Setting her laptop aside, careful to lock it, Max rose and went to the door. She opened it and froze. Standing on her porch, camera bag in hand, was Steph. "So…uh, hi," Steph said, shifting from foot to foot.
Feeling a cool breeze on her tongue, Max closed her mouth. Words were a distant memory as she looked at the girl. The light grey beanie was a nice contrast with Steph's dark hair. "So…can I come in?"
Acting on instinct Max stepped aside and Steph entered. Closing the door, Max leaned against it. All the conflicting emotions of the day came to life within her at Steph's presence. The joy and pain at rediscovering Chloe, the dread of what was to come, uncertainty of when she should make the decision. They battled within leaving her directionless with this new change.
"You're hard to get a hold of, Max."
Screwing her eyes shut, Max mustered all her energy to ask, "Why?"
"Why…what?"
Her throat was suddenly dry and it took several moments before Max could say anything. "Why did you come here?"
"That's pretty obvious. You left your camera bag at my apartment. It's kind of hard for you to take pictures without it."
Like Chloe earlier, there was no accusation. Steph didn't lead with a question, she led with something safe, her camera.
Her head was still leaning against the door. "Thank you for returning my camera, Steph." So formal, so…distant.
Mustering her courage and energy again, she smiled as much as she could and turned around. Steph was sitting on her futon, camera bag next to her. "You didn't have to come all the way here to return it. I was going to call you tomorrow." How did she know where Max lived anyway?
Steph nodded her head and patted the cushion next to her, indicating she wanted Max to sit. "It's not a problem, Max! I did have to do a little detective work. Thankfully you have your address on a card inside your bag."
While she spoke, Max stiffly went to the futon and sat down. She kept herself as far from Steph as she could, grinding the armrest into her back. Her eyes stayed focused on her hands, which wanted to pluck at her jeans. An uncomfortable silence descended on them.
"Beth told me she saw you today?"
Max nodded.
"So…are you coming over for dinner tomorrow?"
"I…uh." Chloe. She wanted to see Chloe. Lifting her eyes, she said, "Yes. I'll come over."
"Awesome!"
More silence surrounded them. Max's eyes fell again.
From the corner of her eye, Max saw Steph study both her and her apartment. At that moment Max realized her entire apartment could fit into the living room of Steph's apartment. Even though the complex she and Beth lived in didn't look the greatest, they were still doing well for themselves.
"Do you have friends, Max? A boyfriend? A girlfriend?"
The questions surprised Max, making her look up again. She didn't answer the questions though. Instead, she said, "Why do you ask?"
"I don't see pictures of anyone in your life that's special to you. Not even a picture of parents. No one. For a photographer that strikes me as a little odd."
Swallowing against a rising sense of unease, Max said, "Why…why do you care?" Wow! That was harsh.
The callous answer caused Steph to snap her eyes to Max. There was a tightening around her eyes and lips. When she spoke her voice was still calm and warm. "You're right, maybe I shouldn't."
"I…I'm sorry, Steph. That was pretty rude of me."
Steph's face relaxed then, and she said, "You may not realize this, Max, but everything about you practically screams 'I'm Lonely!'."
Although Steph spoke with warmth, the words caused Max to flinch and she closed her eyes. Of course she was lonely! Friends just led her to pain. More than once that had been drilled into her until she gave up. "Can you…just give me my camera bag please?" She had to force the words out, mouth tightly clenched from the emotions coursing through her.
Something touched her arm and her eyes snapped open. Steph had leaned forward and placed the tips of her fingers against Max's arm. Seeing Max looking at her, she said, "What is that?" Her other finger pointed.
Max's eyes followed the direction Steph was pointing. In dealing with her emotions, she had moved in a way that pulled her left sleeve back. Max gasped and quickly pulled the sleeve over her wrist. It was too late though, Steph had seen it.
"Your tattoo is beautiful. Why…why does it say Chloe Price?"
Max groaned and slid down until she was practically laying on the futon. No, no, no! This can't be happening again! It was like decisions kept being made for her! Why did her life keep sending her down this path?
"I…can't do this tonight, Steph. I know you're trying to be nice…can we talk more tomorrow when Chloe is with us?"
Steph didn't answer for a while. She saw her pursing her lips, likely in thought. "Will you actually come," she finally asked.
"Yes."
