This is a sequel to "Don't Walk Away". Thematically, it will be different, but it's using the backdrop of "Don't Walk Away" as setup. This one is less sappy angst like DWA, it's more action-packed angst with a side helping of sap. But, I needed all the situations that were set up in "Don't Walk Away" to exist here.
So, if you haven't read that story -- what are you waiting for? And, that's not just a shameless self-plug. It's important to know that Chloe and Brady are married and have a son named Wesley. Phillip is in prison for putting Brady in a coma. Chloe is Bill Horton's daughter. Greta has become a close friend of Broe. Uhm... What else? I don't know... Just read 'Don't Walk Away' to catch up.
DWA ended on Christmas of 2003. This begins in the spring of 2004. (Making Wesley a little over a year old.)
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Never Tear Us Apart - Chapter One
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Brady stepped off the Titan elevator and walked swiftly towards Marie's desk. She was busy on a phone call and Brady just smiled politely at her as he patiently waited for her to finish. She finally hung up the phone and looked up at him in surprise.
"Mr. Black... Is your grandfather expecting you?"
"Actually, no. But, I was in the neighborhood for a business meeting, and I thought I'd stop by and see if he was busy for lunch. Is he in?"
Marie nodded and reached for the phone on her desk. "He is... Let me see if he's available."
She hit the button on the phone and Brady observed her as she spoke to Victor on the other line. "Mr. Kiriakis... Your grandson Brady is here... Are you available to see him? -- Okay, yes sir."
Marie hung up the phone and motioned towards Victor's door. "He said to send you in right away."
Brady nodded and headed towards Victor's office, smiling at Marie as he passed by her. "Thanks, Marie."
He slowly opened the door to his grandfather's office and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Victor was sitting behind his desk and it was evident to Brady that something was terribly amiss. All of the color was gone from his face, and it seemed as if he had aged 10 years since the last time Brady had seen him, just a few days ago.
"Grandpa Victor? Are you... okay? What's going on?"
Victor had been looking away but his eyes met Brady's and he motioned for him to take a seat. "Brady. I'm really glad you're here. I need to talk to you. Sit down."
Brady sat in the chair across from Victor and looked at him with concern. "What's going on?"
"I just got off the phone with the warden at the penitentiary."
"Phillip... Something happened to Phillip."
Victor sighed deeply and nodded. "He's dead, Brady. He -- He hung himself in his cell last night. They found him when they did the bed check this morning."
Brady gripped the armrest of the chair with his right hand as a wave of conflicting emotions ran through his body. He didn't know whether to grieve, or whether he cared at all. Phillip was once his family, but he was also the man that had nearly ended his life.
"I -- I don't know what to say. I don't know how to react. I'm sorry..."
"I understand. After what he did to you, sometimes I don't even know how to feel towards him either. But, he is my son, no matter what he did."
Brady nodded slightly, but his grandfather's words were barely cutting through the fog that filled his mind. He stood from his chair and ran a hand through his blonde hair. His first thoughts, as always, had gone to his wife and how she might be affected by the news of Phillip's death. She had worked so hard to get over the pain his actions had caused her, and his name seemed to never come up in conversation anymore. It was as if she had completely erased him from her mind.
"I guess -- I guess I should go tell Chloe."
Victor stood also and walked with Brady towards the door. "I need to go find Kate... She needs to hear it from me first."
Brady nodded and opened the door, stepping through it with Victor behind him. "She's at the Basic Black offices, I just saw her this morning..."
Victor turned to Marie to give her instructions. "Marie, I'll be out of the office the rest of the day. Cancel all my appointments. When Nicole comes back in from her lunch meeting, tell her to call me on my cell phone ASAP."
Marie looked at him in confusion but nodded her compliance. "Yes, of course, Mr. Kiriakis."
Brady and Victor walked to the elevator together in silence, and stepped inside. They waited as the elevator went towards the parking structure and Victor looked at his grandson sadly.
"I -- I guess I'll have to make funeral arrangements."
Brady didn't really want to involve himself in anything that had to do with Phillip. But, for his grandfather, he would do anything. "If you need me... If you need my help. Just call."
