A/N: A response to reviews:
Aaron Leach: Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much.
Percy James: Thank you so much for your kind comments, I'm really glad you liked my last chapter. I've added a bit more pricefield in this chapter, so I hope you enjoy that!
GrumpyCat42: Ah, that is the question! All will be revealed (only hinted at in this chapter, though). Thank you for the review and feedback, as always, it's much appreciated.
MoonlitxAngel: Thanks so much for the feedback! Yes, I'm going off the fact that Nathan was going to be killed by Jefferson, but in this fanfic I decided I wanted him to stay alive. I've tried to add a bit more of Max feeling guilt in this chapter, but not much. I will definitely be adding more in in further chapters though! And I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much. :)
jackiechallis: Haha thank you very much for the feedback! I may introduce more couples or characters at a later point, but I'm not sure how it's going to fit into my fic at the moment. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
yarfmeister: Thanks very much for the kind words. I've spoken to rowanred81 about this and he's allowed me to continue writing this fic - I have put that the comic inspired me. I hope you continue reading nevertheless.
Guest: Thank you! I have acknowledged both of them in the bio and in the start of the first chapter so people can see that I am using their work as inspiration.
LiS Whore: Thanks so much - new chapter out now so I hope you enjoy it.
n1bro: Ah, thank you very much! I hope you carry on reading.
Guest: As promised, I have updated. :)
Without further ado, please read on and enjoy!
The trailer door remained locked that night. David had been testing the handles continuously over the course of the night to make sure that nobody could break in – or get out until the morning. Everyone at the refuge had also been given a strict curfew; we were all expected to be on the site for 8pm, with everyone inside their trailers for 9pm. A register was to be taken every morning and night until Jefferson was captured.
After a heated argument between Chloe and David, it turned out that David had asked all of the officers on duty to go searching for us, since we hadn't been seen for well over an hour. This meant that Jefferson had been left unsupervised, albeit secured in a makeshift cell with handcuffs as a precautionary measure. For some unknown reason, the security hadn't been enough, and this was another thing to add to my bucket of guilt. I should have thought before going off to play the hero… and then none of this would have happened.
The only positive to come out of this shit storm of a day was that Taylor was given full medical attention at the bay for an infection, and she was already steadily recovering. I'd been told that if it hadn't been for me, she may not have made it. Victoria stayed by Taylor's side at all times, and I was surprised to see that she wasn't the mean bitch that she makes out.
Pompidou also decided to stay by our side as we traversed the refuge site, but David argued that it was best to keep him chained up outside the trailer since he looked like he would be 'more harm than good'. Chloe seemed relieved by the prospect of not having the mutt follow her around every five minutes, but we were told to keep him close by as a guard dog in case Jefferson turned up. The thought made me feel sick, and after everything today, I don't know whether I can cope…
I keep my arms wrapped firmly around Chloe's waist as I look over her shoulder, reading the time on the alarm clock on the sideboard.
3:48am.
I sigh and nuzzle into Chloe's back, inhaling her body scent and feeling her soft t-shirt against my face. I couldn't sleep. How could I? I had essentially helped the most dangerous person in Arcadia Bay escape confinement. When I did try to sleep, my mind would flash back to the Dark Room and Jefferson leering over me with his camera, snapping pictures of me when I was the most vulnerable. I remember him creeping towards me with a needle in his hand…
Then I would wake up, heart racing, body shaking, beads of sweat running down my brow and face, and the palms of my hands would be clammy.
I'd had the same dream so many times in one night that I was actually scared of falling asleep. The only thing that made me feel more secure was sleeping next to Chloe, even if we were cramped together on a couch in a dusty old trailer. I didn't know whether having to sleep with someone to feel 'normal' was such a good thing.
Sighing, I tighten my grip around Chloe, feeling her toned body curved against mine. I smile and simply lie there, listening to the ticking of the clock and Chloe's rhythmic breathing pattern.
"Max…" I hear Chloe whisper, body shuffling slightly. "You're kinda crushing me, dude."
"Sorry…" I mumble, releasing my grip so that my arms hand limply by Chloe's sides.
"I'm all up for some loving, but that was pretty intense." She turns around carefully so neither of us fall off the couch. "You alright?... You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"
I shake my head. "I can't. Every time I do, I get flash backs… it's easier to stay awake."
Chloe is looking at me, concern swimming in her stormy blue eyes. "I wish I could help you. Dammit…"
"You always help me," I reply, stroking the outline of her jaw with my thumb. "Just being with you helps."
