Last Chapter :D
~Chelsea_Broefan ;)
___________
"Dammit!" Chloe screamed. Her voice echoed through the empty house, and bounched off the walls. She swept all her papers off her small table in a single swipe, and they laid on the floor where they sat ripped and tattered. She shook her head, ashamed of herself and picked them all up again.
Wrinting, normaly something that came so eaisly to her was suddenly so much effort. It was so hard to just sit down and write something, because she knew what she would see in what she wrote. Brady, and she didn't want to write about him. She was tired of thinking about him, he took up so much of her time now, and it was exhusting.
She picked up one particularly beat up sheet of song lyrics and spoke to it. "I'm supposed to be packing my stuff right now, ya'know that? Yeah, that's right, packing. Not writing garbage like you. You heard me! You're nothing but garbage!" Chloe caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she realized that she looked utterly ridiculous. She was in her room with boxes all over the place, still in her PJs, and just to add an extra cherry on top, she was carrying on a conversation with a scrap of paper. "Oh Holy Lord, I'm arguing with my paper," She said aloud. So, for the second time, she pulled all the papers off her desk, this time calmly, and threw them all away.
A door slammed downstairs. Chloe knew that is would be Mark, but her heart never listened to her brain. He heart jumped, thinking that maybe, just maybe Brady got a key, and let himself inside. She peered out of her room, and yelled downstairs. "Mark?"
A cheerful face popped out from behind the stairway. His long, curly, brown locks and wonderfully electric green eyes made it impossible not to grin. "What's the story Morning Glory?"
Chloe stomped down the steps and plopped herself on a chair. "I can't write."
"No? Sorry, I disagree."
"I mean, I can't write what I wanna write." She pulled at a lock of her hair and began examining it. "Idon't wanna talk about this, it wears me out."
Mark shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen. "Thought you weren't gonna be here," He mumbled through his apple.
Chloe dropped the lock of her dark hair, and stumbled to her feet. She walked to the kitchen and leaned against the refrigerator, her face to Mark's back. "Where else would I be?"
Mark turned around and slithered past Chloe. He reached right past her body, and got another apple. "Weren't you leaving today?"
"You didn't think I'd even say goodbye?"
"Nope, I didn't think you would bother with good-byes, Morning Glory. I prepared myself for the day I would come home, only to find that you had disappeared like a cool mist. Just into the air, taking only a few traces of you that you were strong enough to carry, and leaving everything else behind you, to haunt me."
Chloe stood mesmerized, torn between being offended, and being astounded. "Well...I'm going to ignore the insults you stuck in there, that was really beautiful."
"The words? Thanks, they're going in my song, I just wanted to try them out first."
Chloe grinned, any small traces of anger gone. "Just try 'em out?" Mark nodded and licked his fingers. "Ya'know, watching you eat is making me hungry, do we still have spaghetti in there?"
"Yeah, here." Mark handed her the dish and continued searching for more food for himself.
No sooner had he given Chloe the spaghetti, then she took a fist full of it, and hurled it straight at the back of Mark's head.
"I knew it! You just can't contain yourself can you Chloe? You always have to be throwing something at me." Chloe answered by dumping the rest of the food down his back. "So you want a food fight, huh?"
Chloe grinned widely and grabbed another the last hand full of saucy spaghetti. "Only if I win."
"Dream on." In a few seconds, Mark had out the ketchup, the mustard, and anything else he could find in a short amount of time.
Chloe quickly raided the refrigerator again, while Mark tried to remove tomoto sauce from his hair. Everything and anything that was possible to throw was now in her possession. He was faster though. He slid past Chloe and already had left-over mashed potatoes, butter and a loaf of bread, before Chloe could even restock. She screamed and jumped on his back, dumping Jell-O all over his head.
"Chloe, Chloe wait. We're much too old for this."
Chloe still hung on his back, threatening him with a can or soda over his head "Yeah, you're right, I fell like about 10 years old right now." She laughed and took at look at the kitchen. "We're not going to have anything to eat now." She hopped off his back and attempted to pick off any food that still hung to her hair. Behind her back, though, she vigorously shook up her can of Pepsi.
"Ya'know what Morning Glory, I'm really gonna miss living with you."
Chloe laughed. "You're going to miss me spraying you with Pepsi?"
