Author's Note: Everyone, I'd like to say how much all your comments and your interest has meant to me. Writing this fic been a good experience for me since we're all on the edge of our seats waiting for Episode 5 to come out already. I hope you'll enjoy the following chapters as much as you've enjoyed the ones before.

P.S. Since Episode 5 hasn't come out at the time of this writing, any following references to the Dark Room are purely speculation.

Chapter 7

At 2:37 a.m., the first wave of text messages appeared on Kate's phone.

Warren: commence Operation Verdandi, gang!

Warren: ok, running Google Earth now

Warren: Brooke's got her drone on flyby

Warren: cross-checking streets now, babe

At 2:41 a.m., another exchange of texts followed.

Brooke: hey

Brooke: Daniel says we ought to check coffee shops and museums

Brooke: he's the one who knows this area better than anyone

Daniel: don't rule out parks either, amigos

Daniel: but my first guess would be the Portland Art Museum

On and on, the texts pinged onto Kate's phone. One after the other, they cascaded through her field of vision, filling her with equal amounts of hope and dread.

She shielded the light coming from her phone with one hand, trying not to distract Chloe. The other girl was bent over her wheel, driving her truck at a snail's pace past Montgomery and Main Street. It was the most active part of the neighborhood at this time of night. Golden lights from the Broadway Building and the nearby concert hall left stark, flowing shadows over the dashboard of Chloe's truck as they drove by.

Chloe hadn't said a word to Kate since they piled into her truck and drove off. Her sour mood reminded Kate of the way her friend Alyssa would get after another round of bullying in the girls' dorm at Blackwell. She wouldn't speak to anyone for an hour or so; her solution had been to isolate herself with a book or plug in her earphones and rock out in her room. Kate and Stella had often tried to cajole her with an offer of cookies or a soda, with a success rate of more or less fifty percent of the time.

Somehow, she had the feeling that offering to buy Chloe a beer would do much to calm her down.

Kate wasn't feeling too calm herself. Her eyes kept shifting to her phone, dreading the next text message. Even a phone call would be too much for her. She prayed it'd be from Max, calling in to reassure everyone that she was safe and sound. But for all Kate knew, it'd be the Portland Police Bureau with terrible news.

She's fine, Kate reminded herself. Her hands folded themselves into a sign of prayer in her lap, more out of habit than anything else. She's going to be fine.

"Does that really work for you?" Turning slightly, Kate saw that Chloe was watching her with a sullen smile. They had enough time for a quick chat as Chloe pulled the truck to a stop at the next red light.

"Well…" Kate averted her eyes. "I think it works for me."

"Huh." Chloe regarded her for another moment, her gaze lingering on Kate's hands. When those blue eyes turned up to Kate's face, they softened. "Call me crazy, but I would've thought you'd be less of a believer after all the shit you've been through."

It was terrible, but Kate had to resist the urge to spout off one of the platitudes that her pastor liked to hand out, such as It is only a test of our faith or How happy is the man whom God reproves. Her minister, bless his heart, had never found himself standing on a rooftop in the rain, desperate to face an end to a world of constant suffering.

Chloe knew, though. When Kate saw the flash in her eyes, she imagined she wasn't simply asking for curiosity's sake.

"You know, I was this close to losing my faith in God." Kate pinched her forefinger and thumb together. "I told Max I didn't even believe in miracles anymore."

"Yeah?"

"But Max said she believed in me. She believed in miracles because of me. I didn't understand what she meant by that, but I figured it out eventually."

She didn't think it was a bizarre statement, but Chloe looked guilty for some reason. The other girl ducked her head toward the steering wheel as she drove through the next intersection. "And what'd you find out?"

