Heavenly Creatures, from the song by Wolf Alice (I really feel that you all should check this song out either before or after reading this. It's a beautiful piece of music.
Warning – This is probably the most angst-y piece I've ever done.
I'm about to hit you in your feels. Again.
Chloe winced at the first shot, her fangs bared as Nathan Prescott pumped the shotgun again to discharge the empty shell and load another one. Feeling a burning sensation as the iron buckshot worked its way into her, Chloe nearly feel to one knee as Nathan leveled her own gun at her for a second time. Fucking c'mon, superpowers! Doing what Max had told her, Chloe shot out and managed to sprint all of ten feet almost instantly before the gut shot made her bowl over in pain. Rolling along the ground, Chloe landed on her stomach and made to lift herself up when she heard the shotgun go off again.
The thing that scared Chloe the most with the second shell firing was the lack of pain. Chloe tried to get up but found that her legs weren't responding, and her lip began to tremble as she bent herself at an incredibly awkward angle to try and see what was wrong. Unable to do so, Chloe reached her hand back and screamed in pain as she felt her hand touch the pulpy mess that had become the small of her back. Brackish fluid coating her fingers, Chloe began to shake as she dragged herself towards the lighthouse path. I fucking swear that if I managed to get through this I am never fucking coming back to this goddamn hilltop! Shit's hella cursed!
Chloe grimaced in pain as something in her back pinched against the small bits of iron inside her and she looked over to see Nathan Prescott using her own phone. Fuck, he's got to be trying to get Max over here, Chloe thought as she smacked her forehead against the ground in frustration. She's the only contact on my phone he probably has any interest in. Knowing Max, she'll come running like a superhero. Chloe winced again as she turned her attention back to her escape attempt.
Leaving Max at the hospital, Chloe had opted to come up to the lighthouse with all of her remaining weed and see just how much it would take to get her undead ass lit. Rolling up some serious blunts, Chloe had nearly inhaled the first with little reaction except a slight tingling. Ugh! Fuck you, vampire-ish-ness! I need to blaze! Starting the second joint, Chloe had begun to feel herself mellow when she heard a familiar chk-chack from behind her.
"Got you now, feminazi dyke bitch," Nathan said with a smirk as she shakily leveled Chloe's shotgun at her. Where the fuck did you get that, Asscot?! That's my gun!
"Get the fuck away from me, psycho!" Chloe shouted, looking away as she tried to move faster along the ground before both Nathan and Chloe jerked their heads up at the sound of someone screaming. Oh, shit. Max?
Chloe tried to scramble further along the ground, her heightened senses picking up on someone panting as they slowly made their way up the hill. The breathing was ragged, exhausted, and Chloe realized with dread that Max hadn't fed since they were at the apartment. The bottle's sitting on the floor of the front passenger seat, and she had to have come here straight from the hospital. Chloe grimaced as another lancing steam of pain flew from her back to her legs, hoping that was a sign of her back beginning to heal. Lowering her head onto the ground again, Chloe felt herself shaking from the exertion as she heard footsteps in the grass.
"M-Max?" Chloe sputtered, whimpering in pain as she looked up at her fiancé and nearly cringed at the horror that was once her childhood best friend, a girl who enjoyed pancakes and playing pirates in Chloe's backyard. Something's wrong was all Chloe could think as she stared at Max.
Her entire body looked like it had wasted away somewhat, Max's bright violet eyes sunken in with dark bags underneath. Half her face was obscured by unruly hair, those same eyes the only thing clearly visible. Chloe could only see glimpses of Max's full face because of the angle she had being on the ground. What happened to you? Chloe asked as she assessed Max's state. Max almost looked frail to Chloe, like she had thinned over the course of a couple hours. Chloe saw the weakness in Max's posture, saw that her whole body was trembling. Reaching out to Max, Chloe could almost touch Max's fingertips with her own when she screamed as Nathan pointed the shotgun directly on Chloe's injured back. The pain too much, Chloe flitted out of consciousness for a moment.
"Chloeeee," a voice said, snapping Chloe out of her black-out as she groggily looked over to see Max had moved from where she had been kneeling almost in front of Chloe to over by the campfire. What happened? Where…oh, no. No fucking way. No fucking way! Chloe thought as she saw Max's hunched over form move to where she was face-to-face with Nathan Prescott. Don't do this, Max. Please don't!
For a second, Chloe thought that Max must've been psychic because she suddenly stood up straighter, but that was where Chloe's lessening worry came to a halt as she realized that Max wasn't hissing anymore. Chloe felt incredibly confused as Max turned to give her a smirk before she directed her attention at Nathan. What the fuck is she doing? Chloe couldn't understand what was going on; one minute watching Max at the point of death, and now it was like she was…like she was playing with him. Chloe felt a knot of revulsion form in her stomach as Max nuzzled herself against Nathan's neck. Seeing the undiluted terror on Nathan's face, Chloe pulled herself back around so that she was facing Max and Nathan.
"Max, no! Please, please STOP!" Chloe screamed as she saw Max rear her head back, Chloe's legs beginning to work as she slowly crawled along the hilltop.
Chloe couldn't watch, opting to focus on the task at hand, Clumsily making it to her destination, Chloe grabbed the shotgun and pointed it out towards the cliff where neither her nor Max were standing. Pumping the weapon, Chloe gritted her teeth and fired the iron buckshot into the air. Chloe looked over and saw Max pull her fangs out of a crying Nathan Prescott with a start as she turned to look at Chloe. Dropping the feeble mess, Max walked over to Chloe as she wiped the blood off of her chin with a finger before kneeling down in front of the armed Chloe. Oh, fuck. My fiancé is going to fucking kill me or whatever, Chloe thought. What the hell is wrong with her eyes?! They're solid black. Fucking creepy! The images of Max tearing into Nathan just now, into the animals last night, and into the British guy here at the lighthouse when Chloe died and came back flashed across the blue-haired girl's mind until she felt a small hand caress her cheek.
