Max's POV

Tori had shown me the mysterious text that morning, bringing memories crashing back to the forefront of my mind. Memories of walking into my room to see my wall vandalized and texts from unknown numbers popping up on my phone, telling me to watch my back. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to keep the panic rising in my chest under wraps. This couldn't actually be happening, right? This was all just some sort of nightmare or sick joke somebody was pulling on me. Maybe Chloe had faked her death just to fuck with me now when I thought my life was finally getting back to something that resembled normalcy.

"What do you want to do about this?" Tori asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked up at her, seeing the concern in her dark green eyes causing more sympathy and affection to rise up than anything else. She was trying really hard to stay calm. She'd never been in this sort of situation before and she was probably out of her element.

"Did you try texting back?" I asked. "Maybe we can tell whoever this is to fuck off and leave us in peace."

"I tried, the message never went through," she replied, looking frustrated. "I tried over and over again but it just wouldn't send."

"What do you think we should do?" I asked, my mind feeling foggy as the cogs refused to turn. Tori paused, looking at me in surprise. She'd been pacing in front of the bed before, her phone clutched in her hand as she spoke. She was even dressed like she'd tried to get ready for the day to distract herself. But now she had stopped pacing and was looking at me like I had just asked her to divide pie by three.

"I…" She started, but stopped, looking at the floor and taking a deep breath. "I think you should choose. Whoever they are, they want to talk to you."

"I don't know what to do," I admitted, slouching where I sat in our bed, my hair draping around my face. I really had no idea what to do. Best case scenario, it was someone who wanted to help us with Chloe's case. Worst case scenario, it was someone Prescott had hired to "take care of us." Which was unlikely, but wouldn't be surprising. I couldn't help chuckling at the thought, shaking my head as I buried my face in my hands. "I just want this to be over." I felt a lump growing in my throat, my chest tightening as I fought the tears that stung my eyes.

I felt the bed dip as Tori sat next to me, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me close. I clutched at her blouse, burying my face in her chest as she kissed the top of my head. She stroked my back, the gentle rhythm loosening my hold on my emotions as tears fell from my eyes.

"I know," she whispered, stroking my hair as I let out a sob. I hated this, this seemingly endless nightmare where everything bad that was happening to me and the people around me was all my fault and even though I had been the one to cause it all, I couldn't stop it no matter how hard I tried. I'd let my best friend die in order to save Arcadia, I'd sworn to never use my powers again and I'd just tried to be normal. But even now, when life was supposed to be about becoming whoever I was supposed to be, the universe or God or the world or whoever the fuck it was, was tormenting me. Using my every last mistake to show me just how helpless I really was. "It'll be over soon, I promise. And no matter what happens, I'll be right here to support you as much as I can." I sniffled, my chest aching from crying so hard. But Tori's voice and the feeling of her holding me tight were enough to help me remember what it was that I was suppose to keep fighting for.

I nodded, pulling away a little to look into her eyes. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I sniffled, seeing the way Tori's brows furrowed and her eyes watched me like I might shatter. I smiled despite myself, taking her hand in mine. Her feature relaxed a little, but she still looked worried.

"I think we should go see who this is," I decided, trying to sound more confident in the choice than I felt. "If we don't and it's someone with some sort of power over the trial, it might make our lives much more difficult."

"Are you sure?" Tori asked, cupping my cheek as she wiped away a stray tear. "I don't want you to have to face something like that right now."

"It doesn't seem like I have much of a choice," I replied, leaning into her touch. Tori always had cold hands, but it was nice, the smoothness of her palm felt soothing against my skin. "Plus, we'll go together. That way you can kick their ass if they're actually an assassin." It took Tori a moment, but she caught on that I was joking and chuckled, shaking her head as she started to stand up.

"You're impossible," she teased. I grabbed her wrist, stopping her from walking away as I got up on my knees, still on the bed. She turned, looking at me expectantly. I scooted closer to her, pouting just a little.

"But you still love me, right?" I asked, moving my fingers from her wrist to her hand. She smiled sweetly at me, her features relaxing as she turned to face me, taking my other hand in hers.

"It's impossible not to," she replied. As happy as she looked, there was still a heaviness behind her eyes that told me that she had doubts about today lingering in her mind. I didn't want her to be afraid of whatever we had to face, because no matter what it was, we'd be facing it together. Sharing the weight until it was over.

"Even when I make puns?" I teased, pulling her a little closer. She laughed softly, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, even when you make puns, even if it feels like climbing Everest in nothing but a bikini," she retorted, making me giggle despite myself.

"I'll just have to start calling you the ice queen, I guess," I replied and she looked like she was resisting another eye roll.

"Are you ever going to get dressed or are you just going to tease me all morning?" She asked, but there was no firmness behind it, just a smile and the constant need to kiss her sparking to life in my chest again.

