A/N: What? New chapter only a week after I posted the previous one? What is this sorcery? Anyways, so, I was surprisingly fast finishing this one and I wanted to wait to upload it. But it was my birthday yesterday and I figured why the fuck not? But then I got busy and never managed to update. So happy belated birthday to me! I hope you guys enjoy this!

The fact that time passes by quickly when you're having fun was commonly known and accepted, Victoria knew as much. What she didn't know, however, was just how quickly that particular Christmas break was going to go by. Between avoiding any interaction with her parents and meeting up with none other than Max pretty much every day, she knew she shouldn't have been too surprised when she woke up on New Year's Eve to an all too familiar song blaring from her phone.

She and Max would hang out practically every day under the pretense that it was only to work on their project, but the little substantial progress they had made spoke volumes. Sure, they were meeting set on taking some pictures, and Victoria would even bring her laptop along, in case they wanted to write some of the essay parts of the project down, but the device had never even left her bag. They had taken pictures. Max was extremely proud of herself for not freezing up nearly as much now as she used to, but about half of them were useless, unable to be used for the project. "Probably because they are not of strangers," Victoria had stated one afternoon when Max had voiced her complaint about not using any of the pictures she had taken that day. With the exception of three, undoubtedly beautiful photos that they could actually use, all the rest were ones of Victoria. Victoria with her camera on her face, taking a picture of a man with his young daughter on his shoulders, both smiling brightly; Victoria with her head tilted towards the sky, her eyes closed and her arms stretched over her head, soaking in the rare for the season sunlight; Victoria fumbling with the settings of her camera, a frown on her face and a cigarette on her lips; Victoria with a look that was a mix of both disappointment and anger when a woman had refused, rather loudly, to have her picture taken; Victoria giving Max the finger right after their encounter with the woman, obviously not liking having her rejection eternalized on instax film… The girl was quickly becoming Max' favorite subject.

"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily, not bothering to check the caller ID before picking up her phone.

"You bitch!" came the familiar greeting from the other end of the line and Victoria cringed at the volume of the voice. That wasn't Max. "You go back to Seattle for two weeks and suddenly you forget all about little ol' me?"

"Hello to you too, Tay," the blonde couldn't keep a smile from reaching her lips.

"Don't try to sweet talk your way out of this, there's no point. I'm mad." Victoria knew she was kidding. She laughed and decided to play along, nonetheless.

"Would a fancy dinner at your favorite restaurant when I return make up for my unspeakable behavior? My treat, of course."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "...maybe. You'll have to do more than that, though. I don't know what yet, but I'll keep you posted." Both girls chuckled. It was interactions like this one that made Victoria feel less lonely. "Now that we got that out of the way," there was a shift and some ruffling of sheets and Victoria knew that Taylor was still in bed, "how are you doing, babe? I missed you! You weren't having too much fun last time we talked…" Last time they had spoken was when Victoria had called Taylor at three o'clock in the morning, crying because of how angry at her parents she was. Taylor had been too close to booking the first flight to Seattle right then and there.

Victoria sighed. "It's okay, actually. I mean… I've hardly spoken a word to either of them," no explanation was needed as to who 'them' was, "but I honestly don't care."

"Well, at least you have Max," Taylor mumbled. "This has to be better than nothing." She had probably winked at that. Her tone made an excellent job at conveying that through the phone.

"Stop beating around the bush and ask what you want to ask," Victoria laughed.

"You're not gonna just tell me, are you?"

"...nope."

Taylor sighed in an attempt to mask her laugh. "Okay, so… You two done it yet?" There was a pause. "Oh my god, you slut! You did? Tell me everything!"

"What the fuck, Taylor, we haven't done any kind of 'it'!" 'yet,' Victoria thought but resisted the urge to add. "We've been working on that stupid photography project, that's all."

"If that's true, I'm surprised by how strong your self-restraint is. You look at her like you wanna jump her bones, I thought for sure you'd have made a move by now," Taylor let out a loud laugh that caused Victoria to groan.

"I'm being respectful, you asshole! You know I'm not gonna do anything she doesn't want me to."

"You're so fucking whipped, Vic, holy shit. And trust me, she so wants you to! So have you done anything else other than 'work on the project'?" She had used air-quotes, Victoria knew as much.

