PJO fans, I am pleased to tell you that my [only] fic for Percy Jackson just won the Veritas Award for Best Oneshot. *happy dance*

However, all my readers, I'm not so pleased to inform you that my SAT scores did not come out how I would have liked. I got my highest score in math, which is not what I want colleges to look at me for. *sigh*

Here's chapter four.

The Battle's Never Over
Sequel to The Battle's Just Begun

Summary: The past six months have been chaos, but there's no time for rest, not now. The flocks are split up and saddled with a new mission, and this one really does seem impossible. Of course, most things are impossible when you're a prisoner of war. SEQUEL.

Chapter Four: Whispers in the Dark

The last night I had in America, I climbed out my window and stretched out on the roof, gazing up at the stars. It was already late, as Fang and I had let our flocks stay up much longer than normal. We didn't see any harm in it because we all knew that we wouldn't be together again for some time. Exhausted, Nudge had knocked out the moment she'd gotten into bed, while I suspected others in the house, namely Iggy and Ella, were still awake.

I heard the swish of wind and feathers, barely audible, even in the still night. Fang landed on my windowsill below. I sat up, watching him, trying not to laugh. I could picture him stumbling around the bedroom, looking for me. He poked his head out the window a minute later, looking out into the night. "Max?" he called quietly.

I let my lips form a silent smirk.

Fang heaved himself back up onto the windowsill, preparing to take off, but I leaned off the roof, reached down, and grabbed his arms.

"What the—" he protested as I dragged him up onto the roof. He even struggled a bit, but not enough that I ended up dropping him. He stopped once I'd laid him down and crawled on top of him.

He smiled. "Max."

I grinned. "Hi."

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I could ask the same of you."

"You're the one with a big day ahead tomorrow, not me."

"But I'm not tired," I argued.

"You should still rest, and you know it."

"But I'd rather stay up here, with you." I caressed his cheek, brushing his hair away from his face. He let his eyes slide shut, like he was soaking in my touch. I couldn't help myself: I kissed him. Deeply, passionately, whatever you wanna call it.

"Max," he sighed.

I kissed him again, savoring the feeling of our lips touching in such an electrifying way.

"You really should sleep, Max," he murmured against my lips.

I broke away. "How about not."

"Why?"

"Why are you insisting I sleep?"

"Because I know that you need your rest."

"I'll manage."

"I'd prefer you not walk around like a zombie tomorrow."

"I won't. Let's just stay up here."

Fang let his head fall back against the shingles. My hands folded on his chest, while his lingered unconsciously near my hips. "So feisty tonight."

"Just the usual."

"No, more so tonight, I think."

I leaned down, not kissing him, but brushing my cheek against his. In his ear, I whispered, "I don't know when I'll see you again."

"Of course. That's what's eating at you."

"Yeah."

I felt his hands move up my sides until they framed my face. "Look at me, Max." He pulled my face close to his, looking into my eyes with an intensity he rarely displayed. "We will see each other again, and soon. You need to go save the world; I get that. I'm gonna be helping you from this end."

"But what if…what if one of us doesn't come back?"

"Max," he began firmly, "I have no intention of dying on this stupid mission. And you, you're Maximum Ride. You're not allowed to die."

I chuckled half-heartedly. "Well, that's a relief I guess."

"You're not gonna die." This time, it sounded more like he was assuring himself of this.

"Okay. I won't."

"Promise me that, Max. Promise you'll come back in one piece."

"I can't—"

"Yes, you can. Please, Max. Please. Swear it to me, or I don't think I'll be able to let you go tomorrow."

"I promise I'll come back. I swear I will."

He closed his eyes and brought my forehead down to meet his. "Thank you."

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"How do I know you won't get hurt or something?"

"I just told you, I don't intend to—"

"Life doesn't always turn out the way you intend it to. And I don't know how much danger you'll be in, but I do know you'll be facing it alone."

