Max nervously chewed on the inside of her lip as she looked up at the sky. Even though it had stopped raining hours ago, it was still busy with fluffy, gray clouds that could open back up at any moment. She patted the bag hanging over her shoulder and felt the familiar shape of her camera through the material. She didn't want to let her weekend go by without at least taking some decent shots. Accepting that her backdrop wouldn't be as sunny as she'd like, she trotted down the steps and into the park.

She dug her camera out of the bag and held it close, scanning left and right as she walked forward. A soft rustling of leaves caught her attention, and she turned to find a tiny squirrel at the base of a tree gnawing on something. She couldn't help but let out an excited gasp, taking two slow steps toward it.

"Hi there," she said softly. The squirrel stopped eating and stared at her. "Can I take your photo?" It tilted its head in response and she smiled. "I'm still pretty new to this and it'd make me really happy if you'd help me out." She raised the camera to her face and peered through the viewfinder. "You might be famous someday," she giggled. She waited for the squirrel to fidget its attention in several directions before looking back up at her, then she took the photo. The flash startled it and it bounded up the tree.

"Ooh, sorry," Max cringed. The camera ejected the photo and she waved it, smiling when the image became clear. "That's actually not bad... Maybe someday I'll have a whole lineup of squirrel photos. That could be my niche." She snorted. "Yeah, aim high, Max."

She wandered around a bit more, feeling grateful that the gloomy skies had probably thinned out the amount of people at the park. She hadn't yet become as adventurous as she would have liked when it came to searching out photo opportunities, and large crowds were a fairly big reason for that. After taking a few more pictures, none of which she had found particularly great, she sat down on a bench near the pond. Her attention was snagged up by joyful shrieking.

Her hands awkwardly shifted around the camera in her lap as she watched the two young girls chase each other in circles. An unkind sense of nostalgia rose up through her, and it felt like she might as well be watching some off-kilter version of a home movie from her own childhood. She held the camera up and looked at them through the viewfinder, thinking about how with just a press of a button, their happiness in that moment would be forever crystallized. No matter what happened afterward, that moment would be saved. She sighed sadly, then took the photo.

Two older women that had been sitting on another bench together got to their feet and moved toward the girls. Max could hear them clearly as they explained to the children that, given it could rain any second, they'd have to call it a day. She recognized that reluctant smile that both women wore, as if they felt guilty to be breaking up their daughters' fun. Her lip quirked sadly when one of the girls turned to the other.

"I'll be back tomorrow!" she proclaimed, locking the other girl in a hug. "You'll be here too, right?"

"Duhhhh," the other one responded with laughter, "I'll be waiting for you right here!"

She watched the girls head off in opposite directions, one jubilantly skipping while the other held her mother's hand. They each looked back several times to smile or wave or just make a silly face and Max thought how nice it must have been to be so naive. To know so little about the world, or really, much of anything, and believe that regardless of anything else, it was certain they'd be reunited the next day.

When they were both gone, Max found herself completely alone, holding the Polaroid she had taken of them in her lap. She stared at it for so long that the colors began to muddle and the two girls in the photo started to resemble other people. She didn't even notice when it started to rain.

"Babe?" Max nudged Chloe gently, stirring the girl awake. Max was on her knees, staring down at her with concern. "You were crying in your sleep..."

"Oh," she rasped, groggily slapping a hand against her face to rub her eyes. "Yeah, that...that makes sense." When Max cocked her head to show her confusion, Chloe reached up and pulled her down on top of her. "You're such a little brat," she whispered, "I can't believe you didn't just call me."

Call her? Wha...oh, god dammit.

"Another dream?" she asked, moving her arm from between them so it'd be more comfortable. She kissed Chloe's collarbone.

"Mhm... From when you were away," she said.

"Really?" Max shifted her head so her ear was against Chloe's heartbeat. It wasn't racing, but was still a bit quicker than normal. "What was it of?"

"Uh, I don't really know," Chloe said, bringing her hand along Max's back. "You were walking around some park taking pictures and then you saw these kids playing and it...made you sad." She gave a petite shrug.

