Chapter 11: Thanks(for-)giving, part 2

Step by step, Chloe awoke from her slumber. The sounds of the early birds chimed in her hear and the brightness of the day made her opening her eyes slowly. This was the first morning after five weeks that she felt full of energy; that she wanted to jump up and hug the world. Her lips formed a big smile.

'I still can't believe it, Maxi is my girlfriend! Or is she? Pft, doesn't matter if she's called my girlfriend or lover or whatthefuckever. What really matters is that we love each other and that she wants to stay at my side.'

She turned her head to look at the brunette girl that laid right beside her, as if she wanted to make sure that last night hadn't been a dream. Max was still asleep, laying on her side. One of her hands rested on Chloe's belly, still holding the blonde's right hand, like she did the whole night.

'God, she's so cute, especially when she's asleep. She looks so peaceful, so innocent. I always asked myself, how someone could dislike her? She's so beautiful. Her small nose, those cute freckles, these incredible doe-eyes and her lips. Damn, those lips are just a bomb! Can't wait to kiss her again! I'd like to watch her for hours, but sadly…I need to piss. Damn you, call of nature!'

Very cautiously, Chloe unwrapped herself from her blanket and Max's arm. As she tried to crawl out of their fortress, the smaller girl started to mumble in her sleep, making her stop instantly.

"Mmmh…Ch-Chloe…mmmh…don…don't leave m-me…mmmh…"

'Shit, she's gonna wake up. Think, Chloe, think! Hmm…ah, I know something!'

Chloe took off her pajama shirt, slowly, and as she was about to place it under Max's head as a pillow, the younger girl grabbed and cuddled it like a teddy-bear.

"Hmm…I love you, Chlo!" mumbled Max, but kept on sleeping.

Her words made Chloe smile again. "I love you too, Maxi!" she whispered and brushed over the brunette girl's head.

The now bare chested, strawberry-blonde girl finally managed to leave the fort, left her room as quietly as possible and headed for the bathroom.

She closed the door, stripped off her pajama shorts, relieved herself and then looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her lips were forming another big smile.

'Damn, I can't stop smiling. Let's hope that mom doesn't get suspicious. I wonder if Max finds my body attractive? I mean, she loves me, yes, but this doesn't mean that she has sexual desires like I have. I've been crushing on her for over a year now, but my sexual interest started just a few weeks ago.' Her smile faltered as she let out a big sigh. 'Ugh, this stuff is so complicated? Why can't everything just be as simple as science? I could build an A-Bomb, if I had the necessary components, but I can't figure out love. Well, guess I have to follow Doc Mortensen's advice: listen to your heart.' Chloe raised her arm and smelled at her armpit, scrunching up her nose. '…and my nose. Phew, I definitely need a shower!'

The hot water ran over her body and washed away the last remnants of her negative thoughts. Chloe leaned with her hand against the wall. She loved taking hot showers, it always relaxed her; gave her some inner peace.

Another wave of pure joy rushed through her body and let her sob again, as her mind recalled last night.

'See, dad, I told you that she's my soulmate.'

'And I never doubted it.' chimed William's voice in her mind.

'But would you have guessed that she might become my girlfriend?'

Her dad's voice chuckled. 'No. But I think that it is the right thing. You are happy, and that counts.'

'I am actually happy. Since you died, this day is the first one I feel an inner peace. No anger, no sadness, just joy.'

'Then I think even more that you two belong together.'

'But what if mom finds out about us? What if she freaks out?'

'Just tell her, we always agreed that love knows no boundaries or distances. You can't force it and you definitely can't stop it. Love will always find a way.'

'Thanks, dad! I miss you!'

'I miss you too, kiddo! Take good care of Max. She needs you more than you know.'

'I will, dad. I will.'

Chloe turned off the water. Her bottom lip shivered, but she still had a slight smile on her face. "Thanks again, dad!" she whispered, took her pirate towel and dried away the water and tears on her face.

It knocked on the bathroom door. "Chloe, can I come in?" her mom's voice chimed from the other side.

"Sure thing, mom!" she answered and continued to dry away the wetness on her body, after she'd left the shower.

Joyce entered the bathroom, closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed, like she wanted to prevent her daughter from leaving the room. She was dressed in a long, pink pajama and her long blonde hair was all messy, hanging over her shoulders.

Chloe glimpsed at her from the corners of her eyes, only to see that her mother's expression was sternly. "Okay, I know that look. Am I in trouble again?" Chloe asked nonchalantly, not willing to let her good mood get ruined.

"That depends."

"On what?"

"What is going on between you and Max?"

Chloe stopped her doings instantly and stared at her mother for some moments, only to avert Joyce's sternly gaze again. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean. Your behavior of a broken-hearted girl when Max was gone. Your flirting during yesterdays dinner."

"That was no…" Chloe tried to defend herself, but was cut off immediately.

"Yes, it was, Chloe. I'm working at a diner and have seen a lot of dates. I don't even wanna know what you two were doing when we came home." Joyce spoke loudly in an agitated tone.

Chloe just stood there, hugging herself again. It became her defensive position during these last weeks. She wanted to yell at her mom, wanted to tell her that she should stay out of it. That she should mind her own business.

"Please tell me, Chloe, are you hitting on Max?"

