"This is too fuckin' Blair Witch for me," Chloe said quietly as the truck crept through the narrow trail in the woods. Along the path, little lawn lights were staked into the ground, giving off a soft glow that reflected on the snow. Joyce snorted a small laugh.

"Would you calm down?" She asked, moving her arm as much as she could to insinuate a playful nudge to Max, seated between them.

"Maybe. Have to see where we land on the whole 'possessed by forest witches' situation," Chloe snarked back, flicking her finger along the knob of the radio to raise the volume.

"This place has been here forever," Max said, straining her voice over the music. "Even I remember coming here. It's cool, like a little hiding spot."

"Uh huh, the perfect hiding spot for FOREST WITCHES!" Chloe shrieked, clawing Max's knee. She snickered when the brunette wasn't phased. "Fine, clearly I'm the only who takes these things seriously. Big, doofy lookin' bear in jeans says not to burn trees down, everyone listens. But me? Nah."

The big bear in jeans has credentials, Chloe. He's like a fire marshal or something!

Eventually the trail broke away into a clearing, a reasonably sized parking lot made up of gravel. White Christmas lights surrounded the area, highlighting the boundary between 'this is where you buy things' and 'that's just the woods.' The truck slowed into a space and the three women got out.

"David's going to be so surprised we got a tree all on our own!" Joyce smiled, clapping her hands together.

"Let's get that one," Chloe said, lazily aiming a finger at the first tree she saw.

"That's not how this works," Joyce said, drooping her head at her daughter. "We have to find the perfect tree."

"Yeah, babe, come on. Get your head in the game!" Max laughed, elbowing Chloe. The punk rolled her eyes, but smiled and wrapped an arm around the brunette.

"Okay, fine," she said. "Where to, Mother?"

"I'm..." Joyce began, narrowing her eyes at a small family talking to one of the employees. They were standing by a particularly impressive tree. "I'm going to snag us a helper so other people can't steal all the good ones! You guys split up, I'll find you." And with that, she shimmied away toward the small wooden stand where a few workers sat.

That's such a mom walk.

"She's cute," Max said.

"Yeah, kinda neat to see her doing things with a pulse again," Chloe agreed. She made a small 'tsk' sound and pulled the zipper of Max's jacket up until it could go no further. "You need to stay warm," she reprimanded.

"And you're cute," Max added, beaming at the blue haired girl. Chloe scrunched her nose and stuffed her hands in her front pockets.

"Hypothermia ain't cute," she grumbled. She briefly scanned her surroundings and popped her lips. "Kay, so I guess I'll look over on that side and you can look here?"

"Aye aye, Cap'n Price!" Max said, giving the girl a salute. She began to shuffle away but was stopped as Chloe placed a hand on her shoulder. A storm of chills rattled through her as the sensation pried the memory of the lighthouse from her deep in her mind. That moment just before she went back through the photo and Chloe touched her shoulder – an action that, unbeknownst to them, would have immeasurable and lovely consequences.

What if she hadn't done that? Would we still be here like this?

"I just...hey, wait. You cool?" Chloe asked, her eyes showing concern.

"Yeah, sorry. Just thinking," Max said.

"Don't do that," she teased. "Bad news. Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry if this like...boring or whatever."

"It's not boring!" Max pushed Chloe's shoulder. "This is so cool. We're doing real things together like a couple!" Chloe smiled warmly at that. "Besides," Max took a few hurried steps away from her then turned around, "this is like practice for when we get to do it for our own place!"

Max leaned in close to one of the trees and inhaled the scent, making an exaggerated 'ahh' sound to herself. Realizing this was the third time she had done this, she cracked a smile and put a hand to her forehead.

Okay, weirdo. Stop trying to snort all the pine smell.

She ducked between a row of trees, looking side to side as she evaluated them. It had actually made sense to her before, but now she realized she had no idea what the 'perfect' tree actually meant. They all had needles and were green, so those seemed to be pretty good guidelines. As she inspected yet another tree, she once again thought of what kind of photos she'd take for Chloe's Christmas present. The thought had been on loop in the back of her head since Chloe first mentioned it, and she found herself increasingly nervous that she wouldn't find one worthy photo, let alone five.

The logical side of her knew that it didn't matter – Chloe had specifically stated that they could be of literally anything. And she was honestly flattered at the idea. But still, she wanted them to be special because...well, Chloe was special. She puffed out her bottom lip as she pat her bag, feeling her camera nestled within.

Come on, Max. Just let your intuition take over. That's when you get your best shots.

