Warren finally opened his eyes just a little after Max left. He laid in bed, folded his arms behind his head and contemplated what the hell happened.
"What a bizarre night," the straight A student thought.
He thought about how he came here. Well, obviously, this was his dorm room. But he pondered what last night meant.
"What a bizarre night," he said to himself, finally sliding out of his bed and stretching. He briefly wondered where Max went, but he just assumed she made her way back to her dorm while he slept.
After he stretched, he smelled his armpit and grimaced. He really needed a shower.
He walked over to his closet to grab a change of clothes. He grabbed his "world famous" Schrodinger's Cat shirt as well as a casual pair of jeans, and a pair of boxers. As he passed his desk, his eye caught some of a photo laying on his desk. A grin spread across the brunette's cheeks.
He really thought about checking out what the photo was, but he decided to take his shower first. After all, one should greet good news clean right?
After grabbing his phone, he took his clothes to the shower stall. Thankfully, the boy knew he wouldn't be interrupted by his dorm mates. He knew he could take his time.
As he showered, he thought about Max (Not in that way, you perv!). He remembered how warm it felt to hold Max the way he did. He remembered the feeling of utter tranquility he felt. He remembered never wanting the night to end.
He wondered if she felt the same.
In fact, the memory had nearly caused Warren to fall asleep. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster ("There is absolutely no possible way people believe that!", Max had said) that he phone notification went out. If he fell asleep in the shower that would certainly be embarrassing.
Nevertheless, Warren dragged himself out of the water and dried his naked body. Afterwards, he checked his phone still tucked away in the pants he wore the night before. His weather updated on his phone told him that the weather would be in the mid to high 80s today.
"That's… unbelievable", Warren stated, sounding slightly like Owen Wilson. "Just last night it was in the low 10s, now it's in the 80s!" He quickly walked to a window, only to find that the snow had all but melted!
It made no sense, but then again it made sense. Warren had been observing and noting the strange but subtle weather throughout the week. Last night was probably the most "normal" for Arcadia Bay, Oregon at this time of year, and yet the snowflakes were very thin.
He had noticed several subtle changes in the weather. From bizarre temperature changes, to strange precipitation, Warren had noted them all. He wondered if it was a weird anomaly or if it was strange work of global warming or something.
In speaking of strange, Warren came back to reality only to remember he was standing butt naked in the hallway!
"No wonder why they call me, 'Warren Gayram'." He mumbles to himself.
Embarrassed, the boy scrambles to his clothes in the showers and meekly dresses. From there, he heads into his room.
He had nearly forgotten the photos on his desk until he had packed up his few other dorm belongings. The last item he needed to get was the dog tag that was in his drawer in the little box. As he dug out the tags, he saw there was a note with the two photos on his desk. He also noticed that the note was in Max's handwriting.
Warren grinned. "She left me a note?"
Gingerly, the boy in question picked up said note. When he read the first paragraph, his grin somehow got even wider. Then, as the note went on, his smile dimmed. And dimmed. And dimmed.
He wasn't smiling anymore.
He was less angry and more… Confused. As genuinely hopeful as it sounded, he thought something happened last night. Call him a little cheesy, but he knew from the moment he met the girl that she was special. He liked her ever since. He couldn't help but hope she felt the same.
He sighed. Perhaps she needed this. Her note was correct, he could definitely tell she needed time away. But to say goodbye the way she did? It hurt. It hurt a lot.
He felt angry. Unjustly so. He felt angry that Max hadn't been strong enough to say goodbye to him in person. He felt unjustly betrayed and he felt used.
He angrily dug into his backpack and he pulled out the movie ticket. On his knees, he sat and stared at it.
Come "Go Ape" with Us at the Drive-In!
Movie: Planet of the Apes (1968)
Ticket for: Friday, December 20th
6:30 p.m.
(This ticket is good for only one vehicle. Limit four passengers to a vehicle.)