And there it was again, anger. Dwelling inside of her, ready to come out. "Yes, mom. Yes, I do! So what? Wanna gimme shit, 'cause I'm crushing on girls, huh? HUH?" she shouted at her mother, giving her an evil glare.

"No, but…" Joyce answered, now averting her daughter's gaze.

"But what?"

"Godammit, Chloe, she's 13." the tall woman blurted out, looking at Chloe again.

"And I'm 14, so?"

"You two are too young!"

"Too young for what? Love?" scoffed Chloe, turned away and shook her head in disappointment. "And I always thought, you and dad believed in love without boundaries and distances."

Taking a step towards her daughter, Joyce tried to touch her shoulder, but Chloe withdrew it. "Chloe…"

"I'm very disappointed in you, mom, and dad would've been, too." the blonde girl said in a calm voice, while she wrapped the towel around her body. "FYI, Max feels the same as I do. We're a thing now and everyone who tries to get between us can go to hell!" With these words spoken, Chloe made her way past her mom and opened the bathroom door.

"Chloe…" Joyce spoke, making her daughter to glimpse at her once more. "You're right and…" She sighed as a tear rolled down her cheek. In a fast movement she wrapped her arms around Chloe and pulled her in for a tight hug. "…I'm so sorry!"

"Apology accepted!" Chloe whispered as she returned the hug.

Soon, both parted and Joyce wiped the wet lines on her face away with the sleeve of her pajama. Then, she closed the door again, and became serious. She spoke in a calm voice. "Chloe, I know that this relationship with Max means the world to you. It makes you happy, I see that now and I'm accepting it, but…" She inhaled deeply, touched Chloe's arm softly and brushed over it to sooth her. "I'm just one side of the medallion."

Chloe furrowed her eyebrows. "I don't like where this is going."

"You know Vanessa, she tries to protect her daughter from everything that she doesn't agree with, no matter if it makes Max happy or not."

"Then she can go and eat a bag of dicks!"

Joyce now grabbed both of her daughter's arms and looked into her eyes deeply. "Chloe, please, take this as a well meant advice and warning." she pleaded. "Be cautious around Ryan and especially Vanessa. If they find out the hard way, there will be trouble and a lot of flowing tears." She brushed over Chloe's cheek and gave her the most worried look, Chloe has ever witnessed. "I don't wanna see my baby-girl getting hurt again."

Chloe leaned her head into her mom's comforting hand. "Thanks, mom! I promise that we will be careful."

"Just stay low, don't be too obvious and keep the cuddling inside of your room. Ryan and Vanessa are staying at a hotel anyway, so they won't get suspicious when Max stays in your room. Nice pillow-fort, by the way." she said with a warm smile.

"How do you know about the fort?" the blonde girl asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I took a peek into your room to check if you were the one showering."

"We wanted to lock out the world just once." Chloe said with a scoff and a wry smile, but then got dead serious. "I wish she would stay here and not going back to Seattle. I'm afraid, mom. I don't wanna lose her again."

Joyce took her already sobbing daughter in for another hug, caressing her back. "You won't, my dear, you won't. She came back, despite that you wanted her gone. Believe me, Max won't leave you behind! And now…" She broke the embrace and wiped away some of her daughter's teardrops. "…go to your Max and wake her softly. I'll get ready for the day and then make some breakfast for you two love birds!"

"Thanks, mom! You're the best!"

"Just a caring mother, sweetheart, just a caring mother."

Chloe left the bathroom and walked to her room in a bee-line. Slow and quietly she opened the door and took a peek inside, only to see that Max was about to crawl out of the stack of pillows and cushions. The small girl stood up, stretched her limbs, then rubbed her eyes and let out a big yawn.

'Fuck! She's so cute! Let's make sure that she's fully awake!'

A mischievous grin formed on her face. "Surprise tickle-attack!" yelled Chloe, kicked open the door and tackled Max onto the pile of soft cushions, tickling her like crazy.

Shrieking and bursting out into loud laughter, Max tried to free herself, but Chloe held her tightly. Only as the smaller girl was able to use her self-protection skills, she managed to roll Chloe onto her back. And as the day before, Max ended up on top of her, followed by some minutes of giggling.

Both were panting heavily and looked at each other with an intense glare. "Morning, Maxi!" whispered Chloe with a soft voice, brushing over Max's face.

"M-morning, Chlo!" Max replied with a wry smile. Again their heads came closer, but this time they went the whole distance and let their lips touch each other for a soft kiss.

And there it was again, this warm and incredible feeling that made Chloe smile all the time. She'd love to cry again and scream her happiness out into the world. But she couldn't. Her mom made it pretty clear. So she focused on just enjoying this feeling of love. "Had a good night's sleep?" the blonde girl asked after they had parted the kiss.

"Mh-hm. Thanks for the shirt, by the way!"

"No probs, Maxi." She answered with a warm smile, which changed into an impish grin. "Y'know, I start to like this position, but I'm freezing, 'cause you can't cover my whole body…and I kinda lost my towel."

Max's eyes widened in surprise, instantly. As she lifted herself up with her hands and gazed down Chloe's body, her eyes got fixed on her girlfriend's bare chest. Her head became red as a ripe tomato. She jumped onto her feet, shrieked and turned away, covering her face. "Oh my dog, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was an accident. I'm so…" Max mumbled into her hands in a fast pace, but got interrupted as she's turned around softly by a snickering Chloe.

