The next few days went by slowly, as neither Chloe nor Max had anything better to do with themselves. They sat around with the TV on in the background, carefully changing the station whenever something they deemed "sensitive" came on. Chloe caught Ryan and Vanessa occasionally whispering to each other around corners, and she completely understood their unvoiced concerns. At some point, they needed to get back on with their lives. Max needed to finish school, Chloe needed to do, well, whatever a high school dropout did with their life.

When that would be, Chloe couldn't answer. Any time she left Max alone for more than a few minutes, she felt an anxiety building up in her head. She knew it was irrational, that Max was a grown woman and could take care of herself, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

It didn't help that Max kept waking her up most nights, caught up in whatever nightmare was on the menu. Chloe had tried once more to sleep in her private room, but caved in when Max asked. She never told Chloe what happened in her dreams, and a small part of her was grateful that those images were never introduced into her own brain. Having been in the dark room was enough of a nightmare, but to imagine Max down there, at Jefferson's mercy, was enough to make her blood boil.

At one point during the week, Chloe hastily made an appointment with a local doctor, fingers crossed that she could get her meds refilled. She wasn't sure how much of Arcadia Bay's medical records were digitally available, or how her insurance would even work anymore, but she was more worried about how she was going to sneak away from Max. She didn't think that Max was following her out of suspicion, but on the occasions that Chloe left to go to another room, Max was close behind.

She couldn't help but feel that Max was anxious when Chloe left her, too.

The Caulfields, in an attempt for normalcy, started breaking out board games in the evenings to have "family time", which Chloe was touched to be a part of. They didn't have any particularly challenging games - mostly ones from when the girls were younger - but Chloe had a blast kicking their asses in Monopoly one night.

"You are totally cheating, but I don't know how," Max complained that evening as they readied themselves for bed. "No one is that good at Monopoly."

Chloe smirked. She had totally been sneaking money out of the bank when they were all distracted (despite Max declaring herself to be the banker). "Max, I am insulted. Thievery has never been my forte."

Max opened her mouth, a surprised look spreading on her face. "You're full of shit, Chloe Price! You were stealing! How-"

"Can't prove it now, can you?" Max's phone buzzed, and Chloe felt her smile fading. She had finally turned her own phone back on, and the only notifications had been from David trying to reach her and a few from her mom asking her where she was during the storm. Turns out the idea of not knowing was superior. "Who's the booty call from now?"

"It's Kate, just, being Kate." Max seemed a little flustered though, as if she was trying to hide something. Chloe cocked an eyebrow at her, and Max gave a frustrated sigh. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Stop giving me a reason to look at you like this." She wasn't a hundred percent certain what Max was so flustered about, but it was fun to mess with her regardless. Before she could get more involved in teasing Max, her own phone dinged. "Ugh, it's David again."

He was coming up to visit the next day, a prospect that Chloe had major conflicts about. He had been texting a couple of times per day, obviously wanting to talk. Even though Chloe knew he had saved Max in the dark room in a different timeline, and was not a total douche, they still had a history that didn't disappear overnight.

Max was watching her quietly. "He's going to be happy to see you, you know."

Chloe sighed. "I know. Doesn't mean I have to be over the fucking moon for it." She threw herself into bed, eager for the day to be over. "Maybe you should see if Kate can come up here one of these days." Maybe next Tuesday? That would be a convenient way to get herself out of the house for her doctor visit.

Max smiled at the thought. "Yeah, that'd be nice. I don't know when she gets discharged from the hospital though, and it's a long drive." This was true - David had booked a hotel room nearby for his visit. Four hours one way wasn't an easy drive.

"Well, at least we have a spare bedroom here if she came up." She had refused to volunteer the room to David. One step at a time.

Max laughed. Ryan and Vanessa had quickly picked up on them still sleeping in the same room. It had been another opportunity to make Max uncomfortable by exclaiming that Chloe preferred being the big spoon. Ryan had laughed his booming laugh, but Vanessa had a rather knowing look on her face.

It had taken Chloe slightly aback. Between that look from Vanessa and Max's odd behavior, she was starting to wonder if Max was wanting to be...more than friends. Chloe couldn't tell exactly how she felt about it. This was Max Caulfield, her childhood (and adulthood) best friend, and under no circumstances did she want to jeopardize that. The idea of trudging through life without her was impossible.

That didn't mean there wasn't a part of her that wanted Max like that -

She doesn't need my shit. Chloe knew she was an emotional trash heap. Max deserved someone who was whole - less of a train wreck, at the very least. No, she needed to keep those feelings at bay.

Chloe didn't sleep well that night. She tossed and turned, woke Max up from a nightmare, and then continued to toss and turn. All she could see when she closed her eyes was David accusing her and Max of being the reason Joyce was dead.

She woke up abruptly in the morning, the sun starting to shine into the room. Her heart pounded as though she had just finished a marathon. She turned to look at Max, and was surprised to stare into her open eyes.

"Shit, did I wake you this time?"

