Hey guys

Sorry, it took so long, But here's the next one,

This was a real pain to write, but we got there in the end.

Enjoy

Episode 30 - Field Trip

Letting out a content groan, Max let the hot however water massage her back as she let her mind wander to the previous day's events. She was still trying to wrap her head around the how of what happened. Her first thought was a dream, but that possibility was quickly dismissed when she remembered the new photo album addition.

'Okay, I guess I actually photo jumped with Chloe. Good to know, I guess… not that I'll be making a habit of it. Felt like my skull was on fire,' she thought as she rinsed her hair thoroughly. 'I'll have to ask Nona about it the next time I see her.'

Shutting the shower off, she exited the bathroom and streaked across the hall to Chloe's bedroom. Even knowing that the bluenette was passed out downstairs, she couldn't help but blush at the thought of getting caught. Maybe she wouldn't be all that bothered about getting caught if she was honest, as embarrassing as that realization was. After drying herself off and getting dressed – blue jeans, Jane Doe shirt, and sneakers, the typical attire – she headed downstairs to make some coffee.

Approaching the old couch with a coffee cup in each hand, she set them down on the table. Early morning light filtered through the patio doors, casting a soft glow over the crumpled mound of old beige blanket. A familiar head of blue hair poked out from underneath. Smiling to herself, Max knelt down to watch her girlfriend sleeping. Her eyes flickered to the bluenette's lips as she licked her own. Unable to resist, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to the sleeping punk's. It didn't take long for said punk to stir, kissing her back and moaning happily at the morning wake up call.

"Morning, girlfriend," Max muttered pulling back a little to rest her forehead against Chloe's.

Stretching with a sleepy groan, the bluenette wrapped her arms around the younger girl, earning a surprised yelp. "Nope, not morning. Not until I say so."

Chloe began pressing light kisses to Max's neck, making the brunette giggled as she tried to wrestle herself free. "Chloeeeee, c'mon. There's an hour before I have to get to Blackwell."

"Blackhell, you mean," she corrected, pausing to offer a suggestive grin. "Besides, I can work with that time restraint."

"AND, you have to be at work just after," Max reminded her sternly.

Realizing that she probably wasn't going to win this one, Chloe let her go with a pout. "Bleh, you're mean to me."

"Oh yes. So mean that I made you coffee," the brunette grinned handing over a mug.

Sitting upright, Chloe took the coffee and downed a few mouthfuls, nodding approvingly. Resting the cup in her lap, she looked down at it as she ran her thumb around the rim. "Thank you, Max."

Shaking her head, Max sat down beside her. "You don't have to thank me for a coffee, silly."

"No, I meant for yesterday," Chloe explained, still not looking at the brunette. "I never got the chance to say it before you, well passed out… again."

"Yeah, sorr-" Max went to reply to find one of the bluenette's fingers on her lips.

"You don't get to apologize," she added, sounding a little annoyed. "There's no need. If anything…" She paused, sighing before giving the young time traveler a weak smile. "I should be the one doing the apologizing." "I know you would've saved him if you could. You didn't deserve my crap. Especially when you miss him, too. That wasn't fair."

Not wanting to see her sad anymore, Max pulled Chloe's finger from her mouth and put her coffee mug on the table. Without another word, she took the mug off her girlfriend - who looked more than a little confused - and wrapped her arms around the bluenette, hugging her tight.

"Chloe, you don't need to apologize either. You had every right to be angry... and at me. I should have told you sooner. I just… chickened out, I guess," Max muttered as she felt Chloe hug her back.

It was a shitty situation for both of them, learning that William had been pretty much destined to die from the start. Or at least, the price for keeping him alive was much too high, something he agreed with. There would never have been a good time to tell Chloe.

"I can see a few issues with trying to bring up the 'I'm sorta responsible for your dad's death' talk," Chloe mumbled, her attempt at humor sounding just a little flat.

"Yeah, not a conversation I was looking forward to." Giving her one final squeeze, Max retracted and steeled her resolve. No more secrets. "And not the only one, either."

Frowning, Chloe demanded answers. "What do you mean, Max? Is there something else you haven't told me? If so, please say it now."

Faltering, Max managed to get out a weak, "Um, it's about… Rachel."

Chloe's expression darkened, jumping to the worst possible conclusion. "Don't tell me they..."

"Oh no, no. Nothing like that. Well, not exactly," the brunette added as an afterthought.

"Then what... exactly," Chloe pressed, still looking worried.

