Life After You
Summary: Max is devastated. Angel is gone. Fang left her for her twin. The only person she has left is Dylan. Max can't forget Fang and how she felt but he's moved on and now she will too. Set post Angel, Max agrees to collaborate with Fang's flock to try and find her precious baby Angel. Or what's left of her. What will they find? Who will Max choose? A past love or a shoulder to cry on? Be nice this is my first fan fic. XD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Max P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's been two weeks since we said goodbye to Angel. Since I said good bye to Fang. This time I think it really is forever. Iggy's been searching frantically for Ella every spare minute he has. No one has found her but, as bad as it sounds; her disappearance is the least of my worries. Right now I'm lying on my bed staring into space and listening to the IPod Dylan bought me in an attempt to "win me over" Honestly I don't think I'll ever love anyone but Fang and I feel bad for leading him on like this but I have to try and move on. Face the facts. Fang doesn't love me anymore. He loves my twin. My TWIN! Ugh, the nerve of that guy. Who leaves the supposed love of his life for someone exactly like her? As if it wasn't enough to leave me he had to show me exactly how he felt about her. By kissing her right in front of me. As if that would prove ANYTHING!? But there was that one brief moment, when I realized we weren't going to find Angel that night, when he hugged me. He felt just like he always had. He was my rock. Now he's gone. Left me to figure this out on my own. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't hear Iggy come in, so it surprised me when I felt his weight shift the bed. He smiled at me but I couldn't smile back. Instead I pulled out my headphones and sat up. "What's up Ig?" I asked.
"Nothing. Nudge told me you hadn't left your room all day. Are you okay?" He asked but I saw on his face he knew I wasn't.
"Getting there." I sighed. "I really miss him Iggy… and Ange… I'm not sure if I can take all of this at once. Especially without F-"I couldn't say his name out loud. Iggy understood and without another word he pulled me into a tight hug. We stayed like that for a while until he said he was going to look for Ella some more, kissed my forehead and left. By now my stomach was growling intensely so I decided to put my moping on hold to get some food. I crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom where I threw my hair into a ponytail and washed my face to get rid of some of the redness from crying. The kitchen was empty which was what I was hoping for. In the fridge I noticed some leftover pizza which I happily heated up and started to eat. After about my third slice, I heard a cough from the doorway and looked up to see Dylan standing there. He smiled that million dollar smile that could melt any girl's heart in two seconds flat. Except for mine. Only one boy on this earth had that effect on me… No! Bad Max! Stop thinking about him! I didn't return Dylan's smile, I just sort of waved as a greeting and went back to eating. He sat down next to me and put his hand on my knee. I tried not to flinch at his touch. "I know this is hard Max, but we'll find her. And Fang is a jerk for not staying with you. No guy in his right mind would leave a girl like you."
That did it. I jumped up and started yelling. "Don't you dare talk about him like that! He's three times the man you'll ever be. He's the only guy I've ever loved and ever will love! Did you hear that?! ONLY guy! You never stood a chance! He left because of YOU!" I sat back down in my chair and stared at his shocked and slightly hurt expression. I was in the process of holding back tears when my phone started buzzing. I angrily pulled it out and check the caller ID. Oh no… Not now… Please not now… But there it was. In bright green LED letters on the screen was the word Fang:) followed by his number. My heart skipped a beat. Do I pick up? No. He doesn't deserve the satisfaction. I rejected it. Almost immediately he called again. Maybe it's important…. No Max. He's a jerk. Red button again. Not even a minute later he called again. Okay, he's obviously not letting this go. I took a deep breath and pushed the green button….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fang P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maya and I argued for over an hour on what to do. It's been around two weeks since I said good bye to Max… My Max… No. Not my Max. Shut up Fang. Anyway, Angel was still missing. I didn't know what I had to do. I didn't care. I was going to find Angel alive or…dead…. "Maya we have to do this. It's our only hope!" I said.
Maya looked frustrated and a little jealous. "We don't need them. We can handle it ourselves Fang!" she argued.
"You know we can't. There aren't enough of us. Just let me be the leader for once. I AM the leader you know." I said starting to get angry.
"Why do we even need to find the brat. I mean she isn't THAT import-" I cut her off.
"Angel is extremely important Maya! She's the one person in this world I love as much as Max! I will NEVER love you. Do you hear me? Never. I've been in love with Max since we were in dog crates together. I should've never kissed you. You aren't Max. Nowhere near her." I said coldly and ran out the door and took off into the night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TIME SKIP~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I landed in a forest about twenty miles away from the hotel my "Flock" and I were staying. God I miss Max… I need to call her. Tell her the plan and maybe if she agrees in time I'll get her back. I don't know how I could be so stupid to let her go. To leave her. Twice. After I promised I wouldn't… I'm such a jerk… She'll never forgive me…. And she shouldn't. I pulled out my phone and flew up to a tree. No matter what I needed her and the Flock's help to get Ange back…. I found her name in my address book and pressed the call button. I waited. One ring, Two rings, Voicemail. I called again. Voicemail again. I called a third time and she finally picked up on the third ring."H-Hello?" she said. Her voice was scratchy. She'd been crying. About me, Angel, or both? It broke my heart to hear her voice but I responded. "Hey. It's me…" I said sort of pathetically. I heard her sigh on the other end "I know Fang. I have caller ID. What do you want?" I was both comforted and hurt by the familiar steeliness of her voice. "I need your help. Meet me at Lake Mead in two hours." Then I hung up. I really hope she comes. I took off and starting flying to the lake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Max P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mumbling angrily I packed some supplies in my pack and flew out my window. This had better be good, Fang Nicolas Ride, I thought to myself. The things I do for this boy I swear… As if it wasn't enough to leave me. TWICE! He has to make me do it all over again. I fly with my IPod in so I put it on shuffle. The first song was a Katy Perry, Wide Awake. I sighed to myself as she started singing in my ear.
