Chloe couldn't pick her eyes up off the floor. Out of agitation, she played with her fingers as she tried to ignore her nerves. It had actually been a pretty long time since she had felt this type of nervousness. The sort of burning ears and beginnings of an upset stomach that signaled a mixture of embarrassment and being ashamed. She glanced beside her to Max and found her in a similar state. She took in a slow breath, then finally looked up at David.

"Well," he said, his arms crossed, "I already know whose idea it was." He closed his eyes and gave a brief shake of his head. "What were you girls thinking?"

"You could make a strong argument that we weren't," Chloe said. She gave a wincing smile. She felt Max's elbow jab into her. "I...I don't know. It was just a bad idea. I'm pretty good for those." David rolled his head to the side as if he couldn't disagree, then turned to Max.

"Aside from breaking the law and whatever consequences that would have, you realize you'd be expelled, right?" Max nodded slowly. "Look, guys." He pressed his palm into the side of his neck, showing a visible reaction of relief at the pressure. "I'm not mad at either of you, but I am frustrated."

That's...fair. Between Frank, the roof and the pool, I'm kind of putting him in a shitty position.

"You're right," Chloe said. "It really wasn't intentional to like, give you a hard time, but I get it. I'm sorry." She scowled. "I didn't mean to take advantage of you. It was a dick move."

"Well," David allowed himself a smile, "thanks. I appreciate the apology. Sorry is a lot nicer than a middle finger." Chloe flitted both hands in reluctant agreement. "Classes start in a few days, but I do need you both to try and behave, alright? There's a difference between being rambunctious and putting my job in danger. Or even worse, getting arrested. You're lucky I'm the one who caught you."

Well, I at least made sure that would be the case but...yeah, I digress.

"We know," Max said. "It was stupid. You're honestly being way chiller about this than we deserve." David chuckled.

"I'm not sure either of you understand the lengths I'd go to protect you," he said. "But I need you to meet me halfway. That's all I'm asking."

Aw... Fucking teddy bear.

"Thanks." Chloe hung her head again and huffed. "I feel actually shitty. I really am sorry." She felt a hand ruffle through her hair.

"Alright, enough of the puppy eyes," he laughed. "As long as you understand. I'm glad we can actually talk about these things now."

"I'm not!" Chloe giggled as she shook her head. "Being responsible and...handling things like an adult is so awkward."

"Yeah," Max said, "I don't like this. Can I return my adult card? I miss chocolate milk."

"You literally had some yesterday," Chloe laughed, leaning into her. Max just turned her head away with a 'hmph.'

"Sorry, Max," David chuckled, "but no refunds. You'll get used to it. With ease, I bet." He sighed and let the palm of his hand smack against the side of his fist. "Well, I'm going to get back to work. Only another hour before I can go home and take a nap." He smirked. "Had an especially exciting night."

"Give an inch," Chloe said, puckering her lips disapprovingly. He laughed and held a hand up in defense.

"Alright, alright. Have a good day at work," he said, then turned to Max. "From what I hear, most of the students will be returning today. Might be a bit hectic."

"Teenagers," Max scoffed. David rolled his eyes with a smile, then left. Chloe fell back onto the bed.

"I hate this!" She screeched, bursting into laughter at the end of it. "Being all...all fucking..."

"Nice?" Max asked, lying down next to her. Chloe made a sound of displeasure. "In fairness, it was pretty dumb of us to go back to the pool. I mean, really, we're lucky he didn't catch us doing the other stuff we did." She purred into Chloe's ear. "Like our shower adventures."

Oooh, shower adventures. I like those.

"That would've been a fucking nightmare." She turned to Max, who was close enough that their noses touched. "I'm pretty good at bullshitting my way out of things, but that would be difficult to explain." She cackled and sat up. "One sec! Let me just remove myself from my girlfriend and we'll engage in civil discourse!" Max laughed with a familiar tint of disgust.

"You're so gross." She flopped a hand to her side and grabbed her phone. "Warren says he'll be getting here soon. It'll be nice to see everyone else too. Juliet texted me a while ago that she's already here, I'll probably go see her after you leave."

"I'm bummed I won't be here when Warren gets back," Chloe pouted. "I realized last night while we were swimming that I still don't have peaches for my town and Cheri is hounding me for one."

Bitch is so fucking needy, man.

"I have no fucking idea what you're talking about," Max chuckled, "but I'll be sure to let him know you need a peach for cherry." Chloe laid back down and wrapped her in a hug.

