AN: Hello people! I don't know how well this story will go, but that's why you guys need to review, so I can know how I'm doing. I don't own MR.
"Excuse me," I said to one of the students that passed by me, "do you know a Max Ride?" I asked.
The girl looked me up and down before answering. "Yeah…she used to be my roommate, but she has her own house now. There wasn't enough room for all of us." she said.
"All of you?" I asked, confused.
The girl nodded. "It was me, her, and her two twins." she said. "It's hard for her to raise the kids and try to finish college, but she's doing it. They have wings like she does, so it's even tougher." She studied me for a minute. "You're Fang and the flock, right?"
"Uh…yeah." I said, surprised.
It must've showed on my face because she said, "Max has told me a lot about you guys. I'm Bailey, by the way."
"Did she tell you how she abandoned us?" Iggy asked bitterly. Let me explain. Four years ago, Max left us. Me and her had been sixteen, dating for two years. It was actually because Itex and Mr. Chu had started getting stronger, and finding us more often. Max left because they wanted her. She left to protect us.
She willing let Itex take her and experiment on her. We'd all understood this, and forgiven her, even if we thought it was a stupid decision. What we couldn't understand was that we'd figured out that she'd brought down both Itex and Mr. Chu a four years ago. But she hadn't come back. She'd gone to college instead. Luckily, Jeb had found a way to get rid of our expiration dates before she left. If not, she'd probably already be dead. It was painful, but worth it.
Bailey instantly got defensive. "No, but she did tell me about how she left to protect you guys. You don't understand. Max is terrified." she said.
"Terrified of what?" Nudge asked, shocked. "Max isn't afraid of anything."
"She's afraid of you guys." Bailey replied. I saw the hurt and confusion pass over every face. Iggy opened his mouth to defend us, but Bailey pressed on. "She's been trying to work up the courage to find you guys, but she can't. She's terrified of what you guys would say or think. She's afraid of rejection. It practically killed her to leave you guys. And it kills her to know that she can and should go back. But what scares her is the fact that she's afraid you'll hate her. That you won't understand.
"It's been hard on her. Between the twins and her school work, she gets barely two hours of sleep. You guys were the thing that kept her going. She knew that you depended on her. That's what kept her going through all of the experiments Itex performed on her. Now, she'd probably give up if it wasn't for the twins. Don't judge her until you've been in her shoes."
Suddenly, Max came up with two kids. She had gotten a little taller. She looked worn out, but she was still beautiful. And I was still head over heels for her. Her dirty blond hair was up in a ponytail, and she had simple T-shirt and blue jeans on. One kid was on her back (It must've been killer on the wings, but she used to do it for Angel. I guess she must be used to it.) and the other held her hand. Her books were under her other arm. She had dark circles underneath her warm, chocolate brown eyes, but she was smiling at the little girl that was talking in her ear (the one on her back).
The girl had blonde hair and brown eyes. Max's hair and eyes. She was cute. The kids couldn't have been older than three. Jeans and a T-shirt that read, "My halo is held up by my horns" with a little picture of an angel with devil horns on it (is it wrong that that shirt reminded me of Angel?). She was talking excitedly to Max, her eyes shining.
The little boy was holding her hand. He had the same blonde hair and brown eyes that his sister did. He was looking up at Max, quietly listening to the two girls. He was dress completely in camaflouge, from his hat to his sneakers. He was smiling, and seemed just as excited as his sister.
"Max, over here!" Bailey called. She shot us a look and added, "You better be nice to her."
Max walked over, then stopped and stared at us when she was ten feet away. I saw fear enter her eyes, but it only lasted a split second before she hid it. But she couldn't hide her shock. Both kids were giving her a confused look. "What's wrong, Mommy?" the little boy asked.
His voice seemed to snap her out of it. "Nothing, Tyler." she said quietly, still looking at us. I saw anger flash in Iggy's eyes. I barely had enough time to think, Uh-oh, before he stalked up to Max and punched her so hard her head snapped to the side and she stumbled back.
