I want to thank those who came back to my story, and for the new readers who read through my crappy writing in the beginning :P I'm gonna work my hardest to finish this story

I'm open to new ideas and suggestions

P.S I'm not very happy with latest MR book

P.P.S. Sorry guys but this chapter is gonna be a little more serious. I swear I'll make the rest more funny! Warning: Another filler

Disclaimer: I don't own MR

Chapter 9: Burgers and Talks

I ignored the sweat rolling down my temples. I tugged my black leather jacket closer to my body, trying to prevent the wind from attacking the sleeping girl in my arms. Max hadn't woken once since we took off from New York. It was a snap decision, but I know at that moment, Max had to come with us.

The voice was defiantly back. She was starting to remember us . . . then the damn voice had to interfere. Knowing Max, after her panic attack, she probably decided to shut her own mind down. Meaning, whatever she did remember, she forgot again.

I shot a quick glance at our flock, they were tiring rapidly. We had been flying for almost eight hours. I sighed, I really wanted to get Max home without stopping, but the little ones definitely couldn't handle the fly anymore.

"We're going down," I instructed, "twenty minute breakfast break," Iggy and Gazzy flew closer to me flanking both sides as we started to descend.

"Fang, shouldn't we just fly straight to home?" The Gasman asked me. I shook my head, and kept descending. No one argued, and I could see the secretly relieved faces of my bird kids. I lightly smiled as I stared at Max's face. I was finally getting used to this leader role, and I could easily see why Max's love for the flock was a little different than the one the flock had for each other. It was a much stronger protective kind of love. Yet…she threw all that away because of my idiot mistake.

When Max wakes up, I will put my heart and soul into redeeming myself. I need her to forgive. I couldn't live with myself otherwise. I'll make it up to her and the flock both.

We landed behind a fast food restaurant on a deserted highway. Iggy gave Nudge the remainder of the money we had left. Hopefully Max has her Max Ride card on her, or else we might have to go dumpster driving soon. That or we could put on some kind of freak show "The Amazing Bird Kids who can fly and …Stuff!" I snorted at the thought. I was the last to land, taking wide arching turns to descend. If I landed too abruptly I would jolt Max awake.

"Fang, I can take her from you," Iggy said in rather serious voice. I raised an eyebrow. I didn't know Iggy was capable of being serious. "You've been carrying her for almost eight hours, you must be tired." I shook my head in response and gestured to her hands. She had a death grip on the collar of my shirt. I thanked God, who did not believe in, (because apparently babies are created in test tubes and not by God) that I had air sacks in body along with a pair of lungs, otherwise I would be choking.

"Still, you gotta be tried or something. Max ain't exactly a bag of cotton you know!" Iggy insisted rather persistently. I frowned.

"Actually, I think Max is as light as Angel now or the Gasman" I replied, she was rather easy to carry. Even Total, who weighed a hundred pounds less than Max, tired me out. Or maybe eight hours just wasn't long enough for me to hold onto her. After all, I haven't seen Max in six months, for which I'm mentally cursing Lissa for. The memories eventually came back to me … of what really happened the day Lissa jumped me.

FlashBack

I was scanning the educational books, scrunching my nose in disgust. Max probably decided on whim that it was time for us to "educate" ourselves. Maximum Ride is known for her famous life or death snap-decisions. I smiled as I got lost in my memories of her.

It only took me seven years, but I finally managed to crack Max's walls. Since that day in the submarine off the coast of Hawaii, Max slowly began to open up to me more and more. More so that she ever had before. I loved every bit of the inner Max that only I had the privilege of meeting. She was finally mine. I was free to caress her without having her run away or reject me.

I roll my eyes at how far my mind had strayed from my objective. I wonder if I should do a face-palm about now? Nah, it's not really my character. My character huh….Max always asked me when we were younger why I was so quiet. The silence irked her back then and she made it a personal goal to break my silence. Around the same time I made it my personal goal to break down her walls. I think I won.

