As the rather inept juggler exited, colorful balls in hand, Principal Cohen once again emerged onstage nearing the microphone to announce the show�s final talent for the evening.

�Ladies and gentlemen last, but certainly not least, Chloe Lane,� he led the audience in a fresh round of applause as he eventually edged back into the wings, giving Chloe her cue.

Hooting and hollering at the mention of her name, Philip sensed his father�s disapproving stare out of the corner of his eye, but he paid it no never mind, especially as an excited Belle joined in, cheering alongside him with all her might. The overhead lights gradually dimmed as Chloe made her way across the stage, illuminated by a single beam.

At the vision, Philip ceased clapping abruptly, his heart now thudding strong and slow. Draped in satin, her graceful body line shone and shimmered as she moved, floated under his transfixed gaze. Her glossy mane gleamed, the cascading waves practically overwhelming the otherwise pale and delicate figure.

Since her early days in Salem, Chloe Lane had always proven an object of great fascination for him�elusive and mysterious�but in that instant, an otherworldly quality surrounded her, an ethereal glow. In that instant, she appeared every bit the angel, every bit his angel. And, perhaps it was just wishful thinking, but as she adjusted the microphone to her liking, her gaze swept across the room then seemed to suddenly narrow in on him and him alone.

Swallowing hard, Philip peered past Chloe to the piano that had formerly been set up for a prior talent, but Shawn was no where in sight. He was supposed to be accompanying her�What the hell was going on?!

Capturing the microphone in her palm, Chloe tilted it upwards into position. The hushed audience was nothing more than a sea of blurred brightness, but she sought out the spot she�d previously selected. As the beginning notes from the CD Shawn had managed to track down played out across the auditorium from the speakers, Chloe calmed. She no longer wished to �get it over and done with.� This was her moment and she intended to grab it.

�All the fear has left me now,

I�m not frightened anymore.

It�s my heart that pounds beneath my flesh.

It�s my mouth that pushes out this breath,

And if I shed a tear I won�t cage it.

I won�t fear love,

And if I feel a rage I won�t deny it.

I won�t fear love.

Companion to our demons they will dance and we will play.

With chairs, candles and clothes making darkness in the day.

It will be easy to look in or out, upstream or down without a thought,

And if I shed a tear I won�t cage it.

I won�t fear love,

And if I feel a rage I won�t deny it.

I won�t fear love.

Peace in the struggle to find peace.

Comfort on the way to comfort,

And if I shed a tear I won�t cage it,

I won�t fear love,

And if I feel a rage I won�t deny it,

I won�t fear love.

I won�t fear love.

I won�t fear love��

Bowing her head, she waited for a response, any response to validate her moment�but it didn�t come. Her eyes fluttered open to a deafening silence, an awed quiet. Then, as row by row the audience rose to their feet, her dreams were fully realized. Stepping to the side with a shy smile, she duly curtseyed as she received - her first ever - standing ovation.

Her smile softened then warmed as her gaze was then magnetically drawn to one person, only one. The one who�d believed in her, supported her�loved her. As he stood clapping, grinning at her from ear to ear, their hearts, minds, and souls intermingled as once more everything else faded into darkness.

Mesmerized, it was then that Chloe realized Philip knew. He KNEW why she�d made that last minute change in song. Why she�d chosen to sing that song in particular. He knew she�d been singing, communicating her newfound empowerment and decision to him, BECAUSE of him.

Tears pricked her eyes as - not unlike that other night at the Pub when she�d first sung for the people of Salem all those months ago - she felt her innermost core exposed. Though this time, she didn�t run away from Philip or herself. She maintained eye contact as his, alongside the whole�s love and acceptance washed over her, staggering all pre-conceived notion of this very moment in time.

Trembling, Chloe stood tall.

****

Accepting Philip�s assistance, Chloe eased her way out of the passenger car door to walk hand in hand with him along their favorite path, the path that had led them to one another almost a month before. Though the park was fully aglow this time, the towering trees sparkling with the traditional twinkle lights of the season.

Feeling her shiver through their interlocked touch, Philip hastily shrugged his jacket off to slip it around her bare shoulders. Dimples winking, he hugged her closer, rubbing her back gently, but with pressure to spark some warmth. After a moment�s embrace, he relaxed his hold a bit to gaze down into her upturned face, �You know, I don�t think I�ve ever seen your mother look so happy. And Dr Wesley�Geez, I never thought I�d live to see the day when that man would get all misty eyed! He was BEAMING, for God�s sake!�

A small smile parted the fullness of her lips. �Yeah�I�m sure by the time I return home the trophy - my trophy - will have found its �rightful� spot, somewhere in our living room, somewhere conspicuous, no doubt. It�ll make for great dinner conversation with the slew of guests Nancy�ll be sure to invite over. God, I�ll never hear the end of this, Philip!�

�Oh, please! I�m hardly going to feel all sorry for you because you�re finally receiving the honor and recognition you deserve. Your parents SHOULD be proud of you. You know, you once told me you wished someone had been there for you when you were younger�and now, well, you have TWO someones there, glowing with pride, framing your accomplishments. Heck, I�d switch families with you if I could!� he chuckled, eyes glittering with humor.

