A month has passed since Max saved Arcadia Bay and everyone else in it, and things have been peaceful since then. Sure, her life isn't perfect - and it may never be - but at least Victoria doesn't bully her as much anymore, and she and Kate have grown closer after the rooftop incident, and Rachel is living the dream in Las Vegas with a now-not-depressed Frank in tow.

After that hectic week, Max has also begun to feel more and more confident about her photography skills. She actually submitted one of her photographs in a recent contest - she didn't win, but that's not the point.

It feels nice, knowing that she can finally be with Chloe again - as her friend, of course.

Max doesn't use her rewind powers again. She knows it's still there, and if she wants to, she's sure she can use it, but… she doesn't want to.

Time-travel can be confusing and, at times, destructive. And Chloe once made her vow to never use it unless it's for emergencies.

Max never tries to use her power… So she, of course, freaks out when that familiar headache assaults her head.

"U-um, Chloe…?"

Max is thankful she's sitting on Chloe's bed, otherwise, she would've fallen with how weak her sense of balance has become. Chloe, who's been playing her laptop all day, turns around with a "What's up, Max?" and freezes when she sees her.

Chloe moves as fast as a flash of lightning. One moment she's lazing around, wasting the afternoon away, the next she cranks up the protective mode to the max.

Max feels like shit. And with how Chloe's looking at her, she must look like it too.

"Max, what the fuck?" Chloe puts her hand under Max's nose, and when she pulls away, red taints that very hand. Chloe looks pissed and worried and Max would've found it cute if not for the freaky situation. "Please tell me you haven't been rewinding."

"I haven't!" Screaming proves to be a bad idea because the pain increases tenfold and Max's hands go up to clutch her head. The world expands and shrinks, and everything looks wobbly and the colors are off. A part of Max wonders if this is how Chloe feels when she's high, though she's mostly just freaked out because what is happening?! "C-Chloe…"

And then everything flashes white.

It's like the world explodes and the explosion dulls her senses.

Max tries to reach out for Chloe, desperate. She's not sure if she's screaming Chloe's name or whispering it, but she knows she's uttering it.

One by one, her senses return.

The sense of touch returns first. And Max realizes someone's holding her hand, tracing circles on her palm. The hand is warm and bigger than her own. It relaxes Max and she doesn't know why yet.

The sense of hearing is next.

"I'm here, I'm here, Max…"

Chloe…

Thank goodness.

Every other sense comes to her easily, and the pain is no longer there. Max breathes a huge sigh of relief, leaning towards the body in front of her, seeking comfort. She smiles when the figure hugs her in that intimately-familiar way.

They're in Chloe's room. Nothing has changed. Max isn't in a different timeline. Everything's okay. Everything's the same as usual.

… Except there's a lack of cigarette and weed scent coming from Chloe. And that is not the same as usual because Chloe always smells like cigarette and weed.

"Chloe?"

"It's me, Max." Her voice sounds different. It's still Chloe's voice, but it sounds… calmer. And that freaks her out even more because Chloe is never calm, especially after a nosebleed and a migraine.

Max pulls away. Her breathing is heavy and her heart pounds painfully but she doesn't care. She looks around. This is Chloe's room. This is her Chloe's room. She can tell. She hasn't jumped into another timeline without realizing it…

"Max?"

But Chloe…

"I know this is hella weird…"

Chloe is…

"You're probably wondering what's going on…"

She's… she's… different…

Her neon blue hair is still there and as flashy as ever, styled in the same way, but the roots of her hair are no longer pink but dyed black, and Max notices that seconds ago, her Chloe was wearing a beanie, while this Chloe isn't.

She's not Chloe...

"And the truth is… I have no idea what's going on too."

Yet she is Chloe.

Chloe expected many things when Max had that dazed, weak look on her face. It was the face she'd grown used to seeing ever since regular citizen (lame) Max became Super (equally lame) Max.

She's prepared for lots of things, as a kick-ass sidekick should be.

But for the whole world to turn white? White, of all colors?!

Yeah, nada. Chloe Price has never been more underprepared. And that says a lot because once she walks into a French test thinking she's going to ace the Math test.

Of course, the first thing she does is reach out for Max, worried that the girl's brain might've overloaded with all this time-travel junk, but when she takes a step, the side of her thigh bumps into an edge of the table.

"Shit!"

She curses, wondering when the hell has there been a table in the middle of the room and why she hasn't noticed until now. But then she looks around and she notices that she's not in her room anymore. She's in some kind of apartment or hotel room or junk. It's not that big, but it certainly has this cozy, homey feel to it which reminds her of her own home back when Dad was alive.

"Chloe…"

"Max!"

Chloe turns to the source of the voice, expecting to see the familiar short brown hair and thin jacket and white shirt…

What she sees instead is long brown hair draping to the shoulder, a crop top, and a skirt.

The full-grown woman that looks exactly like Max but isn't hunches on the sofa, one hand pressed to her nose in a vain effort to stop the nosebleed.

She looks up at Chloe weakly, and smiles even more weakly, her free hand raising up in greeting.

"H-hi, Chloe…"

What.

