"We're gonna miss you."

"I know and I've come to terms with that."

"I... I wish you could stay. I never figured I'd be the one saying goodbye."

"Chloe - sometimes people have to move on. It's time for me and Sash to do just that."

"I respect that, I really do. It's gonna fucking hurt though."

"You'll get through it, Max will be there with you."

"Thanks. Thanks for everything Lonnie."

"Keep your head up. Maybe we'll meet again one day, who knows?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Here - have this. A parting gift. I don't need it anymore."

"Jesus... could you make me bawl anymore?"

"No I couldn't sweetheart."

With that they embraced for the last time.

Chloe watched as the old motorcycle rolled down the dirt road with the two women, disappearing into the darkness of the night moments later.

Already she missed Lonnie and Sasha.

"...-the bodies of two women - Lonnie Rinnegan and Sasha Cohort, aged 31 and 32 respectively, were found today at an old construction site in Portland. Chief of Police Steven McLachlan had issued a statement to the press earlier today, citing foul play as the most likely culprit behind-..."

Chloe threw her remote against the wall in anger, eyes shut forcefully - she didn't want to shed tears.

Max kept her arms locked around Chloe as she sat on her lap, not letting go as she herself cried.

'Keep your head up.'

"Frank, please - just this one last time."

"You're asking for the impossible here girlie."

"I know I am, but please... just try - just try and find something out, okay?"

"I... Fuck. Fine, I'll see about it."

"Thank you."

"This better not come back and bite me in the ass Price."

"It won't, I promise."

"...-Prescott."

"Are you serious?"

"Do I look like a fucking joker to you?"

"Jesus Christ."

"Yeah - now can I go?"

"Thank you. Thank you Frank."

"You're welcome. Now let me fuck off - and never call me again."

"Promise."

"Who's this?"

"This Nathan? Nathan Prescott?"

"Yeah, who's asking?"

Chloe slammed the payphone back down. Her hands took out the handgun and cocked it.

Moments later she stood outside the black 2011 Cadillac Escalade parked on the curb, the barrel pressed against the window.

"Burn in hell, Presbitch."

Chloe slammed the front door behind her, throwing her leather jacket off as she walked down the empty hallway.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah, it's me babe."

Max stuck her head out of the living room, her face holding an expression of confusion.

"Where were you?"

"Portland."

"Why?"

"I was paying my respects."

Chloe stood nearby with one hand on her hip, the other nursing a cigarette near her mouth, mindlessly tapping her foot as she watched the scene unfold in front of her.

A 30-something year old man, on his knees, begging for mercy - for life.

"Who the fuck sent you after us?"

"P-please I d-don't-"

Chloe watched as the gun whipped across his face, sending a rippling crunch around the abandoned warehouse they were standing in. It was very quickly followed by a loud groan of pain, mindless babbling as the blood continued to fill his mouth and now his lips.

"That's not the fucking answer!"

"I c-can't tell y-you-"

"BULLSHIT!"

"N-no, p-please... d-don't..."

Chloe watched the barrel press against his skull as his hands wildly tried to grasp at the set of legs in front of him.

"Five seconds."

"N-no!"

"Four."

"I can't tell you! He'll k-kill me!"

"Three."

"I can't! PLEASE! D-don't..."

"Two."

Chloe saw his face contort in defeat - he knew it was over.

"One," Rachel exclaimed as she pressed the barrel further to make a point, "Very well."

The gunshot rang out through the warehouse.

The body became devoid of life immediately, slumping down to the side as blood began to trickle out of the wound present on the forehead. With a quiet thud, it landed on the ground beside some debris, a crimson puddle forming in an instant around the head.

The air was heavy with tension, a dread that filled both their hearts, suffocating them slowly as the silence kept drawing on. It was always like this - the silence and dread, an aftermath to what had happened so many times before. This time it wasn't any different. A bad deal, loose lips, untrustworthy source - the rat had to be dealt, no matter who they were or what connections they had to the club.

"Motherfucker," the blonde breathed out and dropped her hand down beside her, finger drifting away from the trigger. "Another cunt too loyal for his own good."

"Whoever is sending them after us knows how to train their lapdogs," Chloe spoke, drawing on her cigarette slightly before exhaling the smoke through her nose. "Come on, let's get going."

Rachel quietly stood over the lifeless body, looking down at her handiwork. Her stomach didn't lurch, her heart didn't beat any faster than normal - this was all becoming casual to her. A decade spent living like this, killing people to survive, hurting them to get what you want to get ahead of everyone else.

