A/N: those readers with an eye for detail will note that I did, back at the start of Chapter Two, promise (sort of) not to call the next chapter Causefield and Effect. I've decided to hold myself to that, even after managing to fit another whole chapter in before getting here. So there!

Oh, and yes, I very nearly did call Chapter three "Priceless Moments".. (I'm so sorry.) I almost feel worse for going with A High Price to Pay - because a part of me wanted to save that for Chloe getting blazed in an attempt to deal with everything that she was learning about the week-that-wasn't… anyway, on with the story. We get insight into another person who had their week changed drastically by the choice Max made..

The world around me is frozen. Nobody is moving.. they're pointing up at a small figure on the roof of the dorms, silhouetted in the dark sky, or they're turned away, burying their heads into the shoulders of the people standing next to them.

I've been here before.

I push my way through the silent statues of people, blood pouring down my nose and my hands up in front of me, somehow maintaining the frozen time state.

"No, no, no, no!" This isn't happening, not again. Not Kate. I saved her!

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, before I get anywhere near the front steps of the dorm, before I can get up there and talk, time unfreezes and a small frail body falls from the roof, and slams into the ground at my feet.

"KATE!"

I jolt awake as she hits the ground, screaming in horror. Chloe is beside me, looking at me with shock and concern writ large on her face.

"Max! MAX!" She's holding my hand tightly, but it's shaking in her grasp. "You're okay, you're okay, it's just a dream.."

"Kate… Chloe… I saw her… not again, she can't have died again…"

"Whoa, slow down Max. Kate? As in Kate Marsh? From Blackwell? What did you see?"

"She… she.." How can I explain this, when I don't even want to think about reliving it? "in the week-that-wasn't, someone sent a link to everyone in Blackwall - hell, everyone in Arcadia Bay - of a video showing her acting drunk and kissing a bunch of guys at a Vortex Club party, but she wasn't drunk she was drugged, Nathan… Nathan did to her what he did to you, only he did it for Jefferson…"

"That son of a bitch!" Chloe growled.

"They bullied her.. so much that she jumped from the roof of the dorms.. We'd been playing around with time so much, I was only just able to rewind time enough to get up there, but I managed to talk her down.."

"Jesus, Max. This week gets worse and worse.."

"Can you grab my phone?" I ask. I suddenly realise what I have to do.

"Sure." She grabs my phone and pitches it to me after taking a brief second to admire the new wallpaper - a hospital bed selfie with her blue face sneaking into frame from one side. Shaking my head, I dial a familiar number and desperately hope for an answer.

"Max? Is that you? Are you okay?"

Relief is the sound of Kate Marsh's hesitant voice.

"Kate! Oh god, Kate, it's so good to hear your voice."

I must have surprised her slightly, because there's a soft little laugh, before she recovers. "It's good to hear your voice too, Max. After what happened last week, I've been praying so hard for you."

"Thank you, Kate. I appreciate it." After everything that had happened in the week-that-wasn't, to hear Kate was praying for me was a nice thing. I may not share her beliefs, but I'm never going to take them for granted, because they're important for her. "Listen… are you busy today? I.. I was wondering if you wanted to come visit and talk for a bit?"

Chloe looks over at me, raises an eyebrow, and when I shake my head at her, shrugs.

"Sure, Max. I've been… I haven't been at class much these last few days. Maybe it will be good for me to get out of the dorms for a bit."

For the first time, I can hear some of the stress in her voice, and I realise that things still must have been incredibly tough for her with everything that had happened in my absence.

"I can't wait to see you," I tell her, and give her my room number.

"See you soon, Max," she says.

Chloe looks over as I hang up the phone. "I get the feeling there's more that you're not saying," she says.

"Chloe… I…"

"It's okay, Max. I understand, you don't want to talk about everything with me, some of it is between you and Kate and… you know that you can tell me everything if you want, right? I just want to make sure it's not… it's not me."

I shake my head. "God no. Chloe, it's not you, trust me. It's just… there's… it's so hard to talk about it, and I need to talk to Kate first."

She nods, and comes over to hug me. "It's okay, Max. I'll head out for some food when she gets here."

"Thank you."

