Thanks for your review EC Brenway! Always love hearing from you!
Science can't explain everything, in this world, Chelly baby only magic!
The Chemistry In Darkness
Chapter Seventy-Three
Thursday 27th February 2025
"So...are you gonna wolf out on me?" Chloe asked as she held Elly's hand, as the pair walked along the beach of the Island, to a place Elly wanted to take her, yet hadn't said where they were going.
Elly took a deep breath, then took several more until she felt like she was containing her anger, "I'm not going to wolf out on you, Chlo...Pierce on the other hand...I want to tear him to shreds...and then leave him there to feel the pain of been torn up...where he'll probably die due to blood loss or choke to death on his own vomit because he's thrown up at the sight of his bloody self."
"Safe to say, I never want you alone in a room with Pierce to have the chance to do that to him. Not to say I don't think he would deserve anything less..." Chloe struggled to articulate her thoughts.
"I wouldn't be the person you love if I killed Pierce," Elly realized, then hesitated, "Even though you know what I did to Finn and you...still love me?"
Chloe stared over at Elly and the way she had asked her if she still loved her, "Yes, I do. And I know Pierce may deserve exactly what you did to Finn...but I'd much rather he spent the rest of his life in jail for what he did to me."
"I don't know if I could have your strength to just let Pierce rot in jail," Elly admitted, then grimaced, "You're probably right...that I shouldn't be left alone in a room with Pierce. Whilst I safely couldn't let my anger out now and wolf out on you...I don't think I'd be able to restrain myself if I ever set eyes on Pierce again."
Chloe closed her eyes for a moment, "I have a feeling I'll have to...if I want people to believe me and ensure Pierce is locked up for assaulting me and trying to get me pregnant...I have to face him, I have to tell a courtroom full of people what he did to me. I know I said to Mark and Aaron in my letter to them that I'll never return...but I have to. Just to face Pierce and know he won't be able to harm me ever again."
Elly entangled their fingers even tighter as they held hands, continuing to walk along the beach, "I'll come with you to support you."
Chloe bit her lip, "I think I need to do this alone...I don't want to lose you to wolfing out on Pierce and killing him...especially if it happened to be in front of other people. I'll have my brothers to support me. Pierce isn't worth losing you. I lost you for four years because of what you did to Finn...I don't know what you went through after what happened to him but I couldn't bare for you to go through it all again for Pierce...even though I know you will have all my support."
"I couldn't bear to lose you either," Elly admitted, "Any other grand convincing arguments that'll stop me from killing Pierce for what he did to you?"
Chloe smiled up at Elly, "Our baby needs you."
Elly broke into her own wild smile, finding herself disentangling her hand from Chloe's then before Chloe could be too disappointed wrapped her arm around her lower back, her hand against her hip, "Our baby does."
"You really believe it this time, that this baby I'm carrying is both of ours, Elly?" Chloe asked softly.
"I do," Elly replied simply then added, "I know I didn't believe before but I do. I don't need any more proof, not even the paternity test you said has been taken that will have the results back. There's no need for you to go back to the hospital for them."
Chloe looked down at the sandy beach they were walking across, "I do still need to go back to the hospital in eight days for the results...not for the paternity test if you don't want me to...for the results on the CVS test for the Huntington's gene."
The pace Elly was walking suddenly slowed right down, with Chloe falling into line with her pace. Elly didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She'd forgotten the baby could have the Huntington's gene, that Chloe had told her she could never put that fate on a child, that she was going to make a decision about if she could have the baby.
Chloe struggled for a moment with Elly's silence, "With everything I was struggling with after you left, thinking the baby was Pierce's and how he could've impregnated me when I was unconscious…even before I knew about the fertility drugs…I delayed going to the doctor for an ultrasound and the CVS test for the Huntington's gene…or any other genes the baby could have. By the time I got the courage to, I thought it was past the point that if the baby does have Huntington's that I'd be able to make a choice to continue with the pregnancy… Then my doctor told me the dates of when the baby was conceived didn't match…and after the shock of realizing this baby has to be yours…what with the baby been four weeks younger…the baby was only just old enough for the CVS test and I can still…if the baby has Huntington's, then…we can still make a choice… What if our baby has Huntington's, Elly? This baby is already a miracle but what if that miracle runs out and I've passed on my fate to our baby?"
