AN Wow, it's been a while. I'd like to say I have some special reason for having such a long pause (especially since this chapter has been fully written for almost a week now), but I don't XD I'm just lazy. Thank you so much to the attention this story has received, it's really breath taking :)

The hollow, desperate sound of rainfall woke Bane. He gasped awake, heart thumping to a slower, less elegant melody than the rain. He half sat up, arm pinned down by Talia, who shifted and mumbled in sleep. It had been days since he'd rescued her, and Talia had taken a while to adjust but she was now acting like the life she led with Bane was the only one she'd ever known.

He glanced around, arm twisted awkwardly so as not to wake her, and he finally flopped back down, sighing slightly. The rain fell like it wanted to fill the Pit and carry the prisoners to freedom, but even the heaviest storm never managed to create much more than a muddy wash that barley topped their feet. Still, a blessing was a blessing, despite the traitorous hope that trailed along behind it.

Bane's thoughts slipped by, thoughts on hope, on people climbing the wall of the Pit, taking care of Talia, the next time food was to be lowered and just how much he'd need to get now that there were two of them.

It was strange, he thought after a moment, how quickly she had forced him to change. Every day he'd get up, he'd feed her, watch over her, talk to her, explain things and teach things to this one little soul. He never would have guessed that a person needed so much. New found respect of Talia's mother, the warrior princess crashed over him day after day, now that he was filling her shoes. She had given so much, her time, energy and health had gone into birthing and nursing this child, then there was teaching her to walk and speak and keep her spirits up and how to play and how hide and watch. And, of course, hiding what gender Talia truly was. Bane would never have been able to do all that. He'd already been given the groundwork, and yet he was still finding it extremely difficult to maintain Talia.

But...it was worth it. Feeling her relax into trusting him, seeing one of her rare, rare smiles and simply seeing her live and breathe was a breath-taking thing. The brief times he'd watched her before her mother's death, had truly watched, Talia had always been masking everything with anxiety and tension. Bane's presence combined with her trust in him allowed her to be more unguarded, so she could openly laugh and play and just be a child, because she knew he was there, ready to protect her.

He had never before seen the point in having a companion, not among back stabbing crooks that would sell him out at the first hint of bettered prospects. Talia, though, couldn't betray him, not only because she'd be betraying her life as well, but because he didn't think Talia had a bone so cruel in her body.

Not yet, anyways.

However innocent and true she was now, the Pit would rob her of that in a few short years.

He stared at the ceiling of his cell, listening to the rain and feeling Talia turn quietly beside him, sighing in sleep. Bane closed his eyes, drifting into a doze until Talia suddenly squawked and flailed, bolting up right and nearly making Bane's heart stop. His first, terrible thought had been that somehow the other men had broken in and grabbed her. A moment of observation proved this paranoid thought false, thank the skies.

He stared at Talia, who was panting and frowning, looking thoroughly confused. Then she reached up, brushing something away from her forehead.

"It's water," she said, sounding indignant and surprised. Bane laughed, shaking his head at her.

"It's cold!" she protested, pouting and folding her arms. "I don't even know where it-" Talia seemed to notice the rain pour beyond their cell, then closed her mouth with a little 'Oh'.

Bane sighed, getting up now that his arm was free. Talia flopped back down, resting her head of the pillow while he pulled out breakfast. He grunted with irritation when he saw how empty the bag was. Even under their meager rations, the food was disappearing quickly with two mouths.

"What is it?" she asked with a yawn, and he showed her the bag.

"It's almost empty, and the rations were supposed to come today," he explained, and she nodded, frowning darkly. Rations were never lowered when it rained, as the risk of the men attending the Pit slipping and plummeting to their deaths were far too high. Besides, no one in their right mind would trade the blessed comfort of their home for the merciless wash coming from the skies. At least, no one on the surface.

Bane glanced down to the bottom of the Pit, where men were standing directly in the down pour, beatific smiles on their faces, arms open as if ready for an embrace. His smile was dark as he looked away, because things were so, so different in the Pit. Rain was a wonderful blessing, even if mold and sometimes disease came with it, because it meant an unlimited amount of water for at least a couple days, a worry removed from the prisoner's monstrous list.

"We should go down soon," he murmured, and Talia's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Go where?"

"Down there," he said, gesturing at the bottom level of the Pit. She frowned as she took the half of a seed cake he offered her.

Seed cakes were a palm sized mish mash of spare grain, miscellaneous seeds and the odd dried berry if they were lucky. They tasted like dry grain and dirt (Bane was fairly sure that it was a key ingredient, these days) and were hard to get down, even with water. They filled your stomach, though, and gave you enough strength to make it through the day. If the new supplies didn't come quickly, however, even the seed cakes would be gone and they'd have nothing but water. Bane hated it when that happened, as the lack of food meant you were forced to mostly sleep all day and forget your lack of strength and eternal hunger. He also didn't want to see Talia go through that, though he highly doubted this would be a first for her, should it come to it.

"What?" he asked, noticing that her frown had intensified, and Talia shrugged, glancing at her hands.

