This is in memory of Episode 2's release two years ago. Never forget Kate Marsh.

Even Angels Need Angels

If there is a word that could embody Kate as a whole then it would be angel. And if heaven is a place on earth then surely Kate would have been an angel. But heaven is nowhere that near and she doesn't have a halo nor wings. It's only when Max sees Kate fall that she remembers how Kate is only human.

And how the angel has fallen.

"KATE! NO!" She shouts in raw desperation even though she knows it's too late.

Max watches in horror as her friend's body plummets too fast and yet too slow at the same time. She sees it in slow motion, Kate is falling steadily to the ground where no one will catch her, falling hopelessly to what she thinks is salvation, falling, falling, falling inevitably to her death. The worst part is that no matter how slow the scene plays, Max will always be slower. She doesn't stand a chance against gravity even though this is a race that she can't afford to lose. She doesn't want to give up, refuses to give up, but this isn't something that determination alone can win. Kate is falling faster than Max can run. Max is painfully aware that she's fighting in a losing battle against time.

She wants to break into sobs but realizes she can't since she has her jaw firmly set, teeth anxiously grinding as she runs through the torrential downpour of rain and through the obstructive crowd of onlookers in a false hope of reaching her friend. Kate is already past the second floor and Max feels her heart plummet further with every brick passed. She's still too far for Max to reach her and her death is approaching nearer now, even accelerating. Max doesn't want to accept it just yet so she pushes down the bile and despair building in her throat. She continues to recklessly shove people aside— Damn them anyways, as her eyes never stray away from Kate the whole time. As much as she doesn't want to see this happening to her, she also can't afford to look away. Her eyes hold on to Kate's face in the desperate hope that maybe they'll make eye contact. It's useless and it won't stop her but Max at least wants to let Kate know in her final moments that she was never alone.

She can't save Kate. Max knows that she'll never reach her in time. Her vision blurs and she can't tell anymore if it's because of the rain or the tears in her eyes but she doesn't dare blink. She can't, not when Kate could be dead within a second, a moment, a blink. A flash of vibrant blue catches her eye and in her clouded mind, she vaguely remembers the blue butterfly she took a photo of earlier that day. She remembers this in particular because it happened right before she saw Kate talking with Mr. Jefferson, right before she stormed out crying, right before she let her go alone. Hindsight has never been this clear and Max curses it because it's absolutely useless in the present. Her words can no longer reach Kate and Max can only helplessly watch Kate plummet, watch her friend literally fall out of existence, watch her with the greatest of regrets slamming on her chest just as hard as Kate's fate with the pavement.

In her desperation, her right hand stretches and reaches forward to someone no longer there. She should have reached out sooner.

A disgusting loud crack resounds as soon as Kate falls out of her sight.

The deafening crack of thunder explodes in the sky and causes her ears to ring. The ground beneath her feet shifts and the hard unforgiving pavement is replaced with soil that's so soft it's turned into rain is no longer pelting but instead it pours over her in buckets so hard that she could almost feel her skin bruise. It's dark and loud and she is overwhelmed by all of the chaos. Lightning flashes and it's only then that she sees her surroundings more clearly. Max finally realizes she's no longer in Blackwell anymore.

What the hell? Is this... a storm? I don't understand. Where am I? And where's Kate?

There's a phantom of a doe across her, staring right through her, watching her and perhaps even waiting for her.

A doe? It looks a bit blurred, see-through maybe? I don't know, it's hard to tell when I'm squinting through this storm. I think it wants me to follow it...?

She'll question that later after she gets to shelter first. Her body struggles against the raging winds threatening to fling her as she slowly climbs the path. Her feet dig deeply in the soil with every step just to keep her balance while the doe jumps around effortlessly as if ignorant of the murderous storm. It could easily leave her behind but it doesn't. It waits almost expectantly for Max to catch up and then moves on to put in more distance between them whenever she gets too close. Max follows diligently despite how discouraging everything else seemed to be. A cacophony of noises matches the bleak surroundings. The sharp rustle of leaves and branches whipping, the distinct crunch of trees falling, the eerie silence of wildlife that's underneath the overpowering roar of nature. And then there's Max who can barely even hear herself think.

This feels all too real. I'm not even supposed to be here. No matter how much I don't want it to happen, I know that Kate... what happened to her actually happened. But this...? What's happening?

