1 year later...(Epilogue)

"I meant what I said. I don't want you to walk away from us. I don't want to live one more day without you in my arms," he said seriously breaking the silence as he turned on his side, propping himself up on his elbow and starring down at her lovingly.

She smiled feeling her heart race as she braced herself for the inevitable question.

"So what do you say? You think you might wanna stay around and give me a second chance to make things between us right?"

Max was interrupted from the memory as a loud tortured shriek tore from her lips as she felt the sharpest intense pain she ever felt in her life tear through her abdomen. Gasping for air she collapsed in the cheap hard mattress she was lying on squeezing her eyes shut in defeat. She just wanted to let go off the pain and drift away. She felt like she was dying. Max groaned softly as she looked up at the ceiling of the hospital swimming in her vision blurred by pain.

The nurse, wearing baby blue scrubs, smiled at her reassuringly and gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze.

"You are doing great, Maxine. A couple of more pushes and it will be all over," she promised.

Max blinked back tears. It had been twelve hours since she first started labor and for her it felt like it was never going to end. She choked back a sob gritting her teeth as she squeezed the nurses hand and began the dreadful task of trying to push the child she had been carrying inside of her for the past nine months out of her. Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like eternity as she clenched her teeth and pushed with all the strength that she had inside of her. Around her she heard voices buzzing that she was too disoriented to recognize them all, but one voice ranged clear. Terry. She felt his fingers weave through hers as his warm soft lips pressed against her cool slick forehead.

"I don't think I can do this," she whimpered, her breathing raspy as she collapsed against the pillows not wanting to push anymore. She was exhausted. Never in her life had she been in so much pain.

Terry squeezed her hand gently.

"Baby you can do this. Remember a year ago?" he murmured stroking her hair back away from her face tenderly.

She smiled through her tears at the memory...

"So what do you say? You think you might wanna stay around and give me a second chance to make things between us right?"

A war had raged between her head and her heart. Her head was wary and suspicious that she would get hurt and had told her to get up and leave Terry's arms and life for good but her heart had protested. Although it had been broken there was nothing more that it wanted then to love Terry forever despite the past and the uncertain future. She had pondered his question for over an hour after which she saw that he had started to grow worry. Finally she had made the choice. Her heart had won the raging war.

"Terry...I can't think of anything that I want more then to be with you," she had admitted laughing in delight at his happiness and immense relief as he showered her faces with kisses and filled her ears with soft promises of eternal love.

That day had been so life changing for them. They had made love several times before they had collapsed into an exhausted slumber. The next day Max had woken up alone in bed and had gotten worried, but Terry had showed up an hour later happily presenting divorce papers he had gotten Melonie to sign. Melonie had been heartbroken and angry but surprised Terry by not only signing the papers ending her marriage but also signing away any and all rights she had to his billion dollar fortune. Terry had felt guilty but Melonie had packed all her things and moved away before he could get her to reconsider taking what was legally hers. Weeks later things had only gotten better when Terry had surprised her with an engagement ring and she had surprised him with the news of her pregnancy. A month later they had gotten married in one of the most beautiful weddings Maxine had ever seen. Dana had been her maid of honor and Matt had walked her down the aisle giving her away to Terry. She knew it had been rough on the younger McGuiness but he said he only wanted to see her happy and smiled gracefully as he placed her hand inside of his brothers. She had cried happily through the ceremony, and had cried even harder when Terry had shown her later during the honeymoon what he had secretly inscribed on her wedding band. Forever my friend, Forever my sidekick. Now here they were nearly a year later about to welcome their first child into the world, something she would have never thought possible ten years ago.

"Max honey, this last push is going to be the most important. We can see the baby's head crowning. When I tell you to, push and don't stop until he's out, ok?" the doctor instructed her head popping up from between Max's spread legs, his deep baritone voice dragging her back to reality.

She glowered at Terry through her tears and unconsciously squeezed his hand tighter causing him to grimace.

"Yes, Ter. I'll tell you what I remember clearly. You did this to me! I swear you are going to pay for this!" she hissed in pain.

Terry smiled tenderly at quickly her expression changed from nostalgia to fury but the death glare that Max shot him cause the smile to disappear quickly. He loved that he was able to witness the mother of his child giving birth, but it killed him to see her in so much pain knowing he was helpless to do anything for her.

"Is t here anything you can give her to make her a little relax? She tends not to do well when she's tense like this," he groaned as he felt his fingers growing numb from Max's vice like grip.

The nurse flashed him a comforting smile before interceding.

"Max, sweetie, I know you are in pain but your husband wont be able to hold your daughter if his hand is broken," she coaxed gently.

Max narrowed her eyes evenly.

"There is going to be a lot he wont be able to do with that hand when I'm finished," she said her dark eyes shining with malice.

Terry gulped and tried to take a couple of steps away from the bed, but Max held onto his hand tightly.

"They don't ever mean anything they say during labor," the nurse chuckled reassuringly.

Max snorted rudely.

"The hell I don't! I-" she broke off letting out a wail of agony as she felt sharper contractions.

Dana quickly replaced Terry's hand with her own and whispered soothingly in friends ear while smoothing her now lengthy pink hair of her face.

Max looked up at Dana and Terry's grinning faces. Terry, the man she loved, the man who possessed her heart and soul was holding one hand smiling down at her lovingly. Dana Tan, her friend, the soon to be god mother of their child was standing on the other side of the bed holding her other hand in tears of joy. Everything seemed perfect but she felt something was off. Someone was missing...

