"No… not this again… Why is this happening so soon?" Max wonders aloud, holding a hand out in front of her to try and prevent the harsh winds and rain from pelting down onto her face. Her clothes and hair are absolutely drenched as she shivers from the cold, barely being able to see three feet in front of her without the occasional crack of lightning giving her an extremely brief sense of what she is walking towards.
Yet somehow, she can still manage to find the strength to move forward, just like all of the other obstacles she has come across already. Twice now she has had to use her rewind power in order to keep from getting crushed by some towering, falling trees, with both encounters almost indefinitely being a life or death situation. With one flick of the wrist, she has suddenly become the most gifted and powerful person on the planet – possibly the entire universe, if Chloe's excited mutterings to her before were any indication.
But Chloe isn't here – her best friend and partner in time, and so Max continues to feel almost as vulnerable as a newborn baby. That day in the bathroom couldn't have been an accident, as she had come to realize, since not only was Chloe somehow the trigger to her omnipotent powers, but without even realizing that she was in danger, Max had felt compelled to step in. She certainly was a hero that day, despite feeling as though she doesn't deserve that title.
Shivering as the storm water chills her to the bone, Max feels her muscles tighten up as she grasps onto a fallen log, pulls herself up and slides herself over.
Lighthouse, Max. Get to the lighthouse, she encourages herself. You've seen this before, and it's just the same as the other times. Make it to the end – that's the goal. Something will be waiting for you, so just accept it… But why does this storm feel… angrier… than usual?
Her thoughts haven't betrayed her eyes, since up in the distance, the groaning of metal can be heard as various wires, steel support beams and even various assortments of thin concrete are thrust about and quickly start to snap and break. It's no secret as to why – not with the tornado coming in closer and closer to the shore and sending massive waves of destruction to go tumbling around like a carnival ride.
But I thought tornados formed on land? What… what the hell is going on here? Is this some kind of freak force of nature?
Using her rewind power just in the nick of time, Max quickly steps to the side as a large, metal sheet from the lighthouse comes whipping past her and smacking down the muddy hill below. An impact from that would've sent her sky-rocketing to her death.
However, this is but the tip of the iceberg, as almost in one fell swoop, the entire top of the lighthouse is practically ripped from its pedestal and thrown down the edge of the cliff; taking out a chunk of land mass before barreling down to the jagged rocks below.
"Holy shit…" she mutters, peeking her head over the side as she sees the little dots of people all scurrying over by the beach. Some of them are running for their lives, others are trying to barricade themselves underneath sand, rock, vehicles and whatever else they can find, while some of the crazier souls have actually started to stand right near the water's edge. They're holding each other's hands in a straight line while one girl stands in front of them all; raising up a flashlight as she waves it back and forth.
The tornado inches closer towards them, but from the little that Max can tell, at this distance it looks as though none of them are afraid. It's almost like watching a cult trying to stop an oncoming train simply by standing in front of it and believing that something will save them. Max can't help but feel a little creeped out by it.
"They've given up their lives just to see if their faiths will be rewarded," comes an emotionless voice as Max jumps in surprise; getting so startled that she nearly falls off the edge. "This place is the only home they've ever known – if they're going to die, then this is where they want to be."
"…Arcadia Bay is their final resting place?" Max ponders, finding it strange that she would ask this question first instead of wondering who this mystery person actually is. "But… why? Why would they give up? How could they have let their hope go so quickly?"
"Isn't it obvious, Max? You of all people should know. After all," she remarks lowly, finally turning her head so that she can get a good look at who she's talking to, "you're the one who knew this would eventually happen…"
"C-Clementine?!" she gapes, finding it difficult to believe that this is the same girl she had only recently met. Her hat has a large blood stain right where the white patch meets the blue beak, her cheeks are hollowed out, and her hair (still tied in two pig tails) is a frivolous mess.
Her eyes are what really terrifies Max, however. The usual yellow glow that had entranced her from the beginning has largely faded, leaving a broken shell in its place. Her pupils are dim and devoid of any happy qualities, replaced instead with a dull grey. One can almost say that the eighteen year old girl is practically dead inside.
Almost as if completely out of nowhere, Clementine roughly clenches a fist and knocks Max in the side of the head, causing her to stumble backwards as she tries (and fails) to use her rewind powers again. Another hit to the head has Max witnessing an annoying ring in her ears that she finds it difficult to remove, even with the tornado howling in the background.
