Chapter Fifteen: What is 'This'?

"How did you decide that so quickly?"

"I'll admit that I was immediately attracted and that made you extra enticing, but you seemed to see through me. When you looked at me, I knew that I wanted a change in my life, a new life with you."

"Did you even think about if I was with someone?"

"It wasn't relevant," he started and added with a trace of barely suppressed arrogance. "Your future with me at that moment was certain."

"What if I had tried to fight you more?" she stammered. "Attempted to run away?"

Bane looked over at her briefly, "honestly?"

She nodded, a cold dread settling in her belly as to what his words might be.

"I would've insisted that you go along with the new normal."

"Insisted?"

Bane nodded wordlessly but didn't offer any verbal elaboration.

"How would you have insisted?" Thera pressed.

"In whatever way was necessary," he mumbled.

Thera lit another cigarette to avoid speaking and keep her hands busy.

Bane realized the moment he finished his sentence that he shouldn't have said that. "It's not even worth discussing," he said carefully and spied the magazine she had tucked by the side of her other leg. "How about you read the last question?"

"Please?" he added.

"Alright," she finally said and smoothed her index finger down the page to the last question. "Number ten, how do you think finances and household responsibilities should be managed in a relationship? A. I want a sugar momma or daddy, I want to be taken care of completely. B. 50/50, that just seems fair. C. I take care of myself, pay my own way and depend on no one for anything. D. I only split the bills for dates, thinking about a joint account is petrifying."

"My freelance work paid well; you don't have to worry about money," he offered.

"It feels strange to think about not having to contribute a paycheck, not putting anything into the pot."

"You won't need to, you just need to be at my side, in my life," he murmured in a ragged whisper as he slid his hand further up the inside of her thigh.

As Thera looked over at him, behind them, the trio of men began to grow anxious for the SUV to get to its final destination. Kyle scratched a mosquito bite at the base of his neck before he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small handgun and box of bullets that he passed back to Clint who had stirred in the last hour.

Bane noticed her looking around the floorboard, "what are you looking for?"

"Some Kleenex, paper towels?"

"There should be some behind my seat."

She stretched her arm to feel around the back of his seat, not noticing how much her sweatshirt shifted as she reached back for the roll of coarse paper towels.

Bane glanced over as she rooted around for the roll, his eyes falling on her exposed skin and the dark bruises that decorated her flesh. He grimaced at the oval purple and blue marks that he had caused with his overly enthusiastic touch.

Thera froze when she felt his fingertips brush against her smooth skin, tracing the violet blotches. "Have you found any pleasure at my touch, or have I only hurt you?" he asked on a ragged whisper.

She slowly sat back up; he didn't lift his hand but let it slide down her side until he could trace his fingertips in small circles on the top of her thigh.

"Thera, do you like it when I touch you?" he pressed.

"Well that's quite the loaded question," she finally said after a long pause.

"Answer me," he demanded softly with an assertive squeeze to her thigh.

Thera stared straight ahead as he moved the big vehicle to the slow lane in anticipation of the upcoming exit for a drive-through coffee shop. Bane looked over at her as she sat rigidly in the seat, tension in her features as she gathered her thoughts. He frowned as his own thoughts began to spiral, "what would I have done if she refused? How would I have insisted?" he asked himself, clenching the steering wheel tight until his knuckles turned white and he had to force the many obvious answers out of his head.

He let the silence continue until he brought the SUV to a stop in the middle of the parking lot before speaking. "Thera," he said lowly.

She turned towards him in the seat, keeping her gaze fixed past his shoulder.

"Talk to me," he murmured as he lifted her chin until she had to return his searching gaze.

"I don't know what you want me to say," she started. "This whole situation is unlike anything I've ever experienced; I don't know how to even qualify my thoughts and feelings. I have nothing to compare to this," she added.

"And what is this?" he asked.

She chuckled dryly, "it's a whole new existence I think, an ending and a beginning," she stumbled. "What is all this to you?" she added quickly.

"I agree with it being the end of one existence and the start of a new one, now it's our life together. I want you to desire that as well as want me, crave my touch," Bane added on a ragged whisper before he slipped his mask free and pressed his lips first to her forehead and then the tip of her nose as he continued. "Have I done anything more than just hurt you, made you feel anything good?" he murmured as he brought his lips to within centimeters of touching hers. Thera felt herself flush furiously when he slipped his hands under her roomy sweatshirt and traced his fingertips gingerly over her bruised skin.