She stays in my arms for the next few minutes, then her restlessness takes over and she's back up again, pacing the room slowly. I've been feeling well enough the last few days to get out of bed for short periods of time and I'm sick of lying down, so I pick myself up and ease my way over to the two chairs at the window, trying to find some sun to sit in.

It's only after I sit down and grab my journal to start writing in it that I finally realise exactly why this hospital room is so familiar. I can't believe I hadn't noticed it before - it's the exact same one that Kate was in in my week-that-wasn't.

The world keeps doing this to me since I woke up.

Chloe, who watched me slowly work my way to the chair but knew from an earlier experience that I'd have gotten upset if she'd tried to help me, settles into the chair opposite and watches as I start picking my way through the journal that I'm trying to re-write from memory of all the things that happened to us.

Every time I've written something new, Chloe's read it with a hungry expression on her face, like she's desperate to experience, vicariously, the week-that-wasn't, even if the things that happened weren't always fun at all.

The first time she read the journal, when I wrote about the Monday that wasn't, she asked whether I was censoring anything for her sake. Truthfully, I considered it, before I decided that she deserves the truth - the sometimes awful, sometimes ugly, but also sometimes beautiful truth, and she appreciated the admission - appreciated it very nicely.

It's kinda hard to find the words to explain how much it means to me that she wants to try to become that Chloe, my memory of Chloe, because she's seen in my eyes and my voice how much that she means to me, so instead I don't bother and use my lips to tell her another way.

An hour later, a hesitant knock comes from the door and Chloe opens it to find Kate Marsh, hands clutched together in front of her waist, cautiously peeking into the room.

"Hey Kate," Chloe says. "I'm just heading off for food. This hospital garbage they're serving Max is awful, I need some real stuff. Look after her while I'm gone, okay?"

Kate nods, then blinks in surprise when Chloe slides an arm around her for a brief hug then vanishes down the corridor.

"Hi Kate," I say, somewhat selfishly enjoying the slightly confused look on her face. "That's Chloe. She's just being over-protective of me because I saved her life."

Kate sits down in the chair opposite me and smiles. "I still can't believe that actually happened," she says quietly.

I know how she feels, believe me. "Me either, but I'm… I'm kinda glad it did." At her surprised look, I smile. "Oh I don't mean I'm glad I got shot, I meant… I meant I'm glad that Chloe didn't."

There's a pause, and she nods, then Kate surprises me. "And that Nathan didn't kill her? Didn't kill anyone?"

There's something in her eye… like she's waiting for me to disagree with her, but I know things that I shouldn't, and Kate is probably the most forgiving person I know. What happened to her shook her, and it nearly - but didn't - break her, at least after I was able to remind her of the people in her life who love and care for her, so…

"Yes, that too. Despite everything that he's done… to us."

She sits up a little straighter.

"Chloe... told me what was found in Jefferson's bunker, Kate. And… I know more, but I can't tell you how, but…"

Her eyes start to well with tears, so I pull myself awkwardly to my feet and grab her into a hug. I can feel her shuddering as she starts to cry.

"What he.. what they did to you isn't your fault, Kate. I know it has to have been hard, but you have to believe that."

"How can you know what happened, Max?" she sobs. "How can you know what they did to me?"

"I just do, Kate. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, you'd think I was crazy. But I do. I know how Nathan drugged you, how he claimed he was taking you to the hospital. But he didn't, did he?"

"No…"

"No, he took you to the Dark Room, to the bunker that Jefferson had set up. And Jefferson took photos of you, photos you don't remember… and then when he was done with you, Nathan dumped you back at the dorms."

She collapses to the floor, and I sink down with her, holding her tight as she breaks down further.

"Did they send the video around?" I ask softly. "Did they.."

"Vid.. there's a video?" Kate asks, horrified.

Ahhh fuck.

Not for the first time this week I find myself wishing I still had my rewind abilities, so I could take back something that someone else doesn't need laid on them.

"I think so," I say softly, running a hand up and down her back to comfort her. "I think someone had recorded you but I don't know who. I guess.. I hope… after what happened with Nathan and me, maybe they didn't send it?"

"Oh god Max, if there was a video… I don't know what I would do if that got out… if my parents, my church found out?"

I do.

