Disclaimer: Go read the others. I'm too lazy to write it again, and probably will stop putting it on the top of my chapters.

(Fang's POV)

I walked out of my bedroom, the sight of Max cowering in fear still fresh in my mind. I went downstairs, trying to escape for the present, when I saw Iggy sitting casually on one of the black couches in the living room. I noticed four bags sitting near his feet.

"Yo, Ig. Aren't you supposed to be up at Val's with the other kids?" I asked him in confusion.

"Yeah, but I came back to get some clothes for the kids and me." Iggy responded. Then he seemed to hesitate before he asked another question. "Fang, how is she?"

I could hear a tone of sadness in his voice, could see the same emotion in his eyes.

"Man." I sighed heavily, trying to order my thoughts into a sensible string. "She's like a skittish horse abused by her master one too many times. She got terrified when I held her hand. She moved to the other side of the bed and just started rocking. I mean, she was truly terrified. Her eyes got really big and glassy. She's been crushed into oblivion and her spirit is in ruins. She's broken inside." I sighed again, staring absently out the window, not really seeing anything. Not really looking, either. "She needs a lot of healing. That I know for sure. But I'm not going to give up on her, now or ever. I love her, Iggy, and I'm going to help her to not be afraid of touch anymore. As much as she'll let me help her. It'll take time, so I just want you to warn the kids. Okay?"

I sighed heavily again, images of a terrified Max plaguing my vision.

Iggy shifted as if to get up and inhaled gently, then settled back again. "So, did she tell you what they did to her in there?" He asked with true, hesitant curiosity in his voice.

"Bad things. Many bad things. She only admitted to one thing. Whatever else they did to her in there, she was raped. I hate how helpless I feel right now."

Iggy sighed, almost as if his worst fears had been confirmed. "Man, take it easy. This is new ground for all of us. Take this weekend to catch up with her. Let her approach the topic of her past when she's ready. You know how Max is. She'll crack eventually. Oh, and you could try taking her down to Sharon's. She does horse therapy, remember. Maybe Max would like to learn to ride a horse."

"Thanks, bro. I should probably bring some water and soft food up to her. Val said try and see if she'll be able to keep something down. Mark will be over sometime tomorrow afternoon." I spoke wearily.

"Yeah, well, with that in mind, I'm going to go. Val ordered pizza before I left. I hope I get my fair share before the kids devour it." Iggy said. He got up and reached for the bags at his feet. As he slung the bags over his shoulder, he added in an undertone, "Fang. You may love her, but your love may not save her in the end. She seems pretty broken up inside. Be patient with her."

I tapped him on the shoulder, letting him know that I understood. I watched as he went outside and took off. His wings were almost as large as mine were. I was slightly surprised at that for some reason.

I wandered into the kitchen, grabbing a glass from the cupboard. There was an island in the center with dark green granite counter tops running along most of three walls. There were cupboards above, cherry-wood with glass-paneled fronts. I enjoyed seeing what I was grabbing before I actually reached in to grab it. All the appliances were stainless steel. They were costly, too. But, only the basics; fridge, microwave, oven, coffee maker (Iggy and Gazzy have since turned it into a working hot cocoa maker). I filled the glass with water, then filled a pitcher with water, knowing Max was dehydrated. I grabbed a couple containers of applesauce, pudding, jello, and a spoon. Simple foods that, hopefully, wouldn't push Max's stomach over the edge. Val had told me to try and get something that she'd be able to keep down.

I piled all this onto a tray and started upstairs. As I walked up the steps, I thought about what Iggy said. I thought about taking Max to Sharon's horse ranch several miles out of town. She had purchased ten squares miles of land around her ranch just for the trail riders. But Sharon also did horse therapy for those people who were broken inside or mentally handicapped. Maybe she could help.

When I got to my room and walked in, I found Max where I had pretty much left her. She was sleeping again. I set the tray down on a table in the porch, then sat and watched Max sleep.

I had a lot to think about this weekend, but most of all, I had to make sure Max didn't hurt herself in her depressive state. As I watched Max sleep, I too began to slowly fall asleep. Today had been full of worry and excitement and it had exhausted me. So with that last thought, I joined Max in sleep, both of us unsure if we could really trust the other.

A/N: Hey, thanks for the reviews, everyone. I know this chapter isn't that great, but well, I tried. I'm not that great at writing from a guy's perspective. So, if there are any guy's reading this, tell me how I did.