saga/title/fandom: Identity chapter 15 (Batman Beyond)

author: Girl_Gambit

rating/genre:(PG-13) - Drama/Romance

warnings: violence, language

summary: Terry hasn't had time for himself lately, things seem a bit of a mess. It's a T/M fanfic - but i don't hate D

comments/disclaimers: I don’t own any of the characters, they were the creation of DC comics. This is a fanfic inspired by the Batman of the Future series, credit to the creators.Author’s note: This is my first Batman fanfic, it’s quite a daunting task, but I look forward to any constructive criticism on improving my writing as I’m an amateur at this. I haven’t been watching the show that long but it made an impact on me enough to want to write something. I apologise for any mistakes.

Chapter 15 Ladies’ Knight

Batman moved cautiously so that the Joker couldn’t sense him approaching. He was baffled on seeing that the Joker and the woman were no longer in sight. He pricked up his ears on hearing a soft whisper from a nearby alley. It was calling his name. He got prepared to be adaptable to whatever was going to go down. A slender hand pulled him into the alley way. As he got ready to restrain the person, he curbed his reflexes just in time, seeing that the face he was inches from was a young woman’s. She had a pretty face, the kind that photographed well, framed by blonde locks.

“Is it really you?” she breathed.

Batman gave her a look of confusion. “Yes. Are you ok? Did he hurt you? Steal anything?”

“I have to say, I didn’t think it would really be you. I thought it would be some loser with a mental disorder.” Her baby blue eyes no longer seemed innocent.

“You thought who wouldn’t be me?” He became uncomfortable with her closing the space between them. He could smell her strong sensual perfume filling the air.

“Is this how you wanted it?” She raised her eyebrow suggestively.

“Are you ok?” He looked at her eyeing him up like a piece of meat. “The Joker, did you see where he went?”

“I think we’ve done enough of the acting…let’s get down to the reality part.”

She pushed him gently against the wall, in an effort to begin her seduction. “The girls are going to be so jealous…” she muttered through her pouting lips. He froze in shock before pushing her off him, as she was closing in for her kiss.

“What are you talking about?” demanded Batman, now at the end of his patience and seeing things had gone too far.

She became exhausted with his drawing things out and moved back from him.

“I didn’t realise you’d be such a tough customer. I did what you asked, what more do you want?” She placed her hands on her hips as she stared him impatiently. He frowned as he tried to make sense of things. “Maybe this just isn’t worth the effort. Let’s just call it a night.” She spun round in a huff but Batman took her arm, causing her to look back round at him.

“Hey you had your chance…let go of my arm.”

He loosened his grip. “Listen, I don’t know what went on tonight. Something isn’t right. I didn’t ask you for anything.”

“Oh, so now you want me to keep it hush hush. We didn’t even do anything!”

“What did I ask you to do?” His look was serious.

“What, did you forget? I would think with all the bad guys you have to remember you’d at least remember something as small as this.”

“Humour me.”

“You said to meet you here, in the centre around this time. Damsel in distress scenario, cause that’s what did it for you and I was supposed to…”

“Stop there, there’s been a mistake.”

“But you’re Batman aren’t you?”

“Yes, but the person you spoke to…” He stopped his sentence on hearing a slight noise. “Someone’s here.” He turned away from her and then began to run in the direction of where he’d heard the shuffling.

“Well that was a major let down,” the woman moaned as she walked briskly back to Chez Femmes.

Batman looked around but got frustrated on seeing that the Joker had disappeared yet again.

“Slag it! What the hell was that about?”

“Trent, seriously, I don’t know everything about genetics.”

“Max, you got me through that test!”

“You’re a smart guy, I didn’t do anything.”

She shrugged off Trent’s compliments as she stared at the computer screen in front of her. She moved the phone to the other hand as she decided to look up Wendy Gellar.

“What are you doing now Max?”

“Just er, stuff. You?”

“Talking to you.”

“Right.” She stopped typing at her computer.

