The flock, Frannie, and her lovely babies were clustered in the living room. Ozzy and Janie were squished into one armchair, picking noodles off each others' plates. Frannie was handing Icarus his dinner over in the kitchen, which was separated by a stone counter from the living room. Matthew was chowing down on the floor, eyes glued to the TV. Wendy was sitting in the last chair left in the room inspecting her noodles, and a Peter was on the carpet next to her, slurping away.

"Wait, Matty!" Janie shrieked, jumping out of the chair and almost knocking Ozzy to the ground. "You forgot the power cheese!"

"Powdered cheese." Icarus stubbed his toe on a couch leg, muttered a curse, and plopped down on the floor.

"Power cheese," Janie insisted.

Matthew took the shaker and upended it over his plate. Parmesan sprinkled down onto the carpet.

"I want some!" Icarus complained.

Max threaded her way through the fray and headed for the kitchen. Janie and Ozzy looked up with guilty expressions on their faces as she walked by, butter and salt coating their fingers.

Putting a finger to her lips, Max smiled at them.

Identical buttery smiles crossed their faces, and they continued their mischief.

"Hey, Max!" Frannie smiled at her, the kind of smile that makes you feel all toasty from head to foot. "Want some bucatini?"

"What's bucatini?" Max stood on her tiptoes and looked into the pot of pasta.

"It's like spaghetti, but thicker," Frannie explained, "and it has a hole through the middle."

"So it's a tube?" Max leaned on the counter.

"Yep." Frannie dropped a big ladle-full onto a plate. "Here you are."

"A little less, please," Max said.

"Max, that's not even that much-"

"I'm not that hungry." Max flashed her a winning smile.

Frannie's eyebrows furrowed, but she took about a third off with her big spoon and dropped it back in the pot.

"Thank you!" Max took her food and sat on one of the last empty spaces on the couch.

"Hiya, Max." A noodle was handing from the edge of Icarus' mouth as he smiled.

"How could you tell it was me?"

"You weigh less than Frannie and Kit, so you make a lighter sound when you sit down." Ic cocked his head. "Whatcha watching, Matt?"

"Animal Planet!" Matthew exclaimed.

"Again?" Icarus groaned. "I'm getting tired of listening to that…"

Frannie sat down on Max's other side, and Kit sat on the floor near the TV, both with full plates of steamy goodness.

"Can I have that?" Kit reached for the cheese shaker.

"Yup." Matthew handed it over, eyes not leaving the television.

"You watch TV too much, Matty," Max said. "Tomorrow, we should go for a fly, all of us together."

Kit nodded, unsurprised, though Frannie looked a little bit sad.

"We can pack you a picnic lunch," Frannie offered.

"With cookies!" Peter yelled.

"Cookies!" Wendy agreed.

"With cookies and sandwiches and fruit." Frannie laughed.

As it got darker and darker outside, they made a list of things to put in the picnic basket. Frannie and Kit lit candles, writing down items that were serious and laughed at the ones that weren't. If everything everybody said was put down on Frannie's notepad, they'd have to carry a mattress, a polar bear, and a purple unicorn.

Kit made made everyone some microwave popcorn, and they all sat and watched "Blue Planet", which was nice, except for when that orca ate some baby seals, which made Janie and Wendy cry and Ozzy cuddle up to Max.

After the movie was finished, Kit glanced at his watch. "It's almost 9:30," he said to Frannie in a low voice.

"Jesus, really?" Frannie got to her feet, making sure she didn't upset the empty bags of popcorn balanced on the coffee table. "Okay, chickies, time for bed." (Frannie had taken to calling them "chickies" lately, as a joke about their wings. Max thought it was kind of dumb, but the other kids seemed to like it.)

"Aww!" Wendy licked salt off her palm.

"Plates in the kitchen." Frannie stood up. "Kit, get the dishes. I'll bolt the doors."

"Yes, ma'am!" Kit said. Frannie blew him a kiss as she left, and Kit looked after her, smiling.

Max felt a pang of sorrow deep in her breast. She supposed that was how she'd looked when she was around-

No. No more thinking about that. Nope.

Max picked up the empty bags of popcorn, wincing when some unpopped kernels fell and rattled to the floor. She grumbled and went over to the kitchen.

