Alright everybody, here it is, a double update! I've got the last Chapter, and a little epilogue for you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Max ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everything was ready, detective Madsen had the list, and we were heading out to the bunker, to enact the last part of the plan. We were all piled into Nathan's SUV, Rachel sitting beside him in the front, and Chloe and I cuddled up in the back. I wanted her to feel as reassured as possible before we got in there. It was going to potentially be dangerous, we all knew that, and this was the last time we'd have for comfort before everything went down. Nobody says anything as we drive, though it wasn't completely silent, Nathan was playing whale songs to keep himself calm. I do have to admit they are pretty soothing, and if things hadn't been so stressful to begin with, I might have fallen asleep listening to them. Chloe was warm, and comfortable against me, it could have been a very nice day if this had just been a double date, or something.
Chloe shifts a little, she's been doing that a lot the whole ride. I can tell she's nervous, but the close quarters don't allow her to move as much as she probably would if we were somewhere more open. I take her hand, and lace our fingers together. I give her a smile, that I hope looks reassuring whens she looks at me. Of course I'm nervous too, I feel like a live current is running through my body right now, but I keep myself still, hoping my apparent calm will help Chloe. The thing that scares me most though, is hurting Chloe, is not being able to be there for her anymore. I pull her down gently, so I can kiss her, I don't know if that's meant to reassure her, or me, but it's nice. The calm before the storm.
Jefferson's car was already sitting there waiting for us as we arrive. Nathan pulls up next to it, and we all get out. This will be our last moment of peace before everything goes down. I give Chloe's hand a squeeze, as I send a text out to detective Madsen. I hope it came across as panicked, or at least urgent. I lean up to give Chloe a kiss on the cheek before I head over to Jefferson's car, and begin to jimmy it open with an old coat hanger I've bent out of shape just for this. It doesn't take me long to get his care open, and then pull the release for the trunk. The trunk is, thankfully, empty of anything that would keep me from having been locked in there. I plant the burner phone inside, and shut everything back up. Just a little something extra to fit our narrative, plus I'm pretty sure the police can track cellphones, at least as long as it's left on.
I take a deep breath, and look at the others. Somehow I got put in charge of this mess, and it leaves me feeling anxious. It reminds me of when I was little, and so, so shy. I kinda wish Chloe would step up, and take charge for me like she used to back then. Then again, I'm also kinda glad she doesn't have to be burdened. Times have changed, and now it's my turn to be the strong one for better, or for worse. My life after I moved, has been tempering me, preparing me for this role. They all look to me, and I can feel the butterflies in my stomach get worse. I guess this is it.
"Alright... when I apologize to Chloe, that's the signal. Masen will be there soon, and you three need to get gone." I take a deep breath and look at Rachel. "I need you to go ahead, and grab Chloe now. Keep her relaxed enough that she looks like you have her under control, but not enough that she can't concentrate. She's your way out when the time comes, maybe even everyone's way out if this goes sideways. Also... if anything happens to her I'm holding you personally responsible."
Rachel nods, and steps over next to Chloe, who grumbles something about being able to take care of herself. I just flash her a grin, and she rolls her eyes at me before Rachel takes her by the hand, causing Chloe to visibly relax. She seriously almost looks high, though that's kind of the point really. She needs to look under control, like she's no threat whatsoever, so that there's less of a chance of Jefferson requiring her to be bound up. If she can't move that makes it harder for her to get the three of them out of there when the time came, or to be able to get us all out of there if things went wrong. She had to be free to move as necessary. It looks really convincing to me, I just hope enough of it is an act that Chloe isn't actually impaired.
"Alright then Nathan... I guess it's time. Do I just go limp and let you carry me, or will Jefferson expect me to be like tied, or cuffed or something?" I quirk my brow at him as I ask my questions.
He shrugs. " I don't know... he'll probably find fault with it no matter what we do. You're tied up, he'll complain about having to untie you to secure you in a chair or on the table... if I don't he'll complain about how sloppy I'm being. He loves an opportunity to lecture... loves his own voice." his voice, and expression are as bitter as his words.
"Alright, well I guess I'm all yours. No funny stuff Prescott." I give him a mock stern look that quickly melts into a smirk.
Nathan frowns, sounding offended. " Like I'd ever be interested in your skinny..." he pauses staring at my smirk, which he slowly begins to mimic. "Tch... alright Caulfield, I'll try to control myself." he rolls his eyes, but there's humor in it. There may be hope for him yet.