"Will you tell us everything?"
Max groaned again, her hands coming to her head to push on it.
"Max?"
She looked at Steph. The girl had a neutral expression but she thought there was a bit of a frown on the corners of her mouth.
"Do the words 'all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours' mean anything to you?"
With a gasp, Max sat up. Coldness flooded her and she wrapped her arms around herself. Breathing became difficult, like something was tightening in her chest. "Yes."
Steph stood at her answer. "Well, someone got the wrong end of the deal because it looks like you have all the moments. And she? She only has confusion."
The girl walked to her door and opened it. Max's eyes widened as she saw her camera bag in Steph's hand. Pausing in the doorway, Steph looked at her. "I want to trust you, Max, but something tells me you need help keeping your decision. Beth…Chloe has been a mess ever since you and I came in contact. I don't like it. Keep our dinner appointment please, Max, please help us make sense of this."
The door shut behind her and Max heard her tromping down the stairs.
Max sat on the futon staring at nothing. It was all she could do to sit there and not fall to pieces. It was happening. Again. And already she was causing Chloe pain. And what followed the pain? Tragedy.
"I can't do this again," she said to no one.
Steph shut the door to their apartment hard behind her. Setting the camera bag beside the door, she went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Slumping into a chair, she popped the top of the beer and took a drink.
Moments later, Beth came from the back. She paused at the entrance to the room looking at Steph. "You seem pissed," she said.
"Thanks Captain Obvious."
"Sorry."
Closing her eyes, Steph forced calm into her voice. "I'm sorry, Beth. Things with Max went…weird."
She heard Beth sit in the other chair. "Really? I had hoped after I saw her today she'd be different."
Steph shook her head. "If anything, she seemed…sadder, almost resigned."
She took another swig of the beer. "She's still coming over tomorrow, or so she says, but she wouldn't give me any answers. It was really hard getting her to say any thing. For a moment I thought she was going to have a fit."
Beth whistled. "Because of what happened Tuesday?"
"No, because I saw a tattoo she has and asked about it."
"What was the tattoo?"
Steph shifted in her chair to get more comfortable. "There was a heart, with a blue butterfly superimposed on it. Nothing remarkable, though the butterfly was very good. Underneath, you'll never guess what she had written!"
"No, I won't, so just tell me."
"Chloe Price."
Beth looked at her, mouth gaping. "That's how I felt when I saw it," Steph said. Taking another drink, she wiped her mouth and leaned forward. "That's when she got kind of dramatic. I asked her if the words 'all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours' meant anything to her."
" .fuck. You told her about my dream?"
"No, Beth. I didn't tell her about your dream. I just used those words. Listen, if there's really a connection between your dreams and her, I figured she'd know. And she did."
"What do you mean, she did?"
Finishing her beer, Steph set the bottle on the floor. "She said yes. I told her something is going on, and it's messing up my friend. She confirmed again she'd be here tomorrow night. Then I left."
Beth stood. "Do you think she'll come?"
"Yes, because I took her camera bag with me."
"Damn girl. Glad to see your spunk is still with you."
"Thanks. I hope she comes."
Sleep was a tortuous experience for Max. Her sleeping mind would slip into dream memories of she and Chloe. Each time she'd wake up, gasping for air. Her emotions were stretched and smashed by the memories. When her alarm went off, she still hadn't had more than a few minutes peace.
Dragging herself from bed, she did her morning routine and left for work. The day seemed endless to her sleepy mind. It was a good thing the cafe was slow because she couldn't maintain her regular pace.
During her lunch break she took herself into a quiet place. She needed to do something for herself for once. After practicing her breathing exercises to calm down, she got out her phone. Composing a long message, she sent it, then went to see her manager. Minutes later she had a fresh loaf of rye bread set aside for later.
When the final customer left, and the manager locked the door, Max sagged against the wall in relief. All day her mind had wrestled with the current situation and her decision. Her mind was telling her another reset was warranted. Her heart begged for more time. It relished the little moment she'd had with Chloe yesterday.
Returning home to change she mulled the decision more, to ensure her tired mind hadn't missed anything. Satisfied, she slipped the loaf into a bag and walked out the front door.
Closing the door, she locked it and pocketed the key. Her fingers trailed the painted wood of the hand rail as she trudged down the stairs.
