CHAPTER 10:

"Green. Green, what's green?" I asked.

Fang picked up the box and read it. "It says green is…" He sighed and chucked the box to the side. "Negative…" He looked at me and came over and hugged me tightly.

"That was a big scare, Max." Ella commented. "Don't do that again,"

"What? Take a pregnancy test the moment I notice something's wrong?" I pulled away from Fang to stare at her.

"No, I mean, don't…do the dirty." She stood and went over to the door.

"If you tell Mom, I'll tell her you've slept with Iggy," I warned her. She froze and turned to me.

"I wouldn't-"

"Ella, don't mess with a psychic. I know what you were going to do. You may have thought it was the best thing but if you tell Mom-"

"It involves you, too," Fang interjected. I crossed my arms gently across my chest. "If you tell Dr. Martinez that Max and I slept together, she'll dig deeper and eventually find out about you and Iggy. Max gave you her blessing to date Iggy- he's been like a brother to her all her life. Just because she did, doesn't-"

"Doesn't mean I gave you permission to screw him over." I looked at her and saw she looked scared. "Ella, you're not pregnant. Only Nudge…is." My eyes widened at the vision I just had. "Oh my God," I was disgusted. I covered my mouth with my hand. "Ella, it appears that I'll have a full-blooded brother and you'll have a half-brother in eight months." I looked at Fang and Ella.

Fang looked like he'd barf and Ella looked like she didn't know what to be; happy or grossed out. "Get the family- Minus Mom and Jeb," Ella went out the door and I turned to Fang. "Soundproof rooms were a bad idea…I hate Jeb,"

Fang's eyebrows knit together. "Why? What's he got to do with this?"

"He suggested them," The Flock, Kyle, and Ella came into the room and I motioned them to take a seat anywhere on the floor or bed. They did. I paced and Ella and Fang were keeping their mouths shut tightly.

"Max, what's…going on?" Gazzy asked innocently.

I stopped and faced them. I took a quiet, slow deep breath. "Ella and I…are going to have a baby brother," They all looked disgusted. "Technically, I'll be a full-blooded sibling and she'll only be a half-sibling. He'll be born in eight months."

"Ew!" Nudge commented. "That's so gross!"

"Nudge, you're pregnant too. I don't think it's your place to say that having a child…is gross."

"I mean it's gross for Dr. M and Jeb to…do it."

"If they didn't do 'it,' I'd never be born and neither would my new baby sib. I wanted to let you all know and to warn you. If you think Mom is tough when she's mad…imagine when she's pregnant and riddled with imbalanced hormones."

They filed out of the room and Fang sprawled across the bed. I licked my lips and sighed, walking out of the room. I went down the hall and hesitated before knocking on Mom's door. She opened it and I saw Jeb wasn't in there- Thank God!

"Hey, Max. Do you need something?" Mom asked kindly.

I nodded. "Just to- to talk to you," She smiled and I led her downstairs to the kitchen. I poured her a cup of coffee and we sat across from each other at the island counter/table. I looked at my hands, not knowing where to start.

Mom took a sip of her coffee and then stopped mid-sip. She put the mug down and eyed me carefully. "Max…? Are you pregnant?"

I drew in a big breath. "No…you are," I looked at her through my hair with a wince on my face. "One month, to be exact."

"What? No, I'm not pregnant, I-I can't be…" Mom looked at me disbelievingly.

I had the box of my pregnancy test from before- this one had three tests inside. "Mom, take the test…" I advised.

She looked inside and on the outside. "The packaging says three tests, Max. Where's the third?" I didn't answer. "Where's the third?!" I still stayed silent. "Max!" I looked at her worriedly. "I can't handle all these kids by myself- you know that…that's why you do this music career to help me. You know that I was barely able to take in Kyle. I won't be able to handle Nikki when she's born, let alone another one of mine." Mom's eyes were glistening with tears. "I didn't mean to get pregnant, Max. Technically, it's alright for me to, considering I'm Jeb's wife." I stared at her stunned. "That's how he was able to get out of jail. He met his jail time and I married a few months back." She shook her head, tears making their ways down her cheeks. "I can't- I can't handle another baby. Not just attention wise but financially."

"Mom, I can help. The Flock will understand. We. Will. Help. You. Jeb can get a job, so can Fang and Iggy. Fang could work in a body shop for cars and Iggy could be a chef somewhere. Maybe Kyle and Nudge or something…I could go on tour more; tours get more fans and more money. We won't abandon you in this situation. And you can't get rid of my baby sibling. Whether it's actually born or not isn't a factor- it's still murder. Don't get an abortion…The baby will be healthy and strong and smart for its age. We will love and cherish it. All you have to do is let your family help. I could work two jobs and cut Nudge and Kyle slack. You'll have to be careful at work- anything there could be harmful to the baby."

