This is a standalone one-shot that take place after the events of the main story. It's not meant to be an additional chapter, but an additional insight to the story.

Iridescent

Chloe stood in the center of her trashed room like a half-alive vessel, facing the orange flow spilling from her window. Today, she had on a far cry from her usual style, which was a long slick dress that draped all the way down past her knees, and a pair of dress shoes and high leggings that were freshly bought; everything covering her body, including the sleeves that she chose specifically to hide all her tattoos, was inked in black.

Today was the day she would have to force herself to stand at Max's funeral and watch her get lowered into the earth, her final resting place, and she dreaded it.

Clutching her bullet necklace in a rock fist, the bluenette fought hard not to let her grief overtake her. She didn't want to shed any more tears; too much, already.

Last week.

Soon after Max Caulfield passed away on her lap, Chloe took the blanket they brought along and carefully tucked it over the girl and patted her for some time, murmuring some cracked vague tune.

Her smile after reading Max's final note and seeing off the blue butterfly for the last time lasted momentarily before it faded back to obscurity.

Packing the journal, Chloe made sure Max's head rested against her shoulder as she scooped her up in a bridal hold to carry her all the way down the hill from the lighthouse, for this would be the last time she would ever be able to touch her.

The trek through the woods was slow and painful, each step heavier than the last, Max's weight putting soreness in her arms and forcing her back to hunch, despite how light she had become over the course of her deteriorating health.

"H—Hang in there, Max." She whined. "Just a little longer, please."

Chloe knew these words to be useless, yet she still wanted to talk to her beloved and hope that her voice can still reach her waned ears.

"I'm taking you back to your mom and dad, now."

The sun had almost gone down by the time Chloe reached the bottom where Max's parents were waiting for them with her wheelchair.

When Vanessa stepped forth and took one look at her covered daughter in Chloe's arms, she knew immediately that she was gone and fell against her husband, her uncontrollable sobs staining his check shirt.

"Oh my God, Ryan… she's gone." She wailed. "Our baby is GONE!"

"I'm so sorry." That was all Chloe could say to the two, for she knew how it felt to lose a family member. There was nothing else to console them with.

Eventually, Ryan came over to take his daughter into his own arms. Cradling her like a baby, he swayed left and right in the gentlest way while Vanessa kept touching their girl.

"She was the happiest I ever saw her." Chloe stated.

The Caulfields tearfully smiled at her, the father acknowledging with a nod.

"Thank you." Vanessa said. "Let's take her home now."

Chloe was quick to offer the extra helping hand. "I can carry her."

"No, please." Ryan waved to her. "You've done more than enough. We'll take it from here." His voice was barely a whisper.

Nodding back, Chloe lowered her head as the now bereaved parents turned away with Max's body and began their departure. Since neither of them bothered with the wheelchair, Chloe took it upon herself to take it away.

It was done now. It was all over.

How? How in the fuck will everything be alright?

Chloe curled against the side of her bed, her nails piercing her temples while Max and Rachel's words looped in her head.

I don't wanna do this! I can't!

She didn't want to go to the funeral to say goodbye to her best friend forever. She wanted to rip these funeral clothes off her skin; they felt like binds snaring her being.

And lastly, she wanted nothing more than to see Max again and hear her lovely voice.

Suddenly, Chloe hears a soft knock on her door, and she could immediately tell that it was her mother. She didn't bother to turn her head as Joyce entered her room and said nothing until she came over sat down next to her daughter.

"I'm not ready." She whimpered.

"None of us ever are, sweetie." Joyce put an arm around the girl to pull her close. "This is something you can never truly get used to."

"But this is worse. Worse than when I lost dad." Gasping for air, Chloe looked to her mother with sheening eyes. "We both knew this was coming, but it still fucking hurts! I loved her more than anything, including myself!" She pauses for a moment to let her eyes close to make her final point. "I guess that's the shittiest part."

Joyce wraps her other arm around to hug the poor girl. Neither she nor herself were strangers to loss, but even still… Max was far too young to go. The older woman couldn't bear to imagine what the Caulfields were going through. She even sought the vision of her own daughter, and what would have happened had Max instead chosen to let her die in that bathroom.

"Okay…" Chloe sighed. "I'm ready. Let's just get this over with."

Nodding, Joyce helped the young adult to her feet and guided her out of her room.

Chloe held her mother's hand like a little kid again as they waded through the entrance of Arcadia Bay Cemetery into the grassy plain where the rest of the town's residents lay. David had William in his arms, and the kid was unusually quiet; it had to be the mourning atmosphere.

For such a time, the sun shone brightly on all the gravestones, saturating its most prominent colours, including the trees and flowers scattered about.

