Chapter Text
Chloe knocked on the large wooden door of Max’s parents’ house. The house wasn’t necessarily “fancy,” but it was bigger and nicer looking than the house Chloe had grown up in. It probably helped that Vanessa and Ryan hadn’t had her and Max tearing through the house as kids. She had some flashes of the house Max had grown up in back in Arcadia Bay, but they spent most of their time at the Price house, so her memory of it was a bit hazy.
Max stood next to her, shivering slightly from the wind. “Hit the doorbell. They don’t always hear knocking.”
It didn’t snow much in Seattle, which Chloe was disappointed about, but it definitely felt like December. Chloe had a thick army jacket that didn’t really provide warmth, but it was great at keeping out cold air. The holiday sweater she was wearing beneath the jacket did most of the work at keeping her warm. Chloe shifted her duffel bag to her other arm so she could wrap her arm around her cold girlfriend. “Don’t you have a key? Is the door even locked?”
She felt Max press into her side. She had adapted to California too much and didn’t have proper winter wear. “Yeah, but I think my mom really likes greeting us at the door.” Chloe hadn’t been to this house since they’d moved to California. Their parents had come to visit them last Christmas and the girls didn’t make enough money to allow them to make the trip up to Seattle very often. She rang the door bell, which gave a typical “ding dong” sound. Less than thirty seconds later, the door opened quickly to reveal the smiling face of Max’s mother.
Vanessa Caulfield was even shorter than Max but she almost knocked the two girls over with the enthusiastic hug she gave them. “Oh, I’ve missed you girls so much!” She let them go and looked them over. “Max, your new hair looks even better in person! I love it!”
Max blushed slightly and touched her newly bobbed hair. “Thanks. Do you think we can come in, mom?” Max said as she bounced slightly in the cold.
“Oh! Yes, sorry dear. Come in, come in.”
They stepped through the door and were hit with a wave of warmth and the smell of food. Chloe was amazed in that moment how much this house felt like a home to her. She had only stayed here for a few months after the storm while Max finished school. Chloe ended up being in the house more than Max, since she took online courses to finish her GED. Max’s parents both worked so Chloe had a lot of time to herself to get to know the house.
“Are those my girls I hear?” a deep voice yelled from down the hall.
“Oh, dad’s making ribs tonight. I hope you girls are hungry.” Vanessa’s smile was almost glowing. She looked so happy to see them. It reminded Chloe of the look her own mom gave the two of them sometimes.
“Ryan’s making his ribs? Oh hell yes,” Chloe said. “I think I’m starting to drool already.” Max left her suitcase and took off her shoes, then jogged towards the kitchen, still in her coat. Chloe smiled at her girlfriend who was practically skipping at how excited she was to see her parents. She took the handle of Max’s suitcase and started towards the stairs. “I’m gonna put these in her room.”
Vanessa put her hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “Nonsense, you go relax. You must be tired from driving for so long.” She wasn’t wrong. The trip was around thirteen hours, plus the couple stops they had made. Chloe was pretty exhausted, especially since she did most of the driving. “I’ll take the bags, you go chat with Ryan. There’s fresh cookies in the kitchen, too.” Max’s mother winked at that.
“Cookies and ribs? I’m starting to think you’re trying to fatten me up,” Chloe joked.
Vanessa laughed. “Honey, your mother’s cooking is twice as good as me and my husband combined. I would kill to have her cook for me and still have your figure.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. I loved everything you guys made while I stayed here. Besides, let my mom be the judge of that. I’m sure she’ll appreciate having someone make her dinner for once.”
“Oh, speaking of which, your parents will be in on the 23rd, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Joyce and David were flying in for a few days to have Christmas at the Caulfields’. The whole thing had been Vanessa’s idea back in September. Chloe was sure they were all too nice to say it, but it would certainly be an improvement over last year. The parents had rented hotel rooms to visit their daughters for a couple days. David had almost gotten into a fight with the guy who very roughly took their luggage to the room and Max’s parents were pretty sure their room had been next to a Honeymoon Suite. Max and Chloe had done their best to entertain for Christmas but ended up setting the oven on fire and dousing the ham in fire extinguisher foam.
