After Jefferson subdued Max and Chloe, the X-Men had arrived at the complex roughly minutes behind the two girls. They rushed to where the suspect's apartment room was. Once they entered, Kurt teleported Logan inside the apartment room to unlock the door from there, and led everyone inside.
"Over here!" Scott quickly found the door that he saw Jefferson carry Kitty in from the surveillance footage, and blasted it open.
To the X-Men's dismay, they rushed into the hidden room to find Max and Chloe, already on the floor unconscious, and Kitty still strapped to the chair, also unconscious, after the two girls' botched attempt to rescue her before them.
"Oh no..." Jean gasped in shock.
"Damn it." Logan growled under his breath. "Kurt! Take them to the van!" He ordered Kurt, who proceeded to teleport Kitty to the X-Van, followed by Max and Chloe.
Kurt saw Charles and Ororo, who were in the front seat, waiting for the others. "Professor! Storm! Could you bring them to the Institute? We'll just catch the suspect first." Kurt politely asked them, who obliged, and then agreed to drive back to the Institute.
After he watched the X-van drive off, the blue-haired mutant heard footsteps in the distance. He turned to see the suspect, Mark Jefferson, flee the scene, opposite from where the van took off.
Kurt teleported behind him and grabbed him by the arms.
"Where do you think you're going!?" He demanded as he tried to subdue Jefferson.
"Let go of me, you punk!" He broke Kurt's grasp and pulled his gun out at him.
Freaked out, Kurt teleported just before Jefferson pulled the trigger, shooting the bumper of Chloe's truck instead.
As he made another attempt to flee, the rest of the X-Men caught up to him and Jean telekinetically stopped him in his tracks.
Rogue walked up to Jefferson, still frozen in place. She took off one of her gloves and grabbed his face, absorbing his memories until he passed out.
Before Scott could cuff up the attacker, the memories from Jefferson's mind started playing in Rogue's head. Rogue saw flashes of multiple other women falling prey to his hands, images of those victims being taken in vulnerable positions, completely out of it, their innocence completely lost, and then Jefferson behind the camera with a sadistic glee on his face.
"YOU FUCKING SICKO!" The goth screamed, kicking his face in the process.
"ROGUE!" Scott and Kurt had to physically drag her away before she could kick him again.
"Rogue! Easy! What's with you!?" Kurt asked his sister concernedly.
"That guy!" Rogue pointed at the unconscious, and slightly bruised Jefferson. "Ugh! I shouldn't have gotten his memories! Now I'm gonna have nightmares for weeks!" She stormed off, refusing to say a word.
Jean wondered what to do next. "So. What do we now?"
"Looks like one of us already has most of the answers..." Logan glanced at Rogue, who sat at the front steps, still disturbed by the memories she absorbed. "...but doesn't want to share it yet. Let's just give her some time to cool down first, and in the meantime, pretend it was the cops that arrested him instead."
Jean proceeded to manipulate Jefferson's mind, erasing the fact that mutants took him down and did what Logan asked her: replace them with the police. Logan, meanwhile, worked with Scott to call the cops and arrest the suspect.
Just like Rogue, the redhead also saw flashes of his previous victims, including Kitty, being trapped in his makeshift dark room. She also ended up feeling shaken by her discovery.
"Now I know what Rogue felt." She mumbled to herself as she glanced at the girl, who was still sitting by the steps.
When the police arrived and did what Logan said, that was the cue for the X-Men to leave. Jean, Rogue, and Kurt again rode at Scott's car, who also towed Chloe's truck, while Logan rode his own bike that he brought to the X-Van with.
Back in the Institute, the three girls were placed in the infirmary.
Kitty was the first one to wake up, and was relieved when she could move her arms and legs again after finally being out of those restraints. She was also relieved that she could finally use her powers again, after trying to phase her hand through the hospital bed.
She also looked around to see Lance, sitting by her right side of the bed.
"Lance!" She quickly got up to give him a hug, glad that he's alive. "I really thought you were dead, Lance! I got so worried!" Tears quickly swelled up in Kitty's eyes.
"Me too." Lance returned the hug. "I'm just glad we're safe."
Kitty broke the embrace to examine Lance's bandaged head. "Oh my god! What happened to you!?"
"Well. You thought the bastard shot me dead? Don't worry. It was just a blank, for now. That was still filled with gunpowder." Lance reassured Kitty.
"How did I get here?" Kitty wondered, having missed all of the action.
"From what I heard, your X-Men caught the bastard, and your blue bud Kurt also found two other girls in the room with you. They're also from here, right?" Lance explained, unable to get the identities of the two Arcadia Bay girls earlier.
"What two girls...?" Kitty looked around the room again until she realized who Lance was talking about.
She got her answer at the curtain beside her, where the other bed was.
"Nngh..." Max grunted as she also got up from her hospital bed. "Chloe!" Just like Kitty, Max's first instinct was to hug Chloe who was already awake and was sitting right beside her bed.