Is God trying to cheer me up with this bright scenery? Because it's not working at all!

At the top, Chloe saw Max's parents standing over her polished coffin, surrounded by an insurmountable number of people, many of them friends or neighbors who knew each other to come pay their respects; among the people standing closest to them, she spotted Kate, Victoria, Dana, Brooke, and various teachers and staff from Blackwell, including Principal Wells.

When Kate saw the Price family, she could only offer them a mild nod, especially to Chloe.

Did Max really attract this many people? Amazeballs!

When everyone sat down, many attendees stepped up and put themselves on the spot to give their eulogies. This included many of Max's friends and teachers; Principal Wells, or simply Raymond Wells, was the first of these numbers. To Chloe, he appeared to have lost some weight compared to how she last remembered him, yet his frame still remained large.

"I'll admit. I didn't know Max Caulfield very well, even though she was a student in Blackwell; back then, I was the principal. What I do remember was how quiet and mild-mannered she was when she spoke to others. She was a kind soul." Raymond swung his hands by his sides for a moment, maybe to catch his breath before continuing. His nose was even twitching slightly from the nervousness. "I do however recall a brave girl who stood up to help a friend in need when no one else did… including me. Even since, she hardly ever acknowledged her good deed. It was the greatest display of courage I ever witnessed from such a young girl. I hope she rests well."

Bowing to the applause, Wells removed returned to his seat next to his wife. Much to Chloe's surprise, the next person to take the stage was Victoria Chase.

She looked much different as well in appearance and demeanor. She wore less makeup on her face, her hair was longer, making it appear looser, and her physical language wasn't as stiff as it used to be. It was all told from the way her shoulders were slumped down and not stuck-up as before; it made her look somewhat approachable, but she had yet to open her mouth.

Chloe wondered what she possibly had to say for Max, knowing their history.

Victoria heaved in a deep breath fore she lifted her head to face the crowd. "Max and I didn't have a very good history when we were students. She was the shy hipster geek, and I was the Queen B, so that naturally made me antagonistic towards her." She paused, thinking whether she should go on; she was already up here, so she might as well finish it off. "Yet despite all that, she remained true to herself and inspired many other to follow her example." Her voice began to crack, and she looks to Chloe particularly. "I wish I could have done the same sooner and take back all the mistakes I made instead of trying to hold up a façade just to impress my friends." She looks next to Kate in the audience closest to her who gives her an encouraging nod. "So Max, if you can hear me, I want you to know that I'm sorry for everything, and that you're a true Everyday Hero." She pointed up to the heavens. "If it weren't for you, Kate Marsh wouldn't have become my closest friend."

This speech earned a bigger round of applause from everyone, especially Kate; even Chloe couldn't help but be moved and decided to give her a few claps as well.

Once Victoria took off, she immediately went over to give Kate a vise hug. Chloe could see from this image alone that her friendship with particular girl may have in fact changed her for the better.

With this, Victoria gave Kate the pat on the back, for it was her turn next. Chloe straightened up, eager to hear Kate's words.

The devout Christian made sure to stand as regally as possible and folded her hands together, carrying a warm aura. "Max Caulfield was a miracle to me. She was an uncommonly kind and loving friend. She wasn't afraid to stand up for others, even when the odds seemed against her. Most importantly, and I know I've said this many times but I'll never stop sharing this, she took my hand and pulled me back from the brink of death when no one else would. Ever since, her presence alone reminded me that the world hadn't ended." She holds up her little crucifix necklace to show everyone. "I'm so glad I got to have tea with her again. Wherever Max is now, her world hasn't ended, and nor has ours; God simply came to take her on a brand new adventure."

Tears broke out from Chloe's neutral face as Kate's words touched her; there was no doubt that Ryan and Vanessa were doing the same. Joyce and David, on the other hand, tried to remain strong for all of them, but even they couldn't guarantee their limits.

Kate then turned directly to the Caulfields to make her final statement. "You two raised a wonderful human being. My heart goes out to you, to Max, and all her loved ones, and in that, her heart will live on in ours."

That was it. Vanessa burst into tears and shot her the loudest round of claps before everyone else followed suit. Chloe was both cheering and crying with the same level of passion.

This… this is what she did. She left so much good behind that it's insane.

Chloe would have been hella proud if she wasn't so grief-stricken, because then it was her turn.

Once the crowd was silent, Chloe stood from her seat, her shoulders bunched from the intensity. Joyce and David each patted her shoulders, giving her the power she needed to get up there to give her own eulogy. To her, it was funny; she had so many things about Max that could sink a ship, yet now she had the floor, they had become lost to her.

Where the fuck do I even start?

