Title: I Know How He Feels
Category: TV Shows » Days Of Our Lives
Author: And The Moment's Gone
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T
Chapters: 1, Words: 6,485

Warnings/Spoilers: AU after Chloe's return to Salem after faking her death.

Summary: I know how he feels, how strong his touch can be, when he believes it's real. I've been there. And I know how he feels

Official Disclaimer: All Days of Our Lives characters and plots belong to Corday and the NBC. I do not hold stock either the man or the company. Chloe Lane, Brady Black, and any other character featured are NOT mine. The title, summary, and lyrics come from the Reba McEntire song I Know How He Feels and I don't own that either.

Author's Note: I usually don't add these things, but I'm just wondering if anyone's actually reading this. A quick review would be great. I'm going to keep posting, if for no other reason than to get it off my hard drive, but I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me whether or not they're enjoying it.

So far the week had been one big blur.

Between board meetings, overseas stock packaging problems and the merger reviews, Chloe's office was lucky if they remembered what time lunch was meant to be eaten. From seven thirty in the morning to six at night, Chloe's staff worked nonstop. But once six o'clock hit, everyone knew it was quitting time. Chloe was out the door no later than six fifteen every single day, and her staff greatly appreciated it, even if they didn't have children to run home to.

Wednesday, however, there was no way that Chloe could foresee herself getting out of there any time before ten. She was going through the last of the newest advertising portfolio's marking the ones that needed to be sent down to the design department for Rex to look over, and no matter how fast she went, she never seemed to put a dent in the pile. And underneath it all were three more reports that she would have sworn she had submitted to John the week before. She could almost bet that there was a departmental change to them that neither concerned her nor mattered. Damn her inability to skip over the fine print. "Miss Lane?"

The tap at her door made her jump, but Chloe ran a hand through her hair. "What is it Skye?" She asked as nicely as she could.

"Here's the file Mr. Black sent over from Contracts." She handed the blue file folder over to her boss, and when Chloe eyed it, she almost laughed.

"Five bucks says there's a sticky note in there." Chloe sighed, tossing it onto a pile on her desk and nodding that it was okay for her assistant to check. Sure enough, there was a lunch invitation scrawled onto a yellow Post-It Note attached to the first page. It had become an odd ritual of Brady's since he proposed to Nicole that every file that went from him to her had an invitation somewhere on it. Chloe blamed it on the fact that Nicole was easily made jealous, and Brady was Brady. "Politely decline." She instructed Skye. Then she handed over the finished folders and smiled.

"You have a call on line one." Skye pointed to the phone on her way out.

Chloe stared at the phone as if it were poisonous. "If it's Brady I'm throwing it out the window." She shouted just in time for her assistant to shut the door. "Chloe Lane."

The person on the other end laughed. "I can't believe that's how you answer your phone."

Shawn's smile was infectious, and Chloe was grinning from ear to ear before she knew it. "How is my partner in crime today?" She asked carefully. Suddenly the pile of folders didn't seem as intimidating.

"Standing outside your office," the door swung open, and Shawn closed his phone at the same time Chloe set hers on the cradle. "I'm kidnapping you."

Chloe frowned. "I'm buried in work, Deputy Douglas." She motioned to her desktop, or lack thereof. "I can't come out and play."

"How many of those actually need you to read over them before they're sent to the proper department?" When Chloe sighed, Shawn took the jacket off the stand behind her door. "Exactly, you're coming to lunch." He practically picked her up out of her chair and set her on the floor on the other side of her desk. He dropped the coat over her shoulders and smiled when she reluctantly slid her arms into the sleeves. "Alice's or The Pub?"

There was a moment when Chloe honestly didn't know how she had gotten so lucky to be friends with Shawn. "Are you paying or am I?"

"I'm kidnapping you, I'll pay." He slid his arm over her shoulder and shut the door behind them. "Miss Lane is taking a long lunch. I suggest you do too." He handed Skye a twenty and flashed his million dollar smile.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to that hot dog vendor down the street?" Chloe asked as they made their way across the parking lot. "I mean you're the one paying."

