You Stole My Heart

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN MAXIMUM RIDE.

"Fang. You can't screw this up."

I nodded, like hell I'd mess up now. We were so close. So close I could taste it. So close to winning that I could practically feel the scars from the needles that had pierced me a thousand times begin to fade.

"Get the girl, Fang, and we win."

That's right. All I needed was her. That one girl. And I'd sooner be shot than loose. With her, we won.

I won.

"Maximum Ride." I whispered to myself, turning and striding out.

"This is gonna be fun."

Said Maximum Ride was, in fact, trying to cook. More accurately, she was trying to bake.

"This is what happens, Max," she said aloud to no one in particular, "When you tell Ella 'OF COURSE I'll bake you a cake for your birthday!' Some people need to understand sarcasm."

Wiping her damp forehead with the back of her wrist, she continued baking.

"Fuck July."

If it was bearable outside, the heat in the crowded kitchen plus the heat from the oven was enough to leave her fatigued from just searching for the ingredients.

"And the vanilla."

Fang was already waiting in the office when the director walked in. The tall man took his customary seat at the window and lit a cigarette. He sat and smoked until the room stunk heavily of cherries and tobacco, and then he stood up so suddenly that Fang flinched.

"So do you think it will work?" The director asked, turning to the window and clasping his hands behind his back.

Fang shrugged.

"If it's a bake- off, we'd win." C'mon. He did a little of his job.

Smirking at the sudden rigidness of the director's back, he bowed at the waist in a mockery of any respect the man got and suddenly turned on his heel, flicking his midnight locks to frame his face. He headed toward the door, pausing when he had placed one hand on the polished handle.

"Of course it will."

Scoffing, he strode out of the office and then the window, unfurling his black wings and rising up to the sky.

Landing at his post, he pulled out a pair of binoculars and perched in a tree to watch his target. Thirty minutes later, when she had cleaned up the kitchen and was headed into the shower, he made his move.

Max had finished cleaning the kitchen and was heading up for a quick shower and then her bed. Tomorrow was, after all, a big day and she needed her sleep. Grabbing an oversized t- shirt and underwear, she stepped into the bathroom.

Closing the door, she thought she heard her window click open, but dismissed it as her imagination. A few minutes later, her damp hair was combed, her pearly whites were brushed, and her long legs were shaven.

She stepped out of the bathroom, and crawled into bed dressed in only a bra, underwear and an oversized shirt. Turning over, she flicked out the light and went to go cuddle the warm, hard mass of body under her covers.

Suddenly she thought, WTF? A warm, hard, mass? A person? A MAN!

Her quick reflexes allowed her to grab the side table lamp she had on her bedside table and hit the stranger with it.

Almost.

A very amused, dark haired, tan skinned, sexy fac—I er… guy was laying beneath her.

Reaching out a hand, he chuckled.

"I'm Fang. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Ah, it's finally done! Well, I'm sorry for making you wait so long Dolphiness… And keep in mind, the real story starts in the next chapter.

IT'S A DAMN CONSPIRACY.

Much Loves,

Nii~