Wait, What?|Uh oh...
10:43, Wednesday 25th, December 2013 - The Apartment:
"Mom?"
The word came out on instinct. Hesitant but… said. Rachel didn't know the platinum haired woman stood in front of her. Never seen her before today. She didn't have to. Deep down, she knew who this stranger was. Beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The woman in front of her was Sera... her birth mother.
"Rachel." There was a certain aloofness to Sera's tone, though it felt more like anxiousness than a genuine disinterest.
All things considered, what did you say to your daughter who you haven't seen in almost 19 years?
How did you even begin that conversation?
Still stunned, Rachel stepped aside to let her in. "Please, come in. Merry Christmas."
Her mind went on autopilot, trying to rationalize this frankly bizarre encounter. She didn't even know what to say or how to react. What expression should she be wearing now? How should she feel?
Nervous was the first to rear its head.
After all this time, all the questions, risks and… lies, her mom was just… there. Like she had come down for a weekly visits or something. Except it sure as hell didn't feel like that. If anything, it simply felt awkward.
"Babe? Who's at the door?" The bluenette, still stuck on her knee from her proposal, called out to her now fiancee.
As the two blondes walked into the main area of the apartment, Sera raised a curious eyebrow. "Uh, do I want to know what's going on here?"
Sighing, the modelesque blonde buried her head in her hands. On feeling the metallic band decorating her ring finger, she presented it for her mother to see.
"Mom. Chloe just proposed to me…" The words seems odd, but in the best kind of way. It made her feel giddy, although she did her best to hide it. "And I said yes."
It was hard to get a read on the older woman, although her expression did shift slightly - a very mild shock. Barely noticeable to most. Rachel was good at reading people, picking up on those very subtle hints. She'd spent a lot of time observing others, trying to understand, also learning how to keep her own feelings outwardly hidden.
With everything that had happened recently, the latter was getting harder and harder to do. To an extent, she was okay with that. Before, it felt like she had to mask it all. Even the thought of letting her guard down - being herself, whoever that girl really was - terrified her. It still did, but… maybe she just cared less now.
As Chloe's fingers finally found the release to the latch that locked her knee in place, she began to stand up. The movement turned out more graceful than expected, turning around in the same motion.
"Mom wh..." her voice faltered momentarily as she realized who the other voice belonged to, "who...?"
A soft but sincere smile fell across Sera's lips. "Am I to presume then that you must be the very same Chloe who just proposed to my daughter?"
The question wasn't biting or accusatory; if anything, it was playful. Hesitant blue eyes met searching gray ones. Confirming. No need for words, they understood what the other was thinking in that moment. Perfectly.
As far as Rachel would ever know, Chloe had never met Sera.
Three years had passed them by since their first meeting. The bluenette never did manage to work up the courage to tell Rachel what transpired in the abandoned lumber mill. Never strong enough to reveal the secrets… expose her lie.
Then, the incident happened. Her priorities had drastically shifted, more important things to worry about. Life and death.
Their own life and death.
Then Max's...
Shuddering in an attempt to stop that particular train of thought, Chloe took a few tentative steps towards the birth mother of her now fiancee, extending her hand in an attempt to initiate a handshake.
"Chloe Price, ma'am. Pleasure to meet you."
Without any warning, both the punk and the model found themselves being pulled into a hug by the heavily tattooed woman. Something seemed to have given way, breaking past the tough exterior that Sera had come to embody. In the aftermath, it left this now shaking woman, holding them both almost impossibly tight.
The newly engaged pair were so shocked that it took several moments before either of them noticed the soft heaves, indicating the woman was sobbing.
"Mom, let's sit down. It's okay, I promise." The blonde instantly went into caretaker mode, slowly guiding the woman who had left such a marked impact on her teenage years - without even having been present - towards their couch, helping her sit.
It was only when Chloe, who had gone and gotten a glass of water, came back that Rachel looked away from her mother. In that moment, she realized that there were tears in the corners of her own eyes, threatening to fall down her cheeks.
For years, she had used her ability to fake cry to her advantage. As an actress, it had been an indispensable skill.
Since April, not one of her tears had been faked. Every last one of them was real.
Every last one of them had true emotions behind them.
These happened to be somewhere between happiness and sadness both.
"Mom... What... What made you come see me after all this time?" The question had began to burn its way into her mind from the moment that she'd opened the door, and while her timing may not have been perfect, she needed the answers.
