Max held her head in her hands as she huddled on the girl's bathroom floor, trying to pull herself out of the situation. Nathan was ranting to himself in the mirror. Chloe entered the bathroom. The two argued. Max curled closer in on herself, her eyes welling up with tears, her chest tightening. She wanted nothing more than to stop Chloe from dying once more. It was not fair that she had to sacrifice herself like this, that Max had to sit there and let it happen... but it was decided upon. It was the only way to save Arcadia Bay and all the innocent people that lived there. Tears fell when she heard them fight before the inevitable gunshot pierced her eardrums. She thought about running out to see Chloe one last time but stopped herself. She did not want her last memory of Chloe to be her bleeding out on the floor.

Max sobbed as the memory crumbled around her, finalizing her decision forever.

When she came to she was laying in bed in her dorm room. She laid there in dark, staring at the ceiling. It was Friday night again. She was not out by the lighthouse, drenched in rain, with a tornado heading towards Arcadia Bay and Chloe at her side. She was dry and safe in her room, alone.

Things were how they should have been. Chloe was dead and Arcadia Bay was safe.

Max pulled out her phone and dug through her text messages. She had to at least make sure she made due on Chloe's final request to make things right.

The day of the shooting she had been questioned by the police and had been asked for a witness statement after Nathan was arrested. According to several messages, Jefferson was arrested two days later after finding Rachel Amber's body. Due to the terrible truth of what happened being revealed, Kate was called in to be questioned too, but she was optimistic that she would get justice, and she did not attempt suicide in the end. Victoria had also pulled down the video.

Max let out a deep breath.

She did it.

If only Chloe could be here too so she could see justice for her and Rachel Amber.

According to her texts, Chloe's funeral was tomorrow. Warren was going to drive her and Kate to the funeral.

Usually funerals gave people a few days to come to terms with a loved one's death before saying a final goodbye. Max was not going to get this time. One moment she was tearfully hugging her best friend goodbye, the next she would be attending her funeral. How was she even supposed to act? The Max of this timeline did not even get to be reintroduced to Chloe before she died. And now her, the 'real' Max, had been thrust into this timeline and had to blend in. Would people regard her mourning as weird for someone she supposedly lost contact with five years ago? Max realized that she was utterly alone in this timeline, with no one to share her experiences with, with no one who understood.

Life was shitty.

Max pulled the covers over her head and cried her heart out.

Max woke up with tears dried to her face. She laid in bed for what felt like an eternity, just staring up at her ceiling, numb. Small rays of light peeked through the blinds of her window.

Today was the funeral.

Max rolled to her side. Her eyes were immediately drawn to an unfamiliar cardboard box sitting on her futon with 'CHLOE' scrawled on the side. After crawling out of bed, Max grabbed the box and sat on the floor. When she opened it Max was met with familiar photos and trinkets. Pictures of Chloe, pictures of them as kids, familiar decorations from her room... it was full of so many memories. Max's lip trembled. This is what Joyce must have given her after texting her to come over earlier in the week.

Max picked up a photo of Chloe and herself dressed as pirates. They both looked so happy. How tempting it was to jump into those photos and relive that memory, but she swore to herself that she would never use her powers again if they even still worked.

Max looked back down in the box to find Chloe's necklace hiding under a few trinkets. Her heart twinged. She pulled out the necklace delicately before running her fingers along the cool brass shells of the bullets.

Tears welled up in her eyes and trailed down her face. She let out a sob, holding the necklace to her chest.

When she heard her tears patter she immediately looked down to splatters of salty tears on Chloe's photos. Max quickly wiped them off with her sleeve. She would not let herself ruin those precious memories. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She sniffled and wiped her wet face on her sleeve. She hastily put the photos and necklace back in the box and put it back on her futon. She would go back to those memories again when she felt ready.

Her phone suddenly buzzed. It was a text from Warren.

Warren:
Hey, Max!
Just checking in to see how you're doing today.
Let me know if you need to talk or want to meet up early.

Max:
Thanks. I'm doing okay. I just feel a bit weird knowing the funeral is here already.
I think I need some time alone for now, if that's okay. I'll text you later.

Warren:
I understand.
I'm always here if you need me.

