Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or anything else that you recognize in this fic. Though there shouldn't be anything that you recognize...

Beta Read by Twilight Phantom Dragon. Thanks so much!

"Hey big guy," I called softly as Iggy came round. "I put your arm back where it belongs…Any other hurts I missed?"

Iggy shrugged, "Where are the others?"

I didn't even bother asking how he knew they weren't around…He didn't hear them breathing or something…

"We got separated after you went down…I'm sure they're all together though…Angel's nearby and she sent me a happy thought, so I'm sure it's all good"

Iggy nodded, sitting up and rolling his shoulders, wincing slightly, "I think I cracked a few ribs and tore a wing muscle or two…Good thing I have you here to be my nurse ehh?"

"You're an idiot," I pushed his head away from me. He was making all sorts of mock suggestive faces, I'm not even sure how he learned them, since he's completely blind, but oh well.

"No, I'm serious Fang…Put you in a mini skirt and little apron then…" The idiot was laughing too hard to even finish the perverted thought. His laughs turned to coughs and gasps as he pushed a hand against his middle. "Laughing hurts too much," he whined.

"Good. Perv."

Ah well…I couldn't blame him too much. He's actually very good around the little ones, and Max, but who wouldn't be, with all her political correctness towards gender stereotyping and all that

He stopped gasping and wheezing slowly, pressing a hand against the floor, "Cave Shelter-ish place?"

"Yup."

"Not too many colors in here…then again, have you even heard of colors Fnick?"

I gave a wry grin, "Once or twice…worst five minutes of my life"

Iggy started to laugh again. I hope he stopped before he hurt himself again.

"Didn't know you had a sense of humor…Thought you had the dark and mysterious thing and I had personality…"

Smart boy. He didn't mention…

"And good looks."

I retract the previous statement.

"You don't know what either of us looks like."

"Yes, but I have an absolute aura of utter handsomeness surrounding me…"

"And modesty."

"But of course…"

"Oh well…with Max as a role model, it's not surprising you never learned any manners."

He gave me a weak grin, "Yeah…not surprising…"

His thin fingers found some pebbles and began rolling them around in his hand.

What the heck…I give him an opportunity like that to rag on Max for a bit, and he doesn't take the bait? Must be something bothering him…

"Ig…" I sat down next to him, prodding his foot with my toe, "You alright?"

"Yes, as a matter a fact I am," he snapped

Whoa…Mr. Good Natured Witty Pyromaniac, snapping at me…Not a good sign…

He scooted a foot farther from me and lay down, his eyes pointed at the ceiling that he couldn't see.

"Okay" I shrugged off my backpack and pulled out the laptop. Time to check on the blog…

I had just sent off a few dozen responses to the comments I had gotten when Iggy rolled back over onto his stomach and pointed his face at me. I stopped typing, but sensed that I shouldn't put down my laptop yet. Don't be too eager.

"If you want to know…"

He paused, so I hurriedly put in, "I do big guy"

"Well…it's just what you said about Max being our role model…I was with my parents for…what? A week or two? And…at first it was pretty great…I mean, they didn't really know what to do, because they hadn't had any other kids, except for a little girl who died before she was born…But at first they were real kind, real nice, like they were actually glad I was home….Then they started mentioning sharing my story with the world, saying that it would be nice to warn people, so that they wouldn't let their babies get taken too….And that sounded dangerous, but still nice and like something I would have done if the five of you weren't out there still…But then…Grant lost his job, and they needed the money…they were pushing me to go on one of the talk shows, more and more…They were packing for a trip to New York when I left…"

I wasn't really sure what to do…This wasn't my strength and Iggy didn't usually need comfort anyways…

Still it felt right to put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm glad to be back with you guys, I really am…It's just crap that they were taking advantage of their own kid. Having parents felt…right. Strange, foreign, unusual…definitely….but also right…"

"The nuclear family has its appeal?"

He chuckled wryly "Oh indeed Fnick…I don't want to go back and be there without you guys, but…being around the two people who gave you life…I dunno if I'd feel this way if they had raised me but…"

He shrugged "But what?"

"My mom hugged me and…I could hear her heart beat…and it's just like…wow…I was once part of this body…I dunno…It's kinda a surreal thought…I mean, I'm sure if I had grown up around her I wouldn't be thinking about things so oddly…"

I nodded "I think I might understand."

"Okay…" He nodded too, and I pretended to tie my shoe so that he could wipe his eyes with dirty hands, doing nothing but leaving muddy streaks under his eyes. Oh well, we were never gonna win a prize for hygiene anyway.

"You know that we'll all be there for you Iggster? You know that right?"

"Oh look," he laughed out "You going all sentimental too? It's bad enough that one of us is losing their dignity tonight Fang."

I gave him an invisible vampire grin, "Alright…we could talk about blonds and bikinis and belly rings if that's what you want to talk about…"

He grinned, "Thanks for the offer bro, but I think that if Max ever found out she'd skin you alive"

"Why? For being a sexist pig? She never beats you too badly for that."

"Well she's not in love with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Go to sleep Fangster, I'll take first watch"

I fumed for a few seconds then put away the laptop and lay my head on my backpack. I looked up at Iggy to see him perched birdlike at the lip of the cave with his wings extended behind him for balance. He was silhouetted against the black, his sightless eyes traveling the dark expanse of the sky and pale skin and freckles illuminated in moonlight.

"Hey…Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"What do stars look like?"

He had asked Jeb the same question many times before and Max once or twice. As far as I knew it was the first time he had asked since we left our old E shaped house. I got up as silently as I could and knelt behind him, one hand smoothing down his feathers

"They sparkle way cool…like a million little diamonds with lights behind them…and they're all stuck up on the darkest blue you can imagine…they…" my voice caught in my thought,

"They're way beautiful big guy."

He nodded, "Even though all they are is big burning balls of space gas"

I grinned slightly, "That's true…but you can't really think of that when you really look at them…They sorta just take your breath away…and you can't think of much…"

"Not hard to believe of you."

I growled and caught him in a head lock, careful to drag him away from the edge of the cave as I did so.

He turned his head and bit my arm.

"Eww…" I wiped the spit off my arm as I let him go.

"Serves you right…Now go to sleep for real."

I grinned to myself, not bothering to point out that he was the one who had made me get up.

I told myself I wouldn't sleep but before I knew it, I woke to the smell of canned raviolis over a camp fire and the sound of wings coming closer. I glanced over at Iggy as I sat up. Looks like after breakfast it's back to saving the world.