"Need some help?" Kit was washing dishes at the sink.

"No thanks."

"Listen, Max…" Those two words were enough to make Max's heart drop into her stomach with dread.

"Hmm?" She moved about the kitchen, throwing out the bags, looking for the dustpan, everything fine fine fine fine fine.

"Max, sweetie, I just worry about you sometimes." Placing a hand on her shoulder, Kit smiled at her. "You've been sad lately. I thought… I mean, it's been so… Two years, now, isn't it?"

"Two years," Max echoed. Two years without Ozymandias. Two birthdays, 24 moon cycles, 1 long dream. Not a nightmare, but like that dream that you know something is wrong but you don't know exactly what's wrong and you don't want to think about it, because if you do you might remember, and then the dream turns to Hell and you're trapped!

Trapped!

"I'm fine, Kit!" Max said. She ducked under his arm to escape, leaving the dustpan on the counter, kernels on the floor, and their discussion hanging in the air.

Kit's shoulders slumped. He knew he should've expected that, but it hurt a little that she still didn't trust him. He cleaned, then swept, then crawled into bed with Frannie and slept.

Max did not. She went right to her room and closed the door. She surveyed the two small beds opposite hers: Kit had built the frames when Janie and Ozzy outgrew their shared crib. He had also found small mattresses that fit the frames, and had found perfect-sized and perfect-colored sheets and comforters catered to Ozzy and Janie's wishes.

He was such a sweetie sometimes. Max usually forgot about that when he was being a big fat nosy jerk.

Janie was making her bed, and Ozzy was making his blankets into a fort using a chair. Max went over and took the chair away. "Time for bed, Ozzy-my-dear."

He giggled. "But Mommy, I wanna sleep in a fort!"

"Make a tent with your blankets using your feet," Max suggested. "It's still like a fort, and you don't have to sleep on the floor."

"Aw, okay."

Janie patted down her comforter as Max came over.

"Why do you make your bed before you get into it?" Ozzy asked Janie, as he did most every night. "It's just gonna get messed up when you sleep."

"Because I like it," Janie replied as usual. "Tuck me in, Mama?"

"Is that a please I hear?" Max teased, poking Janie in the tummy.

"Eek!" Janie squealed. "Please! Please!"

Max tucked Janie into bed, pulling the soft sunset-colored blanket over her slim frame. "Night, Janie-my-love." Max laid a kiss on her forehead, and Janie smiled.

"Night..." Janie rolled over to face the wall and shut her eyes.

Max pulled Ozzy's sky-blue covers up to his chin. "Goodnight, Ozzy-my-dear."

"Nighty-night, Mommy." Ozzy's eyes slid closed.

Max smiled at her sleeping children. She went over and sat on the edge of her bed, which suddenly seemed far too big for one fifteen-year-old mutant. Reaching to turn off the light, she felt a wave of sadness crash over her, like a tsunami looming over a town small enough that it knew it wasn't going to survive the flood.

The only escape… was flight!

She waited in the dark for a long time, until she was sure everybody else in the house was dead asleep. The only sounds were the creaks of the old house swaying on its foundation.

Max slipped out of bed. She checked the floor for creaky boards, and upon finding none, went over to the window.

"Mama…?" came Janie's sleepy voice.

Max winced at the sound. She tiptoed over to Janie's bedside and kissed her cheek. "I was just looking out the window, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."

"Okay…" Janie whispered, trailing off as she slid back into sleep.

Max waited a while then before going back to the window. She undid the latch and pushed it up, and it made a soft squeak as it moved. Max paused again before climbing up onto the sill, sitting for a second, then sliding down into open air, 120 feet above the forest!

She was out, and nobody knew! Max couldn't help the elated grin that took over her face. She'd made it! Well, of course I did, she thought.

Max fell quickly, and seconds before she hit the treeline, she swooped upwards. She gained altitude quickly, letting her wings stretch out to their full gorgeous length of over twelve feet. She flew up through a few misty clouds. She looked to her left and saw several feet of white-blue feathery loveliness, and knew if she looked to her right she would see the same thing. God, how she loved to fly!

She flew and flew, calling to the nightbirds and crying a little, and when the sun came up she crept back inside and pretended, like she always did, that she had slept well, like she was full of joy, like everything was fine.