The waves of the ocean were a soothing melody to the early afternoon sun, providing a welcoming break from the hustle and bustle of working at the diner. The three had taken the rest of the day off for no reason other than needing some much deserved time to relax. Summer was in full force, not just with the sun causing burns more easily now, but also with the signature smell of pine needles roasting under the heat; the salty aroma of the ocean and the swaths of tourists walking around with caked on sunscreen that was almost overbearing. It was the beginning of July, the peak time of tourism in Arcadia Bay, leaving the visitors to take over the spots that were special to the very few that lived there. They were trashing the beach severely, with cans and wrappers plaguing the sand.

The truck was parked just outside the main gate, lazily done by none other than Chloe Price. It was about as difficult to find an open parking space as it was to pull into one. The back tailgate was let down and a few old beach towels were laid over to cover the rusty metal. Chloe and Rachel were laying back, catching the summer rays as much as they could, while Max sat on the rail of the bed looking out into the beach. Despite the people around sounding like buzzing flies, it was incredibly peaceful. A moment of calm.

"Your eye looks a lot better," Rachel reached out to feel the small bruise on Chloe's face, now lightly colored with a blue and yellow tint as opposed to the nasty purple circle that had filled it days ago. It almost appeared like nothing had ever happened. Trying to shield her eyes from the glare of the neighboring car, annoyingly realizing that out of everything she brought with her, she somehow didn't even think to bring sunglasses. "But I don't know why you didn't let me take you to the doctor."

"I haven't died yet, so I'm sure it's fine." Chloe mumbled, not seeming too keen on talking about anything at the moment. Her head was propped up with her arm, now starting to become numb from the inactivity, enjoying the laziness of the free time. "And what were they going to do anyway? Put a Band-Aid on it?"

Rachel just shrugged.

"Exactly."

Immediately after the fight with Nathan, Chloe was in extremely rough shape. Everything from deep cuts to bruises to excessive sleepiness that Rachel could have sworn was a concussion, which luckily went away after a few days. The amount of rubbing alcohol put on her eye that was previously slashed open, and hoping that there wouldn't be an infection, was overwhelming. Max and Rachel had practically destroyed the house in search of a small roll of gauze, or even a box of Band-Aids, but were frustratedly unsuccessful. Needless to say, there were several trips to the store for supplies they really didn't know how to use outside of movie references or obscure health class information. It also didn't help that Joyce had left earlier in the week to go talk with David about the argument over dinner, which felt like a lifetime ago by this point, with no sign of coming back until at least the next week. Her absence only made their shifts at the diner significantly more stressful.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," Max said out of the blue, only to get a confused look back. "I should've done something at the barn, but I just froze."

A child screamed from a family steadily approaching them to go to their car, making them all turn their attention at the obnoxious wailing. The tourists were only going to get more annoying as the summer went on, so maybe the beach wasn't the best place to take a break. Both Chloe and Rachel started to slowly sit up, realizing that their sunbathing wasn't going quite as planned. No amount of coddling or baby talk was going to make the little kid calm down anyway, so they all tried to tune it out the best they could.

"Hell no, I'm so glad you stayed out of it. I'd rather it be me than you." Chloe said surely, stretching out and yawning. She knew there was no other option at the time except for her to step in. In her mind, Max did the best possible thing she could have done. She couldn't stomach the idea of seeing her get the same treatment by Nathan. It was sickening just to think about it.

There wasn't much more any of them could say about it, with all three avoiding the entire topic for days. Rachel and Max had spent the majority of the time anxiously watching Chloe's every move in case something was terribly wrong, catering to her every need…which was far more annoying than they both could have ever imagined. Her legs worked just fine to go downstairs and get a glass of water, but no, it was just 'too far away'. The jar, now filled with several thousand dollars, sat on her desk the entire time, almost begging to be reached in to take some money out for an emergency room visit. Yet every time one of them brought it up in passing, Chloe insistently pleaded for the money to be left alone saying that leaving was more important than a few bruises. Let alone the fact that she really needed to figure out a way to find the funds to fix her truck before the big move.

"But I don't know how much longer I can keep lying about it," Chloe added, tilting her head back to rest against the back glass panel to look up at the bright sky. Small clouds passed over ever so slowly. "You know my mom didn't believe me."

"Yeah, saying that you ran into a door probably wasn't the best excuse." Max laughed lightly, only thinking back to the conversation that happened back on Monday. Joyce was concerned at the news mentioned to her by Chloe, but she was in such a rush leaving the house after a phone call from David, that she just said a mixture of jumbled words and explanations for basic first aid as she hurriedly walked down the driveway for the bus stop. She made Chloe promise to call her if there was some kind of medical emergency, but was waved off at the suggestion. They all knew that it was a poor cover-up and that she most likely didn't believe it, but they didn't need any more trouble.

"I don't think there was a good choice. Either way, I was going to upset her."

She hated that she was lying to her own mom about what happened; it felt like the worst thing any of them could possibly do, especially after how much she had given the three. She had graciously provided Max and Rachel a place to stay for months on end with no request for a share of the rent, a job, food, and not even asking a single question about any of their future plans as she wanted to leave it to an open acceptance. Life was too good. Joyce didn't deserve it.

In the meantime, during the calmness and sudden quietness that took hold, Max was starting to feel around in her pocket for the Polaroid she was given in the darkroom. She had been carrying it with her for days, hiding it from the two the entire week because Chloe recovering from the fight was more important. There was never the right time to bring it up. In addition to Max holding back secrets, Rachel had her own that she refused to mention. She knew that several people had seen her bizarre manifestations of what looked to be a sort of power only Max could recognize, but for her, it was an entirely new conversation that she wasn't ready to have. It didn't seem like Chloe remembered it when it was happening because knowing her she would have said something by now, but Rachel knew very well that Max did. She had to have seen it. It was obvious in the way she was acting all week, a certain kind of friendliness that only came about from a shared psychic connection. The whole thing was eating away at both of them.

Max cleared her throat nervously, making the two glance over at her feeling the growing unease.

"I feel like all I keep doing is bringing up negative shitty things, but I just couldn't talk about this until now." The Polaroid was clutched onto tightly, already forming smudges on the plastic. "I really need to show you both something."

Max could feel her hands start to shake, but it was mostly out of not knowing how either one of them would react. It wasn't like it was new information by any means, as the entire confession months ago about her powers had mentioned the storm, yet for some reason she couldn't help but feel on edge about the whole thing. She briefly glanced over at Chloe; it was obvious that she knew she was nervous.

"Hey, it's okay, Max," Chloe reached over to steady her hand, lightly squeezing it before pulling away. She didn't seem too bothered to even look at the image Max was holding onto so dearly. "Nothing to get stressed out about."

"Yeah, I don't think there's much you could say to upset us," Rachel joined in by scooting herself in a little circle with Chloe surrounding Max. The beach towels were already messy and weren't preventing any more scrapes, so they were laid on the railing for the time being. "We've kind of seen it all at this point."

The two were patiently waiting and there was no better time than now. Max took a deep breath, looking down at the picture a final time before handing it over to Chloe.

"I want you both to look at this picture." The thick paper was released from her grasp with the initial reaction she received being one of general confusion. "Look at it closely ."

Chloe's hand shielded the sun's glare, allowing her to bring the Polaroid closer to get a better look. Rachel followed, but the afternoon sunlight was making it incredibly challenging to actually see anything but a gray blob. Chloe lifted it up once more, groaning in frustration, until Rachel wrapped her hands around it to block out the awful reflections. Max was starting to laugh at how long it was taking them.

"Oh shit," Chloe gasped, holding the picture so close that it looked like it was going to poke her and Rachel in the eye. Both of their faces were tightly constricted, focusing their entire attention on it. "Was this the storm?"

