Chloe woke up gradually, feeling relaxed and comfortable. After a few moments of peace, she realized she was surrounded by something - no, someone. Her eyes whipped open to see the pillow she was using wasn't a pillow at all, but Max's shoulder. The arm trapped under Chloe was stretched out to the end of the bed, but the other arm was still resting on top of her.

The events of the previous day quietly came back to her - how David was alright, how her mom was gone, how Max had held on to her as she had the breakdown she had been fighting off for days. She wasn't sure that forehead kiss had actually happened at all, and might have just been a figment of her imagination.

It didn't mean anything, she told herself. A peck on the head didn't have to mean anything between friends. Just like that kiss she had dared Max to give her, just a few days ago. Chloe sighed heavily - it seemed like it had been months, or maybe years, since Max came careening back into her life.

Max took a deep breath, rolling fully on to her back and pulling her free arm off of Chloe. She stretched, yawning a little as she settled back down. Chloe shifted so she wasn't laying on top of her, and Max's eyes opened.

"Morning," Max muttered, still half asleep. She looked over at Chloe, a sleepy smile on her face. For a moment, Chloe felt like they were teenagers again, sleeping over at each other's house. She was always the first one awake, and always watched Max wake up.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," Chloe responded, staring up at the ceiling. She felt like she needed to say something, maybe apologize for her breakdown. "Hey, about last night..."

Max's eyebrows crinkled together. "It's fine, Chloe, you were upset. You had - have - every right to be." She propped her head up on her hand. "Is it cliche to ask how you're feeling?"

Chloe gave a humorless laugh. Now that she thought about it, she had a bit of a headache, but that wasn't what Max meant. "Probably. But I'm fine, I guess. As fine as one can be..." She sat up, resting her arms on her knees. "I don't remember what I might have said or did, but, I'm sorry."

Max shrugged. "You scratched the hell out of my arms when I tried to calm you down, and...my parents did come in to see what all the yelling was about."

Chloe groaned, imagining future awkward conversations. "Well, glad I can check the box for 'most fucked up childhood friend' for them." She looked at Max's arms, and sure enough, there were still a couple of red scratch marks visible. "Well, now I feel like shit."

"Chloe." Max's voice was almost a warning. Chloe looked over at her, smirking slightly. Max had what she might consider to be a threatening look on her face, but all Chloe could see was the girl she grew up with, pouting. "Don't give me that look, Chloe. I'm serious."

Oh, it is on. "As serious as that kiss last night?" Max seemed a little flustered, a blush creeping across her freckled cheeks. Chloe truly laughed, watching her best friend start spluttering. "If it makes you feel any better, it gave me some damn good dream material."

It was so worth it to see Max turning red. Chloe, of course, hadn't dreamed last night, but Max didn't need to know that. "Next time you decide to make a move on me, make sure I'm fully conscious so I can remember it clearly, 'kay?"

"You're the worst." Max had actually crossed her arms as she pouted, still glaring at Chloe with all the ferocity of a teddy bear.

"You know you love me," Chloe reminded her, giving her a shit-eating grin. Max rolled her eyes, getting up and starting to go about her day.

Breakfast was cheery enough. Max's parents seemed determined to avoid discussing the breakdown, but there were occasional over-the-top cheery moments that clearly masked their concern. They were going back to work the next day, but when asked, the girls declined having them take a few days off. Max and Chloe, after all, were adults, and were keeping to themselves most of the time anyway.

They spent the rest of the morning moving furniture around the guest room, finally giving Chloe a space of her own. After much laughter from the Caulfields as Chloe mock-lamented being kicked out of her best friend's room, she dramatically slammed the door to her new living spaces, smirking. She could still hear them tittering on the other side of the door as she sat down on her new bed. She realized suddenly, with the exception of bathroom time, that this was the first time she had been alone since the storm. There was a weariness pulling her down, and she gladly fell backwards onto the freshly made bed, staring up at the ceiling as her thoughts flowed freely through her brain.

It had almost been a week since Max saved her ass - the first time, at least. It felt like it had been far longer. It was for sure an eventful week - an adventure, the type of which they had only pretended to have as kids. Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver, setting sail again, she thought wryly. Except their idea of buried treasure had drastically changed since then.

The idea of Rachel Amber being dead was...frustrating. Rachel always had that aura around her that put her outside of the world's limits. Chloe had hoped with every fiber of her being that she had run off to LA like she always dreamed, because Rachel up and disappearing was completely expected. But her being dead was the truth, and Chloe felt like she had subconsciously accepted that fact long ago. Getting worked up about it now was almost laughable.