Bailey looked enraged, the flock looked shocked, and the little boy and girl burst out crying. But then they did a very Max-like thing. The little boy launched himself at Iggy, his little fists connecting with Iggy's legs. The girl joined him as soon as she had scurried off Max's back.
Max wrapped an arm around each of their waists, pulling them off of Iggy. I could tell she was ticked. "Look, I know I deserved that, but could you at least have done it away from the kids?" she asked Iggy.
"I don't care! You left us on our own!" he growled.
"Don't yell at Mommy!" the boy shouted.
"Yeah! You're just a big meanie!" the girl added.
"What were you thinking?" Bailey said. "What part of 'You better be nice to her' did you not understand?"
This, of course, started a yelling war. Even Total got into it. I was glad we'd waited until after school. No one was around to watch this. "ENOUGH!" Max bellowed, shutting all of us up. She sighed and rubbed her temples, no doubt a migraine already coming. "Let's go to my house. We can talk, or yell, there. Just follow me."
She walked up to a brand-new, awesomely black Mustang. At what I'm sure was my impressed/shocked look, Bailey said, "Jeb bought Max a new car and house. Her pride wouldn't let her ask for or accept help. He had to buy both behind her back. She still almost said no."
I nodded. "Sounds just like her." I said, walking to the van we'd come in. Bailey went to a blue Caliber that was parked beside Max's car.
When the rest of the flock, minus Max, of course, was in the car, I said to Iggy, "You shouldn't have done that."
"I know." he replied. "I let my anger get the best of me."
"Sometimes, you just have to forgive and forget Iggy. You should've listened to her thoughts when she first saw us. She was so happy to see that we were okay, but at the same time she was terrified of what we'd say. Hardly anything scares Max, and never that bad." Angel said.
"It's ironic that the people she loves the most are the things that scare her the most." Gazzy commented.
Nudge nodded. "I can't believe she has twins! And trying to go through college! I mean, I'd crack under all that pressure! Fang? I think that we should all transfer here. You know, to be closer to Max. I think we should forgive her and accept her back." she said.
I nodded. "I can't believe it either, so would I, and I agree. Besides, it would give us all a fresh start. A new place."
"And the flock will finally be back together." Angel said.
Max pulled into a street and I followed her. I whistled when I saw her house, impressed. It wasn't a house. It was a mansion. I got out of the car and walked up next to Max, still looking at the house. "Nice place." I said.
Max rolled her eyes. "You haven't changed." she said.
I grinned. "Actually, I do talk a lot more."
"Huh." Max said, obviously not believing me. The boy took her hand and sent me a death glare, so like Max it was almost not funny. Almost. I chuckled and looked at Max. "They act exactly like you do." I said.
Max frowned and looked down at the twins, the girl having grabbed her other hand while I was talking. "I don't think that's a good thing. I'm a short-tempered and…kinda violent person." she replied.
"Kinda?" Bailey asked. "You just boxed a guy out two days ago!"
"Well, he made a very sexist comment and touched me in a very inappropriate place! What did you expect me to do?" Max defended.
"He touched you where?" Iggy growled. Every last one of the flock looked ticked, and even Total and Akila growled.
"I'll bite his ankles off." Total growled.
"Huh. So you go from being ticked at me to being overprotective of me." Max said. She looked us over and shook her head. She looked at Bailey and added, "And I thought I was the one who had lost the little sanity I had."
"Well, we decided that we were cool. And we're all going to transfer down here!" Angel said, excited.
Max smirked, picking up both of the twins. "Looks like someone missed me." she said, walking inside.
"Same old Max. You have too much pride to show when you're really happy." Bailey said, shaking her head and smiling.
Max rolled her eyes, but then she smiled at us. An actual, genuine smile that took my breath away, and lit up her face and eyes. Everyone seemed just as shocked as I did, except the twins. Max rolled her eyes again and looked down at them. "And they wonder why I don't show my emotions." she said, grinning.
The twins returned her grin, the girl giggling and the boy giving Max a hug (although I'm sure they didn't get her joke). Max's grin grew, and her face softened. "By the way, this is Tyler and Taylor." she said, looking at me. "So you can stop calling them 'the boy' or 'the girl'."
"Angel!" I said. "You need to stay out of my head!"