"Found out that you were drugged, and assaulted, and not acting of your own free will? If they judge you for that, it's them in the wrong. You have to believe me, I know you would have never done what they said you did. I know it."

"You… I don't understand how you can know these things but… I'm glad you do. I'm glad someone does, so I can talk to someone at least." She starts crying again, and I hold her close. Over her head, I see Chloe's face appear in through the door, but she leaves instead of intruding. So much for getting food.

"Have you talked to the police yet, Kate?" I ask carefully after she's had a chance to release some of the anguish that had built up.

"No, not yet. I just… I couldn't face up to them yet. They asked me after they found my folder."

I know they'll come eventually, and I'm not looking forward to my conversation either. I try not to think about it too much until an idea comes to me.

"Kate?"

"Yeah, Max?"

"Would it be better if we did it together? Talk to the police, I mean. If they came here, and we had each other's back…" And Chloe too, I don't add. No way is she letting me sit through the interrogation I'm likely to get without her.

"You'd do that for me?" Kate asks.

"Yeah, of course. Us Blackwell outsiders got to stick together."

The smile that lights up her face makes the thought of having to face the cops almost bearable.

"If you two are Blackwell rejects, I guess that makes me the Blackwell Outcast."

It's funny how Chloe's voice can make me shiver like it does, especially when I don't notice she's slipped into the room (how a tall blue haired girl can do that, I can't figure out). A little part of me hopes Kate doesn't notice the first shiver, but when Chloe slides down to the floor and slips an arm around my shoulder to nuzzle into my neck, there's no hiding the second that runs through me. Chloe ignores it, of course, and instead grabs Kate's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. "I'll be there for you two as well," she promises, and Kate gives her a small smile too.

"Thank you, thank you both," Kate says, then looks at her watch. "Oh my gosh, look at the time. I have to get back to Blackwell, I have one more class."

As she slides free from my hug and stands, Chloe helps me to my feet and wraps an arm around my waist to support me. Before I can protest that I can handle myself, she shushes me with a quick kiss. "I know what you're about to say, and screw that," she whispers.

Kate seems slightly surprised by the kiss, but then her face clears up. "Ohhhh, that's what Warren meant," she says, almost to herself.

"What did he say?" Chloe asks dangerously, tending against me.

"Oh, he said something in passing about realising he never really had a shot with Max. Now I realise he didn't quite mean it the way I'd first interpreted it, that he thought you were out of his, you know, league."

Chloe and I laugh simultaneously, and after a few seconds Kate does too.

"This doesn't weird you out?" I ask after a the laughter does out and there's a long moment of silence.

"Max! You know me, I'm not about to tell anyone how to live their lives if they aren't hurting anyone." Okay, so maybe Kate Marsh can still surprise me a little bit. "God made us in his image," she adds softly. "If God loves both men and women equally, why can't we do the same?"

I've never really thought of it that way, but it makes sense to me. It's just a little surprising, I thought Kate's family were a little more conservative than that. As if she's read my mind, she adds a few caveats to her previous claim.

"Though I think my parents - well, my mum mostly - might disagree. I think everyone has to make peace with their own opinions on it, but I know what I believe, and that is that loving who we love is God's plan, and fighting that would be silly. If you love someone, really love them with all your heart, then I believe that God intends it to be, regardless of who it is"

I can't help it, a little bit of moisture wells up in my eyes, and I stumble forward to give Kate another hug.

"Thank you," I whisper to her. "That actually means a lot to me."

"You're welcome, Max. Thank you for being here for me today. That means a lot to me. We'll talk soon?"

"Absolutely," I promise.

"Bye Chloe," she says, waving as she leaves the hospital room.

I let out a little breath when she's gone.

Chloe does the same, then slips her arms around me again. "Intense," she says eventually.

"Yeah. Understatement."

"She gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think she will. She's stronger than people give her credit for, but we'll be here to help her if we have to."

Chloe nods against me, and the comfortable silence stretches out between us again.

"You going to be okay?" It's been ten minutes of holding each other tight when she breaks the peace.

I think about it for a moment, then pull back my head to look her in the eyes, then deliberately push forward and capture her lips with mine.

"Getting there," I whisper a few minutes later.