Truth Out Of Darkness
Chapter 27
Later at the Black penthouse, around 4:00.
"I can't believe we beat Belle back here, even with me packing and changing clothes." Chloe said.
"You know my sister. Never turn her loose at shopping. She'll wipe out the store." Brady replied.
As if on cue, Belle and Shawn enter laden with grocery bags.
"What all did you get?" an incredulous Chloe asked.
"Only the absolute necessities, I assure you." Belle replied. "We have pizza, popcorn, chips, all kinds of caffeine-laden soft drinks, cookies, chocolate, several things of ice cream including mocha chip. And we have some chilled cappaccino drinks - in case we need more caffeine, and just a few more things." Belle finished her list breathlessly.
"See? I told you." Brady said to Chloe. "Oh, by the way, Dad and Marlena said it would be okay for Shawn to stay over, but I am in charge. So if you have any notions of gettin' it on with my baby sister then I'll have to kick your ass." Brady said smiling.
"Dude, we're not like that." Shawn said.
"Good, keep it that way."
"Did they say when they'd be in?" Belle asked.
"They are going to stay out later tonight, to give us some space. They'll pobably be in early in the morning."
"Ok, let's get to it!" Belle yelled.
A few hours later...
"Ugh. I'm gonna be sick." Chloe said setting down her half finished bowl of mocha chip ice cream with hot fudge and oreo cookies.
"No wonder, there's enough caffiene and sugar in this room to operate a Starbucks." Shawn commented dryly. He wondered how Belle could pack away the food and still remain so petite. {Must run in the family.} he thought as he noticed Brady working on his third bowl of ice cream.
"How can you two eat like that?" Chloe asked, making a face.
"Years of practice." Belle answered. "When we were little, Brady and I used to stay up all the time. We'd be up all night watching movies and eating junk food. We'd be so wired we wouldn't be able to sleep for days. Hey, that's mine!" she cried as Brady lunged for the last pickle.
A brief, but vicious battle ensued with Belle emerging victorious. Chloe and Shawn stared dumbfounded as Belle held her prize high in the air, flaunting it in front of her sullen brother.
"Man, when did you get so mean?" he asked, rubbing a sore spot on his arm.
"Years of practice living with a mean older brother." she shot back, smiling.
"Hey, let's take a break from the movies. We could play a game?" Chloe suggested.
"How about strip poker?" Shawn suggested mischieviously.
"Ok, first of all, I don't think Brady wants to see his baby sister naked. Secondly, you guys have already seen me naked." Chloe said referring to the pornographic website that Jan and Mimi set up as a prank on Chloe.
"That doesn't count, they covered up the good parts." Shawn commented. He soon noticed three pairs of eyes glaring at him. "I'm just kidding!" he held up his hands in peace, laughing. "Besides, there's only one person I want to see naked." he looked at Belle.
"DUDE!" Brady said loudly.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Anyway, back to the games.... Any suggestions?" Chloe asked.
"Truth or Dare?" Belle suggested.
"Nah, too cliched. Besides, there aren't enough people here to do it properly." Brady answered.
"Hey, Mr. College Man. I bet you know some fun games." Shawn teased.
"Yeah, and they all involve consuming large amounts of alcohol." he quipped.
"Hmmmmm..." Belle pondered.
"Don't even think it." Brady warned.
"Seriously, what about poker?" Shawn said.
"Ok, there's this variation I used to play with my dormmates. The winner of each hand chooses someone in the group. That person has to reveal an embarassing story about himself." Brady said.
"Ooooh, sounds good." Belle said. They all agreed and got in a circle. Belle won the first hand, and like a good little sister chose Brady.
"I bet I know what Brady's embarrassing story is. I'm thinking Monday afternoon, two teenage girls and one very naked Brady Black?" Chloe teased.
Brady shot a cold glare at Chloe, while Belle erupted in laughter.
"No! No! It took days to get that picture out of my head and now it's back!" Belle cried. Shawn looked at her puzzled.
"We saw Brady naked." Chloe explained.
"Yeah, we were headed up to my room, when Brady comes flying down the stairs, buck-ass naked."
Brady rolled his eyes. "I had just taken a shower. Towels were in the laundry room. I thought I was alone." he explained to Shawn.
"Of course, from what I saw, you don't have anything to be embarrassed about." Chloe said slyly.
"AAAAGH! Can we NOT talk about this?" Belle screamed.