The.

Fuck.

Chloe stares, for a long, long while, standing there in this unfamiliar room, looking at her unfamiliar (and familiar) best friend.

She's stopped wondering what's going on. Whenever she tries to do that, her brain simply shuts down because her brain is a lazy piece of shit that won't do any work that requires actual brainy work.

"I, umm, know you're shell-shocked and all, but do you mind grabbing the tissue box? I don't think I can walk without falling over yet..." Chloe nods, because what else is she supposed to do in this situation?! Plus, it's Max (even when it's not)! She can never say no to the cute girl. "Thanks, Chlo. It's over there…"

Again: What the actual fuck is fucking going on with every-fucking-thing?

Chloe feels as though she should cry or scream or maybe whack this stranger in the face with a bat - is there a bat? Where is the bat? She needs a bat, Goddamit! - and get the hell out of here…

But damn, Max's eyes have always been so nice to look at… They're like, her number one weakness, so Chloe ends up just nodding numbly and doing as she's told.

"Thanks." Not-Max has this little grin when she looks at Chloe, and Chloe doesn't know how to feel about how grown-up she looks with that long hair. "Have a seat." The woman scoots over - Chloe notices how much she struggles doing just that - and pats the empty side of the couch invitingly.

Chloe sits, tilting her body to look at the woman better.

The woman fumbles with the tissue, but after a while, the blood stops trailing down and she can safely put the tissues away.

Scarily, yet comfortingly familiar doe eyes glance at her, making Chloe feel vulnerable. A soft smile graces that nice-looking lips.

"Would you… like to know what's going on?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!"

"WHOA, THERE, SLOW DOWN, HORSEY!"

"DON'T CALL ME- WHO ARE YOU?!"

"IT'S ME! CHLOE!"

Max stumbles, falls, and crawls away from this woman who looks a tad less freaked out than she is - but is still totally freaked out - reaching out blindly for something to defend herself and ending up pointing a pencil dangerously to this alternate Chloe. Is this even an alternate Chloe? Or is this just someone pretending to be Chloe? Is this an evil Chloe from an evil world? Is that why her hair is black?

Max feels dumb when Chloe shoots her, then the pencil, an incredulous gaze.

She growls and throws the pencil right at Chloe, hitting the girl in the nose.

"Ow! What the hell, Max?!"

"Girls?!" Joyce's voice shouts out from downstairs, muffled by the door. "What's with all the ruckus?!"

"JOY- mmph!"

Chloe's hand covers Max's mouth, and the other goes up into her own mouth as she makes a silencing gesture. She asks in a whisper, "Does Mom know about the rewind yet?"

Max blinks at the word 'yet' and what it implies, and after gulping, shakes her head.

Chloe nods then turns to the door, cupping the hand that's not covering Max to her lips. "Nothing, Mom!"

"Since when do you call me Mom again?"

Chloe pales. Despite - or maybe because of - the absurdity of the situation, Max finds herself snickering. Chloe looks cute when she's at a loss. "Since… now?"

Joyce makes that "mm-hmm" sound that tells everyone she doesn't believe that but is willing to let it go.

After her footsteps disappear, Chloe glares at her again. "Dude, calm the fuck down."

Max nods, not because she is calm, but because she agrees with this Not-Chloe Chloe that she should probably calm down.

"Now, I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth, but… you need to promise me not to scream."

Max nods.

"Is that a promise or are you just nodding for the sake of nodding?"

Max frowns and shakes her head.

"Yeah, that doesn't make any sense. I need an oath, sistah."

Max grumbles and crosses her heart, raising her hand like that cult thing in movies everyone seems to do, not forgetting to shoot the 'are you happy now?' face. This satisfies Chloe, who holds her end of the bargain and let Max breathe freely.

"I know you're hella scared right now, but you've got to stop treating me like I'm going to stab you."

"Are you?"

"Of course not, idiot."

It's then that Max starts to notice something weird about this Chloe. It's not that this Chloe looks weird or anything, but… her facial features are more refined, she has a slightly larger build, and her outfit seems to be the simpler version of the original Chloe; black non-leather jacket, white t-shirt, jeans, sneakers. There's no bullet necklace, no weird punk bracelets, nothing.

She's, like, a tidier Chloe Price. And that throws Max in for a loop because Chloe and tidiness never fit together well.

"Which timeline are you from?"

Chloe gives her a 'Chloe-esque' smirk which, of course, drives Max's entire being crazy.

"The same as yours."

"... WHAT?!"

Chloe winces, then fumbles with the pocket of her jacket, searching for something. "Hold on, I-" her face brightens, and she pulls a folded piece of paper out with a proud "Aha!"

Max gets up with record speed, pressing a finger against the middle of Chloe's collarbone, gritting her teeth. "What do you mean you come from my timeline? And where's Chloe- the real Chloe! I want her back!"

Chloe looks at her, her gaze piercing and intelligent. It terrifies Max and makes her want to drown in those eyes at once.

There's something about this Chloe that's different. Max can't put her finger on it. Maybe it's the lack of weird necklace or bracelets, maybe it's the black and calm blue dye. Whatever it is that makes her look different… it makes her look mature.