Swallowing, Max bit her lip. "Rachel was… a Chosen, like me."

"She was a time traveler?" the older girl exclaimed, eyes widening.

Max shook her head slowly. "No, not time travel. You remember when I said different chosen have different powers? Hers was different."

"So, she had a power that she didn't tell me about," Chloe summarized, trying not to sound bitter. "Guess that's not the first time she's kept something a secret."

"She didn't know," Max interrupted before the bluenette could get too irritated. "Think of it this way. You, Chloe Price, have a super power. You're a badass."

Managing a half laugh, half scoff, Chloe rolled her eyes. "Being a badass is not a super power, Max."

"Isn't it?" the brunette smiled, eventually getting a reluctant one back from her girlfriend. "Back on track. With Rachel, it was just her being… her. Inspiring those around her and giving them hope, brightening their day."

"Sooo, like a positive aura type thing?" Chloe asked, trying to get her head around it.

Thinking it over, Max nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. At some point, she gained it and she's had it ever since. Well, until she died that is."

Something seemed to click for Chloe then. "Wait... she wasn't born with it?"

"No, unlike mine hers wouldn't kill the user if they weren't ready for it," the brunette confirmed. "My guess, it was passed onto someone else after she… you know."

Chloe was silent for some time, the painful memories of Rachel seeping through to the surface. "I see. So, there's someone else around with her… gift. Would be good to know who. I mean, look where it got her."

"Nona did try to keep her safe until I arrived," Max revealed hesitantly. When her blue-haired friend frowned, she continued. "She couldn't see what was going on with Jeffershit and Nathan, not until it was too late. Otherwise, she would've triggered my power sooner, I reckon." Sighing, she felt guilt creep up on her. "I guess human resolve can defy even that of the watchers…"

"What do you mean by that?" Chloe pressed, still trying to understand everything she'd learned recently. First about her dad, then Rachel… what else was there?

"Do you know how many letters I wrote you but never actually sent... dozens. Probably more than a hundred," the brunette admitted, wishing she'd just sent one of them. That was all it would have taken.

"Heh, well I did the same. Although…" she hesitated, looking a little guilty. "I kinda burned them all while having a rage out. About the same time I dyed my hair."

"And you still couldn't bring yourself to get rid of everything, like a certain CD," Max smirked, recalling the Pirate mixtape she'd made for Chloe all those years ago.

"Yeah, well… not that I didn't try. I guess some things mean too much to me," Chloe replied, more vulnerable than she usually allowed herself to sound. "Still do."

"There were some things I could never get rid of either, like that Halloween picture of us," the brunette muttered, leaning in for a kiss that Chloe was all too happy to receive.

Deciding that it was fine to humor her for a little while, Max let her deepen the kiss. It was so tempting to skip class and stay here with Chloe forever, but they both had responsibilities to take care of. Maybe one day, she would be able to pause time with someone without feeling like her head was about to explode and then it wouldn't matter. Until then…

When Chloe's hands started wandering under her shirt, Max lightly batted her hands away. "What did I say about needing to be at Blackwell and work?"

"I was hoping you'd forget… or at least pretend to," Chloe sighed, disheartened.

"We'll have time to play catch up soon," Max reassured, cupping her girlfriend's cheek. "Just be patient."

"Yeah, because me and patience go so well together," the bluenette scoffed, pressing a kiss to the inside of Max's wrist. "But fine… don't expect me to hold back next time, though."

"It's not like I want you to stop, it's just we have other shit to do for now," the young time traveler added, both nervous and interested to see what Chloe had planned.

"There's always shit to do," the blue-haired punk reminded, a mischievous smirk tugging at her lips. "People, too."

"Ha, ha." Max blushed slightly at that, standing up to sort out something to eat.

Settling on some toast, the pair chowed down and, after Max had grabbed her things, they headed to Blackwell. Pulling up in the parking lot, Chloe shut off the engine and gave a dejected sigh. "So, another week before I get my toy back, I guess."

"I'm not a toy, Chloe," Max giggled as the bluenette leaned in close.

"Pretty sure that mark on your neck says otherwise," Chloe smirked, hinting to the large love bite on the brunette's neck. "Although… I'm sure there's room for another."

"Wha- Chloe, nooo…" The brunette's protest melted into a satisfied moan as the punk's lips worked their magic on her exposed neck.

That earned a few wolf whistles from a group of lads passing by, causing Max to cover her face with her free arm to hide her blush. 'Shit… I so hope they don't go to Blackwell. I was too… distracted to even look properly.'

