A Deckerstar AU

Chapter 9

I actually finished this quite early and wasn't sure whether to post it but thought I'd give you guys a treat!
Enjoy next chapter will be the last one btw

Chloe threw her textbook down with a huff.

“Am I crazy?”

Charlotte’s eyes flicked up from her own book as she arched one perfectly sculpted brow.

“I’m going to need some context,” her reply was dry and amused.

Chloe supposed it was a fair question. It was probably crazy to give up a blossoming career in acting to follow her Dad into the police force, a decision she had made pretty much overnight. It was crazy to marry Dan, her colleague, after only knowing him for a few months — something that was proven by just how quickly it all went to shit. It was crazy to fuck said husband’s divorce attorney, who also happened to be the Devil, and it was definitely crazy to fall in love with him.   

But this time, there was a very specific reason behind her question.

She was applying for Lieutenant… and she didn’t know if that was just a stupid idea.

She didn’t know if she was good enough.

Over the past few months, Charlotte had become more than her lawyer. She had become more than someone whose services Chloe paid for.

She had become a friend.

And while Ella was still her best friend, the person she trusted most in the world, she was too soft. Ella was the best person to go to if she needed a pep talk, or sympathy, or a barrage of excited compliments. Charlotte was the best person to go to if she wanted the truth.

“Am I crazy for even thinking about applying?” she asked.

She gestured to the papers strewn across her kitchen table. There were references, and evidence of her stellar track record with cases, and textbooks to help her prepare for the Lieutenant’s exam. She knew what she had to do, both for the test and the subsequent interview, but all that preparation would be for nothing if she didn’t have the confidence to see it through.

Charlotte sat forward, her elbow on the table, her chin in her palm. She danced her perfectly manicured nails against her cheek.

When she spoke, her voice was sincere.

“Absolutely not.”

Chloe blinked, a smile slowly crawling over her face.

“Really?”

“You told me you need to serve two years as a Detective before you’re eligible to apply, correct? Well, you’ve been a Detective for far longer than that. You’re smart, and shrewd, and you have one of the best close rates in the department. You’re well liked by your colleagues and your superiors. Full of that horrible integrity you value so much. Pierce is gone, there are no roadblocks to possible promotions anymore. Not only do I think you’d be stupid not to apply… I think they’d be stupid not to give you the job. And your cheque has already cleared so you know I’m telling the truth.”

Chloe laughed, but she knew it was all talk. Charlotte would tell her the truth regardless. She was unapologetically herself, honest and confident and self-assured. Chloe wondered if all lawyers were that way, because the ones she had met didn’t seem to have a nervous bone in their body.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely, “I needed that.”

“You’re a good kid, Chloe,” Charlotte shrugged, “you deserve good things.”

Chloe smiled. She agreed, even if she didn’t always allow it for herself.

When the doorbell rang, she knew it was Dan bringing Trixie home after his weekend with her. He had been quite useless when she was sick, but he had been happy to have her back once recovered. Chloe wasn’t surprised. He always had been better with the easy things.