Hello guys and gals, well, I took a week to finish this chapter, but I managed, think of this as my...late Christmas gift :)

But being serious now, I am really glad by all the reviews and favorites and followings, thank you guys a lot!

GrumpyCat42: Thank you, and about this beautiful image here, my pic/avatar is to give fear to your hearts and souls...nah I am joking, I really liked this one from thegouldenway. For those who don't know him, TheGouldenWay is an extremely talented artist and punster, this pic is from one of his comics, "Life is Deranged".

It is a parody, where instead of an innocent, stable Max, we see...well in his own words a "violent sociopath and a chronic punster" it is a very funny comic which I recommend to you guys and gals to give a check at DevianArt if nobody saw them yet, and this where I took that pic, it was too cool for me to resist.

Ketharas: Not only this is a good suggestion, I am going to this from now on, thank you for the suggestion, I appreciated this :).

mukasmukid: Thank you, I do try my best to keep them in character.

redkrules7: Glad you enjoyed.

AjaxKnight: Thank you for following me.

suomynonAX: This is going to be a very interesting ride for our favorite hipster.

Hinamori Ian: Indeed, it sucks for her, life is totally not fair :D thank you and merry Christams for you too.

sandra9666 and Ollivander7: Thank you and I hope you will stay for the ride :)

Now without delays, I hope you enjoy this.

Max

Max was in one of her famous moments, at the dinner table with Chloe and her parents. She was spacing out, thinking about something, closed to almost anything and everything. Normally, when this happens she would just wake up alone and confused, or someone would just call her out or touch her arm to snap her out of her trance-like state.

She was hoping that the Price's would see this as just another one of her normal episodes...unfortunately for Max, it was anything but normal. She took her case and dialed it up to eleven. After all, any other normal human being wouldn't completely enter in an almost catatonic state suddenly and hope that others wouldn't just freak the fuck out. Unfortunate for Max, this was exactly her case, although, she did not realize it.

Of course, living the best and worse week that never was, a dream and a nightmare of equal proportions, tends to do funny things with someone's mind. Most would have just lost it at this point or become something twisted and deformed.

An abomination of life itself.

However, Max Caulfield wasn't named a Caulfield for nothing, her family was famous for being stubborn beyond reasoning with certain things in life. So much so that, some members of her family even died because of it, she wouldn't become twisted or deformed as long as she had something to fight for, something to live for.

Max didn't know if she wasn't an abomination. However, she defied logic, reality, the laws of God or Gods, men and women, life and death, the entire universe, for the ones she loved, "I challenged time itself for Chloe, always for her…"

Joyce and Chloe were asking questions, if she was well, if she wanted to talk, she always gave the same answers, a generic one.

"I am okay..." but it was far from the truth. She wasn't okay, she didn't know if she could become the same again for anyone anymore, My parents wouldn't even recognize me...yet, I have to act like nothing has happened, "The Irish luck, right Chloe?" But...I don't want this to be a nightmare or a dream, I want this to be real, I want this.

Which is why I can't fuck this up, I can't use my powers anymore, maybe that was the reason why this whole mess started in the first place.

It was a theory at best, one that popped into Max's mind thanks to Warren's wild guess at the diner, her powers would be the cause of the storm and she would be the solution to that problem. All she needed to do, was to never use her powers again...at the bathroom, where Chloe was shot and she rewound for the first time.

Max hoped that she was right, because the last options for her were:

1- Letting Chloe get shot, which was easier said than done. Max would rather take the bullet herself, rather than to let her best friend to die alone, at her lowest point in life in a fucking dirty bathroom.

2- Let Arcadia Bay be destroyed by the storm. If she did that...Chloe would never forgive her. How could she, if Max wouldn't be able to forgive herself either, and neither of them wanted this. Max had friends that she cared for, and Chloe had her mother and she did care for David. If only for Joyce's sake, she wanted him to live too no matter what.

