Chapter Twenty One
After Max returns home from school she has a few hours to snuggle with Chloe and go through all of their summer memories, quietly reminiscing and enjoying the bond that grew so powerfully between them over the last seven months. When their final hour grows near, Max asks Chloe to drive with her and takes her lover to a wonderful place in Seattle she had been saving for their last day. They drive to Kerry Park, positioned just northwest of downtown Seattle. It has the perfect position and elevation to allow visitors to look south and see all of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainer in the distance, and Elliot Bay on the right. With the sun lowering toward the horizon it casts a radiant orange glow upon the faces of all the high rises, the snow of Mount Rainer, and glints off the water to the west. Kerry Park is often said to be the best place in all of Washington State to watch the sunset, and on October 15th the sun sets at 6:21pm.
"Wow… it's so beautiful." Chloe steps in behind Max so the two can admire the view together, her hands slowly sliding around Max's stomach to cuddle with her.
"Do you think she planned this? The exact timing of it?" Max asks softly as she stands before the metal railing at the park ledge and leans back into Chloe.
"Probably." Chloe is in just as quiet a mood, the despondent nature of the moment pressing down on both of them. "It's the kind of poetic shit Max Caulfield comes up with." She squeezes her hands around Max's stomach and plants a few kisses on the back of the girl's head.
"Yeah, I guess. Sunset is the best time to… say goodbye forever." Max presses her lips together as her eyes well up, trying so hard to be strong in the face of her end, but she can't help but tremble.
"It's gonna be OK, Max. This isn't the end for you." Chloe repeats the message she's been trying to stamp into the scared teen's mind all week.
Max finally breaks down and twists around to sob into Chloe's chest. "We don't know that! What's gonna happen, I wake up in heaven? And then what happens when this body fails one day, there will be two of me in heaven? There can't be two! I'm about to be erased out of existence and replaced by another version of myself from another timeline! I did everything I was asked to do… I tried so hard… but I just die tonight anyway. It's so unfair!"
As Chloe rubs her hands through Max's hair and along her back to try and soothe her girlfriend she searches for an argument she can use to ease the weight off of Max's heart. "Come on, Max… we don't know that's how it works, either. I'm the one that's supposed to assume the worst, and you're the optimist. Don't switch places on me, now. I'm not good at this shit, babe. Just…" Her mind finally stumbles upon a good idea. "Just think of it like amnesia. You fall off something and land on your head, forget the last seven months, and I have to teach you all the stuff we did. That's all. You're still gonna be the exact same person, you'll just lose some memories. Not even all of them, only Spring Break and afterward. Everything will be fine, Max…"
This is so horrible. I have no idea what's going to happen to me, but I know it's not going to be fine. Just lose my memories? That's all we are… our minds, our memories. Take them out and replace them with someone else's and we're dead, replaced by some fucking clone… a different person wearing the same face. I know I'm about to die, but… I need to think of Chloe. She just has to stand there, powerless, and watch me blink out of existence. That must be so hard… of course she wants to convince herself that it doesn't work that way. I just have to pretend… be strong for my love.
The weeping brunette sniffles and swallows as she lifts her face to offer a sad smile up to Chloe. "Yeah… just amnesia. You're probably right about that. We'll just… go over those journals and vlogs and everything will be fine in the end." Max closes her eyes and leans up to seal the lie with a kiss.
As the girls hold each other tight and kiss before the setting sun the moment extends into forever and feels as deep as the ocean. Max can feel Chloe's love in every inch of her body as the delicate kiss she initiated turns into the most passionate they've ever shared. For a minute time stops and there's only bliss, only Max and Chloe kissing under a beautiful sunset, just like Arcadia Bay, just like how it all began. When the kiss finally breaks and eyes slowly open Chloe gazes down at Max and knows the truth of it. It wasn't an 'everything will be fine in the end' kiss, it was a 'goodbye forever' kiss. Chloe can't keep her sorrow at bay, beginning to cry as she stares down at that sad, loving expression in the face of the girl who showed her the meaning of true love.
"Max…" She chokes on her words, overwhelmed by her emotions. Her hands rise to gently cup around Max's cheeks, wiping away the girl's tears with the tips of her thumbs. "This summer with you… it's been the best time of my life. I'll never forget all the beautiful moments we shared… I'll never forget you! You will always be the Max I fell in love with… not any other version."
