Hey guys, how's it going? Here is the next chapter for you. Lyrics used are from 'If I be Wrong' by Wolf Larsen.

Enjoy

Guest Review

MaxNeverMaxine: Ahhhhhh so freaking adorable! I can't wait for more! All of your stories are so cool and amazing this one is no different! :)

- That was the plan for last chapter. Can't ever get enough of these hella gay dorks. That is an amazing thing to hear for me, so thank you :)

Chapter Ten: Balance

I find myself once again in the forest, or at least as far as I can tell from the blurry outlines and distorted ambient noises. I scan my surroundings more thoroughly for any clues about what is going on. I still haven't figured out why I'm seeing any of these strange dreams, if there is a purpose to them. Are they visions of the future? Broken memories? Weird dream logic?

Cheerful, carefree laughter suddenly echoes through the air and breaks through my thought, something I am really not used to in these dreams I've been having recently. I stumble forward, desperately searching for the source of the mesmerizing tone.

"C'mon Max, hurry up," a ghostly whisper calls out to me, reverberating in my mind, "You'll get left behind."

The voice compels my legs to move, fills my mind with an indescribable feeling of joy and brings an involuntary toothy grin to my lips. I don't really know where my body is taking me, but it seems certain of the direction and I have little choice but to follow it seems. The laughter only increases as I go deeper into the forest, a sound that makes me feel at ease with the world.

"Can't catch me that easily," the hushed voice challenges, only fueling my desire to chase after the echoes. The closer I get, the clearer the voice seems to become, which only increases the need to run. I have to know who it belongs to. Something tells me that its the key to everything.

As I continue running my body starts to become heavy and my pace slows. No matter how hard I try to push forward, my limbs feel like dead weights and refuse to move. These dreams won't let me discover the truth, they only allow me fragmented moments before darkness begins to take over my surroundings and finally engulfing me.

Tree House

My eyes flutter open as a dull ache passes over my mind and the remnants of the dream I had slowly fades away. Thankfully this time I'm not bleeding all over the place, which is progress. A wave of contentment passes over my mind as it wonders back to the dream I had this time, which is a welcomed change from the usual extreme confusion.

I have no clue what it means, but at least its left me feeling good for once.

Pushing the weird dream to one side for now, I yawn and rub at my eyes. Surprisingly, the pillow fort Chloe and I fell asleep in hasn't collapsed during the night. I was half expecting to wake up with a mountain of pillows and blankets on my face, especially considering that Chloe is not a still sleeper by any means from my experience. It seems our construction skills held up under fire.

Chloe has her arm wrapped around my waist and her head nuzzled into my neck with her legs tangled up with mine completely restricting my movement, not that I really want to move right now anyway. It's warm and comfortable, which is more than enough to suppress my will to get up and face the day... not that I need much motivation. I give in to the overwhelming laziness and snuggle back up against her, sighing contently. I would be quite happy to wake up like this every morning, in fact I want that more than anything and it worries me that I might not be able to. Now I've experienced this, I don't think I can go back to how things were… without Chloe. Even simply thinking about the possibility makes my heart feel as if its being mercilessly ripped from my chest.

After a few moments I can feel her stir against me, her hold on me loosening as she shuffles closer and sleepily whispers in my ear, "Mornin' Max."

"Hey, Chloe," I reply softly as she lazily kisses my neck, her lips soft and her breath warm against my skin. I recoil slightly from the ticklish sensation and feel her smile against my skin before she relents.

"How are you feeling?" she asks curiously through a yawn.

"Better now I've seen you," I cheesily remark.

Chloe rolls her eyes playfully at me, "Wow, Max. Just when I think you can't get any dorkier…" she shakes her head then stretches out, nearly hitting me in the face.

"Hey," I shout out, "Watch it."

"Sorry, didn't mean to," she chuckles heartily.

I sigh deeply at her weak defense, "Like hell I believe that…"

"Aw, don't pout Max," she lightly teases, enjoying watching me react to her. She glances down at the watch like bracelet on her wrist and sighs resignedly, "Better get to it I suppose."

"You have to go already?" I ask dejectedly.

