May 2018

"Gotta tell you, Ms. G. I'm getting kinda worried about Chris these days."

Chloe spoke softly, the door to the office she shared with Michelle Grant closed while they held an impromptu private meeting.

"Chloe, for the last time it's...oh! Never mind." The other Alderman shook her head and finally gave up trying to dissuade Chloe from referring to her by her last name. Giving a soft sigh, she continued. "He does seem rather unhappy with the job. And no offense, but I can't blame him, the way you and Steven make his life miserable."

With a gentle groan, Chloe took a sharp drag from her vaporizer, today's flavor du jour being sugar cookies. Breathing out sharply through her nose, savory-sweet clouds drifting around her head, she said, "That's for fucking sure. Not gonna apologize, but you're right. Christian's great at what he does, but what he wants to do is have someone give him a plan, and then he can just get to work crafting and executing the best real world, nuts and bolts approach. Obvious, he didn't sign on to play defacto mayor, but that's what's happened. And...and the town is growing to a point where we need to streamline our executive function. Can't keep having the Council dicker over every little goddamn thing when it comes to dealing with development and business issues. Which brings me to my point..."

She slid a sheaf of paperwork onto Michelle's desk, pushing it close to her. The other woman picked it up and paused for a minute to read through.

"So. You managed to get all the ducks lined up with the state, huh?"

"Yuuuup" Chloe answered, popping her lips on the 'p'.

She then went on to explain, "Our current population is still a little bit smaller than they like to see for a mayoral-system town, but given our phenomenal growth numbers over the three years or so, they figured we'd get there soon enough. Still..." she took another drag. "Chris is really good at what he does. I can see that. But we need someone who has the sort of executive authority to handle the Board, and then just tell him what needs to be done. If he up and quits...Jesus fuck, we're not going to get someone as detail oriented and sharp as he is, not for a town this size. Not to mention the procedural streetfight you and Haim are gonna to have to endure as the X-man and I duke it out to find someone we can both agree upon to fill the position."

"So you're going to propose this at the meeting, then? That your plan? For the election in November?" Michelle asked.

"Sure. Why not? Smaller town like this, we don't need anything more than a campaign starting in the mid summer; none of this cycle-without-end shit like you see at the Federal level, thank the fucking Goddess!" Chloe took a much smaller puff, and affected a mischievous, scampish expression. "Pardon my French, Ms. G."

Michelle snorted, shaking her head. "You realize Steven is going to immediately throw hit hat into the ring, right? This is just the kind of opportunity he and Sean Prescott have been waiting for. So please, please tell me you have a plan on how you're going to oppose him?"

"Ah. Yeah well...here's the thing of it. I'm not going to...you are."

Leaning back in her chair, and narrowing her eyes, Michelle responded. "Excuse me, whaaaat? I'm sorry, maybe these old ears don't hear so well anymore, but did you seriously just suggest that I run for mayor?"

Chloe blinked. "Uh...yeah. I mean, I think it'll be great, I could help you..."

Michelle cut her off. "Oh hell no!"

"...okay. Clearly not the answer I as expecting."

"Chloe, you're a sweet girl, but I swear, sometimes you are so naive. I've lived in this town for a long time. I love it here. There are a lot of good people, and we've rebuilt a wonderful community. But I can tell you right now, there is no way in hell Arcadia Bay is going to vote in a black woman for mayor."

"Oh, come on! I don't think you're being fair! People aren't like that, not anymore..."

Michelle gave a tolerant chuckle, and held up a hand. "Search your heart, Alderman. You know this to be true."

Chloe stopped. "Wait...was that a Star Wars reference."

"Yes. Believe it or not, I was alive when that second movie came out. And I suppose, if we're going down that path, this is your personal fight. I think you know it, but you just don't want to admit it. Much as I hate to paint things as purely black and white, this mayor race you want to spark off is going to turn into that kind of Light Side-Dark Side battle."

"Okay, whoa. Hold on. You're saying you want me to run? I mean, uh, we could probably ask around, see if..."

"Chloe..." Michelle chided gently. "Embrace your destiny."

Closing her eyes, and slumping in her seat, she said, "Seriously? If you think the conservative fucks in this town don't want a black woman for mayor, how's a lesbian who just barely got her bachelor's degree gonna fare any better?"