Both men stepped off the elevator and paused at Victor's limo. Brady gave his grandfather a brief hug and Victor smiled in appreciation. "Thank you, Brady... I guess I will call you later."
Brady nodded and watched Victor get into the long black car before heading to his own car, parked in the garage. He slid into the driver's seat and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing his wife's number.
"Hello..."
"Chloe, it's me."
Chloe's voice sounded surprised, but pleased to hear from him. "Hey you... What's going on?"
Brady swallowed the lump in his throat and questioned her. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the mall. With Greta and Wes. The princess insisted on purchasing a new dress, and whatever the princess wants, the princess gets..."
Chloe giggled at the end of her sentence and Brady could hear Greta's familiar voice laughing in the background, replying to Chloe's comment. "Oh, that's rich. Especially coming from the DIVA."
Chloe continued to laugh softly then returned to her conversation with Brady. "So, what's up? I thought you were going to have lunch with your grandfather today..."
"I -- I was going to. But, something came up. Can you meet me in the Java Cafe in fifteen minutes? We need to talk."
There was a hesitant pause from Chloe's end, as she realized that something more was going on than Brady was telling her. "Yeah, I can be there. What's wrong, Brady?"
"I'll tell you when I get there."
Chloe sighed loudly, out of frustration. "Okay, okay... But, I hate knowing something bad is happening, but not knowing what it is. Can't you tell me now?"
Brady started his jeep and buckled his seatbelt as he finished up the conversation. "No, I can't. I'll be there as quickly as possible. Just be patient."
She said a reluctant goodbye and Brady hung up his phone, throwing it in the seat next to him. He drove as quickly as possible towards Salem Place, and rushed towards the cafe to find his wife. Chloe and Greta were sitting at a table together while Wesley played in his stroller.
As soon as Brady walked up to their table, Chloe could tell something was definitely wrong. Even the way he walked seemed different from usual, his face pale and sullen, even though he was plastering on a fake smile. He leaned over the stroller and greeted his son, a miniature version of himself, with a kiss on the forehead.
Wes giggled happily at his father and Brady stood to give Chloe a kiss on the cheek. Chloe's forehead creased with worry and she stared at him expectantly.
"Well, what's going on?"
Brady ran his tongue over his lower lip as he paused, then turned to Greta, flashing her a look that she understood instantly. She slid out of her chair and walked around to Wesley's stroller. "Hey Brady... I'm gonna go take Wes to see the stuffed animals. I'll leave you two alone."
Brady smiled at her thankfully and watched Greta walk away, pushing the stroller in front of her. He slid into the seat across from Chloe and reached across the table to hold her hand.
"Chloe, I don't know how to say this..."
"Just say it, Brady... I can handle whatever it is."
"It's Phillip... He's dead."
Her eyes shut and her face seemed to instantly turn to stone, as the walls that protected her from feeling anything about that man went up immediately. She opened her eyes again, but her expression did not change. It was as if she had shut down inside for just a moment, and now she was back again.
"How?"
Brady ran his thumb in a circle over her hand and sighed softly. "Suicide. He hung himself in his cell last night. Victor had just received the phone call when I got to Titan."
Chloe nodded in understanding and got out of her chair, slipping her hand out of Brady's while she grabbed her purse. She took a deep breath in and pointed towards the direction that Greta had walked towards.
"I -- I better go find Greta and Wes. I..."
She turned to walk away and Brady jumped out of his chair to follow her, grabbing her arm gently and forcing her to look at him. "Chloe... That's it? That's all you have to say? Phillip is DEAD. He's gone."
Chloe steeled her gaze and looked up into her husband's eyes. "I don't care. I have a whole other life now, and he is not a part of that. I don't care about anything that has to do with that name. Okay?"
Brady let her go and Chloe walked away, meeting Greta at the stand that sold a variety of stuffed animals. He watched her as she smiled and chatted with Greta as if nothing had ever happened. He slowly walked towards them, but he couldn't help but wonder what was really going on in his wife's head. Brady could usually read her like a book, but it was if she had completely shut off all emotion for just a few moments after she heard the news, blocking him from knowing how the news of Phillip's death was affecting her.
