A/N: Hello, everyone! I am back again! And this time, I am doing something based on the suggestion of the great dedicated reviewer, chocolate1! The story came from the idea of Terry and Max as already out of high school and in college. I was originally going to do with them already as a couple but this was way more fun to do. I actually have a trilogy of stories planned and have named this the "Unpack your Heart" series.
The title of the series comes from the Phillip Phillips song of the same name and the title of the story comes from the Bruno Mars song. Both are great and both deserve a listen. So, for now, welcome to the first story in this series, "Count On Me."
Also, for those still wondering where the sequel to "City Fall" is, please, be patient with me. I'm working on it. It will be worth the wait. Trust me.
DISCLAIMER:I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO BATMAN BEYOND OR THE AFOREMENTIONED SONGS. THIS IS PURELY A FAN MADE WORK FOR WHICH I RECEIVE NO PROFIT.
Chapter 1
It hardly seemed like over four years since Batman returned to Gotham. Terry found it somehow hard to believe, himself, anymore. Almost every night involved jumping off of a rooftop in an all-black outfit that he fought crime in; he kept himself for saying it out loud, again, for sanity's sake. Max was his constant record of how long it had been; one more way she helped him maintain his sanity. Another, very relevant, way was the fact that she reminded him of all the good he had done. He never failed to let her know that she was too valuable to him.
They made it out of high school in one piece, which, to them, was more of a wonder than any time Terry fought against Mad Stan and survived. With high school firmly behind them, the 21-year-old best friends were now enjoying the freedom of the college life as they attended the University of Gotham. Terry enjoyed it as much of it as he could, anyway, with Bruce finding more for him to do with his high school days behind him. With all of their friends finding their futures outside of Gotham, except for Chelsea, Terry and Max were the only ones left of their graduating class who were still in Gotham. Howard and Jared came for visits often but no one else really did. Terry and Dana had already accepted their relationship was not going to go much further than it already and ended it shortly after their graduation on mutual terms. Dana and her family moved to Coast City so Dana could go to school and for her father's new job.
Life had changed, that much was for sure. Terry and Max welcomed the change. There were new prospects, new friends, and new possibilities. The future was open for anything to happen and they knew one was certain: they would always be there for each other.
The spring semester was in full swing at the University with midterms not too far away. Terry and Max were in their favorite spot on the whole campus, the library, sitting on a bench and leaning their backs against each other, reading their own respective magazines. The library had five floors with the fifth being the most secluded and their favorite spot. Max was trying to focus but she kept hearing Terry humming.
"What are you humming?" she asked.
"Huh?" he snapped back. "What?"
"You've been humming. What are you humming?"
"Oh. Nothing. Just an old song I heard."
"What song?"
"Nothing. Just an old one. Too embarrassing to even mention."
She shook her head, "Nutcase."
"Comes with the territory."
She giggled. "How's the communication class going?"
"Okay. Just harder than expected."
"Your constant source of communication is Bruce Wayne. No surprise there." She looked over at him, "Switch."
"How come I never get to say that?" He moved to press his back against the bench.
"'Cause I outrank you, that's why." She moved underneath his arm, leaning against his side by his chest.
"That's not a thing," he put his arm on the bench.
"Okay, how about this: shut up, that's why."
He laughed and shook his head, surrendering to his demanding best friend.
She made herself more comfortable. "Heard from Mel today."
He smirked, flipping through the magazine with one hand. "Ah, the elder Gibson girl! How's she doing?"
"Good. Her and Eddy are engaged."
His eyes went wide; he looked down at her in surprise. "Umm… schway! That's awesome!"
She gave a small but sad smile. "Yeah."
He kept staring. "That bothers you?"
She stopped to consider the question. "No. Yeah. I dunno. Just… since she moved back, I hardly get to see her, as is. I'm really gonna miss out on her, now."
"Okay, yeah, that can suck. Are they moving?"
"She didn't say that."
"So, no big deal. She's just getting married, that's all. Not leaving the city. If anything, you guys can bond over this. Maybe do some wedding planning with each other."