Looking up from her hands, the once junkie sniffed loudly, trying to calm her emotions even slightly. Dark grey orbs met hazel ones, fixed on one another.
"After everything that happened the last time I tried to come see you..." The words she used distinctly avoided mentioning the things James Amber had done to try to keep his daughter from her mother, "I thought it was my fault you got hurt... So I stayed away. I tried everything I could to put you out of my mind because I couldn't let my attempts to see you get you hurt again."
It was obvious that the words weren't easy for Sera to admit. What she perceived as her own mistakes had crippled her drive to know her own daughter. Honestly, she regretted leaving it this long… until it was almost too late.
Swallowing hard, she continued shakily, "But this year, when Thanksgiving rolled around, I caved... I kept thinking about how much I just wanted to have you there with me, as a family, and so I started to look you up again. I figured, now that you were nineteen, your father wouldn't have as much weight on your decisions… That's when I found the articles talking about that…" Her words faltered, fists clenching as a white hot hatred burned deep - both aimed towards the sick fuckers who had hurt her daughter… and herself. "That place... And I knew that I had to come to you. I had to put the money together, and take the next bit of time off that I had to come see you." She paused, having to prepare herself for what she was about to say.
Even when she stopped talking, Rachel didn't say a single word. Breaths were hard enough to get out, let alone sentences or even a single syllable. She felt winded, throat closing up and restricting.
How was she even supposed to react to this? All she could do was listen.
"Twice now, Rachel, I have nearly lost you forever, my own daughter, without getting to ever truly meet you. I realized something. I can't afford to let the universe try a third time." Sera's hand slowly rose from her lap to cup her daughter's cheek. "You're one of the most precious people this world will ever see. That much I could tell when I saw the two of you in that play three years ago. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to find a way to meet you anyway."
Chloe, for her part, kept off to the side, giving the two women some space. Hearing the way that Sera had slightly rewritten how things had gone three years prior told the punk something very important: She and Sera would forever share a secret conversation that Rachel would never be able to know about. One that - should it ever come to light - would destroy any trust that her angel had in her.
In anything.
Oblivious to the secret understanding, Rachel stared at her mother for the longest time. Silent. This all felt so sudden. Like everything over the past few months. Just when she had even a second of stability, something came crashing in to topple it. Security built on shaky foundations.
Her lips parted slightly, hovering open. Waiting for the right words to just… appear. Very few things made her truly speechless; she could count the times on one hand.
"I…" That first stuttered response broke her inability, paving the way for a broken sentence. "...wish you had… decided to come sooner…"
Both Sera and Chloe winced slightly, knowing the truth. "I know. Yet another regret of mine. But…" A sad smile tugged at her lips. "Even without me around, you managed to get to this point. And, while it's been…" Eyes darted between Chloe and Rachel, taking in the lingering damage of the past. "...clearly difficult, you're still here. It's not always easy to keep on going after you've been knocked down that far." Her voice was little more than a whisper by the end.
The bluenette's mind wandered back to the day she met Sera. That asshole sticking her with a needle, undoing a whole year of self-restraint and determination. If anyone knew what it was like to lose all hope, to have everything taken away from you in the blink of an eye and forced to build yourself back up from nothing, it was Sera.
Rachel glanced over at Chloe, feeling some of the confusion fade away. "It's not like I did it alone."
"Doesn't make it any less of an achievement," Sera pointed out, turning her attention back to Chloe. "Now, I don't think we've been properly introduced."
Trying not to react to that blatant lie, the bluenette nodded. "Now would probably be a good time."
Shaking away most of the astonishment, Rachel took it upon herself to lead the more official meeting. It was funny really. She'd imagined this day for… years. In every way, the reunion with her mother had destroyed her expectations.
"Chloe, this is my… mom, Sera. We heard a little about her from my dad before." The punk nodded silently, worried that id she spoke, she'd give the game away. "Mom, this is Chloe. My…" Rachel paused, letting reality sink in again, "fiancee of," she glanced at the wall clock, watching the seconds tick by for a moment, "less than an hour, as you heard before."
"That's quite the introduction," Sera replied with a wry smile. "I must admit, I… didn't quite expect that."
"Well…" Rachel caught Chloe's eye for just a second. "Neither did I, in all honesty. Some people are full of surprises."
Sera first looked at her daughter, then the blue-haired girl. Her gaze was intense, searching. It made Chloe feel a little unsettled, like she was being analyzed somehow. That one meeting with the older woman three whole years ago could hardly prepare her for… this situation.