Warren had gotten the tickets last week. The plan, of course, was to ask Max to go with him to the movie. Now, it doesn't seem like that was an option. He supposed he could ask Brooke, he remembered she was dying to go with him. It would be disappointing, but she was decent company.
Warren threw the note in the trash can and apathetically finished his packing. As he took his bag and approached the door, he remembered that Max had left him his presents.
He slowly walked over to his desk and looked at the photos. The first picture, a photo of the two on his birthday, made Warren give a slight smile. He recalled that this picture was one of the first pictures he ever took where his smile was genuine. The butterflies in his stomach limply flew.
Max, of course, looked stunning in her hipster way. She was wearing her real smile this day, he could see it in her eyes.
This almost makes up for it, Max. He thought with a sigh. And yet his heart hurt all the same. He even felt it in his belly.
The next photo was a selfie of Max lying next to Warren. And she looked… sad. Her pose didn't show it. She wore a smile like she was playing an elaborate prank, but he could tell that the smile did not reach her eyes. He could tell that it killed her on the inside to take this photo.
But, he supposes, maybe he didn't know his crush all that well. Maybe all she'll ever think of him is that of a friend that can be used and disposed of. A fair weather friend. She says "til next time", but apparently there wasn't a "til next time" with Chloe.
That was unfair to her, he knew that.
Still, the thought of presents made Warren remember his present to her. Carefully, he opened and removed Max's present from the drawer in his desk and put it in the pocket of his jeans. Grabbing his bag, he strode over to his door and gave one last gaze at his bed. Despite himself, he tried to project viewing himself next to Max in the intimate way they were the night before, but he couldn't see it.
And then, unwittingly, he performed a perfect imitation of Max when he opened his door and walked away.
After a nearly embarrassing situation of almost missing her stop at Blackwell, Max (never Maxine) Caulfield found herself back in her dorm room, dutifully and absentmindedly packing up her stuff. The girl was way too preoccupied with her vision to notice she was in her underwear drawer, while she was trying to find film for her camera.
Wowser, she thought, I haven't had a vision in ages. Not since October. It couldn't have been a dream because it felt so real, but why can I barely remember anything?
She continuously ran a checklist of all the things she remembered from her dream/vision.
1. Warren and Chloe were definitely there.
2. There was the tornado!
3. She could not remember most of what they said, but Chloe and Warren seemed very close. Closer than she remembered them ever being in the other timeline.
4. Warren had looked different. But like good different.
5. Chloe had said something. What was it?
This was the part that really racked her brain. Chloe had told her to remember one thing in her dream, and she couldn't. The last thing she remembered was freaking out after seeing the tornado.
The tornado. What happened on the bus had to be a dream, despite how real it felt. With Chloe… sacrificed… the tornado would never have happened. Chloe, of course, wouldn't be alive.
But it did feel real. Every bit of it.
She had to work it out of her mind. It was a dream. Dreams aren't real. Besides, usually after a vision her head hurt like a sumo wrestler sat on it. This wasn't the case.
She finished her packing and sat on her bed. She sighed and felt exhausted. Mentally, at least.
If there is one thing she remembered from her dream, was seeing her best friend again. She misses her. She wishes she were here now, lying in her bed and reminding her how much of a badass Max is.
She whipped out her faithful journal and went to her photo collection. She slowly rifled through. She smiled at some, others she casually flipped through. The photographer stopped at a polaroid of Chloe at the junkyard.
She was full of life. She was smoking a cigarette and she did not have a care in the world. She…
Max stopped as a stabbing pain sliced through her skull. She felt her body shift and her air leave her lungs as if she were drowning in a shallow pool. She closed her eyes tight and tried to will the pain away.
A Pyrric Victory. As Max wakes up, she finds herself back at the lighthouse and she faces the tornado.
"Oh my God! No, this can't be! I fixed everything! I set everything right!"
The tornado loomed over her like Galactus devouring the planet.