Max smiled and put the kids down. They immediately ran to the door. "Mommy, can we play dolls?" Taylor asked.
"Action figures." Tyler corrected.
Bailey rolled her eyes. "Because, you know, real men never play with dolls."
"Yep." Tyler said.
"I agree." Iggy said. "Action figures all the way."
Max rolled her eyes at all of us, then gave the kids an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry guys. I have homework to do." she said to the kids. Then her eyes lit up. "But I'm sure Angel, Bailey, and Nudge will be happy to play dolls with you."
Angel and Nudge grinned at each other. It turned gentler when they saw that the twins looked a little nervous. "Don't worry." Angel said. "We're fun."
Nudge nodded and grinned. "Yeah. We'll make sure that you're thoroughly entertained." The kids looked confused.
"You won't get bored playing with them." Max clarified.
Taylor and Tyler both hugged Max at the same time. "Love you!" they both said.
Max's face softened and she returned their hug. "Love you too." she said before they ran off into the house.
"How old are they?" I asked after everyone had gone inside.
"Three. Their good kids." she said. "I just…wish I could be there for them more. I'm swamped with college work and it's just…too much sometimes." she said. "I want them to be happy."
"They are happy." I said. I hesitated a moment before saying, "We…need to talk."
She took a deep breath before saying, "About what?"
"Max…" I reached out and grabbed her hand. She stiffened, like I'd expected her too, but surprised me by relaxing. I stepped closer to her, so I was looking right down at her. "Nothing's changed." I said quietly. "I still love you, and I still want to be with you."
She stiffened again, and broke my gaze. "Max, please…at least look at me." I said, and, despite my efforts, heard the desperateness creeping into my voice.
She didn't look at me, but she did wrap her arms around my torso and bury her head in my chest. "You don't know how much I've missed you." she murmured.
I wrapped my arms around her. "Max? Do you love me?" I asked quietly. I wondered if she wanted to run. Just fly away like she did before we dated.
Max looked me in the eye and nodded. "Of course I love you." she replied.
I rested my forehead against hers and took a deep breath. "So, you want to go out with me?" I asked.
She smiled and softly kissed me. "Maybe later. I've still got homework." Max murmured against my lips before pulling away, flashing a grin at me, and walking into her house.
I found Nudge, Angel, and Bailey playing dolls, I mean, action figures with Tyler and Taylor. They really were cut kids. If I ever married Max, I guess they'd have to call me dad. I actually kind of liked the sound of that. I found Gazzy, Iggy, Total, and Akila in the kitchen.
"Yo." I said. Iggy nodded.
"You know, I was thinking, maybe Akila and I can watch the twins while Max goes to her classes. Bailey just told us that Max takes the kids to class with her. That can't be easy for her, or very fun for the kids." Total said, drinking what looked like a Sprite with a straw.
I rolled my eyes. "I don't think Max wants you in charge of her kids." I said. This, of course, turned into an argument, which lasted about fifteen minutes. We talked for another twenty before we were interrupted.
"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I drew!" Taylor yelled, running past us with a paper in her hands. Bailey was following her.
"What happened to dolls?" I asked her.
She shrugged. "They're a lot like Max. They aren't entertained by one thing for very long." she replied. "Besides, they're still at the age when a drawing takes about five seconds to do."
I followed her and Taylor to Max's room. Max was sitting at her desk, focusing hard on her work. But when Taylor came up to her, Max immediately gave Taylor her full attention. I could see what her priorities were. Her kids first, herself later. Just like with the flock.
"Mommy, I drew this for you!" Taylor said excitedly, handing Max the paper.
Max looked at it and her face softened. She smiled at Taylor and kissed her forehead. "It's beautiful." she replied. Taylor grinned. Max glanced at me, then back at Taylor. "Ask Fang to put it on the fridge." she said.
Taylor nodded and gave Max one last hug before coming up to me and holding out the picture. "Taylor, use your words." Max said. "That's why God gave you a mouth."
"Will you hang this up?" she asked.
Despite my efforts, my usual tough guy face melted right off. I smiled. "Sure." I replied before looking at Max. "Both of them talk…really well for three-year-olds."
