Thanks for your review EC Brenway especially making the effort after problems loading the previous chapter here - if anyone else has problems shoot me a message and I'll re-upload it or else you can find this fic over at AO3
Haha that's gold that Elly's convo with Lexa triggered the "Summer Nights" theme from Grease - that would be very amusing hearing that whilst reading that chapter!
The Chemistry In Darkness
Chapter Eighteen
Wednesday 20th November 2024
Elly stood on the doorstep to Chloe's place, holding Aster's hand, "Are you going to be good for me today at lunch?"
"Maybe. When will you and Chloe get together?" Aster asked cheekily.
Elly squeezed Aster's hand, "Aster, you can't talk like that. Chloe's married to Pierce, she's happy, I'm not ruining that."
"But Chloe's your mate, which means there's nothing in the world that will stop the pair of you from being together. You should just tell Pierce," Aster smiled up at her mum.
"Aster, we can't talk about our folklores like that or I'll risk being found out and we'll both be in danger. So will the Pack and the rest of our family here. I'm not telling Pierce or Chloe or anyone. If…and that's a big if…Chloe is my mate then I will not do anything to come between Chloe and Pierce. If nothing in the world is meant to stop the pair of us from being together…then that means I will need to wait as long as it takes for Chloe's marriage to end of its own accord. Now, I mean it, Aster, I need you to be good and keep our secrets, okay?" Elly stood firm with her daughter.
"Okay, Mum," Aster relented as Elly knocked on the front door.
A moment later, Chloe opened the door, smiling at the pair, inviting them in. Aster immediately reached out her arms to Chloe to which Chloe knelt down to pick the young girl up and swung her onto her hip, "Hi Aster, welcome to my home."
Aster stared around at the living room and kitchen area, "It doesn't feel like this is your home, Chloe. I think your more suited to moving to-"
"Aster, baby, this is Chloe's home, she's not moving anywhere," Elly interrupted then unable to resist a way of trying to distract both Chloe and Aster from continuing to discuss Chloe's living situation knowing that Aster was doing so as she wanted Chloe to be with her mum, Elly leant forward, wrapping her arm around Chloe's shoulder, pulling her into a hug.
Damn it, this was supposed to distract Chloe, now I'm just reminded by how much I want this…Chloe, Aster and I…it feels so perfect…
Why does it feel so good to have these two in my arms?
Elly released Chloe from the hug, then reached out and allowed Aster to crawl into her own arms, "You feeling good after your run this morning, Chlo?"
Chloe nodded, then closed the front door behind Elly and pointed to the couch for them to sit down on, "You're definitely making me work harder than I have the last couple years. I know you were running slower for my benefit this morning. Pierce should be home soon. Did you end up catching Mark or Aaron?"
Elly sat down on the couch, next to Chloe, with Aster curling herself up on Elly's lap, "Yeah, I bumped into Aaron. He'd heard the rumours of my return but was still bewildered to see me. Aster and I are gonna have dinner with them all Friday evening. You're welcome to come with us."
"Nah, I think Pierce has dinner plans for us then," Chloe dismissed, then smiled at the pair, "So, are you going to finally tell me where you've been the past four years, Elly? Or do I need to pry the info out of Aster?"
"I don't remember much except Mum was always there for me and so were the Pack," Aster answered.
"The Pack?" Chloe frowned at the words.
"The Pack of our friends that took us in. Aster's still getting used to words for things and she came up with that name for them," Elly explained away, wondering how long it would be before Aster got her in more trouble with revealing too much.
"Your friends sound…interesting," Chloe settled on, "But I guess that does answer one of my questions on whether or not you were alone or…had people in your life whilst you were gone. What happened, Elly? You were meant to be at my wedding but you disappeared the night before and never made it home after my Hen's Party."
"I really wanted to be there for you, Chlo," Elly reassured.
Yeah…to maybe have stopped you from marrying Pierce, Chlo…even back then I knew we still had something…I never would've had it in me to stop you…but there hasn't been a single day that's gone by that I haven't wondered what would've happened if I'd stayed at your Hen's party…never being turned into a werewolf. Would we have found a way through in that maybe your marriage to Pierce wouldn't have lasted as long as it has and you've had given it another chance with me…and Aster?
"My disappearance had nothing to do with Finn," Elly started out, "Bea told me how the police had linked it to Finn and people thought maybe he'd killed me then he got his memories back after the guilt ate away at him and he took off himself."