"How is this happening? A tornado in the middle of winter!" shouted an angelic voice behind her.
"Kate! And Warren?!"
"Hi, Max." Warren said, not looking the girl in the eye. "I've been tracking the weather patterns. I never would have guessed that a category E6 tornado would touch down on Arcadia Bay!"
Max just gaped at the two in front of her. Especially at Warren. If that dream was real, didn't Warren have a haircut then? Why was there a tornado in that dream and a tornado here?
"Look, I don't know whatever is going on between you two," Kate began, "but whatever it is, get over it! We may die! And on Christmas Day nonetheless!"
"What did you say?" Max shouted in astonishment.
"Merry Christmas!" shouted Warren mirthlessly. "Bet you wish you were in Seattle right now, don't you?"
"I-" Max began before she was cut off by the sound of a tree snapping free of his roots. The tree began to fall…
"Warren!" Max cried, reaching out to her friend.
"Max!" repeated her friend. He couldn't move in time. Max was forced to watch as the tree made contact with the boy…
"No!" Max shouted as she sat straight up from her bed.
Breathe, Max. She reminded herself. She had started to hyperventilate, and had desperately tried to calm herself down.
Max's mind was abuzz with the images she saw. The tornado is still going to happen! It's going to happen on Christmas!
"What am I going to do?" she said aloud to herself. She was at a loss. How the hell was she going to prevent the tornado? For that matter, why was the tornado still happening? She thought sacrificing Chloe would prevent the fucking tornado!
She needed answers. But she didn't know where to get them. She was the only one who knew about her abilities, who the hell was going to help her?
"Trust your instincts."
She remembered! That's what Chloe had said in the dream!
But how was it possible? Did she get some sort of vision from an alternate timeline?
She didn't know what to do. But, if that was Chloe, she said to trust her instincts. If she remembered right, she sounded like this was important.
Max touched the tips of her fingers to her lip. Her nose, she could tell, had been bleeding. She could feel the moisture from the blood before she looked at her fingers.
Did she still have her powers?
Max looked over to the books on her desk. Carefully, she got up and pushed them off. After, the girl raised her hand. She felt the familiar pressure in her head and witnessed the books fly back on the desk.
That… is not good.
Powers? Check
Incoming doomsday tornado? Check
Clue to how to solve this? Nada.
She needed someone to help her solve this. If it was possible to save Chloe, she was absolutely going to fucking save her. In fact, Max was not going to let a single one of her loved ones die. She had seen it too many times.
She just saw Warren die in her vision.
She took a deep breath. She knew now, after seeing what she saw. Feeling what she felt. "Trust your instincts?" she whispered to herself.
She went over to her window. The sun was setting. Dark, violet hues attacked her retinas. She focused on the reflection of herself in the mirror. Piercing blue eyes stared back. Both Max's took a deep breath.
"There's only one person I know that will believe me and will know how to fix this. And you just broke his heart. You let your best friend die in a failed attempt to save everyone else. You toyed with countless lives, and played with so many people's emotions."
Max closed her eyes. Inhale. Exhale. She opened them back to see the determination on her own face.
"It's time to learn your mistakes have consequences. And it's up to you to make up for them. Save your best friend, apologize to the boy, and make everything right again. But first," she took another deep breath. "I forgive you."
After a moment's hesitation, Max nodded, satisfied. She turned and grabbed her shoulder bag. "Now let's see if Warren will forgive you."
She stood in a practically empty room. Obviously, the straight A student she needed was not here.
Undeterred, the photographer turned on her heel and walked over to the parking lot. Thankfully, the Sun continued it's normal Arcadia Bay winter pattern of setting at around 4:45 p.m. If she remembered right, the movie starts at 6:30, and it took 40 minutes to get to Newburg. Knowing Warren like she knew, he would want to leave earlier. She was, ironically, pressed for time.
Briefly, she wondered if she could rewind time in the car. Would it still move forward or backward? Hell, she might have to try it.
