Author's Note: This one shot/drabble was probably one of the most successful I posted on Tumblr, so here it is for the rest of you. This is Chloe watching as her best friend's world turns to a shell of what it once was.
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Aunt Chloe.
"They were all one step closer to the edge."
No one had ever anticipated the event that pulled them all that bit closer to the edge. Jesse Swanson was the greatest dad in the world (he had a t-shirt and apron that proved it), his daughter, Bella, was his pride and joy whilst his wife was absolutely perfect.
But shit happens.
Chloe never wanted her best friend to be reading about how much of a great dad Jesse had been to their daughter. Chloe had never wanted to see even Beca being brought to tears, whilst an eight year old Emily sat just outside the door, keeping the whole affair from a five year old Bella who played merrily with her Barbies - the small blonde had never asked anyone why they were all dressed in black.
Chloe had never wanted to see her best friend leading the case against the drunken driver who plowed straight into Jesse's car, the bags under Aubrey's eyes growing bigger by the day. Whilst all of this was going on, Bella's time was spent more and more at her Aunts' house while her own mother cried herself to sleep hugging that 'World's Greatest Dad!' t-shirt between her fingers, the grip tightening as everything became that bit harder with only one part-time salary to live off.
Chloe had never wanted to see Bella's upset face when she didn't receive that Furby she'd asked for on her ninth birthday, her mother leaving the room in tears whilst Chloe followed her. The redhead held her best friend tight whilst the blonde shared about the problems with the rent and how her parents weren't even talking to her anymore, let alone offering any financial help. Aubrey's job had been gone for three years at that point, the once highly acclaimed lawyer struck with grief that left her unable to fully concentrate without breaking down.
Even Emily wanted to help. The twelve year old asked for two Furbys that year, purely so she could give them both to her cousin. Then she placed her birthday money and a basket of food in front of her Aunt Aubrey, apologising for the low amount of money, but she still hoped it was enough to even cover one month of the small studio apartment's rent. Chloe saw the tears forming in her best friend's hollow eyes as the redhead placed a box of toys in front of Bella, the thin nine year old's eyes lighting up with joy, Bella looking up at the redhead purely for conformation that it was true.
Chloe had never wanted to see the day where two of the people closest to her heart turned up on her and Beca's doorstep, purely looking for a roof to cover their heads and a safe haven for them to hide in.
"I promise that as soon as I find a job we'll be gone, I know even you two can't afford for us to depend on you too."
Chloe had never wanted to see the moment where fifteen year old Bella was yelled at by her mother for getting a B in a test. They'd built them a small house in the spacious garden their Beverly Hills mansion held claim to, and she and Beca made sure that they were well looked after without Aubrey's pride being dented because she wasn't paying for anything she once did. Chloe knew that Aubrey purely wanted Bella to have the best chance at life, and she was sure the teenager knew that, but it didn't stop words being exchanged and boundaries being set—Chloe wasn't surprised when she saw Bella's next report card in the trash, a B once again sitting next to Law.
Chloe finally snapped the week before Bella's prom. Seeing her niece sitting on her bed, running her fingers over what she could tell was a second hand dress, Chloe's heart broke once more. She knew that Aubrey was working her ass off at one of LA's many law firms, using long hours and a constant flow of work to try and persuade her boss that she was the woman who used to win cases without batting an eyelid. But in Chloe's point of view, her niece had to go to prom in a new dress. She knew fifteen hours of coffee making had bought that dress, but both her best friend and niece deserved so much more than that.
Chloe had never thought she'd live to see the day where Bella once again hugged her mother, both eyes of emerald green and hazel brown releasing tears that hadn't been shed for the thirteen years since Jesse's death. Bella's love for music had kept her afloat, the seventeen year old following her father's passion for movies, despite having her mother's intellectual ability.
Chloe had never thought she'd live to hear the day where positivity fell from Aubrey's mouth, "You look so beautiful, sweetheart. Thank you so much, Chlo."