Disclaimer: The Life is Strange franchise and all its affiliated characters belong to Square Enix. All original characters and their identities are being used with the express permission of their real-life counterparts.

Thank you to everyone who has been checking out this story so far. I have enjoyed and truly appreciated everyone's thoughts on the story so far. A reviewer pointed out that Max's parent's names are Ryan and Vanessa, but these names just felt right when I was writing, so that is why I went with them. It does not have too much bearing on the overall story though, in case that bothers anyone.
I hope that the pacing of the story has been good so far. I am working on making a slow burn, but keep in mind that the story is only so long and will escalate eventually. There will not be any lemons (it is rated T, after all), but their relationship will happen.
Finally, I wanted to say that this chapter will be seeing Chloe far more out of character than in the rest of the story. She and Max will have their usual banter, but I wanted to portray a different side of Chloe due to Max's influence: a thoughtful side. Let me know what you think! Hope you all enjoy! :)

Chapter 5: Adventures of Two Pirates

As Max and Chloe were finishing lunch together, Andrew came into the room with a clipboard and a big grin on his face.

"Hi Max! Chloe, I've come to flirt with your bae once more," Andrew said dramatically.

Chloe wasn't going to let that slide, "You say anything remotely suggestive and I'll ensure that you're never able to have children." It was amazing how she could make you fear for your life while you still know she's kidding…right?

"Sorry Max, I guess we don't have your BFF's blessing," Andrew sighed with disappointment. Max laughed at his antics and Andrew smiled inwardly. That was how he liked to see his patients.

"I came to let you know that your medical team agrees that you can be discharged. You'll need a follow-up in two weeks which you can have done at the nurse's office at Blackwell, or here if you so choose. Just make sure you don't do any major stretches or heavy lifting during that time period. If the wound reopens or turns a strange color, visit the nurse pronto! Otherwise, you should be just fine. Does that all make sense to you?" Andrew asked in full nurse mode. He loved to make his patients laugh, but it was also his job to make sure his patients understood anything of a medical nature.

"Yeah, I get it Andrew. No stretches or heavy lifting for two weeks. Check with the nurse after that time period. Anything weird happens to it, see the nurse right away," Max said with a smile.

"You got it Max," Andrew grinned. "This is your discharge paperwork. Once you've finished it, just call me or have your protector bring it to me."

"I'll make sure that you remain unable to pass your cooties to her," Chloe retorted.

Andrew made a show of snapping his fingers like he had been found out, smiled, and left the two young women alone again.

Max and Chloe joked around about Andrew's antics as Max worked through the paperwork. Both of them agreed that he was harmless and absolutely hilarious. However, Max continued to be confused by why Chloe called her 'bae', but decided to let it hang for now lest the two of them be interrupted a second time.

True to her word, Chloe brought the signed papers back to the nurse's station. She came back with a huge smile on her face.

"You're free to go Max!" she stated excitedly.

Chloe helped Max out of bed as she walked around for the first time in about four days. She was a bit unsteady on her feet, but Chloe remained by her side for her to lean on, and eventually she was walking more or less normally, with Chloe acting more as a steadying hand than as a crutch. Chloe waited while Max changed into casual clothes before the two of them left her room. As they walked past the nurse's station, a familiar face waited for them.

"Ugh, we had to run into you again, didn't we?!" Chloe exclaimed.

"You should have expected this Chloe," Andrew teased. "Of course I had to see my favorite patient before she left here."

Max smiled, walked over to Andrew, and gave him a hug. "Thank you for taking care of me Andrew," she said softly. "After Chloe, you were probably the biggest help I had while I was here."

"I figured I'd lose to your BFF," Andrew smiled, "but coming in second place isn't bad at all. You make sure to take care of Chloe and yourself now, okay?"

With that, Chloe practically pulled Max over to the elevators. The two of them waved to Andrew before the doors closed and parted them from view.

About five minutes later, Max and Chloe had gotten out of the hospital, into her truck, and off the hospital grounds.

"Hella yes! This is going to be just like things used to be, except now I can drive!" Chloe exclaimed.

Max couldn't keep the smile off of her face either. It was nice to hang out with Chloe again in a far more pleasant environment than the hospital.

