This is set after Angel. Fang has left with his gang and Max and her flock are trying to get over the shock of losing Angel. This will be a Mylan story so if you don't like that pairing I suggest you turn around right now and don't continue on with the story. For those of you who want to continue to read please, enjoy the ride!
Max's POV
I knew it was too late for Angel to return to us but I also wanted to know that there was some small sliver of a chance that she would limp over to my and throw her skinny arms around me and cry. It was too late for her. That's what the local police had told us. We were in Paris standing in the giant crater that had been the site of a rally held by the Doomsday Group. My baby, Angel, had been either blown up or crushed to death by the tons of concrete that collapsed when the support beams collapsed. All we could find of her was a shoe. Some sick, hysterical part of me had laughed at the similarities in Harry Potter when all they could find of Peter Petigrue was his finger. Fang was quietly sitting beside me; our legs were side by side. Before he left, this small amount of contact would have sent my heart fluttering. Now there was only a somber reminder that he wasn't supposed to comfort me. He turned to face me.
"We are going to take off, okay?" I looked up at him my tears making it hard to make out his face. I wiped my eyes on my dirt encrusted sweatshirt and sniffled.
"You're leaving so soon?" I couldn't believe he was going to leave me again, not even two hours after the explosion.
"Yeah, there's nothing else me or my gang can really do here. We're going to go back to our hotel and then fly back home in the morning." He smiled at me, "Maybe we can work together in the future."
I wanted to say I seriously doubt it but all I could do was nod. He held out his hand and I shook it without really thinking of what this meant. Fang was giving up on Angel. He didn't believe she could be found. I still remember a time when Angel and Fang were practically joined at the hip. Angel went through a phase when she hated everyone else but Fang. Only he could get her to eat, sleep, and bathe. Fang was leaving me again and this time it didn't seem like there was any chance he was coming back.
Fang walked over to where his little group was gathered. He said something and they all nodded and started to walk away. The last thing I saw of Fang's gang was Maya taking hold of Fang's hand and entwining their fingers. This combined with my loss of Angel was too much to manage and I doubled over sure I was going to lose it. I felt a warm hand begin to rub soothing circles on my back. I looked up to see the bright turquoise eyes of Dylan.
"It's going to be okay Max." He said.
"It's not going to be alright. How could it possibly be alright when Angel is missing- possibly even dead and Fang just left me again?" I screamed at him and tried to remove his hand but he just took hold of my shoulders as I cried. It wasn't just a few sniffles either. It was full on Niagara Falls. By the time my nose quit running I found myself loaded into a car sitting on Dylan's lap. I hurriedly slid into the seat next to him and stared out the window the remainder of the trip.
"Here you kids go." The taxicab driver said to us. Dylan handed him a wad of Euros and we piled out of the car. The hotel we were standing in front of was not the same one we had been staying in earlier. I turned to Dylan looking for answers.
"I figured you wouldn't want to stay at the same hotel as Fang's gang. The rest of the flock is getting food. They'll meet us at the hotel soon" He opened the front door and waited for me to walk through. I'm not going to lie. Dylan had a good choice in hotels. The one we had been staying in was nowhere near as luxurious as this one looked. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and inserted the key into our room.
Inside the suit, there were three rooms branching off the living room and a large bathroom with a tub and a shower. I looked at Dylan and there was a puzzled look on his face.
"What's wrong?" I asked immediately on alert.
"There's only three twin beds."
"So?" I couldn't figure out why that was such a big issue.
"There's me, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and you." He counted us off on his fingers and then I noticed we were going to be short a few beds. I walked into the last room and saw it had a large queen sized bed.
"It's not going to be a big problem. Iggy and Gazzy can…" I stop remembering the last time they had shared a bed. Iggy was a roller and a kicker. Gazzy had ended up with a broken rib the last time.
"You and Nudge could share the bed." He offered but I shook my head no. Nudge was also a kicker.
