Eventually, Chloe and Philip arrived outside the Kiriakis mansion. They hadn’t spoken the entire way there and Philip was beginning to worry about her. Philip began walking through the front gates when he noticed that Chloe was no longer following him. He turned to see her staring at the majestic home, completely awe-struck.
"Is this where you live?" Chloe asked timidly, turning her attention to Philip.
"Well… yeah," Philip said, relieved that Chloe was talking, but surprised that she was impressed with his home.
"I knew your family was wealthy, but I didn’t realize you were THIS wealthy!" Chloe said, still staring at the house. Philip was able to let a small smile creep onto his own lips.
"C’mon, we’re gonna go to the guesthouse," Philip said as he took Chloe’s hand and began leading her to the back of the mansion.
"Could someone see us?" Chloe whispered as they tiptoed around the huge pool.
"Well, we have security guards and I’m positive they’ve seen us, but they won’t say anything." Philip answered, not at all concerned that they could get caught.
"What makes you so sure?" Chloe asked skeptically as they reached the door to the guesthouse. Philip pulled a key out from its hiding place along a windowsill then he quietly began unlocking the door.
"The guards won’t do anything because first of all, I live here and they’d recognize me and secondly, I’m sure they’ve seen much weirder things at this house." With that Philip opened the door and ushered Chloe inside. They didn’t turn on any lights in order to avoid having Philip’s parents wonder what was going on in their backyard. Instead, they turned on the TV and let its soft glow illuminate the room. Chloe automatically curled up on the couch, staring at the TV silently. Thoughts of Jason began to fill her head and she closed her eyes, trying to force the memories away.
"Chloe?" Philip said, causing to sit up stiffly, she had nearly forgotten he was there. She turned to face him. "I’m just going to run to my room and get you something to wear to bed, will you be okay alone for a couple of minutes?"
"I’ll be fine," Chloe answered, trying to sound convincing.
"While I’m gone," Philip said. "You should call your mom and tell her you’re spending the night at Belle’s. The last thing we need is for your mom to freak out and send the police out looking for you." Chloe nodded her head in agreement.
"Alright, I’ll be back in a few minutes." Philip said as he vanished out the front door.
Chloe looked around and finally found the phone. She took some deep breaths to relax, and once she thought she was ready, she began dialing. The phone had barely made it through the first ring, when Nancy’s voice came on the other end.
"Hi Nancy," Chloe said, forcing herself to keep her emotions in check.
"Sweetie! Where are you? I’ve been waiting up for you!" Nancy said cheerfully, trying to disguise her worry.
"I’m at Belle’s," Chloe said calmly. "The two of us are going out tomorrow morning, so I decided to just spend the night here."
"Oh, okay then," Nancy said, relieved. "Are you sure it’s okay with Belle’s parents?"
"Yeah, they said it was fine," Chloe said weakly, beginning to lose her nerve.
"Chloe, are you alright sweetie?" Nancy asked, the concern reappearing in her voice.
"I’m just exhausted, I think I’m going to head up to bed," Chloe answered, trying to cover.
"Alright then, I love you and I’ll see you tomorrow."
"Goodnight," Chloe said as she hung up the receiver. Suddenly, the front door swung open, causing Chloe to nearly jump out of her skin.
"Sorry," Philip said as he closed the door behind him. "I didn’t mean to scare you."
"I’m fine," Chloe said nervously. "I was just talking to my Mom, she seemed to buy the whole idea of me being at Belle’s."
"That’s good," Philip answered as he approached Chloe and handed her a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt. "You can wear these, they’ll probably be too big, but a least you’ll be comfortable." Chloe took the clothes gratefully and headed into the bathroom to change.
Philip watched her walk away, then settled in on the couch, trying to find something good to watch. He finally settled on a movie that was just starting, when Chloe came out of the bathroom in his clothes. Philip couldn’t help by smile, thinking she looked adorable in the oversized clothes.
"They are a little big," Chloe said gently, pulling up the t-shirt to show that she had roll the waist on the pants up a few times to avoid tripping. She quickly sat down on the couch next to Philip, tucking her legs underneath her.
"What are we watching?" Chloe mumbled.
