Chapter Thirty-One
Wednesday 25th December – 6.15pm
"Chloe, love, what are you still doing here?" Susan asked in surprise as Chloe and Elly walked into the Kennedy's main living area from Elly's bedroom.
Elly immediately raised her eyebrow at Bea who was also standing in the kitchen with their aunt and uncle bringing plates of food to the dining table, having expected her little sister to have explained that Chloe hadn't gone home as they thought.
"Oh I…uh…we accidentally fell asleep when Elly needed a nap…and I…I shouldn't have fallen asleep but I did and we…just fell asleep. Elliot didn't wake us…when I mean he did but…I thought babies didn't sleep like that for hours on end," Chloe stumbled over her words.
"I told you both, Elliot was comfy enough to fall asleep with the pair of you," Bea winked at the pair as she shifted back to the kitchen for more supplies.
Elly sighed at her sister, before addressing Susan and Karl, "We fell asleep, okay, it's been a long few days. We got Elliot to settle down for a nap in his cot and I got the baby monitor so I can run back when he needs me. Anyway, Chloe's still got a bit of time before she needs to have dinner with Aaron and David, do you mind if she stays for a little while? Has a bit to eat with us as she skipped lunch?"
"Not at all, love, take a seat," Susan agreed, "Bea, can you get Chloe an extra plate?"
Elly led Chloe to the dining table and indicated for Chloe to sit at the table next to her before sitting down and placing the baby monitor on the table next to them. As the rest of the family milled around for a couple minutes, bringing plates of food to the table, Elly found herself placing her arm on the back of the chair Chloe was sitting in and leaning over to the blonde, "Thanks for spending time with my family for Christmas. I know you have your own to get back to but I want you to feel like this will be your family too one day."
"You're welcome, I've had the best Christmas I could ask for with you, Elly. I will feel that way about your family…I hope they feel the same about me and you…being together when we are," Chloe whispered.
"They will, I'm sure of it," Elly leant over and whispered into Chloe's ear, blushing when she caught Bea's eye at her interaction.
Ten minutes later, Chloe was enjoying her time having dinner with Elly's family. Whenever Elly was talking about something, she tended to leave one of her utensils on her plate and place her hand on the top of the back of the chair Chloe was sitting in next to her. Bea smiled shyly at the action every time Elly did so, feeling like her sister just wanted to wrap her arm around the blonde without a care in the world.
Elly dropped her hand from the chair when she heard Elliot crying on the baby monitor but before she could move anymore to go and check on him, Chloe was out of her seat, "I'll get him. See if I can work out what he needs."
"You will?" Elly was genuinely surprised by Chloe's enthusiasm to check on the newborn, "What if he needs another change or a feed?"
"I can change a diaper. Not that I ever have but I gotta learn how to pretty much now," Chloe insisted, "And if it's not a diaper change or settling him again that he needs and it's a feed…then I'll come get you cause that I can't do for him."
Elly smiled shyly at the blonde as she rushed off to her bedroom without another word, then blushed as she turned back her family and saw them staring at her, "Chloe's just…enthusiastic to help me with Elliot. Hoping a diaper change doesn't make her change her mind."
Elly quickly reached out for the baby monitor, switching the volume down until it was nearly muted.
Last thing I need is Chloe saying something to Elliot in her attempts to settle him that tells my family we're going to be together before I get the chance to tell them.
Bea eyed Elly's action suspiciously.
Seeing the look on Bea's face, Elly immediately restarted eating, hoping her family wouldn't comment on Chloe's offer to help her with her infant, her decision to turn down the baby monitor so they wouldn't overhead Chloe settling her son or their inability to seemingly separate from one another when Chloe should've gone home to spend Christmas with her family hours ago.
Bea stared at her sister across from the table, noticing that Susan and Karl had also seemingly stopped eating for a moment as they had watched the interaction between the pair.
"Sooooooo…" Bea drew out in a long breath, "You and Chloe…? What's happening there?"
Elly continued chewing on her food, glad to have an excuse to give her a moment to catch her thoughts but she still felt the need to put her family off as she wanted to have the discussion with them about Chloe staying with them with Chloe by her side, "Chloe and I…? What do you mean?"
Bea widened her eyes at Elly, "Oh c'mon, Elly! You know what I mean. You and Chloe haven't been able to stay apart from one another all day long. Now you've got Chloe having dinner with us when she'll be going straight to dinner with Aaron and David from here and Chloe is hopping at the bit to go check on your son. Soooo I ask again…you and Chloe…? What's happening there?"
