A/N: Sorry about the format issue from before. I appreciate anyone who attempted to make it through that mess. I had never used the copy-n-paste method but file upload wasn't working for me. But anyways thanks for trying to read it anyways and thanks to RedFoxTrotProjects for letting me know about the problem.

This is a sad story. I don't talk about anything particularly triggering that I'm aware of in this chapter but it does have a very sad theme overall. This is meant to kind of focus on Chloe's dad's death and her healing through it. Also Pricefield is the implied pairing but it's so early I almost wouldn't even call it a slow burn.

Enjoy.

Chapter I: Denial

March 4, 2009

Chloe's hands grasped mine and held me tightly as I tried to hold myself together, after she reassured me that I'd be ok after the move. I didn't want to let her go, worrying that any bit of contact between us would be the last. Contact with her felt monumentally important to me and I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps knowing that touching of any kind would be the one thing not possible after I left.

"Cool. Let's find something fun to do." Chloe says, still grasping my hands but letting one drop and then the other as she pulled me toward the kitchen.

The front door creaks open, pouring in bright light, and pulls my attention to it's direction. I see Joyce and about to greet her when I notice the look on her face. My movement towards the kitchen is halted at that and I glance between Joyce and Chloe a few times before settling back at Joyce. Joyce brings her hands over her eyes, rubbing them briefly. It's then that I notice the police officer standing near the front door, now that Joyce is fully in the house. Chloe sees me looking toward the front door and walks back toward me to see what I'm looking at. Joyce stands there and looks at us, crying.

"Mom?" Chloe says, before walking quickly up to her.

Joyce gently puts a hand on each of Chloe's shoulders. Chloe's gaze is moving between her mother and the officer outside with a look of confusion on her face.

"Honey, your dad was killed in a crash." Joyce says.

"What?" Chloe says, shaking her heading slightly, disbelieving.

"By a semi truck." Joyce continues briefly.

"Dad?" Chloe says, still not believing.

"Chloe, I… " Joyce tries to find words of comfort.

"No… no, no, no…" Chloe says, shaking her head and collapsing to the ground crying, Joyce kneeling down and holding her as she falls.

I look at them, my heart breaking for the first time at the scene before me. Turning my gaze back to the dining room table, I see the picture of Chloe and her dad decked out in their pirate gear, smiling widely. Realization hits me. Like I only just processed what happened between the two women only a few feet away. William can't really be gone, can he? We just saw him a couple hours ago. I don't understand how this could happen. Why would this happen? William didn't deserve this.

Chloe didn't deserve this.

I feel warm tears slide down my own cheeks at the realization that I'll never see him again. This isn't real. I bring my hands up to cover my face, grieving for the man who had become a second father to me. I cry silently for an unknown amount of time, slowly wrapping myself up in a tight hug. My body starts to betray me, shaking uncontrollably, making each breath sound like eight or nine broken inhalations. I want to stop the sounds of my broken breaths but I can't. A frustrated sigh escapes my lips at my body's unwillingness to cooperate. I feel so weak at this reaction.

Looking back over to Chloe and Joyce, Chloe's eyes, red and wet with fresh tears, snap up to meet mine and my treacherous breath patterns continue as we look at each other. Our gaze is like a silent recall of our conversation just a few minutes ago, about my moving away.

Suddenly, a feeling of determination comes over me. I take a few breaths to help regulate my uneven breathing from before. A few tears continue to fall down my face but I drop my arms from their tight hug around myself, using one hand to bring up to my face and wipe the tears away. Chloe notices my change and has a silent question in her eyes. I walk over to Joyce and Chloe on the ground and kneel down.

I reach out and grasp Chloe's arm gently and give a small smile. Joyce pulls back from her hug with Chloe to look between us.

"Chloe, I need to go home but I'll come back." I say, giving a gentle squeeze to her arm before standing again, my gaze not leaving hers.

"Max? Don't go…" Chloe says, quietly.

"There's a good reason I'm leaving. I promise. I'll only be gone a couple hours tops. Your mom is with you. She'll take care of you while I'm gone. I'll be back soon." I say, gently smiling down at the broken Chloe.

As much as I don't want to leave her right now, I have to try. I walk around the two women, still sitting on the floor, and out the door of my second home. I ignore the officer standing by his car and walk off the front lawn, toward my house.

