Martial Max

by MaBre85

After five years, Max returns to Arcadia Bay to attend Blackwell Academy. But she has changed. She became an expert in Martial Arts and has more self-conscious, but also has problems to manage her anger and to trust other people. As Chloe meets her again, she wants to find out what happened to her former best friend in the past five years in Seattle. -AU, no Rewind, no Dark Room-

25. Bonus Chapter: Run Away

Author's Note:

It's finally done: the promised Bonus Chapter/Alternative Ending for Martial Max!

Have fun reading it!

---

Alternative Ending: Run Away

Max

Every fiber of her body aches from exhaustion. Max just awaits the final intense pain that would make every other agony go away. But it doesn't happen. She still feels the pain as well as Kate's desperately yelled "MAX!"

Slowly, she opens her eyes again and sees the tip of Dimitri's blade, hovering in front of her face.

'What the fuck?!' she thinks and now focuses her sight on her opponent, who gives her a wry smirk.

"I guess, I defeated the Queen," he says, lowers his sword and reaches Max his hand to help her up, which the freckled girl takes thankfully.

"Hey!" Mike yells, now pointing his gun at Dimitri and Max as he closes in, "What are ya think you're doing?! Kill that slut, you Bolshevik fuck!"

Faster than a normal eye can see, the shining blade slashes through the air and connects with Mike's pistol, emitting another clanking noise before it gets beaten out of his hand. And now it's him, who has the tip of the blade barely a millimeter away from his throat.

"Mr. Brighton," Dimitri says sternly, "my family, including myself, are Cossacks. My grandfather fought honorably with the Germans against the red flood. So, if you EVER insult my family or their heritage again, I'll kill you! Besides, our contract only said that I should fight Max Caulfield, not to kill her!"

"I gave you fifteen grand!"

"For kidnapping one person and fighting the target. Tenfold it and you have my price for killing the Queen of the cage!" The assassin lowers his sword again, knowing that Mike isn't a threat to him anymore, turns his gaze towards Max and bows his head. "Max, it has been an honor for me to fight you and I'm apologizing for all your inconveniences."

He stretches out his hand once more and Max takes it, giving him a wry smile. "That's the first time you called me Max, Dimi."

"Really?!" he says in surprise, letting a chuckle follow. "Then I'll apologize for this, as well. Farewell, Maxine!"

"Yeah, see ya!"

"Hopefully, not!" replies Dimitri with a wink, sheathes his sword and walks away, vanishing into the darkness. Now, only Mike Brighton remains, since Nathan had crawled away, somewhat during the fight.

Max picks up her sword and moves in until she's face-to-face with her nemesis. "It's over, Mike! Just go back to Seattle and try to move on."

"You destroyed my family!" he replies with a venomous voice, but gets interrupted immediately by Max.

"NO!" she yells back, "You brought this upon yourself! All I ever wanted was Sam, not a war. I never wanted to hurt anybody, but…but you and your father treated Sam like an ill-bred animal and put her in a cage instead of letting her go. We would've vanished and that's it. Sam always gave a rat's ass about her heritage or your father's business. She wanted love and freedom, nothing more."

But Mike isn't impressed or even touched by Max's words. "You infected her!"

"With what?" the black-haired girl just scoffs, shaking her had in disbelief. "You don't get it, Mike. Homosexuality doesn't spread like a sickness or your stupid Nazi propaganda. Either you have it or not. But it's no use to talk with you about it anyway. I'm tired of this. Just go away and never come back, you stupid idiot!"

Not wanting to give him any more attention, Max walks past Mike, heading towards her beloved Kate with a big smile. It's finally over…or at least so she thinks, until Victoria's loud warning chimes through the night.

"MAX, WATCH IT!"

---

Victoria

Her soft hand rubs over the sore skin of her neck, trying to get rid of the still present feeling of getting choked. Together with the other members of the Vortex Club, Victoria is literally forced to watch the event that is happening on the field bellow.

Max has finally arrived and though the blonde with the pixie-cut can't understand a word that is said down there, she sees what's going on. And as both, Max and that creepy guy, draw their swords, a cold shiver runs down her spine. As soon as Taylor tightens her grip on her hand, Victoria knows that she feels the same.

With a loud clanking noise, both blades collide. It's an eerie sound, almost driving her insane and making her heart beat faster. The speed in which both fighters are moving is almost breathtaking. Nobody speaks a word. Nobody dares to make a sound. The silence is only broken when metal meets metal.

Though the actual event itself is nothing more than terrifying, Victoria sees some sort of art in this deadly dance of swords and almost wishes for her expensive camera to capture that moment. For a second she thinks about to use her phone's camera until she realizes that she can put an end to this madness by calling the police. Nobody's watching her anyway.

She's just about to call 9-1-1, as Max's scream chimes over the stadium. Not a minute and another cry later, the fight is over, Max being the one who's defeated. But than something happens that Victoria never would've expected. The fight abruptly stops and the two opponents talk with each other like normal acquaintances. Then, before the strange man leaves, there's an argument between him and this brutal guy Nathan brought with. The entire situation is simply odd and hard to understand for Victoria. She witnesses how Max picks up her sword and closes in on that broad man and fears that the black-haired girl would kill him. But instead, they have an argument and right after that, Max just walks away, heading towards Kate. Everyone seems to think that this horrific event seems to be over, not realizing that Mike has approached his gun and is already lifting it to take aim. In horror and not able to be there in time, Victoria only manages to yell a warning.

"MAX, WATCH IT!"

But it's too late.

BANG!

---

Max

"MAX, WATCH IT!"

As Max hears those warning words her still with adrenaline flooded body acts right away. She spins around and gazes down the muzzle of Mike's gun.

A shot blares through the night and Max feels a stinging, spreading pain in her chest, which, however, gets entirely suppressed as even more adrenaline gets pumped into her system. It has been a mistake to ignore Mike; to ignore the threat he still represents. A mistake that needs to be undone!

Grapping the hilt of her sword with both hands tightly, Max storms towards her enemy with a loud scream.

Another shot chimes, she feels pain in her stomach and ignores it. The next shot sends more agony through her young body while her sight gets blurry, but she pulls through.

Out of fear, Mike's eyes grow wide. In panic he tries to place another shot, but by this time it's already too late. Up to the hilt Max's blade sinks deep into his chest, piercing Mike's heart. His entire body clenches, including his hand, which causes that another bullet is released into the freckled girl's body, letting her groan.

With all the strength she has left, Max gazes deeply into Mike's shocked eyes and hisses into his face.

"You won't hurt anybody anymore!"

She sees how Mike's pupils roll back into his skull before he collapses. Unable to withstand the pull, Max follows stat, her world spinning upside-down.

For a moment, she drifts into darkness, but fights it with all her power. And as she opens her eyes again, Kate is right above her, screaming her name.

Max knows that she's severely wounded, yet she feels no pain. She feels how the warmth flows out of her body and gets replaced by coldness. Though most people would panic upon the possibility to die, Max stays calm. She has protected everyone she loves. She has made sure that Mike and his father would never hurt anybody ever again.

Her journey is now complete. The circle closed. A state of inner peace settles into Max's mind, soothing her while she realizes that she can't fight anymore.

'I'm so sorry, Katie!' is her last thought before the everlasting darkness embraces her.

---

Kate & Chloe

The blades meet and with that loud noise of metal, Kate gasps loudly and flings one arm around Chloe's body in desperate need for some hold. She feels so powerless; so hopeless as she has to watch this already uneven fight. It doesn't need a trained eye to see that Max is barely able to defend herself against Dimitri's devastating strikes.

She fears for her girlfriend's life and as she has to watch how the Russian's blade cuts her leg, Kate breaks down into tears, almost expecting the fight to be over. But to her surprise, Max is able to launch one last counterattack, which gives Kate a short glimpse of hope, before it gets crushed as Dimitri avoids most of the blow and injures Max, once more.

"MAX!" Kate screams out and if it has been a trumpet of Armageddon, everything comes to a halt. Through her misty sight she sees that the blade has stopped a few inches away from Max's neck. Being entirely overwhelmed, it takes Kate some time to comprehend what's going on in front of her. From one moment to another the tides have turned and every threat seems to be gone.

Only focused on Max, relieved that it's over and overtaken by her feelings, Kate wants nothing more than to run towards her, but gets held back by Chloe as Max picks up her sword. Now she fears for her girlfriend again. But not because she could get hurt, no. She's scared that Max might take revenge once more.

Luckily, that doesn't happen. After an argument, Max just leaves Mike standing in the rain and heads towards Kate. Overjoyed, the blonde already wants to meet her girlfriend halfway, but the movement behind her lets Kate hesitate. Unfortunately, as Victoria's warning reaches her ear, it's already too late and everything that follows happens way too fast to comprehend it.

Max acts immediately after the warning, but Mike is faster. The loud shot lets Kate's heart stop and startles her even more as the bullet flies past very close with a whirring sound. With a loud scream, Max charges at Mike. More shots are fired until both opponents stand there, almost embracing each other. Then, their bodies hit the ground.

"MAX!" Kate calls out as her mind has finally caught up to the events. Not wasting a second, she and Chloe run towards the injured girl.

"Shit!" hisses Chloe as Kate turns Max's body around and both see that her entire upper body is covered with blood, which is constantly seeping out of the four bullet holes.

"Quick, take off your shirt and press it onto her wounds!" says Kate in haste, already taking off her hoodie as well and presses it on one of the holes.

Doing what she's told to, Chloe first strips off her jacket, placing it under Max's head, and lets her shirt follow. In order to treat two wounds at once, she rips the garment into two pieces and presses them on her friend's injuries.

Surprisingly for both, Victoria joins them, doing the same with her cashmere sweater.

"I already called 9-1-1!" Dana chimes in, covering her mouth as she sees this high amount of blood that is covering everything and everyone.

Now that her wounds are taken care off, Kate checks her girlfriend's vital signs, finding that her pulse is weak and her breathing shallow. Max's gaze is absently fixed at the night's sky while blood starts to flow out of her mouth.

