Don't call me your ex,
Cause I never met you.
Steve Harrington plays a wicked game with Aurora Smith's heart. When Tommy makes a bargain that King Steve can't refuse, his sole purpose becomes stealing Aur...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A -'✮'- S
Claudia Henderson is a woman like no other.
She's delightful in all manners of the word. Wears her heart on her sleeve, cooks hearty home cooked meals, she's gentle in her tone, an overall darling woman. She's exactly the same as her younger sister, Aurora's mother.
She takes in the girl who stands crying in her porch, wipes her face clean of the tear stains, places a cooling flannel onto her face. She hums softly, arms cradled around the blonde. Gives her anything she asks for, brings her water and clean clothes, extras left over from the last time her father had chucked her out — even if it had been last winter. The touch of a mother is one you don't even realise is there before it's gone, and Aurora can't fathom how she'd survived this long in the same house as the man who laid his hands on her.
"I'll kill him one day." The older woman murmurs, quiet as not to awaken the monster that is sleeping Dustin. The small girl in her arms hiccups, blubbers some sort of response. "I swear to god, who lays a hand on their daughter... he won't be so big and scary when I'm done with him, that's for sure."
"He— he," Aurora tries, she tries her very hardest to control the ache in her chest, the throbbing in her temples, the burn in her throat. "Auntie Claudia... I didn't mean to upset him."
She sighs, petting at the long blonde locks. "I know, baby." Claudia squeezes a little tighter. "You're not a bad person, Rory. Okay? You haven't done anything wrong. You should be out with your friends, should be treating yourself and getting your nails done. That man doesn't know a thing about nothin'."
"I lied." She cries into the older woman's chest, heaving with the weight of the words. "I wasn't with them."
And she knows this feeling all too well. Claudia can remember the days when her sister would climb in through her bedroom window after dark, giggling and gushing about the things she got up to with her boyfriend at the time. Sure, it's breaking the rules, but it's normal.
She shushes the crying girl, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "That's okay, too. It's okay to want something for yourself, sweetheart. Is he handsome?"
Rory can't help the little huff of a laugh that passes her lips. "So handsome."
"Would I know him? Your mom and I, we used to spend all night talking about boys and reading magazines. God, that takes me back." Her rhinestone eyes glimmer, taking in the girl below her. Aurora is the spitting image of her mother — champagne hair, wide chocolate eyes, the same little dimple on her right cheek. They've got the same stature, the same nature, Aurora turned out with all the right genes, very few of that of her father's. Thank God.
The small talk calms her rugged sobs, settles her heartbeat steady. Of course Claudia knows who Steve Harrington is, King Steve transcends high school gossip. His father is well known and respected, and Steve's prospects are high if he takes over his father's company. The older woman hums in approval, says he is very handsome. She listens to Aurora talk, gives her the chance to say things that she could never tell her father. She listens to wistful sighs, watches the way her eyes alight when she speaks of him. Pets down her hair, runs a thumb over her inflamed cheek. She watches as aurora's crying finally catches up with her, sends her eyelids fluttering and words slowing down, ushers her into their spare room — always reserved for her. She tucks her into the sheets with a gentle kiss on the forehead, and whispers the loving words of a mother.