Grasping her roughly by the shirt collar, Clementine stares angrily at Max as she starts throwing accusations left and right; the storm that surrounds them making the scene look like something out of a horror movie. "You couldn't save them!" she rants, with Max wondering who exactly she's actually talking about right now. "You couldn't save ANYONE! I trusted you but you let me down!"
Trying to claw at her face like she did to Nathan Prescott proves useless as Clementine's grip moves to Max's neck, squeezing harder and harder as she finds it more difficult to breathe.
"…st-stop… I… I can't…" Max chokes, feeling her face grow hot as the blood starts to rush to her head. Oxygen right now is getting to a limited supply.
Feeling the cold barrel of a gun being placed up against her ribcage, Max's brain goes into overdrive as she starts to freak and lash out. Not this again!
"They'd still be alive if it wasn't for you…" she mutters, shoving the gun deeper before pulling the trigger. "IT'S ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!"
With a bullet lodged right into her chest, Max can do nothing but hang in mid-air as she's shoved off the edge of the cliff. Desperate for answers and for another chance to live, she feels time screech on like a rusty wheel as it slows, but still keeps on going. Realizing that there's no way of her getting back up to the cliff, Max at least manages to rotate her body so that she can see what's going on around her.
Down and down she goes as she can feel nothing but the cool, wet air surrounding her; hearing the faint chants of those fearless enough to try and face this tornado with open arms.
Just before she touches down to the sharp rocks below, Max can't help but notice that it's Kate Marsh of all people standing against the current; looking incredibly saddened as she closes her eyes and lets the harsh winds engulf her in darkness.
Hang in there, Kate, she wants to screech out to her, but finds that the bullet wound has taken out any chance of her being able to speak. Just remember… you're not alone…
…Bzzt! Bzzt! …Bzzt! Bzzt!
"…urgh… huh? What?"
Groggily opening her eyes as the faint, distant sound of crickets echoes in from the open window, Max sighs and rubs her face with her palms. It's not even daylight out there, yet she's been rudely interrupted from her slumber by some annoying device buzzing on her nightstand.
On the other hand, this person texting her may have also just unintentionally saved her from yet another horrible, catastrophic vision. Was that really Clementine up on that cliff?
It all felt so surreal… But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't tear myself away, she internalizes, blinking in the inky darkness for a moment as she turns onto her side. That was WAY worse than the other times – it's like the visions are somehow getting even stronger as the week goes on. That tornado's inching closer with each passing day…
Bzzt! Bzzt!
Knowing that whoever's messaging her wouldn't do so if they didn't think it was urgent, Max reaches out and fumbles for her phone until her fingertips firmly graze over it. Squinting and protectively shielding her eyes as the terrible light blinds her, she waits for a few seconds before glancing at the sender's ID.
It reads "Unknown", but it only takes Max a split second to realize just who it is that's texting at this hour, and seeing the contact startles her a little bit for some obvious reasons.
Hey, it's Clementine. Chloe gave me your number yesterday… so no, I'm not stalking u. Call me back? It's important.
This can't be a coincidence, Max believes as she reads over the message a couple of times more. Sitting all alone in her dorm room, Max has nobody around to help her internalize what this might be about. The two of them still aren't on the greatest of terms after yesterday, and she thought that for sure Chloe would absolutely loathe the fact that she had to drive her home, but did something happen along the way? Did the two of them come to terms with each other… and maybe even start on the road to a friendship?
…no, there's no way that Chloe would cozy on up to somebody that quickly. Even when Max, her best childhood friend, returned after five years, Chloe had still given her a bit of a cold shoulder when she had arrived.
Yet, the fact remains – Chloe wouldn't have given out her number for no reason. There must be more to it than that.
"Please don't come over here and shoot me…" Max mumbles sarcastically, sighing before dialing her number and bringing it up to her ear.
Hoping for the best, Max gulps as she hears a soft yet rattled voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey… it's Max," she introduces, sitting up a bit in her bed to get more comfortable. "You wanted me?"
