Next chapter will feature some Bruce! Enjoy :)
The snap was unbearable. Scarlett covered hear ears to avoid hearing it. During the fight she never closed her eyes, she had to see it. She had to see Bane fighting Bruce. But the sounds of breaking bones was too much. Secretly she prayed that Bane suddenly lost his strength against Bruce. She didn't want Bruce to die but she didn't want Bane to die either.
Bane had taken off Bruce's Batman mask. He had broken his back and Scarlett was not sure if he was dead or alive. But it didn't matter that much anyway, with a broken back there was little you could do.
The Bat was broken, just like part of Scarlett's heart.
Guards had escorted Scarlett back to Bane's office. 'He'll be there soon' they told her. Scarlett had never felt so confused about her feelings, her mind was spinning and it was hard to control her emotions. Don't cry, don't cry, she repeated. Don't cry, don't cry.
They brought her dinner, telling her she didn't had to wait for Bane. The dinner was amazing, looking like it came straight out of a five star hotel. With some reluctance she ate her dinner. Bruce and Bane both on her mind. Did Alex know about this? She knew everything. She wondered if she could tell Alex about what she saw, about who she really was, about Bruce, she wondered if she could trust her.
Scarlett could hear footsteps approaching. Quickly she regained her composure. Don't cry. Bane would be in a good mood, it was better to keep it that way.
The door swung open and Bane entered, looking very content. Everything had went as he had planned.
'How you did you like it?' Bane asked, placing his hand on the back of Scarlett's neck and squeezing it gently.
A million answers went through Scarlett's mind, but none seemed to be fitting. Of course she couldn't tell Bane she knew Bruce and she had feelings for him.
'Amazed' Scarlett answered finally.
It seemed to be a good answer, Bane chuckled. He sat down on the chair opposite of her. He looked at Scarlett's half eaten dinner.
'Didn't you like it?'
'I loved it, but it was just a bit too much'
Scarlett smiled weakly. Don't cry, don't cry.
'Good' Bane continued, acting like everything was fine and not like he probably killed Batman.
'You can expect more of that'
Not sure what he meant, Scarlett raised her eyebrows.
'You'll be staying here and not with those whores'
Just like Bane's plan, Scarlett's plan had worked. She had replaced Devina. Unfortunately she wasn't in the mood to be happy about it. But she smiled, like she always had done. She hid her pain, her feelings.
That night she had slept with Bane, like every other night, only this night she stayed with him. It felt nice sleeping in a bed and she even enjoyed Bane's company. She wasn't scared of him anymore, she got used to his voice and she didn't even notice the mask anymore.
Her bruises had gone away, but the cuts were still visible. She had gained the weight she had lost. She started to look normal again, dressing in normal clothes instead of old rags and eating normal food.
Immediately taking advantage of the freedom, she decided to visit Alex. She wasn't going to abandon her. The girl had won a spot in her heart and if she ever got out of here she wanted Alex by her side. Besides, if it weren't for Alex, Bane would never had noticed her.
Scarlett had slipped some left over breakfast inside a plastic bag and had given it to Alex. She seemed fine but she missed playing poker, she was still as bubbly as always. Scarlett promised her that she'd ask Bane if she could come visit in the office sometimes.
Even though it wasn't really any of her business, Scarlett was determined to find out what happened to Devina. The guards didn't even look at her when she passed them. She had to remember that incase she wanted to escape.
After some wandering around she found Devina locked up in a cell with some other girls. She looked even worse than Scarlett did when she was all beaten up. Devina's head bled and she was covered in bruises.
'How are your wounds?' Scarlett asked the same question Devina had told her and she leaned against the cell.
Devina scoffed.
'How is Bane?'
'Don't pretend like you care about him'
'I can't help my feelings'
Is this girl for real? Devina was nothing more than an object to Bane, a doll with whom he did as he liked. Scarlett hoped to be more to him than that.
'Seriously?' Scarlett chuckled. She's so pathetic.
'Try biting them when you don't want to get raped' Scarlett continued. 'Or digging your nails in their back, it helps'
'At least I'm not a savage' Devina snapped back, referring to the biting incident.
'At least I'm not a pathetic whore'
'Is that the best you've got?' Devina smiled arrogantly.
'You know nothing' Scarlett said. The other girls all acted like they ignored what was going in, but Scarlet knew better. They were probably enjoying this as much as she was.
'I know more than you think' Devina said. 'I know about the Batman'
The little game they were playing just got serious. Scarlett could feel the anger inside her enraging.