"I met her parents," she said after a brief pause. "Like… she invited me over for dinner a couple of times and all that."

"Awww! Meeting the in-laws already, I love it! Are they as hipstery as she is?"

"They're really cool, actually. They even invited me to spend today with them." She still had to figure out a way to get out of that. She had told Max she would get back to her, but she already knew she wasn't going to go. Not on a day like this one.

"Shit, are you going? Going into the new year with none other than Maxine fucking Caulfield and her picture-perfect family. Who'd have thought!"

"Yeah well, I'm not going, so… I'll be going into the new year with my picture-perfect self, thank you very much."

"What about your folks?"

"Whatever they'll be doing, they certainly didn't invite me. As if I'd want to spend the day with them anyway." Victoria hated it when she sounded like an angsty teenager, but she really didn't care when it came to her parents. She heard Taylor groan and say something about wishing she could be there and she had to smile. "So how's your mum, babe?" she asked a second later, eager to leave the subject of her parents behind.

"Oh, she's great. Excited to cook for us tomorrow, she's already begun prepping," Taylor laughed. "I told her she doesn't have to, I mean it's only gonna be me and her, but there's no stopping her when she sets her mind on something."

"Tell her I said hi, okay? And that I'll be sure to drop by for a proper chat soon."

"Will do, babe! I have to go now, it's my turn to go to the grocery store for supplies. I'll call you later, 'kay? Be sure to have fun tonight, I'll check!" They both laughed before the line went silent, Taylor's voice still ringing in Victoria's ears. She contemplated staying in bed for a while longer, sleep still lingering just behind her eyes, making her eyelids feel heavy. She had no idea how much time later it was when her phone, still in her hand, vibrated with an incoming text.

(Max 10:15): This is your scheduled 10 AM wake-up text. Rise and shine!

She smiled before she had the chance to stop herself.

(Me 10:16): You're fifteen minutes late. The day is gone, might as well stay in bed and stare at the ceiling for the rest of today.

(Max 10:17): Aww, but I wanted to go grab breakfast today :(

Victoria didn't send her reply right away. Instead, she got up, quietly opened her bedroom door and looked up and down the hall. She checked her parents' bedroom, the study, the living room, the kitchen, even the basement. She was by herself.

(Me 10:25): How fast can you be dressed and out of the house?

(Max 10:26): Fifteen?

(Me 10:27): Are you asking me or telling me, Caulfield?

(Max 10:28): Fifteen

(Me 10:29): Good. Meet up by the train station in half an hour. Text me when you're there and don't be fucking late! *heart emoji*

She felt the blood drain from her face. She had pressed the send button before she could even process the fact that she had actually added a heart emoji at the end of her message, and now panic was rising in her chest. She was still fussing over it when as she changed out of her pajamas and made her way to the kitchen.

Max was smiling. She didn't know if she should take it so seriously, it may very well have been a mistake, a slip of Victoria's fingers, but it was still there. That little red heart in the end of her last message. Victoria, for all the time the two had been texting, wasn't one to use emojis that often, if at all. So this seemed like a big deal in Max' head. She was smiling as she made her way downstairs, mostly on autopilot as she followed the smell of waffles coming from the kitchen, her father over the waffle maker, watching it like a hawk. She laughed.

"Did mum leave you in charge of breakfast? After all those years, you'd think she'd know better."

"Aaah, Maximus, light of my life. Always so nice and not at all sassy with your old man," her father greeted dramatically, his eyes shifting to her only for a second before returning to their previous position. "Take a seat and prepare to be amazed by my cooking skills, youngling."

"I'm sorry dad, but I kinda already have plans. It has nothing to do with your cooking, I'm sure no one will end up in the hospital this time," she laughed again at the hurt look her father gave her.

"You wound me, Maxine. After everything I've done, and this is how my only child is treating me… Your mother will not be happy to hear about this," he stated matter of factly.

"I'm not even half-curious about whose side mum is gonna be on. Where is she anyways?"

"New Year's food shopping. I don't know who she's expecting will show up waiting to be fed, but she left almost an hour ago with a grocery list the size of a phone book," the man joked. "Want me to drive you anywhere since you're not staying for breakfast?" he asked as he unplugged the waffle maker and placed the dirty mixing bowl and cutlery in the sink.

