Disclaimer : I do not own Maximum Ride and her fellow characters

Claimer : I do own Bree, Phoenix and Lucia (eurgh) and my plotline!

Whoohoo! Another chapter! Sorry it's been a while!

Chapter 36.

"You're plane gets here at about six tomorrow morning." My mom said. I stared at her in shock.

"Six tomorrow morning? That's almost a whole day away! Fang could be dead or worse by the time we get to him then! Can't you get it here any quicker?" My hands were clenching and unclenching as I stood before her, twitching with anticipation to get to Fang and save him.

"I'm sorry, Max, but I've already called in enough favours as it is. The CSM hasn't got as many connections as we'd like anymore, so this is already costing the company to hire out. This could cost me my position in the CSM, Max. Some could see it as embezzling funds. I've just got to hope everyone understands my position." She began to look slightly downcast, and I was racked with guilt.

"Look, I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to snap. It's just, I really miss him, y'know?" I looked down at my bare feet, standing on the warm grass. We'd arrived at my Mom's house early this morning after a restless night's sleep. She'd been shocked to see us, especially in out battered state. Ella had already set of for school, so we didn't have to explain anything to her for a few more hours yet.

Now it was just me and my Mom stood in the back yard, the sun on our backs as we discussed the arrangement we had made only moments before. As soon as I'd explained what had happened, my Mom had been on the phone for a hour solid, trying to secure us out flight over to Amsterdam, where Fang was being held captive.

I heard my Mom take a tentative step towards me, before reaching over to wrap me in a tight hug. I breathed in her scent of cookies and tried not to be a big weenie and cry all over her nice blue shirt. It just felt like there was a gaping gap in my chest since Fang had been taken. It hurt so much.

"It's okay, baby. I know how you feel." My mom gripped me tighter. I lifted my head slightly.

"Do you?"

"Yes. Ella's father." I stepped back from her and looked down at her face. (A/N Max is taller than her Mom. Freaky bird genes and all that . . . ) "We got together about a year after I last heard from Jeb and the School. I was still distraught after being locked out from your life, so I wasn't thinking properly. Mitchell seemed kind and caring and gentle. But then when we actually moved in together, he got aggressive. He'd be so sweet one moment, then cruel the next. He never actually hurt be badly, just a few bruises here and there. It was just the names that hurt the most." She shuddered lightly. "One day, he just stormed off, screaming he'd had enough. I don't know what triggered it, but he never came back after that. It was a few weeks later I found out I was having Ella. I'll never regret it though."

She hadn't been speaking for long, but by the end of it my Mom seemed slightly out of breath, as though it was an effort to say all this.

"Mom, I'm so sorry." I didn't really know what to say.

"I bet your wondering how that means I know what you feel, but after he left, I just missed him terribly. I knew he was a horrible person, and I should be glad to be rid of him, but after years together, I'd grown attached. It sounds weird, I know, but I got over it after a while. I had Ella to occupy me." She chuckled. I felt slightly better, knowing my Mom knew how I was feeling, even if it was in a different situation.

"I guess I'm just terrified that Bree could grow up without her Dad . . ." My voice faded as I gazed through the windows at Bree, Angel and Gazzy. Bree was lying on the floor while the older two tried to teach her words. I couldn't hear them, but I'm sure they were words such as 'Pony' and 'Sparkle' (Angel) and 'Hotwire' and 'Bomb' (Gazzy).

"Look, don't worry about it. I know you'll find Fang in time. Just try and rest up." She smiled slightly and patted my shoulder before turning and heading inside.

I stood there for a moment, feeling the warmth seeping through my bloody and torn shirt before I turned and followed after her. I went straight into the living room and picked Bree up, sitting on the sofa with her in my arms. I could hear Iggy in the kitchen cooking up a storm, and I caught a whiff of something like cinnamon. Mmnnn.

Bree seemed to pick it up too, as she suddenly started to whimper. I looked down at her, her big brown eyes filling with tears. She was such a cute baby. I gave her my finger and she began to suckle on it, so I left the room briefly to feed her. I returned just in time to see my Mom enter the room, covered in a layer of something that looked like flour.

"Iggy?" I questioned. She nodded and proceeded up the stairs. I heard the shower running a few moments later. I looked around the room to see Nudge curled up on the armchair reading some fashion magazine and Gazzy and Angel playing some form of hangman on the floor. I could hear Gazzy protesting that Angel kept reading his mind. I smiled slightly and continued on into the kitchen.

The first thing I saw was the broken eggs on the floor. I frowned and looked for Iggy. He was standing by the counter, a mixture of spices and other ingredients covering him. I laughed slightly, and he looked up at me.

"And what might you be laughing at?" He said, a melodramatic expression on his face.

"Oh, nothing, just the fact that you appear to be coated in a strange concoction of food substances." I laughed again.

Iggy looked down at himself in mock amazement. I gave him a look, and he just smiled at me before turning back to his food. I went over and stood next to him. I couldn't make out what I was staring at though. The joys of being practically disabled when it comes to cooking.

"Uuh, what is it?" I asked. Iggy looked at me like I'd grown a second head.

"What is it? It's obviously a batch of cinnamon rolls! Anyone with half a brain can see that!" He looked mock-offended. I rolled my eyes. It just looked like a blob of doughy stuff to me. I felt Bree make some cute noises and I looked down at her. She was sniffing the air and smiling slightly.

Iggy leaned down so he was more level with her. "Hello pretty baby! Do you like the smell of my delicious cooking?" He looked up at me. "Can I hold her?" I nodded, smiling slightly. He lifted her out of my arms. She giggled slightly; she loved Iggy.

"You love my cooking, don't you? Maybe when you're older I can teach you to cook some of it. Would you like that? Just so long as you're a better cook than your Momma, then I won't be able to teach you. The kitchen would probably catch on fire. I just hope you take after your daddy." I slapped him on the arm slightly.

"I'll leave her in your capable hands then." I turned to walk out of the room.

"But, what about my cooking, Max?"

"Welcome to the world of parenthood, Iggy."

I went into the living room to see that Nudge had joined in with Gazzy and Angel's game of hangman, and they were all fighting over the spelling of 'terrible'. I shook my head in fake depair and chuckled.

"It's t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e guys. Didn't you learn anything when you went to school?" They all rolled their eyes simultaneously. Creepy.

I heard Iggy muttering to Bree in the kitchen, probably about how I'd dumped her with him while he was in his sacred kitchen. Suddenly I heard him shriek slightly, before calling out to me.

"Max, it's Bree, she's, uh, she's, done something, and it stinks, and it's near my cooking, and it might contaminate it, and please take her, and my food-"

I sighed and stalked back into the kitchen to see Iggy holding Bree away from the food, his nose wrinkled. "I feel sorry for your future wife, Iggy." He rolled his eyes.

I took my daughter from him and smiled as he exhaled in relief.

It was gonna be an interesting day.

Okay guys, this was a filler. What do you think should happen next chapter? I want seven reviews pleeease :D

I will love you all forever