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Avoiding The Storm

Summary:

[Title may change because it's been like two years and I still haven't thought of a better one]

Life sucked hard without Chloe.

Max goes years back into her past to change the present once and for all, in the hope for a better future.

Confused? She is too.

Notes:

This is my attempt at a canon fix it. It is not compliant with the comic series although I have them all so far and I love them!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1: The Beginning [November 2013]

Chapter Text

Life sucked hard without Chloe. 

It seemed like divine justice, in a way, that Max had left all those years ago and only had Chloe back for a week, before being forced to make a decision that would take Chloe away from her forever. 

But at least she was reunited with Rachel.

That thought didn’t give Max much comfort. 

She also had too much free time on her hands to dwell on everything - Mrs Hoida was still off sick and Jefferson had been arrested, and Principal Wells apparently had no interest in finding a replacement for either teacher any time soon. 

The arts aren’t important, right? 

Except Rachel had been killed for the sake of art, and Kate had almost taken her own life, and Victoria was dead in another timeline, and Nathan and God knows how many other people - 

Max shuddered. She hated thinking of her time in the Dark Room. 

Her room in the Prescott Dormitory was a Dark Room at the moment. She hadn’t opened the blinds in weeks. Lisa had wilted and died because Max couldn’t be bothered to water her. 

Just something else I’ve killed , she thought bitterly, before rolling out of bed and pulling some clothes on.

She pulled her door open and came to a sudden halt. On the other side, David Madsen was security cap in place, hand raised to knock on the door just as it had opened. 

He’d been at home for the last couple of weeks, helping Joyce process what had happened. Max figured that today was probably his first day back at work.

“Max,” he said, looking a little uncomfortable. David didn’t know how to deal with emotional girls. 

“Hi David,” Max said awkwardly. 

He cleared his throat and spoke a little more confidently. “Joyce and I were wondering if you’d like to come over for dinner tonight? We’d love to have you. You know you’re like a second daughter to Joyce -”

He stopped himself. He still hadn’t got used to thinking that Chloe wasn’t around anymore. 

Max smiled. It didn’t quite reach her eyes, but it was the first time she’d used those cheek muscles in weeks and it hurt a little, but it felt good. “Thanks, I’d love to.” 

David nodded. “Great. I’ll swing by after school and pick you up?”

Max nodded, and David excused himself and headed back down the corridor. Across the hall and down a little, Kate’s door opened and she stepped out. 

“Hey Max,” she said quietly. “I heard you talking to David. Do you want to go for a cup of tea?”

Max hesitated and then agreed. She had offered the same to Kate when she had been down. Kate gave her a sweet smile and they headed towards the cafeteria together. 

 


 

The cafeteria was almost empty when they arrived, except for one person, who was sitting by the windows staring out of them. Max knew the empty feeling that she must be experiencing.

“Should we ask her to join us?” Kate whispered, her pale eyes unsure. 

“It’s up to you,” Max said. “She bullied you, not me.”

“She wasn’t kind to you either, Max,” Kate reminded her, but approached the girl anyway.

“Victoria?” She looked around in surprise; she hadn’t realised anybody was there. “Would you like to join us for some tea?”

Victoria wiped her face. Her eyes had red rims; she’d been silently crying. She was so down and broken that she didn’t even insult Kate, she nodded quietly and let the two girls sit at her table. She shifted her chair so that she was facing them, and Kate went to get the tea.

“Are you okay, Victoria?” Max asked quietly.

She laughed bitterly. “No,” she said honestly. “My best friend in the world is in jail because he killed someone, Mark - Mr Jefferson is also in jail because he drugged underage girls and took photos of them, and the cops said our names were next on his list. I trusted him and I feel like an idiot.” 

“You’re not an idiot,” Max replied. “Of course you trusted him. We all did. He was our teacher.”

Victoria wiped her eyes again, more impatiently this time. “And Kate, oh God, I made Kate feel so bad -”

“Hey,” Kate reappeared, placing the tray with a pot of tea, a jug of milk and three mugs on the table, and running round to hug Victoria. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

You shouldn’t , Max thought privately, and then felt bad about it. 

Both Victoria and Max were quiet whilst drinking their tea, but Kate was happy to chatter on to fill in the silence. 

Life Drawing was the last lesson for all three girls for the day, so they headed off together after their tea session. Max hardly paid attention anymore, but the teacher hadn’t called on her since - 

Max found herself sketching in her notebook, not paying attention to what she was drawing, and just letting her hands make the shapes with her pencil, and didn’t notice what it was until it was too late. By that point, she was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn’t even notice the bell ring. 

“Whoa Max, that’s really good,” Daniel DaCosta commented with an encouraging smile. He was always the last to leave Life Drawing, and so he had noticed Max hard at work and came to investigate.

It was far from finished, and desperately needed the bright colouring that the original photograph had captured before Max had torn it up to prevent tempting herself to change her mind and save Chloe after all, but the butterfly had a spark of life to it that not all drawings had. 

“Thanks, Daniel,” Max sighed, before shoving her notebook in her bag and standing up to go and meet David.

 


 

The first thing that Max noticed when David pulled up in front of the house was that the paint job had finally been finished. 

“I guess I finally got around to it, huh?” David commented when he noticed where Max was looking. “I didn’t want Joyce to worry about dumb things like the housework.”

“It’s nice,” Max said. “You’re looking after her. She probably needs that right now.”

