"No faulty, fight-or-flight instinct for me," Chloe whispered to no one as she turned off the ignition, momentarily panicked at the overwhelming darkness. For five terrifying seconds, she couldn't find the flashlight. Even after it was in her hand and turned on, it took her another thirty to muster up the courage to open the car door.

She could actually feel the charge of gathering lightening, so black the night clouded over, so heavy the air with impending storm. Crouched shouldered, she sped across the lawn, a flashlight beam erratically dancing ahead. She could have used the sidewalk, taken the front entrance, knocked on his door; but the symmetry would have been wrong, the message wrong.

She fished some pebbles out of her pocket to throw them where she hoped his bedroom window was. "Brady." The sound of her voice startled her. Hyper aware of the dark, she called again, "Brady…come on wake up!" This time she threw the pebbles harder. Then, she waited in an excruciating silence.

"Brady, please…don't leave me out here!" Thunder rolled over the last syllable as the window opened. Startled, she fumbled the flashlight. It fell in the grass. If she weren't so scared, she would have been embarrassed. He hadn't even said her name.

Instead, taking one look at her he commanded, "Don't move." And was gone from the window.

The wait was harder than before, her heart speeding with different fears. The floodlights he must have turned on made her feel even more nervous, more exposed. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to see her face. It was going to be hard enough to say what she had to say.

"Chloe, what the hell do you think you're doing?" He was already yelling at her as he entered the backyard, "Do you know how dangerous this is? What time it is?" He grabbed her arm. "I do not live-"

"--on the right side of town. Yes, I know. I'm being very careless and foolish, making poor choices again. Yes, Brady I know and I don't care. Despite what you think, I'm not a little girl. I'm my own person."

It was painful to watch his anger turn to hurt. "We already had this fight," he reminded her, awkwardly dropping his hand from her arm.

"But we didn't finish it, that's why I'm here," she took a deep breath, turned her head aside and studied the ground, "I was too angry, too…I didn't tell you why you're wrong." She stole a glance at him, gave a small smile, "You threw me for a loop. Usually you know what's going on with me before I do…" Her smile faded, "You say I have this talent and I have to pursue it. You don't want to rob me of my dreams. Dreams change. People change. You changed me. All my life, I wanted to be this big opera star, not just because it was an escape, but because singing was how I…got attention. When I sang, everybody loved me Brady. And I wanted that, I needed it. I felt so worthless. Why would anyone want me for me? But then you came along, and it was like… you could really see me and you weren't in love with my voice or my body…just me."

" I do love you, that's why--"

"I should still go to Julliard, right?"

"You'd be crazy not to. It's the opportunity of a lifetime. Chloe, listen to me--"

"-No! Listen to me. Hear me. I understand why you want me to go, I do. And it's sweet, it really is. But that's not who I am anymore, that's not what I'm about. At least, it's not what I want to be about… Brady you're not the only one that changed me, the leukemia changed me too. It made me take a hard look at my life, at the whole point of being alive. You know, I even started reading about Gandhi and Mother Theresa. I'd read all kinds of stuff while I waited for the kemo, for the radiation. I know what life is about now. At least, I know what it means to me. And I don't want to waste anymore time. Gandhi said the perfect art is living a good life. Loving one another is what's important. Can't you see? I want to do that. I want to build my life with you. You shared my pain…why can't you share my joy?"

"…You have a gift. It would be selfish-"

"--I can still sing. I was thinking about becoming a music teacher. How's that for sharing my talents? "

"That's pretty courageous! Chloe, have you seen kids today? I mean, you were just in high school, imagine teaching choir to your high school class…"

"So if I can't cut it, I'll join a band, give private lessons, whatever."

"I don't want to hold you back. I don't want you to hate me ten, twenty years down the road."

"You'd prefer I hate you now?"

"Maybe. If it means your happiness."

"Why can't you get it through your thick skull, you are my happiness. And I am sure. Julliard is not one of my priorities. No matter what happens between us, I'm not going there."

"Now you're just being stubborn."

"No…I'm being honest. Think about what I said and when you can be as honest with me, give me a call!"

She was too angry to be afraid. The darkness was no longer an issue, nor the rain that started to pour down as she stalked towards her car. He was the biggest jerk that walked the face of the earth and if she died of pneumonia or became but one more victim for those true-life crime shows it would serve him right! She had no idea he was following her. Thus, when he grabbed her from behind, she reacted on pure instinct turning to hit him. He caught her arm, their eyes locking.

And he kissed her, pushing her up against the car, his lips rough with need, yet so sweet as the rain fell and fell. She groaned when he finally released her, catching her breath as his eyes darkened in response. "I can't be anymore honest." He said then reached to kiss her again.