Max was sitting on a very comfy sofa listening to her ipod while the rest of the Flock was off doing... whatever it is they all do when they feel relatively safe. They were in a beautiful hotel suite in New York with her mother and Ella. Jeb was paying for it. Jeb, Max thought, it figures that he's the one that I trusted the most, and he turned out to be... well, half traitor and half good. I don't know what to think about him.

Tell me how I'm s'posed to breath with no air

That was a song she'd never heard before. Nudge must have put it on here by accident, our ipods look the same, Max realized. She decided to listen to it.

If I should die before I wake
It's 'cause you took my breath away
Losing you is like living in a world with no air
Ohh

I'm here alone, didn't wanna leave
My heart won't move, it's incomplete
Wish there was a way that I can make you understand

But how do you expect me
To live alone with just me
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe

Tell me how I'm supposed to breathe with no air
Can't live, can't breathe with no air
It's how I feel whenever you ain't there
It's no air, no air
Got me out here in the water so deep
Tell me how you gonna be without me
If you ain't here, I just can't breathe
It's no air, no air

No air, air (Ohhh)
No air, air (Nooo)
No air, air (Oh a)
No air, air

I walked, I ran, I jumped, I flew
Right off the ground to float to you
There's no gravity to hold me down for real

But somehow I'm still alive inside
You took my breath, but I survived
I don't know how, but I don't even care

So how do you expect me
To live alone with just me
'Cause my world revolves around you
It's so hard for me to breathe

She paused the song and pulled out the earphones. She couldn't listen anymore; she was crying silent but heavy tears.That song described exactly how she felt when her Flock had split; or more specifically, when her and Fang had split.And that was how Fang made her feel; he took her breath away constantly. But I can't do anything about it, she thought sadly, I would die if it didn't work out and he left again.

"Max?"

She looked up. Fang was standing in the doorway from the kitchen. He swiftly walked over and sat down in front of her on the coffee table. Gently, he wiped away her tears with his thumb. "It's not another brain attack, is it?" She shook her head. He tilted his head and his eyes pleaded with her to tell him what was wrong.

She looked away from him. He let his hand fall from her cheek where it had been resting. "Max", he said. Just by saying her name, he showed her how much he wanted to help. But she couldn't tell him. She could never tell him. "It's nothing", she lied.

He moved to sit next to her. "Max, please", he said, "I... I can't stand seeing you so upset. What's wrong?"

She looked at him and almost gasped. His ever-emotionless face was displaying an emotion she could only describe as... as... she couldn't even find a name for it. She blurted, "I'm just afraid Fang."

"Afraid of what?" he looked confused.

Afraid of losing you, she wanted to say. But she didn't. Fang was getting frustrated. He noticed the ipod sitting in her lap. Before she could stop him, he picked it up and saw what song she had been listening to. She could tell he recognized the song by the look in his eyes, but he still looked confused.

She started to get up, but he gently grabbed her arm. "What does this song have to do with you being so upset?"

"Let go Fang", she growled. The effect was totally ruined by the fact that she was still crying on the inside.

"Not until you tell me what you're afraid of".

"Why do you care?" she snarled as meanly as possible when you feel like you're about to burst into tears.

Fang looked stung. "Why do I - is that even a question?! Just answer me dang it!"

Max stared at her bare feet, "What was the question again?" she stalled.

He jerked her so that she was facing him and he was holding both of her arms. "Max what are you afraid of?!"

She couldn't look at him, "Losing you", she mumbled.

"What?"

"I said-"

"I heard you but... why?"

She tried to pull away, but he held her tight. She sighed in exasperation. "Fine! I'm afraid of losing you again because when I did, I felt exactly the same way the girl did in that song. I just wanted to curl up and die."

It got very quiet after she said that. She timidly looked up into his eyes, and did gasp that time. His eyes looked like they were about to fill with tears. He pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry. I never did apologize for leaving you. It was totally stupid of me and I have no excuse. I'm sorry. And... I felt the same way."

Needless to say, Max was shocked. She had NEVER heard Fang say sorry, except for a couple of times when he had injured her while sparring. And here he had just said it twice! And he felt the same way?

She hadn't realized she was crying until she pulled away and saw his soaked t-shirt. She then realized that her hair, where Fang had rested his head, was soaked also. Although unlike her, Fang's tears had stopped. He cupped her chin in his hand.

"Max, I was so miserable when I left you. I don't ever wanna go through that again and even if I did, I... I don't think I could live without you. And besides, I promised remember?" he cracked a crooked grin, "and when have I ever broken a promise to you?"

She smiled a small smile, "Never."

She noticed that he was ever so slowly dipping his head lower, and she was almost subconsciously going up on her tip-toes. They were only millimeters away from each other, when Fang hesitated. "You're not going to fly away again, are you?" She grimaced. There goes plan A for the after. "No," she said. "I'll be brave and stay." He grinned a full-blown grin. They were only one millimeter away-

"Max! Max! Guess what! I just heard on the radio that the hippo at the zoo had her baby and it's now part of the exhibit! Can we go Max? Please?! I've always wanted to see a baby hippo up close! I bet they're sooooooooo cute! I saw one on TV once, but you know that isn't the same and-"

Fang and Max had jumped apart at the first "Max!" Oh well, it looked like they were going to the zoo. "Ok Nudge, I'll go talk to Mom" Max said reluctantly. Fang smiled at her and she gave him a shy smile back that showed her disappointment. But she wasn't mad at Nudge; after all, she was the one who had put that song on her ipod.