Max presses her face into those hands and closes her eyes for a second, just absorbing the cherished words and Chloe's loving touch. Her eyes slowly open again and she guides a hand up to place over her girlfriend's heart. "Thank you so much for saying that. Thank you for making all my dreams come true and spending these months with me. And thank you for loving me the way I love you. Please, keep me in here forever." She rubs and pats her hand over Chloe's heart.
Chloe nods and blinks out some tears, moving her hands as those tears roll down her cheeks. One hand cups over Max's to hold it over her heart, while the other lovingly pets through the girl's soft brown hair from forehead to the doe tattoo on her neck. "I promise you, Max, you'll live forever in my heart. All those vlogs aren't just gonna be for your other self to learn what happened… they're my memories of you. My way of keeping you with me, always."
As Max wraps her hand around Chloe's to hold over her heart, she offers a happier smile through the tears as the sentiment warms her to the core. "You're a lot nicer than you were when we first met. I've been a good influence on you."
Chloe shows happiness through her tears as well. "Yeah, and you're hella badass now. Red streaks in your hair, tattooed, sometimes you even do crazy shit like drive thirty in a twenty-five zone!"
Max lets out a soft laugh and shakes her head. "Jerk. I don't always drive the speed limit." She sucks in full breath and lets out a long sigh as her free hand rises to rub over Chloe's pirate beanie, her thumb and index finger capturing the red heart pin that says First Mate. "I'm going to miss you so much, Chloe. Looks like I'll have to sail away again, and this time I can't come back. But that won't change anything between us. No matter what happens, you'll always be my First Mate, right?"
Chloe nods and pulls Max into a tight embrace. "I'll always be your faithful First Mate, through all of time and space." She looks to the sky as she's holding Max and when she sees the orange ball of light has vanished she buries her face by nuzzling Max's ear, not wanting to see that they're out of time.
I guess it isn't all bad. Life isn't about how long you live, it's how well, right? And I've lived so well these last seven months. I'm so fortunate to have found my soul mate. I'm lucky I get to feel true love before I die. There are so many people in the world that grow old but never find that beautiful, perfect connection with someone. I wish I could have grown old with Chloe, and I guess technically most of me will. But, originally Chloe dies right in front of me before I work up the courage to apologize for not speaking to her for years. It took time powers to give me the chance to be with my one true love. I'll never understand why it happened, or where it came from, but I'll always consider myself fortunate to have at least had these last seven months. I'm OK with dying… because I'm happy with what I have.
Max slowly twists around in Chloe's embrace to face the view once again, seeing the sun gone and the land shadowed as the colorful sky slowly darkens as well. She feels Chloe's arms wrap tightly around her stomach again and moves her hands to cover them, happy to feel the warmth and love of the girl pressing so tightly into her back. "I love you so much, Chloe. Please live a happy life for me."
Chloe leans her face down to rub the tip of her nose on the back of Max's ear, giving her one last loving nuzzle. "I love you, too. Thank you for saving my life, Max. You're my hero." She pulls her head back so she can brush her face through Max's hair and plant a few tender kisses on the cute doe tattoo, the symbol of her eternal love for Max.
The weight of the moment is palpable, like the world is slowly closing in around the two of them as the light fades. Max swears she can see a swarm of locusts emerging from the shadows of the clouds, apparitions of time zooming straight for her to consume every last bit of her soul to make room for the other Max. Chloe can feel herself squeezing Max so firmly as if she can somehow prevent time from tearing her away if only she holds onto Max with enough love. But the moment strikes regardless, Max suddenly jerking and almost falling down if not for the girl holding her up.
"Auh! Wha…?" Max gazes around at the view, identifying she's at Kerry Park. Then she feels herself being squeezed and looks down. Blue fingernails, bracelets on the right wrist, three black and one white, and the tip of that tattoo sticking out from under the black jacket covering the arm. "Chloe!" She smiles happily and twists around to wrap the taller girl in a tight squeeze of her own.
Chloe doesn't say anything, she just tries not to break down and cry over her loss as she holds the same person, but feels like it's someone else.
