CHAPTER TEN

A/N: Yippee! Okay, so I'm going to finish this chapter, and then go take a shower and finish getting ready for school. I'm sooo glad that high school has late start Mondays. I'm doing pretty well with this fanfic, if I do say so myself. And I want to clear something up: right now, Max thinks she's fourteen, but in reality, she's around sixteen or seventeen, at least in this fic. I noticed because she's getting the hots for Angel, whereas he not only 241, he looks like he's at least twenty-five or so. But remember, he loves Buffy in the series, and she's only sixteen, too, 'kay? I just wanted to fix that little bit. Okay, so this chapter will have Fang, Angel, Buffy, and Max angst in it, so I'm just letting you know about it beforehand. Something good's coming, too, so just wait… heh heh heh… JK

Disclaimer: holds up a sign that reads 'I don't own Maximum Ride or Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

Kuro: I'm getting tired of saying it. goes back to work

(Fang's POV)

"Where's Max?" I finally blurted out, after a couple of hours of being bored out of my mind. Angel had told us that Max was out for a brief flight, and would be back in a while. But now I was starting to get a little paranoid, because it was dark outside, and Max would've come back by now.

"I told you, Fang," Angel replied, shuffling some cards. She, Nudge and the Gasman were all playing card games, having given up on reading. "She's just out for a little break."

"It's an awfully long break," Buffy muttered, also noticing how Max had been gone for an unusually long time. "I'm starting to feel a little wigged. Call me a worrywart, but maybe she ran into some trouble. It is nighttime, after all."

Giles came into the library, holding a book and a cup of coffee. "You should probably go and look for her, Buffy."

"I'll go." Everyone looked at me, and then, shifting nervously, I added, "Buffy can come with me. She can cover ground while I search the air." It was a kind of dumb plan, but it was all that we had.

"Okay then," Buffy said, getting up with a shrug. "Let's go."

—

(Max's POV)

Angel walked in from the kitchen, holding a cup of water. "Here," he said, handing it to me. "Drink this."

I accepted it, partly because I was thirsty, and partly because I wanted to.

"Thank you."

"So…" He cleared his throat, and sat down next to me. Without even thinking about it, I scooted closer to him. He didn't mind. "You've already heard about me. Let's talk about you. Do have any family?"

"Besides the flock?" I asked. "They're not… related to me by blood, but they're all still totally my family. Um, my mom lives in Arizona, and my half-sister, Ella. I just recently found out about them." I felt a bit suspicious as I said all of this, but I shrugged away the feeling.

"But you don't live with them?" He looked curious, but the question he was thinking didn't come out verbally.

I sighed, and then chuckled darkly. "You're going to laugh when I tell you this," I said, taking a deep breath. "But… I've been told that my mission is… well, uh…"

"Go on," Angel said, smiling, his dark eyes sparkling.

"Well… basically, I have to save the world." I frowned. "You may now burst into wild laughter." He didn't. "Why aren't you laughing?"

Angel tilted his head at me. "Well, it makes sense. You're stronger than normal people, and so you'd be able to do things that regular humans couldn't. You're a little like a Slayer, in a way."

At the mention of the word 'Slayer', our moods both dampened considerably. "Listen, I… this has been really great and all, but… I should…"

"Go back," he finished. We both stood up, facing each other. Angel was tall, taller than Fang, but not nearly as hard looking. He seemed… softer, somehow. Despite knowing that he was a vampire, he seemed sweet, almost. And when he smiled… it was nothing like when Fang smiled. Instead, it was as though he were telling me that everything was fine, that I mattered. Which I did. I did matter.

"Max?" he whispered, looking a bit thrown.

"Yeah?" I whispered back.

We took slight half steps toward each other until we were right up next to each other. I reached up and gently stroked his face. Angel's breath quickened, and he twitched the slightest bit, as though he weren't expecting me to do something like that. His skin was cool to the touch, but not ice-cold, as I had expected a vampire's skin to be. "I'm not afraid," I whispered in a barely audible voice.

Angel brought his arms around my waist, looking deeply into my eyes. I felt breathless. He cradled my chin with his hand, lifting my face up to his, and gently kissed me.

It was nothing like when Fang kissed me. When Fang had kissed me, I had felt panicked, like my world was falling apart. It made me so miserable and confused, I hadn't known what to do. Truth be told, I felt much more comfortable with him as a friend, since every other time I'd seen him, he'd thrown himself at any girl in sight. But with Angel… it was completely different.

Angel's mouth was softer, gentler… and better yet, he understood. He was the only other person besides the flock and I who knew what it felt like to be trapped. He was a vampire, but was a good vampire, a vampire that didn't want to drink human blood. It made me feel… comforted. I didn't panic. I just went with the flow.

Angel tilted his head so that he could kiss me more deeply. His arms wrapped around me, embracing me gently but securely. My wings didn't even cross my mind. I put my hands around his shoulders, and kissed him back.

Suddenly we broke apart, panting a little. I paused, my hands resting gently on his arms. His own hands were holding my shoulders with a loose grip. "Um," I said, feeling fairly silly. "Wow."

"Yeah." Angel's eyes were full of an emotion that I couldn't name. It was probably the one that I was feeling right now, the one that was making my head spin.

"Should I…?"

"Don't go," he whispered, reaching over and brushing my hair off of my neck. I felt myself shiver, though it wasn't from cold or fear. I looked into Angel's face. He was so trusting, so gentle… it was so unlike Fang. I loved it. I loved him.

I had lost my mind.

—

(A/N: I know the Max/Angel pairing is kinda weird, but just bear with me on this, 'kay?)

(Back at the library – 3rd person)

Giles sipped at his cup of coffee, deep in thought. Or, at least he was trying to be deep in thought.

"Would all of you mind being quiet for just ten minutes?!" he finally exploded, leaping to his feet. The rest of Max's 'flock', as she called them, were all playing an invigorating game of hide and seek, although whenever Angel was 'it', she used her mind reading abilities in order to locate where the others were, resulting in much shouting and arguing.

"Okay, guys," Iggy said, standing up stiffly from his hiding place. Giles still thought that it was incredible that Iggy was able to move around as easily as he did, what with being blind and everything. Then again, maybe it was one of the strange abilities that Max had mentioned that they possessed. "Let's be quiet so that Giles here can do some research." He walked up the stairs to where the card catalogue was, Total trotting behind him (Giles was still amazed that Total could actually talk).

Angel stood up as well, starting to head over to where Nudge and the Gasman were when she suddenly froze in her tracks, a shocked and confused look on her face. "Something's coming," she whispered, her gorgeous blue eyes wide with fear.

And then the explosion happened.