"I'm going to tell you where the suits are or what, Terry?"
The apartment was filled with a tense silence as Max shifted uncomfortably in her towel as she stared defiantly at Terry who held her rooted to her spot with his piercing heated gaze. He had grown past the point of mildly irritated and was at the stage of being extremely annoyed. She could feel her shoulders stiffen with the tension pulsing through her body and she prayed silently for the hundredth time that minute that Matt would come walking through the door saving her from the confrontation with Terry. However when her prayer failed to be answered five minutes later she knew was on her own. Her only consolation was the gentle vibration of Miko's body as he purred sweetly rubbing himself across her ankles. She giggled as she felt the feline's pink tongue graze her toes lapping at the water drops from the shower still lingering from her feet.
Terry smirked.
"Great. She licks you and bites me and I've known her longer," he said somewhat amused trying to lighten the tension in the room. He had tried being stern with Max and it wasn't getting him anywhere. He was going to need a new approach. He was going to have coax the location of the suits out of her using his infamous charm.
Max softened at the sound of compromise in his voice, but she knew the moment wouldn't last too long. She wasn't going to give in and Terry wasn't going to leave. Their eyes locked and Max looked away quickly obviously flustered by the intensity in his gaze. Terry however continue to stare at her studying her quietly. So many things had changed in her that sometimes he felt like he was standing in the presence of a complete stranger instead of the person he had once shared his deepest secrets with and who had managed to slip past his defense and steal his heart. He wanted that person back. He wanted his best friend back. She was more reasonable and level headed. The woman standing before him apparently didn't care to listen to reason and that was a problem with him when it came to getting his suits back.
"Maybe she wouldn't bite you if you didn't treat her with indifference. Even though she's a cat she can sense when she is rejected and that in return makes her hostile towards you," she said simply with her arms crossed over her chest starring at him.
He shrugged helplessly as he sat on the arm of the couch and rested his hands on his knees.
"She never gives me a chance. The first time I came over after Matt adopted her from the shelter I accidently stepped on her tail and she's been aggressive towards me ever since," he sighed keeping a careful eye on the feline who was currently ignoring him in the favor of Max.
Max smiled reaching down and scooping the cat up in her arms and scratching it behind the ears.
"Well, Ter when you hurt someone it's gonna take them some time to heal and be able to trust you again, and you do have to make the effort. You can't just expect them to forgive you when you haven't even apologized," she said bemused.
"Are we still talking about the cat?" he asked huskily towering over her with a warm engaging smile on his lips.
The corners of Max's mouth twitch as she reluctantly returned his smile. They both were fully aware that the subject was not the cat. She looked at him feeling a familiar pang tear through her. Desire. No matter how much she tried not to focus on it, she couldn't help the intense attraction she felt towards her former lover and friend.
"Do you mind if I go get dressed? Things might be a little less awkward if I wasn't standing in front of you half naked," she asked clearing her throat.
"You really think so? I am fine with the towel," he teased enjoying watching her blush furiously.
Max struggled to keep her composure but it was so hard. The way he was looking at her and the feelings surging through her...
"I know what you are doing Ter, and seducing me is not going to get me to tell you where the suits are," she smirked.
He arched an dark eyebrow inquisitively.
"Really?"
She was surprised when he grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and forced her against the wall gently starring down at her with a sly smile on his lips. His face was inches from hers and he could see the amusement in her smile as she stared back at him unrelenting. Miko agitated by Terry's nearness leapt from Max's arms. On its way down, his claws got caught in her towel pulling it from her hands. Her breath caught as her towel slipped down around her ankles revealing a her naked body still damp from the shower. Terry's blue eyes, that were deep as a sparkling ocean and as light as sapphires held a glint of wickedness as they flickered slowly from her face down to the two fleshy supple chocolate covered mounds exposed to him. Everything he was prepared to say was immediately erased from his mind as he stared at her in a trance. In that moment the suits didn't matter. All he wanted was to take Max in his arms and...
"Terry!" she growled snapping him out of his reverie. Flushing she reached down and pulled the towel up shielding her body from his eyes.
Terry blushed deeply closing his eyes and taking a deep breath forcing himself to focus on the issue at hand.
"Great and we are back where we first started. Point awkward." he mused silently focusing hard to train his eyes on anywhere but her body.
After a few more minutes of the suspenseful silence went by Terry cleared his throat loudly.