"Not yet, I have to be ready though. I'm always on call," she mentions as she carefully untangles herself from me, "I need to eat something. Working on an empty stomach is not good," she shuffles on out of the pillow fort and I follow close behind her. She gets to her feet and stretches her arms above her head before suggesting, "Let's go grab some grub then figure out what to do from there."

"I like the way you think," I agree as we head on down the ladder and back to the main building, the warm sun beating down on my skin as a warm breeze gently ruffles my hair.

Soon enough we are back just outside the café and we enter inside to find it empty apart from one familiar figure sat at the counter, Randi. When he hears our footsteps, he turns and smile warmly, "Chloe, Max, how are you this morning?"

"Pretty good thanks," I respond with Chloe nodding in agreement as we join him at the counter.

He gives us a look of mild amusement and offers us a knowing grin, "You certainly both seem happy today."

"Well, with Max here it's pretty hard to feel sad," Chloe mumbles shyly much to Randi's amusement.

We order some food from Kate, Chloe insistent that she pay for me, and begin to dig in to our meal. As per usual it tastes heavenly, not that I expected anything less from Kate. Randi sits there nursing his coffee beside us, almost seeming to be in his own little world. Usually he seems so aware of his surroundings and is never this quiet, but I guess we all zone out sometimes. The gentle strum of a guitar slowly filters out through the speakers of the retro jukebox sat in the corner.

What if I'm wrong, what if I've lied
What if I've dragged you here to my own dark night
And what if I know, what if I see
There is a crack run right down the front of me

What if they're right, what if we're wrong
What if I've lured you here with a siren song?

But if I be wrong, if I be right
Let me be here with you tonight.

Chloe finishes her food off way before I even really have a chance to start and she keeps eyeing up my plate while I eat, waiting to see if I'll leave anything. When I've finished off about three quarters of my breakfast, I finally give in and gently push the plate in her direction. Her eyes light up and she offers me an appreciative grin as she chows down on my leftovers.

I usually leave stuff anyway, so I don't mind and if that makes her happy for even a second then it's worth it.

I watch with my chin propped on my hand as she almost inhales the food and feel a small smile tug at my lips, as well as a pang of despondency. This kind of moment is bitter sweet for me. I can't ever get enough of them, but I have to remember that we might not get many more if we can't figure out a way to stay together. At this thought, my brow furrows and my heart sinks in my chest.

There has to be a way to solve this somehow.

I take a sip of my black coffee, which is now cool enough not to burn me for once, and rack my brain, trying to think up some way to make our staying together a possibility.

Randi did say he would help where he could, maybe he knows someone who could help us. It's worth a shot at least.

After a moment's hesitation, I swallow hard and shuffle in my chair to face him, "Randi…"

His head snaps up from his coffee at the mention of his name, "Yes, Max."

I glance around to check that no-one else is around before turning back to Randi and hopefully asking, "Do you know anyone who might know how to help us?"

He looks thoughtful for a moment while stroking at his short blonde beard, "Well, I think it would be worth going to visit either Ash, Leo or Ali," he nods firmly at his own suggestion, seeming more confident in it now, "They are the oldest grim reapers here, dog, cat and rabbit respectively. I reckon they would be your best bet, or at least they'd be able to send you in the right direction if nothing else."

At least that is something to go on. At this point, I am willing to try anything he or anyone else might propose.

I can't help the involuntary grin tugging at my lips at the possible lead, "Thank you, Randi. Seriously."

He offers me a smile tinged with melancholy, his deep brown eyes flickering with something I can't quite decipher, "Don't mention it."

A few moments later after we've finished off our drinks, both Chloe and I make our way out of the café off on our newest mission. Chloe leans against the wall just outside and tiredly runs her hand through her hair, "We should go see Ash. She's easier to handle than the other two and unlike most people in this place, she really knows her stuff. She's spent more time than anyone in the archives and then there's her first-hand experience as well."

"What about the others? Maybe they might know something too," I suggest, not wanting to rule out any options yet.

