Please listen to the song "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown while reading this.
Story: Guardian Angel (Part 2)
Characters: Max ("India") and Terry
"Terry, promise me something."
"Anything."
"If we ever part, if we ever get separated...we'll come back here."
Terry stood alone, as always. The trees reached up to the sky, green leaves sheltering the ground below. There were clouds above, but the sun was shining. He slid his hands into his pockets, face tilted downward. He wished that she was there to see it with him.
It was surreal when Max arrived at the forest. It had been four long years since she had seen it. The old, weather-beaten swing remained, the ropes shifting delicately in the breeze. It was so lonely, being there without him. She closed her eyes, memories resurfacing of sitting safe in his arms beneath the trees, making promises that reality would snatch away.
The man she danced with the night before...was it a dream? He came out of nowhere, as an answer to her every prayer. She ached to believe that he was real, that he was alive.
Max sat on the dirt floor of the forest, her fingers touching a dandelion. She didn't know what was true or false anymore; her mind was weary from the torment.
No, he was simply a shadow of her imagination. He was dead, although his memory was so real she felt she could hear his laughter in her ears, his scent in her nose. She shivered, hugging herself.
Gathering a breath, Terry walked slowly, approaching the getaway...their getaway. He had held to his promise, coming every day, at first. But when reality began to sink in, it had declined to once a week, once a month. He cursed himself for giving up on Max. He didn't know what to do. India...she seemed so much like her, her persona, her laugh, her smile. He sighed, remembering how those striking eyes had halted when they rested upon him. He bent his head in guilt. It was only a dream. Bruce had confirmed it. He had turned down the invitation to the ball and stayed at home.
But still...India was there, in his arms, dancing with him, haunting his dreams the way Max did.
Max sat in the serenity of the forest, cross-legged and looking up at the streaming sunlight. A smile at the corner of her lips. She tried to picture what he would do here, what he would say. As much as she had forgotten of him, a knowledge, a sense of him remained. She couldn't even remember his name, but that mattered not to her. All she needed was to know that she was in love him. Although she was usually content with it, with knowing that she had his love, something was different today. Now, she wanted more. She wanted to see the face she used to sketch in her room, the drawings that had been burned by her kidnappers upon discovery. She wanted to remember the name she once wrote every day, to combat the serum. It was no longer enough to dream about him and guess, she wanted to see him.
She swallowed. It was overwhelming, being back without him. A warm tear trailed from her eye. Running away from the headquarters was pointless. She had nothing left to run to.
A sound behind her, a footstep. Or was it the whispers of the trees? No, it was real. Without looking, she knew that she wasn't alone. Max sat paralyzed. If she turned, there might not be anyone there. She would have to live with the disappointment all over again. She didn't move. It was better to just believe the lie; it was better than being heartbroken.
But someone spoke from the stillness, challenging her senses.
"Max..."
Terry didn't know how he had spoken. His mouth was dry, heart ceased. But she was there. This time, she was there.
Max felt suffocated with emotion. Her real name...she hadn't heard it in years. He was the only one who knew her as "Max" anymore. Either he was standing behind her, or she was dreaming again. Swallowing, Max turned, moving against every fear that commanded her thoughts.
Standing with an astonished look on his face was a young man with jet-black hair, framing his face and falling over his brow. The eyes struck like lightning. Her heart galloped. Memories...so many that she couldn't catch them all. His arms wrapped around her, walking back from the theater, a confession of love, an argument, flying above Gotham, taking a bullet for him...
Max's first instinct was to run into his arms, but something stopped her.
"Max," Terry spoke again, barely above a whisper. The girl before him was India, and yet, she was Max. He knew it was her, without a doubt. He didn't care how or why, but Max was alive, as he had always dared to believe.
Max was torn. Everything inside of her told her to run to him, but they had been separated for a reason. She could barely remember why, but she knew that she couldn't be with him. It would kill him.
If she left, he would follow. But she would do anything to save his life; she had done so once before already. Would she ever see him again? Could she live without him again? As much as had been stolen from her memory, she knew that she had only been breathing for the past four years, not living. But if he died...no, she couldn't bear the thought. She always knew that she would die for him, even if it meant staying alive without him. Both lives were equal to death.
She had to run.
