Save her, Jax! You have to save her!

"Brenda!"

Jax woke up with a start, breathing heavily. Brenda's voice had sounded so real. Jax rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He couldn't remember anything from his dream, only Brenda's voice telling him to save someone.

Jax looked across the room at Brenda's smiling face. "Save who?" he asked her picture.

He thought harder, trying to remember the dream, but still, nothing.

Jax glanced at the picture of Chloe and Molly. "Is she talking about you, Chloe? Oh god, listen to me, I'm talking to pictures now."

Jax got out of bed and went over to his dresser, getting out his running clothes. Running always seemed to clear his mind. But even after his run, the dream continued to baffle him.

"What's with you today?" Jerry asked as he stuffed a forkful of food into his mouth.

Jax pushed his food around his plate, not really interested in it. "Nothing."

Jerry rolled his eyes. "Liar. Is it Chloe?"

"Chloe? No." Jax moved the vegetables to the other side of his plate.

"Well something's on your mind, because you've been moving that carrot across your plate practically all during lunch. Now what is it?"

"I just, I just can't get this weird dream out of my mind, that's all."

"What was it about?" Jerry urged.

"I don't remember much of it. All I remember was that Brenda was in it, and she kept telling me to save someone."

"Hmm…" Jerry pondered as he shoved another heap of food into his mouth. "Save who?" he mumbled with a full mouth.

"That's the thing, I don't know. All I know is that it's a she because Brenda said 'Save her, Jax! You have to save her!' and then I woke up. Do you think it's possible that she's trying to tell me something?"

Jerry shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you think Brenda's trying to tell me that someone I know is in danger? Is she trying to tell me to save Chloe from something?"

"Jax, do I have 'dream decoder' stamped across my forehead?"

"Fine," Jax muttered and stood up briskly.

"Jax, wait! I'm sorry. Sit back down."

Jax sat back down.

"Look, I'm sorry, I just don't know what to tell you. You tell me you had some strange dream and you want to know what it means, but I'm sorry, I don't know any more than you do, okay? Look, it was probably just some random dream. I'm sure it didn't mean anything. And besides, what kind of danger would Chloe be in?"

Jax shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose it probably was some random dream. Her voice sounded so real though. I just wish I could remember it so it would make sense."

"Well, you done playing with that food on your plate?" Jerry asked.

Jax picked up his plate and gave it to his brother, who happily finished it off for him.

After lunch with his brother, Jax came home and relaxed on the couch, turning on his computer to get a head start on the week's work. It was then that the phone rang.

It was Jax's mother. Lady Jane always called her youngest son every weekend. Sometimes she would even call during the week. She was very fond of checking up on Jax.

"Jax, I tried calling you all day yesterday, but I kept getting the machine. You did get my messages didn't you?"

"Yes, of course, Mum. I got your messages. All six of them."

"Well why didn't you ring me back?"

"Because, I got home late last night."

"Well it wouldn't have been late here in Alaska you know."

"Yes, but I was tired."

"So? Where were you all day yesterday?"

Jax hadn't told his parents about Chloe yet. He had been hesitating. It wasn't that he was trying to hide Chloe, definitely not, but he knew how his parents were, and once they found out that he was seeing someone, he knew they wouldn't stop talking about it.

But today, Jax decided that he couldn't keep her a secret any longer. He would have to tell his parents about Chloe.

"I was at a birthday party."

"Oh really? Whose birthday?"

"Uh, a little girl. Her name is Molly. She's uh…she's the daughter of this woman that I'm…well, I'm sort of dating."

Jax could hear his mother gasp on the other end of the line. "JOHN!" she shouted, "Jax has met someone! A woman!"

Jax could hear his father talk in the background, but he couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Mum, it's really no big deal…"

"Jasper?" John said, picking up the phone in the other room.

"Dad?"

"What's this about you seeing a woman?" John persisted.

"What's her name? How long have you two being seeing each other?" Jane asked.

"Well? What's she like, son?" John asked.

"Apparently she has a little girl, John," Jane told her husband.

"Uh, Mum, Dad, if you give me a chance to talk, maybe I could tell you about her. Her name's Chloe."

Jax then went on to tell his parents about Chloe and Molly, how they met, and answering any and all questions his parents had about them, and John and Jane were very curious about them.

By the time Jax hung up the phone, he just knew that his parents were already making arrangements to come for a visit.

Later that evening, Jax happened to be in Soho with business dealings, so he decided that since he was in the neighborhood anyway, he would surprise Chloe.

