Chapter Text
A blood curdling scream made Chloe jump up in the bed, her head frantically turning trying to find the source of the sound. Her eye eventually landed on Pink, who was breathing heavily with her hands resting on her neck, the young girl's eyes wide in fear as her chest rose and fell rapidly. Chloe went to reach for the girl when she jumped back at the action, as if she was afraid Chloe would hurt her. On the other side of her person, Chloe felt the soft movement as Red slowly awoke as well. “What’s happening?” Her voice rasped as she struggled to get her eyes to open. Using her forearm, Red pushed herself up off of Chloe’s chest and turned her head in the direction of all the action. Her eyes landed on Pink, who appeared to be in the middle of a panic attack. The daze of her slumber quickly left her head as Red pushed her way over Chloe to sit next to her sister. “Pink?” She spoke softly, hoping to get the attention of the girl. When her words did little to break the spell that had fallen over her sister, Red moved closer to her. “Rosebud, hey, I need you to breathe, ok?” Red reached for her sister’s hand, moving it to rest over her own lungs.
Chloe sat on the other side of the bed, dumbstruck about what to do, watching Red interact with the panicking girl. The frantic energy in the room started to calm down as Pink’s breathing regulated. Red shifted closer to wrap her arm around her sister's shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it, Rosebud?” Red’s soft voice broke through the moment.
Pink nodded her head, hands still shaky as they reached out in front of her. “I had this horrible dream,” She started, turning her head to look at Red, “but it felt so real.” Her voice broke as she finished her statement. Pink’s watery eyes closed as she took a deep breath. “I could hear her, Mom; she sounded so angry. We were in the courtyard, you were there, begging her not to do it, and before I knew it, an axe was swinging towards me, then black.”
Red gulped as Pink spoke; hearing the horrors of that memory from Pink’s mouth made her heart sink. She was supposed to protect her from everything, including the past. But Red understood that she wouldn’t be protecting Pink by leaving her in the dark. She looked at Chloe, meeting her eyes. “Chloe, can you go get Pink some water?” Red asked, hoping the girl would get the message.
Chloe nodded, unsure but trusting. “Yeah.”
Red waited until she heard the soft click of the bedroom door shutting before turning back to look at Pink. “I’m sorry.” Red started, her hands moving to pick off the loose thread of the bed’s comforter.
“For what?”
“For everything, but especially for what I’m about to tell you.” Pink reached over to grab one of Red’s hands, halting the movements of her fingers. Red sighed before looking up at Pink. “I did something that I can never take back. Not that I would ever want to.” She leaned into Pink’s side, letting her head rest on her sister's shoulder. “That pocket watch Max shattered, it was a time machine.”
Pink moved backwards, turning her head down to look at her older sister, shock evident on her face. “What? Time travel isn’t real.” Pink spoke confidently.
“Oh, it's real, alright,” Red muttered, eyes locked onto a spot on the wall in front of her. “In the old timeline, Maddox was good; he made the watch, actually. He was a brilliant inventor, my tutor, and my only friend.”
“Your only friend? Did we not get along in the old timeline?” Pink questioned, the facts not lining up.
Red’s eyes teared up as she opened her mouth to speak. “You were gone.” Her broken voice admitted, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Gone?” Pink moves so that she can face her sister, confusion filling her face. “Red, you aren’t making sense.”
Pink watches as her older sister sits up, taking the back of her hands and wiping the tears off her face. Red takes a deep breath, her shoulder rising with the action, and she looks at her sister. “Pink,” She starts, reaching for Pink’s hands in the space between them. “Mom wasn’t good in the old timeline. She was a tyrant who demanded loyalty and respect, and if she didn’t get it, then…” Red trails off, her eyes going cloudy as she thinks about her old past.
“Mom? Evil? Red, I don’t understand. Our mom? The same one that would read us bedtime stories, tuck us in at night, and make our favorite treats on our birthdays?” Pink tries to wrap her head around the idea of her mother being evil, her thoughts running a mile a minute.