"Max is a miracle." Kate had always thought so, but saying it out loud gave those words a new kind of depth. Like she could finally see the truth behind her tangled feelings. And what she found, she spoke aloud. "She's the only one who really stood up for me when no one else would. She might've been nosy, but she knew exactly what to say when I was ready to jump. I knew she was my friend, but I never realized until that moment just how deeply she cared about me. Even when you two came to see me in the hospital, that visit was the best gift I'd gotten that week."

Again, Chloe didn't seem ready to look Kate in the eye. "Yeah, well, Max deserves more of the credit than me. All I did was sit my dumb ass outside 'cuz I was feeling like a shitty friend."

"But I'm glad you came for her." Kate wanted to pat the other girl on the shoulder, but she knew better. "You're a good friend, too, Chloe. And I am sorry about earlier. I don't want to lose you as a friend because I made a mistake with your girlfriend."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Chloe leaned back in her seat. For the first time in over an hour, she looked a hair more relaxed. More like her old carefree self. "You know, as much as it pains me to say it, I can't exactly fault you for doing what you did. I mean, my girlfriend is hella gorgeous, right?"

Kate blushed and looked away from Chloe's teasing grin. "She's a… a lovely girl. And you're lucky to have her."

"Aww, knock it off, Sister Kate. Admit it: you like her."

Letting out a sigh, Kate looked at her faint reflection in the passenger side window. The Kate who looked back wore a haunted expression, illuminated by flickering street lamps as they drove down Montgomery.

"It's true," she replied. "I like her. Probably not as much as you do, of course."

Chloe pulled the truck to a halt at the next intersection. When she turned her full attention to Kate, her gaze was piercing and hot.

"Then why the kiss? Huh?" She waved her hand through the air with all the subtlety of an ax. "Why not, I don't know, write her a goddamn poem or a note instead?"

"I'm sorry—"

"Sorry's not enough. I wanna nip this in the bud, comprende? If I'm gonna lose Max to you, I'd…" Chloe's rising tone suddenly faltered. For a second, her face lost its savage glare; she looked scared and hopeless as she struggled to find the words. "I'll…"

Kate watched her for a moment. "Chloe?"

"Jesus…" Chloe slumped back into her seat. When the light turned green again, she put the truck in drive and pulled ahead. Every movement was listless and jerky, like the motions of a broken marionette.

"Just promise me one thing, okay?" Chloe's blue eyes flashed onto Kate's face again, but with less malice than before. "Don't break her heart. If I'm gonna lose her, I'd… I'd rather avoid a fight. I don't exactly make the best decisions when it comes to dealing with her."

Kate shook her head. "I'm not getting between you two, I swear."

"I know, but if… I mean, if Max did want you…" Chloe blew out her breath in a long, soft exhale. "Fuck, it'd hurt, but I'd respect that."

"Chloe, Max does love you. She didn't even hesitate to move in with you or drive out to Portland. I like Max, but only as a friend." When Chloe looked ready to bring up the kiss again, Kate stalled her with a raised hand. "And yes, I take full responsibility for what I did."

They lapsed into silence for a while. Chloe didn't look at Kate; her eyes were glued to the road, flickering from side to side for a sign of their missing friend. Meanwhile, a strange calm settled on Kate's chest. That knot of anxiety in her stomach had finally untied itself for the night. Now that she'd confessed the full extent of her feelings, she didn't feel afraid of whatever would come next. Even if it meant losing touch with Max and having to stay with Alyssa and Stella for the remainder of the trip.

It rains on the just and the unjust, she thought. I should remember that for my next children's book…

As the truck turned the corner at Clay Street, Chloe slid a quick glance at Kate. She looked back at the road for a moment, then snuck another glance before turning back to the road.

"You really want to make it up to me?" she said in a quiet voice.

Kate grimaced. "If you'll let me…"

"Cool." Keeping one hand on the wheel, Chloe extended her right arm out to Kate. "Take your best shot."

"What?"

Again, she snapped her arm toward Kate. "C'mon. You get one free punch in the arm. This offer is one-time only and cannot be redeemed for future fuck-ups with yours truly."