"Stay with me," whispers Kate with a weak voice, brushing through Max's black hair. Then, the freckled girl's blood-spotted lips begin to shiver, releasing some very quiet words.

"I…I-I…'m…s-sorry…Ka-…"

One last breath escapes her mouth before her breathing stops entirely and her still open eyes become glassy.

"Shit! Max, c'mon! Stay with us!" yells Chloe, gazing at Kate for help and starts CPR. But the blonde just sits there, her head lowered and her tears dripping down on her girlfriend's body, mixing with the red blood. "HEY! Snap out of it!" the bluenette calls at her angrily, giving the smaller girl a hard push on the shoulder.

But Kate knows better. She knows that without blood transfusion and professional medical assistance they can't do anything.

"Fuckdammit, just help me!" Chloe yells once more, letting her sight wandering around, her mouth already red-smeared from the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Kate is now crying intensively, her loud sobs shaking her body.

Victoria's face is covered by her bloody hands. It's the first time Chloe has ever seen her that devastated. Taylor is hugging her from behind, rocking her softly.

Embracing each other tightly, Dana and Juliet are shedding their tears as well.

Everyone has given up on Max, but not Chloe! The hell she will lose her best friend! Putting even more effort in it, Chloe continues CPR, while everyone else around her is already mourning.

"Fuck, Max…you can't…just return…save my ass…and then…bail on me again!" she gasps between the pumps.

"Chloe?" Kate's soft voice then chimes beside her out of a sudden, before she's tenderly turned around and embraced tightly. "It's okay."

Now having lost her focus and therefore any distraction, Chloe breaks down, crying out her emotional pain into Kate's shoulder.

---

Five days later…

The next steps will be the hardest in Kate's entire life, so far. Slowly, and with her head bowed she approaches the small rostrum that has been positioned in front of Max's casket.

Before the blond girl turns towards the reception, she gives the picture of her late girlfriend on the coffin a long gaze and a brush with her fingers, remembering everything that had happened during the last five days after Max's death.

As the ambulance had finally arrived at the football field, Max had already been dead as well as Mike. Right away, the police had taken everyone present in custody for questioning. At the station, Kate had been told that, indeed, Max's injuries had been so severe that even immediate medical attention couldn't have saved her.

The social quake that Max's death had caused shocked and changed the entire town.

The Prescott's are facing the biggest scandal in their family history, since their money had been used to pay Mike, the bribed security guards and an unknown assassin.

Nathan Prescott has to face a long sentence for kidnapping and contract killing.

The Vortex Club has been closed down and banned. One of Principal Well's last acts, before he retired as Principal of Blackwell Academy as a consequence of Max's murder that had been taken place on school property.

Feeling guilty of having been involved in and supported Nathan's doings, Victoria decided to start a new life together with Taylor and founded a new project to fight bullying at schools.

Being entirely devastated by her best friend's death, Chloe had vanished. Up until today nobody has seen or heard from her again.

During these last five days, Dana and Juliet had tried to support Kate as much as possible, but with everything that had happened during those last weeks, the small blonde had been going through a total mental breakdown. Constant crying, locking herself in her room, getting drunk…the first three days had been hell for her. She even had tried to find comfort in her faith again, but always ended up cursing on it. Everyone who wanted to comfort her got met with rage.

But as Max's funeral came closer, Kate eventually started to hold it together as she contacted Ryan and Kyra to help them organize the reception. Eventually, she got asked to hold a speech, since she has been Max's girlfriend and knows her better than anyone else. And this is what she wants to do right now.

Slowly, she turns around and lets her sight wander throughout the reception. Ryan and Kyra, Vanessa, Joyce and David, Victoria and Taylor, Dana and Juliet, Richard and Janine, Carla and Lynn; everyone who knew Max is present and pays her respect. It also shows Kate how many people cared about her girlfriend.

Kate closes her eyes and takes one last deep inhale, trying to fight down the need to break down again. She hasn't prepared anything, but chooses to simply speak from her heart.

"A Guardian angel protects us from harm, no matter when, or where we are," Kate starts, her voice calm, yet brittle and full of sorrow. "And that's what Max was…a Guardian angel. She protected those who she cared for. Not with vengeance, but with passion.

Born here, in Arcadia Bay, Max spent most of her childhood in this town, going on adventures with her best friend, Chloe Price. Fate wanted it that her way led her to Seattle, where she met Samantha Brighton. Both became friends and soon…more.

Max always wore her heart open and on the right place. Even though as evil forces wanted to separate her from her loved one, she fought. She fought with passion. She fought against those demons for four long years, but in the end…she failed.

Failure is natural. It's something that makes us imperfect, but also something that we need, in order to learn for the future. Max had learned. She had tried to move on.

The first time I saw her she seemed so distant, so…fragile and angry. I'd lie if I'd say that I wasn't frightened by her presence, but I never judged her for that and…when we became friends, it was like someone had opened my eyes. I knew, I need to help her.

She once said: I cured her. And I think…I really did. Max changed. She had changed back into that kind and playful girl she had been, before fate had given her a hard time. And in return, she had changed all of us as well. Opened all of our eyes.

Chloe Price, Victoria Chase, Dana Ward. These are just a few names of those who she had an influence on. I think it's fair to say that the day she passed on…a part of us died."

She gazes intensively at her mom.

"May her death be a warning to all of us, that any form of bigotry will only cause hurt and discord."

Then at Victoria.

"That we should accept each other, without any prejudice!"

Then at Vanessa.

"That we shall learn from our mistakes instead of blaming others for them."

Then, Kate bowed her head. An image of Chloe appearing in her mind.

"That we should value true friendship.

Max was like a mirror. She showed us our true selves. Showed us how we're seen by others. She showed me that my comfort and future life doesn't lie in faith, but love… a-and passion…"

Kate's voice fails as every memory of her and Max rushes through her mind. How Max had saved her from Victoria's bullying. How they became closer. Their first date. The concert. All those romantic and awesome moments. Hours of talking.

With from tears blurred sight, Kate looks at the audience, seeing that everyone else isn't doing any better. Suddenly, something in the background catches her eye. A few yards away, Chloe stands there, dressed in a black suit.

"Chloe!" she whispers and right away, Kate leaves the rostrum and sprints past the rows towards her blue-haired friend, all eyes following her. As both collide, they embrace each other tightly.

After some moments, Kate breaks the hug and gazes at Chloe deeply. She sees that those last days have taken their toll on her friend as well.

"Where've you been? I was so worried!"

Feeling ashamed, Chloe averts Kate's caring glare, her voice very weak. "I'm so sorry! I…I just needed to get away. I…"

"I'm just glad you're here! Come!" the blonde answers instantly with a soft smile and takes the bluenette's hand, guiding her to an still empty seat in the front row, right beside Dana and Joyce, who both give her a long hug.

In the meantime, Kate has already returned to the rostrum. Being relieved that Chloe has returned, she even has a slight smile on her face. For another moment, she closes her eyes, gathering her thoughts to continue her speech.

"Something Max had always found comfort in, was music. She especially loved my violin play, that's why I've composed a song for her and want to play it now."

Right on cue, Carla stands up and hands her sister the violin case. Cautiously, Kate takes out the instrument, lays it in her shoulder, rests her chin on the chinrest, puts the bow on the strings and closes her eyes.

"This is for you, my love!" she whispers and begins her play.

Everyone who thought that this funeral can't get any sadder is proven wrong right after the first few notes from Kate's violin chime over the cemetery. Her slow and sorrowful melody tugs on every mourning person's heart string.

Through her music, Kate can hear the loud sobs and sniffs of the audience. From her own eyes, big tears emerge as well, rolling down her cheeks right onto the wooden corpus. She cries silently, not wanting to disturb her play. Only, after the last sound has faded in the distance, Kate collapses onto her knees, letting her sorrow flow freely.

Immediately, she's embraced by Chloe, Carla, Lynn and Dana. She knows that she isn't alone, yet she feels lonely. Kate misses Max. Her voice, her smell, her warmth. And she asks herself, if she'll ever be able to feel happy again.

---

Slowly, the coffin gets lowered into its final resting place. Every muscle in Kate's body screams to jump forward and stop the process. To open the casket and free her beloved Max from this threatening cold, eternal prison. But her mind knows better. Max is gone. Hopefully, to a better place, where she can finally be together with Sam again.

Someone flings an arm around her slender shoulders and pulls her closer. Kate knows that it is Chloe and she welcomes it by pressing herself closer to the punky girl. They both lost someone they loved. They both are hurting equally.

Soon, the coffin is at the bottom of the grave and everyone has thrown a bit of dirt and flowers on it. The funeral is coming to an end, condolences are spoken, hands are shaken, hugs are given. Not one of those gestures is able to sooth Kate.

"Come, Kate!" chimes her father's voice as her shoulder gets softly touched by him, signing the blond girl that it's time to go. In reluctance, she shakes it off and simply follows her family without another word. They have almost reached the entrance as Janine clears her throat.

"I think, after such tragic events, we should move closer as a family again and try to reach some normality."

"Well said, my dear!" replies Richard, whereas Carla and Lynn stay quiet. But upon hearing such words, Kate immediately stops.

"How?" she speaks silently. "How can there be ever normality again?"

Her mother's answer follows right away, accompanied by her chiding glare. "Firstly, you'll attend St. Mary's again to get rid of those sinful behaviors. Secondly, we already have an appointment for family counseling."

"It's for the best, darling." her dad adds, flinging his arm around her mother's shoulders. A clear sign that he supports her ideas.

Kate, however, doesn't know how to react to these words. Though she has obviously changed, her parents are still denying it, which puts her in a state between hysterical laughter and violent rage.

"You don't get it, do ya?" she says with a scoff. "I don't give a shit about St. Mary's or this religious stuff in general. How can there be a kind god, if a good person like Max dies in such a gruesome way?!"

"She got what the Lord had intended for her!" her mother simply replies, which hurts Kate even more.

"Fuck the Lord!" she growls and doesn't even see her mother's flat hand that hits her fast and so hard, that the young girl hits the ground, immediately sobbing out of pain.

