* First Thing Wednesday Morning, After the Storm *

An alarm starts, a klaxon blaring. Max immediately opens her eyes, and immediately closes them. The sun sharply breaks through the window, full of clarity. She wants that clarity but not this early. An arm strikes out from the covers.

And promptly crushes her face as it reaches for the clock. And fails to shut the alarm off. And knocks it off the pocket-marked end table.

Fuck!

Untangling herself from wayward limbs, Max scrambles to silence the morning. Ending up lying on the floor, finally the noise stops. Twelve oh two flashes persistently before her eyes.

Chlo!

The back of a blue blob is all she can make out peeking from the covers. A limb starts moving, an upright finger revealed as the blankets fall back, waving in the general direction of the sun.

Could you maybe not assault me first thing in the morning.

An appropriate start to the morning.

Rubbing her back, Max looks around, taking her time and waking up fully. The alarm in her hand switches to twelve oh seven before she finishes doing some mental arithmetic.

Power!

'Chlo!' Climbing back into bed, she tries to wake it's occupant. 'Chloe! The power's back on.'

'gruh fruh erh.'

'Chlo, get up. Too much to do.'

'ker ner ger berker?'

'What are you saying?' Done trying to interpret, she pulls the blanket from Chloe's face. Half-lidded eyes scowl back at her.

'can i get bacon?'

Max pokes the offending brow, then plants a peck on her temple. 'Sorry, no bacon. It does mean we get to shower with the lights on today.'

The brow waggles.

Sigh. 'Separately.' Max stands, stretching out her back. 'Dork.'

'tease.'

'Nuh-huh.'

'yah-huh.'

'Stop being difficult. I haven't caffeinated yet.' She picks up the alarm again. 'What time is it anyway?'

'Probably not just after midnight.' Chloe finally starts moving, reaching over to turn her cell on. 'It's, uh... quarter after eight.' An exaggerated sigh escapes. 'Maxi-pad, I was kinda hoping you'd learn how to sleep in some day.'

'Hey, you were beating me up before I even got out of bed.'

A guilty look crosses the bluenette's complexion. 'Sorry. I just hate alarms.'

'Next time I'll duck. I'm going to shower. Go see if anyone else is up.'

'Yes boss.' A dramatic salute turns into an excuse to fall back into bed. Chloe quickly snuggles back into her previous position.

'Chlo.'

'Hmm?'

'That's not getting up.'

'Sure it is. Just backwards.' The blanket is pulled back over blue. 'Just rewind, you'll see.'

Giggling and shaking her head, Max leaves her girlfriend alone. For now. She doesn't need to get up quite yet.

Entering the bathroom Max blinks spots from her eyes as the harsh lights momentary blind her. Standing in front of the mirror, she surveys herself.

I've looked better. The bags are new. I guess... a lot has happened in the last ten days.

She stares an extra moment, really looking at herself. For that moment, half-convinced, Max swears a stranger stares back.

So much has happened.

Turning, she quickly prepares the shower. Final adjustments to the temperature, she steps in and feels the bulk of her tension start to melt off.

Didn't even notices how stiff my neck is.

Why would you? It creeps up, doesn't it?

A bit of that tension settles back on her shoulders.

'Really? Couldn't wait for coffee?'

That's not how this works.

Looking for her shampoo, can't find it. Max pops open the coconut concoction Chloe seems to favor.

'How does this work, then? I still don't get the rules.'

Knowing will hurt.

A pause of her fingers on her scalp. 'Hurt? It can hurt?'

It does hurt.

'Wait, you get hurt when you talk?'

Nothing.

Max proceeds with her shower. Of course it hurts. If it is me, if that is what FM really is, then... my power obviously cause me pain. Puzzle pieces start assembling themselves. That means... I'm going to be doing this to myself. I'll be putting myself through... what, exactly? If I get nosebleeds now, what would happen if I send these thoughts back? On autopilot, she starts scrubbing yesterday's sweat. How do I even do it? Just think backwards really hard? She knows there are still pieces missing, but a picture starts coming together. Maybe... it's like my photo power. If I just picture the memory...

She tries. Imagining herself just minutes ago, about to step into the shower. Trying her best to see it with the same clarity as her first experience. Her photography instincts take over, creating this faux reality, an even better version. Trying to imagine the whole bathroom at once, where every little item is, the sound of the water out of the shower head and the gurgle as more water flows through the pipes.

A pain starts to build, between her temples. The smells of the humidity from the shower, the disinfectants, the soaps. The cold of the tiles, the warmth of the steam. Her body's position, as she slightly leans forward.

