A/N: 03.02.2022

And here we are at the conclusion of the unofficial "When it Comes to Dana Tan…" trilogy. Let's just jump right in, shall we?

Synopsis: After learning about Grace's birth, Dana decides it's time to confront her own fears, and other feelings, and talk to Terry and Max. Post-"Good Life".


The Other Side of Envy

It was a phone call Dana knew she would get some day, but it was still surprising. Chelsea called Dana, and told her Max was pregnant.

Dana was shocked. She always had a feeling Terry and Max would be good parents, but she thought it would take longer.

For the next nine months, in the back of Dana's mind, she wondered what the baby would look like, what they would name her, how much she would look like either parent.

But, mostly, Dana wondered why the hell she still felt some jealousy toward the couple. She meant what she told Chelsea; she didn't want Terry back and she was truly happy he moved on, especially with Max. Dana finally realized, for as amicable as her breakup with Terry was, she never really talked about why she was so content with it and why she was happy he ended up with Max. At least not to Terry or Max. Dana wanted to talk to them and agonized over that decision.

Until Chelsea sent her a picture. Chelsea was holding the newborn baby Grace with the text reading, If this isn't the cutest little baby ever, I just don't know what is!

Dana looked at the baby and wanted to cry immediately. Grace was adorable.

That's when Dana made up her mind. She needed to make things right and stop acting like a high schooler.

Dana got Max and Terry's number from Chelsea. She didn't feel like a vid-call was appropriate yet. It would be better if the next time they saw each other, face-to-face, it was in person.

Dana took a deep breath and dialed the number.

After a couple of rings, the line picked. "Hello?"

"Max?" Dana asked.

"This is Max. Who's this?"

Dana giggled a bit, "It's me, Dana."

Max paused. "Whoa! WHOA! Dana! Hi! Girl, how have you been?! It's been forever!"

"I know, I know. Listen, umm… I'm gonna be in Gotham in a few days. Do… you and Terry… wanna get lunch?"

"Of course! Sure! Yeah, let's do that! Let us know when you're here!"

"Awesome. I'll call you soon and work out the details."

"Great!" Max stopped. "And… Dana?"

"Yeah?" Dana asked.

"I'm… really glad to hear your voice. Seriously."

Dana smiled. "Thanks, Max. Right back at ya. I'll call you soon."

"Okay!"

"Bye."

"Bye!"

Dana ended the call and exhaled. The first step really was the hardest. No turning back now. But, for some reason, Dana felt a bit of hope that maybe this trip would turn out okay.


A few days later, Dana was back in Gotham and made plans to meet Terry and Max for a lunch at the same restaurant she met Chelsea in over a year ago, Highview. Getting there early, Terry and Max sat in the restaurant, Terry held Grace while Max anxiously looked around the restaurant. Terry put Grace in her stroller, giving her a pacifier as she fell asleep.

"She's gonna kill us!" Max said, nervously.

Smiling, Terry shook his head.

"This is all an elaborate plot, so she can kill us at the same time! And I fell for it! This is all my fault!"

"You're talking about Dana Tan, right?"

"Four years!" Max reminded. "It's been four years since we talked to her, Terry!"

"She sent us a wedding gift!" Terry countered.

"Maybe it had a poison that didn't work!"

"Okay, Angela Bassett, calm down with the dramatics! For starters, she's not gonna kill us with Grace here! Next, she called us and invited us to lunch to talk! And you said yourself she sounded okay on the phone. So, let's just relax and see our friend who we haven't seen in forever."

Max stared at him, raising an eyebrow. But smiling. "You think I look like Angela Bassett?"

"In her prime," Terry smiled. "So, basically, always. But hotter."

"Oh, I hope Dana doesn't kill us. You're so gonna be grateful you made that comparison."

"Looking forward to it!"

A moment later, Max looked up and saw Dana approach. Max hit Terry's arm, frantically, and Terry looked up. He gasped for a moment. Neither Terry nor Max could lie; Dana looked fantastic.

