The world swum around her in a strange, intangible sort of way. It reminded her of the way light trails after it's source in the dark, only to disappear before you can write your full name. She'd never been able to. Write her name, that is, she'd only ever been able to get the first few letters before it trailed away into nothing.
Where was she?
"The world is full of energy, sweet love." Oh yeah, with her mother. "Everything ebbs and flows with this energy, even people. You can learn from this energy, learn to feel it, use it." No, her mother was dead. "Learn to read people, they are the most fascinating of all. Constantly at war with themselves." Yeah, but he wasn't. Wait.
Blurry sights met her eyes as she tried to look around the dimly lit room. It was dark and damp as water roared in her ears. Odd humanoid shapes moved in and out of her line of sight and she groaned softly. This wasn't her house.
"Reach out and feel him." What the hell? She blinked slowly and tried to focus. Darkness washed over her vision and swallowed her whole. She sighed gently and wrapped herself in the dark, reveled in it and allowed herself to rest.
Bane watched her sigh in her sleep, watched as her lips moved, like she was dreaming. She turned towards him as she slept and reached, stretched slender, calloused fingers towards him. The tips of her fingers touched his mask and lingered there as her eyes fluttered open briefly and locked onto his. Her smile was sudden and brilliant and it struck him in the heart with such force it nearly winded him. Her eyes closed again and her fingers slipped from his mask to curl next to her face and sleep claimed her again.
"So many interesting tricks." He murmured and gently lifted a strand of hair from her face. She sighed softly at the contact and leaned into him. He froze as she pressed her nose against his palm and inhaled softly, breathing in his scent. She let out a soft breath against his hand and curled tighter around herself, closer to him.
Not prey, and not a predator. Inside burns a wild fire, beautiful...uncontrolled destruction...and life. You make no sense, little one, none at all. He thought idly as he continued to watch her, fascinated and unable to look away. There was something in her that hooked him, drew him in in a way he had never known before. Not even with his beloved Talia. She was his to guard, to protect, and he was hers to command, to use. But this...something tugged inside again and he growled and pushed away.
"I will learn your secrets." He hissed before he stood and left her to work out the rest of the drug from her system, courtesy of Dr. Crane, of course.
He strode from the room with long steps and renewed purpose. He barked orders at his men and growled at anyone who was too slow in responding. His fist connected with the jaw of some unknown lackey who stepped a little too close and sent him spinning to the ground.
His mood did not improve even when he visited City Hall as Crane conduced his deranged proceedings in his mad court. Bane watched silently as people were tried by the dozens, all sentenced to death by exile, and Crane giggled.
"A fair court." A soft voice said behind him and Bane turned slightly to glance over his shoulder. She was quiet, she'd learned that much from her father, but she was no Ghost.
"A fair sentencing." He replied and she smiled slightly, crossing her arms and propping against him like someone would to a wall. He was a good tool, with many uses to conform to her every need. From the moment he'd saved her, he'd known this. He'd been at peace with this. Now it slithered down his spine, crawled along his skin like spiders. He did not like being unsure about anything.
It irked him.
"You are cross today." She remarked as she looked up at him through long lashes and he can only watch silently. "It is not distracting you, is it?" She asked sharply and he could not help but feel like a child being scolded. His ward, his charge, his light to protect and he is chided. He scowls behind his mask and turned his face from hers so that she would not see.
"I gave you my word. I will not fail." He cannot help the growl that rumbled from his chest as he speaks and suddenly there is a light pressure against his mask. He looked down into her sweet face and sighed gently as her fingers traveled to his brow and he's struck, again, with how soft and smooth they are. She had trained, been beaten, broken, but never made hard.
Gripping her fingers gently in his calloused hands he pulled her away slowly. She stared up at him with doe brown eyes and he sighed. "I will get back to work." He murmured before pulling away and striding off silently.
His Talia. All light and beauty with soft lines and a sweet face. He tried desperately to save her, and now she played at war. Her cause was noble, and her mind was keen with plots and schemes, but she was too soft for a warrior. He hissed a mechanical sigh as he made his way back to the sewers and his safe haven.
The sight that greeted him sent him reeling, though he showed no outward sign of this. Gathered around a small poker table sat his men, guns slung at their sides, cards clutched in their hands as his little Ghost robbed them all blind.
"What is this?" he asked as he approached. His men leapt to their feet, stiff as boards and trembling slightly as he approached. Alexis didn't move, but she smiled up at him like a wolf.
"Poker. Join us." She quipped and he could only stare.
"It's a trick." One of his men spoke quickly, head up but eyes downcast. Bane raised a brow and waited. "She's a cheat."
"Am not!" She snapped as she jumped to her feet, all righteous indignation. "You just can't play to save your sorry lives, or your sorry wallets." Amusement rose in Bane's chest as he watched this exchange, and he was partially grateful for his mask to hide it all.
"Little ghost, you do not need to harass my men." He said, though there was little weight behind his tone. She gave him a sharp look and he smiled behind his mask, the irritation in his chest letting go so suddenly it left him reeling.