"Bea, why don't you leave this alone for a while, we're trying to have Christmas dinner?" Susan decided.
Bea shrugged, "All I want to know is if I should expect to find the pair of you cuddled up on your bed asleep when I check on you."
Elly blushed, "We fell asleep, Bea, we didn't mean for that to happen."
"So, the pair of you weren't already cuddling up to one another before you fell asleep?" Bea pointed out, and when Susan glared at her, "What? I just want to know what's happening in my sister's life. We all know they're in love with each other and I just want to know if my sister will get a chance to be with the person she loves."
"I didn't know that," Karl whispered to Susan next to him, "Am I always the last to know?"
Susan shushed him by saying, "Well I would've told you but...I thought maybe you'd figure it out yourself."
Elly breathed deeply, "Okay...look I was trying to wait until Chloe and I could discuss this with you all together but since Chloe needs to get back to her place for dinner very soon...then you may as well know that...Chloe and I...we're working on things so that we will be together. It's complicated because of what we've been through already together and because I have a newborn who I need to focus on. Chloe understands that we need to work on this carefully, take our time until we know how a relationship between the pair of us will work. At the end of the day...we're in love with each other, we want to be together and we will be."
"Are you sure now is the best time for the pair of you to make this decision?" Susan asked quietly.
"Yes," Elly nodded, "We've spoken about it extensively...we both want-no, we both need to be together. We're going to take our time to make this work because we don't want to stuff this up. We know we need to do this right, not just for ourselves but my son is an important part of this. We both want to do what's right for him and what's right by Elliot is Chloe and I being together. We won't be rushing into a relationship. We need to work out the best way that this works for all three of us. And I could really use your support for the pair of us to make a relationship work."
"You know you've got mine," Bea replied instantly.
"If this is really what you want and you're not rushing into a relationship then all you'll have is our support," Susan assured.
"What about Pierce?" Karl asked quietly, "Has Chloe br-"
"I haven't broken up with Pierce yet," Chloe interrupted as she returned to the dining area, quickly sitting back down at the table next to Elly, "I don't want to break up with Pierce over the phone. He deserves more respect than that. But as soon as Pierce gets back...I'll tell him I can't be with him anymore because I'm in love with Elly and I'm going to be with her."
Elly smiled at Chloe, quickly whispering, "How's Elliot?"
"The peanut's fine, he just needed a cuddle I think, he's napping again. You didn't hear on the monitor?" Chloe asked, trying not to worry that Elly thought she wouldn't be able to settle the infant.
Elly chewed on her lip, looking at Chloe apologetically, "I kinda got scared you might not think of the monitor and would say something about us before I told my family so I...switched the volume down on the monitor. Sorry, I should've trusted you not to do anything like that."
"It's fine, I get it," Chloe whispered back, "I got scared I wouldn't be able to settle Elliot and would need you to do it and that I'd just be a useless help to you with him."
Elly quietly moved to turn the volume back up on the baby monitor, "Sounds like you did perfectly fine."
"Could you two attempt to stop being so cute together if you want anyone to think Pierce would've ever stood a chance with you, Chloe?" Bea asked with a mouth full of food.
Chloe blushed at Elly before glancing at the rest of Elly's family, "How much...exactly did Elly tell you? I kinda walked in on Elly wanting support for our relationship."
Elly comfortably reached out and entangled her hand with Chloe's on top of the table between them, "I told my family that I'm in love with you. You and I will take our time to work on a relationship between the pair of us. That we need to do this right for my son. When we have figured it all out...long after you've split from Pierce...we'll be together...officially."
Chloe beamed at Elly, almost feeling like she didn't recognize the proudness that was emanating from the brunette.
Elly glanced at all her family, "But until Chloe and I are...together as a couple...officially, then the pair of us are friends."
Bea raised her eyebrow at the two sitting opposite her, deadpanned with disbelief, "Friends?"
"Yes, that's right. Until we are both free to be with one another, we have figured out exactly how a relationship between us will work between us when my focus needs to be on my son and that Chloe knows how she fits into the life I have with Elliot...Chloe and I are just friends," Elly repeated, squeezing Chloe's hand.
"You're literally holding hands with one another right now, you two aren't friends," Bea pointed out.
