So. My hiatus turned out to be a hiat-not-so-much, I guess.

*shrugs* If you've got a brilliant idea, fucking go with the flow.

Let me know what you think - like I said, I might do another two-parter in this AU.

Chloe watched Max nervously from the corner of her eye as she drove down the street leading to her house, the brunette looking out the passenger window as she puffed away at her small joint. Chloe felt her heart sputter as she realized that Max was watching her through the faint reflection of the window's glass. Forcibly avoiding a knee-jerk reactionary loss of motor control while behind the wheel, Chloe decided to try and act casual. Most. Awkward. Ride. Ever, Chloe thought as she nervously looked straight out the windshield before hearing a small snicker from the passenger side.

Realizing that she'd been caught regardless, Chloe ceased being discreet in her observation of the girl who had once been her best friend. Brazenly turning her head slightly, Chloe made it clear that she was looking at Max. Seeing the smirk on Max's reflection, Chloe didn't know what to expect when Max turned around in her seat so that she was facing forward. Shitballs! She's going to say something! Wait…isn't that a good thing? But what if she says a bad thing?! 'Bad thing'? Ugh, woman the fuck up, Chloe!

"Ashtray?" Max asked plainly, her clear voice startling Chloe as she held up the ember stub of a joint while blowing a smoke ring toward the windshield. Dude, that is hella cool! Chloe thought as she reached underneath her side of the truck's bench seat with a free hand and pulled out an old red ashtray with "Oregon" stamped on one side in white lettering.

"Pot, huh? That's some good shit," Chloe said with a nervous smile, seeing another smirk emerge from Max. I suck at this! How the fuck do I even talk to her? Speak words in mouth good? Rarghhhh!

"Yes, pot is some pretty good shit. I'm assuming you get lit, too?" Max asked as she pulled another cigarette-sized joint out and held it out toward Chloe, "Where the fuck are my manners? Sorry, Chloe. Would you like one?"

"A whole joint?"

"Well yeah. I didn't offer a puff and it is bad etiquette to not do so. Hence, a full doob if you want it," Max said with an incredulous tone, "You don't want it?"

"No. I mean yes. I mean…ugh, just set it next to me and I'll blaze when we get to my house," Chloe replied, shaking her head as the urge to pull her beanie all the way down to hide her face grew in its temptation.

"…I'm not going to bite or anything, Chloe," Max said as she slid back into her seat and resumed looking out the passenger window, "I'm not a goddamn vampire or anything. At least, that you know of."

"Oh, look at you. So funny with your funniness and pretty dress and shit-" Chloe rambled before being cut off by Max.

"You think I look pretty?" Max spun around in her seat again as Chloe tried to act like she hadn't heard the question, let alone the surprise and pleasure in Max's tone. Shit fuck ass balls fuck fuck goose!

Seeing that she was not going to get an answer at that moment, Max smiled faintly to herself as she took the offered ashtray and finished snubbing the remains of her joint. Setting it on the floor, Max kicked the ashtray under her side of the seat as she stretched her arms out and popped her knuckles. What the hell am I doing? I should have asked her to take me back to Blackwell. This is so stupidly awkward. Still, she's being…she's being kinda cute. And I know she just called me pretty. She's more nervous than I am. Still a complete dork, Chlo.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you were watching me, Chloe?" Max asked, an affectation of humor in her voice, "A ninja you certainly are not."

"Maybe I wanted it to be obvious," Chloe countered, her nervous tone gradually becoming playful as she winked at the bemused Max.

"Then well played, Madame. More likely? You're full of shit," Max chided in return, giggling a bit before sighing, "Now, you were telling me I was-"

"Aaaand we're here!" Chloe cut Max off, Thank fucking God running through Chloe's head as she pulled the truck along the curb in front of the Price residence, "Like what we've not done with the place?"

I'll get my answer, Chloe Price, Max thought before looking through the windshield at a familiar sight. Max couldn't help but smile as she looked out the window at the same house she remembered from her childhood. The paint may have been slightly more worn than the last time she was there, but to Max if felt nostalgic. Time stands still here, like a picture. Pulling out her Polaroid camera, Max took a photo of Chloe's house through the window. I like how the rain on the glass plays with the rainfall still coming down. It's like we're frozen in time.

"Give me a sec, Max," Chloe said, getting the other girl's attention as she pulled off her jacket, "I'll come around. No reason for both of us to get hella soaked, especially when one of us is wearing a fucking dress."

"A fucking dress? And here I thought I looked nice, maybe even 'pretty'? Such flattery will actually get you nowhere, Price," Max said with an eyebrow raised.