Max pulls her head back to gaze up at Chloe and blinks in confusion. "Why are you so sad? Why do I feel all congested and puffy… have we been crying together?" She glances around for clues, but it's just the two of them. "Did my plan work? Is Rachel alive, too?"
Chloe slowly nods as she stares down into Max's eyes, wondering who lies behind them now.
The lack of responses fills Max with anxiety, a blend of frustration, fear and confusion swirling through her. "Chloe, please! The last time you spoke to me was at the lighthouse. We said goodbye… and then I had to listen to you die in that bathroom again. And your funeral… Chloe, I don't know what's happening in this timeline. But please, just talk to me."
Seeing how emotionally fragile and wounded Max is brings a flood of memories back to Chloe, reminding her so much of what she experienced with Max over Spring Break. "Right, uh… you called me, we set shit up, you flew down, left a note for David in the mailbox, then we picked up Rachel at her dorm and went on a road trip to Portland. Things got hella dramatic, but I broke up with Rachel and we're cool with each other now… she's living down in L.A. as a model, so she's fine. And you and I have been dating for the last seven months, so… pretty much everything turned out right."
Max is so elated to hear all the details, bouncing with joy as she still clings to Chloe. But, at the end she realizes the reservation in the blue haired girl and looks sideways at her. "Wait, what do you mean pretty much everything? What went wrong?"
Chloe bites her lower lip and fidgets, apprehensive about telling this new Max what she's done. "Uh… well… don't freak, it happened seven months ago for the rest of us. But, um… Mark Jefferson killed David before being arrested."
Immediately sad, Max pulls away slowly and clutches at her heart through her shirt. "No… Joyce. She lost a husband again, all because of me? I put her through that? No, that wasn't supposed to happen! I can fix this… Chloe, are there pictures? I need a picture from before he died."
"Jesus…" Chloe raises her right hand to cup over her mouth as she stares at Max, horrified at how quickly the girl jumps to the idea of erasing everything and starting again. "Who are you? I don't know you!" She slowly backs away as she shakes her head to try and push all the awful thoughts out.
Max holds her hands out to her sides, palms facing the sky as she watches Chloe with a perplexed expression. "What? I don't understand. What's wrong with saving David?"
Chloe huffs in exasperation and balls her fists, holding them over her forehead as she looks down to gather her thoughts for a moment. Then she thrusts her fists down to her sides and yells at Max. "You've only been here for one minute! And you wanna just erase me, and the Max I fell in love with… my Max! All my summer memories! And you're gonna fucking throw us away, just like that!?" She waves her hands dramatically and turns away as she tries to hide her pain. "I just finished saying goodbye to my one true love, and now you're gonna jump through time and replace her with another version… like she never existed. And you don't even care to think what will happen to me."
Max just stares with wide eyes and an open jaw, a ton of emotional bricks slamming into her all at once and leaving her breathless and stunned. She steps backward and grasps the metal railing behind her to stay on her feet.
Oh God… what have I done? What did I just threaten to do? Erase Chloe…? Replace her one true love with another version? This is so confusing… is that how time travel works? OK, think over it all. I tried going back five years to save Chloe's dad, and when I came back to the present time I didn't recognize myself. I had different friends, different clothes, a totally different life… so, what happened to the Max that lived that life? Shit… I've been so careless. I can't just delete this timeline and replace it with another one to try and save David, not without Chloe's permission.
"I'm sorry, Chloe. I didn't know. I never thought of it that way." She pushes off the railing and slowly approaches Chloe. "But, what if I still have time powers? What if I'm not done yet? Try to put yourself in my shoes… how do I know when it's time to stop? When will my gift run its course? My actions have hurt your mother so badly in this timeline. I'm trying to use my powers to save everyone. How do we know I'm not supposed to make one final change to save David, too?"
Chloe slowly turns around and takes a few breaths to calm herself down as she looks Max in the eyes. "David died a hero. Arcadia Bay is even raising the funds to build a statue to honor him. He joined the military to do exactly what he did in that town, save the weak from predators. In a way, you helped him to fulfill his greatest dream." She reaches out to hold Max's hands in her own. "And yeah, you hurt my mom seven months ago, but that was seven months ago. Do you wanna know what your younger self did? She went online and searched all over, and found a good match for my mom. She's seeing someone, Max. She's happy again. It's too late to take away the pain… it's already come and gone. All you'll be doing is putting everyone through more shit. Please don't go back, Max."
