Let Down the Walls
By Misha

Author's Notes- Yes, another story and again, it's a Shloe fic. But unlike my others, this one isn't an AU, it's based on the current show. You'll understand as soon as you read it. As I stated this is a Shloe fic, but it also contains some Phloe and a little bit of Shelle. Also, Phillip fans be warned, he's not going to be portrayed in the best light as his character really bugs me now with his insane jealousy. I'm going to focus on that a little bit, you'll see. This fic is also going to explore a different side of Chloe than the one we see on the show. And while this is a Shloe romance, their friendship is also going to play a major part. I'm not going to rush them into a romantic relationship, I'm going to explore all the aspects of their relationship and characters first. Oh, one last thing, J.T has been found and he's back with Bo and Hope. But they don't know yet that he's not really their son. Anyway, that's all for now, enjoy!

Part One

Chloe heard the knock on the door and sighed.

Who could it be? She wondered, putting down her book to go answer it.

She really was puzzled as to it who could be. It was too late for it to be Belle, besides they had spent most of the afternoon together. Phillip never came to the door, so it probably wasn't him, and very few other people visited her.

She knew it was probably for Nancy and Craig, who were at the hospital, but she decided to answer it any.

To her surprise on the other side was Shawn. He looked horrible, as if his best friend had just died.

"Shawn!" She exclaimed in surprise, then she began to fear the worst. "It's not Phillip, is it?"

Shawn shook his head. "No, Phil's fine and so's Belle. Do you mind if I come in?"

"No, of course not." Chloe told him, moving aside so that he could enter. "What's wrong?"

"Can we talk somewhere else, somewhere private?" Shawn asked.

"Nancy and Craig aren't home, so we should be fine here." Chloe told him. "But if you're afraid that they'll come home and interrupt, we can go up to my room."

"That would be great." Shawn told her.

She nodded and they both got up.

Normally, Chloe wouldn't have invited him into her bedroom, but... There was something in his eyes that bothered her and made her want to reach out for him. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like she needed to be there for him. And if he wanted to talk in private, so be it.

Once they got to the bedroom, Chloe sat down on the bed and motioned for Shawn to sit down beside her.

"What's wrong?" She asked again, when he was sitting.

"Everything." Shawn told her, with a bitter laugh. "You wouldn't believe what I learnt today."

"What?" Chloe asked softly. "You can tell me."

Shawn was silent for a moment. "Do you promise not to tell anyone else?"

Chloe nodded, alarmed by the seriousness of his voice. What could be wrong?

"My Dad's not J.T's father, Belle's Dad is."

Chloe stared at him. "What?"

"I know." Shawn said quietly. "I heard my Mom and Dad talking about it. My Dad just found out. But Mom... She's known for months and she hasn't said anything. She kept on lying to us!"

"Oh Shawn." Chloe whispered, knowing how much that revelation must have hurt him. He worshipped his parents and to learn that his mother had lied to him about something so important must have shook his faith in them severely. "Did you talk to her?"

"No." Shawn told her. "I was too angry at her. I still am. How could she lie to us like that?"

"I don't know." Chloe said quietly. "I don't understand it. But maybe there's more to it than we know. You'll have to talk to your mother."

"I know, but I can't. Not yet." Shawn said softly. "I can't even think about her without getting angry."

Chloe didn't know what to say. She wasn't good at comforting people. She wasn't Belle. She just wasn't good at relating to people, at making them feel better.

But she understood why Shawn hadn't gone to Belle, after all how he was supposed to explain that they now shared a sibling? That would only be a little weird.

"Shawn." Chloe said quietly. "It's okay to be angry, I mean, who wouldn't be? But... You can't just be angry if you are, you'll never get past it. You have to try and understand why your mother did what she did."

"I know." Shawn said quietly. "But it's so hard."

Before Chloe could say anything, Shawn smiled. "Thanks for listening to be, Chloe."

"You're welcome." She told him. "I just wish I could have been more of a help."