Before she knew it, she was standing before Chloe's door. Noise came from the apartment next door, shouting and banging. Their apartment was quiet. Summoning her strength, she knocked.
The door swung upon and Chloe at looked her, blue eyes blazing in the late light of day. For a moment Max froze, and then her courage and sense of self abandoned her. "I…I," she said, reaching for words that disappeared. "I can't do this."
Shoulders slumped, Max turned and began to hurry down the stairs.
"Max! Wait!"
Chloe's voice was the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard and it froze her. A hand fell on her shoulder.
"Shh," Max whispered, "you're supposed to be dead!"
On the floor, Chloe lay, a knife through her heart. Well, a play knife through a slit Chloe had made in her shirt. Blood, in the form of ketchup, covered the wound and streamed down her shirt. The problem was Chloe kept giggling.
"It tickles," she says, "and it's cold. Blech."
"Hsst, your mom is coming!"
Max slipped her arm under Chloe's head. When she heard a footstep behind her, she cried, "Oy Captain Blue! Yer crew needs you! You cannuh die!"
"Chloe Elizabeth Price! Maxine Caulfield!"
Warmth crept up Max's neck to her face as Joyce used her full name.
"What have you girls done now!"
"She…she's dead," Max said, turning her sad eyes on Mrs. Price. Joyce stood in the kitchen entry shaking her head.
"You two," Joyce said. "Get up right now and clean up this mess!"
"Ah, mom," Chloe complained, "I'm supposed to be dead."
"You seem fit to me, young lady. Now get up…did you put a hole in your shirt? We just got you that shirt. You're in big trouble young lady!"
The scene faded into the dimly lit parking lot. The hand on Max's shoulder snatched away as if burned. "What…what was that," she heard Chloe's voice behind her.
Lowering her head, Max said, "A memory."
"What do you mean, a memory!"
Screwing her eyes shut, Max breathed in and out several times. A tremble held her in its grasp and it took several moments before she could bear to turn and look at Chloe.
Those blue eyes drew her in, trapping her in their glittering gaze. "It's…" she tried to say something, to explain, but as usual words fled. "Let's go back to your apartment," she finally said.
Nodding, Chloe turned and retraced her steps into the apartment, holding the door open for her. Once inside, Max made her way to the futon, sinking onto it like her hopes and dreams crashing into the rocks of reality.
Chloe closed the door then sat opposite her. They sat in silence a while. Max kept flicking her eyes at her, never long enough to be caught by the other girl. "Steph will be here soon," Chloe said. "Are you hungry or thirsty?"
"Some water would be fine."
Max kept her eyes focused on her hands the entire time. She couldn't look at her again. It was a mistake coming tonight, she knew now. No matter how much she longed to be in Chloe's presence, she was broken enough and being here was worsening it.
A glass of water was held out to her. Taking it, Max sipped some then set the water on the side table.
"So…you're from Arcadia Bay too?" Chloe's voice was shaky and low.
"Yeah."
"Did you bring something for the sandwiches?"
Max nodded.
Chloe opened her mouth to ask something else when the door opened and in stepped Steph. "Oh," she gasped, "Max! I'm glad you came!"
Max relaxed a fraction, letting herself lean back against the futon. "Hi," she said, her voice weak.
"I hope you haven't started anything without me," Steph said enthusiastically as she shed her coat. Hanging it on the back of a chair, she dropped onto the futon next to Chloe.
"No," Max said her eyes returning to her hands. "We waited for you."
Again silence descended. "Now what," Steph finally asked after quite a while.
Sighing, Max lifted her eyes to look at the girls opposite her. "I had this planned out…" Her voice trailed into silence. Taking a few breaths she tried again. "I really appreciate you…trying to be friends with me. Friendships don't seem to work out for me."
Her hands were clenching each other so tight her fingers were hurting. Forcing them to relax she placed them on her legs, where they immediately began gripping her jeans.
"There are some things I'm going to tell you tonight that will seem unbelievable, but I assure you they are true. I'll even show you." Max looked at Chloe now, although she didn't meet the other girl's eyes.
"Beth…I'm guessing that's from your middle name, Elizabeth?"
Chloe looked at Steph, then back at her before saying, "Yes, it's from my middle name."
Max smiled a little at that. "I can't picture you as a Beth. To me you will always be Chloe." She rubbed her hands up and down on her legs to stop their worrying. It lasted for a few seconds.