“When Chloe and I went back in time, the event we changed was the one that led her down the path of evil. We saved her, but I guess we also doomed Maddox and Max.” The sisters' hands remained intertwined as Red continued explaining. “We saved everyone. Mom had staged a coup to take over Auradon, and by changing the past we stopped her.”
Pink nods, “Ok, so you time traveled, changed the past, saved Mom, but doomed the Hatters. That makes enough sense, I guess?” Pink says, unsure. Her eyes lock onto Red’s with one last question lying behind them. “But where was I? I would never leave you to do all that alone, in any timeline.”
Red gave Pink a watery smile. “I saved everyone from Mom, Rosebud.”
Pink’s eyes went wide in understanding. “What happened?”
“That dream you had wasn’t a dream. It was a memory from the old timeline bleeding into this one.”
Chloe wandered the halls of the Hearts castle, parts of it feeling vaguely familiar to her in a way she couldn't quite place. The winding halls and the constant sound of clocks ticking in her ears. She was sure it would drive anyone not from here crazy, but to Chloe it was oddly comforting. The familiar ache in her head reappeared as memories from the new timeline flooded her mind. Images of her and Red giggling as they ran down the hall, another of them shushing each other as they hid from a frowning Pink, and one of the two girls promising to always be best friends. Chloe found herself smiling as the images planted themselves in her head. When she and Red talked in the Wonderland forest, she was hoping that some good would come from the memory bleeding. The idea of having grown up with one of her favorite people and not having any memories of it felt like a punch to the gut, but more and more memories of their new past together have been filling Chloe’s head as the days have passed.
Chloe thought back to the fight they had back in the White Rabbit’s cottage. Red was right; this new timeline wasn’t as new to Chloe. The only major difference in this timeline for Chloe is that she grew up with the Hearts sisters, and that was a positive thing. Red, on the other hand, had immense traumatic events thrust upon her day after day, and a whole life she apparently had that made no sense. And where was Chloe? Acting as if everything was normal, because to her it was. God, she felt like such an idiot. The one person she promised to always be there for, and what does she do? Ignore all the pressure that was pushing her down. Chloe should have been there to lift her, and she wasn’t.
Chloe’s feet carried her to the open kitchen of the Hearts castle, her subconscious apparently knowing where to take her. Her mind continued to wander as she pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. Chloe looked down at the still water in the glass, knowing it was too soon to go back to Red and Pink. The soft sound of footfalls funneled into Chloe's ears, causing her to turn her head towards the sound. “Hey,” Max softly said as he rounded the corner.
Chloe glared at the boy, his posture timid, and his eyes tired. “What do you want, Max?” Her question was short and to the point.
“I, uhm, I came in here to hopefully find something to eat. The Queen said that anything was up for grabs.” He nervously looked around. “I can come back at another time.” Max starts to walk backwards out of the kitchen.
Chloe sighed as she opened her mouth. “Wait.” Max halted his movement in anticipation of what the girl might say. “I’m sorry for the, ya know, dagger to your throat and all that.” She quickly, almost like she didn’t say it in the moment she wouldn’t have said it at all.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing.” Max twiddled his thumbs in front of him, tracing the seams of the fingerless gloves he wore.
“Yeah, well, I guess we’ve all messed up some of the past few days.” Chloe turns her head up from the glass in front of her, looking at Max, who seems unsure as to where this conversation is going. “I’m also sorry about your dad.”
Max nods. “From what it sounds like, my dad losing his mind is the least concerning thing to have happened.” He moves his hands to his side, letting his palms rest against the outside of his thigh.
“It’s still unfair.”
“Life’s unfair, princess. From what I’ve seen and heard, this timeline isn’t all that bad. A tyrannical Queen sounds eons worse than a crazy Dad.” Max half-jokes, walking over to a basket on the countertop and snatching a small bag of treats. “If Red can go through everything she did and turn out the way she is, well, there might just be hope for me yet.” Max does a two-finger salute before pivoting in his heel and walking out of the kitchen, leaving Chloe there alone. Chloe watches the boy leave with a small smile crooked on her lips before reaching out to grab the glass of water before making her leave as well.