And with a click, the rest of her memory sharpens. All the little details that the mind edits out become readily available. The very faint whine of the lights overhead. Her nose in the corner of each eye, left for right and right for left. Who even realizes they don't ever really notice their nose? Hair whispering along the back of her neck. Morning breath and a taint of copper.

It is so beautiful.

Not just a chance to relive the past. She sees everything. One second of memory, but it all at once. She is both about to take a step and taking it. She sees her destination straight ahead and the glance downward and even that blink your mind filters out of your vision. The pressure on both feet, on one, her equilibrium as her body changes position. Every tiny sound of movement, how each little noise changes, flowing and interacting with one another.

She knows all of this time, these scant few seconds, all at once. Not a frozen moment. All of it, front to back and all together. The taste of pennies in-

Wait, copper, that's-

Thunder rolls through, from forehead to spine and back again.

Spinning around the pain in her head, Max tries to focus. On anything. She keeps clawing herself away from that moment a few minutes ago and keeps snapping back to it. Every time she steps towards the present that slice of past wraps around it. So she just lets go.

Knees painfully throbbing, the water cold hitting her back. Pinkish water pooling between her splayed hands on the shower floor.

Sweet and salty copper.

Max shuts the water. Gingerly stands, grabs her towel. Slowly dries. She still shivers. It isn't from the cold.

Staring at her reflection in the mirror. Eyes even more sunken. Red-rimmed nostrils. Staining along her lips, chin. She looks pale. She feels pale. The afterimage of pain still has her wincing. She stands staring, in her stained towel, and watches little red drops still fall every few minutes.

What did I do to myself?

A banging breaks the anti-revelry.

'Max, you alright in there?'

Victoria.

'Max, what's the hold up?'

I need them. Tell her-

'get chlo'

Clearing her throat.

'Get Chloe. Get her here Vicky.'

Maybe her tone, maybe her statement. Either way, Max here's quick steps downstairs, followed by quicker ones back up. 'I'm coming in.' Victoria's perplexed and mildly annoyed expression immediately transforms to one of fear. 'What did you do?'

Heavier steps, two at a time, take the stairs. A blue-topped body almost slides right by the bathroom door. 'Max, are you- Shit! What's wrong?'

Max smiles weakly, still using the sink to help her stand. 'I fucked up.'

Hands trace themselves around her head. A wince from the brunette and they pull back. 'Careful.'

Chloe tries to take it all in. 'What happened? Did you see something?'

'No, Che.'

'Then, what? Did you-' A dark expression. '-push too hard? Why?'

'I found out how she does it.' The confusion on the two faces makes her want to laugh. Or scream. Neither would be good. 'I know how FM talks to me.' She tries to grab one of the hands gracing her face, but comes unbalanced. Still a little... woozy. An arm takes up one of her sides, steadying her. An immediate second balances her out, and the pair lead her back to bed. 'It's like my photo power. But in my head.'

Sitting, she curls up, wrapping the blanket around herself for warmth.

'I just have to picture everything. Not too hard. Maybe... maybe it's because I know photography so well. Or maybe I know that because I have these powers. I'm not sure. I think it might be both. I just envisioned a room, a memory as perfectly as possible. I kept pushing and pushing and then snap, it's like I was there. I could see it, smell it, taste it. But better than before.'

She's rambling. She know's she's rambling.

'All these little details I didn't notice before, couldn't even imagine I missed before. I went back for an instance and... and no photo. I just went back. Not me reliving it. Just a crystal moment of time. A picture from my memory.'

A reverent look settles on her features.

'It was beautiful.'

'It was stupid.'

Chloe is not happy.

'You could of... I don't know. Given yourself an aneurism or something.'

'Chlo, I'm fine.'

'What about when you're not? For fuck's sake, you get nosebleeds just from going back a few minutes. You passed out Friday bouncing around pictures. What about one day when you're prancing through time and, and you push too hard and something in your head just... snaps?'

Max looks for allies against this fury. 'Vicky, you know I need to push this. FM proves that-'

'Future you proves nothing.' Victoria double downs on Chloe's tirade. 'Max, you can change the past, change the present. There's no reason to think the future can't be changed. Just because future you is here one minute doesn't mean you're there the next.'

Grasping at straws. 'But a paradox...'

'Only happens if you go back in time and kill your parents before your born. Something impossible. But talking to yourself... If FM stops talking to you...' A deep breath. 'One, you have nothing to say. Two, you pushed too hard and lost your power. Three.. '

Max finishes. '...I'm dead.'

Chloe turns to the blonde girl. 'Give us the room.' A nod acquiescing. The door clicks shut. 'I thought you got it yesterday.'

'I'm so-'

'No. No sorry. I just need you to see how dangerous all this is.' A, sadly, familiar look of fear stares back at Max. 'You're not immortal.'