Chloe shifted her gaze her parents, then to Max's parents, then to Kate, to Victoria, and finally, down to Max's coffin lying in front of her; this position she knew all too well, yet would never in her life get used to… ever.

Holding her silence for a little longer, she wipes the wetness from her eyes, though that could only do so much, and shuts her eyes to find her voice.

Everything will be alright.

Opening them again, she faces straight ahead to begin.

"How can I even describe Max Caulfield?" She shook her head, smiling lightly. "An Everyday Hero? My knight in shining armor? My partner in crime? My partner in time? The shy hipster nerd?"

Chloe puts a hand over her heart to face Max's parents, whom were both smiling at her.

"From my childhood until now, she had always been with me, even when she wasn't. Ever since we crossed paths, I could never get her out of my mind, even when I tried to. She was one of the many few who could handle whatever I threw at her while I was at my worst, and each that happened, I feared that I lost her forever. She made me smile like I haven't in years since I lost my dad. She taught me so many things about love and brought out the beauty that I never saw in myself before."

Catching another breath, Chloe edged closer to the coffin until she could almost touch it.

"Even in her last moments, when I took her up to that lighthouse overlooking the ocean, she still thought of others rather than herself. When I think about it, I was her polar opposite. As she gazed at the sunset, to her last breath, she told me to keep fighting the good fight and to never let anything else bring me down."

Finally placing her hand on the polished wood, she managed a warm smile.

"It's strange to hear these words coming from me, but I know deep down there is hope. Her last words to me were, Everything will be alright. In fact, she shared those words with Rachel. I'm sure they're up there smiling down on all of us. I want to believe them, I really do."

Now she looked directly to the coffin, as if to project her voice to the girl resting inside there.

"I'm very lucky to have had you not only as my best friend, but as my knight in shining armor, my partner in time, and my soul mate. I'm gonna live my life to the fullest until we see each other again. I love you, and I'm gonna miss you so much."

When Chloe backed away from Max's casket, she pointed a finger to the sky, as if to salute her friend who could be watching her from the clouds. Ryan and Vanessa got out of their chairs to embrace her simultaneously. Joyce and David joined the huddle soon after while they received the strongest applause of all.

"You did wonderfully, baby girl." Joyce praised.

"Job well done, soldier." David followed up and patted her back one.

Breaking the hug, Chloe immediately turned to the swollen eyes of Max's parents and took the mother's hands in her own to provide some comfort. "If there's anything you need, I'm right here waiting."

"Thank you so much." Vanessa cried. "Your words really helped me."

Ryan took his wife under his arm again. "Right now, we need time to ourselves."

With a nod, the bereaved parents started away from the field, leaning on each other for support. Chloe was glad she got them to smile after such a devastating loss.

On their way to the car, an adorable voice stops her. "Chloe!"

She pulls her around to see Kate running over to her. The hair-bunned girl slowed down in front of her but then threw her arms around her neck; Chloe returned her comfort immediately.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe." Kate said. "I wish there was something I could do to ease your pain."

"Your speech helped alot, actually."

"Really?" She pulled away and raised a brow. "I wrote it all down and memorized it so I wouldn't screw up."

Chloe snickered. "I just made sh—things up on the spot." She watched her tongue, remembering that she was again in front of a devout Christian in a cemetery.

"You made all that shit up?" Kate winked.

Chloe popped her eyes wide, shocked to hear such foul vocabulary come out of an innocent soul. "Oh no, did I corrupt you?"

"Don't worry about that. Victoria loosened me up a little."

"So… you guys are actually best friends now?"

Kate nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes."

"That's… awesome! She good to you?"

"Most of the time." Kate shrugged. "But I can put up with her baggage."

"Tell me about it."

"But listen." Kate took Chloe's shoulder. "If you need anything at all, you can reach out to me."

Without saying another word, Chloe nodded gratefully.

At that moment, another blue butterfly flew right past between their faces, prompting them to follow the peculiar winged critter until it ascended to the heavens once more.

"What is with that damn motif?" Chloe remarked, shaking her head.

The following nights since the big funeral were especially difficult for the poor blue-haired girl. She would toss and turn or lay awake to have a smoke, for without the usual daily distractions, her mind would flutter about Max and Rachel, cruelly reminding her of how they weren't here anymore.

The worst part, however, was waking up the next morning. For just a split-second, she would forget in her numbness, and then the very next one after, those dreadful memories would come flooding back to her; it was like having her heart squeezed through a compressor over and over again.

There was just no end.

"Morning, Baymax." She would mutter to nobody. "Morning, Rach."

Chloe would coast through the days, keeping mostly to herself and not talking to either Joyce nor David unless she was spoken to; she'd even lost the enthusiasm to play with her little brother, whom she could swear was getting bigger and more talkative everyday.

