help i'm alive

[Chloe Springfield]

Prompt List

• Surprise
• Fight
• Breathe
• Heal
• Snow
• Love
• Birthday
• Gown
• Carnival
• Evolve

[Chloe Springfield]

E V O L V E

Chloe reached her hand across the small dinner table and placed it on her fiance's much larger hand. "Babe, you really outdid yourself tonight. I'm stuffed. Don't worry about clearing the table, I've got it - and the dishes." She smiled.

Anthony let out a burp which he attempted to stifle. "Christ," he exclaimed. "Maybe mixing a Coors wasn't the best decision. I'm glad you liked it, though. This is the one area dad won't call me gay in, believe it or not," he added with a laugh. "He prides himself on cooking. I know you know he's good at it. Speaking of which, he wanted us over for dinner on Sunday. That cool with you?" He raised her hand and kissed her delicate fingers before releasing it, whereupon she stood up and began taking the plates to the sink.

"Yeah, he's a mean cook. I still find it funny he calls you gay, or is remotely worried about this, seeing as to how not only have we been together for over five years, but you've also put a ring on my finger." She shook her head, flipping the garbage disposal up and immediately off as she heard it start to destroy a knife that had fallen down into the drain. "We can do Sunday, that's fine. Does he want us to bring anything?"

"Well, that I can't explain," he said with a shrug, standing up. If she was going to be in the kitchen, he'd get out of her way. He helpfully put the butter and other random condiments back where they belonged, and took the damp sponge across the table once or twice for good measure. "I don't know, I'll ask him. I'm gonna go take a quick shower," he said, giving her a wet, deliberate kiss on the cheek.

"Okay," she said absently. She smiled at his kiss and winked at him, then began dividing the leftovers up for the week. She and Anthony would take them to work, and they'd end up getting traded for other people's leftovers. Chloe had lived on bar food for the first year she worked there, but after moving in with Anthony expenses went up, and even at a discount, it just didn't make sense to eat out all the time. At least from this trading game they played, they all got a little variety. She set aside a different plastic container and scooped the remnants of the green beans into it, careful not to dump them directly on top of the thick slice of meatloaf in the next divided spot. The mashed potatos went in after, and she shut the lid with a little snap. She'd bring that to the downstairs neighbor the next time she went onto the fire escape to spark up. He was usually out there after 10.

As she finished up in the kitchen, she heard a soft knock at the door. Anthony got to it before she did, as he'd actually meant "quick" about his shower, but he was calling her into the hall anyways. She came around the corner to find Jamie standing in her doorway looking panicked. "Hey Jamie, what's up?"

"I uh -I need your help. Like, your... specific help," he said.

"Yeah Chlo, he needs your specific help," Anthony echoed, and Chloe was under the impression he'd tried to tell Jamie to go away already.

"Okay, " she said, folding her arms and tilting her head curiously. "What can I specifically help you with, though?" Was he on a bad high or something?

"Well, the landlord finally came to check the leak that I was telling you about - the one in the bathroom? Anyways, I accidentally uh, poisoned him? He's still alive, but um, it's not going to be for very long. Sorry for how forward I'm being, but this is kind of time sensitive. I can hear everything you guys say and I know that you heal people, and - surprise! - I can poison people, which is why I always dress like it's winter even though it's sixty fucking degrees out, so uh, yeah.... " he trailed off, hands up.

"Wish you weren't so fuckin' awkward, kid," Anthony said. He sighed as Chloe pushed past him, ever the diligent cleric. "Chlo, hold on, I'm coming too!" he pressed, though they were already on the move. He groaned and grabbed a shirt from off the top of the laundry basket that was clean thank god and followed after them, his slides making loud SLT-SLT noises on the wooden floor.

"We're going to have a conversation after about how long you've known about me, Jamie, you understand this, correct?" she told him, all business. She was already knelt down by the landlord, who was very ashen in complexion. "Oh," she said softly.

"Yeah, that's fine, I'll tell you whatever you want to know, but - oh? Oh? What do you mean oh? he demanded. He dropped down on the other side of the man, just in time for Anthony to barge in.

"Whoa there, Scissorhands, why don't you back away from my girl - and the body," he said, holding a hand up.

