Chloe sat on her desk, one leg draped out the window as she slowly pulled on a cigarette. The moon was big and bright, but more importantly, it was just a normal, beautiful moon. She stared off into the darkness, occasionally looking down as the ember grew bright with her puffs. Max sat on the bed, playing on her phone.

"Hey..." She said looking up at Chloe. "It's 12AM." Chloe turned to meet her gaze.

"Trading rewind powers for telling time powers, eh? It's a bold strategy, Caulfield. Let's see if it pays off for ya." Being in mostly darkness, Max could only really see a grin hanging in thin air.

'We're all mad here,' Max giggled to herself.

"No, it's 12AM, Chloe. It's Saturday. We made it through the whole day with no storm or universe collapse." She was full of relief. Chloe stamped her cigarette out and dropped it in the ashtray before closing the window.

"I told you we made it." She took a seat next to Max, wrapping an arm around her. "Super Max and Chloe, 1. Time tornado, 0." The small girl rested her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"I've been texting Kate. She had to talk to the police." She scrolled through her conversation with her on her phone.

"That's probably stressful," Chloe said, scratching at her hair through her beanie. "Apparently I already talked to the cops when I was in zombie mode. So that's a conversation I'm glad I wasn't really there for."

Max placed a soft kiss on Chloe's cheek.

"You know you'll probably have to go back. This isn't going to slink away and die like it should." Max nuzzled into the punk's chest. "God knows Sean Prescott won't go down without a fight."

"Oh, fuck that guy. I wish I could have seen his reaction when his precious little boy was caught." The punk's voice was barbed.

"Precious is probably not the right word," Max mused out loud. "I know everything he did to you and Rachel and Kate was so fucked up, but...Nathan was just the tool controlled by much worse people. I feel sorry for him, in a totally deranged way." She looked up to see Chloe's expression was steel. "Is that stupid?"

"Forgive me if my compassion-ometer is broken, but I can't bring myself to feel anything for that brat. He killed Rachel." Her hard gaze softened. "I don't blame you for thinking it, though. I think the old me would have flipped a bitch and burned half the town down if you had said something like that. But the truth is, you know more about all this then I could ever begin to." She hesitated, then continued. "With Jefferson...I don't know what happened. I know logically that he was the one pulling the strings, but Nathan's face is still the one I associate with everything."

Max felt her hand spasm, the instinct to rewind before Jefferson could do anything else to her.

I had a fucking crush on him once. So, so stupid.

"But we don't have to talk about it until you're ready." Chloe added in, her voice piercing through the darkness brewing in Max's head.

"Thanks, Chloe. I appreciate it." Max snuggled into her, but not before noticing a small look of regret on the girl's face. She reached out for the exposed bandage and touched it lightly. "How's the booboo?" She was trying to sound somewhat mocking, but it came out mostly worry. Chloe 'hmm'd.'

"Let's find out, I guess." She sighed as she stood up, yanking her tank top off, the momentum tearing her beanie off with it. Max blushed slightly, but it wasn't noticeable in the darkness. She managed to will it away by the time Chloe turned the lights on. The punk examined the large bandage that stretched from under her left breast to the beginning of her back. Her fingers pressed along it until they found the sore spot. "Ow damn, this fucking sucks, Max." Then she shrugged with a look of indifference. "Worth it though, obvs."

"Maybe you should change that, it's looking a little...gnarly." Max said as she noticed the dirtier edges.

"Yeah, probably," Chloe admitted, heading over to a box of gauze on a stool in the corner of her room. She quirked an eyebrow as she picked up a piece of paper lying next to the box. "Holy shit, this is amazeballs." She looked at Max with shock.

"What is it?" Then Max felt a flutter of bravery. "Babe?"

Bet that sounded awkward. Need to work on that.

"It's a letter. From DAVID." She hunched down with wild eyes when she said his name.

"Wait what!? What's it say? Read it!" She thought of all the letters she'd found of David's and knew it was his preferred way of speaking. Maybe his only way of opening up.

"Okay, Jesus. Hold on." Chloe sat on the edge of her desk.

