Chapter 27: Words from a Mother

Even after what her father told her, Chloe could still not understand how he expected her to forgive her mother, if she decided to beg her for forgiveness. In her heart, there was a hole where all the love and admiration she once had for her mother were, and she felt that she would never be able to stitch up that hole with any kind of words Audrey might tell her, in case she decided to apologize to her. On top of that, she believed that her mother's pride would not allow her to even do that. She believed that her twisted view of how the world worked, had changed her so much, that there was no turning back for her, even if deep inside, she foolishly hoped she was wrong about it.

Before going back to her suite, she asked her dad if he was coming with her, or if he was going to stay a little bit longer. He told her that he would stay a little longer, and to not worry about him; that if needed, he would find a place to sleep in his own hotel. That reminded Chloe of one time, when she was still very little, and Audrey became furious with the fact André had forgotten their wedding anniversary, that she forbade him from not only entering their bedroom, but also their suite. He ended up sleeping in another suite for three days, which was the time Audrey took to forgive him.

Wishing him goodnight, Chloe made her way towards the elevator. And as she walked towards it, she was once again haunted by the words her mother told her, which came back to haunt her. On top of that, there was something else running through her head, that was causing her brain to go into overload. And the reason for that, was what happened between her and Sabrina that night. Sabrina had kissed her, to help her snap out of the case of depression Mind Void had placed her under. Normally, she would not think twice about it, as she knew she did it to help her. But there was something about that kiss that just not sit right with her. The way Sabrina had kissed her, it was not the kind of kiss friends, even the best-friends, shared. It had been a kiss that only lovers shared. She did not know why she had kissed her like that. If it had been purposefully or not, or if she was just imagining things.

"You're probably imagining things." -Chloe thought to herself. –"I mean, she was helping you, she's your best-friend! That's what it was!" -she thought.

That was what she told herself. She told herself that her best-friend had saved her bacon, yet again, and that she would playfully brag about it, the next time they would go on patrol, like she always did. But there was a small part of her that continued to ask herself, if she was imagining things, or not. Still, as she stopped in front of the elevator and called it, she tried not think about it anymore. Right then, she just wanted to forget what a horrible night that had been, get to her suite, slip into her pyjamas, go to bed and have a dream where nothing bad happened. That was her only wish, right then. As the doors opened, she received a text from Adrien saying that he had reached home, after dropping Marinette at her place. Smiling, she wondered how long it would take for Sabrina

"If it's up to Jean, she should be arriving home in maybe ten or twelve more minutes." -Chloe thought to herself, as she entered the elevator. –"Jean is the best butler I could ask for, but he drives like an old lady." -she mused about it, while pressing the elevator button.

Once the elevator doors closed, who would show up but Pollen, who had been silent since Chloe and the others entered the hotel. Having heard everything that happened, she wondered just how the blonde was right then.

"Chloe, how are you?" -Pollen asked her, from inside the pochette. Before Chloe got her pochette back, along with her cell phone, the bee kwami had been hiding under the blonde's night dress. And it was only, just before Chloe entered the hotel's bar, that she had been able to sneak inside the pochette. –"Sorry, that's a stupid question…" -she immediately apologized to Chloe. –"You must be feeling awful."

"It's not a stupid question, Pollen, it's okay for you to ask me that." -Chloe tearfully smiled at her. –"And the answer is, I'm not doing so good, no. While I was Queen Bee, I felt okay, like I was unstoppable… but now, now I feel like crap, again." -she admitted.

"Well, you did quite the number on Reptile. I wasn't there… well, actually I was, but I wasn't… anyways, I felt the pounding you gave him." -Pollen told her. –"I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, after all, he's always trying to kill you and your friends." -she said.

"I needed to take my rage on something or someone, and he ended up being that someone." -Chloe admitted. –"And right now, I wish I was still in the battlefield, kicking his butt." -she said. –"I would feel so much better, if I was using him or any other bad guy as a punching bag."

"I understand. Unfortunately, you can't solve all your problems that way." -Pollen said. –"There are some problems that can only be solved through the use of words." -she stated.

"Well, right now, I wish I could solve them all with a well-placed uppercut or a rotating kick." -Chloe said, in a gloomy voice. –"That would make life so much easier." -she sighed.

"I believe that." -Pollen said. –"But changing the subject, your dad sounded really sad about the argument he had with your mom." -she said.

"I know, and I can't believe that he's sad, Pollen." -Chloe sighed. –"How can he be sad because of my mother, after all she did?" -she asked the bee kwami. –"From what he told me about the argument he had with her, he should be just as mad and angry at her, as I am!"