Suddenly, Max is being enveloped in a loose hug.

"I'm sorry. I know this must be scary for you. I should be handling this better."

Max blinks. This is still Chloe yet it's not her Chloe…

… Whatever. She'll take what she can get. It's not like anyone can take losing their best friend - and having them replaced by someone who is and isn't their best friend - well. That'd be really surprising.

"I'm surprised you're taking this well."

Chloe blinks, staring at that smile for a second too long before chuckling, hoping Not-Max can't see how flustered she is.

"Yeah, well, I've dealt with Max - with you, I guess - jumping in time and stuff all the time." She gives a wry smile. "I'm your sidekick, remember? Insanity is, like, tots normal."

Max laughs again, and man is that a good laugh…

"Yeah, 'guess it is." Max stands up and teeters to the side. Chloe's hands are on her waist in an instant, helping her balance herself. "Thanks… These time powers can be a real handful sometimes."

"No shit." There are too many times for her to count in which Max looks like she's in pain, bleeds too much… each time she overuses her powers, Chloe wonders if her heart will stop working due to how strenuous it is.

"So, um, I didn't know it would happen so fast, sorry if it's a bit too much for you…"

Chloe leans to this Max, paying her full-attention, knowing Max is about to sprout some complex time and space or whatever. It's going to be long and not in any way simplified.

"Basically, this is a side-effect of Future-You using your powers in a small amount. It's only temporary, things will go back to normal in a day or two. Maybe. Probably."

"... oh, just give me that!"

Max yanks the unfolded, wrinkly paper from Chloe, ignoring the girl calling out "rude!" and looks at it.

It's her own handwriting, and it's mostly instructions for Chloe on how to gently tell 'Past Her' what is happening.

A beat passes.

Then another.

Then another.

"So, you're… you're from the future…?"

"... basically, yeah."

And with that, Max faints, mainly from shock, but also probably from that headache and nosebleed.

"So, umm, you're from the future."

Max grins. Chloe's always been quick to understand everything, no matter how old she is. "Technically, I'm not 'from' anywhere. I'm right where I belong." She leans forward and pokes Young Chloe on the nose, causing her eye to cross. "You, on the other hand… you're in the future."

Max's grin widens as she sees the change in Chloe's facial features; confusion, realization, and finally, childlike excitement.

"Really?!"

Chloe's so excited she doesn't even move the finger away from her nose. She just sits there and beams, and Max can't help but be reminded of a cute pup.

Max has forgotten how excitable Chloe used to be. But now it seems she'll be reminded.

"Yes."

"Ho… ly… shit."

Max removes her hand from Chloe's nose and puts it on her thigh instead. She gives Chloe a smile she knows will soothe the younger girl. "Now, before you start freaking out about ripping the time and space continuum, don't. Because it won't."

Max half-expects Chloe to doubt her or to ask more questions, so it is relieving and heartwarming when all Chloe does is to lean back to the sofa with a large sigh and a small "thank god…"

Max herself leans back, never looking away from those familiar yet foreign blue eyes. She sees the cogwheels turn in those eyes, and Max is momentarily enthralled. It's always enchanting to see Chloe deep in thought, you can always see how thoroughly she thinks about it. After all, Chloe's a former Straight-A student, a fact that many people, understandably, tend to forget.

"Do you have any questions?" she asks, knowing the answer wouldn't be a 'no'. Chloe bites her lip in worry. Max smiles understandingly. "Don't worry, I won't give too many spoilers."

"Okay, umm…" The older-younger girl looks around before focusing her attention back on Max. "Where are we?"

"Paris."

Max has to use every ounce of her being to keep herself from laughing at how deeply Chloe's normally pale skin turns red. Ah, yes, because everyone knows this city's filled with kid-friendly content.

Chloe's reaction also confirms a small, yet important thing regarding which step of their relationship Chloe has come from; the 'we're more than friends but neither of us is willing to admit it' step, AKA the most awkward step of all.

"W-what are we doing in Paris?" Chloe's voice is one or two octaves higher than usual, making her sound like a squeaky hormonal teenager - which, she kind of technically is, really.

Max glances at her finger, where a simple, yet elegant ring rests, then back at the flustered teen.

"... stuff." Chloe's eyes widen. She opens and closes her mouth, but no words really come out - not one that is understandable, anyway. Max chuckles for what feels like the tenth time. "It's okay. We have all the time in the world."

"Max."

"..."

"Maaaax."

"..."

"C'mon, Max, we don't have all the time in the world!"

"Uuuugh… shut the cereal up, Chloe… I'm cereal tired RN."

"... What?"

That finally compels Max to get up from her bed, as sleeping is, apparently, no longer a thing she's allowed to do freely - ugh, society and its strict, meaningless rules. Her quick movements cause a spell of lightheadedness to overwhelm her, but before anything can happen, one strong arm grabs her by the shoulder while the other glue itself on her back.

