Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's Sunday. And it's also September 21st.

Which means today is a very special day. 

"Calm down Chlo. Just two hours."

"I don't want to wait! We've barely seen her this week, and I want to spend time with her and-" 

Rachel looked at the blue-haired girl, a smug look on her face as she teasingly said :

"Shhhh, I know you're in love but-" 

"Shut up!" 

It was true. Chloe was in love with Max. In fact, she had been for years. But this girlfriends thing was still so new and she wasn't ready to fully admit it yet. Being in love with someone is scary, especially when that someone had abandoned you for five years and you are just so afraid you might lose her again. 

But today, she didn't want to think about any of that. 

The blonde girl laughed. 

"Oh, you're just adorable. Look at you getting all defensive! You are fooling no one, Chloe Price. From the way you stare at her and the sparkle in your eyes as you do so, to the blush on your perfect pretty face, everything you do just shows how obviously in love you are."

Chloe was about to reply but her partner did not leave her the chance. 

" So, I was about to say that, even though I know just how bad you want to see Max (and, believe me, it's as painful as amusing seeing you like that) we can't go yet. She said 4 pm, we still have two hours to wait" 

"That's hella fucking long." the punk complained

"You are so goddamn impatient! All good things come to those who wait, Chloe."

"Save your saying bullshit for Mr Keaton" she grunted

"Quit whining would you? God, you never shut up!" the blonde jokingly said

"Well no. And I won't until I see Max" 

"Really?" 

"Really."

"Or would that do the trick?" 

With these words, Rachel leaned in for a kiss, waiting for her girlfriend's response

Chloe smiled, cheeks tinted red, kind of surprised

"Hell yeah" 

The actress cupped her partner's face with her hands and closed the small distance left between the two, locking lips with the not-so-tough girl standing in front of her.

It was a sweet kiss, but it didn't last. Rachel pulled back, grinning 

"Works like a charm, got you all quiet" 

"Fuck you Rach" the punk replied while failing miserably to hide that huge smile on her face.

It only managed to make the other girl laugh, and it didn't take long for Chloe to join her. 

Suddenly, Rachel heard an unintelligible mutter. 

"What?" 

"More" the blue punk muttered between her teeth, avoiding eye contact at all cost

The Leo playfully replied, feigning ignorance

"More?" 

"Kiss me again, please?" Chloe hesitantly asked 

"Ooooh... You're a needy girl today, uh?" the young woman teased

"I can take back what I said if you keep trying to embarrass me, Rach" 

"You won't need to" she assured before making their lips meet again.

Eyes closed and arms wrapped around her girlfriend's waist, Chloe felt good. There was a certain sense of ease, peace even. The type of joy she hadn't felt so often these past few years.

These are the kind of moments she never wanted to end. That made her envy Max's powers sometimes. 

The blonde one broke the kiss, catching her breath.

For a brief instant, you could see the love in her eyes. How much she cared, how bad she had fallen for that person standing right in front of her, and everything that meant.

It didn't take long for her usual demeanour to come back, along with the smug attitude and mischievous look in her eyes. The actress rarely let go of this mask, she didn't allow herself vulnerability around others. 

Actually, her girlfriend had seen more of her than anyone else, and both of them knew that. 

No one else would have noticed that glimpse of her real feelings, that small window to her heart. It was too subtle, too quick. Yet Chloe did, and it brought comfort to her soul. And she also knew not to acknowledge it, just keep it to herself. She didn't say anything about it. It would just break the magic. 

"So" Rachel broke the silence "We still have a little under two hours to wait. What do you reckon?"

"If it had been any other day, I would've said American Rust. But..."

"But it's not any other day. I know." 

Rachel sat down, trying to think.

"Well... Why don't we go out to buy some flowers? I'm pretty sure our little Maximus would enjoy that"

Chloe would have picked on her partner for having such a cheesy, romantic idea, if she herself didn't buy flowers to give the actress after every show.

"Okay, let's go!" 

Chloe picked up her keys and soon enough they were on their way

___________

Max was done studying. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms, yawning. She checked the time: 3:47 pm. She still had a bit of time before joining the girls for the "big surprise" they apparently had for her. 

The young woman decided to dress up fancier than usual, exchanging her typical jeans, t-shirt and hoodie combo for a knee-length skirt, and a white blouse. She wanted to surprise them a little bit too. 

As she was putting the outfit on, she let herself wander in thoughts. She was really curious as to what exactly was that surprise, and it would be lying to say she didn't search for clues. She was notoriously nosy after all. She did find a camera-related website in Chloe's search history, but it didn't tell her much.

She barely had the time to finish dressing up before she heard loud footsteps and familiar voices coming from the hallway

"Chloe, could you be any louder?!"

"Oh I can"

"Shut up, you know what I mean. I'm sure she heard us by now"

Max giggled and opened her door, stepping out of her dorm room. 

"Hi girls" 

Rachel crossed her arms and glanced at the blue-haired girl, giving her the "I told you" look, but she was too busy admiring the photographer to even pay attention to it. 

"Holy shit Max you're-" 

"Stunning. Absolutely perfect, as always." the blonde finished for her

The girl started blushing under the compliment. 

"Thanks, guys" 

"Well, be prepared because gay disaster over here is going to stare at you all evening." her girlfriend announced 

Chloe gave her a nudge "Hey!" 

The girl laughed and offered her hand to Max

"Care to follow us, m'lady?"

___________

Chloe's pick up wasn't exactly what you would call spacious. It was rather small, and that was definitely not the last of its default. The thing looked as if it could fall apart any minute.

At the moment, though, Max didn't mind the size of it, however inconvenient it might be. 

She was squeezed between her two partners and had to lean on Rachel so that Chloe had enough space to drive. She wasn't bothered by the closure, it was quite nice. She could smell the scent of her jasmine perfume on her neck, and feel the warmth of her skin against hers. It was pleasant, she felt safe.

"Hey Super-Max, don't fall asleep!" the punk exclaimed

"I'm not falling asleep" the girl replied

"Don't be jealous Chlo, I'm just more comfortable than you are"

Rachel never missed an occasion to tease Chloe.

"Maybe, but I'm the one getting the morning cuddles"

Max interrupted them 

"Anyway, can I finally know where we're going?"

"Nope! Actually, we're going to blindfold you" Chloe said

"What?!"

"Rachel?"

"Got it!"

The actress pulled out a piece of fabric from her pocket and looked at her girlfriend

"If you don't want to we won't do it. We just really want to surprise you"

Her voice was softer, and arboured the reassuring tone she only ever used with her girlfriends.

"Do it"

The young woman tied the blindfold around Max's eyes and smiled.

The photographer sighed

"The things you make me do..." 

"Anything for hot girls am I right?" Chloe responded

_________

Max had no idea where she was. The drive wasn't that long, so she assumed they were still in Arcadia. She was holding her partners' hands, walking on what felt like grass and dirt. She could hear the leaves crunching under their feet. 

"Almost there"

The voice came from behind her, it was Rachel. 

"Okay" she answered

She thought she'd be scared, not knowing where they were headed and temporarily blind. But she wasn't really.

She trusted her girlfriends with her life. The only thing she was scared of was to fall ; as clumsy as she was, it would be a miracle not to trip over some random branches or whatever there was on the floor.

"That's it. We're here."

This time, it was Chloe.

"Can I?" Max gestured at her face

"Wait let me do it for you"

Rachel untied the blindfold.

When the girl opened her eyes, she gasped.

"Chloe, is that-?"

"It is. Happy Birthday Super-Max"

The time traveller couldn't believe it. The surprise on her face was slowly wearing off, replaced by a huge smile.

"Happy birthday!" Rachel added with a small peck on her cheek 

Standing before them, was a treehouse. But not any treehouse, Long Max silver and Captain Bluebeard's treehouse. The tree fort from the two girls' childhood. Except, it had been renovated. It wasn't just some wonky wood planks nailed together anymore. It looked nice and cosy, a little wooden house up in a tree. 

"Let's go in" Rachel cheered 

They climbed up a ladder, which was a lot nicer than the old one, and Max was stunned by what she saw. 

There were pillows and blankets in the corner and some polaroid pictures she had taken were displayed all over the walls. The small cabin was softly lit by fairy lights hanging up all around it. The overall atmosphere was warm and cosy, definitely catering to Max's taste. 

"So... Rach and I tend to hang out at American Rust, in our hideout. But we know that you have some pretty fucked up memories from that place and last time we brought you there you had flashbacks and... Well, we wanted to have a hideout, for the three of us. And I thought that maybe I could give back its glory to our old tree fort..."

"Wowser, Chlo I-... I have no words that's... That's incredible!"

"Honestly, she did most of the work. Like, I tried to help but... You know, the fixing and building stuff is more Chloe's thing than mine. I'm a better actress than a builder or a mechanic like she is." 

"Hey no, don't you dare act like it was all me! Finding a new hideout was your idea! You deserve the praise too" the taller girl retorted

"Thank you. Both of you" Max said

"Wait wait wait! We've got more!" 

Rachel handed her a small box, and a bouquet of flowers (where did these even come from?). 

"Guys... You shouldn't have-" 

Chloe interrupted her

"Ssssh, I know where this is going. None of that self-deprecating bullshit today, birthday girl. You're worth all of this. And so, so much more. " 

Max giggled and pulled her girlfriends into a hug. 

"I love you both so much" 

"We love you too"

After a little while, Rachel said 

"Come on, open your gift" 

It was polaroids for her camera. 

"Thought you might need some, you're going to run out very quickly considering how much pictures of us you take" 

The photographer laughed

"Not my fault if you're so pretty"

"In this case we should be taking more pictures of you" Chloe added

"No I'm-" 

"No-uh. Not today. And preferably not any other day as well, but let's start small." 

"Babe, do you think you could shut her up the way I shut you up?" Rachel suggested 

"Sure I could, if she wants to" 

"Uh?"

Chloe cupped Max's face with her hand and pulled her closer to her 

"Like that" 

The girls always did that. They stopped, not even an inch from her face, so close she could feel their breath hot on her lips, waiting for her approval, never forcing her to do anything. Somehow it only made it better. She closed the gap between them and she could feel the smile on her girlfriend's lips against hers. 

"That is a pretty efficient way to shut me up indeed"

"Hey! My turn" proclaimed the actress

Max chuckled and kissed her as well.

After that, they cuddled together, resting on the pillows in the corner. 

"Guys, what do you think about spending the night here?" the photographer suggested

"Hell yeah" the punk replied 

The blonde added "I'm in" 

________

That night, the chilly wind rushing into the tree house didn't bother Max as she peacefully slept in her girlfriends arms. The warmth of their love was enough to keep her away from the cold.

Chapter Text

"Don't just sit there doing nothing! Come over here babe"

The voice came from the couch, where two lovely girls were snuggled together under a blanket. 

In response, the blue-haired punk shouted from the kitchen. 

"Fuck off Rach!"

It was a rainy Sunday afternoon, and the three of them had the Price's house all to themselves, as Joyce and David were gone for the weekend. 

"No, but she's right, Chlo. If you have nothing better to do then..." 

It was a much more quiet, sweeter voice, tinted with a hint of mischief. You could almost hear the smile in Max's tone. 

"As if she ever has anything better to do than cuddle with her girlfriends" the blonde replied

"Well, maybe I'd be willing to cuddle with you guys if you didn't betray me last time!" Chloe blurted

Her mouth forming a small grin, Rachel turned to look at her partner

"Betray you?! Straight off with such big words! We didn't betray you, honey..." 

"You took pictures of me while I was sleeping!" 

No matter how mad at them the girl was trying to appear, her complaint only made her look more endearing

"But... You were adorable Chloe" the photographer muttered

"I'm not cute!" she retorted

She looked away and crossed her arms in an attempt to hide the slight red tint on her cheeks. She was frowning, but it didn't fool anyone. 

"Look at her just proving us right," Rachel said with a smug look on her face. Max giggled in response as Chloe let out a small grunt. 

"Well... Too bad for you. Less for you, more for me!" the blonde turned back to face the other girl "Right super Max?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess"

It was Max's turn to blush

"Good then"

She wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, pulling her into a tight hug. She hummed with contentment as she laid a soft kiss on her forehead. "Cute little Max is aaaaaall mine" 

The girl chuckled and let herself sink into the embrace. 

"Yours? She's not yours she-"

"I know, I know. I'm just fucking with you, Chlo," she exclaimed

"Fucking with me uh?" 

"Yep, falsely angry Chloe is really... Cute. Yeah, like a little puppy." 

"Cute?! Oh, you're SO dead Rachel." 

"Really? How dead?" 

This sounded just like a challenge.

"Hella fucking dead" she answered playfully

The tall girl walked quickly to the couch and jumped over it. 

"Scuse-me Max," she said as she gently pushed her aside "I've got business here"

The time traveller watched the scene unravel from the side, as her lover started to tickle her other lover, who, pinned down to the couch, couldn't do much to defend herself. After a few minutes just standing there listening to their laughter fill the room, she decided to help Rachel out. She attacked the punk from behind, catching her by surprise and giving the blonde just enough time to get up. Caught off guard and surrounded from both sides, Chloe was soon enough defeated. 

"Stop! Girls! Stop, pause!" She articulated as best as she could, breathless "Okay, you win! I give up."

"Wow, if it isn't miss Chloe Elizabeth Price admitting to her downfall"

"Shut up! It wasn't fair! 2 vs 1 isn't fair, y'all always team up against me!"

"Well, there has to be downsides to having two amazing girlfriends, don't you think?"

The three of them laughed for a little while.

Max slid between her partners, smiling. 

"Snuggles?" she asked

"You always get what you want, uh? No need for the puppy doll eyes super-Max, come here" Chloe replied

"Yes! Cuddle time!" the actress cheered, pulling her two girls against her 

"I love you" the photographer whispered, eyes closed 

"Love you too" her girlfriends responded

They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the warmth of the embrace. 

"Hey," Chloe said, out of the blue, "no more pictures. I look awful when I'm asleep."

"First of all, you don't. You're really pretty. And second... You did the same. You can't say anything" Max pointed out

"But you were just sooo cute with your little freckles and-" 

Rachel's smug grin and stare interrupted her.

"...Okay. You've got a point, we're even."

They looked down at Max, waiting for an answer, but found the girl's peaceful sleeping demeanour instead. They stared at her for a while, admiring her as if she was a work of art. She was completely relaxed, resting in their arms.

"We're so lucky" Chloe whispered

Rachel smiled "Yes we are"

Chapter Text

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, and the sun was shining through the windows, softly warming up the room. 
Max and Kate were having their weekly tea party (the day on which it was held varied, but they never spent a week without having one). 

Between two sips of tea, Max said
"I'm going to hang out with the girls tonight! Rachel bought a projector so we're going to watch movies together!"
"Ow, that's... Nice" Kate responded, with an obvious lack of enthusiasm
"You okay? You sound... Off. Is there something wrong?" her friend asked
"I'm sorry Max it's just... I've been meaning to tell you, but, I don't want to make you sad and-"
"Go ahead, tell me. It's okay."
The photographer was starting to get worried, but she didn't want to let it show.
Kate looked away.
"It's about Chloe. I think she's cheating on you with Rachel."
Max couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"What- what's funny?" the girl asked, visibly puzzled by the time traveller's reaction
"Well, she's not cheating on me! Rachel and Chloe have been kind of together since before I even came back to Arcadia! Them being together is not news" Max answered
"What? So Chloe is cheating on Rachel with you?! Max that's not-"
"Oh no no it's not like that! We're together! Like, the three of us. Like, I'm with Chloe, and she's with Rachel, and Rachel's with me too. We're all dating, together."
It took some time before Kate gave any reaction. She didn't really know what to say and was very surprised to say the least.
"Ow."
That was the only thing she managed to articulate.
"I'm sorry Kate, I should've told you sooner. It's just... I was a bit scared of your reaction? Because... You know-" 
"It's okay Max. But you shouldn't be afraid to tell me things, I'm your friend. I know my church isn't the most accepting with that kind of things but, I don't really care, cause you're my friend. I wouldn't be mad at you or anything." 
She hugged her friend then jokingly added
"I could, however, be mad at the fact you didn't tell me you not only have one but two girlfriends! Miss Caulfield has success with the girls I see" 
Max chuckled
"I guess you could say that"

"So... How does this thing work? I didn't even know that was a thing, I would've never guessed you could be with multiple people!"
"Well, it's called a triad. And being able to have multiple romantic relationships is called polyamory."
"Well, I have no problem with you being a lesbian and poly..."
"Polyamorous. And actually, I'm bisexual." Max explained 
"Ow okay. Well, you being bisexual and polyamorous doesn't change anything. You're my friend and it's all that matters. My family and my church might not approve of your kind of people but, what matters is what's in your heart. You don't have to fear my judgement, Max. I would never judge you." she assured 
The young woman smiled
"Thank you Kate. That means a lot"

__________

That evening, when Chloe and Rachel knocked on Kate's door to pick up Max, the girl welcomed them with an unusual wide smile. The few glances she gave them and the blush on their girlfriend's face left them to wonder what had been discussed in that dorm room.
In the pick-up, Chloe couldn't help but ask: "Max, is Kate Marsh gay???" 
And Max couldn't have laughed any louder. 

Chapter Text

It became a sort of tradition.

Ever since Rachel bought the projector, the girls would hang out at the treehouse every Sunday, watching movies until they fell asleep.

Warren had given a copy of his USB stick to Max, and considering how many movies were on it, the trio wouldn't run out of things to watch anytime soon.

There was mostly sci-fi and horror movies, so, once in a while, they would stumble across an obscure film about time travel and Max would mumble about how inaccurate it was, which never failed to make her girlfriends laugh, and get her a well earned "Nerd alert!" from Chloe.

Today, it was Chloe's turn to choose. 

The three of them were snuggled together under a blanket, comfortably resting on pillows.

The girl was scrolling through her options, the laptop on her lap.

"Come on Chlo you're taking ages!" Rachel sighed, annoyed

"Really Rach? And I'm the impatient one? Fuck off" she replied

"Hey," Max put her hands on their thighs and lightly squeezed them to get their attention "You two are cute when you playfully fight, but actual arguments aren't fun. Can we avoid fighting over stupid things, please?" 

Both of her partners were known for their anger issues, and while they were working on it, they could still easily go up in arms. With them, things could get heated very quickly. 

"I'm sorry babe. Sorry Chloe I didn't-" the blonde girl immediately apologised

"It's fine. I shouldn't have answered like that. I'm sorry." 

"It's okay, you're right, I'm being impatient and it wasn't fair, you can take your time."

"Thanks. Also, I think I've found a movie" 

"Great, let's watch it then" 

The room went silent for a little while, until Max whispered 

"I'm proud of you two. You've made a lot of progress" 

Her girlfriends smiled and the three of them hugged until the movie started. 

________ 

Unsurprisingly, the punk had chosen a horror movie. The other two weren't the biggest fans of that genre, but it was fine with them. It was rather old, and more fun than scary. They were having a good time, snacking on candy and cuddling together.

Until that one scene came up. 

The girl on-screen had just been bitten by a zombie, and her friend had to kill her. She begged for him not to do it, but he shot her in the head. 

Except, Max didn't really see that. In her eyes, the girl got replaced by Chloe. 

She saw her once again getting shot by Jefferson in the junkyard. 

And she couldn't keep the image off her mind. The scene kept playing, again and again. The bullet, the blood, her girlfriend's dead body dropping to the ground. She was terrified. She knew it wasn't real yet she kept feeling like it was happening all over again. The noise of the gunshot was all she could hear. 

