Max and Chloe stood together on the cliffside, watching the tornado approach the coast - buildings and vehicles slowly starting to get sucked up into the swirling vortex from hundreds of metres away. Thunder broke out at regular intervals, striking at the coastline with fury - making way for the impending doom that descended onto Arcadia Bay.

Stepping forward slowly, Max felt as all her memories of the past week came flooding through her. Her rewinds, her decisions, her time with Chloe. She felt as the mix of emotions tugged and wrenched at her heart as she watched the tornado slowly lurching forward. She reached out towards it, feeling her hand fall limp halfway through her movement.

"This is my storm. I caused this… I caused all of this. I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything. All I really created was just death and destruction!" Max spoke loudly over the the wind and the rain, starting to gesture towards the tornado - pacing back and forth as she switched her gaze between the tornado and the punk.

"Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it... and you saved me." Chloe quickly replied as she approached the brunette, placing her hand on her shoulder, turning her towards herself. "It had to happen, all of this… except what happened to Rachel." Chloe dropped her hands as she continued, shooting a glance at the approaching doom - quickly looking back at Max. "Without your power, we wouldn't have found her! Okay, so you're not the goddamn Time Master but you're Maxine Caulfield…" She shot her hands forward again, grabbing the brunette's shoulders as she gave her a little shake - grabbing her gaze. "...and you're amazing."

Max stood there in silence, letting Chloe's words ring through her head as she processed it. She lowered her gaze slightly and looked back over towards the tornado, feeling herself get torn between the pooling feelings in her chest. Chloe looked over the girl as she began to gather her own thoughts, coming to the slow realisation of what had to happen. The thunder cut through the air as it crashed into the waves, lighting up the entire town for a split second.

"Max, this is the only way." Chloe began as she slowly dropped her gaze to her pocket, reaching inside - pulling out a polaroid of a Blue Morpho on a steel bucket. She lifted it up to Max, placing it in her palm.

"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago." Max slowly spoke as she looked down at the photo, taking a step back towards the storm. She focused herself on the photo, drowning herself in her own mind as she felt her thoughts race through her head. She heard the quiet droplets of water in the Blackwell sinks, the bustle outside the restroom door. She looked away. Chloe slowly approached the girl, standing beside her as she dropped her head.

"You… You could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture…" Chloe began as the her train of thought started to come to a screeching stop. The realisation of it all hit her and it hit her hard. "All that would take is for me to… to…" She tried to continue but her voice was choked up in the back of her throat. She brought her hands up to her face as she began to weep quietly. Max shot her gaze at the bluenette.

"Fuck that! No… No way! You are my number one priority right now. You are all that matters to me." Max brought her hands up to the punk's forearms as she gripped onto her whilst she spoke. The thunder once again crashed into the waves, spilling light onto the two girl's faces as they looked at each other.

"I know. You proved that over and over again… even though I don't deserve it." Chloe stepped away slowly, her voice starting to break as she spoke. "I'm so selfish… not like my mom… Look what she had to give up and live through… and she did." Chloe continued as she shot her hands towards the town. "She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner." She shot her hands back towards her sides as she looked at Max. "Even my step… father deserves her alive. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live… way more than me..."

"Don't say that… I won't trade you." Max tried to interrupt the punk.

"You're not trading me. Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny…" Chloe shot back over the rumbling thunder. "Look at how many times I've almost died or actually died around you." She dropped her head as she continued, gesturing to the town again. "Look at what's happened in Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me. I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate… our fate…" Chloe stepped forward and placed her hand on Max's shoulder, turning the brunette towards her.

"Chloe…" Max replied. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She wouldn't believe it. Not now.

"Max, you finally came back to me this week, and… you did nothing but show me your love and friendship." Chloe continued as she held onto the brunette, her gaze town between Max and the approaching storm. "You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years." Her voice started to break again as the tears began to stream down her cheeks, covered by the pouring rain. Max kept her gaze on Chloe. "Wherever I end up after this… in whatever reality… all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours." Chloe brought the brunette closer, holding onto her. "No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."

"Chloe… I can't make this choice…" Max's face was lit up in pure white as the thunder struck closer to them, turning herself towards her best friend.

