XIV.

Two Hearts Beating

Animalistic, primal; two pairs of feet, two pairs of hands; mouths exploring, fingers raking and meeting. An exposed throat, an icicle kiss from a twisted mouth of rivets and bolts, tubes and metal. Still a finer and more passionate thing than the most urgent kiss from the softest mouth. Separated, the metal and flesh merely graze, gently dig into; like a smooth plate along my cheekbones, dug along my jaw, down my supple throat. Growls in throats like two caged beasts grappling for something rawer; something more in amongst the paws and claws, the unbridled fever. Chests pressed together in a deafening crack like lightening; two forms tackle, break, before their frenzy climbs higher and higher. It is impossible, unstoppable; the facade of desire clings heavily until the mad haze is lifted and I am no longer one of the wild things. No, I am not one of them. Yet, still I lie here, sleeping in the arms of a monster like its paramour.

With a gasp, Lily bolted up, clinging at covers, she fell from the softness she had been lying on and down onto the cold floor with a slap. Her bitter little hands grasped the concrete, she was confused and flung a feverish gaze around the room; taking in her surroundings. She relaxed. She was back to the beginning; like Alice down the Rabbit Hole; back in the room with the drink to make her small, except there was no strange fairytale monster to greet her from her slumber. She peered up and beheld the piled up mattresses and hooked her thin arm over the top and attempted to hoist herself up. She failed miserably and slid back down to the floor, appallingly weak. With a sigh, she ripped down the rest of the blankets and curled up in a ball beside the mattresses and sobbed feebly until sleep took her for itself once more.

The darkness was pressing against her again. Almost smothering her, she managed to gasp at some air before the mass effect of him, the darkness withdrew. Lily's eyes opened again, she was comfortable; stretching deeply, she rolled over and gasped sharply as she nearly fell off of the mattresses again only for a strong hand to press up against her middle and push her back on to the mattresses; back from the edge. Again. She lay back on her hindmost and looked up loftily at Bane who was in turn staring down at her. Everything felt...wobbly.

Lily coughed and tried to sit up but his hand bore down on her chest, imploring her to lay back and rest. She relented and blinked slowly trying to focus her eyes. Why was everything so bendy? She blinked again, this time to shake away the nauseating ripples in the air.

"I gave you a shot of morphine." Bane elucidated coolly.

Lily turned her head to him and frowned,

"Shyou dids what?" She slurred. Shaking her head, she vacantly batted her own cheek and giggled.

"Morphine...?" She repeated and suddenly her expression sobered, "In't that what shyou give people before they die?" She queried; her mouth dry. Bane shook his head at her question and educated her,

"It was only to relax your muscles; you were near vomiting from the exertion of coughing. Once it wears off you'll ache."

"I alwaysh ache." Lily stipulated rudely with a weary frown and saw his shoulders jump uncharacteristically.

She thought she might have just made him chuckle.

"Don't we all."

He asked of no one in particular, Lily felt, so she didn't answer – merely nodded. After a moment she watched Bane get up, he had since changed from his wet clothes; Lily peeked down and saw that she was also in some fresh clothes. She was too out of it to even protest to her unconscious wardrobe change and flicked her eyes back up to the ceiling and raised an eyebrow when she remembered Bane and looked at him.

"You must stop falling," He commented, his eyes downcast. He was fiddling with something.

With an over-taxed grunt, Lily sat up on her elbows to frown at Bane. He was at the other side of the room, standing over his table with his back to her. Lily's brow furrowed even more so when he turned and eyed her; from her vantage point on the bed; with she looking slightly up and the bare, hard light blazing from above his head, his face was half engulfed in gloom, the shadow's long soft fingers coiled around his waist and stretched over his mask and left eye, reaching over a strong shoulder. He looked half devoured in the shade; Lily shivered as the wraith remarked from the darkness;

"I won't keep on picking you up."

Lily felt her chest rise up and down gently; she was snug and warm on the mattresses, under the blankets; but Bane's voice chilled her to her very bones and she blinked slowly as he turned around fully and strolled back over to her and held out to her a gun which glinted in this hard light.

"You may want to keep this close once I'm gone." He offered in a matter-of-factly tone.

Completely dumbfounded, Lily picked the gun from his hand tentatively like she didn't want to. Bane stood patiently and waited until she grasped it by the handle, her blue knuckles looked fragile around such a powerful weapon and he sighed before he swooped back down into his seat. Lily turned a dark eye on him and shook her head to clear it; she sniffed and stifled a cough before asking quietly,

"So...where are you going? Was that all you wanted to do? Kill Batman?"

"Kill him?" Bane frowned, "I didn't kill him. He will suffer a fate worse than death."