Shawn bumped into her and sent her falling forward, catching her just before she hit the ground. "Just because I'm not pulling million dollar paychecks like you are don't mean I can't get a decent meal in this town."

"We'll go to The Pub." Chloe decided, readjusting her purse and patting her thigh for her cell phone. "They like giving you free food."

Again Shawn bumped into her. "You're a laugh a minute." He snorted, holding open the door of his truck and closing it after Chloe climbed inside. "Keep it up and you're buying."

"Mr. Black, you have a visitor."

Brady dropped the file he had been staring at onto his desk and sighed. "Send them in." His workload had doubled since the news of the Cassman merger, and since Nicole had been spending more time out of the office than in, he seemed to be playing catch up to her work more than actually doing his.

The door opened and Brady's head shot up.

"Good afternoon brother." Belle sauntered into Brady's office and laid her purse in one of the office chairs, before perching herself onto the other. "I'm hungry, and you're the only family member that's available to take me out."

"No I'm not." Brady waved a hand around the chaos that he unfortunately referred to as his office. "I'm swamped." He told her as nicely as he could. "Nicole's in Venice for the designer conference until Friday, and I've taken her workload on top of my own. I barely have time to breathe."

Belle frowned. "You're taking time to take your pregnant sister out to lunch." She commanded lightly. "Besides, this is business." When Brady raised a skeptical eyebrow, Belle tossed her sketchbook in his direction. "I'm designing costumes for Saturday night." She told him easily. "You're one of the last people on my list."

"You have a list?"

Obviously undeterred by her brother's pessimism, Belle smiled. "Yes, I have a list. Mimi and Rex's costumes were done last week; Phillip is surprising me with mine." Belle counted people off of her fingers. "The sketches for Mom, Dad, Kate and Roman were sent down to the workshop on Monday, and Shawn and Jan just have to approve theirs." She clutched both hands together and smiled as sweetly as possible. "All that I have left is you and Chloe, and God knows you're easier to deal with." Belle laughed. "Now, you and I are going to lunch if I have to cancel every appointment you have for the entire week to do it."

There was a moment when Brady actually thought his sister was serious. "Fine," he announced, slamming a file folder shut and standing up. He grabbed his sport coat off of the back of his chair and scooted his sister away from the chairs. "Where am I taking you?"

"Alice's would be great." Belle declared, beaming. "Thank you, brother."

Brady scoffed as he pushed the elevator down button. "You're saying that like I actually had a choice."

"So…" Shawn smiled at Mickey from their booth. They had been seated immediately, ordering drinks and their usual Wednesday fare. He looked across the table and transferred the smile to Chloe when she returned her cell phone to her hip holster. "Work?"

"Chaos." Chloe bit back, forcing herself not to curse Nicole's offices, the blonde hadn't even been in the country to give the latest order, although Chloe was definitely going to issue a warning to Camp Walker that if they didn't back off, they were going to have to find themselves another place to work. What did it matter that Nicole would have to re-staff an entire office? Softly she counted back from ten in Latin. She would get worked up after lunch. This was down time. "They're adding to the fundraiser program. Can I get you to pick the kids up and take them to practice?"

There was grunt as Shawn put his glass of water down and glared at Chloe. "You mean you want me to play Mom's Taxi Service again this week?" He asked incredulously. "Come on, Chlo it's embarrassing!"

Chloe scoffed. "It is not." She argued, pushing the lemon to the bottom of her glass of lemonade.

"Cathleen Morgan still doesn't believe that Jan's my wife." Shawn pointed at his best friend. "If it weren't for the fact that Jennifer holds the Soccer Parent meetings every other week, that woman would probably have half of the other Moms and Dads convinced that the two of us are shacking up in your expensive ranch house, playing family with Zack, Joy, and Jack, having more sex than any human is capable and feeding each other strawberries in bed."

