I pulled away from Fang, smiling. "I'm really glad to be back," I murmured, eyes at half-mast.

Fang leaned toward me again, capturing my bottom lip between his teeth a couple times as he talked. "I am, too. And you haven't repaid your debt to me, Maxie," He smirked at my content expression.

"Can't you let me sleep for one night?" I groaned quietly, my eyes closing. I felt his lips skim across my neck and bare chest, his body sliding lower, arms snaking past the sheets and to my legs, caressing me gently. I could feel myself enjoying it more and more, despite my exhaustion. "Guess not," I flipped us over so I was straddling his waist, my lips shoved against his. His laugh reverberated through his chest and to my hands where they were placed on his pecs.

"If I leave you alone, something might happen again. I'm getting my fill as much as I can," He mumbled against my working, sliding lips. I moved them to his jaw so he could talk and I could fully understand. He held me closer to him. "Max," I kissed past his neck. "Max," I ignored him calling my name again, thinking it was just pre-sex excitement. "Can you stop and look at me or did I make you too horny?" He chuckled when I looked up and glared at him. "I'm being serious: I want to talk to you,"

I pulled back a bit and stared at his face, starting to slide off him. His arms captured me to his chest, causing me to lay flat on him. I lifted myself onto my elbows on either side of him so I wouldn't accidentally hurt him. "What's wrong?"

Fang smiled, his fingers sliding soothingly through my hair, a the smile small on his face. I loved that smile- I definitely needed to see it more. "I don't think this is going to work,"

I blinked and backed away, tears immediately coming to my eyes. I tried hiding them but I could tell he saw them. I didn't bother to wipe them away and catch them before they fell. Luckily, though, they didn't fall- yet. I gave him my most devastating glare, the one that I only showed to those who betrayed me too much. I gave it to him once before: when he told me about New York the first time. But that had been mixed with sorrow so it had no effect. I had wanted to use it when he told me the second time about New York, just before I had been encarcerated almost two months ago. Was it two months ago? Anyway, I had been bawling too much and had been too angry to even think of using it. "You're breaking up with me?" So soon after being set free?

Fang flipped us over so he was on top. He rested his chin on my stomach, near my belly button. "No,"

"So, what are you saying exactly?" I stared at the ceiling, glaring and refusing to look at his little all-knowing smile. I couldn't believe he was doing it to me again! What the Frak?

...Yeah, I've been watching too much Battlestar Galactica...

"I'm saying that you and I," He kissed the skin of my stomach. "shouldn't be boyfriend and girlfriend," He dipped his tongue into my naval. "anymore." He nipped and kissed at it after he removed his tongue.

"Then knock it off. If you don't want to date anymore, then leave. I'm not about to become your fuck-buddy," And I want you gone while I cry...

All of a sudden, I felt something cold poking at my stomach. It startled me into looking down at him and I see his lips pecking at my skin, and every time his lips would touch down, I would feel that cold touch. I tilted my head in confusion. "Why are you so cold?" I whispered, my heart hammering in my chest.

He looked up at me, his mouth closed, lips pressed together tightly. "Hmm?"

"Why are your lips so cold?" I repeated. Why did it feel like my heart was dying? Why did I feel like going into cardiac arrest?

Fang dipped his head low again and pressed his lips to my naval again, the cold staying after he removed his lips and tongue. He looked up at me and smiled brightly at the look on my face: complete and utter shock and awe.

Sitting there in all its shiny glory was a simple silver ring. On the front, there were two silver hearts made from the band, connecting at the sides. On each side of the hearts, were three small diamonds, three-to-four diamonds handing from the insides of the two hearts. [Picture on profile] I looked up at his ecstatic face, understanding what my heart knew before my brain did.

"Fang?" My voice was so weak, so quiet... I could hardly recognize it.

His eyes twinkled. "Maximum Ride, you are the smartest, most talented, funniest, and bravest women I have ever met. You see the real me, you love Ella, and you survived through all these horrible memories I have put you through as well as others have. I want to make new memories with you and have them be good. I love your smile, your laugh, your touch, your smell, your face- but most importantly, I love you: as a person, with a personality that people envy and can only dream of having. I want to spend my life with you but I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore. I want to be more than that. What do you say? Will you spend your life with me?"

I bit my bottom lip, hiding my watery smile. I granted him one small, shaky laugh. "When did you get so romantic?"