"I’m not quite sure," Philip answered. "But it just started, so we’ll be able to figure out what’s going on." Chloe nodded as she tried to focus on the TV. "You hungry?" Philip inquired. Chloe just shook her head ‘no’.
Soon Chloe’s eyes began to feel heavy, and she tried to get more comfortable on the couch. Philip noticed this, so he moved over towards Chloe and put his arm around her shoulder, easing her against his chest. Chloe allowed herself to cuddle up to Philip, grateful he was there with her, making her feel safe. Soon she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter # 12:

Philip yawned and stretched his arms out over his head as the movie credits flew across the TV screen. He looked down at Chloe, relieved she was getting some sleep. He couldn’t help but stare at her as she slept so peacefully. He brought his hand up to her face and gently pushed some of her long hair behind her ear. It was then that the bruises on her face caught his eye. They were both dark purple now and Philip knew that they must hurt a lot. ‘Jason’s going to pay,’ Philip thought to himself as he stroked Chloe’s face gently. ‘He deserves a lot more than just a beating for doing this.’
Realizing that Chloe would probably be more comfortable in the bed, Philip sat up slowly and quietly, then he gently scooped Chloe up in his arms. He walked silently into the bedroom and laid Chloe on the bed. She murmured unrecognizable words as Philip pulled the blankets out from underneath her and then wrapped them carefully over her body. He resisted the urge to lie down next her, knowing it wouldn’t be very appropriate. Instead he went over to the closet and took an extra blanket out. Taking one last look at Chloe, he headed back out to the living room and settled in on the couch. The TV was still on and he stared at it aimlessly, unable to get himself to fall asleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about Chloe. In his head he kept hearing the sound of her crying and screaming for help, and he couldn’t stop seeing the image of Jason forcing himself on her. He rolled over, trying to just close his eyes and sleep, but it was no use. He finally rolled onto his back and let out a long sigh as he gave up on the notion of sleeping. He turned to look at the TV again as an annoying infomercial came on. He used his hand to search the floor near the couch, trying to find the remote. Eventually, his fingers felt the smooth plastic and he turned off the TV and just stared at the ceiling. Suddenly, he heard a soft sound. He sat up and looked around the room, wondering what he had heard. As he sat there listening carefully, he realized the sound was coming from the bedroom. He threw off his blanket and walked slowly towards the bedroom. As he got closer he realized that the sound was soft sobbing and as he gently pushed the door open he could see Chloe sitting up in bed with her face buried in her hands. Philip walked into the room and sat down beside Chloe, enveloping her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth as if she were a baby, stroking her hair as he tried to comfort her. Chloe finally lifted her face from her hands and wrapped her arms around Philip’s neck, trying to get a hold of herself, but failing miserably.
"It’s going to be alright," Philip said soothingly as he held her tighter. Chloe slowly began to calm down and soon her breathing returned to normal. Without letting go of Philip, she began to wipe her tears, making sure she didn’t press too hard on her cheeks. They sat there together for a few minutes longer, when Philip reluctantly began to let go of Chloe.
"I should head back to the couch…" He began, but Chloe tightened her arms around him.
"Can you stay here?" She whispered, praying he would say ‘yes’. "I just don’t want to be alone," she continued, trying to explain her intentions. Philip pulled away from her slowly and stared deep into her eyes, happy that she wanted him there with her.
"Sure," he mumbled, unable to stop looking at her. Chloe returned his gaze, thinking about how lucky she was to have him here with her. She sat there, trying to choose the words for what she wanted to say, finally she spoke.
"Yesterday, I never would have admitted this, but…" Chloe began cautiously. "I really want you in my life." Their eyes stayed locked as neither dared to look away.
"What about the bet?" Philip asked hopefully.
"I don’t care about that anymore," Chloe said as she began leaning towards Philip.
Leaning down to meet her, Philip gently touched the side of her face and pulled her lips towards his own. Chloe felt the tension slip out of her body as Philip kissed her gently. She reached her hand up to join his, lacing her fingers between his. All the memories of Jason’s rough and demanding kisses were washed away from Chloe’s mind as she savored the feeling of Philip’s soft lips against her own. Reluctantly, they broke apart and without a word, Philip placed a delicate kiss on Chloe’s forehead and then reached down and pulled the covers up around them. Chloe wrapped her arms around Philip as she found a comfortable position and Philip did the same. Within minutes they were both sound asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter # 13:

"Belle? What are doing here so early?" Hope yawned as she stared at the young girl standing at her front door.