"Well, he knows her for a lot longer than you do." -Pollen pointed out. –"And as a married couple, they have gone through things that you haven't. And let's not forget, your dad married your mom because he loved her. It's never easy to give up on someone you love. Trust me, I've seen it happening before." -she said.

"With one of your previous holders?" -Chloe asked her.

"Sort of. It was with the father of one of my holders." -Pollen answered her. –"It wasn't pretty. But luckily, things turned out for the best, and we had a happy ending." -she said.

"Well, I don't think we'll be having a happy ending in this case." -Chloe said with a gloom voice. –"And you know what? Maybe it's for the best if my parents get divorced." -she sighed.

"Do you really want your mom and your dad to divorce each other?" -Pollen asked her.

"I… I don't know." -Chloe sighed. –"I don't really know, Pollen. I guess, I just don't want to get hurt again." -she admitted. –"I know I'm being selfish here, but is it wrong for me to be selfish, when I just want to be happy?"

Chloe made a good point. Was it selfish for someone to be happy, if the situation they see themselves in, would only make them even more miserable? In all her wisdom, Pollen did not have an answer ready for her, for she knew that it was a sensible matter. One hand, she was being a little selfish, thinking only about herself, not caring about what the other people in the matter cared our wanted. But on the other hand, she was only trying to make sure that she would not get hurt once again.

"From what I've seen of your mom, she's not a very nice woman… no, I'm being a little too nice. She looks and sounds like a despicable woman." -Pollen said. –"But I believe that nobody is born evil, and what happens is that some people become evil, as they go through life." -he told her.

"Well, I don't believe that, Pollen. I believe that there are people who are already born evil and mean." -Chloe said. –"You know how they say that there are people that don't have a single mean bone in their bodies? Well, my mom is the polar opposite. She doesn't have a single good bone in her body." -she declared, with an angry voice.

"You say you don't believe that, but according to yourself, you were just as bad as she is, up until last year." -Pollen pointed out.

"But that was different… I was a different person." -Chloe said.

"And maybe your mom was also a different person?" -Pollen asked her. –"I'm not saying that I'm defending her or what she did to you. What she did to you was awful. But what if she wasn't like this, when she was younger?" -she asked her.

What Pollen said was true. Just like it happened with her, the same thing could have happened to Audrey, but instead of her becoming friendlier and nicer towards everyone, she became meaner and nastier. Chloe's brain pondered that possibility. But the anger she had inside her, refused to let her fully embrace the possibility that her mother could have been different, when she was younger, even if her father had told her that.

"Even if she was different, Pollen, that still doesn't excuse what she did to me. I can't forgive her." -Chloe told the bee kwami. –"Right now, if I went to her and told her that I forgive her, I would be lying, Pollen. I would be lying, because my heart would still be filled with anger and sadness, because of everything she did to me and others." -she declared.

Pollen knew she was telling the truth. She had known her long enough to know that she was telling the truth. And even if she did not know her, she would only have to look her in the eyes, and see that what she was saying, was the purest of truths.

"But what if I told you that the best thing you could do, was to forgive her?" -Pollen said.

"I would say that you are insane, but I love you too much to actually tell you that, so I'll just say that you're out of your mind." -Chloe declared. –"Tell me one good reason why I ought to forgive my mother, after all she did to me, and everything she told me?"

"One reason? Simple… because then, you would be free." -Pollen declared.

"Free?" -Chloe asked. –"What do you mean by that?" -she asked, not understanding what she was saying.

"Yes, free from all those nasty thoughts and feelings in your heart and your mind. And you'll have peace." -Pollen said. –"All the rage you have inside of yourself now, is because you feel like you can't forgive your mom, and with good reason. But if you forgive her, that rage will disappear, and you'll be able to move on, independently of what your mom chooses to do." -she told her. –"This isn't about making things right, Chloe. It's about accepting that there are things that you can't control, and the best you can do about them, is to move on, even without a proper closure… and sometimes, someone has to be the adult in this kind of situations, even if said person isn't an adult."

Pollen's words of wisdom resonated in Chloe's heart. She had seen enough movies and series, and read enough books to know that sometimes people do not get closure on some matters.

"I don't know if I can do that, Pollen. At least, not without thinking about it." -Chloe answered her. –"But all that talk about forgiveness, made me decide on one thin. I'm going to do, before I go to bed, tonight. I'm going to talk to my mom. I need to see if what my dad told her, did anything to her, or if she's still the same as before." -Chloe declared.

