A genuine smile engulfed Chloe's face as she crossed the parking lot. She had not fully expected Devon to come through for her, but he had. He had actually gotten her an audition at Salem's most prestigious theater - for the lead role. Rumor had it that only the most seasoned and experienced actors in the state were being considered for the role, and somehow Jason's brother had landed her an audition.
Humming a happy tune to herself as she crossed the dark parking area, Chloe allowed herself to forget how angry her mother and Craig were with her for being suspended and began to imagine how wonderful it would be if she was actually cast in the play.
Reaching Nancy's car, Chloe reached into her purse and began to use her fingers to feel for the keys. Continuing to hum to herself, Chloe failed to take notice of the darkly-dressed figure approaching her from behind.
However, as the man forcefully placed his large hand over Chloe's mouth, she became more than aware of his dangerous presence. Chloe could not help but cringe and whimper as the stranger brought his lips to her ear and whispered, "Only naughty girls hang out all alone in dark parking lots . . . and, we both know that naughty girls deserve to be punished."
Chloe felt her entire body stiffen and her breath catch as her disgusting attacker kept one hand on her mouth and wrapped the other tightly around her neck.
In a husky whisper he warned, "You make one move, and I won't hesitate to break your pretty little neck - in fact, I'd enjoy it."
In that moment, all the courage and determination Chloe had always felt disappeared and she felt more helpless than she had in her entire life. She was no longer in control of what happened. For the first time, Chloe Lane lost complete control and fell prey to the cruelty of someone else.
As the man tightened his grip on her neck, Chloe ceased to whimper. Before she could even register the stranger's movements, she felt him release her neck and use the hand that had been placed there to grab her hair. Moving his other hand away from Chloe's mouth, the man harshly flung her onto the pavement.
Chloe opened her mouth to scream, but she quickly realized that she was too frightened to make a single sound. And, as she yelled and cried on the inside, her heartless attacker kicked her in the ribs with his boots.
The man only laughed when Chloe instinctively rolled her body into a shivering ball. Approaching his victim, the man gently turned Chloe's face so that he could look into her eyes. Then, without warning, he grabbed Chloe's hair once more and used it to throw her head against the pavement.
An almost evil smirk appeared on the man's face as he prepared to once more bang Chloe's already bleeding head onto the ground below her. However, the man was prevented from making any further actions when someone grabbed the collar of his shirt with one hand while using his free arm to put Chloe's attacker in a head lock.
Pulling the demented male away from where Chloe lay on the ground, her hero jerked the other man to his feet before forcefully knocking him back to the ground. Repeatedly kicking the attacker, the man said, "You bastard! What kind of man does something like that to a girl?"
Even as the attacker began to lose consciousness, he was still kicked by the man who had appeared from the dark to save Chloe. And, only the sound of Chloe whimpering in pain saved the attacker from further injury.
As her hero loomed over her, Chloe could whisper only one question, "Jason?"
Every single sound in the hospital waiting room grated on Jason's nerves - making him even more anxious. Nervously jittering his legs as he sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs, Jason wondered whether or not he should call his mother and let her know what had happened.
After all, the last place Jason had expected to be at eleven forty-five on a Tuesday night was in the hospital waiting room awaiting news about his nemesis Chloe Lane. He had merely been planning to take in a movie at the cinema, but his curious nature had somehow led him to the Lorsee Theater to see if his brother had actually gotten Chloe her audition.
And, what Jason had found was far more disturbing than seeing his supposed enemy get her wish granted. Instead, he had discovered some common thug attacking Chloe just so he could take what little money she was carrying in her purse.
Everything after finding Chloe and calling the paramedics was a blur to Jason. He remembered the police arriving at about the same time as the ambulance. He had then been forced to go to the police station to have a talk with Roman Brady concerning the incident. When all the paperwork had been finished, Jason had felt that he needed to go to the hospital to find out how Chloe was.
And, the hospital waiting room was where he had been sitting for almost an hour.
Staring across the room at the pay phones, Jason contemplated calling the hotel in Florida and letting Chloe's few friends know what had transpired. However, he opted to merely stay seated when he realized that he had no definite news to give them concerning her condition. It would be better to merely wait and find out something from her doctor before worrying anyone.
Jason released a deep sigh and began to allow his tired mind to wander amongst thoughts that he usually pushed aside. Knowing that Chloe could be seriously injured, Jason reluctantly questioned in own hatred of the beautiful brunette.
His childish vendetta against Chloe Lane had gotten him into more trouble than Jason cared to remember. He had gotten into countless arguments with Philip, Shawn, and Belle concerning the dark-haired diva - not to mention a fist fight or two. Then, there had been those rare and brief moments when Jason had almost forgotten to hate Chloe and instead allowed himself to accept her company. And, those moments had proven almost . . . . nice.
The grip of a hand on his shoulder quickly tore Jason from his introspective thoughts. Quickly turning in his chair, Jason found himself looking up into the eyes of Chloe's step-father Doctor Craig Wesley.
Jason's voice sounded almost timid as he asked, "Is she okay?"
