Wake Me Up When September Ends, Conclusion

Dressed in Dreams, song by Brody Dalle

Warning: NSFW

Warning: Suicide Trigger

"Chloe, stop it!" Max said, giggling as the bluenette ran a hand through her hair, having stolen Max's beanie. We're in front of the police station, Che! You could try to be chill and not such a fucking goober, y'know. "Seriously, Chloe. Stop."

"Stahp?"

"Ugh, I give up." Rolling her eyes, Max heard a chuckle from her girlfriend and elbowed the girl in her side before turning around to face her, "I can't fucking believe I let you talk me into this."

"Dude. My sweet, sweet love, you look killer!" Chloe said, running both hands through Max's hair, "Who knew that black and red worked so well together! Also, it's 'cereally'. If you're going to be Max Caulfield, at least use your shtick properly, ladykiller."

"Ughhhh." Using her phone, Max switched on the front-facing camera and examined her new "killer" style. I'm going to die. Right now. On the steps, I swear to Dog, I will just drop. Her hair almost entirely dyed pitch black, Chloe and Rachel had colored Max's bangs maroon and tied the black into a ponytail. Feeling like a cross between nerdy photog and thrasher, Max missed her natural hair color. "I liked my hair the way it was."

"And you'll still be able to like it, Max. This is just a temp dye, so if you don't like it by the time you take a shower then no worries. It's not like we fucking shaved your head, dude. Just rinse, release, and relapse into your default chestnuttiness. I'll take my Max original or extra spicy, so no loss on my end."

"Oh?" Max asked, walking through the double doors with Chloe hand in hand, "So the hair makes me 'extra spicy'? Here I was thinking it was my mad bedroom skills, yo. Also, who in Dog's name are you calling 'nutty', eh?"

"…Never say 'yo', Max. It doesn't suit you, dude. You're always spicy, mama. The hair is only an accent on your hotness," Chloe said, grabbing Max's ass as they exited the station's foyer and came into the waiting area. "…Can I haz nookie tonight, too? I mean, you are leaving tomorrow…"

"I dunno, Che. You're kinda being a jerk. Makin' fun of my real hair and shiz…"

"Please? Don't make me beg in a public building, Maxnado."

"Bow, Chloe Price. Bow before your goddess of sexiness," Max said, poking Chloe in the chest as both girls momentarily forgot where they were. "The only bland vanilla here is your fucking lip balm flavor. By the way, regarding said lip balm? Eughh. And you better take me, you gangly dingus."

Smiling brilliantly, Chloe lifted up her left hand, flashing Max's promise ring as it shined on the bluenette's ring finger. Taking the hand in both of hers, Max kissed the tips of Chloe's fingers to the other girl's delight before a coughing sound interrupted their public display of affection. Startled, Max looked over her shoulder and saw someone at the duty desk that she recognized.

"…Officer Berry?" Max asked, a small grin forming on her face as Chloe went to take a seat. Afraid they'll preemptively book you for all the shit you'll probably get into, Che? Heh.

"Do I…no, it can't be. Little Max Caulfield? Marshal Ryan's girl?" Officer Berry said, smiling as he reached over to give the freckled punk a hug, "Look at you, kid! You've grown up, Max, and evidently she's been an influence on you."

Smirking as Officer Berry jerked a thumb in Chloe's direction, the bluenette responding with a humph, Max giggled as she nodded. I'd like to think that I've been more of an influence on Chloe than she's been on me. Undoing her ponytail, Max combed her fingers through her black hair until it resembled her usual hairstyle. This dye reeks. I smell like the inside of Chloe's beanie times a thousand. Still, I'd rather smell like her room than this. Bleghh.

"So, um, I'm here for photos and a statement," Max said, her severe tone surprising the fatherly Officer Berry. "U-Uh, the David Madsen case?"

"How are you involved in that, Max? Heard the scumbag assaulted-"

Max flashed the inside of her forearm to Officer Berry, having been awkwardly holding her arm to hide the bruising, the dark violet bruising getting a cringe from the police officer as he looked up at Max with a pained expression.

"Max…," Officer Berry said, his voice disheartened, "That shouldn't happen to anyone, ever. I'm sorry that it had to happen to you."

"That's the problem. It didn't have to happen," Max uttered, feeling hostile at the memory of David grabbing her, "He's just a shit-stained douchebag."

Looking at Max incredulously, surprised that the language coming out of Max's mouth, Officer Berry reached over to slide a sign-in book towards the brunette. Quickly scribbling her name, Max adjusted her pink tank-top before Officer Berry asked her to take a seat. I wish I had gotten blazed more at the junkyard, Max said, plopping down in the seat next to Chloe. Leaning her head on the taller girl's shoulder, Max bit her lip and closed her eyes. I can already feel the anxiety beginning to rear itself up. I feel a little jittery, like I drank too much caffeine or something. Feeling Chloe stroke her hair, Max nestled her head into the crook of her girlfriend's neck.

"I'm sorry this weekend has been so drama-laden, Che."

"Max, what the fuck are you talking about? Dude, none of this is your fault. You didn't ask to have people fucking hurt you, Max. You should've blazed some more, I can feel your lil ticker pumping hella hard, Maxnado."

"Heh, I was just thinking that a good toke was in order. Your dorm room? I need to try and figure out what I'm going to wear for this shindig later tonight."

"Shindig? Feels more like a hootenanny."

"Your dorm room's a hootenanny," Max said, letting out a small yawn.

"That made zero sense, Max."

"That's fine. I give zero fucks."

Both girls giggling, Max tilted her head up and smacked her lips until Chloe bent her head down to kiss the brunette. Gimme more kisses, you, Max thought as she made whining puppy noises from the back of her throat. Chloe rolling her eyes, an amused look on her face, she leaned down again to give Max several smaller kisses.

"Better?" Chloe asked, smirking at the toothy smile on Max's face.

"Hella." Max laid her head back where it had been, looking down at the ring on Chloe's finger. "Were you surprised-"

"Max?" Officer Berry said, clicking off the radio attached to the shoulder epaulet of his uniform, "They're ready for you. You'll want to cross th' bullpen straight down the middle. Second door to the right when you walk past the divider between the pen and the hall."

Flashing a leisurely salute, Max smiled at Officer Berry before getting to her feet, Chloe in tow as they entered the door that had just opened with a buzzing sound emanating from it. The bullpen was little more than an open space in the building's center with a smattering of desks and chairs in random places. Crossing over to the other side of the building, Max and Chloe headed towards the door Officer Berry had instructed Max on.

"…Hello?" Max asked, knocking lightly on the wooden door. "I-I'm, uh, I'm Max."

"Ms. Caulfield?" a voice said from inside before the door unlocked with a click. A policewoman peered out from the door's other side, her face softening at the sight of Max, "Max? I'm Officer Wilcox. I'll be taking your statement and some…some photos of the injury sustained at the hands of Mr. Madsen. If you'll come inside, this shouldn't take too long.

"Can my girlfriend come in, too?" Max asked, her voice unimposing as she held onto Chloe's hand with emphasis. "I kinda need some support."

"…Sure, provided that Chloe can behave. You can do that, can't you? Chloe?" Officer Wilcox said, cocking an amused eyebrow at the disgruntled bluenette to Max's amusement.

"I can behave! I'll totally behave! For Max, though. Just for Max. Janine," Chloe said, finishing her sentence with a tease that only made Officer Wilcox roll her eyes in response.

The statement and questions felt more like an interrogation to Max than just doing routine paperwork. Maybe it's because I am the incident, basically. David grabbed me, hurt me. Chloe said he tried to take a swing at her and Rachel, but I'm the one he actually got a hold of. Why does this shit happen to me? I didn't do anything except be myself. Wowsers, this is such a load of bull. Placing her arm on the table, Max watched gooseflesh start to appear from the surprising cool of the metal tabletop. Max squinted her eyes with each flash of the camera, her eyes not being directly in the light but close enough that it stung a bit. Acting under the policewoman's instructions, Max would turn her arm a little in one way or angle it just so. You should just give me that camera. Which of us is actually studying photography, lady? This might be forensic, but it's also photographic. That's my domain.

"So," Max said as they wrapped up, "Is he, well, is he still here?"

"Actually, if you can hold still in here for a few more minutes, you can avoid him atogether. He's headed to County as we speak, transfer orders coming from someone up top," Officer Wilcox said, winking at Max, "Nice to see that your dad still has some pull here, Max. A lot of us miss him."

"He misses this place, too." Until we move back here! Giddy squee mode, disengage! Oh noes, Chloe proximity alert! Wowsers, I am a nerd. Eheheh. "I'll tell him you all say hi."

Watching the policewoman head out the door, Max watched Chloe get up and head over to the table. Hopping onto the metal surface, Chloe slid over so that she was sitting in front of Max. Max grinned, standing up to kiss the bluenette. You make me happy, Che, so fucking happy. When the news becomes for real, when I'm certain, you will be the first to know I'm coming back for good. Cereally. Biting her lip as she brushed her nose against Chloe's in an Eskimo kiss, Max let out an excitable giggle before kissing Chloe once more.

"Damn, Max," Chloe said, her words and breathing coming between the bare minimum of moments between Max's lips, "We do it the one time and now you're ready to jump my bones anywhere."

"Except that nasty-ass dump by the lighthouse," Max murmured before pulling back to appraise her blue-haired girlfriend. "That makes me realize something. You haven't taken me anywhere uber-nice, though. Which is poop. I deserve hella nice, Chloe. Spoil me rotten and I'll shower you with some 'hardcore' affection."

