Hello everyone! How are you all today? I'm good, having finally actually finishing my very first chapter of a fanfic. ::jumps around like a maniac:: I could have had it done a lot sooner had I not been trying to finish my own stories for another site, but alas, I did do those first, but I'm finished with this now anyway.

Just in case some people might think otherwise, I do not own Days of Our Lives, nor do I own the characters. This is purely just random writing I did because I wanted to finally add some of my own writing to this site (as horrible as it is, lol) and to try my hand at doing a fanfic. I hope you enjoy it. The story mainly consists of the Phillip/Belle/Shawn triangle, although I might throw in some appearances by some of my other favorite characters such as Abe and Lexie, Jack and Jennifer, Roman and Kate, Sami and Lucas, and Rex and Mimi. Other characters might be making brief appearances as well, but again, I own none of them, so please don't try suing me. I hope you enjoy, and I still haven't decided who Belle will end up with. It shall be a surprise. ::grin::

Well, that's it. Enjoy!

He stared at her, taking in her utter beauty. She was like a goddess, an absolute goddess. Her blonde hair cascading down her neck, just brushing her shoulders. Her dark brown eyes seemed like an endless world, filled with emotions for someone other than him. It would always be for someone else. That should have been fine. He should have been happy. Dammit, he hadn't asked to feel this way about her! He hadn't wanted to, yet here he was, completely in love.

He sighed as she turned her head and let out a soft snort. Anyone else and he would have been slightly disgusted, but not with her. Even her snorts were beautiful to his ears. A piece of serene music. That's what it sounded like. Once again he could only think of how she would always belong to someone else. All her hugs and kisses were meant for someone else. She would never be his, and he would force himself to be okay with that.

"Shawn?"

Phillip sighed, wishing she wasn't already awakening. They had been watching some movie (He couldn't think of the name of it for the life him, although it was plainly playing in front of him), and Belle had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He had tried not moving in fear of waking her, but he had been trying to turn off the movie for awhile now, and shifting his arm had disrupted her sleep obviously. His mouth went into a thin line as he shook his head. "No, it's Phillip."

Belle looked at him blankly for a moment before realizing that it truly was Phillip. She turned away, disappointment washing over her. What had she done to deserve this? She hadn't meant to hurt Shawn! Why couldn't he see that she was completely in love with him and would do anything to make it up to him? She would die for him if he asked it of her. Could he not see that? "Oh. Sorry for falling asleep on you. I didn't realize how tired I was, and when I finally did I was too comfortable to get up, so I just let myself fall asleep, and... I'm babbling." She forced a smile on her face, trying to make the mood lighter. She didn't want him to see how much she wanted him to be Shawn. "Sorry."

Phillip shook his head reassuringly. "No, no, it's fine. I understand. You have been having a tough time lately. Babble all you want."

Belle let out a small laugh. How she had ever ended up with such a good friend was beyond her. He seemed to make her laugh whenever she needed it. He was one of the few people she could still talk to and feel comfortable with too. There was Mimi, but she seemed to spend all her time with Rex, and Belle didn't want to interfere. She knew how it was to be so completely in love and wanting to spend every breathing moment with that person. "Thanks."

"No problem," Phillip assured her, a smile playing across his face. He stared at her tired face and finally asked, "Want to go to bed? You look tired."

Belle nodded, thankful that Phillip could read her so well. She knew some of her other friends would feel odd having a friend of the opposite gender being able to tell her every mood so easily, but not her. In fact, she loved it. It proved that Phillip cared enough about her to know her so well, and right now that was comforting. At least someone out there gave a damn about her, and although it might not be Shawn, Phillip was nearly as good. "Yeah. I think I'm going to head up to bed. You might want to too. You look beat."

"I'll head to bed in a few minutes," Phillip promised. "I just want to... Think about a few things."

Belle immediately looked back up at him, shaking her head. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?" She wasn't sure why, but it bothered her. Phillip was such a great guy, and he deserved so much, so why did he keep lusting over someone who was never going to return his feelings?

Phillip looked at her in confusion, praying that they weren't about to go in the same tiring circles. "Her?"

"Chloe," Belle answered before hurriedly adding, "Seriously Phillip, you need to let go. She loves Brady, and I just do not see them calling it quits anytime soon. You are such a great guy, and you will see that others agree if you just put yourself out there."