"Y'know, as my girlfriend you'll have unrestricted booby-access anyway."

"I don't want access to your boobies, Chloe." The smaller girl continued mumbling, still holding her hands in front of her face.

"Bummer!" said Chloe and made her way to the closet and started to dress. "Chillax, Maxi, I'm just messing with you."

"Chloe?" Max askes some moments later.

"Mh-hm?"

"Have you started smoking?"

Chloe instantly stopped her doings and turned around, seeing that Max was holding the cigarette in her hand, which Chloe wanted to smoke the day before. "Oh, this…uhm…" She walked over to her girlfriend and ripped the cig out of her tiny fingers. "N-no, I…I just…" Chloe stammered, looked onto her feet and then sighed. "Listen, Maxi, some dude gave it to me and said that it might help with all the stress and…and…then these last five weeks and…" She let out another sigh and broke the cig in two pieces. "You know what? Fuck it! I don't need it. All I need is you!" With these words said, she threw the pieces into the garbage can and gave Max a soft kiss on her cheek, followed by a hug. "I love you, Max!"

"I love you too, Chlo!"

And there it was again, this incredible need to cry in joy and this time, a tear of happiness rolled down Chloe's cheek. "You should get ready for the day. Mom's probably making breakfast right now and you know that Thanksgiving always turns into a cooking-marathon." Chloe said and wiped away the wet line on her face. They broke the hug and she put on another impish smirk. "And I don't want you to starve, my little cookie-monster!"

"Sugar-bombs!" Chloe shouted out, walked into the kitchen and filled a bowl with milk.

Joyce glared at her daughter, one hand at her hip. "Chloe, I just made you French-Toast. I still don't understand why you prefer this stuff over some real breakfast."

"For starters, if you eat diner food almost every day, you definitely need some change in your diet. Plus, today's gonna be exhausting, so I need a shi-…I mean, a buttload of sugar!" Chloe replied, filling the bowl with cereals until they almost flowed over the edge.

"If this is the case, then I suggest that, in future, you're going to make your own breakfast."

"Mo-om!"

"Morning!" Max spoke in a happy tone as she took a seat at the dining table. "Don't be so hard on Chloe. You know that she'd die for your food. Besides, I'm gonna eat her French-Toast, if she doesn't want it."

Joyce walked over to the table and put two plates with French-Toast in front of Max. "Good morning, sweetheart! At least one person appreciates my hard work here. You're hereby relieved from kitchen duty."

Joyce returned into the kitchen, while Chloe sat down beside her girlfriend, pouting. Both girls began to eat. "Ass-kisser!" she suddenly mumbled.

Max bumped her in the side with her elbow. "Dork!"

"Midget!" the blonde replied, looking at Max deeply with a wry smile.

Now Max returned the gaze with a smirk. "Landlubber!"

Chloe's face came closer. "Pussy!"

"Sissy!" Max almost whispered, completely lost in Chloe's blue eyes, so that it made her forgetting everything around her.

"Cutie!" Chloe whispered back and gently placed a kiss on Max's lips.

"I still have to get used to this sight." Joyce suddenly spoke out, startling Max, who broke the kiss rapidly and almost fell off the chair.

"J-Joyce…w-we…uh…we…i-it wasn't…" the small girl stuttered as her head turned into a tomato again.

"Calm down, Max, I already know and I won't tell your parents."

"She knows?" the small girl blurted out as she gazed at a snickering Chloe, who nodded. "When did that happen?"

"This morning." Chloe's mom answered for her daughter. "It wasn't Chloe's fault. I cornered her and she convinced me that you both want it. So, I'm fine with it."

Max buried her face in her hands. "Ugh! That was my second heart-attack this morning. Thanks for the heads-up, Chloe!"

"My pleasure!" she giggled.

"Asshole!"

"That's one dollar for the swear-jar, Max." Joyce's voice chimed from the kitchen.

"What?! Since when does this fucking swear-jar apply to me?"

Chloe's mom looked over her shoulder and gave the brunette girl an angry glimpse. "Since you became a resident of this household and the f-word is another dollar!" With another filled platter in her hand she sat down at the table too. "Just keep going like this, girls, and the trip to Paris will be paid in no time." she said nonchalantly with a smile.

After the breakfast, Chloe took care of the dishes, while Joyce prepared everything for the big Thanksgiving-cooking. Despite her relieve from kitchen duty, Max wanted to help Chloe, but her mom insisted that she should do the chores on her own. Therefore, the young girl went back into her room.

"I thought I made myself clear." Joyce spoke, while she was preparing the turkey.

"C'mon, mom, it was just a kiss."

"For you it was just a kiss. For Vanessa it would've been a reason to grab her daughter and leave for Seattle…forever."

There was no anger or rebuke in her voice, making it for Chloe even more clear that her mom cared for her relationship with Max. "You're right. It was stupid and…"

"Showing your affection to the person that you love is not stupid! To be honest, it warmed my heart seeing you two like this. But still, be cautious!"

"We will, thanks mom!" Chloe said, giving her mother a warm smile.

"I'll be outside!" chimed Max's plain voice as she walked past the kitchen and left for the back yard.

Mother and daughter gave each other a knowing glimpse. Something was wrong. "Go talk to her, I'll finish the dishes."

