A soft glow broke through the leaves of the trees and cascaded a gentle pattern on the dirt path below. With each step, Max could feel the sunlight gently warming her skin and sending her body into an almost serene state. The sounds of nature surrounded her and filled her with a sense of peace and tranquility. Letting the gentle sounds of life fill her ears, the young photographer lifted her head and shut her eyes as she walked. Sunlight glided over her shut eyelids, bringing a calming glow to her.
This was always a place that Max loved, a place that was synonymous with peace and happiness. Even though the walk to the lighthouse was a long trek from the beach, up the dirt path through the forest before finally getting to the top, it was something that she enjoyed every second of. It was like three different kinds of nature that all coexisted peacefully next to each other, yet had completely different vibes and sounds.
From the beach you could feel the sand between your toes, hear the gentle sounds of the waves as they crashed into each other with the flowing tide, see the smoothness of the yellow sand contrast with the ever changing blue that was the ocean. The path up to the lighthouse was a walk through a small forest, lined with large, beautiful, green trees everywhere in sight. As you wandered down the long path that slowly inclined to the peak, you could hear the sounds of animals scurrying around, insects calling to one another, birds singing in their nests; the sound of uninterrupted nature existing. Then there was the lighthouse itself. It was a place of almost complete peace. Every inch of the surrounding areas gave you something new to look at, however. In front of you would be the blue of the Bay as it led out smoothly into the sprawling ocean, behind you was the green forested area that you had just returned from still mildly humming with sounds of life, to your left was a birds eye view of the beach that really allowed your eyes to appreciate just how still and peaceful a beach can look, and to your right was the vastness of the sky above clashing in colors with the monolithic white lighthouse.
It was no wonder Max wanted to come here, and a tragedy that she had allowed the past to keep her from coming here. With every step Max took through the path upwards, she could feel her mind trying to slide back into the black and gray memories of the storm, but she wouldn't allow it to. Mind at peace and body relaxed, Max finally pressed her way up through the forest and onto the peak of the cliff.
Everything was still around her. The sun was beginning to fall into the setting corners of the sky and had just began to paint everything around her in a golden light, causing the flow to perfectly shimmer across the water below. It was a beautiful sight, almost too perfect to pass up on, so the young brunette pulled her new camera from her bag and stood off to the side, allowing the frame to center between the sun and it's glow on the Bay in the first third, and the lighthouse to encompass the entire last third of the image, with gorgeous blue water in between.
'Oh my god. That was gorgeous if I do say so myself.'
Max pulled the photograph out of the camera and shook it a bit before looking down upon it. The picture was slowly coming out of its gray state, slowly letting the vibrant colors encompass it's frame. Max looked down and smiled at her work, admiring the shot and composition, as well as the bright colors and beauty of nature. The longer she stared at it, however, the more that painful memories began to seep their way into her brain. Loud memories began to all sound at the same time in her head, echoing slightly as the words bounced around in her skull.
"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago." "Chloe...I don't wanna do this!" "Don't say that! I won't trade you."
She shook her head hard, trying to shake out the painful memories and live in the now.
'I can't live like that. I have to push forward. I have to try.'
Sliding the photograph in her pocket, Max walked her way over to the bench at the end of the cliff and sat down, letting the feeling of the sun bathe her once more in an attempt to try to receive that peace she had felt on her way up the path.
"You really took one for team Chloe." "You were here today, Max. You saved me! I'm still tripping on that." "After all these years, it feels like -" "Destiny? What if this is destiny?"
'Come on Max...stop it. You can do this. You're stronger than that.'
Her body was starting to become anxious. The feeling of serenity was quickly fading from her, as it was slowly being replaced by a relative of fear. Sitting in this seat was becoming more and more uncomfortable as she sat, so Max quickly rose to her feet and tried to gently pace herself.
'Maybe movement helps. Maybe that's why I was so calm. Try to focus on your breathing, just like David told you to.'
Concentrating on her breathing as hard as she could, with inhales through her nose and exhales out her mouth, Max paced next to the bench a little faster that she was before as the thoughts continued to bounce around in her head, growing slightly louder.
