Hey all, So a funny thing happened, This chapter was posted over on AO3 little over a month ago, and I thought it was posted here...oops, Guess I went to post it and got called away and forgot, plus other life stuff getting in the way. Better late than never so here you go.

P.S

Announcement at the bottom, Enjoy

Chapter 33 - Impossible Feats

When Max woke, it took her a few moments to realize where she was. Chloe's room. That was nothing new. The bluenette had her arms wrapped tight around her girlfriend, her expression the very definition of relaxed. In moments like these, where she was so close, Max could really appreciate how pretty she was. That wasn't all, though.

Chloe was just… amazing. Sure, she had her flaws – some of them not all her fault – but she was so strong. A strength Max had only recently come to even partly understand after losing so much.

She could feel the heat radiate from her old friend's naked body, only feeling a little self-conscious. At least there was a blanket.

Problem was… she would have to leave its safety if she wanted to get up.

Plucking up the courage, she carefully wriggled out of Chloe's hold and gathered her clothes up. Or tried to. She couldn't find her shirt anywhere. Sighing softly, she grabbed her punk girlfriend's tank top and slid it over her head. It was too big but better than nothing. Before she left, she snuck a quick kiss on her punk's forehead. As much as she would love to stay there snuggled up forever, Chloe would probably get grouchy without food. A lesson she'd learned the hard way.

Stretching, the brunette headed downstairs. If the Two Whales had been open, she would've traveled over to get breakfast. Instead, she had to settle for making it herself. Knowing Chloe's insane appetite, Max got to work on a feast. Or as much of one as she could with the ingredients available.

She'd spent enough time around Joyce to learn a few tricks and knew Chloe well enough to put together something the punk would eat in five seconds flat.

The only thing that brought her from her daze was her phone ringing. According to the caller ID, it was Kate. Smiling to herself, Max answered the call without a second thought mid-breakfast making.

"Hey, Kate." She heard some shuffling from the other end, more than one muffled voice. Considering everything she'd seen, it worried her. "Kate?"

Just as she was starting to panic a little, a voice came from the other end. Not Kate but... Dana. "Hi, Max."

The brunette could hear a definite huff, no doubt belonging to Kate. "Uh, hey Dana. What's up?"

Putting on the most innocent - yet clearly forced - tone she could muster, Dane replied, "Oh, just wanted to know how you were getting on. I figured you'd be more likely to answer Kate's phone than mine."

Suspicion mounting, Max frowned slightly. "Uh… I'm doing fine, thanks."

"And... how about Chloe?"

The real intention behind Dana's mask call slowly dawned on her. It should have been obvious from the very beginning. God, she was dense sometimes.

"Chloe is doing fine," she answered simply, not wanting to embarrass herself.

"Oh? Just fine? If she's with you, I thought she would be… happy." Before Max could reply, Dana pressed ahead, "So, what have you been up to? Anything fun?"

"You could say that, yes." The words left her lips before she could stop them, mentally kicking herself.

That was just the ammo Dana needed. A weakness to tap into. "I could, could I? Why's that?"

"Um… well…" Feeling backed into a corner, she gathered her thoughts. "Being together is… fun in general."

"Right, 'in general'." Max could practically hear the air quotation marks. "But what about more specifically? Like-"

At that moment, she heard noises from the other end of the line. It sounded like Kate was trying to fight for her phone back, or at least Max hoped that was it. Otherwise, she was worried. After a few seconds of struggling, she heard a deep sigh.

"Max." Kate seemed a little out of breath from her fight.

"Dare I ask?"

Instead of replying with words, Max heard a sharp and surprised yelp, alongside hushed voices and another sigh. "Best not to. Sorry about that."

Max shook her head with a slight smile. "Nothing to be sorry about. Well… nothing for you to be sorry about, at least."

"I should take some responsibility, just like I'm sure you do for Chloe sometimes," Kate reminded fondly.

"Yeah… sure we'll go with 'sometimes'." The brunette managed a smirk at Chloe's expense. "But yeah, seriously don't worry about it."

"Okay, Max. I won't," Kate reassured with a newfound confidence. "Seriously, how are you?"

"I'm doing…" Max found herself smiling, answering the question. "Pretty great, actually. How about you?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." Max could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Anyway, I hope Dana didn't interrupt anything."

"Only breakfast making."

There were some more shuffling sounds, swiftly followed by a soft and resigned sigh. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Say hi to Chloe for me."

"I will. See you later." Almost the second she hung up, she heard shuffling from upstairs, followed by light thuds.

No doubt about it, Chloe was up.

Max had to admit, she felt just a little nervous. How was she supposed to act around the bluenette?

She didn't get much time to figure it out. The much taller girl slumped into the kitchen, half dazed. Passing a sleepy if uncharacteristically shy smile in Max's direction one that made her heart jolt as Chloe headed over to the counter ready to get some caffeine.