"Janine!" Richard calls out, obviously shocked.

Carla and Lynn are gasping, instantly running towards her sister.

Janine wants to close in, fanaticism burning in her eyes, as, out of nowhere, she gets turned around violently and receives a hard smack herself, delivered by Vanessa Caulfield.

"If you touch this girl ever again, then not even the Lord will be able to save your sorry ass!"

A big argument starts between the grown-ups, Ryan and Kyra joining in as well. But Kate doesn't care about this. She wants to run away. Wants to find comfort. And there's only one person who can give this to her: Max.

Ignoring everyone, Kate jumps up and runs back to her late girlfriend's grave. She's just over the hill as the blonde sees someone else standing in front of it.

"Chloe!" she gasps and approaches the bluenette cautiously, coming to a halt right beside her.

"I can't believe it," Chloe suddenly says, staring at the fresh grave. "I can't believe that she's gone."

"Me neither. How much evil must there be in the world to let an angel like her die?"

"Enough," growls Chloe as a reply and lets a sigh follow. "Listen Katie, I know it'll be hard to understand for anybody, but I'm gonna pack my stuff and be outta here. This fucking shithole has taken everything from me that I ever loved. My dad, a healthy family, my future and now Max. Who's gonna be next, you?"

Honestly, Kate almost awaited such a reaction. From what she has learned those last weeks, Chloe isn't a person who talks about her feelings or shows more emotions than necessary.

Especially during that day they had been captives of Mike, she and Chloe had become pretty close. And right now, shr seems to be the only person who would understand what Kate is going through, because they both had been in love with Max. Let alone that, during these days after her girlfriend's death, the blond girl has developed the need to leave everything behind, as well.

"Chloe," Kate eventually says, "I understand that you wanna run away from this, but I won't let you go. Not alone anyway."

"Katie…" Chloe tries to contradict, but gets cut off instantly.

"I'm coming with you." She then gazes at the bluenette firmly. "Like you, I need to get away. My parents suck. School has lost its meaning. Everything around here reminds me of Max. And…and you're the only person I feel close to, right now. You're the only one who understands me."

Her gaze fixed on Max's grave, Chloe stays silent for a while. She knows that there's nothing she can do or say to convince Kate otherwise. "Alright!" she eventually replies, turns around and leaves, glimpsing one last time over her shoulder. "I'll getcha tonight."

"1 am at the crossroad that leads to my home! I'll wait for you there."

---

0.45 am…

Her hand strokes through the black and white fur of her bunny, Alice. Cautiously and with watery eyes Kate cuddles the small animal even closer, giving it a soft peck on the head.

"Goodbye, Alice! Mommy's gonna miss you!"

She puts Alice back in its cage and shoulders her big backpack, plus the old cam-bag, which once belonged to Max. This and all her other belongings fell into Kate's possession after her girlfriend's death.

One last sigh. One last glimpse at her room. For a short moment, her sight fixes on a letter for her sisters and her phone on the desk, which contains one last message to her parents. Right beside it, lays her golden cross.

Then, Kate quietly leaves her room, sneaking as stealthy as possible towards the front door. Every creak of a floorboard lets her wince. Suddenly, however, she realizes another creaking sound from behind that doesn't originate from her. Immediately, she turns around, seeing Carla standing in the darkness, arms crossed.

Although she knows that her siblings aren't that way, Kate already says Goodbye to the idea of leaving without a fight. However, Carla just closes in and embraces her tightly, whispering into her ear with a brittle voice. "Don't you dare, leaving without saying goodbye!"

Tightening the embrace, Kate barely stifles a sob, because leaving her beloved sisters behind is one of the hardest things – if not the hardest thing – about this venture she's going to start. "I'm gonna miss you two so much!"

"Just promise me that you'll take care, okay?"

Kate backs away and nods while wiping the tears off her cheeks with the back of her hand. "And you take good care of Lynn and Alice!"

"Will do!" Carla replies with a wry smile. "Now, go! I'll talk to Lynn about this in the morning. I think, she'll understand."

"Thank you!" Once more, both share a long hug. "Bye!"

Right after she broke the contact again, Kate turns around and leaves in a rush. She's just glad that her sisters always support her. Are always there for her.

With some droplets rolling down her face, Kate has soon reached the crossroad and glances at her wrist watch. It's already past 1 am and no Chloe to be seen. Deep within she asks herself if Chloe has just left without her, until the loud roaring of a trucks engine chimes through the night, closing in.

At first, the headlights of Chloe's old truck blind her, but as soon as her sight got used to it, she sees Chloe inside her vehicle, giving the blond girl a smirk.

"Heya, Katie! Wanna catch a ride?" the bluenette asks jokily after she has opened the passenger's door.

With a friendly smile, Kate hops into the truck and both drive off into the darkness of the night.

---

The next morning…

Getting up early is one of the highest virtues of the Marsh family, because the earlier you get up, the more you can seize the day.

Knowing from her own youth that getting out of bed can be difficult, it became a tradition that Janine always makes sure that everybody is already up and ready for the day by peeking into her kid's rooms.

It's 7 am and first on her tour is Lynn. As Janine enters the youngest family member's room, the little girl still lays in bed, cuddled into her blanket.

"Rise and shine, sweetie!" Janine calls out and slides open the curtains.

"Just another five minutes, please!" mumbles Lynn into her pillow and puts the blanket over her head. But her mother just pulled the cover away.

"If the Lord would've stayed in bed this long, he would still be busy creating the world. Now, chop-chop!"

Aware that Lynn would never disobey her, Janine goes on to the next room. She knocks on Carla's door and opens it slowly, only to realize that her second-oldest daughter is already up and not in her room. Satisfied with that result, she smiles and moves on to Kate's room.

Since her oldest daughter has become quite rebellious, Janine already prepares mentally for another argument. Releasing a deep sigh, she knocks at the door.

"Kate?" the blond woman cautiously calls out as she enters, getting suspicious as she receives no answer. Normally, Kate was always up on time, so finding an unoccupied room isn't out of the ordinary. Yet, something seems to be wrong.

The bed occurs to be untouched and some of Kate's belongings are missing. With a frown, Janine spies around the room, finding her daughter's phone with an attached note saying Mom & Dad with an arrow pointing at the smartphone.

As Janine activates the device, she notices that it's already unlocked and a voice-message loaded, ready to be played. After touching the play-symbol, the message starts and Kate's melancholy voice chimes from the phone.

"Dear Mom and Dad…

Though I don't even know if it's right to call you that anymore, because for me, you two died today as my parents. What you said at the funeral and other times before about Max hurt me so deeply that I can never forgive you. Not that it matters to you, since I'm the sinful daughter, anyway. The black sheep of the family.

But you wanna know what? I like my new life as a sinner. I love listening to Metal music. I love wearing casual clothes. I love being in love with girls. And I love sex. Yes, you heard right, I already had premarital sex with Max and I loved it! I loved kissing her, touching her, licking her and fucking her. And in return I loved getting kissed, touched, licked and fucked by her.

(Sigh)

You see, I've changed. Changed into something I want to be and you'll never agree with. That's why I'm gonna leave…probably forever.

Don't bother to call the police, because A, the time you hear this message I'm already over six hours on the road and B, I'm eighteen and can do whateverthefuck I want!

(A short pause)

I think everything is said now. Goodbye!

And Janine…if you EVER abuse Lynn or Carla, I'll make sure that not even the Lord can save you!

The message ends and an enraged Janine remains. Her hand is clenched around the phone and her face beet-red out of anger. Infuriated, she turns on the spot and stomps out of the room, yelling "CARLA!"

Taken aback, Richard leaves his study and looks at his wife dumbfounded. "What's wrong, my dear?"

Instead of an answer, the mid-aged woman just presses the phone into his hands and continues her way to the bathroom. "Carla!" she calls out once more and storms into the bath, not caring that her daughter is naked.

"Mom!" the 16-year-old shrieks and covers her body with a towel. "What the…?! What are you doing?!"

Not caring that her daughter is embarrassed, Janine closes in and grabs the young girl violently on her shoulders and hisses into her face. "Where is she?"

"Wh-who?"

"Kate. And don't you dare lying to me, young lady!"

Seeing the fanatic, burning rage in her mother's eyes, Carla gets so scared that she starts to cry right away. "I…I-I don't know."

Janine tightens her hold so much, that her nails are digging deep into her daughter's shoulders. "I said, don't lie to me!"

"M-mom…y-you're hurting me!" Carla whimpers, more tears running down her face. But her mother is merciless and starts to shake her.

"Tell me or I swear by the Lord that…"

"SHE'S WITH MAX'S FRIEND!" Carla screams out of desperation and collapses whimpering to the ground as Janine releases her.

An epiphany strikes Janine like a lightning. Her oldest daughter has become a whore, tempted and possessed by the devil. She knows that, in order to save her, she has to get Kate back. She has to cleanse her from that demon Max had planted inside of her.

Quickly, she rushes for the telephone, ignoring Lynn, who stands entirely petrified and scared in the bathroom's doorframe. She also ignores her husband, who's mouth is agape from his daughter's message. But as soon as his wife walks past him, he follows.

"Janine, we need to talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about," Janine replies, picks up the phone and dials 9-1-1. "It was a mistake to let our daughter attend this sinful school. They turned her into a sinner and now it's our sacred duty to guide her back onto the Lord's righteous path! No matter what it takes!"

[Operator]: "9-1-1, state your emergency, please!"

"This is Janine Marsh, my daughter has been kidnapped!"

---

At the same time, near the town of Green Acres, Oregon

With a groan, Kate slowly wakes up, the rays of the sun shining directly into her face. She tries to move, but quietly moans once more as she feels how sore her neck and other muscles are. The bright light of the day blinds her as the blond girl wants to open her eyes. Therefore, she leaves them shut and gathers some strength to get up.

After managing to do so, Kate lets her gaze wandering around the cabin of the truck.