He steps over, and hefts me up with a grunt. "Damn... you're heavier than you look Caulfield."
"You're lucky I'm unconscious, or I'd have to kick you ass for that comment." I retort, as I go limp, and close my eyes.
Nathan snorts. "Yeah right I'd..." he pauses, and I can feel him shaking his head. "You'd probably cheat and time travel again or something."
"Fuck yeah I would." I laugh lightly, as he shifts me a little on his shoulder. I pat him lightly on the back. "Alright everyone... It's go time."
Everyone was quiet as we started moving. I just hung there loosely, eyes closed, and waiting as we moved into the barn, and towards the entrance to the bunker below. It's unfortunate I have very little to do right now, it would help keep me occupied so I wouldn't have time to worry. I try to concentrate on just staying limp, the urge to tense in accordance to the way I'm feeling is strong. I'm doing this for Chloe, her safety, and happiness are all that matters to me now. Nathan shifts me a little, and I can hear him punch in the code on the keypad. The door opens, and we begin to move inside the belly of the beast once more.
"Well Nathan, what was so important we had to meet right aw- Who are our guests, and if you're bringing them in here like that.. why aren't they secured? You're getting sloppy Nathan... that just won't do. If you want to get ahead in the business, you have to pay more attention to what you're doing. You have such Promise... you just lack Focus." Jefferson gently chastises, using that tone teachers reserve for under performing students.
"We got the dangerous one drugged up, and Rachel has a handle on the other one... It's not a big deal." Nathan sounds strained as he answers back.
"Yep, this one's as tame as a kitten... aren't you?" Rachel coos, presumably at Chloe.
"Mhmm..." Chloe answers back languidly.
Jefferson makes a derisive sound. "I'll be the judge of that. What can they offer our little project?"
I feel Nathan Jerk a little. "She can teleport, and this one..." he hefts me gently. "Can control time."
I can hear Jefferson stepping closer. When he speaks his voice is almost reverent. "Chronokinesis? We've only theorized that it might be possible... are you sure?"
"I made nice with them for a little while before we brought them here... I've seen it in action personally. She'd have to have multiply abilities to pull it off otherwise... and well, people just don't often find it in themselves to lie to me." Rachel speaks up, her voice dripping with self-confidence.
"Well... we'll have to do a little testing to be certain, but it seems like you've made an excellent find. Get her strapped in over there." Jefferson sounds eager as he speaks.
I feel us moving, before Nathan dumps me unceremoniously into a chair. It's hard to remain limp as I fall the short distance into the seat, and then I crack my head on the back, I end up letting out a pained shout. "Ow fuck!"
Nathan let's out an annoyed groan, as Jefferson let's out a surprised noise. Everything erupts into chaos then, I can hear people moving, and yelling. Sounds of a struggle reach my ears, as I take a deep breath, and still laying limp, with my eyes closed, begin to rewind back the previous few seconds. This time it plays out smoothly, I don't have to deal with the sudden shock a second time, so I can easily play unconscious. I can feel Nathan beginning to tie me down, causing a spike in my anxiety. Some of which let's off when I realize he's doing it pretty loosely. I could probably escape on my own if I had to. Then he stepped away, and I was alone for the moment. I never thought I would ever miss Nathan Prescott's presence.
"We'll have to wait to do a full MRI back at the lab, but... blood tests, and an EEG should suffice for now." Jefferson speaks absently, possibly to himself. "Did you hear me Nathan? Start preparing a tray." I guess he wasn't talking to himself after all.
I'm not sure what to do. If he starts scanning my brain or whatever, he'll know I'm awake right? And taking blood? Could I just sit still through being jabbed with needles? I guess I could rewind still if it caught me by surprise, but still. Maybe it's time for me to pretend to wake up. I don't want to end up being drugged for real, but I need to do something or we're going to get caught. I take a deep breath, and feebly begin pulling at my restraints. I guess I'll try the waking up bit, and if it goes terribly wrong, I'll just rewind and try something else.
"You didn't use enough... This is just typical of you Nathan. I'm disappointed, you have so much potential, but you clearly lack focus." Jefferson says in a chastising tone. I kinda feel bad for poor Nathan right now.