She continues following the path of the doe until it disappears from her vision. When she looks up, she sees the lighthouse or at least half of it. It seems that the other half has already been eaten by the storm. She remembers the lighthouse from her childhood and how it has the best view of Arcadia Bay. At that thought, her head whips to check and immediately regrets her decision. Death. There's a hurricane of death and destruction that spans almost the whole of the horizon and it's on a path towards her hometown.

Oh, no. The storm is headed for Arcadia Bay! This is, this is insane! This can't be happening!

The lighthouse protests behind her and she turns around with only enough time to see a boat hurdling towards her.

Max wakes up in the safety of her classroom with the weather a bleak rain but not as lethal as that storm.

"Anybody seen Kate Marsh?" Mr. Jefferson asks again like he did in class earlier and Max is confused because how could he casually bring that up when Kate was just at the roof? She's pushing the storm to the back of her mind and passes it as a dream. But then again, she has no more reason to be at the lighthouse just now than for her to be here in class again. It feels as though everything is happening too soon, too fast.

"I think everybody has seen Kate Marsh by now." Victoria answers with a tone that's just dripping with insult and Taylor laughs on cue. Max glares at their direction but they're oblivious to the fury thrown at their backs.

How insensitive can Victoria get? Of course everybody has seen Kate, that's because she fucking jumped off the roof!

But Max feels as if there's something else about that statement that bothered her. It's not that it sounded wrong, it's more like it sounded familiar, repetitive even. In fact, it sounded exactly the same as what Victoria had said in class before... well, before everything went into shit. She remembers this all too clearly. It's more than just deja vu and she has a sneaking suspicion that this isn't just a memory that she's recalling. This doesn't make any sense and yet it doesn't feel like a dream either.

Alright, get yourself together, Max. You were in a storm and now you aren't. I think I've already been in this class before. Did I just rewind in time?

Max's heart started pounding with hope. Did she just go back in time? This is unbelievable and yet she doesn't want to, she refuses to believe otherwise. This isn't just some dream or nightmare anymore where she's just a helpless bystander. This is a new reality that she plans to own and shape as it should be. This could be her chance to change things and to save her friend. She wants to cling onto this hope that what she saw earlier of falling angels wasn't reality but rather an unset premonition. A future that she can still erase. An ending that she will overwrite— consequences be damned.

A flash of vibrant blue flutters in the corner of her vision and she sees that blue butterfly still by the window of Kate's desk. She remembers the photo she took earlier of it where her face reflected off the window. It's that same striking blue that brings her back to that moment when she overheard Kate crying her heart out to Mr. Jefferson and then storming off. It's also the same flicker of blue that takes her back to when she was on the ground and regrettably, so was Kate. Oh, Kate...

If I'm not dreaming this then that means I can still save Kate. Please... let me save Kate. I just have to make sure this is real first. I can confirm that I did rewind in time if Alyssa makes the same comment word for word.

She eyes Alyssa with anxious hope and prays with a devotion that's only second to Kate's.

"She's not feeling good." Alyssa murmurs and Max almost cries in relief.

Mr. Jefferson picks up on the topic and reprimands the rest of the class, "Sounds like you're giggling about a video gone viral. Maybe it involves a student, or a friend." Max zones out after this and goes over the more important matters in her head.

Wowsers, I really did go back in time. Then that means there's no time for me to waste here. I need to go like NOW.

Max doesn't even bother to excuse herself as she stuffs all of her things back inside her bag and slings it across her shoulder. Her chair screeches audibly as she stands up and the whole class looks at her but she couldn't care less.

"Max, is there anything you would like to share with the class? Like maybe your entry to the contest?" Mr. Jefferson eyes her levelly but the glare goes right past her.

She barely pays attention to the indignant yell thrown at her when she's already out the door running.

She runs with a speed she didn't know she posessed. She's never run this fast before but then again she's never run so much in her life. She runs as if her life depended on it. She runs because Kate's life literally depended on it. She runs until her feet finally carry her to the dormitory where she pushes the door open. Her heart drops instantly because she still hasn't seen Kate along the way even until now. She doesn't stop running. Despite the protests of her aching body and ragged breathing, she pushes forward and runs to the stairs. She can only hear her own frantic steps echo and it only drives her to go faster. The flight of stairs feels like it goes on forever and with every step she takes, they become heavier as if sabotaging her rescue. Her heart is in her throat filled with trepidation and at the same time it's also dropped in her stomach with its own crushing weight. It's probably the heaviest she's ever felt in her life but she carries it along with her stride until she finally makes it to the door to the roof.