I wasn't always silent brooding emo looking kid. My earliest memories of being in the "school" were probably around the age three, a year before I met Max. I will shamelessly admit…I was a crybaby. I cried out of pain, I cried out of hunger, I cried out of fright. I cried for everything. The white coats clearly didn't tolerate crying, I got extra beatings compared to most experiment. When I was four I learned two things: Crying doesn't get you anywhere, actions speak louder than words.

The second one especially proved to be true. I shut my trap and good things happened. I met Max and Iggy, then later the rest of the Flock, and we escaped the school with the help of Jeb. All because I learned to keep my mouth shut. It seemed that actions seemed to give me what I wanted when words didn't. I guess the same thing applied to Max.

"Fang…is that you?" A sickly sweet voice asked. I spun around ready to attack my visitor. Lissa? Ouch…my head hurts.

"What do you want?" I say. Yup, I'm defiantly a man of many words. Despite my expressionless face, I was gritting my teeth hard. My head was raging, like I was being pulled away from my own conscious. A wicked smile colored Lissa's face. Her green eyes turned into a deep green and became slits…almost like a cat.

End Flashback

I groaned as the memory came back. That was literally the last thing I remembered about that day. Somehow, getting slapped the hell out brought me back to my senses. It also helped that Max was in my arms at the moment. The familiarity of her warmth brought back more and more memories. I guess we were both alike in that way, losing the most important thing a bird kid had. Our memories…

"Why did you do it man?" Iggy finally spoke up for the first time in what seemed like hours since the younger members of the flock disappeared. I averted my eyes from his creepy firm gaze. Iggy was literally my best friend next to Max. If anyone, I trusted Iggy the most, second to Max. Though to the Flock it looked like we fought all the time…it really wasn't like that for us. It was almost like…we became brothers through our rivalry.

"What does the excuse matter . . . in the end what happened was still my fault," I shook my head. Beside me Iggy sniggered, before a serious expression replaced his laugh.

"Fang . . . there's something you should know," He began; I looked away from Max's face for the first time, showing Ig he had my attention. "I lov-"

"FANG FANG FANG!" Angel and Nudge screaming running out of the fast food place; behind him were a happy looking Gasman and Total (with another latte in his paws). Gazzy created a little trinket to hold the cup around Total's neck while he sipped through the straw. I groaned in horror.

"Who let Total have caffeine?" I mumbled glaring at Angel and Nudge. They gave me sheepish grins and thrust ten burgers into my hands. I gave them a questioning look. "If you're gonna fly Max ALL the way home, then you're gonna need like a ton of energy. I mean if you don't eat enough then like you could pass out in the middle of a flight or something and drop Max. Or you could suddenly loose you're energy and drop Max. Or if you're tummy growls too loudly then Max is gonna wake up before we get home. You better eat like a TON of mints afterwards, I doubt Max would want to wake up to the smell of ketchup and mustard. That's jus-"Nudge rambled on and on.

I rolled my eyes, but looked to Angel thankfully, and shoved as many burgers into my mouth as I could WITHOUT spilling a SINGLE crumb. Yeah, I'm really talented like that. I was on my ninth one, and still going when the Gazzer and Nudge got impatient and demanded we get home right this instant and wake Max up. I threw the last one to Iggy, who only got five, and shifted Max in my arms carefully, making sure she was always covered with my leather jacket and did and up-and-away.

# # # # # # #

"Home sweet home!" Gazzy shouted as loud as he could and charged into the house like a bull. Nudge and Angel clumsily landed, probably tried from flying from so long, followed by Total, who was complaining about a wing cramp. He was still getting used to flying as well. Iggy and I were the last to land. For some reason, he had a huge smile on his face.

"Ig, lose the creepy smile, you might scare an innocent creature," I say nonchalantly. Iggy flipped me the bird and walked into the house like a drama queen, only stopping to say "Welcome home Max," In a gentle voice. My arms tightened around Max. Something about his voice irritated me. Iggy, I believe skipped, into the kitchen mumbling something about grand dinner. I took Max upstairs to my room.