"'Hardcore', eh? Ooh-la-la. Babe, I will fucking shower you with love and even mushy shit when we get back to my dorm room. We can even come up with somewhere to run off to for the next trip one of us will make. How 'bout that? Seriously, zero worries are necessary, my little Maxling," Chloe said, her voice a purr as she wrapped her arms around Max's waist, "Man, when the fuck are they going to let us know the coast is clear? This is the most shitastic game of Simon Says ever." Chloe is just able to finish her last sentence before someone knocks at the door and snickers. "Uh, don't you see the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the knob? Occupado, dude."

"…Max?" a woman asks from out in the hall. Max thought that her blood might freeze in that instant if it were scientifically possible.

"…No," Max leapt out of her seat so fast that she knocked her chair over and scared Chloe. This isn't happening. Not here…not now…, Max thought as she ran over to the door and leaned her weight against it, "G-Go away! Go the fuck away!"

"Max, don't make a commotion," the voice said, straining as they pushed at the door Max was bracing herself against, "Is this…Max, get away from the door for heaven's sake."

"No!" Max yelled, her anger mixing with her terror as the door opened just enough for her to see one of the people on the other side. Mom. You can't fucking be here, Goddamnit! Why are you in Arcadia Bay!? This is my home, my place the fuck away from you! "H-How…why…"

"Max, let…me…in," Max heard her mother say and jumped back from the door as it swung open hard, her mother stumbling as she nearly fell face-first onto the floor. Running to the table, Max hid behind Chloe as the bluenette slid off the table with fists clenched. Chloe…Chloe, help…, Max thought, the rage she normally felt overcome by the dread of such an unexpected appearance.

"You keep the hell away from her, Mrs. Caulfield," Chloe growled, her tone low and threatening as Joyce peeked around the doorway in confusion. Seeing the women together, Max watched Chloe eyes widen as her girlfriend came to some kind of conclusion. "Mom, what the fuck did you do?"

"Chloe? What's all the ruckus about?" Joyce asked, joining the other women in the room before closing the door, "I was with Dee, filling out some paperwork in one of the offices when I hear that Max finally made it for her statement with you taggin' along. What's all this racket about?"

"…You didn't tell her," Max uttered, her eyes narrowed as she grew so angry that she felt eerily calm, "You are a cowardly-ass bitch, Vanessa."

"Max, don't talk to your mother like that." Joyce's stern tone shocked Max for a moment before she remembered that Joyce was getting stern without knowing the whole truth. Looking over at her mother, Max saw the confidence from only a minute ago fade away as panic gripped Vanessa Caulfield. "Would someone mind explainin' to me what is going on? What does she mean, Dee? What haven't you told me?"

"She hits Max, Mom," Chloe said through gritted teeth, Max unable to figure out who her girlfriend was madder at, "You didn't notice the fucking shiner Max has been sporting? Assy McShitstain here has been wrecking her daughter, Mom. Don't you fucking look at me like that, lady! Your daughter, my girlfriend, is a fucking wreck because of you!"

"…Dee? Vanessa, is this true?" Joyce's alarmed tone, combined with her situating herself towards Max and Chloe, helped to lessen the diminutive brunette's anxiety to a more tolerable level.

"I'm trying to get better, Max. I…I came, didn't I?" Vanessa asked, her plaintive tone betrayed by the angry look in her eyes as she was slowly ganged up on by the girls and Joyce.

"You think…you actually think that just popping up with some 'Holly Homemaker', chickenshit half-truths are going to make things better?" Max asked incredulously, tears running down her cheeks as she situated herself behind both Price women, "I-I'm your daughter and you…and you hit me. It might not be so bad if I knew that part of you wasn't actually sorry, that you're only playing the part of a caring mother instead of actually b-being one. Just…just go away. If you will do anything I ask, if you still love me in the twisted way you fucking do, please just leave."

Vanessa Caulfield paused for a moment, halted by the stinging words of her daughter. Max saw the shock on her mother's face and found that she no longer cared anymore. She was so nearly done with the woman who had stopped being her mother years ago, tired of a woman who had her family pretending everything was fine to keep up appearances. The gifts, the fake-ass smiles, the bullshit lies about how I got hurt when you took me to school: you're a lying bitch who is only really good at one thing. Go back to Seattle and just keep lying to yourself, you twisted piece of shit. So wrapped up in her thoughts, Max hardly noticed her mom take one step forward until Chloe shot out like a bullet at the older woman.

"I told you to get the fuck away!" Chloe yelled, rearing her fist back before clocking Max's mother across the jaw. Both Chloe and Max's mother were sent sprawling to the floor, Chloe out of sheer force as opposed to Vanessa's crumpled state from the impact of a fist against her face. Her eyes wide in horror, Max felt a pang in her gut that sickened her as she actually felt bad for the woman who had once really been her mother. Walking over, Max ignored the hopeful look on Vanessa's face and helped an angry Chloe to her feet. Pulling her girlfriend away from the crumpled form of Vanessa Caulfield, Max Caulfield sat Chloe on the table as a policeman came in to see what was going on.

"Family squabble," Max said, facing away as she took a look at Chloe's split knuckle. "I promise it's the last one, officer. I'm really sorry. We're all…we're all just so worked up, what with David and everything." Sorry, Joyce. I'm sorry I have to use your pain to hide my own. I hate her, but she's still the woman who helped raise me along with my dad. For a time, anyway. I wish I could put her ass in jail, but I'm not as cruel as her. I don't want my dad to feel any more grief than he already has.

The officer eyeing all of them for a moment, Max being the sole exception as she tended after Chloe's split knuckle with gentle hands, he grunted before gesturing emphatically that they all needed to leave. Holding Chloe's uninjured hand, Max and her girlfriend walked alongside a weary-looking Joyce Price as Vanessa Caulfield stormed off. Seeing her mom turn around to look at her with a mortified expression, Max flipped the woman off with her free hand as she silently mouthed Fuck off.

"Stopping at the house before heading back to Chloe's?" Joyce asked, her worried tone getting a faint smile from Max as Chloe sat quietly in Max's jeep across the street. Standing on the sidewalk outside the police station, Max just wanted this to be over. I owe it to Joyce to hear her out, to let her vent. I did a cruel thing, using the situation with David to hide her abuse. Wowsers, I keep covering shit up. It has to stop sometime. "Max…Max, I feel terrible. I had no idea that Dee, that Vanessa, had struck you. I wonder if that's why your father sounded so disappointed when I told him that I'd called your mother…"

"Probably. He just kicked her out, my black eye being the absolute last straw. Truth is," Max let out a sigh and smiled weakly at Joyce when Chloe's mom placed a reassuring hand on her freckled shoulder, "Truth is we haven't really been a family for some time now. Me and Dad have always been hella close, but Mom…she fell away, spent more and more time bitter and drunk. They're divorcing. I'm assuming she didn't tell you that, either?"

"Max…," Joyce said, her tone increasingly sorrowful as she gazed at the black-haired girl with a deep sadness in her eyes, "If you need to stay here in Arcadia Bay, my door is always open. For now, just go be with Chloe. I have to head to work and you two need each other, now more than ever. We can talk later, okay?"

Max nodded and gave Joyce a hug before heading over to her jeep. Having parked across the street, Max saw Chloe turn her head so as to try and not give away her watching the display the other women had put on. Smiling at Chloe through the bluenette's passenger side window, Max felt the hollowness of the expression as her mother's lingering presence carved her out. She had no right to come here, no right to even fucking care. I don't give a single shit if she birthed me, if she helped raise me. You don't hit a child, let alone your child.

"What up, SuperMax?" Chloe asked, her quiet tone undermining the attempt at humor, "Um, we headed back to Blackwell?"

"Slow your roll, my knight in shining beanie," Max said, leaning over to kiss Chloe on the cheek as the bluenette winced from poking at the cut on her knuckle, "I need to make a pit stop at the house before we go to your dorm and chill. Nice battle scar, by the way."

"Had to throw down, defend my lady from a fire-breathing bitch. Max, I-"

"We can talk at the dorm, Chloe. I…I just want to get there first, then unload. I need to bake like a baker makes a cake," Max said with in a deadpan manner, watching Chloe roll her eyes as a grin sheepishly began to appear.

The dorm room was softly illuminated by the sun sneaking in through Chloe's blinds, small pinhole-sized beams of light playing across the floor as a breeze made the vinyl sway. Kate had tried to come over but was gently rebuffed by Chloe as Max laid on the bluenette's bed and blew smoke rings. We can practice later, Kate. I'm sorry, but I have some seriously dark stuff going through my mind right now and I wouldn't be any fun or help. Hearing her girlfriend talk to the shy blonde from out in the hall, Max forced herself to focus on where she was and not where she had been. Pushing the police station, save Chloe's defending her, and as much as she could of her mother into the back of her mind, Max sighed before finishing off her joint.

"Toking without me? You broke pot etiquette, Max," Chloe said, chuckling as she closed the door behind her, "Penalty is death."

"B-But officer, I swear that it was really important. My sanity was on the line, swear to Dog." Max played along, her voice plaintive despite her struggling not to laugh.

"Well," Chloe said, eyeing Max mischievously as she slid into bed alongside the black-haired girl, "I suppose that since it is your first offense I will give you a reduced sentence. Life without possibility for being without me, and 1,000 hours of community doobies. Share, nerd."

Showing that her joint was nearly gone, Max took Chloe's shrug as indifference and passed the near-finished pot to her girlfriend as she curled up next to the bluenette. This is better than anything, being right here with you. I don't care if it is 'Black-Hell' or the bedroom back at Joyce's. You're like fucking magic for me, Che. Better than any high I could possibly get. Letting out a pleased sound, Max felt Chloe's body quiver from a repressed giggle but didn't care.

"Max, we hella need to talk. For real, Babe," Chloe said, her tone apologetic as she lifted herself up into a sitting position. Max clutched onto the bluenette and smiled in amusement as Chloe groaned before hoisting Max up so they were sitting next to each other. "I, uh, I have a question. I'd like a serious answer."

