Thanks for the reviews Kelly & EC! You're the best!
Kelly - Chloe couldn't possibly hate Elly for killing Finn...right?
EC - Thanks! Glad you thought it was great! Fingers crossed Chloe won't judge Elly, understanding why she intervened when she learnt Finn's plans...
The Chemistry In Darkness
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Tuesday 17th December 2024
Chloe blinked wildly as she stared at Elly sitting across the room from her in the storage room at the Waterhole, not sure if she had heard Elly correctly, "You…what? No, that's not…Finn…nobody killed Finn… You'd never do that…you're not a…"
"I am," Elly admitted, knowing Chloe couldn't get the word 'murderer' out of her mouth, "I came back…I wasn't gone for four years, Chlo…I came back three months after I had disappeared. I thought enough time had passed and that I would be okay to be around humans again. I came back and I…I killed Finn. I didn't mean to…it…I lost control…I killed him."
Chloe shook her head in disbelief, "No…you wouldn't do that. Finn…disappeared to the other side of the world when we thought he killed you and your baby…the police…they were positive that Finn had made his way to Shanghai… You weren't here, you were…nowhere near here… You said it yourself, you…left because you're a were…wolf."
Elly finally lifted her head to look into Chloe's eyes, "I left again because I found out that day that I really am a monster. I thought I wasn't. I thought I could just slot back into my normal life several months after I left, that I could come back then bring my baby girl with me after I'd settled in for a day or so and you could all meet her and everything would be back to how I thought it was meant to be. I thought I'd just be able to go away for the full moon cycle each month back to The Pack and I'd just be a werewolf that doesn't hurt anyone…I murdered Finn, Chlo…I did it. The Shanghai stuff…I swear I didn't know about it until my family told me…Lexa and Raven they set that part all up for the police to believe that Finn escaped overseas…after I'd killed him."
"Why?" Chloe asked meekly, unsure really how to react to the notion of Elly harming anyone let alone killing someone.
Elly ran her hands through her hair, feeling the distress in Chloe's voice, terrified revealing her truth would push her even further away, especially if that meant back into Pierce's arms after their time together, "I arrived home one day in March, several months after I'd disappeared to get a handle on my werewolf nature. I left baby Aster with The Pack, thinking I'd be able to bring her home in a day or two. Lexa drove me home and was planning on hanging around the area in case I needed anything. Nobody was home but I was so excited to be back, Chlo, I'd missed everyone so much. But then I found Finn in the backyard…and he…"
"Finn had his memories back," Chloe suddenly realized.
"I'd always feared that Finn's memories would return and he'd turn back into the psychopath he once was. I walked in on that…Finn was outside, filming himself on his phone…I dunno…keeping memories of his regained memories. He was rambling…about wanting to find me and Aster so he could…be with us…as a partner and father," Elly explained.
"And you couldn't just…reject him if being with Finn was not even close to what you want…? Okay…well he was unstable with his memories back and reverting back to psychopath Finn…and you may've thought that he'd turn on you if you did reject him," Chloe wondered whilst realizing there were reasons why it wasn't that simple for Elly.
"That's not why I lost control and killed him," Elly told her, "Finn was beyond unstable…he kept rambling…that…Bea was in his way. That when he tracked me and my baby down so he could be a family with us…Bea wouldn't be able to cope with us betraying her like that. Finn started going on about…the island. That you and Pierce were taking a bunch of our friends and family to the island. Finn was talking about how he'd gotten maps for the island or something…there was some mineshaft…he was gonna kill Bea…and make it look like she'd killed herself due to her distraught over me going missing."
"So, you killed him…to stop Finn killing Bea?" Chloe concluded.
Elly took a deep breath, "No…Bea wasn't the only one in Finn's way to being a family with Aster and I."
Chloe frowned, "Who else could've been? Shaun at that point was believed dead…unless Finn had worked out that Shaun had survived and that he needed to-"
"You were in Finn's way," Elly interrupted to reveal.
"How do you mean?" Chloe was surprised.
