A/N: This story is heavily inspired by What If? The Comic by Rowanred81 and Summerfelldraws.
The first couple of chapters will contain lots of similarities, though I hope to go off on my own tandem from there. Thank you for reading!
As I stand on the Cliffside, the tornado whirls around Chloe and myself, thick droplets of rain pounding down upon us. Lightning forms in the clouds above, biting and screaming in anger. I feel a chill run down my spine as I look on in horror, the cool rain cascading down my face to the same effect. The wind howls as the storm continues its onslaught towards the picturesque seaside town that is Arcadia Bay.
"This is my storm. I caused this… I caused all of this," I exhale, heart beating rapidly in my chest. "I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything. And all I really created was death and destruction!" My voice falters as I point towards the tsunami that I had caused. Looking onwards in despair, I feel Chloe's hand on my shoulder. She turns me around so that I'm facing her.
"Fuck all of that, OK? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it… and you saved me, which had to happen… all of this did… except for what happened to Rachel." Chloe placed her hand on her chest, and I could see the determination in her clear blue eyes. "But without your power, we wouldn't have found her! OK, so you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Maxine Caulfield… and you're amazing."
I feel like objecting to her using my full name, but hearing her say it for the first time in years made me feel safe. Chloe put her hands on my shoulders reassuringly. My eyes are sore and puffy from crying. I fall on silence as I look at Chloe, her eyes suddenly glistening, her expression saddening.
"Max, this is the only way." Reaching into her pocket, Chloe pulls out a photo before handing it to me. I take it, confused, as I look at the image. It was the picture I had taken in the bathroom at Blackwell Academy of the blue butterfly. I had given it to Chloe as a keepsake.
"I feel like I took this a thousand years ago." I keep my gaze fixed on the image, still uncertain of what to do with it.
"You… you could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture… All that would take is for me to… to…" And then she started to cry. Tears pour from her pretty blue eyes, and I feel my body go into meltdown. My reply is immediate.
"Fuck that! No… no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me."
That was when she started to argue with me, telling me that her mum didn't deserve to die in a diner, that even her step-father deserved more than that. She told me that there were hundreds of people who deserved to live more than she did, but I wouldn't listen. I refused to. I blocked out what she was telling me, ignoring her comments on destiny, even when she took me by my shoulders and begged me to listen. Silence fell upon us as time slipped away.
"Max… it's time." Chloe looked at me, half egging me on, half doubt in her eyes, both now sore and red from where she had also cried.
"Not anymore." As the words left my mouth, I took the photo and ripped it in half, letting the pieces scatter into the heart of the storm.
"Max…" Chloe came and stood by my side, and I could hear a sense of relief in her voice. "I'll always be with you. Forever…" As we looked onwards at the storms' merciless assault, she took my hand in hers, and I knew she was telling the truth. We stood there, watching for what felt like hours as it tore up the place I once called home, the place where I had grown up. Unable to look any longer, I hug myself into Chloe tightly until the storm subsides.
The next thing I know, I find myself in the passenger seat of Chloe's pickup truck. Fallen debris that had scattered the roads of Arcadia Bay crunched and jolted the car as we made our way through, and it took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the bright sunlight that was creeping through the clouds. The windows of the truck were thinly lined with dust, but the outside world was still visible. Buildings were in ruins around us, cars were flipped over and pylon lines had been snapped in two as though they were brittle twigs. I could never regret my decision of saving Chloe; in only a week we had made up for lost time, and now I couldn't imagine a world without her. But thinking back on all of the people I had known in Arcadia Bay… I couldn't help but feel the guilt weigh down on me.
My eyes were still sore, perhaps from crying all morning, perhaps from lack of sleep – or both. Resting my head on the window, we drove past all of the buildings we once knew, the most prominent being the Two Whales Diner. Debris surrounded the building, and yet most of the diner had remained intact. I feel a small flicker of hope surge through my body.
Reaching the exit to the town, the truck came to a steady halt. It was then that my train of thought was broken as I feel Chloe's hand rub against my shoulder comfortingly. Looking towards her, her blue eyes grew ever brighter in the Autumn sun, and she smiled like I had never seen her do so before – with an engulfing warmth; genuine. I smiled back in response, the first time since everything with Nathan Prescott and Mr. Jefferson had kicked off. We did not speak, instead letting the silence talk for itself as we drove off. To where, I did not know.
Chloe had been driving for over three and a half hours straight when the sun started to slink into the background of today's events. From Arcadia Bay we had travelled past the Gold Beach, Coquille, and now we were in Newport. Our route had taken us past the coastline, and the views were breath taking, though I was in no mood to enjoy them. Often, I would look over at Chloe and see a mist forming over her eyes, and a deep sadness in her face. She would then look over knowingly and smile at me with reassurance before concentrating on the road ahead. I decided that pretending to be asleep would serve as an easier form of torturing myself.
Chloe and I had each other, but we were travelling aimlessly. I thought back to Joyce and David, and how I had selfishly stripped Chloe of them. It hurt, and I felt like a complete bastard, but Chloe wanted to stay with me as much as I wanted to stay with her. Or at least, that's what I told myself.