"I’m so sorry Hope," Belle whispered, remembering to keep her voice down so she didn’t disturb Shawn’s baby brother. "I just really have to talk to Shawn, we have a mini emergency on our hands."
"Emergency?" Hope asked looking concerned. "What’s going on Isabella?"
"I’d tell if I could, but to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what’s going on," Belle answered, her eyes pleading with Hope’s. Hope couldn’t help but smile.
"Alright. You can go wake him…" Belle immediately began running for the stairs, as Hope called out to her. "But if you two wake my YOUNGEST baby, there’s going to be big trouble!"
Belle tore up the stairs as quietly as she possibly could, making a point to tiptoe past baby John’s room. Finally, she reached the door to Shawn’s room and peeked in. He laid on his back with his covers thrown in all directions. Belle’s eyes glanced at the bandage on his head and hoped that his was feeling better. Soon her eyes settled on his nappy bed head and she couldn’t help but giggle. But she quickly remembered her reason for coming, so she pushed her laughter aside and made her way towards Shawn. She sat down on his bed and ran her hand gently across his face.
"Shawn," she called sweetly. "Shawn, c’mon…time to wake up." Shawn mumbled and rolled over on his side, pulling his covers over his head. Belle sighed in frustration as she got to her knees and began trying to pull the covers away from Shawn.
"Shawn Brady!" She said in a now stern voice, "get your butt outta bed! We have to talk!" She began poking him as hard as she could, attempting to force him out of his deep sleep.
"BOOOO!!" Shawn suddenly screamed as he jumped out from under the covers and grabbed Belle around the waist, pulling her down next to him on the bed. He rolled on top of her and held her down as he tickled her. Surprised, Belle let out a shriek and tried to tickle Shawn back, but then she quickly clamped her hands over her mouth. Shawn stared down at her confused.
"Your brother!" Belle hissed through her hands. Realizing who he might have woken up, Shawn stared at his door, straining his ears to listen for any sounds that might be coming from little John. After a few moments of complete silence, Belle and Shawn both breathed a sigh of relief, confident that the baby was still asleep.
Still in the same position, Belle opened her mouth to speak, but Shawn interrupted her by placing a light peck on her lips.
"Good morning Angel!" He said cheerfully. "You know you’re much prettier than my alarm clock… maybe I’ll get you to do this every morning!!" Belle rolled her eyes as Shawn laughed at his joke.
"If you’re done kidding around Mr. Brady," Belle said in a serious tone. "I believe we need to discuss the fact that Chloe, Jason and Philip are all MIA."
"MIA?" Shawn said with a frown. Belle patted the top of his head with her hand.
"I’m sorry, I forgot you got hit in the head. I’ll try not to use anymore hard words!" Belle said with a giggle. Shawn gave her a dirty look.
"Ohhhh, aren’t we funny this morning!" With that, he began tickling Belle’s sides, causing her to squirm and giggle uncontrollably.
"Mercy! You win!" She called out breathlessly. Shawn ceased his attack, a triumphant grin plastered over his face.
" ‘Missing In Action’," Belle explained. "It was bad enough that we couldn’t find any of them last night, but now it’s like 10 hours later and I still haven’t heard a word from Chloe." Belle turned her head to stare out Shawn’s open window. "That’s not like her Shawn…this whole ‘going with Jason thing’ was a big deal…She would have called by now to let me know what had happened." Belle turned her head back towards Shawn and he could immediately see the concern and worry in her blue eyes. "What if something happened?" She whispered.
"I’m sure everything’s fine Belle," Shawn said soothingly as he brushed a stray hair from her forehead, letting his fingers take their time as they danced across her skin.
"But you said that Jason was going to try something," Belle said, still not convinced. Shawn took Belle’s hand and held it against his chest.
