~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter Seven
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(The Next Morning - Early)
Chloe walked around the loft's small kitchen, grabbing two mugs out of the cabinet so that she and Brady could have a quick cup of coffee before leaving. She poured the coffee into the cups and was stirring sugar into her own cup when Brady came back in the sliding metal door. He grinned at her and laid down the morning edition of the Salem Spectator.
Chloe slid his cup of coffee across the counter and read the lines of text out loud. "Princess Greta Kidnapped; John Black Poisoned; Authorities say DiMera is Responsible..."
Chloe's eyes scanned over Jack's article as she sipped her coffee. He had done as promised, writing the meat of the story without having to include some of the more discreet details. Chloe looked up from the paper and smiled slightly.
"Nice article..." Chloe poured herself another cup of coffee and sighed softly. "It was so weird... Even sleeping here for a few hours with Wes gone. It was weird."
Brady nodded in agreement and questioned her. "Did you get any sleep though?"
"Ha... Nope. Did you?"
"Not really. You didn't notice me tossing and turning all night?"
Chloe laughed softly and nodded. "I did... I just thought you were having nightmares."
Brady grinned slightly and shook his head. "Why bother with nightmares when reality is just as bad?"
Chloe sighed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at Brady's remark. She sipped her coffee in silence but never really took her eyes off her husband. It was going to be a difficult road ahead of them, especially since neither of them had much experience in these kinds of situations.
She finished off her coffee and glanced at the watch on her wrist. "I guess... If we want to go see everybody before we leave, we better get going."
Brady slid off the barstool and clapped his hands together with readiness. "Alright, I'll go get our suitcases from upstairs and we'll go..."
Chloe nodded and washed out their coffee cups before turning to look at the stairs. She sighed softly and muttered under her breath. "Dear God, I hope we're doing the right thing..."
~*~
They had made the hospital their first spot, saying their goodbyes to John, Marlena, Belle and Craig there. John had given all of the fatherly advice he could think of, as did Craig, and Brady and Chloe promised to keep in contact with everyone as much as possible. They quickly left that part of the family and moved on to meet the rest of the family at the airport.
Nancy was the first one they saw and she was still grumbling over Chloe's decision to follow her husband all the way around the world. Jennifer arrived moments later with Abby and Wesley in tow. Wesley ran immediately into his mother's arms and Chloe scooped him up to squeeze him tightly.
Chloe gave him a kiss and smiled happily at him, if there was one thing that could always brighten her day, it was her little boy. She noticed Nancy looking at Brady with a scowl as she put her hand on her son-in-law's arm.
"Brady... May I have a word with you?"
Brady raised his eyebrows and grinned at her. "Sure, Nancy... Have more than one if you need to."
Jennifer and Chloe looked on with glances of amusement as they suspected what was to come. Nancy put one hand on each of Brady's arms and gave him the steeliest gaze she could muster.
"I do not approve of my daughter going on this chase with you. It's dangerous, it's risky and it's downright foolish. But, I do understand it. I also understand that I have never been able to keep my daughter from doing whatever she wants to, so I have no choice but to let her go."
Brady nodded in agreement and kept his grin plastered on. "That's true... Chloe does what Chloe wants, and nobody can stop her."
Nancy's eyes narrowed, and even at her short stature, she still frightened Brady just a little bit. She was his mother-in-law, after all. "What I'm trying to say, Brady, is that if *anything* happens to my daughter, I will tear you into a million pieces and nobody will ever be able to find you again. You got that?"
Chloe was giggling softly and interjected. "Mom... Isn't that the speech you gave him on our wedding night?"
"No, sweetie... That was the shotgun and shallow grave in the back yard speech."
Brady stifled a laugh and gave Nancy a brief hug. "Yes, Nancy... I understand. And believe me, no harm will ever come to Chloe. Not if I can help it. She means more to me than my own life, and I will protect her no matter what."
Nancy broke her steely gaze and smiled happily at him. "You're a good boy, Brady Black..."
"Thank you..."
Chloe came towards him, motioning for him to take Wesley from her arms. "Here, take your clone for a second so I can say goodbye to my mom."
Brady did as instructed and as soon as Wesley was in his arms he began chattering away. "Da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da..."
