After everything that had happened, Chloe had felt it was only right to go and see Ashe. She knew that it had been a lot for her to have to see her die, for her to see her attack her, and while the memories were vague at best of the whole ordeal, she felt like she really had to tell her it all wasn't her fault. With her mind so screwy on her own past, it felt extra important, considering the role that she'd cast the woman in the brand new life that she thinks she's led before this town.
Already having a key to the house, she let herself in to the large farm manor, looking around the entryway as she closed the door behind her for signs of any life.
"Yo — anyone home? Delivery for Miss Elizabeth Ashe. One zombie teenager here to make peace."
Ashe had spent a lot of time broken up over the whole thing. Jesse had been able to rescue her and pull her out of her own head before things had gotten too bad. She'd still spent the week recovering both emotionally and physically. There had been plenty of tears even after she'd been saved. They'd been more private though and thankfully not causing blood loss. Luckily she'd gotten a chance to mostly recover.
She was laid out out on the sofa with a book when she hears that familiar voice. The way her heart leaps with joy surprises her and she sits up quickly and looks over to the entryway. "...Chloe..."
Act calm. Don't make a big deal out of it. She swallows the lump in her throat and goes to stand up. Though not much for hugs, she walked over to pull her into one. "Well about damn time." There was relief in knowing she remembered her as well. She had been afraid she'd be forgotten upon her arrival, and Ashe never did do well with being forgotten. When she pulled back she glared at her. "Don't you fuckin' scare me like that again. I have half a mind to beat your butt!" The threat was empty because there was a smile playing at her lips and all she could do was pull her into a hug again. "Damn teenagers..."
She didn't try in the slightest to hold back her relief when she was pulled into the hug, her own arms wrapping tightly around Ashe and her hands practically clinging to her shirt for a second. As calm and collected as she'd acted thus far, Chloe was shaken from everything; dying again, the fight with a girl she didn't recognize, bickering with Eddie about what she did and didn't remember. Being in Ashe's arms felt exactly like what she'd needed it to feel like— being home.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, almost with a bit of shame, looking down at her shoes when she'd pulled back. There's a twitch of her own smile at the threat, knowing full well she didn't mean a lick of it, and she went back to clinging to her the moment the hug was started back up. She buried her face against her shoulder, trying to stop her shoulders from shaking by taking a deep breath, filling her senses with the smell of gunpowder, cigarettes, and the perfume that Ashe always wore.
Ashe wouldn't have considered it a comforting smell, but then again it's the same kind of thing that draws her into McCree's presence. Even after all those years away she still felt nostalgic over the sent of gunpowder, whiskey, and whatever else he put on every morning. So maybe she would have understood, even if she wouldn't admit to it.
She shakes her head. "No, you don't gotta apologize for this one. That's on me. I tried to do my best by you darlin', but I wasn't operatin' at my best." She pulled back and put a hand on each side of her head, looking at her warmly and with as much reassurance as she could muster. For whatever reason Chloe always got Ashe at her softest.
"But no more apologies." And she gives her a pointed look to end that line of conversation. "You feelin' okay?"
"It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could." She felt like she had to at least reassure her, to let her know that she didn't blame her even if she blamed herself. But then Chloe looks up at her, an apologetic smile on her face, brow still creased with worry. She wanted to argue further, but she knew that tone; it was better to just let it lie.
So instead she sighs, focusing on her question, and gives a small nod.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm feeling fine. No fever or anything."
Well that was good, no fever or illness to speak of. Oh, wait a moment, apparently there was something off. At first Ashe looks relieved, but then her face drops a bit into a look of pure confusion.
Mom. Mom. Mom The word repeats itself in her head as she tries to make sense of what she just heard. She finally decides that she heard her wrong. "I'm sorry, did you just call me 'mom'?" Maybe this was a new thing that Chloe was trying out, after all before she'd died Ashe had told her that she was like a daughter to her in so many words. Maybe she should have suggested much much older sister because she would have had to get pregnant at eighteen to make that happen. Who was she kidding? She'd definitely led the kind of life that could have led to that. But it hadn't. She's suddenly really grateful for the morning after pill. Not that she wouldn't have wanted Chloe, but because she did not feel capable of having a twenty year old.