"Yeah I know… to be perfectly honest, I got this gut feeling that Jason tried to pull something." Belle looked like she was going to cry, so Shawn quickly continued. "But you shouldn’t worry. Philip was there and I know for a fact that he wouldn’t have let Chloe out of his sight. She’s like a goddess to him and if Jason had tried anything, Philip would have stopped him." Shawn lifted her hand up to his lips and kissed it gently. "I know this is gonna sound terrible -- I mean I certainly don’t want anything bad to happen to Chloe -- but I’m so glad that you weren’t with Jason last night." Belle blushed a bit as Shawn smiled down at her.
"Why do say that?" Belle asked with a shy grin on her face.
"Well," Shawn began, leaning down towards her. "First of all, I’m glad you weren’t there because you mean the world to me, and the sight of Jason near you would have made me crazy." Belle smiled lovingly at Shawn as he inched closer and closer to her.
"Is there a second reason?" She whispered softly.
"I’m getting there!" Shawn said, flashing his own grin. "Secondly, I’m glad you weren’t there last night because if Jason had tried anything on you, I would have had to kill him. Frankly, me becoming a murderer would seriously piss my parents off!" Belle began to laugh, but Shawn quieted her with a kiss. They both smiled as their mouths pressed together, enjoying the sensation of their lips brushing against each other. Suddenly, they heard someone clear their throat at the door. They both snapped their eyes up to see Hope standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Emergency, huh," she said as she watched the two teens scramble to get off each other and eventually get to their feet. Both teens stared at Hope, their cheeks turning crimson with embarrassment.
"The phone’s for you Belle," Hope said as she walked into the room and handed Belle the cordless phone. Both Shawn and Belle looked at each other confused, they hadn’t even heard the phone ring. Belle slowly took the phone from Hope, wondering who it could be.
"Hello," she said carefully into the receiver.
"Belle Black where the hell is my daughter!!!"
"Mrs. Wesley?" Belle asked surprised.
"I just called your house and your father told me that Chloe did not spend the night with you, so I’m going to ask you again… Where the hell is my daughter!!!!" Belle’s eyes darted between Shawn and Hope and then she stared at the phone in horror. Realizing that there was no way out, she sat down on Shawn bed.
"Mrs. Wesley you might want to sit or something, I’ve got some news you’re not going to like…"

Chapter # 14:

Philip’s eyes fluttered open slowly as the sunlight poured in through the bedroom window. After rubbing his eyes gently, he was able to focus on Chloe’s face as she lay in the bed beside him, sleeping peacefully. Philip slowly leaned towards her and kissed her softly on the forehead, trying to keep his eyes off the bruises that covered her cheeks. He shook his head and looked away as he thought about the events of the previous evening, making a vow that he was going to make Jason REALLY sorry when he saw him again. Suddenly, he could feel Chloe stirring beside him and he turned his head to watch her wake up.
Chloe’s eyes blinked a few times as she remembered where she was. She looked up to find Philip wide-awake, his eyes looking deep into her own. She smiled weakly as she cuddled up even closer to him and allowed him to place a few kisses on her cheeks and neck.
"Morning," he mumbled between kisses, causing Chloe to giggle a little. "How are you doing?" As Philip asked this question he pulled his lips away from her and searched her face for some signs.
"As well as can be expected," Chloe answered flatly, her body filling with anger as she remembered what Jason had done to her. She slowly began to raise her hand to her cheek, but Philip stopped her.
"I’m not gonna lie…" He began gently, "they look pretty bad." Chloe could feel her heart sink. She had hoped that the bruises wouldn’t be as bad as last night and that she might be able to hide what had happened, but Philip’s expression made her realize that no amount of black clothing or thick glasses could hide this secret. Knowing exactly what Chloe was feeling, Philip placed a hand on her cheek and whispered in her ear. "Bruises or no bruises… you’re still the most beautiful girl I’ve ever known. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Chloe blushed at Philip’s compliment and knew that he was right. ‘I shouldn’t feel bad,’ Chloe thought to herself. ‘If I’m going to be angry, there’s only one person who deserves to be blamed.’
"What are you thinking?" Philip asked as he moved onto his back and wrapped an arm around Chloe, pulling her next to him. Chloe rested in his arm with her head on his chest, listening to his heart.
