Leaving You!

By No1butjoe

A/N: Please, read "My Biggest Mistake" before reading this.

Disclaimer - I don't own Maximum Ride.

Summary - Love is a difficult thing to understand. And even harder to understand when two hearts are being torn in two different directions. Sequel to My Biggest Mistake!

I kept my head bent low. I didn't want to show him my weakness. If this what was meant to be for our future, then there was nothing I could do to stop it. I didn't understand Fate sometimes. We had just found each other again and now our different lives were being torn apart once again.

"Max."

His voice was quiet, like always, but that one word - my name - held such meaning in it that any other person wouldn't have been able to recognize. It held the sorry that he couldn't bring himself to say and that I would refuse to accept even if he had voiced it. I shook my head, forcing the tears back that had, somehow, managed to surface. I held my arms around myself, hoping to make the hurt go away.

"Max, please."

"No more, Fang," I whispered, turning to face him with the same tears I had failed to hold back. "No more."

It was a quiet understanding between us. We had never really needed many words to know what the other was feeling and this moment was no different. I didn't want anymore hurt, no pain, not anymore. He was leaving me and that was the worst thing ever.

"Max, I-I'm sorry."

He had said it, which kind of surprised me, but not really. He made to kiss me, but I turned to the right, refusing his advances. I heard him sigh and held back a sob when he turned away from me to pick up his bag. My legs started shaking. He was really going through with this!

I will not cry, I kept telling myself. I will not cry in front of him! Not again.

"All boarding for flight 23, please go to Gate A."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to watch Fang's back as he made his way through the throng of people. It struck me as ironic that he had wings, but insisted on flying in an airplane to his new home and job. I remember when he told me he was leaving . . .

Flashback . . .

"Max, I need to tell you something."

I looked up at him, expectantly.

"Sure, what is it?"

I saw him swallow hard and I struggled hard to keep my heart rate down to a minimum. Something was wrong.

"Fang?"

"I'm leaving, Max," he blurted out, suddenly. I stared at him in disbelief as he continued. "I got a job offer and I'm taking it."

I lowered my head and murmured the one thought that entered my head.

"How far are you going?"

"Florida."

It was like a final statement, but that one word kept repeating in my head. He was leaving again and I knew there was no way I could stop him.

End Flashback . . .

I could feel my barrier break as he disappeared down the long hall to board the plane. At that moment, my heart shattered. He had had a choice. To stay with me, or go take a job offer nearly thousands of miles from where I lived. He chose the job. Was I nothing to him? I felt like a nerd kicked out of party because I wasn't 'cool' enough.

"Good-bye, Fang," I whispered, lowering my head and turning to walk away from the gate. "I'll miss you."

FAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAXFAX

Over the next couple of months, Fang kept in contact with me, telling me how his new job was coming along, but, more important, keeping me up to date on Cecil, his new love interest. I was devastated when he told me the news, but there was no way I could let him know that.

"So, you're okay with this, Max?" he asked and I could hear the unanswered question. 'This won't come between us?'

I managed to put on a fake smile and reassure him that it was perfectly fine with me that he had a new girlfriend. Inside, my heart shattered. Nothing could've prepared me for the pain I felt when I hung up the phone.

'I should've stopped him,' I thought, curling up on my bed and hugging my knees to my chest. 'I should've told him he was the only one who mattered to me. Maybe he would've stayed.'

My third box of tissues ran out around 11:00pm and I hurriedly searched for a fourth one, knowing full well that I'd need it later. My whole body shook as I collapsed in a heap of sobs in the hallway.

Flashback . . .

Farther Away: btw, what's ur name?

BrokenWings: Max. What's urs?

Farther Away: OMG! Maximum Ride?

BrokenWings: Yes, how did u no?

Farther Away: Max, it's Fang!

BrokenWings: . . . . . . . FANG!?

End Flashback . . .

I remember talking to him on the phone, hearing his deep voice again and thinking I was the luckiest girl in the world for getting a second chance. I sniffed and hung my head, not having the strength or motivation to pick myself up off the floor.

"I let you go," I whispered, causing my heart to cringe. "I love you, Fang."