Crossing her arms and fixing a stern - but not angry - gaze on her, Michelle answered, "Hmmm. You might have a point...if it were just any person running. But you're Chloe Price. Human memory may be a fleeting thing, but barely five years ago, you were the one who single-handedly convinced a group of scared, shocked survivors not to give up hope. You gave of yourself, you literally rebuilt parts of this town with your own hands, and people were so impressed, they dragged you kicking and screaming into a leadership position for the community. And as one of those leaders, you can definitely claim your fair share of credit for things getting better."

Chloe took a overly long drag from her vaporizer, to the point where it actually made her cough. But she needed to do something while she acclimated to the points Michelle was making.

Shit. Why are you being so modest, Chloe? I mean, she does have a point. Maybe it's because I'm afraid I don't deserve so much credit. And maybe I really don't. Like...if only she knew the whole reason why. It's not because I'm Saint fucking Chloe! I'm not this good, kind, selfless person she thinks I am. It's because...because an entire town had to die so I could live! I stood there and watched it all happen! Because I have enough human decency left in me to know that I owe the town, the people who paid in blood. For me, for my life, so it could continue! But it's not because I'm awesome, or special, or shit like that.

...because the woman I would walk through Hell itself for desperately begged me to do what I could to keep Arcadia Bay together. Oh God...that's it. I'm so alone sometimes. Because who else can I tell, other than Max? How it feels sometime, being in this position? Who would believe me?

Huh. Guess I thought...I was stupid enough to think that five years would be a enough, wasn't I? That I could prop the town back up, barely get it back on its feet, dust my hands off, and say "Fuck you later, bitches!". But I can't. I guess this shit between me and Steven is finally coming to a head. And if I walk away from it now, Sean Prescott comes back into full power, and then what'll happen? Maybe this town dies again, much slower and more painful this time, and then poor Max. She's doing so much better, but...can't risk how it might kill her to see...

Fuck! Michelle is...

"...you're right." Chloe finally answered, in a low, hesitant tone. "Maybe I hate it, maybe I think that I'm just someone that fate thrust into circumstances beyond her control, but I can't go and try to pull myself out of this...this current. Can I?"

"That's a rather melodramatic way of looking at it, Chloe. But yes, to be blunt: this town still needs you. The governmental paradigm needs to evolve, and honestly, the last thing I want to see is Sean Prescott and his group get their hands on all that we've built over the years. Arcadia Bay still has its problems, but it's becoming a kinder, gentler place to live in. Frankly, it would break my heart to see what would happen, if Steven ran the show. I mean, he wouldn't be a dictator, but the Council is effectively giving up some of it's absolute executive power and placing it into the hands of a single individual. Like it or not, fair or not, however you want to see the circumstances surrounding this, you're the best one to run against him. To bear the standard. It's going to be the biggest fight between 'New Arcadia' and 'Old Bay' to date. And it's just same sort of struggle every community goes through when a cultural shift occurs."

Chloe gave a heavy, overly-dramatic sigh. "Fine. I'll do it. I'll give it my best shot. And then when people end up choosing Exeter over me, I can finally wash my hands of this town, and say 'I tried.'. You know, with a lot more conviction than, like, almost everyone else."

"Hmph." Michelle said. "Talk like that. I'd think you were only saying that to yourself because you already want to soften the blow, how much it'd hurt if you lost. How much you'd hate it if he did win, and dragged this town back to the bad old days."

Head bowed, a pained expression on her face, she paused, for a few seconds, then breathed out. "No comment." Glancing over at the clock she said. "C'mon. Meeting's gonna start soon. Time to cross the Rubicon, Ms. G. Veni Vidi Vici and all that jazz."

Rising up next to her, Michelle said, "Chloe, if this is you as a high school dropout that finally pulled herself up and got through college, then I really wish I could see the universe where you fully applied yourself and tore through Blackwell. You'd probably be Governor by now."

Hah. No. You don't want to see that place. If what Max told me is true, I've been dead for years now.

"Oh. My. God. I seriously need a...ugggh!"

Chloe glanced up from the living room couch, looking over the paperwork she'd need to submit to formally signal her intention to run for mayor. She was still trepedacious about the entire affair. It wasn't that the arguments were wrong because Jesus Christ they sure weren't but...

...still can't help like I'm chained to a destiny. Or a compulsion, what the hell is that called...giri? No...a geas! I think?

"A what?" Chloe asked. Her smile widened as she rose up, greeting her hipster punk queen with a hug and lingering kiss, both of which her girlfriend greedily accepted.