"You never..."
The realization didn't hit fast enough, and soon enough there was Pepsi all over the place. Mark was drenched and the kitchen was a mess. Like a couple of 6th graders just helped themselves to whatever they wanted, and got in a food battle somewhere along the way. He would have stayed to counter-attack, but that second there was a knock on his door. "Go answer the door Chlo," He demanded.
"Me? I can't, I'm still in my PJs, and I'm a mess."
"I'm not a mess? I more messy than you, look at me! I have jell-o in my hair, and only God knows how much speghitti you dumped on me." He laughed. "Come on Chlo, go get the door."
Chloe shot him her best puppy look, though it didn't turn out exactly with a stick of butter jammed on her head, like some idiots idea of a helment. "Please Mark?"
"Ok, ok, I'll go, and you can just stand in here and think about what and idiot I'm looking like, and how it's mostly your fault." Mark started to walk away, his clothes sagging from the heavy load of speghitti he carried in them. "Clean the kitchen, ok?" He yelled.
Chloe looked at him uncomprehendingly. "Clean it? Right now? Wouldn't that take weeks?"
Mark swung open the door and looked his visitor up and down. "You are? Wait, I know you..."
Brady looked beyond Mark. He needed to see Chloe, that was the only reason he was here, and he didn't want to mess around with her friends. He barely seemed to notice the food that covered Mark. "Is Chloe here?"
"Morning Glory? Yeah, she's here, but she's um...working. Who are you anyway? I know I know you."
"I'm Brady, I need to see Chloe, is that possible?"
"Brady?" Mark snarled. "Hell no, there's no way you're coming in. All you've ever done is hurt her, like last night."
"Who do you think you are to tell me where to go?"
"I'm her best friend, leave." Mark slammed the door in Brady's face, turned and walked away, still furious. "Chloe, Brady was just here." It was always better to say things right out than leave them hanging in the air.
"What?" Chloe dropped her tomato sauce soaked rag, and stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Mark. "Well, well did you tell him to get the hell out? She stuttered.
"He's not here is he?"
Chloe ran to him and wrapped him in her arms. "Thank you so much. He is really the last person I want to see or talk to right now." She released him from her grasp. "I always wondered what I would do if I ever saw him again, now I know, I just can't handle it. Chloe picked up her rag and resumed her kitchen-cleaning duties. "You don't mind if I stay here a little longer do you?"
"Stay as long as you want to."
____________________________
Sleep was painful. Sleep was frightening. Sleep was utterly impossible.
Chloe tossed and turned. Her sheets twisted, and her body drenched in sweat, she tried not to give her nightmares the fear that they fed on. She would drift away for minutes at a time into a peaceful dream that would always, somehow, end horribly. She woke up with a start for the third time that night. Giving up, she pulled herself from her bed and wandered the dark house, like some sleep-deprived angel, haunting the night. A glass of water here five minutes of TV there, and she would finally end up in Mark's room if she was desperate enough for sleep. Like tonight. She tiptoed into his room and crawled under the think quilt beside him. "Sorry," She whispered.
Mark rolled around and touched her face. "Don't be."
Chloe lay awake and listened to Mark's even breathing, and finally she could feel him drift away into sleep again. Chloe closed her eyes and prayed from sleep to come. She probably would rather have stayed awake if she knew what the dreams had in store for her tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
She was walking down a cold, dark passageway, and she was lost. There was no sky over her head, only a huge black hole. She tried desperately to find her way out of the maze, and suddenly, it was stupid to be lost. Salem came into focus just beyond the opening off the tunnel. She yanked of her raincoat and threw it in the street. She heard her name being called faintly in the distance, and she recognized the vioce that called her. "Brady! I can't find you!" The wind and the rain stole the words from her mouth, and the breath from her lungs. She ran to where she remembered the penthouse and knocked on the door. She was drenched in the tears from the sky and her hair clung wildly to her face and shoulders. Brady came to the door, shocked to see her.
"Chloe! Come in, are you ok?"
"I'm fine, don't say anything else." She pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately. She wanted to feel every part of his body at once. He was irritable. He tasted so amazing; Chloe wanted that taste in her mouth forever. She fumbled with seemingly endless buttons, but finally gave up and blindly ripped of any clothing that stood in the way of what she wanted. He pressed against her soaking wet body, and he felt her.
