A/N : I have previously botched the chapter order, I released, but I assure you that there is no 'missing Chapter 11'. Sorry for taking so long and please let me know if these chapters are up to par as the previous ones.

Yours Truly

Chapter 13 - Interlude

Bane exited the car in front of the slum apartment building where Zamirah resided and made his way up the first set of staircase steps to the lobby of the building. Thugs and vagrants of the neighborhood had been laughing but upon his arrival they watched him warily move about the grounds; in the same way perhaps crocodiles watched a hippopotamus. The strength and power need not be spoken nor the difference between Bane's energy and presence and the lingering thugs; they uncomfortably co-existed with the always present notion that at any point should they make one wrong move… it was 'over'. In the sense that a battle they were unconfident to win, would commence and they would put up one hell of a fight but the law of nature would always prevail.

They were merely crocodiles. He was a hippopotamus.

The top predator glided through the lobby and up the stairs silently and approached the door of her home- stopping just before raising his hand to knock on it- "We have to leave." An unfamiliar male voice urged from within. The voice of Kalim who held his adoptive daughter in his arms. Bane stood there and listened to muffled sobbing from the other side of the thin apartment wall as he stood in the hallway. Listening. While inside Kalim had released her and wiped her eyes s Zamirah looked up at him "We could take the next plane from here and go somewhere else-" Bane raised his hand and knocked on the door to alert those inside to his presence and within the apartment Kalim whipped around towards the door in horror. "They are here already?" The language rolled out as Bane stood at the door, wondering how to proceed- before his phone rang. As he reached to get it, the door opened before him to reveal Zamirah who held the phone to her ear before she lowered it and ended the call.

What does one ask or expect to be asked in this sticky situation? They were not lovers but they had no label and had been partaking in several intimate moments. Even as Zamirah stepped aside to let the giant male in she held no words that her frantically running mind had given her. When she shut the door behind him and shut in the man with her adoptive father and herself, she still had no words. She could not ask of Bane anything, really. She had no right to ask for understanding or safety. There was no ground for her to stake in a claim to having some sort of romantic or symbolic relationship with him, for her to lean against for support. She could ask him to leave- but would he?

Bane looked at Zamirah; her face was tear-streaked. Her eyes were reddened and the soft skin around them puffy and tired. Color had drained from her features like water poured out of a cup, but the color and water was gradually being replenished now in his presence. He looked to the other man in the room though he was not so insecure as a man to 'puff up' or thrust out his chest in issue of challenge. The man had caramel skin and bright, hazel eyes; he lad medium-length platinum blonde hair and his face had the same structure as Rafiki's.

"My brother sends money for the Unwanted and I spend it." This was perhaps the brother.

Instead, Bane turned his attention to the lioness and seemed to be waiting for her to act. To speak? To sit? To ask him to leave? What did he want of her? Why did he always seem to look at her as if… he was awaiting her reaction before playing his own lot in where she placed hers? It she declared the sky to be goldenrod and purple in color would he also declare it so? When she said nothing, he stepped closer and she looked up at him, "Are you injured?" He questioned and she shook her head in a 'no' answer and tousled her hair. "Should I take my leave?"

"...No." She said and sniffed to clear her airways, "Excuse me, I'll… I'll clean myself up." She said and left the two men alone while she slipped into the bathroom to wash up. The larger male turned his attention to Kalim who looked at him warily, but Bane walked over to the coffee table and picked up the paper again. He re-read it's contents as Zamrah exited the bathroom and sat on the bed which drew his attentions. Beside her on the bed was a tired old suitcase with several items packed into it.

"What is this?" Bane asked but gave no pinpointing whether or not he was talking about the letter or the fact that she had her minimal things packed and ready to go. He was, however, looking at her when he spoke, once more awaiting her move first. "Are you leaving to go wherever this is from?" He clarified as he held the paper up before setting it down and their eye contact didn't break as something flickered in her eyes.