"There are some questions I have…they will likely surprise you. Please, I will explain everything tonight. I just…I just need to know some things."
The girls looked at each other again. Max wondered what unspoken communication was happening in those glances. They knew each other very well, that was obvious to her.
"Sure," Steph said, "we'll answer them the best we can."
Nodding once more, Max said, "How are Joyce and William?"
Chloe's eyebrows raised, but otherwise she betrayed no other expression. "I guess if you know my name," she said, "it shouldn't be a surprise you know who my parents are. I'll warn you though, Max, this is creepy. It's like you're stalking me or something."
"I wish it was something that simple," Max whispered.
Seeming to not hear her, Chloe said, "Both are doing well. Joyce is a manager at Two Whales Diner and William has a good job at Pan Estates."
"Are they…are they happy?"
"Yeah, they're pretty happy."
"Did you ever make it to Paris?"
"Shit! How do you know this?"
Max flinched, then drew her knees up to her chin. The tremble was returning. She wrapped her arms around her legs, resting her forehead on her knees. The futon jostled next to Max, causing her to look over. Steph was sitting next to her. Max bit back a sob. Why wasn't Chloe next to her?
Steph placed her hand on Max's shoulder. She wanted to shrink back, to pull away from the girl. But she forced herself to stay. It had been a long time since anyone had comforted her. Here was the result of the choice she had made so many lifetimes ago. Now she had to accept it. It was too late to change it.
It's never too late.
Looking again at Chloe, Max said, "Please? Did you make it to Paris?"
"Yeah…my parents took me there for my sixteenth birthday. We went to the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and other places. We were there a week."
Chloe lit up as she talked about the trip, a smile spreading across her face. Max smiled through her sadness at seeing the joy on her.
"Tell me about the trip, please?"
After looking at Steph, then Max, Chloe launched into a retelling of the week long trip.
Max rested her chin on her knees, lost in Chloe's telling of the trip. A private smile touched her mouth. The joy of the Paris trip was evident in the way Chloe came alive at the telling. Her arms were animated, gesturing this way and that. Her face lit up as she talked about the art she saw and the other experiences.
Max lost herself in the story, shutting out everything and everyone. There was only Chloe. Her eyes never strayed from her as she talked about the trip. A warmth infused Max as she considered how good it was to be in a reality where that trip had happened. All the things the Price's experienced on that trip would be lifelong memories.
It was many minutes before Max finally noticed Chloe's story had stopped. Her mind had been so focused on the evident joy Chloe had on the trip that she had blocked out everything else.
"Thank you," she finally said after shaking her head a little. "One more question: how is Rachel Amber?"
Again, Chloe and Steph looked at each other.
"She's probably doing fine," Steph said, a little coldness in her voice.
Max looked at Steph, surprised that she was answering. She had expected Chloe to give an answer.
"She's in Los Angeles pursuing a modelling and acting career."
Max looked between the two girls several times. Did she correctly detect the coldness in Steph's voice? Looking one more time at Steph she asked the question forming in her mind. "Were the two of you close, Steph?"
Steph drew away from Max at the question, her hand going to her lap. It was enough for Max to realize. "I'm sorry, Steph," Max said, "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. You don't have to answer that question."
"What about you though," Chloe said, "you've been an emotional wreck all night." Her voice was warm and her words spoken carefully.
Max returned her gaze to her knees. "I'm," she started to say but couldn't continue. After several moments she shook her head and said, "it doesn't matter. You deserve answers, and I'm here to provide them."
"What!" Chloe's sharp word brought up Max's eyes. There was no mistaking the look of concern on her face. "Why do your emotions not matter?"
"I'd like to know that also," Steph softly said.
Shutting her eyes to keep everything inside, Max said, "It's not something I can easily answer. It might make more sense after I explain everything."
The silence that greeted her words was sharper and louder than Chloe's earlier exclamation. Max needed something to get her mind off the turn of the conversation before it wore down her armor.
"If it's ok with you, I'd like to make dinner now."
A touch to her shoulder brought her eyes open and looking at Steph. "We'll make dinner," she said.
"Uh," Chloe said, "I'd kind of invited Max over to make sandwiches for us."
"Sandwiches?" Steph looked very confused.