It was the outlaw life.

"Rach, c'mon," Chloe called out again as she already stood near the door, taking another drag of her cigarette. Her eyes locked onto the body, not causing her any discomfort or distress - like Rachel, she was used to this.

The blonde slowly turned around and began to make her way over to her friend. "I wish we could just... ugh. This sucks."

"I know," was all that Chloe could muster right now as she began to walk out the door, Rachel following close behind.

They'd fallen on hard times since the DEA shutdown of a Portland based motorcycle club that closely associated with the Valkyries - there had been a constant issue they've been dealing with.

Rats.

For the past few months they've been plagued with unsuccessful deals, setups, snitches in their criminal world. It hurt the club - the income was no longer there, the once lucrative gun and drug trade no longer thriving in their small corner of the west coast. Why? They didn't know.

Chloe occasionally took a drag of her cheap cigarette as she walked towards her motorcycle - her old 1997 Dyna Super Glide. It was her baby, 1450cc of unadulterated, raw engine power. Custom chassis coupled with reinforced shock absorbers - a v-twin monster attached to it all. It's been hers for as long as she could remember, a gift from her father for her 17th - the last birthday that he had attended. Where he went, she never knew - her mother always left out the details whenever she asked. Whatever - that was 10 years ago. She mostly forgot all about him anyway. Mostly.

Her hand shifted up from her side, up her chest and below her leather jacket, running over the holster that held her trusty P226 - the parting gift from an old friend, a memory that refused to fade away. She exhaled a cloud of smoke beside her as she focused on the shape of the gun, running her fingers over the cold steel slightly.

Finally they arrived at the two parked motorcycles. Chloe swung her leg over hers, resting down - her hands gripping onto the handlebars momentarily. The V-Twin purred to life and promptly roared out, scaring the living shit out of nearby wildlife as she caught the glimpse of a bird flock fluttering out of the woods.

"Back to the club?" Chloe asked over the engine, shooting a glance at Rachel - the blonde had already mounted her own bike, a 2001 Harley Low Rider.

Rachel nodded and slumped forward slightly, leaning on her handlebars as her hazel eyes looked down at the dirt around them. "Yeah," she muttered, "Damnit - we gotta bring this up at the table again, have to stop dealing for real this time. Great, now we seriously have no money."

"You know, it's probably some fuckwads in NorCal - you know how they are up there," Chloe pointed out over the purr of her engine. "About the money... don't worry about it, okay? We have reserves, just ask Brooklyn to run the books and we'll be good for some time."

Chloe failed to notice how Rachel momentarily froze up at the mention of running the books, relaxing relatively quickly as to not bring suspicion to herself.

"You're right. Alright, let's get back then," Rachel replied, promptly bringing her own motorcycle to life and wasting no time in kicking away - spraying dirt behind her.

Chloe dropped her cigarette and kicked off herself, falling into formation behind the president.

With a twist of the key the engine had died down, the hog beside her following up seconds later. Chloe swung her legs over her bike and ran a hand through her electric blue hair, brushing strands out of her face as she looked down at the blonde sitting quietly on her hog. As if on cue, Rachel swung her own legs over her motorcycle and took her keys, placing her gaze on the bluenette looking back.

"What?" Rachel raised her eyebrow as she saw the concerned look on her VP's face.

"You sure you're okay with what just went down?" Chloe crossed her arms and locked eyes with Rachel, seeing the scowl developing before it even had appeared.

"I'm okay Chloe. This isn't the first time," Rachel murmured and ran a hand over her baggy eyes, "I'm used to this."

"I know, but this shit is taking a toll on you. Do you even sleep anymore?" Chloe looked over at the dingy bar they had parked outside - Miley's Tavern, the Valkyrie clubhouse.

"Yeah, I sleep - I just need a drink to knock me back into my senses." Rachel spun towards the bar and barged lightly past the punk biker without apologies.

"Sorry for trying to help, jeez." Chloe mumbled and followed up moments later.

The inside of the bar had followed the very same, rustic theme of the exterior. That is - shitty bar, shitty stools, shitty booths and shitty lighting. The only good thing was probably the stereo that Chloe had wired up years ago during renovations - even that was getting shitty real quick. Also alcohol. Maybe it wasn't good, but it wasn't shitty - it was mediocre at best.