"You've thought a lot about this haven't you?" Chloe cocked an eyebrow, watching his ears redden.

Shawn took another sip of his drink. "You think this is funny?" He asked as he threw a napkin in her direction. "I have half the town thinking that I'm sleeping around on my wife."

Her pointed stare was all he needed to take a breath. "You were in my bed four days ago." Chloe suppressed a giggle as he flung a straw full of water in her direction. "And now you won't admit it?" She questioned skeptically, pretending to be offended. "Oh, it is so over between us."

As she grabbed her purse, and began to stand, Shawn grabbed a hold of her wrist. "Fine," he decided; his voice mock-frantic. "You Chloe Lane Wesley are the best non-sex a man could ever have."

Chloe smiled triumphantly and sat back into her seat. "Not so bad yourself Deputy Doug." She commented offhandedly, taking another sip of her lemonade as she ran a hand through her hair. "So you'll pick the kids up?"

Another snort; "You are so lucky my wife is in Venice."

"With the bane of my existence," Chloe picked up her fork when the new waitress set her salad in front of her. "Apparently they're looking for bridesmaids dresses."

"For someone not interested in anything having to do with the joining those two particular souls –" Shawn choked on his burger as Chloe's foot connected with his leg under the table. "You sure do know a lot about their plans."

Chloe shoved a fork full of lettuce in her mouth and politely swallowing before opening her mouth to speak. "I'm alive and a resident in this town." She washed it down with lemonade. "Hell the resident part is optional. I'm fairly certain that there's some poor kid in Huizhou who can't turn on his television set without seeing the fact that Nicole Walker former Kiriakis is at the Royal Roman Fashion Show scouting for bridesmaids dresses running across the crawl." Chloe slammed her fork down on top of table and sighed. "And now she's ruined my appetite!"

"Huizhou?" Shawn's eyebrow rose.

"China."

"Can I change the subject please?"

"Of course." There was no way Chloe didn't know what she was about to be ambushed with. There was the only thing that Shawn had yet to ask her about.

Shawn had seemed to wait for this particular conversation. "Am I going to get an explanation as to how you and Brady wound up drenched to your unmentionables in Mimi's pool this weekend?"

"Who told you?" She asked quickly, not even bothering to deny anything.

Although those three words told Shawn more than anything else that could come out of Chloe's mouth. "Jan." he stated simply. "It seems Nicole was not amused at whatever happened."

"'Pissed' sounds closer to the truth." Chloe forced herself to dig in to the salad; almost ignoring the look Shawn was shooting her. "Phil and I got into a water fight, Brady got involved."

Shawn took another sip of his drink and leaned back. "And on the day the word 'understatement' was redefined, I sat in awe and watched." He quipped gently. "You want to try that one again?"

There was nothing Chloe wanted to do less. "Not really." She answered, her focus still on the plate of greens in front of her. "What are you and the kids going to want for dinner?"

"Nuh-uh." Shawn grunted, forcefully taking her plate from her. "You're going to talk to me, Chloe. Of all the people you can shut out, I'm not one." When her face fell, Shawn just sat back again. "You don't have all day." He reminded her.

Chloe wasn't sure if she was relieved or upset that Shawn was treating her like she was a child. Then again, she was most likely glad that Shawn hadn't taken any of her lies since Brady left. "Phil pulled the hose out on me." She told him simply, starting with the most innocent part of the fight. "I retaliated by pulling him into the pool."

"How did Brady get involved?"

"After we got out, Brady accused Phillip of not putting up a fight." Chloe's voice sounded so casual, not even Shawn was able to hear the underlying tones. "Brady wound up in the pool with me." She finished simply, "Water fight."

Shawn's upper lip rose. "Water fuck," he decided. "The way Jan tells it."

The cup slipped from her hand.

In seconds the table was covered in lemonade, and Chloe was still stammering for a sentence that didn't make what happened Sunday worse than it already was. "I…" She started, quickly changing her mind. Her hands were fidgeting with the paper towels that Shawn had seemed to pull from nowhere. "We…" A towel was thrust into her hand and the words still hadn't come. "It wasn't…" There was a long pause while the duo worked together to clean up the spill. "He's getting married."