"Uhh… yeah," she admits with a yawn, quickly stifling it down almost as soon as she let it go. "It's just… well, it's about Kate, actually. She called me earlier tonight and sounded really upset," Clem tells her, not really coming as much of a surprise to Max at this point. The girl's been showing signs of depression and loneliness for a while now. "I tried to help her as much as I could, but I don't live at the school like you guys do, so I couldn't do as much as I'd like. I'm worried. Would you be able to… you know…"
"Sneak over and check up on her? Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," Max agrees almost immediately, not so secretly having been concerned over Kate's wellbeing herself. Nearly every time that she's been trying to do the right thing with her, however, it seems to have blown up in her face. Between accidentally missing her call back when she was hanging out with Chloe at the diner, to when she decided to take a picture of the confrontation with David instead of jumping in to intervene, Max can't help but feel as though she's been a pretty shitty friend as of late.
Hopefully Ms. Marsh doesn't feel the same way.
"Cool, I think she might still be up, but I'm not entirely sure," Clementine mentions, her voice getting slightly muffled through static for a brief moment. "And… you know… thanks…" she mutters awkwardly, with the both of them knowing that they've still got some rough patches to smooth out amongst themselves.
Hearing the call end before Max can even reply, she closes her mouth before stretching her arms to the sky.
I'd better go do this now while everyone else is still asleep, she realizes, swinging her legs to the side of her bed and standing up. Not feeling the need to put on her regular street clothes for a simple walk across the hallway, she wipes the sleep out of her eyes before briefly glancing over at Lisa; nodding her head and feeling proud that her untapped botany skills had actually come in handy.
At least I've done SOMETHING right this week…
Poking her head out and checking to see if Blackwell decided to hire any nighttime hall monitors, Max shakes off her paranoia before tiptoeing outside and quietly closing her door; leaving just a partial crack open so that she won't need to retrieve her key.
The girl's dormitory is pretty dark and quiet at this time of night, considering that it's nearly three-thirty in the evening. Max can see a faint light coming from underneath Victoria's doorway, but at least it doesn't sound as though she's giving any verbal hell to somebody right now. More likely, Max predicts, it's just her sending nasty emails to all those who Victoria deems "uncool", or possibly messing with and getting in between Zachary and Juliet once again. The only time that Max has ever once seen the girl acting relatively normal and humane in any way was when she herself was at her most vulnerable on the staircase – covered in white paint as the time-shifting heroine had decided to be the bigger person.
Victoria may not have said it, but Max could tell that for a brief stint in their relationship, she had actually sort of gotten through the fashion diva. Sure, the moment was gone almost as soon as it began, but that was one accomplishment to mark off of the bucket list.
Scowling as the light from her phone reveals a nasty message on Kate's wall, reading "Will bang the Lord for attention", Max quickly retracts any positive notions about the bitch next door that she may have had. If the fucking pristine handwriting didn't give it away already, then the cruel, harsh message behind it definitely proves to her that Victoria was once again behind another wicked scheme at the expense of Kate Marsh. Quickly wiping away the evidence and giving the finger to Victoria's door, Max instead draws a smiley face, a heart and a small butterfly on the board to brighten the scene.
Damn… I should stick to photography, she criticizes, sticking an ear to Kate's door for a moment to hear nothing but the occasional whimper and the sound of tissue paper being ripped from the box.
Three times she knocks on the door, whispering for Kate to open up, but as soon as she does this, the crying stops altogether and silence once again fills the air; almost as if the girl was simply a ghost and a figment of her imagination.
"…Kate? You in there?" Max asks in a hushed voice. "Just wanted to come by and see how you were doing… Is… is everything cool in there?"
Always having found it difficult to comfort people in times of crisis, and possibly even worse at giving out advice to people whom she hasn't been that close to, Max mentally kicks herself at how forced this is all sounding; as if she had rehearsed this entire sentence before she had walked over. Isn't a good friend supposed to be someone that can think on the fly and make the person feel better without any hesitation? Or is she simply overthinking all of this?
"C'mon, Kate… Open up. Please?" she whispers, wanting a chance to make a real difference in someone's life instead of just making things worse. This could be a real opportunity for the two of them to bond instead of polarize them even further, but it seems that fate isn't going to be too kind to Max tonight.
No sound other than the ruffling of bed covers is heard as Max sighs in defeat.