A soft smile forms on her lips. "I'll always be with you. Now enough of this mush, Caulfield, let's try and get some sleep. I'm here." She takes my hand in hers and plants a kiss on my forehead. Closing my eyes, I remain still, Chloe's body warmth enveloping me. My head swims with thoughts of the past few days I'd spent with Chloe and how we had bonded. We were back together; a team, inseparable. And that kiss we had shared… I smile to myself and relax, and before I know it, I fall fast asleep.
The steely din of the alarm clock rings through my ears. My eyes are heavy from a lack of sleep, eyelids stinging. I groan and stretch out, hearing my back click, and I look at the alarm clock like I had a few hours ago.
8:00am.
Man, I never used to wake up this early when I was at Blackwell…
Pulling myself from the couch, I notice that my hand is still entwined with Chloe's. I smile, gently released my fingers so that I don't wake her. Walking over to the alarm, I hit the snooze button, thankful that the racket had been silenced. As I go back towards the couch, I notice the door to Joyce and David's bedroom is open. Peering inside, neither of them were there, and their clothes and belongings had gone. Knowing them, they had probably gone out early to help out around the camp. Telling myself not to be so nosy, I sit back down on the edge of the couch, and I look at Chloe. Her blue hair was ruffled and shaggy from where she had slept on it, her arm tucked underneath her head.
She looks so cute when she's sleeping…
"Do you always watch people when they sleep, creep?" Chloe's eyes were still shut as she spoke, but a wry smile crept onto her face.
I jump in surprise, blushing, not entirely sure how to respond. "I wasn't watching… I've only just sat down.
"So you would have been watching me if I hadn't called you out on it?" She opens her eyes, face full of mischief as she props her head up with her arm.
"Shut up," I laugh, hitting her softly with one of the couch cushions.
"You're too cute, Caulfield," she replies, wrapping her hands around my waist before pulling me in. They were satisfyingly warm and comfortable against the thin material of my t-shirt. "Sleep well in the end?"
"I slept, but… I didn't dream of anything."
"Better than nightmares, I suppose."
We stay on the couch in a tranquil silence, sunlight pooling through the black blinds on the window behind us, heat burning my back.
"We should get ready," I tell her, but Chloe still has her arms around me. She holds onto my waist tighter as I try to stand up.
"Not yet," she whispers, smiling. "Mom and David have gone. Let's just spend some time here, together, and forget all of this crap… just for a moment."
Chloe props herself up so that she's sitting beside me, face only inches away from mine. Her breath is hot against my face, the scent of smoked cannabis now more noticeable. I find myself looking at her lips and the way they're parted slightly, and my heart is pounding faster than I'd ever felt it go before. She brings her hand to my cheek before moving it to my hair, running her fingers through it. Just as the longing became unbearable, she pulls me in and places her lips on mine, the sensation passionate, as if we were being held together by an electric current. They're moist and warm as she presses them against mine with a little more force, and I rest my hands on the small of her back. Tracing the bottom of her lip with my tongue, she parts them just enough for me to enter. The sensation is strange yet enjoyable, her tongue warm and vaguely rough against my own. I feel the overwhelming fluttering in my stomach contradict my fuzzy light-headedness, and all I know is that I don't want this to stop.
Eventually we part, breathing heavy, faces flushed. Chloe smiles at me gently, and it's a smile I haven't seen since we were thirteen; young and innocent.
"Damn, Max," Chloe says through bated breath, "When did you learn to kiss like that?"
I laugh nervously, rubbing the back of my neck with my hand. "You… you're my first kiss. I don't know, it just felt… right."
"Max Caulfield, the kissing prodigy!" She laughs. "Not that I'm complaining…"
Planting another kiss on my lips I reciprocate, cheeks heating up once more until both Chloe and I hear the trailer's door click. Jolting, Chloe stands up. I remain seated, unsure what to do with myself. As the door opens, Joyce pops her head around the corner, blonde hair tied back into a bun.
"Y'all getting ready in here? We could always use some helping hands." She looks at us both curiously. "You two OK? Chloe, your face is awfully red -"
"Yeah mom, did you guys turn the heating up in here? It's hella hot – oh yeah, have you seen my clothes?" Chloe replies, her words jumbling as she speaks too fast.
"They're where you left them, by the foot of the couch," Joyce tells her daughter, suspicion rising.
Chloe bends over and picks up the heap of clothes. "Right. Thanks." An awkward silence falls over us before Joyce speaks again.
"Well I'll leave y'all up to… whatever you were doing," Joyce tells us before going back down the trailer steps and closing the door.
Waiting until she can hear the crunch of shoes on gravel slowly pan out, Chloe turns to me.
