Chapter Thirty-Five
Wednesday 25th December – 7.20pm
Aaron still stood with Chloe at the entryway to the Kennedy's as he was trying to accept Chloe's decision to leave Pierce for Elly and be a part of Elliot's life as a family with Elly and the infant.
Aaron thought for a moment how Chloe's decision would affect more than just Pierce, "You know if you do this...if you decide to be with Elly and help her...raise Elliot...you need to tell Mark, Chloe."
"I know, I've been avoiding trying to think about how to find the words to tell Mark...but he needs to know and he needs to find out by me," Chloe decided, before staring down at Elliot, "I don't know how Mark will take this."
Aaron crossed his arms in front of him, "Mark thought he was Elliot's father for the first few months Elly was pregnant with him until she told him the truth. Mark married Elly, stayed married to her despite her cheating on him with you because he wanted this baby. He was devastated when he found out Elly cheated again and this baby wasn't his. And now..."
"I'm what, taking over the life Mark could've had with Elly if he had of found a way to get past Elliot not being biologically his by being in a relationship with Elly and helping her to raise her son?" Chloe questioned.
"A little bit, yeah," Aaron replied honestly.
"I can't tell Mark tonight, not if it could ruin his Christmas but I'll ask him if I can Skype him in the morning so I can tell him then...and hope that he takes this news...as well as he can," Chloe remained hopeful, before sighing, "Y'know this morning, Elly and I were going to keep our impending relationship between the pair of us. Then I decided I didn't want to wait a week before I could start helping her with Elliot and now...it feels like everyone's finding out. Bea, Susan, Karl, you...which also means David because as if you can keep a secret from anyone..."
Aaron raised his eyebrow at his sister, thinking that he was managing to keep Pierce's proposal secret from Chloe, feeling relieved that Mark had known enough to reject giving Pierce his blessing but now wondered how Pierce would take the news of Chloe deciding to be with Elly.
"Now Mark will know...I don't know yet if that means I should then tell mum, Tyler and Piper or wait until it's official between Elly and I. And if Hendrix refuses to go to Sydney tomorrow, am I going to have to explain to him why I'm sleeping on Elly's couch? What if he goes off and tells Pierce?" Chloe rambled.
"Breathe," Aaron instructed, "You know all these people had to find out eventually."
"It's not about everyone I care about learning Elly and I will be together...I hate all these people knowing Pierce is going to get dumped the minute he returns to Erinsborough. I don't like that everyone knows more about my relationships with Elly and Pierce than Pierce does and he's the one who I am still in a relationship with," Chloe lamented.
Aaron shrugged, "It is what it is, Chlo, if you don't want to wait to help Elly with-"
Aaron was cut off when Elly all but skipped back into the room with a smile on her face, "Where's my soon-to-be-girlfriend and adorable son of mine-? Best friend, where's my best friend and...?"
Chloe and Aaron both raised their eyebrows at Elly's attempt at backtracking as Elly's skipping came to a halt upon noticing Aaron was there.
Chloe couldn't help but smile shyly at Elly calling her 'soon-to-be-girlfriend' then blushed as she stared at the silk dressing gown Elly was wearing that barely made it halfway down her thighs, "It's okay...Elly, I told Aaron about us."
Elly sighed in relief as she walked over to the pair, immediately settling herself behind the blonde and placing her hands on Chloe's shoulders where she began to massage them, "Oh thank God because if I had to try and explain what I meant by 'girlfriend' I had nothing. Sorry I took so long showering, 2 to 3 minutes turned into a bit longer as soon as I felt the water on me. You were right about needing a teensy bit of time to feel like a human being with something so basic as a shower. I knew my boy would be safe with you, my love."
Aaron watched Chloe immediately fall into the massage Elly was giving her and hearing the way Elly spoke of his sister realized, "Chlo, you really weren't kidding when you said Elly's not afraid to show you how she feels with her actions and her words."
Elly beamed at the woman in front of her, "You said that about me?" Elly leaned over and pressed her lips to Chloe's cheek, "I plan on showing and telling you every single day for the rest of my life."
Chloe pouted as she turned her head so she could look back at Elly, "Again with the kissing. Didn't we agree to not do that until I'm free to be with you?"
Elly continued massaging her fingers against Chloe's skin, "No, we agreed we couldn't kiss each other's lips until you're all mine. You wanted me to agree to stop kissing the rest of your beautiful face but I keep telling you I'm a rule breaker and will continue to do so because I can't not show you how much I love you."
