Undertow 1 (Phelanie/Phloe) - (complete) (Read 17,265 times)

I love this story so far. I love the immediacy and the emotion and your use of all the senses. That's something I haven't mastered in my writing. Thank you for posting this story here. I'm looking forward to its continuation!

AWESOME!

A/N: Left my file at my office, so I couldn't post this update yesterday. I toyed with rewriting it...but I couldn't get it the way I wanted it. So I just left it alone.

I apologize in advance for any typos and grammatical errors. My beta's computer is down for the count and she has never read any of this story. I am sure my old English professors would be throwing many a stern look in my direction if they read this piece.

I did have tons of fun writing Philip in a very shirtless situation with Chloe over the weekend. Can't wait to get to the fun parts. But remember, no pain, no gain - words I live by. So be warned.

Thanks for reading! Comments make me giddy!

Prologue - part 2

"Ow Melanie, you didn’t have to hit me so hard." Melanie glanced over to see Philip rubbing his still sore ribs as she maneuvered her way down the road.

"Yes I did." Philip was one kiss away from having her half naked on the hood of his car when she punched him squarely in the gut. That was a position she had found herself in far too many times. And this time she wasn't going to let him distract her with his seduction techniques. "You are lucky that I didn't aim lower."

"Oh trust me Rocky Balboa, I am thankful you value my jewels enough to keep your violence clear of them."

"You’re such a jerk."

"Don't pretend like you didn't want me back there."

"I would think that punch should be proof enough that I'm serious."

"Ppffh! You always lash out when you are aroused. You and I both know you like it rough -“

The car jerked to the right as Melanie leaned over and hit Philip in the shoulder. "Oww! Stop the violence would ya? And keep your hands on the wheel. You are going to get us killed. Maybe you just let me drive."

“You’re drunk Philip.”

“Even drunk, I am a better driver than you.”

“Not even. You know I can handle myself behind the wheel, learned on those narrow European streets. This one guy –“

“You mean one of your marks?”

“This one guy,” she continued as if he never had spoken. “He used to let me drive his Porsche on the Autobahn. I went like 150 miles per hour, it was awesome.”

“I know you can deal with the mechanics of driving. What worries me is your lack of focus. You are digging in your purse, checking your phone, applying lip gloss - ”

“I do not”

“I have seen you do it. Don’t even try to deny it. We have been in this car less than five minutes and your eyes have been on me more than on the road. You have the attention span of a guppy.”

“This coming from the guy that can’t sit still for ten minutes unless he has
a drink in his hand.”

“Not true. I sit through many long tedious board meetings.”

“Where they serve cocktails.”

“I have sat through countless family dinners, even when Vivian was there droning on and on.”

“Where they serve cocktails.”

“What can I say? Life is better with a fifth of scotch. You should try it some time. It might calm that hyperactivity of yours. The way you can yap on incessantly about the most mundane topics.”

“Are you saying I talk too much?”

“Don’t get me wrong. I love your constant chatter. You definitely keep me entertained. I just sometimes wish you had an off switch.”

“What did you just say?’

“You heard me. You get all hyped up, going and going. It’s like put a sock in it.”

“Well the truth finally is revealed.”

“As if you didn’t know. How many times did I cut you off mid sentence with a kiss? Why do you think we always went to bed early?”

“We have demanding jobs?”

“Nope. I loved looking for your off switch. As I recall it was somewhere down between-“


"I need you to stop talking,” she interrupted. “Just sit there and be quiet. I am going to drop you off at the hotel, and then I am getting back to my date."

"You mean the date you left to be with me?"

"I told him I had to take care of something. He knows I will be back."

"So you didn't tell him that the "something" was your husband. I am sure he would have been thrilled to hear that bit of news."

"Shut up Philip."

"Oh wait, didn't this happen before? Didn't you skip another date with him to take care of "something"? A something you couldn't keep your hands off of."

What’s his deal bringing that up? It was a year ago and he was drunk – again. Her preventing him from driving drunk had nothing to do with her feelings for Nathan. It was in no means a sign of a lack of enthusiasm to spend time with him. And it definitely wasn’t a sign that she would rather be around Philip. Nope. All it meant was that Philip needed to start joining Brady at his AA meetings.

"I am just going to ignore you." She turned the radio on, easing up the volume in the hopes of drowning him out. “Falling In” by Lifehouse filled the car. She quickly turned the radio off, not daring to look over at Philip. Afraid of what she might find looking back at her or even worse what she wouldn't find. Did he even remember?

"So why is it Melanie, that you always ditch that JR. Doctor, to be with me?"

She gripped the steering wheel tighter, wishing the rain would let up so she could pick up speed. He was deliberately baiting her, she knew it. Always trying to get her to react, like a 6 year old. And she fell for it time and time again, but tonight she was just tired. The last thing she wanted was to be led into another sparring match with Philip Kiriakis.