"Man, that was close. Could you imagine what mom would have said if she saw us playing tonsil hockey?" She smirks as I cringe slightly.
"Way to bring the tone down," I reply, standing up before neatly folding up the blanket on the couch. "And I don't want to imagine what Joyce would say… awkward."
"I think it would have been pretty hilarious after a while. Anyway, we should probably get ready unless we want my mom on our asses."
Chloe slips off her t-shirt in one swift movement before throwing it on top of the couch. About to do the same I falter, eyes locking on Chloe's figure. Her waist is toned and slender, skin smooth and fair in the light of the trailer. I notice a bellybutton piercing in her navel and my entire body feels like it's starting to heat up. Eyes lingering, I feel something stir inside of me that I've never felt before, and my heart races.
"See something you like, Maximus?"
My eyes move up from her waist to her face and I can see that she's grinning. Well… it's too late now.
"Oh, I, uh… didn't notice your piercing before."
"Glad to see you like it. Who knows, maybe one day you'll see my other ones…" She winks at me and it takes me a moment to understand what she means.
"Oh God, Chloe!" I groan, hiding my face under my hands. I look away, embarrassed at my lack of self-control. She lets out a belly laugh as she continues to get dressed. Without further ado, I quickly slip my pyjama shirt off and search through my satchel, pulling out Rachel's tee and flannel shirt. They're the only clean clothes I have, so I put them on regardless. After putting on my skinny jeans and trainers, I pick up my satchel and sling it over my shoulder, noticing that Chloe was ready and waiting.
"Well then, let's go find mom," Chloe tells me, reaching for the door handle.
We find Joyce busy preparing food for everyone on the site at the cafeteria stall, and it isn't long before we're given jobs.
"Chloe, take these dirty dishes and clean them," Joyce demands, putting a pile of dirty plates into her arms. Chloe grumbles as she takes them over to the sink and begins scrubbing them. "Max, could you help give people their food please?" I nod in agreement, picking up a plate of sausage and bacon with a label reading 'table four'. "Oh and Max?"
"Yes, Joyce?"
"I hope Chloe is treatin' you right. That girl can be temperamental at the best of times. If she does anythin' to hurt you, you tell me straight away. I'll sort her out." Joyce is smiling at me, but I can see the underlying concern in her eyes.
"Chloe's been great to me, Joyce, honestly," I reply, my grip tightening on the plate of food.
"Well, if you're sure. She's been a lot happier since you've come back into her life. You're a good influence on her, Max Caulfield." Joyce gives me one last glance before turning back to her cooking.
After spending a good half an hour helping feed the citizens of Arcadia Bay, the crowds begin to die out and I'm allowed a break. Walking over to the sink, I see that Chloe is still washing up, and is muttering something under her breath.
"You OK there, Che?" I ask, watching her scrub forcefully at the cutlery with a sponge.
"I'm up to my elbows in soap suds, and you wouldn't believe the amount of food I've touched that's been in people's mouths beforehand." She continues cleaning the knives and forks as she speaks, her brow furrowing with a grimace. "Just one more plate and I'm outta here."
"You're cute when you're pissed off," I tell her, nudging her shoulder with my elbow.
"Well you can piss off," she laughs, splashing me with the dirty suds.
"Gross!" She continues splashing me until the bell on the counter rings out. "I'll get that," I tell her, making my way back towards the front of the stall. When I get there, both of my parents are sat on stools. I have a funny feeling that they aren't here to order food, though.
"Oh Max, Joyce told us you'd be here," my mother says, arms folded on the counter top. "We need to talk." She lowers her voice into a whisper as she looks over at Chloe.
"I'm on a break now," I tell them both, removing my kitchen apron. Walking out from behind the counter, my parents take me over to a spare picnic table. They sit on one side and I sit on the other, and I wait patiently for either of them to start talking. My parents look at each other, my mom nudging my dad's arm and finally, he speaks up.
"Max, we want you to come back to Seattle with us."
The cogs working in my brain seize up for a moment as I try and process what they're asking of me. "…What?"
"There's nothing left for you here, Maxine." My father takes my hand in his as he tells me this. "Arcadia Bay is in ruins, your school is closed indefinitely and one of your teachers has turned out to be a psychopath – and now we've been told he's on the loose! You aren't safe here." His eyes don't leave mine as he finishes his sentence, hoping that I'll understand.
But I don't, and I can't.
"Chloe's here, that's what's left for me. I can't leave her, not again."