"Well, that's depressing," Max managed to chuckle quietly. "Also kind of confusing, too. What a random memory for you to see." She rolled off of Chloe and settled in next to her. "I'm glad it wasn't anything horrible, I guess, but..." She frowned. "That's so random. Are literally all of my memories just a possibility here? What if you dream of something embarrassing? What if you're one nap away from seeing me use the bathroom or like, falling down the stairs or something?" She had a far away look in her eyes as she shook her head. "There's so many instances of both... The odds are not in my favor." Chloe smiled wide.

"I've never even thought about that," she admitted. "That'd be pretty fucking hilarious."

"That is extremely subjective," Max muttered, scrunching her nose in distaste. Then, she softened. "How...are you feeling? After yesterday and everything?"

"Fucking beat," Chloe replied. "Feel like I barely slept at all. And, I don't know what even ended up happening." She sighed. "I need to call Frank at least, he'll fill me in."

"Good idea." Max sat up and leaned forward, propping her fist against her cheek as she thought. "I have to wonder what kind of skeletons Sean Prescott has in his walk-in closet. We already know the Prescotts were into extortion, I bet there's all sorts of shady business dealings."

"Or literal skeletons in their closet," Chloe said. She rolled onto her side and reached over the edge of the bed for her phone. "Alright, let me call him just to try and settle my stomach." Max nodded and stood up, creeping over to the door and cracking it. For her own curiosity, she listened for any activity downstairs and found it to be quiet. "Hey man," she heard Chloe say behind her.

In the space of Chloe's words, her own phone started ringing. She went over to the desk where it was charging and raised an eyebrow when she saw Kate's name.

What's Kate calling for? Man, she's going to freak when she finds out about the Sean thing.

"Hi Kate," Max said, slinking back toward the door and slipping outside so it'd be easier for each of them to have their respective conversations.

"Hi Max," Kate responded. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Psht, you kidding? I'm the earliest bird. I get all the worms." She wandered over to the railing of the stairs and leaned on it.

"That's good, I guess," Kate giggled. Max heard her click her tongue in what seemed to be hesitation. "So...um, I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner tonight?"

"Why, Kate Marsh, are you asking me on a date? I'll have to check with my girlfriend, you know. She's bad at sharing," she laughed.

"I want Chloe to come too," Kate replied with an audible smile. It was obvious she had wanted to add a playful insult at the end but refrained.

Ha! She was totally going to call me a dork or something!

"I suppose I'll let her tag along," Max said. "Where did you want to go?" She jolted and held up a finger despite Kate being unable to see her. "I am going to take Two Whales off the ballot, though."

"Well, actually, there's a nice Italian place in the next town. It's not too far," Kate said.

"Oh, I may know where you're talking about. I think Chloe and I might have gone with Joyce and David." She snickered. "What's the occasion?" Kate was silent for a moment. "Kate?"

"My...dad wants to have dinner with you guys," she answered quietly.

I'm sorry?

"I'm sorry?" Max bounced from the railing and paced over to the window. "Your dad? What?"

"I know," she sighed. "He really wants to get this whole thing settled before class starts on Monday and I think he wants to apologize." There was a small groan of frustration. "It's weird. I know it's weird. Especially now. But he's been trying so hard, I really feel like I owe it to him to do my best with this too. I'm sorry that also involves you guys. I do understand if you say no. I think he would too."

Agh, Kate... You're awesome but this kind of sucks.

"I say yes," Max said, "but I need to talk to Chloe first. I'll try and come regardless, but it depends on how strong her reaction is."

"That's only fair. Um, just let me know as soon as you can, okay?"

"Yeah, I will. I'll text you," Max replied.

"Thanks Max. You're the best..." She paused. "And I'm really sorry."

When Max came back into Chloe's room, she found the girl sitting on the bed, her knees huddled to her chest as she fiddled with her 3DS and a cigarette peeking between her lips. She glanced up at Max.

"Who?" she asked, not bothering to form a complete sentence. Max sat back down on the bed, then flopped onto her back.

"Kate," she said. "She wants us to go to dinner with her and her dad because life doesn't make any sense anymore." Instead of the animated response she was expecting, Chloe only chuckled.

"Dude, tell me about it." She closed the device and turned her full attention to Max. "Frank works at the Two Whales now because apparently kicking the shit out of a corrupt asshole in my defense is a good judge of character." She held her hands up. "Who knew?"