"Dana!" Max said, happily as she and Terry stood up. She hugged Dana once she was close. After they separated, Terry and Dana stared at each other.

"Hi," Dana greeted.

"Hey, Dana," Terry replied.

Terry and Dana stared at each other, uncertainly, not sure what to do.

Max sensed their apprehension and groaned. "You guys can hug! I'm okay with that!"

Terry and Dana laughed and shared a friendly hug. It was nice but something about it reassured them that breaking up was the right thing to do. Maybe due to how much time had passed, maybe because Terry was married to Max now. But, in that instant, the last bit of doubt was gone.

They really didn't feel the same they used to anymore.

They separated and smiled at each other.

"Good to see you," Terry said.

"You, too," Dana replied.

The three sat down and stared at each other in total silence for over half a minute.

Dana giggled, "Wow, this is way more awkward than I thought it was going to be!"

"Right?!" Max laughed as did Terry. The three of them laughed for a minute before getting a hold of themselves.

Dana smiled. "Did Chelsea tell you that me and her talked?"

"Yeah, but she didn't give any details," Terry answered. "You and her talked. That's not our business."

"Still…"

"No 'still', Dana," Max interrupted. "We know all this… us stuff probably wasn't… the best news to hear. How you deal with it really is your business."

"It is the best news, though," Dana countered. "I just… had some weird reactions. That's why I wanted to talk. I spent enough time not doing that and I shouldn't have."

"Your best friend from high school married your high school boyfriend. That sentence is enough to fill a season of a primetime drama series."

Dana laughed. "I guess it is."

They ordered their lunch and ate. They discussed small things such as jobs and college. At one point, Grace woke up and Terry picked her up, rocking her a bit. Dana couldn't help but stare and admire Terry's fatherly instincts. Dana also took note of Max's motherly side as she held Grace or played with Grace while Terry held the baby. Dana didn't even realize she had been smiling as wide as she was until Terry spoke up.

"Getting baby fever?" Terry joked.

"What?!" Dana blinked. "Oh! No. Kinda. A bit. I mean… not really, though. Not really ready for that. Just… she's so cute!"

"Yeah, she is."

"And you guys are such great parents."

Terry hissed a bit. "Ohhh, I don't know about 'great'."

"We're doing our best," Max informed. "But this girl is demanding! And opinionated!"

"She's like three months!" Dana giggled.

"Going on 18-years-old!"

Dana laughed.

"But she does have good music taste," Max said.

Terry groaned, "Ugh! If I have to listen to that Goo Goo Dolls song one more time…"

"Aren't they your favorite band, Max?" Dana asked.

"Oh, yes! And my baby girl already knows what's good!" Max smiled. "And her dad can't stand it!"

"I don't hate them!" Terry countered. "It's just the only song that's guaranteed to put her to sleep! We always have to play it!"

"Proving she has good taste," Max declared, "like I said."

Terry huffed.

Dana held her smile. "Dad." She shook her head. "Wow." She looked at the city then back at them. "It's so crazy how far our lives have come."

"Yeah," Terry agreed, reminiscing. "It really is, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry," Dana said, suddenly.

Terry and Max were caught off-guard by the sudden apology. They looked at each other, perplexed, then back at Dana.

"Sorry?" Terry asked.

"What are you sorry for?" Max asked.

"You guys dated, graduated college, had a wedding, and had a kid," Dana listed. "And I'm just now seeing you!"

"Dana…"

"It's okay, Max. Just… let me finish."

Max nodded, "Sure."

Dana sighed. "I… let… so many emotions take over. I let myself think… you two were better off… or relieved without me around. I convinced myself… I shouldn't even talk to you because I was just in the way. Told myself over and over again you didn't wanna hear from me. And because of that… I blocked out and ignored two people who really cared about me."

Terry studied for a moment. "We know you didn't forget us or anything."

"And we really did miss having you around," Max added. "As a friend, I mean."