Pulling back from her girlfriend's neck, the bluenette grinned as she eyed up her latest addition. "You're lucky we're in the parking lot, huh?"

Max felt a tight knot in the pit of her stomach at those words, checking her neck in the rearview mirror. "If anyone says anything... I'm telling them I was held against my will and attacked by a merciless vampire."

"Not too far from the truth. Maybe one day you'll find out just how merciless I can be," Chloe replied in a low, husky voice.

Swallowing hard, the brunette managed a nod and a mumbled 'uh-huh' before her girlfriend's lips were on hers, eliciting a gentle moan. If she had her way, she would never leave this truck. Had it not been for the painful backlash of freezing time with another person, she definitely would've done it now.

Suddenly, Chloe pulled back much to her friend's confusion. "You need to get out of this truck now or else I'll be driving you straight back home."

Reluctantly, Max got out of the truck and made her way round to the driver's side, reaching in for a final kiss. "I'll text you later."

"You better do Caulfield, or I'll come looking for you," the bluenette playfully threatened.

"Oooh, maybe I won't text you then," Max grinned. Recently, she had gained a little more confidence in their mutual teasing game.

Narrowing her eyes at the brunette she started the engine up, her truck roaring back to life. "If you don't, then the cost of certain... apologies will increase."

"I don't doubt it," Max smirked as she waved her girlfriend off and made her way to the dorms. 'Part of me doesn't want to send a text now... who am I kidding? Far too chickenshit for that.'

Meanwhile, Dana was slowly waking up to face the world. Groggily, she patted the space beside her, letting out a disgruntled groan upon discovering she was alone. Sighing, she forced herself out of bed ready to hit the showers. Before she left, she gave herself a quick once over in the mirror to check out the latest hickey just visible on the top of her breast.

'Damn girl… you're getting braver.'

On the way to the showers, she pondered the past few weeks. To the casual observer, most changes had been superficial – the damages predominantly. Digging deeper, you could feel the altered vibe, most notably around Blackwell.

Students who had previously gone out of their way to make other's lives a misery were instead being helpful. Even the self-proclaimed Queen Bee of Blackwell was seen offering Alyssa a hand cleaning her room after she returned. Near-death experiences had a way of opening people's eyes it seemed.

Everyone was happier in general, especially Max. Although, the reason for that spark of joy had everything to do with her new girlfriend. The surprising thing: nobody had made any snide or offensive remarks. Even when they were walking across campus hand in hand, not hiding it. At the old Blackwell, they sure would have. The occasional wolf whistles had made the smaller girl blush, making her even cuter if that was even possible.

For once, everything seemed to be… calm. After all the chaos, they sure needed some downtime. That brought her thoughts back around to her blonde bundle of joy. Never in a million years did she consider this outcome. Yeah, she'd always thought Kate was cute but…

"Do you plan on getting up today?" a familiarly cheerful voice asked, the smile clear in it.

Glancing over to the door, Dana saw Kate already dressed and ready to face the day. "I might need some… persuading."

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, the blonde shook her head. "Depending on how quickly you get ready, I'll consider it later."

With the promise of reward for compliance, Dana got to work packing up and changing while Kate went to make sure Max was awake. Sometimes, she needed a good poke or two. Surprisingly, the brunette was up and at 'em even before she knocked. The blonde had to wonder if her friend's uncharacteristic punctuality had something to do with the rewind.

"Ready?" the blonde prompted, not questioning it for now.

"As I'll ever be," her freckled friend replied.

They headed back to Dana's room, who had gotten ready pretty damn quick. Passing a knowing glance her way, Kate led the group towards Blackwell's main building. Entering the science lab, the three girls took their places. Kate sat down in the middle, between her friend and girlfriend. As Dana unpacked, she heard vague mention of this week's homework. After a quick rummage through her bag, she put it on the desk.

The audible groan from the brunette caught her attention. "I coulda swore I did it…"

"Guessing you've been a little distracted over the weekend, hmm?" Dana replied, tone playfully accusing.

Instead of taking the bait, the brunette buried her head in her bag in an attempt to make it appear she was looking for something.

"You know, I'm sure you can find the time, Max," Kate mentioned, sliding what looked like her own homework sheet over.

Something about the way she said that and the way she was acting implied some hidden meaning. Dana didn't think much of it, though.

For a moment Max looked a little confused, then a sudden realization dawned on her. A second later, she was pulling her own homework out of her bag with a triumphant cheer. "I knew I had done it."