"I'm just going to the train station so…" Max raised her shoulders. It was a fifteen-minute walk, ten if she hurried along, but being driven there always had a certain appeal to it.

"Okay. Wash the dishes while I put on my shoes, will you?"

"I knew this was some dirty trick to make me do your chores for you!" Max yelled as her father disappeared upstairs, a smile adorning her lips.

(Me 10:56): I'm here!

Max hastily typed her message to Victoria as she got out of the car.

"Say hi to Victoria for me, Maximus!" her father yelled with his head outside the window. "And be sure to use protection!" he added making the brunette groan, silently thankful that her big scarf was able to hide her insane blush. She stopped right outside the entrance to the station and checked her phone again. Sure enough, Victoria had already replied to her text, a minute after she had sent it.

(Victoria 10:57): But are you queer?

(Victoria 10:57): Try and see if you can spot a black car with a driver that looks like straight out of Men In Black. His name is Clint and he's actually pretty cool. Just don't make eye contact.

Max blinked. 'What the fuck?'

(Me 11:00): ? What? Should I be scared? Where the fuck are you?

(Victoria 11:01): Relax, Shitfield, Clint knows what he's doing. He'll bring you to me ;) ;)

(Me 11:02): If I get fucking murdered, Victoria, I'm going to kill you!

It didn't take long to spot the car Victoria was talking about. It was, after all, the only limousine in probably a 50-mile radius. The car ride, much to Max' relief, was pleasant. The fact that Clint didn't turn out to be a bloodthirsty murderer made the whole situation better. He was the Chase family driver, as Max found out, for the past fifteen years. He had a son only a couple of years older than herself and Victoria, and his wife had died of cancer seven years ago. She found it moving that he was still wearing his wedding ring. Before she knew it, the car had come to a stop right outside what could only be described as a mansion. It was big and imposing, something that, when Max thought about, fit perfectly with the idea she had formed in her mind of the Chases. She had barely gotten out of the car, thanking Clint for the pleasant ride, when the front door of the house flew open, a very nicely-dressed Victoria standing on the threshold.

"If it isn't Maxine Caulfield herself," Victoria greeted as Max approached her, her steps slow, trying to take everything in. "Stop gawking, I'll give you the grand tour later." The brunette felt a hand wrapping around her arm and pull her inside. Her breath hitched. She had imagined that Victoria lived in a palace, but she never thought she would be right. It may not have been an actual palace per se, and it may not have even been as big as it looked like to Max, but the place felt huge. And, as she came to realize by walking from the entrance to the kitchen, empty and impersonal. It was a house, not a home; and it made her feel kind of bad for the young Victoria who had spent all her life in there.

"Okay, so this is the kitchen…" Victoria's voice caused her to snap back into reality. The room was big and open, the marble islands impeccably clean. Max doubted anyone had ever used the stove. She even doubted there was actual food anywhere in there. That was until she noticed a few supplies arranged carefully on the end of one of the counters. Milk, eggs, flour, and even a tub of Nutella. This had to be an alternate reality. The Victoria Max knew wouldn't be caught dead near such deliciousness. "If you're thinking the place looks far too clean to ever have been used, you're right," Victoria spoke again when she realized that Max was too busy staring to say anything. "But I figured we could make breakfast? Since someone was so set on getting some," she winked playfully causing Max to blush, once again thankful for the scar that was hiding the bottom half of her face. "You can just leave your stuff wherever, I'll put them away later." The brunette nodded as she moved to take off her coat. "I have a pair of slippers you can borrow if you want to take your shoes off too. You don't have to, by the way. My mother is crazy about the 'no shoes inside the house' rule, but you can do whatever you want." Max quickly took her shoes off and pushed them out of the way. Just because Victoria didn't follow the house rules, it didn't mean she felt comfortable doing the same.

"Where is everybody?" Max couldn't help but ask as she walked closer to Victoria who was reaching for something in a cupboard.

"I don't know," she replied placing a scale next to the ingredients. "And I don't care. Can you grab the butter from the fridge? Should be on the door."

"I didn't think there would be butter in your fridge," Max joked, making her way to the massive two-door fridge that looked more like a closet. "Woah. I didn't think there would be anything in your fridge, actually. This thing is full!"