Shaking away the ridiculous thought, she quickly walked to the parking lot. After another deep breath, she unlocked Chloe's truck and put a foot in. She made the mistake of looking at the interior. Memories flashed through as sharp as the tongue her best friend possessed. The fading yet all too powerful smells of tobacco and Chloe filtered through her nostrils.
She had to persevere. She had to save her.
She put the key in the ignition and gripped the steering wheel. She didn't exactly know how to drive stick, but with her rewind power, she had all the time to learn.
She made it to Warren's house unscathed. It took her 12 minutes in "real time" but between the headaches and the power it took an actual 45 minutes.
She did not know what to expect from Warren's house. It was plain enough. White, two story. An ordinary suburban house for an ordinary suburban family. It was almost perfect for the boy who had been so grounding for her.
Max nervously walked up the three steps to his door. She rang the doorbell, perhaps the most undramatic thing she did the entire day.
After a few moments, the door opened to reveal the boy holding a small, grey British shorthair cat. "Max..?"
"Hey, Warren G," the girl said quietly, "I know there's an elephant in the room, but I really need to talk to you."
Max walked up the last step, but he didn't budge. "Max," he started, trying to sound courteous, "I have to start getting ready to go. I don't think this is a good time." He said this with almost no conviction. He didn't even try to shut the door, it was almost like he wanted to see if she would try to protest.
"Aren't you supposed to be going to Seattle anyway?"
"Not until tomorrow. Warren, I'm sorry. I was selfish. I should've said goodbye to you in person, but I was a coward. You deserve better. Right now, I don't want to talk about Seattle. I need to explain a whole lot more. Can I please come in?" she pleaded.
After some hesitation, Warren stepped aside. "Come in, Maximillion."
Max nodded and stepped inside. Just as Max expected, the inside of the house was relatively nice. It wasn't super fancy, but it looked comfortable to live in. The walls were relatively high, the temperature was cozy. The floor was hardwood. To the right was the spacious living room and to the left was the kitchen area. Directly in front of the two was the staircase.
Warren went around Max and walked carefully up the stairs, kitty in tow. Max followed anxiously. Halfway up, she caught herself absentmindedly staring at his rear end. She blushed and looked away.
"Warren!" said a pretty voice at the bottom of the stairs. The two turned around to an attractive woman at the bottom of the stairs. She could have been anywhere in her high 20s to mid 30s. She had shoulder length raven black hair, amber eyes, almond skin and a charming smile. "You didn't tell me we had a guest over!"
"Sorry, Emily." the scientist replied, "this is Max Caulfield. She's my…"
"Friend," finished Max. "I, uh, just came to give him his Christmas present before break."
Emily raised her eyebrows slightly but didn't say anything about the obvious tension between the two. She smiled in a welcoming way towards Max. "I see. Well, Max Caulfield, I am Emily Tate-Graham, Warren's stepmother. It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs. Tate."
Emily shook her head, "Please, Max, I hate formalities. Just call me Emily. Everyone else does. Besides, I doubt you want me to call you Maxine!"
Max turned to Warren and raised an eyebrow. She mock irritated exclaimed, "You told her?!"
"What?!" said Warren, faking offense. "I told her I made a new friend! They wanted to know everything, okay! They made me talk! They-"
"Now, now Warren, we wouldn't want you to spill any… family secrets." Emily said with a wink.
Warren exaggeratingly gulped.
"Well, that was fun," the stepmom said laughing. "I'll leave you two to your shenanigans. I'll be down here if you need me."
The two said their thanks and continued their venture upstairs. Max wasn't sure if Emily was trying to help the atmosphere become lighter, but regardless, at least she gave Max a reasonable subject to warm up to Warren about.
"She seems nice," she tested.
"She is," he answered calmly. "No one could replace my mom, but, she makes my dad happy. That's all that matters."
"What happened to her? Your mom I mean."
"She was killed in action. Afghanistan. I was 9."