Chloe resisted the urge to groan in frustration, instead turning towards Nancy to give her a tight hug. "I love you, Mom... I do... I'll be home soon."
Nancy was obviously fighting back tears as she held on to her daughter. "You better be. Don't you dare do anything to get yourself hurt, Chloe... Craig and I need you too much."
"I won't. I promise... Don't start crying, please, because I don't want to cry too. This isn't goodbye or anything... I will be back as soon as I can."
Nancy nodded and sniffled slightly. "Okay, then I'm just going to go now, because if I watch you get on the plane, I will start crying."
Nancy gave her another hug and then gave a kiss to Wesley. She walked away after reminding Jennifer to call her if she needed someone to take care of Wesley. Chloe watched as her mother walked away sadly, and then turned to Jennifer and Abby. She crouched so she could look at Abby directly.
"Abigail... While your Uncle Brady and me are gone, we're trusting you with a really important job. You have to promise to look out for Wes for us. Okay?"
Abby nodded enthusiastically and gave her a bright smile. "Okay, Aunt Chloe... I'll take really good care of him."
Chloe smiled back at her and gave her a tight hug. "I know you will, you're a great cousin. There's one other thing I have to ask you to do for me though, okay?"
"What is it?"
Chloe let go of her and winked slyly. "Please teach him how to say mama. You know, show him pictures of me, point at them and say, 'mama'. He'll catch on eventually. Okay?"
Abby was giggling along with the laughter of Brady and Jennifer. "Alright, I will... I'll make sure he's saying mama by the time you get home from Italy."
"You're a good kid, Abigail. Thank you..."
Chloe stood back up and saw the amused glances she was receiving from both her sister and husband. She shrugged innocently and tried to defend herself. "Hey... A mother can dream, okay?"
Jennifer wrapped her arms around Chloe tightly, practically squeezing the life out of her. "Chloe, please be careful... Both of you. I know how dangerous this is, and I admire you for doing it, but please come home in one piece."
"Okay, but for me to stay in one piece, you might have to loosen your grip, Hercules."
Jennifer realized she was squeezing too tightly and let go of her with a laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry... I just... We just got you into our family, and we don't want to lose you now."
Chloe nodded in understanding and smiled widely. "And, you're not going to... Everybody's acting like we're marching down the green mile towards the electric chair. But, we're not... We're going to be fine."
"That's what family is for, Chloe. To worry about each other, whether we need to or not."
Chloe put her arm around Jennifer's shoulder and turned to watch Brady give a cheerful goodbye to his son. Brady and she had made a promise to each other, that they would not act sad around Wesley, no matter what happened. They knew he couldn't understand what was going on, but he still knew when his parents were upset, and they didn't want him to feel that with their goodbye.
Brady kissed Wesley and held him tightly for just a moment before smiling at him. "I love you, Mini-Me. Don't give your Aunt Jenn and Uncle Jack too much trouble."
Wesley just kept smiling as Brady passed him over to Chloe. She held on to him tightly and watched as Brady said goodbye to Abby, a little girl who completely adored her Uncle Brady. He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek, promising that they would return before her big dance recital in a couple of weeks.
Chloe looked at the small boy in her arms and squeezed him tightly, planting kisses all over his angelic little face. Wesley just giggled in response as her kisses tickled him. She did as promised, holding back the tears that she wanted to shed as she said goodbye to her son.
She knew if she held on to him any longer she would lose control, so she passed him back to Jennifer with a sigh, brushing her fingers through his hair as Jennifer grabbed on to him. "I love you, Wes..."
She pointed towards the door that led to the airstrip for the private planes and smiled weakly at Jennifer. "We... We better go... I'll call you when we get there."
Jennifer nodded and grabbed Abby's hand to lead her out of the airport. "We'll see you soon..."
Chloe waved them off and then slowly followed Brady towards his father's private jet. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't supposed to feel like a goodbye.
~*~
Chloe laid the folder down in the seat next to her with a loud sigh. They had spent the last ninety minutes on the airplane going over every piece of information they had about Stefano and all of his properties and businesses in Italy.
"So, how did they know Stefano was going to Venice? Was it their secret agent or something?"