"That looks so intense, Max." Rachel murmured, eyes not leaving the picture. She had never seen something so destructive. So determined to get what it wanted, even if it wasn't its own. In a weird way, it was speaking to her in a language she couldn't talk in. An inner knowing, or maybe a direct communication she wasn't accepting.

"It was." Max nodded slowly, reaching out to take the picture back from Chloe. "You have no idea."

The significance of the situation was starting to sink in like she had hoped, but it wasn't as heavy as the other times Max approached them with a confession. It was the connection to her visions turned flickers into other realities, to the night at the barn to dreams that made it even stranger.

"That night when I saw the butterfly, I had a dream of the storm." Max waited for their reactions, but was left surprised when neither did anything shocking. "It was weird because I was the storm, but there wasn't anything else around. No Arcadia Bay. No people. Nothing." The Polaroid was back to being tormented by Max's restlessness, now fiddling with the corners of the thick paper. Maybe Chloe was right about if she wanted to keep her hands busy that she should take up smoking, but Max swore she would never do something like that. "So, fast forward to Chloe appearing out of nowhere, she led me into the darkroom and found this." She briefly held up the picture, then went back to picking at the corner seams. "It was like that was the only reason she showed up. Everything seemed to point to this specific picture."

"Okay," Chloe blinked, stuck inside a state of shock. "That's fricken' weird."

"I don't understand how she knew that it was in the darkroom, but she did." Max spoke close to a whisper, leaning forward like she was sharing some kind of secret. "And that's when I knew she wasn't really real." She dropped her head down and shook it slightly as she was recalling the memory that really wasn't that far away. "It was scary. It felt like I was losing my mind."

Chloe and Rachel exchanged a concerned glance. Neither one of them wanted to dive into the science or logistics of what it all meant, knowing that they would be there for hours, so they remained quiet. Max, on the other hand, wanted to do just that. Everything from Chaos Theory to multiple strings of reality, there were a lot of possibilities. She never found the time since the night at the barn to look anything up online, but something bizarre had happened then. It was something Max had never experienced in her life.

"So where was it in the darkroom?" Rachel randomly said, hoping that it wouldn't take away from what Max had brought up. Chloe just raised her eyebrow at the question.

"In this dingy little corner, actually." A small laugh escaped Max as she thought back to that night. While it was rather weird then, it was almost funny in retrospect. She knew that she was being too naive, believing everything that was happening in front of her. "Chloe was breaking everything in there to try to find it. It's a good thing it's burned down now."

"Seriously. Your ass would be in jail, Max." Chloe sighed before leaning back on her hands. It was the first thing she brought up to Rachel that morning before rescuing Max, and if it wasn't for her calling the fire department shortly after their escape, they would all be in so much more trouble. "We'd help you escape, though."

"Sounds criminal."

"Criminally fun." Rachel winked.

The Polaroid was still in Max's hand with the red marker still plastered on it. The date was screaming at her; the small bumps in the ink only signifying how real it actually was. She didn't just want Chloe and Rachel to see the storm for themselves, letting the piece of paper fill the gaps in their imaginations for what it was like for Max. There was something much heavier she needed to discuss. An idea with severely limited options.

"Look at the date written on the picture." Max raised up the image once more and pointed to it. "October 11th, 2013."

Chloe and Rachel just looked at each other, then looked back at Max in unison hoping for more of an explanation. She always knew exactly when to stop giving details, tormenting everyone else listening in the process.

"Wait," Chloe looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself midway when she caught Max's eye, who gave her a look that made her completely retract everything she was thinking. "Do you think the storm is going to happen again?"

"I don't know. The problem is that I don't know what caused it in the first place." Max began to stuff the picture back into her pocket. She really wanted to tear it to shreds and never deal with it again, but she couldn't make herself do it. She wasn't necessarily afraid per se, but more concerned at the possibility of being connected to other realities…or worse. The storm might not be preventable, or happen in the first place for all she knew, but she couldn't take the chance to not tell anyone about it. "In the worst case scenario, I could rewind back a few months but it just doesn't make any sense."

"Well, I don't think we should worry about it until the date gets closer." Rachel shrugged, not really knowing what else to add. The future was too far away to even plan out the next month, let alone something that had the potential to happen later in October.

"Or until we see a giant hurricane approaching the town." Chloe smirked at the two of them. "You know, then we get the hell out of here."

Oddly enough, Max appreciated that they weren't taking it too seriously. She almost expected some tears or maybe an argument over what they were going to do, but genuinely, she couldn't take it very seriously either. It was difficult when there were visitations and superpowers involved.

Regardless of it all, a pang in her stomach or maybe a small voice in her head kept telling her to do something about it. It didn't make sense, but neither did anything else since she rewinded back. Everything was so different that it didn't just feel like they were all in uncharted territory, they were living in an entirely new world. The chance for weird events was already high, as something had immediately happened as soon as Max arrived in the town back in April. The lighthouse was never supposed to be the place where she would find Chloe and Rachel. A storm didn't seem that improbable considering that.

"I just feel like we need to do something now. It can't be for nothing, right?" Max didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to do it all over again. She couldn't. She hung onto her own words for a hope that maybe it was just a joke or a dream she had, but the hope was limited and wearing thin.

"So, do you think that we should warn the town months in advance for a storm we don't even know will happen?" Rachel added gently, testing the waters with whatever was going on inside of Max's head. She reached over to put her hand on her arm, laughing lightly at the thought of actually committing to the idea. "Nobody is going to listen to us. We're going to look like we're in a cult."

A cult. Max laughed at the mere image of it. Rachel wasn't wrong. "It would definitely be newsworthy, that's for sure."

"Yeah, you've always wanted a little fame, didn't you, Rach?"

"Being a conspiracy theorist was unfortunately not a part of the plan." Rachel teased, but God, she could see it now. Passing out flyers to everyone that came near them, saying something along the lines of 'The End is Nigh: Move Away and Never Come Back'. Chloe would probably make them all wear matching shirts and soon enough they would all be the laughing stock of the town. Who would believe three seemingly prophetic teenagers standing at the corner of main street holding a big sign that claimed of a future deadly weather event?

It was risky and could be dangerous as Arcadia Bay was already national news by this point. Something so bizarre like that would only give the town more attention. Let alone themselves. Not only would each of their reputations be shattered to the ground, not like they aligned with the ideas others placed on them currently anyway, but Rachel knew that whatever they decided to do, she did not want any more of the drama that came with it. She figured Chloe didn't either.

"We don't need to stress ourselves out for months on end. We just did that."

"I guess."

"I know it's serious. I do." Chloe inched herself closer to Max, resting her elbow on her thigh as she casually leaned back on the truck. She could feel her tense up immediately after doing it. "While that picture is hella freaky, Rachel's right, we can't do anything about it now. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't."

"You really need a break, Max." The truck swayed on its weight as Rachel stood up and made her way to sit on the other side of Max on the railing, joining her and Chloe. She put her hand on her shoulder, looking at her with concern. "All I see you do is worry."

They were both being so touchy lately, something that Max never initially expected at the first meeting to now. At least from Rachel. She was the one who had gone through such a drastic transformation in mere weeks that Max couldn't get used to it yet. She couldn't quite tell what had caused it, but she wouldn't question it further. Every trip to the store earlier in the week for Chloe didn't just feel effortless, it was like they had been friends for years. Whatever Rachel that was in the darkroom was not the Rachel sitting next to her now, that was for damn sure.

A subtle clearing of her throat, followed by a not-so-subtle second one, then a stretched out leg to nudge Chloe in the thigh, Rachel clearly had something on her mind. The two briefly made eye contact and seemed to communicate through only their minds, something that Max just fell back on to let them do whatever they were doing. After a brief moment and a small nod, Chloe sat up slightly so she could face Max directly.

