Disclaimer: I dont own Max and the others.
Ok, I've put up a couple of chapters incase I can't get my PC back on. Enjoy!
When I entered the room Fang was sitting up in my bed, the duvet wrapped around his waist so that I had a great view of his bare torso. For a moment I was stunned by how much older he looked than when he was taken 4 years ago. His shoulders were much broader, his arm muscles were bigger and he definitely had a six pack now. He must have seen me staring as he smirked at me, making me blush slightly.
Then he caught sight of what I held in my hands "Are those pancakes?" He asked eyeing them hungrily.
"Yep, Iggy's finest." I said closing the door. I handed Fang the plates while I climbed back into bed, pulling the duvet back over my legs.
Fang didn't even bother with a knife and fork, and I can't say I blame him, Iggy's pancakes are heaven on earth.
"This is the life." He sighed eating a whole pancake in practically one mouthful, "Good night's sleep, and breakfast in bed. I could get used to this."
"Beats a dog crate I guess." I said nonchalantly causing him to laugh. "Though you know, they did bring us our meals. Kind of like breakfast in bed."
"Er, not really." Fang said taking another huge bite.
"You might want to actually chew the pancakes Fang." I suggested. He just shook his head.
His plate was clean before I'd even finished my fifth pancake.
Once we were both dressed (I'd used my bathroom and sent Fang to use the boys one down the hall) Iggy met us in the front room with steaming mugs of coffee.
After a day of doing nothing but talking I took Fang to pick up the kids from school. All he wanted to do was find out what we'd been up to these last 4 years. I skipped over the first year a bit. We were all a mess, but me in particular. None of us talk about that year. Nudge stopped talking so much, Iggy and Gazzy actually obeyed me when I told them no bombs. Angel had a permanently depressed look and she stayed in her room most of the time. Even Total was not as sarky as he used to be. And me, well lets just say my pillow got very wet at night.
But we got over it, we're strong, we were built to survive. And I couldn't stand the way everyone looked every morning when I dragged myself downstairs. So I decided that we had to stop mopping and get on with our lives. Eventually everyone returned to more or less normal, well, normal for us anyway.
I told Fang that Iggy and I went to high school for a few years before graduating the year before last (we skipped a few grades, no need to stay in school longer than absolutely necessary), Iggy was going to go to college next year. I wasn't. I couldn't leave the kids and what did I need to go to college for, could you ever see me with a regular job? Please.
Nudge, Gazzy and Angel were still in school. And they loved it. Nudge had joined as many clubs as she could, Gazzy was the school prankster, something I wasn't particularly happy with, but since he didn't really have a childhood previously I cut him some slack. Angel just loved learning all those new things. I have no idea why, I mean, I hadn't really given a damn about school. It was just something I had to do. Maybe the problem was that half the time I was still looking out for Erasers.
Fang wanted to know if Nudge had a boyfriend. She did, I told him, she'd had several. She'd grown into a very pretty teenager and she had enough confidence for 10 people. I didn't pry to much into her social life though, most of the time I didn't need to, she tended to dominate the conversations over dinner with she said this and he said that, but really I knew what it was like having someone looking over your shoulder and watching every move you make. I didn't like it and I didn't imagine that she would.
He asked about the others as well. Had Gazzy had any girlfriends? Yes. Did Iggy have a girlfriend? Yes. And they were quite serious as well. Her name was Sarah and he was going to join her at college next year.
And then came the question I had been expecting since the beginning of the conversation.
"Did you ever meet anyone else Max?" He asked not looking at me, but studying the scenery that was speeding past as I drove my Ferrari red convertible down the highway.
The truth was only one word long "No."
I saw him visibly relax out of the corner of my eye but he didn't look at me.
"There was never anyone that could replace you Fang. I kept hoping, dreaming that you'd come back. I never gave up hope. And I never stopped loving you." I held my breath, wondering what his reaction to that would be. What if he didn't feel the same after all this time? What if he didn't love me anymore? All these thoughts sped through my mind in the space of half a second. I was scared to glance sideways and see the look on his face.
"Max." I turned to look at him as I pulled into a parking space in the car park. The sound of kids around me fading into the background as I stared into his dark eyes.
"All that time I spent locked up in those damn dog crates there was only one thing that kept me fighting, one thing that kept me alive."
My heart started beating faster.
"You, your smile, your laugh, everything about you. I owe you my life." His hand cupped my chin and he drew me gently towards him. Leaning across the gear stick he kissed me and I kissed him back, my heart hammering in my chest so hard I was sure that everyone could hear it.
"Guys, maybe you could wait until we got home to make out?" Gazzy interrupted us, making us jump apart, as the kids jumped into the back seats.
Fang flashed me one of his smiles that made me go weak at the knees. Good thing I was sitting down. He really should carry a warning label for those.
I put the car in gear and reversed out of the space, turning the car around and heading home.
"You'll never guess what happened today." Nudge started, as she did every day. I rolled my eyes, but this time, for the first time in 4 years I had someone to roll my eyes at. Fang and I grinned at each other as Nudge continued to tell her story of that day's high school drama.