The walk back to Red’s room is shorter than the walk to the kitchen. As Chloe approaches the bedroom door, she tentatively pushes it open, hoping that she gave the sisters enough time. She poked her head in the doorway, looking towards the bed to check on the two girls. Chloe saw Pink engulfed in Red’s arms, the slight shake of her shoulders followed by a quiet hiccuping sound. Red looked over Pink’s shoulder, her eyes catching Chloe as she slowly entered the room. Chloe eased her way to Red’s other side, still holding the glass of water. “Hey,” she whispered.
“Hey,” Red responded, her hand gently rubbing Pink’s back.
“Did you tell her?”
“Everything.” Chloe solemnly nodded as she quietly sat next to the sisters. Her nails tapped against the glass as she tried to keep her hands busy. The slowing breaths of Pink filled the space of the room. The sound of rustling cloth echoed as Pink gently pushed herself out of Red’s hold.
“I can’t believe you.” Pink softly laughed as she brought her hand up to wipe away the tears on her cheek.
“What did I do this time?” Red joked back.
“You were carrying all of this, and yet your biggest concern was me. I’m the one who should have been there for you, you idiot." Pink softly slapped Red’s shoulder, a teary smile filling her face.
“I’m your older sister; it's my job to ignore my own struggles to take care of you.” Red brought Pink back into a hug, the two girls laughing despite the circumstance.
Pink eased her way back out of the hug and looked past Red to find Chloe. “You’ll take care of her when I can't, right?”
“Always,” Chloe promised, holding her hand out to pass Pink the glass of water. Pink took the glass gratefully, slowly sipping at the water. The trio of girls sat in silence on Red’s bed for a while longer, with them all just allowing the peace of the moment to ease their inner tensions.
Pink looked to her side and noticed that the sun was starting to set through the slip of Red’s bedroom curtains. “I guess I’ll head out and see what’s being prepared for supper.” Pink sighed as she pushed herself out of Red’s bed. “I’ll come back and grab you both for dinner.” Red and Chloe nodded as they watched Pink exit the room; the door clicked softly as it closed behind her.
Chloe looked over at Red, her hands folded up in her lap as she continued to stare at the door. “I’m sorry.” Chloe broke the silence. Red’s head turned to face her.
“For what, princess?”
“I haven’t been a good friend. All I’ve done is let you down for the past few days.” Chloe looked away, unable to maintain eye contact with the girl beside her.
A hand gently found its place under Chloe’s chin, slowly guiding her head to turn back towards Red. “You’ve been the best friend I could have ever asked for. And you have never let me down, Chlo.” Red’s voice was light as her eyes softened. “This new timeline is confusing, and a mess, sure, but you have been one of the few constants for me. I don’t know if I would be as sane as I am now without you.” Red’s hand moved down to Chloe’s neck, cupping the back of it. “I need you, Chloe.” Her voice whispered.
The girls' faces seemed to gravitate towards each other, both of them pausing with just inches in between them. “I need you too, Red.” Chloe’s eyes found Red’s, her cheeks flushing at the proximity to the other girl. She slowly reached her hand out to grab at Red’s waist, wanting to pull the other girl closer, but unsure if she was allowed to.
“Are you going to kiss me or what, princess?” Red joked, her own cheeks blushing as she spoke.
Chloe grinned as she finally pulled the girl closer to her, leaning in to plant a kiss on her lips. Once their lips locked, Chloe couldn’t help but want Red to be closer. She leaned further into the kiss, excitement filling her when Red readily reciprocated. Kissing Red felt like coming home; the familiarity of it all settled deep in Chloe’s bones.
Chloe was giggling at something Red had said. The two girls were lying upside down off of Red’s bed, the curtains wide open so that they could watch the stars. It was way past any reasonable time for them to be awake, but with the two of them getting older, they wanted to get as much time together as possible before their responsibilities started to grow.
“What do you think Auradon Prep has in store for us?” Red asks. Chloe turns to face her, the moonlight from the window dancing in waves as it lands on her skin.
