Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters, copy rights, or publishing rights.

Claimer: I do own this story and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't steal it.

Fly-like-Leviticus

Ok, I know that this has been written out a couple of times already, but I just wanted to get into a little more detail.

Nudges POV

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Chapter 1

Crap.

Ultimate, undeniable, super-overdrive, crap.

Crap.

I'd just told Iggy that I "loved him", and he just stared at me with a blank look that slowly turned into what I thought to be a brotherly smile.

"I love you to, Nudge." He said with as much emotion as Total staring at a normal dog. My heart jumped up into my throat and almost choked me. Until I realized that he was saying he loved me as a sister. I mean, I'd just spilled my guts to this guy that, after my entire life, I loved him. Oh wait, he couldn't see the sorry state my guts were in. He was blind. He had to sit there and hear them spilling to the floor, the thing that, in my world, was me admitting something that wild mutant horses couldn't have dragged it out of me. I know that eleven and fourteen were really far apart in age, but still.

Iggy.

He was different. I just thought that he may not care, may not think of it as being too different, to weird.

"Nudge, what's the matter?" Iggy asked suddenly, blasting me out of my daze. I glanced up at his white features. He was so delicate. Not at all like Fang's chiseled fea-

"Nudge!"

I blinked and stood up quickly, almost knocking my can of Dr. Pepper over in the process.

"I…I'm sorry, Ig… I gotta go…um…"

And on that embarrassing note, I dashed from the room, hot tears welling up in my brown eyes.

Iggys POV

Nudge ran from the room, her tan hands pushing her wavy brown hair from her beautiful face. I flopped back on the sofa with a groan.

Ange? He thought.

He immediately got a response shoved back into his mind.

Yes, Lovestruck?

Angel, were you listening?

Duh, Iggy. I have to! I have to take care of you and the flock and make you do things that you want to do, but are to scared to do.

Yeah I know, Creepy.

Umm… Ange? What kind of love did Nudge mean?

Of course, since Angel was only six, she had to make this fun for herself. With a mind sent laugh, she asked him the question he was dreading to hear.

Why don't you ask her your self?

Iggy groaned even louder.

Angel, please?

With a final giggle, she fell silent.

Crap.

They, being Iggy, Gazzy, Angel and Nudge, who had no idea where Fang and Max were, were at the twilight inn, and Iggy had the room down pat. But the rest of the hotel was another story. With a sigh, Iggy tried one more time.

Angel, at least tell me where she is.

She's down at the game parlor with me and Gazzy. Go out the door, thirty steps to the left, forty more steps and then a hard right. Oh and Gazzy says to bring him some money.

Iggy grabbed the key up and opened the door.

"Yeah, right. What money?" He muttered.

Nudges POV

I saw Angel nodding and knew instinctively that she was telepathically talking to Iggy.

"He's not coming here is he, Angle?" I asked horrified.

She nodded with a gleam in her eyes and a smile on her lips.

"Oh Angel, how could you?" I cried as I turned to run away. Suddenly, I stopped and turned around. Angel smiled at me again, motioning me to sit down on a bench nearby. Oddly, I did as commanded.

"Nudge, don't be a wimp. It's just Iggy. You love him and he loves you. Just relax, he's coming." And suddenly, Iggy walked into the small room and seemed to see us, because he came and sat down next to me. Close to me. If I didn't like him, it would have been too close. He turned his head, and then his body towards me, smiling thinly, trying to cover up his nervousness.

"Umm… Nudge… what kind of… love… did you mean?" He asked quietly and slowly. I trembled, my lips quivering, my eyes once again filling up with tears. I took a deep breath, but it didn't help. I swallowed.

"I meant that… I'm… um… in love with you?" I said slowly, bracing myself for the laugh that was sure to spew from his mouth. Instead, he smiled tenderly and took my hand unerringly, his voice faltering.

"I love you too… but not just like a friend… I think I'm in love with you too." He said slowly, sweetly. Our smiles matched as he put his other hand over mine, clasping it with both hands.

"But above all, you're my good friend. I love you in that way too."

I smiled ecstatically, and, before I knew what I was doing, I leaned over and brushed my lips against his cheek. I was only eleven and I wanted to make my first lip-kiss wait until I was older. Until it could make a difference, and until we weren't surrounded by a grinning Gazzy and Angel.

Leaning forward, he put his head right next to my ear.

"I love you." He said simply, but with a crack in his voice that told me it was deep, and that it would last. I just smiled.

Gazzy POV

Nudge and I are like, good friends, siblings actually. But Iggy and I were, are, best friends. Seeing him leaning forward and whispering sweet nothings in Nudges ear was weird. He should have been hanging out with me, playing in the arcade or planning some new kind of bomb. Sure, I smiled and grinned my head off when Nudge kissed his cheek, but it hurt because, in the next few days, I knew that he would be waiting on Nudge, hand and foot, or spending all his time on her. What would he want to hang out with a kid who was six years younger than him, especially when he had a beautiful girl who was only three years younger than him that "loved" him. It just didn't make sense, so without seeming to pout, I told them that I felt bad and went up to the room. But just as I was leaving, Iggy kissed her hands in a weird, gentlemanly way. Yuk.

