Merry Christmas guys!!! I like this chapter, it has some faxy goodness in it for your chrissy present! Hope you like it, I do ^.^


The greatest thing about helping out other people is the fact that we had somewhere to stay. A roof over our heads. Beds to sleep in. And hot showers. Mmm. The hot shower thing? I could so get used to that.

"Oh my god, I feel so much better," I sighed coming out of the bathroom and passing Iggy the soap on my way. "All the dirt, Ig, I mean it." Yeah, I can be bossy but hey, I'm the Mum and I have to act like it.

"Wow, you actually have skin-coloured skin," Fang teased. I glowered at him playfully and he lifted his arms hopefully. I sighed melodramatically but decided to put up with having to sit with Fang. I sat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around me.

"I was convinced that you were turning grey," I told Fang playing with his long fringe. "Your hair hasn't been black for a while." He scowled at me, but his eyes were glistening.

"I'm surprised that I don't have any grey hairs, having to deal with you all the time."

I flicked Fang's ear but he caught my hand and kissed it lightly, sending an electric thrill through my body.

"Ew gross!" Gazzy complained. "Can you guys cut the lovey-dovey stuff out? I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Sorry kid," Fang replied, pulling me tighter to him and nuzzling his face against my neck, making me blush. "When you're older you'll understand."

"I don't think I want to," Gazzy replied.

"I think it's cute," Nudge said and Angel nodded. They were playing cards on the coffee table and Gazzy had some contraption on the floor where he and Iggy had been working on it until I'd made Iggy go and have a shower.

As I looked at the Flock now I felt happy because we were safe at the moment. Right now nothing was bugging us and we could relax. I had Fang with me and as long as I had him I could do anything.

"Maybe we should take a walk," I whispered to Fang while Gazzy made retching sounds.

"Yeah, he is kind of spoiling things," Fang replied, shooting a pretend annoyed look at Gazzy. Man the boy had come of out his shell in the last few weeks. I think it might have something to do with the fact that I had finally agreed to be with him and given in to the feelings that I had been pretending I didn't have.

I jumped up from Fang and took his hand and we walked outside. It was nice out here. The people stared at us and everything but it was only curiosity. I was sure none of them actually wanted to kill us.

"Hi kids!"

We looked over to see John Abate helping carry some boxes into a hut.

"Hi John," I said, Fang just nodded in greeting.

"Do you think you could give us a hand?" John asked. Fang and I looked at each other, torn between wanting to spend some time alone and wanting to help out. We chose option two because if we helped now then maybe we could spend some time together later.

"Sure," Fang said. John smiled appreciatively and we helped me take crates from the back of a small car thing into the hut. We stacked them on shelves while John filled us in on what the plans were starting tomorrow.

"Basically, we're just going to be helping out the people in this camp," John said. "We'll fix up people who are sick and teach some of their doctors how to use this stuff."

"Sounds good," I said. I looked at Fang. "You'll be good at that."

Fang shrugged. "I'm only good with minor injuries," he replied.

"You could be good with all kinds," John disagreed. "Maybe you should learn a bit more about medicine from Valencia."

"Maybe…" Fang shrugged again and I smiled slightly. He was always so modest but I knew that now the idea was in his head he might decide to follow through with it. That was my Fang, always wanting to learn new things and get better at stuff.

We finished up with John and left the hut with him, discussing our job here in Africa when I saw a flash of red hair and my heart sank. I'd been in a great mood until just that moment.

"Fang!" a voice cried excitedly and Fang's head snapped up.

Brigid Dwyer, the eighth wonder of the world.

"Oh great, it's Dr Brilliant," I muttered under my breath. Only Fang heard me but he pretended he hadn't as Brigid came over to us, a smile on her face and she hugged Fang. I resisted the urge to mime vomiting. John went off to find my Mum and I almost shouted at him to stay.

"Hi Brigid," Fang said cheerfully. He just couldn't get over how amazing Dr Wonderful is. Stupid jerk. Your girlfriend is standing right here! Remember me? Max? The girl you've been in love with for a while? Ringing any bells?

"It's so great that you're here," Brigid said as she released Fang. She beamed at him and went to speak but I cleared my throat. Brigid looked at me. "Hi Max."

"Hi," I replied sarcastically. Brigid seemed taken aback. "Not to be rude but Fang and I were kind of in the middle of something." I stepped closer to him and took his hand, lacing my fingers through his as a subtle reminder that he was mine and not hers.

"Right, sorry," Brigid said and sent me a slightly irritated look. "I'll talk to you later then. Where's your Mum?"

"In that hut," I replied pointing. Brigid smiled.

"Bye Fang, bye Max," she said and walked off. I mouthed immaturely as she left and then noticed Fang's annoyed look and stopped, giving him a sheepish smile. I wasn't feeling guilty about being mean to Brigid but I didn't like it when Fang looked at me like that- like he was so much more mature and smarter than me.

