Iggy's POV

"Iggy, come home!" Amanda was practically screaming in the phone.

"What? What's wrong?" I was naturally worried as hell.

"Nothing, just come home NOW!" she was hysterical, but the good kind.

I told he nurse on duty that Amanda was calling me, and she just nodded, understanding what I was going to say next. She knew about Amanda's pregnancy, so she let me take the breaks I needed.

I flew home this time, cursing my wings to go faster. I shoved the key into the lock, and it was a miracle I didn't break it.

"Amanda? Where are you?" I said, running straight into the living room. I didn't have to hear her answer, because I saw her balled in the couch smiling at me.

"Give me your hand," she said,

Knowing that if I disobeyed, I would get a nice fight going, I did as I was told. She placed it on her rounded stomach, and waited. What happened next was one of the most unbelievable things in the world.

The baby kicked me.

I jumped in disbelief and Amanda was laughing. I got more comfortable on the couch, and she curled up, her head on my shoulder. She closed her eyes, and waited with me. I got another kick after about 5 minutes.

"Does it hurt?" I asked,

"No, but I feel it," she answered. "Sometimes she doesn't let me sleep."

"She?"

"Don't ask why, but I think it's a girl."

I smiled, "I would like a daughter."

"Really?"

"Yeah," and I kissed her on the lips right before she fell asleep.

The flock got home from school and work that afternoon at around 4:00. I put my finger to my lips as they came in; Amanda looked exhausted. They understood. But as I was getting up from the couch, she woke up. She rubbed her eyes, and saw the flock.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Hey, Mandi," Angel said, banana in hand.

"Do you want me to show you something?" she said. I smiled, knowing what she had in mind.

"Sure," Angel said. She looked confused as Amanda grabbed Angel's hand and placed it on her belly. When the baby kicked her, she almost screamed. "Max, Fang, guys, YOU"VE GOT TO TRY THIS!!" I laughed as everybody rushed over to the couch.

"What?" Gazzy said, and he placed his hand where Angel's had been, and he just stared at it wide eyed as the baby nudged him from the inside.

Even Fang and Max jumped in surprise.

The next day we went to Max's relatives. We decided to tell Dr. Martinez and Ella, because they are human, and they probably know about this sort of thing. They were thrilled that we trusted them with this, and they strongly recommended that at least Amanda stay with them for the remaining trimester. They also wanted to be at the birth, and recommended a doctor to us. I wouldn't leave her, and they agreed to let me stay as well.

We've been to the doctor every two weeks to check the baby. (A/N my mom has been through this six times, so I know what I'm talking about!) It was healthy. The ultrasounds were the most beautiful things in the world. I would take the pictures and stick them in a wallet I bought. The baby would grow to the full term, born in October, around the 16th. That would make sense. The day after my birthday, nine months after. Perfect math. Amanda wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise, no matter how hard I wanted to know. I really wanted, I think, a girl. The guess was still strong.

Amanda was really enjoying it, even through the mood swings and the morning sickness. These three months had been entertaining for her. She had her occasional ups and downs, but all in all she had fun.

Today we went for a walk. The fresh air seems to relax her. For her, it was more of a waddle. I would laugh, then she would punch me in the arm, and join in. We talked a lot about life after the baby's born. We were both excited, but she was more so. I think I still worried. The pressure of protecting this being, loving it constantly, wasn't that hard?

I enjoyed being alone with her anyway. Fresh air was perfect for us avian hybrids, even Amanda. Flying was out of the question. Have you tried flying with a 180-pound pregnant woman? Yeah, not easy after the first mile. Plus, the doctor seemed to recommend that flying would do something to the baby. Walks help. It keeps Amanda energized and strong.

We walked around the park, our park. Amanda loved to swing. She said that the breeze made her think of her brother. He had liked the swings, too. Then she would get all emotional, cry, and then we would talk about the baby.

The walk was an over all success. She only cried once. That was awesome! We were crossing the meadow to get home, when an unexpected person stepped in front of us. No, he landed in front of us.

Ari. Now, I had come to trust him, even when he had walked with Nudge at Max's wedding. I always had tentativeness when I was with him. New resolution: Always trust your gut. Ari looked as menacing as before. But instead of towards Max, it was towards Amanda. Why do these girls have that affect on Erasers?

"So, you're having a kid, huh? Well, I know some people who'll wanna hear about this!" and he lunged at her, grabbing her around the waist. In her limited abilities, she tried elbowing him in the abs. He just laughed.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint Jeb, now would we?" I said, seeing if I could change his mind.