When she opens it, she's just in time to catch the sight of Kate taking her step right into falling.

"KATE! NO!" Max shouts painfully as her hand desperately reaches out to catch her friend who's already falling to her death.

No! Not again! Kate can't die again not when I'm so close! Oh, god. Please, don't let this happen. She can't die! She can't! I can't... I can't lose her again. Please! Give her back!

The world moves in slow motion and in the back of her mind she think that it's the adrenaline kicking in. She can see everything in terrifying details. She can see the despondent puddles on the floor and she thinks that this is no place for anyone to choose to die in. She can see the numerous droplets that feel like bullets on her skin and remembers how people can die from ways other than a gunshot. She can see the memory of her friend just seconds ago on the edge and she knows that she's dead even before she or the paramedics reach her. She can see all of this in excruciating detail because everything slows down.

Time slows down until it is almost stopping. She could have sworn it stopped since for a long moment, nothing seemed to move. The world seems to be in just as much shock as she is because the rain stopped along with her breathing. Droplets float in the air, unmoving. Everything is frozen as if captured in a photo. And then time moves. But it doesn't move forward like it should, instead it moves backward. Time backpedals slowly at first with the rain rising unnaturally and before she could process what's happening, she sees a miracle.

Kate is miraculously raised back from her grave and onto the safety of the roof again.

Reality continues to rewind and Kate is walking backwards while Max rushes forward with her arm still outstretched until finally, she reaches her.

"Kate!" Max shouts in relief as she pulls her friend into the tightest of embraces. She doesn't dare loosen her hold in fear of what might happen if she let go— she's already seen that what if too many times. Without noticing, time starts to move forward again and Kate is confused just as much as Max is relieved.

"Max? What are you doing here?" Kate asks after she gets over her initial surprise. Unlike Max, she's not that happy about the intervention. She doesn't struggle against Max's hold but she doesn't reciprocate it either. Her arms lay limp at the sides and she feels all too weak and fragile. It's the lowest that Max has seen of her and she's overcome with the urge to protect her all the more.

"I'm here because I wasn't there for you before." Max answers readily with the words she's been meaning to say all this time. They easily spill out of her mouth without much second guessing. Everything she says now are all from her heart, the same heart that has agonized over her friend who wants to die— whom she saw die. She hopes that her heart can make Kate understand that and get back her will to live. "I know I haven't exactly been the best friend that you needed but I want to change that. I should have ran after you as soon as I saw you storm out but I didn't. And I'm so sorry. I ran after you as soon as class started when I realized how messed up you must be feeling. I should have gotten here sooner, I'm sorry."

"Oh, Max. You're a good friend and I know you want to help." Kate's face seem to brighten at this and Max's heart soars with hope. "I'm kind of happy that you ran after me even though I know how much you love photography class." And just as soon as that hope came, it's dashed by despair soon after. Kate's smile is shortlived and a grimace replaces it. "But you're already late. I've made up my decision. It's too late for me."

"It's never too late, especially for you." Max objects and she's about to explain herself when Kate cuts her off.

"Yeah, right. And what exactly makes me so special? Oh, that's right. I'm the only whore on camera in this campus. Everyone has made sure to let me know just how "special" I am." Kate spits venomously as she goes rigid under Max's arms. Max immediately regrets her choice of words and she could feel that Kate's just about ready to go the moment she lets go of her. Kate's eyes are red with anger but her voice comes out disturbingly calm, "But it doesn't matter now. Nothing matters."

Max almost chokes on a sob because she hears the tone of finality in Kate's words. She needs to get her friend to change her mind. "You matter. And not just to me."

"I do want to believe that..." Kate hesitates and Max seizes the opportunity.

"Kate, your life is still yours. And we can get through this together... Let me help." Max pleads with so much desperation, she feels her throat burn. Her mind scrambles for a foothold, an example, any proof at all that could convince Kate. "Like I helped by erasing all that crap people wrote on your room slate."

"That was you? I knew that some people were writing horrible stuff on it but it's also nice to know that there's at least someone out there watching over me." Kate's broken voice sounds more relieved as she says this. But it's not enough to dissuade her. She grimaces in anguish, her voice raw with emotion. "Everybody thinks I'm a viral slut now."

"There is no "everybody"— there's only your friends and your family who love you." Max clarifies with a conviction so solid that her voice doesn't crack or waver. Screw everybody else, they're the reason why Kate's on this roof. No one here genuinely cares about Kate but Max does, and she will make sure that her friend knows that. "Kate, please trust me. Stand by me, okay? Hold onto me and I'll hold onto you."

