Thanks for your reviews EC Brenway & Kelly! Always appreciate them!

EC - I'm suspecting you could be onto something...it could indeed become a main focus in a later chapter! Ooh I like that, Elly's behaviour changing if she can't be with her mate!

Kelly - Yay for Chloe being okay! Hope you like this chapter!

The Chemistry In Darkness

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Friday 29th November 2024

Elly bounded over to Chloe's place, smiling as she saw the blonde waiting for her at the bottom of her driveway for once instead of always been the one waiting to surprise Chloe.

"You can't be serious that three days after a car accident and two days since you got out of hospital, you're ready for some exercise?" Elly exclaimed as she reached Chloe.

"Like my message said, it's just a walk today to work my way up with some exercise, no running. You don't need to join me," Chloe blushed as she found herself staring at Elly's body.

"Yeah, like I'm gonna let you go for a walk on your own after you saved my little girl and yourself from being killed by a truck by hitting a light post instead. What if a walk is too much for you and you collapse, Chlo?" Elly worried.

Chloe tilted her head before she started walking down the footpath leading out of the street, waiting until Elly caught up with her, "I'm not gonna collapse, I'm perfectly healthy. Three days of rest, now I'm back to it. Besides, if I was gonna collapse it looks like I've got you by my side to catch me."

Damn straight I'd catch you…and want to kiss you and never let you go…stop me!

"That I'd be capable of," Elly promised, "How are things since you've been home?"

Chloe shrugged, "Back to normal. Pierce has been working from home but he's going back to the office today. I'm surprised he didn't ask me where I'd be taking my walk to, he's got the pattern of my run locked in his brain just in case I don't make it back by the time the kids rock up and he knows where I am."

Elly wanted to question Chloe over Pierce's controlling tendencies like she had promised Mark she would but knew she'd only been back in Chloe's life for less than a fortnight and wanted to wait until she was sure she had some idea over just how controlling Pierce was.

"You sure Pierce isn't going to stop by several times today to check in on you?" Elly wondered.

Chloe shook her head, "Nah, though I suspect Pierce will call me a couple times today to make sure I'm coping without him. How about Aster? Is she doing okay after the accident?"

Elly shyly smiled at how much Chloe already seemed to care for her daughter, wanting nothing more for Chloe to have more of an active role in Aster's life, "Aster's perfectly fine. Bruises have all healed…thanks to all the ice cream I served her. Thanks for that idea you gave her. You know she listens to you and I just can't say no to Aster."

"You're welcome," Chloe giggled, "I'm glad she's doing better and has healed. Did you ever find out what happened to your car with the brakes?"

Elly hesitated before nodding, "Yeah I was gonna talk to you about that…the insurance company investigated it and looked over the wreckage that is now my old car. The brake lines were severed…on purpose."

Chloe paused in their walk, turning to Elly, "Someone damaged your car on purpose to cause an accident?"

Someone who has no idea what I am and that I'd be able to survive a lil car accident…okay if my car went up in a ball of flames then I'd be in some trouble but still likely to survive it… My only concern would be if Aster was with me like she was with Chloe, Aster could turn out to be a werewolf like me when she grows up so she could've survived a car accident like me as she'd be somewhat invincible. But I won't know if Aster's a werewolf until she's a teenager when her strength and speed kick in…and the ability to shift into a wolf… I don't want to find out early by having Aster's life risked only for her to survive cause she is like me.

Elly stopped walking for a moment before leading Chloe to start walking again, "That's what the insurance company are saying, they weren't going to pay out at first as they wanted to investigate if I'd done this to my car on purpose to write it off, then claim the money. But my friend, Romulus, who's kinda the Alph—leader of the family I fell in with…he has friends within the insurance company and set them straight. If it wasn't for Aster being with you in the car at the time the brakes failed, I'd hate to think that anyone would think that I'd sent you off with my car knowing the brake lines had been cut."

"Don't be ridiculous, nobody could ever think that. I just can't believe anyone would do that. I guess it could've been a random attack on any car in the street but I hope you'll be extra careful just in case someone targeted you on purpose," Chloe replied softly.

Elly couldn't help but enjoy the care Chloe was showing her, "Guess we won't know if it was random or targeted unless something happens again. But don't worry, I'll be extra careful."

"But surely if it was targeted that person would've thought that Aster could've been in the car with you like she ended up being…just with me. Nobody would think to risk your lil girl being in the car with the brakes not working, right?" Chloe pointed out.

"I'd like to say they wouldn't do that but I guess it's not worth worrying too much about what could've happened if it had of been my driving the car like I probably should've been. I'm just worried that you're okay after the accident cause if the brakes being cut was meant for me and you weren't okay then I dunno what I'd do," Elly whispered.

"I am okay, Elly," Chloe reassured.

Elly nodded in understanding, hoping she could believe Chloe.