“Lovely. I can’t wait to see your mother, she's delightful.”
Chloe smirked. “Aren’t you excited to talk to David, too?”
Vanessa gave an amused smile. “You be nice. Your stepfather is a wonderful man.”
“Yeah, he’s alright,” Chloe remarked sarcastically. Vanessa raised her eyebrow. “I’m just kidding. We get along much better. We’ve moved on from ‘mutual hostility’ to ‘mutually sarcastic assholes.’ I even got him a gift!”
Max’s mom chuckled. “Glad to hear it. Speaking of which, is your car unlocked? I’ll go get the gifts.”
“Oh, yeah, it is. Thanks!” Chloe lowered her voice and glanced down the hall. “Just leave the big box. That’s Max’s surprise gift.”
Vanessa gave a mischievous smile and winked at her. “Gotcha. Now go on, take off your coat and go get some cookies.”
Chloe did as she was told, removing her jacket and boots. With her jacket off, Vanessa gave her a look of amusement and distaste. “Oh, Lord, you still have that sweater.” Two years ago, when they had been staying here, Max had gifted Chloe the sweater. It was red with green mistletoe in rows on the front. However, Vanessa was referring to the back, which read “KISS MY ASS” in festive block letters and had a large mistletoe at the bottom. Chloe absolutely loved it and wore it the entire month of December around the house. Max had made her stop wearing it in public after she got into a loud argument with a mother over its vulgarity.
“Are you kidding? This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.” Vanessa rolled her eyes with a smirk and nodded towards the hall. Chloe followed the smell of meat towards the kitchen, looking at hanging pictures as she went. She had seen most of them before, mostly group family pictures. There was a new one hanging that she recognized. It was a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge at sunset that Max had taken. Chloe smiled and felt a small swell of pride seeing one of Max’s pictures enlarged and hanging. “Today, your parent’s house. Tomorrow, your own art gallery,” she said under her breath.
Chloe walked into the kitchen to find Max sitting on one of the counter tops, kicking her feet slightly as her legs dangled. Chloe felt her face flush a bit at how damn cute it was. Max was talking about school with her dad, who was standing over an indoor grill, tending to his ribs. Chloe was positive Max got her everything from Vanessa, since Ryan Caulfield was six and a half feet tall and a bear of a man. He had a bushy beard that covered the entire lower half of his face.
Max saw Chloe and stopped talking to smile at her. Her dad noticed and turned towards her, his beard shifting into a huge grin. “There she is! C’mere!” He held his arms open and Chloe came in for a hug. He was extremely gentle for how big he was, probably due to his wife and daughter being so small in comparison. He released Chloe and looked at her, his expression changing to a very stern and solemn glare. “Have you touched my daughter?”
“DAD,” Max yelled.
“Every day,” Chloe replied with a shit-eating grin. Ryan burst out laughing and Chloe saw Max bury her face in her hands, her ears bright red. “See, Max? Your dad gets my sense of humor.”
“DON’T ENCOURAGE HIM!” Max yelled through her hands.
Her dad gave Max a kiss on the top of her head. “So how have you been, Chloe? How are school and work and such?” he asked as he turned his attention back towards the sizzling meat. Chloe stared at the source of the delicious smell for a moment before registering that she had been asked a question.
“Oh, uh, yeah. Awesome.”
Ryan chuckled. “Dinner’s still about 40 minutes out. If you girls are starving, you can raid the fridge. Just keep room for these babies.”
Max and Chloe exchanged a glance. They were both ready to eat anything put near their mouths, but wouldn’t dare to take up any stomach room that was reserved for the Caulfields’ cooking. “No way, dad. We’re not gonna risk ruining our appetites before getting your famous ribs.”
“You two always call them ‘famous’ but I’ve yet to receive an offer from any cooking shows,” he joked.
“Dude I’ve had dreams about those ribs. They’re famous in my book.” Chloe had moved to lean against the counter next to where Max was sitting. She couldn’t get over how adorable Max’s excitement at being home was and had to sneak a quick kiss on her cheek. Max’s smile got slightly wider at that.
“Oh! You haven’t said hello to everyone yet,” Ryan said.