"I do feel better with you on my side..." Kate looks like she's beginning to consider hope until she falls again. Her frame feels on the verge of collapsing as she wails, "But I'm already a lost cause. I don't think there's anything you can do to help me."

"I can help you now... I know I can." Max bites down on her bottom lip. She wants to tell her that she rewound time just to get to this moment but she knows that this isn't what Kate wants to hear. This isn't what she needs to hear. This isn't about her time powers, this is about Kate. She needs to prove to her that she can do something, anything as long as it's realistic proof. "This morning I erased the weblink to the video. It was written on the shower room mirror."

Kate isn't convinced at all. In fact, she flares up in anger instead. "That's your story now. How can I trust you?" She tries to pull away but Max holds her firmly in place. She settles for a glare with so much scorn that it catches Max by surprise because it's a fury so intense and personal, she knows that it's only who could have lit the flames. She practically feels the burn from it. Kate raises her voice and it strikes with unbridled fury. "What about this morning when I needed help? You told me to do nothing!"

Max deserves this. She knew that Kate was in a bad place and she just had to chicken out when asked for support. She hates her past self knowing that she's part of the reason for putting Kate on the roof. She'll regret her past later but for now she wants to change the future. "I believe you, Kate. I just don't think that the cops would believe you when the Prescotts pay their salary." She swallows down the nauseating guilt and manages to cough up the closest words that she thinks might help. "I know it's not what you wanted to hear but I just didn't want to see you get hurt when you get your hopes up and then they tell you that it's not their call."

"Well thanks for deciding for me how I would feel. Look how great that turned out to be." Kate barks out her accusation cynically and Max doesn't blame her. She'd be hurt too if her only friend on campus didn't back her up when she needed her the most.

Max winces at the venom thrown at her but she doesn't run away. She's done enough running and now it's time for her to start owning up. "Yes.. I know I screwed up. I'm sorry, Kate." She cries harder and god, she feels so exhausted but she knows that Kate feels worse, much worse, worse enough to put her on the roof. Kate deserves so much better and Max is trying her best to let her know that. "Please... you don't have to do this."

"Max, I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake up... unless I put myself to sleep." Kate confesses with a cry that's so broken and dead, and heartwrenching. It's a cry for help. It's a cry that screams the fact that nobody's listening to her. It's a cry that will haunt Max in her nightmares where Kate is broken on the pavement. "Then everybody at Blackwell can post pics of my body. I'm already on the internet forever. No wonder they call it a "web"— nothing can ever get out. Like my video..."

"We can still take down the video. I'll find out who posted it and make them pay." Max reasoned but Kate's gaze doesn't quite meets hers.

"What's the point? Everyone's already seen it by now." Kate retorts dejectedly. She's given up. Something shifts inside her head as her eyes wander to the edges of the roof and beyond that. She's staring so far away that she seems almost unreachable. Her voice is soft like a reverent whisper, like a final prayer, like a dying wish. "I wish I could go back in time and erase everything."

The words seem innocent enough. They sound nostalgic in the way that at face value, it seems as though Kate is merely looking back on the past. But it's more than just that. More than words, there's also the tone and the context to consider. Kate isn't just talking about her past, she's also talking as if she doesn't have a future either. The way Kate utters the words is as if they were her final words. It's the most peaceful that Max has ever heard of her and she almost considers letting her go. Almost. But then Max remembers that she doesn't want Kate to die like this, to die thinking she was alone in the world, to die knowing she wasn't loved, to die falling off a roof with a spectacle of insensitive onlookers taking pictures of her when it's a camera that pushed her to take the plunge in the first place. Max doesn't want Kate to die at all. Period.

So as much as Kate has accepted her death, Max denies it with a will strong enough to carry both of them alive. Her right hand clutches into a fist so tight, it's as if she's clutching onto the very life of her dear friend with it. In a way, she has. She's defied the laws of space and time to get here, in this precise moment where Kate is still alive. She plans to keep it that way and with her newly found powers, she knows she can do so much more. And with that same solid conviction, she makes a decision. "I'm going to gather proof that Nathan Prescott drugged you. And you're not the only victim. So you have to help me take Nathan down."

"Nathan Prescott? That makes sense... He's a scumbag and he can go to hell." Kate doesn't even hold back her spiteful words, she's gone past the point of caring so long ago. "You have proof now?" She asks almost hopefully, her eyes lighting just a bit, and Max thinks she's finally getting through her.