She sighs wearily as she folds her arms across her chest, "Leo ends up sleeping most hours and when he's awake, he just wants to make mischief. Ali is shy and hard to corner. She gets used to people, but it takes a very long time and we don't have too much of that on our side. Don't be fooled though, if you cross her she is pretty scary," she pushes herself off of the wall and begins to walk over to the main offices, "If Ash has nothing, we'll try the others."

I follow her to the very end of the hallway lined with offices and stop in front of the last door on the left. The door is purple and the painting beside depicts a large chocolate Labrador type dog infused with indigo veins running along its body. Before it has time to shift to the human form, Chloe decisively walks up to the door and pushes on it without knocking.

Chloe really has no awareness of privacy…

I sigh before following her in. A woman, who looks to be in her early thirties, is sat at the cleanest desk I have seen in this place so far. I can't see her tattoo, so I assume it must be hidden by her clothing. When she hears the door creak, she sighs and slowly raises her head with a tired expression, "Leo, I thought I told you that I was b-" her eyebrows raise in mild shock when she sees Chloe. This last for only a second before she puts down her pen and offers up a weary smile as she brushes the stray strands of her mid-length, dark brown hair out of her cloudy indigo eyes, "Ah, Chloe. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Chloe seems abnormally nervous under the other woman's light interrogation, "I… we were wondering if you could help us out."

Ash regards me with an interested look, "I don't think I have seen you around here before. What is your name, my dear?"

"Uh… it's Max, ma'am," I stammer nervously. You'd have thought that with all the new people I had encountered that I would've gotten used to it by now. Sadly, that is not the case.

The older woman's face registers mild surprise, "I am certainly not used to such polite company. It is a refreshing change I must admit."

From what Chloe has told me, people around here aren't very nice… and that is an understatement.

"So I've heard."

Ash motions for us to sit down on the chairs in front of her desk, an offer we take her up on. It's then that I notice a gentle violin playing in the background from the computer speakers, which she turns off before propping her elbows on the desk and leaning her chin on her hand. Her intelligent eyes fall on me with curiously, "I wonder, are you the same Max I have been hearing about? If so, your presence has caused quite the stir around here, especially among the Grim Reapers."

I shuffle awkwardly in my chair as she stares at me intently, "I had kind of noticed."

I don't get why really, I'm not anyone special. No-one ever gives me a straight answer though.

"It would be hard not to," Ash admits before leaning back in her chair, "Anyway, I'm sure you have not come to hear me rambling. What can I do for you two?"

"Well," Chloe swallows hard before answering, "I have been doing a bit of research."

Ash's eyes narrow very slightly, "That is an intriguing concept. May I ask what you have been investigating?"

Chloe glances over at me for reassurance. I subtly nudge her foot under the desk and reach out for her hand, squeezing it encouragingly. She lets out a long shuddery breath before turning her attention back to Ash, "Hypothetically, if a Reaper wanted to say, permanently live in the human world…" she pauses for a moment to gauge Ash's reaction. Her expression remains stoic, which could mean pretty much anything. Chloe takes her silence as a sign to continue, "would that be possible?"

Ash gives her a long hard look before responding, "I have a feeling this is a little more than a hypothetical question, however I shall answer it regardless," she closes her eyes momentarily in contemplation then looks back up at us, "Normally for a Reaper born in this world, it would be near impossible. They would most likely die the second they set foot in the living world, the body used would age rapidly as it has to be confined to human laws of nature, Grim Reapers live for eternity after all, so it would take some extremely strong magic to make it possible," she raises an eyebrow curiously, "I suppose your hypothetical question was asked with yourself in mind, right?"

Chloe seems hesitant to answer this accusation, probably worried that if she makes it too obvious that Ash will shout at her or worse. I bump my knee against Chloe's and gently rub the back of her hand to calm her nerves.

Randi wouldn't have sent us here if he thought that Chloe would get in trouble, he obviously trusts Ash enough to suggest discussing this sensitive issue with her.

Her hand trembles in mine as she reluctantly confesses, "Yeah."