Brady shook his head and grinned at her. "No, it was Stefano's idiot daughter, Lexie. She called her mother and told her everything she knows about this. Thankfully, Celeste had no problem fessing up to Abe that Lexie was meeting her father in Venice."
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "Dumb, dumb, dumb. Some people will never learn. Now... Answer me this. How did you get all of this? I can't believe that the police and the ISA would just hand this stuff over to you."
"Well, it took a lot of convincing and my father's good name. He's always involving himself in these kinds of things, and he's pretty trusted among those circles. Plus, he has a few connections that even Bo Brady doesn't know about..."
Chloe frowned slightly and stared at her husband's profile as his eyes scanned the pages in front of him. "You are... every bit your father's son..."
"You say that like it's a bad thing..." There was a silent pause and Brady put down the file to look at her curiously. "Wait a minute... Is that what you think? It's bad to be like my father?"
"No, Brady, that's not what I'm saying... I love your dad, I think he's an amazing person, but..."
"But what...?"
Chloe rubbed her hands together nervously and shrugged. "I just... Your dad is always getting himself into these things, and I know that it's not his fault all the time. What Stefano has done to him in the past. But, he's always the hero, the rescuer... I admire that, but it's dangerous. And, Brady -- I don't want to lose you because you're off rescuing everyone all the time."
Brady wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, giving her a kiss on the temple. "It's not like I enjoy putting myself in danger. But, sometimes you have no choice... Like this time."
"I know, it's just... What if this never stops? What if twenty years from now Wes is off working to save one of us? What if he's just like you and your dad? It's like a never-ending cycle... And, I kind of want to keep the people I love safe and together. It took me a long time to get a family, and I don't want to let that go."
"Chloe... I am like my father. I know that. But, I'm also like my mother and have a firm grasp on reality and logic. And, I would never put you or my family or my self in danger if I didn't have to. Believe me, I wish that you and I didn't have to do this. But, I think it's the only way to save my dad and Greta..."
Chloe nodded slightly and turned to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I know, Brady... I'm just... paranoid. My two greatest fears are losing Wes and losing you. I couldn't stand it if that happened..."
Brady found her hand with his own and held on to it reassuringly. "I'm not going to let that happen. I'm not..."
Chloe smiled weakly and gave him another kiss, this time on the lips. "I know you won't... You never let me down, Brady. You always save the day..."
She wanted more than anything to believe that would always be the truth, that she and Brady would always be there to protect each other. But a dark cloud seemed to loom over them and everyone they cared about. One that she was afraid would haunt them their entire lives, always putting them in situations like this one.
Brady smiled slightly as he looked in her eyes. "Do you remember the first time that you and I were ever on an airplane together?"
Chloe's eyes widened and she nodded. "Remember? How could I ever forget it? I thought it was going to be the LAST time we were ever on a plane together... But, as always, you were there to tell me everything was going to be okay."
"And everything was okay. We didn't die in a plane crash, we saved Belle, Shawn and Phillip from that cavern, everything worked out for the best."
"It did... But, it sure did look bleak for awhile."
"You know, I can't help but wonder one thing about that trip though..."
Chloe looked at him in surprise, her eyebrows pursing together in confusion. ""What is that?"
He grinned slyly at her and winked before replying. "I can't help but think that maybe we should have left Phillip down in that hole."
Chloe rolled her eyes and began giggling hysterically. "Oh, God, Brady... Don't say that..."
Brady laughed along with her and shrugged innocently. "I'm just saying... If only we had known then what we know now..."
She continued laughing and playfully smacked him on the arm. "Stop... That's not supposed to be funny."
"But, it made you laugh, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did..."
Brady brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Do you feel better now?"
Chloe nodded and smiled widely at him. "Yes, I do... Thanks for the laugh... and the reassurance."
"It was my pleasure."
Both of them went back to sifting through the files on Stefano DiMera, remaining silent for quite a while. Chloe did feel better, trusting in herself and in Brady to always come through whatever obstacle came their way. But, it didn't stop that strange sense of foreboding to tickle at her from the back of her brain. The pessimist that lived inside her knew that their luck would have to run out eventually.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
No big secrets revealed here. I wasn't sure if I needed this chapter in the story, but I wanted to write it anyway. :)
Thanks to everyone for all your encouraging words and for reading!! You guys rock!