"Since now seems like the best time…or the worst, depending on how you take it…" She glanced over at Rachel, waiting for the cue. A thumbs up was given almost right away as Max tried to follow their bizarre communication that only made her more dizzy. "How would you feel about a little road trip?"

Max froze. It was about the last thing she had ever expected her to say. Didn't they have to save money for Santa Monica anyways?

"Just you and me."

"Chloe, I don't know…" She hesitated, turning back to Rachel who didn't seem remotely bothered by the suggestion.

"I came up with the idea, Max." Rachel added quickly, making sure that it didn't seem like she had no idea. She could sense that Max was already feeling uncomfortable about it like it would somehow ruin her and Chloe's relationship. It would never come close to that anyway. "I think you two need some time together without me getting in the way. It'll be good for you both."

From everything at the barn to even months ago, Max knew deep down that she needed this trip more than anyone else. She needed someone to make a decision for her, for once. A chance to finally let go of control. This could be the renewal she needed.

"Where were you thinking of going?"

"Portland." Chloe said enthusiastically; It was a place far enough away with more things to do other than hang out at the beach or the diner, making it the main reason Rachel had even suggested it. "A quick weekend trip, be back on Monday for work…"

"That sounds amazing, Chloe." Max's face lit up, accidentally cutting her off but she couldn't help it. "Let's do it."

She was feeling an immense amount of weight being lifted off her shoulders. For the first time in forever, Max didn't have to come up with the plan. The fact that they had both discussed it and barely were able to keep it a secret from her only meant one small thing in her mind: Her choice to come back was necessary.

"Good, then we can leave Saturday morning." Chloe nodded, before reaching out to grab ahold of Max's arm to get her attention. "But you have to promise me that you won't think about the storm while we're there. We will talk about it after."

"I won't." Max nodded, albeit reluctantly. "I promise."


The Overlook Park was exceptionally busy despite it being the middle of the week. Screaming children running rampant, annoying families taking up too much space, and the overly loud speakers blaring obnoxious music that seemed to sit at every gathering. Victoria sat at one of the only vacant park benches she could find, irritatingly tapping her nails on the wood table. There were already a few people that had approached her in the short time of her being there, asking for directions or where the best hotel in the area was, to which she kindly gave them the worst answer possible in hopes that they would leave her alone. It had only been a few minutes that she had been there, but to her, it felt closer to an hour. If not more. She restlessly checked her phone, then put it back down after seeing not a single message. Moments later she checked again. Nothing.

Nathan had promised her several meetings and conversations, and yet the entire week he was practically non-existent. Not a single word about anything that was going on when he said otherwise. Victoria was not one for waiting either, leaving that for other people to deal with. A large glass tumbler sat next to her filled with iced tea, with the condensation from the cold drink clashing with the summer heat forming water droplets dripping down the side. She tapped the glass impatiently.

Just barely could she hear the sound of footsteps approaching, already making her brace herself for another family wanting information they could just look up online for themselves. She rolled her eyes in anticipation, like a prerequisite to whatever she was about to endure.

"Jesus, Nathan!" Victoria's eyes widened as he rounded the corner in a frantic manner, wearing a black backpack around his shoulders. He looked exceptionally frantic, like something had happened prior to him showing up. "I've been trying to call you for days! Where the hell have you been?"

He sat down roughly across from her and slumped the bag down next to his side, huffing and sighing like he didn't want to be there.

"You're not gonna believe the shit I went through." Nathan muttered harshly before he spat on the ground next to him, making Victoria cringe.

Judging by the way he was acting, let alone how exhausted he sounded, she assumed that whatever happened went terribly wrong. Which by itself was odd because he never had trouble before with simple tasks she needed him to do before, only making her more confused. It was supposed to be a simple errand.

"With Frank Bowers?" Victoria frowned. "It shouldn't have been that difficult to pick up some party supplies."

Nathan remained silent for a moment, breathing so heavily Victoria thought he might as well pass out. She carefully watched him, noticing the little twitches every so often in agitation, choking briefly then clearing his throat. He wasn't acting like himself, but this time it wasn't from a mental breakdown. Victoria was just about to say something but was cut off suddenly as he slammed his fists on the table, causing her to flinch and her drink to rattle.

"Rachel Amber nearly shot me with a fucking gun!"

"What?" Victoria swallowed back everything she was going to say, nearly freezing in her seat. "Where the hell did Amber get a gun?"

"Don't know. She was insane, Vic." Nathan dug in his pocket for his lighter and a pack of smokes, impatiently grabbing a cigarette from the dirty box and lit it in his mouth while he was talking. "She was going to kill me."

There were too many questions she wanted to ask, and more explanations needed to be given, but the only thing Victoria could do was sigh loudly. Just the thought of Rachel Amber having a gun in a situation Nathan still wasn't explaining was putting her weirdly on edge. She was capable of a lot of things, almost like she had a chokehold on the town where anyone could bend at her will, but wielding a weapon had to have come as a last straw. She had never gone that far before, or at least what Victoria had ever seen. Also, the fact that she had completely removed herself from any status she had at Blackwell seemingly overnight to live a secret life with Chloe was bizarre. Keeping her distance, Victoria had not spoken to her since she had seen her at the diner months ago. Now, Rachel appeared to be happy from whatever fake personality she was putting on but was acting way too clingy with Chloe in every instance she saw them in. It was just like years ago when they would disrupt class or hang on each other like they were connected at the hip. That, and the other girl they both hung around seemed to be too much of a hipster to fit their personality, let alone want to be within 10 feet of them.

"That slut thinks she's better than us." Victoria finally said, stirring the ice around in her tea with the glass straw. "I'm tired of it."

"And her stupid little bitch had to show up, too." Nathan scoffed before taking another drag of his cigarette, flicking the lighter still in his hand open and closed in a rhythmic way. A little chunk of ash fell on the table, irritatingly close to Victoria's drink. "I taught her a lesson, though. I did."

She narrowed her eyes. "Chloe Price?"

He nodded, then the lighter clicked again. Then again. Click. Click.

"We all saw that one coming." Victoria rolled her eyes dismissively. She was about to throw the damn lighter off the hill if he clicked it one more time, let alone how much he was waving around the cigarette over her iced tea. She bit her lip to hold back from saying anything that might further provoke him. "You know, they both work at the diner now. You should see them, Nate. They were practically eye-fucking at the counter when I went in."

"Oh, I saw." He grinned, taking a final puff of the smoke before putting it out on the bench. "They were doing that shit in front of me, too."

"I'm sure it won't last long." Victoria sighed, debating if she wanted to have her own smoke with the lingering scent in the air causing urges, but decided against it at the last minute. It was just another thing for her to deal with anyway. "But with the way they act together, I'm surprised one of them didn't propose already."

"There's no way that's gonna happen. Way too traditional."

"People surprise you." Victoria just shrugged. "But you're probably right. I just want to see how fast they would get a divorce."

Nathan let out a small chuckle at the thought before another family walked around the corner, instantly stopping in their place when they saw that it was occupied. The mom gave the two a nasty glare, clearly smelling the smoke, and rushed her daughter behind her as they left. Victoria and Nathan shared a knowing look before he bent over to put the backpack next to him, unzipping it and pulling out a large notebook.

"Should I put them on the list?" He clicked the pen before flipping the page over to show the entire list of names invited to the biggest summer party they had been planning for months.

There were at least 100 people on that list from what Victoria could tell, filling the entire page and then some.

"Make them VIP while you're at it." Victoria smirked, taking a sip of her tea that was quickly becoming lukewarm. "And add their little friend, too. I think I heard them say that her name was Max."