Phillip let out a moan, shaking his head in disbelief. Times like these made him want so badly to just shake her and tell her that it was her he loved, not Chloe. He had already accepted that Chloe loved Brady, as hard as that was at times, and he had moved on. He hadn't been trying to fall in love, but somehow he had fallen for Belle, something he wish had never happened. She loved his best friend, and he had loved her. He still wasn't sure if Shawn loved her or not anymore, but it didn't make him feel any less guilty. "I do not love Chloe, Belle. I can assure you of that. Chloe does not hold the place in my heart she once did."

"Well, if it isn't Chloe, who is it?" Belle asked as usual, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

Phillip felt a sudden urge to just scream that it was her because he knew what was going to happen, but he refused to just yet. Instead, he gave his usual repetitive, "It isn't Chloe."

Belle rolled her eyes and stood, obviously believing what she wanted to believe. "Whatever Phillip. I'm going to go to bed since you obviously don't want to talk about it with me."

Phillip instantly felt shame wash over him. He was upsetting Belle, which was something he never wanted, but damn, she made it hard not to. She didn't know when to just drop a subject, nor did she believe him at times, and that was annoying as hell. "Belle, please, don't get upset. I really do want to talk to you about it, really I do, but now isn't right. Please understand."

Belle looked at him, wishing he would just open up and tell her. Whoever it was could not be that bad, could they? Who was he possibly going to say that would take so much out of him, and he wouldn't even want to confide in his best friend? Slowly she sighed. What was the use of guessing? It wasn't going to get her anywhere. "I understand. Just tell me whenever you do want to talk about it, and I'll be here for you." She gave him an encouraging smile before disappearing up the stairs.

Phillip watched her retreating figure, wondering how long he could go on like this. His heart yearned to just tell her everything right now while he still had a chance, but he didn't want to jump all over her and suffocate her while she was just coming to terms with the fact that Shawn might never be returning. God, this was hard. All his life things had been handed to him on a silver platter but the one real thing he wanted could never be his at this rate. Shawn had claimed Belle long before he had even the smallest chance with her, and now his chances were but a slim fraction of one, if even that. Would he be forever cursed to watch the woman he loved loving another who wasn't even there from the sidelines? Was that what his life had been reduced to?

Phillip let out a sigh, remembering how his mother kept pushing him to make a move. He didn't want to be that impulsive. He wished his father was still there to ask him. Phillip loved and trusted his father. Thinking about his father and his untimely death brought out a torrent of emotions that Phillip had wanted to keep locked up. A sob escaped him as he imagined his father being electrocuted in his own tub. His father's life had been a sham. His wife had been a cheating whore, not to mention drunk half the time, and everything else had been falling apart before him. He had died too soon. He hadn't been able to have that happy ending Phillip had wished upon him.

Maybe he was doomed to the same fate. To live a life filled with only the desire to succeed in business and to earn more power than every other person out there. To live a life with a marriage meant more for appearance than anything else, and none of it loving. To die unhappy and utterly alone. That scared the shit out of him, and he knew it was very possible. He could very well live a life void of any form of love.

Belle sat on the stairs, listening to Phillip sobbing. She herself found herself sobbing, and for reasons she did not yet know. Or maybe she did. Maybe she was crying for everything. For Phillip loving Chloe when he could have anyone he wanted. For Phillip losing his father and knowing he hadn't had a completely happy life. For her mother, having lost her mind and killed all those people Belle had once loved. For all the people who were forever gone from the lives of the people who had loved them with all their hearts. For her father who had lost his wife of years. For herself and the loss of both her mother and Shawn, for he had fled when she needed him most.

Damn him! The thought was there before she could stop it, and she had been shaken by the amount of cold venom held within it. She could already feel a deep hate starting to root itself deep within, and as much as she wanted to yank it away and convince herself Shawn was on his way back, she couldn't. If Shawn was coming he would have, yet he was still nowhere to be found. She had to face it someday. Shawn no longer loved her. Shawn Brady and Belle Black were a thing of the past, and she had to move on. If only Phillip could do the same with Chloe...

"Belle? Are you okay?"

Belle's head flung upward to catch sight of Phillip standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at her with red eyes. She thought about lying and saying she was fine, but she was so tired of telling everyone she was fine. She was tired of lying to everyone. She wanted to just let go. Belle bit her lip and shook her head. "No."

