Disclaimer: Days of Our Lives belongs to Corday Productions and NBC, not me.
As she sat there looking out into the blue sparkling water watching the sunset she could not help but recall the last time she sat on this beach. The warm sensation of the sand in her barefeet and the sun shining down upon her face the emotions came rushing back to her. It had been three years ago when she sat here last next to him. She thought he would be beside her for life after that day, but things changed. Gone were the days smiling for no apparent reason, the giggling to impress him, trying to make him feel like the only man in the world. She sat here today alone.
After an hour of sitting there remincing about the past she decided it was time to say goodbye once for all. She took the diamond ring off which had been on her hand since the day he had given it to her three and half years ago on this beach. She stood up looking out into the water she hoped life could settle down once this day was over. Her life had resembled the water, one minute calm and the next waves fifteen feet high
knocking her down on her feet. Once the day was over she wished there would be more calm days than rough ones.
She did the only thing that would make it possible. She threw the diamond ring as hard as she could, something she cherished with all of her heart and soul into the water. When she turned around ready to walk away from the pain and heartache she came upon the figure standing twenty feet away.
His eyes were on her looking deep into her soul. It had been along time since their eyes had met. Her emotions ran high when it came to him, and now she was leaving it all behind. He walked up to her slowly and even though she wanted to run away from him as fast as she could her legs would not move. As he approached her his eyes never left hers, she could tell he had aged a bit in the years but he was one of the most good-looking men she had ever laid her eyes upon.
"I am surprised to see you here," he commented when he reached her. "I thought you would be miles away from here today."
"What are you doing here," she asked him. "I figured you would be getting ready for your big day?"
"I had to close a few doors before the wedding," he replied.
"I will just be going," she said walking past him. When she was moving past him, he grabbed her arm hoping to let those feelings that he had bottled up inside out.
"Don't go," he whispered.
"There is nothing keeping me here. "
"You made the trip here for a reason. What were you throwing in the water a minute ago?"
"The past..."
She pulled her arm out from his hold and walked away trying not to look back. She knew she had to come back her today, but what was he doing here. Had he felt the roller coaster of emotions that she was feeling today? Did he have feelings for her? She once had the perception that he cared for her - that he loved her - those feelings disappeared when the world came crashing down on her.
He stood there his mind wandering to the moment he decided to move on from her. Did he make a mistake by walking away from her? He knew how much he had hurt her, but was she really ready to let go of their past. Was he?
He wasn't sure what led him to this beach today, but now that he was here he didn't want to leave. He tried to fight his emotions, but it was no use. He looked at his watch suddenly remembering what he had to do today.
Two hours later she was sitting in the restaurant typing away on her laptop trying to figure out the next story. She was typing with one hand and eating her club sandwich with the other. Suddenly her cell phone rang and she knew who it would calling her.
"Hello, Dalton," she said after answering the phone.
"Hi, Belle," he replied. "I called to see how you are doing on the story?"
"I had a few things to take care of before I send it," she explained.
"I know what you were doing. How does it feel to be back in that town after three years," he asked.
"Good, I guess. The memories come flooding back to me. You know what today is don't you," she asked.
"She would be two years old tomorrow."
"She was my life."
"I am sorry about not being there for you."
"Let's get back to work," she stated.
She knew where he was going if they persuded this topic. It had been one year since her daughter had died and a day didn't go by that she didn't think of her.
"Okay, how about this story? What have you come up with so far?"
"Another adventure with Payton Lane. She meets up with the lost love once again trying to uncover the mystery of the missing children."
"Sounds good. When are you coming back to New York?"
"In a couple days," Belle stated.
"Are you staying in Salem," Dalton James Parker asked his employee and one time lover.
"Yea, there are a couple people I need to see," Belle replied. "I will send the story tomorrow. First there is somewhere I need to go. Bye."