Ash remains silent for a while, the atmosphere so tense that you could cut it with a knife. Just like with everyone else around here, she looks so exhausted. Her eyes switch between Chloe and I, which makes me feel uneasy too. Ash really doesn't put all her cards on the table, taking the time to sufficiently size up a situation before giving her take on it. Just when I think that she will remain quiet forever, she finally speaks up, "Well, glad to see that Randi was not trying to pull my leg."

Chloe's brow furrows slightly in confusion, "He… told you?"

"He did. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Ash chuckles lightly, the tension in my body slowly fading at her reassurances, "You know, he actually came over and told me you'd probably be dropping by at some point."

"I don't know whether he's trying to help or do it to just being nosy sometimes," Chloe sighs tiredly, her hand still firmly holding onto mine.

Ash flashes us a fond smirk, "You are not the only one. I still can't work him out even after all these years, but I tend to believe it is a bit of both."

"I think you're right there," Chloe agrees. She would probably know better than anyone.

Ash's expression turns more earnest as she pulls out a huge dusty book from one of the drawers in her desk, which she opens and flicks through the pages, "Since you were originally born in the human world and have only been the Grim Reaper for a few short years, you are at an age where returning would be possible without killing you immediately."

I can almost feel Chloe perking up at this, her shoulders no longer hunched and a hopeful glint entering her blue eyes. My own heart soars at this and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding in. Chloe must have noticed this, because she offers me an understanding smile and places a tender kiss to my cheek.

"However," Ash interjects, which immediately makes the feeling of unease return, "there are some issues," she focuses on Chloe as she explains, "Firstly, you will have noticed a deterioration in your tolerance of the Living world. Each moment spent in this world makes it much harder for you to spend any substantial amount of time there. You would need a very powerful charm or potion to ensure that your integration would be successful. This would be an ongoing treatment and it would be painful re-adjusting."

I glance over at Chloe, who doesn't seem phased by this in the slightest. The fact that she would be willing to go that far is… heartwarming, but also a bit worrying. I don't want her to have to suffer or take any unnecessary risks over this.

Ash flicks through the book again, stopping when she reaches the page she wants, "Secondly, regarding the contract. It is fully binding and ties you to this world. Without breaking it successfully, you would simply be tracked down by those regulating the system and brought here again," her expression becomes downcast and her voice lower, "There are very few theorized ways to break the contract. Any that have been tested were… unsuccessful."

"How so?" Chloe asks, her blue eyes flickering with desperation to know how to make this work.

Ash props her chin on her hands as her brow furrows slightly, "While there are twelve official reapers, there have been some in between that have been stricken from the public records. Only those who were around at the time really know what happened. They caved under the pressure and wanted out, among other reasons. Desperate for a way to escape, they tried methods which have for sound reasons been banned," she exhales deeply and rubs at her temples, "Let us leave it at that."

"So… you're saying it's impossible?" Chloe tentatively asks.

"Not impossible. Just highly unlikely and dangerous," Ash confirms reluctantly. It appears that she doesn't think this would be a good idea to try.

It doesn't sound like there is a good chance of that option being successful. There has to be another way. Think Max.

It is then that I am hit with another possibility, one that is a little terrifying but something I would be more than happy to commit to if it meant that I could stay with Chloe, "What if a human who didn't belong in this world… wanted to stay here?" I propose cautiously.

Ash gives me a curious look before tilting her head to the side in thought, "Taking life when it has not been ordered by the system is viewed very poorly. I believe Chloe knows this."

Chloe nods sadly, "Yeah."

Ash taps her long fingernails on the desk in front of her and exhales wearily, "The only people allowed to stay here for any prolonged period of time are those who have died. As you are still alive, it would be… problematic," she briefly glances over at Chloe before continuing, "Even upon death, there is only a limited amount of time you could actually stay in the Grim Reaper facility before you had to pass on officially and would not be able to return. We can't leave this place either, unless it's on business."

My heart sinks in my chest at this knowledge, starting to lose hope. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I'm not going to give up any time soon, but the fact that one of the oldest Reapers is telling us that it will be complicated isn't all that comforting.

Ash's expression turns conflicted, as if she is seriously debating something in her head. After a few moments of silence, she tentatively announces, "There is a potential loop hole."