“Oh, shit, you’re right. Where’s Buddy?” Chloe was glad Max’s parents didn’t mind her swearing. It was hard to bite her tongue and it made her uncomfortable when she couldn’t be herself around people.
“He’s out in the yard right now. He was just sitting next to me and staring while I was cooking so Vanessa gave him a bone and sent him out. He probably heard you two arrive.” Chloe exited the kitchen to the hall, which ended in a thick glass door that led to the back yard. Sure enough, the big golden retriever was sitting right at the door and looking in. He saw Chloe and started dancing in place a bit.
Chloe opened the door and was almost knocked over by the excited dog. “Hey Buddy!” she said in the kind of silly voice that people tend to use when talking to animals. She rubbed her hands through his thick fur as he squirmed around her and between her legs. His tail slapped against her leg and she half expected it to leave a bruise. “How you doin’, boy? How’s my Buddy?” Chloe was pretty sure this dog was one reason this house felt so comforting. He had kept her company on lonely days and been a comfort to her and Max after all the shit they’d gone through.
Max appeared behind her and Buddy shifted his attention, this time actually causing his target to lose balance. Max fell on her butt and giggled as Buddy licked her face. “I missed you too, boy!” She put her arms around the dog and scratched along his back.
Chloe smiled at Max as she laughed. Her mind went back to when they’d first arrived here after leaving the wreckage of Arcadia Bay. That week had taken its toll on them, but especially Max. The drive here had mostly been silent. Chloe had been exhausted, but Max was a complete wreck. But when they arrived here, Chloe saw the relief on Max’s face at being somewhere safe. She saw it move through her body. She practically melted in her mother’s arms when she hugged her at the door.
It was a few weeks after they’d gotten here that Max finally smiled again. It was a moment just like this, with Buddy knocking her over and acting like her being there was just the absolute best thing he could ever experience, which was something Chloe fully understood. And she smiled. She smiled and laughed and cried a little as the dog licked her face and wagged his tail. And Chloe laughed a bit as well and started fully crying, because she was scared that she would never see Max smile again. Max’s camera had been close by and Chloe took a picture of that moment, because that was the moment Chloe knew they’d be okay. That Max would be okay.
Chloe noticed her eyes starting to water and took a deep breath to get rid of the tightness in her chest. “Hey, I’m gonna grab a quick shower so I don’t make your parents gag at dinner.” Max said okay and she made her way upstairs towards Max’s room. She started up the stairs but a glimpse of color from the living room caught her eye. She walked into the room and stared at the mantle, where a dozen or so family pictures stood. These weren’t posed like the ones in the hall. These were more natural, shots taken in the moment.
There was one of Vanessa holding newborn Max, one of Max as a small child on Ryan’s shoulders, there was even one of Max and Chloe at around ten years old. Max was giving a cute closed-mouth grin while Chloe showed off her teeth, two of which were missing. They all had Max in the shot and most had one or both parents. But the one that had caught Chloe’s eye was much newer. It was one that must have been put up after they moved to California, because she had never seen it before. It was of Max and Chloe, grown up, not even two years ago, standing in the back yard. Their foreheads were touching, their eyes were closed, and they both wore the purest smile imaginable as they held each other’s hands.
Chloe had her hand over her mouth as tears started to pool in her eyes. She sniffed and choked out “Max! C’mere!” Her voice cracked as she called and Max came quickly, looking concerned.
“Chloe, are you okay?” Chloe nodded, her hand still over her mouth. She just pointed to the picture sitting on the mantle.
Max looked it over and seemed to realize the same thing Chloe had. “Is that…?” Chloe nodded again. “Wowser…Maybe mom should be the photographer.”
Chloe laughed and hugged her tightly just as Vanessa came downstairs. She saw the pair and seemed as concerned as Max was. “Are you girls okay?”
Chloe let go of Max so she could face her mother. “Mom, this picture,” she started.
Vanessa smiled. “I’m sorry, you two just looked so perfect. I needed a good picture of you two to put up with the others.”
Max had started to tear up a bit. She sniffed and shook her head. “No, mom. It’s just…that was right after Chloe and I said that we loved each other for the first time.”