"You're finally up, slowpoke." Chloe joked.
"Shut up!" Max smacked Chloe again before she saw the black patch on Chloe's eye. "Damn. What did he to you this time!?"
"Fucker punched me in the eye after he knocked you out. Dick move, wasn't it?" Chloe explained, being tempted to touch the bruised area again.
"Stop! You don't want to make it worse!" Max stopped her before she could do so.
"I just want to know how painful it is, damnit!" Chloe raised her hands up in defense. "Well, on the bright side, I'm one step closer to becoming Captain Bluebeard!"
"Right. All you need now is a pirate costume so we can start sailing the world like we wanted to do as kids." Max followed along, resulting in a giggle from both of them.
The two girls saw Kitty and Lance walk up to them.
"Kitty! I'm so glad you're okay." The brunette got out of her bed to run to Kitty and gave her another hug.
"I know. I'm glad we all are." Kitty said. "...I heard you and Chloe actually tried to rescue me?"
Max nervously scratched her head. "...Yeah. I wanted to try being an Everyday Hero, but I ended up falling flat on my face instead. I can tell Sir Logan or the professor's gonna grill me for it later."
"He's doing it out of worry, Max." Kitty half-giggled. "It's nice to break the tension. I'm just glad we don't have to deal with that freak anymore."
Max started shaking again, knowing exactly who the other girl's talking about. "...me too."
"What's wrong?" Kitty asked worriedly.
"It's... complicated. Not right now." Max dismissed her concerns.
Meanwhile, Lance tried his hand in conversation with Chloe.
"You know. You look like you could fit in with us." Lance awkwardly complimented her appearance.
"You mean your 'Brotherhood of Punks' that your girlfriend constantly talks about?' " Chloe was flattered. "Thanks... but I thought it would be nice if I was a "good" punk, especially around my partner in time. I'm Price, by the way. Chloe Price."
"Lance Alvers." He shook Chloe's hand. "And it's just called 'The Brotherhood.' And a sister, technically. So...Max is the time girl, right?"
Chloe snickered at the nickname. "Guess you can call her that. I'm pretty much the only human in this house."
Their conversations lasted well for a few minutes before Hank and Charles walked in the room.
"Well. It's nice to see our ladies are up and at it again." Hank spoke.
"Mr. McCoy. Any news?" Max asked.
"Good news. The suspect's finally captured." Hank replied. Max and Chloe sighed in relief. Kitty already knew from Lance, so she didn't react much.
"And I better hope this time, he won't see the light of day for eternity." Max wished. "Where are the others?"
"On their way here. And by the way Max, Meet me in my office later as soon as Logan arrives." Charles replied, before leaving the infirmary.
Max groaned and rolled her eyes, knowing where this was going to go.
"Oh yeah. The dreaded 'talk'. We've been there." Hank smirked, before he too left the infirmary.
The four teens stood around for a minute before Chloe decided to break the silence.
"So... are we gonna leave this place or not?"
The rest shrugged and left the infirmary.
Max decided to stay with Chloe at her room. Kitty stayed with Lance at the foyer since he's technically stuck in the Institute.
Kitty looked out the entrance to see Scott's car approaching the Institute and ran to Chloe's room.
"Guys! They're here!" The girl yelled as she phased into the blue-haired girl's room. Max and Chloe were lying on Chloe's bed a few minutes ago and jolted up when they heard Kitty's voice. They quickly ran downstairs to greet the X-Men.
The X-Men gave Kitty the usual hugs and greetings, and how they were so glad she was safe from Jefferson and all, and they did the same thing to Max and Chloe when they came as well.
While the greetings were still occurring, Max noticed Logan standing at the hallway leading to Charles's office, and eyeing her. She knew she had to meet him and the professor soon, and she could tell from his face alone that they needed her right now.
"Excuse me." Max politely strayed away from the group to meet up with Logan and head to Charles's office.
"Should I go with you?" The brunette looked back to see Chloe about to follow her.
"Sorry, Chlo. I think this conversation's gonna be between me and the professor only." She apologized before following Logan to Charles' office.
"Max. I know you wanted to do the right thing and save Kitty before us, but I just want you to know how much you and Chloe were risking your lives in doing so!" Charles lectured Max about her actions earlier that day.
The office was just comprised of Charles, who was sitting at his desk, Max at the other end, and Logan standing at a corner behind Charles. The entire situation triggered a sense of deja vu to Max, who recalled a similar event with Principal Wells in his office at Blackwell after she saved Kate Marsh from jumping off the dorm roof.
Max caught herself musing and snapped to reality. "I- I understand, Professor. I know it was a reckless thing for me to do, and I was the one who caused all this conflict. It's just that I... wanted to feel like being in a "solo" mission with just me and Chloe." She apologized.