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So, if you haven't read that story -- what are you waiting for? And, that's not just a shameless self-plug. It's important to know that Chloe and Brady are married and have a son named Wesley. Phillip is in prison for putting Brady in a coma. Chloe is Bill Horton's daughter. Greta has become a close friend of Broe. Uhm... What else? I don't know... Just read 'Don't Walk Away' to catch up.
DWA ended on Christmas of 2003. This begins in the spring of 2004. (Making Wesley a little over a year old.)
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Never Tear Us Apart - Chapter One
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Brady stepped off the Titan elevator and walked swiftly towards Marie's desk. She was busy on a phone call and Brady just smiled politely at her as he patiently waited for her to finish. She finally hung up the phone and looked up at him in surprise.
"Mr. Black... Is your grandfather expecting you?"
"Actually, no. But, I was in the neighborhood for a business meeting, and I thought I'd stop by and see if he was busy for lunch. Is he in?"
Marie nodded and reached for the phone on her desk. "He is... Let me see if he's available."
She hit the button on the phone and Brady observed her as she spoke to Victor on the other line. "Mr. Kiriakis... Your grandson Brady is here... Are you available to see him? -- Okay, yes sir."
Marie hung up the phone and motioned towards Victor's door. "He said to send you in right away."
Brady nodded and headed towards Victor's office, smiling at Marie as he passed by her. "Thanks, Marie."
He slowly opened the door to his grandfather's office and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Victor was sitting behind his desk and it was evident to Brady that something was terribly amiss. All of the color was gone from his face, and it seemed as if he had aged 10 years since the last time Brady had seen him, just a few days ago.
"Grandpa Victor? Are you... okay? What's going on?"
Victor had been looking away but his eyes met Brady's and he motioned for him to take a seat. "Brady. I'm really glad you're here. I need to talk to you. Sit down."
Brady sat in the chair across from Victor and looked at him with concern. "What's going on?"
"I just got off the phone with the warden at the penitentiary."
"Phillip... Something happened to Phillip."
Victor sighed deeply and nodded. "He's dead, Brady. He -- He hung himself in his cell last night. They found him when they did the bed check this morning."
Brady gripped the armrest of the chair with his right hand as a wave of conflicting emotions ran through his body. He didn't know whether to grieve, or whether he cared at all. Phillip was once his family, but he was also the man that had nearly ended his life.
"I -- I don't know what to say. I don't know how to react. I'm sorry..."
"I understand. After what he did to you, sometimes I don't even know how to feel towards him either. But, he is my son, no matter what he did."
Brady nodded slightly, but his grandfather's words were barely cutting through the fog that filled his mind. He stood from his chair and ran a hand through his blonde hair. His first thoughts, as always, had gone to his wife and how she might be affected by the news of Phillip's death. She had worked so hard to get over the pain his actions had caused her, and his name seemed to never come up in conversation anymore. It was as if she had completely erased him from her mind.
"I guess -- I guess I should go tell Chloe."
Victor stood also and walked with Brady towards the door. "I need to go find Kate... She needs to hear it from me first."
Brady nodded and opened the door, stepping through it with Victor behind him. "She's at the Basic Black offices, I just saw her this morning..."
Victor turned to Marie to give her instructions. "Marie, I'll be out of the office the rest of the day. Cancel all my appointments. When Nicole comes back in from her lunch meeting, tell her to call me on my cell phone ASAP."
Marie looked at him in confusion but nodded her compliance. "Yes, of course, Mr. Kiriakis."
Brady and Victor walked to the elevator together in silence, and stepped inside. They waited as the elevator went towards the parking structure and Victor looked at his grandson sadly.
"I -- I guess I'll have to make funeral arrangements."
Brady didn't really want to involve himself in anything that had to do with Phillip. But, for his grandfather, he would do anything. "If you need me... If you need my help. Just call."
Both men stepped off the elevator and paused at Victor's limo. Brady gave his grandfather a brief hug and Victor smiled in appreciation. "Thank you, Brady... I guess I will call you later."