"A joint!" Max called out with exasperation. "Fucking...the kids today, Chloe. Ooooh..." She gave her another kiss on the cheek, and then started to walk up the stairs towards the bedroom. "Just let me get changed out of this getup, and raid the stashbox. You mind if we order in tonight?"

"No, not at all! I wasn't exactly up for cooking either. Got a lot of paperwork to get through tonight."

There was a pause, while Max took a few minutes in the bedroom to remove her current oh-so-artfully crafted ensemble, of the kind that she was quickly becoming famous for; not content to pursue the artistic through her photography, she'd become a wiz at combining leggings, boots, corsets, jackets, bracelets, dresses, scarves and stockings, cultivating an eclectic persona expressed through her wardrobe.

But Chloe knew the truth: as much as Max loved finding new ways of expressing herself, of presenting a particular style, a tailored image, at the end of the day she often wanted nothing more than to throw on a pair of sweats, a cute little t-shirt, and cuddle.

Flopping down next to her, Max put a large, Dutch-style joint up to her lips, lit it up, and inhaled needfully.

Chloe peered closely and snorted. "Damn woman, is that the superjoint, the one rolled in honey oil? Clearly you think you need to go from 'sober' to 'stupid chill' in three seconds flat. Wowsers, to quote you." She scooted up close and wrapped an arm around her "Bad day? Kids being really shitty in class?"

Max quickly blew the smoke out and offered a hit to her. "No. Not...shitty. Really, not shitty at all. I mean, not to me. If anything, some of them are real suck-ups...you know, like Victoria used to be, back in the day." She smirked in remembrance.

She continued, "And they're so young, Chloe. Especially the freshmen students. I just turned twenty-three, but they look like babies to me now. What the hell? But...but really, no, it's not that they gave me grief; the opposite. Sometimes they're so full of enthusiasm and wanting to impress me, and it's just..." She forced herself to shudder, like she was being electrocuted. "Gaaaaaaaaah! Like the energy is just so fucking intense sometimes. There are days it's still too much for me, and I can feel my anxiety ramping up. I mean, I'm not throwing up in the toilet anymore, and I think it's good practice for me, good way to desensitize myself to my lingering social anxiety. But with end year projects coming up, everyone's a little insane right now. You know me, Che. Maybe I look all crazy and fun and outgoing on the outside, and I even am some days, but I'm still..." She blushed, and shook her head. "Sometimes I'm still so damn shy, you know?"

As Chloe took her own deep hit from the joint, Max concluded, "On the last day, it's like...I'd love to just bring a plate of hash brownies in and say "Eat up kids. Chill. The fuck. Out. See you in the Fall."

Chloe tried not to laugh, smiling as she leaned over and kissed Max hard, shotgunning the smoke back into her lungs. Her girlfriend responded with the biggest smile, exhaling hard against her face, before taking the joint back.

"But then I come home to you, and everything is all...fantastic." Max smiled blissfully. "Better than fantastic. Everything is Chloe. Chloe is my new word for 'better than fantastic', by the way." She glanced over at the papers spread out on the coffee table. "So, whatcha working on? Secret Alderman stuff? Can you tell me about it? Do I have to seduce it out of you?"

Chloe passed the opportunity by to have another puff, at least for now; she needed to be passably clear headed to get through the rest of this. "Paperwork to enter the mayor's race."

Max blinked. "Wait. What...you mean of this town?"

Chloe nodded once. "Mmmmhmmm. Council voted on my plan to reorganize the government, as a mayor-council system with the town manager simply working to craft and execute the policy after it's figured out. Almost passed unanimously, but you know fucking Haim, he had to vote no, and complain about how he doesn't like 'weird and crazy' change in his town. Jesus fuck, should have seen Steven. Probably had to wipe the drool off his chin, he was so eager for this. Chris is happy though, because his tenure of having to play pretend mayor is coming to an end no matter what."

Smiling, Max shifted around, laying back on the couch and placing her legs across Chloe's lap. "And you're going to run against him, obviously! Exeter I mean. Allllright! That...that is so awesome Chloe." Taking one last drag, Max was clearly feeling no pain at all as she put the joint to the side, giving a happy, relaxed sigh. "Mmmmm. Really. Awesome. You're totally going to win. And then...wowsers! Mayor. Oh my God, you must be so excited...right?"

