I couldn't keep away from writing this story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride.

Ch. 2:

Fang POV

I headed back to my alleyway and sighed. I tried to trash the number, I really did. But… I just couldn't.

Once I was in my alleyway I looked around for pedestrians. When I found none, I closed my eyes and concentrated on HQ.

I opened my eyes to see the familiar white and silver walls. I smiled and walked through the sea of angels, all focused on their own task. I liked familiar. Familiar meant normal. And normal is good.

"Hi Fang." Ella, my little sister, greeted.

"Hey Ells. How's it going?" I asked.

She smirked a smirk similar to my own, "I might ask you that, Mr. Hotshot. I heard you got a field task today." Ella was referring to the limited amount of angels that they actually put in the field. Ella was 23 and she only ever worked from the inside. Formulating plans and such.

"Yep." I answered shortly.

"And?" She looked up at me expectantly.

"And what?" I asked.

She sighed, "How did it go?"

"Fine. I got the task done." I answered bluntly.

"You're not as excited as normal." She observed. I wasn't. I was still caught up in that girl. I was still caught up in Maximum Ride.

"Fang." I heard Mari's voice call to me. "I'm very impressed. You got to them faster than ever before. No one spotted you as usual and James was found perfectly safe afterwards."

I smiled. Mari wasn't one to often give out praise.

"Fang." She repeated. "You're being promoted."

My eyes widened in shock. I hadn't honestly been expecting a promotion for months.

She smirked at my expression, "Yep. You'll still be doing field work, but you'll be doing a different kind." Her face went back to its serious expression, "Instead of your rescue missions, you'll be working the death missions."

"What?" I asked.

"The death missions. You oversee that people on the list actually pass away. You follow each person around for about a week or two before their time. This is a very important task, Fang. I trust that you won't screw it up." Mari gave me a new case file, then slowly walked away.

"This is amazing, Fang! I'm so proud of you!" Ella gave me a huge hug.

I opened the contents of the file.

Age: 25.

Occupation: Waitress.

Not married, no children.

Close relationships: Friend, Zephyr 'Gazzy' Griffiths. Friend, Sarah 'Angel' Griffiths. Friend, Monique 'Nudge' Williams. Friend, James 'Iggy' Griffiths.

Mission: Follow for two weeks. As always, do not get attached. Make sure she is shot by the mugger on time when her name reaches the top of the list in two weeks.

I gulped as I read. I didn't even need to read it to know who this was. But I did anyway.

Name: Maximum Ride. Goes By: Max.

Max POV

I skated over to Iggy. I was still bewildered by what I had done. I had given that complete stranger my number. It was so unlike me. But that guy, he seemed nice, even with all the rude comments he made.

I shrugged it off as I reached Iggy.

"That guy left surprisingly fast. You didn't do anything did you, Max?" Iggy asked.

"No, he was just a fast eater." I shrugged.

I tugged the incredibly short skirt of my waitress-ing outfit down. Why did Iggy have to be such a pervert? I couldn't argue, though. I needed this job ever since I quit my last one.

I was lucky he even gave it to me. I had to quit my last job, though. It isn't exactly peachy working for the guy whose proposal you turned down. Dylan was a jerk, plain and simple. I knew that ever since I dumped him, I wouldn't be able to work for him anymore. That was why after tons of searching I got a job at Iggy's Diner.

"Okay, Max." He seemed to replay what he saw in his mind. "You didn't write anything rude on that napkin, did you?"

"No, Iggy." I sighed. "Just my number."

"Your number?" Iggy said, shocked. "You haven't… dated since Dylan."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm not dating him, Iggy. He was just funny. I said he could call me to hang out. As friends." I clarified.

"Sure." Iggy wiggled his eyebrow and I smacked his arm.

"Come on, Max. Back to work. You need to pay at least some of the rent on the apartment you rent with Nudge and I." Iggy shooed me.

Yeah, I rented an apartment with Nudge and Iggy. Is it hard living with lovebirds? Yes. Do I need to? Yes. I need them to help with rent. Plus, I need Iggy to cook for me. I don't want to set the kitchen on fire… again.

I sighed and got back to work. The tragic life of a waitress.

Fang POV

I looked down at the piece of paper in my hand. I was partially glad I was getting to use it, but partially traumatized.

I didn't want Maximum Ride to die, but it wasn't my call. It's been a day since I got the assignment. I looked up the hours of Iggy's Diner and knew that Max would be out by 7.

I punched the numbers into the phone I had gotten to learn more about humans. Okay, I already knew about humans. I just wanted the phone to get the fun apps. So sue me.

It rang. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Hello?" I heard Max's voice on the other end.

"Hey." I replied smoothly.

"Diner boy!" Max exclaimed. "I was hoping you would call."

"You were?" I asked.

"Uh… yeah." She calmed her tone. "Want to hang? All my friends are at my apartment."

"Our apartment!" I heard some cries in the background.

"So, want to come… erm, I never did get your name, did I?" She asked.

"It's Fang." I replied.

"Got a last name?" She asked.

"You never gave me yours, why should I give you mine?" I shot back. Angels didn't have last names. I looked through my head for a name.

