Chloe (deckc) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2022-04-27 22:46:00 |
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Chloe stepped out of the car and walked up the driveway with great relief, eager to see her girls and Dan again. She was sure they had been worried about her and she couldn’t wait until she could hug them. While she appeared to be free of injury, she was anything but, completely worn out and exhausted with little sleep in the past few days. She didn’t have her key and reached out to knock at the door, reaching up to run a tired hand through her hair. More than anything she wanted to collapse into her bed and fall asleep for days, but…shit. Was it Easter tomorrow? Dan had tried his best to keep things going without Chloe, but it wasn’t like the Dome sent her home for a few days. No, some fucking terrible version of Lucifer showed up and kidnapped Chloe and Sam’s child. Rory heard the door and cautiously walked to it, but then she saw her mom and tore to the door. “Trixie! Mom’s back!” She hated feeling so helpless. And as much as she resented her father, Rory realized he’d never do the things this other Lucifer did. She flung open the door. “Mom.” Rory hugged her mom tightly, with Dan running to the door. The last few days, Trixie had barely left her bedroom, opting to sulk there with Salem while she waited anxiously for someone to get her mother back. She was mad that her mom agreed to keep DJ at their house when he was in danger and put herself in danger too. She was mad that their Lucifer wasn’t here to protect them. When Rory called out that Mom was back, she raced downstairs and launched herself at her mom for a hug, not caring that Rory got there first since they could both hug her. Her arms went around Rory in an instant and she held her daughter as tight as she could manage, which was weaker than usual, given what she had been through over the past few days. Chloe moved to press a kiss to the top of Rory’s head, tears in her eyes as they stood there together. “I missed you guys so much.” When Trixie launched herself right into her, she couldn't help but laugh, even though it caused her some pain internally. “My little monkey, it’s so good to see you again.” Her arms moved to include Trixie in the hug as well, her hand rubbing over her back. She looked up to see Dan standing a little further back and gave him a smile. “Are you planning to join the party, or what?” Rory’s arms hugged her mother and Trixie. “We missed you too Mom. Is DJ safe too?” Rory worried about the boy, given she’d found herself rather liking him. Plus, she didn’t blame him for what happened to Chloe. The person she blamed was the shitty ass version of Lucifer and the fucking Dome. And she just felt so happy her mother finally returned. Dan didn’t want to interrupt the girls’ greeting their mother, because he knew how much the two of them missed her and worried about her. But, he walked over and gave Chloe a gentle hug. He wanted to tell her how fucking petrified he’d been, but he wouldn’t lay that on his best friend. How unfair. “We missed you. What do you need?” She looked exhausted and hungry, so Dan planned to order dinner for the four of them. Even though Trixie didn’t mind DJ, she now held a massive grudge against his father and uncle for dragging her mom into their drama and she rolled her eyes when her sister asked about the boy. This was their family reunion. “Don’t do that again,” she begged. “Please. We already lost Lucifer. We can’t lose you too.” Especially since Trixie had already dealt with her mother’s disappearances from Madison Valley several times over the years she’d been here. “Yes, DJ is safe. He’s with Dean right now.” Her fingers brushed through Rory’s hair and she turned her head to press a kiss on top of Trixie’s head. It hadn’t been her first time in a hostage situation, nor her first time being held captive by a psychotic celestial being, but neither of those things would bring Trixie any comfort. So, she just nodded in agreement. “Okay, sweetheart. I won’t do it again.” Though she wasn’t really sure what it was she was promising not to do. Taking a deep breath she tilted her head back and looked over at Dan. “I don’t need anything, Dan, thank you. I think I’m going to take a shower and maybe lay down for a bit. If I can get any sleep.” Did Rory catch Trixie’s eye roll? Yes. Did she care? Not at all. Trixie might be her big sister in their original timeline, but here? Here Rory was older and just kind of shrugged off Trixie’s more selfish moments. Not like Rory didn’t have them herself. “I’m glad.” Rory moved away from her mother as Dan spoke. “Why don’t the three of us have dinner and let your mom get some rest?” Dan could see the exhaustion and felt terrible he couldn’t do more for Chloe. “I’ll bring up a cup of tea or a glass of wine if you want, Chloe.” Rory couldn’t resist one more hug and then announced she’d order pizza for delivery. “We need cake too,” Trixie said before Rory could wander off to order food. “Mom, you should take your shower and come lay on the couch so you can be with us.” She was reluctant to let her mother out of her sight. “Or we could have a picnic in your bedroom.” She was thirteen and had been through a hell of a lot more than any thirteen year old should so she didn’t care if she was being selfish. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.” Of course, Trixie felt otherwise, and she wasn’t all that surprised. “Okay, monkey. I can take a shower and then I’ll come back.” Chloe agreed with a nod and after one more hug for Trixie, she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. After a brief, hot shower, she dressed in a pair of sweats and a hoodie before heading back down. “Okay, I’m finished in the shower.” She called out at the bottom of the stairs, immediately heading to lay down on the couch. Rory managed to order food and cake while her mother took a shower. She looked at the time and sighed. Her shift didn’t start for an hour, so hopefully the food delivery didn’t take too long. She hoped. But when she heard her mom on her way, Rory made sure the couch had blankets and pillows. “I have to shower and finish getting ready for work before the food arrives, but I should have a few minutes to spend with you before I go.” Rory hated to leave, but work did call and since she’d already missed a few shifts, she really didn’t want to miss more. Dan, meanwhile, made a tray of drinks for Chloe and Trixie. He did remove one of the whiskey glasses when Rory announced she had to work