"I stoked it up yesterday," Victoria offered. "The fact that there wasn't an angry letter from my mother saying how I shouldn't be bringing home all this junk waiting for me this morning probably means she didn't even notice." Max didn't know how to feel at that statement. It was obvious Victoria had meant it as a joke, but she knew it was true and she couldn't help but feel a pang of… something. "Don't pity me, Caulfield. I hate when you do that."

Max gulped and hastily apologized. 'Stop reading my mind!' she thought and she half-expected Victoria to say that she wasn't doing that. The blonde remained silent though, and Max took this as a good sign. The smirk on her lips didn't go unnoticed, however. Why did she have to always put Max so on edge?

"I trust you've made crepes before?" came the question a moment later, making Max nod enthusiastically.

"Duh, of course I have. Chloe and I used t-" she froze. Chloe. Of course she would think of Chloe at a time like this. She took a deep breath that was far more unsteady than she wanted it to be and forced her mind to snap back into reality.

"We can make something else if you don't feel like crepes," Victoria said tentatively. "How about scrambled eggs? Or we could do pancakes or-"

"It's fine, Victoria," Max placed a hand on the taller girl's shoulder, "honest. I haven't had crepes in a while, actually. It's more than fine." The smile she offered didn't do much to ease the tension, but Victoria decided to drop the subject and, soon enough, they fell into a comfortable rhythm as one was mixing the ingredients and the other was reading the recipe from a tablet Victoria had led on the counter. Max had laughed at the fact that Victoria needed a recipe to make something as simple as crepes, and had only laughed harder at the blonde's lame attempt to defend herself. Victoria was a lot of things, a cook was definitely not one of them. She still refused to go down without a fight, however, or get mocked by a waif hipster, as she had so eloquently put it, and, to be fair, the end result more than vindicated her.

"These are delicious, Victoria," Max said with an impressed gleam in her eyes. "Really, I could eat the whole batch," she laughed.

"Give me some credit, Caulfield. I may not be a chef, but that doesn't mean I can't follow simple instructions." They both laughed and finished the rest of their breakfast in comfortable silence.

"So what's next on the list?" Max asked as she handed her plate to Victoria who was busy loading the dishwasher.

"I figured I could give you that tour you so desperately want," the blonde laughed. "And then we could watch a movie? Maybe make lunch, I don't know. I did get a bunch of food just in case, but we can always just order something up. Or… Well, you don't actually have to stay for lunch if you don't want to." Max had never seen Victoria ramble so much. She was so nervous, it was adorable. Why she was so nervous, however, the brunette had no idea.

"Sounds great! I am pretty desperate to see the rest of the house, to be honest. This place is fucking huge! And lunch sounds good too. Though I should warn you, I can't really cook anything that doesn't come in a box."

"I'll download a food delivery app." They both laughed again and Max thought that this was something she could kind of get used to.

The tour ended right where it had begun; the kitchen. Max' jaw was still a little slack from seeing the entire mansion as they made their way to the center island and each plopped herself on a stool.

"Shut your mouth, Caulfield, it's not that impressive" Victoria chuckled pulling out her phone and handing it to Max. "Here, you order something for us and I'll unload the dishwasher, how's that sound?" The brunette nodded. "Just… Nothing too fatty okay?" The brunette groaned.

They settled for chinese food, much to Victoria's dismay. It wasn't that she didn't like it, on the contrary, but it did go extremely against the 'nothing too fatty' rule she had set earlier.

"Did you know that fried rice contains like 1,500 calories per serving?" she asked looking at her phone, a plate of sweet and sour chicken in front of her.

"Good thing neither of us got fried rice, then," Max deadpanned, her mouth still half-filled with food. "If you're trying to make me feel bad for eating chinese, it's not working by the way," she laughed. "And no one ever died from a cheat day Victoria, its fine."

"I know, I'm just saying," Victoria rolled her eyes. "It fucking sucks that everything nice is bad for you," she added and Max hummed in agreement.

They were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch, plates on their laps, a blanket draped over their legs and a silly movie that neither paid attention to on TV. Victoria was too busy trying to ignore the close proximity their bodies in and Max- Well, Max seemed oblivious to it all.

"Ugh, this movie is so cheesy," Max' groan brought Victoria back to reality.