"It is none of your concern." The other man finally spoke firmly and Bane slowly turned his head to look at him, "We do not have time for this, we must leave Zamirah-" "What are your crimes?" Bane interjected as he turned his head back to look at Zamirah who frowned.

"They are few and far between here in this country." She answered slowly before she looked at Kalim, "May I have some privacy?" The other man bristled as Bane moved around the room and towards the woman, while the other man nervously watched. "Please." She asked as Bane came to a stop a foot before her and Kalim stared at him. There was tension between them for many moments before Kalim conceded and left the apartment to stand in the hallway and Zamirah turned her attention back to Bane. "Why do you want these answers so badly? I am just collateral for you, am I not?"

"I want to know if I am consorting with a criminal." He replied and she laughed. He had a variety of criminal ways and tendencies about him yet he wanted the answers to her criminal past so badly? To know if he was associating himself with the right type of person? How unusual for a man she barely knew. She stopped and took on a more serious tone as she looked at her hands while she tried to find the words to explain to him something that translated so foreignly outside of her village and her culture. Outside of her tight traditions. Instead, she pointed to the three streaks in her hair;

"The Sin of Abomination." She said as she pointed to the black streak, "The Sin of Adultery." She said as she pointed to the red streak, "The Sin of the Whore." She said as she pointed to the white streak. She took two handfuls of her silvery hair and said, "The hair of the people I hail from." Zamirah looked at him, "I will try to translate… but it might not make sense to someone not from my homeland." She told him and she took a deep breath,

"In my homeland I was born with fair skin and dark hair- The Sin of Abomination, because I do not look like my kin. I am lower than dirt." She explained, "I am accustomed to unkindness and cruelty… it is in the nature of my people." She took some time to wring her hands, "I… Kalim, the man in here… he has raised me but he is not my Father. One night, I was heading to his home. One of the Elders in the village grabbed me and tried to… hm… force himself upon me." Bane did not squirm or shy away from the topic as he clarified,

"As in rape?" He questioned and she shamefully nodded,

"I fought back and he was unsuccessful… but the next day, he alerted the Village leader that I had came on to him. That I had disrespected his wife and his house in a sexual manner by bedding him." She said and she looked up at him, "They believed him and I was put to judgement. They began the process by capturing and torturing me for weeks on end and dying my hair with these streaks to show the world my offenses…" Bane looked away from her, anywhere else but her really.

"So you were smuggled into the city and worked while you waited." Bane assumed the conclusion and he was right as she confirmed his assumption was correct. "...Where will you go now?" He asked and she shook her head before looking up at him once more. There wasn't even a notion of an idea but she called her adoptive father back into the apartment before Bane asked her, "What will you do?"

"I suppose I will keep working until I decide upon something." She explained, "I will… hold up my end of the bargain until Rafiki sees through to his end." Zamirah told Bane who nodded as Kalim watched, "I'm sorry to burden you with all of this, Bane, it is not your battle or business."

"I made it my business." Bane said and put his hands in his pockets, "You have… much on your mind. I will leave you for now." He said and pulled away then walked back towards the door of her apartment, "Perhaps you should not leave just yet… but should something go awry with Rafiki…" The words were said and hung in the air but the implementation was there without them. If something were to go wrong, she was meant to call him. Zamirah wished him good night as he left and once more he moved about the staircases and the lobby of the apartment as a predator. That night she slept alone with her father in the room and in the morning they both left to the garage to speak with Rafiki on the matter. As she let the both of them in and she turned on the lights she found his dead on his epoxied floors; two Chimeras around him and a bullet in his temple with a gun in his hand. Before they could completely process what was going on, sirens in the distance grew louder and closer and they were ensnared by the police before they could leave the scene.

After several hours of being questioned relentlessly, Kalim and his daughter were allowed to leave and she called Bane as soon as she could. She explained what had happened and he listened patiently before responding with an answer: that Kalim should check Rafiki's apartment and Zamirah would be brought to him to discuss their next course of action. When the car came around to get her and she arrived at the hotel, Bane was waiting for her in the lobby to walk her up to his room and accompany her on the elevator ride up. "Did you sleep well?" He asked as she fell into step next to him but when she gave a negative answer he responded appropriately, "Are you well?"

