There had never been a time when Bane awoke slowly; it was always a case of being asleep one moment and totally alert the next. Even Talia's occasional presence in his bed, for purely emotional reasons, did not allow him to relax. It had only been a recent thing that he had started to sleep more deeply, something he had no choice in, considering he had to custom his body to Clara's constant shifting for comfort.

It was because of this new lack of alertness, that he hadn't felt her leave the bed. The absence only noted when the lack of warmth sunk in.

Eyes snapping open, Bane was almost immediately on his feet. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she had planned her escape, which meant she had noticed how deeply he now slept around her.

Clever girl.

Smiling in anticipation of the hunt, Bane walked out the door. His sheer size made it pointless for him to even jog, and the odds were in his favor that he would still catch his captive. His men immediately moved out of his way, their heads slightly bowed in subtle but powerful respect.

He knew that his captive was near when he heard Barsad's voice. Clara seemed to be the only one he would truly speak to besides Bane himself. Barsad was a true brother dedicated to his cause.

"Was it so horrible for you here, Clara?" Barsad obviously wasn't bothering to hide the hurt in his voice; Bane knew that they had become close. "It is far better to be underground here then amongst the sewage up there."

Using a fear tactic he had learnt at a younger age, back when he had first escaped the pit, Bane threw his feet down so they made a louder noise. Much of what the league taught him was to take advantage of his size, not hide in the shadows like a common assassin.

His step barely faltered when he entered the room.

Clara was standing on one of the many rails above the sewage tracks. He had only a split second to take in the quite magnificent image of her short haired visage's terrified eyes, before she dropped down.

Only a single step was taken from him, and his men open fired without orders. Cold calm seeped over Bane, the same kind he was taught to embrace.

Without pausing in his movements, Bane snapped the necks of two ex-brothers, before glancing over the edge of the railing. The water had red in it, but he was unable to get a proper glimpse of Clara before she was swept down the toilet, so to speak. (LOL! Poor girl!)

Barsad was similarly looking over the edge. Only Bane could detect the slight worry in his eyes; otherwise the man was emotionless.

"It would seem our traitor has escaped… Send the men out, bring her back." The jovial voice broke through the sound of rushing water.

"Is that truly necessary, my friend?" Bane froze at the loved voice and turned. (His men also haltered in their leaving, knowing better than to follow an order of Bane's should it be altered by this woman.)

There Talia stood; she had a slight smirk on her face that he instantly copied, even though she could not see.

"Talia." Opening his arms Bane walked towards her; she stepped into them naturally. Around them his men shifted restlessly, but it mattered not. Stepping back slightly, Bane moved his hands to her shoulders and traced his thumbs along her collarbone.

"What brings you here? Are your plans not progressing properly?"

Sighing softly, Talia moved from his grip and leaned against the railing Clara had recently jumped over.

"Everything is progressing as expected; I merely wished to spend time with you... We have so little left."

There was no sadness in either of them at the reminder, for they had long ago accepted their fate, embraced it even.

Something occurred to Bane and he faltered for a moment, exactly how long had Talia been here.

"You saw her jump?"

She nodded.

Bane bit back a strange anger at this. Talia could have easily stopped her.

"Why let her go? Do you wish to help me hunt her back?"

Tittering softly, Talia moved closer and ran a hand down his cheek. Barely resisting the urge to close his eyes, Bane instead kept them glued to the only person he had ever loved.

"She fought so hard to escape this place Bane, is it fair to bring her back, especially considering we once fought just as hard to escape our prisons?"

This time moving himself from Talia's touch, Bane walked until he reached his 'area'; Talia followed and allowed him this moment to think.

"This is hardly a prison." Gesturing wide with his arms, Bane smiled beneath his mask. This was the beginning, not an end, unlike the pit.

"Perhaps not to you, my love." Talia looked around for a moment, adding "Or me," as an afterthought. "But to one who is unaccustomed to the darkness, and uncommitted to our cause, it could seem as such."

"Why should this matter?" Frustrated, Bane paused for a moment. "Why should this matter to you, Talia?"

"Because she does not belong here…" Smiling softly, Talia added. "No more than I belong up there."

He didn't need to ask what she meant. Talia belonged in the darkness with him, not cavorting with Gotham's finest.

"Let her go, Bane."

"And if she should speak of us, of our plan?"

A blade was in Talia's hand quicker than even Bane could catch. She toyed with it lovingly.

"Then I shall hunt her down myself."

Ok after this there is going to be a time jump, so fair warning… Also, sorry the chapter was so short, but it needed to be :/

Xoxo

Future