A/N: Reading the comments people left on my story 'To Carry On', I wanted to include a little more fluff. Max and Chloe deserve it, after all.
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"I can't sleep." Chloe's comment was matter of fact. It was late Sunday, or maybe already early Monday. Max was in the same state, but hoped Chloe would try to fall back to sleep on her own. It had been a hectic day for both of them, and tomorrow would be even busier. Joyce and and William would have to get them up at 5am if they were going to make it to Crescent City before noon.
Awake for the time being, Max let her mind retrace the last twenty-four hours. William and Joyce had taken the news better than well. It was almost as if they expected it. Max smiled. Her own parents, though...Max bit her lip. In a way she had to blame herself. Up until now she hadn't mentioned anything about becoming Chloe's girlfriend. After a long, and mostly awkward conversation, they understood, even if it wasn't completely the way Max wanted. "You're just doing this for Chloe, right?" Vanessa, Max's mom, had asked.
There would be time for that, though, Max figured. After...Max blinked hard, and pushed those thoughts out of her mind. That's not what today was about.
"Maaaaxxx," Chloe's tone was playful. She was awake.
Max stretched her body along the squeaky rollaway. "I'm up, I'm up." Max reached for the bedside lamp. She checked her phone: 2:45am. "You sleep at all, Chlo?"
"A little bit. Too excited."
Max sat up, and smiled sheepishly. "Me too." It seemed so surreal now that all the preparations were done. On Sunday Max had gone off by herself to buy the wedding bands. There was no proper jewelry store in Arcadia Bay, but an aging K-Mart on the city's edge that had a small jewelry section. The steel rings were only $27, well within their $40 budget. "Don't blow your wad," Chloe had insisted.
William had the honor of buying sparkling wine. He, in fact, had blown his wad. "I just had to get it," William had said, defending himself in front of his wife. "The guy at the store said if Jesus turned water into wine, this was the wine." A $60 bottle of Pol Roger chilled in the Prices' fridge between the leftovers and baloney.
"How was baking with your mom?" Max asked as she stood up to stretch.
"The cake's gonna be the bomb." A familiar sly smile grew on Chloe's face.
"What you guys do?" Max asked in mock seriousness.
"Well," Chloe began in her most innocent voice, "It is a chocolate cake after all. I just suggested to mom that we include just a little bit of my...special chocolate in the frosting."
Max smirked. "You two made a pot cake."
"Pot frosting," Chloe corrected. "You don't have to eat yours. And it was just one piece from the bar."
Max couldn't help but laugh. She looked over at the dresser. Laid out were their clothes. Max had spent an hour in her dorm closet at Blackwell picking out the right things. Even after so much anxiety, it came down to jeans, blouse, and a cardigan. Chloe's outfit was similar. The only thing she insisted on was a green scarf to cover up her tracheotomy tube.
"What time is it?" Chloe asked.
"Almost three."
"Hmmm. Maybe if you read to me a little, I'd get back to sleep."
"You're on."
Though Chloe fell back asleep almost immediately, Max continued to read to herself. At 4:30, still pitch black outside, she heard Joyce and William start moving around upstairs. The shower ran, but thankfully the noise didn't wake Chloe.
"Mornin', Max," Joyce whispered as she entered Chloe's bedroom a few minutes later. She was in her robe, her hair was still damp.
"Good morning, Joyce," Max replied, setting the book in her lap. "Want me to wake Chloe."
"No, I'll get her up in a little bit. Go take a shower and get some coffee in you."
Max gathered her clothes and headed upstairs.
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"Geez, Dad, we're not going to the moon!"
"Blame your mother," William said as he packed the third box of 'just in case' medical supplied into the van. Chloe had been waiting (now enduring) twenty minutes in the van.
"Let them be," Max whispered, squeezing Chloe's hand.
At 7:00am the Prices (along with the soon to be member of their family) set off, William behind the wheel. Within minutes they were driving south on the 101. Early morning fog gave way to blue sky and an excellent view of the ocean. Max and Chloe silently watched the coastline roll by. Max only talked when Chloe did, which was only two or three times in the nearly four hour journey.
Max's camera sat on her lap throughout the trip. "It's cool if want to lean over me to take a pic," Chloe said.
"Just waiting for the right moment."
The right moment came just as the car crossed the Oregon/California border. The smile that spread across Chloe's face...
CLICK
"Got ya," Max said, shaking the picture after it popped out of the camera.
"Nerd." Chloe blushed. "You gonna let me see it?"
