"This sucks."

The four girls were in Victoria's room. Max and Chloe were sat, cuddled together on the bed, while Victoria was rummaging around her closet, trying to find the controller for her Xbox 360 (she'd put the console away and hadn't used it since she'd pre-ordered her Xbox One, but that wasn't due for another month or so, besides Mass Effect wasn't on the new console). She looked up at Chloe, who was wearing a semi-permanent scowl as Max tried her best to get her to smile.

"We'll get through this, Chloe," said Max, cuddling up tighter to her girlfriend. "We make a good team."

"I hope so," said Chloe. "That asshole was talking some serious stuff back there."

"I doubt it," said Victoria, standing up in triumph, holding the controller and carefully setting it down next to copies of the three Mass Effect games. "I think it was mainly bullshit."

"What? You weren't there," said Chloe, getting quickly riled, "you have no idea what he…"

"No, I didn't mean that," said Victoria, quickly. "I meant the last bit, about him finding shit to charge you with down at the station house. That was bullshit. It was all bluster. You can rest easy on that. Ain't gonna happen." The door opened as she finished speaking and Kate walked in, carrying a tray of tea.

"You think?" said Chloe, accepting a cup from Kate as she handed out the tea and took a seat. "'Cause he seemed pretty fucking serious to me. Shit, sorry Kate," finished Chloe, looking sheepish as the blonde girl glared at her. "Um, thanks for the tea."

"Yeah, it was bluster. Guaranteed. He can't afford to arrest you, it would bring too much publicity down on what's actually going on. He's just counting on your silence." Victoria sat down and sipped her tea, smiling at Kate. "See, I've been thinking about what he said to you," she continued. "He can't go after me, because, well, I'm a victim and a Chase. Kate is way too good and pious, he may as well go around clubbing baby seals and putting it on youtube for all the good that would do him. No, he went after you specifically."

"That's what Daniels said, too," said Chloe. "I'm an… easy target, he said."

"Sorry, but he's right," agreed Victoria. "But that's also something in your favour, isn't it?"

"I don't see how. I mean, he made me feel this big," said Chloe, holding her thumb and index finger an inch apart, but Victoria wasn't finished.

She turned to Kate, motioning at her with her hand. "With all due respect, Kate, you'd never have been able to survive Gray's interrogation. I'm not sure I would, either, but you did."

"Survived? I feel like shit!" scoffed Chloe. "Shit, sorry, Kate. Again." She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm trying, Marshmallow, I really am. But some habits are harder to break than others."

Kate smiled. "I know, Chloe, and I'm grateful that you're making an effort on my behalf."

"Yeah, you do feel like that," said Victoria. "But look. You're here. You're still here, and Max is still here with you. That means you had the strength of character not to lose your temper. See, I think that's the real reason he was there. If he could get you to lose your temper, attack him or something similar, he could arrest you for assaulting a police officer and you'd be out of the picture, discredited and alone. But you didn't. You were able to think clearly, control yourself and survive. So now, all he has is a bogus made-up charge that he can't stick, plus you're still here and able to think clearly." She nodded at Chloe. "I never thought I'd say this, Price, but well done. Seriously, Chloe, well done."

"Fuck, you're going soft, Chase," said Chloe, but without any real malice and a small smirk on her face. Next to her, Max tightened her hold, eliciting a small gasp from the punk as Kate glared once more at Chloe, although this time Chloe didn't catch herself or apologise.

"She's right," said Kate, ignoring Chloe's language. "I wouldn't have been able to stand up to him. Thanks," she continued, as Victoria handed her a copy of Mass Effect, and she turned the DVD case over in her hands, looking at the back. "But won't it be weird if I've already played the sequel?"

"Not at all," said Victoria. "In fact, you'll probably learn a thing or two about the sequel as you play. See, the sequel was really designed to be played after the original…"

"Duh!" said Chloe, and Max giggled.

Victoria wasn't amused. "I meant," she said ignoring the interruption, "you make decisions in the first game that have an effect on the second. You see, like when you…"

"No spoilers!" chorused Max and Chloe, and Kate giggled.

"I'm looking forward to it," she said, then adding shyly, "but only if you'll play it with me."

Max cleared her throat as Kate began blushing, and all attention was focussed on her. "We need to figure out what to do next," she said. "It seems pretty obvious that Daddy Prescott is pulling a few strings. Tori, do you know him at all?"

"Sean? I've met him once or twice, but never for very long," said Victoria, shivering. "I didn't like him. No, it's more than that. He… I guess the best way to describe it is that he made me feel really uneasy around him."

