Beth held the tray of cookies out of the younger kids' reach. "No! Enough already! Max'll kill me if I let you get even more of a sugar high!"

"Max won't be mad if we give her some cookies!"

"Real food before more sugar!"

"We want cookies! We want cookies!" they chanted.

Beth held the cookies higher. "Real food!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Nooooooo!"

"AH! Fine!"

"Don't give in!" KIX screamed, running by. "It's not worth it!"

Beth stole the cookies back just in time, holding them high over her head again. "Then save me already!"

"You holding on to that plate?"

"Yeah, why—KIX! Put me down!"

KIX waded through the mob of kids and set her down on the ladder. Then, he turned back to the mob and spread his arms across the doorway, blocking their way. "Beth! Run!"

She scrambled up the ladder and into the attic, and KIX looked up at her. "Keep it open, be ready to close it right away!" he called.

She nodded. "Ready!"

"Coming up!" He shimmied up the ladder and entered back-end first, grabbing the top of the ladder and pulling it up with him. The kids below stared at him in surprise, awe, and disappointment. He stuck his tongue out at them and Beth closed the attic doorway.

Beth sat the cookies down and sat on a sleeping bag, a big smile on her face. "Thanks for saving me—cookie?"

He took the cookie, eyed it, and then looked at her. He put the cookie back after a moment and then took the plate from her hands, putting it somewhere off to the side. "I'd rather have a fortune cookie, actually," he said, and glanced up. "Tell me you didn't sit there on purpose."

"What?" She frowned at him, oblivious.

He smiled and leaned forward, pressing her into the alcove and his lips to hers before pulling away and turning back to the cookies. "Mmm!" he said, taking a bite out of a 'poinsettia'. "Scrumptious!"

She shook her head, blushing, and reached over for a cookie of her own. Still oblivious as to why he was looking so happy, still clueless as to what was hanging over her head.

"How long do you think before it's safe to head back down?" Beth broke off a piece of her Christmas bell and ate it. "I don't want to be eaten by cookie monster kiddos."

"Don't know, don't care... Besides, it's warmer up here."

"If you say so..." Beth fidgeted. "So...now what?"

"You won't like my suggestions," KIX said, quite sure.

"How do you know I won't like your suggestions unless you suggest them?" Beth frowned and poked KIX.

His tail twitched, and then flopped over to begin swishing across the sleeping bag, back and forth. He smiled. "Just know."

She poked him again. "Hooooow?"

"I know you," he said. "How long now? A while. I know."

"Well I don't." She pouted, moving over to sit even closer to him and lean against him. "Tell meeeee...Please?"

He shrugged indulgently. "I want to sit here, under the mistletoe with you...forever. Never let you go. Ever. Told you you wouldn't like it."

Her mouth popped open and she blushed. She looked away. "No you wouldn't. I'd like it, but...no."

"Told you," he said softly. "And I agree. We should wait."

She sighed and snuggled against him, hiding her face in her hair. "Sorry."

"Don't be! I told you, I agreed. I just wanted to bait you into saying it so that I could say that I agreed. It's one of the things I like about you." A faint blush crossed his cheekbones. "I was too chicken to just say it."

She shifted, nestling into a more comfortable position, and he smiled to himself as he molded himself into a better pillow. After a while, she yawned. "What's next?"

"There he is!" Angel whispered. "Oh my goodness, there he is!"

Max laughed. "Yeah. You going to go get him or let him fall head over heels for you some more?"

"Max! I can't just go over there!" Angel said, aghast.

"Why not?" Max frowned. "Do you want me to walk over there with you?

"NO!" Angel stared at Max in horror. Did this mean she had to go over there...alone? She most certainly did not want Max there. But—there was no way...

"Hi!" Angel jumped as he appeared by her side and as he ducked his head, blushing. "Sorry."

"It's okay!" She found herself breathless again. "Hi!"

"Hi."

She giggled hysterically. "So."

"How are you?" he blurted. "Have you been alright?"

She nodded. "Yes. Very--how have you been?"

Thinking about you, he thought, but he said, "Good. Cold."

She blushed and held out her present. "I hope you like it, it's warm....It's not nearly as beautiful as the flower you gave me though."