She nodded as he slid his hands down to rest on her hips and tightened his grip. "Have I?" he asked on a low growl and urged her closer. "Yes," she murmured breathlessly, "yes you have," she added as he closed the small distance between them and pressed his lips to hers urgently.

"Do you want me to keep touching, kissing you?" he asked as he moved his lips in a slow path along the length of her jaw and added in a low dangerous tone. "Do you crave me inside of you?"

Thera closed her eyes as he pressed his lips over the pounding pulse in her neck, her body longing for his intimate touch, remembering the sensations he made her feel. The purely physical raw want was in direct competition to her emotional turmoil and fear that remained solidly on the periphery.

"I don't move this fast under any circumstance," she said and slowly lifted her arms to encircle his neck.

As Bane considered her words the SUV that followed, pulled into an open spot at the rear of the lot and kept the engine on. The armed, well-paid, men, stared at the parked SUV. If they squinted, they could make out the two hazy silhouettes through the heavily tinted windows. Isaac looked over at Kyle, "this is too public, we need to keep following them."

Clint nodded in agreement from the back seat.

As the dangerous men continued to watch, Isaac lit a fat blunt and blew the acrid smoke out the window.

Bane could empathize with her feelings toward intimacy. "I've never really had a lengthy relationship, sex was just there, it never really meant anything past the biological need," he admitted against the warm curve of her neck.

"Never?" she asked, genuinely astonished that he hadn't had some kind of cliched and euphoric first love.

"Not until now," he murmured against her smooth skin as he groaned heavily, longing to own every part of her. "We've got to get back on the road or I'm going to want more of you now," he mumbled.

Thera pulled back and looked at him.

"I thought we were going inside for coffee and the restroom?"

Bane shook his head as he glanced up at the rearview mirror and laid his eyes on the SUV that was following them.

"I know I said it was safer being in public but there are too many things that can go wrong. I don't even know how many people are in that car. But, there's a drive-thru at the other end of the lot."

"And the bathroom?"

Bane tried to speak with a straight face, "you might have to use one of the empty cups."

"How much further do we have to drive?"

Bane looked at the clock on the dashboard, "a couple hours."

"I'm okay right now, hopefully it won't come to peeing in the backseat," she said and covered a smile.

Bane pulled her hand away from her face, "don't ever hide any of yourself from me," he murmured before pressing his lips to hers.

Bane forced himself to let go of her, he could feel his resolve waning and he knew they needed to leave soon, or his lust would take over and he'd fuck her on the seat. Thera slid her arms from around his neck, anxious to get back to the house but also fighting the desire to crawl onto his lap.

Bane ordered at the squawking fast food drive-thru and they were soon back on the interstate, closely followed by the bulky SUV.

Thera swirled her red plastic straw in her heavily sweetened and cream-filled coffee when his words broke the comfortable silence.

"How many men have you shared your body with?"

"I'm done with this particular line of questioning."

"Why is that?"

"Mostly because it's in the past and I don't see why we need to talk about it, it doesn't serve the present."

"Of course, it does, I want to know how those others mis-stepped and lost you. I don't want to repeat their mistakes," he said and glanced over at her briefly.

Thera lost the ability to form words for a few heartbeats before looking down at her lap and brushing away invisible lint. "There's nothing specific that happened to make things end, it just didn't work," she finally said.

"Stop making her uncomfortable, bullying her for answers just because you're jealous of lovers she's had in the past," Bane's mind chastised him as he fought to not press her. "We can come back to that later, or we can forget it altogether if you're not interested in discussing that," he said as returned his hand to her thigh. He found himself inwardly ecstatic that she didn't flinch from his touch and squeezed her thigh gently.

"Are they still following us?" she asked as she squinted at her side mirror, searching for the SUV.

"Yes," Bane answered as he flicked his eyes up to the rearview mirror. "It'll be okay, I won't let anything happen to you," he said in what he hoped was a believable and comforting tone.

His heart thudded extra hard in its opaque sac inside his broad chest as she settled her hand over his.