Max didn't like these options. She came up with her own theory. Her own option. She thought to herself "If the universe wanted its pound of flesh, let it be me. I will not sacrifice Chloe. No fucking way" Which is why she thought about taking the shot herself in the bathroom to save Chloe. It was the only option that she could and would take.

Max was willing to do that, if it meant saving them all. it made sense to her that she had to die, like some sort of karmic justice for having that week with Chloe, I had my time with her, I had done what I wanted, I was at her side, I had my fun, I said goodbye, it was time to put this to an end.

I had everything I ever wanted, how many people can say the same, that they had died for someone they loved? For their best friend? I could.

I wanted to be at Chloe's side so much, but if the price to save them all is, well, me, it would have been a fair price I...I can't believe I just made a pun with this.

But she didn't have that option anymore, apparently she was going to stay with Chloe as a teen. She couldn't pretend to be an "Everyday Hero" anymore and die a "hero's death".

I am going to be a teenager again...what the fuck. not that she could complain that much. After all she saved William and Chloe was happy, and if Chloe was happy, Max was happy too.

Besides, if she played her cards right, Max could save them all, maybe if I stop using my rewind, the storm will never come. After that, I have to talk with my parents, I need to try and convince them to stay here, I could talk with them and if this doesn't work I could try…

"Bill, you know that…"

"We are just trying to help dad!"

Max just remembered that they were still asking her questions, not that she paid much attention to their questions, or her answers. Are they still talking about this?

"Guys, I am okay, swear to dog." This should resolve it.

It didn't resolve it at all, Max looked at Chloe's face with absolute disbelief but she didn't care though. She had to plan her next moves carefully.

I can't depend on my rewind anymore, if I use it again, I don't know what could happen next, what if the trees start to burn if I try? Or the sea turns black or...wait, can I even rewind? I still haven't tried, maybe I have lost it?

She didn't know that and didn't want to. Those "powers" or "gifts" or even worse..."curses" only brought her problems, she only destroyed people's lives with it and Max's only option now was to stop its use for good.

Even if it helped her to save lives like Kate's, it isn't worth it, I can't and I won't.

It was her decision, she sworn to never used them again, and she would stick with that decision, no matter what.

Everything looked right, almost perfect, Chloe was with her, her dad was alive and breathing...but something wasn't right, not the fact that they were alive but the fact that she was there with them in the first place.

What happened at the lighthouse?

Now that she wasn't panicking and was absolutely sure that she would stay in this timeline, Max tried to remember what happened, before she somehow managed to be back with Chloe again when they were kids, when everything was right, when they were happy, when she was happy…

Did I do this? Am I that powerful? I barely stop time to save Kate and that almost killed me.

Max remembered that she had to take a decision at the lighthouse, Chloe said that they had to save their town, Max had looked at the butterfly photo, she had to do something with it, but she didn't know what. Would I have let the storm take Arcadia Bay? Chloe didn't want to die, I know this...but she didn't want to be responsible for her mother, or even David, or anyone else's death. she wanted to live and be with me, but she would be the hero if she had to. Why couldn't she just shut up for once? Why did she had to be the hero?

Would I have said no to her at the lighthouse? That was one of the questions that wouldn't stop nagging her. She already knew what she would have done if the choice was between sacrificing Chloe or Arcadia Bay… She would have flipped both of them off and choose herself, a defiance against everything. Nobody said that she couldn't make her third option, her own...

What if you couldn't make a third option? If it was between her or the town, who could you say no to? If It might come to that choice again, what would you do then...

"…Max?" Chloe had took her hand and they were going upstairs, she didn't know what they were going to do later, it didn't matter, they were together now, Chloe and Max, Cheese and Maxaroni, together and back in action.

Like we should always have...before I fucked that up.

She remembered that day like it was yesterday, when William died, Max talked with her parents to stay in Arcadia Bay, but they explained to her why they couldn't, it was an opportunity that couldn't be lost; she argued. She screamed against such injustice...but in the end, they got their opportunity and she lost hers and I left her...when she needed me, when Chloe needed me the most.