Which is why she couldn't notice that the movie had been paused and that her girlfriends were staring at her with a worried look in their eyes. 

"Babe? Babe are you okay?" Rachel asked, panic creeping in her voice

Chloe, on the other end, was completely panicking

"Hey! Mad Max? What's going on babe? Max! Hey Max!" 

That's when the young woman came back from her flashbacks. She realised she was shaking, and her cheeks felt warm and wet. Her vision was blurred and her breathing loud and ragged, her lungs so heavy in her chest. 

Rachel was holding her hand

"Max, we're here. It's okay, you're okay. You're safe, you're with us. We're alive, we're okay, and so are you."

The photographer quickly glanced at her. She was giving her a small, reassuring smile, but her eyes showed how worried she actually was. 

Max turned to Chloe, who looked twice as concerned. 

She immediately hugged her, holding her as tight as she could. She never wanted to let go of the blue-haired girl. 

She started sobbing, face buried in her partner's shoulder. 

"Max..." Chloe wrapped her arms around the crying mess her girlfriend was "I'm here. I'm here. It's okay" 

When Max let go of the embrace, the punk cupped her face with her hands and kissed her forehead. With her thumb, she dried off her tears. 

"I love you Max. You're our little time warrior and you are so much stronger than you think. I'm proud of you. We're proud of you."

A shy smile appeared on the time traveller's lips. 

She turned to Rachel, who immediately pulled her into a hug. 

"And I love you too."

She stroked her hair and kissed her on the cheek. 

"You got triggered by the movie, right?" 

"Yes..." 

"Fuck! I'm so sorry! I should've known I'm sorry Max I-" Chloe blurted out

"It's fine, you didn't know." 

"How about... You pick another movie for tonight. Or we could stop watching movies right now and do it another time. And, next time, we'll search on Google for trigger warnings beforehand so this doesn't happen again." Rachel suggested 

"Sounds good," Max said "But honestly... I get triggered by lots of things and it's not like I can avoid all my triggers at all times anyway" 

"I know. Life in itself can be triggering but that doesn't mean you are not allowed to have that. If we can give you a time where you know you're not going to deal with that and you can just enjoy yourself a little, it's great. This is a safe place, and we want you to be able to feel comfortable. Right, Chloe?"

" Totally. And it's not like taking 5min to check an IMDB page is going to change a whole lot for us. But it could for you. So, it matters."

The time traveller smiled 

"You guys are the best"

"I know" Rachel replied smugly, making both of her girlfriends laugh

__________

That night, they ended up watching a cheesy romantic comedy of Max's choice, which was definitely not Chloe's cup of tea. And if she had been with anyone else at that moment, she would have probably grunted something about being "bored to death". But at that moment, she didn't care. All that mattered was that there was a smile back on her lover's face. And she couldn't help but smile herself, watching her fall asleep halfway through the movie, tightly gripping her tank top. 

Before drifting to sleep as well, she mumbled something to Rachel about driving them to the Two Whales for breakfast to make it up to Max. 

Chapter Text

"I don't get it..." Max complained

"I'll explain it again, don't worry. Here-" 

A buzzing sound interrupted Warren's explanation. The girl instinctively reached for her phone and opened the message. It was from Chloe. 

"Hey Mad Max, just got a text from Mikey and Steph, I think I'm going to be hanging out with them tonight since I missed the DND session yesterday"

The photographer immediately typed an answer

"So, no movie night ?" 

"Sorry babe. But I think it's not that bad. Been a while since you and Rachel got some alone time just the two of you, you should take her on a date."

"I'll take the opportunity then! Have fun tonight Chlo <3"

She put away her phone and apologised to her friend : 

"Sorry, Warren I-" 

"No problem Max. How's it going with the girls?" 

"It's great. I really love them" 

The boy laughed 

"Yeaaaah that shows" 

"You can't make fun of me for that, you're head over heels for Brooke dude" 

"Ah, you've got a point... Now back to that physics homework!" 

Max grunted, slouching over the desk, head hitting the table. 

Warren pat her shoulder

"Come on, I promise it's not that difficult"  

The young woman lift her head just enough to look at him and smiled 

"Nerd."

___________

Max knocked against the wooden door, which was quickly opened to reveal a brown-haired woman. 

She greeted her with a smile :

"Hi Maxine, come in"

"Hi, Miss Amber. Thank you."

"Oh, you can call me Rose."

The girl stepped inside and asked 

"How are you?" 

"Good, thank you. How about you?" 

"I'm doing well, thanks."

"You're picking up Rachel for your weekly movie session, right?" 

"Well, not quite, it usually is every Sunday, but not today. Chloe had something to do so, it's just going to be the two of us tonight."

"Well, I hope you have fun anyway. Rachel is in her room upstairs."

"Thank you" 

The young woman climbed the stairs, and knocked, calling her girlfriend 

"Rach?" 

When Rachel opened the door, she was surprised to see that only one of her partners showed up.

"Hi babe" she kissed her cheek "Where's Chloe?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" the girl asked

"Since she missed the DND session yesterday, she's going to hang out with Mikey and Steph."

"Okay. So... Just us tonight?" 

"Just us! I'm taking you on a date."

"Ow, well I see Miss Caulfield is full of surprises!" 

Her girlfriend laughed. 

"I guess so" 

"Let me get dressed and we're good to go. Can't wait to see where you're taking me! You can wait for me downstairs." she smiled and teasingly added "Unless

... you want to see me change"

"Rachel!" Max exclaimed, cheeks burning red

The girl always loved to embarrass her girlfriends. She thought it was funny. And even though it was a joke, Max knew she wouldn't be bothered if she actually stayed in the room. She wouldn't care in the slightest. The time traveller had been told countless times the story of how her lovers met, and Chloe had shared with her how Rachel carelessly changed in front of her the very first day they spent together. 

She was not ashamed of showing her body, and Max wished she had that kind of confidence. With time, she was gaining some, mostly thanks to her girlfriends. They were constantly praising her, and she complimented them in return, maybe even more. And, how could she not? 

Rachel and Chloe were the prettiest girls Max had ever laid her eyes on. And if the punk didn't really cater to most people's taste, everyone at Blackwell would agree on the fact that Rachel was the most beautiful woman of Arcadia. 

The blonde girl laughed and nudged the photographer in the shoulder

"C'mon hippie! Get out of my room before I make you have the biggest gay panic you'll ever have" 

Her partner chuckled 

"No need to threaten me! And I'd like to let you know that your existence is already giving me the biggest gay panic I'll ever have."

"Ooh, smooth, Caulfield. Now shoo! Out!" 

Max got out of the room, still giggling. 

_________

The wind of the coast made the evening chilly. 

Walking down Rachel's empty street, the two girls were holding hands. 

"Ooh! Are you taking me to the Two Whales to get burgers?" 

"Maybe" 

"C'mon Super-Max, give me hints!" 

"Nope. You'll find out when you'll find out."

"Not fair." the actress grumbled, faking a pout

"It's nice to be the one leading you on for a change" Max answered with a smirk

"Really? I thought you liked it the way it is, don't you like Chloe and me to be in control?" 

She said it jokingly, but deep down she was afraid that they had forced this dynamic onto her. They liked being protective over Max, but did she like it? Was she okay with them messing around with her all the time? 

" I do. But you two are really impatient and it's fun seeing you like that. You don't get to have all the fun, I can play a little too. Plus, I like surprising you cause in the end it's not just messing with you, it makes you happy"

"Ooh, smug. I like that, Caulfield." 

Max laughed 

"Come on, less talking, more walking."

"Yes sir!" 

__________

"I should've known" 

Rachel looked at Max, peacefully strolling on the beach. 

"You can't always know everything, Rach. And you don't have to" 

She was smiling, happily moving towards the water. 

The sky was already orange, and slowly taking a red tint as the sun was falling down, still lighting up the bay and casting shadows on the cliffside above them, painting the scene in shades of gold. 

There, the lighthouse was standing, tall and proud along with the large swinging pine trees, leaves dancing with the wind. 

Adding to this rhythm, the waves were crashing against the shore, producing their characteristic sound. 

A perfect landscape for Max to take pictures of. But at the moment, she was focusing on another work of art. 

"Come and sit here" she exclaimed, looking at her partner. 

She had just laid a cloth on the sand and was resting on it. 

Rachel sat beside her and took her hand. 

"I love you babe"

"I love you too"

The photographer kissed her girlfriend and chuckled. 

They stayed there for a moment, quietly admiring the sunset together. There was something to that, the peace or the silence or maybe the joy made this moment appear as if it was frozen in time. And Max most definitely knew something about that. 

They were happy and together and at this time, it's all that mattered. 

And it lasted a while before the young woman decided to say anything. 

"Are you hungry?" she asked 

"You bet I am" 

The time traveller opened her bag to reveal a brown paper bag.

"So, you might've gotten something right"

Inside of it, two burgers were wrapped with more paper, stamped with the Two Whales logo, and on the side, a serving fries to go with it. 

"Yes!" Rachel cheered "I suppose we can thank Joyce for that one?"

"Yes indeed!"

"And" she left a peck on her cheek "Thanks to you too, super-Max" 

Rachel took a bite of her burger and Max smiled

"Nothing like the two whales, right?" 

"Absolutely!" 

After a few more bites, the actress said :

"Good food, the beach, and a lovely lady by my side, what else can I ask for?" 

Heart filled with love, the photographer leaned onto her partner's shoulder and closed her eyes. 

As they finished eating, the blonde girl asked :

"What's coming next?"

"Stargazing for a bit, listening to you infodumping on stars and astrology, and then I thought we could go back to my dorm to spend the night." the time traveller replied 

"We could go to my place instead, there's more room in my bed." Rachel suggested, "And isn't there a curfew at Blackwell?" 

Max looked at her and said 

"Is your mum gonna be okay with it?"

"Of course, she'll be" the Leo assured

"I thought... You know, parents. Since we're together she might not want us sleeping in the same room" 

"Oh she's completely oblivious to the fact that we're together" 

"What?! It's not like we've been very subtle about it" 

"I know right? I don't know, guess she's blind or something. Or she doesn't know gay people exist."

Max laughed and the actress continued

"Well anyway, she won't mind. Plus, do I have to remind you that you're 19 and I'm 20? It's not like she has anything to say about it."

"Good point" 

"Also, Chloe and I had countless sleepovers at mine since we were 16, wouldn't be fair if she allowed her and not you" Rachel finally said

"Well, then it's settled. We'll crash at yours." Max stated 

Laying on the sand, the two girls were holding hands. In the silence of the night, only broken by the waves, the wind, and her girlfriend's soft voice, Max felt safe. She could listen to her like that for hours on end. 

"Remember this one? The brightest."

"Alpha something, I think?" 

"Yeah! Alpha Canis Majoris, or Sirius A. It's part of the Canis Major."

Moments like these reminded her that she had made the right decision. Everything she'd been through, all this darkness, all these timelines, it was worth it. It scarred her. And she could never forget all this pain, never forget what she had seen. The darkroom, the junkyard, the storm. Thinking about it made her heart ache. But it was worth it. All this time she spent, rewinding and travelling through pictures, trying, again and again, to make things right, to finally be the hero Chloe saw in her. She made it. She saved everyone. The town, Chloe, Rachel. She defeated death itself, fighting against time. And all of this lead her to this very moment ; There, in the middle of the night, peacefully stargazing with the girl she brought back from the dead. 

Despite all the hurt, it was worth it. Risking everything to save the girls had been the best decision she had ever made. Max turned to look at her girlfriend, face painted with joy.

Beside her, the young woman arboured a bright smile. 

With her free hand, she was pointing at the starry sky. She continued :

"Well,next to it is Adhara. It kind of sounds like a really cool girl's name, and its other name is Epsilon Canis Majoris. It's hella bright as well, and it radiates a shit ton of UV."

Max nodded and yawned

"Starting to get tired of me talking?" 

"Never! Just getting tired, on the other end..."

"Well, I've got a suggestion to offer" 

"I'm all ears" 

"What if... We take a little dive before heading home? A little midnight swim?" 

Max chuckled

"Feels like déjà vu. You and Chloe really are meant to be together" 

"Let's say I've found my soulmates" Rachel fondly said

"So, interested in my offer Super-Max? The choice is yours" 

"Oh well, why not"

"Hell yeah! Let's go skinny dipping!" 

"What?!" 

"Are you really surprised or are you just playing innocent?"

"The question here is whether or not you're joking about this"

"It could be a joke, if you want it to be. Or it could be exactly what we're gonna do. You know me Max."

The worst in all this was that the photographer knew she was right. She knew Rachel, and knew exactly what she meant by that. She knew that her girlfriend would never force anything upon her. And this was her way of giving her the choice. She could dismiss it as one of her usual jokes to embarrass her, or she could do it. 

But Max didn't want to choose. Well, truth is, she was just too embarrassed to say it out loud. Instead, she let out a sigh and pulled up her t-shirt. 

"The things you make me do..." 

"And that, Caulfield, was a very flimsy excuse."

Max giggled and replied in a hushed voice "I know."

"Fuck it's cold!" 

Rachel laughed "Come on babe, you can do it!" 

"No way! I just dipped my toes in the water and it's like I'm freezing!" 

"Hey, I'm supposed to be the drama queen here!" 

Max couldn't help but stare at her girlfriend. She was already hips deep in the water, her hair and face softly lit by the moon. She looked like a goddess. 

The brown haired girl took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and muttered

"Fuck it."

She walked towards Rachel, getting deeper in the water with each step. 

"God Chloe at least chose a heated pool" 

The blonde woman laughed 

"Sorry ma'am" 

She offered her hand, which Max took as she walked a few more steps to stand beside her. 

Rachel started talking :

"I've always loved night-time. I feel free. It's like I can do anything. Nobody can stop me. And it's got its beauty. The moon is gorgeous, and so are the stars. The night is young and I feel like it's the only time I can truly be myself."

There was a pause, and silence. 

Until the girl added

" And I like spending this time with you."

"That... Means a lot to me."

Rachel smiled and squeezed her hand. 

After a few minutes, she said :

"Well that was great, but I'm freezing my ass off and considering the goosebumps on your skin and the way you're shivering, you are too. Let's head back, shall we?" 

"Yup! Let's go" 

"First one out of the water wins!" 

"What?!" 

Rachel started running, giggling loudly, quickly followed by Max. 

_________

"Ugh, I hate wet clothes" 

Rachel was sitting on her bed, getting her t-shirt off. 

"You can take a shower, I'll wait for you and then I'll take one as well" 

"Okay, see ya in a bit" 

And Max walked out of the room. 

As the door closed, Rachel let herself fall onto her mattress. She was happy. She hummed in contentment, thinking about her girlfriends. She was just so lucky to have them. For the first time in her life, she didn't have to hide herself. And, true, she wasn't exactly stable yet, and there were still rough patches, but they were here to help, and therapy helped her a lot as well. She had never been better. 

She reached for her phone, and typed a message :

"Hi babe, having fun?"

It didn't take a minute for Chloe to answer

"Yup, having a blast! U?" 

"Spent an amazing night with our lovely little Maximus" 

"I bet! You better tell me all about it. Catch u later, gotta roll my dice, we're fighting a boss" 

"Cool! See you soon <3"

When she looked up from her phone, she saw her girlfriend, hair still wet, wrapped in a towel. 

"Mind if I borrow a shirt?" Max asked

"Of course not, you can search for one while I take a shower, you know where they are anyway" 

"Yes, thanks" 

When Rachel came back from the shower, she found her partner already asleep on her bed, wearing her oversized Firewalk tee. 

A fond smile stretching her lips, and she carefully joined her, as quietly as she could. Once under the sheets, she tenderly replaced a strand of Max's hair behind her ear, before laying a soft kiss on her forehead.

As she closed her eyes, she whispered

"I love you Max" 

Chapter Text

Chloe's room was silent. It was a typical Sunday, another one of those lazy mornings. The girls were having a lie-in. 
Warm light was passing through the windows, sunbeams caressing Max's faces, and shining on Rachel's golden hair. 
The three girls were laying on the bed. 

Max was the first to open her eyes. She turned her head to see the actress, still very much asleep. She turned again to look at the blue-haired girl, whose eyes were shut as well. 
The photographer yawned and placed her arm around the punk. She shuffled under the sheets to get closer, and rest her head against her girlfriend's chest. She could feel it slowly rising and falling back down with every breath. 
Max closed her eyes to focus on the sound of Chloe's heartbeat. It was comforting for her, just another reminder that she was alive and well. She looked up to admire her face. After all this time, she still couldn't get over how beautiful the woman was. 
Eyes filled with love, Max whispered "My butterfly" 
She rarely referred to her that way, at least not in front of her. She thought her girlfriend wasn't particularly fond of cheesy nicknames. But secretly, Chloe liked this one. Of course, it didn't hold as much significance for her as it did for Max, but she thought it was cute. She knew the story behind it, and although it was something she didn't remember, she knew how important it was to her lover. And honestly, she gave the time traveler her share of embarrassing nicknames, so it was only fair to let her give her some as well. 
But at the moment, she couldn't even hear it. She was still sound asleep. 

Max gently ran her fingers through Chloe's messy blue hair, and a slight smile appeared on the girl's face.  
She seemed peaceful like that, which was a rare occurrence. She was energetic and rebellious, and just a few years ago, her heart was still filled with anger, resentment and pain. She was better today, but still had her struggles. Knowing her temper, Max enjoyed seeing her this calm. She loved the way she was, but peace and quiet was nice from time to time. And when her girlfriend is asleep, she looks like an angel, and that's a sight she'll never get tired of watching. 

The photographer yawned again, and buried her face in the crook of the punk's neck. She smelled a familiar mix of her natural scent, cigarettes and weed. Max came to like it, she found it oddly comforting. It just made sense to her, it was how Chloe smelled and it summed up quite well who she was. Behind this new tough layer was hidden the young girl she had known all her life, her best friend. She still remembered the scent of her skin from all the sleepovers they had as kids, because she'd hug Chloe whenever the lights were turned off. She used to be afraid of the dark, and if her friend made fun of her for that at the time, she also always reassured her before bed. 

"Hi, you"
Max flinched, startled by Chloe's voice. She giggled and looked up at her half-asleep girlfriend, who definitely wasn't entirely out of her slumber 
"Hello, sleepyhead" she replied
The blue-haired girl wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, pulling her closer. 
"Slept well?" she asked
The time traveller nodded and hummed as an answer. 
"You?" 
"Same" 
A groan was heard, coming from the other side of the bed. 
Chloe laughed : 
"What's up sleeping beauty?" 
Another groan. 
Max felt a hand gripping at her shirt. She turned to face Rachel. 
"Hi grumpy princess" 
Without a word, the actress joined the hug, and kissed Max on the cheek. 
"Jealous much?" Chloe teased
"Shut up" Rachel muttered between her teeth, barely hiding her smile

Max liked being in the middle. Chloe was holding her tight, Rachel was pressed against her back and it made her feel safe to be squeezed in between them, it's like they were shielding her from the world. After all the hardship she had been through, she liked being protected. Even if there wasn't much to be protected from. 

Suddenly, the door burst open.
The three young women froze. 
"Morning girls! Breakfast's rea-" 
Joyce stopped in her track, eyes jumping from one girl to the other. She cracked a smile and exclaimed : 
"I knew it!" 
She left the room, leaving the door open. Her voice resonated from the stairs 
"Eggs and bacon are waiting for you downstairs!" 