"Where to, First Mate Max?" asked Chloe, going into pirate mode already.

"First, I need to go back to Blackwell. I need to change clothes and take a shower. After that, we can go to your place and chill if you want," Max replied, thinking things aloud.

"Sounds like as good a plan as any," Chloe said, turning toward the school where their whole reunion had been set into motion.

Max and Chloe talked about their plans on the way back to Blackwell Academy. Max would take a shower and change clothes. Then the two of them would go back to Chloe's place and chill until late afternoon. Then Chloe would drive Max back to Blackwell since she wanted to resume classes the following day. Chloe agreed to that on the condition that they hung out again after her classes the day afterwards. Max laughed and said that she could live with those arrangements.

Chloe decided to accompany Max and would chill in her dorm room while she showered. On their walk, Chloe seemed strangely…pensive. It was as if she was thinking about something but wasn't sure about it yet. Chloe was the kind of person to say whatever was on her mind unless it was something she wasn't sure about. She wanted to be sure of herself before saying anything concrete. It was as if…she were trying to make a decision in her head. Naturally, Max was curious as they entered the girls' dorm building.

"Chloe, you've been awfully quiet ever since we got here. What's on your mind?"

"…There's something I'm thinking about doing, Max. The only thing is I don't know if I want to go through with it," Chloe replied, still obviously thinking about it.

The two of them reached Max's room and entered. The room was just the way she left it except for one thing. It was clear that someone had been watching over her plant, Lisa, because the soil was damp. It was obvious that someone had been taking care of it in her absence. She knew that Chloe had been in the hospital the whole time she had been, so it wouldn't have been her. Max resolved to ask Kate about it later.

"Chloe, I've rarely seen you this deep in thought. Is there something serious on your mind?" Max asked again, sounding concerned.

Chloe picked up on her concern right away. "Nothing like we've gone through in the past few days, First Mate Max." She allowed herself a brief smile, bringing a matching one to Max's face before she turned serious again. "It's more that there's something in my life that I want to fix, but I'm not sure if I can bring myself to do it. I think it would be a good thing, but I'm not sure if I can handle it. Why don't you go and take your shower and I'll tell you about it once I give it some more thought?"

"Alright, I can live with that," Max ended her questioning, but she walked over to Chloe and took her hand. "However, I want you to remember something." In response to Chloe's questioning glance, Max smiled and said, "I will always be here for you, Chloe."

With that, she gave Chloe a hug, which Chloe returned strongly. With a parting smile, Max walked over to the shower room that the girls in the dorm used.

As Max showered, she realized that it was a rare moment where she had time for herself. She reflected on the events of the past few days.

'In only a few days, I have managed to save a life and find justice for many people. How in the heck did I manage to do that? I never would have thought that I could do something like that in less than a week.' She shook her head. If she had been able to tell herself all this last week, she would have referred herself to a psychologist.

Her thoughts then drifted to Chloe. Her thoughts were at first those of concern over what her friend was so pensive about. However, Chloe had promised to talk about it with her when she finished her shower, so she put the thoughts aside for the moment.

'When we were kids, Chloe was more mischievous than I was, but she was never as affectionate as she is now. Is it just because I saved her from being killed or is it something deeper than that? She seems to be very considerate of my feelings and thoughts and she hasn't spewed much bad language at all. I suppose events like this can change a person, but I've only just re-entered her life. I won't deny that I've enjoyed the affection though.'

Max smiled and felt a warm feeling rush through her body as she thought of the close hugs and other forms of close contact the two have had since their reunion. Holding hands, Chloe rarely was leaving her side, being able to communicate feelings and intention through glances and touches, and a mending of their friendship in spite of the years in which they've been apart. Not to mention just how close they've managed to become in the past day or two. It felt like they were closer than they had ever been before.

Max was shocked with all the thoughts that she was having. Chloe was slowly becoming more and more important to her. I mean, very few people would jump in front of a loaded gun to protect someone. Heck, she wasn't able to do it the 'first time' herself. Only through a second chance had she somehow summoned the courage to dive in front of the bullet that could have easily killed Chloe. She was lucky to be alive herself. Chloe had become paramount in her life.

