The man slowly opened the door leading to his bedroom. Stepping in and quietly shutting the door behind himself, he made a direct path to his destination. He was far too tired of wasting time to just mull around and not get to the point. Opening a drawer and retrieving the desired object, the man slowly walked to the bed and perched himself on the edge of it.

His wife thought that she was keeping the cherished object a secret, but he had known of it and its hiding place all along. Not a man given to showing his sadness, he tried to force back the light mist of tears that began to glimmer in his eyes. Using the thumb and index finger of his right hand to rub the forming tears from his eyes, he tightly grasped the framed photograph with his free hand.

Satisfied that he had conquered his emotions, Philip stared down at the familiar picture. For as long as he and Belle had been married, she had kept it hidden in the bottom drawer of her dresser. Buried beneath her least favorite slacks and unwanted blouses, the photo was securely concealed in the safety of her old Salem University sweatshirt.

Belle probably would have been shocked to discover that Philip not only knew of the photograph, but that it brought him the same calming reassurance that it gave her. When the world seemed entirely too cruel and complicated, all Philip really needed to do was look at the photo and recall the days when friends were friends forever and love was as innocent as the child he and Belle adored with all their hearts.

Looking intensely at the memory captured on glossy paper, Philip realized that only five years had passed, but that all three of the couples in the picture had been torn apart in that time. In fact, the couples had been completely destroyed after barely a year. The harsh world had been quick to snatch away their naive passion.

Every single time that Philip stole the picture from its hiding place, he was fascinated by the couple on the left. Jason and Mimi looked just as happy and in love as the other two couples though they had not really even planned to spend the evening together. The smiles easily gracing their faces were so amazingly content that Philip wondered if perhaps there had not been more between the two than just friendship. He supposed it was too late to wonder. Mimi had moved on to marry Brady Black and Jason had continued to stay on the leash held by Jan.

Beside Jason and Mimi were Belle and Shawn. It almost hurt Philip to see the delighted expression on Belle's face. With her body pressed against Shawn's, she looked happier and more complacent than she could ever pretend to be with Philip. That didn't mean that she didn't love her husband, because Philip knew that she did. But, like Philip, Belle would always find the darker shadows of her heart haunted by her first love.

Staring down at his own first love, Philip wondered what had become of her. He had a fairly good idea what path she had chosen to follow, but in a society as crazy as theirs, Philip couldn't be one-hundred percent sure that his assumptions were correct. However, until he was proven wrong, Philip would carry the belief that he had thus far accepted.

Though Chloe had chosen Brady over him, Philip never stopped wanting to see her happy. And, when her relationship with Brady had ended, Philip had even considered tossing away the relationship he was building with Belle to win her back. But, the thought was proven needless when Chloe disappeared from the city to start a life free of recurrent pains.

Perhaps part of Philip was glad that Chloe ran away from him and Brady and the troubles they had all caused each other. With Chloe gone, Philip was saved from having to decide his own future. His heart had been torn between the sweetness of that first taste of love Chloe had given him and the beautiful promise of an enchanting love with Belle. Chloe had allowed Philip to merely sit and watch as his destiny was decided. If Chloe was not there, Philip could not be with her.

So many things were crumpled by the strong hands of time. Youth and presumptions were simply wrinkled by time as though they were nothing but flimsy scraps of paper. Love, well that was something that not even time could not destroy.

There were times in the middle of the darkest winter nights that Philip would awaken from his sleep only to hear the dreamlike sound of Chloe's laughter echoing in his mind. He was often amazed by the power their love still had over him.

However, Philip had refused to give that love control over his life once Chloe was gone. When Shawn and Chloe removed themselves from Salem, Philip had been given a true chance at happily ever after with Belle. With their leading distractions out of town, Philip and Belle had shared a magical romance that had led to their fairy tale wedding. Despite past loves that refused to fade away, they honestly loved each other.

~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~

As Belle contently watched her young daughter playing in the sandbox at the park, she had no idea that she, too, was being watched. From afar, Shawn kept his gaze locked on her. She was just as beautiful and mesmerizing as she had been the last time he saw her.

Shawn had never thought himself the type of man who would deliberately tear apart a marriage. But, with Belle and Philip, he was willing to make an exception. Shawn may not have devoted every waking moment of the past five years to her, but that did not mean he had forgotten Belle or even allowed the love he felt for her to diminish.

And, as Shawn watched Belle gaze at her daughter, the pattern was repeated by a lurking stranger observing Shawn. Lost in his own thoughts and regrets, Shawn did not notice the stranger approach him from behind.

However, Shawn was alerted to the fact that he was no longer alone when a voice softer than the most gentle cloud whispered in his ear, "She's been waiting, you know. Since the day she first agreed to date Philip, she's been waiting for her true knight in black leather to come and whisk her away."

His eyes widening upon hearing the voice of his old friend, Shawn slowly turned to face her. Her attractive face was as stunning as it had been in the days of their friendship, and her eyes were still fostering that spark that kept her inner fire burning.

