Written June 17th - July 22nd 08 Part Two

This Time!!

"Tell me, please."

"No. When you come to the club tonight, that is when you and everyone else will find out who is performing."

"Lily, if I have to I will use my powers of persuasion with you." Cane said his voice dropping lower as he spoke sending shivers down her spine.

Lily bit her lip as she held the phone close to her ear but she stayed strong. "He is very recognizable and is now thinking of pursuing a music career. And you will love the performance tonight. That is all I am going to tell you, except for I love you."

Cane sighed and knew he would get nothing more from his lady love. "I love you to sweetheart and I will see you tonight."

"You bet, bye."

Lily was ecstatic. She was about to pull off something big for Indigo. It was the 4th of July celebration and she had gotten a super cool performer for the night. She had had to word her advertising just right so that she could surprise everyone. It must have worked because the club was sold out...

Chase was bringing up some cases of beer to make sure the bar was completely stocked and ready to go for tonight. He had been working at Indigo for almost two weeks now and he actually liked it. The tips were good and the customers friendly. But what gave him the most pleasure was getting to spend some time with the beautiful Lily Winters...

"Hey there lovely lady. How are you today?"

Lily looked up from her list of reservations and smiled. "Hi Chase. I'm good. Actually I'm nervous and excited. Tonights the first act I've booked for the club and I just want it to be perfect."

Chase squeezed her shoulder in support. "Now come on Lil' I have every confidence that tonight is going to go off without a hitch. So," he said looking around for anyone listening in. "Want to tell me who this surprise act is?"

Lily swatted at his arm playfully. "You are just as bad as Cane -"

"Just as bad as me about what." Cane said as he approached, placing a lingering kiss on Lily's cheek.

Lily looked at the two men and said, "Oh, Chase was trying to get the name of the act booked for tonight out of me so I was just telling him he was just as bad as you. You men are too impatient for your own good."

Chase reluctantly stepped back from Lily. He didn't like to spend to much time around Cane. He was always afraid that he would recognize him. It certainly didn't help in his pursuit of Lily that was for sure. "Well I better get that beer put away. Nice to see you Cane. Let me know what else you want me to do Lily to get ready for tonight." Chase said as he caught her eye and held it just a moment to long.

Cane noticed and with his arm around Lily's shoulders he said, "you too, Chase." And there was just the slightest edge to his voice - enough for a man to notice.

"Thanks Chase. I will check back with you in a little while."

"Now baby. What can I do to help?"

"You're just being here is good enough for me." Lily said as she reached up for a kiss that Cane was more than happy to accommodate her with...

Later...

Lily took the stage to welcome everyone...

"Happy 4th of July everyone. I know you are all wondering at who are singer is tonight, so I will keep you in suspense no longer. If you saw him play Elvis or you saw him in the amazing movie August Rush then you already know that he can sing. Here to perform for you tonight, Jonathan Rhys Meyers...

The crowd gave thunderous applause as the handsome Irishman took the stage...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUy64Jx_9dY (listen while you continue to read)

At the back of the club Chloe leaned against the bar as he began to play. Well, well, well she thought kudos to little Miss Lily Winters for landing such a cool performer. Chloe's gut twisted with renewed hatred. She wanted that b!tch taken down and she wanted it done now. She turned and caught Chase's eye and beckoned him over.

"What can I get you?"

Chloe grabbed his tie and pulled him close. "What you can get me is some results! How hard is it to seduce one pathetic little chit such as that?"

"Chloe, Lily is not pathetic and besides she is engaged to someone she seems to love very much. It's not going to be easy and it will take time."

"Good God, not you to. Falling under her spell are we? We don't have time. I want them split up and I want them split up now. Make yourself useful and get me a club soda with a twist."

"What? That isn't what you drank in L.A. You were a long island girl if I remember correctly."
Chloe looked flustered and said, "well we're not in L.A. now are we? So get me the damn soda."