"No Max… you're the only one who can." Chloe moved both her hands up as she held Max by the shoulders, looking straight at her. The two girls kept their eyes as they saw the same emotions coursing through their minds - anger, guilt, sadness, love. Max heard her thoughts breaking through, screaming at her, telling her to make her decision as the two girls sat there - the torrential rain hiding both their tears.

"Max… it's time…" Chloe spoke as she took a few steps back, looking over the brunette.

"Chloe… I'm so, so sorry… I… I don't want to do this." Max replied as she looked at her friend. It was true. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to choose between sacrificing her best friend, somebody she deeply loved, and the town which she had grown up in - saving hundreds over people that she didn't even know. Chloe stepped back towards Max and flung her arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

"I know Max. But we have to. We have to save everybody, okay?" Chloe spoke softly as she moved away from the embrace, holding the girl's hands with her own. "You'll make those fuckers pay for what they did to Rachel."

Max and Chloe stood there holding hands, the wind starting to pick up to dangerous speeds as the storm approached the town - only a hundred or so metres away. Max wanted it all to stop. She wanted to rewind as far back as she could, prevent herself from ever leaving Arcadia Bay. She wanted to live her teenage years with her best friend, in the town that she was born and grew up in. Her thoughts flooded with thousands of if's and could've been as she saw almost every reality clashing together. She saw herself with Chloe, holding hands during their first kiss at the lighthouse. She saw herself with Chloe, hanging out in American Rust and smoking pot together. She saw herself with Chloe, attending Blackwell during final's week. She saw herself with Chloe, graduating. Her heart dropped when she realised none of this could happen, not anymore. She wanted to freeze time, just like she did when Kate tried to kill herself. Kate..

"Being together this week… it was the best farewell gift I could've hoped for." Her voice broke completely as she looked at her best friend. The best friend that she spent her entire life with. The best friend that she had the best pirate adventures with. The best friend that comforted her and loved her when William died. The best friend who then abandoned her, against her will. The best friend who didn't contact her for 5 long years. The best friend who came back and saved her. The best friend who loved her. Chloe spoke up, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the storm. "You're my hero, Max."

Max's heart broke apart. Every emotion she's been holding in for the week, every insecurity, every thought that had gathered up in her mind. It all came flooding out as the dam holding it back finally broke from the torment she had experienced. She didn't want to do anything. She did. She stepped forward and placed her hands on Chloe's cheeks, pulling her head towards her. They kissed. They both felt the warmth, their love of each other, wash over them, throwing them out of this reality as they were enshrouded in a world of their own. They ignored the pouring rain that was drowning them, ensuring every inch of their body was wet. They ignored the high winds, the various objects and items that were now being pulled apart around them - getting sucked into the swirling vortex. They ignored the vortex. The held the kiss as long as they could, cherishing it, keeping it alive. The slowly moved away as the world faded back in around them.

"I'll always love you… Now, get out of here, please! Do it before I freak." Chloe stepped back as she let go of Max's hands. She saw her tears streaming out of her glistening eyes. She felt her own washing over her face, now distinct from the rain as each streak left a burning trail. "...and Max Caulfield? Don't you forget about me…"

Chloe kept moving away slowly, pointing her hand at Max. Deep inside she hoped that Max would follow her. Deep inside she hoped that Max would grab her, never let her go. Deep inside she hoped that Max would escape this world with her. Max stood there as her heart was ripped out of her chest..

Max slowly turned around as she held the polaroid in her shaking hands. She looked over at the tornado, now earnestly descending onto the town. She thought about all the lives that would be suffering in agony right now. Joyce. David. Kate. Warren. Dana. Juliet. Victoria. Countless of others. She felt as the pain tugged at her now absent heart, simply coursing through her veins as they almost visibly pulsed. She thought about Chloe. She couldn't do this.

In one swift motion, Max ripped the photo in half - opening her hands slowly as the two pieces were picked up by the high wind. Getting sucked towards the vortex - the one that was slowly ripping its way through Arcadia Bay. She saw all the faces of the people she just sentenced to death. She heard their voices, their laughter, all of it echoing in her head. She saw each individual memory she shared with them, each individual conversation. She saw as their own memories coursed through hers. She had destroyed it all - it was her fault. She had snuffed out thousands of potential moments, thousands of potential memories and thoughts. All of it so she could be with Chloe. She was the selfish one.