"Go ahead." Max's easygoing mood dissipated in the face of Chloe's determined tone. Something's wrong, Max thought.

"It's been so whirlwind this weekend, Max, but I noticed something at the house last night. You have way more bags than you actually needed for just a weekend. Tell me the truth, Max. Were you planning on running away?"

"…Yes," Max's answer simplified into a single word. Wowsers, Che. Cut me to the fucking quick, why don't you? Is it so wrong, wanting to leave all that bad shit in Seattle behind?

"When were you going to tell me about this master plan?" Chloe asked, continuing her line of questioning without a single flutter in her voice.

"I-I actually was planning on finding a way to stick around here for a bit. I, well, I have money saved. I do have phone and car insurance payments, but most of what I make goes into my savings. I've been thinking about ditching Seattle for a while," Max fidgeted with her hands as she unraveled her escape plan.

"What about me? Do I even figure into this scheme of yours, dude? Were you going to fucking bail on-"

"Chloe Elizabeth Price, you better rewind that shit back. Right now." The build-up of strength in Max's voice alarmed Chloe, but the pain managing to seep through the smaller girl's words brought the bluenette back. "I would never bail on you like that. Not after we just got each other back. I was going to ask if you'd come with me, all romance and adventure like when we were kids."

"We're not kids anymore, Max. I'd love to take off with you, go everywhere we possibly can. I…I need to at least finish school first, Babe. Barring anything life-threatening, my educmacation needs to be at least more than 'some high school'. What about Arcadia Bay? You could just stay here, live at my house. Mom will love the company, especially with step-fuehrer gone."

"With everything going on now, I'll probably head back to Seattle for the time being. Put the fantasy of perpetual nightly nookie on hold, Che." Until I likely come back with Dad in tow because we'll be living here again! Woot! Aghhh, I want to tell you so bad! Pulling another doobie out of her pocket, Max was about to light it when Chloe took it and set it on the floor. "You're cutting me off?"

"I've got something else in mind," Chloe said, moving in to kiss Max.

Pinned to the bed, Max felt Chloe slide along top of her as they kissed. Eyes closed, Max's tongue darted in and out of Chloe's mouth as their lips drew each other back in. Sliding her hand from Chloe's hip to the small of her girlfriend's back, Max pushed with her hand so Chloe was pressed against her even more. Hearing a moan escape her own lips, Max opened her eyes to see Chloe looking down at her as they kissed. Because that's not creepy at all, Chloe. Staring me down while fooling around is totally not cool. Narrowing her eyes in displeasure, Max closed them once more as their kisses grew wetter. Feeling Chloe lick her lips, Max caught and began to suck on Chloe's tongue as her hand slid into the girl's jeans.

"Are we…I mean, now?" Chloe asked, pulling away to for a moment to catch her breath. "What about practice?"

"Are you fucking cereal?" Max asked, looking at her girlfriend in a mixture of irritation and disappointment. Shaking her head in disapproval, Max removed her hand from Chloe's jeans and reached for the joint that had been taken from her. "If you're going to just lay on me, then I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't, Chloe. Let me bake."

"Max…"

"I want to make love to you and you worry about other shit? Why do you think I was so happy to fucking come down here? The fish? The fucking touristy shit? I…came…here…for…you," Max poked at Chloe's chest with each of the five spaced-out words, "So what do you do, just now? You blow me off right as we're about to fuck. I'm going to go see Kate. She wanted to practice, so we'll practice."

Pushing herself up, Max eyed Chloe until the bluenette sadly moved aside to let her through. Snatching up her guitar and amp, Max looked at Chloe menacingly from over her shoulder before opening and slamming the door shut. Ugh! Jesus fucking Christ, Che! Are your wires fucking crossed? When your girlfriend, the girl who just gave you a promise ring and hasn't seen you in months, wants to give herself to you again you should say 'hallelujah' and not 'duhhhh'…, Max thought as she stormed over to Kate's door. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Max heard Chloe's door crack open but chose to ignore it as she opted to knock on the door in front of her. Fucking sulk, Chloe, and think on your rejection of my nookie offer. Honest to Dog, I just don't get you sometimes. I love you, but I definitely don't always understand you.

"Hello?" Max heard Kate ask from inside her dorm room.

"It's Max. I…did you want to practice?" Max stifled her anger, forcing her voice to level out. Don't be mad at Kate. She's too sweet and isn't deserving of your sexual frustration and angst. Ugh, Chloe goddamn Price. Geez.

"Yes! I mean, sure," Max heard Kate compose herself and tried not to giggle as the shy blonde opened the door and let Max in. "I'm sorry if I was interrupting something. I just thought getting some time in before tonight might be a good idea."

"Kate, you're spot on with that. Don't worry, either. You didn't interrupt anything that Chloe didn't all on her own," Max said, nearly blurting out her frustration.

"Huh?"

"Never mind. Play?"

"Play."

The girls gathered their instruments, Max getting a curious look from Kate as she locked the girl's door, and started to play. Getting a familiarity started, Max would play a rhythm and wait for Kate to catch on before the blonde would follow in kind with something to whet Max's musical curiosity. Breaking out a folder of sheet music, Kate blushed when Max chuckled at how thick the stack of music was. Holy crap, she's a prodigy or something. Yo-Yo Kate, now with violin! Pull string to hear ear ambrosia that will melt your brain!

"Wow, Kate. Seriously, you're amazing," Max said, gushing at the skill of Kate's playing. "I'm self-taught and even with lessons I don't think I could ever catch up to you."

"Max, stop," Kate said, her face only getting redder with a shy grin plastered on it, "You're good, too. Don't sell yourself short."

"Yeah, but you're amazeballs," Max said, pausing to hear footsteps retreating from Kate's door as someone headed further into the hall. Chloe, no doubt. "So…any ideas for a song? Apocalyptica, I'm assuming."

"If that's okay. It's just nice to meet someone who likes them, too." Seriously, Kate, you are way too adorable. How are you alive, a coherent mass of sunlight in the form of a shy music nerd? "You okay, Max?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"A little."

"Oh, I got into it with Chloe. Immediately before coming to practice with you. I feel bad, railing at her like I did."

"What happened?" Kate asked, setting her violin in its case.

"…Private stuff…," Max said, her voice low as her face heated up. I was pretty stupid…and selfish…and kind-of a bitch. I should apologize to Che before she gets worked up more than she likely is. "Um, can we pick a song? I'm sorry, but I feel a need to make myself less of an ass and beg my girlfriend for forgiveness."

"Max, I can play on the stage by myself. I just asked because I thought it might be fun. We can always play another time," Kate said, her warm smile causing Max to feel even more embarrassed in the face of such kindness. "I would like your number, though, if it's not too much trouble. It's always nice to make new friends. Heh, even stoner ones."

Smirking at Kate's attempt at humor, Max typed in Kate's phone number and sent the girl a text so that they had each other in their contact lists. Unplugging and securing her guitar and amp, Max smiled at Kate before heading out into the hallway. Seeing Chloe's door quickly shut, Max slumped her shoulders as found herself being the sulking one as she headed to her girlfriend's door. Knocking a few times, Max leaned her head against the door in resignation. I fucked up. Just say it, let her know you're sorry. Not like it's the first time. Are all relationships this hard?

"Chloe, I'm sorry. I was being a shit, and you didn't deserve my rage. I…I just wanted you, and felt a little hurt when you didn't seem to want me back. Please forgive me? I need my Che," Max pouted at the silence. Sitting next to Chloe's doorway, Max pulled out her phone and began to type.

Max: Che? Please answer me.

Max: I sowwy

Chloe: …you were fucking mean

Chloe: And I didn't deserve it

Max: I know. I'm horrible, sometimes. I really am.

Max: I just wanted you, wanted to be with you

Chloe: I kinda got that, Max

Max heard the sound of someone sitting down on the other side of Chloe's door as she paused in her typing. Looking over at the closed door, Max smirked before continuing.

Max: You plop your butt at the door?

Chloe: …maybe…

Max: I don't really feel like playing tonight. I think I might have bailed.

Chloe: Oh no! Max, Dude, I hella need to hear you play…

Max: Only if you sing. Just you and me.

Max: Che, I don't get you for very long. Days at a time when we're together. I just want to take in as much of you as possible. I want to breathe you in and taste you on my lips. I want to remember how that feels so that I have something until we're able to get together again.

Max: Long-distance relationships are hard

Hearing shuffling around from the inside Chloe's room, Max scrambled to her feet as the bluenette peeked out from the opening door. Max wanted to scream at Chloe, try and get into her girlfriend's head how scared she was of the time that would pass between their next weekend together. Max needed Chloe to be there for her, wanted the bluenette to understand why she was being so demanding. Please talk to me.

"Please talk to me," Max whispered, looking down at the single finger she was holding onto. "Please tell me something, Chloe."

"Just shut up, Max, and give me a minute," Chloe said as she revealed the towel she was wearing, "I'll be right back."

Sitting on Chloe's dresser, now sporting the other girl's sleep t-shirt and shorts, Max kicked her dangling legs as she waited for her girlfriend to return. Feeling her face warm up at the recollection of Chloe's hands and lips on her body, Max felt a shiver run down her body. Chloe can get pretty worked up, too. Good to know, eheheh, but I'm a little nervous at what she has cooked up. That impish look will get us both into hella trouble someday. Max snickered at the idea of her floating away, feeling so comfortably light and free. The police station was a forgotten memory, buried away as Max simply watched in anticipation as the door knob turned. Watching Chloe poke her head into the room, clad only in a towel, Max quickly slid off the dresser and walked up to Chloe.

"You sure about this? There are still other people on the floor, Che." I want to have some fun, but I don't want to risk her getting into too much trouble. Chloe's had enough grief this weekend courtesy of me. She doesn't need anymore.

