Max was eating her waffles.
She didn't have a choice after all because a pair of blue eyes were watching her every move. When Chloe commands you to eat, you either eat or you get eaten.
But the freckled girl had to admit that Chloe had been right. After the first few bits her stomach started growling and nothing could stop her from shoveling more of the waffles in her mouth.
While tasting the nostalgic taste of the Two Whales waffles the realization kicked in once more. It was Saturday. Max had done it. She was free. But it wasn't only that. She was not alone. A certain blue haired punk was sitting on the other side of the table, smiling at Max's craving for more food. As she looked up from her plate she got lost in those blue eyes for a moment. She is safe, isn't she? Probably still worried about me, but safe.
She felt how her hands started to shake thanks to a mix of happiness and some anxiety, that would probably never fully go away. The fork Max was holding, fell on the plate.

"Is everything okay, Super Max?" The punk asked with a concerned voice.

"Okay? I... guess it is?" Max shrugged. But then she suddenly shook her head. "No, not just okay. I'm here. You're here. It's perfect. I-I mean... I'm just happy." For a moment Chloe was worried, but then she saw the most innocent smile she had ever seen on Max's face. A face of happiness, not sorrow or guilt. That's when you shine the most Caulfield. Was what came the punk to mind when she saw the other girl like this.
When the first tears ran down from the freckled face, Max started to giggle at herself. The punk didn't need long to realize what she had to do. She stood up, sat herself right next to Max and started to caress her. Max sighed and then buried her face in Chloe's chest for some time. While one of Chloe's hands was slung around Max back to pull her closer, the other one tenderly went through the brown hair with it's fingers. The blue haired girl knew that those tears were tears out of happiness, yet Chloe felt like she needed to comfort her somehow.

"Hey... There's no need to cry, is there?" Chloe whispered into Max ear, with a voice as sweet as honey. Feeling the breath on her ears made Max blush a bit, but no one could actually see it because she still had her face pressed against the punk. But for Max the most calming part was that the small girl felt the touch of her girlfriend on her head. It was like an insurance that Chloe wasn't going anywhere. Max took a few deep breaths and savored the smell of her girlfriend. She didn't care if someone would find it weird, but the smell of cigarettes mixed with Chloe's shampoo was hypnotizing for her, and she probably would have held on to it a bit longer if Joyce didn't come over to them.

The moment Joyce saw Max's face not having a sad expression but looking rather happy, after she removed it from Chloe, calmed her. "I never knew my waffles taste so good that one would cry because of it." Mother like daughter. Joking was always their way of showing that they care about me. Max found it amusing how similar the two women could be sometimes. "But seriously are you okay, honey?"

"Y-yea, I'm fine. Thanks." The smaller girl answered, still with a smile on her face.

"Looks like my daughter, already took good care of you anyways." Chloe's mother said in an undertone which sounded somewhat odd. Max didn't understand what she meant at first, but after looking over to Chloe who was now as red as a lobster, she also realized what Joyce meant. The two of them were still cuddled together, and only after Joyce made her comment about the two of them, they separated from each other. Without adding anything further the waitress went back to her work.

In a low voice Max asked the other girl. "Did you tell her about us?"

"So there is an us?"

"What does that mean? Of course there is, unless you don't want it to be."

"Sorry, that sounded hella wrong. What I meant was that we never really cleared what we are."

"I love you." Max answered casually with a shrug of her shoulders. This wasn't the first time she said that, but those words still caught the punk of guard every time she heard them. "So, do you want to go out with me?" Max asked after looking over her shoulder to see that Joyce was distracted by a customer.

"Since when have you become so bold, hippie? I'm supposed to be the bold one! I should be the one asking you out."

"Then do so already, dork!"

"But shouldn't we wait for... I don't know, something romantic?"

"Wowser... I thought you hated corniness. Looks like under that hard punkster-shell of yours hides a soft sentimental girl after all."

"I just don't want to fuck this up. This is important for me... You're important to me."

"... Chloe?"

"Yea?"

"Do you love me?"

"Y-yes, of course!"

"So, why are you scared of messing things up? I don't need anything else but to know that you do. And as a side note: It didn't hinder you to make out with me right in front of the hospital, did it?"

"I just felt like kissing you back then..." And with a groan she added. "We met less then a week ago, at least I did, and there is already this... thing between us. I just feel like-"

"We're moving too fast?"

"Yea!... Maybe? Now it sounds like I want to break up. I don't! In fact I think you may be the best thing that happened in my life."