Chloe stood there as she saw the two pieces float out of the brunettes hands. She felt all her emotions be replaced with one - relief. She wouldn't have to sacrifice herself for the town. She wouldn't have to forget the past week, every memory that she shared with Max. She wouldn't die lonely, thinking in the end about the Max that abandoned her. It was quickly replaced with guilt, anger, sadness. Max had just made a choice to sacrifice an entire town - hundreds of people - so that she could be with Chloe, the worthless punk trash that had made her own life a hell. The one that dropped out of school, the one that argued and bickered with her mother over the tiniest things, the one that ensured that her stepfather wouldn't feel loved in their home. Yet she couldn't dwell on it now - not after what Max just did. The girl needed her right now.

The punk stepped forward slowly towards the brunette, the girl now crying into her hands. She wrapped her arm around her, pulling her close as the girl quickly put her head in the punk's chest - sobbing wildly. She could hear each individual wail, each pained cry, over the rain and the storm. Chloe stood there as she looked over at the tornado destroying the town. The town that she so wanted to drop a bomb on, to burn down herself. The town that she hated for what it did to her. All of those thoughts no longer applied. In a few minutes, Arcadia Bay wouldn't exist. Chloe looked away as she couldn't take it anymore, instead placing her head in the brunette hair as the two girls stood there. They ignored the wind, the rain, the tornado devastating the town. They kept their embrace going as they now had each other, forever.


Chloe felt a wave of relief wash over her as she looked down the beach. Her old 1986 Ford F150 was still parked in its spot, not having been sucked into the tornado. She quickly picked up her pace with the crying brunette using her for support as she herself struggled to walk, making their way over to the passenger side. After a few seconds of fumbling with her keys, thanks to her shaking hands, she inserted the key and unlocked the door - swinging it wide open in front of the two girls. Chloe carefully helped Max step into the truck, placing her head slowly onto the headrest as the brunette kept crying. Chloe's heart was pricked painfully at the sight as she quickly moved away towards the bed of the pickup.

Moments of struggling and quiet swearing paid off - Chloe dropped the tailgate and jumped into the bed. Standing up slightly she walked over to the end and opened the small chest-like trunk built into the bed. She reached inside and pulled out a light brown blanket, one that she herself used many times when she was sleeping in her truck - away from her step-father, away from Joyce, away from her shitty life. Locking the trunk and slamming the tailgate up, Chloe hurried back to the passenger side as Max was still crying. She stepped inside slightly and over the brunette, unfurling the blanket and quickly placing it over the broken, crying girl. She leaned in a bit and brushed away her hair from her forehead - giving it a quick kiss and then stepping back out. Slamming the door shut, Chloe walked around the front quickly and entered the driver's seat herself, shooting a quick glance at Max.

The truck lurched backwards as Chloe reversed out of the parking lot, turning the truck around quickly and then jolting it forward towards the road. After a few minutes of driving down the winding road back to Arcadia, a small dirt road cropped up on the left. Chloe quickly turned the truck and followed the road for a few more minutes - coming upon a small clearing in the woods. The truck rumbled quietly and then went quiet, leaving only the loud wind whooshing outside and the quiet sobs that belonged to Max. Chloe looked down at her shaking hands on the steering wheel, gulping down hard as she quickly went over what happened in her head.

Arcadia Bay. Destroyed. Max chose me over hundreds of others. Over Joyce. Over David. Over Kate. She chose me. Why? Why would she choose me.. Why the fuck would she choose me, this useless gutter-trash punk that dropped out of school. This gutter-trash punk that smoked pot to try and feel good, try to get away from the harsh reality of life. This gutter-trash punk that blamed everyone but herself for everything that went wrong. Why? I'm worthless compared to them. Yet she chose me...

