Oh.

My.

Gosh.

This is seriously the last chapter.

I can't believe it.

And guess what else?

I'm almost done writing the sequel.

Boo-yah!

So read, enjoy, soak it up-- but know it's not over, not just yet.

The first thing I saw, as the mountain house came into view, was the flock, hanging around in the yard. As I got closer, I saw that Fang was sitting on the front steps and the flock was playing with my kids. I smiled to myself, feeling my heart blow up with pride. Surely Fang had told them I was gone, and here they were, trying to distract my kids from it.

I landed quietly, ten feet away from the others, and stood silently, waiting to see who would notice me first. I expected Fang to-- he was always on guard, letting nothing get by him-- but he was staring at the ground with his head in his hands.

"Max!"

My eyes snapped away from Fang to the flock, and I saw the three younger kids rushing toward me with Iggy trailing behind them. I grinned and came forward, holding my arms out.

Nudge jumped at me from the front, squealing, Angel wound her arms around my waist, and Gazzy hugged my neck from the back. I held them close, fighting back tears.

"You were gone, and Fang has hardly spoken all day, well, even less than usual, and we were so scared, Max!"

"I know, Nudge," I said, smoothing down her wild hair. "It's okay."

"Hey," Iggy said, coming up and wrapping his arms around me quickly. "Where were you?"

"Details later," I told him, lightly squeezing his arm. The flock disentangled themselves from me, and I could see the yard again. First I saw my kids toddling over to me, and then I looked behind them and saw Fang, slowly standing up, his face incredulous.

"Mommy!" Gracie said, grabbing my leg. I knelt down to hug her, extending my other arm for Devin to run into. "Daddy said he lost you."

"Did he?" I asked, glancing at Fang again. He was walking toward us stiffly. Please forgive me, I thought. Please forgive me.

"Yeah, and he was sad," Devin said, burying his face in my neck. "He said he'd go find you, but then he couldn't."

Now a tear did creep down my face. I hated having to do this to my kids, my flock, Fang. I'd hurt them. What if I hadn't come home? Would they have been alright?"

Sniffling, I gently pried the kids off of me and stood up, locking eyes with Fang. We were about four feet apart, neither of us making a move to come forward. Finally, I asked, "Are you mad at me?"

For a moment, I thought he was going to say yes, and my heart sank. But then he shook his head, very slightly, and said, "I know you had to do it."

That was all I needed. To know he understood me through and through, just like always. I closed the distance between us and hugged Fang tightly, now starting to really cry. He cradled my head in his hand, stroking my hair and kissing it, his other arm in a deadlock around my waist.

"I was scared," he whispered in my ear.

I don't think I'd ever heard Fang say those three words in the same sentence. The fact that he'd admitted it showed that he really was. So I held him even tighter, whispering back, "I'm sorry."

"I was afraid you'd never come back," he went on. "And I was afraid of being a leader. And of being a dad alone. I can't do it without you, Max. I can't do anything without you."

I raised my head to look at him, taking in the tears in his eyes. This was Fang's most emotional display in-- well, ever. It was time to match it. "Well, you don't have to," I said, and kissed him.

The kiss was nothing short of amazing, joining us in a way I knew would never be broken. We stood in the yard, the autumn breeze whipping around us, kissing and holding each other like our lives depended on it. When we finally broke apart, though reluctantly, I swiped the hair out of Fang's eyes and finished what I'd started to say the previous night. "I love you, too."

He grinned, one of those rare ones, and pulled me in for another kiss. The flock was laughing happily, Gracie and Devin had wrapped their arms around my legs, and I was with the person I loved more than anything in the world.

There really was a Fang and I.

A me and him.

We had become a you and me.

Ta-da!

I'll put the sequel up in a few days. Not sure when quite yet. Soon, though. It's called Always You and Me.

Thanks, guys, for reading. Love you all! : )

One last review for this story? It'd mean a lot to me. : )