"I mean it Philip. One more word out of you and I will dump your butt on the side of the road."

"Mmhmm"

"Mmhmm what?"

"Just..." he hesitated. "Never mind."

"Spill it."

"Just that I find it really interesting how you always find ways to be alone with me."

"What are you talking about? We are in a car."

"Exactly alone in a car. You could have called me a cab. Called Bo."

"Get to the point Philip."

"My point is sweetheart, I think that deep down you secretly want to be here. In fact, you will look for any excuse to spend time with me"

"Look at my face. Do you see this face?” She turned toward him indicating with her finger. “ This is my I am not amused face."

"Yes I see that face. It haunts my dreams. Those squinted up eyes, those pursed lips, that permanent sneer. Takes my breath away."

"Let's go back to the original plan. You being quiet."

Moments seemed to stretch by and silence enveloped the car. Melanie had to resist her urge to take sideways glances at him, to see just what he was up to over there. It had to be something, she knew it.

"Where is that thing?" he asked almost to himself. He roughly emptied his pockets, tossing loose change, receipts, his cell phone into the cup holder between the two front seats.

"What are you doing?" she asked trying to keep one eye on the road and the other on him.

"Looking for something. Do you mind? Eyes on the road."

"You're distracting me with all that movement."

"Baby I would distract you even if I were sitting still. Don't kid yourself."

She huffed, snapping her eyes back to the road in annoyance. "I don't know why I bother with you."

"Found it!" he exclaimed with drunken excitement holding his flask up in triumph. "I am going to need you to make a pit stop. Turn off at the next exit."

"Oh no. I am not making a beer run with you. Get one of your staff at the Palace to ply you with liquor."

"Helga in housekeeping probably would love to get me drunk and have her way with me, but no. I want you to take me." he ended with a whine.

"Not happening. What you want no longer concerns me Philip."

"We can pick you up a little something too. A wine cooler....oh we can do some shots. Get you all loosened up. Remember that night when Maggie was at the restaurant convention. We had Mexican and drank margaritas made love all night on the kitchen floor."

He had poured tequila in her navel, arching her back to move her belly up to his mouth, to take sips from her body. She couldn’t stop giggling and trying to squirm away from him on the cold hard floor, until he finally crawled on top of her trapping her beneath him. His kisses tasted like lime and salt. Of course she remembered.

"Enough Philip" she said softly. Eyes glazing over as she tried to focus on counting each time the wiper skimmed across the windshield, hoping it would clear her mind of the images. Like counting sheep was supposed to lull you to sleep. She prayed counting raindrops or watching wiper blades would do the same for unbidden memories.

"Let's do that again Mel. You, me, the hotel mini bar. It will be like Nine 1/2 weeks we can make love in front of the fridge. Let me be your Mickey Rourke. Although I think all I have in my suite is string cheese and skittles. But mmm I can already taste the rainbow. Think about it, you on your back, my tongue...just everywhere -"

The ring of his phone interrupted him mid sentence. Melanie was relieved to be saved by the bell. If it had been daylight, she was sure that her face would have shown just how much she had been thinking about the picture Philip had been painting. The phone continued to ring as Philip fumbled to grasp it from the cup holder. Melanie beat him to it and quickly read the name of the incoming caller.

"Oh look Philip it is your mistress calling. Right on time."

"Just leave it."

"Don't send her to voicemail on my account. I don't care if you talk to Chloe in front of me. It is not like I don't know what you two have been up to."

"There is nothing going on between Chloe and me. I told you before it was a one time thing."

"Maybe one time that night. But I know how big your appetite is, once would never be enough for you. Better pick up. Could be a booty call."

He snatched the phone out of her hand angrily, causing Mel to swerve the car into the other lane.

"Apparently she has something important to talk to me about," he said reading the text message that appeared on his phone.

"I don't want to know."

"I thought you said -"

"I don't care Philip!"

Silence cloaked the car like a dense fog. The air heavy with unspoken accusations. Melanie was literally biting her tongue not to unleash all the catty comments that were swirling around in her head. How dare Chloe call her husband's cell phone? Didn't she have better things to do, like try to convince Daniel that she wasn't a trashy whore? Oh wait that would be impossible. Melanie physically shook her head attempting to brush off all the negativity. She didn't want to be the kind of person that would belittle another woman over a man, even if that woman was a home wrecking slut. Melanie was better than that. At least she tried to be. She just needed Philip out of the car, out of her life, and she could move on. Focus on her career, her family, and maybe even Nathan.

