Under The Waves
Chapter
Fourteen
(Two Months Later)
Chloe was in the bathroom when she heard her phone ringing off the hook. She ran out as quickly as possible and answered the phone completely out of breath.
"Hello..."
Shane Donovan's familiar British accent came over the line clearly. "Chloe... Did I catch you at a bad time?"
Chloe grabbed her bathrobe and threw it over her as she tried to catch her breath. "No, I was just getting out of the shower. What's up?"
"Well, as you know, I'm going back to England in a few days..."
"You really shouldn't. We kind of like having you around."
Shane chuckled softly and continued. "Well, I will be back eventually. But, I'm calling to see if you and Brady would like to have dinner with me, tomorrow night perhaps... Before I go."
Chloe ran her fingers through her wet hair and smiled. "Absolutely... He's on his way over here right now, so I'll make sure that's okay and then we'll call to work out the final plans."
"Okay, I'll be waiting..."
"Bye Shane... I'll call you soon."
Chloe put the phone back in the handset and returned to the bathroom. She grabbed a towel and ran it over her hair, patting it dry slightly. She tightened her bathrobe and went back into the bedroom to pick out something to wear. She had just gotten home from work, and wanted to spruce herself up for her evening out with Brady.
Chloe had been working as a volunteer at the hospital to give herself something to do until she decided what to do with her life. Of course, she had found out that working with the children and the babies was more fulfilling than anything else she could be doing.
She grabbed a sweater and matching skirt from the closet and laid it on the edge of the bed. Goosebumps began to pop up on her skin and she dashed across the cold wooden floors to adjust the heater. She was living in Mimi and Jason's old apartment, since they had moved into their new house, and although it was very nice, it was a little bit drafty in the winter months.
There was a loud knocking from her front door and Chloe groaned in frustration. "Sh*t. Brady... You're early."
She ran to the door and answered it with a smile. "Heyyyyy... Brady... You're EARLY. REALLY REALLY early. I'm not even close to being ready."
Brady had a white box under one arm and was grinning at her as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "What can I say? I just couldn't wait to see you any longer."
Chloe ushered him inside and he put the white box down on the counter. "So, what's in the box, Brady?"
"I don't know. The courier came up on the elevator with me. I asked if he was delivering something to Chloe Lane's apartment, and I signed for it."
Chloe stared at it curiously and shrugged. "Well, I'm not really feeling secure knowing that the courier service will just let any old person have my packages. But, at least it was you stealing my mail."
Brady chuckled and sat in one of her barstools as Chloe continued to ponder the package. "Well, don't just stare at it... Open it up."
Chloe grabbed a knife from the drawer and slit the tape on the box open easily. She lifted the flaps and stared at the black and gold urn surrounded by foam. The knife clattered to her tile counter noisily and Chloe took a step backwards in shock.
"Damnit... I can't believe this. I begged them not to send these here."
"Chloe... What is it?"
Chloe waved her hand to shush him and grabbed the phone off the wall, quickly dialing the numbers to Mickey Horton's office. Brady peeked over the box flaps and saw what was in the box for his own eyes. An urn filled with Stefano's ashes. It had been two months since his death, and there had been tons of DiMera business to take care of. Chloe had been handling it brilliantly, but the last thing she wanted was any part of him in her home. Brady listened in as Chloe discussed it with her own lawyer.
"Mickey... It's me, Chloe Lane. I thought that you told Stefano's executor to send the ashes somewhere else... Yeah, I know. It's been two months. -- I don't want them and apparently nobody else does either." Chloe sighed deeply and put her hand on her forehead. "Okay, okay -- No. Don't do that. -- I will, I will figure something else out. -- Yeah, thanks... -- Bye."
Chloe hung up the phone and started chewing on the edge of her thumbnail. "Damnit, damnit, damnit. I can't believe this."
"What happened? There's nobody that wants the freshly cremated remains of the Devil himself?"
"Apparently not... That's why they've been floating in limbo for two months. Stefano's executor decided to send them here anyway, even though he was under strict orders not to. So... Now what do I do?"
Brady pondered the box thoughtfully and then winked at her. "Maybe we could sell them on E-Bay."
Chloe rolled her eyes and scolded him. "Not funny, Brady..."
Brady slid off the barstool and took the urn out of the box, examining it closely. He grabbed Chloe's hand and led across the living room. "Come with me... I have a great idea of what to do with this."
"Where are you taking me?"
"Guest bathroom. Come on."
Chloe laughed softly and followed Brady into the small bathroom on the other side of the living room. She watched as he lifted the lid to the porcelain toilet and then took the top of the urn off.
Brady grinned at her and pointed towards the toilet. "Would you like to do the honors or should I?"
Chloe was still laughing and she waved her hand for Brady to continue. "Please, go ahead... I can't think of a more fitting way to finally say goodbye to Stefano DiMera."
Brady began pouring the ashes into the bowl, a little at a time, and then flushing them down. They were silent as he continued the task, both of them reflecting on the years of misery that was brought to the world because of Stefano DiMera. And, not just for them, but for every person they cared about and so many other nameless, faceless pawns in his twisted games.
