Brady and Chloe:
A Selective History by Two Highly Biased, Unapologetic Authors



Chloe Lane was something entirely new to Salem. Dark, mysterious, swathed in black. She loved opera and hated people. And they hated her right back. Life was hell. Until an ill-fated bet led her to the Last Blast Dance on the arm of the richest, most popular jock in school. For Philip Kiriakis, it was love at first sight…as soon as that sight included Chloe in a form-fitting, eye-popping red dress. All references to Ghoulgirl and Vampira were immediately forgotten as the always shallow boy realized that the school pariah was a major babe.



So all was perfect for a while. Philip got to put his slimy lips on her. Chloe got to feel like she belonged. The Cinderella fantasy set preteen girls across the nation aflutter. Such an arrangement could only last for so long though, before something was bound to go wrong. And go wrong it did. Chloe was informed of the infamous bet that had led to all her supposed happiness. Humiliated, broken-hearted, and betrayed, Chloe fled to the one place she thought she could be alone in her misery.

It was not to be.

When Brady Black came back from boarding school, he was angry, rebellious, and oh so damn sexy. Determined to separate his father from the pious, prestigious Dr. Marlena Evans, he made their lives a living hell for months on end—and we enjoyed every moment of it. The dark, brooding stares; the shouted words; the black-clad rebel…Brady Victor Black was, quite simply, the most lovable bad boy ever created.



It was fate that brought those “two lonely hearts” together onto that pier that night. It was destiny that they should find in each other someone who understood all their pain, had lived it, breathed it, their entire lives. Of course, it would all be a little too easy for these poor lost souls to recognize their perfect fit right away. So they railed at each other, cursed at each other, spat and fought and through it all that sexual tension was brimming just seconds away from the surface.



If there was any lingering doubt about the rightness of Broe, it was washed away a scant month later when their voices blended together for the first time on Halloween night in an impromptu duet to The Marriage of Figaro. The air rippled with the tension between them, and most of it had nothing to do with anger.



Dressed as the sexily irresistible Zorro, but without his mask at this point, Brady was taking money out of an ATM when he was ruthlessly attacked by demon spawned teenagers. Now, our lovely lady Chloe lived only a few houses away, and after hearing the commotion, she rushed to the rescue. Imagine Brady's thoughts when he sees his lady love running towards him dressed in a flowing white nightgown with her hair down around her shoulders. Let's just say his Zorro pants probably got a little tight. Anyway, Chloe grabbed her handy dandy bike and took our wounded hero to Salem's finest hospital, intent on getting his stubborn self some treatment. But Brady being his bad-ass self stole Chloe's bike when she went into the E.R. to get a doctor.



And so ensued the Great Brady Chase of 2000. Under orders from the Wicked Stepmother, aka the distinguished Dr. Evans, Roman Brady tracked down the already injured Brady and had him shot in the back, for a crime he never even committed. Salem justice at its best. Paralyzed from the waist down, Brady stayed in his hospital room, drinking in bitterness and the platitudes of suddenly “concerned” Salemites. But one person was entirely unaffected by his change in status. When challenged, Chloe couldn’t have cared less about his injuries. She roared back, with a fury to match even Brady’s, in his hospital room, no less. It did Brady more good than anything else could have.



After our beloved Brady was released from the hospital, confined to a wheelchair much to his frustrated dismay, the Broe heat intensified. On the blissful occasions that Brady and Chloe were in a room together, bystanders were in perilous danger from getting singed from all the sparks flying around. Especially when opera was mentioned. God help you if you were in the immediate vicinity when Brady dissed Chloe's singing. Although for us Broe lovers, these fights turned battles excited and intrigued us, for we were beginning to see the incredible passion each character displayed when defending something they loved.

One, however, was not nearly as thrilled with this arrangement. For strange to say, the first person in Salem to see in Brady and Chloe what we see in Brady and Chloe was none other than the always observant Philip Kiriakis. While Belle was trying to find ways to make her best friend and her brother not hate each other, Philip suspected that maybe they didn’t hate each other nearly as much as they should. And so the Psycho Schizo was born.



As with most psychos, Brady's Uncle Phil...sadly our hunk of man is related to that pansy-ass...began to exhibit obsessive behavior towards our Chloe, or as Brady began to call her, our Diva. Without going into the gory details, mainly because my stomach can't handle it, suffice it to say that Phil brainwashed Chloe into thinking she wanted him in "that way" and whisked her off to his stables. His STABLES, people! How romantic is that? Ahem...anyway, back to the barn. Phil goes in for kill, but luckily, Chloe sees Phil's supposedly dead father and after screaming her pretty little head off, ran away from the scene of the almost crime.

Poor little Chloe is so distraught at the virtual corruption of her innocence that when she runs into her mother, she allows Nancy to believe that Philip has raped her. Not too far off, actually. Seduction under false pretenses, nasty little pervert. Chloe, however, is not quite so crazy about the idea of a rape exam; and Nancy and Craig have her locked in a hospital room until they can perform one. Our heroine is trapped. She needs a hero to save her. But who could it be? Why, yes, it turns out that Brady happens to be in the hospital at the same time for physical therapy! Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you say? Brady gallantly rescues the Delusional Diva for the first, but most certainly not the last, time, helping her escape through the grated window.



