Chapter 13: Life is Beautiful

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Chloe had finished her joint, smothering the roach in the truck's ashtray. A flick of the wrist and the truck's engine sputtered to stop as Chloe pulled the key free. She didn't even look over at Max, instead setting her gaze straight up as she leaned back. "Okay, Max. What bad news do you have for me this time?"

Max reached over, to place her hand on Chloe's. Like a trap on a hair-trigger, the moment Max's fingertip brushed Chloe's hand it snapped tightly around Max's fingers, desperately squeezing Max's flesh to milk out all the comfort she could. Max responded by wrapping her other hand around Chloe's and squeezing back. "Do you… remember our original plan for today?"

Chloe nodded before finally turning her gaze back over to Max. "Yeah. Raid David's shit, then find out we could from Frank."

"Things went to shit right from the start," Max replied before taking a deep breath and sighing. "Well, you didn't think it did, but I felt like shit about it. We got into a fight with David, and Joyce took our side. She, uh, she kicked him out."

Chloe's eyes went wide as a huge smile spread over her face. "Dude, seriously? Mom kicked his ass to the curb?"

"He was being an ass, and… and it was a shitty situation all around. I'm not saying he's a great guy, but he makes Joyce happy, and, whether you believe it or not, he does really care about you."

"What the fuck?" Chloe ripped her hand free. "Why are you defending him?"

"I told you, Chloe. He cares about you. That's not a guess or an opinion. It's a fact," Max replied. "But this isn't about David."

Chloe grabbed Max's shoulder, twisting her torso around to make Max face her. The glare she gave Max made her shrink in on herself. "Like hell, it's not. You're telling me we could've been rid of his ass, for good, and you stopped that shit from happening?"

Max threw Chloe's angry hand off herself. "I'm telling you that I saved our lives by keeping us out of the worst shitstorm Arcadia Bay's ever seen!"

"I am so sick of this goddamn precognizant time travel bullshit! Why won't you tell me what the fuck is going on?" Chloe raged at her.

"This is bigger than us, Chloe! I know we like to think we're real adults, but we're not. We're a couple of fucking kids mixed up in some serious shit. There is a serial killer out there and we cannot handle that on our own!" Max's shoulders heaved up and down as she panted. "We can't."

"Why not?" Chloe shot back. "You have fucking superpowers, and I had a gun! We could literally take over the bay if we wanted."

"It didn't save us!" Max shot back. "You died and I…" She held up a hand, squeezing her finger and thumb as close to each other as she could. Her voice was low and quiet as she said, "I came this close to dying, Chloe." Wrapping her arms around herself, Max hugged herself tight. Her eyes squeezed shut, sending warm tears down her freckled cheeks. "I don't… I don't think I'll ever be the same again."

Chloe seethed, staring out the windshield as she held the wheel in a white-knuckled grasp. "All the more reason to find this asshole and make him suffer. For you. For Rachel!"

"Did you not just hear me? I am not going through that again." Max threw open the door. After stepping out, she turned back and leaned into the truck. "Chloe, if you can't let this go, just for a few fucking hours, then… then you can just go home and wait for me to finish everything on my own!" More tears fell from her eyes. "I won't lose you again! Why can't you understand that?"

Chloe stared back at Max as if she were dumbfounded by the fact that she had a backbone at all. An angry sigh and she sat back in the seat. Her fingers slipped her keys from her pocket. She worried them in her hand a long moment before she muttered a curse. Raising her hand, she threw the keys onto the dash before digging out her cigarettes. "The fuck are you waiting for? Go get Kate." Without giving Max so much as a glance, she lit the cigarette before leaning against her window.

All that mess. That whole argument and Max didn't even get to the part where Rachel was in some sort of relationship with Frank. Maybe it was best to wait. Wait until Chloe had some measure of closure about Rachel. If David was on it, he should have this whole thing done by tomorrow morning.

I hope.

All Max could do was pray that things worked out somehow. That Chloe would be able to find some measure of solace. For now, she had to worry about the storm and making sure Chloe had a future to struggle through.

