Kyoko Kasshu Minamino is to be loved by all for she inspired this little bit of fiction

Terry walked into the cave set his bag down. Bruce opened his mouth to speak but Terry beat him to it.
"It's over." Terry said calmly.

"What's over?" Bruce wondered if Terry had finally had enough. He'd had to cancel all his plains for months now.

"Dana. She broke up with me. It's over." Terry still sounded calm and normal as he began to slip on the suit.

"She'll be back" Bruce began his normal litany but Terry stopped him.

"I'm not upset. I'm not sad or angry. Someone told me after she said it was over this morning she made a date with some guy from Lit class and... I didn't care. Actually I was kinda glad. I mean she's moving on. I don't think I ever want to get back together with her. I'm just not in love with her like I thought I was. And I'm glad it's over. I don't have to feel bad that I'm not there for her anymore. I can just be Terry and Batman and not have to worry about getting lost from the day to day going on's at school. It's over... I'm free kind of. Well I'm going on patrol now."

With that he left the old man to think firstly how much Terry talked and secondly how he thought it was for the best. Terry could now focus on just the important things: school and work. But he looked around at the big dark empty cave around him and it worried him to think that in 20 years maybe less it could be Terry sitting alone in this very spot. And that was if he was lucky enough to be able to handle his role as Batman on his own. Worse case Terry would be laying in the ground just as he assumed he would be.

Bruce dialed the number without much thought. "Hello." Max answered quickly when she saw the number and tried to hide her fear. She was always a little worried that the next time she answered that number it would be the last.

"Max could you keep an eye on Terry. I'm sure you know Dana broke up with him." Bruce spoke without any emotion but Max could tell that he was concerned.

"Sure. No problem actually I was going to call him and ask him to study tonight. You know after patrol. I figured he'd need to talk about it. How is he?" Max was worried that Terry might be out there right now doing something really stupid.

(Terry at that moment is listening to hard rock and head banging and yes he looks stupid.)

"He seems fine actually. I think he might really be over her this time. He's not dejected or upset. He's not angry and I think it's good. Dana really wasn't right for him. But..." Bruce let the last word hang in the air hoping that he didn't actually need to say what the part of his mind he normally kept under lock and key was shouting.

"I get it. I have no intentions of letting Terry grow old, cynical, distant, and lonely. Not a chance I lov..." Max stopped in horror what had she just said! There was no going back now and she knew the old man wouldn't say a word. "I love him way too much to let him turn into you." And with that she hung up on him. She sent a text to Terry asking him to crash at her place tonight and study. She also mentioned pizza and coffee. Two words guarantied to get McGinnis over.

She collapsed on to her bed in her empty apartment. Some days she wondered if her family would notice if she changed the locks. Some days she wanted to just so she wouldn't have to wonder- in the small part of her mind still able to- if they were going to come home. One day she would move out and never have to wonder again. She'd probably never hear from them again. She'd get an email one day asking her to attend their funerals. And she'd meet nieces and nephews she'd never known about...

"What's wrong Max?" Terry's voice cut her out of the darkest part of her mind. The part that screamed that everything she did was pointless because no one cared about her. She knew Terry cared but he was Batman. He had to care about other people. She could help it the tears started before he got there and now after thinking that they came on all the more. She had no idea how long she'd been laying there just thinking about how no body needed her or even wanted her. "Shh it's all gonna be ok Max I'm here now and I'm not going any where."

Terry hadn't known about Max's family problems for very long but he knew she felt unloved and unlovable because she had been ignored for so long. Last month her sister had been home for half a minute and the only reason Max even knew she'd been there was because she got drunk off the spiked lemonade and tea her sister made for herself and left in the frig. Max got drunk and ended up calling him telling him in broken speech that she envied him. His mother loved him and worked hard to both take care of him and Matt but to also be there and actually see them and talk to them and hug them. In her drunken state she'd cried about how if only her family were dead at least she'd know where they were. Then she'd cried about how terrible it was for her to say that and begged him to let her take it back. He'd ended up over at her place that night too. "Come live with me Max." Terry looked at her with a set expression on his face. He hadn't meant to say it but he would not take it back now. His real problem would not be convincing his mom but how to continue living his double life while sharing a room with his twip little brother.

"I can't and you and I both know it wouldn't work. But thank you." Max said with a watery smile wiping her hand over her eyes.

"Sure anytime." Terry smiled back at her and her heart flipped.

He wasn't taken anymore. She could reach up and close the little distance between them and kiss him. She could... If she wasn't so scared. If Terry ever rejected her she knew it would all be over. She'd do anything to end that kind of pain. She couldn't risk it. But she knew that some day some girl was going to come along and see Terry for the prefect guy that he is and she'd be alone again. She was sinking again and this time even Terry's presents didn't seem to be able to save her. Bruce was wrong Terry would never end up like him it would be her sitting all alone with no one. The tears wouldn't stop as she found herself thinking about what a pointless life she had and she decided she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't. She looked up into eyes and held them as she leaned forward slowly. When her lips met his he was shocked. He couldn't think so he just kissed her back. Before he knew what was happening he had her in nothing but her bra and panties. They were still kissing. Making out like they'd die if they had to stop. Terry found himself wondering how this didn't feel wrong. Wasn't he taking advantage of his best friend but nothing had ever made him feel so free as wrapping his arm around Max's bare back and unstrapping her bra.

And then as always in his life the phone rang. "If the world isn't ending I don't care call back later." Terry yelled into the phone.

"The world will end or at least yours will if you don't get home this instant Terrence." Mary McGinnis was not someone you messed with when she was angry.

"I'll be right home I swear. I was just... I thought you were Bruce. Sorry mom." Terry closed his phone and looked at the nearly naked Maxine. "I'm sorry but I have to go. But don't think for one second that you can get out of talking about this tomorrow. I mean it baring Armageddon we are talking this... whatever it is out tomorrow. Even if I have to tie Bruce up and leave him in the cave. I can't and won't mess things up with you. I will see you tomorrow. I'm not leaving because I want to and I hope that after we've talked that maybe we can consider revisiting some of these pleasant activities." Terry got up and put the bat suit back on and kissed her forehead before slipping on the mask and heading out the window. Max just decided that this had all been a dream since it ended just like the others leaving her cold. She pulled her cloths back on without thinking and passed out the second her head hit the pillow.