Rachel was the first to come out of their state of shock. She started laughing loudly, which drew her girlfriends' attention.
"At least your mom's more insightful than mine!"
Max started chuckling as well, her face still red from the embarrassment.
Chloe laughed and said 
"Fuck"
"Does your mom know you're gay?" the photographer asked
"Well I never really came out to her"
The actress looked at her
"Chlo! Have you seen yourself?! Joyce isn't stupid, she knows."
Rachel got up, got dressed, and glanced at her partners before leaving the room
"While you two are desperately trying to regain composure, I'm going to get those eggs and bacon, I'm hungry."
Turning to Chloe, she added 
"Good luck trying to rebuild your tough girl reputation babe, it definitely took a dent." 
She snickered and disappeared behind the door. 

"Hi Joyce"
"Hi Rachel, are the girls still up there?"
"Yeah, they should be here any minute
Joyce sighed and smiled.
"Oh well... Coffee?"
"Gladly. Thanks"
Rachel sat at the table while Chloe's mother poured the hot brew into a cup.
After a few minutes, the girls finally made their way downstairs. 
Chloe silently joined her girlfriend, while Max walked to the kitchen, and timidly greeted Joyce.
There was an awkward silence filling the room.
"Come on girls, I just walked in on you cuddling, it's not the end of the world!"
The punk threw herself back in her chair
"Mooooom"
"Well, it's not exactly a surprise for me anyway. You're not very discreet if that's what you were going for. Not to mention I've known you and Max would end up together before she even left for Seattle"
"What ?!" the two young women exclaimed
"Don't act so surprised, you were practically glued to each other and I'm not as stupid as you think I am, young lady. You should've seen the way you looked at each other back then, it was pure love." she explained with a smile
Max blushed and hid her face in her hand. 
Rachel started laughing silently, and Chloe raised her middle finger in response. 
"You know, it could've worse..." the actress leaned over the table to get closer to her partners and whispered "it could've been David"
"Oh fuck no!" her girlfriend blurted
"Language Chloe!" her mother scolded

________

As Chloe was driving the girls to their hideout, Rachel kept going on and on about what Joyce revealed a few moments before :
"Oh my god you two are hopeless!!! I can't believe it took you so much time to realise you were in love and to confess?! I managed to get with Chloe before you two did, and you've been in love since you were kids?! And I was the one to help you put two and two together! I can't believe it, you really are the useless gay cliché!" 
Max buried herself as far back in her seat as she could, her face burning red.  
Chloe commented 
"Well, not all of us are goddesses who have the whole world at the tip of their fingers" 
"Okay, I'm good at flirting. But you were both in love with each other! How did you not see that?!" 
"I'm bad at... people!" Max retorted
"Okay but still! It was PAINFULLY OBVIOUS from the very beginning! The first time I saw you two in the same room, I knew it. You guys are everything but subtle, litteraly everyone saw it before you did!"  
The punk grunted
"When does the humiliation stops?" 
"I'm sorry babe," Rachel replied "I just think it's kind of cute how oblivious y'all are" 
There was a silence, then Max said 
"Well at least your mum knows now..."
"Yeah, won't have to do the whole awkward sitting at the dinner table announcement thing" Rachel added
Chloe nodded. She suddenly smirked
"Hey Mad-Max, when's the next time you're visiting your folks again?"  
"Uh, I think I'm going back to Seattle for a week end next month, why?" the woman asked
"Was just wondering..."
Max gasped as she realised what Chloe was implying 
"Oh no! I haven't even told them I'm bi!" 
"Man, can't wait to see Vanessa and Ryan's reaction to their baby girl dating two chicks" 
Max whined
"10 dollars on Ryan saying "at least you won't get pregnant"!"
"Oh god..."
Rachel interrupted them 
"Guys, wait. That's not even the worst yet."
"What?" the others responded
"Y'all are forgetting my mom" 
"Oh shit!" the punk exclaimed 
"I'm so not ready for this!" the actress declared 
There was a pause, then Max added
"I think Rose is gonna faint" 
And they all started laughing 

Chapter Text

"I love you both" Rachel said as she left one last kiss on the two women's cheeks 

"Miss Amber? We're waiting for you" a voice called

"Yes, mister Keaton! Coming right now" the actress yelled back 

"See you tonight girls!" she whispered as she disappeared into the room 

Max couldn't help but giggle. 

She had a stupid smile glued to her face and a pink blush that just wouldn't leave her cheeks. And she liked it. 

_____________

"Whatever you want, Caulfield."

Chloe brought her cigarette to her lips and took a puff.

She was leaning on the side of her pickup truck, in Blackwell's parking lot.

It was a grey Sunday afternoon, and the sky was filled with menacing dark clouds. 

"Well, I don't know... It kinda looks like rain, so anything but outdoors."

"So, it's either home or your dorm room then"

"Pretty much"

"So?"

"Price's house it is."

"Cool!" Chloe opened the pickup's door "Get in Super-Max!"

Being alone in the pick-up with Chloe brought back memories from when they first reunited. Memories Chloe didn't have, of moments that never really happened here. Things Max could not forget, a timeline she had wiped away, forever changing the course of things. Here, now, none of this was real. But it was real to her, even though she had no proof of it. She knew it happened. 

"What's on your mind Mad Max?" the blue-haired girl asked

"Memories. The ones you don't have." she said, still reminiscing 

"Tell me all about it, I wanna know about this time we spent together."

The photographer smiled. No matter how dark and painful that time was, she can't help but fondly think about the highlights of joy she and Chloe had back then. There was something just so special about those memories. So sad yet so soft and nostalgic. They were the true definition of bittersweet.

"You already know about it"

"Yeah, but I don't give a fuck, I like listening to you. Tell me about the good stuff!" the young woman excitedly retorted

Max chuckled

"Okay then." she turned slightly to look at her girlfriend 

"Being in here with you reminds me of the first time I saw you again." 

"Like, when you saved my life the first time, right?" 

"Yeah. The conversation afterwards. It was VERY awkward."

"More awkward than the one we had when you came back?" 

The time traveller took a few seconds to think before answering 

"I'd say it was equally as bad. You were pissed, and rightfully so."

"No shit! I thought I'd never forgive you when you got here."

"Yeah, thought you wouldn't either."

Chloe reached for Max's thigh and gave it a light squeeze, before placing her hand back on the steering wheel 

"I'm glad I did"

_____________

"Hi mom!" the punk exclaimed as she entered the house

"Hi Joyce" Max followed 

"Hi girls! Is Rachel not with you?" 

"Nope, she's at rehearsal." Chloe answered

"Really? On a Sunday?!" 

"Yup, the show's on Tuesday and Mr Keaton's got shit to do tomorrow, so they had to put the final rehearsal today." the girl explained 

"Apparently he had to really negotiate with principal Wells to be allowed to hold a rehearsal on school grounds on a Sunday." her girlfriend added

"Sounds like a hassle... Are you going to see the play?" 

"Of course, we'd never miss a play Rachel's acting in!" Max replied 

"Well, I've got errands to run, have fun girls. But not too much!" Joyce said as she picked up her keys. 

Soon enough, the young women were alone, with the house all to themselves. 

Chloe looked at her partner

"Doesn't that remind you of something?" 

"What?" 

The punk grinned

"Wanna take a look at the carpet?" 

Max burst out laughing

"Oh god! Of course I remember that! I thought your parents were gonna kill us!" 

"They were so mad! But we got lucky this wasn't an expensive bottle of wine" 

"Yeah! Wait that makes me realise something... Every time we got in trouble as kids it was one of your ideas!" 

Chloe smirked 

"Some things never change, I'm a criminal mastermind" 

Max crossed her arms across her chest, and glanced at her 

"More like a rebellious and chaotic cutie" 

"Oh well, I'll take it"

__________

"I wished I remembered that!" 

Chloe was laying on her bed beside Max. 

She was running her fingers through her girlfriend's hair, watching her as she was recounting lost memories. She was describing in all its details the time they snuck into Blackwell Academy. 

"We ended up taking a swim in Blackwell's pool, in the middle of the night! Do you even realise how many rules and laws we broke in just a few hours?" Max chuckled "We're basically criminals, Chlo" 

The woman smirked

"I would've said ninjas, but sure, criminals sounds cool too" 

The photographer laughed 

"Ninjas are supposed to be sneaky, and we almost got caught!" 

"For real?"

"Yeah! By David! Felt like playing hide and seek with a cop for a while, and then the actual escape was an adrenaline rush, never ran this fast!" 

"Shit!"

Max nodded

"Yeah, you said it. You were so excited when we finally got away, it was cute"  

The blue-haired girl looked at her. She had so much admiration for her lover. She was beautiful. But most importantly, she so brave and so strong. She had done so much just to save her and Rachel. Sometimes, she wondered if it was worth it. Was she that important? She thought all the pain Max had gone through in order to keep her alive didn't feel like a fair trade. When she sees Max having flashbacks of all these horrendous events, she can't help but think it's partially her fault. 

There's this guilt that sits there, in the pit of her stomach. But it gets a little bit lighter every time her girlfriend tells her how much she loves her, and how saving her was the best decision she ever made. 

With every kind word, Rachel and Max keep wearing down her insecurities, hopefully until they are no more. They were the only one who could do that. 

The time traveller layed a kiss on her lover's forehead, bringing her back from her thoughts. 

The punk wrapped an arm around Max's waist, and pulled her closer. She kissed her, and with a smug smile jokingly said :

"So, you've got a thing for bad girls, uh?" 

The photographer giggled

"I guess so, partner in crime" 

Chloe soflty brushed her hand against Max's cheek, and looked at her straight in the eyes. There was so much hidden in those blue eyes, so many secrets, and so much love. 

Looking at her best friend that way, she thought her heart could burst from all the joy she brought her. 

How could anyone ever feel that way about someone? She didn't know, and frankly, she didn't care. It's how things were, and she liked it. 

With a smile, she whispered

"I love you, partner in time"

Chapter Text

It wasn't that late, but the sun was already gone. 
Amongst Arcadia Bay's famous pines, the tree house was standing, proud and steady. 
Inside the hideout, the girls were comfortably laying on big pillows, covered in fuzzy warm blankets. 
The room was dimly lit by the fairy lights hanging up on its wooden walls. 

That night, Chloe got to choose the movie, but, surprisingly, she fell asleep 30min in, way before the film ended. In fact, she fell asleep before Max did, which was a rare occurrence. She was curled up against Rachel, who was looking at her, a smile curling her lips. 
"Poor baby, she's exhausted." the actress whispered
Max nodded
"She didn't get to rest much today, and she was already tired from her rough shift yesterday" 
The blonde girl was caressing the punk's arm. She looked up at the photographer
"Working at a dinner is not easy, even for our tough girl" 
The time traveler nodded
"That's for sure. I admire Joyce, she's been working so hard for all those years..."
"Yeah. That woman has to be the strongest I know, she's a warrior. She's fucked up a bunch of times, but still. I think even Chlo sees her as a role model."
Max glanced at Chloe
"She won't admit it, but she definitely does."
Rachel yawned, then asked 
"Do you want to keep watching the movie?" 
Her partner shook her head "no" in response, so she grabbed the remote and turned off the projector. She then closed her laptop and set it aside. 
Max stretched her arms, yawning as well. She moved slightly to the side, just enough to lean on Rachel. 
"Night, Rach" 
"Good night babe" 
They closed their eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep. 

_________

"Dad?" 
Chloe reached for her father, who was standing in front of her. As she was about to take his hand, she stopped. 
William looked at her, smiling. 
"What's wrong?" he asked
"Dad..." 
Her throat tightened and she could feel tears welling up in her eyes
"You're... Dead. This can't be real."
Suddenly, she heard a loud honk.
"No... No, not again!" she pleaded 
William smiled sadly
"I'm sorry, Chloe" 
The young woman stepped back in horror, petrified. 
"Please..." 

_________

A loud scream pierced through the silence of the night, pulling Max and Rachel out of their slumber.
The actress turned to see Chloe, bawling. Her heart-wrenching cries were resonating in the tree house. 
"Babe! Honey what's going on?" the blonde asked
The young woman couldn't answer. Her chest felt heavy, and a sharp pain kept her from breathing. 
Rachel wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. After all those years, she knew exactly what to do when this happened. 
The punk usually didn't like to talk about her issues or feelings, at least not right away. While Max usually needed reassurance through words, the blue-haired girl was seeking it through touch. 
Chloe buried her face in the actress' shirt, gripping it tightly at the same time. The blonde pressed the girl against her even harder, and held her head, occasionally stroking her hair. 
At the same time, the photographer was emerging from her sleep, with difficulty. 
She'd been awake for just as long as her girlfriend, but it took her a much more significant amount of time to get out of her brain fog. When she realised what had woken her up, she started panicking. 
"Chlo are you okay???" she worriedly asked
Rachel gave her a sad smile
"She's gonna fine" she assured in the most gentle voice
Max placed her hand on Chloe's shoulder and started rubbing her arm softly. 
After a few minutes, her sobs became increasingly quiet, and her breath more stable. She finally let go of her girlfriend's shirt, and looked up at her lovers. Her eyes were puffy and red and her cheeks soaking wet. 
"There" 
The time traveller offered her a box of tissues. 
The young woman took one and wiped her face. She was still weeping a little, but she was definitely calmer. 
The actress stroked her back, and, with a small smile, asked :
"Better?" 
Chloe silently nodded. 
Max hugged her, and Rachel joined them, leaving a kiss on the punk's forehead. 
The three of them cuddled for a while, and Chloe let herself relax in their embrace. 
After a while, Rachel reached for her phone and turned on some music. 
Santa Monica Dream started playing, and they all just sat there, listening to it. 
It was one of Chloe's favourite songs. 
After some time, Max noticed the blue-haired girl slowly closing her eyes. 
"Ready to go back to sleep babe?" 
The young woman simply nodded. 
"Do you... Want to be in the middle?" 
This was usually Max's spot, and, occasionally, Rachel would take her place. When she did that, it was so that she could take care of her two partners. When Max did it, it was to be taken care of by her girlfriends. 
Chloe looked at her lover, and hesitantly mumbled a small "yes".
As the girls settled beside her, she smiled. She liked being the "little spoon", once in a while. Well, more like the middle spoon, in this case. She acts all tough and strong all the time, and truth be told, she is. But she can also be a little soft sometimes, and it feels good to be around people she trusts enough to let it show. 

It was nice, being nestled between her lovers. She felt comfortable, and most importantly, safe. Usually, when she had nightmares like this, she refused to go back to sleep. She stayed awake as long as she could, afraid of having another one. But with Rachel and Max by her side, it was okay, because she knew that if she did have another nightmare, they'd be right there to comfort her until she was fine again.
The blonde girl kissed her on the cheek, and said :
"Good night honey"
The photographer then took her hand, and kissed her on the other cheek :
"Sleep well baby" 
Chloe looked at her, surprised. It was the first time she called her that. The time traveller smiled smugly and just positioned herself to sleep. The punk wanted to say something, but exhaustion got the best of her before she could find words. 
Max and Rachel smiled looking at the sleepy woman snuggled between them. 
"She's an angel" the first one whispered
"A troubled one." her girlfriend added "and she can be a little bit of a demon sometimes. But yeah, she's an angel. The most beautiful one, I should say."
The young woman agreed 
"Definitely."

Chapter Text

Max was checking her bag one last time. 

Toothbrush, charger, money... She mentally listed every item, anxiously went through each pocket, verifying she had everything she needed.

She sighed 

"Good."

It's not like it mattered that much anyway, she could always buy whatever she needed once she arrived. And her parents could lend her stuff as well. But Max was always stressed out. And maybe it was for a totally different reason at this moment, but thinking it was just about forgetting a t-shirt or headphones made things easier for now. She could just ignore the real cause of her worries until she had to face it. 

She finally gave one last look at her dorm room before walking out. 

As she was closing her door, she heard a voice calling her : 

"Hey Max ! You're up early" 

"Oh, hi Kate! Yeah, I guess.How are you doing?" 

"Good, I'm getting ready for Sunday service. How about you?" 

"I'm good, a bit stressed though."

"Oh, need to talk about it?" 

"Don't worry it's no big deal, just travel anxiety I guess" 

Kate looked at the photographer's big bags and asked :

"Oh, you're not staying for sports week?"

Blackwell was organising a sports week with many various activities, ranging from a football competition to a tennis learning course. It was an initiative from the Bigfoots, and for some reason, principal Wells accepted to make it happen, and even seemed enthusiastic about it. Many think it has something to do with a huge fund given to the school by the Prescotts for the occasion, nothing very surprising. 

There was no class during the entire duration of the event, and since attendance was not mandatory, Max had decided to visit her parents this week. 

"No, I'm going back to Seattle, I'll be back on Saturday. This whole thing is optional and I'm not that into sports, so I thought it was a good occasion to pay a visit to my folks." she answered

"Oh, well have fun in Seattle then! I'm staying but I won't do the activities, I'm going to take advantage of this to have some time off, take care of myself, and rest. Maybe go to church a little more often too."

"Sounds like a great plan! I gotta go, see you on Saturday!" 

"Bye Max!" 

The girl waved goodbye as the time traveller got out of the dorms. 

___________

"Ready girls?" Max asked

They had decided to all meet up at the Price's house to make things simpler. 

"Of course!" the punk answered, playing with the pick-up's keys.

"Just a sec!" Rachel yelled from the second floor. 

The other two were waiting by the front door, which was already open.

The actress came running down the stairs, smiling.

"There! I'm ready. I almost forgot my earing on your bedside table Chlo."

"You slept here?" Max asked, surprised 

"Yeah, so I wouldn't be late and make you freak out more than you already do." 

The photographer chuckled 

"Fair. Everyone ready?" 

"Yes!" her girlfriends exclaimed 

"Then let's go!" 

___________

"Is she sleeping?" Chloe asked

"Yeah, she is." Rachel answered

"Shit, that didn't take long! Only been driving for about an hour" the blue-haired girl laughed

"Well, I bet she hasn't slept last night, she was probably too anxious to close her eyes" 

She turned her head to take a look at Max, who was leaning on her shoulders. 

"Even when she sleeps she looks worried. Her little frown and furrowed brows are cute, but I wish it was a peaceful smile instead."

She ran her fingers through her messy brown hair

"How much time before we arrive?" 

Chloe smirked, and briefly glanced at her before focusing back on the road

"Patience, Princess Amber. We still have four hours ahead."

Rachel gave her a nudge, grinning 

"Don't call me princess unless you mean it, punk" 

___________

"Hey, hey wake up babe." Rachel whispered to her girlfriend 

"Wakey wakey Super-Max! We're there in 10 minutes!" Chloe announced 

The young woman groaned. She opened her eyes and yawned. She took a few seconds to wake up, then asked :

"Uh? What?"

She tiredly looked out the window, and immediately recognised the passing urban landscape. 

"Are you cereal? Man, I slept this long?!" 

Rachel giggled

"Yes you did. You needed some rest babe."

Chloe continued

"Yeah. You're worrying too much, your folks are cool, it's gonna be fine. By the way, can you text them, let them know we're almost there?"

"Yeah, sure." 

She grabbed her phone and quickly typed a message to her mother. 

After clicking "send", she looked out to observe the familiar environment. It felt weird to be here with Chloe, to drive through those streets she knew too well from spending her teenage years here, without her. She never would've thought she'd end up here just to visit, with her long lost best friend by her side. And it was even more strange now that she was her girlfriend, and that Rachel, who was also her girlfriend, was part of the trip. 

