Dedication: I Dedicate This Chapter To My Lovely Friend Lindsey. Without These People My Writing Wouldnt Have Been Brought Back To Fanfiction. Lindsey Is The Damn Son Of A Bitch That Kept Asking Me Every Day "Did You Update?" And It Killed Me To Say "No" Every Day. So I Got Back Onto My Computer And Wrote. So, Thanx, Lyns.

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own, Nor Do I Claim To, Maximum Ride. All I Claim To Own Is The Plot Of This Story, And My Own Made-Up Characters.

Daddy's Home Part 2

Chapter Fifteen

Max's P.O.V

I rolled over in bed and glanced at my wall hanging calendar; December 15.

The day of the AFSCA meeting.

I slugged out of my bed and shivered when my bare feet hit the cold wooden floor.

I walked over to my closet and shoved the doors open.

I reached in and grabbed a plastic bag that contained my dress, necklace, gloves and scarf. (Link To Her Dress On My Profile)

I looked over at my clock; 1:00 p.m. Dinner in five hours.

I pulled out my shoes and retrieved my earrings from my jewelry box.

Fang's mom said I would look beautiful.

I grabbed a towel off the back hook of my bedroom door and went to the bathroom.

I showered quickly, letting the steam and hot water soak into my body.

I stepped out and wrapped myself in a towel, almost slipping on the wet bathroom floor.

I was stopped in the middle of the hallway by my dad before I could get into my room to get dressed.

"Max, can we talk?" he asked.

"How 'bout, I go dress and I'll meet you in the kitchen?"

He nodded, spun on his heels and disappeared down the stairs.

I ran into my room and changed into a pair of jeans with holes in the knees and a t-shirt that says "you break it, you buy it" with a picture of a broken heart on it.

I ran a brush through my hair and threw it into a messy bun.

I met my dad downstairs in the kitchen.

"Listen, Max, I know you're excited to go to this meeting, but I got a call from the county jail this morning…"

"Oh?"

"Yes, it was Stephanie, she requested a visit with you."

"She wants to see me? Why? She's in jail because of me."

"I don't know exactly why, but she wants to see you. I said yes for you."

I nodded, filled a cup of decaf coffee and disappeared back upstairs.

I flopped down onto my bed and grabbed my guitar.

I just played whatever I felt. I wasn't sure what I was playing until the words started coming out of my mouth.

"She walks to school with the lunch she packed, nobody knows what she's holdin' back. Wearin' the same dress she wore yesterday, she hides the bruises with the linen and lace, ohh."

I closed my eyes and kept singing, "The teacher wonders, but she doesn't ask, its hard to see the pain behind the mask. Bearing the burden of a secret storm, sometimes she wishes she was never born…"

I heard the door open and then close.

"Nice song. Sad that it relates to you too much, but nice song." my dad whispered.

I laid my guitar down and nodded.

The phone on my bedside table rang.

It was Susan… Not who I expected.

"Hey, Maxi."

"Hey, Susan? Did you need anything?"

"No, no, no, I just wanted to know if you'd like to go to dinner or something with me tonight?"

"I cant tonight, but I'd love to tomorrow? Lunch around noon at Applebees?"

"Absolutely!"

She hung up.

"Susan Wagner?" Dad asked.

I nodded.

"Hey, I have an idea, why don't you go and help Angel and Ari get their outfits for the meeting?" Dad asked.

I nodded and got up off my comfy, cozy bed.

I walked across the hall and knocked on Angel and Ari's bedroom door.

Angel opened it, but only slightly.

"Hey, Honey, I was wondering, well, actually Dad was wondering, but anyway, do you want me to help you and Ari get your outfits ready for the AFSCA meeting?"

"Yes, well, if you can find Ari that is."

She opened the door all the way, revealing mounds of clothing covering the floor completely.

One of the mounds started to move, and Ari emerged from it.

He crawled across the floor, clawing at the carpet, whispering, "Shes… An… Animal….."

He slunk out of the room and kicked the door shut.

I picked up one of Angel's dresses and held it up, "How about this?"

This dress was a pale green with water color looking splatters covering it.

She nodded no and I handed it to her.

She hung it back up on a hanger and shoved it in her closet.

I found a beautiful dress sitting atop one of the piles.

It was light blue had flowers all over it. It had a satin ribbon tied around it. (Link To Her Dress On My Profile)

I held it up for her to see.

She nodded yes vigorously.

For the next hour and a half we cleaned up the floor and the rest of her room.

"Ari!" I yelled.

I turned around for two seconds, and when I turned back, he was just standing there. Creepy…

"Yes, Max?"

