Disclaimer: I do not own Life Is Strange or any of its characters. This is simply my version of how I think Episode 3 could have ended instead. As always, I hope you enjoy! :)

Shoutouts

sandra9666: This fic is awesome so far! I love to see how Chloe is showing how she cares about Max! Usually the fics are about Chloe being hurt one way or another. But I really like how you showed Max's feelings! Great fic and I hope you'll make more soon!

jaden4321: Omg moar pretty please this is getting so good 10/10 I wish/hope this would be a route in future episodes we can only hope.

I want to say thank you to them for reviewing and leaving such positive feedback. I think this is the first time I remembered to thank some of those who reviewed. I love it when people appreciate my work, silly spelling mistakes and all. It makes me feel really good about my work.

Chloe's Pov

As I drove down the streets toward Blackwell I ran my right hand through my hair in nervousness, beanie forgotten back on my bed in my haste to get back and explain some stuff to Max. How on earth could I have been so damn stupid. I yell at Max for not getting in touch with me during the five years she was away, then I all but rub someone else in her face.

"I am such an idiot." I mumble under my breath.

I continued driving down the road, and after a time I managed to get back to the Blackwell parking lot. All in all I would say maybe 40 minutes, 45 at most have past since I dropped Max off and headed home and got lost in my thoughts and old photographs. I parked the truck, like a normal person seeing as how even though Max let me take the money to pay off Frank, I could tell she still didn't want to shit on any handicapped people. Then I shut it down and hopped out, making my way towards the dorms, I sure hoped I didn't run into David or anyone on my way over, that would be annoying.

As I neared the dorms my hands started to sweat, what if she didn't forgive me? What if I really fucked up what little friendship I had just started remaking with her, or any chance of something more?

"Shit. Stop over analyzing and just...get you ass inside. Find Max, and apologize. Simple." I told myself in order to try and calm down. I stopped right outside the door to the dorms. "Simple, yeah right." I snorted before I turned the knob and headed inside.

Okay now, which one is Max's room... I started up the hallway and passed an open door to my right. However I didn't get very far before someone hollered after me no stopped my progress.

"Hey, you're Chloe right?" I turned and faced what looked like someone Rachel would hangout with.

"Yeah, who the hells asking?" I said.

"I'm Dana. Max is a friend of mine. If you're here to see her, then we need to talk first, because you fucked up." She said rather bluntly which cause me to wince slightly.

"How bad?" I asked, my guilt at not saying anything to her and being a shit all week slowly building.

"Bad enough. Come on in, I'll show you where Max's room is after we talk." Dana said then she turned around and headed back into her room. I followed reluctantly after, this reminds me of when Max and I were kids and mom would stop me or Max and tell us we messed up so we would then apologize. That's both comforting, and slightly frightening, funny considering the shit that's happened recently.

As I followed her in she motioned for me to sit on the couch while she sat on her bed. I followed her example and sat down on the couch and waited for my tongue lashing with closed eyes and. resigned face, however it never came. Opening my eyes I noticed Dana looking at me with raised eyebrows and a small smirk fighting to come forth.

"Don't look so scared, considering what Max has told me I find this side of you to be a shock." She said.

"What all did Max say about me?" I asked, curiously.

"Well for starters she told me everything, and I do mean everything. So the first thing I want to point out is shame on you for playing with her powers the way you have. They aren't a toy, and if you didn't notice they put a serious strain in her brain every time she uses them. If she uses them too much in a day she gets nose bleeds, and if she forces it even after that, she blacks out. As a friend you shouldn't do anything to hurt her like that." As Dana was talking I felt like shit.

"I realized after Max passed out in the junk yard that her powers were serious shit, and it scared the fuck out of me. I didn't know what was going on and I didn't want to lose her when I had just gotten her back. I'm not really good at showing my emotions anymore and when things get to emotional I get sarcastic or avoid the topic. Sometimes in a way that has me speaking before thinking. There have been a couple times when I told Max she could just rewind if we got in trouble or something and it was after that when I realized what I said and wanted to smack myself." I lamented honestly.

