A/N: Happy New Year, everyone! And hurray for updates! Not much else to say, other than sorry for the recent lack of updates, I had some family stuff going on. So, after like two months, chapter five is finally here! Enjoy! :D

Chapter Five

"What happened?" Jasmine exclaimed, jumping to her feet as the door opened and three exhausted figures staggered into the hallway. Her eyes widened as she saw Meredith, and she managed to sputter, "How'd you—?"

Chloe shook her head and glanced at Alek's motionless form held between them, and Jasmine seemed to only just notice him. Once again she asked what had happened, her attention on the reddened sleeve of his shirt, and Chloe briefly explained as they laid Alek gently down on the couch.

"So you went along with his plan anyway?" Jasmine was looking more frustrated than she had in a while, and in a way she had a right to be.

"Not exactly," Chloe murmured, walking into the kitchen to grab several towels and a glass of water before going back to Alek, kneeling on the floor next to him. She reached up to where his shirt was torn and then slowly continued the rip until she could gently slip the cloth off of him. It was ruined anyway; they'd have to find something else for him to wear. She placed a towel in the glass and then pressed it to his wound with a sigh. Looking up at her mother, she could think of nothing else to say other than, "I'm sorry."

Meredith's exhausted gaze met hers and she frowned slightly. "It wasn't your fault, honey—"

"But it is." Chloe shook her head, her eyes on Alek again. "All of what happened to you is."

"No, Chloe." Meredith said, coming around the couch to place a hand on her shoulder. "I just wish I knew exactly what was going on…" She gave Chloe a gentle yet firm look, and Chloe knew it meant to tell her everything she'd been hiding since her birthday. She solemnly glanced at Jasmine, who nodded ever-so-slightly, then took a deep breath and began.

If she thought keeping the secrets were difficult, it was surprising to Chloe how hard it was to finally reveal them. It was a relief to have her mother understand at last, but the guilt she had from keeping them was practically overwhelming. When she had finished telling her of her powers and of every last encounter with the people trying to kill her, it had been nearly half an hour, and she waited in silence for a reaction.

Meredith impossibly looked even more tired than she had before, and finally she shook her head. "Chloe," she began, "I wish you would have told me sooner!"

Chloe nearly flinched—it hadn't been the expected response. Maybe a 'You're kidding, right?', but not something like that. Although, it wasn't exactly surprising; after what had happened, almost nothing seemed to be shocking to Meredith. "I…if I had told you, it could have put you in danger." Chloe frowned.

Meredith clicked her tongue in a motherly way and took the hand not still tending to Alek's injury. "You should know you can tell me anything. Anything," she added for emphasis, and Chloe nodded, her gaze suddenly locking on Alek as he groaned and shifted slightly.

"Alek…?" Chloe murmured, and his eyelids fluttered but remained closed.

"I'm still a bit confused about…" Meredith trailed off with a small gesture towards him.

"Me too," Chloe muttered after a minute, not taking her eyes off him and once again pressing the damp towel to his shoulder. It more or less looked okay, now that it'd been cleaned and was no longer bleeding, though still enough to be concerned about. Jasmine didn't seem more worried than usual, but Chloe had pieced together that it was an act, catching the glances she'd cast at him every once and a while. After everything that had happened the past week, however, no wonder she feared for all of their lives. "But," Chloe continued, looking at her mother. "He did mean well. I mean, the woman would have killed me—again—if he hadn't been there."

"You wouldn't have been there if he hadn't." Meredith sighed, and then hesitated. "And I guess we wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."

Chloe took a breath. "I really am sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I should have, but I just…I didn't want you to get hurt."

Meredith nodded and gave a small smile. "I know you meant well." She stood and looked at the staircase. "I'm exhausted." She muttered, as if her appearance couldn't have given that away from one glance. "Will you be all right if I—"

"Of course, go." Chloe smiled. "Rest, please."

Meredith smiled, leaned over and kissed the top of her head, and headed upstairs.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

His head hurt—no, scratch that, his shoulder hurt…in fact, just about everything hurt. His whole body seemed to throb in rhythm with his heart, which he could hear pounding in his ears. Alek blinked in the bright sunlight, momentarily confused and unaware of where he was until his sight cleared out. He groggily looked around Chloe's living room, uncertain how he'd gotten there. Where was Chloe—and where was her mother? Had both gotten back safe? He was suddenly aware of a pressure on his chest, and he blinked again, looking down to see Chloe, sound asleep, her head resting on him. He smiled slightly, almost forgetting what had just happened. She looked so peaceful, and, what relieved him the most—safe. Then he frowned; what he wouldn't do to assure it remained that way, for her never to have to endure anything like she just had, along with her mother.

