Lazy Note: Hey there, Strangers. I think it's time that I wrote something with Marren in it. Seriously. It's been a while. I've been on a weird Nathan kick that I'm having a hard time quitting, so here I am. After playing episode 3, I'm a bit upset. Just a bit. Haha, just kidding. I'm fucking distraught.

I need some Marren fluffiness to help retain my small amount of sanity. So, for the sake of this story, let's pretend Warren was the one to text Max, not Chloe. Shhh, just go with it!

Enjoy!

Released

by

xLazyxWriterx

"Stop! Don't come near me!"

You're on your own.

"I'm right here, Kate, please."

No power.

"I know you want to help me...it doesn't matter now. Nothing does."

She's right.

"Things will get better-"

No, they won't.

"I do want to believe that."

Lies.

"Your life is still yours. Let me help."

You can't.

"I always feel like you really listen..."

She can't here you.

"Come stand by me, okay?"

No.

"I want to..."

No.

"Please, you don't have to do this."

Of course.

"I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake up...unless I put myself to sleep."

Goodnight.

"Everyone will forget."

No, they won't.

"That's how I will be remembered unless I jump."

Hurry.

"You can't do this to all the people who care about you!"

No one.

"Nobody cares about me."

She's right.

"I care..."

It's not enough.

"Kate!" Max's head shot up from her desk, her arm extended as if to grab something. Her heart thudded in her chest harshly, and her head pounded. She blinked rapidly, but the images didn't go away.

Kate's eyes had been so swollen and red, and it had made her dark blue eyes stand out in the shades of gray cast over the world. Her hair was a mess, matted down with rain water and sticking to her face. She had been soaked, and she had shivered ever so slightly. All signs of hope had died within her and she had become too weak to fight.

Max rubbed at her own sore eyes. She was exhausted. After everything that went down in Wells office mere hours ago had sucked every last ounce of energy she had left. Everything hurt, and she never knew she could feel so numb.

When she looked around her room it was as if God himself had adjusted the colors of the world like it was as easy as twisting one of those old plastic dials on a TV set. Dull, flat...lifeless. Her eyes landed on the small cage next to Lisa. It was if the rabbit could sense what had happened. Like, he knew his mommy was gone. Max bit the inside of her cheek. She got up on wobbly legs and slid a carrot in for the rabbit to munch on, but he didn't seem interested.

Her phone vibrated on the desk.

Warren: Hey Max.
Don't want to bother you - just checking in to see how you are.I know today was hard but you did more than anybody else could to help Kate.
I'm proud of you.
And please, no worries about going to the drive-in.
But if you want to escape to a planet of apes, let's go.
And if you need to talk, I'm always here.
xo
8:18 PM

Max gave a small, sad smile. She had talked to Warren a few hours ago before shutting herself away in her room. She hadn't had meltdown like that in a long time...Max sighed, setting her phone down on the desk and stretching her arms above her head. Her body felt heavy, as though she had spent the last few hours running nonstop. Breathing alone was becoming so damn difficult.

She reread Warren's message multiple times in hopes of gaining any sort of comfort. She heard his voice in her head whispering the words to her, and she replayed their conversation from hours ago. He kept telling her that it wasn't her fault, but how could it not be? She had powers; she could do things no one else could. And, yet...she couldn't stop Kate's pain and save her. Kate was dead.

God, the very thought made her want to weep more, even though she emptied her tear ducts about an hour ago. She never felt so alone.

Max picked her phone back up.

Max: Hey, are you busy?
8:31 PM

Almost instantly, her phone vibrated.

Warren: No, what do you need?
8:32 PM

Max: I need to talk. Let's meet up in front of the dorms. Try to be extra sneaky.
8:34 PM

Warren: Got it.
8:35 PM

Max stuffed her phone into her pocket, and didn't bother grabbing her bag. She wanted to talk to Warren. Their conversation earlier died after witnessing the eclipse. With everything happening, it overwhelmed her, and she had to leave. She had to get away from everything, and now...she felt as though she was going to wilt if she didn't break the nonexistent screams that replayed in her head. She needed a distraction.

She said goodbye to the rabbit - which she still didn't know his name - and headed out the door, locking it. The hallway glowed, and Max felt the pressure in her chest as she dragged her feet the to small, candle-lit memorial in front of Kate's door. Max knelt down and lit one of the candles, whispering a small prayer. The picture of Kate seemed to stare at her, and a lump formed in her throat. Kate looked so happy, so bright. Her eyes were clear, hopeful. That was the Kate she wanted to remember. Instead, she was flooded with memories of puffy eyes and trembling figures.