"We knew it was probably just… difficult to deal with all this. We had the same problem. We get this was all… probably a lot for you."

"That doesn't mean avoiding you two was right. Because the truth was… I…" Dana stopped and exhaled. "I was jealous."

Max's eyes widened while Terry exhaled and lowered his head.

"That's not your fault!" Dana insisted, immediately. "Seriously!" She let out a bitter chuckle. "I just… I saw how happy you guys are and I just… wow!" She paused. "Somewhere in my mind… I wanted to think… that you both didn't want anything more to do with me. That you were thrilled I was gone and out of the way, so you could be happy together. But I get it. Even if I'd stayed… you both would've been just fine. And for all my wrong ways of handling this… the one main way I was wrong… was not telling you both something."

Dana put her hands on both of theirs.

Terry and Max looked at her surprised.

"I… hope you two are always happy," Dana declared.

"Dana…" Max said, breathlessly.

"I'm sorry I ever thought you two would… ever toss me aside or anything. You… you guys are the best people I know and I… I was so stupid to think of you two like that."

"It's okay, Dana," Terry reassured.

Dana smiled, appreciatively, then moving her hands. She looked at Grace. "God, she is so beautiful!"

Terry looked at Grace, "Yeah, she is."

Max smiled and studied Dana. "Did you really think we didn't wanna talk to you? Or… hated you or didn't want you around or something?"

"No," Dana said. "Not really. I just… you both… seem to have… this perfect life, this perfect… love."

"Dana. It's not perfect."

"But it seems easier than… when it was…" Dana looked at Terry, "us."

While Max struggled to figure out how to respond to that, Terry stared at Dana, deciding she deserved some honesty. In fact, she earned it. He nodded. "I'm not gonna lie to you. Are things easier? Sure. But that doesn't mean we don't have our problems."

"Someone loooves their old comedies," Max rolled her eyes. "In the middle of the night."

"It helps me sleep!"

Max giggled.

Terry shook his head and looked back at Dana, "Anyway. Yeah, things are easier between me and Max. That's just how it turned out. For us. But, just because me and her work, that doesn't mean there's anything, and I can't stress this enough, anything wrong with you!"

Dana smiled.

"Dana. We didn't work out. I'm sorry if I ever hurt you. At all. I swear, I never meant to do that."

"I know," Dana replied, apologetically. "And you didn't. Remember, I broke up with you. None of this is your fault. I just… I… I'm so sorry for all of this. For how I've been acting. Coming to Gotham… avoiding you both, never calling or anything. That… was wrong. I'm so sorry. I should've… just talked to you. Been straight up."

"Emotions," Max noted. "Hard to navigate. We know, firsthand."

"So, it was hard for you guys?"

"Before we even started? Yes! Insanely! We… fought it tooth and nail."

"Which was weird 'cause everyone around us called it," Terry said.

Dana smiled a bit, "Yeah, I kinda figured it would happen when Max stayed in Gotham."

"Why did everyone know before us?" Max asked.

"Because you both lived in a place called Denial for a long time?"

"I guess."

"Dana," Terry said, "I hope you know none of this ever happened while you and me were together."

"I know," Dana reassured. "Chelsea told me the same thing."

"Did you really think it did?" Max asked, worriedly.

"Like, actually? No. Of course not. I know both of you and you're not like that. But… some part of my brain wanted to believe it. I guess, so I could be like, 'ha! He cheated and she cheated with him! See?! That's who they really are! They're terrible people who don't deserve to be happy!'" Dana studied them. "And… the exact opposite of that is true. You two… deserve… all the happiness in the world. Every day. And… my God, I hope you get it!"

"You deserve to be happy, too," Terry said, confidently. "You deserve someone… who makes you feel like we do. You're an amazing person, Dana. That's always been true."

"Since day one," Max agreed.

Dana stared at them in disbelief, then crying out, "Why are you two so sweet?! Here I am, admitting I was jealous of you both and avoided you for years. And what do you two do?! You give me compliments and say I should be happy! You're not normal!"

