Chapter Twenty-Eight

(Much later in the evening, after nap, dinner & flight reservations.)

Chloe threw her smaller suitcase on the bed and began filling it up. She wanted everything to be ready and prepared for when her flight left the next afternoon. She was folding a pair of jeans and placing them inside, when she heard the soft knocking at her door.

"Come in!"

The door opened and Belle entered, visibly surprised by the sight of Chloe packing her things.

"Chloe... Are you going somewhere? What's going on?"

Chloe laid the pair of jeans aside and sat on the edge of the bed. "That's why I called you over here. Something is going on."

Belle cringed slightly. "Is this something I should be sitting down for?"

"Perhaps."

Belle nodded and sat in the desk chair across from her. "Well, what is it?"

Chloe sighed softly and smiled at her. "I'm going to tell you something really important. And, you have to SWEAR not to tell anyone. And, I mean ANYONE. Not even Shawn. I'm sure everyone will find out eventually, but I'm not ready for that yet."

"Okay... I swear, I cross my heart and I promise not to tell anyone."

"Well, you know how I've been sick lately... I found out today that it's not just the flu."

Belle's eyes widened in fear and she laid her hand on her chest. "It's not something worse, is it?"

Chloe shook her head and smiled reassuringly. "No, it's not. I'm... I'm pregnant."

Belle gripped the side of her chair with one hand to prevent herself from falling over in shock. She blinked her eyes rapidly and shook her head, completely bowled over by Chloe's news. "You're pregnant? But, how? You said that you guys used protection that night."

"I know, and we did. But, nothing is foolproof I guess. I don't know how it happened, but it can't be changed now."

"So... You're going to California? So you can tell him, right?"

Chloe nodded a confirmation and Belle continued. "How do you think he'll take it?"

Chloe shrugged slightly. "I don't really know. I hope he sees it the way I do. If this happened, then it means something in the grand scheme of things. I feel like it's fate trying to tell me something, that I belong with Brady forever, and we're meant to raise a child together. And, if he doesn't feel the same way, for whatever reason... It doesn't matter. I'm going to be a mother to my baby, no matter how he feels about it."

"Oh wow, Chloe... I don't know what to say. Is this happy news? Do we think this is a good thing?"

"I... I... Yes, it is a good thing. It's not exactly what I had in mind for my life, but it is a very good thing. I love Brady, and I know we're young and totally unprepared for this, but I want this baby. And, I can still be a singer someday, and have a career, and everything else I've ever dreamed of. It just delays everything a little bit."

Belle's expression turned into a smile and she joined her friend on the bed, hugging her tightly. "Then I'm happy too, Chloe. If this makes you happy, then I am happy for you. Congratulations."

Chloe hugged her back and sighed softly. "Thank you, Belle. I need all the support I can right now. And, I know some people are going to think this is a bad idea... But, having the child of the man I love could never be a bad thing."

"It's just so weird. One day, the two of you are 'just friends', and then everything changed so quickly. You're in love, and now you're having a baby." Belle let go of her and then grinned slightly. "And, I'm gonna be an AUNT again. I can't wait. And, I promise you I'm going to be with you every step of the way, through all of this. You're my best friend, and I will never stop supporting you."

"Thank you, I'm so glad that you said that. But, please don't tell anyone else. I want Brady to be the next one to know. Your mother knows, but only because she was at the hospital with my family today. Don't tell anyone until I can tell them myself."


Belle nodded confidently and crossed her heart. "I swear. Your secret is safe with me. So... When does your flight leave?"

"Noon, tomorrow. Which is another reason I asked you over here..."

"You need a ride to the airport?"

Chloe shook her head slightly and continued. "No, I don't. But, I need a ride somewhere else before I leave. Tomorrow morning. Nancy and Craig both have things to do before they are coming home to take me to the airport. So, I don't have a car or any way to get there. And, I may need you just to be there as my best friend."

Belle nodded but wrinkled her eyebrows in confusion. "Where do you need to go?"

"Uhm... I'll tell you in the morning. Is eight o'clock too early?"

"No, I'll be here at eight on the nose." Belle stood and Chloe stood along with her. Belle pointed at Chloe's clock and continued. "Which means I better let you finish your packing and get some rest. You can't be sleepy when you go see my brother tomorrow."

Chloe smiled at her and nodded. "Thank you, Belle. For everything. I'll see you in the morning."

Belle smiled back and hugged her tightly before leaving. Chloe watched her walk away and then returned to her packing. She didn't know if what she was planning on doing tomorrow morning was a good idea, but somehow, deep down, it made sense to her.