"Wait, what?" He stared at the box. She shook it, and he took it carefully. "You got me a-a present?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Open it."

Damien blinked, brushed his hair out of his face, and then set about ripping open the flimsy cardboard. He found a plain red jacket--it almost matched Angel's cheeks, and looked very warm. Angel bit her lip. "You like it?"

He nodded vigorously and began pulling it on. His fingers were too cold, however, to properly button the buttons or pull up the zipper. She reached over and did them for him, and then she took his hands and began rubbing them. "You're so cold," she accused. "You really should wear it a lot."

"I will!" he promised, and smiled. They shared a long look before he suddenly hugged her. "You're warm too. Maybe we should just stay here forever!"

Max cleared her throat and pulled them away so she could make a face at Angel and smile at Damien as she handed him a pair of matching gloves. "These are for you, too. I think she forgot to wrap them."

He pulled them on and wiggled his fingers; they were half-fingered gloves, so that he could feel and touch things and pick things up. The coat and the jacket were both a bit too big, so he'd have room to grow into them. He tugged the gloves on tighter, and then slipped his hand back into Angel's. "Thanks," he said.

Angel giggled. "You look dashing."

"What's that?"

She giggled again and squeezed his hand. "Perfect. That's what it means."

Angel. Max made a point of melting into the background. Look up, you little stinker.

Angel looked up, bewildered, and then gasped. Damien looked up as well and his eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Big brother, you suck!" he shrieked, his face burning as red as his coat. He was afraid that Angel would think him piggish if he kissed her.

Angel wouldn't have. She spun him back around and leaned up. From behind Damien's back, his brother saw Angel give him a thumbs up. He grinned.

Timidly Damien gave her a quick kiss, blushing so hard even his ears turned pink. She responded gently, and then rocked back from where she'd been on tip-toes.

"Thanks," she said. "Merry Christmas."

Jason pulled his upper body up onto the roof, his fingers digging into the wet moss. He swung a leg up and, ignoring the wet carpet of moss and leaves that was rapidly soaking and staining the knees of his jeans. He could see the red banner up above him on the neighbor's roof, just about six feet higher from where he was now, but just a few feet off the top of the sloping roof of Sable's house. Her feet, bare and splattered with mud, were resting on Sable's roof while she sat on the neighbor's.

He began climbing again.

"You look cold," she teased.

"So do your feet," he replied. "You're insane."

"For what, coming out in the rain in December, bare foot—or sitting on a rooftop, waiting for squirrels to attack?"

"I was going to say the former, but now that you mention the squirrels..." He made a point of glancing around warily before smiling at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Thinking about my last boyfriend," she said.

His face didn't betray his worry, but she could see it in the way that he sat down beside her feet so stiffly, so mechanically. "Oh yeah? Who was it?"

"Think. My last boyfriend."

"Um... Dom?"

"No!"

"You had more than just Dom?"

"Yup. One more."

"Who was it, Kate?"

She laughed at him. "You, silly."

He was still frowning, not getting it. "Last? But I thought we were still..."

She shrugged. "But at this point, I don't see us breaking up. So therefore, if you think about it, you're not really my boyfriend. And besides. You're more than my boyfriend. You're my soul mate."

"Oh..." He thought about it, then smiled slowly. He stood up and leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. "That's good then, Katie."

"Of course," she replied, and nudged him with a wet foot. "I just hope it'll keep the squirrels away."

"...Maybe we can convince Fang they're deformed desert rats and get him to eat them."

"Not gonna work!" Fang shouted from beneath them somewhere.

"Darn."

"I think Mr. Ninja would notice that."

"If someone mentions ninjas one more time, I swear--"

Fang was cut off abruptly, and there was silence for a very long time. Kate coughed to hide a giggle. Jason rolled his eyes.

"Where did you come from Ninja?"

Kate blinked and looked over her shoulder to find Fang standing behind them, arms crossed. "Max told me to tell you that if you don't stop making fun of me, she'll ground both of you. And Ana agrees." He continued to glare at them.

"Fine, spoilsport. Gosh."

"...If we offered them cookies, would we still be able to make fun of you?"

"No!" Max shouted. "Because we have control of the kitchen."

"...Darn."

Kate shrugged. "Fine. We'll stop picking on you for now...if you leave. Real fast. This is supposed to be our time."

