Fang

Mindlessly playing slots while wishing some Eraser would come and rip my throat out hadn't exactly been how I planned my trip to Las Vegas. Of course, I hadn't planned for my wife to leave me less than twelve hours after our marriage either. I guess that's just life's way of getting some comedy out of everything it created.

Although I should have seen it coming, I guess. There hasn't been one trip yet we've taken where things have gone well the entire time, and if there was I had already forgotten about it. Then again I had forgotten about a lot of things in the absence of Max. Joy, for instance. However anger and bitterness did a great job of replacing that emotion. At least now I didn't have a stupid smile on my face. Scowls were more my style.

"Fang, come back to the hotel. You look like you're not even paying attention to the slot." Ari muttered, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blinked and glanced up at him. How long had he been here, standing beside me, watching me? Maybe the whole time or maybe just for a moment. I had no idea although both answers scared me in their own way.

"But I… I won some money." I said quickly, noticing for the first time in ages that the casino coins were pouring over their little exit holder. I pushed some over into the bucket I had and held it out to Ari for emphasis. He sighed, taking the bucket from me and setting it on a nearby table.

"Fang, that's not important. Please, come on. I know this sounds weird but I'm actually starting to worry about you."

"Worry about me? Pft." I snorted, getting to my feet and looking around for the blackjack table. Maybe I could win a couple hundred on that. I'd always been a good guesser. Or was that another game?

"Fang, I'm serious. Max is coming back and I know it kills you-"

"Kills me? Ari that would be a freaking heaven compared to what I'm feeling now. Try agony, torture, anguish, then you're getting closer." He rolled his eyes at me, following me as I headed over to a table. Just before I could sit down however, he grabbed my shirt collar and yanked me away from the crowd of drunk people screaming "Hit me!" in bubbly voices. God, what I wouldn't give to have what they were having.

"Look, you don't think this hurts me, too? She's my baby sister and she's off somewhere and I can't even talk to her. You think it's hard on you? I've been taking care of her since she was born, Fang. I'm the one who made her laugh when she wanted to cry, and who held her hand when she needed it. You've barely been with us a year and you think you're in 'agony'?"

"Yeah well, I love her. She's my everything-"

"You'd be dead if she was your everything. She's just a girl who you happen to like… a lot. And I'm not denying you that, but stop acting like it's the end of the world. It's not. Life goes on." Ari demanded, and although something inside of me agreed, I couldn't sit back and let him try to tell me Max wasn't what I eat, breathed, and lived for. I'd still be stuck in the same old boring routine, trying to become a cop like my dad if it wasn't for her.

"I'd be dead, huh? That can be arranged." I growled, shoving him hard and watching as he tumbled to the floor. Swiftly, I started for the elevator. This place was twenty stories tall. One jump without wings and I'd be a goner. Wonderful.

"Oh no, no, no, no! This is not what I meant! Fang Walker get your ass back here right now! Holy Hell, Max is going to kill me when she gets back." Ari muttered, but the farther awake I got from him, the less I cared to listen to him ramble. I stepped inside the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor, smirking as Ari sprinted for where I stood. But it was too late, the doors closed.

"You're an idiot, Fang." I decided as I walked back and forth on the ledge of building, looking down at the traffic beneath me.

"I'm glad…" huff. "You figured that out." Ari gasped, having just climbed twenty sets of stairs. He narrowly caught me before I chickened out of jumping. Normally, I was good with heights but ever since I lost my wings there had been some slight… complications. Like right now, for instance. I couldn't bring myself to jump off the building. I had tried slipping, stumbling, jumping, but it wasn't working. It was almost like some strange force was holding me back.

"Don't be so sarcastic. Hey, do you think you could push me off?" I asked, looking to my brother-in-law in hopes he'd satisfy my one request. He took a deep breath, shook his, and glared.

"How about I drag you back to the hotel and have Iggy cook you for lunch instead?"

"I'd rather you just push me." I deadpanned.

Ari rolled his eyes and stepped over to me, grabbing my shirt and yanking me back down onto solid ground. "You wanna know why you can't jump? Because you know Max is coming back and she doesn't want to come back to your body instead of your soul."

"Well-"

"You're depressed so I'll let that sex joke slide since I basically set myself up for that one. Now come on, we're going home."

"Max is my home." I persisted, crossing my arms over my chest as I stared into those deep brown eyes. If I only looked at them, I could pretend they were Max's. Her beautiful eyes that could be so strong or weak. That could smile or hold enough tears for all of our pain put together.

Ari sighed gently, taking a seat on the concrete roof, I followed suit. "I know, Fang. I completely understand, okay? I love Lupo but I'll never get her. I get that you were so close and yet now she's so out of reach it's unthinkable, but sometimes you have to roll with it. She'll come back for you."

"But what if she doesn't?" I asked quietly, looking down at a stray pebble. There it was, my true fear. She'd find something better while she was gone and I'd be left alone in some crazy city full of crazy people. I guess I'd be right at home anyways.

"Fang, trust me, Max is head over heels for you. If she could she'd give you anything you ever wanted."

"All I want is her though."

"I know. And I promise you will get her soon. Just twenty days and she'll be back. You waited seventeen years for something like Maximum Ride, don't you think you can wait twenty more days?"

"Maximum Walker." I mumbled, my hand trailing over the ring I had gotten a couple days after she left. it connected me to her, in a way. Held me down, kept me from leaving, kept me from dying.

"Right. Max Walker. Your wife. Your amazing, wonderful, beautiful wife. Fang, I can't be around to talk you out of every stupid decision you make so do me a favor. Next time, before you make me run up the stairs while having a heart attack, think of Max and what she'd want you to do."

"I know what she'd want me to do and I hate it." I grumbled. "She'd want me to wait for her because she wants to come back to me."

"Twenty days can be a really short amount of time or a really long amount, it just depends on how you spend it. Maybe if you spend it with friends it'll go by faster." Ari offered.

"Do I deserve to be with friends though? Should I stop worrying so much?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Yes. She's fine. I know what she's doing and I can guarantee she's alright." Silence wafted through the air for a moment before Ari stood up. "Now, let's go have a little fun." I took a deep breath, watching as he gestured for me to follow him. He seemed determined, and although I was too it was for a far different reason. However, as he began to walk off towards the door that led back downstairs without me a gnawing in my gut told me I should be an obedient little mutant for now and follow.

Reluctantly, I got to my feet. I could handle this, I guessed. Just twenty more days. Just a little fun.

Yes, I'm taking forever to update. It's just a little difficult because I know what the ending is and I'm writing closer and closer to it and oh the sorrow *Sobs*

Anyways please, please, please review guys! I know I'm taking forever but it's summer so a little persuasion goes a long way

Soar on

VR