More angst? Yeah!

I liked the idea behind this one. Lol, why does LiS have an abundance of angst ideas that can actually happen in canon?

Oh well, enjoy.

"Alright, goodnight Max."

"G'night, Brooke," Max gave a small wave, watching Brooke slip into her own room before she did much the same. The brunette closed the door behind her, although with some hesitancy.

Her room wasn't the cocoon she'd come to love anymore.

Since her 'reunion' with Chloe and the run-in with Nathan; life took a steep dive to the depths of something she really didn't understand. Even with friends like Chloe and Warren around, the photographer couldn't help but feel like a target of vulnerability was painted on her back, every time she entered her room alone.

She stood in the darkness. The paranoid side of her, waiting to see if someone was there. After a full minute, Max deemed it safe to flip the light switch.

The small room illuminated. Immediately Max tossed her bag by her closet, she checked her phone -only to find no new notifications. The time being 10:17, she pondered the idea of going to sleep earlier than usual. Time powers or not, she was still a student, and still classes to attend.

'Maybe it'll get my mind off things...'

The brunette sauntered over to her closet again. With haste, she stripped out of her usual ensemble, neatly folding her clothes and setting them aside before slipping into her sleepwear.

A chilling draft whispered by, catching Max's bare skin and causing to unwillingly shudder. She looked to the source, and made a face at the open dorm window, 'Spite my paranoia more why don't you?'

Her immediate response was to close the damn thing and finally be able to go to sleep. But when she passed by her decrepit bed; another thing meddled with her paranoia;

'NOBODY MESSES WITH ME BITCH' Max read. The writing from earlier, let alone the picture of her head on a platter below it. She turned away -regretting the fact that she chose not to clean it earlier.

The fear for Kate and herself, having to play the waiting game until they dug up enough evidence to indict Nathan.

Her fear for Chloe was even worse.

The punk was a target too. From Nathan and Frank. Max couldn't help but feel that Joyce was right about someone needing to 'rescue' Chloe. Her reckless behavior stacked with her need to cause trouble; scared Max. Chloe's life had literally been in her hands, not once, but thrice. Having Chloe back in her life was the greatest thing. Max wanted to help her, be there for her, and most importantly; not lose her.

Those thoughts elicited a worried sigh from Max's lips, 'I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight.'

Mind made up, Max pulled the top sheet off her bed, closed the window, and settled down onto her uncomfortable-as-heck couch.

'Just go to sleep Caulfield, you'll have time to be paranoid tomorrow.'

She tried, and failed. It was too much. For a solid hour, Max shuffled, tossed, and turned -sleep never came to her. She felt hot, but chilled at the same time.

'I need to be anywhere but here.' She lurched upwards, almost diving for her phone. Her hand trembled as she unlocked the device, desperately searching for Chloe's contact. The punk would undoubtedly be up this late and for one reason or another, Max wanted to be with her right now.

Finding the contact, Max immediately punched in a text.

Max: Hey, you up?

Chloe: yeah what's up?

Max: Want to meet up or something?

The latent pause told Max that Chloe was probably a little stricken by the question.

Chloe: isn't it past your bedtime?

Max: No

Chloe: it's almost 12

Max: So. We can chill at your place.

Chloe: okay... as long as you don't mind climbing through windows sure

Max: I can handle it.

Chloe: wait is everything okay? you like never text me after 10

Max: Just come pick me up.

Chloe: pick you up?

Max: It's too late to walk.

Chloe: fine miss lazy pants I'll be there in 5

Max didn't send a reply; instead she changed back into her regular attire and got ready to leave. The thought of Chloe coming to get her was perfect intuition to get out of dodge.

######

Coming down the darkened street were a pair of headlights Max had been waiting for. She came to the edge of the sidewalk as Chloe's truck pulled up.

"Hey hitchhiker," Chloe called from inside.

Max gripped the door handle and pulled the creaky door open, "What took you so long?"

"What, I said five minutes, it's been like seven," Chloe replied. Her cheery expression dipped when she saw how zoned-out Max looked, "Dude, you never answered me; is everything good? You look like someone pointed a gun at you."

The brunette immediately glared. Chloe's tone was way too suggestive at the end there, "Really? You're making jokes at how you 'technically' died?" Max spat.

"Geez, sorry. Just trying to-"

"Can we just go?"

In soft darkness, Chloe could almost see the plead in Max's eyes.

Something is definitely wrong here.

Peeling her eyes off Max, Chloe faced forward, and pulled away from Blackwell. As she drove, the aqua-haired girl stole repeated glances at the completely silent Max -her own worry starting to build.

Soon enough, they reached Chloe's street. Completely dark and silent. To reduce noise, Chloe parked the truck further down the road, "We'll hoof it from here, and you gotta be extra stealthy when we get there. Mom and Step-shit are asleep."

"Okay." Max gave a simple reply.

That reply irked Chloe a bit, "Like, last time I brought a friend in like this; they tripped on the stairs, and David thought we were having a home invasion."