"Same with Max and I. Now stop interrupting it." He jumped off the roof and went back inside.

They made faces at Fang's retreating back and Kate tucked her flaming hair back behind her ear. "We wouldn't have to pick on them if they didn't make it so fun..."

"Like what?"

"Like you have pretty eyes." He smirked. "It's corny, but true."

Iggy snuck up behind Ella and leaned over her, wrapping his arms around her and holding out a chocolate ice cream cone. "Merry Christmas."

She giggled and took it from him. "Jeez, Igs. This beats your present."

"Nah, sweaters are cool—as long as Gazzy didn't trick me into wearing one of Nudge's. I'm not, am I?"

"No, you're still my lovable vanilla ice cream, Iggy."

He snickered, stealing a lick of her ice cream. "Does it taste better than me?" he asked.

"Sadly…yes."

Iggy was devastated. His jaw dropped. "What?"

She laughed and kissed his cheek. "Oh, you know I'm joking."

"Do you want me to get the mistletoe?"

"Max!" Ella glared at her sister. Max just rolled her eyes.

"What? Don't come visit me if you don't want to be interrupted—did you open your present from me yet?"

Ella was just as good as Max at rolling her eyes. "Yes, oh great big sister. And yes, I'll watch the movie with you later. I need someone to explain it to me."

Iggy groaned. "Don't tell me it's Elric."

"Okay, then I won't tell you. Iggy, it's Fullmetal."

"Edward! Totally owns Mr. Sparkles."

"Totally!"

Iggy scowled at her. "Max! Moment? Just because you and Fang haven't had yours yet--"

"Shut it Iggy unless you want to die."

"Shutting." He held up his hands. "But please? I promise I'll keep my hands to myself..."

"..." Max gave Ella a, You better make him keep that promise, kind of glare and turned heel. "I'll be in Sable's parents' room with Fang. 'America's Funniest Home Videos' is on—as soon as it's over, we're watching the movie."

Iggy heave a sigh of relief after she left. "Thank goodness, I always think she's going to bite my head off when I'm with you..." He grinned. "But it's worth it. You're more than worth it."

Ella beamed. "Thanks, Iggy," she said, giving him a tight, one-armed hug. "I needed to hear that."

"Didn't your mom ever tell you that? Anyone?"

Ella shook her head. "Mom's not really touchy-feel-y anymore... Her friends all say she used to be, and around them, she's really awesome. You seen her around Max? She's never been like that around me. I don't know why, but I just think that she didn't want me."

"I don't see how that's possible," Iggy said flatly. "Maybe you just haven't heard it. But there is no way they could not want you."

Ella shook her head. "That's nice to hear, but you don't get it." She kissed him. "But it's enough. It's really sweet."

"Absolutely right I don't get it!" he agreed. "This is like, child abuse! Seriously!" He turned to her and looked somewhere between her nose and her left eyebrow. "I hereby promise that I will tell you how much you're worth every day of your life."

She smiled. "You can't do that."

"You're right!" He seemed shocked.

"Of course I am."

"Because no human mind could grasp how much you're wanted. No words can ever describe it. Ever." He nodded, his streaked hair flopping about his face, and his blind eyes scrunched up as he grinned at her. "Really, Ella. I mean it."

She shook her head and kissed him again. "You're lovely, you know that?"

In response, he set down the ice cream in a cup somewhere behind him, and then captured her lips again. She threw her arms around his neck and became lost in the tangle of sweet smelling hair and smoldering lips...

He let her go to breathe, and his lips trailed across her cheek to her ear. "I'm going to tell you it every day, every moment, until you believe me. You know that, right?"

Inside that promise was another, unspoken, but she knew it.

"And I'll never believe you," she promised in reply. "So you'll never be able to leave."

It sounded like a deal.

Fang and Max stayed in Sable's room after the movie; Iggy and Ella left as soon as it ended. Max was leaning against Fang when she asked, "Superman or Batman?"

"As long as it's not Dark Knight, Batman all the way."

"You know Batman is just a crazy rich old guy that runs around in tights with some poor messed up kid? But when you're rich and crazy, it's called eccentric, so he's an eccentric old guy running around in tights with the boy wonder."