He coughed suddenly, and Chloe jerked awake, raising her head and staring at him with wide eyes. "Alek!" She exclaimed, both surprised and thrilled. "Are you okay?"

"Tired, that's all." He replied with a grimace. "Are you?"

"Yes." Chloe said, hesitantly drawing a bit closer to him.

"And your mum?"

"Yes," she repeated, and Alek stared at her. "Thank you." She said finally.

Alek frowned. "Why are you thanking me? You were right before, I did nothing but—" He could not finish before she pressed her lips to his, and he blinked, startled, but did not move away. After only a moment, she pulled back, her eyes on the ground. "Save both me and my mom," she finished for him, seeming a bit confused for a moment but finally looked at him again.

Alek felt blood rush to his cheeks, making him dizzy. "But, I…" He trailed off.

"You tried to warn me before," Chloe said. "I didn't even think about it until after we escaped."

"I didn't want to help them. Zane was—" He stopped, shook his head, and then scowled. "I'll kill him!" He hissed suddenly, and made a feeble attempt to sit up.

Chloe placed a hand on his chest and pushed him down again. "Alek," she frowned, and he blinked weakly at her, as if finally realizing he couldn't do anything about it now. "They…were threatening you, and your mother, and Jasmine…and if I hadn't…" He trailed off once more, placing a hand on his shoulder and looking about to pass out again.

"Are you all right?" Chloe asked worriedly, leaning even closer.

"Yes." Alek said, his voice barely a whisper. Chloe frowned yet again and stood, going into the kitchen, meaning to bring him back a glass of water, but was startled by Jasmine as she opened the front door and entered the house. Chloe gawked at her, not even having known she'd left, and then glanced at the bag Jasmine held. "Where'd you go?" She asked, and Jasmine smiled half-heartedly. "The apartment."

"What?"

Both Chloe and Jasmine turned towards the living room as Alek's hoarse voice rang out, and Jasmine dropped the bag and rushed over to him. "Are you all right?" she began as Chloe walked over to the bag and grabbed it, curiously unzipping the middle to find several pairs of clothes—both Jasmine's and Alek's. On top of the fabrics were a few pictures of Alek, Jasmine, and—

Chloe felt her eyes burn and swallowed hard, standing and carrying the bag over to the other two.

"You went back to the apartment?" Alek demanded, looking up at Jasmine, who nodded. "Why?"

"Our things…and mom's…I just couldn't resist going back and getting some."

"And what if it'd been a trap? Or someone had been there to hurt you again?"

Jasmine frowned. To be honest, that thought had crossed her mind a hundred times and nearly prevented her from going. But something deep down in her overpowered those feelings and forced her to continue to retrieve the things. "They weren't," She insisted, briefly looking away. "And anyway, you went off with your own plan about Chloe and—" Jasmine stopped herself as Alek subtly flinched. She didn't leave, however, until she'd gently taken the bag from Chloe and showed its contents to Alek, including his own clothing, which he was very surprised to see. "You're welcome," Jasmine mumbled slightly, not quite sarcastically, and dropped the bag to walk into the kitchen.

Alek sank back on the couch and glanced wearily up at Chloe, who gave something that resembled a shrug and followed her.

"That was really nice," Chloe said with a slight smile, leaning on the table next to where Jasmine sat.

Jasmine didn't look up, but replied, "Yeah. I didn't know when we'd be going back, or when we…could go back. I couldn't leave some of the pictures and things there…I just couldn't." Her head turned a little bit more away from Chloe, who, after a moment, realized she was crying.

"How could I have been so stupid?" Jasmine muttered after a moment.

"What are you—?"

"Zane!" Jasmine said, shaking her head. "I trusted him! I loved him…and he killed her. He almost killed all of us." She took a shaky breath through her nose, and Chloe hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault!" She said, her tone dead serious.

"But it is."

"No; you couldn't have known anything about him then, Jasmine. It's not your fault," Chloe repeated, and Jasmine finally looked up at her, wiping away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. She looked about to say something else, but stopped and turned her head as Meredith suddenly came down the stairs, smiling at them. "Good morning." She said, though she still sounded exhausted.

Chloe smiled and instantly went over to hug her—if she had ever taken her mother's existence for granted in her life before, she never would again. When she pulled back, Jasmine had stood and fully composed herself other than a slightly miserable look in her eyes. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes." Meredith answered, and then glanced around slightly. "Glad to be home and safe."

"Not to worry you, but we might not be completely out of danger yet." Jasmine said, hating to ruin that sense of security they might have momentarily had. Both mother and daughter nodded simultaneously in understanding.

