"Are you staying too?" Chloe asked Nathan in snarky tone once they were in the house.

Nathan shrugged and shoved his hands inside his jacket pockets. "I can hang around for a little while, I guess."

"You don't have to stay for me," Max said quickly. "I'll take the bus home."

"Who said I'm staying for you?" His tone was teasing but his eyes flickered to Chloe's for a second before they moved back to Max.

He must be afraid that she's going to tell me as soon as he leaves.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to get him to leave, Max turned to Chloe. "Is it okay with you if he stays?"

Chloe frowned and looked away. "Whatever. Just as long as he doesn't interrupt the time I have left with you."

Nathan snorted. "I'll sit in the corner and knit while you two ladies gossip and braid each other's hair, okay?"

"I can't braid her hair. I can't move my arms, remember?" Nathan glared at her and Chloe gave him a smug look in return.

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Chloe's room was kind of cool. Very high-tech. Even Nathan had been impressed, though Max had caught the wince when he saw all of the machines. She couldn't even imagine what it must be like to see the person whose life you changed for the worst. It was all there, right in front of him, and it was obvious that the guilt was clawing at him. Not that he would ever admit it. He wouldn't offer an apology to Chloe. He would think the words desperately, but he would never say them out loud.

"So, how are you supposed to take a dump?" He asked out of the blue, leaning against the end of Chloe's bed.

"Seriously, Nathan?" Max groaned.

"Either a nurse or my mom wipe my ass," Chloe answered nonchalantly.

Nathan wrinkled his nose. "I'm sorry I asked."

"I bet you are." Chloe turned her head to Max. "Can you bring me some water? I'm dying of thirst."

"Of course," Max said. She jumped up to grab the cup of water and held it while Chloe took a long sip.

"Oh man, no wonder my throat is dry," Chloe said. "I don't think I've talked this much in a whole year."

"Have you ever thought about doing a podcast or something?"

Nathan burst out laughing. "A podcast, Max? Really?"

"It's just an idea," Max replied defensively. "And I was talking to Chloe."

He put up his hands in mock-surrender and went quiet.

"I hate to say it," Chloe said, "but he's right. What would I do? Tell everyone about the sad and lonely life of Chloe Price?"

Max gave her a look. "You know that's not what I meant."

"I know it's not…But either way, no."

They talked for a little bit longer while Nathan listened but remained silent. When Chloe suggested she and Max watch a movie, he understood that it was his cue to get the fuck out.

"If you're staying tonight, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning," he told Max, planting a quick kiss on her lips.

Max ignored the gagging sounds Chloe made and fought against the blush that was trying to appear. "O-okay. That's fine. Thanks."

"No problem, babe."

Nathan left, and the two girls put on the movie. Soon it felt like old times, just the two of them having a sleepover and watching Blade runner. Even if it was in an alternate universe, it was still nice to relax and spend time with Chloe. They hadn't gotten to do it very often since they had reconnected in what Max likes to call, the real universe. That's what it is, isn't it? This universe is fake, in a way, while the other is how things are supposed to be.

Chloe fell asleep halfway through the movie, leaving Max to stay up by herself and finish it. She was fine with that, though. It was nice to see the peaceful look on Chloe's face as the girl slept. Max knew that once she got back to the real universe, she wouldn't get to see it again for a long time. Not until Rachel is found, at least. And seeing how Rachel is really dead…It was only a matter of time before Chloe found out the truth.

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True to his word, Nathan showed up at Chloe's house a little after 10:00 the next day. He almost texted Max to just meet him outside, but there was something he had to do. Something he should have done a long time ago.

"Nathan," William greeted when he answered the door.

Nathan nodded at the man. "I'm here to get Max."

"She's in Chloe's room. Come on in."

"Thanks."

"Can I get you something to drink?"

Nathan could barely stand the way William was being so polite to him despite knowing that he was a Prescott. The name was popular around town, but not in a very good way.

"No, thanks."

William could see that the boy was uncomfortable and offered him a small smile. He nodded towards Chloe's room. "Well, don't let me keep you. Head on in."

Nathan didn't need to be told twice. He gave William a quick nod and walked to Chloe's room. He lifted his hand to knock on the door—and paused.

You really wanna go in there and see it all again, Prescott?

No, he didn't. He didn't want to see Chloe stuck in her "bed," unable to grab a cup of fucking water because she couldn't move her arms. He didn't want to see her hooked up to all those machines, or see the sadness and anger and the look at what you've done to me in her eyes every time she looked at him. He didn't want to hear the bitterness in her voice when she spoke to him or about him. He just didn't want to do it. It was becoming too much, and so was the guilt.

But he told Max he would be here to pick her up, and he needed to talk to Chloe. So with a shaky fist he knocked on the door.