"Relax, testosterone," Jamie snapped. "I'm not going to touch either of them."

"Yeah, I'm sure, you never mean to touch anyone, that's why I'm here in my damn pajamas watching her unfuck your mess," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Anthony!" Chloe snapped.

"Well - alright, that's -that's actually fair, man. Here, I'm moving, happy?" Jamie got up, deciding that since they WERE helping him, he could oblige a little. He sat on the ottoman close by, though. "So, back to this oh?" he asked, prompting Chloe.

"Jamie, uh... Mr. Torres is dead. I can't - I can't do anything with this."

"Are you sure he's dead?" Jamie asked. "That's way too fast! My poison never works that fast. Trust me, I barely touched him - he stumbled and he's OLD and I didn't want him to like die or anything so I reached out and - "

"There's some irony in there somewhere, but I'll let you find it later. Babe," Anthony said, kneeling behind Chloe. "Are you sure he's dead? Like, comfortable with me calling the coroner's office? Or do you want to push a little." He placed a hand on her knee. "It's up to you, you're in control here."

Chloe looked from Jamie to Anthony, and then back down at the body. No, he was definitely dead alright. But - something in her told her to reach. She nodded a little to them, and then placed her hands on him and.... dove. After what happened with Ash a few years back, she was hesitant to grab people unfamiliar to her, but she'd interacted with Mr. Torres enough to know that he wasn't a threat - or anything supernatural. He was actually very normal. He was nice, too. It would be a shame if he did die, he was a decent man. He was a good landlord, too. She felt something fleeting - like a tickle at the very, very far edges of her reach. She went after it, sought it out, and GRABBED it when she was able to hold onto it.

Anthony looked away as Chloe's body began to pale over. He always hated seeing "method" of healing. She literally absorbed their injuries into herself. He was keenly aware that one day it could kill her, but it wasn't in Chloe's nature to let that stop her. She was a bleeding heart through and through. She was so opposite him that it damn hurt, but that was why he loved her. He looked up at Jamie, who was staring intently at everything like his own life was flashing before his eyes.

"If she hurts herself, I just want you to know, I'll kill you," Anthony said. He felt like it needed to be said.

"Yeah yeah, got it," Jamie said.

After a few more minutes, Chloe fell backwards from Mr. Torres. Thankfully she'd been mostly seated, so Anthony caught her before she cracked her head, and eased her up into his arms. "It's alright baby girl, I got you," he whispered. "Hey, Lemony Snickett, get her some water," he barked.

Jamie did - not because Anthony told him to, but because he liked Chloe. He didn't know what happened, though. Mr. Torres was still on the ground. Was he dead or not? He came back and set the bottle of water on the coffee table, since Anthony wouldn't take it from his hand, then side-stepped so Anthony could set her down on the couch. She came too fairly fast, but she was clearly drained. She took long gulps of the water before she could explain.

"I think I got him in time - I think I brought him back. He won't remember much - tell him that he fell and hit his head. His head is going to hurt - mine hurts. I couldn't clear up all of the damage, but I could pull out the poison. He will still want to be seen, but it's not an emergency." She was careful not to say that he was dead - which he had been. Freshly dead, but dead all the same.

At that, Mr. Torres began making noise on the ground, and Anthony waved Jamie away, going to go squat by him. He spoke to him while Jamie stayed with Chloe.

"Thanks, Chloe. Really. That  - you're amazing," he said.

She gave him a weak smile. "I've never done that before," she said. "He was dead."

Jamie blinked rapidly. "What do you mean? Like, you never did, or you never could?"

"I never could," she acknowledged. "I'm... evolving." She paused. "That means you can, too. You might be able to control this, someday."

Jamie let out a long sigh. "Don't get my hopes up, girly."

Anthony saw Mr. Torres off and came back, holding his hand out for Chloe as she reached for him to help her up. "He thinks he fell. He's gonna call his doctor in the morning. You're fucking lucky, homie. So lucky he wasn't actually dead. If you can like, refrain from touching anyone for the next few hours, we're gonna get some sleep."