Max shook her head. "I've been up for a while." She continued watching, her eyes full of concern, and Chloe wished she wouldn't. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to steady herself. "Do you want to talk about it?" Max asked quietly.

"What, the impending stepdouche visit?" Max frowned at her. Chloe shook her head, looking back up at the ceiling. She could tell Max's question was not as optional as it sounded. "Sorry, I know. I'm just nervous, I guess."

Max propped her head up on her arm. "Nervous about what?"

Why do you want me to say it, Max? She looked back over. "I just feel like...what happened was our fault, and he'll know." A dark shadow crossed the younger girl's face. "I know that's not fair."

"No, it's not," Max said flatly. She didn't seem to be getting emotional, but was most definitely upset. "Anything else?"

"Guess I just don't know how I'm going to feel when he's here. Like, am I going to cry like a baby? Or will I just be wishing he'd get the fuck out of this city?"

Max seemed to be analyzing the question, looking thoughtful. "I think he's going to be really happy to see you," she said slowly. "And I think you'll be happy to see him too."

"Wish I had your optimism, Mad Max," Chloe sighed.

Chloe stood anxiously, fidgeting with her beanie as she watched out the window. David was due any minute. Max was sitting on the couch in the living room, letting Chloe pace her way into more nerves.

"Maybe he's not coming, maybe he decided he didn't want to see me." Her stomach twisted at the thought. If even David was willing to abandon her...

Max scoffed from the other room. "Chloe, he texted saying he was on his way."

"Maybe he changed his mind."

"Chloe." For a second, Max's tone sounded so much like Joyce reprimanding her that Chloe stopped pacing. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until Max's eyes popped up from the back of the sofa. "You okay?"

The sound of a car door slamming leaked into the house, and Chloe jerked her head to look out the window again. The muscle car was unmistakable, and neither was the man walking towards the front door.

"I can't do this," Chloe whispered to herself. She could just hide, keep the door shut, and avoid whatever conversation was about to happen. Or have Max lie, say Chloe had skipped town and ditched the truck so they couldn't find her...

She hadn't heard Max get off the couch, but the feeling of her hand slipping into Chloe's was an anchoring one. "You'll be fine," Max said reassuringly, squeezing her hand. Chloe looked over at her best friend, who stared confidently back. "You got this." The dreaded knock on the door came, and she took a deep breath as she pulled her hand away from Max's to open the door.

The sight of David did strange things to Chloe's chest, a mixture of relief and caution. He had a piece of gauze taped above his left eye and a busted lip, but otherwise looked the same as he always did. He stared back at her, almost as if seeing a ghost, and she couldn't let the silence go any longer. "Hey, David."

"Chloe," he said quietly, stepping closer. His arms were raised as though he was coming closer to give her a hug, but his speed gave her the opportunity, if she so chose, to back up.

She didn't.

For a moment she stood there, arms at her sides, as David wrapped his arms slowly around her. "Chloe, I am so sorry," he choked, and she could feel his body shaking ever so slightly. She raised her hands to pat his back awkwardly, but suddenly found herself holding on to him as well.

There was something unspoken between them at that moment, as they clung to each other. No matter how tumultuous their relationship had been and would continue to be, they were still family.

David was the one to pull away, putting a hand on Chloe's shoulder to take a look at her. His eyes still had a few tears welled up, but he was smiling ear to ear. Words seemed to fail him, and Chloe understood, because she didn't have anything to say, either.

After a minute of staring back at each other, David cleared his throat. "Mind if I, er, come in?" Chloe nodded, letting him pass through the door. Max, who had retreated further into the house to give the two of them a moment, rejoined them, and David gave her a firm hug as well. After Max pulled away, David took a look around the house. "Nice place your parents have here, Maxine."

"Max, never Maxine," she seemed to automatically say. David looked at her awkwardly for a second before a chuckle came out of his throat as Max smiled apologetically.

They made their way into the living room, Max grabbing David a glass of water on the way there. David took the armchair, and Chloe was grateful for it. Sitting next to Max on the couch was far more comfortable. He kept looking at Chloe, smiling, and it was starting to unnerve her a little bit.

"So, uh, David, what have you been doing in Arcadia Bay?" Chloe knew it would be a sensitive topic - might as well get it out of the way.

David frowned a little bit, but seemed otherwise okay. "Blackwell's still standing, like I told you. We're using it as a makeshift shelter for the townspeople until we can start getting crews out to do clean up. I'm managing most of the Blackwell side of things." There was a slightly proud tone to his voice, and Chloe had to fight to keep herself from groaning. Old habits died hard.

"How- how many people? At Blackwell." Chloe asked. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Max rubbing her wrists.

He seemed dejected by the thought. "'Bout 200. There's some folks who are still living in their houses that didn't get hit quite as bad, but not...not many."

Chloe sunk back into the couch. Arcadia Bay was a small town, and only had around 800 people in it. And it was all their-

"You said you found the dark room?" Max spoke up, and only because Chloe knew her so well could she tell that Max was trying very hard to keep herself calm.