She wasn't afraid of me. She's afraid for me.The brunette can't maintain eye contact but she finds a voice. 'I didn't listen.'

'You listened but you didn't hear me.'

'I know.'

Curling into arms, leaning towards that heartbeat. 'Love you, Che.'

'Then stop this. Stop sneaking off and pulling these stunts.'

'I promise.'

Leaning back, the bluenette gives her a curious look.

I swear... 'On my pirate honor.'

The tall girl's face remains placid but a smile leaks from her eyes. 'I'm holding you to that.'

A noise of frustration sounds from the door. 'Can I come back in yet?'

Dog dammit Vicky. 'Sure.'

A pair of blonde's, one irate, the other confused, stand outside. 'So?'

'So.. what?'

'So, are you done being stupid?' Victoria looks back as Kate pokes a finger into her side. 'What? It's a fair question.' A pained look from the smaller girl is the rebuttal.

Right to the core. 'Yeah, I'm done for now. I think...' A furtive look to her girlfriend for confirmation. 'I think I get it now.'

'Okay then.' And Victoria relaxes. Finally. 'So, Price, you want to finally make those phone calls.'

'Sure, Chase. Grab a pen and paper. We'll set up shop in the kitchen. I need to pull out David's contact book for a few of the cops I know.'

Receding from the room, Max can't help but overhear. 'Like, numbers on paper?'

David's old-school, Vicky. Real old-school.

'You alright Max?'

'Yeah Kate.' Taking stock of herself Max realizes that she is in fact fine. Good, even. 'My headache's gone. No dizzy or queasy spells.'

Happiness replaces the look of trepidation. 'That's great! So... what next?'

We need to set up. 'Next, my dear Watson, we sleuth.'

'Cool. Um. How?'

'How you ask? Scoff, my Watson, double scoff. We, uh.' What do we do? 'Well, Chlo is going to track down our wayward licence plate and locate it's owner. And we get to...' Shit, how can I help? 'We get to, uh...'

Max notices an edge of cork poking out of the closet.

'We get to play with push-pins.'

The pair drag the cork board out and begin to clean off the accrued evidence still clinging to it. I thought we cleaned this off last week. With stoic grace Kate begins to pile the various documents to one side, pins to another. Oh, shit!

'I forgot Kate. All this, you don't have to help me-.'

An unusually cool voice interrupts. 'It's fine.'

'Really, I got this. I know this must remind you-'

'I'm fine Max!'

A page tears between hands.

'I just- I just need to deal with this, Max.' She looks up meekly from the crumpled halves in her hands. 'Sorry for yelling.'

Max drops a pile of dog names and numbers, working her hands around Kate's clutch and tossing the detritus to the side. 'It's okay to yell. Sometimes you need to. Heck, sometimes I really need to.'

Please just give me a smile.

'Thanks Max.' Kate gathers word. 'I never tried to deal with, with it. Not in a healthy way, at least.'

'Well, your not alone. None of us are really in a healthy way right now.'

Frustration. 'I just don't know how. How do I get back?'

'By proving to them that you are still who you are.' That's... not right. 'Actually, forget that. You don't need to prove anything to anyone. You are you. No one can take that. They- they tried to take. From you.'

I'm going to cry. Kate already is.

And tears do fall. But the young woman isn't sobbing. She's resolute. 'I know who I am.' Hesitation. 'But...'

The sweetest soul I've met. 'That means everything.' I will not let this bring you down. 'You are a strong person. Your faith, your hope... There's nothing you cannot overcome.'

'But they took... They took from me, Max. How can I ever get back?'

'Kate, I don't know.'

'Why?' And now a sob travels down her spine. 'Why don't you know? You got better.'

Not really. 'I'm a hot mess right now.'

'No you're not. You're pushing yourself. You're still fighting. How?'

How? 'I'm ignoring it.' Ignoring the pain I caused. What that scumbag did to me.

A bit more bewildered. 'That's it! Just forget about it?'

No! 'I didn't mean-'

The sarcasm is thick. 'Yeah, good advice.'

Not what I meant! 'Kate, I just...'

Just go back.

Don't interrupt me!

You know the words. Go back. Be honest.

So Max focuses. Without her hand as a physical anchor she performs a bit of mental gymnastics. A little- gasp -effort never did any harm.

'But they took... They took from me, Max. How can I ever get back?'

An extra moment to keep the flush from her cheeks. 'Kate, they didn't take from you anything.'

'Max, you don't-'

'You haven't lost anything. You are still one hundred percent you.' We are always who we are. 'All those bastards did was make you forget a bit about yourself. You forgot about your family and friends who love you. You forgot about the good you do in the world. Your sisters, volunteer work, your art and music. You still have all this.' Deep feelings now. 'What do you think they stole?'