"If you're really bothered with us moving to fast I won't try to kiss you anymore or something. I want you to be comfortable around me, not tensed up." More than anything else Max wanted things to be good for Chloe, but still she was somewhat pleased by the horrified look on Chloe's face after she made that proposal.

"Don't do that to me, Caulfield. That would be punishment! I need you... Actually, that's what scares me the most. When I heard you were in hospital it literally took my breath. And when I saw you lying there in the bed..." Tears appeared in the punks eyes. "It hurt so much." Chloe was being surprisingly honest, which the smaller girl didn't expect.

"Hey... C'mon, let's get out of here. Let's go somewhere nice where we can talk in private, okay?" Max said as she grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her on her feet. "I don't think we need an audience for this type of talk."

"Yea, sounds good..."

While the blue haired girl was driving them to Chloe's house, there was an awkward silence in the car as if they just had a fight. But neither of them was angry. Max was actually quiet giddy about Chloe's honesty. She said 'I'm the best thing that happened in her life'. She couldn't restrain the grin that formed on her lips after remembering those words. She then noticed that the punk was gazing over to her from time to time, while still trying to keep an eye on the road. She looks so worried right now. She probably thinks I'm angry at her. Hmmm, she looks cute when she's worried. Max observed with delight how a hand reached out for her's. The giggling girl took Chloe's hand and gently squeezed it. After they started holding each other's hands Chloe stopped looking over and focused on driving with only one hand at the wheel.

After a short while the punk said, "You could have told me that you're not mad."

"Did I really make the impression that I was angry with you?"

"I don't know. You just stopped talking as soon as we sat in my truck."

"Well, I didin't want to distract you from the road. Also, you look cute when you're worried." Max confessed, still a sly smile on her face.

"So you knew, you little bitch! Lucky you that I'm focusing on driving right now."

"I hope you remember how it ended last time you messed with the best swashbuckler in all the seven seas."

"Eat me."

"And here I thought you didn't want to rush things with us." Max watched with delight how the other girl's face went up in flames.

"Perv." Chloe said as she shook her head.

Sometime later they reached the house and the punk parked in front of the garage gate. The two girls made their way inside the house, both of them now in a much better mood. Then they went straight in Chloe's room. The blue haired girl didn't waste a second to lit a cigarette as she turned the stereo on.
Now with 'Stand by me' playing she sat herself on her bed. Sorry, you probably hate the smell of cigarettes but I just have to relax right now. Chloe thought, but then her eyes narrowed as she said, "You know, you have way too much fun playing with my emotions."

Sitting on the chair next to the bed, Max crossed her arms behind her head and answered with a smile on her face. "It's your fault for being so god damn adorable."

"Don't think complimenting me will save you."

"Won't it?"

"... Maybe."

"Never knew you liked Ben E. King by the way. Thought you weren't into that retro hipster thing."

"How can King be retro? Was there ever not a King time? Well, that aside for now, we should continue where we left off in Two Whales." Chloe said as she put out the cigarette on the ashtray next to her.

"Sure." Max knew they would end up talking about heavy stuff again and wanted to be closer to Chloe, so she moved herself to the bed next to the the blue haired girl.

"So we're together then?"

"I think so."

"Max Caulfield is my legit girlfriend?" The punk asked again.

A giggle escaped Max's lips. "You're such a dork. Yes, I'm your girlfriend. And so are you, Miss legit girlfriend."

The punk then suddenly snuggled up against Max. "Hmm, I like the sound of that."

"I sure hope so. I never expected to be your girlfriend at all, so all of this is like a wish come true anyways. That's also why you don't need to feel pressured. The only thing I want from you is you, Chloe."

"I know... I just... never expected to be able to let anyone so close to me ever again. After Rachel disappeared I... created a cage for myself where I would be able to isolate myself from everything that could hurt me."

"Chloe..."

"Yea, yea I know, it's not like me to get all sentimental, but when I saw you in the hospital it hit me. Did someone tell you what my reaction was when I came into the room?" After Max shook her head Chloe continued, "I threw up! I actually threw up! Fortunately I managed to get into the bathroom. I was so scared of the mere thought of you being seriously hurt that my body reacted on it's own. I just then really realized that you somehow managed to enter my cage." The freckled girl, now being close to tears after hearing what Chloe just told her, threw herself at the bigger girl. Max's arms wrapped around her girlfriend and gave her a long tight hug. When Max started talking again the punk could feel her breath on her neck, which gave her 'hella' goosebumps.

"Our lives have been awkward and painful, but if the last few days have taught me one thing, it's that we deserve to be happy... to be in love."

