Chapter Twenty-Six

Chloe sat in the same booth at Dot.Com sipping her drink. She had only told Brady that they had needed to talk, and it was his suggestion that he come to her. Chloe had decided to fill the waiting time by checking her e-mail on the computer at the booth. She logged in and had one new message, so she clicked on it and read:

"Chloe,
Doing good. You're on the right path now, kiddo. Don't be afraid of the visions, they aren't what you think."
-K"

Chloe sat back in surprise. She checked the sender and it only said 'unknown', and that it had been sent a mere 25 minutes ago, right after Phillip had left. Chloe wracked her brain to figure out who the "K" was, and why they would know about her visions. The only "K" she could think of was Kevin, and she was fairly sure that he didn't even know her new e-mail address. Chloe closed her mailbox and sat back, trying to think of other people with an initial "K", and for some reason the name Keyes instantly sprung to her mind.

Chloe frowned and muttered to herself, "But, I don't know anyone named Keyes."

Chloe sat back and sighed, taking another sip of her latte. Brad entered and sat across from her in the booth. "Hey there, why the long face?"

"Do you know anybody whose name starts with K?"

Brady paused and looked up, thinking about all the people he knows. "Uhm... Phillip's mom? Kate?"

Chloe shook her head. "No, that wouldn't make any sense. What about someone named Keyes? Does that ring a bell?"

Brady shrugged in confusion. "No... Should it?"

"I don't know... I just got a weird e-mail, and it was just signed with a K. I know it's not Kevin, and the first name that popped into my head was Keyes. Only... I don't know anybody named Keyes."

"What did the e-mail say?"

Chloe waved the subject away with one hand motion. "Never mind, it's complicated. Plus, it's not the reason why I asked you to meet me."

Brady nodded and grinned slyly at her. "Yeah... so why DID you need to talk to me?"

"It's about last night..."

Brady groaned softly. "Oh, that... You want me to take it back, don't you?"

Chloe shook her head vehemently. "No, I don't... I just want to ask you something. You said that you meant what you said, and I want to know how you know. When did you figure this out, Brady?"

"When did I figure out that I loved you? Or when did I actually fall in love with you? Because that is two completely different occurrences."

"Both. Please."

"Well, I uhhh..." Brady looked around at the other customers milling about. "Can we go somewhere a little less filled with people? I don't know if I want to talk about this here."

Chloe nodded and stood. "Of course... I wasn't even thinking... let's go outside."

Brady followed her outside and they sat together on a bench in front of the building. Brady looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, and decided to continue. "Chloe... I fell in love with you the first time I met you. I can hardly put it into words how or why it happened, but there's always been a connection between us. I feel like I understand you, and I think you understand me better than anyone has before. I didn't realize it way back then, but one day maybe 4 or 5 months after we met it just came right up and hit me right between the eyes. I saw you one day, and you were just coming down the stairs at the penthouse and instead of thinking to myself 'Hey, there's Belle's friends', the only thought that came to mind was how much I love you."

"And that's why you've picked on me so much? Because you love me?"

Brady shook his head vehemently and placed his hand on hers. "Chloe... I'm sorry for all the times that I have picked on you. I really never meant to hurt you."

Chloe looked away from him. "You didn't... I'm strong, Brady... I can take most everything that you dish out."

"I know, you're the only one who ever dished it right back out at me. But, I never said those things to hurt you or cause you pain. I did it to challenge you. I wanted to force you into seeing what an amazing person you are, and how much potential for greatness you have inside of you."

Chloe turned back to him and smiled weakly. "Well, you sure have a funny way of compliment someone. But thank you, I think maybe that's what you did. When you picked on my singing, it only made me want to be better. When you picked on me, I only wanted to prove you wrong."

Brady smiled proudly. "That's all I wanted. Believe me, I wasn't trying to change you or make you be something you're not. I just wanted to show you that it was okay to show all those things about you that nobody ever sees."