A quick scratch of a pen, followed by a rapid flipping of the pages like he was looking for something specific. The entire time Victoria watched Nathan, trying to catch glimpses of everything that was being written down in the notebook but was unsuccessful. This party was a large event, larger than any other Vortex Club party combined. It was going to invite nearly everyone from Blackwell and the chance for each person to bring a plus one, taking place in Nathan's family's backyard. A safe space, they both assumed, where any legal trouble that could possibly arise would be avoided. A live DJ would also be present, on top of promised drugs and alcohol. A perfect combination for a disaster Victoria knew all too well.

Inviting Rachel, Chloe, and Max was almost like a strategy move. A complex game of social reputation that Victoria was going to completely demolish. She didn't have the chance months prior to figure out what was going on between the unexpected trio, but during the night of the party, she would take the opportunity and run with it. The days were counting down fast, and there were only two weeks left before the event would take place. Even better was that the night Nathan decided on was on the day everyone was starkly aware of. Rachel's 19th birthday.

Victoria gave another glance over into the notebook, now that Nathan had focused back on the list of names, and briefly moved it towards her to look at everyone that was attending. She had to know what to expect after all.

"Nathan, I think you messed up." She frowned at the name sitting near the bottom. A name she didn't expect to ever see again. "She's been missing for like, years ."

He took the notebook back to look for himself, and sure enough, a mistake was not made on his part. Kelly Davis was written in permanent ink underneath the large groups of people they both didn't know very well who were mostly underclassmen.

"I heard she was coming back to Blackwell." Nathan said plainly before writing down something else on the page. He acted like everyone in town knew about it, not getting too upset by the news.

"They found her? Holy shit." Victoria nearly choked on her drink as she was sipping the remains of the now warm tea. It tasted bitter but not in a good way. Gross. "She stayed down the hall from me. Room 217."

"I've never met her."

"She was quiet, I guess. I never saw her with anyone." Her voice had quieted, talking in a methodical way that was only done because she didn't even believe the words coming from her mouth. Kelly Davis was alive . There was no explanation for her absence, just general speculation that fizzled out years ago. That, and the fact that her name was briefly mentioned during the trial as she had a specified red binder with her name on it, but that was all she knew.

Between the death of Mark Jefferson, a teacher she planned so dearly on having her last year of school, and with how Nathan had been acting over the past couple of weeks, the entire thing was incredibly off-putting. There was an immense amount of strangeness that plagued Arcadia Bay as of recently, with it only becoming more noticeable with Rachel Amber. She was the one to start it, Victoria assumed, leading a chain of unpredictable behaviors to follow after her. Yet, having Rachel in the same environment with her was practically the main reason she even wanted to have the summer party to begin with.


Leaving the comforts behind them and venturing off into the night, Chloe and Rachel steadily approached the house, gently rolling by the edge of the curb before the truck was parked. Nighttime harbored a lot of interesting feelings, especially as of late, only making the real reason they were back at Rachel's house in the first place more daunting.

There was stillness in the air, with crickets chirping and the sound of nightly ambiance resonating throughout the neighborhood. The exterior of the house bore a strikingly similar look to the night after the play years ago, with the warm glow from the small porch light hanging near the door and the windows emitting a sort of light that only indicated that people were living inside.

"Hey, you don't owe them anything." Chloe shut the driver's side door and joined Rachel on the sidewalk, who appeared to be more nervous than she wanted to let on. "If they say something shitty, I'll be right next to you."

A small nod was given as Rachel clutched onto Chloe's arm, both walking up to the front door together. There was no ash falling from the sky this time, or even the awkwardness of the beginning of a relationship. The only feeling was one of comfort, at least when they were with each other, where both of them knew that nothing was going to happen that they couldn't handle. Rachel was not alone this time to deal with whatever her father had wanted from her. The short and brief text message from David a few days ago was unexpected, yet at the same time, oddly reassuring when he had mentioned that James wanted to speak to her. A lot had happened and changed since the last time they had all seen each other, and the chance for something better, even a small minute chance if that, was worth the uncomfortable feelings.

Chloe and Rachel were huddled close to each other, patiently waiting for someone to answer the door. Chloe had knocked several times already, but they couldn't just walk in uninvited. It felt almost inappropriate to intrude without sufficient warning that they were there. At first, Rachel's key didn't work, which only meant one frustrating thing: they had changed the locks sometime after she left. The hint was most definitely taken that she was not welcomed back to the house, making her start to worry if her past bedroom would be completely remodeled now. It wouldn't be surprising, she thought, because if they had the audacity to make sure she never came back, who knew what else they would get rid of.

Without warning, the front door clicked open and Rose stood in the door frame looking rather shocked to see more than just her daughter waiting outside.

"Oh, Rachel, you brought Chloe?"

Chloe glared at her and Rachel tightened her grip around her arm, making her correct herself. They both had no energy to deal with making anyone else uncomfortable. If Rose or James didn't approve of them being together, that was their loss.

"I'm glad that you're joining us tonight." Rose quickly added and smiled genuinely, before shifting out of the doorway to allow the two inside. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Dinner should be ready in a couple of minutes."

She swiftly made her way back into the kitchen after closing the door, leaving Chloe and Rachel to stand in the front foyer without much else to do. James was nowhere in sight. The house looked exactly the same as it did before. Rachel peaked around the corner and shrugged, as there really wasn't much to see, before walking Chloe into the small living room where the small couch sat. The grandfather clock from the dining room was ticking loudly, leaving the atmosphere to feel rather uncomfortable. It was almost like they were being watched.

"Well," Chloe sat down, lifting her arm up behind Rachel's shoulder to hold her closer. "This is awkward."

"Tell me about it." Rachel sighed quietly. She did not want to be there, sitting in the house she was kicked out of months ago. While it was comforting to have Chloe with her, it still wasn't taking away the weirdness of it all. "The last time I talked to them, they told me that they wanted nothing to do with me. Now they want to act like everything's okay? It's bullshit."

"I won't let them do anything."

"Believe me, I won't either." Rachel said through gritted teeth, thinking of every possibility of what could go wrong. Anything involving her parents had a large chance of going terribly awry, ending in an argument or more. She didn't want to take the risk of going down the path of more resistance, but depending on what was going to be said tonight, she wasn't sure she had a chance.

The last time Rachel was at her own home she had rushed packing a duffel bag together to leave with Chloe the next day. It was filled with mostly clothes, but there was something she forgot. Something all too significant. Tucked away in the drawer of her desk were several letters from Sera written to her over the years. Rachel could never respond to them, crumpling up the paper at the last second before stuffing it in the envelope to send to her. She was sure that nobody else knew about them except for herself; Chloe had no idea that Sera kept in contact, believing the lie that she wanted nothing to do with her daughter. Especially since this was likely her last time at this house, if Rachel didn't take those letters with her that night, she might never have the chance to meet with Sera in the future.

"I want to go up to my room after dinner." Rachel suddenly added, as her determination to get those small pieces of paper wasn't going to be stopped. She lightly tapped Chloe's thigh, almost like a reminder to herself that she wouldn't forget something so important. She didn't even realize she was doing it until it was too late. "There's some things I forgot to pack with me the first time." She barely choked out, feeling immediately warm in her face.

"Like what?" Chloe looked down at her hand that rested on her thigh, grinning with something on her mind. A dangerous wink was given as she traced her thumb across her skin. "Something fun for later?"

"It's a possibility." She winked back, but hesitated almost like she was feeling shy. A single touch could lead to so much more. A road with no chance for a U-turn. "But really, it's just some sentimental things."