'Okaaaaay… that was weird.' Dana watched as the two girls next to her passed each other cheeky grins. "You two aren't up to something are you?"

"Um, no," Kate mumbled guiltily. To hide her blush, she turned her attention to the doodle on the cover of her sketchbook.

Not buying it for a second, Dana gave brunette an accusing glance. "Max, what was that about?"

"Uh... n-nothing," she stuttered unconvincingly.

"Uh-huh, not buying it. You two are hiding something," Dana concluded crossing her arms.

"D, it's nothing I promise you," Kate insisted.

"So, there is something then?" the taller girl pressed, watching the color drain from Kate's face as she passed a glance towards her brunette co-conspirator.

Coming to her aid, Max interrupted. "If I say yes, will you trust us that it's nothing bad?"

"You guys have never given me a reason to doubt you before," her gaze turned to the blonde, "but I didn't think you'd be keeping secrets from me."

"And I don't..." a look of immense guilt crossed her delicate features, "…except one, and I shouldn't even know it."

Expression softening, Max gave her a smile. "Kate, you're my best friend. I can hardly keep something like that from you."

Worry faded away, replaced with happiness. "I'm glad you trusted me enough with it, Max"

Realizing she wasn't getting anywhere, Dana decided to ease up on the pressure for now. "Maybe I'll have to find a way to tease it out of you later."

The young blonde's mouth hung open at the insinuation, slowly sinking into her seat as she turned a bright pink. "Umm, h-how?"

"I promise I'll tell you, Dana. One day... Just right now, things are pretty crazy," Max quickly interjected, coming to Kates defense.

"Okay, okay," Dana chuckled. "Maybe I'll just tease you later anyway," she whispered playfully to the blonde, making her blush even more if that was possible.

Apparently, it was.

After class had ended for the day, Max returned to her room. She waited around for a while, grabbing a shower and got some homework out of the way – learning from the earlier incident Kate had kindly bailed her out of – before Chloe came by after work. The second she came in, they shared a tender kiss, the bluenette scooping her friend up in a warm embrace.

This part they were starting to get used to. It still felt a little… awkward sometimes. After being friends for so long, then worse than strangers, this was a whole new kind of weird. Good weird.

When they finally broke apart, Chloe smirked. "You missed me that much, huh?"

"Shut up…" the brunette muttered through a chuckle as they shifted over to the bed. "How's your day been?"

"Eh, same as always. Hard work and mischief." Smirking slightly, Chloe casually slung her arm over her brunette girlfriend. Honestly, she was kind of amazed she could do it. "How's your day been?"

"Well, I forgot to do some homework earlier," Max revealed. "Kate saved my ass. Copy and rewind."

"Not doing homework? Now you're talking my language," the bluenette replied eagerly.

That got Max rolling her eyes. "Well, it was kind of your fault."

"Pfft, takes two to tango," Chloe scoffed loudly. "Speaking of, are she and Dana still a thing?"

Mock irritation forgotten, the other girl smiled at the mental image of Dana and Kate. "Yeah, it's pretty cute."

An impish grin danced on the blue-haired punk's lips. "Who'da thunk it. Didn't pin Kate down as the 'girl on girl action' type."

"Oh dog, Chloe… you did NOT just say that," Max groaned loudly.

A teasing smirk tugged at her lips. "You know I did. Aw, did I make Maxine blush?"

Those words hit her with unexpected force, reminding her of the alternate timeline when… pushing that thought back, she did her best to pass it off. "Not a chance."

"Well, maybe I should be trying harder then," the bluenette suggested.

The brunette didn't respond to that, not wanting to encourage or shut down. She knew that eventually, she would have to face what she had been trying to avoid until now. It was just… difficult to bring up or let happen given how nervous she felt about it. Maybe it was time to start moving things forward…

Not now, though. They spent the evening watching films, reminiscing over shared memories and snuggling up together. Once or twice, things got more touchy feely but nothing too excessive. Max could tell Chloe wanted to but was aware of her brunette girlfriend's insecurity about it. The bluenette didn't want to fuck this up.

Max was more than worth the wait.

Since they both had an early start the next day, Chloe left. Both girls knew full well they wouldn't be sleeping much if she stayed. After a few hugs, kisses and a look that lasted longer than it should have – dipping into dangerous territory – the bluenette headed back home. Now left alone, the brunette kind of regretted letting her go. Yet another chance to chicken out…

Sighing, she flopped down on her bed. Would it stay like this forever? Being too scared to go forward. This was what she had wanted so bad, enough to potentially fuck up all of time, and she was hesitating. 'Come on, Max. You've got to be brave for once in your life.'

