Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!

PROLOGUE

On the ground the air was thick and humid, but in the sky it was cool and crisp. The air in the sky was what the flock was feeling.

"We've got company!" Fang yelled. Max nodded and swiveled to face the attackers.

Eraser? Weren't those gone?" she shrugged mentally and braced for an attack. The attack never came. The Erasers swerved back and forth through the air, never attacking the flock. Everyone was so distracted that none of them saw the real attack until it was too late.

The largest Eraser took aim with a gun and fired. The dark whistled through the air as the flock tried to dodge it. It grazed Fang's arm, just barely. His entire being felt heavy and his eyes half closed. He looked to his leader in fear.

"Max," he croaked. Then his eyes slid shut, his wings folded like paper, and he plummeted from the sky.

"FANG!" Max screamed. She dove after him, as did an Eraser. The Eraser beat Max to him and scooped the boy up like a rag doll before anyone could react.

Fang was gone.

CHAPTER ONE

Fang opened his eyes slowly. Everything was blurry. Someone called his name. "Max?" But no, of course it wasn't Max. Fang was never that lucky. His vision cleared and he saw…Jeb. He snarled and tried to pull away. He was strapped down to a bed.

"Hello Fang."

"What do you want?"

Jeb ignored him. "You put up quite a fight while our scientists ran tests." He held up a hand mirror so Fang could see the bruise on his cheek and gash on his forehead.

"YOU RAN TESTS ON ME?!" Fang shouted.

"Calm down."

"YOU RAN TESTS ON ME! DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"

"I did warn you Fang." Jeb sighed and lifted a plastic mask over Fang's nose and mouth. Fang tried to hold his breath. He thought he saw something at the window, but he wasn't sure. He slipped away into darkness.

CHAPTER TWO

Max tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted to go get Fang, but she couldn't go without telling the flock and they were asleep, exhausted by following the Erasers with Fang for so long.

A shout came from the School. Max bit her lip to keep from screaming in anger. They were hurting him! She sighed and flew off. She would just go look.

She chose a random window and peered in. It was, by some utter chance of luck, Fang's room. He was arguing with Jeb, which explained the shouting. Jeb hooked a plastic breathing mask over Fang's face. He said something and Fang fell asleep.

"No," Max whispered. She flew to the flock and woke them. "I'm going in alone. Iggy, Gazzy, get ready to bomb it if I tell you to. Angel, focus on my thoughts." Then, out of the blue, she thought, "Does Fang have anything going through his head?"

Angel returned the answer into Max's head. "You. I'll focus on your thoughts. Go."

Max hurried back to the window. No one but Fang was in the room. She opened the window. Fang was still breathing through the mask. Max hesitated, only a moment, unsure of what a sudden return to oxygen might do to him. She tried to ignore her nagging worry and took the mask off of him. She lifted his limp body. He was surprisingly light.

"Have Iggy come get Fang," Max thought.

After a few moments, her return came. "On his way."

Max noted that Iggy flew exceptionally well for a blind guy. He appeared at the window. Max gave him Fang and climbed out herself. She shut the window and took Fang back. They fled back to the group.

"We need to get away from here," Nudge prodded after a few minutes.

"I'll have to carry Fang," Max decided. They took off into the sky, heading for San Juan Capistrano.

N. Sorry, I try to keep it to areas I know. I used to visit that area when I was little.)

CHAPTER THREE

"Max," Fang breathed. He was still half asleep.

"Right here."

Fang's eyes flew open. Max smiled down at him. "Nice to see you awake sleepy-head."

"What happened? Where am I? Are you okay?"

"I opened the window and took you. They really should improve security there. You're a few thousand feet over Dana Point Harbor. Oh yeah, I'm fine."

Fang realized he was in Max's arms and turned red. "Can we, er, land?"

"Sure thing." She turned to the flock. "Land. He's awake." She turned back to Fang as she landed. "That antiseptic really knocked you out. We rescued you like, five hours ago."