Her palm was very warm from holding her Styrofoam cup of sugar with a splash of coffee, "I know."

Thera lifted her hand away from his briefly to adjust the radio station to a political show before she replaced her hand over his. "This station okay?" she asked before she drained her coffee. "Sure, let's live dangerously," he said as the show launched into a hearty debate about abortion with the next topic being Medicare.

Isaac, Clint, and Kyle were both relieved when the SUV finally signaled to exit the interstate and adrenalin began to rise and course through their systems in nefarious anticipation as the streets narrowed until they became dirt, pitted with deep grooves from heavy farming equipment. Isaac slowed the dusty SUV down drastically as the large vehicle disappeared ahead of them and they saw the red flash of brake lights as it made a left turn in the distance.

Bane had noticed when the following SUV began to slow and drop off entirely the closer he got to his long gravel driveway. He looked at the clock and knew he had a little bit of time to work with since the unknown number of men in the car would likely wait until the fall of dark to begin their hands-on work.

"Moving with urgency, however, would still be wise," Bane thought and quickly pushed open his door as soon as he slammed the bulky vehicle into park and engaged the emergency brake.

"I want you to get in the house, it'll be better overall if you're indoors until I take care of our pursuers."

Thera nodded, "I'd feel better in the house also," she agreed and tossed the half-empty water bottles and plastic wrappers into the paper bag she had tucked by her feet.

Bane opened the door and stood aside so she could pass, "thank you," she murmured and moved past him. She dropped her bags on the kitchen counter as he watched her from the doorway.

"What would I have done if she refused me?" he asked himself again as she unloaded the last of the bag's contents and turned towards him and caught him staring. He let his eyes openly sweep over her, his mind showing him images of imaginary lovers making her feel good, getting to see her beautiful face and hear her voice.

"How many did she love?" Bane thought as he met her eyes and tried to stifle his ugly jealousy.

Thera held his gaze, searching his expression for what he might've been thinking. "I've got to get to a few things," he mumbled and left her staring at the empty doorway.

She frowned at where he had been standing and contemplated her next move. She eventually went and retrieved one of the open bottles of water as she left the kitchen and walked towards the rooms at the back of the house. It was her turn to watch him from the doorway as he sat in front of a trio of large computer screens, each broken into individual images. Thera left the doorway and walked towards him and the screens of moving images.

"Is that the outside, surveillance cameras?"

Bane nodded and told her where each image was being filmed from, she covered a smile when he described a decoy paper wasp's nest that housed a tiny HD camera.

On the screen, Kyle checked and rechecked the gun's magazine and patted his pocket for a small baggie with powdered drugs. The trio of men inhaled the drugs and discussed their plan once they had the pair incapacitated. Kyle shifted the nylon backpack loaded with a length of rope, duct tape and a wickedly sharp buck knife to his other shoulder as they walked slowly up the dirt road; the only sounds were from nocturnal creatures and buzzing winged insects.

"This is impressive," Thera said and meant it as Bane further moved the wireless mouse to another screen and clicked it to a better angle of the three men moving down the gravel driveway. Bane zoomed in on their faces, the screen became a little grainy, but they didn't elicit any flicker of recognition.

"Do you recognize them?" Bane asked as looked up at her.

Thera leaned closer to the screen and eventually shook her head.

Bane swiveled his chair and opened the bottom drawer of the desk, he pulled out a heavy titanium revolver and checked the chamber to ensure it was loaded.

Thera watched him, unsure of what she'd even say as he brought out a smaller shiny gun that looked more like a toy than the other one had. He caught her interested stare and answered before she could ask the question. "This is a tranquilizer gun," he said as he loaded a few darts inside the hollow chamber, a brilliant yellow fluid encapsulated in each chamber.

He glanced up at the screen to see the men's progression towards them before he continued. "I'm going to subdue them and have a little talk before I end them."

"Talk to them?" she asked.

"I'm going to get my questions answered," he stated simply and rose from the office chair. Bane paused when she reached for him and laid a hand on his chest, above his heart.

"Everything is going to be okay, you're… you're going to be safe?" she murmured and placed her other hand against his chest as she moved closer and looked up at him.

