Thanks for your reviews Kelly & EC Brenway!

Kelly - Hope you liked that cliffhanger and weren't expecting it!

EC - Shaun is easily forgettable...I did set that up early on because I hoped to bring him back! But is he the mystery wolf...?

The Chemistry In Darkness

Chapter Ninety-Four

Saturday 26th July 2025

Shaun stood before Elly at the Kennedy's doorway, watching her react to his return.

"It's me, Elly, I'm back," Shaun said softly, his voice calm and soothing.

Elly blinked wildly for a moment, completely bewildered that Aster's Dad had returned without giving her a chance to reach out to him first. Elly sighed knowing that was a lie she was telling herself to make up her excuses for not contacting Shaun months ago, almost a year ago, when she first found out he had survived the avalanche in Switzerland.

That Shaun had come to Erinsborough after his survival wanting to reunite with his one-time fling and their daughter to be a family. Instead, he had been told that a heavily pregnant Elly, weeks away from been due to give birth to their daughter, had gone missing after Chloe's Hen's party. Worse still, Shaun's brother, Finn, had gone missing too just weeks before Shaun had emerged from his wintery hut that survived the avalanche. When Finn's video diaries were uncovered, revealing that he had gotten over his amnesia and his memories of a psychopath had returned, the police had concluded that the only thing that could've happened to Elly, her unborn baby, and Finn, was that Finn had murdered the mum-to-be.

When in truth, Elly had been the one whom had killed Finn when she'd lost control of her newly acquired werewolf powers after the crazed man had threatened to murder Bea and Chloe in order to find Elly then win her back to be a family with her and his niece.

Shaun had returned to Switzerland a broken man.

Though he had stayed in contact with the Kennedy's for some time, it became clear the Kennedy's wanted to move on from their pain of losing Elly, her child and the Finn that had lived with them for a year as an innocent man, so Shaun had moved on with his life. Remaining nothing more than a distant acquaintance on Facebook that had been forgotten about amongst the list of friends on Bea's social pages.

And that life that Shaun had moved onto, never meant that he had forgotten his past so here Shaun was, standing in front of Elly, barely a day after seeing a photo of her alive and well and…with…

Aster…

Elly's life had been turned upside down from the moment Chloe had been taken from her and now it had completely flipped upside down all over again as her one-time-fling and father of her daughter was standing before her.

Of all the times…in all the world…Shaun returns at the most difficult moment of my life…go away!

"Shaun, what are you doing here?" Elly mumbled out, knowing her question was redundant having seen the photo on his phone that looked like he hadn't closed from his screen since the moment he'd seen it.

"I thought you were dead, Elly," Shaun answered calmly, his voice filled with wonder as he stared at the woman before him.

"I'm not a ghost," Elly replied lamely, almost refusing to want to engage in a conversation with the man, knowing the last thing she needed to be wasting her time on was anything other than finding Chloe.

"Neither am I," Shaun pointed out, "And I'm guessing you knew that before I did about you," then when Elly avoided his gaze, he tilted his phone gently, "I haven't stopped looking at this photo since Bea posted it…I didn't even know Bea and Yashvi were engaged, let alone had a wedding…I knew they were together as a couple from Bea's posts but…Bea and Yashvi getting married wasn't the thing that surprised me the most."

"I know…me being alive did," Elly acknowledged, refusing to look at him.

"I saw this photo and I just…I couldn't believe it, Elly. I know me showing up here unannounced is a shock but…what was I meant to do? Reply to Bea's post with a "OMG ELLY'S ALIVE! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!" or…jump on the next plane out of Switzerland bound for Australia and…make my way here to see for myself?" Shaun reasoned.

Elly appreciated Shaun's lack of pressure that came with his kind and gentle nature, "Shaun…I have a lot of explaining to do…I know I do…I owe you…an explanation as to why you didn't find out I'm alive another way…but now is not the time. I need you to go home to Switzerland and I will contact you as soon as I can but right now-"

"I'm not going anywhere, Elly," Shaun interrupted calmly, "I've missed too much."