After a series of increasingly antagonistic fights with Marlena, Brady finally forces her to admit that she was jealous of his mother, the sainted, we’ll-love-her-for-all-time IzzyB. However, when Brady tells Belle of this development, things go from bad to worse; and they end up arguing in the midst of Dot.com. Enter Philip and Chloe, fresh from yet another Psycho Schizo outburst from the K-man himself, this time over her friendship with Shawn Brady. Seeing the argument, Chloe and her shadow rush to Belle’s side. Belle informs them that nobody can reach her brother anymore. That’s your cue, Diva. While Phil festers and rots in the background, Chloe makes her way to Brady’s table—and through his shell. In no time at all, the soulmates are singing, laughing, and connecting. Two guesses what happens next. But of course, the Pansy Ass Brat appears to yank his arm candy away. Sensing the pattern yet?



Very quickly our Wise-Beyond-His-Years, slightly tamer bad-ass Brady realizes that his disgusting Uncle Phil is quite easily controlling Chloe's affections/emotions. Much to his, and our, disgust. So begins his endless tirade against the evils of Phil. But does our Delusional Diva listen to the Voice of Reason? Of course not! She's delusional and believes that Phil loves her for her, and not the reality that he loves her for her appearance. Silly girl. So, now instead of fighting about opera, which was fascinating, we got to watch our Broe fight over the demonic Phil. Sigh....what a waste of Broe moments.



So our Brady joins an alliance of sorts with his Grandpa Vic to break up Philyboy and the Diva—although I suspect their motives for doing so were vastly different. As part of his agreement, Brady was placed as chaperone to the Last Blast 2001 in place of his grandfather, attending with the Evil Nicwhore. One problem. Before he can actually reach this dance, Brady finds himself falling head over heels—literally—for Chloe when he sees her in a slip while dressing for the LBD. In slow motion, of all things. Work it, baby.



Amidst all of this Broe wonderfulness, disaster is lurking. Unbeknownst to our hero and his delusional heroine, two evil witches, aka Mimi Lockhart and Jan Spears, have set up a nasty website www.operagirl.net. If only it was how it sounded...but it was not meant to be. Chloe, already extremely jealous of seeing Brady with Nicwhore at the dance but not admitting it to herself, was obviously getting tired of Phil. But she agreed to dance with him, since he did happen to be her atrocious boyfriend. So during this sickening dance, the disaster strikes. There is Chloe, in all her nude glory...ok, she's covered by soap suds...on the video screen for all of Salem High to see. Let's just say the sh*t hit the fan.



Now, we all know our Brady is much, much smarter than the average Salemite. He foresaw trouble coming to his beloved and had tried everything he knew to stop it from happening. However, that “everything” included searching the slide projector for the slides Mimi had put in there. When the time came to blame the prank on someone, it came squarely back on our Black knight. That may be overlooked for the moment though, because something else happened the moment those pictures came on the screen. Schizo-Philnic Hairy-Ass-Kiss showed his true colors, denouncing Chloe in front of all of Salem High, running out on her, and then waiting for her to come outside so he could yell at her all over again. Let’s just say the names he called her make Ghoulgirl sound like a term of affection. Ah, true love at its finest.



So without further ado, the villian known as Phil leaves our devestated Chloe in the middle of the gym, her classmates staring and laughing at her...with the exception of a few friends and her soulmate. Destroyed, and rightly so, Chloe bolts from the public place of her humiliation and runs back to her house, putting her black clothes on again. She dives into despair until Brady shows up...and with his winning smile and spectacular charm, he finally convinced Chloe that he was not to blame. He even talked Opera! Excuse me while I swoon.



Through many twists and turns, Chloe gets her revenge on Jan and Mimi; Philip finds out what an ass he was and decides to apologize; and Shawn, Belle, and Chloe decide to go on an ecology trip to Puerto Rico over the summer to search for Alice Horton’s ruby. None of which has anything to do with Broe, so who cares? The fun begins when Philyboy decides to show up on the trip on the last moment, and Chloe stays behind. First smart move the girl ever made. For as Brady gave her the ride to the airport, Brady must give her the ride home…with a few detours along the way.



First on the way home is Tuscany...the restaurant for lovebirds. There is a slight run-in with Brady's father and his evil step-mother, but Chloe leads him to their table in the back. Chloe, still very depressed about Phil's ugly nature, goes to the little girl's room to "freshen up." While Chloe is in the bathroom, our devilishly handsome Brady picks up his butter knife, winks that sexy wink of his, and grins at himself. Talk about making your heart go pitter pat! So Chloe rejoins her destined love, and he happily cheers her up.



Things only get better the next morning when Chloe stumbles upon the Black men having a game of one on one—Brady sans shirt. After pausing a moment to gawk, as any red-blooded woman would do, Chloe starts to make herself walk away. But Brady will have none of it. He is going to make her have fun, despite herself. He brings her to Dot.com (for where else is there to go as a teenager in Salem?) and promptly defends her honor in front of a few local Salem losers. Unfortunately for Brady, Chloe observes what he does not—two girls watching him avidly throughout the encounter. This prompts her to ask about his love life, something I would have done months ago if I was Chloe, but that’s another story. Rather than answer her direct questions, Brady once again takes control of the situation and sweeps her off for destinations unknown.



