Seattle it was. They would leave the next day in Chloe's old truck and spend time on the open road. Their hands stayed locked together all the way back to the diner until Chloe chivalrously lifted the piece of plywood blocking the entrance for Max. Max rolled her eyes and smirked, patting Chloe on the butt before clambering through.

"No decency, Maxine" she jokingly scorned, shaking her head in disdain.

"You love it."

They found Joyce in the arms of David once they both made their way through. Frank and Pompidou had gone; likely to the emergency shelter. With Frank's RV nowhere to be found, there was no telling where he'd end up going. As long as he had his dog, Max figured he really didn't care.

Upon seeing Chloe, David jerked her into his arms, grasping her into a tight hug. Chloe jumped, taken aback at the unexpected gesture and glanced helplessly at Max who was merely standing there with her arms crossed and coy smile on her face. "See, I told you so" her expression said.

Joyce smiled warmly from behind, having seated herself back in the booth as her daughter tried in vain to wriggle free. Chloe hesitated then slowly but surely brought her hands around David's back, patting him awkwardly on the back of the shoulder as one would do to someone they weren't exactly sure how to console.

"Okay, big guy" Chloe stuttered.

"Chloe...I don't even know where to start" he said regrettably.

"Letting me go would be a good place" she pleaded through strangled breaths

Emotional situations weren't exactly her strong point. She was waiting for him to bark commands at her, accuse her smoking pot again or yell at her to turn her damn music down. Instead he gently drew her out at arm's length, looked her in the eyes and said "Chloe, I'm sorry I was so hard on you. I should have been a better step father to you, there was no excuse for my actions."

She looked uneasily at Max and then back to David, his eyes full of regret.

"I...wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with" she hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Regardless, I shouldn't have done or said the things I did. I should have trusted you more. I just wanted to keep you safe, Chloe" he briefly turned his attention to Joyce, "both of you."

"I love this family" he continued, "I just sometimes have a weird way of showing it. But, I would never hurt you; either of you."

"We know that, David" Joyce answered calmly.

"Joyce, you mean the world to me. I don't know what I'd do without you" he paused, "Can you find it in your heart to ever forgive me?"

Joyce stood, with the help of Max, and laid her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. She looked longingly into his dark brown eyes as he held her close.

"I forgive you, David" she answered softly, closing her eyes as she took in his familiar touch and scent. He closed his eyes with her, resting his chin on the top of her head as he shed a single tear.

"I didn't know if I'd ever see you again" he whispered, "I..."he trailed off.

"David" she whispered back, "just come home."

He hugged her close, "Nothing would make me happier."

Chloe made a gagging face at Max who gave her a scolding expression in return. David turned back to his step-daughter, an arm still wrapped around Joyce.

"Chloe..." he dithered, "will you forgive me too?"

The blue haired rebel drew a breath and then released it, "Just take care of my mom, David" she answered simply. His eyes widened in surprise, that was the first time she had ever called him by his first name. Up until that point, she never really called him anything to his face. Of course there was slew of slandering nicknames she had used behind his back, some of these he was made aware of on occasion.

However, he knew this was Chloe's way of telling him they were, in a sense, okay. He never expected to be overly close with her as she had been with William. That was impossible. He only wanted an amicable relationship where they weren't at each other's throats for once. He knew she'd probably never warm up to him but he hoped to at least show her he could be a good step father. For him, that was enough.


They spent the night in Chloe's room the night before, Max nearly passing out with exhaustion in Chloe's arms. The Price house was still in one piece. William had always been a good handyman when it came to preparing for unexpected disasters. Despite its outward, shabby exterior, the house itself was rather sturdy and sound.

A tree had fallen in the front yard, scattering limbs and a slew of leaves all over the place. Some shingles had broken free from the roof, a few coming to land in the back of Chloe's truck along with several pine cones and, surprisingly, a bird's nest. The porch railing also hung awkwardly to one side and fell over into the nearby flowerbed after Chloe had gingerly kicked it with the tip of her boot. One of the windows was also slightly cracked, but it was still in one piece at least. It was almost like the tornado had given a giant middle finger to everything and everyone in Arcadia except for Chloe and Max. The fact that her house still stood, none too worse for the wear, while everything around it was pretty much destroyed was more than just coincidence. Maybe Jane Doe was protecting them one last time in her own small way.

David had taken Joyce to a hospital out of town and despite Joyce's protestations of Chloe and Max leaving before she said goodbye, David managed to persuade her that it would be in her better interest to get her ribs mended and looked at for any further injuries. Max promised her they wouldn't set out until she got back and Chloe had sighed in agreement.

