Rachel sat in the window seat of their row on the bus, she looked out at the coastline passing by. She wasn't really lost in thought, she wasn't really thinking at all. She was just entranced by the way the water moved, in contrast to their movement. The visual effect it had. She was snapped back to reality by Gail shifting in her sleep. Gail had fallen asleep about an hour ago, her head on Rachel's shoulder. Neither of them had slept much in the last two days. Rachel was tired, but she didn't think she could sleep. She felt like she had to guard Gail now, anyway, and she couldn't do that asleep. Rachel looked over at the girl sleeping peacefully next to her. Really looked at her. She really was the same as Max, in every way. Save the hair, that was the same, but much longer. But everything else, down to the messenger bag that was now sitting in her lap, was the same. But this Max never had to do the terrible things the other one had. She'd been spared that.

She was worth it. She was worth all of it.

Rachel found herself feeling extremely protective of her, she was also ashamed that Gail now knew about her sordid past, for some reason. She was seeing what Chloe had always seen. What she had seen in Max, when they'd been on the other side, but it was different, seeing it in person. She understood Chloe's obsession. She did. That didn't make her feelings about Chloe any easier to deal with, but she understood it.

She leaned her head on Gail's and sighed gently.

"Your head is heavy, there's gotta be something in there other than hot air", Gail said.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I was, until you tried to crush my head with yours."

"Fuck you", Rachel laughed...actually...laughed.

"How long has it been?", Gail asked, yawning.

"A few hours. We've got a long ride. And we have to switch buses, somewhere."

"Shit. We're doing the right thing, right?"

Rachel took a moment to consider this.

"I...think so, Gail."

"How are we going to find her?"

"I don't know. If she took this route, we could ask if anyone's seen anyone that looks like her, but that would be...risky. It may be confined to Arcadia for now, but someone like Jefferson, that news is going to spread quickly."

"Yeah."

Rachel had moved her head off of Gail's, but Gail hadn't moved her head from Rachel's shoulder. Rachel thought this was strange, since Gail had screamed at her that she didn't even want anyone but Chloe to touch her, but she also liked it. It was...comforting. And it was probably comforting to Gail, too. Their connection might have been one person that in a way, they were fighting over, but the connection was still there. They were...friends. Even if they were only friends because they were victims of circumstance.

"Rachel…"

"Yes?"

"Are we there yet?", Gail snickered.

Rachel sighed.

"Okay...i'm sorry, serious question."

"What?"

"Are...we there yet?"

"Go back to sleep, Gail."

She is cute…

"It's funny...I had those horrible nightmares, every single goddamned night, and Chloe somehow made them go away...just, being with her when I was asleep."

"And, are you having them now?"

"...no. I'm not. That's the funny part."

"Maybe you're out of the woods on those, we're past the point of the time fuckery, if you...believe that now."

"I believe something happened. I remember...things. I remember being Max. At least...I remember Chloe's face when we..she..was a kid. I remember her father. I remember being a kid with her. The bond we had. Nothing of my own life."

"Well, we told you you would believe it...eventually."

"But, does it matter?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're in this together. I know I love Chloe. I know I love-", Gail trailed off on that thought, snubbed it out before it could manifest further, "…I know that you are here. And that matters to me. Does the 'why' really matter, Rachel?"

Rachel had never once stopped to consider that.

"...maybe not, Gail. Maybe not…", Rachel caught what Gail stopped herself from saying, but disregarded it, for now.

Gail cuddled closer to Rachel and shut her eyes again.

What are we doing here...really, doing here...what is happening?

Chloe had nothing better to do, so she ended up walking back into town. It was risky, but she had gone back to blonde, was wearing sunglasses, and without the punk clothes, she almost didn't look like Chloe Price. She didn't know how hard they were searching for her, but she didn't hear any hushed conversations about someone killing a teacher in Arcadia Bay, not yet anyway. And being Fall, there weren't too many people around anyway. Some, but not a lot. She sat alone at a table outside a picturesque coffee shop with a cup of black coffee and a cigarette, there was no one around to bother her about it. She was aware she needed to quit smoking, again, but not right now. It could wait.

The adrenaline of her escape from Arcadia Bay was wearing off. The loneliness was setting in. She had risked town simply because she didn't want to go back to the cabin and be alone with her thoughts. She just needed something to do. Not that this was any better. She still sat lost in her thoughts. And it was getting cold. And she had a long walk back. She looked around at her surroundings. Max would have loved this place. Would have been taking pictures of everything. It was artsy. Almost fairytale-like. She missed Max desperately. She just hadn't really stopped to think about it until today. And she knew Rachel was right, Gail might remember. But Chloe didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Would she resent her? How much would she remember? Was this all for nothing?

