Chapter One

Bloodties

Chloe was watching Jarod with the other children in the nursery of the hospital with a sense of renew. It had been nearly three weeks since that morning when he'd appeared in her office telling her that he was her son. She had looked at him then seeing the resemblance to Dominic. Only Jarod's hair was lighter but even that hadn't been enough to make her question him. He was her son and now finally after two weeks she had proof. Philip, like Nancy, had insisted that she get a blood test before totally taking up with him. And the test proved what she had been telling them all along. Jarod was her biological son. Now, the only thing that she was left to wonder about was it the identity of his father.

This was her son she knew that without a question yet, she hadn't even known that he'd existed. She sighed softly as she opened the door and walked in. Jarod was playing with Jessica. "Jarod, Jessica it's time to go home." Jarod looked up and smiled at her shyly before standing up and grabbing a hold of Jessica's small hand. Both children walked over to her and grabbed their jackets and bags.

"Hi momma," Jessica said as she allowed Chloe to help her put on her jacket. She was a truly beautiful little girl with long curly black hair and large gray eyes. In truth, she resembled her natural parents, who had been friends of Chloe that had died, a complete mixture of both of them. With her father's expressively large gray eyes and her mother's curly black hair. After putting her jacket on she slipped her hand into Chloe's.

Chloe looked toward Jarod and saw that he carried both his and Jessica's bag. "Are you ready, honey?" Jarod nodded and then followed closely behind as Chloe and Jessica headed towards Chloe's office.

He had been looking for his mother for four years. Now that he finally had found her he wasn't going to let anything happen to make him lose her.

"Jarod, come on." Jessica said as she held her hand out for him to take. Jarod walked up and grasped her hand and together they all walked to outside to Chloe's car.

"Daddy," Ariana called out she walked into the house. As soon as she saw him walk out of the living room she ran and hugged him.

Philip caught his nine-year old daughter as she ran to him closely followed by Jessica, Dominic and Jarod. "Hey sweetie! How was your day?" He kissed her on the cheek and released her as Jessica grabbed a hold of his leg. "Hey, munchkin."

"It was fine. Ms. Spears told me that I looked just like Mommy today." Ariana answered as she took off her jacket and placed on the chair, swinging her long brown hair as she turned awaiting her father's response.

Philip was busy taking off Jessica's jacket and greeting his other children. Once he finished his task, he looked back at his daughter, she was pouting. "So Ms. Spears told you that you looked like mommy, uh?" She smiled cheekily at him showing off her dimples. "Well, you do. You are just as pretty no, no make that beautiful. You are just as beautiful as your mommy." He pinched her nose.

Ariana wrinkled her nose and giggled. Dominic sighed and rolled his eyes at his twin. She was always so giddy whenever anyone paid her a compliment. It wasn't like she had never been told she was beautiful or anything. "Dad, you know Ana was just trying to get a complement out of you." His sister stopped giggling and glared at him. "What … you are?"

"I am not Dominic. I can't help it if everyone is always saying nice things about me. You're just jealous." She stuck out her tongue.

"I am not jealous of you and you are too trying to get a complement!"

"Am not!" The twins had started yet another argument with each other.

"Are too!"

Philip stood with Jessica in his arms. They looked at each other. Jessica shrugged her shoulders while her father sighed. "Hey guys," the twins looked at him. "Why don't you two go upstairs and do your homework." Both of his children looked at him with dismayed expressions upon their faces.

"But Dad it's Friday and you never make us do our homework on a Friday. Besides, we don't have any homework to do." Dominic said as he followed his father into the living room. Jarod and Ariana followed behind him.

"Yeah, Daddy, Mommy never makes us do our homework, tonight. Not that we have any." She added quickly as she moved next to her twin.

"Okay, okay you don't have to do your homework," the twins smiled happily automatically thinking that got out of doing any schoolwork. "Tonight. But, I expect you to do it tomorrow before you go anywhere. Speaking of your mother where is she?"

"Mommy didn't pick us up today. Grandma did." Ariana answered.

Philip nodded and looked up at Jarod who was still standing off to the side. "How was your day Jarod? You haven't said much today."

Jarod had been observing his new family interact with each other thinking that one day he might be able to be a part of it too. He was surprised by the question. "It was okay I guess."

"That's good."

"Yeah, Daddy it was okay. Jarod helped me today." Jessica told her father.

"Well, that's great, Jess." Nancy walked into the living room. He placed Jessica on the ground "I need to talk to your grandmother so why don't all you go upstairs and put your things away." The children all scrambled to do Philip's bidding. They collected their bags and headed up the stairs to their rooms. As soon as the last child left, Philip got out of his seat and walked to the mini bar. "So where is Chloe?" He poured himself a drink.

"I have no idea, Philip. She called me and asked me to pick the children up from school when I got there she left." Nancy placed her bag on a chair and walked over to the bar to pour himself a drink. "She said she had an errand to do." Philip sipped some of his drink and watched Nancy. "You know the blood test results came back today." Philip looked up surprised.

"How do you know?"

"Philip, Craig still works at the hospital you know. Besides, I do still have some connections there."

"I take then it that you don't know what they are." Philip said

"No I don't know. Has she told you?" Nancy asked him.

"No, she hasn't said anything about them to me. But I suspect she will be telling me when she gets home." Nancy looked a little peeked. "What? You don't think that she will tell me. Nancy I know that I made her take the blood test. But, I'm sure that once she gets the results she will tell me whatever they are."