With or without me.

Memories of the driving whirlwind crashed through her mind, nearly making her collapse on the spot. Was it some dark corner of her own psyche, pushing her to find a way out? A way to survive. It was only two days away, and Max still didn't have a plan on how to survive. Her power could weaken the storm, but even if she gave it her all, she couldn't stop it.

Here, standing in front of Kate's room, Max remembered how it felt the last time she pushed her power to its absolute limit. She could barely stand upright at that point. Doing that same thing, out on the docks in the path of the storm. Escaping wasn't an option. Not if she wanted to give her all to weaken the storm. If she gave it everything and people died… her conscience could bear that much. But if she held back, saved herself and people died. Max would never forgive herself if that happened.

With a sigh, Max turned the handle and stepped into Kate's room. As soon as she stepped inside, Max realized her folly. She didn't check in with Warren. Just which Kate was this?

"Max!" Kate rushed over, throwing her arms around Max. For a moment, Max found herself too stupefied to do anything before her instincts took control, returning the earnest hug. After a few lingering seconds, Kate released Max and pulled back. "I'm so happy to see you," she said as she stepped back.

Max reached for her elbow as she took measure of Kate, looking a lot like she remembered the girl being in the hospital the last go-round. "Me too," she replied, trying to figure out just which Kate this might have been. "Did, um, did Warren call you?"

Kate's smile faltered just a bit. "He did," she said, eyeing Max critically. "He… told me a lot of incredible, unbelievable things."

So, this is the original Kate, after all.

"Kate, I'm so sorry," Max said, hanging her head. "I should've… I don't know, done more. I should've seen this coming. There were so many red flags about Jefferson and-and—"

Max's ramblings were cut short as Kate again wrapped her arms around Max. "It's okay. None of us could see through his evil shroud. But you were there to save me. I just knew there was something special about you, Max."

This time, Max didn't hesitate to lean in and return the embrace. "You don't have to worry," Max whispered. "I-If I did things right, he won't be able to hurt anyone else."

Kate moved her hands to Max's shoulders, pulling her back to arm's length before shaking her head. "I'm not scared, Max. Not with you here with me." She gave Max a sincere, warm smile. "You saved me."

"It feels like a lifetime ago," Max replied. The quizzical look on Kate's face made Max realize that she might've just said something ridiculous. "O-oh! Um, Warren did explain that this is like, two weeks ago for me, right?"

"Yes," Kate said, her hands sliding down from Max's shoulders until they found Max's hands. "He told me that we have to save Arcadia Bay from a terrible storm."

With her hands otherwise occupied, Max found herself forcibly exposed. She couldn't fidget and pull her eyes to whatever her hands were playing with. "I-I, uh, I mean… I'm kind of surprised you believed him so easily. It usually requires a demonstration or something."

"But you already gave me a demonstration, Max. When you saved me," Kate replied. Releasing her grasp on Max's hands, she retreated to her bedside chair and sat down. Tugging her pillow from the bed, she hugged it to her chest. "I remember… I was up on the ledge and everyone was just gawking at me. I just… I wanted it to stop. I wanted all of it to stop… forever." Looking up, Kate found Max's eyes. "Then, I saw you. The only person in the world that even seemed to care about me at all. That's when… I made the decision. I couldn't stand it for even one more moment."

Max stared back at Kate, her heart pounding in her chest. "Y-you were going to jump… because of me?"

Kate's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "No! Max, I meant… In that moment, that's how I felt. I was… My mind had already been made up before I saw you. But then, before the moment could even pass, you called out to me. I turned around, and there you were."

That made sense. Had anyone been paying attention to Max instead of Kate, they would've just seen her vanish only to reappear on the roof a moment later. "I couldn't… let you do that, Kate. I-I couldn't."

"I know, Max!" Kate said, tugging tightly at her pillow. "And I'm so grateful that you couldn't. You didn't. I wondered about it for a while, and I convinced myself that I was so distraught, that I just imagined you down on the lawn with everyone else. Until Warren called me…"

Max sat down by Kate. "I hope you don't hate me… I-I could've told you before, and I didn't."