"Should I point out that you and I have already had this conversation?" Shawn tapped her forehead with the straw from her spilt drink and Chloe blew a breath out of her lips in his direction. "Multiple times."

Chloe was still no closer to an actual statement. Instead she glared at him as Mickey brought her a dry towel and a fresh drink. "I don't have to defend myself to you." She snapped as reasonably as she could.

His shoulders relaxed and Shawn took the drink from her hands. "It's been five years, Chlo." He told her. "And you've not had one relationship with another guy." It was a fact that no one had mentioned outright before; a fact that Chloe hadn't wanted to acknowledge before. "I love you, and I want more than almost anything for you to be happy. History can't repeat itself."

Coffee met cobalt as their eyes met, and Chloe almost forcibly took her glass back from the man across from her. "It was an innocent challenge." Her tone was still, quiet and dangerous. Shawn had overstepped, and he knew it. "And if you think I'm going to let that man get the best of me again, you've taken too many blows to the head Deputy." Chloe slammed the drink on the table and glared at him.

Shawn nodded. Their points had been made.

The conversation was over.

"And so I was thinking…" Belle dropped her pen on top of the sketchbook on the table. "Brady, are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?" Brady's eyes snapped shut for a quarter of a second, and his face tightened as he looked back at the formidable scowl of his younger sister. "Sorry Tink." He touched her hand lightly before emptying the beer bottle in front of him and signaled for Bonnie to begin his soft drink rounds. "I'm just preoccupied with work." He looked down at her blank sketch paper and smiled. "Whatever you decide to dress me in is fine." He decided.

"Dad says you've been 'preoccupied' for the last week, Brady." Belle put her hand on top of her brother's and smiled. "I'm not going to ask you what's wrong, because I know you'll lie to me, but can you at least truthfully tell me you're okay?"

There was a long silence, and Belle almost thought that Brady was going to lie again. "It's just the day." Brady decided, almost entirely honest. "This close to the thirty-first," he embellished. "I think I'm just getting a little edgy. I'm fine."

Belle took that as good as she was going to get, and she idly sketched on her pad while they waited for their lunch. "You have to pick something Brady." She decided, passing her other sketches across the table. "I can't just go on 'whatever.' I'll want to put you in everything."

"Black." It was almost a random word. Just one syllable and it caught Belle off guard. "Whatever you design for me, make it black."

Like your mood. Although it could still be said that he had warned her. The closer it got to Halloween, the worse Brady would become. "How's Nicole?" Belle inquired simply. It was hard to decide what a safe topic of conversation would be for lunch.

"Still in Venice," and the conversation was murdered before it ever had a chance.

Belle couldn't help but frown. "Wedding gown?"

Again Brady seemed to scoff. "Bridesmaid," he told her dully, his bad mood doubling at the thought of exactly how much of his money Nicole was putting into their wedding. "She and Jan haven't ended the quest for the 'perfect dress' yet." Their food arrived, and suddenly Brady's burger didn't seem as appetizing.

"She'll find it." His sister took a tentative sip of her Sprite and smiled reassuringly.

"What's her costume look like?" Brady changed the subject without another comment. With his mood the way it was, he didn't want to snap at his sister for no reason. Belle was only trying to be helpful and supportive.

With a sigh, Belle took a bite of her own burger. "I honestly don't know." She huffed, recalling how the older blonde had hung up on her the night before. "She didn't want me to draw her one." Her brother frowned, and she matched his look almost completely. "Sad to say you two won't be a boxed set this weekend."

Brady shrugged noncommittally. "I can live with that." He answered almost too easily. The cell phone on his belt clip chirped and Brady snapped to attention. "Hold on." He told her almost at the exact same time he popped the phone open. "Brady Black." He announced coolly, suddenly Brady was a completely different person. "Hey Lindy," there was almost a smile present on his lips now. "No." A frown anchored the left side of his face and he pulled a pen out of his suit pocket and scribbled something on a napkin. "Has anyone called her yet?"