"I know you have…and I am sorry for that but…you could not have come at a worse time for me," Elly tried to explain vaguely.

Shaun put his phone in his pocket, fearing it involved his daughter as he tried desperately not to pressure Elly about the little girl in the photo, "What's happened?"

Elly stood there for a moment, watching Shaun curiously. She didn't need to take as long as a human would to take in all his features, her eyes moving rapidly. Elly hadn't seen Shaun in more than five years but there was so much kindness and compassion radiating from the man whom had been her one-time fling and ended up getting her pregnant with Aster.

Elly was thankful to Shaun for Aster but that was as far as she ever wanted to leave things with him which is why she'd made the decision not to rush into contacting him once she'd been told he was alive.

The months that Elly had been wrapped up in winning Chloe back and living their lives as a family together, contacting Shaun seemed like it was wasn't necessary when Aster was more than loved by Chloe and herself.

Elly did understand that Shaun was Aster's father and if anyone had kept her out of Aster's life for more than five years, or eight months as had been the case of when she'd found out Shaun wasn't dead like she'd assumed, she would've been furious. There wouldn't have been words to describe how betrayed and upset she would've felt to have missed out on the early years of her daughter's life.

But this calmness and warmth from Shaun was a welcome relief that Elly hoped he wouldn't complicate her life any further than needed when she was barely hanging by a thread wondering if she would ever see Chloe or their future child again.

Elly held onto the door she was still standing next to, "My partner was abducted yesterday after the wedding. She's missing. She's pregnant with our child. I'm waiting here for news of her been found alive and well. You don't owe me anything but I cannot do this right now, Shaun. Everything that I have in me has to be about Chloe and our unborn baby. Please, go home. Once I have Chloe back home, you can come back and we can…discuss everything. Please…my world has already been turned on its' axis once in the last 24 hours, you been here has done that all over again but I don't have it in me…to deal with you on top of everything else. Please understand, I don't have it in me to focus on anything besides Chloe and bringing her and our unborn child home."

Aster…I have to focus on Aster too…I would never forget Aster but the can of worms that could explode from Shaun knowing precisely that I kept him out of Aster's life the past year…

"I'm really sorry to hear that, Elly. I'm sure Chloe will be back home as soon as she can be," Shaun replied gently, "And as much as I want to respect what you are asking of me…maybe I can be of some help."

"You want to help me find Chloe?" Elly frowned at him.

Shaun pulled his phone back out of his pocket, staring at the photo with the little girl in front of the women, "I meant I can look after things here for you if you need to be out there looking for Chloe."

Elly shook her head, "Shaun, I don't think that's such a good-"

Shaun interrupted Elly with a whisper, drawing her attention back to the photo on his phone, "Is this her?"

Before Elly could try to convince Shaun that disrupting Aster's life with his unexpected arrival at a time when their daughter was desperately missing Chloe, the woman she already looked up to as a second parent, Elly heard one of the bedroom doors open in the hallway.

Elly wanted to slam the front door shut in Shaun's face every second that she heard the feet pounding down the hallway but she knew she wasn't going to be able to keep Shaun from the reason he had flown halfway around the world at an image posted online of the one thing he'd wanted before he'd been caught up in the avalanche.

Aster came bounding down the hallway into the main area of the house, "Come to bed, you can't stay up another night waiting for Chloe to-"

Aster stopped short at the end of the hallway as soon as she saw her Mum wasn't alone, the man she was with instantly intrigued the youngster.

Shaun's eyes widened as he took in the young girl, seeing Aster in person affected him more than he expected, repeating to Elly, "Is this her?"

Elly stared between the two, first watching the look of curiosity on Aster's face at the stranger, then the adoration that Shaun held for the child he thought hadn't even been born.

Despite that, Elly turned to Shaun, her hand inching the front door forward, "Now is not the time. Please, we can see you once things are back to how they should be for us."