"It's Max," The hipster chuckled. The joke was lost as she could see her blue haired wonder reading ahead. "No, out loud!"

"Sorry, sorry." Chloe said, then cleared her throat. She bit her bottom lip before continuing.

"Chloe,

I know you and I have had our differences and oftentimes I come off as an ass or a control freak. But it was always because I cared about you and was, in a misguided way, trying to protect you. After you were hurt, I started to really think about our relationship. I've been so busy treating you like a soldier that I forgot to treat you like a daughter. And I almost lost the chance to ever fix that. The truth is I've been worried about Nathan and Rachel for a long time, but I never told you because I didn't think you could handle it. And that secrecy almost cost you your life. I realize there's no point in being right if it means I have to lose my family. And we are a family. I'm going to do my best to make it finally seem that way. I could never forgive myself if I lost you. I'm sorry if this letter is 'uncool' but it's the only way I know how to express myself. I'm sorry for everything and I'm so happy you're still with us.

Love,

Step-Douche"

"Wowser..." Max said, feeling different emotions bubbling around inside her. "I told you he cared, Chloe." Her love didn't say anything, instead gazing at the floor. "Chlo, you okay?" She sprung to her feet, taking Chloe's hands in her own. The punk looked up, tears falling at an impressive pace.

"He really does care about me," she said in disbelief, sobs cutting up the sentence.

"I know, I know." Max pulled the girl into a hug and let her cry on her shoulder. She could tell these tears weren't just about David, but perhaps the dam had broken and all of her emotions she had locked away were finally free.

That was beautiful, David. Things really might be better with you two.

After a few moments of silence – not truly quiet with Chloe's sobbing – she picked her head up and ran fingers under her eyes, sighing loudly as she erased the tears.

"Things really are different now." She sobbed one final time before laughing. "Okay, okay, enough of that. Let's see how bad this sucker is." She plucked at the tape holding on the bandage, squeaking in pain when she got to the particularly stubborn bits. Finally, it dropped to the floor. She turned her head and stared at the far wall. "Give it to me straight, doc."

"It's...actually not so bad," Max said, kneeling so she could examine it closer. The skin around the wound was certainly red, but it looked as though the bullet may have mostly grazed her. She touched the scarlet skin lightly.

"Oooh Jesus-fuck that stings!" Chloe whined. "Okay, no more guns. EVER." She finally turned her head to look down at her ribs.

"No more guns. No more powers. We're going to be normal people now." Max said contentedly.

"Normal is probably a stretch, but yeah, I can get behind that." She picked up a roll of gauze. "I look fuckin' rad though, I have a battle scar." She beamed with her tongue between her teeth.

"Uh, okay, Ms. Badass," Max cocked an eyebrow at the punk. "But we should probably clean it." Her eyes went wide.

"But that'll hurt!" She pursed her lips when she saw Max's reaction. "Fuck you, I am badass. Just get it over with." Max chuckled as she grabbed a bottle of peroxide from beside the bandages. "Wait, isn't that bad for you? It's gonna eat my skin!"

Okay, you are adorable right now.

"It's not the best, but it'll do the job. It's not like I'm going to pour it into the hole. By the way, you're adorable." She tilted the bottle into a cloth.

"Yeah, yeah, fucking heavenly. Hurry up, Caulfield." Max lightly brushed the area around the wound, with Chloe hissing every so often. Max rolled her eyes, well aware of Chloe's penchant for drama. She patched it back up and applied tape around the edges.

"Fucking burns." Chloe pouted. Max's eyes were drawn to her puffed out bottom lip. She reached a hand up to cup Chloe's cheek.

"I could distract you..." Max blushed, this time without the darkness to hide her.

Smooth operator.

Before she could try and continue being suave, Chloe crashed her lips into Max's. Their teeth clinked together awkwardly, but it didn't matter. The blue haired girl's hands were tearing through Max's hair. The small girl returned the gesture, snaking her other arm around Chloe's waist, her hand feeling the the cool skin of her back. The punk nibbled lightly on Max's bottom lip, eliciting a small moan from the girl. Chloe took the opportunity to progress her attack, sliding her tongue between the brunette's lips. It was ravenous and...

