A deathly silence filled Chloe Lane's hotel room. As the young beauty sat curled up on the bed, her closest friend sat a few feet away in the familiar arm chair. Neither could find the words needed to begin a conversation that was nearly half a decade overdue.

After finding Chloe outside the penthouse, Shawn had discreetly led her down the stairs and out the back door of the building. From there, he opted to take her back to the hotel where she could at least get dressed and relax in the comfort of her own bed.

Looking at Chloe, Shawn quietly asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Knowing that she would begin to cry once more if she gazed into her friend's caring brown eyes, Chloe avoided looking at Shawn as she meekly answered, "I'm not sure." Choking back the sobs that wanted to assault her, Chloe questioned, "How pathetic does that make me? First, I make a fool of myself, then I can't even decide if I want to talk about it."

Tossing aside the thought of giving Chloe ample personal space, Shawn slowly removed himself from the chair and crossed the small distance separating him from his high school confidant. His movements almost choppy in nature, Shawn slowly sat down beside Chloe on the bed and gingerly pulled her to him - his mind flashing back in time to an occasion from his teenage years that was frightfully similar.

**(flashback)**

Shawn tenderly held Chloe in his arms as the teenage couple sat by her bedroom window, the moon offering the only light. He noted that her soft cries were almost completely abolished and her breathing was returning to its normal rhythm.

He was probably the only person alive that Chloe would allow to see her cry - and she was most certainly the only person Shawn would allow to see him cry. Somehow, the two had formed a trusting friendship of odd equality.

Rocking himself and Chloe back and forth in a soothing manner, Shawn said, "Chloe, I know things seem bad right now, but someday you and I are going to find our own happily ever afters."

Pulling away from Shawn, Chloe attempted to wipe away all of her tears and said, "News flash, Shawn - life isn't a fairy tale and people seldom get to live happily ever after."

Having grown accustom to Chloe's slightly bitter edge, Shawn allowed her harsh tone to merely roll off his back as he responded, "That's true, but it doesn't mean that we can't dream or that we'll never be happy."

"But, what if that is what it means, Shawn? What if you and I are just cursed and this is all we'll ever know? What if five or ten years from now, we're in this same place - alone in a world of billions and betrayed by those few people we allow to get close to us? Maybe, we are just meant to be forever tortured."

Chuckling softly, Shawn gave Chloe a weak smile and retorted, "I'm beginning to see why Brady calls you a diva. You're feeling awfully melodramatic tonight, aren't you?"

"Grr, Shawn, did you have to mention Brady?"

"Sorry, it just kinda slipped." For a brief moment, Shawn debated asking the question that had been nagging at him for weeks. His curiosity winning over his tact, Shawn questioned, "So, what exactly is going on between you and Brady? Everyone's noticed that you and Philip are drifting apart, and you and Brady seem to be getting closer."

Chloe considered denying Shawn's unsaid accusations, but she realized that it would be quite pointless. Shawn was her best friend, and he probably already knew how she felt. He was merely seeking some type of confirmation. "To be honest, I'm not sure what's going on between me and Brady. Sometimes, he just infuriates me. He's always criticizing me and telling me how my music lacks true feeling. But, there are these other times when I feel like he not only knows me but is maybe a part of me. Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, it actually makes a lot of sense. But, there is one thing that I just don't get. If you feel that way about Brady, then why are you still dating Philip?"

Staring intently into Shawn's reassuring eyes, Chloe answered simply, "I love him."

"So, let me get this straight. Philip is like your true love, but Brady is your soulmate?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe stated, "If I knew all the answers to your questions, I doubt that I would be sitting here crying on your shoulder."

Shawn gently pulled Chloe back to him and responded, "You're not the only one crying on a friend's shoulder. How many times have I snuck in your bedroom window just so you could hear me go on and on about how miserable I am?"

"That's different, Shawn, and you know it. Your parents kept the truth about your baby brother from you - the truth about the brother you share with Belle of all people. You deserve to have a friend who will listen to you when you need to talk."

Placing his hand under Chloe's chin, Shawn lifted her face up just a little and asked, "Are you trying to tell me that you don't deserve to have a friend that will listen and love you? Because, I hate to tell you this, but you've already got one - and you're stuck with me."

Leaning close to Shawn once more, Chloe quietly commented, "And, I'm so glad to have you."

**(end flashback)**

His arms still wrapped around Chloe, Shawn softly asked, "Are you reading to finally let me be your friend again? Because, I honestly miss having you in my life, Chloe."

"I've missed you, too, Shawn. And, yes, I am ready." After taking a brief moment to make certain that no more tears were going to spill from her eyes, Chloe moved away from Shawn and began, "It's almost funny how Brady Black is able to cause me as much pain today as he was five years ago. It seems that no matter what my mind says, my heart just won't listen."

"Yeah, I was actually on my way to see Belle when I ran into you outside Brady's penthouse. It's probably a good thing I did meet up with you, because I honestly don't know what I would have said to Belle. I mean, even after all this time, I still love her. And, I always will. But, I'm beginning to wonder if she still feels the same way about me. I just wish that I knew where exactly everything went so terribly wrong. What could have happened to make our lives turn out like this?"

New tears filling her eyes, Chloe confessed, "I'm part of the reason Belle dislikes you. I, oh God . . . I'm so sorry."