She couldn't stop the instant worry, pulling back just slightly so she could look at her better. It was one thing to have Eddie and Max, people who she knew in this town but nowhere else in her mind, tell her that she was wrong; having Ashe act like her calling her mom was out of the norm was enough to make her feel like she'd had a bucket of ice dropped in her stomach.
"Yeah...?" She sounds hesitant, almost worried, and she looks down at their shoes rather than at her eyes. "What else am I supposed to call you?"
She swallowed. Ashe had always been incredibly good at reading people. If she looked like she wasn't, that was because she often didn't care to satisfy or give them what they wanted. There was a big difference between not caring about someone else's feelings and not knowing that they had them.
The look in Chloe's eyes made her own body feel cold and confused. Then it dawned on her. Memories. Deerington messed up people's memories when they died too often. That meant that there was a very good chance that she absolutely had said what she thought was the right thing. Beyond that it meant that Chloe thought Ashe was her mother. Had their conversation in the diner stuck too hard?
Chloe had been through so much recently and if this was a temporary memory loss than maybe it was best not to make her head worse by challenging it. At least not until she figured out a little bit more.
"Lost a lot of blood last week, still ain't pumpin' properly to my head I guess. You can call me whatever you want." She reached up to pat her cheek, though it may have been a bit of an awkward tap. Wasn't that what mom's were supposed to do? That was about the extent of the affection she'd gotten from her own mother while she'd allowed it.
There's a slight ease in her shoulders, though not nearly as relaxed as she wishes it was. It's still awkward, still sticking some sort of unease through her body because why would any amount of blood loss make her think it was strange for her to call her own mother mom? She gave her a cautious look, before letting her worry take over instead.
"Jesus, Mom, if you lost that much, you should go back to lying down." She goes to take her hand in hers, squeezing it tightly before trying to push her back towards the couch. "Come on. Get. I'll have B.O.B. make you tea or something and we can watch a movie. Or you can fill me in on what the fuck happened to you while I was gone."
There's a pause before she gives her a serious look as she's trying to get her to go back to laying down; "You're okay, right?"
Ashe was almost always cool in a situation that caught her off guard, however of all scenarios that she'd played out in her head this was not one that had even come close to crossing her mind. It was taking her a moment to catch up and let go of her own sheer panic at the idea of Chloe thinking she was her mother.
Then Chloe looks at her with this concern and her heart tugs. If this was how Chloe could be with a mother, than her Mama was backwards to want to push her away. On top of that she thinks of her own mother. She couldn't really recall her mother being sick in order to offer care. She was, sometimes just passed out drunk in her parent's suite of rooms. Taking care of each other though, that was not a thing that the older female Ashe and the younger one had ever done so this was even more weird to Ashe than Chloe calling her mom.
She licks her lips and tries to figure out what a mother should do to soothe a child's concerns. She thinks about B.O.B. and reaches out to pull Chloe into a hug. "I'm just fine darlin'" She felt so good to hold, and it embarrassed her, so she pulled back. "Now quit worryin' about me!" She playfully scolded, before hollering out B.O.B.'s name and an order for afternoon tea.
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11/1
Already having a key to the house, she let herself in to the large farm manor, looking around the entryway as she closed the door behind her for signs of any life.
"Yo — anyone home? Delivery for Miss Elizabeth Ashe. One zombie teenager here to make peace."
no subject
She was laid out out on the sofa with a book when she hears that familiar voice. The way her heart leaps with joy surprises her and she sits up quickly and looks over to the entryway. "...Chloe..."