“Hey, do you want to come out with me and some friends tomorrow, nothing big, just a movie.”

“A movie sounds good. So I’ll get to meet your friends?” She had to admit she was curious about him.

“Yeah, should be cool.”

She looked at her window, not sure if she’d seen a hallucination. She realised it was Batman, just coming out of his invisible mode outside her window.

“Trent, I’m going to have to go, besides, you should go to sleep instead of working so late.”

“Look who’s talking!”

“Ok, you’re right. I’m a hypocrite! We can discuss the movie thing tomorrow though, I’ll see you at school.”

“Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, just this assignment is bugging me and I’m really tired.”

“It’s ok, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye Trent.”

“Goodnight Max.”

Max left the phone on her bed as she got up to let Batman in.

“Hey! I didn’t think you were coming,” she said, trying to hide her happiness.

“Yeah, I was busy with criminals, yadda yadda,” he joked in a casual schoolgirl tone, climbing into her room.

She smiled as he removed his mask. Looking good as always McGinnis.

He ran a hand through his hair, which had been tousled by the removing of his mask.

“So you still working?”

She moved over to her laptop and turned it off. “Just doing stuff.” When she turned back round she was face to face with Terry. From the amused expression on his face she knew he hadn’t seen what was on the computer screen.

“You know, I think you almost get less sleep than Bruce!”

“Yeah, almost! I’m done here anyway. I was going to bed.”

“You were on the phone.”

“Yeah, needed to unwind first.”

“Were you talking to Trent?”

She raised an eyebrow at what he recognised sounded like a jealous question. He silently cursed himself for slipping up.

“I don’t suppose you came hear to talk about anything?” she asked, turning away on seeing that Terry was now looking at the floor.

He looked at the back of her neck as she stood with her arms folded.

“Did I do something?”

“No. You didn’t do or say anything.” Her tone was relaxed but Terry knew that it wasn’t reflecting her sentiments.

“Max,” he said softly, moving closer. “I’m sorry.”

“Why won’t you open up to me Terr? Like you used to.”

He sighed. “I don’t know Max. You and me…”

“You said everything was ok.”

“It is.” He moved closer again so that he was now just behind her. She felt her heart rate increase.

You’re killing me here McGinnis.

He hugged her from behind, lowering his head to her shoulder.

“There are things I want to tell you, but I don’t know how. It’s not that I’m freezing you out of this case because I think you can’t handle yourself.”

She closed her eyes as she felt his lips brush over her shoulder.

“Talk to me Terry,” she pleaded, her voice just above a whisper. “Terr?”

He didn’t answer but let his eyes travel across her shoulder to her neck, where he felt the strong urge to place a kiss.

She could feel it again. The exciting tension that made her heart almost leap out of her chest. She turned to face Terry so that she could read his eyes. His eyes often gave him away to her. She let herself drown in those blue eyes. If she was going to get a response, she had to open up her emotional side. What are you feeling?

As if to answer, Terry in an impulse lowered his lips to kiss hers tentatively and then slowly more passionately. Max’s body became dead weight as she felt herself overwhelmed by his outpour of emotion. She then responded, moving into him, wanting all of it. She’s letting me kiss her. She’s kissing me back…

“McGinnis, I need to see you.” Terry realised that that wasn’t the voice in his head. Slag it! Bruce and his impeccable timing!

He gently pulled away from Max, his eyes still reflecting his intensity but his body language now said he wasn’t staying.

“Max…”

“Wayne?”

“Max, I’m sorry, I have to leave like this…”

“Hey, you’re talking to me. No apology necessary.”

He took one of her hands and lightly kissed it, leaving Max with a one-sided grin, as she tried to compose herself. He held her hand as he slowly moved back towards the window, letting it go at the last minute before flashing her a goofy smile and pulling down his cowl. He climbed out of the window and ejected the wings on the suit. Max walked over to the window to catch Batman flying off into the night, as she tried to collect the different thoughts rushing around in her head.