Meanwhile...

Everyone was enjoying the show. Many were standing and swaying along to JRM's soulful voice, Lily and Cane included.

Standing together, Cane at her back with his arms wrapped around her. He spoke low in her ear. "How did you pull this off?"

Lily turned her head so she could speak into his ear in return. "I had a little help from my Dad. He has some great connections and when we heard that JRM wanted to go on a mini tour to get his feet wet and see what the response would be, well we jumped at the chance to book him. It was his desire to keep it under wraps. He wanted an honest response or something like that."

"Well I think he got it. If I were him I might even consider a career change. He's really good. And you my dear," Cane said his fingers moving to the nape of Lily's neck to move her hair aside for his seeking lips, "are absolutely delectable." Cane grazed her sensitive neck with his lips then made her shiver with the nip of his teeth.

Lily still had a long night ahead of her, perhaps the longest night of her life...

Deception!!

The night was a huge success. Everyone had congratulated Lily. Neil, Karen, Devon, Jill and Katherine were all so proud of her success. Cane was going to come back after he made sure that his Mum and Grandmum had gotten home ok. Soon just she and Chase remained...

"I told you tonight would go off without a hitch. Kudos to you on landing such a cool performer. I think that you are going to have much success in running Indigo."

Lily smiled warmly at Chase. "Ah, thank you. And by the way you really know how to rock a bar, no one had to wait for anything." Lily leaned against the bar and watched as Chase put away another rack of clean glasses. "I can't thank you enough for the amazing job that you have been doing."

Chase looked at Lily for a long moment. "Lil', I think I should be the one thanking you for giving me the chance in the first place. I really enjoy working here and working with you," he finished softly.

Lily cleared her throat to break the moment of tension. "Well we better finish up so we can get home." Lily grabbed her inventory sheets so that she could do her beer count now.

"Well I got all the glasses put away here. Why don't you let me help you do the count, I have to get a couple of cases anyway to replenish the bar for the day staff."

"Ummm... ok. Thanks." And they both headed for the cooler...

Meanwhile...

Cane had come back to get Lily so that they could go home and celebrate her triumphant night together. He had purchased some massage oils in her favorite scents and planned to give her a relaxing massage after such a long day...

"Lily," he called out but not finding her out front he headed towards the coolers, figuring she was doing her nightly count...

Meanwhile...

Chase new what was expected of him. Earlier he had been able to get back to the cooler to stack the cases of beer to high on the one side. All it would take was a slight bump from him and they would tumble. He didn't want to hurt Lily, he just didn't have a choice...

They entered the confines of the fridge together. The blast of cool air causing Lily's hair to blow in her face. Chase couldn't resist temptation as he tenderly tucked the wayward strands behind her ears...

Cane saw the tender look on Chase's face as he touched Lily. It made his blood boil but before he could say anything he felt a small pinch on the back of his arm. By the time he had turned his head his vision had already blurred and he slumped to the floor...

Lily turned toward the partially opened door. "Did you hear something?"

It was now or never. Chase turned slightly himself bumping the cases and sent them toppling over, knocking them into Lily and her down to the floor...

Chase quickly checked her over. She was out cold but appeared otherwise unhurt. He hoped that she would stay out until he got back. Stepping into the hall he found Chloe knelt over Cane.

"Well is she dead?"

Chase sucked in a breath and said, "God no. She's just unconscious."

"Pity. Give me a hand with him would you? Lets get a move on, who knows how long Lily will be out and you need to get back here before she wakes up. Come on."

Together Chloe and Chase took Cane out to her car. Chase followed her out to her place in his car. He helped Chloe get Cane into the house and into her basement. He shuddered at what he saw there but said nothing.

Chloe ran a hand over Cane's unconscious form. "You can go now Chase, we won't be needing you here anymore. Don't forget to dispose of his SUV before you head back to her."

