Thanks for your reviews EC Brenway - glad to see you found this lil fic! Hope you stick with it! Very different but I think you'll enjoy the reasons why when they come to pass! Cause to give you a subtle teaser - there's a big reason why the impossible needs to be possible in this world!

The Chemistry in Darkness

Chapter Nine

Friday 13th March 2020

"You doing okay?" Lexa asked as she watched Elly quietly.

Elly stood next to the hardened woman whom had just buried Finn's body for her out on the land in the woods they owned near the cabin, "No…I didn't know I was capable of this."

"It wasn't you, Fresh Meat, when the wolf takes over, we lose our way. Even when we remember after we transform, we don't have full control all the time. Finn provoked something in you to protect the people he was threatening. You will get through this…the guilt your feeling," Lexa insisted.

"I doubt that," Elly whispered, "Did you tell the rest of the Pack what I did?"

Lexa glanced at Elly as they stood by the makeshift grave, "Yes, they know. We don't judge here. This…family we've built up here, we protect one another. None of us judge you for what you did today. You're not the only werewolf to have killed…we've all lost control and done so…except Raven. She's too nice to everyone to ever lose control of her annoyingly upbeat outlook on everything in life."

"You've…all killed a person before…?" Elly was shocked.

Lexa nodded, "Romulus has been in dozens of wars over his thousands of years. As you know, nowadays he occasionally goes after the worst criminals who have escaped the justice system. Abby's a surgeon…she knows when sometimes…a person is in pain and relieves them from it rather than let them suffer for months on end. She's only done it two or three times, it's not her agenda to not heal people. Clarke…it was like you…when she was a young wolf, not in control of the beast…a man was threatening Raven…she lashed out at him to stop it."

"What about you?" Elly asked.

"I killed a rapist," Lexa revealed darkly, "I dropped out of school at thirteen after…a teacher at the school raped the school nurse and I walked in on it…the nurse didn't want to press charges…no one believed me but I know what I saw. I bounced around the foster care system for years cause I couldn't trust men after that…and women incapable of seeking justice for their trauma. Then I met Clarke and things were good for a while…okay they've always being good between us, she's my mate. I love her 'til the end of the world…but not long after she turned me…we went out for a night on the town…a normal night, no full moon. We ran into the rapist in an alley behind the clubs…and before Clarke could talk me down, I transformed and I killed him…and I don't regret what I did."

"Because of the trauma he caused your entire life after you saw him…sexually assault the nurse," Elly realized.

"Yes, he ruined my life…yet when I think about it…would I have met Clarke without going through all that…years of bouncing around different foster homes, unable to trust people, refusing to go to school?" Lexa wondered.

Elly shrugged, "Probably not though the way you lot go on about the whole werewolves and their mates thing, you likely would've at some stage."

Lexa smirked, "You sound like you still don't believe us just because you haven't come across yours yet. You will and that overwhelming feeling that they are the only person in the world you will ever want to be with will slap you down."

"I doubt that," Elly replied, still disbelieving she could ever find someone to love like that, let alone to love her when she stoically believed she was a monster, "Besides it's not exactly high on my priorities. I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to see my family again after what I did. I've spent the last three months out here just waiting to be able to go back to them. I had my daughter here; they don't even know I have a baby girl yet. Who knows what they actually think happened to me? From some of the things Finn said Bea's devastated over my disappearance. It was a mistake to ever think I could go back to them and pretend to live a normal life."

Lexa folded her arms in front of her chest, "It wasn't a mistake, Fresh Meat. I mean, yeah, maybe we sent you home too early before you had gained control of your wolf but none of us could've predicted you been faced with your sister's boyfriend plotting the deaths of her and Chloe. You could've spent a year or two here working on controlling the inner beast only to be faced with that or having returned to the aftermath of them being killed and not knowing who'd murdered them. You did save their lives."

"Destroyed my own in the process, probably Aster's too," Elly replied sadly, "What do I do now? Will I ever get to go back to my family when I know if I lose control I can still turn into a werewolf?"

Lexa chewed on her lip as she stared at the grave in front of them, "We'll see what Abby and Romulus suggest but I think maybe you'll need to stay with us a while longer until you're sure that you can control any anger you do feel."

"I don't know if I can stay away from my family even though I'm terrified of hurting them if I can't control the wolf. How long could I be away from them now?" Elly worried.

"I'm not sure, it might be a while," Lexa admitted, "We can check in on your family to make sure they're doing okay."

Elly raised her eyebrow, "You mean, like you already have been?"

"Busted," Lexa smiled gently, "How long have you known Clarke and I have been hanging out in Erinsborough to check in on your family?"