"Are you sure this is what you want Chloe?" He whispered against her skin, as though he thought she might say no.
"I thought I told you say not say anything, of course this is what I want."
He pushed her to the floor that wasn't cold or hard at all. Within seconds Chloe was swept away in the most intense passion she had ever felt. Brady let everything about her, her essence, surround him, her long, wet, hair plastering itself to his face and chest.
They were amazing together, perfectly in time and in tune with each other. Chloe discovered soon enough that she was a moaner. It was impossible not to, not to lose herself in such a beautiful person, and impossible to keep it all inside.
True perfection was reached that night, even if only in a dream, a dream that had to end sooner or later.
Dreams have a special, torturous way of hurting those already in intense pain. In her dream she woke up all along, only with a feeling that it was all her fault, the reason she was alone. Fumbled painful thought haunted her dream self. 'You shouldn't have left him, it could be different, you should have looked for him before what happened...You should have talked to him, you should have come back to him, it's all your fault. It could have been different, it's all your fault, it's all your fault, it's all your fault'
~
Chloe awoke slowly as if whoever had the video camera hit the fade in button. Resisting the urge to scream, Chloe slowly slid from the bed, carefully trying not to awake Mark. Like a dagger through the dark, she smoothly cut through the house and into her room. The boxes had long since been unloaded, and it would have looked like a beautiful place to live and sleep to anyone except Chloe. She packed up everything that mattered, her guitar, some clothes, and, with a clear plan in her mind she gradually increased the distance between her and her old room. She remembered what Mark had said about good-byes, and easily wrote out a long farewell letter in her loopy handwriting.
The only problem with her 'plan' was the fact that time meant absolutely nothing to her, so now, at 3:00am she picked up the phone to make one last phone call while she was in that house. The phone rang endlessly, but the call was a necessity and Chloe would wait as long as it took.
"Hello?" A sleepy female voice finally croaked.
"Belle, I need your brother's address."
"Who is this?"
Chloe paused, realizing how selfish she was being. She hadn't talked to Belle since she left, and now, the only reason she was calling her was for the address of her love. She took a deep breath. "This is Chloe."
Belle was suddenly wide-awake. "Chloe!? Wow-"
"Belle I'm sorry, but I really need to get Brady's address."
"Ok, but-"
"Please Belle!"
"Chloe I really have to tell you that-"
"I don't have time Belle, please."
"Ok..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Five days later it was 2:30 in the morning, but Chloe didn't notice. It wasn't like it mattered what time it was, or whether it was day or night, she wasn't sleeping lately. She paid her cab driver to wait for her and stepped into the dark. I was windy and on the verge of rain. Chloe didn't care. She was back in Salem, back where she belonged, to the place she never even should have left. Walking towards his house she took note of nothing. She stared straight ahead and only felt the hungar inside her. She felt numb all over her entire body, and she didn't feel the first tear from fall helplessly from the sky and land on her skin. She didn't see the others that followed, and she didn't feel her hair or body become wet. She didn't even realized she was knocking on the door until it opened, and he stood holding out a towel, as if he expected her.
But the second she saw his face though, feeling rushed back to her body reaching places it never had before like a wave in a hurricane crashing on the shore.
"I got your address, I hope you don't mind. I'm sorry it's so late."
Brady wrapped her in the towel and in his arms. "I wasn't sleeping. Come in, I'll make some coffee, you've got to be freezing."
She wasn't freezing; she wasn't even cold in the least. All she could feel, wrapped up in his arms and in the towel was warm. She wanted to keep that feeling, and she didn't want to lose him again.
"I have something for you...I wanted to give it to you before, but...since I haven't seen you." Brady led Chloe by the hand into the kitchen. He reached to the highest shelf, and pulled down a faded picture. "You probably don't remember this, but I took this picture of you about 6 years ago. I was taking you to the airport, to go on a class trip, and you were so sad Chloe...so sad, do you remember that?" He handed her the picture after a long last look.
"Are you kidding, of course I remember this." She examined the picture, and touched the jagged edges. "I really do look so sad, don't I? Why did you keep this?" Chloe looked up from the picture and searched Brady's eyes. Things didn't seem...the same; they were very different suddenly.
"It started our summer together." He smiled. "I know you remember that, don't you?"