I look at the front door of my home for a couple minutes before taking a deep breath and exhaling, reaching for the doorknob. I twist the handle and push it forward.

"Mom? Dad?" I call out, trying to make my voice sound strong and mostly succeeding.

After hearing some movement within the house, my mom comes quickly around the corner of the entrance into the kitchen. She looks at me, obviously worried, like always.

"Sweetie…" Mom says.

Joyce must've called. It's not that far of a walk from Chloe's house but I'm sure Joyce thought I was acting strange when I left and wanted to give my parents a heads up. I do my best to hold my composure as my mom comes over and wraps her arms around me. I continue to focus on breathing evenly, hearing steps from upstairs and then hear someone descending the stairs to my right.

"Honey… Joyce just called and told us." Dad says, as he reaches the bottom of the stairs before walking over and wrapping his arms around both my mother and myself.

I return the hug somewhat, not wanting to get swept up in my emotions and be deterred from my mission. My dad steps back from the hug first, followed by my mother soon after. They both look at me with concern in their eyes.

"Mom. Dad. I can't leave." I say, causing them both to look at me surprise and then exchange looks.

"Now, Maxine, we talked about this." Dad says.

"I know, Dad. But please, hear me out." I say, keeping calm, knowing that if I get too emotional that it will remove credibility from my argument.

My mom and dad both look at each other again and then back at me before gesturing me towards the dining room. I walk in between them toward the dining room and sit down at my typical seat, while they take their own seats across from me. I look between them both for a couple seconds before taking a breath and exhaling quickly.

"Mom. Dad. I think we can agree that this changes things." I say, pausing. "I went over to Chloe's house today, fully intent and agreeing, even if not happily, to the fact that we were moving. I told her that we were moving. She had overheard her parents and knew about it anyways. Even though I wasn't happy about it, I agreed to this move. I respect that you both weren't able to find jobs here and it was something that had to be done for the family."

"Maxine…" Dad says.

"Please, Dad." I say, stopping before he nods. "Chloe is broken. I don't know exactly how to make this better for her but I do know that being four hours away is not the way. And Chloe isn't the only one hurting. I'm hurting, too. William loves- loved me, like a second daughter. I need time to grieve as well. Then having to move schools so close to the end of the year, on top of losing my best friend is a lot to demand of me."

I drop my gaze to the table and hold a finger up to signal that I need a second, before breathing a couple times, putting my hand back in my lap, returning my gaze to them.

"I'm not asking to stay. I know that would be unreasonable. I can't live here without you guys. But what I am asking you both to consider is giving me until the next school year to move up with you guys and for me to stay at the Price's home for the time being. There are only two and a half months left of this year and then the summer. It would give me time to grieve and be here for Chloe when she needs me the most. I know what kind of person I want to be for my best friend. I'm just asking you to let me like I would want her to be there for me." I say, exhaling a breath to signal that I'm done.

I breath slowly as they both look toward me and then sharing a brief look with each other before turning back to me, smiling gently.

"Assuming it's ok with Joyce, I think we can agree to that." Dad says.

They agreed? I can't believe it. I can't contain the smile that spreads across my face and then I start to cry softly, laying my head down on the table. I hear some shifting on the other side of the table, then I feel my dad's hand rest on my back gently rubbing up and down, while feeling my mom's form next to me before she reaches around and gives me a side hug.

"Loss isn't easy and we love that you're being honest about what you need. You're being very strong right now, Maxine and we're both very proud of you." Mom says, against my shoulder.

I turn quickly and wrap her in a tight hug, burying my face in her neck while continuing to cry softly.

"Yes, we're both very proud of you, sweetie. I'll go call Joyce." Dad says, before walking over to the phone.

My mom and I sit for a couple more minutes in our embrace before I pull back. I look at her closely, her smile still gentle and understanding. Dad's voice can be heard quietly in the background. A thought comes to my mind.

"Mom…" I say.

"Yes, sweetie?" Mom says.

"Have you ever lost someone?" I ask, quietly, willing back the tears.

My mom stares back at me solemnly for a few seconds before a sad smile replaces the understanding one.

"I have. My parents both died in the same year, when you were about three years old. My mom in a car crash and my dad about six months later of a heart attack." Mom says, slowly.