Max put a hand on Warren's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. That's awful. I didn't know."
"How could you, Max? You never really asked."
The words made Max pause a little. He was right. She always just assumed everything was grand over in Graham Field. From the way she knew him to be, he always seemed so happy. So carefree. Maybe, and she knew she was just assuming, maybe that's why he'd always been so protective over people he loved. Maybe he's scared to lose them as unexpectedly as he lost her.
"You're right, Warren. I've been so preoccupied with my own problems, that I never would've guessed you had problems of your own. I'm sorry."
Warren said nothing but opened a door to their left. Warren's bedroom looked practically the same as his dorm room, except obviously larger. The sense of familiarity and consistency comforted Max.
Warren walked over to a cat-scratching post in the corner of his room and dropped his cat in front of it. "There you go, Nikola."
"Nikola? Like Nikola Tesla?" inquired Max.
"I will not apologize for being a nerd." He shot her a small, warm smile. "And by the way, apology accepted."
The boy wandered over to the window above his bed and shut it. "Ever see a purple sun?" he said with a low chuckle.
"I couldn't help but see it on the way over here."
"It's strange, isn't it?" Warren said, his scientific curiosity overwhelming his mood. "I've been trying to understand all the unusual weather patterns recently."
"I can actually explain all that," she said, stepping closer to the boy.
"Really? How?"
She sat on his bed and took her journal out of her shoulder bag. She patted with her hand a spot on the bed close to her and said, "This is going to take quite a while, but it'll explain everything."
"Max, I-"
"I know you're pressed for time… Brooke told me." Warren had the decency to look sheepish. "Kate told me that you two suspected that I there was more going on with me than mourning. Sadly, both of you are correct. So, sit down, Sherlock. Be ready for a hell of an explanation."
Warren sat, his curiosity overwhelming him.
So then, Max told him everything about the other timeline. She started at the beginning with her first vision of the tornado. Warren followed her every word and she could tell he was slowly starting to believe her. It didn't hurt that she would show him pictures of she took of her adventures. She decided on her way to Warren's she would not hide any detail. Somehow, she had finally gotten to meeting with him at the Two Whales to retrieve the photo to save Chloe. Telling him about the Dark Room had been easy compared to telling him this part. It had taken a while to calm him down, he was always so protective of her. She appreciated it.
Still, she had an inner debate on whether or not she should share the kiss they had. She didn't want to mess up what they already had, but at the same time…
"Trust this," she said pointing to the left side of Max's chest.
"My boob?"
"No, your heart."
Warren kissed her head, "Trust Chloe's advice, and everything will be alright."
Before I went in the photograph," she began quietly, "we… uh… we kissed."
Warren blanked. He blinked a few times. "We…?"
"We kissed." Max continued more confidently.
"Warren, I know it's sudden, considering all of the things I'm telling you but then, with everything that's happened…"
"You panicked because the tornado…"
Dog dammit, Max! You're fucking this up! Just say how you feel. If it doesn't work out the way you'd like, at least you tried.
"At first I thought that might be it. But I realize something. You've always been there for me. Hell, you taught me how to make a bomb, no questions asked. You have seen me at my worst, and my best, and you're still here. But another thing I realize: it kills me when you're sad. I don't see it often, but even in the movies we watch, when you're sad it kills me." Max wanted to continue. Hell, she was speaking so fast she felt she was going to pass out from barely breathing.
"Max, I didn't know that's how you felt."
"I didn't want to ruin anything between us. You and Kate and even Dana, you've been the people that have held me together. I didn't want to ruin what we already have. I just wasn't sure."
"And now…?"
"Now, I know how I feel." she said. She decided to be daring and held his hand. Slowly, their fingers intertwined. Why she never held his hand before, she didn't know. His hand was so smooth. So warm. It felt… right. Like she was supposed to hold his hand. Instantly she felt calm, even if her heart raced like Sonic had run away with it.