Lustily for us, I mean...Luckily for us, Brady takes Chloe back to the basketball court, where he challenges her to a game of one on one. What I wouldn't give to have been in her place... So the game commences, and Chloe notices that Brady's manly sweat is soaking his shirt, and she logically tells him to take it off. He does, and we, and Chloe, are treated to a superb slow motion scene of Brady removing his shirt to reveal his hardened, luscious, delicious, breathtakingly beautiful abs. Of course, Chloe isn't the only one who can't keep her eyes off them. Millions of us Brady lovers came close to fainting with the pleasure of it.



Once she’d been struck dumb by the wonder that is Brady, it was obvious that Chloe wasn’t going to spend any more of her summer away from Brady Victor Black. So the first thing needed to make this perfect summer possible was the right set of wheels for the journey. And they found them in one so-called “hip, happening jeep.” No sooner had Brady bought the vehicle that puts all others to shame than he and Chloe took a drive out to Lookout Point. And in one of the most telling, though underplayed moments, in Broe history, Chloe breaks her glasses upon Brady’s request.



Later that evening quickly became one of Broe's most...delicious episodes. Picture this...Brady and Chloe sitting next to each other in the Brady Pub, waiting for their pancakes to arrive. As they wait patiently, Brady vows to make Chloe forgot all about Phil, including making sure she'll soon be saying, "Philip Who?" As Chloe ponders this insightful information, their pancakes arrive. Chloe daintily picks at hers while Brady slops on the whipped cream and other yummy toppings, until he notices what she's doing. Thoroughly flabbergasted, Brady slaps whipped cream and the other goodies onto Chloe's pancakes, much to her horror. After a brief, but adorable banter between them, Chloe dips her spoon in the whipped cream and lets it fly...right onto Brady's gorgeous face.



The meal doesn’t end without Chloe’s agreement to let Brady teach her about music, so bright and early the next morning Professor Black is there to help connect that voice to the heart. But time can’t all be fun and games. Yet another amazing aspect of Broe is revealed as she confides in him about her adoptive parents, their death, and the reason she can’t say “I love you.” Brady alone can truly understand her pain, and the bond between them becomes even stronger. With serious matters out of the way, the duo head to Salem Place for some fun—which includes exposing a fraud, watching a movie, and eating ice cream.



After such an emotionally strenuous morning, it was time to have some fun! So while eating their ice cream, Chloe decided that she wanted to learn how to bowl. Brady was surprised, but happy to teach her. So off they went to Salem's only bowling alley. Brady, being his loveable self, told Chloe the rules all switched around, and got quite a kick out of it until he learned that she had caught on and was just playing with him. They had a good laugh, and then her mom and stepfather walked in.



Contrary to all previous beliefs, it turns out that Chloe actually can get along with her mother. When she’s with the right kind of company, namely Brady Black. As Brady managed to charm over the Wesleys and Chloe and Nancy found ways or relating to each other that didn’t involve screaming, cursing, and slamming of doors, the lunatic formerly known as Philip decided now would be a good time to intrude on our perfect Broe summer. With two heinously evil phone calls, both of which ended with him hanging up on Chloe and one included the phrase “lying bitch” in reference to his beloved, the dimple king ruined the lovely Broe/Crancy bowling bonding and turned Chloe once again into the crying, sniveling Delusional Diva that we had hoped had vanished forever.

But do not fret, Broe fans, for we all know what happens next. Yes, that's right. On August 23, 2001, Brady and Chloe sang again...to the Sound of Music. Capital S, Capital M. And so with our delicious Brady decked out in an excellent white dress shirt, slightly unbuttoned to tease our senses, and Chloe looking delightful in a white and flower print dress, we were all treated to a breathtaking rendition of "Sixteen Going on Seventeen." And then, although we had to suffer through a brief moment of cluelessness by Chloe telling Brady what a good friend he is, they sang "My Favorite Things," therefore catapulting these two songs into our hearts and minds forever.



One might think that there’s no possible way that Broe could top that—and one would be most seriously wrong. For only two Broe episodes later, we all felt our insides turn to jelly and became as deeply imprisoned by Brady’s voice as Chloe was when he seduced her with “The Music of the Night.” How we all managed to make it through that day without fainting dead away I will never know. But one thing was quite evident to anyone with eyes. Brady is Chloe’s Phantom. She is putty in his hands, and who can blame her? If Brady sang to me like that, they’d be scraping me off the floor.



Now, as all good things must come to an end, so did our Broe summer. For evil sadistic psycho Phil takes over again. And this time all the way from Puerto Rico! For Phil has gotten himself into trouble yet again, this time with Shawn and Belle, and an idiot named Paul Mendez, Nicwhore's father. Isn't it interesting how everyone knows everyone somehow? Forgive me while I roll my eyes. So...skipping over the Phil part because really, who cares?...we come back to Broe on Victor's private plane on their way to rescue dumb-ass and the others.

Through an airplane crash, a hurricane, and the brainless direction of Meems, Brady and Chloe still manage to make their way to Belle, Shawn, and Icky-boy in time, drat it all. But our Brady wouldn’t be our Brady if he didn’t risk life and limb to save each and every one of their sorry behinds, dragging them one at a time out of the water and to safety. My hero. A glimmer of hope was offered us in the unconscious state of Phil from his time under water, deprived of oxygen; but I knew he’d make it through. How, you ask? Why, it’s simple. Phil had no brain cells to kill. The Delusional Diva cannot take comfort from this fact however, so it’s up to our perfect Brady to make her feel better. One of the many, many, many qualities that make him perfect is that he’s unselfish enough to actually want Phil to get better for Chloe’s sake—though the rest of us might have disagreed with that assessment. He actually believes the sweet words he tells her, and he never for a moment takes advantage of her vulnerability. Imagine how that scene would have played if the situation had been reversed with Brady in the coma and Phil comforting Chloe. Anyone remember barn sex?