The two girls didn't move for a while. They just sat there embracing each other, giving each other the feeling that there was someone else who cared about them. A feeling of warmth, unknown to both of them.
Chloe was the first to release her hug, now looking not as sad as she did a few moments ago. "Damn, now that you say it, I still need to read the rest of your journal. Totally forgot about that already."

"I can give it to you now, if you want to?"

"Naaa, I've got a better idea for now." The punk said while slowly moving in and pressing her lips against her girlfriends. Max felt a hand grabbing her neck and gently pulling her more into the kiss. She didn't resist at all, because her own hands were already grabbing Chloe by the waist, doing the same. The freckled girl felt how an alien tongue entered her mouth and let out a faint moan when it collided with her own. Both of them were grinning when their lips finally departed from one another. Their foreheads were still connected and for a moment the two of them just stayed like that, looking into each other's eyes while trying to catch some air.
Max suddenly felt the urge to jump on top of the bigger girl, but before she did so she remembered that there was no one else in this house right now and If she didn't stop herself now, she was not sure if she would be able to do so if this lasted any longer. I don't want to rush things, do I?... Of course I do, but we need to stop now, for your own sake! Max shifted a bit away from Chloe, but before the punk could complain about it the smaller girl asked,

"Do we plan to tell your mother about our relationship? It's fine by me if we don't. Being in love behind closed doors somehow feels exciting."

"Damn, you really read too many corny love stories. If it's just mom I think it should be alright, but I don't know how my step would take it. He has been... nicer since you came into my life, which by the way just shows how awesome you're, but I don't know if he would be cool with it. He's a prick after all."

Are you cereal? And here I thought you two were finally getting closer. But Max didn't want to talk about David, knowing that it would end with Chloe being angry at him again, so she tried to move the discussion away from him. "So Joyce never knew that you're..."

"Hella gay? Well, me and my mother never had 'the talk', but I think she somehow already guessed that I'm at least not straight. Just remember how she looked at us in Two Whales."

"I remember you blushing because of it."

"Shut it. Wanna watch some movies? We have the whole house for ourselves till my mom comes home." The blue girl stood up and moved towards the door. As she went through her blue hair with one of her hands she noticed that her beanie was on the ground. She picked it up while thinking about their situation. She actually didn't feel like watching movies at all, but she needed some distraction from the smaller girl. Geez, I don't think I would have been satisfied with just a bit of making out if she didn't break the kiss just now. And that after I said we shouldn't rush into things. Doesn't I normally like rushy?...
Just don't want this to be done wrong... I always thought that I could never trust anybody in my life after all. This is pretty much the first time someone is this important to me.
First time... Wait a second, didn't she say that she never had a boy or girlfriend in Seattle? Does that mean... Chloe turned around and starred at her girlfriend.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Max asked with a somewhat concerned voice, after seeing how a wicked smile formed on the bigger girl's face.

"Oh, nothing... I'm just hungry." For you, that's it, Caulfield.

"I somehow doubt that. You have your 'I am a bad egg' face on, right now."

I'll make your first experience something you'll remember forever. The punk thought as she went downstairs. "What're you talking about? I only have nice faces."

"Faces only a mother could love. And me." Max countered as she came downstairs as well.

"That's so sweet of you. Now move your ass on the couch or I'll be forced to give you some assistance." The punk ordered while preparing some snacks in the kitchen.

"Yessir." The brunette made herself comfortable on the sofa, and was looking forward to a day with nothing but a blue haired punk and some trashy flicks.

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"Didn't you say that no one would be here today?"

"Yep. David said he had some kind of meeting with the other guardsman. Must be a package someone ordered, or something like that." Chloe said as she moved to the door.
But when she opened the door she didn't find a mailmen waiting for her, but instead a middle aged man dressed in a black designer suit who was standing before her. Somehow the punk felt that she had seen him somewhere before, yet could not remember who he was. He had brown hair, which was slowly growing grey on the sides. He wore glasses which by themselves looked more expensive than their whole house. And despite the smile on his face, she felt an intimidating aura oozing from him.

She felt how her throat started drying up and she needed to gulp before asking, "Hello, can I help you with something?"

"Good afternoon Miss Price. Excuse me for interrupting your day, but I'm looking for Miss Max Caulfield. I heard that she accompanied you here."

"I didn't catch your name, mister?..."

"Oh my! How could I forget," The man said with a obviously faked chuckle. "I'm certain you've heard of me before. My name is Sean Prescott."

That's it for now. ^^

Hope you all liked the chapter :3 if you didn't, please let me know it so I can improve my writing :P