So the two them spent the night alone. Max fell asleep first, curled into a ball on Chloe's bed, the covers pulled snugly up to her face. Chloe lay beside her, tenderly running her fingers through Max's hair, now slightly damp from an earlier shower, as she gently placed a stray lock behind her ears. She smiled down at her, the woman she now called her lover. As a child, Chloe held feelings for her but at the time she was too young to understand what they actually meant. As she grew older, she merely believed it was a phase and when Max moved away, she decided it wasn't meant to be anyway. When they stayed out of contact all those years, Chloe held a resentment towards her, feeling like she no longer mattered to Max; as if their entire childhood together was just a ruse.

But as Chloe looked down upon her now cuddled up in her bed and wearing one of her favorite sleep shirts, all that was gone. It had been for a long time. She loved her, she loved her with every fiber of her being. One day she would tell her that, one day she would show her just how much.

Chloe carefully got up from the bed and tip-toed to the foot. She sat down, leaning her back against the mattress as she sat cross-legged on her cluttered floor. She pulled the box of old photos she kept towards her and quietly lifted the lid. She peered inside, barely able to see and pulled out her last photo of Rachel. "I have to let you go. I have to let 'us' go. I'm not sorry for our time together and I wish more than anything you were still alive...but I know who I love now. And it's not you."

She took one last look, let out a breath and ripped the photo in two, then four pieces, tossing the fragments into the trash. "No more reminders of the past, no more ghosts to haunt me, no more regrets."

Once they packed their bags and said goodbye to Joyce, they'd be off at sunrise to Seattle for an eight hour drive.

Chloe crept silently out the door and to her bathroom, grabbing a small toiletries bag in the process. It was highly doubtful she'd ever come back to Arcadia to stay, even if she and Max ended up splitting, she no longer wanted to call this shit-hole home. She only needed the essentials, reaching firstly for her hair dye. Coloring over the chlorine was high on her priority list once they found Max's parents, much to the brunette's disappointment for her to simply keep it that way.

"My head is not a paint palette, Maxine." she had said, "Once you go blue, nothing else will do."

"That's the gayest thing I've ever heard" Max chuckled, "I love it."

She then reached for bottles of shampoo and conditioner and a fresh box of soap. Something about using others peoples shower accessories always weirded her out, soap especially. "The last place they wash is the first place I wash...and people call 'me' crazy."

Lastly she grabbed her toothbrush and an almost empty tube of toothpaste and tossed them in as well. Despite the events over the past few hours, Chloe found herself wide awake. She had stared at the ceiling for what seemed like hours before being forced to get up and actually do something. She would have started packing a bag of clothes but she didn't want to risk waking up Max.

She leaned on the bathroom sink, running a hand over her face as she looked in the mirror. "Relax, things are okay...things are awesome. Chill the fuck out, stop thinking so much." Unlike Max, Chloe hadn't heard the comforting words of Jane Doe, not that she would have believed them anyway. Despite all she said to Max, the blue haired youth still held a bit of fear inside her. It was a coping mechanism, to put up walls when she was afraid of being hurt or losing the ones she loved. It had happened with her father, then Rachel and now she was terrified it would happen with Max too.

Max assured her nothing could be more false, but deep down she was afraid of believing her. It was almost like she was waiting for a second storm to hit out of nowhere and take away what it had spared the first time. After all, she wasn't even supposed to be here. She couldn't help but think that maybe in another alternate reality, she was being lowered into the ground somewhere. Even though Max lost her powers, she had to wonder if time still worked that way, if other realities and dimensions were still going on even as she lived out a normal life. Was that really so far-fetched anymore?

She sighed and turned off the bathroom light. Thinking and staring in the mirror was not a good combination, so she decided to try and attempt sleep a second time. She crawled into bed, spooning Max from behind. Max instinctively nuzzled closer, grabbing her hand and pulling it over her side as she laced their fingers together. Chloe smiled and held her close beginning to relax. It wasn't long after that she closed her eyes and finally fell asleep.


Two Days Later

David and Joyce had arrived back home that Saturday afternoon. She was released early after her vitals were stable and her broken bones tended to. Three of her ribs had been cracked and her wrist and collarbone both had slight fractures and other than the gash on her cheek which only required four stitches, she was otherwise okay. She spent the majority of that day passed out in bed from the pain medication. David tended to her every need when she was awake which was only for about 15 minutes at a time. He fixed her lunch, helped her up and down to the bathroom, fluffed her pillows and for a few hours, stayed curled up beside her as she rested on his chest.