Naturally, Phil woke up perfectly unaffected. This is a soap opera after all. And our three principles made their way back to good old Salem, U.S.A. on three entirely separate planes. But while Chloe’s plane was delayed at the gate, the men in her life were each searching for her…in their very different ways. Brady went to the Wesleys to see her and, finding her missing, went to see if there were any messages on Chloe’s answering machine. This is where it gets interesting. For Philip, unaware that Chloe now knows what it sounds like to be serenaded by an actually talented singer, decides he can woo his lady love back by doing his best impersonation of a cat in heat, wailing beneath her window. Tap go the pebbles on the windowpane, out pops Brady’s head, and Philip becomes Psycho Schizo yet again. Too bad for him that Chloe shows up at just that moment. It ain’t pretty, folks—it’s downright beautiful.

With Philyboy out of the picture—at least for the moment—the stage is set for one of the most leading Broe scenes to date. Chloe goes on a personal fishing expedition into Brady’s love life, and Brady tries gallantly to hide his true feelings for her; but all his efforts are shot to hell the moment Chloe lovingly touches her hand to Brady's stubbled cheek. She goes inside, leaving our hero to enjoy the sensation of her skin on his. How there are women in this world who do not love him, I still fail to comprehend.



Soon after, we were treated to Brady dreaming of his Chloe...although not quite what we Broe fans were after, it was a Broe dream and who can argue with that? So there's Chloe, dressed as the pro-basketball player Alan Iverson...tattoos and cornrows included. A short game ensued, with Chloe ending up plastered against Brady's hot bod, and just as they're gazing longingly into each other's eyes, some rude person wakes Brady up. Another kiss averted. Sigh...



What’s so important about going to a movie? Everything if you’re in high school and you turned down your ex-boyfriend only to have him ask out the school’s biggest slut. That’s the predicament poor Miss Lane finds herself in around this time. So after repeated proddings on the behalf of Shawn and Belle, Brady finally takes the leap and asks his lovely lady to accompany him to the theatre that same evening. Any normal woman would be thrilled, ecstatic, overjoyed at such an offer from the sexiest, most godlike Adonis on the planet. But not Chloe. Oh no. Sure she accepts, but she does so grudgingly, and every bit the Delusional Diva Phil has turned her into.

Now that Chloe has accepted the date with Brady, she's rethinking her decision. Have I mentioned how CLUELESS this girl is? So she's moping about, wandering in the snow...and who happens to come upon her? Why Brady of course! And being his usual charming self, he instigates a very entertaining snowball fight, which Chloe participates in whole-heartedly, and decides to go with Brady to the movies. Finally, a smart decision from our girl!



Finally, movie night has arrived. But Chloe wouldn’t be Chloe if she didn’t go into a pre-date Phil whining slump. Luckily, this is a selective history so we get to skip right ahead to the middle portion of the date, the “Brady-I-need-you-I’m-crazy-about-you” portion of the date. Unbelievable as it might sound, there was an entire episode specifically devoted to Chloe letting Brady know how much she cared for him. Possibly the one thing Langan ever got right. Of course, even that he had to cut short with Chloe running into Philyboy in the lobby, getting into a fight, and booted out of the theater. But let’s focus on the positive for a second, okay? Chloe admitted she needed Brady. Not Philip, Braaaaady. Ha! Take that, Phloppers.



After basking in the glory that is Broe, and then suffering through a confrontation with Phil, we see Chloe walking home alone. As one, we all shook our heads at this clueless Chloe, because we KNEW something would happen. And it did. Evil men, probably related to Phil in some evil twilight zone kind of way, tried to hurt our dear Chloe. Who comes to the rescue? That's right! Our wonderful hero, Brady Black! He kicks the crap out of those idiots and takes Chloe to the park, where they have a nice little chat. Things heat up when Brady makes a reference to making love, but unfortunately, it doesn't affect Chloe quite enough.



Now, even though that chat about making love didn't lead anywhere, our next happy Broe moment definitely gets more attention. For you see, Chloe gets an eyeful of Brady's naked body. He'd been singing in the shower, thinking of our dearest Diva, and when he got out, all wet and slick and yummy, he realized there were no towels. Believing he was alone in the penthouse, Brady meanders down the stairs in search of the elusive scrap of cloth. Instead, he comes face to...face...with Chloe and Belle. Brady, being the modest gentleman that he is, grabs the closest thing to him, covering himself with a damn flowerpot! I will now and forever hate flowerpots with a passion. So, Chloe gets to gaze upon Brady's naked perfection for mere seconds before handing him a pillow to cover his delectable behind so he can go upstairs and cover his gorgeous body.



Not long after, Brady and Chloe find themselves together at Lexie’s party at the DiMera mansion. The night could have been spent in longing looks upon the dance floor—and there were moments—but once again, the Icky Boy Pansy Ass Brat has to ruin our fun by crashing the party. Idiot. While it was immensely entertaining seeing Philyboy get the crap beat out of him by the DiMera’s security guards, it was not nearly so fun watching Chloe be stupid enough to consider following him. But in the long run, she made the wise decision and stayed with our Brady. Which leads to the actual fun part of the evening. Brady and Chloe down in the DiMera catacombs losing themselves in the comparable couple of Lancelot and Guinevere. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Brady with his head to Chloe’s chest, listening to the sound of her heart. Sigh. If she doesn’t want him, I’ll take him.