"I'm sorry." His voice sounded so small and hollow, Melanie had to look at him to make sure it was actually Philip still beside her. Philip never did anything small. She observed him looking down dejectedly at his lap. His cell phone abandoned in the small space where his legs were parted.

"Let's just get you home."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Great. There is one last thing though." Pushing the button and rolling down the window, his eyes never leaving Melanie's direction he tossed his cell phone out of the car.

"What the hell did you do that for?"

"I needed you to know that no one is more important to me than you."

"And turning a perfectly good blackberry into roadkill proves that how?

"I don't care that she called. Nothing is going on between us. I would stop talking to her forever if it would mean that we could be together again."

"How noble of you Philip. You are willing to stop booty calling your mistress for me. If you think for one minute that this stupid little stunt changes anything then - "

"I only want you," he interrupted. "I don't know when it happened. I don't know the exact moment you became the most important person in my life, but it did. And now I am willing to do anything not to lose you. So if that means walking through fire, taking a bullet, or giving up my oldest and closest friend. I would do it in a heartbeat...for you."

"Just words. They sound real pretty but they don't mean anything. You sure weren't thinking about me when you were screwing my father's fiancé."

"Actually you were all I was thinking about that night,"

"That is a little kinky even for you Philip."

"It's true I -"

"Enough! I can't hear anymore. Just stop talking."

"Melanie please -"

She reached over to physically stop him, putting her hand across his mouth, anything to get him to shut up. He slapped at her arm, squirming to open his mouth. But she pursued him doggedly, turning fully toward him in her seat, her one hand still trying to control the steering wheel. She couldn't let him speak again, too frightened of what he might say.

"Melanie stop." He was faster than her, even in his inebriated state, and he broke free. "I am being serious. Just listen to me."

"I won't listen to anymore of your lies." She took both hands off the wheel and covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut as she realized that not hearing him wasn't even enough. He needed to be blocked.

"Melanie!" It was a muted loudness and then he was shoving her hard. Snapping to attention she opened her eyes just in time to see the tree they were barreling toward. Then Philip was half in front of her body, laying across her lap, blocking her chest, her view, grasping the wheel, struggling to the control the car, his mobility hampered by the shoulder harness of his seat belt.

Melanie stared at the broad span of his back, straining under his white striped button down. She felt the car hit a bump, and then it was like they were flying. Time stood still and all she could do was wrap her arms around Philip in front of her and scream.

Holy cow!!!! What a great chapter!!! Can't wait for the next!!! I hope they are ok!!!

I agree! Great visuals. I could picture everything. Except I was picturing Philip wearing a black shirt. Bad boy Philip. LOL.

Loved the tequila flashback!

A/N: Just blame Hurricane Irene...she damaged my home, fried some of my computer stuff...made me all around cranky. LOL So please accept my apologies for the lateness of this update.

Also since the management discourages long updates, and I am VERY long winded, all my chapters are about 40 pages long - so this prologue will be in 4 parts instead of 3.

Thanks for the all the kind comments. They keep me motivated and make me giddy...so feel free to comment away. ;D
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Prologue - part 3

It smelled like burning plastic, a toxic film hung in the air. There was a pressure on his chest, like a weight was on him preventing him from taking a breath. Pain radiated down his back as Philip tried to shift his position. His prosthetic leg was jammed into the car door, practically fused. The fabric of his pants had ripped and he could see part of his mangled prostheses if he strained his neck higher. Something was keeping him from moving, Philip turned his head to the left trying to better assess his surroundings, his view partially blocked by his deployed airbag and that is when he saw her. Her back was against the glass of the window, her body contorted at an odd angle. Her seat belt still across her shoulder, but clearly ripped from the seat. She looked like she was lodged into the windshield. She wasn't moving.

"Melanie," he called out to her. When there was no response, he tried to reach out and touch her. His hand could just reach her knees, where they were jutted out from the dashboard. Philip strained against the unknown pressure to move toward her, but it was to no avail. He was pinned down by something, trapped. "Melanie please wake up," he called out again, trying to raise his voice, but not able to get enough air to do so.

Philip looked out of window. Through the darkness he could make out the outlines of trees. He guessed they had run off the road into some underbrush. There didn't seem to be a tree in the middle of the car, so he supposed he managed to avoid hitting that one they were heading toward. He said a silent prayer of thanks, knowing things could have been much worse if they had made impact with a tree. Maybe they would get out of this with a few bumps and scrapes, not major damage. A sharp pain radiated down Philip's back as he again tried to shift closer to Melanie. OK so maybe a bit more than bumps and scrapes for him, but Melanie looked all right. If only she would wake up. He didn't see any blood on her body, and even though she was half on the dashboard, she didn't seem to have gone through the windshield. Philip quickly said another prayer for that small miracle.

