A/N: Sorry I took a while to get this up. I was having trouble getting it right. I'm still slightly worried that it's a bit OOC, but hopefully it's not too bad.

Also, who reading this has heard of Dylan? For those who haven't, I'll explain: He's a bird-kid who's going to be showing up in book six, and apparently he was created to be Max's perfect other half. Who else is already disliking this guy? If you don't believe me, check Wikipedia's description for Fang: A Maximum Ride Novel, or go to my profile, where you'll find the link. It's all there, in it's wonderful nastiness. I knew JP couldn't have Fang and Max's relationship be smooth sailing from here…

Now, on with the chapter!

Chapter 21: Night Flight

Max's POV

Once we got up into the night sky, any doubts I had about flying at night were immediately dispelled. The darkness was so peaceful, so serene, so deep, that it made me forget all about Angel and the second Voice. I swooped and dived, did flips and turns, and just overall left my troubles behind in my exhilaration.

And the surprising thing? Fang was right beside me, enjoying it just as much as I was, and grinning like there was no tomorrow. It was wonderful, to feel the wind through my hair and get to see Fang so happy. A win-win situation, as some might say.

We just flew for about an hour, but we were exerting a lot of extra energy with all our extravagant flips and dives and had to take a break.

"Where do you want to land?" Fang asked, examining the ground.

I looked with him, then noticed a really neat spot and pointed it out. "How about there?" It was a short cliff, about fifteen feet high. The base of the cliff was where I had pointed, where there was a little waterfall. It looked like a really great little spot to rest.

Fang nodded, and we swooped down toward it. The waterfall was loud, but not unbearably so, and we sat down on some rocks near it to get our breath back. My cheeks were stinging from the cold air rushing past them, and my hair felt knotted and tangled from the wind, but I was happier than I'd been in months. I let out a contented sigh and leaned back against the cliff.

Fang looked over at me and smiled.

"What?" I asked self-consciously. "Did I do something funny?"

He shook his head. "You just look really peaceful," he explained. "It's a different look for you."

I scowled. He laughed.

"That's more like it," he said, grinning. Then he turned serious again. "But you should smile more often. It enhances your features."

I raised my eyebrows. "It enhances my features?" I questioned. "Did you really just say that?"

"Yeah. So?"

I smirked. "Was that just a strange, old-fashioned, round-a-bout way of telling me I look pretty when I smile?"

"Prettier," he corrected quietly.

I stared at him, startled. I had been teasing, but he had sounded quite serious. "Huh?"

"You're always pretty, Max," he said, keeping the same quiet tone. "You're just prettier when you smile."

I blushed, realizing that the night had taken a decidedly more serious turn, and I wasn't completely sure I liked it…as nice as it was to be flattered.

"Oh," I said faintly, still a little shell-shocked. "Thanks…"

He smiled at me. "You're welcome." Then he moved closer, and I was surprised to find that I didn't feel the desperate need to flee. If anything, I wanted him closer. What was wrong with me?

Do you really need to ask that, Maximum?

Shut up.

"Are you going to run out on me this time?" Fang asked softly, picking one of my hands up in his.

My hand felt strangely tingly, and my brain was fogging up, but I still had enough sense to comprehend his question.

"Possibly," I replied, wanting to be honest with him. "I haven't quite decided yet."

He thought that over for a minute. "Okay," he agreed eventually. "How big is the chance that you won't?"

"Getting bigger every second," I said. It was true. My need to run away was shrinking the more we talked. Maybe that's all I really needed; a chance to talk things over and make everything a bit less sudden. As much as I hated talking about my feelings, I hated surprises more.

"That's good." He smiled. "So, how many seconds will it take for it to be gone?"

I cocked my head, pondering. "Probably…a few more."

He shook his head, grinning a little. "You're kind of odd, sometimes," he said.

"I know," I said. "But you love me anyway."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I do."

I flushed. I hadn't meant it like that, but Fang certainly did. I squirmed a little. "Really?" I asked quietly.

"Usually," he said, joking again. "Sometimes you just have a way of getting on people's nerves, though."

"Huh." I stared at him for a minute, then caught myself and looked away. Fang noticed though, and smirked at me. I glared back, then accidentally started staring again.

"Any chance of you running anymore?" he asked, breaking me out of my reverie.

"I still don't know," I replied. After a pause, I decided to risk adding, "Try me."

Fang's smile lit up the night, and I held my breath as he leaned toward me. I briefly thought of the fact that that may have been a bad idea, but then his lips touched mine and my thoughts flew out of the virtual window in my brain.

For once, I realized I could simply enjoy the sensation of kissing Fang without feeling the desperate need to flee. Or at least, it was a whole lot smaller. I had no idea why, but it was nice. I'd always hated running out on him like that.

After a couple moments, Fang broke the kiss. He didn't lean back though, leaving us nose to nose.

"You're not running," he said softly. "Am I allowed to take that as a good sign?"

I swallowed, quenching any dregs of my hatred of mushiness. "Yes."

He examined my face for a minute. "Good," he finally replied.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a couple minutes. Eventually I decided to ask a vital question.

"Fang?" I began. When he turned toward me, I continued. "Where does this put us? Are we 'going out' now?" I did air quotes when I said 'going out'. Then I grinned. "Or are we secret lovers?"

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Secret lovers? Have you been reading sappy romance novels without my knowledge?"

"No!" I replied, mock indignant. "Just a passing thought." I paused. "But really, what does this all mean?"

Fang shrugged noncommittally. "It means whatever you want it to mean. I'm not pushing for anything special."

See, that's what I loved about Fang. He never pushed anyone. He was more of a go-with-the-flow sort of guy when it came to other people. Let them have their space and all that. I smiled at him. "Thanks," I said.

"No problem," he replied easily. "Whatever you want."

We stayed there for a while before I finally realized we should probably get back to the house. I pointed this out to Fang.

"Why?" was his relaxed response. "It's not like anyone's waiting for us."

"We need our sleep," I argued, aware of the fact that we'd been here before, and he had won. "Remember the whole 'multiple hour flight' thing we're doing tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we need our sleep for that, don't we?"

"Possibly."

"So we should get back."

"If you insist."

"I do."

He looked at me for a moment. "Alright, then. One condition."

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. "There's a condition?"

"Yup." His eyes sparkled in amusement. "One kiss, and you can go back and sleep all you want."

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "And what if I say no? How are you going to force me to stay?"

He smirked at me. "I'm sure I could find a way."

"I doubt that," I scoffed. "But if you insist…" I trailed off suggestively, and Fang grinned at me.

"Good girl," he said, and leaned in to kiss me.

It only took us about five minutes to get back to the house. Apparently we hadn't gone far, despite how long we'd been flying. We got back into the house without any problems, but when we got to the living room, my mom was standing in front of the couch, looking annoyed.

"Where have you two been?"

A/N: Did I do good? Or is it too OOC? (crosses fingers) I'm hoping no one gets mad at me for this chapter…

Also, check out my new story, Unwilling Celebrities, where the flock meets the tabloids. It was just a random thought I had one day, but I'm rather proud of it.

Review, or I'll make Dylan show up and steal Max away from Fang. Just kidding…most likely. =P