"I thought your hipster ass liked cheesy rom-coms," she prayed that her face wasn't as flushed as she felt it to be as she joked and playfully nudged the girl next to her.

"This is on a whole other level of cheesiness, though. It's too much even for me." Max nudged back. Victoria suggested to put something else on or even turn the TV off entirely, but Max shook her head. "It's fine, it's almost over anyways. I wanna see if the guy gets the girl."

"As if there's any way he doesn't," Victoria rolled her eyes. "She could move to a different planet and the movie gods would still find a way for them to be together, that's how it always goes in these movies." She didn't even try to hide her dislike for movies like that. Max let out a laugh but said nothing, choosing to spend the remainder of the movie in silence.

"You can go up to my room if you want. I'll clean up a bit and I'll be right up," came Victoria's voice from the kitchen and that was when it hit Max. She hadn't seen Victoria's room yet. She didn't know how it had slipped by her, but the blonde had, obviously quite skillfully, avoided that particular room during the house tour she had given her a few hours before. "It's the second door on the left as you go up the stairs." Victoria's head popped through the kitchen door and Max nodded. Of course she wanted to go up to her room, she wasn't about to let such an opportunity slide a second time.

She hastily, but not too hastily, she didn't want to seem desperate after all, made her way upstairs and opened the door Victoria had said was to her room. She gaped. To say it was huge would be an understatement. Max would bet that this room alone was almost as big as half her house. She knew that, realistically, this wasn't true, her house wasn't small in any way either, but it definitely felt this way. She came to the conclusion that that was because of how actually empty the room was. There was a big, king-sized bed, complete with bed curtains and everything, the sight of it caused her to snort. The walls were a pale beige, almost white and all the furniture where pale in color as well. Victoria's desk sat on the wall opposite her bed, surrounded by a very neat and orderly bookcase filled mostly with books about photography and writing. She didn't know Victoria was into writing as well. There was a section of books cut off from the rest and Max just had to know what those were. Crime novels, as she discovered when she walked closer. One or two YA novels as well and apparently the entire Harry Potter series. Collectors' edition too, with the special covers.

Looking around the rest of the room, there was one more corner that stood out. With her next target in sight, she made a beeline for a set of shelves that looked almost hidden in the corner of the room. She felt a huge smile forming on her lips when she realized what she was seeing. Rows and rows of anime DVDs, comics, a PlayStation controller, she had to find the actual console later, Victoria's video game collection and at least a dozen anime figurines and statues; all female, she noted, and all scantily dressed. She didn't know how much time had past exactly, but she was caught with a statue in her hands as Victoria walked in holding two steaming cups of what she would later find out to be tea and hot chocolate. They stared at each other for a second as Max' face split into a grin.

"You're a geek!" she exclaimed, unable to stop herself from smiling, causing Victoria to roll her eyes. She knew, of course, that the blonde had a hidden side to her, but she never thought she'd get to confront her about it.

"Put that down, Maxine, it's fucking expensive. I don't want you breaking it," Victoria said without missing a beat as she placed the two mugs on her desk and walked towards Max. "And stop fucking smiling, it's not like you found my porn stash." She took another step closer, her hands softly touching Max' as she took the statue from her. "It's under the bed, in case you're interested," she continued with a wink in that low voice again, the one that made Max' brain short-circuit.

"Uh… N-no, it- it's okay, I'm… I'm good. Thanks." The red of her cheeks matched the red of her sweater and Victoria let out a laugh.

"You know..." Max felt Victoria's breath on her lips. When had she gotten this close? And, most importantly, why was Max not backing away? "Had I not known any better, I'd say you're a complete prude." Victoria had almost said 'virgin' but she stopped herself in fear of going too far. "But you're not, are you? Not with the way your tongue was in my mouth the other day." Max gulped, suddenly feeling hot. She could stop this. She should stop this. She knew Victoria would back down if she showed her she was uncomfortable. Yet… she wasn't uncomfortable. And she didn't want to stop. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Victoria…" she managed to say and it sounded suspiciously like a moan. If her face could get any redder than it already was, this would be the moment to do so. She both saw and heard Victoria's breath hitch in the back of her throat and, in a moment of courage, she placed her hands on either side of the blonde's waist, pulling her slightly and causing her to gasp.

