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-Sailor

I lay in Bane's huge arms for the next hour, we didn't talk we didn't need to. We just lay there listening to each other's breathing. He rubbed my forehead softly lulling me into sleep but I fought against it. I knew I couldn't fall asleep here in case John came back. I looked at his bulging arms that were wrapped around me; one was almost as thick as my whole body which made me smile.

"Little one?" he mumbled.

"Yea?"

"Did you know Harvey Dent?"

That was an odd question.

"Em, no I never got the pleasure of meeting him. He was a great man though from what I've heard"

"Yes…"

"I mean I felt very privileged when I was chosen for his internship"

"You're a very smart individual"

"What's with all the questions?"

"Just curious…he locked up a lot of men"

"Yea, that Dent act was a blessing. Organised crime in the city went to practically zero…"

But then I realised who I was talking to and immediately stopped.

"Hmm…" he mused and said no more.

Bane's arms uncoiled themselves from me and picked up his vest throwing it over his head. I pulled my t shirt on and straightened the sheets.

"Before we leave, I must take care of your head" he said pulling lightly at the bandage.

"It's fine…"

But I knew that wasn't going to be enough for him. He grabbed a bag that was sitting on the couch and pulled me towards the bathroom, lifted me up and sat me on the edge of the cold sink. I dug my knees into his hips to keep me from falling into it. He still towered over me and pulled on the little tie I had holding the bandage to my injury. He opened the bag and pulled out a bottle and grabbed a towel. I felt him parting my hair and pushing it to the side so the wound was exposed. He tipped the bottle onto the towel lightly dabbing my head, the stinging sensation hitting me like a truck.

"Ow!" I squealed.

"It won't get infected now" he stated simply. "It's starting to scab…seems like a deep gash. You must have banged it hard"

"I did"

"Well I think we should let it breathe for a while instead of wrapping it up tight, allow the air at it, dry it out" he said continuing to dab.

"Thank you" I said after he tilted my head back indicating he was done.

"It is no problem at all" he said throwing the bottle back in the bag.

"Are we going to Blackgate now?"

"No not yet, the first trials will start tomorrow"

"Oh really?" I said something dropping in my stomach.

"Yes, we need to get you all prepared…Blackgate will come after. Grab anything you need, it's not looking like you'll be back here" he said his eyes striking mine.

"Yea…you're right" I swallowed looking around.

I remembered my gym bag that I had in the closet. I took it and started throwing stuff in, shirts, tights, jeans and my hair straightener.

Bane stood in the living room while I raced around throwing my meagre possessions into a gym bag.

"Ready?" he said as I stood around glancing at everything. I think I had everything.

"Yes"

He strode over to the door and opened it, nearly pulling it off its hinges, and held it open for me. I took once last glance around at the apartment where John and I had prepared to start down life's road together. It wasn't the same place it was when we first decided to buy it. Except John had no idea, he was at work oblivious to all this. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a slight twinge of pain and guilt thinking about when he comes home tonight to find me and my stuff gone forever with no trace or indication as to where I've gone.

"Little one" Bane pressed.

I walked out under his arm that was holding the door and took one last look as he closed it shut. We walked down the corridor and down the stairs, my gym bag banging off my hip. I didn't say anything, I felt really bad for John. Bane picked up on this, I knew he did. We got to the end of the stairs and he stopped.

"Bane what is it?" I said stopping a few steps ahead of him.

He gestured for me to come over so I stepped over to him. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye before pulling me into a tight hug. I held onto him as tight as I could. He knew that was exactly what I needed. I felt his fingers brushing over my hair which made me clutch harder to him. A van pulled up outside the door and when we eventually let go of each other, we walked out and hopped in, Bane putting me in the front seat beside him.

We got back to the sewer and nothing had changed at all, except for the fact I felt a lot more comfortable here now.

"I have your suit, you'll need it tomorrow" he said taking my bag and putting it beside his bed.

