𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐧𝐞-𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ⟪𝟏⟫ // ❮✓❯

What She Believed // C. Stewart

During the three-month-long aftermath from Vanessa, Maddie Stewart tried everything to try and get her son, Chris, to open back up to her. So far, nothing had worked. So she used a last resort that probably should have been her first, calling Chris' childhood best friends that just moved back to town. She still had the contact saved in case of emergencies such as this, but never checked if she had changed her number. Mrs. Stewart silently prayed that it hadn't been changed as she clicked on the icon and held the phone gently to her ear. It barely even rang twice before her familiar voice filled the older woman's ears.

"Mrs. Stewart?" Concern laced the teenager's voice.

"Jupiter? Is this you?"

"Yes! Yes, it's me. How are you? Is everything okay?" She asked excitedly.

"No, actually...Jupe, it's Chris..." Mrs. Stewart dropped her sentence, unable to continue.

"Have you guys moved house at all since I was last here?" Jupiter asked quickly, already worrying.

"No, it's the same address." She replied slightly confused.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes." Jupiter hurried out before the line went dead.

Maddie hugged her cell close her chest, a wave of relief washing over her. He'll talk to her...Won't he? She silently cursed herself for not knowing how Chris would react to seeing Jupiter after almost 2 years apart. Would he even remember her? Would he trust her? Maddie stood with her head tipped towards the ceiling, phone clutched to her chest, her eyes firmly shut as she continued to worry about her son.

She hadn't realised that she had been standing in that space for almost ten minutes until there was a worried knock on the front door. She hurried from her spot in the kitchen to the door faster than she ever had before. She swung open the door to be met with Jupiter's worried hazel eyes. She hadn't changed much, her hair was still black as night, the bridge of her nose still sprinkled with freckles, her hazel eyes sick with anxiety and worry. She still wore her grandfather's leather pilot's jacket, a tight grey tank top, black skinny jeans, and slip-on checkered Vans.

Jupiter threw her arms around Maddie, knowing she would definitely be in need of a hug. Maddie's face was pale and she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks, so Jupiter's world-class hugs were always sure to make light of someone's dismal appearance. Maddie's hands slowly crept up to Jupiter's shoulders, welcoming the sudden embrace. She pulled away to look into Jupiter's eyes before nodding.

"What happened and where is he?" Jupiter said sharply, voice still laced with worry.

Maddie ushered her into the house and sat her down at the dining table, holding onto her hands across it.

"This girl, Vanessa. A couple of months ago, Chris and Vanessa got into a relationship, but it was twisted and manipulative. She drugged him, convinced people he raped her. She lied through her teeth about everything, and had Chris head over heels,"Maddie shook her head before attempting to continue and failing, "S-She tried t-to-"

"Tried to what? Maddie, please, what did she do to him?" Jupiter's mind was whirring and spinning with every possible thing she could have done to harm him.

"S-She tried to k-kill him." Mrs. Stewart finished. A tear escaped her eye, which Jupiter quickly wiped away.

"Is his room still in the same place?" She asked quietly.

Mrs. Stewart nodded and gestured her shaking hand towards the stairs. Jupiter followed her hand and smiled weakly before rising from her chair and walking down a few of them. She got to the third before she turned back to Mrs. Stewart once again.

"You know, I know, that he didn't do it, right?" Jupiter asked shakily.

"You and I do, but he doesn't. He thinks he's becoming his father." Mrs. Stewart's voice broke out into a light sob as she finished her sentence.

Jupiter moved to comfort her again but Maddie held up her hand, shaking her head before pointing a finger further down the stairs, silently asking her to see Chris first. Jupiter nodded and made her way to the bottom of the stairs. She weaved her way through the house, remembering as if it were her own. She quickly found herself in front of Chris' bedroom door, afraid to knock. She knew he didn't do those things, that he was physically incapable of it, but she was still scared to see him after almost 2 years. She bit her lip and softly knocked on her once best friend's door.

"I'm fine, Mom." He groaned through the door, muffled slightly by it.

"Chris? I-It's, um, it's Jupiter." She tightly closed her eyes and listened to the silence. Nothing. She sighed and winced before slowly opening the door.

Chris had a confused expression written across his features as he instantly recognised his former best friend standing in the doorway. His eyebrows knitted together as he shot up from the bed, worrying about what she was doing here, what she knew, what she believed, and if she would believe him.

"Jupiter? Is it really you?" He asked breathlessly.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm really back." She smiled sadly, looking up at him, "I know what happened, your mom told me, and she's really worried about you."

"I know, I'm sorry," He sighed but quickly realised that Jupiter moved to Houston a couple of years ago, "Wh-Why are you here? Why are you not in Houston?"

"I'm back." She smiled weakly, "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you get better. Are you okay?"

Chris shook his head in shame, salty tears glistening in his eyes before starting to stream down his cheeks. Jupiter cupped his face in her hands and quickly wiped them away with her thumbs. She smiled up at him, her thumbs still gently rubbing his cheekbones. He held onto one of her wrists and leaned his forehead against hers, needing the comfort more than he realised.

"It's going to be okay, Chris." She whispered.

"Promise?" He whimpered slightly.

"I promise." She iterated, sticking out her pinky finger for him. He chuckled and sniffed before curling his pinky around her's and nodding.

They pulled apart and Chris slowly crawled back into his bed, gesturing for Jupiter to follow him. She nodded and slid off her Vans, pairing them together neatly on the side of the bed she would lay on. She lifted the covers and sat up with her legs stretched forwards and her back against the headboard. Chris rested his head on her chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her frame, afraid that if he let go she'd disappear from her placement beside him. Jupiter looped her arms around his shoulders before she leaned down and lightly kissed the top of his head, brushing the hairs on the back of it soothingly. Chris whimpered and cried into her body, needing someone to just be there with him.

She rubbed small, comforting circled on his back and the back of his head. He quickly fell asleep from exhaustion, light snores escaping his mouth as he continued to cling to her in his sleep. She smiled and ran her fingers through the back of his hair before the door softly opened, revealing a tired but slightly relieved Mrs. Stewart. She sighed and smiled at her son, peacefully sleeping while clung to his oldest friend. Jupiter and the former shared a look of 'He's going to be okay' and smiled sadly before Maddie closed the door and went back upstairs.

Jupiter pressed another kiss to the top of Chris' head and rested his chin gently on it, closing her eyes to let the tears slip down her cheeks. "I've got you. You're okay, I've got you now." She whispered.

•••

{Movie: A Mother's Nightmare}

A/N

i got inspiration from a Chris Stewart imagine and credit goes to the author of that: @winchasster .

also i highly recommend watching 'A Mother's Nightmare' which is where this character is from. it literally brought me to tears, and that doesn't happen to me much in movies.

- Jupe ❦︎