"Chloe, I'm not going to hit you—"

"Don't wuss out on me, Marsh. Prove to me you've got a dark side."

Kate couldn't decide if Chloe was joking or just insane. Considering Max's opinion of her, it was probably both.

But when Chloe refused to lower her arm, Kate knew that this wasn't going to end any other way. As a precaution, she crossed herself over her heart. Then she took a deep breath, reached out her trembling hand, and gave the other girl a half-hearted slap on the wrist.

"Ha!" Chloe giggled, jerking her hand back. "God, you are such a goody two-shoes, you know that?"

"I don't hit people, Chloe. What was that about?"

Still smiling, Chloe changed gears again and made a U-turn at the next intersection. When the truck was heading back toward Montgomery, she turned to Kate and said, "It's dumb, but it had to be done. I mean, you can't let me be a bitch to you all night long, am I right?"

"You were only looking out for Max—"

"And look where that's gotten us." Chloe gestured to the gloomy street ahead. "I'd rather be back home with the two of us. And yes, that means you get to stay at the apartment. Pretty sure I said it already, but I'm sorry for kicking you out. That was very uncool of me." She smiled as she put both hands on the wheel again. "Besides, you know how to talk to Max. Talking to you makes her happy, and believe me, she hasn't been that happy until now."

"Really? But—"

The rest of her answer died when her phone flashed with a new text alert. Kate swiped left across her screen and read.

Warren: we found her!

Warren: Brooke's drone spotted Max here!

Warren: night vision specs ftw!

Attached to the following message was a Google Maps link.

"Lovejoy Fountain Park," Kate said. She glanced up, meeting Chloe's eager gaze. "Do you know where it is?"

"Shit, that's less than a mile away." Chloe turned back to the road and switched gears. "Let's roll!"

Chloe's truck had barely screeched to a halt when Kate opened her door and hopped out onto the cold pavement. She didn't even pause to look over her shoulder; she could hear Chloe's rapid footsteps behind her as they dashed into the cold, dim space of Lovejoy Park.

At two-thirty in the morning, she was surprised that there weren't any police cars driving around or even a few night owls out for a walk. She figured that someone would've spotted Max and tried to report her to the authorities. Finding the park so desolate made Kate feel worse about what they were going to find.

Her ears perked up when she heard something past the running waters of the nearby fountains. It was faint, but the tone was unmistakable.

"…Please… please, you don't have to do this…"

Kate's blood ran cold. But when she heard Chloe pick up the pace behind her, her blood turned hot and melted away the ice in her veins.

If someone was hurting Max, with God as her witness, she wasn't going to let them get away with it.

She forged ahead, racing across the smooth walkways with little to no light to guide her way. Kate put her trust in the Lord and moved as quickly as she could. She focused on the low tones coming from around a close-by bend.

When she came to a halt, Kate doubled over and paused to catch her breath. Chloe was breathing just as hard when she reached Kate's side. She at least had enough strength to cry out, "Max!"

Standing in the middle of the fountain, with water flowing up and around her ankles, Max Caulfield clasped her hands together. At first, Kate thought she might have been praying, but when she looked a little closer, she noticed the way Max's hands twitched. Her wrists flexed in and out against some invisible bond like someone had tied them together with rope or duct tape. And Kate didn't like how Max was gazing into space. That cold, dead-eyed stare at the water reminded her of her own dark October and the crushing despair that led her to the edge of a roof.

Kate took a deep breath. The memories tugged at her consciousness, teasing her with that same cloud of darkness. She didn't fight it. Instead, she rode out the misery with cold clarity. For only a moment, the despair reared its head. Finding no resistance, it soon withered away, leaving her back in the present moment.

Or rather, the present crisis.

"Max!" Chloe waved her hands. "Max, over here! Talk to me! Please!"