Okay, Finn was the reason I haven't been able to come back here for the last three plus years on account of the fact I murdered him and I needed to learn to control my anger so I don't turn into a great big werewolf without the full moon and hurt anyone else. It was my guilt eating away at me.
Chloe nodded along quietly as Elly recounted her experience of being attacked the night she'd left the Hen's party, her story stayed the same as what she'd explained to Bea, Karl, Susan and Yashvi two days earlier.
Chloe had reacted much the same as Bea had at Elly's story, except she hadn't taken it to heart as much as Bea had that Elly had made the decision to stay away from her home and family when she should've come home to them years ago.
"I know I made a mistake when I stayed away from everyone, Chlo. I kept Aster away from her family when Bea, Suze and Karl should've helped me raise my lil girl…let alone Shaun had I known he was still alive and could be the father to Aster he wanted to be. I was scared. I felt like I was a failure in those days leading up to the attack, I'd found this new family who accepted me for who I am and I just…the days kept getting away from me, I kept telling myself I needed to return home to y'all so I could face up to the fact I had stayed away and start making amends for it," Elly concluded.
"Well, I'm glad you made your way home to everyone so you could start making amends cause we really missed you…and the chance to have Aster grow up into the lil girl that she's becoming…we always wondered what had happened to you both. I'm sorry you didn't think you could come back here before now," Chloe sympathized with her friend.
"I'm glad I'm back too. I meant what I said, I don't have any intention of taking off again. I'm staying here no matter what, Aster and I both are," Elly insisted.
"Sounds like I have a running partner every morning and another little munchkin for me to look after whenever you need a help with Aster," Chloe offered.
Aster giggled at the thought, "Can you let Chloe look after me, Mum?"
Elly squeezed Aster's hips, "Maybe, we both know your trouble and I'm not sure Chloe wants to look after trouble when her niece and nephews are probably a lot more behaved then you are if I know the way Mark and Aaron would be as parents."
"I'll be more behaved with Chloe," Aster insisted.
Chloe chuckled at the young girl, "I'm sure you will, Aster. I'd love to spend time with you but y'know you've got your Auntie Bea and Yashvi and Karl and Susan to look after you too. Oh, and your mum is definitely right about how Aaron and Mark are as parents to their kids. Even after all these years away, your mum still knows us Brennan's."
How glad I am that Chloe never took Pierce's name. Chloe's the one I know most of all and want to continue knowing even more…
"Hey, Chlo, I was gonna ask you…it's just you said earlier that you don't see your brothers very often…that just doesn't sound like you guys. You and your brothers have always been close," Elly pried gently.
Chloe shrugged nervously, "We're…just not anymore. They have such busy lives with their kids, partners and jobs. I really don't see Mark or Aaron all that much anymore. I see their kids more than I see them. It's just the way it is."
"The boys live across the street from you," Elly pointed out.
Before Chloe could try to answer Elly's nudging over what was going on with her brothers and she not having the same close relationship they used to have, they were interrupted when Pierce walked in the front door.
"Hey, Pierce," Chloe greeted her husband.
Pierce tilted his head at the fact Elly and Aster were already there, "Chloe, you look really nice in that dress. Elly, good to see you again. You must be Aster, nice to meet you."
Chloe looks really good in that dress…do I want Chloe to be making an effort to look good around me?
"What's for lunch?" Aster asked Pierce quickly, ignoring his greeting.
Pierce glanced at Chloe whom answered, "We've got some prawns and calamari with salad. René dropped it off an hour or so ago. You snap your fingers at him, Pierce, and he cooks up and delivers the freshest food around."
"What else you got?" Aster looked up at Pierce again.
"Aster, be polite, we'll eat the food we're served, we're their guests, remember?" Elly pointed out to her daughter.
Aster continued staring up at Pierce, until he shrugged, "Why don't I check the fridge?"
"I'll come with to see what I want. That okay, mum?" Aster decided for herself, then asked Elly for permission.
"Sure," Elly agreed, helping Aster to crawl off the couch as she then walked over to Pierce and followed him into the kitchen to the fridge.
"Sorry, she's…a little fussy about food but she's always liked seafood so I don't know why she wouldn't like your prawns and calamari," Elly explained.
"Don't worry about it, we'll find her something she'll like. I probably should've asked before you got here if there was anything we should get for her," Chloe realized.
Elly raised her eyebrow as she overheard Aster telling Pierce "No" to several options he was suggesting to her.