Chapter Seven
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(The Next Morning - Early)
Chloe walked around the loft's small kitchen, grabbing two mugs out of the cabinet so that she and Brady could have a quick cup of coffee before leaving. She poured the coffee into the cups and was stirring sugar into her own cup when Brady came back in the sliding metal door. He grinned at her and laid down the morning edition of the Salem Spectator.
Chloe slid his cup of coffee across the counter and read the lines of text out loud. "Princess Greta Kidnapped; John Black Poisoned; Authorities say DiMera is Responsible..."
Chloe's eyes scanned over Jack's article as she sipped her coffee. He had done as promised, writing the meat of the story without having to include some of the more discreet details. Chloe looked up from the paper and smiled slightly.
"Nice article..." Chloe poured herself another cup of coffee and sighed softly. "It was so weird... Even sleeping here for a few hours with Wes gone. It was weird."
Brady nodded in agreement and questioned her. "Did you get any sleep though?"
"Ha... Nope. Did you?"
"Not really. You didn't notice me tossing and turning all night?"
Chloe laughed softly and nodded. "I did... I just thought you were having nightmares."
Brady grinned slightly and shook his head. "Why bother with nightmares when reality is just as bad?"
Chloe sighed, not knowing whether to laugh or cry at Brady's remark. She sipped her coffee in silence but never really took her eyes off her husband. It was going to be a difficult road ahead of them, especially since neither of them had much experience in these kinds of situations.
She finished off her coffee and glanced at the watch on her wrist. "I guess... If we want to go see everybody before we leave, we better get going."
Brady slid off the barstool and clapped his hands together with readiness. "Alright, I'll go get our suitcases from upstairs and we'll go..."
Chloe nodded and washed out their coffee cups before turning to look at the stairs. She sighed softly and muttered under her breath. "Dear God, I hope we're doing the right thing..."
~*~
They had made the hospital their first spot, saying their goodbyes to John, Marlena, Belle and Craig there. John had given all of the fatherly advice he could think of, as did Craig, and Brady and Chloe promised to keep in contact with everyone as much as possible. They quickly left that part of the family and moved on to meet the rest of the family at the airport.
Nancy was the first one they saw and she was still grumbling over Chloe's decision to follow her husband all the way around the world. Jennifer arrived moments later with Abby and Wesley in tow. Wesley ran immediately into his mother's arms and Chloe scooped him up to squeeze him tightly.
Chloe gave him a kiss and smiled happily at him, if there was one thing that could always brighten her day, it was her little boy. She noticed Nancy looking at Brady with a scowl as she put her hand on her son-in-law's arm.
"Brady... May I have a word with you?"
Brady raised his eyebrows and grinned at her. "Sure, Nancy... Have more than one if you need to."
Jennifer and Chloe looked on with glances of amusement as they suspected what was to come. Nancy put one hand on each of Brady's arms and gave him the steeliest gaze she could muster.
"I do not approve of my daughter going on this chase with you. It's dangerous, it's risky and it's downright foolish. But, I do understand it. I also understand that I have never been able to keep my daughter from doing whatever she wants to, so I have no choice but to let her go."
Brady nodded in agreement and kept his grin plastered on. "That's true... Chloe does what Chloe wants, and nobody can stop her."
Nancy's eyes narrowed, and even at her short stature, she still frightened Brady just a little bit. She was his mother-in-law, after all. "What I'm trying to say, Brady, is that if *anything* happens to my daughter, I will tear you into a million pieces and nobody will ever be able to find you again. You got that?"
Chloe was giggling softly and interjected. "Mom... Isn't that the speech you gave him on our wedding night?"
"No, sweetie... That was the shotgun and shallow grave in the back yard speech."
Brady stifled a laugh and gave Nancy a brief hug. "Yes, Nancy... I understand. And believe me, no harm will ever come to Chloe. Not if I can help it. She means more to me than my own life, and I will protect her no matter what."
Nancy broke her steely gaze and smiled happily at him. "You're a good boy, Brady Black..."
"Thank you..."
Chloe came towards him, motioning for him to take Wesley from her arms. "Here, take your clone for a second so I can say goodbye to my mom."
Brady did as instructed and as soon as Wesley was in his arms he began chattering away. "Da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da..."
