So, I wrote this a little while ago, before the Warm Bodies story. I was going to keep it a private thing, but I thought I may as well put it out there if I've written it. This is actually the first fanfiction I ever wrote while waiting for episode 4 to come out. I have altered it a bit but the basic story is still the same.

I just thought I'd put it out there while I'm getting everything sorted for the other stories. Plus, I need to write more Pricefield stuff. As much as I enjoy writing Maximum Victory and other ships, Pricefield still remains my OTP (Damn episode 5)

This takes place near the end of episode three when Chloe drops Max off at Blackwell after finding out about Rachel, before Max goes into the photo. Enjoy.

Chapter One: No-one Cares

Max's POV - Chloe's Truck

She is crying…

Chloe Price never cries. Not even when she dislocated her shoulder after trying to show off on her skateboard. Well, maybe she did cry, but she would definitely beat the living shit out of anyone who claimed otherwise. A lesson which some had to learn the hard way. I watch in silence as she aggressively swipes at the tears rolling down her cheeks with one hand, the other clamped onto the steering wheel as her knuckles turn white from the vice-like grip.

This time is different from before. The physical pain of the dislocation faded away pretty quickly and Chloe was back on her skateboard in no time, whizzing around the street of Arcadia as if nothing had ever happened. This is emotional pain. A wound that has been re-opened over and over again with each new fucked up addition to her life. There has been no time for it to heal properly, so it has festered.

I look on helplessly, knowing there is nothing I can say or do at this point to make anything better… I am part of the problem after all. As this thought crosses my mind, I sink back in the seat. Guilt floods my body as I finally get to see the physical manifestation of the many years of Chloe's suppressed pain. Ever since the age of fourteen, she has experienced so much… too much and it defined her, made her bitter about life and distrusting of others.

Part of me always wonders what would have happened if I hadn't moved to Seattle then. While William's death remained the worst thing Chloe had ever been through, me leaving right after and failing to contact her had only made things so much worse. Two of the people closest to her had upped and left without warning, leaving her basically alone. That's when Rachel Amber came along and provided her a reason to trust and smile again. Until now anyway. After finding out about Frank and Rachel's relationship, Chloe has been pushed over the edge. My jaw clenches at the thought of Rachel's betrayal.

I can't believe that Rachel did that to Chloe. How can anyone do that?

While I'm innocent, what Rachel has done was beyond anything I can comprehend. After knowing what Chloe has been through, the fact that she so blatantly messed around makes my blood boil. I don't know exactly what Rachel was to Chloe, but it's painfully obvious that she loved Rachel and still does. Even more than she wants to admit. For her to find out especially like this…

Chloe's beat up truck stops abruptly in front of the main campus of Blackwell Academy. She doesn't say a word… she doesn't have to. I know she is not-so-subtly hinting for me to get out. As my eyes roam over her face, one filled with both unadulterated anger and utter despair, I make a decision. One I should have made from the outset.

I am never going to abandon her again.

"No." One single word that I vow to stand by to the end, no matter what happens.

I've been running away from her for too long, worried that she'd be angry at me. That was selfish of me to think only about myself and not considering her feelings in this. I'm terrified now that she will reject me. That she will hate me forever, but that is irrelevant. All that matters is Chloe. I glance over to her, seeing her jaw tense and her brow furrow. She refuses to answer me, continuing the silence and staring directly ahead of her.

"I'm not getting out." I state firmly as my resolve strengthens, determined never to leave her again.

She continues to avoid my eye contact, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Finally, after what feels like an eternity of awkward silence, she mutters. "Then I will."

Before I have a chance to react she reaches out for the truck door and opens it. She throws herself out of the truck, slamming the door before stomping away. I panic, stumbling out onto the pavement and run as fast as I can to catch up with her. Chloe's height gives her an advantage, each stride taking her further away from me. Each time I get close to her, she picks up her pace. I can see her slipping away from my grasp.

What if something happens to her and I'm not around to save her this time? I could never forgive myself.

"Chloe…" No answer. If we continue like this, she will disappear from my life and never return. I pant heavily from the sudden excursion of running, now wishing that I was fitter.

I can't let that happen…

"CHLOE!" I shout as loudly as my lungs will allow, the desperation in my voice echoing around the empty street.

That is when she finally snaps, stopping abruptly and turning on her heel to face me. I manage to prevent myself from plowing into her at the last second. Physically, we are so close now, closer than we have been in almost five years… yet it still feels like we are so far apart. Maybe even more so than before. It just goes to show that distance isn't the only thing that can separate people. Time can too and often to a more drastic extent.

The atmosphere is tense as Chloe glares at me, years of seething anger finally bubbling over as she snarls. "What Max, what do you want?! You finally want to fucking talk to me, huh? Well, I don't want to hear it."

The harshness of her tone makes my entire body freeze. I have never seen her like this before. As kids, she never really got angry at me. She liked to pretend she was, but I could tell by her strained face that she was just doing it to mess with me. Now though…

Taking advantage of my dazed state she breaks out into a run, trying to get as far away from me as she possibly can. She's not just trying to escape me right now… she's trying to outrun her past. To hide from it so she never has to deal with all the pain it caused her. I shake myself back to reality and immediately give chase, unwavering in my determination.