"Max, I care about you and my brother. I don't want to see either of you get hurt and that's precisely why I need those suits," Terry implored recovering from the intense feelings of lust that had seized him.
"Terry, I can't tell you where they are and I think you should leave before things between us get anymore complicated," she mumbled clutching her towel tightly to prevent another mishap.
"Wait, I'm not the one complicating things. You broke into my house and stole the suits," he argued.
She shrugged.
"I didn't have any other choice. Matt asked me for my help and I couldn't say no. I thought I was doing the right thing and you have yet to convince me otherwise."
"Why are you doing this? I don't get it. You know how dangerous the suit is. Why would you put Matt at risk? Is it to get back at me for what happened ten years ago?" he asked quietly.
She stared at him gaping with disbelief and white hot anger.
"I care about Matt as much as you do and you know that! How dare you accuse me of endangering him just to get back at you? Do you honestly think that I am that petty?" she demanded seething with her fist clenched at her side.
"Look in the mirror, Max! Ever since you came back to Gotham all you shown was bitterness towards me. Dana didn't think you were that vindictive to go after the suit because of issues between the two of us and I didn't think you would either, but obviously you changed. It's like I barely recognize you," he growled.
Max stared at him flabbergasted.
"First of all, I am not bitter McGuiness, and secondly I am not the only one who has changed. The old Terry I knew would never had shirked his responsibility as the dark knight. If you would have continued Bruce legacy or passed it down to someone who could carry out the duties as batman, you and I would not be standing here now would we?" she asked haughtily.
"So now this is all my fault?" he asked outraged.
She looked at him evenly.
"If the shoe fits..."
Terry's handsome face darkened in anger.
"I thought I could trust you, Max. You were my best friend."
She looks at him bleakly and the look of disappointment and betrayal on his face cuts her deep.
"I could say the same about you but people you trust don't break your heart now do they?" she retorted through clenched teeth.
Terry flushed irate.
"This isn't about us, Max," he growled.
"Really, Ter? Because I couldn't agree more because there is no us. This is about your brother's decision to take on your responsibility. He feels convicted to do this and its not your place to stop him," she said coldly.
"And I'm taking it that you think it's your place to help him? The only thing you are going to help do is to get him killed! He's inexperienced and he has no business being on the streets," he hissed.
"Are you not listening to anything I am saying, Ter? If you hadn't abandoned this city then he wouldn't be out there! If you didn't turn your back on your responsibilities then he wouldn't be out there! Somebody needs to protect this city and if you didn't have the guts to do it-" she broke off abruptly.
He glowered at her dangerously. If there was one thing Terry hated, it was being called a coward. Max hadn't been so bold and callous to utter the word, but it didn't take a genius to know that was what she was insinuating. For years he had felt the weight of his decision to quit being an vigilante. He felt it every time he watched the news and saw people and places victimized by crime. He felt it every time he walked past the bat cave, but never have he felt it more then when he stared into Max's eyes. To her he was a coward and knowing that was what she thought of him hurt him more deeply then anything.
"Guts have nothing to do with it! I have my reasons for what I did and you know it," he snapped.
Max laughed harshly crossing her arms over her chest annoyed.
"No, Ter. I actually don't know the valid reason for you hanging up the suit so why don't you enlighten me," she asked boldly.
Terry sighed exasperated. The reason was long and complicate and he doubt Max would care to hear it anyways. If he told her that the reason he gave up the suit was because he had lost all will and strength to protect the city alone when she walked out his life she would probably laugh in his face.
"You wouldn't understand," he said heated.
Max rolled her eyes.
"Typical. I guess this city should suffer all because Terry McGuiness the billionaire would rather be a business tycoon then actually serve and protect those who are defenseless," she said snidely.
Both were too involved in the heated argument to notice that the door to the apartment had opened.
"Matt, is a man. He is not a little boy anymore and if he wants to be the savior of this city then you can't stop him," she interrupted scathingly.
"He is my brother, Max! Whatever he is hiding from me I have every right to know. I cant protect him if I don't know where he is and what he is doing and if something happens to him because you are too stubborn to give him up then I swear-"
He stopped abruptly seeing the horrified expression on Max's face. She was looking past him, her eyes wide with fear. Whirling around his expression soon matched hers as he caught sight of his brother bloodied and leaning in the threshold with a sardonic smile on his face.
"Hello, brother. I guess it's time you and I had a talk, wouldn't you say?"