"And how long is this going to take?" Chloe was starting to lean in closer to tempt her, but she already knew that it was working. While Rose was only a couple of feet away and could definitely hear their entire conversation, she didn't care. Her finger wrapped around the blonde hair, twisting it slowly then releasing it.

"What? Did you have something you wanted to do?" Rachel smiled softly, feeling every touch on her skin like a fading burn. She was so close to losing herself even if it wasn't taking much to do so. She was giving up too easily, falling right into Chloe's trap.

It was anything to distract her from the storm brewing at the approaching dinnertime. An unexplained and un-forecasted weather event that had the potential to wreak havoc on every single one of them. Luckily there was no glass covering the top of the table now.

"A little revenge never hurt anyone." Chloe's voice got dangerously soft, inching her hand up to her belt loop, pulling her closer with a single finger. The motion was seemingly well received, as a quiet moan in her ear drew her in more.

"You're speaking my language, Price." Rachel hummed back, taking Chloe by her chin to slowly close in on a kiss, but stopped at the last moment to whisper on her lips. "Fuck my parents."

"I'd rather fuck you."

Rachel purred as she felt Chloe's hands start to creep underneath her shirt, pushing herself to go further until they completely forgot where they were. Chloe kept feeling the district fabric of lace grazing against her fingertips, causing her to lift up her shirt ever so slightly, only to see a matching red lace set perfectly paired like it was planned long ago.

"What's this?" Chloe could barely speak, grinning wildly at the sight. Rachel had never done something like that before, and certainly not any time recently. "Where'd you get it?"

"Don't worry about it." Rachel smirked, impatiently kissing her hard without warning, with a fire quickly being started. The two could get out of hand fast, pushing everything else to the side when they were together.

The flames burned so hot that at first, neither of them heard the office door open and someone steadily approaching them. Then a loud cough was given by no one other than James, not appearing too happy with the public affection that was happening in his living room. Chloe immediately pulled away and turned red, only to get a frustrated look from Rachel.

James was frozen in his place, staring at the girls like he was horrified at the scene. He was left speechless. The three just gave each other an irritated look, until out of nowhere, Rachel pulled Chloe back, fully diving back into the action in front of him. Chloe tensed up initially, but melted back in like she always did. Oh, revenge was sweet. She could hear James' sigh echo throughout the entire household.

Dinner couldn't come fast enough.

The table was set rather elegantly, lit with several candles in the middle and freshly ironed placemats beneath the gold-threaded plates. Either they were trying to impress Rachel, or it was a ploy for something worse to come. Clinking dishes filled the air, and yet another chicken dish was served alongside several sides that were carefully arranged. It wasn't chicken-a-la-king like before, the night all was finally revealed about Rachel's birth mom, but the chicken was starting to get annoying. Was it going to be a precursor to what they were going to talk about?

The four of them had just started eating, having just finished dishing themselves up with the steaming hot food. It hadn't even been five minutes since they had sat down.

"So what about that fire?" Rose said completely out of nowhere, her words hanging in the air like a heavy weight.

"Dinner's really good, Mom." Rachel choked out, reaching for the glass of water so graciously provided as she was practically dying from the food suddenly going down the wrong side. This was only just the beginning, she assumed. A perfect starter question for a great discussion. Not.

"Thank you, Rachel." Rose smiled genuinely back at her, taking a moment to formulate her thoughts before continuing.

If this was how dinner was going to go, Rachel wanted no part of it. A small hand squeeze from Chloe underneath the table was able to center her again, bringing her back to reality. The subtle touch was all she needed to protect herself from the conversation and her own unending nerves. She wasn't the one to blame this time for the fire anyway.

"I heard that somebody had called the fire department just in time. We are all very fortunate that it didn't turn out to be another forest fire."

"A lucky chance, I suppose." James finally spoke up from keeping his head down from the rest of the world, speaking so cold it felt more like a business meeting than a family dinner. "The commissioner's office suggested arson, but it's very concerning that a nearly identical situation happened over three years ago."

The clock that sat behind the table seemed to be louder than usual, or maybe it was just because Rachel felt incredibly on edge with the discomfort growing every second. Of everything they could have talked about, was this really the reason she and Chloe were invited over? Just to talk about the Prescotts' barn burning to the ground when the only one to blame was Nathan?

"Well, whoever called in to report the fire is nothing short of a hero." Rose reached across the table to grab the salt and pepper for James, but in passing kept a watchful gaze over Rachel in particular. It wasn't necessarily because she did something wrong, more like she had something to say to her. Yet for some reason, she couldn't.

"I would assume that only someone with a sort of…" Chloe grinned, trying to find the right word. "Intuition…would know to call in."

Rachel raised an eyebrow at her, only to get a playful wink back. Chloe just had to make subtle hints at the three of them being there, digging them both into a hole Rachel was nervous she couldn't get out of. She didn't need her parents, if they were even that anymore, to know about what had happened that night. They would be just fine not having all of the details.

"That is an interesting perspective, Chloe." Rose watched the two exchange glances. "What do you mean by 'intuition'?"

"Well, they had to have known, right?" She was practically talking with her mouth open from piling the food in, so badly that Rachel gave her an irritated look. She had to choke back on the food before continuing. "Almost like they were there."

"Are you suggesting that they caused the fire?" James snapped back.

"No way!" Chloe's voice got louder than she had anticipated, making Rachel now grasp onto her arm for her to get the hint to calm down. "No," She cleared her throat, took a sip of water, and tried again. Eating and talking was so difficult sometimes. "I don't think they did. Who calls in to report themselves anyway? That's dumb."

"A person cannot be judged so quickly." James' face was so tight he might as well force out a few wrinkles while he was at it. The glare he gave Chloe was intense, forcing her to sit awkwardly back in her seat. "Nobody can know what they were going through at the time of the crime."

"I'm pretty sure I know." Chloe muttered under her breath, but figured only Rachel heard because James had no reaction. Of course he didn't, he didn't like Chloe in the slightest. It made everything more uncomfortable as she could tell from the moment they laid eyes on each other that he didn't expect to see her in his house. It was pathetic. She had every right to be there.

The room went eerily still, with it appearing like Rachel and Chloe were the only ones eating the food that was now starting to taste awfully unappetizing. James briefly shot Rose a look, only indicating that whatever conversation they wanted to have for months was going to happen. The talk about the fire was all a distraction anyway.

"Rachel, the reason we invited you over is because we wanted to discuss your future." James slid his plate forward and placed the silverware on top, brushing his hands on the napkin from his lap, really drawing out the words he wanted to say. "From where we left off several months ago, your mother and I are rather concerned regarding your past and the decisions you have made for yourself. In addition to your drug abuse and other destructive behaviors, we need to know what you plan on doing going forward."

Rachel dropped her fork with a loud clang following the impact. She briefly glanced over at Chloe who wanted to say something so badly, visibly fuming just by looking in her eyes, but she stopped her. She had to hear everything James was going to say first. She always did assume that the past couple of months were going to be brought up again. There was no escaping it anymore. She learned that too well. Yet, the way James approached it was already pointing fingers. He wasn't going to take any accountability for what happened. But Rachel's past was the past. They were comparing her to a version that didn't even exist anymore.

"Aside from your obnoxious relationship choices," He added, narrowing his eyes sharply on Chloe.

The look alone made Chloe want to stand up and do something regrettable, even though she knew it wouldn't be good for anyone involved. Her self control was wearing thin with every passing moment. Rachel was moving around the cold food on her plate, eyes glued down to the floor. Her ears were starting to ring loudly. It was all too much.

"James." Rose just sighed heavily.

"What made you believe that it was okay to leave with Chloe and stay at her house for months, without communicating to us about what you were doing?"