"You know... That sounds really bad."

"Well he doesn't have any powers. Just money."

"But that's kind of like us."

"Except we have--"

"Only Angel's on par with Superman."

"We have wings? That's gotta count for something. And Angel's with us, so therefore we get more brownie points. And we're not insane. Except for Catlyn, but she's the exception and only when it comes to duct tape. So, we totally beat Batman."

"But I don't like Superman. I mean, look at 'Smallville'. Blech."

"Fine. We're better than Superman then. But there is no way Batman is better than Superman. Batman is worse. And what is with the tights?"

"They're easier to fight in than jeans, I guess. I mean, jeans are pretty hard to run in alone... And Superman wears tights, too."

"Fang, do you want to wear tights? Is there something you're not telling me? Because, you know, as your girlfriend I think I deserve to know if you swing both ways..."

"...Next you're going to be suggesting twincest."

"I was thinking Figgy, but since you brought up the twincest... I'm sorry, Fang, but I don't think Trin would be into that."

"Max!"

"Fang!" she mimicked.

He moaned and hid his face behind a pillow.

She lay down beside him and played with his hair. "Oh, come on. It's not that bad...even though I'm not sure Iggy would be into it, either. You're just outta luck, Fang—and Ella might kill you anyway if that wasn't the case..."

He twitched a wing and seemed to ignore her.

"And, you've always got me."

The pillow lowered and he peered at her carefully. "Really?"

"Oh wait, you're not going to pull that on me, you sexist p--"

He smacked her with the pillow, and then pinned her down with it, cackling. For a moment, she thought that maybe Beta'd gotten out...

And then he started tickling her.

"GAH! Fang! Stop!"

"I'm straight, alright? You hear me?"

"I-haha!-I-hear-ha—gack! Haha!"

When he finally stopped tickling her, she was gasping for breath. He snickered. "Will you be a good Christmas angel now?"

"Yes! Yes already!" She giggled breathlessly.

He smiled and lay back down, slipping his arms around her and nuzzling his face into her neck. "Then stop picking on me. Between jokes about my sexuality and ninja origins, I'm never going to get any rest..."

"Maybe I don't want you to rest." She smiled. "Maybe I like how you react."

His breath was hot against her collarbone as he finally found a comfortable spot, his ear placed above hear heart, his nose pointing towards her neck. His eyelashes tickled her exposed skin a bit, and he tightened his hold on her. "That sounded surprisingly dirty, Max," he noted in a warm, slightly slurred voice. "Who's the sexist pig now?"

"Only guys can be sexist pigs," she said. "Girls are always right."

"Of course. Feminism."

"Of course. It works."

"It's going to be the death of society."

She ran her fingers across his back, stroking his dark feathers and smoothing out some of the bent ones. "We'll just have to rebuild it, then," she said. "You and me. Together."

"You're the one s'posed to save the world, Maximum Ride."

"Psh. I can't do it alone."

He tightened his grip on her, and she could feel him smile against her shirt. "I'll always be there. Right where you want me."

"Now who's the dirty one?"

Dom peered around the Christmas tree that hid the desktop from view, and, seeing that the coast was clear, he ducked down and pressed the power button. He cringed when the computer beeped in reply, but no one noticed and he soon relaxed a bit. He chose to start up on Ubuntu and then waited for the log in screen, and soon he was logged onto his account and starting up Firefox, and then going to his email, and waiting for instant message to load--

She was there.

Dom: Miss you.

Holly: I told you not to.

Dom: But I still do.

Holly: I miss you too.

Dom: How are things?

Holly: Fine. How's Sabes?

Dom: Alright. She's

Dom: Hold on. Someone's coming.

Holly: K

Dom: Nevermind, just Angel.

Holly: How's she?

Dom: Um. She's alright.

Angel gave him a mental jab from across the room. He winced.

Holly: What's wrong?

Dom: Nothing. Nevermind, really.

"Ow!" He shot a glare at Angel.

Holly: Don't lie to me. Did she see something disturbing? Or did she hear you being emo again?

Holly: Please tell me you're not being emo.

Dom: I'm never emo.

Dom: But I don't know. Something's off. It's nothing, Holls.

Holly: Last time something was 'off'...