"Nothing, I’m just realizing you’re right." She answered absently.
"Of course I’m right," Philip said jokingly. "Uh, what am I right about?" He asked as he twirled her soft hair around his fingers.
"About blaming Jason," Chloe said as she propped herself on her elbows and looked into Philip’s face. "I know I was stupid to go with him, but that doesn’t mean that I deserved to be attacked. I’m not going to sit around and punish myself for what happened because it’s not my fault." Philip smiled at Chloe’s determination. He was relieved that she wasn’t going to blame herself and he could tell that she wasn’t going to let Jason get the better of her.
"So what are you going to do?" Philip asked, admiring the way her eyes were lighting up as her strength and resilience began to kick in.
"I’m going to make that son of a b*tch pay, that’s what I’m going to do!" Chloe said hotly. Philip grinned as he pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.
"I’m really proud of you," he whispered. Chloe looked up at him and gave him a genuine smile. Knowing that Philip was going to help her with this whole mess only made her feel stronger.
"Jason is going to seriously regret messing with me." Chloe said as she leaned up and placed a light kiss on Philip’s lips. Philip returned the kiss eagerly, and after a moment, they slowly broke away, both out of breath.
"We should get you home," Philip said as he rested his forehead against her own. Chloe groaned a little at the idea of having to face her family and friends, she could already her the thousands of questions running through her head.
"Can’t we just stay here!" Chloe mumbled, burying her head in Philip’s chest. "I know I have to face everyone eventually… but right now?" Philip just nodded and she sighed. Pulling the covers off of herself, she got out of the bed and went over to the pile of her own clothes that were laying on the dresser. She held up her blue top and inspected the rip.
"I’m wearing your shirt," Chloe said flatly as she grabbed Philip’s dress shirt and made her way to the bathroom. Philip watched her walk out then got out of bed himself. He looked down at his dress pants and white tank top and decided that although the outfit was really wrinkled, it would be fine for walking Chloe home. He left the bedroom and went into the smaller bathroom by the kitchen. There he straightened out his messy blonde hair, threw some water on his face and squirted some toothpaste in his mouth. Knowing that was as freshened up as he was going to get for now, he left the bathroom and went into the kitchen to rustle up some bowls of cereal for Chloe and himself. Chloe came into the kitchen soon after and laid Philip’s clothes on the counter. She was wearing her yellow skirt with Philip’s shirt, and her hair was twisted into a messy ponytail at the nape of her neck.
The two quickly gobbled up the food then made a quick clean up run, making sure that everything was back in order. Once they were both content with the guesthouse’s appearance, they headed out the front door, locking it behind them.
"Morning you two," a voice said angrily behind. Philip and Chloe turned and nearly had heart attacks when they saw a large crowd of people staring at them. Nancy, Craig, Victor, Kate, John, Marlena, Bo, Hope, baby John, Belle and Shawn, all stood in front of them. All wondering exactly what was going on. Chloe immediately put her head down to try and hide her bruises, while Philip continued to stare uncomfortably at his family and friends.
"Morning everyone…" Philip said awkwardly, "What are you all doing here?"

Chapter # 15:

"What are we doing here?" Nancy yelled angrily, her face becoming as red as her hair. "Young man, I believe the question is what are YOU doing here!?" Philip stared at Nancy, slightly confused.
"I live here Mrs. Wesley…" Philip began.
"Not that you idiot!" Nancy snapped. Craig put a hand on Nancy shoulder, a feeble attempt to calm her down.
"I believe my wife would like to know why you and OUR daughter spent the night in your guesthouse!" Craig explained his own fury beginning to show through. Philip twitched nervously, he was positive that Dr. and Mrs. Wesley would find it very therapeutic to snap him like a twig, and judging by the looks his parents were giving him, he was growing concerned that the Wesley’s were going to be permitted to do just that.
"Well…" Philip searched his mind for an answer but he was drawing a blank. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, but it was going to be hard to convince the parents of that. He looked down at Chloe for some support, but realized she had her own issues to worry about.