I look at her so lost. I didn't know what my mom had gone through. I mean how could, being so little at the time, but still I can't help feeling sad for her. Leaning forward, I wrap her in another hug.

"I'm sorry, Mom." I say, quietly against her.

"It's ok, sweetie." Mom says, after a slight pause.

This time I wait for mom to pull back before releasing the hug. She smiles at me again, a single tear sliding down her face which I reach forward and wipe away.

"I really am proud of you wanting to be there for Chloe. Ryan really helped me with everything. I can't imagine what it must be like for her." Mom says.

"Is there something I can say to make it easier for her?" I say, feeling lost at the thought of helping someone who is grieving, a few more tears sliding down my cheeks.

My mom gives me a knowing smile before reaching up to cradle my face, wiping away my fresh tears.

"Just be there with her. And be willing to listen if she wants to talk." Mom says.

I nod with a sad smile which she returns. My dad walks up behind mom and places a hand on my mom's back. My mom stands back up and gives him a side hug, keeping her eyes on me.

"We've got it worked out. We'll send her some money every month to help with extra expenses and we'll buy you a bus ticket to come to Seattle the first week of August. Let's pack a couple suitcases so you'll be set for the summer." Dad says.

"Ok." I say, smiling before getting up.

I walk around them and jog upstairs. Most of my room is already packed so I pull a couple of boxes open to remove some of the contents and shifting some things that were packed in my two suitcases into the boxes, realizing I wouldn't need some things that were in the suitcases. While I'm packing, I hear my door open. I turn around to see my mom holding another large suitcase.

"I emptied this out for you, sweetie. I want to make sure you'll have enough room for the clothes and things you'll need for six months." Mom says.

"Thanks, Mom. I was starting to run out of space." I say, giving a small smile.

Mom walks forward and unzips the bag before laying it out on the floor next to me and helping me continue with packing. After about 45 minutes, Mom and I have the three suitcases packed full.

"Ok, I think that's everything." I say.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure we didn't forget anything." Mom says.

A knock at the door sounds.

"Come in." I say.

The door swings open, my dad standing tall in the frame.

"You all good to go, Maxie?" Dad asks.

"Yep." I say.

"Alright, I got these two, you grab the last one and we'll bring you over there." Dad says, grabbing the two larger suitcases and heading out the door, down the stairs.

"Got it." I say putting on my backpack before grabbing the smallest suitcase.

My mom watches in amusement as I waddle out of my room and down the stairs with the smallest, yet still heavy for me, suitcase.

My mom grasps my shoulder gently, stopping me from going out the front door. I turn around to look at her curiously.

"Mom?" I say.

"Honey. I want you to have these. They might a little hard for you to understand at some points but you are a mature and thoughtful young woman. I want you to be prepared." Mom says, holding out three books.

I take them, looking at each title before reading the next one. Their books about grief.

"I found them helpful and I want you to be able to understand your feelings and do your best to help Chloe understand hers." Mom says, pausing as I nod. "There are some things you may not be able to help her with. There might come a time when she needs to talk to a therapist. And that would not be your fault if that happens. But I know you want to do your best to help her, so I want you to have the best tools at your disposal to help her."

"Thank you." I say, a tear falling down my face that I quickly brush away.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Like I said, loss is hard but you'll be ok. And if you have any questions about what you read call me. I've made some notes in the margins which I hope will help but I will answer any other questions that I can." Mom says.

We finish the preparations of loading the car, before heading back to Chloe's.

I lean forward and knock four times on Chloe's front door, as I've done so many times before, my backpack still on. I hear some noises on the other side and hear the door grunt as it opens to reveal Joyce, red eyed and somewhat damp cheeks.

"Hi, Max." Joyce says, forcing a small smile.

"Joyce, you don't have to smile." I say quietly before stepping forward and wrapping my arms firmly around her waists, laying my head against her chest.

I let a few tears fall as I feel her body shake a little as we hug.

"Hi, Joyce. We're so sorry for your loss. William was a good man." Mom says holding the smallest suitcase, walking up behind us, with Dad close behind her with my suitcases.

"Yes and we want to thank you for letting Max stay so that she and Chloe can grieve together. If there is any way we can help please let us know." Dad says.

"Thank you both so much for letting Max stay. I think it'll be good for us all." Joyce says, a little shakily, letting go from our hug.

I step back and to the side. My mom steps forward and hugs Joyce firmly.