Chloe leant her head against Elly's, whispering, "Stop with the massage of my shoulders, you're driving me crazy."
"Fine," Elly pouted as she glided her hands down Chloe's body until they rested on Chloe's hips where she proceeded to run her thumbs gently on the exposed skin above Chloe's pants and nuzzled her face into the crook of Chloe's neck.
"Oh my God, it's like you're trying to make me cheat on Pierce," Chloe accused with a teasing tone.
"I can't say the thought has never crossed my mind, baby," Elly smirked.
"Chloe, you said Elly wasn't afraid to show her feelings for you...you never said the pair of you are nauseatingly all over each other without being able to be all over each other...God, does this mean you two are going to get worse when you're actually together?" Aaron felt embarrassed when he saw how happy Chloe was standing there in Elly's embrace when she had never come close to looking like that with Pierce.
Chloe turned back to Aaron, "I don't know, Elly, do you think we can make it worse for Aaron...please?"
"Anything for you, my love," Elly promised as she continued massaging Chloe's skin and couldn't help but adore the way Chloe stood there with her cradling her son to her chest.
"I think that's my cue to leave you two alone and remind me perhaps not to ever question again that Elly couldn't possibly be into you," Aaron decided.
"I'll be over for dinner in a couple minutes," Chloe promised, "I'll just say goodbye to these two."
"You're going to take forever, aren't you? Even though I assume you're coming back here to stay the night on the couch after our Christmas evening with the fam," Aaron rolled his eyes.
Chloe nodded, then claimed, "It's a long...few hours I won't be with them."
"I'll see you at home...soon, Chlo," Aaron told her.
As Aaron stepped towards the Kennedy's door, Chloe called him back, "Hey Azza, you never actually said if you're okay with all this. You just worried whether or not I was sure Elly loves me and that me wanting to be part of Elliot's life is what I really wanted and would be ready for. Are you...okay with Elly and I being together?"
"I'm...it might take me a bit of time getting used to it...especially if you two are going to be nauseatingly in love with one another. I'm not going to stand in your way but you do need to tell Mark tomorrow, Chlo, and keep things at somewhat of a distance so you don't cheat on Pierce. I know you don't love him but he's still a good man and he loves you," Aaron settled on before leaving the house.
Chloe pursed her lips at Aaron's retreating figure, "Aaron could've been a little bit more supportive of us."
Elly squeezed Chloe's hips, "Give Aaron a lil bit of time to wrap his head around it. It took you a day to accept how much I love you, remember."
"Good point," Chloe whispered, then reluctantly twisted in Elly's embrace until she was facing the brunette with Elliot still against her chest, "Here, you'd better take him cause I..."
Elly locked eyes with Chloe, licking her lips, "Have to go home."
Chloe's eyes couldn't avoid Elly's gaze as she silently handed the newborn to Elly and placed him against Elly's chest.
Elly swallowed hard as she held her son and stared at the blonde in front of her who had shifted closer to her in order to put the infant against her chest, "Are you sure I can't kiss you now? And by that, I mean a real kiss between us."
Chloe couldn't help but smile warmly, "Do you really want to prove Bea right within less than an hour that we can't go more than a week without kissing?"
Elly leant forwards, her lips an inch from Chloe's, "No...but she doesn't have to know."
"If we kiss once, we'll kiss again...and again, Elly. We need to be patient," Chloe quietly insisted even though the feeling of Elly's breath near her lips was driving her insane.
Elly leant up and pressed her lips to Chloe's forehead before pulling back from their closeness, "I hate how level-headed you are."
Chloe placed her hands on Elly's hips, "I'm pretty sure you love me so that's just impossible."
Elly rolled her eyes, "I can't even pretend to hate you."
Chloe winked at Elly, "I know. Now why don't you take a seat on the couch and hang out here until Susan retreats back here to make this couch up for me?"
Elly nodded, then proceeded to walk over to the couch and was pleasantly surprised when Chloe sat down next to her. Elly shifted until Elliot was cradled out in her arms instead of against her chest, "So, Aaron mentioned that you need to tell Mark about us tomorrow...do you want to tell him?"
Chloe wrapped her arm around Elly's shoulder, "I need to, he has to hear it from me that I'm...deeply in love with his ex-wife, I'm planning on spending my future with you and being a family with..."
"The baby Mark thought was his because I lied to him for months," Elly finished off for Chloe.