Messy.

...but it was practically heaven.

Max eventually pulled away abruptly, gasping for breath. Her knees were shaking slightly.

"Wows..." She bit her tongue, but Chloe was already grinning wickedly.

"Just say it, Max. I know I'm totally 'wowser!'" Their fingers melded together.

"Oh go to hell, you little brat." Max was smiling too. "You actually make me weak in the knees! Look at this!" She pointed to her knees, jerking Chloe's hand along. Max was flustered and blushing hard.

"You are so cute." Chloe placed a kiss on Max's nose, then her cheek. "Let's get in bed, I'm getting crazy tired and that last pill is making me uber foggy." She led Max to the bed and pulled the covers up so they could get underneath. She unbuttoned her pants, letting them slide to the floor. Stepping out of them and stretching, she yawned with grandiose gestures. Max stared at the floor. "Oh come on, you've seen me in my underwear a million times. Would you feel better if I put on some shorts?"

"Definitely not..." Max smiled sheepishly. "I just can't believe this is happening. I couldn't be happier."

"Too bad it's all a dream and you'll wake up soon!" Chloe laughed. Max's heart felt like it had fallen through her ribcage. She looked away, a somber expression growing.

'You're the real storm.'

"That's...so not funny, Chloe." She broke her contact with the punk, placing one hand on her other arm. It was a nervous tick she had acquired at some point in adolescence. Chloe pawed at her hand to lock their fingers together again.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. Max, this is real. I could pinch you if ya want." Her eyes searched Max's.

"You know, I think I'm good." She managed a small chuckle.

"Too late!" Chloe squealed and grabbed Max's ass.

"Hey! You dork." Max tried to fake some anger, but was failing miserably. "Sorry, I know you were only kidding."

"No, it's okay. I want you to let me know if I joke around too much. I'm trying to be..." Chloe's face seized in horror before letting out an enormous burp. "An adult!" She finished cheerily. Max laughed and shook her head, flashing equal parts adoration and disgust. "Hey, so I know we discussed the kissing thing buuut can I get a nice handful-o-that whenever I want?" She asked, pointing to Max's rear. The girl sighed.

"If you so desire, I suppose you can. Maybe not in public." She teased.

"Oh, definitely in public! All of the public!" Chloe shrieked as she tackled Max onto the bed, before gasping in pain from her injury.

"You deserved that so hard." Max snickered, casually sliding off her jeans.

"Yeah, yeah. Oh, Nurse Caulfield?" Chloe fluttered her lashes. "I do believe I'm in desperate need of healing kisses." Max inched closer to her, letting one hand rest on the punk's waist.

"Since you asked nicely..." Max said, enveloping her girlfriend in a kiss.

Fuck. Fuck. FuckfuckfuckFUCK.

Max shrieked awake, kicking her leg free from imaginary duct tape. Breathless, she scanned her surroundings. She was in Chloe's room. The birds were singing, the sun was up. And her beautiful blue haired girl was sitting at her desk.

"Woah, Max, you okay?" She sat down on the bed next to her. "Bad dreams?" She reached to brush Max's hair out of her face. The small girl tried to control her breathing.

"Yeah, sorry. Just some...I think this might happen for a while." She buried her face in her hands. Chloe leaned down to plant a kiss on Max's head.

"Well...I actually need to tell you something too." Chloe's tone was strange and fragile. Max eyed her suspiciously. "I had a dream too. But I wasn't in it. It was of you and...Kate on the roof at Blackwell." She stopped to read Max's face. She wasn't giving much of anything, but she could tell she was holding her breath. "I know it sounds crazy and it could just be my mind filling in blanks, but..." She held Max's hand tight. "Did you...stop time? Like, forreal stop it?" Max's eyes went wide.

"How could you know that?" Her voice was low. "I never told you that." She had a pained expression.

"Max, I think I...saw your memory. Or something. It looked like a movie." She tried to read Max again, but the girl was simply looking down at her feet. "Do you think it's a side effect from going through the picture together?"