"All it would take is for me to...to..." "Fuck that! You are my number one priority now.
You are all that matters to me."
"Shut up! Please!" Max called loudly to no one before softening to a mumble. "I can do this. I can do this. Just be strong, Max." Her footsteps had become much faster and a slight bit frantic as her emotions threatened to take complete control. Her eyes were beginning to sting and burn as her nose began to slightly run.
Max stopped her pacing and threw her hands down dramatically at her sides and threw her head back in frustration. The thought that she was once in control of time itself but yet couldn't get a hold on her own emotions was starting to grate on her nerves. Clenching her eyes tight, Max tried to take another step forward to try to pace out her anger, when her toe caught something solid. A wave of pain instantly surged its way up her leg, causing Max to swear aloud and grab her foot.
"What the fuck did I-" her voice was full of anger until she saw the thing that she had kicked. She must have paced all over, because right in front of Max stood a tree trunk. A tree trunk that she had remembered fondly. A tree trunk with her's and Chloe's name carved into it.
The memory flooded Max's mind as her knees gave out below her, causing her to kneel directly in front it.
"Come on Captain Chloe, why did you drag me all the way out to the lighthouse?"
"What kind of talk is that? A first mate is never supposed to question her Captain! If you don't watch that tongue of yours, I'll have ye swab the poop deck!"
"Try me. I'll just kick your poop deck!."
"Oh shut up, Max. Come here, it's time to leave a real mark on Arcadia Bay."
"Ch-Chloe! Where did you get that knife?"
"What good is a pirate without their sword?! Now stop panicking and get over here and start carving. Someday, when the two of us are super famous, people will come from all over to take pictures with this thing. You could even take some of the photos for them and charge money!"
"Yeah, okay! Let's do it. Just promise me that you'll be there when I take all those pictures of people."
"You kidding me? I'll be the one collecting the booty! Gotta have someone around to manage the super star photographer Maxine Caufield."
"Stop calling me Maxine!"
'Why Chloe? Why couldn't you just be selfish? Why couldn't you just let me live the rest of my life with you, happy for once?"
Her fingers gently traced their names as she let her tears squeeze out of her eyes. Soft sobs escaped her as she shut her eyes as tightly as she could.
"I can't be strong. I can't! I keep trying and all it does is make it hurt worse. I can't keep living like this...I can't keep going on without you..."
Max opened her eyes slowly and rubbed her palm over the top of their names, thinking about how easy it would be.
'I'm already on this cliff...I could just...walk off. I wouldn't have to do this anymore. I could just sleep forever. I would be with Chloe again, see William, meet Rachel...all it would take is for me to...to...'
Her eyes blinked out tears once again as her brain considered what she was saying. The indications of those actions, the consequences of her actions.
"I can't do that!" Her voice was breaking from the volume as she rose to her feet. Her fists were clenched and her arms locked down at her side. She whipped around and opened her eyes, thinking about screaming at the top of her lungs just to let off some of her frustrations, to try to feel more like a human and less like a giant ball of thrashing emotions; when she saw something that made all of her hair raise on end, and threw her into a completely alert state.
"No..." was all she could say, as the world around her shifted from its once beautiful, peaceful state, back to the chaos and disorder that she had seen before. The monochrome, displacing, electric chaos that she had seen last night in her old photography class...only this time, there was a difference.
"Max...it's time..."
This time, Max could clearly hear her voice surrounding her. It was the goodbye they shared, the last time they saw each other.
"I know, Max. But we have to. We have to save everybody, okay?"
"Why is this happening? What is happening? Chloe?!" Her voice was filling with pain with each passing second.
"And you'll make those fuckers pay for what they did to Rachel."
"Chloe can you hear me?!" She cried.
"Being together this week...it was the best farewell gift I could've hoped for. You're my hero, Max."
"Chloe..." Her eyes were darting around, looking for something, anything to indicate what she was supposed to do. Everything around here was pure chaos, but there had to be one point of clarity, just like the classroom. One spot she could go to that would let her be there.
'Anywhere...please!'