No, she supposed it wasn't. Rachel was alive now. Though, what a mess that had become. She still spared Max the decision. That one, anyway. And Jefferson met a fitting end, even if she would never be alright again. Chloe wasn't a killer. And the fact that she had killed one person, one, horrible, deserving person, and the guilt she felt about it, she could not even fathom what Max had gone through, after the storm. Even if it was indirect. And she spared Gail that fate. So no, it wasn't for nothing. It just wasn't ideal. She thought she should know by now that there was no such thing as ideal. She still had no idea how to deal with the Gail and Rachel situation, should she even somehow make it out of this mess, not locked up or worse. She just hoped they were safe. That they sat still and did what she told Rachel to do.

Maybe I really, truly, belong alone….so much trouble follows me…

The only other person outside was a skinny boy around her age, maybe a little younger, who was bussing tables, not that there was much to clean up. He had long blonde hair and needed a shave, he was all in black, wearing a Slayer t-shirt under an apron with the coffee shop's logo on it. Chloe noticed he kept stealing glances at her, and rolled her eyes, not that it was visible under the sunglasses.

Yeah kid, the elusive 'female' actually exists...take a fucking picture…

He finally approached her after a minute of this pretending to be busy bullshit.

"Hey...you can't smoke out here...sorry. Other people and-", he said timidly. It was painfully obvious to Chloe he just needed a reason to start a conversation.

"There's nobody out here, i'm sure untied long hair and thrash t-shirts are in your dress code, too. You don't want to talk to me."

He knew he'd been caught, "We're uh...off-season, the old woman doesn't really care what I do as long as i'm here."

"I don't really care what you do either, so leave me alone", Chloe didn't have the patience for this.

"Ouch, damn dude. Sorry, we don't get too many people through here right now. It gets boring."

"I imagine."

"The only people we get here this time of year are the regulars, never seen you before, you move here or something?"

"Just passing through."

"Lucky you, I live here, unfortunately."

"Right, so, i'm just going to leave now."

"Uh, alright. If it's about the smoking, I don't really care…"

"No, it's not about the smoking."

"See you around?", he asked hopefully.

"Doubt it."

With that she stood and turned away, she had a long walk ahead of her.

By the time they got to the stop where they had to switch buses, it was late. Rachel was exhausted, and knew they had no hope of finding Chloe if they arrived in her general area in the middle of the night. She stepped off the bus, Gail in tow, carrying their meager luggage, just a backpack and Gail's bag. They were in the middle of nowhere. Some small city, not much around. There was a big-name motel, some shops, fast food and coffee places, and not much else. Gail was looking at a map at the terminal.

"Okay so if we take the next one from here, we'll be near Big Sur in-", Gail started, she'd slept on and off for the several hour ride.

"Gail...let's just grab a motel for the night. I can't go any further right now. I haven't really slept in three days. I witnessed something that would break even the sanest person, which i'm not and-"

"No, we have to keep going, we have to find her Rachel, we-"

"I know. And we will. But a few more hours aren't going to make a whole hell of a lot of difference. I'm sorry, I can't."

"Rachel-"

"Gail, we're not going to find her in the middle of the night, anyway. We'd be doing the same thing once we get...wherever we're going. I don't like it either."

Gail actually took a moment to look at Rachel. Dressed in plain clothes, and she herself was wearing Gail's hoodie, with the hood up. She clearly had no tolerance for the cold. She looked horrible. So tired...and her pretty hazel eyes were unfocused, had something like a thousand yard stare. She's also obviously been crying again when Gail was out on the bus. Gail really, really did not want to stop, but she could see how badly everything was starting to get to her.

"Alright, Rachel", Gail sighed.

They walked along the city streets in the dark, hand in hand, for some reason neither of them really knew. A strange comfort. Gail found she was actually leading, Rachel was a step back. The entire scene was surreal. Gail couldn't imagine how a few days ago she'd been a normal student with a memory problem, now horrible things had happened and she walked hand in hand with the girl she loved's former lover and best friend, on an empty city street lit only by streetlights and some neon storefronts. It was starting to get to her, too. She couldn't even imagine where Rachel's mind must have been.

