Ch 19

Campus was feeling a bit too noisy for Max as she headed home to get some work done. The drive helped her clear her mind and set her priorities straight. Once she parked, she got out and locked her car. Noticing a car parked in front of hers, she couldn't help but think it looked familiar. Since she couldn't think of why, she headed inside.

Dropping her stuff on the couch, she turned around to see a shadow approaching her. Before she could think of doing anything, the shadow became clear to her and panic began to set in as she backed away from it. "You—you can't be—

"Alive. Well you can believe it now Maxine. I'm back, and I've come for you."

"N—no! You can't have me James. You know why. I—Before she could get any more words out, his hands were around her throat and she began to struggle.

"I wasn't asking Maxine," he said as he let go of her throat and threw her to the ground.

"I'm not the same person you left behind James," said Max as she stood up to face him. "I'm not your punching bag anymore!" she yelled.

"I have to admit you seem a bit more feisty, but it won't last Maxine," he smiled. "I know how to break you."

"Not anymore."

"I can see you're not so alone anymore. I've been watching you. Your family's back in Gotham and that McGinnis guy is your boyfriend. I'll destroy them Maxine. You know I will," he smirked, "it's just a matter of time."

"If you hurt them, I'll—

"You'll what, kill me? You're not strong enough so you either submit to me and be mine forever, or I'll kill everything you love."

"I can't believe I ever cared about you. You're a monster."

"I wouldn't have to hit you if you just did what I say," James said as he gripped her arms tightly.

"L—let me go!"she screamed as she pushed him off of her and onto the ground. Max saw how surprised he looked by this action.

"You'll live to regret that Maxine."

Max opened her eyes, realizing she was lying on the floor of the living room. She could see the bruises on her skin and the blood on the floor. Sitting up, she began to feel dizzy. She felt pain all over her body as she got up from the floor.

After she cleaned the floor, she headed towards her bathroom. Dropping her clothes into her hamper, she entered the shower, feeling the warm water wash away some of the blood spilled from her body. She knew the tears were rolling down her face, but they mixed with the water. She sighed as she wiped them away anyway. She sighed. 'Just when I thought my life was getting back to normal, well as normal as it can be anyway,' she thought. Knowing the one's she cared about were in danger, she knew what she needed to do. She needed Batman.

Dressed and clean Max made her way to the living room. Before she could do anything else, she heard sirens outside and then a knock came to her door. When she opened it, she was surprised to the commissioner at her door.

"Commissioner Gordon, what—?"

"A neighbor called, they said they heard you screaming and by the looks of it, you don't look so good Miss. Gibson. What happened here?"

"I came home to see my ex-boyfriend James Wilson here, and I was surprised. I thought he was dead. He wanted to isolate me from my family and friends, and I refused. That's when he put his hands on me. I was trying to defend myself, but I ended up unconscious on the floor. I woke up to find he was gone," she said and then she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all right?" asked Barbara.

"No, this guy is bad news. He threatened everyone I care about, and he might go after them if I don't agree to leave them to be with him and only him."

"You know we have to take you down to the station for your written statement."

"I understand."

"We'll send some police to watch your family for protection."

"Thank you."

"Does Bruce or Terry know about this?"

"It all happened so fast. I haven't had the chance, but—

"You want to handle James yourself."

"I want to, but I know I can't do it alone anymore. I tried that in the past when he was my boyfriend, and it didn't work."

A commotion could be heard from outside the door. It sounded like an argument as Barbara went to check it out to see Terry talking to the police, standing in his way from getting inside. When he spotted the commissioner, he stopped.

"Don't worry kid she's in one piece. She's a little bit roughed up, but I think I should let her explain," she said as the cops stepped aside to let him in.

"Max," he said as his eyes met hers and then moved to see the state she was in.

"Hey Ter," she said before she found herself in his warm embrace. She felt comfortable and safe as she closed her eyes and rested against him.

"What happened?" he asked as he pulled away from her to look her in her eyes. They sat down as Max explained what had happened when she came home. "Are you all right?"

"I'll survive. I'm just a little sore, but he's dangerous Terry. He wants to separate me from everyone I care about. As much as I don't like to admit it, I need help," she said as she felt his hand in hers, letting her know that he would always be there for her.

"I know it won't be easy Max, but I'm going to need to know more about him, about your relationship with him."

"Well he was my first boyfriend. I was fourteen years old when I met him. He was nice to me in the beginning, and I opened myself up to him. That was my first mistake. I told him all about my family life, and he took advantage of that, convinced me that he was the only one who cared about me."

"So, why did he—?"

"Abuse me. I would ask him. It was to put me in my place, to remind me that I only belonged to him. He needed someone to have power and control over. I found out later that it had to do with his on family life. His father abused him, and he felt like his life was out of control. He would always say he was sorry, that he didn't meant to do it, but I wasn't convinced."

"What was the last straw?"

"I was fifteen, and James and I were on a date. After dinner he drove up to a secluded area in the woods. I had a bad feeling on the way there, and I became nervous as he parked, telling me to get out the car. I think that's when I knew for sure."

"You knew what for sure?"

"He was going to kill me, so I got out of the car. At that point he had broken me. I didn't care about anyone or anything. I was accepting my fate. I was alone, no one cared about me. He had a gun in his hand, and he pointed it at me, telling me to start walking. I started walking, and we got to a clearing. When he told me to stop, I had to face him so I turned around. He had one last request before he killed me. He wanted to make love to me before he killed me, so he told me to take off my clothes. In that moment I realized how far I'd fallen. It had gotten to the point that I was so far gone that I would let him take advantage of my body."

"What happened next?"

"He took everything away from me, but I wouldn't let him take my body. Whatever broken trance I had been in faded away, I was myself again so I refused his request and fought for my life. We struggled for a while, and I was becoming tired. He ended up on top of me, and he was trying to get my clothes off. I knew what was going to happen if I didn't fight. Somehow I got him off and he went flying off a cliff. I saw his body, and he looked dead. I called the police and told them everything. They took his body, and that was it. I moved on, forgetting all about him until now."

"We're going to get him Max. I promise. He won't get another chance to hurt you. I'll have Bruce look more into James," said Terry as he made the call.

Max couldn't believe she got through it without crying as she got up from the couch. She couldn't afford to fall apart now. It wouldn't solve anything but deep inside she was a terrified 14 year old girl who just wanted to go back and wish she had never met James. She would still have felt lonely and unloved, but she figured it would have better to feel those things all alone.

She felt the tears come down her face and as she wiped them away, she felt the warm embrace of her boyfriend once again. She held onto him tight. She couldn't imagine going through this without him, and she loved him for always being there.

"Let's go to bed," said Terry.