Wake Up and Live

by batmanbane

"Don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."

- Charlotte Vale, Now Voyager

Chapter 11 - Epilogue

Bane and Barsad estimated a two-year stay in Dakar. Breaking the Bertolini family's hold on Daggett's former mining operations would take time, given the fact that the family had recruited a local militia to enforce its rule. The mercenaries decided to take their time in recruiting and training men, and in the end their patience would be rewarded. Eventually, the militia would be driven back and the mining operations would fall into Bane's hands. When he was confident of his army and the staff in place, he and Barsad would move on to the monastery in the mountains, which had been rebuilt in the wake of the damage inflicted by Bruce Wayne years before.

At the monastery, Bane would play the role of scholar. First and foremost, he was duty-bound to record the history of Talia's assault on Gotham, but he would do so without the lies and exaggerations of Ra's al Ghul's historians. He would boast only in regard to his own personal accomplishments. He also toyed with the idea of writing his memoirs.

Juliet's job at Wayne Enterprises provided a welcome distraction from her departed mercenary lover, and everything in his wake...

Her day began at 8:00 am, and she usually arrived home late in the afternoon. The work was exhausting, and sometimes she felt overwhelmed by the heat of the 30th-floor kitchen ovens. On most days she collapsed upon arriving home, needing a nap before dinner.

Sometimes at the end of the workday, an elegant black-haired woman entered the elevator on the 25th floor. She was always immaculately dressed in an expensive suit, and carried a leather briefcase. To Juliet's great interest, the woman also carried a Birkin bag.

"I've never actually seen a real Birkin bag before!" Juliet enthused, striking up a conversation with the glamorous woman. "Do they really cost $20,000?"

The woman broke into an ironic smile.

"I don't really know." She admitted, allowing herself a rare giggle. "It was a gift from a client..."

In no time at all Juliet Marchand, pastry chef at Wayne Enterprises, had struck up a friendship with Nicoletta Bertolini, partner at Romano, Rossi and Hagen. The two women often enjoyed a brief chat in the elevator before leaving the Wayne Building at the end of the day.

The shooter watched patiently from his corner on the rooftop of an empty building that was slated for condo development.

He was a League man. He had orders to kill, and he had been watching his target for days. He was in a perfect position for the job at hand. The Wayne Building stood at an angle across the street from him.

In the unlikely event that his siege of Gotham failed, Bane had appointed the shooter - along with 11 others - to stay behind and maintain a League foothold. As it happened, the siege had failed. Since liberation, the shooter and his colleagues had infiltrated the city as ordinary citizens. He rejoiced in the fact that he would never have to return to the monastery. Why the League bothered to rebuild the cold hovel in the mountains was beyond his comprehension. He was an American, and he craved the excitement of bright lights and the big city.

He had no idea when or if Bane planned to return to finish the job in Gotham, but he would keep his skills sharp. He had secured a well-paying construction job which, along with his League salary, provided an above-average living. Gotham's nightlife had returned in full force, and he had a string of girlfriends.

Peering into the eyepiece of his Barrett M107, he waited for the appearance of his female target. At the same time, one of his colleagues was scheduled to carry out a similar assignment a few blocks away.

He checked the time on his cell phone, and knew that his target would show up soon.

As he had always suspected, Bane and his annoying lieutenant had survived and escaped the city, thus the shooter wasn't surprised when the lieutenant called him out of the blue to order the hit. During the League's reign in Gotham, the lieutenant had frequently reminded the shooter that although he was an excellent shot, he wasn't the best.

The shooter's target came into view, and he swore softly when he realized she walked with another woman. He was to fire only one shot and had a limited window in which to complete the job. If he missed and hit the wrong woman, the lieutenant would never let him hear the end of it.

"Fuck you, Barsad!" He muttered aloud.

He watched patiently as the two women stood in the public space, continuing their conversation for about 30 seconds before waving goodbye to one another.

The other woman disappeared down a flight of subway stairs, much to his relief.

Now he had the target all to himself as she moved closer and closer to him.

The shooter captured her in his crosshairs and smiled, exhilaration surging through his entire body.