"What? He got hired for the cook job?" Chloe nodded in response and Max's brows knit together. "I can't even right now, honestly." She covered her eyes and laughed. "I know that's such a Courtney thing to say, but I can't and you better can't either and the world just can't." She spread her fingers to peek at Chloe. "Okay?"

"Yeah, alright." Chloe reached over to comb through Max's hair. "Anywho," she said casually, "before we address the Last Supper, let me just fill you in on the other shit." Max made an affirmative noise. "So, aside from the Frank job thing, Pete did end up calling the cops. They explained everything to Officer Berry and told him about Frank attacking him just in case it becomes a thing later." Her eyes cartwheeled slowly as she thought. "Apparently Berry has a particularly personal grudge with Prescott, plus with the whole 'me being shot' thing, I guess they're not in a hurry to jump to his defense." She conjured a confused look. "I think the cops are being protective of me? That's pretty wild."

"I mean..." Max turned onto her side, "it makes sense. I'm sure people were always pulling for you, but you, Kate and Rachel were also the excuse they needed to openly defy the Prescotts."

"Huh. I guess that's true, isn't it?" She puckered her lips and moved her head left and right as she considered it. "Well, good, right? Fuck him. I guess most revolutions start with a gunshot." She grinned. "That makes me sound really badass, actually."

"Dude, it really does," Max snickered. Then she huffed. "Okay, so onto our next topic... Do you want to go to this dinner? Are you comfortable with that?"

"He's paying?" Chloe asked. Max grew an open mouthed smile.

"Chloe!" She covered her face again and writhed back and forth as she laughed. "I cannot fucking EVEN with you right now."

"What!? That seems like such a reasonable question!" She nudged Max with her foot.

"Am I texting her yes or not?" Max asked, still smiling.

"Yeah, why not? We're already balls deep in this fucking Doctor Phil episode," she said. "Might as well go all the way."

To pass the time until dinner with Kate and her father, Max and Chloe decided to go see a movie at the theater that was relatively close to the restaurant. Despite the temptation to indulge in the great pastime of making out in the dimly lit theater, they behaved themselves and actually paid attention to the film. Once it was over, there was still a bit of time left until they were supposed to meet up with Kate, so they spent time in the small arcade on the first floor. After a half hour or so, they finally headed to the restaurant.

"It's just now dawning on me how absurd this is," Chloe said. She closed the door of the truck and skated around the front to Max. "Like, you'd think once you remove time travel from the equation, things would simmer down just a tad."

"Just a notch," Max added.

"Just a hair," Chloe continued.

"Well, I guess you can't ever complain that things aren't at least interesting," Max said. She bounced onto her tiptoes and kissed Chloe. "You ready?"

"Yeah," she responded, then snickered. "Do you think he'll order us wine?"

"No," Max said, pulling open the door to the restaurant, "I do not think he will order us wine."

She was immediately hit with the scent of food and realized how hungry she was, despite mowing through a rather large dose of nachos at the theater. The hostess greeted them with a smile and asked if there'd be two for their party, but Max explained that they were meeting someone. As she began scanning around her, she heard Chloe mutter 'Jesus Christ' under her breath. When she followed the girl's line of sight, she saw why.

Kate what.

"She's still drunk from New Years," Max said, her voice stunned into a robotic cadence. Kate noticed them and waved enthusiastically with a big smile. Beside her, Victoria offered a less grandiose wave. She could only see the back of Mr. Marsh's head. Max held her hand up, staring straight ahead at them as she spoke from the side of her mouth, "I did not know Victoria would be here." She sighed and grabbed Chloe by the wrist, leading her over to the table.

"Max!" Kate greeted, flashing that heart warming grin. "Thank you so much for coming!"

"Yeah, of course," Max said, her eyes stumbling their way to and from Victoria several times. Kate's father stood up from his seat and cleared his throat.

"Yes, thank you for agreeing to meet with us," he said, extending his hand. It looked awkward rather than formal, as if he just wasn't quite sure how to greet a young adult. Max took it and smiled, then he did the same with Chloe.

Feels like a business meeting.