Max opened the door almost immediately and blinked in surprise when she saw Nathan. "Uh…"

He chuckled. "I told you I would be here to bring you home, remember?"

"Oh! Right. It completely slipped my mind." She looked back at Chloe who was looking down at her bed. "I just have to grab Chloe something. Can you wait here?"

No, was what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to seem like some fucking puppy dog for following his girlfriend around everywhere, so he just said, "Yeah."

"Okay…" Max looked between Chloe and Nathan uneasily. "Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

"How long will you be?" Nathan tried to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"Five minutes tops."

A lot can happen in five minutes. Fuck. "Oh, okay. Yeah, I think we can resist the urge to rip each other's throats out for that long."

"Not like I could do much, anyway," Chloe muttered, but he ignored her.

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As soon as Max left, Nathan felt an urge to go with her. All he had to do was make up an excuse, say he had to go to the bathroom or something. But he knew what needed to happen. It was inevitable at this point.

She wasn't saying anything, but she didn't have to. The angry looks and small comments made it clear that she knew what he had done to her. She was paralyzed because of him. All this equipment in the room, all the machines—they were because of him. She no longer had a future ahead of her. And her parents were probably drowning in debt because of him, because there was no way they would be able to afford all of this. He had ruined their lives, too.

All of those reasons were keeping him from running out of the room like a coward. There was no way he could ever make this right, but the very least he could do was apologize. He wasn't a heartless bastard. He did feel extremely guilty and sorry for what he'd done, and it had been eating away at him ever since it all happened. He had just been too afraid to do anything about it.

But he was here now, and fuck if he was gonna miss his chance.

There were a million things he wanted to say, but they all formed into two, whispered and broken words. "I'm sorry." Come on, Nathan, you can do better than that. He was about to say more, but her laugh stopped him. It was soft and sad and barely even a laugh.

"Are you?" Her eyes were practically burning a hole in his, but he didn't look away.

"More than I ever thought I could be." His words trembled unsteadily and his throat was beginning to tighten. It was getting harder to push the words out. "I know nothing I say will make this okay, but you need to know that I'll never forgive myself for what I've done."

Chloe laughed again, but this time it was filled with disgust. "And I hope you never do. I can't even believe you had the balls to show up here."

"Half of it was for Max," he admitted with a small shrug. "The other half was because I needed to see…I needed to see the damage I've done." It wasn't a lie. He had needed to see what had happened to her. He had heard things around school, but he still had needed to see for himself.

Nothing could have prepared him for that moment when he first saw her in the wheelchair.

"Well, did you get a good look?" There was a newfound anger in her eyes and her voice was rising. "Are you happy now that you've seen all the pain you've caused?"

"Look, I-"

"You don't even fucking know half of it," she cut him off sharply. "You think you do, but you don't. I'm stuck in this bed dying because of you!"

Nathan inhaled sharply. He tried to think of a response, but what could he say? There just weren't words. Saying I'm sorry again was probably the last thing she wanted to hear.

That didn't stop him from trying.

"I…Look, I…This wasn't what…I didn't mean to," he said in a cracked voice.

"You didn't mean to." Chloe's voice was sharp as a whip. "You didn't mean to drive me into a ditch and then take off?"

"I shouldn't have done that. I should've come forward. Believe me, I know that. I'm a fucking pussy for doing the opposite. Is that what you wanna hear?"

"I don't want to hear anything from you." She shook her head and finally looked away. "I just want you to get the fuck out of my sight."

And he could do that, because there wasn't anything left to say. He being there was only making it worse. The only thing he could now was leave her alone.

It was when his hand was on the doorknob that a question popped into his mind, one he really needed to know the answer to. "How'd you figure out it was me?"

"I recognized your car, dumbass," she said, venom dripping from her tone. "Besides…I saw you for a split second before you hit me. I never forgot your face, and I never will."

"Are you gonna tell Max?"

"No." Her answer took him by surprise and he turned slightly to look at her over his shoulder. "I should. And believe me, I want to. But I'm not gonna hurt Max like that. I see how you two are together, and even though you took everything away from me, I refuse to take anything away from her."

He nodded slowly. "Thanks, I guess."

"Don't think for one second that it's for you, Prescott," she snapped. "I'm doing it for Max. She's my best friend, and I'm going to spare her the pain of knowing the kind of guy her boyfriend really is…even though maybe she should know."

"Maybe," Nathan agreed quietly. When she didn't say anything more, he took that as his cue to get out, and he left. As soon as he closed her door, he leaned back against it and closed his eyes.

In a way, that went better than he expected.

"Are you okay?"

Nathan opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Max. "Yeah, I'm fine."

She didn't look convinced. "Did something happen in there?"

"Let's just say that your best friend sure as fuck ripped me a new one."

