Alright, as promised here is the next chapter dears. I have a new muse, and things will be getting VERY interesting. I think this chapter might sound a bit repetitive (though no one said so on the MaxRide site, which is MaximumRide dot com.) let me know if it is.

I have naught more to say but, reviews!

IndigoWolf: Well, hanging a pairing would spoil the fun now, wouldn't it:D Oh my twisted little mind.

xxbluemoonxx: Aren't smiley faces better with open mouths:D:D:D I think so. Anyways, here's the update for you. I hope you like this chapter.

lillanie121: Yes, I think many people are pulling for a Fang/Max. But that's not how my mind works. Oh, and I was referring to everyone's sympathy towards Max in their last reviews. I think we'll have even more sympathy after this chapter.

DeeCohan: Many people seem to think that... well, maybe we'll have a mistress versus girlfriend show down a bit later? Won't that be fun!

KristenTheHomocidalManiac: Really? Thank you very much. And my compliments on your taste in music. And your penname.

Where has dear xPockeyNoMikox and xlivxfoxmixmusic gone off too? Was my last chapter that terrible that they were scared off?

Chapter VI: Sugar, We're Going Down

"Max." Iggy said softly. They had been sitting on the couch, watching, in his case listening, to the television when she fell asleep. He felt her foot twitch, near the foot of the couch their legs were entangled. He put his hand over her belly as Max's stomach slowly rose and fell. "Wake up Max." He said shaking her shoulder gently. "Mmm, Iggy. What?" She murmured softly. "Max, honey, time to get up." He said, kissing her hair lightly. With a moan she slipped off of him and on to the other end of the couch. Iggy yawned as he sat up. He leaned his head on his fingers and tousled his hair. He blinked rapidly, dispelling sleep from his eyes. Slowly, he stood up and stretched his arms. "Come on." He said, turning to Max and pulling her up by the underarms. He felt her sway as she stood. He put his hand on the small of her back and gently guided her to the kitchenette. In the last few days, she'd gotten a lot better, mourning wise that is. Though, Iggy could still hear her cry at night.

Iggy hung around her a lot. He was her keeper, no one else really seemed up for the task. The others were still unable to deal with Fang's... disappearance. Iggy refused to believe his best friend -his brother- was dead. Fang would never -and didn't- let a hoard of Erasers take him down.

He felt a shoulder hit his. "Huh?" He asked clamping his hands on the shoulders. They were bony and thin, it had to be Max. "Just... just a little nauseous." She said slowly. "Okay, well take it easy." He pushed past her and into the kitchenette. "Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, living room. Now." He said as he walked in. Silence. Then the scrap of chairs was heard, followed by the shuffle of feet. He sighed. He needed to stop all of this moping. It wasn't doing anything for them. He perked up his ears. Something was missing... then he realized no one had turned on the coffee pot. He heaved a sigh as he waltzed over to the coffee pot. He pressed the on switch and he once again heard the familiar hum. God he was addicted to this crap. He needed to enter some type of twelve step program. For coffee addicts. That's what he needed... and Max needed a twelve step program for getting over dead boyfriends... and Nudge, Gazzy and Angel needed to just go to a 'snap out of it' program. Iggy snorted. As if a twelve step program was going to change anything.

Thud.

"Ih-Ih-IIIgggyyy."

"What?" He asked twirling to face the doorway. "Iggy!" Gazzy's voice was more urgent. "What? Gazzy what is it?" He said poking his head in. "It's Max." Nudge's voice was shaky. Iggy's heart leapt. "She's..." Nudge stopped. Iggy felt something brush against his leg, he kneeled down. Max. He heart stopped as he fell to his knees. He laid himself down on his stomach next to her, praying that she wasn't dead. "Max?" He whispered in her ear. He only heard her breath, which was short and struggled. "Max." He breathed. Still she said nothing. He pressed his palm against her cheek. She was burning. "Max! Max, talk to me." He said, leaning down with his cheek touching the carpet. His chest filled with panic. "Max, speak to me!" He demanded. Her breathing was getting softer. "Max!" He cried out, he put his hand in front of her mouth. He felt her soft breathing against his palm. And then, it stopped.