When the softness of the letter 'r' rolled off Brady's tongue there was no mistaking which 'her' Lindy was talking to her boss about. Then he laughed and Belle knew without a shadow of a doubt. Even after five years apart, her brother still had a single smile reserved for Chloe. "Someone might want to buy some ear plugs before she gets back from lunch." He laughed again. It was a hauntingly melodic sound that Belle hadn't heard in almost forever. "Okay. I'll be back before one." He snapped his phone shut and took a long breath.

"Problems?"

"PR has changed the HCF fundraiser program again." It was the first time since Nicole had taken over Basic Black's public relations office that he could include his stepmother's name in that office. Like Chloe, Kate chose to stay as far as she was really allowed to from Nicole. But with both companies housed under the same roof, the departments had melded over the months. "It seems that they're looking to showcase some very specific talent."

Belle smiled when she realized what Brady had been laughing at. "Chloe's going to flip."

The smile Brady gave his sister lit up his face. "There's going to be a mushroom cloud rivaling Hiroshima when Chloe hears who authorized the new program." A part of him actually felt sorry for Nicole's staffers. The building had only felt the wrath of the Diva once in four years. And in Brady's opinion once was enough. "Chloe hasn't sung a note in public since the Wesley's..."

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Absolutely no doubt." Brady scarfed down his burger at last, almost entirely in one breath. "Whatever she chooses to sing, it will be amazing." There was a sort of pride in his eyes that Belle didn't want to call him on. "I just know she's not going to like it."

There was a long moment before Belle laughed. "You just know?" She asked, not bothering to hide the sparkle in her eyes. "You know, for two people who hate each other, you –"

Brady cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Just because we can't speak civilly, work in the same general area, sometimes even breathe when the other's around, doesn't mean we hate each other." When had Brady's tone gotten so defensive?

"Don't tell me you two can't work together." Belle snapped, her tone matching his. "I saw first-hand how you two pooled your resources to get Lourdes' album out after Nicole fired the producer."

It must have been the mention of Nicole and Chloe in the same breath that got to him. His fiancée and his ex-lover were gas and flames under every circumstance. Belle just seemed to be the kindling for the fire.

"You're trying to find something that isn't there." He warned harshly. The empty soda glass slammed to the table and Belle caught herself flinching. "Chloe and I see each other by force two times a week at board meeting." His voice turned soft only for a moment. "That's that."

However, he had the misfortune of having Isabella Brady Black, the newest Mrs. Kiriakis as his sister. If the blonde thought she had even the faintest flicker of hope for her family's happiness, she grabbed a hold of it with both hands.

"Patrick Lockhart is going to be her date to the fundraiser."

She felt his eyes attach themselves to the top of her head. Instead of smiling, Belle concentrated on the rest of her burger. Brady was forced to give her credit. His sister was good.

"And."

One syllable had never sounded so dangerous. "He's called my office three times today asking about costumes and flowers..."

Again Brady bit his lip. He knew Belle was baiting him. Chloe, Halloween and her dating someone else were three things Brady would never be able to put together. In the four years since Brady and Chloe separated not even Nicole could force Brady to go out on that specific day in October. He and his future bride would actually be arriving in separate cars to the fundraiser.

Now Chloe had a date.

With Patrick Lockhart.

On Halloween.

"And?"

Belle watched as her brother glared at her, his eyes dark; pupils no longer visible. "And you can stop lying to me about you not caring." Brady wasn't the only one to inherit John Black's famous temperament. Belle just seemed to hide it better underneath her mother's eyes.

"I just don't want to see her get hurt." Brady snapped back. Belle wasn't about to get the best of him. Not now. "Patrick is known for trouble."

His point had been made.

Belle doodled on her sketchpad, her pen drawing out a wide brimmed hat beside a cloth mask. With an eyebrow raised to her brother, Belle colored the mask in. "I think I have just the thing."