"No… I'm sorry, I must be terrible company today." She apologized as he bade her first entry into the elevator with a gentlemanly sweep of his arm before stepping in himself and pressing the button for his floor. When the doors closed, he turned to her and reached out for her as the elevator timidly jerked into motion, before he touched her cheek and drew her gaze to lay upon him again.

"It is understandable with everything you are going through." Bane said as he reassuringly brushed her cheek with her thumb and she gave a tired smile,

"I appreciate your generosity and hospitality." Zamirah said and Bane pulled his hand back as she smiled at him, "I am, unfortunately, unsure of how you can benefit from speaking with me further about this since I do not own the garage shop nor am I privy to anything remotely useful to you… since you did receive your Chimeras already." She said rationally as the elevator alerted them to their floor and the doors slid open with Bane again, allowing her to go first once more though he led the way to the room and allowed her entry.

"Perhaps you are wrong." He said and shut the door behind her once she had entered the room. She looked around and saw a large plastic bag of white powder on the couch- Rafiki's phone next to it. She was confused as she placed her hands at her waist while Bane took off his jacket, "Rafiki ordered a hit on you." Bane said and she blinked and looked at him in response as he shed his leather-and-wool skin and placed it on the bed, "That bag of cocaine was found in his apartment...but his phone has the messages." She walked over to the couch and hesitated as her hand hovered over the phone but Bane covertly watched as she picked it up. The woman touched the screen and held it in her hand but stared at it for a long, long few moments before he walked over, noticing she was just staring at it. She didn't know how to work it, "Allow me." He said politely and offered his hand to the one which held the phone and she gently placed it in his palm. Bane moved closer to her and she watched as he showed her how to unlock the phone and to pull up the text messages before he handed it back to her for her viewing pleasure. She slowly moved to sit on the couch as she read the messages while Bane stood by and watched. And waited until she let out a sigh and set the phone down next to her.

"I did not know that his vileness ran so deep." Zamirah murmured quietly but loud enough for Bane to hear, "It makes sense now…" She turned towards him and looked at him, "...What does this have to do with me?" She asked and hoped she would not meet such an ending as Rafiki did. It was hurtful to know that he detested her so much that he would order her death no matter the cost but it did explain why he showed up suspiciously soon afterwards: to ensure the deed was done. It hadn't been.

"Nothing." Bane answered simply, "However, this… unique situation and collection of events does present a most ideal opportunity for the both of us." He began eloquently as she watched him walk around the couch to face her then lowered himself to her eye level by crouching, "I have grown a certain… fondness, for the times we have spent in each other's company." She nodded slowly as she listened but her mind raced.

What was this? What was going on? Was he going to tell her that despite his newfound fondness of her that he was going to kill her? That the fondness was a lie and it was all a long manipulation tactic to just get her trust and get her vulnerable to open up to him, only for him to reveal that he was in fact her executioner? Her heart raced and her pulse quickened as her mind swam fast and hard enough to begin to make her dizzy,

"Stay." Bane said as he took her hand, "I would like to court you." She raised an eyebrow, "A difficult process if you were to leave."

"...Why… would you ever want to court me?" She asked in utter confusion as he stated his intents completely. Utterly. Deeply. Baffled her. "I...There is no way that I could be worthy of such effort-"

"Allow me to value you, where you do not value yourself, Zamirah." His voice requested formally past the metallic hiss of his mask and she put her hand atop the one that held hers, "Perhaps until you leave?" She closed her eyes and lowered her head as as tried to think and make sense of everything going on.