Outside the window she sees trees and bushes. Probably they're standing in the middle of nowhere. Since Kate had fallen asleep right after they had left Arcadia Bay behind, she doesn't really know how long or far Chloe had driven.

The bluenette sits cramped up in her seat, her head resting uncomfortably against the driver's window. Though the punky girl always acts so hardcore when awake, in sleep she shows her real, almost innocent side. It somehow reminds Kate of Max, which causes that a wave of sadness rushes through her body. As during those last days, Kate feels the need to be alone for a while.

Cautious and quietly, the blonde unwraps herself from a blanket, which Chloe had probably covered her with while she had been asleep. A gesture, which signs Kate that the punk-girl cares for her. Still, she needs some space now.

Though it seems to be impossible, Kate manages to leave the old truck without waking up Chloe. Zipping close her weatherproof jacket, the blonde then starts to walk into the woods.

Although the sun is shining, the moisty air is still cold from the night. After some minutes and checking that nobody is around, Kate pulls down her pants and relieves herself. After doing so, she keeps on walking a bit more, making sure that Chloe's truck is still visible between the trees, and she isn't too far away to get lost.

The silence of nature embraces her. Chirping birds, cracking underwood, the whisper of the wind…everything Kate would normally enjoy, yet it causes another flood of sorrow, because of the lack of distraction.

A single tear emerges from her eye as Kate pulls out Max's phone and starts to message that she had found on it right after her girlfriend's death.

(Max's voice)

"Hi Katie!

It's me…Max. If you hear this message, then everything went to shit and I didn't make it. And…I'm sorry for this!

I really thought, I left my past behind. That I can finally live a normal life, especially after I met you. But…fate's a bitch and I just hope that at least you and Chloe are okay.

Kate, I…I never wanted this. I never wanted to endanger you or Chloe. You both mean so much to me and I…I…

(Sniffs)

I fucked up! I made you suffer for my shit and givin' my life for you and Chloe is just worth it!

(Sighs deeply)

We can't change what happened…sadly. So, I want you to keep on going and to take care of that blue-haired mush-ball! I know, some big and lousy words, but I also know what you're going through. I know how it feels to lose someone you love. To be alone. I know that it must be hell for you, but take in mind that Chloe feels the same.

Yes, Chloe loved me and I…loved her, too. But understand that I'd never have cheated on you! Not in a billion years and Chloe knows that!

What I wanted to say is, you both need each other! As far as I know her, Chloe probably wants to bail Arcadia, but please, don't let her go…at least not alone! Because – as much as she wants to – she can't deal with this stuff alone. She needs someone to hold on to.

To make things easier for you two, I'll leave you everything I posses. My car, the stuff in my room and my entire money. It's quite a bit, so don't get tempted to spend it on expensive clothes and useless sport cars.

(Sighs)

I think that's it. It's almost midnight and I have to get ready. I'm scared shitless, but it's not the time to bawl or run away. I need to face my past and make sure it won't bother us ever again! Let's just hope that you'll never hear this message and we both are soon back together!

I love you, Katie! Bye!"

The message stops and though the emotional pain is almost unbearable, Kate wants to do nothing more than to play it again, only to hear Max's voice one more time. But as hard as she tries to do so, her thumb refuses to bridge those last few millimeters. Eventually, Chloe's voice breaks this vicious circle; this struggle between self-hurt and comfort.

"It's fucked, isn't it?"

Taken aback, Kate gasps and turns around. Chloe leans against a tree, gazing at the sky while big droplets are rolling over her face.

"All you want is to hear her cute voice again and again, though it kills you inside," she says, slowly shifting her sight towards Kate. "I thought, I'd be the only one having this fucking problem, but now I see that I'm apparently not alone with this shit."

Instead of an answer, Kate closes in and embraces Chloe tightly. As she feels the comforting warmth and closeness of her friend, the blonde lets free all of pain, crying out loud her agony. And Chloe does the same.

Max has been right. They both feel the same hurt. They both need each other. They both need to get away.

---

Arcadia Bay

A few hours later…

With a sigh, Officer Berry massages the bridge of his nose and tries to hold his composure.

"Mrs. Marsh, from everything we know so far, your daughter hasn't been kidnapped, but just ran away. Let alone that she's eighteen and allowed to live someplace else without your agreement."

Not satisfied with the officer's answer, Janine's hand hits the table. "Mr. Berry, I know my daughter better than you do and she would never run away just like that, overnight and without a word!"

Once again, the police-officer inhaled deeply, giving up on reasoning with the woman in front of him. "Alright, since kidnapping is a serious allegation, we have to see into this anyway. I have a picture of your daughter and will send it to all police stations, the state police of Oregon and the surrounding states immediately."

"Thank you, officer!" says Richard, who has been silent the entire time. Janine, however, just keeps a stern glare.

Officer Berry puts his notepad back into his pocket and stands up, ready to leave, but not without some last words. "That's our job, Mr. Marsh. But I warn you, if this turns out to be nothing more than a wild goose chase, then there will be consequences! Have a good day!"

After he has left, Richard's gaze drops with a deep sigh. "Janine," he says eventually, "you need to stop this! If Kate decided to live like this, then we should let her go."

But these words just meet deaf ears. "I won't lose one of my daughters to the devil! She just has to see the truth of…"

"The truth of what?" now Richard Marsh speaks infuriated, jumping up. "Janine, we're losing her because we drive her away. That's the truth! Maybe it doesn't agree with our beliefs, but instead of forcing her to be like you want it, we should give her the chance to find out for herself that our way is the best way."

"And what if she stays on this sinful path?"

Now Richard bows his head again. "Then she's a lost soul and it's upon the Lord to judge about her. Yet, she'll still be our daughter."

Slowly, but also in a threatening way, Janine stands up, her stern glare resting on her husband. "I won't allow a sinner in our family and your sister sees it the same way. And if Kate decides to stay away from the Lord's grace, I'll make sure that she won't come close to my family ever again!"

---

At the same time in Elkton City…

"Blech, never thought you can fuck up something simple as eggs 'n' bacon. Yet, here I am, almost choking on this shit." Chloe complains, dropping the fork on the table of the city's diner.

"It's not that bad," contradicts Kate, who is chewing on a piece of pancake with maple syrup.

After their breakdown, Chloe and Kate had taken their time to calm down and get ready for the day, before hitting the road again. Because their food stock mainly consists of some canned food and a few MREs, stolen from David, Kate wanted to stop for some fresh and warm food. As they had entered Elkton, the two girls had kept their eyes open for a diner or fast-food restaurant. Eventually, Kate had spotted this diner and had convinced Chloe to stop for a bite.

Now having a full stomach and their departure coming closer, Kate asks a question that already came up in her mind as Chloe drove them obviously aimlessly through the country. Not that she minds it at all, yet she wants to be on the same page as the bluenette.

"So, what's your plan?"

"Well…" Chloe begins, fumbling with her fingers. "I…uh…I kinda don't know. It was more of a spontaneous thing."

Chloe almost expects Kate to freak, since she figured that the blonde is actually a tidy girl from a structured and steady home. But everything that chimes is a snicker.

"That's so you!" she eventually answers, giving her friend a smirk. "So, we're practically on a road trip, without a destination. Just carried away by the wind. That has some romantic touch, don't you think?"

"Uh…" is everything that leaves Chloe's mouth, since her brain refuses to process the word romantic when it comes to Kate. At least, she never considered it. "I-I don't know. I mean, I thought about going to Cali to give my pale as fuck skin some color, but…yup, that's it."

Now Kate stops eating and leans over the table, excitement glistening in her blue eyes. "Okay, listen! How about, we don't fix on a specific destination. We just drive and see where we end up. If we like a place, we stay longer. If we don't, we just move on. Money isn't a problem. So, how does that sound?"

"Well…" Chloe says, scratching the back of her neck while giving it a deeper thought. Eventually, she gives Kate a wry smirk. "Sounds awesome! But…" Then her demeanor falters. "I don't know if my old Junker is up for the task."

"Sorry to say this, Chloe, but your truck isn't the most comfortable place to sleep anyway. My neck still feels pretty sore from last night. So, if we're gonna live on the road for an indefinite time, I wanna do it with some style and comfort!"

Not understanding what her friend is up to, Chloe just frowns. But her confusion dissipates as soon as she follows Kate's gaze, which is fixed on a special vehicle outside the diner.

---

She runs through the thicket of a dark forest as fast as she can. Someone…some-thing is following her. She hears eerie voices in the air, whispering into her ear. Telling her that Max's death is her fault. Kate closes her welled up eyes, trying to shut those impressions out. Unfortunately, in this condition she's not able to see the thick branch on the ground and stumbles over it, hitting the ground hard with a groan. Panicky, the blonde wants to get up and stumbles once more.

The voices are becoming louder and louder. Something is closing in, its intense aura sending a shiver over the young woman's spine. In fear, Kate curls into a fetal position, presses her hands on her ears and starts to scream, tears streaming down her face.

Then, there's silence. A perfect absence of sounds. Kate hears her own heartbeat. How her blood streams through her body. Her breathing is heavy and accompanied by quiet, shaky sobs.

Out of nowhere, a new voice chimes. But this time it's soft and soothing.

"It's not your fault, Katie!"

"Yes, it is!" she whimpers back in desperation. But then the voice gets more distinct; clearer. And immediately Kate recognizes it as Max's voice.

"You can't change what happened. You can't change destiny! You did all you could to save me. You showed me how precious life is. You are an angel, Katie! Sadly, life isn't a movie. In real life, the bad guys win, as well as the good guys."

"B-but I let myself get kidnapped and…"

"But what was the alternative?"

Kate stays silent, lacking an answer.

"Open your eyes, Katie!"

Kate does as she's told to. Right away she realizes that the darkness and coldness are gone. Instead, she's blinded by bright sunlight. As soon as her eyes get used to the dazzling light, she recognizes that the dark forest is gone and that she's lying on a wide Meadow. Slowly, she stands up and takes a look around, wiping some remnant tears off her face with the back of her hand.