"Come to daddy, sweetheart!"

Urgent thumping woke Juliet from her late afternoon snooze. Jeff was waiting on the other side of the back door, wearing a shocked and stricken expression.

"I'm sorry to burst in on you like this, Jules." Juliet ushered him in, and Jeff instantly reached inside the fridge for a beer, swilling half of it down in one gulp. "But I really need a friend right now!"

"What's wrong?" She frowned. "You look awful!"

"The woman I was dating... remember you smelled her perfume? She... she was shot in the chest as she left her office this afternoon. She's dead."

"Oh my God, Jeffrey! How did it happen?" She squeezed his trembling hand.

"It was no accident. The police are calling it a mob hit. Her father and uncle were organized crime figures, and they were murdered at almost the same time... both shot in the head while drinking their afternoon grappa on the patio at Becco. Jim Gordon says there have been rising tensions between the Bertolini and Gambino families in the past few months. The police interviewed me for over two hours, but I couldn't tell them much except that she'd been troubled lately."

Jeff's haunted blue eyes blinked rapidly. "She kept having a premonition of something terrible happening, and she wanted me to go away with her. I refused."

"Oh don't! It's not your fault! This is not your fault!" Juliet hugged him tightly. "Did you... did you love her?"

Jeff pulled out of her arms and shook his head.

"The thing is, I... I really don't know, Jules, except that she made me feel good at a time when I really needed it. I cared enough about her to be devastated by her death."

"That's it, then!" Juliet said determinedly. "You're staying with me tonight! I don't want you to be alone."

"Yea..." He sighed. "I could use the company, Jules. Thanks. I can sleep downstairs if that's okay with you?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way. We'll make dinner together, and we'll watch the news, and we'll have a good long talk about everything, okay? I'll get you through this, Jeffrey."

The next morning, Juliet and Jeff sat across from one another, numbly staring at their uneaten breakfast. Neither had slept well.

Juliet had since learned that the female murder victim was the same woman with whom she'd struck up a friendship in the elevator, and that she had been shot just moments after Juliet had left her the previous day.

Although she grieved for the senseless killing of a woman she barely knew, the reality of having been in the line of fire shook her to the bone. It was as close to a near death experience as she'd ever had.

"I could have easily lost you if the killer had made a mistake..." It was a prospect that left Jeff feeling equally shaken.

Juliet's lip trembled, touched by his concern. She was exhausted by the stress of keeping secrets, and she had decided it was time to lay her cards on the table.

"Jeffrey... I need a friend, too."

"I know... and I'm here for you, as long as you need me."

A single tear rolled down her cheek. "It's just that I... I messed up. And now I'm pregnant."

Jeff blinked, dumbfounded by her news.

"Well, it's not mine!" He sputtered after an uncomfortable silence.

"No, it's not yours."

"I knew it... I knew there was something going on in your life, and I knew it was another man! Who is he? Do I know him?" Flustered, Jeff stood from his chair, babbling frantically as Juliet shook her head sadly.

"You're my best friend. I need your promise that you'll never tell. I'll go to prison, and they'll take the baby away..."

"What are you saying?" He squawked. "You're scaring me!"

"I want your promise!"

"Okay, yes, I swear to God I won't say a word." His voice continued to rise in panic. "Just tell me what the hell this is all about!"

"Well... two men broke into my house one night while I was out shopping. When I arrived home I went downstairs to put the groceries away. That was where they were hiding, and one of them jumped me and put a gun to my head."

Jeff turned white as a sheet. "Oh, Jules, honey! Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because... because they needed a place to hide, and the one with the gun bought my silence by telling me they had people watching you. They weren't ordinary thugs, Jeffrey. They knew things about us. They knew that you and I had been engaged. They knew that you planned to run for mayor, they knew your daily routine, and they said they'd kill you if I told anyone."

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. "Did they hurt you? How long did they stay?"

"Two months. They left a few weeks ago."

"You mean you were held hostage all that time? Oh my God! Why didn't I guess something was really wrong instead of being jealous? Who were they? Bank robbers?" He was practically hysterical.