"Gazzy, get her something to eat. Nudge, get water. Angel, come with me." He ordered, holding Max's limp body close to him. He laid her down on the bed. What if she died? What if she was already dead? He felt as if he was being pulled in a thousand directions, what was he suppose to do?

Wait, what was it that she had told him the other day? About reviving people? God if only he paid attention! He did the only thing he could think of doing, he mashed their mouths together and breathed into her. Wait... that wouldn't work... wasn't he suppose to pinch her nose? He pulled himself away from her, he took a deep breath, then pinched her nose and breathed into her lungs once more. As he did so, he suddenly realized, Angel was standing in the doorway, whimpering. "Angel, go! Just go!" He yelled, pointing out the door. What else could he do? Wasn't there another part? Something to do with the heart... He pressed his fingers against Max's heart. "One, two, three." He said desperately as he pumped her lungs. "Max... please breath. Please." He whispered to her resting his cheek on her collar. Thump. Thump. His eyes widened. Thump. Thump. Her heart was still beating. "Max!" He realized tears were streaming down his face. She was alive. At least she was alive. He pressed his palms against her cheeks, her face was burning. Iggy heard foots steps behind him. "Iggy... Iggy w-what's happening?" Gazzy's voice wavered. "I don't know." He said as Nudge handed him a glass of water. "Max, drink this." He tipped the glass to her mouth. He heard the water gurgle in the back of her throat as she drank it. "Max... oh Max." He smiled, resting his head on her collar. Listening to her heartbeat. Thankful for that much.

—Later—

"Gazzy, coffee." Iggy said plopping down on the chair. He felt a mug of coffee thrust at him as Gazzy replied. "What's wrong with Max?" The boy's voice was soft and unsure. "Sick. Max is sick." He said shaking his head. "That's it? I mean you don't stop breathing just because your sick! Are you sure she doesn't have something worse? Like pneumonia? We left the window open the other day and it was like really, really cold. Could that be why she was sick? Because if it was then I would feel so awful! Because-" Nudge started, but was cut off by Gazzy. "Nudge, quiet." Iggy nursed his coffee thoughtfully. God he needed to get on that twelve step program. "The flu Nudge, people die from the flu all the time." he shrugged, drinking deeply from the coffee mug. "They do?" She asked, slightly in awe. "Yeah. They do." He said sadly. "Is... Is she getting better?" Gazzy asked shakily.

What a question.

Max had insisted on sweating out the fever, no drugs, just sweat. Her fever was down, true, but she was by no means better. She was weak, hardly able to wobble to the bathroom to puke. Though she had to ever five minutes or so. She was resting now, asleep after all this time. But he was still worried about her. She could stop breathing, or faint, but he had to address Gazzy, Angel and Nudge. They were Max's family too. "Guys, I don't want you in there. You can't catch whatever Max has." He said sternly, pouring himself a second cup of coffee. "Yeah, ok." Nudge said quietly. Iggy sighed. They were impossible. And silent. He suddenly realized that Total was no longer yipping. Which was unusual. All that Total ever did was yip and knock over things. He racked his brain, had Total yipped at all today? Iggy stood and stooped to where Total was sleeping. "Has anyone fed Total?" He asked. No one spoke. "Oh guys. You have to feed Total everyday, you know that." He said pouring some food into the dog's bowl. He slurped the last of his coffee, and poured himself a third cup. Twelve step program. That was on his to-do list for sure. "Where do we sleep... if we can't go in there?" Angel asked suddenly. The poor girl had been silent the entire time, Iggy realized. It was good that she was speaking again, not to mention this was why he had come in there. He had thought of this and he finally had the answer. "Come with me." He said turning on the coffee machine again. Twelve step program. One of these days. The four waltzed into the living room. Since they had moved in Angel, Nudge and Max had slept in the big bed, while Gazzy, Iggy and Fang had slept on the pull out. Now, Angel and Nudge would have to sleep somewhere else. It was extremely important that they not catch Max's flu. "Did anyone pull out the bed yet?" He asked, leaning against the armchair. "Yeah." Gazzy replied, Iggy heard the springs moan as he sat down upon the couch pull out. "Angel, you can get ready for bed." He said, gesturing for Angel to leave the room. The girl obliged and swept out. "One of you, will sleep with Angel in the pull out," He said gesturing to Nudge and Gazzy "But one of you must sleep on the floor." He continued. It made sense. Angel and Nudge were girls, but Angel and the Gasman were siblings. Either combination worked. But it wasn't really a mix and match combination. "I'll do it." Gazzy volunteered immediately. Iggy smiled. That was Gazzy for you. "Thanks Gasman. If you guys have to do this again, switch okay?" He clamped his hand on Gazzy's shoulder as Angel re-entered the room. "Hey," Nudge said as Iggy poured himself one final cup of coffee. "Where are you sleeping?" She asked. "With Max." he shrugged.