Chloe stood close to Philip with her face down, trying to prevent anyone from seeing the results of her night out with Jason. She knew that Philip needed her help in order to explain why they had spent the night together, but she just couldn’t summon up her courage, so she sat there listening to Nancy holler at Philip.
"How dare you take advantage of my daughter, you h----, little, punk!! I ought to break your scrawny neck!"
"Mrs. Wesley! This is not what you think…" Philip stammered as he turned to his parents. "Mom, Dad… I can explain… we can explain," Philip continued as he looked down to Chloe again. Chloe turned her eyes up ever so slightly and studied the worried expression on Philip’s face. She realized that she had to explain the situation before it got even more out of hand, but before she could say a word, Belle’s voice cut through her thoughts.
"Chloe…?" Belle began uneasily, "what’s that on your face?" Slowly, Chloe lifted her head and stared out at the group, she was met with a few hushed gasps and a lot of questioning stares.
"Oh my baby!!" Nancy finally wailed, breaking the silence. She began to run towards Chloe, but stopped in front of Philip. "How dare you hurt my girl!!" Nancy screamed, preparing to tear Philip apart piece by piece. "I’ll kill you!!"
"NANCY!!" Chloe screamed, interrupting the assault Nancy was planning. "Philip didn’t do this to me!" Chloe’s eyes were wild with anger and pain as she stared at Nancy. "He would never hurt me! Jason did this to me last night!!" The entire group stood shocked, unsure as to what they should say or do. Nancy’s jaw dropped as she took a step back and stared at her daughter’s black and blue cheeks. Chloe took a deep breath, then continued. "Jason tried to force himself on me and when I rejected him, he hit me. Luckily, before things got really bad, Philip found us and beat the crap out of Jason. Afterwards, I couldn’t bare to go home cause I was a total wreck, so Philip took me here so I could get some sleep without having to deal with a million questions." Chloe paused as she reached over and squeezed Philip’s hand tightly, which he returned. "Philip saved me last night Nancy, so I think you owe him an apology AND a thank-you." Nancy just stared back at Chloe, her face covered with tears. She slowly walked up to Philip, extending a shaky hand.
"I’m s-so sorry," Nancy began, her strong voice replaced by a quiet and trembling whisper. "I just assumed… I … I’m very sorry Philip, please forgive me."
"It’s okay Mrs. Wesley," Philip began gently as he took Nancy’s hand. "I understand why you were upset…don’t worry about it."
"Thank you for taking care of Chloe," Nancy continued, glancing in Chloe’s direction every few seconds. "I was wrong about you," she said finally, staring deep into Philip’s eyes. Nancy gave Philip’s hand one last squeeze, then turned to Chloe, slowly pulling her into her arms for a hug. Craig, whose expression was still a mixture of shock and anger, moved towards Nancy and Chloe and wrapped the two women up in his arms. The Wesley family stood together quietly for a moment while all the others watched. Finally breaking away from Craig and Nancy, Chloe brushed away some tears and stared at the others.
"Not be rude," Chloe began as she looked at the group curiously. "But why are you ALL here? I can understand why Mr. Kiriakis and Ms. Roberts are here, but Belle? Shawn?…"
"Nancy called us looking for you," Belle whispered through her own tears, she tried to continue, but in the end, she merely walked up to Chloe and threw her arms around her friend’s neck. Chloe welcomed the hug as she whispered to Belle that she was okay.
"Last night I was worried that Jason would try something like this," Shawn continued for Belle, moving closer to the girls. "Belle and I went to the banquet to try and warn you, but we couldn’t find you anywhere. You and Philip must have left by the time we finally got there. So when your mom called us this morning searching for you, we had to tell her the whole story." Shawn placed a hand a Chloe’s shoulder. "We were worried… I’m so sorry we didn’t get there in time last night." Shawn could feel his own tears tickling his eyes as he took a good look at Chloe’s face.
"Don’t even try to blame yourselves," Chloe said as she pulled away from Belle and looked at her two friends. "But, why are your parents here?" Chloe asked as she motioned to the Black and Brady parents.
"Nancy wanted us to come," Marlena explained. "We all thought that Belle and Shawn were covering for you two.
"We were going to implement multiple punishments," Hope said as she stared at the teenagers and specifically her own son. "But, I don’t think that’s quite necessary anymore."