It wasn't her parents fault though, If I just insisted more, or...or just talked with Chloe once, just fucking once, in those freaking five years I wouldn't have lost her, she wouldn't have felt so alone, she wouldn't have being shot! and when Nathan drew that gun, if only I just got out from behind that stall, why couldn't I have grown a spine! And made him shoot me instead? All this mess wouldn't have happened and she would have made it at least.

Even with her dad alive I still left her, she wasn't alone, but I still wasn't there for Chloe, what fuck is wrong with me?! That I leave her behind every fucking time!

"Maxine?"

She was hearing something, a voice? She didn't know, Max raised her eyes for a minute, just for a minute, she could have believed that she was with Chloe at the lighthouse again...and it was then that she remembered what Chloe said to her, what Max had to choose at the lighthouse, who had to die…

"Max you are the only one who can."

She hugged her as strongly as her weak arms could, and in that moment, she knew what fate had reserved for them but it wasn't what Max wanted to do.

Chloe why? Why I have to choose?

She looked at her eyes then, those blue eyes were looking at her and she could look at herself in them, and the only thing she saw was...a monster, something twisted, eyes red with blood, madness and blood were all she could see, the town came in mind, and she feared that she already knew her answer. She should be scared of what she would become because of her choice, and what would Chloe think?

Chloe was getting closer now, and Max felt...peace, for the first time since she came back to her, that blonde hair was so…so...

Wait...blonde hair?

She was realizing that she wasn't at the lighthouse with a certain pain in the ass, punk bluenette, she was with a 14 years old pain in the ass, blondie pirate Chloe, her best...everything, and she was going to kiss her.

Max was using all her willpower to not kiss her, because if she let her...she wouldn't stop at a kiss on the cheek, I would hug her, I wouldn't let her go, I would cry my eyes out, saying how sorry I was for everything I did, I would swear to be the friend she deserves and I would say how much she means to me.

And I would have to rewind that.

That was probably the greatest challenge to her promise to not use her rewind again. But she would stand her ground.

Needless to say, she was wrong.

"Chloe...what are you doing?"

The blonde gave a small scream of surprise, probably hoping that the brunette wouldn't catch her.

"Aw! Max! Stop! Scaring me like this!"

"But I didn't…"

Chloe wouldn't let her finish however, describing how weird and mad she was acting in those last two hours, she couldn't really say that she wrong however, she was acting quite mad.

"Chloe. I am…"

"Was it something I did? Are you angry because I made that…"

And now she managed to make her think she was guilty, great Max, you really have the tact.

"Chloe! I...I am not mad at you, I. Am. Fine." Please can you just let that go?

"You aren't! And won't even tell me why!"

"Because everything is…"

"Not fine! Who did this to you? If it wasn't me, then who?"

"No one! Why can't you just believe me?" I know why you can't believe me, but could you just leave this behind us? Please? Nothing bad is going to happen to us now.

"Because you are lying to me."

"And since you don't want to tell me the truth...I am leaving you to your thoughts."

"Chloe…" Are you hella cereal? You really think this is going to make me spill the beans?

"Goodbye Maxine."

Max knew that Chloe was trying to play with her, make her feel guilt so that she could tell her the truth later, and frankly...that tactic did work sometimes. She was never any good at lying to Chloe, but I am not that easy anymore she thought that part with a smile as she was going after her cunning friend, but I have to think of something to tell her later, she isn't going to believe me if I don't come up with something to tell…

In that moment Max froze up when she saw Chloe's skateboard at the end of the stairs...and Chloe's feet was on it.

"Chloe wait!"

It was like seeing everything in slow motion, from the moment that Chloe was just laughing around until she fell down the stairs and hit her head hard at the railing of the stairs.

She screamed thinking Why!? Why does this has to happen? Can't something go right for once? Just for once?!

Chloe looked bad from here, she was barely moving at all, she was either passing out or...or...dead I can't...I can't...I have to do something.

But, maybe she...she is going to be okay? She won't die now, she can't, that didn't happen last time...but...but what if she doesn't? What do I do then? what if…

...She dies, so what?