If there is some way I can stay here that would avoid putting Chloe in danger, I just have to know.

I swallow hard before prompting her to continue, "Which is?"

"If…" Ash looks over to Chloe almost apologetically as she sheepishly suggests, "the human was to become a Grim Reaper, like Chloe did then-"

Chloe jumps up abruptly from her chair, her body tense and her voice tinted with anger, but also fear, "No way. Out of the question."

Her sudden show of hostility and panic is shocking to me, "Why?"

She turns to me, her eyes so dark right now and her chest rising and falling rapidly as her hands shake, "Max, there is no way I am letting you go through that..." her bottom lip quivers, "No way in hell."

Despite Chloe's obvious reservations about this option, we don't really have much choice, "But if it's the only way…"

I don't have the chance to finish off my sentence before Chloe storms off out of the room. Ash sighs and leans back in her chair, "There I go opening my big mouth again. I knew Chloe wouldn't like that option, but I said it anyway. Sorry, Max."

"It's ok, you've been a big help. Thank you," I stand up and re-adjust the bag strap on my shoulder, "I should probably go track down Chloe though."

"That would be wise before she starts breaking things," Ash agrees before offering me an exhausted smile, "It was nice meeting you though, Max. Drop by any time."

"Thanks," I say as I all but run out of the office and almost collide straight into someone, just managing to stop in time. When I look up I see two people, a guy with short, ginger fluffy hair and piercing light green eyes and a woman with long, light blonde hair and gentle brown eyes, who offers me a brief sheepish smile.

"Well, well, who do we have here?" the guy questions with an inquisitive look, "It's not often our dear Ash gets human visitors."

"Uh, I'm Max," I glance down the corridor for any sign of where Chloe could have gone before looking back at the two of them, "Have you seen Chloe go past here by any chance?"

"Ah, so you're the Max… interesting," he strokes at his chin, "To answer your question, yes. She was heading off to her office if I'm not mistaken, right Ali?" the woman nods shyly while gripping onto the man's sleeve.

"Leo, is that you I hear?" Ash calls out from inside her office.

"You got me, Ash," Leo chuckles, "Ali and I are coming in whether you like it or not this time. You need to get out of that office and we will drag you out of there if we have to."

A gentle sigh filters through the gap, "Come on in before I change my mind."

Leo grins victoriously and gives me one last sideways glance before entering into Ash's office with Ali close behind him. After the brief distraction I race on down to Chloe's office door, my heart racing in apprehension as I place my hand on the handle and gently push the door open. When I don't see her in the main office part, I carry on through to the bedroom. Sure enough, she is laying on the left hand side of her bed, curled up with her back to the middle so I can't see her face. I slowly make my way over to the bed and slide onto it. Chloe doesn't move much or even really acknowledge my presence initially so I lay down and hesitantly reach out for her shoulder to get her attention, "Chloe…"

After a few seconds, she slowly unfurls and turns over to face me. My expression softens and my heart constricts painfully when I see her tear stained cheeks. I gently shuffle over to her and, when she doesn't move away, wrap my arms around her comfortingly. She nuzzles into my neck and I can feel the warm tears drip down onto my skin, which only makes my hold on her tighten.

I hate seeing her like this, so sad and resigned.

When Chloe has finally composed herself enough to talk, she removes her head from my neck and gazes into my eyes, "Max, becoming a Grim Reaper was the single most painful experience in my life. Even now I am not adjusted to it and I never will be. Humans aren't supposed to become Reapers, not really. I don't belong anywhere, not here or in the living world… not anymore," she swipes at her eyes before continuing, "I don't want you to ever have to go through something like that," her dejected expression and wavering voice all serve to add to my desire to never let her go for any reason.

I don't want to leave her side and she doesn't want to leave mine.

"You know, I don't enjoy this job one bit," Chloe sadly mentions as I play with her soft faded blue locks, "Every day I hear their cries of loss and… they haunt me every time I'm alone with my thoughts," I place a kiss to her cheek in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain from her eyes and she offers me a melancholic smile before continuing, "Someone has to do this, to play the bad guy. What happens if there's no death? People live forever, great right? No. What if they are in pain? What if food runs out and everyone starves, but they have to live? There is no pain, no suffering here and people eventually get reunited with their loved ones…" she exhales deeply, her expression becoming troubled, "but they have to go through a lot of heart break before that."