Chloe's attention snapping back to where she was, Chloe hesitantly looked up to see Max gazing upon her with a gentle kindness. What the holy blue-balled fuck is going on? Chloe felt her lower lip quiver as she began to shake, the shaking only growing in intensity as she saw Max notice the trembling. Seeing Max stand up and take a step back, Chloe saw a look of confusion on Max's face. Maybe she's snapped out of whatever the fuck that was, Chloe hoped only to see Max shrug and turn around to walk back towards Nathan Prescott. As Chloe was about to speak up, Max pulled the injured Chloe to her and gave her a hard, wet kiss. Chloe felt a momentary exhilaration before something wet and hot began to flow from Max's mouth. Her entire body feeling like it was crackling with electricity, Chloe felt herself nearly gag at the taste. Human blood, Chloe thought with a mixture of horror and greedy starvation, She's fucking shotgunning me human blood.
Chloe's thoughts were swirling together as she began to feel a euphoria from the intoxication of raw energy running through every fiber of her. The heat, the charge, it was almost too much for Chloe. Feeling an odd sensation from her lower back, Chloe became dimly aware of the feeling in her legs returning with an increased rapidity. The blood…did that…? Oh…oh, dude…, Chloe thought as she took a handful of Max's hair and pressed the other girl closer into her. I want this, I want Max. I've never felt so juiced, Chloe thought before something about the blood and Max's kiss drew her mind someplace else. The diner. Mom. No…no, this is hella wrong. Stop. STOP. STOP!
Chloe released her grip on Max and shoved the brunette back. Feeling power running through her limbs, Chloe shakily stood up as Max went tumbling backwards into the weeping Nathan Prescott. This is all wrong. Chloe spat out what blood was still in her mouth and wiped at the dribble on her chin with the bottom of her tank-top. Still wincing from the pain, Chloe reached back to touch the wound only to stifle a cry from the sensitivity of the healing flesh. Looking over to see Max recovering from her moment of shock at being shoved away, Chloe leaned against the bench overlooking Arcadia Bay.
"Max! You don't kill people! Sure, you just fed on him! I totally believe you had a logical reason for that, but you don't kill!" Chloe yelled as Max knelt down next to a sobbing Nathan Prescott, Chloe seeing him covering the small bite marks Max had left behind.
Chloe watched as Max grabbed him by the chin and stared at him for a moment before she stiffened. Turning her head slightly, Max looked at Chloe for a moment before returning her attention to her prey. Chloe fumbled with the shotgun, trying to fit another shell into the chamber only to find the weapon was jammed. Not sure if she even gave a shit anymore, Chloe cussed under her breath and threw the unloaded shotgun in Max's direction. Having heard the clatter, Max's head snapped around as she eyed the weapon and then the thrower. Chloe's blood would have curdled if she were still alive, not from malice on Max's part. Instead, Max grinned at her with blood-stained teeth and mouthed Stop it like what was going on were a game.
Chloe was terrified. She didn't know what was coming, didn't know what to expect. Not from whoever this is, Chloe thought to herself as she watched Max say something to Nathan. Nathan's facial expression changed from fear to confusion, finally ending in a glazed expression. Chloe watched Max nod once before releasing her grip on Nathan, the unconscious boy falling to the ground with a soft thud. Feeling a horror surge through her body, Chloe tensed as Max stood and faced her. Max took a step toward Chloe before pausing, seeing the look on Chloe's face. Chloe felt the tension between the two as Max backpedaled a few steps before she sprinted into the woods.
Chloe was alone on the hilltop, alone with all of her thoughts. Chloe tried to think of the smiling, bashful Max that she had only seen earlier this morning; with a sadness, the vicious person she had just seen standing across the hill from her was what kept popping up at the moment. Wincing as she slowly made sat on the bench, Chloe sprawled against the back of her seat and panted from how she felt both drained and energized. Her legs recovering sensation but still seemingly unsteady, Chloe felt her stomach growl as the exertion and her body's healing began to sap at the her strength again. Feeling herself go numb, Chloe's vision dimmed.
Chloe dimly noticed that she hadn't fallen to the ground. Feeling someone holding her up, Chloe's eyes were closed as she shivered at the intermingled images of being killed and Max feeding on Nathan. The two visions bleeding together, Chloe cried internally at the illusory story played out in her head. Chloe was running down the hilltop path, heart thundering in her chest as she madly rushed toward the parking lot with all the speed she could muster. I've got to get out of here. The shotgun! The shotgun is in my truck. Wait, I thought I already had my shotgun…
Looking down in her hands, Chloe saw the shotgun loaded and ready as her pursuer came down from the hill. Dressed in a gray hoodie and blue jeans with a pink t-shirt, Max stared at her from above with pitch black eyes and a feral grin as she slowly walked down the hill towards her. Hands shaking, Chloe raised the shotgun but couldn't bring herself to fire as the girl coming towards her looked at Chloe with a pained expression. Chloe felt herself pulled into Max's small arms, locked into a loving hug as Max cried.
"Max?" Chloe asked, confused about everything going on, "What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Che," Max said between sobs, "I'm so sorry."
Chloe watched as Max reared her head and bit down, feeling herself slip away as the girl she had fallen in love with slowly fed on and killed her.
"Chloe! Chloe, wake up!" a voice yelled out, drawing Chloe out from her nightmare. Shaking as she snapped out of her unconscious mind, Chloe looked up and let out a sharp cry of surprise at Max as she pushed at Max's face with her hands. Falling out of Max's arms as she was being helped up, Chloe stumbled backwards and felt her lower back smack into the bench as she folded her knees against her chest. Feeling a sharp sting, Chloe noticed that the shaky feeling in her legs was being replaced with a rubbery sensation. Everything right now is hella screwed up. You most of all, Max. I'm a distant second compared to what you just did.
"You need to get the fuck away from me," Chloe said as she crawled backwards to the side of the bench away from Max as fast as her still-weakened state would allow.
"Chloe-"
"I said get the fuck away from me! You fed on a person, Max! You fed on Nathan Prescott, and you enjoyed it!" Chloe yelled as her eyes darted around the hilltop.
