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And Here's Chapter 11!!

A/N: Hello again! Well, I don't think I'm going to get used to being blessed with so many amazing reviewers, fav.'s, alerts, and hits! I can't thank you enough! If you're looking for a laugh, picture me at my library, freaking out in the public computer lab with at least twenty other people. It was great and I was having a ball. I never expected this to be going so well! I thank you all!!! You rock!

Disclaimer: I'm not James Patterson, because I don't know the end of MR 5…

Chapter 11~Death-Date

Max POV

After the touching episode with my mom and I, I went out back to look around and just be alone for once. I think Fang was still up front with the flock and Ella, so I should have a few minutes to myself at least.

I unfurled my wings and stretched my arms up to the sky. I wonder how many people actually want to fly? And how many people wish that they were dead?

I am one of the few people (or recombinants, whichever you prefer) with that luxury.

But then I get to thinking about the date on my neck. My Death-Date. I'd lost count of how many times the flock and I have been, literally, in the face of death. But now, facing it actually clocking down on me… there is so much I still need to do. I don't need to save the world, but it seems to be pretty important to quite a few people, like Mom for example.

Now thinking like this by myself in this open, wood-rimmed backyard I feel really vulnerable. As if I could just drop dead right this moment. Flop. No more Maximum Ride.

My wing twitched and I reached up to straighten one of my feathers out. How many more times will I be able to do this? I know I said before that checking for our expiration dates on the backs of our necks was so routine that it tended to get old; but now that its here, right under my hairline, it doesn't seem so old. What's going to happen to the flock?

Nothing Max. Nothing is going to happen to the flock because nothing is going to happen to you. Even Fang said it; everything is going to be okay. We're going to get past this. We're going to be fine.

No, it's not that simple. Jeb didn't even save his own son. He would have no immediate requirement to save me and me alone. He still would have the other five. Heck, so many people want me dead anyways, maybe this would be a convenience?

Dumb tattoo.

Dr. Martinez POV

"Hello? Yes, this is Dr. Martinez; I need to speak with Jeb Batchelder. Immediately, this is very important. Hold? Yes, but no more than 3 minutes. Yes, thank you."

I waited for another couple seconds until Jeb picked up the other line.

"Jeb?"

"Dr. Martinez?"

"Yes, it's me. I need you to come back to my house. The flock just arrived and we need you here pronto."

"I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone and called the veterinary office to inform them I wouldn't be coming to work tomorrow, and probably the next few days.

The framed picture of the flock sat on the corner of my desk, preceded by Ella, and followed by the picture of Magnolia, our old dog had passed away a couple weeks ago, but I still kept her photo. I looked at them with tears in my eyes. My Max. What am I going to do? Is there even a cure for the expiration date? Jeb didn't try to save Ari… his own son. Did that mean there was no hope?

But then again, Max is also his daughter technically, and I am her mother. I have to find a way to save her. I just have to.

"Moooooommmm!" I heard Ella's voice in the halls.

"In my office dear!" I hollered back.

"Where are our sheers? Akila desperately needs a shaving. And Total is freaking out over it." She giggled.

"Oh, um, they should be in here dear, with all of my other office supplies."

Ella bounded into my office and gave me a hug, then ran over to the supply shelf, grabbed the sheers, and walked swiftly, but still not running, out the door.

"Collect all of her fur!" I reminded her.

Fang POV

It was getting dark, Max was alone somewhere, and the kids plus Iggy were all shaving poor Akila. I didn't want to be a part of this.

I walked into the house and to Dr. Martinez's office. It felt weird, standing in there by myself. She was feverishly searching through her computer. Hopefully for some cure I thought longingly.

"Dr. Martinez?"

She looked a little taken aback when she realized I was standing there, but she brushed her hair out of her eyes anyway and looked at me. "Yes, Fang?"

"Um, didn't you say that Jeb was on his way?"

"Oh, yes, he should be here soon."

"Okay, thanks."

"Oh, and Fang?"

I turned.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for taking care of Max. I'm doing all I can to find how to stop this."

I took a deep breath. "I'm going to stop it. I promised Max." I said stiffly. She nodded and wiped her eyes. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take her flying."

I never asked for permission, but given the circumstances, I did. And really I didn't need it either, Dr. Martinez just waved and shook her head yes.

And now I was going to find Max.

It didn't take much looking though. I was a little disappointed; I was expecting an all-out search.

She was lying, spread out among the patio, in the backyard, staring at the stars with longing.

"Want to take a fly?" I ask casually.

Her body jumped a little, so I knew I'd startled her. She propped herself up on an elbow and looked up at me. "Yeah."

I held my hand down, but she stubbornly got up on her own. It made me smile actually.

We each took running starts and jumped into the air. I had no idea where we were headed, and I don't think Max did either.

But for a while we circled some park until we decided it was a good idea to land. Somewhere in a field with tall, tall grass, we landed so the Park Rangers didn't see us. I didn't think we'd get in much trouble, but better safe than sorry.

Max stretched out next to me and sighed.

"I needed that." She said. "Just a relaxing flight, to somewhere with not another soul, and you don't count Fang, because I need you to be here."

I felt my heart flutter and I leaned on my elbow and started to move her hair out of her face. She kept her gaze pointed at the stars, as if she was willing them to give her a magical power to survive.

I crept closer to her so I could lay my head next to hers and whispered, "You know you're going to make it. You always do."

She looked at me with a fear I've never seen before.

"But Fang, I've been able to escape death all those other times, now it's printed on the back of my neck, like an annoying mosquito or something. It's eminent, inevitable, unavoidable. But Fang, the thing is, I have so much more to do still."