"If you weren't already my hero, that would've done the trick."

"Usual suspects today?" Chloe mumbled through the hair tie as she pulled her hair back into a small ponytail. Pete grunted in the affirmative and flipped the pancake, then turned to her.

"You know anyone we can hire as a cook? We need someone on night shift. Figured there might be someone in that group of yours that needs a job." He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm.

"What's up? Did Scott quit?" Chloe leaned against the sink and crossed her arms.

"Nah." Pete shook his head with a bit of frustration. "He was skimming. It's been going on for a few weeks now but we finally caught him." He released one burst of a disbelieving laugh and turned back to the food. "Moron. We don't even keep that much money in the register. Got himself fired over, what, two or three hundred bucks at the most?" He pointed the spatula at her. "His food wasn't even that good. You know he fucked up scrambled eggs? Multiple times?"

Makes sense. Scott sucked at everything else.

"Shit, even I could do that," Chloe laughed. She titled her head in thought. "I'll think about if I know anyone. Though, you know most of the Blackwell kids are set with mommy and daddy." Pete rocked his head side to side as if saying 'true.' "And I don't say that bitterly, it's just how it is. I love a lot of those brats."

Do I know anyone who would be into that? Can't see the Victoria Cerberus back here getting all sweaty. Justin and Trevor would come in baked and get fired by the end of the night. Maybe Warren? He actually studies though...

Chloe plucked two pens out of the pencil holder and slipped them and her notepad into her apron. She skirted by Pete and snagged a piece of bacon from the reject plate, scrunching her nose when it wasn't as crispy as she'd prefer. She double checked her appearance in the small mirror to make sure she was presentable, then burst through the swinging door.

There were currently only two customers in the diner and, with routine that had embedded itself into her over the months, she checked on each of them with a proper smile and pleasant behavior. After they had all confirmed they were fine, she took a seat at the bar and pulled out her phone. Since she wasn't exactly in dire need of money, she didn't really mind the slower days and had actually learned to utilize them as a time of relaxation. Sure, other people did yoga or meditated, but skimming Wikipedia and playing mindless mobile games was good enough for her. She fired off a few texts back and forth with Max about needing a cook, then sent her a picture of a cute kitten.

After some time, the bell above the door jingled. She lurched across the counter and grabbed a menu, then spun around in her stool. Before she could conjure her 'waitress smile,' she tilted her head down and arched an eyebrow.

"Hey man," she said, giving a lazier wave than she usually would. Frank smirked at her and headed over to the booth in the corner.

My favorite customer... I can't believe that that's actually true.

"How's it going?" She asked, slipping into the seat across from him. He casually shrugged in response.

"Can't complain too much. Another day and all." He reached under his jacket and took out a bottle of beer. Chloe grinned.

It's like the R-rated version of sneaking candy into the movies.

"Man, it's just me. You know you don't have to sneak it in here." She rested against the cushion of the bench. "Besides, I doubt anyone else would care at this point. It's just part of the Frank Bowers experience."

"Not sure if that's good or bad," he chuckled. "How about you, how are you doing?" He leveraged the base of his lighter against the lid of the bottle and pried it off.

"All good here," Chloe said, then snickered. "I did get in some hot water with my stepdad last night because me and Max broke into the Blackwell pool." Frank furrowed his brow.

"Why would you do that?" He asked. She was surprised to hear some actual anger in his voice. "Don't do stupid shit and get in trouble. You're better than that, Chloe."

What in the hell Twilight Zone shit is this?

"Woah, easy, dude," she held her hands in front of her, "I already got this lecture." She glanced behind her to check on the other customers, then turned back to him. "Why are you getting all pissy with me?"

"I'm not being pissy," he protested. "But look, I'm older than you and I'm your friend. You can't act like you used to when you, me, and Rach used to hangout. You reminded me a lot of myself, you know? That's not a good thing." Chloe could feel herself shrinking. "I'm pretty much fucked forever, but you're not. I'm sure you were just having fun, but all it takes is one slip up with the law."

"Christ, man, I don't even have a passport and you're sending me on a global guilt trip," Chloe pouted, putting her elbow on the table so she could rest her cheek on her hand. Frank sighed.

"Sorry," he said, "I just don't want you to fuck up your future. I mean, I'm trying to build an honest, normal life and trust me, a bad reputation ain't easy to shake."

"So...no luck on the job hunt, then?" She frowned, then reached across the table and lightly hit his hand. "You got this, dude. I'm here to help in any way I..."