"You're worried about shit now, after getting hella pissed from my backing down? You are an emotional clusterfuck sometimes, Max Caulfield, with the oddest fucking sense of timing ever. If you wuss out now, after giving me shit earlier, I will tease the hell out of you until the end of time," Chloe said, shooting Max a menacing grin as she walked over to take her girlfriend by the hand, "Besides…it's just a shower. Come on, Max. Get wet with me."

"See?" Chloe asked as she ran a soapy washcloth down Max's back, "Isn't this fucking great?"

"We did this last night, Che."

"You were fucking halfway catatonic from all the melodrama, dude. No matter how amazeballs it was, it doesn't beat this. Besides, doing sneaky shit here is fun. Except you washed out the dye. That's hella lame, Caulfield. Your rep will drop some for that."

Max shrugged as she grinned at the feeling of Chloe washing her back. Thank Dog she is, or I'd have some weird zebra-ish stripes running down my back. While Max hadn't minded the hair dye, she was adamant in the need to be rid of it. Ugh, it still reeks, even with most of it down the drain. Begone, evil dye of funkiness! Abandon my hair, all dye who enter here! Clenching her hands into fists as she leaned against the shower wall, Max gritted her teeth so as to not cry out. How can a shower feel this good? With extra Che, that's how. Turning around as Chloe pulled her hand away, Max gave her girlfriend a sly smile as she slipped her hand inside Chloe.

"We just had sex!" Chloe whispered, biting at her lip as Max rubbed her hand against Chloe's pussy.

"What if there's more?" Max asked before giving Chloe a quizzical look. "There is more, right?"

"…uhnnn, Max you're fucking terrible…," Chloe let out with a stifled moan, covering her mouth as Max began to kiss her abdomen, "Don't…don't stop. You're fucking insane, Max, but don't stop…"

"Aye, Captain."

"If you make a 'booty' joke, I'll fucking leave."

"Arrr."

"Jesus fuck, Max. Less joking, more fucking."

Giggling as she pressed her face against Chloe's chest, Max's body shook while she went to work on her girlfriend. Biting gently at Chloe's nipple, Max sucked on it for a moment before pulling back to kiss her girlfriend. Water smacking them from the side, the kiss's heat was added onto by the steam of the water. I'm turning into a sex fiend. Okay, Max thought as she slid her fingers out of Chloe and teased her girlfriend by sucking at the fingers Chloe was using to muffle the noises escaping her. Smiling at the sight of Chloe's eyes rolling up from ecstasy, Max went finger by finger as she kissed and slid each one into her mouth individually before kissing the back of Chloe's hand.

Moving along the bluenette's arm, Max began to pepper Chloe's entire body with quick little kisses until she felt her girlfriend buckle. Not yet, Che. Not just yet, Max tilting her head up to kiss Chloe. Mouths colliding forcefully, Max and Chloe wrapped their arms around each other as they got lost while exploring each other. Hands fumbling as they their arms bumped into each other, Max pulled away as she was unable to stifle her laughter. Both girls froze, terrified at the prospect of someone hearing.

"We should go." Chloe whispered, moving to grab her towel only to be stopped by Max snatching it from her as the brunette tossed the towel out into the sink area. "Max!"

"What?" Max looked at her girlfriend with an innocent smile. I'm just an innocent little girl, all alone in the…pffft, I can't say that. I can't even think it without calling bullshit on myself. Unable to keep a straight face, Max bit at her lip to stop herself from laughing at the look of genuine shock on Chloe's face. I wish I had my camera on me. You're such a dork right now, Chloe. This moment needs to be recorded for posterity's sake. "I didn't do anything."

"You're fucking terrible, Max."

"Eheheh."

Sliding her hand down Chloe's abdomen, Max let it rest as she played with Chloe's belly ring. Tracing her finger around the small stud poking out, Max winked up at Chloe before inching her hand closer to Chloe's pussy. Chloe tilted her head back, Max relishing the fevered look on the bluenette's face as she slipped two fingers inside Chloe and began to pump them in and out. Thrusting her fingers slowly as she squeezed Chloe's side with the other, Max would tease her girlfriend by stopping whenever the taller girl would began to shiver. Looking up to see Chloe panting, meeting Max's eyes with an incredulous look that was only emphasized by the parting of her lips when Max would start back up. You're mine, Chloe. I've got you, right here and now. Feeling a hand begin to creep down her own belly, Max pushed it away to hear a defeated sound escape Chloe's lips.

"Max? Did I-"

"I…I just want to please you, Chloe. Don't worry about me, Babe. Let me give you something good, okay?" Max asked, her voice losing its sultry edge as her actual yearning revealed itself. Max was good at playing a part, something she painfully knew came from her mother doing the same thing to her, but she didn't want to be that way with Chloe. I'm scared of leaving, of you leaving. I worry that I won't be enough, being so far away. Weekends are nice but I want you for the rest of my life, Che. Let me do this, let me give you my love. Squatting down, her eyes pools of blue as she leaned her head against Chloe's belly, Max felt a hand brush through her hair

"Max…"

"Chloe, I love you. I love you so much. L-Let me…let me show you. Please?" Looking up from where her head was resting, Max's worry brought a gasp out of Chloe as the brunette was moved to tears.

"Max," Chloe said, kneeling down next to Chloe, "You don't have to do this. I know how much I mean to you, Baby. Really, I do. Why…why are you so scared? What's going on behind that freckled face of yours?"

Max leaned against Chloe, the taller girl propping herself up against the wall so Max could snuggle up next to her with the hot water cascading down their heads. Max's body shook as she fought off the urge to just break down completely. She's right here, holding me, and here's my dumb ass terrified that I'll blink and she's gone. Nearly everyone who has loved me has betrayed me in some way, Chloe. How do I tell you that I'm afraid you might do the same without breaking your heart?

"Is this from before, when you were scared of being hurt?" Chloe asked, her voice as soft as her gentle holding of Max.

"Not fair," Max said, frowning as she pulled herself closer to the bluenette, "You're not allowed to be psychic."

"We're both damaged as fuck, Max. I don't need to be psychic because I get scared, too. How about this? You promise me you'll be honest with me, cut the bullshit and humor when you're spiraling, and I'll do the same. Serious, relationship stuff. Promise?" The sincerity in Chloe's voice helped to ease Max's emotional pain, and the brunette nodded as she leaned her head on her girlfriend's chest.

Max felt awkward, standing before the other girls in only her underwear. Keep calm and carry on, Max. It's just them staring at me…dressing me up like a fucking doll…holy balls, this is embarrassing…

"I can dress myself," Max said to Rachel, Kate and Chloe going over music as the brunettes addressed each other. Rachel had been put in charge of helping Max find a suitable style for the evening. "I'm not as unfashionable as you think. Ask Chloe!"

"She dressed the rock star part in Seattle, but I think my Babe is a little overwhelmed by the 'awesomeness' of Arcadia Bay," Chloe said, grinning as she continued to go over songs with Kate.

Ugh, this is so uncool! Max thought as she scowled in the direction of her girlfriend, I can look cool! I totally can! Disgruntled, Max sat on Chloe's bed and wrapped her arms across her chest from being so exposed.

"Maxaroni, cool down." Max eyed an apologetic Rachel, shooting her friend a glare as she was handed some clothes to try on. "We're just trying to find you a killer ensemble, dude. No need to act like we're preparing you for a fucking execution. Chlo, tell your girlfriend to behave!"

"Behave!" Chloe said in a flat, uninterested tone

"That was so fucking lame, I have even less faith in this," Max said, shaking her head at outfit after outfit until Rachel finally gave up, "You only went through the bag on the floor. Did you not think that I wouldn't have something in case Chloe took me somewhere nice?" Seeing Chloe flinch at the reminder of their only date over the weekend being a meal at Two Whales, Max held the scowl as she walked over to the closet.

Pulling out a garment bag she'd hidden in the back, Max kicked all three girls out of the room. Poking Chloe in the side as she passed, Max saw her mouth Sorry and made a point of scowling once more. Not take me somewhere nice when I took you all over the place…I'll show you what you missed, romantically-challenged dork. Unzipping the bag, Max slid out each article of clothing inside before walking over to her duffel. Dumping out the contents, making a point of setting her stash aside so it could be secreted away once more, Max pulled out her Chuck Taylor combat boots. Looking in the mirror, Max played with her hair until it was mostly untangled and didn't bat an eye when Rachel said that she and the others would be in Kate's room. Fine by me. I'll show you all, muahahaha.

"Yes?" Max heard Kate ask, her voice fleeting as a silence exuded from behind the door of her room. Dog, they're so quiet. Are they expecting that much of an epic fail? I'm almost 17, dudes. I can fucking dress myself. Shaking her head in slight irritation, Max cleared her throat to speak.

"May I come in?" Max knew they'd let her in, but she wanted to emphasize her politeness in the face of being Rachel's plaything for the previous 10 minutes of changing and unchanging. Friends don't let friend put up with that kind of shit. When Kate had unlocked the door, Max's entrance was met with giggles from Rachel and Kate as Chloe choked on her own breath.

"She's tryin' to kill me," Chloe gasped, her voice raspy as she coughed. "I'll be right back, ladies. I'm off to bang my girlfriend's brains out. Come on, Max. We got bangin' to do."

Max blushed, holding her arm awkwardly in a way that she saw made Chloe even more flustered as the bluenette sputtered in her chair. A plaid, sleeveless mini-dress with the skirt to just above her knees, the formfitting red and black was met with jet black thigh-high socks and a pair of combat boots. Her hair its usual style with only a vague hint of eyeliner being the solely visible makeup, Max put a hand on her hip and started singing happy birthday to Chloe in an imitation of Marilyn Monroe. Getting cat-called by Rachel, Max had winked at her friend which only made Chloe get even redder.