Warren sat, stunned how this conversation had gone. He wanted to make sure he was not dreaming in some way. He squeezed her hand experimentally and was pleasantly surprised when she squeezed back gently.
"Max," he said, looking up in her eyes. "I-"
She really started to trust her heart now. This was the biggest risk she'd taken, but somehow, she knew that it was going to work.
"Shh, Warren" she said, gently placing her other hand on Warren's cheek. "I already know."
Delicately, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. He obliged. The two kissed.
It had taken two months, a whole week, multiple timelines, one videogame and thousands of fan fiction, but Max knew with this kiss that she was in love with him. She will never know how many timelines exist where she fell for Warren, (she'd seen one where he's with Stella), but this was perfect to her.
Gently, Warren pulled her down on top of him. She straddled his waist and they deepened their kiss. This wasn't quick like their kiss in the other timeline, but it was with much more passion, with more affection. Passion that could only exist between two people that were head over heels for each other.
They were inexperienced, that much is true. But neither of them gave a damn. They finally had each other. They finally knew how the other felt. It was a sense of freedom and love that allowed both him and her to let go.
His hand strayed around her waist until his thumbs slipped under her shirt. She gasped with sudden desire and he broke the kiss.
"Was that okay?" he asked. He didn't want her to think he was overstepping his boundaries.
She looked at him through half lidded eyes. "More than okay." She didn't know what to do with her hands, but she put them on either side of his neck and they continued kissing.
They didn't know how long they smooched, but they were unexpectedly interrupted by Warren's phone ringing. Max yelped and shot off the bed. She fell on her side clumsily. Warren couldn't help but laugh and ask if she was okay.
She would confirm she was fine although she was embarrassed. He invited her to join him on his bed. She obliged. "Aren't you going to answer that?"
"It's just Brooke."
"Warren Graham not answering his phone?" she said, feigning shock.
He smiled mockingly, "I learned from the best."
"Oh, shut up!" she said laughing. They lay side by side on his bed, just looking at each other. He felt much braver than he ever had and he gently brushed bangs away from Max's eyes. She snuggled up next to him and he put his arms over her.
"Was there more to your story?"
She was grateful her head was buried in his chest. He felt so warm. She felt like she could breathe easier than she ever had. She felt safe. "Yeah. Once I went back, I told Chloe everything. I made her believe Jefferson had done it all. When I woke back up, I was with Chloe at the lighthouse. I passed out, again, and had several nightmares. By the time I came to, Chloe had made a choice."
She was starting to get emotional, Warren could sense it. He silently stroked her hair.
Oh dog, it felt good when he did that. She soldiered on. "She believed that preventing her death caused all this. I… I didn't want her to die. I know it's selfish, but I thought 'Fuck, Arcadia Bay. I just want my best friend.' But Chloe made me think of Joyce. That made me think of everyone else. You, Kate, Dana, David, everyone else. Hell, even Nathan. He might have been sick, killed Rachel, but he didn't deserve to die the way he did." She swallowed the lump in her throat. "She gave me the photo. I time hopped back to that Monday. I let her die. Then, I ripped the picture so I couldn't destroy everything again.
I thought I had fixed everything. I thought we were okay."
"You thought?"
"Yeah. But today I started having weird visions. The first I don't remember much. You and Chloe were there. You had actually gotten a haircut."
"Must have been a dream. Only you could imagine me looking good without my luscious locks!"
Max scoffed. "Warren, you looked good! Now shut up and let me finish. I don't remember much, but Chloe said to trust my heart and it'll be alright. Then I saw the tornado.
I thought that was a dream, but it felt so real. Then today, when I was packing, I had a vision. You, me, and Kate were at the lighthouse. The tornado was back and bigger than ever. Kate said that it was Christmas. You… were still upset with me. Then before I could say anything, a tree fell on you and crushed you."
Warren thought for a while. "Max, that's in only 5 days."
"I know. That's what I wanted to talk about. Is it possible? Could the tornado still happen?"