The hint of blue in the paint screamed that Chloe wasn’t here anymore. Chloe wasn’t here, David finally had time off from two jobs and could take care of Joyce, and Max felt like an intruder upon Joyce’s grief. In this timeline, Max hadn’t had that last wonderful week with Chloe. In this timeline, Joyce had lost almost her entire family. 

She didn’t deserve the huge hug that Joyce swept her up in when she walked through the door. It had been so long since Max had seen Joyce in anything other than her work clothes, she’d forgotten what Joyce looked like when her hair was down. She was wearing mom jeans and a huge black hooded sweater that Max was sure had been Chloe’s. 

“Gosh, look at you Max,” Joyce smiled, her voice still a soft southern lilt, although her eyes remained sad. “You’re all grown up now.” 

“Maybe too grown up,” Max joked. David came in behind her and offered to get dinner started.

It was nice to see what Joyce and David were like when they were alone. Joyce joked that David couldn’t cook, and he offered to clean instead. There was a pile of unwashed dishes by the sink that David had clearly meant to start, but Joyce insisted he sit down after a day at work. Max offered to wash up instead, and she and Joyce lapsed into a comfortable silence as she cooked and Max cleaned. 

Joyce cooked up a huge fry up with sausages, eggs, bacon, everything. Max’s stomach rumbled loudly as Joyce was loading the plates, and she remembered that she hadn’t eaten since… she didn’t even know when she’d last eaten. Joyce gave her a look that only a mom could give, and Max looked away guiltily. 

Over dinner, there was friendly chatter, mostly from David. Joyce asked him about his first day back at work, and he mentioned that all the teachers had kind words about Chloe, even though she’d been a difficult student during her short time at Blackwell. 

“Ms Grant even went out of her way to talk to me,” David said. “We’ve never seen eye to eye before. Never.” 

Ms Grant was the only teacher that had ever made science bearable for Max. Chloe had always been the science nerd, although maybe not as much as Warren. 

After dinner, Max excused herself to go to the bathroom, and she climbed the familiar stairs, passed the familiar door that was covered in Chloe’s favourite posters, and went into the bathroom, where Chloe’s blue hair dye still sat in pride of place in the cabinet above the sink. 

Max didn’t strictly need to use the bathroom, but she needed a place to gather her thoughts a little. Over the whole day was the most she had spoken to anybody in over two weeks.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. 

 

Max, Kate, Victoria

Victoria: Thanks for today. I had no idea how much I needed distracting from the Vortex Club and Nathan and just… everything. 

Kate: It’s no problem Victoria. We’re always here for you. If you need anything at all please just ask.

 

Max didn’t have the energy to reply, and Kate had said it anyway. She shoved her phone back in the pocket of her jeans and flipped the light to the bathroom off. She was on her way to the stairs when she noticed that the door to Chloe’s room was slightly ajar. 

With all of the crazy shit that had happened over the last few weeks, Max almost expected to open it to see Chloe smoking a joint on her bed. Wake and bake , she used to call it. 

Chloe’s room was still the same mess that it always had been. Laundry was all over the floor, her half-empty suitcase full of empty beer bottles. The only new addition to the room was the wall of photographs. Joyce had moved the old TV slightly and covered up the graffiti on the walls with photos of Chloe from throughout her life. There were photos of Chloe with William, there was the strip of photos from a booth with Rachel, photos from birthdays, and childhood photos with Max, including the very last photograph that William had ever taken before he died - when Chloe and Max had been in the kitchen. Underneath this shrine Joyce had placed a small table with fake candles, their flickering lights oddly comforting. 

Eyes silently streaming, Max knelt down to look at all the pictures. She could hear the voices in her head looking at each one and for a painstaking moment, she desperately wanted to travel back in time to see Chloe again. 

She suddenly remembered that her diary had everything in. Her diary was the one constant in all this madness. It had every photo she had taken during that last week with Chloe, every word she had written about Chloe and Joyce and their journey to the Dark Room and to Rachel’s body. She pulled it out of her bag and found the photo she was looking for: the selfie that she had taken with Chloe after they had broken into the Blackwell swimming pool. 

“Max?” Joyce’s voice floated up the stairs, accompanied by gentle footsteps. As soon as she looked into Chloe’s room Max just couldn’t hide it anymore, and she dropped to her knees and broke. Joyce rushed to her and held her, comforting the closest person she had to a daughter left in her life. 

“When did you take this?” Joyce asked, gently taking the photo out of Max’s grip. “Wait a minute… Chloe didn’t dye her hair until she was sixteen.” Max stiffened in fear as Joyce was trying to piece together what was going on. “Max, is this photograph a fake?”

She didn’t want to hide the truth anymore. If anyone deserved the truth, it was Joyce. So Max told her everything, from the very first vision of the storm she had in Jefferson’s class, to saving Chloe over and over again, to changing the timelines, to Chloe’s final sacrifice for Arcadia Bay. 

In that hour that Max was talking, Joyce felt a thousand different emotions. Disbelief, hurt, anger, happiness, sorrow… She didn’t believe Max until she took William’s old camera out of her bag, the exact same one that was sitting on Chloe’s shelf next to them, and she showed Joyce her diary with everything written down, every photograph with dates scribbled next to them, everything. 

While Max was talking David came in, and heard enough to piece together what Max was saying. Although he badly wanted to believe her and he desperately wished his stepdaughter was still alive, he thought Max had suffered a psychotic break. It was bound to happen, she had witnessed her best friend being murdered right in front of her, witnessed her fellow student and favourite teacher both being arrested on school grounds and been informed by the police that she was one of Jefferson’s next victims. 

Joyce, on the other hand, when she was presented with the evidence, believed her. Just like Chloe had believed her without question. 

