Metamorphosis, continued

"The Morning After", by Meg Myers

"For Gondor!" Chloe cried out, revving the Vespa's engine before giving Max one final look. "Did you really think I wouldn't get that reference? Where to, Maxine Stormcrow?"

"…The lighthouse…," Max said, her eyes intense as Chloe's narrowed in hesitation before she flipped up the kickstand. Heading down the road, Chloe let out a whoop of delight to Max's delighted smile as she pressed her face into Chloe's back.

The sensation of crisp air whipping at the parts of her not covered by Chloe's body sent a thrill up Max's spine as she wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist a little more tightly. This right here. This is how it should be: me, Chloe, and the road. No Blackwell or drama. I've only just gotten back, again, and I feel like I missed out on even more. Where's the truck, Chloe? What changed in the three months I was gone to make you so…so…so different-yet-similar? Max grimaced as the Vespa took a sharp turn heading into town and felt her friend's body shake a bit as Chloe laughed.

"Wowser, just fuck off, Chloe," Max said, rolling her eyes but unable to hide her smile.

"I'm sorry! Didn't catch that!" Chloe teased, raising her voice as though she couldn't hear Max over the incredible 20mph they were going. You're so full of shit, Chloe. Ugh, so very full.

"I said let's find somewhere quiet, secluded, and fuck!" Max hollered back, laughing when the Vespa throttled down a little as Chloe got visibly flustered. Shit! Teasing Chloe with sexy stuff while steering a Vespa equals hella unsafe! Shit shit shiiiiiit! Max pressed herself tightly into Chloe's back and held her breath as Chloe regained her composure. Max could feel Chloe's heart pounding, matched only by her own heart thundering in her chest even more so than the punk's. "Sorry!"

"You jackass, Caulfield!" Chloe shot back. "You can't say shit like that while I'm steering, Max!"

"I said I'm sorry!" Max risked agitating Chloe further and leaned up so that her chin was resting on Chloe's shoulder, "For cereal, Chloe. I'm fucking sorry, okay?"

"…A'ight, but you totally need to hella behave. Can't really afford for this to take a shit, too," Chloe said, though Max got the impression that the last part was more Chloe thinking aloud than actual talking.

A few quick turns and a thankfully-straight road all the way from Two Whales to the lighthouse later, Max was walking hand in hand with Chloe as they made their way up the lighthouse path. Looking through the trees to her left, Max saw the sunset play over the ocean waves; the shimmer was hypnotic to Max, unconsciously pulling out her Polaroid only to stop when she heard Chloe snicker.

"What?" Max asked, brow furrowed in confusion and a little irritation, "I am trying to be a photographer, y'know."

"Oh, it's not that," Chloe said with a smile as she framed Max up with her hands like she was looking for a perfect shot of her hipster friend, "It's… Well, after our fight I thought I'd never see you again, much less see this…"

"This what?" Max asked, one booted foot already into the thick grass, "Chloe, I'm losing some golden shots here. What did you think you wouldn't see?"

"You…being like this, being like yourself," Chloe said reluctantly, gripping onto Max's hand when the brunette tried to pull away, "C'mon, dude. You know I didn't mean it like however you're taking it. I just…ugh, I can't speak for shit. Max, seeing you smile is something I thought I'd never see again, okay? It's nice. You're nice. This is nice."

Max's pulling away lessened before stopping entirely and she intertwined her fingers with Chloe's before looking over her shoulder at the oddly quiet punk. Chloe's eyes were watery and Max slipped the Polaroid camera into her bag; pulling Chloe to her, Max held onto her friend and hushed the taller girl while rubbing her back. God, she really thought I was never coming back. Again. Good job, Max. You put her through more… No, no this isn't on you. I went through a fucking nightmare on repeat and relive it in my goddamn sleep. I'm sorry you worried Chloe, but I'm not sorry that I needed time for me.

"I needed time, Che," Max's words were soft-spoken, the use of Max's childhood nickname for Chloe a strategic maneuver to lessen the truth's harshness, "I… I couldn't be here and start to heal. I'm still healing, even now, trying to find whoever I am now."

"What I know, what I swear to fucking God, is that I want you in my life," Max continued, taking both of Chloe's hands into her own, "You're my best friend, and possibly more…"

"Possibly…?" Chloe's head snapped up and her eyes widened before Max tilted her head and gave Chloe an appraising look.

"You're going to have to be patient with me on that, Che. I…I went through some things, stuff you don't know about. I-I… They're hard to talk about, even now, never mind work through. Just match my pace and we'll see, okay?" Max stood on her tip-toes and brushed her nose against Chloe's in an Eskimo kiss before giving her friend a quick peck on the lips. "I'm worth the wait, right?"

"Hella worth it," Chloe said with a nod as she led Max up the hill, "But I want to know all the details, Max. I know it'll take fucking time, but I needto know. Not today, not tomorrow, but eventually. Okay?"