Max smiled slightly. Based on the texts she read through, Warren had been regularly checking in with her on how she was coping with Chloe's death throughout the week. Even the day of the shooting Warren had sent her frantic text messages trying to locate her when the school had been evacuated. He had not asked her to 'go ape' in this timeline, probably due to how dark and terrible this week had been. It would not have felt right to go anyway.

For now, Max just needed to be alone for a little while with her thoughts.

It was a few hours before the funeral. Max had found a new black dress in her closet; she assumed meant for the funeral. She dressed herself much earlier than she needed to, feeling the grief weight heavy in her stomach. In a way she did not want to go. Going meant confirming the fact with her own eyes that Chloe was dead, that this was not just another nightmare.

She sat on the bed, staring at the cardboard box of Chloe's things. Her fingers tightened anxiously, bunching her bed's covers in her fists. She thought to her last memories of Chloe - them hugging tearfully on top of the lighthouse's cliffside. Chloe's last memories of her in this timeline were when she had last said goodbye to her five years ago when she moved away. Max felt like she had to say goodbye to the Chloe of that wild week in some special way, to acknowledge the sacrifice she made for the entire town, the town that would never know what Chloe did for them all.

Max texted Warren.

Max:
Can you do me a solid?

Warren:
For you, anything.
What's up?

Max:
Can I get a ride to the lighthouse?

Warren:
Can do.
But what about the funeral? We don't want to miss it.

Max:
We won't.
I just need a moment there to reminisce and forget about all this shitty Blackwell stuff for a moment.

Warren:
Okay. Let me know when you want to leave.

Max:
Is now okay?

Warren:
Yeah just need to finish dressing.
Come to my dorm I should be ready then. We can walk to my car together.

Max:
Coming now.

Max stopped by Warren's room. Warren opened the door, partially dressed. He was wearing a black suit with a red dress shirt. The shirt was partially tucked into his pants while the tie was still hanging around his neck. There was no black eye to speak of. Max gave him a sad smile. Warren smiled big, but his eyes betrayed sympathy and worry.

"Hey, Warren."

"Mad Max! Come on in." Warren moved aside, returning to tucking in his shirt.

Max stepped in his room. Her eyes momentarily wandered to the new retro movie posters on his walls before she glanced back at Warren, who was now struggling with his tie.

"Whoever invented ties was a sadist. I should have just bought myself a clip-on," Warren joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "If I could go back in time I would have some select words for that guy."

Max felt the corners of her mouth raise. "What? Warren Graham - the know-it-all 4.0 GPA student who skipped a grade - doesn't how to tie his own tie?" she quipped, but her voice still came out strained.

"Hey, it's harder than it looks," Warren insisted.

Max pulled out her phone's camera on selfie mode, holding it up to Warren like a mirror. "Here," Max smiled softly.

"Thanks," Warren sheepishly replied as he worked on finishing his tie, now with a little extra dexterity.

Max studied Warren while his eyes were focused on his tie, inklings of feelings fluttering lightly in her stomach as a reminder. It felt a bit weird to see him here now - lacking in a black eye and not knowing that she had even kissed him in the other timeline. It was a light, quick kiss. She had been a bit uncertain and nervous - it was her first kiss for a boy she only just started to feel something for. It was rushed, but with the world ending she felt like it might have been her last chance. Maybe, in this timeline she could get the chance to redo it properly.

"There," Warren said, his tie now properly tied. If Max looked carefully she could see it was a bit lopsided, but that was okay. Practice would eventually make perfect.

Max's eyes trailed back up to Warren's. She could still see the concern in his eyes despite the smile.

"So..." Warren began, "are you ready to go? We can go whenever you're ready."

"Yeah."

The two left the dorms and walked to the parking lot. The sun was beginning to lower in the sky. The days were getting shorter with the fall weather. When they began walking towards Warren's car Max's mind thought back to that first day where Nathan fought Warren and she drove off with Chloe.

Max felt an emptiness grow within her when she thought to Chloe's smiling face. How she wished she still had more time with her. A week was not enough.

Warren's retro car looked as old as he claimed it to be, especially when they had climbed in.

"Fasten up. With a car as old as this you gotta play it safe," Warren joked.

"Yeah..." Max said absentmindedly.

