Hello! Sorry about the last chapter for those of you who skipped it. For those of you who liked it, you're welcome!

Do not own Maximum Ride (Very sad, I know). This chapter is rated strictly PG for some minor language.

Chapter Seventeen

Max

When I woke up with Fang still beside me, I breathed a sigh of relief. Everything that we'd done the night before had been real, despite the fact that It had been so perfect I'd been certain it was a dream. I rolled onto my side and touched his shoulder, warm and beautifully sculpted. But the moment I did, all the memories came rushing back into my head. How he'd abandoned us, how he'd lied to me, how everything awful that could possibly happen other than our house being destroyed by some School device had happened, and how I hadn't done anything about that last night. Instead I'd just had super amazing sex with the guy.

I jumped to my feet and wrapped my naked and slightly freezing body in my robe. I stalked over to where he was lying in my bed and glared down at him. His eyes peeled open and he looked up at me.

"Guess what?" I asked rhetorically. "It's tomorrow, and I'm not happy."

Fang mumbled a curse and sat up, preparing to face my wrath. I glared at him and he stared at me, not the least bit fazed. That was the worst part about Fang. I couldn't scare him the way I could scare everyone else.

"I can't believe you abandoned us," I finally said, my fierce stare not once faltering. "How could you do it? What thought process was going through your head when you decided this was okay?"

"The thought that it would help you live into your twenties," he explained. I had nothing to say about that. I was officially rendered speechless.

"Listen, Max," he continued. "We all knew that whatever was attacking us was looking for me. This was my battle. I wasn't about to let you or anyone in the rest of the flock die because you were trying to fight in my war."

"We're your family, Fang," I reminded him. "Of course we're going to fight your wars! That's what a family does! When one of us is in trouble, we're all in trouble! Together!" I choked on tears and I swallowed hard so I could speak again. I added, softly and almost to myself, "As a family."

"But maybe I'm not ready to risk your lives on behalf of mine," he said. I bit my lip.

"Well, the five of us are!" I told him. Fang's brow furrowed and I realized I'd said the five of us.

"Who are the five?" he asked. I looked down at the floor.

"Gazzy, Nudge, Iggy, Angel, and I," I explained solemnly. "Dylan…expired a couple of weeks ago."

Fang looked at me, his face a blank slate. "Really?" he finally said. He stood up and hugged me. I noticed that he was wearing jeans. "Oh, Max, I'm so sorry. If I'd known, I would have come back right away."

This sentence got my blood boiling again. I pushed away from him. "Well, you could have known if you'd left me some kind of contact information!" I shouted. "But no! Instead you just leave me with one stupid little note about how you were ditching us!"

I was about to go on when I heard a light tap against my door.

"Max?" Angel's voice came through the wood. "Is that you? Are you okay? Who are you talking to?"

Crap. I was busted. I hurried over to the door and opened it to see Angel, accompanied by Iggy, Nudge, and Gazzy.

"Good morning," I said pleasantly. Angel didn't smile.

"Who's in there?" she demanded. "I already know, I just want to hear it from you. And I'm sure they do, too." She nodded her head behind her at the other three. Her attitude lately was really starting to annoy me.

"And if I don't tell you?" I asked. Angel glared at me.

"I'll be mad at you forever and never ever forgive you from trying to hide the most important re-encounter of my life from me," she said, giving me a no-nonsense glare. I sighed. There was no arguing with Angel when she was determined to have her way.

"Fine. I—"

I was about to confess what I was hiding when Fang walked up behind me and covered my mouth with his hand.

"I came back this morning and she was mad at me for leaving," he said, lying easily. He uncovered my mouth and turned my face toward him. "I'm sorry again, by the way. I was just trying to let you live."

Nudge squealed and jumped at Fang. "Oh, my God! You actually came back! I can't believe it!"

Angel was quick to follow Nudge's lead. Gazzy and Iggy, on the other hand, said nothing. They just stood there like statues. I could see tears welling up in Gazzy's eyes. But Iggy looked completely indifferent. When Nudge and Angel were done, they left back to their room, Gazzy close on their heels. Once they were out of earshot, Iggy glared in Fang's direction, his appearance so fierce it scared me.

"You bastard," he hissed before stalking down the hall to the front door and jumping off the porch.

"Iggy, come back here!" I hollered after him. I was about to jump off the porch after him when I felt a strong hand on my shoulder.

"No," Fang said. I looked at him, but his gaze was following Iggy's path. "Let me get him. It's my fault he left. I'll get him back."

I sighed. Just when I thought we could all be happy again…

No, who was I kidding. I never once believed we could all be happy. Our lives had been screwed up before. Fang leaving just made it worse. I looked into Fang's eyes.

"Okay," I said. He gave me his half smile and I felt myself melting on the inside. Then he stood up on the rail and jumped out, letting the air catch under his wings.

Kay, so I may not do this very often (i.e. ever) but I got so many lovely reviews that I just really wanted to. So…thanks to:

f3y-chan

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Blackice1234

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The Storytelling machine

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Kay! That covers every single review I've gotten on this story (I told you I kept them in a special place in my inbox and heart ;]) Y'all are awesome! Please keep reading and enjoying!