Before she knew it, they were pulling up in her parent's driveway, and she could see them waving from outside the house, waiting for them. 

At this sight, she felt her stomach drop, and heart started pounding. 

"Hey," she felt a hand squeezing hers "It's gonna fine, we're here for you." 

Chloe smiled at her, and she felt just a little lighter. 

"Relax, I'm sure everything's gonna be just fine. And if you're panicking too much, you don't have to do it okay? You can just enjoy your week here and forget about that if it stresses you out too much." Rachel added

"Thanks." Max said "But I want to do it."

"We'll be right by your side then. We're not going anywhere, and we have your back." the blue-haired girl assured

And with that, she opened the truck's door, and greeted Vanessa and Ryan. 

The photographer took a deep breath and followed. 

"Hi Chloe! It's been so long since we last saw you!" Ryan exclaimed 

"That's for sure yeah! A good 6 years" 

Vanessa smiled and took her by the shoulders

"So glad to see you after all this time, you've changed so much! You've really grown, a real woman now" 

When Max got to their level, her father immediately pulled her into a tight hug 

"Heeeey! How's my baby girl?" 

"Good! Ouch ouch dad you're crushing my ribs" she started giggling

"Sorry sorry, I missed you."

He messed with her hair, laughing. 

Vanessa came up to her, hugging her as well 

"Good to see you Maxine, we missed you so much, my little prodigy."

Chloe was watching from the side, a smirk glued to her face. When her girlfriend saw her like that, she quickly realised what was on her mind : she was now doomed to an eternity of awful Chloe jokes about the nicknames her parents gave her. Well, whatever. She would deal with that later. 

Ryan turned to the last girl who got out of the pick-up :

"Rachel, right? Pleased to meet you, I'm Ryan."

He shook her hand

"Pleased to meet you as well mister Caulfield."

She nodded at Vanessa and politely said 

"Hello, glad to meet you Mrs Caulfield. Thanks again for letting us stay."

The older woman replied 

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rachel. No need to thank me, we're happy to have you here. We heard a lot about you. We're really glad Maxine made such amazing friends at Blackwell."

Max's father clapped his hand

"Come on, let's get inside!" 

The girls gathered their bags and followed their hosts into the house. 

___________

Mister Caulfield opened a door 

"This is gonna be your room for the week. I apologise, there's only one bed, I hope it won't bother you." 

Chloe looked at Rachel, suppressing laughter. In response, the woman gave her a death stare. No words were exchanged, but the actress was clearly understood : don't say anything stupid, don't mess around with Max's parents. 

The punk nodded. She liked how protective the blonde girl could get, it was cute. 

"Don't worry Ryan, we'll be fine. Thanks a lot." Chloe said

"Good, I'll let you settle in. Meet you downstairs" 

The man lightly tapped her shoulder and left. 

Once he was gone, the blue-haired girl nudged her partner 

"So, ma'am wants to impress her in-laws uh?" she jokingly asked

"Shut up Chlo, I just don't want you to fuck up because Max is already way too close to having a panic attack."

"Right, don't worry Rach, I'll stay in line. We should check on Mad-Max though, make sure she's not actually going mad."

"Yeah, let's go."

"Hi babe" the actress knocked on her door, which was already open

"Oh hi" she turned around to face her lovers, and forced a smile

"You okay?" the punk asked

"Yeah, well, no, but it's fine. Just... A bit panicking but I'll be fine."

Chloe crossed her arms and frowned 

"Hey, no. No "I'm fine" bullshit with us. You don't have to hide your anxiety Max. Besides, we know you."

The girl sighed and sat on her bed. Her lovers joined her and sat beside her. 

Rachel started rubbing her back. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" 

"You already know..."

"Well yeah, but if it helps, you can talk to us."

"Go ahead Maximus. We're here."

The young woman sighed again 

"I'm scared they won't react well. I haven't came out as bi, let alone polyamourous, and then bringing you two... I don't know I'm scared, it might be a lot to take in for them."

Chloe wrapped her arm around her and brought her closer. 

Rachel placed her hand on her thigh. 

"Well, if you're scared to do it all at once, you could do it step by step. Test the waters, see how they react, and if you feel like it, tell them the rest. What do you think?" 

"Yeah... Yeah that would help. I think I'll do that" 

The actress smiled

"Good. But remember, you don't have to say anything if you don't feel like it, no pressure okay?" 

"Got it. Thanks guys" 

She gave them both a kiss, and they started heading downstairs. 

When they got to the living room, Ryan was sitting on the couch, waiting for them. 

Max sat with him and asked 

"Where's mom?" 

"Oh she's in the kitchen, finishing to prepare lunch."

He turned to the girls and announced :

"There's a Thunderbirds match tonight! I'm going to introduce you guys to the local hockey team, it's tradition in the family to support them now."

Chloe replied 

"Yeah Max told us you brought her to many games, that's very cool" 

The man nodded and declared 

"If I've got time this week, I'll make you burgers just like when you two played little pirates as kids." 

The punk smiled

"Oh my god yes! Been missing those! Rach, prepare yourself, these are gonna be the best burgers you'll ever have. "

The girl laughed 

"I'll take your word for it!" 

Suddenly, a voice called :

"Lunch's ready!" 

Everyone stood up and followed Max's father to the dining room. 

Vanessa set the dish on the table, and started serving everybody, starting with Rachel. As she was loading her plate, she said :

"So, welcome to Seattle girls! I forgot to ask, how was the trip?" 

Rachel started 

"It was fine, not too much people on the road. Max fell asleep. And I think Chloe might be a bit tired from driving but overall it went smoothly."

"Yeah, it was good." the punk confirmed

As they started eating, Ryan asked :

"So how did you guys meet? You've never told us Max." 

The three girls looked at each other, and Max decided to answer :

"Well when I came back to Blackwell, I decided to pay a visit to Chloe, I was hoping we could reconnect after all those years, you know. And when I got there, she was hanging out with Rachel. They were already fr-" she stopped, and took a second to think before continuing "They were already girlfriends, yeah."

Vanessa replied

"So you two are together! I wouldn't have guessed. Good for you! It's rare to form such a strong friendship with a duo that's already formed, especially if they're a couple. Well I guess it helped you and Chloe already had a bond."

She smiled

Max felt a slight relief. 

It was the moment. Now or never. It wasn't true of course, she could do it whenever she wanted to. But that's what she told herself. She would say everything, right now. She completely forgot about "taking steps". She just wanted to get it over with. 

She felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. Her throat tightened. But she wanted to say it, she really did. She took a deep breath and nervously muttered. 

"Well... We form a trio now. It's the three of us, together. As friends... But also, as lovers. Mom, dad, I introduce you to my girlfriends."

She said it. And this time, she couldn't rewind. She was slowly dawned with the realisation of what she just said, and, for the first time in months, she wished she still had her powers. She wanted to hide, or disappear, get out of here. Instead she froze, all eyes on her, waiting during what felt like forever to hear her parents' reaction. 

Ryan was the first to speak up 

"Well, as long as you're happy we're happy. Now, how does this work? Can you explain to your old man? Cause I don't think I'm quite getting everything" 

Vanessa placed her hand on her husband's shoulder and nodded

"Whatever happens we'll always accept you the way you are Maxine." she glanced at her daughter's father and laughed "I join your father though, I would like some explanation as well, this isn't very... Common. I don't really get it either." 

Under the table, Chloe squeezed the photographer's hand. The three girls were relieved, and Max started explaining polyamoury and their relationship, with her partners' help. 

After lunch, the girls met in Max's room. 

"Goooood... Feels good to get this off my chest."

Rachel cheerfuly kissed her on the cheek 

"I'm so proud of you babe!" 

"Yup, good job Super-Max" Chloe added

The time traveller sighed

"It went so well! My dad was the embodiment of the" confused but got the spirit" meme but honestly it couldn't have been better."

They all laughed. 

The punk hugged her lovers, and they stayed there, relaxing after this stressful moment. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. 

Vanessa entered the room, smiling. 

"Hey there lovebirds, the man is waiting for you downstairs."

"Be there in a minute, Mrs Caulfield." Rachel answered 

"You can call me Vanessa, Rachel."

When they entered the living room, they saw Max's father, wearing a Thunderbirds shirt and cap. 

"Next time, I'll buy tickets for the game! Thought I'd do that with a son-in-law, but I got two daughters-in-law, so it's double the fun! Come here, tell me what you know about hockey, I'll teach you the rest!" 

Max, Rachel and Chloe looked at each other and smiled. 

The punk grinned and whispered to her partners :

"Who would've thought we'd end up here?"

Max chuckled. It was definitely not what she thought her life would look like a few years ago. But she liked it that way, and she wouldn't change it for the world. 

She smiled. Life can be strange sometimes. But it's what makes it great. 

Chapter Text

"Okay, do we have everything?" Max asked
Outside, the rain was pouring down, and it was extremely windy, which made the girls settle on a chill day inside rather than any outdoor activities. They were in the Price's kitchen, Chloe nonchalantly leaning on the counter as Rachel was reviewing the items she gathered and announced :
"Flour, baking powder and eggs, check!" 
The punk added
"And I got the sugar, the milk and the salt"
The photographer sighed. 
"Guys, you're forgetting the butter."
The blue-haired girl blurted 
"Shit! The butter! Right" 
She opened the fridge and grabbed the butter.
Max smiled :
"Good! Babe can you get me a bowl please?"
Both her girlfriends reached for the object at the same time. They laughed and gave it to the time traveller.

"Okay. We need to start by mixing the flour, the baking powder, the salt (just a pinch please!) and the sugar." Max explained
"I'll do it!" Chloe declared
She grabbed the bag of flour, and started pouring it into the bowl.
The actress got behind the girl, and grabbed her by the waist. She placed her head on her shoulder and kissed her on the cheek. Suddenly, she dipped a finger in the bowl and touched Chloe's nose, leaving flour on it. 
The young woman immediately turned around. 
"Hey!" 
Rachel started giggling. 
The punk smirked and reciprocated, leaving a white trace on the actress' cheek. 
The girl gasped as if offended. 
"You're gonna pay for this Chlo!" 
She grabbed the flour bag and squeezed it, releasing the white powder into the air and onto her girlfriend's face. 
"Shit!" she exclaimed
She coughed and laughed, then turned to look at Max, grinning. 
"Oh no, no way, don't even-" 
And before she could finish her sentence, she was covered in white. 
The photographer giggled
"Fuck you!" 
Rachel smiled smugly 
"Ow, miss Caulfield is angry! Poor thing..." 
Max snatched the flour from her hands and threw some at both her partners. 
Chloe crossed her arms and declared :
"That's it. This is war."
She quickly tried to grab the bag, but the time traveller held it too tight. 
The punk attempted again, and, upon failure, she decided to try with another strategy. 
She wrapped her arms around her lover's waist, and pulled her against her. She then left a kiss on her lips, and taking advantage of Max's surprise, got a hold of the flour bag. 
As soon as she had it, she jumped onto the counter, and stood on it, holding the precious item high above her head. 
"Haha! Come and get it now, landlubber!" 
Max started jumping, trying to reach for the bag, unsuccessfully. 
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Rachel, smiling. 
"You're not getting anywhere like that babe. Sit and watch."
The actress climbed on the counter. 
She hugged Chloe and kissed her on the cheek. 
"Ha, that won't work with me Rach."
The blonde girl smirked and softly said 
"I know." 
Rachel started tickling her, and the punk immediately dropped her prized possession, allowing Max to grab it as it fell. 
Chloe lightly pushed her lover
"Not fair!"
The actress chuckled and kissed her 
"Hunger justifies the means, honey."
At this very moment, they felt powder raining on them. If they weren't already before, they were now covered in flour from head to toes. 
"What the fuck?-" Chloe muttered
Max was right behind them, the empty packet in her hands. She had joined them on the counter while they were too busy fighting.
She proudly declared :
"I won guys ; You may be strong and smart, but I'm hella sneaky."
The blue-haired girl grabbed the flour bag, looked at it and started :
"You little-" 
A click resonated, and they turned to the source of the noise. 
"Shit!" 
When Joyce opened the front door, she stayed silent for a couple seconds. 
She looked at each of the girls, one by one. 
"We... We were gonna make pancakes." her daughter tried to explain 
The woman sighed :
"Frankly, I don't care. Y'all just better clean up this mess in my kitchen."
She smiled and shook her head
"You little pirates will never change... Also, your turn to buy groceries tomorrow Chloe. And don't forget to buy flour."
"Yes mom..."

Chapter Text

Max was focused on her textbook, completely absorbed. Occasionally, she would take her eyes off the pages, either to take some notes, or highlight some words.
She was studying all of her photography lessons because she had an important test coming up the next day.
Beside her sat Rachel, reading a pile of papers. It was the new script Mr. Keaton had given her, and she was trying to memorise as much lines as she could.
Chloe was on the couch, looking at her phone, scrolling through social media. 

They were all in the photographer's dorm room, sitting in silence. The only thing you could hear was the rain, and from time to time, the sound of turning pages.
Hanging out with Rachel and Chloe was rarely that quiet. They were mischievous and chaotic, always ready for trouble. It was fun, and she liked that about them. 

In between lines about Louis Daguerre and Henri Cartier-Bresson, she found herself daydreaming about her lovers, wondering what their next adventure would be. It didn't have to be a huge event, a big outing or a crazy surprise. Each moment they spent together was special for her. The girls could make a trip to the grocery store exciting, turn a boring chore into something fun, find something amusing in the most stressful of situations. She loved them, and she liked spending time with them. She liked going to the beach with them, having sleepovers at the tree house, having breakfast at the Two whales... Everything was just so much better with Rachel and Chloe by her side.
Even studying for a stressful test. Their presence was enough to calm her down. Sure, she was still nervous ; People can't magically cure anxiety. But it helped to have them there ; A little support can go a long way. 

It was oddly confortable, sitting there in silence. Chloe wasn't usually the type to enjoy a calm afternoon. She was energetic and restless, she needed action, even something small. 
But she was strangely enjoying the moment. She felt at peace. She was scrolling aimlessly through her phone, but, truth be told, she wasn't even looking at it. She was lost in her thoughts, occasionally admiring the two girls. She could watch them as much as her heart desired, they were too focused on their work to pay attention to her anyway. She thought it was cute. They were more studious than she ever could be. School had never really been her thing, even if she did well prior to her father's death. When she got expelled from Blackwell, she couldn't care in the slightest. 
For someone who wasn't a student (nor wanted to be one), she spent a lot of time on school grounds. 
But how could she not when the two beautiful persons in this room spent so much time there? 
She'd do anything for them, including spending her days off at "Blackhell" as she called it. 
She kept wondering how she got lucky enough to have those two as her lovers. 
Max and Rachel were so intelligent and brave, so smart and so pretty. To her, they were the most amazing women on earth. She struggled to understand how someone as popular as Rachel could possibly choose her, of all people. The whole town knew her, and all the boys wanted her. She couldn't understand why Max chose her either. She kept thinking about all the things the time traveler did just to keep her alive. She couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors the photographer had to live and witness. All for her. 
Chloe smiled. She was the luckiest. She struggled to think she deserved the girls. But she was definitely happy to have them, and wouldn't want it any different. 

Rachel was repeating the same lines over and over in her head. She was used to it at that point. It was the boring aspect of acting, you had to memorise lots and lots of text. Most hated it, but she didn't mind it. It had to be done anyway, so why make it such a dreaded task? 
Still, it was not the most entertaining activity. And, as she did most of the time, she got the lead role, which meant she had even more dialogue to learn than her fellow actors.
She closed her eyes and tried repeating her lines.
When she opened them again, a soft sigh drew her attention. Max was seemingly annoyed by something in her textbook. She was scribbling notes, frowning.
Rachel couldn't help but smile. She liked how her girlfriend looked when she was focused on something, it was adorable. 
Her lips were slightly open, and her brows furrowed. From time to time, she would also scrunch her nose, just a little. She was beautiful, and there was something about her facial expressions that made the actress' heart melt. 
For an instant, the blonde girl let her eyes wander on her girlfriend's skin. The freckles on her cheeks were like stars, constellations.
Her short brown hair was tied in the tiniest of ponytails to keep it out of her face while she worked. 
She quickly glanced at the actress. 
The girl smiled and went back to her script.
She tried to focus, but she was getting more and more distracted. 
She turned to look at Chloe, who seemed lost in her thoughts.
She had known her for over four years now. Still, she never got tired of looking at her. Admiring her messy blue hair, her magnificent blue eyes. Watching her chest rise up and fall down with every breath, her famous bullets necklace following the movement. Laying her eyes on the skin of her neck and arms, always exposed as she always wore her tank tops even in cold weather. Little details Rachel knew too well from spending so much time around the punk. Little details that meant a lot to her, things that screamed "that's the Chloe I know and love". 

This afternoon, for just a few hours, no words were exchanged. 
Max's room was filled with the most confortable of silence. And the girls' hearts were full of love. 

Chapter Text

"So what do you say?"
The punk was leaning against her desk, smoking a joint. 
The winter sun was shining through the windows. It was surprisingly warm for a December morning.
"Yeah, that could be fun! Mikey and Steph are a blast and I enjoyed it when we played regularly, so sure!" Rachel replied.
She was laying on the bed, looking at Chloe.
Max was sitting criss-cross on the floor at the foot of the bed. She said :
"Well... I could give it a try, I've never played before though." 
The blue-haired girl smiled 
"Don't worry, you'll learn. And Steph's an amazing DM, that helps."
The actress gestured for Chloe to pass her the joint. The girl gave it to her, and as Rachel took it, she said :
"Yeah, Steph's great." she took a puff  "And she's hot."
The punk smirked 
"Are you hiding something from us Rach?" 
The blonde rolled her eyes and breathed in some smoke
"Can I not find people hot? I mean, don't tell me you don't find Steph attractive."
"Okay, Steph is good looking, that's true. But..." 
Rachel gave the refeer back to Chloe
"But what?" 
The punk took it and rolled it between her fingers, grinning smugly.
She brought it to her lips and inhaled. 
"But, I think Rachel Dawn Amber has a little crush."
Max giggled. 
The actress shook her head 
"I don't! She's hot, that's it. I'm just being factual here!"
The photographer smiled. 
"You know, if you want to date her, you can."
"I know! But I don't have a crush on her for fuck's sake! Besides, I've got you two. That's enough for me. I don't want to get into a relationship I don't have time or energy for."
Chloe turned to Max
"Is it me or is she more rational when she's high?"
The girl laughed. 
The actress grunted and responded with her middle finger. 
"Fuck you, C."
The punk smiled smugly 
"I love you too, Rach."

