This chapter begins from the end of last chapter, and then the rest of the displaced events happen over about the span of a month; chapter 7 will continue as normal though. Lots of fluff below, enjoy!

"You ask, and you receive." Chloe says as she approaches the booth that Max was already seated in, setting a milkshake in front of the small girl and then plopping down into her own seat to enjoy her drink.

"Thanks," Max smiles softly, taking the cup into her hands. The brunette felt a bit guilty that Chloe had given her so much and she had nothing to give in return, but the officer insisted. Max is thankful, though. She has been craving a milkshake for a good while now; although it might not mix well with the coffee she had beforehand.

The brunette's eyes scan the small restaurant, suddenly remembering that this used to always be her favorite place to get milkshakes. She glances over to Chloe, wondering if the blue-haired girl enjoyed this place as much as she did herself. That would simply be another thing that they had in common. She sips on her milkshake, savoring the flavor.

"Feels good to just get out of the house," the officer says after a significant silence among the two, pulling the small girl out of her thoughts. "It was getting a bit stuffy in there, anyways."

Max understands that statement, since she can't even stand being in her own apartment for too long. Which instantly reminds her, she'd have to go back to that apartment tonight; that same apartment that brought her nothing but flashbacks and bittersweet memories. She hates being alone as well, it was her among her biggest fears.

"Stop thinking so loud," Chloe says, making Max jump a little. The Punk somehow always reads her like an open book. "Are you doing okay?"

Max suddenly felt a gloominess come over her like a dark cloud. At moments like this, she wishes time would go a little slower; with just her and Chloe. But she knows it'll all be over and she'd have to wait a while to see the officer again. She feels a bit ridiculous as she swallows the lump in her throat, knowing that this isn't anything she should cry about; but she already is anyways.

"Max, hey…" Chloe says softly with concern coloring her voice, leaning closer. The officer wonders if she said anything wrong, or if Max was just dealing with the effects of her traumatic experiences. Whatever it was, Chloe hated to see her this way and was willing to do just about anything to make her feel okay again.

"Talk to me, what's on your mind?" She adds, tilting her head to get a better look at Max's face. She didn't know what to say at times like these, but she hoped that she could pull Max out of this. "Are you… are you upset about the mug incident? We can always replace-"

"Can I tell you something?" Max asks softly, lifting her head to look at Chloe. The blue-haired girl nods immediately.

"It gets so lonely at home." Max admits, although it feels weird to openly convey her feelings. She trusts Chloe like that, though. The officer doesn't say anything, as if she's in shock or if she doesn't understand.

"I-I'm tired of being reminded of him… I'm tired of being alone. I hate that place." Max squeezes her eyes shut, tensing up in her seat. Chloe almost wants to reach over and hold her hand, as a comforting gesture, but she didn't know if that would be good right now.

"You don't have to be alone." She suggests, after a few seconds of silence. The officer gulps, already regretting the words. "You can hang at my place. I probably won't be around much because of my job and all, but you would be safe." If the chief finds out… fuck. I can't let her tear herself down either, so dad will just have to suck it up.

The brunette's hair swishes back and forth, "Oh no, I couldn't. That's your home." Chloe swats her hand, waving away her denial. "It'll be alright, Max. You can just clean up or something. If you really don't like it then you can leave while I'm at work." The offer seemed nice enough to the smaller girl, and she decides that seems pretty fair.

"Well-" She tries to thank the officer before sneezing loudly, covering her nose. Chloe smiles thinking that it was a really cute sneeze for her companion. "Are you okay?" She reaches her hand out to place under the smaller girl's bangs, her forehead feeling especially warm. "I'm okay." The statement came out stuffy, and Chloe knows she's probably gotten a cold from riding on her bike so much.

"Well, it's getting to that time of year. I'm glad you're using my jacket," the officer's smirk stretches. Secretly, she loves seeing Max wear her jacket. "How about you get a to-go cup from the counter? I've got to go to the restroom real quick." She gives Max one last smile before sliding out of the booth, heading to the door with the girl's sign; pushing it open with her shoulder.