"Not bank robbers. Mercenaries. They'd both been wounded on liberation day, one of them more severely than the other. They'd been hiding somewhere else - they never told me where - but they didn't feel comfortable in that place, so they came to my house."

Jeff's stomach dropped as the unthinkable shook his world.

"They raped you!"

"No... no, they didn't rape me."

"Then how are you pregnant? You didn't sleep with them in exchange for my life, did you? Tell me you didn't, Jules, because I'm not worth it!"

"No, it was nothing like that." She turned away, unable to look him in the eye. "I slept with one of them because... I wanted him."

Jeff's mouth dropped open. "You wanted him." He repeated quietly.

"Yes, I wanted him."

"Who the hell is this guy, then? Give him a name!" He demanded.

"It was... He was... Bane. The other man was Barsad, his sniper."

By now a full-on red rage had replaced Jeff's pallor.

"This is not a good time for making jokes." He observed, breathing heavily. His voice was low and fearful of the truth. "So, I take it that you're serious."

"Very serious, Jeffrey. I slept with Bane."

Stunned, Jeff shook his head. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! How could you have willingly had sex with that monster? He's not human! He's a murderer! He wrecked this city, and the damage will be felt for years! He deprived people of their homes, their jobs, and their lives, and he could have broken your neck anytime!"

"He was a perfect gentleman in my house. I never saw the Bane that I remember from the football stadium."

"Oh, well, that's nice to know!" Jeff answered sarcastically. "Why the hell did he target you, anyway?"

Juliet sighed, determined to give Jeff nothing less than the whole truth.

"We had one of those "across a crowded room" moments at City Hall. We were instantly attracted to one another. Barsad told me later that Bane had him track me. He had the idea that he could trust me, so they broke into my house. They lived downstairs while they were here... they made their own meals, did their own laundry..."

"As if that bastard hasn't taken enough from this city. He had to take you as well!"

"I told you, I wanted to sleep with him!"

"Jules, the guy needs to be shackled, brought to justice and put before the same kangaroo court he enforced on us! He deserves capital punishment. You and I are friends with Jim Gordon. How are we ever going to look him in the eye again?"

"Jim can never know. I did it for you, Jeffrey."

"And having sex with Bane? Did you do that for me, too?" He demanded.

"No, Jeffrey. I did that for me."

The bluntness of her confession rattled Jeff from head to toe.

"But, but Jules - you know how not to get pregnant..."

"I just threw caution to the wind. I didn't care."

A stunning irony washed over Jeff as he stared helplessly at the ceiling.

He had been engaged in a similar relationship with Nico - a woman with links to organized crime. They too had rushed into an intense, sexual affair with no thought of the future, therefore he had no right to point fingers at Juliet.

His mood relaxed, and he took his seat again.

"Believe it or not, I understand, Jules. I do understand. Nico and I were really going at it too. It was insane, but I loved every minute of it." He admitted shamelessly.

Juliet frowned, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Oh..." She murmured. "I would never have guessed..."

"Does he know you're pregnant?" The city counselor's protective nature had returned.

"No. I have no way of contacting him. Eventually, it will come to light that he's still alive, and when that happens he doesn't want me traced to him because I'll be arrested for hiding fugitives."

"Oh man, Jules!" He whined. "That just sounds to me like the brush-off from a bad boyfriend. Seduced and abandoned."

"Think what you like, Jeffrey!" She huffed. "I thought about going with him until I realized it was an impossible situation. We don't belong in each other's worlds."

"Well, I'm grateful you came to your senses. Have you seen the doctor yet?"

"Yes. Four weeks along. I can hardly believe it."

"You said you messed up, but I think you want this kid, seeing as you're afraid they'll take it away if you."

She nodded in affirmation. "It's been a lot to process, but there's no other option for me except to face up to my responsibilities."

"I hate that guy for what he did to our city, but the kid shouldn't be discarded because of his old man's sins. You made the right decision, Jules, and I got your back on this one. You know I'll always have your back!"