She hadn't considered that. "Yeah, you're right."
"Of course, I am! Incidentally, the best song for me to dance to is Uptown Funk."
She jerked her head. "I so did not know that."
"What can I say? My dad played is so much it became second nature."
"Your dad could dance?"
"Not a bit. Just liked the song."
"I even find that hard to believe."
Terry chuckled. His cell phone beeped and he looked at it.
"The old man?"
"Nah, he's in Metropolis on business with the Big S for a couple of days. This is an alert."
She motioned for him to show her the phone. He brought it closer to her, she looked at the screen and groaned. "Jokerz again."
"Been stepping up since last year. I better find Basem. Duty calls." She moved so he could stand up.
"Right." She smirked, "Stay sharp, McGinnis."
"Stay perfect, Gibson."
As on any other night, Terry was again garbed in the Batman uniform, heading for the center of the city where the Jokerz were robbing a bank. As he flew the night sky in the Batmobile, a grey airbike pulled alongside him, piloted by Nightrunner.
"Hey, brother," Nightrunner greeted via their communicator.
Batman smiled. "Yo!"
"So, what's the problem again?"
"Stupid clothes, painted faces."
Nightrunner narrowed his eyes. That described nearly all of the gangs in Gotham. "Narrow it down."
"Joy buzzers."
"Ah! Jokerz."
They flew toward the bank and they saw a group of about ten Jokerz beginning to make their exit to a transport waiting on the roof.
"You wanna go in first?" Batman asked.
"Delighted to do so," Nightrunner answered. He jumped off of his airbike and tackled two of the Jokerz to the ground.
Nightrunner, real name Basem Asselah, is the son of the original Nightrunner, Bilal Asselah. As part of the Justice League and formerly based in Paris, France prior to two years ago, Nightrunner came to Gotham to aid Batman in any growing threats of crime as Terry's life became more hectic with college. It took a lot of convincing from both Terry and Superman but, once Bruce agreed to it, the young men worked together like well-oiled machine after just six months of teaming together. Terry gained not only a partner in his war against crime but another brother in his normal life, as well.
Nightrunner dodged an initial swing from a pipe from one of the Jokerz. His suit wasn't as high tech as Batman's but he was able to hold his own due to extensive training he had since he was a kid. The suit was not that dissimilar from his father's except it covered his entire body, leaving no part of his body exposed. It was highly bullet-resistant and mostly impact-proof. It was equipped with a utility belt and gloves and boots that enabled him to make further jumps and stick to walls which also allow for more power behind his attacks. His mask was also equipped with a built-in radio. His fighting style was based on parkour and free running combined with mixed martial arts. It wasn't as fluid as Batman's style but it was far more brutal upon impact.
Getting tired of merely observing the action, Batman descended from the Batmobile and tackled a group of three Jokerz. He kicked another across the face and punched another. They fought through them with fair easiness until three of the gang members pulled out assault rifles.
"RUNNER!" Batman shouted.
Nightrunner looked up and immediately took off. He and Batman ducked behind some of the fixtures on the roof as the Jokerz opened fire.
Nightrunner covered his head. "Any ideas?!"
Batman kept his head down but activated the system of the Batmobile, which fired nonlethal rounds that knocked out the gun-carrying Jokerz.
Nightrunner looked and saw that they were down and chuckled. "Nice!"
They proceeded to wrap up the gang members, leaving them for the police. They stood on a nearby building as the GCPD came to arrest the clowns.
"Just another boring Gotham night," Batman remarked.
"Yeah," Nightrunner agreed. He threw his fists in the air and shouted, "Man, I love this town!"
Batman laughed. It was a good night.
The next day, Max was walking out of her last class for the morning when she found Terry waiting for her, sitting on the floor of the hallway.
"Hey," she smiled.
"Hey," he replied, standing up.
"How'd last night go?" They started walking down the hallway.
"Typical." He yawned and stretched. "Except for the machineguns. That was more mediocre."