Shaun reluctantly took his eyes off Aster, stubbing his foot firmly against the oncoming door to stop Elly from shutting him out, "I'm not leaving, Elly, I'm not leaving her again," then when Elly refused to budge, "Do not turn this into a battle for her. I have every right to be here for her and get to know her. You need to let me see her…you've kept her from me for far too long…don't make it any longer and make things harder for the three of us in the future. Your life might be incredibly complicated right now but I'm here to get to know her…knowing she's safe with me might actually help what you're going through waiting for Chloe to come home."

Elly considered Shaun's words but still refused to move.

Shaun looked back at Aster, whispering to Elly so the youngster couldn't hear him as she continued staring up at him with an unknown recognition, "I'm her Dad, Elly."

Elly wasn't sure if her judgment was off or if she was doing the right thing by letting Shaun into Aster's life but she knew deep down if she was in his position, she would do anything in the world for her daughter and she didn't have it in her to deny him the right to spend time with Aster.

Elly whispered back to Shaun, "If she says 'no', you walk until she's ready no matter how long that might take, okay?"

"Okay," Shaun nodded gently.

Elly turned back to Aster, keeping Shaun in her eyesight, worried that his return would turn their lives upside down when they already were without Chloe, "Aster, sweetie-" Elly hesitated when she saw Shaun react to the knowledge that she had named their daughter with the name he wanted them too and how surprised and enamored Shaun was at that one word, "Aster, I have someone here you can meet…if you want to. This is Shaun…your…"

"Dad?" Aster whispered, having already recognized Shaun from the one photo Elly had shown her of her father but not quite been ready to address him until her Mum had begun introducing them.

Aster's confusion and fear over Chloe been abducted was affecting her because Chloe was fast becoming her second parent but she'd never had the chance to tell her Mum's mate that. Now, her actual second parent was standing in front of her, a man she'd never met, and she worried that Shaun turning up now would make her forget Chloe.

Shaun found himself gently kneeling down to Aster's height, "Hi, Aster! Sorry it took me so many years to be here with you. I can't make up for the past but I want to be here for your future, Aster."

As Shaun lifted his arms, Aster glanced up at Elly for a moment, feeling her loyalties divided between Chloe and Shaun. Seeing her Mum smiling softly at her, sent Aster to run into Shaun's arms, giving him a hug, she'd always wanted to give her father.

Shaun wrapped his arms around his daughter, lifting Aster into the air as he smiled wildly at the youngster, "I'm home, Aster. I missed you so much, you have no idea."

"I missed you too, Daddy," Aster smiled back at Shaun.

"I want to know everything there is to know about you, my gorgeous girl," Shaun gushed.

Elly wanted to point out it was way past Aster's bed time but as Aster and Shaun stood there embracing one another for the first time ever, she didn't have the heart to tell them their reunion would need to be cut short.

"Will you tell me all about you too, Daddy?" Aster asked her father.

Shaun lifted his hand, placing it to Aster's cheek, "How about I come back tomorrow and we can talk about me? Tonight, I want it to be all about you, Aster. I love you so much, Aster."

Though Aster wasn't able to reciprocate her fathers' feelings for her as quickly as he did, the youngster giggled as she sat against Shaun's hip, feeling happy to be in his arms.

Elly could only stand there watching the two. A part of her was moved to see her daughter looking so happy and accepting Shaun was here in her life. Aster deserved all the love and support she could ever get and if that included her father then Elly was happy that Aster wanted to get to know Shaun.

The other part of Elly felt left out.

Aster had reunited with her father, was already giggling at Shaun and calling him "Daddy" like any normal 5-year-old girl would.

But Elly wanted all these types of family moments with Aster to be with Chloe. Not with Shaun. Elly was desperate to get Chloe back so their family could be whole again.

With Chloe and their future baby back, would Elly need to get used to their family of four having Shaun around wanting to raise Aster with her?

I want Aster to have Shaun in her life…but I want to be selfish and want Aster to want to have Chloe in her life more than Shaun…

Next time - Aster bonds with Shaun. Can Shaun accept Elly's reasons for not letting him know they were alive?