Jamie said goodbye to them, and shut the door, leaning against it as it closed and sliding to the ground. He was always so fucking careful. How was any of this fair? He knew the answer was that it wasn't, that life wasn't, and that's just how it was, but still. Jesus fucking Christ. A break would be cool. He thought about what Chloe said, though. To evolve would be...  Well, knowing him, he could  probably just become something worse. But maybe not. He had some research to do, at least.

[Chloe Springfield]

S U R P R I S E

Chloe counted her tips at the end of the bar, happy that her stack of ones was smaller than her stack of fives. It felt like the first time in a long time, but between classes and giving her bar tending shifts to Serena the past few weeks so that she could study, Chloe hadn't been making as much as she usually did. Ash paid them all a decent wage, of course, but lately it just seemed like the money was going out more than it was coming in as far as her household was concerned. Fortunately, Anthony had been picking up more shifts than she'd been giving up, so it balanced out in the end. It just felt like she didn't have the same kind of pocket money she used to. Was this growing up?

"Hey, how'd you do?" Serena asked, leaning against the other side of the bar and taking a long drink from her cherry coke - extra cherries, of course. She nodded to the stacks of money. "Are those twenties I see?"

"Yes, they are," Chloe said with a grin. "And I didn't even have to flirt for them." She sighed, shuffling all the money together, then held a few bills out for Serena. "Here's your tip out. I wish those strippers would come in here all the time," she said wistfully, glancing over her shoulder to a table where a gorgeous gaggle of brunettes all sat, drinks aplenty.

"Damn," Serena said, doing the math. "You did good tonight. You want a drink?" She paused, then her brows raised and her eyes lit up a little. "Actually, you gonna be around for a little longer? Ray's going to be off soon. He's got a new guy with him, just transferred over from vice. He's really cute," she added, like that would somehow impact Chloe's decision.

She rolled her eyes. "What is it with all of my friends trying to sell me on meeting new guys?" she asked, sitting up in her chair. She pulled a few bills from the stack and folded them, then stuck them inside her shirt, tucking them beneath her left bra strap; the rest of the cash went into her wallet, which then went into the glittery shoulder bag she had hanging off the chair. "Jamie did that shit not too long ago. Are you guys conspiring to try and break Ant and I up? Because, if you are, it will not work. Trust me. His dad already tried."

"I mean, no, of course not," Serena said, laughing. "But also, he did? How?" she asked incredulously.

"Uh, by telling me that Anthony was gay," Chloe replied. The look on her face said it all. Serena's mirrored her own, because Chloe held her hand up. "Right? That's what I said. Man was convinced."

"Anthony's like, the manliest dude who's ever duded," Serena said, her face still showing confusion.

"Yeah, I know," Chloe said. "Anthony said he thinks he was trying to test me. Like, to see if I'd confess to being his beard or something."

"Dude, what is up with Dave thinking everyone is gay? I'm pretty sure he called Darren queer last week. Which, I'm pretty sure he's met Paris before, so..."

"I don't know, man. I think he's in denial about something, but if he ever heard me say that, you'd never find my body," Chloe scoffed. "Anyways, listen, I'll stay and meet this new transfer if you want him to just not sit there awkwardly, but you guys need to stop - seriously stop - trying to sell me on every good-looking dude who walks into this place. Because, first of all, our client base is like ninety-two percent supernatural which means super hot, but also, if I ever found out that this was how you guys tried to con Anthony into making friends, like, with hot girls, I'd need to have words, and by words I mean I'd be throwing hands. And he'd be pissed if he heard all this. So..."

Serena nodded, shrugging. "Point taken. You're right about one thing though, he would absolutely be pissed. But, I'll have you know that I did overhear my brother try to sell him on going out with Paris and her "hot friends" and Anthony said that they looked like trailer trash Barbies, soooooo I think you're safe on that front."

"What? Paris' friends are super hot," Chloe said, confused. "Which one did he say looked like trailer trash?"

