More chapters! YAY! Things may seem great right now…but just wait. There's more drama to come! I love me some drama :)

WARNING: this chapter is super steamy. If you are super young or are not okay with sex, stop reading now.

Hope you are enjoying these.

Nightwings93

Chapter Twenty-Four: Max POV:

Fang begrudgingly let go of my hand right before we walked into the kitchen. Iggy was at the stove flipping perfectly formed pancakes. Gazzy and Nudge were talking by the sink. Everyone was in normal clothes: jeans and t-shirts. I let out small contented sigh. We looked like a normal family. It was nice.

"These look so good, Ig," I said as I opened the fridge and looked for something to drink.

Fang leaned against the wall next to the stove and eyed the pancakes. "How did you get them to be perfect circles?"

"I'm the master," Iggy replied.

"Nudge poured them," Gazzy informed us. "Iggy's just flipping them."

"Um, excuse me? Who made the batter for Nudge to pour?" Iggy demanded.

"It was a team effort," Nudge said as she rolled her eyes. "Male pride," Nudge mouthed at me. I smiled and nodded.

"So, on another note," Fang began, "will you and Gazzy make us a list of tools you'll need for making bombs?"

"Is there a hardware store near here?" Iggy asked.

"Hardware and electrical," Fang answered.

"It would just be easier if Gazzer and I went," Iggy said as he flipped another pancake. "Nudge, can you pour more batter?" Nudge crossed the kitchen and starting pouring perfect circles into the pan.

"That might arouse suspicion," Fang cautioned. "It would be better if Max and I went. People have already seen us in town."

"Shouldn't you and Max stay home and plan? You guys would probably come up with a better action-plan than us." Gazzy asked. "Besides, no one knows who we are in town, so why would they get suspicious?"

Fang and I looked at each other. "He has a point," I muttered. My heart sped up a little. I would be alone with Fang.

"I could go with them," Nudge offered. "You know, make sure they don't get in too much trouble."

Fang looked over at me again. "Uh…sure."

"Great, we'll go after breakfast. You'll give us directions?" Nudge poured more batter in the skillet after Iggy slid the finished pancakes on a plate.

"After these are finished, we can eat," Iggy said. "You're really crafty," I heard him whisper to Nudge. I don't think I was supposed to hear that.

Sounds like they were planning on leaving us alone

I'm not complaining.

…Me either…I felt my face heat up.

"Did you guys buy syrup?" Gazzy asked.

I looked at Fang. He shrugged. "I think so," I said as I looked at the through the cupboards. I shoved the food that we had bought out of the way until I found the bottle of Mrs. Buttersworth's syrup. I gripped the bottle.

"Honey, Daddy made pancakes!" My mom called from the kitchen.

I sprung from my bed. Dad finally had a Sunday off. We hadn't had a big family breakfast in ages. I ran downstairs. Mom and Dad were standing in front of the stove. Dad had just placed three perfectly formed pancakes on a plate. Mom buttered them and set them on the breakfast bar.

"Morning, Max!" My dad boomed. His voice was always big and cheerful.

I sat down in front of the pancakes. They looked delicious. "Mama, do we have any syrup?" I asked.

My mom started rifling through the cupboard. "Sorry, I forgot to pull it out." She shoved a few more things out of the way. "Got it. Good old Mrs. Buttersworth."

I stumbled back from the cupboard. I hadn't been prepared for that. I hadn't had nightmares about my parents lately and I'd been so preoccupied that I hadn't even thought about them for a few days. Waves of sadness washed over me. I could feel tears pricking my eyes. Then I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Why hadn't thought of them lately? Was I forgetting them? Was I over their deaths already? Was that bad of a daughter? It had only been a few months.

"Here, Gaz," I muttered as I handed Gazzy the bottle. I pinched my nose in an attempt to stop the tears from coming out of my eyes. I looked around me. No one had noticed my little moment…accept Fang. He was watching me intensely. He raised an eyebrow a fraction of an inch when he noticed I had seen him. I shook my head slightly. I didn't need to bother him with little emotional freak-outs.

"Oh, wow," Nudge said around a mouthful of pancake. Iggy had handed everyone a plate with pancakes, the syrup bottle was being passed around. None of us bothered to go sit in the dining room. "These are so amazing Iggy. This is the best thing I've ever had."

"It's not exactly like we've eaten anything else aside from stale bread and moldy fruit," Gazzy reminded Nudge.

"True, but my food is the best," Iggy replied.