Terry walked down the stairs to the Batcave to find Bruce in his usual position at the Batcomputer.

“Hey Bruce! So what’s the really important news you have to tell me?”

Bruce stared unaffected by his insincere over-enthusiasm. “Something other than business on your mind McGinnis?”

“I’m here aren’t I? On that note, don’t you think that overriding the settings on the suit to check up on me is a bit too voyeuristic?”

“I didn’t see what you were doing but I can only assume it wasn’t work-related. You’ve become slack at reporting back to base.”

“I didn’t know there was a checking in time, afterall, it’s not like you ever clock off!”

“You should have your communicator on so that if anything happens to you then I can call for back-up.”

“Careful Bruce you’re starting to sound like my dad!” Terry became quiet on hearing his own words.

His dad was the reason why he became Batman and those Jokerz were still out there, wrecking the lives of other people. Nothing could bring his father back, and it wasn’t even about revenge for his father anymore. If he could prevent someone else’s father being killed, then the job was worth it.

“McGinnis?”

“Yeah?”

“What happened with Wendy Gellar?”

“Wendy wouldn’t talk, but I know she’s hiding something. She was on edge, guilt written all over her. I’m going to see what I can find out about her through the informal networks at Hill High.”

“Women…can be the most devious of criminals.” Bruce had a thoughtful expression on his face as he remembered some past encounters with women.

Terry was thinking over the night’s events. “When you were the Bat, in the suit, did you always get random women throwing themselves at you?”

Bruce’s face reflected fond memories for a flash of a second before he flatly answered. “Yeah.”

Terry laughed, knowing that whether he was Bruce or Batman, he would never be short of women. Smooth and sophisticated millionaire or the Dark Knight, either way he couldn’t lose.

Terry didn’t know what the deal was earlier with the hooker who had the hots for him, but he made a mental note and decided it wasn’t worth mentioning to the ultimate ladies’ man, his boss. The only girl worth mentioning would probably be asleep by now, hopefully with him still on her mind.

Max woke the next morning in an unusually good mood. Her sleepy face was brought to life by a big smile creeping to her lips as she remembered the lips that had touched hers the night before. After showering and making herself some toast, she turned on her laptop to quickly check the news to see if there was anything on the Jokerz. In all the craziness of the night before she hadn’t had time to do a check on Wendy Gellar.

As she got into the news site, she was confronted by a big headline with the graphic proof. She had definitely lost her appetite. She stared wide-eyed at the screen in disbelief and then the initial shock became a combination of anger and hurt. She turned off the laptop and grabbed her bag, before slamming the front door behind her.

“This is Terry, there has to be a reasonable explanation. There has to be a…there BETTER be a reasonable explanation!”

When Max entered the school, she felt the buzz in the atmosphere from the gossiping students. She scrunched up her face on seeing a girl complaining in an overdramatic manner to her girlfriends. She listened in to hear what the explanation was.

“Can you believe it Casey? I honestly thought that we were meant to be together, like it was fate. I thought those dreams I kept having were a sign!”

Casey patted the girl on the shoulder, used to her friend’s wild notions by now. “Izzy, there are other guys out there, maybe it’s time you were a bit more realistic in your choice of men.”

“Realistic? Did you see that lady in the pictures? Sure, she was pretty but she was no one special…”

Her comment only made Max angrier. Max walked down the school hall to her locker, trying to ignore the talk around her. She then became aware that some of the talk was about her and it was coming in the familiar girlish vocals of Blade.

“Chels, I swear that Dana still won’t completely let this Terry thing go. I tried taking her shopping, and well, everything!”

“It’s not helping that Terry is making googly eyes with Max Gibson either.”

“Yeah, with those two going out and Dana looking like spinster of the week, of course she’s going to be feeling all icky about stuff.”

Max opened her locker, and then turned around to look at Chelsea and Blade, not being able to contain her irritation any longer. They fell silent at her burning direct stare at them.

“Don’t you have anything else to talk about? Not that it’s any of your business but I am NOT going out with Terry McGinnis! Got that?”