I suppress my urge to make gagging sounds, and instead let out a little groan. Maybe I don't need to sell it, but it actually makes me feel less like telling him to shut the fuck up, so I go with it. At least I'm doing something, rather than just being passive now. I give my restraints a harder yank, not too hard though I don't want to tip off Jefferson yet, and open my eyes blinking around in the harsh light. That part was easy, I'd had my eyes closed so long I needed to adjust to the sudden change. I find everyone had their attention on me currently. I decided to stop the whole waking up act, I was afraid if I pushed it, Jefferson would get suspicious. It was time to start stalling, and hope that detective Madsen was already on his way.
"What the fuck is this?" I look directly at Jefferson. "You're that teacher that was giving my girlfriend the perv eye." the scorn in my voice is very real. It's easy, when I remember everything he did in the other timeline.
"Well Max..." the way he says my name, I can tell he's enjoying this. It makes me sick. "This... is my private little laboratory, and studio."
"Look, I don't really care what this is... just, let Chloe go." I look over at Chloe briefly. I hate that part of this hinges on him not agreeing. Not that I believe he would anyhow.
Jefferson laughs, and shakes his head. "I don't think you understand how this works Max. You're tied up, and out numbered. You don't get to make demands." he walks casually towards Chloe, and Rachel, and it takes all my power to only strain against my bonds rather than break free. "Besides... I can't let you go now. You know too much."
"Hey... we didn't see anything right? We can all walk away right now..." his proximity to Chloe makes sounding desperate easy.
"Oh come now Max... you really think I don't know about the two of you snooping in here? I have this place under tight surveillance." he reaches up brushing his fingers against Chloe's cheek, and again It takes all my power not to break free of my loosened bonds, and punch him.
"All... alright fine. So... what do you want?" I relax in my seat, hoping it looks enough like defeat that he stays confident. Then again even if he thinks I believe I still have a chance, he's probably arrogant enough not to lose confidence.
His grin sends waves of revulsion threw my stomach. "What do I want? Well... no matter what I get what I want out of this. I believe the question you should be asking is: How do I make this easier on myself?"
It takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes as he just stands there, grinning, and waiting for me to ask. "How do I make this easier on us?" I ask with a sigh.
"Us, of course, because you're a package deal..." he smirks at me. "Well, it's all very simple. One of you will need to let me run all my little tests, and you'll play nice, and co-operate, and then you'll work for me... for Prescott like a good little girl. Of course I will have to keep one of you as collateral. We don't want you getting any ideas after all. I'd prefer you volunteered Max, your powers, if Nathan's report proves accurate, would be extremely useful, but... either way, you'll both prove useful. We'll set one of you up as part of the Imperious Proj-..."
"No! I won't let you hook her up to that machine!" I spit at Jefferson, unable to control my vitriol at the mention of that... monstrosity.
Jefferson's eyes go wide, and then narrow. "How do you know that?"
Shit, shit, shit shit. He starts stalking towards me, glowering suspiciously. I need him to keep talking, I need to buy time. I can't let him do anything that might keep me from rewinding when it's time. This all hinges on the police coming in while he's in a compromising position. I take a deep breath. I have to rewind, so I do. I concentrate on pulling back the flow of time, leaving me with a little pain in my head, but nothing too bad.
"...set one of you up as part of the Imperious Project. You won't get to see each other in person anymore... unfortunately we can't take that risk, but you will be provided with proof of life often enough." the smile on Jefferson's face asks for understanding, but it just makes me feel even sicker. The bastard.
"Th-that's... You can't be serious." I shake my head the tremble in my voice very real, but hopefully he'll take it for fear rather than rage.
"Well..." he frowns. "You don't really have much of choice now do you Max? You both know too much, so I clearly can't just let you walk out of here, and If I don't have collateral, well nothing can stop you from just leaving... That'd be very bad for my career. I'm sure you understand..."
"You can't seriously think that I could possibly agree to this..." I shake my head. "I'm not going to just let you separate us."
Jefferson begins to laugh. It's full of a cruel kind of mirth that sets my teeth on edge. "Max... you just aren't listening. You. Don't. Have. A. Choice. I can make this extremely unpleasant for you if you keep fighting me. I'm offering you a really good deal right now. The question is... are you smart enough to take it, or are you going to keep fighting me?"
"Th-then why me? Why not give Chloe the freedom, and make me a hostage?" I ask softly, just trying to keep him talking. If Madsen doesn't come through, we're in deep shit.