Nodding thankfully, Chloe dried her hands and got her jacket. Before she went outside, she gave her mom a big hug and a peck on the cheek. "Best mom in the whole, wide world!"

"Stop kissing my ass and take care of your girl!" Joyce said with a wink.

"That's one dollar for the swear-jar, mom!" Chloe replied victoriously as she opened the sliding door to the backyard.

A cold November breeze brushed over her face and played with her strawberry-blonde hair. Max sat on the swing, her head down, clearly not in a good mood.

Chloe placed herself on the second swing and stayed silent for a moment, hoping that Max would talk to her, but it didn't happen. "Hey Maxi, what's wrong, hmm?" she said with a calm and worried voice.

Again, she received only silence, instead Max pulled her phone out of her pocket and pushed some buttons. After a while, Chloe's sobbing voice chimed from the speaker.

"Max…I'm sorry…! Max…please…I need you…"

Max cut the massage as Chloe's intense crying started. Her hand was shaking. Chloe could feel that she was hurting.

"Max, I…" she began, but was interrupted by her girlfriend's raised hand.

"Chloe, we…we need to talk. About us. About everything." Albeit her shivering voice, Chloe could hear that Max was determined, and she also knew that it was important to talk about their relationship sooner or later.

But still, the blonde girl needed every bit of composure to remain calm and not to freak out in an instant, fearing that Max might question their relationship and therefor break up with her. "O-okay. I'm here, so let's talk." She reached for Max's smaller hand and squeezed it softly. She relaxed a bit as Max finally raised her head and gave her a weak smile. Chloe could see the wet lines on her face and it made her even sadder to see her loved one like this.

"I'm scared, Chlo! I'm scared shitless. I-I don't know what to do or what to feel and…" Her voice broke for a moment. "I-I don't wanna lose you, Chlo, but…I have doubts. A fucking shitpile of doubts. I don't wanna have them, but they're still there. What if this is only a phase? Only some hormones going rampage in my body? What if someday you'll stop having feelings for me? Are we still gonna be friends or will it break us apart? I…I don't…" A sob escaped her mouth, then another one and another one, until she slid of the swing, buried her face in her hands and began to cry hard.

Chloe reacted instantly and embraced Max, rocking her softly. "Ssh, Maxi. I'm here and I'm not gonna leave you!" She embraced the brunette's head with her cupped hands gently, brushing over her wet cheeks with her thumbs. "I know what you're going through. I went through the same mess of feelings for over a year."

Max stopped crying and looked at her shocked. "F-for over a year?!"

Chloe gave her a warm smile and nodded, as she almost whispered her soothing words. "Mh-hm. I've been crushing on you for over a year, my little geek! For over an entire fucking year I didn't know whether I should tell you and risk our friendship or just leave it be and live with the fact that my love would always be unanswered."

A jolt of realization struck Max. "The flirty comments, the excessive hugging, th-the kiss in the park, th-…that morning…y-you wanted to tell me!"

"Yes, Maxi, I wanted to confess my feelings for you on that shitty day. But after everything went to hell I freaked out and was even more scared. I…" Chloe took a deep breath to overcome her need to cry. "From the first moment on I regretted what I did. It was stupid and I was afraid that you never wanted to talk to me ever again. That's why I never called you. And after I finally managed to, everything broke down on me and…I'm sorry, Maxi, so, so sorry!" she cried out eventually and buried her face into Max's shoulder, who now embraced her back with her arms.

"Chloe, I forgave you two weeks ago. I-I just never would've guessed that you…actually loved me and…and…Oh Chloe, if I'd known how you felt I would've called you earlier!"

"You came back and that counts for me."

"I love you so much, Chlo!"

"I love you too, Maxi! With all my heart!" said Chloe, backed away a bit and gave Max a slight kiss on her forehead.

"Max, your parents are here!" Joyce voice chimed from the sliding door.

Chloe let out a big sigh. "Well, looks like we have to reduce the cuddling to a minimum now."

"Yeah." Max said with some disappointment, although a smile was forming on her lips. "But we still have the whole weekend to cuddle."

"Amen to that!" Chloe cheered with her characteristically mischievous smirk. "C'mon, dude, let's cook the shit out of our kitchen. I wanna make some brownies!"

"Yummy! Cookie-monster Max wants brownies!" the smaller girl growled, making both girl's bursting out in laughter as they entered the house again. "Mom! Dad!" she cheered and headed for her parents and hugged them.

"Good morning, my little munchkin!" Vanessa said with a happy voice, embracing her daughter.

"Morning, kiddo!" Ryan spoke as he gave her a hug, too.

"Say Maxine, did you cry?" Max's mom asked, brushing over her daughter's face as she looked into her red-cried eyes.

"N-no…I…" Max stammered.

"They helped me cutting some onions. But you know today's youth. They can sit a whole day in front of a TV, but when it comes to some kitchen work…" Joyce intervened, earning a thankful gaze from Chloe and Max. "But enough with the chitter chatter. We need to get this turkey and all this other food done or else we'll only have mashed potatoes for dinner."

"Okay, you folks start, I need to hit shitter." Everyone looked at Chloe, even Max. She shrugged. "What? Nature calls, eventually."

"But your vocabulary is way down the drain, young lady!" her mom commented and shook her head as she shifted her attention to the stuffing.