"What would you do as a second job, Max?" Mom had an emotionless chuckle added to the end. Tears were still falling from her eyes. "Hmm? I can't work my child to death,"

"Mom, nothing out there is as bad as the School. I'm way smarter than the teachers at school, I could drop out."

"No, no. Uh-uh. You are not dropping out. I'm going to make sure that you are going to college."

"I'm already taking college courses, Mom. I'm in a special program- I'm basically already graduated from college. I have a successful job already…all I need is to get another or expand the hours of my working."

"But that'll mean you being away from us longer than usual. You won't see Nudge and I getting bigger, you won't see Fang, and you won't see Angel growing up. You'll miss out on your family's life. Now, I need you to answer something," She stared straight at me. "Where's…the third test?"

"I took it," I was looking down at my hands. Mom grabbed mine in hers and squeezed reassuringly.

"Honey, the world will know. You won't be able to dance or be onstage while you're pregnant."

I took in a shaky breath with wet eyes. "It was negative…"

Mom rested her head on the counter top and she pulled her hand back. "Oh thank God," She whispered. She then froze and heard the melancholy in my voice. Her head shot up. "You wanted to have Fang's baby," she stated matter-of-factly. I swallowed a lump in my throat. Mom chuckled. "Honey, you're the psychic. You already know you'll have his baby- heck maybe even babies. You just need the time. Wait until you're married and at the time you're supposed to make it happen." I nodded, sniffling. "So you just used Fang to try to get pregnant and say you had his child?" Her voice was disapproving.

I stared at her, shocked. "No, n- n- no! I didn't-I wouldn't! After it happened, I felt different. Not like myself. I felt as if anything that happened- anything at all- could set me off and I'd be a wreck. That's why I've been secluding myself from you guys…I took the test and after it came back negative…I realized that I wasn't relieved; I was upset. It's like…I don't know but…I want to have his kid. I love him and anything to show that I'm his family- I'll do it. I've even been asking myself 'where's the real Max?' And I realized that I've grown up and I've become more rational. How would you feel if you though you were pregnant and later found out you weren't? While I was waiting for the result of the test, I was weighing the options of having a baby; good against bad. There were so many good and very little bad considering the only threat there was is gone for good. I'm not even sure if Fang was happy that I wasn't pregnant. I was expecting him to yell at me or something about my stupidity- our stupidity- but…he was being caring and understanding. He was gentle…unlike Ella." I mumbled the last part.

"Max…I won't get mad, I just want to know. Did she…? With Iggy, I mean…?"

I sniffed, looked down at my hands, and stood, ready to leave. "Better get used to it…It's going to happen a lot in the future," I walked away.

I ran up the stairs and to my room. Fang was on the bed, looking at his hands holding the remote. He looked up at me through his hair and then back down at his hands. I went over and sat next to him.

"I was scared…" Fang murmured. He looked over at me. "I didn't know what'd we do if…" He shook his head and sighed. "I wouldn't be able to handle it,"

"Yes, you would have," I looked over at him and he stared back skeptically. "You've helped me raise the Flock since we were little…We were practically parents already…just not genetic parents."

"There's one thing that everyone's is overlooking, Max," He abruptly stood and faced me. "We'll die," He stated it as if we were talking about weather.

"Of course, Fang, everyone dies. It's the way things go."

"No," He shook his head. "Expiration dates,"

"Avian-American cross-genetics show that we will live happy long lives," I pointed out. "I helped scientists at a lab figure out our life-span,"

"I wouldn't trust scientists. They create and make up the School." He started pacing.

"If you don't trust the facts or the scientists, then trust the psychic." He looked at me. "Fang, I never told you this- or anyone for that matter. When I'm asleep…I don't have visions. I visit the future. Like I'm really there but I'm not. Out-of-body experience, you know? I'm able to communicate with our future selves but it won't change anything. Not the future nor the past. I've seen us- the whole family and Flock- old and grey. I've seen you save millions of lives. I've seen Iggy and Gazzy work for the government in the FBI. I've seen Angel work on murder investigations. Nudge was a radio DJ. I've seen them successful and powerful."

"What about you? What do you do?" He sat down next to me again, placing the remote behind him.

I laughed a small, single laugh. "Private investigator. Also work for the FBI; you and I. We- our job…is to make sure Gaz and Ig don't blow the place up. Angel and I were often partnered up."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I catch the guy and she interrogates them. You mostly worked inside the FBI…computer technology. You hack into criminal electrical usage…things…and send Angel and I the reports. Kyle will…be the coroner. We all worked together except Nudge. Ella- she figures out the bone stuff. What they looked like, what happened, stuff like that. We're supposed to live long lives to continue saving the world…it's a job that takes a lot to complete. If it weren't for us, the world in the future will be gone."