"I'll always love you...Now, get out of here, please! Do it before I freak."
Each goddamn syllable was tearing through her like sand paper studded with razor blades. Her heart was breaking with every single second. She could barely keep her knees from giving out.
"And Max Caufield? Don't you forget about me..."
Almost on instinct, Max responded with a voice as soft as she could, with fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "Never."
As soon as the words left her lips, the spot suddenly became clear to her. Toward the edge of the cliff, just a few feet from where she were standing was the spot, where nothing was moving at all, the spot the universe and time needed her to be. Her legs carried her as fast as they possibly could over to the only spot that her eyes could even see at this moment. She knew exactly what was waiting for her on the other side of this.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she were even in another time, that everything had gone back to moving again, for the storm had blocked out almost all light, and everything around her seemed to have that gray look to it. Loud cries of agony from behind her quickly ripped her straight from her slight daze as the realization hit her.
She was here, and that was Chloe.
"Chloe..." Max said spinning around as the breath she was trying to take caught in her chest. She stood there for a second, her body unable to move.
"Chloe!" She screamed this time, as her legs suddenly gave her control again allowing her to sprint over to where Chloe was standing. Her arms instantly wrapped themselves around her neck and squeezed her as tightly as she could.
"Max?" Chloe said as she held her back and sniffled loudly. "What are you doing? You have to go. You have to save everyone."
But Max couldn't answer. She couldn't say anything. She had dreamed about seeing Chloe again, every single night since she abandoned her. Chloe was finally here, finally in her arms.
"Max!" Chloe yelled, with her voice slightly full of anger, causing Max to whip her head up and look Chloe straight in the eyes. "What the fuck gives? Why did you let me think you were going to let me die to change your mind? Why let me sit here and cry like that?!"
The words stung, she never imagined that their reunion would be like this. "Chloe, I didn't do this on purpose! I did leave. I went back and I watched you die in that fucking bathroom. I had to sit there and listen to you die. Again. And I couldn't even save you! It was so, so hard!" Max felt her eyes try to cry from sadness, but just being here with Chloe again was enough to quell that feeling entirely.
"Then wait...why are you back here Max? What happened?" The look of anger in her eyes subsided, and Chloe was now filled with more concern than hate.
"I...I went on. I went on for 6 whole months without you. I had to live, every single day knowing that you were dead. I had to go through 6 months, half of a year of heartbreak every day, Chloe. Knowing that I could have been with you. That we could have been so happy together. But we had to save everyone. I couldn't do it Chloe...I couldn't." Her eyes couldn't stop scanning every single inch of Chloe's face. She was only a mere foot away from the blue goddess, as she inched her way closer to the punk in front of her.
Letting her words sink in for a few seconds, Chloe looked back into Max's eyes and saw all the pain inside them. It was almost like looking directly into a mirror. "So you traveled back here? To undo leaving? But Max, what about-"
"No Chloe...I didn't. I don't know what's happening, but time seems to be collapsing or something. I don't understand it."
"What are you talking about?"
"I-I don't even know! It's like time just, stops moving somehow. I feel like time is trying to get me to fix everything. But it brought me here. I don't know why, but I think time wanted me to fix this. I think time wanted me to come back and save you."
Doing the only thing that made any sense to her at this point, Chloe wrapped her arms around Max's waist and pulled her in tightly, burying her head in her shoulder and squeezing as tightly as she could. It was only when she felt that Max wasn't hugging her back that she pulled away. "Max?" Chloe asked, looking down at her with concern filling her eyes. Without hesitation, Max raised her hand to Chloe's face and cupped it gently, stroking her face gently with her thumb.
"In case this doesn't last somehow...in case I'm not supposed to save you, I have to tell you something Chloe. Something I was too afraid to tell you. Chloe, I'm in love with you. I always have been. I just didn't realize it until I came back to you. You're everything to me. I can't live without you." Her eyes were once again welling up with tears, but for the first time in a very long time, these tears were tears of joy. "This week we shared, it was the best week of my life too." Her cheeks felt so hot, which was only magnified by how cold she realized she felt. Rain was pelting her as the wind around her was roaring, chilling her to the bone. It was a feeling she had forgotten about on this day.
