Hey guys! I have a real long one for ya'll today! I will try to write more often since UIL is over and I have more free time on my hands. Also: Disclaimer! I do not own the incredibly awesome movie, Moulin Rouge or their amazing music soundtrack! Anyway, this is the most romantic of all the chapters also the longest chapter. If I haven't said that already! Be sure to R&R!!

With a tired thanks,

-JT

Sydney

Well the only reason I was really allowed to go out was to go see Maya at the gas station mart.

Not to mention Duncan found me a can of pepper spray somewhere in that galaxy far, far, away we call 'under his bed.'

You could find anything under there.

I was feeling pretty comfortable today. I had my hair pulled back into a sloppy low ponytail, with my long bangs and some locks of hair let loose, along with a small regular black t-shirt and some distressed jean shorts and my black Chuck Taylor high tops.

Anyway as I entered Maya was in full crazy mode.

"OMIGOSH! !!!" She shouted without taking a breath, practically jumping on me as soon as I entered the door.

So we stood at the counter and I told her the whole story.

"Wow…" She whispered dreamily. "How- wow."

"Yeah. Exactly."

The ceiling creaked for a minute and we resumed our conversation.

"So he's gone? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Why were they after just him?"

"I don't know May, I just don't know. What I do know, however, is that I really kinda want to see him again." I flushed.

"Your making that face." She told me.

"What face?" I asked, quickly changing my expression.

"That one! Syd! You love him!"

"Psh! No!… Okay yeah." I confessed, throwing my head helplessly on the counter, while Maya rung up my Coca-Cola.

"So see him again!"

"Oh, brilliantly original plan, Watson. How am I supposed to see him again if I have no idea where he is?" I groaned, resting my chin on my palm, with my elbow on the counter.

"Touché." Maya half surrendered.

"Well… How about you call him?" She suggested, pointing the laser at me.

"Call him now!" She said excitedly.

"Uh I don't think so, but what if he won't pick up cause he's real concerned about the-"

"Sydney Ryan Falcon." Maya interrupted me, putting the laser on the table and folding her arms.

"Do you or do you not uncontrollably love this guy?" She asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you want to see him again?"

"Yeah."

"Do you really think that navy matches your hair?"

"What?- Okay never mind, back to the Maya who's making sense."

She rolled her eyes.

"Do you want to see him again despite future encounters with the kidnappers?"

"Der."

"Then call him! Stop being so pessimistic!"

"Sorry. I'm naturally that way. I tend to think like the darker side of the world."

"Ha. I've noticed." She said picking up the laser and scanning the extra bag of chips Duncan wanted.

The roof began to creak again.

"What the-" Maya asked herself.

"Has it always done that and we just never noticed?" I asked, going off topic.

"I have no idea." Maya groaned, handing me my stuff.

Creak.

"That's gotta be annoying." I said.

"You bet, but it didn't start until you got here."

"Weird… Well hey, I better head. It's pretty dark and you know how protective Dunk can get." I said.

She laughed. "Well, bye!"

"Bye!"

I headed out, getting ready to skate off when I heard a quiet sneeze from the roof of the Mart. I walked back into the Mart.

"Welcome back." Maya said.

I made sure the pepper spray was in my back pocket and said. "Hey is there a roof entrance anywhere?"

"Yeah there are some stairs out the back door." She said slowly.

"Why?"

"I may have found your creaking problem."

I said dropping my stuff on the counter and going out the back.

I climbed silently up the stairs and looked up. Well there was definitely someone up there.

He was just sitting on some metal debris. He then stood up and began to just walk away.

I got out of the stairs and slowly followed him. Feeling anxious with every step.

The guys head turned to the side like he's heard me and next thing I know, he's jumped off the side, but I noticed something when he jumped. He had some giant (and I do mean giant!) oddly shaped things sticking out of back. Were those-?

No.

Wings!?

I let out a small scream then proceeded to instinctively freak out.

I raced back down the stairs and around the building, no blood or recently dead bodies around instead the figure jogging down the alley.

I rocketed after it.

Really thankful I'd chosen the high tops instead of flip flops.

"Hello?! Hello!?" I called after him.