Chloe nodded but thinking about what she had so long ago was painful. She was getting uneasy, the feeling of the huge change hung around the house, in the very air she breathed, and a sinking feeling settled in her stomach.
"You were so sad at the beginning, I wanted to take a picture of us together, just to show you how happy we were, but I never had a camera with me."
"It's ok, I remember how happy I was. You could completely change me around Brady..." Chloe looked around for the first time since walking inside the house, and took notice of her surroundings. Something was out of place, something was wrong, and not knowing what it was, was killing her. "It hasn't changed either," More to she said to reassure herself than anything.
Brady sighed. "Chlo...a lot of things have changed..."
Chloe didn't say anything, she looked around, and subtle things about the house scared her. She began to notice pictures on the walls, things on the floor, photographs and pictures... Chloe caught her breath, her world was spinning, and she felt so faint. She had to stay calm, she couldn't lose it. But losing it would be such a relief...she accepted what she knew now, as fact, and took a deep breath. "What's the name of your daughter?"
Brady looked down. "Adrienne. Adrienne Maye. Maye with an e, Blair said it looked so much more pretty like that."
Chloe cursed herself mentally, this is what Belle was trying to tell her. She felt so stupid, she had just expected to walk in his house, and she expected him to take her back. "How old is she?"
"She's 3. She's why I couldn't stay in LA, why I had to leave. When Blair called me...I'm sorry Chloe, but I coulnd't leave her."
"I know, I understand" She handed him back the picture of her that had been taken so long ago, yet the pain felt fresh. "My cab's waiting, I should go."
"Keep the picture Chloe, I wanted you to have it."
Chloe tucked the picture in her hand and turned to leave. Brady followed her across the room, and out the door. He almost let her go too, almost let her drive away, and almost let her disappear from his life forever. Almost.
"Chloe! Come back!" Without a moment's hesitation, Chloe ran as fast as she could straight back into his arms of the man she couldn't live without. She felt like she was a part of him, standing there in the rain wrapped up in him.
For 5 glorious minutes, it lasted. For five minutes, everything was ok; everything was going to work out. Everything was just like it was before. The realization surfaced though, making everything so much more painful. Chloe was the first to speak, the first to break the silence. "You have to go don't you, Brady?"
Brady held her; he wanted to hold that moment for a little longer. "Don't make me say it, Chloe, don't make me leave you, not yet...just a few more seconds."
Chloe broke down in his arms; it was the only place left, where she still felt safe. He was the only thing that held her up. "I love you so much."
"Chloe Lane, you are the most beautiful human being on the face of the earth. I love you more than you'll ever know...but..."
"But you have to go. We both know the ending to this story, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm not noble enough to walk away, I just pray to God that you are."
Brady didn't say anything for a while; he let the seconds of silence pass by, while he held her. They both knew that sooner or later there had to be a last kiss, and so he kissed her. "I need to go home," he whispered, as if afraid that he wouldn't let himself go, if he heard himself say it louder.
Chloe nodded. "I know, go." And then, there was an ending. Chloe turned at left. A slow droning melody hung in the air, and the house, Brady, Blair, and their little girl got farther farther away.
You are the strength
That keeps me walking
You are the hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the life
To my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
You calm the storms
And you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You steal my heart
And you take my breath away
Would you take me in?
Take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be?
Any better than this
'Cause you're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything
Everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything...everything
Chloe began walking, slowly so she could feel everything. She felt the rain falling on her, as it washed away her outer layer and let her break down in the middle of the deserted street. From where she lay, she stared into the black, never-ending pool that was the sky. Even after she closed her eyes, she could still see the moon and every star flashing and blurring before her. She missed them so much. In that state-seeing the sky through closed eyes, she found peace.
She felt sorry for Blair and the little girl. They would be nothing but an obligation, they would be the reason Brady wasn't with his soul mate, and they would have to live with that. She knew that Brady would love the little girl, she knew that without a doubt. He might even learn to love Blair, but he would never love her like he loved Chloe. That type of love, that powerful love, is once in a lifetime. Not that it mattered now, Chloe knew that even though she would never see him again, they would be together constantly. At the blink of an eye, she would be with him. That's the way it was meant to be. They were soul mates, and they were meant to be together...even if they never would be.