As he walked to her building, he ran into Zoey on the front doorstep.

"Well hey there, Superman!" Zoey said. "I didn't know you and Chloe had a date tonight," Zoey grinned.

Jax smiled. "We don't. I was just in the neighborhood, so I thought I would drop by."

"Mmm-hmm, sure."

"Really," Jax said. He reached for the buzzer.

"No, no, don't bother buzzing her. I'll let you in," Zoey said and opened the door for him. "Why don't you surprise her?"

"Alright, thanks."

"Well, I'm off to run a few errands. See you later!"

"Bye, Zoey."

Jax stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for Chloe's floor. He hoped she wouldn't mind him just dropping by. Why should she? He was her boyfriend, right? Hmm, Jax decided that he would have to think about that for a while. It seemed strange to refer to himself as someone's "boyfriend", but from the way his parents went on and on earlier on the phone, they definitely didn't think it was strange at all. In fact, they repeatedly referred to Chloe as his "girlfriend".

Jax knocked on the door. A few seconds later, it opened to a crack.

"Jax, hi," Chloe said, with a genuine tone of surprise in her voice.

"Hi, Chloe. I'm sorry to just drop by…"

"Oh, that's okay."

"But I was in the neighborhood and Zoey let me in and…are you wearing a tiara?" Jax couldn't help but grin as he looked at the shiny diamonds in her hair.

Chloe opened the door all the way and let Jax come in. "Do you like my crown?" Chloe smiled.

Jax looked Chloe up and down. She was dressed in an elegant and classy blue gown, diamond jewelry, and of course, the stunning tiara in her neatly pinned up hair. "Wow, Chloe, you look…wow. You going to a ball?" Jax chuckled.

"Okay, if I tell you why I'm dressed like this, you have to promise me that you won't laugh."

"I'm not so sure I can promise that, Chloe." Jax grinned.

"Well, Molly and I…"

"JAX!" Molly shouted, running into the room. Molly wore a lavender colored dress and a tiara that matched her mother's. "Were playing 'Royals'! Wanna play, wanna play?"

"'Royals'?" Jax cocked an eyebrow at Chloe and Chloe just knew he was holding back his laughter.

"Yeah! We're playing 'Royals'! Don't you remember that I told you? I'm the Princess, and Mommy is the Queen! You can be the King! We've never had a King before! We always have to pretend that he's in the bathroom. Do you wanna play?"

Jax laughed. "Um…okay, sure."

"Oh! You'll need a crown!" Molly said. "I'll go get my birthday crown for you!"

"Molly, I don't think that will fit…" Chloe said, but Molly was already halfway up the stairs. Chloe looked at Jax apologetically. "Jax, you really don't have to play this silly game!"

Jax smiled. "And deprive that child the opportunity to finally play 'Royals' with a real live King and not a pretend one stuck in the bathroom? No way!" Jax laughed. "Besides, I've always wanted to be royalty."

Chloe laughed. "I know this must seem very silly to you, but, it's not like we play this game all the time, I promise you that! I'm not crazy! It's just that, well, Molly's an only child, and I know what that's like. Someone has to play with her, might as well be me."

"I think that's good. Parents should play with their children anyway, it helps build a good relationship."

"Exactly," Chloe said, and then led Jax over to the couch. "You do realize that giving Molly that Princess Bear sparked her interest in the reemergence of this game, don't you?"

Jax laughed.

"Okay, Jax! I got you a crown to wear!" Molly said excitedly.

"Molly, I don't think that's going to fit on Jax," Chloe said.

"Yes it will." Molly climbed up on the couch and tried to put the crown on Jax. She then realized that her mother was right; it was too small. "Hmm, I'll have to make you one then!"

Molly ran off to the other room. She came back a minute or so later with strips of yellow construction paper that she had cut. She quickly taped the strips together and placed it around Jax's head, getting the right size. Then, she taped the ends, and soon, Jax had a crown as well.

"You know, Molly, I really don't think I know how to play this game. What does the King do?"

"The King gets to do anything he wants to do, cause he's the King."

Molly then ran into the dining room.

"In other words," Chloe whispered, "the King does everything the Princess tells him to do."

Jax laughed.

"Don't worry, though, Molly will probably get tired of this game in about a half hour or so."

"So did your mom leave already?"

"Yeah, she left around lunchtime. She would have stayed another day but she has work in the morning. Jax, I have to tell you; my mother adores you!"

"Really?" Jax smiled.