"O-Okay…," Max said, watching Chloe from behind as they continued up the hill. How did I get so lucky? How are you so nice to me when we've barely been back in action for a day? "Chloe, wait."

Max relinquished Chloe's hand and watched her friend stop mid-step before spinning on a heel to face her; motioning to a boulder that briefly divided the path, Max climbed up with Chloe passing her by.

"Showoff," Max grumbled only to gasp when one of her feet slipped. Feeling a hand grab tightly onto the collar of her jacket, Max looked up to see Chloe looming over her. "Uh…"

"Less 'Uh' and more climb, Caulfield," Chloe said with gritted teeth, Max snapping out of her fugue state when realizing that Chloe was trying to pull her up. Scrambling up the rest of the way, Max took a seat next to Chloe and brushed the dirt off her knees.

"Sorry," Max's tone was sheepish as she apologized, a contrast to her appearance and recent change in demeanor that Chloe noticed with a quirk of her eyebrow.

"Nice to see you're still the klutziest klutz to ever klutz," Chloe teased, Max grimacing with her lips thinned.

"You suck."

"Cigarettes, weed, and beer," Chloe said, nodding appraisingly before getting a mischievous look that had Max narrowing her eyes. "Oh, and your face."

"God, what are you? 13? You gonna tell me next that you can get AIDS by petting a cat, like in those sex-ed videos we had to watch…?" Max chided back before looking at her friend with an earnest expression, "I'm sorry I left you. Again."

"Dude, you were hella fucked up. I… I can't blame you for that, or for needing time away. Just wish you'd have called, but that's MaxCaulfield for you…," Chloe's joke sounded half-hearted to Max.

"…I know, and again I'm an asshole," Max said, sliding her hand over so that it was brushing against Chloe's, their pinkies linking together as Chloe looked over at her, "I came back, though."

"Yeah," Chloe's voice seemed far away as she leaned her head onto Max's shoulder, "You hella did."

Max looked down at the mess of azure hair nestled on her shoulder with a look of curiousness. Chloe'snever been like this before, been so mushy or whatever this is. Where is this coming from? The quick acceptances, the smiles, and the kisses all seem… Everything seems so different and, well, it's kinda strange.

"Che?"

"Mmm?"

"…Not that I'm not stoked that you're all up on me," Max was careful to keep her voice light and cheery despite the nagging sense of something being wrong, "Where is all this coming from, the mushy? You never do this type of stuff…at least, not really with me…"

"…Maybe I just missed you fucking crazy after getting you for all of a couple weeks," Chloe snapped back, or tried to; her head and hand remaining connected to Max took a lot out of Chloe's attempt at sounding irritated, "It's… It's been rough, these months. Super rough. Did I tell you David and Joyce made up? Stepdouche has re-entered the building."

"He's not that douche-y, is he?" Max asked, "He didn't mellow out at all?"

"…Okay, so maybe he's at least fucking civil with me," Chloe sat up and slid down the boulder onto the ground to look up at Max, the brunette's tilted head giving away her questioning mind, "Okay, maybe he's trying to be nice for once. Max, it's…"

"…When I was looking for Rachel, I had a drive, y'know? I had a goddamn quest and was hardcore focused on that. When you came back, no offense, but you kinda screwed up my head some. I was and still am totally loving you being back here with me, but in October… With everything that went down, you left and it was almost like my dad dying and you bailing all over again…"

"C-Chloe…," Max stammered out, brows furrowing as she began to build a defense to reply with only to have Chloe raise a hand.

"Dude, I'm not blaming you or guilt-tripping you. I'm just saying there was a lot of grief…but there was also a chance to heal. I didn't see nearly any of the shit you did, I only heard about some of it from you, so I was able to grasp onto some fucking sanity for once. I'm rambling, aren't I? Ugh."

"Keep going," Max said encouragingly, sliding down to stand next to Chloe and slide her black-nailed fingers into Chloe's blue-nailed ones, "Please?"

"How about we just go up to the hilltop and I'll spill my guts out-," Chloe started to say only to jump a little as a thunderclap in the distance broke her concentration, "That was out of fucking nowhere. Hey, we should probably…Max? Max?"

Max stood, visibly catatonic, with tears running down her face from eyes wide open in horror. Storm is coming…storm…storm…Chloe, I'm so sorry…S-Storm…

The last thing Max saw before unconsciousness claimed was Chloe standing leaning over her with a terrified look on her face.

I'm so sorry. I…I tried to save you…

Max didn't remember getting into the backseat of Joyce's car, didn't know how she had gotten down the hill to where Joyce was waving at her and Chloe to hurry up as the storm reached town. Chloe,Max managed to piece together words in her head, those words becoming coherent thought, It was probably Chloe…

The lightning almost seemed to bend around the tornado as Max fell to her knees in exhaustion, bracing herself at the last second on the bench overlooking Arcadia Bay from where the lighthouse had been. Glancing over her shoulder, wind whipping her hair and hood, Max saw the bottom half of the structure still in place. The lantern is somewhere down there, Max thought as she returned her attention to the oceanfront and the vortex approaching her childhood hometown,I thought I was going to die. I might still die.