"How you girls doing?" Miley called over from the bar, her hand gripping a rag as she swept it across the counters. The raven-haired woman was in her early 30's, slightly older than Chloe and Rachel, but not old enough that there wasn't a significant age gap. She wore her own leather jacket, 'Secretary' emblazoned on a black and gold patch near her breast pocket.

"Better," Rachel spoke and slumped herself down in a stool, looking back at the approaching bluenette.

"You deal with that thing then?" Miley lowered her voice and heard Rachel nod moments later.

"Yeah, one more for the count," Chloe murmured as she sat beside Rachel, hands on the wooden counter as she patiently awaited her beer.

Miley nodded and turned around, opening up the mini fridge and retrieving two bottles for the women. She stopped and took a third for herself - she was her own boss, nobody was going to tell her not to drink on the job anyway.

"Cheers," Chloe mumbled and snapped open her bottle on the edge of the counter, taking a long gulp. "Shit, this was exactly what I needed."

"You and me both," Rachel spoke as she sipped on her own beer, drowning her worries in the mediocre drink. "Where's Julie and Hannah?"

"They went out a few minutes before you rode up, said they needed to 'catch up' if you get me," Miley winked mid-sentence and saw Chloe gag on her beer.

"Fuck me," Chloe coughed out as her fist pounded at her chest to help herself.

"Pleasure," Rachel cooed and wrapped a hand around Chloe, pulling her in slightly.

"Fuck off," Chloe shot back and shuffled away immediately, ignoring the cackle she received from the blonde.

"Got it," Rachel spoke up through her laughter as Miley joined her.

Miley continued to wipe down the bartop whilst music quietly played out over the sound system in the bar. Chloe distracted herself with the counter, using the bottlecap to start scratching in random patterns into the aged wood - simply adding more detail to the vast array of graffiti already present.

"We're done cleanin' up missus."

Chloe raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar voice, she looked up towards the back door and noticed the small group of men in overalls standing awkwardly - brooms and rags in their hand.

"Oh, right! Perfect. Well, I already paid so you're free to go I suppose - thanks," Miley replied as she spun on her heels and faced the cleaning crew.

With a nod and a tip of their caps, they left the bar quietly.

"What the hell was that?" Chloe asked, looking back at Miley with a confused expression.

Miley smiled and moved out from behind the counter. "Just a crew I hired to cleanup the back room - I couldn't be bothered y'know."

"Miles - Jesus, did you at least clear the documents?" Rachel exclaimed with a tinge of frustration present in her voice.

"What the hell do you think? I'm the secretary, of course I cleared the damn documents," Miley shot back as she bent over one of the tables, beginning to wipe it down with her rag, "I'm not that stupid."

"Questionable." Chloe smirked and took another sip of her cheap beer.

With an eyeroll, Miley focused on wiping down the tables again. "We got church this weekend?"

"Yeah, same time as always. We've got some shit to discuss, make sure you're there, yeah?" Rachel pointed her beer at Miley accusingly, knowing that the raven-haired woman was infamous for always being late.

"Me not being there? Please - I may be late, but I'm always there," Miley called back and resumed her chores, going from table to table as she silently scrubbed away the dust gathering on the wood. The Tavern wasn't such a popular haunt in Arcadia - the presence of the Valkyries ensured that. Yet that had been a boon to them - less eyes and ears to catch onto stray words.

Rachel looked over at Chloe and saw the bluenette distracted as she absentmindedly resumed her carvings into the wood with her bottlecap.

"You alright?" Rachel asked and put her hand on Chloe's shoulder, the touch almost startling the distracted punk.

"Y-yeah. Just thinkin'," Chloe replied and dropped her bottle cap, finishing her beer in a few more gulps and slamming the bottle back down on the counter.

"Need a refill?" Miley spoke up as she approached, throwing the rag over her shoulder and gazing at her vice-president.

"Nawh, I'm good. Gonna hit the town, dial me up if you need me." Chloe promptly got up from her stool and left the bar moments later without waiting for a reply.

Rachel's eyes followed the bluenette on her way out, letting out a sigh after she left - hands resting on the counter.

"Whats up with her?" Miley asked and sipped on her own beer, leaning in towards the blonde slightly.

"Max," the blonde simply stated and saw Miley's expression change to slight concern.

"Uh - is everything...?"

"Yeah, yeah. They've just... not been having the greatest time recently. That's what she told me anyway," Rachel confessed and sipped on her own beer to calm herself. Miley nodded and followed it up with a few sips of her own, staring towards the door that Chloe had left through.

"The club?" Miley muttered and saw Rachel nod again.