"We need to find an outfit you can wear tonight."

He nodded and silently walked over to his dresser. (Angel's clothes inhabited all of their closet)

He picked out a white button-down shirt and black jeans.

I approved.

I looked over at the clock on Ari's bedside table, it read: 4:50

An hour and ten minutes.

I left their room and went into mine.

Just as I entered my room, my phone on my bedside table rang.

I rushed over and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Max." Fang said.

"Oh! Hey! Whats up?"

"I was just wondering what color your dress is?"

"Purple, why?"

"Just wondering. I'll see you in an hour."

An hour. Okay, well, better start getting ready.

I upzipped the clear plastic bag that encased my dress and pulled it out.

I laid it on my bed and unbuttoned my jeans. I slid both them and my t-shirt off.

As I was about to put my dress on, the phone rang again.

I answered, it was Fang again.

"Sorry, I realized after I hung up that I still wanted to talk to you. So, whatcha doin'?"

I turned around and looked in the mirror.

Bruises covered my entire body.

I pulled my hair over to one side and turned around, looking at the "X" mark on my back.

"Nothing, getting dressed for the meeting."

I felt a slow-moving teardrop slide down my cheek.

"Alright, whats wrong? I can hear it in your voice."

"Nothing. I-I'm fine."

"No, Max, tell me whats wrong."

"M-my dad got a call today from the county jail… Stephanie wants to see me."

"When?"

"I don't know…"

Another tear made its way out of my eye.

"It's okay, Max, want me to come over?"

"Yes."

"Okay, be over in a sec."

I threw on a bath robe and started to leave my room.

Before I opened my door, I glanced down at my left hand. (the hand on the doorknob)

The diamond on my ring glistened as I moved my hand left to right.

The doorbell rang and I turned the knob, running out of my room.

"I got it!" I yelled, to my invisible family.

I opened the front door to Fang.

He looked gorgeous as usual.

He held a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt. A purple necktie draped over both of them.

He was dressed in his typical Fang attire, black jeans, black shirt.

"C'mon up to my room, I was just getting dressed."

I grabbed his hand and towed him upstairs.

I closed the door to my room as he plopped down on my bed.

"Nice, dress."

"Thanks." I smiled, pulling my bath robe off.

I dropped it to the ground and crawled onto the bed next to Fang.

"You gonna get dressed?"

"Eh, eventually."

"You locked the door, right?"

I nodded.

His arm snaked around my waist and his mouth lapped over mine.

His fingers twiddled around with the clips on my bra.

His lips left mine and moved to my neck.

"I should probably get dressed."

"Probably… I'm way to tempted to keep you here with me…"

I got up off the bed, and grabbed my dress, hauling it off the closet, where I changed.

I came back out and looked at Fang.

I could have sworn I heard his chin hit the floor.

"If you look half as beautiful at our wedding, I will have to fight off the guys with a stick."

I smiled and slid my shoes onto my feet.

Fang got up, straightened my back and stood in front of me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I just wanted to make sure I was still taller than you… I am." he smiled triumphantly.

I rolled my eyes and pulled my hair off my neck, handing my necklace to him.

"Help me?"

He nodded and clipped the necklace around my neck.

I adjusted it and let it lay on my chest.

I slowly made my way toward my full-length mirror. (I'm not so good at walking in heels)

I felt like a supermodel. The light purple dress flowed down to my knees and had a satin ribbon tied around my waist, which at the moment, Fang was tying.

I felt like if someone took a picture of this moment, it would be perfect enough to make it into a magazine.

"Max!" I heard my dad yell.

"Yes, Dad?"

"Are you and Fang ready?"

Fang grabbed his clothes and quickly (quicker than any girl I've ever seen) changed into his outfit… He looked amazing.

I grabbed my scarf off my bed and, as we walked down the stairs, I draped it around my neck.

As soon as I got downstairs, Angel almost hit me in the head with a hairbrush. I didn't think my hair looked that bad.

But regardless, I stood in front of a mirror my dad kept in the foyer of our house and brushed my hair.

It was eventually pin-straight and looked nice.

But, unfortunately, having to brush my hair made us even later than we already were.

Bt regardless, we all boarded into Dad's Volvo (him in the driver's seat, me, Ari, and Fang in the back and Angel in the passenger seat. Does that make any kind of sense to you?)

Once we arrived- and Angel stopped singing show tunes (which is what she does on long car rides)- we got out and were greeted by this huge castle looking building.