As Max stares into those desperate, pleading eyes she deflates a little and concedes, lowering her gaze to those hands holding her own. "OK… I guess you're right. It was way too hasty of me to just blurt out that I wanted to go back seven months and change something. I should do a lot more research about how things are now before I go changing anything else." Her eyes slowly rise back to Chloe's. "Do you want me to rewind a few minutes before I asked for a picture to go back, and avoid upsetting you?"
Chloe shakes her head rapidly. "No! Don't fuck with time anymore. I forgive you… Jesus. Don't erase the conversation just 'cause you upset me."
"Alright… but what if I still have my powers? Doesn't that mean… there's more I'm meant to do?" She pulls her right hand away from Chloe and slowly raises it up in front of her.
Chloe shakes her head and backs away, looking fearfully at that hand. "Don't do it, Max. Why…? What's wrong with me? What's wrong with our life together?"
Our life together… what a concept. The last time I had a life together with Chloe I was thirteen. But, this Chloe has known me for seven months. We're in Seattle, so does that mean she lives up here now? Did she move here just for me? Oh man… she just told me she said goodbye to her one true love. She's in love with me, and I barely even know her… and now, in her eyes, I'm a stranger that took away her lover. How awful. I can't change anything else. I have to give this world a chance. I owe it to Chloe to do that. And for all I know, this is the best it gets. How could I argue with knowing that Rachel is living her dream in L.A. and I get to live as Chloe's girlfriend here in Seattle? What more do I need?
Max slowly lowers her hand and sighs as she gazes off at the twilight sky over Seattle, the last daylight starting to fade away.
"So… do you still have time powers?" Chloe reluctantly asks the question.
A small smile forms on her lips as Max looks up at Chloe, then moves close to the girl and reaches up to cup her pale cheeks. "I didn't try. I don't want to change anything anymore. Chloe… everything I need to live happily ever after is right here." She rises to her tippy toes and closes her eyes as she leans in to offer Chloe a loving kiss, exactly the same way her younger self did seven months ago.
Chloe's hands slide around Max's lower back to hold her close, squeezing breasts and stomachs together as a wave of warm joy rushes through her entire body. Feeling those lips pluck the same way they always had gives her hope that her one true love isn't gone forever at all, that perhaps her notion of amnesia wasn't just a fantasy. After the kiss she smiles down at Max. "You're still such a sappy dork. So, you wanna live happily ever after with me, huh? Does that mean you love me?"
Max beams brightly that her kiss was well received and nods at the question. "Yes, I love you. I wrote it in my letter. Didn't younger me show you?"
"Oh, right, she did. You wrote something like… I'll do anything for you. Well, I've got some wild ideas about how to test if that's true or not!" Chloe grins mischievously.
"What, traveling through time and turning the world upside down to save you and Rachel wasn't proof enough? Man… tough crowd. Go easy on me, OK? This world is new to me." Her eyes rise to the black beanie and little First Mate pin, and she adopts such an endearing face. "Awwww, that's so cute! Did I buy that for you? Are you my First Mate for life?"
Chloe laughs and nods. "Yeah, you gave me this at the end of Spring Break. You made this whole epic plan on how to win my heart… it was so dorky, but so cute. I had to say yes. We've been exclusive ever since."
"That's awesome!" Max practically vibrates with joy as she leans up to steal another series of kisses from Chloe. "Are there journals, pictures and videos for me to catch up with?"
Chloe smiles. "Yeah, back in your room. Come on, it's getting cold out here, anyway."
As they turn Chloe interlaces her fingers with Max's, holding hands with the adorable young lady that's still her girlfriend even without all the memories. Chloe leads Max to their car and opens the passenger door for her, then begins updating Max on what her current life is like as they drive home. Max listens as best she can, but mostly she's just so glad to hear Chloe's voice again.
