Ch-1: Prologue
Max and Chloe stood at the edge of the cliff watching the storm swirl with an almost living intent, barreling down on the helpless town of Arcadia Bay, as if to take it as payment for Chloe's life.
The rain, the wind, the thunder, the sheer raw power of time itself correcting some unseen shift in fate, desperately trying to make sure that Chloe's life would not change some far off event, as if her death were the "simple solution" and the town's death was just the more complicated second choice.
After the storm's wrath had finished ripping Arcadia Bay to shreds, killing everything in it's path, Max and Chloe descended from the lighthouse in stunned silence, back to the road where Chloe had stashed the truck with foreknowledge of the storms impending onslaught.
As they passed the "Welcome To Arcadia Bay" sign leaving the now wrecked, lifeless town, the weight of the situation started to kick in. Max began to cry as she remembered all the people she had just chosen to watch die to save Chloe's life. Meanwhile Chloe began to boil slowly with rage and anxiety that she would never see her mother Joyce again.
But her anger was not aimed at Max, it was aimed at whatever unseen force was at work, whatever it was she knew if it was standing in front of her right at that moment she would run it over with her truck without any thought as to whoever or whatever would run the universe after she did.
Max looked across the truck at Chloe with glazed over eyes, her vision was blurry from the tears, her arms wrapped around herself as if to hold her body together, as she felt at any moment she would simply fly apart at the seams from her guilt.
Chloe focused with total attention on the road, they drove for almost 30 minutes before the silence broke.
"Chlo... Chloe…"
Max rasped with a dreadful phlegm in the back of her voice.
"Are, are you mad..."
As if asking a question she thought she knew the answer to.
"NO!"
Chloe boomed, her voice filled with rage making Max flinch, feeling a deep guilt that fooled her into believing the opposite of Chloe's single powerful word.
"I just... I just hate this! I hate fuckin' fate! I hate time! I hate this whole fuckin' mess!"
Chloe stomped on the break bringing the truck to a screeching halt on the empty road before turning to face Max, now in tears.
"Max! No.. no.. it's not you Max!"
Chloe said with a deep concern in her voice as she scooted across the bench of the truck and wrapped her arms around Max.
"I told you didn't I? 'No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision!' Max I meant that! 'I will always be with you!"
Max began to fall apart in Chloe's embrace as she finally let all her emotions rush to the surface. Anger, Guilt, Grief, Sadness, they all came in a flood, an unstoppable tsunami of pain that tormented her. All that held her together was Chloe. It felt to Max, as if Chloe was gripping her tighter than anyone had ever held onto anything in all of time, as if even Chloe was afraid Max would fall to dust and be swept away.
"Max."
Chloe continued in a hushed and loving tone.
"You saved me, I can't even imagine how hard that was, I can't even begin to understand the pain you're in, I... I need you to know, that no matter what it looks like, no matter what you feel, I know you did what was right~ "
"CHLOE!"
Max screamed cutting Chloe off with a deep rough rasp, her voice cracking with every word.
"I killed them! I killed them all.. I'm horrible, I let everyone... everything die for my own selfishness, I traded them for you! I traded Joyce, and Warren and Kate... I traded everyone! How can I ever look you in the eyes! Look at myself!"
Chloe thought of her mother, thinking of how she would never see her again, about how the whole town was gone, and everyone she knew or loved was gone with it. But looking down she saw Max, the girl who had let it all be destroyed, crying in her arms, and she knew that no matter how much she had lost, Max was all she needed, all that she cared about anymore. She loved her mother, but she knew in her heart that Joyce was a mother above all else, and that she would have never wanted to live if her daughter had to die. A thought that gave her little comfort, but it was better than nothing, now she had to be strong for Max, Chloe held onto that small comfort.
"Max."
Chloe said with a tender yet firm voice.
"You didn't do anything wrong! This shit is not on you! it's on me! I made you do this, If I was not such a damn brat I never would have ended up in that bathroom with Nathan God Damn Prescott in the first place! I fucked up! I did this!"
"You just… You saved me! You gave up so much, you gave up part of your soul for me! That pain you feel!? I did that! If anyone should be mad, if anyone should hate anyone it should be you hating me!"