He turned and I followed, at first I didn't see where he could've gone then noticed a shadow flicker on top of the small drycleaners next to the mart. I found a roof entrance and climbed the ladder.

"Stop!" I cried, then I see the guy start to jump and I dive down and come just in time to grab his ankle and pull him back down.

"What are you doing!?" I shrieked, then the colorful neon hit his face.

"Iggy?"

The hell?

"Sydney…" He said.

Wearing simply a black t-shirt and roughed up blue jeans he looked, simple, but still as amazing as ever, but that wasn't what I was concentrating on.

"What-" I could only say.

My eyes began to move from his intent eyes to over his shoulder, where I'd noticed something twitch.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he seemed to know what I was going to say.

"I want to show you… It's …" He whispered, so quietly I barely heard, he turned his head away from me and slowly began to show to me, what I couldn't believe.

As it pulled away from him he admitted to me what he had to keep from me.

A wing pulled out in front of me. It was long. It had to be longer than fifteen feet.

And was almost like an…

Albatross.

Without taking my eyes off the wing. I reached into my satchel and got out the very same albatross feather from my window and from my first (sort of, not really) date with Iggy.

I held them both up to his wing.

Cinderella you've found your slipper.

Perfect. Match.

I put them back in my back pocket and stared at the wings for half a moment.

It was amazing.

Astonishing.

Wings.

Gorgeously incredible wings.

I dared my hand to touch the wing. So I reached up and at first like back in his room, my hand took itself back, but then returned and stroked the feathers subtly.

Once my brain fully wrapped around the fact that this was no dream I turned to Iggy, his head still turned away.

I love him.

I said in my head.

I loved him even more now because of this.

I took a step to him, reached up and put my hand on his cheek, he turned his head back to me and I put my other hand on his other cheek. He looked confused, but then I pulled his face down to mine, since he was practically the size of the Empire State building, and kissed him.

Yes, there on the rooftop of Min's Cleaners, with a can of pepper spray and two feathers in my pocket, I kissed Iggy, the guy I loved who happened to have wings.

He hesitantly pulled away. I wrapped my arms around his neck "What-What-You-I?" he stuttered, touching his forehead to mine.

"I love them." I answered for him.

"You serious?" He asked, surprised.

"Do I look not serious?" I asked, looking up straight into his sightless eyes.

He smiled, faintly pressing his nose against my own, then turning his head, he kissed me again.

The kiss was soft and smooth just like it had been before, but then it sped up. It got tougher and harder, he pulled me in closer, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting me up off the ground. I felt his wings beat softly through the pulse of his chest. Electrical currents ripped all through me like crazy. When some people get there first kiss, they feel like their flying, I literally was! I twirled the finely curled ends of his hair as we hovered in midair.

I wanted to stay like this always, but there is this thing called oxygen that I kind of need to survive, so that kind of got in the way.

I smiled widely as I pulled away.

He returned it ecstatically. He then kissed my cheek and let his lips graze down my neck as he pulled me into a hug.

*- - - - - - - - *

When I'd gotten back, Maya asked "What was it? Why were you gone so long?"

"Just a stray that's all." I said, with a grin. "Okay I'm just glad your okay." she handed me my things and she said. "Here I gotta close up, and my mom lent me her car I'll give you a ride." Maya said.

Though I wanted to go with Iggy the look on Maya's face made me think twice. It was worried and frightened. I guess I couldn't scare her anymore than I already have.

"Okay thanks." I said. Glancing to the door, I then added. "I'll go wait outside."

"Fine. I'll be right out." I went out. Iggy wasn't around anywhere. Had he heard or was he just being mysterious?

Like she'd said, Maya was right outside after me. We got into her car and talked the whole ride to my place.

I waved and entered my house. Duncan had Hunter, Dom, Matt, Zack and Andy over they we're battling it out on the Xbox. "Hey guys." I greeted throwing a potato chip bag at Dom who was just watching and wasn't playing this round.

"Hey Syd." Everyone said. "Dunk, I'm upstairs. Holler if you need me."

"Kay…" Duncan said, a bit distracted by Modern Warfare.

I rolled my eyes at my tall, pale and black shaggy haired brother. He looked like me, anyone could tell. Except his eyes we're more blue and he had no nose stud and bright blue streaks as opposed to my magenta ones.