He stroked her knee with his fingertips, hoping that just that small amount of contact would revive her. He remembered this gypsy woman who used to have a booth at the Salem County fair. His mother used to take him there every summer when he was home from boarding school. The gypsy woman always fascinated him, she claimed to have the power to heal with a touch. Five dollars to cure a headache, ten for back pain, and twenty for a broken heart. Philip sure wished she were here now, to put her hands on Melanie. He would give her a million dollars if only she could do that.

Suddenly the car lurched, seeming to release itself from whatever it was holding onto, it slid slowly backwards, only to stop just as suddenly with a creak and a groan. Philip now found himself still lodged to the seat but on his back, staring up at the roof of the car, his legs almost up in the air. Melanie slipped down from the dashboard, gravity unable to hold her in place at this new angle. She landed in a heap in the driver's seat, her head hitting the driver's side door on the way down. It was then he noticed that the airbag hadn’t released on her side, a reminder to him once again that money couldn’t buy everything, that even top of the line safety features can fail. Her head lolled forward as she started to come to, the fall somehow rousing her to consciousness. As she slowly lifted her head, Philip could see the caked mass of blood on the back of her head, coating her red hair like tar.

"Philip?" Her voice searching for him in the darkened car.

"I'm here Melanie." He squeezed her knee in reassurance, wanting her to feel him there with her. She seemed so small and pale in that moment as she looked around, disoriented. Philip just wanted to scoop her up in his arms and hold her, let her know they were fine and they were together. But he couldn't. For many reasons.

She sat upright, a look of alarm moving onto her face as she surveyed her surroundings, before finally focusing on him. Her eyes widened. "Philip are you all right?"

She lunged toward him, a blur of red hair and pink, he instinctively recoiled anticipating the pain if she landed on him. But she stopped short of touching him, but he could feel the warmth of her skin as she hovered over his body.

"I'm fine Melanie."

"You're hurt."

"I'm just a little stuck. My leg seems to be pinned by the door."

"I am just going to take a look. Okay?" She didn't wait for his response, as she went into nurse mode, hands flitting all over his body. She checked his pulse, poked and prodded, examining all visible areas for injury. Her mouth was set in a grim line, and Philip could see her tearing up as she continued to look him over. He must be in pretty bad shape, she wasn't even talking.

"A mess right?"

"When aren't you?" She tried to joke, but Philip could tell her heart wasn't in it. He swallowed back the thoughts of what could be wrong that would make Melanie so quiet and serious.

“You are pretty banged up," she started. "And your seatbelt here." Philip hissed in pain as she wiped around the area with the hem of her pink shirt. "Sorry."

"Just stings."

"Well you are bleeding there. I think the shoulder strap cut into you. I'm afraid to try to move it now without scissors or antiseptic."

"It can stay put until help arrives."

"Do you have any back pain?"

"Sometimes. When I try to move I get these shooting pains in my back."

Melanie shifted closer, leaning over his chest but careful not to make contact, peering into each of his eyes. "Mel if you wanted to make out, you could have asked."

"I'm checking for signs of concussion," she smiled as she continued inspecting his face and head.

"Likely story. Any excuse to be close to me." She rolled her eyes in response and chuckled softly. "How are you feeling? You got a nasty bump on the head."

Melanie reached up and felt the thick mass on the back of her head. "I must look so gross," she groaned.

"Even in this low light, I would have to agree. You do look gross, horrible even."

"Shut up," she laughed as she playfully swatted in his direction. She settled back into her seat on the driver's side, instantly cooling Philip. He placed his hand on her knee, which was bent toward him, to maintain that connection. He needed to feel her close in some way.

"Well we definitely got ourselves into a pickle." She leaned in closer and kept her voice low.

"It looks like," he agreed. "But we wouldn't be us without a little drama."

"We don't do dull, do we?"

"And here you thought we would end up a boring old married couple. Look at us. A dark rainy night, a deserted patch of road, trapped together."

"So romantic. Not sure if it beats a wedding day shooting."

"Close though." He couldn't help but smile as he remembered her so beautiful, standing before him as they exchanged his vows. It was such a cliché feeling, but she really did take his breath away that night. He felt like he had won the lottery, he finally had found the one. He looked over at her now, in the moonlit tones of the car, she still looked so beautiful. When they got out of this mess, he would make it his mission to get her back. He couldn't let them just end this way. They were so perfect for each other, didn’t seem fair that a stupid mistake could make them lose it all. “Melanie we are going to be okay. I promise you."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep," she said, sliding away from him slightly in her seat.

Lifting her chin with his opposite hand, so she was forced to look him in the eyes, he said, "I can keep this one."

"I don't see how when you couldn't even keep the promises you made in our wedding vows."