With one final look at the scene, Max forced herself to turn away. Every step hurt, and she wanted nothing more than to collapse on the floor. She wanted to curl up, and pretend it was all just a nightmare. Then, her heart would fail when she opened her eyes. How could she call it a nightmare if it wouldn't go away when her eyes fluttered open?

With fatigued arms, she pushed the door to the girls' dorm open, and stepped out.

The night was chilly, the sky clear, and fireflies sparkled in the darkness. The post lights lit the area, and Max made her way to one of the benches. The wood was cold and it chilled her through her jeans. At least it was fairly quiet. The only sound was the buzzing of the fireflies and the light rustle of the bushes and tree branches.

It felt good to get some fresh air. She hadn't realized how warm she was, or how clammy her hands and face were. Nice, this was sure to look attractive for Warren. Max bit her lip. She hadn't even bothered to see what she looked like before she left her dorm. She probably looked as good as she felt; like absolute shit.

So many thoughts raced through her mind as she stared at the memorial by the stairs. Where was Kate now? Max wasn't sure if she believed in a heaven or hell, but if they weren't real...then, where did Kate go? Did she just become nothing? Was her soul lingering on earth along with the others before her that left in such a way? That's not was Kate deserved. Kate deserved to be free and to live with no guilt. No fear, no shame. Kate was supposed to be happy. Kate deserved to move on.

If she was stuck... Ugh, Max couldn't even think it.

And, what about Victoria? Where was she? Max wondered how it would feel to ridicule someone in the morning, then see them leap to their death only a few hours later. How did it feel to know that you helped put her on the roof? How do you even deal with that? Hell, Max was so distraught she could barely see straight... What did that mean for Victoria? Victoria wasn't heartless; Max knew that much.

And Nathan. Ugh, his name burned her tongue. How could he live with himself after everything he did to Kate? Max had seen him there when everything stood still. He was right in the front, staring up at her. Being so focused on getting up there before it was too late, Max only saw a glance of his face. His eyes were glassed over, as if he were in a trance.

What millions of thoughts haunted Nathan Prescott in those few seconds...? Did he black out when Kate hit the ground only a few feet away from him...? Or, did he watch every single moment and realize just what he had done...?

Max shook uncontrollably with pent up emotion. There had to be a word for it; such a mixture of emotions that made her want to scream to the heavens and rip her hair out.

Hurried footsteps sounded behind her, and she turned to see Warren jogging towards her. He was in his night attire; a grey shirt with a drawing of a human heart and the words 'It is the beating of his hideous heart!' written in script, and a pair of black sweats. His hair was damp, as though he had just gotten out of the shower. That only made Max more embarrassed by her disheveled appearance.

Warren approached her with a comforting smile, sitting beside her on the bench. "Hey," he said softly. "Watch out. Principal Wells is out tonight, and he's a bit more than tipsy." Max sighed. Of course Wells was wasted tonight. It didn't matter, though. If he showed up, Max would just rewind. That usually...worked.

Max looked down at her hands. Warren crossed his arms, and looked up at the sky. "You okay?" he asked, even though Max was sure he already knew the answer.

She tried to smile, but the muscles in her face refused. "No." she said, weakly. Warren looked over at her, sighing softly.

"I know. At least you're honest." His eyes wandered over to Kate's memorial, and Max watched him. His expression was thoughtful, as though he were trying to figure something to say that would make everything better, but he knew better.

"Tell me this is just a nightmare." Max mumbled, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin in her palms. "Pinch me, and wake me up." Max closed her eyes, and she felt Warren lightly pinch her arm. When she opened her heavy eyes, Kate's memorial remained, mocking her.

Warren offered her a grin, and Max could see the sadness swimming in his dark eyes. "I could tell you that everything will be fine, Max. That it wasn't your fault, and that everything will get better. But, I'm not going to." Warren reached over and grasped her still trembling hand in his. Heat shot up Max's arm, making her realize just how cold she was from sitting out here. Warren rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. "That would be lying to you."

Words died within Max's throat. She watched his thumb trace circles along her flesh as they sat in silence. Max scooted closer to Warren, seeking warmth. Warren tensed a bit before relaxing into her. Suddenly, a chuckle escaped him. Max raised a brow at him.

"There was this one time in Ms Hoida's class where we had to partner up for a writing assignment. I didn't want to work with Brooke because she pretty much takes over, and so I asked Kate if I could work with her. The assignment was to co-write a short story together. Y'know, where one person writes a paragraph, and then the other writes the second paragraph and so on." Warren smiled, scratching at his knee. "She started the story about this rabbit in the forest, right, and it was this cutesy fairy tale bunny. Well, then I wrote about a hunter who killed the rabbit-"

"Warren!" Max gaped at him.