Chloe was taken out of her thoughts by the loud sobbing. She quickly looked at Max who broke out in a fresh wave of tears, lying still in the seat with the blanket over her. The punk reached over slowly and wrapped her arm around her, pulling the girl carefully towards her. Max didn't object - she simply allowed it to happen, she wasn't in a position to do anything but cry. Cry about what she did. Cry about all the people she sentenced to death. All so she could be with her best friend, somebody she loved. Max felt her head pressed against the chest of the brunette, resting on her bust - she felt as a hand began to slowly caress her arm to try and calm her down. She closed her eyes and sobbed, trying her best to focus on the beating heart against her head. She felt as each beat echoed through her, the rhythm starting to become calming. She did her best to drown everything out - listening to the beat as it soothed her. She felt herself forgetting slowly, feeling the looming slumber come over her.

The punk sat there as she held the brunette close, running her hand up and down along her arm. She heard as the sobs turned into whimpers, eventually dying out as it was replaced with quiet snoring. Chloe sat there in silence, broken up by the whooshing of the wind outside - slowly dying down itself. She lowered her gaze at the now sleeping brunette, seeing the glistening traces of tears on her cheeks. Her heart sank a bit as she got lost in her thoughts again.

She..- She didn't deserve any of this. None of it. She's an 18 year old girl. A shy, socially awkward hipster. Why the fuck was she granted this power? So she could save me, her useless gutter-trash asshole punk friend? She didn't deserve it at all. She shouldn't have made that choice, she shouldn't have even been given that choice. It would've been better if I died a week ago, bleeding to death because of my own fucking stupidity. It's what I deserve. Max doesn't deserve this pain. This is so fu-fucked up!

Chloe wanted to let all her anger out. She wanted to smash her hands against the steering wheel, time and time again - release all her pent up frustration at just how fucked up this situation was. Her best friend had to make a choice between somebody she loved and a thousand individuals that she barely knew. The classic dilemma. A choice that shouldn't have been given to this 18 year old girl. To any 18 year old girl. To anyone. Chloe simply sat there as she continued to caress the brunettes arm, keeping her gaze in front of the truck. She felt as her own eyelids began to feel heavy, all the emotional stress taking a toll on her. She did her best to keep them open as long as possible, wanting to be there for Max at all times. She didn't have time to sleep - not when Max needed her to be strong, needed her to carry her burdens for her.

Her body won, however. Chloe quietly fell asleep as her head slumped to her side - resting on the brunettes head. The two of them slept quietly as the storm around them died down.


Chloe stirred awake quickly, moving her head around and using her hand to clear her vision. She quickly took in as much as she could - she was sitting in her truck with Max still sleeping against her, the wind outside had died down as rays of sunshine began to peek through the canopy of the forest. The rain on the windows had dried up, leaving clear marks where it had made it's way down the glass. She let out a quiet yawn as she tried to slowly straighten herself up, carefully moving the brunette. After a few tries she managed to sit up, the snoring brunette now lying against her chest, undisturbed with the punk's movements.. Chloe let her thoughts take over for a while, trying to think about what happened and their next move.

Okay. So. Fucked up choice. Arcadia Bay destroyed, probably a fuckload of casualties. Jesus Christ. Joy-.. Mom. I-.. fuck. I can't let myself get carried away with this shit. Not now. Not whilst we're still barely half-a-mile away from the ghost town that once was Arcadia. I need to get us out of here, out on the road. Towards Seattle. Max has to get to her parents. I'll..- take her there, then what? I don't have anywhere to go back to, not now that my house is more than likely in ruins. Shit.

"Chl-.. Chloee.." Max whimpered out as she herself stirred awake. She immediately felt her eyes sting as the tears began to flow again, her thoughts travelling back to the lighthouse and back to her choice. She had chosen to kill a thousand people so she could be with Chloe. She chose to destroy thousands of potential memories and dreams, just so she could have Chloe. She was selfish. She was extremely selfish, she hated herself for it. She began to sob as she let it all hit her, pound away at her mental state - starting to break it all apart.

The punk spent no time in showing the brunette she was here for her. She quickly wrapped her arms around the quietly sobbing girl and brought her up carefully closer to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She began to stroke her hand against her arm again, hoping to calm her down a bit - to a state where they could at least talk, to a state where Max could at least listen to Chloe. Max kept quietly sobbing against the bluenette's chest, her mind still pounding away. Chloe gave her another kiss on the forehead, beginning to hum quietly as she leaned in towards her ear - hoping to calm down the girl who carried the weight of the world. It worked. After a few more minutes of quiet humming and caressing, the brunette became silent as she kept her eyes closed. She focused on calming beat of Chloe's heart, occasionally broken up by the quiet humming in her ear and the soft touch on her arm.

