TC Stark: Well, I wanted to wait a little longer, but I needed to get this out lol Here is the sequel! I want to thank everyone who loved the firsts tory so much. I hope this lives up to it! I think you will all find a different Leyla here. She's free. Completely. And ready to cause mischief. I definitely want to create a relationship between her and Bane, where they are very cohesive. It's going to take more of an action turn. I want to include a lot of aspects from the comics, but I'll always alert you guys when that happens. I'm also thinking this will be a little darker than the last. There are definitely adult themes. As always, I look to you guys to let me know what you think is working or not =) Don't worry, I plan on using that gorgeous mouth of Bane's ;) lol Okay, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I only own Leyla and my ideas!
Chapter One
When Bane next awoke, he was in a much different place then he was before. Rather than a hospital room, a very luxurious room greeted him. There were beige leather bound chairs to sit on. Sleek tables to place the expensive alcohol on. And very comfortable carpet to stand on. He was sitting in one of the large chairs. There were only a few and it seemed he was alone.
Looking to the side, he noticed he was high above an ocean. He was in a plane. A private jet to be exact. The ride was smooth, he would have never known. Looking down, he noticed he was still wearing Gotham General's very hideous scrubs. Someone had obviously removed him from his bed, but wasn't able to dress him.
"I apologize for the clothes. You're a bit too heavy for me to undress."
He recognized that voice. Looking up, he watched as Leyla emerged from what he assumed was the captain's quarters. At least he thought it was her. The girl before him stood straight up and walked with confidence. Her shoulders were back and her head was held high. Her black bangs rested neatly against her forehead, while her straight hair ran past her shoulders. Looking down, he noticed she was wearing a white button down short sleeved blouse, which was tucked into a gray form fitting knee high skirt. Sheer stockings. All her scars well hidden except the one on her knee. And purple pumps.
Most importantly a smile. Large and genuinely happy. Perhaps a little impressed with herself, while still modest. Not arrogant. She took a seat across from him. A table in between them. Almost on cue, a young butler walked through and placed two glasses of ice cold water down. As well as perfectly cooked steak and greens. Then placed a bottle of red wine down. And then he left.
Leyla proceeded to pour the wine, while asking, "Are you hungry?"
"Momentarily no," He answered while looking at his meal, "I'm impressed."
Smiling modestly, she took a sip of wine and nodded, "Why thank you."
"Will you indulge me in how you acquired this vessel?"
"Funny you should ask," She smirked slightly while carving into her steak, "It turned out that my father did have money put away that John couldn't touch. And since John never had children and he was my legal guardian, I fought in court that I should inherit his fortune. I won."
Bane smirked, "I am very impressed. And your occupation as a nurse?"
"Convenience really. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I never went to college and had no skills other than being a sex slave and I wasn't going to do that. Because of you, though; the hospitals were taking any volunteers they could. It was pure luck that you happened to be in the same hospital I volunteered for."
Deciding to indulge himself, he reached for the wine and poured himself a glass. Then he took a sip. The taste and feel was foreign to him. Could he even remember drinking? Eating? Pushing this thought aside, he asked, "Why didn't the bomb go off?"
It was then she frowned slightly, "It did. The batman took it and flew away over the ocean."
Bane gave a small snort, as he took another small sip of wine, "He died for his city. How noble"
"They found you under rubble. It was really the concrete that injured you, not the blast." Leyla decided to change the subject.
"I hardly remember it, " He explained while eying the food gingerly, "What became of Barsard?"
Leyla could see the way he was eying his food. He was hesitant. Bane had punished her severely, when she hadn't protested against his denial of food for her. It was odd for her to now see him so opposed to the idea of eating. Though, she supposed she couldn't fault him for that. During the time they spent together, she had never seen him eat nor knew if he was even capable of doing so.
"He was shot during the final battle."
Bane nodded. Barsard was a soldier and he died the way a warrior should have. They all were going to die, if it hadn't been for the Batman. After another thought, he asked, "And Talia?"
Stopping mid-bite, Leyla's eyes flicked up to his. The massive man was sitting back in his chair calmly. His eyes didn't contain anticipation, sorrow, or pressure. Silence fell upon them, as she continued chewing. Suddenly her medium-rare steak was difficult to chew. After a hard swallow, she reached for the wine and took a large gulp.