"I had a feeling you were and when you talked about hanging out at the Waterhole or Tram until you knew I'd be okay," Elly pointed out.

"We just go out there every few weeks, hang out at those places, pretend to be visiting, speak to the locals, get the low down on the goings on with the local area. We swiped a look of the photos you carry in your purse of your family and… We've managed to each be at the Waterhole when your family has been there for a meal. They clearly miss you, Fresh Meat," Lexa revealed, "I bumped into Chloe the last time I was at the Tram…she's cute."

"I don't want to talk about Chloe," Elly suddenly snapped at the mention of the blonde, feeling an air of disappointment that hearing Chloe's voice for the first time in months hadn't invoked any strong feelings in her, having wondered for months if there could still ever be more between them.

Lexa gave Elly a questioning look then shrugged, "We should get you back to Aster. She needs her mum."

Elly nodded, turning around to head back to the cabin, still wondering if she'd ever see her friends and family again.

Nearly Four Years Later

Monday 18th November 2024

Pierce smiled at Chloe across the room as she walked into the kitchen from their bedroom, "Good morning, beautiful. You're up late."

"Slept in," Chloe shrugged as she opened the pantry drawer looking for breakfast then had to stop herself from shuddering as Pierce glided over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Thought you'd have left for work by now."

"I was just about to head out the door," Pierce replied, pressing his lips to Chloe's, "What are your plans for the day, my love?"

Chloe felt an annoyance at being stopped from getting her breakfast, politely placing her hands on Pierce's arms, "Missed my run this morning but I'll go for my run after I take the kids to school. Might do some painting when I get back, then when I get the kids from school they'll be here as usual trying to tear the house apart keeping me busy. I'll get them back to Aaron and Mark's before you get home this evening."

"Those kids are terrors. I love having them around but you have more patience then I do. They love their Aunty Chloe. I love your brothers and David and Paige but their lax parenting to keep their kids under control is a pain. Our children will be raised differently," Pierce insisted, "Any chance we can try again tonight?"

Chloe smiled up at Pierce, wondering if the smile on her face looked real, "My family don't have lax parenting skills, Pierce. The four of them having full time jobs whilst living together with four kids under 10 is what's done it. The kids tire them all out. Not tonight. We're taking a break from trying, remember?"

Pierce sighed, "Right...put less pressure on ourselves for being unable to have a baby...yet. A few more weeks off to relax from the disappointment of it not happening for us and then we'll start trying again?"

"Exactly," Chloe agreed, though wondered if she really did, "Enjoy your day at work."

"Do you want to stop by the hotel for lunch?" Pierce asked before informing Chloe, "Rene dropped by a few moments ago to deliver our lunches and dinners for the day, bring yours with you. He's going to do a grocery run for us today and will drop off the supplies later today if you'll be home. Text him if there's anything you want him to buy or cook up for tomorrow's meals."

Chloe nodded up at him, wondering if she was more annoyed that her husband always seemed to want to remind her how their personal chef worked or that they had one in the first place and she hadn't had a meal Rene hadn't cooked or sourced the food for in years, "Sounds great, I'll text you when I know what time I'll be able to stop by."

"I love you," Pierce beamed as he kissed his wife once more.

"You too," Chloe replied back, as she removed herself from his grasp and watched her husband leave their house for the day.

Once he was out the door, Chloe relaxed away from his presence, "Another day...nothing ever changes...should've just gotten up and finished my run by now...why didn't I?"

Two hours later, Chloe's feet pounded the pavement as her run led her back to Ramsay Street. As soon as she entered the street her run came to a halt quicker than it normally did where she would usually run to the edge of her driveway to finish up her exercise run. Chloe had spotted an expensive looking Maserati parked in front of the Kennedy's house.

Who do the Kennedy's know who has the kind of money for a car like that? It looks better than Pierce's car.

Chloe slowly walked past Paul and Terese's house, approaching her own but was mesmerized by the sight of this unexpected car sitting in front of her neighbours' house and wondered how slow she could walk without looking like she was waiting to find out who the car belonged to.

Chloe didn't have to wait long and was more than mesmerized when the driver of the car opened the car's door and stepped out onto the footpath.

With her brunette hair flowing down past her shoulder blades, dark pants, leather boots and black leather jacket, Chloe's jaw dropped as she recognized the woman she hadn't seen in years.

Elly?

Am I drooling…? Yes, I'm drooling cause…wow! Elly…

Next time - Who saw the time jump happen? How much has happened in Elly & Chloe's lives over the past four years? It'll take more than a chapter to answer that but first off - Chelly reunite!