"I could never hate you, Max!" Kate refuted with a vigorous shake of her head. "You're my guardian angel. You were there for me when no one else was, and that had nothing to do with your ability. That was all Max."

The very notion that Max could do something on her own, without her power ignited a swelling warmth in her chest that quickly found her face. "Th-thank you, Kate."

Kate leaned over, placing a hand on Max's knee. "I believe you were given this gift to save me. To save everyone! I can't think of anyone more worthy of such a miracle."

And just like that, the warmth gave way to an icy emptiness. Max didn't deserve her ability, or even this chance to save Chloe. Just being here, she was putting a thousand lives at risk of death and ruination. "I'm not, though," Max muttered, not daring to speak the horrible truth.

It should've been Kate. She wouldn't selfishly put everyone in danger. She would've made the right decision.

"W-we have to get started if we want to get everyone safe. Did Warren tell you about our plans?" Max asked, pivoting the conversation away from her conceited selfishness.

"He said you could jump back into photos in an emergency, that we had to evacuate everyone we could, and that your power could weaken the storm," Kate said.

"Right, and we only have two days to get everyone out that we can. Do you have anything you can change into?" Max asked.

Kate nodded as she threw the pillow back onto the bed. "A bit of privacy?"

Max moved back out into the hall. There, she found the seat where Chloe waited for her last time. That Chloe seemed so much easier to talk to. Max sighed as she sat down. That Chloe still had hope that Rachel might be okay. That Chloe didn't know that Max was keeping secrets from her. Max would have to come clean as soon as Jefferson and Nathan were out of the picture. Just lay it all out for Chloe.

All except for Plan A.

To keep Chloe safe and out of harm's way, Max would have to take that to her early grave.

The sound of the door handle snapped Max from her reverie. Kate stepped out, dressed in the same outfit she wore out on the ledge. As soon as she did, the nurse leaned out of her station. "Ms. Marsh. You know that you are not permitted to leave the room unattended. If you need anything please use the nurse call button."

Max grabbed Kate's hand. "Trust me," Max said as she launched herself out of the chair and down the hallway, straight toward the nurse's station.

The nurse, seeing the duo bolt, rushed over and into the hallway, blocking their path forward. Just before they reached her, Max stopped, holding out her right hand and looking back at Kate. The world twisted, and everything started backward. Phantasmal Max and Kate rushed back toward the room and the nurse reversed herself into the station. Once Kate and then Max disappeared into the room, Max released time.

"What?" The nurse muttered, looking up to see the duo right in front of her station. "Ms. Marsh!"

"Let's go!" Max again dragged Kate behind her and down the hall. After a dozen paces or so, Max stopped again and rewound until their phantom selves disappeared again. They'd now made it by the station without being spotted. Max held her head as she started again for the elevator. "I can only go so far back, so we need to get out of here as quickly as possible, okay?"

The two women took the elevator down, and darted out of the hospital without a single other incident, though Max insisted on rewinding the two of them once they were clear of the building. She went back as far as she could, just in case there were cameras. There was no telling how far back the rewind went, but Max knew it couldn't have been more than a few minutes at most.

"Max, that was incredible," Kate said breathlessly as Max led her to Chloe's truck. "You really do that sort of thing all the time?"

"I do, now," Max replied. Feeling a familiar sensation in her nose, Max fished a tissue from her bag and held it to her nose. A headache and a nosebleed were a small price to pay for them to finally get Plan B underway. "Just don't rely on it, okay? It's failed me before. More than once."

Kate nodded. "Got it."

"Oh, and Kate, I don't know how much Warren told you, but please don't mention anything about Jefferson or Nathan or Rachel to Chloe. I need to be the one to tell her and… and it's just too dangerous right now, okay?" Max asked as the truck came into view, its blue-haired owner sitting restlessly behind the wheel.

Kate looked over at Max, eyes wide. "You… haven't told her?"