***

(The Next Morning)

Chloe stood outside the large gray metal door, staring intently at a tiny dent in its finish. She had been staring at the same dent for the past five minutes, trying to find the strength to move her feet. Belle stood next to her clutching her hand tightly for support, and Chloe wondered how much longer they could stand here before she finally got her courage up or got kicked out.

She turned to Belle with a look of worry. "Can... Can I really do this? I don't know if I can."

Belle nodded confidently. "You can. After everything you've been through already, you can handle this. And, if you can't. I'll be right outside the door to take you home."

"Are you sure I can do this?"

"Chloe... Only you know the answer to that question. But, I think my mom was right. I think that it might help you more than you think."

Chloe nodded and turned to the guard standing near the door. The same guard who probably thought they were two seriously disturbed women for standing in the same spot for the last five minutes, hesitating before entering. "I'm ready to go in now."

The guard nodded and began to open the door. Chloe looked at Belle one last time, and Belle was smiling at her reassuringly. She squeezed her hand tightly before letting go of it, hoping to gain a little extra courage. Chloe took a deep breath in and walked into the small gray room alone.

The guard shut the door behind her and muttered something about 'taking cubicle number four'. Chloe looked around at the line of seats, divided from each other by a thin metal barrier, each one facing a clear glass wall. She sighed nervously and took her seat at cubicle number four as she was instructed.

Chloe stared at the clear wall in front of her, realizing that it wasn't glass, but some other substance. Plexiglass? Fiberglass? She almost laughed at herself, realizing that her overanalyzing of surfaces was just a defense mechanism to get her through this.

She shifted her gaze when she heard a noise on the other side of the wall. The door on the other side opened, and in walked Phillip Kiriakis escorted by two guards. He was wearing a prison jumpsuit, and when asked later, Chloe would remark that he looked like hell, only much worse. His skin was pale, his eyelids drooped sadly, his usually shiny blonde hair was a mess, and he looked like he had lost some weight after two months of jail food instead of gourmet meals at Tuscany.

He sat down across from her and looked into her eyes sadly. Phillip grabbed the phone off of the desk beside him, and Chloe did the same.

"Chloe... I'm so glad you..."

She stopped him in the middle of his sentence with a wave of her hand. "Shut up, Phillip. I don't want to hear what you have to say. I don't want to listen to your voice. I didn't come here for you. I came here for me. Now, please don't say anything else, because I have some things I need to say to you."

Phillip nodded slightly, obeying her instructions. Chloe took a deep breath in and continued. "I didn't come here today to make YOU feel better. I'm not here to relieve your guilt, or absolve all of your sins. I'm here for purely selfish reasons, something you know a lot about. I'm here so I can absolve myself for what I did. So, I can dissolve every association I ever had with you."

He turned his head, looking away from her. Chloe felt her anger rise and she hit the glass with her hand, jolting him suddenly. He turned back and looked at her again, and she practically growled into the phone.

"Phillip, don't you dare look away from me. You look in my eyes and listen to what I have to say until I have finished. Don't try and hide from the truth anymore."

Phillip kept his eyes firmly planted in her direction and Chloe took a deep breath in before beginning again.

"I... I should have known from the very beginning that you and I were doomed to end up like this. You said you loved me, but it was all a lie. You don't know what love is, Phillip. You never have. You never really loved me. You just loved the idea of me. Some pretty girl that you could have, and control, and mold into whatever you wanted her to be. That's not love. You never cared about me, or what was best for me. You only cared about yourself. And, I should have done something to end it a lot sooner than I did."

Chloe paused, preventing the tears in her eyes from falling. She had shed enough tears over Phillip Kiriakis, and she swore she would not let another one fall.

"You kept screwing up, and you kept hurting me, but I always came back to you. And, I did it because I didn't think I deserved any better. I thought that I wasn't worthy of a real love, that this was the best I could ever do, so I should hold on to it tightly. And, you must have known that. You saw my insecurities and you played on them the entire time. Then I met Brady. And, he taught me something important. He taught me that I didn't have to be perfect to be loved. He showed me that I didn't have to keep running back to the handsome, popular, school jock to find my self-worth. I learned that I didn't need to find my self-esteem in your arms, or in the arms of anyone, that I could find it inside myself. He was my friend, for a long time, and he never cared about my flaws and he never tried to control me or change me. And, that is love. Caring about someone more than you care about yourself is love. Wanting to make someone happy, and not caring whether you get happiness in return... THAT is love. And, that's why you know nothing about it."

Chloe paused for a moment, feeling that familiar lump in her throat, but still, she would not let the tears all.

