Warm. She felt so warm.

When consciousness rolled in, Max's senses exploded with pain. From the crown of her head to the soles of her feet, she felt a universal ache soothed only by the soft comforter that encased her badly injured body. She was lying in bed. Odd.

Max's eyelids finally peeled back and she couldn't see for a moment because it was dark wherever she was. After blinking a few times, her eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight spilling in from angle across the slender face of the person sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"Hey there," Selina said in a quiet voice, smiling gently. Max managed a tiny smirk in response, too weak to lift her head just yet so she remained where she was, glancing about at the massive bedroom she was in.

"Where am I?"

"Wayne Manor."

Max's eyes widened to epic proportions and Selina stifled a small giggle. "I figured that would be your reaction."

"How did…when did…" Max stopped and forced herself to form a correct sentence.

"Why am I at Wayne Manor?"

"Because Bruce didn't want to risk taking you to a hospital. Kovac's men might have come after you and hospital staff can't be trusted, not in this town. You're safe here."

Max shifted a little, feeling anxious. "But…I thought the old man wanted nothing to do with me."

Selina made a scornful noise in the back of her throat. "There's a difference between being aloof and being a cold-hearted bastard. Bruce Wayne is the former. He doesn't show it, but he cares as much about you as he does Terry."

Feeling slightly better, Max slowly began to sit up and Selina came near, helping her prop her back against the headboard. The huge fluffy pillows supported her sore spine and made her chest a little less tight. The bindings were extensive and she had bandages everywhere else to the point where she looked like a rose-haired mummy.

"How did he find me?"

Selina's eyes narrowed slightly. "We did some digging of Kovac's known associates. I went around town asking for locations from his underlings."

Max arched an eyebrow. "That worked?"

Selina flashed her a demure little smirk. "I ask pretty hard."

"Where's Terry?"

The amusement disappeared from the older woman's face, leaving it in a mixture of sadness and anxiety. She smoothed one hand across the comforter, lowering her eyes.

"We…don't know."

Max felt her blood draining out of her face. "What?"

"You were out for two days. He stayed by your side until you stabilized. He wouldn't move, he wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep, he just…lingered. When he left, there was something in his eyes. Something broken."

Max touched her neck, trying to grasp at something as panic gripped her. "He's going after Kovac."

"Yes. I'm afraid he is. And we both know what's going to happen when he catches up with him."

All of the sudden, Max tossed back the comforter and tried to climb out of bed, startling Selina. She groaned weakly as her ribs burned with pain, gritting her teeth. Selina pushed on her shoulder, making her stay seated.

"What are you doing?"

"We have to find him. Can't let him do this. Stupid hothead…" Max hissed through her teeth, clutching her side as she attempted to stand up again.

"Max, I know you want to help him but you need to rest. You don't know how close you came to not making it. You won't be any good to Terry if you're in a coma," Selina said firmly, hardening her gaze on the girl but Max just shook her head.

"No, I did this. I have to fix it. You don't know him like I do."

"Don't I?"

Max stopped, blinking up at her mentor. The anger had bled away, caving in to a softer, more considerate look. "When we were young, I…nearly died. Shot by the Joker. Bruce, he…he almost killed him. Had his hands around his neck. I almost let him do it, but I couldn't because letting him dirty his hands in my name. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let him do it."

Max clenched her jaw, lifting her chin. "Then help me find Terry before the same thing happens to him. Please."

The older woman let out a long, tired sigh and slid Max's left arm around her shoulders, helping her slowly but surely to the door. They made careful progress down the hallway and the staircase to the Cave.

Bruce sat in his massive chair with a grim expression when they arrived, not even turning his head to speak over the growls of his Great Dane.

"Go back upstairs."

"Not a chance, old man," Max answered tartly. "Where is he?"

"It's none of your concern."

Max unwound her arm from Selina's shoulder, her hands balling into fists. "None of my concern?"