Lily shuddered, "Why? Why did you do that to him? What are you doing?"

"So many questions...I suppose you think you have a right to know? Do you think the slaves who built the Pyramids knew why they were doing what they were doing?"

Lily shook her head, "What's that have to do with anything?"

"Everything."

Bane countered sharply, making Lily shrink slightly.

"All they knew is that they were building something for someone. I once called you a link in a chain, you are just that; one of them who knows that they are here for something."

"That..." Lily began feebly with a shake of her head, "...makes no sense...You know that, right?"

"It makes no sense to you because you do not have the sight to see what I have planned for Gotham. You will be one of the many who build this new age. Except, you are fortunate," He said, his elbows leant on his knees.

"You are fortunate because you already bought yourself some hope. I will give you more than hope; I will give you a purpose."

"You keep saying that; you'll give me a 'purpose', what makes you think I need you to give me anything?"

Lily asked, not unkindly, nor ungraciously. Her tone was mild as though she was merely hypothesising a life where she didn't have to be dug out from the gutter, a life where she didn't need him to scoop her up from the peril of frozen sidewalks and darkened alleyways. Her question made him peer at her closely; Lily thought he eyed her as though he had never met or ever seen somebody like her.

"You were broken. You still need to be mended...I..." He broke off and Lily's eyes widened.

She had never heard Bane be at a loss for words before and she leaned closer, gazing curiously at the big man as he sat with his head bowed, his eyes boring into the space between his knees.

"You move me." He said at last and Lily stirred back.

"You move me and I think that I ought to be kind to you."

"But...why?" Lily shook her head and he glanced up at her. His eyes intense above the snarling chops of his mask.

"I don't know." He replied and looked away.

Suddenly he was on his feet, his massive paws dangling at his hips, swung softly as he spoke.

"Be mindful and remember what I told you about thinking. I'll be gone from here for a while. You're free to go."

Lily gawped, the gun still in her shivering hand.

"G-go?" She stuttered and Bane nodded.

"Yes. I will return soon, but you're free to go up to the surface. You can deliberate on which side you'll select or you can stay down here until I return and emerge from below with a force to break the necks of those who failed this great city and her people."

She supposed he was being figurative about her breaking anybody's neck. Lily could barely lift her own arm, let alone break someone's neck. Their eyes locked as he waited for her to respond; her red-rimmed eyes sparkled in the harsh light and she blinked before tearing her eyes away;

"I'll stay..." She whispered and saw Bane's shadow's head nod.

"Very well. Stay in this room. Keep that close at hand," He motioned to the gun.

"This time is ours, the new dawn is fast approaching; you'll get a good view from where you'll be, Lily."

The use of her name and with his voice made her stare directly at him. He had a hand on the door; his sheepskin coat was bundled up in one hand;

"You'll witness the rebirth of your world as you know it. Be thankful that you yourself are now one of the privileged."

"What do you mean?" Lily squeaked.

She watched as he shifted his weight and passed his coat from one hand to the other and strode over to the mattresses and knelt beside them. She kept her eyes on him at all times and felt her stomach tighten when he brushed a curl of her dark hair from her shoulder; his shadowy eyes still avoided looking at her face whenever he touched her and she glared harder at him.

"Like I said; I shall be kind to you. You are not your own, so I will take you."

"Take me?!" She snapped making him look at her.

"You couldn't control your own lot. You needed a firm hand, someone to take the helm of your existence and put it on a course; I have done that. You have hope now, more than you ever did slumping in alleyways. Am I right?"

Lily's eyes slid away; her pale cheeks aflame with shame.

"Yes..." She uttered with a sigh, driven to the truth by him.

"Well then," He said getting up again. Lily ignored him but started when he gently patted her head,

"In this new age you'll see what people of no consideration will do to be considered; to have all that they feel they should. You'll see the lengths people will go to curry favour; you should be reassured that you had to do so little to get my attention."

"Oh, I'm ecstatic." Lily growled barbed and heard him make a strange 'huh' sound.

"You will be when you see the renovations I have planned for your city. Remember, though..."

Lily looked at him; he was bent down now; his hands resting on his knees and his mask mere inches from Lily's nose. She shuddered to feel the odourless air rush from his mask brush her face; she blinked, enthralled to his intense gaze as he threatened with a quiet coldness that made her cower inwardly;

"You see now how high a beast can jump up in any given climate. If you be so bold with me you will see how soon they can be slapped down for their lack of grace."

Lily nodded, shaken into silence by the frost in his voice.

Oooh, Bane-evil-ness; mwuhahahaha! *Ahem* So! Please review guys! Let me know what you think, it only takes but a moment of your time.