From the far distance she sees something closing in, hopping through the grass. It's a doe. A majestic doe, which comes to a halt right in front of her. Reluctantly, she steps closer to the apparently brisk animal.

Cautiously, Kate reaches for the deer and touches its furry flank. A soft smile appears on her face as she feels its warmth and strong heartbeat. The young woman starts to pet the doe, from its flanks over the neck to the head. She feels something strange, like an energy that is flowing from the animal into her hand and through her body, giving her comfort.

She closes her eyes once again, taking a deep inhale. It's been a long time since she had felt so save and sound. At first, she simply opens her eyes slowly, but as Kate sees that Max stands in front of her, her head bobbed into the blonde's cupped hand, they shoot open and she gasps.

"M-Max?!" she whispers with a shivering tone, small droplets rolling over her cheeks.

"Hi Katie!" the now brunette girl replies with a warm smile, gazing deeply with her glistening blue eyes into Kate's.

"H-how…?! I-I mean, you're dead. Is this a dream? Am I dead, too?" the blonde stammers and takes a few steps back, ready to run away.

"Chill, Katie, your neither dead nor dreaming!" says Max with a chuckle, embracing her girlfriend tightly for a moment before she continues. "This here is a world between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. A world between realities. Those with a strong connection to the living world are able to stay here and even can interact with it. In special cases…" She brushes tenderly with her hand over Kate's cheek. "…we can even communicate with the living."

Feeling once more this comforting energy, emerging from Max's hand, Kate leans into and touches it, new tears are welling up in her eyes.

"Death is not the end, Katie. It's just another path on our journey. I'm here and I will always be there for you! No matter where you're going, I'll always be at your side."

"Like a guardian angel," whispers Kate.

"Your guardian angel!" adds Max with a soft smile. "I'll watch over you and you'll watch over Chloe, okay?"

As a reply, Kate just nods. "I love you!" she says with a weak voice, but only receives silence as she's dragged back into reality.

---

Malibu, California

One week later…

"Okay, so…truth or dare?" asks Chloe while she's driving their new RV along the highway through California.

Back in Elkton, both had found a dealer for used RVs and thanks to Max's money, they can call themselves now owners of such a spacey vehicle.

A double-bed, a toilet, a small kitchen and a small table with a seat for two, plus a lot of space is everything they need for a life on the road.

Their current goal is to simply head south and follow the road. Right now they're close to the city of Malibu and the weather is so warm that both are simply wearing their tops and shorts.

During their drives, Chloe and Kate had made it a habit to play typical travel games. Having played the others too much, however, Chloe proposed to play the classic party game Truth or Dare.

"Why do they call it Truth or Dare, if everyone always chooses Truth?" replies Kate, earning a chuckle by Chloe.

"I don't fucking know. Anyway, what will it be?"

"Truth, of course!"

Chloe just rolls with her eyes, before asking the question. Of course, the bluenette tries to avoid anything that would remind Kate of Max and therefore chooses the topic wisely.

"Okay, here it comes! What was the most exciting thing you've ever done?"

"Oh golly, that's a hard one! Hmm, lemme think…" Kate says, pinching her chin. "Well, when I was ten, I played Holy Mary in bible camp, but…nah, scratch that! I think the most exciting thing ever, was to break into the pool with Max…right followed by this trip."

As Kate mentions Max, Chloe flinches a bit, fearing that her friend might break down any second out of grief. However, as the blue-haired girl scans the blonde from the corner of her eyes, she just realizes that Kate is calm and even smiles a bit.

Since that one night in Elkton, when Kate had cried and called out Max's name in her sleep, she had changed. Kate had become more carefree and relaxed. Chloe never dared to ask, why, but something must've happened. Something that has changed her.

"Chloe?" Kate's voice then ripped her out of her thoughts.

"Uh…yeah?"

"You're alright?"

Chloe takes her sight off the road for a second to look at Kate, who's gazing at her with a worried frown.

"Uh, yeah…totally!" she eventually replies, hoping that her friend wouldn't push it any further. Lucky for her, Kate drops the topic and continues the game.

"Your turn! Truth or dare?"

"It's not even evening, yet. Sooo, let's stick with truth."

"Okay. Ready?"

"Just shoot!"

"When did you have your first kiss? Locked lips and love interest, only!"

With wide open eyes, Chloe gives Kate a short glimpse, before she smirks.

"Ladies 'n' Gentlemen, we've just entered the kinky-zone!" she announces before answering. "But to answer your question, it was September 21st 2007."

"Wow, pretty accurate! Who was it?"

"Nuh-uh, Katie, just one question!"

"C'mon, you're bending the rules all the time!"

"Only in my favor!"

"Was it Max?"

Silence. Chloe's entire body clenches. She knows that Kate is smart. Actually, very smart. At the time, Chloe has accepted her best friend's demise, like she has accepted her dad's death: by suppressing any grief and only letting it out in big bursts.

"Chloe," Kate's soothing voice chimes, letting her look at her blond friend as her arm get's softly touched. "It's okay to talk about Max. Thanks to memories like these, she's still a bit alive and unforgotten."

"Yeah," Chloe replies with a sigh as she gulps down her sorrow. "She gave me that kiss after I gave her her birthday present: a book about vintage photography. She was such a photo-geek at that time," she reminisces with a soft smile, before sighing once more. "Sadly, I didn't get the gist."

"That happens, y'know."

"Can we just change the topic again, please? I don't wanna be depressed right now! So, truth or dare?"

While focusing on the road ahead, Chloe realizes that Kate takes some time to answer and she asks herself, if she has just killed the mood. But then, out of a sudden, the younger girl gives her an answer that nearly knocks her off.

"Dare!" speaks the younger girl with some anticipation and, once more, their gazes meet. "And don't you dare going soft on me!"

Chloe knows why Kate is doing this. She knows that it's the best way to distract her and she's right! Because now, the punky girl needs to come up with a dare that won't interfere with their driving and will make her win the game, since she has lost each and everyone before.

"Okay, hardcore it is! I dare you to sit in the passenger's seat, topless! While we're still driving, of course!"

She hears the klick of the seatbelt and some shuffling and then, Kate is gone.

"Katie?" Chloe calls out, being worried to have crossed a line, "I'm sorry, I…"

Right on time, the blonde slumps back onto her seat and straps herself in again, just wearing her shorts, nothing else, and acting like it's the most common thing in the world.

"Done! Truth or dare, Miss Kink-head!"

In hindsight, Chloe chides herself that this dare has been stupid, since it actually distracts her. Truth be told, she hadn't expected that Kate would really do it.

From time to time she gives her friend's chest a glimpse, feeling a bit aroused. But Chloe knows that this is wrong, so she gulps down her need for intimacy and keeps going on with the game.

"Damn, you put the stakes pretty high, so…dare!"

On one side, Chloe hopes that Kate would come up with something trivial, on the other hand, though, she wishes for something so hardcore that she wouldn't end up doing it and therefor lose the game.

"Hmm…" hums Kate, thinking about a good dare for Chloe. She knows that the bluenette isn't so much reserved like she is. Therefore, she has to come up with something that even Chloe would've problems to do and as she gazes through the window, an idea pops up in her mind. "I dare you to…skinny dip in the ocean!"

Though she knew that this game can reach such or even worse heights, Chloe is a bit surprised to hear such a challenging dare from someone like Kate Marsh. "Like, right now or…?"

"Right now!" confirms Kate with determination and points at a sign that would lead them to the closest beach.

For a moment, Chloe thinks about her options and decides to ignore the sign by keeping on driving the other way.

"So, I guess you're backing out, then?"

There's no mock or malicious joy in Kate's words, yet Chloe gets a bit agitated as she has obviously lost another game. "Kate," she eventually says with a clenching jaw, trying to keep calm, "it's hot and the middle of the day. The beach will be crowded and I don't wanna spend the night in prison for indecent exposure just because of a stupid dare!"

"But isn't it the goal of this stupid game, to do fucked up stuff? Besides that YOU suggested it!" Kate shoots back, which enrages the bluenette even more, her tone getting louder.

"Yes. Yes it is, but there are some boundaries, okay! And sending someone naked over a fucking beach during daytime is hella crossing the line."

"Oh, and I have to sit here, topless, where everyone can see me? Isn't this crossing the line, too? Or were you just selfish, bended the rules again and did this for yourself, so that you'd have some jerk-off material?!"

Although this hasn't been the intention behind the dare, Chloe stays silent nonetheless, because how often has she glimpsed at Kate's body whenever she had felt the need for intimacy. How often has she fantasized about her. Eventually, it's Kate's agitated voice that brings her back from her deep thought and inner struggle.

"Y'know what, Chloe? You could at least be honest with me instead of staying silent, 'cause that wouldn't hurt that much!"

Once more, the seatbelt klicks open and Kate vanishes in the back of the RV, but this time she doesn't come back.

---

A few hours later…

Sitting at the beach, Chloe watches how wave after wave rolls onto the sand with a rushing sound. The sun has already set on the horizon, painting it in a beautiful mix of orange, yellow and purple, while the first stars are shining on the young night's sky. She loves being at the ocean, because it always seems to be the safest place to be. A place where she has finally some time to think.

'Be honest with her!'

These words have been spooking around her head for hours now in an infinite loop. Yet, Chloe doesn't understand the true meaning behind them. Does Kate just want the bluenette to open up her feelings some more or does she feels the same way? Or has all this keeping her emotions at bay pushed her over the edge?

Chloe actually doesn't know. She only is aware of her own feelings and the doubts about them. But maybe it's better to do as Kate said and be honest with her.

"Dammit!" she mumbles, stands up and brushes the sand off of her shorts and thighs. "Stupid Truth or Dare!"

Like she wants to prolong the upcoming talk infinitely, the blue-haired girl walks back to their RV with very slow and hesitant steps. More than once she has to overcome the ever-growing need to run away, the closer she gets to the vehicle. Eventually, she stands in front of the door and takes a deep breath to fight down her fear. By now, the last remnants of daylight have been swallowed by the night and as Chloe opens the RV's door, darkness awaits her.