Flashforward to Christmas, and you'll find Brady and Chloe singing “Silent Night” together. They perform so beautifully it brings tears to your eyes. The only problem with this episode is that it wasn't real. Sigh...it was supposed to be how life "should be" in Salem that day. But oh well...we got to hear Broe SING!



Evil (Staff Writer) Langan deprived us of Broe moments for almost a month after that while allowing Philyboy to slither his way back onto Chloe’s lips. We had all pretty much reached the breaking point by the time our next great Broe day came along. But it was enough to help keep the faith for a long time to come. After fighting over her reconciliation with that putrid, disgusting loser, Brady and Chloe relieved some of that tension by going ice skating together. In a series of picture perfect scenes, our couple clung to each other, played with each other, even led the bystanders in a rousing version of “Winter Wonderland,” all leading up to that swoon-worthy moment when Chloe falls into Brady’s arms and they become lost in each other’s eyes. If you can’t tell what happens next, you haven’t been reading this history close enough. Enter Schizo, exit Brady.



Moving on Broe fans, we skip Valentine's Day because again, Psycho Phil ruins the Broe day and I really don't want to dwell on that nastiness. So instead we come to one of my favorite episodes...the Monopoly one. But it's not JUST Monopoly, oh no! Brady and Chloe treat us to yet another earth-moving singing performance, this time to "People Will Say We're In Love." But let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. We must linger on the memory of these magnificent Broe moments...the happy carefree quality of Broe as they played Monopoly with Craig and Nancy, the must-have obligatory mocha chip ice cream scene, and of course...the duet. Their voices blended so perfectly together, as always, and they way they danced each other around the room was enough to bring happy tears to diehard Broe fans eyes. How anyone could miss the sexual chemistry between these two is beyond me!



Because Langan was evil, he couldn’t leave before providing us with a month full of Phlop and devoid of Brady; but in came April, and the I-love-them-so-much-that-I-don’t-care-they-got-rid-of-Greta-and-J.T-because-they-gave-me-Broe new head writers came with it. Granted, our first Broe day under their lead wasn’t all that spectacular. But Brady got to punch the Whiny Pussbucket, aka Shawn-Douglas Brady, so do I really care? I think not. And while Philyboy was off in Vegas, we got an evening full of Broe romance. A walk in the park by moonlight, with bowls full of rocky road ice cream—they were out of mocha chip—leading to a near-miss kiss. Even Chloe’s fainting just a few scenes later couldn’t ruin my good mood that day. I’d faint too if Brady Black’s lips came that close to mine. The foreshadowing of Chloe’s illness is lost to me amidst a flurry of wonderful Broe sensations. A near-miss kiss, soulful looks, and a brush of the cheek made it a night to remember.



Now, you might think this would be the perfect time for the pansy ass brat to come running in and ruin everything, but for once, we Broe fans got lucky! The scene at the hospital with the flowers was very sweet and tender, but not as sweet as when Brady came to Chloe's house with donuts, waking her up with the delicious smell of the small pastries. The conversation that followed was so sweet and cute and funny, and when Brady leaned over the bed, sticking his tongue out, you just couldn't help but go Yummy! Now is when Philly boy comes in...for we KNEW he was going to ruin this moment somehow. Luckily, we did not have to see him in person with Broe, we just had to hear his whiny nasal voice. Would Phil be man enough to call in person? Of course not! He has Belle do his dirty work; but our Brady knew just what sort of game was being played. Yet it is the Diva who finally does the smart thing—she tells Belle she doesn’t want to talk to Phil not even knowing that Philyboy is listening on Belle’s cell. His temper tantrum could put any five year old to shame. And you wonder why I hate him so.



A few weeks after the delightful breakfast in bed, our favorite couple spent the day together. But I'm not going to go into that because what happens after their day together is what's exciting! You see, so far, only Brady has dreamed of Chloe...but that night, Chloe dreamed of Brady. Her gallant hero swept deeper into our hearts as he climbed through Chloe's bedroom window, just wanting to tuck her in and make sure she was alright. Can we say Awww... Here comes the best part...Chloe dreams that Brady leans down after tucking her in, and their faces come closer and closer, until it looks as if they're going to kiss. But alas, Chloe wakes up just as Brady's lips almost touch hers...but never fear Broe lovers: at least she wanted to kiss him!



Skipping ahead a bit, we get to see Brady's new living space: his parents old loft. Parents meaning John and the angelic Isabella. Just walking into the loft, we can see that this is where Brady was meant to be. He fit there perfectly, kind of like the way he fits with Chloe. Isabella's presence surrounded him and comforted him, and our beloved Brady accepted the loft on the spot, thanking his father for this wonderful gift. Now, if you are a true Broe lover, you were fantasizing about seeing Chloe in the loft with Brady, doing what your perverted imaginations wanted them to do. Someday, people...someday.



Speaking of Chloe, it was time yet again for Philyboy to get caught being a moron. This time it involved slutty Cyn-ho, the night of the movies, and a security video. You can guess the rest from there—though I prefer not to. Bad mental images. Go away! Being the immature little twerp that he is, he couldn’t simply accept it and move on. Nope. First thing on Philip’s to-do list after the breakup: Throw a trashcan through the window of Dot.com. Gee, Phil, what happened to all that growing up you supposedly did when you and Chloe were apart the last time?