If Brady had made his point...

So had she.

The atom bomb had nothing on Chloe Lane.

She stormed back into the building with a healthy scowl firmly planted on her face. Her first stop was her office, where she confirmed what an intern in the Public Relations department had told her while she was at lunch with Shawn. Then she raced down to the fourth floor where Nicole had set up her shop until the new building was complete.

"Ms. Lane." Maria Mitchem almost fell out of her chair when she watched Chloe step off the elevator and waltz straight up to the desk. "How may I help you?"

"You and I need to speak in Nicole's office." Her voice was barely controlled as she used the master key to pop the lock. "Now would be wonderful." She snapped, tapping the ring on her left hand against the door.

Maria sighed as she set her pen back onto her desk. "Call up to Contracts for me?" She asked one of the women closest to her before she followed Chloe into her boss's office. "What seems to be the problem Ms. Lane?"

As she took a calming breath, Chloe repeated the assistant's question. "Are you aware of the current chain of command in your department, Maria?" As hard as she tried, she couldn't help the tightness in her voice. And her annoyance seemed to only grow when Maria continued to stare blankly at her. "It wasn't a trick question. Do you understand the current chain of command in the Public relations department?"

"If this is about the program change, I assure you that-"

"Have you spoken to Kate at all today?"

Maria shot a look to the door and then returned her eyes back to Chloe's. "No."

"And have there been any faxes, memos, or e-mails submitted from the twenty first floor since last night?" She held her breath and waited for the answer.

"No Ma'am."

There was an odd satisfaction flowing through Chloe at the fact that Nicole's personal assistant seemed to be cowering in front of her. "Then who, may I ask, in God's name authorized the program change?"

There was a long pause.

"Mrs. Black told me she wanted something to spice up the fundraiser."

Again a pause as Chloe tried not to take the girl's head off.

"Mrs. Black?" She asked as calmly as she could. Her eyebrow rose. "You mean Kate Roberts Black?"

The older woman looked like she was going to be sick. "No." She choked out. "Ms. Wa- Nicole."

"So Ms. Walker authorized you to add a sing-a-long to the program?" When the girl didn't move, Chloe's patience waned. "Again Mrs. Mitchem, I am not asking difficult questions."

Brady took brisk steps off of the elevator, heading directly to his fiancée's office. He had known the second that Lindy had answered the phone that Chloe had made it back to the office. The frustrated receptionist in Nicole's typing pool only confirmed that the Diva was on the warpath. Sadly enough, it was up to him to head her off at the pass before Nicole came back to find her entire staff on the unemployment line.

The door to the office was shut, and with one quick knock, he pushed it open without invitation. "Can I get a cup of coffee please Maria?" He asked sweetly as he put himself between the frustrated woman and his ex-lover. "Half and half, if you don't mind."

Maria wasted no time in turning and running from the room as Brady shut the door behind her. "Don't scream at the staffers." He berated Chloe slowly, still not too sure if he was supposed to be shouting at her or with her. "Maria's been taking double cues from Kate and Nicole. She probably didn't know she was stepping on your department's toes - "

"This isn't about my department's toes!" Chloe's voice echoed throughout the room and there was no doubt that she would have been heard in the outer offices. "Brady, this is about Nicole and her lack of...decency!"

Brady perched himself on Nicole's desk and tried to smile. "What's wrong?"

"I have to sing this weekend." She stated matter-of-factly. "And that gold-digging whore of a fiancée -"

"You're overstepping Chlo." Brady pushed himself off of the desk and shook his head. "You can't walk into this office and talk about Nicole like that."

Chloe resisted the urge to slap him. "Her staff is already calling her Mrs. Black." She snapped. She wished Nicole were in the country. She would rather be standing here dealing with the woman who thought it was her job to make Chloe's life miserable than the man who actually had. "Her wedding is in February"

So that was the problem.

