Salutations, dearies! Long time no see! It is important to note that this story is no longer canon, though I tried to add some things from episode 5 in this. Regardless, this has a much better (read happier) ending than episode 5 did, so I hope you enjoy!

It is also my headcanon that the storm was created to "cleanse" the town of the evil within (read jeffershit) so that concept comes to life in this chapter!

Nathan was suffering - that much was quite obvious to both Warren and Max. He walked with a pronounced limp, his pants were stained with blood, and the absolute horror flashing in those eyes was enough to prove that Nathan was not - in fact - as "alright" as he claimed.

While they were sneaking out of the horrible room, heading over to Nathan's truck, Warren had grabbed Max's arm, whispering, "He has to be running on adrenalin. There's no other explanation for how he could still be functioning."

And really, there wasn't. It was obvious that Nathan very clearly felt the pain shooting through his body, but he seemed to be refusing to react to it.

Unless it wasn't adrenalyn. Maybe...maybe Nathan was just too used to the abuse he had been suffering that things like this hardly phased him anymore.

Max doubted that was true. Regardless, she quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind - there wasn't time to think about such things, right then.

"Q-quickly," Nathan hissed, as he opened the door for Max and Warren to slide in, before he climbed in as well.

His hands shook badly, as he fired up the engine, and his face was starting to look a sickening shade of white that was incredibly unnatural.

"Are...are you sure you're okay to drive?" Warren asked, his thoughts seemingly following the same line as Max's.

Nathan merely shifted into drive, flooring it out of the barn.

Max, squished in between Nathan and Warren, felt oddly safe, though she knew none of them were safe yet. In fact, they were so far from it, Max felt an acute sense of hopelessness about their situation.

Granted, that despondent feeling could have been coming from the fact that her best friend was dead, or the fact that the guy to her right looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown, or the guy to her left had been...

"He...h-he raped you," Max breathed, her mind still unable to wrap around that fact.

Nathan's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Not the first time," he muttered, feigning nonchalance, in spite of his shaking voice. Max felt sick. "But it will be the last. One way, or another."

"We need to call the police!" Warren said suddenly, his voice echoing in the truck. Nathan winced.

"We can't. They can't be trusted."

Warren ran his hands through his hair spastically. "Dude...I...I..."

"I know," Nathan whispered solemnly. He glanced over briefly at Warren, his face drawn. "It ends tonight. All of this. It will all be over soon."

"What are you going to do?" Max asked quickly, her eyebrows furrowed. Nathan slammed on the breaks so he could make it around a turn. Max couldn't say she was surprised that Nathan drove like a bat out of hell, especially given their current situation. However, she figured the rain beginning to pound on the road would have caused him to slow down a little, if only for safety reasons.

"I'm dropping you two off somewhere safe. That's all you need to know," he said cryptically, as they neared the edge of town.

"Nathan-" Warren began.

"Nathan, we can help you. This...you don't have to go through this alone anymore!" Max exclaimed. Warren nodded in agreement.

Nathan winced, his hands tightening on the steering wheel so much that they shook worse than they had been. "I...I'm sorry..."

He pulled up beside a familiar house, but didn't put the car in park. "Get out," he said firmly, his eyes staring straight forward.

"Nathan," Max pleaded.

"Get. OUT!" he screamed, violently slamming his fist against the dashboard. Quickly, Warren and Max slid out into the cold darkness, the rain falling heavily upon them. Nathan reached over, slamming the car door shut. He looked absolutely furious.

Warren wrapped a comforting arm around Max's shoulders - she hadn't even realized she was shaking as much as she was, until that moment.

As he lead her towards the Price-Madsen household, Max heard Nathan rev the engine once. She glanced back, only briefly, but it was enough.

That hadn't been fury on his face. It had been terror. And determination.

It was as though he knew he was charging into a battle he knew he'd never come home from.

In one swift moment, Max jerked away from Warren, running towards the road. Warren shouted after her, but his words fell on deaf ears.