"Ok, my story involves alcohol and women's underwear."
"Oh, I'm gonna like this story." Belle said.
"Ok. Senior year at the boarding school. It's coed with the boys in one dorm and the girls in another. Well, we were having a massive party in the boys' dorm. Alcohol was free flowing. There were even jello shots and watermelon shots."
"Watermelon shots?" Chloe asked.
"It's when you cut a hole in a watermelon and pour a couple of bottles of vodka in it. Then cut it up and serve in pieces. It's amazing how drunk you can get off it. That night, I was beyond drunk. I finally passed out somewhere. Some time passed and soon I became vaguely aware of giggling and laughing. I slept on until the sun was in my eyes and the laughter was overwhelming. I woke up to find myself in the lobby of the girls dorm wearing nothing but a black lace bra and matching panties. I was surrounded by laughing girls and the guys in my dorm were taking pictures, and laughing hysterically."
Chloe and Shawn erupted in laughter, while Belle screamed. "Again with the mental pictures! I'm gonna be scarred for life!" she laughed.
"So, Brady, is there something you wanna get off your chest?" Shawn cracked.
"My cousin, the comedian." Brady deadpanned.
"Ok, we are changing the subject right now!" Belle said. "I already know WAY too much about you!"
"Well, look at it this way. Now you have plenty of blackmail material." Chloe joked.
"HMMMMM..." Belle pondered with a wicked grin. "Although, that's really more Sami's thing." she laughed. They continued the game with the occasional chuckle as someone processed the visual of Brady in women's underwear.
Brady was vindicated, though, when he won the next hand. He looked at Chloe and grinned wickedly.
"You guys already know all my embarrassing stories." she protested.
"You mean to tell me, in the 15 years you lived before coming here, that NOTHING embarrassing EVER happened to you?" Brady countered.
"Well, there's one story. But I warn you, it's gross. Like in a feminine issues kind of way."
"Hey, if I had to tell about me wearing panties, you gotta tell your story. No excuses, spill."
"Ok, fine. When I was 12, there was a time where I was between foster homes, so I was at the orphanage. Well, my adoptive mother never got around to telling me about... the facts of life before she died, and none of the foster moms thought to bring it up either. So one morning I wake up and there is blood everywhere. I screamed my head off. I thought I was dying. The nurse comes running in and I'm freaking out, running around in circles and crying out 'I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!' and I've attracted a crowd of amazed onlookers. The nurse takes one look at me and says, 'Calm down, Chloe. It's just your period.' She spent like the next 3 hours explaining everything to me. Afterwards I told her that 'being a girl sucks.' 'Yeah,' she replied, 'Welcome to womanhood.' That's pretty much it."
Chloe looked at Shawn and Brady. Brady was looking kind of green. "Ok, so maybe I didn't need to hear that." he said.
Belle won the next hand. (A\N: Don't ever play against Belle at poker, she'll kick your ass.) "Ok, Shawn, your turn." she smiled sweetly.
Shawn groaned and rolled his eyes. "My story also takes place at boarding school. One day after gym, I'm taking a shower. My roommates thought it would be oh-so-funny to take all my clothes. So I'm walking to my dorm, which is conveniently located on the other side of campus, wearing nothing but a tiny little white towel."
Laughter erupted from the room. Shawn chuckled. "Wait, it gets better. It just happened to be Parents' Day, and there are mobs of people everywhere. I finally manage to make it to my room without any major incidents. Of course, my dad is waiting there for me."
"How did he react?" Brady asked.
"Oh, he thought it was hilarious. All day long he would smile to himself and chuckle everytime he saw me. It was bizarre, like a scene from American Pie."
Their game continued on and soon they forgot about playing poker. They just talked and laughed, enjoying each other's company. The four gradually changed positions until there no longer four individuals but two couples. Belle sat in between Shawn's legs and his arms were wrapped around her waist. Chloe wound up sitting beside Brady. His left arm was around her and their right hands were joined, fingers interlaced. Chloe stopped trying to analyze her feelings and surrendered to the sensations. She lay her head on his shoulder.
"So, what shall we watch next?" Belle asked.
"The Little Mermaid! I've never seen it, but it was my favorite story when I was little. I used to beg my dad to read it to me." Chloe said wistfully.
Belle and Shawn snuggled together under a blanket on the floor, while Chloe and Brady made themselves comfy on the couch. Chloe snuggled close beside Brady. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
Chloe watched the cartoon, enthralled. However, toward the end, she began to be puzzled and confused. The movie ended and she let out a disgusted snort.