"Well that's very simple Max. Chloe's...ordinary. We know all about teleporters. Did you know there were actually two kinds, that work in very different ways? That's all old news to me, but... chronokinesis? That's new, exciting, you may even be unique Max. Do you understand what that means?" he looks at me for a moment and shakes his head. "No, of course you don't... It means you are a new opportunity to study these abilities, to try and truly understand them, and what kind of capabilities people like you might have. I need you free, and working with me Max, because there's so much more I can learn with a willing participant. We could make history Max... and make Mr. Prescott a lot of money, which means We could make a lot of money. Is one mousy, mediocre artist really worth throwing all that away?"
"Eat shit, and die." I spit the words at him with all the scorn I can muster. He called Chloe mediocre, fuck him.
He laughs, shaking his head. "Good answer Max, good answer. The hard way it is then."
Jefferson heads towards a prepared tray, and begins pulling on some latex gloves. He grins back at me for a moment, before he starts filling up a syringe. If that's for me, we're in trouble. I can't let him drug me, or this might all end here, and now. I struggle at my bonds for a moment, considering whether I should call it a loss here, and escape, or if I should rewind, and try again. He turns towards me, and I take a deep breath, and rewind.
"...throwing all that away?" Jefferson asks again for the first time.
"Fuck you!" I spit at him, and then rewind.
"...throwing all that away?" he asks for the first time, part three.
I jerk until my hand comes free from my restraints, and flip him off. The room descends into chaos, just before I rewind again. I feel a little dizzy, I really need to stop doing this.
"...throwing all that away?" he asks for the first time, for the last time.
I take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. I look over to Chloe, and just stare at her for a little while, trying to look like I'm weighing my options. As long as he thinks I'm thinking about it, then he won't do anything right? At least until he runs out of patience. I'm not sure how long I can stall like this, but we need time. I suppress the bitter laughter that tries to spill out of me at the irony of me needing more time. I look back over at Jefferson, and sigh.
"Can I have time to think about this? I mean it's not like I can go anywhere right now anyway... what's a little time to think?" I ask softly, trying to sound defeated, or at least tired. It's not too hard after my little abuse of power.
"Well, you're the time traveler... couldn't you just think about it, and come back to this moment to give me your answer?" he smirks at me smugly.
I shake my head. "It... doesn't exactly work that way... I can only rewind back a minute or two at most."
His eyes light up with interest, and he steps towards me excitedly. "Oh really? Then how does this all work, exactly? Rewind sounds like a very specific term. Are there other ways you can go back?"
This could definitely be a way to keep him busy. The question is, it okay to tell him about any of this? I suppose if this all goes off the way we planned, no matter what he knows he won't be dangerous to us anymore. Still, I feel uncomfortable talking to him about this, or really anything. I look over at Chloe again for a moment. I'm doing this for her. I take a deep breath, and nod prompting him to step closer still.
"Yeah... I can turn time back directly for a short period of time. I call it rewinding, for obvious reasons." I lick my lips nervously, and lean a little away from him as he steps in closer. "But... I can also go further back if I have a photo of myself."
"You can rewind back that far... with a photo?" he asks, his brow perking up skeptically.
I shake my head. "No... it's different. I basically take over my past self. I can make changes from there, but I'm limited in where I can go, and how long I have. Timing seems arbitrary, and probably based on when I feel ready to go forward again."
I watch as that interest slowly turns into realization. His face gets passive, as he steps away from me. As long as I can photo jump, he can't really control me, which means I no longer have the luxury of thinking about taking him up on his offer. Now it's a matter of him needing to keep me under control, and getting whatever he can out of me, even if it's not the most efficient way to do so in his mind. He starts heading for that tray again, and I consider rewinding back, not telling him as much, or maybe not anything, when the sound of the bunker door interrupts my train of thought. Jefferson looks back towards the doorway, and gestures at Nathan to go check it out, and goes to get his gun when Nathan calls back that it's detective Madsen. That's when I rewind.
"...with a photo?" he asks, his brow perking up skeptically.
I shake my head. " Uh... no it's different, it's not exactly like that. This... this really is the only option isn't it?"
He grins taking my nerves for a sign of defeat, and nods. "This really is the only way Max, but don't worry, we'll make something beautiful together."
I push down the wave of revulsion that runs through me, and look past him to Chloe, and the others. "I'm sorry Chloe..."
Jefferson's grin gets even bigger, as he presses me for more details. "Now tell me how this photo thing works..."
