"Okay, so...how does this work?" They sat in the truck outside of Chloe's house, their fingers interlocked. Chloe squinted at the house as if hatching a plan.
"Well, I don't really know. When I'm on autopilot like that, I still tend to act like myself. As far as Joyce is concerned, we probably didn't do anything differently than we would. But we also weren't aware of everything that we know now. Once Nathan shot you and we got taken back to the lighthouse, our autopilot bodies would continue on and experience everything for the first time."
Along with whatever it is we've changed.
"This is some sci-fi shit, man!" Chloe's eyes were huge and she wore a disbelieving smile. "I can't believe this. I went through time!" Max smiled uneasily.
"I know it's exhilarating and totally fucking weird," she said, strengthening her grip on Chloe's hand, "but I'm so used to just fucking things up more. I'm so nervous the tornado will show up any minute like 'oh, sorry I was late ladies, I was busy erasing some other town off the face of the Earth..'" Chloe let out an audible 'ha!'
"I'll huff and I'll puff, said the big bad storm," she said in a low, sultry voice. She pulled Max's hand to her lips and kissed it gently. "Fuck you, said Max and Chloe, partners in crime and time." She was smiling, but then got serious. "It's not coming back, Max. I can feel it. I still don't know why, or what it wanted, but it ain't coming back." She smiled again. "I'll fuck that thing up! I know how to timeslide now!"
Max allowed herself a laugh, but remained unconvinced.
Please, please just let everything be okay. Please?
"Okay, so we go in, say hi and just kind of play along with whatever Mom says," Chloe said so she could hear the plan in full out loud. Max nodded. "Alright, let's see how this goes...shit she's going to mention Rachel, isn't she?" She eyed the brunette with scrunched lips. Max nodded again, but this time with sadness. "Fuck."
"Chloe, can we sit for a minute? Before going in, I mean?" Max traced circles on the back of Chloe's hand.
"Sure. Of course. Everything okay?" She was concerned, Max could tell.
"This feels fragile. You don't understand, and...and that's okay!" Max wanted to stress that part. "But we have to be prepared for anything. We don't know what's different." Anxiety circled around Max's throat.
"Max..." Chloe smiled warmly. She shifted to her knees, facing Max. "I am prepared for anything. Because you're with me. We're together, and no matter what, that's all I need."
Max felt hot in the face.
"Oh...well..."
Max suddenly became very aware that their hands had been linked together for hours. That little kisses had been planted on cheeks and lost in each others' hair. The sudden realization that she was maybe just finally getting everything she wanted caused her heart to pump faster.
Everything will be okay so long as we're together. Right?
"You're so cute, ya little dork." Chloe kissed Max's knuckles. "We can stay in the truck as long as you want."
"Aaactually..." Max allowed a goofy smile. "I think I'm good. I'm ready for anything."
"Mom?" Chloe called out as she opened the door. There was no answer. "Huh, not home I guess."
She picked one foot up and slid it against the other, trying to step out of her boots without unlacing them. She grabbed Max's shoulder for balance.
"Dude what if this isn't even my house anymore?" She smiled, finally kicking one boot off. Max rolled her eyes.
"I can see the pictures of you right over there," she gestured to the photos on the wall.
"What if it's not my house but they're creepy and have pictures of me?!" Chloe was loving this and by proxy, so was Max.
"Oh that's true, I never told you about the psychopath universe I ended up in for a couple hours..." Max feigned a serious tone. Chloe squinted at her before squawking laughter.
"You're a terrible liar, Maximus."
"Or am I?" Max giggled. "It's nice to be able to joke again."
"Agreed," Chloe added succinctly, finally flopping off her other boot. Then the door leading into the garage swung open.
"Chloe! Max!" David greeted in a tired but uplifting voice. "How are you feeling?" He asked, motioning to Chloe's ribcage.
His tone was so sincere and caring. Max could see the blank look on Chloe's face and knew that somewhere in her brain, she was fighting with herself on how to act. She never personally witnessed any of David's good side, but she had heard it from Max, and she believed her above all else.
