A/N:

DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED OR NOT READ FANG!!!!

THIS IS CRUCIAL!!!

I WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR SPOILING THE ENDING!!!

Thank you.

Other than that, enjoy! It's set after the end of FANG.

Disclaimer: I'm not James Patterson.

Chapter One: Decisions

Fang POV

The cold night air swept around me and rustled the trees. I was in the darkness, which seemed to be the only safe place for me.

The figure in the window paced around the room again impatiently. A subtle dim light shone through the window. I wondered for a moment if there was a television on in the room.

But Max doesn't like television.

She stepped closer to the window and peered out into the woods. I panicked for a moment, thinking she could actually see me and come out here in a fury and ring me a new one.

But my supernatural hybrid blending played its role and I remained unnoticed.

The window opened and Max looked out. Thank goodness it wasn't that far of a fall if she decided to ditch her wings for some reason. Oh, wait, I guess that reason would be me.

This was the worst thing I've ever done to her. And it's tearing me apart inside too. I may just go live in that damn cave with the hawks and when she shows up, 'cuz you know she will early, just kinda be like, 'Oh yeah! I meant 20 hours!' But I don't think that'd fly well with her, no pun intended.

I looked up at the stars, about 3 am. Max hasn't been sleeping lately, and I don't even think she'd left her room. I felt like dying. This whole mess is entirely my fault. In the past few days I can't count how many times I'd came back to this very spot. Thank goodness Total and Akila aren't there to be able to pick-up my scent here.

I was planning on flying down to South America and taking up tourist info on the ancient ruins and Nazca lines, seeing as to how I have the advantage of flight.

But every time I got down to about Texas I couldn't take it any longer and turned back. I just need to see her take off one more time and actually get out of her room and not be a shut-in.

I didn't expect her to take it this way. I mean, of course I expected her to be devastated, but I thought she'd be more of in a fury, punching trees, breaking stuff, breaking her. I never expected her to turn into a complete social hermit.

Max inhaled and looked wistfully out the window over into the sky. There were no other lights on in the house but the dim glow in her room. I could only barely make out the outline of her face, but even from a distance I could tell that she had done a great deal of crying. I felt like my heart hit the soles of my feet. How could I have done this to her? To us?

I did it for the Flock.

My, God! I need to freaking go to sleep with that recorded and replaying. Us being apart, no matter how much hell it puts us through, is all for the better interest of the Flock as a whole.

I stopped day-dreaming when I heard the back door open and saw Max's tall, slim figure sneaking out. Why she bothered using the door was beyond me when she could've easily jumped out of her window, but whatever.

I stood stiffly against the thick trees and camouflaged myself among them. It would only be my luck that she would come this way and bump into me.

I watched as my Max moved across the small patio and leaned over the railing, her hair was flat and looked like it hadn't been washed in days. She was visibly thinner and it took all the willpower I had not to run up to her now and just hold her and put some food down her gullet.

Would this count as her leaving so I could be okay to go now without feeling guilty? No. Definitely not. I don't know how I'm ever going to forgive myself for this.

She looked seriously concentrated for a second, then fell like a stone onto the deck and began to sob like I'd never seen her do before.

Max POV

The chilly wind tousled my hair into even more of a mess than what it already was. I probably should like, bathe and eat sometime soon; but that was the last thing on the top of my agenda.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out Fang's letter, withered, crumpled, words smeared, the works, all in a matter of a few days.

Tears stung my eyes as memories flashed through my head:

"You're late."

Fang stepped out of the shadows, eating an apple. He was dressed in black, as usual, and his face looked like a lumpy plum pie. But his eyes shone as he came toward me, and then I was running to him over the sand, my wings out in back of me.

We smashed together awkwardly, with Fang standing stiffly for a moment, but then his arms slowly came around me, and he hugged me back. I held him tight, trying to swallow the lump of cotton in my throat, my head on his shoulder, my eyes squeezed shut.

"Don't ever leave me again," I said in a tiny voice.

"I won't," he promised into my hair, sounding most un-Fang-like. "I won't. Not ever."

What happened to that promise?

I couldn't believe this. After everything that we've been through…everything!

Now this?

My eyes stung as I felt the all-too familiar rush of tears coming on. I hiccupped, I think, and crashed onto the deck, balling into the night.

I looked up into the tree-line, I don't know why, I just did.

Ohmygod.

Oh.

It must've been my eyes. I could've sworn I just saw Fang.

"Fang?" I croaked out in a whisper. I hadn't talked to anyone for days, my own voice surprised me.

But by the time I had stood-up, whatever was in the trees was now gone.

A/N: This story will go on! Keep reading!

~hawkstar2~