"Shaddup!" Chloe said, rolling her eyes as she quickly opened the driver's side door and ran out into the rain.

Slamming her door behind her, Chloe lifted her jacket over her head to try and temporarily minimize her own saturation before swinging Max's door open. Okay. I really need to stop being awkward. Chloe, stop being awkward. Okay? Okay, Chloe thought as she smiled while Max slid out of the truck. Lifting the jacket over Max's head, Chloe felt the icy drops collide with her shirt as they sent shivers down her body. Taking the jacket from Chloe's hands, Max let the bluenette lead her in a sprint from the sidewalk to the Prices' front door.

"Holy balls, I'm freezing," Chloe managed to get out through chattering teeth, "Um, you can set the food in the kitchen if you want. D'you mind if I…oh, shit."

Max's teeth were chattering nearly as much as Chloe's, her dress not as saturated as Chloe's shirt but still wet enough that it was obvious she was freezing as well. Taking the food from Max's shaky hands, Chloe set the two warm paper bags on the table by the door. Grabbing Max's wrist, Chloe led the soaked brunette up the stairs and into her bedroom. Don't think, Chloe. Just do.

"Uh, wow," Max said as she closed the door behind herself and gawked at the transformation of what she remembered Chloe's room looking like combining with the sight before her, "Looks…looks like the inside of a bar met the inside of your brain, Chloe."

"I don't know how to take that," Chloe responded as she turned her attention from the search for dry clothes that were also clean to Max with a questioning look, "That a compliment, trash-talk…?"

"An astute observation. Seriously, Chloe, I kinda like it," Max said as she ran a hand along the walls, "We actually like some of the same bands still. The graffiti is cute."

"My room is 'cute'. That is totally not what I was going for," Chloe let out a single laugh at the ludicrous idea of her room resembling anything that could be called cute, "If this is cute then you have a pretty twisted idea of cuteness, Max Caulfield." Still, she said something about me was cute. Like, openly. Maybe this isn't a total loss. Maybe I could get my best friend back…

"Jury's out on that one," Max replied, absently examining some photos Chloe had put up on the wall by her desk before both their phones lit up.

Rachel: Soooooo?

Kate: Srsly, Rachel. Stop.

Rachel: Hang on! Sooooo? ;)

Max: No emoji! What u pulled revokes emoji privileges!

Chloe: NO EMOJI-wait, never mind. Good call, Max

Max: uh thx

Rachel: :'(

Rachel: Well? Having fun yet?

Max: Chloe got us kicked out.

Chloe: ! WTF MAX!?

Max: well u DID

Max: we're in her room nao

Rachel: OOOOOOOOOOH! *grins*

Chloe: Ugh, Rachel. Lots of UGGHHHHHHHHH

Rachel: Kate's giving me evil eye. TTYL! XD

"I got us kicked out?!" Chloe said with her voice raised, "Dude, that is fucked up! You were being loud, too!"

"Not as much as you, never mind that you kept flipping the bartender off," Max said, folding her arms across her chest.

"He shushed me! I don't get shushed!"

"Fucking shush, Chloe!" Max yelled back, both girls begging to get into the argument.

"Do you want dry clothes or not?"

"So you're keeping the idea of me freezing to death open? Nice!"

"Ugh! I'm changing in the bathroom! Do whatever the fuck you want, Maxine!"

"What the-?! Urgh, Chloe Elizabeth Price!" Max shouted after Chloe slammed the door before heading into the bathroom.

Hearing the bathroom door slam as well, Max found herself left in a moment of solitary quiet. Growling at the closed door, Max punched the wall with her small fist and let out an angry "Ugh!" before turning her attention to the closet. Fucking Chloe Price! Fucking Goddamn Chloe Elizabeth Price! I should…I should just steal some clothes, change, and make a run for the bus stop. It's got to have like a booth or something. Max kicked her foot against a faded blue cabinet and looked up at it.

We…we painted this, Max said as her anger began to subside, She kept this? It's been five years. Max ran a hand along the worn surface of the old cabinet, looking at it in fascination as memories of painting the piece of furniture with Chloe surfaced. Remembering how she had smacked her paintbrush on Chloe's head, Max felt an alien sound escape her as she giggled. The first time her hair was painted blue, apparently. Max wanted to examine the contents of what was inside the drawers but was deftly blocked by a sneeze. Sniffling, Max looked down at her soaked dress and sighed. Sorry, Rachel. This is not going how you probably hoped it would.

Peeling off the wet clothes, Max felt her skin crawl as the air and her damp skin combined to send a chill up her spine. Opening the closet, Max pulled a small army's worth of tank-tops aside before finding a black and red flannel shirt. Looking at the item of clothing curiously, Max realized why it looked so familiar.