Once inside, Chloe heads up to the mirror. Her false smile falls apart, seeing her face. She tightens her jaw, gripping the edge of the sink. When are you gonna tell her? You can't put this off. I can't tell her now, and I don't know how she'll be later. Shaking her head, she turns on the faucet and splashes water across her hardened features.

"Another shitty day." She breathes out, the burden of guilt beginning to weigh on her. Fuck, Chloe thinks to herself. Why does it have to be this way?

She looks at herself one more time in the mirror and scoffs, before turning to head out of the bathroom. Immediately upon exiting, she notices Max talking to a man working at the cash register. She admires her bright smile and lighthearted laugh for a moment before approaching her.

"Hey, who's this?" Chloe asks, eyeing the man. "I'm Warren, old friend of Max," He replies, holding out his hand. "Chloe." The blue-haired girl says, hesitantly reaching to grasp his hand.

"We've just been catching up," the brunette says, smiling. The officer is happy to see Max smile like that, it's something she doesn't do often. "It's been awhile." Max adds.

"Yeah! It feels like it's been a million years since we last hung out." Warren speaks, cradling his chin in his hand. "Speaking of hanging out, maybe we should go to one of those drive-ins like we used to. Y'know, to reminisce the old times."

Chloe squints her eyes at his sudden request. She definitely didn't want Max to go out with this boy. What if he made a move on her and made her uncomfortable? She wouldn't be there to protect Max, she wasn't having it.

"Why not?" Max replies, and Chloe grimaces a little. Stop it, Chloe, pull yourself together.

"Sweet, what's your number? I'll hit you up if I happen to see any pop up in the area." Warren asks, pulling out a pen.

Chloe felt so angry towards this man, but for what reason? She doesn't know and doesn't care. "Come on Max, you're not feeling well." Chloe suddenly speaks out, gently putting her hands on Max's shoulders.

"Wait-" Max says, but before she could even begin her sentence, but Chloe was already guiding her out of the restaurant. "I don't want you to feel even worse, let's head home." The officer says calmly, turning her head towards Warren and giving him her most intimidating expression before exiting with Max.

Chloe had been staring at the same spot while waiting for the tomato soup to heat up, her microwave wasn't the best and she wanted it all to be warm before giving it to Max. It's been a few days since they got the milkshake, the officer has stayed home every one of those days. Even her father called, but she insisted she just needed bedrest and she would be fine after a while.

Nothing's wrong with me, but I have to take care of Max. The beeping of the finished soup pulls Chloe out of her thoughts, just gotta keep Max okay. She grabs the bowl and a spoon, making her way to her bedroom. She sees Max had fallen back asleep, smiling to herself at the sight. Her arm reaches out and shakes her sick companion gently, "Hey, sleepy-head."

Max groans and turns her head to see Chloe leaning over her. "Hey, blue-head." The soup holder snorts, and ushers Max to sit up. "I made you some simple tomato soup, it should help you feel better; or at least fill your belly up." She places the warm bowl in the small girl's lap, handing her the spoon. But the brunette is still half asleep, and spills some on her shirt while trying to scoop some in her mouth.

"Max! You're gonna get that everywhere," Chloe groans. She pulls the desk chair beside the bed, taking the spoon and scooping it up for her. The officer's steady hand brings the spoon up to the small girl's mouth, feeding her. Her other hand goes under Max's chin, holding her head up as she tries not to fall asleep again. "I'll try not to buy a medicine that doesn't make you so drowsy next time, alright?" She speaks softly, trying not to spill any soup herself; Max would make a snarky remark about it later.

The smaller girl ate all of it willingly, the whole time spoon fed by the officer. She immediately falls back asleep after, Chloe smiling at her peaceful figure.