'What about him?' Scarlett said, trying to act like she didn't knew what was going on.
'Bane told me' she claimed.
'I know his identity'
The smug on Devina's face made Scarlett's rage even worse.
'I don't believe you' Scarlett said.
Scarlett moved closer to the entrance of the cell, as did Devina. Their faces were almost touching.
Suddenly Devina pulled something out of her back pocket and a large bang sent Scarlett backwards. She fell down on the floor and before she knew it the whole world went black.
The sound of machinery and murmuring woke Scarlett. She opened her eyes to find she was in a hospital. Immediately her hand reached to her shoulder. It was bandaged and Scarlett could feel a lot of pressure on it. With difficulty she sat up and looked around her. She didn't know anyone in the room and she didn't know what happened.
The strangers scared Scarlett and she felt a sudden urge to escape. Hysteria took over her body as she tried to pull out her IV's.
'Calm down' a stranger who looked like a doctor said while he and someone else tried to hold Scarlett down.
'You need to rest!'
Scarlett gave in, she was too tired to fight them.
'What happened?' she asked with a hoarse voice.
Just when Scarlett thought everything would be better, it all got worse. Everything was going according to plan, but as like always someone had to ruin it.
'You got shot' the doctor told her.
Suddenly Scarlett remembered everything. Devina, the gun, the pain, the fear, everything.
'I want Bane' Scarlett had to take deep breaths between each word, she was exhausted.
'He'll be here soon'
A few hours (or minutes) later Scarlett woke again. Again all she heard was the sound coming from the machinery, but this time the room was empty. A tray with food was left on a side table. The food lacked the quality it had yesterday but Scarlett wasn't hungry anyway.
How long had I been out?
Scarlett pushed a button next to her bed and a short moment later a nurse was at her bedside. 'Can I get something for the pain, morphine, vodka?' she asked. She could handle the pain, but everything that happened in the past 24 hours was too much. It would be nice not being able to think for a while.
'I'll ask' the nurse replied, her smile full of pity.
Don't pity me, pity Bruce. He's the one who needs saving, not me.
A few minutes later the nurse came back with some pills and water. Eagerly Scarlett swallowed them.
'Can I see Bane now?' she asked.
'He has some business to attend to, he'll be here soon'
Scarlett sighed.
'Where am I anyway?' she wanted to ask, but the nurse had already left. Leaving Scarlett alone in the room.
Looking around the room Scarlett found that the room had a window. She couldn't remember the last time she saw day light. Against the doctor's orders she got up and stumbled towards the window. She opened the blinds and let a ray of sunlight hit her face. It felt warm and familiar. She had missed it, but not as much as she missed Bruce, not as much like she wanted Bane here right now.
Taking a closer look at the surroundings she came to the conclusion that she didn't know this hospital. She had only been to Gotham General once, it seemed logical that Bane had brought her to a smaller and unknown hospital.
Minutes she stood soaking up the sun. It was a better medicine than the pills the nurse had given her. The warm light made her feel alive again, even if she was pretty much dead already.
'Get back in bed'
Scarlett hadn't heard Bane entering the room. She turned her head but she didn't say anything.
'Scarlett' Bane warned.
'Or what?' she snapped back. It was time that she stood up for herself, she had lost the fighting spirit she first had when she arrived at the prison, but the recent events had given her new energy.
'You said no one will touch me anymore' Anger was clearly audible in her voice.
'I want a gun' She said.
'Lie down' Bane replied, ignoring her.
Scarlett turned away from him, turning back to the sunlight. It looked like it was a beautiful day. What she'd give right now to walk outside, to just forget this ever happened, to go back to her former life.
Bane moved closer towards Scarlett, picking her up and laying her in the hospital bed. Scarlett didn't fight him, if he was stronger than Bruce, how was she ever going to fight him?
'I want a gun' Scarlett said again.
'No' Bane replied sharp.
'Why did Devina had one?'
'To protect herself'
'Look how well that turned out'
The bullet wound on her shoulder still hurt, but it didn't stop her from tracing the wound, occasionally poking her finger inside to see if she still felt pain.
'Precisely, that's why I don't want you to have one'
'I'm not like her, don't you trust me?'
A tear fell down Scarlett's cheek. She wasn't hurt physically but also mentally.
Bane didn't say anything and wiped the tear off Scarlett's cheek.
'When you go, please leave the blinds open'
She turned her head away from him and closed her eyes again, waiting for the medicines to do their job.