"Still a bit sore..." She quickly joked, "I could use some painkillers!"
To her surprise, David said 'okay!' and disappeared up the steps into the bathroom. Chloe looked at Max.
"Dude, this is fucking weird. I still hate him but I know I shouldn't and he's being all nice." She was clearly conflicted.
"Go with it, Chlo." Max snirked. "Go with the Chlo."
"Oh gross," Chloe groaned. "You kiss your girlfriend with that mouth?"
Max immediately reddened. Chloe's face warped into a giant grin as she saw the embarrassment she caused. She straightened back out as David came down the steps.
"I got you your prescription and..." David trailed off as he raced to the fridge, before coming back with a bottle, "and water."
"Thanks, David," Chloe said. He perked up and allowed himself a small smile before erasing it into something more neutral.
"You uh, called me David. That's new." Max could tell this was a huge deal for him. Her heart twisted when she remembered his reaction to Chloe's death. How he lost control and killed Jefferson then and there. Again, Max's mind felt muddy when she thought of him.
"Yeah, I'm trying it out," Chloe played along coolly. Max was enraptured at how easily she was stepping into this. Maybe even a little jealous. "To see if it fits, you know?" She playfully swatted him on the shoulder before taking her pill and swallowing it. "So is mom working? I completely forget..." She actually winked at Max!
Ooooh Chloe Price if you weren't so cute and...ALIVE, I would smack you.
"Yeah, one of the other waitresses called out." David finally turned his attention to Max. "Hey, uh, Max. How you doin'?"
"Oh, I'm good Mr. Madsen!" Max cheerily replied. He lazily waved a hand at her.
"David's fine. Maybe not at school...oh hell, I don't care. Formalities are the least of the issues at Blackwell right now." He slouched a bit as he said it. Max could see just how haggard he looked. Judging by how invested he was in the Rachel case in other timelines, he was probably berating himself for not acting sooner. Max decided to press for information...tactfully.
"Have you heard anything new about..."
Jefferson.
"Everything?"
Chloe had wandered into the kitchen and was rifling through the refrigerator, but glanced over her shoulder to Max as if saying "I'm here, I'm with you."
"Well God knows when the bastard's trial will be...these things take too damn long. But Jefferson and that little Prescott punk will be behind bars for a long time. I'd like to see Sean Prescott try to buy his son out of murder. And Rachel, uh," He threw a sad gaze at Chloe. Her lips drew taut, but she continued digging through the fridge. "Her service is Sunday, as you kids know. It's going to be a big affair. She affected a lot of lives at Blackwell. A lot of lives in this house, too..." He trailed off, before shaking his head. "Enough of this sad talk, you two don't need to hear that. I gotta get to Blackwell. Max, are you staying the night?"
He looked at her, and she looked at Chloe, and Chloe just shrugged and nodded.
"Yes, if that's okay with you and Joyce, I'd love to," Max smiled. She really would.
"Of course. Joyce will be home late, but I'm sure you guys will be up. You stay out of trouble," David's voice almost slid into his old harshness with the familiarity of the phrase, but instead it remained calm and caring. And then he went back to the garage, into his car, and left.
"Yo that was hella weird," Chloe muffled with a cold slice of pizza dangling from her mouth. Eventually, she actually took a bite and chewed before swallowing. "That is not even close to the David I know. He never gave a shit about me." She wasn't angry, but contemplative.
"Chloe he always cared about you. I know for a fact."
"It's just going to be weird to get used to. But nice. Wonder if it'll last." She opened the microwave and put two pieces of pizza into it.
"I know how crazy he was about the whole Rachel case, I know what losing you would do to him. I'm sure you being shot has mellowed him out a bit. Or a lot." Max took a seat at the dining room table.
"Goddamn butterfly wings," Chloe said with a smile. The microwave beeped and she removed the pizza, placing it in front of Max. "I know you don't like cold pizza."
She took a seat across from Max and started on a second slice. The brunette eyed her dreamily.
"If someone had told you a month ago that you and I would meet back up and have the experience we've had, would you believe them?" Max knew the sane answer, but wanted to hear what Chloe would say.