"Won't we get sick?" she asked after a pause, and he shook his head.

"Only if you stay in the water for a long time, and don't dry of afterwards."

"Oh," she said, looking a little relieved.

"I think we should have a fire tonight," he added, and Talia perked a little.

"Really? Can I try lighting it?" she asked, eagerness making her voice squeak.

"You can try," he said, smiling.

"Mother and I didn't get to light fires very often, " she said, fiddling with a seed that had come loose from her half of the seed cake. "And I never got to light one, but she let me feed it!"

"Did you like that?" he asked, and she nodded, eyes bright at the memory.

"It just...felt alive!" she gushed, leaning forward. "It felt alive, and I was keeping it that way!"

Bane nodded, thoughtful.

"I know exactly how that feels, little one," he murmured, resting a hand on her head as he passed.

There was something irresistibly fulfilling in keeping another being alive, something that gave you a strange, bolstering feeling of satisfaction when you laid down and felt its tiny little breaths.

He wondered how he'd feel should he ever lose the sensation of her breathing beside him every night, losing her because he wasn't good or fast or strong enough. Bane shoved these thoughts away, because each time they came, he felt a little worse, the desire to be sick becoming a little stronger.

"Come on, little one," he said, and she slid off the cot, hurrying to reach his side. On the walk down, they spoke in English. Talia was getting better by the day, though her accent was heavy and she still didn't understand all of what he said, waiting for him to either supply the word she needed or to rephrase his sentence.

When they reached the bottom, Talia hung back, holding onto a loose fold in his pant leg. He shooed her from out behind him, walking into the rain. Talia hesitated, then stepped in after him, a shy smile on her face.

"Like it?" he asked, having to raise his voice over the noise and she nodded, a grin flitting across her face.

There were about five others there with them, tending to bowls to collect water or washing off clothes or blankets. Seeing them, Bane felt his heart sink. He glanced at Talia, realizing something. The men all had their shirts off. He himself had been about to pull his own off, habit making his hands move before he thought about it. But then there was Talia, shirt still on, completely soaked.

In the Pit, the men always removed their shirts when they worked, bathed or when they were sick. The women, however, kept all their clothing on whenever possible, scowling and smacking at hands that tried to do otherwise.

Could they get away with Talia leaving her shirt on? Surely no one would assume she was actually a girl because she didn't strip down. To the best of Bane's knowledge, everyone except for the doctor, the old woman and he himself thought she was a boy, and had nothing to suggest otherwise. No...No one would guess because of a single shirt, not now anyways. But what about later? When Talia was a little bit older and physical changes were noticed? Sharp eyes would see it, and sharper memories would recall little inconsistencies.

He bit his cheek in frustration. They couldn't risk it, but he didn't want to do this to her, either. She had just barely begun to trust him as it was.

"Little one," he whispered, turning to her. Talia's eyes were on him as he bent down in front of her.

"You need to take your shirt off." She frowned, eyes wide ad he realized just how many different frowns this girl had to give.

"Why?" she asked, voice tense, and he sighed.

"Because the others, they might realize you a girl if you don't. A boy wouldn't hesitate to take their shirt off, but if you wear it much longer they might begin to question you."

She bit her lip, then he added "I'll not let anyone hurt you."

Talia nodded after a moment, then began taking her shirt off self-consciously. Bane turned his back on her, not feeling uncomfortable at the thought of watching her change despite the fact that she was just a little girl and he had nothing indecent to think about her. He scowled, removing his own shirt roughly. He had been right. Even the most innocent of things became perverted in the Pit.

Hopefully her innocence won't be taken too soon, he thought, running a hand over his face.

There was a tug on his pant leg, and he glanced down at Talia, who was nervously clutching her shirt to her chest. Now what? she seemed to be asking, and he shrugged.

"Wash off," he said simply, and Talia looked down, hesitantly running her hand through her hair, loosening the dirt and grime that had managed to collect there.

Bane began cleaning himself off, hurrying and casting uneasy glances at the others. A few more men had joined them, and Bane felt more and more eyes landing on both him and Talia. He knew what foul whispers were echoing around the Pit, knew what everyone thought. He was Bane, one of the recluses that cared for no one but himself, and yet he had chosen to grab up this little boy to provide him some gruesome entertainment despite all of the effort it would take to keep this child alive. Hisses and catcalls followed him whenever he left his cell, something Talia hadn't noticed, thankfully, (though he imagined that they were as common to her as the chalky dust covering everything down in the Pit) probably not understanding the jokes and nasty comments tossed in his direction. No wonder he was never seen in the arms of the prostitutes that had been imprisoned over the last few years, he liked boys, young ones at that.

He longed to snap back at them, say that he'd never be caught dead with those women, the ones that didn't respect themselves enough to dissuade savages from pawing at their clothes.

They'd called out to Bane once or twice, which had admittedly surprised him the first few times. Despite the fact that he had gained a reputation of breaking people's arms (he preferred breaking ribs, but he had broken a man's arm. Once. Apparently the threat had stuck), these desperate, disgusting women had tried luring him into their arms. His incredulity had barely stalled his immediate decision - he should never allow himself to linger near them, else their stupidity would spread and he would find himself brained in the dust somewhere.

