The Choice by Supergirrl

Okay, this is my newest Mari oneshot. It's basically the ending scene from the Phantom of the Opera movie(Which is a nice movie, and the Leroux novel is also amazing), written with MR characters. Fang is Raoul, Max is Christine, and Ari is Erik. Well, I hope you all like it, and reviews are appreciated greatly. Flames will be laughed at. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.

"Ari, don't do this. Please."
He ignored Max, instead, turning back to his prisoner. Fang was tied to the wall, easily restrained by heavy chains, with the gun in Ari's hand pointed at his head. With the pull of a trigger, Ari could end Fang's life, making everything perfect.
But of course, something had to interfere with the plan. Something had to stand in Ari's way.
This time, it was the reason he was doing all of this, the root of the problem, the catalyst of the entire situation.

Maximum. She was supposed to have fallen in love with him during her captivity, supposed to want him more than she did Fang, supposed to love him more than life itself. If things had gone according to the plan, she wouldn't have minded that he was now about to kill Fang, right in front of her. Instead, she had grown to hate him more than ever, and seemed to despise him right down to the core of her very being. But there was still a chance, still the feeble hope that she would come to love him.

However, if he killed Fang right now, she would hate him forever. Max loved Fang, and if he died at Ari's hands, she would blame him forever.
On the other hand, if Fang lived, Max would never be able to forget him, and could never give herself to Ari, mind, body, and soul, the way he needed her to. Also, Fang would keep coming back, keep trying to save her.
Ari couldn't kill Fang, but he couldn't afford to keep him alive, either.

His entire life with Max, the one he had fantasized about so many times, was running on a constant loop through his head. Waking up next to Max every morning, kissing her, feeling her shudder beneath him as she came, watching that beautiful, lithe little body dance for him, having those small hands rub his back and shoulders, hearing her scream out his name and beg for him to fuck her harder, having someone love him for the first time in his life. That could all be his, if he could just make the right choice, do the right thing.
He turned back to Max, who was staring at him reproachfully. The wedding dress he had found for her was stunning, clinging to her body, with the intricate beading and lace designs. It looked like it had been made just for her.
Her voice was laced with hatred as she said, "Ari, if you kill him, I'll kill myself. I'd rather die than live with you. I hate you, you asshole."
Ari smirked at her, "There's a way you can save him, Max. Marry me, and I'll let him go. Safe, free, and untouched. Just say the word, and he can live his life."

Fang, who had been silent, shouted, "Max, save yourself, don't marry him. I'm not scared to die, don't stay with him. Either way you choose, he'll win, just let me die, don't let him have you!"
Ari cut in, "You can't win this one, Maximum, give your life to me, or I kill him, right now, right here."
Max looked from Ari to Fang, then back again, clearly trying to decide between her own life and that of the person she loved most.
Ari hissed, "Time's up, Maxie. Make. Your. Choice!"
As Max walked slowly towards him, her eyes fixed on Ari, the hatred that filled her eyes only moments earlier had faded slightly, and when she spoke, her voice held undertones of pity, "You're a savage animal, but at the same time I wonder, what kind of life have you lived? Please, I need courage to show you, you aren't alone."
The partner of the golden ring he had on his own finger was lying in her palm, and she slid it onto her ring finger, the gold glittering in the faint light. He gave a slightly startled gasp.

And when she reached him, she pulled his face down, meeting his mouth in a kiss, the first of his life.
This kiss…it was unlike anything Ari had ever experienced. Her hands were soft on his cheeks, and her mouth was gentle, pressed up against his. He felt something poke at his lips, and without even thinking about it, opened his mouth, letting her tongue slide into his mouth.
God, this was perfect, better than he had imagined, better than his wildest dreams. She tasted sweet, and the warmth of her body against his was oddly soothing. He could hear Fang inhale sharply, but he didn't care, he had the love of his life kissing him, and that was all he ever wanted.
The kiss was wet, not because of their intense contact, but the tears flowing from his eyes, because Ari knew what this meant. Max had made her choice.
She pulled away, looking at him for a brief moment before he kissed her again, this time rougher, more passionate, trying desperately not to lose control. Max was so, so beautiful, so perfect, and he couldn't-Wouldn't- hurt her again.

It was, without a doubt, the best and worst moment of Ari's life.

She had kissed him. She had kissed him alive.