"Shit, careful there, kiddo." Dizzily, Max looks up to find those comforting dark blue eyes. Heh. Damn, Chloe, back at it again with saving me? "Jeez, the time-switch thingie really did a number on you… though it should be obvious considering you're still, well, eighteen."

Then the memories come back not unlike an explosion.

And Max starts to notice the things this Chloe has that her Chloe doesn't.

The lack of beanie. The black dye instead of pink, creating a calmer, more mature look. The lack of baby fat. And are those muscles?

She's always known that Chloe is attractive in that devilish way, but this… this Chloe has clearly blossomed into a woman…

And what a beautiful woman she's blossomed into…

"Do you feel any pain at all? Should I get you something to eat? It always works with Present-You - or, err, Future-You, in this case…"

And now, the sexually-frustrated Max Caulfield is trying not to faint again while this hot woman is treating her with such intense love and care that it makes her want to cry.

"I'm, umm, fine."

"Are you sure? You're kinda red…"

"I'm fine," she says in insistence. "Trust me."

Chloe's gaze stays fixated on her face for a couple more seconds, doing nothing more but increasing the heat in her cheeks, then she relents with a small "fine", letting herself off the bed, giving Max the space that she doesn't ask for nor want at all.

Max lets her head fall down to the bed with a flop, staring at the ceiling, not quite believing what is happening and not surprised at the same time.

And then a question pops into her head. After mulling for it a bit and deciding it won't somehow rip apart time and space, she asks, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-five." From the sounds of it, Chloe's near the door.

Max pushes herself up - carefully this time because she learns from her mistakes, unlike some people - and finds Chloe staring at the ripped posters, her back facing Max, disabling her from seeing the older girl's face.

"So, you're from six years into the future."

Chloe's jacket wrinkles as she shrugs. "Yeah. And I'm six years into the past."

Time travel's weird, Max concludes for not the first time.

"You're… seven years older than me."

Chloe takes a step back as she chuckles. "Yup."

"... you're old."

Chloe looks over her shoulder to give Max a glare that would've scared her if it came from anybody else. "Oi! I'm still in my prime!"

"You're in your mid-twenties, grandma."

Chloe turns to face her, flustered, and points a threatening finger. "Yeah, well Future-You's twenty-four! Which means you're old too!"

"Not yet I'm not." Max crosses her arms and tilts her chin up, a cocky smirk she's seen Victoria use wrapped in place.

Chloe's eyes narrow. Then she bursts into laughter. And her laugh sort of makes Max's insides feels fuzzy and warm. It's always a good day when you hear a laughing Chloe Price.

"Nice one, kid." Chloe gives this sneer, and Max knows it's supposed to be mocking her but, well… Chloe's Chloe, so she doesn't really feel offended.

They fall into a peaceful silence after that - and a familiar one too. Looks like twenty-six years old Chloe gives off the same comforting vibe as nineteen years old Chloe. That's nice.

Max watches with interest as Chloe analyzes the room, committing every detail to memory, stopping every once in a while to chuckle or shake her head.

"Taking a trip down memory lane?"

Chloe doesn't answer immediately. Max sits cross-legged, leaning to Chloe's direction, wanting to pay better attention to her friend who also happens to be the girl she's crushing on who is now the same girl but a woman from the future.

"Wow. Can't believe how much of a shithead I used to be."

Max flinches but quickly tries to chase Chloe's sadness away with a reprimanding "Chloe…"

But when Chloe turns to look at her, there was never any sadness in the first place, just a sense of nostalgia, happiness, and… serenity.

And it finally hits Max; the years setting them apart from each other, the fact that even though this is Chloe, her Chloe, Max doesn't know her.

Can someone be a friend and a stranger at once?

"Don't defend me, Max. I was in a bad place, sure, but that doesn't excuse my being shitty." Three beats pass in which Max stares at Chloe, wondering if the woman in front of her is even Chloe with how wise and grown-up she is. Chloe claps her hand, and it brings Max back to reality. "Welp, I think it's time we stop lounging around and actually get to the fun stuff."

"Fun stuff?"

She gives a very Chloe Price grin. And it does all sorts of stuff to her already erratically beating heart. "I wanna really get down on memory lane."

Chloe can't stop staring at Max.

Though, to be fair, anyone wouldn't be able to stop staring at their best friend and crush if that person suddenly ages six years and is older than you and looks older and is just- just-

"Chloe, is something wrong?"

-... hella gorgeous.

"N-no, nothing's wrong."

Her answer does the opposite of what she intended it to do, causing Max to frown and cross the steps separating them, humming lightly to herself.

Chloe notices that Max has grown an inch or two. She's still taller than the older-younger girl, but Future-Max is a tall midget, while Present-Max - her Max - is a regular-sized midget.

Well… they're both midgets, but still…

"Is the future overwhelming you? Do you want to sit down?"

Chloe knows giving the honest answer wouldn't satisfy Max, so she opted to say "maybe" instead.

Max springs into action, grabbing Chloe's wrist and yanking her to the nearby bench. They're so close their thighs touch.

"How are you liking Paris so far?"

Chloe looks around. She had no idea these many people could stand being in the same space together and not suffocate. "It's… crowdy."