"Rachel? Of course it's Rachel's. Diabolical mastermind that she is. How could she not know a date between me and Chloe would go like this? It is nice to see Chloe, though. I missed her so much," Max admitted to herself as she slipped the flannel on. Buttoning the shirt up, Max had found a pair of sleep shorts when Chloe came bursting through the door.

Whatever anger Chloe still had flitted away when she saw Max in the flannel shirt and shorts. She's fucking beautiful, Chloe thought as she looked down at her blue jeans and white tank-top. How does she look amazing in whatever I see her wear? Carrying both bags of Chinese food in one hand, Chloe walked over to Max and broke the awkward pause between them by giving Max a hug. Taking the brunette by surprise, Chloe felt Max hesitate a moment before returning the gesture with a hug of her own. I'm so sorry, Max. I'm sorry that I never called or wrote or anything. God, I'm a fucking asshole. Say that, Chloe. Tell her everything. Right now.

"I…I was afraid you wouldn't find anything to wear," Chloe stammered out, looking at Max with her eyes opened wide, "Nice to see you presentable. I,um, I brought the food."

"I can see that, Chloe," Max teased as she went to her camera bag. Pulling out her old Polaroid camera, Max took a snapshot of the awkward-looking Chloe and smiled before tilting the camera up to take a selfie. "Here."

"Thanks, I guess," Chloe said with a sheepish face as she took the offered selfie Max had taken, "Okay. Can…can we just try all this again, Max? We were both hella blindsided by Rachel with this whole set-up and I really would like to spend some time with you. I know I fucked up, never writing back or anything. I was just…I was just, well, scared."

"Punk grrl Chloe Price, scared? The end is nigh," Max said in a feigned tone of surprise, "Yeah, I suppose we could give tonight another shot. I missed you, Che. I missed you a lot."

"You used my old nickname."

"I guess I did. That bad? I could always call you 'Epic Fail Girl', on account of how many times you've either screwed up or been caught sneaking glimpses at me-"

"'Che' is fine, Max," Chloe said, relieved at Max's lighter tone, "I'm an epic fail, huh? Wouldn't be the first time. You look hella cute in the flannel, by the way."

"Aww, thanks." Max winked at Chloe before opening up her paper bag and pulling out a carryout container and chopsticks, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Rachel would leave some of her clothes here-"

"Whoa there, pint-size. That shirt is mine. Rachel snags my gear all the goddamn time. Hella irritating when you're trying to find a shirt only to realize that it was snatched away by a long-haired shirt goblin."

Max nearly choked on her food as a laugh nearly escaped her. Eyes watering as she coughed and swallowed in succession, Max shot Chloe a stern gaze. Mouthing Sorry, Chloe carefully took a bite of her own food for fear of retaliation. Eyes wandering as she chewed her food, Chloe looked down and noticed the smooth paleness of Max's bare legs. Look up, Chloe. Stop gawking at her. Stop. Stop it.

"Like what you see, Che?" Max asked, sliding across the bed to sit right next to Chloe with a sly upturn in one corner of her mouth.

"Hmm? What? Oh shit," Chloe said with gasp, spacing out in her thoughts about Max's legs. Thankful she had at least swallowed the food in her mouth, Chloe looked over and saw Max watching her with an indecipherable look on her face. Is she mad? Chloe thought as she continued to eat her food, the two girls looking at each other between bites. After a few minutes of silence, Max surprised Chloe by stealing the last of the blue-haired girl's eggrolls.

"What the…? You jacked my last eggroll?" Chloe said as she jumped after the fleeing Max, the brunette bum-rushing Chloe's bedroom door and running down the stairs. "Get back here, you fucking brat!"

Chloe ran downstairs after Max, but stopped when she made it to the hallway. The downstairs area was dead silent. Chloe strained her ears to try and catch signs of where Max might be, but came up empty as she slowly made her way down the hall and into the living room. Peeking around the couch, Chloe came up to the old wine stain from when she and Max had tried to drink a bottle of Joyce's alcohol. Max had ended up spitting it out while accidentally spilling the bottle's contents onto the floor. Maybe it was the giggling from that moment or somewhere in the house Max was giggling, but Chloe's head snapped back up as she darted her eyes back and forth to try and find out where the giggling was coming from.

"Maaaax? Oh, Maaaax?" Chloe called out, an evil grin on her face as she moved from the living room to the sliding glass door. Seeing that the door was cracked open, Chloe thought it would be pretty stupid of Max to go outside while it was still raining. It's a trap! Chloe thought as she sniggered to herself. "Where are yewwwwww?"

