HERE FOR YOU
Summary: As Adam's life hangs in the balance, Chelsea thinks of her life and how she's gotten there with and because of Victoria.
Author's Note: This is a canon divergent piece. It has certain elements, settings and familial as well as romantic relationships involved from YR but do not assume that all canon is involved here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Chelsea Lawson, Victoria Newman, Adam Newman nor any clearly established The Young and the Restless character. Anything seen here is the intellectual property of their rightful owners. I claim absolutely none of their work.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
'It wasn't supposed to be like this' has become the mantra of Chelsea Lawson as she waits in the hallway at the hospital, hoping for a miracle but aware that one might not ever come.
It's been years for things to be uncomplicated but months, weeks, days and minutes to know that the hurt won't ever go away and maybe her very existence in this hallway might be a problem.
Chelsea has been in love three times in her life.
The first was the thrill she got from a con being successful with her mother.
The second was Adam Newman.
The third and unexpected time was with Victoria Newman.
Life is full of surprises and nothing in her life, not from the moment she was born from the moment she found herself in this cold plastic chair, could have prepared her to fall in love with Victoria Newman.
Of all people.
It started as a con with Victor Newman.
He wanted to teach an enemy a lesson. For Chelsea, it was easy money. Do the job, don't fall in love and leave before any kind of consequences could be inflicted upon her. The problem was, love became the consequence.
She wasn't in love with the target. He was an older man. A do-gooder who thought they were better than Victor but there always was a thin line between perception and reality. Either way, she had found her target, eliminated the threat and got her money. The problem arose when she met another man. He was kind, nice, smart, handsome and all the things that makes a woman weak in the knees and toss away their sanity; something her mother had warned her about plenty of times. Too many times.
It was just sex. It wasn't important. It wasn't life changing. In the beginning, of course. But as she got to know the man behind the facade, it became more. She felt it was important. It did become life changing. Chelsea had fallen in love. Victor wanted to turn the tables on her. Get her the hell up out of his future heir to the throne known as the Newman Empire. He almost succeeded, too. Adam almost gave in but it all was for naught. Victor died.
Adam grieved. He turned towards the darkness and everything that was in Victor manifested itself into the man known as Adam Newman.
Chelsea needed to lean on someone. That someone became Victoria Newman.
In the beginning, she leaned on her shoulder.
They talked.
Chelsea let Victoria grieve. Relationships with fathers could be complicated. No one more than her understood that. And Victoria had plenty of feelings. Feelings that spanned more than what was shown to the world. She hated the man but love was definitely deeper than hate. She hated the fact he wouldn't see his grandchildren grow up. But she was thankful that her life, her choices and her place in the world weren't being hovered over any longer.
Next, it turned into Victoria leaning into Chelsea for a kiss. It was soft, tender. Misplaced and regretted. Sort of. Not really in the sense that one would expect. Victoria regretted that it was like this. In a moment of weakness and felt she was taking advantage of Chelsea's willingness to be there. Chelsea shut her up by kissing her again. The line was crossed and neither were sure where to go from there. But they managed.
Then, Chelsea eventually leaned against Victoria's neck. Right before she brought her lips down and teased the woman she was beginning to have feelings for in the way she liked it. All tongue, a little wet but definitely leaving a mark that she'd go postal about but you'd find one on your body the next day in retaliation.
Not that Chelsea was one to keep count but maybe it was the twelfth time they 'leaned' against each other when Adam found out. It wasn't like they had meant to do anything in the office. Chelsea was just going over lunch plans and dinner plans with Victoria when they figured they had the office to themselves and it had been a while since they had fucked.
While putting up a mild protest of how wrong it was but not even making an attempt to push Chelsea away, the two begin to christened the office the way plenty before them had done before. Maybe if they hadn't done this, they wouldn't have been caught. But Chelsea hardly gave a damn about who knew about them and she was guessing that Victoria felt the same way.
Neither woman heard the knock at the door. But the man behind the door heard the moans, heard the whispering and wondered just what the hell was going on in the office that he knew his father felt was his but knew in his heart was never his to be had.
And while Chelsea was found on her knees in front of Victoria, she hardly was praying to God to even begin to justify why Victoria's thighs were wrapped around her shoulders.
Adam, however, did not see it that way. He walked away, not saying a word as Victoria covered herself and chased after the man. Chelsea is still, to this day, unaware of what was said and how it was stated, but she does know the two stopped speaking.
Chelsea never meant to come between siblings. Sure, they had their issues and probably would always have them but the last thing she wanted to do was become part of the problem. She wanted to stay away. Leave and not become a wedge between them.
Victoria wouldn't allow her. Not in a hostage kind of way but in that way where she looked at her and Chelsea knew that she wanted her to stay.
That night, they made love for the first time. They spoke of love for the first time and it's been them, their kids and their love against anyone who dared to speak against them.
Including the man in the hospital now.
But in saying that, Chelsea did not mean it in a vindictive way. Despite his anger in the beginning and the tense and tart conversations afterwards, she nor Victoria had ill will towards him and understood his position. It hurt to see the one you loved move on, it's equally as upsetting when it's a sibling. Or Chelsea supposes that's what bothers him.
While Chelsea knows she should sit there and wait for Victoria to get back, she can't control her bladder. Especially not now. She gets up out of the seat and heads to the nearest bathroom.
When she's done, she goes back out to the waiting room and the sight in front of her almost makes Chelsea break down right there.
Victoria is sitting in a chair, hugging herself, and seemingly trying to will away whatever negative emotions are coursing through her veins.
Chelsea goes over and doesn't say anything. She doesn't know what to say. Or how to make her girl feel better. So, she sits next to her, takes one of Victoria's hands into hers and the other seems to allow herself the emotion she's holding in.
Victoria brings her hands to her face before dropping it and letting the tears fall. For her part, Chelsea moves closer to her and runs her hand through her hair.
"I'm here."
This is all Chelsea says. It's all she needs to say.
They stay like this for as long as Victoria needs it. Chelsea knows her. Sometimes better than herself and Victoria is rebuilding within. She's placing the bricks of her metaphorical wall back together so that she can get through this. Victoria doesn't like to show these kinds of emotions in front of others. Not because she's scared to but because she wants to be strong. In this case, she needs to be strong.
Yet, even that allows for one person to ease her. For one person to get in. Chelsea. After some more time passes, Victoria wipes her eyes and gives Chelsea a smile. A signal between them that allows the other to know they are okay.
"When Adam came in, they said that he was near death then and they operated. They thought they had got it all but they missed something. There was bleeding on his brain and – Now, he's in a coma. They don't think he'll make it and they want me to make the call," Victoria states as she exhales and wipe the tears that have managed to come back on her face.
"How can I make that decision? He's my brother and he has a child. I can't leave my nephew without a father. And I'm not all too sure he'd want me to make that decision for him," Victoria chokes out before falling against Chelsea. Not necessarily out of exhaustion but just because she can't keep herself up by herself. And Chelsea was there. And Chelsea has learned that she will always have her.
Chelsea grabbed Victoria's hand and placed it on her stomach before smiling.
"He has to meet his niece or nephew to spoil them in ways we won't ... so fight as hard as you can," Chelsea stated before she looked down at Victoria and gave her a small kiss.
That seemed to work in encouraging Victoria for this moment.
Chelsea could see the finishing touches of Victoria piecing herself together before she went in there and would give them a piece of her mind and her heart.
And that, that gave comfort to Chelsea that her girl would make it through this like she always did; as the strong, beautiful and amazing woman she will always be.
If not for herself but for her family.