"I deserve that. I know but -" He looked down mentally fumbling for the right words to make this all okay. To take away the hurt he put in her eyes. No matter how much he tried to rationalize all his reasons for cheating, he couldn’t get past the simple fact that he had hurt her. Again.

"I shouldn't have brought it up. Now is not the time." She shifted to face forward in her seat, his hand falling away from her knee as she moved.

"Okay." He stared at her profile in the darkness. She was worrying her bottom lip. Something she always did when lost in thought.

"I trusted you," she said slowly. "I thought we were in love. I thought we were solid. I had no idea you were cheating on me. I used to be street smart. You can't con a con, you know?" She gave him a pointed looked.

"Maybe you had your walls down."

"Really Philip? How perceptive of you," she said, raising her voice and turning to face him. Her irritation bleeding through every word. "I actually let my defenses down with my husband. You should think about a career change. Psychology maybe. You analyze like a pro."

"Calm down Mel. I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just trying to say that not using your street smarts with me was a good thing. It meant you felt happy and safe."

Angry tears spilled from her eyes as she glared at him. "I was happy and safe. Look where that got me."

"I've been told I'm a great catch. Midwest Style magazine did an article on me once," he said attempting to lighten the dark mood that had taken over the conversation. Philip honestly didn't want to argue with her. Not here, not now.

"Did they list liar and cheat in your profile?"

"I never cheated on anyone before." She looked like he had hit her. Mouth open, face red from the tears, her eyes sharp with anger. Damn it he had definitely said the wrong thing.

"So I'm the lucky one. You decide to try out infidelity with poor dumb Mel."

"It wasn't like that and you know it. Extenuating circumstances."

"If you bring up Nathan, so help me -"

"I have a right to bring him up. He was all over you in our house."

"One kiss. One stupid goodbye kiss."

"People usually say goodbye before the wedding -"

"And people don't usually go bang their ex girlfriends at the first sign of crisis. We had only been married a few months and you cheated on me. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"You were going to leave me at the altar for another man. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"I have explained that to you."

"Yeah you had a revelation AFTER you had already passed your doc a note to meet you out front with a getaway car. Why did you even marry me? Only because loverboy didn't show?

"I loved you."

"I feel the love every time I think about you planning to leave me for him."

"I was young, confused, scared -"

"- in love with another man."

"No."

"No?"

"No. Don't pretend like you didn't know how I felt about you. You have always known."

"Having a thing, an attraction for me is completely different than spending the rest of your life with me. I thought you had come to your senses.”

"I did come to my senses. We got married."

"I meant come to your senses and realize that you could do better and that I wasn't the man you wanted to marry. The type of man.." He trailed off the rest too painful for him to admit, even now.

She wiped at her cheeks, trying to hide the tears that had fallen. But Philip could hear her voice wavering as she spoke. "Since almost the moment I met you, I have wanted to be with you. I used to fantasize about what it would be like if you loved me and if we were married."

"That was before you got more grounded, found your direction in life. In my experience that tends to make certain feelings fade."

There had never been a woman in his life who still wanted him, the real him, once a certain amount of time had passed. It was like their love had an expiration date. Once they met his family, felt the brunt of his temper, everything was spoiled. Melanie was different though, or so he thought, she was the one person that seemed to be able to love him completely. His penchant for angry outbursts, his single mindedness when closing a deal, homicidal relatives, Melanie seemed to take it all without batting an eye. She completely handled him and his family. Actually she did more than handle them, she understood them, she fit in with them. But in time, probably with Maggie’s influence, Melanie had started to waver about being a part of his life. The parts of him she claimed to love, she had started to recoil from, just as all the others had.

"I have always wanted to be with you, even when I was trying to hate you. You are like stuck on my heart."

"Like a tattoo?"

"Like soap scum."

"I know a remedy for that."

"Comet and a scrub brush?"

"You stop fighting it and keep me around."

"Maggie doesn't like scum in the house. She cleans with a toothbrush."

"And you?" Philip moved as close as his body would allow, which wasn't far since the door, the seat belt and the now constant pain were keeping him at bay.

"I don't get why you work so hard to get rid of something that always comes back," she said softly not meeting his eyes.

"See there." He leaned down and planted a light kiss on her forehead, rubbing her back in soothing circles. He felt Melanie relax into him, sighing softly as he inched her closer to him.

"You planned this didn't you?" Melanie asked with a light accusatory tone, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes.

"Planned what? Being in a car accident?"

"Yes! You knew I was mad at you and you wanted to get my sympathy."

"So I trapped myself in a car to get your attention?"

"Don't look at me like I am talking nuts. I wouldn't put this past you at all. I know what you're capable of, Philip Kiriakis."

"Well is it working?" he asked with a slowly spreading grin.