I watch the others fold sideways and disappear, shortly before the sound of the bunker door opening reaches my ears. It was time. Jefferson looks back at the noise, and spares a moment to glare at me when he notices we're suddenly alone, before he jumps up hurrying over to get his gun. At about the same moment Madsen comes around through the archway, and Jefferson grabs the gun and fires. Madsen goes down, and I rewind.
Jefferson looks back, and I scream at the top of my lungs. "He's got a gun!"
Jefferson threw me a glare, and dived for his gun. Madsen comes through the archway just as Jefferson scrambles around behind me, and aiming the gun over my shoulder, and using me as a shield. This wouldn't do either, he had the upper hand, and I could get shot. I rewind again.
My timing is off, fucking everything up. Jefferson gets the upper hand, and so I rewind again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Jefferson looks back, and I begin pulling to get my leg free from my restraints. He starts to my move for his gun, and has it in his hand before I yank my foot free. I take a deep breath, and rewind again just as the gun goes off. This time when he starts to move for his gun, I stretch my leg out and trip him. He doesn't fall, but trying to catch himself eats up enough time that Madsen makes it into the room before Jefferson can get to his weapon. I breath out a sigh of relief, blood pouring out of my nose, slouching into the chair dizzy, and tired. It was finally going to be over, Chloe would be safe, and Kate would have justice.
"Don't move! Turn around, and put your hands behind your back!" Madsen yells at Jefferson while he gives the room a quick sweep.
Jefferson takes the opportunity to go for his gun anyway. Madsen moves forward raising his gun, as Jefferson grabs his and turns on the detective. It all happens in and instant, and I wince as a single shot is fired, leaving me feeling a little more dazed, and my ears ringing. I shake my head trying to clear it. No matter what this was pretty much all over now, maybe I can still find a way to fix this through my rewind, but I know I'm already worn out, I can't keep doing it forever. I take a deep breath, and look over to see who has come out on top.
- Chloe -
"I'm sorry Chloe..."
Max's words penetrated the thick haze of relaxation Rachel was keeping around my mind. I recognize her signal, and without putting much thought to it, I grab the other two by the hand, and grit my teeth against the pain as I fold us away from that awful bunker. We're back at the junkyard, where we would have to wait to find out if Max made it, or not. I hate this part of the plan, I hate not being there with Max while she's locked up with that psycho. I wish there was more I could be doing right now besides waiting. Instead I just sit here like a useless lump on the bench seat in Max's little hideout, while Nathan paces around nervously, and Rachel sits beside me. Nobody is saying a word, we're all just waiting in silence, and it's driving me crazy.
I jerk out of my little haze of worry with a sudden realization. "Fuck! We didn't make any plans for where to meet, or how long to wait. It's not like she has her phone to call us when it's over either. We're just sitting here, and she could waiting for us at home... or... or she could be..."
Rachel reaches over and takes my hand, shaking her head. "She's fine... It hasn't been that long yet, and she's fine. She's way too strong to just..."
She's not helping. She's trying, and I do appreciate that, but she's not helping. I resist the urge to just pull away, or even lash out. I'm so scared for Max right now, and even though it's not fair, I kinda blame Rachel a little bit for some of it. If Max hadn't saved her, or if she hadn't believed Max, then, we could have just run off together. I know that's not true, she would have run off in an instant, except that I wanted to try and get justice for Kate. I slouch down even further in my seat, and I must look exceptionally miserable, because I'm even starting to get worried looks from Nathan of all people.
Nathan pauses in his pacing, and let's out a frustrated growl. "How long are we supposed to just wait here? If she's dea..." he pauses, looking at me, and winces. "Uh... if something went wrong, we're fucked. We need pack up and start running as soon as possible, because Jefferson is going to know we were in on this, and he is going to be pissed. Then my father is going to know, and He's going to be pissed."
"Look, if this all went to plan, then she's going to be talking to the police for a while... This is going to take some time, so we probably won't hear anything for... I don't know, a couple hours at least." Rachel says softly, trying to keep her tone soothing, and reasonable.
"What're we supposed to do until then?" I pull away from Rachel, and stand up starting to pace around. It's not easy in such a small space with Nathan pacing around as well.
"Why don't you... let me take you home Chloe?" Rachel asks softly. "Max will probably go there first right? You can wait in comfort, with your mom, and you'll probably get to see Max as soon as she's done talking to the police."
"But what if she comes here looking for us first?" the anxiety I'm feeling weighs heavily in my voice. "I don't want her to come here and find the place empty, and think something happened to us."