"…I tossed the shotgun," Chloe heard Max say with a sadness to her tone, "Were you really going to shoot me, Chloe?"
"I…I don't fucking know, Max. You were totally tripping when you came up the hill, you looked so dead. Then you go bat-shit and feed on him. You said you don't feed on people! You said! Max, I could've ate my mom at the diner today and you know what stopped me? You. You kissed me and pulled me out of that, so why the hell couldn't you stop yourself before you bit Nathan?" Chloe blurted out, her emotions swinging back and forth from terror to worry.
Max tried to reach out but Chloe moved away from the outstretched hand. Chloe didn't know what to feel anymore; at least, that was how she felt. Wrapped up in both her own internal turmoil and the madness that was still ebbing from the girl staring at her, Chloe swatted away the outstretched hand a second time. Seeing the pained look on Max's face, Chloe felt sick inside as her fear of Max and love for the freckled girl battled each other in her blue-haired head.
"You can't even deny that you enjoyed it," Chloe said, her voice barely above a whisper. Unable to look at Max, Chloe steadied herself against the bench as she shakily stood up and made a point of looking away.
"He was going to kill you, Chloe! Your back was torn to shreds and you were in tears as you crawled on the ground! He had the shotgun, so what the fuck was I supposed to do? 'Oh, Nathan, you can't do that! That's bad!' Give me a fucking break, Chlo. I…I just get like that when I'm around human blood. You k-know that! I r-ran all the way here from the hospital, so tired and out of my mind that…that…," Max said, her voice trembling as Chloe continued to look away, "I didn't mean to scare you, Che, I didn't-"
"I think I'm going to stay at my mom's for a bit," Chloe said, willing herself to look at Max only to regret it at the look of complete heartbreak on the smaller girl's face, "Don't look at me like that. You can't expect me to be totally fine after what I just fucking saw."
"A-are you…are you breaking up with me…?" Max asked, her body beginning to slightly tremble as tears began to roll down her cheeks. Goddamnit, Max, Chloe thought, Don't make that face at me. I don't know what the hell is going on with you, or any of this. I…I just…
"I just need some time, Max," Chloe said as she slowly made her way around the crying, blood-stained brunette. Her legs feeling more stable, Chloe cringed at the thought of what her and Max getting to walk away from all of this cost the both of them tonight. Maybe even further than just tonight, Chloe thought as she headed down the path. Hearing "You promised! You promised that you wouldn't leave me!" from a weeping Max still on the hilltop, Chloe wiped streaming tears off of her face with the back of her hand as she walked down the solitary path.
Making it down to her mom's car, Chloe muttered to herself as she fumbled in the backseat for her jacket. Stripping her bloody tank-top off, Chloe carefully put the jacket on and zipped it up before she looked at the mess on the ground. Well, that's fucked, Chloe thought as she poked at the mess of tattered fabric and blood. Picking up a clean part between two fingers, Chloe held it at arm's length as she went over to the dumpster across the lot. Wrinkling her nose at the smell inside, Chloe opened the dumpster up and moved the bags around until she found a space at the bottom and stuffed the shirt there.
Covering up the shirt with the full trash bags, Chloe let the dumpster lid slam as she closed it and walked over to a water fountain. Rinsing her hands off in the small drinking fountain, Chloe felt herself begin to shake as she saw the dried blood speckled across her hands. Scrubbing her hands against each other vigorously, Chloe then splashed water on her face and wiped away any blood that might still be there. For a second, Chloe thought she heard the sound of someone crying trailing down the hill and shivered at the image of Max standing up there in a mess of blood and tears. Need to get my own shit together right now. Max…I'll have to try and figure that out later.
The drive to Two Whales felt like it took forever, Chloe opting to leave the radio off as she made her way through Arcadia Bay. Max on unrelentingly on her mind, Chloe thought she saw the brunette out of the corner of her eye nearly the entire time she was heading to Joyce. I would tell myself to just breathe, but I don't actually breathe anymore. Still, I saw Max do it so maybe it helps…fuck. Max.
Pulling into the parking lot, Chloe quickly got out of the car and made her way directly to the entrance of the diner. Seeing her mom preoccupied with a family sitting in one of the booths, Chloe opted to sit on a stool at the counter. Absently spinning around a salt shaker, Chloe couldn't get out of her own head. Has this, whatever it is with Max, been building up? Could that end up being me…?
"Chloe!" Joyce said, Chloe nearly jumping off her stool before remembering where she was, "I've seen you jumpy, but that was something new? Chlo, what's wrong? You look like a wreck, hunny."
"Thanks for the reputable parenting skills, Mom," Chloe snapped back instinctively before closing her eyes and looking at her mom with a weary expression, "I…Max and I got, well, we kinda got into it. Can I come over and crash in my old room?"
"Of course you can, Chloe," Joyce said as she affectionately laid her hand over Chloe's, "Despite evidence to the contrary, you are my daughter. Something tells me there's some responsibility that comes with that…"
"Well, at least we know where I get half of my sense of humor from," Chloe replied, smirking, "Can you do me a favor, though? If Max comes by here, let her know that I need some clothes. I don't want to go back to the apartment. Don't feel like bumping into her."
"It's that bad?"
"You have no idea, Mom. It's hella bad."
Cutting her mom off before Joyce could inquire further, Chloe got up from the counter and waved feebly at Joyce before heading out the door. She wanted to walk, walk away from everything. The junkyard wasn't safe, Max might go there in search for her. God, she might fucking pop up at the house. Peek in through the window like she did before. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Chloe closed her eyes and tried to calm her thoughts. Pulling a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of her back pocket, she cringed for a moment before finding a single cigarette that had remained undamaged.
Knowing that the cigarette wouldn't actually do anything for her, Chloe lit the tobacco anyway and took a drag as she walked down the sidewalk. Maybe I'm eternally destined to be fucked up by everyone I love. Dad, Max, Rachel, and Max again. Now I'm stuck like this and the only person I can share it with is also the most terrifying fucking thing I've ever seen. Chloe looked up as she pulled herself from her thoughts and groaned before changing direction, realizing that she was unconsciously heading toward the apartment and not Joyce's. Stuffing her hands in her jacket pockets, Chloe shut the world out and put herself on autopilot as she tried to process everything from the lighthouse.
