"Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."
- Robert Frost


Max stared at the photo as her thoughts from the week tumbled across the frame of her mind. Everything she'd seen and done. All she'd learned. The corruption and greed, pollution and death, apathy and selfishness. People dying, the land dying, Chloe dying.

As she looked around at where they stood she couldn't ignore the feeling that things seemed off. She already felt she'd been here before through her visions, but this time it felt strange. Something was gently poking her from the back of her mind but she couldn't grasp it. She looked past Chloe to the lighthouse, the bench, the storm-tossed trees and the cliff and bay beyond. She couldn't define the nagging feeling and she found her focus drift to the storm where it sat just offshore as if watching and waiting for her answer. The winds whirled around it, howling and whispering only promises of chaos.

It waited, for her.

The urge to run was nearly overwhelming as the whispers of the storm blended with the voice in Max's mind. They started softly and grew louder with each moment…

Not strong enough. Not good enough.

Not smart enough to make these choices and no matter what you do here it will go wrong, it always goes wrong.

Leave it to Max to fuck things up, leave it to Max to make things worse.

You never knew what you were doing and you didn't even care. You just wanted people to like you.

You just wanted HER to like you. You really think she does?

You just wanted things to be different. Guess you got your wish Max, nice job.

She squeezed her eyes shut trying to block out the voice.

No, I tried to help! I did help! I did the best I could. I helped Kate and so many others. Rachel has justice now and we stopped Jefferson from hurting anyone else.

So you're wrong.

I am better than…myself.

She exhaled and looked down at the photo in her hand as rain drops spattered across it's surface. For that moment, time seemed to stand still as she thought of everything that had happened that week. Her choice took shape as a small defiant voice in her mind, growing stronger each moment.

no.

No more hiding, I'm not running away.

Not from this, not from you.

Not from her, or myself!

"Not anymore!"

Chloe opened her eyes, her mouth slightly agape as her mind grasped for the meaning of what she'd just heard. Before she could say anything she watched Max rip the photo in half and scatter it into the storm's wind. So many feelings rapidly collided between Chloe's mind and heart she could barely process them.

The gales grew even stronger as the storm intensified the closer it got to the shore. Lightning danced and played across the water and arced dangerously close to their place on the cliff. The air felt charged and alive around her, Chloe felt her hairs begin to stand on end. The space around her seemed to vibrate as the the sensation passed through her body, the feeling was bizarre. In another moment it was gone and all that remained were rain-soaked goosebumps on her skin chilled by the howling wind. She brought her focus back to where she stood and to Max who faced the storm as the reality of Max's choice finally hit Chloe.

Max had chosen to stay…with her.

Chloe slowly walked forward and took the small brunette's hand. They both stood there on the brink, hand in hand gazing out over the bay as the storm roared it's satisfaction and crawled forward to annihilate their home town. She wanted to say something in that moment, anything to define how she felt but all her thoughts and feelings still whirled in her mind much like the storm before her. So instead she voiced the first truth she felt.

"Max. I'll always be with you."

"Forever." Max said, never taking her eyes from the storm.

Max caught a last glimpse of her butterfly photo as the pieces drifted out onto the wind and were pulled toward the vortex. Chloe's words from earlier in the week echoed in her mind, "So it's time to start moving forward in time."

Max gave Chloe's hand an affirming squeeze as she thought to herself.

It is, together.

They both stood transfixed on the storm before them and the sheer power it displayed. Within seconds the storm crawled onto the shoreline. Much like an angry child ripping clumps of grass from the earth, the storm began pulling Arcadia Bay from the land.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl, the entire scene was surreal as they watched everything fly up into the vortex. Boats, piers, cars, buildings close to shore, all uprooted, wrecked and ruined to join the debris' terrible orbit in the vortex. Some larger things still remained visible orbiting the storm. Train cars, vehicles and what were likely dead whales from the beach being tossed and spun around by the storm's force.

A slight sadness managed to tug at Max as she watched the whales, even though she knew those creatures were long past caring or pain. She thought about the town and all the animals there, all the people…

She turned away from the sight and buried her face in Chloe's chest. In the last week she'd seen enough death and horrors, enough sadness and warped truths and the ugly side of humanity for several lifetimes. She reached her arm up behind Chloe to pull closer to her. She held the tall punk tightly, as if afraid the vortex might rip her away still. The warmth of Chloe's chest on her face was comforting even through her cold rain-drenched shirt and jacket. The steady roar of the storm winds faded into the background as she tried to loose herself in the feeling.

As she closed her eyes the image of the storm followed her. It's whispers played in her mind, taunting her and Max's weary spirit raged at it.

I'm NOT running.

I chose this, I chose her.

I was given this ability, I didn't ask for it, I didn't ask for you and all this destruction!

All the twisted realities and bullshit!

This fucking power was forced on me!

WHY!?

Just so I could choose never to use it?

Just to watch her die and STILL change nothing!?

Doing that is no better than running away.

Fuck that and fuck you!

So since the choice is mine…

I choose her.

And we both go forward together.

The image of the storm slowly faded from Max's mind, replaced by the blackness of her closed eyelids. The whispers quieted and Max pulled tighter to Chloe finding that the renewed contact was reassuring.

That this was all real and Chloe was really there.