"W-We were just finishing the set list, Max," Chloe stammered, much to Max's delight, "After we had everything set, I was going to come back to bang you. Fuck, I mean fuck you. No, get you. I was totally going to get on you. Agh, I need a smoke!"

"You can smoke me, Che," Max said, smacking Chloe's ass as the bluenette hurried past her out into the hall.

"F-F-Fuck!" Chloe said, flustered and red in the face as she first headed toward her room before turning around and making for the stairway.

"I have your cigarettes, Chloe."

"…Shit," Chloe said, turning around to hold out her hand as she approached Max, trying to ignore the wry look on Rachel's face as Kate was simply at a loss for words. "Hand 'em over. No pulling them out your dress, either. My nose won't bleed like a goddamn anime character, Max."

Max nodded, then lifted the right-hand side of her skirt so that she could remove Chloe's pack of smokes from the cuff of her socks. Eyeing Chloe with an impish smirk, Max pulled the cigarettes back when Chloe went for them and gave her awkwardly flustered girlfriend a kiss before settling the smokes in Chloe's jacket pocket. Act like I can't dress. A successful "Fuck you" to all three of you, heh. I rock. Patting the pocket where she'd deposited Chloe's nicotine fix, Max stood up on her tip-toes and kissed Chloe on the lips.

"You…you taste like s-strawberries…"

"It's my lip balm, Che. Like it?"

"Hella…holy shit…I g-gotta go…"

Waiting until Chloe was out the door and in the stairway, Max spun on her heel and did a curtsey to Rachel's delight, the tall girl clapping and giggling even harder when Max flipped her off while saying "I'm not your goddamn dress-up doll".

"Ladies," Max said as she slipped a square of paper out of bra, "I have something I'd like to add onto the set list, if that's okay."

The Pier was packed with both minors from around the area and adults who had come to watch the local musicians to perform. The main acts lined up for after the open mic portion of the evening, Max and the girls had been disappointed to find each performer or group for the open mic was limited to only three songs. Three's better than just one, I guess, Max thought, shouldering her guitar case to show Rachel all the crossed-off performers. We get lucky at others' expense. Cute. They could at least take these poor bastards' names off the list. It's like a stay of execution, they doodled and wrote nasty shit on the cancelled acts. Glad I got convinced to not back out.

"What a bunch of assholes," Max said, raising her voice over the increasingly loud people in the club, showing Chloe the list of cancelled acts and hurtful graffiti, "I'm glad you talked me back into this, Che. For cereal. Ugh, it's so goddamn loud!"

"Max! What?"

"I said that I'd like to bang you right now!"

"That's what we're doing, nerd! We're going in the back to hang now!" Chloe said, giving Max a confused look when the brunette gave her a mischievous smirk. "You said something dirty, didn't you?"

"I said something flirty? What?"

"Don't pretend like you can't hear me!" Chloe shouted as they weaved through the crowd toward the back area reserved for performers. As the noise was shut out by the closing double doors, Chloe spun on the heel of her right boot and eyed Max with suspicion.

"…Are you high?" Chloe asked, seeing the slightly spacey look on Max's face.

"I-I might have taken half a Tramadol, Che," Max said, looking away before seeing the disapproving look on Chloe's face, "Don't give me that look, Chloe. I'm still anxious as fuck and you're being harsh, you giant dork. Besides, it's prescribed and used as directed. I'm using it as directed. Chill out!"

Taking Chloe's hand forcefully, Max shoved the people in front of them aside until they caught up to Rachel and Kate. Eat shit, assholes, Max nearly said as she flipped off the people complaining behind them. This place is so loud and there's so many people here. Wowsers, I think that I might vomit. Honest to Dog, I may actually barf.

"Chloe, can you hold my guitar?" Max asked, tugging on Chloe's jacket as the bluenette borrowed Rachel's hair spray and began to shape her blue locks into a fauxhawk. "Chloe? I'm gonna hurl."

"C'mon, Max," Kate said, taking Max by the hand to the sole bathroom. Dressed in blue jeans and a hoodie she had been given by Rachel because she had refused all of Rachel's other clothing options, Kate had reluctantly let her hair down and it now hung partly over her face with one eye obscured.

"You look really cute, Kate," Max said, squeezing her friend's hand, "Are you scared?"

"Max. I'm horrified." Kate's nervous smile only made Max more nervous. If the prodigal daughter is horrified, what about Chloe? I should have given her a joint, or snuck some beer in. She's got to be a wreck, despite putting on the brave front.

Thanking Kate as she bent down at the toilet, Max felt herself dry heave while the blonde held onto her hair and the guitar. Wishing that at least something would come up as opposed to just making her throat raw and hurt, Max nearly leaned onto the toilet rim out of exhaustion and worry before Kate pulled her head up by the fistful of hair she had gripped. Max wanted to run, willing to mow everyone down in the club if it meant fresh air and space to breathe. What the fuck was I thinking? Dog, this is going to be a goddamn nightmare and I'm never going to get a straight face out of anyone out there.

"Kate, you can let go now," Max said before getting to her feet.

"Sorry," Kate said, quickly letting go of Max's hair.

Splashing cold water on her face, Max and Kate left the bathroom with Max wiping her face off with a wad of paper towels. Seeing that Chloe and Rachel had found a spot near the back wall, Max rushed over as quickly as the crowd would allow and wrapped her arms around a surprised Chloe. Hearing the bluenette chuckle as she put her own arms around Max, the little brunette was careful to not mess Chloe's shirt up too much. That is my shirt, after all, Max looking at the "Kathleen Hanna Was Right" wording she had written on the fabric. Her brown leather jacket, Max's t-shirt, and torn jeans with her boots made up Chloe's "outfit", thought even she admitted that it really was just the same type of stuff she usually wore.

"We're up first," Chloe said after some hesitation, looking over at Rachel nervously.

"What?!" Kate and Max asked in unison, looking first at Rachel and then at Chloe. Max was the next to speak.

"Whose idea was that?"

"Don't look at me," Rachel said, holding her hands up defensively, "I'm just the roadie. Your guilty party is the girl with blue hair."

"Chloe Elizabeth Price," Max said, poking her girlfriend in the chest, "We're all fucking terrified and you put us first? Never mind the fear. We're going to get booed out of the building!"

"C-Chill, Max," Chloe said, trying to appease her enraged girlfriend, "It can't be that bad. You'll drop some hella chords, Kate will get her mastery on, and I'll just scream in the mic!"

"Chloe…"

"Sing in the mic! Sing!"

Pulling Kate over by the hand, Max gave her shy friend a hug as Kate looked on the verge of tears from all the tension building up in her. She's shaking. Goddamnit, this was a bad idea.

"Kate," Max said, looking straight into Kate's eyes, "You don't have to go up. For cereal." Seeing the look on Chloe and Rachel's collective faces, she flashed them a warning look before continuing. "Just stay back here with Rachel, okay? Decompress and chill out. Rachel, she's shaking. Can you keep her company? Please?"

"Way to take charge, Max," Rachel said, her confidence in them wavering when Max informed her it was likely because she was on her meds and they made her high. "Uh, yeah, I'll look after her."

"Max, I'm sorry," Kate said before blushing as Max kissed her on the forehead.

Pulling Chloe aside as the bluenette finally started to show signs of panic, Max pulled her head down for a long, passionate kiss. Ignoring the thunderous feeling in her own chest, Max would not let Chloe pull back until she felt her girlfriend's faint trembling subside. Max finally let her go as they both sucked in a breath of air. I'm nervous, you're nervous, but we're together. Che, you pulled me into this shit, so I'm going to yank you out of it.

"Who are you and what did you do with Max Caulfield?" Chloe asked, "Also, can I get a refill?"

"Smartass," Max said with a smirk as she kissed Chloe again, "C'mon. I think they're asking for us near the door."

The makeshift stage near the back was illuminated by lamps that had been turned so they shone down on the raised platform. A couple speakers set along the edge, the stage was made of wood and carpeted with what Max thought was a cheap knockoff of black velvet. Hello Gallows, my old friend…

"Play something already!" a patron shouted, snapping Max out of her thoughts as Chloe looked at her nervously, her punk appearance wavering under her anxious demeanor.

Fuck it. Here we go.

"I'm Max, this is Chloe. We're Partners-In-Crime. Our first song is 'I'm So Sad, So Very, Very, Sad'," Max said, a couple laughs coming from the crowd, "No, not really. Our first song is 'Don't Mess With Me' by Brody Dalle." Looking at the drummer and bassist who were supplied to the smaller groups like herself and Chloe, Max nodded at them and Chloe before her girlfriend counted them off.

"One…Two…One-Two-Three!" Chloe cried out, her voice opening up as she started to belt out the opening lyrics, "Here they come with their guns, guns, guns…"

Max bounced on her heels as she let the music and Chloe blur out the staring people in the club. The entire song seemed to Max as though it were in slow-motion whenever she would look over to see the look of pure joy on Chloe's face. Max's heart seized at how beautiful Chloe looked on stage, alternating between singing and screaming into the mic when the music called for it. She's loving this, and I'm loving her all the more for it. Max smiled to herself before joining the bluenette for the final chorus, both girls belting out "Don't wanna mess with me…Don't mess with me…" before Chloe went into the final stanza of the song. Max laughed as she and Chloe played against each other, Chloe holding onto the last note as Max held on with her.

"Whew," Max said, having stepped away from her mic as she went to drink some of the bottled water provided for them, Chloe coming over to join her.

"Dude, this is fucking hardcore!" Chloe said over the moderate amount of applause, both girls seeing Kate and Rachel clap excitedly from near back door. Scrunching her nose up in a giddy smile, Max pulled Chloe down by the collar and kissed her hard. Hearing cheering in the crowd, Max flipped them off as she blushed before moving back up to her mic with Chloe joining her at the bluenette's own microphone.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Max said, chiding the crowd, "We're queer so fucking get over it. That right, Babe?"