"Whoa whoa, slow down, Babe-arella. No guarantee I'm going to win. You know, culturally, shit's coming to a head. Sure, everyone likes the financial development, and all that, but you've got the old guard who hate the fact that little artisan bakeries and boutiques and organic co-ops and cannabis bed and breakfasts are opening up. That younger, hipper families and artists are making this place home. Even though it was a shitty, run-down ex-fishing town, it was their shitty et cetera, et cetera. Now that everyone's well fed and not dying anymore, it's like they're falling back into old bad habits, making a whole culture war over shit." She shook her head ruefully. "You know, whatever. I know I have to be the one to try and fight for our side, but if I lose, I won't be torn up over it. My conscience will be clear. I did my duty, and finally got discharged."

Max blinked, a concerned expression growing on her face, "Wait, if you lose, don't you still get to be Alderman?"

"Nope! One of the big provisos I put in is that anyone who wants to run for mayor who is already on the council has to resign that position. With me and Steven going for it, both our seats are up for grabs. So hey, maybe I get lucky, and I win, and I get a couple of non-assholes replacing both of us. Or maybe I end up becoming mayor, but I'm always fighting with a more conservative council." She shrugged. "Or maybe I just lose, and Arcadia Bay finally has to take care of it's own damn self." Smiling, she concluded, "But hey, if I lose, that's more time for us. and that's awesome."

Max rose up to a sitting position, and reached out to stroke her face. Chloe couldn't help but notice that while she wasn't quite on the edge of tears, she was clearly agitated.

"Chloe...Chloe you have to...you have to fight! You have to take this seriously. This...is our home now. Our home, our place. I...I don't want to see it...goddamn it, you need to be serious!"

Chloe blinked. "Baby? I...I do. I am. I promise you, I do..."

Max stuck out her bottom lip. "I mean it! I know maybe you feel like Arcadia Bay is still some place you feel burdened by, beholden to...and maybe I felt that way too, like I owed it something, and I couldn't wait to run away from it. But that was the old town. The place that died. Everything we have now, that's good, and new, and exciting...Chloe, I love this town! I love Arcadia Bay. I love it because you built it. For me! Because I asked you to try, make it something better, for all the people that I...that we..." She reached up, brushing a tear away from her shining eyes. "So...so how can you be so cavalier about it? Doesn't it mean something to you, too?"

Chloe just stared at the woman she loved, and at the moment, she felt barely an inch tall.

Oh God...I'm being such a bitch...

Because in retrospect, when she really made herself slow down and think about it, yeah...she did kind of like the place.

Maybe even love it, as much as she hated to admit it. The clean, bright streets. The cute little shops. The weird mix of old and new, trying to figure out how to get along and live together. It was hard though...

"...always been fighting against something, Max. Against the world, against my Mom, against David, against Blackwell, against Life. Against Jefferson, and Nathan and...and then I fought against death, and destruction, and then I fought against people giving up hope. People being stupid shits and repeating past mistakes, and..." She pounded lightly at her forehead. "I'm just not used to fighting for shit."

Max kissed her tenderly, and breathed out. "I've always fought for you, Chloe. And you've always fought for me. Just do that. Love me, love my town. Fight for us both. Please?"

"How the hell can I say no." Chloe responded in a faraway voice.

Then glanced over to the papers, and gently stacked them, before putting them away somewhere safe. "Fuck it though, I'll tear into this in the morning. How about tonight, just one more night, it's you and it's me, and nothing else. Getting high, watching movies, eating delivery food. One more night to relax before we get back to the next fight?"

Max giggled, mood immediately improving. "Sounds good. And I guess we should throw in some fingerbanging...I know that's like your favorite word in the world right now."

Chloe laughed and then leaned in close, kissing at Max's neck and hair. "Aaaaactually. I picked up a couple of things at that new high class sex shop downtown."

They just stared at each other for a few moments, before Max slid off the couch, grabbed the joint, and took Chloe's hand, leading her to the bedroom.

"Change of plans: sex toy sex first, movies and pizza second. We have to work up an appetite, right?"

Chloe burst out laughing as she followed along.

The election cycle began in earnest near the end of the summer. A few people signaled their intention to run for each of the soon-to-be vacant Alderman seats, but Chloe didn't take much heed as to who they were or what they were doing. By that token, she seemed positively overwhelmed for the first time in her political career, unsure of what to do or how to organize her campaign. It was almost as if her nerve was failing her. She'd never admit to it, but after Max's impassioned plea to once again try and save the town, she was overcome with anxiety as to what might happen if she actually lost.