"M-Max." Chloe quietly spoke as she began to lift up the brunette so she could sit up straight. She used one hand to cup her cheek, turning her head towards her as their eyes met in a gaze. Chloe felt as if a train hit her - Max's eyes were almost devoid of all emotion, showing a simple and empty husk of a girl that had once lived. "We-.. need to leave Arcadia. I'm going to get us out of here, okay?" Max kept silent as she let her eyes stare past Chloe's, into nothingness. She felt as the strong hands around her carefully shifted her into a comfortable position against the seat, adjusting the blanket so that it covered the girl. She sat there silent - gazing out the window.

The truck lurched forward out onto the road, starting to wind it's way down towards the town. Rays of light pierced through the trees as they became less dense. Eventually the first signs of the town came into view. It was bad. The first few buildings were almost non existent, boats and the beached whales having crushed them completely. Cars were upturned and scattered around the streets, a couple still burning quietly in the morning light, a few of them already completely charred. Chloe kept her gaze forward on the road, avoiding debris as it came up. It didn't get any better. The buildings closer to the town had entire walls and roofs completely missing, torn away violently as they exposed the interiors - scattering different appliances, items and various furniture all over the road. The beached whales had been tossed and turned into the town, blocking certain roads and completely cutting off others. It was bad.

Slowly drifting its way down the debris covered road, the 1986 Ford F150 rolled to a stop near a small parking lot. Chloe raised her head slightly as she prepared for the worst. It was exactly like she thought. The Two Whales diner had collapsed almost completely - the roof caved in by what she recognised as Frank's RV. The windows were all broken into thousands of pieces as the jagged edges reflected the sun slightly. Chloe broke down a bit, sniffling as she ran her hand over her nose quickly. She looked away and tapped the pedal, jolting the truck down the road again. Max had kept her silent gaze out her window, devoid of all feeling. She saw as the destroyed scenery drifted past, the up-turned and scattered cars, the billboards and signs. She didn't think anything about it. She was lost.

Chloe kept her foot on the pedal lightly as they continued through the streets. Everything was the same, no matter where they went. Arcadia Bay was well and truly destroyed by the freak superstorm, the one that Max was positively sure was caused by her powers. The one that Chloe was positively sure was caused because she tempted and escaped fate time and time again, avoiding her destiny. Her thoughts drifted for a second but she shook them off. Not now. She saw as the road was slowly coming to an end, the buildings on either side were in the same state as the rest of the town - ripped apart and completely flattened in some places. Chloe carefully lifted her foot off the pedal as the truck slowed to a quiet stop near the end. Chloe looked over at Max for a second and felt the instant pain in her heart again - the girl was sat silently the entire time, her eyes gazing forward in the thousand yard stare.

The punk reached her hand towards the radio and turned it on, fumbling around with the dials as she tried to find a station - something to fill the eerie silence in the truck cabin. She heard static for most of the time, feeling as the anger built up - something so minor as not being able to find a radio station made her come close to making her burst. She let a bit of it out, hoping that it would stop the leak - hitting the radio a few times with her palm in frustration. Max didn't move at all - her gaze still focusing on nothing. The silence was broken by the sound of a quiet guitar riff playing in unison with a drum beat.

** ...Out of love, out of time
When I'm falling down you're the one who saved me
Oh, intertwined, wrap around me now with your thorns... **

Chloe let a smirk form on her face as she recognised the song. The Offspring - All I Have Left is You. How appropriate world, she thought quietly for a few seconds as she let the music sink into her, feeling the slight tension and frustration built up in her ease up a bit. Chloe bit her lip as her fingers wrapped around the steering wheel again, one hand on the clutch. She slowly switched her gaze towards the brunette sitting quietly against the window, still staring at nothing. Chloe extended her hand from the clutch and placed it on the brunette's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. She stirred slightly as her own head turned to look at the punk sitting next to her.