The last batch of ashes went down the toilet in a swirl of water and Brady set the lid down with a smile. He put the lid back on the urn and looked at Chloe proudly.
"There we go... All done."
"Perfect. Probably not what Stefano had in mind for his final goodbye, but it worked just perfectly for me."
Brady nodded and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, laying the urn on the tank of the toilet as Chloe joined him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a brief kiss on the forehead. "Maybe we should have invited the rest of the town..."
Chloe giggled and shook her head. "I don't think the rest of the town would have fit in my bathroom, Brady."
"Still... Maybe we should put a funeral announcement in the Spectator. Stefano DiMera laid to rest today, flushed down the toilet at 2417 Brockton Street Apartment 304. He is mourned by no one."
Chloe wrapped her arms around his chest and and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Brady... I love you so much. You always seem to make everything alright."
Brady smiled at her and nodded. "Everything IS alright, Diva. And, it's going to stay that way. So what do you want to do with the urn?"
"Trash it. Get it out of my house as soon as possible."
"Are you sure? I mean, that's a nice urn... You could use it for a vase... Put some flowers in there, stick it on the mantle."
Chloe snickered and stood up, rolling her eyes at him as she replied. "No, definitely not. I just want it gone."
Brady nodded in understanding and stood to grab it off the tank. "Alright, I'll go downstairs and put this in the dumpster. You go get yourself ready."
Chloe jogged towards her own bathroom and began the long process of drying her hair. After that was finished, she went into the bedroom and changed into the clothes she had picked out for her 'date' with Brady. She had asked him to take things slow, and that's what they had done. They had been dating like a couple of teenagers since she got out of the hospital, and even though they hadn't taken any major strides in their relationship, their love was stronger than ever.
She quickly did her makeup and slipped her feet into a pair of shoes before rejoining Brady in the living room. He was sprawled out on her couch surfing through the TV channels. He heard her footsteps but didn't turn around as he muttered in frustration.
"Two hundred channels and not a damn thing on."
"Well, turn the TV off, because I'm ready to go."
Brady looked over the couch and smiled at her. "You look beautiful..."
Chloe smiled in appreciate but shrugged slightly. "Well, I hurried... So, it's the best I could do."
"There's no rush, to tell you the truth. It's not like we're doing anything that's timed or on a schedule tonight."
Chloe nodded and walked around the couch to sit next to him. "I know... I just hate to leave you waiting."
Brady wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her close to him. "Hey... I waited years for you to come back to me. I think I can wait an hour for your hair to dry."
Chloe looked up at him sadly and frowned. "Brady..."
"Oh geez... Chloe... I'm sorry. I shouldn't bring that up anymore. It's all in the past, and... I apologize."
"No, don't worry about it. It's not like we can ignore the past. The good and the bad. It's always going to be there. It's important to remember it... We just, can't dwell on it... I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I've been thinking about the baby. Our baby."
Brady nodded sadly and Chloe laid her head on his shoulder as he replied. "Me too... I think about it every single day."
Chloe sighed softly and continued. "Good... We should always remember what happened. I'm never going to forget about the baby. I can't. Part of me is always going to wonder about all the years we lost together, what we could have done with them. I'm always going to wonder what our child would have been like... But, I don't want to live in the past anymore. I want to think about the future. I'm sick of searching for reasons as to why all of this had to happen to us... I don't understand it, and maybe I never will. So, I just have to move on... Right?"
"Right. Sometimes there are no reasons. It's just the hand that life deals us. You have to accept it no matter how bad it is."
"It's either that or fold."
Brady chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "Exactly. But, enough with the poker metaphors... What do you want to do tonight?"
Chloe snuggled closely to him. "I just... I just want to be with you."
"Then it's a good thing you already are. What ELSE do you want to do?"
Chloe lifted her head from his shoulder and gently pressed her lips against his for a deep, passionate kiss. She broke it off and smiled happily at him. Her stomach seemed to be churning as a million different thoughts flew through her head. She never felt as complete as she did when she was in his arms, and she wanted to savor every moment they spent together, especially after such a long separation.
"Brady... I -- I need to ask you something... But, I'm kind of nervous about it. So... Whatever your answer is, at least try to be nice about it. Okay?"
Brady looked at her in confusion and nodded. "Oooookay... Go ahead. Ask me."
"Okay, I can uhm... Uhm... I was wondering... No wait, I was thinking that maybe... What would you think about..." Chloe's voice trailed off and she nervously ran her fingers through her hair. She paused as she looked at one of the long brown strands between her fingers and then looked back at Brady with a grin. "What do you think about me cutting my hair?"
"You're going to cut your hair?"
"Well, maybe... I mean, it's been really long all of my life. It's just kind of a pain sometimes. I'm not saying I'm gonna shave my head or something. Just something a little shorter than it is now. Like... shoulder-length maybe..."
Brady pursed his lips together thoughtfully and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. "If that's what you want to do, I'm not gonna complain. You'll be beautiful no matter how your hair looks. However -- I have a feeling that's not what you were going to ask me."
Chloe sighed loudly and frowned at him. He had a knack for knowing when she was skating around the subject. "Fine -- fine... You're right. I was going to ask you..."