Before she could register anything, Phillip was taking long strides up the stairs before settling on the floor next to her, pulling her towards him. "I believe whatever you're going through is going to be fine. You have always been a strong fighter, and that hasn't changed at all. I believe in you."

Belle looked up at him, feeling her heart pound. Countless times people had said she was strong and a fighter, but it had been awhile since someone had said they believed in her, and she needed that. She needed to know that someone out there believed in her. But it also scared her because suddenly she was seeing him in a new light. Not a romantic interest or anything of the likes, but somehow he was different. He was more than a friend but less than a lover.

"I need to get to bed," Belle said suddenly, pulling away. That new light she was seeing him bothered her, and she wanted to be alone. She needed to think about what the hell the new light even was. "Thanks for... Everything. You're a good friend Phillip. You really are." She quickly stood up and hurried to her bedroom, throwing one last look over her shoulder at Phillip. He was no longer looking at her. He was staring at the bottom of the stairs like a man without hope, praying that as unlikely as it was that the floor held some sort of answer to his unsaid question.

Belle let out a groan as her alarm started going off endlessly, its one purpose in life to purely annoy her. She thrust out an arm, banging the off button repeatedly until it finally shut off. With that, she turned over, trying to fall back into the dream she had just been. God, she wished it could go back to those many months ago when everything was fine. Her life was perfect then. If only...

"Shawn?" Belle asked in disbelief, sitting up. There he was, standing at the end of her bed. Belle had dreamed about this moment for so long, and now he was finally here. "Is that... You? Shawn?" She stood up, carefully making her way towards him. Slowly she reached out a hand, brushing it along his cheek. A soft sob escaped her as she touched flesh. This was real... Shawn was standing here, in her bedroom!

Shawn looked at her in disgust, recoiling from her touch. He put up his hands, as if to ward her off. "Don't touch me."

Belle stared at him, her eyes full of hurt. "Shawn, what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Shawn scoffed angrily. He shook his head before finally letting a glare settle in her direction. "What's wrong with you? You've been the one chasing after someone while I was gone!"

"What?" Belle demanded in confusion. "I haven't been chasing after anyone! Shawn, I've been waiting for you!"

"Oh, shut up," Shawn snapped, unable to find it within himself to even look at her. "I see how you look at him. It isn't the same looks you gave him years ago, Belle. It isn't just friendly gazes you're exchanging with him."

"Who?" Belle demanded, not believing this. She had always pictured the moment they reunited as wholly romantic, not this. He was back, but they were unable to stop fighting even for a few moments to revel in this wonderful happening. He had come back to her, but it seemed as if it had only been to fight.

"You know who!" Shawn roared, hating how she was playing dumb. He wasn't some fool that she could play her pathetic games with. "Phillip!"

"Phillip?" Belle repeated, her voice nearly a whisper. She looked back up, shaking her head. "No, Shawn. I swear, Phillip and I are only friends. Only friends." She needed him to understand that, to know that Shawn was still in her heart. She needed for him to see the truth. Perhaps she had started seeing Phillip differently, but that didn't mean-

"Belle?"

Belle thrust upward, sweat clinging to the palms of her hand and forehead. A sigh of relief escaped her as she realized that none of it had been real. It was just a dream. She looked forward, seeing Phillip standing beside her, worry filling his dark eyes. "Phillip... Hi."

"Are you alright?" Phillip asked worriedly, placing his hand on top of hers lightly and uncertainly.

Belle looked down, eyeing his hand warily. Her dream came to mind, and suddenly she wondered if it was true. Maybe it was true that she was seeing Phillip as more of a boyfriend than anything else. She needed to stop this before it went any further. She loved Shawn, and she was going to prove she would do anything for him. "Phillip, please don't."

"Sorry, I didn't mean for that to be taken... That way," Phillip said quietly, looking away.

Silently Belle chastised herself. Phillip was a friend, and here she was, treating him like some kind of disease or plague. It wasn't his fault that she was pathetically paranoid and thought Shawn was watching her every move, and despite everything, was still hopelessly in love with him. "Sorry. I'm just not acting like me, am I? With the whole Shawn thing I kind of think twice about everything and overcomplicate things. My bad."