When they got to the motel, Rachel got them a cheap room. Gail wondered where this money was coming from, but supposed it wasn't really important at the moment. They found their room and entered. It wasn't too bad, not as bad as Gail had thought it would be. Rachel immediately dropped the backpack and collapsed onto one of the two beds. Gail realized she was starving.

"Rachel. We haven't eaten...anything. In like a day. We need to-"

"No...I just need to lie here. For like ten years."

"Rachel…look there's a burger place across the street...I don't have any money, though. I have my card, but...traceable or some shit. I don't feel safe using it."

"Side pocket of the backpack", Rachel said, her voice muffled by a pillow, she was face down on the bed.

Gail sighed and looked where she said. There was a huge wad of cash there.

"Rachel...how-"

"Don't ask."

"I thought you trusted me."

Rachel rolled over and sat up.

"I do, I don't want you to not trust me. If you even do. I wouldn't."

"I...do, Rachel. I just...this is a lot of money, I know you'd been planning on taking off but-"

"I stole it from Frank, okay?", Rachel said hotly, she was too tired, too confused.

"...you what?"

"Not all at once. A little here, a lot there, a little there...until...that."

Gail felt the frustration building again. She was tired too. This was all a lot to take in, she knew Rachel was in terrible shape, but this was kind of a breaking point, even if Frank was...less than reputable. There had to be five grand here. This could bring a whole different kind of heat down on them.

"Rachel...is there anybody you haven't used?"

"Wh..what?"

"Rachel...you fucking lied to Chloe, you...what you told me and what I remember about you now, you fucking leave Frank and steal buku money from him...I...what the fuck…"

"Yeah. See. I didn't want to tell you. For that reason. I know. I hate me too", Rachel said, she was past the point of tears or yelling, she just rolled over again and hugged a pillow.

Gail took a twenty and then zipped the backpack back up. She looked at Rachel, in disbelief, and then turned and left the room, slamming the door. She walked quickly, it was scary being out here alone. She hoped desperately that Chloe was safe, Chloe was even more alone. She got her food, and feeling bad, got something for Rachel too, and headed back just as quickly.

When she entered the room again, Rachel had undressed down to her t-shirt, her, clothes, well, Gail's clothes, had been strewn everywhere, obviously thrown across the room with complete disregard...anger, and was hiding under the covers of the bed she'd collapsed into earlier, audibly crying.

"Rachel…", Gail tried gently, she suddenly felt horrible for her reaction over the money. It may not have been a good thing, it may have been one more reason Rachel was the person she was trying so hard not to be, but it was also helping them get to Chloe. Gail was just too tired and overwhelmed to process all of that, and had snapped.

"Just leave me alone, Gail. Please. I understand. I do. I'm a horrible person. I'm a horrible friend. Chloe should have just let my pathetic ass go. Ended this quickly. Then i'd be out of...this. And you would have each other. And Jefferson would be in prison. Chloe wouldn't be wanted for murder. I just-"

"Rachel...i'm sorry. I am. I didn't mean to snap at you again...I know you're only trying to help...are helping. Immensely. Really. You are. You're not horrible."

"Yes...I...am. You're right...i've used everybody. It's all my fault. All of it", Rachel sobbed.

"No...you're not. And no...you haven't."

"What…"

"You never used me, Rachel. You've done nothing but try to help me. Even if you still love Chloe and know...just, you haven't been selfish at all...to me. You fucking...if Chloe hasn't completely lost her mind, you died...to save me...Rachel...even if it was for Chloe...that isn't...selfish. You..."

"None of that...changes who i've been...who I am."

Gail set the fast food bags down on the small table by the window of the room. Rachel was shocked when she felt Gail slide into the bed, under the covers, next to her. She felt Gail's arm wrap around her.

"Rachel...you don't want to be that way. Not anymore, anyway. I'm serious. You've done nothing but help me. And you kept Chloe sane all those years when...I wasn't around."

"...what?"

"I remember some things, Rachel. I remember being away. I remember leaving Chloe alone, moving to Seattle. It's hazy. But I know you were there for her."

Rachel wouldn't turn and face Gail, she just sobbed lightly and didn't move, though she didn't reject Gail's embrace.

"And I used her...I-"

"But you helped her when nobody else did...when Max...when I, didn't…"

"...I never...meant to hurt her...Gail. Or hurt anyone. I didn't even realize…"

"I know. It's okay. You're past that now. You're here, with me. And I don't hate you. I trust you. I think you're a good person. And look...even if we just kind of got thrown together in this mess...you're...my friend, Rachel. Not that I had those before. But...I do now."