I can't lose her, not again. I have lost her so many times already. She's already been shot twice and ran over by a train. She doesn't remember… but I do. I was the one who had to hear her begging, screaming and crying. I was the one who had to watch her struggle, suffer and inevitably die. I was the one whose heart has been crushed into a thousand pieces each and every time.

I am not going to let it happen ever again.

My pace slows as I come to the sudden realization that I have lost sight of her. I search around frantically for any small sign, almost unable to breathe from chasing her.

"Chloe," I call out receiving silence in reply. "CHLOE!" I cry out as I collapse to the floor, my body slumped as I place my head in my hands. I've lost her… again. Unable to keep my composure any longer, I break down into tears, holding my knees as I sob uncontrollably. "WHY?!"

Why can't I keep her? Why is the universe trying to separate us? I can't go through this again. I need her… fuck. My fingers dig into my legs, a sharp pain entering them. It hurts… but it doesn't come close to the pain of losing her. Why can't I just stay with her? It's not fucking fair.

I sit there and cry until I physically can't cry anymore. Once the tears have subsided, I wipe my now red and puffy eyes on my hoodie sleeve and take a deep calming breath. I need to stop bottling everything up. It's not healthy. My limbs feeling shaky as I stand up and brush myself off. I close my eyes and do the only thing I can… I rewind.

This time I'm ready for the harshness in her voice, the betrayal. It still hurts to hear, more than I could ever express with words, but I'm prepared. Unlike before I don't stop, which resulted in me colliding straight into her, knocking her onto the floor with immense force.

Damn it, Max. Why do you have to be so clumsy?

As the initial dizziness from my fall subsides, I become more aware of my surrounding. A bone-crunching crack and pained groans come from beside me where Chloe now lays. I don't even have to look to confirm that she's broken something. I glance down at her, her face contorted in pain. Panic floods my mind as she lays there unmoving.

I don't want… this. I don't want to hurt her. That was the last thing I ever wanted. Shit. It gets harder to breathe as I stare at her, my throat constricting tighter and tighter. I can't… I can't breathe.

Tears sting at my eyes and blur my vision as I look on in despair at the one girl I swore to protect with every fiber of my being. The girl I've now hurt in so many ways because of my stupidity, the girl I'm still hurting.

Max, come on now, deep breaths. Don't panic. I inhale deeply, trying to push the numerous images of the times I've failed to save Chloe out of my head. The ones that both happened and didn't. You can fix this. Just rewind.

This time I stop before we collide, instead grabbing onto her hand. She immediately shakes me off, not even flinching. Damn it.

"Leave me alone, Max." Her voice echoes around me, threatening to engulf me. I ignore the doubts and press on.

I can't leave her like this. I can't! Not again.

We finally reach a dead end, Chloe skidding to a halt as she realizes she is cornered. She desperately looks around for an escape, but there is none to be had. She is trapped with her only option being to face me. After a moment, she turns around and gives me a look of complete resentment. If looks could kill, I would be six feet under.

It seems like she might try to ram me in one last ditch attempt to escape, so I get there first. I push her up against the wall with all my might, causing her to yelp in surprise as her back hits the brick wall of the alleyway. I press my body against hers, restraining her arms so she can't fight back. Her eyes are briefly filled with shock at the sudden turn of events, however this is only fleeting. The anger soon returns, overriding every other emotion, except a very faint hint of fear.

"What the fuck, Max?" she growls as she struggles against my hold. "Did you not hear what I said? I don't want to talk to you."

I tighten my grip on her to ensure she doesn't get the upper hand. One thing I know about Chloe Price is that she isn't afraid to play dirty. If she sees an opening, no matter how small, she will take it. I may not be strong under normal circumstances, but this was hardly an everyday situation. There is no way I can let her slip away again, at least not without telling her how I feel. My head felt like it is going to explode, the throbbing making it difficult to concentrate. I don't think I can physically withstand another rewind, so I have to make this time count.

Chloe continues to wriggle against my vice-like hold, her composure slipping away by the second, "Why are you following me?! Is this some sort of penance thing for abandoning me for five fucking years?! If you help me, everything else, all the tears I've cried, all the feelings of betrayal I felt, every fucking waking moment I sat there and questioned why, all the conclusions I came to that I wasn't worth anything, that I was not destined to be happy will just… disappear?!" The venom in her voice makes me flinch involuntarily. "Well, it doesn't work like that."

My eyes soften as I watch her unravel before me. It breaks my heart to see her like this. To hear the agony in her voice and see the desperation in her eyes. I have never seen her like this before. What has the world done to you, Chloe?

In my moment of weakness, she almost manages to break free. I respond by applying more pressure, refusing to let go for even a second. She finally gives up, glaring at me. As I meet her eyes, they glisten with unshed tears. She hates crying, especially in front of others. That's why she is so keen to get away. So I can't see how vulnerable and scared she is.

I won't let her… not again.

She suddenly loses all control, her voice escalating by the second, "Everyone just fucks me over eventually. They use me and then when they are done, they just discard me. No-one cares about me! No-one loves me! Not my mom, not my dad… not Rachel!" She pauses for a second, her eyes becoming steelier. "NOT EVEN Y-"

Before she has the chance to continue, I push my body hard against her and press my lips to hers.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, have a super day and see you next time.