Brady nodded and watched Victor get into the long black car before heading to his own car, parked in the garage. He slid into the driver's seat and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing his wife's number.
"Hello..."
"Chloe, it's me."
Chloe's voice sounded surprised, but pleased to hear from him. "Hey you... What's going on?"
Brady swallowed the lump in his throat and questioned her. "Where are you?"
"I'm at the mall. With Greta and Wes. The princess insisted on purchasing a new dress, and whatever the princess wants, the princess gets..."
Chloe giggled at the end of her sentence and Brady could hear Greta's familiar voice laughing in the background, replying to Chloe's comment. "Oh, that's rich. Especially coming from the DIVA."
Chloe continued to laugh softly then returned to her conversation with Brady. "So, what's up? I thought you were going to have lunch with your grandfather today..."
"I -- I was going to. But, something came up. Can you meet me in the Java Cafe in fifteen minutes? We need to talk."
There was a hesitant pause from Chloe's end, as she realized that something more was going on than Brady was telling her. "Yeah, I can be there. What's wrong, Brady?"
"I'll tell you when I get there."
Chloe sighed loudly, out of frustration. "Okay, okay... But, I hate knowing something bad is happening, but not knowing what it is. Can't you tell me now?"
Brady started his jeep and buckled his seatbelt as he finished up the conversation. "No, I can't. I'll be there as quickly as possible. Just be patient."
She said a reluctant goodbye and Brady hung up his phone, throwing it in the seat next to him. He drove as quickly as possible towards Salem Place, and rushed towards the cafe to find his wife. Chloe and Greta were sitting at a table together while Wesley played in his stroller.
As soon as Brady walked up to their table, Chloe could tell something was definitely wrong. Even the way he walked seemed different from usual, his face pale and sullen, even though he was plastering on a fake smile. He leaned over the stroller and greeted his son, a miniature version of himself, with a kiss on the forehead.
Wes giggled happily at his father and Brady stood to give Chloe a kiss on the cheek. Chloe's forehead creased with worry and she stared at him expectantly.
"Well, what's going on?"
Brady ran his tongue over his lower lip as he paused, then turned to Greta, flashing her a look that she understood instantly. She slid out of her chair and walked around to Wesley's stroller. "Hey Brady... I'm gonna go take Wes to see the stuffed animals. I'll leave you two alone."
Brady smiled at her thankfully and watched Greta walk away, pushing the stroller in front of her. He slid into the seat across from Chloe and reached across the table to hold her hand.
"Chloe, I don't know how to say this..."
"Just say it, Brady... I can handle whatever it is."
"It's Phillip... He's dead."
Her eyes shut and her face seemed to instantly turn to stone, as the walls that protected her from feeling anything about that man went up immediately. She opened her eyes again, but her expression did not change. It was as if she had shut down inside for just a moment, and now she was back again.
"How?"
Brady ran his thumb in a circle over her hand and sighed softly. "Suicide. He hung himself in his cell last night. Victor had just received the phone call when I got to Titan."
Chloe nodded in understanding and got out of her chair, slipping her hand out of Brady's while she grabbed her purse. She took a deep breath in and pointed towards the direction that Greta had walked towards.
"I -- I better go find Greta and Wes. I..."
She turned to walk away and Brady jumped out of his chair to follow her, grabbing her arm gently and forcing her to look at him. "Chloe... That's it? That's all you have to say? Phillip is DEAD. He's gone."
Chloe steeled her gaze and looked up into her husband's eyes. "I don't care. I have a whole other life now, and he is not a part of that. I don't care about anything that has to do with that name. Okay?"
Brady let her go and Chloe walked away, meeting Greta at the stand that sold a variety of stuffed animals. He watched her as she smiled and chatted with Greta as if nothing had ever happened. He slowly walked towards them, but he couldn't help but wonder what was really going on in his wife's head. Brady could usually read her like a book, but it was if she had completely shut off all emotion for just a few moments after she heard the news, blocking him from knowing how the news of Phillip's death was affecting her.
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