"Mmm-hmm. You were just about the only thing she wanted to talk about!"

Jax laughed. "Wow, how's that for a coincidence?"

"What?"

"My parents won't stop talking about you, either."

"Your parents? Huh?"

Jax laughed. "I was talking to them on the phone earlier, and I told them about you. Suffice it to say, they are dying to meet you."

"Wow! Well I can't wait! Just give me some warning though, I wouldn't want your parents to think that I dress this way everyday!" Chloe laughed.

"Okay, it's time for the Royal Tea Party, come on!" Molly hollered.

Jax and Chloe got up from the couch and joined Molly in the dining room.

A half hour had passed, but Molly had not tired of playing "Royals" just yet. In fact, this was best game of "Royals" she had ever played, now that she had a King of course.

Molly decided that they should have a royal ball. "We need some classic music, Mommy!"

Chloe laughed. "I think you mean classical music, baby."

"Yeah, put it on!" Molly said.

So Chloe put on some music, and Molly pretended that she was dancing with a handsome prince.

Jax and Chloe stood off on the side and watched her with gentle amusement.

Suddenly, Molly stopped and stared at them. "Well, don't just stand there! Dance! It's a ball!"

Jax and Chloe laughed, and then Jax took Chloe's hand and asked her if she would like to dance.

"I would love to," Chloe replied, and Jax glided her all over the living room.

After they had been dancing for a while, Molly stopped and sat down on the couch. "Uh oh! The ball is almost over! Now the King and Queen have to stop dancing, but first, they have to kiss!"

Chloe grinned at Jax, who was about to bust out laughing, and they kissed softly, completely for Molly's benefit. And it was then that they heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Molly ran over to the door. Molly couldn't open it all the way though because of the chain lock at top, so Chloe had to help her with it.

"Hi, Zoey," Chloe said.

"Zoey!" Molly said.

Zoey looked at Molly and Chloe in their dresses. "Uh! You're playing 'Royals' without me? You guys! You know how much I love that game!" Zoey then glanced over at Jax. "Oh, I get it. You've found someone else to play with, huh?"

"Oh, Zoey!" Chloe laughed.

"Chloe, do you by any chance have a light bulb? I just got home, and as soon as I turn on the light, it goes out, and I don't have any left and Richard of course forgot to buy them."

Chloe laughed. "Yeah, I'll get you one."

"So," Zoey said with a smirk on her face, "she's got you playing the King, huh?"

Jax laughed. "What character do you play?"

"Oh, anything, the nurse, the nanny, the Queen's sister, a maid! But you know, I think next time I play, I'm going to be a wicked witch and give this little Princess a poison apple for not inviting me over to play!" Zoey suddenly kneeled down and tickled Molly.

"Here you go, Zoey," Chloe said, handing her a spare light bulb.

"Thanks a million, Chloe! Well, have fun you guys!" she said and left the apartment.

Chloe looked at the clock and realized the time. "Oh, you know what, Molly, I know you want to play this game a little longer, but I have to get dinner started soon."

"Well you can still do that, Mommy. Get dinner ready and the King and Queen and Princess will have a Royal Dinner!"

Chloe laughed. "Not with you wearing that dress, Missy! Now go upstairs and change."

"Aww," Molly sulked.

Chloe turned to Jax and smiled. "Will you stay for dinner?"

"On one condition," Jax said.

"Um…okay. What's that?"

"Can I take off the crown?"

Chloe laughed. "Yes!"

An hour or so after dinner, it was getting pretty close to Molly's bedtime. Molly usually didn't put up a fuss about going to bed, but tonight, she was absolutely refusing to go to sleep. Chloe couldn't understand it.

After a good long twenty-five minutes of resisting, Molly finally gave in when her mother threatened to keep one of her new toys. Molly pouted as she put on her pajamas and brushed her teeth.

But even when she climbed into bed, she still wouldn't go to sleep. So Chloe read her a story. But after the story, Molly begged to leave the light on.

Chloe, fed up and confused at her daughter's behavior, put the book down and looked her daughter in the eyes. "Molly, you have been refusing to go to bed for almost an hour now. Baby, what's the matter? Why don't you want to go to sleep? You never hate going to bed this much."

Molly leaned forward to whisper in her mother's ear. "It's the monster."

"Baby, what monster?"

"You know! The 'four-year-old monster'! It's under my bed!"

Jax sat in the living room and looked over at the staircase. Chloe was still up there with Molly. He wondered if she was having any kind of trouble getting Molly to bed. From the way Molly had been fussing earlier, he was betting that she was.