"When will you be nice to Brigid?" Fang asked. "She is my friend, you know."

"She wants to be more than your friend," I replied. Fang dropped my hand and turned to me with a sly smile and I was immediately suspicious. "What?"

"So, if she stopped thinking that way about me then you'd be nice to her?" he asked me, calling my bluff.

"I'd think about it," I replied, taking a step back from Fang. He stepped with me, still smirking in that stupid sly way of his.

"Would you be nice to her for me?"

"Um… that depends on my motivation." I gave Fang a challenging look as I continued backing away from him. I did not like that look on his face. It was sending little electric tingles down my spine and making me very suspicious.

"Hmmm…"

I took another step and backed into one of the huts and Fang stepped right up to me and put one hand on the wall of the hut next to my head and put his other hand on the other side, trapping me. I swallowed and looked up at Fang.

"I think I know how to make you see my way," Fang said in a low voice that made my knees shake slightly.

"Oh yeah?" I challenged.

"Mmm."

Fang leant down then and kissed my forehead and I closed my eyes and tried to stop my breathing from getting all erratic. Fang trailed his lips across my forehead and then down the side of my face to my jaw. He kissed along my jaw line and paused near my mouth.

"Are you going to be nice to Brigid?" he asked me.

"No, she's… um…" I was trying to remember how to phrase the reason I didn't like Brigid but at the moment I couldn't think of anything but Fang's lips on my skin.

"We'll see," Fang murmured and one of his hands traced down my side to my waist and his other hand moved down to caress my cheek. His lips brushed the corner of my mouth and I opened my eyes and looked into his dark ones for a moment and my whole world felt right as I saw the love and loyalty in Fang's eyes.

"For me?" he asked and I shook my head stubbornly. He sighed and pressed his lips to mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck so that he couldn't escape from me and he pressed me right up against the hut and kissed me with the same fierce passion that I'd come to recognise in him.

Have you ever noticed how passion and hate are often on the same line? Well I have because the way Fang and I kissed reminded me of the same fierceness we had in battle when we were intent on hurting our enemies.

Just a little similarity I picked up on.

One of Fang's hands was on my back, rubbing circles between my wings while his other hand stroked my face. I twisted my hands in his hair as he tilted his head and brushed my lips with his tongue.

I love kissing Fang. If I had a choice, I would spend most of my time making out with him, but unfortunately saving the world and kicking butt were higher up on my 'Things I have to do' list. But on my 'Things I love' list Fang was number one, kissing him was number two, lying in his arms was number three, the flock was four, Mum and Ella were five, hugs were six and I forgot the rest as Fang started kissing down my neck, making me sigh happily.

He pressed his lips into that sensitive place behind my collar bone and I let out a little sigh of pleasure that made him chuckle and bring his mouth back to mine.

"Ahem," a voice coughed and we both jumped and turned to stare at Dr Hans. He looked a little embarrassed and I felt my face flush with mortification. Yeah I've kissed him in front of people. I kissed him goodnight every day before he had to go and sleep in the same room as the boys- Mum and Jeb were being overprotective parents and wouldn't let Fang and I sleep in the same room when they were around, at least they didn't know that he usually snuck into my room during the night. But this was a guy I'd just met and we were just kissing we were sharing a very passionate hot and heavy session… that was just getting started.

Fang shifted guiltily but he honestly didn't look like he felt too bad about it.

"Sorry," Dr Hans said. "I was looking for you though Max. Brigid said you were here."

Fang coughed to hide his laugh and I tried not to scowl. Of course it was Dr Amazing's fault that our happy moment had been disrupted. I needed to kill her. I needed to kill her painfully. Fang was purposefully not looking at my face because he and I both knew that one glance at it would make him crack up.

"What did you want?" I asked, not bothering to try and keep the hostility out of my tone.

"I wanted to thankyou for coming to help us out here," Dr Hans said. "This job means a lot to me."

"Why?" Fang asked, genuine curiosity lighting his tone. I knew I was the only one who could tell though.

"I'm a rich man, Fang," Dr Hans said. "I'm a very rich scientist who cares about this planet and wants to help his fellow man."

"Oh," Fang said and looked over at me. His eyes said 'something's up' and I inclined my head ever-so-slightly to agree with him. This man's extreme generosity had me wondering.

"We're glad to help," I lied smoothly.

"Now, I need to go and supervise some more unpacking." Dr Hans shifted awkwardly. "I'll let you two… get back to… uh… what you were doing."

Fang and I tried not to snicker as Dr Hans walked away, we really tried, but the awkwardness of adults around teenagers in relationships was hilarious. Jeb was even funnier around us. Fang and I tried to be as couple-like as possible around our adopted-father-turned-bad-guy-turned-good-guy-we-don't-trust as we could because it really annoyed him. He keeps trying to be my father and he got all protective when he found out about me and Fang but I know that there isn't anyone else he'd rather me be with. Same goes for Mum.

