Disclaimer: I own nothing. The books are JP's and the song is The Goo- Goo Doll's.

Fang POV

I was flying next to Max. We'd just taken off from Dr. Martinez's home. Max's mom. Out of the corner of my eyes, I stared at Max intently. Would she go with her birth mom? Wouldn't she want to stay with her little sister? Would she stay with the Flock? Or maybe we'd all go and live with her…

No. I doubt that. But Max wouldn't want to break up the Flock again—would she?

"Of course not, Fang," angel called from behind me. Stay out of my thoughts Ange! I thought angrily.

Max shot me a curious look, but continued to steadily fly. I gave her a half-hearted smile and watched as her eyes lit up.

We were all laying somewhere in the middle of a forest. Max and I had just gotten done arguing about First Watch. She was too stubborn so she just stayed up with me, glaring off into space. Couldn't she just get some sleep? I loved watching he sleep, but…

You wait, wanting this world
To let you in
And you stand there
A frozen light

I watched as Max's eyes drifted sleepily closed. They fought to stay open for a minute and Max's shoulders slumped and her breathing evened.

How did Max do it? How? I couldn't even take care of the three of us, how did she take care of all six?

Angel had told me something interesting the other day… or night. Whatever. She'd been playing peek-a-boo in Max's mind and found that Max was seriously depressed. Not all the time, but still too much. "Why?" I asked, shocked. Hey—this was a time that I was allowed to show emotion.

Angel's eyes were sad when she replied, "She wants to be accepted."

"…what?"

"You should know Fang," And she picked up Celeste and skipped off. I stared after her, more confused that I'd ever been in a while.

And now, as I watched Max's relaxing face, I understood.

In dark and empty streets
You smile, hiding behind
A God-given face

After Angel had told me that, I watched Max constantly. I watched her emotions, her reactions… until I found it.

She wasn't loved enough. All her life she'd been rejected, hunted, hurt, lost. The only people who never did that were us. The Flock. Of course there were times that Max could be an idiot, but still…

Now, all that past was probably backfiring on her. Dropped onto her shoulders, making her believe that she wasn't loved.

But she was.

But I know you're so much more
Everything they ignore
Is all that I need to see

Max was… Maximum. Maximum Ride. She was so much more than that! She had so many qualities that people (the whitecoats) tended to ignore! She had a great smile, beautiful hair, a soft face, a great laugh, a…

Whoa. Don't get carried away Fang!

I needed to tell her.

Just… not now.

You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in

No matter how many times that the whitecoats told her she was worthless, no matter how many times Jeb pressured Max to do something stupid…

I had hope in her.

I knew Max. In fact, I know Max better than anyone else! Who does she open up to? Whose shoulder does she cry on? Who caught her every time she fell? Who kissed her in a cave and watched her fly off?

I can tell you one thing—

It most certainly wasn't Iggy.

Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in

Yes, I kissed Max and watched her fly off as she rejected me. I'd opened up for her. I'm standing here, (yeah, yeah, Fang sounds cliché) trying futilely to pen the little door to her heart.

Is she afraid of me?

Or afraid of rejection?

I don't care.

She needs to know.

I wish
Wishing for you to find your way
And I'll hold on for all you need

But until I get the courage to tell her, until she gets the courage to open up again to me—I'll be there, catching her when she falls, holding her up when she doesn't want to go on anymore…

I hold onto her, I'll show her everything about her that whitecoats chose not too. Those bastards.

I'll help Max find her way through this messed up world, through out messed up lives.

That's all we need to say
I'll take my chances while
You take your time with
This game you play

What if Max really did like me and I was the one who wasn't letting her in?! I watched Max frown in her sleep. She twitched a little, tensing up. Nightmare, possibly?

It was, of course, expected.

With our lives, dreams were getaways. Desperate getaways.

What if—Max was just messing around with me? Did she know how much I wanted to tell her? How much I wanted to hear her un- Valium- induced reply? Did she?

But I can't control your soul
You need to let me know
You leaving or you gonna stay

Max looked like she was in pain. No… she was cold. I couldn't blame her. The weather just decided to give us a little surprise. So, Max gave her jacket for Nudge and Angel to share, her long sleeved shirt to cover The Gasman with—which left her in a T-shirt and jeans.

Tip-toeing quietly, I went over to the tree Max was leaning on. I picked her up gently and cradled her, sitting back against the tree. Almost instantly she stopped shivering. She cuddled up into my chest, her head resting in the crook of my arm.

Leaning down, I placed a kiss against her forehead and breathed, "Tell me," knowing she probably wouldn't hear—but I did it anyway. "Do you love me?"

You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in

Max seemed to be having another nightmare. She fisted her hands in my sweatshirt and held on for dear life. "Fang," she whimpered. I tensed up immediately. "Not him…"

What was she dreaming about?

I held onto Max as tight as I could without waking her. "Shh…" I crooned. Yeah, me, crooning. Who would have thought? "I'm right here Max, I got you." Upon hearing my voice, Max seemed to relax, and her fists unclenched, but held loosely onto my sweatshirt.

Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in

"Fang," she whispered gently. Her voice was the merest whisper of—love. Her tone was, happy, almost.

I could feel my eyelids drooping, staring at her beauty. No! I can't sleep. It's still my watch!

But, ooh man, how I wanted to. Just to nod off just as Max had. But—watch! Now!

There's nothing we can do about
The things we have to do without
The only way to feel again
Is let love in

The next morning, when Max woke up in my arms, she seemed unfazed. "Morning Fang," she whispered. I gave her a small smile and it grew, watching her eyes light up.

None of the rest of the Flock was up yet. So it was just us, Max in my arms, watching the sunset with me.

She gave me a genuine smile, a look in her eyes that I'd never seen before in my life. Without realizing it, I ran my fingertips across her cheekbone. A flush rose to her cheeks and she glanced away, looking off into the sun.

There's nothing we can do about
The things we have to live without
The only way to see again
Is let love in

Was Max finally letting me in? Would I be able to show her that we were better together than anyone could've ever imagined? Would I be able to tell Max how much she means to me? That after I learn she loves me, I'll never be able to live if it was otherwise?

And there would be nothing, absolutely nothing she could do about it.

You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in

Max looked away from the sun, the smile still on her face, and the sunlight hitting her at a different angle, making her look even more beautiful.

"Fang," she muttered. I stared silently at her, trying to contain myself. "I, uhm… I have to tell you something."

"Anything," I whispered. Whoa! Fang, come back!!!

"I… I…" I braced myself. "Iloveyou." She blurted all at once, a flush heating her face.

I grinned, a full out, toothy grin. I clasped my hands on her cheeks, bringing her face to mine. Just as our lips were going to touch. I breathed, "I love you too," and we were kissing.

Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in

Finally! Max gave us shot! We pushed away our momentary fears, like, What if we broke up? What if the Flock didn't want us together? What if the other died?

But those were all what-ifs.

Max and I belonged together. We needed each other. We were… twin flames, if you will.

This was it. This was the end of out past—

But the beginning of a whole bunch more snide remarks from Iggy.

A/N- You like? review please!!!!! Get this song: Stand in The Rain by Superchick.

It's really good.

Well… TTYL my loverly friendoms.

B.B.L