So Jax, tired of waiting, went upstairs to see what was going on. He found Chloe in Molly's bedroom and he watched from the doorway. Chloe looked at him with a very tired expression then back at Molly.

"Molly, you know that monsters aren't real."

"Yes they are. Tyler said so."

"Baby, Tyler was teasing you. That's what nine-year-old boys love to do; they love to tease little girls to make them scared."

"He wasn't teasing, Mommy! He said that when you turn four-years-old, the 'four-year-old monster' comes and hides under your bed. And once you fall asleep, he comes out and he eats you!"

"Well, Molly, you slept in this room last night and you were just fine. No monster came to eat you."

"He doesn't come every night, Mommy! He's here tonight though! He's under my bed right now and once you turn out the light and leave, he's going to come out from his hiding place and he's gonna eat me!"

Chloe got on the floor and looked under the bed. "Molly, there is no monster under this bed."

"That's because he's invisible, Mommy!"

Chloe looked over her shoulder at Jax and sighed. "Molly, I promise you; there is no such thing as a 'four-year-old monster'," Chloe repeated for the umpteenth time that evening.

"YES THERE IS!" Molly shouted, getting frustrated.

Jax walked over to Chloe and touched her shoulder gently. "Chloe, may I?" he asked.

Chloe threw her hands up in exasperation. "Please! Be my guest!"

Molly stared at Jax with her little arms crossed. "Don't tell me there are no such things as monsters cause I'm not goin' to believe you!" she said defiantly.

Jax, who was unusually calm, sat down on the bed beside the child and looked into her eyes. "I'm not going to tell you that, Molly. In fact, I'm going to tell you the truth about monsters. The truth is, you're right, they do exist. And I strongly believe that there is one under your bed."

"Mommy, you said they didn't exist! You lied!" Molly shouted.

"Jax…" Chloe muttered, not sure if she liked where this was going. Jax simply raised his hand and gestured that he knew what he was doing.

"Molly, don't be upset with your mother. She didn't really lie to you. It's just that obviously, your mother has never had a monster under her bed. Only those people who have had monsters under their beds know that they really exist."

"You mean you had a monster under your bed when you were little, too?"

Jax shook his head. "I sure did."

"What did you do?" Molly asked.

Jax smiled. "Well, I got rid of that monster, that's what."

Molly's face lit up. "You can get rid of it?! How?! How?!"

"You'll be amazed at how easy this is," Jax said to her and winked. "Chloe, do you have a vacuum cleaner?"

Chloe smiled, catching on to what Jax was up to. "It's in the hallway closet!" Chloe ran out of the room to get it.

Molly stood up on her bed, ready for the excitement to begin. "You gonna suck that monster up with the vacuum cleaner?"

"That's right, Princess. I'm going to get rid of your monster problem with the vacuum cleaner."

"WOW!"

"Here it is!" Chloe said, wheeling the vacuum cleaner towards Jax.

"Thanks," Jax said and started to unravel the cord.

"Jax," Molly asked softly, "What if you suck the monster up in there, but he comes back out?"

Jax smiled at Molly. "Well you see, Molly, that's the great thing about this. This monster that is under your bed right now, he's not going to come back. Once he's in the vacuum, he'll be dead."

"Oh. But what if another monster comes?"

"Well, Molly, the chances of that happening are pretty slim. This will most likely be the last monster you will ever have. You see, when all of this monster's buddies find out that you killed their friend with a vacuum cleaner, they probably won't want to risk hiding out under your bed again. And even if you do get another one, well, you have a way to get rid of him. Okay, Chloe, can you plug this in?"

"Sure." Chloe took the cord and plugged it in.

"Alright, Molly, say goodbye to the monster."

"HAHA! YOU MEAN OLD MONSTER! BYE-BYE!"

"Yeah, good riddance!" Chloe laughed.

Jax turned the vacuum cleaner on and moved it under the bed. And that was the end of the "four-year-old monster."

"Now, Miss Molly, are you ready to go to bed now?" Chloe asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I can go to bed now. OH NO! Mommy, my kitty!"

"What about your kitty?"

"Mommy, I can't find it! I think the monster ate my kitty!" Molly searched frantically under her sheets, looking for the stuffed cat as tears started streaming down her face.

Chloe and Jax immediately started to search the room.

"Molly, where did you have it last?" Chloe asked.

"In…in…in…the…the…bed." Molly choked.