I went up to my room and laid carelessly on my bed. Sighing in deep and smiling wide.

I got up only to put my bag on my desk and something outside the window caught my eye. A glinting white and black wing. I jumped and let out a small yelp in shock at first. Then ran to open the window.

Iggy was laughing so hard I was almost afraid he'd fall out of the tree.

"Oh be quiet! I'm not used to hot winged guys sitting in that tree spying on me."

I said, trying not to laugh at myself.

"Oh really?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips.

"Really." I said.

"How did you know where I live?"

"I followed Gunther's car. I had to make sure you got back okay."

"Stalker."

"Thanks." He said sticking his tongue out at me.

"But how did you know-"

"Super sonic hearing. It comes with the… You know…" He said, slightly embarrassed by his wings.

"Wings?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't be ashamed of them." I said opening up the window all the way so he could come in.

Gracefully, he tumbled in, doing a somersault and hopping up on his feet and turning to me.

"Well someone's very happy tonight." I laughed.

"Very, very, very happy." He informed me.

"You see, I've met this girl. Gorgeous as can be. With these insane colored bangs, who chased me in an alley."

"Well word on the street is that even though she thought she never would she really fallen in love with you."

Iggy's eyes lit up.

"Does she really? Even with all this?" He motioned to his wings and eyes.

" If it's possible, she loves you even more with them."

He grinned and wrapped an arm around my hips.

"You do?"

"Yes."

"But I'm two percent bird."

"And?" I prompted.

"I'm a mutant."

"Not through my eyes."

He chuckled, "There's something else I want you to… experience."

"What? Do you have a tail back there too?" I laughed pretending to check.

"Ah. A joker now are we? Just hold on."

"Wait-what-"

But my words were drowned out, by the rush of him picking me up and leaping out the window, I held in my bewildered scream and clung on tight like he'd instructed as I watched his wings snap through the sky.

We were flying.

He quickly spun me around in a 180 turn, and moved his arms to down to wrap around my stomach so I was facing the disappearing houses and cars and trees.

"Oh my God." I stated.

He laughed, and I could feel his warm breath on my neck. I closed my eyes and sighed silently.

I stretched out my arms like a little kid would if they were flying in their nighttime dreams, but this was no dream.

Though I feared greatly I'd awake back to three weeks ago, before Iggy, before the flying before my first kiss.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them gradually, to see that I was really flying, really in Iggy's arms.

I stared around, loving what it felt like to fly. Like I was defying gravity. Nothing would bring me down.

"No scream?" He asked.

"No. This is too beautiful. Were you expecting a scream?"

"Well almost, if I had done this to most likely any other chick, she'd shriek her head off call me a freak then head off to contact animal control, by my guess."

"Well, in case you haven't noticed yet, I'm not just any other chick."

"I have noticed."

"Do you want me to scream or something?" I joshed, with a snicker.

"No thanks." He laughed.

"You're the most fearless girl I've ever met, Sydney Falcon."

I felt myself redden, I couldn't help but do that every time Iggy complimented me.

"I would guess so, James Griffith."

I said, running a hand through his windswept hair.

He laughed and gained altitude by beating his wings harder and did a barrel roll.

I laughed loudly stretching out my arms and closing my eyes.

He lightly kissed me then, taking his mind off the sky.

I flushed out the red in my cheeks.

We flew around for a while, and I soaked up every moment of it.

As we began to head back to my house I said,

"This is amazing. Wonderful." While a breeze brushed through my hair and swept playfully on my face.

"The novelty of it eventually wears off.

"How could it? To fly, it's-it's nothing anyone's accomplished! How could anyone tire of having wings?" I exclaimed, running my hand through a cloud, it was so moist and airy.

"It's… A long, long, story." He said in a low voice.

"We have plenty of time." I said as we reached my window again, I was sad to leave the air and return to the ground.

This was an experience I would treasure forever.

He stopped at the branch and helped me back into my room. I stumbled on my feet as I used the small sofa I have under my window as stairs, having to readjust to stupid gravity. I didn't let go of his hand, as I lead him into my room. He shut the window and I stood next to the couch.