Fang glared at her as she set him down. He tried to take a step and stumbled. Max grabbed his arm. "Fang?" His knees gave out and he fell. "Fang, what is it? What's wrong?"

"I…don't know," and he blacked out.

"Fang? Fang!" Max called out as Fang's eyelids fluttered. She put a hand on his damp forehead and withdrew it quickly. "IGGY!"

Iggy pressed a hand (guided by Max) to Fang's forehead. "Holy! He's burning up!"

"I know. We have to get him out of the wind." She turned to shield Fang as another gust blew through the beach. She picked him up, wincing at how hot his skin was. "Come on guys!"

They landed on a cliff with a large cave. The main cave itself was huge. Then there were small branches off of it, the size of bedrooms. Some of those had branches off of them, and there were even a few tunnels, but that didn't matter to Max. She carried Fang into a sub-cave and set him down.

"Nudge, go get this wet!" Max tossed her the first piece of cloth she grabbed from her bag, a sock. "Hurry!"

Nudge did as she was told. Max dabbed at Fang's forehead with it. He cried out once, making Max jump. "Guys, go do something."

They scrambled off willingly. Fang cried out again. Max held him down as he started struggling. She had no idea what was going on, but it terrified her.

"He needs penicillin." A girl with red hair stood in the cave entrance. "Your sister, the blond girl, sent me up. My dad is a medic." She handed Max a needle. "Here."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But he's going to die without medical attention, and as you haven't taken him to a hospital, this is the best that can be done."

Max bit her lip, knowing Fang's fear of needles. "I'm so sorry Fang," she whispered. Then she cringed and injected it into his arm. He lashed out, his arm thudding into her chest, but she didn't let him go. She withdrew the empty needle from his arm, mumbled her thanks to the girl, and held Fang down.

CHAPTER FOUR

Fang opened his eyes blearily. Max came into focus, holding him down, a calm look on her face. "What are you doing?" he murmured.

Max didn't look at him. She just said, "I'm sorry Fang," and after a pause, "Just get on with it, please."

Max did nothing as the needle pierced his arm. She didn't blink when he cried out in surprise. She didn't let him up, didn't try to help him. There was only one explanation in Fang's mind- Max was a traitor.

Max let him go when the needle had been removed. Fang reached up and decked her. He scrambled to his feet and got away from her. A girl with red hair blocked the only way out.

"I'm sorry Fang! I'm sorry! You were sick, and I didn't know what else to do! I'm sorry!" Max cried.

Fang turned back to her, grabbed her roughly by the arms, and growled, "Traitor." He pushed her away from him. She hit the wall with a cry.

"I was trying to help you! You were sick! I'm not a traitor!"

"Yes…you…are."

"It was just penicillin!" she shouted. She pushed past him out of the cave.

Fang blinked and stared after her. "She's right you know." The girl stood and started gathering medical supplies from the ground.

Fang sighed and ran after Max. He found her in the farthest sub-cave back, crying. He picked up the phrases "My fault," and "He hates me now," and "Almost died." He dropped to his knees beside her and gathered her in his arms.

"It's all my fault. If I'd just paid attention, you wouldn't have been captured."

Fang took her roughly by the shoulders (again.) "Listen to me. It…is..not…your…fault."

Max nodded and swallowed her tears. "How many times have I cried in the past year? I don't think this saving the world stuff is good for my no-tears-status."

Fang laughed, "Probably not, but I personally enjoy your destroying the status. I get to hug you more often."

Max punched him lightly in the arm and hugged him. Then, realizing she was touching Fang, pulled away and ran off.

Fang sighed. That girl.

The kids were happy he was okay. Later that night, he cornered Max. "We need to talk."

"Yes, we do."

Fang opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it. "I love you."

"What?"

"You heard me. I love you Fang."

"I love you too."

"Okay then…are we dating now or something?"

"I guess so." Fang wrapped an arm around her and kissed her.

It was about time.