Thanks for your review EC Brenway!

Chloe's food and drink laced with something...? It could happen! Maybe! Pierce drugging her is in the realm of possibilities! A painting of herself or a wolf? I like your thinking! Aster or the Chef with poisoned food - let's find out!

This will be the last chapter before Christmas! I'll be back early next week with another chapter! Thanks for your support on my stories this year, hope you all have a lovely holiday season!

The Chemistry In Darkness

Chapter Thirty-Four

Wednesday 4th December 2024

Elly bit her lip as she stood behind Chloe and waited for the blonde to unlock the door combination to her art studio.

Chloe looked back at her whilst typing in the code, "This is totally a bit too much that I have my art studio locked up so Pierce can't walk in whenever he wants and sees my work before it's finished, isn't it?"

"Well, the combination code security system instead of a good ol' fashioned lock and key definitely makes for an interesting statement to Pierce that you need your privacy to create your artwork," Elly teased, "But it must be a good thing that you have this space away from him that he can't control."

Chloe ignored Elly's comment about Pierce's controlling nature, "I do a lot of thinking in here. When I'm not busy with my niece and nephews or training on my martial arts, I'm in here painting or doing metal work…but mostly a lot of thinking."

"You do metal work?" Elly was surprised, "I guess there really is a lot I still don't know about you, Chlo. I love that you keep surprising me. I love that you've found a way to spend your time without working and doing lots of thinking…that can never be a bad thing."

I just kinda love you, Chlo… Have you ever thought of me in this room…or the memories of our night together we spent in this room?

Chloe unlocked the door and stood to the side to let Elly in, "Metal work is the majority of my art displayed around the complex, my paintings are up across the hotel. Pierce loves showing me off, sometimes I wish he wouldn't as I don't think I'll ever know if my art is any good cause it's always him driving who displays it and I always wonder…"

"If Pierce is paying them off," Elly finished for Chloe with an air of annoyance that Pierce would do that kind of thing in the belief he was helping his wife.

Elly walked into the art studio that was previously Chloe's bedroom back when her eldest brother and Elly's fiancé, Mark, owned the house. The last time Elly had been in this room was two nights before her wedding to Mark, having slept with Chloe in the aftermath of Mark cancelling their wedding. Chloe had been in love with Elly at the time, Elly wanted to know what that felt like to be with someone whom was so sure of their love for her, unlike Mark.

Would it be cheeky of me to mention that night to Chloe to see how she reacts to it? If she'll blush and show me that maybe some of her thinking done in this room has been about me and that night, we spent in one another's arms…

"Wow, I haven't been in this room since you and I spent the night together in each other's arms," Elly stated brazenly, turning back to Chloe to see how she would react to it.

Chloe immediately blushed at Elly's words, her mind racing of thoughts of their night together but immediately composed herself, "It's been my art studio a lot longer than it was ever my bedroom."

Subtle blush…not enough to convince me Chloe has spent much time thinking of our night together in this room whilst she's created her artwork.

"Well, I had a really nice time the last time I was here," Elly licked her lips, then stared around the room, "But judging by all the work in here…I'm going to enjoy this time here as well."

Chloe blushed once more as she watched the way Elly was staring around the room, "They are just paintings."

"And your metal work," Elly added as she walked over to a workshop table that was scattered with pieces of metal, some unused, some in the middle of being used and a small blowtorch Chloe must've used to create the work, "This is really cool. When did you discover your love of art?"

Chloe shrugged, "Not long after I stopped working at the hotel. David and Aaron didn't have their boys yet. Mark and Paige had only just got back together, plus they didn't move here til a year or so ago. Looking after the kids wasn't something I had in my life so I had to find something to occupy my mind or I'd have gone crazy."

"Is that why it was easy to talk Pierce into giving you this private space that he allows you to lock yourself in whenever you feel the need to create your art…or think about things?" Elly asked.

"Pretty much," Chloe agreed, "When we first got married, Pierce was all about doing everything possible to give me anything that I wanted. Aside from working at the hotel as he didn't want me wasting my time there. It took me several months holed up in here creating my paintings before I finally showed him a finished product of one. I felt like I had to perfect it so he would be proud of all my hard work…now I just wish he would be honest about what he thinks of my work instead of immediately saying where he's gonna display it around the complex."

Letting Chloe's words sink in, Elly walked over to the canvas in the middle of the room, glancing at Chloe, before looking at what was on the canvas, "May I?"

When Chloe nodded, Elly turned to the canvas, tilting her head at the half-finished painting, "Wow, what is this place your painting?"

Chloe shrugged, "I don't really know. It's just a place that's stuck in my head for some reason."

"Lots of trees and shrubbery, a hammock and…is that a beach you're painting in there towards the side?" Elly was impressed with Chloe's work.

"Yeah," Chloe answered quietly.

"Looks like a relaxing place you want to spend time at rather than just paint it, Chlo. Your work is amazing," Elly complimented.

Chloe couldn't help but blush at Elly's gentle compliment, "I guess I kinda do want to spend my days at this place I've imagined up in my mind. Thanks for saying it's amazing, it's the first time anyone's ever said that. Pierce just goes over the top with the compliments, I hardly believe if he means them. Mark and Aaron are kind about what they say about my work but they don't really have time for it, they're too busy being parents to have much time for me."

Elly began glancing around at the other paintings scattered around the room. Most were laying against the wall on the floor in piles of half a dozen paintings. Elly leaned over and began flipping through one pile of paintings, smiling at each piece of artwork and admiring them one at a time before looking at the next one.

Elly smiled wildly when her eyes fell to one of the paintings, "Is this…Aster?"