"Harassment is them trying to pester me while the sedatives aren't fully out of my system yet." She jabbed her finger harshly at a man who's eye was blooming with an impressive bruise. Bane glared at the man in question before turning to the group and growling.
"Fortunately I'm very good at making friends." She said with a smile that was anything but nice. Some of the men shuffled around the table, but he saw no hostility in their movements. Somehow, with force and candor, she had won over his mercenaries. Something rose inside him and his rage burned hot and sudden.
"Back to work." He barked as his men tripped over themselves to rush to their posts. He grabbed her wrist suddenly and jerked her behind him. She staggered once before gaining her balance and trotting to keep up with him.
"Why aren't you afraid?" He demanded as he tossed her into a side room. She stumbled once more before she spun to face him and excitement thrilled down his spine. That fire. It burned so bright that it nearly blinded him as her anger flared around her.
"Why should I?" She demanded as her eyes flashed dangerously. She was no match for him, she knew that, he knew it, so why challenge him? Her fire ignited in his chest, and he felt himself shiver with anticipation.
"You've been caught. You're my prey, my captive, mine to do with as I will." He said as he stalked towards her small body. She frowned and it twisted the scars on her face into something of a terrifying mask. Just like his.
"You think I am so easily caught?" She demanded with a harsh bark of a laugh. "You're mercenaries are push-overs when it comes to a pretty face. And you...you are no more than a man." She hissed the word with disdain as she took a step towards him, aggression marring every smooth line of her little body. His backhand caught her square in the jaw and sent her tumbling to the ground. He followed like some terrifying giant but she rolled and was on her feet in an instant.
"I have never been only a man." He said softly as he stalked her across the room. He reached for her again but she ducked away from him, spinning on her heel until she was behind him. Her knuckles found the back of his neck, lashing out at the terrible scar hidden there. Pain exploded behind his eyes but he only laughed and turned towards her.
"There are only men." She snapped with venom when he grabbed her wrist and tossed her like a doll into the opposite wall. Her head cracked into the stone and she slumped to the ground in a daze as he approached slowly. He would not rush this. This beauty, this glorious moment as he drank in the heat. It would be his to treasure always, a fire to burn for the rest of his days.
His fingers closed over the scar the wrapped around her throat and he slowly lifted her into the air. Sharp nails anchored into his flesh as she kicked her legs up to lock him in an arm bar. Her strength was no comparison to his, but she jerked quickly throwing her weight behind it, briefly popping his elbow from it's joint, and he dropped her out of surprise.
"And the monster that gave you that smile?" He demanded as she dropped to a crouch in front of him, only to lash out so her foot connected with the side of his knee. He allowed the limb to crumple so he captured her leg underneath his weight and she growled.
"He died as any man would...begging." Her hand lashed out in a vicious open-hand slap right for his eye, but it was much to slow, much too predictable as he caught her hand in a crushing grip. She was trapped, or so he thought until she used his own grip to pull herself forward, wrenching her leg from under him until her weight slammed into his chest and she tackled him to the ground. She sat on him, one hand drawn back to strike, the other pressed into the hollow of his throat.
She stared down at him with such fierceness shining in her eyes he almost didn't see the fear buried beneath and carefully hidden. He laughed softly and tilted his head to the side to watch her.
"And you did not. You survived. Exacted revenge." He said slowly, watching her face. She frowned slightly, a small dent forming between her brows.
"No. I didn't. 'Revenge is a business with no room for profit.'" She said as if quoting, letting her fist drop. She slowly climbed from his chest and flopped down in front of him, resting her arms on her bent knees.
Bane decided to let it drop. He had all the time in the world to learn all he could about her. He sat up and hunched over, hunkering closer to her. Physical appearance had rarely moved him, but he took a moment to study her. He didn't focus on her hair, or the shape of her face, but the tone in her arms and legs, the muscles that shifted and moved subtly beneath her skin. She had been beaten, battered, torn down to nothing and build up again...but never broken. She wasn't born of darkness like he was, but it had molded her, shaped who she was into what she is now.
He could not help but think she was beautiful.
"Ghost." He found himself murmuring and she lifted her gaze to his. She smiled slightly, tentative and unsure, but sincere. "You will train my men. Seeing as you are not my captive, you will make yourself useful." She laughed loud and full.
"And what can I teach these men?" She asked.
"How to not be a sucker for a pretty face."
AN:/ This chapter...you guys. I rewrote it a million times and I still hate the damn thing. Oh well, there is some cuteness in there, which helps. I don't want an abundance of fluff 'cause, let's face it, it's Bane. Boy did he run away with this chapter, I blame AvalontheLadyKiller for the prompt ^.^ Thank you dear!
If there are mistakes, please don't hesitate to inform me, I would appreciate it. Thank you all for stopping by to read!
Also, I figured out spacing! *does a happy dance*
Edit: I only made some minor changes, but it was something that bugged the crap out of me.