"Uh, yeah. Someone comes up and says 'oh hi, your best friend from five years ago that you're clearly still not over is going to return and have time travel powers. She'll help you solve the case of your missing friend all the while creating a tear in the universe.' Sure. Yep. I'd be on board." She shook her head with a smile. "If I was totally fucking high!"
Max giggled, letting her foot wander under the table until it was rubbing along Chloe's. The punk flashed her a dangerous smile, the kind that flipped Max's stomach.
"Jesus I'm starving," she said, looking at the empty pizza box on the counter. "Is that like a time travel effect? Do you get hungry all the time? But like what if you already ate in that timeline and when you popped out you were super hungry but couldn't eat anything because you were hella full and you'd just end up barfing up all the food you ate because..." she suddenly stopped and looked at Max. "This fucking pill got me high!"
Max howled in laughter. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was comfortable, smiling and unafraid.
"I'm trippin' here."
Chloe was scanning her Facebook in hopes of filling in missing patches of her week. She turned to face Max laying on the bed.
"Did we seriously fix everything?"
"I don't know," Max said contemplatively. "I'm so happy but still so damn nervous. You don't understand, Chloe. Every time I messed with...time, I screwed something else up entirely. I mean, I almost sacrificed you!" Now she was crying, her tears streaming sideways off her cheeks.
Chloe sat down on the bed and began to run her fingers through the smaller girl's hair.
"You were only doing as I asked." Chloe's voice was tiny. "It's not like you were pulling the trigger. We were trying to fix everything and that plan was just kind of our duct tape." Max flinched at that and hoped Chloe didn't notice.
So am I going to have a phobia of duct tape now? I can see the talk show tagline now: Are you afraid of office supplies?! Call 1-800-IAMSCARRED.
She propped the brunette up a little before pulling her head into her lap. They were silent for a moment, Chloe's fingers slipping through Max's locks in what she hoped was a comforting way. "Are you...mad that I changed things without thinking of the repercussions?"
The punk's eyes were pointed down, and if she had a tail, it'd be between her legs. Max looked up incredulously.
"No! I'm ecstatic! I just...I almost let you die. And apparently that would have been for nothing!" She buried her face into Chloe's leg. "I don't know what I would have done without you." Her voice was muffled, but Chloe could hear the hitches. She sighed. "It's just going to take a while for me to really process everything that's happened. I've just been going and going. I'm so tired." Chloe linked her fingers with Max's and pulled her hand to her lips.
"I know, Max." Her voice was quiet and soothing. Shifting herself, she laid down next to Max, still keeping one hand locked with the petite girl's. Chloe latched onto Max's bright blue eyes. She smiled warmly, hoping to high heaven and any deity receiving calls she was being any level of comforting. Max's expression remained neutral as tears glided down her cheeks. "Hey, hey," Chloe said as she chased the tears away. "It's okay."
"Since when are you so damn maternal?" Max chuckled through tears. Chloe grinned.
"Fuck you, Caulfield." She kissed Max on the temple, pulling away only enough so their foreheads were touching. "I'm serious, yanno? We'll get through it together. I'm here and I'm never leaving you." She opened her arms wide and consumed Max in a hug, pulling her tight against her. "Plus..." She let out a small laugh that lashed gently against the brunette's cheek. "These painkillers are making me hella mushy."
"I bet you didn't expect David to actually get you some when you asked for it." Her giggle was heavenly to the punk.
"Hell no, but I do love when a joking suggestion works out in my favor."
Max wondered if underneath Chloe's beautiful smile, she was contemplating everything as much as she was. But her next sentence stifled that thought process.
"Liiiike when I dared a certain someone to kiss me." Her voice was low and devious. Max grinned with reckless abandon, an expression she was sure looked stupid.
"Would it freak you out if I told you I rewound that moment about a dozen times?"
"No fucking way!" Chloe's eyes were wide. "You kissed me twelve times and I only got one!? Not cool, Mad Max." Max giggled as she ran a hand through bright blue hair.