Before he could question her any further she had hung up. He pulled the Salem Spectatur out from underneath the stacks of transcipts on his desk reading the headline of the day -
Life Long Salem Resident To Marry Grammy Award Winning Performer
Shawn Douglas Brady will wed Chloe Lane May 15, 2006
Chapter Two:
She stood across the street watching the young pretty blond hang drink her coffee. She knew what she had to do and knew if he knew that she was here he would be furious. He never told her about his past, but by chance she had found about her. Why did he keep this from her? Why didn't he ever tell her that he was involved with the bestselling author, Isabella Black?
Chloe walked across the street to the restaurant trying to keep her face covered. She couldn't risk being seen, her fans mobbing her, the reporters stealing her privacy, and anyone finding out she wasn't at the church getting ready for her wedding.
Walking into the restaurant she went directly to Miss Black's table hoping to have a civil discussion on the proper etiquette of wedding do's and don't. Don't have the former flame show up on the day of the wedding to claim her man back.
"Isabella Black," Chloe mumbled low enough so only Belle could hear.
"Yes," Belle replied not looking up. "I will have another cup, please?"
"I'm not her to refill your drink, I'm here to tell you to leave town," Chloe demanded putting her hands down on the table coming in closer to Belle.
Belle looked up into those eyes of blue sparkles knowing that voice of a swan anywhere. Belle had known about Shawn's fiancee for sometime and exactly what she did for a living. She had even caught the last Grammy Awards crying as Chloe Lane accepted her award thanking the love of her life, her hero, her savior, her Shawn.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your wedding," Belle asked.
"Shouldn't you be in New York writing your newest tell-all book," Chloe shot back.
"So he told you," Belle wondered.
"No, my assistant had read the book and did some investigating."
"Isn't that, Shawn's job, investigating. I mean isn't that how he won your heart by protecting the damsel in distress?"
"It was his job to protect me, at least I didn't destroy his family," Chloe replied.
"Don't you have a wedding to get to," Belle questioned. "Or do you plan on standing him up at the alter like Rick Masterson four years ago?"
"How do you know about that?"
"I have my ways just like you," Belle stated pushing Chloe out of the way and leaving a few dollars on the table then proceed to leave the restaurant.
"This isn't finished," Chloe told herself.
At the church on the other side of town Shawn was buttoning up his shirt when his best man came rushing into the room laughing.
"Oh man, I never thought I would see the day, Shawn Douglas Brady got married," he said.
"Thanks, Phil," Shawn replied finishing the last button.
"Where were you earlier? I tried to call you," Phillip Kiriakis asked.
"I went to the beach to think."
"A certain part of the beach, right? I know you to well, Shawn. You couldn't marry Chloe without letting go of Belle."
"She was at the beach."
"You know it's not good luck to see the bride before the day of the wedding until the ceremony."
"I'm not talking about Chloe, I'm talking about Belle," Shawn commented turning away from Phillip, his best friend for the past twenty years.
"You seen her. Belle Black is in town. The famous writer is town, the one that ruined your career and destroyed your family is here. Why?"
"Don't you think I was asking myself the same thing."
"What did she say?"
"Nothing much other than she was throwing away the past," Shawn stated pulling something out of his pocket showing Phillip the past that would always bond Belle and Shawn together.
"It's the diamond. Where did you get this," Phillip questioned.
"She threw it out into the sea and it came back to shore after she left. This has to mean something, doesn't it?"
"It means let that tramp go. You trusted her and she ruined your life. Hello, she wrote the tell-all book about your family destroying your parent's marriage and ruining your life that is what it means. After that you can't still have feelings for her, can you?"
"It's complicated, Phil."
"Either you do or you don't?"
"She was my first love, I can't let her go that easily."
"My first love slept with my brother on our anniversary, yes you can. It happens."
"You know I never told Chloe about Belle."
"Why would you? Speaking of Chloe, do you love her like you love Belle?"
"I'm going to marry her."
"That is not what I asked."
"Well that is my answer," Shawn replied leaving the room.
Shawn couldn't answer that question because he wasn't sure of the answer. Did he love Chloe like he had Belle? Was Belle his past? Would Chloe be his future?
Posted on Feb 19, 2002, 5:27 PM from IP address 24.247.186.112