Max nodded. "They're a lot smarter than your average three-year-old. Just like the rest of us bird-kids. As long as the word isn't too big, they can pronounce it just fine." she said.
"Do they have any powers?" I asked.
Max smirked. "They're both mind readers. And they can shape shift into the bird that they are. They're both falcons. Although, their wings do look different." She said the last part thoughtfully.
"Of course." I called over my shoulder, following Taylor into the kitchen. "No two birds' wings look alike. They may look similar, but not the exact same."
Max nodded and turned back to her work as I walked into the kitchen. I picked up one of the letter magnets and put it on the front of the fridge. I looked closely at the picture and smiled. It was a picture of her, Tyler, and Max. Max was in the middle holding both of their hands.
I looked down the hall at Max again. She was rubbing her forehead as Bailey tried to explain something to her. I could tell Max was getting frustrated. She look tired. And skinny. Well, skinnier than usual. I'd have to make sure she was eating right. Then something hit me.
I quickly walked into Max's room. "Max, did you get rid of the kids' expiration dates?" I asked.
Max nodded. "Yeah." She looked back at me raising an eyebrow. "You don't really think I'd forget that detail, do you?" I didn't bother to answer that. Max smirked. "Is that all you needed?"
I nodded. "Unless I can help you with your homework." I said.
Bailey smirked. "I don't think so." she said. "Max learns faster than the rest of us. She's not even in the same classes as the rest of us."
Max shrugged. "Jer usually comes to help, but…" she trailed off and had that I've-said-too-much look on her face.
"But what?" I asked, suspicious.
Bailey rolled her eyes. "He was the one that said stuff to her and touched her in an inappropriate place, as Max says. It was when he was tutoring her. Max almost killed the guy."
I snorted. "Good. The guy couldn't have been in advanced classes. He'd have to be retarded to try that kind of crap with Max."
Bailey nodded. "I think he was." she said, giving Max an I-told-you-so look.
Max rolled her eyes. "Alright, so it wasn't my best decision. Sue me." she muttered. She turned back to her homework, adding, "Now get out of here. Dinner's at seven."
I took the obvious dismissal and walked through the house, trying to find something entertaining. I walked up the stairs and opened the first door I saw. The walls were painted black with dark blue, red, green, yellow, and orange splashes of paint on them. There was a book shelf full of books, fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, etc, etc. There were also college books thrown in there, so I'm guessing this was Max's room. Not your average mom-room, that's for sure. There was a walk-in closet, a connected bathroom, a desk, complete with laptop, and, surprisingly, musical instruments of all shapes and sizes.
I walked out of that room and into the one across the hall. This room was pained dark blue. There were all kinds of toys strewn across the floor. Stuffed animals, some dragons, knights, action figures, etc. There were even some toys from that new movie. Training Dragons or something. Angel and Gazzy had made us watch it. It was alright, I guess.
So, this is Tyler's room, and that was Max's room…so…this one must be Taylor's room, I thought, opening the door next to Tyler's room. Sure enough, It was Taylor's room. But I was pleasantly surprised. Her room wasn't covered in pink. It was actually a very light blue. There were dolls and stuffed animals everywhere. It kind of reminded me of Angel's old room.
"Taylor is a lot like me too. Bailey had to force her into a sundress a couple days ago. She did it when my back was turned, so I didn't know until we had to leave. She wasn't happy." a voice said behind me. I jumped and spun around, only to find Max there.
"How did you know I was up here?" I asked, frowning.
She shrugged. "The others said they didn't know where you went. I figured you were exploring. If you wait until after dinner, I'll give you guys the full tour." she said, smirking at my impatience.
"I was just trying to find something to entertain myself with." I replied.
Max looked thoughtful. She pointed down the hall, which turned a corner. "Turn down that hallway and go into the second door on your left. I'm sure you'll find something to entertain yourself with in there." she said. "I've got to finish my homework. Just don't break anything." She kissed my cheek and went back towards the stairs. I just grinned like an idiot.
AN: Alright guys, review and tell me what you think! And if you have any ideas, they will be carefully considered.