Max felt a throbbing sensation in her head. Her hand drifted above her eye. When she touched the goose bump she withdrew her hand quickly. "Ow!"

She felt something sticky on her neck, making it hard to twist her head at all. When she sat up a haze of purplish-black overcame her before dissipating into the first light of early morning. It peeked through a high window.

She didn't recognize the place she was at. Seeing the torn, bloodied knees of her jeans and the red sticky drips on her sweatshirt clued her in that she wasn't at the School. Was I dreaming of the School last night?

Then she saw the worn out shoes dangling over the edge of the work table. She didn't need to look to know that the legs they were connected to belonged to Fang. When did Fang get here? Wasn't Jeb with me? Or was it Fang and I thought he was … Too complicated.

Rations of food were piled on the floor, on chairs, on a desk, even stuffed in a hanging wall file.

Max found the candy bars and started eating. Coffee would be nice.

She looked around, and saw a coffee maker next to Fang's head. Okay. Would you like ground coffee to go that coffee maker, Max. Why that would be lovely, thank you.

Max knew she was losing it – probably for good, this time. As she poked around Fang she saw the same sticky red drink on his chest and at least one drop on his pants.

Fang opened his eyes while Max was checking him out. "You're awake," he said quietly.

"So are you," Max replied in her "get with the program, people" tone of voice.

"Oh good, you're back to your normal indifference," Fang said darkly.

"What are you talking about? Why do you always have a problem with me?" Max had fire in her eyes.

Fang sat up. Don't tell her that she looks beautiful when she's angry. And don't tell her that the flush in her cheeks looks absolutely edible.

"Well good morning, Mr. Verbose. Can I get you a word or two to start out your day?"

Fang reached out and fingered Max's hair. "Why are you in such a bad mood?"

Max liked Fang's familiarity. It felt daring to let him get so close. Totally throwing caution to the wind, she worked herself between his legs and pressed against the table. With fire in the pit of her stomach she said, "Because of this," pointing to the bruise on her head. "Did you have anything to do with my massive headache?"

Fang pulled himself close to Max and pet the hair near the bruise on Max's head. "That's gotta hurt."

Now Max was staring at his waist. Many of the bruises were healing but some indicated broken ribs.

"I didn't do that to you, did I?" Max asked, afraid to know the truth.

"You? Max, you're obviously having memory problems. By midday your brain will probably heal itself and things will start to make sense."

Max looked at Fang warily. "So something happened."

"Yes, Max." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Max sensed that this wasn't as dangerously scary to Fang as it was to her. She wondered what had happened.

"So … did we … do anything?"

Suddenly drawing her close Fang laughed, "I can only wish!"

Max laughed reflexively. "What didn't we do?"

She could tell that Fang was having way too much fun with this. "We didn't get married. You didn't commit suicide. Itex didn't kill you. That about sums it up."

"This better make sense later," Max threatened.

"Maybe a good morning kiss would speed things along?" Fang suggested hopefully.

"It would?" Max asked. Is he tricking me? Why do I feel like he's tricking me?

Max's thoughts were interrupted by Fang's lips on her mouth. It was pure pleasure. There was no other way to describe it. Suddenly it didn't matter if the kiss would speed things along. The only thing that mattered was making now last forever.

Max wondered how often she and Fang kissed like this, going on and on. He was obviously delighted, tilting his head this way and that way as he approached her freshly. His hands getting tangled in her hair and him working them out again. Sliding his fingers down to her waist where they lingered, not quite sure what to do next.

This had to be the longest kiss in history. It was beginning to lose its novelty.

"Mmmfffang," she finally broke off.

Fang's face was flushed with excitement. His eyes were lit and his mouth was red with ecstasy. She knew this was the most animated she would ever see Fang, so she commit it to memory now, hoping it would stay.

"Was that helpful?" Fang managed to ask, breathily.

Max laughed. "I don't think so. But it sure did feel good."

Fang got serious. "So it's okay if I kiss you, holding nothing back, but I just shouldn't talk about it with you?"

Max was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You practically fainted last night when I told you how I see us."

"I did not," Max insisted, vehemently.

"Then what do you call it?"

"I'm still missing something, aren't I?"

"Apparently."

Max didn't know what to think of the impasse. "Are we together?" she asked curiously.

"I'd like to know the answer to that one, too," Fang scoffed, folding his arms.

Max paused. "I think I'd like to be together."

"I know you would."

"Fang, I honestly can't remember what is going on," Max pleaded.

Softening, Fang said, "It'll come back sooner or later. So should we pretend we're an item until you remember all of it or should we act like one of us has the plague."

Max went with her gut, which was daring her to take a risk, to get dirty for once. "Act like we're an item?"

Fang was frozen. Clearly he hadn't expected this answer. Max had absolutely no idea why. She wondered where this was going to end up if there was some very good reason that she didn't want to be with Fang. But right now, she wanted to figure out the hard way why she should stay away from him. It seemed that the daring challenge was more important than status quo.

She held out her hand, and Fang took it in awe, climbing down. "I meant everything I said yesterday. You have to know that, Max," he whispered.

"I don't remember what I said," Max retorted.

Pulling Max's hand closer and drawing her in, Fang grinned and said, "What do you think you said?"

That smile was something else. "I probably should have told you … that you look like you could hold your own in a fight to the death?" She touched the scars on his stomach where Ari had nearly mauled him to death. "Or that you obviously spend a healthy amount of time in the sun? Um…you have nifty, shaggy black hair, your dark eyes mesmerize me, you're as tall as the mountains. Even if you weren't so good looking already, you have wings, by golly."

"So do you," Fang reminded.

"I know." Duh. At least that's one thing I can get straight.

"I don't know what to do with the new Max," Fang admitted.

"What did you do with the old Max?"

Fang looked away before answering, "Tried to keep my hands off her."

"Probably a good plan with the current Max, too. Wouldn't want any broken bones or anything unpleasant like that," Max murmured.

Fang nodded. "I figured as much."

Max was getting really uncomfortable. Not because of Fang. Because she was hungry.

"Can you make coffee?" she asked tentatively.

Fang nodded his head, smirking. "Can I make coffee? Baby, you'd sell your wings for my coffee."

"Baby?"

Fang leveled his eyes at Max and refused to back down.

"I hope you make coffee as good as you kiss," Max said.

Max could read Fang's face as clear as a text message: Yes!

Fang couldn't contain his smile. He burst into whistling as he grabbed a water container and disappeared outside. His spirited whistling first descended to ground level and then wandered off into the thick of the trees.

Max looked around and tried to make sense of things. Then the Voice chimed in. Everything is going to be just fine, Max. Seriously, enjoy the vacation from reality. You definitely deserve it. And even if I had planned it myself, I couldn't have picked a better person than Fang for you to be stranded with … until your memory comes back.

At least Max still knew she had a Voice. If that had snuck up on her, she might have literally flown the coop.

Max looked down and grimaced at her clothes. And she couldn't forget Fang's tattered threads either. First things first. Maybe work out the relationship thing first. Then move on to clothing.

Max ripped open a bag of potato chips and popped them in her mouth one by one. Then she started snooping through the supplies and found a first aid box, a survival guide with a Swiss army knife, a botanical guide to edible food in what she assumed was her current location, a satellite hook-up, and computer, an i-Pod, a propane Weber grill. Wow. This place has it all. Even a bed. Um …yikes?