"Chloe..." Max was desperately struggling for words. "I just want to say, 'how is that possible' but that has kind of lost all meaning by this point." She felt herself beginning to cry and she wasn't sure why. She strengthened her grip on Chloe's hand. "Some of those memories are hard to even think about. My mind still hasn't fully grasped everything. I...I don't want you to see them." Max thought of all the moments when she wasn't with Chloe. Her heartbeat quickened when she thought of the Dark Room. She swallowed hard and buried her face into Chloe's shirt. "Don't want you to know." She added with a breaking voice.

"Hey, hey. Maybe it was just like a one time thing. Just like time residue or something." She placed a hand under Max's chin, lifting her head so their eyes met. "You were so, so good up there though. I'm so proud of you." Max half-laughed, half-sobbed as Chloe pulled her into a tender kiss. The punk smiled. "We really are bonded for life. Nobody has ever had a relationship like this." She grinned brightly. "Has there ever been two people more made for each other?"

"You're perfect." Max said, her eyes glossy. Chloe's cheeks reddened slightly.

"Pot, meet kettle." She kissed Max again. "You're the hero. You saved me. You saved the world!"

"You're being redundant," Max quipped sweetly. Now Chloe's cheeks were dark red.

"Boy, is it hot in here?" She jokingly waved a hand at her neck.

"Just you." Max pounced on Chloe, pulling her into a passionate kiss than involved more than a little tongue.

Okay, maybe it is a little hot in here.

"Oof, sorry," Max said, cringing. "How's your beauty mark?" She slipped a hand over Chloe's stomach, slowly inching it toward the wound. "I didn't mean to maul you."

"Eh, s'okay. I took my meds!" Chloe bared her teeth.

"Ah, so that's why you're being so lovey." Max booped her nose.

"What! No! That's not why I'm lovin' on ya. You're just..." She looked her up and down. "So damn cute." She squeezed her in a hug. They fell back on the bed, cuddling. "Y'know, you snuggled me all night. It was...the best feeling ever."

"Sorry if I kept you up or anything." Max blushed.

"Don't sweat it, kid. I loved every moment of it." She leaned in and gently bit Max's earlobe.

That's a...new sensation. Oooh.

Max pulled away and playfully nipped at her nose.

"So..." She closed her eyes and smiled. "What do you want to do with our impossible Saturday? I never thought I'd see it." Chloe wriggled around before pulling the covers over their heads, creating a private place for just the two of them.

"I think," she said, tracing circles on Max's thigh, "we should do abso-fucking-lutely nothing!" Max giggled and eyed her lovingly. "I'm serious, Maxaroni. We deserve a day to lay around and do nothing. Let's just chill." She swept both hands outwards, the universal 'be chill' sign. "Especially if tomorrow is..."

"Rachel," Max whispered. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save her, Chloe. I'm so-" Chloe placed a finger on Max's lips. Her eyes were intense.

"You avenged her. And she helped us, somehow. I know it. It fucking sucks but we got revenge for her and I know she'd be so happy with how everything worked out." She was doing her best, but Max could still see the tears holding themselves in her eyes.

The thought of Rachel always made Max's mind sprint in twenty different directions. She was thankful for her, but jealous of her. She was a stranger, but Max felt she knew her personally. Chloe loved her, but did she ever reciprocate? It was silly and petty to care about such a thing, especially given her current status.

I wish I could have saved you too. I wish we could have met.

"I wish you could have met her," Chloe said, apparently reading her mind. "She would have fucking loved you." She cracked a smile. "I might have to fight her for you!" Max let out a quiet laugh. There was a moment of silence. "It's weird. In a perfect world, we could have all hung out. Maybe even gone on double dates with her and Frank. Wouldn't that be somethin'?" She cocked an eyebrow. Now Max laughed loudly.

"Oh dear god, I can't even fathom what that would have been like. You three going bonkers while I took pictures from the corner?" She shook her head as she said it.

"Hey, it would have been awesome. And you wouldn't be in the corner. Nobody puts Max in the corner!" She raised her fist sternly. "I'd fuck them peeps up!" At Max's laughter, she began a barrage of small kisses over the brunette's face.