"Max has never been real supportive of what we do, y'know?" Rachel gestured with a flick of her head towards the hidden holster in her jacket, receiving an understanding smile from Miley.

"I get it."

"Chloe told me that they've been fighting more and more - it sucks for her," Rachel continued as she tapped the bottom of her bottle on the counter to distract herself. "I... I don't think recent times have helped their relationship either. All this business with the rats, bad deals... It's a bit too much for Max I think."

"Understandable - she's a photography geek and her girlfriend is a BAMF biker chic who kills people for a living."

"Yeah."

Riding had always calmed her down. Feeling the wind against her skin, hair fluttering behind her, the roaring sound of the v-twin hog just below her. It was perfect. It was even better when she had Max wrapped around behind her, holding on for dear life as the brunette had always been worried about falling off the motorcycle. Then again - she forgot what that felt like anymore. That hurt in more ways than one.

She ran her hands over her handlebars as she stopped at an intersection, adjusting her jacket slightly so the three piece would be proudly displayed on her back. The Valkyries were her life for the past decade - ever since she had met Rachel, got involved with the local scene in Portland, was introduced to the myriad of activities they had performed. It was perfect for a free spirit like Chloe - there was always the call to ride, sisterhood amongst all the people involved, tight bonds forged in all kinds of situations.

There was also the money. It was dangerous - Chloe had been in an array of situations where she was ready to give up, was prepared to die, prepared to go to jail. It was a risk she was willing to take to provide a good life for her girlfriend, despite the protests from the photographer.

The siren blared out behind her, snapping the bluenette out of her daze as she shot a glance behind her.

Anderson Berry.

"Fuck," Chloe mumbled and revved her engine, pulling off from the intersection and onto the side of the road - the cruiser following closely behind.

Chloe kept her gaze forward as she flicked the keys in her ignition, hearing the cruiser behind her kill its own engine. She had a chance to get away right now - her motorcycle would allow her to slip through alleyways in Arcadia that the Crown Victoria would struggle with. No - that was stupid. Everyone knew who she was anyway, she'd only rack up unneeded jail time and piss off Max further.

"Mornin' Price," Berry spoke up as he approached the biker, his hands resting on the utility belt as he kept one precariously close to his holster.

"What the fuck do you want?" Chloe seethed out as she kept her eyes forward, not wanting to meet the officers gaze.

"A little bit of politeness wouldn't kill you." Berry shook his head at the choice of language used, moving his head around to check the street. A few heads had turned towards them - a member of the Valkyrie's being pulled over had the unfortunate effect of attracting trouble. It didn't help that this particular member was the vice-president.

"I don't need to be polite to you or the rest of your shitheads. Now what the fuck do you want?" Chloe looked to her side and shot a glance at Berry.

"Just pulling you over cause it seemed you were out of it - the light had turned green twice. " Berry scanned over the punk on her bike, his stare lingering over the motorcycle a bit longer than Chloe would've liked.

"So what if I was out of it? You got a problem with my hog too?" Chloe shot out and adjusted in her seat, gripping onto the handlebars. She was quick to anger, a short fuse that had been a big hinderance for her.

"No - I suggest you tone yourself down before I drag your ass down to the station again." Berry frowned and tightened his grip around his belt, correcting his posture to stand just a few more millimetres taller.

"Pfft. Whatever. Now you gonna let me go or what?" Chloe was already resting a hand on her ignition, knowing that Berry didn't have the balls to arrest her without backup - she was far too much trouble against one officer.

"Watch yourself, I don't want to be pulling you over again - hear me?" Berry pointed a finger down at Chloe as she flicked the key, the engine roaring loudly and drowning out half of his sentence.

"Yeah, fuck off!" Chloe held out her middle-finger towards Berry as she rode away with a smirk.

Max adjust the camera on the stand, focusing on the model that had stood still in front of her. Her lips were sealed as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought, tapping her finger on her chin to keep herself distracted - grounded to reality whilst she kept thinking.

"Hm... Tori, can you come here?" Max called out and heard the shuffling behind her. Moments later she was joined by a taller, pixie-cut blonde.

"What is it?" Victoria asked as she looked down at Max, the camera and then the female model that stood quietly against the white backdrop.

"Do you think this angle is good or…?" Max asked and moved out of the way, allowing Victoria to go over the equipment herself to check it.

"Well... It seems good, yeah." Victoria nodded after a tiny adjustment that wasn't caught by the brunette.

"A-alright. Thanks." Max nodded and moved back in towards the camera as her and Victoria swapped places again.