"I don't know, but the point is, he doesn't even register other women, so I don't think you'd have to worry," Serena reassured her. She glanced down the bar and saw one of the servers standing in the well. Darren was nowhere to be seen. "Alright, I'm going to go handle that. Come over when you're ready, I'll make a drink for you. AMF, right?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"You do know me," Chloe agreed. She watched Serena leave, then scooped her bag up and made the short walk to where Serena already had Ray's beer waiting. She sat down in the chair next to it, smiling as she received her own alcoholic treat. She earned this, she told herself. Between studying and grinding on her paper, she was doing really well in class. She still didn't know what she was majoring in, but she was getting credits, damnit. She'd figure it out later. Absently, she checked her phone. Anthony was actually out with his own friends, at a bar that wasn't where he worked, because he had learned how to have a life outside of work, apparently. It still tickled her that he called a rando trailer trash. It sounded exactly like him, honestly.

Having shiftie with Ray. Be safe. Love u. she sent him. She imagined he was in the middle of a heated debate about why Harley Davidson was selling out right about now, several beers deep. He sent back a smiley face, and she shook her head a little. Bitches love smiley faces, she thought to herself. Strangely, her phone was otherwise dry. In fact, ever since she'd met Jamie's new BFF Dominic and they'd had a small, tiny confrontational moment (it was nothing, really), he hadn't spoken to her much. She had asked him for dinner a few times, but he was always "busy".

"Haaay guuuuuurl," a man's voice drawled, the sound directly behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Ray grinning.

"Fuck, I almost didn't even recognize you without your hat," Chloe exclaimed, turning at her waist to take a swipe at his light brown hair, which was damp. "Oh, gross. That better not be sweat," she warned him.

"Relax, chica. Work was a little bit of cardio heavy today, so I took a post-chase shower before I came to see my second fam," he reassured her. "Promise. I even used whatever the fuck Serena stuffed in my kit," he said, leaning forward.

"Mmm. Garnier Fructis," Chloe said, sniffing. "Locks in moisture."

"Well, I do need to stay - "

"DON'T" she warned.

Ray smirked. "Moist." He picked up his beer, taking a swig as his little blonde companion grimaced into her drink. "So, listen, I brought a buddy with me. He just - "

"Yeah yeah yeah, Serena told me. Listen, I'm not the Wayward Shelter for Lost Boys," Chloe warned. "You're not trying to hook me up with this guy, are you? Because Anthony will - "

"Christ, I hope you're not trying to hook us up," another voice said. Chloe whipped around in her chair in the other direction. Another man, also tall, had an elbow propped up on the bar. He was smiling, but it was his characteristic, playful half-smile. He fixed his warm brown eyes fixed on Chloe. "Because, pretty sure that would be incestuous. Hey, little sister," he said, lowering his voice a little so that only she heard him.

"Oh fuck me!" she exclaimed. "I mean - no! Absolutely not fuck me, but also - Toby!" she squealed, jumping out of her chair. The two embraced, and it was incredibly comical as the height difference between them was at least half a foot, probably more if she wasn't in those weird cork wedges.

"Yeeeaaaah," Ray said, leaning back in his chair, already chewing on a toothpick that Serena had left on his napkin. "I told her to fuck with you heavy about cute guy so you wouldn't be suspicious. I take it you're surprised?"

"Yes, I'm surprised!" Chloe said, climbing back into her seat. "She said a transfer from vice!"

"I did transfer from vice," Toby replied smoothly. "It was just from Los Angeles to here."

Chloe, Toby, and Ray continued talking, and eventually Serena joined them. The four moved to a table away from the bar after an hour or so, and stayed until just before close. Oddly, Lucas also stayed until close, but he'd gotten pretty good at flying under the radar, and since Chloe was drunk, as long as he stayed out of her line of sight, she wouldn't pay him any mind.

"Tell Mittens to close me out," he said gruffly to the server, pulling the straw out of the water she brought him and flinging it at the ground like he'd found a hair in his drink. "I got some shit to do." Shit to do like try and figure out why, after two originals from his clan had emerged, another mutant like Chloe had been drawn (suddenly transferred was good enough) to the city. Something magically stupid was going on, and he wanted to figure out what it was so that he could get on the other side and the fuck away from it. He wasn't interested in meeting any of his fucking long-lost relatives, and he definitely wasn't interested in finding out what this one could do, given that their abilities all came from some magical fucking toybox grab-bag, apparently. No, he definitely did not appreciate this surprise, nor did he trust it. At all.