MOON, SUN, AND STARS

The Fifth and Final Book of the Three-Way Crossover Saga

A Crossover of Maximum Ride, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Twilight

Preface: "The Good Life"

Book One: "Monsters Vs Vampires"

Book Two: "ICBG"

Book Three: "Love and War"

Book Four: "Fallen"

Chapter 1: Steps

MAXIMUM RIDE

I was just thinking about how everything is a romance. Every story has the elements of romance in it. Usually it's some schmuck getting a hot babe. You never see a girl geek getting a hot guy. Well, you do, but first she becomes hot. Remember WALL-E? That was no environmental message. That was another schmuck-gets-babe movie.

I was toying with this idea while I sat at my dorm room desk, early in the morning. "What are you thinking about?" Fang asked, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Jeff Dunham," I answered.

"What?"

"Jeff Dunham. The ventriloquist comedian? He's... he's not funny. Like, at all."

Fang was still standing behind me, so I couldn't see his face. I could imagine it well enough, though. "Jeff Dunham?" he repeated incredulously. "We made love last night and you're thinking about Jeff Dunham?"

Oh, yeah. That.

"Well..." I said, "I was thinking that, um... that was a bad idea."

I felt him slump behind me. "You didn't like it?"

"That's irrelevant. Whether I liked it or not, it was still a bad idea."

"Gotcha. You didn't enjoy it."

I turned around in my chair. "You want my honest appraisal? It was fabulous. But the fabulousness isn't really a factor. We shouldn't have done it. We just shouldn't have."

He lifted me to my feet and held me tight. "I still love you," he said.

"And I'm glad," I said, squeezing him back. "That's more than most kids can say after... after that. But... I don't know, I..."

Fang smirked, guessing at where I was going. "We can't get STDs, Max. We're not human."

"What if I get pregnant?" I whispered.

That got his attention. He straightened, then looked me right in the eye. "Would that be so terrible?" he asked.

I smiled. "No," I said, "I suppose it wouldn't be the worst thing. But let's not do this again. Say, four years?"

He nodded. "Okay," he said.