"Creepy?"

"It's difficult to put my finger on it," she said, pursing her lips. "I mean, he's reasonably handsome for an older guy, but he's got this air, this aura about him that's really unattractive. He's very aloof, he'll talk down to you like you're a second class citizen. He's really… focussed, I think is a good way to describe him. He's also very cold, especially towards his children. He never treated Nathan well, I know, I know," she said, holding up her hands, "it's not an excuse for what he did, but it is a reason why he turned to Jefferson. See, Sean is a control freak at everything but fatherhood. He was just never there for Nathan."

"He didn't care?"

"No, it wasn't that at all. He cared a great deal about Nathan succeeding him as a son and heir, but he had zero interest in bringing him up. He left that to others. Hired help and suchlike. It's like he just couldn't be bothered. He just wanted a son to succeed him, but without the hassle of bringing one up. His mother was similarly distant. The only one who really cared was Kristine, his sister, and she left for pastures new to escape Sean a few years back. Since then, Nathan's been on his own." She paused, looking down at her hands. "Looking back at it now, it's not surprising that he latched onto Jefferson. He… he brainwashed him, he gave him everything he craved. Attention, support, training, love."

"Love?"

"I'm sure that Nathan saw it that way," said Victoria, answering Chloe's snorted outburst. "It's easy to confuse attention for love, especially when you've been starved of proper parental love." At this, her lower lip began to tremble and she suddenly stood up. "I'll… I'll be back in a moment," she said, rushing out of the room. Kate immediately rose to follow, but Chloe waved her down.

"I've got this," she said, standing and leaving the room. Once Max and Kate were alone, there was silence for a few moments, before Kate spoke.

"Is she… okay, do you think?"

"Yeah," said Max. "I think something she said just hit home pretty hard. It can happen to anyone, you know. But she'll get over it. Chloe's there with her."

"And?"

Max smiled. "Chloe might be a wiseass at times, but she's really good at this sort of thing. She'll help Tori."

"I… I hope so," said Kate, shifting slightly in her seat. "I never thought I'd be in the position I am now, where Victoria Chase is one of my best friends. You know, after what she…"

"Yeah," said Max, interrupting her. "I'm glad she's turned out… the way she has."

"Thanks, Max," said Kate, getting up and unexpectedly putting her arms around her friend.

"For what?"

"I know that Victoria's only this way because of you."

"No, that's not right," said Max.

"It is."

"No," insisted Max. "I knew she could be like that. I just gave her a bit of a helping hand, that's all."

"What was she like last week?"

"Tori? Well, pretty much like she was always. It wasn't until the end of the week that she actually showed me the sort of person she could be. We actually talked at the party, and I knew that underneath Queen Bitch, she was actually a good person, trapped, wanting to get out but not really knowing how. So, this week, armed with that knowledge, I was able to help her let herself out."

"Still, thanks." Kate returned to her seat. "And now she wants to play Mass Effect with me."

"Yeah," smiled Max. "Sounds like fun times for the two of you." She grinned suddenly. "So, will it be MaleShep or FemShep?"

"What?"

"When you create your Shepard? Will you be creating male Shepard or female Shepard?"

"Um, female, I guess. I mean, we're both girls, aren't we?" said Kate, looking somewhat confused.

"Yes. You are both girls," said Max, still smirking. "Both of you."

"Max, I'm sorry, I'm just not following you," said Kate, still confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," said Max, slowly, "you and Victoria have been spending a lot of time together recently, haven't you?"

"Well, we are friends," said the blonde girl, "it's only natural that… wait, you're not talking about…" She stopped talking as her face blushed crimson and she looked away.

"Ha!" said Max.

"No, it's not like that," said Kate. "We're not, I mean, I'm not… oh, I'm not very good at this, Max." She took a few moments to calm herself down, then faced back to Max. "We're just friends, Max. That's it. That's all it'll be."

"Are you… sure? I mean, she's obviously…"

"I'm sure Max, I mean, you know, 'cause it's wrong and…" said Kate, jumping slightly as the door banged open and Chloe walked in, looking incredibly pleased with herself. "Oh h… hi Chloe. Is… Vic… Victoria okay?"

"Yeah, she is," grinned the punk. "Chloe strikes again. Booyah!" She threw herself back onto Victoria's bed and Max instinctively snuggled up to her. "She'll be along in a minute, Marshmallow."

