Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.

Fang's POV:

"No, Gazzy, those lights are the ones to put by the stockings! Not by the tree!" Max shouts, exasperated. Huffing and muttering under her breath, she stormed out of the room, probably to go antagonize somebody else.

"Geez." I remarked lightly.

"I know, right?" Gazzy murmured. "What's the difference, anyway? Tree lights and stocking lights? We're going to use the same strings of lights from the same box of multi colored Christmas lights for both. If I had known she was going to go crazy, I probably would have voted to have a regular Christmas." He paused, looking thoughtful. "Regular for us, anyway."

A few days ago, since we were passing over Arizona, the Flock had a vote. Our first option was to celebrate Christmas as we always did, in somebody else's vacation home, stealing presents to give to one another. The second was to drop by the Martinez's house for Christmas, and hope we'd be welcome there.

The vote was practically unanimous; everyone except Max wanted to have a normal holiday, for once, so Max eventually gave in. Dr. Martinez was more than happy to welcome us, but she and Ella weren't staying in town for Christmas. We couldn't go with them to their family reunion, even though technically, Max was related. Dr. Martinez offered to let us use her house for Christmas, as long as we promised to keep our wings a secret and kept the house clean and preferably not blown up.

Max readily agreed, but she took the whole keeping things clean to a whole new level. The first few days were alright and actually pretty fun, but as Christmas day grew closer, Max started freaking out. If one of us so much as breathed on the dining table, she yelled. When Nudge talked too much, or Angel read someone's mind, Max flipped out. Just yesterday, she blew up over me about walking too silently.

"So much for happy holidays." I muttered, more to myself then anything, since Gazzy had already left the room. It was just me and tree, but with my luck, I expected Max to pop out and blow her top about I don't know, the fact that the picture frame was slightly off center above the fireplace.

I moved to go fix it, and as I was straightening the picture, Max walked back in.

"What?" I snapped, before she could say a word. She looked slightly taken aback and hurt, and I regretted it instantly. Even if she had been a total jerk to me for the past couple days.

"Nothing. I'm sorry." She muttered and left the room just as quickly.

Oh no oh no oh no. This was not supposed to happen, oh no.

See, my plan had been to confront Max about her attitude of late, and tell her to relax, and let the rest of us enjoy the holidays. It would not work if she was mad or upset at me, because she wouldn't truly listen to what I had to say.

"Max!" I called after her. "Max, wait."

She paused at the front of the stairs, but didn't turn around. I walked to her calmly and forced her to turn around so I could look at her eyes.

"That was uncalled for. I'm sorry." I said, but Max brushed me off.

"It was totally called for. I've been a brat to everyone, and everyone's mad at me, and I'm ruining everyone's first real Christmas in a long time. So I'll just go-" She waved her hand behind her, gesturing in the direction of her room, "-and get mad at myself in my own room, or something."
She turned to walk away, but I caught her elbow.

"You're not ruining my holidays, or anyone else's." I say, and Max raises her eyebrow at me.

"Okay, maybe just a little." I amended. "But what's wrong? Why are you so stressed out?"

Max opened her mouth to reply but hesitated. A few seconds later, her shoulders slumped as she began to talk. "I'm being my usual paranoid self, and my usual bossy, controlling self, and probably PMSing or something."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at her. "That has got to be the crappiest excuse I've ever heard. What's really wrong?"

Max looked down at her shoes, refusing to meet my eyes. "That's it. Really."

I stay silent, knowing this will annoy her enough for her to tell me the truth. Sure enough, a minute later, she says, "Eraser Max is back. Except now she talks to me, and tells me the most horrible things. I'm going to go crazy, Fang!" Her head snaps up as she meets my gaze.

Suddenly, all my anger for her flies out the window, and sympathy floods in. "I hate to break it to you, but you're already pretty far around the bend." I say, trying to coax a smile out of her. The corners of her lips rise up slightly, but it's not what I want.

"Okay, jokes aside, it's not a big deal." Max opens her mouth to interrupt me but I put both of my hands on her mouth to shut her up. "Really, Max. I know what she tells you must be pretty bad if it shakes you up, but she's not real. And you should have told me. Instead of just going all Monster Max on us."

I move my hands from her mouth but somehow they end up circling her waist instead. I unconsciously pull her slightly closer to me, and her arms hesitantly come up around me, too.

"I should have. But I wanted to let you enjoy your vacation." A sort of twisted smile forms on her face. "Not that that worked out anyway."

I lean in a little as I choose my next words very carefully. "There's still plenty of vacation left, Max. Why don't you make the rest of it as good as possible for the others?"

The crooked smile on her face grows. "And for you?" She asks.

"What do you mean?"

"I will patch things up with everyone else. But what about with you?" She clarifies.

I am somewhat taken aback. "You can make it up to me in other ways." My voice says huskily. Oh my freaking god. I DID NOT just say that.

Max pulls a little away from our embrace, her cheeks tinted pink.

"That wasn't me." My whisper sounds like I'm a strangled mouse.

"Nope!" Gazzy cackles, as he pops out from his hiding space behind the couch. "That was me. Good job, by the way. Way to get some." He nods approvingly at Max in my arms. It's the last straw, and Max pulls completely away from my hug.

"You're eight! How do you even know what that means?" Her expression is so confused, annoyed and disbelieving it's sort of funny.

Gazzy winks at her. "MTV. Oh, and Iggy, sometimes."

Max shakes her head, smiling. "That boy will be the death of you."

"Hey, I heard that!" Iggy's incredulous shout comes from his room, most likely.

Max throws her arms up in frustration. "Has the whole world been eavesdropping!"

Angel giggles and she and Nudge bound down the stairs. "Pretty much! I've been filling Nudge in, too."

Max shrugs. "I guess I might as well say it now, then. I'm sorry I've been such a jerk."

"You're only forgiven if you make me cookies!" Iggy yells from upstairs.

"Are you really dumb enough to want to eat Max's cookies?" I shout up the stairwell. Angel and Nudge are still giggling when Max swats me upside the head.

"I was going to feed them to you, emo boy!" Iggy says, and I glare, even though he can't see it, since I can't really think of a witty comeback.

"Cheer up, Fang! It is the holidays, after all." Max grins, and I realize that I've missed her smile. I don't say that though, since I'm still death glaring the stairs.

"Says Monster Max." I grumble, and she laughs instead of hitting me, like I expect.

"You better be careful with what you say, now, or I just might go monster on you." Max says.

"In bed." Gazzy says, and then falls to ground cackling. I sigh, shaking my head at him.

"That's only for fortune cookie sayings, dummy! You're supposed to say: that's what she said!" Iggy instructs from upstairs.

It's my turn to laugh at an abashed Gazzy.

"Yeah, okay. Make fun of the eight year old." he complains when we're still laughing at him a few minutes later. It wasn't actually that funny, but hey, I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to mess with my little brother.

Max nods sagely behind us, holding in her laughter. "Gazzy, go put the lights up." She says, her shoulders still shaking slightly.

"Are you going to freak out at me if I put the stocking lights on the tree?" He asks cautiously.

Max furrows her brow in confusion. "Is there a difference?" She asks in reply.

Gazzy slaps his own face and groans and I burst out laughing all over again. "Forget it." he says, and slumps off.

A/N- Just a cute lil' two shot for the holidays : )

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