Disclaimer: Max and friends belong to James Patterson.

; Act One - Ice ;

For once, the Flock decided they had enough of the scorching heat of Arizona and decided to vacation to colder temperatures for the winter. While Max was against it, being one to prefer the heat, she was defenseless against Angel, Gazzy and Nudge's constant pleading and guilt trips.

Days later, Max was regretting not putting her foot down when she had the chance. It was the middle of winter and Montana was nearly notorious for it's harsh snow, much to her dismay. Still, the kids wanted to go build snowmen and enjoy the weather. Iggy was all too eager to force Max into the cold after being wrapped in three blankets for a majority of the time spend inside an abandoned cabin they managed to find.

Currently, she was standing outside in the morning snow while dressed in layers from head to toe. Her job was simple: keep an eye on the kids. She muttered under her breath and longed for the warmth of the fireplace burning inside and to be rid of the chilly air. Max and the cold never really got along anyways.

Angel squealed gleefully as Nudge and Gazzy pelted her with snowballs before throwing her own in return. Total ended up stumbling in fray and slipped on the ice beneath his paws. He landed face first into a pile of snow before jumping and loudly complaining about his cold nose — the kids laughed some more and teased him. Each one of them had wide grins on their sweet faces and each one couldn't have been happier to simply have fun in the snow for once, compared to fighting Flyboys or White Coats.

Okay, Max thought grudgingly, so the kids are having fun. They like the snow. That's all that matters. A sudden gust of wind sent a blast of icy wind into Max's face and she shivered. Digging her gloved hands deeper into the pockets of her thick jacket, she glowered at the sky and silently cursed what ever higher being had decided to irritate her.

And suddenly Fang was standing beside her. Max would have jumped if she hadn't been warned by the sound of the cabin door opening and closing. He was ridiculously quiet, even when stomping through inches of snow. It had been years that they've lived together and she knew she would never grow used to his unusual silence.

He was dressed warmly too, though he wore less layers than Max. He gazed out at the happy sight before him with a small smile gracing his lips before turning to look towards her. "They're really enjoying themselves." he observed.

Max glanced over to the kids just in time to see Angel throw a well aimed snowball at her brother's face. She smirked, amused by the sight of a sputtering Gazzy, but it was hidden by her large scarf. "That's the only thing keeping me out here." she replied. "Who's idea was it to come to Montana again?" She glared at Fang accusingly while he slid on his best mask of innocence.

"I have no idea what you're talk about," was his reply.

She pursed her lips, feeling the familiar tinge of irritation that came with being in Fang's presence. "Uh-huh."

Shivering once more, Max hunched her shoulders in attempt to keep warmer as she slowly began to feel the cold prick at her wings. Her toes were already numb, nevermind her nose and her cheeks! Oh, the kids were lucky she loved them so much, otherwise they would be in Florida instead. She'd rather have sand in her hair than ice.

Fang must have noticed what she was trying to do and moved without a word. One hand wrapped around her and pulled her close to his chest. Even through the layers, Max could feel his body heat and found herself leaning against him in attempts to warm herself.

They had been in a relationship for a few months and had cuddled, held hands and kissed quite a few times. Still, Max couldn't help but feel a slight warmth in her cheeks as Fang leaned his cheek against the side of her temple.

"Thanks," she said, ducking her face further into her scarf. Bringing her hands out from the pockets of her winter coat, she wrapped them around his waist and let her gloved fingers loop around the edge of his belt.

Fang did not miss her reaction and fought to hide a smug smirk. Secretly, he absolutely loved the effect he had on the girl in his arms. "You're welcome."

A little more than fifteen minutes later, the kids all tired out-finally-and they turned to walk back inside. All three of them were soaked to the bone and shaking almost violently. Their teeth chattered and they claimed they couldn't feel their toes anymore.

Max's motherly mode kicked in as she stepped out of Fang's arms. "Alright," she began as she moved toward Nudge. "I want you guys to go inside and take warm showers. Change into some warm clothes and sit by the fire after you're done. I'll have Iggy whip up some hot chocolate for you guys, alright?" They all voiced their agreement without hesitation. Good.

Brushing off some stray snow from Nudge's shoulder, she gently nudged them in the direction of the cabin and sighed. "I hope none of them get sick," she muttered, glancing towards Fang.