Chloe moved into the kitchen and finally took a glass, filling it with water and bringing it over to Alek, who she found was once again asleep. She frowned and held a hand out to his forehead. It was warm, but nothing to be terribly concerned about. He probably just needed to sleep it off; and anyway, as he had told her, Mai heal much quicker than humans do, which made her feel just a bit more content about his condition. She left the glass on the edge of the table closest to him, and returned to the kitchen with her mom and Jasmine.

"How is he?" Meredith asked, sounding as if she were trying as hard as she could to honestly care.

"Fine, for now," Chloe replied. She glanced at Jasmine, who swallowed hard, forced a smile, and nodded.

Chloe's gaze suddenly went to the floor, and she sat at the table, resting her elbow on it and her chin on her palm.

"Are you all right, sweetie?" Meredith asked, going over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. Chloe did not reply for a moment, and then she looked up at her. "I don't understand." She began, troubled with the same thoughts she had been since the day she'd been killed a second time and telling her mother the last bit she hadn't before. "I went to meet Dad at the theater, but it was a trap."

Meredith frowned and seemed about to say something, but Chloe looked up at her and continued before she could. "They sent the clue, to meet at the theater, I mean, through his email address. But, if that was them…" she shook her head. "If it was them the whole time, then what happened really happened to him? Why do they have his email? And why did they know anything about the book we made?" She hadn't realized it, but her voice had risen to practically a shout by the time she was finished, and she looked down again.

"Maybe…" Meredith said," maybe they hacked it, or maybe they've had this planned a long time, or—"

"Or maybe they killed him." Chloe whispered, hating herself for even uttering the words, not looking up.

Meredith stared at her; to be honest, none of them could be sure if that were true or not. Not right now, at least; not when everything had nearly fallen completely apart only days ago. "Honey," she said, placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "You can't be sure of that! He very well could have sent every email except the last one. And they could have found the book somewhere…anything. It doesn't have to be the worst."

Chloe shrugged and then stood up and grabbed her jacket, and Meredith frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Outside." Chloe said, and Jasmine stood. "Do you really think that's a good idea after what's been happening?"

Chloe hesitated, and then looked at her. "I just need to check on someone. I'll be fine." Without another word, she left, and the abruptly stopped outside, half not even knowing what had just happened. She had suddenly felt a very strong urge to visit Brian at the hospital, but now wasn't so sure that was a good idea. Jasmine was right; what if the Order attempted something? But it was barely a ten minute walk, and it was bright and sunny out, and it wasn't like there weren't going to be people around. Would they really try anything when just one scream from her would end the struggle?

She didn't move for a moment, and then pulled the hood of her jacket up. She hoped they wouldn't, at least.

When she arrived at the same back door of the hospital Alek had led her and Jasmine out of the night they had escaped, she only had to wait a minute or so until someone came out. That was lucky, she smiled, and then slipped past him, catching the door with her foot and ducking into it. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw no one in the hallway, and turned the corner. She couldn't help but smile, but it faded quickly. There was security here, and there were cameras. She couldn't stay long or she would eventually be caught.

Room fifteen, she silently repeated in her mind, and stopped in front of the door. She peered in, and silently gasped when she saw someone in the chair in front of the still motionless figure of Brian. They sat for a moment longer, and then the man stood, turning just enough that Chloe could make out his face. It was the man from the warehouse, the one that had kidnapped her and her mother!

Chloe tensed and pressed herself back against the wall. Why was someone working for the Order here? Could it be possible they thought Brian had inside information on her? And even so, why would they be here now, when they could very visibly see he would be of no use to them?

She clenched her fists and took a step forward, briefly wondering if she should do something, but froze as the man spoke words so chilling she felt as if a ton of snow had just been dumped on top of her.

"I'm so sorry…son."

Chloe blanched, feeling almost sickened. Son? The word repeated in her mind. No, that couldn't be right; she'd heard wrong, the man had misspoken—anything! The guy she had unwittingly fallen in love with…his father had been plotting her death the entire time? Had Brian been in on it, too?

Chloe heard footsteps from the room that seemed to draw nearer to her, and she darted to the end of the hallway and out the door she'd come in through. She cast one glance back to be assured no one was following her, and then walked as fast as she could back towards her house.

This is going to be a problem.

A/N: I told you guys there was going to be Chalek! :P Eh, this chapter felt a little rushed, and it wasn't as good as it could be, but I hope you liked it anyway! I'm still not exactly sure how easy it is to sneak into/out of a hospital...but whichever :P Thank you to my readers, my reviewers, my story alert/favorite...ers. I'm really glad people like this story! I only wish there could be a real Season 2...ah well, see you next chapter! :D