Elly didn't drop Chloe's hand as she reiterated to her family, "Yes, Chloe and I aren't friends because we're in love with each other but there is still a lot that we need to work out before we are together. Until then...we're not a couple. We don't want anything to start with us until Chloe has ended things with Pierce as we do not want us to start anything between us based on cheating...not after...everything that happened the first time we... I don't want any of you to think we're going behind Pierce's back. It's not even just about Pierce not knowing Chloe is ending it with him until he gets back to Erinsborough. There's a lot we need to work on because I've become a mum and we need to make sure this relationship will work for the three of us. We've spoken about all of this, we've set boundaries so we don't risk jumping into this far too soon."
"Will these boundaries mean you spend a little less time with one another until at least Pierce has been told of your decision?" Karl asked gently, "I'm not against you two being in a relationship, I do support you...I guess with my history...I don't want to see anyone else make a similar mistake."
Chloe glanced at Elly awkwardly, but Elly squeezed her hand once more.
"Yeah...it's kind of the opposite," Elly revealed to her family, "Chloe wants to help me with Elliot...not in a co-parent way, nothing like that anytime soon, just in a partner of a mum who has an infant way. Just helping me with Elliot, supporting me and maybe one day in the future...the three of us can be a family."
"I do want the three of us to be a family…one day, I just want to take my time because I can't jump in to this like I'm ready to be a co-parent. That's not fair on Elly or Elliot to rush into just because I love Elly as that'll only mean I'll end up hurting the both of them," Chloe informed them, "But I don't want to not spend time with the pair of them. I want to be here for both of them to start to learn how the three of us can one day be a family…and by 'here for both of them'…I mean I'd like to stay here at your place for a while until we can work out how this…relationship with an infant will work for the three of us."
Susan raised her eyebrow, "You'd like to stay here at our place with Elly…while you're still technically with Pierce?"
"Oh, not quite like that. Not with Elly as in…with Elly in her bedroom. Couch, I'd want to stay…on the…couch," Chloe fumbled in her correction.
"Chloe wouldn't be staying in my room. We know us falling asleep on my bed wasn't right, not until Chloe has ended things with Pierce. That won't happen again. We have boundaries set, no kissing, no being on the bed together, just two friends…helping one another with an infant…during all the nightly things Elliot will need, helping to take the pressure off me doing this all on my own," Elly clarified.
"You're not alone," Bea whispered in support.
"I know that but Chloe and I want to make our relationship work…for when we can be together and for that we need to spend time together. Chloe and I…and Elliot…we need time together in those important moments of me settling into becoming a mum so one day…we will be a family," Elly asserted.
Susan and Karl looked blankly at the girls as Bea simply smiled at them.
"C'mon, guys," Elly pleaded, "This is what I want. I can't do everything for my son on my own. If Shaun was here, he'd be helping out too with Elliot but…in all honesty if Shaun hadn't passed away…I'd be asking you for exactly the same thing. I know Finn's bedroom is free but I wouldn't want Chloe staying in there. If Chloe's on the couch here then when I'm struggling to settle Elliot then I can bring him out here to the living room for Chloe to help me. Getting out of my bedroom with him might mean you get more sleep. I know this is complicated…but we don't want to wait a week to be there for one another. I could really do with your support."
"You're sure that the pair of you…won't fall into a relationship or break your boundaries of being friends only?" Susan asked softly.
"I love Chloe and she loves me. We're not starting our relationship out the wrong way, we'll do this right," Elly promised as she smiled lovingly at Chloe.
Susan glanced at Karl, nodding gently, "Then I guess after dinner, I'd better make up the couch."
"You will? Really?" Chloe asked with surprise.
"As long as you promise what is between you…stays platonic until Chloe ends things with Pierce," Karl decided.
"We will, I promise," Elly agreed, lifting Chloe's entangled hand and pressing her lips to it with a soft kiss before placing their hands back on the table in between them.
Bea smirked at the pair, "Twenty bucks the pair of you end up kissing before Pierce comes home," then off the looks Elly and Chloe gave her, "I'm just saying! I've never seen Elly this happy and in love before…it makes a nice change."
Elly grinned at Chloe, "Yeah it does. Now, let's finish this dinner so Chloe can head back to her place and she can be back here before I know it."
Bea smiled at the girls and how Elly could barely want to be apart from Chloe for a matter of hours.