Bane wordlessly pulled her into his strong embrace and rested his masked face on the top of her head, "everything's going to be more than okay. After dealing with those three, we can begin moving forward together," he added and tightened his arms until her breath threatened to leave her lungs.

"Promise me," she murmured against his chest, her voice muffled.

"You can't promise her something like that, Talia is still out there and as dangerous a viper as ever," his mind warned him. Bane ignored that fact and moved his hands urgently up and down her sides, "I promise."

Bane looked up at the screen again, he hated that he had to let go of her. "I want you to stay in the bedroom, keep the lights off."

Thera moved back from him and blew out a shaky breath as she nodded. Bane could feel the nerves radiating from her, her emotions were at a nuclear level and she watched in slow-motion as he extended his hand towards her. "I promise," he reiterated on a whisper as she slipped her hand into his and let him lead her to the larger of the two bedrooms.

Thera sat on the edge of the bed as Bane pulled a revolver from the top closet shelf and gave her a quick how-to guide to shooting if necessary. She felt her fingers tingling and flexed her hands to ease the prickly sensation. She watched him check the windows and pull the drapes before kneeling in front of her as he picked up her left hand and squeezed it tight. "Stay here and you'll be okay," he whispered as he pressed the pad of his thumb to the heavy ring on her fourth finger.

Bane looked up at her face, her wide eyes and clammy forehead as she nodded. "Please just get this over with. I need things to settle down, start a new normal," she added in a rush.

"I will, we will," he said in a relieved rush and yanked off his mask before he rose to capture her lips and kiss her until she was breathless. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he whispered before forcing himself to move away from her and made a last check of the doors and windows. After the house was extinguished in darkness, he practically ran to the front door and entered the crisp night air, the tranquilizer gun firmly in his hand, index finger just hovering over the trigger.

Thera let out the breath she hadn't know she was holding when he closed the door softly behind him.

"You know you're not going to stay here, he had to of known that also," Thera thought as she walked to the kitchen and tried to peek around the edge of the gingham curtains. She squinted into the night and saw movement appear slowly on the right as one of the men broached the shelter of a massive wisteria and ran a few steps to the barn that Bane seemed to have made attractive by having bright light emitting through the wide-open doors and the sound of some type of industrial machine idling. Thera went to the front window and peeked through the almost matching fabric panels and watched the other two stalkers take a longer path but ended up at the barn as well.

Thera closed her shaking fingers around the front doorknob, anxious to feel it turn under her sweaty palm. "He wants you to stay here, it'll be safer," her mind gently reminded her even though it didn't matter what the words were since she had clearly made up her mind as she turned the knob sharply and opened it with minute slowness, her awareness acutely peaked, eyes wide and unblinking. Her mouth ran dry as she opened the door with precise slowness and once outside crouched so low and hugged the house that the overgrown weeds licked her ankles.

She squinted in the distance as the three dangerous, but unrecognizable strangers met in front of the barn doors and looked around. They conferred often and Thera had to commend Bane as to how enticing and alluring he had made the barn seem.

She looked past the structure for Bane, wild scenarios of him flying out of a tree or jumping from a drone danced through her head. If fear hadn't taken her voice, she would have shouted when two of the men each hit the ground in rapid succession. When she squinted at their still forms, she saw two yellow-feathered darts sticking out of each man's shoulder blades.

The third man soon followed them in fashion to the dusty ground.

"Now will you return to the house, please?"

Bane's sudden voice brought her to life and she nearly stumbled onto the damp earth that was pitted with fragrant Elysium and ornery dandelions. "I'm, I'm….so…sorry," she managed as she began to feel herself grow too warm as she stared up at his dangerous silhouette in the near-dark.

"What's in those cartridges, are they dead?" she whispered looking at the men who were very still against the red-clay dirt.

"They're out until I give them this," he said, and she looked at to see him holding a glass pharmaceutical bottle with a white liquid sloshing around. "On its own, the drugs sent by those darts will keep them out for at least eight hours, there is a small risk that they could die first," he added simply before he slipped the blue lettered bottle back into his pocket.

"That could pass for two-percent milk," she mumbled and shoved her hands in the sweatshirt's pouch pocket as she grew more aware of how frigid the wind's touch was. The invasive chill teased her scalp and she was grateful to have his words to take her attention away from the cold.