"Now," Fang said, stepping back to me and smiling. "Where was I?"

"Here," I replied, tapping my lips with my index finger.

Fang put his hands on my waist and was about to kiss me again when a scream broke the air and we both whipped around and stared. A woman with the darkest skin I have ever seen in my life was running towards us, shouting something in a language that I didn't understand.

"What's going on?" I heard voices saying.

"Let's check it out," I said to Fang and he nodded. Both of us took running steps and we both jumped into the air, snapping our wings out and pushing down to rise up into the air. Fang swooped across and scanned the ground. I looked back and saw the rest of the flock in the air and coming towards us.

"There!" Fang shouted and I looked where he was pointing. A group- would you call it a herd?- of elephants were running, trumpeting loudly. But what were they running from was the question?

"I hear gunshots!" Iggy called. "Twelve degrees east!"

None of us doubted him so we all tilted our wings and flew to where Iggy heard the gunshots. Angel was frowning in concentration and I scanned the ground worriedly. There. More people on camels pointing guns up in the air.

"They want to kill us!" Angel informed us. "It's their job!"

"Okay guys, evasion tactics! Let's take 'em out and find out who they're working for!" I ordered and the flock tensed up and prepared for battle. Sometimes my kids just cracked me up. They were so cute sometimes.

Fang pulled his wings in and dropped about twenty feet, pulling out in a barrel roll and kicking one guy clean off his camel. The rest of us followed his lead, dodging bullets. I zoomed around a couple of the guys- there were about ten of them, same as last time- and whacked one with my wing. He was so surprised that he dropped his gun and his steed trampled it, setting it off making all of the camels panic. Half of the riders were thrown off and I had a few seconds to laugh my head of before a bullet zoomed by my ear.

I ducked down and landed both my feet into one guy's chest, sending him flying and Fang round-house kicked the guy who'd shot at me. Fang's face was a little scary and all for little ol' me. I felt so loved.

In about fifteen minutes we had all the guys off their camels and Iggy produced some rope- where the hell did he get it?- and Fang, Iggy and I tied them together while Gazzy gathered up their guns and put them in a pile. One look from me made him back away from them and not touch them again.

"Who hired you?" I asked one of the four guys who was still conscious.

"Like I'll tell you," he replied.

I was surprised to find that all of these guys were human. Fang and I exchanged a worried look and then he leant down and the guy breathed in sharply at the look on Fang's face. Nobody is scarier than Fang when he wants to be. He just looks so dark and badass. But I know otherwise. And that's one of the reasons that I love him so much.

"Tell us," Fang ordered.

"We don't know, okay?" one guy said.

I heard people coming towards us and took a moment to glance up at the group of people coming.

"Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, keep them over there for a moment," I said and returned my attention to the guys who'd tried to kill my family. "Why not?"

"We're only sent our money and orders by a messenger, we have no idea who we're working for," another guy explained.

"Surely he must have some kind of identity among you," Fang said.

"He asked us to refer to him as Mr K," the first guy I'd threatened replied. I looked at Fang and he nodded. We'd have to ask Jeb when we got a chance. He was around her somewhere.

"Max, Fang, Iggy!"

Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear.

Jeb, Mum, John, Brigid, Dr Hans and a group of other people were coming towards us with Nudge, Angel and Gazzy. Fang, Iggy and I backed away from our prisoners and looked at them.

"Are you all okay?" Mum asked, patting the three of us down for injuries and looking us over.

"We're fine," I promised.

"Where are they?" Total growled, coming through the crowd. "I'll tear 'em up for threatening my flock."

"Your flock?" I demanded but any answer from Total was cut off by Jeb.

"We'll take them into the camp for questioning," he decided and Dr Hans snapped his fingers. Several African guys who were super-tall and super-strong-looking came and gestured to others. They each took a couple of the guys and carried them towards our camp.

"What happened?" Jeb asked and I looked at Fang who shook his head and shifted his gaze to Dr Hans.

"Nothing," I replied but gave Jeb a meaningful look. He got it and when the group was walking back, he and Mum hung back with the flock and he looked at me.

"Alright, what is it?" he asked.

"Do you know the name Mr K?" Fang asked. Jeb shook his head.

"No, sorry," he replied. "Is that who they were working for?"

"They said it's his alias," I explained.

"Right." Jeb frowned. "Don't worry kids, I'll find out who sent them after you."

"That's right," Mum said. "Don't worry, okay?"

"I'll try," I said and Fang gave me a doubtful look.

"They really didn't know," Angel murmured from beside me. "They're just as confused as we are. Maybe I should question them."

"No!" Jeb, Mum, Fang and I said in unison and Angel folded her arms, looking mutinous but she didn't argue as we walked back into camp. We started heading to our huts to clean up because we were covered in blood.

As we went in, I looked at Fang. He gave me a disappointed look that I mimicked.

So much for our alone time.