Kate's bedroom contrasted with it's version in Max's memories. The last time she had been in here, Kate was in such a dark place. Her room had reflected that. Curtains drawn. Mirror covered up. Clothes on the floor. Disturbing drawings scattered about. Very...un-Kate. The room in this reality was decidedly proper. It looked less 'senior-in-highschool' and more of, well...a room that had a level of care and attention spent on it that only Kate could deliver. And, being december, it had a peaceful christmas theme to it. A nativity scene on her computer desk, cut-out paper snowflakes adorning the ceiling, and colorful lights on the wall above her bed providing the only light. Intimate and festive.

It was these Christmas lights Max stared at, lost in a sort of trance. She was still wrapped comfortably in Kate's down jacket, but the occasional shiver escaped overtook her. Turns out the chill outside had been a little too much to ignore.

Why had she come here? Ok, yes it seemed like it would probably be a giant middle finger to destiny, or fate, or whatever, to deny Kate's request. But Fuck destiny. Destiny and Max didn't really have a great relationship right now. This was for Kate. Because regardless of what your current mental state is, who could deny that girl? Kate was like freaking snow white. She had such a kind spirit that others couldn't help but put it down. Come to think of it, Victoria played into that Evil Queen role like it had been made especially for her. Max could swear there was even a time before...everything where she saw Kate talking to a bird.

Ok, maybe not. But still, the comparison stands.

So yes, Kate deserved this. Kate, who was currently busy prepping a pot of tea on her desk. Softly humming to herself while she moved about in an almost ritualistic manner. That had been one of the first things Max ever noticed about Kate. Girl was serious about her tea. This was one of Max's favorite observations to make as a photographer. Just noting the seemingly little or mundane things people were passionate about, and Kate had a lot of little passions.

Max glanced at her briefly. She had slippers with bunny ears on them because of course she did. A matching set of flannel pajamas. And that hair - always done up in a bun that made her look so effortlessly gorgeous. Her whole visual was the complete essence of purity. Maybe that's why Kate was always given such a hard time. In a world full of people who felt marred, or broken, Kate appeared the opposite. She seemed just so...composed.

Max closed her eyes and rested her head back down as Kate poured a bit of boiling water to warm the cups.

"Kate" she whispered.

"Yeah Max."

"All of this...the shit with Jefferson. How have you been able to remain so..well, you?"

Kate sighed. Dropping the teabags into the pot.

"Honestly, I was in a pretty dark place for a while"

"But you never seemed like it"

"Well, it's not like you would have noticed Max" there was a sting in her voice that made Max wince.

"I...I'm sorry. It's just that I was - really confused for a while. Why Nathan would drug me and..why Jefferson woul- How he co-" She closed her eyes and pinched at the bridge of her nose for a moment, only to shake it and rub a sleeve to her eyes as she stood.

"Why were you even at a vortex club party?" Kate paused at that, looked at Max, then looked at her bunny slippers. Wiggling her toes up and down a bit nervously.

"I was invited"

"That doesn't explain why you wen-"

"Max I-" Kate interrupted, a bit flustered. "I know who I am. The kind of..person people think I am. But I'm not perfect OK. I went to the party. I wanted to go. I wanted to..to drink some wine. This is my first year away from my parents, the first time I can make my own decisions. So maybe I wanted to experience a bit more of what life has to offer. I mean...I didn't know what would happen. I...what they did to me but.." She shook her head. Maybe trying to rid herself of whatever memories she had of Jefferson. As if that would work. If only that could work.

"I went. And it happened. And yeah, I was messed up a bit after that. I was..was lost but..That's not important right now. What matters is you" Of course Kate. So quick to think of others. She walked over with the ready cups of tea, holding out one towards Max, who sat up, shifting her weight a bit so Kate could sit down next to her, and took the offered cup. Inhaling, she arched an eyebrow

"Chamomile?"

"You do need to rest."

Max pursed her lips as if in disagreement, though only for a moment. The concerened look on Kate's face was enough motivation, she brought the cup up and sipped softly.

"Max! Your hand!"

"What? Oh that I.." She had forgotten, or rather ignored the dull throbbinbg in her knuckles. They did look pretty banged up. Max versus the concrete had gone just about as well as could be expected.

"One second, I think I have a first aid kit here" Kate went rummaging through her closet, silent save the occasional hmph of moving a box out of her way. Before long she came back with some gauze and a wash cloth.

"Ok so I may have exaggerated, but this should be good enough" She wet the wash cloth and began to go over Max's wound. Her hand felt...strange to Max, but comforting in a way. She gently cleared away dried blood from Max's hand, taking extra care to go lightly around the bruising.

"You've done this before I take it?"

"My mother is a nurse. And my sisters and I played in the woods near our house a lot" she finished wrapping the gauze around Max's hand an flashed a smile "Lot's of bloody-everything falling from trees and into thorns".