Warren held up his hand, saying, "No, wait. Okay, I wrote about a hunter killing the rabbit and Kate was so furious because she spent her paragraph describing how majestic this snow white bunny was. When it came for her to write, she demanded that the hunter felt awful about killing such a creature and wrote this part about that. So, to make it up to her, I set the hunters house on fire." Warren bit his lip. "And, there were a bunch of other rabbits in the fire."

"Why would you write about that?" Max asked, astonished at the story Warren was telling.

Warren laughed. "Yeah, Kate wasn't exactly happy. She insisted that we write a happy story, and every time I wrote something she freaked out. The story ended with the hunter being haunted by this majestic bunny, and him dealing with his guilt. Eventually, the police come around asking about this other hunter, and search his cabin. They hear this scratching noise in the wall, so they tore the wall down and found the body, as well as the body of the majestic snow white rabbit."

"Gee, Warren, what a way to traumatize someone!"

"No, no! She got all into it in the end!" Warren laughed. "It was really fun, plus, we got an A. Though, I think it freaked Ms Hoida out because she didn't want Kate to work with me ever again." Warren sighed, his laughter dying down. "I still have the draft copy of it with all our notes." He looked over at Max, squeezing her hand.

Max felt her cheeks flush, and she looked down at her lap. "I think I'd actually like to read it sometime." she said, squeezing his hand back. Warren nodded.

"Kate was something else. She always tried to see the good, not the bad. She was a beautiful person." Warren's voice was distant. Max glanced back up at him. His hair had dried completely and looked much fluffier than usual. His eye looked much better, as well. She still felt terrible about that; she had just left him there with Nathan, who probably still had that gun.

A chill ran through Max, and she leaned into Warren. Warren released her hand, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pressing their bodies close. A sigh escaped Max's lips as Warren's heat sunk into rested his cheek on her head, and she closed her eyes.

"I miss her." Max whispered.

Warren rubbed her arm. "I know."

"Where do you think she is?" Max was almost afraid to ask, but she wanted to know Warren's perspective.

Warren was silent for a moment, and Max wondered if her question was inappropriate for the situation. Within the silence, Max concentrated on the intimacy they were sharing. She was not sure if it was the tragedy that struck today that made her seek his comfort, or if something like this would have happened eventually. Either way, she was glad he was here, and that she wasn't alone. She was tired, and she wanted to feel safe for the first time in the past forty-eight hours. She could feel Warren's heart beating against her, as well as the evenness of his breathing.

"Released." Warren said. "She's been released of all the pain. She's safe, and at peace. There's no way that someone as kind as her is anywhere but paradise, whatever that may be. We don't have to worry about her anymore, but we will. That's what humans do." Warren sighed heavily. "It's going to take a lot of time; you need to grieve, and that's fine. It's a part of our nature."

Max nodded slowly. Damn, she thought that she had already emptied her tear ducts hours ago, but she felt hotness streaming down her cheeks. Her chin trembled, and the dryness took over her throat. Her fists were clenched tightly in her lap as she choked out a sob.

"She loved you, Max." Warren whispered into her hair. "You were one of the few who cared. She knew that, and she cared about you, too."

Max's sobs shook her body, and she reached for Warren, pulling herself into his embrace. Warren placed a soft kiss on the top of her head, brushing a few strands away from her face before she buried herself in his chest. His arms encircled her, and she sobbed until her head ached and her throat cracked.

When she pulled away from him, Warren pressed his forehead against her, a comforting grin pulling at his lips. "You're strong, Max Caulfield," he murmured. "You will get through this, and come out stronger." Max nodded, meeting his dark eyes. She could barely make out where his pupils ended and heavy hazelnut started. She could feel his breath on her face, and she could practically taste the spearmint that evaporated off his lips. Those lips leaned up and pressed against her forehead, burning her cool skin. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation.

"I know." Her voice was faint, barely even a whisper, but Warren heard her.

He offered her a genuine smile, intertwining their fingers. "You need sleep. Get your energy back. We'll talk tomorrow."

Max nodded, the full effect of exhaustion taking it's final toll on her body.

Released.

Bright and white.

Hope.

Fresh and clear.

Happiness.

What is pain?

What is guilt?

Freedom and glee.

Safe.

Strength.

Soul.

Beauty and love.

I am at Peace.

Released.

I have a headcannon that Warren has a literary-boner for Edgar Allan Poe. I dunno why. Don't question me.

So...how about them Kate feels? :(

Thanks for reading!

xLazyxWriterx