It really isn't so weird, Gazzy. I shook my head.

Angel, get out of my head. I don't want to talk about it. Tell them that I'm sick. I said as I turned left down the hallway. But Angel wasn't listening. She kept sending me random thoughts as I slammed the door to the hotel room.

Love. Sweet. Beautiful. Warm. Cared for. I headed into the bedroom part of the room and almost screamed with frustration. Max and Fang were back and laying on the bed watching T.V. That didn't bother me. Max's head was laying on Fangs chest, rising and falling with each breath. And… eew… their fingers were intertwined. When Max saw me she half sat up, but I ran into the bathroom and slammed the door and locked it. Then, without a noise, I silently installed myself in the bath tub and wrapped my arms around my knees.

Then I cried.

Fangs POV

Max sat up and looked at me apologetically.

"I have to see what's wrong." She said quietly.

I nodded and helped her up. Soon she was standing at the bathroom door, her nose pressed into the joint where the door latches.

"Gazzy, Baby. It's me. Max. Please, open the door!" We could hear the sound of his sobs that he tried to muffle, but was unsuccessful. I silently pulled her away from the door. The sight of her face tugged at my heartstrings, but I tried to ignore it. Walking to the door, I knocked firmly. Hoping he would let me in, I quietly shooed Max to a distance.

"Dude, Gazzy. Open up or we'll nock the door down." At a glance from Max, I tried a gentler tone. "C'mon dude! We just want to know what's wrong." Max came up behind me and called over my shoulder; "You don't even have to tell us, honey. Just let us in to comfort you." She said with a pleading tone in her voice.

Wow. I never knew how much it hurt her to hear one of the flock suffering and not being able to do anything about it. I had just glanced at her for a second when he opened the door a crack to reveal his tear-stained face.

"Max." He croaked. "I want Max."

She rushed into the room and snatched him into her arms, but that was all I saw, she shut the door behind her.

Max's POV

I always have to be reminded of Gazzy's fragile age. I mean, he was only eight. He always acted so tough, but when it came down to it, he was a quiet, sweet, innocent little boy, who, if he had not been and mutant bird-kid freak, would have been arguing with his mom about bedtimes. I think.

But, anyways.

As I held him in my arms for what seemed like hours, I was almost brought to tears through my empathy with him. Even though he refused to tell me what was wrong.

"I…I have… t-to… f-f-figure this…out on… m-my own." He had snuffled. About then we heard the other kids get back.

"You ready?" I asked him quietly as he washed his face and dried it. He nodded and tried to muster a smile.

When we went into the room I knew something was different. Nudge and Iggy's faces were alight with happiness. How did this all tie in with Gasman's breakdown? I had no idea. And Angel wasn't giving me any help. She just sat there and smiled a weird, sad smile. I knew from that that she was happy for Iggy and Nudge for what ever they were happy for, and she was truly sad for Gazzy over what had caused his lips to tremble when he looked at Iggy.

Would I ever know? Who knows.

Fang's POV

Why was Angel not telling Max what was wrong with Gazzy? I have no idea, but now al least I knew. And I was going to tell Max. But there's one problem. Angel was reading my mind, and I could tell. But hey, if I never actually thought about it, Angel couldn't really understand.

Yeah I can, Fang. Please don't tell her. I won't make you not, but please.

I rolled my eyes and mentally shrugged.

You won't make me? So why wouldn't I tell her? C'mon Angel, it's just a little relationship problem. Isn't it?

No it's not Fang. I promised. But I have to tell you. Fang… Gazzy's going to… well… run away. Fang sat bolt upright and glanced up at Gazzy. You have to think about this from my perspective. Here I was, the best friend and practically the boyfriend of the leader of the flock, and someone who she really cared about was hurting so much that he was to leave the flock.

Dangit.

Nudges POV

OMG! You have no idea what it feels like to know that someone likes you and you like them and they give you special attention. I mean, I've taken Iggy's hand to help him get acclimated with a new place, but this was new. Just holding his hand in the hotel room was… sweet. I felt like I was in…ummm… heaven?

Iggy.

I know that it's kinda boring, but it's sweet and innocent, just like I always pictured Iggy and Nudge to be. Please Review, but be nice about it plz. If you want more, tell me in the review.

Fly-like-Leviticus

P.S. I REALLY think that people should read all three books before they put any thing on FanFic. At least with stuff about romance. I just read something that is fine normally, but Per-verted when you read the third book.It was about Ari and Max. Sick.

I Love Max Ride three!