'Kate must've gone to bed already. Damn! But I can't wait. I need to talk to her now or else I'm gonna suck it in forever!'

Quickly, yet quiet, she makes her way to the bedroom and lays down, right beside Kate, who slumbers on her side, face towards Chloe.

In order to wake her softly, the older girl brushes a lose strand of dirty-blond hair out of her friend's face and then keeps on stroking tenderly over her cheek. Slowly, Kate opens her eyes and gazes at Chloe, deeply. For a long moment, both of them keep their sights locked while the radius of the bluenette's brushes is getting wider.

Lost in the moment, Chloe leans forward and presses her lips gently on Kate's, who returns the affection right away. Another kiss follows, and then another one, and another one. Their intensity growing more and more with every peck. Soon, soft moans join in and Chloe's hands are making their way at first under Kate's top, caressing the skin of her back, and then into her shorts, kneading her butt-cheeks with passion and pressing her closer.

Kate, on the other hand, ruffles with her one hand through blue-dyed hair while the other presses Chloe's upper body against hers.

Both then start to grind their crotches against each others, their breathings getting heavier with every passing second.

Wanting more, Chloe backs away a bit, lifts Kate's top and tenderly treats the blonde's breasts, which makes her hiss in excitement.

"Oh Chloe!" groans Kate quietly, pulling her in for another passionate kiss.

Boldly, and her mind entirely clouded by yearning, Chloe grabs Kate's hand and guides it towards her center, right before she dives with her own hand deep into her lover's pajama-shorts. It doesn't take long until both girl's lust climaxes into loud moans and twitching bodies.

Then, there is only silence, at first broken by heavy breathing and soon by quiet sobs and sniffs.

Chloe, who has been staring at the ceiling of the RV's bedroom, shifts her gaze to Kate again, who, however, turns away from her glare and starts to cry even more.

"Katie?" she asks, receiving no answer. She knows that she just fucked up again. In her eyes, she just took advantage and sexually abused a poor, still mourning girl.

Now feeling disgusted by herself, Chloe jumps up and whispers a shakily spoke "I'm so sorry!" before she runs out of the RV and towards the close-by beach again. There, she falls on her knees and cries out her frustration in a long, constant scream until she's out of breath.

"It's ironic how we tend to hurt those who we care about the most," speaks a familiar voice right beside her, yet Chloe doesn't even care to raise her sight.

"Yeah," she scoffs. "I did the same with you." Now she turns her head and looks at the slightly blue glowing figure of Max Caulfield, who bobs her head slightly.

"You don't seem surprised to see me."

"Nah," answers the bluenette plainly, getting up again. "When I was sixteen, Dad appeared in my dreams all the time. So, I'm pretty much used to that the dead pay me a visit."

"What did William tell you?"

"Y'know, just the typical Dad-talk. Trying to gimme some wiseass-crap with mystical words and then simply disappearing when everything goes to shit."

"Don't worry, you won't hear such mystical crap from my side," Max replies with a smirk and earns another scoff from Chloe.

"Yeah, just get it over with and call me a disgusting piece of shit right away!"

This time, Max frowns, saying "And why would I wanna do that?" which infuriates the other girl.

"Stop shitting me, Max! You know very well what I did! I used her, okay! I…"

"You gave her what she needed, Chlo!" Max interrupted, but it doesn't calm her down.

"And what was that, huh?! You think she needed a freakin' quickie-fuck?"

Now Max gets furious, too, yelling at her friend. "No! She needed love, Chloe! And that's exactly what you've given her! You showed her your true feelings and that she's loved by someone."

"If that's true, then why did she freak?"

"Ugh, just think about it for once, Chlo! Since that night in Elkton, Kate tried to stay strong for the both of you. She wants nothing more than to help you; to cheer you up. She cares about you so much that she forgot about herself or her own feelings. And as you showed her how you feel, this burden fell off of her and released such a big pile of emotions, which she simply couldn't handle. Chloe," Now the spirit of Max closes in and lays one hand on the bluenette's shoulder, which sends comforting warmth through her body, "Kate loves you. Just talk to her and you'll see…" A soft, reassuring smile appears on Max's face, "…everything comes together!"

The next moment, the soothing warmth and the glowing figure of Max Caulfield have disappeared, leaving Chloe alone, once more. Tiredness starts to engulf her mind and she let herself sink into the soft sand, her gaze fixed at the star-filled sky above her until her eyelids get heavier with every passing second and sleep eventually takes over, mercilessly.

---

The next morning…

Chloe wakes up early with a groan, still lying on the beach. She feels cold and her hair, body and clothes are full of fine-grained sand. It's still early, and the sun has just started to rise over the horizon.

With wavering steps she makes her way back to the RV and walks into the small bathroom in order to take a hot shower. She knows that the water container is freshly filled, so nothing stands in the way of a rain of soothingly warm water. A long groan of relief escapes her mouth as the heated liquid hits and runs down her naked body and immediately her mind wanders back to last night.

'Was everything just a dream?' she asks herself internally, 'The sex with Katie. Max. It all seems so surreal. Like a bad nightmare. Still…it also feels kinda real.'

Exhaling a quiet "Fuck!", Chloe turns off the water and dries the dampness off her body with her old pirate towel, one of the few souvenirs she has taken with on this road trip. She then wraps the fabric around her body and leaves the bathroom.

Because most of her clothes are in the bedroom and Kate is still asleep, Chloe searches around the RV for some halfway clean garments, finding a tight white tank top and some ripped jeans. Socks, bra and panties have to wait until later.

Right at this moment, Chloe wishes that she wouldn't have stopped smoking pot, because her mind literally feels like it's riding a roller-coaster in an endless loop. She actually feels pretty edgy and the only thing that can calm her down right now is food. Therefor, she fills a big bowl to the brim with her favorite sugar-bombs and milk, sits down in the driver's seat and munches her breakfast, while watching the landscape through the front window.

At this time of the day, no normal human being is walking around, which leaves the beach entirely deserted, except for some seabirds.

'Everything feels so weird. On one side I feel kinda happy that Kate is here with me and…fuck, I dig her so much! But is it right? Max isn't even gone for two weeks and we already fucked. Ugh, dammit Price! Why couldn't you stupid cunt just leave your hands by yourself?!'

With every passing minute she lingers in her doubts, Chloe's body begins to itch. Every limb becomes restless. She knows that feeling. It always appeared when the walls back at home had closed in on her. When David had been raging on her. When her mom hadn't supported her. It's the need for escape. To just run away. And it becomes unbearable!

With shaking hands, Chloe turns the key and ignites the RV's engine. Only five minutes later, they're back on the streets, heading to no specific destination.

Being woken up by the noise of the engine and the wheels on the road, Kate slowly walks towards the passenger's seat and slumps down on it with a drowsily spoken "Morning!"

An awkward silence appears and Chloe keeps her sight deliberately fixed on the road, blushing as she still feels so ashamed and Kate does the same, only that she gazes at her, with each other fumbling, hands.

"Chloe?" speaks the small blonde eventually, after she has mustered every bit of courage. And though Chloe knows that they need to talk about last night, she still has an inner struggle, wavering between putting all cards on the table or to just avert the whole topic entirely. The latter would definitely end their friendship and devastate poor Kate Marsh.

'You know what to do, Price! For once, don't be an asshole and face the truth!'

Chloe takes a deep breath and wants to spill her entire set of emotions onto Kate, but gets interrupted by the wailing sound of the sirens of a police car.

"What the fuck?!" she says after checking her speed and glimpsing at the blinking lights in the side mirror.

Not wanting to get into any sorts if trouble, Chloe pulls over the vehicle and lowers the driver's window as a police man approaches it. Another cop appeared on the passenger's window.

"Uh…hey, officer! 'sup?"

"License and papers, please!" he says sternly and immediately checks the documents, after Chloe has given them to him.

"Uh, is there anything wrong? My speed was in the green and…"

"Miss, please get out of the RV!" he then ordered, but Chloe, still confused about the check-up, hesitates, exchanging some puzzled glares with Kate. Only the police man's more pressurized words let her comply eventually. "Miss, I said…get out of the vehicle, right now!"

"Fine-fine…jeez!"

With a sigh of annoyance, Chloe unbuckles her seatbelt, and heads towards the RV's door, saying "Be back in a jiff," to Kate before stepping outside. "Mind to tell me no-…HEY! What the fuck, dude?!"

She hasn't even set one foot on the street as, suddenly, she's taken into a strong hold and pressed, face forward, against the side of the RV by the other cop. And then, she heard a sadly too familiar sound: the clicking of handcuffs.

"You're hereby under arrest for kidnapping and false imprisonment! You have the right to remain silent…!"

She knows those words, has heard them before. As well as she has already experienced those unpleasant, intimate touches as they search her, which Chloe can now feel even stronger as she doesn't wear any undergarments.

"Ugh, you done finger-fucking me?!" she groans in discomfort and disgust, receiving a smack on her head.

"Chloe!" chimes Kate's voice as she wants to interfere, but gets held back by the other policeman.

"Miss, please stand back for your own safety!" he says sternly and for a moment, the small blonde thinks about to resist, but lets this idea fall as she meets Chloe's determined glare and receives a headshake.

The bluenette knows that, no matter what they do or say, they'll end up at the station eventually. Therefor, she chooses the easy way by keeping her mouth shut, even though it hurts her to the core to see Kate shedding tears as they put her into the police car and drive off to the station.

---

Malibu Police Station…

It isn't the first time Chloe has seen a police station from the inside. During her mischievous five years she had been accused of many things. Vandalism, drunk driving, possession of drugs, resisting authorities and so on. If anything, the blue-haired punk had put a lot of work into becoming Arcadia Bay's number one delinquent, without thinking about the consequences. Not to mention that Rachel Amber had helped a lot with that reputation by making Chloe her personal scapegoat.

But today it's different. For once, Chloe doesn't know why she's even here. The policeman said something about kidnapping. Something she has never been accused of before. Yet, asking a regular street-cop about the charge is like talking to a wall: pointless. So, she waits in silence, keeping her mouth shut until someone with a bigger paycheck will eventually turn up.