The photo snaps began around the room moments later as Max went to work. Victoria watched for a few seconds before turning back around and leaving the back room, taking up her space at the front desk and starting to sort the next set of appointments for herself and her brunette co-worker.

Max continued to take pictures of the model as her muse changed positions - she had taken great care to not ruin the angle she set, worrying a bit too much that it might ruin her shots. Minutes passed in silence as the only sound heard in the back room was the sound of the camera snapping away. Soft music played over the speakers that were installed around the studio - an idea suggested by Victoria when they were still planning the place years ago.

"We should be done," Max spoke up and stood up from behind the camera, smiling towards the young model she had been taking pictures off. "I'll upload these real quick and we'll go through them."

Ten minutes later the studio had been only occupied by Max and Victoria, their client having left after choosing her favourite stills from the photoshoot.

"Max? Can I speak to you for a sec?" Victoria asked as she entered the back room, seeing the distracted brunette staring into blank space behind the equipment which still wasn't cleared away.

"H-huh? Mm, yeah - sure." Max nodded and detached the camera from the tripod.

"Are you alright? Like... seriously alright?" Victoria leaned against the arched doorframe leading into the room, watching Max clear away the equipment. Moments later she was met with the gaze of the brunette, their eyes meeting halfway as Max looked slightly confused.

"Uh - What do you mean?" Max raised her eyebrow and stopped in her tracks, facing Victoria.

"It's just that... you've been really distracted recently." Victoria nodded through her speech and crossed her arms, looking away from Max and towards the floor awkwardly. "Well... not recently. You've been like this for a few months."

"Oh. Right. Uhm. I'm fine - thanks for asking." Max deflected the question and resumed her task, hearing the quiet sigh escape Victoria's lips.

"No you're not," Victoria simply pointed out and held up her head, her face turning into a frown.

"No, seriously - I a-"

"Max, don't lie to me - I can tell when you're bullshitting Caulfield." Victoria stomped her foot down to catch the brunette's attention - it worked.

"I... I-Is it that obvious?" Max lowered her head, followed by her voice as she spoke under her nose.

"Yes, it is." Victoria moved out from the doorframe and towards the leather couch in the back, a part of the set that was setup for a regular client of the blonde. She sat herself down and patted the seat beside her, looking towards Max. "Come on, sit down."

"I-"

"Sit down," Victoria sternly voiced out and saw Max drop her shoulders in defeat.

The brunette slumped herself down beside the pixie-cut blonde, crossing her arms and lulling her head back against the black leather - eyes closed as she took in a few deep breaths. Victoria watched Max go through the motions with a slight concern on her face, her own legs and arms crossed over as she made herself comfortable.

"What's been going on?" Victoria spoke quietly as one of her hands drifted up to Max's shoulder, lazily resting down.

"J-just... stuff."

"What stuff?" Victoria pressured the brunette as she knew that she wouldn't let up unless a bit of coercion was used.

"Stuff."

"Max."

"Ugh... fine. It's... It's me and-..."

"...-Chloe?" Victoria finished the sentence for Max and heard her nod in an instant.

"Yeah. We haven't been having the greatest time recently. A few weeks. Uhm. Actually, make that a few months." Max corrected herself and pulled up her hands to her face, running them over as she forced her eyes open.

"Let me guess - club stuff?" Victoria guessed correctly as she was met with another nod.

"Y-yeah. Club stuff." Max slumped forward and kept her face in her hands, doing her best not to break up over her issues with Chloe.

It's true - they haven't been having the greatest time in their relationship. Chloe had been getting more and more distant from Max for the past few months - not coming home sometimes, completely staying out of contacts for days at a time. It worried the brunette because she knew there was an underlying problem to it all and she suspected it had something to do with what she was doing in the motorcycle club.

What was worse was the truth that Max knew. Chloe was involved in shady shit - things that she refused to talk to Max about, no matter how hard she pried. Not that she pried too hard - she was afraid Chloe would snap, shout at her or perhaps worse. She was a loose canon for the past few years - Lonnie's death had hit her hard and she'd never been the same.

"Uh-huh. Have you talked?" Victoria ran her hand up and down her friend's shoulder to calm her down a bit, hearing the meek nod in return.

"We have. We don't get anywhere at all." Max ran her hands over her temples - she was getting a headache just thinking about all the issues they had. "I don't push her much... sometimes she scares me."

"Why?"