"She didn't owe you an explanation!" Chloe forcefully stood up, almost knocking over her chair behind her. She could hear Rachel groaning next to her, hiding behind her hands in frustration, but she couldn't see her get treated this way over her. It was the first thing she promised before entering the house, and it was going to happen no matter the cost. Fuck waiting. The self control had completely gone out the window. "You practically told her that she wasn't your daughter anymore! I had to do what you refused to do!"

"I see that nothing remains private at your house, Chloe." James leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms self-assuredly. "I said nothing of the sort."

"Oh?" Chloe scoffed, forcing herself to lean over the table closer to him. The candles shook on the movement. "Are you trying to gaslight us?"

"Rachel has had a history of drug abuse just like Sera." James stated matter of factly, but had completely tuned out Chloe and whatever she was going to say next, directing his attention solely on his daughter, who was too distracted by the small immediate space in front of her to respond. Chloe acted more upset than she was, fists clenched tightly as if she dared to hit him. "I know exactly what kind of person you have become."

The words became daggers, cutting deep into every single insecurity and fear Rachel had left in her. There was nothing that would even come out of her mouth if she tried to speak, throat so dry that the air was tight and restrictive against it on every breath. She wasn't going to repeat any more times how she fucked up, how her life sucked, and how everything was different now. If she had to have that conversation again she was going to completely lose it. Rachel knew that if James didn't care that she was in a life-threatening condition at the hospital, he wasn't going to care now. She didn't have a father anymore, the process of grieving lasted years, but now there was nothing she could do about it. Not a single explanation would make any difference anyway.

"Have you been abusing drugs with Chloe?" He pressed further, digging in more and more to see how far he could go. The slight movement of the chair inched him closer to Rachel who fully decided to not pay any attention to him. "Is that why you wanted to stay with her?"

"James…" Rose was becoming enraged, a side of herself she never wanted to show, trying to hold back as much as she could. She didn't know James was going to go this far, and just glancing over at Chloe told her that she wasn't the only one upset.

"Let alone the fact that I had to pull numerous strings just to have you graduate Blackwell instead of sending you back in the fall for the semester." James scooted even closer, practically in Rachel's face now. He was getting way too close to her, close enough for Chloe and Rose to get uncomfortable. He was waiting to confront her for months. "Do you really believe that reckless choices like these have no consequences? What were you thinking?"

"Maybe I don't want that life you want me to have." Rachel finally muttered under her breath, leaving her expression void of emotion. "You've never asked me what I wanted to do. It was always about you."

"Oh?" It was as if James was surprised she stood up for herself. "So what do you want to do, Rachel?"

"We'll figure it out together." Chloe interrupted and put her hand on the back on her chair to steady herself. "There's this really cool thing called the internet ."

The shiny mahogany wood felt expensive against her palm; They spent way too much on this table to replace the other broken one. Yet, no matter how many years went by, there was still not a scratch to be found. It lacked a lot of personality being left so perfect, but maybe that was the point. A complete reflection of Rachel's parents and their personalities combined.

James let out a heavy sigh. "So you don't have a plan, is that what I'm hearing?"

"No!" Chloe fired right back at him. He was sitting there so smug that it was really getting on her nerves. "But I didn't know that we had to give you a damn itinerary list of our entire lives."

"We're moving to Santa Monica by the end of the year." Rachel announced impatiently, tired of the back and forth that was giving her a throbbing headache. She started to stand up to join Chloe which only caused James and Rose to follow her moves. "Our best friend, Max, will be living with us," Chloe gave her a soft smile at the mention of Max, but she wasn't done just yet. This was the one and only chance for her to clear the air for everyone, solidifying herself in the plan. "And we're all working at the diner right now to get the cash to leave. We already have several thousand saved, and no, we haven't spent any of it." A final eye roll was given before she confidently stood in front of her father face to face. Everything he brought up was wrong. So incredibly wrong. "I've also been clean since April, since you seem to care. I haven't done shit for months. Comparing me to Sera and calling me an addict is laughable, really."

James pinched the bridge of his nose, swallowing back every single rebuttal he was going to give back.

"That has to be good enough for you, right?" Rachel demanded, running out of patience. "What more do you want me to fucking say?"

The room felt like it was at a standstill, waiting on whatever his response was going to be. He was taking too long to answer. The clock seemed to be extra loud, showing the time being well past nine o'clock. While it wasn't necessarily late, it felt like he was dragging it out on purpose. Rose was starting to bring some of the plates into the kitchen, sensing that the actual dinner portion of the night was over.

"Good luck, then." James briefly said as he followed Rose with the salad bowl. His voice carried throughout the house for a moment.

Chloe and Rachel just looked at each other, still standing by their chairs.

"I certainly don't agree with your choice and I wish that you would be with someone more respectable," He turned around to make a point to look at Chloe once more. "But to each their own, I suppose."

"Respectable?" Rachel hissed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" A plate was taken by Chloe, now wanting to follow the conversation that apparently led into the other room. "That I'm a delinquent? A 'broken girl from a broken home'?" The plate crashed hard on the countertop making her send a nervous glance over to Rose, who brushed it off in sympathy. "Look who's talking now. Your own daughter is one, isn't she? Just admit it." She inched so close to James, pushing herself to the edge. Every word was drawn out carefully and purposefully. "You have a broken family."

Whether it was because personal boundaries were crossed or the fact that Chloe had the audacity to approach him like that sent James into his final blow of rage. The buttons were indeed being pushed, and while he thought he was being generous with his limited approval, apparently it wasn't good enough for anyone else.

"You have done nothing but destroy our lives over the years." He barked, taking every chance to point at her eye that was previously ignored the entire night. The small bruise was barely noticeable by now but he didn't care. "I knew from the moment I saw you tonight that you were going to be trouble."

"That's enough, James!" Rose's voice rang out, finally doing the one thing that was so desperately needed. "I will not have you continue to speak to her like this."

Chloe backed up slowly, only to feel Rachel come up from behind her and settle into her arms.

"This was a mistake. We shouldn't have come over." She let out a heavy sigh. Her hopes that maybe everything had changed over the months gone without seeing them and it wasn't just her who had grown, had completely left. "I knew you couldn't have a normal fucking conversation even if it killed you."

The tension in the room was suffocating, causing silence to immediately take hold. Everybody stood still not quite knowing what to say. Without warning, James abruptly and not saying a single word, pushed past everything in his way to disappear in his office. Each step shook the house, echoing loudly against the wood floor. When he reached the door, he slammed it shut with the sound of the little keypad being entered from the inside.

For someone that was supposedly the District Attorney, he sure couldn't handle conflict.

Now it was down to three. The plates of food were scattered throughout the countertops and Rose could only look around at the mess she was going to be forced to clean up herself. Chloe and Rachel stood still, not quite knowing what to do. It was incredibly uncomfortable.

"Rachel?" Rose cautiously made her way around the kitchen island over to her, still tangled up with Chloe. She felt terrible for disrupting them any more that night, but there was something important she needed to do. Her voice was quieted and low, hoping to be the calming presence they all needed at the moment. "Can we speak outside for a moment?"

Rachel hesitated, glancing up at Chloe who gently freed her from her grasp and leaned in to place a small kiss on her cheek.

"I promise it won't take long." Rose gently added, smiling at the two visibly not wanting to leave each other.

A small nod was given and Rachel followed her out the back door where the patio lay. The only illumination provided was from the pathway lights around the outskirts of the grass, leaving the nighttime shades to take over. It had been a while since Rose had a one-on-one conversation with Rachel. The last time they spoke was briefly at the hospital, and the times before that were so rare that it didn't even count. She always seemed to have a motherly protection over her, still, after the years that followed the discovery about Sera, but it was never the same. They used to share so many moments together, and yet now it just felt awkward. Rachel leaned back on the cold metal railing, waiting.

