A/N: Howdy, guys! I'm back from vacation and back with another chapter! Expect more soon! This chapter's lyrics were picked by my sister ecto1B from Led Zepplin's Kashmir! If you guys have some lyrics you would like me to throw in, drop me a review or a PM!
XX.
All I see turns to brown, as the sun burns the ground. And my eyes fill with sand, as I scan this wasted land.
"You what?"
"You knew it was going to happen, Bane. I do not regret my actions, nor will I say I enjoy them."
Bane dropped the cellphone from his ear, a sharp inhale making his fingers tighten into a fist. It had been a few days since he spoke with Miranda, and Bane found himself worrying about the young women. He always did, especially now, since their plan was in action. He loved the little girl like family, though she was not so little anymore. When Bane was younger, he relished in her innocence and light, but now with each waning hour, she grew dimmer and dimmer, on the path to insanity and madness.
He brought the plastic device back to his ear and growled lowly. How dare a man such as Wayne touch his sweet Talia...
"I'll kill him."
"Bane, my friend, be reasonable. It's not like you haven't slept with that Fiona girl."
Bane snarled, "Talia-"
"I do not like her. She isn't good for you. You need someone better."
"I'd watch yourself, Talia, dear. After all, you did sleep with Bruce Wayne. Perhaps you should go to a doctor? No doubt he's crawling with diseases."
On the other end, Bane heard a growl, causing him to chuckle. "He will enjoy his stay here, Talia. I promise. And as for Fiona? Keep her out of this."
"She's a whore and a-"
Quickly pressing the 'END' button, the masked man placed the phone into his pocket and sighed. The night had been a restless one, with his little... excursion interrupting the middle of it. Not to say he minded. Fiona had been wonderful, just as he expected. But, it was the lingering warmth after the intercourse that left him worried and frightened. Even with his mask secured tightly, he felt vulnerable now.
He was terrified about that one word...
Love.
He scowled. The mere thought of it was disgusting. He had met men that fell from their thrones for that word. Many died for it. Bane didn't like to think of it as anything but a word, as if it was a trifle.
But, it was when he felt the grip of her hand in his and her breath on him that he realized it was no longer just a word. It was a thing now, something he was running from, faster than ever. He hoped Fiona didn't have the same reaction to the night of merriments. He knew that would be difficult to overcome. Breaking the skinny woman's heart wasn't his goal.
An ache arose in his chest when he thought about her waking up alone.
He had wanted to stay. Every fiber in his being yearned to stay and keep her warm and snug, but his brain screamed otherwise, reminding him that he had plans and those plans were not to be stopped by a simple emotion-
Bane straightened his shoulders as someone coughed behind him.
"Sir?"
"Yes?"
"The ropes are ready."
"Ahh. Yes. Well, let us welcome Mr. Wayne to his new home."
She skidded down the hall, grasping her robes as coverage. Fiona groaned as she searched her room for decent clothes to put on.
The house they had stayed at was silent, and the young woman was beginning to think Bane left her back, not caring to bring her along any further.
Fiona hopped through the home, grasping her backpack with one hand and tugging her jeans over her hips with the other. The woman tugged a tea shirt over her bra, quickly heaving the heavy vest over it. She scowled, scouring the room for her boots.
The night before had left her in a pretty shitty state.
Hickeys, large and purple, dotted her neck and collarbone. They looked menacing enough, but Fiona realized as she dressed, the rest of her body was much worse. Bane had hands made for breaking, not loving. It was very apparent from the amount of bruises along her hips. Fiona didn't mind though. It was much better than having bruises from abuse.
The bruises posed as a trophy of a battle won. A lovely, hot, aggressive battle which ended in the sudden loss of the enemy the morning after...
Fiona tugged her band back with an angry groan, still fuming from the disappearance of Bane.
"He left," she spoke to herself, tugging her combat boots on violently. "Just up and left."
She crossed the room to grab her scarf, tying it around her neck. Her thoughts were stuck upon Bane when the horn of a rather beat up van broke the deserts air.
Fiona squinted, her brow furrowing as she leaned out the window.
"Son of a bitch... Hold on!"
