The Beginning by Supergirrl

This is a cute little Ari oneshot I wrote that takes place the first time he meets Max, back at the School. This is kind of sad, so be warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride.

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Ari was excited, very excited. Today would be the first day he would be allowed to leave the living quarters of the scientists and enter the laboratory, where his daddy went all day long. For his three-year-old self, this was the most exciting day of his life

Ari looked up at his father, who was staring straight ahead, seemingly fixed on something at the end of the corridor. His eyes followed Jeb's, and when he saw what Jeb was watching, his jaw dropped.

There were three whitecoats at the end of the hallway, and between them was the most perfect creature Ari had ever seen.

He had seen women before, of course, but they had been older, fellow scientists who worked with his father. This one was also female, he knew, but a different kind of female. Not an old woman, but a girl, the first Ari had ever encountered.

Her hair was scraggly and dirty, a dirty blonde with paler streaks that stretched down past her shoulder blades. She wasn't as big as his daddy, but still tall, and very, very skinny. A tattered grey hospital gown was her only piece of clothing, baggy and loose. Her face was, from what he could see, refined and delicate, lovely in its simplicity. Dark eyes glittered, catching the light. What really caught Ari's eye was the two tan-speckled white wings that were tucked into her back, with white feathers intermingling with the brown ones.

He had heard the word 'perfect' used before, but never had he found it more fitting than when applied to the blonde angel before him.

Ari didn't notice the plastic cord binding her wrists, or the hatred in the dark eyes he admired so much. All he saw was the epitome of beauty and all that was good, in his mind.

"Daddy, daddy." Ari said desperately, "What's her name?" His pudgy toddler hand reached up to grab his father's white sleeve, tugging on it.

Jeb's voice was irritated as he replied, "Her name is Max, Ari. Now, run along, I have work to do."
Max. Ari said the word a few times, just to see how it felt, rolling off his tongue. It wasn't a bad name, he supposed, but not pretty enough for the angel. Still, it would do.

And now that he knew her name, he could talk to her!

Grinning madly, he toddled towards her, weaving through the legs of scientists and machines, until he could see the billowing bottom of the hospital gown. Once he was near her, he jumped, grabbing onto her legs and wrapping his arms around her calves, hugging them tightly.

He could hear shouts of "Batchelder, get your kid out of there, now!" but he didn't care, because Max was looking down at him, opening her mouth, and saying-

"Get off of me, kid."

His heart felt like it was breaking as she shoved him away from her, sending him reeling back into a table loaded with surgical instruments, knocking them to the ground.

Tears burned in Ari's eyes, and began to roll down his chubby toddler cheeks as the rejection sunk in. It was devastating to him, all he had wanted was to hug her!

Through blurred vision he looked back up at Max, the angel, and saw that she was staring at another person, this one male. He was dark, with dark skin, hair, and eyes. He, too, had wings, but his were slightly larger, and dark.

Ari didn't like him at all.

Max was grinning at the other boy, the most beautiful, perfect grin Ari had ever seen, and more than anything, he wanted her to smile like that at him. Fang gave the tiniest of grins in reply, but in that grin was both strong admiration and affection, affection for the angel.

Had the three known how greatly the events of that day would affect their lives, it is almost certain they would have acted differently. Max probably wouldn't have shunned Ari, Fang wouldn't have smiled at Max, and maybe, just maybe, they could have changed their future that was set stone because of their actions. The most bizarre love triangle of the century began on that day, and no one even noticed.

"Ari…"

Max's voice sounded weak and desperate as she said his name.

He looked up from her stomach, which he had been lapping at only moments before. "What, Maxie?"

"Please, stop it, please. This is wrong, you know it, I know it. Just…please. I beg of you, stop."
He stared at her for a moment before smiling, and pressing a final kiss to her abdomen, and sitting up to look her in the eye. "There's nothing wrong with this, Max. It's something between two people who love each other. Most would say that it's everything right."

"I don't love you."

No matter how many times she said it, the rejection stung as badly as it had that first time, back when he was a little boy and she an experiment, back in the School.

He stared at her for a moment, watching the tears run down her face that was as beautiful as ever, if a bit thin.

He sighed. "Fine, I'll stop."

Relief flooded her perfect features, and her face lit up. "Thank you Ari, thank you so, so much, thank you-"

"Are you hungry?"

She nodded eagerly, gracing him with a beautiful grin.

Ari pulled away from her, reaching beneath their bed. Max still lie there, covering herself up with the sheets. It took him a minute to find what he was looking for, but when he resurfaced with the metal handcuffs, gleaming in the dim light, her face fell. Her voice was filled with panic and desperation as she whispered, "God, Ari, no, please, please, don't, not them, no!"

Leering at her, he grabbed her wrists, ignoring her struggles and the firm kicks to his ribs as he clapped the handcuffs on, knowing that there was no way she could find the key. Her whimpers became softer as he pushed her off of their bed, forcing her onto her knees in front of him. His fingers found her lips, forcing them open.

And as Max did the work for which he had captured her, Ari smiled inwardly. His revenge was complete. No longer could Max reject him.

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