Chloe had just left the toilet as she suddenly heard Max's voice yelling from the living room throughout the house.

"WHAT? That's not fair! You can't do this!"

'What the fuck?'

As the blonde girl wanted to continue her way towards the living room, Joyce approached her with a stern look, holding her back. "Chloe, you have to be strong now!"

"Wh-what? Why? Mom, what is going on?"

Joyce's head dropped as she let out a big sigh. "It's Max. She and her parents are going to leave for Seattle tonight, right after dinner."

"What?! N-no! No, this can't be! We…we need more time. We…" Chloe began with an almost panicky voice, but was silenced and calmed down for a moment by her mother's soft touch on her arm. "Mom, I-I don't want her to go."

"I know, sweetie, but there's nothing we can do about it. Ryan received a call that he has to work tomorrow. They would've loved to stay here for the weekend, especially because Max wished for it, but…You have to be strong for her now! Support her. Give her hope. She needs this more than some rage. You understand me?"

It took Chloe a lot of strength not to burst out in tears, especially now, as she could hear Max's sobs. She'd been looking forward to a whole weekend with Max. Playing videogames, strolling through Arcadia Bay, spending the evenings and nights together, all by themselves in their pillow-fort. But this dream had been completely destroyed now.

'I'd love to refurbish the whole house right now, but mom's right. If I freak out, everything will become even more complicated. Max needs me now and I'm gonna show her that I'm always there for her.'

Giving a single nod to her mother, Chloe moved slowly into the living room. Her hands were clenched into fists and her lips trembled. Every step was hard, because her legs almost refused to hold her anymore. As she finally reached her destination, the young girl saw that the Caulfield's were sitting on the couch. Ryan and Vanessa flanked their daughter and tried to sooth the crying girl. Seeing Max in tears again, was like another punch in the guts. She took a deep inhale to suppress a sob, shifting Max's parents attention toward herself.

"Chloe, we're so sorry! But Ryan received a call and…" Vanessa told her with a sad face, shaking her head slightly.

"I-I know…mom just told me…and I…" A tear rolled down her cheek. Chloe had to close her eyes and take some more deep breathes to hold her composure. "I understand. C-can I talk to Max, please?"

Max's parents gave each other a short glimpse and nodded. Ryan patted Chloe reassuringly on her shoulder and Vanessa gave her a short hug, as both of them left the room.

As soon as Chloe sat down, Max wrapped her arms around her and cuddled herself as close to her girlfriend as possible. "I don't want to leave you!" she whispered between her sniffs, calming down with every second she felt her loved one.

"I know, Maxi. It sucks, but…" The next words almost got stuck in her mouth. "W-we sadly can't change it."

"This doesn't sound like you, Chlo." Max mentioned with a calm voice.

"No, it doesn't." the blonde girl answered with a scoff. "Actually, I'd like to wreck this whole town like a tornado, hijack a car GTA-style and elope with you to another dimension."

A soft chuckle chimed from Max. "You're such a dork!"

"Yeah, I am. But at least I'm your dork." Chloe embraced Max's head softly, making her look into her eyes. "I know that everything is fucked right now, but how about we use the remainder of this day and make the best out of it. Y'know, having fun, talking shit…"

"Flour-fight?"

"Of course a flour-fight. What is Thanksgiving without a shitload of flour in you hair?"

"A Thanksgiving without you." Max answered, smiling wryly. "You're right, Chlo. We should enjoy every remaining second!"

"That's the spirit, Maxi!" Chloe cheered, took Max into another a hug and whispered softly in her ear. "I love you!"

Max shrieked as another wave of flour hit her face. "Gosh, not again, Chlo! My nose is already completely blocked with this stuff."

"Just accept your defeat and the flouring will end!"

"Never!" the younger girl yelled, took a handful of the white powder from the bag on the counter and stormed towards Chloe with a battle-scream.

"What the mmmph…" was everything the blonde girl could reply, before a load of flour was stuffed into her mouth.

"Knock it off, you two!" Joyce intervened, separating the two girls, who were completely covered with flour. "Godammit, the whole kitchen looks like a blizzard went through it!"

"D…don't worry…mom…I…I'm gonna clean it up tomorrow." Chloe managed to say between her coughing.

"How about you two clean it up right now? Or don't you two like to do stuff together?"

"Ugh, mo-om!"

"And after that you girls are gonna clean yourselves for dinner." spoke Joyce and returned with some platters into the living room.

"Yes, mom." Chloe sighed and started to clean up the kitchen. "I swear to you, she just wants to keep us busy." she addressed to Max with a low voice, who gave her a smile.

"I think, she just knows you too good. You'd never have cleaned the whole kitchen all by yourself tomorrow."

"Pft, I'm not that lazy."

"Yes, you are, and only your smartness saved your behind so far."

"Ouch! That hurt!" Chloe replied sarcastically, left the kitchen for a moment and came back with a broom.

"By the way, did you get expelled or…"

"Nah, Hargrove just gave me detention for the remainder of the school year." Chloe said with a shrug.

"Wowser! That's tough!"

"Not really. Mainly, I just sit there and bore myself to death. But if I do it at school or here…doesn't really matter. It's just…" Chloe exhaled deeply and dropped her gaze. "Damn, I'm gonna miss you so much!"