"Leave it to Disney to slap a happy ending on it." she said.
"What do you mean?" Belle asked.
"This isn't how it ends. In the story the prince falls in love with and marries the false Ariel and the real Ariel is turned into seafoam."
"Well, that's crappy!" Belle replied. "What kind of love story is that?"
"It's not a love story. It's a morality tale. A warning about the dangers of infatuation, of losing yourself and your identity in a relationship. Think about it. Ariel gave up her voice, her family... her whole life for a man she just met, a man she didn't even know! And the prince only knew her for her voice, so when an imposter came along, sounding like Ariel and looking like her, he fell for it. Because he only knew her outside - he didn't know her soul....Oh my god..." Chloe trailed off, lost in thought.
"What?"
"That was me. I gave up everything for Phillip, my singing... my dreams, everything. All my life, music was the most important thing to me. It was the only thing that got me through..... my past. But I just about stopped singing when I was with Phillip. It was like the music was gone from my soul. I even questioned my dreams, of Juliard, of singing at the Met. I can't believe it! I did the one thing I promised myself I would never do. I let myself get trapped in that kind of relationship. How stupid!" she cried, angry at herself.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this." Brady told her, looking her in the eyes. "A lot happened from the time your parents died to when you met Phillip. The years you spent in foster care and orphanages had an effect on you. Remember, we talked about it. (waaaay back in chpt 7) You were starved for affection and Phillip showered you with it. Anyone with your experiences would have done the same. You learn from your mistakes and move on, OK?" Brady said with a warm smile.
Chloe looked Brady in the eyes. "You know, if it weren't for you, I'd still be with him. I'd be making excuses for him, believing that he actually loved me. It was our friendship that opened my eyes; showed me what was lacking in my relationship with Phillip. I knew it was wrong that I was closer to my friend than my boyfriend. Thank you.... for being there for me - for showing me what love should be."
"Don't mention it. You deserve nothing less than the real thing." They stared deep into each other's eyes. A moment, a lifetime passed wordlessly while their souls communed through their eyes.
However, their tender moment was loudly interrupted by the sounds of fake snores emitting from Belle and Shawn. (Damn them! Just when it was getting good!) They erupted into laughter as Chloe and Brady just looked at them.
"Oh, I'm sorry kiddies. Is our adult, grown up conversation boring you?" Chloe quipped.
"Yes, talk bad. movie good." Shawn intoned.
"Oooh, my caffeine buzz is wearing off. Time for a recharge." Belle said as she headed into the kitchen. She came back, arms laden with chips, cookies and drinks. "Want some, Chloe? It's not even midnight, and you're the one who's trying not to sleep."
Chloe appeared nauseous. "Ugh. No thanks, I'll try my luck with my dreams."
"Suit yourself! Next movie!"
The movie finished and Belle looked over at the couch. "Amateur." she rolled her eyes. Chloe was sound asleep, wrapped up in Brady's arms.
"I suppose we should put her to bed."
"NNNNOOOO, we're comfy." Brady whined, snuggling closer to Chloe.
Belle got to her feet. "C'mon Brady, she needs her sleep."
Brady slowly lifted Chloe up in his arms, careful not to wake her and headed upstairs. He placed her in the second bed in Belle's room, and tucked her in. He stood for a few minutes looking at her. She looked so peaceful, content. It was a stark contrast to her appearance this afternoon.
After she fainted, Belle had called him on his cell phone. He had raced over to the school. He ignored Chloe's locker; he was too worried about her. She slowly regained consciousness in his arms, but it was many long minutes before she was calm enough to talk. Brady just held her, letting his warmth flow through her, giving her comfort.
Brady looked down at Chloe's sleeping form. He saw the dark circles under her eyes, the pale cast to her skin. Brady thought about the contents of her locker and shook with a violent rage. {At least the bastard's in jail.} Sighing deeply, he bent down and placed a featherlight kiss on her forehead.
He came back down to find Belle waking up Shawn.
"C'mon Shawn." she said in a sing song voice. "Time to go to bed."
"MMMM, with you?" he grinned, wrapping his arms around her.
"No, with Brady." she teased.
Shawn dropped his arms, fully alert now. "Kill joy." he muttered.
"Sorry. Parents' rules."
"Yeah, and I'm the enforcer." Brady said. "Shawn, there's a mattress for you on the floor of my room."