"Uh…I kind of forgot to tell you that part," Chloe said. Max noticed she didn't look at her friend as she said that. "I invited her over to make sandwiches."
"Sandwiches?"
"Sandwiches."
"Fuck that. She's our guest, you rolled a one with that. We're making tacos."
Sighing, Chloe said, "Ok, tacos."
"Um, I brought rye bread for the sandwiches," Max said. She hefted the bag which contained the loaf.
Steph looked at the bag, then at Max. "Thanks," she said with a smile, "but one bad habit I got from my parents is I don't invite people over to cook. If you want to make us sandwiches, you need to invite us to your place."
Max slowly lowered the bag while Steph got up from the couch. "Come and help me, Beth." The girls disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Max alone in the front room.
A small part of Max was urging her to leave. She could avoid telling them and do the reset. After all, the reset would wipe it all out anyway. She resolutely put that thought out of her mind. She'd never treated Chloe that way and she never would. No matter how much it tore apart her heart, she'd tell Chloe everything. Then the reset.
In the kitchen Steph busied herself getting the supplies from the fridge. Beth retrieved some pans from the drawer under the oven, placing them on the range.
"Did you see how she was looking at you while you talked about your Paris trip," Steph said as she washed the vegetables for the salsa.
Getting out some spices, Beth placed them on the counter behind the package of meat. "No. Honestly, I was remembering how much fun my parents and I had on the trip." She picked up the package of ground beef. Sliding a knife through the plastic, she cut it lengthwise, then dumped the meat into a pan.
Steph placed a hand on Beth's arm, pausing her. "She wasn't looking at a stranger, Beth. She was looking at someone that means something to her."
Beth considered those words, comparing them to the strange feelings and urges she'd felt yesterday. And tonight if she was being honest. Turning from Steph, she placed the empty package in the trash.
"How do you think she knows those things," Steph said as she began slicing the tomato.
"I can hear you, you know," Max said from the kitchen entrance.
Steph gulped and narrowly avoided cutting herself. With warm cheeks, she glanced at Beth then at Max. "Sorry, Max," Steph said lamely.
"It's ok," Max said, leaning against the entry. "I kind of expected it, because I'm asking about things I shouldn't know." Her eyes stayed on Beth slowly breaking up the ground beef in the pan. A smile slowly spread across her face, her head tilted against the wall.
Steph looked at Max. The girl had that same look on her face as earlier when she looked at Beth. She shook her head and focused on the tomatoes.
"Careful, Max!" Chloe looked at her young friend scooping flour into a bowl. The flour landed in the bowl, on the counter, and on Max. It only added to the white dust on her arms. They'd had a little flour war just moments ago and the white stuff was all over Max, thoroughly dusting her hair.
Putting the scoop back into the jar, Max closed it and set it on the counter. Picking up the wire whisk, she began stirring the bowl's contents turning them into a goopy mess.
Chloe turned her attention to the griddle. It was almost the right temperature for the pancakes. She glanced at the microwave clock. Joyce had the early shift at the diner and the girls had decided to make breakfast for themselves and William.
Max gave one last stir, then held up the whisk. The batter was at just the right consistency and lumpiness. "All ready for you, Captain Blue," she said.
"Hand 'er over then, Max Silver," Chloe said holding out her hands. Max passed the bowl to her then went to wipe her hands on the shirt. Thinking better of it, she held them out for her inspection. Her eyes traveled from her fingers to the counter, floor, and stove. They had made a tremendous mess.
"Look, I'm making this one with ears," Chloe said.
In little time at all, Chloe had a nice stack of pancakes ready for eating. She placed the last one on a plate in the warm oven. Next was the eggs. She looked at the bowl. A little bit of batter was left. Max wasn't paying attention.
A mischievous grin lit up Chloe's face as she scooped up the batter. "Hey Max," She called. The girl turned her head and Chloe launched the batter.
A shrill shriek split the air as the batter splattered all over Max's face. Max scooped some of the batter off her face and flung it at her. Some of it went into Chloe's mouth, mid-laugh. Within moments batter and flour was flying through the air.
The smell of browning meat pulled Beth from the vision. Blinking, she shook her head and began stirring the meat before it could burn. She shot a glance at Max and almost froze as she saw the way the girl was looking at her.
She'd never had anyone look at her the way Max was. She'd seen Rachel and Steph give each other similar looks when they were in the middle of their relationship. Those paled compared to what she saw on Max's face.