"Sorry about that too," Nancy whispered, still clinging sadly to Craig.
"Well," John began, trying to end the awkward tension. "I think we should all head home, I’m certain that each of our families have things we need to discuss." With that, the Blacks and the Bradys began to leave, each of them stopping in front of Chloe to give her a hug and some words of encouragement. Belle was the last to hug Chloe and as she held onto her friend tightly, she whispered into her hair.
"Call me if you need anything."
"I will," Chloe whispered back, trying to smile.
"Love ya Chloe," Belle said as she gave Chloe one last hug.
"Love you too," Chloe answered as Belle turned away slowly and walked into Shawn’s waiting arms.
Chloe and Philip were now left alone with their somber looking parents.
"We should probably get home too," Craig said as he put his arms around both Nancy and Chloe. "Mr. Kiriakis, Ms. Roberts," Craig said nodding politely then finally turning to Philip. "Thank you," he said solemnly to the young man. The Wesley’s began walking away when Chloe suddenly stopped and turned back towards Philip. She quickly jogged back up to the front door of the guesthouse and wrapped her arms around Philip’s neck, squeezing him tightly. Ignoring the fact that their parents were right beside them, Philip’s arms enveloped Chloe and he kissed her softly.
"Thank you," she murmured to him. "For everything." Philip just nodded his head, unable to focus on anything but Chloe. She reached up and touched his check gently then she reluctantly moved away and resumed walking with her parents. Philip simply stood there watching Chloe walk away, his eyes never leaving her. His parents tried to question him about the previous evening but they soon realized it was hopeless.
"Just go back to bed Philip," Victor said solemnly as he squeezed his son’s shoulder. "Lord knows you deserve the extra sleep after the night you had." Without answering, Philip trudged into the mansion and right up to his room, where he promptly fell asleep upon hitting the bed.

Chapter # 16:

Belle and Chloe sat on the swinging chair out on the Wesley’s front porch. The sun, which was just peeking over the horizon, was turning the sky the most beautiful shades of pink and orange, and small twinkling stars were beginning to line the rolling clouds. The two friends giggled and chatted as they swayed back and forth with the warm summer breeze, both enjoying the "quality time" they were finally getting to spend together.
A week had passed since the evening of the banquet and Chloe had been spending most of the time discussing her situation with police officers, lawyers and a psychiatrist. Although she knew she had to deal with all these people in order to punish Jason, she really hated having to tell people about an experience she’d much rather forget. But now, she was grateful to finally be taking some time to laugh and gossip with Belle, it was helping her feel somewhat normal again.
"So how was the therapy session?" Belle asked, hoping she wasn’t going to make Chloe uncomfortable. Chloe shifted in her seat awkwardly, but eventually answered Belle.
"You know, it’s not as bad as I thought," Chloe began with a slight smile. "Your mom is really warm and caring, and it’s nice to talk to someone who isn’t as close to the situation. Plus, she’s really good at helping me understand all these emotions I have running around inside of me." Chloe absently twisted some of her hair around her finger. "I’m glad you suggested I meet with her." Belle smiled proudly.
"Well, I’m glad I thought of something that helps you," She said with an assertive nod. Chloe smiled back at her.
"The fact that you’re such a good friend is more than enough help Belle. And I don’t just mean through this whole Jason mess. You’ve been so great to me since day one." Chloe said, her voice full of sincerity and gratitude. Tears began to form in Belle’s eyes. "Belle!" Chloe began as she shook a stern finger at Belle. "Stop that! You’ll make ME cry!"
"I can’t help it!" Belle wailed as her tears began to crawl down her cheeks. "That’s just so nice! I always cry when people say such nice things to me!" Chloe just rolled her eyes happily as her own tears started to form. She leaned over and gave Belle a hug, trying to persuade her to cease and desist with the crying.
"Iasbella Black!" A voice suddenly said curtly. Both girls looked up to see Philip and Shawn standing on the steps in front of them. "Your job was to cheer Chloe up! Not make her bawl!" Shawn continued with a large grin on his face. Belle quickly pulled a cushion out from under herself and proceeded to bean Shawn in the head with it. Shawn fell to the ground, performing his best possible death scene as the others laughed at his antics. Grabbing the next cushion, Belle turned to Philip.