"Then we'll wait here. I'll drop you off at home, and Nathan and I will wait here in case she shows up." Rachel offers gently. Nathan looks like he might object, but Rachel shoots him a glare, and he keeps his mouth shut.
I take a deep breath, weighing over my options. I could stay here with them, and wait for Max. She might come here first, her jeep is still parked here after all, but I have her keys. I could go home to wait, she might go there looking for me, and she'd probably have to get a ride from an officer, or walk. If she gets a ride it's a street address she could give them, and if she was walking, well my house was closer to the police station. Maybe it's selfish, but I want to be the one to see Max first, I want to know she's okay first, but it might be better to go wait at home with mom, rather than two near strangers.
"Alright..." I nod slowly. "I'll go home... but I have Max's keys, I'm okay to drive. You just wait here and call me if she shows up here first."
Rachel nods. "Alright... if you're sure you don't want me to take you, we'll just wait here. You also, try to remember to call us if Max shows up there too... please? We have a stake in all of this as well, and... I mean I don't really know her but she did kind of save my life, so..." she gives me an awkward smile shrugging her shoulders. "It'd mean a lot to me if you did."
"Yeah... I'll do that, and thanks." I give her a little smile, and head out of the shack. I can hear her and Nathan start up a quiet discussion as soon as I'm out, but I don't really care, I just head for the jeep, and head home.
I pull up to my house, and jump out of the jeep, eager to find out if Max is already home. Butterflies begin to flutter in my stomach as I head for the front door. She might not be here yet, she might not even be coming here first. She might not even be coming back at all. That last thought slows my steps, as a looming sense of dread fills me. This constant up and down is exhausting, but unlikely to end until I find out whether or not Max is okay. I want to open the door, and find out if Max is home yet or not, but as long as I don't go in to find out otherwise, she might be home safe right now. I take a deep breath, and slowly open the door.
"Max! Max are you home?!" I immediately call into the house as I step through the door.
Mom pokes her head out of the kitchen, to give me a curious look. "I thought you two were out together..." she frowns as she looks at me, curiosity becoming concern. "Honey... what's wrong?"
I run over to her, flinging my arms around her, and burying my face into her shoulder. Her arms come up around me gently, and that's when the dam inside me breaks. All the fear, stress, and exhaustion I feel comes pouring out of me, and I bawl into my mother's shoulder. I haven't cried quite this hard since my dad died, and yet it seems to me as if all I've done is cry the past few days. Mom just makes soft soothing noises, and strokes my back, trying to calm me down enough to talk.
"Chloe, what's happened? Where's Max? Did you two have a fight again?" mom asks softly one my bawling has settled into mostly sniffling.
I shake my head. "We... we didn't fight. I..." I can't tell her what is really going on, as much as I want to. "I went... we were going to meet up... but then she wasn't there, and I couldn't get her on her phone, and then I found her jeep, with the keys inside." the lie tumbles out of my mouth quickly, and it might not have been believable if I wasn't obviously so distraught.
"Chloe... have you called the police yet?" mom asks softly.
I shake my head. "I... no I didn't call the police... and I drove Max's jeep here..."
Mom sighs softly, shaking her head. "Oh Chloe... I know you were worried, and you weren't thinking clearly, but that's going to complicate things... We have to call the police."
I nod silently. I know it's what we should be doing, I know it fits Max's narrative, and that only helps what we're trying to do, but it doesn't help me feel better right now. If I had been thinking more clearly I might have come up with a less problematic lie as well, but hopefully with everything else, they won't even really need to look at the vehicle, or where it was found. I know exactly where I would tell them I found it if they did, but still, I really don't want to have to deal with questions, while waiting to find out what happened to Max. I'm just not sure I can handle it right now.
"I suppose I had better go do that..." mom sighs, helping me into a chair at the dining table. "Just set right there, and I'll take care of everything."
I can hear mom talking to the police softly in the background. I'm not really listening, but I catch her explaining to the police what I told her happened. Max is still out there, possibly in that bunker, and here I am sitting at home not doing anything. It's what she wanted, she didn't want to put anyone else in danger, but it's still hard just sitting here when she might be in trouble. I should be the one to save her for once. Mom's hand on my shoulder causes me to jump, and interrupts my downward spiral.
"They're sending an officer over to get your statement..." mom says softly.