"Those meds though." Max giggled.

"Oh shush, hippie. I'm just so happy. Tomorrow will be sad, but it's also the end of this whole fucked up story arc. It's the beginning of a new life. Phoenix from the ashes." It sounded like she was comforting herself more than Max, but it worked for the small girl as well.

"Alright Jean Grey!" Max cheered on quietly. Chloe smirked.

"You're the one with superpowers. But oh man, your hair all red like hers? Droooool." She was combing through Max's hair, looking impish.

"You think it'd look good?" Max asked.

"Oh hell yes. Turn ya into a little punk." She moved closer, spreading kisses through her hair.

"Hm. Maybe." She pulled back to look into Chloe's blazing, blue eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too, you sexy lil thang." She kissed her quickly. "Okay, maybe this pill does contribute a bit." Max giggled and stared at her girlfriend's lips for a moment before she blushed.

"Oh man, what are people going to say?" She clawed onto Chloe's shirt with wired eyes.

"What do you mean? That you have a hella sexy girlfriend?" Chloe teased, removing her shirt from Max's hand and replacing it with her own.

"Well, yeah, kind of. I mean, I think my parents would be cool with it. They've always been super progressive. But what about Joyce? Oh man, and David?" Her brow furrowed.

"You know," Chloe sucked some air through her teeth. "I don't really give a fuck? Like, I'm sure my mom will be fine. Probably happy about it. But if she's not, or if David has an issue with it, I just...don't care. We went through time to be together!"

"You don't understand, mom! I LOVE HER!" Max screeched dramatically. They both burst into laughter. Chloe propped herself on her elbow.

"But hey, what about Kate and her whole religious thing? Or your boyfriend Warren?" She poked Max's side.

"Oh," Max said. "I think...they'll be fine with it?" She was convinced, after all the good she saw in Kate that the girl wouldn't treat her as some chatty snake. Warren was a bit trickier. She always liked the boy and for a while even thought of him as a possible love interest. But that was before Chloe. And she knew he was head over heels for her. She rubbed her temple. "Warren might be a little tougher. Man, he doesn't remember anything. It's so confusing. Like beating the shit out of Nathan."

"Which was hella dope," Chloe chimed in.

"It was," Max admitted. "And he doesn't know that he made this whole thing possible with that photo from the party. He's going to be so letdown..." She shifted her mouth sideways, unsure. "I think I'm going to tell him."

"About us? I kind of figured."

"No. About everything. If there's anyone out there that'll believe me, it's him. I told him at the diner and he acted like it all made sense. Granted, there was a tornado, which is pretty persuasive. But I trust him. Monday, I'll tell him." She nodded, approving her own plan.

"If you think he'll believe you, go for it," Chloe said nonchalantly.

"I'm so weirdly excited to get to talk to everyone again." Max smiled. "I was friends with most of them in other timelines. You think I can do it again? With no powers?" She shifted to her side, tucking an arm under her head.

"Of course! You're Maxine Fucking Caulfield. What's not to love?" Chloe slid one arm under Max's body, pulling her closer.

"I could make a list," she joked. Chloe bopped her nose, probably a little too hard. "Ow, what the hell?"

"Nobody's talking shit on my girlfriend, especially you. You've been through enough and you don't need your own self-doubt eating away at you." She was stern, but smiling. Max nestled in closer. "You are perfect. And that's that." She said with finality. "Now then, what do you wanna do while we slug out all day?" Her feet began to rub against Max's.

"Let's just watch some movies and snuggle..." Max took in the calmness like a wave. "Mm, but no time travel moves. Not yet!" She added, pointing a finger to ceiling with a stern look.

"Works for me. We can order pizza, watch some shitty movies, cuddle the fuck outta each other." Chloe traced shapes on Max's arm. The brunette blushed a bit, rearranging the last part of the sentence in her mind. "Also probably tell my mom." Chloe added quickly. Max closed her eyes and smiled, before they snapped back open.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

A/N: The last part of this chapter rewrote itself a few times, so forgive any weirdness.

Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! More to come soon!