His laughter was the infectious kind - laced with good-natured spirit, entirely from the heart - and Chloe soon found herself giggling right alongside him. �Be my guest,� she countered, tugging on his arm to continue on the moonlit path, the silken material of her gown rustling in the breeze. �I still can�t believe your dad showed�He hardly knows me.�

�Hey, what can I say? You made quite an impression on him last Thanksgiving.�

�Yeah, because I just sat there quietly unlike��

�Everyone else. Yep, that would do it,� Philip cocked a sardonic brow as his palm involuntarily slid to trace lazy circles across the small of her back. �You didn�t curse or cause a scene. You�re golden as far as my father�s concerned.�

Tingling from the delicious sensation his intimate caress stirred within, she fought to keep her thoughts in time with his. �So where was your mother tonight?�

Swallowing, Philip avoided her gaze as his mood inevitably darkened. �I don�t know. I guess she�s been kind of busy at work.� Though, his father, the head of Titan, seemed to be able to find the time�

Pushing aside his nagging concern, he charmed her with a dazzling smile. �Let�s stop all this parent talk�I�d much rather focus on you.� Pausing at a nearby bench, he pulled Chloe onto his lap. �You were incredible tonight, you know that?�

Sighing, Chloe snuggled back into his chest, pressing the arms that surrounded her closer. �I know the roses were incredible.�

�You liked them?� He spoke in the softest of whispers, fleetingly distracted as she moved to best entwine their bodies. As it was, her fluid curves were well beginning to mold into him as if they were already one. Instinctively arching into her, Philip likewise curved in towards her warmth, enveloping her further in a tender, almost reverent embrace.

Inspired by his vivid adoration, a boldness welled up inside her. At that moment, she felt like the most desirable, beautiful, loved woman in the whole world. Breathless, her next words escaped in a hoarse whisper, �I liked them very much. The scent�it was intoxicating�sort of like you.�

A devilish twinkle in his eye, Philip couldn�t resist placing a soft kiss to her temple. �Do my ears deceive me or is Chloe Lane FLIRTING with me?�

A blush swept across her face - a pleased one, at that - as she swiveled in his arms to face him daringly, �Didn�t know I had it in me, did you?�

�Nah, I always knew beneath that reserved fa�ade lie a coy temptress waiting to break free. The temptress I first glimpsed that day at DotCom.�

�What day at DotCom?�

�Oh, come on, don�t feign ignorance, I saw you plainly through the window getting all �chummy� with Tom and Jeff. Belle told me ALL about the oh-so-helpful tips she supplied you.�

Chloe could tell he was teasing, but there was a slight edge not too far beneath his easy veneer. An edge she�d noticed not so long ago. �So, THAT�S why you were acting so moody that day,� she tentatively commented, eyeing his ever-changing features speculatively all the while.

�Well, you�re probably going to smack me upside the head for saying this, but I�d always kinda thought I was special�to you, I mean. You were such a private person - so secretive, especially about the things that mattered most to you, like your singing - that I figured you must have felt SOMETHING for me to have willingly shared bits and pieces of yourself with me on the pier, at school, wherever. So when you started turning heads all of a sudden, I just assumed I�d STILL be the guy you�d want to share with, the guy you, in some weird way, would know you could depend on. But then when I caught you smiling and laughing with those jerks, I realized that that�d been damn near presumptive of me. And yet, even with that thought repeating in my head, my instincts told me that there WAS something between us. Though, for the life of me, I couldn�t explain why you could seem so comfortable around virtual strangers when you�d practically flinch anytime I got within a foot of you.�

A hint of disbelief skittered across her face as she briefly touched her forehead to his. �Being the shameless flirt that you are, I�d think you�d understand better than anyone else. I mean, wasn�t it easier for you to hang around girls you didn�t care about, girls you didn�t have to be real with, whereas when someone, oh say, SPECIAL came along, you�d find yourself inexplicably nervous or tongue-tied, even maybe just a little bit scared?�

�Yeah,� his dimples furrowed, that beguiling Kiriakis twinkle instantly ignited as past insecurities went by the wayside. �But only one special girl comes to mind. You know, I�d never been quite as uncertain of my charms and status until I met you. I remember being so frustrated at the time. You were truly the impossible. For instance, how is one supposed to get a girl who isn�t the least bit impressed by money or popularity or�heck, I�ll just say it, dashingly handsome features to swoon at his feet?�

The coy temptress in effect, Chloe batted her lashes sweetly, �Well, I thought that was fairly obvious, silly. Just by being you!� Brushing her fingers through his hair to possess, her lips crashed down upon his in a fiery kiss. Gliding her mouth along his jaw line, she paused as a patch of sky suddenly cleared, revealing a random sprinkling of pinpricks of light.