A small hand touched her arm softly, making her look up again only to glance at Max's warm smiling, freckled face. "Don't worry, I'll keep you busy with texting."

Chloe's lips formed a big smirk. "I'd love to kiss you right now!"

Max took a short glimpse over Chloe's shoulder into the living room, saw that Joyce and her parents weren't paying any attention to them, leaned in and gave the taller girl a kiss. "Wish granted!" she whispered with a wink and continued the cleaning with a chuckle, while Chloe didn't move a limb, completely stunned.

"Chloe, hurry up! Everybody is waiting for you!" Joyce's voice chimed from downstairs.

"Coming, mom!" the young girl shouted back as she closed the last buttons of her violet shirt. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, took some hair-gel from her nightstand and tamed a few stray locks.

'Ready for a date with Max…or Thanksgiving.' she thought and smiled wryly. 'Can't wait to have a date with her. Candlelight, fancy food, romantic music and all this other mushy stuff.' A sigh escaped her mouth. 'Well, for now, Thanksgiving has to suffice. I better head down or else mom will freak and rage the shit out of me.'

Chloe left her room, headed downstairs into the living room, where her mother and the Caulfield family were already waiting for her.

"Ready!" she cheered and took her seat beside Max at the completely with food filled table. 'Thank god that we have an extendable table or else the food wouldn't have fit on it.' she thought and as she looked around, she reckoned that everyone was looking at her, especially Max, whose mouth was agape. "What?"

"Are you expecting the president, Chloe? You look so…fabulous." Ryan asked the blonde girl with a soft smile. Normally, Chloe wore more casual clothes, even at special events. Therefore, no one had expected her to be dressed like this.

"Oh…that…uhm…I just wanted to look great for M-…for Thanksgiving. Is it too much? Should I change?"

"NO!" Max suddenly blurted out, making all gazes shift to her. "I-I mean, y-you look so b-b-beautiful. I-it's cool, I like it!"

"Well, now that we agreed that Chloe should keep her clothes on, who's gonna slice the turkey? Ryan?" Vanessa asked, eying everyone.

"I could do it." stated Chloe, getting the attention of everyone. "Dad showed me how to do it, last year."

"I agree!" said Max.

"I think it's a good idea, sweetheart." Joyce chimed in with.

"Yeah, why should always the man do it?" Ryan said with a smile.

"The turkey is all yours, Chloe!" Vanessa agreed with the others.

Proud to be the one who slices the infamous Thanksgiving turkey, Chloe stood up, took the sharp knife and the fork and readied herself by closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

'I hope I make it right, dad.'

'You will, kiddo, just remember everything I told you.'

Chloe sliced off the first piece. "This one's for Maxi." And put it on Max's plate. "Thanks for forgiving me. I was an ass and…I'm just glad that I have you back in my life!"

Totally surprised that she received the first piece of turkey, Max just stared at Chloe. "Th-thank you, Chlo!"

Soon, all plates were filled with food. Chloe sat down again, ready to relieve her crumbling stomach.

"I know that nobody on this table is a believer, but still, I think we should at least say a short prayer." Joyce said.

"God be blessed for this munch-fest!" Chloe just answered dryly.

Max burst out into loud laughter, while Ryan chuckled into his beard. Joyce had a big smile on her face and Vanessa just stared at the blonde girl.

Chloe just shrugged. "What? Short, pointy and it mentioned god, a blessing and food. Now, let's dig in!"

"Nothing to add there. I'm pretty hungry." Max's dad mentioned, earning a long glare from his wife.

"Amen!" Max added and just started to eat. Chloe and Ryan joined in.

Vanessa let out a sigh and shook her head.

"Don't worry, Van, it could be worse." Chloe's mom soothed, giving her a soft smile. Now the both women began too eat too.

Silence filled Chloe's room. It was almost perfect and would've been soothing, if it hadn't been broken from time to time by the sniffs and sobs of the two hugging girls. For the last 30 minutes, Max and Chloe just stood in the middle of the room in a tight embrace, waiting for the inevitable separation.

Chloe had tried to stay strong, to give Max some hold, to seize the rest of the day. But the closer Max's departure came, the darker became her mood. As the moment arrived to say good bye, she couldn't hold this facade anymore. The blonde girl burst out into tears as soon as they were alone, and Max did the same.

"Maxiiiine, it's time to go." Vanessa's voice chimed from downstairs.

Shaking her head and digging it deeper into her girlfriend's shoulder, Max let out another sob. "I don't wanna leave you, Chlo!"

"Ssh, calm down, Maxi!" Chloe soothed with a quiet, shivering voice, before she broke the hug very gently and brushed with her hands over the brunette's freckled face. She looked into Max's red-cried eyes deeply and gave her a wry smile. "Gosh, I love you so much! Max, my dad told me once that love knows no boundaries or distances, it will always find a way. Our love is so strong that we'll still feel it, despite the 500 miles between us." She took Max's hand and laid it on her chest, right above her heart. "My heart will always beat for you. We're bound for life, Max! Okay?"

Max answered her with a nod, took one of Chloe's hands and placed it above her heart. "B-bound for life, Chlo!"

Both leaned in and their lips collided in a long kiss, which was followed by a lot of small kisses, because non of them was ready to stop.

