Max was out cold in the passenger's seat. Chloe glanced over at her in the front seat, slightly jealous. She was running on 24 hours with no sleep, but she had no idea how long Max had been up before her, what with all the timeline jumps. She tried not to think about the hell Max had gone through to make sure they'd make it out of that storm together, nor remember the disaster zone that was once Arcadia Bay. She was trying, with everything in her being, to keep herself together. It would be far harder to pull herself back together than to fall apart.

Driving through the debris was one of the hardest things Chloe had ever done. Max had been silent as they avoided fallen telephone polls and the frequent motionless body. As much as Chloe had wanted to stop the truck outside of the Two Whales dinner, she couldn't let herself stop. She knew no one could have survived that storm, and there was nothing that she could do about it.

Besides, it was my fault. It should have been me. She should have just died in that bathroom, the way the world had willed it.

But Max didn't think that way. Max, her best friend, the one person who refused to let her down and threw away an entire town for her. If Max, one of the few good people in this world, thought she was worth saving...

Max suddenly inhaled sharply, arms raising in a panic. Chloe reached over and grabbed her shoulder as her friend flailed for a moment, before Max grasped her hand. For a moment it seemed she would try to throw it off, but her body relaxed as she recognized Chloe.

"Whoa Max, you okay?" Chloe tried to keep her eyes on the road - crashing was the last thing they needed right now.

"Yeah," she said quietly. She continued holding tight on to Chloe's hand though.

Under different circumstances Chloe might have made a sarcastic comment, but she bit her tongue. "We're just outside of Seattle, d'you want to give your folks a call and let them know we're almost there?" It had been Max's suggestion to run back up to the Caulfield's place and crash there until...well, until they figured out what to do next.

Max nodded, finally letting go of Chloe to call her mother. She had called once they got cell service after the storm, much to Ryan and Vanessa's relief. Chloe was slightly bitter at the happy reunion that was about to happen, that could never happen for her...but she wouldn't let Max know that. She wasn't angry at Max, just angry at the world that continued to want to take everything it could from her. First her dad, then Rachel, then her whole fucking town with everyone that lived in it.

As long as it didn't take Max from her, she could live with that.

Ryan and Vanessa were waiting anxiously on the front porch when they pulled up. Max was out the door before Chloe came to a complete stop, and her parents met her half way, holding her tight. Ryan seemed to do a double take when he saw Chloe climb out of the truck, having to compare the punk in front of him to the 14-year-old he once knew. After a moment of recognition, his tear-filled eyes crinkled into a welcoming smile and he waved her over, pulling her into the group hug once she got close.

They stood out in the driveway for a few minutes, Vanessa sobbing and Ryan repeatedly apologizing. Max was the one who finally stepped back, surprisingly tear free "Can we go inside? We've been up for a while," she asked quietly. Her parents immediately agreed, escorting them inside. Max trailed behind next to Chloe, who couldn't help but throw an arm over her shoulders. Max just seemed so...fragile, as if she might break into a million pieces at any moment.

The Caulfield household, although a completely different house from their old one in Arcadia Bay, was oddly familiar to Chloe. The home decor was all the same, and she even caught a glimpse of herself up on the mantel. "Nice place," she commented out loud.

Vanessa smiled warmly. "Thank you, dear. It's nice to see you, even with..." She trailed off, likely considering the circumstances of their reunion.

"What, the hair's that distracting?" Chloe retorted in the best impression of her normal self. Ryan and Vanessa both laughed, and even Max cracked a bit of a smile. She still looked drained, and stared longingly at the stairs. Chloe pointed at her. "I think this one needs a nap, four hours in that truck isn't much of an energy boost.

"Oh, of course," Vanessa responded immediately, looking slightly disappointed. "Chloe, we don't have the guest room set up, but-"

"She can sleep in my bed, it's fine," Max replied, starting to head towards the stairs. "It's not like she's never done it before."

"It'll be just like the old times," Chloe laughed.

Vanessa stopped both of them before they could go up the stairs, pulling them into one last hug. "I'm so glad you girls are safe." Chloe's felt tears threatening to fall, but held herself together as she pulled back. "Now get up there and get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning."

Chloe wanted to say something, but for once in her life couldn't get her mouth to open. Max grabbed her arm and pulled her up the stairs.

Max's room was rather empty, but Chloe figured she had taken a good chunk of her belongings to Blackwell, or had stored most of the stuff for safe keeping. The bed was freshly made though, and Chloe gladly laid down on it. "Oh, now this is hella nice," she laughed, feeling like she might pass out as her head hit the pillow.

Max slowly sat down on the other side of the bed, her feet touching the ground. "Hey," Chloe said as she sat back up. "Max, talk to me."

"I just..." She wiped her nose, and Chloe was relieved to see no blood for once. "It's because of me. All of this is my fault."

"Max..." Chloe swung her legs around to hang off the bed, wrapping her lanky arms around Max. "You did not cause that fucking storm, you hear me? Chaos theory, my ass."

"I...I could have..."

"You're Super Max, not omnipresent Max. For all we know, the Prescotts fucking with the bay caused the storm."

Max sniffed. "Or...or Rachel."

Chloe sat in silence for a moment. They had only found Rachel the night before. The idea of her deciding to come back for her revenge in a whirlwind of rain and terror was oddly fitting. "Yeah, or Rachel," she admitted quietly. She pulled her legs back onto the bed. "C'mon, time to sleep. And don't say you're not tired. You look like you're dead on your...well, not on your feet, cause you're sitting, so, dead on your ass."

A small giggle rose out of Max's throat, and she let Chloe pull her down onto the bed, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder. Chloe held on to her tight, looking up at the ceiling. "I meant it you know. That I'll always be with you."

"I know," Max said sleepily, and after a few minutes, Chloe felt her breathing shift into that of sleep, and Chloe followed her shortly after.