"Ok," she resides, leaning her forehead against the door as she shuts her eyes, "I know you can hear me in there, Kate. Just…" she trails off, finding the words she had thought of in her vision to come crawling back. "…hang in there, Kate. Just remember that I'm here for you if you want to talk, ok? You're not alone… and you don't have to go through this shit on your own…"
"…thanks, Max…"
When the girl doesn't come to unlock her door or invite her inside, Max takes that as her cue to leave. Whatever's going through her head right now must be too much to handle right now, but Max can't help but feel a little envious that she had sought comfort with Clementine, a new girl, instead of her. What was so special about the ball cap-wearing teen that made her more valuable and a better listener than Max was?
…God, I'm so fucking selfish… Max scolds herself, wandering back to her room and quickly sitting on the edge of the bed in shame. Kate's breaking like glass, and here I am feeling jealous about the whole thing? I can't even believe myself right now…
With her thoughts betraying her, and there being no way in hell tonight that she'll be able to kick that wicked, little voice in her head saying that Clementine could be a potential threat for her at Blackwell, Max lays down on her bed and tries to think of the few bright sides that remain. At least Kate hasn't done anything rash, and that Max had actually managed to convince Clementine that she and Chloe weren't going to kill her. Plus, with the Everyday Hero Photo Contest entry date having passed already, at least Mr. Jefferson isn't grilling her as much over handing in an entry of her own.
But these pickings are slim, and Max can't help but experience some bitter emotions as she contemplates the rest of what's been happening in Arcadia Bay. The whole town is going to shit, as Chloe had once said, and even her time powers can't seem to bring the little spot in Oregon back from the brink of extinction.
No wonder Kate's so depressed, Max thinks before trying to count sheep in order to fall back to sleep.
However, as in nights past, little slumber will come to her.
The music from her Hi-Fi radio player sings a lovely tune as Max once again opens her eyes. No scary visions this time around, thankfully, but the girl did have a pretty strange dream about her and Chloe riding on the back of a magical unicorn; sailing over into a giant bowl of butterscotch ripple ice cream, with the blue-haired punker smoking up the entire ride. Weird stuff, for sure.
Thank God I'm not a Brony, Max chuckles, but her laughter stops upon noticing what time it is on her alarm clock: two forty-four in the afternoon, meaning she's literally been sleeping for the better part of the day.
"Shit, shit, shit!" she repeats, quickly hopping out of bed and wondering how she could've possibly slept in so late. Max hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep last night at all, but then again, nobody really does. It just kind of happens.
Not bothering to have a shower, seeing's how her photography class isn't going to wait around for her to freshen up, Max resorts to putting on some deodorant and spraying once out of her perfume bottle – typically saved for emergencies only.
With her favourite shirt and jeans now on, the teen nearly forgets to sling her bag over her shoulder as she darts out of the room and starts jogging down the hallways… but not before stopping at Kate's room.
The message on the white board this morning is oddly disturbing, and totally out of character even for one of the ruthless bitches here at Blackwell Academy – a crude, creepy drawing of a skull and crossbones. Underneath this is a small message in very tiny print, yet can be clearly seen in the capital letters.
I'M SORRY
Terrified of what this could mean, and worried that this time it's not just somebody playing a really mean prank, Max knocks on Kate's door, only for it to slowly creak open as soon as her fist connects with it.
"Kate?" she calls out, stepping inside the dimly-lit room and feeling slightly disturbed. The window has been left carelessly ajar as the wind has the curtains blowing outwards, her trash bin has been tossed across the room as if the place had been ransacked, and various papers have been either crumpled up into balls or have been blown onto the floor in various locations.
Stepping inside, however, reveals that one paper still remains firmly lodged inside of Kate's old binder. The bright red pen markings on it are enough to make Max's skin crawl, but the words are what truly send a terrible uneasiness into the pit of her stomach.
I can't deal with this anymore, Max reads silently, going over every sentence in detail. The jokes, the bullying, the threats… it's all become so much more than I can take. I don't have anyone to turn to for help – some have tried, but none of them can truly understand how I feel. My family has all but disowned me… all over some video of me that I don't remember anyone taking.
You people want to see me on the internet? Fine… I'll give you the fucking video of the year, all for your sick enjoyment. There's a reason that they call this place BLACK HELL, you know.