Right now, she had to focus on washing up before she turned into a prune, and figure out what's eating at Chloe. She could explore her feelings and musings later on. For the foreseeable future, she wouldn't change anything about their close and lovely friendship.

She shampooed her hair and rinsed herself once more. Feeling clean, she shut off the water, patted herself down with a towel, and put on fresh clothes. The shower had done her a world of good. She felt clean, relaxed, and her mind was clear. It was as if all her confusion, doubt, and regrets had gone down the drain along with the dirt, sweat, and God only knows what else that she had washed off. She smiled, and set off to find her Capitan again.

It was as if Max hadn't even left yet as she re-entered the room. Chloe was in the same position as Max had left her when she had left to shower. The only difference was that music was playing from the small stereo she kept in her room. Chloe had decided to keep it to a low roar, but the music seemed to be soothing to her, and that was good enough for Max. Most of her dorm mates were in class right now anyway.

"Chloe?" Her voice seemed to drift right over her friend, who continued sitting as if nothing in the room had changed. It was as if she was in a trance. It wasn't until Max sat down on the bed next to her that she blinked and noticed that Max had re-entered the room.

"Whoa Max! When did you become a ninja?" Chloe gasped.

"What, you never noticed before?" Max teased.

Chloe laughed before her face turned serious again. "Max, I know that you don't know much about what happened after my Dad passed away because you had to leave to. I know that it wasn't your fault, and I don't blame you for it. I was angry for a while because I thought, 'How could my father abandon me?' I know that he didn't mean to, but I was so angry that I wasn't able to see reason. When my Mom found someone new to marry, I just couldn't take it. It took me a long time to forgive her for doing that; I saw it as a betrayal to my father and I. Also, I…I never really accepted David into my life. I want to try and fix things up because I realize that all he wants is to support my Mom and I, and he really wants everyone to be safe. He may be a little paranoid about it, but I think that he is willing to be more reasonable if I talk to him rationally instead of just yelling at him. I…I don't think I can accept having another father figure in my life, but I feel that I can accept David if I think of him more as a mentor than a father. Things would be a lot easier at my house for everyone if I got along with everyone, and that includes David."

She looked up at Max with wary eyes, "Max, I don't know if I can do this. It's very easy for me to reject someone in my life and move on but…it's a lot harder to allow someone back into my life. You were easy because while I was hurt by you, I never really gave up on you. It was more like I was resigned to the fact that you were gone rather than angry. Then you return to my life in the most miraculous way ever, so we had a real solid reconnection right away. I want to accept David, but I don't know if I can move past everything that has already happened."

Max put her arm around Chloe's shoulders and Chloe fell into the embrace immediately. Max whispered, "Chloe, you will not have to deal with this alone. I'm going to be beside you every step of the way, and you can rely on me to support you and help you stay calm through a discussion. Since you helped David when he took care of me, I'm pretty sure that he is willing to be reasonable about this, and he's probably more than willing to patch things up with you." She looked right into Chloe's eyes and said, "I know that you can do this."

Chloe looked back into Max's eyes and Max saw the passing emotions: fear, confidence, relief, doubt, and…longing? Before Max could ponder it more, it was gone, and Chloe looked more determined than ever to do this.

"Okay, let's do this Max. Together," Chloe said.

"Together," Max replied, smiling slightly.

The two friends walked out of Max's room and started walking down the hall toward the exit. As they were walking, one of the rooms next to them opened and out walked Kate Marsh. Max turned to greet her friend, and was surprised to see that Kate's eyes looked red and puffy, as if she had been crying recently. It looked like she was putting up a strong front, but something clearly was not right in her world.

Max immediately ran over to her friend, "Kate! Are you alright?"

Kate gave Max a small smile, "I'm fine. Max, I'm glad to see you're out of the hospital."

"I just got out a while ago. Thank you so much for visiting me while I was in the hospital. Chloe told me that you stopped by, and that means a lot to me. By the way, someone has been taking care of Lisa? Did you take care of her while I was away?"

Kate nodded her assent, "I knew that she is important to you Max, so I wanted to make sure she was well cared for in your absence. It wasn't any trouble, since she was already in the sunlight. She just needed some water every now and then."