Words could not form as Chloe stood there and gazed at the girl standing before her. Her mouth was hanging open as her entire body flushed. "Max" she finally spoke, after what felt like days of staring "you really mean it?" All Max could do was nod.
Reaching up, Chloe placed her hand on Max's and held it to her face before letting out a sad laugh. "Took you long enough, hippy." She said with a huge grin plastered across her face. "I already told you, I'll always love you. I guess I forgot to say that I always have."
The two of them just stood there for a moment and gazed at each other, their smiles on their faces lighting up their eyes. No matter how hard she tried, Max could not break her attention from Chloe's lips. She was staring at them, longing for them.
'I may never get another chance.'
Leaning forward and crashing her lips into Chloe as hard as she could, Max kissed the literal girl of her dreams. She kissed her with resolve, she kissed her with passion, she kissed her with love. It was the roughest, most passionate kiss of her life. Lips slid over each other, battling for dominance, pressing more and more into the kiss as each second passed. Max reached up and slide her fingers under Chloe's beanie, letting them dig around in the cold, wet, strands of blue as she pulled her closer, lusting for as much of Chloe as she could have.
Slowly, the world faded from both of them. Winds around them stopped roaring, the rain on their skin stopped pelting, they could no longer hear the sounds of the tornado ripping the town part as if it were made of paper. Time itself seemed to vanish from around them as the kiss deepened and became more intense. As far as either of them could tell, this kiss was the only thing in existence.
It wasn't until Max realized how long it had been since she had taken a breath that Max pulled away, gasping for air.
"Holy fuck Max, who taught you to kiss like that?" Chloe asked between pants.
Max smiled and playfully winked at Chloe "a true lady never kisses and tells, Chloe." Just like nothing had ever happened, Max was with the only person who made her feel whole again. She slid her hand back down to her cheek and gazed lovingly at the tall punk's smile, beaming in the sunlight.
Right then, Max noticed it. Sunlight.
"Holy shit! Chloe!" Reaching quickly inside her pocket, which was still completely soaked from the rain, Max lifted her phone up and flicked the screen on.
"What? What is it?" She couldn't help but to notice the smile on Max's face as she looked at her phone with delight.
"It's April...Chloe...It's April 8th!" The brunette girl said as she whipped around and looked over the cliff toward Arcadia Bay. "And it's still here..." she whispered, just loud enough for Chloe to hear.
"We...we did it." Chloe spoke softly as she stepped next to Max and interlaced her fingers around hers. "We saved them."
Max simply held Chloe's hand back as tightly as she could and smiled as she leaned her head onto the taller punk's and sighed happily as the sun next to them bathed them both in a warmth. A warmth that felt like a new beginning, as well as a wonderful ending.
"And I saved you." Max said as she rubbed the back of Chloe's thumb with her own with a smile on her face. It was the first time Max had ever smiled like that. Somewhere, something inside Max told her that this wasn't over; that it was in fact, only the beginning. But the rest of Max didn't care at all. Right now, she was here, with Chloe, spending time with her and feeling happy.
Finally.
Author Notes:
Hey yo, so, here we are. The end of Episode 1, Little Pieces of Time, called so because of the little pieces that Max can interact with as timelines attempt to merge together. I am not gonna lie, I cried writing this. It felt so good to reunite them, and it was so heartbreaking to write the Sacrifice Chloe dialog. It was really something for me to make this, I put everything I have into this. But this, this is just the beginning. What really caused the storm? Who was Jefferson talking on the phone with in Episode 2 of Season 1? Why did Nathan try to steal Tobonga? All of these questions, and many more, will be coming. Please, I urge you, if you liked this, follow me as a writer, because Episode 2 will be a separate entry all together. So if you'd like to see more, follow me into the next episode my friends! Because I have such a wonderful story to tell you. Don't be shy to message me if you'd like to talk about anything at all! Thank you all so very much for reading, I'll see you in the next episode.
Until next time, stay golden.