AN: I started this before Nevermore came out, I was going to enter it for a competition James Patterson was having, but I never finished it. UNTIL NOW. So it's my version of the ending of Nevermore. I just like to pretend the real version didn't happen. So this is just pure fluff. And it gives you a recipe too! Feel grateful! Leave your reviews! :D Have a great day/ night whatever it is with you when you're reading this!

My flock, I am pretty sure, like, eighty percent sure, are trying to torture me to death, Max thought. I know you're thinking: 'They wouldn't do that! They love you Max! Even Gazzy, who repeatedly likes to stink bomb you!' But yeah, I'm pretty sure they are. I can deal with a lot of stuff, but this, I'm going to freaking crack.

"I can't do this." Max exclaimed, after staring for what seemed like forever.

"Yes, you can Max." Gazzy said solemnly, looking up at her with his big blue eyes. He wasn't craning his neck to look up at me as much as he used to. He's grown, she thought with a pang of sadness.

"No, I really can't, guys." Max repeated with emphasis, trying to get it through their heads. Maybe Iggy has a concusion, she thought. He did walk into that bottle Fang threw at his head... 'Hello, doctor? Yeah, my friend, who has 2% bird in him maybe has a concussion. What? You're more worried about the wings? No worries, doc, he didn't start coughing and sprout them. It's not contagious, I swear...'

"Max, come on. You've battled erasers and been in the School-" Nudge encouraged.

"Not to mention spread the message of global warming," Iggy added.

"And you've taken care of us so well all these years," Angel added sweetly, leaning up against a counter. Max glanced at her from the corner of my eye, just stopping herself from getting a stupid grin on her face and squealing and hugging her over and over again. She did that when they first found her, and it didn't last very long 'cuz it turns out, even with the amount of powers she has, Angel still needs to breathe.

"And," Fang decided to put in his two cents. Max turned to look at him, considering what he was about to say. Looking into his dark eyes, it made her wonder why he ever left in the first place. But she don't plan on letting him get away again. Now, she's not one for swooning over the epic guy under the epic stars in her own epic love story, but, when you're in love, you realize it's not all complete crack. But she's going to have my messed up version of epic, with our merry band of mutants. "You're Maximum Ride. What can't you do?"

Max snorted. "Well, I can't do ballet, and you know I've always wanted to do that-"

"Max," Nudge admonished, defending the dance she loved.

"Fine!" Max relented, seeing they weren't going to let this go. "It's pointless anyway," she continued, "but I will try. Iggy-" she turned to her friend, not that he noticed. "No going dictator on me while I try to do it. Okay?" she asked, and he nodded. "'Cuz I'm scowling, Ig. This is serious."

"Okay, Okay, I get it." He chuckled. "No dictator."

"What's a dictator?" Gazzy asked innocently.

There was a collective groan from Fang, Iggy, Nudge and Max at that. Imagining Gazzy as a dictator was not a pretty picture.

"I hope, for all our sakes, you never find out." Fang said seriously.

Gazzy merely looked at Fang, shrugged, then turned to her. "Go, Max!" He urged, and she sighed, seeing there wasn't a way out of this. "Okay. I can do this."

"I have a fire extinguisher at the ready." Fang dead panned, and Max scowled.

"I'm not even BURNING anything yet, Fnick!" Max retorted using his annoying nickname from so long ago. Iggy sniggered, and Total muttered "yet."

She grabbed for the eggs, and slowly cracked the first one. It completely broke in her hand, and she looked down at the gloopy mess in disgust. "Ew."

Nudge sighed. "You cracked it too hard. You're not karate chopping an eraser, Max. Be delicate." She stressed the last word, and Max frowned. "I can be delicate."

"Yeah, as delicate as a catcher's mitt." Iggy muttered. Max ignored that comment, and reached for another egg. Cracking it easier than the last one, she dumped it carefully in the bowl. Digging up another, she repeated the action, her bottom lip sliding between her teeth. The two eggs in the bowl, she smiled in triumph. "Easy."

"Now," Iggy said grasping for the butter and held it in her direction. "The butter." Grasping for it, the butter was soon in tiny pieces, after some joyous hacking with a knife. "What is she doing?" Iggy murmured, and Angel looked on, horrified. "I'm not sure you want to know."

Iggy shook his head. "Right. Flour." Gazzy handed the flour to Max, and she start shaking it in the bowl. "Now sift it," Iggy instructed. After the flour was sift, the Caster sugar measured out and everything was mixed together thoroughly, he let her scoop the mixture into the bun cases. They were put in the oven, and Max slammed it triumphantly. See? I can so do this baking thing! It's easy, she thought. Twenty minutes later, the buns were sitting on a wire rack, cooling down. "Time to test them." Iggy said warily. Gazzy eagerly grabbed one, ripping off the wrapper and digging in. "It's great," he said through a mouthful of cupcake. Iggy grabbed one, as did Nudge. They tucked in, and made appreciative noises. "Really?" Max asked brightly. They nodded and gave her the thumbs up. "Huh. I told you this cooking was easy street! And you thought I would be terrible," Max said smugly, and left the room. As soon as she was gone, they spat out the cupcakes. Nudge ran to get a glass of water, and Gazzy was wiping his tough. "Horrible?" Angel asked knowingly.

"Absolutely." Iggy moaned.

"I told you she couldn't cook." Fang rolled his eyes. "It is Max."

Coincidently, Gazzy, Iggy and Nudge all got food poisoning around the time all those cupcakes mysteriously disappeared.

Even though half of them were sick, or they fought all the time, they were family.

And they always will be.