Putting the Past Away

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Della waited patiently at the driveway. If it weren't so cold out, she probably would've fallen back to sleep. She knew what she was doing was probably crazy, but she knew she was in the right. 

She and Scrooge argued almost all night about calling Louie's close friends from before he ran away. They agreed on calling Donald, but that's about it. Della made an argument to call Chloe as well, but Scrooge didn't want to hear it, claiming she had her own life and left the family on her own. 

Regardless, Della made a secret call afterward and told Chloe to arrive early. That's what she was doing outside so early in the morning, waiting for Chloe. 

After about an hour, a red minivan pulled up, and the driver rolled down the window. Della got up to see who it was and was greeted by the sight of her yellow-clad daughter. She directed her to the spot she'd picked out to avoid Scrooge's eyes, and the two shared a hug when Chloe got out.

"Hey, Della," Chloe greeted. The two were at peace, but still stuck to a first name basis. "Is he really here?"

Della nodded. "Yep. He got back last night. We were pretty lucky that agent heard us out. How's Cody?"

Chloe looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. "He's... gone. It happened a few months ago."

"Oh my gosh... I'm so sorry to hear that," Della replied, putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder.

"It's fine... I've... I've made peace with it," Chloe said before suddenly perking up. "Anyhow, there's someone here I want you to meet."

Della looked on with a confused look as Chloe opened the door to the back of her minivan. Inside was a car seat that held a sleeping infant that didn't even look to be a year old.

"She's so cute!" Della quietly cheered as she got a closer look. It was a girl with short, curly hair and a tiny beak.

"Isn't she?" Chloe agreed as she unstrapped the baby. "I would've told you sooner, but I didn't wanna deal with Scrooge."

"What's her name?" Della asked as they started walking up to the manor. 

"I named her Louise... after Louie," Chloe happily answered. "Speaking of which, how is he?"

"Honestly, not great," Della replied. "I can tell he doesn't wanna be back at all. The only reason he's still here is because that agent who caught him was nuts."

"Yeah... you realize he's gonna try and leave again," Chloe pointed out.

"You're right... I just hope we can make peace before that happens," Della replied. "Hey, you're in the FBI; can't you do something?"

Chloe shrugged. "I would've, but word got around that he was my brother, and I got removed from the case because the chief thought I'd be biased. And I can't do anything now because I'm on maternity leave."

The two got to the back door, and Della very quietly opened it. She and Chloe snuck in and made their way through the halls.

"He took your room after you left," Della informed. "He's probably still asleep."

Chloe nodded and continued to her door. It may have been a while since she'd been here, but she still remembered the halls like the back of her hand. It didn't take long before she found her old room.

She handed Louise to Della and gently knocked on the door.

"It's open," Louis called from inside.

Chloe sighed and opened the door. Louis was wide awake, doing sit-ups in a white undershirt, not seeing Chloe.

"Hey, Lou, long time no see," she said.

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