"So, we do field work?" I nodded. "Why have us do the big cases? Why not other people? From what you tell me, pairing up the Flock means that our cases are huge."

"We can sustain bigger and more brutal injuries than a human- the point is, is that you have to trust me about the future. That I know the exact year, month, day, hour, minute, and second we all die. From my digging, the Flock won't die until they're all about 100 maybe 103. We live longer and the fraise 'old' is changing by the day. Every day, someone lives longer and life expectancies are changing."

"You've been watching BONES?" He asked randomly.

"Yes."

"And you understand it?"

I nodded. "Yes. Fang, don't worry. We'll all be fine." I kissed his cheek and went into the secret room. I walked around for a minute and then stopped in the middle of the mat, in the center of the area. I closed my eyes and channeled my energy on one soul spot. I focused it on my chest; my heart. I blocked out all my senses and focused on that one point so I didn't hear the secret room door open.

I felt wind rushing around me but I was staying still. I was channeling my energy into chi (chee) and used that as a weapon- an experiment. Any disturbance would off-set it and cause my to throw them backward, possibly killing them if I'm not careful. I felt a hand on my shoulder and that unsettled the balance. My eyes flew open and the wind increased, causing it to create a shield around me and throw my disturber to the side. I made sure the fall was gentle and harmless. I heard laughing and looked to my right.

Fang was laying on the ground, laughing. I walked over, the wind dying down and my energy going back to its place. I helped Fang up and he was still chuckling. "Okay, you HAVE to show me that,"

I smiled and leaned up to kiss him. I pulled away and wind started picking up again, I was getting better control. I backed away from him toward the exit. "Not a chance- this is my thing,"

"So you get another power?" He was disbelieved.

"No. It's chi. Energy/spirit channeling," I left and laid down on the bed, exhausted from everything that happened.

Tomorrow is the last day we're staying at our vacation home. I'm going to miss this place…but also not. Too much has happened here. I fell asleep.

FANG POV:

I came out of the secret room and saw Max asleep on the bed, above the covers and basically falling off the foot of the bed. I went over and picked her up bridal-style. I put her on her side of the bed and put her under the covers to keep her warm. I sat near her on the end of the bed. I brushed her hair away from her face.

Max; my own personal angel. My best friend, my girlfriend, and my…lover? I don't know; if you call someone you slept with a 'lover' then yeah…Max is my lover.

When I found out she might have been pregnant, I had been weighing the options. Good vs. Bad. There were many good things and a very small amount of bad considering that the only threat is gone. I wasn't happy that she was pronounced negative, I was upset. By the time the results came, I had been hoping for us to have a kid.

I do realize that Max is right; trust science and trust a psychic. She knows exactly when I'll die- creepy, disturbing, and depressing, yes, but- it's helpful. She knows about our jobs, what we do, why we do it, everything… I trust Max. I think she'll be a great mother, she practically was for the Flock, I was the assistant other wise known as the dad. (A/N Sorry, I just thought that would be a little funny. Mothers do more for their young than the fathers but I'm not being sexist or anything so…no offense if any seems intended.)

I went downstairs for a snack and saw Dr. M sitting at the table, in deep concentration. I went to get a bottle of water and she saw me.

"Fang? Can I have a word?" She quietly questioned.

"How about 'fracas?' Meaning fight." I smirked at her.

She chuckled and sighed as I sat down next to her. "You always have a smart-mouth. That's what makes you unique- you know when it's good and bad to bring it up."

"Is this a good or bad time because I…I'm not too sure."

She laughed quietly. "I know you love Max- I really do. I mean, who else be the perfect guy for her than someone she's known her whole life?"

"You're dropping Iggy into that category."

"I mean who better for her than her best friend? No one, that's who. As a guy, you don't really know how a girl's mind works, correct?" I nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "I'm a girl-"

"No kidding," I joked.

She jokingly slapped my arm. "As I was saying, I'm a girl and I know how Max feels about the pregnancy thing."

"Well, I assume she's very happy for you and Jeb,"

"No, no. I mean, when she thought she was pregnant. Max told me and I think you need to talk to her. She needs to know where you stand on the subject. She doesn't know whether you're happy or not that she isn't having a baby. What happened between you two…is basically a one-night stand only…you're dating one another."

"Actually, in almost all one-night stands, alcohol is involved and we were both sober." She looked at me with pursed lips. "Just throwing that out there."

