*Salem, MA: Friday, September 29, 2000 @ 8:42 p.m.*
::Chloe::
I sat with trembling hands, gazing in disbelief at the document I was holding. After living with the Wesleys for a few months, I had finally found it: my birth certificate. I looked at my name, printed in simple black letters. Stefanie Chloe W. Fitzgerald. (The W stands for my mother�s last name, Wesley.)
Fitzgerald?
I looked down at my father�s name. Martin Fitzgerald. I gasped, with tears in my eyes. This was my father. My father, who left my mother. My father, who didn�t want anything to do with my mother and me. I shakily stood up, and as I was about to return it to the drawer I had found it in�
�Chloe!�
I spun around. �Nancy."
She walked up to me. �Chloe, dear, what is that?� Nancy Wesley, my biological mother, asked.
�That�s not my name,� I replied, disgusted. �My name is Stefanie.�
Nancy�s expression turned into a look of shock. Then her eyes darted to the object in my hands. �You� you found it.�
�How could you lie to me like that, Nancy? How could you tell me that my father was someone else? You know, I was finally starting to trust you! I was even beginning to think of you as my own, true, mother! But then you go lying to me, telling me that my father is dead-� My yelling was cut off by my mother.
�Chloe--�
�I don�t want to be Chloe anymore, I would like to be referred to as Stefanie, please,� I coldly informed her.
�Fine, Stefanie. And as I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted, I didn�t lie to you. Your father isdead--�
�I don�t want to hear it! You lied!�
�Chloe Wesley!� Nancy took my arm and forcefully sat me down on the bed. �I am not lying to you. Martin Fitzgerald died right after you were born. Apparently he had another family somewhere and shortly after he returned to them, he was murdered. I don�t know the exact details, but all I know is that he�s been dead for a while now. Does it look like I�m lying to you?� Nancy asked me, indignantly.
I lowered my head. �No.�
�Chlo--Stefanie, I do love you, even if I don�t show it well, and I just want you to be happy. I was meaning to tell you about this for a long time now, but� I didn�t know how you�d take it.�
�Mom, I need to find out about my father�s life,� I told her. It was also the first time I�d ever called her �Mom.� She noticed too. �Stef, do you know that�s the first time you�ve ever called me �Mom?�
�Of course!� I smiled. Then I turned back to the subject. �Mom, I really need to know about Martin Fitzgerald, my father. Without him, I wouldn�t be here. Do you know where I could find something about him?�
My mother was silent. �Mom, please. Don�t you think I have the right to know?�
�Stefanie, I don�t want you to be hurt. You may learn things that may hurt you.�
�I don�t care. I need to learn about my father.�
My mother was silent for a few more seconds, and then she nodded. �I just want you to know in advance that he had another family, another family that he loved so much. I just don�t want you to be hurt.�
I nodded. �Mom, I�ll be okay. I promise. Where did he say he was from?�
�Originally, he�s from Ireland, but he lived in Harmony. It�s a really tiny city in Maine.�
Then and there I decided what I was going to do. �I�m going to Harmony.�
�What� but Stefanie� you have school� and Philip��
My bright outlook darkened a little. Phil. I loved him so much, but never had the heart to tell him that. If I went now� I didn�t know how long I was going to be in Harmony. No. I had to go. Philip would understand.
�I�ll tell him, and he will understand. As for school� I can just get all my homework online, at my school�s website. Don�t worry about me, Mom. I�ll be fine. I promise.�
I could tell my mother forced a smile. �All right, honey. When are you going?�
�Tomorrow morning.�
*Salem, MA: Saturday, September 30, 2000, @ 10:08 a.m.*
::Philip::
Ring� ring� ring�
�Hello?�
�Mrs. Wesley? Hi, this is Philip. Is Chloe there?�
I could sense her hesitation in the silence that followed. �Uh� Philip, Stefanie left town last night. I don�t know when she�ll be back.�
�Stefanie?!� Since when did Chloe change her name?