Rachel actually stopped to consider if she'd ever had friends before. Real friends. Like what Max and Chloe had. Not just people she knew...or used. She finally rolled over to face Gail, even though they were still under the covers and she couldn't really see her. They were close enough that they were sharing the same breath.

"I'm not...Chloe, Gail…i'm not the one who gave up everything...again...I-"

"Chloe is...something else. You know that."

"Chloe is something...above and beyond?...yeah...I know that."

"But you are Rachel Amber. You may not think much of yourself, but remember what Chloe said she went through, trying to find you, before...You matter to people, Rachel. And not just to Chloe. You matter to me. If you weren't here with me I couldn't do this. Chloe needs you, obviously. And I need you."

"Being Rachel Amber isn't easy, Gail and no...you and Chloe need each other. I'm just the tag-along. The fuckup who fucked up too many times. I couldn't even let my feelings go to help her, I just made everything worse, I-"

"Rachel, stop it. Stop beating yourself up. Chloe wouldn't let you do this to yourself. And i'm not going to either."

"Why, Gail? You have a much better friend than me. More than a friend. Someone who loves you more than anything in this world...and everything beyond it."

"Rachel…I do love Chloe, more than anything. She...fixed me. As much as I can be fixed. I can recall Max's life. My old life. Parts of it. Until this past week. I don't remember that. If this crazy Doctor Who shit actually happened, I guess that part of my life never happened now. If it ever happened at all. But she somehow brought the missing part of me back. I don't understand it, and I don't really care. Because we're here, in the now. And I still had the nightmares, that night Chloe took off, when she's around, I don't have them...but…"

"...but?"

"...but I didn't have them when you were with me in my dorm, and on the bus...and…."

"...and?"

"And….", Gail trailed off, she didn't know how to process her thoughts into words. She felt Rachel's hot breath, she was breathing her in. They did something they didn't really intend on doing, it just kind of happened, like how Chloe hadn't let Rachel go that night they had been drinking, way, way too much. They kissed. Deeply. And Rachel didn't fight it. Gail didn't fight it. Rachel actually leaned into it, she started to run her hands through Gail's hair...but stopped herself. It wasn't right. Not to Chloe. Or to Gail.

"Gail...no. I'm not Chloe...i'm just...someone. I'm just here right now, let's not complicate this more. Once you find Chloe, i'm going away."

"What if I don't want you to go away, Rachel?"

"Gail...this is wrong. It's wrong to Chloe. And it's wrong to all of us. I know how much you love Chloe. And I know how much she loves you. I need to vanish for a while, after all of this. Just...sort myself out."

Gail sighed, she was confused. She realized she had developed feelings for Rachel, too. Not like Chloe, but there was something there.

"But what if Chloe doesn't want you to go either?"

"She won't. But I have to. I'm here to help you, and look out for her once we find her. After that...it's best if I go away."

"Maybe not...Rachel. I don't want to lose either of you. I guess...i'm horrible too."

"Maybe we all are, Gail. Chloe broke time. Twice. Her first life was a disaster in ways you can't even imagine, and I don't ever want you to know. And now she's on the run for murder. I'm just...me. And you're...no, you're not horrible, Gail. Confused, maybe. But not horrible."

"But what if i'm not confused, Rachel? What if I love you both? What if i'm selfish and don't want to lose either of you. I-"

"Gail...then we have that conversation with Chloe, when the time comes. But I don't like it. Yes...I love Chloe...and yes….there is something right here...with us. But…"

"It's not right."

"No, it's not."

"Rachel?"

"...yes?"

"What about any of this, any of this, has been right? What did Chloe say before you guys went back to the Dark Room?"

"...'we just have to fucking roll with it'..."

"And that's what we're doing, isn't it?"

Rachel sighed.

"I guess, Gail. I still feel like she should have just let me go."

"I don't."

"...you should eat, Gail. Before your shitty fast food gets any colder. I'm going to sleep. I'll grab breakfast in the morning."

"I'm not moving, Rachel. I'm staying right here, with you."

"Gail…"

"Shhh", Gail cuddled up to Rachel and shut her eyes.

Gail actually fell asleep first, Rachel's mind was in too many places to fall asleep right away. She looked down at the girl using her chest as a pillow, with her arm around her.

"What a mess", Rachel said, to nobody in particular, before finally falling into a surprisingly peaceful sleep of her own.

