Max Caulfield stood outside of a Los Angeles apartment building. She was close enough to see the people through the window, but not so close that they'd see her.
After sacrificing Chloe to the storm, she had found an ancient faded Polaroid photo, of a very young Max Caulfield. It had been a sunny day, and her dad had taken her to a nearby park. Some boys had found Max a convenient target, given her quiet attitude. They had mocked Max, asking her if she could talk, saying she was stupid.
A loud, angry voice had said, “Hey you jerks, leave her alone!!”
That was how Max Caulfield had been introduced to Chloe Price, her protector from then on, her best friend.
Max went back to that day. She knew what would happen if things went as they had. Their bonding, and The Choice, eventually. Max simply could not live with either option.
“Hey, pumpkin. Want to go to the park down the street? Nice day.”
“That sounds nice, Pop, but, could we check out the lighthouse? I’ll be careful!”
“OK, if you really want to.”
Max waited to be sent into the new future she had just created. Nothing. "I guess I'll have to get there the old fashioned way.", Max whispered.
The fateful meeting never occurred. Every time Max got anywhere near Chloe, in the lunchroom, or at recess, or around town, she made sure that Chloe didn’t see her.
So it was, that in 2008, Max was standing in front of a certain semi truck at a certain truck stop. Working quickly, she was able to remove the lug nuts on one tire, pocketing them. She stepped around the corner of the truck stop building, hearing the trucker say, “Dammit! This is gonna set me back a few hours. Fuck!”
To make absolutely sure, she staked out the corner where William’s car would pass,on the way to pick up Joyce, where the accident would happen.. The car drove by with no trouble. One mistake fixed.
Max swore to herself that she would keep an eye on Chloe, as best she could. She’d do anything to give her the best possible life, to make her happy.
The move to Seattle happened, this time with the only heartbreak being Max's.
Years of living (if one could call it so, Max thought of it as more of an existence) came next. Max had gone to an art school in Boston, rather than Blackwell, of course. She’d had some success in a few art galleries, but, nothing to make her really famous. She was just getting by, working in a small photo studio.
Max had followed Chloe’s life with interest. After meeting Rachel, the two had moved to Los Angeles when they had both graduated. With William being in her life, and no Max to ruin her, she had excelled in science. But, given what Max had remembered about Chloe's stories of Rachel in the original timeline, she figured a bit of punk was still in the girl. Not enough to get expelled over, apparently, though.
And so it went. Rachel as a background actor, before getting starring roles in plays. Someone with a connection to one of the big studios had noticed her. A few more background parts to start with, but, soon enough, her name was in lights.
Rachel Price.
Chloe had used her natural intelligence to get a full ride scholarship to CalTech. She majored in Physics. Afterward, she had interned, and later, gotten a job, with a somewhat well known lab.
Max chuckled darkly, tears in her eyes. Chloe Price was part of a team, investigating Einstein’s theory of special relativity. The possibility of time travel.
Chloe had as perfect of a life as Max could make. An alive, doting father. A loving spouse. A goal in life, a focus for her intellect.
And all it took was the total ruination of Maxine Caulfield. An existence with no one to love. No one would ever compare to Chloe. Even her visits with her parents became less frequent.
She saw the two, laughing about something. William and Joyce were on the huge screen of the TV, smiling. Guess they were talking about something in Chloe or Rachel’s life, video calling
A poster next to her advertised a local blood drive. She smirked, it seemed a fitting metaphor for how she had impacted Chloe’s life. Max had given her happiness to Chloe, a trade she would make a million times over.
The fact that Chloe was alive, and in love, was enough. Even if it wasn’t with her.
Max turned and headed back to her studio apartment.
It would have to be enough.