"I don't know, this is kinda fun," I said softly, leaning in to kiss her. She leaned in at the same moment, our lips meeting with a gentle heat that sent shivers down my spine and loosened every muscle in my body. I smiled into the kiss, loving that her lips were mine to kiss for the time being. I just hoped that the time being would turn out to be forever.

"You just want to distract me," she accused, but she was smiling despite her words.

"You like when I distract you, don't pretend like you don't," I said, wrapping my arms around her neck to pull her into another kiss. She didn't resist, her arms simply wrapping around my waist as she leaned in closer to me. I pulled her down with me, making her lay down on top of me. It felt awkward at first and Tori let out a surprised yelp as she tried to hold herself up. I giggled, letting her fidget until she got comfortable.

"You should get dressed," she said somewhat breathlessly, her cheeks a little flushed. I smirked up at her, tangling my fingers in her perfectly done hair. It was always so soft, probably because of all those hella expensive soaps and conditioners she used.

"But that's so not what I want to be doing right now," I protested, grinding myself against her thigh that just so happened to be between my legs. She let out a small, shaky breath and I had to hold in my own gasp from the small spark of pleasure the friction ignited in my gut.

"Is this how you deal with stress?" Tori asked, looking weakly resistant. I shrugged, smiling up at her.

"Would you prefer I smoke or something?" I asked, moving my left hand down her back until I found the hem of her blouse, lifting it to gently drag my nails across her skin. She closed her eyes, rocking above me for a moment before clearing her throat and meeting my gaze again.

"No, I just think it'd be healthier if you took up something like yoga or taking more pictures with that dinosaur of a camera you insist on lugging around," she retorted, leaning down to kiss me again. It was soft, gentle, hesitant.

"But you're so much more beautiful than any image I could ever capture with a camera," I whispered against her lips, loving the shivering breath it drew from her. I took that moment as an opportunity, flipping us both so that she was on her back and I was on top of her, straddling her hips as I leaned down to kiss her again. She gasped into my mouth and I smiled, pulling away from her lips to kiss her jawline, leaving small bites as I made my way to her neck.

"Max," she whispered breathlessly, tangling her fingers in my hair.

"I never thought I would be so lucky," I whispered against her skin, the love and adoration I'd felt for her before flooding over me again. "I never thought I'd end up with someone like you. You're so smart and determined and amazing." I kissed up her neck until I reached her ear, biting it softly. Tori whined beneath me, pressing herself against me. "So beautiful," I whispered into her ears, feeling her shudder beneath me. I wanted her to know how much I loved her, to know how much she meant to me. She was always there, supporting me, keeping me strong. I had never expected it from her until I'd gotten to know her. Now she needed to know that she was loved, appreciated. That I cared more about her than anything else.

That's what you said about Chloe, my thoughts whispered, making me tense up immediately and pull away from the woman below me. Tori opened her eyes, looking up at me with a concerned, hazy gaze.

"Max? Are you ok?" She asked, watching me carefully. "What's wrong?"

"I - I'm sorry," I muttered, climbing off of her and getting off of the bed. "We should get ready to go." She sat up and opened her mouth to say something, but I turned away, walking to the dresser to grab something to wear. Dread crawled up my spine like ice, making my stomach churn as images of Chloe flashed through my mind. This had rarely been an issue before. Why was I suddenly so afraid?

"Are you sure you're ok?" Tori asked, wrapping her arms around me from behind. "You seemed really… You know… Did I do something wrong?" The way her voice fell to little more than a whisper made my heart ache. I wanted to say no, I wanted to tell her the truth, tell her that she was perfect and I was the one who'd done something wrong. I was the one who'd let her get close to me and now she might get hurt. What if she ended up like Chloe? What if, even after all this time, I was still only able to cause death and destruction to everyone that came near me?

"I just remembered that we're supposed to meet whoever sent that text, that's all," I lied, but it sounded true, even to my own ears. Tori's grip around me loosened and I felt tears start to well up in my eyes again. What was I supposed to do? I had to keep her safe somehow.

"Alright," she said simply, leaving a long, sweet kiss against my cheek before pulling away. "I'll be waiting in the living room for you."

"Ok, I'll be out in a minute," I said softly. She left the room, closing the door behind her, but not before I felt her eyes linger on me for another moment. When I heard the door click closed, I put my hands on the dresser, trying to take deep breaths as tears pricked at my eyes. I had to stay calm. I had to be strong. Tori needed that. She needed to be safe. Maybe she was safer without me.

The thought tore my heart to pieces inside my own chest, but I couldn't help the thought and I didn't even try to stop it. She needed to be safe and if that meant that I had to leave, then that's what had to happen. Right?

So, in that moment, even as tears streamed down my face and my chest clenched painfully from silenced sobs, I made a choice. Until the trial was over, I couldn't be with Tori.