I am outside
And I've been waiting for the sun
And with my wide eyes
I've seen worlds that don't belong
My mouth is dry with words I cannot verbalize
Tell me why we live like this
-We Are Broken, Paramore

Maximum Ride was dying.

She lay on a hotel bed, her lips blue and her cheeks a stark white that Fang had only seen on . Fang sat in a chair, her cold hands in his. Angel was perched on the floor, Total sitting silently in her lap. Both their cheeks were filled with tears.

Nudge, for once, said nothing. She sat at the foot of the bed, her fingers twisting the fabric of the blankets. She couldn't touch anyone. When Angel had started to cry, she hugged her and almost passed out.

Iggy and the Gasman were muttering quietly to each other, lacking their usual animation. Without even hearing them, he knew they were dry words, sad attempts at brightening their spirit. Their voices were monotonous, their eyes dead. Iggy stared straight ahead at nothing in particular, his sightless eyes hollow.

This shouldn't be happening, Fang thought, things shouldn't be this way. He couldn't lead them. He couldn't comfort them. He couldn't do this.

But he had to. He was their leader now.

He could feel Max's hand getting limp, the squeeze she used the last of her strength on slacking so it just hung loosely in his.

He remember telling them, the Flock, that they had too say goodbye. They didn't understand at first. Max was invincible to them. She would never go anywhere. She was indestructible. She'd be around for a long time, they thought. That's not how Fang saw it. He saw a fourteen year old girl who'd seen too much with little to show for it except five starving children running for their lives. He saw someone who desperately wanted someone to take care of her for once, someone who wanted to wake up in a normal room in a normal house with a normal life, but would never admit it. He saw someone who just needed him to tell her what a good job she does, how much she means to people, how much she means to him. But he never did, and she never knew, and she'll die thinking she failed them.

Angel whimpered, and Total nuzzled his nose into her shirt. "Its getting fuzzy." she said quietly, looking up at him with wide, red brimmed eyes. Fang looked at Max with grim curiosity. Her eyes were open, staring at him through the fluttering lashes. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

"She says she loves us." he distantly heard Angel say. He gripped her hands tighter. For the first time he let tears roll down his face and drip onto his shirt, not caring who saw.

"She says to take care of us." Angel said to Fang, her voice high and cracking, a choked sob interrupting the sentence. He heard Nudge whimper, and Gazzy and Iggy get up to face the lump in the bed. Fang couldn't help but wonder what he would do with her...after. He wouldn't just dump her in an alley. She deserved a burial. A funeral.

"Stop it, Fang." Angel whimpered, her hands going up to her ears, shaking her head and leaning her it in. She buried her face in Max's shoulder.

"It's okay..." Max whispered, "It's going to be okay..."

Fang noticed her head sink deeper into the pillow. Not long now.

Gazzy appeared at his side, taking the hand he wasn't holding. Iggy followed, his sightless eyes looking down at her. Fang realized with a clenched heart that the last visual image he'll have of Max is her screaming his name as he's carted off to surgery in the School.

"Fang..." Max said, her faint voice urgent, "Fang..."

Fang felt tears well in his eyes. He ran a hand through her hair, "I'm right here Max. Just..." How does one put it? "Just go to sleep." Oh, yeah, that's comforting, Fang berated himself.

"Fang..." she said again. Her chest heaved, desperately searching for one more breath of air.

"I love you." was all she said. He felt her squeeze his hand with her last surge of energy, and then, she was gone. Her body sunk into the mattress, her hand went limp in his, and her skin grew suddenly cold. It wasn't Max anymore. It was a doll, completely devoid of life. A porcelain doll who had been broken too many times.

Fang finally lost it. The tears he'd been holding back finally fell, and a choked sob burned through his chest. He knew the others were crying, some more then others, but they were crying. It was a murmur through his ringing ears. Max was dead. Max was dead and he let her go. He let her die without telling her he loved her.

His shoulders trembled with silent sobs, the most emotion he had shown in his entire life. He loved her, and he never said anything.

"I love you too, Max" he whispered, a hand on her lifeless head, "I always will."

A/N Ooooooh, corny much? "I always will" God, Fang, you romantic fool. Special thanks to Raye Sun for beta-ing. :P.