The door to the tiny interrogation room opens and a mid-aged woman with brown, shoulder-long hair, dressed in a fancy black suit walks in and takes a seat at the other side of the table, at which Chloe sits.

"Hello Miss Price, I'm Beatrix Harold, your public defender," says the woman with a kind smile, reaching Chloe her hand for a handshake, who took it with a friendly "Heya, Mrs. Harold!"

The attorney takes a notepad and a pen from her leather bag and places it neatly on the table, before she continues. "How're you doing, Miss Price?"

"Chloe," the bluenette replies at first with a soft smirk, "Just call me Chloe. The 'Miss' makes me feel the need to flip you off."

Dumbfounded at first, Mrs. Harold frowns. "Uh…well…okay then, Chloe," but then gains back her countenance. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'd be better if I'd know what the fucking hell is going on here. Why am I accused of kidnapping? Or better: who the fuck did I kidnap in the first place?"

"Miss Marsh," is the simple answer of the brunette, which is answered with a snort and a headshake, but the attorney becomes serious. "Chloe, this is a serious matter! I'm gonna ask you a few questions now and I want you to be totally honest with me or else I won't be able to beat you outta this! Got it?"

"Just ask away, Mrs. H!"

"Okay, just tell me your version of the story and don't hold back with the details!" says Beatrix Harold, readying pen and paper, and starts to take notes as Chloe tells her the entire story. Starting from the first time she had met Kate, over Max's death and the aftermath until the moment she got arrested.

Reliving these events, Chloe can't hold back a few tears. The pressure that lies on her is still there, especially this unresolved situation with Kate.

"Have you and Miss Marsh been encountered in any sexual acts?" asks the attorney out of a sudden, the glare she's giving her client underlining its importance.

Of course, this question takes Chloe by surprise. How and what should she answer? Fact is that they both had sex, yet it was something strange, which she can't really describe. "Well…kinda."

"Kinda?" replies the brunette with an arched eyebrow, silently asking for a specification.

Closing her eyes and sighing deeply, the punk-girl gathers her thoughts and finally tries to make some sense out of the event that had occurred the night before.

"Uh…yeah, we had sex…once. But…"

"Was it forced?"

"Actually…I don't know," answers Chloe truthfully, still struggling what this thing last night between them had been. For Mrs. Herold, this answer raises even more questions than giving any answers, hence making her frown again.

"What do you mean with 'I don't know'?"

"Well…" Chloe starts, scratching the back of her neck as she tries to find the right words to explain her current situation with Kate. "Let's just say we did it, but…it was kinda wrong. I-I mean, not that it was forbidden or something, but…it…uh…it shouldn't have happened…or something…or…UGH!"

As the attorney sees how Chloe covers her face with her hands, she just gives the girl a soft smile and some encouraging words.

"I get it, Chloe. Those situations can be pretty normal at your age. Talking is something that helps sorting such messy stuff out."

"I-I know, just we never had the chance to. So, is it possible that I can talk to Kate, soon? 'cause I really wanna get this shit off the table before they throw me into jail."

With a soft sigh and a stern demeanor, Mrs. Herold puts the pen and notes aside and gazes directly at her client. "Chloe, you're not going to prison, yet. But sadly, it's also impossible for you to see the victim, y'know."

"Why?"

"To prevent possible influence on or threatening the witness and such things."

"But what if you or a cop stays in the room? Guarding us 'n' shit."

"Hmm…" hums the attorney, pinching her chin as she thinks about Chloe's proposal. "Actually…this should be possible. I'll see what I can do."

---

A few hours later…

Waiting.

Waiting can be torture.

For Chloe, it's pure agony right now.

Sure, Beatrix had told her that seeing Kate should be possible, yet she knows the cops. They can promise a lot of things and then still don't hold their end of the deal. For how long she was waiting now, the bluenette doesn't know. It has been just long enough so that she has fallen asleep and now jumps up, entirely startled, as the door gets unlocked.

The first person to enter, is a stern-looking cop, who checks the room. After he has done so, Kate and attorney Harold are allowed to come in as well.

Upon seeing Katie, Chloe feels so happy that she wants to embrace the blonde right away, and obviously Kate wants to do the same. Sadly, they both didn't come even close to each other as the policeman has already stepped between them, taking a tight grip on the punky girl.

Just being glad to be allowed to see and talk with Kate and not wanting to cause any trouble, Chloe takes a step back and raises her hands in defeat, signing the cop that she's returning to her chair.

Though it hurts her as well, Kate complies too, letting Beatrix guide her to the chair.

Now, both girls sit opposite from each other under the stern glimpses of the police and Chloe's attorney.

"Hey!" whiffs Chloe, giving Kate a warm smile, which gets also returned by the blonde, plus with a slight blush of her cheeks.

"Hey! How are you?" asks Kate with concern, knowing that Chloe always had her problems with the authorities. But to her surprise, she sees neither a growl nor desperation in her eyes, only happiness.

"Well, now that I see you…way better!"

If everything, this comment puts a warm smile on Kate's face and let her heart skip a beat. Yet, it also brings forth doubt and unanswered questions.

"Chloe…" she starts, but her friend immediately takes over, because she feels kind of responsible for what happened.

"Yeah, I know. We need to talk about last night. And…um…I-I think it was a mistake."

In an instant, Kate's gaze drops as she huffs out a soft "Oh!"

But seeing that the blonde is about to interpret her words the wrong way, Chloe adds quickly "No-no-no! Not as in, I never wanted it to happen…uh, unintentionally…uh…like…y'know…"

"Too soon?" Kate throws in with an arched eyebrow, and Chloe just is glad for her patience and smartness.

"Exactly! Too soon! Listen, I was kinda…desperate, because of how you reacted earlier and, actually, I just wanted to talk, but then…"

"…we got lost in the moment."

Kate now rises her sight and looks deep into the bluenette's eyes. There are no hard feelings between them. No growl. They both are aware of their status, yet it is more complicated than everything else.

"Chloe, I'm not mad at you. I never was. True, we never should've done it, yet I can't blame you for this, because…I kinda wanted it to happen and didn't stop you."

For a minute, silence fills the room, while both girls keep on gazing at each other, entirely ignoring that there are two other people in this room, watching them.

"Sooo…" Chloe then speaks with a slight blush, fighting to find the right words. "Where does this leave us? Are we…kinda together?"

"No," answers Kate right away, giving her friend a warm smile, while Chloe's hopeful demeanor falters. "Though we already spent a lot of time together, I still need to know more about you. Maybe after some time and a few dates we'll be ready to become…more."

Though this isn't Chloe's preferred answer, the bluenette agrees with a nod, saying "Alright. So, wanna go on a date with me?"

Being caught by her mischievous smirk, Kate sweetly giggles upon Chloe's proposition and nods. "Yes, gladly! But at first we need to get you outta here!"

"And this is where I come in!" interrupts Beatrix, laying a sheet of paper in front of Chloe, who glimpses at her with a quizzical frown. "Your release-form. Sorry that it took so long to convince the judge that there are no evidences against you, saying that you kidnapped Kate. And this previous conversation underlines it even more. You're free to go!"

Dumbfounded, Chloe let her sight wander between the form, her attorney and a wide smirking Kate, eventually saying "D-does that mean, I can…"

"Yes, you can hug me now, Chloe!" chuckles Kate and is immediately taken into a tight embrace. The laughter of relief and happiness are chiming through the interrogation room, while Kate and Chloe stay entangled for a long moment.

---

Arcadia Bay

A few days later…

"Okay, you need to explain this to me one more time! Why are we doing this again?" asks Chloe as she steers the RV through Arcadia Bay, giving Kate, who sits on the passenger's seat, a short glimpse.

"Chloe," the blonde answers calmly, her stern gaze fixed on something outside the vehicle, "It's obvious that my mom was behind all this kidnapping-crap. She wants me back at home and see me far away from you as possible. So, if running away wasn't subtle enough to tell her that I want her off my ass, then maybe yelling it into her fucking face will do it."

Instead of replying something, Chloe just widely smirks at the younger blonde, making her feel a bit uncomfortable until she speaks a bewildered "What?!"

"Oh, nothing," replies the bluenette, followed by a chuckle. "Just hella amusing how much you've changed since I first met you. Raging, fucking, cursing…you're turning into a wild badass!"

"A wild, badass lesbian, if I may correct you!" retorts Kate and both break out into loud laughter, which dies eventually as they park the RV outside the Marsh' house. "Wanna go through this again?"

"You'll talk. I'll keep my mouth shut and enjoy the show. Does that sound right?"

After unbuckling her seatbelt, Kate gets up and plants a soft smooch on Chloe's cheek. "You got it!"

At first being stunned, Chloe eventually manages to regain her composure and follows the blonde, who has almost reached the front door, but waited for her best friend to be at her side before ringing the bell.

As the sound of the bell fades, Kate gets more and more nervous. Searching for some hold, she takes Chloe's hand and squeezes it tightly. Steps are closing in and as the door swings open both stand in front of Janine Marsh, who gazes at the two girls in bewilderment.

A big wave of hate rushes through Kate's body and it's only thanks to her high amount of self-discipline that, instead of hammering her clenched fist into her mother's face, she simply shoves her aside and walks straight into the house. Chloe, connected with her by still holding on to her hand, following the blonde, stat.

"Katie!" chimes Carla's voice from upstairs as she sees her sister and rushes right towards her. Both siblings embrace each other tightly, whereas the younger one suddenly starts to whimper. "I'm so sorry! I…I never wanted to call on you, but mom…she…she…"

Carla doesn't have to say another word. Kate already knows everything by looking into her sister's watery eyes and makes a spontaneous decision. Soothingly, she brushes a tear away and tells her "Carla, it's okay! Just do me a favor and pack some stuff for you and Lynn, got it?"

Trusting Kate unconditionally, the younger girl moves back to her room, while Kate turns around and gazes angrily at her mother.