Oh, holy fuck!

"Dude!" She raised herself as much as she was able to and planted her palms on the table. "We're hiring! Here! At the Two Whales! We need a cook for night shift!" There was a spark of excitement in Frank's eyes, but it quickly vanished.

"They'd never hire me here, Chloe." He slouched in his seat. "Of all places, the Two Whales knows best that I'm a piece of shit. I'm here all the time. You think I don't notice how it changes when I walk in? How the cops always keep one eye on me?" He shook his head. "I can't even cook, anyway."

"Can you scramble eggs?" Chloe asked with a smile. "That's literally our standard at the moment. And, look..." She huffed. "I won't lie, it's probably a long shot, but I'll fucking argue for it! Believe it or not, I'm a really fucking good employee! They trust me. And if I convince my mom..."

He'd be working with Mom sometimes too... If she sees that he's got his shit together, that would go a long way toward David easing up. I'm the best accidental mastermind ever.

"I'm not going to stop you from trying," he said, "but I ain't getting my hopes up."

"No problem, I'll just get mine up extra high," Chloe snickered. "I'll tell them to get your beans ready and I'll grab you an application, alright?" She held her hand up for a high five. Frank stared at it for a moment, grunted, then slapped the back of his against it.

While she left Frank to fill out his application and eat in peace, the other two tables had left. As she was wiping down the second table, the bell jingled again.

Mo' money fo' me.

"Sit wherever you'd like, I'll be right with you!" She called. She tucked the towel away behind the bar and grabbed another menu. She placed the menu on the table in front of the man. He was dressed rather nicely, wearing a beige suit with a white dress shirt and tie to complement it. She actually didn't recognize him, which was rare considering the vast majority of customers were regulars.

"Hi! My name's Chloe, I'll be takin' care of ya," she said. "Our soup today is," she leaned back and squinted at the white board, "...gazpacho. Which is kind of a weird choice for winter, right? But it's actually really good, promise. I can get you a small sample if you want." The man looked her up and down, sending an uncomfortable shiver through her.

Actually, he does look a little familiar... Where have I seen him before? One of the reporters that fucked with Kate?

"I'll take that sample, thank you," he said. He removed his glasses and rubbed one of the lenses against his sleeve. Getting a longer look at him, something about his demeanor struck her as off.

"Yeah, no problem." She couldn't help but steal a quick look at Frank, as if she could tell just from that how he was faring with the application. "What can I get you to drink?"

"Coffee." His voice wasn't exactly what she'd describe as cold, but rather...hollow.

"Sure thing," she said, and went to retrieve his coffee.

This guy is kind of creepy. Where the fuck do I recognize him from? It's like, on the tip of my tongue. My...brain-tongue.

"Here you go," Chloe said, setting the mug on the table. She continued smiling despite feeling increasingly uneasy. "Have you decided on food?" He didn't answer, instead slowly tearing the end off a packet of sugar. There was something in that simple action that seemed predatory. Chloe looked at Frank again, this time for a sense of safety. "Sir?"

"Chloe..." He said it as if her were testing the word out. He looked her up and down again. "Would you happen to be Chloe Price?" Her heart began to beat faster and, without thinking about it, she found herself taking on step back.

How the fuck?

"Uh, yes," she replied. She cleared her throat. "So, you know me, but I can't seem to remember you." She chuckled nervously. "That's a little awkward. Uh, sorry."

"Bacon and eggs, please." It was like he hadn't heard anything she had said. He held the menu out to her, this time keeping his gaze straight ahead.

"R-right," she stammered, taking the menu.

Though she was trying to play it cool, her movement toward the kitchen window was much more of a scurry then a casual walk. She kept her eyes down as she passed him and returned to Frank.

"Dude," she whispered, leaning across the table, "there's this weirdo over there who is freaking me the fuck out." He looked up at her.

"What'd he do?" He asked.

"I mean, not really anything but...you know how sometimes you just get that feeling?" He nodded. "He knows my name and seems familiar but I just cannot tell from where." Frank leaned to the side, straining his neck to try and see.

"I can only see the top of the back of his head," he said.

Incredibly helpful, thank you.

"Look," she said, holding out her hand, "I'm actually shaking a little bit." Her expression fell into further unease. "I never get like this, what the hell?"

"Nothing's going to happen in the broad daylight in a diner," Frank said, "but I'll keep an eye out." She nodded in thanks. "Anyway, I finished this." He held up the application. "Filling these out is really depressing. Seeing how little you've done."