~Chelsea_Broefan ;)
___________
"Dammit!" Chloe screamed. Her voice echoed through the empty house, and bounched off the walls. She swept all her papers off her small table in a single swipe, and they laid on the floor where they sat ripped and tattered. She shook her head, ashamed of herself and picked them all up again.
Wrinting, normaly something that came so eaisly to her was suddenly so much effort. It was so hard to just sit down and write something, because she knew what she would see in what she wrote. Brady, and she didn't want to write about him. She was tired of thinking about him, he took up so much of her time now, and it was exhusting.
She picked up one particularly beat up sheet of song lyrics and spoke to it. "I'm supposed to be packing my stuff right now, ya'know that? Yeah, that's right, packing. Not writing garbage like you. You heard me! You're nothing but garbage!" Chloe caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and she realized that she looked utterly ridiculous. She was in her room with boxes all over the place, still in her PJs, and just to add an extra cherry on top, she was carrying on a conversation with a scrap of paper. "Oh Holy Lord, I'm arguing with my paper," She said aloud. So, for the second time, she pulled all the papers off her desk, this time calmly, and threw them all away.
A door slammed downstairs. Chloe knew that is would be Mark, but her heart never listened to her brain. He heart jumped, thinking that maybe, just maybe Brady got a key, and let himself inside. She peered out of her room, and yelled downstairs. "Mark?"
A cheerful face popped out from behind the stairway. His long, curly, brown locks and wonderfully electric green eyes made it impossible not to grin. "What's the story Morning Glory?"
Chloe stomped down the steps and plopped herself on a chair. "I can't write."
"No? Sorry, I disagree."
"I mean, I can't write what I wanna write." She pulled at a lock of her hair and began examining it. "Idon't wanna talk about this, it wears me out."
Mark shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen. "Thought you weren't gonna be here," He mumbled through his apple.
Chloe dropped the lock of her dark hair, and stumbled to her feet. She walked to the kitchen and leaned against the refrigerator, her face to Mark's back. "Where else would I be?"
Mark turned around and slithered past Chloe. He reached right past her body, and got another apple. "Weren't you leaving today?"
"You didn't think I'd even say goodbye?"
"Nope, I didn't think you would bother with good-byes, Morning Glory. I prepared myself for the day I would come home, only to find that you had disappeared like a cool mist. Just into the air, taking only a few traces of you that you were strong enough to carry, and leaving everything else behind you, to haunt me."
Chloe stood mesmerized, torn between being offended, and being astounded. "Well...I'm going to ignore the insults you stuck in there, that was really beautiful."
"The words? Thanks, they're going in my song, I just wanted to try them out first."
Chloe grinned, any small traces of anger gone. "Just try 'em out?" Mark nodded and licked his fingers. "Ya'know, watching you eat is making me hungry, do we still have spaghetti in there?"
"Yeah, here." Mark handed her the dish and continued searching for more food for himself.
No sooner had he given Chloe the spaghetti, then she took a fist full of it, and hurled it straight at the back of Mark's head.
"I knew it! You just can't contain yourself can you Chloe? You always have to be throwing something at me." Chloe answered by dumping the rest of the food down his back. "So you want a food fight, huh?"
Chloe grinned widely and grabbed another the last hand full of saucy spaghetti. "Only if I win."
"Dream on." In a few seconds, Mark had out the ketchup, the mustard, and anything else he could find in a short amount of time.
Chloe quickly raided the refrigerator again, while Mark tried to remove tomoto sauce from his hair. Everything and anything that was possible to throw was now in her possession. He was faster though. He slid past Chloe and already had left-over mashed potatoes, butter and a loaf of bread, before Chloe could even restock. She screamed and jumped on his back, dumping Jell-O all over his head.
"Chloe, Chloe wait. We're much too old for this."
Chloe still hung on his back, threatening him with a can or soda over his head "Yeah, you're right, I fell like about 10 years old right now." She laughed and took at look at the kitchen. "We're not going to have anything to eat now." She hopped off his back and attempted to pick off any food that still hung to her hair. Behind her back, though, she vigorously shook up her can of Pepsi.
"Ya'know what Morning Glory, I'm really gonna miss living with you."
Chloe laughed. "You're going to miss me spraying you with Pepsi?"
"You never..."
