Yeahhhh so I updated like... Two hours ago...? Haha. But this sort of all came tumbling out & I figured I may aswell just stick it up here straight away. None of this was really planned (I already have the next bit sort of mapped out) but my fingers started moving on the keyboard &, like I say, this just came pouring out of me. Hope it's okay. :)

Thanks to Belle de Saint Ange ( as freaking always!) & Sasha for r/r the last chapter so bloody quickly! Made my night! Really glad you're both enjoying this as much as me. THANKYOU!


The Change.

Talia is almost unable to prise herself away from him, but she does; others are watching, her father amongst them, and although Bane is still cuts the imposing figure of strength, he feels shaky and weak in her arms. He's exhausted.

There is no heroes welcome for members of the League of Shadows, but after Talia disengages herself from Bane's embrace, Ra's steps forward and awards her friend with a curt nod, and a formal shake of the hand. The expression on her father's face is proud and satisfied, but for half a second his bright blue eyes flicker to her own, and in that moment the smile falters. Talia refuses to dwell on it; so warmed is she by the fact that he is once again at her side. Where he belongs.

As they all begin to return to the compound, Talia feels Bane hang back with her. The medical team are gently carrying the body of their deceased brother away, and Ra's has fallen into step with another of the returning commanders, deep in conversation. Bane only begins to follow when they are a few steps behind, and he slips his warm fingers into Talia's palm. Her chest swells with joy, her limbs tingling at his touch, and she squeezes his hand in return.

"I have missed you more than you know," She offers quietly, the adrenaline flooding her system making her daring and honest. Heat rises in her cheeks, but Bane will not see it; it is dark now, and the steps carved into the mountainside are lit with torches to guide their way. Fireflies buzz around each one.

Bane looks ahead as he walks, taking in the surrounding vista. Talia tries to discern his expression, but she stumbles slightly and returns her gaze to the uneven steps.

"I know." Bane utters back, "Believe me, little one, I know."

The medical team turn away from the group when they enter the building - all carrying the body upto the mortuary, so that Hasan Khalfili's body can be taken care of in the traditional way. Talia watches them for a moment, knowing she should be sad at the sight of a League member slain in duty, but the thick, warm fingers entwined in her own seem to be filling her with a kind of elation, and at the moment she can feel nothing but contentment.

Bane and the rest of his men follow Ra's to his study, in order to be debriefed. A few of them exchange puzzled looks at having to step over a pile of discarded books outside their master's door, and Ra's himself makes a point pushing them gently to one side with his foot. Talia lets go of Bane's hand as he crosses the threshold into the room, and she immediately drops to her knees, gathering all of them to her chest.

Ra's stands in front of her when she rises again. His expression is soft, but his voice is stern;

"You should retire to bed, Talia."

She glances over her father's shoulder and sees Bane stood with the eleven other black-clad men. She opens her mouth to speak, but Ra's already knows what she will say, and he silences her.

"Not tonight. Lately you have eavesdropped on enough of my conversations."

Talia swallows, guilt pooling in her chest again. She means to apologise, but again, Ra's raises his hand in objection before she can speak.

"I am not angry with you, and I do not wish to argue. Not now. I have men to congratulate and debrief. You will have ample opportunity to see your friend tomorrow. Right now, he is tired and no doubt hungry. Go to bed, and know that he is safe."

She knows there is nothing she can do to change her father's mind, and Talia does not wish to disappoint him further by continuing to listen in on his private conversations. She glances over his shoulder again, and sees that Bane is looking back at her - the creases at his eyes telling her he is smiling underneath the mask. Heat plumes inside her, and she cannot help but smile herself. Talia turns back to her father, and gives a quick bow of the head;

"Yes, father."


It is maybe two hours later when Bane slides open the door to his meagre quarters. Talia stirs at the sound of his movement, having fallen asleep in his bed. He freezes when he realises he is not alone, but Talia lights a candle by the bedside, and her face is illuminated in soft gold.

"I hope you don't mind," She speaks quietly in the still night, blankets curled around her chest, "I haven't been able to sleep properly since you left…"

Bane gives a metallic chuckle as he crosses the room, unclipping his body armor and letting it drop to the floor as he moves.