Elly couldn't help the small smile creeping on her lips, "Finn believed you still loved me…despite you marrying Pierce…he thought you were in his way…that you would…stop me from being with Finn…because you love me."
Present tense…subtle with your confidence, Elly.
I did still love Elly back then…as much as that would've hurt Pierce…I loved them both…do I still love them both? Can I love Elly if…I might've been part of the reason she murdered someone?
Elly watched as Chloe's face fell, her own smile falling when Chloe responded, "Did you murder Finn because of me?"
Elly swallowed hard, feeling Chloe's hurt, fearing that she really could push her away from ever loving her like she was meant to, "Chlo, I lost control. I wasn't in my right mind…it wasn't because of you. It was all of it…Finn thinking he could find me and I'd just…be with him…that Aster could use him as another parent…that he wanted to fake Bea committing suicide…and yes…that he wanted to go after you."
Chloe nodded, still wondering if Elly's reaction to kill Finn had more to do with herself than Elly was letting on but didn't want to be the reason anyone had been killed, "How did you…do it?"
Elly shrugged, "I honestly don't remember. As I said earlier…there are two types of wolf that I can shift into. The one you saw the previous few nights…or not I guess since you see me as a dog instead of a wolf. That's the one I shift into during the full moon cycle. It took me over a year of shifting before I could get used to remembering what happens when I do shift. Then there's the other kind of wolf…the kind you should never meet…"
Again…
As Elly decided not to mention that Chloe nearly did meet that wolf several nights earlier outside the Back Lane Bar, she continued, "I'll never have my memories or knowledge of who I am in that wolf form…that wolf is nothing but a monster… That monster can be unleashed if I don't keep my anger in check…Finn unleased that monster in me…and I killed him. The guilt that I felt…it sent me and Aster away for nearly four more years until I was sure that I could keep my anger under control. I still struggle with that…I nearly attacked Pierce tonight…if I hadn't already been in my normal wolf form…I'd have risked turning into the other one and who knows what I could've done…I really am a monster."
"I would never call you a monster, Elly," Chloe determined, "You've done the wrong thing…yes…and that guilt must've been tremendous if it sent you away from everyone you loved for years on end…but I can see…how you could've lost control at Finn."
"Thanks, Chlo," Elly whispered.
"But you did nearly attack my husband tonight," Chloe then threw out, "I know you stopped yourself and he had no right to try to kill you…or hunt you or whatever the hell it was that he was doing with his mates tonight…but if you'd have hurt Pierce…I don't know what I would've done."
Best not to mention then that I stopped myself on account of not being able to deal with turning Pierce Greyson into a werewolf rather than I realized it was the wrong thing to attack another human… As much as that may or may not eliminate Pierce as my rival for Chloe's affections…I want Chloe to choose me and only me because we're meant to be…not because Pierce got turned into a werewolf too…
"I'm sorry, I know nearly attacking Pierce was something in my control at that time that I shouldn't have done… It doesn't matter that I did stop myself nor that they were the ones after me. I knew better, I knew that attacking any of them would've proved once again that…like it or not…I am a danger to those I'm around," Elly hung her head again.
"Okay, so you're a bit of a danger to be around when you get angry or feel threatened by a bunch of angry men with guns and knives…it's not the worst thing in the world," Chloe pointed out.
Elly swallowed hard at Chloe's confirmation that she was a danger to be around, even though the blonde had played it off as not a big deal, feeling like she really was a monster, "Not the worst…but close to… Do you think you'll ever be able to accept what I am…what I've done?"
Chloe thought for a moment, despite knowing the silence was paining Elly, "I think I can come to terms with you being a werewolf…I'll probably need to watch you shift again just to make sure I truly believe you really are what you say you are. Accepting what you've done…that's gonna take a bit more time."
"Then I guess I need to give you that time," Elly decided, sighing when Chloe nodded, unsure if Chloe wanted space from her too.