"Well, that's just Chloe being Chloe," Max let out a small laugh. "Try not to take it too personally."

Nathan attempted to smirk. "I don't think she would have cut into me like that if I wasn't a Prescott." If I wasn't the guy who put her in a fucking wheelchair and destroyed her fucking life.

"Well…maybe," Max shrugged. "Um, just let me give Chloe this, and I'll be right out."

He didn't bother to ask about the needle in her hand. "I'll meet you in the car."

"Sure."

This time, she was the one who initiated the kiss, and she had absolutely no idea why. She didn't want to kiss him…well, not entirely. She just…forgot for a second that he wasn't actually her boyfriend and this wasn't the real world. How she could have possibly forgotten something huge like that, she didn't know. She had just gotten used to playing the role of his girlfriend, she guessed.

It wasn't even that much of a kiss. She had never kissed a guy before so she had no idea what she was doing. And it only lasted, like, five seconds...which was definitely five seconds too long.

"Wow," he said once she pulled away, "that's the first time you kissed me in days."

"It's been a weird couple of days," she mumbled, heart pounding and face reddening.

"Yeah." He playfully pinched Max's cheek, laughing when she made a noise of protest and swatted his hand away, and started to walk away. "Try not to be too long," he said to her over his shoulder before he left the house.

Max stared after him for a moment, a little bit shocked that she had actually just kissed Nathan. She shook the thought off. She had to worry about Chloe right now.

"There you are," Chloe said breathlessly when Max entered the room. "What took you so long?"

"Uh, sorry," Max replied, mentally scolding herself for getting caught up talking to Nathan, "I was just…"

"Making out with your boyfriend?"

Max winced. "We weren't making out, Chloe."

"Whatever," Chloe sighed, flinching pain. "Give me the blue pill."

Max furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm sorry. I'm nosy, but not precise."

"Go ahead and plug it right in," Chloe explained. "It's so easy. And painless."

"Um, okay, but get ready to yell for your folks if I screw up." Max tried to keep her fingers from shaking as she plugged it in. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally kill her best friend.

"Oh, trust me, I will," Chloe said, feeling relieved when Max plugged it in without incident. "Of course, my pain just keeps getting worse…but you caught me on a good day." She smiled gently at Max. "Max, I'm so grateful that I'm even able to hang out with you. See, I'm getting mushy," she said with a shaky laugh. "I'm already high."

"You are so adorable," Max said, almost sadly. "Do you want anything else?"

"Um, stop me if I'm being too emo, but can you grab me one of those photo albums over there? I'd like to check out some old pictures of us when we were kids."

"Please. My diary is like emo ground zero. Plus, Max Caulfield does not pass up a photo op with Chloe Price. Ever." Max grabbed the photo album off the dresser next to Chloe's bed, pulled up a chair, and flipped open the photo album. "I hope this is okay."

"Perfect." Chloe looked down at the pictures, face immediately lighting up. "Oh my god, look how little we are there! We look like toys!"

"I remember that day by the lighthouse."

"My dad was pissed at us. He actually tried to give us a time-out!"

"And you laughed at him," Max chuckled. "My dad would have banished me." She turned the page.

"Whoa, awesome picture," Chloe said fondly. "We look so badass in our pirate gear."

"We should have taken over Arcadia Bay when we had the chance."

Chloe glanced at Max. "There's still time for you…"

I'm not so sure that there is, Max thought to herself.

"Max, are you really happy with Nathan?"

Max paused and looked at Chloe. "Where did that come from?"

"I'm just wondering," Chloe answered in a soft voice.

"…Yes, I'm happy with him." It was the best answer she could give Chloe. Saying otherwise would only start a long conversation that she didn't really want to have right now.

Chloe nodded, seeming to accept the answer. "Okay."

Max didn't question why Chloe would suddenly ask that, and turned the page.

Oh my god…this photo…

"Oh man, there we are making pancakes. I love that shot of us," Chloe smiled. "It's hard to believe that my dad took that picture only five years ago."

"Literally seems like only yesterday."

"I wish it was."

"Me too."

This photo…Maybe I could…

Chloe noticed the look on Max's face, and tears began to well up in her eyes. "Listen, Max, my respiratory system is failing and…and it's only getting worse. I've heard the doctors talking about it when they thought I was zonked out. So I know I'm just putting off the inevitable, while my parents suffer along…and I will, too. This isn't how I want things to end."

"What?" Max gasped, not believing what she was hearing. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that being with you again has been so special. I just wanted to feel like when we were kids running around Arcadia Bay…and everything was possible. And you made me feel that way today. I want this time with you to be my last memory…Do you understand?"

"Yes," Max said, feeling the wetness on her cheeks, "I do."

"All you have to do is crank up the IV to eleven…" Chloe's look was pleading, begging Max to do this one thing for her. It was the only thing that she wanted.