I squeeze her reassuringly to let her know that I am here for her. Sometimes just knowing that is enough. I can't even begin to imagine what she has had to suffer through up until this point, what she's had to sacrifice.

"Life isn't fair, but Death is even crueler," she mumbles under her breath after a few seconds of us laying there in silence.

"Chloe…" I reach out and touch her cheek, rubbing my thumb soothingly against it.

She places a hand over mine and leans into my touch, closing those mesmerizing eyes of hers, "Everything is so fucked up, I've lost too much already and I just… don't want to see you go," she whispers softly.

"You don't have to," I reassure, "not if I stay here."

"But…" her unfinished sentence trails off into silence.

"Chloe, this is my decision. I want this… want you…" I lean in and place a gentle kiss to her lips, "Let me make this choice."

Chloe takes my hand in hers, playing with my fingers, "I've been trying to come to terms with the fact that you'd be leaving," she admits reluctantly as her voice wavers, "I didn't want to make it harder for either of us, harder than it was already anyway. The closer I got to you, the heavier that weight became."

I press my lips lightly against her forehead, "You don't have to worry about that now. I'm not leaving. Ever."

Chloe lets out a shaky breath before gazing deeply into my eyes, the fleck of gold and purple flickering and her tone low, "I've tried so hard to resist getting my hopes up…"

I place a tender kiss in her lips, silencing her protests, "Then don't resist," I whisper by her ear.

After a second's hesitation she reciprocates my affection, leaning in and capturing my lips. It starts out hesitant, but as time passes the kiss becomes firmer and more confident. Chloe seems to be finally relaxing and coming to terms with my decision as her hands wander along my back, sending shivers down my spine at her touch. I deepen the kiss, much to Chloe's approval, and tangle my fingers in her hair. I never seem to be able to get close enough to her or to get enough contact no matter how hard I try… and believe me I've tried. After a few moments we slow down the pace, finally letting it wind down to a stop.

Chloe has the dorkiest grin on her face I have ever seen, which I am probably mirroring or even outdoing right now, "It's going to take a while to prepare everything," she announces as she tangles her legs with mine.

"I thought it might," I offer up a cheeky smirk, "I guess you're going to be stuck with me for longer than you anticipated, huh?"

"Oh, however will I cope?" she wryly remarks, which earns her a gentle tap of mock disapproval on the head from me, "Ow."

"Oh come on, that didn't hurt."

Chloe rubs the spot on her head dramatically, "I dunno, I might be getting a concussion or something."

"I'll give you a concussion in a minute," I playfully threaten.

She grins impishly at me, "Oh that is fighting talk, Caulfield," her grin fades ever so slightly, now replaced by a more vulnerable look, "Hey, thanks for hearing me out and… everything. Even you just being here makes things a million times better."

I groan at the cheesy line, but deep down I love how unguarded she is right now, how much she is trusting me, "Don't get all mushy on me. You'll ruin your badass punk rocker reputation."

Her expression softens and for the first time, she seems at peace with the world as she idly plays with a strand of my hair and gazes deeply into my eyes. They glow a light blue, with the gold and purple extremely visible and the faint blue lines on her skin becoming visible, "Some people are worth ruining it for."

I blush lightly at the unrestrained emotion, "You are such a dork."

Chloe smirks at me smugly, "Says you."

We lay there for a while, exchanging tender kisses anywhere we can reach as well as gentle touches and sweet nothings, completely oblivious to everything else around us. A tornado could rip right through this building right now and we probably wouldn't pay it much mind. For the first time in so many years, I feel content, more than that I feel… happy, like some balance has finally been restored… that's when I realize it. I belong at Chloe's side. Something deep down inside is telling me that, call it instinct, destiny or whatever other mysterious force of nature you want, I just know that this is where I am supposed to be.

Well, everything seems to be looking up for Chloe and Max, doesn't it? Have a great day, stay safe out there and see you next time.