Max's snort is music to her ears - then again, any sound Max makes is music to her ears, except crying, of course. "Wait 'til you see the Eiffel tower."

Chloe lazily smiles, raising an eyebrow. "Technically, I do see the Eiffel tower…" It's far ahead, and it's the size of her thumb, but the old, mighty tower of the Bonjour country shines in all of its glory. Chloe doesn't know what to think of it. Everything about this is surreal. She's in France. She was in her pigsty of a room an hour ago. How is this possible? What is happening?

"The future's cool, isn't it?"

"It's not really that different…" Chloe stares at Max, who smiles at her before looking at something in front of her, seemingly partly interested. She guesses Max just wants to give her the time to think, since she wasn't able to do that before, with Max dragging her out of their hotel. The silence really gives her the time to notice that…

Max has changed.

Her face no longer has any baby fat, and it's kind of weird seeing this woman's face and Max's face at the same time. But at least Max grows to be an even prettier woman - a fact Chloe thought impossible at first, believing Max was already super pretty it was impossible for her to get prettier.

Chloe's mind jolts. She stares at the ring proudly glued to Max's hand, biting her lip. Not cool.

Instead of focusing on how pretty Max the engaged woman is, Chloe takes notice of her physical appearance.

Max's body has developed quite well, in, umm…

Again, Max's appearance has changed quite a lot, but her love of photography and dorkiness and shyness hasn't - even if that last part seems to be reduced.

She doesn't have that bob cut anymore and instead lets her hair fall freely. And honestly… it drives Chloe crazy. So much so that she has to stop looking at Max and asks, "Sooo… who's the lucky guy? Is it Warren?"

Max laughs out loud like Chloe just told her a hilarious joke. "Nah. He's nice, but…" Max glances at Chloe. "He's not the one."

Wow.

Is she…? No, no, she can't be, there's- there's just no fucking way. Chloe clears her throat, pretending the action will help her compose herself. "Speaking of marriage-"

"Engagement."

"... Right. Speaking of engagement, what year is this?"

"Twenty nineteen." Chloe furrows her brows as she does some complicated math in her head. Right when she opens her mouth to speak, Max says, "I'm twenty four. And future you's twenty five."

"Right."

Chloe looks away. Max, of course, notices something's troubling her because she's always been a perceptive hippie.

Then Max puts her hand on top of Chloe's, and Chloe revels in the fact that six years doesn't change Max's warm, gentle touch.

"Is something wrong?"

Yeah. Something's been wrong with Chloe for a long time, ever since she starts to wonder how soft Max's lips would feel and how nice it would be to call Max 'hers'.

"Nah, it's just- we're not exactly rolling in dough, Max. How the hell are we able to afford a million-star hotel in Paris?!" A half lie. This isn't what's troubling her, but Chloe has been wondering about it.

Max looks at her for a couple more seconds before relenting with a shrug and that dopey smile of hers. "I don't want to spoil anything, Chloe."

"Wha-? You've already shown me the whole future world!" Max pokes her in the forehead, causing her anger to flare brighter. "Will you quit it with the-"

"Everyone's watching please shut up."

Chloe blinks, only now realizing how deeply Max is blushing. She looks around. Well, not everyone's watching them, but a few do give her strange looks.

It doesn't bother Chloe - it never has - but Max, on the other hand…

"Sorry, sorry." Max still looks shaken, so Chloe puts a hand on her shoulder, bringing her in close.

She hears Max exhale a breath and tries not to shiver. "Honestly, Chlo…"

"Sorry."

Max gazes to the tower, before reaching into her purse and pulling out her camera, which is still the same one from six years ago, much to Chloe's giddy pleasure.

She takes a picture, shakes the picture that slides out of the camera - despite them both knowing it never helps with the picture - and lets out a happy hum, putting the picture and camera back in her purse before Chloe can so much as glance at it.

… Hippy.

"Telling you worldly events won't affect the future," said Max, her gaze still elsewhere, "since you won't go around and sprout out the things that'll happen." That's when she turns to give Chloe a scary-ass, challenging glare. "Right?"

Chloe flinches. "Yes, ma'am." Damn, it's not often that Max gets mad, but when she does… hoo boy.

Max's glare deepens, and Chloe gives a smile that's more of a sheepish smile, telling Max to 'please don't hurt me' without saying anything at all.

"Good. Personal events, on the other hand…"

"Yeah, I need to experience them first-hand and feel the heartbreaks so I can grow as a person, and stuff…"

"Good girl." Chloe should feel offended that Max is treating her like a kid… but Max is older than her so it's sort of okay… maybe… "I can only hope the You in the past is as smart as you."

"Hey, that's me we're talking about here. I'm sure she won't spoil anything."

"Wanna know how I got this scar?"

"-and then I was like 'nope! I can totally skateboard blindfold!' and turns I couldn't!" Chloe grins proudly, puffing her chest, pointing towards the two-inch hella wicked battle scar she has on her elbow. "And that's how I got this scar!"

Little Max sits in her bed, cross-legged, looking exactly like her Max did when Chloe got the scar... AKA horrified.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Yeah. Max's horrified. And really fucking pissed.