"I see what you mean, Max. However, I need you to understand that under any circumstances, you have to be responsible for your actions. Your didn't just put yourself and Chloe's lives in danger, Max. You also put our lives at risk, too! Just because you two are now a part of the Institute. I hoped you learned something from that other timeline, didn't you?" Charles referenced the timeline where Max ended up being trapped in the Dark Room and Chloe getting shot by Jefferson, both after trying to avenge Rachel Amber's death, to Max.
The girl froze. Ever since she moved into the Xavier Institute, she wanted to leave all the horrible shit with the Dark Room in her previous timelines behind. For the professor to bring up that memory to Max again in this situation was more than horrible to her.
"I... really wish you didn't say that." She cupped her hands on her face in guilt or embarrassment. "God. What was I thinking!?"
"Max. Listen. Obviously, I'm telling you this because we were genuinely worried for your safety. In fact, we know that you used your powers to sneak off and give yourself a headstart to finding Kitty. " Charles said.
"Yeah. And don't think I didn't notice you trying to getting off my radar. either." Logan followed up.
Max's eyes widened in surprise at the realization and started feeling even more guilty.
"I know how you feel, Max. We all make decisions we regret. Just let this event be a warning to you to be wise with your decisions next time. Not just about your powers, but your general safety, too. I don't to risk losing a new student in a scenario like this."
"Yes. Professor. I understand." Max nodded in agreement. "Are we finished?"
"This lecture is over, Max. You can leave now. Just remember what I told you."
"Okay. Thanks, Professor. And you too, Sir Logan." The girl got up and left the office.
Max went back to to the foyer to see Chloe sitting by herself at one of the couches.
"So. How'd it go?" Her blue-haired girlfriend asked.
"Like I was with the principal at Blackwell again." Max replied. "At least this time, the princip- I mean, the professor cares more for his students."
"Yeah. Probably the only thing I didn't like too much about Blackwell before I left that place."
"Where's everyone now?" Max wondered.
"In their rooms, I think. After everyone was done with the 'So glad you're safe' shit that they kept saying over and over, they all went upstairs and probably partied while I stayed here... waiting... for you." Max chuckled.
"And Lance... Is he-" The girl also wondered where Kitty's boyfriend was.
"Oh, I forgot. He asked my blue bro Crawler to teleport him back to his house."
"'Blue bro?' Crawler?" Max laughed at Chloe's choice of nickname.
"Come on. It's been nearly a year and do you think anyone noticed that Kurt has another long-lost sister in this house besides Rogue?"
"Not publicly, at least, Chloe. Especially in front of you."
"Yeah, right."
The two went back to Chloe's room, where they laid on her bed again, just like a few minutes ago before Kitty had barged in.
"Chloe?"
"Yes, Max?"
"Nothing. It's just that... could you even believe that this crap is happening again? In this timeline, I mean?"
"I could say the same thing. Who'd have thought that bastard did a fucking miracle and escaped Arcadia? And the remaining police didn't do anything at all to stop him?"
"And just so happens to find his way to Bayville? Where there are other potential 'gifted' victims besides me? I feel like this was fate's plan after we left Arcadia Bay after the storm."
"Whatever it is, I'm just hella glad that shit was over. Now I'm imagining how David would react after hearing this news back in Arcadia."
"You miss him and Joyce, do you?"
"Of fucking course, Max. After he told me he saved Mom from the diner before it blew up, I didn't know what to say, but obviously I was glad they made it through the storm, and are helping the townspeople rebuild it."
"When was the last time you talked to them?"
"Just last week. They promised me to keep in touch with them once in a while when they found out I moved to Bayville." Even while lying in bed, Chloe still shrugged her arms. "I bet you keep in touch with your parents, do you?"
"Let's say I don't do it as often as they asked me to." Both girls chuckled. "We're dicks, aren't we?"
"And proud of it. Just kidding." Chloe smirked.
"Again. Hard to believe this shit actually happened." Max changed the topic.
"Me too. I better hope there's a reason for it." Chloe responded.
The two then fell silent as they dozed off, once they finished processing the events that occurred over the morning.
And that's it. The story's pretty much complete! While I was writing this, I was wondering how to conclude the story, and I thought Max and Chloe reminiscing about the events earlier would fit properly, mostly because it reflected my overall thoughts while making the story as a whole.
Now, about the line about Chloe's parents still being alive... this was pretty much where I stray away from James Patterson's/theplumlearner's original story's continuity. SPOILER ALERT: I read from somewhere in TV Tropes that what if David was the one instead of Max who saved Joyce, Warren, Frank, and the other people in the diner before it exploded? I rewatched the "Sacrifice Arcadia Bay" ending again, and the scene where the game showed the diner not suffering from any huge scorching kinda proved my point. I guess that means Arcadia Bay will still thrive in the future of this continuity, but who knows?
Again, thank you very much for reading! Please favorite if you can. :) (NO EMOJI! - Chloe)