"If you ever need to talk, please call me." Mom says, quietly.

I smile at my mom's support for Joyce. I look at my dad who kind of nods his head towards the living room. Understanding his meaning, I walk over to the living room and drop my backpack in one of the chairs at the dining room table before looking for Chloe. I don't see her. I wonder if she's in her room. But before I turn back towards the front door I see something outside. I step toward the sliding glass door and see Chloe take a seat on the swing set, otherwise known as the Bane of Arcadia.

I slide the door open and step out into the yard I've come to know. I turn around and shut the door, seeing the half painted siding of the house. I shake my head solemnly, trying to stay strong for Chloe. She is blankly staring at the grass just in front of her seat, completely unaware of my presence. I walk over slowly before leaning against one of the bars of the swing set.

"Hey, Bluebeard." I say, quietly.

Her gaze snaps up and locks with mine, a look a relief pouring over her face. Chloe pushes out of the swing and throws her arms around my shoulders, almost knocking me over, before I return the hug firmly.

"Max." Chloe says, her voice breaking.

"Hey." I say.

"I didn't know if you were coming back." Chloe says, her voice confirming how broken she looked earlier.

"I'll always come back to my captain. I'll always come back to you." I say.

Chloe's only response was to bury her face into the crook of my neck and sniffle. She then starts crying more intensely again and her weight starts to give out; I slowly guide us down so we are sitting like Chloe and Joyce had been a couple hours ago. Chloe feels so weak in my arms, I hold onto her more tightly as more silent tears run down my face.

"Why did he leave, Max? Why did it have to be him?" Chloe asks, the questions after those being incomprehensible to me.

"I don't know why it had to be him, Chloe. I wish it wasn't. But I know he loved you. And I know he loved your mom. And I know he loved me." I say, choking near the end and not really knowing if this will make her feel better or not.

Chloe starts to cry harder but nods into my neck.

"And I know… that I'll always love you, too." I say and Chloe stiffens a little in the hug.

A few more sniffles and Chloe pulls back from our embrace. She looks at me closely. I hope I didn't say anything wrong.

"I'll always love you, too, Max." Chloe says.

Chloe holds my gaze but there's something new in her look. I can't quite figure it out, which is rare for me, usually able to read my best friend without issue. I feel a little uneasy with this new look and squirm a little before breaking the silence.

"So did Joyce tell you the news?" I ask.

Chloe only shakes her head, looking at me with a quirked eyebrow.

"I'm going to stay here with you both until the end of the summer. That's why I left. I went to go talk with my parents and have them let me finish out the school year as well as the summer. I knew I needed to be here for you so I made my case and they understood." I explain.

Chloe's expression lightens a little, a small smile creeping onto her lips.

"Chloe. It's just me. If you don't want to smile or be happy just yet, that's ok. I'll be here either way. Just tell me what you need and I'll do my best to help you. We're Max and Chloe. We'll get through this." I say, hoping to convey my support while contemplating what I need to grieve.

I still just keep thinking William will walk through the back door any minute, claiming that Bloody Bill, the scourge of the seven seas, will strike again. I keep expecting it, but it doesn't happen.

"Max…" Chloe says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I say.

"Thank you. I don't know what I would've done if you left, too." Chloe says, sounding more vulnerable than I've ever heard.

I nod with a gentle smile.

"Max?" I hear my name called from the house. My dad is standing in the frame of the back door.

"I'll be right back." I say to Chloe gently touching her arm, before turning to go towards my dad.

"Yeah, dad?" I say as I approach him.

"I just wanted to check and see how things are going." Dad says, stepping out and closing the door behind him.

"As well as can be expected I guess." I say, shrugging.

"There are going to be a lot of things that you and Chloe will both be feeling over the next few months. And I just wanted to let you know that if you feel confused at any point you can talk to me or your mother. This will be difficult and I want daily reports after we leave. Ok?" I give a nod before he continues. "I love that you are being so strong for your friend but remember it's ok to be weak sometimes, too. Ok?"

This I didn't understand entirely, but I knew I could trust him so I nodded my hand to signal that I had at least heard what he said even if I didn't get it fully just yet.

"Ok, good sweetie. We're talking with Joyce to help her get through some of the adult things. The funeral… is going to be Saturday. Your mom and I are going to stay until then and leave after that. We'll set things up with your schools and everything else. You just worry about yourself and Chloe. Ok?" Dad continues.