The realization didn't hit fast enough, and soon enough there was Pepsi all over the place. Mark was drenched and the kitchen was a mess. Like a couple of 6th graders just helped themselves to whatever they wanted, and got in a food battle somewhere along the way. He would have stayed to counter-attack, but that second there was a knock on his door. "Go answer the door Chlo," He demanded.
"Me? I can't, I'm still in my PJs, and I'm a mess."
"I'm not a mess? I more messy than you, look at me! I have jell-o in my hair, and only God knows how much speghitti you dumped on me." He laughed. "Come on Chlo, go get the door."
Chloe shot him her best puppy look, though it didn't turn out exactly with a stick of butter jammed on her head, like some idiots idea of a helment. "Please Mark?"
"Ok, ok, I'll go, and you can just stand in here and think about what and idiot I'm looking like, and how it's mostly your fault." Mark started to walk away, his clothes sagging from the heavy load of speghitti he carried in them. "Clean the kitchen, ok?" He yelled.
Chloe looked at him uncomprehendingly. "Clean it? Right now? Wouldn't that take weeks?"
Mark swung open the door and looked his visitor up and down. "You are? Wait, I know you..."
Brady looked beyond Mark. He needed to see Chloe, that was the only reason he was here, and he didn't want to mess around with her friends. He barely seemed to notice the food that covered Mark. "Is Chloe here?"
"Morning Glory? Yeah, she's here, but she's um...working. Who are you anyway? I know I know you."
"I'm Brady, I need to see Chloe, is that possible?"
"Brady?" Mark snarled. "Hell no, there's no way you're coming in. All you've ever done is hurt her, like last night."
"Who do you think you are to tell me where to go?"
"I'm her best friend, leave." Mark slammed the door in Brady's face, turned and walked away, still furious. "Chloe, Brady was just here." It was always better to say things right out than leave them hanging in the air.
"What?" Chloe dropped her tomato sauce soaked rag, and stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at Mark. "Well, well did you tell him to get the hell out? She stuttered.
"He's not here is he?"
Chloe ran to him and wrapped him in her arms. "Thank you so much. He is really the last person I want to see or talk to right now." She released him from her grasp. "I always wondered what I would do if I ever saw him again, now I know, I just can't handle it. Chloe picked up her rag and resumed her kitchen-cleaning duties. "You don't mind if I stay here a little longer do you?"
"Stay as long as you want to."
____________________________
Sleep was painful. Sleep was frightening. Sleep was utterly impossible.
Chloe tossed and turned. Her sheets twisted, and her body drenched in sweat, she tried not to give her nightmares the fear that they fed on. She would drift away for minutes at a time into a peaceful dream that would always, somehow, end horribly. She woke up with a start for the third time that night. Giving up, she pulled herself from her bed and wandered the dark house, like some sleep-deprived angel, haunting the night. A glass of water here five minutes of TV there, and she would finally end up in Mark's room if she was desperate enough for sleep. Like tonight. She tiptoed into his room and crawled under the think quilt beside him. "Sorry," She whispered.
Mark rolled around and touched her face. "Don't be."
Chloe lay awake and listened to Mark's even breathing, and finally she could feel him drift away into sleep again. Chloe closed her eyes and prayed from sleep to come. She probably would rather have stayed awake if she knew what the dreams had in store for her tonight.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
She was walking down a cold, dark passageway, and she was lost. There was no sky over her head, only a huge black hole. She tried desperately to find her way out of the maze, and suddenly, it was stupid to be lost. Salem came into focus just beyond the opening off the tunnel. She yanked of her raincoat and threw it in the street. She heard her name being called faintly in the distance, and she recognized the vioce that called her. "Brady! I can't find you!" The wind and the rain stole the words from her mouth, and the breath from her lungs. She ran to where she remembered the penthouse and knocked on the door. She was drenched in the tears from the sky and her hair clung wildly to her face and shoulders. Brady came to the door, shocked to see her.
"Chloe! Come in, are you ok?"
"I'm fine, don't say anything else." She pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately. She wanted to feel every part of his body at once. He was irritable. He tasted so amazing; Chloe wanted that taste in her mouth forever. She fumbled with seemingly endless buttons, but finally gave up and blindly ripped of any clothing that stood in the way of what she wanted. He pressed against her soaking wet body, and he felt her.