She walked further along the row of trees, holding out her hand to brush through the prickles as she moved. Something else had been bothering her...she wanted to actually buy something for Chloe. But she didn't have an income and so her funds were limited. The idea that she would be using money given to her by her parents to buy something for the love of her life embarrassed her deeply. Nevermind that she had no idea what she would actually get her.

These are the kinds of problems normal people have. Hmm...might just be scarier than time travel.

Just then, she heard something rustle in the trees behind her. Then it happened again. Glancing to her left and right, she cautiously walked toward the sound. She slowly reached her hand out, but the branches swung open wildly as something exploded from between the trees.

"FOREST WITCH!" Chloe screamed, pouncing on top of Max and bringing them both to the ground. The powdery snow fluffed up around them as Max kicked her legs, reeling from the shock. Her vision was filled with the night sky, pinpricks of white shining through blackness. The image was blocked as Chloe's face loomed above her wearing a devious grin. "You'd be straight up dead, son," she said.

"Why though?" The brunette asked dryly.

Or I'll just get her a shit ton of coal. That seems appropriate.

"I like when you're on your back?" Chloe replied, her shoulders twitching in a playful shrug. Max nodded as if expecting such an answer, then let her head fall back into the snow.

"Coulda just asked," she said quietly as a small smile peeked its way through her cheeks. The punk grunted and flopped down next to her.

"Cool, I'll remember that for next time." She looped her arm with Max's. "How goes the tree hunt?"

"It was going fine until I got hit with a sexy, blue wrecking ball." Max wriggled her hips until she was pressed closer to the girl.

"Well," she said, "I'm afraid your efforts have been for nothing. Mom found one she is completely enamored with. She told me to come find you."

Oh thank god. This was a lot of pressure!

"Did she also tell you to attack me?" Max asked, lifting her head up to regard Chloe.

"Nah, that was all me." She laughed and leaned up to kiss Max on the cheek. The brunette scoffed and turned her nose up.

"Your forest witch defense class is lacking in tact, I'm afraid."

"Whatever, it's a work in progress," Chloe giggled. "But speaking of, this place is pretty awesome. We should totally come camp out here when it gets warmer. We could bring the group, make it a thing. Tell spooky ghost stories!"

That would be so fun! Roasting marshmallows, getting all cozy out in the wilderness.

"I've never been camping before," Max said. "That would be pretty exciting. It is pretty beautiful out here..."

"Yeah." Chloe let her head rest in the snow. "I keep thinking about that poem. You know, 'I'm Lost As Fuck in the Woods and It's Snowing Its Balls Off?'"

"I can't believe how wrong that is yet I know exactly which one you're talking about." Max laced their fingers together.

"It's a reasonable approximation," Chloe argued.

"As if," Max snorted. "It's called 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.'"

"See, I was really close!" The punk said, laughing. "Okay, well, better get back to mom so we can stand around patiently as the guy ties the tree into the truck." She sat up quickly, using the momentum to get to her feet in one smooth motion. She grabbed Max's hand and pulled her up, then dusted the snow off her back. "Come on, Maximo." She hurried through the row of trees, stopping when she noticed Max hadn't followed her.

"Uh, give me one second," Max said. "I'll catch up to you, okay?" Chloe watched her curiously, then shrugged. She rounded the corner and disappeared from sight. Max turned her attention to the imprints in the snow. They were surprisingly clean, looking more like intentional snow angels (minus the wings) than thoughtless displaced snow. She shook her head with a small smile.

Intuition, meet stupid fate.

Looking to her left to make sure Chloe could not see her, she dug her camera out of her bag. As she looked through the viewfinder, the poem Chloe had mentioned began to stream through her thoughts. It had always been one of her favorites. She focused on the shapes and inhaled steadily as she snapped the photo. The Polaroid spat out and she flicked it in the air in satisfaction. She looked back down the path, her eyes scanning over Chloe's footprints and smiled.

"The woods are indeed lovely, dark and deep," she whispered to herself.

"Just set it on the side of the house. We did the hard work, David can at least set it up," Joyce said as she strolled toward the front door.

"We did the hard work?" Chloe asked, huffing as she struggled with the base of the tree. Max giggled as she cradled it higher up, taking another quick whiff of the pine smell.

"I bought it," Joyce zipped back with a smirk. "Anyway, I'm going to start on some hot chocolate for us. Nothing warms up the heart faster."

"I can think of some things..." Chloe said quietly, shooting a playful gaze at Max. The two girls lugged the tree to the side of the house, with Chloe muttering about the needles jabbing her hands. Though they tried to be careful, the tree ended up banging against the siding as it slipped from the punk's grasp.