"It's fine, man. They hired me, right?" She took it from him and stood up, happy to have a reason to head into the back and put off interaction with the strange man. "I'll go give it to Pete and talk to him a bit."

"Alright," Frank sighed, plunging his fork into the puddle of beans. "Don't expect much."

Getting lectured by David and Frank, trying to get Frank a job and now there's a serial killer that knows my name sipping coffee. I'm exhausted already.

"Excuse me, Chloe Price?" The man asked just as she was passing by him. She stopped immediately, as if a leash had grown taut and kept her from going further. She hated the way he said her name like that. She gulped, then turned to him. "More coffee, please."

God dammit.

"Right away," she said, then went behind the bar to retrieve the coffee pot. She tried to avoid eye contact as she filled his mug. "Anything else I can grab for you?"

"The sample of gazpacho," he responded. "You forgot it."

"Ah! I'm so sorry," she said, forgetting herself for a moment and adopting her normal waitress behavior. He stared back at her with a smile. It seemed kind and warm, but she couldn't help but feel like it was only a mask. That there was something...terrible beneath it. When it was clear he wasn't going to reply, she hurried off to get the soup.

"What the fuck, man?" She huffed as she entered the kitchen. Pete turned to her.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I'm waiting on this guy who seems like he wears people's faces for a hobby!" She leaned against the wall. "Seriously, it's like he's a fucking Jack-in-the-box of nightmares!"

"Want me to get rid of him?" Pete asked seriously. Chloe exhaled forecfully and rocked her head back and forth.

"I mean, he hasn't fucking done anything. Just gives me the creeps."

"Okay," he said, moving down the line to grab some raw strips of bacon. "Just say the word, I'll boot him."

It does feel pretty good to have backup. Frank'll shank a motherfucker and Pete's huge so...yeah, I'm fine.

"Thanks." She sighed and lessened the tension in her shoulders. "Anyway, I got an app for the night job." She held it out and he perked an eyebrow at her.

"Already?" He wiped his hands on the towel hanging from his apron and took it. It was only a second before he was back looking at her with a grimace. "Bowers? Are you serious?"

Alright, I guess him taking it with no argument was a bit of a pipe dream. Damn.

"Pete, I can vouch for him," she said. "I know there's a fuckton of baggage attached to his name but I'm really close with him. He's a good dude and he's trying really fucking hard to start over."

"There's...no way I can even entertain this idea," he said, waving the paper. "Everyone knows he should be behind bars. We just fired Scott for stealing and you want me to hire a criminal?"

"Argh, come on, man!" Chloe snatched the paper out of his hand tapped her finger against it. "You hired me! I had a shitty reputation too! And look at me!" She held her arms out wide as if presenting herself. "Not to toot my own fuckin' horn, but I'm great at this job and I've changed for the better in the rest of my life!"

Toot, toot.

"We hired you because Joyce practically begged," he said, frowning. "We knew she wouldn't be fighting for it if she really didn't believe you could do it."

"Right," Chloe said, "so can't you give me that same benefit? Come on, I wouldn't set you up to get fucked over. I really trust him. Just...consider it, okay?"

Pete stared at her, his mouth scrunching in several directions as he thought it over. He yanked the papers back out of her hand.

"I won't throw it in the garbage," he said, "but if anyone, and I mean literally anyone else shows interest, he's out of the running." Chloe grinned and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, you sweaty monster of a boss," she laughed. "Think about it, that's all I ask."

"Alright, alright," he mumbled, "get off me." Once free, he put eggs and two strips of bacon onto a plate, then handed it to her. "Here, your murderer's food is ready."

"Ffffuck," she muttered. "Right, still have to deal with that. Alright, if you hear me screaming, come rescue me." She pointed at a knife hanging on the wall. "Bring the good knife."

As she came through the door, the first thing she did was look at Frank and give him a wobbly shrug and thumbs up. She could see his eyes grow wide from across the room.

Man, that feels...really good. I hope it pans out. Ugh...alright, let me drop this food off.

"Bacon and eggs," she said, sliding the plate in front of the man. "Do you need anything else?" He didn't answer right away, but slowly picked up the fork and looked it over.

"So," he said, attention still fixed on the fork, "how is everything? Did you heal up alright?" At the last word, he turned to her and bared his teeth in a horrible impersonation of a grin. A new wave of unease spread through her stomach.