"I… She knows the storm is coming and that Rachel is dead. But believe me when I say she cannot know more than that right now. For her own good."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Kate asked, stopping just a few feet from the truck.

"It's an awful idea, and I can't tell you how much I hate it," Max replied, sending worried glances back over at Chloe. "But I won't risk her getting hurt or worse. So until those two are taken care of… Please, Kate."

Kate sighed before nodding. "Okay, Max. It's kind of hard to argue with someone who literally knows the future."

"Not anymore," Max replied as they made it to the truck and opened the door for her. "I've changed so much already… I can only guess about the future. I do know the storm is coming, though."

Kate climbed in, scooting over to the middle of the seat. Turning to Chloe, she offered a sweet smile. "And you must be Chloe. I think I've seen you around Blackwell before."

"Yeah," Chloe muttered, her voice straining to stay even. "Kate, right? Sorry about the shit that happened to you."

Kate's smile faltered. "Oh, um, thank you?" Without another word, Chloe snatched her keys from her dash and started the truck. Leaning forward, Kate tried to take measure of Chloe's expression. "Are you okay?"

Chloe kept her mouth shut, so Max answered for her, "Chloe's still really torn up about Rachel."

"No, I'm fucking pissed that you won't tell me shit until it's convenient for you, Max!" Chloe shot back.

"That's not true! I'm just trying to keep you safe!"

"Maybe I don't want to be safe!" Chloe retorted. "It's not like you can't just fucking rewind any bad shit that comes up, anyway! I'd rather just… fucking know, Max."

Kate looked between Max and Chloe. She finally settled her attention on Chloe. Reaching out, she placed a hand on Chloe's arm and gave it a squeeze. "I… I don't really know you, but I know Max. And if what I've been told is true, then you know her even more than I do. In your heart, you have to know that Max would never want to hurt you."

"Maybe not, but it's not like that's stopped her before," Chloe retorted, shrugging Kate's hand off.

"Hey! You need to lose that attitude, little missy!" Kate snapped back, earning her a wide-eyed, bewildered look from Chloe. "I don't care what Max did or didn't do. What she's been through—the sacrifices she made just for you—she doesn't deserve you treating her like this. You're lashing out like-like a spoiled little child!"

Max was sure that Chloe would latch onto the new, low-hanging fruit to take her anger out on. But no. Chloe just muttered, "Whatever."

Could it be because Chloe knew Kate was bullied to the point of suicide? She might've been feeling guilty about giving Max hell over taking her call the other day—a call that may well have been the difference between life and death for Kate.

The truck came to a stop at the exit of the hospital parking lot. Chloe spoke up again, this time her voice tired and even, "Where are we going?"

"B-Blackwell," Max stuttered out, fearing another outburst from Chloe. "We need to meet up with Warren to initiate Plan B."

Chloe's jaw sawed from side to side as she pulled out, more than a little too quickly. "Bet you won't tell me shit about that, either," she accused, her voice as icy as the glare she sent Max.

"The storm is coming," Max replied. "We can't get everyone out of Arcadia Bay, but we still have to try to get as many people out as possible. That's Plan B." Retrieving William's old Polaroid from her bag, Max took a selfie. "And Plan C is making sure there are plenty of opportunities for me to jump back when I fuck everything up again." Max leaned into Kate, taking another photo, handing it over to Kate. With that selfie safe with Kate, Max turned to Chloe. "Do you want to take a selfie with me?"

Chloe just held out her fist across Kate before flipping me off. "Hey! Max is trying to be nice!" Kate chided, shoving Chloe's arm away.

"It's okay, Kate," I said, even though it really wasn't. "And, uh, maybe you should call the hospital and your parents? They're gonna totally flip when they find out you're gone."

Kate gave Chloe one last glance before pulling out her cell. "I hope I'm not in too much trouble for this."

"Hey," Max said, putting a hand on Kate's shoulder, "you're helping to save lives here. I don't think they can be too upset with you."

Kate smiled. "Right."