Archive of Our Own ^beta

Max stared in disbelief at June Puckett. There she was, not alive and well being a ghost and all, but existing. Yeah, she was dead, but she wasn’t gone like Max had thought, like Zoey and Dad had thought. There was a whole lot of hullabaloo and all the adult spectrals were far too casual with her to be meeting her for the first time, but Max couldn’t find it in herself to care. That could be dealt with later, or at the very least dragged out from Mr. Spender. What mattered was she was within Max’s sights, and her voice. 

“Mom?” Max asked, for once not caring how she sounded or her image.

From the first syllable June was looking up, out of the group of adults and to the Activity Club, sitting on the sidelines of whatever the heck was happening. She opened and closed her mouth, words unable to escape. A few moments later she was flying over the adults and straight into Max, giving her a giant hug. Neither attempted to hide the tears that flowed.

“Max, sweetie. I missed you,” June whispered, pulling back slightly to get a good look at her child’s face, “And I am so so sorry you got pulled into this whole mess.”

“It’s ok,” Max replied, more to have something to say.

For a bit neither of them said anything as the rest of the world continued on. It was only as people began heading home that Max realized something important.

“Are you coming home with me?”

June smiled in a way that was meant to be reassuring but Max only remembered from the nights she had to work late or handed him off to Val because she couldn’t go.

“I can’t right now, there’s a lot of boring adult stuff going on. I also don’t know if I’m ready to see your father and Zoey again if they can’t see me. But we will see each other again. I can come visit after school. You should head back with the rest of your club, it’s getting late and growing kids need their sleep.”

As she turned around Max grabbed her leather jacket. Even though she said it so confidently there would always be a chance Max would never get to see her again, and she had to tell her mom it just in case.

“Wait, please. I have something to say.”

“Yes?”

Max took a deep breath, then another, “I’m a girl.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“You’re not surprised?”

June gave a little laugh at that, “You complained that Zoey got to wear dresses and you didn’t because it would be easier to move your legs without pants. Then when we got you a dress you refused to wear anything else, and only changed when you got horribly scrapped up by the sidewalk.“

“Oh,” Max said, because there really wasn’t a good response to that.

“Do you have a new name you want me to call you by?”

“Still Max, just for Maxine instead.”

June gave Maxine one last hug, “Good night Max. I love you, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night,” Max replied, leaning into the hug.