Lissa had converted Max's room when she disappeared. I doubt Max would want to wake up in slut world. I placed her down on my bed, and carefully pried her fingers off my jacket. I was starting to worry; she hadn't woken since last night, while we were frikken flying about 100 miles per hour, not joking, from New York all the way to Colorado.

Well now that I had Max back, it's time that I start apologizing to the Flock. Maybe if I blow a life size doll that looked like Lissa, and send it to hell a thousand times over, they'd forgive me. Or maybe some ridiculous gag joke. I could always prank Iggy and Gazzy- Angel and Nudge would love that. Worst case scenario I'll have to resort to…that…shopping. I mentally shuddered at the thought of being stuck in a mall with Angel and Nudge. No amount of red bulls, wrestling matches, or COD would get my manliness back.

"Fang, Fang, Fang, Fang, Fang, Fang…" I hear two whiny voices, whine, from behind me. I roll my head back, yup, Angel and Nudge. The eager look in their eyes gave me the shivers. I gave them the "what'dya want face," and of course they reply with "LETS HAVE A PARTY!"

"A party?" I ask; I was already starting to feel scared for my life.

"Yeah, a welcome home party for Max," Angel says excitedly. Which is the last thing I hear before Nudge drowns her voice out by telling me of all her party plans. A small smile came to my face. For once, those girls were acting their age. Even Angel's cheeks were flushed in excitement. ". . . and Gazzy's making fireworks, and Iggy's gonna cook up this grand feast and then, and then," Nudge said so rapidly, that for the first time EVER she actually ran out of air. I got up silently (and damn stealthily like Ninja if I do say so myself) and walked over to my secret piggy bank.

Back when Max or Jeb used to hand out allowance, the Flock spent all their money on food or bombs. But I saved mine because…I wanted to take Max on a proper date one day. Yeah that's right; I planned these things five years in advanced. I smashed it open and unrolled as many 20 dollar bills as I could find and threw it to Angel.

"Nudge, you're in charge, Angel, you handle the money, and take Gazzy with you," I nodded. Those kids . . . were growing up. It's time they were allowed their own responsibilities. Angel and Nudge smiled brightly and both lunged at me. Now me being a paranoid bird kid and all got ready for an attack, so imagine my surprise when I got a hug.

"Thanks Fang! You're the best!" They exclaim in unison. Kiss ups . . . I thought. I gently shook them off.

"Whatever, just don't go over the top. We don't want to scare her," I say, trying to hide a smirk. I was secretly pleased that the girls had forgiven me enough to engage in contact without the abuse. Not that their hugs were better than Max's or anything. Actually I don't think Max ever gave me a hug. I really am a pathetic excuse of a bird boyfriend.

Angel and Nudge ran out of my room, grabbed Gazzy, and let Iggy in on the plan. I heard them take off excitedly, in all their excitement, they forgot rule number 43- always make a silent take offs and landing. Only one of Max's five billion rules she set on us. Can't blame her, after all she had to take care of FIVE BIRD kids, not just any old munchkins.

Now that I finally had my room to myself, I sank into my bed next to Max. I smoothed out her golden tresses. She must have been taking care of herself in the last six months because they were super silky. Max shivered under my touch and light snore followed. I bit back a laugh; she was only sleeping all this time.

"Wake up already Max. I have so much to say. So much to tell you. So much to apologize for. Please wake up," I whispered to her hoping my words would reach her. She didn't even stir. I sighed, and leaned forward and kissed her forehead. I grabbed a pillow and made myself comfy on the ground next to her. Might as well take a nap.

I've gotten a lot of reviews in the past requesting me to let them know if this is going to be a Fax or Miggy pairing.

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I DON'T KNOW! I'm torn actually because I love the Fax pairing as much as I love Miggy! I love Fang and all that, but I kinda stopped loving him after Fang, the book. I began hating him in Angel. I guess I'll figure out if I like him or not after Nevermore.

So it looks like neither of us are going to know if this story is a Fax or Miggy story :P

I also want to apologize for writing another filler. I promise that the story will pick up from the next chapter on wards!