Nobody gives a shit, so why should I? What am I gonna do, wake up tomorrow and the day after, only to have this hazing happen all over again? No, fuck that. I'm done. I don't want to go through with the same bullshit every single day. I'm not going to suffer through this life anymore.
"Oh my god…" Max gasps quietly, unable to believe that Kate would start swearing like this, let alone the true reasoning behind this letter. She's never read a suicide letter before, and now she sort of wishes that she actually could go back in time and somehow block this from her memory.
Skimming down to the other side of the paper, Max chokes up as she sees a few dried tear marks laced on and mixed with some of the penmanship. Clearly Kate is on her last straw.
Victoria, Nathan and all the rest of you Vortex Club pricks… I hope you feel proud of yourselves. You've finally gotten what you were after this whole time – getting rid of me. Congratulations guys, you've done it. Hooray, right? Have a toke on me, or better yet, choke on whatever drug that Nathan Prescott had drugged me with that night. I know that you were behind it, and if there's any justice left in the world, then you'll get your karma soon enough. All of you will.
But for everyone else… I'm sorry, but I can't go on. Not like this. I know some of you tried to help, and you know who you are. But I don't wanna be a bother on all of you – so this is goodbye.
Forever in love and prayer,
Kate M.
"No… this… this can't be happening!" Max cries out, dropping the note as if it was on fire and scooting out of her room; neglecting her time power for a little while in her mad rush to save Kate from an untimely death.
Even with all the time in the world at her fingertips, Max Caulfield might be too late to save her.
Catching her breath as she enters through the front double doors of Blackwell Academy, Max darts her head left and right in a desperate search for Kate. The last place she would expect Kate to be located after writing a note like that would be in Mr. Jefferson's photography class, but it wouldn't hurt to have a little bit of wishful thinking, right? Much better than finding out she's already on her way to a morgue or something…
Not even taking five steps inside the building, Max spots the security officer, one David Madsen, sprinting towards her at lightning speed.
"Mr. Madsen, wait! Have you seen – "
Without even glancing in her direction, David bolts past her and heads back out the way she came, banking a right as he disappears from her sight. Hmph! Just because she had gotten "caught" in Chloe's room with a roll of weed doesn't mean that he has to act like a total dick and completely give her the cold shoulder!
Why is he in such a hurry? It's not as if he's ever cared about Kate's wellbeing… He just likes to stalk her everywhere, apparently… she says in her head, not going to deny that that fact kind of creeps her out. Three times this week, she's spotted David hiding in the bushes or behind trees either taking pictures of her, or just plain observing the poor girl.
Snapped out of her thoughts, Max is startled as, like a herd of elephants, the students of Blackwell start pouring out of their classrooms and head outside. Facial expressions are mixed – some are sneering, others are mortified, and some look as though they're just itching to see some action going on outside. Whatever's happening definitely isn't normal, and if Max's hunch is correct…
Wasting no more time, Max follows the crowd as she is lead out to the open courtyard; now filled with people as they stand there looking at whatever's going on.
"Bitch finally lost it," Logan snickers as Max brushes past him and the bros from the football team, and it doesn't take long for her to figure out what that backhanded comment meant.
Up on the roof stands Kate Marsh, dangerously looming over the edge of the roof as she slowly bends her knees.
"KATE!" Max screams out, horrified as she actually does jump off and hovers mere inches above the ground. Max instantly rewinds time as she attempts to move forward, but again, Kate jumps as the crowd screams out with the same reaction as before. "No!"
She can't die… She can't! I won't let this happen!
Feeling bolts of energy crawling up through her body, Max concentrates as hard as she can with yet another time control, only in this case managing to stop time altogether. The faces of her fellow classmates and teachers appear all distorted and fuzzy, yet every single one of them is frozen on the spot while Max holds her position. Finding it terribly difficult to move without being drained, Max scrunches up her face before trying to take a first step.
However, there is somebody else around who's still very much unaffected by her time powers.
"Go!" Max hollers as Clementine stands there in bewilderment; shaking away her surprise as she quickly darts past Mr. Madsen's unmoving form and into the building. Until Clementine appears again and wraps her arms around Kate to keep her from falling off, Max keeps on holding time in place.
Once the girl gives her the thumbs up, Max releases her hold on the world and collapses to her side, breathing heavily as the world around her starts to spin. Pressing two fingers up against her nose, Max can practically feel the vessels popping as her fingers return with traces of blood – the fourth time this week, if she's been counting correctly.
