It was dark… Max could hear voices… Familiar, yet so distant. Slowly opening her eyes, she peered sleepily to the sounds. There was a tall, blurry figure in her doorway. She could see it nod its head, to whatever other person was there before slowly shutting to door and turning back around. Oh… It was a rather disheveled Chloe Elizabeth Price in front of her door… And coming back towards the bed…

She had apparently noticed her awakening, for she called out to her. "You sleep okay there, miss Caulfield?" Chloe bowed her upper torso slightly, raising her her head to look upon the sleepy features of Max.

The Seattle trip had been one helluva hassle, with the pair having to drive instead of any other means… Which wasn't all bad. It wasn't that trip to Portland, but, hey, it was something. It had been a week since arriving back to Max's mom and dad's place and it had been rather calm… Aside from Arcadia Bay being ALL over every major news outlet for days now, as scientists and nutjobs try to make sense and reason about the mess that wiped out that small coastal town in Oregon…

Chloe had been telling Max not to think about it for a while, just for a while… They'd talk about it more soon. She just wanted them to settle back down, catch their collective breaths, and hell, take Chloe around so she could see the sights and sounds of Seattle… Max had begrudgingly agreed but… The thoughts and nightmares still flooded each night.

"Maaaaax… Maaaaax…" Chloe waved her right hand in photographer's sleepy, yet thoughtful face, snapping Max right out of her inner mental dwellings.

"O-oh… Sorry… Hey, Chloe. How long was I out for?" The younger of the pair finally sat herself up, which let Chloe sit herself at the foot of the bed.

"Eh, not too long, an hour or two. Talked with your mom just now. She was concerned for some weird reason, I told her I got your back. She said your dad went out for Burger King or something. " Chloe replied lazily, moving her right hand in a dismissive manner. "I'm all for cheapo hamburgers right now, how about you?"

"Mhm…" Max was still mildly groggy, rubbing her freckle speckled cheeks slightly. This made the young punk chuckle slightly.

"Guess I can't get anything outta you now, hm? That's alright, you can always give me a kiss to wake you up… After all, I'm Prince fucking Charming." She wiggled her eyebrows afterwards, which made Max giggle and lean in, pecking the punk on her lips.

"I don't think I'm some princess." Max spoke once she pulled away, leaning her back against the headboard of her bed. Chloe put an index finger to her chin, tapping it three times before replying.

"Nah… You're more like… Hm. A mage, maybe. I don't think you could… Uh, what's it called again?" The punk questioned.

"What called again?" The photographer raised a brow, leaning forward slightly to look at Chloe more closely in this dim room.

"The other name for like, a fucking warrior class…"

"A tank? You're saying I couldn't be a tank?" Max pouted slightly.

"Yep. Too… Short." Chloe snickered, which made Max punch her tattooed arm, which made her laugh more. "Oh, man, you can't even punch hard! Definitely no warrior here."

"Says the pirate." Max snorted, reaching a hand up to ruffle Chloe's mess of blue locks.

"Shiver me timbers, Mad Max… I'd be a roguish pirate with hella booty… You're the booty…" The blue haired girl grabbed the hand of the other, pressing her lips to the palm of the other's hand. This made the brown haired girl blush like a madman… Heh, I guess she was Mad Max.

"Jesus Chloe…" She shook her head, moving herself to lean against the other's slightly taller frame.

"Yeeeah, yeah… Dunno how to handle my flirting yet, I know. That'll come in no time. Hm… You look mildly bored there… Wanna listen to some, like, Black Keys or something?"

"Didn't know you like music like that. Just yesterday, you were telling me how badass Black Flag and Amebix were." She felt arms wrap around her petite frame and give her a squeeze, feeling the body against her shake with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, I listen to all sorts of rad shit. I don't always listen to the same stuff, you're just stuck on the indie, grunge, alternative jams. Still not ready for the mosh pit, shaka brah." Patting Max's back, she felt her huff, causing her to grin so wide. "Oh, Maxine, don't get so mad, bro."

"Max. Not-"

"Max, not Maxine. I know better, dude. You're just all sleepy and grumpy and it's hella cute. If you're still tired, Chloe Price is here to be your personal pillow. I'll wake you up when your lumberjack looking dad comes back with our munchies." Hm… Hard to argue all that. Slowly, she buried her face into the crook of her neck, feeling herself drift off into soft sleepy rest.

Until she felt her eyes open… Hazy, blinding light around her. She was standing, but felt as if she was going to collapse. "Where… Am I? Chloe?" Her voice was a simple, dry murmur. She stumbled forward, feeling her left hand press against a wall. The haze cleared. There was a simple oak table, two matching chairs. The rest of the room was foggy, still in a haze. Furrowing her brow, she stumbled to one of those said chairs, breathing a sigh of relief. She felt better in this chair, like a weight was gone for just one second.

"Hello, Max." She suddenly rose her cranium up, eyes wide as she glanced across from herself… No. It couldn't be…

"Kate?" Her voice was shaky as she looked upon the face of her dead friend, Kate looking unfazed as she took a drink of something from a simple china cup, holding the saucer with a delicate hand.

"Hello. I wondered when I'd see you here. I wanted us to have that cup of tea we never got to have together." Max glanced down at the table in front of her, and sure enough, there was a simple cup of tea, she could smell it. She shakily picked it up, taking a sip. ...Tasted real enough.

"Kate, but you're…" Her religious friend's eyes fixated upon her. She froze.

"I could be, I couldn't be. I'm probably just a guilty figment of your imagination, Max. Because, you know…" This faker Kate took yet another sip, placing the china down gently on this oak table.

"I know… Why are you here, why now?" Max wanted to guzzle her tea down quick like, but didn't, she couldn't. She just wanted to calm herself.

"Because you should know that, you've probably ripped time apart with the mass deaths of everything and everyone in Arcadia Bay. You rejected fate, Max. You have Chloe, the one you love, but at what cost? My life, Warren, Joyce, David, Frank and his cute dog… You have killed them all, for her… Why Max? Why defy what's considered destiny?" Max felt her face pale, felt her thin fingers quiver under this questioning.

"I didn't want… To lose her again… Kate, do you know what it's like, seeing so many possible outcomes, but most of them end in your best friend dying? I had no choice… She's one of the few things I've got left… " Kate sighed gently, raising her head up slightly more to look her over.

"So you say, Max. You had a choice there, on that cliff with Chloe and that photograph. You let everyone die, for her. Was it worth it?" Max took in a breath, blue eyes watering ever so slightly… She was going to be strong. None of this was real. This foggy room, this Kate, even the fucking tea was fake. She didn't have to play into this bullshit.

"I didn't lose Chloe… I've got to live with what I decided, we both do, for the rest of our lives. It's our burden to bear on our backs till we die." Kate smiled, it was so plastic and fake, it made Max's chest tighten with hurt.

"So shall it be, Max." Immediately, the room grew black as night itself and Max felt her throat tighten, whispers of angry voices growing around her as Kate's form turned a shadowy shade, her eyes glowing a blinding white as the photographer felt numerous hands pull and tug on her frame in the chair. She screamed but not a goddamn word came out. She felt her frame roughly shake and closed her eyes tight, opening them to see the concerned face of Chloe Elizabeth Price, feeling her warm hand upon her cheeks, feeling thumbs wipe away her falling tears.

"Max! Fuck, you started moving around and crying in your sleep… Scared the shit outta me… Damn…" Chloe moved to hold the smaller girl against her frame so tight, kissing the side of her head. "What did you dream about? What was that bad? Did you have flashbacks about Jeffershit? Oh fuck, Max…" Max just clung tight… This was going to be a long fucking night.