"You are on another fucking planet right now, I swear to God," Chloe said, beaming at Max. Laughing when Max blushed again, "My girlfriend, everybody. A clusterbomb of feels, she is."

Not wanting to banter on the stage, Max quickly told the crowd that their second song was "Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill. Having squeed in Kate's room when Rachel had showed her they selected it, Max had been waiting nearly all night just to play it. The first song I ever bothered to really learn. Chloe didn't know the lyrics as well as Max, so Max would be singing lead with Chloe helping on the chorus. Her hands shaking a little as the crowd waited with some impatience, Max looked over at Chloe as her anxiety threatened to overwhelm her. Help me, Max mouthed to her girlfriend, Chloe responding by coming over to her and giving her a kiss before whispering to her.

"Max. This is what you've been waiting for all night. You got this," Chloe said, her voice a little shaky but encouraging as she kissed Max one more time. "You don't need luck. You got me, dude."

Max felt a weight pull away from inside her and she followed the starting drums with her guitar. Working herself up, Max swore under her breath that she'd kick her own ass if she fucked up the one song that she wanted to play more than any of the others they had flipped through hours ago. Here we go. Do or drop your guitar and flee for your life, Max…

"That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood
She's got the hottest trike in town…That girl she holds her head up so high…I think I want to be her best friend, yeah…," Max sang, her voice only shaky after the first line as she watched Chloe look at her with an encouraging smile while mouthing Go, Max! Go!

The Bikini Kill song having gone off well-enough, Max felt her confidence at an all-time high as Chloe went for another drink of water. Walking over with her hands plucking at the guitar strings, Max smiled at her girlfriend and playfully head-butted Chloe's shoulder. Chloe looked down and smiled as she finished tossing her hair around so that it had finished reverting to its usual state. RIP, fauxhawk, Max thought, We hardly knew thee. Sighing, Max pulled Chloe off-stage by the elbow before looking at her girlfriend. Chloe's smile faltered a bit at the serious look on Max's face, even further when she was handed Max's guitar.

"You're quitting?" Chloe asked, her voice one of dismay, "Dude. They're eating it up, Max! We're getting cheered! The last time that happened we were in pee-wee sports and it was our dad's hollering at us from behind the fence!"

"Che…I have a song…"

"Yeah? Well, let's get to it!" Chloe exclaimed, moving to head back up the stage before Max cut her off.

"It's my own. It's…it's about my mom and me…"

"M-Max…," Chloe said, her elation disappearing as she looked her girlfriend in the eye, "Maxnado, are you sure about this? I get that it's cool, you having a song of your own for the crowd. With everything that's happened recently, though, don't you think that…well…maybe you shouldn't-"

"I-If I don't get it out now, I'm n-not sure I'll ever be able to be move forward, Chloe," Max blurted out, having to raise her voice over the crowd as some started to complain. Looking at the stage to see a teenage boy try to placate the crowd, Max sighed and looked at Chloe. "I need you with me on this. I need you to just stay here for me, in case I fall or can't go finish it. I…I have to try, Chloe. You protected me, today. Let me finish what you started, and we can really get started."

Max let Chloe go and headed back up to the stage. When the boy, Nathan Prescott, tried to chew her out for leaving a full house waiting, Max flipped him off square in the face to the crowd's sudden delight. More than a little humiliated, Nathan tried to spin her around to confront Max when the house bassist grabbed Nathan by the arm and shoved him off stage. Sheepisly grinning at the man as he and the other house musicians left, Max pulled out her lyrics and a music stand. Walking to the stool and acoustic guitar set out for her while she had been talking with Chloe, Max nervously finished preparing for her original piece. Looking over to see Rachel and Kate joining Chloe, all three girls sharing concerned looks with each other, Max audibly gulped before speaking.

"U-Uh…," Max stuttered, blushing as she heard someone in the crowd snicker. Looking into the group of people, Max saw Victoria watching her with an amused smirk. It's looks like that which only make me more pissed off. Thanks, Vicky. I needed your shit-eating disposition. "Hey, everybody. This last song, um, is personal. I wrote it and I just want to warn you that I'm not fucking around when I say it will not be upbeat. It's called 'Dear Mother'. One..two..one-two-three…"

Do you remember

How you'd wash my hair?

I'd laugh in the bath water

Under your loving care.

Where the fuck did time go

When you were walking through,

Without a goddamn clue,

After the shit you put me through?

Dear Mother, I'm not sorry

For all the walls I put up

Feeling as your gentle kiss

Turned into a heartbreaking fist

Your love came with domestic violence

Your heart was lacking in common sense

Home isn't where my heart is…

Dear Mother, is this all there is?

This new admission

That I will go on my own

Your face fading from memory

Till there's nothing but bone

In the face of everything you've done

In the heat of a battle I barely won

Clawing through the wall

I built to hide it all…

Dear Mother, I'm not sorry

For all the walls I put up

Feeling as your gentle kiss

Turned into a heartbreaking fist

Look what you did to me

Look what you did to me

You were my genesis

Now you're a bruise

Dear Mother, is this all there is?

Oh, fuck, Max a heartbeat after the song was finished. Oh, Dog…oh shit…I-I need to get going. They're all quiet. Everyone is quiet, Jesus fuck I have to go. Max nearly tripped before hearing someone in the crowd sniffle. Some of the crowd were holding other people standing next to them, with others wiping at their own eyes. Max felt a tear run down her cheek as she picked up the acoustic guitar from where she'd accidentally dropped it and looked down to see Victoria. The blonde girl standing absolutely still, Max saw the running mascara as Victoria cried while mouthing I'm sorry at Max. Looking away for a moment, Max looked at the blonde out of the corner of her eye and mouthed Me, too before stumbling off-stage to a scattering of applause and the continued sounds of people crying.

Max nearly fell into Chloe as the bluenette caught her with outstretched arms, her eyes red and puffy from crying throughout Max's song. Kate was gone, Rachel telling Max that the song had been too much for the girl. Nodding, Max looked out at the crowd and felt a chill silently creep up her spine at the sight of Vanessa Caulfield standing at the front door. Max made out the look of horror on the woman's face as they locked eyes for a moment before Max turned away. I…I can't care about your feelings when you stopped caring about mine.

"Max…," Chloe said as they finished changing back into their regular clothes, her voice quiet and worried as Max trembled slightly. The dorm room's freshener smell actually felt homey to Max after The Pier, her nerves giving way in the parking lot when she finally threw up.

Max had knelt by her jeep afterwards for a few minutes, refusing to let Chloe help her up as she just sat on the ground and cried until she was hiccupping. I want to die. I feel like I could just up and die right now. I-I can't believe I did that. Why did I do that? Using her car to steady herself, Max had climbed into the back seat and let Chloe drive them all back. Seeing Kate watch her with a sad look on the blonde's face, Max had just given Kate a faint smile and thumbs up in reply before Chloe peeled out of the parking lot and sped off towards Blackwell.

"I'll…I'll get over it, Che," Max said, sighing as she packed up the clothes strung about the floor. She was leaving tomorrow morning and it felt like the weekend had come to a grinding halt. "Um, do you want to do something?"

"…Like what? I gotta admit, Max, after you wrenched the hearts out of everybody back at the club I'm kinda tired. Also, you were amazeballs. Fuck the haters, dude. Better yet, fuck me." Max chuckled slightly at Chloe's eyebrow wiggling before reaching into the pocket of her discarded hoodie, the light jacket hanging on one of Chloe's camp chairs.

"I hold in my hand a spare set of keys to your illustrious school, Chloe Price," Max said, dangling the keys from her hand, "I snatched them when I went back into your house to grab my duffel bag. Someone told me that Blackwell has a heated pool, and I feel the need to have some relaxing fun."

"You fucking serious right now?" Chloe asked, eyes aglow as she walked over to look at the keys in Max's hand, "Splish splash?"

"Splish splash," Max said, winking as she grabbed Chloe by the hand and led her out into the darkened hallway. "We totally deserve it, Che."

"Well, we are rock stars now. Only fair that a set of keys to Black-Hell be included in our rider…"

Max sat at poolside, her legs dangling in the heated water as she watched Chloe float in the middle of Blackwell's pool. Spending a couple minutes trying to find the lighting controls, the girls had spotted them behind a locked door. Undeterred, Max and Chloe had stripped down to their bras and boxers and jumped into the near-blackness of the water. Illuminated only by a small number of safety lights place around the pool's sides, the water had a calming effect on the girls. Seeing Chloe's silhouette plunge underwater, Max yanked her legs out of the water in preparation for what she knew was coming. Seeing a grasping hand reach out towards where her legs had been, Max pushed Chloe's emerging head back down with her foot.

"You brat!" Max giggled as Chloe's eyes widened before she was forcibly submerged by Max's foot…

"Dun-dun…dun-dun…," Chloe said as she popped back up a little further away.

"You know Jaws freaks me out, so stop!" Max cried out, kicking water in Chloe's direction before slipping in to join her girlfriend. Wading over to the bluenette, Max pulled the other girl down into the water and gave her a long kiss, slipping in a little tongue without filling their mouths with chlorinated water. Feeling Chloe loosen up in her arms, Max swam up with her girlfriend in tow and headed over to poolside once more.

"Max, I'm so glad that you came down this weekend," Chloe said as she joined Max in leaning against the pool's edge, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Max said, leaning her head against Chloe's shoulder, "I needed my Che. Given all the heady shit that's happened this weekend, I don't know how I would have survived all the bullshit if I didn't have you to back me up."