"You had the chance to do the right thing and you didn't. We're done. You may stay here for the remainder of your recuperation but past that, you're out of the vigilante business."

"You cold bastard."

Bruce finally stood, towering over the fuming teenager. "Call me what you will, but this isn't about you any more. It's about him."

"It's always been about him, hasn't it? You never gave me a chance. It's both our faults that it came to this, Bruce," Max spat, ignoring the pain that sprang up as she yelled in his grizzled face. His icy eyes narrowed to slits.

"I asked him what he would do if anything ever happened to you. Do you know what he would do?"

She shook her head once. Bruce's jaw tightened.

"He'd kill to keep you safe, Max. Without hesitation."

For a moment, the anger fled the girl's features to be replaced with shock. "But why? I'm just his friend. Why would he throw his life away for me?"

"Because that's who he is. If you can't see it, you're just as blind as he is to what's going on."

Max opened her mouth to say more, but Selina cut her off. "Look, we're wasting time standing here and arguing. The boy's a good detective. He's got to be close to finding Kovac by now and we've got to stop him. Have you tracked the suit?"

"I shut it down before he left. He didn't take it with him because he knew I wouldn't let him," the old man explained, pointing with his cane to the operating table where the Batsuit lay, forlorn and empty.

"He took the Nightwing mask and a utility belt, but disabled the trackers in both of them. Kid's too smart for his own good," Bruce said with a grimace.

"I've been narrowing down Kovac's means of escape. He'll be leaving tonight, if he knows what's good for him."

Selina rubbed her chin, staring up at the digital city map on Bruce's computer. "What did he do for the two days he stayed here?"

"He'd have needed medical attention," Max chimed in. "I got him pretty good in the face before I collapsed. He'd need stitches."

"Alright, so he calls a doctor and gets himself cleaned up. He recuperates for a day and then sets about putting his affairs in order to leave Gotham. Has he sold all his property?"

"Everything but the boats." Bruce pointed to three yachts he'd pulled up on one of the smaller screens.

"That's obvious misdirection. He's not going to use his own boats, but it is the preferred method of escape. He can't go on a plane or train because I had Gordon put out an A.P.B. for him so he'll try one of the harbors. The most common methods for sneaking crooks out of town are the Bennett vessels."

Selina frowned. "There are at least ten of those leaving every night."

"Right, but there's only one that's high class."

Bruce pointed again to one of the boats. "The Quinzel."

"Do you think Terry's deduced this by now?" Max asked.

"Possibly. We're not going to risk it. We have to find Kovac first."

Selina nodded. "I'll get down there and check it out."

"Me too."

Both of the former vigilantes gave her matching stern looks and chorused, "You're staying here."

Max glared. "You both admit that this is my fault. Let me fix it."

"You can barely walk. You're sitting this one out. End of discussion," Selina finished for her, turning on her heel and heading towards the batmobile. She gathered her things from the counter and donned a spare Catwoman mask that Bruce had kept around the mausoleum display. She hopped into the jet and lifted off, leaving the two in a tense silence.

Max sighed, leaning against the side of the computer for balance. Her legs were already shaking beneath the loose grey sweatpants they had put her in. Bruce said nothing, but he swiveled the chair towards her. She blinked at him in surprise, but sat down, relieved as some of the pain faded in response.

"I guess you were right about me in the end," she murmured, her dark eyes weary.

"Maybe I wasn't ready."

He didn't answer. She hadn't expected him to. The silence left her open to notice the distrustful glare Ace was giving her from where he stood, a low growl crawling out of his furry throat. She felt the need to win him over so she stuck out her hand, the palm flat, towards his nose. He bared his teeth, but his nose began to twitch as it took in her scent. The dog's eyes flicked to the calm, kind look on her face and the growling faded. He sniffed her hand, still cautious, and crept a little closer.

"Come on, big boy. I'm not gonna hurt you," she whispered soothingly. He sniffed her twice more and then licked her palm, having determined in his canine mind that she was trustworthy. Max smiled and scratched his head, not noticing that Bruce had observed the entire exchange with interest.