________

It was 9pm. 
In Chloe's living room, everyone was sitting around the table as Steph was setting up for the game. She finished installing her DM screen and exclaimed :
"So, we are welcoming a new player tonight! Max, let's walk you through the basic rules, and then let's get you started with your character's creation, shall we?" 
There were lots of rules, but Steph tried to simplify them as much as she could. 
Still, the photographer was a bit confused and lost, but she understood the essentials. 
The real chaos started when she had to create her character. 
" Okay Max, so, first I need you to choose a race and a class for your character. There," she gave her a piece of paper "Here's a list you can chose from."
The girl started reading. There were tons of options to choose from, and she didn't know what half of these were. 
"So, what are you gonna choose?" Chloe excitedly asked
"Well... I don't know... I'm a bit lost" 
Rachel pointed at the list 
"You have to choose your character's race first. Both Chlo and I are elves, while Mikey's a human, for example. "
After a few seconds of reflection, the girl finally made a choice. 
"Human it is!"
Chloe exclaimed 
"Really?! Nothing more exciting?" 
"Well... I kind of just picked something I know. Appart from Dwarves and Elves I don't understand much of these names."
Rachel rubbed her arm 
"And it's a very good choice babe. Now for the class..."
Max started reading. Cleric, Warlock, Ranger... 
Chloe smiled :
"Some of those are reaaaally cool. You could be a Fighter! Or you could a Rogue! That would fit you, being sneaky and stuff, like a ninja-"
Rachel interrupted her
"No, no hear me out : What about an artificer? I don't know why but it sounds like such a good fit for Max" 
"Are you kidding me? She's a warrior, she needs a class that reflects that!" 
The actress shook her head 
"You don't need to use physical force to show strength, she could be something like... Like a sorcerer, yeah, or a druid! That would work" 
"Okay, yeah, Maximus as a sorcerer could be badass, I could see that. Magic powers and shit, reminds of something if you ask me." she smirked, and Rachel gave her a knowing look in response "But... I'm thinking monk." 
The model nodded
"Oh my god yeah! Strong, but with the spiritual side...I could get behind that. What do you think, Max?"
The girl froze 
"Uuuuuh... I was thinking... Bard ?" 
"What?" her girlfriends gasped
Mikey and Steph started laughing at the girls' reaction
"I don't know, I like music!" Max stuttered
Chloe and Rachel started chuckling too 
The punk kissed her cheek
"Well, go for it Caulfield."
Steph wrote down Max's decisions on her character sheet. 
"Okay, miss Human Bard, what's your name?" 
It took her a little while, but the time traveller finally announced :
"Lúmë. It's in Elvish, is that okay?" 
The DM replied :
"Well yeah. You got a second language to pick other than Common anyway, so we'll just say you speak Elvish. It'll be useful considering half of the party are elves."
"Cool." 
After a few dice throws (Chloe had lent her a set for the night) and what felt like a million questions, Max got to the end of her character's creation. 
Steph smiled :
"Now, for our final, and most important question : What's your character's alignment?" 
"Lawful good!" both Rachel and Chloe shouted
Max looked at them, completely lost :
"What?" 
"You're Lawful good." the punk repeated
Mikey nudged her 
"Hmm hmm. I'd like to remind you that it's her character we're talking about."
The blue-haired girl grunted. 
"So, what's your alignment?" the DM asked again
With a smile, Max answered
"Whatever they said" 

______________

"You enter the cave. It's dark and cold. You can hear and feel droplets of water dropping from the ceiling. Suddenly, you hear a loud noise." 
Steph narrated to the players
"What was that?" Max asked
"The monster. Every treasure's protected by a creature." Mikey answered
The DM continued :
"You hear a metallic sound, followed by a deep growl. What do you want to do?" 
"Do we have torches?" Rachel asked  
"You do."
"Okay then, I wanna try and approach the source of the noise to see what's causing it." 
"Can you roll for perception please?" 
The actress rolled the dice
"It's an 18." 
"Oh wow! Nice roll!" Steph exclaimed "You approach the source of the noise, and as you get closer, you notice a creature. You realise, much to your surprise, that you are not facing an enormous beast, but rather a small creature, who's grunts seem to be amplified by the resonance of the cave. Upon closer inspection, you determine that the monster in front of you is a tiny dragon."
"Guys! It's just a tiny dragon!" Rachel announced 
"Be careful, if it's a baby, the mother might be near. Stay alert, friends, this could be really dangerous" Mikey reminded
"A dragon is no match for me and my axe, Elamon!" Chloe replied
"Can I go look at it too?" Max asked
"Sure, roll perception" 
"14" the photographer announced
Steph took a few seconds to think and said :
"You take a look. You recognise this dragon : it's an Eastern Dwarf Dragon. And the metallic noise comes from the chain it's bound to."
"Velca, this isn't just any tiny dragon," Max declared "It's an Eastern Dwarf Dragon, which means this specimen is an adult. And look, at its ankles, its attached by a chain." 
Rachel looked at her "Are you sure?"
"Yes, let's meet with the rest of the group and explain the situation."
"So what's going on?" the blue-haired girl asked
"Well, the tiny dragon's an adult, and it's attached to a chain." Max responded 
"Great! It won't bother us then. Let's get the gold, the stone, and get out of here." Mikey said
Chloe crossed her arms and glanced at the DM :
"Out of character but I gotta ask... Did you go easy on us because there's Max, or is there a huge plot twist coming our way? Cause I don't want to imply that I don't trust you... But I don't trust you, Steph." 
The girl laughed 
"You'll have to see for yourself, Price. Anyway... You walk, getting deeper and deeper into the cave. You finally reach your goal : You can see a pile of gold, the light of your torches making it shine. In the center sits a glowing green stone ; the emerald the merchant told you about. It's right there, in all its glory."
"Hell yeah! Let's take the damn jewel and get the fuck out of here." Chloe exclaimed
"Callamastia! This could be a trap!" Mikey warned her
"So? What else are we supposed to do, we came to get that treasure, we're not going to stand there and look at it! I grab the emerald and starts collecting coins" 
"Sorry Elamon, but... She's right. I join her and starts taking gold as well" Rachel said
The boy sighed and replied 
"I do the same."
Max hesitantly added
"Me too? I guess" 
Steph smiled
"You collect everything you can and start heading out of the cave. You pass the dragon, and, right after, you hear a loud growl. What do you do?" 
Chloe banged her fist on the table
"I fucking knew it! Steph you fucker!" 
The DM laughed 
Rachel rolled her eyes and giggled 
"Let's just run" 
Chloe protested 
"No, come on, let's fight it!" 
"I stand with Velca. Let's flee." Mikey said 
The three of them argued for a few minutes before the time traveller asked 
"Guys, can I... Try something?" 
They all turned to her, surprised
"Uh, uh yeah, sure. Go ahead, Super-Max. I mean, Lúmë." Chloe mumbled 
"I wanna try to play music to appease it."
"Great! Can you roll persuasion for me please?" 
Max reached for the D20 and rolled. 
"It's... A 20!" she announced 
"A nat 20?! Gosh, beginner's luck's real." Rachel commented
"Your spell works wonders! The dragon immediately calms down, and looks at you, seemingly grateful." Steph narrated
"Can I break the chain at its ankle? I'm pretty sure it's hurting it." 
"Yeah, go for it."
"Do I need to roll anything?"
"Hmm... Sleight of hand?" 
"15."
"You pick the lock on the handcuff, freeing the creature from its chains. The dragon begins licking its injured ankle."
Max smiles 
"Elamon, Velca, Callamastia..."
"Yes?" they all replied
"Can we keep it as a pet?" 
Grunts and laughter resonated in the room
"That's a Max Caulfield move if I've seen one!" Chloe exclaimed
Steph chuckled
"Your girlfriend's one of a kind" 

Chapter Text

"Do you think she'll like it?" Rachel asked
"Of course, she'll like it! She used to get so excited for Christmas when we were kids, I'm sure she still likes it as much!"
Chloe answered
The actress smiled and nudged her
"Never thought you'd become this cheesy, the tough girl has a soft heart."
"Shut up, Rach. You're not any better."
"Well, what can I say, I'm a romantic. But you knew that already."
Chloe grinned
"Yeah, miss big gestures in front of crowds. Still haven't forgotten that one."
The blonde girl got closer to her girlfriend and softly place a strand of hair behind her ear
"Oh yeah? Well, I thought you liked it." she smugly said 

She was teasing her, as usual, but she knew that it was an important memory for them, and they were both fond of it. 
It was something neither of them would ever forget. 
They had met only two days prior, and yet, it had been one of the most memorable declarations of love Rachel had given to Chloe.
The actress believed in soulmates, and Chloe was hers, she was sure about that. So when she saw her walk on that stage, she just followed her heart. She went off script, risking disappointing her fellow actors and Mr. Keaton, but she couldn't care less. Despite the audience, this moment felt really intimate, it was as if everything around them had disappeared. It was just the two of them, on that stage.  

"You fucking dragged me on that stage! I didn't know the play and I'm no actress." Chloe blurted 
"Well, you did pretty good. And I could swear it didn't bother you that much when I was on my knees telling you how much I love you." 
The girl shook her head and sighed
"Okay, that was pretty cute."
"Pretty cute?" Rachel laughed "Come on babe, we kissed for the first time that night. You totally fell for me on that stage."
"Wrong, I fell for you the very moment you rescued me at the Firewalk concert."
"Ooh, love at first sight? I like that." 

__________

"You two are acting way too suspicious. It's like you're hiding something..." Max said
Rachel turned to her girlfriend, acting offended
"Us? Oh, we would never! How could you say that? Right Chlo?" 
"Yeah, not our thing. At all."
The photographer shook her head, smiling. She looked out the pick-up's window, admiring Arcadia Bay's landscape. It was cold outside, and snow was covering the streets and the sand. 
"I like this time of year." she softly said. 
Rachel smiled
"I'm more of a summer type of girl, but winter sure looks nice."
Max turned to Chloe :
"Wait? Are we going to the tree house?" 
"Maybe." 
The punk could barely hide her smile
"I thought we said not during winter because it's too cold" the photographer continued. 
But no one answered. 

___________

Max grunted. 
"Snow's pretty but in the woods, it makes it difficult to walk..." she mumbled 
As she took another step, she tripped and fell to the floor. 
"Fuck!" 
"Babe are you okay?!" Rachel exclaimed
Max grunted some more, frowning. She was covered in white. 
She looked up at her partner and cracked a smile, which quickly turned to laughter. 
"I'm too clumsy for my own good, I shouldn't be allowed to walk!" 
Chloe approached her, and suddenly picked her up, and carried her like a bride. 
The girl gasped in surprise and wrapped her arms around her neck, giggling
"It was a joke, Chloe" 
The blue-haired girl started walking with her girlfriend in her arms. 
"I know."
Max felt like a princess, being carried in her girlfriend's arms. She was holding onto Chloe, afraid to fall. Her head was leaning against the girl's shoulder. She could smell the punk's perfume. She nuzzled against her and left a peck on her cheek. 
The blue-haired girl smiled, blushing. 
Max didn't know if her face was red from the cold or the kiss, but she thought it was cute anyway. 
And she wasn't the only one thinking that. 
Rachel was walking beside them, looking at them with a wide smile. 
When she saw Max and Chloe like that, her heart was filled with a wave of joy. This warm feeling in her chest, she knew it all too well by now. Seeing her girlfriends in love made her happy, whether it was being in love with her, or each other. For now, she was just enjoying the moment, being in their company. But in the back of her head, she was already preparing to tease them on that ; Her favourite game was to make the girls flustered or embarrassed, preferably both. And she was very, very good at it. 

They finally reached the tree house, and Chloe let her lover get back on the floor. 
"Ladies first," the punk said, gesturing for her girlfriends to get in
Rachel rolled her eyes, giggling. 
"You're a lady too, dork."
They all climbed the ladder, and as soon as she got inside, Chloe asked :
"What do you think, Super-Max?" 
"Is that really a question?" the time traveller replied 
In the middle of the room, a tiny tree was standing. There was also a box full of ornaments. 
Max hugged her girlfriends. 
Rachel kissed her and said :
"Let's get started, this tree is not gonna decorate itself!" 
"You two are amazing, you know that right?" Max said
"You are amazing, Caulfield." Chloe retorted

The actress started going through the ornaments, looking at them. She held up a Christmas ball and showed it to her girlfriends :
"Look at this one, it's so pretty!" 
"Yeah, let's add it" the punk replied 
Rachel carefully placed it on the tree 
"There!" 
Max pulled a sparkly red garland out of the box and started wrapping it around the tree 
"A little scarf so it doesn't catch a cold!" 
Chloe laughed 
"Did you give a scarf to Lisa too?" 
The photographer chuckled
"I should!"
"Uh, guys?" Rachel called "Why is there a skull in the Christmas ornaments? I'm pretty sure that's a Halloween decoration" 
She was holding a small piece of plastic shaped like a skull. 
Chloe grabbed it to take a look. She turned to Max 
"I think this might be a toy part from our pirate era" 
The girl giggled 
"Pirate era? We're still very much pirates, Captain Bluebeard."
Chloe put the object aside and started digging in the box. 
"Ooh, that's perfect! A lighting garland!" 
Rachel excitedly asked
"Is it rainbow?" 
"Let me see... I'm hoping this thing still has batteries in it" 
She clicked a button, and the lights turned on. 
"Hell yes! And it's rainbow!" 
The actress smiled 
"That's so freaking cool! And it's hella gay" 
The three of them laughed. 

_________

"And... The last ball." Rachel said, placing the ornament on a branch
"Now onto the final piece, the star!" Max exclaimed 
"Let me grab it" 
Chloe began searching. More garlands, more balls... She went through the box, but the star was nowhere to be found. 
"Shit... It's not there. I'm sorry, I thought it was in the box."
Max placed her hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled
"Hey, it's okay, our tree doesn't need a star, it looks perfect already."
"Wait, I got an idea!" Rachel said
She reached for something and placed it on top of the tree
"And... Ta-da! Look at this!" 
The skull toy was proudly sitting there in place of the star. 
Chloe grinned 
"Oh man, that's such a good idea!"
"Yeah, it looks so much cooler like that!" Max added 
"We got the best Christmas tree ever!" Chloe stated 
"Hear me out... Hot chocolate to celebrate?" Rachel suggested 
The time traveller smiled
"Yes! Let's go" 

Chapter Text

"Look at her, she looks amazing!" Rachel was showing her phone to the girls. 
They were all laying in Chloe's bed. It was that lazy kind of day, when it's too cold to be doing anything. It was the middle of the afternoon and yet they had only gotten up to eat lunch. They enjoyed just cuddling together and chatting, it was nice. It felt good to rest for a while. 

"Yeah, it looks cool. But I've got a question" Chloe said
"Yeah?"
"How many pictures of that haircut have you saved in your Pinterest? Cause it feels like there's too many to count"
Max giggled
"Yeah, you got a ton of those! But you're right though, it looks very cool."
Chloe shrugged
"Those girls look nice but they'll never compare to you two"
Rachel smiled and sighed
"Stop being so cute. Now seriously, what do you think about her hair? I love it"
"Well, it's pretty damn nice. And I think it would look good on you." the punk said
"For real?" 
"Yeah, you would totally rock this" 
"Max, what do you think?" the actress asked
"I think it would suit you perfectly" 
"Well shit... I really want to do it now" 
The photographer encouraged her
"Go for it!" 
"Yeah, you'll look hot and badass" Chloe added
Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes
"Of course, you said that" 
The punk chuckled and kissed her on the cheek 
"So you want that haircut?" 
"Yeah" 
"I think I could actually cut your hair."
"For real?" the blonde girl asked
"For real. I'm pretty sure sergeant dickhead has a hair clipper we could borrow. You down?"
"Well... Fuck it, let's do this! I'm down" 

_________

The three girls were all cramped in the Price's small bathroom. Rachel was sitting on a chair, brushing her hair. 
Chloe was leaning against the wall, hugging Max. 
"I can't believe I'm doing this" the actress sighed 
Chloe smirked
"Don't you trust me?" 
"There's a lot of things I trust you with, miss Price, but until now, my hair was not one of them. Have you even ever done this before?" 
"Nope, but there's gotta be a first time for everything, right?" 
"I swear to god Chloe you better know what you're doing."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine. Shaving hair shouldn't be that hard!"
Max looked at Rachel
"You're beautiful, and no failed haircut can change that."
The young woman softly smiled
"Thanks, babe. Now get your ass over here so we can get started, I already want this over with!" 
The photographer wriggled out of her girlfriend's arms and sat on the edge of the bathtub, right behind Rachel. She grabbed the comb : they had decided she would be the one parting the actress' hair, as Chloe would be cutting it. She meticulously began dividing her hair into smaller sections, tying some up and letting the others down. 
"Okay, I think we're good. What do you think?" 
Rachel looked in the mirror 
"Yeah, looks straight and symmetrical, that's good. What do you think Chlo?" 
"I think you look hella weird, but yeah the parting's nice."
The blonde girl raised her middle finger with a smile, and the blue one responded with a smirk and stuck her tongue out. 
She got up and took Max's place, hair clipper in hand. 
"Ready?" 
Rachel took a deep breath 
"Go for it."
The punk turned the clipper on and for the next 15min, its buzzing sound was all you could hear. 
Long strands of blond hair were falling to the floor.
The actress closed her eyes, waiting. 
"Okay. All done."
"Really?" 
"Yeah, you can take a look."
The young woman detached her hair, letting it fall on her shoulders. She took a hair tie and quickly pulled them in a ponytail. 
"I'm too scared to look yet. How do I look?"
Chloe grinned and crossed her arms. 
"Gay. You look very fucking gay."
Rachel shook her head, laughing
"Thanks, babe, but I already knew that."
"No, but like, having an undercut makes you look even gayer. Oh and you look amazing but that was obvious."
"Oh fuck off." the girl retorted. And yet, she couldn't hide the smile creeping at the corner of her lips, nor the blush slowly tinting her cheeks. 
Max was sitting on the floor, facing her. She softly smiled and said 
"I think it suits you really well. It looks really good on you, and I feel like it kinda reflects who you are."
"Oh, what do you mean by that?" she asked intrigued 
Her girlfriend explained 
"Well, if you let your hair down, it's hidden, and when you tie them up, you reveal the shaved undercut. A bit like how you act a certain way around people, but then there's a lot of things you're hiding underneath that mask. Also, the long hair fits the perfect girl stereotype most people see in you, while the shaved part kind of reflects your little rebellious streak. Don't you think?"
There was a silence before Rachel said
"Oh wow. That was... Unexpectedly deep. And a little too accurate for my taste... Caulfield, are you secretly a therapist?" 
Max and Chloe burst out laughing 
"Anyway..." Rachel turned to face the mirror and gasped at the result 
"Okay, you were both right : I'm totally rocking this haircut."
She chuckled
"And I look hella gay.

Chapter Text

"How was Christmas?" Chloe asked
Max replied 
"It was great, we had a huge family gathering at my parents' house, with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Everyone was all over me, asking me all sorts of questions about my scholarship at Blackwell and stuff... It got a bit tiring but I was glad to see my family. What about you two?"
The girls were chilling in Rachel's room. It was a very cold Sunday, the sun was barely visible even though it was early in the afternoon. The were all curled up under a blanket, drinking hot chocolate. 
Rachel took a sip of her drink and started explaining :
"It was cool, I got to meet some of Chloe's family. I did spend some time with my mom on Christmas eve but there was no way I'd attend the Amber family dinner, I would've killed my father." 
"So she attended my family dinner instead, weird choice but it was nice having her with me." Chloe said
"Come on, your family's not that bad"
"Never said they were! Uncle Aaron and aunt Linda are pretty cool, I like that they care enough about mom and I to come celebrate Christmas with us even though dad's gone. And great aunt Dorothy's nice too. It's just that if I were you I wouldn't want to spend Christmas with my step-douche."
Rachel nudged her
"Oh come on, he isn't that bad. Have you listened to what Max told us about the timelines she went through?"
The girl sighed
"Yeah, yeah, well he might actually care about me but in this timeline he hasn't shown it. And still, he has a shit ton of sexism to unlearn. He's nicer than he used to be but if he wants me call him David, he'll have to earn it."
Max shrugged 
"It's understandable, a relationship doesn't get fixed that easily. Just because he has a good heart and good intentions doesn't mean we shouldn't acknowledge the fact he isn't acting the right way. But I'm sure he'll get better, eventually." 
Chloe sighed
" I hope so... "
Suddenly, Rachel got up. 
Chloe looked at her
"What are you-"
The actress was watching the sky through her window, a bright smile curling her lips
"Guys, it's snowing! Like, a lot!"
"Really? Again?" 
The punk got up to take a look, promptly followed by the photographer  
"Yeah!" 
The blue-haired girl gasped 
"Holy shit you're right! That's a shit ton of snow!" 
Max smiled 
"Do you remember when how we used to play in your back yard during winter?" 
The punk laughed
"It was hella fun, we always ended up covered in half-melted snow and mom would yell at us when we got some inside."
The actress turned to her lovers
"Want to have a snowball fight? I haven't had one of these since I was a kid."
The blue-haired girl clapped her hands, grinning
"I'm going to crush you!" 
The photographer laughed
"No way Price, I'm winning this."
The blonde one crossed her arms 
"Well we'll see... What are we waiting for? Let's go!" 