Max smiled, gratitude clearly showing in her expression, "Thank you so much Kate. It was nice that people cared enough to visit me, and especially nice to see that my plant was taken care of as well."

Kate smiled a real smile this time, "Anytime, Max. I'm glad I was able to help you out. You've been a great friend to me, so it was the least I could do."

Max pulled her friend into a hug, "I would do the same for you Kate. I would take care of Alice and watch over your room like a ninja."

Max tried to pull off acting like a ninja, which left Kate giggling.

"Seriously though, are you alright? You look like something has been bothering you," Max pressed.

Kate's eyes flashed with panic before she put on a small smile, "Yeah, I'm alright Max. I was up late last night studying for a science exam tomorrow, but aside from being tired, I'm okay."

Max knew that Kate was fabricating a story, but she didn't want to pressure the poor girl. "Okay Kate, I hope you are able to sleep better tonight. I know that you'll do well on the exam."
Relief was clearly evident on Kate's face, worried that Max was going to call her bluff.

"However, if you ever want to talk to me, for whatever reason, you know that I'm always willing to listen to you and give you some support, alright?"

Kate nodded, her eyes widening at Max's words. She could tell that Max wasn't lying. She was being sincere.

Max walked back over to Chloe and the pair continued walking down the hall. They were able to push through the double doors to go outside when suddenly, they heard Kate's voice.

"Max, wait!" she called.

Max turned around to see Kate still standing where Max had left her. She ran over to Max, gave her a hug and whispered, "Can you meet in my room tomorrow night? Can we have a tea date, for you and I?"

Max whispered back, "Yes Kate! I will be there. You can count on me!"

Kate pulled away from Max, smiled a bright Kate Marsh smile, and ran back to her room. Max turned to Chloe, who smiled back at her, and the two walked outside to face their next objective.

The drive to Chloe's house was very quiet. Max could tell that Chloe was psyching herself up for the conversation that was fast approaching, and Max hoped that she could help Chloe control her temper enough so that the discussion could be reasonable instead of escalating into a shouting match. Chloe was a tough person to stop once she got going, but Max could tell that Chloe had been affected in more than one way by her cataclysmic re-entry into her life. She seemed more thoughtful and careful about what she said. She was considerate in her words and actions. If Chloe had gone full rebel, Max would likely hardly recognize her old friend.

Max moved her arm over to Chloe's shoulder and squeezed it. When Chloe turned her head to face Max, she gave her a small smile of support. Chloe smiled back, and gave her a small nod. They were going to handle this together.

Chloe had a plan for how she wanted to talk to her stepfather, but she also knew that she couldn't plan everything because the conversation was only going to be partially her. To be honest, Chloe was nervous. She wanted things to work out, but this was different than pushing someone out of her life. This was about accepting someone in her life, someone she had already pushed away before, and rather vehemently at that. She needed to put her best self forward, and that meant she would be vulnerable, and that terrified her. Then she looked at Max, and that was all she needed to take a deep breath and find her determination all over again. She knew that Max wasn't going to abandon her for this, and that thought was comforting.

When they arrived, Max smiled at the house that she was so used to. Even after the five years where she's been gone, it was amazing to see that some things hadn't changed. Even the inside was virtually the same, with some minor changes here and there.

Chloe stopped outside of one particular door. "Okay, knowing David, he is likely in the garage here. He spends quite a bit of time tinkering with tools, and making sure his weapons are working properly. I want to see if he'll agree to talk to me in the family room, and then from there…I'm not sure yet, but I know that it takes two people to have a conversation. If I start to raise my voice or anything, just squeeze my hand. I know that you won't be able to contribute much to the conversation, but knowing that you have my back is enough for me."

"I do Chloe, always," was Max's reply.

Chloe gave her a tight hug, took a deep breath, and walked into the garage.

"Um, hey David," she started.

David stopped what he was doing and turned around slowly, his eyes wary. He looked for a moment like he wanted to scold Chloe for coming into the garage without knocking, but stopped when he saw Max at the garage door.

He settled on a polite response, "What can I do for you Chloe?"

Chloe gulped down her fears and said, "I was wondering if you would be willing to talk to me…in the family room?"

Clearly, this was a question that David was not prepared for. He was prepared for yelling, demanding, or insults, but Chloe's unsure tone and the fact that she stated it as a question showed that this was an equal discussion for both parties.