�Yes, she found her birth certificate and she�s headed off to Harmony to find out about her father�s life.�
Oh, my God. �Where�s Harmony?� After everything we�ve shared, I�ve realized just exactly how I feel for her. Now hearing that she had left town, changed her name, and found out about her father� all without telling me� it was devastating.
�Harmony is a tiny city in northern Maine,� Chloe�s mom informed me, jolting me out of my thoughts.
�Oh� thank you, Mrs. Wesley. Have a nice day.� I hung up the phone and exhaled. I had to find Chloe, and I had to do it soon. Just as I put down the phone�
Ring!
�Hello?�
�Philip? Hi, it�s me, Belle.� Isabella �Belle� Black is a good friend of Chloe�s and mine.
�Hey, Belle, did you hear about Chloe?�
�Actually, that�s why I�m calling you. We were supposed to go out shopping today and she didn�t show. Do you know where she is?�
�She left, Belle. She went to some place called Harmony, which is in Maine, and I�m going after her,� I told her.
�What? Why did she leave?�
�I don�t know. Something about finding her birth certificate, finding out who her father is.�
�Oh, my God,� Belle breathed. �Listen, I�m going to call Shawn. The three of us can go up there together, okay?�
�Uh� sure. Talk to you soon.�
�Okay. Bye, Phil.� I heard a click and then I hung up the phone again. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed. �I gotta find her. I just have to.�
*Harmony, ME: Saturday, September 30, 2000 @ about the same time*
::Bethany::
I sat down on my bed and looked at the reflection in the mirror. My tear-streaked face greeted me. I just got back from Venice yesterday, but already I feel left out. I decided to go for a walk, and as I approached the door and slowly opened it, I heard voices.
�Ethan, this is it. Are you sure you�re ready?�
�I don�t have a choice, Resa. It�s not fair to Gwen if I married her, knowing full well that I love you.�
I gasped. My brother wasn�t in love with his fianc�e, he was in love with� I peeked out of my room and saw a beautiful young girl, with long, curled dark hair, huge brown eyes with a sparkle to them, and a smile that was practically electric.
She reminds me of Pilar�
Then it hit me. It had to be her daughter. Resa� was that her name? Or was it just a nickname� Theresa. I remembered hearing Pilar mention her daughter every now and then in her letters. I knew that when they broke the news to Father, Mother, Gwen, her mom (my worst enemy� I try to stay away from her at all costs), and Grandfather Alistair, all hell would break loose. So I decided to run now before that happened. I opened the door and tried to make a run for it while Ethan and Theresa had their backs turned, but it was no use. They turned around too soon and spotted me.
�Bethy! What are you doing?� Ethan asked me.
�Oh� hi, Ethan. I was just going for a walk, so I�ll see you later, okay?�
�Wait, I want you to meet Theresa. Resa, this is my youngest sister, Bethany.�
�It�s very nice to meet you,� Theresa told me, excitement in her voice. I decided right then that I really liked her. She was so much more� full of life than Gwen. I mean, I liked Gwen and all, but to be honest, I didn�t think she was the right one for him. I told my Auntie Sheridan that, and even she disagreed with me. Now I know that I was right.
�You too, Theresa,� I replied. �As much as I would love to stay and learn more about you, I believe you have more important things to attend to�� My gaze shifted to the stairs, and Ethan�s glance followed.
�Did you� hear� anything?� he asked, alarmed.
I put on an innocent look. �Ethan, I couldn�t help it, I was right about to leave. And trust me, I couldn�t be anymore happier about you and Theresa. If I were you, I�d stick with her.� I winked at them and started to walk off. �Talk to you later.�
*Somewhere in New Hampshire: 11: 42 a.m.*
::Philip::
�So, Phil, why did Chloe bail again?� Shawn-Douglas Brady, a very good friend of Chloe�s and mine, asked, not taking his eyes off the road, as we made our way up to Maine.
�She found her birth certificate, and her father�s name, so she decided to go up to Harmony to find out more about him,� Belle filled in, sitting in between us.
�Ohhh. Why didn�t she tell us?�
�I don�t know,� I replied. �She would have told me.� The silence that followed was deafening, so I leaned over and turned on the radio. �Oh! I love this song!� Belle exclaimed. �Turn it up.� And as I did, memories came flooding back to me.
