A Mother's Love…

Pretty soon I will finally start posting brand new chapters to this FanFic but for now, I wrote this special Mother's Day chapter a few months ago when it was Mother's Day here in the UK. Happy Mother's Day everyone and have a great day!

ONE: The day I shall never get back…

Three hundred and seventy-two days. That's how long it's been since she'd last used. Ever day it was a struggle, a battle raging within her with all the fury of a pissed demon! Endless sleepless nights, boiling hot sweat fevers, long and furious headaches and that horrible unendurable feeling of loneliness and anxiety had become regular feelings to her over the past year…but…

It had all been worth it.

Every single second of it!

So she could see her Rachel…

That truly beautiful and incredible young woman was HER daughter. She wasn't proud of anything she had done in her life except one thing; giving birth to Rachel Amber. Sera had never believed her own mother when she had told her that 'you never know what happiness is until you give birth to a wonderful child'. She thought her mother was crazy and didn't really see the point in kids when she was younger however, the day she gave birth to Rachel had changed all that, made her see what her mother saw and feel what she had felt. Sera Gearhardt had never been so happy in her entire life. Marrying James Amber had come close of course, but it didn't compare to seeing the small beautiful baby girl lying in her arms, gently sliding around. Sera remembered the day Rachel opened her eyes for the first time, she thought about it whenever she was having one of her down days. The way those tiny little eyes slowly opened and the gentle flick of her pupils had brought Sera to tears and the look on the young Rachel's face had been one of pure determination as if to say 'look out world, I'm here and I'm going to make my mark!'. It was the best day of her life.

Then it all went to shit.

Then came the drugs.

Sera had always been a wild one, not even James knew the extent when they first met. She always liked to live on the wild side of life but she'd never, for one single second believed that she herself would turn just as wild. Soon, like a vengeful spirit, it had consumed her. Before she knew it, everything had been taken from her. Her home, her husband and her precious Rachel. Everything was gone and it was all her fault. She had tried to convince herself that she was the victim, that it had taken hold of her when she was at her most vulnerable but…she knew the truth. Sera wanted it, more than anything and it had cost her the life she never knew she wanted.

James had a new family now and a new job but Sera didn't care. She had loved James so much, he was her entire world but he had run away with her daughter and that sometimes boiled inside of her, threatening to reach a critical level. She couldn't blame him obviously, not one bit! She was an addict and a danger to Rachel so he did do the right thing, even if it hurt her so much. Regardless, she didn't hate him. Not one bit. The one she truly hated was herself. Not just for the drugs but for accepting money from James to stay away from his family. From Rachel. That burned harder than the fires of Hell itself, to think she had chosen money over her own daughter.

No more…

Sera wouldn't do it, not again. She couldn't! She had spent over a year trying to get clean, going through every agonising step she could just so she could see her Rachel one more time. Sera knew she could never make up for the past or be a good mother, she was long past that but the least she could do is see her again. The best part of her life. Sera knew the plan, meet up with James and tell him she wanted to see Rachel again. She had to. It is the only thing that matters to her now. Sera could never get back the days she missed with Rachel and that burnt so much but she made a promise to herself and to Rachel.

No more sadness and no more grief! No more whining and no more selfishness. The only thing that matters is Rachel and no matter how much it hurts, she will do what's best for her daughter! For Rachel Amber…

TWO: Pride and Punks…

3:27 am. That was the time Chloe Price finally came home. It was the fourth night in a row she had stayed out until the early hours and yet…Joyce Price still couldn't bring herself to go to bed until her daughter was back home. Safe…yet far from being sound. Joyce would stay awake, constantly worrying and even crying to herself until she heard the unmistakable sound of Chloe's beaten up truck arriving in the dead of night, it's driver either drunk, high or commonly both. David would often stay up with her but only so he could march down the stairs and start an argument, which almost always lasted hours, and remind her wayward daughter how much she worried Joyce all the time. Joyce knew his heart was in the right place and he cared deeply for her and Chloe but sometimes he could be so damned stubborn.