The teens arrive home in time to have dinner with Ryan and Vanessa, who notice that Max is behaving a little strangely but don't prod her too much about it. By dinner's end Max realizes she's missed some social queues and inside jokes that she was meant to understand, realizing she's something of an outsider in her own home. But, she remains optimistic that it's only temporary, and after the meal heads up to her bedroom with Chloe.
Every remaining hour of the day is spent going over journals and pictures from the road trip alone, Max having so many questions about that very dramatic first week. Chloe is patient with her and answers all of Max's questions, and as the hours pass the two grow closer and closer with every experience entering Max's mind anew. By midnight they're down to bras and panties, snuggling under the bed sheets as they read over what Max wrote about Saturday and Sunday at the end of the break. Max feels everything for the first time and doesn't hold her tears back when reading about David's funeral, but the way she wrote about her romantic gesture for Chloe at the lighthouse removes the sorrow from her tears and replaces it with joy. After finishing the journal Max is comfortable with her relationship with Chloe, but still feels new to being with her physically, so the bras and panties stay on and the girls just cuddle each other to sleep.
When Max's alarm clock goes off to wake them up on Wednesday morning Max has a bit of an anxiety attack, not feeling ready to immerse into her Seattle school life yet. So, she decides to skip the day, which works well enough for Chloe since her two days off work are Tuesday and Wednesday with her current work schedule, anticipating that Max would need her on both days this week. So, after eating breakfast and cleaning up the two of them start pouring through all of those vlogs. Hours pass as Chloe happily tells the wild and wonderful tales of their summer adventures together, loving the way Max reacts to hearing about what she's accomplished.
"This is so awesome, Chloe." Max leans her left shoulder and head on Chloe as the girls sit side by side watching their summer videos on a laptop, hands held and fingers interlaced. "I always wished we could have a beautiful relationship like this… ever since I was thirteen. It was just a dumb girl's fantasy until I received time powers. Do you think we'll ever figure out why I got them?"
Chloe turns her face to plant a few kisses on Max's forehead and temple. "I don't care if we ever figure it out. It brought me you, and gave me a second chance at life. But honestly, I don't think I deserve all this… like this whole time travel thing isn't even about me. I'm just a lucky bitch who was in the right place at the right time… but that's just a nagging thought deep down. I don't have any complaints about Max the Time Bandit stealing me from death and wanting to live happily ever after with me. Even if I do have to teach you all the stuff over the last seven months, it's a hella small price to pay for a happily ever after story. Right?" She waits for a few seconds, then looks to the silent girl sitting beside her to see her blank expression. "Right…? Max?"
Max blinks very slowly and pulls her hand from Chloe's to raise both hands up and grip her head. "Something's wrong…" She scrunches up her face in discomfort and exhales a little groan of pain. But, only moments later she squeezes her eyes shut tightly and screams in agony as blood starts pouring from both nostrils. "Auuughhh!"
"Max! Shitballs! Hold on!" Chloe rushes into the bathroom to fetch a towel as she hears Max cry out in pain again behind her. When she emerges from the bathroom with towel in hand she watches in horror as her little girlfriend collapses forward and face plants all over the carpet.
"No!" Chloe rushes to kneel by Max and flips her over, tugging on the back of the girl's head to lift it up and prop it into her own lap. She dabs that towel at Max's face but it just smears the blood all over, unable to prevent it from coming out of the nose without smothering the girl with that towel. When she realizes Max is totally unconscious she starts panting and crying in her panic.
"What the fuck just happened!? Max, come on! Don't do this to me… please! You can't just fucking fall over and die, not after all we've been through!" She tries shaking Max, tapping a hand on her cheek, pulling her eyelid open with her thumb, and finally just leans down to squeeze the girl in a tight hug, smearing herself with all that blood coming from her nose. "God, no! Don't take her from me! Please! I'll do anything…"
Chloe sobs as she rocks in place and cradles Max for a few moments, then feels a powerful surge of strength rush into her limbs and a conviction to act more compelling than any she's ever felt before. With a roar of determination she scoops Max up and rises, carrying the girl all the way through the house and out to the car to place her in the passenger seat and buckle her up so she stays upright. Then she leaps into the driver's seat to break every law on the street getting Max to the hospital as fast as humanly possible.