"Your Mom called Jeb, he's going to get us information if he doesn't want his guts all over the interstate. You're going to live, Max. You have to." Hopefully that didn't sound as awkward as I thought it would.

We lay in silence for some time longer. Suddenly, Max playfully kicked my ankle.

"Huh?" I asked.

When I looked back over she was sitting up smiling. She pulled her wings back and stretched. Standing up slowly, she stretched again.

"Hmm." She pondered out loud.

"What are you doing?" I asked, quite confused actually.

She did another 360 and looked back at me with a glint of energy in her eyes. The full moon shinning down on her like an angel.

"First one to the top of the lookout tower is the winner!" she declared out of nowhere, and sprang into the air, her wings at full stretch.

"Hey!" I called, following her lead.

Naturally she beat me to the roof of the lookout tower rather quickly. The staircase door was locked, but that didn't matter to us. Ha.

Yet again she sprawled out on the roof and kicked off her boots.

Lying on her back for several minutes, she looked as if she was about to fall asleep. I reached out and pulled her onto my chest. She took a breath, twitched as if she may move, but then relaxed. The cold Arizona-night wind blew over us and I pulled off my windbreaker to drape over the two of us.

Without any warning, Max crept up to my face until both of our noses were touching. Hovering so close to my lips I resisted the urge to kiss her right now.

"Are you doing what I think you're doing?" I asked.

She got a sarcastic flash in her eyes and I knew I was about to get it.

"Well, what do you think I'm doing? If you thought I was going to go home and make a PB&J, then no, I'm not doing what you think I'm doing."

"Good, cause I don't like PB&J." I replied with a laugh.

Before I knew it, Max was kissing me. She ran her hands through my hair and I held onto her lower back, holding her as close to me as I could make of it. I breathed in her scent while at the same time I think reminding her to breath as well. Her kisses developed into slower, deeper ones that made my heart feel like it was about to bust out of my chest. She couldn't leave. She just couldn't. I need her. I need her now and forever. Period, no excuses.

She leaned down and kissed the underneath of my jaw line until she finally rested again on my chest. Her breathing had kicked up a notch and she felt like she was putting all of her weight into my chest.

"I love you Max." I whispered into her ear.

She froze. Crap.

"I love you too Fang." She almost whimpered in response. I hugged her tight and breathed in her scent yet again.

What seemed like hours later, which it probably was, we decided to head back home. After we stood, Max thrust her arms around me and hung on me for dear life as the wind like fingers, pulled at her hair, tangling it in mid-air.

We landed in the front lawn of Dr. Martinez's home to see a rental car in the driveway. Great, Jeb was here.

We walked into the house, me with my arm protectively around her waist, and into the living room where Jeb and Dr. M. were waiting for us. Each barely looked awake, and it made sense when we looked at the clock and it said 3:30 am. We must've fallen asleep or something up there…

"Jeb." I stated.

"Fang, Max." he replied. "Please, have a seat."

We sat.

Jeb offered us a coffee mug, but I just wanted to get this sorted out.

"Okay, Max. I heard from Valencia that you're expiration date has appeared."

No shit Sherlock.

Max POV

What the hell kind of discussion opener was that?

Another reason on the list of why I despise Jeb Batchelder list. I should write them all down…

"Yeah, I got my Death-Date it seems."

"How long ago?"

"I don't know, I think two days?"

"Okay, alright." He took some notes.

"What're you writing?" I loved asking questions.

"Doing a math problem, trying to calculate how much longer we have to work with this situation."

"Did you seriously just call this a 'situation?'? Yeah, this is the 'situation' of life and death for me!"

"I'm sorry Max."

I huffed and rolled my eyes.

Some scribbling time later and a couple laptop searches, Jeb looked up at us.

"What up doc?" I asked, trying to lighten the air.

Jeb looked slightly confused as he glanced up at us.

"I don't know. The file containing your information isn't on my laptop anymore."

Fang jumped up and I swear I thought he was about to leap across the coffee table.

"What the Hell do you mean it's not there!" he shouted.

"I mean it isn't on this laptop. Hold on, I brought the hard-copy files as well." He explained as he dug around in a hefty-looking briefcase.

"Here," he declared sometime later. "This is your file, Max. It won't have anything about reversing the date, but since it holds your genetic make-up, with some work I could maybe conjure up something."

If I didn't severely hate the guy, I may have hugged him just now. But I do, so I didn't.

"But we can't do it alone, or even simply in this house. Valencia, could we use the lab and a room at the veterinary office?"

Mom looked up and nodded, she was about to fall asleep.

"Good. We can go up there tomorrow and get blood samples, as well as using machines to analyze how far along and how fast the date is catching up to you."

"And what are we going to use to figure all that out. Cause I guarantee you Microsoft doesn't come with 'Evil-Scientist-Gear-Program.'"

Jeb waved a USB thumb drive in the air. "This." He answered.

Well, I'm in for an action-packed tomorrow. I wonder if the flock knows he is here…

I trudge up the stairs to one of the guest rooms Mom had had built for us. Fang followed me into my room until I got my clothes ready to change, and then left.

I pulled on a large shirt and a pair of really old and baggy gym shorts, and then crawled under the blankets.

I laid still for some time later until I heard my door creak open to reveal a small, tired-looking Angel.

"Max? Can I sleep with you?" she asked, walking toward me with Celeste in her little hand.

"Of course baby, c'mon."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Oh, I get newsletters from James Patterson, and if you want an extended preview for MR 5, go to his website (), click on Maximum Ride, and in a box in the upper right hand corner there is a list of the series. I'm pretty sure that's where the preview for MAX is. Enjoy! Take care~ Angela aka hawkstar2