"I would really like it if you'd go back in the house, lock the door and sit in the dark but I know you won't, so instead I'd like you to move or stand exactly when and where I tell you."

"As long as your idea of exactly isn't me being in the house."

She couldn't see Bane's small smile behind his mask, he ignored her statement as he continued to speak.

"I'm going to start with the one on the right and take him into the barn and get him set up for a conversation, I'll then do the same with the others," he said as he gestured to the unconscious men.

"Then what?"

"Then I'll let you stand in the back of the barn, behind the wall of hay bales, you'll have no problem hearing and will be able to see through the bales."

Thera nodded, "and then you wake them up, with that?" she asked as she pointed to his jacket with the inside pocket. "Yes," he said and squatted next to her so he could both see her and also not tower over her. He pulled the bottle out of his pocket, upon closer inspection, she changed her comparison that it more had the look of skim milk.

Bane nodded and passed her the bottle, she gingerly accepted it and traced her index finger over the royal-blue letters of the name, flumozeel.

Thera shoved the bottle back towards him, "after you wake them up and interrogate them, you'll then…kill them?"

Bane nodded, "and I would really prefer you were in the house at that point, I also know you won't of your own volition," he stated.

His tone made Thera's blood run cold, "but?" she asked with an upwards lilt.

"But, if I was overly concerned with your voyeurism, I would certainly be able to secure you from being able to spy on anything."

Thera cleared her throat, "how concerned are you?" she finally asked.

Bane set his firearms to the side and swept her up in his embrace. "I'd prefer it if you didn't stick around during this, all I need you to do, wherever you plan on settling, is, do not under any circumstances bring any bit of attention to yourself or interfere with my actions in any capacity," he murmured against her ear as he moved his hands urgently across her body. By the time he was done speaking, he had her gasping and close to blushing under his touch.

"I swear I'll stay out of your way," she whispered rapidly when he leaned back to look at her pale, unblinking, frightened face.

Bane pulled off one of his leather gloves so he could trace the pad of his thumb across the soft skin under her eyes, he was glad to not find tears along with the feverish skin. "Give me a little time," he said as he pulled his glove back on. I'll call you when you can come and hide behind the bales."

Thera nodded and watched Bane prepare to start towards the fallen men before he turned back to her and spoke lowly and tonelessly. "It is very important that you wait for me to tell you when it's safe before you come into the barn, do you understand?"

"Yes," she said with a nod and watched him walk steadily to the very still men. She continued observing him check the men's pulses and then watched him select the heavier of the three to hoist and carry over his broad shoulder and out of sight into the barn before he returned within a couple minutes.

He repeated the same technique with the remaining two followers and Thera waited for his signal which was seeming to take longer once he had possession of the third man.

While Thera waited for his signal that wouldn't come, inside the barn boards painted a bright cherry red, Bane secured the men to plain metal chairs. He had them blindfolded and gagged but they would be able to hear simply fine. He stuck the same needle with the milky looking reversal drug into the arm of each man and waited for the drug to bring them back to the land of consciousness. The drug worked fast moving through their bloodstreams and they were soon back to life and filled with terror and confusion.

Isaac, Clint, and Kyle were terrified when they woke up tied to the metal chair, they tried to rip their zip-tied limbs free, their struggling burned hot; but they soon quieted down when Bane began to speak to them.

"Gentlemen, this is an unfortunate situation. Granted, more for you than I, but still unfortunate."

Bane waited until the men stopped their grunting and protests before continuing.

He pressed his lips together and spoke as though speaking from a lectern to a rapt audience that only lived for his next spoken syllable.

"You have been following my wife and I for some time. I know that your intentions are dishonorable."

Bane felt a twinge throughout his whole body and an extra tingle in his cock at referring to Thera as his wife.

"I also know who is paying you but you're going to confirm it."

Bane went into observation mode and fell silent as the men tried to communicate with each other through the wire gags that were modified from an equine style. Isaac was desperately trying to talk to Kyle and Bane felt that familiar trill of homicidal anticipation spill into his fingers and swirl in each joint, dance around each vertebrate and fill every vessel, pocket, and snuggle in his capillary beds.