"Thanks, I'd better get to sleep. I promised my mom I'd watch JT for her in the morning." he leaned in and kissed Belle gently on the lips. "Goodnight, perfect girl." he grinned.
"'Night. Tough Guy." Belle smiled as he headed upstairs.
"Ugh. That was so sweet, I'm going to be violently ill." Brady cracked.
"Yeah, well. Wait til you and Chloe get going, smartass. Then you'll be all like- I love you snookie wookie."
"Snookie wookie?"
"And she'll be all like - I love you too, my honey bunny."
"Snookie wookie. Please, it'll be COLD day in hell, when snookie wookie comes out of my lips."
"Just a matter of time, bro. In fact, I bet you've already got a pet name for Chloe." She said smiling.
Brady opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut.
"I'm going to bed. 'Night, Tink."
"Night, Brady.
{Oh, great.} Belle thought. {Everyone has gone to bed and I'm still wired. Ooh, I think I'll watch a scary movie.} She was halfway through Scream, when John and Marlena entered.
"Hi, Belle. Is everyone else in bed? I would have thought you guys would be up all night?" Marlena asked.
"That was the plan. I guess they just don't have my stamina. I'll go to bed myself as soon as the caffeine wears off, if it ever does."
"How's Chloe?" Marlena asked, concerned. This night had been entirely for her benefit.
"Good. She really needed this, Mom. She was a complete wreck today." Belle answered.
"Poor girl. We heard about Phillip's arrest. Craig asked me to take her on as a patient. He's concerned about these nightmares she's having. How long has Chloe been asleep?"
"A couple of hours. She fell asleep in Brady's arms. Those two are so cute together, you should have seen them."
John and Marlena smiled, thinking of how far Brady had come since coming back home. "We're going to bed now. Goodnight, sweetie."
"G'night, Mom, Dad."
A few minutes later, John and Marlena were getting ready for bed when a piercing scream rang through the penthouse.
"We'd better get Belle to turn that down." John said.
"No... I think it was" they heard another scream.
"Chloe!" they cried in unison.
They fled down the hall to Belle's room, followed shortly by a breathless Belle.
"Mom, Dad, what is it?.....Oh my God..."
Chapter 27
Later at the Black penthouse, around 4:00.
"I can't believe we beat Belle back here, even with me packing and changing clothes." Chloe said.
"You know my sister. Never turn her loose at shopping. She'll wipe out the store." Brady replied.
As if on cue, Belle and Shawn enter laden with grocery bags.
"What all did you get?" an incredulous Chloe asked.
"Only the absolute necessities, I assure you." Belle replied. "We have pizza, popcorn, chips, all kinds of caffeine-laden soft drinks, cookies, chocolate, several things of ice cream including mocha chip. And we have some chilled cappaccino drinks - in case we need more caffeine, and just a few more things." Belle finished her list breathlessly.
"See? I told you." Brady said to Chloe. "Oh, by the way, Dad and Marlena said it would be okay for Shawn to stay over, but I am in charge. So if you have any notions of gettin' it on with my baby sister then I'll have to kick your ass." Brady said smiling.
"Dude, we're not like that." Shawn said.
"Good, keep it that way."
"Did they say when they'd be in?" Belle asked.
"They are going to stay out later tonight, to give us some space. They'll pobably be in early in the morning."
"Ok, let's get to it!" Belle yelled.
A few hours later...
"Ugh. I'm gonna be sick." Chloe said setting down her half finished bowl of mocha chip ice cream with hot fudge and oreo cookies.
"No wonder, there's enough caffiene and sugar in this room to operate a Starbucks." Shawn commented dryly. He wondered how Belle could pack away the food and still remain so petite. {Must run in the family.} he thought as he noticed Brady working on his third bowl of ice cream.
"How can you two eat like that?" Chloe asked, making a face.
"Years of practice." Belle answered. "When we were little, Brady and I used to stay up all the time. We'd be up all night watching movies and eating junk food. We'd be so wired we wouldn't be able to sleep for days. Hey, that's mine!" she cried as Brady lunged for the last pickle.
A brief, but vicious battle ensued with Belle emerging victorious. Chloe and Shawn stared dumbfounded as Belle held her prize high in the air, flaunting it in front of her sullen brother.
"Man, when did you get so mean?" he asked, rubbing a sore spot on his arm.
"Years of practice living with a mean older brother." she shot back, smiling.
