Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of the characters. If you think that they do then you clearly need to get the facts straight: I don't own them. James Patterson does.

"You're not my dad anymore, Jeb," I said, putting as much annoying snideness in my tone as possible. "You're not responsible for me. I do what I like. I named myself- Maximum Ride."

"I'll always be responsible for you," he snapped. "If you think you're actually running your own life, then maybe you're not as bright as I thought you were."

"Make up your mind," I snapped back. Either I'm the greatest or I'm not. Which is it?"

He motioned with his hand, and the Erasers let me and Iggy go. Ari turned and smirked at me, then blew me a kiss.

I spit at him. "Daddy always loved me best!" I hissed, and his face darkened.

He took a fast step toward me, paws coiled into fists, but was pushed along by a rough, hairy wave of the other Erasers. They swept up and shuffled off around the large boulder at the end of our beach. Jeb was with them. No, he was one of them. –The Angle Experiment, pg. 370-371

After they were out of sight, I walked over to Fang, stumbling all the way. My shoulder was aching. As I checked Fang over, I felt his neck to make sure it wasn't broken. When I did turn him over, blood was coming out of his mouth.

"Fang, you have to wake up," I whispered. I couldn't lose him. I couldn't lose any of the Flock, but especially not him. He was my right wing man, my best friends. He and I connected on a whole new level. We just got each other. I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the others running over to us.

"He looks really bad," Gazzy said. "He should see a doctor."

Thankfully, nothing (except maybe his nose) was broken, but he was still out cold. I lifted his head and placed it on my lap to use as a makeshift pillow while I used my sweatshirt to clean the blood off his face.

"We could carry him, you and me," said Iggy, his pale hands gliding in the air just above Fang, finding and noting bruises, lumps, and blood.

"Where to?" I asked, bitterness ringing in my voice. "It's not like we can check him into a hospital."

"No Hospi'l " Fang mumbled, practically incoherent, his eyes still shut.

Relief pulsed through me. He was at least able to talk, even if he was almost incoherent.

"Fang!" I practically shouted. "How bad?" Concern was blasting through me again as I looked at the damage.

"Pre'y bad," he sounded fuzzy. He groaned as he turned to shift to one side.

"Don't move!" I told him. Despite my order, though, he moved his head and spat blood onto the sand. Raising his hand, he spit into it and hazily opened his eyes.

"Tooth," he grunted in disgust. "Feel like crap," he said, touching the knots on the back of his head.

"You look like a kitty cat." I made whisker motions on my face and tried to smile. He looked really P.O.

"Fang," my voice was breaking. "Just live, okay? Live and be okay."

I shocked myself, and others, with what I did then. Totally unimaginable! Could NEVER have happened. Then it did. I…kissed Fang. I kissed the others to, all the time, but not like this. I, with no warning to myself or others, leaned down and pressed my lips to his. It only lasted maybe five seconds, but it was the kind of kiss that young girls dreamed their first kiss would be like. It was magical and explosive, sweet and fast. The fast food of kisses. So good and ending so fast.

"Ow," he said. Ow. His best friend just kissed him and he says "Ow". He touched his busted lip and stared at me in shock. I put on a mask, that wasn't totally a mask, of shock.

As we stared at each other, and the others stared at me, a feeling rippled through me, then more. Shock. Embarrassment. Something else pulsed through me, a new feeling. I tried t identify it, but came up blank in the mental database. As I continued to look into his dark eyes, it came to me. Love. I was in LOVE with my BEST FRIEND.

The kids were gaping at me when I really looked at them. Thank God Iggy wasn't able to see that, he'd never let me live it down.

I shot up from where I kneeled by Fang and darted off. I ran until I couldn't see the Flock anymore.

I smacked myself. Why did I have to do that? Why couldn't I have just HUGGED him? That wouldn't have turned out as bad as this. Now it would be awkward between us. I leaned my head against a tree a mentally abused myself for my stupidity and acting without thinking. What if he didn't want to be around me anymore? What if he left the Flock because it was too awkward between us, because I KISSED him? So many different scenarios ran through my head and I sunk deeper into depression as the scenarios got worse and worse. I wished, then, that I had never figured out how I felt for him. That I had never kissed him, no matter how good it had been to me. If he left because of it, it wasn't worth it. I would rather have a one-sided love that he would never know of then have him leave because of the stupid kiss.