Chloe interrupts her before she can go on, holding out her hands. "Whoa there, Maxy. I'm okay now." Even if she wasn't for like, days, maybe weeks, but something tells her it's better to keep that particular info from Max. Before Max can say anything, Chloe sits down on the bed and presses her hand to the girl's shoulder, giving her signature smirk. "Seriously. Don't worry, Super Max."

Chloe frowns when Max reddens and removes her hand, frowning even deeper when that seems to make her feel relax.

"... so long as you're fine…"

"Besides, I want to get all nostalgic and visit Arcadia Bay again."

"Oh. Where were you before you came here?"

Chloe's eyes widen and she pockets the hand with the ring in her jacket, praying to any God that Max hasn't seen it, giving Max a loopy, distracting grin that she knows drives Max crazy. "Somewhere~"

Her grin disappears when Max's face goes beet red and she avoids Chloe's gaze. It only occurs to her now that Max is still young here. Like, super young. Like, 'it'd be creepy for you to flirt with her' young.

Chloe composes herself, giving Max the space she might need by jumping out of the bed, clasping her two hands together giddily. "What do you say? Want to take me out for a drive?"

"Chloe, I haven't gotten my driver's license yet."

Ugh. What is with Max and her not wanting to break the rules? "Fine, then I'll drive."

"But what if they'll notice?" Max's voice reminds Chloe of a cat's hiss.

Luckily, Chloe is prepared for this - well, as prepared as Chloe Price can be. "I'll just wear Past Me's past clothes. No biggie." Chloe knows her appearance and face hasn't changed much. The only noticeable difference is that she's gained muscles, and no one can tell unless they're looking for it.

Chloe shrugs off her jacket and begins to strip from her shirt.

"W-What are you doing?!"

The shirt falls to the floor soundlessly. Now only in her bra and jeans, Chloe looks over her shoulder and at a flustered Max. "What do you think I'm doing?"

"I- umm- oh, of course."

Her response gets Chloe to think long and hard.

"What do you think of Warren?"

Chloe walks to her dresser, pretending not to notice the way Max is looking at her.

It takes Max quite a while to snap out of… whatever trance she was in. "O-oh, Warren? He's nice…"

"Do you like him?"

Chloe grabs two shirts - one of them is a 'Gun and Roses' shirt, the other is a 'Metallica' one.

Man. This takes her back.

"W-well, yeah, he's nice…" There's a pause, then, "Why? Will he and I… get together in the future?"

Chloe throws the 'Gun and Roses' shirt back on the dresser - ever since the whole incident with Nathan Prescott thing, she… doesn't like guns that much, even if she's the one holding it - and turns around.

She smiles coolly when Max stares at her abs, looking like she's hypnotized.

Max is - was? - a cute kid.

"Depends. Do you like anyone?"

Max stares at her abs for about three, maybe five seconds. Then her eyes lock with Chloe's older, deeper ones, and Chloe sees enough in those eyes to know who Max is talking about when she answers with a small "maybe…"

When Chloe sees her mom in the kitchen, she refrains herself from giving the old lady a hug, knowing that their relationship used to be stupidly rocky. Oh. And David's there too, or Step-douche/Step-ass/Step-fucker, as Past Chloe would call him.

"Where are you two heading?"

Chloe and Max stop in their tracks. Chloe looks at Max, silently asking her to talk with Joyce because Chloe isn't exactly 'herself'. "Umm, just driving around Arcadia Bay."

Joyce walks to them, and Chloe sweats balls. She considers leaving then and there, but that would raise a lot of suspicions. Plus, she's already wearing Past Her's old beanie and a leather jacket to hide her bigger form.

There's no way her mom would notice-

"Hey, is it just me or does Chloe look different?"

… right. This is my mom we're talking about here. Why am I surprised?

Chloe rolls her eyes dismissively. "Whatever, Mom, can we go?"

"No, wait just a minute." Joyce crosses their distance, looking up at her, those old eyes still as sharp as ever. "There's something about you that's different…"

"Fine, I may be a bit stoned right now, Mom." Joyce keeps staring at her, and David, from the corner of her eyes, raises an eyebrow as well, just as curious as his wife is. Chloe swallows. Wanting to diffuse this situation before things get creepy, Chloe glues her hand on Max's wrist and tugs her to the front door. "Hasta la vista, parents~"

When she closes the door, she can see Joyce giving her a total 'mom' look. And when they're officially no longer at the Price household, she can hear David half-wondering half-stating "she called me her parent... sort of…"

"What was that all about? Why were you being… well… un-you?"

"Oh, so now I'm an adjective?"

Max looks unimpressed, crossing her arms and- wait, is she pouting?

"Chloe…"

Wow, yeah, Max is totally pouting, and it is adorable. But, retells of an awesome accident that leads to an awesome scar aside, Chloe understands that some things are just meant to be experienced first-hand.

She isn't about to tell this Max that her Chloe will one day grow up and learn to stop hating Joyce and David just for the sake of it.