It wasn't that she was overly concerned with singing; she would most likely get over that in the next few hours. It was the fact that when she came in to question the change, Maria had called Nicole be something that legally she wasn't yet, and that struck a nerve.

It hadn't escaped his notice either that she had called it Nicole's wedding.

"It wasn't too long ago that the staff was calling you Mrs. Black." He pointed out. Brady was in no mood to placate Chloe.

"Longer than you think, Brady. My heart was still in one piece!"

"You do not want to go there with me." His voice was cold, dangerously so, and he stood toe to toe with Chloe without batting an eye. "Now I really don't give a damn whether or not you apologize to Maria, she was out of line to have one of her interns call and tell you about the change, I think she should have consulted with your office to insure you could sing before she just added your name to the program. But the one thing you are going to do is go upstairs, get your purse and take the rest of the day off."

"Are you handling me?" Chloe's voice was venom, and she was well aware of the fact that she was within arm's reach of the man. She could smell his aftershave.

Brady shook his head. "No." He responded, taking a step closer to her and raising an eyebrow. "But I will if you don't get your ass out of my fiancée's office and do as you're told."

Her hand came up before she could think twice about it.

Amazingly enough, so did Brady's.

"Go to hell."

Brady just stood there and stared at her, still holding her arm. "Take the rest of the day off, Chloe." He entreated, watching the fire dance in her eyes. "Pick Joy up early and take her out for ice cream or go visit Belle in the workshop." It was sound advice, and his eyes never wavered from hers. "The only thing you're really doing here is making yourself more agitated."

"Fine," she hissed, jerking her arm away from his. She pulled open Nicole's door and stopped, not too sure what was holding her in the room. Then she caught another whiff of his aftershave and she frowned. "Will this week ever get easier?" She asked him sadly, the fight completely draining from her body.

He had no answer for her, so Brady just shook his head. "Just go home Diva." He whispered. "Take a bath and have a glass of overly priced Chateau Margaux." Brady watched Chloe's shoulders heave. "I'll clear a spot for you tomorrow in the studio."

At last, Chloe nodded, her eyes scanning the office for any signs they were being watched. "I'll have Skye arrange my studio time." She told him, still not willing to look at him. "You just go back to your office and warn the future Mrs. Black that I am not amused."

"Nicole's not as bad as you think she is, Chloe."

Chloe finally gave in and gave him a quick glance over her shoulder. "Whatever you need to tell yourself to sleep beside her at night."

All Brady could do was watch as she ran a hand through her hair to compose herself and walked calmly through the typing pool.

Across the street, and two buildings down, Chloe ordered a cappuccino from an intern and stepped off of the elevator as if she owned the building. No one looked up except for the petite blonde on a director's chair, who was currently comparing cloth swatches with lace. Belle dropped both sets of high priced fabric onto the floor as she rushed in Chloe's direction to engulf her into a hug. "You look like you've had quite the day." The shorter woman observed, pulling Chloe over to a plush high backed chair and perching herself back into her own. "What's wrong?"

Chloe shook her head. Of all the things that she was willing to say to Belle, admitting an argument with Brady about the woman that Belle was trying to get along with, wasn't on the top of the list. "I had a disagreement with PR." She said as simply as she could. "I decided to take the rest of the day off."

"Well it's great you stopped by." Belle bounced off of the chair and over to the drawing table where sketches were laid out and organized with fabric choices. There was no doubt that all of Belle's seamstresses were working around the clock on those numbers. "I needed to talk to you about your costume." Belle grabbed an empty pad off of one of the stools and hurried back across the room. "You and I actually have to decide on yours. I only have two days."

"Whatever your heart desires," Chloe responded with the same amount of enthusiasm as Brady. "I'm not really in the mood to play pretty princess right now." When Belle's face dropped, Chloe set her cup down and changed directions. "Just make it flowing and dark and breathtaking." She decided. "I want something that is going to top everyone else in the room, and only you can create that."