He closed his eyes, took in a deep inhale, and held it for ten seconds, exhaling with intention before he addressed the anxious one trying to talk. Bane removed his gag; Isaac grew still and silent as Bane tossed the smelly fabric to the floor, that moments before had stifled Isaac's words.

Bane paused in front of Isaac and kept his chuckle inside at the flinch when he began to talk.

"Isaac Franklin Meyers," Bane read from the driver's license he held in his hand.

Isaac froze as Bane continued to read from his battered and expired license.

Before they had been affixed to the chair with the nylon zip ties, Bane had stripped them down to their underwear and went through the contents of their wallets, pockets, and clothing.

"You know Isaac, I think you lied a little on your height," Bane said with a chuckle and slapped the blindfolded man on the shoulder. "All kidding aside Isaac, I'm going to give you a chance to confirm who you are working for and how much you're getting paid to carry out your no doubt nefarious plans for my wife and I?"

Isaac was shaking his head before Bane was finished speaking as he tried to offer verbal protests implicating everyone but Talia.

"Shhhh….shhhhh Isaac, slow down, you have a lot to say," Bane soothed. Isaac took a deep breath, words falling fast as Kyle sounded in with muffled agreeable grunts and noises behind his gag that reeked of transmission fluid.

"You've got things all wrong, no one hired us man, we saw you and your woman driving, thought it might be a nice catch and…." Isaac stuttered before Bane interrupted.

"That woman is my wife, did you have plans for what you and your little pals were going to do once you got here?"

"No man, we just thought we'd flash the piece, scare you two, maybe kick you around a little, you've got to have money or drugs around here."

"That was your plan?" Bane asked bluntly, floored by their ballsy lies, willful ignorance, and lack of planning.

The men shrugged, trying to hold onto their facade and soon Kyle was whimpering loudly when Bane suddenly removed his gag. "So, Kyle, do you still live on Binter Street?"

"Yes sir," Kyle answered quickly.

"Who hired you Kyle, what's the payday?"

"No sir, it's just like Isaac said, we saw you at the motel, your car, clothes, woma…I mean wife."

"What did you two have planned for my wife and me? My house? Our lives?"

"We wanted the car, whatever money we could find, jewelry, anything."

"If my wife and I had fought back?"

"Most don't sir," Isaac said from his left.

Bane looked over at him, "Child, how many people have you killed?"

"What?"

"You children heard me, all of you, how many have you each killed?"

"Twelve Sir," Kyle answered in a low tone.

"Is that an honest answer Kyle?" Bane asked as he squatted down until his next question was right next to Kyle's ear. "Tell me who hired you and how much they're paying you, between you and I."

"There's no one really bro, we just saw you and it was like, instant, ya know one of those moments or something," Kyle stuttered until Bane patted him on the head. "That's okay child, calm yourself."

Bane began to whistle a familiar tune as he busied himself around the barn. As Isaac and Kyle strained their ears to hear past the whistling, Clint lapsed into a state of fatal silence. The tranquilizer had interacted with his blood pressure medication and he was actively dying without medical intervention.

Bane rolled three industrial steel drums several feet apart and dumped in several large containers of lye and added a sack of opaque granules. He let the mixture sit together for a few minutes before grabbing two gallons of a popular household detergent and added it to the sturdy drums as Isaac and Kyle tried to slide out of their zip-ties.

A strong chemical odor filled the air.

Kyle and Isaac could taste metal in their mouth and knew that danger was imminent.

Both men shouted in startled shock as Bane voice returned louder. "If not for what I feel for my wife, you two might've had a chance. I know you were sent for me, now you need to tell where Talia is because one of you is going in the drum."

"Alive," he added.

Kyle and Isaac pulled at their nylon straps harder, creating lacerations and welts as they let their skin be ripped to shreds by the restraints. Kyle yelled when Bane's hand was suddenly on the back of his head, gathering his sweaty hair in his fist and jerking his head back. Kyle didn't have time to speak as the cold shock of a steel blade was drawn across his neck. Bane held Kyle's neck back so his wound would bleed freely and lustily.