Max's hands wrapped around the outside of Chloe's arms and squeezed, trying to hold on to Chloe as if she would let go of her.
"No Chloe! I can't, I can't let you take this all on your shoulders! Not after I left you for five years! I~"
Chloe cut the girl short.
"Shhh, it's okay Max, I've been a real bitch, lording that over your head ever since we found each other again. I can't even believe I ever wanted to hurt you like that, to make you feel that guilt, that pain! It was shitty of me and I'm so fuckin' sorry!"
Max spoke with a soft but grated voice.
"What should I do.. how can I live with this…"
Chloe's eyes softened as she leaned in close to Max and gave her a soft tender kiss.
"With me by your side, forever and always, I love you Max! I have, and will always love you!"
Max began to sob once more, Chloe comforting her the whole time. Without words they sat there, Max held in Chloe's tight embrace until she was drained of all her tears and all her energy, finally falling asleep in Chloe's arms, Max's hands only finally letting go of Chloe's arms once she had fallen into a deeply exhausted sleep.
Chloe slowly let go of Max, laying her back on the seat, making sure she was buckled and comfortable before she scooted back to the driver seat of the truck after retrieving a map from the glove box
"Shit!"
Chloe mumbled to herself opening the map.
"How the fuck do you read these things, they're like hella confusing."
Chloe grumbled as she rotated the map until the words were finally standing upright.
"Gotta get her some place safe, shit, where do her parents live!"
Chloe began to grow annoyed yet again before she realized something obvious that had totally slipped her mind.
"Her phone!"
She thought, I bet I can get her parents address off her contacts."
She thought.
Chloe reached over the bench and slowly reached around Max's waist, trying ever so delicately not to disturb the now unconscious Max. Slowly Chloe slipped her hand into Max's right pants pocket when suddenly Max's hands grabbed Chloe's entire arm again.
"Chloe!"
Max groaned in a panicked tone still very much unconscious as she latched onto Chloe's arm tightly with her quivering arms wrapping them around Chloe's like two snakes.
"Bastard! You killed Chloe! You Bastard!"
Max began to thrash.
"I'll kill you!"
Chloe looked down with concern.
"Max!"
Chloe said firmly but with care and reassurance in her voice.
"I'm right here Max, I'm right here with you! You're safe, I'm safe, it's just a dream shh."
Chloe scooted back across the bench of the truck, yet again wrapping her arms around Max's shaky body. Holding her softly this time she slowly ran her fingers through Max's hair and whispered quiet reassurances in Max's ear. After 10 minutes she was able to slowly work Max's phone from her pocket.
Having finally untangled herself from an unconscious Max's death grip Chloe scooted back to the driver side and exiting the truck.
"Okay, don't panic, you got this Chloe, just call her parents who you have not spoken to in 5 years and tell them you have they're daughter sleeping in your truck after a hella freak tornado fuckin' sucked up the town. SHIT! Are you stupid Chloe! Do you want them to hate you!"
Chloe began pacing from the tailgate to the hood of the truck over and over muttering dozens of practice sentences to herself try to figure out what to say to Vanessa and Ryan.
"Fuck, FUCK! What the hell do I say!"
Suddenly Max's phone began to ring, looking down Chloe saw Vanessa's face and number on the screen, shocked and confused Chloe answered the phone.
"MAX! Oh my lord are you okay baby!"
It was Max's mother Vanessa's voice.
"Baby dear!?"
Unable to think Chloe was totally silent for what seemed to her an eternity before blurting out the only words that could come to mind.
"Hay Mrs. Caulfield.. It's.. It's Chloe… Max is okay, she is with me…. I~"
Vanessa's voice cut her short.
"Chloe? Oh thank god you are okay! You said Max was with you? How is she? Is she hurt?"
Vanessa's voice filled with some relief.
"Ya."
Chloe began in a hushed voice.
"She's not hurt or anything, but she is pretty shook up, we… never mind... She is asleep in my truck, we left town… There.. I don't think anyone is alive back there… Mrs Caulfield, I.. I don't know what to do!"