"Only you would call that even close to typical or mediocre."
"It's a living."
"A dangerous one."
"Still a living."
"How's B?"
He smiled. "Fierce as ever. Guy impresses me every time I get to watch him fight."
"You could learn a thing or two from him."
He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah."
She giggled. "Hey, I meant to ask you last night, how's your mom?"
He chuckled. "Pretty good. Her and Matty are loving Central City."
"Better than here?"
"She said that it's the same in a lot of ways. Insanely lower crime rate, though."
"Well, when your hero is the Flash and he can be everywhere at once…"
"Hey! Effort is put forth here."
"Yeah, but Batman doesn't have super-speed."
"Batman has other things."
She giggled. "Like what?"
He thought for a second. "Really good friends."
"Nice way to win points, McGinnis."
"Thank you. I try."
"Hey, Max!" a voice called out behind.
"Dammit," she whispered out. "Hoping I'd dodge him."
"Be nice," Terry whispered to her.
"I hate being nice."
"Do it, anyway."
They turned around to see Ket Gold approaching them. Ket was the son of an affluent family of Gotham and, basically, was at the University to pass the time as he took no classes, seriously. Except for the ones he shared with Max. By all accounts, he was a good looking guy; he stood at the same height as Terry but his build was less impressive that the hero's. He had shoulder length blonde hair, dark green eyes, and sported diamond stud earrings. Nearly all of the ladies considered him to be the best looking guy on campus; Max fell in the other category.
Max forced a smirk, "Hey, Ket."
"Hey," Ket greeted with his suave voice. "Almost didn't catch you."
'Was hoping you wouldn't,' she thought.
Terry faked a sneeze and, lightly, elbowed her. Max glared at him as she rubbed the fresh abrasion on her arm.
"You okay, McGinnis?" Ket asked.
"Oh, yeah," Terry waved his hand in front of his face. "Allergies."
"Careful," Max warned. "I know a home remedy that'll just… knock… you out!"
"Oh! Do tell!"
Max rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. She looked back at Ket. "What can I do for you, Ket?"
"I was wondering if we could get together to study soon. This semester is killing me."
"Uh…" She sighed. "Um, I'll check my schedule and let you know, okay?"
"Okay, sure thing."
Max grabbed Terry's arm. "We better get going. We got an appointment to keep. C'mon, Terry!" She dragged her best friend off before anymore words could be exchanged.
Ket sucked his teeth, following Max's form as she walked away, then he walked off his own way.
Once outside, Max stopped rushing Terry and sighed. "Thank goodness."
Terry shook his head, "You could've been a little nicer with that."
"Not really."
He laughed. "Wanna ride home?"
"Sure. Can we grab some food first?"
"No problem."
After eating with Terry and he dropped her off at her apartment complex, Max walked up to her door, getting her keys out, when Sally walked up to her. Max saw her coming and smiled. "Hey! I thought you'd be home already."
Sally Croft stood the same height as Max. Her fair skin always helped her dark make up really stand out on her face. She sported punk rock-style clothing, complete with her bright green colored hair that hung down just past her shoulders. "I was supposed to be if I hadn't been caught in the lab cleaning up."
"I won't ask cleaning up what." Max opened the door to the apartment and they went inside.
"Brett cut his arm and was bleeding everywhere."
"Sal, I didn't wanna know that."
"But it was funny! He thought he was cutting the cadaver's arm."
"Why'd you clean it up?"
"Because everyone else was trying to help him and I couldn't 'cause I was laughing too hard."
"Oh, you're evil."
"Maybe a little."
Sally was an old friend of Max's from when they were children. Sally's family moved to Star City due to her father's work when she and Max were 10 and she hadn't been back to Gotham since, though she and Max used various methods to stay in touch. When the ladies graduated from their respective high schools and Max declared she would stay in Gotham to go to school, Sally asked Max if she could come out there and they could get a room together while she worked on becoming a doctor. Sally's parents said yes and the new adventure began. Their friendship had only grown since then with Terry and Basem also becoming friends with the aspiring doctor.