Chase nodded and left. Getting back to Indigo, Chase dumped Cane's SUV a couple of miles away from the club. He went back inside to find Lily still out on the floor of the cooler. He got into position beside her and pretended to be unconscious too just as he heard her moan...

Betrayal!!

Lily moaned again and Chase let out a groan of his own and slowly rose up into a sitting position and turned to face Lily.

Lily had her hand to the back of her head and was slowly opening her eyes. "Chase?"

Chase scooted closer to her and gently touched the side of her head. "I'm here Lily. Don't move, let me check you over to make sure nothing is broken." He said as he began to gently run his hands over her legs and her arms.

"What happened? The last thing I remember is coming in here to do the beer count." Lily turned her head and caught sight of all the fallen cases. "Oh, my God!" She exclaimed as it came back to her. "The beer cases fell on us. We could have been seriously hurt." Lily grabbed Chase's arm. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just got knocked out like you I think. But maybe we should go to the hospital to get checked out, to make sure neither one of us has a concussion. Let me help you up." Chase wrapped an arm around her waist to support her just incase she got dizzy.

"How long have we been in here because I am freezing." Lily said gathering herself closer to Chase to try and get warm.

Chase looked at his watch and said, "well it is quarter past five. So we've been out for over three hours I think."

Lily stopped rubbing her arms and looked confused.

"What Lil'? What is it?"

"I don't know but we should have been found before now. Cane was coming back here to meet me. He should have been here hours ago."

Chase grew uneasy. "I'm sure it's no big deal. He probably thought you already left for the night and just went back home. Come on," he urged. "Lets get us both to the hospital."

"No, Chase something is wrong. My car is in the parking lot he wouldn't have left without finding me. Something is really wrong..."

Meanwhile...

"Damn it!" Chloe shouted with frustration as she got off of Cane's lap. He was still unconscious but the guy who had sold her the drug had sworn that even if Cane was unconscious it wouldn't mess with his ability to perform. Maybe she had given him to much, who knows. So now Chloe had to go with plan B and that was to make it look like they had done the deed.

She still had quite a bit of the narcotic left so in her warped way of thinking she thought it would be best to keep Cane in a state of unconsciousness to further disorient him. That way when she began to work on him he would be that much easier to break.

Chloe placed her hand on her stomach and said, "one way or the other your daddy is going to be Cane. That little bitch Lily stole him from me - she stole everything from me but not anymore. Her life will be my life but I'm going to do one better, I'm going to give Cane you..."

Lies, Lies, Lies!!

Chase got Lily to the hospital. They were both checked out and declared fine. Lucky but fine.

Lily on the other hand was getting more upset and worried by the moment. She had tried Cane's cell several times but every time it went straight to voice mail. She looked at the clock on the wall of the waiting room and thought Jill would be having breakfast by now before work and started dialing her number.

After a brief conversation with Jill explaining what happened to her, Jill said she thought Cane was upstairs and would go see if she could find him. Ten minutes later Jill phoned Lily back. She to had become worried. Cane's bed didn't appear to be slept in and his SUV wasn't in the driveway. But trying to keep Lily calm she said that he could have just tidied up and headed into the office for an early start that day. Jill was on her way in herself and would get him to call Lily when she saw him. She told Lily not to worry but after she hung up a nagging thought hung with Jill, Lily was right Cane never would have left Indigo last night if he knew Lily was there...

Chloe had shown up to the office early herself. She had given Cane another dose of the drug before she had left her house, insuring that he would be out for the rest of the day. She wanted everything to look on the up and up. When this plan had come to her, she had thought it out thoroughly. She had made sure that several people that she was acquainted with saw her last night having a good time and going no where near Cane and Lily. Chloe had also made sure that several people had seen her leaving Indigo last night with a group of girls from Jabot. She also made sure that no one had seen her come back...

Jill had searched the conference rooms and Cane's office with no sign of him. She was just coming out of his office when she ran into Chloe outside of it.