"Hey, let's take a break from the movies. We could play a game?" Chloe suggested.
"How about strip poker?" Shawn suggested mischieviously.
"Ok, first of all, I don't think Brady wants to see his baby sister naked. Secondly, you guys have already seen me naked." Chloe said referring to the pornographic website that Jan and Mimi set up as a prank on Chloe.
"That doesn't count, they covered up the good parts." Shawn commented. He soon noticed three pairs of eyes glaring at him. "I'm just kidding!" he held up his hands in peace, laughing. "Besides, there's only one person I want to see naked." he looked at Belle.
"DUDE!" Brady said loudly.
"Oh, right. Sorry."
"Anyway, back to the games.... Any suggestions?" Chloe asked.
"Truth or Dare?" Belle suggested.
"Nah, too cliched. Besides, there aren't enough people here to do it properly." Brady answered.
"Hey, Mr. College Man. I bet you know some fun games." Shawn teased.
"Yeah, and they all involve consuming large amounts of alcohol." he quipped.
"Hmmmmm..." Belle pondered.
"Don't even think it." Brady warned.
"Seriously, what about poker?" Shawn said.
"Ok, there's this variation I used to play with my dormmates. The winner of each hand chooses someone in the group. That person has to reveal an embarassing story about himself." Brady said.
"Ooooh, sounds good." Belle said. They all agreed and got in a circle. Belle won the first hand, and like a good little sister chose Brady.
"I bet I know what Brady's embarrassing story is. I'm thinking Monday afternoon, two teenage girls and one very naked Brady Black?" Chloe teased.
Brady shot a cold glare at Chloe, while Belle erupted in laughter.
"No! No! It took days to get that picture out of my head and now it's back!" Belle cried. Shawn looked at her puzzled.
"We saw Brady naked." Chloe explained.
"Yeah, we were headed up to my room, when Brady comes flying down the stairs, buck-ass naked."
Brady rolled his eyes. "I had just taken a shower. Towels were in the laundry room. I thought I was alone." he explained to Shawn.
"Of course, from what I saw, you don't have anything to be embarrassed about." Chloe said slyly.
"AAAAGH! Can we NOT talk about this?" Belle screamed.
"Ok, my story involves alcohol and women's underwear."
"Oh, I'm gonna like this story." Belle said.
"Ok. Senior year at the boarding school. It's coed with the boys in one dorm and the girls in another. Well, we were having a massive party in the boys' dorm. Alcohol was free flowing. There were even jello shots and watermelon shots."
"Watermelon shots?" Chloe asked.
"It's when you cut a hole in a watermelon and pour a couple of bottles of vodka in it. Then cut it up and serve in pieces. It's amazing how drunk you can get off it. That night, I was beyond drunk. I finally passed out somewhere. Some time passed and soon I became vaguely aware of giggling and laughing. I slept on until the sun was in my eyes and the laughter was overwhelming. I woke up to find myself in the lobby of the girls dorm wearing nothing but a black lace bra and matching panties. I was surrounded by laughing girls and the guys in my dorm were taking pictures, and laughing hysterically."
Chloe and Shawn erupted in laughter, while Belle screamed. "Again with the mental pictures! I'm gonna be scarred for life!" she laughed.
"So, Brady, is there something you wanna get off your chest?" Shawn cracked.
"My cousin, the comedian." Brady deadpanned.
"Ok, we are changing the subject right now!" Belle said. "I already know WAY too much about you!"
"Well, look at it this way. Now you have plenty of blackmail material." Chloe joked.
"HMMMMM..." Belle pondered with a wicked grin. "Although, that's really more Sami's thing." she laughed. They continued the game with the occasional chuckle as someone processed the visual of Brady in women's underwear.
Brady was vindicated, though, when he won the next hand. He looked at Chloe and grinned wickedly.
"You guys already know all my embarrassing stories." she protested.
"You mean to tell me, in the 15 years you lived before coming here, that NOTHING embarrassing EVER happened to you?" Brady countered.
"Well, there's one story. But I warn you, it's gross. Like in a feminine issues kind of way."
"Hey, if I had to tell about me wearing panties, you gotta tell your story. No excuses, spill."
