Mooney Falls:
Author Note: This fic contains some spoilers from, Max: A Maximum Ride Novel, Read at your own risk. This is my first Maximum Ride fanfic.
Oh my goodness, I read the first book back when it first came out in 2005, and then read the second book in 2006. I only reciently discovered that there were 3 more books written, when I saw that they turned the series into a Manga. ^_^ I just finished reading the 5th book this week and can't wait for the next! Until then, though, I needed some FAX! Yeah!! Fang & Max Forever!
Disclaimer: Maximum Ride belongs to James Patterson. I do not claim any rights to any of these characters or to the original story.
"I'm really sorry about this, Max. Could you please take care of the kitchen for me?" My mother asked as she got into her car. I was standing by the door of her house, watching. My mom, being a veterinarian, had just received a call from a client. It was Sunday morning and the animal hospital was closed, but the client's dog was having her puppies, and there seemed to be complications. Mom was on her way to the client's house now.
"Are you sure that you should be going, Mom?" I asked out of concern. For those of you who may not be up and up on the latest happenings of yours feathery and the flock, let me quickly explain.
You see, last month, my mother was kidnapped by Mr. Chu, a man who wanted mom to disband the CSM, the Coalition to Stop the Madness. Of course, I came to the rescue, with the flock, the U.S. Navy, and the Krelp. Don't ask about the Krelp. Trust me; you really don't want to know. My skin crawls just thinking about them. They were only the most grotesque, mutated by radiation, sea life that you'll ever see. Yet, they did help me and Angel to rescue my Mom.
Mom was in really bad shape when we found her. In fact, she's only been out of the hospital for a week. I didn't think it was a good idea for her to be going to work already. The doctors had instructed us to make sure she got plenty of rest and that she ate and drank plenty of fluids. If you haven't guessed, by now, the flock and I are at my mom's home in Arizona, specifically to carry out the doctor's orders.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," my mother answered me. She was now sitting in the driver's seat, looking out the open car window at me. "I won't over do it," she promised. "I'll only be delivering puppies," she added, as if it was the easiest job in the world to be a midwife for a dog. Well, maybe it was, compared to being a midwife for a human, but I really wouldn't know. I was born in a test tube, remember. Yep, that's me; the mutant bird kid, super Max, 98% human 2% bird.
I watched as mom backed out of the driveway and waved as she drove off; so much for spending the day together. The rest of the flock had made plans for the day, trying to give me some alone time to spend with my mom. Despite mom's continued efforts to talk all of us into living with her and Ella, my half sister, I didn't want to take the chance of putting them in danger. I was planning to give the orders for an up and out in the next couple of days; as soon as I was convinced that mom would be ok.
I went back inside and made my way to the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, I gaped in horror; it was a mess in here. Dishes from breakfast were piled in the sink, the stove top needed to be cleaned, the table needed to be washed, and the garbage needed to be taken out. I made a mental note to lecture the flock about picking up after themselves. We all know that I'm not the best housekeeper in the world. When it comes to fighting and survival, I was set and ready to go, but I really hated doing housework.
Perhaps you're wondering where Ella is? "Since I get mom to myself all the time, I'm going out with everyone so that you can spend more time with her," she announced this morning at breakfast, referring to going out with the flock. She was out there flying somewhere with my flock while I was stuck inside, cleaning. How is she flying, you ask? Oh, she had talked Iggy into carrying her; imagine that.
I retrieved the I-pod that mom had bought for me and the flock, and returned to the kitchen. If I had to be stuck cleaning, I would have to do it with some tunes to listen to. At least, that way, it seemed to take less time. Recently, I discovered that I really liked the band, Nickleback. I adjusted my I-pod to play their latest CD, Dark Horse, and set to work.
While I cleaned, I jammed to the music. Thankfully, no one else was home, because I was acting pretty silly; wiggling my hips, dancing, head bopping, using a fork as a microphone while I sang. Hey, I was having fun and cutting lose. Not something that I do that often, as I'm sure you know, and you know what? I was done in no time.
As I turned on the dishwasher I was caught by surprise by a pair of arms that snaked around my waist. Immediately I dropped to the floor, out of their grasp, and rolled backwards, through a pair of legs, and jumped to my feet ready for battle. My heart pounded adrenaline through my body and my mind flooded with thoughts about who might be coming after us now.