Chloe rushed over to her daughter to comfort her. "Oh, baby, we'll find your kitty! Are you sure you had it in the bed last? Maybe you left it downstairs."

"No I didn't! I had it with me! The monster must've ate it!" Molly went into another round of hysteria.

Chloe held her daughter tighter and stroked her head. "No, baby, I'm sure the monster didn't eat your kitty. Kitty is probably just hiding somewhere."

"Found it!" Jax said and held the cat up.

"KITTY!" Molly exclaimed and took the stuffed animal from Jax.

"Where was it?" Chloe asked.

"It was under the pillow."

"See, baby, she was just hiding. She's okay. The monster didn't eat her."

Molly giggled as she hugged the cat. She then held it up in front of her face. "Kitty, you scared me! Don't do that again!"

Jax and Chloe looked at each other and laughed softly.

"Alright, Kitty's safe, you're safe, and there are no more monsters on the loose."

"I can go to bed now, Mommy." Molly climbed under the covers, clutching her cat tightly, and Chloe tucked her in. Molly then held out her arms, and Chloe leaned forward to give her a good night hug and kiss.

"I love you, Molly. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Mommy!" Molly kissed her mother on the cheek.

Molly then looked at Jax, who was standing on her other side. She held out her arms to him as well.

Jax leaned down and gave Molly a hug. "Goodnight, Molly."

"Goodnight, Jax!" Molly said and gave him a kiss too. Jax couldn't help but smile.

Chloe turned on Molly's nightlight and she and Jax walked to the door. Just as Chloe turned off the overhead light, Molly spoke again.

"Wait, Mommy! Don't forget the vacuum cleaner! You better vacuum under your bed too, just to be on the safe side."

Chloe laughed. "Okay, baby."

"Jax, you are a genius!" Chloe said as she and Jax walked back downstairs. "I would have never thought of that!"

Jax smiled. "Well hey, at least this way, you get rid of the 'monster' problem, and as an added bonus, Molly is suddenly enthusiastic about vacuuming."

Chloe laughed. "I wish she would be that enthusiastic about picking up her toys. You should write a book, Jax. You could call it, How To Kill Monsters Under the Bed & Other Good Advice. Parents would buy it! It'd be on the Bestseller List!"

Jax laughed.

"Being a King, chasing away monsters, finding lost kitties…Jax, is there anything that you can't do?"

Jax laughed as he ran his fingers across the piano against the wall. "Yes. I can't play the piano."

Chloe smiled. "Well, we can remedy that!" Chloe pulled the bench out from under the piano and sat down, patting the space beside her.

"Oh no, I wasn't asking you to teach me how!" Jax laughed.

"But it'll be fun!"

Jax sat down on the bench reluctantly. "Trust me, Chloe, you don't want to hear me play the piano! I may be able to exterminate monsters, but I cannot play a musical instrument!"

"I bet you could if you wanted to," Chloe beamed. "It's really not all that hard."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmm-hmm." Chloe put her fingers over the ivory keys, and suddenly, the sound of beautiful music filled the room.

Jax stared at her in awe as Chloe's fingers moved gracefully over the keys. When she was finished playing, she looked up at him and smiled. Jax was still in awe. "Chloe, I had no idea you could play the piano!"

Chloe smiled at him. "Oh, so you thought this piano was here for looks only, huh?" she teased.

"What I meant was, I had no idea you played so beautifully."

"Thank you." Chloe blushed. "My mom taught me how. Ever since I was a child, I would watch my mother play. Eventually, I just picked it up."

"Wow, you're really good. Can Molly play?"

"I've taught her how to play a few songs, mostly just simple nursery rhymes, like 'Mary had a Little Lamb'. When she was a baby, I would sit her in my lap and she would watch me play. Then when I stopped, she would put her tiny little fingers on the keys and try to imitate me. It was so cute." Chloe laughed softly at the memory. "If Molly can do it, you can do it."

"I doubt that." Jax laughed.

"Oh come on," Chloe teased and took hold of Jax's hands. She placed his fingers over the keys and showed him a few of the chords. She then directed his fingers to different keys to play different notes, which eventually turned into a little song.

Jax started laughing, and neither of them could finish the song.

Chloe intertwined her arm with Jax's and rested her chin on his shoulder. "See? You can play the piano."

"Well not as good as you," Jax said, turning to look at her face, a mere inch from his.

"Well it's a start," Chloe whispered.

Jax and Chloe smiled at each other as their lips met.

To be continued…