Biting her lower lip, she straightened up and solemnly answered, "Miranda Tate was found dead amongst the riots."
More silence. While Leyla may have honestly despised the older woman, she knew how important she was to Bane. They both sat still, as the information washed over him. The lines on his face didn't move and his lips tightened. His eyes were looking ahead, but they didn't see the younger woman. His lids didn't even blink.
Finally, he adjusted almost awkwardly in the chair. Unsure of himself. Leyla watched, as he sat up and cleared his throat, "She wanted to die for the cause."
"I'm sure she died thinking...that the bomb would go off." She tried to approach the subject as delicately as possible.
Bane nodded. A part of him was truly sorrowful that Talia had been killed. Especially because she had died for no reason. The bomb hadn't gone off. Gotham was still standing. Perhaps, he could find some kind of solace in the fact that Batman was dead. At least her death wasn't completely in vain. She would have been happy to know that the man who killed her father was dead. Still, it would have been nice to have her around.
Leyla bowed her head down slightly, while keeping her gaze on him. While slowly carving into the remainder of her steak, she decided to quickly rip off the band-aid, "Her body...was brought to Gotham General. I wasn't working when she was brought in, but I looked in her file. I was curious. During the autopsy...they found some scarring on her uterus," Biting her lower lip, she cautiously explained, "Miranda Tate had had an abortion about five months before her death."
This certainly wasn't joyful news. Leyla was aware this wasn't what Bane wanted to hear, but she knew that he deserved to know. Talia had a special place in his heart and she was sure he would have wanted to know if the other woman was pregnant. She also knew that at any moment, his large hand could shoot across the table and yank her over. She tried to speak about the subject as gently as possible, so that he knew she wasn't being facetious.
It was certainly a shock. Bane allowed the news to swim around his head, before slowly speaking, "It must have been Bruce Wayne's." He hadn't lied, when he told Leyla that his relationship with Talia was strictly platonic. Like the younger woman, he didn't own her and she was allowed to be with whatever man she pleased. But, sleeping with the billionaire had been part of the plan.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Bane lifted his head, while picking up his glass of wine, "Talia knew, as well as I did; that there could always be unforeseen circumstances. She did what she could to make sure the plan succeeded. I will honor her death." Bane had decided to stray away from the topic of abortion, especially around a woman who wasn't physically capable of having children.
Leyla knew what he meant. While she had hoped his desire to destroy Gotham would have ended with Talia's death, it seemed this almost strengthened his need to see the city burn. Especially because that's what his friend would have wanted. Bane must have seen the look on her face, before he pointed out, "But, I have a feeling this wasn't what you planned."
"Not at all," She held her chin up, "I am alive. More than I've been in my whole life. One year isn't good enough for me. If I'm dead, then how can I live?."
It was good to see her speaking up and professing what she wanted. He was pleased to see that he had had a lasting impression on her. While Bane still desired to see Gotham burn, he could momentarily do what she pleased. Sitting back in his chair, he asked, "Then where to?"
At this, she smiled, "Paris. You need time to recover."
"I had a year."
"You were in a bed, not walking around."
"And you want a vacation?" He asked almost smugly.
Leyla gave an almost shy grin and nodded, "What girl doesn't want to go to Paris?"
"Very well then," Bane nodded, while finally picking up his fork and knife, "To Paris."
"You have truly outdone yourself."
It had taken about seven hours to arrive in Paris. Bane had surely thought that the concierge, at the five star hotel Leyla check them into; would recognize him. He had thought wrong. Either the world hadn't been watching or not wearing a mask really changed the way his face looked.
Or perhaps they did know who he was and just didn't care. Leyla seemed confident, as they walked through the sliding doors, of the hotel. As if she had spent some time planning all of this. As if she was in control of everything. She was certainly a different person than before.
As the large mercenary looked around their luxury suite, Leyla sat down and lit up a cigarette. She was very impressed with herself. Once she was set free, everything seemed so clear. And when news of Gotham's second chance at life hit, she was even more determined to live life to the fullest and indulge in whatever brewed in her mind.
When she had found out that Bane was recovering in the same hospital she volunteered in, Leyla knew what she had to do. Knew she had to get him out. Of course, she needed to wait until he recovered. She didn't want to risk moving him and ultimately cause his death. This time allowed her to plan everything and make sure that they could leave the country without being detected.