Who...who is this?

Her mind was in a civil war of the worse degrees yet to date. A part of her wanted to save Chloe no matter what...but another part knew what the consequences could be if she had continued to make use of her rewind, and that part was fighting tooth and nail to stop her from using it again, to make her to keep her promise.

I am you dumbass, you didn't answer my question before, so you can go ahead, we have time, answer me now.

So what? Is her life worth our town? Are you really going to risk killing all those people, our parents, because of her?

I don't want to hurt nobody, I didn't ask for this...this…

Curse? Yes, we didn't asked for it, but we still have it, we don't have a choice here, you wanted to play around with you cool new powers! All for that punk? Oh wait! It wasn't even for her right? It was because of her! You wanted to save her life so we got this curse, then you decided to be the popular kid too! You wanted to be the hero Max? So you could be worthy of Chloe's friendship then?

She is my friend I...

What a great friend you are Maxine fucking Caulfield! Amirite? Am I Fucking Right?! How many times does she have to die till this can end? is Arcadia Bay the price? Or maybe the world can satisfy you then?

I will have to live with my choice...

Is that what you gonna say to the families of those people when they die? I will have to live with my choice?!

The Hero of Blackwell? What a joke!

I would have died for her if...

So you decided to die? For her?! You are so fucking pathetic, how do we even share the same name? You dare to call yourself a hero? You aren't one! Don't you get it? We don't get the girl at the end!

All this bullshit, all those deaths, Kate, Joyce, David, Dana, Warren, Juliet, Alyssa, even Victoria fucking Chase! People who deserve to live just as much as her! Even more than her! We deserve to live too!

Is she even worth it?

She looked at Chloe's eyes.

"Max..."

She knew her answer then, she had doubts, about herself, about her powers, about her own worthiness…but she didn't have any doubt about what she wanted.

Yes.

What?

She is worth everything, more than this town, more than all of our friends, more than my parents, and even more than us!

Are you cereal?! You gonna kill us all because of her? Because you want to fuck that blue haired punk so much?!

She didn't dignify the question with an answer.

She wanted Chloe. Happy and alive, it didn't matter if she left her later...or even forgot her and move on to some new friend, as long as she is happy, I am happy too.

She was raising her hand and all the while she was hearing the Max from the diner screaming and cursing at her trying to stop her.

Don't you fucking dare! You have no right to kill them because of her! Don't do this!

Who is going to stop me? You? A piece of my fucked up mind? Some god? Or gods? Maybe the universe? Let them, no one's going to stay my hand…

You psycho bitch! Don't you dare...

She raised her hand…and everything was silence, she would feel guilty, she would risk becoming a monster by destroying the lives of an entire town.

But she would never regret her choice from this day forward, because in the end, Chloe Elizabeth Price was her hero, the one in the stories, the same ones where the hero dies a heroic death for the right thing, for the ones she loved.

Chloe would have risked her own life to save their town, a plan that she didn't even know if it would have worked or not, she wanted to live, she was terrified of dying, of not having her best friend at her side anymore. She would have been forgotten, she wouldn't even remember that week with Max, nobody would have remembered her...only Max would know the hero that Chloe was, how much she was truly worth.

That was what it meant to do the right thing.

That was true sacrifice.

That was what it meant to be a real everyday hero...everything that I am not, I am not the hero of this story...I never was, Chloe is the hero.

She was right, only I could make this choice...but I would never consider this option if she hadn't said that, if she just kept quiet, I would have watched Arcadia Bay be obliterated by that storm, I would feel guilty for this, for the rest of my life...but I would never consider to sacrifice her.

Is Arcadia Bay, the entire world, the price? Yes, For Chloe I am willing to do worse, I will do worse if I must, and I won't regret it.

She deserves much more than to die at a fucking bathroom alone!

And if my life alone can't pay the price for hers, I will be the monster to protect her…

Chloe is the hero of this story and heroes usually die...but I am not the hero and she is deserves much more than a hero's death.