"I'm not drunk now…" Victoria mumbled as her lips ghosted over Max'. The only thing the shorter girl could make her body do was shake her head negatively. She felt soft lips touch her own and then move away again. "And this is still what I want," she continued and paused, waiting for Max to either pull her closer or push her away. Giving her a chance to walk away from it all.

"It is…" Max whispered instead, her voice thick and raspy. She could have sworn she saw Victoria's eyes darken and she wondered if hers looked the same. It was her turn to be bold now. She pushed forward, standing on her toes as she connected her lips with Victoria's, there was nothing timid about it this time. She heard Victoria inhale deeply as she moved her lips in time to hers and she was pretty sure she heard a soft moan as well, though she wasn't sure if it was Victoria's or her own.

Suddenly, and without breaking contact, Max felt herself being pushed backwards and towards the bed, the kiss growing increasingly heated with every passing second. The back of her legs hit the edge of the bed and her knees buckled, bringing Victoria down with her. Being straddled by Victoria Chase was probably the hottest thing she had experienced in her life. So far.

She let her tongue swipe across Victoria's bottom lip, loving the sound it elicited from the girl. The blonde opened her mouth without even thinking about it, eager to deepen the kiss, not even registering both their hips moving against each other, desperate for some friction.

She felt Max' hand snake its way under her shirt, her nails scratching her side softly and she gasped. "Did Chloe teach you how to do that?" she whispered, not registering the words coming out of her mouth either.

Max' breath hitched. "Don't…" she panted. "Don't talk about Chloe right now…" Victoria nodded hastily, a muffled apology coming out of her mouth before bringing her lips back to Max'.

Supporting herself with one hand, Victoria brought the other between them, cupping Max' breast and causing her to moan. There was no doubt in the brunette's mind this time about whose moan that had been. Victoria pushed her hips down. With her thigh between Max' legs, the movement brought pleasure to both of them. The blonde's hands worked as if they had a mind of their own as they reached the hem of Max' shirt and tugged upwards. Victoria paused, pulled her head back and looked deep in Max' eyes, searching for any sign that she should stop. She found none, however, and she was elated when she saw the girl nod and felt her hips jolt against her thigh. Before either of them knew it, their kiss was broken and Max raised her arms, helping Victoria as she pulled her shirt off. She felt goosebumps traveling down her body as she was hit with the sudden chilliness of the air, but not for long. Victoria lowered her lips from Max' own to her jawline to her collarbones, making the brunette feel a whole different kind of goosebumps. She instinctively brushed her fingers through Victoria's short hair as she felt her trailing kisses lower and lower, her body arching at the contact. She didn't know what she was doing; she had never done this before. Maybe that was something Victoria needed to know… Maybe she wouldn't want to do this if she knew that Max was a virgin. She shut her eyes tightly and shook her head, willing the thoughts away. If there was a bad moment to start over-thinking things, this had to be it.

Everything stopped as fast as it had begun. One moment Victoria's lips were leaving kisses all over Max' body, and the next they were gone. Max opened her eyes, confusion clearly set on her features as she looked at the girl in front of her. There was a panicked expression on Victoria's face, which had suddenly lost all its color. In lightning speed, the blonde climbed down from on top of Max and made a dash to the door locking it as quietly as she could. Max' eyes followed her as she moved to the window and peered outside.

"What's going on?" she asked in a low, confused voice as she reached for her discarded shirt and put it on before also making her way to the window. Victoria didn't reply; not immediately. Instead, she moved to the side and opened the curtains ever-so-slightly so that Max could see for herself. "Shit," she muttered and they both knew that was the understatement of the century. The woman Max had come to know was Victoria's mother was walking toward the house, every step she would take filling Max with dread.

"You need to hide," was all Victoria said as she closed the curtains and checked herself in her mirror, composing herself before walking to the door. "I'll deal with this, you stay here and don't make a fucking sound." Max nodded once. "I'm sorry…" Victoria muttered as she unlocked the door and made her way outside, leaving Max alone and, to be quite honest, terrified.

A/N: You guys thought it was all gonna be fluff? Come on! Though it was for the most part so... yay? xD Drop me a word if you liked this one. Or even if you didn't, drop me a word anyways. Drop me multiple words! Come chat with me over on tumblr too itsaroseforrose ^^