"That's true" I said letting out a huge yawn.

"If you're tired…you should sleep"

"Yea I probably should, I am in court tomorrow I guess" I said going over to the door of my cage, it was locked.

"What are you doing?" called Bane.

"Going to bed"

He pointed to his bed and looked at me.

"You sleep here now"

"Oh ok…" I said walking over to him. I still wasn't used to this; I always saw that as his bed.

I lay down on the bed as he pulled the blanket up over me.

"How are you feeling?"

"My head is still a bit sore" I sighed.

"I have a painkiller that may work…it's an injection though"

"Where'd you get it?"

"It's a concoction of my own making"

"Is it safe?"

"Little one, I would not dare administer it to you if it wasn't 100 per cent safe"

"You used a trial sample…"

"That was different…that was for me" he said cutting me off.

He opened a drawer and took out a small box slightly resembling a first aid box. He took out a fresh syringe and a small bottle holding a clear liquid. He pierced the lid of the bottle with the needle sucking in the liquid. He held it up to the dim light and pressed the top to push out any excess air.

"Em…I'm not sure about this" I said glaring at the needle.

"It's ok, all it will do is numb the pain and help you sleep. I promise nothing bad will happen"

"Ok…" I said outstretching my arm.

His finger ran over the soft part on the inside of my elbow before penetrating my flesh at an angle. I felt it sneaking into my arm which turned my stomach. Needles just make me ill. I felt it sit there, moving as little as possible before I felt a cool liquid running through my veins. After a few minutes, I began to feel drowsy and the pain seemed to just disappear. I giggled a bit feeling slightly off my head.

"That's to be expected…" I heard him mumble.

"Bane…" I said feeling myself drifting off to sleep.

"Yes little one?"

"I think…I think I love you" I giggled before falling into a deep sleep.

I woke up from quite possibly the best sleep I have ever had. I rubbed my eyes throwing the blanket off me. My suit lay folded on a chair to the right of the bed, but Bane was nowhere to be seen. I got up and decided now would be as good a time as any to change. I figured I was on my own so I could change really quickly and be ready for when Bane comes back to bring me to the courthouse. I noticed he had a small pile of files sitting on the desk and I figured they were the people who were coming up first in the firing line. I recognised most of them, but I thought it best not to let Bane know that. Hopefully they'll be too busy worrying about their sentence to notice me standing there. I buttoned up my shirt and threw on my suit jacket while flicking through the files. They all had themes in common. Financial fraud, money laundering, politicians expense account receipts not accounted for, banker's bonuses…it was all here, everything that I had been surrounded by in my old life. Just as I had opened a file on one my father's business associates I heard the door swing open and in stepped Bane.

"You're up"

"Yea…that stuff you gave me really knocked me out"

"Yes…do you remember what you said before you fell asleep?" he said his stare hitting me right in my chest.

"What?"

"Before you fell asleep…you said something"

"I did?"

"Yea…but it could have just been the shot" he said shaking his head.

"Was it important?" I said closing the file.

"Well if you don't remember…obviously not" he murmured.

I picked up the files and turned around to face Bane.

"Are we going soon?"

"Yes, I was just waiting on you to wake up…you look great" he said his eyes looking me up and down.

"I do? It's just a suit…" I said feeling myself going slightly red.

"We should give them something nice to look at before they are sentenced to death"

"Thank you…" I said not really sure how to take that.

"C'mon little one…justice awaits" he said as he grabbed his coat and opened the main door leading out of our little home.

I smiled up at him as I walked through the door. What I didn't tell him was that I remembered exactly what I said to him. I was just saying I didn't because I didn't expect myself to come out with that. It had been in my head for a while but saying it wasn't something I was prepared to do, not yet anyway until I was sure what his thoughts were. Saying it made everything so concrete and rock solid. But in my weary drugged state obviously I wasn't thinking entirely straight. I would tell him eventually, but not right now.