Now, I knew this place was prominent, but I didn't know it would be as extravagant as to have a valet park our car…

Once we were out, a shortish man with graying brown hair.

"Hello, I'm Bobby Marks. And seeing as you are more beautiful than in your pictures, you, m'dear, are Max," Bobby said, looking at me. "Though, I don't know who you other four are."

I took the liberty of introducing everyone.

"This, is my Dad, Jeb, and these are my little siblings, Ari and Angel. And this is my fiancé, F- Nick."

"Fnick?"

"My real name is Nick, though I usually go by my nickname, which is Fang."

"Interesting. Well, there's no sense in staying out in the cold, lets go inside, dinner is already out."

We were directed into a huge dining hall where food of all kinds laid on a table that seemed to stretch for miles. And to make it even more interesting, ever seat but six were filled.

"Max, we figured you'd rather eat first, then give your speech." Bobby smiled warmly.

I nodded.

Bobby directed us to our seats.

Fang (being the gentleman he is) pulled out my chair for me before taking his seat next to me.

I'd never seen this much food in all my life.

Dinner consisted of a huge turkey, an equally sized spiral ham, mashed sweet potatoes, green beans drenched in hollandaise sauce, mashed potatoes, white rice, and brown sugar carrots.

I don't think Stephanie made this much food in a year, much less for one dinner. Not even Thanksgiving or Christmas.

We ate with little conversation. Occasionally we would hear people conversing about my story and child abuse in general.

The woman next to me asked, "If you don't mind my asking, Max, how did you feel when you were going through Stephanie Wittenberg's abuse?"

"I don't mind at all, that's why I'm here. And, to be completely honest, I was scared out of my mind. You always hear about the child abuse victims that don't get out. The ones that don't live through it like I did. I didn't want to be like them."

"Are you grateful that you got out of her house? That she's in jail and cant hurt you anymore?"

"Absolutely, I thank God everyday that I'm safe, and in a house where myself and my younger siblings are loved."

The woman, who's name was Ophelia James, and I talked more throughout the rest of dinner.

When dinner ended, Bobby took me up to a podium and adjusted the microphone for me.

I knew already that this speech was going to be on TV.

"Hi, my name is Max Ride, and I have been a victim of child abuse since I was six years old," I began. "My stepmother, whom I was left with after my dad left, started only by yelling at me, but then escalated to hitting me. Seeing as I was only a little girl, I didn't know what was going on. When Angel, Ari, Monique and Gabe were taken out of the house I was very grateful. I couldn't understand why I wasn't taken though. I still don't know. The abuse didn't stop for years to come."

"My high school years were when my life got interesting. Not only did my English teacher be the only one to help me through everything, but I also got to meet Monique and Gabe's adoptive mom… Who also happens to be my fiancé, Fang's, mom. Weird how the world takes a turn like that, huh?" I laughed a little, as did the rest of the room. "Life for me was going great, until I came home one night to a very angry Stephanie. That was the night she stabbed me in the stomach…"

Fang gave me a "go on…" look. So I did.

"As cliché as it'll sound, child abuse is wrong. Your children should not be punished because of your misfortunes. If you aren't going to take care of and love your children, give them to someone who will. Adoption is the best option. Abusing them is not an option."

The room erupted into claps. Fang stood up and clapped for me.

I stepped down from the podium and smiled.

I was proud of how my speech turned out.

"That was very well said, Max." Bobby complimented me.

"Thank you." I smiled.

Ophelia came up to me then, "Max, that was amazing."

"Thank you."

Another hour came and went, and we were on our way home.

Angel went back to singing until we made our way home.

Fang and I got out first, we were on our way upstairs, if you know what I mean, when I saw a dark, female silhouette slink into the backyard.

I gestured for everyone to be quiet while I followed her.

I was silent until I realized who it was… Stephanie.

I grabbed a piece of wood I found and held it behind me while I silently crept up to Stephanie.

"Ah, Maximum. Nice to see you again, Sweetheart. How've you been? Me? Oh, I'm fine, been in jail. Because of you!"

"No, Stephanie. Because of you. Its your fault. And don't call me Sweetheart."

"Oh, Honey, since I've been in jail, I've been sober. I know what I was doing was wrong. I just want to talk with you. Please."

I pondered it for a minute and then nodded.

Not before I heard police sirens coming toward the house.

Stephanie reached out, I grabbed her hand and the two of us walked back up to the front.

I dropped the wood.

I closed my eyes.

Was this truly happening?

Oooh ! Look !

A Cliff-hanger !

Pain In The Ass, Right ?

Well, I Will Post Again Around Monday Or Tuesday !