If I can't do it… then please, Clementine… be an everyday hero…
"GAH! LET ME GO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Keeping you from making a mistake!" Clementine retorts, not meaning to sound angry but having no other choice as Kate thrashes about like a wild animal. Managing to smack the girl right in the nose, Kate breaks free from her grasp as she inches closer and closer back to her spot on the edge of the roof. "Kate, please! Listen to me, alright?" Clementine begs, her eyes looking desperate as she holds out her hand carefully. "You don't have to do this! I know that we haven't known each other for very long, but… I don't want to see you do this to yourself! I'm your friend!"
Shaking her head in flat-out denial, Kate tries to keep her from stepping any closer and warns that she'll jump if Clementine takes one more step. Getting the message, she slowly but reluctantly backs off a little bit; giving the girl some space. In this life or death situation, the young girl's mindset is vulnerable and completely ungrounded.
One wrong word, and Kate might have the capacity within her to jump.
"Nobody understands what I'm going through! Not even you!" she cries out, and while the comment does leave a mark, Clem can't find herself to be worried about it. It's clear that Kate's going through a tremendous amount of pain, and that can make a person say some things they don't mean. "Everyone can laugh at that stupid video all they want, but I'm not going to force myself through that anymore… What's there to live for if all I'm going to get is ridicule?"
"Kate… there's more to life than just high school, and you've got friends down there who want to help you out! Look for them, you'll see – Max, Warren, Alyssa, Dana, Juliet, Brooke, Trevor, Justin… we all care about you too much! Please…"
"You've never gotten called a Bible Humper, Clementine! People don't go up to you in the hallways and call you a slut! But… but they do to me…"
Clinging to the hope that she can still make something out of her life and get past this, Clementine takes a softer approach and tries to use the only weapon at her disposal – her old life, back in Georgia.
"Bullies are nothing new… Remember when we talked in the hall the other day? About how we can get through them together?" she recalls as Kate slowly nods her head. "Well, I wasn't lying! I went through hell back home in Atlanta – people used to pick on me for the dumbest things you could think of. My hair, my clothes, my eyes… everything they could think of. But I went to some of my teachers, neighbours and… and my parents…" she cuts herself off, closing her eyes as she stops to ease her troubled mind. "…but I was able to get the support that I needed, and now I don't even let that stuff bother me anymore! It's… it's just a phase, nothing more, and we can get through this school together! I can't promise that things will automatically get easier, but… but there are people in your life who care about you, I know that much!"
"Dad… my sisters…" Kate mutters while looking down steadily. Clementine hears every word as she nods her head in encouragement.
"Exactly! And believe it or not, you've got friends here – all of them want you to be okay," Clementine reasons, offering out her hand in a last ditch effort. "Kate… can you please come back with me? I can't leave this place without you… I don't want to leave this roof without you…"
Internally debating with herself, Kate sucks in a big intake of breath before glancing over at Clementine's outstretched hand. Her words have been powerful and deep, and although it seems a bit out of place for her to be the one up here right now, at least Kate can find some solace in knowing that there happens to be somebody looking out for her after all.
Hesitantly, Kate sniffles before nodding her head and gently stepping off of the roof. A round of applause comes from down below as they descend the staircase, where a team of paramedics awaits them to take the girl to the hospital; more than likely about to put her on suicide watch for the next few days.
"I'm sorry… sorry…" she apologizes upon seeing Max, but the drained girl simply shakes her head and smiles in relief, glad to see that her friend is alright.
"What are you talking about?" she giggles, choking on her own words as she clutches onto Kate's hand. "You saved me from talking in class!"
Giving one last appreciative look at the two girls, Kate nods before being carefully lead to an awaiting ambulance; glancing behind her again as the doors shut and the vehicle drives away.
After the exhausting events, all that Clementine can do is nod at Max with extreme gratitude. Returning the gesture, Max smiles lightly before getting whisked away by Warren, who's rambling on already about the crazy events as Clementine tries to brush past the enormous amount of praise being sent her way. Too much attention for one day.
However, despite the utter chaos that occurred, Clem and Max can certainly agree on one thing – both of them have certainly found a much improved sense of respect for one another.
That's not something that either of them are willing to take lightly.