"Chloe?" Max managed to say between the pecks.

Chloe stopped the kissing and gave the smaller girl a warm, amorous smile. "Mh-hm?"

"I-I got a present for you."

"A present?!" the blonde girl asked with surprise and an arched eyebrow.

"Y-yeah. It's…uh…some kind of a farewell-present." Max told her, rummaged through her camera-bag and brought forth a small, squared object, packed in giftwrap and handed it to Chloe. "Here! But please, don't open it before I'm gone, okay?"

The older girl took it and pulled Max in for another big embrace. "Thanks, Maximus!" Then she planted another peck on her girlfriend's freckled nose. "But I got a present for you, too. Well, kinda…" Chloe turned around, walked to her desk and picked up a gray box and handed it to Max, who looked at it with awe.

"Y-your dad's instant-cam?"

"Yup. I know that your old one got busted and that your folks already got you a new digi-cam, but I also know that you're an instant-cam-freak and I don't need it, so…"

Max jumped at her, almost throwing the taller girl off balance. "Thank you! You're so awesome!"

"I know." Chloe giggled. "But there's more." She grabbed into the pocket of her black jeans and pulled out an instant-selfie, showing her with a stuck out tongue and a wink. "I know, you made a lot of pictures today, but I thought that you might wanna have an original Chloe-Selfie."

Instead of taking the picture, Max turned her new cam towards her face, made a happy smile and took a picture. After it emerged from the slit of the cam with a whirring sound, she handed it over to Chloe and both exchanged their selfies. "And here you have an original Max-Selfie you can kiss good night every day!" she said with a wink.

"Maxine, it's getting too late. Move it!" Vanessa's now more agitated voice chimed through the house again.

The brunette girl let out a big sigh as her gaze dropped to her feet. "I guess we can't put it off anymore." She walked to the door, opened it and wanted to take her bag, but Chloe's hand was on the handle, before Max had any chance to grip it.

"I'll help ya." the blonde said with a warm smile.

"Thanks, Chlo!"

Both girls left Chloe's room and headed downstairs. Their steps were slow and unmotivated, like they wanted to use every remaining second to be close together.

"What took you so long?" Vanessa asked with her hands on her hips as Max and Chloe left the house.

"S-sorry, mom!" the young girl answered shyly, probably blushing a bit, but luckily it was already dark and the orange light of the street lanterns hid this and the two girl's red-cried eyes pretty well.

Ryan took the bag from Chloe, giving her a thankful nod and a smile. "Thank you, Chloe!" he said and brought it to the car.

While Max and her dad said their farewells to Joyce, Vanessa approached Chloe, grabbed her arm and walked her to the other side of the lawn.

'Okay, Vanessa talking to me privately can't be a good sign. Does she know? Or is this gonna be a final you-are-a-bad-influence-so-stay-away-from-my-daughter-thing?'

"Chloe, I…" Vanessa began, averting Chloe's eyes.

'And here it comes. Ugh!'

"I wanted to thank you!"

'What the fuck?'

Chloe just stood there, completely taken aback, not knowing what to say. "Uh…okay. What for?" she asked, scratching the back of her neck.

Now the brunette woman laid her hand on Chloe's shoulder and gazed at her deeply. "For how you where there for Maxine. How you reacted. I…" She paused for a moment. "I really thought that you would freak out as soon as we told you that we're leaving today, but…but you didn't. You where there for my daughter, soothed her and made my little Maxine happy again. Ryan and I knew that Maxine wanted this visit so much and it almost broke our heart as we received that call and…"

"Vanessa, i-it's fine. I just did what I had to do." Chloe took some deep inhales as she tried to find her next words. "Listen, I was an asshole to Maxi and I still regret what I did, she…she deserves better and that is what I wanna be now, a better friend."

Suddenly, Vanessa did something she'd never done before. She took Chloe into a tight embrace. The blonde girl stiffened, hesitant if she should return the hug.

"I misjudged you, Chloe. I did so often and I want to apologize for that, and I promise you, as soon as Maxine attends Blackwell, we'll be more than glad to let her stay here again!"

Hearing this promise, this reassurance that Vanessa would send Max back to Arcadia Bay next year, that it was guaranteed, let her return the hug eventually, sending some tears down her cheeks. "Thank you!" she answered with a shivering voice.

Vanessa broke the hug and gazed at Chloe again, but this time with a warm smile. Another gesture the strawberry-blonde never received from her before. "Take good care of yourself, Chloe. Our little munchkin needs a good friend like you are!"

With these words spoken, Max's mom walked over to the others, leaving Chloe standing there alone for a while until Max and her dad headed her way.

"I hope my wife wasn't giving you a hard time?" Ryan said with a smile, showing that he knew what Vanessa just told Chloe.

"Nah, I'm too adorable to get raged on."

The bearded man chuckled. "Articulate as always. But seriously, we're glad that Max has you as a friend and we'll try to get you two through these upcoming months as good as possible. Maybe we can arrange something around Christmas."

"For reals, dad?" his daughter asked in awe, hugging him.

"That would be awesome, Ryan!" Chloe cheered.

"Well, then it's settled. We can work out the details later. For now, we have to get going. Take care, Chloe!" he said and reached the blonde girl his hand, who shook it.

"Will do, Ryan, will do."