David's eyes flashed with anger. "Yeah, I found that son of a bitch. He'd already drugged that Victoria girl, but she's alright - she's up at the hospital now." Max had a small smile on her face at the news. "Couple of the officers that made it out of the storm drove him over to Portland, they're gonna handle the trial, seeing as the Prescotts-" the name came out with a harsh tone "-have their damn hands in the police force." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I'm sorry, I just don't care for crooked cops."

"Nah dude, that's something we can all agree on," Chloe said. Max nodded next to her. "I mean, I'm not a big fan of authority in general, but crooked authority is definitely worse."

David gave a disapproving sigh, but at least there was no lecture coming. "So, uh, I went out to the house." Chloe's heart sank. "It got pretty banged up, but I got a box of stuff out of it that I thought you'd want. It's out in the car, if you wanted to help."

"Yeah, sure." She stood up, following David out to the driveway. Max lingered in the living room, muttering something about giving them some space. Once outside of the house, she could see scratches in the paint from the storm's debris, although the car was otherwise still in fantastic condition.

"Now, there's more stuff that I'll probably be able to salvage, but I thought I'd grab some stuff you'd like until you can come back down," he said as he opened the trunk. He paused for a second, looking over somewhat sheepishly. "If you come back down, that is." It wasn't a threat, but a genuine concerned statement. He was trying, and for that, Chloe could try, too.

He pulled out a large paper box, popping the lid so Chloe could take a look at what was inside. A mixture of clothing, some pictures, and a handful of other trinkets from her room were on top. "Thanks, David," she said, closing the lid before she could look too closely. She didn't know how she might react to some of the box's contents.

"And I, uh, grabbed these." He pulled a familiar orange pill bottle from his pocket. "Figured you wouldn't want me waving them around in front of the Caulfields, so..."

Chloe felt a lump in her throat as she grabbed her meds, sticking them in a pocket. "Thank you, seriously. I was getting a little worried about how I was going to get more."

David gave her a slightly concerned look. Here we go. "I promised myself I would try to give you a little more freedom than I would have previously allowed." He crossed his arms, although his face didn't look as stern as it had in past lectures. "We've all gone through hell this week, and I just want to make sure you're taking care of yourself, alright?"

"Jeez David, getting mushy on me?" Chloe joked, and a little sparkle shone in David's eye for a moment before he tried to rein back in to the stoic stepfather look. "If only Joyce could see us now."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. The flash of grief crossing David's face was a stark reminder of her own pain. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't..." She trailed off, not knowing how best to apologize.

"Grief, has different ways of showing itself," David said slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. "You've had to deal with so much of it at such a young age - and I know I haven't always helped."

Chloe waved a hand, trying to brush it off. "I was an angsty teenager-"

"And I pushed you to be better, but I know I didn't go about it all the right way. I wanted to be a father to you, but I knew I couldn't live up to William in your eyes."

"You got that right," she muttered, unable to contain herself.

There was a sad smile on David's face. "I can't replace your father, and I don't think I would have ever been able to, but I'd like to still have a place in your life. And I would think Joyce-" his voice broke, but he pushed on, "-would have wanted that too."

"She always did," Chloe said quietly. "She always wanted us to get along. But you were too much of a stepdick-"

"And you were too much of a rebellious punk," he finished, the corner of his mouth twitching. He put his hand out, a peace offering that Chloe never thought she would be seriously considering. She grabbed his hand, giving him a firm handshake.

"Only one hug for you today?" She asked as she wrung his hand.

David's eyebrows went up, and a true smile spread out on his face. "Figured I wouldn't press my luck."

David hung around until dinner time, where he finally got to meet the legendary Caulfields Joyce had told him about. After the initial condolences, they had, dare Chloe say it, a good time. Seeing David interacting with Ryan and Vanessa was strange, but he got along with them so well that Chloe couldn't help but smile. She found herself glad that he was there, and hoped they could continue on a better relationship path now that wasn't constant bickering.

He gave both Chloe and Max one last hug before he left for his hotel room - he'd be leaving early in the morning to get back to Arcadia Bay at a decent time, so they wouldn't see him until the next time they arranged a visit. Chloe was actually feeling bad that he was going back, alone, to face the destruction that was her fault-

Nope. Nuh uh. Don't think like that. She needed to start breaking those thoughts. If she wasn't going to blame Max, she wasn't going to blame herself, either.

Finally alone with Max again in their room, Chloe stretched out in the bed, yawning. "Didn't think today was gonna be this emotionally exhausting. I mean, I was expecting it to be hella awkward, but definitely not like this."

Max smiled as she pushed Chloe over so she could climb in under the covers. "You did seem to enjoy it a little bit."

"Heh, maybe a little bit." She stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. Never, in a million years, did she think she'd be getting along with David. "Well, stranger things have happened," she declared, reaching over to the lamp on her side and flicking it off.