"Are you sure this is what you want Chloe?" He whispered against her skin, as though he thought she might say no.
"I thought I told you say not say anything, of course this is what I want."
He pushed her to the floor that wasn't cold or hard at all. Within seconds Chloe was swept away in the most intense passion she had ever felt. Brady let everything about her, her essence, surround him, her long, wet, hair plastering itself to his face and chest.
They were amazing together, perfectly in time and in tune with each other. Chloe discovered soon enough that she was a moaner. It was impossible not to, not to lose herself in such a beautiful person, and impossible to keep it all inside.
True perfection was reached that night, even if only in a dream, a dream that had to end sooner or later.
Dreams have a special, torturous way of hurting those already in intense pain. In her dream she woke up all along, only with a feeling that it was all her fault, the reason she was alone. Fumbled painful thought haunted her dream self. 'You shouldn't have left him, it could be different, you should have looked for him before what happened...You should have talked to him, you should have come back to him, it's all your fault. It could have been different, it's all your fault, it's all your fault, it's all your fault'
~
Chloe awoke slowly as if whoever had the video camera hit the fade in button. Resisting the urge to scream, Chloe slowly slid from the bed, carefully trying not to awake Mark. Like a dagger through the dark, she smoothly cut through the house and into her room. The boxes had long since been unloaded, and it would have looked like a beautiful place to live and sleep to anyone except Chloe. She packed up everything that mattered, her guitar, some clothes, and, with a clear plan in her mind she gradually increased the distance between her and her old room. She remembered what Mark had said about good-byes, and easily wrote out a long farewell letter in her loopy handwriting.
The only problem with her 'plan' was the fact that time meant absolutely nothing to her, so now, at 3:00am she picked up the phone to make one last phone call while she was in that house. The phone rang endlessly, but the call was a necessity and Chloe would wait as long as it took.
"Hello?" A sleepy female voice finally croaked.
"Belle, I need your brother's address."
"Who is this?"
Chloe paused, realizing how selfish she was being. She hadn't talked to Belle since she left, and now, the only reason she was calling her was for the address of her love. She took a deep breath. "This is Chloe."
Belle was suddenly wide-awake. "Chloe!? Wow-"
"Belle I'm sorry, but I really need to get Brady's address."
"Ok, but-"
"Please Belle!"
"Chloe I really have to tell you that-"
"I don't have time Belle, please."
"Ok..."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Five days later it was 2:30 in the morning, but Chloe didn't notice. It wasn't like it mattered what time it was, or whether it was day or night, she wasn't sleeping lately. She paid her cab driver to wait for her and stepped into the dark. I was windy and on the verge of rain. Chloe didn't care. She was back in Salem, back where she belonged, to the place she never even should have left. Walking towards his house she took note of nothing. She stared straight ahead and only felt the hungar inside her. She felt numb all over her entire body, and she didn't feel the first tear from fall helplessly from the sky and land on her skin. She didn't see the others that followed, and she didn't feel her hair or body become wet. She didn't even realized she was knocking on the door until it opened, and he stood holding out a towel, as if he expected her.
But the second she saw his face though, feeling rushed back to her body reaching places it never had before like a wave in a hurricane crashing on the shore.
"I got your address, I hope you don't mind. I'm sorry it's so late."
Brady wrapped her in the towel and in his arms. "I wasn't sleeping. Come in, I'll make some coffee, you've got to be freezing."
She wasn't freezing; she wasn't even cold in the least. All she could feel, wrapped up in his arms and in the towel was warm. She wanted to keep that feeling, and she didn't want to lose him again.
"I have something for you...I wanted to give it to you before, but...since I haven't seen you." Brady led Chloe by the hand into the kitchen. He reached to the highest shelf, and pulled down a faded picture. "You probably don't remember this, but I took this picture of you about 6 years ago. I was taking you to the airport, to go on a class trip, and you were so sad Chloe...so sad, do you remember that?" He handed her the picture after a long last look.
"Are you kidding, of course I remember this." She examined the picture, and touched the jagged edges. "I really do look so sad, don't I? Why did you keep this?" Chloe looked up from the picture and searched Brady's eyes. Things didn't seem...the same; they were very different suddenly.
"It started our summer together." He smiled. "I know you remember that, don't you?"