Melanie looked down, hiding her face from him. "You drive me crazy. Did you know that?" She looked up at him, her eyes with just a bit more sparkle than before, a smile on her face.

Philip reached out and stroked her cheek, hoping she would let him touch her for a few moments longer before pulling away. Melanie closed her eyes and leaned into his palm, still smiling.

"Well I should say mission accomplished. At least you're smiling." Slowly opening her eyes to gaze over at him, she put her hand on top of his, caressing it gently before removing it from her face.

As she played with his fingers, on the hand she still held she asked, "Philip how are we going to get out of this mess? I can't find my phone, you threw yours in the street. We need to get help."

"Someone will happen by. It will be okay." Melanie cocked her head to consider his words. Philip could tell an idea was forming in her mind. That was never a good thing. "Melanie no," he said before she even opened her mouth.

"You don't even know what I am going to say."

"Do I really need to? It is going to be one of your hair brained schemes that make things worse than they already are."

"What can be worse than this?"

"What is your plan?" he sighed.

"I am going to go out to the road and flag someone down. Maybe people can't see us from the highway, and they are just speeding by."

"That actually is a good idea."

"I don't appreciate you acting so shocked." She jumped up on her knees excitedly. The seat back that she had been sitting on, moved slightly at the change of weight distribution, but the car seemed to remain steady.

"Melanie you need to be careful when you get out. No sudden movements."

"Gotcha!" She eased over toward the door and carefully opened it, pausing inch by inch until there was a space wide enough for her to get out.

"It looks like I am going to have to jump down. The front of the car is off the ground."

"Sitting here like we were on an amusement park ride didn't give that away?"

She shot him a look. "It is different when you actually see things."

Melanie leaped out the door, disappearing from Philip's view. When she didn't reappear immediately, Philip nervously called out. "Are you okay out there?"

"Yeah," she responded quickly. Her voice was somewhat muffled now that she was outside of the car. Philip had to strain to hear her. "I think I may have hurt my ankle."

"When you jumped?"

"Maybe or when we crashed. I can hobble, it is ok."

"Oh my God," she gasped. Philip tried to shift to see what was wrong.

"What is it Mel?"

A few moments later she came back to the open door, only part of her face was visible from his position. "So I have good news and bad news"

"Just out with it"

"Good news is we didn't hit a tree."

"Uh. Melanie we already knew that."

"Just clarifying. Bad news we hit a mountain."

"There are no mountains in Salem."

"Ok a really big rock."

"How can you confuse a rock with a mountain? They are like two completely different things."

"Are you really going to argue with me about that at time like this?"

"Well if you are going to be calling rocks mountains, I think yes. Yes I am going to argue with you at a time like this."

"I am going to go and check out the rest of the car." She was gone from his view again. Philip couldn't stop muttering about Melanie confusing a mountain and a rock. "Whoa" he heard her yell from outside.

"Melanie," he tried to yell, but the tightness in his chest wouldn't let him raise his voice.

"Philip." Her head popped into view again. "We have to get out of here."

"Again. We already knew this. That is the reason you got out of the car remember?"

"Stop making light of this. We need to get you out of the car now," she said in a rush. She was starting to panic. Philip knew that in a few moments Melanie may be in a full fledged meltdown if he didn't do something.

"OK. Let's just stay calm. You should just go to the street like you planned and flag down a car. Ok?"

"Don't you freaking tell me to stay calm."

"Melanie -"

"We are on a cliff Philip!"

"First a mountain, then a rock, now a cliff. Make up your mind," he scoffed.

"I am being serious. This car is half on the edge of some kind of cliff, embankment, hill, I don't freaking care about the geology. It's going to fall."

"Hey Mel. Deep breaths," A feeling of dread started to rise within Philip. Mountains, cliffs, they must be on the part of the highway that sits above the river, in the bluffs. So the likelihood of them dangling over some perch that could send them barreling into the wilderness below, was very possible. She was right they needed to get out of the car. Well he needed to get out of the car. She was already safe.

"Melanie can you get to my side of the car? Maybe we can find a way to unwedge this door."

"Philip I told you," her voice starting to crack. "We hit a mountain." She was starting to cry he could hear the tears in her voice. "I can't get to that side of the car, it’s against it." Philip let her words settle into his mind. So the car door on his side was smashed in by some sort of rock structure.

"Mel can you see what is under the car? Is something keeping the wheels off the ground?"

"More rocks," she yelled. "I can see them all under the car and under the wheels." Maybe with no sudden moves, he thought. The car will just stay put until help arrives.

"Mel go to the road now and flag someone down."

"I can't leave you here alone. What if the car starts to move?"