"And, it's pretty pathetic, Phillip. The way that you've behaved, the things that you did. And, I'm not just talking about trying to kill your own flesh and blood. You claimed to love me, but you never trusted me, and you never actually listened to anything I had to say. You were jealous of Brady, even when you had no reason to be. I was never unfaithful to you, and I never would have been, not while we were going out or even when you were in Puerto Rico. But, I did fall in love with him, that's true. Because he gave me everything that you never could. The night you went to see him, was the night I was going to tell him that I loved him. And, you tried to take him away from me. Whether it because of your illness or because of you... I don't really care anymore."

Chloe sighed and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. She cleared her throat slightly, and then continued. "I blamed myself for what you did. I blamed myself because I didn't figure out how dangerous you could be before it was too late. I blamed myself because I was the catalyst for all of your bad behavior. And, as dumb as it was to think so, I thought it was my fault because I fell in love with Brady. But, I couldn't help falling in love with him, that's not something that can be changed. I almost let all of my guilt destroy me, it was eating me up inside ever since the day that you told me what you did. I could have let it ruin me, and ruin the future that I want to have with Brady. But, I didn't. Because, I understand things better now. I can't take responsibility for your mistakes, which are plentiful. Only YOU are responsible for you, not me. If it hadn't of been me that you were obsessed with, it would have been someone else. It could have been Belle, Mimi, Cynthia, any other girl... it doesn't matter. You are sick, and that has nothing to do with me."

Chloe paused and looked at Phillip. He was still trying to keep his gaze front and center, but he had tears streaming down his face. She tried to find sympathy in her heart, but there was none, not for him. Chloe had spent too long caring about his well-being, and she wanted no more of it. That aspect would now be left to the person who had no other choice but to love him, his mother.

"There's one thing that I most wanted to tell you today. I wanted to tell you that you don't win. Not this round, not any round. You lose, Phillip. Even if you had succeeded in killing Brady that night, you still would have lost. I didn't love you anymore, and I didn't want to be with you. With or without Brady around, you still lose. And Brady... he was down, but he was never out. He fought, and he came back, and he's going to be just fine. You lose again. And me? I almost let you win. My guilt could have gotten the best of me, but it didn't. I feel no guilt anymore. In fact, I feel nothing at all for you anymore. No love, no guilt, no anger, not even hate. You're nothing to me. You don't exist."

Chloe's gaze became steelier and her voice rose just to make her point even more clear. "The next time I see your face will be in the courtroom. And, I don't know what's going to happen. You may be back on the streets eventually because of your 'illness', or you may spend the rest of your life in jail. But, either way, that trial better be the last time I ever have to look at you again. I'm moving on with my life, and you will never have a part of that. Not anymore. You lose, Phillip. And, I win. I'm happy, healthy, and I have everything I could want. I have a man who loves me, and I love him. We're going to have a very happy future together. So, you lose."

Chloe felt a smile of victory creep up, but she kept it hidden. Phillip wiped his tears way with his spare hand and tried to speak.

"Chloe... I..."

She didn't let him finish whatever it was he had to say. Chloe hung up the phone and stood up quickly, pushing her chair in. She didn't even bother to glance at Phillip as she turned away. He wanted to apologize, to beg for her forgiveness, but she couldn't hear it, knowing that she would have to hear enough of it when his trial began next month.

She headed for the door and quickly made her exit. Belle was sitting outside chewing on her nails nervously. No words were spoken, and Chloe felt like she didn't exhale until they reached the car in the parking lot.

Chloe finally let out all of the air in her chest and looked at Belle as the stood outside her car. Belle looked at her expectantly, waiting for some sort of sign as to Chloe's state of mind. "Well, Chloe? Are you okay?"

Chloe paused thoughtfully and smiled at her friend. "Yeah, I'm great. You could even go as far to say... victorious."

Belle grinned at her proudly. "Then I guess I'll have to treat you to a victory breakfast before your flight leaves. Come on, let's go."

Chloe nodded in agreement and got into the passenger seat of the car. She buckled her seatbelt and looked out the window. Marlena had been right. Staring Phillip in the face and telling him that he had no effect on her anymore had given her a sense of freedom. It was the final boost she needed to let go of all the pain that had been haunting her.

***

(Wait a second... Did I hear you say Broe reunion? That's right! A new chapter coming soon to a fanfic board to you! Stay tuned. This coming attraction has not yet been rated. ;)

I'm sure I could have written this story without writing this chapter, but not only did Chloe need to get some things off her chest, so did I. It's my own lovely way of getting to rant against Phil the Pill.

Which reminds me... when Phil was telling Belle on the show that he was "going to put a stop to this", I was like... "BLEH! Don't you hit Brady with your car, Philly! It's too tragic! I know, because I wrote it!" Just seemed a bit eerily coincidental. Either that or I have mental problems for talking to my TV on a regular basis.

And I'm working as fast as I can to get chapter 29 done, I really really am.)