Max

Forty-three thousand two hundred. That's how many minutes are in a month. That's how many minutes I'd be counting down. Fang was only forty-three thousand two hundred minutes away. Forty-three thousand one hundred ninety-nine… ninety-eight… ninety-seven…

If I thought about it too much, or simply not at all the idea clawed at my sanity slightly more than Jeb ever had. Forty-three thousand and now only eighty minutes after an agonizing two hour plane ride in which Maximum Ride had transformed into Angela Jones. Blonde hair, green eyes, and a fake tan to match.

I walked down the sidewalk a little ways, heading towards a black Jeep with a front license plate that read exactly what it was supposed to. Through the tinted windows was a young man with light brown hair and hazel eyes masked with sunglasses. Sam. He still went by his own name, and his own appearance, although it was more dangerous for him than for me. If I was caught the usual chase would ensue. If he was caught… well, I wouldn't ever see him again. Not that I would see him ever after this month was up anyways, but at least he'd still be alive.

"You should be more cautious," I advised only after he had pulled out of the airport completely and we were on the highway.

"I'm picking up Maximum Ride from the airport, at this point cautious is the least of my worries," He pointed out, to which I could only shrug. It was true in a way. I might have had a different appearance and a couple fake ID's to blow the point home, but it didn't really hide me. It only attempted to.

"So, where are we heading?" I asked, diverging the conversation from the obvious. There was nothing left to say really, but the silence was too much; the hum of the radio wasn't enough.

"A sort of abandoned place my parents gave to me and I never thought about. There's probably going to be a lot of dust. Do pregnant people like, have allergy issues or something? I haven't had time to research anything."

"You're an ex-FBI agent, Sam, you should already know these things." I chastised, clicking my tongue in mocking disapproval.

"Well excuse me for never having anybody give birth on one of my cases." He muttered, although he was unable to hide the chuckle. Once again the radio scratched out a rhythm to try and hide the silence- it still didn't work. Possible questions flew through my mind, giving me a headache with all the thought I was forcing myself to put into this; a long drive to an abandoned, dusty house.

"So do you think any of your old buddies are trying to find you?" I pondered finally, deciding we could talk about him. Sam liked to talk about himself. He wasn't narcissistic by any means, but it was an easy topic. The only one he knew inside and out. There were no awkward pauses or forced sentences when he told a story he was included in. It was natural and easy. I needed natural and easy.

"Yeah, I actually know there's quite a few lurking around this state, but I have a couple friends who still have my back so they're keeping anything and everything off my trail for the time being. Eventually they'll find me though, Max."

"You have to wait at least seven years."

"I don't know if I can." Sam clutched the wheel as he shifted lanes. He knew he would die just as well as I knew, but he could buy the time he needed. And if he couldn't he'd have to steal it.

"Seven years, Sam. No exceptions." I demanded. He sighed deeply, glancing over at me once while biting his lip, as if trying to figure out if there was a way to not agree and still satisfy my wishes. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't find such an arrangement. He'd overstay his welcome in life and he'd go out brutally for it, but it was for me, and Sam had never denied my requests before- he most definitely was not about to start now.

"Whatever you say, Max."

Two stories of rusted rain gutters and melting bricks loomed dangerously over about fifty acres of barren land, guarding it like a grouchy rottweiler knowing death was upon it but refusing it at all costs. This was the house that belonged to Sam.

"It's broken," I deadpanned as we both stepped out of the Jeep. Sam veered around to the truck. Plucking a backpack out of it along with about five grocery bags.

"Don't tell me the great Maximum Ride is complaining?" Sam scoffed jokingly, to which I rolled my eyes.

"No I just… you'll have to fix it up, and make sure everything's safe." For her. The smallest words held the largest impact, and so I refused my voice's chance at saying them. If I truly admitted it out loud that would be the end. I'd break down and my world would collapse. For her. But she wasn't even there yet.

"I know. Child-locked and the stairs will be off limits when I'm not-"

"You'll always be home." I interrupted harshly, to which Sam only shook his head, heading down the sidewalk that led to the front door. I watched as his hand casually lingered on the knob, the key not yet falling in the lock to open the new world that was closed off to danger if only for the moment.

"You're something perfect, you know that Max? I don't know what it is yet, but it's something."

"I'm not going to let you get a kiss in before I leave so stop that." I ordered, referring to the compliment. I wasn't perfect and I definitely wasn't a something. I was a murderer, a thief, a thousand bad things wrapped into one and coated with a million more horrendous things.

Sam snickered at me although I wasn't trying to make him laugh, and unlocked the door swinging it open. "I'm not asking for one, can't I tell you what I think though?"

"No. Keep your stupid opinions to yourself." I growled. shoving past him and into the house. Stairs to the left, a dining room to the right, a walkway straight ahead, and dust in every direction.

"Max, don't be like that. I know you're upset because you had to leave everyone behind but you might as well make the best of this." Sam urged, shutting and locking the door behind him before walking past me. I followed. At the end of the hallway was a choice. To the right was a vast living room, to the left an enormous kitchen. Sam took the left, dropping all the groceries down and getting to work putting them where they need to go.

I watched for a moment, mesmerized by how easy it all was for him. Everything had a place even though he hadn't been here in years, every purpose was accounted for. He worked mechanically with a small smile on his face. Just enough to tell me he was happy I was here, that he was here, that for once everything was a shard of glass that had found it's place in the broken object. It was all glued together and set out to dry.

"Sam," I spoke quietly, and he looked over at me in the midst of putting some bottles of soda in the fridge.

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow in my direction, and I tightened my grip on the backpack slung over one of my shoulders.

"Thank you. For everything." I wanted to smile, to show him I meant it, but he seemed to already know because he smiled for the both of us, the same warm smile I had once kissed back when I was younger, back when I didn't care about anything and had no clue how the world spun.

Now I knew it was because of Fang, and everything he gave me and everything I gave him.

"It's been a real wild ride with you, Max. I'll be sad when it's over." Sam admitted.

"Me too, Sam, me too." Little did he know we were talking about two different endings.

Okay, so this kind of took forever to post and it's only a filler really and I'm sorry- I really am, and I guess I don't have a valid excuse other than I just... I wasn't feeling it. I had the first three paragraphs written for months but the rest never seemed to happen. Then tonight it all slammed into me and I don't know if this feels like a different style or not, but I was kind of shooting for a different tone than normal so if I accomplished that then cool XD

Anyways, Review so I... so I don't take this long to update again?

Soar on

VR