That seemed a bit different than the image Max had of Kate as a child. Her imagination had much more prim and proper activities. Impromptu violin conciertos in a parlor room. Her parents definitely had a parlor room. Painting bowls of fruit under the scornful eye of a governess while her mother and father read by a fireplace. Oh...so Max's view of her childhood was basically an episode of Downton Abbey. Or a page from Jane Eyre. That would kind of make sense.

But days spent running through trees and getting stuck in thornbushes? That hair in thorn bushes? It had to have been a nightmare for her parents.

"Max why were you up there tonight?" Kate cut in on Max's daydreaming.

"I could ask the same of you" Kate shifted her gaze off of Max a bit sheepishly

"I..uh..I go there to pray sometimes. It's one of the only places I can get any real peace and quiet. But...you didn't answer my question"

"Kate you know wh-"

"No Max. I know what you were going to do, but why were you up there?" Max put a hand behind her neck and shifted uncomfortably

"...it's complicated"

"That girl..Chloe right? She was..your friend.."

Friend? Best Friend. Lover. And how much she fucking loved that woman.

"..and you had to watch her die. I'm so sorry max" Max couldn't help it. Tears flowed freely as she shook her head, looking up at Kate.

"No..no I didn't watch her die, I let her die. She was desperate and I fucking let her die like that. I didn't even...she didn't even see me before she bled out Kate. I couldn't force myself to even comfort her, and she died alone and broken"

"We were both at her funeral. You saw her parents, how much they loved her. She had to have known"

"She didn't Kate"

"You don't know that"

Max held her head in her hands, slightly trembling.

"What..what if I did"

"Max...what are you talking about"

"You wouldn't believe me" Kate got off the bed, carefully set her teacup on the desk, and knelt in front of Max, taking a firm grasp of the girl's hands.

"Max Caulfield, I watched you nearly throw yourself off of a roof tonight. Two months ago we were drinking tea and talking about our favorite books. Or boys. You never once struck me as a person who...who could...Max. Whatever...changed you..you can tell me. I'll believe anything"

Max doubted that. But looking into the girls hazel eyes, they were filled with such sinceriity and worry. And Max felt so bottled up. As if for the past two months she had been about to explode. She barely even noticed it when she started talking.

"The...the day it happened, I had a vision in Jefferson's class. I was standing next to the lighthouse, and there was a giant tornado headed towards Arcadia Bay..."

Sun peaked in through Kate's bedroom window. Birds happily chirping outside and squirrels in the trees seemed to be predicting a pleasantly warm day despite the onset of winter. Kate noticed none of this. Her focus was on the girl who had fallen asleep with her head in her lap. She was softly running her hands through Max's hair, praying she had sweet dreams. Lord knows she needs them.

Kate had always known Max was a rather genuine person. That's why she had first been drawn to her. There was no facade, what you see was what you got. And what you got was one of the most love-able dorks the world had to offer. Seeing Max in this state for the past two months had sbeen difficult, but now Kate felt a bit foolish. She had no idea how difficult it had been. Originally she thought it had just been seeing an old friend die and the trauma that came with that. But..Max was carrying the literal weight of the world on her shoulders, and she had to bear it silently. Who would believe that story?

It had been hard to believe for Kate at first. Heck, she still was filled with some doubts. But then Max told her about their..interaction on the rooftop. With Kate in Max's place. And told her things about Kate she couldn't have known otherwise. Looking down at the sleeping form, she couldn't imagine how she could have gone through that.

Reunited with a best friend. Rebuilding that relationship and...and falling in love in the process. Only to have to throw that away for the cause of the greater good.

Which, wow, wait love? Rewind for a second on that one.

Rewind Kate? Kind of rude given the circumstances.

Still..

Max. In love. With a girl. It was weird, yes. Maybe a bit difficult to wrap her head around, she had always assumed Max had a thing with Warren. Now the one-sidedness of that made much more sense. But the weirdest thing about it wasn't Max, it was Kate. When Max had told her about their first..uh..kiss, Kate's stomach had gone all...flighty on her. Thinking about it again made her heart race a bit faster.

What would it have been like if-

No. No not that. Max was just passionate. About Chloe. Very passionate. Kate must have just gotten swept up in some of the excitement.

Max stirred, eyes still closed

"Sorry Kate, did I fall asleep?"

"Shh. It's alright Max, you need to rest" she whispered, continuing to slowly rake her fingers through the girls hair. Max, satisfied with the answer, nuzzled her face a bit closer to the pillow.

Kate swore she saw the slightest hint of a smile. That poor girl. She felt so alone.

Not anymore max like it or not, you can't deal with this alone.

Birds chirped in the distance.

Sunlight danced on the wall.

And Max slept peacefully for what felt like the first time in forever.