✓ Chaos Theory | Diego Hargreeves [1]

【CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO】

—chapter twenty-two.

  ❛ tis the season to... ❜  

IT TOOK ELODIE FIVE DAYS TO GET back onto her feet. Properly, that time.

It wasn't easy; a part of her just wanted to jump right back into life and push all her pain away. But while that answer would be simpler in the short run, she knew for a fact that long-term would break her completely. So, she took off work and stayed at home. Ordered in food and watched all the crappy television shows she missed out on. Some of them ended up being more enjoyable than the others, and some she turned off with a cackle after realising none other than Diego's sister was playing the lead.

Elodie still watched them, obviously, but when he wasn't around. She couldn't afford buying another television.

Charlie visited her once. That had been unexpected, but in a nice way. He brought her over a casserole that his girlfriend had made her and gave her a long hug, promising that whatever was going on would change, that life would get better. And while she knew he might not play that same tune if he did know, Elodie believed him anyways.

But Diego was there for almost all of it. Aside from work, he was there. She marveled at how eager he was to be around her, but even if she felt insecure about him having to help her, it did feel nice. Made her wish he could be there forever, holding her on her ratty couch, a pizza box on the table and either Forensic Files or whatever else was on that could hold either of their attentions. She liked having him pressing soft kisses into her hair, or mutter on about how 'he could have fixed that guy's problem in fifteen minutes' with complete seriousness. Elodie didn't feel so paranoid about falling asleep, finding it easier to combat the nightmares knowing he was there beside her. It didn't fix everything, but it did help.

And a part of her wondered if it was okay, to want such comfort forever.

But of course, love and comfort could not solve every problem; Elodie knew that well. The quickly-incoming future sat heavy on her shoulders and most of her undistracted time was spent contemplating what happened next. She knew that she wouldn't feel safe having Ellis alone; Grandmother was growing weaker, and she wouldn't have the same determined nature to push her own son away. Which meant that Ellis needed a new home.

While Elodie was hesitant to bring him into her life, she knew it was necessary. No one would be better for him and while he was her little brother, a part of her felt like a second mother -- like he was her own kid, vulnerable and unprotected from any vicious attackers. She wouldn't be able to live if they were apart when he got out. And, perhaps she could make it work, that time around.