Talia glanced around, still uneasy. She had bathed just as quickly as Bane, seemingly resigned to her partial nudity. The lack of any assault also appeared to have reassured her that nothing terrible would happen, which he was only thankful for.

She suddenly gave a strangled yelp, clinging to Bane's leg and burying her face in his thigh. He was instantly alert, eyes searching for an attacker yet finding none. He stared at her in confusion, and after a moment, she raised her eyes, looking horrified and embarrassed.

"What?" he asked, the English sounding hard in his ears. Talia raised a hand by her face, pointing ever so slightly to her right. Bane looked and almost burst out laughing from disbelief.

Another inmate was bathing before them, utterly naked. Bane hadn't thought anything of it, so the man wanted to wash the lower half of his body as well, so what? Talia apparently didn't think it so benign. Her eyes were terrified as she again hid her face in his sodden pant leg, and Bane rolled his eyes. He would have thought she'd almost stepped on a scorpion the way she'd leaped towards him.

"Are you done?" he asked, and Talia mumbled something into his leg. Bane frowned, ducking down beside her, trying to peer into her downcast eyes.

"Can we leave?"

"Sure, little one. We'll go back to the cell and start that fire."

She smiled slightly, but as he stood up he could tell that seeing that man naked had truly shaken her. They headed back to their cell, and while Talia didn't hold his hand, she remained close enough so that he always felt her brushing his side.

Their cell was a quiet comfort, and he gratefully locked the door behind him. Talia was already searching for her spare shirt, pulling it on with a satisfied smile. She tugged off her soaked pants, shirt hanging down around her knees, and Bane noticed that she no longer had any qualms in changing before him.

He busied himself with pulling out wood for their fire, a small pile that had been carefully collected over the past weeks. Wood was a precious commodity in the Pit, jealously grabbed at when it came with the supplies. It was an unspoken rule that once you left the main clearing of the bottom level of the Pit with the firewood in your arms, it was yours. Everyone in the Pit knew the precarious balance, and that stealing something so important was inviting absolute chaos and no one would likely survive very long. And even though they hated it, the honest fact was that everyone relied on everyone else down in the Pit. A single person could never survive in that hell hole.

Talia moved closer, eagerly watching as he began laying out the sticks. He quietly explained the steel and flint to her, and Talia attempted to light the fire, an irritated look on her face when she failed. When she finally did produce sparks they were small and not enough to catch, but Talia seemed sated.

"Let me try," he said, taking the flint from her.

In another few minutes the fire was lit and the both of them were dutifully building it. She was attentive to everything he said, explaining just how big they could allow it to get and what was best for fuel. Her large blues eyes were so serious as he told her about oil and grease and how fires could so easily spring out of hand. Talia nodded, eyes intense as she watched his hands as though her very life depended on this quick lesson.

They hung their wet clothes over the fire to dry, though Bane remained in his wet pants. He wasn't exactly sure how Talia would react to him being naked, and didn't especially want to find out. A bit of discomfort would be better than losing the precious progress he'd made with her, of that he was sure.

The two of them munched on a small portion of what little food Bane had left, drifting into silence. He liked this part of their relationship. Talia didn't need conversation to be at ease with him. Bane had the feeling that she watched him just as much as he watched her, and knew that after a while they might not even need words to understand each other.

Talia stared into the fire, eyes distant. She was shivering slightly, even though a while earlier she had gotten up and wrapped the blanket around herself and she was only a foot away from the flames. The rain had managed to cut the heat of the day, but perhaps it had done its job a little too well.

"Talia," he murmured, and she jerked her head up to look at him, clicking back into their dark reality. "Are you cold?"

She vaguely nodded, eyes sliding to the fire before she forced herself to stare at him. Bane wondered what she had connected in her head to the allure of the flames.

He opened his arms, a question, really, and after a moment Talia shifted, crawling over to him. She climbed in to his lap, careful of where she placed each part of her body before settling into him.

"Hold on," he murmured, pulling the blanket from around her. Talia stiffened, waiting, waiting, always worried as to what his motives were despite everything he'd done for her. Bane had learned to accept this, and it no longer irritated him like it had in the beginning. That was just Talia's way, and he doubted that she'd ever grow out of it. Not while she was in the Pit, anyways.

"You'll be warmer," he explained, and Talia nodded, allowing him to settle the blanket around the two of them. She relaxed into him, even though he wasn't wearing a shirt and she no pants, even though he was one of the fully grown men the warrior princess had so rigorously warned her about. As Talia fell asleep against his arm, Bane felt a soft glow of pride at having earned this little girl's trust so completely. He held her to him, absently stroking her arm.

He would let her sleep. Any moment that she could run away from this nightmare were precious, precious things that he'd never let anyone steal.

AN I liked this chapter as well, because Talia's truly come to trust Bane. Now we'll have to see how they deal with life after this.