"...I can't answer you properly, right now, Bane." She told him honestly, "There is too much going on right now and I need time to… to think everything over before I do something rash and abrupt. You deserve a clear, precise answer that I cannot give you right now." Zamirah told him before she opened her eyes and raised her gaze to look at him, "I would like some time to think this over." Bane nodded and voiced how he respected her straight-forward answer. He did not promise her patience or his undying love or even an ounce of determination to remain uninvolved with someone else. However, he did assure her of something that was more substantial than those things;

"You may stay here as long as you wish." Bane told her firmly as he pulled his hand away and rose to his feet, touching his hand to her cheek once more as she watched him rise, before he pulled his hand away and walked towards the bathroom and shut himself in. Something hanging in the air… something that felt like sadness and resignation. It felt like it was not the answer he wanted but she was not going to change her answer for him… not until she figured out what to do with the looming execution. So lost in her own thoughts, she hadn't heard Bane leave the bathroom nor when he spoke to her until he touched her shoulder, then she looked up at him. "Get some rest." He suggested and she gave him an appreciative smile before he looked around the room and went to his wardrobe, opening a door to hide the contents from where she sat before he pulled out a short-sleeved shirt. Bane shut the door and walked back over to her, "I will return this evening." He informed her and she took the shirt from him before he pointed to the phone on the nightstand beside the bed, "Use the phone to call the front desk if you need anything." He said and with another short word, he excused himself from the room for the rest of the evening and Zamirah got to her feet. She went to the bathroom and turned on the shower before she undressed and stepped into the hot stream of water. Once more she relied on it heavily to cleanse her again and to let the it all help her clear her mind.

After that much needed shower she slipped into Bane's shirt and her own pants and walked out of the bathroom and looked at the phone. It had buttons and names and letters and she was beyond confused but she slowly read each thing before picking up the receiver and pressing the button for 'Front Desk'. The phone rang and someone answered in rough politeness on the other end of the line, "H-Hello, may I...get something to eat?" "What would you like?" "May I have… um… some well-done mutton and buuz?" "Is that something like curry?" She had no damn idea but she wasn't about to deny trying a new food so her response was simple. "Yes, it is." "We have it brought up to you. Would you like something to drink?" "Yes, some water please." "Alright, goodbye." They hung up and she slowly put the phone back down on it's base before she took the tv remote and slipped under the covers and against the headboard of the plush bed before she turned on the tv. The device flickered to life and the news came on as she propped pillows against the headboard and relaxed back onto them.

She watched the news and it flicked to a news reporter giving highlights about something- but she only started paying attention when it showed recorded video of Rafiki's shop. A brown-haired woman in a fashionable outfit began her report, "The Gotham City Stock Market is recovering from it's recent attack earlier this week when terrorists held the building and its inhabitants hostage." The woman said as video showed three people on strange motorbikes drive out from the building amid a crowd of people with hostages on the bikes and began leading the Gotham City police on a high speed chase. They were the Chimeras. "It seems last night the supplier of the motorbikes was discovered to be Rafiki's Family Shop, ran and owned by Rafiki Mohammud who was found dead in his shop early this morning. Police are still determining whether it was a homicide or a suicide as they have no leads at this time." It showed a video of the shop garage doors being closed and locked which other officers put caution tape up. Zamirah sighed as she watched it sadly. What was she to do now? She could find another residence perhaps with Kalim's help… but another job? How was she supposed to stay busy?

Zamirah flipped the channels and watched some mindless show as she relaxed against the pillows and closed her eyes. She kind of liked this… treatment. A lush, comfy bed. Fluffy pillows to rest upon. A good shower. Bane was a good host and so far, had been very gentlemanly in all of their dealings. She was grateful and appreciative of this treatment and she was… unnerved by it all the same. They brought her food and she ate and watched more tv until she fell asleep. She didn't hear the the phone or her cell phone ring, or even hear Bane return to the room. She didn't hear him shower or even hear him slide into the bed until he touched her arm and woke her briefly to rearrange the pillows. Even then once he had laid down and gotten comfortable, she was active enough to get comfortable laying against him before falling back asleep almost in tandem with the humongous male.

Tomorrow, hopefully, would be better.