"Remember Lonnie and her girlfriend?" Max looked to her side and saw Victoria form an 'o' with her mouth as she began to put the pieces together. "Yeah. She... she hasn't been the same since. Distant. It was bearable in the beginning but now... now it's h-heartbreaking."

"Does she hit you?" Victoria was afraid to ask, growing quiet the moment the words escaped her mouth.

"No! Dog, no." Max quickly moved in to recover the situation as she realised what it must've sounded like. "She's sweet when she wants to be. Like I said though - the past few months have been... hard. Really, really fucking hard."

Silence filled the room for just a few moments as Max did her best to hold back the tears.

"I just... I just wish she'd drop all this bullshit with the club and pick up something else," Max confessed as she continued to rub her temples to work away the slight pain.

"You did fall in love with a pretty die-hard punk biker," Victoria pointed out with a smirk and saw Max drop her head further.

"I-I guess..." Max scrunched up her face and let out a sigh. "H-half the shit the does though... I... I'm just scared. Scared that one day I'll come home, find the cops waiting or something. I don't want that to happen."

"Tell her then." Victoria squeezed Max's shoulder to reassure the girl.

"Should I? What... What if she blows up at me or something?" Max dropped one hand onto her knee and began to trace random shapes to distract herself.

"I doubt that'll happen," Victoria continued through her smile. A quiet fell upon the room for just a split-second as a loud yet muffled roar of an engine sounded outside the studio. "Well - speak of the devil."

"S-shit," Max muttered and shot up from the couch, looking over at the archway leading towards the front of the studio.

"Go on, don't keep her waiting - I'll close down today." Victoria stood up next to Max and squeezed her shoulder again.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go." Victoria shoved Max towards her stuff slightly with a smirk, seeing the brunette nearly stumble.

"Right. Go. Got it," Max mumbled and wandered over to her old camera-bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she grabbed her coat and car keys.

Max wandered out from the back room with her head down, not wanting to meet the gaze of the biker punk who was obviously waiting right outside. Her hand pushed the door open as she was hit with the cold sea air, the salty sting ever so present as she stopped for a second. At first she had wanted to turn towards Chloe - to run up, to hug her, kiss her, talk to her. Instead she turned to her right and began to walk towards her car.

"H-hey! Max!" Chloe called out as she saw the change of direction from her girlfriend.

Almost stumbling over her bike, the bluenette shot up, her legs doing their best to keep her upright as she jogged over towards the brunette walking away.

"Max!" Chloe called again as she approached the girl, slowing herself down as she saw Max stop.

"W-what?" Max shot back but didn't turn around, holding her grip on her camera bag to steel her nerves. Okay - this was not how it was meant to start, she thought to herself and let out a mental sigh.

"D-don't be like this. Please." Chloe walked up and stood directly behind her slightly shorter girlfriend, looking down at her.

"Don't be like what, Chloe?" Max turned around and met her girlfriend's gaze. They held their eyesight on each other for a moment, ignoring the awkward silence that followed.

"Listen, can... can we talk?"

"Talk then."

"Not here. Come with me?" Chloe held out her hand towards Max, seeing the brunette drop her gaze down towards it. She nodded and gestured Chloe forward - refusing to take her hand.

"Lead the way," Max spoke and saw Chloe's expression turn grim when she refused to take her hand. The biker turned around and began to lead them towards the old motorcycle parked up directly outside the photography studio.

"Hop on." Chloe swung her leg over the bike and sagged in the seat, looking up at the brunette standing quietly beside her.

"Chloe-"

"Max, just please hop on," Chloe pleaded and waited a few seconds before Max relented. The punk handed over her helmet to her girlfriend, deciding to ride without hers as she hadn't kept a spare on her bike for quite some time.

The engine sparked to life moments later as Chloe kicked the bike backwards. She waited for a few seconds before the two petite hands clasped around her waist, holding on tight. The motorcycle shot down the street as Chloe set a destination in her head.

The wind had picked up the further she had walked up the dirt path to the lighthouse - the trees had begun to sway as they creaked around her. She was forced to hide both her hands in her pockets as she chilly wind kept biting against whatever exposed skin it could find. Maybe going to the lighthouse in this weather wasn't such a smart idea. Her eyes drifted up as they saw the faraway silhouette of the brunette that had come with Chloe - Max had leapt ahead of the biker as she didn't want to speak to her for the longest time, wanting to delay their talk as long as possible.