Then, an idea began to form. It was kinda crazy and way out of her comfort zone, but… if it was for Chloe, she didn't mind so much. Determined, she grabbed her phone and glanced over at the mirror.

Time for a selfie.

It was a slow journey home for Chloe. She wanted to turn around but knew what would happen if she did. There was only so much she could take being around Max before certain thoughts crept to the foreground. As much as she might want to convey in every way possible just how much she loved her childhood best friend, a few depended on the aforementioned girl. If she wasn't ready, there was no point. The bluenette didn't want to push it.

Turning into the parking space outside her house, she grabbed a quick snack before heading upstairs. Her phone buzzed off halfway up the stairs. Not wanting to trip over, she waited until she was sat down on her bed until she even considered checking. No need to tempt fate after all the times she'd been injured or worse in other timelines…

Opening up the bag of potato chips, she shoved some in her mouth before checking the message, nearly choking. For a while, she just stared wondering if she was dreaming or not. Even if she was, maybe she didn't care.

"Holy shit, Max…" she muttered under her breath, swallowing as her eyes took in the picture of her girlfriend stood sideways in front of a mirror… totally naked.

Honestly, she didn't know where to look. Not everything was visible, but enough. Sure, this wasn't the first time she'd seen… certain parts of Max. The young time traveler had been brave enough to show off more but…

Biting her lip, blue eyes roamed over the picture, taking in pale freckled skin she had already explored… and some she hadn't. "That's hardly fair… you let me leave then send this? Oh, you are so in trouble the next time I see you..."

Later the next day Max, Kate, and Dana headed off into town. First, they had gone to the Two Whales to eat. They had ordered tea and coffee, waffles for Max with Dana and Kate ordering something that could be considered a proper meal.

After that, they had gone scouring the shops. Dana, being the most fashion conscious of the three, was in her element. The other two, not so much. Kate was more interested in books and drawing stuff, Max her photography and vaguely nerdy items. While the other two had been busy, the brunette had disappeared somewhere. When she came back, she had a bag but refused to divulge its contents.

That was enough to catch Dana's interest, her blonde girlfriend playing Max's defender. Eventually, she gave up begrudgingly. Giving Kate a thankful glance, the brunette made sure to keep the bag away from prying eyes. With some new purchases – the shy blonde getting a new sketchbook, Dana some new clothes and Max's… present for Chloe – they started heading back to the bus stop.

Just as they were about to cross the road, a loud honking brought the brunette out of her daydream. She turned just in time to see a loaded truck barrelling towards them. Instinctively, she put her arm in front of Kate, pushing her back while hitting the breaks on reality stopping the vehicle inches from crashing straight into their bodies.

"How fast was he...?" Dana shouted, her voice trailing off into the void.

"Uh... er, Max? Are we where I think we are?" the blonde hesitantly asked, looking towards her friend.

Opening her eyes, the brunette looked around. They were surrounded by darkness, a familiar tug at the back of her mind as sudden realization hit her.

"Holy shit," she mumbled looking across to Kate and Dana both looking dumbstruck. "This is gonna take some explaining."

"What... the... hell?" Dana muttered slowly.

"MAX!" Nona's voice filled the air, the brunette spinning on her heels.

"Nona!" Max almost shouted happily, hugging the blonde now stood in front of them. "It's good to see you.

"You too, hun," Nona smiled, returning the hug. "And I see you brought friends this time."

"Oh... um yeah, not sure how," Max replied, breaking the hug, and signaling to Dana. "This is Dana..."

"Ward, 18 years old, a cheerleader for the Blackwell Bigfoots... secretly wants to be an actress but doesn't think she will ever be good enough," Nona recounted, giving the taller blonde a gentle hug.

Understandably, Dana was caught off gaurd. "Uh, yeah… wait, you're… sorry, you just look… like someone I knew. A friend, actually."

Nona offered her a pained smile, knowing exactly who she meant. "You mean Rachel Amber."

"It's… complicated Dana, but this isn't Rachel," Max assured softly, having already felt that shock.

Kate gave her a sympathetic look. "I'll explain the best I can later, I promise."

"I must admit Max, you're full of surprises," Nona smiled at the brunette appraisingly. "I said you could do it… and to bring another Chosen here no less."

And I'll leave it there.

Next chapter won't be as long, and therefore won't take as long, And the chapter after is already done (95%)

Until next time

Peace out