The second week of being home made it harder for Chloe to pretend to be sick, but luckily her training in being a delinquent can still come in handy. I know I need to go back soon, but Max is almost healed. Maybe after she's okay again. But today is the day the officer had decided to fill her duties, talking to Max about testifying. Her hands sweat and her throat fills with a sour liquid before approaching the smaller girl, who still lays in her bed. "Hey, Max. How do you feel?"

Her sick companion looks up from Chloe's phone, stating earlier it was more fun to play the games on her phone than her own. "Better than last week, I thought I wasn't going to make it. I don't know what I caught, but I wouldn't wish it upon anybody." Max smiles up at Chloe, placing the device down. "I just had to ask you a few questions. It's about your case," she states slowly. "I mean, if that's okay," she quickly adds.

The happiness visibly drains from Max's face, and The Punk immediately regrets her decision. It's something you have to do, just do it. Rip it off, like a band-aid.

"Y-yeah, what about it?" The brunette asks timidly, almost hesitant with her reply. Chloe plops down on the edge of the bed, leaning to rest her elbows on her knees. "So," she says, drawing a heavy sigh. The Punk rubs her large hands together while trying to find the right way to piece her words together, hoping she doesn't say anything that'll upset Max in some way.

"How would you feel about testifying against Nathan?" She rushes in one breath, turning her head to look at Max. The brunette looks down; the sheets balled up in her fists. Worry suddenly hits Chloe like a train; she knew she shouldn't have brought it up. But, she had to get it over with, no matter what reaction she was about to receive from her companion. The smaller girl is gentle and sensitive; the officer knows she isn't going to take this well.

Max goes completely silent, but in her mind, all she can picture is walking into the courtroom and seeing the man who haunts her every last thought, her memories, her dreams. It's something she can't bear, her grip strengthens on the sheets, hoping to get the sound of his ear-piercing screams out of her mind. She's so far back in her memories, that she doesn't realize that she's already crying and Chloe's large hands have a firm grip on her shoulders.

"Max, hey…" The officer says gently, trying not to frighten her too much. Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have done it. Max's eyes are dreary and out of focus, Chloe knows that she does this when her mind takes her away, she pulls the small girl into her arms; carefully and calmly.

"I'm so afraid," Max whimpers into Chloe's shoulder. The brunette didn't pull away so Chloe tugs her a little closer, hoping she isn't overstepping any boundaries. But the smaller girl feels safe this way; with Chloe's strong arms wrapped around her. It's almost a foreign feeling.

"I know," the officer says in a silent whisper, "You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

In Chloe's mind, this was harder than any job she had to do at the station.

A furious storm whips at The Punk's windows, rain crashing and beating against the wood panels. The thunder lights up the sky, shining brightly through the closed blinds. "It's been the first big storm for long while now, I can't remember the last time it was like this." Chloe's grin cracks across her face while Max admires the way the glow of the candle-light makes her eyes glisten.

"I don't like the thunder, it's too loud. I don't like the loudness, Chloe." Max shivers from the fear creeping down her spine, taking a gulp of air. The officer's grin diminishes as she peers over at the small girl, the look on her face striking a chord deep inside her chest. "I won't let it hurt you. You're safe with me, Max."

I feel weak, Chloe is always my support now. She never leaves my side, not that I'm complaining… "I know but this is just a silly thunderstorm, I should be able to handle it." A crash of thunder rumbles beneath the floor, making Max quickly grab her companion's hand; the grip almost feeling lethal. The grin finds its way back onto Chloe's face after seeing their hands intertwined.

"You seem to be handling it pretty well," she says with a cocky grin. The brunette glances down at their hands, rolling her eyes. "Shut up, Chloe," she whispers; not letting go of the large hand enclasped in her own.

"You never believe me when I tell you my theories, you're so stubborn," Max scoffs. Chloe shrugs with a smirk, laid across the couch while Max sits at the end; with a bowl of extra-buttery popcorn beside Max's thigh. She leans over to hand the taller girl a handful of the popped kernels, the other girl always complaining there wasn't enough.