"Looks like we'll be sleeping together." My face got hot as I realized what I said sounded off, "I mean we'll be sharing a bed." He smirked at me.
"It's okay Max. I always knew you'd warm up to me eventually." He walked away and into the bathroom. I finally came up with a good retort but he had already shut the door. Hold it together Max. He's just a guy.
He's not just some guy Max, he's your perfect other half. The sooner you accept this the sooner you can get over Fang. Oh great the voice was back.
Not that I missed you but do you have any real advice? I could only hope that maybe this time the Voice would have something helpful for me.
Like I said earlier Max, Dylan can see things that you can't. He's there to help you save the world but you have to let him help you.
Stupid Voice. I could seriously kill it sometimes. I didn't need to be with Dylan to save the world. At the same time I thought this Dylan walked out of the bathroom in only a pair of shorts. Not going to lie he wasn't bad looking. I found myself smiling for absolutely no reason. I tried to stop smiling but I wasn't quick enough. Dylan smirked again as he caught me looking at him.
"See something you like Max?" I rolled my eyes and said no. It was the most cliché thing to say. He started laughing so I picked up a pillow and threw it at his face. He dodged easily and threw it back. Having sat down on the sofa, I wasn't in any position to move out of the way. The pillow smacked me right in the face and pushed me onto me back. This made Dylan laugh even harder. I sat up looking at Dylan hoping the expression on my face was anything but amused. "Look Max, I wasn't trying to make you mad. I thought we were just having some fun." His apology was so sincere that I almost started laughing, but I turned away from him sticking my nose up in the air still kind of mad at him for throwing the pillow back at me. I felt his hand on my shoulder and then I felt him sweep my hair in front of my shoulder. His hands began to make small circles around my shoulders. He avoided my wings as he continued to massage my back. I sighed and rested my chin forward on my chest. I groaned as Dylan found a particularly tight group of muscles. Even though I wasn't turned toward him I knew he was smiling.
He stopped rubbing for a minute and I looked over my shoulder to ask why he had stopped. I found his eyes locked on mine and again I was drowning in a sea of turquoise. I was reminded of looking into Fang's eyes and seeing myself reflected back, but with Dylan's eyes I saw hope and longing. He leaned forward and I leaned back wrapping one of my arms around his neck.
His lips were warm and soft against mine. He tilted his head to the side deepening the kiss. I leaned into his body feeling his warmth seeping into my back warming my feathers. Dylan was like the sun; he gave off heat. Fang was just as warm but his heat came and went. Dylan always pulsed with energy and heat. I relaxed into the kiss; allowing myself to just explore the possibilities with Dylan. To see him beside me as we flew through some foreign country on my mission to save the world. Watch him help with the other flock members.
"What are you thinking so intently about?" Dylan's words brought me out of my thoughts. I didn't realize we had stopped kissing and were just staring at each other.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Sure. I always have my eyebrows furrowed and my mouth scrunched to one side when I'm thinking about absolutely nothing." He smoothed my forehead out with a few swipes of his fingertips.
"I was thinking that you're not a member of the Flock." I said taking his hand in mine.
"I thought I was," He looked hurt but I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
"Not officially. You have to be invited in- technically. It's not like just any one can get in, you have to be special." I said playfully ruffling his hair.
"I think I've got the 'special' thing down." He spread his wings and laughed.
"Sure you're really special." I said extending my own wings.
"That's not the only thing. I can read your mind."
"No you can't."
"Yes I can. You're thinking of how good I looked while flying."
"No I wasn't. I was thinking of how obnoxious you are."
"Fine let's test this. Think of anything you want." I raised my eyebrow silently asking him if we were really going to do this. Apparently we were. I thought of something I hadn't thought of in a long time. It was my nightmare from before Angel was stolen. Before I had known of my mission, before I had kissed Fang and he had kissed me, before he had ripped my heart out. I thought of the nightmare where I was being chased by Erasers.