After a minute, Max broke the kiss, allowing Ari to trace his mouth over her face, exploring her with his lips and tongue. He wanted to memorize every one of her perfect features, so he could never forget any of this. He could taste his salty tears, mingling with her own, and licked them away, wanting to have a little bit of her to always remember.
Ari vaguely realized that Max had kissed him, not as pity or a bribe, but a real, true kiss, the first one of his life. And with a wave of pain, he realized that it would be the last.

Max was going to leave him. She had given him a tiny taste of what he wanted so badly, what he craved, and now she was going to take it away.
But Ari didn't have the heart to keep her with him, because he knew what the kiss had been for. She had shown him the love, the passion she held for Fang, and that he couldn't keep her with him, couldn't keep them apart. He just couldn't cause her that much pain.
He loved her too much.

She gave him a very small, sad smile, and that seemed to end it for him. Tears flowed freely down his face, and a sound that was both laughter and a sob escaped his lips as he pulled Max close to him, wanting to feel her one last time.

After a minute, he let go of her, and stumbled away, the gun on the floor and completely forgotten. He choked out, through his tears, "Take him, leave me, forget all of this. Forget about all that ever happened here, forget about Ari, the angel burning in hell. Just leave, please. Please!"
In a heartbeat, Max was at Fang's side, quickly removing the chains from him. The minute he was free, they hugged each other, and Max glanced back at Ari expectantly.
"Go now! Go now, and leave me!"
Without being told again, both of them ran for the door, still holding hands, not wanting to let each other go.
Ari staggered up, to the desk that held a Walkman. He quickly slid the headphones over his ears, and hit the play button.

Immediately, random snippets of speech flowed through his mind, all holding one thing in common: They were recordings of Max, talking. Her talking about everything and anything, just her voice, that was all that mattered to Ari.
He gave a start when he felt a light tap on his shoulder, and whirled quickly.
There stood Max, her mouth still looking oddly red from their kiss, wearing the wedding dress. Ari's heart nearly stopped; Had she really come back? Then, she slowly extended her palm, and opened her hand.
Inside it laid his ring, the one he had given to her. Their wedding ring.
Ari said softly, "Max, I love you?"
She gave a curt nod, seeming to say 'I know'.

Silently, she stretched out her other hand, and gently pried one of his fists open, dropping the ring into his hand. She held his hand with both hers, and brought it up to her own mouth, gently kissing it, before letting his hand slide from her own as she slowly backed away. When she was about ten feet away from him, she abruptly turned and bolted for the door, flashing out sight almost instantly. His heart sunk in his chest, plummeting down past his stomach. Max had to come back, had to give him back the ring, had to rub the salt into his wounds. God, why had she done that? Ari slowly dropped to his knees, then let himself fall to the floor, lying there, in complete surrender

He faintly heard the sound of wings flapping, knowing that Max and Fang were flying away. He would never see either of them again, even though Max's taste still lingered in his mouth. The pain was sharp and cold, like a lethal knife shoved through his heart. Ari didn't care about anything anymore, nothing mattered, nothing was worth it?

Ari didn't know how long he lied there, totally numb and devoid of all thought or feeling, before he heard the distant sound of a car engine. Many of them, from the sound of it.
It took him a minute to fully comprehend what was happening. The School had found out about his desertion and where he now was, and they had sent Erasers to bring him back to the School, either to be punished and sent back into work or to be executed. He didn't know how they had found him, maybe they had tortured Jeb into admitting the location of Ari's home, it didn't matter now.

He could hear bloodhounds barking, and the excited growls and shouts of Erasers, the sound of guns being loaded and walkie-talkies crackling. Sounds he could recognize anywhere.
The sound of a hunt.
Ari leaped to his feet, grabbing the recording of Max's voice and shoving it into his pocket. Picking up a large black bag, he moved quickly to the chest of drawers where she kept the few possessions she had during her imprisonment, stuffing whatever he could fit into the bag, wanting to have some memories to keep with him. He had her clothes, the blanket she seemed to like, her hairbrush, and the jewelry he had bought in an attempt to lure her to his side. Everything he needed.

Ari glanced towards the door. The horde of Erasers would be here soon. He had two minutes, tops.
He grabbed the gun lying discarded on the floor, and aimed it at one of the huge windows near the ceiling, shooting it. Still holding the bag and the gun, he made a clumsy take-off, and flew through the window, dodging the flying glass. Once he was outside, hovering above the building, he turned, and shot out another window, then another.
The shouts of the Erasers were very loud, and with one last lingering look at the place that had been his home for so long, Ari turned and flew away, into the night sky.

It's over now, the music of the night...

---

So...was it romantic and fluffy enough? I was really trying to make it good, and I hoped you all liked it!