After Ryan had returned to his wife, who was talking with Joyce now, Chloe and Max were for themselves.

"Hey." Chloe spoke softly with a wry smile.

"Hey." Max answered equally. "So…uhm…wh-what did my mom tell you?"

A wide grin formed on Chloe's face. "Well, she kinda promised me that your sweet behind will be back to Arcadia Bay next year and…uh…she's happy that I'm your best friend."

Max knew that her mom always had a problem with Chloe, always thought that she was a bad influence on her. Sometimes she had the feeling that she'd urged the move to Seattle to finally separate them.

But hearing that her mom finally had accepted Chloe as her friend let her eyes sparkle with joy. She jumped at Chloe again and hugged her like crazy.

Both girls enjoyed this closeness. Liked the exchange of warmth. They both felt the urge to kiss each other again, but sadly, they mustn't. Not in the sight of Max's parents. Because Vanessa's approval of their friendship, didn't necessary mean that she'd accept their relationship. Joyce made that clear enough. Therefore, the only option that remained to express their love for each other was this very tight embrace and their whispered words, accompanied by some tears.

"I love you, Maxi! I love you so much. Take care, okay?"

"I love you too, Chlo! Just promise me that you'll stay out of trouble!"

Chloe scoffed. "Now you sound like my mother."

Max broke the hug and looked into her girlfriend's almond-shaped deep-blue eyes sternly. Chloe knew that she was serious about this. "Chloe, I mean it. Please, be careful all the time! I…I couldn't take it if something might happen to you!"

The talker girl gave her an determinant nod and pulled her in for another embrace. "Promised!"

"Maxine." Vanessa's voice chimed from behind as she softly touched her daughters shoulder.

The two girls parted again, instantly missing each others closeness. "See ya around, Maximus!" Chloe said with a weak smile and a shivering voice.

Max's answer was just a sniff and a nod, followed by some droplets on her cheeks. Chloe knew that it took a lot of strength from both of them not to cry out loud.

Chloe's gaze followed her love on her way to the car, until she decided to walk over to the vehicle. After the door was closed and the engine came to life, both girls stared at each other, their faces wet from tears. Chloe laid her hand on the window and Max did the same from the other side, mouthing a love you. Both could feel their bond. That nothing could separate them. That they were able to feel their warmth even through the glass.

The almost magical touch was broken as the Caulfield's car drove off and down the street. Joyce embraced her daughter's shoulder, being aware that this was a very difficult moment for her. But instead of taking the comforting gesture of her mom, Chloe freed herself, turned around and ran back into her room. She took Max's present from her desk and ripped off the wrapping.

'A CD?' Chloe thought as she glanced at the encased disc in her hands. The white surface was painted with some of Max's typical pirate-doodles and an inscription, spelling Pirates 4e.

'The drive in my PC tends to shred CDs, so that's no option. Fuck! Where should I…' An idea popped suddenly into her mind. 'Dad's stereo!'

Chloe left her room again, ran downstairs into her dad's old workshop and put the CD into his stereo. The drive came to live and with a whirring sound the content of the CD was loaded. Every second felt like hours. "C'mon you stupid piece of shit!" Chloe blurted out as suddenly Max's voice chimed from the speakers.

"Hi Chlo, it's me…Max…who else. Ugh, I know, probably not the best intro, but it's my tenth try and it's not the worst, so I'll use it. Anyway, I don't know what will happen this upcoming weekend. I'm scared shitless, 'cause we haven't been spoken in weeks and I-I don't even know if you still wanna be my friend…or not…or…"

Max sighs and sniffs.

"Chloe, just know this. I understand now why you send me away. I get it and I'm not mad at you. But…"

Another sigh.

"I don't want our friendship to end. Not like this. So I decided to make you this CD. If you still want me gone, then see this as a last, positive memory of me. I don't want you to remember my crying or the slap that I gave you. And also, take this as a promise that, whenever your world us upside down and you need a friend or even a shoulder to cry on…I'm there for you. Just call me!"

A few moments of silence.

"But I hope from my heart that we will make up again. I hope it so much! I know, it sucks hard that I had to leave for Seattle again. Dammit, if I think about it I could cry right now. But I'll be back, Chloe! I'll be at your side again and the content of this disc should sweeten you this time without me!

It took me a buttload of work to find the right chords for your favorite songs. Gosh, some of that stuff is really hard to find and I just hope that it doesn't sound too crappy on my guitar. Anyway, here goes nothing."

The next track was loaded and after some seconds, the melody of one of Chloe's favorite rock songs was played with an acoustic guitar. And as the soft voice of Max began to sing the text, Chloe couldn't hold it anymore. Her feelings were a wild mixture of heart-ache, joy, love and desire.

"Chloe?" Joyce said as she approached her daughter once more, and again, she put her arm around her rocking shoulders. "Oh my god, is that Max?" she asked in awe as she listened to the music.

This time, Chloe returned the hug and dug deep into her mother's shoulder. "I love her so much, mom! You're right, she loves me and she'll never leave or forget about me."

Both, Joyce and Chloe stood in the middle of the workshop in a comforting embrace and listened to Max's music. Chloe had closed her eyes and let her mind engulf with every song, while her mom's warmth and brushes on her back soothed her. A gentle smile was formed by her lips as she whispered her next words. "I love you, Maxi! I'll wait for you!"