"You listened, that's enough." Shawn told her. "But do you mind if I stay here a while longer? I don't want to go home yet."

"Of course you can stay." Chloe told him, surprised. "You can stay as long as you like."

Shawn smiled. "Thanks."

Chloe got up from her place on the bed. "Do you want to listen to some music?" She asked, then she smiled. "And I don't mean opera music, how about some rock and roll?"

Shawn stared at her. "Rock and roll? Since when do you listen to rock music?"

"Modern stuff? I don't, not really. Well, I'm starting to. Some of it's pretty good, but others... Eh, it's not really my style. But I love old rock, like stuff from the 60's and 70's." Chloe confided. "Just don't tell anyone, it'll ruin my image as the opera-loving freak."

Shawn laughed. "I won't. So what do you have?"

Chloe pointed him towards her CD's and tapes.

Shawn looked through them, surprised by what he found. Chloe had pretty good taste in music. He found a Rolling Stones CD and put it in the CD player.

The first song to come on, was "Paint It Black".

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours anymore, I want them to turn back
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes

"Oh, I love this song." Chloe said with a smile.

"I can see why." Shawn said with a laugh.

Chloe laughed as well. "Yeah, well for a while, I really related with the song. But you have to admit it's a classic."

"Definitely." Shawn told her. "But I didn't know that you felt the same."

"Oh, yeah. I love the Stones." Chloe told him. "When I was a little girl, my adopted father used to play them a lot. This kind of music represents a lot of happy times in my life."

"I never knew that." Shawn said softly.

"No one does." Chloe told him. "Not even Phillip. I don't know, usually when I listen to this kind of music it's private, ya know? It's like a walk down memory lane and I prefer to be by myself when I do that."

"I understand." Shawn told her.

Chloe smiled and turned her attention to the music.

I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love, both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a newborn baby it just happens ev'ryday

Shawn watched as Chloe began to sing along, seeing a whole new side of her emerge. She looked relaxed as she sang along with Mick Jagger and then to his surprise, she got up and began to dance.

Shawn stared at her, unable to believe that this was Chloe. Where was the aloof, reserved girl he knew? Right now, she looked relaxed and carefree.

She saw him watching her and smiled. "Come on Shawn, dance. Let the music take your mind off your problems!" She urged.

Shawn laughed and agreed. He began moving in time to her, realising that she was right it was relaxing.

I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and I must have it painted black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black

Chloe knew that Shawn was shocked by this side of her and she didn't blame him. It wasn't one most people saw.

She knew she normally appeared to be kind of cold, but she couldn't help it. It was her way to stop herself from being hurt.

But sometimes, she allowed herself to relax and be a normal girl. She just didn't let other people she that side of her.

But now she was. She was letting Shawn see the real girl deep inside. The one who actually liked Rock and Roll and who danced in her bedroom along side The Rolling Stones.

She didn't know why, but she felt she could trust him. Maybe because he was so down right now that she wanted to reach out to him and the only way she could do that was to let down the barriers.

No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me before the morning comes

Shawn began to sing along to the music as well, feeling some of his problems lift off his chest as he did so.

The music had a relaxing affect on him, just like it obviously did to Chloe. She was so different when she listened to it and he suddenly realised why.

For the first time since he had met her, Chloe had no barriers up. She was totally relaxed and open. And it was amazing.

I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colours anymore I want them to turn back
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes Chloe and Shawn continued to sing along, each of them being relaxed by the music.

Suddenly, Chloe heard a familiar sound and froze.

"What's wrong?" Shawn asked her.

"It's Phillip." Chloe told him softly.

Inwardly she was dreading what would happen if Phillip saw Shawn. He was so jealous lately, so possessive that she knew he wouldn't understand. He'd freak and she didn't want to deal with that right now.

"Shawn, hide. Please. Get out of sight." Shawn looked surprised, but he did as she told, walking into her bathroom.

As soon as he was out of sight, Chloe walked towards the window and opened it.
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