The car sputtered for a moment before roaring to life. Max stared out of the passenger window silently as Warren drove. Warren fiddled with the radio. It was on a classic rock station, but Warren found the local indie station and left it on softly in the background. Max knew that indie was not Warren's genre; she appreciated the gesture. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Warren glancing at her. She wondered if she was it was more than just concern; perhaps the old Max of this timeline had been handling her grief much better than Max was now and so her behavior was a bit off. Who knew. At this point Max did not care.

Warren pulled up his car to the visitor's parking lot. Max stepped out of the car and stared wistfully up lighthouse peeking through the trees, memories of last night flashing in her thoughts.

Warren joined her side. His eyebrows were furrowed, watching her closely. "Max...?"

Max glanced at Warren. "Sorry, just... thinking."

She began to march towards the trail, beginning the steep climb up to the cliff. Warren immediately joined her at her side. The dirt path was mucky with last night's rain. Her shoes sunk a bit in the mud but she did not care. She had to do this before the funeral. A final goodbye to Chloe, a proper thanks to her saving Arcadia Bay, a proper thanks to her for being Max's best friend. An apology for leaving her alone on that storming cliff, an apology for having to let her die again.

One puddle of mud stuck to her shoe unexpectedly as she lifted her foot up. She began to sway and felt herself begin to fall forward. Max felt Warren's arms quickly dart out and grab a hold of her to steady her on her feet.

"Whoa there, you almost went straight into the mud. You okay?" Warren asked. His arm lingered around the small of her back for reassurance that she was stable.

Max blinked, looking at Warren. "Um, yeah, thanks... guess I'm a bit clumsy. I'll try to be a bit more careful."

"It's no problem," Warren said, rubbing the back of his neck.

She smiled reassuringly at him to show her appreciation. "Always watching out for me, huh?" Twice he took on the violent Nathan for her, even if he did not know it. And now he was watching her footing. He certainly was her white knight.

"I try." Warren hesitantly pulled his arm away from her back, but kept it hovering behind her as Max continued up the hill. "So why did you want to come here? ...I mean if you don't want to explain that's okay though."

Max's jaw tightened, as she thought of some way to explain. "Well... the lighthouse... it reminds me of her."

"Ah." Warren looked down at his feet for a moment, hesitant, before asking, "Did you used to come here as kids?"

"Yeah... we um," Max laughed lightly. "We used to come here and pretend to be pirates. We had a pirate base around here and everything."

Encouraged, Warren more confidently continued. "That's awesome. I was more of a ninja kid myself though. Good thing we didn't know each other as kids or we would have been mortal enemies."

Max shrugged. "Maybe that would have been nice. Every pirate needs a proper enemy."

Warren chuckled.

Max could see the crest of the hill, the orange sky no longer hidden by the thicket of trees. Her heart skipped at the site where Chloe and her were just moments ago. She suddenly broke out in a run.

"Hey, Max! Wait up!" Warren called, but Max ignored him.

Max stopped at the ledge of the cliff overlooking the bay. She took in the view, her breath catching her in throat. Memories flashed of the torrent of rain, of the tornado making its way to Arcadia Bay, and the sense of hopeless and dread that had filled her. Now Arcadia Bay stood there, peaceful and untouched. It was unreal, as though a dream.

It was not a dream. It was real, she reminded herself.

She turned around, tracing back her steps to where she stood with Chloe. Warren stood a few paces away watching her, shifting on his feet, uncertain. Max could almost hear Chloe's last words on the wind. Don't you forget about me, Chloe's words echoed. Chloe had then backed away from Max, making sure both of them could not go back on their decision to save Arcadia. Max looked up and flinched, seeing Chloe where she had last stood. When she blinked it was Warren. Where Chloe backed away, Warren closed the distance between them.

Warren's eyebrows were furrowed, his mouth in a deep frown. He rested a hand on her upper arm. "Hey, you looked scared there for a moment. Are you sure you're okay, Max?"

Max eyes darted up to his, her voice catching her in throat. "I'm... I'm not sure."

Warren studied her. "That's alright. That's normal. Though, I guess... I shouldn't even be asking you that. Of course you're not magically alright after what just happened."

Max felt her eyes water. "I..."