I half expected him to come flying in the window, wrap me in his arms, and tell me he loved me too, but the window remained shut, I stayed on the floor, and all was silent around me. Eventually, I did rise from the floor, ruffling my wings a little to loosen them up. The tissue box completely forgotten, I stayed in my room, ignoring the telephone as it rang off and on. It was most likely Fang, anyway, and he was the LAST person I wanted to talk to at the moment! When I finally decided to listen to my answering machine, it was blinking 15 new messages!

I sighed and pressed the play button.

Message one . . .

"Hey, Max, it's me. Just wanted to see what was up and how you were doing. You're probably out and about, so give me a call back, okay?"

Message two . . .

"Max, it's me again. I called your cell, but you never answered. Hope everything's okay. Call me back."

Message three . . .

"Max, Angel called me earlier. She said she hasn't been able to get a hold of you either. Is everything okay? Are you in trouble? Call me!"

Message four . . .

"Hey, Max, Fang again. Something's really wrong if you're not answering the phone for anyone. Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, and Angel have all tried getting a hold of you. Are you just not answering? Come on, Max, you're scaring me."

Message five . . .

"Maximum Ride, you better answer this phone right now! I've already booked a flight to come up there. Call me back on my cell!"

Message six . . .

"Max, please, pick up the phone. I just want to talk."

Message seven . . .

"Is this about Cecil? Come on, Max, you said you were okay with it! Call me so we can straighten this whole thing out."

Message eight . . .

"Max . . . (sigh) I'm sorry."

Message nine . . .

"Damnit, Max, answer the stupid phone! We have to talk!"

Message ten . . .

"Max, please. This is killing me not being able to talk to you. Just call me, please. We seriously need to talk. And you might wanna call the Flock too. They're all worried."

Message eleven . . .

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous, Max. I swear, I'm coming up there. You better have a good reason for not answering your phone. Meaning you're either in the hospital, dead, or close to dying."

Message twelve . . .

"Max, it's Fang again. I'm on the plane and coming up there to see you. If you can, meet me at the airport. I still think we need to talk."

Message thirteen . . .

"Max, I really miss you. I wish you'd answer the phone. I'm already a few blocks away. Please, don't do this to me. Don't shut me out."

Message fourteen . . .

"Max, I'm calling from outside. Can you come out, or do I have to come in after you? Please, Max."

Message fifteen . . .

"Hi, Max? This is Cecil. You know, Fang's girlfriend? Well, I just wanted to tell you about something I found today. I read Fang's journal and there was a little something about you in here. I'll just read it to you:

'I can't explain the hatred I feel in my heart for her. She was so self-centered when we met up again. I can't believe I even wanted to see her after all these years! Maybe I should just end it and move far away. I'll have to come up with a good excuse, though. One that'll be sure to fool her.'

I'm so sorry, Max. I know how much this must hurt you to hear."

I stayed put on the bed, ignoring the banging coming from my door.

"Max!" Fang shouted and I could hear him slamming his shoulder into the door. "Max, answer me!"

I smiled slightly at his voice. A voice that had lied to me - about everything.

Flashback . . .

He buried his face in the crook of my neck and mumbled something that I was barely able to understand.

"I'll never leave you again, Max. I promise."

End Flashback . . .

"Stupid promises," I mumbled, burying my head into the pillow on my bed.

The noises at the door stopped and I sighed, allowing my tears to continue to fall.

"Max?"

My heart did a little jump inside my chest as I whirled around to come face-to-face with Fang. How the hell did he get inside?! The open window to my left answered my question. Ignoring his concerned look, I picked myself up off the bed, opened my bedroom door, walked downstairs, and prepared something to eat in the kitchen. I heard his steps come closer to the room, but acted completely oblivious to his presence.

"Max?" he asked once he had entered the room. "You're mad at me."

'No, duh, Sherlock,' I thought, but didn't say anything out loud. If there was one thing Fang knew about me, he knew I didn't forgive easily. He was no exception.

"Max, please, let me explain," he began, but I cut him off.