Wiping her nosebleed with a soggy jacket sleeve, Max reached out with her hand again and screamed through gritted teeth as the storm began to unravel in a painstakingly slow fashion. It felt to Max as though every nerve in her hand and arm were on fire, her veins pushing out from under her pale skin. Her head was pounding, the beat of her heart working in rhythm with the pulsing migraine that was making her vision dim. Just…a little bit…more…

"Max!" a voice cried out from a short distance behind her, but Max already knew it was Chloe. She'd seen this before, in her nightmares and visions; I'm here, the storm is here, and Chloe is right alongside me. Then, I wake up.

But this isnot a dream.

Her arm having gone numb, Max watched it fall to her side and go limp. Even when her arms would fall asleep she could at least make her fingers twitch, but there wasn't any movement or sensation now as Max just stared at her arm before looking up with her red-hazed vision to see the tornado spiral in reverse until it began to dissipate…

"Max, Max please fucking snap out of it," Max heard a voice choke out, felt clammy hands pressed against her own. Ripped out of her flashback, Max recoiled and pushed herself to the end of the backseat opposite from where Chloe was sitting.

Max's eyes opened as wide as possible, they darted from side to side as her disorientation of feeling that she was back in that fateful October week subsided while she grew accustomed to her surroundings. Flinching when Chloe reached out to her, Max gasped out a breath of air as the reality of her situation began to dawn on her. Hyperawareness kicking in, Max realized how scary and terrifying she might have just been and drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them so as to look at Chloe through a mess of unruly chestnut locks. No. No no no nonono,Max thought as she saw the worried look on Chloe's face and the pained expression on Joyce's as it was reflected through the rearview mirror.

"P-Please… Please don't look at me like that…," Max's voice was little more than a mewling whisper, a quiet plea that brought Chloe alongside her. Tensing only for a second or two, Max quickly began to sob into Chloe's already-soaked shirt. "I-I'm sorry, Chloe. I-I'm so s-sorry. I'm… I'm afreak."

"Max Caulfield," Joyce chimed in, pulling the car into the Prices' driveway before turning in her seat to place a hand on one of Max's knees, "You are most certainly not a freak. Darlin', you are one of the bravest, strongest women I know and you're only 18. There're things you've probably seen that nobody could put up with, sweetie, much less keep goin' on."

Despite Joyce's words reassuring her, Max continued to cry as Chloe gently rocked her in the backseat; Joyce leaving them alone for some privacy, Max looked up at Chloe with puffy eyes and a quivering lip to apologize only to whimper when Chloe leaned in to plant a kiss on Max's trembling bottom lip. Chloe… Chloe, I'm so sorry. I saved you, but I don't think there's enough of me left for you. Coming back… Coming back to Blackwell and this place was a mistake. You're amazing, but this place isso wrong…

"C'mon," Chloe's voice was cautious and tender as she buttoned up Max's flannel jacket, "You're freezing and wet, Maxaroni. I got clean clothes and some decent weed upstairs, and I bet Joyce'll whip you up anythingyou feel like getting your grub on with."

When Max didn't budge, Chloe looked out the window to see the storm clouds rolling above; turning her attention back to Max, Chloe brushed strands of wet hair out of her friend's face.

"You are not a freak, Max," Chloe's tone was resolute, shaking Max out of her self-loathing as she nuzzled her face into Chloe's shirt again, "You are a fucking badass who has just hella 'seen some shit'. We'll get you put back together, you and me. We're partners-in-crime, remember? Where would you be without your faithful companion?"

The words echoing back months pulled Max further out of her self-pitying thoughts and she sat up straight to lean her forehead into Chloe's.

"I-It's not fair. I get back, get you back, and my world is fucking broken," Max's says in a raspy voice, "Chloe, I'm so sor-"

"No. Stop apologizing," Chloe's tone is stern as she looks Max in the eye while they're foreheads are still touching, "You are Max, in whatever shape you're in. You tried to be there for me last Fall when I wouldn't let you half the damn time, so let me hella be here for you now."

Max stood in the bathroom of Chloe and Joyce's house and stared at her reflection. Eyes red with matted hair and a sniffling nose, Max had been having difficulty reconciling who she saw in the mirror with how she felt inside. I see me, but I don't feel like the person looking back. Am I still that girl at all? Is there… Is there anything left of who I w-was…? Max peeled off her tank-top and jeans; standing in nothing but her underwear and bra, Max looked at the wadded up plaid sleep pants and t-shirt Chloe had provided. Wowser, guess a sleepover is mandatory, huh? At least they don't smellentirely like pot or beer…

Slipping the dry clothes on, Max ran her fingers through the wet mess of hair on her head and splashed some warm water on her face before heading out the bathroom and nearly walking head-first into Chloe. Not expecting Chloe to be waiting right outside the bathroom, Max's eyes widened in a moment of panic before softening at the embarrassed smirk on her friend's face.