"Ok, fine. When I was 12, there was a time where I was between foster homes, so I was at the orphanage. Well, my adoptive mother never got around to telling me about... the facts of life before she died, and none of the foster moms thought to bring it up either. So one morning I wake up and there is blood everywhere. I screamed my head off. I thought I was dying. The nurse comes running in and I'm freaking out, running around in circles and crying out 'I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!' and I've attracted a crowd of amazed onlookers. The nurse takes one look at me and says, 'Calm down, Chloe. It's just your period.' She spent like the next 3 hours explaining everything to me. Afterwards I told her that 'being a girl sucks.' 'Yeah,' she replied, 'Welcome to womanhood.' That's pretty much it."
Chloe looked at Shawn and Brady. Brady was looking kind of green. "Ok, so maybe I didn't need to hear that." he said.
Belle won the next hand. (A\N: Don't ever play against Belle at poker, she'll kick your ass.) "Ok, Shawn, your turn." she smiled sweetly.
Shawn groaned and rolled his eyes. "My story also takes place at boarding school. One day after gym, I'm taking a shower. My roommates thought it would be oh-so-funny to take all my clothes. So I'm walking to my dorm, which is conveniently located on the other side of campus, wearing nothing but a tiny little white towel."
Laughter erupted from the room. Shawn chuckled. "Wait, it gets better. It just happened to be Parents' Day, and there are mobs of people everywhere. I finally manage to make it to my room without any major incidents. Of course, my dad is waiting there for me."
"How did he react?" Brady asked.
"Oh, he thought it was hilarious. All day long he would smile to himself and chuckle everytime he saw me. It was bizarre, like a scene from American Pie."
Their game continued on and soon they forgot about playing poker. They just talked and laughed, enjoying each other's company. The four gradually changed positions until there no longer four individuals but two couples. Belle sat in between Shawn's legs and his arms were wrapped around her waist. Chloe wound up sitting beside Brady. His left arm was around her and their right hands were joined, fingers interlaced. Chloe stopped trying to analyze her feelings and surrendered to the sensations. She lay her head on his shoulder.
"So, what shall we watch next?" Belle asked.
"The Little Mermaid! I've never seen it, but it was my favorite story when I was little. I used to beg my dad to read it to me." Chloe said wistfully.
Belle and Shawn snuggled together under a blanket on the floor, while Chloe and Brady made themselves comfy on the couch. Chloe snuggled close beside Brady. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
Chloe watched the cartoon, enthralled. However, toward the end, she began to be puzzled and confused. The movie ended and she let out a disgusted snort.
"Leave it to Disney to slap a happy ending on it." she said.
"What do you mean?" Belle asked.
"This isn't how it ends. In the story the prince falls in love with and marries the false Ariel and the real Ariel is turned into seafoam."
"Well, that's crappy!" Belle replied. "What kind of love story is that?"
"It's not a love story. It's a morality tale. A warning about the dangers of infatuation, of losing yourself and your identity in a relationship. Think about it. Ariel gave up her voice, her family... her whole life for a man she just met, a man she didn't even know! And the prince only knew her for her voice, so when an imposter came along, sounding like Ariel and looking like her, he fell for it. Because he only knew her outside - he didn't know her soul....Oh my god..." Chloe trailed off, lost in thought.
"What?"
"That was me. I gave up everything for Phillip, my singing... my dreams, everything. All my life, music was the most important thing to me. It was the only thing that got me through..... my past. But I just about stopped singing when I was with Phillip. It was like the music was gone from my soul. I even questioned my dreams, of Juliard, of singing at the Met. I can't believe it! I did the one thing I promised myself I would never do. I let myself get trapped in that kind of relationship. How stupid!" she cried, angry at herself.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over this." Brady told her, looking her in the eyes. "A lot happened from the time your parents died to when you met Phillip. The years you spent in foster care and orphanages had an effect on you. Remember, we talked about it. (waaaay back in chpt 7) You were starved for affection and Phillip showered you with it. Anyone with your experiences would have done the same. You learn from your mistakes and move on, OK?" Brady said with a warm smile.
Chloe looked Brady in the eyes. "You know, if it weren't for you, I'd still be with him. I'd be making excuses for him, believing that he actually loved me. It was our friendship that opened my eyes; showed me what was lacking in my relationship with Phillip. I knew it was wrong that I was closer to my friend than my boyfriend. Thank you.... for being there for me - for showing me what love should be."
"Don't mention it. You deserve nothing less than the real thing." They stared deep into each other's eyes. A moment, a lifetime passed wordlessly while their souls communed through their eyes.