"So you weren't trying to change me or fix me?"

"No, why would I want to do that? I love you, just as you are."

Chloe looked at him with a bit of surprise, she paused and her eyes begin to tear up. "Really? Just as I am?"

"I would never wanted to change you, I just wanted everyone to be able to see what I see in you. You hide so much of yourself from the world, and I wanted to push you into showing the real you to everyone. That's what all that 'sing with feeling' stuff came from. You were afraid to pour your emotions out through your music, and I wanted you to be able to. Music is one of the greatest forms of self-expression, you just have to open yourself up to it. I just wanted you to see how far you could soar if you would only spread your wings."

Chloe nodded and smiled at him. "Wow... that's really... beautiful."

Brady grinned proudly. "Yeah, I'm thinking of changing careers to be a writer for Hallmark greeting cards."

Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Please let's not ruin this moment with sarcasm."

"I'm not being sarcastic, I'm completely serious. Those people must make good money..."

"Braaaady..."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

Chloe smiled slightly and continued her questioning, "Brady... do you happen to believe in unconditional love?"

Brady didn't even hesitate to think about it, and blurted out. "Of course I do. My father loves me unconditionally. No matter what terrible thing I've done, and I've done plenty of them, he still loves me the same as he did the day before. The same with Belle... she loves me unconditionally, and I feel the same way about her."

"But beyond that... beyond unconditional love of a family member?"

"Yes, yes, I do. It's rare that it happens, but that's how I feel about you. Nothing you do will ever make me stop loving you, I accept every piece of you, good and bad. Your imperfections are what make you interesting."

Chloe grinned slightly. "I could say the same for you..."

"Well, I have plenty of them, so I must be VERY interesting. Anyway, Chloe... where is all of this heading? You said last night that you need time to think. I didn't think that 12 hours would do the trick."

Chloe shrugged slightly. "Well, a lot has happened in the past 12 hours. Jason Welles was in a car accident last night, he may be paralyzed."

Brady sighed sadly, "That's terrible..."

"I know... but do you want to know something strange?"

"Always."

Chloe paused nervously. She wasn't sure if Brady was the right person to tell about this, but if anyone would understand, maybe it would be him. "Last night, when I got home from my date with Phillip... I had this vision, or something... I don't know what it was. But, I saw in my head, Jan looking injured, and a car accident. So, I called her and begged her not to get into a car last night. Lucky for her, she listened... but Jason wasn't so lucky."

Brady looked at her in amazement. "Are you serious? You had a vision that Jan was going to be in a car accident?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes, basically. And, I probably saved her life. If I hadn't of called her, she would have been in that car with Jason. And... the way the car crashed, she might not have made it. I know it sounds completely unbelievable, and if it wasn't happening to me, I'd NEVER believe it. You know me, I don't believe in any of that psychic friends network, X-Files stuff."

"Wow... And this is the first time something like this has happened to you?"

"Yeah, but that's not all... this is where it gets even more strange. After you left last night, I went upstairs and went to sleep. I woke up at like 3:30 in the morning and my head hurt so bad, I thought it was going to fall off or something. So, I went in the bathroom to take some aspirin and I blacked out."

Brady looked at her with concern and squeezed her hand gently. "Oh my God... are you okay?"

Chloe nodded and continued, "Yeah, I'm fine now. But, that's not the worst part. When I fainted or whatever, I had more visions or whatever you want to call them. But, these didn't feel like I was predicting the future or something, it felt like something that had already happened."

"So, it was memories?"

"It felt like memories, but it's nothing that's ever happened in my life."

Brady raised both eyebrows curiously. "Memories of what?"

Chloe sighed softly. "Of you... Of us together. Not as friends, as something more. More intimate... if you know what I mean."

"And you're sure they're not some sort of vision of the future?"

"I think, yeah... I mean, I wasn't just seeing these images. I was feeling them. I can still remember what they felt like now. I felt what it would be like to be held and kissed by you, and to see the love in your eyes when you look at me."