Everything was slowly coming back, Chloe was coming back from her fall, she was coming back at the stairs, back to me.

And if some entity wants Chloe dead so much, it's going to have to kill me first, and I would like to see it try.

She stopped just before when Chloe's feet was on the skate.

"Max?"

And without any hesitation, Max grasped her hand and pulled her back to her arms before both falling to the ground.

Max was on the ground with Chloe in her arms.

"Wow! What the hell Max?"

"You almost fell down the stairs you dork!"

"What you talking about I..." Chloe stopped when she looked at what Max was pointing to her.

"Your feet. Plus you skate. Equals death at stairs. Idiot."

"Guess your Caulfield senses were turned up to the Max?" Chloe just gave Mad Max, her best dork a smile...Max wasn't going to let that slide however.

"Chloe Elizabeth Price! You could have died you dork!"

"Sorry Max, I didn't mean to scare…"

"You think I can lose you now? What do you think Joyce or William would do if you hit your head at the railing? You could have died!"

"Max I..."

"I can't freaking lose you Chloe! I can't, can't...I..I..I..."

"Max, come on, everything's alright, calm down, please Max!"

"You, you can't leave me, pleaseee...I..."

"Chloe! What is happening upstairs?" Joyce's voice could be heard from downstairs.

"Max isn't looking good mom! Max! I am not leaving you, why are you crying? Please? You can tell me."

"I...I...I don't want to lose you..."

"Who is making you lose me?"

"Vanessa I will call you later, I think Max already knew, are you sure that this is the right..."

"Honey you can finish your call first, I am going to help Max."

"Thank you Bill...Ness, your daughter is just crying upstairs! For the love of..."

Max was passing out, she couldn't breath, she almost lost her so many times...you died so many times, I can't lose you, I can't, and I won't lose you anymore!

"Dad! We need to help her!"

"I am here sweetie, Max? Can you hear me? Is everything alright...Max?"

Everything was fading to black but she could still hear Chloe calling her name

"Max!"

She was opening her eyes slowly, she could feel Chloe behind her, hugging her as closely as she could.

Where am I?

"Chloe...what happened? I..."

"Shh, go back to sleep Spider Max."

"I am better now..."

"You aren't and you should have told me that you parents wanted to make you leave."

"My parents?"

"But I know you didn't mean to lie to me, so I forgive you."

Opening her eyes more, she could see that she was at Chloe's room on Chloe's bed.

"Sorry for freaking you out."

"You don't have to apologize, that's why we are pirate sisters Max, you got my back and I got yours."

"Sisters?"

"Forever."

Max just smiled, she was finally calm, in her friend's arms, she could finally rest a bit this day...actually night.

"Max...about your parents..."

"I won't leave you Chloe."

"I know you don't want to...but we need to plan something if..."

Max turned around and looked deeply into Chloe's eyes.

"I will never leave your side Chloe, my parents won't stop me from being at your side." Never again.

"You...you promise?"

Max just smiled at the question.

"I hella swear."

"Hella?"

Max hugged her with all the strength her thirteen year old body could muster.

"I Hella promise."

I am going to give us the friendship we deserved Chloe, I will be the friend you deserve.

"Hella, Hella Max, Hella Chloe, we are hella awesome!" both girls were giggling at the overuse of hellas.

Oh my dog what have I done…

"You know Max, we should hella run away together if…"

They heard shouts from outside the door, likely coming from downstairs.

"For the last time Joyce! I already told you why we can't stay!" Mom?

"And I am telling you that your daughter isn't in any condition to be leaving! Vanessa, if you just give one look at your daughter..." and that's Joyce.

"God Joyce, she was fine ten hours ago! How did she even know?"

"I don't know, but we didn't tell her, I promise you that."

Chloe and Max could hear the discussion all the way from Chloe's room.

"Are they still talking about this?"

"What talk?"

"My mom is trying to convince your mom to stay at Arcadia Bay...And I think they are gonna kill each other."

"Why?"

"They are calm now...but mom was quite angry that you already knew and your parents didn't tell them."