Speaking of worked up, she needed to get her meds refilled, and she didn't mean weed. She didn't want to worry Max with her fluoxetine script, even if she had been trying to weaning herself off of it the last couple of months. As much as she dreaded a doctor's visit, withdrawal was not something she wanted to add to the misery pile right now.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and Chloe sat up as Max cracked the door open. "Can I come in?" Max asked, leaving the door mostly closed.

Chloe nodded. "Mi casa es tú casa...or your momma's casa. Shit, I'm confused." Max smiled as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her as she glanced around the room. There was an old dresser that used to be Max's next to the door, where Chloe had stored her minimal clothing selection. Max ran her finger along one of the drawers, where the finish had been worn away from years of use. "Thanks for the hand-me-downs, by the way."

A smirk formed on Max's face. "Nice for me to be able to pass something off to you for a change." Chloe had certainly passed down her fair share of clothing to the younger girl. "You okay in here? After your, erm, tantrum-" Chloe grinned at her, "-I didn't hear anymore noise."

Chloe's smile slipped off her face. She plopped back down on the bed, that weary feeling setting back in. "I dunno, I was just thinking about all the crazy shit we've done this past week." She lifted her head to look at Max, who was biting her lip. "It's been a whole week since you stopped Nathan from putting a cap in my ass, isn't that crazy?"

"Yeah, it's been pretty crazy." Max didn't seem as energized by the idea. "It feels longer for me, what with all the rewinds and everything." She started rubbing her wrist, staring off into the distance.

"Have you used your rewind power since the storm?" Max looked up, shaking her head. Chloe had thought not - nosebleeds had become a pretty standard side effect. "Do you think you still have it?"

Max opened her mouth, then closed it again, her brow furrowing. She lifted her hand, almost as if she was going to try, then shook her head again. "I don't know. I mean, I think so? It feels like I should be able to."

"But you won't." Chloe knew better. Max would never take the chance of breaking things like that again. Chloe hoped she never had to make that choice.

Max was nodding her head. "I don't know if that storm caused my powers, or if my powers caused the storm, but I don't..." She trailed off, but she didn't need to finish.

"No more apocalypses for you, world," Chloe declared, and Max broke out into a tired smile.

That night, Chloe tossed and turned in her own bed, not able to get her mind to settle down. It didn't help that the room was quieter than she was used to now, and the bed felt colder than usual.

With a frustrated groan, she got out of bed, wandering towards the stairs to find something to entertain herself. As she passed Max's room, she heard muttering. Curious, she put her ear against the door. She couldn't make out much of it, but distinctly heard her name, along with jagged breaths as though she were struggling to breathe.

"Max, you okay?" Chloe asked quietly. The muttering continued, and Chloe slowly turned the handle to poke her head in.

Max was in bed, curled up on her side. She made no sign of hearing Chloe enter, but with the door out of the way she could make out the words with ease.

"Stop...no, please...let me go..."

Chloe closed the door behind her before approaching the bedside, so she could see Max's face. Her hands were over her head, but Chloe could see tears streaking down her face.

"Max, it's okay." Chloe reached out to grab Max's shoulder, but as soon as she made contact Max's eyes flew open and her whole body recoiled. There was a moment where Chloe thought she was about to start screaming, but then she saw recognition in those blue eyes. Max's body relaxed, and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Max whispered. She seemed exhausted from her nightmare.

"Can't wake someone if they were already awake," Chloe stated, and Max opened her eyes again, looking back at her. "I don't remember you talking in your sleep."

Max gave a flustered sigh. "I don't remember having nightmares, either." She rubbed her hands over her face, taking a deep breath. "Thanks for waking me up."

"Anytime." Chloe stood up, feeling slightly awkward. Even under the circumstances, being with Max made her feel more relaxed than she had been in her own room. "Well, uh, goodnight, Max."

"Chloe," Max said quickly, with what almost sounded like desperation in her voice. The blue-haired girl stopped instantly, looking back at her. She looked small, fragile, almost scared. "Can you...would you stay in here tonight?"

Chloe felt an unexpected wave of relief wash over her. "Sure, Max," she said automatically. Max slid over to the side as Chloe climbed into bed, an arm behind her own head. Max curled up on her side, facing Chloe. "You owe me big time, got it?" Chloe joked, and was rewarded with a small smile. She watched Max for a little bit as the younger girl drifted off, and Chloe's eyelids grew heavy as she fell asleep, too.