Chloe knew, in the furthest reaches of her mind, that Max was right on some level. Nathan had intended to kill them both, which was clear. Little shit had my shotgun, Chloe thought as she tossed the cigarette butt onto the street. Nathan was going to kill them, and Max attacked him to save them both. It wasn't the first time that Chloe had been in danger from Prescott and his fondness for guns. Chloe thought of the time when Max had held him over the cliff's edge, warning him away from both herself and Chloe. She hadn't intended to kill Asscott then, but this time was different. Chloe thought of Max sinking her fangs into Nathan's neck, the way she had toyed with Nathan before digging her teeth into him. Unable to be for certain what the endgame with Nathan would have been if she hadn't intervened, that was proving to be the point Chloe couldn't reconcile.
Max isn't a killer, a voice inside of her told Chloe. What Chloe knew about Max, however, was outweighed by what Max had done opening up the prospect of what Chloe might not know. Hearing something get knocked over nearby, Chloe's eyes darted around and she felt a measure of relief at the raccoon poking around a dumpster across the street. Feeling her phone vibrate inside her jeans as she came to the block where Joyce's house was, Chloe stopped and pulled it out to see a text from Kate. Huh?
Kate: hey what is going on? Max called. In tears.
Chloe: wat did she say?
Kate: She wouldn't talk about it, save that you two were fighting. I thought she was feeling better…
Chloe: We…we had a difference of opinion on something pretty big
Chloe: I'm staying at my mom's atm, don't really want 2 c her
Kate: I'm sorry. U want company?
Chloe: u serious? I figured you would be Team Max or whatever
Kate: I'm here for you both. I think of you both as friends.
Chloe: no thx
Texting Kate her thanks for the offer, Chloe pocketed her phone as she resumed walking. Making her way up the sidewalk with Joyce's house to her right, Chloe entered the darkened house and flipped on the hallway light. Blinking as her eyes adjusted, Chloe browed the contents of the fridge for a moment before heading upstairs. It's still light out. I guess I should just crash.
Chloe flipped on the power strip plugged in near the door and felt a pleasant feeling of welcome as she the room became dimly illuminated by the string of party lights she had put up years ago. Walking over to the bed, sheets and blankets an unmade mess, Chloe let herself fall onto it and paused as she thought about how it felt to be back in her old room. While it wasn't unpleasant, she didn't really consider this room home anymore. Chloe hadn't entirely considered it home for years, but there had always been a part of her that felt comfortable here. Small reminders of her past, the dresser her dad had made and the cabinet she and Max had painted when they were kids, had given the small space a warm familiarity that made living in the same space as her step-dick tolerable at times. Smirking at the thought of David, Chloe wondered to her own amazement what he was doing before her vision glanced over the cabinet sitting in the corner across from her.
The same blue as her hair, the worn piece of furniture had small bits of graffiti scrawled across it. Other than that, it was bare as she and Joyce had gone through the room together to decide what Chloe would take with her to the apartment and what could be left behind for possibly later on. Grabbing an old pillow, Chloe put it over her head and let out a loud "Ughhhh" as the cabinet made her think of Max before she peeked back out of it and smirked.
The old Max, Chloe thought with a grin, a face full of freckles and braces. Oh, what a total fucking nerd. I was a complete nerd, too, but Max was like 'Queen Nerd of Nerdonia'. Pulling the pillow off of her face, Chloe stared up at the ceiling as she remembered all the fun they'd had as kids. Smiling slyly, Chloe remembered when she had dared Max to kiss her. Neither girl had realized that they would be separated from each other in a couple months, let alone that they wouldn't really see each other again for five years. While Chloe had just been having a bit of fun at the expense of Max's extreme shyness, she had been the one to become shy when Max stood on her tip-toes and leaned over to give Chloe a soft kiss on the lips. Fuck. I wonder if that was the start of it for her, her feelings for me. That kiss, dude, was an epic fail but also…kinda nice.
Chloe didn't pay attention as time passed around her, staring up into her own mind as she pulled herself into memory after memory. The memory of Max leaving shortly after Chloe's dad passed away cause a faint whimper of pain to escape Chloe's lips, the memory of Max returning to save her life eclipsing over the past heartbreak. Max had been so powerful, saving Chloe from Frank without any hesitation. Chloe could handle herself in most spots, but Frank was crazy and she never knew what he might have on him. Dude's fucking bat-shit. Good for some weed, but bad for everything else. Chalk up one for the Maxster.
Max being visualized in her mind, Chloe groaned as the image wouldn't seem to go away. Pressing her face into the pillow as though hiding herself from her own thoughts would protect her, Chloe peered up into the window half-expecting Max to be there. She couldn't help but grin at the recent memory of Max and her writing on the window as Max asked for permission to come inside. She was hella cute. She…is hella cute? Ugh, I don't know what the fuck she is!
Not remembering when she fell asleep, Chloe woke up and looked down at her jacket with a grimace as she realized she hadn't even bothered to change. Stumbling over to her dresser, Chloe pulled open the bottom shelf and retrieved her emergency stash of shirts. Unzipping the jacket, Chloe touched the now-smooth skin where the small of her back was before pulling a black Misfits tank-top on and crashing back into the bed. Turning around so that she was lying on her back, Chloe pulled her phone out of her pocked and swiped the menu open. No messages from her. I'm kinda sad, I think. I don't think I'll ever forget what the fuck I saw earlier, but she looked so sad when I left the lighthouse. Her cries, her fucking cries. Tossing the phone on her discarded jacket, Chloe was about to go back to sleep when she heard the front door open.
"-I get that, Max. I really do, and I'm sorry for whatever is going on between you two. I just don't think that it is a good idea for you to see her without letting her know first," Chloe heard Joyce say from downstairs. She's here? Chloe moved as stealthily as she could, creeping up to the door and cracking it open so she could see down the stairs.