The three young women grabbed their coats, scarves, gloves, beanies and shoes, quickly put them on, and ran downstairs. 
The street was covered in white, a strong wind blowing in the air. 
The snow was crunching under the girls' feet. 
Chloe smirked and gathered some snow in her hands 
"May the battle begin!" 
Max was almost immediately hit in the shoulder 
"Hey! Not fair." she quickly made a snowball and shot it right back at the punk
Within a few minutes, the three of them were already covered in powdery snow. 
"Take this, pirate!" Rachel shouted with another throw 
The girl got hit right in the back of her head. She turned around 
"You're gonna regret this princess!" 
She took a good amount of snow and threw it in the young woman's direction, but she dodged it. The actress laughed and smugly said 
"Aw, can't aim? Let me teach you!" 
As she was reaching for the ground to make her snowball, she received one in her back, throwing her off balance and making her fall. She got up and turned to see Max, giggling. 
"Oh you, you're gonna pay for this!" 
She walked towards her, snow in hand. The photographer was stepping back, still giggling. 
The actress sped up, and in response, Max started running the opposite way. 
"Come here you little brat!" Rachel yelled, laughing 
As the blonde girl was chasing her, the time traveller decided to seek shelter in her girlfriend's arms. She was rushing towards her, and hid behind her back. 
"Chloe! Help me!" 
"Hey! No, that's your-" 
Rachel jumped on her, reaching for Max
"Got you!" 
The punk lost her balance and fell, taking both her lovers down with her. 
They all hit the ground, but luckily, the snow was thick enough to cushion the fall. 
"Shit!" Rachel exclaimed "Are you hurt?" 
Max grunted 
"No but please get off me you're crushing me!!!" 
The girls quickly rolled off of her, and they all started laughing. 
For a moment they stayed there, laying in the snow. 
"Hey guys, I'm starting to get cold" Max said
"Me too" Chloe replied 
"Same" Rachel added "Let's head inside."
They all got up, and went back to the Ambers' house. 

Rose opened the door, and stared at them, astounded. 
"What happened?" 
The young women looked at each other, trying not to laugh
"Uh, we played in the snow, mom" Rachel answered 
"You... Played in the snow?" 
"Yes. We did."
"Okay then... You should all take a hot shower and change clothes, you're gonna catch a cold."
"Yes mom, will do. Come on guys, let's go upstairs."

_________

Once were back in Rachel's room, the girls started laughing. 
"Omg her face! It was so funny!" Chloe exclaimed while getting her boots off
Rachel was shuffling out of her coat, chuckling 
"She finds it absurd that her 20yo daughter would partake in such childish activities" she explained
Max was removing her scarf
"What's wrong with having a little bit of fun? I don't get why adults shouldn't play."
The punk took off her beanie, and ran her fingers through her hair 
"I don't know, she must be so bored being so serious all the time. What's her life like if she thinks harmless fun is wrong?"
Rachel removed her shirt 
"My shirt got wet even with the coat..." she mumbled to herself. She then looked up to her partners
"Well, I don't think my mom actually sees it as bad, I think she just finds it weird. Which makes sense, I mean, look at the guy she married..." 
The punk scoffed 
"True" 
Rachel grabbed a shirt and announced 
"Gonna take a shower guys, be right back. My mom's right on that one, I don't wanna catch a cold."
She stopped at the door, turned around and blew a kiss before leaving the room.

Chloe looked at her lover "You okay Super-Max?" 
The girl looked up and nodded. She was shivering. 
"I'm good, just a bit cold."
Chloe wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and stroked her arms. 
"Your t-shirt's all damp, maybe you should change."
"Yeah, I guess, but I don't have another one."
The punk immediately unbuttoned her top. 
"Here, you can just borrow mine."
She took off the photographer shirt, and replaced it by her flannel. 
The time traveller blushed.
"Thanks."
The blue-haired girl smiled. Her lover looked adorable like that. The red shirt was way too big for her, and made her look even smaller. She hugged her. 
"I love you Max."
"I love you too, Chloe" 
The photographer smiled. The warmth of her girlfriend's skin was just so comforting. She closed her eyes. She could hear her partner's heart beating in her chest. 
"Hey" Chloe whispered, her voice gentle and soft "If you're gonna fall asleep, it's better in a bed than standing up, don't you think?" 
The young woman giggled and let go of her lover to sit in the bed. The punk joined her and layed on the bed. The time traveller nuzzled against her.
She liked how gentle Chloe was with her. It was a side of her not many people got to see, and Max loves it.
She loves how careful and caring she could get with her, how soft she could be. She loves that part of Chloe as much as she loves every other part of her. She loves how brave, fierce and tough she was. She admires her strength. She loves everything about her, every quality and every flaw. She loves her impulsivity, her roughness, her short temper, her smug smirks and bad jokes, her signature smell. She loves how flirty she gets with her and how flustered she gets when Rachel gives her the same treatment. She loves every tiny details about her. She loves her. 
She loves her as her best friend, her lover, her partner in crime.
 
She smiled, and brushed her hand against Chloe's cheek.
Max was still a bit cold, but her heart definitely wasn't. It was filled with warm feeling of joy. 
She got closer to her, her face a mere inch from her lover's. 
"I want to kiss you." 
The girl chuckled
"Go ahead."
The photographer was rarely the one initiating kisses, even when she wanted to. She was just a little too nervous for that. Yet. 
Eyes closed and lips collapsing, the cold was forgotten. Chloe tasted of chocolate and cigarettes, which was a weird mix, but Max didn't mind. Kissing this girl felt like heaven, and that was the only thing on her mind. 
When they broke the kiss, the punk's eyes widened. 
"Rach?! How long have you been-" 
The girl ran her hand through her wet hair, smirking 
"Watching? A few minutes, why?" 
Max turned to see her lover, who was leaning against the door frame. 
Both hers and Chloe's cheeks were burning red. 
Rachel laughed 
"Oh come on, I've seen much more. And you two are cute."
She closed the door and joined her lovers on the bed. They were still silent. 
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out, you were cute and I didn't want to interrupt." 
Max immediately replied 
"Oh no it's okay! It's okay, really."
Chloe smiled 
"Yeah babe, don't worry, we would've told you a long time ago if that bothered us. We were just kind of surprised to see you standing there."
Rachel chuckled 
"I honestly thought you would've heard me open the door" 
Chloe shook her head
"Dude you're too sneaky! We didn't hear shit!" 
The actress smirked
"Nah, you were just too busy. Should I announce my presence with horns like royalty next time?" 
Max giggled 
"No need, Princess Amber."
"Oh no, you're time going to start calling me that too?!" 
The photographer smiled 
"I just might. But I mean it, it's not just to pick on you. You're a princess." 
The actress raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms
"Really?" 
Chloe kissed her on the cheek
"Yeah, you're our princess."

Chapter Text

"Let's see... We have to buy my mom's stuff first." Chloe said
She was holding two pieces of paper, two grocery lists: the first was written by Joyce, the second one by the girls.
Max and Rachel were standing beside Chloe, holding hands.
"I think we should get a cart" the photographer suggested
The punk nodded
"I'll go get one."
She shoved the lists in her jeans pockets and went to grab a shopping cart. Once she had it, she came back to the girls and they all entered the store.

"So we need eggs, milk, bread, cereal, bacon, bananas, sausages and oil." Chloe read
"I've got a suggestion to make!" Rachel exclaimed "I think we should split up, that way we'll be quicker to get your mom's groceries, and then we can get to ours quicker! We can just meet up once we got everything"
"Great plan! Let's meet at the snack aisle. I'll get the milk and eggs and oil, Max can get the cereals and the bananas, and you can get the bacon and sausages. Is that okay with you?"
Both girls agreed, and they were on their way to collect the items. In less than 15 minutes, they were done with their mission. 
They met at the snack aisle, as agreed, and dropped their loot in the cart.
Chloe read the list once again and made sure everything was there. 
"Alright, we're good with Joyce's groceries! Now onto the fun part" 
She reached for the second piece of paper, which was crumpled in her back pocket. 
"We need savoury snacks, drinks, sweet snacks, ice cream, and some actual food for dinner."
Max cheered 
"Let's go!" 
"Where should we start?" Chloe asked
"Actual food, then snacks, then drinks and ice cream comes last." Rachel immediately replied
Chloe chuckled 
"Oh wow, you came hella prepared" 
The actress smiled and lightly poked her on the nose
"Always be prepared, babe" 

__________

The girls decided to eat salad as a main course and began gathering the ingredients. Salad, of course, tomatoes, cucumber, chicken and salad dressing. 
They went back to the snack aisle and started pilling up on various crisps and sweets. Then they went to get drinks, and Max insisted that they all get soda instead of beer, which Chloe complained about at first, but she gave in when Rachel told her she would get some for her another day. 
They finally got to the ice cream, but the choice was a lot more difficult. 
"There are so many flavours... I don't know which one I want" Max said
Rachel opened the refrigerator door and reached for a cup. 
"I think I'll go with a classic, cookies and cream is a safe choice."  
Chloe grabbed one as well
"Chocolate for me!" 
The photographer hesitated for a moment, then announced :
"I'll go for strawberry and cream" 
"Great!" Chloe cheered "We're good to go."
But as they were heading to check out, something caught Max's eye. 
She tugged at Rachel's sleeve to get her attention. 
"Yes babe?" she looked at her
"Look."
The model smiled as she saw what the girl was pointing at. There was a huge bin filled to the brim with stuffed animals. 
The photographer let go of her girlfriend's hand and rushed towards it. She squealed with excitement as she started going through the soft toys. The high-pitched sound drew Chloe's attention. She turned to see what was going on and laughed at her girlfriend's childish attitude. It was cute, seeing her like that. 
"Girls, look, look !" 
She pulled out a stuffed doe from the pile and proudly held it above her head. 
"It's Rach!"
Her joy was showing through her bright smile as she hugged the doe. 
Chloe crossed her arms and playfully rolled her eyes, grinning.
"I guess it's coming home with us, right?"
Max froze for a moment, then began frantically searching through her messenger bag.
The punk shook her head. 
"Relax Super-Max. I'll buy it for you." 
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you Chloe!" the girl jumped right into her lover's arms
The punk chuckled and messed with her hair.
Rachel watched the scene, raising an eyebrow and faking a pout.
"Are you perhaps jealous, miss Amber?"
"I just might be."
The blue-haired girl laughed
"Go get one, I'll pay for it too."
The blonde's face flashed with a satisfied grin before she went to grab a stuffed toy, acting nonchalant again. 
A few seconds later, she found the photographer by her side. 
"Which one are you gonna choose?" 
The model hummed, hesitant. 
"I don't know. The kitty's pretty cute, but I haven't decided yet."
She kept digging through the pile until she found the perfect one. 
"I'm getting this one!" 
Max gasped 
"It's Chloe!!!" 
The punk turned around 
"Me?" 
"Yeah! It's a blue butterfly!" 
Hearing those words, the girl felt her heart melt, but also hurt, just a little. 
Max wouldn't know her spirit was a blue butterfly if she hadn't seen her die. She wouldn't know Rachel's was a doe if she hadn't seen her corpse. Chloe wished she didn't know. She wished butterflies were just beautiful insects and doe only reminded her of Bambi. She wished Max hadn't gone through all that. But it was in the past now. For good. 
So she smiled and replied, as enthusiastically as she could :
"Oh! Yeah! It's me as a plushie!" 
Rachel smirked, hugging the soft toy
"I'm getting myself a Chloe!" she exclaimed
Her lover nudged her and playfully retorted 
"You got a real one right there, and she gives better hugs."
"Oh yeah? Well I think I need proof." the actress teasingly said
Chloe rolled her eyes, grinning 
"Come here, you dork"
The young woman wrapped her arms around the model, who hummed with contentment in response. 

As the punk was about to leave the aisle and finally check out, she heard Max's voice calling her :
"Chlo? You're not getting one?" 
The blue-haired girl looked at her and smiled 
"Nope. I don't know what kind of animal Max Caulfield's soul is. And I hope I never will." 

Chapter Text

It was around 3 pm. In Rachel's house, there was a floating feeling of excitement and anticipation. A tangible and growing impatience, accompanied by its friend, restlessness. When you're waiting for something, the last few hours are always the worst.
And the girls were getting a good taste of it.

"Okay, what are we thinking of this outfit?" Rachel asked. 
She spun around so her partners could get a good look at her clothes from every angle. 
The girl was shining in black skinny jeans held by a studded belt with a tight-fitting Firewalk tank top. Paired with it, her famous flannel shirt was worn unbuttoned. Then there was the jewellery; Around her neck was a spiked chocker which matched the bracelets around her wrists, and her usual blue feather was hanging from her ear. She wasn't wearing them yet, but she was planning on adding leather boots to complete the outfit. 

Chloe looked at her up and down and said 
"I'm thinking you look hot. Like hella hot." 
The actress smiled and blew her a kiss, that signature smug look in her eyes
"Thanks, babe!" 
Max was sitting on Rachel's bed. She exclaimed :
"You look fabulous Rach!" 
"Thank you, Max" 
The young woman played with a strand of her hair
"Still need to work on my hair and do my makeup though."
She turned to the photographer 
"And we need to get you an outfit too!" 
"An outfit?" Max asked
"Well yeah, we're not going to let you go to a Firewalk concert in your usual clothes! Don't get me wrong, you look beautiful in them babe, but we need something a little more punk rock for the night" 
Rachel explained
Chloe grinned 
"We'll make a thrasher out of you!" 
Max giggled 
"I've heard that one before, Chloe"

___________

Max looked in the mirror. Looking like that, she barely recognised herself. It was so obviously her girlfriends' work that she felt like a poor imitation of Rachel. 
Black tights and a pair of jean shorts chosen by the actress, combined with an old, worn-out Firewalk tank top that came right out of Chloe's closet. To match with her partners, the red flannel shirt they bought her a few months ago was added on top, and Max was thankful for it; She wasn't confident enough to wear anything too revealing, and the flannel provided additional coverage, which was very much welcome. 
Her lovers admired their work, satisfied grins on their faces. 
Chloe came behind her and pulled her into a hug, resting her head against the girl's shoulder. 
"What do you think?" 
The photographer took a second before replying :
"It's... Different." 
"You don't like it?" Rachel asked, a hint of worry and disappointment in her voice
"No no I do! The outfit looks nice. It's just... I feel like it doesn't fit me. Not that I don't like it it's just..." the young woman sighed "I don't know, I guess I'm just not pretty enough to wear that kind of clothes, it looks almost ridiculous on me."
The time traveller felt Chloe's arms tightening around her waist. 
"Fuck that. You'd look good in a garbage bag, Max! You're so pretty, anything could fit you. You look badass in this outfit, Caulfield. All you need is a little confidence, you could make the whole world bow."
Rachel pecked her on the cheek. 
"If you want to change, you can. But you look amazing babe, really."
Max looked at her reflection again, and let a shy smile appear on her face. 
"You guys really need to tell me how you do that to me."
Rachel smirked 
"It's called love, baby."

___________

Chloe was sitting on the bathroom floor with Max snuggled against her. They were both staring at the actress.
She was doing her hair the exact same way they were when Chloe met her. The ponytail was revealing her freshly shaved undercut, which her girlfriends now took care of every few weeks. 
She was focused on her task, adding hairspray to keep everything in place. 
Max admired her every movement; There was something mesmerising to her, she had some sort of aura, of charm that just drew anyone towards her. And her girlfriends were definitely no exception. The photographer was in awe. Rachel was just so effortlessly perfect sometimes. Sure, in front of others it was part of her mask, of her "perfect girl" persona. But in moments like these, Max and Chloe knew it was genuine, she was just flawless and beautiful, and she was not even trying. 
Of course, she isn't actually perfect, nobody is, and the girls were well aware of that. Chloe in particular, as she had seen every side of her, including the worst, knew it better than anyone else. Still, in these moments, she was perfect to them, and no one could argue with them on that matter. 

The girl turned to them, smiling. 
"Hair, done! Up next, the makeup!" 
She grinned and placed a hand on her hips. 
"Get your ass up here babes" 
"Wait what?" Chloe blurted
Rachel giggled. 
"You heard me, come here so I can put some powder on your pretty face."
"Makeup? On me ?" the punk asked 
"I know you're not on the fem side, but trust me I can make it look very cool. And I won't overdo it, I promise."
Max looked at her.
"I've never seen you with makeup before, Chlo."
"That's cause I don't wear makeup! I don't like it on me." she retorted
Rachel smirked, raising an eyebrow
"Oh yeah? You sure about that?"
"Fuck yeah, I don't wear makeup, last time I did was years ago when you forced me onto that stage for the play. That's it."
The actress crossed her arms. 
"Weird. I could've sworn you borrowed my foundation and concealer, and I even remember helping you with it."
Chloe froze, taken aback. She mumbled :
"That... That doesn't count, it's not really makeup."
"Wait, what did you use her concealer and foundation for?" Max asked, surprised
Before the girl could answer, the model interrupted her. 
"To avoid Joyce's wrath. And her questions. A black eye, some bruises, some hickeys... There are tons of things to hide on that skin of yours, isn't it Chloe?"
Max furrowed her brows, worried. 
"A black eye? What happened Chloe? Did you get into a fight?" 
"Chill, Caulfield." the girl replied "The black eye was a long time ago. Years, actually. But yeah I did get into a fight more recently. But it's fine."
Her girlfriend didn't seem satisfied with that answer. She looked even more concerned. 
Rachel explained 
"A guy was looking at me weird. Like, staring at my boobs kind of weird. Didn't see him, but she did, and she punched that asshole. She only got a few bruises before I managed to break the fight. But yeah it was better to hide them to avoid getting yelled at by Joyce."
The photographer sighed. 
"Be careful Chloe, please."
Her lover kissed her on the cheek and softly said 
"I know. I will."
Rachel smiled 
"Anyway, you won't escape my wonderful makeup abilities. Come here C."
Chloe shook her head. Max turned to face her. 
"Come on babe, it'll look so good on you! I wanna see you with makeup!" she said
"It'll be just a tiny bit of eyeshadow and eyeliner, just a little bit. Black would totally bring out those mind-blowing eyes of yours." the actress added 
Max nodded 
"The contrast between dark and light works really well. And blue does great with black." 
Chloe sighed and got up. 
"Okay. Just this once, I'll try."
Rachel squealed with excitement, and the blue-haired girl couldn't help but smile. She rolled her eyes and her lover began painting her face. 
The punk looked at her; She was so close. So close she could feel her breath on her face. Well, only when she didn't stop breathing to keep her hand steady. 
She was looking cute with her focused pout. She was frowning ever so slightly and would bite her lips from time to time. 
With her fingers brushing against her skin and her face so close to hers, Chloe could feel her cheeks flushing. 
Their relationship wasn't new, they were 16 when they first met. And yet she still felt the same every time they got this close, still felt so flustered every time Rachel looked at her in the eyes. She was still in love, the young, exciting and passionate kind of love, the one from the beginning.  
She smiled. 
"Are you gonna kiss me or what?" 
Rachel's voice brought Chloe back to reality 
"What?" 
"I see you staring, Price. Subtlety has never really been your thing, uh?"
"Fuck you Rach." the woman grunted "And I was not kissing you because you were doing my makeup and you told me to stay still!" 
"Good point. But I'm done now." 
And before she could add anything, Rachel was lifted up in her partner's arms, feet off the ground. She giggled and wrapped herself around Chloe, arms around her neck and legs around her waist. She pressed her lips against her lover's and when the girl let her down, she smirked. 
"Well, I gotta put makeup on Max too now."
The photographer got up, smiling 
"Is the kiss the makeup artist's pay?" 
Rachel nodded 
"Well, I'm more than willing to pay. But I can't lift you up though, my arms are too weak."
"That'll do."

