A/N: Yes, I'm still alive! I'm also very very VERY sorry that I haven't updated in so long. It has been soooo busy that I hardly have time to sleep, let alone write. But, it was my birthday recently so I would greatly appreciate it if you forgave me. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride.

I'm not the one that you want

I'll always let you down

And I'm pretty sure that you've caught on

And you can say that "Oh,

I'm just feeling sorry for myself."

-Intensity in Ten Cities, Chiodos

Chapter Fourteen – Made Slave, pt 2

Fang's POV

The bacon and eggs tasted like everything good in the world. Fang was eating with Max, laughing over a forkful of egg, and everything finally felt right. It felt so natural to be with her. It made him sad to think that she might someday leave him. After all, he was a poor nobody, and she was Jeb and Valencia's daughter.

"This breakfast is amazing," Max enthused as she shoveled a piece of toast into her mouth.

"I don't really think it can be counted as breakfast anymore. It's nearly lunch time."

"The time of day doesn't change how good it tastes," Max rebutted.

Fang flicked a piece of egg at her.

"Hey!" she cried out indignantly.

He got a face full of bacon after that.

"I'm not going to waste any more of this food on your face, seeing as it tastes so good," Max told him just before eating a piece of bacon. He was kind of glad that he wouldn't have to clean up after a food fight.

Iggy's POV

Iggy stared at the mobile phone in his hand, wondering how on earth he was going to make this next phone call. His gut was clenched and his palms were sweating just thinking about it. Before he could back out, he flipped his phone open and scrolled down to a specific name.

He got voicemail.

"Hey Ella, I was just wondering if we could meet up sometime soon. I have something I want to talk to you about. I was thinking we could go to the park near your house today. Anyway, call me back when you get this."

He snapped the phone shut and wondered for the millionth time whether he was doing the right thing. Hesitating, he opened the phone again and looked at the photo on his screen. Ella was smiling up at him while he made a face. The photo was taken when they were out on their first date. He felt a stab of guilt just below his heart and quickly snapped the phone shut again.

He nearly dropped it when it started to ring.

"That was quick," he said.

"I was in the shower and just missed your call. What's up?" Ella asked. Her voice was happy and he could tell that she didn't know anything was wrong with him.

"Meet me at the park near your house at 2?"

"Okay. I hope it's something romantic," she replied sweetly.

His gut twisted.

"I'll see you then."

He pictured Ella's face and wondered why he was deliberately torturing himself. Then he pictured Nudge and felt a deep pull in his chest. How did his life become so tragic?

Fang's POV

"So, you know how your favourite place is the cave," Max said as they walked hand in hand.

"My favourite place is wherever you are," Fang said just to rile her up.

She punched his arm. "Don't be cheesy."

He grinned at her and was rewarded with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyway, I thought I'd take you to one of my favourite places," Max continued, as if he hadn't said anything.

"Isn't the cave your favourite place as well?" he asked, truly curious.

"One of them," she replied. "It has a lot of history for us – good and bad." She gave him a look that he had no trouble interpreting.

"Okay, so where is your favourite place?" he asked.

"Well, we're standing in front of it."

His head snapped up to take in the scenery. He'd been so absorbed in Max that he hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. They'd ventured into the forest that bordered the top of the cliff near Max's house. In front of them was a tree house that looked like it'd seen better days. The wood looked sturdy, but it was covered in leaves and what looked like bat shit.

"Wow," he said. It was an impressive tree house.

"It's been here since we've owned the house. I found it one day when I was about seven and promised I wouldn't show it to anybody. It would be my little secret. But I wanted to share it with you so many times. I suppose today's the day I finally got my courage up."

He studied it for another minute, thinking back to when he and Max were kids.

"I was hoping you could help me fix it up. I haven't been here in so long. It's kind of run down now. Plus, you are my slave for the day."

"Max, I would love to help. Even if I wasn't your slave, I'd still help."

"Thanks, Fang."