"Chloe Price, were you going to check up on me?" Max weakly teased, a half-smile on her face as she was too exhausted to try and appear cheerful.

"…Maybe…," Chloe replied, taking Max by the hand; leading Max into her bedroom, Chloe shut the door behind her friend and spun on her heels.

Max didn't notice the smell at first, or the clothes her friend was wearing. Still a little out-of-sorts from the storm going on outside, it took a few seconds for the scent of eggs and bacon to catch her attention…as well as Chloe being in sleep attire similar to her own.

"You brought me breakfast-in-bed for dinner…?" Max asked, her half-smile growing as a fluttering sensation welled up from the pit of her stomach. "Hella cute, Price."

"In case of emergency, break glass and use mushy bullshit," Chloe joked before lifting Max's chin up with a thumb, "Hey, Max…"

"…Yeah?" Max asked, her eyes alight when Chloe tapped on her lips. "You egg. C'mere, Che."

Max felt Chloe's soft lips heat her own as the bluenette leaned down for a kiss; while lacking the intense want from the kiss in Max's room, the tenderness replacing it was exactly what Max needed. Taking Chloe's other hand so that both sets of hands were intertwined, Max stood on her tip-toes and felt a throaty moan emanate from Chloe to which Max responded with a pleased humming sound. Pulling back after a few minutes, Max looked over her shoulder at the steaming breakfast food waiting for them.

"I am so down to nosh right now," Max said, letting go of Chloe's hands to pat her growling belly, "Eggs and bacon, come to Momma."

Hearing Chloe snort, Max warily eyed her friend's impish grin.

"Hey, 'Ready for the nosh pit, shaka brah?" Chloe teased as she broke into a fit of giggles.

"Wowser, Chloe," Max rolled her eyes and playfully shoved one of Chloe's shoulders, "You're so original. Also, eat me."

"Well… I'd prefer-" Chloe's words were cut off by the sight of Max's face turning a dark shade of red.

"C-Chloe…!"

Max was laying down on Chloe's bed, her friend's full belly serving as a pillow, when her phone went off. Rolling her eyes, she made to get up when Chloe's hand grabbed her wrist and Max looked at the bluenette with a curious expression. Uh, you afraid of phones now?

"Um, I might need to get that, Chlo," Max said, quirking an eyebrow up to which Chloe reluctantly let go, "I'm not going anywhere, I swear I'm not."

Walking over to her jacket, Max plucked her phone out and swiped at the screen before smiling and showing off the alarm notification to Chloe.

"See?" Max asked, walking over to give Chloe her phone, "It's just the alarm for my night meds… Oh…Oh, shit…"

"Max?" Chloe asked, brow furrowing as Max put a hand up to her face, "Hey, you okay?"

"…I didn't realize I'd be staying the night. My sleep medication is in my dorm room," Max slumped her shoulders as she fell face-first onto Chloe's bed with a softwhump. "Fuck my life."

"Dude, you need drugs to help you sleep? I can cover you on that," Chloe said with a wink and impish grin. Need something a little stronger than beer and weed, dork.

Giving Chloe a strained smile, Max flipped around and got back on her feet. Walking over to her camera bag, Max began to rifle through its contents until she heard the now-familiar rattle of pills in a container. Smiling in relief, she pulled out a small bottle and shook it in the air in triumph. Thank Dog, Max thought as she ran a hand through her hair and caught a whiff of dried dirt.

"Ugh, I smell like a bog," Max said, pulling down some strands of hair so that she could catch a stronger smell, "Oh fuck! Chloe, why didn't you say anything?"

Seeing the confused look on her friend's face, Max walked over and took off Chloe's beanie to the other girl's surprise; taking a smell of Chloe's hair, Max's nose wrinkled in the strong scent of dirty water and sweat.

"You smell worse than me," Max stated as she pulled back, Chloe's eyes narrowing at the disgusted look on Max's face.

"Hella no, I smell…," Chloe sniffed at herself and nearly gagged before smelling the bed, "Awwww, dude, the bed smells like this now, too! What the hella fucking bullshit is this?"

Max averted her eyes when Chloe responded to her own funk by stripping right where she was sitting, nearly screaming in utter shock when a musty-smelling shirt landed on her head. Looking at Chloe from underneath the black cotton, Max saw her friend stick her tongue out before winking. Her mind not catching up with her reaction, it took a few moments for Max to process that she was seeing Chloe naked for the first time since they'd been kids. When the realization hit, Max's face turned such a scarlet hue that she watched Chloe bite her lower lip to keep from laughing. Oh…Oh my Dog…

"Like what you're gawkin' at, Caulfield?" Chloe asked, uncrossing her legs.