"I won't be alone."

"What I mean is, you'll be facing it without me."

"I swear, Max, I'll be okay."

I kissed his lips lightly. "Good."

"Now that we've made sure we won't die anytime soon, we can have a little adventure."

"Adventure my ass. I have a feeling that this Paige lady will make us work our feathery butts off."

"Then I'll just have to have some adventure for the both of us. Washington, D.C. I haven't been there in a long time."

"Yeah, since that field trip, right? The one we went on with that school Anne made us go to?"

"Yup. Four and a half years ago, I think. I wonder if it's changed at all."

"That city has been standing for, what, a thousand years?"

"Ha-ha, probably not even three hundred, love."

"Whatever. However long it's been around, I doubt it's changed much in that time. What could possibly be different now?"

"I guess I'll just have to see."

"I have a feeling you won't be as welcome as we were the last time. They're probably much nicer to school kids on field trips than they are to potentially suspicious-looking spies."

"We'll see."

"Virginia was a heck of a place, wasn't it?" I asked, reminiscing.

"Yeah, it was," Fang replied, his voice sounding slightly dazed.

And that was when I remembered something else about Virginia: the girl. I didn't remember her name—and still don't—and I could hardly recall the nickname I'd tacked onto her…

But I couldn't forget the color of her hair, the fierce red. The girl who'd given Fang his first real kiss. It had been years ago, but my stomach still curled in jealousy.

"What is it?" he asked, probably feeling the tension in my muscles.

"Nothing," I lied, but my voice came out too steely for 'nothing' to be plausible.

"Max…"

I couldn't resist him for long, not when he had his bottomless eyes fixed on me like that. "Just remembering some…fun things. From Virginia."

"Doesn't sound fun," he muttered. "Not when it's got you pissed off enough for you to try pulling out my hair."

I realized he was right; my fingers had tightened around a lock of his hair. I let go hastily. "Sorry."

"But seriously, what's eating at you?"

So I asked, "You remember that red-haired girl? You and her had a bit of a…fling, I suppose."

His eyebrows crinkled for a moment, like he almost didn't remember. But I didn't miss the recognition in his eyes. He remembered her.

"Lissa," He said quietly. "She was a weird one."

I choked on a laugh.

"But I wasn't the only one who got hot and heavy in Virginia." He cocked a brow. "Was I?"

Blushing, I vaguely recalled kissing some guy on Anne's porch, then going inside to find a pissed-as-hell Fang.

"I guess," I told him. "But I don't remember his name."

"I don't either. Stan, or something like that. Whatever the name, he'll always be a wiener to me."

I didn't restrain my laugh this time. Beneath me, Fang's chest shook with laughter as well.

"I was never what's-her-face's biggest fan, either. Back then or now."

"I'm sure Lissa's moved by now. I actually paid some attention to her. She told me that she wanted to move as soon as she could."

"And you remember that?"

"Why not? She thought I was a normal kid. I figured I'd act it."

I couldn't keep the venom out of my voice as I grumbled, "I bet Gwen thinks you're normal, too."

Fang looked at me, surprised. "What?"

"Gwen," I repeated. "That stupid intern who always hits on you."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure she suspects that I'm not normal. Besides, you're always with me. She knows I'm not available."

"And when I'm gone? What then?" I don't know why I asked the question. It was unnecessary on so many levels.

"Max, seriously? You're going away into a freaking warzone, and you're worried about some girl hitting on me?"

"What can I say? My priorities have always been mixed up."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about. I'm yours and no one else's."

I should know that, I told myself. But the next word, a soft whisper, escaped anyhow.

"Promise?"

Fang reached up and kissed my lips gently. "Promise. Forever and always."

Forever has no right to be as short as it tends to be.

Um...So I haven't written anything for this in almost a week. I have a deadline looming, and I'm positive I won't make it. Oh well...

But that won't stop you guys from REVIEWING, now, will it?(: