Chapter Text

A groan escaped from Max as she stretched, flopping onto the bed lazily and closing her eyes, listening to the quiet chirping of the birds outside. It had been a hella long day, as Chloe would say, filled with frankly annoying museum guests and tourists. The fact that Arcadia Bay’s “Most popular LGBT celebrity” had the main exhibit didn’t help in the slightest. God, I hate being known just because of that… I’m a photographer, not a fucking zoo exhibit. Max shook her head, pulling her phone out of her pocket. 8:25. Chloe wouldn't be home for another fifteen minutes. Throwing the phone to the side, she stood up, heading towards the kitchen. Coffee. I need coffee.

“God, it's almost nine and I'm having coffee…” She said to herself, chuckling softly. As she grabbed a mug from the cupboard, Max took a look around the kitchen for the first time that day. Damn… I've been at that gallery all day. Chloe’s gonna be pissed. And, no doubt, she got Rachel pissed as well. With a small sigh, Max wandered around the kitchen, looking for anything that had changed while she was gone. The room space looked the same as it did before Max left, except for one thing; a seemingly blank white piece of paper. An eyebrow cocked, she took the paper in one hand, flipping it over curiously. It was a report card, Rachel’s report card. “Oh, Rachel… Chloe must be ecstatic.” The girl’s grades were alright, nothing spectacular, but she certainly wasn't failing any classes. Deciding to have some fun with her daughter, Max cupped her hands and shouted, “RACHEL AMBER CAULFIELD, GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW!” Almost immediately, a six year old girl with a single blue streak in her otherwise dirty blond hair was in front of Max, worry evident in her bright blue eyes. She launched into hurried, clearly rehearsed apologies.

“Mom I'm so sorry! I tried really hard, but math sucks and science is boring and English is taught by an idiot and-” She said, barely letting a breath in between words. Max cut her off, resting a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Rachel, chill. You're doing fine. It's only one C, and no matter how much Mom will try to convince you otherwise, you don't have to be a straight A student for me to love you, okay?” She replied quietly, leaning down so she was eye to eye with her daughter. “And don't call your teacher an idiot.” Max continued with a smile. Giggling, Rachel nodded as Max stood up again, ruffling her daughter’s hair and walking over to her now lukewarm mug. “Shit…” Rachel gasped, covering her mouth and pointing at her mother.

“You swore!” She exclaimed, moving the pointing finger to the jar of money, most of which belonged to Chloe. “Swear jar!” Even as she rolled her eyes, Max smiled a little, pulling a dollar bill from her jeans pocket and placing it in the jar.

“You really do act like your mom when she was your age,” She said, taking a sip of the coffee. “She had a swear jar, and it was almost completely filled before…” A small grimace passed across Max’s face. This always happens. Just tell her the truth. No, she was too young to understand right now. Luckily, the front door opened just at that moment. Mental note: Thank god for Chloe.

“I think mom’s home…” She said, a grin forming on her face. Rachel gasped, running to the door to greet her mother, shouting “MOM!” the whole way there.

“Rachel! Hey, kiddo. How was your day? Wait, shouldn’t you be in bed…?” Chloe’s voice came from around the corner, along with Rachel speaking so fast that very few words were actually understandable, though Max definitely heard “It’s Friday!” somewhere in there. She had a tight grip on her mother’s hand, pulling her into the kitchen to see Max. Chloe’s face split into a grin as soon as she saw her wife. As gently as possible, Chloe wrenched her hand from Rachel’s vice-like grip. “Hey babe.” She said, approaching Max and leaving their daughter pouting in the hallway. Max set down her coffee and pulled Chloe into a quick kiss, causing Rachel to cover her eyes with a loud snicker, even though the kiss was over almost as soon as it started. “Did you see the report card?” Chloe asked, hopping onto the counter. As a sign of confirmation, Max held up the piece of paper, looking over at Rachel with the same shit-eating grin Chloe would always flash her when they were kids.

“Yeah, I think we need to come up with a punishment.” She said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Chloe caught on immediately.

“Totally. Maybe we should get rid of the hair dye and the strand of blue... After all, the school hella hates it.” At those words, the little girl ran to her parents, hugging them both tightly, tears forming in her eyes at the thought of having her signature blue streak removed.

“No! I'll try harder, I swear! I'll pay attention in math! I'll study! I’ll-” She cried, hugging Max and Chloe as she spoke. The women looked at each other, and immediately started laughing, causing Rachel to stare at them with a look of bewilderment. “What? Why are you laughing?!” She asked, bewilderment turning to slight anger.