"It's not exactly what I had in mind, but it's a start." -Pollen mused to herself.

"But before I do that, I'm going to change into something else. I'm not going to talk to her, while wearing this night dress. It's super pretty, but it's not super comfortable." -Chloe said, as the elevator doors opened.

Walking down the corridor, on her way towards her suite, Chloe wondered on what she was going to put on, once she got out of that night dress she was wearing. But more importantly, she wondered what she was going to talk about with her mom. She had absolutely no idea what to talk to her, given what happened. For all she knew, as soon as she would go into her parents' suite, to talk to Audrey, she would greet her with a cold shoulder, and then give her a scolding, telling her that she was going to be sent to a boarding school in Switzerland, or Belgium or even England, and to pack a suitcase with everything she felt she was going to need for a long stay there.

"I really hope I don't get sent to a boarding school… not now, when I finally have so many friends I love and care for, and when I've got an important job as a superheroine." -Chloe thought to herself. –"I really hope that if mom wants to send me to one, that daddy convinces her not to send me away, like Sabrina said." -she thought.

And it was that thought of her dad putting a break on any attempt of her mom to send her to a boarding school abroad, that Chloe stopped in front of her suite's door and opened it. Entering and closing the door behind her, the first thing she did was to kick away the shoes she was wearing, feeling absolutely relieved to not have to wear them any longer. She was making her way towards the living room area, when she noticed, she was not alone. Standing in front of her, was her mother. But what surprised her, was not Audrey's presence in her suite. It was the fact that Audrey was not wearing her usual glasses. Chloe was not used to seeing her without the sunglasses, which she was constantly seen wearing, whether it was day or night. Looking her in the eyes, Chloe expected to see anger in them, but that was not the case. She could not tell if Audrey was angry at her or not.

"What are you doing here?" -Chloe asked her. –"I bet she came here to tell me that I'm grounded for life, or that I'm being shipped to a boarding school, or that I'm out of the will." -she thought to herself.

The blonde expected her mother to berate at her, warning her that she could not talk with her that way, and that she would not allow it, while slapping her on the face. Audrey had attempted to slap her earlier that night, but was prevented from doing it so, by Sabrina, who stood between her and Chloe. But once more, it did not happen. Audrey just stood there, looking at her.

"I'm here… to apologize to you." -Audrey said, after a long pause.

Chloe could see that saying those words had not been an easy thing for her. She could not remember the last time she had heard her mother apologizing. In fact, the only thing that came to her mind was the fact that her mother always said that apologies were for the weak, and that if someone apologized, it meant that that someone was weak. The year before, Chloe believed that to be an absolute truth, and she had learned to give fake apologies, just because people demanded her to do so. But she had grown to see that as false, and learned that there was no shame in apologizing for one's mistakes, especially when said mistakes resulted in someone being emotionally hurt.

"Apologize?" -Chloe raised an eye at her mother. –"And what if I don't want that apology?"-she asked her. –"What if I think that I can't accept whatever apology you might have for me, after everything you did?"

There was a brief silence between mother and daughter. Inside the pochette, Pollen wondered what direction that conversation would take, and how would it end. Her little heart was trembling with fear, fearing what might happen next between Chloe and Audrey.

"It's only fair for you to answer me like that. Especially after what happened tonight." -Audrey said. –"I deserve it." -she sighed.

Upon hearing her mother say those words, Chloe believed she would feel a lot better. After years and years of disappointment, false hopes and neglect from Audrey, hearing her say something like that, she believed it would make her feel better; almost like avenged. But that did not happen. Instead of feeling like great about it, she felt nothing.

"I've come to say... that I'm sorry. I was wrong about you. And you were right... I was blinded by who I thought our family should be." -Audrey declared. –"This does not excuse what I said... your friend, she was right. I am your mother and you did not ask to be brought into this world. It was my responsibility to provide for you financially and emotional stability and I shouldn't expect thanks from that." -she said. –"I know now that thinking that way is wrong, but it was the way your grandparents brought me up."

Chloe did not say a word. She wanted to. She wanted to berate at Audrey for using the excuse of being brought up like that to justify her actions towards her, and everyone else. But she did not say a word. Inside her, something told her not to speak. She did not know if it was her good sense talking, or just her curiosity, waiting to hear what else Audrey had to tell her. But whatever it was, it prevented her from answering her right away and to continue to listen.