Tires screech as Chloe slams on the breaks and twists the wheel of the car, coming to a stop right at the emergency room loading doors and honking the car horn frantically. She sees a nurse running to the doors and unlocks the car so she can run to the other side, hysterically yelling what happened to the nurse. Max is pulled from the car and put into a wheelchair, then hastily rolled through a pair of double doors that the hospital staff won't allow Chloe to pass through. One of the nurses almost receives a black eye from blockading the distraught teen, but with quick thinking distracts Chloe with questions about Max's blood type, age, drug and alcohol history and allergy information, the questioning slowly letting the logical part of Chloe's mind surface after the surge of emotion.
Nearly an hour passes as Chloe is forced to stay in that waiting room, Ryan and Vanessa having arrived during that time and feeling terribly concerned about Max's condition given the lack of information coming from the hospital staff. Finally, a doctor comes out to explain what had happened in professional medical lingo as well as layman's terms, and telling them that Max is stable and resting. He also tells the three that Max lost a good deal of blood and was sedated for emergency surgery, so she'll be asleep for a few more hours.
Once Max is in her recovery room Chloe, Ryan and Vanessa are able to sit with her and keep her company as she sleeps. After some time the emotions and fear of losing Max slowly fades, the three of them calming down and deciding on being more practical about their day. After a short discussion Chloe wins the argument on who should stay, promising to call Ryan and Vanessa as soon as Max wakes up. So, Max's parents go back to their lives and their jobs, while Chloe spends her day at the hospital waiting patiently for the girl to wake up. Hours pass before the teen's eyes slowly flutter open.
"Max?" Chloe scoots her chair to the bed Max is resting on, leaning toward her girlfriend and watching closely. "Max, can you hear me?"
"Mnnnhhh." Max hums a quiet moan as she opens her eyes to search the blurry room for the blue puff of hair, knowing who it belongs to. "Chloe." She whispers.
"Yes, Max! I'm here." Chloe reaches out with both hands, one holding Max's on the bed and the other petting the little brunette's hair. "You scared the shit out of me! We're in the hospital. You had surgery, but the doctors say you're going to be alright."
Chloe's face slowly comes into focus and Max gives her a confused look, her fingers squeezing gently into her girlfriend's hand. "What happened?"
"Well… your blood pressure spiked in your brain hella hard, and a bunch of blood vessels exploded into your sinuses to relieve the pressure and prevent you from dying of a stroke… then you fell on your face and you would've drown in your blood, but I picked you up and put you in your car so being upright kept your breathing passage open… then you were gonna bleed to death but I ran a bunch of fucking red lights and shit getting you here in time to prevent that from happening. So, basically I just saved your ass. You're welcome… also, I love you." Chloe smiles happily at her accomplishment.
"Oh, is that all? Hah…" Max smiles weakly up and takes a few breaths. "I love you, too, Chloe. But, what time…?" She looks so perplexed as she starts gazing around the room.
"It's almost 2pm, somewhere around there. You've been out a while, Max. But, don't worry about that. You don't have to do anything today. Just regain your strength, OK?"
"Today… what's today?" Max looks back to Chloe, still seeming so confused.
Chloe adopts a very concerned expression. "Wednesday… October 16th. Max, do I need to get a nurse? Is your brain all fucked up? Do you remember what we were doing this morning?"
"Remember…" Max echoes the word, then looks at Chloe with such a soft, loving expression and the cutest of smiles. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my First Mate, right?"
Chloe pulls her face back and blinks rapidly as she stares down at Max, looking as confused as her girlfriend did a minute ago. "Of course, Max… but are you sure you're OK?"
Max shakes her head. "That wasn't right. Say what you said before… in the park."
As she realizes what Max means Chloe's eyes go wide and she wells up with emotion. She takes a few breaths and gathers the memory of how she responded before, then licks her lips as she pushes her nerves down and repeats it. "I'll always be your faithful First Mate, through all of time and space."
Max closes her eyes and smiles brightly, giving the slightest of nods. "Yes. That was it."
Chloe shakes her head as she can't believe it. "Max? My Max? Is it really you? Have you come back to me?"
When Max opens her eyes they're glistening with moisture, tears of joy forming as she smiles up at Chloe. "I remember everything. It's me, Chloe."