"Oh my fucking Dog!"Max was out the bedroom door and into the bathroom so quickly Chloe's short burst of laughter came across as an echo to her. Oh my… Holy fuck, she was… Chloe was naked…

"…and my anti-anxiety pills are in the bedroom," Max bowed her head as she leaned against the bathroom door and banged her head against it only to scream out of fright when a knocking emanated from the other side. "Goddamnit! What?!"

"…Sorry," Chloe's voice came from the other side, muffled and quiet, "I was just fucking with you, Max, s'all. Um, you need these pills…?"

"God, yes," Max looked up at the ceiling and rolled her eyes before getting to her feet; cracking the door open just enough for Chloe to hand over the medication, Max was about to close the door when a blue-nailed hand gripped the wood and pushed so that Chloe could join Max in the bathroom, "Che, I'm not really feeling up to any more teasing or fucking around. Can I just take my shower, take my meds, and get some sleep? The balance of shit and nice is a little off and what sleep I can manage would be appreciated…"

"No, no fucking around," Chloe said as she took Max's hands and leaned down to kiss her friend's forehead, "I…I just, well, I want to shower with you. No teasing, I hella swear! I think it would be amazeballs, and it'll bring me a little closer to you…"

"…Alright, but no screwing with my head. The teasing, the playful looks," Max shook her head but the weary smile gave away her consent to Chloe's request and they both began to undress, "You're fucking terrible sometimes, Chloe, and sometimes you're amazing."

"I am rather Priceless…," Chloe said, smirking at her own joke while Max slumped her shoulders.

"And I thought myjokes were bad…"

Max let out a purr of contentment as Chloe soaped down her back with a washcloth and began to scrub away. This feels so damn good,Max thought as she bit her lip with eyes partially rolled up in her head, How does she know all the spots? Is she magical like that? Is this witchcraft? Looking over her shoulder at Chloe, Max smiled at the other girl and watched as Chloe focused entirely on scrubbing down Max's lower back.

"You know, you don'thave to do any of this," Max said, smiling when Chloe looked up at her with a crooked grin, "I am perfectly capable of cleaning myself up."

"But are you capable of washing someone else?" Chloe asked as she removed her hands - gloriously massage-y hands, Max thought - and turned her back to Max, "You're up, Caulfield. Bet your skills are weak in comparison to my hardcore massages."

"…You're daring me to out-massage you?" Max asked with a snort, raising an eyebrow when Chloe looked over her shoulder to give Max a wink and sly grin, "The game is on."

Half an hour later, after several bouts of giggling and laughter, Max and Chloe curled up under fresh sheets in oversized t-shirts. Their clothes now in the washer because Joyce didn't want them to mildew, Max had smirked at the vision of Chloe wearing a shirt that was two sizes larger than she needed. God, if it's big on her it'd be a tent on me. Wowsers… Popping a blue tablet into her mouth, Max reached over for her glass of water and finished it off; noticing Chloe observing her, Max turned around to lie on her side and face Chloe.

"What?"

"…What is that?" Chloe asked, biting her lip with eyes downcast, "I mean, what did you just take? It a sleep med?"

"Hmm, no. It's a prescription I take for anxiety that makes me drowsy if I don't cut the tab in half. 1mg of Klonopin," Max explained, looking at Chloe warily when her friend's eyes widened.

"Dude, you're on Klonopin?" Chloe asked with a Cheshire grin, "Oh, man, you are gonna be hella doped up! High-as-fuck Max will be fun!"

"I'm taking it to sleep, Chloe."

"Yeah, but if I keep you up you'll be stoned as fuck," Chloe said with a wink, sliding her hands under Max's oversized shirt, "I have my ways, Caulfield."

"…Fuck…"

Max could do nothing but think about the feel of Chloe's hands on her skin, fingers sliding up her abdomen and resting just under her breasts. Attention rivited entirely on the smirking blue-haired girl lying next to her, Max bit her lip when Chloe ran a finger along the underside of one of her breasts. Holy shit, Chloe, are you wanting me to just drop my pants at this point? I swear, I'm dazed and confused with you just being a straight-up porno. Biting her lip a little harder to stifle the moan she felt building up within her, Max glared daggers at an amused Chloe.

"I'm not your plaything, Chloe Price," Max warned, sliding her hands up the legs of Chloe's boxers, "And twocan play at this game…"

"Ohhh, so it's a game, is it?" Chloe's impish grin only had Max breathing harder as she grunted before hastily grabbing the legs of Chloe's shorts and yanking them down to her knees, "Holy shit, Max!"