So Chloe shrugs, ruffles Max's hair - god, this kid is adorable - and beelines straight to her truck, cackling like a crazy time-traveler as Max rushes to her in anger.

"Whoaaa! This view is hella cool!"

"Future You said the exact same thing."

Chloe turns to her, practically vibrating with excitement and joy. "Really?"

Max considers for a moment. "Well, with less cursing."

"Bullshit."

The boldness of the claim and how fast Chloe called her out make Max laugh. "Fine, yeah, the exact same thing."

Chloe gazes down from the Eiffel tower. She was the one to insist they go there, and though Max and Chloe have gone here a couple of times before… this Chloe hasn't… until now…

"The toppest, most top top of The Eiffel tower… or something..." Max feels queasy when Chloe leans down and keeps leaning down, only placing one hand on the rail. Max doesn't understand how anyone can stare at the face of death and not shudder. She has half a mind to yank Chloe away from the no zone and go back to the safe zone. But… she knows Chloe will get pissed if she were to do that… mostly because her Chloe did get pissed. "People are, like, ants from up here. No, wait, cars are ants. People are… bacteria."

"I was hoping you'd say viruses, but oh well."

Chloe's snort makes Max smile. Chloe has an adorable snort. "Yeah… that would be better…" She then turns to Max, looking as serious as a lawyer. "So… when can I get to meet your fiance? I wanna give 'em a stern Price lecturing about hurting you."

Oh.

Oh my.

Oh, wowzers, this is good.

"Maxine Caulfield, that is a real fucking creepy smile you got there."

Max refrains from saying "it's Max Price, actually" and tries to water down her smile, but with the way Chloe's looking at her, she doesn't believe it's working well. "Sorry. It's just…" Aaaaand, the smile's back. Max can tell because Chloe's giving her this 'I am so done with you' look. "You won't believe me when I tell you…"

"Try me, Grandma Max."

"She's this amazing woman who takes no bullshit from others… she's always so driven and passionate… and she cares about me. A lot. She never pushes me into anything, always kind. It's unbelievable."

Max tunes back into the world. Chloe has this soft smile, the kind only reserved for Max and Max only. It's the kind of smile that makes Max realize just how deeply Chloe cares for her.

"... that good, huh, GrandMax?"

It makes Max feel like she's bigger and more beautiful than the world can ever be, and she doesn't know what to make of it, even after all these years.

"Yeah."

There aren't a lot of people here, fortunately. But the wind is kind of windy and Max regrets wearing a sleeveless shirt and dress, even if Chloe tells her she looks cute in it. Sometimes you have to sacrifice looking good for comfort, someone (probably Gandhi) said.

"Welp… guess I'm happy that Warren isn't going to be your husband."

That certainly puts a smile on her face. "You really think I like Warren that way?"

"You make it look so convincing." Chloe looks offended. Max can't blame her.

"Trust me, that's just a cover-up. He's not the real deal." Max looks at Chloe, the way the sun's light hits her on the right lighting to make her look almost angelic. Max's hands itches for her camera, to capture this perfection, her perfection. "He never was."

At first glance, nothing about Chloe ever really changes. She's still a foul-mouthed troublemaker who bites more than she can chew, but…

Chloe has changed so much. And Max realizes this when Chloe pulls out a cigarette and lights it up wordlessly.

"So… do you still use your powers?"

Max bites her lip. She doesn't want to be dodgy when talking about this topic, especially to Chloe, of all people, but… this isn't her Chloe.

"They're never really gone. But I do refrain from rewinding. Mostly I just use it… passively…"

Chloe smiles. "In a way that doesn't involve passing out and buckets of blood?"

"Yeah. You insisted. Or, well, you will insist." Max shrugs, not really caring which one is the better sentence to use. Time-travel is confusing. Chloe doesn't seem to care too.

"Good. That's good. Don't want you to die of blood loss or over passing out… is over passing out a real thing? I feel like it should be…"

It's called being in a coma.

"Even now, I'm still using my power. Sort of. I can 'feel' when this will be over."

Max can't read the emotion swirling behind Chloe's eyes. If eyes are the windows of the soul, then Chloe has barricaded her window.

"And when will it be over?"

"... Soon."

"You'll thank me later, Little Chloe." Max watches as Chloe picks out the pack of cigarettes and throws them away from the truck before driving, feeling giddy despite - or maybe partly because of - how recklessly Chloe is driving.

"So… you'll quit smoking?"

Chloe's eyes are trying to give her a warning look, but one side of her mouth quirks up in a lopsided smirk so it's obvious she's not actually mad. "Yeah, but no telling your me, though."

'Your me'... what an odd way to say 'Past Chloe'...

"Do you have a job?"

"Yeah."

Wut? "Are you cereal?! What's your gig?!" Max leans from her chair even if it's hard to do with the seatbelt strapped to her body, facing a calm Chloe. "Do you ink tattoos?! Do you draw, like, buildings and stuff? Make comics, maybe?" Max face falls. "Do you sell drugs? Please don't tell me you sell drugs."

"I sell drugs."

"Chloe!"

Chloe laughs like there's no tomorrow. "Fine, fine. I don't sell drugs."