There was silence for a few seconds before Vanessa's voice again come through the phone.
"Chloe, I need to you put joyce on, can you do that for me sweetie?"
The words stung in Chloe's ears, she had nearly forgotten for the last few minutes that her mother was gone. Vanessa's words grabbed at Chloe's heart and ripped off the hard scab she had been forming to protect herself from the harsh reality.
"I…. She…"
Chloe began to sob as the emotions began to leak from the now torn open wound in her heart, she tried to clamp down on her mouth with her hand, like it could stop the sound of her hyperventilating reaching Vanessa's ears but there was no holding it back, a loud squeal broke through her hand as she sobbed.
"Oh lord!"
Vanessa said in shock, realizing that Joyce was not with them, That Chloe was in fact alone and with no one to guide her, that Max was now in Chloe's care and the poor girl had no idea what to do.
"Chloe? Chloe!? I need you to listen to me, Can you do that?"
Chloe nodded her head with a barely understandable "mmmhmm" in confirmation, even though no one could see her.
"Chloe, I need you to tell me what road you are on, I will give you directions after that. Don't worry Sweetie we are going to take good care of you okay, Just… just stay calm and drive safe okay?"
Chloe began to think of Max again, laying unconscious in her truck, she thought of how she needed to protect her, she needed to be strong for her. Biting down on her bottom lip until it bleed a little she choked back her tears, her sadness, and all the other emotions that were swirling around her.
"I... I will Mrs Caulfield!"
Chloe began telling Vanessa what road she was on, before being given very detailed directions to a small motel 10 miles away on the way to Max's parents, Vanessa insisting that Chloe go there and wait for them to come pick the two girls up, as Vanessa was worried Chloe was in no emotional state to drive, but wanted them to get somewhere safe where they could sleep the night.
Chloe drove uncharacteristically slow the 10 miles to the motel as not to wake Max, mostly so she would not have to face the waking world and the horrible events that transpired, but partly because she did not know how to handle her friends panic and guilt, what could she say to allay her fear and guilt?
After arriving at the motel Chloe sat in the truck trying to figure out how best to move Max into the motel room without waking her up, however after a few minutes, all those thoughts became pointless as Max woke up, groggy and confused by her surroundings.
"Chloe?"
Max said calmly, the haze of waking up doing it's damnedest to keep Max from remembering anything, But it was no use, the fog of her mind lifted and she was instantly hit with the full force of reality making Max begin to quiver yet again.
"Chloe!? Where are we? How... how long was I asleep?"
"Not long."
Chloe said calmly but with a slight crack in her voice.
"We just drove a few miles, Your… um your mom gave me directions here. Sorry about using your phone but I didn't know what to do... And I didn't know what else to do I just sort of panicked and~
"It's okay Chloe…."
Max cut her off.
"It's not like I'm any help to anyone right now… I'm just absorbed in my own selfish pouting… You're the one who lost everything!"
"Max…"
Chloe replied somberly, worried for her friend, who was holding the weight of so much all by herself, refusing to share the pain or guilt with anyone. She feared Max would never stop punishing herself, which made Chloe feel all the more guilty herself.
"I know Chloe, I know that you care, I know that you want me to think this is somehow not my fault! But it is!"
Max said with anger and guilt in her voice.
"I did this, there is no other way to look at it, I chose you over everyone… everything you knew and loved! I took it all away from you just so I would not lose you! Because I love you Chloe! Because I could not live without you!"
Max continued, slowly raising her volume with increasing agitation and pain in her voice, stunning Chloe into silence, unable to find her mental footing to stop Max's self blaming rampage.
"I hurt you! I hurt everyone!"
The pain in her throat was finally too much, she could no long talk as the pain and the tears took over she fell silent, falling forward onto Chloe's lap almost unable to breathe.
Without a single word Chloe rested her hands on Max's head and back. Slowly petting the top of her head, Chloe leaned forward hugging Max awkwardly leaving them both in an uncomfortable position. Slowly they both calmed down, Max feeling Chloe's presence soothing her pain she fell asleep once again, but this time Chloe joined her, drifting off to sleep for the first time since the tornado.