"Where's Matt?" she asked weakly.

Terry traded a sly look with Dana as he leaned over the bed so the rest of the people in the room couldn't over hear him.

"Something came up at the bank. I think he found his bank account a few credits short and got a little pissed. He told me to tell you he will be here as soon as he straighten out the issue," he whispered wryly causing Max to grin.

"Okay, Max. Are you ready to push?" the doctor asked behind the blue mask half covering his face.

She looked up at Terry tearfully.

"You can do this, baby. I am right here for you," he whispered bending down and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.

She gazed into his beautiful cobalt blue eyes and the love and devotion she saw made her hear swell.

"Ok," she said softly swallowing deeply.

Closing her eyes she began to push screaming in agony...

Half way across the city...

Two masked men scrambled out of the shattered windows of Gotham City Banks as if the very demons of hell were barking at their heels. The bottom of their boots pounded against the cement mingled with the sound of their hearts pounding mingled in their ears. Even with the distraction of several different sounds of the city they didn't hear signs of the ultimate knight in pursuit and that bought a small smile of satisfaction to one of the crooks face.

After running several blocks they stopped, hiding behind a car trying to catch their breath.

Moments later they rounded a corner they stopped abruptly at seeing a figure masked in the dark wearing a smirk. He stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight causing the two men to gasp and shrink back in terror. He was dressed in all black leather from head to toe, with a white print of a bat in the center of his chest.

"Batman," one man gasped turning to flee in the opposite direction.

He shook his head exasperated before launching after them knocking them down to the ground. One thug threw a sloppy punch which the vigilante dodged easily and countered with a massive round house kick that sent the perp flying back into several trash cans loudly. As he stumbled back to his feet Batman sighed wearily.

Some people never learned.

As the guy lunged at him Matt ducked low and waited for the last possible second before raising up throwing an upper cut connecting with the man's chin causing his eyes to roll in the back of his head as his body slumped to the ground motionless.

Batman grunted as he felt a pair of beefy arms wrap around his chest lifting him off his feet in a brutal bear hug. Grinning he used the heel of his foot and buried it into the toe of his attacker causing the bumbling thief to release him howling in pain. Whirling around he threw a right hook at the thugs jaw knocking him out cold.

"That's for making me late for the birth of my niece," he smirked starring down at the two unconscious thugs laid out cold on the concrete.

After tying them up securely and waiting for the police to arrive he took off in ths sky gliding towards the hospital.

Several minutes later Matt rushed into the hospital with a huge purple teddy bear under one arm and his book bag carrying his batman uniform in the other.

Arriving at the designated room he smiled as he sees Max sitting up cradling a tiny infant wrapped in a pink blanket to her chest. Terry was slouched in a chair next to the bed sleeping soundly.

"I think the birth was rougher on him then it was on me," she said sarcastically.

Matt grinned setting the bear on Terry's lap before walking over on the other side of the bed to get a glimpse of the infant.

She was tiny with a head filled with black curls, and light cinnamon skin. When she opened her eyes he gasped at how beautiful dark blue her peepers shone.

"She's gorgeous, Max. Did you and Terry ever decide on a name?" he asked smiling.

Max returned his smile.

"We compromised. He wanted Victoria and I wanted Alexandria so her name is Victoria Alexandria McGuiness," she said proudly

"That's a beautiful name. May I hold her?," he whispered so he wouldn't wake the newborn.

Max smiled warmly and carefully placed her daughter in Matt's awaiting arms.

Matt cradled the baby in his arms protectively as he walked across the room ans stared at the window over the dark city of Gotham. The city he protected daily along the side of his brother. Holding his niece in his arms he felt as if his world was finally complete. He had an beautiful family and he had a purpose that humbled him every night he put on the suit. A year ago Terry had been furious that he had went behind his back and stolen the suit, but when Max had decided to stay in Gotham to be with him everything had changed. Terry had shocked him when he had come to the hospital where he had been recovering in and told him that when he was finished with his shoulder rehabilitation that he would train him to wear the suit. The past year had been one of the roughest in his life but also the happiest. He had fought crime next to Terry bringing relief and hope to Gotham's crime infested streets. He had struggled with the fact Max would never be his and grinning down at the beautiful child in his arms his full acceptance finally arrived peacefully. He knew a part of him would always care deeply for Max but she was happy with Terry and as long as she was happy nothing else really mattered.

"One day this will be your legacy, Victoria. You will protect this city like your father, uncle, and mother, and god mother. I can already tell your going to be strong," he smiled affectionately as she cooed sweetly wrapping her tiny finger around his and squeezing with light pressure.
"Don't you think it's a little early for the vigilante talk," Max laughed lightly as he walked over and gingerly placed the child back into her arms.

Matt smiled.

"It's never early to know your destiny," he murmured leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on his sister in laws forehead.

Max yawned sleepily. Moments later a nurse walked in and carried the baby to the nursery allowing Max to sleep peacefully. Matt sat beside Terry feeling the deepest sense of contentment. Terry and Max, soul mates separated for years, finally found salvation into each others hearts. He was bringing justice back into the dark streets of Gotham. Their destiny's was realized and intertwined.

It was a destiny finally fulfilled.

Author's Note: Ah! Finally finished it! I hope everyone enjoyed this and thanks for all those who reviewed and inspired this. Reviews is really what keep me going . . without you this story would be nothing. Out of all the stories I have written this is the one I feel most proud of. keep an eye out for my next piece of work!!