Chapter Two- Just Another Manic Monday

Many times Chloe had wondered what would have happened if Sark had stayed in her life, if he hadn't turned himself into the CIA as she had wanted. Would they still be together, raising their daughter as a happy family? Or would they have called it quits and never seen each other again? Either way, Chloe wished that she could have had the chance to find out. Often times while she was pregnant she would lie awake in her bed and imagine he was there, lying beside her, his hand on her stomach, feeling the child that grew inside her. As their daughter grew, Chloe would pretend Sark was there, pushing the little girl on the swing or running around with her on his shoulders. Whatever the situation, she had imagined it.

Then she met Derrick Mitchell. Derrick took courses at the community college that Chloe attended once a week as she earned her Master's degree in English. He was taking a small business class that they offered on the same night Chloe was there. They had met in the break room where they both had gone for the last bag of Doritos in the vending machine. Their relationship had started slow. Just a little bit of witty banter in the break room, then they upgraded to actual dates, then, after a year, became engaged.

It was hard at first for Chloe to let go of her dreams of Sark coming back and reclaiming the role he had once held in her life. But she soon realized that he was not coming back, and that she had to move on with her life. She had to do what was best for her and Paris.

But it wasn't all that easy. Too many times Chloe had thought of Sark as she kissed Derrick or made love to him. Maybe it would have been easier if she had been able to carry Derrick's child, but they had never been able to conceive.

She felt as if she were cheating her husband out of the life he deserved. Yes she loved him, but Sark still plagued her mind. She constantly found herself comparing the two men to one another. And Sark always won out in the end. He had been her first love after all, and, she believed, her true love. She never told Derrick about Sark, he didn't need to know about that time in her life. The only thing he knew about the English man was that he had been Paris's father, that was all. Chloe felt no need to bring up the fact that she had been, and possibly still was, in love with him.

"What are you still doing up?" Derrick asked Chloe, kissing the top of her head as he stood above her and rubbed her shoulders slowly.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, her fingers moving across the keyboard of her computer as she looked up at him. "I thought maybe I'd try and get some work done."

"Are you still stuck?" he asked. Chloe nodded sleepily. The rhythmic motion of his hands was slowly relaxing her muscles and causing her to become drowsy.

"I know what it is I want to say, it's just how to say it." she mumbled, her eyes scanning the words she had written. She highlighted the paragraph she'd written and backspaced on it, erasing it from the screen. Derrick kissed her cheek softly, his lips brushing feather soft against her skin.

"You'll figure it out," he said with more confidence than Chloe felt, "you always do." She smiled up at him.

"You go to bed," she said, "I'll be in in a minute."

"Okay," he said, leaning down to kiss her lips, "don't take too long."

"Mom!" Paris's voice brought Chloe out of her deep sleep. "Mom wake up!" Chloe rolled over on her stomach and buried her head under a pillow. She may be awake, but that didn't mean she had to get up. "Mom I can't find my other shoe." A pair of small hands started shaking her furiously. "Come on mom, I know you're awake." Paris whined.

Chloe groaned. Why couldn't she get just ten more minutes of sleep? She pushed herself up and turned over onto her back. Opening her eyes slightly she stared up into the wide eyes of her daughter.

"The bus is gonna be here soon and I can't find my other shoe." Paris said, trying to pull Chloe up out of bed. "I need you to find it for me."

"Did you check under your bed?" she asked sleepily, letting her eyes fall shut once more.

"Yes, and it's not there." her daughter whined.

"Have daddy try and find it for you." Chloe said, turning over on her side and trying to fall back asleep.

"Daddy's on the phone and he said not to bother him." Paris persisted, going back to shaking Chloe. Groaning, Chloe sat up, her hair falling around her face in disarray.

"Okay." she sighed, pushing the covers off herself weakly, "let's see if we can't find that shoe."

Derrick worked from home every Monday. It was the day that the couple had set aside as their own since they were married. Paris always went over to a friends on Mondays to do homework and play, leaving the house empty and quiet for the two adults to do whatever was needed. Often times they just sat around reading in the living room, simply enjoying each other's company. But sometimes they spent the day being romantic, locked away in the bedroom without the fear of interruption. Whatever they did, Chloe simply enjoyed her husband's company and being able to be alone with him.

Chloe sat at her desk, working on her book and waiting for Derrick to get off the phone. She was busy editing what she had written when she felt a warm kiss on the back of her neck. Derrick's hands slid over her arms, caressing her skin softly. Chloe smiled and saved what she had done before closing her laptop and looking up at her husband. He kissed her passionately. This would be a romantic Monday, Chloe could feel it.

Shivers ran down her spine as he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. She stood on her tip-toes and pulled his face to hers, kissing him soundly. Derrick kissed his way down her neck and over her shoulder, pushing the thin strap of her tank top off her shoulder. Chloe moaned as his lips continued to torture her. Derrick pulled away from her, leaving Chloe feeling cold and aching for his kisses. Stooping down he picked her up, causing her to giggle like a school girl.

"Put me down Devin." she play whined as he carried her down the hall to their bedroom.

"Are you sure?" He asked, playing along. Chloe nodded. They had entered their bedroom now and he was making his way towards the large bed they shared. With an impish grin Devin dropped her on their bed. Chloe landed with a giggle that was quickly silenced by her husband's lips. She could feel his weight cover her, his hands move over her body with a seductive slowness, sending chills through her body. There was one thing Chloe had to say about Devin, he sure knew how to please a woman.

It was dark out, there was no moon out, and the stars shone dimly across the parking lot. Sark stepped out of the car that he had rented and made his way towards the store. Even though it was close to midnight, the large Barnes and Nobel was still open, the lights inside spilling out of the large windows across the store's front. He opened the door, the metal cold against his skin.

"Can I help you?" a sales girl was by his side the instant he stepped through the door.

"I'm looking for a book," he said stupidly. Sark really didn't know why he was here. The sales girl smiled at him, laughter sparkling in her green eyes.

"Any specific book?" she asked him.

"I don't know the title," he said, "but it's by Chloe Vaughn."

"I know exactly what you're looking for." the girl said, leading him down rows of books until they reached a shelf of young adult books. She searched the shelves for a second before pulling out the book Sark wanted. The cover showed the profile of a teenaged girl and a photo of a boy that she held in her hands. There was a single tear glistening in the girl's eye. The title read; Forever in Your Arms, in bold red letters.

"This is one of my favorites." she said handing it to Sark. He studied the cover some more. The girl on the book bore a striking resemblance to Chloe. His heart lurched at the thought. At the very bottom of the cover was Chloe's name. Sark couldn't help the smile that crept up his face.

You did it Chloe, he thought, you actually did it.

Sorry the chapter was so short, but the first few chapters are gonna be kinda short until I get the story going. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will review.

Total Vaughn Lover: I am glad you are enjoying the story and I hope that you will read Connected so that you aren't so lost anymore. Also, thanks for the review.

Marie, Sarks-Girl-89, Moni, sarkalias12, Spymantha, reader, M.B, Natalie, flying cow, Crazy-VamipreSlayer, Eyghon, csk8-20, and Triple Agent: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story. It means a lot to me.