Disclaimer : I do not own Maximum Ride yet ;)

Chapter 10

The days slowly blended into weeks at my Mom's house, and before I knew it, a month and a half had passed. A month and a half of flying, shopping, games, activities and whatever the heck us bird kids do in our spare time. It was a month and a half of knowing I wasn't the only one who had to carry my secret. It was a month and a half of morning sickness. It was a month and a half of Iggy collecting the information that he needed to beckon me to his room of a sunny Arizona morning.

"Max."

"Iggy."

We stared each other down. Well, I stared at Iggy while he sensed my stare and tried to reciprocate it. So he was staring at my nose with a passion. Which would have been hilariously funny if it wasn't in this situation.

"What do you want, Iggy?"

"You're pregnant." I couldn't help it. I gasped. I knew that Iggy had his suspicions, but I didn't think he would guess quite so soon. Whenever I was sick, I would run the taps so no-one would hear. When I started to show, I simply wore baggy clothes. But I should have known that nothing would have escaped his amazing ears and sensitive fingers.

"Don't try and deny it, Max. I can tell. You throw up every morning, and whenever I brush past you in the hallway, I can feel your bump. I could tell that something was up that day you went into town, and ever since we've been here you've been acting differently. How long have you known?"

"I only found out that day I went to town." My voice was no more than a whisper. I didn't know if I wanted Iggy to know yet. But I didn't get a choice in the matter. Story of my life.

"Really? Because at the wedding you and Fang were definitely acting weird, you didn't leave each other's sides once. I don't want you to lie to me, Max. Something definitely changed that day, and I don't know what else it could have been –" Iggy paused. "Was that when you-?"

"Yes." My voice was so small I was surprised he could have heard it.

"The same day? Oh, Max." He said, drawing me closer in a hug. I snuggled into his chest. Fang had left the day we, well. And it hurt that that was the day. It was almost like he left once he had achieved his great conquest. He'd gotten into my knickers and now his job was done, he could leave. It wasn't like that for me. It was like the most amazing night of my life and more. It obviously wasn't for him. He just threw it all away like it was nothing.

"I'm fine, Iggy. Really." I pulled out of his arms as he looked at me sceptically. "Really.". I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

I walked out of his room and into the corridor.

"I'm going for a fly, guys." I yelled.

"Ooh! Max, can I come please! Please?" Angel had stuck her head around her door and was looking at me, well, angelically.

"No, sweetie, I need to think about some things, okay?"

"Sure, Max." She shut the door. I walked to the window at the end of the hallway and launched myself out of it, allowing the wind to grab my wings.

I soared upwards, angling away from the sun.

There was an old tree in the distance that I liked to perch on when things got too much, and that was where I was heading now. I landed on one of its longest branches, retracting my wings as I moved along it. I sat down with a sigh, relishing the feel of the weight of my wings and feet.

I placed my hands on my swollen stomach as I pulled my shirt up slightly to look at it better. You could definitely tell I was pregnant now. I was lucky that Iggy was the only one who spotted it. Looking at my bump now, I realised how big I had become. I was sure that I shouldn't be this big. I was only two and a half months along. If this was supposed to last nine months . . .

Wait, was it supposed to last nine months? For humans, sure, but for a bird kid? Our rate of regeneration was majorly fast, and I didn't exactly look fifteen, more like eighteen. So it was definitely possible that pregnancy didn't last as long.

I'll go and ask Mom, I thought. I stood up on the branch, spreading my wings in preparation.

Max! You need to get out of here, NOW!!! Huh, Voice? I was still wondering what it meant when I felt a sickening pain explode at the back of my head, and the world went dark.

Okay, it's a really short chapter, I know. Please don't kill me!!! And I know some of you didn't want this to happen, but it needs to for the whole plot to work read and review please