Chloe resisted the urge to groan in frustration, instead turning towards Nancy to give her a tight hug. "I love you, Mom... I do... I'll be home soon."
Nancy was obviously fighting back tears as she held on to her daughter. "You better be. Don't you dare do anything to get yourself hurt, Chloe... Craig and I need you too much."
"I won't. I promise... Don't start crying, please, because I don't want to cry too. This isn't goodbye or anything... I will be back as soon as I can."
Nancy nodded and sniffled slightly. "Okay, then I'm just going to go now, because if I watch you get on the plane, I will start crying."
Nancy gave her another hug and then gave a kiss to Wesley. She walked away after reminding Jennifer to call her if she needed someone to take care of Wesley. Chloe watched as her mother walked away sadly, and then turned to Jennifer and Abby. She crouched so she could look at Abby directly.
"Abigail... While your Uncle Brady and me are gone, we're trusting you with a really important job. You have to promise to look out for Wes for us. Okay?"
Abby nodded enthusiastically and gave her a bright smile. "Okay, Aunt Chloe... I'll take really good care of him."
Chloe smiled back at her and gave her a tight hug. "I know you will, you're a great cousin. There's one other thing I have to ask you to do for me though, okay?"
"What is it?"
Chloe let go of her and winked slyly. "Please teach him how to say mama. You know, show him pictures of me, point at them and say, 'mama'. He'll catch on eventually. Okay?"
Abby was giggling along with the laughter of Brady and Jennifer. "Alright, I will... I'll make sure he's saying mama by the time you get home from Italy."
"You're a good kid, Abigail. Thank you..."
Chloe stood back up and saw the amused glances she was receiving from both her sister and husband. She shrugged innocently and tried to defend herself. "Hey... A mother can dream, okay?"
Jennifer wrapped her arms around Chloe tightly, practically squeezing the life out of her. "Chloe, please be careful... Both of you. I know how dangerous this is, and I admire you for doing it, but please come home in one piece."
"Okay, but for me to stay in one piece, you might have to loosen your grip, Hercules."
Jennifer realized she was squeezing too tightly and let go of her with a laugh. "Oh, I'm sorry... I just... We just got you into our family, and we don't want to lose you now."
Chloe nodded in understanding and smiled widely. "And, you're not going to... Everybody's acting like we're marching down the green mile towards the electric chair. But, we're not... We're going to be fine."
"That's what family is for, Chloe. To worry about each other, whether we need to or not."
Chloe put her arm around Jennifer's shoulder and turned to watch Brady give a cheerful goodbye to his son. Brady and she had made a promise to each other, that they would not act sad around Wesley, no matter what happened. They knew he couldn't understand what was going on, but he still knew when his parents were upset, and they didn't want him to feel that with their goodbye.
Brady kissed Wesley and held him tightly for just a moment before smiling at him. "I love you, Mini-Me. Don't give your Aunt Jenn and Uncle Jack too much trouble."
Wesley just kept smiling as Brady passed him over to Chloe. She held on to him tightly and watched as Brady said goodbye to Abby, a little girl who completely adored her Uncle Brady. He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the cheek, promising that they would return before her big dance recital in a couple of weeks.
Chloe looked at the small boy in her arms and squeezed him tightly, planting kisses all over his angelic little face. Wesley just giggled in response as her kisses tickled him. She did as promised, holding back the tears that she wanted to shed as she said goodbye to her son.
She knew if she held on to him any longer she would lose control, so she passed him back to Jennifer with a sigh, brushing her fingers through his hair as Jennifer grabbed on to him. "I love you, Wes..."
She pointed towards the door that led to the airstrip for the private planes and smiled weakly at Jennifer. "We... We better go... I'll call you when we get there."
Jennifer nodded and grabbed Abby's hand to lead her out of the airport. "We'll see you soon..."
Chloe waved them off and then slowly followed Brady towards his father's private jet. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't supposed to feel like a goodbye.
~*~
Chloe laid the folder down in the seat next to her with a loud sigh. They had spent the last ninety minutes on the airplane going over every piece of information they had about Stefano and all of his properties and businesses in Italy.
"So, how did they know Stefano was going to Venice? Was it their secret agent or something?"