______________

It was 8 pm, and the girls were waiting in line for the concert. 
"I've never been here," Max said
"Never been here as in Portland or as in the Crystal Ballroom?" Rachel asked 
"Never been to the Crystal Ballroom. I've been to Portland but never for concerts."
"Same" Chloe replied, "But it seems like they host pretty cool shit here."
Her girlfriends nodded
"So how are you feeling Max?" the punk asked 
"I'm a bit nervous, but it's exciting."
Rachel placed a hand on the girl's shoulder 
"Don't worry it's gonna be fun" she assured "We're gonna have a blast!" 

___________

The girls were right. This concert was so much fun. If Max felt out of place at the beginning, she no longer did. She didn't think she'd enjoy it that much, but here she was, jumping and dancing to the music with her two punk girlfriends.
Not only was she having fun, but her lovers were, and seeing them this happy filled her own heart with joy. It was pure bliss. 
The song ended, and the band's singer started talking :
"Hey! Portland! How's it going tonight?" 
The crowd cheered loudly, shouting
The man grinned
"Hey Portland," he continued "Are you readyyyyy?" 
More screaming. 
Rachel gave a knowing look, and Chloe nodded, a huge smile curling her lips
"Are you ready for me?!" 
The audience went wild. The first notes of the song started playing and the two girls were instantly brought back to the night they met. For a split second, they were 16 again, at the old mill. Rachel wasn't Chloe's girlfriend, she was the hot girl who rescued her from some scary guys by throwing an empty beer bottle at them. Chloe wasn't Rachel's lover, she was that girl from school who looked just so badass kicking this scary dude. Minutes after the incident, they were in the pit, right in front of the stage and-
"It was a good time, uh?"
The actress looked at her partner, smiling
"It sure was, punk"

Back in the moment, the girls let themselves drown in the sound, bass so loud it could almost burst their eardrum. Around them, everything disappeared but the band. 
It was just them and the music, and it felt so good.
The girls appreciated each and every second of the concert. Still, the night came to an end too early to their liking. 

"This was AWESOME!" Rachel exclaimed
The three girls were walking down the streets of Portland, trying to get back to their hotel. 
Max nodded, smiling 
"Yes, I'm so glad you convinced me to come along" 
"So, are you a baby punk yet?" Chloe asked, amused
The photographer chuckled 
"I don't know, but I enjoyed tonight."
"Ah, the hippie needs some more convincing. Think we can do that, Rach?"
The actress confidently answered :
"Of course. Just wait and see, Maximus will be a real punk in no time. But," she glanced at the blue-haired woman, "I think you should be focusing on your phone right now because I'm pretty sure we took a wrong turn."
Chloe stopped and turned to look at the model, then back to her screen :
"What? No, we didn't-... Okay, well excuse me, but Google Maps doesn't give the best instructions."
The blonde girl chuckled
"Sure babe." 

When the girls finally made it back to the hotel, the three of them flopped onto the king-size bed leaving the single bed in the corner of the room abandoned. They were all so exhausted that none of them took the time to wipe off their makeup. They snuggled together and fell asleep immediately. 
That night brought back lots of happy memories, but it also made new ones. 
And those are memories the girls will cherish forever. 

Chapter Text

The sun was gradually getting higher in the sky, its light coming through the hotel room windows. 
Max opened her eyes, yawning. She stretched and turned to the side. She looked at Rachel, who was peacefully laying beside her, half asleep.
"Hi, babe."
The model's morning voice was raspy and low, tired and sleep-drunk.
Max was used to it by now, but she still found it just as endearing. She smiled.
"Hey, you. How did you sleep?"
"Good. I slept well. You?"
The photographer nodded
"Slept well too. Ready for today?"
The actress stretched and sat up.
"Yes. Ready."
They both got up, and Max picked up her bag, searching for some clothes. Rachel was sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling. 
"God, I still can't believe they wanted to find us another room yesterday." she laughed
Max giggled and started imitating the worker from the check-in
"Oh, ladies, this is a one-bed bedroom, this must be a mistake, let me check if we have another one available because obviously, two girls can't possibly sleep in the same bed" 
The blonde chuckled
"His face was priceless when I kissed you!" 
"Oh my god yeah! It totally fucked with his brain."
Rachel rolled her eyes
"Straight people."
Max giggled. She got everything she needed out of the bag and closed it. 
"I'm going to take a shower" 
"Okay, see you in a bit" the blonde girl replied 

Rachel looked out the window. She had been planning this weekend with Max for a little while now. They wanted to see every museum in Oregon together, and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History of Eugene was one they hadn't visited yet. So Rachel bought them bus tickets, booked a hotel room and saved money for the museum entry, for food, and some extra because she knew Max couldn't leave a museum without an item from the gift shop. 
She loved going to museums with Max. It was their thing, their special moments. She loved the way Max would excitedly point at artworks she knew and explain everything about them to her. She loved to see her girlfriend stop to take pictures. 
She always enjoyed going to museums, but it was just so much better with Max by her side. She had no idea she'd enjoy Max's presence like that someday. Not in a million years did she think they'd end up here. 

When Max came into their life, Rachel and Chloe had a hard time dealing with it. Rachel didn't know how to act around her; She couldn't help but resent her in some way. How could she come back to Chloe as if nothing happened after abandoning her for years? She was jealous, more than she wanted to admit. That beautiful girl had travelled through time to save Chloe, and now she felt as if her girlfriend was slipping through her fingers. She hated her for stealing her soulmate. But she couldn't hate her. No matter how angry she was, how mad she wanted to be... She just couldn't. Max had saved her lover's life... But she also saved hers. She went through so much, just to save them. She went out of her way to save her, a perfect stranger. From what Rachel understood, Max knew Chloe and Rachel were together before her death. So she knew they'd be together again once she went back to save her. And Max was definitely in love with Chloe, she couldn't hide it from the actress. So why save her at all? Why did she come back to save Rachel if she could have kept Chloe to herself?
The model was so confused: Max was so selfless, so brave, and here she was, getting bitter over her partner reuniting with her childhood best friend and saviour. She should be grateful. And in a way, she was.
Gradually, her anger died down. Her relationship with Max grew, and they eventually became friends. She began understanding why Chloe loved her so much, and the trio became a thing. Her heart still ached when she saw the way the girls looked at each other and the longing stares Max would give Chloe. But she buried it deep inside her and acted unbothered. Until everything changed.

"Hey" Max's voice pulled Rachel out of her thoughts 
"You can shower if you want"
The girl smiled, nodding
"Uh, yeah! I'll go shower and then we can go."
Max frowned, a worried look on her face
"Are you okay?" 
"Yeah! I am. Sorry I was just thinking about the beginning. How much things changed and... I'm so glad things turned out the way they did." 
She smiled and walked up to Max, wrapping her arms around her
"I'm so happy I get to be your girlfriend, babe."
Max was caught off guard. Rachel rarely let her feelings out like that. She showed love in her own ways, but this was unusual. Not unpleasant in the slightest, though. The photographer hugged her lover tightly. 
"I love you, Rachel" 
"I love you too, Max" 
They stayed there for a while, finding comfort in the embrace. The model finally let go, chuckling a bit 
"I stink, I better go shower."
And just like that, she disappeared into the bathroom, leaving a smiling and blushing Max in the middle of their hotel room. 

__________

"Told you we wouldn't get lost!" Rachel exclaimed
"Well I don't trust myself with that" Max mumbled
The blonde girl kissed her girlfriend's cheek 
"You should trust yourself. And not just with that."

The model grabbed her lover's hand and they headed inside. 
They bought tickets and started the visit. 
A large portion of the museum was dedicated to Oregon and its history. 

But Max's favourite part was unsurprisingly the photography exhibit. 
It wasn't the type of photography she was used to studying, but she still liked it.
"Photo Ark, by Joel Sartore." she read 
She looked at the pictures, silently analysing them. 
"You like those?" Rachel asked
The photographer smiled and nodded
"I like how... pure these shots are. No frills or anything too complicated. It's just the animal. These are beautiful portraits and there's something so... Emotional about them. I think their beauty lies in their simplicity." 
Rachel agreed
"Yeah. I think my favourite is the tiger."
Max smiled
"Of course. Felines."
The actress smirked and made a claws hand gesture 
"Grrr" 
The time traveller felt like she could die from embarrassment 
"Rachel..." 
Her reaction earned her a hearty laugh from her girlfriend. 
She grabbed Max's hand and smiled 
"Come on, let's see the rest."

____________

"That's it?" Max asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice 
"Well, we saw and learned lots of things already, don't you think?" Rachel replied. 
The photographer smiled 
"Yeah, you're right. I guess... I just wanted to spend a little more time with you here, I love our museum dates."
The model cupped her face and kissed her. 
"Don't worry babe, there are still plenty of museums we haven't visited yet. And after Oregon, we could visit the museums in all of the other states! Or better, the whole world! I'd travel to every museum in the world with you."
Max wrapped her arms around the girl's neck. 
"That sounds amazing, travelling with you."
"Right? And to me, that sounds like a plan."
"For real?" 
"Well, maybe not every museum, cause that might be a little difficult, but, as many as we can, for sure." 
The photographer smiled
"I love you, Rachel."
"I love you too, Max."

Chapter Text

"Wowser! This one looks so good!" Max exclaimed
"Yeah! And I look hella badass in it!" Chloe commented
The girls were all sitting on the floor of Max's dorm room, surrounded by countless polaroid pictures.
"Let me see!" Rachel peeked behind Chloe's shoulder to look at the picture she was holding
"There," her girlfriend handed it to her, and she smiled as she took it
It was a candid of the blue-haired woman, working on a car. She was a mechanic as a side hustle, while still working at the Two whales for most of the week.
In the photograph, she was completely focused on the car. She was frowning and sweaty, hands dirty and black from the grease and oil. She was leaning on her right hand, which was placed on the hood of the vehicle, and she was holding a tool in the other.
Rachel couldn't exactly point out why, but she loved seeing her girlfriend work on cars. Back when they were younger, she loved looking at her fix the old pick-up, and now she would sometimes hang at the garage during Chloe's hours. Her boss was okay with it as long as she wasn't disturbing the workflow. 

"I fucking love it." the model said
The punk let out a throaty laugh
"Of course you do."
"What?"
"Miss Amber has a thing for strong girls doing stereotypically manly things."
The actress nudged her
"Fuck you Price"
Chloe stuck out her tongue
"I just really like this shot, the angle is nice, and I like candids. And Max's pictures are always amazing, " she smiled, "And you're hot, I admit"
When she said that, the biggest smirk appeared on her girlfriend's face. 
Rachel nudged her and reached for another picture. Another candid.
These were Max's specialities. Rachel did pose for her a few times, but the photographer always preferred capturing genuine moments, which is something the model understood.

"Which one are you looking at?" Max asked
"Oh, uh, the one with Chloe and I."
The time traveller let out a soft chuckle
"There's plenty of those, you know? Which one?"
Rachel looked at the picture again and described it
"We're laughing, and I'm standing behind Chlo, my arms around her waist. We're in my room."
"Oh, I like this one!" Max exclaimed "It's one of my favourites"
"Hey Mad-Max," Chloe said 
"Yeah?" 
"You have to teach us how to take photos like this, I want pictures with you in them."
Max stopped in her tracks and looked at Chloe
"Wait, for real? You'd like to learn photography?" 
The girl continued 
"Yeah, like the basics, enough to make decent shots. I'm not aiming for a professional level like you, I just want to be able to take pics of your pretty face."
She said it so casually that it took Max off guard
"I...I'd love to teach you a few things, yeah" 
Chloe smiled 
"Cool" 
"Hey, let me in on your little photography course too!" Rachel added
The photographer giggled
"Sure."

______________

"Okay, so, see that little thing with the arrow here?" Max asked
"Uh-hu" Rachel nodded
"You just gotta slide it and it pops open," Max explained
The actress placed her finger on the arrow and slid it back
"I knew that!" Chloe retorted proudly
"I know, Chloe." Max smiled
"Anyway, it's loaded already, so when you did that, it immediately turned on. But I'll show you how to load it when we run out of film." 
Max pointed at the camera
"Now for the important part, which means you gotta pay attention too, Chloe. You got little switches here: this one is for the beeping noises, not really important, then there is self-timer, autofocus, flash, and exposure. I personally hate the sound, but it's up to you. You want your autofocus on, though, that's important. Flash and exposure depend on the situation, and we won't need the self-timer for now. Everything okay?"
Chloe chuckled
"Wow, lots of stuff there, but yeah, not lost yet."
"Good. See the little window here? It shows you how much film you have left."
Rachel looked at it 
"So we got 9 shots left."
"Now, if you press the shutter halfway, you can get a reading before taking a picture. Can you try?" 
"Yup. Done."
"Now if you look through the viewfinder, you'll see three things: first, what you're gonna take a picture of, second, a little number, which indicates how far your subject is in feet, third, a little circle. What colour is the circle?" 
"Green." The actress replied
"Then it means you're all good! If it's yellow, it means your subject is either too far or too close, or it's too dark so you need to turn the flash on."
The photographer clapped her hands together and smiled
"If you remember all that then you know how to use a polaroid camera. Then it's just about good angles, lighting and exposure." 
"That means I can start taking pictures?" Chloe excitedly asked
"That means you can start taking pictures"

____________

"Chloe, you need to focus on your subject THROUGH the viewfinder, not stare at her while holding the camera." Max scolded jokingly
She did need her to focus more, but she was mostly amused.
"I'm not... Staring." Chloe muttered, blush creeping on her cheeks
Rachel laughed and gave her the smuggest smile. 
"Yeaaah, totally not staring. Not at all. You only have your eyes glued to my body, which is absolutely not staring, right Price?"
Through her embarrassment, the punk managed to put on her best shit-eating grin and reply :
"Can't help it, you're too hot girl"
The blonde laughed
"That's gay"
The blue-haired girl gasped, faking surprise
"Shit, I didn't know!" 
"Nah, we're just gals being pals right?" Rachel said
"Totally, no homo" Max added, giggling
"Well, that's what Rose thinks" Chloe commented
The actress sighed
"Yeah... My mom's so clueless, how can she be that oblivious?" 
"Or, maybe she doesn't want to know." the punk suggested 
"Ugh, that's even worse." Rachel groaned
Max crossed her arms and giggled
"Guys. Focus." 
"Sorry miss Caulfield, didn't know my room turned into a classroom!" Chloe teasingly said
The time traveller rolled her eyes and said :
"Well, it is for the day. And you are such inattentive students! You get distracted way too easily." she laughed 
"Can we go back to the picture now?" 
"Sir yes sir!" Chloe exclaimed
"Okay, is the little circle green?" 
"Yup!" 
"Do you think you have a good angle? Exposure?"
"Looks good to me."
"Then you can take the picture!" 
Chloe clicked the button, and the polaroid slid out of the camera. 
She shook it and put it in Max's bag with the others to let it develop. 

____________

A click. Then another. 
Rachel striking a pose, the camera passing back and forth between hers and Chloe's hand. Smiles and laughter filling the room. 
The polaroids were starting to pile up in Max's messenger bag as time went by. 
More pictures, less film. Max was going to run out of it before the end of the day, but so be it, they were having fun. 
New angles, ambitious shots. Chloe was starting to get confident, and every image came out better than the last. 
An hour. Or maybe two. The girls lost track of time. 
Max inserted a new pack of film into the camera: the last one. 
A few posed shots, a few candids. 
A freckled girl caught by surprise laughing, another moment captured. 
And five, four, three, two, one... 
One last polaroid left in the camera. 

"Super-Max! It's our last shot!" Chloe exclaimed
"Are you cereal?!" 
"Serious as ever, Long Max Silver."
Rachel placed a hand on the photographer's shoulder. 
"Hey babe, what about you take this one? It's the last picture of the afternoon, and you haven't taken any." 
Max nodded
"Yeah, why not" 
She took the camera and smiled
"You know what my signature pictures are, right?"
"Ooh, Caulfield-style selfie!" Chloe excitedly said 
"So, what are you waiting for? Come here!" 
The punk shuffled to her side and gestured to her girlfriend
"Rach, get your ass over here!" 
The model hurried to join them. 

-Click!

The picture slid out, and they let it develop. 
As they were chatting and checking out all of their previous shots, the image started to slowly reveal itself :
a blushing, smiling photographer, squeezed between two girls kissing each of her cheeks. 

Chapter Text

"It's been a month. How are we holding those new years resolutions?" Rachel asked
The girls were in Chloe's truck, heading to the tree house.
"Ugh," the punk groaned "I'm done with this shit."
"Which one?" Max asked

When Rachel had decided to make new year resolutions and suggested doing it together, Chloe had been the hardest to convince. Max went along with it with little to no resistance, but the blue-haired girl protested for quite some time before giving in.
"It's a stupid idea!" she'd said "No one even keeps up with those."
That's when Rachel said
"Try having two resolutions then, a hard one and an easy one, that way you can at least keep up with one of them"
And, after some bargaining, Chloe agreed to it.  Now, she clearly thought she'd been scammed. That deal wasn't exactly working out for her. 

Fingers tapping on the steering wheel, she replied, annoyed
"The cigarettes."
"I'll give it to you, it's the hardest one," Rachel answered
Though both of them were smoking, Chloe's cigarette consumption was considerably bigger than Rachel's.
"That's the hard one?" Chloe exclaimed. "As if going to therapy was easy, yeah right." 
"Well, you already went before that, so it's not like it changes much." Max commented, "It's just maintaining a change you've already done."
"Yeah, well it's not easy," the girl said
Rachel placed her hand on Chloe's thigh and gave it a gentle stroke. 
"I know babe, and I'm proud of you for doing it." 
Chloe softened and smiled. There was a glint in the punk's eye and a glimpse of pride in her little grin. 
Rachel smiled back and turned to Max 
"What about you?" 
"I'm doing okay, I guess. But it's hard." 
Max's new year resolution was Chloe's idea: the photographer had to stop making self-deprecating remarks and replace them with praises, in order to raise her confidence. A real challenge for the girl. 
"Old habits die hard." Rachel said. She crossed her arms and frowned "Mine included."
Max placed a hand on the model's shoulder and gently rubbed it, a sympathetic smile stretching her lips. 
If Chloe struggled with her cigarette addiction, Rachel was struggling with drugs. Heavier drugs. Sure, she wasn't using them as much as she used to, or as much as she did in the original timeline. 
But she was so scared to follow her mother's path and see her life ruined by all of that. Actually, it was one of her greatest fears. She was trying to stay clean now, but it was hard. 