He shrugged and began making his way to her. His feet were ever so silent, even as the snow compressed under his every step. Briefly Max wondered if he was lighter in weight than she thought. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how one saw it, her thoughts were cut off as the dark haired teen suddenly slipped. His foot kicked up in the air comically as he fell back with a noise of surprise.

When he landed, he grunted and a flurry of snow flew up around him. Max blinked, wondered if what she had just seen had been reality. Fang had slipped on ice. Fang… had slipped… on ice. She had half the mind to rub her eyes or bite her tongue. Was it her imagination or had those higher beings decided to be merciful to her and bless her with such a wonderful moment?

"Oh my God," she began, her voice already wavering. Fang groaned once more and sat up, a slight embarrassed blush on his face. He knew exactly what was going to happened next. "You just slipped."

"Wonderful observation, Max." It was obvious by the look on his face that he was not amused in the slightest.

Oh, but Max was. Suddenly, she snorted and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Desperately she tried to suppress her rising urge to laugh but the reality of the situation-the Fang slipped on ice and fell on his ass-was almost too much for her.

Once more, she let out a snort and Fang sighed. "I just…!" Max couldn't finish her sentence as she let go and doubled over, clutching her sides in laughter.

Fang could not have felt more embarrassed. He was very aware of how many viewed him-tall, dark, mysterious and so on. He actually prided himself on that fact and liked the way it annoyed Max sometimes. Messing up so badly and slipping in front of this girl who holds his heart in her calloused hands? It was nearly mortifying.

Suddenly feeling his mood drop, he harshly swiped at the melting snow that had landed on his cheek. Max was still laughing. Wonderful. Seconds passed and slowly, her amusement died down into giggles. Her cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes alight with glee. She was smiling at his widely with that stupid, dazzling smile of hers. Fang couldn't help but admit she looked beautiful even when it was at the cost of his pride.

"Are you done?" He said, his voice monotone.

The last of her mirth died and she let out a long sigh. A smile still on her face, she nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that." She bent down and held out her hand. "Come on, let's get you out of the snow, grumpy pants."

"Hn." His larger hand wrapped around hers and she hauled him to his feet. As he stood, he brushed off the ice that clung to his jeans and jacket. Max stepped forward and helped him, all the while, throwing glances at his face. Her smile had yet to cease, much to Fang's slight annoyance. "Quit it," he grumbled.

Her brows rose and she smirked. "Quit what? Breathing?" she taunted.

Ok, Fang thought bitterly. That was unnecessary. He let out a sigh and gave his girlfriend a look at clearly stated his exasperation. She was unaffected by it as usual.

Without a word, Max laid her covered hands against his chest and tilted her head up to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Cheer up." she said once she pulled back. "No one saw but me."

"I think that's worse," was his gruff reply. Before he allowed Max to open up her stupid mouth again to retort, he cupped her chin in his frozen fingertips and leaned down to press his lips to hers. A familiar warmth spread in Max's chest and she tugged him closer to her. Oh, she should kiss Fang more often during the trip. His kisses were much warmer than hugs. Definitely.

"Hey!" a voice shouted. The couple jumped and turned to find Gazzy sticking his head out the window. "Iggy told me to tell you guys to stop sucking face. The hot chocolate is ready!"

Max rolled her eyes and playfully glared at the young blonde. "Got it!" Gazzy grinned before disappearing from the window.

"Better get inside before they finish all the drinks," Fang said. Max nodded in agreement and stuck her hands in her pockets once more. Both began making their way towards the cabin.

Just before they reached the steps that led to the porch, though, Max's foot slipped on ice and down she went.

Fang smirked and Max glared heatedly. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything."

A/N: Hey guys~ I hope you liked it. It was short and (hopefully) cute!

So, instead of updating my other MR fics (like I should be doing) I decided I'm going to start a series of one-shots for our favorite couple! It's going to range from cute fluff to steamy smut, just a heads up. So later, the rating will go up. These one-shots will not be in any certain time-line and they will probably consist more of AUs than anything, to be honest.

This fic will not be updated regularly. It's serving as a stress reliever of sorts for me. High school is just getting tougher now that senior year is slowly gaining on me.

One last thing, I'm all for requests guys! I have a few ideas already in mind but if any readers have any ideas they'd like to see, just write it in a PM or in a review and I'll see what I can do~

Thanks for reading!

-MidnightStarsXx