I step forward and hug him, which he returns.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you." I say, quietly into his shoulder before ending the hug, thinking of William.

"I love you, too, sweetie." Dad says, heading back inside.

I wipe away a couple tears that started falling before walking back over to Chloe, who was still sitting on the ground, with her arms wrapped around her knees, bringing them into her chest. I sit down cross-legged beside her, leaning back against the bar of the swing set. Chloe sees my legs in front of her then looks back up at me.

"Max?" Chloe says.

"Yeah, Chlo." I say.

"What am I supposed to do now?" She asks.

I pause slightly at her question. I wasn't even sure what I was supposed to do. I couldn't tell her what she needed to do.

"What do you feel like you need to do?" I ask in return.

She looks down at the ground, thinking, and is quiet for about a minute before she looks back up at me.

"I don't feel anything. I feel…" She says, trailing off.

I wait for a good thirty seconds before thinking of a word myself.

"Numb." I say, voicing my own feelings as well.

Chloe nods solemnly. I give a sad smile in return.

An idea comes to my mind and I stand, pushing myself up with my hands. Chloe looks up at me and I offer a hand to help her stand. It was already pretty late in the day but hopefully my parents would let us go. She grabs my hand and I pull her to her feet.

"I have an idea." I say, quietly but keeping a mischievous smile on my face.

Chloe looks at me with a quirked brow.

"Stay here for just a second." I say, before going to the house.

I open the sliding door and go over to my backpack, pulling most of the stuff out and putting it all on the dining room table. I go into the kitchen and grab some things before zipping it back up. Our parents are still at the front door, talking with the police. I walk over to my mom and tap on her shoulder, my dad and Joyce being busy. She looks down at me and smiles.

"What's up, sweetie?" Mom asks.

"Hey I'm back. Let's go." I say, backpack secured before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the side gate.

"Where are we going?" Chloe asks, but allows herself to be pulled.

"We are going on an adventure." I say simply.

A small smile quirks on her lips. I know I'm not usually the one to make the plans but I need to distract her and myself. I open the side gate and push it open, revealing our bikes, Chloe's skateboard and a couple other pieces of equipment for outdoor entertainment. I lean down and grab Chloe's skateboard before handing it to her.

"Ok you hold this." I say, before unscrewing the foot pegs attached to Chloe's bike and screwing them onto mine. "And get on."

"I have my own bike. And can you really handle both of us on your bike?" Chloe says, eyeing me curiously.

"I will find the strength. I know you usually peddle but it's my surprise so you don't know where we're going." I say, getting onto my bike.

Chloe gives a short laugh before shrugging and climbing up onto the foot pegs, placing one hand on my shoulder while holding her skateboard with the other.

"Close your eyes." I say as I start peddling.

"You won't be able to tell if I keep them closed." Chloe says, more easiness falling into our conversation again.

"Don't make me blindfold you." I say, making it to the sidewalk.

"Fine." Chloe says.

An exhausting bike ride for me later, we're pulling up to one of Chloe's favorite places, and one of my least favorite.

"This is just part one but open your eyes." I say, breathing a little heavy.

Chloe hums behind me, descending off my bike and standing beside me while I shift the kickstand down to hold up the bike.

"We haven't been here in a while, since someone has the balance of drunken cat." Chloe says, smirking at me.

"Hey, I know I'm uncoordinated but I wouldn't mind coming here. I like watching skating." I say.

"Uh huh. Well I don't know, Max. I'm not sure if I feel like boarding right now." Chloe says, her smile dropping slightly.

After a few moments, I let out an exhale. I know I'm going to regret this but this is something I have to do.

"Who said we came here for you to board?" I say, smirking.

Chloe just looks at me with a raised eyebrow. I walk over to her and grab the skateboard from her hand before turning around and placing the board on the ground. I hope I'm not as bad as my initial ride with Chloe. I place my left foot straight over the front set of screws and push off with my right foot three times before shifting my front foot to the right and placing my back foot on the back of the board attempting to shift my feet to swerve to the left, then to the right, focusing on the technique that I remember.

"Ha ha!" I say, pumping my fists up in victory.

"Whoa good job, Max!" Chloe says, sounding genuinely surprised.