What the fuck?

"What are you talking about?" She asked, trying not to look as fearful as she felt.

"That," he said, pointing the fork at her ribs. "Did everything heal fine? No complications? Guns are unpredictable, you know. You can never tell how much damage a bullet will really do."

"Who the fuck are you?" She was finally able to summon a small burst of anger. "Why are you asking me this shit?"

"I'd heard it was a matter of millimeters," he continued, "just one hair the other way and you might have bled out right there on that floor. Dead before anyone could even work up a tear."

Fuck no, I'm not dealing with this.

"Okay, asshole, I don't know what the fuck your problem is but you need to leave right now." He ignored her, keeping the fork angled at her. She released an enraged scream. "Stop fucking pointing that thing at me!" She yanked the fork out of his hand and threw it across the room. "Get out of here! Get the fuck out of here!"

He made no move to get to his feet. Instead, he reached for his coffee and took a slow sip.

"You ruined my life," he said calmly. Chloe's hands tensed into claws and she was overcome with the desire to attack him.

Say another goddamn word, I swear to god.

"What the fuck is going on?" Frank shouted, pushing Chloe a step back and shielding her with his arm. He gazed down at the man. "What the fuck are you doing to her?" The man looked up at Frank and chuckled.

"Oh, of course," he said, shaking his head. "Of course you'd be here too! Frank Bowers! The provider!" He set the mug down and buried his face in his hands as he laughed. "You know, I'd heard that you loved her. How does it feel to know you help ki-"

Frank gripped the man by his collar and ripped him out of his seat. Chloe stumbled backward until her back was pressed against the bar. Frank brought his face close to the man.

This is getting...really fucking crazy. What is the fuck is going on?!

"I'm going to ask you this once," he said, his voice tattered and snarling at the edges, "who the fuck are you?"

"Bowers!" Chloe turned to find Pete tearing around the bar. To her surprise, and fear, he was indeed carrying the knife she had joked about. "What in the hell is going..." He swallowed his own sentence once he was close enough to see the other man. He looked over his shoulder at Chloe. "Get in the back."

Get in the back!? Why!? Who is that!?

"What!?" She screamed. She hadn't realized she had started to cry. "What the fuck is going on!?" The panic, fear and confusion had been coiling within her ever since the man came in and now finally released itself. She fell to her knees and started to sob.

I don't understand!

"Is that what she looked like with the gun in her face?" The man asked, still calm, still held tight in Frank's grip. In response, Frank reeled back and punched him hard in the face. He let go of his collar, and the man fell on his rear. Though clearly dazed, he smiled, showing off his bloodstained teeth.

"Assault," he said quietly, almost giddily. "I'll have you arrested." Frank set his foot behind him, ready to bring it forward into the man. Pete grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Don't," he warned. It seemed like Frank was about to ignore him, but instead turned around and knelt by Chloe, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

This...this is insane...

"I'll have you all arrested," the man said again, slurring his words.

"You have some real fucking nerve showing your face around here, let alone harassing her." Pete shook his head in disgust. "You're pathetic, Sean."

...Sean?

"I'm pathetic?" He laughed. "I'm pathetic!?" He spit a red glob onto the floor. "That fucking bitch ruined everything!" He pointed at Chloe. "Ruined my fucking life!"

"You're speaking with me," Pete said harshly, repositioning himself directly in front of Sean. "Say another word to her and I promise you'll regret it."

"I could have this place leveled," Sean said, his head lulling back onto the seat. "I own it. Own all of you..."

"This is Prescott?" Frank asked. Pete nodded in confirmation. Frank sucked air through his teeth, then got to his feet. He moved back over to the two men and scowled. "Sorry, Pete," he said, then slammed his knee into Sean's face.

Jesus Christ, Frank!

"No more of that," Pete pointed the knife at him, though it was nonthreatening. "No matter how much he deserves it." Frank put his hands up and backed away. Sean's head rolled around on his shoulders as he was lost in a daze. "I have to call the police just to make sure they know. If he gets up and tries to leave, just fucking let him. He can't hide anywhere."

The...the police? What the fuck...

"Is Frank going to get in trouble?" Chloe asked. Pete stared down at Sean and shook his head.

"He was protecting you and, to be honest, no one's on the side of Prescotts anymore. He's currently under investigation and harassing the girl his son almost killed isn't going to help his case." He turned to Chloe. "You go home, okay? Don't come in tomorrow, either. I want you to try and calm down."