Dominic sucked in his breath and let it out in a whistle.

Dom: Yeah, I remember. This... I just have a bad feeling about someone dying. I don't know who—I just don't want it to be you. You can't die.

For a moment, she didn't reply.

Finally,

Holly: I'll be fine, Dom. I'm coming home in two days. Meet me by 7-11 at 5AM then, alright?

Dom: I'll be there at four.

Dom: You're so sweet, but really I won't be there until 5. Don't overreach yourself. I want you awake when I see you.

Dom: Four.

Dom: I'll be awke. I promise.

Dom: *awake

Holly: Poor thing, you're falling asleep right now... Heh.

Dom: My eyes are rolling.

Holly: Right across the floor.

Dom: And out the door.

"Dooom, where are you? I'm bored and—who ya talkin' to?"

Catlyn found him, took one look at the screen, and grinned. "Oh. Tell Holly I say hi!"

Dom: Catlyn says hi.

"Not hi. Hi!"

Dom: Catlyn says "HI!" not hi.

"Much better."

Holly: Hey, Catlyn. 'Sup.

"Ceiling!"

Dom: Ceiling, says Catlyn.

Holly: Mhm! Love it.

"She loves the ceiling? Dom, I think you have some competition."

Dom: Catlyn thinks I have some competition in the form of a lovable ceiling.

Holly: Yeah, well the ceiling doesn't love me. And it's even taller than you. You can bend, at least. The ceiling, not so much.

Dom: I feel so loved. I need a hug. And Catlyn has cooties.

"Hey!"

Dom: Can I have a hug?

"Say please."

Dom: Pretty please?

"Nice!"

"Backseat driver," Dom accused, and then turned back to the screen once he realized that Catlyn couldn't understand him.

Holly: *huggles* I can't wait to do that in real life.

Dom: :) I feel better.

Holly: If that's good—just wait until I get home.

Dom: I can't. There is no way I can wait. I miss you so much.

"D'awww. You guys are so cute."

"Catlyn!"

"Sable, Nudge? You seen Angel and Catlyn?"

Nudge looked at Gazzy, who was looking a bit forlorn. "No, why?"

"They ditched me. Iggy's making out with Ella, and Fang's asleep with Max in Sable's room, and Trin and Ana are out flying, and so are Gabe and Angelus, 'cept in the other direction, and Kate and Jason are on the roof, and KIX and Beth are in the attic. I don't know where anyone else is. I don't even know if that's it! I think I'm going insane!"

Sable clapped. "Loved the voice, Gazzy! Who was it?"

He beamed. "No idea, one of those old guys from the black-and-white movies you guys were watching the other day."

"Cool!"

"But still, d'ya know where Angel and Catlyn are?"

"Nope." The girls shook their heads again.

Gazzy's face fell. "Alright then... I guess I'll go outside. Can I play in the mud?"

"Sure," Sable said. "Just watch out for worms, and don't get hypothermia. Or pneumonia."

"I'll get the raincoat!" Gazzy withdrew from the room.

Nudge smiled to herself and went back to her book. She and Sable had been talking earlier, but then both had settled for reading once the rain started up and things had begun to quiet down. Sable had a laptop beside her, monitoring the blog feeds and email and such, but there hadn't been a single ping for the past hour and a half.

The room was warm, and Nudge had created a nest-like mass of heavy blankets and thick pillows on the bed she was on. She'd dozed off a few times, and it was an absolutely wonderful place to be. This was what she'd always wanted, what she'd always imagined her parents' house would be like... She thought about it and smiled, and snuggled closer to the pillows, spreading her wings out and fluffing her feathers to keep in more heated air.

And then, she shivered. Her feathers, which had been fluffed, now stiffened and raised in anxiety, bristling against her shirt uncomfortably. Her hair stood on end, and she rubbed her arms; she was covered in goosebumps.

"Alex!" Sable squeaked, and Nudge bolted upright, her chest tightening with something like fear. Was something wrong? Who was Al...ex...

Whoa.

Alex was balanced on the windowsill, smiling crookedly. "Hey."

Nudge felt her cheeks reddening and thanked goodness that she had dark skin. "Alex, what are you doing here? Last I heard you ran away from Em's, you ungrateful feline," Sable said lightly.