He hesitated slightly. "Max, I don't know. Theories about time are just that, theories. Theoretically, there could be numerous possibilities that there are timelines where the tornado doesn't happen. Have you used your powers at all since October?"
"Only today to test if it still worked."
"Fuck. Well, my best guess is that it's supposed to happen. Preventing her death only accelerated the tornado."
"So you're saying that Chloe's death only gave the town more time? That this was supposed to happen? That Chloe's death doesn't matter?"
"Yes and no. Yes, because it seems the tornado is going to happen. And no, because as you said, there has been multiple times where you had to go back to save her. She died multiple times, and each time you saved her."
"So, there's two possibilities. Either you did the right thing, and Chloe is supposed to die and the tornado is supposed to come and you just accelerated it, or …"
"Or?"
"Or there's someone else with abilities. Someone else who can mess with the time stream. If you're correct and you haven't manipulated time, then, theoretically, the only way that this strange weather phenomenon could occur is if someone else could do something similar."
"So. Which theory you think is the closest?"
"Max, I don't know. Although, I believe what you said. You haven't used your ability. The one rule as a scientist is that everything happens for a reason, but that reason should be able to be explained.
The only explanation for all the weird weather could only be that there is another time traveler."
There was a moment of quiet as the both of them digested this information.
"There's a possibility though, that you may have still changed the flow of time unintentionally."
"How so?"
"Remember how you said it took awhile to figure out you had to water Lisa every other day or else she drowns? Well, did you accidentally drown Lisa in the alternate timeline?"
"Fuck, I did. Could that have brought the tornado?"
He shrugged, "I don't know."
"Even still, I can't save her," Max said, the despair in her words nearly broke his heart.
But it gave him an idea.
"Max," he began slowly. "Which photo did you rip up?"
"The picture of the butterfly."
"No way," Warren thought. "Max, let me up."
"Oh, okay. Why?"
He got up and smiled at her. She was surprised how warm his smile was. She could tell he was practically giddy with excitement.
"I have a early Christmas present for you."
She sat up, curious to what it could be. "You didn't have to get me anything."
He pulled a tiny box out of his back pocket and presented it to her. "Open it."
"Okay," she said. She couldn't help but let excitement course through her veins. She opened it and audibly gasped. The butterfly picture, the same one she used to go back to the bathroom was in perfect shape before her.
"Wowser. How is this possible? I ripped this up?"
"Brooke found it." Warren explained. "She said she found a ripped up picture in the bathroom. I was curious and asked her if I could see it. I thought it looked like something you would take. It took forever, but I finally managed to glue it back together."
She swiftly hugged him. Her arms went around his neck and she squeezed him. Warren returned her embrace. He loved the smell of jasmine in her hair.
She pulled back and looked at him with the widest grin she ever had on her face. "You are literally the sweetest boy ever. How do you always come through for me?"
He shrugged, "Call it my own super power."
"Even angels need angels, Max." Kate had said. Max was only just realizing how right she was.
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the mouth. She wished she could do more to thank him, but this would have to do. "I'm going to have to find some way to pay you back," she found herself saying in a low growl.
"I think you'll find a way," he replied in the same tone.
Are we flirting?
Well if we are, I like it. But, I have more important things to do. But first…
"I love you, Warren," she said, absolutely certain.
"I love you too, Max."
She pulled away and looked at the photo, then back at him. "I'm going to save her."
"Before you go, Max," he said sitting on the bed. "We have to talk about the best way to do this."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, how do you plan on saving Chloe?"
"Pulling the fire alarm, like last time."
"I thought so. Max, you're not thinking about it clearly."
She sat on the bed next to him. "How?"
"You said it yourself, Max. Every time you used to photo to go back in time, you did one thing to change the past and then you came back to a completely new timeline on the exact date that you went before. Whether you found yourself going to San Francisco or with a handicapped Chloe, the timeline was vastly different."