"Normal's overrated," Terry and Max said, simultaneously.

Dana giggled. "God, you two are so married! I'm surprised you didn't wear matching outfits."

"I was trying!" Terry defended.

"And I said 'no'!" Max fired back. "We are under 40! We are not doing that yet!"

Dana let out an uncontrollable laughter at that. She looked up, "I can't wait to see you two at 40!"

Terry smiled. "You want to?"

"For sure." Dana smiled. "'Cause… I think… I stalled parts of my life from… moving on because I didn't wanna admit… I was jealous of you two."

"Dana…" Max said, guilt throughout her voice. "I…"

"Stop that, Max. Right now. You didn't do anything wrong. Not a damn thing. I was jealous because I made myself that way. You two happened long after Terry and I were done and I'm so thrilled you guys did. You and Terry… you just work. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact… I really am glad you two made your way to each other. I hoped you would, seriously. You two just understand each other. And this? What you've got? It's so awesome! I mean…" Dana looked at Grace again. "…look at the amazingness that came from it."

Max smiled and looked at Grace. "She is pretty amazing."

"She's got the DNA of two of the best people I know. Genetically, she had to be."

All three of them laughed.

Terry smiled. "Thanks for saying all this, Dana."

"Yeah," Max agreed. "It's a huge load off and it means a lot you feel that way about us."

Dana grinned. "I'm really sorry, guys. I should've had this talk with you two a long time ago. But I didn't, and, instead, I just acted like a jackass."

"That's one word I would never use to describe you," Max retorted.

"Depending on the day, I might," Terry joked. "But, I'm a jackass, too, so I can't judge."

"You pulled yourself out of that nosedive at the last possible second. 'Cause I was gonna let her roast your ass for that."

Dana smiled. "Tell me how things have been! The jobs, how was college, how's married life been, your new friends…" She looked at Max, "You and your dad are talking again?! What act of God made that happen?"

"One of God's oldest humans," Terry teased.

Max elbowed him in the arm.

"OW!"

Max looked back at Dana, "Believe it or not, it took a dressing down from our friend, Basem, and Bruce Wayne of all people."

"Ohhh, I gotta meet Basem!" Dana declared.

"That's the usual reaction when I tell somebody he did that."

Terry smiled, "Hey! We wanna know what's been going on in your life, too, ya know."

Dana smiled. "A few things. That's a lot to cover in one sitting."

Max shrugged, "Guess that means… we'll have to have… more sittings."

Dana held her smile as her eyes welled up.

"Is that cool?"

Dana wiped her eyes. "Absolutely."

"Thanks for calling, Dana," Terry said. "Seriously."

"Thanks for answering. I'm so happy for you two. I didn't say this enough: congratulations."

"Thanks," Max replied.

Dana leaned forward. "So, this Basem… I know he's spoken for and all… but how hot is he?"

"Oh, girl! So hot! You should meet our new friend, Hayate! Lawd, have mercy! The two of them walk into a room…"

"They're hotter than Terry?"

"Oh, hell, yeah!"

"HEY!" Terry shouted, offendedly.

"Oooh!" Dana grinned wider. "Like, for real?!"

"For real!" Max confirmed.

"Excuse me!" Terry declared, aghast.

Dana leaned on her hand, "Tell me all about 'em. And talk slow."

"Gladly!" Max replied. "I'll give you all the details!"

"Am I not sitting here?!" Terry asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Max waved him off. "Love you or whatever!" She looked back at Dana, "But, girl! Basem and Hayate!"

"Wasn't it hard to focus at the wedding?" Dana asked.

"Damn, right! B can wear a tux!"

Terry set his jaw then picked Grace up, dramatically declaring, "At least, my daughter loves me!"

Dana and Max laughed.


A/N: And there you have it! All in all, I am really thrilled with how all of this turned out! But what do you think? Let me know! And get ready! "So Far Away" will be starting very soon! Thank you all so much! See you soon!