::Flashback::
�So, which one do you want to see?� I asked.
�I don�t care, just as long as it�s good.� Chloe grinned at me and leaned on my shoulder as we both contemplated over what to pick.
�Hey, do you want to watch Center Stage?� I suggested.
Chloe looked up at me. �Are you really going to sit through that?�
�Not really�� I grinned at her and she gave me a playful smack. �Don�t be getting any ideas, Kiriakis.� As we inched forward towards the ticket booth, we heard voices behind us.
�So, you two an item yet?�
I turned around. There stood Shawn and Belle. I raised an eyebrow as Chloe blushed furiously. �No, we�re just hanging out and watching a movie, what about you?�
�Oh. So you�re trying to say that you guys aren�t together, right?�
�Pretty much.�
Shawn nodded. �Whatever you say, Phil. Anyways, Belle and I are going to watch her favorite movie again. She dragged me along.�
We finally made it to the counter and bought our tickets. �Well, guys, we�ll see you later, okay?� As we walked away from them and towards the popcorn stand, a song came up on the movie theater�s radio station. As I listened to it, I heard myself expressing those same words.
I wanna be that guy who can say, �You�re mine�
when we�re standing in the movie line
I wanna pick you out of the crowd,
shout it out so loud, so everyone hears me
and I would give you the world,
but if you decide that�s not what you�d like,
if you wanna keep this quiet, then baby
I�ll be your secret, if you can keep it
and I�ll be your friend, if you really need it
and I�ll be the answer to your why
if you�re willing to give me a try
(I�ll be your secret)
I smiled at Chloe and pulled her into my arms, whispering in her ear: �I�ll be your secret, if you can keep it�� Then I kissed her gently and lead her towards the theater.
::Reality::
*Harmony, ME, @ 12:05 p.m.*
::Theresa::
�Oh, God, Ethan, I�m so scared. What if� what if Gwen doesn�t understand?� I asked, in a panic.
�Theresa, whatever happens, please, just remember that I love you.� Ethan kissed me gently and I smiled. Just then a song popped into my head and I started singing it.
Sometimes I feel like tearing down these walls,
but keep you strapped inside
I wanna take away their doubt,
show what I�m about, so they can ignore me
and I would hold you tonight,
but no, no, no, no, that�s not what they�d like,
no, they wanna keep us quiet, then baby
I�ll be your secret, if you can keep it
and I�ll be your friend , if you really need it
And I�ll be the answer to your why
if you�re willing to give me a try
(I�ll be your secret)
Don�t let them tell you how to be
Just open up your eyes and see
that you belong to me
Why should we care what people say?
Why should we let them stand in our way?
You don�t have to be afraid�
Ethan smiled. �Theresa, you have such a beautiful voice.�
�Thank you, Ethan.�
�And I believe you. I mean, what you sang. I will always keep that in my heart with you. Now� we have to tell them. The wedding�s only a week away and I just can�t marry Gwen.�
I sighed. �Here goes nothing.�
*New Hampshire/Maine border, same day, same time*
::Philip::
I�ll be your secret, if you can keep it
and I�ll be your friend
Just tell me you need it
and I�ll be the answer to your why,
if you�re willing to give me a try
(I�ll be your secret)
I wanna pick you out of the crowd,
shout it out so loud, so everyone can hear me
I wanna give you the world (echo)
and let me be the answer to your why
Let me be your secret, if you can keep it~*~
The memories just would not stop. Without Chloe, my world was literally going crazy� Another memory came to me�
(Author's Note: This scene is actual dialogue from "Days of Our Lives.")
::Flashback::
�I�ve never been able to talk to a girl like this before,� I told Chloe, the two of us out on her family�s porch. It was a clear, beautiful night, and the moon shining on her beautiful face made her look almost like an angel.
�Is that a good thing?�
�It�s great.� I smiled at her, and she smiled back.
�Well, then it�ll be our little secret. I like the idea of sharing secrets with you,� Chloe told me.
