Yes, I know, my updates are slow. Been over it a bunch of times on a bunch of different fics. if you'd like to, you may bring any complaints to my Comments and Suggestions Manager, Thor.

Thor: -holds hammer menacingly- -grunts-

Fang: When'd we hire him?

Me: Just now.

Fang: First, you hire Aragorn as a bodyguard. Then, Leonidas as a... God knows what, he's just always around. Now Thor?

Me: I got a thing for big, burly, medival-ish guys. Leave me be.

Fang: ...King Leo isn't 'medival-ish'.

Me: Ok, I have no idea why he's here, but it explains the other two.

Fang: Moving on...

Me: Quick note: Strawberry is Meggy's horse, in case that isn't clear.


Iggy's POV

"At my school, we don't do Honors Theatre. At my school, we're lucky if five kids join theatre."

"Sounds depressing." Fang grinned at me before slurping down the last bit of his slushie. We had gone to a nearby pizza joint and chowed down while Fang explained his 'summer hobby' to me between bites. Turned out joining Honors Theatre around here meant spending some of your summer enacting Shakespeare plays.

Now we were walking through the auditorium doors, Fang explaining what was coming up next in the rehearsal.

"Fang! Fang Tucker, get your butt down here or your soul is forfeit! You're late!" The teacher, Ms. Mayhill called up from her chair.

"Two minutes, Mayhilll! And is it ok if my friend stays and watches?" Fang replied, throwing his bag into a chair.

"Fine, whatever, just hurry down! I need you to go backstage with Bianca and find out what's up with that back curtain."

"I'm on it." Fang called back, pulling the script out of his bag.

"Hey, quick question." I said. "What's with this 'owning your soul' thing?"

Fang rolled his eyes, smiling. "Oh, funny story. The week before a play, we have what's called Tech. Week or 'Hell Week' where we spend, like, our entire day here all week, going over scenes and getting things really set up. Since we're here so long, we usually get parents to bring in food for us to have for dinner. Well, during my first ever Hell Week, the people from Act Two and some techies ate all the food while the Act One people, like me, were on stage."

"Techies?" I asked.

"Backstage people." Fang replied. "Anyway, I was, of course, one of the most starved people there. Mayhill wasn't going to get more food, but I begged her, making all the deals I could think of. I finally offered to lease my soul out to her until graduation. She bought it. Seriously, we have a contract hanging in a frame in her office. Anyway, she ordered pizza and I became her Theatre Slave. She has my cell number and calls whenever she needs a hand. It's kinda cool, actually. I've been pulled out of class to do tech stuff, gotten to co-direct plays, and during Macbeth, when we didn't have enough people to play all the parts, she called me in, changed the lead witch to a warlock, and stuck me in the part."

"Cool." I tried to imagine Fang as a witch... Heh...

Fang grinned for the second time, erasing my thoughts. "Very."

"Come on, Fang, we're waiting on ya." Jacy walked past us, motioning for Fang to follow. Then, she pointed to the middle row of seats. "Since Fang finally let you join us, best view's from there, Ig."

So the friend with benefits was here, too? Lovely...

"Thanks." I called after Jacy, but she was already almost to the stage. Fang had sped up to catch up with her. He jumped to her side, sharing some quick joke with her, out of earshot for me, that they both laughed at. She gave him a good-natured shove, sending him on his way. He rolled his eyes, but waved as he walked away.

I never got a wave. Jacy got a wave.

Seems like Jacy just has everything.


We arrived home later that night to something I hadn't seen since Angel was four years old back at the E-House.

A temper-tantrum.

I couldn't even tell you what Meggy was screaming. I couldn't make out the words. I was just a lot of crying, screaming, and that sound like she's trying to catch her breath and sob at the same time.

Jackie Don had a newspaper over his head, in a futile attempt to drown out the noise. Fang's mom was attempting to put the little girl in time out, but she didn't seem too keen on staying put, rolling out of the chair and onto the floor, where she pounded her little fists and kicked.

The minute she spotted Fang, she flew off the floor and attached herself to his leg, sobbing out what sounded like a foreign language.

Fang bent down to her level, pushing her hair out of her now-red face. "Meggy, hun, I'd be glad to hear about what's wrong, but I can't understand a word you're saying right now. How about you go sit and calm down while I put my things away, then we can talk. Ok?"