But my victory is short lived as the wheel catches on a crack and sends me flying forward, rolling a few times before I come to a stop laying on my back.

"Max!" Chloe yells, running over to me.

I wince as I lean up, feeling a dull pain along my forearm. I twist my arm to looking and see a large scrap and some blood along the full length of my forearm, with it bleeding a bit more heavily the closer to the elbow. Chloe reaches me and kneels down beside me, taking a look at my arm.

"Shit, Max! Does it hurt? Are you alright?" Chloe questions, worry on her face.

"I know you've hurt yourself worse than this. Don't worry. I'll be fine." I say.

"Smartass… We need to take you home. Can't have that getting infected." She says.

"I got it covered." I say, shrugging off my backpack and pulling out a first aid kit.

"Why do you have that?" Chloe asks.

"Well…" I start, a little embarrassed. Chloe looks at me expectantly. "I knew you probably wouldn't want to skate and then I knew I would if you didn't that I'd probably try it myself. And me being me, I knew I probably wouldn't get very far without injury. So… yeah. I figured I should prepare."

"So…" Chloe says, pausing for a moment. "You did this…" Chloe grabs my forearm gently, turning it over and looking closer at it before looking at my eyes. "for me?"

"Of course, Chloe. I would do anything to try and make you smile. Even make a fool of myself." I say.

Chloe just looks at me for a solid minute, giving me a look similar to the one from earlier. I got that uncomfortable feeling in my stomach again and I could feel my cheeks heat up in the silence between us. I look down at the ground unsure of what to say before looking back up to see Chloe beaming at me.

"You are something else, Caulfield. Ok let's get you bandaged up and then I'll show you how a real skater shreds." Chloe says finally, grabbing the first aid kit from me and opening it up.

I look up at her, still blushing at her initial remark. I pull out a bottle of water and a rag, pouring some water on the rag before dabbing my forearm lightly, cleaning away some of the dirt and small pebbles.

"Hey let me do that. I think you've taken care of me enough today. I can do this at least." Chloe says, grabbing the wet towel from my hand and gripping my forearm gently but firmly. My skin seems to heat up at the contact.

"Thanks." I say, unsure of what else I could say to that.

Chloe just nods before dabbing and cleaning my forearm all the way up to my elbow. She pulls the rag away and looks a little closer before smiling, satisfied. Then she pulls out some Neosporin, spreading it generously over the entire area.

"You're taking better care of my wound than you did of your own." I say, filling the silence.

"Yeah… well sometimes it's easier to care about other people before yourself." Chloe says, pulling out a large piece of gauze and wrapping it around the full length of the injury. "Plus, I always did enjoy my battle scars."

I look at her with a raised eyebrow before she smirks and I just roll my eyes at that.

"Alright you look good to go. Now let me show you how it's done." Chloe says, before pushing herself off the ground and giving a hand out to me, which I grab, before pulling me to my feet.

Chloe walks over to the abandoned skateboard before picking it up and throwing it forward to get it started rolling, then she jumps onto it, which gives it some speed from the momentum. Leaning to the left, she steers toward the bowl and drops down into it. She crouches down giving herself more speed and she glides along the sides like she's surfing a concrete wave. This is what I was hoping for. She looks so carefree on her board. I think about pulling out the camera in my bag but I am reminded of William so I decide against it. I walk over and sit down on the side of the bowl, throwing my legs over the side, as Chloe effortlessly continues skating around. Chloe performs various tricks from handplants to ollies, various types of grinds before calls out to me.

"Hey Max, check this out." Chloe says, as she's coming up to the side.

It's not I had stopped watching at any point but lands on the side, doing a hand stand on the board before shifting it so that the board is vertical and she inches her way up until she's at the top. It was kind of hard to describe, but it was incredible to see. Her shirt fell down exposing her stomach and the bottom part of her sports bra before she shifted, jumping back onto her board and gliding back into the bowl before smoothly gliding up right below me before jumping to sit on the side of bowl next to me. She grinned triumphantly, leaning back on her hands.

"You should close your mouth." Chloe says, smirking.

I snap my jaw closed, not realizing when it fell open, before gently laying back, hands behind my head, trying and failing to be cool. Chloe laughs softly at me before laying back with me in the same fashion, our elbows touching. We fall into a comfortable silence just looking up at the sky, the colors fading into the bright pinks and oranges of the sunset.