“Can you go back?” Joyce asked quietly. 

Max shook her head. “I haven’t used my power since… but I can hear the past in the photographs now.” She looked down at the selfie that Joyce was holding.

Photobomb! Chloe yelled.

Photo hog, Max teased, before pressing the button.

“Max, please,” Joyce begged her. “Please go back and change… everything.”

“I can’t bring back William,” Max said, and Joyce shook her head. 

“No, he wouldn’t want Chloe to be trapped in her own body and feel herself dying,” Joyce said. “And I have David now and before Chloe died, we both wanted the three of us to be a family. Chloe is hard work but if there’s a chance I could get my daughter back, I have to take it.” Joyce grabbed Max’s hand and squeezed. “Please, Max. Save my daughters. I’d love to see the three of you together.”

Max realised that she was asking her to save Rachel too. 

“Joyce,” David said gently. “Do you really think indulging Max’s delusion -”

“It’s not a delusion,” Max said firmly. 

“David, I have nothing to lose,” Joyce told him. “But things have to change if we’re going back.” 

“I’ll be the only one who knows,” Max said. “You might not believe me if I told you.”

Joyce nodded. “Alright. I’ll write myself a letter. Like a time capsule, only you’ll take it to the past. Right?”

Could the storm be avoided? Max would have to plan - she would have to come to Blackwell before Jefferson got there, before he met Rachel. Maybe she could help Nathan before he went off the rails. Maybe she really could change things for the better for everyone.

“We’ll evacuate the town,” Joyce was saying to David. “Before the storm comes. Max said the warning signs were there - the animals, the poor whales on the beach.” 

Max drifted in and out of focus, trying to plot everything. She would have to find a photograph that was far back enough to change things, but not so far as to mess with William’s death. She was vaguely aware of Joyce pressing a letter into her hand and David driving her back to her dormitory, but she was mostly trying to think of her vast collection of photographs and which one to choose. 

It could have been several hours or only a few minutes when Max found the photograph she was looking for. She made sure to carefully tuck every image she’d taken during her week with Chloe into her diary, as well as Joyce’s letter to herself. She would have to work hard to get into Blackwell a couple of years before she had done in this timeline. She scribbled a whole list of things she needed to change in her diary, and she sat and looked at the photograph of herself with her father, taken near the end of her final year at her old middle school in Seattle. 

“Okay Max,” she told herself, psyching herself up. “You can do this.”

Everything around Max went dark, and the next thing she saw was the flash of the camera as her mother took the photograph. 

Chapter 2: 1 Year Later/2 Years Before [September 2011]

Summary:

Got a few nice comments on the last chapter so decided to upload the next one :)

Chapter Text

So far, the plan was working well. Max had tried to reconnect with Chloe via email, and she had worked hard at school and had been accepted into Blackwell Academy, beginning her sophomore year there. It was now early September in 2011, and her parents were just finishing up unpacking in her dorm room.

“I’m still worried, honey,” Max’s mom said. “You didn’t really make any friends at high school in Seattle.”

“Mom,” Max reassured her. “This is where I’m supposed to be. And I’ll have Chloe.”

Max’s dad made a face behind her mom’s back. Her parents had never been huge fans of Chloe, but they were planning on stopping at the Two Whales Diner on their way back home to see Joyce. 

“But Chloe doesn’t board,” Max’s mom said patiently, before being interrupted by a knock on the open door. 

“Hi,” a shy voice said. “I hope I’m not interrupting, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Kate, and I’m in the room just down the hall.”

“Hi, Kate!” Max exclaimed, jumping up from her seat on her bed. “I’m so glad to meet you!”

Kate smiled the biggest smile that Max had ever seen. “Do you want to come to movie night with us later? It’s kind of a monthly thing, our whole dorm goes to the TV Lounge to watch movies together. There will be popcorn and pj’s and it’s so fun!”

“That would be perfect,” Max beamed, and she noticed that her mom looked a little more satisfied. She shot her a look to say see, I can make friends , and her mother rolled her eyes in response, but smiled all the same. 

Not too long after, Max’s parents were finished and they made their goodbyes. Kate took Max on a tour of the campus, starting with whose room belonged to whom in the dorm.

“Don’t we pay people to do this?!” A commanding voice demanded from the room directly across the hall from Max’s. 

“That’s Victoria’s room,” Kate said. “She’s a little…”

“Bossy?” Max suggested, and Kate stifled a laugh. 

Kate pointed out a couple more rooms like the showers, Dana’s room and the final room in the dorm, where a blue-haired girl was carrying a huge box into it and yelling out the door to someone outside.

“Chloe!” Max yelled joyfully, and she rushed forward to hug her best friend after she’d put the box down.

“Whoa!” Chloe almost fell over with the force that Max tackled her with. “Careful, my arm is still fresh.”

Max grinned up at Chloe in delight and grabbed her arm for a closer look at her new sleeve. It was shiny and the skin was starting to peel in places, but Chloe was happy with it. 

Kate looked on from the doorway and she was soon joined by a shorter girl, with long dark blonde hair and hazel eyes. Her left ear held a signature peacock blue feather earring, and on her right arm was a turquoise and brown leather bracelet that Max had once seen being worn by Frank Bowers.

“You must be Rachel,” Max introduced herself. “Chloe’s told me so much about you!”

“All good things, I hope,” Rachel smiled, and Max could immediately see why Chloe loved her so much. 

“Uh Max, can I have my hand back?” Chloe teased, and Max realised she was still holding on to it from grabbing her arm. 

