The Last Flight (A Maximum Ride fanfiction)

TLC Chapter 19.

Aaron didn't mind flying all that much, as long as he didn't look down, or open his eyes ... Or forget to flap, which happened every once and a while when he got tired. He confessed, via Angel's mind reading powers, that he was afraid of heights.

When Angel had whispered that to Max, Aaron had turned, eyes closed tightly, and shouted, "OI! I am not!" But they all knew better.

David seemed to actually enjoy it and had already started attempting the delicate turns he'd seen Fang execute when he circled back to make sure they weren't too exhausted.

Rest breaks came regularly, every hour. Which threw them off schedule but was easier than trying to push David, Aaron and Fang's injured wing past their endurance.

They were barely six hours from home when the sun started to set and Gasman shouted in Aaron's voice, "OI! I'm British! Crackers and cheese! Tea and crumpets! Tallyhooooooo!"

And then Aaron grinned and shouted forward using Gazzy's voice, "I'm an annoying little tosser! Look at me!" Then he made a rude wet-spluttering sound by blowing air between pursed lips.

Gasman's eyes got round and his mouth opened in delight, "Hey, Aaron can do voices too!"

Max glanced over at Fang as if to say, Not another one... But Fang just laughed and shouted back, "Do another one! Do Max!"

Aaron cleared his throat, screwed up his face and began singing Max's voice, "She rocks in the treetops all the day long, hopping and a' bopping and a' singing this song. All the little birdies on J-Bird street love to hear the robin go TWEET TWEET TWEET!"

Iggy roared with laughter and David laughed shrilly, pointing at his brother.

"OH! I'm Nick! I'm all tall dark and mysterious! Did I mention dark and mysterious?" Aaron called using a slightly British version of Fang's voice, which sounded oddly natural coming from his throat...

Max shook her head but couldn't keep a small grin from spanning her face. She stopped flapping, coasting on a warm updraft and feeling the wind rush past her, trying not to think of Jeb, or his last words to her.

It didn't seem real, but the silence in her head told her that it was. He really was gone this time. And Max felt sad knowing she wouldn't have any help this time. She truly had to save the world by herself. Alone...

Aaron cracked open his eyes and motioned to Nudge, who fell back beside him and they whispered quietly for a few moments wingtips brushing on the down stroke.

Fang watched them intently, wondering if he could talk Angel into telling him what they were saying, but thought better of it when Nudge's eyes grew wide and her head whipped forward.

She starred at him in shock then turned quickly back to Aaron her mouth working quickly, but Fang couldn't catch any words before the wind snatched them away.

What were they talking about, and why did Nudge seem so astounded?

"I know we're almost home," Angel shouted, "But, I'm REALLY hungry and I smell food."

David called loudly forward, "I'm HUNGRY! And I have to PEE!"

And then everyone but Fang and Max were complaining of hunger pains and the need for bathrooms. Whining like kindergarten children refused recess.

"Can we have tacos? I would LOVE a about a dozen tacos and a BIG milkshake with fries and apple pies!" Nudge crooned still flying right beside Aaron, who had his eyes shut again.

Max just wanted to go home and flop into her bed, in her own house and forget everything that had happened. But the sun was setting and it was still going to be at least six more hours at the rate they were going, before they reached home. She bit her lip and started scanning the town below. "Okay, stop whining you bunch of heathens!" She saw a few of the less expensive restaurants in town were still open and angled down, "All right, come on!"

Nudge hung back, taking Aaron's hand, which was awkward, and helping to control his descent.

"I can trust you?" Aaron whispered in a very small voice.

Nudge smiled sweetly and nodded, "You're secret's safe with me." She turned and watched as David mimicked Fang's movements almost exactly, bobbing up and down in the air a few yards behind the near black figure, only once forgetting to flap.

"God, we're high up!" Aaron whispered, trying not to think about the altitude and focusing all his attention on flapping his wings.

"Can I have a toy with my food?" David shouted.

Angel's mouth dropped open, "They give out toys with the food? I want one!"

"Me too!" Gasman shrieked and shot downward his wings bent maneuvering with a slight twitch of his feathers.

They landed, or everyone but Aaron landed, behind a shopping center. Aaron made what Gasman called a 'Dive-bomb' into a dumpster, and had to be helped out again. They merged with a crowd filing out of the adjacent theater and walked across the darkening street to the 24-Hour Dine Inn, which looked deserted save a single bright blue truck parked in front.

The diner was built to look like a railcar and had a counter stretching the length of the building with birthday-cake shaped blue-green stools lined up along it.

Max dug in her pocket and pulled out the battered credit card inscribed with her name but Aaron laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I've got cash."

She turned to look at him in awe, her eyebrows drawn down as if she were going to shout at him but something stopped her. Why did she care if Aaron paid for dinner?

He shoved his hand into his right rear pocket and pulled out a worn and faded leather wallet. He hummed to himself and opened it pulling out a handful of wrinkled bills, "You lot saved our lives ... Least I could do is pay for dinner."

Max stared at him for a moment, as the chubby waitress waddled up in her pink and white uniform, "Hello, how are you folks this evening, can I get you something?"

Aaron smiled at the waitress flirtatiously and Max couldn't help but feel a bit of a tremble run in her spine. She wished Fang would smile at her like that, she would be the absolute happiest bird-girl on the face of the planet if Fang smiled at her like that!

Max made a small surprised sound in her throat. She'd always been drawn to Fang ... He was so ... It was as if he only let himself feel anything around her, and it made her feel special because he was so comfortable with her, so at ease around her, that he allowed himself to be vulnerable in her presence. That he trusted her with his helplessness...

And just like that she knew, and she wasn't afraid or embarrassed to admit it

I love him...

"Right you lot, anything you like ... And I'm sorry to say, Madam that I've brought eight people who have bottomless stomachs," Aaron patted David's head and the child grinned brightly, "I've personally seen this one eat an entire sheet-cake."

The woman's eyebrows shot up and she turned her head slightly to the left shouting back at the large man in the kitchen, "You'd better get the big frying pan, Johnny, we've got an army to feed!"

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I'm so sorry for the wayyyyy overdue upload guys.

This time I demand just 10 votes, just 10. Pretty please. So I now people actually read. And comment to please.

10 vote till next chapter.

more than 15 and I'll give 2 chap at once.