Sure enough, a few minutes later saw Victoria return, looking sheepish as she sat down on the floor. Kate looked at her in concern, but Victoria shook her head, almost imperceptibly.

"So, what now?" said Max.

"I'd like to think it's all over," said Kate, shaking her head, "but it's not, is it?"

"It could be," said Victoria. "All we have to do is be strong, right? I mean, we stick together, stick to the truth… well, you know what I mean, Max, and we'll be fine. Gray might be an asshole, but even he can't ignore the law, right?" Max and Kate nodded, but Chloe didn't seem convinced.

"I don't know," she said, shivering slightly, causing Max to snuggle up closer, "I think he's got something else up his sleeve. You weren't there. You didn't hear him."

"We'll get through it together, Chloe," said Max, leaning her head on Chloe's shoulders. "Yeah?" Chloe nodded, a little hesitantly, but then again with more resolve.

"Yeah, we will," she said.

"But what about the storm?" asked Kate. "Is it… still coming?" Max nodded in response.

"Looks like it," she said, shaking her head. "Everything I tried to do to stop it, I failed."

Victoria looked up. "That's not true," she said. "Look what you've achieved this week. Just… look. Look around you, for a start. Look where you are, right at this moment. Look who's next to you." She smiled. "I'd say things have improved, wouldn't you, Kate? Chloe?" They both nodded in response, but Max just looked at them.

"The storm's still coming," she repeated, "Arcadia will still be destroyed. People will die." She held on to Chloe, but the punk just smiled.

"You leave that to us," she said, cryptically. "Chase and Price, working together for… the first time?"

"What?" Max was stunned, but Victoria just grinned.

"Yeah, Chloe's had a rather brilliant idea," she said, "so you leave that to us, okay? Just concentrate on getting some rest, sorting yourself out and just go back to being a teenage girl." She smiled warmly. "I need to recruit my minions," she said, standing up. "Coming, Kate?" The Christian girl looked up, started, but, seeing the sincerity in Victoria's eyes, nodded and followed her out of the room. "Catch ya'll later!"

Chloe watched them go, then stood up, pulling Max to her feet but still keeping her close. "Come on, Maximus," she said. "It's time."

"Time for what?" asked Max, but Chloe just grinned.

"Time to be ourselves. Just you and me, Maxi-baby," she said. "I want to spend some quality time with my girlfriend." She grinned suddenly. "Maybe make some new, happier memories. Yeah?"

Max looked at Chloe for a moment, then broke into a huge smile. "Yes," she whispered, letting Chloe lead her out of Victoria's room and across the hallway. "Yes."

…

Max sighed contentedly, wriggling slightly as she dozed, trying to maintain a level of comfort. She was vaguely aware of Chloe, spooned behind her, her knees fitting perfectly into the crook of Max's legs and she subconsciously smiled.

For the first time in what seemed like ages, she was content.

She'd spent the last few hours with Chloe. They'd ordered and shared a delicious pizza (complete with a reconstruction of the Lady and the Tramp spaghetti scene but with mozzarella), began watching an old classic Disney film, but within 15 minutes of the film beginning, it was totally forgotten as they enjoyed each other's company instead.

And that's how it was. Making out, cuddling, making out some more (at one point it threatened to turn into something more, but Max's nerves locked her up and Chloe just held her until she calmed down), until finally they dozed in each other's arms. At some point while sleeping, Max had wriggled over and Chloe had unconsciously become the big spoon, happily wrapping her arms around her girlfriend.

At some point, Max began to move a little more in her sleep, coupled with some whimpering. The noise was enough to wake Chloe, not all the way, but enough to recognise the signs of a bad dream, and she lifted her right leg over Max's legs and pulled her girlfriend tight, kissing the back of her neck and head, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

"Ssh, Maximus, it's okay. You're just having a bad dream," she whispered, her lips brushing against her girlfriend's ear, a sensation that made her own heart leap for joy. "I'm here with you," she continued. "I'll always be here for you, Max." She hesitated, biting her lip, trying to work up a little more courage as her heart beat faster. "I… Max Caulfield, you're beautiful and I love you," she whispered, her heart beating a wild rhythm in her ears as her cheeks burned, even though she knew Max couldn't hear her, or not to an extent that she could remember. However, her words had the desired effect. She smiled as she heard Max's breathing slow back to its normal rate, her quiet whimpering stopped and she calmed down, returning to her contented slumber.

"I can do something right," she whispered to herself. "Max needs me, maybe now more than ever. And I promise you, my love, I'll be there for you. Whenever you need me. That's a promise."