I still don't know where we go from here…Chloe knows the truth about what I am…but where does it leave us…after giving in to one another and making love to each other yesterday? Is Chloe going to leave Pierce for me? Will Chloe, Aster and I be a family soon?
Unable to stop biting her tongue from what she was desperate to know, Elly bit her lip instead as she asked, "Chlo, where does this leave us?"
Chloe stared at Elly, feeling like she knew what Elly was asking her but wasn't sure how to answer her.
"Chlo, I love you…I want us to be together…you, me and Aster…the three of us as a family," Elly added, firmly letting Chloe know where her heart was.
What about Pierce and…?
As Chloe sat there pondering how she could possibly respond to Elly's declaration, she was almost relieved when Elly tilted her head to the side, clearly hearing something that she couldn't, "What is it?"
Elly didn't answer as she sniffed the air too, leaving Chloe raising her eyebrow at her actions.
How did I not notice these things about Elly?
Elly started shifting the apron and jacket to make herself look a tad bit more presentable as Chloe whispered, "Someone's coming?"
Before Elly could answer Chloe, the pair looked up as the door to the storage room opened and Dipi appeared.
"Duh…hi, Dipi," Chloe greeted nervously, then looked at Elly's lack of clothes, "This is not what it looks like, Dipi."
"I know," Dipi reassured vaguely, "I just came in to grab some milk for Harold's as my delivery hasn't turned up yet. Shane knows I have a spare set of keys to this place."
"Milk…? In the storage room? Might want to check the fridge in the kitchen, Dipi," Elly pointed out.
Dipi raised her eyebrows at Elly, then leant into her handbag, handing Elly the contents, "Brought you some clothes."
Elly took them from Dipi, staring up at her and seeing Chloe doing the same, "How did you…?"
Dipi ignored Elly's question of how she knew she would need a pair of clothes, not wanting to reveal she knew Elly was a werewolf nor how she knew where Elly had spent the night, she looked over at Chloe, "Pierce is looking for you, Chloe. He went knocking on everyone's doors this morning as soon as the sun rose…before the sun rose actually…Paul didn't appreciate the early wake up. Pierce told me that much at least."
Chloe's eyes widened, "Right…Pierce was shot last night and I…got caught up here…looking after Elly who…"
"I had a couple drinks," Elly lied, "Chloe made sure I didn't vomit then we both just fell asleep."
Dipi nodded along, not even bothering to ask why Chloe would do that if she'd known her husband had been shot, "Pierce is fine, just a graze to his bicep but you should get home before he comes looking for you away from the street. He's worried about you…he's also…he's going on about the neighbourhood not being safe…that there's this wolf out there. He said he got shot because of the wolf and he's not going to stop until that wolf is…gone."
Dipi watched as Chloe hesitated and then glanced at Elly, seeing the way Elly looked back at her, and getting the picture of what might be happening between the pair.
Chloe stood up, regathering herself, "I'll head home now. Try to stop Pierce's rage about the wolf. Thanks, Dipi."
Elly clutched the clothes Dipi had gotten her, knowing she had to stay back to get changed, "Thanks, Dipi."
Dipi quietly left the pair be, not bothering to stop by the kitchen for the milk she'd supposedly come in for.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay after being stabbed?" Chloe looked down at Elly.
"I'll be fine, healed completely within hours," Elly answered as she stayed sitting curled up on the floor, staring up at Chloe who then turned towards the door after hearing Elly would be fine, "Chlo…before you go…about what I said…"
"I need time," Chloe immediately responded, "What happened between us yesterday…what happened last night…you being a werewolf…trying to hurt Pierce…even for a second before you changed your mind…it changes things."
As Chloe walked away from her and exited the Waterhole, Elly teared up at her words, feeling like Chloe had rejected her before they'd had a chance to be together.
I was right…I'm still not in control of my powers nor my emotions…I am a monster…I could've really lost control and harmed Pierce last night…next time it could be someone I actually care about… How can I possibly stop myself from hurting the people I love?
Next time - Elly makes a snap decision and Chloe makes a shock announcement - both set to change everything!