Breaking out of her thoughts, she watched Bane as he slid open the closet doors and pulled out a black three piece suit. He raised an eyebrow, to which she replied coyly, "I thought you would want to get out of those awful scrubs."
"What a transformation." He pointed out. She wasn't sure if he was speaking about her or the suit.
Her blue eyes watched, as he placed the expensive suit back and headed towards the bathroom. It was big enough to be considered a small bedroom. Leyla was using any resource she could, in order to hide him comfortably. She was using John Daggett's money freely, without a care. Finally, she was living.
Bane's eyes roamed around the bathroom, until they reached the mirror. He hadn't taken a look at this face since waking up. The image took him back a moment. It wasn't something he was use to. After years of wearing the mask, he had long forgotten what his face had even looked like. It couldn't have been pretty, considering his face had been used as a punching bag.
Leaning over the sink, he saw that a much different face stared back at him. During the past year, it seemed they had reconstructed his nose. While Bane hadn't seen it in years, he knew that it had been punched flat. It had been rendered practically useless; not ever remembering a time when he was able to breathe through it. Now wasn't the case. His nose was a perfectly shaped nose, fully functioning. Despite the small scar on his left nostril, it looked as if nothing had ever happened to it.
Bane reached out and began to rub his face. It was odd, to feel his skin after years of having it hidden. His cheek felt cold. Had this been what was lying underneath the mask all these years? How could he have perfect skin, a good nose, and full lips? Surely, this couldn't be him. There hadn't even been lines to indicate ever wearing a mask. A year must have allowed the color of his skin to blend together.
Running his tongue along the inside of his gums, he felt something. Bane tucked his lower lip in his mouth and looked at the flesh colored scar that ran horizontally underneath. He remembered this injury, from when his teeth had been knocked through the skin. Now, if he didn't flick his bottom lip up, no one would ever notice. Opening his mouth, he even noticed a perfect set of teeth. Why did they even bother?
While running his fingertips along his lips, he only had one thought. Leyla. If it weren't for her, he would have been sent to Blackgate. Even after a year she still wanted him around. Despite leaving her in the final hours and attempting to blow up her city, she still had an attachment to him. Perhaps he had an attachment to her as well. He couldn't bring himself to make love to Talia, but he had gone out of his way to make sure the younger woman knew he was there for her, before setting off to die.
When Bane finally emerged from the bathroom, Leyla was unpacking. Apparently, they were going to be there for a while. She had done all of this for him. Why? Could he even return those kind of feelings? What him and Talia had was much stronger than he was sure anyone was possible of feeling. They were meant to watch Gotham burn and die together, just as they had almost died in the Pit together.
And now, he was in Paris. With Leyla. Upon meeting the thin woman, he knew what was inside and looked to release it. During that time, it seemed that she had developed feelings for him. Did he feel the same way? Despite everything, he kept her around. He visited her in their final hours. And they made love in that time. There was no mistaking the look that had been in her eyes. Nor in his.
"Come." He gently beckoned.
The mere sound of his voice, was enough to make Leyla weak. It wasn't hidden, nor mechanical. Rather, he spoke clearly. Almost unsure. Bane's real voice was foreign to him and felt odd, coming from his full lips. But, his Carribean accented voice pulled her off her seat.
He was standing tall. Standing still. Like he always did. His eyes bore down at hers and she couldn't help, but become lost in them. Standing barely a foot away, Leyla felt her heart start to pound. Despite being in a hospital for nearly a year, she could still smell his natural scent. His aroma filled her nostrils and she became drunk with it.
Leyla let out a light whimper, as his hands reached up to cup either side of her face. His thumbs rubbed her skin so gently, she needed to focus on his gaze to confirm it was Bane in front of her. The world seemed to stop completely and nothing made a sound, as his thumb gazed across her lower lip.
Could either of them do this? Leyla's body tensed, at the very thought. There was no denying the energy that pulled her to him, as she soon found her body curving into his. Bane's massive body hunched over hers, too focused on her face. On her lips. There was no bomb that threatened to go off. They didn't need to say goodbye. They had all the time in the world.
"Bane, I-"
Bane knew what she was going to say. He could see it in her eyes. Feel it in her body. He didn't want them to say anything, only feel. Now wasn't the time for words. Tears were forming in her bright blue eyes and he knew she would only doubt herself, if she allowed the words to leave her lips. For both of them, he leaned down and covered her lips with his.