Fang passed me the syrup. I looked down at my pancakes. I wasn't hungry any more. I grabbed the bottle anyway and drenched the pancakes in maple syrup. Fang was still eyeing me suspiciously. Using my fork, I tore the pancake into small pieces and started eating. Eat bite was like swallowing glue. My stomach churned with acid.

"I think Max should also teach us all how to fight," Fang said suddenly. "Bombs aren't going to be enough."

"Max knows how to fight…like, formally?" Nudge asked.

"You said you were in fighting school, right?" Fang was addressing me now.

I swallowed another sticky lump of pancake. "Uh, yeah."

"So you should teach us," Fang repeated.

"Okay," I replied quietly. I had never taught anyone before. It could be a disaster.

Fang and I stood on the porch and waved goodbye to Nudge, Iggy , and Gazzy as they started to fly towards the hardware and electrical store. It felt weird standing next to Fang like some married couple who were waving off their kids.

"You think they'll be okay?" I asked.

Fang smiled reassuringly. "They'll be fine."

My stomach lurched and rolled. "Excuse me," I mumbled as I rushed for the downstairs bathroom. I barely made it in time. I flipped up the toilet lid and my insides spilled out of my mouth. I fell to my knees.

"Max?" I heard Fang call. I could hear his soft footfalls on the carpeted ground.

"I'm fine!" I yell in between onslaughts of pancake and bile.

"You're a really bad liar," Fang said from behind me. I felt my hair being pulled away from my face.

Thanks.

No problem.

I really hope we have toothpaste somewhere.

We do. No worries.

I'm sorry about this. I'm sure it's not appetizing.

Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. Besides, I've seen my fair share of barf in the academy.

My body heaved one last time and I flopped to the side. There was nothing left. Fang sank to the floor next to me and leaned me against his chest. My body was shaking.

I wiped my mouth. "I should go get cleaned up," I muttered.

"You okay?" Fang asked.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"You've looked out of it since breakfast."

"I think my body needs to readjust to eating normal food," I lied.

"You remember something?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Just a memory from when my parents were alive. It was the syrup," I muttered.

Fang nodded. "They come at the worst moments."

"Yeah…they really do." I looked up at the ceiling. "But I don't want to forget them."

"You won't. I promise." Fang murmured. His breath tickled my ear. "And one day you'll be able to think of them without pain."

I nodded. "Okay." I stood up. "I'm going to go get cleaned up." I started up the stairs and headed for the bathroom Fang and I shared.

He had held my hair back for me.

Fang POV:

I watched Max's back retreat up the stairs. She still wasn't opening up and being one hundred percent honest with me. Then again, I wasn't being honest with her. But, I wanted to tell her everything. I wanted her to know the ugly sides of me, even if she ended up hating me. I didn't want her to hate me…but I would understand if she did. I had done horrible things. I was still doing those terrible things, really, by keeping my secret from everyone. None of them would forgive me if they knew.

Maybe I could redeem myself. Max wouldn't have agreed to a relationship if she didn't see something in me. Max was so good. Maybe just getting her to love me would be enough. If I just did everything by the book with Max, maybe my sins with the others would be washed away.

I had done it to protect them, truly I had. But, maybe I'd done more harm than good. They would hate me if they knew. Maybe I was doing all of it out of selfishness. Protecting them, watching over them: were they all for self-satisfying means? I liked feeling needed by the others. I liked the idea that they wouldn't be able to cope without me. Was all this a power trip for me? Was I really so dirty? Was my soul that unclean? I'm not that different from Ari then. What makes me better than him?

Max.

Max makes me better than him. I can do it. I can become a real human being as long as I have Max by my side.

"Fang?" I heard Max call from the upstairs bathroom.

I gave a start. I was still sitting next to the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. Yeah?

Come wrap my torso? I can't do it myself.

I felt a surge of pride. Max would only ever ask me to help her. She needed me.

Was it the same with Max? Maybe it wasn't so different from the others. Did I just want Max to need me? Was this whole relationship for self-gain? Do I even know how to love another person?

Gazzy POV:

I miss Angel. Every moment of every day. I can't bring myself to hate her. She may have betrayed us, but she's my sister. I could never hate her.

Everything I saw somehow reminded me of her. As we flew over the cornfields, I saw a little bunny hopping through the rows. Angel would have loved that. She would have wanted to swoop down, stop, and say 'hi' to the cute animal.

I watched the way Nudge and Iggy flew close together, Nudge telling every detail of everything to Iggy. Angel and I had been that close once. Well, not in the exact way Nudge and Iggy are (they think I don't know but it would take a moron not to). But, we used to talk to each other about everything. We used to just hang out quietly together. We supported each other. She was strength and I was hers.