"Thanks for, uh, inviting us," Chloe said, taking her seat at the table next to Max. She didn't hide her mixed expression. "A little surprising."

"I suppose it is," Mr. Marsh admitted. "I just wanted to try and dispel any ill will and thought..." he chuckled nervously, "it might be easier if I buy you girls dinner."

"It helps," Chloe laughed.

"I, uh, didn't know you were coming," Max said, turning to Victoria. The immediate look in her eyes seemed to say that she didn't either.

"Kate asked," she said simply.

You look like a hostage, Vic.

"I thought it'd be nice to have another..." Kate's eyes went wide for a moment, "friend? Friend here and since Dad already knows her from Thanksgiving, it made sense."

"Well, I'm still grateful for the way you stood up for Kate with those reporters," he said to Victoria. In response, the girl blushed.

"You should've seen that," Chloe said, pointing at him. "It was pretty fu- it was pretty awesome!" She angled her cheek at him in a boastful manner. "I broke their camera, you know?"

Aw, so proud.

"I didn't," he replied with a smile. "I do have to thank you both too," he gestured between Max and Chloe, "I know you've done your fair share of helping Kate out."

"We love Kate," Max said, her face contorting on the use of the word 'love.' "I mean, we'd do anything for her."

"This is...more embarrassing than I expected," Kate said sheepishly.

"Is it?" Chloe asked. "I feel like we're not even off the runway yet." Kate's father exhaled a laugh through his nose.

The waiter came to the table to ask about drinks for Max and Chloe and feel out if any progress had been made in regards to their meals. Max took the opportunity while everyone was distracted to look at Victoria and mouth 'does he know?' With a horrified look, Victoria mouthed back 'fuck no!'

Okay well, that's a relief.

"Ah," Kate's father cleared his throat, "I guess there's no point in ignoring the elephant in the room." He folded his hands on the table and looked at Max and Chloe. "About what happened when you visited... I want to apologize."

"Do you?" Chloe asked, leaning forward a bit. She said it sharper than Max expected and she turned to her in surprise.

Oooh, easy there, Chlo. Please.

"I do," he said, either oblivious or willing to ignore her tone. "I've been thinking of some way to explain it, but I realize there's not an answer that justifies how things happened." He sighed. "We're a traditional family. We...we've never strayed particularly far from our comfort zone."

"So, okay," Chloe responded, clearly taking the wheel of the conversation. Though Max trusted her to not do or say anything too reckless, she still found herself nervous. "I guess my question is, what's the...deal? We were at your house for hours and it seemed like you and Mrs. Marsh liked us just fine. So, as soon as you find out, we're just...what, bad people?"

Max glanced at Victoria, who seemed to be harboring the same sense of unease that she was feeling. Kate, however, just looked on calmly.

I guess she's willing to let this take its natural course.

"Well," Mr. Marsh shook his head with a bit of doubt, "I have to be honest with you. I've spoken with Kate on it more than a few times and the more I think about it, the less reasoning I can find for having such beliefs."

"I lectured him a lot," Kate giggled. She smiled at Max. "You know, like how we were saying Jesus wouldn't be mean like that."

True. The answer to WWJD is probably not foaming at the mouth in rage.

"Yeah," Max nodded, returning the smile.

"It isn't a simple topic," Kate's father said, frowning, "and because it seems like it should be, it makes it even more complex." He exhaled. "Times are changing," he said. "They're always changing, and sometimes it's hard to let go of the familiar." He laughed softly, seeming somewhat embarrassed. "I still remember how mortified I felt when my mother would use the word 'colored.' I knew it was wrong."

"Yikes," Chloe said, cringing.

"I suppose in a way, it's not dissimilar," he said. "That doesn't sit well with my conscience." He regarded Max and Chloe curiously. "Do your families know? How did they react?"

Balloons. Streamers. Cake with two V shaped candles jammed together.

"Honestly, with everything that's happened, they're just happy that we're happy," Max replied. She held up a hand in explanation. "My parents are pretty liberal in general, so I didn't really think they'd mind."