Chloe decided to spend that day packing up her belongings; her favorite pair of tattered jeans, a few tank tops and flannels, a hoodie because she heard it could get hella cold in Seattle, and a few pairs of sleeping boxers among other necessities. Chloe was always one to travel light even if it meant moving to an entirely different state. She once wore the same outfit for a week straight.

The following Sunday, Joyce arrived back on Earth, now more aware of her surroundings. Chloe plopped down beside her on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, her hands crossed behind her head.

"Promise me you'll at least call when you get there?" Joyce asked quietly.

"I promise" she muttered.

"And be careful driving" she added protectively.

"Relaaaax, mom."

"After everything that's happened, I just-"

Chloe sat up and looked at her, "We'll be fine, I promise. I have Max and Max has me, we're practically unstoppable together. So don't worry so much."

"I'm your mother" she sighed, "I'm always gonna worry. Even when you're thirty years old living on your own in another city, I'll worry. It's how we're built, Chloe."

"Then come with us" she answered simply.

"We can't just up and leave, Chloe. We'd have no job, no place to stay; it's not as simple as it sounds, unfortunately. You're young, you have your whole life ahead of you. But David and I...our place is here."

"There is nothing here."

"We'll rebuild like we always do" she smiled sadly, patting her daughter on the knee.

Joyce paused, noticing Chloe's averted eyes. She could feel her daughter's concern for her even if she didn't directly show it. Chloe held things inside, kept her feelings bottled up and stored away where no one but a special few could access them. But as a mother, she could sense her hesitation.

"Chloe" she began gently, "I know we've had our differences over the years, losing your father was a terrible burden for you to bear. I should have been there for you more and for that I'm sorry. But, Chloe...I love you. And no matter how far life takes you from me, no matter what you do, no matter what you say or who you become, that will never change. You're right, there is nothing here; not for you. You were made for greater things, greater places that will challenge you to your potential. And I want you to go out there and find that...and I'll always be here waiting when you need to come back."

"Maybe...one day."

"Though I do expect a wedding invitation when that time rolls around, though it'll likely be Max that remembers to send them."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. Her mother took notice of this and simply laughed, "I'm not stupid, Chloe Price. Nor am I blind."

"For the love of God, mother" she groaned, covering her eyes with her hand.

"You've loved that girl since you were both twelve years old and you love her still. I see the way you look at her when you think no one else is watching. It's the same way I used to look at your father."

Chloe had never really been close to her mother growing up. Her father had been her best friend, the one she told everything to, the one that gave her advice and held her while she cried. Though she and her mother had a good relationship growing up, as soon as William died, all that went out the window. Chloe needed something to blame for his death, the easiest thing had been Joyce. She never confided in her mother, never talked about what was bothering her, never told her about her dreams and ambitions.

But now it was like she was twelve again and that innocent nature took over for a brief moment when she quietly asked, "How did you know you loved him?"

Joyce raised her eyebrows in surprise, something she hadn't done towards Chloe in years. After all the piercings, tattoos, stealing and even a little time spent in juvy, nothing really surprised her anymore. At least not until that moment.

"I felt a connection with him that I couldn't explain, I wasn't afraid to be myself around him. He loved me for me, despite all my flaws and silly insecurities. It just felt...right. Sound familiar?" she asked with a small smile.

"Something like that" she answered, embarrassingly.

"Make a life with her, Chloe. I know you've always wanted one. She's a sweet girl and I've always liked her, she brings out the best in you, always has."

Not wanting to continue this conversation into an even more awkward discussion, Chloe got up from the bed and walked to the door, her hand on the frame as stopped at the entrance. Then she paused, took a breath and turned to face her mother.

"Thanks, mom...for everything" she quietly.

"You're welcome, Chloe."

With that, Chloe left the room, feeling her mother's eyes following her until she was no longer out of sight. She grabbed her bags she placed by the front door the night before and went to retrieve Max from the kitchen. David was in the middle of trying to make a very messy omelette and Max was sitting on the counter top, trying not to laugh at his attempt to flip it in the frying pan.

"Ehh, Joyce was always the better cook" he smiled.

"It's the thought that counts" she said, "and the thought is sweet."

"Well, I appreciate that" he said with a nod.

"You ready to go?" Chloe asked, her thumb pointing back at the door once she had Max's attention.

"Yep, yep" she answered, hopping down. Noticing the tension between the two of them Max grabbed Chloe's bag and patted her on the shoulder, "I'll be in the car."

Chloe could hear a "goodbye, Joyce!" then a "goodbye, Max! Drive safe!" and finally the sound of the door clicking shut before the silence between her and David was set in place again.