Brady paused and replied, "But you know what it's like to see the love in my eyes, you've just never noticed it before. I've looked at you that way a hundred times, but you never noticed because you had Phillip and you didn't see me that way."

Chloe licked her dry lips and continued, "I know, Brady. And, I'm sorry for never noticing before... But, there's something else about those visions or memories or whatever they were, something you have to know. I didn't just feel loved, wanted and needed by you... I felt love for you, and yearning, and a sense of safety in your arms. It wasn't one-sided at all... I saw what an easy person you would be to fall in love with."

"What does it all mean to you, then? These visions..."

"Last night, you wanted me to tell you that either we could forget the whole thing happened... or that there is a chance for something to grow between us. That's basically what you said, right?"

Brady nodded and looked downward. "Not word for word, but, yes."

Chloe sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, softly speaking, "I'm telling you... that there's a chance."

Brady looked back up at her with a mixture of surprise and happiness. "Really? There is?

"Yes, there is. All this time, I was too blind to see that you loved me... and I was too wrapped up in my relationship with Phillip to even begin to think that I might feel the same. And, these visions... they made me realize that I have to give it a chance to happen. I feel... something for you, something far more than just a friend. I just need to figure out exactly what I'm feeling."

"And what about Phillip? Where does he fit in?"

Chloe moved her hand away from his shoulder and put in back in her lap. "We talked this morning... about a lot of things. You know, made some clarifications, some discoveries... and now we're on a break."

Brady raised one eyebrow skeptically. "A break? Not a break-up?"

"Right, we need time to just be friends and nothing more, to figure out our place in this world with or without each other... and I need time to figure out where I belong, and who I belong with. I want to give you a chance, Brady... but I also owe Phillip a chance too. He's meant the world to me for a long time, and he's taught me a lot... and I owe our relationship a fair chance."

Brady nodded in acceptance. "I understand... I don't want to hurt Phillip either, that's never been my intention. He's like a brother to me, and that's why I put off telling you my feelings for as long as I did. I didn't to hurt either of you."

Chloe smiled and hugged him tightly. "I know, and thank you for that... I was hoping you would be understanding."

"Understanding is my middle name."

Chloe leaned out of the embrace and chuckled. "I doubt that."

"You're right, it's Victor..."

"Brady, can you promise me something? Promise me that you won't push me while I'm figuring all of this out. If I have to hear you say things like, 'Do you love me yet?', every other day, I'm not going to be happy."

Brady waved his hand with a smirk. "Pshhh... I would never do something like that?"

Chloe raised both eyebrows. "You'd never do something to annoy me? Brady, I think that you were BUILT to annoy me."

"But it's one of my more charming qualities..."

Chloe winked at him. "So sad to say..."

Brady looked at her solemnly and clasped her hand. "Chloe, I PROMISE. I won't push you. We're friends right now, and that's all. I won't bring it up until you're ready to talk about it again. I promise."

Chloe smiled and kissed him gently on the cheek. "Thank you...."

Brady smiled back at her. "You're welcome... So, what do you have going on for the rest of the afternoon?"

Chloe shrugged. "I don't know... Belle, Shawn and Phillip are at the hospital. I need to call Mimi and make sure she knows about Jason. Maybe I'll head over there to meet them, check on Jan..."

"Check on JAN? Since when are you and Jan the best of friends?"

Chloe shook her head vehemently. "Oh, oh, we're not. I just feel bad for her right now... we talked at the hospital this morning, and I think she just needs someone to talk to... If it has to be me, then so be it."

Brady grinned at her. "Ahhh, Chloe Lane... Humanitarian of the Year. So, you want a ride? I'll go with you..."

"Sure... I appreciate that."

Brady stood and lended her a hand up from the bench. "Let's go..."

Chloe followed him to his Jeep, and silently wondered if she even possessed the ability to make the decisions that were ahead of her in the coming weeks or months.
***
(TBC)