His expression did not change, but his tone of voice did. He spoke gentler, "Okay Chloe. Head over to the family room and I will be with you and Max in a moment."

Chloe turned to leave the garage, but at the door she paused and over her shoulder called out, "Thank you David."

Max and Chloe pulled up two armchairs in the family room, leaving two sitting across from them. Max reached over and took Chloe's hand in hers. She could feel Chloe shaking, and so she gave her hand a squeeze in support. She whispered, "You're not alone Chloe."

Chloe took a deep breath and gave Max a small smile. She kept their hands intertwined.

After a minute or two, David came out of the garage and stopped in the kitchen before coming to the family room and joining the two. He set a plate on the table between them.

"Your mother cooked these before she went to work today. I figured we could get a head-start on them while having our…discussion." He turned his gaze to Max, "Max, I'm very glad to see that you up and well again. I thank you for saving Chloe, and I'm glad that you survived as well."

Max nodded to them, "Thank you for keeping me stable, Mr. Madsen."

He nodded, and then returned his gaze to Chloe. "What did you want to talk to me about, Chloe?"

Chloe took a deep breath and said, "David, I…I need to…apologize for the way that I have been treating you for the past few years. I've treated you like a villain for trying to take my father's place when you have wanted is what is…what you believe is best for my mother and me."

Max watched David during this exchange, and she saw his eyes widen in shock during this admission. Apparently he had never seen this coming.

Chloe continued, "I was very upset over my father's death. I was very angry and I didn't know how to channel that anger, so I lashed out everywhere. Rachel helped me find an outlet for that energy, but it made me become more rebellious than anything else. After Max jumped back into my life here, she…she opened my eyes to a lot of the answers that I was looking for. While she was in the hospital bed, I realized where my life had veered off to and I am trying to get back on the right path. I'm still a bit of a rebel because I don't give a damn about what other people think of me. I have strong convictions, and I may curse and be vulgar every now and then, but I think those are much milder than going crazy with hair dye, smoking weed, or sneaking out at night. Max has promised that she isn't leaving me again, so I'm trying to amend my reputation and…and mend my ties with others. So, I'm sorry and I hope that we can start over."

Afterwards, Chloe fell silent. This silence had very noticeable tension in it. Chloe looked like someone awaiting a sentence from the judge. Max squeezed her hand in support.

For his part, David look astonished at Chloe's rant. Before him was a girl who had never apologized for anything she had ever said or done to him, speaking very politely and basically asking for forgiveness for all she had done.

He said, "Chloe, I'll admit that I've been very disappointed with how you've treated me in the past…"

Chloe froze solid, but kept Max's hand in hers; it was her only lifeline at this point.

"…but I'm willing to start over because I see that you are being sincere and I want the two of us to get along. It likely will not happen overnight, but I will try harder to understand you and support you in your endeavors as long as you are willing to speak civilly about matters."

"David, I can never have another father in my life because my Dad meant the world to me. However, I would really like a mentor in my life, someone who could give me guidance and advice. I know that you deserve respect, and I will give that to you, but I don't want you to expect to have a daughter who loves you as if she were your own."

David nodded, "I understand that losing your father hurt you badly. Those are the kinds of wounds that never fully heal," he trailed off for a moment, "but I would like us to get along. I will give you the space that you need, and you can judge how much space you need."

Both teens saw the between the lines message in that: David wasn't opposed to Chloe seeing him as a mentor, but he was open to seeing Chloe closer to a step-daughter if she wanted that in the future.

Chloe, Max, and David all stood up. David extended his hand to Chloe, and she raised her head to look at him. She looked a little frightened, but she wasn't shaking anymore. Max squeezed her hand in support, and she looked at Chloe, giving her a "You can do this!" expression. Chloe smiled, looked at David, and shook his hand with her own.

Both teens smiled, and David was wearing a small smile of his own.

Chloe and Max hung out in Chloe's room until Joyce came home later, and Chloe greeted her mother with a hug, as did Max.

"It's so wonderful to have you back with us Max. You certainly popped up in the most unexpected way, but both David and I are so grateful for what you did, and we're relieved that you were okay as well. We'll never be able to repay you for what you did, but you are always welcome around here," Joyce told Max, after giving her a tremendous hug.