"Don't be ridiculous, sweetie. You've only got to know her again over this past week. She's lasted without you for five years, so I think she can now. From what I've seen she's become quite the delinquent." My mother is looking at me intensely, trying to reason with me, but she's going the wrong way about it. I can't believe that she's saying this to me.
I couldn't tell them the true reason why I wanted to stay here with Chloe. What would I even say? Mom, dad, I destroyed the whole town so that I could save Chloe from certain death? They would think I'd gone insane, even more reason for them to haul me into their car and send me back to Seattle.
"You don't understand how much she's been through! She needs me, now more than ever!" I feel myself choke up, trying to hold back tears that were ready to fall. "I'm an adult now, and I'm staying here… where I belong."
Pulling my hand out of my father's grasp, I walk away before either of them can reply. Hugging the red and black flannel shirt against my body, I keep my eyes to the ground so that nobody could see me crying.
My parents don't understand… they could never understand…
I continue walking, quickening my pace through sadness and anger until I hit something that stops me in my tracks.
"Agh! Dammit, stupid fucking idiot…" I mutter to myself, rubbing my forehead that was now throbbing. Looking up to see what I had just walked into, I see a woman clutching onto her own face, blazer done up and a gold cross around her neck. "Kate?" She removes her hands and through the pain of our heads colliding, still manages to smile.
"Max?" She replies, and the next think I know she's pulling me into an intense hug. I hug her back, relieved to see her in such high spirits after everything that's happened. She releases me before looking at me inquisitively. "Have you been crying?"
I suddenly become self-conscious and rub my eyes, and they're damp from the tears I'd shed. "Oh, it's just this cold wind making my eyes water." I come up with the excuse fast and I force a smile onto my face. I think Kate believes me.
"There's so much we need to talk about! Do you want to go to the cafeteria? It's where I'll be helping out."
I agree before thinking, and as we walk back to where I had just escaped my parents, I hope that I don't bump into them again. Fortunately, it looked like both of them had left, so I could continue talking to Kate without having to look over my shoulder every five seconds. Taking a seat on the same picnic bench I had sat on just minutes ago, Chloe comes up behind me and hugs my waist.
"Aha! You're not escaping me that easily, Caulfield!" She presses her face into my hair before freezing up, grip on my hips loosening. "I, uh… hey Kate. I'll leave you guys to whatever…" Chloe stands up immediately and scratches the back of her neck, face starting to turn red. I try and restrain my laughter, but her face was a picture.
"Oh no, don't leave on my account Chloe," Kate smiles, hands perched on the table.
"Yeah Chloe, come join us," I tell her, patting the seat next to me. I smirk as she scowls at me before reluctantly sitting down.
As Kate and I catch up on recent events, I notice that Chloe is unusually quiet and to my surprise, she looks slightly uncomfortable.
"- So as I said, I'm staying with my parents at the moment and I think they want us to move away for a while, especially now Mr Jefferson is on the loose." Kate's smile begins to fade as she says his name, and she looks off into the distance. "I swear I saw Nathan around here earlier too."
Chloe's face suddenly becomes darker, talking for the first time since we began our conversation. "He's a piece of shit. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who helped that sick psycho escape."
"He looks really messed up. I kind of feel sorry for him, even after everything…"
As they continue their discussion, something inside my brain clicks. What Chloe had just said made perfect sense, and was definitely plausible. After everything that had happened… yes…
I fidget, tapping my fingers against the wooden table as I think.
"Max, are you OK?"
I shake my head and see that Kate is looking at me, worry in her eyes.
"Yeah Max, you OK? You haven't zoned out like that in days." Chloe is also looking at me with the same expression, but her hand is on my shoulder.
"Oh, I… yeah. Yeah, sorry about that," I murmur.
"Maybe you should rest. You do look pretty tired and besides, I should really start helping out around here. I'll speak to you soon, Max. Oh, and nice speaking to you Chloe."
Chloe and I both say our goodbyes to Kate and watch her go behind the cafeteria counter. Turning back to Chloe, she gives me a sceptical look.
"So, are you actually gonna tell me what that was all about?"
"Chloe… I think it's time we had a little chat with Nathan Prescott."
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!
I've used this chapter to flesh out the plot as I didn't want to rush ahead, and I also decided to add some Pricefield moments to lift the spirits. I hope you liked them.
I would just like to say thank you to RowanRed81 and Summerfelldraws for letting me use their comic What If? as inspiration for this fic and letting me continue writing this.
As always, feedback, reviews and constructive criticism help me write faster! I will be aiming for a chapter a week from now on since Uni has started to get more intense with workloads.
Until next time!