"Unless you want to end up like him, you’ll keep any further comments to yourself!" Philip simply laughed as he held up his hands in defense.
"I come in peace!" He cried. "For the love of God! Please just put the horrible pillow down! No one else needs to get hurt!" Chloe couldn’t help but laugh as Belle rolled her eyes at Philip’s dramatics.
"Nice Kiriakis," she muttered as she threw the cushion at him anyways. "We’ll send you your Oscar."
"What about me?" Shawn asked as he crawled up the steps from his place on the ground. "My death scene was great! I would like an Oscar too please… You know my address." The guys sat down on the deck at the girls’ feet, both grinning from ear to ear at their own antics. Belle and Chloe looked at each other then simply shook their heads.
"You know you love it!" Philip said smiling up to Chloe, making a point of displaying his dimples. Chloe reached out her hand and gently messed up his blond hair.
"I thought you two were doing ‘guy stuff’ tonight." She said as Philip jokingly shot her a dirty look for messing with his hair. Rather than answer her Philip began fixing his tousled ‘do.
"We did do ‘guy stuff’!" Shawn explained. "But we got bored… so we decided to crash ‘girls night’!"
"How nice of you," Belle said sarcastically as she gave Shawn a playful swat. Anticipating her action, Shawn grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her off the swing and down onto his lap.
"Now, now…" Shawn said as he began tickling her mercilessly. "There’s no need to get cranky!" Belle tried to squirm free, shrieking for Shawn to stop. "Are you going to be cranky?" Shawn asked with a smirk.
"Nooooo!" Belle wailed. Eventually Shawn let her go and after she gave him a few more playful punches, she settled down on his lap with his arms wrapped around her. Philip took this opportunity to move from his place on the floor and take up residence beside Chloe on the swing. Philip wanted to wrap an arm around Chloe, but he hesitated, unsure if Chloe would be comfortable with that kind of affection in front of their friends. He was pleasantly surprised when Chloe took his arm in her hand and pulled it over her head and onto her shoulders, snuggling up to his side. Philip couldn’t stop beaming as he looked down at her lovingly.
"So what was with the tears?" Shawn asked as he laid his head on Belle’s back and hugged her tightly to him.
"I was telling Belle what a wonderful friend she was and she started getting all weepy on me!" Chloe answered with a grin.
"I can’t help it!" Belle said with a little pout. "Stuff like that just makes me emotional! That’s not my fault!" Everyone, including Belle, couldn’t help but laugh at her little tantrum.
"I should probably tell you two the same thing," Chloe said as she looked at the two guys. "You’re both really good friends, and I appreciate the fact that you guys are here for me."
"It’s an honor to be your friend," Shawn said with a warm smile. "You don’t have to thank me for that." Chloe returned his smile, while Belle sat with a delighted expression on her face.
Philip was a little unhappy with the idea of Chloe considering him just a friend, but when he felt a gentle squeeze on his hand, he looked down into her eyes and instantly knew that she thought of him as much more than her friend. Elated by this, Philip lowered his lips down to hers and gave her a quick kiss. Even though Chloe’s cheeks turned bright pink, she smiled back at him joyfully, making a point of pulling his other arm around her waist.
"Awww! You two are so cute!" Shawn said in a syrupy sweet voice to Chloe and Philip.
"Yeah well, so are you two!" Chloe shot back with a grin. Belle turned her head to Shawn placed a kiss on his forehead.
"We know!" She chirped as he turned a little red.
"So what are we going to do now?" He asked, changing the subject. "The night’s still young."
"We could go to a movie," Philip suggested as he rested his head on Chloe’s.
"Or to DotCom," Belle said.
"Why don’t we just stay here?" Chloe said happily. "This is the most fun I’ve had all week, so let’s just stay here and hang out all together."
"I like that idea!" Belle answered.
So the four friends stayed together talking and laughing on the Wesley’s front porch until the wee hours of the night. All of them happy they were going to have the rest of their lives to spend with each other, and knowing that this evening was the first of many wonderful memories they would look back on.

THE END

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