It was only a matter of time before Chloe’s health problems became center stage, and it started the day she was supposed to audition for her master class at Julliard. Our Brady had stopped by to see her off when she abruptly passed out, falling into his arms. There are a lot worse places I can think of being, sick or not. But the ill-fated fainting spell, coupled with sore vocal chords, kept Chloe from the chance she’d waited her whole life for. When your whole world’s falling apart, what’s a girl to do? Why, sneak out of the house and find a “safe place” in the arms of Brady Victor Black, of course. Duh. On her first journey to the beloved loft, Chloe brought Brady a house-warming gift—mistakenly, a snow-globe of Hollywood. But our perfect Brady loves it, because it’s from her. Sigh. Why she ever left that night, I’ll never understand.



I’d just like to know if it’s a law that you can’t have a party in Salem without inviting at least one person who doesn’t belong there. Case in point: Brady’s 21st birthday party. A small surprise gathering dreamed up by none but Miss Lane herself. Yet somehow the Pansy Ass Brat made it onto the guest list. Ah well. It was his own misfortune as he had to “endure” for an hour was sure delight to the rest of us: Brady and Chloe flirting at every possible opportunity. Even Chloe’s birthday gift—a DVD of “The Sound of Music” —was meant to reinforce the fact that Broe have a special bond with each other. Poor Philyboy didn’t have any choice but to fester in the background, while Brady and Chloe made love with their eyes. Hehehe…notice my lack of sympathy?



Naturally, such a pleasant state of events couldn’t last for long. The Delusional Diva can only remain intelligent for so long at a time, and she had reached her limit. Her first mistake was collaborating with Meems and Philip to reunite poor Belle with the Whiny Pussbucket. Like it wasn’t enough to make Brady’s sister have to kiss the Chinless Wonder all over again, it also allowed Philyboy a chance to slither back into Chloe’s life. And slither he did with the aid of rapper’s jewelry in the shape of that damned tree--May it be burned in everlasting damnation! This gruesome momento had been foisted on Chloe several times before, but it was only at graduation that she actually accepted it…though perhaps “accept” is too strong a word. When you’ve collapsed from leukemia (which she was finally diagnosed with the day before) or perhaps from that ugly hunk of metal around your neck, you’re not really in a position to be refusing gifts. Of course, Phil, being the complete and utter moron that he is, failed to notice that his beloved was sick—even though our Brady could see it from halfway across the room.

Loser Phil still couldn’t figure it out though, even at the Last Blast Dance, where Chloe tried to tell him no less than three times. Does the icky boy EVER listen to Chloe? I think not! But then, Phil’s listening skills have never been the best, have they? It wasn’t until she actually fainted dead away on the gym floor, AT HIS FEET, that this rocket scientist realized his girlfriend might be upset about something more than just HIM. Luckily, not all people were so clueless. Brady, thanks to a mysterious message on his computer screen thanks to his deceased mother, Isabella, found his way to University Hospital just as Icky Boy, Chloe, Belle, and the WhinyPussbucket burst in. Not long after Chloe was rushed into the ER, Nancy came out to deliver the heartbreaking news that Chloe had cancer. The look on Brady’s face was enough to bring on the tears. Quite a few of us sobbed in our seats. But he handled it in typical Brady fashion. He showed no emotion until he fled the scene and broke down outside, alone. My poor, darling Brady. How anyone could watch that scene and not want to comfort him I’ll never know. After a short conversation with Duh-boy (yes, it’s true, even talking sense to my Brady cannot redeem Shawn in my eyes), Brady returned to Chloe’s side, making her smile for the first time all night. God, I love him. How could I not? How can Chloe not realize that she loves him?



Okay, so maybe it wasn’t how we all imagined first hearing Brady say “I love you, Chloe,” but you gotta admit that you rewound the section when he confessed it to his snowglobe—under IzzyB’s influence of course—about a million times. Or was that just me? Oh well. Whether or not you’re as obsessed as I am, hearing Brady say those four words gave all of us goosebumps and warm, fuzzy feelings. But for my money, the even greater scene came later in the episode. Anyone want to hazard a guess? Brady and Chloe smiling at each other? Chloe telling Brady not to go? Broe discussing music? Nope, nope, and nope. The scene that I still claim as being the most apparent display of Brady’s love for her doesn’t have a single word being spoken. The final scene of the episode in which Chloe is sleeping, and Brady kisses her forehead, prepares to leave, and then changes his mind at the last minute and stays to watch her sleep is the absolute most poignant, beautiful TV moment I’ve ever seen. And yes, I do know I’m a total sap. But if you're honest, you'll realize you're a total sap as well. Isn't he just the sweetest?!



The next morning, our Broe continue to bond and make plans to watch the Gemini meteor showers together. Of course, later on, we had to endure nauseating scenes with Brady and Phil pretending to get along; but we'll skip those because they sucked and move on to the fireworks themselves. Philyboy made a last ditch attempt to ruin our Broe night by showing up at Chloe's bedside with a telescope to watch the show but went away again when Chloe fell asleep. (And really, how many of us believe she was actually sleeping? The girl can be dense, but she's not that stupid.) The path was then open for our darling Brady to come to her side. In the midst of the infuriatingly stupid astronomical event which brought in the crappy alien storyline and the even worse return of Billie's lips, Broe shone like a beacon of loveliness as they watched the stars fall and then listened to the music falling all around them. Who will ever forget the look on Brady's face when Chloe asked him to stay with her? Better yet, who will ever forget the look on Philip's when he walked in on Broe sleeping side by side?