"Yeah," Chloe whispered, seeing the guilt in Elly's eyes, "We're doing a Skype call with the Adelaide family after dinner but that's not the right time to tell him in case he reacts badly. I'll ask him if I can Skype him in the morning and perhaps...if he's okay with it you and Elliot can be here and I can...introduce Elliot to him. He might be...Uncle Mark one day...so it'd be nice if he could meet him early. Even though it isn't face to face."
"If Mark's okay with it, I am too," Elly accepted.
"Oh I...ah...might be a little longer than I thought at my place before I come back here and before I should even be suggesting my brothers will be Elliot's Uncles I should tell you I messed up royally today in a kind of semi-parent related responsibility. It's why Aaron came over looking for me," Chloe glanced at Elly sadly, "I forgot about Hendrix."
"How do you mean?" Elly narrowed her eyes.
"I was supposed to take Hendrix to the airport this morning so he could catch a flight to Sydney for Christmas with his family before I came to the hospital to pick you two up. I forgot about him...I was so focused on the pair of you I...messed up big time," Chloe admitted.
"Did Hendrix...make it to Sydney?" Elly asked, trying to think of how to reassure the blonde for her mistake.
"No, he stayed at home and played video games all Christmas day. Pierce wasn't calling me to wish me 'Merry Christmas' hours ago...he was calling me because Hendrix's mum, Lisa, freaked out like any mum would that Hendrix didn't meet her at the gate. Pierce has been calling me for hours but I turned it to silent because I didn't want it to wake the peanut and now..." Chloe leant her head on Elly's shoulder.
"How many times has Pierce called you?" Elly asked.
"I haven't dared to look," Chloe answered, "I royally screwed up today."
"You made an error, that's all it was. You had reasons for not answering your phone and maybe I should feel bad that Elliot and I are the reason that you were so focused on us today and didn't think about Hendrix but I really don't to be honest. I don't regret a moment of our day together," Elly assured.
"What about my useless ability to do one parental-like responsibility right? Aren't you afraid that I'll mess up with the peanut and do the same thing with him? Leave you at the airport for hours on end wondering where your son is and not able to get on anyone who can tell you?" Chloe worried.
"Oh, absolutely not because in that scenario with me being Lisa, you'd be the second parent meaning you'd be Pierce and you'd be relying on your delectably hot young girlfriend to be taking Elliot to the airport and sorry baby but that's just never going to happen to us. They'll be no any kind of girlfriend except me for the rest of your life," Elly winked at Chloe.
Chloe almost shook her head at Elly's teasing, "Well obviously that part would not be us because I have zero intentions of ever being with anyone else but you for the rest of my life. But I still feel like that was a mini-parental responsibility moment for me and I failed miserably. Lisa will be furious with me, not that I've ever even spoken to her before. Pierce is...he's going to be questioning what I was up to today. Why I wasn't answering his calls…how am I to explain away our day together when I want to wait until he comes home to end things?"
"Dump him. Then there's no explaining necessary as it's not his business that you spent all day with us," Elly smirked, then as Chloe pouted at her, "Baby, whatever you say to Pierce will be fine. Even if he was here, he has no right to tell you who you can and can't spend time with. Don't worry so much about failing with Hendrix this morning. I'm terrified of the millions of ways I'm probably going to fail with Elliot but I can't beat myself over it every time I make a mistake. I'll learn from it…and I'll have you by my side every time."
Chloe smiled at Elly, locking eyes with the brunette, "Every time, you can count on it. You always make me feel better, sweetie. How do you do that?"
"By being completely in love with you," Elly whispered.
Chloe continued staring into Elly's eyes before her eyes dropped to Elly's lips. Chloe wondered how good they would feel against her own and if Elly was thinking the same thing as she was. Elly licked her lips at how close Chloe's lips were to hers before leaning her forehead against Chloe's bringing them even closer.
Chloe and Elly were brought out of their moment when the security door of the Kennedy's opened and closed shut as someone entered.
Unable to tear her eyes away from Elly, Chloe told them, "I know, I know, Aaron, I should be home. I'm leaving right now. And before you even ask, nothing has happened here, Elly and I haven't kissed, I swear."
"I'll just leave and come back after the pair of you have gotten with the kissing, then shall I?" came the reply.
Chloe whipped her head around, "Son of a bit…"
"Pretty sure you mean son of the guy you're meant to be with, yet you're about to make out with your ex any second now if I hadn't trampled in here to find out what's going on with you, Chlo," Hendrix announced to the pair.