"Shut up," Max said, bringing a leg over so that she was straddling Chloe. Placing her hands on her still-clothed chest, Max felt for and guided Chloe's hands up to her breasts.

"H-Hella…," Chloe managed to gasp out, eyes widening in the dark as Max continued to guide Chloe's hands into cupping motions, "Max, are you sure you're okay with-?"

"Stop talking," was all Chloe heard, her concern disregarded by Max in the dark of Chloe's bedroom. Why the hell are you choosingnow to be super-concerned? Lightning flashed outside and Max froze in place; she could feel Chloe withdraw her hands, but it was like a phantom sensation, an echo from far away.

"You really are the nosiest student in Blackwell Academy," Mark Jefferson had said to her while she was bound, "I mean, I'm impressed. Don't get me wrong on that, Max. I knew you were bright but I didn't imagine that you were also so…crafty. Is 'crafty' a good word? How about 'ingenious'? Yes, you're the most ingenious girl I've yet to encounter in my studio despite my not intending to use you as a muse…"

"P-Please…," Max pleaded, the first round of GHB from the junkyard having worn off, "Please, you don't have to do this…"

A hand on her shoulder, the other hand guiding a syringe. Max pressed her chin down to her neck to try and somehow dodge the needle; Jefferson cradled her chin with his free hand and stared into Max's eyes with a look that chilled Max. He's looking at me just like he has in class, friendly and warm. Is all of him an act? Does he have any real emotion, or is he just a sociopath…? Drugs entered her system again, but not at the level as before; still not lucid, Max remained aware despite being sedated to a point of mental disorientation.

"Puh…P-Please…"

"Max!" Chloe yelled out, snapping Max out of her flashback. Trying to crawl away, Max smacked her head against something behind her and looked around.

Nestled in a corner of Chloe's room, Max saw she was sitting behind Chloe's TV set with the power strip between her feet. Knees pressed to her chest, Max had been cowering behind the television for an amount of time unknown to her. Aware of where she was, Max could not dispel the feelings and sensations of where she had been. Seeing Chloe reach out toward her, Max batted the hand away and pressed her knees closer to her, staring out into the dimly illuminated room through unruly hair.

"Max, you're here," Chloe said, cautiously sliding a little closer to the girl hiding in her room, "Iam right here, with you. Please… Please come back…"

"I…I tried to save you…," Max said in a faint whimper, eyes distant with a thousand-yard stare, "I watched you die so many times, each time harder because I was afraid I'd lose you for good."

Max looked up at Chloe with a blank face and watery eyes, but the stare made Chloe feel as though Max were looking beyond her to something or someone far away.

"You asked me to kill you, once. Not you-you, but another you. You were crippled and dying, and you wanted me to give you a morphine overdose. You pleaded-"

"…Max, stop it…"

"-and you pleaded," Max continued, oblivious to the increasingly pained look on Chloe's face, "You threatened to hate me forever when I said no, told me that I should leave since I never really wanted to be there in the first place. So, I left. Left that timeline, that reality. I found you again, but at the cost of…at the cost of-"

Max's mind was instantly clear a half-second after the feel of Chloe's hand smacking her face, eyes looking up to see her friend looking down at her with a horrified expression. What…? What happened…? Why am I on the floor, across from the bed?

"Chloe…?" Max asked, seeing tears running down Chloe's cheeks, "Chloe, what's wrong?"

Max nearly had the air choked out of her when Chloe leaned down and gave her a tackle-like hug. Pinned to the wall, Max patted Chloe's back when she felt the other girl's body shake from sobbing. Oh no. Oh fuck, what did I say…? The therapist in Seattle had warned her about the flashbacks, that she might black out and not remember what she said or did for the brief periods she couldn't recall. Max had wanted to tell Chloe about that as a warning, not have her best friend experience it first before knowing what they were. No… Chloe, no…

"I'm sorry," Chloe said, voice muffled as her tear-streaked face was buried in Max's hair, "I'm hella sorry, Max. I-It's my fault, all of it. What you had to do, what you've gone through… It's all on me…"

"What? No!"Max pushed Chloe back so that they were looking each other in the eye, Max's eyes wide with Chloe's sullen, "Chloe, I went through everything I did so that I could have you here with me now. D-Don't you understand? Ineed you, Chloe, and I'd rather you were here and I'm a fucking mess than you gone. I'd be an even bigger mess!"

At Max's exclamatory statement of needing her, Chloe snorted and a weak smile played at her lips; Max knew the smile was fleeting and pulled Chloe back into her. How is it I'm messed up and she's crying? This is like that week all over again, her the one suffering and me the one feeling all of it. I don't project my shit on her, though… Do I…?

Max began to hum the lyrics to "Santa Monica Dream" as she rubbed Chloe's back with one hand while running her other hand's fingers through azure locks of hair. They had been through so much in such a relatively minuscule amount of time, barely having a moment to breathe before getting separated once more. Now, reunited and unwilling to let each other go, the events they'd gone through together reared up once more.