"I know Philip believe me I know. I also know that if not for all our insistence she wouldn't have taken the blood test. I'm just worried about her. She hasn't been the same since Katherine died. But, once Jarod came she went back to being her old self. It's like she had a hole somewhere inside her and when Jarod came he filled it." Philip nodded in agreement.

"That's why I wanted her to take the test. When Jarod came, she needed someone to be there and he took that place. If this test turns out negative, she'll be heartbroken. I don't know if she will be able to handle that."

"You don't think it will come out positive?"

"I honestly don't care. But, for Chloe's sake I hope it does."

"That's something else we agree on. The repercussions would be greater if he isn't her son, Philip. She won't be able to handle it." Nancy said and then as she was about to say something else she stopped and looked pass Philip to see Chloe standing behind him.

*

Chloe had been home for about ten minutes. She had come through the kitchen so she could surprise everyone. However, she was the one who had been surprised, walking into her living room to find her mother and husband discussing her son Jarod. More importantly how they hoped that he wasn't her child. Now they were both looking at her, Nancy with a cautious look and Philip's filled with guilt.

"What exactly won't I be able to handle, Nancy?"

"Chloe," Nancy began but Philip spoke for her.

"Chloe we are just concerned about you. Your mother and I just don't want you to get hurt if the things don't turn out the way you want. After Katherine's death it took you a long time to get over it." Chloe looked away from Philip so he wouldn't see the pain in her eyes.

"What are you trying to say? Is there a time limit for how long I'm allowed to mourn the death of my child? If so, then I never knew about it." Philip attempted to grasp her hand but she pulled away from him and turned her back so that Nancy and Philip wouldn't see the tears that threaten to fall.

"No Chloe that is not what we're saying. There is no time limit for how long you can mourn Katherine. We both know that and don't expect any of us to forget her. All we are saying is that if Jarod doesn't turn out to be your son how are you going to deal with that? Do you even think that you can deal with that?" Nancy moved in back of Chloe and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Chloe pulled herself together and wiped away her tears before turning to face both her mother and husband. "Well, you guys won't need to worry about that. I'll be just fine," Philip and Nancy started to interrupt her. "Because, Jarod is my son. I didn't need a blood test to prove that to me. But, since you guys made me take one I have the satisfaction of knowing that it proved what I have been telling you along. So don't worry about me. The only person you're going to have to worry about is whoever took him from me. Because when I find them I will make them pay if it's the last thing I do." Eyeing both Philip and Nancy she moved past them and started toward the stairs. But, before she made it out of the living room completely she turned. "You know, I don't need you to protect me. I'm fine and even though, I haven't gotten over Katherine's death, I will. I am strong thanks to both of you." She continued her trek out of the room.

Later that night after saying goodnight to their children, Chloe entered her bedroom and took off her robe. She had told all of the children about Jarod being their brother and as she suspected they already knew as much and was just waiting for her to tell them officially. She smiled when she thought about how perceptive her children were.

"What are you smiling about?" Philip asked from behind her, he was coming out of the bathroom, only in a pair of pajama bottoms.

"Just at how perceptive our children are. When I said goodnight to Ariana she asked me why I waited so long to tell her about Jarod. She was a little annoyed. She said that she just wishes that he were a girl because now they're all even. The last thing she needs is another older brother." Chloe said as she loosely braided her hair. She smiled as she though about it.

Philip came up behind her as she finished braiding her hair; he wrapped his arms about her waist. "Are you happy?" Chloe turned in his arms to look him in the eye.

"Yes, I am. Philip I know that you don't want me to be hurt. And I love you for wanting to protect me. But, I am fine. More than that, I'm … I'm elated because for the first time in a long while I have everything that matters to me. I have my family, I have my son." Chloe could tell Philip understood her. But, he still looked uneasy. "You're still worried aren't you? You think that I won't be able to handle this."

"Yes Chloe I am worried. Do realize what this means?" She pulled out of his arms and walked to their bed to sit down. He dropped his hands and turned to follow her path to the bed. He sat down next to her and picked up the end of her braid. "Chloe, people are going to think that you had an affair and hid Jarod away so that I wouldn't find out." Chloe was shocked.

"You don't think that do you? I mean … you know that I've never had an affair."

"Hey," he grasped her chin and held her gaze. "Chloe, I have no doubts about you. I know that you would never and have never cheated on me. Besides, in order for you to have cheated on me for that you would have had to do it in college. And I considering that you were still a virgin when got back together in college, I have no doubts about you." He released her chin and moved his hands back to her braid.

"Good. Then, I know that I can handle anything that comes as long as you believe in me." Chloe responded relieved. As she started to get settled into bed, Philip drew her back into his arms, so that she lay on his chest. "You know the one thing that bothers me is not knowing who Jarod's father is and. I have to find out."

Philip nodded in agreement. "We'll find out together." He said as he unraveled Chloe's braid so that her hair was now spread out across their bodies. Chloe shifted to straddle Philip.

"What are you doing?"

"If you can't figure it out then I guess I must be doing something wrong." Smiling Philip moved to begin undoing the buttons on her nightshirt (which was the top to his pajama bottoms). As he released them one by one Chloe moved up until their bodies were matched, thigh-to-thigh, chest-to-chest and mouth-to-mouth.

"No you aren't doing anything wrong." She leaned down and captured her lips with his. "Not a thing," she said before they kissed again and the clothes were removed as Philip proved he knew exactly what he was doing.