"Yeah, I mean," Chloe leaned back in her chair, "I was very, uh, not happy for such a long time that my mom was just ecstatic to see me smiling. And my stepdad is kind of in the same boat, which actually did shock me." She squinted at Kate's father. "David Madsen? The head of security at Blackwell?" He nodded in affirmation. "He's really, at least on the surface, the poster boy for intolerance. I would have never expected him to be as accepting as he is, but I guess he has some history with the subject. And he was the one who found me when..." she hesitated, calculating how continuing the sentence would affect everyone at the table, "Nathan Prescott shot me."

As was expected, Kate's father had the most visible reaction, though Victoria gave him a run for his money. Kate did fidget a little, but remained otherwise composed.

That's...really unnerving. It's like saying Voldemort's name.

"The Prescotts," Mr. Marsh said, his voice drifting far away. His jaw grew taut as anger bubbled beneath the surface. To Max's, and presumably everyone else's relief, the waiter came back to take their order. It did a sufficient job of breaking the growing tension. When the waiter left, Kate's father relaxed his body and sighed. "That family is poison."

"Yeah..." Victoria said, her gaze directed down at the table.

"They're something, yeah," Chloe said, absentmindedly tracing a circle on the tablecloth. "I actually had a run in with S-" Max jabbed her with her elbow.

Agh, no!

"Chloe, maybe not now, okay?" She regarded her with uncertainty.

"What happened?" Kate asked. Chloe looked at Kate, then at Max, then back to Kate before shaking her head.

"No, I'll tell you later, okay?" She cast her eyes downward as she reached for her glass.

"Chloe," Kate said, a bit of pleading in her voice, "if something happened... You have to tell me. We're...we're in this together, right?" She cleared her throat and glanced around nervously. "You and me are...you know, we...we're both victims. We need to deal with these things together. Please?"

Kate... I never realized you looked at it that way. I know you felt that way about Rachel, but...I guess you and Chloe do have it in common.

"Yeah, you're right, Pumpkin," Chloe said, exhaling a sigh. The plea had caught her off guard, evident by her glassy eyes. "You're right, you should know." She roughly swiped at her eyes as a precaution for possible tears. "Yesterday at work, Sean Prescott came in and was just...being so fucking disturbing." She groaned and turned to Kate's father. "Sorry. If we're going to be honest with each other, you should know I cuss like it's going out of style."

Ya.

"It's okay, Chloe," he said, looking more concerned than anything. "What happened?"

"He was just taunting me. It really seemed like he was out of his mind." She chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, a friend of mine who was there actually fucked him up pretty bad." She flared her nostril. "Freaked him up, whatever."

"Oh my gosh," Kate put her hands on either side of her head, "I can't believe that!"

"I can," Victoria said, crossing her arms. She looked like she was sinking in her seat. "Sean Prescott is a piece of shit without an ounce of empathy in his body. He's...just not the way a human is supposed to act."

"You're familiar with him?" Kate's father asked. Victoria glanced up at him with wide eyes.

Wow, we are getting a lot out in the open here...

"Uh, yeah," Victoria said, "I was actually really..." She turned to Kate and shook her head, fear clear in her features. Max noticed the slightest shifting of Kate's shoulder and figured she must have taken her hand under the table. "I was really close to Nathan," she admitted. "He was almost like a brother to me." Mr. Marsh straightened his posture and perked an eyebrow.

"Oh?" He seemed to be struggling with how to react, then hunched his shoulders as if the mere thought of it was exhausting. He looked around the table. "You kids are a unique group, aren't you?"

"This isn't even all of us," Max chuckled.

Eventually, the waiter brought their food to the table and they began to eat. Between bites, Chloe explained the rest of her encounter with Sean Prescott and the involvement of the police. The conversation organically transitioned into something more casual, with things like school and, in particular, photography taking center stage. When there was just the briefest of lulls, Chloe spoke up.

"So, I hate to keep veering back into negative stuff, but..." She tapped her fork against the plate. "It's really cool of you to do all of this, but isn't Mrs. Marsh sort of the bigger problem here?" The smile on Mr. Marsh's face worked itself into a straight line. "I mean, in all honesty, I don't really care if she hates us or thinks we're twirling pitchforks in our spare time, but I would feel better knowing things were on the mend for Kate's sake." Chloe puffed out her cheeks, flashing a a look of sadness.