"Nice," Max teased, dusting her hands off and wrinkling her nose as the sap on her palm provided some resistance. Chloe threw her a sarcastic thumbs up. Max's eyes trailed upward, along the siding until they focused on a small, silver plate near the gutter. It was hard to make out in the darkness, but she thought she could see empty slots where screws would usually fit. She knew immediately what it was. "So...do you know if David removed all the cameras?" Max asked, taking tiny steps into Chloe's arms.

"He did," Chloe said. "He didn't say anything to me about it, but I saw them all in the trash can one day when I dragged it to the curb." She 'hmm'd.' "I mean, I'm happy that he got rid of them, but that was a fuck ton of money he just threw out."

"Maybe throwing them out was symbolic to him," Max suggested. "I think that's worth more than money."

Like I wanted to tear up that photo by the lighthouse.

"True, true." Chloe ran her fingers through the brunette's hair. Max thought for a moment as she relished the feeling.

"Do you know if he told Joyce about them?" She asked.

"Honestly...I have no idea. If he did, I never caught wind of it. Maybe he told her when I was on zombie mode? I hope they didn't fight..." She shrugged. "And if he didn't, I can't really say I blame him, you know? He probably feels ashamed. I wouldn't mind my mom never finding out about them."

"How mature of you," Max said, smiling as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"That's me! Mature Chloe, bane of four months ago Chloe's existence!" She tightened her hand into a fist. "She'd fight me, but I'd kick her ass. I know all her best moves." She stared down at Max with a goofy grin.

"I think I know all your best moves," Max purred, leaning on her tiptoes to brush her nose along Chloe's jaw. The punk's eyes widened, caught off guard by her smoothness.

"Oh," Chloe said, her face falling back to her usual, sarcastic expression as she shook her head. "Not yet, you don't."

"This is so much better," Max said, happily cradling the mug of hot chocolate with both hands. "My mom always uses water instead of milk."

"Yeah, she did do that, didn't she?" Chloe asked, reminiscing of younger days. "That's kinda gross." Joyce joined them at the table, setting down a tray of cookies in the middle. She let out a tired sigh and looked around the room.

"I haven't decided on where to put the tree yet," she said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "What do you girls think?"

"Right in the middle," Chloe said, holding her hand like a gun and pointing to the center of the room. Her mother rolled her eyes.

"You could put it against one of those bookshelves so long as you're okay with blocking them," Max suggested. Joyce thought it over and nodded.

"That sounds like the way to go," she agreed. "Those bookshelves are just for show these days, anyway. I can't remember the last time I got invested in a good book."

"That's one of my mom's things," Max said, reaching for a cookie. Chloe quickly jolted her hand under Max's and took the one she had her eye on, sticking her tongue out triumphantly when the girl scowled.

"Oh, I know," Joyce said. "Vanessa and I used to read the same books and then we'd compare notes. It seemed like she was always reading three for every one I did."

"In fairness," Max mumbled as she chewed her cookie, "she has like no filter when it comes to reading. Doesn't matter how good the book actually is or what genre. If there's words on a page, she's on board."

Seriously, she should get higher standards.

"Remember when we found that one erotica book of your mom's?" Chloe asked with a snicker. "And we stole it and read it out loud to each other."

"Oh Dog, how could I forget 'Steven Stevens and the Frisky Lawyer?'" Max laughed. "Even back then I knew it was bad."

"Hey, I liked that one!" Joyce laughed. "William always used to make fun of me for reading those, even after I caught him reading one himself." Chloe perked up with big eyes.

"No way!" She smacked her palms lightly on the table. "That's hilarious. Dad was such a goof."

"That's certainly one word for him," Joyce chuckled. Chloe nodded as she cheerfully chomped into another cookie, narrowing her eyes at the mug of hot chocolate. As she chewed, she dipped the half-eaten cookie into the mug and grew a sleazy smile – surely proud of her own brilliance. Joyce smiled somberly at her. "He would be proud of you, you know?" Chloe's jaw ceased its movement as the words hit her.

"I don't...I don't know if he would," she said quietly, her eyes falling downward. Max watched on quietly as she ate. She knew now there were some things that didn't need her immediate involvement.

He would, Chlo. He'd be over the moon with how you've turned out.

"He would," Joyce said, transmitting Max's thoughts. "I know for a fact. Hell, he'd even love your look. The hair, the tattoo, all of it. Because it's you."

"I think he'd be disappointed about school..." Chloe mumbled as she slowly tapped her index finger on the table. "Been thinking about that a lot. He always talked about me getting straight A's and having my pick of any college I want. That was one of his things, you know?"

"Being understanding was also one of his things," her mother said. "He was the biggest supporter of shrugging and saying 'oh well, things happen.' Even if the thing that happened was him breaking a cherished family vase." She squinted and shook her head with a scoff. "That oaf." She turned her attention to Max. "What about you, Max? Have you thought about school next year?" Max could see out of the corner of her eye Chloe slumped even more, surely not excited about facing that obstacle as a couple.