Part of her was relieved that Bane hadn't forgotten about her.
Her movements were even more rushed as she grasped her pack and the gun resting on the bed before jumping down the stairs. Fiona hurried out the door, kicking the sand as she jogged to the van. The white door swung open to the carved out back, full of Bane's men.
"Jesus, Fiona. Could you have taken any longer?" A voice piped up from the front of the van. She recognized it to be her Middle Eastern friend, Bane's second-in-command.
"Sorry, Barsad."
The driver scoffed and as soon as the door shut, the gas was put on, making the automobile jerked violently forward into the desert.
"So this is The Pit?"
As she looked down, she could feel her stomach drop. Heights had never been her favorite thing, and the same thing went for swimming. It was just something she couldn't handle too much of, and as Fiona looked down the side of the prison, she felt fear grip her.
"Yes. About 85 feet down. Only the worst have been put here."
"Bane grew up here?"
"Yes."
"What did he do?"
Barsad sighed, rolling his eyes before tugging the rope on her waist tighter. "Stop asking questions and get down there. Bane wants to speak with you."
Fiona only nodded as Barsad helped her to the side, ushering her downwards. Gripping the side of the wall, Fiona paled, feeling the rope jerk. Slowly she was lowered, each jerk causing her to tighten her grip on the rope. When her boots met the sandy ground of the prison floor, she almost cried out in joy, giving Barsad a nod and unhooking herself from the strap.
Her gun was swung over her shoulder immediately, falling across her stomach in a threatening manner. The prison was quiet and reeked with the stench of death and sorrow. Fiona found herself scowling harshly as she passed an old inmate who winked at her.
She hurried up the steps to where Bane's towering form stood, lurking over Wayne's new cell. She almost laughed. The man she had feared for so long, The Batman, was now crying out and squirming in a pitiful manner. Her slender fingers slipped through the bars as she watched him writhe under the elder man's grip, a smile breaking across her face.
The weight of Bane's hand was against her shoulder, causing her to freeze. She broke away from the metal cage, turning to him.
"You left."
"I had other duties."
Fiona scowled again.
"Did I do that?"
His fingers gently brushed against her neck in a careful manner, as if he was scared to hurt her. She laughed.
"Yeah. I've got a lot of them."
He nodded, his eyes softening slightly. "Come with me."
Fiona did as she was told, following the large masked man to the corner of the prison. He stopped in front of the cell, and Fiona noted it was empty. Bane jiggled the handle, causing it to slide open nicely. He waved her forward, pointing to the cot.
"This was mine."
"This was your cell?"
He only nodded.
Her eyes grew wide, attempting to take in every single detail. She sauntered over to the cement wall at the end of the cell, frowning. Her fingers grazed against a chalk drawing of a stick person holding onto a smaller stick person.
"What's this?"
"A memory from long, long, long ago."
"Who drew it?"
"An beam of light in the dark."
Fiona frowned.
"Who are you?"
Bane laughed. "I am... a man of many faces. Of power, of strength, of danger."
"Who is Talia?"
That question came straight out of the blue, causing Bane's eyes to narrow at her figure as she leaned against the cell's bars. He frowned gently, gripping his coat's pockets.
"How do you-"
"You speak in your sleep."
"You..."
"You were crushing me in your arms."
Bane laughed, his fingers finding the wall beside her head in a quick manner. "I apologize. You seemed cold."
"I was. This morning, too."
"You're not going to let that go, are you, Fiona dear?"
"Nope."
"I thought so," he mustered, "It wasn't my intention to leave you like that..."
Her eyes softened and she laughed. "I've never been... That's never..."
"Because you're wonderful."
Fiona gaped a bit, swallowing. Bane only nodded.
"Anyways, who is Talia? You never answered me," Fiona frowned, pushing off the wall and brushing past him, propping herself up on the cot. "Tell me who you are."
Bane sighed. "Not here. Not now. Maybe another time. This is only a bit of me I will allow you to see. For now, this is all you get."
"For now."
"Yes."
Fiona rolled her eyes.
Bane smirked.
Favourite ice cream flavor? I've been living off of cake batter ice cream the past week... Sorry, not sorry.