“Honey, we’re kidding! I already told you your grades were fine, and I’m sure your mom agrees.” Chloe said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. With a small grumble that sounded similar to, “You guys are hella mean”, Rachel stomped to her room, slamming the door. Max looked over at her wife, suddenly concerned.

“Were we… too mean spirited?” She asked, an eyebrow cocked. Chloe shook her head, jumping off of the counter and starting towards Rachel’s room.

“Nah, we just have to explain it was a joke,” She replied, turning towards Max with a smile. “We did get her to say hella. Finally.”

With a cautious knock on Rachel’s door, Chloe entered the girl’s room, immediately spotting her sulking on her bed. Suppressing a smile, Chloe sat next to her daughter, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a hug.

“Hey, Ms. Moody. What’s up?” She asked, twirling a strand of the girl's hair around her finger. Rachel just sighed, shrugging. “Rachel, we’re not punishing you. Your mom and I agree that your grades are great, hella better than mine were, so why would we take away your hair dye, or make you get rid of the streak? Your mom’s had a long day. She just wanted to have some fun with you. And, tomorrow, we’re gonna go to the mall with Aunt Victoria and Kate. We’ll get you a new outfit, yeah?” Chloe said, the promise of going to the mall making Rachel’s eyes light up in excitement.

“Promise?” She asked, looking up at her mother. The look in Chloe’s eyes softened, a small smile inching its way onto her face.

“Promise. Now, bed time,” Chloe said, laughing a little bit at the groan of disappointment Rachel let out. “I’ll make your mother tuck you in; you haven’t seen her all day, after all. That’s only if you give me a kiss, though.” Once again, the excitement drained from Rachel’s face, leaving only disappointment. She jumped off of the bed and stood on her tippy toes to give Chloe a kiss on the cheek, mumbling “Love you” before sitting back down on the bed, eagerly awaiting Max’s arrival.

“Love you too, kiddo.” Chloe said, her signature shit eating grin plastered on her face. Humming to herself, she hopped off the bed, strolling into the kitchen to notify her wife of the task she was assigned. “Mad Max, time to tuck in our little angel,” She said, hearing no response. “Uh, Max. Go tuck in Rachel. Maxine Price Caulfield, if you’re asleep…” Grumbling various words that would have made Rachel faint if she heard them, Chloe stomped over to the bedroom, throwing the door open. “Max!” She shouted, causing Max to suddenly wake up.

“Wha… Who?” Max said groggily, looking around for who was speaking. With a sigh, Chloe muttered “Never mind…” and closed the door, going back to Rachel’s room. When she saw Chloe in the doorway, her heart seemed to crack in two.

“Sorry, kiddo. Mom’s tired. I’ll make her tuck you in for two nights in a row, okay? Besides, I think she has the week off next week…” Chloe ran a hand through her hair, walking towards Rachel slowly. The girl nodded sadly, but she looked happier when Chloe mentioned Max’s week off. A small smile on her face, Chloe tucked her daughter in, kissing her on the forehead softly before turning the lights off and closing the door quietly. After waiting at the door to make sure Rachel was okay and didn’t need anything, Chloe went to the fridge, grabbing a beer and stomping to the bedroom, glaring at Max as soon as she saw her.

“What?” Max asked, looking more awake than she had a few minutes ago, sitting on the bed, obviously texting someone. Chloe groaned, taking a drink.

“You! It was your turn to tuck in Rachel, and you just fell asleep! I know today was stressful, but you couldn’t stay up for a few more minutes?” She asked, trying to stay quiet as to not wake up their daughter. “You’re barely ever home, she almost never sees you… she just wants to spend a week with you-with both of us-instead of five days with me and two with you,” Chloe lowered her voice to its normal level, sitting next to Max, whose fingers were frozen above the “S” and “?” keys. “I promised her that we-including you-would go to the mall with Victoria and Kate, so you better make sure they have a few hours free. I’m going to bed.” Max just sat there, staring at Chloe blankly as she peeled off her shirt and jeans and got into bed, turning the light off with a heavy sigh. The only light in the room was Max’s phone, in a group chat with Kate and Victoria.

Max: Kate, Vic, do you have a few free hours tomorrow? Chloe’s told Rachel we’re going to the mall with you.

Kate: I think we have a couple hours to spare.

Vic: Yeah, when do you guys wanna meet?

Max: 2?

Vic: Sounds good <3

Max: See you there xo