"No, no, don't beat yourself up over it. It's fine. I understand," Phillip assured her, a hint of a smile playing at the edge of his lips, when really his entire heart felt as if it was about to rip itself out of his chest. She was repulsed by his touch alone. He could practically feel that vibe coming off of her as if it were a physical force.

Belle could see behind the mask he was wearing how much her movement had hurt him, for in his eyes was a raw pain that he could not hide, despite trying to put a small smile on his voice and speaking lightly as if it had not mattered in the least. In those eyes there was more that he didn't want to reveal outright, or perhaps not at all, but Belle had glimpsed it, if only for a moment. "Phillip, you know I love you, right?"

Phillip opened his mouth, but his voice refused to respond to her statement. She loved him? She loved him? He knew he shouldn't be jumping conclusions, but she had said the thing he had longed to hear, the one thing he dreamed about hearing at least once in every single one of his dreams. Finally his voice came back and he choked out a, "You do?"

Belle laughed at the expression Phillip wore, but inside she was already questioning whether he meant she loved him as a friend, or more, because his voice was filled with an unusual amount of optimism and excitement. "Of course I do! You're my best friend. People love their best friends.

"Oh," Phillip replied hollowly, looking away in disappointment. He was such a fool. Of course Belle meant she loved him as a friend. She loved Shawn in the way he wanted her to love him, so that place in her heart was already taken, so how could he possibly have thought otherwise? How could he possibly have thought for one moment that Belle would even think about returning those feelings? He only hoped that Belle hadn't realized what he had been hoping for in response. "Of course. Yeah." He turned back to her, forcing a smile onto his face. "I love you too. You're a great person and friend."

Belle blushed, feeling her stomach fluttering at the comment, and she instantly felt ashamed. What would Shawn think? Instantly her face darkened. Shawn had left her. She had to remember that. She had done everything possible to get him to come back to her, but the fact still remained. Shawn was gone.

Belle tilted her head to the side, smiling at Phillip. "Thanks." He acknowledged her with a soft smile, and Belle found herself wondering what it would be like to have those lips on hers. She turned away, embarrassed.

An awkward silence settled over the two before Phillip stood up, forcing a large smile onto his face. He wasn't going to go back to his room and lust over Belle. No, he was going to take Belle out and they were going to have a good time. "I have something I want to show you."

Belle laughed, happy to see him smiling so brightly. He seemed to have this glow about him that she loved, and it was infectious. She could already feel excitement growing inside of herself. "Oh, really? You do?"

"Yes, I do," Phillip replied proudly, as if he were a small boy once again with a smile.

"And what is this thing you absolutely must show me?" Belle asked, playing along with his game.

"Well, it's a surprise," Phillip reminded her. "And I plan to keep it that way. So get dressed and meet me by the door."

"Oh, so now you get to boss me around," Belle laughed, but she yanked her covers off her anyway and pulled her legs off of the bed, slipping them into the slippers she placed next to her bed every night. She had to admit her curiosity had gotten the best of her, and she really did want to see whatever it was Phillip had in store for her. "I'll be down in a minute."

Belle watched as Phillip bounded out of the room, his blonde hair falling over his eyes despite his constant brushing it out of his eyes. She knew Phillip despised his hair doing it, but he had spent too much time getting his hair to look like that for him to get rid of his wondrous blonde hair. Belle on the other hand, found it rather cute. It was funny to see him brushing it out of his eyes, and then repeating the habit moments later. An image of him leaning down to kiss her with his hair flopping in front of his face entered her mind once more before she hurriedly shoved it out again.

Despite herself, a smile crept onto her face. Perhaps, there was hope for her after all. Maybe she wasn't a hopeless case, stuck on a guy who had left her for months. Perhaps she could move on, and see other guys as potential boyfriends instead of just potential friends.

Heh, you've reached the end. Not the greatest, but I'm terrible at starting out stories of any sort, but there it is. Sorry to any die-hard Shawn and Belle fans for the budding romance between Phillip and Belle, but I think they are kinda cute. I just need a break from what used to be the fluffy Shawn and Belle relationship, although they were cute as well, but yeah... This is my little fanfiction, and like I said, it could go either way. I haven't yet decided. ::evil grin:: I shall worship you forever if you review it ::wink, wink:: Thanks for reading!