Elly took another deep breath, squeezing her hand tighter around Chloe's lower back, "Our baby is a miracle…and I have to believe that miracle will extend a little further for us and the baby will be healthy. If not, we'll get through this together and make the right decision for ourselves and our child. I'm sorry for all the stress you've been under the past few months. I should've been there for you…instead of staying out here been too afraid to return home because I didn't want to see you living your life with Pierce and this baby."
"I understand why you couldn't come home…it probably would've been impossible contemplating living my life with Pierce and this baby…and if I'm honest, I'm kinda glad that finding out this baby is yours wasn't done with both of you in Erinsborough. Been able to escape to the Island with you to work through this together makes me feel really lucky. I really hope you're right, Elly, I don't want us to have to make a choice about carrying on with this pregnancy if the baby has Huntington's…I couldn't bear to have to watch our child see what I'll have to go through when my Huntington's takes over, knowing they have to go through it too," Chloe admitted sadly, then surprising even herself, "Think I'd prefer our baby to be a werewolf like you."
"Really?" Elly was surprised too, "You'd be okay with our child growing up and becoming a werewolf when he or she is a teenager?"
"I probably still need to get used to the idea of you been a werewolf and that both Aster and our baby could grow up to be werewolves like you but I'm sure by the time I do, we'll be happily used to our family," Chloe smiled.
Elly smiled back at Chloe at the thought, unable to stop finally asking, "Is that what we are now…a family?"
Chloe slowed down until they had stopped walking along the beach, turning to Elly she stared up at her, wrapping her arms around Elly's lower back and smiling when Elly did the same to her, "I want this, Elly. I know I hurt you when I didn't choose to be with you before you left Erinsborough. It should never have come down to me knowing this baby isn't Pierce's for me to have left him…I knew it was always you that I love. I knew I wanted us to be together and to be a family with you, Aster and…this baby…I want us to be a family. I want us to be together. If you want the same thing…"
Elly pressed her lips to Chloe's gently, "I want us to be together too."
Chloe chewed on her lip, "I feel like you need no convincing from me…not that mind because I want us make a real start of things together as a family…I just… Why is this so easy for you? To forgive me for letting you go? Is it because of the baby? Knowing we're having a baby together means you've forgiven me for everything I put you through and we can just start our lives together?"
Elly thought for a moment, still holding Chloe in her arms, "Yes, it's that simple for me. It's not about the baby that I know we're starting our lives together…that's a big part of it…that our baby and Aster deserve us to be together…but…I just know that you and I are destined to be together."
"How do you know?" Chloe whispered, "How can you be so sure after everything we've been through…what I've been through? That I've still got a pissed off husband back home that I…left…a letter telling him I'm pregnant to someone else and want to build a family with them? I…didn't want to tell Pierce it was you…not that he'd believe me…"
"Pregnant to someone else, bet Pierce is pissed as hell about that. Probably best you didn't tell him the baby's mine…not that there's anything he could do to me if he did find out," Elly shrugged nonchalantly, then tilting her head slightly, "The truth is…I do know we're destined to be together."
"How's that?" Chloe found herself asking again, "Can werewolves see the future?"
Elly chuckled at the idea, "Not exactly. Okay, so there's this…I should probably tell you…"
"Tell me…" Chloe pushed Elly to continue.
"Okay…well I guess you were bound to find out eventually…especially spending any amount of time out here on the Island with the rest of the family I live with. They're very open about how things are between the couples here," Elly started out.
"Okay, you're starting to worry me," Chloe raised her eyebrow at Elly's hesitation.
"I just don't want to put any pressure on you about us…knowing what I know," Elly stumbled out.
"What do you know? You're sounding very mysterious, Elly," Chloe pointed out.
