Thanks for the reviews Kelly & EC Brenway!

Kelly - Yay for loving the Chelly reunion! And Aster knowing Chelly are made for one another! And Aster taking a liking to Chloe! - is there anything Aster can't do?

EC - You sure do get age-defying Elly for the Chelly reunion and this fic with Aster being aged up a smidge! Absolutely agree the time jump makes Chloe tired of her marriage to pierce - comfortable life with pierce when there might be another option in the offing! Elly the Disruptor of their union - drama and angst guaranteed!

The Chemistry In Darkness

Chapter Eleven

Monday 18th November 2024

Elly stood outside the Kennedy's front door, she'd just slipped Aster from her hip and was now holding her daughter's hand. Elly wanted to take a moment to herself after her experience reconnecting with Chloe but being a mum meant focusing on her little girl more than herself even though her whole world felt like it was spinning if Chloe was her mate and yet she was still married to Pierce.

As Elly held Aster's hand, she reached into the pocket of her handbag she had hanging from her shoulder, reaching for the set of keys she'd held onto yet hadn't used in nearly four years. Elly wondered if the house keys would even work anymore. Would Karl or Susan have changed the locks for some reason or other? Should Elly even let herself in to her former home she hadn't lived in for four years?

Though the years apart from her family and friends were almost impossible for Elly to deal with, she was somewhat aware that they were all okay.

Lexa had stopped by Erinsborough every couple of months, spent time at the local Waterhole, the Tram or Grease Monkeys. She had on occasion spotted Bea, Karl, Susan or Chloe out and about. Elly's two photos of them helped Lexa to know who to look out for. She never intervened, never spoke to them but knowing they were going about their lives was enough to keep Elly from rushing back to them far too early before she could find full control of her supernatural powers and strength.

Last time, Elly had been at this house, she'd murdered Finn.

Elly refused to ever allow that to happen again, she wouldn't harm another human being.

Elly's guilt and focus to harness her anger and strength had being the reason behind staying away from Erinsborough for so long but now she felt she was ready to return home to everyone who loved her and hoped they would find a way to forgive her for being away…and not suspect she ever had anything to do with Finn's disappearance.

And despite being completely thrown over the idea she'd finally met her mate and that mate had turned out to be her married best friend, Elly knew she had to leave that alone for the moment…or as long as Chloe was married to focus on her family.

Smiling down at Aster, Elly took a deep breath then unlocked the front door to the Kennedy's, praying her family would take her back with open arms and allow room in their hearts for her daughter.

Opening the door and allowing Aster to walk gently in front of her, Elly called out, "Hello, anyone home?"

Despite it being a weekday, Elly was still hoping that any one of her family members would be there. The three night full moon cycle for the month had come to an end as the sun rose that morning and Elly had being keen to get back to her family as soon as possible to spend the entire month with them before she would need to make her excuses to go back to the Pack to spend the next full moon cycle with them.

Aster looked around the house with curiosity, having heard about the place from her mum but still she wanted to meet her Aunty Bea and her mum's Aunt and Uncle that she'd heard so much about.

"Hello," Elly announced, unable to hide some hesitation in her voice as she was still afraid that after all this time her family might not forgive her for disappearing for so long.

Elly's hearing finally picked up the sound of one of the bedroom doors opening, then a voice yelled down the hallway, "Baby, what flavour ice cream do you want?"

That's not Bea…

"Whatever flavour my fiancé wants," another voice yelled back.

That's Bea…fiancé?!

Elly's eyes widened as they fell upon the person whom the first voice belonged to as they sauntered out from the hallway, "Yashvi?"

Yashvi and Bea? Did Lexa know about this and not tell me?

Yashvi spun around at the voice that clearly surprised her.

Elly's eyes widened even further by what Yashvi was wearing or wasn't wearing which was the case and Elly immediately placed her hand over Aster's eyes, annoying her daughter.

Yashvi quickly wrapped her dressing gown, tying it up, having walked through the house naked with the dressing gown open and having flashed her body to Elly and the young girl that stood next to her.

Yashvi was beyond shocked that the house wasn't empty like she had assumed as she was used to wandering around the house scantily clad but her shock at flashing the pair in front of her was immediately replaced by the shock of who was standing there at the doorway, "Elly?"

Aster continued pulling her hands at Elly's hand over her eyes, "Let me see, Mum."

"Yashvi, what are you doing here at the Kennedy's…dressed like…that?" Elly wanted to know.

Yashvi opened and closed her mouth, her mind immediately thinking of Bea and how she was going to react to her sister reappearing in her life after so many years long thought missing or dead.

Yashvi and Elly then turned to the hallway as Bea's voice came calling once more, "Babe, what's taking so long? Hey, how do you want to announce our engagement to our families? Should we get everyone together tonight to tell them?"

Yashvi continued staring at Elly as the young girl in front of her finally got out of Elly's grasp with Elly's hand dropping from her eyes, "Ah…babe…I think we might have to keep our announcement for another time, we got something more important to tell your family."

"Yeah right, what's more important than that?" Bea teased as she strolled down the hallway.

Elly covered Aster's eyes once more as she saw her younger sister was as scantily clad as Yashvi in only her own dressing gown, also untied and flashing her body. Bea quickly closed her dressing gown based on the look Yashvi was giving her, before her eyes fell to the pair standing at the door.