Externally, Max managed to keep her cool for the most part. However internally was an entirely different scenario. She was, for want of a better word, freaking out.

Swallowing hard, she watched her girlfriend shuffle over to the counter and get the coffee going. If she didn't do something quick, it might start to get genuinely awkward. She didn't want that.

Before that could happen, Max made a decision. Steeling herself, she took a step closer and wrapped her arms around her bluenette. As she did, she pressed her face into Chloe's back, inhaling deeply. The faint smell of weed and blueberry body wash filled her nostrils.

It was times like this she wished she could capture forever. Just stop time and soak in every beautiful moment as the punk set about making coffee, occasionally waddling from side to side dragging Max with her as she let out a chuckle.

'Max,' a faint voice barely even noticeable.

Slightly confused, Max pulled back a little so she could speak clearly. "Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"

Equally as puzzled, Chloe glanced over her shoulder. "Nope. Why?"

"Nevermind, I thought I heard something." Max shrugged, continuing to cling herself to the taller girl.

'Max,' again the faint voice, stronger this time.

"Okay, I definitely heard that." She frowned, a sinking ominous feeling permeating its way from the pit of her stomach.

"Heard what?" Chloe asked, just a little worried now.

'Max, look out!' the voice all but shouted, loud and clear. A voice the brunette instantly recognized.

"Nona?" Max gasped as a sharp pain writhed through her back.

The forceful impact pushed her into the punk, knocking the wind out of her. Time slowed around her as she saw Chloe spin round, her expression one of alarm and panic.

Max tried to tighten her grip on the punk as she fell to her knees. A loud gunshot rang through the air, drowning out the sound of her name. Chloe was clearly panicked, eyes flicking to the back door.

Following her gaze, Max's eyes fell on a haggard man. Scraggly unkempt black hair, an unshaven face framing a vile grin with cracked glasses and a tattered black suit. Dark, murderous eyes peered into her very soul. In the figure's hand was a gun, barrel still smoking from its previous shot.

Her blood ran cold. Despite his haggard appearance, Max recognized him instantly.

Mark Jefferson.

A bright light emanating from the barrel of the gun, growing brighter as a small bullet emerged, surging towards Chloe followed by another loud gunshot erupting from the gun.

'NO!' Max thought as she willed time to reverse.

All she managed to do was slow the event down, a familiar pain shooting through her skull. The more she pushed, tried to force time back, the more the searing pain in her head pushed back. With the bullet now only inches from Chloe's head, Max gritted her teeth grinding time to a standstill. It was almost touching the punk's forehead.

She breathed a short-lived sigh of relief as the dull pain in her lower back made itself known again. Instinctively she placed a hand on the affected area, feeling a warm wet sensation. Frowning, she pulled her shaking hand to her face to see dark red blood covering it.

This was bad. Really bad.

No matter how hard she tried, she could not rewind the bullet or move Chloe out of its way, and she did try. All she could do was freeze this moment, pushing back with all her might. She had come too far now, sacrificed so much to get to this point. Seen and done things no person ever should, been to the fiery pits of hell and back.

Chloe meant too damn much to her to give up now.

This. Was. Not. How. It. Ended.

Despite mentally vowing this, she was running out of steam. In fact, she had long ago. She was running off fumes and sheer willpower. Both of those could only get her so far. Just because she didn't want the bluenette to die didn't mean shit to the universe.

Well… fuck the universe. FUCK EVERYTHING!

"You can't do this!" Nona's furious voice cut across the void, snapping the young time traveler out of her grief.

"It is done. The decision made," a dark, hollow voice announced.

"You said…" Nona could barely speak, voice overtaken by hurt and betrayal. "It was agreed we wouldn't do this again."

"Nona..." Max muttered weakly.

It was getting so hard to focus now. Her entire body was shaking. In all the time she'd had her power, pushed herself to the limit and beyond, this was… the worst. Not only physically but emotionally.

Almost instantly, the familiar blonde appeared before her. Hazel eyes red, filled with regret and sadness, tear streams running down her cheeks.

"Nona. What's going on?" Max sobbed, trying so desperately to cling on. "Why can't I rewind?"

"I am so so sorry, Max," Nona pleaded, taking a step towards the brunette. "I swear I didn't know. If I did, I'd never have allowed it."

The dread inside the time traveler threatened to swallow her whole. "Know what… Nona?"

Hanging her head, Nona sighed. "The other Watchers. They've… It's Chloe. They've sealed her fate."

Those last few words smacked her like a punch to the gut, leaving her breathless and pained. She didn't want to believe it. How?

"Wha… why?" she spluttered, maintaining her faint yet definite grasp on reality.

"I don't..." Nona didn't even get the chance to finish.

"It is time to sever the catalyst." The hollow voice echoed out as a dark shadowy figure appeared some feet away from the two girls.