"How can I, when he's DEAD?" Ari said. "He never gave a crap about me. It was all a set up! Anne isn't even dead!"

I couldn't believe my ears. Anne was still out there. This bites hard. I was beginning to feel really really really really angry. Not good for him, I don't think.

"IGGY!" Amanda screamed, struggling to get out of his grip. She gripped at his hands, now pressing into her stomach. She screamed in agony, and Ari didn't seem to care. I was beyond furious and ran to take off. Ari looked as if he was about to drop her, when another two Erasers took her into their arms.

"Do it, now!" one shouted. The second Eraser took a needle out, sedating Amanda. She went limp automatically.

I was in the air in seconds, lunging at Ari, giving him a major punch in the nose. "You back stabbing mother…" and I landed another punch into his abdomen, He let out a whimper as he fell to the ground. I remembered that the other two were the ones that really mattered. They seemed to be conversing about something, and they headed in an unknown direction. I followed them, furiously imagining what I would do to them the second I could get in reach.

Before I knew it, the third Eraser came flying right at me. I was thinking so much that I forgot to pay attention. I got a solid hit in the gut. I felt nausea overcome me, but I held it in. I threw an uppercut on his chin. I didn't hear the satisfying crack of the neck, and he came back unphased. "Stupid, stupid boy." The third Eraser came with another needle. I let out a groan as darkness blanketed my eyes.

Amanda's POV

I woke up. Guess where I was.

GERMANY!! Yay! And guess who showed up!

ANNE! Yay! And who appeared next to her?

SOME…woman that I didn't know.

"Good morning, Amanda," the woman said, a normal English accent about her voice.

I let out a groan in response. I felt sick to my stomach. Which, by the way, seemed significantly bigger than before. I looked around frantically for my husband. Max, somebody.

"They are in a separate room," Anne said, reading my thoughts. "Iggy, on the other hand, is to your left."

I turned, and I saw my hubby, unconscious. I tried to call him awake, but he didn't stir. He couldn't have heard me anyway; my voice was hoarse. I saw his hands were bound to the bed, as were mine. My legs weren't exactly free either.

"I shall wake him up if you stay with us, give birth to your child, and give it to us," Anne said. "All of you have been asleep for 2 and a half months."

Months. This baby was due any day now. I couldn't believe it. I was going to give birth to a baby. In a hellhole. Wonderful!

I was torn between my two loves. My husband and my baby. I thought it through, knowing that even if we left the baby here, we would get it back somehow.

"You swear on whatever you have, because I know you don't own a soul, that you will wake him up?"

"On whatever I have," Anne said, smiling. Evil bitch.

I let out a shaky breath, "Wake him up."

"Good choice, young lady," the woman said, and she began to unhook Iggy from the monitors. I knew he wouldn't wake up until later.

"He shall be up and about in a couple of hours." Both the woman and Anne began to leave the room.

"Wait!" I shouted.

The turned around, looking at me annoyed.

"The flock?"

"Oh, they're fine. We haven't been doing anything except locking them up. They are all unconscious, but we think that they should witness the miracle of birth. Oops, I just spoiled the surprise!" The woman said, laughing and feigning shock.

"And who are you?"

The woman's eyes went wide, as if she had just noticed something. "Oh dear girl, you still haven't figured it out?"

I honestly hadn't. Though she did look familiar…

"I am your mother, Amanda. Your father, however, is no longer alive. He was a worthless piece of crap, just like you."

I laid there, my face twisted in a look of agonized shock. The white witch was my MOTHER! My father was dead. Max's father was dead. This wasn't good.

How could this be?! I wasn't anything like her. If anything, I had her hair and her eyes. That's it!

I cried for hours until I saw Iggy stir out of the corner of my eye. He turned around, and he looked me straight in the eyes.

"Amanda?" except this time, he wasn't angry. He was still so weak.

"Yeah. It's me." I was still crying, but some tears were just rolling down my cheeks. I couldn't wipe them away.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Iggy was always protective of me. He looked at my stomach, and his eyes went wide. "My God, how long have I been out? A month?"

"We've all been out for 2 and a half. The baby…" I stopped as I felt something flop over in my stomach, and I felt my pants soak. Before I could say anything, the worst pain in the world exploded in my lower stomach.

I screamed, scaring Iggy out of his wits. "What's wrong?"

"My water broke!" I was really crying now.

I think I was constantly being watched. The next thing I knew, I was being hooked up to more monitors. The pain subsided, but I felt, as the next one, building up like a wave, was about to crash. I held in my scream this time, but a whimper came out either way. This pain was unbearable.

