Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned in this. Not even Fang. He's Max's. And they're both James Patterson's. I only own the plotline. Not that anyone else would steal it…
"She approves," Fang said with a hint of amusement.
"Jeez," I wondered aloud, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
Eight years later…
The beach was glowing in the moonlight, the dark water shimmered as it lapped against the shore and Fang and I had the beach all to ourselves; the beach where Ari had beaten up Fang, and I had first kissed him.
We were fourteen again. And in my usual dream.
"This is nice," I said conversationally. Fang nodded.
"Yeah." He sat down on the sand and patted the sand next to him.
I smiled and took his offered seat as he stretched his midnight wing across my back.
He lifted my chin to face him and leaned in to kiss me—then my alarm went off.
I jolted upright in my double bed. My new Mickey Mouse clock was blaring at me. I grumpily slapped the 'snooze' button and collapsed back onto my pillow.
I turned my attention to my nightstand. A picture of Fang smiled at me while the mini calendar glared. There was a circled date, next to the crossed out one of yesterday.
April seventh. The day that the world was finally, totally saved. The day that the flock split up. The day we meet up at IHOP for lunch at noon every year.
I smiled at Fang's picture and swung myself out of bed, my wings dragging slightly behind me.
I glanced at my Mickey clock again; eight twenty.
Four hours till noon, so I mind as well go flying.
I changed quickly into my favorite blue shirt—it had wings on it—and my favorite pair of blue jeans, the ones with holes in the knees, and jumped out of my window feeling the cool wind throw my hair back and fuel my flight.
At noon, I dropped down behind IHOP. I straightened my shirt, and ran my fingers through my hair. My wings flapped once more to cool off and folded neatly against my back.
I walked in through the front door and was greeted by Jesse, a friend of Fang's, who worked part-time at IHOP.
"Hey, Max." He said cheerfully. "The usual booth?" I nodded.
"The annual meeting." I said simply. He nodded. Like with Fang, you didn't have to say much for him to understand.
"How's Grace?" I asked. He blushed slightly.
"She's good. We split up last week though," He said sadly. "I'm okay though. Fang wanted to let you know that he was okay, in case I ran into you. He also gave me this." He handed me a slip of paper.
"Thanks."
"No prob." He pulled out his order pad. "Now, you want root beer with a shot of sprite, right?" I smiled and nodded.
"I've been here too much if you can already tell me what I'm going to order."
He smiled. "Nah, I just got a good memory." He said tapping his pen to his forehead.
Fang walked over and sat down.
"Hey, Jesse. Pepsi?" Fang said casually as he draped an arm across my shoulders.
"Knew it. I already had it down. I'll be right back." He turned toward the kitchen and tilted his head just enough that only I could see his wink.
I grinned back.
"So," Fang said. "Has it really only been a year?" He asked rubbing my shoulder.
I leaned into him. "Yeah. It felt like forever though. We need to set up more get-togethers." He grinned.
"It felt like a couple of months to me, but then, I was constantly working."
This caught my attention. He worked usually from nine to three, which left him a lot of free time. "Oh?"
"Yeah, I got another job. I'm working a shift at the bookstore down the street and at the police station."
"Bookstore?" I choked back a giggle.
"Yes, bookstore." He rolled his eyes. "I get free coffee and the pay's good." Of course. Fang's a coffee addict.
Just as I opened my mouth, a girl with blond curls sat next to me and gave me a big ole bear hug.
"Angel!" I managed. She took the hint and backed off a little. "Good to see you too! But if you want to see me again, don't suffocate me." I said with a smile and rubbed her back.
"I'm so happy to see you! Its been too long." She said smiling, well, angelically at me and Fang.
"Gazzy got his license. He drove me here." She said as a tried looking blond teen plopped down onto the bench.
"I hate driving." He muttered.
"Gazzy! You're all grown up!" I said as Angel scooted out of the booth to let me out. "Let me see how tall you've gotten." I dragged him onto his feet and he smiled.