She walked over to a pile of stuff he hadn't noticed before. He saw what looked like a chair and some bedding material. More trinkets were hiding underneath the larger furniture.

"I started dragging some stuff out here the other day. I want this to be my sanctuary when the cave is too far away," she explained.

"Well, there's some good stuff here." He tapped the wood of the tree house. "The wood seems sturdy. All we have to do is clean it up and arrange some of this furniture."

She pointed to an assortment of cleaning utensils leaning against a nearby tree. He grinned and grabbed a broom.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked her with a smirk.

Iggy's POV

"Hey Iggy," Ella said as he met her at the swings. She hugged him and he held her longer than necessary.

"What's going on? You seem tense."

He should have given her more credit. She might be a little naïve, but she wasn't stupid. She knew something was going on.

"I don't think we should date anymore," he blurted before he could think about what he was going to say. He cringed at his lack of tact and wanted to slap his forehead.

Ella blinked her eyes at him for about a minute before she found her voice.

"Why?"

The one question he couldn't answer truthfully. He didn't want to tell her about Nudge.

He swallowed.

"Just tell me, Iggy," she demanded. He could see tears brimming in her eyes and knew that the total impact of his words was only moments away.

"I like you as a friend, but I just can't see this relationship going anywhere. I think we should just go back to being friends before it's too late. It's easier this way."

"That's stupid! What's the point of having any relationship, then! I didn't expect us to get married or anything, but I thought we'd last a bit longer than this!"

"If we aren't going to get married, then what's the problem?" he asked, knowing instantly that it was the wrong thing to say.

She looked at him for a long time. Tears started to run silently down her cheeks as she gave him a look that was intensely uncomfortable.

"Are you telling me the whole truth?" she asked.

He swallowed again.

"Is there someone else?"

He swallowed for the third time.

"Ella, I just don't think it's going to work. Can we leave it at that?"

She started sobbing. He tried to pull her into a hug, but she pushed him away. Without another word, she started running back towards her house. He should not have been surprised. After all, that's why he chose a location so close to her house. He couldn't bear the thought of having to drive her home after such a situation.

He felt sick, like he was going to throw up all his insides. He could picture his stomach twitching on the grass with a lung just beside it. He'd reduced a girl he liked to tears. He must be a horrible person.

He felt like shit.

Fang's POV

After sweeping the leaves and scrubbing the wood, the tree house resembled a house again. They'd arranged the furniture, placing a couple of cushions in the corner to sit on and a mattress in the opposite corner. Max had even brought blankets and a large cooler to use as a temporary fridge. There had already been a table in the tree house; they'd just cleaned it until it was spotless. Fang had also strengthened the wooden ladder so that he was sure it wouldn't break and leave Max stranded out here.

"It looks awesome," Max said. They were both standing on the ground, peering up at the house.

"Come on," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up the ladder.

Max jumped onto the mattress and pulled him down with her. The next thing Fang knew, Max was kissing him.

"I knew you were good with your hands," she said between kisses.

He smirked and placed his hand on her hip, massaging small circles.

She pushed up against him until their whole bodies were flush against each other.

"I'm sick of trying to avoid what we have, Fang. When you kiss me, I feel so alive that sometimes I wonder if I'm even breathing when you're not around. I don't want you to move on to other girls. I don't want you to ever stop wanting to be with me. I don't care about social status or my mother anymore. I just want to be with the person who makes me happy."

He kissed her throat and then placed another kiss over her heart.

"You own my heart," was all he said.

She huffed in mock annoyance. "How come you can say how you feel in one sentence and I need a whole speech to explain myself?"

"I don't really think that matters at the moment," he said, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"Oh, right," she said as she started to kiss him again.

After a minute, she placed her hands on both sides of his head and made him look her in the eye.

"Fang."

"Yes?"

"I want you to make love to me."

A/N: A bit shorter than usual, but I think you can see why. I know I'm evil. I should be plenty motivated to write the next chapter. Of course, reviews never hurt.