"Soon. Then straight to the police. Think of it like we're cleansing Blackwell." Max insists and it comes out as a promise. "I'll cover for you in the meantime but trust me, we will get your justice."

Kate's face softens at this and so does her voice. She's beginning to sound more like herself, a battered and broken version of her self but still strong and fighting. "You do have my back, Max. That's the first time I've felt hopeful in a week." She sounds like she's picked up a few pieces of herself and Max wants to cry at that monumental progress.

"Good. We all need to have each other's backs and I've got yours." Max rubs soothing circles on Kate's back and she could feel her defense slacken. She's still wary and hesitant but Max knows that she's close to giving in. "Kate, this is our chance to beat the bullies. That's the only way we can win against them."

The laughter that comes out of Kate's lips is short and hollow. It sounds just as dead as she feels inside. "Can we really, Max? I don't believe in miracles anymore either."

"Now I do. You're part of the reason why." Max answers without hesitation and her eyes burn with conviction. What she had to do just to get here is a miracle in itself and she's not about to waste it. Never has she been so selfish in life but just this once, she wants another miracle. She needs the miracle of Kate choosing life and she's not taking no for an answer. "If you stay with me, I can tell you more..."

"You're such a good person, Max. Even if you're full of crap." Kate sniffles and she cries harder but this time, there's a ghost of a smile on her lips. "But I'll stay with you... You're my friend."

"Forever. Can we hug on it?" Max asks her with pleading eyes and Kate doesn't answer for a second that seems to stretch forever.

Until finally, finally Kate hugs her back.

It's painful and heartbroken and falling apart but it's a start— a will to live. "I'm sorry... sorry..." Kate breaks out into sobs.

"What are you talking about? You saved me from talking in class!" Max jokes lightly. She doesn't remember if she laughed but she's crying. She's crying so much that the rain pouring down on them doesn't even compare. She's crying not just out of pain but mostly out of relief. She's crying because she isn't too late and her hand reached her friend this time. She's crying so hard and Kate is in her arms crying harder, broken but alive. Thank god, she's still alive.

And as Max holds on tighter to Kate, she's reassured when Kate squeezes back with just as much desperation and love. Her right hand is now an open palm against her friend's back, carefully holding her as she cries. She can feel Kate's heart pumping out life and Max finds that no other rhythm has soothed her like this. She finally lets go of the breath she's been holding during the whole crisis and her body goes limp. Kate's knees give out from exhaustion and Max kneels right after. Kate is clutching on to her with sobs wracking her body while Max just holds her. Max holds her in such a way that feels as if she holds tight enough, maybe the broken pieces will naturally fall back together. She knows that it's not that simple but she tries anyway and it's the effort that makes Kate feel almost whole again.

When Kate smiles, it's exhausted and broken and it doesn't quite reach her eyes, but it's still the brightest she's worn in a long time. And as Max stares at Kate, she sees her with the faintest flicker of hope that wasn't there before. She sees her through the pain and sorrow that she had to go through but didn't deserve. She sees her for who she is, strong and resilient and loved. She sees Kate as a friend, a miracle, an angel.

And Max will do everything in her power to prevent Kate from ever falling again.

A/N There're some changes I did for this AU to fit. Since Max rewound so Kate wasn't on the edge of the roof, nobody else knows about her attempt so she doesn't go to the hospital after. Chloe is still alive and the gunshot in the bathroom never happened although I'm still thinking if she and Max are in good terms like they actually talked it out when Max moved back or distant like in the original timeline.

Wowsers, do you have any idea how much I need this AU in my life? Since Kate is now the main partner, it's going to affect their investigation and overall plot. I mean, can you imagine Max going back in time to stop Kate from ever going to the party? Just like what happened to Chloe when Max tried to save William, this too will have consequences. And since I changed the origin of the rewind powers, there's also the question of the ending. Whether or not it will have the same ultimate sacrifice choice is still up in the air.

I hope you enjoyed the oneshot for the multichapter fic that I will never write. I might write a follow-up chapter of how Kate will find out about Max's time powers but we'll see if I actually write it or if an alternate timeline me will. This needs a bit more polishing but I suppose I'll do that if/when I turn this into a legit series. Oh, but there's Digging Like You Can't Bury which is a related oneshot. For now, I just hope I did justice to one of the most powerful scenes in the game.

Please let me know what you think of this or if you just love Kate as much as I do, then drop by a comment. As always, take care!