One time, however, when she decided for once to help David with one of his many chores in the garage, she was finally starting to come undone.

David started to get worried as his stepdaughter insisted on holding her silence. He respected her space when she needed it, but also knew that sooner or later, she would have to exit that bubble to reenter the world.

Dropping what he was doing, David strode over to Chloe, who was busy hammering at a nail on a piece of wood, harder than he would have liked.

"Chloe." That was all he said before touched her shoulder.

Stopping her actions, Chloe dropped let the hammer loosen from her fingers. David grabbed the tool before it could plummet to the floor with a loud clang. Without losing his temper, David simply turned her around and let her be as he waited with patience.

With her head cast down, not wanting to look up at him, Chloe found herself losing control of her emotions. Her grief flooded her up inside, causing her chest and shoulders to hiccup and her lungs to pump frantically, ousting short rapid gasps.

This was what David wanted to see. He had waited for days for his stepdaughter to be ready to release her emotions and have her cry, her real uncontained cry.

This was it. Like a balloon popping, Chloe allowed her anguish to explode out of her being as her knees weakened. David caught the girl as she collapsed and held her tightly as she screamed and wailed like a toddler having its worst temper.

"Let it out." David whispered. "Let it all out. It's okay."

"I—It's n—not… f—fair!" Chloe mumbled.

This breakdown lasted for nearly an hour, in which David refused to leave her until she went numb and was able to gather her pieces afterwards.

After another miserable week, something deep inside the young mature girl knocked at her chest, wanting to get out. It nagged and pulled her hair until she gave in at last. Enough was enough. She had to do something, anything productive that would help her through her continued grief.

Remember her passion in art; Chloe felt like crafting her own masterpiece, a substance of her imagination that she could bring to life.

In the comfortable isolation of her room, Chloe stood before her plain canvas, ready to fill it with colours from her paintbrush and spray can. She didn't care if her skill weren't up to her expectations' standards as the only thing she had in her mind was…

Iridescent.

Focusing on that one theme, she focused inwards and allowed her hands and wrists to take over as she got to work up a rhythm… a language… a message… a symphony.

She danced her brush and sank in her strokes.

Gold.

The shapes formed and defined themselves.

Blue.

The colours communicated as they sang aloud.

White.

The details etched in while the story told itself.

When she finished, Chloe let out a deep breath and admired her work, her masterpiece. For the first time in forever, she felt accomplished.

Suddenly, her phone resting on her dressing table buzzed. She put her equipment down and dashed over to pick up her smartphone to find Kate Marsh displaying on her screen. At first, she hesitated to swipe the answer button to the right, but then did so.

"Hi Kate."

"How are you holding up?" She was asked.

"I'm… doing better?"

"That's good."

A pause gapped the conversation before Kate decided to ask her the question.

"I was wondering, if you're okay with it, if you'd like to hang out with me and Victoria? Just to chill."

"Oh?" Chloe bounced between accepting and declining, and she didn't know why.

"Trust me, she's totally cool with it!"

"Okay." Chloe answered with a hasty nod. "When?"

Chloe, feeling a renewed sense of joy and excitement, navigated out of the room to continue the conversation downstairs, leaving her room open.

What was left in the middle of the room, the stench of fresh wet paint filling the space, was a drying portrait of Max, Chloe, and Rachel, the grandiose trio, standing together in their astral forms while the faint aura of the doe loomed behind them.

Their faces were drawn with emotions of pain, happiness, and love, in their union.

Okay, so I felt like making this one-shot to give Chloe and the readers their proper closure without making things too sappy, I hope. Your reviews for Time Seizure made me so happy, and I am sorry for making you sad and depressed. I am well-aware that I'm being asked to do a happy ending where Max lives; I'm looking at you, AnnisaDwiPutri and Tell-Tale Man. There could be more to come from me yet, but we'll just have to wait and see.

To one of my other guest reviewers, if you really want a story about Max being forced to control time by another unnatural force, you're very welcome to write that story yourself. That's how I got myself to write Time Seizure.

To JustMe, I have in fact heard of Chrono Crusade. I do admit the similarities with that ending, but I didn't cross my mind at the time. I was mainly taking inspiration from one of my favourite movies ever, The Green Mile.

Bourne-fiction, if you're reading this, I love you! While I didn't many reviews for my story for a time, you always kept posting me to keep it up, and I am grateful for that. I hope to see your review for this story.

I especially want to thank cocosbokcs for pointing out my tenses, it really got me to monitor my writing onwards.

Thanks to all my followers! I can't wait for your reviews! And please let me know how many of you want me to write an alternate happy ending to Time Seizure!

I may do more of these one-shots when more ideas come to me.

Love and Always, Kethereal.