At one point in our three-hour journey, I even tried to contact Chloe's mum and step-father on my phone, but the screen had cracked awkwardly near the navigation buttons and it wouldn't even turn on. It must have needed charging, but I didn't even think about finding my belongings before leaving Arcadia Bay.
My eyes still closed, I feel the truck roll to a steady halt, and I hear Chloe turn off the ignition. I try not to flinch as I feel her warm hand rest on the bareness of my arm. Doing so, she shakes me gently.
"Wakey wakey, Max." I pretend to wake from my sleep and look up at my blue haired friend. She looks into my eyes for a few seconds before removing her hand. "I've found us a rest stop for the night. We can fill up on gas in the morning and head out."
I feel like asking her "to where?", but I know that now isn't the time. I nod my head in agreement and step out of the car.
Entering the rest stop, the atmosphere was tranquil, and the building smelled strongly of oak and pine wood. Shifting through our pockets and putting our money together, Chloe and I settled on a single room with a double bed, which was all we could afford. Receiving our keys from the receptionist, we head up to our room and crash for the night.
Slipping into bed next to Chloe, I feel at peace for the first time today. Unable to sleep, I stare at the ceiling and think about Chloe, and how she must be feeling. Looking over, I see that she is still awake too, and then I feel her nudge me with her elbow playfully.
"Still awake, Caulfield?" She has a smirk on her face, and I'm relieved.
I smile in response. "You too, I see?"
"So much shit has happened today, Max. I just don't think I could sleep even if I wanted to."
I bite my lip nervously. "I feel the same way as you, Chloe."
"That and you were asleep for, like, half the journey here," she laughs.
"Shut up," I push her playfully and we end up falling about laughing together. As our laughter dies out, Chloe looks at me, her expression now verging on seriousness.
"Max, do you regret your choice? I mean… saving me?"
I reach down and hold her hand in mine. "Never."
A smile seeps onto her lips as she lets go of my hand. "Goodnight, Max," she says, rolling over.
"Goodnight," I whisper.
I wake early the next morning, rolling over, expecting to see Chloe still lying next to me. Instead, I am met with a crumpled heap of white sheets. Panicking, I jolt out of bed and clothe myself before going outside the rest stop. Scouring my surroundings, I look over to the beach and see Chloe, her blue hair an instant giveaway. Thoughts of her running away or worse left my mind as I crossed the beach, sand shifting underneath my trainers with every step.
Getting closer, I hear her swear loudly. I can see her phone in her left hand, and I'm hoping, begging that it isn't bad news. Now only a few feet from her, I choose my next words carefully.
"Chloe…" I reach out tentatively and put my hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"
"I left my phone on silent all day yesterday. Six missed called from an unknown number. I swear, if someone is fucking with me-"
"It might be from someone you know-"
"Or it might just be from some asshole. Everyone I ever cared about died in that storm… except for you." Chloe let out a heavy sigh as she turned away from me. "Look, Max, I need a bit of time to myself right now, OK?"
Hurt, I retract my hand and look down at our footprints embedded in the sand. Walking away, I follow the tide and sit down on the beach, and I wrap my hands around my knees tightly. I watch the water ripple against the surface of the beach, and I wonder where we go from here. I sacrificed my home, and now I'm losing Chloe, too… I could nearly taste the resentment on her lips as she spoke just then. Looking over my shoulder, I see her slender frame propped up against her banged-up pickup, and I can feel her eyes watching me, like mine are watching her. Turning back around, I hear her phone's ringtone in the distance. The next moment, I hear her shout "What?" down the speaker, and my heart sinks. It couldn't be anyone she knew with that tone of voice.
With that, I couldn't have foreseen what was going to happen next.
"Max!" I hear Chloe call me, her voice a mixture of urgency and relief. Looking back, I see her running down the beach towards me, bullet necklace swinging to and fro with each forceful movement. Tears were forming in her crystal blue eyes as she reached me, pulling me up off the sand. "Max, they're – they're alive! Mom… even my step-dou… step-father, David."
I feel a warmth flash inside of me, my worst fears eliminated, everything I had been dreading gone in just a few seconds. I feel myself well up as Chloe puts her hands on my shoulders, her face a picture of such innocent, exasperated relief. She was perfect. "They made it through the storm."
Happiness and relief had filled us both as we looked into each other's eyes, and before we knew what we were doing, we were leaning into each other and kissing. Chloe's lips were warm and soft against mine, the taste salty from where we had been crying. The rush hit me instantly, my stomach feeling as though warm honey had been poured into it. As if we could read each other's minds, we pulled away at the same time, laughing at our sudden moment of passion.
"Max Caulfield, you are so hardcore-"
Before she could continue making a joke of our kiss, I pull her in again. We embrace, and I know that what we're doing is right.
Chloe is my life now, and nothing is going to change that.
Thank you everyone for reading this fic! It means a lot to me, and I really do hope that people will be kind enough to leave reviews, feedback and/or constructive criticism. I am really passionate about this fic, and the more reviews I get the more spurred on I am to continue writing. I hope that there is an audience for my work!
If anyone does leave feedback or questions in the review section, I will respond to them at the beginning of my next chapter for this fic. Thanks!