This was the girl that Max had saved. The one that Max had reversed time for. The one that Max had travelled through alternate realities for. The one that Max bent the very fabric of time and probably space to save. The one that Max faced her worst nightmares for. The one that Max had overcome her insecurities for. The one that Max loved. She was here, with her, even when everything else around them was gone. Chloe let a smile work up on her face as she looked at Max. Max felt her heart start beating again, felt it picking her up again. She smiled back weakly.

The truck lurched forward slightly as Chloe began to drive. She switched her gaze back to the road, only one thing on her mind right now. Get Max out of Arcadia, away from the place that destroyed both their lives in its own cruel ways. The ending riffs of the song echoed through the cabin as the truck drove on down the road.

** ...And we're holding on when
There's nothing left to hold on to
So don't tell me when it's gone
Cause' all I have left is you...**


A/N -

Hey, whats up.

Little bit of a backstory on me - this is my first fanfic. Last time I've picked up writing I was around 16, 4 years ago. I wrote a few stories here or there, nothing amazing, and generally faded away from the hobby. I'm a geek and a gamer at heart, played literally everything since I was a small kid. I mostly favour RPG's, Grand Strategy and the occasional FPS. I've picked up Life is Strange during the 2016 Steam Summer Sales thinking that it'd be somewhere along the lines of Telltale's TWD, a good story with some emotional moments.

I was never so wrong. This game came in swinging and it swung hard. I don't think I've ever got so emotionally attached to any book or game before this. Mass Effect was close, but not quite there. I completed the game twice, both times choosing the same ending but different choices throughout - Spoiler, Bae over Bay every time. I spent the next few weeks afterwards reading LiS fanfics in my spare time, getting absolutely enthralled by some of the best pieces I've read in a while. There are some really, really talented writers out there - miles ahead of me.

That being said - I'm not an amazing writer. I always sucked with grammar and punctuation, was pretty good with spelling and had an open imagination when I needed one. So we come to this story. The LiS withdrawal was real hard, fanfics generally went in the direction that I always imagined would play out in the situations they were set in - almost all the characters felt real, true to their in game counterparts. However some of the fluff, drama, angst and story on here only left me partially satisfied. I wanted to do something on my own, write my own stories and fanfics - continue their adventures in my own narrative. So I started writing again.

I wrote a lot. I'm talking near enough 200,000 words by now combined. I kept switching fics whenever new ideas popped up, making sure to note it all down, start them up for the future when I felt in the mood. However, Something from Nothing by far is what I would call my 'best' work - I liked the pacing and felt it was the most 'real' fic of all the ones I wrote, the one that I took the most care and thought with. I have the entire first 'arc' of the story already written up, ready to be published over the next few days/weeks whilst I continue writing the second arc. Warning - this is going to be a fluffy, smutty, cuddly, drama and angst filled story-deprived fanfic. We're following Max and Chloe throughout their life - not a game plot. Maybe I'll have proper structured plots here and there depending on what I write, who knows. Pacing might get fast, sudden and erratic in some moments - almost disorganised as it seems I might be wanting to skip over development in some places. When this happens, it's intended by me - In my opinion its what would be the most likely outcome in the situation presented. You might not like it and that's fine, to each his own - your criticism is always welcome nonetheless.

I sincerely apologise for any mistakes that I couldn't spot - I'm a novice and I'm learning, I'll get there one day. I feel like I'm a bit too descriptive in some of my work, its definitely a flaw that's hard to get rid of. If characters feel a bit OOC and not true to their reality in the game then I'm sorry once again, I did my best to deliver a story that I enjoyed writing.

That's pretty much it. Thanks for swinging by if you got this far - I appreciate it.

EDIT 09-10-17: Hiya! If you've read above, then I encourage you to read this. As of today, I'm reformatting and rewriting huge parts of this work in order for them to fit with my now changed writing style. This story was abandoned for about 5-6 months and since then I've learned a lot, also improved a lot and all that jazz. So if the beginning chapters look wonky or perhaps bad, I urge that you wait a bit whilst I go about and improve everything! Thank you! If you want to pass anyway, then thanks for coming by at least!

- :) WinTTY