"Can you hack into the security cameras on the boat from here?" Bruce said suddenly, drawing her attention away from the dog. She paused, glancing down at the massive keyboard in front of her.

"Yeah. Give me a second." She analyzed the controls in a brief moment and then went to work. In seconds, she was blown away by how fast and responsive the program was—never stalling or buffering anything. The honor of getting to touch such advanced equipment nearly overwhelmed her for a moment, but she pushed it aside. No time for that. She had a job to do and two people's lives hung in the balance.

In mere minutes, the security cameras from the Quinzel vessel filled the main screen: dozens of small boxes that made out a grid. Max began combing through them one by one, looking for any sign of Kovac. In the jet, it would take Selina maybe ten minutes or so to arrive. With any luck, she would beat Terry there.

"There!" she exclaimed suddenly, pointing as she recognized his tall frame and the swollen side of his face full of fresh stitches. She enlarged the feed from a hallway on the third deck where Kovac was walking towards his room. Bruce switched on the radio link to Selina's cowl.

"We've got him. Third deck, heading towards a room at the end of the hall."

"Got it. I should be there in five minutes."

"Can you make it sooner?" Max asked. Bruce glanced at her and Selina's confused voice continued over the intercom.

"Why?"

"Because he's here." She enlarged another security camera on the far side of the deck where an unconscious thug lay. She switched to another one and spotted the masked Terry taking out another guard, his movements swift and brutal. Bruce's eyes narrowed.

"Can you set off the ship's alarms?"

Max gaped at him. "Bruce, we can't. He might get hurt."

"Do it."

His words cut through her skin, slicing to the bone. How could someone who supposedly cared about Terry so much be so cutthroat? She grit her teeth and activated the ship's security alarms to alert the guards. They would at least stall Terry enough to give Selina the time to get there.

Men poured out from the lower levels with guns, searching for the source of the chaos. Terry melted into the shadows for a moment, no doubt regrouping his strategy now that the men were on watch. It felt so odd watching him act like Batman without the suit on. She never thought she made such a distinction between the two men until now—how she separated the sweet, charming yet mischievous behavior of Terry McGinnis from the authoritative and intimidating presence of Batman. The two sides of him seemed to converge at one point and that was her. He was doing this for her and it broke her heart.

They watched as Terry slipped around the side and disappeared into the boat's ventilation shaft that spilled out into the hallway. There were four guards patrolling outside the rooms of their criminal bosses on the first level. He kicked out the vent grate and landed solidly on top of one guard, flicking three batarangs to disarm the other ones. He dove into a front roll and came up on his knees, punching one guard in the solar plexus and kicking the other in the throat, knocking both men out. The third man had managed to hold on to his gun and shot wildly at Terry, who threw himself forward to avoid the bullets. He swept the thug's legs out from beneath him and delivered a vicious elbow to the crook's sternum, leaving him writhing on the floor. He kicked the gun aside and strode purposefully down the corridor, pressing one finger to his domino mask to use the x-ray scanner so he could find Kovac.

"I'm here," Selina's voice spoke, nearly making Max jump.

"He's on the first floor looking for Kovac. Most of the men are on deck so I'll have Max create a diversion to give you room to maneuver," Bruce answered.

"Already done," Max said, setting off another alarm in one of the lower levels of the boat. The men dutifully filtered down the stairs, forcing Terry to dart into a broom closet to hide as they went past, searching for the culprit who had laid their fellow thugs out. When everything was clear, Terry came out and went down after them while Selina climbed on board, slinking towards the staircase. He repeated the same process of taking out guards and scanning the rooms before moving to the third deck just as Kovac reappeared in the hallway.

Max's mouth went dry as Terry turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Kovac standing there. Her fingers whirled into action cutting to the camera in that particular hallway, accessing the sound. Kovac reached for the gun at the small of his back, his voice filled with both panic and confusion.