Her ears and cheeks warmed as she focused her eyes on stirring the meat.
"You saw it too, didn't you?"
Beth jumped with a yelp as Max's question whispered into her ear. "Damn it SpiderMax, don't sneak up on me like that!"
The words, though playfully said transformed Max. That loving look on her face twisted into one of pain and she shrank away from her. "Uh, I'm sorry," Beth said as she stirred, "I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I was surprised is all." Max left the kitchen before she could finish speaking.
"Wow," Steph whispered having witnessed the entire exchange. "What was it you saw?" Beth didn't answer her.
While Beth focused on the meat, Steph finished making the Pico de Gallo, then moved on to warming the tortillas. Not too many minutes later, dinner was ready. Several times Steph tried to engage Beth in jokes or conversation. Her only responses were in grunts or single word replies.
Getting out their mismatched plates, Steph called Max back into the kitchen. Beth looked at Max with lowered eyelids, keeping well away from the girl.
Carrying their taco-filled plates and drinks to the front room, they returned to their seats. Steph immediately dove into her food, while both Beth and Max just picked at theirs.
After her third bite and not really feeling hungry, Max set her plate on the side table. "The tacos are good," She said half-heartedly. "I'm just not feeling hungry right now."
She clasped her hands together then leaned forward until her forehead was pressed against them. "You deserve answers," she said from that position. "Why you're seeing visions, and having strange dreams. Why I'm fucking up your relationship." Her voice hitched at that.
Steph choked on her taco while Chloe said something rude. Coughing, little bits of tortilla and ground beef flying out, Steph raggedly said, "Excuse me? Relationship? We're friends, not girlfriends."
Max didn't move, staying in the hunched over position. "It…doesn't matter," she said, although it did. Lifting her head finally, she peered at the girls opposite her. "The truth is…I'm a time traveler."
Chloe opened her mouth but Max held up her hand. "I know," Max said, "I've heard all the doubts and questions before. The easiest way is to show you." She reached between moments, slipping between time itself, rose and walked through the stillness to the other side of the room.
"I can freeze time and move around," she said after she stepped back into regular time. Steph shouted in surprise and Chloe dropped her plate. Max slipped between moments again.
Placing her hands around the plate in the middle of space and time, she knelt and returned to the moment. The plate jostled in her hands and Chloe's eyes widened so much it looked like her eyes would roll out of her head. Setting the plate gently on her lap, Max backed away.
"Freezing time isn't all I can do," she said. "I can also rewind time up to several minutes. There are ways, harder ways, for me to travel back further."
She returned to her seat. Neither girl had said a single word, or eaten anything during her brief demonstration.
"The visions you've seen around me, and the dreams you have Chloe, those are my memories, my original memories. From the life you and I lived until…"
"Wait!" Steph scooted forward on her seat.
Max looked at her, not knowing what to expect. "Why is she seeing your memories?"
"The truth is…I don't know. It always happens when we are too close together. Like too close in space, not…anyway, Chloe, before I could mess with time you and I were the best of friends. Those are the memories you are seeing.
"When I was thirteen I moved away from Arcadia-"
"Which thirteen, Max? I don't remember you at all and I think I'd remember my best friend moving."
Screwing her eyes tightly shut, Max breathed deep several times. Explaining to Chloe always broke her a little more. It always made those cracks run deeper, longer. "In the original timeline, before I got my curse." Her eyes opened, shiny with tears. Looking at the girls she said, "Please…let me finish."
Both girls nodded, so Max composed herself and resumed speaking. "I moved away from Arcadia, not long after William died in a car wreck." There was a strangled sound from Chloe, but no other interruption. Max saw Steph reach out and grab Chloe's hand.
"Your life went downhill and I…I didn't keep up our friendship. When I returned five years later you were a different person. You needed a friend and I slipped back into that role, like I was never gone. That is when I got my power."
She paused, looking at her hands. No matter how many times she told this story to Chloe it was never easy. "That's not exactly right. I discovered my power when Nathan Prescott shot you in the girls bathroom at Blackwell, right in front of me. I rewound time and interrupted the shooting.
"Only something was set in motion, something I don't understand. One week later an unusual storm threatened to wipe out Arcadia Bay. We figured it was from my messing with time and you proposed I go back and let you die.