Ok folks, well, you'd think that after spending the night together, albeit platonically, that there would be an excellent Broe scene ahead...you'd be wrong. There was a tiny scene, but I will not go into detail, for what happens after is much more fun. When Brady leaves Chloe's hospital room, the icky boy pansy ass brat aka Philip confronts him. Can I smack this kid upside the head? Please? He starts in about how Brady is taking advantage of Chloe and how Brady wants Chloe all for himself. Brady starts to defend himself, but stops when he realizes that no matter what he says, Phillyboy will only twist it around in his convoluted little mind. I wish he hadn't, I would have loved to see Brady beat the verbal stuffing out of the pompous Phil. So our hero tentatively strikes a truce with the maggot, and they head back to Chloe's room.

In front of the door, however, is Nancy, crying her heart out. Brady and Phil ask what's wrong, and Nancy tells them that Chloe is feeling down. Which is understandable considering her situation. Brady absorbs this, then grins. We all know this smile...it's Brady's 'I have a wonderful idea on how to cheer up my soulmate' smile. And what an amazing job he does! In yet more proof that the man can do no wrong, Brady arranges for all of Chloe's friends-okay, so in Salem, that adds up to Shawn, Belle, Meems, and for some odd reason, Kevin-to come to the hospital for a impromptu cheer-up-the-diva party. But that's not all. With Nancy and Craig's help, he also has a bunch of things from Chloe's room brought to the VIP suite of the hospital to make her feel more at home. (Astute Broe-watchers are well aware that the pig Brady got for Chloe never left her side all episode-nor did Brady.) Of course, Phil in his usual smarmy way tried to take credit for the idea, but we all know the truth. If you ask me, Chloe did too. At any rate, she seemed only to have eyes for Brady.



Not long after the party, and Belle's bone marrow drive, Chloe was hustled into isolation as she underwent Chemotherapy, and she was out of the picture for a while. But we Broe fans did not despair...much. Mainly, because Isabella finally appeared to our Brady. The poor man was shocked, of course, at seeing his dead mother materialize in front of him. Convinced he was losing it, Brady tried to tell himself Izzy B wasn't real. Of course, when that didn't work, he resorted to yelling at Isabella, while she dispensed vague advice. Such as, "Do what love does. Be what love is." Such useful soundbites...if you're an angel! Unfortunately for us mortals, Brady included, this did not compute. We could not understand why Isabella didn't just come out and say what was on her mind. On a side note, poor Brady's first thought when he saw his mother was that she was going to tell him that Chloe was going to die. Let me tell you, he was NOT pleased. Luckily, all Isabella wanted to do was impart some angelic anecdotes and evade straight answers.



Along comes August, and Chloe is out of isolation. Does this make us happy, Broe fans? Anyone watching at the time knows the answer to that one. HELL NO! Chloe, out of isolation, in remission, losing her hair, decides to turn into a major bitch for no apparent reason. (Actually, the theory is that her bandanas were a bit too tight, and they cut off blood flow to the brain.) She yells at our Brady, accusing him of all things wanting her to die, simply because he mentions his mother. And all the while she is being wretchedly horrible to him and allowing the Icky Boy to put his slimy lips on her again, our sweet, beloved Brady is on a quest to find her father in hopes he will be a bone marrow match.

Finally, Izzy B forced Brady to confront the issue by inviting Chloe (as well as John and Marlena) to the loft for dinner. The Diva actually accepted, though so grudgingly as to inspire in me several fantasies of choking her with that damn bandana. All started off well as the guests arrived. The trouble started when Izzy B innocently enough suggested to Brady that he and Chloe should play and sing together. With a simple touch, the angel inspired the diva to sing “I’ll Be Seeing You,” her favorite song; and all John and Izzy fans—such as myself—were treated to a tear-jerking montage of John and Izzy moments. Yet after the song, as John and Brady made mention of feeling Izzy’s presence, Chloe once again overreacted and went scurrying from the room. Our Brady followed her, only to be met with another tongue-lashing from the Delusional and Highly Annoying Diva, right before she ran back into Philyboy’s waiting arms, promising to go to New York with the sleaze. Let’s just say I came the closest ever to hating Chloe. Stupid Diva...doesn't know the best thing that ever happened to her is right under nose. *Grumbling under my breath*



Desolate about the misunderstanding with Chloe, Brady turned all his attention to finding Chloe's father. Isn't he the best?! Even after Chloe's foolish tirade against him, Brady still wants what is best for her. Sigh...why can Chloe not see what a perfect specimen of manhood Brady is? Anyway, back to the Search for Chloe's Father. Without going into details that are pointless and non-Broe involved, let's just say that Brady found out that Chloe's Father is in the Witless Protection Program. Oops, my mistake. I mean the Witness Protection Program. Brady rushed off to tell Chloe after Izzy B and sent him to Roman, who let Brady steal the Chloe's Father file from his desk.