I didn't hear the footsteps approaching me; I doubt anyone could have heard them. He was to quiet even when he was as injured as he currently was. It was perfect for sneaking into ITEX or the School, but I hated it when he snuck up on me. Especially now. I wanted to mourn my never-to-be love in peace. By myself. No one else to see me in this state of weakness. It was as if I was telling him this with my mind.

I took in a slow breath. "Fang," I said as normally as I could.

"Max…"

"What do you want?"

"We need to talk." His tone gave nothing away, but his words did. He was going to tell me that he cared about me, but he didn't have any romantic feelings toward me. He was going to go through the whole speech, as much of a speech as Fang could do with his lack of more than two word sentences, of how we couldn't be together, how awkward it would be to try to be together in any way besides brother and sister or best friends. I don't think that I could handle the speech. I could always just save him the trouble give him an excuse to my freakish behavior.

"There's nothing to talk about," I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for the calm, relaxed tone.

"Max…" he actually sounded like he was trying to be stern!

"Fang…" I copied him with a smirk plastered to my face.

He didn't look like he believed the smirk was real. "You know we need to talk about what just happened,"

"Fang, there's nothing to talk about," I said evenly. "It was purely a reaction to the fact that you looked like death it's self. There's nothing else to it,"

He didn't look like he bought it for a second. "Really."

"Yes."

"So you kissed," I winced slightly, "me because it looked like I was dying? Even though I was talking to you only seconds before?"

I exploded. "What do you want me to say, Fang? Do you want me to say that I kissed you because I wanted to? That it was more than just an impulse? Or would you prefer I said that it was because I LOVED YOU," my voice had steadily risen throughout my short little rant, rising to a shout by the end. His face was frozen in shock. As realization dawned on me I clapped a hand over my mouth. Horror must have been written all over my face, but he was still frozen. I turned toward the ocean and did an Up and Away. My disappearance must have knocked him out of his spaced-outness because he shouted my name and leapt into the air to follow me. He really shouldn't be doing that when he's injured. The thought bounced around in my head for a few seconds before I turned and blasted toward him. I grabbed his arm and dragged him with me to where the kids were. I shoved him toward them and I saw Iggy catch him before I whipped around and went back to my original course.

"Max," Fang shouted. I didn't want to face him right now. I hadn't just KISSED him I had gone off and told him I LOVED him! How STUPID of me! Why couldn't I have just remained ignorant to my feelings? Silent tears streamed down my face. The blast of the wind against my face was the only thing keeping me from a tear drenched face. I flew at my fastest, 80 mph, and reached an island after about fifteen minutes of nonstop flying. I landed on the sand and sat in the shadow of one of the trees. I curled myself up as small as I could and images of Fang and I broke through my walls; stabbing at my heart.

Fang and I as neighbors in our cages.

Fang helping me free the rest of the Flock.

Fang giving me one of THOSE rare smiles; the kind that melts your heart from the beauty of it.

His smirk.

His quiet laughter.

Us flying together, our wings lightly brushing.

Him passing in front of the moon; wings shining a dark purple color like a raven's.

The kiss just now.

By the time I had snapped out of the memories, my face was drenched in tears. My throat dry and my nose about ready to start running. I could get scratched up, beaten up, and nearly killed with no problem, but the second I realize that my best friend, who I LOVE, might hate me now I start bawling my eyes out. Where was the tough Max when I needed her? Oh ya, curled up on the sand bawling her eyes out from the excruciating pain of the moment. I could picture how I looked. My eyes were probably red, cheeks wet from tears, dirt covering my body, clothes ripped from the attack, hair windblown and tangled, and blood oozing from cuts; overall pitiful in a curled up position.

If I had only listened, paid attention to my surroundings, I would have heard the slight rustle of leaves and twigs breaking as Fang walked up to me from behind. Since I didn't, though, his sudden appearance caused me to jump up from where I sat. I almost 'yelped' I was so surprised.

"Max…," he said; voice just above a whisper. I wouldn't look at him, wouldn't let him see the pain and tears in my eyes. "Max, come on. Look at me. Talk to me," he begged. I had never heard his say as much as he had to day. I also have never heard him beg; not even when the Whitecoats were sticking him with needles. This day was just FULL of surprises wasn't it.

His hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder. I flinched away from it as if he had burned me. He didn't remove his hand. No. He pulled me around to face him. I was strong, but he was still stronger than me. I didn't look him in the eye, not even when he put his hand under my chin and pulled my face around to look at him.

"…Max…" he said again; his voice lower than a whisper, floating on the breeze.

"…Fang," I started, voice cracking from the tears that had just stopped flowing. "I already know what you're going to say so don't waste your breath," I whispered in a low monotone.

"Just what do you think I was going to say, Max,"

"It's sort of obvious what you were going to say,"

"What was I going to say," he asked me. I felt a rant building up inside of me, but I held it back.

"You were going to give me The Speech"

"What speech"

That was it. Those were the words. Those words set me off before I could rein back my emotions.

"The Speech, Fang. The one where you say that what just happened shouldn't have happened. The one where you tell me that it would never work, that we should just be friends. The Speech that every girl knows is coming the second a guy wants to talk to her when something like what just happened happens. It always has the same concept, the same meaning, even if the words aren't always the same! It always goes one way: 'It shouldn't have happened' 'We should just be friends' 'It would never work that way between us'," Fang tried to interrupt me, but I pushed on, ignoring the tears that threatened to start flowing again. "After The Speech it always plays out the same! The attempt at trying to stay friends despite what happened between them, but only for them to start ignoring each other because it gets to be too awkward!" I finally took in a much needed breath after I finished. I really needed to stop doing that; pulling a Nudge.

He stood there, staring at me, for a moment before he clapped a hand over my mouth. "Wh ah eck are ooh oing," I shouted; muffled by his hand

"Max, do you seriously think that, that was what I was going to say,"

"…Es" I nodded slowly.

He shook his head. "That is defiantly not what I was going to say, Max"

"Ah, it as,"

"No, Max, it wasn't," he mumbled something under his breath.

I quirked an eyebrow up in silent question, I was getting tired of trying to talk through his hand.

"I said, 'Why do you have to be so beautifully stubborn now'"

Whoa. Wait, what? My eyes widened in shock. Did he just use the word 'beautiful' in reference to ME? I think I hit my head when I landed. Hard. That was the only explanation to what was going on.

"Max, you have no idea do you," he gave a small, frustrated laugh. "Of course not, this is you we're talking about. You're brain doesn't compute that kind of thing does it. Even if there were thousands of hints," he shook his head and sighed. My brain was, in one word, confuzzled.

Just when I thought this day couldn't get any stranger, Fang did something completely unexpected. He…pulled me to his chest in a tight embrace and kissed me. Shock. Confusion. That was just the beginning. My heart and mind were complete and utter turmoil.

His lips were soft against mine, light as a butterfly kiss. It only lasted a second but it was just as perfect as the one that we shared earlier. "Max, you have no idea how long I have wanted to do that." He whispered against my lips. His lips were pressed against mine again in a passionate kiss. My eyes drifted shut as I melted into his tender embrace. As a small sigh escaped my lips, he took the moment to sweep his tongue across my lip. Normally I would have been annoyed by the fact that he was the dominant one now, but instead I …enjoyed it. Who would have thought that the great Maximum Ride would enjoy letting someone else have power over her? I wanted to see his face. I opened my eyes and I swear my heart skipped a few beats. His near black eyes were still open. Our gazes locked and we gazed into each other's souls. I felt the need to breath and Fang must have read my mind because his lips left mine and left butterfly kisses down my throat.

My stomach was fluttering, I swear that there were butterflies in there, and my heart was thundering in my chest. I know my face was flushed and my lips felt bruised, bruised but happily so. I had to tell him, I know I shouldn't, but I had to. "Fang…"

He hummed against my throat in answer.

"Fang…I've fallen for you," I whispered.

His lips froze against my throat and his eyes darted up to mine. I felt regret and fear surge through my mind and body. 'He never said that he loved me, oh god! How stupid can I be? How could I have ruined this further,' I thought to myself. I don't know what he was looking for in my eyes, but he must have found what he was looking for. He wound his arms around my waist and brought his face up to mine; putting his lips to my ear.

"Maximum Ride, I've BEEN in love with you,"

So…What do you think?

Comments are GREATLY appreciated!