"I will be fine. I am stuck here anyway. I couldn't make a sudden movement if I tried. Just go find some help and then come back to me." When she didn't move he called out again. "Melanie go!" he winced in pain, raising his voice just that little bit, caused a stabbing pain in his chest.
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Moonlight shone through the car, filling it with a warm glow almost like candlelight. All was quiet except for the steady rhythm of the rain hitting the windshield. It would have been peaceful, if Philip wasn’t filled with apprehension. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since Melanie had trekked out to the road in an attempt to flag down a passing motorist. But he knew it had been longer than it should be. This long with no one seeing them could only mean one of two things. One that it was just too late for anyone in their sleepy town to be cruising the streets on a Thursday night, or two that they were too far from the road to be seen at all. It was looking more and more likely that two was a distinct possibility.

The pains in his back that had at first been shooting were now a constant dull ache. His leg was starting to go numb and a chill had fallen over him so much so that he had to consciously force his teeth from chattering. He didn’t want to scare Melanie. He didn’t need her worried about him on top of everything else. If only he could just hold it together until help arrived. If it ever did. If someone didn’t come up to them soon, he was going to have to convince Melanie to get out of the car and walk toward town. Maybe if he let her believe she would be doing it to bring help back to him she would go willingly. He couldn’t let her know that the true motive for getting her out of the car was to save her. Philip knew there couldn’t be much time left for them both, perched precariously on this embankment in his smashed up Jaguar. The last thing he wanted was for them both to go plummeting down the hill into the river or worse into a ball of flames. He would use his last breath to save her. Which ironically could be pretty soon, since he was finding it harder and harder to breath. Even in his incapacitated state, he had to find a way to keep her safe. He already broken her heart and wrecked her life; he wasn’t going to let her lose anything else because of him.

“Philip?” She curled up against his side, her head lying lightly on his upper arm. He could tell she was trying to be gentle, in fear of aggravating his injuries. Resisting the urge to endure the pain and pull her closer, he settled on running her damp red hair through his fingers.

“Yeah?”

“You know what I am thinking about?” Oh no, this cannot be good. Whenever women start thinking in his presence it always leads to trouble.

“No. What?”

“Our first time together.” Called that one. Philip inwardly groaned, thinking of all the ways this conversation could go downhill. It was like some sick joke that he was forced to be stuck in a car reliving all of his past
misdeeds. He needed to do damage control.

“Oh yeah? Listen Melanie about –“

“I’m not done,” she interrupted. “So I was thinking about our first time, in that cheap, dingy motel and it sort of reminded me of now.”

“Well the car is sort of dark and gloomy, and the rain is starting to give it that mildew smell. So I can see that I guess.”

“Not like that,” she giggled. “Just how in that motel it was like we were the only two people in the world. That nothing else mattered.” Until they found out that the seedy motel clerk was taping the whole thing. If Philip had known what that man was doing, he would have squeezed tighter around his neck when he had the chance.

“I get that. It does feel like we are on a life raft or something floating at sea.”

“Exactly. It only took crashing your Jag to get some quality alone time together.”

“That’s true. There has always been so much going on with my family or yours. We didn’t get much down time did we?”

“Nope. That night in the motel I think was the last time it was just us. No outside world.”

“So we are here alone. What do you want to do?” Philip couldn’t help but curse his current lack of mobility. Every activity that he could think of involved movement. Lots of it.

“Well first I want you to hold me closer.”

“Done.” She snuggled into the nook of his arm, her head resting right under his chin.

“Now I want you to tell me a story.”

“A story? Not sure if I am so good at that.”

“Come on, it will be good practice for when you have kids. Tell me something about your misspent youth.”

“Hmm. Let’s see, when I was in high school I carved Chloe and my initials in a tree out in the old woods.” Melanie shifted slightly, but remained strangely silent. “I’m sorry Melanie.” The horror of his choice of story hitting him full force. “I don’t know why I just said that. It just sort of popped into my head.”

“It’s okay. I want to know what you were like back then.”

“Are you sure?” She nodded against him, so he continued. “Chloe was my first love. You know how everything is new, larger than life, every touch, every kiss leaves you breathless?”

“Yeah.”

“I was sixteen and she was it for me. I had never felt anything like it before. She consumed my every thought. You know?” Those gorgeous blue eyes, her thick dark hair, Chloe was stunning. He was so attracted to her even when he was being mean and nasty, tormenting her along with the others in their class. He just couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

“Yeah.”

“I’m not sure I was the same big deal for her though. I always felt like I had to try to convince her almost as if I was trying to persuade her to love me. Sounds crazy doesn’t it?”

“I can understand the impulse. Who doesn’t want to be loved in return?”

“I guess you are right.”

“So is this where carving your names in a tree came in?”