It was always the same. Chloe would leave in the afternoon with not so much as a goodbye and stay out doing Lord-knows-what with Lord-knows-who and then come back in the early hours of the next morning drunk as a skunk. Whenever Joyce would confront her about it, it results in a shouting match louder than a war drum. Chloe was just so unpredictable. However, despite her flaws and her intense temper…Joyce was still proud of Chloe Price and that wold never change. Never! It's said that a mother's love is stronger than any other emotion and that was certainly true with Joyce! There were days when her daughter would call her names in rage and go redder than a tomato with anger but…it was still her daughter. Behind all the anger and aggression, there was the sweet and sassy young woman who once buried time capsules in the back garden and played pirates until nearly passing out with exhaustion.

Chloe always presented herself as a hard-punk type woman who would slice your fingers off if they ever went near something that belonged to her but Joyce knew that wasn't who she really was. It wasn't but a week ago that Joyce was walking to work and spotted Chloe yelling at a group of jocks who were hassling a homeless man. Of course, they all backed off and walked away once they saw the fury of Chloe Price. Joyce remembered feeling pride as she saw her daughter offer the man a cigarette, handed over a few dollars and even talk with the man before wondering off. That was the woman she was always telling everyone was 'a good girl' and 'deserved a chance'. It was hard sometimes, Chloe would get angry and provoke people and she would insist on cussing all the time and abusing drugs and partying. It wasn't always out of fun, Joyce knew, sometimes it was the only way she could even begin to hold in the pain of her father's death.

William Price was a great man, one of the most genuine, loving and kind people Joyce had ever met and he was taken so soon and so suddenly away from them all. The funeral had been on the very same day that Chloe's best friend Maxine Caulfield had left for Seattle. It had broken Chloe, torn every emotion to bits and it was all replaced with fear, anger and sadness. All leading to the Chloe everyone knew today.

Joyce led there in her bed, listening as the muffled footsteps continued their journey up the stairs. However, before heading into Chloe's room, they stopped just outside Joyce's bedroom door. She heard a noise before the footsteps began walking away again and finally into Chloe's room. Joyce silently got out of bed, being careful not to wake David, and wondered over to the door and silently opened it. To Joyce's surprise there wasn't a note telling her that Chloe was sorry for coming home late but there was a small box with a note on top. Joyce picked up the box and walked back inside her room and turned on the small lamp on the desk in order to get a better look at the mysterious package. The note on top instantly made Joyce smile and feel so incredibly warm inside…

Mom,
Happy Mother's Day. You know I love you so…I got you this. Hope you like it.

P.S My trucks is kinda totalled. Get step-douche to look at it for me, would you?

Chloe.

Joyce couldn't help but smile and tear up. Chloe never really was one for words and Joyce knew this was her way of expressing herself. She just wished it was easy for Chloe to do, so she didn't have to hide them all the time.

Inside the box was a necklace. At first glance it looked like a simple chain that was slightly rusty but Joyce knew exactly what it was. Many years ago, when Chloe was eight or nine, she had sat down with Joyce and they had made custom jewellery using various objects they were going to throw out. This necklace had been one of the two things Chloe had loved and given to her mother. Joyce had thought it had gone missing years ago but apparently that wasn't the case. Joyce's smile grew wider as she realised Chloe must have kept it close to her, after all these years. This gift had only proven what Joyce knew in her heart, the old Chloe was still there somewhere and that no matter what anyone else says, Chloe Price is still a good person and a kind one at that! All she needed was something to show her she still mattered, someone other than Joyce to tell her she was special and that they cared about her.

If only Max was here…

THREE: During the storm…

It all happened so fast. Turning on the TV, the 'breaking news' screen, the news man warning the general public about a freak storm raging through the seaside town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, the expected death toll. It was all a blur to Venessa Caulfield as in that one moment, a thousand emotions surged through her mind so fast it took a few seconds for her to fully realise the gravity of the situation. Arcadia Bay had been hit by an unexpected and unnatural storm and a tornado was currently blitzing through the very same town that her only daughter, Maxine Caulfield, was attending school. Out of all the emotions she felt as she gazed upon the now blurry screen, fear stood sentient like a God surveying his followers. The next thing she knew, her husband Ryan had leapt up from the couch and sprinted over to his phone on the kitchen table and began frantically calling Max. When the realisation did hit, and it hit with the same power as mega-tone nuclear bomb, Venessa started to panic. She too shot up from the couch and began searching for her phone. Books and fruit bowls were tossed and cupboard doors were smashed as Venessa frantically searched for the small two-year old smartphone. In a matter of seconds, the once calm and relaxing atmosphere in the three-bedroomed Seattle house had transformed into a crazy, panic induced madhouse.