"Thanks for this." Chloe says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah sure. I'm happy to injure myself to make you feel better." I say sarcastically.

"You know what I mean." Chloe says, pushing her elbow gently against mine.

I laugh softly. "Yeah I know."

Silence isn't a good thing for Chloe in a normal circumstance, so I should've known better than to let our silence sit today.

"Max, what's the point of all this?" Chloe asks.

"All this?" I ask.

"Life. Why does it matter? It doesn't make sense to me anymore. Why would God or whatever choose that my dad should be taken away?" She elaborates.

I stay quiet for about a minute, thinking about how to answer my best friend. Chloe waits, knowing that I'm thinking and not ignoring her.

"I don't know if life always does have a point. I don't know if life is supposed to always make sense. I don't know if I believe in God but I think that sometimes life is supposed to not make sense." I say, trying my best to give my thoughts to her.

"What do you mean?" She asks, curious.

"I think that maybe life not making sense, at times, is the way that life pushes you to grow into the person you're meant to be. Sometimes it's ok to feel weak. Weakness forces you to learn how to heal from it, making you stronger than you were before." I say, trying to explain what my dad said.

We let silence resonate between us again. I let it sit for just a couple minutes before I sit up. I push myself up and dust myself off briefly before reaching a hand down to Chloe, whose face has fresh tears.

"Come on, Chlo. Part II." I say.

She looks over to my hand, then up to meet my eyes for a few seconds, and then back down at my hand before grabbing it, letting herself be pulled up. She dusts herself off while I pick up her skateboard and make my way over to my bike. I look back and give her a smirk before getting back on the bike and waving her skateboard at her. She smirks at me as well, grabbing the board from me and taking her place behind me, grasping my shoulder lightly for balance.

"Do I have to close my eyes again?" She asks.

"Only if you want to honor the surprise." I say, lightly.

"Oh alright." Chloe says.

Another exhausting bike ride later, I stop at the fence blocking our path.

"Alright you're good." I say.

Chloe hums and gets off the bike. I get off as well before propping it against the fence and climbing over. Chloe places her board next to the bike and follows me over the fence. I walk through the field before us, empty except for a large solitary tree and the waist high wheat that fills the entire field. Chloe slips her hand into mine as we walk, looking away embarrassed. I smile as I feel the heat of our hands, before entwining our fingers and pulling her faster. When we reach the tree, Chloe lets go of my hand and I look over at her, worried. She only smirks and clasps her hand together, ready to give me a boost. I smile back and grab onto her shoulder before placing a foot into her clasped hands, giving the opportunity for her to push my foot upward. I grab onto the tree with my other and feel around for the door clasp, finding it and throwing it back. Chloe gives another final push, catapulting me into the opening so I can grasp onto the sides and hoist myself up. Pulling my legs in behind me, I look down through the opening to make sure she's not directly underneath before dropping the rope ladder down for her. I scoot back to give her room to get in.

"Thanks for not dropping it on my head this time." Chloe says, as she enters the treehouse.

"No problem." I say, smirking.

She shoves me before sitting across from me.

"So what are we doing here?" She asks.

"We are going to spend the night here because we were always too scared before." I say, proudly.

"What? You're serious?" Chloe says.

"Yep. But, not to worry." I say, reaching into my backpack and pulling out a Hawtdog man night light. "I have Hawtdog man to protect us. And extra batteries."

"You're such a dork." Chloe says.

"Yeah." I say, crawling over to pull the rope ladder back up and close the door. I hear her mumble something behind me. I turn back around. "What was that?"

"Nothing." She says, cheeks flushing and turning away.

I raise an eyebrow at her behavior before shrugging and digging into my backpack, pulling out some snacks, coloring books with markers, puzzles, and the tape recorder with empty tapes as well as mix tapes Chloe made me. I load up one of the mix tapes into the recorder and push play before looking back at Chloe again. She looks a little nervous. I wonder why. Maybe she's more scared of the dark than I thought.

"Hey, don't worry, Chlo. Hawtdog man to the rescue!" I say, turning on and placing the night lamp in the middle.

Chloe laughs softly, looking at me.

"So what do you want to do?" I ask.

She takes a minute to look at all the items laid out before her, bringing her finger to her chin in contemplation, humming.