"I refused to accept that choice and I refused to let innocent people in Arcadia Bay die. So I made a new option. I went back in time and removed myself from your existence."
Her head was hanging now. She was tired, oh so tired from the emotional drain of this week and this night. "It's not perfect because each time we get close to each other, my memories start…transferring to you. I don't really understand that. Once that starts it's inevitable we'll meet…and then disaster strikes."
"Disaster? Like what?"
"Storms. Earthquakes. Fires. Tsunami. Any natural disaster that's appropriate for the area, I think. Each time it forces me to reset time so others won't die."
Max stopped talking, her head in her hands. Chloe and Steph looked at each other. "How many times have you reset time, Max," Chloe asked.
"I stopped counting at twenty," Max said.
"Whoa," Steph said, her eyebrows climbing high at Max's admission. "So you've been destroying your life over and over because…"
"Because I can't let Chloe die, and I can't let others die either."
"Well screw the others," Chloe said, "Did you even…discuss this with…me before you did it?"
Max shook her head. "I tried…I really tried. I rewound that week over and over and each time it was just those two choices and I couldn't take it anymore!"
Chloe moved to sit next to Max. Hesitantly, her hand reached out and touched Max's shoulder. "How many times did you replay that week?"
"I don't know…it doesn't matter."
"Look at me, Max," Chloe said. Reluctantly Max lifted her head, gazing at her blue eyes, the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen. "It does matter, Max."
"No, Chloe, it doesn't. All that matters is that you are safe and no one has to die because of what I am."
"And what are you?"
Max tore her eyes away from her. "An anomaly. A freak."
"Is that what you tell yourself? Because you can manipulate time?"
Max didn't say anything to that. "Listen," she said, "I came over tonight because…" fuck, this was hard! "I came over to see you one last time."
"One last time before what? What are you going to do?" Chloe's hand tightened on her shoulder.
"I'm going to reset the timeline."
"Fuck that," Chloe exclaimed.
Moving to the futon as well, Steph said, "Why do you think you need to do that?"
"It's happening already. Chloe's getting my memories."
"So. How long does it take for a disaster to happen after I start getting your memories?"
Max thought for a while. "I-I don't actually know. This time it's happening so fast. Normally it takes weeks or months to get to this point."
"What's different now?"
"I don't know."
The room grew silent, each girl lost in her own thoughts. After a few minutes, Steph rose from the futon. "I'm thirsty. Anyone else want something to drink." The other two declined, then Steph wandered into the kitchen.
Drawing her hand away from Max, Chloe let it fall into her lap. "Max," she said quietly, "in all your timelines, do we always come together?"
Max nodded. It was a constant among the timelines.
"Why do we always come together?"
"I don't know. There's a lot about what's happening that I don't understand, Chloe."
It was Chloe's turn to nod. "There's a lot about what you told me that I fucking don't understand."
Chloe leaned back against the futon. Her gaze never left Max. In as neutral a tone as she could muster she said, "Steph told me about a tattoo you have. May I see it?"
Max stiffened at the question. Finally she extended her left arm and pulled her sleeve back. Chloe gasped softly as the tattoo came into sight. "May I…may I touch it?"
"Yes."
With one of her fingers, Chloe slowly traced the outlines of the heart and butterfly. "Earlier," she said her voice soft and warm, "you said you removed yourself from my existence. What did you mean?"
Max's eyes followed the slow movement of Chloe's finger as she considered the question. A warmth infused her wrist, flowing up into her heart at the touch. She couldn't suppress the shudder that went through her. It had been so long since Chloe had touched her like this.
A deep pain welled up, trying to choke off her words as she said, "I went through our timeline and made sure we never came into contact with each other before my parents moved us from Arcadia Bay. Whenever I could, I replaced our meetings with something good for you."
"And what did you give yourself?"
Max turned her head quickly to prevent Chloe seeing the pain and tears her question brought to her face. "The knowledge that you were safe."
The finger stopped moving and Max caught her breath. "You love me, don't you?"
"Y-yes." It took everything she had to get that single word out without breaking.
"Did I…love you too? I mean before all this happened?"
"I…don't know. I'd like to think so."
Chloe's fingers started tracing again and Max gradually relaxed. There were so many conflicting emotions running through her, joy and pain and anger and sadness and hope, all jumbled up and confusing her.