“I honestly don’t know. Chad always had good things to say about it. I’m excited to be away from home. Think about all the freedom we will have.” Chloe lightly kicks her feet against the bed, ruffling the blankets underneath her.
“Yeah, you and me, no mom’s hovering over our shoulders telling us what to do.” Red moves to sit up, feeling the high of the blood rushing back down from her head. Chloe moves to follow her, positioning herself into a sitting position. “No annoying little sisters wanting to barge in every five seconds.” Red continues, laughing softly as she remembers all the times Pink has crashed their slumber parties because she felt left out.
“Hey!” Chloe exclaims, “I’m an annoying little sister. Put some respect on our names.” She huffs, reaching out to jab at Red’s sides. The other girl giggles as she tries to quickly move out of the way, her body only able to avoid one side of the two-pronged attack, her defense not being enough to fully protect her. Chloe used her leverage to gather Red into her arms, relentlessly tickling her side.
“Chloe-” Red chokes on her own laughter, her body thrashing as it tries to escape. “Chloe, please.” Red can speak through the attack. “Stop.” Chloe laughs alongside her, easing her torture once she feels her point has been made. Chloe loosens her hold on Red, allowing the turn to catch her breath as she turns to face the blue-haired princess. “You are evil, Chlo.”
“Me? Evil? Why, I would never.” Chloe feigns offense, bringing a hand to her chest in a dramatic way.
“Yes,” Red pokes the girl roughly in the chest, “You.” Chloe lets a smile grow on her face as Red sighs in defeat, moving closer to Chloe and relaxing into her side. The two lay there for a few minutes, letting the high of the previous moment fall into a nice calm between the two. “Have you ever had a crush on someone before?” Red eventually asked, her head facing away from Chloe.
Chloe looked over to see a light blush dusting over Red’s cheek. “And what if I did?” Chloe waited for Red to look her way, her eyes glued to the redhead before her.
“What did it feel like?” Red whispers as she musters up the courage to look back at Chloe, their faces lying next to each other on the bed.
“Well,” Chloe starts, moving her hands to rest over her stomach, “My heart starts racing when I’m near them. I find that little things remind me of them. Whenever something exciting happens, they are the first person I think about.” She admits, her eyes moving across Red’s face as she speaks.
Red hesitated before opening her mouth. “Do you still feel that way?”
Chloe nods. “I feel that way right now.” She could feel her heart pounding as she admitted it.
“Me too.” Red freezes as she locks eyes with Chloe. “Can I kiss you?” Chloe can feel the girl's breath hover over her skin as she speaks, her head slowly nodding as Red moves even closer.
Both girls separate, deep gasps escaping their mouths as they pull away. They each reach for their head, with their eyes scrunched slightly in pain. “Woah,” Red says, breaking free from the wave of pain that temporarily washed over her.
“Yeah,” Chloe responded. The pounding in her head slowly eased away. A small laugh broke through her lips as she moved over to wrap her arm around Red’s waist.
“What are you laughing at, princess?” Red eyes her skeptically.
“Oh, nothing, I just can’t resist my charm no matter the timeline.” Chloe teases, trying, and failing, to move away when Red lunges at her, quickly teasing her sides with her fingers. “Red-” Chloe is barely able to get out through her laughter.
“That’s rich coming from you,” Red continues her torment. “Little things remind me of them.” Red mocks the girl in her hold. Eventually, Red halts her torture; little Chloe catches her breath. Both of them lie next to each other, their eyes focusing on each other’s. “I can’t believe we’ve been together this whole time.”
“I can.” Chloe reaches for Red’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “I fell for you; in the matter of weeks, I could only imagine what growing up with you would have done.” She brings the girl’s hand to her lips, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. Red smiles as she leans into Chloe’s side, allowing herself to rest her head under Chloe’s chin.
“I wonder what other memories we’ll unlock.” Red mutters as she plays with Chloe’s fingers.
“Me too, but in the meantime we can always just make more.” Chloe finishes by placing a gentle kiss on the top of Red’s head.