A mop of coppery brunette hair stood in the doorway with Chloe's suitcase in one hand. Changed into clean clothes, Max was trying to stifle her sobs but Chloe could clearly see and hear that Max was crying. Her voice is hella tired. Dude, are you still crying from before? Jesus fuck, Max.
"I know, Joyce. I-I know," Chloe heard Max say, "How is she?"
"I only saw her for a bit at the diner, but she looked tired. She seemed pretty upset, though, even by Chloe standards," Chloe heard Joyce reply. Wow. Thanks, Mom. Didn't know I had my own level of bullshit.
Watching Max just nod in reply, Chloe opened her mouth to speak but stifled her words down. Having figured that some noise had escaped her, Chloe watched Max look up in her direction before closing the door. Chloe didn't bother to listen in on whatever else the two people downstairs said. Pulling a pair of old earbuds from a back pocket, Chloe slipped the buds into her ears before plugging into her phone. Blasting a playlist titled "Bakery", Chloe selected Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride" as she zoned out again.
Waking up to a faint stream of the morning Sun smacking her in the face, Chloe pulled her blankets over her head as she hissed in irritation.
"Aghh, go the fuck away," a groggy sounding voice said as it escaped from the mound of blankets, "This is such bullshit. I wake up earlier now that I'm dead than I did when I was alive. This is unending jetlag, and I want a fucking refund!"
"Chloe?" Chloe heard come from the other side of the door, "Chloe, you have a visitor."
"Wha?" Chloe said as she sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Sleep should be an optional thing. Fucking unfair vampire bullshit, I just wanna sleep!
"I said that you have a visitor," Joyce said as she spoke to someone else who was standing by the door.
"Hi, Chloe," a familiar voice said in a friendly tone.
"Kate?" Get the fuck out. Seriously, you tracked me down? You sure you're not a vampire?
"I come bearing the gift of coffee, and your mom's pancakes," Kate said as she knocked gently on the door, "May I come in?"
"…Permission granted," Chloe said as she straightened up her clothes and pulled her beanie on.
Kate came in, smiling, and snickered a bit at the graffiti and various signs of the room's current resident. Seeing Chloe gesture toward the desk, Kate set down the cup of coffee and pancake-laden plate and sat in the old office chair. Dressed in her usual garb, Kate folded her hands across her lap as she smiled warmly at a sleepy Chloe.
"Dude," Chloe said as she stood up and yawned, "Are you high? It's way-too-early-for-this-shit o' clock."
"Well, I figured you could use some company," Kate said with a smirk before handing the pancakes over, "These are really good. Are they the ones at the diner, too?"
"Yeah. Mom's got mad skills in the breakfast-making department," Chloe said as she picked at the pancakes before taking a bite, the memory of warm fluffiness and syrup alleviating some of the residual tension from yesterday, "Actually, she's pretty much a master of the kitchen. She feed you?"
"I don't think I'll need to eat another breakfast for a week," Kate giggled, eliciting a small fit of laughter as a small burp escaped her lips, "Oh! Sorry."
"Kate, what do you not blush about? Puppies? Rainbows?"
Both girls giggled as Chloe ate another forkful of pancakes, Kate taking the coffee for herself at Chloe's denial of the beverage. The room was quiet for a few minutes, save the noise of a fork scraping against a plate and light sipping sounds. Setting the plate down with half the pancakes still present, Chloe reached for her cigarettes before remembering that she had no whole ones left. Mumbling, Chloe scratched at her beanie some before looking up to see Kate watching her with growing concern.
"This isn't just a friendly visit, is it?" Chloe asked, leaning back as she propped herself up in the bed with her elbows, "Did Max send you?"
"I sent myself, I will have you know," Kate said, feigning being insulted, "I'm not here for Max. I'm here because of the both of you. I don't know what is going on-"
"Dude, it's not something I really-" Chloe interrupted, only to be cut off herself.
"-and I don't need to know. What I understand is that I've talked with Max about you two before."
"…Wait. You have?" Chloe asked, her tone one of confusion and surprise. When was this?
"At the time, she was upset because she felt that you never backed her up or stood by her. She loves you more than I think I've ever seen someone love. Looking at you, though, it's clear that you love her just as much."
"I'm not denying that, Kate, and I'm not saying that I can't be with her right now. It's just that…things went down yesterday that neither of us can really take back, and now…shit's complicated," Chloe said, putting her head into her hands as she sat back up. Running her fingers through her hair, Chloe stared down at the floor as she thought about her conflicting feelings.
"When isn't love complicated?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh?" Chloe asked, her head snapping back up as she picked up something in Kate's tone, "Doth Kate Marsh haveth a crush on someone?"
"S-stop. Don't tease," Kate said, looking away for a moment as she began to blush.
"No way! You totally do! Who is it? Is it someone I know?" Chloe asked, her eyes wide as a smile spread across her face, "Spill, dude! Quid pro quo, Clarice, and all that shit!"
"…No…," Kate said, still looking away as her face reddened.
"Pretty please? With a cherry and everything?" Chloe said as she moved to kneel at Kate's feet. She pulled her head back a bit when Kate turned her head to look at Chloe with a serious expression.
"It's…it's always been you, Chloe," Kate said as she put a hand on Chloe's shoulder.
"W-what…?" Chloe said, her eyes widening further in shock as she stammered, "What..what the-?"
"Wow, you're pretty gullible for someone who is always a smart-ass," Kate said with a grin as she began to giggle at Chloe's look of shock.
Realizing she'd been duped, Chloe grimaced as she stood up and put her hands to her heart like she'd been shot. Falling onto the bed, she shook her body a bit before the memory of Nathan shooting flashed into her mind. Stiffening, Chloe bit her lip as the memory brought with it the events at the lighthouse and a small cry escaped her lips.
"Chloe…?" Kate asked as Chloe covered her eyes with an arm as she started to cry.
"She's…she's so fucking terrifying sometimes," Chloe choked out, "Other times, she's the only thing I can see. Kate…what do I do? I need some hella sage wisdom, Lady Jesus."