“Ooops,” she shrugged. 

“I’m taking Max on a tour of the campus and then we’re heading to the TV room for movie night,” Kate told Rachel. “You guys are coming, right?”

“Of course,” Rachel replied. “Chloe’s just gotta help me unpack, I kind of uh… found myself a little homeless last year.” 

“Oh no!” Kate looked shocked. “If you need anything -” 

“Thanks, Kate,” Rachel smiled. She looked cheerful for someone who had fallen out with her dad and left home… at least that’s what Max was assuming, based on what Chloe had told her before. Or in another timeline. 

Max and Kate carried on walking around the campus, talking about anything and everything. If Kate was surprised that Max had warmed up to her so easily, she hid it well. Max asked about her father and sisters, knowing that Kate was closest to them in her family. They talked about Kate’s closest friends at Blackwell, Alyssa and Stella, and about the classes that Kate took and which classes Max would be taking. They talked about art and photography and in no time at all, they had arrived back at their rooms. Max quickly changed into her nicest pyjamas and comfiest hoodie and met Kate with her blanket outside the TV room. 

Several bean bags, cushions and blankets were already strewn across the floor, and a bunch of people were already there, including some boys. Max recognised Daniel and Warren, who were both sitting with Brooke. While Kate scouted for a good place to sit and some snacks, Max went over and introduced herself. 

It was amazing, Max realised, what a difference it was from her original timeline, where she was shy and awkward, and nobody wanted to talk to her. A little confidence clearly went a long way. She was already fast friends with Kate, and Warren responded positively to her cheerful introduction. Brooke was a little more reserved, but then she had been in the other timeline too. 

Things were all falling into place, Max thought happily, looking around the TV room, which was slowly filling with people. She went to sit with Kate, who had been joined by Alyssa and Stella. Victoria, Taylor and Courtney came in next, each sporting designer clothing and blankets, but thankfully they kept to themselves. When Nathan appeared he made a beeline for Victoria, as another girl looked on sadly. 

“Who’s that?” Max asked Kate.

“Her name is Samantha Myers,” Kate said. “She’s a little shy. I see her talking with Nathan sometimes.” 

Looking across at Nathan, he seemed much calmer than Max had ever known him. He was even laughing and joking with Victoria.

“Are they dating?” Max asked aloud, wondering the same thing that she always had about Victoria and Nathan.

“I don’t think so,” Stella commented. “They are super close though. Kind of like Chloe and Rachel.”

Max had never really known whether Chloe and Rachel were dating either. She wasn’t even sure whether Chloe knew the answer to that. 

The movie had already started when Rachel and Chloe arrived. Chloe wore an old band t-shirt and a tatty pair of shorts and Rachel wore tight yoga pants and a black vest, showing off her hourglass figure. One of the jock types wolf-whistled from the back of the room and Rachel blew a kiss in the vague direction of the sound, winking at Max when she caught her eye. She and Chloe dropped down on a bean bag behind Max and Kate’s little group, and for the entire duration of the rest of the movie, were whispering and giggling to each other. 

Max tried to stop the feelings of jealousy and her fear of missing out. She had been the one who had left, after all. Of course Chloe had made a new best friend. Of course Rachel was wonderful and amazing and everybody loved her.

She pulled out her phone anyway. Her parents had been able to treat her to a new smartphone as a reward for getting into Blackwell. 

 

Max, Chloe

Max: What’s so funny? :)

Chloe: NO EMOJI

 

“Hey!” she heard Chloe protest behind her, and she turned around to see Chloe’s phone in Rachel’s hand. 

 

Max, Chloe

Chloe: Ignore her, she’s just pissed because I wouldn’t let her bring beer in here ;)

Max: Ew beer

 

Max wrinkled her nose and pulled a face at Rachel, and she giggled back. She wasn’t sure if she’d be cool enough to be friends with Rachel, but she seemed friendly enough. 

 

Max, Chloe

Chloe: I hid it in a super-secret hiding place

Max: Of course you did ^-^

Chloe: NO EMOJI

 

Max caught Rachel’s eye again and rolled her own.

“Movie Night” was a misnomer at Blackwell - by the second movie, everyone was busy chatting, and by the end of the third movie, most people had fallen asleep. Halfway through the second movie Warren came to sit with Max, making Rachel and Chloe “ooooh” loudly behind her and laugh when Max glared at them. 

She probably wasn’t very scary when she was angry, especially when it was mock anger and she was just pretending for the comedy value. She imagined Rachel was especially terrifying, and she’d been on the receiving end of Chloe’s anger enough times to know what that was like. 

By the beginning of the third movie Daniel left to go to bed and Brooke came over to sit next to Warren but ended up talking to Stella, Alyssa and Kate. Rachel went to talk to Nathan whilst Victoria was in the bathroom with her friends, leaving Chloe looking a little lonely. 

Before too long, Rachel came back to Chloe just as Victoria and her friends re-entered the room, and she’d fallen asleep on Chloe’s shoulder by the time the third movie was halfway through. Max was aware of Warren’s arm by her side, he was leaning back on it and it was sort of behind her, and he kept brushing against her by accident. 

The lights flicked on at the end of the third movie, and people began to disperse. Warren said goodnight with a smile, and Brooke, Stella, Alyssa and Kate left too. 

Chloe was prodding Rachel awake. She even looked beautiful as she slept. It wasn’t fair.

“Are you crashing here tonight?” Max asked Chloe.

She nodded. “Rachel has a double bed, and I’m trying to stay away from step-douche.”