"Chloe. Have you seen Cane this morning?"

Chloe put on a look of confusion. "No, Jill. I was just coming to show him these latest proofs of Lily. Is he not in his office?"

"No, it appears that he isn't."

"Hmmm... that's strange. He is usually in his office by now." Chloe snapped her fingers as if an idea had just occurred to her. "I know. Wasn't he at the show at Indigo last night? He and Lily probably had a late night and he is with her. You know I am going to have to talk to her about that. All those long hours at Indigo is just horrible for her complexion, I'll call her now."

Jill put her hand up to stop Chloe. "No, Chloe that's ok. I will talk to her later. Thank you for your help." Jill left Chloe standing there as she quickly walked towards the privacy of her office.

"Couldn't have gone more perfect." Chloe muttered to herself as she went back to her office. A triumphant grin upon her face...

Jill made a phone call to the police. It was to early to report Cane as a missing person but she begged them to keep an eye out for his SUV. After hanging up with them she put a hand over her mouth in worry. She picked up the phone once more, she had to tell Lily what she knew...

Later...

Cane's head bobbed to the side and he groaned. He tried to move but he couldn't, the shackles prevented him from doing so. He tried to open his eyes but everything was so dark and blurry. Cane tried to focus on his last coherent thought... Chase tucking Lily's hair behind her ear as he looked at her so tenderly... Once more he tried to move, Lily... His mind shouted her name before the blackness took over again...

Meanwhile..

The officer in the patrol car ran the plates on the SUV parked on the side street. Cane Ashby came up as the registered owner. He put his car in park and approached the vehicle. Looking inside he found it unlocked and the keys hanging from the ignition. He went back to his car and radioed to headquarters...

Manipulation!!

Everyone was discussing Cane's suspicious disappearance at Jabot. Chloe kept her ear to the ground to get the goods on what everyone thought had happened. She smiled to herself at the knowledge that no one suspected her involvement.

Chloe was tapping her pen against the corner of her mouth while she thought that perhaps it was time she paid a visit to a distraught Lily to express her concern...

It had been over a week now since Cane had disappeared. The police had several officers on the case but so far had come up with nothing. After examining Cane's SUV they had found no prints not even Cane's. It had obviously been wiped clean before it was abandoned on that side street.

Lily was exhausted. She hadn't slept for more than a few minutes at a time over the past week. Every time she closed her eyes, her cruel imagination conjured up all sorts of images of what could have happened to Cane. And every time Lily would shake the thoughts from her head keeping her exhausted body from getting the rest she so desperately needed.

Thank God for her family. Without them... well she didn't want to think about what kind of condition she would be in if she were alone. To keep herself busy she got up and proceeded to get another cup of coffee from the kitchen. It was there that she felt a set of strong hands on her shoulders. Chase... He had been her rock since this happened. Never leaving her side for long except to help her Dad take care of things at Indigo. Lord knows she couldn't think of working right now.

"Lil', you have to eat something. You have to keep your strength up."

Lily squeezed his hand in thanks. "I know but I can't. The sight of it just makes me sick. All I can think about is Cane. I know he is still alive, I can feel it but - but..." Lily's shoulders began to shake with the effort to contain her tears. "Excuse me," she said and darted up the stairs.

Chase ran a hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. "Damn it, Chloe! I don't know if I can watch Lily go through this anymore. Why did you want her man, her life?" He mumbled under his breath to the empty room.

Just then the doorbell rang. Chase went over to the door and answered it finding the pain in his ass on the other side.

"Well you certainly took no time in making yourself at home." Chloe said as she stepped past him into the campus house.

Chase reluctantly closed the door after her entrance. "I am doing no such thing. Lily is absolutely devastated. She is wrought with fear as to what might have happened to Cane."

"Well you will be pleased to hear that he is very happy and very satisfied with me." Chloe said looking around the room. "You know it's good that you are laying your ground work now. Before you know it, it will be a breeze for you to make her fall for you."

