Wearing just a faded pair of blue jeans, Brady watched the storm roll across the ocean. White caps formed on the waves as they turned over and crashed against rocks and the shore. The ringing phone caught his attention and brought him out of his trance.

"Hello?" After a beat. "What, now?" Brady questioned into the receiver. "O-okay."

Taking the stairs two steps at a time, Brady rushed up the stairs and into the room Chloe was staying in. He sat down on the edge of the bed and nudged her shoulder. "Chloe? Chloe!?"

"You changed your mind," she said, coming out of the slips of sleep with a groggy smile.

"No, listen...You're not going to like this."

"What?" she asked alarmed. When he didn't speak, she got frustrated.

"Dammit Brady, what is it?"

His voice was low. "Philip knows you're here. He's on his way."

Chloe sat up, making Brady aware of the silk nightgown she wore. "What-How? How could he possibly know? Why isn't he... -you're not making sense..."

Brady inhaled sharply. "Because I asked Jason to bring him here."

"What? Why?" Chloe smoothed her hands through her hair and shook her head.

"When I said he wasn't kidnapped, I meant it. He's been living in the Swiss Alps. Jason's been tracking him this whole time. He's not bankrupt and he was never on drugs." Brady touched her naked shoulder.

Chloe shook her head. "That doesn't make sense."

"It's the truth." He let out a long breath.

"So why is he coming here then? What are you going to do with him?"

"For starters, he's going to sign those papers and get the hell out of your life for good."

"Brady..." Chloe said, helplessly.

Brady pulled her into his arms, smoothing his fingers through her hair. "Shh. Everything is going to be good from now on."

"I have to tell you something."

"Tell me later," he whispered.

"I-okay. Brady, can you just hold me, just for a little while. When Philip gets here...things are -well, it won't be the same."

Brady cleared his throat and moved further onto the bed, laying beside her. They were quiet for a long time, just listening to the storm and each other's breathing when Chloe began to giggle to herself.

Brady turned to look at her, thinking she'd cracked under all the pressure from the past few days. "What? Why are you laughing?"

She tried to suppress her smile. "Oh, it's nothing, it's just something that I was remembering. Something from a long time ago."

"Tell me?" he inquired.

"Do you remember the first time you kissed me?" Chloe had a tendency to be random at the oddest times. Like when your psycho husband plots his own kidnapping and you're about to come face to face with him.

"Yes," he smiled, trying not to allow the rosy blush to cover his cheeks. "How could I not, you ran to the bathroom and threw up."

"Only because I was so nervous." She spared a shy glace at him. "It felt like I had been waiting for it forever and every time you would be near me, I would get myself all pumped and I guess my nerves just got the better of me."

"I thought I disgusted you." He laughed throatily. "What are you thinking?"

Chloe bit her lip. "I'm thinking if I kissed you now...what would it feel like."

She could feel him shrugging against her. "Maybe you should try it. I haven't made how I feel about you a secret."

"H-how do you feel? I mean, I think I know, but..."

"I love you," he stated, as if it was common knowledge. Finally the cracks through the weather-beaten exterior of his heart broke through as he bared his soul.

Just hearing that made her feel brave, like everything was going to work out. "I love you, too. I always have, Brady."

"Are you going to kiss me now?"

"Are you flirting with me?"

"If you have to ask-" Chloe caught him off-guard, interrupting him with a full-lipped kiss. She slipped her tongue in his mouth when he opened it to protest.

He pulled away, breathless. "This is wrong. God, Chloe we shouldn't be doing this. You're still married."

"To a man I don't love, now hush. It feels- oh God, Brady, you feel so good."

The storm raged outside, it sounded like a freight train coming through the bedroom. "Just because it feels good doesn't make it right. Things are going to change...Philip is-"

"Does it matter what's right anymore? Don't stop."

Brady gently touched her cheek, fascinated by her bruised lips and arousal-dark eyes."Oh honey, even if I wanted to I don't think I could."

Brady rolled on top of Chloe, pressing her into the mattress. It had been way too long, for both of them.