Elly sighed gently, "After I became a werewolf, I worried that I'd be alone for the rest of my life. But I met the two couples here that are part of the family, Abby and Romulus as well as Clarke and Lexa. They told me about this werewolf lore…that we don't spend our lives alone. There's always someone out there for us. Those two couples found each other…even though it took Romulus more than a thousand years to find his mate, Abby."
"A thousand years? That's…I can barely comprehend…only taking nearly thirty years to meet you…then another handful to know that I need us to be together and the feelings I have for you are so strong," Chloe admitted, "What is all this 'mate' thing about? I've heard that word thrown about a couple times now."
"Right…course you have…they don't tend to keep things quite here," Elly realized, before squeezing Chloe's hips, "You do have feelings so strong for me, as I do you. And I know that no matter what, we're meant to be together. Part of werewolf lore is that we're not meant to be alone. All of us have…what we've coined the term…'mate.' Our 'mate' is the one person…that we're meant to be with, the feelings are so strong, from both sides, even when our mate is a human, we can feel it every moment we're together. Our mate is…we have to be together…nothing in the world can keep us apart."
"Nothing in the world?" Chloe repeated, "Does that include a possessive husband?"
"Yes," Elly answered simply, "It doesn't matter how long it would take…or that the possessive husband would eventually not be in the way…because that's how this mate thing works…nothing can stop a werewolf and their mate from been together no matter what…and they know the moment that they've met their mate…who they are and that they are destined to be together."
"But that's not how you felt about me when we first met…? I mean you were terrified of me falling in love with you, you married Mark and then after that all ended and we did try to date…it didn't…last long because your feelings weren't there?" Chloe frowned.
Elly smiled shyly, "That was all before I became a werewolf. The whole…mate thing…is kinda exclusive to werewolves so when I became one…my feelings for my mate were…are…everything…all consuming. So, when I…re-met my mate…I knew we would end up together…I felt it the second I set eyes on…no matter what…despite me fearing I might end up needing to wait years and years…and struggling to deal with the idea of maybe not been able to be with my mate. But, now…I'm hoping…the all-consuming feelings…means my mate and I can finally be together…because there truly isn't anything in the world that can stop us."
Chloe thought for a moment, trying to take in each of Elly's words, then leaning forwards gently, "It is me…right?"
Elly struggled not to giggle at Chloe's simple question, having expected much more of a concern from the blonde that she was putting too much pressure on her that they needed to be together, "Yes, Chloe. You're my mate, I knew from the moment I met you back on Ramsay Street when I returned to Erinsborough. This bond between us…it's more than…what we'd feel for each other if I wasn't a werewolf. You feel it too, right?"
"Yeah, I do," Chloe confirmed.
"And you're not…scared or pressured by knowing…been my mate means we need to be together?" Elly wondered.
"A little bit," Chloe admitted, "More so because I've just come out of a relationship where Pierce's feelings for me were all-consuming…and I couldn't bear it…it was too much for me to deal with."
"I understand," Elly whispered sadly.
Chloe leant her hand up to sweep Elly's hair from her face, "I didn't mean that I don't want to be with you, I do. I want this. I want us to start being a family with Aster. I know our feelings for one another are…strong…guess I'm just afraid of the obsessive nature that Pierce had over me."
"I can safely say what we feel for each other is not obsessive and it never will be. We love each other, Chlo, and we need to be together, no matter what," Elly explained, "That's what us being mates means. Nothing can stop us from spending our lives together…not even if you had have been carrying Pierce's baby…we would've found a way. Are you okay with all this? Knowing that we're meant to be together because this bond between us is…kinda supernatural…like me?"
"To be honest, I guess it explains…a lot about my feelings for you…that there's a reason why they are so strong…despite trying to fight it. It's weird knowing there's a supernatural side to it…though I am pregnant with your baby…so I am…fine with this whole…mate thing," Chloe decided, before hesitating, "There is just...one thing I need to be clear on about us being together…and being a family with our kids…"
Elly struggled not to worry about what Chloe needed to know, sensing it could be the difference between them starting their lives together and delaying it, "What do you need to know?"
Chloe bit her lip before asking, "For us to…be together as a couple…do I need to become a werewolf?"
Next time - Is becoming a werewolf in Chloe's future?