They stood upon the cliff, Max's head buried in her best friend's shoulder, soaked in a mix of rain and tears. The wind howled with the wrath of vengeful Furies, while the driving rain seemed to pierce them like thousands of tiny needles. This was destruction. Ruination. And yet here they stood together, defiantly braced against the storm, against fate itself. Impervious, indestructible and yet at the same time, vulnerable and broken. Thoughts crashed through Max's mind with all the chaos of the storm around them. Incoherent. Raging. Colliding into each other.
This is what you wanted, Max. This is what you've done. You've saved your Chloe. You've damned the whole town. Of course you would! How could you?
It felt like it lasted an eternity, even for a "Time-Master", when in reality the storm managed to ravage Arcadia Bay in mere minutes. And then, just like that it was gone. The tempest which felt like it had been brewing for years, crawling ominously forward to consume the place they once called home, dissipated in a mere moment. What it left in it's wake however, debris both physical and emotional, would be something that remained long into the future. For Max. For Chloe. For Arcadia Bay.
Max was only vaguely aware of the precarious walk down from the lighthouse. Thoughts of all the people who'd just died because of her. Their pleas. Their desperate sobs mixed with Max's own. Joyce. Warren. Frank. Occasionally punctuated by the sight of Chloe, beautiful Chloe, leading her carefully and watchfully through the muddy maze of broken branches before them. Sometimes she'd blink and she would be following a blue butterfly, only to shake her head and bring her mind back to reality. Horrible reality.
They finally arrived at Chloe's truck, which she'd parked a safe distance away on the far side of the mountain. Max had no idea how long they'd walked for. A fair while, Max guessed. The sun was blazing through and their clothes were already nearly dry. It would have been a beautiful day today, she thought, had it not been for everything I've done. As bright as the sun was, it didn't seem to bring any real warmth to Max and she shivered again, probably more due to her emotional state than the cold.
Chloe noticed this, of course. For the entire walk back she'd never once let go of Max. She felt every tremor Max made, heard every sob. She couldn't think about anything but Max. Wouldn't think about anything but Max. One minute she'd be walking ahead of her friend, gently holding hands with one hand, angrily clearing the path ahead with her other. A heartbeat later she'd be beside Max with her arm around her shoulder, as Max's knees would start to buckle, catching her before she fell. "I've got you, Max." Chloe would say. They would stand in each other's arms, Chloe taking as much of Max's weight as she needed, until she knew Max was ready to move on.
Max felt Chloe hold her again as they stood by the truck. She felt her best friend's warmth, something even the sun couldn't seem to provide, and it buoyed her spirits, if only a little. "Let me know whenever you're ready to go, Super-Max." Chloe tried to add a little brightness to voice, but she couldn't help but notice the wince her friend made.
"Not Super-Max, Chloe." Max said meekly, her voice cracking. "Not at all...". She buried her head in the taller girls chest and cried again, feeling her warmth mixed with three icy cold bullets against her cheek. But Chloe's warmth. She's alive. She's here. Max squeezed Chloe's waist in a bear hug, with more strength than she'd felt capable of lately.
"Whoa! Now that's a grope, Mad Max. I umm...I can't breathe over here!" Chloe felt her friend's head jerk a little as she heard a little giggle fight it's way through the tears.
"You're such a dork, Chloe." Max sniffled, the corners of her mouth lifting into the slightest, briefest smile for the first time in longer than she could remember. "Thank you." Max lifted her head to look at Chloe. It felt like days, weeks, since she'd been able to look into Chloe's blue eyes. "Let's go. Let's just get away from this shit, ok?"
"Abso-fucking-lutely!" Chloe exclaimed boisterously, already in the process of opening the door for her best-friend. "I've waited 5 years for you to say that." she added under her breath. Max heard it though. And she heard the sad melancholy in her friend's voice as she'd said it. Did Chloe even mean for that to come out? I don't think she wanted me to actually hear that, Max thought, as she climbed into the truck. But she saw the crack in Chloe's armour. Poor Chloe. She's a rock, just for me. But she's lost everything because of me. Max looked up at her friend, a look of sadness and apology. Chloe seemed as though she was about to say something, but just ended up smiling a somewhat awkward, slightly ingenuous smile. "Just...shut-the-fuck-up, ok!" she said, slamming the door behind Max and running around to get in the driver's seat. The horrible feelings in the pit of Max's stomach, churned around again. Max Caulfield. You destroyed the entire world around her, just so you could save your best friend. But what have you already done to her yourself?
The truck rattled and shook to life and Max rested her head on the window beside her. The hum of the engine and the vibration of the glass were enough to at least provide some distraction. Something that wasn't buffeting, angry winds and driving rain at least. "Let's fucking roll." Chloe snarled, regaining some of her customary defiance and strength. At least on the outside. The truck's tires spun, searching for traction in the muddy ground, before gripping the road, and with a slight lurch, Max and Chloe were leaving Arcadia Bay at last.