"When I realized that any thing in any day could take you away from me. I don't want that happening to me... to us, again. I want to protect you any way I can." He leaned toward me and stole my lips with his own. "So, what do you say? You have yet to answer, you know,"

I pressed into the kiss harder, carefully slipping the ring onto my finger, holding his face to mine afterward. I flipped us over so I was on top once again. "I'll tell you later: we have more important things to do," I murmured quickly against his lips, adjusting myself so I was situated perfectly on his lap, my legs wrapped around his hips.

I could feel him smile against me.

Yeah... Life was definitely the best.

-!-

I looked up and saw Ella standing above me and the kitchen table, laughing silently. "What?" I mumbled, looking at her tiredly.

She shrugged. "Nothing. You just looked absolutely exhausted. That," she added. "and you burnt your toast, and you've got a whole thing of butter on it," she pointed to my breakfast.

I glared at the plate and slid it away from me, placing my head on the table where the place once sat. "Ugh,"

Ella sat next to me, laughing again, only outloud this time. "What's going on?"

"I can't move,"

"Cramps?"

"No: your uncle,"

Ella was silent and I peeked at her through my fingers. She looked disgusted. "Ew,"

I chuckled. "No, not that- well, yes, that, but I'm also exhausted because we were up all night talking, too. I think I got an hour of sleep,"

Ella smiled at me. "Well, you can take a nap, if you like, but Iggy, Nudge, Shannon, Richard, and the kids are coming over for dinner tonight, remember? You have to get cooking- and you need to look nice,"

"No sweats or tanks?"I pouted as she shook her head. "Fine. But I don't have anything to-"

"I made you something!" She smiled widely at me, running into her bedroom. I sat up straight in the chair, my back hitting the rest of it. She pulled a dry-cleaning/travel bag from her room. "This has everything inside. Now, what are you going to make?"

"Pot roast, in the crocpot. I just need to do the work now and it'll be cooking all day." I slowly stood, trying to carefully stretch. "Better get started,"

"Good luck," she smiled, setting the bag on the table, leaving the apartment. "I'm meeting some friends at the materials store. We're going to make some matching costumes for this party in a couple weeks,"

"Have fun!" I yelled as she shut the door, leaving.

Time to get started...

-!-

I winced, looking at myself in the mirror, wearing the clothes Ella made for me. Don't get me wrong, the clothes were fantastic: I just couldn't pull them off right. I heard people in the living room, greeting each other and laughing. Shannon and Richard had arrived with their kids along with Iggy and Nudge, Fang and Ella taking care of them as I got ready.

I was wearing a lace-up front blouse that was white on top with long sleeves, two buttons at my cleavage, and black on the bottom where the lacey bodice was. I had on grey-black slacks that folowed the curves of my hips and then flew down my legs into a slight flare cut. As a jacket, if we all went out later, was a Preen Line Biance cotton-blend blazer. Ella had worn this before, having gotten it from Lissa as a hand-me-down gift but it didn't work on her petite form. On my feet were high heeled ankle boots with peep toes and two small buckles on the side. I clipped my multi-chained feather necklace on, it sitting perfectly on my neck and chest with the shirt. I looked at my black cut-off watch on my wrist, seeing I could only hide so long before Fang dragged me out. I grabbed my rings and earrings, quickly slipping them on. My earrings were designed as zippers, the part where I would grab to zip something up. They were cool. And my rings were for my right hand, being for me pointer finger and my fourth finger. For the pointer finger, it was a TEM spoon ring, and for the fourth finger, if was a silver band that wrapped around my finger, disconnected, and looked like a skinny fang. [Picture on profile] My hair was laying flat with part of it tied together above the other half, just to keep it out of my face.

I left my room and smiled at everyone. Shannon squealed and ran over, tackling me with a hug.

"You look gorgeous!" She yelled, pulling back. "I'm so glad we could do this!"

I laughed. "Me, too, Shannon; me, too." I clapped my hands together once to get everyone's attention, especially the little kids'. "Who's ready to eat?"

As we all made our way to the kitchen table, Fang slid his hand in mine, winking at me when he caught my eye. His kissed my cheek and squeezed my hand, the ring on my finger being purposely brushed by his thumb lovingly. I smiled.

I just couldn't wait for the rest of my life with my family- my whole family.

Well, this is my last chapter! So sad to see this story end! :'( Anyway, let me know what you thought of this chapter and/or whole story in a review! :3 I'm onto bigger and better things. I'm going to start typing up chapters for Rockstar Blues and We Can Fly: a new MR fanfic and then a sequel to YEGMW/IGYW. And THEN I'm going to type up Bound, an InuYasha fanfic. But before that, I'm going to reconstruct Roommates, a PPG fanfic. :)

Love you all and please review!

~AmyKatherine