Noticing the increasing tension, Sera spoke up to put the girl's mind at ease. "It's nice to meet you, Chloe."
"Uh, yeah. Same," Chloe managed, clearing her throat.
"And Rachel, I am truly glad that I finally have the chance to know you, to know my daughter as the beautiful young woman you've grown up to become." She smiled softly at the younger blonde, taking her daughter's hand in her own, squeezing it softly.
"Me too, Mom." Rachel's response was barely more than a whisper, yet it held just as much raw emotion.
Turning to grab the bag she'd brought in with her from the floor, Sera shifted the topic somewhat, in a hopeful attempt to uplift the room. "I did actually bring the both of you something today, actually." She reached into her bag, pulling out two wrapped boxes.
Facing back to her daughter, she placed one of the boxes - the smaller one = into the young woman's hands.
"Rachel, I want you to know that whatever the need and whatever the circumstances, you are not only always welcome in my life, but you're also welcome in my home." The words held a certain weight that was matched by what the model held in her hands.
Slowly pulling the paper off of the box, revealing something not too dissimilar to the box her engagement ring had come in. As she lifted the lid, there was a soft gasp that came from her lips.
"Mom, is this...?" she asked, unable to finish the sentence.
Sera nodded, "I haven't been there for practically your entire life. In your shoes, I'd have trouble believing that I would stay. So I needed something to give you to prove that I'm not going anywhere, that you can always find me and see me."
She watched as her daughter pulled a copy of the key to her home from the box. Along the top edge of the key was an engraving.
2528 S Sawyer Ave, Chicago, IL 60623
Rachel frowned, hazel eyes flickering back to the platinum blonde woman. "Mom?"
"It's… the key to my house. I moved away from Arcadia a while back now. Needed to get the hell out of there for various reasons." Sera paused, uncertain for just a second. "Anyway, it's about time you visited." She passed Chloe a meaningful smile. "Both of you."
The blue-haired punk caught her eye, before shifting her focus back on Rachel. "What do you think?"
Honestly, the blonde was too overwhelmed to even think. This was all she had wanted. To see her mom. Now, here she was. Not only was Sera here, but was encouraging her to visit. A total 360 on the previous state of affairs.
"I… think that would be great actually," Rachel managed, still blown away.
Her tentative yet definite answer made the older woman smile. No longer awkward, just… genuinely happy. At peace, even. For the first time in… years. So many years.
Then, her eyes wandered over to the other box. It was slightly bigger than the first, enough to warrant holding with two hands. Carefully, knowing the item inside was potentially breakable, Sera held it out to the bluenette.
"And this one is for you, Chloe."
"Me?" Chloe examined the wrapped box, wondering just what Sera could have gotten her.
Curious, she began unwrapping the present in her usual impatient fashion, ripping it to shreds in seconds. What she uncovered surprised her. The box had a picture of a camera, the words 'Sony CyberShot DSC-W800 Compact Camera' branded on it. Her initial instinct was to wince, memories of the night of hell coming to mind, but then she remembered her dad's love of photography… Max's...
Noting her hesitation, Sera paused. "I wasn't sure about this gift at first but…" Her expression shifted, more guarded. "It felt… right? It's hard to explain. But I figured you could make some amazing memories with it. Something worth remembering. If it's not right then…" The sentence faded into silence, waiting.
Chloe looked down at the box in her hands. Cautiously, she opened the box and inspected the small black camera. It wasn't anything really fancy, but it was decent. She knew a little about photography, thanks to her father and friend. Not as much as she would like…
"Thank you, Sera," she said with a slight smile. "We'll use it to do that."
The older woman let out an audible sigh, relief spreading through her. "Good… good."
Glancing over at Rachel, Chloe cleared her throat. "Well, how about we take it for a spin now?"
Sera watched her move closer to Rachel, then beckoning the older woman over. Confused, she shuffled closer to them. Giving them both a contemplative look, she tentatively moved Rachel closer to her mother then took a step back, camera in hand.
"I think it's high time you two had a picture, don't you think?"
Rachel and Sera exchange a single glance, one which transcended words. While awkward at first, they leaned in closer. The bluenette waited, giving them some time to acclimatize to being beside each other.
Taking a few more steps back - still a little uneven in her footing with her new framework - the punk brought the camera up to her face, looking through the viewfinder. She messed with the focus options a little bit, then grinned.