Belle grinned at the compliment to her talent and set the sketchpad down again. "Well stand up so I can get your measurements." She commanded She pulled Chloe's hair up and secured it with a clip and then made notes of the different kinds of fabric that she would have to order while one of her assistants took the measurements. "What are you doing for dinner?"

There was a laugh and Chloe was finally allowed to drop back into the chair. "My lover and I are dining at Chateau Lane." She explained, watching Belle raise an eyebrow in true Black fashion. "I'm picking up pizza and Shawn and I plan to commiserate being lonely after Joy and Jack go to bed." She explained.

"Did my invitation just get lost in the mail?"

"You don't drink." Chloe pointed out, looking over what looked to be Mimi's costume. "You're in bed every night before eleven, and I don't think I need to bring up what happened last time you and Shawn got drunk in the same general area."

Belle blushed.

"My husband resents that remark." Belle chastised carefully.

Chloe took another sip of her drink and smiled. "Your husband doesn't know." She sang sweetly. Belle's face flushed again, and Chloe frowned. "At least you're getting sex."

"I'm getting wonderful sex because I'm married." Belle crossed her arms in front of her slightly bulging stomach and narrowed her eyes at Chloe. "You're not because you're picky."

For a moment, Chloe sighed, remembering the conversation she and Brady had in Nicole's office. Then she forced it completely out of her brain and focused instead on the friendly banter she and Belle normally share. If she was going to convince everyone that she was fine with the date they had set up for her, she was going to have to start on the group's strongest link. "What can I say?" She held her arms out and shrugged. "Once you have mind-numbing-thank-God-you're-alive sex with Brady Black, you're ruined for any other man." There was a moment when Chloe didn't feel as bad about everything that had happened that day. Slowly she peered over Belle's shoulder at what she was designing for her brother. "

"And the less I hear about you and my brother turned your ex-whatever you're admitting to now in bed the happier I will be." Belle popped her with the sketchpad and turned away. "Now get out of here." She ordered. "I have your costume to design, the creation of Brady's to oversee and you are playing hooky." When Chloe furrowed her brow, Belle popped her again. "I said out woman. Don't make me call security."

"I'm going." Chloe grabbed the cup and held up one hand in surrender.

Belle's face lit up. She didn't believe for a second that a fight with Nicole's personal assistant was what made her take a day off. She pushed Chloe to the elevator and once the door shut, Belle's cell phone was in her hands. "Hey Rex, How much do you love your sister-in-law?"

Chloe made it back to her car as her cell phone rang. She popped the piece of plastic off of her belt clip, and forgot to check the LCD screen before hitting the send button and putting it to her ear. "Chloe Lane?"

There was a click, almost as if she were being transferred and then a sigh. "Chloe, its Rex," he waited a beat, just like Belle had instructed and then he laughed. "I hate to do this to you, but I need a favor."

She wasn't sure if she was startled or just curious as to why Phillip's younger brother was asking her for help. "I'd go with the green eye shadow, Brady." She told him simply, allowing it to roll off her tongue. "It brings out your highlights."

Rex laughed and initialed on of the final posters for the outside of the Alice's. "If I wanted fashion advice, I would ask my wife." He told her, trying not to laugh. "Actually, I was wondering if you could come to dinner tonight."

"No can do." Chloe entered the underground garage and hit the unlock button on her keypad. "I promised Shawn I would get drunk with him tonight."

"Bring him with you." Rex looked over another design and shrugged, "And the rug rats. Mimi is having Patrick over, and I have no idea what to say to the man." Holding up his hand to still one of his designers Rex pretended to lay on his puppy face. "Help me out here. I'll do anything."

She sighed and dropped her purse onto the passenger seat next to her. "Anything?"

"Anything."

"We'll be there at seven." She told him as she slammed the key into the ignition. "Make sure you have plenty of wine and Mimi doesn't make red meat."

Rex's grin spread from ear to ear as he laughed. "Done," without saying good-bye, he set the phone back on the cradle and laughed. Then he dialed Belle's cell phone number to confirm his end had gone as planned.