�There�s something else I�d like to share with you.� Tonight was the night I was going to make my move. Just then Chloe spilled the soda that was on the railing. �I�m sorry, I�m such a klutz.�
�No, you�re perfect.� I turned her head so that she was looking at me, and I leaned in and gave her our first kiss.
After a few minutes, she pulled away. �I�m sorry, didn�t you want to�� I trailed off.
�Oh, I did.�
�Chloe, I don�t want to make a big deal out of this, but�� She nodded.
�So are you okay?�
�Yeah, Philip, of course I�m okay. If I weren�t, I would tell you,� Chloe asserted.
�Good.�
�And you would too, right?� she asked.
�Yeah, yeah, we both said stuff tonight that we�ve never told anybody before, you know?� I paused for a few seconds. �I�m glad I was with you.� And after we started talking about the future, I kissed her again, only this time, she pulled away a lot faster than before. "Philip, stop, and please, don't do that again."
�What did I do wrong?� I asked her, puzzled.
�I don�t know, I�� Chloe trailed off. �Well, you said you wanted to know how I was feeling.�
�And you feel like� you don�t want to kiss me again?�
�No� Look, Philip, I just need a second.� Chloe walked off the porch and down the walkway. �Sure.� I watched her from where I was standing. She said I can�t kiss her again� what am I going to do? She�s amazing� Just then I walked up to her. �Chloe--�
�Philip--� she said, at the same time. We shared a smile.
�I�m okay now,� she said.
�Good.�
�Well, I can articulate how I feel. Do you want to hear?�
�Yeah, yeah, of course,� I replied.
�Well, I will remember this night and everything about it--and you--for the rest of my life.�
Hearing that made me smile. �You know what? That�s exactly what I was going to tell you.�
Chloe smiled back, then continued, �And even if we never talk about it again-and I think I�d rather that we didn�t, at least not to anyone else--�
�Me neither. I mean, I would be proud for the whole world to know that I kissed you, Chloe, but� I don�t need them when I�m with you. That�s what makes tonight so special. It�s just us. It�s our little secret, okay?�
Chloe nodded, then leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. �I think should get back inside. Good night, Philip.�
�Good night.� I watched her walk back to her front door and when she turned and smiled at me, I smiled back.
::Reality::
�How much longer is it until Harmony?� I asked Shawn.
�Oh, about an hour and a half� hopefully nothing terrible has happened to Chloe.�
I shuddered at the thought. �I hope not either.�
~*~ (Song Credit): "I'll Be Your Secret" is by Tim James.
*Harmony, ME: same time, same day*
::Chloe/Stefanie::
After catching a plane from Boston, I finally arrived in Harmony, determined to find out about Martin Fitzgerald. While I was wandering through the beautiful park in the middle of town, I stumbled and fell against someone else, and we both fell to the ground. �Oh, my God, I am SO sorry,� I stammered.
�Don�t worry about it,� the girl replied. I helped her up and we both took a good look at each other. She was about my age, with blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, and a pretty smile. �I don�t think I�ve ever seen you here before,� she said. �Are you new here?�
�Yes, my name is Chl--� I hesitated for a minute, remembering that no one was to know about my former alter ego. �I�m Stefanie Fitzgerald.�
�Bethany Crane. Nice to meet you.�
�So, what is a nice girl like you doing out here alone on a Saturday afternoon? Don�t the teens here have anything better to do? I wondered.
�Well, I would be with my Auntie Sheridan, but today there�s this HUGE announcement at my house and I want to get as far away as I can from the explosion,� Bethany replied.
A smile played on my lips. �Must be major, huh?�
�Yeah, my brother is calling of the wedding of the millennium because he found out that he�s in love with someone else.�
�Wow. So� while you�re waiting for that to happen, would you mind showing me around Harmony?� I asked.
�Oh, of course not! Come on, let�s go to the Book Caf�, and we can start from there. You must be tired from your long flight. Where are you from again?�
�Massachusetts.�
�Cool. Now come on, let's go," Bethany said, leading me to the Book Cafe.
�Sure.�
Chapter 2