Calm down!? Calm the fuck down!?

For some reason, a small part of her wanted to protest. She was staring at the man who bred Nathan Prescott into a monster. Follow the thread long enough and you'll eventually find the source. As Sean blinked rapidly, blood painted over his mouth and dripping onto his white shirt, she could only think that it wasn't enough. He deserved worse. Bloody and teetering on the boundary of consciousness, Chloe couldn't tell the difference between him and the storm she had watched start to destroy Arcadia Bay.

But, that small part was drowned out by the overwhelming adrenaline and stimulus that had attacked her. She didn't really want to be there. She didn't want to be near him. She wanted, needed to be with the people she loved. She wanted to cry in her mother's arms and hug David tight and hold Max close, thanking her over and over for the life she almost didn't have. So, she said 'okay' and left as quickly as she could.

Sitting in her truck, she called Max. There was no response. She called again and Max still didn't answer. She brought up their text chat and hammered on the keys.

Chloe: call me asap something crazy just happened

She started the truck and turned the volume of the radio up as loud as it would go, letting the chaotic drums and frenzied guitar thrash the feelings out of her head. Her phone vibrated.

Max: Okay give me five minutes. Are you okay?

Chloe: yea just...call me

"Chloe, Jesus, I'm so sorry!" Max cried as she jumped into the truck, diving into Chloe's arms. "What a fucking psycho! I can't believe that happened!"

"I love you so much," Chloe said, wrapping her arms around Max tightly. "I love you so, so much."

"I love you too, Chlo. More than anything," Max said directly into her ear. "I don't even know what to say. It's insane."

That's fine, let's just use that word and call it a day.

"Yeah..." Chloe buried her face in the crook of Max's neck. "I keep like, almost forgetting about all of that shit. Like how nightmares get blurry after you wake up and you can't remember why they were so fucking scary. I just...I forget."

"I know. I know, babe," Max said.

"You...don't, do you?" Chloe asked. Max pulled away and looked at her in confusion. "You don't forget, do you?"

"It's getting better," Max said, cupping Chloe's cheek. "I've gone a day or two without thinking about it. But...no, I can't forget it. Not entirely."

"I hope someday there are no reminders. No...left over parts," Chloe said. Max kissed her on the forehead.

"Chlo," she said, showing a small smile. "I can't completely forget it because it gave me you. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything."

The door opened before Chloe could grasp the knob and she was sucked into Joyce's embrace. Though she wasn't crying, it was clear that she recently had been. David stood behind her, looking sullen. Joyce told her she was sorry and that she loved her over and over until finally she and Max were allowed to actually enter the house.

"It's...it's fine now, I guess," Chloe said. The four of them were seated around the dining room table. "I mean, nothing happened and it's over so..." She blew out a heavy gust of air and put her head in her hands. "Fuck, I was so scared."

"I know, sweetie," Joyce said, reaching across the table to hold her hand. Once David had gotten his own fill of hugging her, his mood quickly turned angry. His foot hammered against the floor as he sat there silently.

"I didn't really even realize he was still...around, you know?" Max had pulled her chair next to Chloe's and was rubbing her back.

"Hopefully not for much longer," David said, breaking his silence. "Once everything comes out, he'll be locked away. His money means nothing now. He can't buy his way out of this." He pressed a palm against his eye. "I thought he was out of town. I didn't know he was here either."

"If it wasn't for Pete and Frank, I don't even know what would've happened," Chloe said. "I was about to attack him myself. The feeling he gave me..." She shuddered.

I don't even think I was in danger but...I've never felt so unsafe.

"I wish I was there," David said quietly. "What I wouldn't give to knock him on his ass."

"Don't worry," Chloe managed a light chuckle, "Frank really fucked him up. He protected me." She saw David's expression shift a few times, as if he were considering something.

Accidental mastermind... Sure.

"Tell him thanks," David replied. "Just take it easy tonight. Try to distract yourself." He turned to Max. "I hope you'll stay the night?" She nodded. "Alright," he sighed and placed his hand on Chloe's shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too," Max added. "I wish I could've seen Frank kick his ass. I would have happily rewound that over and over." Chloe's brows crinkled and she turned to Max.

Uh...

"Rewound?" Joyce asked.

"I-I mean, if I could, you know?" Max stammered. "Like if it was a movie or something."

"I'm right there with you," David said. Chloe smiled and put her head back on the table.

She never jokes about rewinding. Heh...she really loves me, huh?