That all came to an end the day Max brought in Maggie Dresden; an older, fashionably attired Gen X woman, with a no-nonsense attitude and a pageboy haircut to match, who had served as one of the assistants to the mayor of Corvallis until she decided to move to Arcadia Bay. In short order, she whipped the campaign back into shape, saving it from a premature death at Chloe's inexperienced hands. Guided her through the hoops, arranged meetings with various groups in the community, coached her through the debates. She quickly became indispensable, and Chloe declared her 'a goddamn force of nature'.

She also helped Chloe overcome most of her squeamishness in collecting campaign contributions, practically shaking the sense physically into her one night in late August.

"Look. I know you want to keep your hands as clean as possible, like you need to be above the fray, but Exeter is kicking our asses in paid media and outreach right now. He's got Prescott and his pals writing checks and bankrolling his machine. Meanwhile, Glenda O'Meara and all her monied friends are dying, begging me to take their donations, the ones you keep refusing. I know you worry that you're somehow going to end up like a fucking puppet, bought and paid for, but yes, sorry, sometimes this is how the game is played...and you need to woman up on this. You and Glenda agree on too much; I sure she realizes you aren't going to give her any little thing she wants if you become mayor, and she damn well knows it's a disaster if Prescott starts running the town through Exeter. Races don't get much cleaner than this, Chloe. It's one of the nice things about small town politics...sometimes it's really dirty, but sometimes it's so obviously black and white. And this is the latter. So fight. Be a champion. Be a one woman army! But an army needs money. Let me fucking handle that, okay?"

With proper guidance at last, Chloe managed to shine through. While she initially discovered she needed to tone down the roughest edge of her previously trademark bombastic mode, she managed to, after a couple false starts, develop and appropriately barn burning speech style.

Still, it was tight, as November approached. With her record of achievement, Chloe was able to run a largely positive campaign, doing her best to try and stay above Exter's mudslinging. Unfortunately, he was able to strike a few palpable blows, attacking Chloe's troubled teen years, her criminal record, her youth and inexperience. Whereas Chloe tried her best to run on realistic economic progress and the unfortunate reality that things like nice schools and competent police actually cost money, Steven stirred up people's avarice with promises to deeply cut property taxes, without actually explaining how to make up for the lost revenue. He made exhortations to the "great Arcadia Bay of the past." implying that the town was being 'preyed upon' by out of towners who were 'corrupting the content of its character.'

As October drew to a close, the race became a dead heat in the polls, although more and more were showing Exeter with a small but definite lead. Chloe was already working on her concession speech...

...but then he made a critical error.

Seeking to strike a coup-de-grace, he and his campaign began a dog-whistling whisper campaign against Chloe and Max, trying to whip up whatever homophobia they could against them and their relationship.

That seemed to strike precisely the wrong chord.

Arcadia Bay might have a significant blue collar, salt of the earth contingent that was socially conservative, but it was still Oregon. A Northwestern conservative was most definitely not akin to a Southern one. The truth of the matter was that against a generic lesbian couple, Exeter's attacks might have found purchase, but people, whether they agreed with her or not, genuinely respected Chloe, for all that she had done to save the town, hold it together during it's darkest hours, and rebuild it. And people liked Max. She was charming and bright, and happy, and polite; by and large, her students loved her. The two of them together formed a sort of power couple in town that people looked up to, and more than a few of the townsfolk took it rather personally when the Exeter campaign made such a vicious turn.

Chloe saw a three point deficit reverse itself into a one point lead on the day of the election. It was going to be close. Possibly too close to call, only to be wrapped up after days of recounts.

In the final hours of the election day afternoon, she contemplated the course of the past few months. Maybe she made mistakes, and maybe she almost blew it here and there, but as the campaign wore on, as she worked to get to know people in ways she never had before, even compared to her time as the Alderman-at-Large, she started to accomplish exactly what she never had before.

Working to fight for something, rather than against.

November 6th, 2018

Chloe paced in her living room, with Maggie, Max, and a few other campaign volunteers, waiting for the call. The tabulated results from all four of the voting precincts. She was pretty sure she was going to lose the fourth, and win the first. Third and second were roughly up for grabs.

Won't have to wait too long, I hope...

New scantron-type ballot machines were purchased when the city was rebuilt. The results would be counted almost instantly once the polls closed, and there were paper ballots retained just in case the vote totals were tight enough to trigger an automatic recount, per the town's revised charter.

It was almost ninety minutes after the polls were closed before the call came in.

"Hello?" Chloe answered, trepidatiously.

"Chloe, hi. It's Chris. Just got the results. I wanted to let you know how it went."