"You were never told this, but your grandparents were some of the most horrendous people I've ever known." -Audrey said. –"There are a lot of reasons why I never told you about them, when you were a child. And it was not just because they died before you were born." -she said. –"They had a philosophy about how the world works… a philosophy, that when I was your age, I tried my best to ignore and to put behind me. It was a horrible philosophy, where the people who had the money and the power were the ones who were right about everything they said, and whoever had neither one, nor the other, had no right even to have an opinion on the matter, or to even question it."

This was the first time that Chloe was hearing that. Because she only knew her grandparents on her father's side of the family, and had never heard the names of her grandparents on her mother's side of the family being mentioned, or seen any photos of them, she never felt the curiosity, or the need, to know more about them.

"Like I said, I tried to ignore it, and when I met your father, he made me believe that I could truly put that philosophy behind me, and forget about it." -Audrey said. –"But just like most things in life, the things that you try to forget, are usually the ones that tend to come back to haunt you. And as I started to make my way into the fashion industry, the stress of making a name for myself, made me remind about the things your grandparents taught me. Slowly and steadily, that became my new reality. I became the kind of person I vowed never to become, and it wasn't until tonight, when your father threw it into my face, that I realized just how right he was." -she said. –"I have become what your grandparents wanted me to be."

"So, it was all my grandparents' fault? It was because of their awful philosophy that you just couldn't really forget about, that you became the way you are now?! Is that it?! That's your big apology?!" -Chloe asked her in a cruel tone of voice. –"Because if that's your best apology, then let me just tell you this. It's not enough!" -she said. –"I don't care that you had a bad childhood, or that my grandparents treated you without love or affection! That's not an excuse for doing what you did! If anything, it should've been a reason for you to not let me go through the same thing you did! Like you said before, Sabrina was right! I didn't ask to be brought into this world! And I certainly didn't ask to be treated the way you treated me! You treated me like everything, but a daughter! Mothers are supposed to be there for you, when you have a bad day and need someone to share it with, or have a bad dream, or when a boy breaks your heart! And you weren't even in the same continent when some of those things happened to me!"

You could hear the rage in Chloe's voice, as she tried to hold her tears, but it was not easy. On one hand, she wanted to cry, but she did not know if she wanted to cry out of pain, or out of sadness. But on the other hand, her pride made her believe that her mother did not deserve to see her crying.

"You are right… that doesn't excuse what I did. I was wrong. Just because I was raised the way I was, it does not mean I should have perpetuated it on to you, especially, when I promised myself, that I would not allow a child of mine to go through the same as I did." -Audrey said. –"I wasn't a good mother. I planned out part of your life, without even having into account your own dreams, your desires or your aspirations. And I should have tried harder to understand and unpack the mistakes of my upbringing." –she admitted. –"And I don't expect you to understand what I'm about to say, but I hope that you at least listen to what I have to say… and that is that when you were born, I promised myself that you would never have to go through what I did, while I was growing up. And I failed miserably, because I've allowed the world around me to shape me back into what your grandparents wanted me to be. I wasn't strong enough to put my past behind me, and you were the one who paid the ultimate price. I may be the best editor-in-chief in the history of Fashion Couture, or any other fashion magazine, but I am a lousy mother, who solely focused on her career and nothing else."

Once more, Chloe hoped to feel some kind of satisfaction, when hearing her mother lower herself and ask her for forgiveness because of everything she did to her. But once again, she felt nothing. It was as if the words she heard, did not produce the effect they were expected to.

"You have every right to not forgive me. Nonetheless, that doesn't mean you don't deserve an apology." -Audrey said. –"I can't turn back the clock. But believe me, when I say that if I had the power to do it, I would do it and try my very best to be a good mother to you. I would try to be the mother that you truly deserve, because as I look at you, I see myself, but I see a lot of your father in you as well, whom for all intents and purposes was the best of both of us, as a father, because he was more present than I have ever was during all these years. And aside from you, he's the other person who came out harmed, and who never deserved to have a wench for a wife" -she declared. –"And I think I already took enough of your time. You had a very bad evening, and you have school in the morning, so you need to rest… I'll leave now. And once more, I am sorry… for everything"

After finishing talking, Audrey left the suite, without saying another word, leaving Chloe alone. To say she was baffled with her mother's behaviour, would be like saying the sky was blue. She did not expect to hear so many apologies coming out from Audrey's mouth, and certainly, not so many in such a short time. Moving closer to one of the windows, she looked at the nightscape, as her brain processed what had happened to her. As for Pollen, she quietly exited the pochette and wondered what was going through Chloe's mind right then.

"H-How are you feeling, Chloe?" -Pollen asked the blonde.

