Under The Waves
Chapter
Six
(Almost three weeks later - Salem)
Chloe slid her hand over the banister and slowly made her way down the stairs of the DiMera mansion. As always, she had to take a moment to work up her courage before entering the living room to greet Stefano. Ever since regaining her true self, she had been putting on a face in public that could fool anyone. She took one deep breath, and entered the living room with a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Father... Good morning." Chloe turned to nod towards her older sister, acknowledging her presence. "Lexie..."
Lexie nodded back at her and drank a sip of tea out of her cup, as she sat on the couch. Chloe and Lexie had never gotten along, even when Chloe was in her DiMera persona she had disliked her sister. Her dislike of Lexie DiMera grew even further now that she was back to herself.
Stefano was standing near his ornate chess board, but turned to greet his youngest daughter with a smile. "Good morning, Chloe... You slept a little late this morning."
Chloe nodded and smoothed down the ends of her black suit jacket. "Yes, I'm sorry I missed breakfast... But, I just had a very restless night."
Of course, that was only half of the truth. She had spent most of the night sick to her stomach, tossing and turning because of her pregnancy symptoms. Breakfast had become the one meal she had to skip, not able to digest any food until the afternoon, at least not until a few more weeks. Chloe had very sneakily found her way into a doctor's office before they left Paris, but still kept her pregnancy a closely guarded secret. Hopefully, by the time she started to show, Stefano would be locked up forever.
"It's alright my dear, I'm just worried about you."
Chloe poured herself a cup of tea and sat down in a chair near the couch. "Worried about me? Why?"
Stefano walked away from the chessboard and sat in the chair opposite from her. "We've been here almost a week, and I don't believe you've left the house once. It's not healthy for a young, beautiful girl like yourself to stay inside all day long."
Lexie looked at Chloe over her cup of tea with a satisfied grin. "Father's right, sister dear... You really should get out, see the town. It might be fun."
Chloe glanced between the two of them and sighed softly. She knew exactly what they were up to. Stefano wanted her to see the familiar places of her past, but more than that, he was hoping for her to run into a familiar face. It was all part of his test, sending her around Salem to see if her memories would be triggered by something. And, more than anything, she knew that he wanted her to 'accidentally' run into Brady.
"I -- I don't know, Father. I've been to some of the most magnificent cities in the world, somehow I don't think seeing the 'sights' of Salem will be a huge thrill to me."
Stefano shook his head, absolutely insistent that she get out of the house. "No, I think you might be surprised at what you can see here... the people you might meet... I'm sure Alexandra would be more than happy to show you around."
Lexie's teacup clattered as she placed it back on the porcelain saucer. "I -- I don't think that's necessary. Chloe is a big girl, I'm sure she can find her way just fine without me. Besides, I have other plans today."
Chloe almost wanted to laugh at Lexie's frantic refusal. Anything to avoid spending time with her sister was just fine with Chloe as well. Chloe didn't want to take the risk of going out into town, but knew her father would insist until she did. "She's right, father... I can handle it. In fact, I think I'll leave right now..."
Chloe put her teacup down and stood from the chair, adjusting her black suit as she moved. Stefano looked at her with a glance of surprise.
"That didn't take much convincing at all..."
Chloe shrugged and smiled before walking over to give Stefano a kiss on the cheek. "You were right, father... The weather is beautiful outside. It would be a shame to waste it."
She didn't really want to go anywhere, afraid of the risks she would be taking. But, if it got her out of this house and away from her father, it wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.
"Do you need Bart to drive you? I can call him..."
Chloe shook her head insistently. "No, I'll drive myself... I'm sure I can figure out where I'm going. This town can't be THAT big. But, thank you..."
Chloe shared a glance with Lexie, and waved at her before walking out into the entryway. "Lexie..."