I think we're thinking the same thing... Even if this gets better, what's going to happen when they both find out about her and Vic? It feels like Kate isn't even worried about it...

"I'm...actually going home tonight," Kate said. "At the very least to gather some things I left there and hopefully talk about it."

"Yes," her father said, "we're going to try and get some of this sorted out. I've been doing my best to patch it up, but I think Kate being there will do a lot of good." He smiled and reached for Kate's hand, giving it a small squeeze. "The main focus is just getting her to understand the way she behaved was unacceptable." He turned to Max and Chloe. "Now's not quite the time to try and tackle her beliefs regarding you two, unfortunately. But when we do cross that bridge, know that I'll do my best."

"That's really nice of you, Mr. Marsh," Max said.

"Hey, wait." Kate turned to Chloe with a perplexed look. "You said a friend of yours beat up Sean? Who did that?"

"Uh, Frank, actually," Chloe replied. An enormous smile bloomed on Kate's face.

"HA!" She slapped her palm on the table. "That's awesome!"

Once their meal was finished and all was paid for, the girls, joined by Kate's father, moved out into the cold night. Mr. Marsh dug into his coat pocket to retrieve his car keys, then stopped and stared up at the moon.

"I really do owe all of you a great deal," he said, not taking his eyes off the sky. "I can't tell you how heartbreaking it was to hear Kate was...in such a dark place. I had no idea."

"Dad," Kate said, shrinking uncomfortably. For all of her boldness in problem solving, that topic in particular was still understandably a sore spot. He turned to her and smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I know," he said, "I just needed to say it." He held up his keys. "Did you want a ride back, Victoria?"

"Oh, thanks but I'll just hitch a ride with these two," she responded, pointing her thumb at Max.

Well, that's presumptuous but alright.

"Okay," he said with a nod. He watched as Kate hugged each of the girls goodbye, then extended his hand to Max once again. She grasped it and smiled, noticing how much more natural it felt than earlier. When he offered it to Chloe, she made a 'psht' noise and hugged him instead. He was hesitant, but then returned it.

"See, I'm infecting you with gay," Chloe whispered with a broad grin. Max immediately reached up and grabbed a tuft of her hair, pulling her head back.

"And we're leaving," she said dryly. For the first time all night, Mr. Marsh burst into a loud, uncontained laughter.

After a final goodbye, Max, Chloe and Victoria went to the opposite end of the parking lot where the truck waited. Max slid herself into the middle, giving Victoria enough room to fit without being squished. All three released a sigh of relief simultaneously, which sparked laughter from each of them. Then, Max caught a blur in the rear-view mirror and a second later Kate was yanking open the passenger door.

That was actually terrifying for a second.

"Hey," she whispered, leaning into the truck with a tiny smile, "I forgot something." Before anyone could ask, she darted forward and kissed Victoria. Chloe jerked in the other direction in search of Kate's father, but realized they were safely obscured by other vehicles. "Okay," Kate laughed, "I should go." As she moved away, Victoria caught her by the arm and pulled her back into another kiss.

Still cute. Still weird as fuck.

"This is so fucking stressful," Chloe snickered, bonking her forehead against the steering wheel. "It feels like we're smuggling a criminal!"

"What, like, Orange is the New Blackwell?" Max laughed. She suddenly looked horrified, but maintained a smile. "Victoria is writhing against me, I don't know what to do!"

Eugh! What is that motion!?

"Alright!" Chloe snipped, reaching across Max and slapping Victoria on the back of the head. "We get the fucking point, you guys!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Kate squealed, giving one last peck and then scurrying away. Victoria jerked the door closed and, without a word, lunged across Max to attack Chloe.

"Oh my god, everyone has lost their fucking mind!" Max shouted, trying her best to shoulder Victoria back into her seat. Once she had successfully done so, Chloe started the truck and flashed Victoria a smirk.

"You know, Vic," she said, "you really picked a hell of a person to fall in love with. Some real forbidden fruit shit, no?"

"I know," Victoria replied, burying her face in her hands. "I'm in so much fucking trouble..." She turned and glared at them. "Fucking evil snake. Both of you!"

"Meh," Chloe said, checking behind her as she reversed out of the parking space, "I like snakes."