"How about some coloring?" She says, picking up the Hawtdog man coloring book.

"Sweet. I also have some plain paper if you just want to draw." I say, pulling out some blank printer paper from my backpack as well.

Chloe hums before grabbing a blue marker and opening up the coloring book. I select a WALL-E coloring book and lay down on my stomach with the book closed in front of me. I think I enjoyed WALL-E a lot more than most people just because I can appreciate silence. I open it up and select a red marker, doing one of the mazes first. It's kind of weird Chloe being so quiet. I wonder if the coloring book is actually distracting her or if she is just letting her mind wander.

It's not like I don't let my own mind wander off. Chloe should be allowed. I wonder what she's feeling. It's hard to even understand what I'm feeling myself. How am I supposed to feel? I've never lost anyone close to me. I guess I will once I move away, but not in the same way. I will be there for Chloe even when I'm not nearby. How do I feel about losing William? I've often compared him as a second father. How would I feel if my dad was suddenly gone? Not something I really want to think about, but it would be the only way I could somewhat understand how Chloe is feeling, right?

I can't help but remember the scene from Lion King with Mufasa and Simba.

Look at the stars. The great kings of the past look down on us from those stars. So whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Is that how it works? Do your loved ones look down on you from above?

"Maximus?" Chloe asks, looking like she's called me a couple of times.

"Huh? Oh sorry, Chlo. What's up?" I say.

"What were you thinking about?" She asks, looking at me closely.

I should be honest. Dad did say that it's ok to be weak sometimes.

"I was… thinking about the Lion King." I say.

"Why?" Chloe asks.

"I was thinking about what Mufasa told Simba about the great kings of the past, continuing to look down on him if he needs guidance. I was wondering if that's how it really works…" I trail off, not wanting to upset Chloe.

"You know I read that, ironically, Pumbaa's answer, which is laughed off in the film, is actually the real scientific explanation for what the stars actually are." Chloe says, sadly.

"Oh." I say, still trying to figure out how I'm feeling about things.

"Max? Can I tell you something dumb?" Chloe asks, quietly.

"Yeah." I say.

"I feel like Jim Hawkins." Chloe says.

"From Treasure Planet?" I ask.

"Yeah. I've been trying so hard to figure out how I've been feeling today, aside from just being shocked and in disbelief." Chloe says, pausing slowly at times to collect herself before continuing. "I feel abandoned. It's not fair. I don't understand why he's gone. I don't know why he left…"

Sobs slowly start to take over her body and she is unable to continue, hugging her knees into her chest. I get up from my lying down position and crawl over to her and wrap my arms around her, sitting down as close to her as I can.

"You're allowed to your feelings. That isn't dumb that you feel that way." I say softly, still holding her tightly.

"How is he gone, Max? I never got to say goodbye. I… never…" Chloe says, trailing off again starting that hiccup crying that I was doing earlier.

"I know, Chlo… I'm so sorry." I say, bringing a hand to pet her hair while I brought my face to her neck.

She turned her face into my neck and slipped her arms around my waist, lying fully into me. I held on tight, still stroking her hair, as she continued to shake with sobs.

"I know it hurts so bad right now. But I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. We'll get through this together." I say, Chloe's only response being to hold on tighter to me.

We fall back, lying down on the floor. Chloe adjusts slightly and I pull a nearby blanket over, shoving it under my head to create a makeshift pillow. Chloe's breathing finally starts to settle down as I feel her nuzzle into my side again.

Glow in the dark stars plaster the treehouse ceiling and I find myself looking for William in those plastic stars, hoping for some guidance to help his daughter.

A/N: I know that this is a pretty depressing start to the story and honestly it probably won't get much better. This is kind of going to be what I wish I had when grieving the loss of my own mother when I was just a little younger than Chloe. I never really understood how I felt and I struggle with understanding my feelings sometimes even now, much like Chloe did until the end of Life is Strange. Chloe was always such an honest, hurt character that I myself just wish I could've helped. Everything kind of moves slow with the death of a parent and it was brushed over so quickly in Life Is Strange: Before the Storm that I wanted to go into more detail.

I never had a best friend when I went through this so while I'm trying to let Max be Max, I will probably end up having Max be what I would've been for a friend in that situation or what I would've wanted in a friend at that time. Honestly I just hope this helps someone and sorry if it makes you cry…