Chloe nodded but thinking about what she had so long ago was painful. She was getting uneasy, the feeling of the huge change hung around the house, in the very air she breathed, and a sinking feeling settled in her stomach.
"You were so sad at the beginning, I wanted to take a picture of us together, just to show you how happy we were, but I never had a camera with me."
"It's ok, I remember how happy I was. You could completely change me around Brady..." Chloe looked around for the first time since walking inside the house, and took notice of her surroundings. Something was out of place, something was wrong, and not knowing what it was, was killing her. "It hasn't changed either," More to she said to reassure herself than anything.
Brady sighed. "Chlo...a lot of things have changed..."
Chloe didn't say anything, she looked around, and subtle things about the house scared her. She began to notice pictures on the walls, things on the floor, photographs and pictures... Chloe caught her breath, her world was spinning, and she felt so faint. She had to stay calm, she couldn't lose it. But losing it would be such a relief...she accepted what she knew now, as fact, and took a deep breath. "What's the name of your daughter?"
Brady looked down. "Adrienne. Adrienne Maye. Maye with an e, Blair said it looked so much more pretty like that."
Chloe cursed herself mentally, this is what Belle was trying to tell her. She felt so stupid, she had just expected to walk in his house, and she expected him to take her back. "How old is she?"
"She's 3. She's why I couldn't stay in LA, why I had to leave. When Blair called me...I'm sorry Chloe, but I coulnd't leave her."
"I know, I understand" She handed him back the picture of her that had been taken so long ago, yet the pain felt fresh. "My cab's waiting, I should go."
"Keep the picture Chloe, I wanted you to have it."
Chloe tucked the picture in her hand and turned to leave. Brady followed her across the room, and out the door. He almost let her go too, almost let her drive away, and almost let her disappear from his life forever. Almost.
"Chloe! Come back!" Without a moment's hesitation, Chloe ran as fast as she could straight back into his arms of the man she couldn't live without. She felt like she was a part of him, standing there in the rain wrapped up in him.
For 5 glorious minutes, it lasted. For five minutes, everything was ok; everything was going to work out. Everything was just like it was before. The realization surfaced though, making everything so much more painful. Chloe was the first to speak, the first to break the silence. "You have to go don't you, Brady?"
Brady held her; he wanted to hold that moment for a little longer. "Don't make me say it, Chloe, don't make me leave you, not yet...just a few more seconds."
Chloe broke down in his arms; it was the only place left, where she still felt safe. He was the only thing that held her up. "I love you so much."
"Chloe Lane, you are the most beautiful human being on the face of the earth. I love you more than you'll ever know...but..."
"But you have to go. We both know the ending to this story, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm not noble enough to walk away, I just pray to God that you are."
Brady didn't say anything for a while; he let the seconds of silence pass by, while he held her. They both knew that sooner or later there had to be a last kiss, and so he kissed her. "I need to go home," he whispered, as if afraid that he wouldn't let himself go, if he heard himself say it louder.
Chloe nodded. "I know, go." And then, there was an ending. Chloe turned at left. A slow droning melody hung in the air, and the house, Brady, Blair, and their little girl got farther farther away.
You are the strength
That keeps me walking
You are the hope
That keeps me trusting
You are the life
To my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
You calm the storms
And you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You steal my heart
And you take my breath away
Would you take me in?
Take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be?
Any better than this
'Cause you're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything
Everything
You're all I want
You're all I need
You're everything...everything
Chloe began walking, slowly so she could feel everything. She felt the rain falling on her, as it washed away her outer layer and let her break down in the middle of the deserted street. From where she lay, she stared into the black, never-ending pool that was the sky. Even after she closed her eyes, she could still see the moon and every star flashing and blurring before her. She missed them so much. In that state-seeing the sky through closed eyes, she found peace.
She felt sorry for Blair and the little girl. They would be nothing but an obligation, they would be the reason Brady wasn't with his soul mate, and they would have to live with that. She knew that Brady would love the little girl, she knew that without a doubt. He might even learn to love Blair, but he would never love her like he loved Chloe. That type of love, that powerful love, is once in a lifetime. Not that it mattered now, Chloe knew that even though she would never see him again, they would be together constantly. At the blink of an eye, she would be with him. That's the way it was meant to be. They were soul mates, and they were meant to be together...even if they never would be.