"I'm happy to be back, Joyce," Max replied, "And I would never let anything happen to Chloe. She's still my best friend after all."

Max smiled at Chloe, who returned the smile.

"Okay sap, let's get you back to Blackwell," Chloe said, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation.

The teens walked out to Chloe's truck and headed out to Blackwell. David and Joyce watched them drive off from the front door.

"Chloe apologized to me today," David said to his wife.

"She did WHAT?" Joyce exclaimed. "Wow, I'm so proud of her for doing that."

David nodded, putting an arm around her shoulders, "She said she wants to get along better with me, and I'm definitely not going to argue with that. She says she isn't ready to accept me as a stepfather, but she wants someone who can give her guidance. While I would like to have someone like Chloe as a stepdaughter, I'm going to take what I can get."

Joyce turned to face him, "I'm sure she'll warm up to you eventually. You and Chloe both have a tough, outer shell, but I know that you both have very loving hearts."

"And the good sense to appreciate amazing cooking as well," David said, smirking.

Joyce raised her eyebrow, "David, did you get into the cookies again?"

David gave her a cheeky grin as he ran off, his wife giving chase, hand raised as if brandishing a spatula. For all he knew, she could have been.

As Chloe drove Max back to Blackwell, the atmosphere was a lot lighter, and Chloe started getting back to her lighter self again. They joked and talked like they used to, with Chloe calling Max a hipster and Max never having an adequate comeback for it ('friend of a hipster'? Really?).

Max noticed that she liked the person that Chloe was becoming. Max had never seen her rebel phase with Rachel, and perhaps she never would have become one if Max hadn't left, but she was definitely doing her best to only retain the positive or harmless qualities of that phase. Max admitted that the slang was kind of cool. If she could say 'Wowser' then Chloe could definitely add 'hella' to anything she wanted. Chloe was also returning a lot of her affection, and this was something that Max hadn't expected, but was happy about nonetheless. She liked the warm feeling that it gave her whenever she hugged her best friend.

They pulled up to the school, and Max leaned over to give her friend a hug before heading to her dorm for the evening. She hugged Chloe, with Chloe's head on top of hers. She returned the hug to Max, but Max swore that she felt lips kiss her hair. Chloe's expression when Max pulled away did not betray anything either.

"See you on Friday, hipster," Chloe joked.

"Later dork," Max taunted back.

"I am not a dork!" Chloe called as she drove away.

As Chloe drove away, Max never saw the cheeky grin she wore after getting away with kissing Max's hair.

As Max lay in bed that evening, she went over the events of that day in her mind. In one day, she had been discharged from the hospital, cleaned up, set up a tea date with Kate, and helped Chloe reconcile with her stepfather.

'God, I did a heck of a lot today, without really doing that much.' Max thought to herself.

However, she found that above all, she loved the time she spent with Chloe most of all. Admittedly, that was most of the day, but Max was happy that even when dealing with heavy stuff like having her reconcile with her stepfather, Chloe allowed Max to be there to support her.

The only part that confused Max was when Chloe dropped her off. Did Chloe kiss her, or was that only her imagination? Max could easily chalk it up to either, to be honest. But why would Chloe kiss her? Max didn't object to it, but she was confused? Did Chloe harbor feelings for her? Max had questioned her sexuality while she had been in Seattle and concluded that at the very least she was attracted to girls and guys. She was not going to assign a label to herself, especially when she wasn't even sure. How did she feel about Chloe?

Max thought about all the times she had spent with Chloe, even making cookies back in their childhood. She thought about how impossible it was to make any friends who she bonded with as well as Chloe, how easily they reconnected after five years. She reveled in the hugs from her blue-haired friend and the warmth she felt from holding Chloe's hand. She loved spending time with Chloe, and life was certainly more interesting when they were together. They complimented each other just like a Captain and a First Mate. If they dated, Max admitted there wouldn't be much difference to how they normally spent time together; there would just be more hand-holding and hugging in public, and more cuddling and kissing in private.

Her thoughts were inconclusive as she finally fell asleep, but a certain blue-haired person was commonplace in her dreams that night.