�Wow, they�re beautiful,� she murmured appreciatively against his skin, gesturing up into the heavens so he could share in the rarity of the moment.

Admiring the stars� beauty cheek to cheek, Philip found himself reminiscing. �When I was little I used to wish upon a star each night before I went to sleep. Come to think of it, not a single one ever came true. I guess it seems na�ve to think that they would��

Her gaze trained on the skies, Chloe bit her lip in thought. �I don�t think it�s na�ve. In fact, I don�t even think it has to do with the wish so much as the hope of the wish itself. When I was in all those foster homes, wishes were what kept me going. You know, the hope that things would get better�� her voice trailed off as she felt his lashes flutter against her neck. Meeting his shadowed face, she delicately pressed her lips to his, this time tenderly, lovingly. Moving her hands to cup his face, as he had so often done in the past, she heard the truth echo in her head before it escaped her lips. �And finally they did.�

�Well, Miss Lane, you may pretend to be a pessimist, but you�re a bonafide optimist at heart!� Philip declared as he covered her chilled hands with his own, caressing the pulsing undersides of her wrists with his thumbs.

In wonder, Chloe stilled a moment. �An optimist�hmmm, it�s funny how that doesn�t seem like such a bad thing anymore,� she finally whispered, a tentative smile in those luminescent eyes.

�Come on, up,� he coaxed, easing Chloe to her feet before following suit himself.

�What, are we leaving already?�

�Nope, not yet.� His sly expression took a turn for the serious, sincere, as he extended a hand toward her, �Dance with me?�

�What�here�now?� Chloe sputtered, causing Philip�s heart to fairly swell. �But there�s no music.�

�I�ll take care of that�anymore excuses?�

�Well, considering I�ve never danced a single step in all my life, your feet will probably take a beating,� she warned with the utmost conviction.

Amused, Philip shook his head. Damn, she was stubborn. But then again, so was he� �I guess I�ll just have to grin and bear it then. Come here�� Placing her arms around his neck, his skimmed to the soft bend of her waist. He began to hum a tune�an eerily familiar tune as they swayed slowly as one. The stars�The music�There was a sense of deja vu for the both of them, but neither could pinpoint the exact source of familiarity.

****

5 months earlier�

Philip�s car came to an abrupt standstill on the shoulder of the darkened residential street. After dropping Belle off at home following their reign as King and Queen of the dance, he�d taken a drive to clear his mind. He�d aimlessly circled the bounds of Salem (or so he�d thought) before inexplicably finding himself drawn to a spot outside her house, beneath her bedroom window.

Why he�d ended up here of all places was anyone�s guess, all he knew was that his dreamdate with the trademark dreamgirl had been less than satisfying. And he�d been left wanting�

Chloe stared at her ceiling blankly as her music soothed. Well, not HER music exactly�She�d been too depressed, too lazy to fumble with her CDs so she�d feebly settled on a random radio station hours before.

Who wanted to go to a stupid dance, anyway? she reasoned bitterly for the thousandth time that night. It was good she�d be breaking out of town for the summer. It�s not like there was anything�or ANYONE worth sticking around for.

The gentle whirring of a car�s engine could be heard as the string of love ballads faded into silence. It sounded close�very close. Languidly scooting up in her covers so she could peer out her window, she parted the silk fabric of her drapes and beheld�nothing, except that of the usual quiet of Salem�s upper class. It�d probably been a neighbor returning home or something.

Gazing up into the starry skies, Chloe smiled softly. It was a perfect night - warm, but not too warm - and there was a sense of magic in the air. Like anything was possible. Yeah right, not in this lifetime, Chloe cursed the fanciful notion. Not in Chloe Lane�s lifetime anyway, she amended darkly.

A shooting star streaked across the sky just then as if to disprove her cynicism. But Chloe couldn�t be fooled that easily, though nor could she tear her gaze away as a wistful melody filled the air.

Your dreams of love would come true

If you'd only dream that I'm in love with you

Look up at the stars tonight

And guess which one I wished upon

If I were a lucky guy I don't think I'd know what to do

I don't think I'd know what to do

Your eyes, your smile, your hair

Maybe someday I won't have to pretend

But how do I know that I have even got a chance with you?

What good is it if I won't end up with you anyway?

So I'll follow the moon back home

Maybe this is all too soon, I don't know

Look up at the stars tonight

And guess which one I wished upon

If you can find it will my wish come true?

Can you see something in the stars tonight?

Can you see something written in the stars tonight?

Written in the stars tonight�

The spell broken, Chloe released a dejected sigh and let her curtains flutter into place as Philip flipped off the car radio and followed the moon back home.

THE END