That line made Max smile a bit, "That's why I gotta use the window?"

Chloe nodded. They both exited the truck and paced towards Chloe's place. One they reached the driveway, Chloe gave directions for them to split -the punk went through the front door, and Max haphazardly hopped the fence. On the other side, she was greeted with the pleasant sight of assorted junk stacked to make the window climb a little easier.

Once inside, Max only had to wait a few seconds before Chloe slipped in through the door.

"Mission accomplished," Chloe raised her hand, watching as Max gave it the weakest high-five she's ever seen, "O-kay, well, what'dya wanna do?"

The brunette took a seat on Chloe's desk chair, spinning around, she gave her a weak look, "I don't know."

Chloe was reaching her wit's end, something was bothering Max. Like usual, she'd have to pull it out of her, "Well how about this-"

"Hm?"

Chloe stood a few feet Opposite to Max, her arms crossed and her expression turned a tad more serious.

Max knew that look.

"How about you tell me, why you texted me in the middle of the night, wanting to 'hang out'."

Max avoided her gaze, "I... just want to chill with my best friend, is that so wrong?"

"Whatever, you're totally lying, I can tell."

"No I'm not." Max muttered.

"Please, remember when we were kids, and I had to literally pull you out of your room?" Chloe remarked.

Max meekly shrugged, "I had allergies."

"B-S," The punk didn't let up, "You still didn't answer my question from earlier."

"I'm fine." Max countered.

"You have bags under your eyes, you're sweating, and you're not looking at me. Max, I'm not stupid. Please, tell me what's up." Chloe's voice dropped to sound a little more gentle.

Chloe's caring persona was reminder enough as to why Max chose to come here in the first place.

"It's... I..." Max choked out, her clouded mind unable to form words.

"Hey, take it easy, I'm listening."

"I'm fucking scared Che... this whole Nathan Prescott fiasco... it's got me worried. A-About me, about Kate... l-like this morning, Nathan came into my room when I wasn't there, and left a picture of my decapitated head on a platter... I'm scared shitless." Max's voice trembled.

Chloe felt a tinge of guilt gnaw at her. It was basically her fault for dragging Max into this mess she called a life, "That's... some heavy shit... look Max I-"

"A-And, then this time rewind crud, it's real, and I-I don't know what to do... like, you almost died three times already Chloe. Three. A-And I stopped it." Max continued to rant, her voice getting shakier with each syllable.

The guilt felt worse, "Max, just listen to me, I'm gonna try-"

"Then, there's Frank," The brunette's rant slowly melded into a meltdown, completely shutting out Chloe. "I almost shot him, and h-he almost stabbed you, and you could've died, a-and what if I went to rewind and it didn't work? Then, what?" Max finally looked up at Chloe, her eyes watering over.

"Hey, hey..." Chloe hushed, "Y'know that's not gonna happen." She got down to an equal level with Max.

"But, you'll keep getting into trouble, a-a-and get hurt, and I won't be there to save you. W-What if I didn't have these powers, and the day that I got to see you again; was the day you died? Like, the bathroom..." Max began to quietly sob, desperately trying to wipe her tears.

Chloe felt like total garbage. Watching her best friend get torn up over something that wasn't her fault, "Max, I-"

"Do you know how much it'd suck if I lost you?"

The punk bit her lip. Feeling her own resolve giving in. Her only reaction was to wrap Max in an embrace. Something she missed doing in those five years of seclusion.

"Max..."

The brunette pressed her face into Chloe's shoulder, trying her best to not make too much noise.

"Max... look at me."

All she did was hold on tighter.

'What have I done...' Chloe felt heartbroken. Seeing Max cry... just wasn't right.

"Max... please, just look at me."

Finally, Max had the courage to pull back, when their gazes met; Chloe took a deep -shaky- breath, and began, "Max, I'm not going anywhere, okay? I know I'm stupid about stuff, but... I... I promise you I'll stay out of trouble. R-Remember... what I said a long time ago?"

"A-About?"

"I'll be your bodyguard, and c'mon, bodyguards don't die, everybody knows that." Chloe spoke with a trembling smile, "You're not gonna lose me, I'm only a text away."

"I-I was just really afraid, is all." Max heaved a heavy breath, her sobs dying away.

"Don't worry, we'll figure this shit out, and watch Nathan and whoever else get tossed in the slammer."

Chloe smiled as Max's mood began to lighten.

"Promise?"

"Totally."

Chloe wrapped her smaller friend in another hug. The held onto each other for a few moments until Max let go, "Che?"

"Listening."

"Can I... can I stay here for the night? I don't really wanna go back to Blackwell." Max asked in a near whisper.

"Sure," Chloe beamed, "You can take my bed I guess."

"Or we could share it? Like a slumber party." Max spoke quickly, beginning to blush.

"Well when you're so cute about it... sure."

The exhaustion reared its head again, but it felt good to finally let that all out. Max stood up and sat on the right side of Chloe's bed, "Hey Chloe?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, it's good to be doing this again."

Chloe couldn't have been happier.