I didn't know what to do without her bobbing blonde head next to mine. I felt lost.

"Hey, Gaz," Nudge shouted at me. She was far below me. "We're going down!"

I quickly started to spiral down after them. I was totally out of it. I didn't know how I was going build bombs with my head in the clouds. I really hope I don't accidentally blow the house up.

Max POV:

I was done with my shower. My back was smarting. The water stung my raw skin. The old bandages lay in a crumpled mess on the bathroom floor. They were streaked with blood. I picked nervously at the flannel sleep shorts I had put back on. They were so much more comfortable than my jeans. My wings were wrapped around my front. I had shamelessly asked Fang to come up and re-bandage my corset wounds.

I checked my breath in my hands. I had found toothpaste and used my finger to brush my teeth. If I tried really hard, I could probably wrap my own wounds. But, I didn't want to try. I just wanted to be with Fang.

I was clinging. But I didn't care. I wanted to be with him. I love the way he looks at me. I love that he makes me feel important. Makes me feel beautiful. I love that he holds my hair back when I'm a total barfing mess. I wasn't really being fair to Fang. Was I with him for totally selfish reasons? I should worry more about the way he feels than the way he makes me feel. Isn't that what it means to love someone?

The door creaked open. "Okay to come in?" Fang asked. His voice was like velvet. It washed over me and wrapped me in a warm, safe blanket.

"Yep," I replied. I turned my back to the door and kept my wings firmly wrapped around my chest.

I saw Fang appear in the mirror. Every aspect of him made my breath catch in my throat. Even the most perfect male model could not compare. Fang grabbed the gauze and the rubbing alcohol. Fang pressed the drenched gauze to my back. I bit my lip. It felt like I was on fire. Using the roll of bandages, Fang started to wrap the binding around my torso. His skin brushed across mine. It was like fire…but the pleasant kind, not like the kind on my back.

"Okay?" Fang asked.

I nodded. "Thank you."

I reached for my tank-top on the bathroom counter but Fang stopped me. His hand gripped my wrist. He spun me quickly. His free hand slipped under my chin. His lips were on mine: warm and gentle. Fireworks exploded behind my eyes in vibrant colors.

I clung to Fang. My hands clutched fistfuls of the back of his shirt. I wanted to tear his clothing away so that nothing stood between our bodies. I didn't want anything to stop our skin from touching. Fang pulled at my waist until our bodies were stuck close together. He shoved my wings out of the way, his hand leaving my chin and trailing down my body. His fingers danced over my breasts. My whole body was shivering. My whole body was arching into Fang. I didn't want there to be any space between us. I couldn't bear the space. It was becoming painful.

I ripped Fang's shirt from his body. Our skin melted together. Fang suddenly crouched down and swung me into his arms bridal style.

"We're doing this properly." Fang's voice was almost animal like. I brought my head down and kissed him as he walked us to the bed. Fang laid me down gently on the bed. "This okay?"

I nodded. The space between us was killing me. For a moment, Fang hesitated. There were hints of fear, hope, apprehension, and excitement in his eyes. I couldn't bear his body being this far from mine. I knotted my hands around his neck and pulled him down on top of me.

Fang obliged and carefully straddled my pelvis as he used one of his elbows to prop himself up so he didn't completely crush me.

He brought his lips to mine. Slowly, I felt his lips working mine open. I resisted for a moment then relaxed. Fang's tongue slipped into my mouth. My body reacted on its own. Our tongues played with each other as Fang's free hand explored my body. My pelvis raised and brushed against his. I could feel Fang groan into my mouth.

Fang's lips left mine. His face swam above mine for a moment. There was mischief in his eyes. His head disappeared. I felt his lips and hair tickle my naked body. I let out a little giggle as my body arched closer to Fang's. Fang was radiating heat. I wanted to close the gap between us once and for all. I felt an aching hole within my body.

I felt Fang tug at the waistband of my shorts. My body arched again. I brushed against Fang. It was like grinding against a rock. A warm and tender rock. I looked up at Fang. He saw that I was okay with it. For a moment, as I felt the shorts make their way down to my ankles, I was taken by a surge of fear. Was this really going to happen?

Fang waited as he sensed my apprehension. I took a deep breath, relaxed, and let Fang in.

So…I hoped that was okay. Like I said before, things seem pretty perfect now, but just wait!

Review if you want.

Nightwings93