Max was trying so hard not to laugh as she hid. Hearing Chloe come barreling down the stairs, Max tensed when the first floor of Chloe's house suddenly became silent. No way has she seen me, Max thought as she hid behind the small counter separating the dining area and the kitchen, No fucking way. Pressing herself against the counter even more, Max barely heard the footfalls of booted feet as Chloe made her way down the hall at a cautious pace. Silently crawling around the counter so that she was now in the kitchen, Max sat against the counter again and listened as Chloe called after her. Dog, she's like a dorky Jack from The Shining. All work and no play makes Chloe a regular Chloe because she probably has no job. Max clamped her hands to her mouth as she stifled another bout of laughter. Now was not the time to make herself laugh, Max knew, but this was just too much fun.

Hearing Chloe momentarily halt in her pursuit, Max peeked around the doorway separating the kitchen and hall to see Chloe kneeling by the old couch. Remembering the time she had tried to drink some of Joyce's wine, Max let out a single giggle and watched as Chloe's whole body shot up. Crap! Max pinned herself against the wall next to the doorway, realizing as she looked around that she had trapped herself. The only way to escape Chloe would be to run back upstairs and lock Chloe out of her own room. Release the kraken! Max sprang to her feet and stumbled for a moment, tripping on the linoleum floor as she ungainly came out into the hallway. Seeing Chloe's head twist in her direction, both girls grinned mischievously at one another before moving.

"Shit!" Max cried out as she began to scramble for the stairs.

"Gotcha bitch!" Chloe hollered after Max, running for the clumsy brunette.

Only a few feet behind Max, Chloe took the stairs two at a time, thinking that she was going to make it only to have the door slam inches from her face. Rattling the doorknob, Chloe looked at the door in a moment of surprise as she realized that Max had just locked her out of her own room.

"This is treason! This is an illegal occupation! I demand justice!" Chloe yelled as she pounded at her door, hearing Max laugh her ass off from the other side.

"I claim this room in the name of Caulfieldonia!" a cheerful voice cried out from the other side of the door, "The first order of business will be a reconstruction of the area to allow for a better quality of life!"

"That's some shitty bidness!" Chloe slammed the palm of her hand on the door a single time before resting her forehead against it, "Lemme in!"

"…Password?"

"Goddamnit, Max!"

"Ehhh! Wrong! Defense system activated!"

Fuck! Chloe thought as she realized that Max wasn't going to just let her walk right back in. Chloe shook her head as she laughed, pulling her beanie off to run her fingers through her hair while she tried to strategize. I can't just get in through the door. I'm obviously not going to break it down; that's taking things way too far. Wait…is it still raining out pretty badly? Quietly descending the stairs, Chloe looked out the peephole of the front door to find that the downpour had lightened up to a sprinkle. Yanking her beanie back in place, Chloe grabbed her usual leather jacket and bounded outside.

Running along the side of the house, Chloe came to the old latticework on the side of the house. Having used it several times to evade her parents while she would sneak out of the house, Chloe grinned as she began to ascend toward the roof. Trying not to make any noise, Chloe crept toward the window and peeked around the corner. What is Max doing? Are those…those are our old comics. Is she…is she crying? Oh, dude. Maxaroni, don't cry. Chloe pouted while she watched the brunette wipe at her eyes as Max sat on Chloe's bed with a piece of their childhood in her lap.

Deciding that sneaking was maybe not the most preferable thing at this point, Chloe kneeled at the window and rapped at the glass with her fingertips. Seeing Max's head pop up, Chloe couldn't help but grin when she saw the knowing smile on Max's face. Her eyes a little red from crying a moment ago, Max crawled up onto Chloe's desk and sat next to the window. Leaning her head against the glass, Max put her hand on the window and felt the slight pressure as Chloe mimicked her gesture.

"Let me in?" Chloe asked, her double meaning obvious to both of them.

"Can I…can I trust you?" Max asked in return, lifting her head off the window to look into Chloe's blue eyes.

"Forever."

Signaling for Chloe to scoot back, Max grunted a bit as she lifted the window up enough to let Chloe slide inside. Clearing out a path on the desk as she climbed off, Max stood waiting in the middle of Chloe's room as the blue-haired girl made her way inside. Closing the window behind her, Chloe locked it and turned around only to lose the air in her lungs. Max, her face inches from Chloe's, had wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck as she stood on tip-toes.

"Can I trust you? Can I believe in you, Che?" Max asked, her lips parting slightly with each word, her eyes searching and wanting.

"I'm never leaving you," Chloe said, wrapping her arms around Max's waist as she let Max into her after five years with a returned kiss and two reunited hearts.

Read, review, and as always...

Stay hella, Cinnamon Rolls!