The little girl nodded slowly, still letting out choked sobs and headed back to her chair, where she curled up, head on her knees, and whimpered.

I saw Fang's mom mouth the words 'Thank God' after Fang had gotten Meggy into her chair. Fang went about putting his things away, seeming to drag it out a bit, probably to give Meggy time to chill. I sat down next to Jackie Don, who silently handed me the comics section of the newspaper.

"She listens to him." Jackie Don commented, not looking up from his paper. "Screams at me, screams at her mother, but Fang? Very rarely does Fang have a problem with her."

"He used to kind of help Max raise the younger kids back when we were on our own." I told him.

"And what did you do?" He asked.

I grinned. "I spent my time acting like one of the younger kids."

"Ready to talk, kiddo?" Fang asked Meggy, sitting down in a chair next to her.

I watched them over the corner of the comics page. "I wanted to take Strawberry and Charon some apple slices, but mom said no. But we always take them apples, so it's not fair."

"You wanted to take them apple slices by yourself?" Fang asked her.

"Yeah. But I know how to feed them!"

"Meg, you're not allowed in the barn by yourself."

The crossed her arms tight around her chest. "It's not fair."

"How is it not fair?" Fang asked her.

"Everyone else can go in the barn alone. But I can't."

"Meggy..." Fang paused for a moment. "You remember that time I cut my arm when I tripped on that pitchfork?"

She nodded.

"And the time Charon got out and knocked dad over?"

Another nod.

"Or when Strawberry stepped on my foot? Or when Dad found the fox hanging out in the hay loft?"

Vigorous nodding.

"What if any of those things happened to you? You could get really hurt, Meg." Fang said. "We're all bigger, we can handle these kinds of things better. But you could get trampled or cut or worse."

Meggy nodded again.

"You understand?"

"Yeah..." She didn't sound to happy about it.

"Look, tomorrow morning we'll go out to the barn together and gives those to a real treat. Sound like a plan?"

Meggy nodded. "Can we bring carrots, too?"

"Sure. And hey, try not to give mom such a hard time, ok?"

"Ok..."

"Meggy." Fang's mom said. "If you guys are done, it's time to get ready for bed."

Meggy looked ready to protest, but Fang shot her a look and she went off quietly.


A short time later, we were up in Fang's room, and I was still amazed on how he handled his little sister.

"You're pretty good with kids, you know that?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "With Meggy, at least. She doesn't freak out like that often, but when she does... It's a mess."

"Well, you did a great job with her."

"Thanks."

As we got ready for bed, I kept having these visions of Fang pushing a little kid on a swing, or taking them riding, or he and I taking the kid for a walk, each of us holding one of his little hands... I was imagining them looking like us until I realized, 'Oh, heh, we can't exactly... Have kids like that.' Then, I started to imagine us with this group of adopted children, each of them totally different in looks, but each totally ours. We could adopt children, give them homes.

I was lying in bed, imagining my future children and giving them names when a pillow hit me in the face.

"Hey!" I whisper-yelled.

"I've been trying to get your attention." Fang said. "I was wondering... How would you like to be part of one of my... Wild parties?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked warily.

"My parents are leaving for the weekend, taking Meggy with them." He said. "Going to visit an aunt. Told me we could stay here, since, well, you do NOT want to visit my Aunt Tina. Trust me. She has, like, 300 cats."

"And you're going to throw a party?"

"Just a little one. Invite some of the people from the play..."

"Get drunk, break the law, act like an idiot." I added.

"It's a party."

Under normal circumstances, I would try and talk my friend out of this. Under normal circumstances, I would refuse to attend. Under normal circumstances, I would be lecturing him on bad decisions and drunken mistakes.

But this wasn't normal circumstances. This was Fang.

"Oh, fine. Just don't let anything stupid happen, ok?"

"I'll keep you safe, Ig, don't worry."

Oh, great, now my heart stopped.

"Heh, got it."


Me: Skittles, my mind-twinny, was thinking of this fic as I was working on it... Freaky...

Fang: I'm throwing a party!

Me: Not really.

Fang: Dream-killer. -.-

Me:-eyeroll-

R&R&Who wants to visit Aunt Tina?

P.S. If you're boredomsucks101's sister, yes, I did leave the comment. :D