Upon reaching the top of the hill she dropped her hands out of her pockets and looked out over sight below - Arcadia bay in all its shitty glory. She sighed and continued to walk towards the bench, eyes resting on the brunette already sitting quietly with her arms crossed and hoodie pulled up over her hair.

Chloe awkwardly stood nearby as she wasn't sure whether or not Max would allow her to sit down beside her, considering her attitude for the past week. Chloe had been forced to sleep on the couch since their last argument over a week ago - it was pretty shitty and she never caught a good amount of rest, resulting in her being pissed off in the clubhouse more so than usual.

"Well, are you going to sit down or what?" Max broke the silence but kept staring forward, shuffling slightly to show Chloe where she had wanted her.

The biker slumped down beside the girl and crossed her own arms, letting her head fall back onto the hard, wooden backrest with a quiet thud - her eyes closed as she was unsure how to continue.

"So," Chloe began and stopped.

That was it. She didn't even think this conversation through at all - she just wanted to talk to Max.

"So what?" Max allowed for some contact between the two of them as their thighs touched, providing a tiny bit of warmth on the cold day.

"I... Shit, I don't know Max. I don't know where to begin." Chloe opened her eyes and slung forward on the bench, dropping her hands onto her knees as she looked down at the ground below. "I'm sorry."

Max looked over at her girlfriend sulkily looking down, a wave of guilt crashing into her. She suppressed it down as she knew that their relationship problems weren't just her fault - Chloe was as guilty as her. A part of her wanted to reach out right now, wanted to hug her and tell her its it's fine. She suppressed that too.

"For what?" Max asked and kept her eyes locked on the bluenette. Chloe ran her hands through her hair and ignored the sting against her cheeks.

"For everything. For us. For the club. For what I said," Chloe confessed and looked up from the floor, instead focusing on the waves of the ocean ahead. She heard the crashing of the violent waves far below, as violent as herself if given the circumstances. "I've been a shitty girlfriend."

Max couldn't keep being mad at Chloe.

"Me too." Max sighed and looked up ahead also, shivering slightly as her thin hoodie barely provided cover from the howling wind.

"You've nothing to be-"

"Yes I do." Max stopped Chloe in her tracks as they both met in a gaze, "I haven't been easy on you at all. I've been making ultimatums, pushing you around, shouting and screaming and whatever else-"

"I know you're worried." Chloe kept her eyes locked with Max's as she spoke.

"I'm not worried. I'm fucking scared, " Max corrected Chloe as she kept their eyes focused on each other. She didn't want to abandon this connection - it was the closest thing to intimacy they had for the past few months.

Chloe finally broke the moment and looked back over the bay. She knew exactly of what Max was scared of - she didn't need to tell her. Chloe was scared too but she just didn't show it. She couldn't show it.

"I'm scared that one day I'll come back home and find the cops waiting for me. I'm scared they'll tell me you're in prison, arrested or even worse - d-dead." Max choked back a sob as she let herself explain what she was feeling. "Scared that you'll never come back to me, our last day together consisting of us arguing and slamming doors on each other."

Max ran her hands up to her face and wiped away the tears, not wanting to completely break down as she had wanted to hold a conversation with Chloe about their issues. Crying wasn't going to solve that.

"I'm fucking terrified." Max blinked away a few tears and looked up at the gray sky, focusing on the slow moving clouds up above. There was a serene, calming sensation that their movements had provided for her - it cleared her head relatively quickly.

"Well... what do you want me to do?" Chloe asked quietly as she already knew the answer.

"Don't get yourself killed."

"Max, I can't really-," Chloe began as she stood up from the bench, meandering away for a moment.

"Yes you can."

"How?" Chloe spun around and placed her hands on her hips, looking down at her girlfriend.

"You know exactly how," she bluntly replied and frowned at Chloe. She hated when the biker was being this difficult. They both knew the answer but Chloe had always played stupid, played coy. It annoyed the fuck out of Max.

"I can't leave the club," Chloe replied with a stern tone as she kept her posture, eyes locked with Max.

"Yes you fucking can!" Max shot back as she began to lean forwards, not breaking their gaze as her hands rested beside her on the wooden bench.

"It's not that easy-"

"Why? Why isn't it easy for you to leave, huh?" Max shot up from the bench and pointed an accusatory finger at Chloe.

"Max, I'm the fucking VP! I can't just up and leave on a whim! I have responsibilities!" Chloe raised her own voice as she took a step towards her girlfriend, her fists clenched in anger. Her short fuse was burning out.

"They're more important than your fucking girlfriend? More important than me?" Max stepped forward and shoved Chloe away slightly, the prick of tears already present in her eyes.

"Yeah, they fucking are!" Chloe spat out.

In an instant she felt her brain go into emergency mode, her heart thumping away in her chest. What the fuck did she just say?

"O-oh." Max's voice was feeble as she processed what Chloe had just said.

"S-shit, Max I didn't-"

"You know what - d-don't even bother." Max held up her hand in defeat, smiling wide as she wasn't sure how to proceed anymore - her emotions were melting over one another as she didn't even know what she was feeling.

Max turned on her heel and began to stomp away down the path to the beach parking lot. Chloe immediately followed behind.

"Max, wait-"

"J-just leave me alone!"

"Please, don't go - I fucked up!"

"Y-yeah, you fucked up alright. What else is new?" Max stopped and span around on her heel, instead beginning an assault on the punk biker. "That should be name of your f-fucking biography! 'Chloe Price - I f-fucked up.' "

Chloe felt shove after shove as Max continued her assault.

"You've always put your shitty club over me! Always! I gave you so many f-fucking chances... I don't even know why."

Chloe's heart clenched in her chest as the words pierced her. It was true.

"Always club this or club that. I don't even..- I was so fu-fucking tired but I kept going, thinking that o-one day you'll c-change..." Max was in tears now as her shoves were more pathetic the further she went on. She was positive that at this point Chloe was simply stepping back to allow Max to make a point. "I t-thought a-after... a-after Lonnie..."

Chloe dropped her hands beside her as Max stopped her shoving, instead clenching onto the leather jacket the punk was wearing.

"I-I... I just wanted u-us. T-that's all I wanted. N-not your club, n-not your money. Us." Max let out a defeated sob as she clenched onto the leather jacket that she hated so much. The leather jacket that she loved so much. The one that made Chloe, Chloe.

"M-Max-," Chloe began as the brunette moved closer, holding onto the leather jacket as she buried her face into the punk's chest.

"Please-...," Max's muffled voice echoed out between her sobs as she held on for dear life, not wanting to let go of the jacket she had her grip on, "...-j-just leave them."

Chloe felt powerless. There was no winning in this situation. She had loved her club, loved the sisterhood it had provided for her for so many years - the connections she had made, the people she met, the places she visited. But she loved Max. She loved her more than the club but she couldn't bring herself to chose between the two, even though the answer was right here - sobbing into her chest, holding on like she had for so many years.

Her hands slowly wrapped around Max and pulled her into an embrace, one hand running through the chestnut hair to soothe the girl.

"I'll d-do it." Chloe moved her head down and left a lingering kiss on Max's hair, heart thumping in her chest as she made her choice. Max simply let go of Chloe's jacket and wrapped her own hands around the punk's waist, giving her a long squeeze.

"R-really?" Max spoke quietly and heard the nod from above.

"Yeah. I'll leave the club for you." Chloe kissed Max's hair again, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath.

"Us."

"Us," Chloe corrected herself with a smile, "J-just... give me a few months, okay? I need to tie everything up, let Rach know-"

"Chloe-"

"Please... I need this, okay? I need to finish everything I've started. I promise we'll leave in a few months," Chloe reinforced her point as she looked down at Max. She herself moved away from the burrow she made on Chloe's chest, looking up at the punk through her reddened eyes.

"Three m-months. I'm l-leaving afterwards." Max made her ultimatum.

"Three months is all I need baby." Chloe smiled and met Max halfway down, their lips brushing against one another as they kissed.

Chloe Price had three months to tie up all loose ends.

Not that she had many.

She just wanted more time.

A/N:

Wowsers, long time no see y'all!

I've finally decided to start posting my stuff on Fanfiction again after publishing a considerable amount of work on AO3 - mostly due to the fact that I find the AO3 layout to be more user-friendly than FF.

I'm going to keep this short, so here goes. Before anyone asks, yes, this story is finished - the entire thing is published over on my AO3 account (also conveniently named WinTTY), I will be posting two-three chapters a day just to get the full thing released on here as well. I've got a number of other fics I've yet to post on here to if you're not a user of AO3, keep an eye out. I will still be mostly active on AO3, just a heads up if I don't reply to reviews/PM's immediately.

Interesting AU, no? I love bikers, outlaw culture and Pricefield - bite me. I promise things get better later on, the early chapters are still rather flimsy compared to future content ;)

Enjoy! I'll probably skip out on Author Notes in future chapters unless I need to address reviews or explain terminology used.

- :) WinTTY