"I'll always have your back, Babe. Promise." Chloe flashed the promise ring, smiling as she did so, "I still can't believe you actually gave me something like this. It's amazing and dorky as fuck all in one."

"Works then because you're the Queen of Dorkonia."

"Do I have a kingdom?"

"A Dorkdom. Your castle is made of beer bottles and sadness."

"Dude, that's lame. Why sadness?"

"Because a castle of beer bottles is just fucking sad. You'd have-"

Max shrieked as Chloe pushed her into the water, coming up gasping seconds later to hear Chloe laughing a little ways away. Oooh! Oh, Chloe Price, you will so fucking pay for that!

"Don't give me that face, Max. You did that to me not even five minutes ago! Count your blessings, nerd. I could have totally gone into shark mode and bit down on your pale ass."

Goddamnit, Chloe.

"Who's to say that I would mind if you bit down on me? Not my ass, but perhaps somewhere else…?"

"Are you getting frisky, Max Caulfield?"

"Your Maxnado needs your bed. Time meow."

"Yes, ma'am! My dorkdom is at your disposal!"

The jeep was fully packed up at Joyce's house the next morning, and Max was already homesick for Chloe, despite the fact that Chloe was standing right in front of her. Having woken up together, Chloe's dorm bed a mess of sheets and discarded clothes, Max had lit up and shared the last joint she had prepared before heading down for the weekend. Spending half an hour munching on donuts from the cafeteria and weak coffee, Max and Chloe had blown smoke rings at each other between bites and sips. Then we cried, Max thought at the recent memory, Because of course we did. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, my ass. Absence make the heart hurt like a motherfucker and I don't want to go, Goddamnit!

"Sure you can't stay a little longer?" Chloe asked, holding Max's hands as she tugged at them playfully, "My mom could whip up some hella good food for noshing…"

"Did you just say 'nosh'?"

"Shut it, nerd. I'm…I don't want you to leave."

"I don't want to, Che. I have to. My dad needs me right now. Hardcore-level needing of me, and I-I was wrong to think of bailing on him. Besides, I'm pretty sure he knew I was thinking of doing it anyway…"

"I need you, Max. I fucking need you when you're here and ten times as fucking much when you're not around. Who will I cuddle or kiss or have sweet lovin' with?"

"If you say anyone's name right now aside from mine even though it's a joke, I will not talk to you online for a week. Serious talk."

The girls weakly chuckled at their own banter. Max stood on her tip-toes to give Chloe one final kiss before she hit the road. Lowering herself down, Max brought Chloe with her and pressed the taller girl tightly as she slowly took in Chloe. Feeling the softness of Chloe's lips, the heat from her girlfriend's tongue, Max hesitated in leaving for a second before reluctantly pulling away. Seeing the teary-eyed frown on Chloe's face, Max kissed the bluenette on the cheek and gave her one more hug.

"How about next time we meet somewhere new, like Portland or something?" Max asked, needing to at least drop Chloe a hint about her possibly moving back. I swear to Dog, Che, if you can guess it in one go I will spill everything right now.

"Why Portland?"

"Oh, well, it could be fun. That's all." Shit. So much for that lack-of-genius plan. "I'll see you soon, hopefully. I love you, Che."

"Love you, Maxaroni," Chloe said, her voice breaking as Max's eyes started to water. Not wanting Chloe to see her cry for what already felt like the umpteenth time in not even three hours, Max quickly slid into her jeep and pulled out of the Prices' driveway. Seeing Chloe out from the rearview mirror, Max rolled down the window to give her sniffling girlfriend one final kiss.

"Call you when I get to Seattle, okay?" Max said, a small kiss between each word. "Okay, Blue Wonder. Time for me to go. I love you!"

Max Caulfield cruised along the coastal highway, electing to take a longer way back. Feeling disheartened, lonesome from her partner-in-crime already being an hour away, the taste of Chloe's lips remained preserved in Max's mind as it began to fade from her mouth. Pulling her sunglasses out from the console, Max slipped them on to hide the tears welling up. I promised Chloe I wouldn't cry, that I would be her "hella strong riot grrrl". I want to cry, Che. I want to fucking let everything go and everything out. I…I can't live like this, so much buried deep inside me that I feel like I'll suffocate inside myself. Sniffling, Max wiped at her wet cheeks with the back of her hand before turning on her music.

Cycling through her playlists, Max selected "Crimson and Clover" by Joan Jett and laughed with a sad heart as the song reminded her of herself and Chloe together. Seattle, Arcadia Bay, with a more permanent trip to Arcadia Bay in the possible future. Dad said it could be as early as October. That's what he said anyway. Thinking of the phone call she'd made after crossing Arcadia Bay's town limits, Max had pulled over to the side of the road and called her dad. Explaining what happened with her mother, only calling Vanessa "her or she", Max had been relentless.

"She came to the station. She got the call before you were able to answer Joyce's voicemail, I take it?"

"Sorry about that, Max. I called your mother, tried to explain to her that going down to Arcadia Bay would only make things worse. She wouldn't listen. Damn her, she never listens. Just trudges along thinking she knows best."

"She doesn't, Dad. Look, I'm going to take a longer way. Clear my head and everything. I'll call you when I make it to the state border, okay?"

"Sure, kiddo. Drive safe."

"I will, Dad. Love you."

"Love you, Max. See you when you get home."

Max toked on her joint as she drove through the wooded stretch of highway, having put her playlist on shuffle after the Joan Jett song. Listening to Sonic Youth, Max bobbed her head to the music's beat before it was cut off from a call alert. Max looked at the small display on her stereo. Dad?

"Miss me this much, that you have to call-"

"Max." The seriousness and grief in her father's voice cut her to pieces as Max shut up. "Max, honey, I'm…I'm sorry.

"Sorry about what?" Max asked, brow furrowed, "Did the job offer at Portland not go through? Awww, Dad, that hella blows!"

"No, actually. I got the job," Ryan Caulfield said, his voice surprising Max with how rough it sounded as the signal cleared up, "Max, I just got a call from Joyce."

Chloe, Max thought, Did…Did something happen to Chloe? Pulling over to the shoulder of her lane, Max parked the jeep so she wouldn't be driving at the mention of potentially destructive news. Please. Please don't be Chloe. Chloe's smiling face and the glittering shine of the promise ring on her blue-nailed finger came to the forefront of Max Caulfield's mind with love and a creeping fear.

"Did something happen? To C-Chloe, I mean. D-Did something happen to Chloe?" Max's voice quivering, her nerves suddenly raw, she barely noticed her father talking her down as she began to take in shallow breaths.

"Max, sweetheart, I…I think this might have been a mistake. I just wanted you to hear from me and not Joyce or Chloe," Ryan said, sounding fatigued. Chloe's alright, then? Thank Dog. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Wait…if it's not Chloe, then why does he sound so…no, no way…

"Max, I'm sorry. Your mother…she-she killed herself last night."

What. Max's head went blank and it was as though the life fled from her body, eyes glazing over from the bombshell her father had just dropped on her. She's…she's dead? I didn't want that, I didn't want that. Holy fuck…Goddamnit, Mom…

"H-How?"

"Suffice it to say, your mother is gone. I heard from Joyce before the police, so I'm assuming that it occurred in Arcadia Bay. I'm sorry to have to tell you so quickly, at such a bad time; however, I'm not going to tell how, Max. You don't need to hear something like that, especially when you're on the road. Just…just come home and we'll talk about it. Joyce actually managed to get me on the-"

Max put her car into drive and hurtled off down the highway, her tires squealing as she slammed on the gas. Tears running down her face, Max screamed until her voice went raw and she could only let out scratchy exhalations. Unable to think straight, the only thoughts that managed to surface were a mixture of all her memories with the woman who had raised her. Trips to the park in Arcadia Bay, movie nights at her house with Chloe. Max recalled the first scary movie she'd seen, The Ring, and how tightly her mom had held onto her while Max just giggled at Samara Morgan on the screen. The bad memories also surfaced, however; drinking, swearing, things being hurled at the walls, and all the abuse she had taken from Vanessa Caulfield.

The memory of her mother at The Pier, the look of horror and grief on the woman's face as Max had finally opened up about her own pain, was what started Max's anxiety attack in earnest. At first, she didn't realize it was happening. Max was stressing out and figured that her heartbeat and breathing were normal for what was going on. Mom is dead, and I'm worrying about myself. Jesus fuck, I'm so goddamn screwed up. Swear to Dog, Dad is…Dad is…oh no…, Max thought as her peripheral vision began to dim. Feeling her body spasm, Max's sense of touch went numb as she fought to hold onto the steering wheel while simultaneously try catching her breath. Wheezing as the highway began to go dark, Max's eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she felt the jeep lurch as it went from paved highway to grass before the sudden jerking sensation of impact. Chloe, help was Max's last thought as unconsciousness claimed her, the world fading into nothing.

Epilogue

September 21, 2012

Seattle

"Rachel, get your ass in gear!" Chloe shouted, beckoning for the brunette to hurry up and cross the street. God, Rach, I don't have time for your casual-ass bullshit! I have to be at work in, like, a couple hours! Dude, you're so fucking lazy sometimes, swear to God. Rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms, Chloe tapped her food against the sidewalk while Rachel smiled apologetically from across the street before sprinting over to the bluenette. Narrowly avoiding traffic, Rachel punched Chloe in the shoulder and pouted a bit when Chloe didn't even react.

"Chloe…I'm sorry. Really. I know this is serious, that you're serious. My bad." Chloe eyed Rachel for a moment, turning her head so as to look directly at her friend. I'm taking shit out on Rachel when she doesn't deserve it. She's here, too, and I'm just being shitty because…well…it's Max's birthday…

"Forget it," Chloe said, sighing as she took off her beanie to scratch at her freshly dyed hair, "So, uh, how do I look?"