"I'm glad your friend sorted out the insurance claim for you. You know, you still haven't told me a heck of a lot about the family you…fell in with," Chloe restarted their conversation that had gone quiet, her curiosity over Elly's missing years still weighing on her as she still felt like there was so much more Elly wasn't telling her, "I know I vaguely met two of your friends when they stopped by the other day…and I'm also not gonna lie…when I got back home, Pierce wouldn't stop going on about your new car that got dropped off mere hours after the accident. He wanted to go to the car dealer this weekend as he was inspired by your new car to upgrade our beamer but I told him we don't need a fancy new car."

Inspired…jealous more like it, Pierce. Wonder how jealous he will be when Chloe's eventually mine?

"It's just a car, Chlo. Pierce doesn't need to be jealous over it or get a new car of his own. I'm very lucky, the family are well off and don't mind sharing the spoils of their wealth. I don't want the fancy cars but the head of the family, Romulus, is very old-school in looking after everyone connected to his family even those not directly related to them like Aster and I. They're just a family, nothing special...other than they allowed me to rebuild my life. I needed that and it really did give Aster a good first few years of her life," Elly recounted briefly.

"I didn't realize things were so bad for you before you…got attacked and disappeared," Chloe replied sadly.

"I was just very much feeling alone and unsure how to provide a future for my lil girl. I know on the surface it still probably looks like that, I'm single, unemployed and living with my Aunt and Uncle…it's hard to describe…but I got strength from the family I stayed with. They allowed me to raise Aster on my own and make me feel like we had a place in the world. I got to tutor my friend, Lexa, whom had dropped out of high school years before she should've. I managed to get her to graduate high school through the learning program I put her through. It was just stuff like that, it made me feel like I was achieving things in life," Elly explained.

"I'm glad they…found a way to give you what you felt you were missing. Y'know…we kinda missed you a whole lot…don't run off on us again and disappear," Chloe quietly pleaded.

"I won't, I promise, I'm here to stay. I really want to settle down here properly…like I probably should've. I'll have to start looking for a job soon, I don't even know what I want to do with my career. But first, I want to sort out getting Aster into daycare for next year to get her ready for school the year after. I need to focus on her first," Elly decided.

"That sounds like the right thing to do and as for your career, I have faith you'll figure it out," Chloe smiled shyly.

"I really want Aster to have some friends, spend more time with the kids on the street y'know…and you. Aster's totally in love with you," Elly revealed, tempted to admit Aster wasn't the only one, "Would that be okay…if Aster was to spend some more time with you?"

Ugh what are you even doing? Trying to set up Chloe to spend time with Aster so what…Chloe falls in love with Aster as much as you and wants to be with you and to raise Aster with you…and the three of us can be the perfect little family? Is that even possible? Or will I be waiting 'til Aster's grown up before you know how much we need to be together, Chlo?

"I'd like that," Chloe answered simply.

"Really?" Elly was surprised.

"I'd like it even more if Aster spending time with me…meant I get to spend more time with you," Chloe whispered.

How does all the time in the world sound to you, Chlo?

Elly blushed, "I think that can be arranged."

Chloe smiled shyly at Elly, thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with her best friend.

But how much time can I honestly spend with Elly and Aster before Pierce notices…? And why do I have such a strong desire to get closer to Elly and Aster and get to know them better…?

Later that same day, Elly left Aster at home to be minded by Susan, whom was working from home that afternoon after meetings at the Education Department in the morning. Elly headed over to Chloe's place, just after lunch time, having remembered after she and Chloe had returned from their walk that the previous week Chloe had agreed to go to dinner at her brother's place with Pierce.

With the car accident several days earlier, Elly had completely forgotten about wanting Chloe to join her for another meal with the rest of the Brennan clan, even if it meant Pierce joined at her hip. Elly figured Chloe had forgotten too and hoped maybe she wouldn't be pushing things to remind Chloe or see if she'd have to wait until the following week for Chloe to join them all for what the Brennan clan were happy to make a permanent get together with Elly, Aster and all their kids.

As Elly bounded up the stairs of #24, she suddenly had a case of déjà vu back to the previous Friday afternoon where she'd unexpectedly turned up at Chloe's place, then ended up following Chloe getting an Uber to a hairdresser's salon.

Two hours at the hairdressers for a trim…I never did work out what that was all about.

When Elly reached the top of the stairs, her déjà vu hit her even more as she glanced through the tinted window to the side of the front door and noticed that just like the previous week, it appeared that the couch in the living room had been moved to the side. She could see the outskirts of Chloe standing in the living room. She could hear Chloe breathing heavily, leaving Elly worried that her friend was having trouble breathing or that the walk they'd being on earlier had taken too much out of Chloe that she wasn't ready for so soon after being in hospital.

Elly didn't hesitate to open the security door which was unlocked then ignoring knocking on the front door, Elly instead pulled at the door handle, gently and silently snapping the lock on the door. Stepping inside the entryway, standing there by the door frame, Elly raised her eyebrows as her eyes landed on Chloe.

It took Chloe several seconds to sense the presence of another person in the house, turning to Elly.

"Uh…hi," was all Elly could utter as she stared at Chloe, before adding, "Whatcha doing?"

Next time - I'll leave you guessing, what do you think Elly's caught Chloe doing?