Angered, Chase grabbed her arm. "That is not what I am doing and you know it. I don't know if I can keep this up much longer. What you are doing to them both is wrong on so many levels. Hell for all I know, Lily could fall in love with me and you would then decide it was me that you want. I just don't get it. Do you honestly want Cane or do you just want what Lily has?"

Chloe's eyes flashed and she jerked her arm from his grasp. "Chase, been there done that," she said looking him over from head to toe. "If you know what's good for you, you will keep your thoughts and comments to yourself. Don't forget what I know about you and how difficult I can make your life. Now where is darling little Lily?"

"I'm right here." Lily said as she came down the stairs. "What are you doing here Chloe?"

"Honey, I came to see how you were holding up. And from your disheveled appearance, I can see that it is not well. Is there any news on Cane?"

Lily sighed and wrapped her arms tighter around herself. "No there isn't any news. You know Chloe as much as I appreciate your kind words, I am really not in the mood for your company. So if you wouldn't mind being on your way, I would greatly appreciate - that."

Chloe put on one of her best fake smiles. "Sure, no problem. I understand. But if you need anything - anything at all just let me know. I have to go pick up a few things at the store anyway." Chloe reached out to squeeze Lily's hand. "You take care of yourself ok. You just don't look good."

Lily pulled her hand away. "Gee thanks Chloe, you always seem to know the right things to say."
Oblivious Chloe replied with, "yeah well I try. Good night you two."

Chase and Lily watched the door close behind her. "Wow. She is quite a piece of work isn't she?"

"Ummm... yeah that is one way to put it. Well you better get going or your going to be late for your shift."

"Are you sure you want me to go? I don't think it's going to be that busy tonight. And I don't think you should be alone."

"No honestly it's ok. Go. Devon will be home soon. I just need a little time to myself."

"Ok but call me if you need anything." Chase said as he gathered up his jacket and keys.

"I will. Bye." Lily said as she turned and headed back upstairs...

When she was alone again she pulled out the pregnancy test she had taken earlier and starred at the positive sign. Lily let the tears she had been holding in for so long flow unchecked down her face.

"Oh, Cane. No matter how safe we are it would seem that we are destined to have a baby. Where are you?" She asked as she starred up at the ceiling. "I need you." Lily placed her hand lovingly over her stomach. "We need you..."

Meanwhile...

It was as if he felt her calling out to him. "Lily," he mumbled in a hoarse whisper.

From what seemed like a great distance away in his semi conscious state he heard someone approach. Chloe smacked him on the cheek bringing him more fully awake.

"Well hello lover. You know you and I have been having such a good time with each other lately. Well, I was feeling lucky today so I went to the pharmacy and picked up a pregnancy test and what do you know." Chloe said pointing to the result window. "Your going to be a daddy. I'm pregnant Cane."

"No," he whispered trying to move away from her, his restraints preventing him from going very far.

"Yes. The proof is right here, my love." Chloe said tapping the test with her finger. "Oh and you will be happy to know that Lily is moving on with someone else. She looked very happy when I saw her and that guy Chase today."

"NO!" Cane shouted finally finding strength in his voice. "I don't believe you."

Chloe grabbed him by the chin harshly and forced Cane to look her directly in the eyes. "You and I are together now and we are going to have a family. The sooner you get that the better it will be for everyone. After all you don't want me to hurt your precious Lily now do you?"

"If you lay one finger on her I'll kill you myself."

Chloe put a hand over her still flat stomach and said, "Now Cane you wouldn't harm your unborn child now would you."

Cane starred daggers at Chloe but said nothing more.

"You know Cane, I think it's time you went night night again. That way I can celebrate with you, uninterrupted." Even though Chloe had yet to be able to get Cane to perform she still would try.

Cane struggled against his restraints as Chloe once again injected him. In moments the blackness took over...