"It's different, but still very much a Chloe Price kind-of look. I like it," Rachel said, lifting up her hand to run fingers through Chloe's hair.

Chloe felt a pang of sadness as she felt the touch, but shut the pain away and focused on Rachel's appraisal of her new style. Having let the hair grow down to her shoulders, Chloe had it layered the day before yesterday. Professionally dyed only a couple hours ago, Chloe's trademark blue outer layer now hung over an inner black layer. Pitch black, heh. Just like Max. Brushing Rachel's hand aside to run her own fingers through it, combing it out so that she didn't look like a complete mess, Chloe stuffed the beanie in her jacket pocket before checking her phone.

"You harass me to hurry up and cross the street, but it's okay if you check your phone? Good thing you're not too much of an asshole," Rachel's sarcastic tone went unnoticed, leaving the brunette to awkwardly look down at her feet. "Chloe, please, tell me what's going on? I've barely heard from you this week? I mean, I came up here for-"

"If you say-"

"I came for Max, Chloe, but I also wanted to see you. You left Arcadia Bay so fast. You have a lot of worried people back home." Realizing that Chloe was once again withdrawn into her phone, Rachel rolled her eyes. "Why the fuck do I even bother?"

Chloe: can't talk long

Chloe: Rachel is here and she's hella PO'd cuz I'm not paying her any attention

Chloe: just wanted to leave you yet ANOTHER message

Chloe: tell you that I'll see you soon, and that I love you

Chloe: Happy Birthday, nerd. Get ready for some celebratory nookie, Max! 17, you little shit!

"Okay. Um, sorry," Chloe slid her phone into a pocket before hugging Rachel, "I'm being an ass. It's just that it is today and I've been hella wrecked all week."

Taking Rachel's hand, more for her own comfort than her friend's, Chloe walked them both through the sliding doors of the University of Washington Medical Center and straight to the row of elevators halfway down the main hall. Rachel moved to go check the floor listings before seeing the knowing look on Chloe's face. Dude, I don't know why you're pretending to check which floor. I fucking know where we're going, Rachel. Watching Rachel sidle up to her, Chloe made a point of trying to not look more pissed off than usual and gave her visiting friend a faint smile. Squeezing Rachel's hand, Chloe leaned over when they got into the elevator and pushed the button marked "8".

"Excuse me," a nurse said as she slipped between the closing doors, reaching in front of Chloe to slap the "5" button before seeing the pained look on the bluenette's face, "You okay?"

"Meeting someone," Chloe said, her voice alarmingly soft as Rachel furrowed her brow in worry. It's not like I haven't been here before. Come on, Chloe, keep it fucking together for one trip. Don't freak out. It's not like you haven't seen this before, yeah, so chill. Please? Chloe rubbed at her eyes, looking away from the prying eyes of Rachel and the nurse. Climbing up the hospital floor by floor, Chloe felt a moment of relief when the nurse got off on her floor. This is going to be brutal. It's always brutal, and you always end up fucking bawling on the way back. This is so fucking unfair, that shit-pit always manages to take everyone I love in one way or another. Rachel wonders why I stay in Seattle, why I don't even go back to visit? Reason number two, Rach, is that I can't stand the idea of watching more people vanish from my life. So, I'll vanish from all of yours instead if I have to. Except her. I'll never leave my Max. Never.

The hospital room door was cracked open when Chloe and Rachel arrived. Knocking softly, Chloe heard Ryan Caulfield say "Come in" in his usual baritone and slipped inside. Chloe had snuck in the first time, the hospital not accommodating her demand to visit until Ryan had put her on Max's visitation list. Chloe froze in mid-step. As much as she wanted to see Max, it was always horrifying to witness her girlfriend in such a state. I…I don't know how much longer I can do this, Chloe thought as she watched Rachel walk past her, She's right there, but she's so far away at the same time.

"Rachel, isn't it?" Chloe heard Max's father say as he came out from behind the curtain to give her friend a hug, "Good to finally meet you."

"You too, Mr. Caulfield," Rachel said, patting Max's father on the back affectionately, "Sorry I couldn't have come sooner. It's…it's hard, y'know?"

Chloe watched Max's father wince at Rachel's choice of words, the brunette frowning as she realized that she'd said the wrong thing. Hard on you? What about him, Rachel? What…What about me? Fuck your difficulty. You took weeks. I was here in a day, and I have no intention of giving up.

"Hey, Mr. C," Chloe said, grimacing as she walked over and gave Ryan Caulfield a hug, "It's like I just saw you, dude."

"You did just see me, Chloe. This morning, heh. You know, if you're going to leave the balcony door open at home we might as well just shut the heating off," Max's father chided teasingly.

Oops. Shrugging in a feigned indifference, Chloe broke away from the other two people. Leaving Rachel and Mr. Caulfield to talk, Chloe slipped through the curtained off area to see a smiling Max looking up at her.

"Hey, pretty lady," Max said hoarsely, a smirk on her face as she winced from an unseen pain. She's hella adorable, even when in a hospital gown. Hmm, Max is naked under there. Ugh, shut it! She needs you!

"Hey yourself, Babe." Chloe moved to the bedside and carefully sat next to where Max was lying down, "When the fuck you getting' out of here, Max? Show your girl a good time and all that? I am a Seattle resident now, so you need to wake the fuck up."

"What do you mean by 'wake up'?" Max asked, looking at Chloe in confusion.

"Huh?"

"You said wake up, not get up. Dingus, you always flub it up when you talk to me here."

Chloe watched as Max's eyes glazed over before closing altogether, the room seeming to grow dimmer as her girlfriend faded away. No…, Chloe thought as she tried to reach out, her body frozen in place. Please, Max, I need you! Don't fucking leave me! I can't fucking do this on my own! Come back-

"Chloe?" Ryan Caulfield asked, gently shaking the bluenette as she stood just past the door, "Chloe, you okay?"

Chloe looked at Ryan, then at a saddened Rachel Amber. It's all just a lie, Chloe mused to herself as the disorienting feeling that came with her daydream faded. She's here, but she's not. I can't find her, wherever she is. Nodding weakly, Chloe put a hand on Mr. Caulfield's shoulder before the he and Rachel gave the bluenette some privacy.

Walking over to the curtained partition, Chloe slipped past it and looked down at Max Caulfield. EKG beeping in rhythm, tucked into the bed up to just below her shoulders, Max was lying on the bed with her eyes closed and a peaceful look on her face. It's like she's sleeping. She'll wake up any moment, you'll all see. She'll snap out of this bullshit and everything will go back to how it was. Taking the seat at Max's bedside, Chloe sat down a wrapped her hands around one of Max's as she lifted it to her face.

"Hey, Babe," Chloe's voice low and soft as she kissed at Max's fingertips, "You remember kissing me like this? When I accepted your ring, you wouldn't stop kissing my hands and fingers for the rest of the day. It was mushy, but I didn't mind. I-I never…I never minded the mushiness so long as it came from you…"

"Max," Chloe said, her voice breaking as it lowered to a whisper, "Max, you can wake up now. Please? For me? I'm living in Seattle now and I hella need my partner-in-crime. You know all the cool dives and shit, so I need my SuperMax to show me the way. Will you…Will you please just open your eyes and tell me that everything is going to fucking be alright?"

Her phone buzzing, Chloe sighed as she knew what was coming. Pulling the device out of her jacket, Chloe tapped the screen back to life and clicked on the notifications from the phone's service center.

Chloe: can't talk long

ADMIN: Unable to send "Rachel is here and she's hella PO'd cuz I'm not paying her any attention" to inactive phone number. Please try again later.

ADMIN: Unable to send "just wanted to leave you yet ANOTHER message" to inactive phone number. Please try again later.

ADMIN: Unable to send "tell you that I miss you, that I love you" to inactive phone number. Please try again later.

ADMIN: Unable to send "Happy Birthday, nerd. Get ready for some celebratory nookie, Max! 17, you little shit!" to inactive phone number. Please try again later.

"Motherfucker," Chloe choked out, her crying bringing Rachel and Max's father back into the room, "Please, Max. Please wake up. I need you so bad. You promised me! You promised we'd be together! I won't leave you, so don't think you can just up and leave me! I can't lose my dad and you! Please…"

Feeling herself lifted out of the chair, Chloe let Ryan Caulfield and Rachel guide her away from Max's bedside and out the room. As Chloe was ushered down the hall, she found her mind being pulled back to her the stillness of a silent hospital room and its sole occupant, a catatonic Max Caulfield.

Author's Note

1 (800) 273-8255 - National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

1 (800) 390-4056 - The Alcohol & Drug Addiction Resource Center

If you all opt to not read anything else that I put out after this, I'll totally understand. I knew from the get-go that this story was going to end with a tragic cliffhanger. The question became of how far do I push it, and as you can see I pushed it pretty damn far. Just know that I had to stop three times when writing the epilogue because I was crying my eyes out. When I'm writing and I'm in a groove, I often find myself in the characters' headspaces. It is one of the reasons I can write so much with no drop in quality. Imagine being in Chloe's shoes; that's what writing the epilogue was like for me, as has been every story I've done.

The title for the third installment is still being decided upon. As you can see, I time-jumped a few weeks and Chloe is now living in Seattle. I feel that I can say this because I allude to it, so yes she does live at the Caulfield residence now.

I will likely update on Friday, trying to get back into my scheduled pattern of Mon/Wed/Fri. University starts back up in just under a month and I have my thesis proposal to rewrite and present so I'll be balancing that and LiS content. I hope to see you on Friday for the next installment in this story.

Read, review, and I'll see you on Friday! You didn't think I was going to update on Dark Room's release date, did you? Wowsers…

Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls, and I'm sorry if I broke your hearts with this. I'm a writer – I'm out to compel you and make you feel. Just remember that I don't pull a swerve like this without leading you back :)