"Chloe, lift up your hand." The brunette instructs, waiting for her blue-haired companion to raise her hand hesitantly before place her palm against the other. "Look," the small girl points at their skin contact, showing how much smaller her hand is. The officer bends her fingertips down to cover Max's, laughing at the difference. "You're so little, Max, how do you even survive?"

The girl shrugs, smiling, before placing a piece of popcorn onto her tongue to make it stick; poking the officer's leg to get her attention. "Co-eh! Look!" She points at it, laughing while The Punk sits up to see what she's doing. "Oh, very impressive. But can you do this?" Chloe pops a popcorn into the air, catching it with her mouth; chewing before swallowing.

The brunette frowns and crinkles her nose, "You win this round, Price." Chloe smirks and turns her head when she feels something light hit her skin. "Did you just-?" Her eyebrows crease at her companion while the other's head looks elsewhere; acting innocent. But the officer doesn't mind, and tosses a popped kernel back at the small girl; earning a scoff matched with a look of fake disbelief. "Did you just-?" Max mocks, taking a handful of the edible contents; if you want to play like that, so can I!

Chloe's jaw hangs open, "Oh, now you're gonna get it." She stands slowly, grabbing the whole bowl. "You asked for it!" She flips the bowl upside down, making it rain popped, buttery corn on the smaller girl. "No, Chloe!" She laughs, trying to throw some of it back at her friend.

After a few minutes of chasing each other around with handfuls of popcorn, chucking the snack at each other from behind furniture; they're sitting on the floor, amidst the buttery mess that they made together. "I totally beat you," Chloe states, trying to keep a straight face before both of the girls burst into another giggling fit.

"I don't know, I got you pretty good." Max says, flicking a piece of popcorn off of her own sweater. She glances over to the blue haired girl, who gives her a cheeky grin. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Max says curiously, followed by a small giggle.

"You have popcorn in your hair," Chloe laughs, reaching over to pull the piece out of her soft brown hair. She's so cute.

The cold weather has made itself obvious, even with the heating on Chloe's apartment still had cold leaks. But she only has one blanket, since she lives alone she never found the use of another one. And now that she's found herself sharing half the thick comforter with Max on her bed, she's kind of thankful for it; but also not. "Max, you're such a cover hog!" They pull each end, both trying to get plenty to keep warm.

"Am not! You just- you just have longer legs!" Chloe laughs at that, "Well, I can't help I'm bigger than you. You're just naturally small." In the end of their tug-of-war game, The Punk wins with her strength. So Max pouts, crossing her arms and huffing with a pursed lips. "You're mean." The officer has a natural soft spot for this girl, and scoots closer so they can share easier. "Is that better, darling?" She speaks softly, with a gentle smirk.

The redness in the brunette's cheeks makes her face feel hot, and tries to cower behind her short hair to hide the obvious blush. "No, I have share it with you." I- I don't think we've ever been this close before…

"Oh, it can't be that bad," Chloe says with a smug grin, cradling her chin in her hand. "We could keep each other warm." The Punk suggests in hopes that Max didn't find it a completely ridiculous idea.

"R-Really?" Max replies, her face feeling warmer and warmer by the second. The small girl enjoyed the officer's presence more than she'd like to admit; but the blankets weren't doing much to protect her from the freezing temperatures of the room.

"Uh, y-yeah," Chloe chokes out with a smile that made Max feel warm head-to-toe. "Wouldn't want you to be-"

Chloe trailed off as she felt Max slide under the blankets to get closer, snuggling up against her side. "...too cold," The officer says, relaxing against the pillows with a small sigh. Chloe gently snakes her arm around Max, tugging her closer.

Any lingering feelings of anxiousness that Max had slowly drifted away as she breathed in the scent of the girl holding her close; cigarettes, coffee, and strawberry shampoo. This is good, Max thought to herself. She was sure that her companion was already asleep, knowing how tired she is from always working so hard. Max eventually drifts to sleep as well, losing herself in the comfort of Chloe.