“Let’s have a sleepover,” Rachel mumbled without opening her eyes. “I need my beauty sleep.” 

Chloe chuckled. “Alright, sleeping beauty. Let’s go to bed.” 

She opened her eyes for just long enough to get back to her room and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow. 

“Wow, I wish I could do that,” Max said. “I don’t think I’ve slept for like… four days?”

“Why?” Chloe asked her.

Max shrugged. “Just stress, I guess. Hey, can I see your mom tomorrow?”

“Sure. Two Whales for breakfast?”

Max’s stomach rumbled in response, and Chloe laughed. 

 


 

With the three of them cramped in Rachel’s bed it was a tight fit, but not uncomfortable, Max thought. She gazed up at the ceiling where someone had stuck a bunch of glow in the dark stars in the shape of a constellation, but she wasn’t great at science so she had no idea which one it was. She made a note to ask Chloe in the morning. 

“Chloe?” Max whispered, wondering if she was still awake.

“Hmm?” 

“Are you still enrolled at Blackwell?”

Chloe sighed, and the whole bed shifted slightly as she rolled onto her back. “Yeah. James Amber… Rachel’s dad paid the principal off last year so I wasn’t suspended anymore. It’s my last shot at school though.”

“It would be cool to go to school with you,” Max told her.

“Yeah…” Chloe didn’t sound too thrilled. “David, step-douche, he’s the new head of security here. I think he took the job to keep an eye on me and report back to Mom. She said he’s helping with the fees though so I guess I can’t complain too much.” Max could hear the disdain in Chloe’s voice. “I guess it’s school or work in the diner with Mom.” 

If there was one thing Max had learned in the last year, it was that Chloe hated talking about her home or school life. 

“What’s with the stars?” Max asked, changing the subject.

“Rachel likes them. One of the first things she told me is that she’s a Leo, so I made the Leo constellation for her and put it up on the ceiling.” 

Max was touched, and only a bit jealous, that Chloe was so in tune with Rachel and how she did little things like that to make her happy. 

The only thing Max knew about constellations is that she was a Virgo. 

A soft snore told her that Chloe had finally fallen asleep, so Max closed her eyes again and quickly drifted off too.

 


 

Trying to get everyone up and into the car to go to the diner in the morning was an experience Max could forgo again. First, Chloe refused to wake up. Max went to shower and get dressed and returned to Rachel’s room, and Chloe was still asleep. Then, when she finally woke up, she said she had to “wake and bake”, which made Rachel get mad because she didn’t want to get kicked out of the dorms and be forced to go back to her parents’ house. Then Rachel spent half an hour trying to attack them both with makeup; Max relented, but Chloe dug her heels in for anything other than eyeliner and mascara. 

All three girls were quiet in the car ride to the diner. When they parked, Frank’s RV could be seen in the lot across from an SUV that Max recognised as Nathan’s. After Chloe had parked (badly and across a handicapped space), she stayed outside to smoke a cigarette for a few minutes. Rachel went inside to use the bathroom, and Max went to grab a booth and say hi to Joyce. 

In the booth in the very corner sat the girl that Max had asked Kate about the previous night. She looked shy and Max felt an overwhelming urge to talk to her.

“Hi,” she said softly as she approached, and the girl jumped. She’d been staring out the window and hadn’t noticed anybody nearby. 

Max tentatively sat down. “I’m Max, I’m new to Blackwell. I think I saw you at the movie night yesterday?”

The girl smiled and relaxed a little. “I’m Samantha. Are you a senior like Chloe?”

Max shook her head. “Nah, I’m a sophomore. I used to be neighbours with Chloe when I was in elementary school. She’s my best friend.” 

“I’m here with Nathan,” Samantha confessed. “But he went into that dirty RV with a scary-looking guy for something when we arrived. We always come here on Sunday.”

Max nodded. “Are you friends with Victoria too?”

Samantha looked sad. “Victoria doesn’t like me.”

“Victoria doesn’t like anyone,” said a voice, and Rachel had appeared behind Max. “Hey, Samantha.”

“You know my name?” she looked utterly dazzled. 

“I’m secretly friends with Nathan too,” she confessed. “Victoria doesn’t like me either so we hang out in secret sometimes. The guy in the RV is Frank, he’s a real sweetie.”

Samantha looked a little happier knowing that she wasn’t Nathan’s only secret. “I guess I’ll see you in class, Max.”

Max smiled a goodbye, and then she and Rachel grabbed another booth nearby. 

“Is that Max Caulfield?” A soft southern lilt called across the diner, and Joyce headed towards them, making Max instantly smile. Joyce was always so kind and made everyone she met feel welcome and at home. “Look at you. You’ve grown up so much these last two years!” 

Joyce poured them two cups of coffee, and a third for Chloe who had just walked in, and turned her attention to Rachel. “Did you get moved in okay yesterday?”

“Yes mom,” Rachel teased, making Joyce laugh. “And I finally met the legendary Max!”

“I don’t know about that,” Max blushed. 

“I do,” Joyce said. “I hope you ground these two a little bit, Max. They’re both hell-raisers.”

“Gonna raise the roof,” Chloe grinned, taking her seat. Her bad mood seemed to have vanished. Frank entered the diner not long after, and Nathan followed shortly, so Max guessed she’d scored something off Frank to improve her mood. 

“Now, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, ladies. What are y’all having?”

“Waffles,” Max and Rachel said almost simultaneously, making Chloe snort with laughter. 

“Eggs and bakey,” she batted her eyelashes at her mom, who laughed. 