Act calm. Don't make a big deal out of it. She swallows the lump in her throat and goes to stand up. Though not much for hugs, she walked over to pull her into one. "Well about damn time." There was relief in knowing she remembered her as well. She had been afraid she'd be forgotten upon her arrival, and Ashe never did do well with being forgotten. When she pulled back she glared at her. "Don't you fuckin' scare me like that again. I have half a mind to beat your butt!" The threat was empty because there was a smile playing at her lips and all she could do was pull her into a hug again. "Damn teenagers..."
no subject
"I'm sorry," she muttered, almost with a bit of shame, looking down at her shoes when she'd pulled back. There's a twitch of her own smile at the threat, knowing full well she didn't mean a lick of it, and she went back to clinging to her the moment the hug was started back up. She buried her face against her shoulder, trying to stop her shoulders from shaking by taking a deep breath, filling her senses with the smell of gunpowder, cigarettes, and the perfume that Ashe always wore.
"I'm so sorry."
no subject
She shakes her head. "No, you don't gotta apologize for this one. That's on me. I tried to do my best by you darlin', but I wasn't operatin' at my best." She pulled back and put a hand on each side of her head, looking at her warmly and with as much reassurance as she could muster. For whatever reason Chloe always got Ashe at her softest.
"But no more apologies." And she gives her a pointed look to end that line of conversation. "You feelin' okay?"
no subject
So instead she sighs, focusing on her question, and gives a small nod.
"Yeah, Mom. I'm feeling fine. No fever or anything."
no subject
Mom. Mom. Mom The word repeats itself in her head as she tries to make sense of what she just heard. She finally decides that she heard her wrong. "I'm sorry, did you just call me 'mom'?" Maybe this was a new thing that Chloe was trying out, after all before she'd died Ashe had told her that she was like a daughter to her in so many words. Maybe she should have suggested much much older sister because she would have had to get pregnant at eighteen to make that happen. Who was she kidding? She'd definitely led the kind of life that could have led to that. But it hadn't. She's suddenly really grateful for the morning after pill. Not that she wouldn't have wanted Chloe, but because she did not feel capable of having a twenty year old.
no subject
"Yeah...?" She sounds hesitant, almost worried, and she looks down at their shoes rather than at her eyes. "What else am I supposed to call you?"
no subject
The look in Chloe's eyes made her own body feel cold and confused. Then it dawned on her. Memories. Deerington messed up people's memories when they died too often. That meant that there was a very good chance that she absolutely had said what she thought was the right thing. Beyond that it meant that Chloe thought Ashe was her mother. Had their conversation in the diner stuck too hard?
Chloe had been through so much recently and if this was a temporary memory loss than maybe it was best not to make her head worse by challenging it. At least not until she figured out a little bit more.
"Lost a lot of blood last week, still ain't pumpin' properly to my head I guess. You can call me whatever you want." She reached up to pat her cheek, though it may have been a bit of an awkward tap. Wasn't that what mom's were supposed to do? That was about the extent of the affection she'd gotten from her own mother while she'd allowed it.
no subject
"Jesus, Mom, if you lost that much, you should go back to lying down." She goes to take her hand in hers, squeezing it tightly before trying to push her back towards the couch. "Come on. Get. I'll have B.O.B. make you tea or something and we can watch a movie. Or you can fill me in on what the fuck happened to you while I was gone."
There's a pause before she gives her a serious look as she's trying to get her to go back to laying down; "You're okay, right?"
no subject
Then Chloe looks at her with this concern and her heart tugs. If this was how Chloe could be with a mother, than her Mama was backwards to want to push her away. On top of that she thinks of her own mother. She couldn't really recall her mother being sick in order to offer care. She was, sometimes just passed out drunk in her parent's suite of rooms. Taking care of each other though, that was not a thing that the older female Ashe and the younger one had ever done so this was even more weird to Ashe than Chloe calling her mom.
She licks her lips and tries to figure out what a mother should do to soothe a child's concerns. She thinks about B.O.B. and reaches out to pull Chloe into a hug. "I'm just fine darlin'" She felt so good to hold, and it embarrassed her, so she pulled back. "Now quit worryin' about me!" She playfully scolded, before hollering out B.O.B.'s name and an order for afternoon tea.