Lexie rolled her eyes and Chloe continued into the entryway. She knew why Lexie hated her so much, she was jealous of Stefano's favoritism towards Chloe, even though she had received it on false pretenses. Stefano only preferred Chloe more because she was exactly what he had molded her into. Chloe didn't get along with Lexie when she was a DiMera because her former persona found Lexie far too whiny and emotional. And, now that she had her memories back, Chloe disliked her half-sister even more than she had before.
Chloe dug in her purse for her dark sunglasses and the keys to one of the cars that sat in the large garage. She smoothed her hand over her hair and slid the dark glasses on to her face. She sighed softly, hoping that her dark suit, tight bun in her hair and sunglasses wouldn't make her that recognizable to anyone she might happen to walk by today. She knew that if anyone got a good look at her, they would know instantly that it was her, but hopefully she could lurk about without being caught.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Later that Afternoon -- Salem Place)
She had tried sticking to some of the more secluded corners of the mall, staying out of plain view. Of course, she hadn't realized how stirred she would feel just by being here at Salem Place. She hadn't been here in over four years, and even a place this unimportant suddenly made her feel like she was home at last.
Chloe slipped up to the window of the Java Cafe and paid for her drinking, always keeping her head bowed and her voice quiet, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She walked away from the window and spotted a familiar face coming in her direction.
Nicole Walker-Kiriakis was sauntering towards the cafe, arms loaded with shopping bags. She remained completely oblivious to Chloe and threw her stuff down at an empty table. Chloe couldn't prevent a smile from crossing her face. Nicole wasn't exactly on her list of people she most wanted to see, but after being cooped up in the mansion with Stefano, Bart, Rolf and Lexie, Nicole was a very welcome sight. A recognizable face, no matter how much she had once detested the woman, was still a bit of a comfort.
Chloe shook it off and walked away, not wanting Nicole and whoever she was meeting to spot her. She found a seat in the shade, on a side of the mall that wasn't very busy and sipped on her juice as she watched the shoppers walk by her.
Her tiny cellphone began buzzing in her pocket and Chloe jumped slightly in surprise. She set her cup down on the bench, and reached in to grab the phone. It wasn't her normal cellphone that she carried in her purse, it was one that she had acquired just six short weeks ago, without her father's knowledge.
"Hello..."
A familiar voice with a British accent came over the other end of the phone. "It's Shane Donovan... Where are you?"
Chloe laughed with a slight snort. "You wouldn't believe it. I'm at Salem Place. I'm at the mall."
There was a pause of silence from Shane's end before he replied. "You're at the mall? Isn't that risky?"
"Without a doubt... But, Father insisted that I explore the town, and I must do as my Father commands me."
For the past six weeks, Chloe had been working with Shane and the ISA, unbeknownst to her father of course. She was a mole in the DiMera organization, feeding them information as often as possible, all part of her plan to bring Stefano down. Chloe had even gotten the extra cell phone, one that would go undetected by Stefano, one that was untraceable. Shane and the ISA had no idea that Chloe had all of her memories back, she had chosen to keep that information secret from them. She made them believe that she knew about her 'former life' and the chip in her head as told to her by Brady Black, but made no gestures that she actually remembered it herself. Shane had also promised that he would keep her actions confidential, only he and his ISA partner knew the identity of the mole, protecting Chloe from being discovered. Furthermore, she wanted to make sure that none of this leaked out to some of Shane's friends in Salem, friends like Roman, Bo and John.
"I trust you're staying hidden well. You wouldn't want to run into someone who might know you."
Chloe nodded and bit her lower lip nervously. "No, I wouldn't... I don't want to put any more people's lives at risk than I have to. What I'm doing is dangerous enough already..."
Chloe had yet to meet Shane in person, instead passing information through secret drop spots that would keep them both protected by her father's prying eyes. She had only contacted him because she knew he was once married to Bo and Roman Brady's sister Kimberly, and that he was just as determined about bringing Stefano down as she was. But, in their many phone conversations, she felt like she had begun to know him pretty well.
"I'm doing everything I can to protect you, you know that, right?"