“I’m not covering your tab, Chloe,” she told her.

“I got it,” Max volunteered.

“No, my treat,” Rachel insisted. “For helping me move in yesterday.”

As Joyce walked away, Max’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket. 

 

Kate, Max

Kate: Good morning, Max! I hope you enjoyed your first night at Blackwell. I’m heading to church now but I’ll be around later if you need anything!

Max: Thanks, Kate! I ended up staying with Chloe and Rachel last night. It was great to catch up with Chloe and make new friends. I’ll see you later :) 

 

Max had learned the hard way in another timeline that not replying to texts often led to friendships deteriorating. She hoped desperately that she’d arrived in time to prevent Jefferson from poisoning Nathan and the rest of Blackwell Academy. 

“Hey, Max,” Rachel took her attention once she’d put her phone away. “Chloe says you take hella great selfies with a vintage camera.”

Max took her polaroid camera out of her bag, along with her portfolio of photos. “I need to put these up in my room. I want to make a huge wall collage.”

“That sounds awesome,” Rachel’s eyes lit up. “Hey, get over here and take your first selfie at Blackwell with us!”

Max obliged, and Chloe leaned back to put both her arms around her two best friends. Rachel pulled a face and poked her tongue out, Chloe looked smug and Max just smiled a big goofy smile. She hopped back over to the other side of the booth and waited for the photo to develop, and Rachel scribbled elegantly in the white space underneath:

Arcadia Baes, Sunday 4th September 2011

Max took a quick snap of the photo on her phone and sent it to her mom, while Rachel did the same thing, except posted it to Facebook and Instagram.

Chloe looked troubled for a moment. “Hey, you guys aren’t going to be art pals and leave me out, right?”

“Of course not!” Rachel looked shocked. 

“Chloe Price,” Max said firmly. “You are the entire reason I came back to Arcadia Bay.”

“Naw, you came back for Blackwell,” Chloe said, but she smiled anyway. 

“Blackwell is just a bonus,” Max told her. At least she was being honest.

And speaking of being honest, maybe it was Time. 

Chapter 3: 5 Hours Later/Still 2 Years Before [September 2011]

Notes:

TW for fainting, I guess? And Max has a nosebleed.

Chapter Text

It was time. Joyce had finished work, Rachel and Chloe had agreed to go back to Chloe’s, and David was in a rare good mood with a beer. He was grumpier than he had been when Max had left the other timeline, but then he hadn’t seen here what he had seen there. 

Max’s only comfort was that if they didn’t believe her, she could rewind and undo it all, although she didn’t like the thought of the splitting headache and the nosebleed that would come with it. 

“So, I have to tell you guys something,” Max began, standing in front of the fireplace. Joyce frowned and sat down at the table next to David, while Chloe leaned against the open patio door, smoking a cigarette. Rachel flipped her magazine closed to pay attention.

“This is going to sound nuts, but here goes.

I came from a world where Arcadia Bay was going to be wiped out by a huge tornado unless Chloe died. We were looking for Rachel, she’d been missing for six months and we found her body in the junkyard.”

“What the f-” David began, but Joyce shushed him.

“After Chloe’s funeral I told you, Joyce, about my power to rewind time, and I can prove it,” Max held up her journal, with the photographs and Joyce’s letter to herself. “You asked me to go back and save Rachel and Chloe.”

Rachel flipped open Max’s diary and started reading, and Chloe picked up the photographs, cigarette forgotten. Joyce opened the letter from herself and gasped. It was her own handwriting, nobody could forge that. 

There was silence for a few minutes. David read the letter over Joyce’s shoulder. Rachel’s eyes grew wider and wider and Chloe looked shaken. 

“How…?” Rachel was the first one to believe her. “How do I die?”

Max sighed. “A famous photographer comes to Blackwell to teach. Mark Jefferson. He uh… has a little side project where he drugs underage girls and takes photos of them. He wants to capture the moment where their innocence leaves them forever. He gets Nathan to bankroll him and Nathan accidentally gives you an overdose.”

“Fuck,” Rachel murmured quietly. Joyce didn’t even reprimand her. 

“What about me?” Chloe asked, morbidly curious. 

“You owe Frank money and you tried to get it off Nathan, but he pulls a gun on you in the girls’ bathroom at Blackwell. He doesn’t know I’m in the bathroom. David arrests him while you bleed out on the floor.” Max almost choked at the memory. “The first time I saw… the first time I set the fire alarm off and saved you. But all this weird shit kept happening, like there was snow on a sunny day in October, a dozen or so whales ended up on the beach, and there was an eclipse and then there were two moons in the sky. And then the storm came. 

When the storm came, Jefferson had me in his bunker with Victoria. He’d killed her. David was following me, thank God, and managed to overpower him. I took his car and headed to the diner where Joyce was holed up with Warren and Frank and some others. Chloe… you’d already been shot by Jefferson when the storm came. But it didn’t stop it. The only thing that stopped it was Nathan shooting you in the bathroom.” 

“Couldn’t you… couldn’t you have gone back further? And saved my dad?” Chloe asked tentatively. 

Max shook her head. Rachel was on those pages in her journal anyway. She pushed it towards Chloe, who read every word greedily, her eyes betraying her shock. 

“So you chose between me and my dad?” she asked. “That choice is easy, pick my dad!”

“No!” Max, Rachel and Joyce said together.

“Chloe, you make my life hell sometimes, but you’re my daughter and you’re always my number one priority,” Joyce said firmly. “I will always love your father, even though I have David now, but if I had to choose between you and your father I would choose you every time. And he would too.” 