"There is so much that I could say, but I'm not sure it will make a difference." Rose joined her by her side, looking out into the backyard that was covered in a thick blanket of darkness. "I just want you to know that I am here for you, even if I do a poor job at showing it."

The only thing Rachel could do was nod back slowly. There were too many questions at where the conversation was going to lead, especially with how rushed Rose seemed to be. It was unlike her.

"For the past couple of months, James wouldn't let me be near you. As ridiculous as it sounds, it's true. I could barely make it to your trial." A saddened expression washed over her face, but it wasn't one Rachel could see unless she turned to look at her. Rose bowed her head down mournfully. "When I learned that you were in the hospital, I was completely devastated. I couldn't believe that something so horrible had happened to you. I can't even imagine what that was like."

"You didn't do anything to help." Rachel remarked quietly. She felt tense, and the small breeze felt sharp against her skin. Everything was stinging. "Not a single thing."

"I know. I've thought about that every day that has gone by since." Rose reached over to put her hand on her shoulder but felt how stiff she immediately got. It was going to be hard to convince her that she cared when everything else pointed against it. "I realize that I can't do anything to change the past, but especially after hearing that you're going to live in Santa Monica with Chloe and your friend, I feel even more compelled to give you this."

She started to reach in her back pocket, pulling out a white envelope that, from the outside, looked padded and filled to the brim. There was nothing written on the exterior. No stamps or addresses marked in pen. Rose held it out for Rachel, who reluctantly grabbed it and began to tear the seal.

"I understand that it won't make up for my absence over the past few months…"

It weighed heavier than it looked. Every minute that passed, and every rip of the paper, only made it clear what was inside. Stacks of green were starting to appear.

"Mom, I–" Rachel was starting to choke on her breath. Twenty five thousand dollars, all in cash, lay tucked inside the envelope. "I can't take this."

"Yes, you can." Rose smiled back.

She took out each stack one by one, as every one was wrapped in the paper used by banks, and held them in her hands. Hundreds after hundreds appeared in each bundle. She tried to count them, but sooner than later realized that it wasn't worth it. The money was real and staring at her right in the face.

"Where did you get it from?" It was the only rational question she could come up with. Everything else went blank. The cash was laying in Rachel's arms, as she was unsure of what to do with it. It wasn't like she had seen that much money in one sitting, let alone holding it and being able to call it her own. Twenty five thousand dollars. All for her.

"I've been wanting to give you it for a long time." Rose's hand was placed on her shoulder again, this time being more welcomed. "The exact source of where I got it will stay private."

Rose and secrets was an interesting combination. She would never admit to how long the cash was saved, or who it was for originally, but at the moment none of it seemed to matter. Rachel was most likely not going to be back to see her or James any time soon, so despite the terrible timing, it needed to happen tonight.

"You will not tell anyone about this, do you understand, Rachel? This stays between you and me." A quick glance over to the window to check for anyone that might have been curious to watch, then she returned back to her after accepting that they were being left alone. "Not even Chloe can know."

"Why can't she know?" Rachel frowned intensely, feeling her stomach tighten. Keeping something so big away from Chloe seemed like the worst possible thing she could do. They had both spent so much time getting back on track that this was putting them back to beginning all over again. "We could leave tomorrow , Mom. This is a big deal."

"I know it's hard to keep such big secrets from the people you care about, but you have to trust me."

The paper in her hands felt fake. Everything felt wrong. A part of it seemed intentional, although the pieces were starting to come together when Rachel thought back to dinner and how strange Rose had been acting. It didn't seem like James had any idea that this was happening, only making the amount of money hit harder than she wanted. It changed everything going forward. Not only could it pay for an apartment for several months, rendering the camper pointless, but the three of them were now able to live comfortably without the stress of overworking. There were too many options to toy with, too many possibilities that were never able to be dreamed of.

"Thank you. I don't even know what to say." Rachel leaned in to give her a hug, something that she wouldn't have done before, yet it somehow felt appropriate. The least she could do was show a bit of appreciation for the free cash that she felt like she did nothing to deserve.

"I completely understand. I'm sure it's very overwhelming for you." Rose lingered in the embrace for a moment longer before letting go. Her gaze remained steadily on Rachel, watching as she was fidgeting with the envelope in a way that only seemed like she felt uncomfortable. She didn't blame her in the slightest. "I would love to have you visit us in Long Beach, but I won't force you to do something you're not comfortable doing. Especially as it involves James."

Rachel nodded carefully. "When are you going back?"

"We're hoping for the beginning of August, but he keeps changing the date due to work. I wouldn't be surprised if it's near Christmas." She laughed lightly, but was starting to notice Rachel's pulled back demeanor sensing that she wanted to go back inside. "I won't keep you out here any longer, but I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you, Rachel. I'm so glad that you and Chloe have found each other. When you meet someone who changes everything, you just know."

"You really do." Rachel smiled briefly before stuffing the thick envelope in the back of her jeans, covering it with her shirt in between her waistband as it was too big and noticeable for the pocket. She had no idea how she was going to keep it out of sight from Chloe for the time being, as even though she didn't want to trust Rose on hiding any more secrets, showing Chloe the massive amount of money right now would only cause more problems. They both didn't need that tonight.


"Come on, star girl. I have something I want to show you." Chloe extended her hand out to Rachel which was grabbed without hesitation. While she was outside, she did something that was out of the ordinary for her, but felt right for some reason. A final goodbye to the room that seemed to start it all.

"A surprise?"

Rachel raised her eyebrow at the suggestion. She wasn't gone for long enough for anything big to have been done, although the idea was tempting enough to entertain her for a little while.

"Kind of." Chloe murmured, finally making it to the top of the stairs. Her hand grasped onto the door's handle, but paused for a moment to draw out the suspense. She was slightly nervous at what the reaction would be, but figured that anything after what happened at dinner would be welcomed. It was still a hope, though. "I'm sure if you thought about it hard enough, you'd figure it out."

The door was promptly opened with swirls of blue and purple instantly filling the room. The makeshift light-turned-star projector was resting on Rachel's desk, shining the entire galaxy onto every space it could. Chloe guided her inside slowly, not breaking any eye contact. She was starting to pull her into a dance on each step when the subtle sound of music was heard. It played from the stereo system over in the bookshelf, but it wasn't something for a mosh pit, it was painfully slow and romantic.

"Chloe…" Rachel whined, feeling her hand being lifted as Chloe kissed it gently.

"You took so much with you that there wasn't really a lot to work with."

"I don't care." She looked upwards at the starry sky painted on the ceiling, smiling. "I love it. I always have."

This was all too much. Rachel was supposed to hate being back at her house, but this was starting to change her mind. And making her feel more guilty. From the music that didn't sound like anything she had, meaning that Chloe had likely planned this in advance, to the attention to subtle details was making her melt right then and there.

"One day, I'm taking you somewhere to stargaze for real. Hopefully in Cali." Chloe shuffled herself back to shut the door, locking it so there wouldn't be any unexpected visitors showing up. She thought the motion would go unnoticed, but it was anything but that.

"I'll hold you to that." Rachel smirked. The plan for the evening was loud and clear even if no one said anything specifically.

A gentle touch was felt from behind her, then crept along her side and around her waist, with a finger dancing on one of the belt loops. The envelope filled with the money was right there, waiting to be discovered and called out. Rachel immediately became frozen. It was piercing into her skin from inside her pants, barely being missed by Chloe's hand. She was trying to be gentle, intending the movement to be taken differently, but every thought and action in Rachel's mind pointed back to that envelope. She couldn't relax or do anything else but try to find a moment when she could hide it somewhere. That, and the letters from Sera she so urgently needed. Chloe clearly had something else on her mind at that moment, and Rachel really didn't want to delay whatever she had planned, leaving it only more difficult to ignore. As Chloe finally made her way around to meet her once more, a feeling of dread washed over her. Rachel stood completely still.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She frowned, watching her face for a reaction but was left even more concerned when nothing was given. "Did I do something?"