Dana nodded. "Well that's a start, maybe you're not as one dimensional as I thought you were. You need to work on this with Max, she thinks you're only using her as a substitute for Rachel until she gets back. After that she thinks you're going to leave her behind, like she did with you five years ago even though that wasn't her fault."

"What the hell?! I would never do that to her. Sure I want to get the fuck out of this shithole, but I would never just take off and leave Max behind. Maybe I would have left like that once upon a time, but with Max back in my life no way would I do that to her. I told her I'd never leave her and I meant it." I stated rather insistently while I was still slightly shocked that Max thought that. "On top of that Max isn't a replacement. I...I kinda realized some shit before I decided to hightail my ass back here. Rachel is my best friend, and yeah I had a crush on her at one point. However, she isn't who I like now. Fuck, I was afraid she might think this. It's one of the reasons I rushed over here, I didn't want her thinking that, I don't want her ever thinking that." I said with remorse.

Dana just stared at Chloe for a moment, taking in everything she had just said. Realization struck her and she smiled a small smile and nodded. "You like Max, don't you." She said quietly.

"Well, yeah she's my best friend." I managed not to stammer when I answered thankfully.

Dana smirked and shook her head. "No, I mean you like her, like her."

I felt my face heat up slightly and I looked away. "Maybe." I said in a whisper.

Dana smiled then. "Alright. Then I think the rest of this should be discussed with Max. Oh and I want to help find out what's going on around here. Now that I've been filled in it should be easier with three people looking for clues."

I sighed, I don't think I'd get out of this without agreeing, and begrudgingly she was right. "Fine. Um, where's Max's room?" I inquired.

"Oh. Max's room is at the end on the same side as mine." She said, I thanked her and exited her room.

I walked down the hallway and passed the bulletin board that had one of Rachel's posters attached to it. I remembered putting it up, in all honesty I'm surprised it's still up since the ones around campus are always having to be replaced, I think someone's taking those down. I shook my head and continued down the hall to the end and spotted Max's room. I took a deep calming breath and then let it out before I knocked. I heard some rustling on the other side of the door before I heard the door start to open and Max was looking at me, her eyes were puffy like she had been crying recently and I felt my heart constrict in my chest realizing I was the cause of those tears.

"Max." I said in a small voice.

Max's Pov

"Chloe?" I said, although it came out as more of a question. I was surprised to see her here, especially here outside of my room. As I looked at her she looked kind of sad, combine that with how quietly she said my name, I was worried. "Come on in, what's wrong?" I asked as I moved aside so she could get in, when she walked past me I closed the door and went and sat down on my bed. I noticed she hadn't sat down yet and was looking around my room. I forgot this was the first time she was seeing it.

"I didn't know you played the guitar, or that you had plant named Lisa." She said in surprise. "Also whose bunny is that, I didn't think you had one."

"Actually, the bunny is Kate's. I'm taking care of it while she's in the hospital. The plant was a gift from my mom. As for the guitar, well mom and dad wanted me to have another hobby aside from photography. It helps when I have a lot on my mind, I can just strum something random and let it out in a constructive and musical way." I told her. I watched as Chloe nodded, and then decided to sit down on the couch. She looked kind of at a loss for what to say. "Chloe what's wrong? Why are you here?" I asked.

"Max...I'm sorry." She said in such a soft way I really didn't hear anything other than my name.

"What? Chloe I can't hear you." I said, this wasn't like Chloe at all. It was actually making me a bit worried.

"I said, I'm sorry." Chloe repeated in a slightly louder voice.

"Chloe, what..." I began to say, but she cut me off.

"I've been a bitch to you this week. You've been nothing but my best friend and have tried to do everything you can to help find Rachel and even saved me from dangerous situations this week, even from myself. All I've been is a total ass. I've been insensitive and I've probably made you feel like you didn't matter or were a substitute for Rachel. I want you to know that I never wanted you to feel like that, like ever. You mean too much to me." Chloe began explaining.