There was not an ounce of compassion or sympathy. Just cold and clinical.

"What right do you have to decide that?!" A surge of anger rushed through the brunette. To think they could just make that decision so callously. "She makes me stronger, a better person...she," the words got caught in her throat, lost to a heart-wrenching sob, "she's my life."

The blonde's heart broke, watching Max fight so hard for this. It made her angry . Why did it have to be this way? Who had the right to decide that? What would separating Max and Chloe even achieve? It would simply break the brunette beyond repair.

"You'll only succeed in destroying her," Nona growled stepping in front of Max, facing up to the large shadowy figure.

"The Catalyst makes the Timewalker unpredictable," it replied flatly. "Uncontrollable. It must be severed."

"It…" That was like a stab to her heart, fueling the rage. "She has a name. Her name is Chloe."

"It matters not," the unknown force responded flippantly.

Max was too in shock to react with anything other than fear. Clearly, this entity didn't care at all.

"It does fucking matter," Nona growled angrily, fists balled so tight the whites of her knuckles began to show. "You think she will ever help us again if you do this… that I will ever help you again." Turning her back on the other watchers, Nona knelt down beside the sobbing brunette and enveloped her in a hug. "I am so sorry, Max."

"Take it, take it away from me," Max uttered, slowly turning to Nona. "I relinquish this… 'gift'. Just take it away. If I can't have Chloe because of… this," she looked down at her hand flexing it slowly, before turning to the shadowy figure, "Then I don't want it."

"Max..." Her rebuttal was instantly shot down.

"No, Nona," the brunette's voice shook, betraying her forced calm. "I mean it, I don't want this 'gift' so just take it away and leave me and Chloe alone."

"This cannot be done," the other voice cut in, cold and uncaring.

Max frowned looking at the blonde. "But you said…"

Nona's face dropped, apologetic, "I… didn't want you to worry." Her face went taught as she turned to the other watcher. "I didn't think it would come to THIS."

"Nona. There… there has to be something I can do… anything. I can't. I won't lose her, not again," Max sobbed, her voice desperate. "Can't you… do anything? Please."

How could she just accept it? After all this time. She'd rather die .

As much as the blonde wanted nothing more than to intervene here, it was impossible. "Max, I… I can't. Our powers, they don't affect fellow Watchers. If I could do something, you know I would…"

Watching Max's face drop was… soul destroying. Seeing that last flicker of hope brutally crushed. Nona said nothing further, holding the young Timewalker. As she sobbed, the blonde gently rocked her back and forth. It pained her to see Max this way, especially since she had witnessed her and Chloe's relationship blossom. Like lambs to the slaughter.

Just when it all seemed hopeless, a thought occurred to blonde. One she had to mention. "There… maybe a way Max, but it's dangerous."

"I don't care," Max replied, looking up at the blonde's eyes, pleading.

Nona's expression turned deadly serious, unbefitting of the way Max had always pictured Rachel Amber. "Max. This... could kill you."

Still struggling against fate or whatever the fuck wanted Chloe dead, Max managed an emotionally defeated, "I'm already dead without her."

Nodding, Nona got to her feet, passing what could only be described as a death glare at the other watchers as she snapped her fingers causing a familiar rope-like structure to appear next to her, perhaps a billion stands of color all rolled into one. A vibrant pink strand standing out more so than the rest with a silvery strand running alongside.

With ease, the blonde picked out the familiar pink one, separating it from the rest of the timeline. In the distance what Max once saw as an endless pink line began slowly fading, drawing ever closer to the point Nona was holding.

"You're losing a lot of blood, Max," she pointed out, passing a teary glance to the brunette. "If you don't allow time to resume, your body won't be able to heal. You'll bleed to death."

"I... don't... care."

Nodding, Nona returned to the ropelike structure and began searching through the strands, her actions quickly becoming more erratic.

"Where is it?" she barked angrily, turning to the other watcher.

"Hidden," the shadowy figure replied.

"Where's what? What's hidden?" Max pressed firmly, not fucking around anymore.

Anger - no, hatred - coursed through Nona's veins. "You knew. you knew I'd suggest it… how DARE you take that choice away from her?!"

Max frowned, mind racing. "What choice? Nona, what's hidden?"

"Chloe's line," the blonde answered simply, referring to her rope-like structure. "They knew what I'd suggest. I... there's nothing we can do, Max. I'm sorry. Chloe's… going to die."

"NO!" Max screamed, slamming her fists to the floor.

What Nona saw next defied everything that she knew true and possible. "Max..."

Notes:

I'm just gonna go hide over here.

On the up side, the next chapter is turning out to be MUCH longer than anticipated, so, It's getting split and soon, so that means we have 3-4 chapters mostly written up, expect the next one this Sunday/Monday (depending on work) until then

Peace out