"But they didn't tell me..."

"Just give me some minutes, I am gonna tell them to shut up, because you need to sleep."

"Chloe, I...don't want you to leave."

"I promise Max, just give me some minutes, you think you gonna be okay?"

Max didn't want her to leave...but she wanted to know what was happening downstairs and Chloe wouldn't let her leave her room with her.

"I will."

"Okay then."

Chloe was heading for the door and was opening it, but before she left, she turned to Max and said.

"I'll be just some minutes and don't leave this room."

"I won't."

"I am serious Max. Don't leave this room."

"I swear."

"Hella swear?"

"I hella swear." Of course I will leave this room dork.

"Five minutes." Chloe closed the door.

Time to get up.

And Max got up, opening the door and carefully stepping on the ground, she could hear the discussion at end of the stairs.

"Can you guys shut up! Max is trying to sleep."

Joyce didn't like Chloe's manners however.

"Chloe, manners young lady."

"But mom, she is trying to sleep."

"I didn't raise you to act like..."

"Joy, it's alright, we need to sleep too, and I need to think about this..." Mom decided to stop them before they managed to start a new discussion.

"Ness, you know that your daughter isn't in any condition to leave."

"Honey calm down. You need to see..." William and her dad were the diplomats for both of their wives, so they could stop them for attacking each other.

"No Bill! I don't need to see her point! Her daughter was just crying upstairs because she didn't want to leave! You saw her pass out! We saw her hugging our daughter for her life because she was terrorized of leaving her for crying out loud! and you still want to tell me..."

"I don't want to do this because I want to leave Joyce, I care about her happiness too, I care about your daughter too, I am not saying they can't see each other again, Chloe can visit her or Max can, if you want, to visit Chloe. Ryan is more than at her disposal when ..."

"That's not the point Vanessa."

"Than what is the point!? You helped us get this chance! Or did you forgot that it was you who told me that we shouldn't waste this chance?"

"Dear you need to calm down."

"No Ryan, I don't need to calm down, you know this was the chance we were looking for in years, this is a chance in a thousand, it is a dream come true for our family."

It isn't for me.

"It isn't for Max." Chloe voiced her exact thoughts.

"Chloe go back to your..."

"No, let your daughter speak, I never refused to let her speak her mind, she is a grown woman too. "

"I...I don't want Max to leave me Ness, I want to stay with her."

"Sweet pea, you know I think of you as a second daughter, but you can visit her if you wish, I can bring her to visit you too."

"But I don't want to visit her, I want her with me, you said we are like sisters!"

"I...I know dear, but we made our decision I am sorry."

"Can you at least let her sleep here?"

"Of course I would Joyce, you think I would drag her from bed?"

"Ness, I am sorry, I know I said to you and Ryan that you should take this chance, and I am a hypocrite for saying this, but yes, I would have done the same thing...but you didn't saw her, it was like she was going to die if she left her right there.

"Joyce...what I am supposed to do, throw everything in the air?"

"I...I don't know, but she can't leave at this state, not now."

"Maybe we can wait two or even three weeks instead of one, but we can't stay much more than that. "

"Wait! You didn't even ask her if she wants to leave!"

"Chloe that's enough."

"No Mom! Vanessa just said I am a grown woman, but Max isn't?"

"She...she does have a point Ness." Joyce looked surprised at the question but she couldn't say that her daughter was wrong.

"Me and my big mouth...okay sweet pea, can you wake Max for me and ask her to come downstairs to talk with us?"

"Okay, I am calling her."

"Thank you."

Max didn't even need to try, she knew her parent's decision, no matter how much she screamed, they wouldn't leave this chance behind them, they might stay for a few more weeks, but nothing else…

So she decided that she needed to shake them up if she wanted to have a chance to stay with her best friend, it would be a bit...drastic and extreme from her part but...

...These are desperate times. And I wasn't call the Blackwell ninja for nothing.

Max started to rewind the entire talk, she had a plan built for this situation.

Don't worry Chloe I won't leave you alone again.