To my horror I felt tears stinging my eyes. I cursed and blinked several times. I was done crying over him. I checked my surroundings. I was about thirty minutes away from the Lake. Just enough time to pull it together and become Emotionless Max.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fang P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I beat Max to the cave by the Lake so I sat on the edge and waited for her. What was I going to say? I know she hates me, and she should. First I'm going to apologize. Then I'll explain the plan, and if all goes well I'll beg her to let me come back to the Flock. Man I hope this works….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Max P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With my raptor-vision I saw a heart-breakingly familiar figure sitting at the edge of our hidden cave. I almost turned around and flew back but I knew he'd seen me and I wouldn't get halfway back before he caught up. So I kept flying until I landed next to him. I assumed my usual posture: arms crossed, right hip slightly back, and my eyebrows rose. I didn't say anything. I didn't trust my voice. Luckily he spoke first,"Hey Max". He deserved to see the pain in my eyes. He deserved to see the face of the girl he left behind and for a split second almost let him see that. I didn't of course, but I REALLY wanted to. Instead I just nodded in greeting. "Listen, I asked you to come here because I wanted to apologize." At this my jaw almost hit the floor, but I kept my emotions guarded.
"Go ahead." Was all I said. He sighed. I could tell he was struggling and it made me feel…I don't know, happy? "Please try to understand, I left because I-" I cut him off.
"No. I don't want to hear 'Because I had too' because you didn't have to. You PROMISED you would never leave me. Don't you remember that?" I didn't mean for him to answer and, thankfully, he didn't so I continued "Then, when I finally see you again you rub her in my face." By now with all the yelling my face was a very unattractive shade of scarlet. Fang, being Mr. show-no-emotion, stood still as a rock carefully hiding the anger I knew was there.
"I left because I couldn't take you making goo-goo eyes with Mr. Perfect. I'm sorry. You know I never say that unless I mean it. I didn't want to leave you Max."
"Then why did you!?" I asked raising my voice. "You didn't have to go. No one forced you to leave and no one forced you to replace me and your family. Don't think for one second you can just walk back into our lives like nothing's happened. You ruined us. Not just me and you but everyone. They hate you and I…" my voice trailed off "I want to. But for some reason I just can't." I think he took that as an accepted apology because he stepped toward me. As he did I took a step back. I wasn't going to let him close now. Maybe not ever again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fang P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I love you, Max. I always have and always will." There. I had finally said it. She had to hear it even though I knew it would hurt. I would never say those words to anyone but her. No one else was worthy.
"What about Maya?" I knew she would ask that. I don't know what came over me but the next thing I knew I was standing a few inches away from her. I reached out my hand and gently lifted her head to look at me. This close I could see the gold and green flecks in her beautiful brown eyes. I also saw what no one else would be able to, even this close. Hurt, anger, worry and, if you looked hard enough, love. I don't know how I knew but I knew I had caused all of it. "Max, not even someone who looks exactly like you, could take your place. I had to try though…You're in love with…him." I saw her face soften for a second before she went emotionless again. That's my girl, I thought.
"I am not in love with Dylan. It's just, everything with Ang-" at her name Max's eyes filled with tears. In front of anyone else she wouldn't do what she did next, she put her head into my shoulder and cried. Without saying a word I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. It felt so familiar to rub small circles between her wings
"Shhh…" I comforted. "We'll find her. I promise." She looked up and sniffled. "We?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Max P.O.V~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'd been crying on his shoulder for a few minutes. Had I been with anyone else, I wouldn't be crying right now but Fang had seen me cry before and at this point I didn't care. At some point during my sobbing, Fang said "Shhh. We'll find her. I promise." At this my head snapped up. "We?" I repeated. His eyes softened at this. "Yeah… Which brings me to the second reason I asked you to meet me here," he paused and released me. I felt the chill and disappointment at the loss of his touch. It physically hurt me when he let go, though I didn't show it. "M-Maya and I are splitting up. She's taking over the group. But we decided we all needed to work together to find her." He said and, get this, his voice cracked. I sort of smiled at that.
"So, you're saying you want to work together again, one last time and then you'll disappear again. You won't be with Maya and you won't come back with me?" I asked quietly. He looked away at this. Then he said almost too quietly to hear, "I was hoping you'd let me come back…."
I jumped away from him and stared in disbelief "Did I not just say you couldn't just walk back into our lives like nothing happened?" I asked my voice and anger rising again. "You can't show up one day out of the blue and expect everyone to let you come back. You don't know the damage you've caused! To the flock and…" my voice betrayed me and cracked. Damn it. I pulled it together and gave him my best glare. "And to me. I've tried to forgive you and maybe I will eventually. But you didn't even have the balls to say goodbye in person, Fang." I started backing toward the ledge. I couldn't take it anymore. It was just too much. "I'll work with you to find Angel but what comes after that… I just need to think. You have my number so call when you're ready to get to work." And with that I backed off the edge and flew away without looking back.