Chloe felt the bedsprings creak slightly as Kate sat next to her. A hand placed on her leg, Chloe peeked out from under her arm to look at Kate with teary eyes. Sitting up, Chloe let the other girl hold her as she let out her tears while her body mildly shook. My heart can't decide if it is breaking or not. Goddamnit. Hearing the sounds of someone coming to the door, Chloe lifted her eyes up while keeping her head downcast as Joyce came in.
"Oh. Oh, Chloe," Joyce said as she knelt in front of her daughter and wrapped Chloe in a hug as Kate let her go, "Hey. Hey, everything will work out. Okay? I don't know what's going on between you two, but I do know how much you each mean to one another."
"But she's so…," Chloe said, her voice giving away the weary state of her heart. She's amazing, scary as fuck, beautiful, a total mystery. She's…she's Max.
"Staying in this room until you think everything will be okay is exactly what you did for five years, Chloe Price," Joyce said as she began to pick up on what Chloe's idea of fixing things was, "Max pulled you out, and you pulled Max in. Go and talk to the girl. You two owe each other that, at least. Don't make me kick you out of this house, Chloe."
"Mom!" Chloe said with a frown, feeling slightly betrayed, "You'd seriously kick me out?"
"Not permanently, Chloe. God, what kind of mom d'you think I am?" Joyce said with a hand on her hip as Kate stood up to leave, turning and waving at Chloe before heading down the stairs. She knows a moment to escape when she sees it. Kate "Blackwell Ninja" Marsh, ladies and gentlemen, Chloe thought as she looked back up to see her mom staring at her impatiently.
"Now? You want me to go right now?" Chloe sputtered out.
"Have you finished eating?" Joyce asked.
"Uh, yeah. I guess-"
"Then yes, now. I'm not going to watch you hide yourself away like you did when Max left, Chloe. She's here, and whatever is going on, you two need to figure out what you have. Jesus, Chloe, you proposed to her and now you're here the morning after you gave her your grandmother's engagement ring!"
"…Shit," Chloe said as she realized her mom made sense. Moms should be banned from going into their children's private lives. Ugh, you just had to bring up Grandma. Just had to, huh Mom?
Standing up, Chloe looked at her mom with a mean stare as she bit her lip. The mixed feelings from yesterday came back with a vengeance as she tried to fathom what she might say to Max before she felt Joyce's hand on her arm. Looking over to her mom, Chloe saw Max's sports bottle in her hand. Holy fucking hella Jesus shit!
"I don't know what it is that Max drinks," Joyce said as she handed it to Chloe with a slight grimace, "but you should tell her that even if it is healthy that is sure as hell don't smell healthy."
Quickly nodding, Chloe smiled nervously at her mom as she backpedaled out the door and scrambled down the stairs. I don't know if that means she opened this or not but either way thank God she didn't ask any questions! Chloe thought as she ran out the front door. Pausing for a moment, Chloe turned around to head back into the house when she saw her mom standing in the doorway with Chloe's phone in her hand.
"Forget something in your sudden rush to get out of here?" Joyce asked with eyebrows raised, "Maybe I should have opened that up, seen what it is that Max is drinking…"
"ThanksMombyelater!" Chloe rushed out as she ran over to Joyce, snatched up her phone, and ran off in the direction of the bus stop. I don't really pray, but thanks whoever is watching. Maybe Kate's Jesus-ness is rubbing off, karma or some shit like that…
The bus ride felt way too short to Chloe as she sat in the back of the bus and tried to think of what words needed to come out versus what might come out instead. Gah, I've never been this anxious around Max before. Ever. Ugh, I'm not a little fucking tweenager anymore! Woman the fuck up, Chloe Price! Trying to pump herself up, Chloe felt a tugging sensation in her stomach as a growl built up from her abdomen. Cringing slightly, Chloe looked around to make sure no one was watching. Satisfied at her temporary privacy, Chloe opened up the metal sports bottle and tipped it to her mouth as she started to drink its contents. Wait. Does this shit go bad? Chloe shook her head, driving the image of what drinking spoiled blood out of her thoughts.
Arriving at the stop, about a block away from the apartment, Chloe walked hesitantly along the isle in the bus before stepping outside. Looking up at the driver before the doors closed, Chloe gave him the middle finger as she saw the look of irritation on his face. Dude, life crisis. Fucking deal. The half-empty bottle dangling in one hand, Chloe walked decidedly slow as she made her way around the corner and across the street to the apartment building. Standing in front of it, Chloe looked up at the blacked-out windows and sighed as she looked over to the alleyway. Walking arduously, Chloe walked around the building and looked up at the landing to see Max sitting on the roof above the doorway, looking out towards the seascape.
"Uh…hey…," Chloe said quietly, realizing that Max may not have heard her. We do both tend to space out. "Hey, Max."
Chloe suppressed a grin as Max looked down so fast she fell off the roof. Regaining her composure, Max landed gracefully in front of the apartment door and bounded down the steps as she ran over. Coming up a few paces from where Chloe was standing, Max halted and looked away in embarrassment as she scratched at the back of her head, a worried and anxious look on her face. Still shy as fuck, despite being a…never mind…
"Hey," Max said, hanging her head as she grimaced, "Um, what's up?"
"So, my maternal unit has decided that we should talk. Otherwise, I face fucking exile," Chloe said, finding that she also was looking away, "So…"
"Yeah?" Max asked, her voice nearly as quiet as a whisper.
"Is it cool if I come in?" Chloe asked. Fuck. This is my place, too. It still is, isn't it?
"O-Of course you can!" Max blurted out, her excitement getting the best of her for a moment before she calmed herself down. "I mean, of course you may come in."
"Nice save, Max," Chloe said with a slight smirk as she walked ahead of Max towards the steps leading up to the apartment.
"S-Shut up," Max stuttered, looking away with a small humph.
"Still awkward as fuck."
"Oh, you suck, Chloe. Boooooo."