"Fang, you're smart, brave, good-looking, caring, a father-figure, and many other things. But if you're saying you're there for Max when she needs you or she needs to talk to you…" She stood up. "You need to prove it."

"How?"

She started walking away. "Talk to her. Better do it tomorrow or something…," She went upstairs.

"Damn it…Too much drama," I mumbled going over to the TV. I turned on sports and watched whatever was on. My mind was elsewhere though. I kept replaying what I should say to Max when she wakes. 'Hey, Max, look I know we said nothing will change between us but stuff has changed.' No… 'Max, the thought of you having my kid made me ecstatic!' Nope…I don't know what to say to her.

"Just say what you feel," Angel informed me. She was sitting next to me now apparently. "You were so trained on your thoughts you're practically a zombie on the outside. It's been four hours since you talked to Dr. M, Fang. Max is still asleep because, well," Angel laughed uncomfortably. "Apparently you were very "energetic"" She used quotation marks over 'energetic.' "Over the past few days. She says she sees you, like, hopping around or something…I don't know why but…whatever. But, like I said, tell her how you truly feel about her and the situation."

"What situation?" I asked carefully.

She sighed exasperated. "Fang, the walls may be SOUND-proof but not MIND-proof. It's really disturbing…" She stood and trotted off. "Oh and, Fang," I looked at her over my shoulder. "Pregnancy tests could be faulty…Just a tip." She went out of sight.

My brows furrowed and then I gasped, covering my mouth. "Oh, shit!" I whispered. I ticked off each thing on my hand:

Max's irregular sleep patterns

She's eating more than before

Her moods are swinging a bit

She missed her period

We didn't use protection

Max's powers are going wonky

All of it adds up to her being pregnant. I teleported upstairs to mine and Max's room and woke her up. She grumbled and tried to hit me. "Max, the test might have been faulty." I saw Max stiffen under the blankets. "Thank about it; you didn't have your period, we weren't being safe, your moods are a bit off, you sleep a lot more, and you've been eating more."

Max got up and went over to the bathroom. She came back out minutes later with her arms crossed. "I'm not pregnant, Fang. It was…a food baby- that part explains why I ate so much. Eating too much can make someone exhausted and sleepy and have erratic mood swings due to lack of energy."

"But you missed your period, Max! You could be having a baby!"

Max shook her head sadly. "Fang, I'm not pregnant."

"How do you know? Food babies have same symptoms as real babies…What's your proof?"

"I just got my period!" She ran a hand through her hair. "I missed my period from before. This could either be that months or it could be…"

"Next month's?"

She shook her head and sniffled. "Or it could have been a miscarriage. Many women who have miscarriages have their periods after to get rid of the dead fetus and make room for the next to take control of the area…If I had been pregnant before my test…it just died."

This was big; Max had a miscarriage. "What do we do?"

"Nothing. It's over," Max sat next to me and I wrapped my arm around her.

Having a miscarriage is big news for anyone, whether they want the kid or they don't. It also shows that people may not be able to have children at all because their bodies aren't capable of taking care of the baby and keeping it alive. Angel and Dr. M were right…the best thing to do was to be here for Max when she needs me. And right now, she needs me.

Max was silently crying on my shoulder and I did all I could to comfort her. Mostly we just laid down on the bed and relaxed and tried to calm down in each other's embrace. She fell asleep again and so did I.

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Okay, I'm very happy that people have been responding to my note last time. People have apologized and I forgive them . :D Lol. Anyway, some think I hate the words 'update soon' or 'update now' by themselves. I don't but I don't like the underlying meaning. I also have other meanings for taking a long time updating this chapter- I've been busy so it's not because I'm mad. I just got my hair cut and I'm working on other things that need and deserve attention as well. I want to thank everyone for reading my stories, it's nice to know that people out there like what I write. I've been watching a TV show (Bones) and I've taken up the lingo- how they speak- a bit by accident. So, I guess I sound too literal o something and if I do, I'm sorry. It's hard to adjust back to myself after an obsession in books or TV. I will post later this week, I promise. FYI, to those out there, I post around midnight in my time so, just to have you know, I'm a night owl (so to speak) and my inspiration comes from the silence outside and inside. No one to bother you, nothing to distract you…clear, clean, uninterrupted space helps people come up with some of the best ideas. To people like me, find a small area you like that's quiet and relaxing (I.e. My room, for me). I put on music and the silence from around me combined with the music help with the setting of the story. It also helps with how fast you can get something done. If you use my advice or something and it works, let me know so I can convince my brother that I DO give good advice. Lol. Sorry for the really long A/N but I tend to babble. Hope you enjoyed this chapter/story so far. :D