As Chloe had promised, she simply stands aside and watches how Kate closes in on her mom with furious steps. Though every other person would've at least backed away a bit, Janine holds her ground and hisses at her daughter.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, but I want to see this sinner there out of my house and you up in your room!"

But if she thought her threatening words would even have the slightest impact on Kate, she couldn't have been more wrong, evident as she gets gripped by her collar and pinned against the next wall.

"Listen closely, bitch! I'm gonna take Carla and Lynn and bring them to safety from you. And tomorrow, I'm gonna file charges at the police station for domestic abuse and false accusation!"

"I'm your mother!" presses Janine forth, but got silenced as her daughter leans in, almost touching her nose, and hisses into her face.

"You're not my mother anymore, you abusive piece of shit!"

Right after she has loosened the grip and backed away, Kate hears steps coming down the stairs.

"Katie!" chimes Lynn's voice as the young girl comes running down the steps and collides with her older sister into a tight embrace.

"I missed you so much, my baby-bunny!" says the 18-year-old with teary eyes. "Ready for an awesome trip?"

Nodding frantically, the youngest sister confirms with a whiffed and enthusiastic "Yeah!"

"Okay. Lynn, this is Chloe!" Kate then introduces her best friend, who gives the young girl a toothy grin.

"Is she your new girlfriend?" asks Lynn fast forwardly with a whisper, earning herself a chuckle from her blushing sister. "No…Or at least, not yet. But she's very kind and cool…like Max. Why don't you and Carla follow her to our biiiig new car outside and get comfy, hmm?"

After a frantically nodding, Lynn joins Chloe and Carla, and leaves the house for the RV. However, during her talk with her youngest sibling, Kate hadn't realized that her mother has slipped away, only to return a minute later with a double-barreled shotgun.

"I won't let you deliver my other daughters to the devil!" Janine said, bigotry burning in her eyes as she aims at her own flesh and blood.

In this situation, the old Kate would've been petrified beyond everything out of fear. But the new Kate is stronger and simply gazes stoically at her armed mother. Moreover, she steps even closer until the muzzle of the gun rests on her chest.

"You wanna shoot your own daughter?" she asks plainly and without any fear. "Come on! Do it! Show the world your true face! Show them who the real devil is!"

Their sights locked, mother and daughter stare at each other coldly, none of them willing to give up.

Eventually, Kate has no other choice than to break the glare as she realizes how her mom's index finger tightens around the trigger.

"May the Lord have mercy on your sinful soul!" the fanatic woman spoke and pulled the trigger.

The loud shot blared through the house and the buck-shot pierced into the wall right behind Kate, blasting some holes into it. What followed is a quiet thud and a groan of agony as Chloe's fist connects with Janine Marsh's face.

"Don't you dare hurting my girl, bitch!" hissed the bluenette, unloading and throwing away the shotgun. "You alright, Katie?" she then spoke in a soft, caring tone. And immediately, the blonde girl jumped forward and embraced her tightly.

Gazing with disgust at her on the ground laying mother one last time, Kate eventually intertwined her fingers with Chloe and leaves her old life behind, once and for all.

---

One hour later…

Crushing waves.

The whisper of the wind.

The overlook at the Arcadia Bay lighthouse is a place, Kate had barely known before Max had introduced her to it during their time together. But while her late girlfriend had used the place to find inner peace, the blonde has seen in it a beautiful place of inspiration.

Inspiration she's much looking for right now that would help her with this more than complicated situation.

Yes, for the moment she has saved her sisters from her abusive mother's toxic influence. But for how long? Sooner or later, authorities would be called upon them and then they would have to fight for custody with slim to none chances.

"Oh Max, what should I do?" she whispered, her words quickly carried away by a gust of wind. A single tear strolled down her cheek as desperation takes over, only broken by a familiar voice.

"Y'know, desperate times call for desperate measures."

For a short moment, Kate freezes and the slowly turns her head, only to see Max, sitting on the bench, right beside her.

"M-Max?! H-how is…?" whiffs the blonde in astonishment, way too overwhelmed to do or say anything else.

With a smirk, her late girlfriend averts her sight from the magnificent overview and looks directly at her.

"How's this possible? Well…let's say the world isn't as simple as everybody thinks. But no, there's no god or heaven or hell, just…plains of existence, if you wanna call it that way. And sometimes, the bond between mine and your reality is so strong that my humble spirit can visit you and give annoying advises."

With a shaking hand, Kate reaches out and tries to touch her late girlfriend, but sadly, her fingers only found air and this comforting warmth instead of soft skin.

"Yeah, that's the catch with this whole spirit-stuff…voice and image only," says Max as her sight follows Kate's hand, which the blonde withdraws with a sigh of disappointment.

"Yeah, life is full of disappointments," was her reply as she gazes at the ground in front of her. "Max, I think I fucked up pretty bad. How could I've been so naïve and think that I could get Carla and Lynn away from my mother and take care of them on my own? I-I don't even have a job."

"Okay Katie," starts the other girl. "Firstly, you're not alone."

Both then gaze over their shoulders, seeing Chloe how she plays Catch me if you can with Kate's siblings; how all three of them are laughing and having fun.

"You like her, do you?" asks Max out of the sudden, giving Kate a wry smirk as she looks at the freckled girl in surprise. "It's okay, y'know. I'm dead, so we can't be together anymore and Chloe…She's just awesome and…though it sounds strange…I'd rather see you with her than with someone else."

Huffing out some air, Kate's sight drops once more as some more doubts flood her mind.

"I-I don't know," she says, her cheeks slightly flustered. "I kinda like her very much, but…I-I think, I'm not ready, yet…or…maybe I am, but…UGH!"

"Doubts are totally okay, just be patient!" answers Max supportively and gets serious again. "Secondly,…" she then continues the previous topic, "Your mom tried to kill you. Report this to the police and she'll lose custody over Carla and Lynn immediately. Plus, talk to my dad, he can hook you up with the right people to build up some pressure on your dad to either get rid of that bigot bitch or to give up custody. And getting a job shouldn't be a problem for you and Chloe, since you both have enough savings and talent to build up your future. Just have faith!"

"Hey Kate!" suddenly chimes Chloe's voice from behind. "You wanna join…us…"

The latter word almost just dropped out of her mouth like a bag of potatoes. Stunned, the blue-haired punk stood there, her wide open eyes fixed on the place beside Kate.

"M-Max?!" she whispers with trembling lips and receives a hand wave paired with a warm smile from her former best friend.

"Hi Chlo!"

"You can see her, too?" asks Kate in amazement, letting her sight wander between the punk-girl and the spirit.

Then, Lynn's and Carla's giggling comes closer and the bluenette feels a soft touch on her back.

"Tag, you're it!" announces Kate's 16-year-old sister joyfully, but gets petrified as Chloe doesn't react and she follows her glare. "Oh my god!"

Lynn, however, is the only one who, instead of being taken aback, closes in on Max and reaches out for the freckled girl.

"Are you an angel?" she whiffs cautiously, like she fears that a loud sound might shoo Max away.

"Yes, little munchkin!" replies the spirit softly with a warm smile, letting her hand glide over the young girl's cheek. "I'm your Guardian Angel and gonna protect you all from harm's way!"

A blue shimmer starts to shine around her entire figure, which gets more and more transparent with every passing second.

"I love you all! Take care of each other, and whenever you guys need help…just call!"

A final gust of wind dissolves and carries away the last remnants of Max's appearance, leaving behind four tear-shedding girls, who are eventually embracing each other tightly as they all searched comfort.

"Guys," Kate eventually says and breaks lose from the group hug, after some minutes have passed, "I know this situation is more than…complicated, but it is what it is and we need to make some decisions."

With a stern gaze she looks at her two sisters, saying "Lynn, I know it's hard for you to understand, but the reason why I got you and Carla away from home is…"

"Mom," the young blonde replies right away to the other girls' surprise. "Mom…she has been pretty mean to you and Carla. I'm…I'm so scared of her, lately. I'm scared that she might hurt me, too."

"I so don't wanna go back to her!" Carla chimes in, wrapping one arm around her younger sister and presses her closer as if she wants to protect her.

"And this is exactly what I wanna make sure: that you two are safe! But…" speaks Kate with determination and then shifts her attention to Chloe. "…I can't do it alone."

"Heeey," responds the bluenette with a toothy grin, "you know I'm totally in on this! Let's get busy and blow some shit up!"

Out of nowhere and to anybody's surprise, Kate jumps forward, embraces Chloe tightly once more and then plants a soft kiss on her lips.

"Thank you!" she whispers, her voice almost failing as another heavy rock drops from her heart upon the support she gets from Chloe and her sisters.

"Can Chloe be our new mama, please?" Lynn asks out of a sudden, which caused the blue-haired punk to gasp a surprised "What?!" which, in return, caused Kate and Carla to laugh out loud as they witness the shocked demeanor. And as Chloe starts to pout, Kate immediately flings her arms around her neck once more for another kiss, underlining that she's willing to start anew with her, Lynn and Carla, together.

---

"Mom of the year," chuckles Max quietly as she watches the scene from a slight distance, her lips forming a wry smirk as she's already picturing the four girls as a family.

"You think they're gonna make it?" sounds Sam's voice as her spirit appears right beside the freckled girl.

"They're fighters," replies Max and snuggles close to the other girl. "Like you and me."

"But we're dead," was the blonde's with the stormy grey eyes scoffed reply, which brought her a soft hit in her ribs. "Ouch!"

"We're finally together, asshole!"

After a while and after Chloe, Kate and her siblings have left, Max eventually faces her girlfriend and kisses her deeply. "Y'know," she then says calmly, "maybe this is our destiny. I fought and helped Kate and Chloe, and now…maybe this is our reward for all this fucked up bullshit we had to go through."

"You think being together with you for all eternity is a reward?" mocked Sam and almost expects to receive another beat. But instead, Max closes in for another passionate kiss, breaking it a minute later to whiff alluringly into the blonde's face.

"Prove me otherwise!"

Once more, their lips collide and both spirits vanished into thin air.

-The End-