"Who the hell are you?"

Terry's voice came out in a growl that made the skin on Max's spine crawl. "Vengeance."

Kovac snorted. "No, you're not. You're just some punk in a mask. What are you even doing here?"

"Selina, get down to the third deck, now!" Bruce ordered.

"I'm on it."

"I owe you something," Terry replied, allowing his tall frame to go still. Max knew that stance. To the average person, he looked defenseless but she knew about his lightning fast reflexes and the fact that he'd be practicing throwing batarangs without the aid of his suit. Kovac was in for it.

The crook tilted his head slightly. "And what's that?"

In an instant, Terry withdrew a batarang and threw it straight and true. Kovac got off one shot before it hit him in the back of the hand and cried out. The bullet grazed Terry's right arm but he ran for Kovac anyway and grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt. He slammed him against one wall and then another, dazing the older man, and then pinned him to the wall right below the camera. His voice came out in a deadly hiss.

"Blood for blood, Kovac. You almost killed my best friend. I swore I'd never let anything happen to her. I swore it."

He reached for another batarang and Selina suddenly appeared, calling out to him.

"Don't move!"

She unfurled her whip at her side, chest heaving, sweat dripping down her delicate but wrinkled brow. Terry tilted his head to the side so he could see her.

"Stay out of this."

"Like hell," Selina spat. "Put him down. He's not worth it."

"How can you say that?" Terry growled. "Do you know what he did?"

"I know damn well what he did and that's why I'm telling you to let him go. If you kill him, you're no better than all the scumbags you've spent night after night sending up the river. She doesn't want you to do this. None of us do," Selina said, her voice both authoritative and yet sympathetic.

"I have to. I made a promise. I failed her," he murmured. A lump formed in Max's throat. She had never wanted to hear that tortured tone in his voice or see the torment on his handsome face. He deserved better.

"No, you didn't. It isn't your job to keep her safe. It's hers. She knew that the second she put the mask on. The only way you'll fail her is if you kill him."

He seemed to waver for a moment and Selina's grip tightened on her whip, her voice rising. "Put…him…down. Please."

After several paralyzing moments, Terry let Kovac slip out of his grasp. The older man slid down the wall as his knees gave out, too afraid to say something scathing or witty because he knew if the mysterious woman hadn't appeared, he'd be dead. Terry dropped the batarang and walked towards the staircase. Selina coiled up her whip and tied it back to her waist, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'm sending in the police as we speak. Get clear," Bruce said softly. She nodded and hurried off the boat alongside the silent Terry. Max closed her eyes, thanking God for the small miracle that had occurred and praying that she would never be in need of another one.

Fifteen minutes later, the two of them arrived in the Cave via the batmobile. Max felt a conflagration of emotions when Terry stepped out of the jet, pulling off the domino mask to reveal the ice blue eyes she had become so accustomed to over the past year. She stood up from the chair and surprise stole across his face as he walked over to her, opening his mouth to say something.

"Max, I—"

She lifted her arm and slapped him as hard as she could.

Terry stumbled backwards, bumping against the computer, his jaw slack, cheek stinging. Max stood there with her shoulders shaking, unshed tears in her eyes, throat tight, and spoke what she felt.

"If you ever…ever…do something that stupid again, I'll kill you myself. Do you understand me, McGinnis?"

She saw several things swirling in the depths of his eyes: pain, anger, worry, shame, and finally regret, but he nodded slowly to confirm that he understood. She turned her back on him and made a slow path up the stairwell to the mansion and disappeared, leaving darkness and silence in her wake.

We're coming up on the end, folks, but I just had to stop and say thank you so much for all you wonderful reviewers. I've never had a fic that went over 100 reviews and this one has and I just feel honored. You are a lovely fandom and you've been so good to me over the years. I'm glad you enjoyed this romp of ours and I hope to bring you more in the future.

There's probably going to be either one or two more chapters so be on the lookout for them soon.

Forever grateful,

Kyoko