"Chloe…" Max's wrists twitched upward again. Her head tilted to the right. "You're here… gotta help me get loose…"

Chloe exchanged a nervous look with Kate. "Wh-what are you talking about? Where do you think you are?"

"The Dark Room…" Max blinked. "Gotta save her…"

"Save who, Max?"

"Victoria's in trouble…" Kate watched Max take a lazy step forward, further soaking the cuffs of her jeans. "She… she didn't listen… Nathan tried to… to…"

Whatever else she was trying to say got lost in a giant, heaving sob. Max pressed her hands to her face. She sank to her knees, splashing freshwater everywhere. Kate flinched when it hit the hem of her skirt, but she refused to back away.

Taking another breath, she calmed herself down and stepped closer to Max.

"Max," she said, using a strong, clear voice. "Max, will you please look at me?"

"Kate?" Max tilted her head to the side. Her voice almost sounded clear again. "Oh, no... Kate, how'd you get in here again? We have to get out of here! This place is evil!"

Her wrists twitched again, fighting against that invisible rope. Kate took another deep breath and reached her hand out.

"Please!" Max waved her hands back and forth. "Please, we have to hurry! He's coming back! Victoria needs us and we… and we…"

"Max!" Kate blushed at the sharpness of her tone, but she reached out and grabbed for her friend's hand. Her fingers interlocked with Max's wrist, and she held it tight.

"Max," she said again. "Please, listen. You're fine. You're safe. There's no reason to be afraid. You're in Portland. With me and Chloe." Fighting past the lump in her throat, she managed to add, "Do you remember?"

Max didn't respond right away. She continued to stare out in horror, trapped in her own memory.

"Please, Max. It's Kate." Adding pressure to her grip on Max's wrist, Kate stepped closer. She let the water of the fountain wash over her shoes and socks, soaking her straight through to the bone. Even in the middle of summer, the water was freezing, but Kate could bear it.

She had to bear it. For Max's sake and her own.

"Max." Chloe's voice was soft. Standing only a few feet behind Kate, she held her arms open. "Max, please. Talk to us. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I'm sorry I was a real bitch to Kate. You can come home now." Her face tightened. "Let's go home together, Max. Pretty please?"

Kate nodded. "She's telling the truth. We're fine now. Everything's fine." Keeping one hand on her wrist, she reached out and touched Max on the shoulder. "Would you like to go home now?"

"Home…" Max's voice had changed again. The panic had faded away, leaving only a broken tone that ripped into Kate's heart. But at least she sounded more like her old self again. When she blinked, something in her eyes cleared.

Max turned her head slowly and looked at Kate. She looked at her clearly for the first time.

"Kate," she whispered. "It's really you?"

Sniffling, Kate nodded. "Yeah, Max. It's really me."

The next thing she knew, they were hugging, splashing more water as they raced into each other's arms. Kate hugged Max as tight as she could manage. With slow, cautious steps, she helped her friend out of the fountain and back onto dry land.

Whatever air had been in Kate's lungs was crushed away a second later. Chloe tackled the two girls in a bear hug, pressing Max's head into her shoulder and patting Kate's shoulder. She bent her head down and kissed Max on the cheek.

"Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again!" Chloe scolded. She smiled despite the tears running down her face. "You hear me?"

"Yes, Chloe…" Max's voice cracked under a fresh wave of sobs. She buried her face in her girlfriend's shoulder again. "Yes!"

Kate stepped out of the hug, letting Chloe have Max all to herself. She took a moment and closed her eyes, breathing past the pain stabbing through her heart. Her nerves had frayed after a long night of arguments, long car rides, and little sleep.

Thank you, Lord. She pressed her hands together and bowed her head. Just… thank you.

Meanwhile, Chloe had swept a protesting Max up into her arms, lifting her up underneath her shoulders and legs like an infant. The smile on Chloe's face could've lit up the entire park. Kate returned her smile and fell into step beside her as they made their way back to the idling truck in the dark.