"Explain what, Fang?" I asked, heatedly. "Explain why you left me after PROMISING you'd stay with me? Explain why you suddenly have a new girlfriend and dumped me like shit on the sidewalk? Explain-"

My lips were silenced by his and I couldn't help but react to the kiss. My arms unknowingly wrapped around his neck as his slid around my waist. His tongue begged for entrance which I gave without hesitation.

Max!

The voice in my head snapped me out of my trance and I immediately pushed Fang off of me, my eyes filling up again at what had just happened.

'No more pain or heartache, please,' I thought, closing my eyes tightly. 'I'll open my eyes and he'll be gone.'

I forced myself to open my eyes again. My heart sunk when Fang was nowhere to be found, but I figured it was for the best.

"Here, Max."

I stiffened and paled. Darn. He had just gone into the living room. I glanced at the thing in his hands. A paper?

"What-," I began, but Fang just shook his head.

"I heard that last message on your answering machine," he explained. "It was a lie, Max. She's always been jealous of you. I told her about you, me, the Flock and I guess she just decided to take matters into her own hands. This is the REAL paper from my journal. What I was REALLY feeling."

I watched as he walked back into the living room, leaving me with the piece of paper. My hands shook as I started reading:

Journal,

Well, it's been quite a few moths now since Max and I went our separate ways. It's strange, I know, but I just can't stop thinking about her. Whenever I'm with Cecil, I always imagine it's Max who I'm kissing, Max who I'm laughing with, Max, Max, Max. My brain is on overdrive thinking about her and I think I realize how big a mistake I've made. I told her about Cecil and me, but she doesn't seem to care. It's like she's gotten over me. Too bad I haven't gotten over her.

Fang

My hands continued shaking as I stared at the door leading into the living room. He still had feelings for me? Even when he was with Cecil? I took a deep breath and headed into the other room, looking around and noticing Fang standing by a bunch of pictures. I smiled a little as he glanced at each one, examining the photos of me and the Flock.

"Those were taken a while ago," I said, moving closer. "Angel and Nudge had this brilliant idea to get group pictures taken just in case we ever split up. I agreed to it, so we went to Wal-Mart and had them done."

He nodded, understanding, but didn't speak. I sighed. This was gonna be harder than I thought.

"I never stopped thinking about you," I whispered, lowering my gaze to the floor and suddenly finding the carpeting very interesting.

I heard him gasp, but kept my gaze down.

"Really?" he asked. "You-You thought about me?"

I nodded in confirmation.

"I couldn't stop even if I tried," I admitted, clenching my fists to my side. "Everywhere I looked, I saw you smiling at me, or just staring at me and I couldn't help but wonder whether or not you were happy with-with . . . her. It killed me inside when you left and I-"

Once again, I found Fang's lips pressed tightly against mine, but this time I didn't pull away. Geez, Fang had found a way to shut me up! Good thing, too, because I was starting to sound like Nudge. We broke apart, but I never left the safety of his arms.

"You've gotta stop doing that," I whispered, leaning my forehead against his.

He smirked, lifted me up, and twirled me around, causing me to laugh out loud.

"I don't know what caused me to leave you, but I must've been insane," Fang said, softly.

A sudden thought crossed my mind and I hastily pulled away from him.

"What about Cecil?" I asked, skeptically.

Fang's face was emotionless for a moment, but a gradual smile crossed his features. My heart practically stopped as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Cecil, it's me," he said into the phone. "Listen, we need to talk."

I listened as he explained the situation to her and broke off their relationship. With that, he hung up, then turned to me with a smile. I was in shock. He did all that for me? In that very moment, I knew that all my fears were for nothing. I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him with all my strength.

"Max, what-," he began, but stopped when I kissed him.

The kiss lasted longer than either of us had thought was possible and, by the time we broke apart, both of us were gasping for breath.

"Wow," was all I could say. "That was-."

"-amazing," Fang finished for me.

I leaned my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"Don't leave me again, Fang," I pleaded. "I don't think I could handle it."

I felt his lips brush against my hair, then, heard him whisper, "I'm not leaving you again, Max. I'll die if I do."

I'm smiled, contentedly.

"I'm gonna take you up on that," I replied as we moved in to kiss again.

A/N: Finally, the sequel is done! I hope you all enjoyed this one-shot. Please, R&R!