Finally alerted to what Brady had been doing for her, Chloe was admirably repentant (though I could have done with some more groveling and begging for forgiveness, but such is not the Diva's way). She made up for her erroneous ways, however, by immediately ditching Philyboy to take off cross-country with Brady to find a Dr. Ben Thompson in Dry Creek, North Dakota. We were repaid for our wretched Augustal beginnings by some more Broe bonding and tension-laced moments in a hotel room with only one bed-all in good time, you two. Our favorite couple head off to the hospital to find Chloe's Father, but in predictably psychotic fashion, Schizo flew his father's plane to Dry Creek on a mission to steal back his beloved or some such nonsense. No sooner does he get there than he provokes a fight with Brady and scares away the not-so-good man who is supposedly Chloe's Father.



Now, if you thought Phil coming to Dry Creek and scaring away Chloe's Father (I refuse to to call this guy by name because I will never accept that anyone other than Craig is Chloe's father) was bad enough, you couldn't be more wrong. Phil does one of the worst things possible...he has our heroic Brady arrested! That's right! He bribed the Dry Creek sheriff to arrest Brady and get him out of Phil's slimy way so he could try to worm his way back to Chloe. Raise your hand if you despise this inhuman being with all your heart and soul.



With Brady in jail, Phil decides to pound yet one more nail in his coffin and writes a letter, claiming it's from Brady, to be given to Chloe as proof that she should go home with Philip. Nasty, little *expletives deleted*!!! Yet our Diva is not as Delusional as she used to be. About damn time, too! In fact, Chloe's becoming quite wise in her old age. She didn't completely trust Philyboy. Not only did she not let him get to her romantically, she insisted on going to the sheriff's office to drop off a letter for Brady before she would go anywhere with Icky Boy. They just happened to arrive at Brady's arraignment, and Chloe rushes in to tell the truth-leaving Phil with no choice but to back her up. It's a cold, hard pill for the K-man to swallow. It won't be the last.



Even though Chloe's Delusional status was slowly reclining, she still wasn't fully functioning when it came to Phil. She actually seemed shocked when the truth came out that Phil had Brady locked up, then lied to her about it. On a side note, I must say that Nadia Bjorlin did an Emmy-winning performance during this time. We could all see her heartbreak as she broke up with her first love for the last time, knowing that she'd finally outgrown him. Chloe cried during these emotional scenes, and I'm sure the Phloppers did too, but we Broe Lovers jumped for joy that Chloe was about to get rid of the Icky Boy once and for all.



Philyboy was sent home to mourn (Yippee! Hooray! Woohoo!!!), while Brady and Chloe decided to wait and try to continue their search. They thought they might have more luck if Sykes thought they had left town and so off went Broe to camp out in the hills. Words cannot describe the joy Broe Lovers experienced when we discovered where the true loyalties of those wonderful new head writers lay-entirely with our Broe. On a coyote-infested hillside (sorry, I live in the mountains, and those weren't no wolf howls), Brady and Chloe shared confessions, heart-to-hearts, tons of sexual tension, tight sleeping quarters, and we can't forget the s'mores. As Chloe declared that she "knew now what was meant to be," we all celebrated the success of two long, hard years in the fight for the Diva. She had finally figured it out.



September 27, 2002. A day that will forever be etched into our hearts and minds. That's right fellow Broe Lovers...this was the day Broe shared their first kiss! Appropriately enough, it was two years to the day they first met on the Salem pier. We've been through two years of ups and downs with our beloved couple, but Cwikly and Brash finally gave us what we've all been waiting for. The Broe Kiss. And what a kiss it was. Ok, let me back up a bit. It's Chloe's birthday, and she and Brady are still in the woods. It's a beautiful sunny day as Brady greets Chloe with a birthday Twinkie, candle and all. He sings Happy Birthday to her in that sexy voice of his, and they share the twinkie, feeding it to each other like newlyweds feed each other wedding cake. Chloe is beyond happy, and you can see it in her eyes. Brady grins and goes to his jeep, pulling something out. With love in his eyes, he hands her a small flat box, telling her it wasn't intended as a birthday gift but he wants her to open it anyway. She does, and there inside are tickets to a season worth of opera in New York. Chloe is beside herself with joy as Brady says he'd planned on giving them to her when she got accepted into Julliard, but he wants her to have them now so that she has something to look forward to...to live for. And then...this is the moment people! Brady and Chloe gaze deeply into each other's eyes and they drift towards each other, drawn by the irresistable pull of the other until their lips finally meet in such a breathtaking kiss it nearly made me cry. It was love and passion personified.




Sigh. All good things must come to an end. And so it was with Stage One of Broe's Journey to Love. They came home, confused but happy, though with their original mission unaccomplished. So through the tension and awkwardness of moving from friends to lovers, our new supercouple came home to Salem just in time for a surprise birthday celebration thrown by Nancy. Surrounded by her parents, Belle, Mimi, and Shawn, Chloe nonetheless had eyes only for Brady…until a drunk Philyboy decided it was a good time to crash the party.

Previously, this would have been a cause for concern among Broe fans (anyone remember the DiMera party?) but not this time. All the Pansy Ass Brat managed to do was make a complete fool out of himself, give the party a few tense moments, and cause me to laugh so hard tears came to my eyes. The guy really needs to get a LIFE! Within a few short segments, the Dimple King was gone, and it was back to adorable Broe/Crancy interactions, culminating in a goodbye touch to Chloe's cheek highly reminiscent of Chloe's caress from the porch episode last autumn. They've truly come full circle.



To Be Continued...