Rachel blinked, trying to snap herself out of the money quite literally burning a hole in her pocket.

"No," She eagerly shook her head, hearing the words but not being present enough to answer them fully. She was too busy scanning the area for something she could use to store the stacks of cash and letters. The backpack that she used at school could work, propped up on its side near the desk. "I need to grab some stuff really quick."

Chloe just looked back at her suspiciously. "What kind of stuff?"

"Just some personal shit that I forgot. That's what I told you earlier, Chloe." Rachel explained, but it came out more aggressive than she intended, leaving her no choice but to overcompensate with a quick kiss that ended up being not so quick after all.

Impatiently she pulled away, leaving Chloe to stand in the middle of the room unable to make sense of anything that was happening. Yet, without wasting any more time, Rachel hurried to her desk, searching underneath the piles of old homework and textbooks, only to discover the letters she had been looking for hidden in one of the drawers. There were several of them, all dated from years ago, but they were there. Rachel briefly glanced behind her only to see Chloe now over by the corkboard on the wall, looking at it intently. She felt terrible at ruining her surprise by insisting on packing up mysterious belongings that she still didn't explain, but there really wasn't a choice. Avoiding a lengthy conversation about Sera wasn't on the list of priorities for that night. She would try to make up for it, though.

"Do you remember our first time?" Rachel abruptly asked with the sound of the backpack being unzipped following. The envelope from Rose was immediately placed inside before she moved on to the letters. It already felt like a weight was taken off of her.

"Yeah," Chloe peered around, confused at the sudden question. "Wasn't it at the junkyard?"

"It was right here." Rachel pointed to her bed with the stacks of letters in her hand, frozen in time, glaringly obvious if Chloe looked at her closely. At least it was partially dark in the room. "Did you seriously forget?"

"No," She shook her head and leaned back against the dresser to think. "It was on that couch and you broke your nail."

"It was after I left the hospital. We came over to my house and…" Upon standing up with the backpack now zipped tightly and held around her wrist, Rachel paused and smiled softly at the memory appearing in her mind. She could already feel herself relaxing now that everything was ready to be taken back home, finally able to move on to the next order of business which was always going to be Chloe. "And I was so nervous." Rachel tucked a strand of hair behind her ear timidly. "It was my first time with anyone."

"And I didn't believe you…" Chloe drew out the words as the image was starting to come back fully. They were so young and reckless. So naïve to the future that awaited.

Beginning to carry the backpack over to the door and placing it down by the floor, Rachel casually made her way over to Chloe who was waiting so patiently for her. She didn't appear to be upset, which was relieving. As soon as she got close enough, Chloe reached for a hold of her hand and put it up on her shoulder.

"…But I showed you."

"You took my hand and led the way." Rachel spoke quietly as her fingers intertwined with Chloe's other hand. She followed her gentle movements, allowing herself to be led in a slow, rhythmic way.

They were dancing ever so gently, back and forth in a sort of sway that only they knew how to do. The room seemed to fade away at that moment. Rachel was speechless. She had never seen Chloe be like this before.

"You gave me everything." Chloe mumbled so low that it gave her chills.

"Everything and more."

An unexpected spin followed, with Chloe's hand gently grasping hers around in a small circle. The world around her blurred and turned into a haze of stars. Then she did it again, with Rachel's laughter echoing throughout the room, letting a raw vulnerability spill out. Something was happening. Something was being released. Whether it was superficial or not, Rachel felt free. Out of control, but in a comforting way.

"What's this all about?" She landed back in her grasp, breath heavy from the rush of energy. "Trying to win me over or something?"

"I've already won." Chloe smirked, but instantly felt her face go red after Rachel wouldn't stop looking at her in such an intense way, eyes glimmering under the lights. Maybe that star projector was a bad idea. "But I've always wanted to, I just," She cleared her throat like it would divert the attention on her. And she thought she could get away with it. "Sorry, it's weird isn't it."

"I think it's sweet." Rachel reached up to hold her face, placing a small kiss on her lips. Watching Chloe get flustered was always enjoyable to watch. Even more so when she tried so hard to hide it. "It's a nice change of pace. I wish you did this more."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Rachel nodded, brushing her thumb delicately against the bruise on her cheek. She was so strong when she needed to be, but now it was her turn. "When was the last time you took me on an actual date?"

"You always told me that wasn't your thing." Chloe raised her eyebrow.

A date. A topic that was rarely brought up in the past, now it only made sense to do. A part of her was starting to feel guilty, while the other remained confused, mostly because neither of them were interested in it years ago. It wasn't like they were official either, so the subject of being remotely romantic in any way wasn't touched on. They enjoyed the spontaneity of life, not planned out special occasions. Though, maybe that was just what they both needed now. A change in routine.

"Then I guess you owe me one when you get back from your trip." Rachel winked but got a long sigh in return.

Despite how adamantly against it Chloe seemed to be, she knew deep down that she would get her to do it. It might take a bit of convincing, but she would.

"Will this include a candlelit dinner and long walks on the beach?" Chloe mockingly added but Rachel wasn't having it. She nestled herself up more into her arms, playing with the blue hair that so desperately needed a good trim, twirling a strand in between her fingers sensually.

"Now that you mention it," A mischievous glint appeared in Rachel's eyes, a deadly one if left provoked. "I'm going to expect all of that and more."

"Great. I can't wait." Chloe rolled her eyes, but a smile appeared every so slowly in the corner of her mouth as she felt her hair being pulled tighter, wrapping coarsely around Rachel's finger. It was becoming hard to ignore now.

Rachel was winning the little game of payback they were playing, she knew it well. The music in the background seemed to fade back into their awareness with the sounds filling the space again. It felt safe, almost like their own little world that wasn't connected to the rest of the house.

She watched Chloe carefully, drawing herself up closer to her parted lips, both waiting for each other's touch, but she paused right before she kissed her, like a playful tease she knew would make her frustrated. Rachel didn't push anything yet. She was waiting on the cue, the subtle invitation to let her take what was hers. It was there, but she wanted to be in control now. Chloe pleaded without saying a single word, eyes watching her every move.

"Me either." Rachel whispered before she finally closed the gap, meeting Chloe in a way that was different; A slow and gentle approach to an emotionally charged evening. She ran her fingers into her hair at the nape of her neck, feverishly wanting more.

And more was given.

Chloe's hands made their way onto her back, easing underneath her shirt before lifting it up to be thrown somewhere on the ground. She didn't know where it went, but that was for another time to figure out. Trying to coordinate anything during impassioned kisses was proving to be difficult. The red-laced lingerie was in full view now, something that she couldn't take a moment to appreciate as she felt a grasp on her wrist guiding her back onto the bed.

"Rach…" Chloe's voice came out in a raw grumble, feeling herself getting pressed against the bedding beneath her. Rachel settled herself in between her legs comfortably, already starting to peel off her shirt. "What are you doing…"

It was so different from earlier on the couch, almost like the energy had changed. Rachel went slow, taking her time to get to where she wanted. The usual passion filled, overly fiery approach was replaced with a more intimate one. A soft touch traveled up Chloe's arm, then around her neck, like a map well traveled with every road and destination marked. She was being particularly careful over every slowly healing scratch and scrape, pressing a kiss against each bruise she came across. Her strong blue pirate, the one that took the hit for her just to keep her safe, was bending to her will, allowing herself to be taken and cared for. And that was all she needed.

"Getting my revenge."