"Oh my God, Max!" Chloe leaps out of her chair to throw herself upon Max and wrap her up tightly, then buries her face into her girlfriend's neck as she begins sobbing in joy.
With great effort Max wills her weakened arms up and around Chloe to hold her, tears streaming down the corners of her eyes and over her temples as she smiles up at the ceiling. "It's all of us. Every Max has merged into one. I think…" She raises the fingers of her right hand and tries so hard to hold time, but nothing happens. Her fingers lower to rest on Chloe's back again and she smiles so happily. "It's over, Chloe. I can't rewind time anymore. I did what I was meant to do."
Chloe lifts her pink, puffy face smeared with tears and smiles down at Max. "That's awesome, Max. I'm so glad it's over… and that you're back! Oh, you came back to me. I've never felt so happy in my life. I'm a fucking mess!" She laughs and cries at the same time.
Max just smiles up through her tears and slowly rubs her hands up and down Chloe's back. "The time travel part of our journey is finished, but we still have so many adventures ahead of us. Our real journey together is not over yet… we're just getting started. We'll sail the high seas and see every land, find every treasure, and stay together forever, First Mate Price."
"Aye aye, Captain Calico Max. I'm yours forever." Chloe leans down to seal the promise with a kiss, all her love pressing down from one pair of soft pink lips to another.
Wowser. What a trip. I remember everything. I guess nine days is all I had to change my world. I'm glad I was able to do it in time… I can't imagine living that original timeline. A version of me none of the others knew about… the Max that never had time powers. I watched Chloe die, emerged from my hiding place and shouted no, but nothing happened. Nathan shot me in the arm, and if David didn't burst in to stop him I would have been killed. That version of me… I've never felt so awful about anything. Seeing Chloe die, knowing what those monsters did to Rachel, and Kate, and so many other girls… I'm so grateful I was given the power to stop all of that. And now I get to spend the rest of my life with Chloe as a reward. I don't know if Chloe and I will ever figure out why all this happened, but there's no doubt in my mind that it just had to happen. Someone, or something, somewhere decided that it had to happen, and that's good enough for me. I've done my part, and I'm content with how things turned out. I don't know what waits for me outside this hospital, what bumps in the road or snakes in the grass will strike at me, but I'm ready for them. With my First Mate Chloe by my side I'll be able to handle all of life's problems. She gives me courage, and strength, and so much drive to just break out of my shell and go experience life! We have so many more adventures to enjoy, so many more memories to make, and so many more lives to touch. I've never felt so ready to go out in the world and live life to its fullest. I've never felt so complete as I do now, knowing all that I know, and having Chloe's love. Thank you life… thank you world… thank you time. I won't waste what was given to me. Chloe and I are going to live the best life we can, and we'll always be good to each other, forever grateful for the life we were given.
Author's Note: The End! I hope you loved Max, Chloe and Rachel the way I wrote them, because I certainly put in a lot of effort to make them authentic and lovable. I hope you felt a great deal of emotion during my version of Life Is Strange 2: Not Over Yet, and especially felt good about the surprise happy twist at the very end. I'll probably write an epilogue soon, but for those who have been waiting until the end of the story to review or comment, this is the chapter to do it on.
Special Thanks:
To Dontnod Entertainment for creating Life Is Strange with so much care for its beauty, ambience and immersion, to Christian Divine and Jean-Luc Cano for writing its story, and to Square Enix for publishing and distributing the work.
To Ashly Burch and Hannah Telle for voicing Chloe and Max, and to all the carefully selected music composers and songs, all of whom contributed to the incredible emotional immersion of the game with their amazing performances.
To Lyta Halifax here on the fanfiction site, for going over the multiple stages of the outline for this story with me and giving me so much feedback, and for all the others on the site for supporting my work with reviews, follows and favorites.
To dedicated YouTube fans of Life Is Strange who create uplifting and inspiring videos in support of the game and its story, like Dash and Mee Luffy from the Priceless Cosplay channel who make such a cute couple as Chloe and Max, and like the channels CamBen and Sbel for creating animations using the Unreal 4 engine.
To all you silent readers out there that are too shy to say how much enjoyed the story!
You're all greatly appreciated.