Oh…Aster's giving me a moment alone with Chloe…how very Elly of her…she's definitely my girl.
"So, I meant to ask you too about Hendrix being at Aaron's place the last couple days and when Pierce was there yesterday, Hendrix was kinda…ignorant of Pierce. Does Hendrix not live with you anymore?" Elly brought up.
Chloe shook her head, "Hendrix is…living in the sunroom at Aaron and David's place…at the moment."
"The sunroom?" Elly repeated, "With…Aaron and David…Mark and Paige…and…their kids?"
"Rose, Felix and Daniel, yes. Plus, Gabe, when he's not staying with Jack. Jack has Gabe just about every school holidays but Paige and Jack still share him during the big holidays like Christmas and his birthday. The three boys share a room which is bordering on insanity but the room is big enough for bunk beds for Felix and Daniel then a single bed for Gabe. Rose has her own room. Mark and Paige have been house hunting for the past few months but Mark is so picky about the type of house he wants and it's driving Paige insane as this move to live with Aaron, David and their kids was only meant to be for a few weeks until they found a place but they've been here going on a year now. Despite all the kids and the chaos, Hendrix camps out in the sunroom," Chloe explained.
"Why?" Elly asked simply.
Chloe hesitated as she glanced over at Pierce, "Pierce…forgot the Harlix wedding a year ago."
Elly took a few seconds to react, "Hendrix married Harlow? What do you mean Pierce forgot? How do you forget a wedding…your son's wedding?"
Chloe looked back at Elly, "Pierce had been overworked and he just…forgot…I reminded him…numerous times. I told Harlow and Hendrix to delay the wedding 'til I could track down Pierce…kinda like how Pierce had to track down Hendrix to attend our wedding…long story not worth telling you about. Hendrix didn't want to wait so they got married then I went to get Pierce for the reception with Hendrix…only Hendrix…blew up at Pierce right in the middle of the Lassiters complex…I still remember all the faces of strangers staring at them as they yelled at one another for a solid ten minutes or so. Hendrix eventually took a swing at Pierce…and they haven't spoken since."
"Sounds like I missed some solid Ramsay Street drama…I can't believe Pierce forgot about Hendrix's wedding. So, Hendrix…and Harlow live at Aaron's now?" Elly was surprised.
"Harlow's studying to be a nurse, she got a placement for her final year at a Sydney Hospital so their first year of being newlyweds has mostly been spent apart. Once Harlow has completed her degree in a few weeks' time, they'll get their own place here in Erinsborough, Hendrix didn't want to get a place then be on his own for nearly a year. They travel back and forth every weekend or two to see each other. They stay with Terese and Paul when Harlow comes back here but Hendrix doesn't want to get in their way to live there permanently," Chloe explained more.
"So, he lives with four other adults and four kids?" Elly pointed out.
"It's a bit more complicated with Paul and Terese…" Chloe looked up as Aster and Pierce returned to them, "I'll explain in a bit."
"You sort out lunch you'll be happy to eat, baby girl?" Elly asked.
"Aster will have the prawn and calamari with salad," Pierce announced, his tone suggesting his exhaustion of Aster running him around for the past five minutes for no reason.
Elly smirked at Pierce, then at Aster, "Couldn't find anything better after all that, huh?"
"No, mum, you were right, I'll have the food I'm served," Aster giggled.
"Kids, love to drive you crazy, am I right?" Elly chucked.
"Our kids won't be like this," Pierce announced then looked at Chloe, "Let's get this lunch served."
"We don't know what any future kids would be like, Pierce. We'll worry about that if we get there. Let's focus on what we can control," Chloe replied, trying not to start a conversation with Pierce that she didn't want to have in front of Elly.
As Chloe left Elly alone on the couch, with Aster deciding to follow Chloe and Pierce into the kitchen to ask them questions about their life, Elly couldn't help but continue to stare after Chloe.
'Our kids'…I don't get the sense that Chloe's pregnant but it sounds like Pierce wants them to have kids and Chloe's…I can't tell if she's on board with wanting kids with him or not. You can't get in the middle of this…if Chloe wants to start a family with Pierce, you need to respect that and leave them be to their future…it doesn't matter if Chloe's your mate…you can't break up a marriage or be with her if there are kids involved for Chloe and Pierce…
Next time - Lunch with the triple threat Chelly & Aster plus Pierce continues - what event could give Chelly & Aster a reason to spend even more time together?