soon. And, he didn’t plan on cuddling with his ex-wife. But, he had nowhere to be for the night, so he wanted to hang out with Chloe and Trixie in the meantime. Trixie sent Salem home while her mom was in the shower and, when Chloe settled on the sofa, she sat gingerly on the edge of the cushion. “Are you really okay?” she asked. Growing up as the daughter of two cops had given her a unique perspective on the reality of death and danger. From a young age, she was all too aware that every time her parents stepped out of the house, it could be the last time she saw them. And she hated it. Things were supposed to be different here. When the girls joined her on the sofa, Chloe moved so that they could be on either side of her, her arms around them both.”It’s okay, I’ll still be here when you get back home.” She assured Rory with a smile, kissing her cheek. “Thank you, Dan,” she said as he set the tray of drinks down, though she would wait until Rory was gone to take a drink, so she could keep hold of her daughters for as long as possible. Trixie's question gave her pause, not wanting to be dishonest and lie, but also not wanting her to worry, though it was probably inevitable. “Yeah, I’m mostly okay…” She paused and turned her face towards Trixie, kissing the top of her head. “Sam made an exchange for us, so…I’m not really sure what’s going to happen now, but I think we’ll be okay.” Rory hated that an exchange had to happen for her mom, and probably DJ, to come home safe. Obviously she preferred her mother home, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of someone else. She wanted to punch someone. For the time being, she settled against her mother, glad to have a few minutes with her. Dan sat on one of the chairs and took a sip of the water he brought out for himself. The fact an exchange happened didn’t sit well with him, because it probably meant something else worse down the line with this Lucifer. Did he wish their Lucifer still remained in town? Yes. Yes he did. “An exchange?” Rory found her voice and realized it was tinged with fear. The only thing Trixie cared about was her mom’s safety and if she’d had the choice, she would have traded just about anything or anyone to get her back. With the exception of her dad or her sisters. Or Maze, Dr Linda, or Charlie. Or Penny. There were a lot of people who were important to her, she realized. It was scary to think that bad things could happen to any of them. “Did he hurt you?” she asked. “Yeah, he gave himself to Lucifer so we could go free.” Chloe paused for a moment to clear her throat, still emotional over the goodbye. “I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again, but…I’m safe now.” She reached up to brush the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. She fell quiet at Trixie’s question, wishing that she wasn’t so inquisitive sometimes. “He did, yes. But, I’m okay now, so you don’t need to worry about that. Alright, monkey?” Rory tensed as her mother talked. What the actual hell? She hated that her mom was hurt by a different version of Lucifer and that Sam might not be safe. She’d lived long enough to have a different outlook than her barely teenaged sister. Plus, in some ways Rory was more selfish than Trixie, but it obviously hurt her mother to possibly not see Sam again. “I”m sorry Mom. You deserve to see Sam again.” The doorbell rang and she jumped. “Perfect timing. I have ten minutes to eat.” Dan went to the door and paid, bringing food back without saying anything. He put everyone’s food on plates, as he continued in silence. Finally he said, “I hate this.” And it meant things for Dean probably weren’t going well. Dan still had a weird sense of loyalty to Dean. “I don’t ever want to see him again,” Trixie said. And she didn’t want her Mom to see him either. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt. She also wasn’t terribly hungry, so she started picking at the slice of pizza her dad put in front of her. Why was everyone acting like this wasn’t Sam’s fault? “I know, I hate it too.” Chloe agreed with a sigh, reaching out to pick up her glass to take a sip. The entire situation was a mess and she hated that she had made everyone so worried about her. “Trixie, he’s a nice guy. It’s not his fault that anything happened. If you want to blame anyone, blame the dome for letting Lucifer in to begin with.” Chloe wasn’t all that hungry herself, but she picked up her slice of pizza to take a small bite, quiet while she chewed. “Let’s just be happy that we’re all back together. Alright?” Rory ate a slice of pizza and finally said, “What mom said. It was awful enough when Dean blamed Sabrina and me, so let’s not blame Sam.” Honestly, she had an even bigger dislike of men named Lucifer after this. How her sister managed after Dan’s murder she had no idea. Nor did she want to find out. Surprisingly she still didn’t know, and Rory hoped it continued that way for some time. “I have to go. I’ll see you later.” She did hug her mom and smiled at Trixie. Yes, her sister’s habit of making everything black and white coupled with hormonal changes did not always make her the easiest, but Rory loved her. She said bye to Dan who looked at Chloe. “I will leave you two for now.” He wanted to check in on Dean, but then realized he should ask, “Was Dean with Sam?” Shit. For everything that happened, he still felt loyalty to Dean. He pulled out his phone and said he’d be back after. Trixie waved at Rory and went back to picking at her pizza, only half paying attention to her parents’ conversation and wishing she hadn’t sent Salem home already. Maybe she could convince her parents to let her get a cat of her own. Even if it wouldn’t be as special as Salem. “Bye, sweetheart. I’ll see you later,” she said to Rory, turning her attention to Dan. “No, Dean dropped me off before. I imagine he’s back at his house, with DJ.” Chloe took a deep breath and looked over at Trixie, the two of them alone now. “I can tell you’re upset about something. Do you want to talk about it?” The last thing Trixie wanted to do was talk about why she was upset and she hoped her dad would be done with his call soon. “Why don’t we watch a movie,” she suggested. “I’ll even let you pick.” Chloe frowned deeply at Trixie’s response, but there was very little she could do at the moment. Hopefully, with the passage of time, she would be less upset. “Alright, let’s see what our options are…” she reached over to grab the remote and turned on Netflix to flip through the possibilities, trying to decide on a movie for the night. |