OMG, Hi! So I finished Fang a little while ago, and I was like, "What the hell? You can't end a book this way and not yet have the next book out!" So this is me solving that problem I faced. I hope you enjoy and I don't steer you off me permanently I'll try to update every Sunday night, so I have the weekend to work on it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of the characters there-in. If I did, I think someone would know about it and I'd be way more popular. Which I'm evidently not.

Chapter One

Max

I had to keep repeating to myself that was gone. Really gone. Maybe forever. If I didn't, I started to believe that he was still here, that he'd never gone anywhere. I mostly just stayed in my room, and didn't say anything to anyone. Except my mom, sometimes. But other than that, I was completely non-responsive.

It felt like someone had reached inside me and pulled out a piece of me that had always been inside of me, since the day I was born. And not in a corny, Twilight kind of way. In a real way that made me want to scream and cry and laugh because all of this was so ridiculous that it didn't make any sense.

Conflicting, I know.

Of course, I couldn't just stay in my bed crying for the rest of my pathetic and miserable life. I had a flock to take care of. I had to suck it up and go help them get over it, even though I wasn't over it myself yet. I had to put on a tough face and lie through my teeth.

Just like always.

So, about a month after he left, I managed to drag myself out of my room and function in a non-zombie way. I went into the bathroom and took the longest, hottest shower ever taken. For all you heartbroken folks out there, try it. It's extremely effective. Not flawless, but helpful. When I was done with that, I cleaned myself up until I looked less miserable and more Leader Max. I just had to be enough to convince the flock. I wrapped one towel around my body and another on my head and headed out into the hall.

I slipped into my bedroom, hoping no one would choose to walk into the hall at that exact moment, and changed into some sweats and a t-shirt, discarding my towels on my floor. I stepped out of my room and into the living room and counted heads. Nudge's, Gazzy's, my mom's, Jeb's, Dylan's, Iggy's…

"Where's Angel?" I asked. Nudge shrugged.

"I think she's in her room," she said thoughtfully. I turned back and headed toward Nudge and Angel's room. I rapped my knuckles against the door.

"Angel?" I called softly. "You in there?"

I didn't get an answer, so I stepped though the door.

"Go 'way," Angel mumbled. She was lying on her bed in the dark. I closed the door again and walked over to where she was and sat down next to her.

"Angel?" I repeated. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

She sniffed loudly, wiping her face with her sleeve. "I just…can't believe he's gone!" she sobbed. I hugged her against me.

"I know, punkin. I know." I could feel my eyes stinging with tears. Crap.

"It was my fault, wasn't it, Max?" she said.

"No!" I said, taken aback. "Not at all! It wasn't you're fault at all!" I rubbed her back between her wings. She was sobbing heavily on my chest. "It wasn't anyone's fault. Fang just…made a choice. And now we're all going to have to—" I had to pause to take a deep breath and blink back tears "—we're all going to have to live with…that choice."

It was no use. Angel's tears brought on tears of my own and I started bawling, too. We were just holding each other and crying. Angel pulled away from me, so I leaned back as well.

"Maybe it's better this way," she said, trying to be optimistic through her tears. I nodded and gave a weak smile, wiping a stray tear off her cheek.

"Maybe," I agreed.