"I -- I know... But, it's not me that I'm worried about. It's --" She hesitated, not wanting to spill the news about her unborn child. "It's other people. People like Brady Black and his family.
"I understand. And, I can send some agents for protection... They don't have to know why they are there, I'll just tell them to keep an eye on the Blacks."
Chloe shook her head and shut her eyes for a second. "No, no, don't... I do worry about them, but sending agents to Salem... It will only look more suspicious right now. And -- I think that the Blacks are pretty well-versed in taking care of themselves by now. I hope so anyway."
"Well, if you change your mind, please call me and I'll send someone out."
"Thank you, I do appreciate your help... and your secrecy. If we make it through all of this, remind me to buy you a cup of coffee."
Shane's voice was always reassuring to her, the first friendly person she had talked to in almost four years. Over the phone, he treated Chloe in a more fatherly way than Stefano did, and she figured it was because Shane had his own children that he was so protective and calming. "We will make it through this, and I will definitely take you up on that offer. It's been a long time since I've been to Salem... Too long."
Chloe smiled and nodded slightly. "Me too... I'll -- I should have another package ready for you tomorrow. I'll call you in the morning to work out the details of the drop."
"Alright... Take care of yourself."
"You too..."
Chloe hung up the phone and slid it back into the pocket of her black pants. She slid her sunglasses to the tip of her nose and looked over them at the people milling about the mall this afternoon.
"Jesus... What is this? Family day at the mall..."
One small family caught her eye instantly, and Chloe quickly slid her glasses up and observed them through the dark tint of her lenses. Shawn and Belle were walking through the wall, pushing a stroller in front of them. They had a one year old daughter and a two year old son, who both sat in the stroller smiling happily. They were definitely the perfect picture of a young, happy family.
Chloe's heart ached to see them so close to her and not be able to run up and embrace them. Belle had been her best friend, and she was supposed to be the maid of honor at her wedding to Brady. Chloe fought back her tears, thinking of all that she had missed, all that had been taken away from her. Belle and Shawn had married not long after Brady returned to Salem three years ago, and Chloe had missed it. She had also missed the birth of their children, and everything else she should have been there for.
"This was a mistake... a huge mistake."
Chloe stood up and began walking rapidly through the mall. She had to get away from these faces that she loved and missed. She should have gone somewhere else today, somewhere where she wouldn't run the risk of seeing her friends. Shawn and Belle walked past her, but thankfully did not look in her direction. They were walking towards the Java Cafe, and Chloe paused for a second to watch them.
Her breath caught in her throat when she realized why they were heading over there. Brady was sitting across the table from Nicole, discussing business, when he waved his sister and brother-in-law over to greet them.
For just a brief moment as he was greeting his family, Brady paused and Chloe could have sworn that he was looking at her. Her heart started pounding in her chest and she dashed off quickly, running to wherever her feet would carry her, far away from Brady.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(Re-wind to Brady!)
Brady paid for his coffee and thanked the girl at the window with a smile. He turned and grinned when he saw Nicole sitting at the table alone. Brady slid into the seat across from her and she stared at him in surprise.
"Grandma Nikki... How are you?"
Nicole's eyes narrowed and she glared at him. "You know I hate it when you call me that. I'm not your grandmother, Brady."
Brady winked at her and sipped on his coffee. "But you ARE married to my Grandpa Vic, therefore making me your step-grandson. Then again... your brother Brandon is married to my stepsister, which also makes us step-in-laws."
Nicole rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest in anger. "What the hell do you want, Brady? I'm NOT in the mood for this..."
"Obviously. I came here to talk to you about the Butler contract."
"Oh. You mean the one that you stole from Titan?"
Brady laughed and shook his head. "Stole it? We got it fair and square. Let's face it, Nik... Titan has been on the losing end of this competition for a couple years now. Eventually, you're going to have to admit defeat."
Nicole brushed her blonde hair off her shoulders and replied. "Titan is just as powerful as we've always been, and in time, we will run your little Basic Black into the ground where it belongs."