"Uh, yes, actually," Max said. "I've thought it over and talked with my parents and I think I'm going to take a gap year." In truth, she had been undecided until this very moment, but seeing Chloe shoot up in her seat made her feel very comfortable with her choice.

"You didn't tell me that," the punk said, looking at Max with owl eyes.

"I only recently decided," she said, chuckling at just how true it was. She felt Chloe's foot against her leg, excitedly shaking against it. Joyce held her hands out and nodded.

"Not a bad decision these days," she said. "School is expensive. And I've always sort of disliked how people are rushed into college straight out of high school."

"Uh huh," Max agreed. "And it'll give me some time to figure out my portfolio and decide what school is best for me. Plus, I could honestly just use the break. I don't think I mix with school very well." She giggled. "It wears me out!"

"Sounds like a good plan to me," Joyce said, finally reaching for a cookie of her own. "Do you have an idea about what you'll do on your year off? Where you'll be staying?" Her tone took a noticeable if slight shift, something that sounded very parental. Max smiled at her, baring her teeth adorably as she caught on.

She's worried about how Chloe plays into all this. That's...so sweet. And...kind of intimidating. Oh, jeez.

"I'm playing it by ear," Max laughed quietly, and maybe a bit nervously. She turned to Chloe, who was still in a bit of a daze imagining her future with Max. "Any ideas?" She quickly glanced back at Joyce, who grew a small smile.

I guess that was a good enough answer.

"I have so many!" Chloe shouted, clasping her hands to her head as a sign of being overwhelmed. "So many possibilities!"

"The point being, we'll do it together," Max said, turning back to Joyce. The woman nodded knowingly. Then she leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms out.

"I can't tell you how nice it is to spend time with you girls like this," she said. Chloe rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Oh please, Mother."

"I'm serious! I like being able to talk to my daughter without it turning into a fight." She shrugged. "And I admit, it's nice to just have people to talk to. The people at the Two Whales are wonderful...mostly, but the conversations never reach particularly hidden depths." She held out a hand in explanation. "And the other waitresses don't offer a lot in terms of girl talk. I miss that."

"That's like, six thousand percent of my life," Max replied, chuckling into her hot chocolate.

I should hook her up with Dana if she's looking for a constant stream of gossip.

"It's funny..." Joyce began, cupping her face with a hint of embarrassment. "When you girls were younger, back before everything happened, I always imagined having those 'cool mom' relationship talks. A shoulder to cry on when you realized how dumb boys could be..." Max and Chloe glanced at each other, a mutual acknowledgment that they did kind of ruin those plans for Joyce. There was only the slightest note of awkwardness in the room, before Max leaned across the table and grasped Joyce's hand.

"If you want," she said, "I can tell you all about how dumb Chloe can be."

"Guilty," the punk said coolly, raising her hand. Joyce giggled, reaching her other hand out for her daughter's. Max and Chloe also joined hands, completing the circle.

"I love you girls so much," Joyce said. "And even if it is awkward, I want you both to know that I'm here if you ever need someone to talk to about anything." Max sighed happily, yet again shuffling her admiration for Joyce another tier higher.

"Love you too, Joyce," she said. There was a pause of quiet where normal people would expect Chloe to offer her own 'I love you.' Instead, Max turned to see the girl bent over with her chin on the table, desperately struggling to coerce a cookie into her mouth with only her lips. When she noticed the two staring at her, she snorted and grew a big smile around the cookie.

"Love you too, Mom," Chloe muffled. At least, Max was pretty sure that's what she had said.

A/N: Just a small, comfy chapter this time. I realized I hadn't been giving Joyce a lot of screen time so I wanted to try and fix that a bit!

So, this will be the last update for a little while - as mentioned before, I'm aiming for around a month but I'm gonna give myself a little wiggle room. Hopefully when I come back, there will be some extra 'pizazz' in my writing! (Who let that word exist? Is it a typo of pizza?)

Oh yeah! So, we're all aware that I put waaaaay too many pop culture references in this story, but I've gotten enough messages about the various music mentioned that I figured I'd make a reference list for those who wanted to check some of it out. Most of it is stuff that Max or Chloe would feasibly listen to...I think, anyway. I might add that to my profile page (both FF and AO3) sometime while I'm on break, but I'll update you guys for sure when the next chapter comes out.

Thank you again for continuing to read and review (also: hello to my /lisg/ readers - someone wanted proof it was me!) I love you all and you look wonderful this (insert time of day you're reading this.) See you soon!