Sally threw her stuff down on the couch, "Good to be home. Where's your boyfriend?"
"Don't have one," Max answered heading to her room.
She let out a disgusted man, "Still? Fine, I'll call him by his name: where's Terry?"
"He's out and about," she called from her room.
"Cool. He coming by tonight?"
Max walked back in to the living room, wearing more comfortable clothes, "Never know. Why?"
"In case I need to clear out."
Max glared at her.
"What? At least, I'm considerate enough to offer!"
"Shut up, Sal." Max heard her cell phone vibrate then fished out of her backpack.
"Speak of the devil?"
"No, it's Mel." She answered, "Hey, big sis!"
"What up, Mel?!" Sally screamed.
Max giggled. She looked at her friend, "She says 'hey, girl!'"
"Awesome!"
"So, Max, I gotta ask you something," Mel declared.
"What's up?" Max replied.
"Me and Eddy want to go to dinner with you."
Max stopped then slowly sat on the couch. "What?"
"Dinner."
"Just… the three of us?"
"Well, actually, that's the other thing: I wanted to see if you wanted to bring Terry along."
"Terry?"
Sally stopped what she was doing and leaned closer.
"How come?"
Sally started batting her eyelashes, leading Max to start swatting at her. Letting out a silent laugh, Sally went into the kitchen to fetch some leftovers.
"Because Terry's like family," Mel explained. "Eddy needs to meet as many of as possible and, since he'll probably never spend more than five minutes around Dad and you and McGinnis come as a package deal, Terry might as well come."
"Oh, God…"
"Besides, who else means more to you than Terry?"
She couldn't even dispute that fact. "I'll ask him. But you know he's always busy."
"We'll work around his schedule. Whenever he has time, let me know."
Her insistence was leaving Max curious. "Why do want him there so bad?" She put on a sarcastic tone, "Am I not good enough for you?"
"Oh, turn that noise off, you drama queen."
Max giggled.
"Look, Eddy wants to meet the family. Know what he's getting into. As long as you've been around Terry, that includes what he's getting into."
"Okay."
"And…"
"And?"
Mel sighed. "Max, I know this is a little rough for you, right?"
Max rolled her eyes. Yes, this was bothering her. The prospect of Melissa getting married and, possibly, putting a divide between them like what seemed to be a family trait wasn't something she was looking forward to. "No." She wasn't going to admit it, however.
Mel smiled, knowing the lie. "Alright. Anyway… I just think that… this will make sure you have fun. You won't feel like a third wheel. Plus, Terry does all he can to make you smile."
Max smiled. "Thanks, Mel. That… really will help."
"No problem. You talk to Terry and work out a time. Okay?"
"Okay. I mean, but we have midterms coming up."
"We can wait."
"Alright but what if…"
"No 'what ifs'! Ask him. When he's free, we'll make it happen. Cool?"
Max nodded. "Cool."
"Alright. Night, baby sister."
"Night, big sis." Max hung up and saw Sally sitting on their kitchen counter, eating some leftover Chinese food and wearing a knowing grin on her face. "What?"
Sally swallowed. "Did your sister finally get you to date Terry?"
"It's not a date!"
Sally hopped off the counter and walked toward her room, "Keep telling yourself that."
Max growled. "She just wants me and Terry to go to dinner with her and Eddy!"
"Oh!" Sally turned back around. "The fiancé. Nice."
"I'm gonna wait until after midterms, though. Less to stress about."
"Fair enough. I'll bet Terry's gonna like hearing this news. I mean, he just… loooooves…"
Max stared at her, confused about how she was going to complete the thought.
"…Mel. Right?" Sally went into her room before Max could answer.
The pink haired genius shook her head then ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn't particularly looking forward to spending an evening with an engaged couple, even if it was Mel, but the fact that Terry would be there did make the idea of it that much easier to bear. Though Max couldn't admit it to herself, there was more than one reason for that.
A/N: So, what did you guys think of the start? REVIEWS, PLEASE!