She paused for awhile and Brady stared at her expectantly. Chloe wracked her brain for the right words to say, but seemed to find herself coming up short. She cleared her throat and continued, saying the first thing that came to mind. "I was going to ask you if you wanted to have dinner with Shane tomorrow night. He called before you came over to ask us out to dinner. What do you think?"
"I think that's a great idea. We'll have to call him later and make the plans. I also think that you're still not asking me the real question that's on your mind."
"Yes -- Yes, I am."
"Chloe... Is there anybody on this earth who knows you better than I do?"
Chloe shook her head slowly. "No... There isn't. But, maybe you're wrong. Maybe I don't have something else to ask you."
Brady glared at her skeptically and threatened her to give up. "Tell me right now exactly what is on your mind, or I will tickle it out of you."
Chloe laughed softly and nodded, laying her hands on Brady's chest with a smile. "Okay, I'll tell you... I just don't know how to say it. I love you, Brady, with every bit of my heart and soul. And, I know that you love me just the same. I spent so much time without you in my life, and I don't want to do that anymore. I want you with me as much as possible. I want us to be together... the way we should have been together four years ago. So, what I really wanted to ask you was..."
Chloe paused again and smiled sweetly at him. "Brady Victor Black... Will you marry me?"
Brady sunk into the couch with a look of shock all over his face. "What... What... WHAT?"
Chloe groaned loudly and put her face into her hands. "Damnit, Brady. Don't make me say it again. Just answer me."
Brady put his hands on each side of her face and looked at her doubtfully. "Chloe... I -- I thought you wanted to take things slow."
"I thought so too. But, really... Brady... I have known you since I was sixteen years old. But, I feel like I've been waiting my entire life to be with you. I don't want to wait any longer. I want this so badly. So, please... say that you want to spend the rest of your life with me as my husband."
Brady leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips before propping his forehead up on hers. He whispered softly to her as a gentle smile crossed his face. "Yes... My answer is yes."
Chloe wrapped her arms around him tightly and gave him a long passionate kiss. She broke off the kiss and then threw herself backwards on the couch with a loud sigh. "Oh thank God..."
"What? You thought that there was even the slightest chance I would tell you no?"
"Well, this isn't exactly the most traditional way to go about getting engaged."
Brady laughed as he leaned over and pulled her back into his arms. "When have we ever done anything the traditional way? Besides... We're not engaged... We're..."
Brady was searching for a word and Chloe grinned at him before she finished his sentence. "Re-engaged?"
"Close enough. So, you do know what we have to do with the rest of our evening, don't you?"
"Uhmmmm... I don't know. What?"
Brady stood from the couch and pulled her up with him. "You have to go ask my Dad for permission to marry me."
Chloe giggled and playfully smacked him on the arm. "I do not... But, we probably should go tell the good news to our families. I think Belle's been asking me every day when we're getting married."
"Then let's go. You said you didn't want to waste any more time... So, we won't. I want to marry you as soon as possible."
Chloe grabbed on to his hand and walked towards the door of the apartment with him. "Well, I don't want to steal the spotlight from Mimi and Jason of course. But, I don't want to drag out the planning process any longer than necessary. I already planned one wedding with you four years ago... This one has to be simpler."
She opened the door and they walked into the hallway, locking the door behind them. Brady pulled her close for another kiss before they left and smiled a smile that could only be described as true perfection. "I love you, Chloe Lane... And, I never want to live my life without you again."
Chloe smiled back at him and nodded in agreement. "You won't have to. Never again. The future starts right now, Brady, and everything is going to be perfect."
Brady let go of her and they walked down the hallway hand in hand. After years of misery, she wasn't just hoping for the perfect future. She knew it would happen. Nothing would ever stand in their way again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Author's Notes
No epilogue. I wrote about half of it, and then it accidentally got deleted. I took that as a sign from a higher power that it didn't need an epilogue. Let's just say, "They lived happily ever after, got married, had babies, etc. etc." Mmmkay?
Now on to the important parts:
Thank you to all of the readers. I always thank you first, because that's who I appreciate the most. If there were no readers, there'd be no reason to write. :)
Thank you to Georgie for being such a pain and forcing me into this. LOL. I didn't want to do it, but I did it anyway, and I had fun. That's the most you'll get me to admit unless you want to get me liquored up or something. Just kidding...
Thanks to the other girls at ES who forced Georgie to force me to do this. ES rocks! :)
Thanks to Mandie for not disowning me as her friend and fellow Chloe Horton lover. ;)
Thanks to the Teen board as well, you are all so supportive of me, and I can't thank you enough.
And now on to the Disclaimer:
I do not own Brady and Chloe, although I am currently working hard to find out how I can take over ownership of them. I do not own any of the other characters featured in this story, and that's probably for the best. They belong to all those NBC people who have way more money than I do. At least for now anyway. ;)
My little story that was supposed to be like four chapters ended up being fourteen chapters long. I really have issues, don't I?
I'd like to start another Broe 'epic' soon, but I have the hardest time coming up with titles. I'm TERRIBLE at titles and summaries, but I can write long-ass fics, I don't know why.