This was too much for me, but I had no choice. I heard the door open, as the flock was being dragged in and set into chairs.

"You guys wanna see what I went through?" my mom shouted.

They all looked frightened at me, but I couldn't look at them. I was turned in a way that couldn't allow me to.

Iggy was still tied to the bed, trying furiously to escape. My contractions came in waves, barely giving me a break. Just think about a person stabbing you repeatedly and then ripping you apart. No matter how hard Iggy was trying, however, he was always cheering me on, telling me "Great job" or "Breathe". I was grateful that he was at least there. How did women do this alone? This was too much!

I needed him. Iggy. He was always there for me. Every time I was checked for dilation, I felt like closing my legs, but they were doctors. They wanted this baby alive, and so did I. I found the time to think rationally.

"I won't push this baby out until Iggy is here," I said, indignified.

"What? No, he's right there." Anne said, preparing herself for the main event.

"Untie him, or you won't have a baby!" I screamed at her. I closed my eyes, breathing as another contraction hit. They were so close together and strong now. This time, fear was plastered on her face as she got some guys to untie him. Iggy appeared the next second by my side.

"You are doing so great, you know that?" he whispered into my ear. All I could do was nod as the next contraction prepared to hit.

Iggy noticed, and began to try to distract me. Like he had when I was in the hospital the other time. I was humming songs.

Anne walked over to check my cervix, and it turns out I was fully dilated.

"And that means…"

"In what could be minutes, we'll be parents," Iggy said it with so much pride, I almost forgot about the pain. Almost.

"Okay, I want you to push for ten seconds, got it?" my mother wasn't the best compassionate person. She rolled her sleeves up, and had a mask over her face. I just looked her dead in the eyes. She took that as an "I understand."

"Okay, one, two, three!" One thing: pushing a baby out is not fun. It hurts. Bad.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!" I screamed as Iggy counted down from 10. He kissed me after every number. He didn't seem to care that I was crushing his hand. I felt so supported. Angel kept sending me happy thoughts, calming me down. The push ended, but a new one began the second after. I felt a burning going on as the head emerged. I screamed in agony as the contraction ended. I fell back on the pillow.

"The head's out," Anne said, taking the suction thingie and sucking the mucus out. What I was thinking about, however, was the fact that the baby was half in, half out, and it burned like hell. I couldn't breathe. It hurt so much.

Iggy checked the head, yes he looked down there without fainting, and when he came back, he noticed that no sound was coming out of my mouth, "Amanda, stay with me. She's right there. I can see her. She's beautiful," I saw his eyes well up, but I still couldn't catch my breath. "Iggy, it's burning. So much," I said, gasping for breath. I couldn't grasp it. Contractions came back to back, and I was bordering hysterics.

"I know, love, but just one more push, and that's it. You'll hold your baby in your arms. That's all. Remember: I don't want another pretty face, I don't want just anyone to hold, I don't want my love to go to waste…" he was trying to keep my calm.

He wanted me to keep going. "I want you and your beautiful soul…"

I was so tired. I couldn't go on. "I can't do this." I said it out loud.

"Yes, you can! You're doing it right now! Plenty of women can do this, and you're stronger than any of them," Iggy said. He bent down and kissed me hard on the lips. I broke away when the next contraction hit.

"Come on, Mandi. One, two, three," it finished so quickly. The pain surged through my body for a short while, then it was gone. One second I was pushing, the next, I felt a slimy figure slip out, and I gasped audibly. All the pain was gone. It wasn't there anymore. I fell back on the pillow one more time, and listened intently. Iggy wiped the sweat from my forehead, because he had a free hand. I heard a faint mewing sound, and I knew the baby was alive. I cried in joy, as I looked down at my child. Iggy was laughing and crying too. He was hugging me closely.

"You have a girl. Name?" Anne said, bundling the baby up in a pink fleece blanket.

"Oh my god, what were the names?" Iggy said, looking at our daughter and me.

A chorus of names came from the flock. Natalie, Jillian, Joy.

"Gabriella." It was the name of an author that I loved.

Iggy looked at me, after I said it. He nodded. "Gabriella it is."

The baby was placed in my arms, and I cuddled it to my chest. She was gorgeous. She had Iggy's gorgeous blue eyes, but my black hair. She would definitely be a babe.

