The Last Flight (A Maximum Ride fanfiction)

TLF Chapter 21.

They landed in the yard late the next evening and Aaron made another dive-bomb and crashed into the tree by the back porch.

Ella ran out her arms extended, "You're back! Oh, my GOSH I missed you so MUCH, I-" She stopped mid step her arms falling to her sides. "Who the heck are you?"

Aaron gave his head a little shake and plucked leaves from his hair, "If she's got wings as well I'll have a coronary."

Ella's eyes lit up, "Oh, my GOD your British!"

Someone behind Max growled and she turned but didn't see anyone of the Wizard or Flyboy persuasion.

Nudge eyed her untrustingly and stepped between Aaron and Ella, as if to protect the other girl from Aaron's sexist-pig-ness.

Aaron blushed and leaned closer to Iggy as they walked toward the house, "I'm getting the death glare from two girls ... Help me!"

Ella's hands twitched and she crossed her arms turning to the house, "Mom, they're back!"

David, Celeste clutched under his arm was walking beside Angel and without warning slipped his free hand into hers.

Angel stopped and turned to look at him, "You don't have to be scared, that's just Ella, Max's sister, and that's Max's mom."

Dr. Martinez dashed out of the house and crushed Max in a hug. "Thank God you're OK! I thought I asked for a phone call?"

Max hugged her mother tightly and whispered into the soft, warm sweater her mother was wearing. "Jeb's dead ... He ... He died protecting us."

The hug changed from happy to comforting, "I made cookies ... Lots of cookies

============================================================================

Everyone was seated around the table eating cookies except Aaron, who stood stupidly by the door wringing his hands.

"Aaron, is something wrong?"

He turned to them all and Max noticed he was trembling. "Its dark out ... And you don't have very many lights on the premises."

Everyone stopped chewing and David whimpered, "You gotta have lights or they'll come in..."

Dr. Martinez gave her head a little shake, "You can turn on the porch lights if you'd like ... But what could come in?"

"Wizards," Fang said simply, his voice hushed. "Real ugly things with sharp teeth and tongues like a frog's but they're afraid of the light."

Her eyebrows raised and she gave her head another little shake. "Okay, I can get a few more lights outside."

Aaron was still wringing his hands and shaking.

"Aaron, are you OK?"

He chewed his lip and shook his head then sighed and nodded. "I need a fag."

Iggy choked and Fang had to pound him on the back.

"Excuse me?" Max said louder than she meant to.

He shifted on his feet and wrinkled his nose, "Not THAT! My, God, what is it with you Americans ... A cigarette!"

Dr. Martinez scowled at him, "No smoking inside ... Are you even old enough to smoke?"

Aaron nodded and continued to wring his hands, "I'm nineteen, I've got the ID to prove it ... I just don't have anymore fa-cigarettes and I haven't had one in two days."

David turned to Angel and made face, grinning as if to say, 'I hid them really good!'.

Iggy laugh,"Maybe that's why you suck at flying. Cigarette get you high, but if you miss a wing beat a mist those smoke, you drop real low."

"Go on then, laugh ... But its not the size that counts, its how you choose to use it!"

Iggy turned bright red beneath the pink bandana and mumbled, "Do I need to mention the desk-clerk at the hotel?"

"Touché," Aaron whispered and turned back to the window.

Ella giggled and yawned, "I'm going to bed, I'm glad you're home guys, it was really boring around here without you ... OH! Kevin brought over your, Max's and Nick's homework, Iggy, I left it on your desk."

He nodded and turned his head to the table.

Aaron was still standing by the door staring out into the yard when Max went to bed some two hours later, long after Nudge and Angel had gone to their room and fallen asleep.

She lie there staring up at the ceiling for a long while, the little lamp on her desk burning brightly. She turned her head and saw the light from Fang's room also... And his shadow as he sat in the window staring out over the yard. She heard him cough a few times and her mind began to wonder.

So far there had been no sign of Wizards but this small glimmer of hope did nothing to make Max, or anyone for that matter, less scared.

She watched Fang's shadow move as he stood and walked across his room, then his light went out and she listened intently, wondering what he was doing and wondering if maybe she should call to him and say good night again. Even though they'd all stacked and tapped hours before when Angel and Nudge had stumbled upstairs to bed.

Her door cracked open and her head whipped to the left staring as he poked his face into her room. His eyes were bloodshot and his lip was between his teeth.

"Max?" He cleared his throat and it sounded like he'd been crying.

She didn't answer at first she was shocked that he looked so frightened. She'd never really seen him that frightened before.

When she didn't answer he slipped in and shut the door behind him. He crept up to her his arms crossed over his chest, wrinkling the words, "Senior Prank Week" on the front of his black T-shirt. "I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were OK, you know ... Yeah."

She cocked an eyebrow at him and rubbed her eye, "You can't sleep either?"

He shook his head and looked at the floor.

The air seemed charged ... Like he wanted to say something but was too afraid to actually say it.

"Do you want something, Fang?"

He glanced up at her, his lip between his teeth eyes screaming 'yes' but no words coming forth.

She felt herself blush but didn't look away. The moment seemed to stretch and he scuffed his bare foot against the carpet to make some kind of noise, hoping to alleviate the tension.

"Well, if you're going to stay at least open the door so my mom doesn't freak out," She tossed a pillow to him and the extra quilt from the foot of her bed.

He didn't speak but the seemingly electric sensation to the air passed and he pulled her desk chair to the bedside, propping his feet beside hers just as she had done a week before, after his accident. He coughed a couple times more, a muffled hacking sound then after a few moments he was asleep, his head turned in her direction lips slightly parted hands folded calmly on his stomach.

She smiled to herself and closed her eyes.