However, their tender moment was loudly interrupted by the sounds of fake snores emitting from Belle and Shawn. (Damn them! Just when it was getting good!) They erupted into laughter as Chloe and Brady just looked at them.
"Oh, I'm sorry kiddies. Is our adult, grown up conversation boring you?" Chloe quipped.
"Yes, talk bad. movie good." Shawn intoned.
"Oooh, my caffeine buzz is wearing off. Time for a recharge." Belle said as she headed into the kitchen. She came back, arms laden with chips, cookies and drinks. "Want some, Chloe? It's not even midnight, and you're the one who's trying not to sleep."
Chloe appeared nauseous. "Ugh. No thanks, I'll try my luck with my dreams."
"Suit yourself! Next movie!"
The movie finished and Belle looked over at the couch. "Amateur." she rolled her eyes. Chloe was sound asleep, wrapped up in Brady's arms.
"I suppose we should put her to bed."
"NNNNOOOO, we're comfy." Brady whined, snuggling closer to Chloe.
Belle got to her feet. "C'mon Brady, she needs her sleep."
Brady slowly lifted Chloe up in his arms, careful not to wake her and headed upstairs. He placed her in the second bed in Belle's room, and tucked her in. He stood for a few minutes looking at her. She looked so peaceful, content. It was a stark contrast to her appearance this afternoon.
After she fainted, Belle had called him on his cell phone. He had raced over to the school. He ignored Chloe's locker; he was too worried about her. She slowly regained consciousness in his arms, but it was many long minutes before she was calm enough to talk. Brady just held her, letting his warmth flow through her, giving her comfort.
Brady looked down at Chloe's sleeping form. He saw the dark circles under her eyes, the pale cast to her skin. Brady thought about the contents of her locker and shook with a violent rage. {At least the bastard's in jail.} Sighing deeply, he bent down and placed a featherlight kiss on her forehead.
He came back down to find Belle waking up Shawn.
"C'mon Shawn." she said in a sing song voice. "Time to go to bed."
"MMMM, with you?" he grinned, wrapping his arms around her.
"No, with Brady." she teased.
Shawn dropped his arms, fully alert now. "Kill joy." he muttered.
"Sorry. Parents' rules."
"Yeah, and I'm the enforcer." Brady said. "Shawn, there's a mattress for you on the floor of my room."
"Thanks, I'd better get to sleep. I promised my mom I'd watch JT for her in the morning." he leaned in and kissed Belle gently on the lips. "Goodnight, perfect girl." he grinned.
"'Night. Tough Guy." Belle smiled as he headed upstairs.
"Ugh. That was so sweet, I'm going to be violently ill." Brady cracked.
"Yeah, well. Wait til you and Chloe get going, smartass. Then you'll be all like- I love you snookie wookie."
"Snookie wookie?"
"And she'll be all like - I love you too, my honey bunny."
"Snookie wookie. Please, it'll be COLD day in hell, when snookie wookie comes out of my lips."
"Just a matter of time, bro. In fact, I bet you've already got a pet name for Chloe." She said smiling.
Brady opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut.
"I'm going to bed. 'Night, Tink."
"Night, Brady.
{Oh, great.} Belle thought. {Everyone has gone to bed and I'm still wired. Ooh, I think I'll watch a scary movie.} She was halfway through Scream, when John and Marlena entered.
"Hi, Belle. Is everyone else in bed? I would have thought you guys would be up all night?" Marlena asked.
"That was the plan. I guess they just don't have my stamina. I'll go to bed myself as soon as the caffeine wears off, if it ever does."
"How's Chloe?" Marlena asked, concerned. This night had been entirely for her benefit.
"Good. She really needed this, Mom. She was a complete wreck today." Belle answered.
"Poor girl. We heard about Phillip's arrest. Craig asked me to take her on as a patient. He's concerned about these nightmares she's having. How long has Chloe been asleep?"
"A couple of hours. She fell asleep in Brady's arms. Those two are so cute together, you should have seen them."
John and Marlena smiled, thinking of how far Brady had come since coming back home. "We're going to bed now. Goodnight, sweetie."
"G'night, Mom, Dad."
A few minutes later, John and Marlena were getting ready for bed when a piercing scream rang through the penthouse.
"We'd better get Belle to turn that down." John said.
"No... I think it was" they heard another scream.
"Chloe!" they cried in unison.
They fled down the hall to Belle's room, followed shortly by a breathless Belle.
"Mom, Dad, what is it?.....Oh my God..."