"You're doing great, Rachel, really. I'm proud of you." Max said
"And so am I! Dude, you're doing amazing." Chloe added
"I hope so, I really hope so." the actress replied with a sigh "And thanks, girls."

Max and Chloe had learnt to avoid calling Rachel's drug problem an addiction. The model refused to call it that way because "it wasn't that bad". Using the word addiction made it feel too important, and she didn't want it to be. Sera was an addict, but she wasn't like her, right? She refused to acknowledge how similar she was to her mother, though it was quite obvious to everyone around. But Rachel would do better, she was convinced she would. And her girlfriends were too. 

Rachel's mood had shifted, and the girls felt it. Clenched jaw and eyebrows furrowed, her eyes got lost in the distance. 
"Fuck..." she thought "I'm just like Sera. I'm going to end up exactly like her. They don't deserve me... I'm just going to hurt them. I'm going to hurt them, and they're gonna leave... They're going to leave me." 
The thoughts kept repeating in her head. Sadness was building up inside her, quickly followed by anger.
"Rachel?" 
Chloe's voice brought Rachel back. She realised they arrived, and the truck was parked.
"Come on."
Rachel nodded and got out of the pick-up. Max approached her and began saying
"Rach are you-"
"Don't." Chloe stopped her, then whispered to her "That won't help right now, you're just gonna get killed if you say anything."
Max didn't quite understand, but she didn't say anything. Chloe still understood Rachel better than she did, so she listened.

In the treehouse, the girls kept silent for a while. Chloe sat beside Rachel, who gave her a death stare but didn't protest. Max was reading but kept glancing at the actress, worried. It lasted about 15 minutes. But then, the model broke down in tears. 
"I'm so sorry..." 
Chloe hugged her. 
"You don't have to apologise, Rach. You did great! You didn't even tell me to fuck off! That's huge progress dude" 
Rachel laughed between her tears. She leaned on her girlfriend and hugged her back. 
"I got triggered because we talked about my resolution and I... I don't want to end up like my mother, you know?" 
The punk stroked her hair. 
"I know. But you're not like Sera, okay? And you know why?" 
Still sobbing, the girl replied
"No, why?" 
"Because you're going to therapy and you're working on yourself. You are doing amazing, babe."
Max joined them and added
"Yes, you're doing amazing!" 
Rachel smiled
"How lucky am I to have girlfriends who are that patient with me?" 
"You deserve it" the photographer answered
"Yup, you hella deserve it." Chloe continued "You're Rachel fucking Amber okay? You're no Sera Gearhardt. And you're the best." 
Rachel frowned
"Amber's my father's name... It sucks. I'm not like him either."
"What would you like to be called then?" the blue-haired girl asked
"I don't know... People usually take their partner's name, right?" 
"Yeah, when they're married," Max replied, smiling. 
Rachel grinned
"Good thing gay marriage's legal since last year." 
Max giggled 
"So, Rachel Price?" 
The actress shook her head
"Rachel Price-Caulfield. I'm gonna have two wives, dummy." she smiled
"Fuck New Year's resolutions. My life resolution is to spend my life with you two. And make you my wives."

Chapter Text

The girls went to bed early tonight. They had a fun but exhausting day, and they definitely needed a few extra hours of sleep. 
In the silence of Chloe's room, the only thing that could be heard was the occasional shuffling of bed sheets. 
Until Max let out a groan. She began to whine, flailing around in her sleep. She was getting more and more agitated, whimpering in distress.
It was when she started crying that Chloe woke up.
"Uh?"
She turned to face her lover
"Fuck."
The punk immediately tried to wake her up by shaking her shoulders.
"Max, Max, hey!"
The young woman opened her eyes, still sobbing, and Chloe hugged her tight.
"There, there. It's okay super-Max."
The time traveller was gripping at her lover's shirt so hard that her nails were almost cutting through the fabric. 
The blue-haired girl held Max against her until her silent cries stopped.
The photographer lifted her head slightly to look up at Chloe, who was still stroking her hair. 
"Better?" the punk whispered
Max nodded in response
"Wanna talk about it?" 
She nodded again, and Chloe said 
"We need to get out of the room then, Rachel's asleep."
The time traveller silently agreed. They got out of bed and made their way out of the room discreetly. They sat halfway down the stairs and Max leaned on Chloe's shoulder. 
"So, what's going on Super-Max?" 
The girl took a deep breath before answering. 
"I had nightmares about Jefferson again," she muttered in a shaky voice
Chloe clenched her fists and furrowed her brows at the name. 
"I saw everything happening all over again... And I saw the storm too." 
She started crying again, and Chloe stroked her cheek gently. 
"It's over now, the storm won't come back. You know that, right?" 
"Yeah... I know" she replied 
Her girlfriend rubbed her back. There was a long silence before the blue-haired girl spoke up :
"Do you want to talk some more, or go back to sleep? Or something else?" 
"I think... I think I need some fresh air" the young woman replied "Can we take a walk?" 
Though she was surprised by that answer, Chloe agreed 
"Yeah, no problem, let's do that. Let me grab some clothes upstairs first, I don't want us walking around Arcadia in our PJs. I think we'd be freezing our ass off."
Max giggled through her tears. 
"Definitely" 

____________

"A night walk uh? Rachel must've rubbed off on you." 
Max chuckled 
"Maybe she did. Or maybe the stars and the moonlight calm me down."
"Yeah okay, she definitely rubbed off on you."
Another chuckle. 
"No, but really, the cold air is helping."
"Good." 
In the darkness, Max couldn't see it, but Chloe smiled in relief. 
"Are we going for a long walk or a neighbourhood walk?" she asked
Max hesitated for a moment 
"Mmmh... I'm thinking long walk but I don't want to bother-" 
"Long walk it is!" Chloe exclaimed
Max smiled. 

Hand in hand, the two walked silently in the streets of Arcadia Bay. Max felt better with every step she took, with each look she gave to Chloe, and with all the reassuring smiles the punk gave in return. 
They were approaching the beach, and only then did Max stop walking. 
"Max? You okay?" Chloe asked
Max nodded 
"I-uh... I was thinking that... I think I wanna go to the lighthouse. I wanna try."
Her girlfriend was caught off guard by her demand
"What?" 
"I wanna go to the lighthouse... It's pretty, at night." 
Chloe chuckled anxiously
"It sure is, you dork. But seriously... Why?" 
Max took a few seconds before giving a reply :
"I wanna make this place a good place again. You know, it used to hold so many happy memories but, now I only see the storm. I want that to change. And maybe, if I just go there, it'll get better with time."
"So, some exposure therapy type shit" 
The photographer giggled
"Yeah I guess" 
"Okay, Super-Max. But if you feel uncomfortable or anything-" 
"I'll tell you. Promise."
Chloe sighed, a sad smile on her face
"Let's go then."

______________

There she was. On top of that cliff, looking at the dark sky blending with the sea, the stars and moon reflecting on the water. 
Standing with Chloe, at the foot of the lighthouse. 
Being there stirred up some negative feelings and memories for sure, but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. Still, she could feel how tense and worried her girlfriend was as she squeezed her hand tighter. 
"Everything alright Chloe?" 
The girl huffed 
"I should be the one asking that."
Max took a few seconds to think
"I'm fine, actually. I'm handling this a lot better than I thought I would. It's... Reassuring, actually. Being there and everything being so silent, so still. No storm. It's... It's great, yeah."

They stared at the starry sky for a few more minutes before they decided to sit down on the bench.
"The first time I kissed you for real... It was here." Max let out
"What?" 
"There was the dare before but... Our real first kiss. It happened in front of the storm. It was a goodbye." 
Chloe's heart sank. 
"Really?" 
"Yeah... And it made me long for more but when I got you back... Well, Rachel was back too so, I thought I could never kiss you again."
For a few minutes, the girls remained silent.
"I'm so happy I get to kiss you every day. And not as a goodbye."
"I'm happy too," Chloe replied 
"I like our first kiss better. The one from this timeline." 
"Yeah. Me too." 
Chloe had so many questions. There was something so strange about not knowing exactly what had happened. She wanted to know, but it seemed like Max had an infinite stock of memories she didn't have. And she was pretty sure the girl was hiding some of these from her. She didn't want to force her to say anything, but there was still one question she couldn't help but ask. Just this one.
"Max... Why didn't you tell me about this before?"
"What?"
"The kiss. You never told me we kissed during the storm."
"I don't know... I just-" 
Max's gaze got lost in the sea. She looked at the waves crashing on the shore, searching for words.
"I guess I didn't want to take away our first kiss here. I want it to matter, more than the storm one. They are both very important for me, in different ways and... I don't know, it was stupid not telling you. I'm sorry."
Chloe took Max's hand.
"Hey, you don't have to apologise, it's fine. I get it. It's just... It's hella weird not knowing what happened back then, you know? It's like, I've lived a life I can't remember, done things I'm not aware of and... I just want to know. But you don't have to tell me anything if you don't feel like it, okay?"
Max nodded, a shy smile on her face.
"Okay. Thanks, Chloe."
The punk hugged her girlfriend, and they stayed there for a while until Chloe checked the time. 
"I think we should head home, Super-Max. So we can hopefully try and get some sleep?"
"Yeah. Let's go."

____________

That night, when Max fell back asleep, she dreamt of the lighthouse. She dreamt of a kiss, shared with Chloe, right on that cliff. And for the first time, it wasn't heartbreaking. It wasn't a goodbye. It was a promise: they'd stay together, forever. 

Chapter Text

It was Valentine's day.
Well, it was Valentine's day for the girls, since it was the 15th of February and Chloe was at work the day before.
Max was the one who insisted on celebrating it, despite the fact Chloe grunted about how commercial it was.

Max wanted to make the day special, in a Chloe and Rachel and Max way. No flowers or fancy dinner, no candles or bubble bath. She wanted to do this their way. She wanted the girls to have a good time, something to remember. Who cares about the conventions? It's not like they fit society's expectations anyway. 
Valentine's day is about love, and Max would show Rachel and Chloe her love, and that's what mattered.

________________

Chloe didn't know what they'd be doing when she showed up at the treehouse. Maybe they'd watch a movie together? That sounded like the kind of date Max would be into. She wasn't that big on romantic stuff, but she'd do anything for Max. As long as Max was happy, then Chloe would be too.
When she climbed the ladder and opened the door, she found Max sitting on the floor, wearing an eyepatch and a bandana. Actually, she was wearing a full pirate costume. Needless to say, the punk was very surprised. 
"Welcome aboard, Captain Blue beard!" the girl exclaimed
"Wait what?"
"You heard me, captain! I actually have a really important mission for you today!" 
Chloe laughed 
"Oh yeah? And what's that?" 
"There's a lost treasure you must find. It contains very precious goods, and it's hidden somewhere in this good ol' town. This is a very dangerous adventure. But fear not, my captain, as you won't be alone on this quest. Your partner Rachel  will be there to help you."
Chloe smiled. Well, that definitely wasn't the date she was expecting. But it might just be better.
"Aye. And when's Rach supposed to arrive?"
"Second mate Rachel should be here any  minute now, Captain Blue beard."
One look at Max's mischievous smile and Chloe was transported right back to when they were children. They had grown so much since then, but they were still kids at heart ; Still Long-Max Silver and Captain Blue-beard, the inseparable pirate crew. The shy nerdy girl and her rebellious best friend were women now. Women in love.
"Hi girls, heard I was needed?" Rachel said as she entered the treehouse
"Ah, just in time! Welcome to the pirate crew, matey!" Max replied
Chloe turned to the model, who was also dressed as a pirate.
"You knew about this?"
"Kind of? I don't know much, and no I haven't helped her prepare any of this, but she told me it was gonna be pirate related so I dressed accordingly."
"How come you didn't tell me?" the punk exclaimed
Max giggled
"I wanted to keep it a surprise, Chlo"
The girl crossed her arms and faked a pout. 
"Not fair!" 
The photographer shook her head and placed a pirate hat on Chloe's head, then  kissed her. 
"Come on, I think it's time for your mission to begin. Alas, I do not have the map leading to the treasure chest, so the very first task you must accomplish is finding it. Fortunately for you, I have a riddle that might help you find it."
"A riddle?!" Chloe said "Shit, I'm so bad at this"
Rachel nudged her. 
"Don't worry, captain, we're a team." 
Max began reciting the riddle :
"This map is kept in a place you would not expect
Ran by a person that we all respect 
You must find this place of great fame
Knowing a cry and another make up its name
And there, in the middle of the crowd
The master will be standing proud
They are mischievous, yet wise and all-knowing
And for you they will be awaiting."
"Oh my god, that's way too complicated!" the blue-haired girl grunted
"Wait, let's proceed with the sentences one by one" the actress said "Can you repeat the first sentence?" 
"This map is kept in a place you would not expect" Max repeated
"So, where do we expect a treasure map to be hidden?" the blonde asked
"I don't know... At the lighthouse, at the beach? In the woods maybe?" 
"Then we can probably get those off the list of places to search."
"Okay, what's next Long Max-Silver?" 
"Ran by a person that we all respect" 
"Shit, that's not helpful. There's a handful of people we respect." Rachel grumbled 
Chloe immediately laughed. 
"I don't think there's anyone I actually respect appart from you two" 
Rachel leaned against the wall, thoughtful. She sighed. 
"Let's skip this one for now. What's the next verse?" 
"You must find this place of great fame" 
"Of great fame... Okay, it has to be in Arcadia Bay, so it's probably like, town famous not actually famous." Chloe commented 
Her girlfriend nodded
"Great point. What are some Arcadia Bay landmarks?" 
"Uh, the lighthouse and the beach, but we've ruled those out. Then there's Blackwell. Maybe it's Blackwell?" 
Rachel smiled. She started walking in circles in the room. 
"The Prescotts are hella famous too, but I don't see where that would lead us."
"Yeah... Wouldn't make much sense. What's next?" Chloe asked 
"Knowing a cry and another make up its name" Max pronounced
Rachel stopped in her track and frowned
"A cry and another... A cry and another... Fuck I don't see anything."
"Uuuugh that makes no sense!" the punk  complained
"Blackwell seemed like a good candidate but I don't see how a cry and another is its name." Rachel said
"The 'another' is what's bothering me the most. The fuck does that mean?"
Max was watching them in silence, grinning. It would be an understatement to say that she was proud of the riddle she came up with. 
"Then let's focus on the 'cry'," Rachel said, "Do you know any synonyms to the word crying?"
"Uh, crying, crying, crying... Sobbing? A sob and another? Nah, not it."
"Weeping?"
"Don't think so. Maybe we're not on the right path..."
The couple gave it a few minutes of reflection before Chloe shouted excitedly :
"Wailing! A wail! A wail and another, two wails! The Two Whales!" 
"Babe you're a genius!" her partner blurted. She turned to the time traveller :
"Is that it? Is she right?" 
Max smiled and shrugged. 
The punk continued :
"It checks out, right? It's Arcadia Bay famous and my mom runs the place!" 
"Fuck yeah! We're killing this Chlo! Give us the rest, oh mighty Max-Silver" 
The girl chuckled and repeated her lines :
"And there, in the middle of the crowd
The master will be standing proud
They are mischievous, yet wise and all-knowing
And for you they will be awaiting."
"The master? You think that's Joyce?" Rachel asked
"No way, mischievous doesn't scream Joyce to me."
"True. Well guess we better get going, maybe it'll be easier if we're there. Can we do that?"
Max shrugged again
"You can do whatever you want."

_______________

"A master... Mischievous, wise and all-knowing..." Rachel mumbled to herself 
"Standing proud and waiting for us," Chloe added while pushing the door to the diner. "And there's a crowd indeed." she winced as she entered the place
The smell of hot coffee and warm food was steaming from the kitchen. The room was noisy from the people chatting and the sound of cutlery. 
Max was enjoying seeing the girls so invested in this. She was having so much fun watching them play like that. The treasure hunt was definitely a success so far. 
Rachel scanned the room, searching for a familiar face. That's when she saw a white beanie in one of the booth. She immediately tugged at Chloe's sleeve. 
"I've found her."
"What?"
"Our Master. Our Dungeon Master to be exact. Mischievous yet wise and all-knowing, rings a bell? Standing proud, maybe like the proudest lesbian in this town?" 
The punk got hit by the realisation 
"Fuck it's Steph!" 
The girls walked up to her. 
"Hey Steph!" Chloe exclaimed
"Hi Steph!" Rachel said "How are you?" 
"Ahoy, pirates. I'm doing really well, thanks matey."
The model smirked in triumph. She leaned over the table and asked :
"I heard you got something for us, is that true?" 
"It is. I think you're searching for a map, right?" 
"We are!" the blue-haired girl replied
"Well," the young woman started, "This is something I can provide, on one condition. You must bring me something in return." 
The girls looked at each other briefly then both asked :
"What?" 
"You must bring me... Joy! By showing me an item in each colour of the rainbow."
Rachel laughed. 
"Okay let's go! Uuuuh... Your beanie's got some red and yellow!"
"The light of the Jukebox is orange! And there's green on my tattoo!" Chloe added
"And purple and blue in her hair!" 
Steph crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, nodding. 
"Wow, now that was quick. Well, I won't keep you here any longer, pirates! Here's your reward." 
The DM handed them the map. 
"Thanks, matey!" Chloe said
"See ya, Steph!" 

____________

In Chloe's pickup truck, the girls were looking at the map. Rachel pointed at it :
"Okay so, we're here, at the diner... And the treasure's here, at the beach!" 
"Hell yeah! Let's go get it!" she turned to Max and smiled "Super-Max, this is awesome!" 
The photographer blushed and smiled. 
"I'm glad you like it."
"Are you kidding me? Max, that's the best date EVER!" the punk declared
"It really is!" Rachel insisted 
The truck's engine roared and the three of them were on their way to the beach. 

Once they arrived, the girls began looking around for clues. After a few minutes, Rachel shouted :
"I think I got it!" 
Chloe ran to join her. 
"Really?" 
"Yeah! Check this out!" 
Rachel was standing over a little pile of sand. She grinned at Chloe :
"Let's dig!" 
The young women started digging, and soon enough, they found a little wooden box.
"Long Max-Silver! We've found your treasure chest!" Chloe yelled
Max, who was watching them from a distance, finally joined them. 
"Can I open it?"  the model asked
"Of course!" the photographer responded
The actress quickly glanced at Chloe, who nodded, smiling. 
The blonde girl slowly opened the box, which revealed three silver rings, all engraved with the same inscription : "R+C+M". Their names were written on the foam holding the rings as well, one under each of them. She grabbed hers, and looked at it, smiling. 
"Oh my god, Max I-... Thank you!" 
Chloe took hers as well, and immediately slid it on her ring finger. She also took the last one, and got up to face Max. Without a word, she gently held her hand up and delicately placed the ring on her finger. Rachel got up as well, and put on the piece of jewellery. 
For a minute, no one uttered a word. But it was a warm, content silence, to take a moment to appreciate what they had. To appreciate each other. They were all smiling. 
Then Max broke into tears and hugged her girlfriends, who tightly wrapped their arms around her. 
"I love you both so much!" 
"We love you too."