"Here." Iggy said, holding back her hair as she emptied her stomach once more. She stood, bent over the toilet for a minute, then shook her hair out. "Thanks." She said hobbling back to the bedroom. "Your welcome." He said, putting a trash can by her bedside. "God, I feel like crap." She moaned, tossing under the sheets of the bed. "I could get you some over the counter stuff." He offered, flipping off the light switch. It really made no difference for him, other than the strange yellow glow he'd see if he looked directly into it. "No, I'm fine." She said firmly, but he could tell she had almost said yes.

"You don't have to do this." Max said as Iggy laid out on the floor next to the bed. "Yes I do." He replied simply. He sighed as he stretched out. Sleeping on the floor was suppose to be good for your back. Straightened your spine or something. If his spine was crooked, it sure wouldn't be in the morning. "Iggy." Max said suddenly. He sat up, "What?" He asked in a dazed and stupid manor. "Could you... you know." She said slowly. "What?" He repeated. What was she pulling at? He couldn't for the life of him figure it out. "It's just... I'm used to Angel and Nudge... being with me... in the bed." She said slowly. Iggy blinked several times, what? "Never mind." She said quickly. "No... no. I understand." He said quietly. "C-could you then?" She asked hopefully. "Um... yeah." He said as he slowly walked over to the opposite side of the bed. He sat down, slowly, unsure of what he was suppose to do. "Iggy..." She said softly, he felt her press her body against his. She took his hands in hers and wrapped them around her waist. "That's better." She sighed. And it was innocent. Just like that.

—In The Morning—

The sound that woke Iggy was not the most pleasant. It was the sound of Max puking. Apparently her fever had passed, but her nausea had not. He blinked as light filled his eyes. The sun was up. Man, he had got up late. He sat up. Coffee. That's what he needed. He stood up and faltered into the kitchenette. "Hey." Nudge said quietly. "Hey." He replied sleepily. He heard the soft hum of the coffee machine. The Gasman had turned on the coffee machine. Thank god. He picked up a cup from where they usually sat. Mmm nothing woke a person up in the morning like this. He sipped the brown liquid slowly. Now, he was awake. Iggy suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder and turned. He felt Max fall into his arms. "Hey." He held her up by the shoulders. Her skin was no longer flushed, her fever was down. Iggy silently thanked god, or whoever was up there. "Hey, um, listen, let's go over here." She muttered, pulling him to the living room. He trotted after her, thinking of what she might be talking about. He sighed as she offered him into a chair and she took the couch. For a minute, the two sat in silence. "Hey, um, thanks for... what you did yesterday... and last night." Max said softly. "No problem. What are friends for?" He smiled. "No, really." She said putting a hand on his knees. "Really, it's no problem Max." Iggy insisted. She pulling him into a hug. "Really, Iggy. I love you, thank you, for everything."

Take a moment and gasp with me, ready? one, two, three...

:GASP:

Alright, now that that's out of our system, review?