Max butted in before Chloe could insult David. “And that’s another thing. You two,” she pointed at both David and Chloe. “You don’t get along at all.” She turned to David. “Chloe doesn’t need someone to be a dad to her. She had a dad, a great one. She doesn’t need rules and regulations. She needs a home and a family she can depend on.” 

She turned to Chloe next. “David loves your mom and he does care about you. Maybe he doesn’t always know how to show it. He’s a little… okay, well, a lot paranoid because of his experience in the service but he really does want what’s best for you.”

“I... “ Max finally had David convinced. “She’s right, Chloe. Damn, how did you know all that?” 

She’d done it without having to rewind. They believed her. Max felt dizzy with relief. 

“Max, honey, are you alright?” Joyce asked, concerned. “Your nose is bleeding.” 

She raised a hand to her nose to check and pulled it away to reveal blood. “Uh, yeah. That happens sometimes when the timelines get messed with.” Another wave of dizziness hit her, and a loud buzzing fell over her as the darkness descended. 

 


 

“Easy, Max,” was the first thing she heard as she recovered. David was kneeling beside her. He’d caught her as she’d fallen. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah… I think so.” Max sat up with David’s help. Joyce was grabbing her a glass of water from the kitchen. Chloe and Rachel kept a distance, whispering and eyeing Max warily. 

“I’m still not sure I believe you,” he admitted quietly. “But damn Max, you seem pretty smart. I’ll try and do better for Chloe. It’ll make Joyce happy.” 

The car ride back to Blackwell was quiet again, as each girl was contemplating her own thoughts. Chloe decided to go home afterwards, needing some space to clear her head. Max was still feeling a little faint so she bade goodbye to Rachel and went to her room, where she laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She flicked her fairy lights on and thought about how she might want to organise her photo collection. 

There was a soft knock on the door, and Rachel opened it gently and poked her head around. “Max? Can I talk to you?”

“Of course,” Max sat up slowly, but she was feeling much better now. 

Rachel closed the door quietly behind her. “I… uh, I want to tell you something that happened last year. It’s a little weird, but honestly, I think you’ll believe me.” 

She joined Max sitting on the bed and crossed her legs. “Last year, when I saw my dad cheating on my mom… I kind of set the forest on fire.” 

“Wow,” Max commented, not sure what that had to do with anything she’d said earlier. 

“I remember burning a photo of my dad in a trash can, and I kicked it, and I screamed, and the fire just… spread. The wind picked up and it was suddenly everywhere. And then half the forest was gone.” 

The two girls were quiet for a moment. Rachel laid back on Max’s bed, her head resting against the pillow. Max copied her, and they stared at the blank ceiling. 

“Do you think we have a real chance to change things?” Rachel asked eventually.

“God, I hope so,” Max said. “Being away from Chloe in Seattle sucked. Watching her die after reconnecting with her was just…” she trailed off. 

“Do you think Nathan can be saved?” 

“I’ll never forget the last time I heard his voice,” Max told her. “While I was in the Dark Room he left me a voicemail. He told me how sorry he was, and how he never wanted to hurt anybody. He warned me that I was next. I think… maybe he deserves a fair shot at life.” 

“I know he has issues with his father,” Rachel said, and then snorted. “Who here hasn’t got daddy issues?”

“Kate,” Max said. “Kate’s father adores her.” 

“Well, she’s the lucky one.” 

“I think we need to be honest,” Max said, after thinking for a few minutes. “We need to call Victoria out when she’s being mean. We need to try and be there for Nathan and make him believe we’re not using him for whatever reason. His father bullies him. Jefferson used him for money and as a scapegoat to drug models for his Dark Room. He sells drugs so I know kids here use him for that too. But I think people really do care.” She looked directly into Rachel’s hazel eyes. “You’re his friend, right? And Victoria, and Samantha wants to be.”

There was silence for a few more minutes. 

“I have to make this work,” Max said what was on her mind. Being around Chloe and Rachel inspired her to be brave. “I can’t lose Chloe again… and now I’ve finally met you, I don’t want to lose you either.” 

Rachel smiled in response. “Anything else I should know?”

“At some point, you date Frank Bowers and Chloe doesn’t know. I found a letter in his RV that you wrote breaking up with him, he did something that scared you. I don’t know what it was. Oh, and I think you were banging Jefferson as well.” 

“Huh. I guess I’ll try to behave myself then.” 

“And no more arson,” Max teased her before she said goodnight.

 


 

The following morning, Max’s alarm woke her up at 7:30 am. It was her first real day of school at Blackwell, and first impressions were everything. She needed to be smart, friendly and confident. She needed to convince people that she was worth getting to know, and not hide in her comfort zone with her earphones in. 

But at the same time, she needed to be herself. People would see through her if she was being too fake. She grabbed a quick shower before the queue got too long, brushed her teeth and then returned to her room to pick an outfit. 

Jeans were essential, she decided. They were comfy and they went with a lot of things. She could still be smart in jeans. Looking in the mirror, she was grateful that she’d got her hair cut shorter before coming to Blackwell. She wasn’t the weird mousy haired kid anymore, she was a confident young woman. 

Well, a confident young woman trapped in a 15 year old’s body. 

She opted for a pale collared shirt with her mid-grey jeans. She wore a dark fitted suit jacket over the top and opted for her comfiest Converse trainers. She didn’t want to wear too much makeup, but she tried to copy some of what Rachel had put on her the day before - just some simple brown shadow and mascara. Once she was satisfied, she took a photo of her reflection in the mirror and labelled the photograph before sticking it in her diary.