She lifted her hips and gyrated against his pelvis, pleased to find he was already hard. She moaned against his ear, taking a little nip of his lobe. Her hands moved against him of their own accord, searching all the places she'd wanted to over the years.

Brady slid his hands to the edge of her nightgown and pulled upward until she lifted her arms and helped him. The garment flew across the room, neither cared where it landed, because his mouth was back on hers and it was warm and wet and a thousand times hotter than fire.

His hands rested on her stomach for a while, his fingers teasing little circles against her navel. He smiled against the column of her throat when she bucked upward bringing their lower bodies closer. Then his hands were on her breasts and he knew exactly what to do to get her hot. He always knew.

She rubbed against his rough, denim covered thigh, twitched and aching for something spectacular that she couldn't quite remember but knew she'd gone too long without it.

Chloe kissed him with an urgency he didn't yet understand.

She fumbled with his zipper. Over-eager almost, not giving him a chance to change his mind.

He hissed against her neck when he was finally free and her hand found the elastic band of his boxers and pulled them down. She cupped him firmly, the way she remembered he liked. There was no time for teasing. No real time for foreplay either. She was as hot as she was ever going to get and he was no doubt ready, too. She stroked his length with wonton power, drawing a deep groan from the pit of his stomach.

"Chloe."

"Please. I can't...I need..."

He wanted to draw it out. To make it last the whole night. To savour every single second. But ten years and a lot of lonely nights was too much for any man to take.

With voracious gratitude she guided him inside her. And it was a million times hotter than their mouths and tongues could ever be.

Her nails dug into his back, her hips pressed into him and her teeth sank into his neck. It was wild and frantic and a little frightening...how much she needed this...needed him like this.

From there it was a sultry, fast ride; their bodies twisting and rolling and connecting in ways that seemed impossible. He stared into her eyes, losing himself in the blue yielding pressure of sin. Their wet, sweaty skin make slapping noises above the thunder and rain and their breath came out staccato.

And then it was over and neither one could move for what felt like hours, when in reality was probably minutes. The air smelled of sex and sweat and the ocean.

There was a heaviness in the room, like neither one of them knew what to do next. Finally, Brady moved and slipped out of her and they both felt the loss instantly.

Brady scooted to one side of the bed and pulled her against him. There were so many things running through his head, but he couldn't find the words to say any of them. Chloe must have understood because she let out a contented sigh and rubbed his arm reassuringly. It was only then that he allowed himself to close his eyes and believe what had actually happened.

---

Chloe never thought there would be a day when she would be resting against Brady's chest, touching his skin, like this again. But it was real and it was better than she had hoped for, so it was only natural that something was about to happen to end her happiness.

Brady jackknifed out of sound sleep. gets out from bed and puts on his pants- don't forget Jason is there

Chloe stirred beside him, alarmed. "What? What is it?"

Brady pressed his finger to his lips, quieting her. "Someone's in the house. Stay here and I mean it Chloe. I don't care what you hear, you stay put no matter what. Okay?"

Brady stood and grabbed his jeans, forcing them up still wobbly legs.

"I'll try."

Brady looked at her and shook his head. "No you won't try, you'll do it."

"Wait! Brady, there's something you should know." Chloe hugged the sheets to her and implored him to listen.

"Yeah?" He asked over his shoulder, going into the closet and pulling out a t-shirt from way in the back.

"That's Jason and Philip isn't it?"

"Probably."

Her eyes were sad. "Brady, don't hurt him."

"Chloe, I can't promise that." Brady couldn't look at her.

Chloe swallowed hard, her voice soft. "Brady, it wasn't his fault."

"What are you talking about? Don't try to defend him now. Stay here, I'll be back soon."

Pulling his shirt over his head, Brady walked back to the bed and kneeled down and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead

Chloe wasn't just going to wait in his bed, smelling sheets that were perfumed with his essence and not do anything. Even as she pulled on her jeans and sweater over naked flesh, she knew Brady would be angered, but there was only one person who could reason with him.

