DISCLAIMER: I do not own Life is Strange.
A/N: Wow. Holy fuck. What an ending huh? I had to sacrifice Arcadia Bay. I just couldn't let Chloe die. I couldn't. I'm sorry this is so late. life has been hitting me relentlessly. But, I finally have this ready.
Max stood at the mirror in the bathroom of the motel room Chloe had found them in the nearest town outside Arcadia Bay. Chloe lied on the bed, watching the news. Footage from a helicopter showed the devastation from the storm.
Max splashed some water on her face to calm down. She was still edgy after what had happened. She grabbed the hand towel to dry her face off. When she looked back up, she saw Warren standing behind her in the mirror.
"W-W-Warren!?" Max exclaimed in a hushed tone as she stared into the mirror.
"Hey, Max!" Warren said bitterly, his arms crossed over his chest. "I see how it is. I'm less important than that punk bitch!" Warren exclaimed.
"Don't you talk about her like that!" Max exclaimed.
"You left me to die, Max! You left us all to die! All except your stoner girlfriend." Warren replied, his brow furrowing in anger.
"Warren, it's not like that!" Max exclaimed as her eyes began to tear up.
"Then what's it like, Max?" Warren hissed.
"Yeah, Max" Frank added, appearing next to Warren, "You don't even care that we're dead, do you? You only care about that stoner bitch!" Frank exclaimed.
"Max," Joyce said, appearing on the other side of Warren. "Do you really think Chloe cares about you? Has she ever been there for you like you've been there for her."
"Chloe cares about me! I know she does! I'm sorry about you all, I am. But I went through too much to save her, I couldn't let her die, again!" Max said, her voice raising.
"You alright in there, SuperMax?" Chloe called from the bed.
"Y-yeah! I'm fine." Max replied, lying.
"I told you I always get into danger when you're around, Max" Alyssa said, appearing next in the mirror.
"Alyssa, I saved you though!" Max defended.
"I made it half a block when a whale crashed through a building and crushed me." Alyssa said monotonically.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Max exclaimed.
Chloe peeked into the bathroom as Max talked to the mirror.
"Sure you are, Max" Victoria said. "I thought we were friends! Why'd you let me die?" Victoria asked harshly.
"I'm sorry!" Max cried as tears began streaming down her face.
"Max! Are you okay?" Chloe asked, putting her hands on Max's shoulders.
"No! I'm not!" Max cried as she buried her face into Chloe's shoulder, weeping. Chloe picked Max up like a child and carried her to the bed, lying down with her.
"Alright, what's going on?" Chloe asked, soothingly.
"I saw Warren, in the mirror. He was angry that I let him die, that I let them all die. Then there was Frank and Joyce and Alyssa and Victoria!" Max rambled as she wept.
"Guess what" Chloe said. Max looked up to see her pointing to the TV where the helicopter footage showed people rescuing Arcadia Bay citizens from the debris.
"It's Warren!" Max exclaimed in disbelief as she watched a man lead people out of the Two Whales diner.
"They're alive, Warren, Frank, David, my mom, everyone at Blackwell. They're alive." Chloe said.
Max's smile faded.
"Kate?" Max asked sadly.
"I…don't know yet." Chloe replied. "But I'm sure they'll find her." Chloe added, kissing Max's forehead. "Now get some rest. You need it hella bad." Chloe said as she wrapped her arms around the smaller brunette. Max closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in Chloe's arms.
"Did you really think you could escape, Max?" Jefferson's voice blasted into her ears as she opened her eyes to find herself still strapped to the chair. "You will never leave this dark room. Except wrapped in a tarp, that is." Jefferson laughed as he snapped shots of her in the chair.
"No! I was out! You were in jail! Chloe was safe!" Max exclaimed as she struggled in what felt like duct tape made from titanium.
"Such an imagination. Now, let's get those vexatious clothes off you." Jefferson said as he gently pulled Max's shirt off.
"No! Stop it, you mother fucker!" Max shouted.
"Such impure language from a girl who looks as pure as an angel. An effect from spending too much time with that punk bitch." Jefferson stated.
"Fuck you!" Max hissed as Jefferson took pictures of her topless figure.