In front of me, I watched as Fang turned to face me, as if in slow motion. He was smirking and as I yelled out at him and moved to slap his arm for alarming me, he caught my hand effortlessly and pulled me against him. "Darnit! FANG! You of all people should know NOT to sneak up on me like that!" I yelled at him and pounded my free fist against his chest as a way to assert my dominance as the flock leader.
Fang simply watched my show with amusement, not even flinching when my hit landed. "Nice moves," he chuckled and removed my earphones. I could feel the heat rise into my cheeks. How long had he been watching me make a fool out of myself? I slapped at his arm with my free hand, only to have it caught as well. Now he held both of my hands, and he leaned in to press a soft kiss against my lips. In an instant, I felt my anger melt away. It seemed like forever since he last kissed me. We had barely had any time to spend alone, together, since we brought my mom home. "We alone?" he asked against my lips. I could only nod and lean closer to him, searching for another kiss. However, he released one of my hands and scooped up under my legs to carry me out of the kitchen and towards the front door. "Good," was all that he said.
"FANG?! Put me down!" I demanded as he made his way out into the yard.
"Stop kicking," he complained, not letting me go, before he took off in a run across the yard.
My eyes went wide when I realized what he was about to do. "FANG!! NO!" I yelled. "For crying out loud, I can fly on my own!" I said when he jumped up into the air and snapped his wings open. I watched in awe of his power as his wings came down and rose seemingly without effort. My heart fluttered and I was rendered speechless. Why was he carrying me? Didn't he know that I would follow him anywhere? All he had to do was ask. "A…aren't I heavy?" I managed to ask after a few moments in silence. We had climbed high into the air and he was now soaring on an updraft. "I thought that you said I was heavy," I reminded him.
"When did I say that?" Fang asked and looked at me with those dark eyes of his.
"Uh…You know, back, oh about a year ago, now; when you asked if I had been eating rocks." I pointed out. He merely shrugged and gave me a smirk. "Uhh…. Seriously, I can fly, you know. There's no point of this," I complained again and kicked my legs over his arm.
Fang let me slide out of his arms and, after free falling for a few feet; I snapped my wings open to catch the wind. In no time I was soaring, feeling the wind against my face and blowing my hair back. Fang lowered himself carefully above me, with our wings moving in sync. "That's funny, Ella seemed to find it really romantic when Iggy flew with her like that," he mused.
Again, I could feel my cheeks flush. "Well, Ella doesn't have wings," I said, mostly to myself. Fang reached down and took my hand to squeeze it gently. "So, uhh…where are we going?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"It's a surprise," he answered
Looking below us, I could make out the scenery. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know where we were. "The Grand Canyon?" I asked, wondering what could possibly be there that we haven't already seen. Fang said nothing in return and we flew for awhile in silence, following the winding pattern of the Colorado River.
Eventually, Fang released my hand and arched his wings down to the left, to start his descent. I followed and we were soon soaring in the canyon towards our destination. Soon after, I could hear the thunderous roar of a waterfall, and Fang arched his wings, again, to the left, and prepared to land. I landed behind him and fanned my wings out to cool. "There's a really pretty view over here," Fang said and reached back to take my hand. We were following along a ridge on the cliff of the canyon. As we rounded a sharp corner my breath caught in a gasp of wonder. Before us, cascading over and down the canyon's cliff, was a stunning waterfall. It looked like it fell for about 200 feet before collecting into the pool of water below.
"We heard a couple of the tourists from earlier this morning call it Mooney Falls," Fang explained, coming up behind me and maneuvering skillfully around my wings to wrap his arms around my waist.
"You came here earlier?" I spoke quietly, in awe of the sight before me.
I felt Fang nod his chin into my shoulder. "I wanted you to see it, so I left the group to come get you," he spoke against my ear, causing me to shiver.
"It's beautiful," I breathed softly.
Fang traced a hand lightly up my side to my chin and turned my face back to look up at him. I felt him lightly kiss my cheek before he captured my lips. With a muffled moan, I turned my body to face his and reached my arms up around his neck. My fingers lightly brushed over the feathers of his wings, causing a reaction that I hadn't been expecting. With a groan, Fang tightened his hold around me and deepened the kiss.