Before I knew it, she was being taken away. Big mistake. You never take a baby away from its mother. I lunged at the scientist that had taken my baby and began to fight. Considering my condition, I felt good. He gave the baby to another scientist and ran away. Chicken. I thought I would have to do it alone, but in the midst of the birth, the flock had been untying each other. They were all ready to fight. I had lost about 8 pounds, and Iggy found the strength to lift me. I clung to him. I was carefully set outside the room. Everybody else was in the room, fighting all the Erasers headed our way, or my way. Angel found a way to get the baby out of the arms of the scientist dude who dared take her away from me.

We left Itex, not bothering with Anne or my mother (and only I knew she was my mother) and we landed in Dr. Martinez's front yard, and I felt horrible. Sick and tired and dizzy. I felt Iggy's arms catch me before I hit the pavement.

Iggy's POV

I shouldn't have let her fight. She had just given birth, but she was so mad, I was scared to go and distract her. She collapsed once we landed infront of Dr. Martinez house. Dr. Martinez drove us straight to the hospital. Max held Gabriella while I held Amanda. She was so pale, but so beautiful.

The doctors took her into the emergency room immediately, and they hooked her up. She had blood transfusions, and I donated some of mine. They put Gabi in the nursery, and she turned out healthy. They would release her probably before Amanda got better.

She hadn't woken up since we had landed. The doctors say that we got there just in time. They wouldn't let me stay with her, but they told me she had started seizing and hemorrhaging. I freaked out, but they told me that she was healing up well (surprise, surprise), and that she'll just be on strict bed rest for the next couple of months. For now, she was in a deep sleep. She needed that.

I waited next to her bed. I looked at the whiteboard in her room. It had the date: October 2nd. My daughter was born on October 2nd. She was beautiful. Blue eyes, jet black curls. Just like her mom. Her mom was a vision, too.

I snapped back to the present as I saw Mandy roll over, and she woke up. She stared at the ceiling, confused at first, but then she saw me, and relaxed.

"What happened?

"Hey, baby. You passed out. You shouldn't have fought," I said it trying to sound as quiet as possible. I didn't want to scare her,

"I know, but… wait, she is okay, right?" she said, worried.

"Yeah, actually, I can bring her in. You can feed her," I said, and gave her a signal that said "Be right back." She nodded, and I ran to the nursery. They gave me my daughter carefully. I held her delicately, and I swear I saw her smile. She was so happy.

I got back to the room, and Amanda was reading a book on parenting. "Just researching."

"You'll do fine," I said, handing her the baby.

"God, she's beautiful. She has your eyes, Iggy," she said it as if she had just realized it.

She slowly lifter her shirt, and I helped her unlatch her bra. Gabi was hungry, and began sucking immediately. Even I was amazed Gabi laughed, "Somebody has not been fed yet, huh? Now we know you're one of us."

I laughed, and that was how we spent three days. We fed Gabi, and played with her, and just had fun. Dr. Martinez and Ella and the flock visited. They all "awed" and "oohed" at her, and they had a right to. She was gorgeous. Gabi gurgled and laughed. Her favorite song was "Because you loved me". Like mother like daughter, huh?

We all flew back to Dr. Martinez's house after the third day. We apparently missed the fact that it had been BURNED TO THE GROUND! Ari had probably done that. We walked around the remains, but we handed them a credit card, the Maximum Ride credit card that was found in Max's pocket. They used our spare home nearby. Gabi offered it to them, and they felt they had no choice but to oblige. We finally settled down at the home for about two weeks, but we returned to France. We lived life pretty well. Days went by all blurred together. Gabriella, Gabi for short, was very active, but when she slept, she slept. She was the perfect baby.

The next couple of months were some of the best ones in my life. Watching my baby grow, learn to smile and gurgle. She was turning into a beautiful young girl.

Gabi told the flock about her mother and Ari. We all felt bad, and we let her know that that didn't change the way we thought about her. Then came the hard part: telling Max that Jeb was dead. It pained all of us to see Max so sad; Fang would stand around for hours just rubbing between her wings, trying to get her to calm down. "That can't be." Dr. Martinez was also crying, and they both left the room. There was uncomfortable silences for a while, and the funeral wasn't peppy at all.

I worried about her, but Max figured out that he was probably in a better place. Amanda made sure that she knew that Ari would pay before he died for causing her all this pain. After that, Max was practically back to normal.

The only problem was that Anne wasn't going to stop wanting Gabriella. And no matter how hard they tried, however, they weren't going to keep her from me. Ever.


Well, there you have it. Maybe the School will try again. Unless you wanna end it here! Again, I only know that unless you review! My email is in case you want to say something else. Just make sure you put in the subject "review for one more to the flock" or something.