"Hey, Bea," Elly said quietly, gently removing her hand from Aster's eyes, shifting both her hands onto Aster's shoulders, "I'm home…we're home."

Bea continued staring at her sister and the little girl standing in front of her, protectively held by Elly.

As the silence between the three adults fell over them, Aster glanced up at her mum then back over at Bea, "Are you my Aunty Bea?"

Elly smiled down at her daughter, knowing that she did know it was Bea as she'd showed her the photo she had of her family, "That's her, my girl, just like I always told you."

Bea stared at Yashvi questioningly, pleading to know if she was imagining Elly had returned.

Elly watched as it almost looked like Bea and Yashvi were talking to one another without words, something she never would've expected from her little sister but was pleasantly surprised to see how she had seemingly found someone whom she could connect like that with.

"It's me, Bea, I really am home," Elly reassured.

Elly then reached out one of her hands and smiled as Bea seemingly relented from the shock of seeing her back then eventually strolled over to Elly, wrapping her arms around her sister. Aster shifted out of the way but still stood next to Elly and held onto one of her mum's hands.

"I missed you so much, Bea," Elly whispered.

Bea clung onto Elly tightly, almost forgetting about the young girl standing underneath them, "I didn't think I'd ever see you again. We all thought you were dead?"

"I'm home, Bea," Elly repeated.

Aster interrupted the siblings to tug on Elly's arm, "Mum, bathroom, need to pee."

"Right, sorry," Elly apologized to her daughter, before relinquishing the hug Bea was giving her, "I'll be back in a minute."

Bea stared after Elly as she walked away from her with the young girl down the hallway. Yashvi walked over to Bea, wrapping her arms around her waist. Bea smiled at her, "Elly's alive…and has a daughter…I don't even know her name…I never expected this when I woke up this morning."

Yashvi kissed her lightly, holding up her hand, "I never expected this ring this morning so I guess we both got a huge surprise. Yours feels like the bigger surprise. Maybe we should keep our engagement quiet until the shock of Elly being alive, returning home with her daughter kinda…wears off…not that I expect it to anytime soon but y'know…I don't want to think we're stealing her spotlight?"

"I think both are worth celebrating tonight with our families, we're telling them we're engaged, okay?" Bea decided for the pair of them.

"Okay," Yashvi agreed, then cleared her throat as Elly and the young girl returned to the living area.

Elly had the young girl attached to her hip, holding her, "I just realized I hadn't introduced you. Bea…this is your niece, Aster. Aster, this is your Aunty Bea…and Yashvi…Bea's…"

"Fiancé," Bea finished off proudly.

"When did this happen?" Elly asked quickly, quietly scolding herself and hoping it didn't come off like she was questioning anything in Bea's life when she had no right to after completely disappearing from it.

Bea held up Yashvi's hand, showing off the ring on her hand, "About 10 minutes ago…I literally just proposed when we were curled up in bed together. I hadn't planned to do it then but I had the ring in my drawer and we just had a moment where it felt like the perfect time to ask. It must've been as I got the answer, I wanted from Yashvi when she agreed to marry me. We've been together about three years now but the…fiancé part is new."

"I'm really happy for you, Bea," Elly whispered.

I want that…I want Chloe to hold me in her arms like Yashvi is holding Bea…stop that! You can't think about Chloe like that…she's married…and you're a freaking werewolf!

Bea then turned her attention to the girl in Elly's arms, "You had a little girl? Aster…like Shaun wanted to call her?"

"Yeah, I figured it was the only thing Shaun got to do as a Dad before he was killed in the avalanche before Aster was born and I like the name too," Elly told them.

Bea glanced at Yashvi, frowning her eyebrows gently, but Yashvi shook her head. Elly noticed their action but didn't question it, "Do you want to hold your niece, Bea?"

"I never thought I would," Bea replied but stepped forwards out of Yashvi's embrace, smiling when the young girl reached her arms out to her so she could scoop her up into her arms, "Hey, Aster, it's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Aunty Bea," Aster giggled.

Yashvi watched the pair interact and that Elly was looking at them nervously, "Do you want me to call Susan and Karl to have them come home from work so they can know you're back, Elly?"

"That'd be great if you could…don't tell them I'm back over the phone, I'd prefer they find out when they see me. I've got a lot to explain to you all…and I should give you both time to like…get dressed," Elly decided.

"You've got more than a lot to explain to us, Elly," Bea shot out at her sister, her hurt from the past few years dripping into every word, leaving Elly knowing that her sister would need some time to forgive her.

"I'll call them," Yashvi told Elly, "But as for the getting dressed…Karl and Suze are kinda used to us like this."

"Right, of course, sorry…I guess it was just a surprise finding out you two are a couple," Elly apologized.

"I think our surprise has nothing on yours coming back here after years presumed dead," Bea gritted out, then shook her head at letting out her anger, looking down at Aster, "I'm sorry, Aster, I'm just blown away that you're here with us…but your mum's got some explaining to do."

"I know, Bea, and I will as soon as Karl and Susan come home so I can tell all of you," Elly replied quietly, even though deep down she was still completely unsure just how she was going to explain her 4-year absence from her family.

You'd think after all this time I'd have my excuse down by now…but lying to my family about where I've been for this long is more than just coming up with an excuse that's believable.

Next time - Elly struggles to re-bond with Bea and soon learns what her family and friends thought had happened to herself and Finn...