Hold onto your hearts my fellow readers. It's a bit short, but it's a doozy.

Also, I noticed that the website for the dresses don't come up. Some of the links no longer work and it's been years since I've logged in. But if you go to luckyxsammie . weebly . com without the spaces, click fanfiction and the name of this fic you'll be able to see some of the dresses still, including the one she wears to dinner.

CHLOE'S POV

I had made it perfectly clear to Alek that I did not want to see him that day. I had been incredibly serious when I told him that I would out us to Jonathan that night at dinner if he dare tried to follow me. I was more heartbroken than anything else and going back to San Francisco sounded better and better every minute now.

It was 4:45 and I was standing outside of the hotel, not wanting to head inside. I knew the moment that I did then I would be closer to Alek. The second I walk into that room I would have to restrain myself from lashing out at him again. It wasn't even as if it mattered. After all, he made it perfectly clear that he no longer wanted anything to do with her.

It took me ten minutes to finally force myself into the lobby and another two to make my way into the elevator. The thought of arguing with him any longer made me sick to my stomach, but I was making my way up there regardless. I had a duty as the Uniter, to Valentina and most of all to myself. Whatever was going on between Alek and I was just going to have to be shoved aside until later.

The moment I stepped into the room, I placed my handbag on the entryway table and proceeded to make my way up the stairs. I was surprised to see that Alek had managed to get himself out of bed, the bathroom door shut. I could faintly hear the water running in the shower, the squeaking of the knobs as he turned them off.

At any moment, that door would be opening and I'd have no choice but to face him. With a sigh, I walked over to the closet and began to scour through it for something to wear that night. Butters was a nice restaurant, but I was so peeved with both Alek and Jonathan that I felt inclined to wear something that would make them angry – mainly Alek of course. My fingertips drifted along the gold and brown ombre sequined dress, the one I remembered Alek saying that I looked like a prostitute in.

I settled on that dress in particular the moment I recalled what Alek had said. It was an ABS gold sequined tank dress, one that flowed in every which way my body moved. It was perfect, especially if I planned on pissing Alek off.

When he came out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of slacks and a white button up, I grabbed the dress from off the hanger and brushed past him without a word. I had showered that morning so it wasn't going to take me long to get ready at all. Of course I went all out on my make-up, purposefully making myself look more done up than I ever had before. I tamed my curls and let them flow around me before slipping on the dress. When I came out, I grabbed a pair of gold strappy heels and sat on the edge of the bed to put them on.

"Um…what the bloody hell do you think you're wearing?" Alek asked, slipping a tie around his neck as he checked her out through the mirror.

I was much too angry to notice and instead responded irritably. "Oh, I don't know. I was thinking of going out after dinner. Maybe I'll pick up some hottie that won't think twice about paying me when the nights over."

"You're not funny."

"—I wasn't trying to be."

"Were you going for classy? Because it doesn't look like that's working out for you either."

I gritted my teeth and stood, my fists clenched at my sides. "Clock's ticking. We've got to go. Do you think you could look like more of a man and less of a boy in that suit? It's embarrassing."

I could hear him mocking me as I walked down the stairs, rolling my eyes in the process. He was just so irritating that I wanted to smash his pretty face in.

We had managed to get to the restaurant without clawing one another's eyes out. With my lack of powers however, that may not have worked out so well. It was almost as if Alek had read my mind, leaning into me as we were being taken to our table.

"Not a word about your powers being incognito."

"Obviously" I muttered, feigning a smile as Jonathon stood from his spot at the table.

"Glad you two could make it. On time at that. I've heard you two have a tendency for being late."

It was when I felt Alek's arm slip around my waist that I wanted to push him away. Then I remembered that we still had a role to play. As much as I wanted to hate him in that moment, I needed to keep up with the appearances. Jonathan would use anything against them, anything to make sure that Chloe stays in New York. She wouldn't let him win. If there was anything left for Chloe and Alek to agree on, it was that they didn't trust him. Even before the incident in Central Park, there was just something off about him.

Dinner seemed to be going well until a familiar blonde walked in, making the entire situation even more uncomfortable.

"Sorry I'm late" Jason greeted, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside his father. "I got held up. Chloe. Alek" he nodded.

"Sorry, but exactly why are you here?" Alek asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Well see, dad asked me to tag along just in case there were any problems. After you two chose to blow off lunch the other day – well we had our reasons to be concerned."

"Concerned? Since the moment we arrived here you have been hitting on my girl – as if she'd ever be interested in you by the way. Not only that, but these little tests that you've been running? These trials that you have been putting the two of us through? You've not only endangered Chloe's life, but you've –"

"Alek" I hissed, placing my hand on his knee. I had a feeling that he was just about to bring up her lack of powers. It was obvious that he was close to blowing a gasket. Alek was a ticking time bomb at this point and while I would have loved to see him tell Jonathan and his son exactly where to go I knew that it wasn't the right time.

"Where exactly are you getting at, Mr. Petrov? Are you telling me that you're afraid that Chloe could stray? To me, that sounds like a whole lot of doubt within your relationship. Something that mates would never have to deal with. See, it's reasons like that right there as to why we have our doubts about the two of you. You, as your claim as her protector and you, Miss King, as the uniter."

"YOU BLEW IT!" I had managed to bottle my anger throughout the entire ride back to the hotel. The very second the door had closed was the moment that I let all hell run loose.

"I blew it? I blew it? Me? That's rich. It was a hell of a lot better than saying nothing at all though, wasn't it? Some Uniter you are" he scoffed.

"Oh shut up. I am so sick of listening to you go on and on with your antics. You talk a big game about not wanting me anymore, but the second Jason shows up, you sure as hell get more defensive than I've ever seen. Tell me, why is that?" Everything had boiled down to this. All the tension between us over the past two years, the past few weeks that we had spent in this hotel room.

"I'm not in the mood for this, Chloe. Just go to bed or you know, run off like you did earlier. Are you going to threaten me this time? Don't follow me or else?" He asked, pulling off his tie as she followed him up the stairs.

"Oh please, spare me the drama. Stop changing the subject. I am so sick of this crap with you. Oh Chloe, date me. Love me. Don't choose Brian. Oh, I hate you. Wait, I love you! No, I want nothing to do with you! Make up your goddamn mind, Alek! You want to push me away then do it! Leave for good! Go back to San Francisco. I mean, why are you even here? What the hell does it matter to you if I don't stay there? I mean, it's obvious this was never going to work so why not let me stay here? You can go home. I mean, no one's forcing you to be here. Right? Why are you here, Alek?"

"Because I love you, god dammit." There was silence after this, Alek rushing towards me and grasping the side of my neck. The admission itself seemed to have taken a lot out of him, my own heart unsure as to whether it wanted to halt itself or beat as rapidly as the wind. I could feel it skip once or twice, but everything was happening so fast that I couldn't think. "—And I'll be damned if I let anyone try to take you away from me" he added, his lips crashing against mine in a moment of clarity.