Will She Ever See The Truth?

Part 4- aubrey's motherly side

She didn't speak a word until they were safe in their own apartment. Aubrey didn't press, but she also couldn't hide her fear, worry, and concern.

As soon as their door shut, Chloe bursted into tears into Aubrey's open arms.

"It's alright, babe, I got you. You're safe," Aubrey whispered as she held her best friend tightly. "Let's sit on the couch."

"No!" Chloe screeched. "Not the couch!"

Utterly confused, but completely understanding Aubrey quickly changed the location and said, "The bed than?"

The two went into Chloe's room and laid down on her bed. Aubrey tucked Chloe in her blankets and then got in herself, wrapping her arms around the redhead once again.

Chloe snuggled her head into Aubrey's neck, but her crying didn't subside.

After ten minutes or so Aubrey asked, "Do you want me to get you a box of tissues?"

"No!" Chloe shrieked. "Don't leave me! Don't stop protecting me, he could come back! He's gonna hurt me again!"

Her defensive motherly side came through and Aubrey asked angrily, "who hurt you?!"

"T-tom!" Chloe cried harder.

"I'll kill that bastard!" Aubrey yelled, her face seething with anger. "What did he do?! I'll get him locked up for life!" Her parents were both lawyers.

"N-no. Th-that'll on-only ma-ake things w-worse," Chloe said, still shaking with hysteria.

"Tell me what happened, when you're ready."

Another ten minutes later and Chloe was lying her head on Aubrey's lap, hugging the blonde's waist tightly. "He... He tried to... He almost..."

Aubrey waited patiently while she ran her hand through Chloe's fiery red hair.

"He almost... Almost raped me," she whispered.

AUBREYS POV

As soon as Aubrey got the troubling phone call from Chloe, her heart was racing and her head was spinning. She literally sprint out the door with her keys and pushed the speed limit the whole way. As soon as she saw what a wreck Chloe was her heart broke and the worst thoughts raced through her head.

But she knew she couldn't rush her best friend into telling her what was making her so distraught, so she patiently waited, even though on the inside she was begging to hear the truth.

When Chloe whispered, "he almost raped me", Aubrey could practically feel her heart burst with anger.

"HOW DARE HE?" She exploded.

"Aubrey, please calm down!"

"NO! I will NOT calm down! Are you kidding? How dare Tom think he can do that to you and get away with it?! I'm going to KILL him!" She tried to get up, though not really sure what she was going to do, but Chloe pulled her back.

"Don't leave me," she whimpered.

Her heart softened as soon as she heard the vulnerability in the voice of the girl she loved. "Okay, I won't," she promised. She mentally swore to herself to get revenge later, though.

"Hold me tight and don't leave me tonight," Chloe begged.

"I won't. I promise. I'll be here for you."

They talked for awhile, about anything Aubrey could think of. She talked about the upcoming Regionals, and how they'd definitely beat the Trebles. She talked about school, and how her professor was a real dick. Then she slowly got to the topic of earlier this morning where she apologized sincerely.

"Don't," Chloe warned. "You didn't do anything. You had every right to be mad at me. I should'nt have left you like that."

"I shouldn't have been such a bitch to you the night before."

Aubrey desperately wanted to explain what was wrong, and why she had acted that way. But she couldn't. How could she possibly tell Chloe that she loved her now? Not after what she'd been through.

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past."

"Like this will be one day," Aubrey said softly.

Chloe nodded but she couldn't help the tear fall down her face.

Aubrey wiped it away with a gentle finger and stared at Chloe's beautiful yet vulnerable face. Her long eyelashes fluttered opened, and when the girls eyes connected Aubrey could've sworn they were thinking the same thing. 'I love you'. But then she decided that if Chloe was really thinking that, it was only in a sisterly way. She pushed the selfish thought aside of love, and focused on cheering Chloe up.

Hours later, Chloe moved off Aubrey and snuggled into bed in a sleeping position, grabbing the blonde and pulling her down with her. The position that Aubrey was now in was extremely uncomfortable, so she slowly repositioned herself so that she was now lying up against the pillow with Chloe's head resting on her stomach.

She had always wanted to hold Chloe like this, but she hated what the cause was for it. Her dream was for them to fall asleep holding each other, out of love and comfort, not because Chloe had been traumatized hours earlier.

Aubrey started talking once again, because she was afraid that if she didn't Chloe's mind would drift to what happened earlier. She first just started talking, but then she brought back funny moments from their past, earning small giggles from the redhead.

"Thank you so much for everything you do," Chloe said eventually, after Aubrey had stopped and her eyes were nearly closing. The blonde thought Chloe fell asleep.

"Chloe, don't thank me. You mean so much to me that when you're in pain I'm in pain. I'll always want to comfort you and I'll always be here for you. It was my pleasure to comfort you tonight because it pleases me so much to see you happy again or at least, laughing."

"You mean the world to me too, Aubrey. I love you."

"I love you too." 'You have no idea how much I love you.' She thought to herself.