Chloe's hands trembled, as she waited to hear the outcome.

Oh God. I actually care. Fuck, I actually want to win this. Shit! Why didn't I take the campaign more seriously from the start, why did I have to have Max save it from me, why didn't I...well...shit. It's over now. Time to find out how it went down.

"It was tight, although you managed to pick up more votes in the second precinct than I imagine you were expecting. I just sent you an encrypted email with the breakdown and tallies"

Chloe smirked to herself. No surprise, not really. Her Mom and David lived there. Wouldn't have surprised her if they knocked on every door, put fliers in every hand, twisted every arm and wheedled people to within an inch of their lives. They were just so damn proud of her. Of what she was doing with her life now.

Again, Chloe felt a bolt of shame burn through her, for her initial cavalier peevishness, when all of this started months earlier.

"Oh?" she asked. "I mean...like...is this where you say 'But'...?"

"No, not quite. Like I said, it was tight. But the good news is that you got enough votes, about sixty, above the automatic recount cutoff. Before I called you, I talked to Steven. I told him what I just told you, mailed him the same data. I said that yeah, if he wanted to, he could maybe try and file a legal injunction, demand a recount even though he doesn't have the margin on his side. And in a town this size, with machines as good as the ones we have, with me personally overseeing a recount, I strongly doubted he was going to manage to find the three hundred votes he needed to beat you. He...well, he wasn't happy, but I reminded him that maybe if he wanted another shot in two years, starting off now by wasting the taxpayer's money on a recount effort more than likely to fail wasn't the way to lay the groundwork. I believe he's going to make his concession speech shortly."

Chloe couldn't breathe...in the best way possible.

"H-holy fuck! Wait, Chris. Seriously, are you saying I won? Like actually for-real won?"

"It would seem that way." He intoned with mock grimness. "Congratu-dolences is the phase I prefer to use. Honestly, the only person who really won in this is me, because all the worst parts of my job are your problem now, Madame Mayor."

Chloe swallowed, working her tongue against her dry mouth. She gazed over, starting to notice the radiant expression of exultation on Max's face, the look of proud triumph on Maggie's. A few of the volunteers were exchanging high fives.

The room hovered on the precipice of an emotional explosion.

"K-kay then. Alright. Um...so I guess I better get my ass over to the junior high. Promised to give a speech either way, and...and...right then. Goodby...oh! Fuck! Wait wait wait...I suddenly realize I actually care about who won the open council seats!"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. I put that in the email, but I can tell you. Bad news first, at least you'll probably see it that way: Rose Boyce won Steven's place. She managed to beat Tamara Wilson decisively. Actually, I believe "crush humiliatingly" would be more apt."

Chloe covered her face with a hand, and groaned, her shoulders slumping. Boyce was the crazy evangelical lady, one of the few people left in town who would still not shut the fuck up about the storm being God's punishment against the town's 'wicked ways'. She'd taken particular glee in criticizing her personally, referring to her and Max as "Those damned Arcadia Gays." Like it was some sort of clever joke.

Yeah well, I'm the mayor now, bitch...

Chloe mouthed to Max, "Rose Boyce won."

"Fuck!" Max screamed in frustration, jumping up off the couch, shaking her hands up in the air.

"You made it sound like there was good news, Chris?"

"Huh? Oh! Right. John Bartley got your old seat."

Chloe felt a smile creep on her face. "Wait. Blackwell's new head IT guy? Huge dude, looks like a viking? Has the hot wife who writes RPG books freelance or something? Just kicked a cancer scare in the ass?"

Max suddenly called out, overhearing. "Oh holy shit, John Bartley won?! Yes! He's so fucking awesome! His daughter is such a sweetie, too!"

Nodding, Chloe turned back to her phone call.

"That's as fitting as a description as any, yes." Chris said.

"Ha ha ha! Oh my God, this...this is hella-mazing! Council meetings are going to be like bloodsport now!" Chloe responded, holding up a clenched fist in glee.

There was a pause, before Chris answered. "As long as you're happy, I suppose. Well, I won't hold you up any longer, I'm sure you've got a lot of calls to make, and a long night ahead of you. See you Monday."

"Y-yeah! Bye Chris. Thanks! Ha ha!"

Oh man. I gotta call Bartley. I feel so bad, I only met with him once, and I should have given him a more ringing endorsement, and...and...

It was then that Max all but tackled her, the room erupting at last in a cacophony of hoots, hollers, whistles and cheers.