I came to a cliff, my feet bleeding because I'm not wearing any shoes. I look out at the cliff and then back behind me. The sound of the Erasers crashing through the trees behind me frightens me enough that I throw myself off the cliff, not willing to go back to the School. As I fall, I feel a sense of relief. I snap my wings out and rise above the sound of dogs barking and humans screaming.
"Of all the things you could think of you thought of a nightmare?" He looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Why do you look so panicked? It was just a nightmare."
"I don't just read your mind Max. I can feel everything you do at the same time. They were not lying when they said I feel things you do too. I can feel everything you do. Your pain is my pain. If you're having a bad day, my day is bad too. I'm your perfect other half Max, I was made for you." Something about him mentioning being my 'perfect other half' set me off. I untangle myself from the couch and stalk away into the bathroom.
I shut the door behind me and sink down to the floor. I put my head between my knees suddenly feeling sick. The weight of the day finally hits me and I know I'm going to be sick moments before I get up and drag myself over to the toilet. As my stomach unloads itself of its contents I feel a pair of hands grab hold of my hair and pull it out of my face, freeing my hands to brace myself against the toilet as my body shakes and shivers. I think the worst of it is over so I wipe my face with a towel being handed to me by someone. I look up and see Dylan standing above me. Great the last person I want to see right now. He looked hurt and I realized he could hear my thoughts. Sorry.
"It's okay Max. I know what you are going through. I thought I had lost you during the fight but then you shot up out of the smoke and my heart skipped a beat. You were crushed after Fang left you and then Jeb and the doctor told you that they wanted you to produce an heir with me. It's a lot to process Max. You're not as alone as you think you are. I'm here to help you in any way I can. I'll always be here for you no matter how you need me." He took my hand and brushed my hair out of my face. "I'll always have your back in a fight or any situation. I know it's not going to be easy to forget about Fang and let me love you. But I'm willing to fight for you. I won't ever give up either. I'll always want to be with you."
"I'm not some girl you can fix Dylan, and I'm not the easiest to get along with." I wipe my nose and accept the glass of water being offered to me by Dylan.
"I know Max. That's what I like about you. You don't need someone to tell you what to do, and you don't need someone to tell you it's all going to be okay. But I'm going to anyways. I may get under your skin sometimes but I will try to learn to follow your lead."
"I don't want you to just follow me like a mindless drone. You can have your own opinions. What I don't need is someone who's going to be with me and flirt with other girls."
"I'm not like Fang, Max. The only way we are alike is our love for you. That's the only thing I'm worried about. Can you really put the past behind you and be with me?"
"I don't know." I crossed my arms over my knees and rested my head on them. "I want to. I don't want to be stuck feeling like this every day. I want to be able to move on but I don't know if I can. I've lost so much already."
"I know you have. I can't even begin to imagine the type of strength it took to keep you and the Flock alive in the School, let alone on your own after Jeb 'died'. There's nothing I can say to you that will absolutely solidify your future or your life, but I will do everything I can to make sure you aren't ever alone when you need help."
"Dylan what exactly are you looking for?"
"Max, I want you to be my girlfriend. I want you to open your heart to me and let me love you. You might even find that I can give you things that Fang couldn't…" He had more to say but I cut him off.
"The one thing I don't need you to do is compare yourself to Fang. I know you two are different. The one thing that I don't is if you realize I don't love you, not the way you love me."
"I know that. Let me show you that I can be with you without pressuring you to be anything more than yourself. Give me a month and if you still don't love me then I go away and leave you alone." He looked at me hopefully and I felt myself softening from my resolve to never be with anyone ever again.
"I'll give you three weeks." I said crossing my arms over my chest.
"That's more than I thought you were going to say." He smiled reaching forward to take my hand. I almost withdrew my hand but then I remembered our deal. He pulled me up from the floor of the bathroom and together we walked out of the room.