"Say cheese!"
The flash went off, illuminating the room completely. Chloe looked down at the screen of the camera to see how the picture came out, seeing two smiling faces. She began to form a grin of her own until a flutter of motion in front of her caught her attention.
"Rachel, are you okay?" The genuine tone of concern in Sera's voice immediately squashed any doubt that the woman was here for any reason other than to rebuild a relationship with her daughter.
Glancing at the shorter of the two blondes, the bluenette realized that her fiancée had stumbled, and was now being held by her mother to stand.
"Babe, what's going on?" she asked, her own voice exuding worry.
Swiftly guided over to the couch, the model sat down before answering. "I'm fine, I just... I wasn't expecting the flash and... and..."
Hazel orbs found sky blue ones, a single look saying everything it needed to about the memories that had suddenly began to flood the young woman's mind.
"It's okay, I understand," was all the punk needed to say.
Rachel looked up at her mother seated beside her and leaned in, wrapping her arms around Sera, who in turn held her daughter tightly.
Taking a seat of her own, but leaving the two women to bond on this honestly miraculous Christmas day, Chloe smiled contentedly.
Every good thing was worth holding dear.
13:22, Thursday 2nd, January 2014 - Office of Jacqueline Smith:
"So, how did your holidays go? Did you have a good time?" Jacqueline's beaming smile welcomed the newly engaged couple as they walked into the office.
Chloe glanced over at Rachel, waiting to see what she would say. It wasn't her place to mention Sera.
The blonde hesitated, communicating with a subtle nod. "It was... quite a ride, really."
Rachel cautiously explained everything that happened to them, ending on the surprise meeting with her mother.
Jacqueline kept her usual calm throughout the story, congratulating them on their engagement when the time came. However, upon hearing that the blonde's mother had shown up, there was a definite shift in her demeanor, as if the mention of this person had struck a particularly deep chord. As always, her reaction was hard to pinpoint but for once, it was noticeable.
When the conversation came to a natural pause, Jacqueline took her chance to ask a question, briefly re-directing the flow. "Rachel, if I might interrupt, when was the last time you'd spoken to your mother?"
The model sat there for a moment, taking her lover's hand and squeezing softly.
"The technical answer? I've never really spoken to her before. She was out of my life before I could talk. About three years back, she came to Arcadia. Actually, around the same time that Chloe and I started our friendship. I never spoke to her though, only saw her from a distance. That's when I found out who she was." Her voice seemed muted somewhat at the thought that Sera had been gone for so much of her life, but then she thought to the key that now hung on her own set. "She apologized, a lot. I think she really does want to be in my life now."
Nodding softly, the therapist steepled her hands together, resting her chin softly in the crook of her fingers. "So then, it seems to me, that with your mother back in the picture, Rachel, and with you back on your feet, Chloe, you find yourselves at a point where you can decide between several different paths forward. The question is, which way will you go?"
In sync, the pair frowned slightly, their eyes meeting seconds later. They had given the future some thought, but honestly they were just trying to focus on there here and now. Enjoy the moment's respite, one they really deserved.
Jacqueline smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. You won't have to choose everything now. When the time comes, it'll be clear." Her expression faltered slightly. "Nobody knows what the future holds, but we can steer it in any direction we want. It just takes determination, which you two have to spare."
The girls both let out a simultaneous breath neither had realized they were holding. Thoughts of the future, though, were certainly something they needed to consider. The doors were wide open, and they sure as hell weren't about to let the world bring them back down again.
Chloe - having kept mostly quiet during their session - decided to pipe up finally, running a hand through her hair, longer than it had been in years.
"Babe, before the future though, let's at least get this wedding done, okay?"
The laughter of all three women could be heard from down the hall.
Author's Notes:
**TjwCroft - Okay, first and foremost, I owe everyone here a pretty huge apology for going off the grid. I've been super super busy with life. In the last six months, I've crashed a car and got incredibly lucky by walking away with just a few cuts, I've gone through some really tough times emotionally, have had plenty of time away from home for both jobs, and now, just to add on, I'm starting out a relationship. So, suffice it to say, some things had to take a bit of a back seat for a while. Unfortunately this is one of them. So, folks, let's hope that things slow down somewhat here in the next several months so NYCP and I can get more of this wonderful couple to you!**
NYCP - I will try to get that whip cracking on both of us XD until next time!