"You did it! You did it!" Max all but shrieked. "Oh baby!" She then proceeded to kiss her repeatedly, while she spoke. "Baby, I knew you could do it. I knew you would! I'm so happy! Just...just so...happy!"

Glancing over Max's shoulder, Chloe caught Maggie's eye and mouthed. "Oh my fucking God, thank you. For everything."

Gently disengaging, Chloe said, "Okay! Ummm...okay, everyone head over to the high school! Shit, I mean the junior high. I...oh fuck. I can't believe it, but I didn't actually write a victory speech. Shit! Ummmm...I'll...wing it? And..."

She glanced up at the bedroom. A notion occurred to her. Something she was planning on springing anyhow, win or lose.

"Let me just get my ah...my coat. From the bedroom. Then we'll go."

Chloe closed her eyes, breathing deep. In and out, doing her best to keep the nervous excitement of the past hour from completely overwhelming her, turning into a panic. She wasn't going to be sleeping tonight, that's for sure. And Max already called out sick for her Wednesday classes, in anticipation.

Then the moment arrived, the signal she'd been waiting for. There was a shout and a cheer. A voice...probably Maggie's? Shouting out, telling folks to give it up for the first mayor of Arcadia Bay. A swell of music to play her in. "Invincible" by Pat Benatar, which was the campaign's more-or-less official theme. It wasn't a song or an artist Chloe was familiar with, and the choice was of course something Maggie made, but after hearing it a couple of times, she couldn't fault her taste, or judgement.

"We can't afford to be innocent!"
"Stand up and face the enemy."

"It's a do or die situation - we will be invincible!"

Although now that Chloe actually listened to it again as she walked out onto stage, she blanched.

Huh. It seems kind of aggressive now for this tiny little campaign. Eh, what the fuck! Max and Ms. G were right, this was a pretty do or die fight for the direction of Arcadia Bay, wasn't it? Shit, am I actually worrying about being too aggressive? Somewhere, nineteen year old me is getting ready to kick my ass.

Dressed smartly in a business skirt and jacket, her hair still dyed black, but now with a blue bang, she waved to the audience, smiling to the point where it made her cheeks ache. Strode over to the podium and gripped it.

Fuuuuuck. So...so many people out there. Oh Christ, remind me how I got myself into this situation again!?

"H-hey everyone." she started, addressing the crowd. Laughing slightly when that was enough to prompt a fresh wave of applause.

"Gonna be honest with you folks. I don't have anything for this. It's terrible, but I didn't write a victory speech. Felt...felt too arrogant, like tempting fate, you know? 'Cause maybe I wanted it to be from the heart, if...when the moment actually came. Well...damn. Here it is! And what can I say, what can I really say? It's been a short, but intense few months, hasn't it? There were a lot of passionate viewpoints, on both sides. But I'm not going to ignore the fact it was a close race. A lot of you voted for me, but a lot of others didn't. I still have to be the mayor for everyone."

Maggie really nailed the need to be magnanimous here. I think she's got a fucking good point...

"And as your mayor, I'm going to be working hard for this community, justifying your faith in me. Mending fences, holding out a hand to the other side. Trying to bring everyone closer together. You know, trying to preserve the remainder of that original spirit that saw us through, during those trying times five years ago. And building on all the hard work we've accomplished, all the work that's turning Arcadia Bay into one of the best communities in America!"

Chloe shook her head, and grinned nervously. "How do I even begin to thank everyone? All the voters, the volunteers especially...the people who believed in us, gave of themselves, their time, effort, money. My parents. Maggie, my campaign manager, who oh-my-god is just the best. And...and of course...and hey! Did you hear John Bartley won? Yeah, yeah! Give it up for him! I couldn't ask for a better guy to take over At-Large. And ah...uh. Crap. Where was I? Oh right!" she looked over to the side stage. "Max? Max, sweetie...uh...hey. Come out here, okay? Please?"

It was a few seconds before Max trotted out on stage, smiling and waving nervously, like a deer caught in the headlights. "H-hi everyone!" She called out. A few of the female students in the audience called out. "Ms. Caulfield! Yeah!"

Chloe smiled to herself. Reached into her jacket pocket, extracting something from it, but keeping it concealed in her hand for the moment, before continuing. "Okay..um...um...right, so Max, I need to get your vote on something."

Not having any idea what the hell was going on, Max drifted over and spoke into the microphone. "Uh...sweetie? I already voted today. And...ha ha, Sorry Mr. Exeter, I'm afraid my one vote wasn't enough to turn the tide for you."