"I don't really know, Sabes." His smile became a smirk. "I've been hearing things, you know the drill..." The way he spoke, the words lilting as they rolled off his tongue...! "But then again, I did like your company."

Sable rolled her eyes. "Well then, come in and bask in my presence—closing the window behind you and staying away from me while you're soaking wet. You look terrible."

Nudge wasn't so sure about that. Alex's hair was deep, dark red-brown from the rain, with darker streaks in it that came faintly onto his skin at the base of his jawline. His irises were a beautiful, luminous, feline yellow, with pupils that had been dilated from their previous slits as he drew into the room and closed the window, drawing the blinds closed after him as well.

He was now crossing the room with long, lazy, calculated strides to the lamp, which he turned on with a twist of his wide, and flat palms, and a snap of his elegant wrist; his fingers were long and thin, and his knuckles were heavily scarred. The backs of his hands looked delightfully smooth and looked like satin from the reflection of the water on his skin... She wanted to stroke it, hold it against her own...

And best of all, in Nudge's opinion, was the fact that he had peeled off his hoodie to reveal a completely useless white shirt that had been seemingly glued to his very, hot, sculpted torso.

Nudge clenched her muscles to keep from shaking, and forced herself to take a breath. In her head, she could only process four words: Oh my freaking crap.

He seemed to have yet to notice her as he kept teasing Sable. "Oh, come on, I'm not that wet. Can I sit by you? I'm sure you're just dying to be a mermaid."

"Don't cats eat fish?"

"Beside the point."

"And then, I'm also wearing a white shirt."

"So am I." He winked roguishly and laughed at her blush. "Just joking, of course, as word of your little Romeo and Juliet affair has reached all levels of the ITEX line, especially in Europe. So juicy."

Sable started. "Any news on Luce?"

Alex shook his head. "No. Not a word. There's a rumor that he's in isolation, and that they're planning on leaving him there until he dies or learns his lesson. But you know how rumors are; especially with ITEX. Don't believe a word. There's also a rumor to counteract that one, that it was all a lie and you've been duped and he's living it up in Hawaii with some babe for all of his terrible work, and is in charge of a blood bank on top of that." Alex shook his head. "Just rumors, no facts. But the fact that something was going down..."

"What was that something?"

"This would be a great time for me to notice the chick in the corner, wouldn't it?" Alex mused.

It took Nudge a moment to realize he was talking about her. "Hi," she managed smoothly.

He turned his eyes to her, and his smile turned down a little at the edges. It wasn't a frown, it was just...awe? Whatever it was, it was gone in a few instants and he was smiling again, his nostrils flaring and his rather elongated canines revealed. "Yo," he said charmingly.

Nudge nodded, somehow managing to keep a calm face. "I'm Nudge. What's up?"

"Nothing much at the moment," he said. "I'm surprised that I didn't notice you earlier. You were mighty quiet back there."

She felt her cheeks being scalded with indignation and shame. Of course he'd think she just talked and talked and talked... Alex seemed to realize his mistake, as he suavely moved on, saying, "But of course, now I realize that it was all just a ploy to make me fall in love with such a beautiful voice. If you'd been chattering at first, I would have tuned you out. But as it is, I find myself hooked on your every word." He winked.

"Mhm, sure." She attempted to keep the blush to a minimum and returned to her book, even if reading it was just a façade to help her not only maintain her sanity, but to help her keep her cool. "Tell me when something interesting happens."

Alex stared at her in a mix of frustration and amusement, with Sable struggling to keep from guffawing in the background. "Come on, Alex," she prodded. "Stop being such a womaniser and get back to telling me that rumor."

"Well, my colleagues in Europe are telling me that the Superiors are planning on taking over the United States sooner or later," he said, turning back to her, not smiling any more. "They say that taking over health-care will be just the beginning."

Sable blinked. "But the President's not--"

"Oh, the President isn't ITEX related at all. I doubt he's even heard of Maximum Ride. But some of his people... And high-rise senators... You know them, the ones from back when Ana and Trinity were being auctioned at the University. It's just a matter of time. But again, no facts."

Nudge blinked, frowning. "Auctioned?"