"Nice to see you too, Max. But can I just sit?" I shook my head and slipped my boots off. He saw where this was going and slipped his own shoes off and stood up straight. He was taller by an inch and a half.
"Holy crap!" I said slipping my boots back on. "When'd you get so tall?" He shrugged and plopped back on the bench.
I slid in next to Fang.
"Haven't changed a bit have you, Max?" He asked. I noticed his voice was deeper.
"Nope." I said as a slender girl walked past our table, did a double take and walked back.
"Angel? Gazzy?" She said.
"Nudge!" Angel said and tackled her. Nudge staggered back a half step and giggled.
"You act like you haven't seen me in forever!" She said prying Angel off her. Angel landed back on the bench and Nudge sat down.
"You wouldn't believe what happened." Nudge started. Jesse came over with five drinks. My root-sprite combo, Fang's Pepsi, Angel's favorite fruit punch, Gazzy's Mountain Dew and Nudge's raspberry iced tea. I stared at him in amazement.
"You do have a good memory." I said and he laughed.
Then a red headed twenty year old sat down next to Fang. I would have called him Iggy, but Iggy doesn't have glasses—or an engagement ring for that matter.
"Hey Max, Fang, Nudge, Angel, Gaz." He said meeting our eyes one at a time. "Good to see you."
"Iggy? Since when have you had glasses?" Fang asked.
"Since I had my eye surgery." He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his slender nose.
"I have some news too!" Nudge said and shared a look with Iggy. He nodded and Nudge held up her hand. She was wearing a ring.
"Iggy proposed!" She squealed. I smiled. Angel flipped out.
"I'm so happy for you! When are you getting married?" Angel said.
Nudge beamed as much as she could. "On Saturday." She said happily.
"Three days? Shouldn't you be preparing for it?" I asked and she shrugged.
"It's a small ceremony. We already did a dress rehearsal. We're working on the decorations, at the moment. But, those can wait for our annual." She smiled at me.
"You really didn't have to come…" I started, but Nudge gave me a look. "But we're glad to see you." I finished. Fang grinned at me like: Nice save. I stuck my tongue out at him and he winked.
I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the flock. "Now, any news? Mutant-wise?" I asked. Angel bounced with excitement.
"I can block out the mind-reading thing! And I got more shape-shift things!" She said excitedly. I opened my eyes wide. Angel had been practicing.
"And if anyone cares, I can go completely invisible. While moving." Fang said. I gave him my trademark: Yeah, right, look. And he gave me his: Why-does-nobody-take-me-seriously look.
"I can levitate things!" Iggy said and stared at his fork. It conspicuously rose half a foot into the air, when Fang grabbed it.
"Great. Iggy has telekinesis." I sighed. I looked at the half-asleep Gazzy next to Iggy.
"Gazzy!" I said sharply. He didn't move. Instead, a person touched my shoulder. But when I spun around, no-one was there. I glared at Fang.
"What'd I do?" He asked.
"You poked me." I said. He looked confused. Really, honestly confused. I looked over toward Angel.
"Gazzy can have out-of-body experiences." She said simply. "It's another power."
"I haven't developed anything." I muttered. "I just can fly really fast. And breathe underwater. But we can all do that." I said. Jesse came by to take our orders, and gave Iggy his coke-sprite-root beer drink.
I guess he really does have a good memory.
And we have a Niggy story!
Iggy: -snores-
Alex: You gonna make him read it?
Fang: She made me. -glares at me-
Felix: I kind of like it.
Alex: You know what I like more? That one angel story with Aaron and Camael where Camael gets addicted to French fries. That was funny.
Felix: And it was in the novel. Just imagine what Fanfiction could do to manipulate that!
Me: Yeah! I'll write that next. After the next chapter of Mission Impossible of course.
Felix: Of course.
Fang: Just &!&! post already.
R&R for Fang-censor support.