The question throws the blonde girl out of herself. 'I- I don't know. M-my innocence. My body. My faith.'

Max's heart breaks a bit.

'Th-there's this part of me missing. I don't know how to fill it. A part of me is gone.'

'I, uh... Wow. I just didn't... think in those terms. But. But Jefferson-' A flinch from Kate. '-did the same thing to me. Took my art. My... my will, when he took those photos.'

Through tears Kate nods. The hardness around her eyes, something Max didn't notice, retreats.

'B-but... But that's all he got. Pictures. Just pictures of who I was. Not me. Fake little moments.' Max rummages in her bag, pulling William's old camera out. She shakes it between them. 'He tried to steal this away from me. I'm an artist and get tried to poison that art. But I got it back. You know how?'

A shake of a head.

Click

'I take photos of beautiful things.' Shaking the Polaroid. 'People and places that make me feel. Happy or sad, doesn't matter, I take pictures of what moves me.' Max appraises her work and hands it over. 'But it isn't mine.'

A dark face, no flash being used, dominates the left side. Tears, blotches on high cheeks, bags under the eyes. On the right, a door graffitied with anarchy and motion, not quite latched enough. Light from off camera glints off the handle.

'This is a woman who has seen darkness. She saw truly cruel things and she's still here. She has been through more than her fair share. And she's still here.'

'Max...'

'I took her picture but she isn't mine. She is her own woman fighting her own battles. Kate.' Hands grip, careful to connect without crushing the photo. 'Chloe finally got something through my head. I'm not alone. I don't have to shoulder the world alone.'

A wracking moment.

'I see you hurting. I can't take that pain from you. But you can give me some of it. That's all you can do. People can't take your faith or your innocence. They can't take my art. You can only give it to them, just like you can give me some of your pain.'

A breakdown.

'I c-can share it with you.' I'm falling apart now. 'Just like I share my art, and you share your f-faith.' Gotta hold on. 'It doesn't lessen the pain, just like it doesn't lessen when you share your love. B-but if you give me some, I can make it easier.'

For a brief moment hands almost rip the photo between them apart. A high but quiet moan escapes from Kate. But instead of destruction a moment of calm appears. Smoothing the little wrinkles, the hands place it to the side and pull Max forward. Great shakes on the small frame move them both, and the pent up emotions, both from what they individually experienced and what the other has shared, pour.

Kate hasn't really stopped shedding these tears since the roof a week ago.

Max finally, really, truly, lets these tears flow.

For the first time, Max stops pushing. Stops pushing down everything that happened in that Dark Room. Someone else, who wasn't an investigator, a cop. Someone who was a victim.

No.

Through broken intakes. 'W-we weren't victims. We aren't his victims. He tried to take something from us but we won't let that happen. R-right?'

Silence.

Max learned back. Looks Kate in the eye. 'Right?'

A bit of someone looks back through the pain. A bit of the old, hopeful, happy Kate.

'right'

A long minute of sharing, both troubles and strength. Max breaks it, turning back to the cork board. Back to distancing herself from the past. Petite hands help her unpin the papers. Still, they carefully lay out week to make room for a new one.

'thanks max'

Taking her eyes from the empty classes in front of her. No tears left for either of them, for now. I was so angry then. I'm still so angry. But with the adrenaline gone, I noticed it up. The fear, the pain. She helped me uncork it. It wasn't safely away. It was poisoning in me.

'Love you Katie.'

'Love you Max.'

A smile shared. Sad, but a smile none the less.

I can get through this as long as I can share it.

A quiet knock preceeds a bobbling blue head. 'Hey kids. Got news. Seems that David's connection ma it come through in a-' Chloe takes in the organized chaos. 'I see you got a jump on my next idea.' Carefully stepping around thumbtacks, she sits at her desk. 'As I was saying, we should be able to head down to the precinct in a few hours. Dale finally got the computers kinda working and will look up the plate number for us.'

'Just like that?'

'Well... I may have insinuated that he was doing a favor for step-douche.'

Dammit Chlo. 'You shouldn't have done that.'

Hands up in defense. 'David knows I made the call.'

Really? 'Does he know why?'

'Just that it's connected to last week. I kinda had to point out we did all the heavy thinking last week. And that we did solve the case. And we did go to him instead of running off ourselves.'

The second time.

'Which means, my droogs, that we have some time to waste. So, post-breakfast, let's watch a movie.' The bluenette reaches down to Max's pile and pulls out- 'Got anything good to watch?'

No'no...'

'No? Damn. A terabyte of pictures and homework? I though you were all analog.'

'no...'

Confusion across two faces. 'Then what-'

'That's not my harddrive, Chloe. That's Warren's.'