"Let's see... Isn't that what you've been saying for six years? You keep singing the same song, but it sounds a little out of tune."
Nicole was about to fight back when Brady looked past her, meeting eyes with Belle and Shawn. He waved them over and then grinned when he looked back at Nicole. "Sorry, Granny... We're going to have to finish this later... I've got company."
Nicole huffed loudly and Brady slid out of his chair to greet his sister and brother-in-law. He was about to bend over to give kisses to his niece and nephew when he spotted her. He stood up straight and looked right at her in the distance.
There was no doubt who it was. The others might not have spotted her, but Brady would always be able to recognize her. He knew the graceful curve of her neck, her posture, the angelic beauty of her face and he knew that underneath those dark sunglasses was the most beautiful pair of blue eyes he had ever known. She had only paused for a moment before hurrying away, leaving him awestruck. Chloe was in Salem, and his mind raced as he tried to figure out why.
Belle was staring at her brother with concern, and she snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "Yo, Brady... What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost..."
"I -- I -- She's here. Chloe's here..."
Belle's face went pale and she turned to look behind her but Chloe was already out of sight. "What? Where?"
"I just saw her. She was here in Salem Place."
Shawn shook his head and patted Brady on the upper arm. "Maybe you're just seeing things... Wishful thinking."
"No -- no way, Shawn... It was her." Brady shook his head and looked in the direction that she had run off to. "I -- I've gotta go."
Brady walked around them and Belle yelled after him, but he kept walking. "Brady -- Don't!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chloe came to the edge of the pier, and held on to the wooden post to catch her breath. She had just run from Salem Place, and she didn't even know where she was going. Somehow she had ended up here, and as soon as she hit the wooden planks of the pier, a rush of memories came flying at her.
She recalled the first time she had met Brady. They had despised each other instantly, but a part of each of them had fallen in love at that very moment. There was an instant connection made that night, one that would exist forever. This was just one of several places that meant something special to her, so it was no surprise that she had run here first. It had been, so many years ago, a place she ran to for comfort, where she could look out into the water and let all of her worries wash away.
A steady stream of tears began to fall from her eyes and her fingers slid under her sunglasses to wipe at them. A weaker person might have jumped off the pier right now and let themselves sink to the bottom. But, Chloe had to be stronger than that. Despite the misery of her situation, she had so much to fight for. She wanted to be with Brady, and she wanted them to raise their child together. Sometimes over the past weeks, she thought that Brady and the baby were the only things that kept her from giving up.
She heard footsteps behind her, making the wood creak slightly. She sniffled and hurriedly regained her composure, turning to face whoever was walking behind her. He had seen her at the mall, and much to her dismay, had followed her here.
"Oh Jesus..."
He walked towards her, a pained look on his face. "Chloe... What are you doing here?"
A stray piece of hair had fallen out of her bun and she smoothed it down with her fingers, attempting to keep a physical and emotional distance from the man in front of her. "Stay away from me, Brady. Stay away."
"Why are you here? Why are you in Salem? And on the pier..."
Chloe took a few steps away from him and shook her head. "Stop... Don't talk to me. Stay away from me. If you want to be safe, then you'll stay as far away from me as possible."
Brady wouldn't let her get away, he walked closer to her, his tone low and pleading. "Chloe... I know the truth. I know who you really are. I know."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I really don't..."
Brady put his hands on her arms and Chloe tried to struggle to get away from him, but he held on to her tightly. "Yes, you do. I heard you, Chloe... You gave me that vial. You told me you loved me and that everything would be okay again."
Chloe's brow creased with worry and she shook her head. Her mind was screaming at her for what she had done the night she left him on the porch stairs. He had heard her and figured it out, and he had known this whole time. "You were dreaming. It was a dream... I don't know what you're talking about."
Brady nodded and let go of one of her arms to pull her sunglasses off her head. He locked his eyes with hers and stared deep into them. "Then look me in the eyes, and tell me the same thing. Tell me it was a dream. Tell me that you don't love me."