Offering Jason a smile, Craig answered, "Yeah, Chloe's okay. I'm sure she's going to have one hell of a head ache when she wakes up, but other than that, she'll be just fine." Craig took a deep breath before continuing, "I have to admit that I never really liked you much. In fact, I always thought that you were nothing but a punk."
As a wide-eyed expression appeared on Jason's face, the doctor continued, "But, now, I have a newfound respect for you. I was told that you saved Chloe's life. For that, Nancy and I will always owe you."
"It wasn't that big of a deal," nervously responded Jason. For reasons that he could not yet explain, he felt terribly uncomfortable with being portrayed as Chloe Lane's hero - as a man she truly needed.
"No, it is a big deal. I just got off the phone with Roman Brady, and he informed me that if you had not showed up when you did, Chloe might be dead right now. Instead, she'll be just fine and the man responsible for her attack will be punished to the full extent of the law. Thank you, Jason."
"You're welcome, Doctor Wesley," quietly responded Jason.
Craig offered the younger man one last smile before saying, "Well, now that Chloe's been moved into her own room just down the hall, I think that I'm going to see if I can't get Nancy to go and get something to eat. She was a complete wreck by the time she got to the hospital and hasn't eaten since lunch."
Only seconds after Craig disappeared around the corner that lead to the elevators, Jason jumped from his seat and quickly stalked down the hallway that led to the private rooms. Carefully he peered in the windows of each door until finally only one room remained.
Almost hesitantly, Jason looked through the narrow window and saw who he had been looking for. Lying asleep in the bed was Chloe.
Jason placed his hand on the door knob and wondered if he should actually enter the room. On one hand, Chloe would probably just try arguing with him if she woke up. But, on the proverbial other hand, Jason wanted to see with his own eyes that Chloe was really going to be okay.
His more daring side winning, Jason gently pushed the door open and entered the silent room. He kept his eyes focused on Chloe's sleeping body as he pushed the door shut behind him.
As he crossed the short distance to the bed, Jason could not help but think about how frail and innocent Chloe looked as she lay defenseless beneath the hospital blankets. Her long hair was swept to one side and rested upon her shoulder and her hands had been folded and placed on her stomach. At that moment, Jason realized what he found most disturbing about the scene - Chloe was propped up as though she was dead.
Reaching Chloe's side, Jason softly moved her hands so that they were no longer folded on her stomach. Then, for good measure, he mussed her hair just slightly to give it the look of someone who was merely taking a nap.
"There, that's better," whispered Jason with a weak smile. Glancing around the small room, Jason spotted a stool a few feet away and quietly moved it beside Chloe's bed. Sitting down, he continued, "You scared the hell out of me. Do you know that? I mean, I don't mind teasing you and all, but that doesn't mean I want to see some creep kill you. After all, if something happened to you while everyone else is gone, then I'd be willing to bet that Shawn and Belle would come back here, blame me, and then end my life."
Jason stopped speaking when he heard Chloe moan lightly. When she made no further sounds, he continued, "Anyway, I guess I just wanted to make sure you were okay, and all. I'm not even sure why I'm here other than that."
Making himself nervous with his own ramblings, Jason wondered if maybe he should just leave Chloe alone. Then again, he knew that Craig was going to try and get Nancy to eat, so that meant Chloe wouldn't have anyone to be with her until they returned. And, for unknown reasons, Jason didn't really like the idea of Chloe being all alone when she awoke.
"So, Ghoul Girl, I heard my brother got you that audition. If you get the role, then I'm gonna know that you just cast some vampire spell on them," joked Jason. "Come on, Vampira, I'm sitting here calling you all these names and making fun of you, and you don't even have the decency to wake up and argue with me? You really are an ice princess."
As Jason stole a look at his watch, he heard a soft voice say, "And, you are a conceded jerk, but somehow I got stuck with you as my hero. Go figure."
Jason couldn't control the smile that appeared on his face as he looked at Chloe. There was a light bruise that grazed the left side of her face, but it was hardly serious. And, aside from a few scratches, she looked amazingly well.
Staring intently at the girl looking at him with weary eyes, Jason replied, "Ouch, first thing you do is insult me. I guess you can't be too badly injured."
"Nah, I'll be fine." After a brief pause, Chloe hoarsely whispered, "Jason, thank you."
Giving a light nod of his head Jason responded, "You're welcome." After clearing his throat, Jason quietly stated, "It's getting late, so I should probably go home and let you get your rest. Um, I . . . Well, I hope you get to feeling better soon. And, I guess it's a good thing you didn't die."
"Yeah, if I died, you wouldn't have anyone to tease, now would you?"
"I guess not," Jason said with a laugh. Then, he wordlessly moved the stool back to it's appropriate place and walked to the door. As he prepared to leave, Jason looked back to Chloe and simply said, "Goodnight . . . Vampira."
"Night, Jerk."
With a light chuckle, Jason walked through the door and quietly shut it behind himself. And, as he hummed a happy tune to himself, he disappeared down the corridor.