All I can do is nod numbly. Everything feels like it's gotten far out of control. I know the plan was to set up Jefferson, and Prescott by proxy. Not that they weren't already doing wrong, but it still feels like I'm doing something wrong in lying to the police, even if those lies are meant to highlight the actual wrongs that are being committed. I just want Max back safely, and for everything to go back to normal.
The officer had come, and gone. He said he'd send someone to look at the jeep, that he'd send someone to the lighthouse where I had said it was parked, and now I was just sitting on the couch staring the back door waiting. It just keeps getting dimmer outside as I watch the day slowly transition into evening. Still no Max.
Mom comes, gently pulls me up from the couch, and leads me over to the dining table. "Come on honey... you need to eat something."
She sets a plate with her homemade fried chicken in front of me, and settles herself across from me. I really wish I could do more than just pick at my food, but I'm just not feeling very hungry. I know she worked hard on this just for me, she really is amazing. Mom sighs softly, reaches across the table to take my hand, and gives it a comforting squeeze. It does help a little, she really deserves so much more than she's gotten in life.
"It'll be okay Chloe... I know things have been hard recently, but they'll find Max, and everything will be okay. You just have to keep believing that." mom says softly, giving my hand another squeeze. "Now come on, and try to eat something for me. It'll help, I promise."
I just nod, and begin to nibble at my dinner. It's really the best I can do right now under the circumstances. It is good, and mom's home cooking has always been something of a comfort to me, it's better when she makes something sweet though. I still just wish Max was here, not that I really expected food to change that, but she was right it does help a little.
The sound of car doors being closed in our driveway interrupts dinner. I jump to my feet, my chair tipping over backwards, as mom stands up more sedately. We both start down the hallway when a few sharp raps on our door let's us know someone is there. It sounds a bit like that's a little scuffle outside for a moment before the door bursts open, and Max shoulders her way inside.
"Chloe!" she calls out when she spots me.
"Max..." I say softly in return, as I start running to close the space between us and wrap her up in my arms.
I'm crying as I hold her tightly to me. I'm crying in front of my mom, and two police officers, and I don't even care. Max is home, Max is safe. I'm so relieved. She pulls me down to her level gently, and begins kissing away my tears. I'm not even worried about the fact that we have an audience right now, Max is safe, and we're back together, and everything is finally over. The sound of mom's voice as she talks with the police fades into background, as Max takes my hand, and we start towards the stairs. The sound of mom clearing her throat pulls us out of our little two person universe.
"Chloe... you have dinner to finish, and I'm sure Max is starving after her Ordeal... and, I'd actually really like it if you'd spend a little time with me before you two run off to be alone. I was worried too you know." mom says softly, but firmly.
"Sorry Joyce..." Max says sheepishly. "Let me just go... clean up a bit first, and I'll be right down."
I slip her, her phone and whisper. "Make sure you let Rachel, and Nathan know it's over now, while you're up there."
Mom heads into the kitchen to make up a plate for Max, while I head back to the table. Now that I'm not worried about whether or not Max is going to make it back dinner looks a lot more appetizing. Max doesn't really take long upstairs, and joins us not long after mom sits back down. She looks exhausted now that I'm really looking at her. She's had a really long day.
"Thank you Joyce, this looks amazing." Max says softly as she begins to eat.
Dinner passes in relative silence. Mom is clearly worried, but she doesn't want to push Max to talk before she's ready. Max just looks more and more worn as the dinner goes on, but she does eat, and pretty well considering. As soon as I finish, I take both mine, and Max's plate to the kitchen. I place my hand on her shoulder when I'm finished, and she looks up at me with a tired smile.
"I think it might be a good idea to call it an early night..." I suggest softly, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Max nods, and looks over to my Mom. "Sorry Joyce... but I am pretty beat after today, I just want to go to bed for now. I hope that's... okay?"
"Of course honey, I understand completely. You two have a good night now. We'll talk whenever you're ready." Mom gives us both a smile, and waves us off, I can tell she's still worried, but she understands.
We head upstairs slowly, Max moving sluggishly, and I keeping pace. We head into my room, and I close the door. Max struggles to get undressed, and then flops down into my bed, our bed. She looks like she might already be asleep by the time I've prepared myself, and climb into bed with her. She wraps her arms around me as soon as I'm settled next to her, and moves up placing her lips next to me ear.
"It's over Chloe... Jefferson is dead, and the police found Everything." she whispers softly, before placing a gentle kiss on my ear. "We're free."