Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! Maximum Ride and all related material are the sole property of the Flock (duh) and their book writer James Patterson.

Author's Note: Glad you all are loving this story. I love it too. I'm updating with another chapter because you all want one and I'm going to be gone for the next week (probably 2) on vacation so you need a treat in the meantime. When I come back, I will update my Twilight Play story since I haven't worked on that in a while and maybe this one as well. Please review and tell me what you think of all my stories. Oh, and tell me what you think of this chapter. I'm not quite sure if I set the emotions right.

Chapter 2: With the Flock (When they Finally Wake Up)

Fang groaned when he felt the sunlight hitting his face. He wished he could sleep some more, he was so tired…wait, sunlight? That could not be right! Max usually woke them all up long before dawn. He bolted awake and leaped to his feet, looking around the clearing where they had been staying. The rest of the Flock were all still sleeping and Max wasn't there. Feeling increasingly alarmed, he started looking around, hoping to find Max. Maybe she was getting firewood? He laughed quietly to himself at that. Usually Max had him or Iggy do that and she would have woken them up. Maybe she felt like letting them sleep in? That didn't really sound like Max but…when he got back from looking with still no sign of Max, he was jumping in anxiety and agitation. Oh where was Max? He checked her sleeping area and his eyes fell on a wet folded piece of paper which tears had fallen on. Carefully opening it, Fang read it and when he did, his heart nearly stopped and he staggered, like he had been kicked in the gut by an Eraser. He dropped, nearly falling, to the ground, all the strength in him gone. Max was…gone? She couldn't be! She couldn't be gone! They had promised never to be apart again! The emotionless mask he ever so masterfully used cracked apart and disappeared and he started doing something very unlike him. He cried.

The rest of the flock was wakened by the sound of Fang's crying, great big loud waterworks with Fang muttering incomprehensible nonsensical things, rocking and hugging his chest. All of them stared at him in shock. Fang actually crying? It's unheard of! He didn't cry when he was torn apart by Ari and he nearly died and had to have a blood transfusion, he didn't cry when they thought Jeb had been dead, he didn't cry when Jeb had betrayed them, he didn't ever cry. But here he was crying and it wasn't one of those silent small ones either. This was a crying you get when everything was gone from your life and there's nothing left. He then started to make this weird high shrieking noise that made the flock wince, damn it was loud and painful. Nudge tried to go over and snap Fang out of it but he just ignored her, continuing to make that annoying sound which wavered whenever he let out a sob but then continued right on going. Finally Nudge had enough and she slapped him. Abruptly the noise stopped and Fang was looking at her with more tears glistening in his eyes.

"Stop it Fang! Stop whatever that is that you're doing!" Fang just continued staring at her, finally collapsing into silence as his sobs quieted and his breathing slowly returned to normal. Eventually when he was quiet, Nudge started talking again.

"Okay now, what is it that has got you…upset?" she finished as she finally realized something was wrong besides the fact of Fang's unFang like crying and screeching. Fang stared at her and his mouth made a weird smile that creeped Nudge and the rest of them out, making them all want to back away, slowly.

"Oh, nothing really. What makes you think anything's wrong?" he asked slowly in a conversational tone. Then it did a flip-around and grew hysterical.

"Max is gone! She left during the night for who knows what reason! That's what is wrong! MAX. IS. GONE!" he screamed and let out a laugh so filled with pain and hurt that it was depressing and made their hearts ache. Then it sunk in what he just said.

"Huh? What do you mean she's gone? You mean she went to the grocery store gone?" asked Gazzy unbelievingly. Fang turned and glared at him with such a deadly look that it scared Gazzy and he backed away quickly. Fang growled, a low menacing deadly sound.

"No you idiot, I mean gone as in gone she's never coming back gone." Gazzy stared wide-eyed at him.

"Wha-what do you mean?" he asked scared. Fang pulled out the note and handed it to him. Gazzy opened it and read it. Upon reading it, he gave a gasp and numbly handed it to Nudge. Angel, reading Gazzy's mind, already knew what was written and instantly started crying. Nudge stared at Angel, and then with a sinking heart, read what was written. She gasped at what it said. Max was gone?! She can not explain why but she doesn't want them to come looking for her? She won't come back? Bottling up her emotions, she carefully whispered to Iggy what was written as he still had absolutely no idea what was going on. Nudge choked up at the end though and joined in the crying. Iggy did not cry but he was shocked. Shocked and horrified. The flock needed Max and she left them? Left them all alone? How dare she? They needed her! Didn't she know what this would do to them? What it would do to him? What it would do to Fang especially? It would cut them all. But Fang, that's a different story. It would do worse than cut him. Iggy didn't know the extent of how badly Fang loved and needed Max but whatever it was, it was going to be a TERRIBLE time having to deal with Fang. The last time Max and Fang broke up was bad. Fang pretended very well but Iggy knew how badly Fang was dealing. If that break up lasted any longer, he would have been extremely worried for Fang. Even when they finally came back together, Fang was…changed. Iggy couldn't put his finger on it but there was something different about Fang ever since that time. Iggy let them cry a little longer and waited for the tears to finally slow. Fang had long since stopped crying but was so silent and still, Iggy almost wished for those very uncharacteristic waterworks (without the shrieking) just so he could know Fang was alive. When they were finally done, he stepped up and took charge as Fang was obviously in no condition to be doing anything, let alone leading the rest of them.

"Okay guys. Max is gone but she would want us to do something other than mourn for her and mope around. In fact, if she was here, she'd probably be kicking at us to do something rather than sit around and wait so um…yeah." Iggy concluded, not quite sure what to do next. Angel made a small smile and giggled but quickly became sad again. Nudge frowned.

"What are we going to do Iggy? Where do we go next?" Nudge asked. Iggy frowned, he didn't really know. He had no idea of what to do or where they should go now. How did Max come up with this stuff? Even when she had no plan, she at least pretended to have some idea but Iggy didn't have an idea.

"I…I guess we could go to Max's mom's house and stay there until we have some better idea." Iggy said, unquite sure how that would go. Would Max's mom let them stay there? She was nice but he had no idea how far generosity would go when housing 5 hungry mutant bird kids for any length of time. Nudge nodded.

"Sure I'm game." Angel and Gazzy quickly agreed.

"Yes, we'd like that." Angel and Gazzy chorused in unison. Iggy looked over at Fang, well not really looked as he was blind but listened in Fang's direction, and waited. When there was no answer, Iggy shrugged.

"I guess it's settled then. We will go to Max's mom's house and stay there until we figure out what to do. Coming, Fang?" When Fang made no answer, Iggy sighed. He flapped up and Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel flew up with him. Without a word, Fang reluctantly dragged himself off the ground and flew up as well. The 5 of them turned and flew West, heading to Arizona and Max's mom.