Max held up the picture. Chloe, in profile, looked out at the ocean. Max had framed it so that none of Chloe's tubes were visible, nor would anyone ever tell that she was in a wheelchair.
A half smile formed on Chloe's face. "That's a good one, Caulfield."
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Max nervously tapped her foot as she and Chloe waited in line. The county office had only two windows to take care of a variety of civic services.
"Getting cold feet?" Chloe teased. "Don't try to run, this chair can go pretty fast."
"I bet it can."
The older woman at the window waved them over.
"We want to get hitched," Chloe immediately said.
"Are you both over eighteen?"
"Yes."
"Do you both have government ID?"
"Yes."
"Please fill out this form and return it to the window." Handing a clipboard to Max, she glanced at Chloe, and showed just a bit of human emotion. "If you would like, miss, a clerk can notarize the form in lieu of you signing it."
"Nope." Chloe shook her head. "Too important for that." Max shot her a quizzical look. "Don't worry, I got this."
Max took the form over to a waiting area, Chloe following behind her. Filling it out took less than five minutes.
"Well?" Max asked after she had signed her name at the bottom.
Chloe opened her mouth. "Ahhh."
"Really..." Max rolled her eyes. "Gross." She sighed. "Here you go."
Chloe bit down on the Bic. Max holding the form in front of her, Chloe signed her name. It was sloppy, and went outside the lines, but it was legible.
"Have fun?" Max wiped the pen with a tissue from her messenger bag. "I don't think they'll mind if we keep this one."
"I thought they needed dental records." Chloe chuckled.
The same woman took their form, stamped and signed it. "The judge won't be free 'till 1:30PM. You ladies mind coming back?" It was noon.
"Let's go get something to eat," Max said, kissing Chloe on the top of her head. "I know you're disappointed they don't have an In-and-Out, but I looked up a pretty good burger place not too far from here."
Lunch was burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Afterwards Joyce insisted on reapplying Chloe's makeup. Max touched up her own, what little of it there was on her face.
An officer ushered Max, Chloe, William, and Joyce into Courtroom B a few minutes before 1:30pm. On a large whiteboard near the jury box were the words "Turn off all cell phones." William and Joyce sat in the gallery.
The judge entered. She was a woman in late middle age with dyed dark brown hair. She smiled at the couple before taking her seat. She addressed Max:
"Would you like a chair?"
Max nodded. A bailiff brought over a folding chair. "Thank you," Max whispered before sitting. She was now at eye level with Chloe.
It was over in less than three minutes. "I do." "I do." Exchanging of rings was followed by a kiss. Max even shook the judge's hand after receiving their marriage certificate.
Joyce was in tears as she hugged and kissed her daughter, now daughters. It was only when they made it outside into the bright California light did Chloe speak. "That's it?" She's wasn't annoyed, only shocked.
"Guess so, Chlo," Max replied, grinning. "We should be getting back. I'm really looking forward to your cake."
"Huge nerd."
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"You mean you and mom never did pot?" Chloe was almost screaming. The Price-Caulfield family lounged in the living room. On the coffee table was the wedding cake and champagne.
William and Joyce bashfully shook their heads. "We were pretty young when Joyce got pregnant," William said. "It just didn't seem right after that."
Max had the honor of cutting the cake. A single tier, two brides stood side by side on the top.
"You better not shove that in my face," Chloe warned as Max picked up a small piece. "I'll wreck you if you do." Max followed her bride's instructions, feeding Chloe the piece without any smushing.
"Yum." Chloe closed her eyes, and grinned. "Dig in, everybody."
William popped the champagne. The combination of alcohol, chocolate, and just a hint of THC put everyone in a calm mood after the big day.
"Good night, girls," William said, kissing Chloe and Max. Ever the lightweight, he went upstairs first. Half the cake was gone, and the champagne empty. Chloe went into her bedroom, Max and Joyce following behind.
"Okay if I close my eyes?" Chloe asked as Joyce lifted her from her chair.
"Sure, Chlo," Max said. "Get some rest."
Though Joyce still had to attend to Chloe's medical needs, Max insisted on changing Chloe into her pajamas. When they were done Joyce pulled Max into a near rib-crushing hug.
"I always thought of you as my own," Joyce said, kissing Max on the cheek. "That'll never change...no matter what."
"Thank you, Joyce. I can't tell you how much that means to me."
Joyce lingered next to Chloe for only a moment, gently grasping her daughter's hand.
Alone with Chloe, Max changed into her pajamas and got into bed. She fell asleep spinning her wedding band around her finger.