Handing Max her sports bottle back and hearing a muttered "Oh. Thanks." in response, Chloe walked down the hallway and was surprised to see the apartment still in one piece. Thinking about the last time Max had flown into a rage in their place, Chloe was amazed that not only was the apartment still whole but actually pristine. Looking over at Max, Chloe smiled in embarrassment as she saw the chagrined look on Max's face. Oops. I guess I didn't hide my surprise that well. Bad Chloe, bad!
"Of course I'm going to level the apartment, what with my nerd rage in full effect," Max said irritably as she moved to sit on the couch, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"What were you expecting me to think, Max?" Chloe asked, her tone one of bewilderment as she felt Max should have known what to expect, "I see you rip into Nathan Prescott and the next second you're singing to fucking animals like an undead Snow White?"
Both girls grew silent at the mention of Nathan Prescott, albeit for different reasons. Chloe was half-tempted to get up and leave, not wanting to press herself or Max any further. Looking toward the hallway for a moment, Chloe steeled herself and looked back to see Max was watching her in silence. She is still Max, but there's something different. She's, I dunno, more relaxed…?
"What the fuck were you thinking?" was the first thing to come out of Chloe's mouth, Chloe immediately chiding herself after the question shot out of her. Fucking godddamnit. Smooth, Chloe. So smooth.
"I…I just wanted to save you," Max said, her voice quiet as she looked down, hands in her lap, "I think I was dying, Chloe, so I did what I felt I had no other choice to do."
"You could have just spooked him. Shit, he was already terrified when you got in his face," Chloe shot back before she caught something Max had said. She was dying?
"I know, but I was just…I was so hungry, Chloe. I basically sprinted almost the entire way around Arcadia Bay to get to you. In daylight with nothing in my system. I told you how things work during the day."
"Hold up. Did you say that you thought you were dying?" Chloe said, her face and tone very serious as she sat up straight in the chair.
"I was…Dog, I don't want to talk about this," Max said, fidgeting with her hands as she awkwardly looked away.
"Talk, Max, or I will fucking leave right now," Chloe said, eyes narrowing slightly. Tilting her head up, Max saw the look on Chloe's face and became visibly pained at Chloe meaning it when she said she would leave.
"I…I felt my body stiffen, like everything was getting sucked out of me. I could barely move, I was so empty that I could sprint only small distances before I would bowl over in pain. Then…"
"Then?" Chloe asked, feeling concerned. What the shit did she go through? She looks more scared than I felt yesterday.
"I…I saw myself standing before me, the me that died in Seattle," Max said, putting her head in her hands as she began to cry. Not knowing whether or not she should go to Max and comfort her, Chloe sighed and motioned to walk over to the couch when Max raised a hand to stop her.
"I'm…I'm alright," Max said slowly, wiping at her face with a sleeve from the hoodie she was wearing.
"Yeah, obviously." Chloe felt the sting of her irritation hit Max as the other girl visibly winced and felt her concern grow. "Sorry. You're just really shitty sometimes at taking care of yourself. Go on."
"It was some figment of my imagination. I know that, I'm not stupid. She was so real, though, and she did nothing but taunt me. Talked how I was a terrible person, a monster, how I betrayed both myself and you b-by turning you into what I am…"
"Jesus, Max," Chloe said as she put pulled her beanie off and rubbed at her hair as the idea of being taunted and beaten up by another version of herself made Chloe shudder.
"I think she was supposed to be a part of me that I needed to acknowledge," Max said, visibly uncomfortable from talking about what she saw, "She made me realize something, though. I can't pretend like I'm human. I can't act like everything is fine and like it was when I was still alive, Chloe."
"Eh…?" Chloe asked, puzzled by what Max was trying to say. What does that mean?
"I've never really accepted what I am now. Sure, I do stuff like run really fast, and I'm really strong, but I also shut out some of it. The idea of drinking human blood, the idea of hunting people…," Max started before looking up to see if Chloe was going to say anything.
"How about the idea of force-feeding me human blood?" Chloe asked, a hint of anger in her voice as she narrowed her eyes a bit more at Max.
"You needed to heal faster, and I wasn't thinking straight," Max protested, matching Chloe's anger with her own tone of hurt and irritation.
"You were terrifying up there, Max! You were like a totally different person! I've seen you angry, I've seen you hunt, but I've never seen you like that. You scared me, and you still kinda do," Chloe said looking away with a pained expression on her face.
"I don't want to scare you, Chloe. I absolutely don't," Max said as she got up from the couch and moved over to kneel in front of the chair, "But this is part of me, and it is part of you now, too. I still don't plan on drinking human blood, Chloe-"
"Yeah, you say that now…" Chloe muttered through gritted teeth as she tried to keep herself angry. No. I refuse to accept this. Max crossed a line she set herself. This is bullshit, this is…oh, fuck. That face. Goddamnit! "You drew a line for yourself, one where you wouldn't feed on a person-"
"I fed on you."
"That is way fucking different than yesterday, Max. Us? That was…that was intimate, and admittedly amazeballs. Yesterday? You were like a fiend."
"I regret having to go that far, feeding on Nathan, but I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry because the only outcome I saw is that if he didn't kill us right there he would just try again. You have the view of someone who saw me feed on him, but you don't know it felt."
"You were fucking playing with him, Max!" Chloe yelled as she stood up and nearly knocked Max over. "I saw you fucking toying with him while he cried. Yes, he's Asscott, but even I wouldn't fucking do what you did!"
"Well, congratulations on your ability to not have been put in my position, Chloe. Congrats on not being at the point of death with the one person you would do anything for is lying at your feet, unable to fucking move, and all you can think of is to make yourself strong so that you can save her. I told you I was out of my head, I told you what the hunger can bring out in you. You think, when my head cleared up, that I was happy about what I did?" Max snapped back as she stood up with her fists clenched.
"I think you were bat-shit and didn't know left from goddamn right, Max, but I can't get the image of you up on that hill out of my goddamn head! I know you looked like absolute shit and I watched him shoot you point-blank in the stomach. You…you folded over like you were dead and all I c-could think of…ugh, fuck this! I don't know what to say, Max!"