"I understand."

Talia watches him take a small vial of clear liquid from a desk drawer in the corner of the room, pushing it underneath his chin, and twisting it in his paw-like palm as it connects with the bottom of his mask. There is a slight hissing sound as the liquid is vaporised - sucked into each of the valves on his face - and then Bane discards the empty glass container, taking a few deep breaths to make sure the venom is flowing freely.

This is just part of his daily routine now; injecting more of the agent into his body, numbing the pain that was the end result of him acting as Talia's protector. for so many years She has seen him do this simple act a thousand times, but it never gets any easier to watch. The venom and the mask are constant reminders of the sacrifice Bane made in order to make sure she was safe; seeing the toxin administered sends both a stab of regret and a swell of affection rushing through Talia's body.

Bane kicks off his boots and pulls off the black long sleeve that strains against his large frame. The soft candlelight bathes each muscle in relief, and Talia can see where the back of his thick neck and the slope of his shoulders have gotten sunburnt. There is a cold winter breeze whistling through the shutters, but seeing him like this before her, Talia is suddenly stiflingly hot. As she watches him pull off the leg armor - each flex of his powerful arms making veins rise beneath the surface, his deft fingers making short work of the clips and ties, that warm something pools in her belly. It is as unnerving as it ever was, but it makes Talia smile. I have missed this.

Finally out of his combat gear, Bane stretches out on the bed beside her, one arm raised over his head. He looks exhausted. Talia knows she should snuff out the candle so that they can both go to sleep, but she finds herself transfixed - staring at his expansive chest, the rise and fall of his breathing, the strain of his musculature against tarnished skin - all bathed in buttery candlelight. There are new scars near his collarbone, and even a small burn mark on the inside of his raised arm. Without thinking, Talia leans over and brushes a fingertip across it.

Bane doesn't move or open his eyes, but the silence is broken by his metallic rasp,

"It's just gunshot wound."

Talia starts in surprise;

"You were shot?"

"By someone who needs lessons in marksmanship, it would seem."

Talia grins to herself, her fingers still lazily brushing over the mark. Only Bane would laugh off a gunshot. There is another moment of peaceful quiet while she traces her nails around the area. The thought of someone attempting to harm him in such a way, and her not being around to protect him, makes Talia instantly furious.

Suddenly, she feels Bane's other hand reach over and close around her wrist. She looks at his face. His eyes are open, and looking at her.

"That tickles."

Her grin spreads, and Bane's dark eyes twinkle as he smiles back. They stare at each other in a mixture of relief and satisfaction; and Talia wonders if he is as equally amazed at where they have found themselves after so many years of growing up in hell. Neither could have done it without the other. I don't know what I did to deserve him as a friend.

"What are you thinking?" She asks quietly in the ebbing light, wanting to know if he is happy where they find themselves, whether he is as contented as she.

Bane removes his hand from her wrist, and brings it to her cheek. There is a glaze over his eyes, as if his thoughts are elsewhere.

"That you have grown even more beautiful in my absence, little one."

Talia feels her heart jump into her throat, and almost immediately Bane's gaze shifts back into focus, his brow furrowed. He hand falls away from her as if all life has gone from it. Before she can respond, Bane leans over her - she catches a scent of his perspiration - and snuffs the candle with two fingers.

"Goodnight, Talia."

She feels him settle into place on the bed beside her, though there is a very definite space between their bodies that was not there before. Talia swallows, her mind buzzing, not knowing what to say. Bane had called her beautiful before - many times, infact, when they were in the pit, when he often referred to her as princess or dove or, of course, little one. But it was always spoken as the words between doting father and adoring daughter, or even as a sort of kind, soothing affection passed between siblings. This time, it had felt… different. He was looking at me in the same way he sometimes looks at the sun - as if he can't believe it's there, before him, and he is free to stare as long as he likes.

Bane's body relaxes at her side, and Talia turns to his silhouette in the darkness, realising he has fallen asleep. There is nothing to be said, then. Quietly, she shuffles back down onto her pillow, and edges herself closer to his warmth.