Brady shook his head and grinned at her. "No, it was Stefano's idiot daughter, Lexie. She called her mother and told her everything she knows about this. Thankfully, Celeste had no problem fessing up to Abe that Lexie was meeting her father in Venice."
Chloe rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "Dumb, dumb, dumb. Some people will never learn. Now... Answer me this. How did you get all of this? I can't believe that the police and the ISA would just hand this stuff over to you."
"Well, it took a lot of convincing and my father's good name. He's always involving himself in these kinds of things, and he's pretty trusted among those circles. Plus, he has a few connections that even Bo Brady doesn't know about..."
Chloe frowned slightly and stared at her husband's profile as his eyes scanned the pages in front of him. "You are... every bit your father's son..."
"You say that like it's a bad thing..." There was a silent pause and Brady put down the file to look at her curiously. "Wait a minute... Is that what you think? It's bad to be like my father?"
"No, Brady, that's not what I'm saying... I love your dad, I think he's an amazing person, but..."
"But what...?"
Chloe rubbed her hands together nervously and shrugged. "I just... Your dad is always getting himself into these things, and I know that it's not his fault all the time. What Stefano has done to him in the past. But, he's always the hero, the rescuer... I admire that, but it's dangerous. And, Brady -- I don't want to lose you because you're off rescuing everyone all the time."
Brady wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, giving her a kiss on the temple. "It's not like I enjoy putting myself in danger. But, sometimes you have no choice... Like this time."
"I know, it's just... What if this never stops? What if twenty years from now Wes is off working to save one of us? What if he's just like you and your dad? It's like a never-ending cycle... And, I kind of want to keep the people I love safe and together. It took me a long time to get a family, and I don't want to let that go."
"Chloe... I am like my father. I know that. But, I'm also like my mother and have a firm grasp on reality and logic. And, I would never put you or my family or my self in danger if I didn't have to. Believe me, I wish that you and I didn't have to do this. But, I think it's the only way to save my dad and Greta..."
Chloe nodded slightly and turned to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I know, Brady... I'm just... paranoid. My two greatest fears are losing Wes and losing you. I couldn't stand it if that happened..."
Brady found her hand with his own and held on to it reassuringly. "I'm not going to let that happen. I'm not..."
Chloe smiled weakly and gave him another kiss, this time on the lips. "I know you won't... You never let me down, Brady. You always save the day..."
She wanted more than anything to believe that would always be the truth, that she and Brady would always be there to protect each other. But a dark cloud seemed to loom over them and everyone they cared about. One that she was afraid would haunt them their entire lives, always putting them in situations like this one.
Brady smiled slightly as he looked in her eyes. "Do you remember the first time that you and I were ever on an airplane together?"
Chloe's eyes widened and she nodded. "Remember? How could I ever forget it? I thought it was going to be the LAST time we were ever on a plane together... But, as always, you were there to tell me everything was going to be okay."
"And everything was okay. We didn't die in a plane crash, we saved Belle, Shawn and Phillip from that cavern, everything worked out for the best."
"It did... But, it sure did look bleak for awhile."
"You know, I can't help but wonder one thing about that trip though..."
Chloe looked at him in surprise, her eyebrows pursing together in confusion. ""What is that?"
He grinned slyly at her and winked before replying. "I can't help but think that maybe we should have left Phillip down in that hole."
Chloe rolled her eyes and began giggling hysterically. "Oh, God, Brady... Don't say that..."
Brady laughed along with her and shrugged innocently. "I'm just saying... If only we had known then what we know now..."
She continued laughing and playfully smacked him on the arm. "Stop... That's not supposed to be funny."
"But, it made you laugh, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did..."
Brady brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Do you feel better now?"
Chloe nodded and smiled widely at him. "Yes, I do... Thanks for the laugh... and the reassurance."
"It was my pleasure."
Both of them went back to sifting through the files on Stefano DiMera, remaining silent for quite a while. Chloe did feel better, trusting in herself and in Brady to always come through whatever obstacle came their way. But, it didn't stop that strange sense of foreboding to tickle at her from the back of her brain. The pessimist that lived inside her knew that their luck would have to run out eventually.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
No big secrets revealed here. I wasn't sure if I needed this chapter in the story, but I wanted to write it anyway. :)
Thanks to everyone for all your encouraging words and for reading!! You guys rock!