The room erupted into laughter. Chloe groaned and made playful choking motions of mock frustration with her hands.

"N-no. No not that. New election. New campaign. You wanna hear the pitch?"

Max gave a strained laugh, through clenched teeth, clearly and increasingly uncomfortable to be out on public stage like this. "Oookay..."

Chloe grabbed the mike, and stood at Max's side, away from the podium. She wasted no time with what came next.

"Max Caulfield...you are the light of my life. Its savior. My angel. Everything I have ever done for this town over the past five years, I did for you. In your name. From your inspiration. I know for a fact I would never have made it this far without you."

Oh God, if people only knew how true that was!

"I will never, ever be my best without your constant presence, guidance, support, and love in my life, from now until the end of days."

She swallowed, and glanced down at the floor for a moment, "So your vote, yes or no..." And at last, she dropped down onto one knee, holding out a diamond ring.

"Max Caufield, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I...I mean, Arcadia Bay needs a First Lady or something, right?"

There was a sharp, collective gasp from the audience.

Max was stunned. Her jaw dropped, her mouth quickly covered up with one hand. Fresh tears instantly burst from her eyes, and rolled down her cheeks. She was completely overcome with emotion, unable to speak, but it didn't keep her from reacting. Nodding her head up and down with frenetic intensity, holding out her hand for the ring which Chloe eagerly placed upon her finger.

The noise in the auditorium was absolutely deafening now. People, especially the younger members of the crowd, were absolutely ecstatic to be witnessing the proposal. Screaming, shouting, taking pictures and videos.

Chloe rose to her feat, gathered Max up in her arms, swept her down low, and kissed her with ferocious intensity. Holding it for a good five seconds, before finally whipping her back onto her feet.

It took a minute for the clamor to die down, before Chloe could speak again, standing hand in hand with her presumptive fiancee.

"So...yes, no, or none of the above?"

She held out the microphone to Max, who simply squeaked. "Uh...uh-huh!". Then she couldn't take anymore, running off the stage, but laughing, smiling and shrieking all the while.

Oh Max. Sorry. I couldn't help myself. But you were so awesome for playing along. I love you so much...

Turning back to the crowd, Chloe said, "Welp. I guess I got her vote for my re-election campaign! But, uh...don't go expecting kisses and diamond rings for the rest of you, that was just a one time thing, okay?"

There was more to the speech. Just a bit. And dancing, and celebration, shaking hands, greeting wellwishers. It all passed by so quickly, in a white, blissful blur. They didn't get home until almost dawn, and there was no way that Max was going to let her go to bed without some serious, weapons grade, toe-curling, bed breaking sex happening.

Panting and trying to catch her breath, Chloe gazed up at the ceiling, Max nestled against her side.

"I swear, Chloe Price. If you ever fucking do that to me again..I'll...I'll...fuck you up. Hardcore."

Despite her protests and her supposed displeasure, she was still smiling with absolute, childlike glee.

"Y-yeah. Already fucked me up pretty hard there, wife-to-be. I don't think I could survive a second round."

Max gave her a darkly alluring gaze, eyes narrowing. "Are you suuuuure?"

Chloe's eyes widened. She groaned softly for a moment, as Max started to insistently nibble on her ear. "Oh...sweetie...I'm so sorry but..no, I'm so tired...I don't thiiiiinnk ahhhhgodyesssright there. Riiiiight there, yes!"

The covers flew up and over the pair of them.

Neither got out of bed until well past noon.

A/N: Hi guys!

So a few bits and bobs...its funny how much the development of Arcadia Bay is mirroring my own hometown, which has shifted over from a run down mill town - which coincidentally services a singular rich prep school, just like Blackwell - to a hipper, more artsy community over the past 20 years, and the war between the more liberal and conservative cultures still ongoing. I guess its true, write what you know.

Still, my town is not nearly as cool as Arcadia Bay.

John Bartley and his wife are based on friends of mine, who live out in the Pacific Northwest. 'John' did just kick a cancer scare in the ass, so this is my tribute to him.

I realize I've been publishing rather aggressively on this series. I am probably going to need to slow it up now, because I've got a bunch of work I need to take care of on Black Swan. I'm going to try and keep up with at least once a week update. By my estimation, there isn't much more than five to eight chapters left of Grande Dame anyhow.

Have an awesome day! Thanks for all your support over the past couple of weeks, it has been breathtaking!