As she crept down the hall, she could hear voices in the living room. She sucked in a breath and started down the steps.

"What were you thinking, Philip? How could you do this to her?"

"He did this for me," Chloe said, poised on the last step.

All eyes were on her. Jason, dressed in a black leather jacket and leather gloves, barely met her eyes.

Brady's anger was emitting from him like a beacon, Chloe could feel the room filling with it.

Philip, a little bruised and shaken, cracked a small reassuring smile and shook his head. "Don't," he said.

Looking into Philip's eyes, she almost saw the boy she had almost loved what seemed so long ago, when they were still young and still so naive. "It's over Philip. We both know it." Her voice was soft with pain making vocal the real sorrow and pity she'd felt for him for so long.

"I know," he said softly, concealing his eyes from her, ashamed. "I never meant to hurt you. Things got out of control. I got out of control. Could you-do you think some day you will forgive me?"

Chloe stepped off the stair and came closer, her eyes downcast. She couldn't look at Brady, not now. "Philip, stop it. I can't lie to him anymore. I can't do it."

Brady's face flamed with uncertainty and anger. "Could somebody tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Philip and I-"

"We set you up," Philip interrupted.

"What?"

Philip coughed and wiped his bloody lip that had just cracked open again. "This whole thing. The kidnapping... The divorce papers... We set everything up so you'd help out Chloe."

Brady turned to Chloe, his eyes accusatory. The pressure in his stomach was like a volcano, he could feel hot lava bubbling inside, making everything sting. "You lead me on a wild goose chase and all along you pretended Philip had been kidnapped!? How could you let me think that?" Chloe didn't look at him, dared not to speak. Chloe, answer me!"

A nervous smile separated her lips. "Okay, so I admit, it was the dumbest thing I've ever done, but I don't regret it." Her chin tilted up, her eyes became defiant. "And I'd do it all again, just to spend this much time with you without the tension and the past creeping up on us."

Brady laughed, a cold, heatless laugh that sounded like a cackle. "Do you realize what you've done? Any trust I had in you is gone now. You both played me for an idiot and I was too blind and still too in love to see it for what it was." He ripped his fingers through his already tousled hair and snorted another chilling chuckle. "So this was all some game to entertain yourselves?"

Chloe rushed to his side, but he held her off and she slunk back toward the staircase. "It wasn't a game, Brady. I wanted you back but my pride kept me away for ten years."

Jason remained silent. He looked between the three of them. It was an eternal triangle and a fucked up one at that. It was exactly the reason he stuck to airline stewardesses and super models: no strings attached, hot sex and free swag.

Philip cleared his throat again. "It's not her fault. It was my idea. I was a coward. I figured if you thought I was a bastard... Listen, most of what Chloe told you probably was true. It was barely a marriage, it was probably over before it even began. Her heart was somewhere else... I wore blinders for a while, but she's yours, Brady. She always has been, it just took me awhile to realize it."

Brady didn't look up when he spoke, couldn't bare to. "You think this makes it better? I can't trust you anymore, Chloe. Do you get that?"

"Brady," Chloe pleaded, trying again to touch him, but he backed away.

"Leave me alone. I can't even look at you right now." Brady rushed out the back door, uncaring that the rain still poured thick on the beach and that it probably wasn't the safest place to be.

Chloe looked between the remaining men, desperate. "Jason," Chloe began, "maybe you should see if he's okay."

Jason shook his head and took a deep breath. "I've seen him like this before. He nearly dislocated my jaw the last time I meddled when it came to you. He needs to be alone. Get your stuff together, there's a plane waiting to take us back to Salem."

"What about Brady?"

There was no emotion to his voice and Chloe knew the situation was bad, very bad. "He'll be okay. Give him a few days. Don't push him, Chloe. It was hard enough for him to lose you the first time."

____

And that folks is what we call a little twist. Did anyone see it coming or did I fool everyone? Muah haha! Sorry, I'm very sleep deprived right now. lol