Made of Steel

Chp 6

The Beginning

_____________________________________________________________________________

READER: This is something of a FLASHBACK. Keep in mind FLASHBACK.

Wayne and Garth slide in: DIDDLOP DIDDLOP DIDDLOP DIDDLOP

______________________________________________________________________________

Much love to: Sailormercy, BBfan ,Madison, miso-soup and future reviews.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ten til ten. He said I'll be back in an hour, tops. That's what he told her and she believed him. Again, she believed him. Max sat on the plush couch of the McGinnis house hold cradling a almost sleep toddler, Matt. Terry called said it was an emergency, she taxied over and told her to watch Matt for an hour tops!. That was four hours ago. She should have known better it wasn't the first time, well it was the first time he said emergency in his lure to get her there. She would know better next time. It was after 10 now and walking home after curfew would be hell, she just turned 15. She would have risk trouble with Gotham's newest freak show The Jokers. A small clicking sound her the door got her attention. Mr. McGinnis walked in.

"Maxine?" He smiled. " What are you doing here?"

Mrs. McGinnis followed him in. " Oh, honey not again." She sighed.

Mr. McGinnis set his thins on the kitchen table and turned. "Wasn't Terry suppose to be with Matt?"

Max stood, walked over to him and handed Matt to his father. " He was, He said he wouldn't be long." She stroked Matty's hair from his face, before Mr. McGinnis took him to the back to lay him in bed.

Mrs. McGinnis pulled her wallet from her purse. " How much do we owe you?" Maxine was putting on her jacket.

She turned and smiled. " It's no charge. Honest, It's my pleasure, Matt is a little sweetheart."

Max walked up and received a warm hug. Mrs. McGinnis put her wallet away. " Thank you honey. Would you like a ride home?"

A nice thought but she didn't want to put them out. Max walked to the door. " No thanks, It's a nice night for a walk." She lied, waved good bye and shut the door.

She stood in front of the buildings elevator, waiting. The door slide open. Terry stepped out almost running into Max. She stepped back and glared at him. His cloths were dirty and the left side of his face was buried and red.

" You said an hour tops." She said stepping into the elevator pushing past him.

" Ran into some trouble." Terry stepped out, turned to stop the door from sliding shut with his hand. Max gave an annoyed sigh and looked at him.

" Looks like you ran into a truck."

He gave her a sarcastic smile. Max watched him move away to let the door close. His hand shot back out and the door slide open. He stuck his head in. "They home?"

" yeah." She answered. He glanced back, thought about it, walked in to the elevator and let the door close. He pushed the down button and started knocking the dirt from his jacket. " I'll walk you home."

Max rolled her eyes. " Jee! Thanks."

Terry ignored her reactions. He was use to her aggravation towards him. Since they hit Hamilton high two years ago, he had that affect on her.

" They say anything?" He asked glancing over to her. She kept her eyes glued to the elevator numbers lighting up as they went down. She answered him in a dry tone. " The usual, honey, money, and bye." She didn't even look at him. She was really pissed this time. He slipped his hands in his pocket and kept talking. She would melt eventually, she always did.

" Was Matt trouble?" He asked. She looked over at him. The elevator dinged and the doors slide open. " Unlike you. No." She answered stepping out and quickly walking out the building. Terry trotted up beside her.

" You could have said if you ha more exciting things to do. I know homework and studying can be so time consuming but..."

He was being cocky. She stopped short and pushed him in the shoulder. " How the hell would you know how time consuming homework is. You hardly even come to school. SO don't talk to me like that." she expressed angrily

He had a big smile on his face as he rubbed his shoulder. She walked away from him. " Like what?" He asked, very amused on how worked up he could make her.

" Like I've fallen off any social high horse because I chose to study in my free time instead of committing a couple felonies."

Terry grabbed her arm to slow her. She stopped walking. He stood facing her with the biggest smile on his face. " I only do felonies on weekends." He joked. She tried to look around him but he moved he always moved so he would be in her sight. She slowly gave in and smiled. Max touched the bruise on his face lightly and shock her head in disapproval. They stood in front of each other for a second before Max spoke. " I've missed you."

The tone in her voice made him look to the ground in some what embarrassed. " Your dad told me stay away from you. Said I was a bad influence on you."

" Only on weekends." She joked making him smirk.

They watched each other another second before he spoke. " You've changed."

Max angrily grimaced and pushed him out of her way. Terry cursed himself and ran after her. She ignored him calling her and quicken her step.

" If you think I've changed, Terry, you got something knocked lose in your head."

They reached her building door. Max pulled the door open. Terry came up behind her and shut it.

" Look, I'm sorry. What do you want from me." He wanted to know what her issue was.

She turned still pissed at him. " Wise up. Stop bsing your way through Gotham."

He stopped her from opening the door again. Then stepped in front of it. " I like the way I am." He smirked.

" Ignorance is bliss, they say." She mumbled loud enough for him to hear. He glared at her. " Why do you care. You have your perfect little life."

She was shocked by his words. She slowly step back from the door, looking at him. Terry watched her eyes melt into him. " Terry? Is it really that hard for you to understand someone caring for you." She asked in disbelief.

He crossed his arms. "Considering this is our first REAL conversation in a year. I'm a bit reluctant to believe you care about this delinquent."

She grimaced. She hated that word. Her father didn't even use Terry's name, Terry was just delinquent whenever he would yell at Max about being friends with him. She pushed the up-setting thought away.

"Two years and I hate that word." she corrected. Terry looked up at her. "Two?" he asked.

Max smirked and shifted her weight. " Yeah, Matt is two now."

Terry thought it over. Matt was two about to be three. Max was right. He didn't think she would give in any thought. Max had always been a his friend, he couldn't blame her for not liking who he had become as of the last few years. But like he said, he like who he is. He was starting to feel like she was winning the argument. "Whatever, look your home." He said moving away from the door. She stopped him from walking away.

He turned to her. " Terry, I think you need to get over whatever issues you have and come back to the land of the sane. If not for your parents and you little brother, who I may add, thinks the world of you. At the very least for the person who really needs you."

Needs him? She said she needed him. Shw stood hugging herself standing in front of him. He had the urge to replace his arms with his. Max watched him watch her. He nodded that he understood what she was trying to say before he turned away. " I gotta go Max."

It sounded like he understood her point. She let him go home.

A few days later he called to ask if she could watch Matt again. Considering he asked her this time instead of tricking her she said yes."

She walked in. He set Matt of the floor in the middle of a few toys.

" My mom will be home in about two hour."

She looked at him skeptically. He grinned " Honest. She has a short shift today."

" Look." commanded.

He turned to face her. His mouth dropped open. She cut her hair short and dyed in pink. She burst out laughing at his expression. " Pretty sway huh?" She said doing a circle.

"Sway?"

Terry walked up and brushed her bangs with his fingers. She made it look good.

"Don't question the slang just spread it like butter."

He smirked. " Right, sway."

Later that night, when Max got home, the police were waiting. Her father told her they were looking for Terry. She lied.

After they left, she and her father argued about her helping Terry run from the cops. She didn't sleep that night.



*** Thanks so Much for reading. Now remember this chapter is PART 1. Part two, De' Ja' vu, will come in later. Keep this chapter in mind.***