"So how'd it happen?" I asked him.

He paused for a moment then came and sat on the other end of the couch.

"It started with Itex." He began.

I came and laid across the couch, with my head on his legs staring up at him.

He told me everything about this cruel school place called Itex and about his so called father, Jeb, who had betrayed them for the Itex. About Ari, who was something called an Eraser, Iggy told me that, that was who had attacked at the Break Room.

"Eraser?" I interrupted, confused. In my head, I was comparing the giant strong furry armed creatures who'd fought with me with the small round pink thing at the end of pencils.

"Eraser. As in, to erase us "bird idiots" off the face of the world."

I swallowed.

"Oh okay." I mumbled, trying to cover up the worry in my voice.

I didn't hide it well enough.

"Don't worry, we've kept them off for years now. We can sure as hell keep fighting them off."

"I believe you… Continue."

He talked about Dr. Martinez and how he and the flock spend most of their time on the run. Or flight, ha, ha.

Yeah not a great joke.

He told me everything, and it ended with him talking about how Itex had disbanded though a some of them had regrouped and it was rumored that it would grow larger and larger and that Max wanted Ari to join them and he and Fang and some of the flock left even though Ari was Max's half brother, but eventually reunited, without Ari, and how for now they were staking out in Dr. Martinez's vacation home.

"What about Ari?" I queried, I hadn't heard Ari's ending.

Iggy shook his head.

"He, um, died." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh." I said, stunned by a flashback of my own. "I'm so sorry. Max had to be… Wow."

"It's not easy. Her dad, the traitor, has been shot, her brother's dead."

"But at least Jeb is recovering, right?"

"Yeah."

"And she still has her biological mom?"

"Yeah, Dr. Martinez."

"And Ella?"

"Her sister."

"She's so lucky she still has them." I blurted out, immediately wishing I could've sucked the words back into my throat, coughing back tears.

"Well yeah- Sydney, what's wrong?"

Look at what I'd done. Taking a perfectly good conversation and sent it rocketing down.

"All… All I have is my brother."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents are-are-are…dead."

I suddenly couldn't help myself, I burst out into a sobbing heap.

I hated talking about this, it always broke me down to pieces then I just couldn't put myself completely back together.

I couldn't believe I was crying.

I only cried when the subject of my parents came up.

I felt Iggy curl my up into a ball and moved me to where I was crying on his shoulder.

"You have me too."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and he laid his head on mine

"Thank you." I wept. I attempted to suck most of my tears the were ready to drip down my eyes back into my eyes and wiped the excess off.

"Sorry." I whispered, apologizing for my wimpy side. "But what about yours?"

"My…?"

"Your parents?"

He hesitated.

"I'm sorry." I apologized again.

"No it's fine. I did find them, but I didn't stay with them… They cared more about the money they could make off of me than me."

"Oh Iggy… I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. People can be like that."

"But no one should have to suffer that."

"You should know that best of all huh?" He asked.

"Yeah." I stifled a smile.

"It's crazy what you guys have to do." I said. "Running everywhere all the time, fighting off these Erasers." "How do you have time to breathe?" "That is for me to know and for you to guess later." He joked.

I yawned. "Maybe I'm too lazy to guess." "Then you don't get to know."

I rolled my eyes.

"Whoa. What time is it?" I asked just realizing how long we'd been talking. Iggy looked at the clock on my wall.

"It's about three thirty AM. Which means I should probably head out. By the way, how about tomorrow, dinner at my place. You can really meet my real family. I'll cook."

I sat up.

"So my bird boy can cook?" I asked, with a mischievous smile.

"Very well might I add, but you'll see." He snickered opening the window.

"Yes I will." I laughed. He slid out of the window and his wings flapped softly as I sat on my knees and looked out the window. He cupped my face in his hands. I put my hands over his.

"When?" I wondered happily.

"I'll come get you at seven." He replied, his smile brighter and never-ending.

"I'll be waiting." I said and he kissed me again.

"I love you." He whispered seductively as we sadly tore away from each others lips.

"I love you." I murmured tenderly.

He smiled, kissed my nose and I watched him as he flew off, looking back several times with smiles flickering in his blue eyes.