The following spring, Juliet gave birth to a daughter. From the moment the baby entered the world Jeff loved her as his own, and once their lives had settled down to a dull roar he and Juliet were married. One day they would have to tell the baby the truth about her birth father, so they made immediate plans to expand their family. Little cupcake would be surrounded by love to help buffer the emotional pain she might endure.

The child was the very image of Bane, and Juliet became emotional when she thought of him going through life unaware that he was the father of a beautiful daughter. She wrote to him regularly, even though the emails piled up in her "draft" mailbox with nowhere to go. She had no idea where he was, or whether he was dead or alive. But she was determined that if she were to ever see him again, she would have the life story of their daughter in words and pictures ready for him.

She often wondered how things would have transpired if she and Bane had been able to work things out, but she always came to the same conclusion. She had a husband that she loved who wasn't a wanted man. She didn't have to fear for his life or that of her child. She had a stable home, and her own business. It was all for the best.

"Heads up, brother. We have intruders at the gates."

Bane looked up from his tablet, on which he'd been playing a highly addictive game of military strategy.

"Why disturb me?" He grunted. "Have them shot and tossed off the mountain as per usual procedure!"

"I don't think you want to do that." Barsad grinned. "These are just kids."

"And what do we do with curious children from the village, brother? We threaten their parents with prison. You know what to do."

"Trust me, big guy, these aren't children. They're young adults, and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist that you see them."

Annoyed, Bane raised his aching backside from his chair. "Very well, I will humor you, brother. Confiscate their weapons and bring the prisoners to me."

"They have no weapons, Bane. I told you, these are kids."

The prisoners were eventually herded into Bane's tiny study, hooded and zip-cuffed. Each was outfitted with expensive climbing equipment, and it was clear that they didn't hail from the village below.

"I don't usually entertain guests in my personal space." Bane drawled, as he paced around the two figures. "But my lieutenant insists that I greet you in person. So without further adieu I must ask... what have we here?"

He slid the hood off the figure closest to him, revealing the determined visage of a girl approximately 20 years of age. While many prisoners experienced claustrophobia inside the hood, Bane sensed the girl hadn't been rattled at all, and that she had been more than ready for whatever waited beyond.

She was tall, with medium brown hair that was artfully controlled by a single braid. Her expression was fearless, and her dark brown eyes shone with gleeful triumph.

Something inside Bane shifted as goosebumps spread across his muscled arms. The mercenary felt faint, almost as if he'd inhaled too much analgesic.

"Passports!" He ordered, his voice cracking as he waited for Barsad to push the documents into his hand.

"You don't need to see our passports!" The girl spoke haughtily. "Surely you know who we are..." Her speech was cultured, self-assured, and rich with melody.

Bane had not been so taken aback since Selina Kyle fired a missile at him. The young woman's words were in the very least, partially true.

He knew her.

He knew her eyes and her frown. He recognized her confidence, and the smug pleasure she took in unsettling him. In her he saw a reflection of himself, past and present. Emotional lightning struck his core, and he knew without a doubt that he was standing in the presence of his very own child.

His heart pounded erratically and a lump rose in his throat as tears stung the back of his eyes. The how and why escaped him as conflicting emotions crashed against his shore.

Profound regret, a need to protect, and above all, fierce pride.

"Remove the boy's hood!" The girl ordered.

Stunned, Bane did as he was told. Under the second hood stood a young man a year or two younger than the girl. Even after the passing of so many years, Bane recognized that face as well.

He blinked back the moisture in his eyes as he perused their passports.

Skye Sorrento.

Cody Sorrento.

Sorrento.

The girl's voice rang out in the silence.

"Perhaps you understand now!"

Of course. Everything fell into place when he noted her birthdate. By his calculations, she was his child with Juliet Marchand - the child he never knew existed.

The younger boy had to be Juliet's child by Jeff Sorrento.

Devastated by all the lost years, Bane was filled with a terrible self-loathing. How could he have possibly not known? Why had he not known? He should have known.

He turned to Cody, addressing him sternly.

"Do you keep the wolves from your sister's door, boy?" His voice shook slightly, and sounded raspier than normal.

Cody beamed, awe-inspired in the presence of the legendary mercenary and fugitive from justice.

