there?"

Keyes shrugged. "I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth. We just have to wait and find out."

Chloe nodded and looked downward. There was a long awkward silence and Chloe inspected her fingernails closely. After a very long time of silence, she pointed towards her white pajamas and looked at Keyes. "So, you guys really like the color white up here..."

"White's not really a color. Not technically."

"Not my point... Just saying, the pajamas, the bed linens, the walls. Is everything up here so bright, shiny and white?"

Keyes shrugged. "Mostly... but not when you get past the orientation. After that, your living space can be whatever you want it to be. That's why they call it heaven."

Chloe nodded. "Guess you can have all the white stuff when you don't really have to worry about laundry and dust."

"That's what most people name as their favorite part. No vacuuming, laundry service or dusting required up here."

"So, why do I look like me again?" Chloe said as she motioned towards her own body.

"Up here, you're whatever you want to be. You look like this because that's what you are most comfortable with. Even if you die when you're 99 years old, you can still look 23 up here... if that's when you liked yourself best."

"Cool... that's good to know..." Chloe was interrupted when the door opened and King stepped inside. A chair appeared in front of her, and King seated himself in it so he could face Chloe and Keyes.

"Keyes, Chloe... Nice to see you."

Chloe chuckled softly. "Wish I could say the same..."

King nodded and smirked. "Yeah, yeah, I know, you don't really want to be here..."

"Well, no offense... I'm sure it's a lovely place to be... but there are some things missing."

"Well, that's what we had the meeting about. By the way, my boss is very impressed with you. Rarely does he build one that..."

Chloe finished his sentence, "...screws things up so badly."

King chuckled and shook his head. "No, that's not what I was going to say. Listen, a lot of mistakes have been made, but that's not what I'm here to talk to you about. Like I was saying, he's proud of you. You defied the path, and for better or worse, changed the way things were supposed to be heading. You have a very strong will, and we're mostly at a loss to explain what has happened in your situation."

"Well, I guess I'll take that as a compliment. But, I did still screw up."

"Granted, yes, you broke the rules that Keyes gave you. But, you ended up changing that path by risking your life to save another's. Aside from your strong will, you showed bravery and selflessness under fire. God just loves to see that."

Chloe smiled proudly. "Well, YAY for me. But, what now?"

King clasped his hands together and looked at her solemnly. "We made a mistake..."

Keyes interjected, "I made the mistake."

King nodded and continued, "Right, KEYES made a mistake. We tried to let it work itself out on its own, but it didn't. God doesn't do this every time we made a mistake, but this time... he's making an exception. Don't ask why, don't question his authority, just be grateful for it."

Chloe gave him a confused glance. "Be grateful for what? What is going to happen?"

"You have choices now, three of them. You can either stay here in heaven..."

"And what about the people I love?"

King continued, "They'll be here eventually, but not for a very long time. You will be reunited with them when their time on earth is up. Your second choice is for us to find you another body. We can be choosy if you want, you can live another person's life in another place if that sounds enticing."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't know about that... what's the third choice?"

"You go back. We never do things like that, but in this case, we will. We'll send you back to the day of the accident, and everything will continue on the original path from there. But..."

Chloe waved a hand in front of her motioning to King to stop talking. "Don't say it. A 'but' is a bad thing. There's a catch, right?"

Beside her Keyes smirked and muttered under his breath, "There's always a catch."

King nodded and continued, "Yes, there is a catch. You'll go back, you'll be in your own body, you'll survive the accident... but you won't have any memory of what happened. You won't remember being Jan, or being with Brady, or even knowing us at all. It will all be wiped out."

Chloe sighed and nodded in understanding. "And there's no chance in even keeping at least some of the good memories?"

"I don't think so... I'm not going to count it out entirely, but it's only about a one in a billion chance that you'll remember even one small thing."

Chloe smiled hopefully. "But, it's still a chance. So, what if DO go back and my 'strong will' screws up the 'path' again? What if I screw it up even worse than the first time?"

"You won't. And, if you do... then we'll intervene."

Chloe raised both of her eyebrows. "But, Keyes said that you guys don't intervene. That you NEVER intervene."

King grinned at her slyly. "Well, quite frankly... NOT intervening in your case is more dangerous than doing a little intervention now and then."

"Why me? What makes me so different that you're willing to intervene, and even do things hat you said you couldn't?"

King shrugged and smiled bashfully. "We screwed up. It's like when you go out to eat and they screw up your order. You usually end up getting your meal for free, and maybe even a free dessert. We screwed up so bad that we're willing to go the extra mile and fix things. You're getting the free dessert and then some."

"And what about Brady? Do we end up together if I go back?"

"I can't tell you that. I don't want to influence the decision you're about to make more than I already have. I can tell that you'll lead a long and happy life, and that your friend Brady does too... but I can't give you any more than that. You have to want to go back for your sake, not his."

Chloe looked at him in confusion. "But Keyes said that we're soulmates. Wouldn't we most likely end up together?"

King wavered and shrugged his shoulders. "Not necessarily. Most people never find their soulmates, because their soulmates might live 15,000 miles away, or things just don't work out because of circumstance or tragedy. You will be reunited with him in the afterlife, but we make no guarantees about real life."

Chloe nodded and sighed softy. "But, I have to have hope. I love him, and I know that he loves me, so I just have to hope that there's a chance."

"Well, that's a good attitude to have but you have to remember something. If we send you back, you'll have no memory of the love that you shared with him, and neither will he. It will be just like none of this ever happened. You won't even remember Keyes and myself. You'll be a blank slate."

Chloe stood and paced silently, trying to make her decision. She finally turned to the two men on the bed and crossed her arms confidently. "Take me back."

Keyes looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure? Most people are pretty happy up here. Are you sure you want to go back?"

Chloe nodded, completely sure of herself. "I'm completely sure. And, it's not just because of Brady... that's what I just realized. I'm sure that it's lovely here, but I miss my friends, and I miss Nancy and Craig. I want to experience all those things that I haven't done yet. I want to have a better relationship with my mother, I want to get married and have children, and a career... I'm one hundred percent sure. Take me back."

Keyes smiled widely. "I think you made the right decision, kiddo."

King nodded and stood from the bed. "I think so too. You ready to go then?"

"Just give me a minute." Chloe walked towards Keyes who stood up from the bed and smiled at her. She gave him a quick hug and smiled back. "Just wanted to tell you goodbye, and thank you for everything."

"Well, it's not really goodbye... I'll see you again someday... many many many years from now."

Chloe chuckled softly. "But, I won't remember you."

Keyes shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll make sure to tell you all about it."

Chloe grinned at him. "I'll never believe you."

"That's okay... it'll be fun to see the look on your face when I try to tell you."

Chloe smiled and stepped away from him. "I'll see you later then..." Chloe turned to King and smiled tentatively at him. "Alright, I'm ready now."

King nodded firmly and put his hand in front of her eyes. "The re-entry will be pretty easy, you won't even know that something happened. Just a cool breeze and you're there. Close your eyes please..."

Chloe did as she was told and took a deep breath. She heard King snap his fingers in front of her eyes, and then everything stopped again. No sound, no movement, nothingness.
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