"So you're saying, that if I go back, I could vastly change everything?"
"Yes. The only thing we know, is that this," he reached out for her hand to hold. She complied and their fingers intertwined. "Could never happen. For all we know, you could end up with Chloe or something."
She tried to imagine being with Chloe. She supposed it was possible. She had went from best friends to in love with Warren, so she assumes the same could happen with her. But still she couldn't imagine being in love with anyone but him. They were both passionate in their own ways, but Chloe was so quick to anger. And at times, irrational. Warren could be annoying and he was scary when he was angry, but he was endlessly patient with her. Even when he was upset with her, she knew that he would never be violent.
Besides, when Chloe had dared Max to kiss her, Max refused. She had wanted to kiss Warren, the only person that she ever wanted to kiss. That was the difference.
She honestly couldn't imagine dating Chloe. She was sweet in her own way. And gorgeous in her punk style. She made Max much more bolder than ever. She especially knew now that she couldn't live without her. Besides, from the way Chloe talked about Rachel Amber, Max assumed there was more than friendship that way….
"I'd much rather be with you," she said squeezing his hand.
"Thank you," he said with a smile. "So, we have multiple things to figure out:
1. You have to prevent Chloe's death
2. You have to somehow have a conversation with her that makes her believe that you're practically a Time Lord.
3. You have to find a way to set in stone you end up with this handsome devil. (Max raised an eyebrow at that.)
4. If you can, and this objective is optional, find a way to stay in that timeline. It'll make avoiding the tornado and etc. much easier.
Max gave it some thought before adding. "I could surprise Nathan before…"
"Max," the scientist said laughing, "I've seen enough movies to know when someone surprises someone holding a gun, they usually get shot."
Max's face reddened. She slapped his arm playfully. "Not when he has the gun, you dork. When I go back, it'll be just before Nathan comes in. I'll crawl under the stall, and when Chloe 'checks the perimeter', I'll come out. It'll be before Nathan pulls his gun. And before Chloe starts to get interrogative. She'll be too surprised to see me."
"Good idea, Max Attack! That's part one down."
"The next part will be hard. She'll definitely be upset. It'll be the first time that she's seen me since I moved to Seattle. She'll be pissed I didn't talk to her since I had come back to Arcadia Bay."
"You know her better than I do. She's your best friend, you'll find a way to get through to her."
"I will. Thank you for having so much faith in me."
He wrapped his arm over her shoulder. She leaned into him, loving the feeling of being being enveloped in his warmth. The butterflies in her stomach performed somersaults. He kissed her forehead. "It's my job."
"You're my newest priority, Warren Moon. I'm going to make sure Chloe understands how much you mean to me."
"It's the best I could hope for. I'm just in disbelief that you used a sports reference for my name."
"I blame my dad's obsession with the Seattle Seahawks… wait, how do you know what I'm referencing."
He gave her a faux sinister look, "I have my ways, Max Caulfield."
"Your dad is a sports fan too, isn't he?"
"Maybe."
"You're so full of shit," she said with a laugh. Dog, she was going to miss him.
He let her get out from under his arm. "Are you sure it's going to work? It's not exactly in pristine condition."
She focused somewhat on the picture. She could distantly hear Nathan start to speak. "It should be fine."
"I love you, Max. I hope everything works out."
"I love you too, Warren."
She focused on the photo, but she couldn't help but whisper, "I wish I could stop doing this to us."
"For what it's worth, Max," he said putting a comforting hand on her shoulder, "me too."
With that she focused on the photo, within a second, she felt herself being pulled back.
Back to the start.
Hey everyone. Sorry there wasn't as much humor in this one, a little more plot development. I decided to break the fourth wall a little more, because honestly what Life is Strange story has used that medium? It was a lot of fun to write, and I hope it was fun to read.
Thanks to Shakespur, Master Assassin Ezio 91 and Blackadder for the reviews!
Til next time, Holywoodunderfed