“Yep, one of my many attempts at romance.” Philip laughed to himself. He could write a handbook for teenage boys. How to Look Like a Complete Ass While Winning the Heart of the Girl of Your Dreams. Definitely would be a best seller. He would just leave out the part about how he never really won said girl’s heart. No need to crush young minds with that tragic tidbit.

“Always with the big romantic gesture. Even then.”

“Even then. I just thought that if I made everything perfect she would love me. Back then that meant everything to me. Kids always think that first loves last forever I guess.”

“You don’t believe they can?”

“I used to hope so. For a long time I really hoped so.”

It hit him that moment, he really did no longer harbor any hopes for a future with Chloe. Philip hadn’t even truly stopped to realize the momentous change in his heart until now. He struggled to remember the exact moment when he stopped wanting to be with Chloe. He guessed it must have happened gradually like a slow healing wound. One day you look at it and the pain is gone, and the scar is fading. His feelings for Chloe must be something like that, a fading scar, just barely visible to his naked eye.

“I’m starting to feel slighted. Chloe got you to vandalize a tree, and for Stephanie you braved the morgue in a body bag. Didn’t you hold your ex-wife captive or something?”

“Not one of my finer moments.”

“No one can accuse you of not caring enough. You go to extremes for the people you love. I can’t help but respect your passion.”

“What you call passion, most call crazy.”

“Even so. It must be nice to be loved like that.”

“You don’t think I love you like that?”

A beacon of light beamed into the car, causing Philip to squint his eyes at the invasion.

“Whoa! Looks like you two got yourselves in quite a pickle.”

“Bo? What are you doing here?”

“I think the correct response is – Bo, thank God you’re here.”

“Did you see us from the road?” asked Melanie.

“No you guys are too far back, but we did get your signal.”

“Signal?”

“Your collision detection system. Your car automatically called 911 when you had an impact.” Bo directed his flashlight to various areas in the car, presumably checking for damage. As if the car being halfway down a hill wasn’t proof enough that they were in need of roadside assistance. Salem’s finest at work.

“How come you didn’t tell me you had that Philip?” she asked turning to look at him.

“I didn’t know I had that. I did order the complete package on this baby though.”

“Thank goodness for you that you did. You look a little pale there baby bro,” said Bo shining his flashlight directly into Philip’s face.

“His leg is pinned against the door. There is some bleeding at the point of impact, just above his knee, but it seems to have stopped so I don’t think he hit an artery. He has been having back pains and his breathing is getting more labored. I think he might have punctured a lung and who knows what other internal damage. We need to get him to a hospital.”

“And how about you? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine –“

“No she’s not,” interrupted Philip. She hit her head on the windshield and she was limping when she got out of the car earlier. She needs to be checked out.”
“Paramedics are on the way. I responded to the call personally because I was the closest officer in the area and of course because it was my brother.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“Anytime. Here’s the thing. We need to get this car level so that the paramedics can have easier access to Philip when they arrive. So how about you jump on out here kiddo and I will hook the cable from my truck to the front of the car and try to pull it up.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Melanie, I would feel better if you just waited safely outside the car while he did this.”

“I’m not leaving you alone. Bo, go get your cable but I am staying put. If Philip needs medical attention, or anything I will be here,” she said turning to look him in the eyes. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Bo, do what you have to do. I will talk to my wife.”

“Okay you do that. I will be right back.” Bo disappeared from Philip’s sight line, taking his very bright flashlight with him. Darkness once again settled over the car.

“Melanie –“ Philip started.

“Nothing you can say will persuade me to leave this car.” She crossed her arms across her chest, a determined look on her face. This was going to be a battle, Philip knew it.

“Melanie please. I need to know you are safe.”

“I feel the same way about you,” she said smiling sweetly as she stroked his cheek.

“Good, so you’ll wait outside the car.”

“No. I am going to snuggle back next to you and talk your ear off.” Melanie moved back to her original spot, in the crook of his arm, her head against his upper chest. This time she was closer, the side of her body curved along his.

“Mel, this is not a game. Anything could go wrong. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me.”

“Nothing will go wrong. Bo is going to pull us up and everything will be fine. But once we get out of this mess, everything is going to change.”

“How so?”

“We will be getting divorced, moving on with our lives. Apart.”

“Let’s not think that far ahead right now.”

“I agree. I just want to be in this moment with you.”

“Floating on our raft.”

“No outside world. This could be our last chance to be like this.”

“To be just us.” He put his hand under her chin, tilting her head up toward him. Before she could protest he brushed a whisper soft kiss across her lips, throbbing pain preventing him from bending closer to kiss her fully, the way he longed to. “How can I say no to that?”

“You can’t,” she said as she wrapped her arm around him, caressing the hair at the nape of his neck, leaning up and resting her forehead against his.