She held up her hands as if in surrender, "I'm not gonna hug you, so don't get any ideas" she said quickly, "And I don't have some speech or lovey send off prepared either."

He shook his head in understanding, "That's fair."

"Promise me one thing, though" Chloe said sternly, "you look after my mother, she's all I have left."

"I swear on my life I will."

"Then that's all I need from you" she said, turning and making her way to the door.

"Chloe?" he stalled, his hand outstretched.

She turned, "What?"

"How about we part on at least a handshake?"

She sighed and grabbed his hand, firmly shaking it in unison. He nodded and loosened his grip, watching her until she turned and this time made it fully to the door, opened it and then vanished out of sight.


That was nearly seven hours ago. They sat in silence for a good majority of the trip, Max occasionally massaging the back of Chloe's neck or running her fingers against the ends of her hair.

They only had to stop for gas twice and every other rest stop they came in contact with to stretch their legs.

Now they were on the outskirts of Washington, Seattle lay only an hour away.

"We're gonna need to get new phones at some point" Chloe pointed out, "good thing my last one was shit anyway."

"No telling how many missed calls I have from my parents" Max groaned, leaning her head against the window.

"Storm of the century, guarantee everyone in the U.S knows about it now. You sure your parents aren't gonna mind me crashing with you?"

"Hey, where I go, you go. That was the plan, remember?"

"Alright, but sometimes I like to sleep in the nude and-"

Max eyed her knowingly.

"I'm just saying, if Vanessa or Ryan walk in on me in my birthday suit I gave you fair warning" she shrugged.

"Right and I bake cookies in the middle of the night drunk on vodka" she leered.

"You do? Why I don't know I about this? That sounds hella dope" she grinned.

"Ha, well the first time you sleep naked, is the first time you'll get to see it" she answered playfully.

"Max Caulfield, you comin' on to me?"

"Isn't that what girlfriends are supposed to do?"

"Yeah, but nice girlfriends would wait until I'm parked."

"So park" she purred.

Chloe eyed her hungrily and swallowed. She pulled off onto the side of the highway and put the truck in park. Max immediately unbuckled and straddled Chloe's lap as Chloe slid her seat back to make room. She placed her hands on Chloe's face eagerly waiting for her lover's touch as she claimed her lips. Chloe wrapped her hands around Max's waist, running her hands under her shirt to feel her bare skin; warm to the touch.

Chloe pulled her lips free only to move them to Max's collarbone. The brunette arched, letting out a slight moan as her lover sunk her teeth greedily into her neck. She grabbed the back of Chloe's neck, her fingers tangling in her soft blue hair as Chloe only continued to bite harder, now and then sucking her skin between her teeth as she massaged it with her tongue.

"Chloe..." she breathed, pulling her face into her hands and kissing her once more. Her tongue found its way into her mouth, caressing the sides of her cheeks and then wrapped itself around Chloe's tongue.

Chloe opened her eyes and blinked in surprise. She was pretty sure Max had never kissed anyone, especially french kissed. Yet here she was with her tongue in her mouth moving it around like a champ. She had never seen this side of Max...she liked it.

Chloe nibbled on Max's lower lip, sucking it for a few seconds before surrendering it back. At this, Max grabbed Chloe's hand, leading it down between her legs as she unbuttoned her jeans and slid it past her underwear. But before she could get to far, Chloe gently stopped her and pulled her hand back.

"Not here, Max" she said softly, "not in a truck, not for your first time."

Max blinked, "I just thought..."

"No, no, it was great. I just want our first time together to be special, and this isn't special. You deserve better than this."

Chloe wanted more than anything to take her then and there but there was a difference between lust and love. She wanted their first time to be romantic, she wanted to remember it for the rest of her life. Fucking in an old truck wasn't going to do it. It took all she had to hold back, but she loved Max enough to wait, to give her the moment she actually deserved.

Max smiled warmly, cupping Chloe's cheek in her hand. "You're sweet."

Chloe rolled her eyes and smirked, "I try."

"Guess I should get off you then" she said, buttoning her jeans back before starting to get up. Chloe grabbed her and sat her back down, pulling her close.

"Uh uh, few more minutes" she said with a wag of her finger.

Not wanting to risk getting turned on a second time, Chloe held her. Max laid her head on her lover's shoulder, as Chloe kept her close. They stayed that way in each other's arms, basking in the silence as they watched the traffic roll by. No telling when they'd get alone time again once they reached Seattle and Max's parents, so for now...they simply enjoyed the closeness.