"What every one of us New Generation were created for, in a way," Alex explained. "Sold to be the sex slaves of science and terror to the highest bidder. Trinity and Ana met while at a preliminary viewing: A bunch of crusty old senators came in, and Trinity and Ana were put in bullet proof boxes on display for the political goons to look over and decide if they perhaps wanted to buy the Alpha, Beta, Omega and Mates collection as weapons and playthings. Things like that. And the people who'd be interested in that sort of thing are still in power."

Nudge frowned. "Goes to show what state the world is in..." She sighed. "Alright. Nothing new then, just a new word. Carry on."

Alex's fingers dug into the wall he was leaning against in annoyance. He wasn't used to being passed off or ignored. But, he had a job to do. He turned his gaze back to Sable. "And that's about it, so far. I was chased out of Germany by that panther girl—what's her name, something silly. She gave me a nasty scratch."

Sable jumped up. "Where?"

He turned around to show her his back, and she laughed.

"She carved it into your back."

"What'd she write?"

"'I thought I saw a pussy-cat'."

He grimaced. "Great. Now I'm going to have that stupid phrase... Well, I would have come sooner, only I didn't realize you were keeping such interesting things like this beauty from me, rather than some boy." He went to sit by Nudge, not willing to give up his efforts; his shirt was still revealing his body and making it very hard for her to concentrate, though she did her best to."I've met you, darling, isn't that interesting enough? Are you not the most interesting being in this room? You are such an angel, it is hardly fitting to call you human and put you on the same level as myself and others, as you are so obviously above..."

Nudge held up her book again. "Sable, I think he's forgotten about you. Best to keep him on track."

He scowled again, standing and going back over to Sable. "See? Already that stupid scratch is ruining my image. I'm a pussy-cat now... Oh, the same."

"You always did have a big ego, Alex. Maybe this will do you some good." Sable shook her head. "I'll go get the bandages... You going to behave?"

Alex winced. "I'm wounded."

"You'll be crippled if you don't." Sable gave him a short Look before departing.

He sank down to sit on the floor, the look of a pouting little kid on his face rather than a suave Mr. Pussy Cat, but soon he was up again and sitting by Nudge, another smile plastered on his face, this one softer, confused, and still very hot. "Why do you react to me so? Is me ego really that bad? I'm sorry, angel, Nudge... I'll try not to be a bad Pussy Cat..."

Sable came back and glared at him. "Knock it off."

"What?"

"Nudge, you might want to leave."

No, she did not. "Nah. I'll enjoy watching Mr. Ego-Head get deflated a bit." She didn't look up from her book as Sable dragged Alex off the bed and had him take off his shirt. It made a sucking, splatting sound on the floor as it joined his jacket; she could see the blood stains on the white fabric, watered down... A loud yelp and then a hiss and then a low, trembling whimper brought her eyes snapping back to the floor, where Alex had his hand braced on the wall and his back arched against Sable's hand; she was wiping his back off with a cloth that was damp with something that probably stung a lot.

There was something hot about watching him in mortal agony, too.

She was really messed up. She looked back at her book.

When they were done and he was bandaged up, he bowed and kissed her hand. "Thank you, fine Juliet. I wish you and your Romeo well." He scooped up the extra bandages and his shirt and jacket. "It's probably best not to leave these laying around, I'll put them away real quick and let the others know I'm here—Do you have room for one more, Sable, or do you want me to stay elsewhere?"

Nudge looked up at Sable, pleading with her eyes, Let him stay! Let him stay! At least let him stay close!

Nudge bit her lip. Flying distance? Oh, come on, he was hot!

"Sorry, I've got no room at the inn," Sable said without remorse. "However, the usual place down the road is open."

"Oh goody! The lobby girl always has that box of peppermints out on the counter. I think I'll go steal one and set up my room... I'll be back in a cat nap, how's that sound?" For the first time, Nudge saw the slight circles under his eyes, and wondered what his story was. He'd been to Europe, and Germany, and encountered a panther girl. What had he been doing? She wanted to hear, and was glad he'd be back soon. Secretly, of course. She couldn't show that she liked him. If she did...!

As he headed to the doorway to head into the hall, she muttered, "Good riddance," in as audible a mutter as she could.

Angel appeared in the doorway. "Finally! It's your turn!"

"Angel!"