Chloe's lower lip jutted out and she knew her eyes were once again brimming with tears, but she did as he asked, no matter how much it hurt her. "It was a dream, Brady. I don't love you. Now, let me go."
"You're lying..."
Chloe turned her face away from him and he put his hand back on her arm, pulling her into his solid form. "I did what you asked me to do. Now, let me go, Brady..."
Brady shook his head and held her tighter. "Chloe DiMera never once called me by my first name. You're not a DiMera... You are Chloe Lane... and you can't lie to me anymore."
Chloe turned her head to look back into his eyes. A few hot tears began streaming down her face and her voice wavered when she spoke to him. "Stop it, Brady... Just stop it. Let go of me. Don't you understand what I'm trying to do?"
Brady looked stricken, suddenly realizing that he might be jeopardizing whatever she was planning. "I -- I -- I'm sorry."
His hands slipped off her arms and Chloe took a step back, her tears still flowing steadily. "I'm trying to protect you. I just, I want to protect you... We can't do this. We can't be seen together..."
"There's nobody here now..."
"I -- I know... But it's a public place... Anyone can come down here. I -- I can't talk to you, Brady. I just can't. It's too risky for both of us."
Brady looked towards his feet and nodded. "Just tell me that I'm right... Just tell me that and I'll leave you alone."
Chloe smiled slightly and Brady looked back up at her. "You'll never leave me alone, even if I beg you to. I know that... You just -- have to trust me. Please. Keep your distance... You have to."
"Tell me, Chloe... Please tell me the truth."
"You already know the truth. You don't need me to say it for you."
Brady ran his hand up her arm and smiled knowingly at her. He knew she was right, nothing had to be said at all, an unspoken understanding existed between them. He had just been desperate, begging for her to curl up in his arms like she used to so long ago. "No, you don't need to say it..."
Chloe wanted to shy away from his touch, but her feet seemed unmovable, glued to the pier below her. His fingers grazed over her cheek and came to rest at the back of her neck. She moved closer to him and tilted her head slightly.
"We shouldn't be doing this..."
Brady looked at her questioningly, and even though he knew what she was referring to, he asked anyway. "Doing what?"
Chloe paused and tried to catch her breath. They had both been waiting for this moment for too long and neither of them could resist each other. His eyes drew her in closer and she gently pressed her lips against his, lighting a spark between them that shot through all of her nerve endings.
Brady's arm went around her waist and pulled her in, their bodies packed tightly together. She parted her lips slightly, and Brady slipped his tongue into her mouth. He lovingly explored the warmth of her mouth as their bodies melted in to each other.
Chloe wanted to stay like this forever, but she knew the danger they were putting themselves in by being this close. She broke off and looked at him sadly, her expression full of the pain she felt inside. "Brady... We can't be doing this. I have to go."
Brady nodded in understanding, his own fallen face matching her sadness with his. "Chloe... Tell me that everything will okay."
"You do trust me, don't you?"
"Of course I do..."
Chloe nodded and smiled at him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and put her lips near his ear. "Then trust me when I say that everything will be okay... I'll make sure of it. You just have to... stay away from me."
Brady nodded slightly and hugged her back. "I will... I love you, Diva..."
Chloe smiled widely at the use of her nickname from long ago. She squeezed him tighter and whispered into his ear, as one of her tears dropped on to his shoulder. "I love you too, Brady..."
She released him from her arms and gave him one last meaningful glance before turning around and rushing off the pier. Chloe glanced around to make sure that there had been no one around to see, and was satisfied that they were safe this time. But, she knew in her heart, that they could not meet like that again. She would wait for a real reunion after her father was out of the way. One where she could tell him about the baby that they had created together.
Brady watched her walk away and then turned to stare into the cool water lapping at the pier. The taste of her was still on his lips, and the smell of flowers still lingered on his clothes long after she was gone. He had to believe in her, trusting that Chloe knew what she was doing, and they would soon be together forever. Once they were, nothing would ever be able to separate them again.