"It's Ride. Maximum Ride." She replied.

"Who are you, James Bond?" I stalled for time. Fang! Steal one from a previous case. "My name is Nick Martinez. But I go by Fang." I finally said.

"Cool." She said. She gave me her address, although I already knew it. I walked over and knocked on her apartment door.

A mocha-skinned girl opened the door.

"Who are you?" She narrowed her eyes at me.

I saw Max on the couch eating something, popcorn I think. She turned head towards me.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "It's Diner Boy! I mean… er… Fang!"

I nodded my head.

"Okay, then!" The mocha-skinned girl smiled and her black curls bounced. "Come on in!" Her voice had changed from accusing to friendly in a matter of seconds.

I looked around the apartment. I saw a blond boy and girl. They looked so similar that I assumed they were twins. The girl was so… angelic.

I almost snorted at the fact that she was much more angelic than any angel I had ever met.

"Igs! Get your but out of the kitchen! It's introduction time!" Max shouted.

James, the man I had saved just yesterday, came out if the kitchen. It was all so ironic, I had saved him yesterday, but now I would be making sure his best friend died in just two weeks.

Everyone sat down on the huge couch they had.

"So… introductions." The mocha-skinned girl started. "You know Max. I'm Nudge. I'm 25 and Iggy, Max, and I share this apartment. Gazzy and Angel," She paused to point to the blond boy and girl, "are twins. They're Iggy's," She paused again, this time pointing to James, "brother and sister. Gazzy and Angel are both 18 and in their senior year of high school. Oh, yeah, Max and Iggy are also 25 if you didn't know. We all love food, and Iggy's diner. I particularly love pancakes. They're syrupy goodness is so mugaerfghio…" Nudge got interrupted by a hand over her mouth from Gazzy.

"Nudge likes to talk. This is how we stop her." He explained.

A sudden stench hit my nose. I gasped and coughed repeatedly.

"Aw! Gazzy! Ew! You're going to scare him away." Angel scolded. Gazzy just cackled maniacally. That came out of him? Is that even possible?

"Sorry…" Max chuckled. "He has a problem." I laughed. What? The way she said it made it sound so cute. I mean, not cute, interesting. No feelings, Fang. No feelings.

"Um, should I introduce myself?" I asked. I had come up with a fake persona while Nudge was ranting,

"Yeah. Go 'head." Max said.

"I'm Nick Martinez. I'm 25. I don't really have a job, but I help people for a living." I said. It was true, I was an angel. I saved people; I helped the world. Or at least I did before the promotion.

"So… like volunteer work?" Max asked.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Like volunteer work."

"So what was everyone doing before I got here?" I asked.

"Well, Nudge was ranting about some stupid magazine, Angel was doing some school work, Gazzy was making a bomb, I was watching TV, and Iggy was making dinner." Max said.

"Great to know you're all so in unison." I said sarcastically.

"Well, no one's perfect." Iggy said and sprang up to go resume cooking. In fact, everyone went back to what they were doing.

"So what do you want to do?" I asked Max a bit awkwardly.

She smiled, "Since you're practically a stranger, why don't- as much as it pains me to recommend this- we play 20 questions?"

I cocked an eyebrow, "Why does that pain you?"

"Because get-to-know-you games are the things I always mock Nudge for playing." She smirked.

"Okay. What's you're favorite food in the world?" I started.

"Easy. Chocolate chip cookies. What's your favorite color?" She asked me.

"What a waste of a question." I shook my head knowingly. "Black." I pointed to my T-shirt and pants.

"I shoulda known." She smiled.

"What's your favorite animal?" I asked.

"Well, I guess I like birds… Are you emo?"

I was shocked by her question. "What? No! Why would you think that?"

She laughed and it sounded like ringing bells.

"Well, as you so nicely pointed out, you do dress head to toe in black." She said smartly.

I rolled my eyes at her. "What's most important to you in the world?"

"My family." She answered immediately. I furrowed my brow. There weren't any family members in the Close Relationships section of her file.

"Oh, do you have any siblings?" I asked, forgetting the game entirely.

"No. Well, not any more. I had a twin, Maya. She died when I was 12." She smiled sadly. "This is my family." She gestured widely to the people around her. "This is going to sound stupid, okay? We actually call ourselves the Flock. It goes with all of our love of birds." I laughed at the faint blush that appeared in her cheeks.

"It's not stupid. I like it." I told her.

She smiled at me and suddenly I knew. I knew that she shouldn't have to die.

The angels didn't know that she loved chocolate chip cookies or had a fascination with birds. The angels didn't know how much she cared for her family. The angels didn't know.

Remember, Fang. No feelings. I tried to convince myself. But it didn't work.

With meeting this one girl, everything I had thought my whole life was slowly becoming a doubt. I had thought that death wasn't the enemy. That we all had to die sometime. That's what I thought.

But Maximum Ride didn't deserve to die, I knew that much. I thought through all this and my mind went into overload.

Fang, you've listened to this system your entire life! This one girl doesn't change that.

Yeah, Fang. This one girl doesn't change that, does it?

Whoa. That took a while. But only because I stopped in the middle to do yoga. Hee hee.

-cutiepie5514