I will never abandon you, Chloe…

"I will always have your back, Chloe," Max murmured into the mess of blue hair on her shoulder, "Always."

Max Caulfield felt like absolute shit the following morning.

"Thanks, Chloe, for making it so damn hard to sleep," Max grumbled to herself as she splashed water on her face in the Prices' bathroom. Looking up to cringe at the zombie-like face staring back at her, Max leaned down and washed her face again. Nothing like several gallons of water to make you feel un-shitified. Not even a real word, but who cares? Not enough sleep equals verbal patchwork.

Max blinked the remaining sleep out of her eyes as she dry-swallowed her morning pills; they tasted only slightly less disgusting with water, so it didn't bother her too much. Leaning her head against the mirror, Max closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't want to return to school; Chloe had, in fact, protested against it. Because of course. Chloe wants me to herself, as usual. Smiling a little at the thought of skipping out with her best friend, Max absentmindedly put a hand to her chest and remembered what it'd felt like to have Chloe touch her, hands on skin. It was… Wowser, it was so damn good. It was "hella amazeballs", as Chloe would say. Then I ruined it.

Max softly bumped her head against the reflective glass pane and let out a harsher sigh, the memory of going from straddling Chloe to hiding in a corner without any memory of in-between irritating and frightening her. The therapist had warned her, had told her to expect moments where she let her guard down completely to possibly cause "episodes" themselves. At the same time, the doctor had encouraged being with someone close just as much as she had warned Max. Make up my mind for me, already…

"Max? You still awake in there?" Chloe asked, rapping on the door with her knuckles. Having already finished her morning hygiene, Max lazily pushed herself away from the mirror and opened the door to see Chloe's tired face smiling at her. "Sorry about last night, slamming you with a fuck-ton of questions. I know you need to sleep, but-"

"It's okay, Chloe," Max said, raising a hand to cut her friend off, "I mean, I'mreally tired but I know you meant well.

"So," Chloe started to say after Max headed back into Chloe's bedroom to collect her things, "You're taking off."

"I don't necessarily wantto go, Chloe," putting a hand to Chloe's cheek, Max gave the blue-haired punk her best smile, "I do, however, haveto go. Besides, Victoria bombed my phone this morning with-"

"Lemme see," Chloe snatched the phone out of Max's hand. Despite knowing that Victoria was Max's friend now, Chloe didn't trust the girl.

Victoria: Max? You up yet? Bish, school isn't going to wait for you.

Victoria: I kno yesterday was rough but u gotta try. Plz?

Victoria: Kate is too damn nice to me and it's getting me totes flustered. I'm breaking into your stash. This is what happens when you bail on the rest of us ;P

Max: Steal my MJ, will you?

Max: I'll sic Kate on you ;)

Max: "Thou shalt not steal"

Victoria: U R Evil

Max: :D

Victoria: UGH So U coming back or wat

Max: Yes yes I'm coming back. You already high or something?

Victoria: Max, how are you holding up? Did you have your meds on you?

Max: OMFG, Vic, stahp with the mom-ing bullshit. YES I had my meds. I will see you in class, okay? TTYL :3

"You're not jealous, are you?" Max asked, her tone innocent, as she took her phone back from Chloe, "Dude, she's a friend. Having Victoria as a friend is hella better than having to put up with the darker side of her bullshit, Chloe, so don't antagonize her. Okay?"

Max wouldn't let up with the glare until Chloe reluctantly nodded in acceptance. She needed her friends to at least not snap at each other, especially now that she was going through so much. Victoria was there for me a lot,Max thought as she recalled Seattle and the mess she'd been for weeks, Sure, it was fucking annoying at times, but Victoria makes a better friend than an enemy. Taylor was right about that, at least. Sliding her flannel jacket on, Max brought the material to her nose and inhaled the pleasant scent of fabric detergent and softener from having just been cleaned last night. Looking up from her moment of peace, Max smirked at the pained expression of thought on her best friend's face before reaching out to take Chloe's hand.

"You can totally come pick me up when school's out, and we can go to Two Whales for dinner," Max offered, Chloe biting the inside of her cheek while looking down at her feet, "Chloe, what? What is it?"

"…I just hella missed you, okay?" Chloe admitted, taking her hand away from Max's to jam them both into her pockets, "Tch, I'm getting all mushy and I'm not even high. Fucking Max Caulfield, huh?"

"I doseem to have that effect on you," Max added before leaning up on her tip-toes to whisper in Chloe's ear, "You don't seem to mind, though."

Giving Chloe a kiss on the cheek before stepping back down, Max watched the pale skin of her friend's face turn a rosy hue and smiled at the bashful look that had replaced Chloe's usual sardonic expression. One kiss from me and you melt. Wowser, some things never change. Leading Chloe downstairs, Max looked around to find they had the house to themselves.