Terry swallowed as he continued to gaze at her. She hadn't moved. She sat staring, blankly, as though in total shock. At first, he worried that she didn't recognize him, but the glaze over her eyes belied that she knew him. All he really cared about was that she was okay. Anything else was irrelevant.
Terry took a step forward. Her eyes widened, her head shook slightly. Her lips began to murmur something, but she stopped. Then, in an instant, she was on her feet, tearing off in the opposite direction.
Max pounded off into the woods, weaving in and out of the trees. The rays of sunshine sliced through the leaves, and the roar of a river crashed ahead. She could hear him behind her, desperately calling her name. He was chasing her, just as she knew he would. With the only thought in mind of saving his life, she willed her legs to run faster. But where was she going? The only way to lose him was the river...but would he jump after her? She didn't know if her plan was to jump in and swim off with the current, or drown. Did death even matter anymore? She needed to know what would benefit him, but failed to reach a conclusion.
She couldn't outrun him, not even with all of her training. She would simply jump, and all else was up to fate. The cliff was swiftly approaching. Hanging about thirty feet over the raging river, surviving a jump from the edge would be a miracle.
The drop-off inched into view, and he was drawing closer now. Exerting all of her strength, Max ripped off her coat and came to a sudden stop. Her lungs burned for oxygen; she ignored them. Hearing his racing footsteps behind her, she only paused for a second before bounding off of the cliff.
Without a second thought, Terry had jumped after her. The white waves approached, the wind stung his face as he hit terminal velocity. He wasn't going to lose her again. Not even the raging river could snatch her away from him.
Max crashed into the river with a loud splash, instantly blacking out for a few seconds upon impact. When she came to, she was still underwater, and caught a warped glimpse of the sun through the murky water. Before she could swallow any more water, she held her breath. The engaged river tossed her around like a toy, pushing her to its surface or swallowing her under whenever it so desired. Staying conscious became a task, and her mind began to wander as darkness clouded her thoughts. Through whirlpools, tumbling down falls, she struggled for air. What she hadn't remembered, though, was what lay ahead: the waterfall.
It was only when the river moved Max up to its surface that she heard the horrific rushing of tons of water being dumped below. It came as a deafening rumble, confirming that she was going to die.
The cascade neared. Max desperately searched the disappearing edge ahead for a rock or bush of some sort, anything to cling to. She squinted to see. Something extended over the edge, a black mass of twisted branches from a fallen tree. Would it hold her?
Trying desperately to keep afloat so that she could see clearly, she was only feet away from the rock. With great effort, she managed to swim in the direction of the branch.
In no time, she was thrust over the edge of the falls. Her arms clung to the branch, and she swung so much that she thought she might fall. But she held on as tightly as she could, although not knowing what to do next.
After a moment, Max's muscles began to quiver. She was exhausted. She couldn't hold on much longer. One of her arms dropped and dangled, her strength was failing. Now holding on with one hand, the branch began to teeter with her weight. Barely, she could hear her name being called.
He had jumped after her.
Not only was she losing her grip, but also consciousness. The battle was against her strength and lack of oxygen. If she closed her eyes, she would fall to the mercy of the jagged rocks below. And yet, this was the consequence; she knew she was going to die.
The branch heaved. With a sigh and prayer that his life would somehow be spared, Max allowed her eyes to shut. Her fingers released the branch.
But a hand clasped her wrist.
With all of his remaining strength, Terry pulled her up to where he was crouched on the trunk of the tree. One arm secured around her waist, he searched the area for a branch to reach the banks. Spotting a low-hanging tree to his right, he judged that he could make the leap. With determination and the last of his energy, he grasped the branch and swung to safety on the banks.
Coughing from swallowing so much water, he stumbled and crawled, carrying Max and gently setting her on the ground.
"I almost lost you again, Max." Terry whispered as he held her limp body tightly in his arms.
Max began to cough and come-to. Opening her eyes, sunlight and trees slowly came into focus. Someone was holding her. He had survived.
"Terry." she whispered the name without having to struggle for recollection.
Terry drew away some when he heard her speak. Gently, he brushed a strand of hair out of her face, but paused when he saw the necklace around her neck. After all of the years, she had kept it, just as he had kept hers. Terry touched the pendant, and their eyes met.