I was stunned, I didn't expect Chloe to come find me in order to apologize, and I certainly didn't anticipate any of what she was saying. Then again I shouldn't be so surprised, Chloe is still Chloe despite all the time that has passed. I watched Chloe's expression as she talked and noted as it would morph from frustration to remorse, as well as guilt. I wanted to feel happy that she was realizing how she hurt me, but instead I felt sad that she was hurting over this.

"I want you to tell me how I've made you feel this week, even if it's bad. I need to know how bad I've fucked this up. Then I can tell you my side, and hopefully we can fix this... I can fix this." Chloe said hopefully.

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. Well, for once I'm going to be blunt. Just so I can get this all out in the open, alright?" Chloe nodded and I continued. "I will admit I felt like I was just a substitute for Rachel, but at the same time I felt angry with you for thinking it was okay to blame William for dying, or saying that everyone has left you or taken a shit on you life in one way or another. That made me so furious, but it also felt like you stabbed me. I didn't mean to leave you and all I've done since I've been back is try and be there for you and help find Rachel, I've been nothing but your friend."

Chloe winced as I said it felt like she stabbed me. "Gods, I'm so sorry. I really fucked up this time."

I nodded. "Yeah you did. What's worse is how conflicted you've made me feel about you. Are you just using me until Rachel comes back, or do you really care?" I had to ask, even if she doesn't realize what I'm asking.

"Max, you're not a replacement. You've never been a replacement, Rachel is Rachel and you are you. No one could replace her or you. Of course I care about you, more than you know." Chloe said as she ran her hand through her hair out of nerves.

"What do you, mean more than I know. Chloe what are you saying?" I asked rather hesitantly, and more than a little hopeful.

"I...I like you Max, not Rachel. I might have liked her at one time, but not anymore. On top of that when I mentioned Rachel to you, I never meant to make it seem like a bad thing, I mentioned her because I wished you two could meet, I think you guys would be good friends." Chloe sighed as she finally looked at me and I could see just how nervous and how badly she was taking the fact that she had hurt me. "I told you once that Rachel was my angel after you left, but I was wrong. She became a friend that I needed during that time, but you have always been my angel, my light in the dark. It's just taken me this long to figure it out. Whenever I was mad or upset I would kind of sink into myself and I would end up remembering how you always used to make me feel when we were younger and I was upset."

I was pleasantly surprised when Chloe admitted that. "You, you do?" I asked quietly, still stunned. "I thought...it was just me." I said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Chloe had been looking at my desktop and when I said that her head snapped towards me when I said that last bit. I didn't even think she heard me when I said it until she spoke. "You like me back? Since when?" She inquired gently as she noticed how I froze in shock.

"Since before I left home, but hanging out with you brought everything back that I felt before, the kiss only solidified what I had only recently suspected I felt." Chloe stood up, and motioned for me to stand too. When I did she pulled me into a hug and I sunk into her arms. I wrapped mine around her back and held her close, Chloe rested her cheek on my head.

"I told you, I'm never leaving you. I meant it Max, I'll be here as long as you want me to be." Chloe said as I pulled back and looked up at her.

"I just got you back. I don't ever want you to leave me. If you need to leave though, just promise to keep in touch." I asked.

Chloe smiled at me softly and cupped my cheek in her left hand before she leaned down and kissed me, which shocked me. After I didn't respond right away she started to pull away, but I also put my right hand on the back of her neck and pulled her back and reciprocated. After a bit we pulled back and Chloe rested her forehead against mine and smiled.

"I told you, I'm not going anywhere. Not without you anyway, not again. I also just got you back, there's no way I'm letting go now." Chloe said in a low voice. I smiled and pulled Chloe with me so we could lay down beside each other on the bed.

"You know, I hope we will find Rachel...more so I know we will." I said after a small time.

"Me too, but what makes you so sure?" Chloe asked.

I turned to her and smiled. "She's a friend in need."