Finally, Venessa managed to track down her phone. With tears threatening to flood down her face, she dialled Max's number. The next few seconds felt like an eternity as the dialling town sang its song. With every second that went by and no one was answering, the more panicked Venessa was becoming. The stern tone of the newscaster was still within hearing range and Venessa was able to hear words such as 'destroyed' and 'levelled' and 'left baron'. Suddenly all hope was restored as Venessa heard the sweet and warm sound of her daughter's voice on the other end of the phone. However, that hope was soon ripped away as Venessa realised it had gone to voicemail. She dropped her phone and raised her hand to her mouth in a single, swift motion.

This can't be happening…

No way is this happening…

She's fine…she has to be!

Suddenly Ryan ran in and announced that there was no reply for him either. In any other situation, Ryan Caulfield was always the one to stay calm and collected in times of stress and would always try his best to rally others to do the same but…not this time. Venessa could hear the tremble in his voice, that shaky edge you can only hear in someone when something so fundamentally shocking and upsetting has happened. Venessa quickly grabbed her husband and pulled the big man into a tight embrace. The fear and hopelessness they both felt during that hug was heart-breaking and they both let the tears finally flood down their faces as they watched in horror as images of the tornado began to flood the TV screen.

It could've been hours or maybe even days that passed as Venessa pulled on every last drop of hope that she could muster just to stay focussed. She had heard news that they were beginning to find survivors and setting up rescue camps just outside the town. Everyone on their street were beginning to mass in the street, bound together with collective worry. Many of them had never been to Arcadia Bay in their life but everyone knew the fully extent of the horror unfolding many miles away. Ryan had mobilised some of the other parents in the neighbourhood and they were even talking about forming a personal rescue team. Venessa had spent most of her time constantly trying Max over and over and over again. Her phone had even run out of battery once or twice. Throughout all the chaos, Venessa made sure to never go too far away from the house in case Max called the house-phone or there were any updates on the news. She practically threatened the pizza delivery guy with death when he called to say the pizza was going to be late. They had ordered food before they learned about the storm and neither Venessa nor Ryan were hungry.

After hours of waiting and calling and panicking, Venessa and Ryan returned to their house. Both of them were exhausted both mentally and physically but neither of them could bring themselves to go to sleep. They simply stood and hugged, trying to get through what had to have been one of the worst experiences of their lives. Venessa sank into Ryan's arms. Max had just barely reached eighteen and it felt like yesterday when she held little baby Maxine in her arms for the first time. It had been the most beautiful of evenings with every star seemingly shinning brighter than ever before. Ryan had gone to get a coffee when the actual birth started but when he heard from the nurse what was happening, he sprinted to the room Venessa was in, nearly nocking down a poor old lady. When Max finally joined the world, everything was silent until the sound of her cries echoed through the hospital halls. Apparently, it woke up some patients on the floor below. Venessa knew from that moment on that she would always protect her little girl through anything and would never give up on her. Now…everything seemed lost. The fact that she didn't know anything was what pained her the most! She didn't know if Max was dead or alive or injured or anything. Just nothing.

Then came the phone call.

The very sound of her phone ringing sent her mind into overdrive and she found her hand picking up the phone and answering it without even thinking. She felt Ryan tense up as he tried to listen into whoever it was on the other end of the phone. Venessa didn't expect to hear the warm tone of Joyce Price on the other end. It sounded so nice to hear a friendly voice, even if she hadn't heard it in some time. It didn't matter though. Only one thing mattered. Venessa listened and held Ryan's hand tightly until she heard the best three words in her entire existence…

Max is safe

Thanks so much for reading this, I know it's a little odd. I had SO much fun writing it though and I hope it wasn't boring or anything. I had two other short stories focussing on Kate and Victoria's parent's but I wasn't satisfied with them on re-reading so I will redo them and upload them another time. I can't say when I will start the next section of this FanFic but I am having a blast planning it. Thanks so much again!

NEXT TIME: Life is Stranger: The Road Trip (Chapter One)