"I don't know… I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about what she told me, Pollen… but I know one thing." -Chloe told her. –"I was hoping to feel some kind of satisfaction, after hearing my mom practically apologizing and almost grovelling at my feet, but that did not happen." -she said.

"Maybe you weren't supposed to." -Pollen said. –"Maybe you just outgrew those kinds of feelings." -she said.

"I don't know… maybe. Or maybe I noticed that for the first time in my life, my mom did something selfless." -Chloe said. –"She placed herself in another person's shoes." -she said.

"Just like you did, when you decided to change, right?" -Pollen asked her.

"Not exactly… I merely didn't want to end up alone." -Chloe admitted. –"Only later, did I started to place myself in another person's shoes." -she said.

"Well, what matters is that you changed, and you became a better person, little by little. And now, your mom is also trying to change." -Pollen told her. –"Maybe you two have more in common than you think." -she said. –"Maybe you both needed to hit rock bottom to see just how wrong you were, in order to change?"

"Who knows? Maybe… Maybe one day I might actually forgive her, for all that happened. Knowing that she's willing to take the first step into becoming a better person, has given me a reason to start thinking about forgiving her one day." -Chloe answered Pollen, as she stretched herself. –"A-And now… I think I'm going to bed. After the day we had, I think we both deserve a few hours of sleep." -she said.

"Agreed. After all this stress, not to mention the Akuma attack, I'm in need of a few hours of sleep… and by a few hours, I mean, a whole week." -Pollen joked, trying to lighten up the mood a little.

"Don't you want a snack? I can call room service, before we go to bed." -Chloe told her.

"No, I'm not really hungry. I'm just super tired." -Pollen said, as she hovered towards the bedroom. –"All I need is to sleep and… hey, what's this?" -she asked, as she noticed an envelope on Chloe's bed, leaning against the ladybug plushie she had. –"Chloe, there's an envelope here with your name on it."

Hearing her say that, Chloe wondered what she was talking about and quickly crossed the living room, towards her bedroom. Just like Pollen had told her, there was an envelope on her bed. Picking it up, she recognized the handwriting, which belonged to her mother. Opening it, she saw that there was a letter inside, which she then proceeded to read.

"My dearest Chloe. If you are reading this letter, then it means, that there is still a part of you that doesn't truly hate me, even after everything I did to you, and you didn't just rip it to shreds. There are no words that can express just how much I regret doing what I did to you, and to your father. And it took your father telling me that I had become the person I am now, to realize just how much I need to change in myself. I don't expect you to forgive me, whether it's now or years from now. But I hope that if I find a way to change, your heart might be willing to give me a chance to correct my mistakes, which I know are pretty big. I will be seeking medical advisement, and hope that it is enough for me to go back being the woman I was before you were born, and to also become the mother and wife, you and your father, respectively deserve. P.S. Tell your friend Sabrina, that I apologize for the way I treated her, as well. You are lucky in having a friend like her, who did not hesitate in being by your side." -Chloe read it to herself. –"That's why mom was here… she was bringing me this letter… she was afraid that I wouldn't let her talk to me after what happened." -she thought to herself.

"What's the matter, Chloe?"-Pollen asked her, curious, upon which Chloe looked at her with a tearful smile on her face, while a tear ran down her face.

"Chloe… my mom called me Chloe, Pollen." -Chloe said, as a tear ran down her face. –"It's the first time, in a very long time, she addresses me by my real name." -she smiled, as another tear ran down her face.

It may be the first day of April, but this ain't no lie. :) I've had this chapter inside my mind, ever since I began to plan this fic, that it was fairly easy to put it all into paper in a just two days. And yes, we have come to this point where Audrey has been redeemed... sort of. I wanted her redemption to not be all sunshines and rainbows, not only because of the kind of character Audrey is, but also because of everything she did to Chloe, Chloe wouldn't forgive her that easily (that's what happens when you both love and hate a person). So, I decided to go with a realistic approach to it. Maybe one day Chloe and Audrey might have a loving mother/daughter relationship, but not yet... not until Audrey gets the proper treatment to become a better person... unlike Chloe, who needed the help of her best-friend, her kwami, as well as the rest of her friends, to become a better person, Audrey is going to need some pretty heavy help from a therapist. Even so, I think we've all got some tears in our eyes, especially thanks to that last sentence, am I right?

We're right on the final stretch, so the following chapter will probably be the last one, before the epilogue. I will soon announce the name of the following sequel, as well. In the meantime, as always, feel free to comment, fav and leave your suggestions to improve this fic and future sequels. :)