Chloe had been walking for a long time, it was starting to get dark. She really didn't want to be alone in the dark out here, even if she could take care of herself. The lack of anyone and the openness of the seaside road left her feeling very vulnerable. A few cars passed by, but other than that, she was alone.

Skinny girl walking along a desolate road at night, alone. Good thinking Chlo.

"Goddammit", she muttered and picked up her pace.

She heard an engine approaching, a loud one. She knew that sound, from a past life. She stopped and looked back, despite herself. The fascination with muscle cars she developed in her old life never really went away, and she had genuinely considered stealing David's car a few times. Something loud was coming. Something with a wing.

No fucking way…

Her fascination overcame her common sense and she stood there, dumbly, looking at the approaching car. It was a very rough, primer-grey Plymouth Superbird. It had certainly seen better days, but it was the grail of these kinds of cars. The car started to slow. She remembered where she was and started walking again.

"Hey", a familiar voice called, over the roaring motor.

Wonderful…

The boy from the coffee shop sat in the driver's seat of the car.

"You need a ride...to wherever it is you're going?"

Chloe didn't turn around. But she didn't walk away, either. She didn't get a bad vibe from the kid, she just wanted to be left alone. And she still had her knife. She finally turned.

"I guess. Should be like five minutes up the road", she wasn't going to tell him exactly where she was going, but she could get closer and then go through the woods. Mostly, she liked the car.

She walked around to the passenger's side and got in. The interior was in much better shape than the exterior. The boy just sat looking at her for a moment, like he expected a conversation, but finally put the car in gear and drove.

This went on for a few minutes before Chloe broke the silence.

"So, how the hell did you manage this thing, working at a coffee shop in a resort town?"

"It was my father's. He's uh...not with us anymore. It sat in mom's garage for years. She uh, runs the coffee shop. I started putting it back together a couple years ago, didn't really know what I was doing, but...it runs."

"I had one of these once, mine was a '69 Charger though, a Daytona...", Chloe mused, remembering her old life, "...until I grenaded the motor so bad I threw a rod through the block. Fist sized hole. Victoria was so pissed. I blew so much money on that thing and then wrecked it. That beamer never stood a chance though, didn't stop when I blew it, even though I knew. Kept it floored, seized everything, slid off the road, ripped that pretty wing right off the car on a tree. Went back to a regular Roadrunner after that. Drove that thing everywhere, with my girlfriend."

The boy looked at her strangely, lost for a second.

"Girlfriend? Ohhh, so you're...Whoa, wait. You had a...Daytona, you...wrecked it...and flipped it and bought a Roadrunner...how old are you, like twenty?"

"Started with a '69 Mustang, then a Chevelle, then…", she realized the look she was getting,"...I'm older than I look, kid."

"Uh...alright then."

"Don't try anything, by the way, remember The Hitcher? I was the inspiration for that movie."

"What? No, i'd never. I just saw you walking alone out here. This seemed like the right thing to do."

Chloe made some noise of affirmation and looked out the window.

"Your shifts are hella late, dude. You're gonna blow the clutch if you don't ease up."

"Uh..thanks for the tip...uh, I never got your name. I'm Alain."

"I'm...Elizabeth. Liz."

"Are you...alone out here? I heard some famous artist got capped up in Arcadia, they think whoever did it ran, some girl with blue hair and tattoos. So people aren't really walking around alone…."

Chloe already had plenty of stories prepared should this topic come up, her hair was not blue anymore, and her tattoos were covered.

"Really? Crazy shit dude, i'm from Santa Monica. I'm up here camping with some friends. We got in a fight, I stormed off."

"Is that why you looked so...not angry...but like...lost, earlier?"

"And you were watching me, why, exactly? Creeper alert, dude."

"What? No. Just, like I said. Not many people come through here this time of year. Don't see a whole lot of new faces. Which is pretty fine for me, not really a people person."

"We have that in common, then."

"Do we? Well...sorry to bother you, I-"

"No, thanks for the ride, let me out up here. Nice car, again, watch out for wind, if it's blowing at you, these wing cars cut right through it, if it hits you sideways...man, good luck keeping the rear end down."

"Uh...alright", Alain said, giving her the strangest look yet. They came to a stop near a camping area.

"Thanks for the ride, dude", Chloe said, getting out of the car.

"Uh, see you around, maybe?"

"Doubt it."

With that, Chloe was gone.

Weird girl…, Alain thought to himself, before driving off.