"Was pretty cool to me..." Max said sheepishly. Chloe feigned a dramatic sigh before smiling impishly.
"Guess that means I have to play catch up." Her gaze was so intense, pulling all of Max's attention to it. She stared back into Chloe's electric eyes, seeing herself in them. You couldn't believe this reflection had been bending time to her will. She realized Chloe was probably waiting for a response, or the go-ahead to kiss her. Her mind was spinning. Suddenly, her self-doubt got the better of her, tracing one shattered finger along her spine.
"You actually want to?" She couldn't break eye contact, Chloe's eyes a magnet for her own. She knew her voice sounded lost and afraid. The punk scrunched her lips to one side.
"Max...I..." She huffed and sat up, pulling her legs under her Indian style. "Okay, while you have me under the influence, let's talk about this." She gently tugged Max's hand, signaling her to sit up with her. She laced their fingers together. Max looked so unsure and it killed Chloe. "I mean it when I say I'm never leaving you. And if that means as friends, then that's what it means. But what we've been through together... You traveled through fucking time and space to be with me! You are my hero and...you're perfect, Max. You always have been the best person in my life. The best part of my life."
Max was crying but wasn't making a show of it. These were the best kind of tears. Chloe pretended not to notice, which she appreciated.
"I think this whole thing was destiny. This whole goddamn thing. And I, you know..." She smiled and shook her head, like she was in disbelief. "I love you. Think I probably always have."
"Chloe..." Max gasped. Then she giggled, music to Chloe's ears. "You are so high right now." Chloe looked down, clearly wounded at the lack of reciprocation. The small girl lurched forward, placing her hands on Chloe's cheeks and straightening her so they could look into each others' eyes. "No, no. Fuck. I'm sorry." She sighed. "Chloe, I am completely and hopelessly yours." She bonked their foreheads together, smiling. "You're right. I traveled through time to make sure you were safe. You were and are my number one priority."
Chloe interrupted her, placing kisses on her forehead, grinning brightly.
"Think about it," Max said after surviving the onslaught of sweetness. "That week doesn't exist in the way we remember it anymore. We're the only ones who remember everything that happened. I can't begin to imagine something more intimate. We have our own special hideout no one will ever be able to touch. The Week That Never Was. And I'd do it all again, I would redo every single moment if it meant we could be together." As soon as the last word passed her lips, she had them against Chloe's.
It grew from sweetness to passionate, swallowing them both until only they existed. Finally, Max pulled back, her eyes half-lidded. Chloe's eyes were wide open, reflective with tears and love.
Wowser, Max. Wait, don't say that out loud.
"Fuck," Chloe said in the smallest voice she had ever heard. Max tried to suppress a laugh, but that attempt was futile. Chloe began to laugh too, but it was sweet and low.
"Basically, I love you too." She finally said, lightly stroking Chloe's cheek. She tilted her head to the side, looking at her friend inquisitively. "Were you serious about your girlfriend comment earlier?"
"Uh, hell yes. I told you I love when a joking suggestion works out in my favor!"
Max's blue haired angel looked so happy and alive, metaphorically (and literally.) She thought of the photo Joyce showed her, the one that dragged her back to the day William died. She rememberd her comment that it was the last time she was ever truly happy. Her heart erupted at the thought that maybe...she could be the one to make her like that again.
"Shit, you are so amazing." Chloe said, diving in for another short kiss. "So...we're together then?"
"We always have been, Chloe." She could feel the heat from Max's smile. Or maybe it was coming from her cheeks.
"Aaaand I get to kiss you all the time?" Chloe cocked an eyebrow, looking at Max seductively.
"All the time. All through time."
So they kissed again. And again. Eventually, when air was sparse, they both collapsed onto the bed. Slightly sweaty and nervous in the best way possible, Max ran her fingers through Chloe's mane.
"We're going to be able to live life, Max. I've never been so happy to be boring." Her eyes were closed as she received Max's touch. Max's lip tugged up in a smile.
"I really hope so. No more storms. No more time travel. No more rewinding." It was a thought that had been bobbing around the back of her head since the lighthouse. She wouldn't use her powers again. Maybe she didn't even have them anymore.