"There's something I want to say to you, Max, something I want you to really think about. Don't reset the timeline. From what you said you've broken yourself over and over again to give me something, to give me happiness. It's time someone fought that hard for you."
At Chloe's words, Max turned away pulling her arm with her. Those words burrowed deep inside her, touching something she'd buried deep. Another earth-shaking shudder ran through her as the words broke down her defenses and exposed her deepest feelings.
She barely noticed when Chloe gently wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a deep hug. The tears finally broke loose as she realized she was cradled in Chloe's grasp, something she'd wanted for too long.
Steph placed her glass in the sink and got a beer from the fridge. She was glad the others hadn't wanted a drink. All evening she'd felt a weird tension growing between Max and Beth and she suspected the two girls needed some time alone. She didn't understand what was going on, and she suspected Beth didn't either, but she recognized when she was becoming the third wheel.
Leaning against the entryway, she silently watched the two girls on the futon. Max's arm, the one with the tattoo, was lying on Beth's lap and Beth was tracing the lines of the tattoo. That secret smile was back on Max's face and it lit something warm inside Steph.
Tears sprang to Steph's eyes as memories of Rachel and what they'd lost came to mind. Wiping them away with her sleeve, she decided the two needed more time alone. Turning, she wandered to her room and quietly shut the door.
Max's arms went around Chloe as she rested her head against her chest. The tears had finally dried, though shudders continued to wrack her now and again. "Thank you," she said, her voice shaking. "I've made a mess of your shirt."
"Shirts can be washed," Chloe said. "I mean what I said. Don't reset the timeline. Let us help you fight this."
"But other peo-"
"Fuck that. Seriously. I know that makes me sound cold and hateful, but you can't carry this weight all by yourself. It's a horrible decision for anyone to make."
"But-"
"Listen. When something starts, we can face it then. Together."
Craning her neck to peer up at Chloe, Max said, "Why? I mean, why care about me? We don't even know each other, not really anyways."
Chloe thought in silence a while, her eyes not touching Max's. "That's true. I'd be lying though if I said I felt nothing for you." Her eyes finally fell on Max's. "Ever since that first night we met I've had these…strange feelings. I don't understand them."
She paused again, her eyes searching Max's face. "But I want to. And I want to know more about you. I'd be crazy to not learn more about the woman who sacrificed her life just so I could live."
"I didn't sacrifice my life."
"Really? That's not what I heard in your story. You gave up a friendship and everything that made you happy just so I and Arcadia Bay could live. That's the most selfless act I've ever heard."
Max lowered her head. Chloe's words rang true even if she wanted to deny them.
"Will you let us help you? Let me help you?"
It took Max a long time to sort through the chaos inside her. There was what she wanted, and what she knew she should do. Heart and mind, split and at odds with each other. Let her heart win for once. "Yes. I won't reset the timeline."
After those words, Max snuggled into Chloe's hold. For once she wanted to experience the closeness she'd longed for.
"Isn't it a little early for me to be telling you two to get a room?"
Max stiffened in Chloe's arms and looked up, her cheeks warming. Steph fell onto the futon, a broad smile on her face. "Ah, don't worry. Beth had to put up with worse from me. Besides the two of you look cute."
Chloe's arms stayed around Max as she said, "We've talked about some pretty deep stuff tonight. What if we did something fun now, play some games or watch a movie?"
"I think I'd like to eat now," Max said. The hollow in her stomach had become insistent after sharing all those details.
"Sounds good. I'm hungry now also." Chloe loosened her arms allowing Max to slip off her lap. Max grabbed her plate from the side table, sitting up just as Chloe rejoined her, plate in hand.
While they ate Steph put on a comedy and moved to another chair. Max did her best to keep all her fears and negative thoughts out of her head. She was really enjoying herself and wanted to savor it.
The rest of the evening past too quickly for her. After eating they watched a movie, then Max had to go. She wanted to get an early start tomorrow to work on some photo shoots for their project.
Chloe acted a little strange about her bringing up work. Max guessed it was because she was kind of their employee, making their whole situation weird. She did promise to come over later in the day or evening, once she had her shoots completed.
Leaving was hard. Part of her really wanted to stay, to talk more with Chloe. She wanted to know who Chloe was now. Bidding the girls farewell, Max walked into the night.