Okay, so this is a new story I came up with that I'm really excited about! I've got a lot of great ideas for it. I was inspired by the movie Air Force One with Harrison Ford. (If you havn't seen this movie, go rent it now!) I'm the only person who has ever read this so far so I'm sure there are a ton of mistakes. If you see any or if you have any suggesstions, please tell me! Let me know what you think! *nextbestthing you might not want to read this until you have read Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports*

This is set after The Final Warning.

I do not own Maximum Ride.

Chapter 1

Mmm. A delicious scent floated up to me through the open door. I would know that smell anywhere.

Chocolate chip cookies.

"You smell that?" asked Ella. We were sitting on her bed together, watching an episode of Lost. It was the one where Walt gets kidnapped by the Others.

I nodded at Ella. We glanced at each other and burst into laughter, jumping off the bed at the same time and racing for the door.

Down in the kitchen, Mrs. Martinez—Mom—was just pulling a sheet of freshly-baked choc-chip cookies out of the oven. I inhaled deeply, savoring the wonderful scent.

"How's this for a 'welcome home' present?" she asked me.

"It's perfect!" I said as she piled them all onto a plate. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, sweetie. I know they're your favorite."

Ella and I sat down at the table just as Nudge and Angel peered around the corner. "Is that what I think it is?" Nudge asked, pointing to the plate.

"You bet," said my mom.

"Yay!" squealed Angel. "I haven't had a cookie in ages!"

Just then Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy walked in.

"Are those cookies?" asked the Gasman eagerly.

"I told you so!" Iggy said, punching Gazzy on the arm. "I know cookies when I smell them." Everyone loved my mom's baking.

The rest of the flock joined Ella and me at the kitchen table, grabbing cookies off the plate and choking them down so fast you would have thought they were starving. But then again, we were starving only yesterday. You know, you wouldn't think so, but feeling full is a hard thing to get used to.

For the past couple of weeks we'd been away, mostly here and there, doing classified-secret-mission-save-the-world type stuff, and I decided that we needed a break. So we came here to Dr. Martinez's place. Just like I knew she would, she welcomed us with open arms. And fresh cookies. She was literally ecstatic when we knocked on her door this morning. And not just for me; she was genuinely happy to see all of us. That's one of my favorite things about my mom—I know my friends are always welcome in her house.

"So how long do you guys plan on staying?" Mom asked.

The whole flock, and Ella, turned to look at me.

"Uh…I'm not sure." I swallowed the bite of cookie in my mouth. "I guess it just depends."

"Oh." My mom's face fell. She got the meaning behind my words—that I didn't plan on staying very long.

"I'd like to stay a while," I said, and it was the truth. "It's just that…you know…"

She nodded quickly. "Of course, Max. I understand. You've got a world to save."

I smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah. A world to save."

Between the seven of us we finished off the batch in about four minutes flat. While the guys went back upstairs to do whatever it is guys do when we're not around, Nudge and I stayed in the kitchen to do the dishes.

"I do dishes all the time," said Ella, making a face and leaning against the counter to watch Nudge and me. "I'll give you two a turn."

I loved Ella, and we were totally doing the whole sister-bonding-thing, but I could already tell that we would never be as close as Nudge and I are. Probably because I've lived with Nudge all my life. Oh, and also because of the bird-kid thing. There were some things Ella could just never understand, no matter how great she is. I could relate to Nudge in ways I never could with Ella.

After we finished the dishes, all of us girls sat down in the living room with a bowl of popcorn and turned the lights out to watch a movie. It was some sappie chick-flick--Ella and Nudge's choice--that Fang would make fun of me for watching, but I didn't care. I was over-joyed just to be watching a television set at all. Sitting there in the dark on the comfy couch, with a mouthful of popcorn, Angel curled up in my side, leaning against my mom--I was the most content I'd been in a long time. Living with my mom was great. I so wished we could just move in with her for good, forget about Itex and saving the world. Just be normal.

But I'm Maximum Ride, so of course, that wasn't an option.