Throwing up her hands, Chloe let out an agitated groan and turned around as she paced in the living room while Max stood still and watched her with fists still clenched.
"Why the fuck couldn't you just have scared him?" Chloe asked as she paced, her voice breaking as she began to cry, "Why did you have to do that, Max, feed on him? You scared the shit out of me and now you're telling me that I might be like that and you accept it? What if I don't? What if I saw what you did and was just 'Nope'?!"
"I would say that I'm sorry I ever turned you, and that you have no choice," Max uttered, her tone remorseful as she looked at Chloe with an expression of utter sadness.
Chloe snarled as she spun around at Max's words and shoved Max so hard she flew into the kitchen, falling to the floor after hitting some of the shelves near the ceiling. Stomping after her prey, Chloe felt her fangs pop out as she grabbed the fallen Max and threw her again. Max careened across the apartment and landed with a loud thud against the brick wall before falling on her side, her eyes streaming red tears at the look of rage on Chloe's face.
"What did you do to me?!" Chloe felt come screeching out of her throat as she lifted Max to her feet and struck Max across the jaw with a pale fist before rearing back and hitting her again with each cry of "Why why why why why?!"
As she hit Max, Chloe's grief over what had happened to her welled up and mixed with her fear of Max, fear of herself becoming like what she had seen Max become. No no no no no! Chloe thought as she began to punch the wall next to where Max's bleeding face was. With each punch, Chloe felt part of herself give way as she would see Max in the edge of her narrowing vision, crying as she stared up with her bleeding face at Chloe.
Feeling her fist crunch after another punch to the wall, Chloe pulled her broken hand back and hissed at the crack in the wall she had made. Her whole body shaking, Chloe couldn't think straight and felt herself slipping as the image of Max and Nathan Prescott flooded her mind. She screamed in pain and anger, wanting to drop a bomb on her entire world, when she suddenly felt herself seized up in two strong arms.
What?
Chloe looked down and saw the injured Max pinning herself against Chloe's struggling body. Trying to squirm out of Max's steely hold, Chloe yelled at Max, screamed things at her that made Max wince and cry even harder. Still, Max wouldn't let the enraged Chloe go and held on even tighter.
"Get off me! Get the fuck off! You did this to me, you! I hate you, I fucking hate you! This is bullshit! I shouldn't have to…have to…" Chloe screamed before a memory flashed through her head.
The police officers had been blunt but kind when they told Chloe what had happened. Max was still in the kitchen, oblivious to what was happening, when Chloe came rushing in and began to toss the pancakes and the skillet on the floor before she began to tear through the rest of the kitchen and move on to the dining room area.
"Chloe! Chloe, what's wrong?!" Max yelled at the screaming and crying Chloe, ducking when Chloe's arm swung in her direction as she threw one of the family photo albums.
"He's dead, Max! My dad is dead! He was in a car accident and he's gone and why the hell does this have to happen to me!? WHY!?" Chloe screamed as she shoved Max. Max's back hit the dining table's edge with an audible noise and Max whimpered in pain from the impact. Chloe's rage dissipated as she saw Max wincing from the pain. "Oh…oh, fuck! Max…Max, I'm so-"
Max slammed into her, nearly knocking them both over as she latched onto Chloe like nothing Chloe had felt from the little brunette before. Looking down as the anger turned into shock, Chloe saw Max's face buried in her sweatshirt, the other girl sobbing as she continued to hold onto Chloe. Her lip beginning to quiver, Chloe felt her legs give as she landed on her knees and began to cry. Chloe looked at Max, the girl now kneeling beside her but still gripping onto Chloe, and saw Max looking at her with teary eyes that only expressed the love Chloe had come to know from her best friend. Returning Max's tight hold with one of her own, both girls cried in each other's arms as time went on around them.
"Why did I have to die?" Chloe cried as she felt her body begin to go limp, the memory of her father dying and Max's comforting her breaking the hold her rage had taken, "Max…Max, why did you have to do what you did?"
"Chloe, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for everything, for leaving you here for so long and for bringing my bullshit with me when I came back! I didn't want for you to die! I wanted you to grow old and watch you become even more beautiful! You're the most important thing in my life! I never wanted this for you, not ever! Please, please believe me! I am so sorry!" Max cried out as the sobbing Chloe fell to her knees. Her entire body shaking from the torrent of pain exuding from within her, Chloe brought her shaking arms around Max's small frame. Wincing at her broken hand as she clasped herself around Max, Chloe matched strength for strength with Max's embrace and both girls cried into each other's arms as the grief from the other day, the past three days, and the past five years waylaid them both.
Author's Note – I fucking made myself cry with this ending. Goddamnit.
Wow, 20 chapters. Jesus fuck, am I right? When I first started this, I had a vague idea how long it would go but I've surpassed that because with every chapter I do I come up with new ideas and story threads that I might have otherwise not thought of. In answer to a question I get a lot, no I don't have the whole thing written out. I write this daily, one chapter at a time, encouraged by my own imagination and the enthusiasm of all of us. For this fandom, for the love all of you give me for this fic, I cannot stress how much it means to me that I feel so welcomed here. With everything I have going on in my life right now, you all and this story are a blessed escape. A sometimes really fucked up escape, but blessed nonetheless.
Back to this chapter, I left the confrontation between Chloe and Max at the end without a real conclusion because I feel that both girls have been through so much that there may never be a definitive conclusion. That's what a relationship can be sometimes, the rebuilding of trust and love and adding on or replacing as time goes by when conflict between partners rears its butt-ugly head.
On another subject before I close this out - if you have an idea for me about a story that you want to share, I don't mind you doing so. But I signed up for this site and am doing these stories because they're ones that are already in my head. The whole point of writing fanfiction or coming up with story ideas, to me, is for you to express yourself. So, if you want to share that is totally cool. I'm not going to write your stories for you, however, and I feel that you should try yourself.
Read, review, and I will see you for Chapter 21! Like the song from Buffy Season 6's musical says, "Where do we go from here?"
I know where, and you'll soon find out.
Stay hella, you beautiful cinnamon rolls! :D