Pulling her into a hug, Shawn breathed, "Chloe, God, I've missed you."

"Yeah, well, I've missed you, too." Backing away from Shawn's embrace, Chloe casually took his hand. "Come with me."

In perfect silence, Chloe led Shawn away from where he had been watching Belle and to the swings. After placing herself in one of the swings, Chloe waited for Shawn to do the same. Gently rocking back and forth, Chloe closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the breeze kissing her face. In a world where things never failed to be complicated, Chloe had learned young to value the simple things life had to offer.

Breaking the peaceful quietness, Shawn stated, "I saw you in New York."

"I know, and I'm sorry that I ran away from you. I just wasn't quite ready to face my past."

"But, you are now?"

"Yes, I think so."

When Shawn next spoke, he was surprised by how weak and timid his own voice sounded. It was almost as if he were still a young boy afraid of the monsters that surely hid under his bed. "Things have changed around here. And, those changes scare me."

"I take it you know about the happy couple and their wedding of the century," replied Chloe. There was no bitterness or hatred present in her voice, only a guarded sadness.

"Yeah, I know about Belle and Philip. I found out right after I asked Belle to dance at what turned out to be her and Philip's engagement party." Shawn paused to consider how much Chloe would know and how much she would be willing to tell him. "I also heard about Brady and Mimi. I never would have seen that one coming."

Staring at a point that Shawn's wasn't sure existed anywhere other than her own mind, Chloe simply stated, "I wish I hadn't seen it."

When Chloe only continued to gaze into the distance, Shawn questioned, "What made you come back?"

"You may find it strange, but I came back because of a dream."

"A dream?"

"Over the years, I've had this recurring dream. Actually, it was more of a nightmare, but that doesn't really matter now. Anyway, every single time I had this dream it was exactly the same. But, last night, it wasn't. It started out just like it always did, but had a very different ending. When I woke up, I knew that it was time to come home and face my demons."

"Are those demons named Philip and Brady?"

"I've yet to decide."

The serenity of the moment was destroyed by Shawn's release of a string of profanities after glancing at his watch. Meeting Chloe's confused gaze, Shawn explained, "I was supposed to meet my mom and Isaac ten minutes ago."

"Then you should go. We'll catch up later."

"Yeah, you and I definitely need to talk. Earlier today I booked a room at the Salem Inn so I wouldn't have to impose on my parents. Can you meet me in the lobby at seven o'clock tonight?"

Removing herself from the swing, Chloe stood and promised, "I'll be there."

"Good, because we really do need to talk."

~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~

After her brief conversation with Shawn, Chloe found herself wandering to the docks. As she walked alongside the water, Chloe almost envied the boats she saw. She could only imagine how gloriously wonderful it would be to have no limitations, to be able to constantly feel the gentle wind against your face with only the endless waters to greet you. Chloe was beginning to understand why Shawn had always loved the water and sailing. Both held the promise of a great escape.

A pair of arms wrapping themselves around Chloe's trim waist sent all her thoughts of escape plummeting into the water. The man nuzzled his face against Chloe's hair, enjoying the way her body never even stiffened against him, as though she had somehow been expecting him to stumble upon her as she walked. It seemed as though more than a lifetime had passed since she had been in his arms. Of course, the man didn't exactly want her back there. He just adored taunting her.

Pressing his warm lips against Chloe's ear, he whispered, "You missed me, didn't you?"

Chloe moved her body even closer to the man's muscular frame. As usual, he had no idea what she was thinking. When he was completely relaxed having her in his arms, Chloe used her elbow to harshly jab him in the stomach. Instantly, the man released his hold on her. The arms that had so recently been encircling Chloe were now covering his stomach.

Casting Chloe a very displeased glance, the man sarcastically muttered, "It's nice to know that you're the same sweet girl you were when I last saw you."

"And, it's nice to know that you're the same conceded flirt."

Cracking a smile at Chloe's indignant behavior, the man responded, "I must say, you are looking quite hot in that little sundress. It's good to know that you didn't go off and do anything pathetic like turning back into Ghoul Girl."

Flashing her companion a false smile, Chloe replied, "Hey, Jase." Her face instantly transforming itself into the portrait of displeasure, she continued, "Screw you."

"Sorry, babe. That was a one time only kind of thing. No encore for you."

"Since I don't plan on getting that wasted ever again, you're right - there won't be an encore."

Rolling his spellbinding eyes, Jason childishly stuck out his tongue. He firmly believed that there were times when a guy just had to release his frustration by reenacting his childhood. A conversation with the mysterious Chloe Lane was definitely one of those times.

"How very adult of you. I have to tell you, unlike you, some of us have actually matured since high school and gotten a life. You should try it sometime."

"Oh, I will, and I already know who is going to be in it with me."

Forever condemned by her own curiosity, Chloe asked, "Who would that be, and just how are you going to convince her to be with you?"

"The who is the one and only Mimi Lockhart . . . Black. As for the how, you are going to help me."