Tightening his hold on Chloe, Shawn stated, "No matter what happened, it's going to be okay. Just believe that - and believe that we'll always be the best of friends."

Fighting against the cruel sobs, Chloe continued, "I'm so sorry for so many things. You were my best friend, and I practically betrayed you. After I broke up with Brady, Belle called me from Colorado and told me what a horrible person I was for breaking her brother's heart. And, well, I just wanted to hurt her back. So, I purposely led her to believe that more had been going on between us than she knew about - much more."

Attempting to wipe the tears away once more, Chloe added, "But, that's not the only way that I've betrayed you. When you came to me and asked for my help with Belle, I wasn't honest with you about why I wouldn't agree to help you. You see, someone else had already come to me and asked me to work with him in another type of plot. And, I decided that I would have more to gain from helping him than I would from helping you. I'm sorry, Shawn. I put my own selfish desires ahead of our friendship. You deserve better than that."

Kissing his friend's forehead, Shawn responded, "You're the best friend I could ever dream of having. And, somehow, you and I will find our way through life."

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

With tired and sorrowful eyes, Philip Kiriakis watched the world below him from his balcony. Through the partially open doors, he could hear his wife and adopted daughter laughing softly inside the living room. And, he wasn't sure if it was the sweetest sound he knew - or just the most painful.

His mind was continually overwrought with memories from the night before - of a betrayal so great even he was not sure he could justify it.

Philip tried to tell himself that he had only done what was necessary to protect his family - and Chloe. But, somehow, he knew that sleeping with Jan Spears was more like selling his soul to the devil than seeking the help of God.

Philip was almost certain that he had done the only thing he could do if he wanted any chance of keeping his happiness. If anyone was manipulative enough to find a way to keep Shawn and Belle apart, it was Jan. And, Jan was also the only person Philip knew who would be able to find a way to make Brady and Mimi so miserable that Brady would return to Chloe.

Yet, despite all the explanations and excuses he gave himself, Philip knew that one fact remained - he had betrayed his loving and loyal wife with Jan Spears, a woman he could hardly stand to be near.

Closing his eyes, Philip raised his face heavenward and remembered the sordid details of a night that would most certainly change his life.

**(flashback)**

Philip was slowly led into the bedroom by the seductive Jan Spears. Her body covered by the most sparse of lingerie, Jan kept a tight grasp around Philip's tie as she dragged him to her bed. Like a fly caught by the supreme spider, Philip had little or no control over his own destiny.

The moment the back of Jan's legs brushed against the side of the bed, she released Philip's tie and began to unbutton his shirt. With a smile as wicked as Jan's, words simply weren't necessary.

And, as Philip stood almost motionless trying to convince himself that Belle and Chloe would only benefit from him having sex with their enemy, Jan carefully removed his tie, then slipped his shirt off over his shoulders and completely off his body.

With the almighty Philip Kiriakis standing before her, Jan felt a sense of smug satisfaction wash over her. She had finally won. For so long, Philip had seemed entirely out of her grasp, but soon, he would be within her grasp - in more ways than one.

Starting at the handsome Greek's neck, Jan began to move her hungry lips down Philip's body until she reached the area just above the waist of his pants. Now practically on her knees, Jan glanced up at Philip with one of the cruelest looks he had ever known. It was painfully obvious that Jan fully realized she was about to not only get what she wanted, but destroy what was left of Philip's soul in the process.

Jan placed her hands on Philip's belt and remarked, "You are definitely overdressed. Let me help you with that."

As Jan returned to placing kisses on his stomach while removing his belt, Philip felt the guilt continue to wash over him. He wondered if a lifetime of shame and remorse was the cost of making the women he loved happy. If so, he knew that he was willing to pay the price.

Flinging the belt across the room, Jan gave Philip one more smug glance. And, as soon as Philip had removed his shoes and socks, Jan gladly returned to undressing the man she had assumed she could never have. And, that was probably the only reason she really wanted him.

After Jan handily eased Philip's pants off his lean body, she took a moment to really appraise the man standing before her in nothing but his boxers. He was handsome, of course. But, he was more than that. Even Jan could see that Philip was a man who was torn apart by the conflicts of his own heart. Good versus evil. Right versus wrong. Want versus need. Love versus sex.

Standing, Jan gave Philip that legendary wicked smile before quickly removing the tiny piece of material that barely covered the most private parts of her body. Seductively dropping her body onto the bed, Jan purred, "If you want what I offered, then you have to give me something, Phil. I want you to come over here and show me just how much of a man you are."

And, with great reluctance, Philip did.

**(end flashback)**

Believing that he was far too manly to cry, Philip fought back the tears. Never had he felt so completely disgusted by himself. He could still feel the warmth of Jan's breath as she whispered her naughty comments in his ear while slipping off his boxers. And, he feared that he would never be able to forget.

He found it almost unbelievable that not even half a day had passed since he was in Jan's bed - betraying the wife who was waiting for him at home with their daughter. Then again, Philip knew that without Jan's help, Shawn just might be able to destroy that family. Forever a man of action, Philip had done what he deemed necessary to keep those he loved close to him.

Peering down over the edge of the balcony, Philip finally realized why so many people were willing to end their own life. They weren't wanting to escape a world that hurt them - they were just wanting to join it without having to join the cruel deception. And, that's simply not possible.