My first day @ Blackwell, Monday 5th September 2011

She took a quick photo on her phone and sent it to her parents. 

Mom, Dad, Max

Max: I’m a little nervous but I’m going to try my best today! I’ll call later :) xxx

Mom: We’re so proud of you honey! We love you xxxxx

She felt too queasy to eat anything, but she grabbed one of the cookies that her mom had left in a tin in her wardrobe, and it helped her feel a little better. She checked her bag about ten times before finally leaving her dorm room. 

First, she had to head to the main foyer to pick up her timetable and Blackwell guidebook, and then attend an orientation session. She was not surprised to see Kate helping to direct new students when she arrived.

“Hey Kate,” she greeted her with a smile. 

“Hey, Max!” Kate beamed enthusiastically. “You look totally ready for school!”

Max laughed. “I hope so! I want to make a good first impression.” 

“Well I snagged your timetable for you,” Kate handed it over with a copy of the Blackwell handbook. “Orientation is just through those doors over there. Save me a seat?” 

“Of course,” Max smiled, and then made her way to the coffee machine nearby. She opted for a latte, sprinkling sugar and chocolate powder over the top before putting the lid on. She spotted David lingering near the door, and he nodded in greeting when he saw her. Hopefully, that meant Chloe would be around somewhere. 

She took her coffee into the doors that Kate had pointed out, which led to the auditorium. She chose a seat about midway up in the stands and put her bag on the seat next to her to save for Kate. To kill time, she took a look at her social pages. 

The selfie that they’d taken in the diner yesterday seemed to be blowing up on Rachel’s feed. She already had over 100 likes on Facebook, and Max scrolled through the comments. 

Steph Gringrich: Arcadia Baes <3 who’s the new kid? She looks cool. Have fun at Blackwell - tell Chloe I’ll send her a postcard from NYU! 

Warren Graham: Lookin’ good Max!

Dana Ward: OMG I need to go to Two Whales for breakfast soon or I’m gonna die lol

Juliet Watson: Hey Max, I’m writing an article on new students at Blackwell. LMK if you’d like to be interviewed! 

Justin Williams: Lookin fine laydeez! 

Befriending Rachel had already put Max on the social ladder at Blackwell, it seemed. She wondered why Chloe was often left out when Rachel hung with her other friends. 

With a bang, the doors to the auditorium opened, and Victoria, Taylor and Courtney strode in, their designer heels clacking loudly on the floor and echoing throughout the empty room. 

“I just don’t understand why Nathan likes her so much,” Victoria was bitching. “She’s not even pretty.” 

“I don’t know, all the jocks want to date her,” Courtney disagreed. “And what’s the deal with her and Chloe Price? She’s always clinging on to her.”

“Probably a groupie,” Victoria suggested, a wicked smile on her face, and both girls laughed.

Ugh, time to stand up to her already , Max thought. It wasn’t even 8:30 am yet! 

She stood up from her seat and stepped confidently down the steps before coming to a stop in front of where the girls were sitting. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Can I help you?” Victoria asked rudely. 

“Chloe Price is my best friend,” Max told her. “And Rachel is cool too. You don’t have to tear other people down to make yourself feel better, you know.” 

“I… that’s not…” Victoria spluttered, while Taylor and Courtney exchanged wide-eyed glances behind her. 

“You’re Victoria Chase, right?” Max carried on. “I’ve seen some of your photography, it’s cool.”

“I… thanks,” she accepted the compliment, too confused to say anything else. For the moment, Max was satisfied, and she returned to her seat. She pulled out her phone and started typing.

Arcadia Baes

Max: Operation Make Victoria Chase A Nice Person has already begun

Rachel: We need to think of a better code name for that

Chloe: It’s too early to think about ANYTHING

Max: I have coffee?

Not two minutes later, Chloe was hopping into a seat behind Max and grabbing the cup out of her hands. 

“Ew,” she commented. “Is this vanilla?”

“I like vanilla,” Max defended herself. “Anyway, I’m surprised you’re here at all.”

Chloe feigned shock and hurt at Max’s comment. “I had a real long talk with Mom last night. I’m… I’m going to try, Max. For real.” 

Slowly more students filtered in. Warren smiled and waved at Max, but sat with his science friends. Rachel chatted for a few minutes with some drama people but came to sit with Chloe behind Max. One of the last people in was Kate, and she smiled gratefully at the seat Max had saved for her. 

Max tuned out Principal Wells’ welcome address and various presentations about extracurriculars that she wasn’t interested in. She snapped back into focus when Principal Wells announced that the Prescott Foundation would be bankrolling the Vortex Club, and then invited Victoria to say a few words on behalf of them. 

“Hello Blackwell, and welcome to another wonderful year of academic fulfilment,” Victoria beamed so brightly that Max thought her face would split in two. “I was nominated president of the Vortex Club at the end of last school year, and it’s such an honour. The role usually goes to a senior!”

“Way to toot your own horn, Chase,” Chloe muttered. 

“I urge new students to think of the Vortex Club as a welcoming and safe space. Think of me as your big sister, I will share your worries and ease your mind.”

Rachel snorted derisively and looking around, it seemed that many students shared the same sentiment. 

“To celebrate our first week back at Blackwell, we’ll be throwing a party on Saturday night in this very auditorium,” Victoria announced, and then the attitude of most of the student body shifted positively. “Anyone and everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend!”

Notes:

I have a few chapters of this written, but I'm bad at sticking to any sort of posting schedule. And finishing works. Enjoy!