"She doesn't need any help from me, sir. Guys are terrified of her. She can drop any man with her arms tied behind her back."

The mercenary smiled warmly under the mask. Cody Sorrento favored his mother to the letter. Though he rarely spoke of Juliet, Bane's time with her was a treasured memory, a victory he had salvaged from the ruins of Gotham. Cody had her green eyes, dark hair and flippant personality.

"Your mother is well?" He asked hopefully.

"Yea... she's good." Cody shrugged, more interested in watching Bane's second-in-command cut through his zip-cuffs. "You must be Barsad."

Barsad scratched his greying beard. "The very one, kiddo. How about we let your sister get better acquainted with Bane? You and I'll have a couple of beers, and I'll give you the grand tour."

Cody looked to his sister, and she nodded.

"Go with Mr. Barsad." She said, and watched protectively as her brother disappeared down the hall with Bane's second-in-command.

With a whispered "one-two-three", Skye wrenched her wrists apart and the plastic zip-cuffs confining her broke into several pieces, littering the floor around her.

She was calm yet defiant. She took two deliberate steps toward Bane, crossing her arms as she awaited his reaction.

"Do you have nothing to say to your own child?" The girl revelled in her father's discomfort as an impish smile transformed her frowning demeanour.

"I...I have been blind-sided." Bane admitted, when he finally found his voice. "Truly, I do not know where to begin."

He was a father.

Bane had protected young Talia, but what did he know about being a father? A father was a spiritual advisor, a nurse, a teacher, and a 24-hour job. Did any of it matter given that the young woman before him clearly didn't need him?

"Very well, Father. I shall speak."

Father.

"I treasure my Gotham family. They are my world, but along with my family I have always lived with an enemy."

Enemy.

"I came here today to face that enemy!"

"No, child!"

"No what?" Barsad asked.

Bane leapt from his chair, confused. The girl had disappeared, and in her place stood his second-in-command.

"Where is she?" He demanded, his voice croaking with emotion.

"Where is who?" Barsad asked.

"My child! My daughter with Juliet. I must speak with her... convince her I am no enemy!"

Barsad frowned, patting him on the shoulder. "You've been dreaming again, brother!"

Shocked, Bane surveyed the room carefully, all the while deeply embarrassed that Barsad had caught him in yet another vulnerable moment...

Of course. After two years in Dakar, they had recently settled in at the monastery in the mountains. He had no child.

"Forgive me, brother, but she was as vivid to me as you are now!"

A sympathetic Barsad sighed as he once again prepared to play psychiatrist.

"This is what happens when you break formation, Bane. You normally kill people when you're done using them. Daggett, Pavel, Stryker, the Bertolini family. I admit that I was pissed when you called the hit on Nico, but I know it was for the best. What you didn't do was kill Juliet. The dream about unfinished business."

Bane resumed his seat in the comfortable chair by the fire. "It is of no use, brother!" He countered stubbornly. "I cannot kill her!"

"I know you can't. She's a good kid, and I liked her too. But look at it this way... you know how to reach her. You know where the duchess lives, and you've likely guessed that I have her phone number and email address. It may give you some peace and closure to contact her, because you're obviously not done with her yet."

Bane closed his eyes, remembering how he had feared even touching her that last night on the pier, and how he had gruffly turned his back on her. He had often fantasized about seeing her again, but a voice inside him warned against it. If he did as Barsad suggested, he might only be opening himself up for more regret.

How grateful he was for a glimpse of the child he would never have. He opened his eyes and stared bleakly into the dying embers of the fire.

"No, brother. The ship has sailed, so to speak, and I must let Juliet be."

Author's Notes: We all love happy endings and we all love Bane, but in writing this story I wanted to explore the idea that there could be no happy endings with a man like him. From the very beginning I imagined a "Casablanca" ending, where the lovers part because it's the right thing for everyone. Thank you all for staying with me on this story. I hope you'll leave a review and tell me what you think, then follow me over to my Bane fic The Devil's Command, where I'm eager to get to work on chapter 5. Thanks again. :) :D