"You're not gonna rewind anymore?" Chloe peeked one eye open and focused it on Max.
"Why would I need to? This is best possible outcome. Plus, like I said, I've fucked up more things than I fixed. We got so lucky this time. We finally fixed everything...well, you fixed everything." Max frowned. She wasn't sure why, but this upset her. Even with time at her disposal, she needed someone else to put the pieces back together. Chloe read her thoughts.
"It was a team effort. We're the best! Time Pirates!" Chloe kissed Max's cheek, chasing her uncertainty away. "Buuuut maybe you're right about no more rewind. I got hella careless expecting you to fix everything. Too bad we didn't get a chance to win the lottery with it or something." Her eyes darted to the side, losing herself in thought.
"Chloe, I'm not going to time travel to win the lottery."
"I know! But let's keep that in our back pocket." She winked. "Just in case!" She snaked her arms around the small girl, draping a leg across Max's. "But we really did do it. I can't believe it." She saw Max's smile flash in and out of existence. "What's going on in there, cutie?"
Max grinned at the pet name, then sighed lightly.
"I've just seen a lot this past week. Like my heart has a total thousand yard stare. As perfect as everything is, there's going to be a small part of me that is worried or anxious. And you're so...happy and calm. Aren't you worried that we might have screwed something up? Or maybe something already is and we haven't figured it out yet. I've been around the block a few times and sometimes the changes aren't immediately obvious." She let out a deep, troubled breath.
"I know things got fucked up when you saved Dad..." The blue haired girl's voice faltered briefly, before becoming reassuring again. "I can't begin to imagine all the shit you've been through. With..." Chloe thought better of it. "Everything, you know? But this time, we did it together. And nothing can stop us. We have the power of..."
"True love?" Max interrupted with a smile.
"Well I was going to say badassery, but I kind of like your answer better." She pecked Max on the nose. She seemed to have successfully calmed Max down, and was happy with that. They had a frozen moment of looking into each others' eyes, smiles growing bigger every second.
"Chloe?" A voice came from downstairs, a door shutting behind it. She sprung off her bed.
"Mom's home!" She sounded relieved. She raced for the door, pulling Max along with her.
"Oof!" Chloe wrapped Joyce in a giant hug once she reached the landing. "Where in the world is this coming from?" Joyce's southern drawl was beautiful music to Max's ears. Chloe backed off casually.
"It's been a long week and I'm hella hungry." Chloe being Chloe, trying to maintain whatever Max hadn't taken of her hard exterior.
"Uh huh, that sounds about right." Joyce was doing the same, trying to sound disinterested but her smile betrayed her. "How are you feelin', sweetie?" She gestured to Chloe's side.
"It's okay. David gave me painkillers!" She smiled happily with two thumbs up. Joyce dropped her head to the side.
"My little druggie." She looked at Max. "You stayin' the night, kiddo?" Max nodded happily. "Good. It's so nice to have you back in our lives."
"It's great to be back, Joyce."
Like back back.
"I suppose I can whip something up before I head to bed for my wounded daughter." She winked at Max. "What are y'all thinking?"
"Breakfast for dinner!" Chloe shouted with her fists in the air. "Brinner!" She looked at Max excitedly, who only shook her head.
"You ate at the diner this morning! Are you sure?" Joyce eyed Chloe skeptically. The punk shot Max an 'oops' look. "You're going to turn into a pancake." She regarded Chloe. "Might be an improvement."
"I would be fucking tasty!" Chloe said with a grin.
I can believe that.
"Mhm," Joyce shook her head. "Well, would you two mind helping me? I'm exhausted." Joyce asked as she pulled milk from the fridge.
"Of course, Joyce," Max said, taking it from her hands.
"I suppose, mother." Chloe said, rolling her eyes, smiling.
A/N: Yay kisses. I think I like this chapter length.
So these first few chapters are going to be about setting the story up before we can dive off into super fun off the rails stuff. Please let me know if you have any criticisms! This is my first fic so I'm trying to find my voice a bit.