A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Chloe stood outside the apartment door, her face buried in her hands. Five minutes ago she had stood in the same exact spot, fist poised and about to pound on the door, when the tears started coming. It was still too soon in her opinion, and the last thing she wanted to do was pretend everything was alright for Lois' and Ellie's sake—especially when she knew it wasn't. However, Chloe also knew her cousin and her niece were probably in worse emotional states than her, and for that she needed to put on a brave face. Sucking in a breath, the blonde pulled herself up to her full height, wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, and knocked on the door.
Ellie lay awake on her bed, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting. She hadn't slept well at all the night before—she was constantly waking up in a cold sweat after having nightmares about Doomsday—so she decided to just give up on sleep all together. She was faintly aware of a knocking in the distance, and the sound became louder as it slowly pulled her out of her stupor. She began walking toward her vanity to check that her appearance was somewhat decent before turning on her heel and realizing that she really didn't care.
She silently made her way to the front door, grasped the handle, and took a deep breath before yanking it open. Immediately she was ambushed by a small, blonde woman and enveloped in a hug.
"Oh Ellie," the woman whispered, stroking the girl's hair, "I'm so sorry."
"Me too, Aunt Chloe," Ellie returned the hug and suppressed the urge to breakdown in her aunt's affectionate embrace.
Chloe released her hold and held her niece at arms length, studying her face and taking in her disheveled appearance. Ellie looked like hell. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes. To Chloe she looked fragile; like she could break at any second. The blonde quirked an eyebrow, "Have you eaten at all?"
Ellie shook her head. She hadn't had much of an appetite since everything happened.
"Well then I'm going to make you something. What would you like?"
"I'm really not hungry, Aunt Chloe. You don't have to do anything for me, really. I can fix myself something when I feel like it."
Chloe narrowed her eyes at the girl, "Ellie Kent, I refuse to let you starve. You've been through a lot, and I'm your aunt, so it's my job to take care of you. How about eggs?"
Ellie sighed, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. She smiled weakly, "Sure."
Chloe let a small smile grace her own lips as she headed into the kitchen and started making scrambled eggs. Ellie followed and sat up on the counter. After a few minutes of silence, she tried making conversation, "So how's Uncle Ollie?"
Chloe looked over her shoulder at Ellie for a second before replying, "He's…well, honestly, he's a wreck. But you know him, he refuses to show it. He's been plotting ways to take down Doomsday, and has the League on constant patrol. I don't think any of them have slept since…" She trailed off and looked toward Ellie hesitantly.
Ellie looked at the floor sullenly before meeting her gaze, "How about you?"
"Getting through yesterday was pretty tough. He was my best friend, you know?" Chloe started to tear up a bit, "I miss him, but he would want us to continue protecting humanity. So I've been trying to do my part, checking the computers and such when I can. The kids are pretty shook up, though; they need me to be there for them."
Ellie looked down at her legs, suddenly intrigued by her plaid pants. She was once again overcome with feelings of adoration (this time for her other aunt, as well as her uncle and the other Justice League members) and the want to do something, anything, to help bring down Doomsday. But those feelings were also mixed with a certain hollowness tinged with anger. Chloe's last words had struck a nerve in her. They need me to be there for them. Ellie needed her mom to be there for her too. Instead, Lois was locked in her room, smoking and drinking herself into oblivion.
"Eggs are done," Chloe placed two plates on the dining table.
Ellie hopped off the counter and took a seat. She poked the eggs around with her fork before putting some in her mouth and forcing herself to swallow, "Thanks." She still wasn't hungry.
Chloe watched her niece eat for a bit before taking a bite of her own food. The two ate without talking; Ellie avoiding eye contact while Chloe stared at her intently. Eventually, the blonde broke the silence, "Do you think Lois would want some?"
Ellie scoffed at her aunt's words, "Well seeing as she's been filling herself with nothing other than nicotine and alcohol, I guess."
Chloe noticed the hint of spite in the girl's voice and was taken aback by it. She knew her cousin had a close relationship with her daughter, and Ellie loved her parents deeply; she was rarely ever upset or fighting with them. However, Chloe also knew that Lois was terrible at dealing with her emotions, and had a habit of pushing people away. She placed her hand on Ellie's arm, "I'll go talk to her."
Ellie nodded her head once as the petite, blonde woman stood up from the table and disappeared down the hall toward Lois' room. Ellie stopped force feeding herself eggs and placed her forehead in her palms. She heard her aunt knock on her mother's door and say in a raised voice, "Lo, it's Chloe, open the door." There was no response for a few minutes, followed by the faint click of a lock and the sound of the door opening. Chloe slid into the older woman's room and shut the door firmly behind her.
Ellie lifted her head and looked around the small kitchen and dining area for a few moments before standing up and walking into the living room. She sat cross-legged on the couch and stared absent-mindedly at the wall in front of her. Several minutes passed before she decided that she couldn't keep herself from listening in on Lois and Chloe's conversation any longer. She truly cared about her mother, but she hated the state that Lois was currently in and she wanted to know why she was distancing herself from Ellie—especially now, when Ellie needed her the most. Closing her eyes, Ellie filtered out the sounds of her surroundings until only the voices of the two women in the apartment filled her head.
"…that this has been hard on all of us. You were not the only one affected by this! I lost my best friend! The League lost one of their comrades! The world lost an amazing hero!" Chloe's voice was shaky and Ellie could tell she was once again fighting back tears.
"Well I lost my husband, Chloe! Do you…do you know how much it hurts me to know that he's gone? I love," Lois paused, her voice hoarse from all the crying she had done, "I…loved him so much. H-he was my world, and without him…without him I feel as though my damn heart has been ripped out of my chest."
The cousins sat in silence until Chloe whispered, "But what about Ellie? Don't you think she feels the same way you do? He was her father. She needs you, Lois. You of all people know what it's like to lose a parent at a young age. Isn't losing Clark enough? Does she really need to feel the pain of losing you too? You need to put the booze aside, put the cigarettes down, and go be with her."
Ellie placed her hands on her knees, gripping tightly as she waited for her mother's response. It came in a voice that was barely audible, "I can't."
"Lo, you have to. You're her mother."
"N-no. No, I can't. I can't even look at her," she was sobbing now, "it's too painful. She…she looks just like him, Chloe…just like Clark…a-and I can't handle it. Having her here…she's…Ellie is a constant reminder of him, o-of the life we shared…and s-since he's g-gone it…it hurts…a lot…and it hurts even more to know that…that he not only left me, but he left her too," Lois took in a few deep breaths, "We don't deserve this! Why him? Why now? Ellie is…she's only fifteen, Chloe! This wasn't supposed to happen to him, damn it…not now…not ever. He…he p-promised me that he would always be there for me…for her! What the hell do I do now? How am I supposed to cope?"
"You grieve, and then you accept what has happened," Chloe's words were filled with kindness and sincerity, "As much as we may want to, we can't change the past."
Ellie collapsed onto the couch and started crying as she heard her mother take a drink and light another cigarette despite Chloe's protests. With the older women's conversation rolled around in her head, she couldn't help but feel that this was all her fault—that if she had done something, anything, her father would still be alive and her mother wouldn't be in so much pain. Her aunt's last statement echoed in her mind. Suddenly, Ellie bolted upright, grabbed her necklace, and rubbed her thumb over the grooves of the pendant. Maybe she could prove Aunt Chloe wrong.
