Author's Note: I'm sorry I haven't updated as much as I said I would. Things have been... busy and a little bad. But I'm back online.

Prom dresses link on my profile :)

Summary: Itex has finally been taken down. It was a long battle, hard and weary but it's worth it in the end. Now the flock can relax, be normal kids.

After MAX at Dr.M's in Arizona.

Disclaimer: Do I look like a old, rich man with gray hair? No. I'm a not-old, middle class girl with curly, unmanageable hair thankyouverymuch.


Ages: Iggy: 16 Nudge: 13

Nudge POV:

Max had finally, finally let us live with his mom, because she was sure we were out of danger. It was a Wednesday afternoon and I was doing nothing.

To me 'nothing' means 'borrowing' Fang's laptop and looking at prom dresses. Because you're never too young to plan ahead! There was this one that was so beautiful: it was kind of a dark teal and it had a sweetheart top with the zipper down the front. And it was tight and slim at the top down to the knees and then it fanned out and there were ruffles all the way down the front! And the one I chose for Max was great too! It was black and fell straight with a thin diamond belt cinching the waist. The back had a long slit because it laced up. Fang would die if he saw her in it- which was the point. There was another that was okay, it was long and white with a red sweetheart top but it ended at the bust. And the rest was white with paintings of black and red flowers. It'd look way better on Ella.

"Hello Nudge! I'm so relieved you're here!"

Speak of the devil and the devil may appear... I turned around and there was Ella in her soccer uniform.

"Hey Ella. How'd rehearsal go?"

"Remember, it's practice for sports, and rehearsal for arts. Practice went well and rehearsal for 'Robin Hood' last Tuesday went great! Seth Ackerman came and watched me, isn't that great! He's the cutest, smartest guy ever." I faithfully nodded in agreement even though I had no idea who he was. We weren't going to school. "

"We're planning on staying for awhile. But Max is tense, always ready to leave when the call of duty arises or whatever."

"I thought you'd finished the whole save-the-world mission?"

"I guess. But let's talk about that later. Do you need me for something?"

"Oh right." Ella dumped her backpack on her bed and pulled out an envelope. She handed it to me.

"You know I'm doing the 'Ask Annie' advice column at school right?" Ella did everything: co-captain of soccer and volleyball, class secretary, dance committee, and newspaper. "Well read the question I got."

I opened the envelope and there was a piece of binder paper. The writing, in blue ink, was incredibly light and hard to read. It looked like chicken scratch. Still I could make out the distinct words: 'How do you know you're in love?'

"Oh wow. Ella you're a sophomore, who could possibly think they were in love?"

In sync we answered, "Max and Fang."

"But they're different. They're soulmates." She sighed the last word and collapsed onto her bed. Sitting back up, she added, "So will you answer it for me?"

"Sure."

"Good! Thanks a ton. I have a meeting at Kylie's so I have to jet." She pulled on a jacket and rushed out of the door.

"Binder!" I yelled and tossed it out the door.

"Thank you." I heard far away. Ella may be smart but it doesn't mean she's never a bumble-head.

I was able to focus for, like, ten minutes. But thinking is hard. Thinking about love when you're a birdkid who needs about 3000 calories per day is very hard. So I went down to the kitchen and stuck my head in the fridge looking for something to eat.

"What do we have...cucumber...tuna...eggnog...bread...taco shells...Pepsi...yogurt...tomatoes....beef...dulce de leche, mmm....lettuce...ew, is that blue cheese..."

"Hey."

I managed to oh-so-gracefully pull my head out of the fridge, hitting it in the process. "Um hey Iggy." Whoops, I thought I was the only one home. Iggy was just so quiet sometimes. He was less mute than Fang but I wished he talked more. I wished he talked to me more.

Scratch that. It had been over a year. I had moved on.

"Where is everyone?"

"Dr. M's at the clinic, Max and Fang are AWOL, Gazzy's at the park and Angel's out with her friends, and Ella just left for another school activity." It was kind of nice when everyone left us together.

I didn't say that. Remember, I did not like him anymore.

"Okay. What are you doing?"

"I'm cooking. I'll make taco salad."

"Want me to do it?"

I suddenly got very defensive, "I'm not Max, I can cook!"

He grinned. "Okay sure, sure."

I pulled the stuff out of the fridge and got out a cutting board. I had no idea what I was supposed to do but Iggy didn't need to know that.

I cut the vegetable and when I got out the other things Iggy came and stood next to me.

"So how's lowly eighth grade?"

"Fine. How's sophomore year again?"

"About as good as if was the first time." he admitted.

"Then it sucks, huh?"

Iggy slugged me in the shoulder. Having Iggy watched me, well not watch me, was making me nervous. I mean he was blind but I was still scared to make a mistake around him. Did that make sense? Because he was still very aware of everything, and the rest of the flock knew I messed up things a lot, but I tried my hardest not to mess up around him because I didn't want him to think I was a screw-up and-

"What were you and Ella talking about?"

My face turned red and I stuttered out, "Just her advice column. One of the questions was 'how do you know when you're in love'?"

"Oh." he said. He touched my cheek and I jerked away, "You're blushing?"

"I am not!" I snapped. Ack why was I so angry today? I went back to cutting the vegetables but Iggy said, "Look I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad."

I made the mistake of looking at him while he apologized. Funny, I never noticed how pale his skin was. It was like he never got sun, or he was a vampire (though not gay and sparkly), and he resembled paper or snow or something. And he was tall, way taller than I'd realized. Had I ever realized how airy his blue eyes were? Like the winter sky here in Arizona. And his hair was so nice. It had gotten more red and less blond over time. I noticed, when he was thinking or listening to music, he twirled his hair around his fingers, but not in a girly way. It was ho-quite fascinating. Gee his mouth was really pink and shaped like a heart... oh look it was moving...

"Nudge? Nudge? Nudge. Nudge! Nudge...". He said my name really nice: the 'dge' was pronounced harder than the 'nu' and-

"CRAP!" While thinking about nothing but his lips I'd forgot I had a knife in my hand! I looked down and the cutting board was covered in blood! I hadn't severed any of my fingers, thank goodness, but it still hurt like crazy. Iggy found my hand and said, "Zone out much?"

"Will you just help me!"

He put my hand under the sink and washed away the blood. The cuts were deep and they hurt like heck but Iggy's hand on my shoulder made it a little better.

I didn't say that either.

Iggy pulled something off the top of the fridge. A first aid kid.

"Dr. M keeps a kit for moments like these, and anytime Max steps in here." he explained. He cleaned the cuts with alcohol and it stung like crazy but he squeezed my other hand as he did and that made it better.

You didn't hear that. However sweet and helpful and gorgeous he was I did not lov-like him anymore.

He wrapped my hand in bandages and a cloth thing too. I thought he was done but he picked up my wounded hand and kissed it gently. Then smiled and walked away. I stood there like an idiot until Ella got home.


"That was so boring. The treasurer spent all the money on new cheerleaders uniforms. Never let a guy manage money! So did –hey, what happened!" Ella looked panicky at the blood on the counter then at me.

"Nothing." I lied. "What were you saying?"

She hesitantly finished, "Did you come up with an answer for 'Ask Annie'?"

I didn't have to ponder it for a second. I looked down at my heavily bandaged hand, "It's simple. You know you're in love because when you see them, everything else disappears."