She refused to let another person die.

Nathan's tires screeched against the pavement as she lunged onto the road. And then, everything happened in a flash.

The rough braking of Nathan's truck, the headlights glaring at Max brightly through the rain, and Nathan's face frozen in horror as his car slammed into Max.

It all happened so fast, that Max's mind had to play catch up, as she laid on her back staring up at the dark sky. She blinked slowly, her confusion fading. However, she was immediately jerked out of her thoughts by Nathan's sudden appearance beside her.

"Shit shit SHIT!" he exclaimed, grabbing ahold of her arm tightly. His eyes were wide, already filling with tears as his shaky hands held her arm helplessly. "F-fucking...I-I-I'm s-so sorry, M-Max," Nathan whimpered.

Max sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand. "Ugh...I'm fine-"

Nathan squeezed her arm, causing her to look at him. His eyes were more agonized than they had been when Jefferson was hurting him.

"Nathan, I'm okay-"

"Caulfield!" came a sudden shout from the house. She turned around in shock, watching a wide-eyed Warren lead David Madsen over to where she and Nathan were. He immediately knelt down beside her, his eyes quickly scanning over her body, checking to see if she was injured. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Max swallowed hard, ignoring the way Nathan's hands were shaking violently. "I'm okay. Nathan...he-"

David's eyes suddenly darted up, meeting Nathan's. The boy flinched, hunching his shoulders. "Prescott, what are you doing here?"

Nathan opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. His jaw quivered, tears starting to run down his face, mingling with the falling rain.

Max spoke before Nathan could work himself up even worse. "Mr. Madsen...we...we need help..."

He glanced between Max and Nathan, his face suspicious. "What happened...?"

"Max and I," Warren spoke up, shifting back and forth on his feet, shivering slightly, "we got kidnapped. By Mr. Jefferson."

David Madsen's face immediately became severe. "That...I knew that fucker was up to something." He suddenly glared down at Nathan, who flinched, his forehead practically touching the pavement he was curled up so tightly. "And I suppose you were somehow involved with that shit as well, considering how "close you and Jeffershit are-"

"Nathan saved us!" Max snapped protectively, settling a gentle hand on his quivering back. He glanced up at her, his eyes shocked at how aggressive she was in her defending him. "He's also really hurt... He needs help."

David looked away from Max, eyeing Nathan with a judging eye. A second later, he sighed, reaching down and helping Max up. As soon as she was standing beside Warren, he reached down, helping Nathan to his feet.

However, the trauma and pain from Jefferson's actions must have suddenly caught up with him, as he swayed dangerously, his face going pale and his eyes going glossy. David caught him as he passed out, quickly hoisting him up into his arms, heading back towards the house. Warren and Max followed behind them, worry evident on both of their faces.

OoO

Max pulled the blanket tighter around herself, watching as Joyce gently toweled Nathan's forehead. As soon as they'd made their way into the house, Joyce had immediately swooped in, demanding what was happening. David had merely thrust Nathan into her arms, demanding she "take care of" him, before quickly interrogating Max and Warren, having them give a run-down of the Dark Room situation. After only a few minutes, he was headed out of the house, talking on his phone with the Arcadia Bay police department.

Joyce had quickly given Max and Warren blankets and coffee, settling them down in the living room, before spreading out Nathan on the couch. She covered him up with a thick blanket, before settling beside him, kindly tending to him.

Warren came back from the kitchen after refilling his mug, settling back down in his chair. Joyce stood from her place beside Nathan, pulling over a dining room chair to sit beside the other two. She gave them a look. "So what exactly happened with you three?"

"We were kidnapped by our photography teacher, Mark Jefferson," Max said quietly. In spite of the many times she had said this, she still couldn't believe it. "H-he...he drugged us, and brought us to this sick room...and...and Nathan..." Max bit her lip, feeling tears come to her eyes. "He...he saved us...but...Jefferson... he..."

"He r...r-raped him. He hit him around and forced him to take this medication and he raped him," Warren whispered, his eyes watering as well. Joyce looked between the two of them, her face horrified.

Placing a hand over her mouth, Joyce whispered, "Oh my God..."

Max jolted as Warren's hand suddenly reached across the space between their two chairs, grabbing her hand and rubbing a thumb across her knuckles in a small attempt at comforting her.

Joyce swallowed hard, clearly trying to put on a brave face. "Was this...a one-time thing?"

"He said it had happened before..." Warren supplied weakly.

Joyce sighed heavily, placing a hand on her forehead. "And all those times he had come into the diner...how did I not notice?"

"None of us did," Max said gently, using her free hand to grasp Joyce's.

"I'm sure David will kick himself when he finds out," she whispered, her voice sorrowful. "He despises it when harm comes to any of his students, especially when he doesn't catch the person causing the harm right away. And the fact that it was a teacher, no less..."

They sat in silence for a while, the sadness nearly suffocating. Max felt herself breaking down on the inside, from the trauma from Chloe being killed, to discovering her teacher was the most evil person she knew, to everything with Nathan...

Max jolted slightly. Chloe...Joyce, David...they didn't know!

As if on cue, Joyce looked to Max. "Where's Chloe? She's been gone since this morning..."

Max felt herself tense, her breath catching in her throat. However, Nathan chose that exact moment to moan, his head tossing from side to side.

Max, Joyce, and Warren all immediately dropped hands, going over to Nathan. His eyes flickered open, slowly, before opening wide as he looked between all of them in a panic.

"Nathan, it's alright!" Max said quickly, grabbing ahold of his hand without a thought.

He winced at her sudden touch, trying to sit up. However, he let out a pained noise, flopping back on the couch. "Gah...hurts..."

Joyce left his side, quickly running up the stairs, before she entered the room once more. In her hands, she held a couple painkillers and a glass of water. Nathan eagerly threw the pills back dry, his face slowly relaxing. "H...h-he's never been...this...rough, before..."

Max covered her mouth, feeling sick to her stomach. She turned away from him, squeezing her eyes shut.

No. She couldn't let this carry on. She had to go back.

"Warren," she said abruptly. "I need that picture you took of us earlier."

Warren looked at her confused. "I...why? It wasn't that good-"

"Please, Warren!" she begged, her voice raw. She glanced back briefly to see Warren, Joyce, and Nathan all giving her a strange look. However, Warren quickly fished the picture out of his pocket, handing it to her. Max nodded in thanks, before her eyes darted down to meet Nathan's. A strange look of realization had dawned on his face.

Max wasn't sure if he knew, somehow, or if he had somehow managed to figure out her powers...regardless, Max wasn't sure if she would have had the power to go back, if he hadn't given her a little nod.

Max nodded briefly back at him, before looking down at the photo and focusing-

OoO

A flash and Max was back outside of Blackwell, Warren's arm wrapped around her shoulder and Chloe standing there-

Chloe standing there-

Chloe standing-

Chloe-

Chloe-

Chloe alive-

Chloe not dead-

"Chloe!" Max exclaimed, lunging forward, wrapping her arms around Chloe's neck as tightly as possible, hugging her best friend.

"Max? What's gotten into you?" Chloe asked.

Warren gave a slight yawn, stumbling. "I guess I'll go back to my dorms-"

"No!" Max yelled, reaching out and pulling Warren into their group hug. "No, no one is leaving my side!"

Chloe pulled back slightly. "Max, we gotta find Nathan-"

"Nathan!" Max exclaimed. She immediately fished out her phone, typing Nathan's number in and hitting "call".

"Max, what the fu-" Chloe exclaimed, watching her actions.

However, after two rings, Nathan picked up. "What do you want Cauf-"

"Nathan, I know!" she breathed into the phone.

"Know what? What the fuck ever are you talking about-"

"I-we, know about Jefferson!" Max spoke. Warren and Chloe gave her a confused look. Max looked between both of their eyes as she spoke to Nathan. "I know about the Dark Room...I know what he's been doing to all the girls, and what he's been making you do...and...I..." Max hesitated, a pained look coming across her face. "I know what he's done to you..."

What Max was saying seemed to dawn on Chloe's face and she stared at Max shocked. "Jefferson? Your photography teacher-"

"I know he killed Rachel," Max said firmly, staring at Chloe. Her friend gasped, her eyes tearing up as she stumbled back a step.

Nathan, meanwhile, was breathing heavily on the other end. Finally, after several moments of silence, he spoke one simple sentence: "I...never w-wanted anyone to get hurt."

"I...I know, Nathan. I know." Max swallowed back her emotions, remembering how Nathan had risked everything to save her and Warren back in the dark room. Remembering how he had been so willing to charge off after Jefferson and "handle" him, himself.

"Nathan, you need to listen to me," Max said firmly, reigning in her emotions. "Jefferson drugged Warren, and I know he's planning on drugging me and...and killing Chloe..." Chloe covered her mouth once more, her eyes going wide. "And...if you go to the Dark Room tonight, he's going to do something to you...something horrible...and...I don't want you to go through that. So please, I beg of you...please, meet us at David Madsen's house."

There was silence. Absolute silence. And then, "Okay. I'll be there."

Max let out a breath, letting a smile ghost across her face. Pulling Warren and Chloe back to her to hug them once more, she whispered, "See you there," before everything faded away.

OoO

Things briefly flashed by her eyes, too quick for her to tell what was happening, siding from a few moments.

She saw herself, Chloe, and Warren arriving at the Price-Madsen household.

She saw Nathan arriving and her hugging him.

She saw them all talking to David Madsen.

She saw David Madsen storming into Jefferson's bunker, with the Arcadia Bay police department at his heals.

She saw Jefferson draw a gun.

She saw Jefferson dead on the ground.

Everything faded, before sharpening suddenly. And there she was, sat in the living room once more, a blanket around her shoulders and a mug of coffee in her hands. This time, though, she was sitting on the couch, sandwiched between Chloe and Warren. One of the major differences also, was that there was no storm raging outside, only a light rain, growing lighter.

"I...we did it," she whispered. "We cleansed Arcadia Bay."

Chloe gave her a strange look. "What?"

Max shook her head, smiling. "Nothing." She glanced around, her heart skipping a beat. "W-wait...where's Nathan?"

"Right here," a moody voice came from the kitchen, before he materialized around the corner, holding a coffee of his own. Seeing him standing there, his face in it's normal pouty expression, seeing him okay...

Max jumped to her feet, flinging her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "N-Nathan..."

Nathan tensed, before relaxing slightly. "What, two hugs in one night, Caufield? Your bitches gonna get jealous," he sneered. However, he didn't push her away.

At least there was that.

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered into his ear. He froze, at that.

Slowly, he pulled away, clearing his throat awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but her. "Um...for...what it's worth..." Slowly, his bright eyes met hers. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

She smiled at him, tears in her eyes. He blushed, quickly going around her to take a seat in the living room, on the edge of the couch by Warren.

"Enough of this mushy shit," Chloe muttered, flipping on the television. "Let's watch some funny bullshit. It's gonna be a long night."

Max settled back into her spot, as whatever Chloe deemed "funny bullshit" began playing. It would be a long night, she knew. Chloe's wounds from discovering Rachel's body were fresh, and Warren still had Jefferson's drugs running through his system, and Nathan still had his trauma from Jefferson, and Max had her memories...it wasn't only going to be a long night, but it was also going to be a long road to recovery.

In spite of that, the rain outside had stopped. She knew everything would get better, then.

After all, the storm was over.

The End

A/N AM I MEAN FOR HAVING YOU ALL WAIT THIS LONG? I'm so sorry, I just got so BUSY AND UGH. Anyway, I honestly hope you all enjoyed this piece, and I hope you will all leave a review to tell me what you thought!

Thank you!