"Then what do you do?" Ugh. Why's Chloe so insistent on keeping this secret but not about that dangerous blind-skating one? It's so not fair.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out. Literally." It's not even a pun. Why's Chloe laughing so loudly? Max wants to be mad but Chloe laughing is, like, one of the best things in the universe ever so it's hard for her to be mad.

Max isn't all that surprised when they end up in the junkyard, but she does feel the need to ask, "Is this still our super secret hangout place?"

"And more, Maxine Caulfield." Chloe nods slowly, looking like the happiest woman in the world. "And more."

Paris looks cool in the afternoon, but hella cool at night.

Chloe might not be able to take her eyes off the beautiful view… if Max weren't there, looking more beautiful than any city lights or stars or France flags.

"Max…"

"Yeah?"

Max has a camera on her two hands. Chloe's glad to see that her love for camera doesn't sway over time.

"Are we still friends? Close friends?"

Max looks down on her camera. Chloe has always secretly known that the girl gains a weird sense of comfort from it. She doesn't call Max out on it, she never has. That would make her a dick.

"That depends. Do you want us to?"

It would be easier for Chloe to shrug it off, to joke about it, to not make a big deal out of it… but that's not what she wants and she knows it. Max knows it too. It's why she's smiling that soft smile.

"... would it be bad if I told you no?"

Max looks up to see Chloe's eyes - and Chloe momentarily forgets that this girl is older than her - before looking down on her camera, anywhere but her eyes, really. "I never told you who my fiance is. Don't doubt yourself too much, Chloe."

"Max…" Chloe should be surprised, but… she isn't. Maybe it's because she knows her own Max is crushing on her just as badly as Chloe's crushing on her. Maybe it's because she can't imagine a future without Max, or imagine Max's future without her. It's always been Max and Chloe. Together forever. Nothing will change that.

Max walks to her and looks up. Her hand extends to Chloe but then it freezes. Chloe grabs that hand before it can retreat back to Max's side and Max chuckles.

"You're stronger than you think. You're my rock, Chloe. Nothing will change that. I… I, umm, feel safe with you than I do with anyone else."

Chloe looks at Max. It's not Max. But it is.

"Can I kiss you?"

Max squeezes her hand, tilting her head. Her smile is as beautiful as ever. "I do miss your lips... but am I really the Max you want?"

Chloe's face stills. The wind is cool. Max is warm.

"No… no, you're not." Chloe realizes what she's said and backpedals. "You're amazing, of course you are, don't get me wrong, but…"

"I get it. And it's cool."

Yeah. Maybe Max does get it. Because now she's looking at Chloe like she's looking at someone who's not Chloe but is Chloe at the same time. It's weird. But then again, it's time-travel, so should she really be surprised?

"... have I ever tell you how hot you look?"

"A couple of times, yeah." Despite her words, Max's cheeks redden and she looks away. Nice to know that Chloe can easily fluster her even after all these years. Cute.

"Because you look hot."

Max turns away, saying, "Good to know," leaving a chuckling and secretly-flustered Chloe behind.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

"Am I going to be okay…?"

Max pretends to be drawn to the moon as Chloe looks at her. She fidgets in the trunk of an old car they're lying down on. Chloe has put her jacket down, insisting Max to lie on it to keep her from getting 'dusty', and when Max tried to tell her she's not a baby anymore, Chloe gave her a scary look that compelled her to obey.

Max doesn't want to look at the moon. She wants to look at Chloe but she's afraid to.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... do I get to be a photographer? Do I get to graduate Blackwell? Will I be okay?" Max catches herself before she can say anything more. This is not the time to have a mental breakdown. Even if Chloe has seen Max break down more times than even her parents have.

"Max. You're you. Of course everything's going to be okay."

"Will you stay by my side?" Max should feel embarrassed for being so desperate. But it's Chloe. So she doesn't care.

"Depends. Do you want me to?"

Max turns and lies on her side, giving Chloe a scolding look for even suggesting such a thing. "Of course I do."

But Chloe gives her this smile that tells her everything's going to be okay, and Max is inclined to believe in that smile.

"Then there's your answer. Just make sure to tell me, 'kay?" That smile melts into a more trouble-making smirk. "Sometimes I get a little, umm… discouraged, if you don't repeatedly and routinely tell me how amazing I am."

"Of course," says Max with a sigh and a roll of the eyes, which does nothing but make Chloe snicker.

The night sky looks nice. The moon looks nice. The world looks nice. Chloe looks even nicer.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah?"

Max plants a kiss on Chloe's cheek.

"Thanks."

Chloe looks at her, a small smile slowly growing on her lips. Max freezes as Chloe plants a kiss on her forehead before pinching her cheek, causing her to yelp. "No problem, kiddo."

This is originally posted on AO3, with 8 separated chapters instead of one huge chapter, so I apologize if some of the formatting feels a little off.

This started out as me wondering how Max and Chloe would look in our time. Soon, I dabbled with the idea of Max and Chloe from 2013 meeting our year's Max and Chloe.

A few days later, BAM! This story came to be!

So, yeah...