Max wanted to say no. She wanted to refuse Chloe's request, because how the hell could she bring herself to do this? It would be murder. And she's seen Chloe die once already (twice if you count the time the girl got her foot stuck in the train tracks), and she didn't want to see it happen again.

But at the same time, how could she refuse? If this is what Chloe wants, who was she to refuse that? In this world, Chloe was dying slowly and painfully. Max couldn't let her die that way…not when Chloe could die peacefully in her sleep, happy and content and thinking about the time she got to spend with her best friend after what felt like so many years.

I have to do this for Chloe. I have to. I can't be selfish right now.

"I'll just drift off to sleep…dreaming of us here together…forever," Chloe said, the pleading look becoming more desperate.

It was final. Max stood up and cranked up the IV to the number Chloe said. She didn't even want to know how Chloe knew what number would kill her.

"Thank you so much." Chloe gave Max a very relieved smile, eyes starting to feel heavy. "I'm so proud of you for following your dreams. Don't forget about me."

"Never," Max choked out.

"I love you, Max. See you around."

Max looked down at the picture of the two of them. "Sooner than you think."

And just like that, Chloe was gone.

It was a long moment before Max could do anything. When she finally shook herself out of it, she turned her attention to the picture and focused. "I'm sorry, William," she whispered. She picked up the photo and did the same thing she did before that got her in this alternate world in the first place.

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Watching William walk out that door was harder than Max thought. She thought she was ready, because this is what had to happen in order to get everything back to normal, but she wasn't. It took almost everything inside of her to stop him once again from leaving.

This is how it's supposed to be, Max, she reminded herself. It fucking sucks, but…this is what's right.

And when she was suddenly in Chloe's room (she didn't have any idea how she got there, but she wasn't going to question it right now), she knew that she had made the right choice.

She stared at the board of evidence she and Chloe must have put together while she was in the other universe, making sure that she was actually back in the real world, and then turned around to find Chloe sitting at her desk, blue hair and tattoos and not in a wheelchair.

"Chloe...you're alive. Yes!" Max ran over to her best friend and wrapped her arms around the girl.

Chloe jumped in surprise. "Whoa! Down, Max! You get one kiss and now you're all over me." She laughed despite herself.

"I'm just…I'm just—I'm so glad you're here!" Max could barely contain her excitement, but she didn't care how weird Chloe must think she is right now. She had her best friend back, alive and normal, and everything was how it should be now, horrible or not. Nathan's the same crazy prick, and he's no longer her boyfriend. And-

Oh. Shit. SHIT.

"Chloe, where was I last night?" Max asked, afraid of the answer.

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Max, are you high? Or are you suffering from memory loss all of a sudden?"

"Seriously, Chloe, where was I?"

"You were here with me, remember? We were up all night playing 'CSI: Arcadia Bay,' trying to put all this info together."

Oh no…

"So I didn't go to see Nathan last night?" Max's voice was practically filled with dread. This was so not good.

"No, you didn't," Chloe frowned. "Were you messing with time while I was sleeping?"

Max shook her head. "No, I…I'm just tired, I guess."

"Well, wake up, sunshine. We have work to do." Chloe turned back around in her seat and began to type away at the computer.

Max's shoulder's sagged as she took a seat on Chloe's bed. Time to face the music, Max. She took out her cell phone and turned on the screen.

9 Missed Calls

5 Unread Messages

She winced and opened the messages.

you coming or not Caulfield? i'm not waiting all fucking night 4 u

what the fuck Caulfield! you either hurry the fuck up or u can forget the whole fucking thing

dont bother coming cuz u lost ur chance. i can handle this on my own. fuck u

Max im super fucking high right now and i need u to come over cuz i cant fucking get ur lame ugly ass out of my head and its driving me fucking insane. what the fuck have u done to me Caulfield

FUCK ignore that last text. seriously. anways stay the fuck away from me. K? next time you try and come near me you wont like what happens

Max read the messages about ten times, feeling a mixture between amused, angry, disappointed, and frustrated. She really just lost her chance to help him, didn't she?

No. Screw what he said. She was going to find him and talk to him. There was no way she was going to let herself lose this chance, consequences be damned. Even if he wouldn't budge, she wasn't going to let that stop her. He was going to get her help whether he liked it or not. The idiot couldn't do this on his own.

"Chloe," she said, voice suddenly strong, "I'm sorry, but I really need you to take me back to school. There's something I have to do."

Chloe turned around and sighed. "Max, seriously? We really have to-"She paused when she saw the look on Max's face. "Whoa…what's that look for?"

Max stood up and grabbed Chloe's keys off the floor and threw them to her. "Let's just say that this is the look of a girl who is done putting up with a certain someone's bullshit."