We landed softly in the moss just outside the front doors of doctor Martinezs home. I glided along for amoment circling the spot aboce trying to find the right spot to land but I couldn't so I just kinda dropped. Holding tightly to Max to break her fall we landed in the ground the impact scattering my brains and waking Max. She jolted up as fast as lightneing twisting around so she could see where we were.

"What jappned?" SHe asked getting hyped up.

"Max, babe, it's okay we're home." I said gently pulling her into my lap.

"I'm not dead? But I jusmped off the cliff with my wings tied to me! I shoud bge dead! This isn't real you hate me you don't love me anymore! Why

does the afterlife look like this! Why is it making me feel like this! I'm supposed to be happy now!" She shrieked angrily thrashing around trying to force me to releas her but I reefused and it was easy. She was very weak fragile and instable I was surprised she wasn't dead yet.

"Max listen to me, I saved you. You forced me to say those things but I didn't mean them. I was just tired of you yelling at me. I didnt think you were really going to try and kill yourself." I explained in a soft voice.

"So I'm not dead?" She asked in a voice so quiet I could barely here.

"No Max, Why would I let you die?" I asked.

"I thought you hated me for leaving and taking so long to come back. I thought that you would hate me for everything and then sending our daughter in as a spy without even telling you who she was. I thought-" Max tried to continue but she was getting to worked up.

"SHHH...It's okay Max you're home no one is going to hurt you or take you or scare you ever again. I won't let anything happen to you. Now please tell me what happened."

"I-I can't right now. I'm still trying to adjust to you being here in front of me not hating me and the fact that we have a daughter together. A beautiful daughter. I need to see the rest of the family."

"That's going to have to wait until you're feeling better Max. When was the last time you ate?" I asked trying to at least get a few of my questions answered.

"I haven't eaten real food in two years and I haven't eaten anything in about a week or so. I have hardly had anything to drinnk and when I did it was usually water from a well or river and the last time I slept was a bout a week ago at the soonest." She said staggering over a little as she tried to stand.

"Well no wonder you fell so horrible and you passed out when I caught you. Oh yeah and you're going insane." I said the last part with a slight smile playing acoss my lips.

"Fang help me please! I'm starving I can't fly I'm getting sick and I'm seriously dehiderated. I can't walk and I can barely talk!" Max pleaded tears streaking her muddy face.

"OKay first on the list, get you inside, second make Thorn bathe you while Angel feeds you third step get you to a hospital."

"NO please don't take me there!!"

"Max listen to me! You are dehiderated, you can't stand, you haven't eaten anything but rats lizards snakes and god knows what else in two whole years! You gave birth to your own kid in a cave while you could barely sustain yourself and have somehow manager to find your way back home. You smell like a barn and you tried to commit suicide, wether you like it or not a hospitale is where you need to be. Becasue strangley after all of that you're NOT DEAD!" I explained to my wife.

"Okay I will go on the condition that you don't leave my side the entire time I'm in the wretched place. You stay by me no matter what they say or you get me out of there. Do you understand?" She asked in what normally would have been her scary comand voice but instead was a feighnt raspy voice.

I sighed a huge sigh of releif. "Yes Max I promise I won't leave you alone." SHe smiled contentidly and together we stood up. I led her intot he hosue and straight to our room making sure nobody saw me and helped her onto the bed. He would pay. Whoever did this to my strong firey Max would pay.

"Fang am I going to be back how I used to be?"

"Max you're still just like you used to be. You were determined to find your way home and on the way take care of a child. You're still strong smart and fast but now your fragile. All we have to so is fix you up a tiney bit and you'll be as good as new in no time. I promise you that. But mark my words whoever did this to you is going to pay. Nothing is ever going to happen to you again."

"Fang I'm not a little kid I can take car of myself."

"I know that but for now I have to protect you. Can you live with that for now? For once in your life can you let someone care for you instead of you watching over everyone else? Is that aloud?" I asked sitting down beside her.

"I guess it's aloud while I'm in this condition but as soon as I get better the rules don't allpy to me anymore, okay?" She asked me smiling. Her smile lit up the room like somebody had just turned the sun back on. I loved her so much and for hte first time in two years my Max smiled at me. I couldn't beleive it.

"If you insist."

"I insist." She said then layed back on the bed to try and sleep.

"Oh no you don't! Not until you get a bath!" I said then helped her toward the bathroom. "THORN!! YOU ARE NEEDED IN MY BATHROOM!!!" I shouted once the water was going.

"COMING!!" SHe answered immediatly. Moments later she poked her head threw the door. "Ye-" Thorn started but cut her self short when she saw Max sitting on the edge of het tub in full clothes staring dreamily at the water. "Get out Fang! I have to bathe that girl and talk to her! Be gone!" Thonr shewed me out of the room.

Mpov-

Thorn helped me out of my clothes that had faded to an ugly brown color and I climbed into the tub. It felt so good. the warm water rolled off me in waves as I sat down and leaned back agianst the tiled wall. It was so hot and refreshing campared to all of the times that I had cleansed myself in a river or a stream somewhere in the woods with my child. I slowly sat up and washed myself with Thorn sitting silently beside me not talking just twittling my thumbs and waiting for me to fall over.

I washed my hair and body but was very slow and tedious when I did careful not to hurt myself in the process. I succefully did not fieghnt. "Thorn help me out." I said when I was done and careful not to hurt me she helped me out and wrapped the towel around me. "I ahve a slight problem." I told her once I realized the inevitable. Already I felt ten times better then I had but still not perfect.

"Whats wrong?" Thorn asked concerned.

"I've lost so much wieght from not eating that I don't think my clothes are going to fit me." I admitted.

"Oh I never thought of that." It wa the first time we had said a word to each other.

"Yeah so what am I supposed to do?"

"I'll go get a pair of Ella's old pajama pants nad you can borrow one of famgs t-shirts or an old one of yours. We can go get you clotheslater but first I need to figure out a plan."

"No need. Fang already has one as soon as I'm dressed he's taking me tot he hospital. HE can explain i'm to tired to talk anymore." I sighed and went into my room. "Fang, give me a t-shirt."

"Why?"

"Because I want to wear one of your shirts mine are all too big but yours smell like you." I said. HE got up from his perch on the bed and grabbed me a black t-shirt to put on. I slipped it on then sat anxiously waiting for Thorn to bring me pajama pants. A few minutes later she came in with a pair of nightmare before christmas pj's. "Where did these come from?"

"I got them for you for christmas last year incase you came back. Now stop talking and put them on we need to get you to the doctor A.S.A.P."