They nodded. “Good,” she said more calmly, turning around to put some of her stuff away. She ignored the looks she could feel other students giving her, while she tried to maintain her calmness.

On cue Terry walked down the hall towards Max with a smile on his face. He was hoping that today he could just make everything official between him and Max. They hadn’t really had the chance to discuss things. He walked briskly up to Max who was still at her locker.

“Hey,” he whispered into her ear, still smiling as he leaned against the lockers.

“Hey yourself McGinnis.” She gave him an unimpressed look, before picking up her bag to walk way.

“Ok…wasn’t expecting that kind of greeting,” he mumbled as she started to walk away. “Max!”

He caught up to her but she continued to give him the cold shoulder. “Max, at least tell me what I did!”

“Terry…last night when you were on patrol and something came up…I never thought…and then after what happened when you came to my place…”

She couldn’t look at him. She knew it would only make her more emotional than she was right now. “I don’t get it Terr, I just don’t get it…why?”

He reached for her hand, only to have Max swiftly move it out of the way. “Don’t Terr.”

“Max, you have to talk to me!”

“No, I don’t. Not right now.”

She walked away, leaving a confused Terry standing in the hall. Max knew the sensible thing to do was to talk it out, afterall, she hadn’t given Terry the chance to explain himself. She was just too angry to do the rational and reasonable talk. With Terry being so distracted with other girls lately and him being so erratic in his behaviour, she couldn’t help wondering if this was part of it.

She saw Dana down the hall as she made her way to her class. Dana seemed solemn, looking down at the floor as she walked. As they crossed paths, they made eye contact, both noticing each other’s sadness. Dana was puzzled as to why Max would be looking so glum after managing to secure her ex. Max felt bad for having let things get so strange between her and Dana, although she still didn’t feel like making the first move to make things better. Max stopped in her tracks on hearing a faint voice call her.

“Max?”

Max turned to see Dana standing there, nervously biting her lip.

“Are you…ok?”

Max looked at her in surprise. “Er…yeah. Fine. You?”

“Yeah, fine.”

“Dana… I’m not with him.”

“Ditto.”

Max smiled at her joke.

“But you want to be, don’t you Max? With him…”

“I have to get to class.” Max continued to walk a couple of steps, before turning round again. “I don’t hate you Dana, but I’m not fond of your friends.”

Dana half-smiled, taking this as an indication that maybe Max hadn’t ruled out being friends with her. Max smiled back, before walking on to her class.

Terry looked around to see a few not so subtle students were looking at him. He scanned the halls for someone he could quiz on what was going on. The only person he recognised so far was Trent. “Oh great! This is becoming a great Wednesday morning!” Too impatient to look for someone else, he made his way over to Trent.

“Trent.”

“Hi Terry.” Trent gave him a look that said ‘are you talking to me?’.

Terry continued. “Do you know what’s up with Max today?”

“You’re asking me?” Trent looked a little too happy for Terry’s liking.

“Yeah. So do you?”

“No.”

“What is with everyone else?”

“People just love gossip, especially when it involves Gotham’s favourite pin-up.” Trent shook his head to indicate how pathetic he thought it was.

“They’re getting all weirded out over some actor?”

“No! Batman!”

“What?”

“Didn’t you see the news? Came in this morning. Someone sent pictures to the press of Batman getting cosy with some blonde fox last night.”

“Oh no…”

“Yeah, stupid isn’t it? The guy’s only human. The lady’s going to tell her story apparently. There are rumours that she’s a night worker – if you know what I mean…”

Terry’s first thought was what Max must think of him and then what Bruce would say and the Commissioner and the rest of Gotham…. They had to know it was some kind of set-up. All Terry could do now was make sure he got to say his piece to defend himself against whatever the woman would say with all the press attention and cameras on her. He could only hope that she wouldn’t distort the truth so much that it would create a huge dent in the Dark Knight’s reputation, as well as ruin his chances with Max.

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