Don't Walk Away
Chapter
One
[Notes:
This doesn't really take place in any of the current or recent teen storylines.
It's a Brady/Chloe/Phillip story, so it doesn't really involve anyone else
except as support characters. You can ignore most of the recent storylines,
because Shawn/Belle ARE a couple in this story, even though it's unimportant
here. (One storyline from the show is going to be integrated much later on, but
I won't tell you which one. Let's just say, it helps progress my characters in
the way that I need them to progress.) Okay, on with the show!]
Brady leaned back in his office chair with a sigh. He had never been keen on
working after hours, but he understood why he was here at 7:30 on a Friday
night. Things had been hectic at work lately, as Basic Black was preparing to
land the biggest account in their short history. Brady preferred working late
much more than getting up early on a Saturday morning to be here.
He sat up straight and swallowed the last lukewarm gulp of coffee in his cup. He
was about to stand when the phone on his desk began to ring. They had sent their
secretarial staff home at five, so Brady pressed the button and left it on
speakerphone.
"Brady Black's office."
"Hi, Brady Black's office. This is Chloe Lane's office calling. Is Mr.
Black available to speak to Miss Lane?"
Brady chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. If there was one thing that gave
Chloe joy in life, it was making fun of his executive status at his father's
company. "I don't know, Miss Lane. Mr. Black is very busy. Can you please
tell me what this is in regards to?"
Chloe huffed angrily on the other line. "It's in regards to you taking me
off speakerphone, PLEASE. You know how much I hate that."
Brady laughed and grabbed the handset off of the receiver. "I'm sorry,
Chloe. I know you hate not knowing who else might be in the room listening
in."
"It's not just that. I hate that weird echo that speakerphones always have.
Call me crazy..."
"Crazy."
"But, it drives me insane. Much like you do."
Brady smiled at one of Chloe's more quirky pet peeves. "So, what is up,
Diva?"
"I uhm... I was wondering when, or if, you were ever going to get out of
the office tonight."
Brady looked at his desk, everything seemed to be in order. "Actually, I
was thinking about leaving any second now. Why do you ask?"
"Well, if you're not too busy... Would you mind stopping by my house? I
need to talk to you about something really important."
"I don't mind at all. Is everything okay?"
Chloe spoke reassuringly, but Brady thought he could hear a bit of nervousness
in her voice. "Yeah, everything is great. I just wanted to talk to you.
Don't worry about it."
Brady glanced at his watch and replied. "Okay, I can be there around eight
o'clock. I just have to lock up my office, get to my car and I'll be on my
way."
"Okay, thanks, Brady. I'll see you in a little bit."
"Alright, Bye."
Chloe said a soft goodbye, and Brady cradled the handset back in the receiver.
Curiosity was about to get the best of him, as he wondered what Chloe could
possibly want to talk about. He hoped it wasn't another problem with Phillip.
Since their last breakup, Chloe had explained to him over and over that she
would never get back together with him. As usual, Phillip seemed determined to
get her back anyway. Many nights found Chloe running to cry on Brady's shoulder,
because Phillip refused to let go of her.
Brady stood up and pushed his chair back in. He made sure the lights were off
and locked his office door behind him. As he walked through the dark hallways,
his thoughts were conflicted. He certainly couldn't blame Phillip for his
persistence, as Chloe was a one of a kind type of person who could never be
replaced.
He got off of the elevator and stepped into the darkened parking garage. There
were only a few cars scattered about, probably belonging to the few after hours
janitorial and security personnel that their office building employed. Brady
made a mental note that the parking garage needed better lighting and more
security. He didn't fear for himself, but he feared for the safety of female
employees who had to walk to their vehicles in the dark.
Brady made his way down the middle of the lane, his jeep was parked all the way
on the other side. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and began humming
quietly. Brady was standing near his jeep when he heard an engine rev all the
way on the other side of the aisle. He turned slowly and saw a pair of bright
headlights aimed in his direction. Brady tried to shield his eyes to see who was
behind the wheel of the vehicle, but the light was too blinding.
Brady's eyes widened in shock when he realized the car was moving forward and a
very fast rate of speed. He knew it was coming for him and he tried to move, but
he was frozen with fear. Once he could finally pick his feet up, it was too
late. The car came powering towards him, slamming into his body and throwing him
onto the hood of the car. The car flew backwards in reverse, as Brady slid
limply off of the car and onto the ground.
Brady tried to move, but he felt pain shooting through every inch of his body.
He could feel himself become short of breath and he found enough strength to
reach for his cellphone in his pocket. He slowly pulled it out, but it had been
smashed into pieces by the impact of the crash. Brady let the phone drop slowly
from his hand as he felt his world start to close in on him. He could feel
numbness and pressure all over his body, and his vision began to go black. He
tried to shout for help, but he didn't have enough air in his lungs to make any
noise. And, then, as suddenly as the car had slammed into him, he felt nothing
at all. No pain, no noise, only darkness.