Chloe ran her hand through her hair nervously, "Well, I…"

Elly lifted the painting up from between the paintings it was between and held it up to look at every detail of it, "I mean it's not Mark and Paige's lil girl, Rose. And this girl even has Aster's plaits for her hair so I just thought…"

"Yes, it's Aster," Chloe admitted hesitantly.

Elly stared between the painting and Chloe, "How did you know what Aster looked like? Because unless I'm mistaken and you've got a quality for aging the frame and painting…it doesn't look like it was done within the last month Aster and I have been home…"

"I didn't…I didn't even know you were alive and that you'd had a lil girl nor named her Aster…I just…earlier this year I was just thinking about it quite a bit. Maybe you had survived, maybe your baby was a little girl…and I just imagined what…she'd look like," Chloe chewed on her lip.

"You imagined right, Chlo, this painting is incredible. It looks so much like Aster. I honestly can't believe how good this work is…how much thinking about Aster went into it," Elly smiled.

"It wasn't too much thinking. Aster just came to me when I was thinking about her…the painting only took a few hours to complete…it was just easy thinking that your daughter would be this cheeky, assertive little girl. Why don't you keep the painting?" Chloe offered.

"You want to give me this painting?" Elly was surprised.

Chloe nodded, "It should be yours. It's one of the few paintings I keep in here that I can't show to anyone because…"

Elly placed the painting of Aster at the front of the pile, happy to take it with her as the feelings of Chloe imagining what her daughter was like felt like there was still a bond between her and Chloe even when she was away and presumed dead, "Pierce wouldn't be happy to realize you were spending time imagining what my daughter was like when he's keen for the pair of you to have children."

"Yeah, Pierce wouldn't be happy at all about that, he really wants to be a Dad," Chloe admitted.

Does Chloe really want to be a mum…with Pierce? Don't ask that…you don't want to hear Chloe say that she wants to commit her life with Pierce by having kids with him… I know it's meant to be nothing in the world stopping us from being together...but that kinda would.

"I'll take the painting of Aster…or your version of what you thought she'd look like which is pretty accurate," Elly replied, turning back to the pile of paintings in front of her, flipping through them again.

Chloe watched Elly silently as she stared at each one with a smile on her face, then Chloe suddenly panicked.

Wait, I can't let Elly find the painting…

"Hey, Elly, if you liked the painting I'm currently in the middle of, I reckon you will love these paintings over here cause they are all about cities and beaches and places that I've visited," Chloe raised her voice to encourage Elly to leave the paintings she was looking at.

"Sure, I'll look at them in a moment, I just want to finish looking at these ones, Chlo. These are really good, I can't believe you don't think these don't belong in a muse…" Elly trailed off as she reached the last one in the pile.

Damnit…she found it…things are gonna get awkward…though not as awkward if Pierce knew this painting existed…

Elly stared at the painting, her mouth wide open.

Okay, that I didn't see coming…

"And you just painted this one from your imagination or from your memory?" Elly asked quietly.

"That…you weren't meant to find…I forgot I had it in here…can you just forgot you ever saw that?" Chloe pleaded.

Yeah…we're so talking about this, Chlo…I ain't gonna give up the chance to discuss this…

"I'd say this is the proof that Pierce has never stepped inside this room cause if he'd have found this painting…I think he'd have been a whole lot more upset when I reappeared," Elly commented.

"Can we not talk about this painting?" Chloe asked as she blushed heavily.

Elly couldn't help but place a smirk on her face as she glanced up at Chloe, "Do you not want to talk about the fact you painted a portrait of me or that you painted me naked?"

Chloe's thought about me naked…after she got married to Pierce…that's a good sign I'm still on her mind romantically…

"Both," Chloe continued blushing.

"I like it, I've never had anyone paint my portrait. You sure did commit my body to your memory to be able to paint this…" Elly smirked once more at the blonde, then looked at the painting again, tilting her head, "What are these smudges on this part of the painting?"

Chloe ignored Elly's comment about having her body memorized, "I ruined the painting cause I was upset at the end of painting it…I missed you…I didn't know if you were alive or not."

"These were your tears," Elly realized.

"Can we not talk about this painting anymore? I don't want Pierce to ever find out about it as he'll think…" Chloe trailed off.

That I was still in love with you when I painted it…I can't say those words to Elly…cause maybe I still am and always will be…but you're committed to Pierce…no matter how you feel…

Elly then placed the painting back down where she found it, then looked at Chloe cheekily, "Well, in that case I better not offer to be your model for you to re-paint this portrait then shall I?"

Chloe opened and closed her mouth, but before she had any chance of responding to Elly, she almost sighed in relief as the pair were interrupted by the sound of Elly's phone ringing.

Way to kill the mood of my cheeky advance on Chloe? How would she have responded to that…besides the shock on her face?

Elly placed the paintings back in the pile she'd found them in, reaching for her phone from her pocket. She realized it had been several minutes since she'd checked on the camera of Aster in her bedroom, praying the call wasn't about something going wrong with her daughter but then saw the caller ID came up as Raven.

Elly looked at Chloe, "I need to take this," and as soon as Chloe nodded at her, answered the call, "Hello?"

Thank you for that interruption…please can Elly completely forget about this painting and the mere idea of her modelling for me so I can paint it again…?

Elly's back straightened and her face fell as soon as she heard Raven's voice on the phone, "Elly! We messed up! We need your help!"

Next time - The Pack have found themselves in a predicament and need Elly's help - will Elly abandon the time she's been spending re-connecting with Chloe to rush off to help them?