"Looks like you need another dose." Jefferson said, grabbing a syringe. Max shot up out of bed, panting and crying.
"Max! Max! It's okay! I'm here with you!" Chloe said as she wrapped her arms tightly around Max. Max sat there, tears running down her face.
"I was back in the dark room with Jefferson." Max sobbed.
"It was just a bad dream. You're here with me." Chloe said, kissing Max's soft lips. Max dried her face with her shirt as they sat in the dimly lit hotel room as rain pelted the window. Chloe looked at the clock on the nightstand, which read 5:26 A.M.
"C'mon, let's shower and go get some pancakes." Chloe said as she gently rubbed Max's back through her shirt.
"Okay" Max replied, sniffling. Chloe took her hand, leading Max to the bathroom. Chloe turned the water on as Max hesitantly removed her clothes.
"Hey, Mad Max, you okay?" Chloe said, putting her hands on Max's shoulders.
"No, not really." Max sighed.
"Tell me about it." Chloe said, hopping up onto to counter behind her. Max climbed up onto it, sitting next to her.
"I know it was just a dream, more like a nightmare actually. But, it still totally freaked me out. Mr. Jefferson was telling me how I'll never escape the dark room, and how the only way I'd leave it is in a tarp, like Rachel. He said that you were making me 'impure' right before he took my clothes off and started taking pictures of me." Max explained.
"Woah, Max, I'm so sorry." Chloe said, hugging her. "Listen," Chloe began as Max buried her face in Chloe's neck. "Jefferson is locked away. You are here, with me." Chloe stated.
"I'm just so afraid that I'll wake up in a different reality." Max cried.
"I know. But that's all over, Max. We made it. This is our reality, we're both alive, our friends in Arcadia Bay survived." Chloe said, calming Max down.
"You're right. I'm here. I'll never have to see Jefferson or that room ever again." Max said, kissing Chloe's cheek.
"C'mon, let's shower." Chloe said, pulling Max off the counter.
"Chloe?" Max said quietly as she took the rest of her clothes off.
"Yeah, Max?" Chloe replied, stepping into the shower.
"Thank you" Max answered. "For...everything. For just being you." Max said
"No problem, Mad Max" Chloe said, smiling as she pecked Max on the lips.
In the shower, Max found herself drifting off into thought. Wondering how different things would be if she had let Chloe die. Would the storm have still hit Arcadia Bay? would Mr. Jefferson have actually gone to jail? Would Kate have tried to kill herself?
"Uh, Earth to Max" Chlo said, shaking her shoulder. "I think your hair's clean!" Chloe said, seeing that she had been lathering it with her fingers for several minutes.
"Huh? Oh, i was just lost in thought." Max said as she rinsed her head under the shower head.
"Whatcha thinkin' about?" Chloe asked, soaping up her body.
"Actually...you" Max said, blushing furiously.
"Aw, how sweet" Chloe retorted. "Are you sure you're okay?" Chloe asked Max.
"Uh, yeah. I'm just really distracted. I'll be fine once I see that everyone's okay." Max sighed as she rinsed soap off her body.
Later, as they sat in Chloe's truck, heading for Arcadia Bay, Max sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window, zoning out as they traveled down the highway.
"Max?" Chloe asked, interrupting the silence.
"Yeah?" Max said, snapping back to reality, or her current one anyways.
"I don't know if I ever said it, but thank you. Thank you for every time you saved me, whether i knew it or not. and thank you for electing to spare my life, even though it meant that everyone in Arcadia Bay could have been killed." Chloe said, her tone saddening towards the end of her statement. "I never could have had a better friend than you" Chloe added, setting her hand on Max's leg.
"Well, you remember that day when you saved me from Nathan in the parking lot?" Max asked.
"Yeah, of course" Chloe replied.
"Well, I knew right then that I could never leave you again. That I couldn't let you go." Max said quietly, trying not to tear up.
"Hey! Look!" Chloe exclaimed pointing to all the emergency and rescue vehicles at the edge of the town. "You ready, Max?" Chloe asked.
"Yeah" Max replied.
A/N: well that's the first chapter. i started this around halloween. I got busy and haven't been able to write on it much. and i'm sorry. I will try to have the next chapter out when I can. but I make no promises.