"Joyce already at work?"

"And stepdouche…David…is already on patrol," Chloe said, motioning for Max to take a seat at the dinner table, "I'll whip you up something. Pancakes? Eggs? Me in a whipped cream bikini?"

"C-Chloe…!" Max stammered, her face scarlet at the idea of Chloe in nothing but dessert topping. "Um… Eggs?"

"Your loss, nerd," Chloe teased, pulling out the ingredients needed, "One bacon omelette for SuperMax."

"…You're going to make me a bacon omelette? You?"

"Hella yeah."

"You? Cook eggs? Into an omelette?"

"Dude, I can cook. With Joyce and…and my dad as teachers, I hella got skilled up."

"Oh," Max said, wincing at the distant look on Chloe's face at the mention of her dad, "Sorry."

Max sat at the table with her phone out while Chloe silently prepared their meals, Max getting up only to start a pot of coffee and grab herself some. Using a mug Chloe had made when they were in grade school, Max sipped at the caffeine and sugar with a satisfied grin. The grin widened further when a plate of steaming egg, cheese, and bacon was laid out in front of her with buttered toast.

"Chloe, I formally apologize for ever doubting your ability to crack an egg, you egg," Max said with her nose scrunching up in a delighted smile, "This looks amazing."

"I could hella give Joyce a run for her money at Two Whales."

"You totally could."

When Chloe moved to sit across from Max, Max responded by putting her feet up on the seat. Getting a questioning look from Chloe, Max motioned with a jerk of her head to the chair placed next to her. A rueful grin on her face, Chloe sauntered over and plopped down next to Max before both girls dug into their food. They didn't talk while they ate; Max was too famished to want to speak and Chloe was deep in thought. It wasn't until Max was mopping up the omelette's leftover cheese with a half-eaten slice of toast that Chloe leaned over and gave Max a greasy kiss on the cheek.

"Eww, gross!" Max leaned away from Chloe, wiping her hand at the slick feeling on her face.

"Gross? My kiss was gross?"

"Not the kiss, Che," Max said, seeing the narrow-eyed look on Chloe's face, "The grease on your lips are gonna have my face smelling like egg and butter if I don't wash up."

"The kiss was okay, then?" The worried tone in Chloe's voice endeared Max to her friend a little further and she scooted her chair over until she was sitting right next to her punk friend.

"Yes, Chloe. I liked the kiss. Hella liked. Wowser-level liked," Max assured Chloe, rolling her eyes, before reaching over to kiss Chloe sofly on the lips, "But next time use a napkin so I don't smelllike breakfast. I'd prefer to eat it than be it, okay?"

"Mm-hmm," Chloe nodded before giving Max puppy eyes and tapping at her lips. Oh, so you're in Shy Chloe mode now, huh? Dog, you are too damn cute sometimes…

"Kiss?" Max asked, eyebrows raised with a grin on her face. When Chloe simply replied with another tap on her own lips, eyes averted from Max's gaze, the brunette chuckled to herself and cupped Chloe's cheeks with both hands. Softly pulling Chloe halfway, Max met her and their lips connected.

Lips smashed together, Max tilted her head slightly to the left and let out a purring sound as Chloe placed a hand on her hip. Reaching out in return, Max ran a hand around to the nape of Chloe's neck and brushed her fingers into azure locks of hair. Lips parting with both girls panting slightly, Max licked at Chloe's lips and leaned back in to slide her tongue into Chloe's waiting mouth. Their hands interlocked, Chloe pushed her chair back and brought her legs together so Max could straddle her. Their kisses growing more and more passionate, Max let out a moan when Chloe tilted her head down to plant wet, sucking kisses along the crook of her neck.

"Y-You…unh…you giving me hickies, Price?" Max asked, a sly grin on her face when Chloe responded by nibbling a little harder where she'd been kissing. "Hey, Chloe?"

"Mmm?"

"I'm…I'm glad I came back. Not for school, this time, but for you. I-I came back to Arcadia Bay, well, I came back for you," Max's words stopped Chloe in her tracks and the blue-haired girl pulled back to look Max in the eye.

"…For real? You…You c-came back for me?" Chloe asked, Max's lips thinning at the sight of tears forming in her friend's eyes.

"Yeah, I pretty much did," Max said with a nod, "I told you it'll take me some time to get where I'd like to be, but you are a large part of that place at the end I have in mind. Chloe…"

"Yeah?"

"…Would you, um, l-like to kinda-maybe be my girlfriend?"

To Be Continued...

Author's Note -

Not much to say, really. If you want my actual notes, referencing PTSD symptoms/treatments that coincide with things referenced in this story you'll have to head over to my Tumblr as they are lengthy.

Polarized is done and most of us are still here, so I guess that says we're all hella stubborn ;)

Stay Hella, Cinnamon Rolls!