Warren continued suddenly, his eyes darting momentarily away before he forced himself to return his gaze to hers, uncertain and nervous. "I'm not... I'm not very good at this. I'm not quite sure what I should be doing to help you; if I should be giving you distance or making sure I'm checking in with you a lot, or trying to make dumb jokes to cheer you up. I care about you, and I just... I want to do whatever I can to help you out, so... please. Let me know how I can be there for you without being an annoyance."

Max pulled away from Warren with her back to him, biting her lip to keep it from trembling, trying to compose herself. "Could you maybe... just sit with me for a bit?"

"Sure," Warren said softly.

Max took a seat on the wooden bench overlooking the bay, Warren beside her. A brisk fall breeze rushed them, causing her to shiver. Warren removed his sport coat and draped it wordlessly over her shoulders. She scooted closer, then leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her and gently squeezed her arm. It was a chaste gesture. Max sighed, staring out at the bay. How different would things be if Chloe didn't even have to have that fateful run-in with Nathan in the bathroom without any of that time traveling junk?

"When I moved away to Seattle at thirteen I promised I would call or write her. I never did. When I saw her in the girl's bathroom I didn't even recognize her at first. When I came here for school I figured I'd get to run into her eventually, and maybe I could apologize for being an utter ass and ignoring her after her father just died, maybe we could become friends again... but I'll never get that chance now."

Chloe, thank you for being my friend, for taking me back even after I abandoned you.

"Max..."

"In a way I wonder if it would have been easier if I didn't know her, but..."

No, that's terrible of me to say. Even with how messed up and crazy that week had been, I wouldn't trade it for the time I got to spend with you.

"No, forget that. I'm thankful she was such a big part of my childhood, but, you just can't help but sometimes wish for something different when something big like this happens, y'know? I just..."

I'm sorry I had to leave you on that cliff alone. I'm sorry that you had to die, and that I was a part of that decision. You deserve a freaking statue for what you did for everyone in Arcadia Bay.

"I just... I wish she was still here so things could be different. I'm not ready to say goodbye." Tears welled up in Max's eyes as she choked on her words.

I feel so alone.

She let out a sob, her shoulder's shaking. Embarrassed, she removed her head from Warren's shoulder and shifted an inch away from him. She looked down at her fists tightening into balls on her lap, her vision blurry, trying to keep herself together as tears began to fall.

Warren's arm slid off from around her. He angled himself towards her. He placed his hand over one of her balled fists. "This... whole situation is messed up. Someone like you didn't deserve go to through any of that. No one does. I can't even begin to imagine what something like that is like." He squeezed her hand gently. "Max, you don't have to feel ready to say goodbye. Take as much time as you need to grieve, just please don't think you have to push people away in order to. I just want to let you know what you're not alone. I'm here for you, anytime you need me. And I'm sure, wherever Chloe is, she is here with you too and always will be a part of you."

Max peered up at Warren through her bangs, hesitant. He offered her a comforting smile, his face gentle and welcoming. Gaining more assurance, Max raised her head fully, meeting his gaze. His brown eyes seemed to gaze into her soul, open, desperately wanting to reach out and connect with her. At that moment Max no longer felt as ashamed of her emotions; she no longer felt so alone. Even if he might not remember anything from that crazy week, he was there for her now just as he was in the other timeline. He wanted to be there for her. Even if she could never find the courage to tell him him the truth of that crazy week, even if he didn't understand the depth of her pain from that week, he was still willing to support her here and now, and that's what mattered.

"Warren... T-Thank you." Before she could burst out in tears of relief, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "That means the world to me. You don't even know."

Warren's wrapped around her back before hugging her tight, pulling her close. His warmth washed the cold loneliness from her; the tightness of his hug made her feel secure, as though she was being grounded from being whipped off into the wind. With him, she could weather this wild storm of grief.

With Warren here, she would be okay.

A/N: Hope it's alright! I'm really bad at angst and have to fight off the instinct immediately fall back into playful banter, but in my experience you can still find small moments to smile and joke even when going through a period of grief and loss. I had to rewrite several parts of this because I went way too far into the playful banter section, I feel, and that felt disrespectful to Chloe in a way.

Anyway, I've been wanting to work on a series of epilogue one shots after a sacrifice Chloe ending to see how Max is coping so keep an eye out for some additional stories from me. I'm thinking they'll loosely connect to one another but work completely independent of each other as well. :)