Bane watched the dancing ends of the arteries and veins as they were violently severed and exposed to the dusty air. Life left Kyle quickly and Bane let his flaccid head droop to his blood-soaked chest before he turned his attention to Isaac who had nearly gotten out of one of his zip-tie holds. Bane smiled behind his mask, a dangerous leer filling his eyes as he stomped towards Isaac and squatted next to him, letting the tip of the knife poke the top of his thigh. "Infant, has this become too much for you, you just thought you were going to break into my house, scare my wife and rob me blind?"

Isaac started to sob as Bane tapped the tip of the knife up and down the length of his thigh.

"Child, you are going to be the 278th person I have killed."

"Wait, no, you want Talia, I'll tell you everything," Isaac blubbered and began crying with relief when Bane lifted the blade from his thigh.

"Where is she?" Bane asked with the dead tone of the Ferry Man awaiting his payment.

"She'll be coming here later when I call her."

"What are the parameters for your phone call?"

Isaac dropped his head to the dusty floor. "You tied up, incapacitated but very much alive and your pet doctor…," he said as his voice broke.

"Finish speaking child, tell me your plans for my wife," Bane said with a tone reserved for the dying, empty syllables that only the dead could decipher.

"Talia wanted her hurt, she wanted us to put on a show for you, make you suffer," he murmured as he trailed off into a whisper.

Isaac jerked his head up at the sound of Bane's grunt that embodied rage, the sound long before man had learned to express himself with words and could only inhale one last time as Bane dropped the steel cord around Isaac's tanned throat. Bane pulled the deadly necklace taut and the metal bit into the soft skin of Isaac's neck. Isaac began to struggle as Bane yanked the steel until it ate through the wet meat of his throat and a high-pitched gurgling emitted from his torn windpipe as he continued to try and struggle even though his life was over, his brain was slow to catch-up to reality.

Bane leaned back as Isaac's tactical vest grew saturated with blood and bits of flesh as his heart gave its last few futile attempts to beat. Isaac sagged and Bane released the garrote until there was no arterial pumping and Isaac's heart was still.

After the last of the involuntary death spasms, Bane used a set of wire cutters and cut the bodies free. He lowered each one carefully into their own drum of toxic chemicals.

Bane didn't bother ending Clint's life and dumped him into the toxic mess while he was gripped within violent death throes as his heart arrested. Bane rolled a fourth drum over and began to systematically clean up every last bit of evidence of his actions against Isaac, Clint, and Kyle.

As Bane got on his hands and knees, retrieving every last piece of the nylon zip-ties, close-by, Talia had her phone clenched in her grip and breathed a sigh of relief as the Arrivals at the bus station were updated and the rider she was waiting for was already on their feet and fetching their bag from the overhead bin and retrieving an awkwardly shaped gift, wrapped in gaudy paper, a garish pea green background and crimson fish with bug-eyes and too humanlike pupils.

The fat green and red bowed caught the wind when the rider departed and fluttered as they looked at the unwashed masses waiting for friends or loved ones, all sheep, prey, food, tools for their betters.

"You're destined to one day be a lamp on my table," he thought as his eyes spied Talia's the millisecond hers caught his.

"Uncle," she murmured in her own voice and let him wrap her up in his strong embrace. "We have much to do," she murmured when he set her on her feet.

"Yes," Laz al Ghul agreed. "There is much to do to avenge your father, my brother," he said as the sea of unwashed masses opened up and swallowed them both.

As the dangerous duo departed the train station and to a fancy little Audi Talia had waiting for them, back in the barn that now housed more dead than living, Bane jerked upright when the door issued a creak and a gust of wind brushed his sweaty brow.

Bane's eyes found Thera at the door entrance; her hands gently splayed out from her sides.

Bane was frozen in place; his feet had become rooted to the ground. She held his eyes before trailing them down the front of his body, sweeping her gaze to every part of his blood-stained hands, clothes, and the drums instead of breathing bodies.

He held his breath as she brought her eyes back to his.

"Thera," he started to say before she jogged towards him until she was standing in front of him, looking up at his face as she reached for his hands that were covered in blood. She lifted one of his hands to her face, the gore-soaked nails so repugnant against her beauty.

"Thera," he started to say again as she pressed her lips to the top of his filthy hand. "Shhh, you don't need to say anything," she whispered as she broke contact briefly. "I'll help you clean this up," she said as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her impossibly close.

"Thank you," he thought but didn't verbalize it.

Bane moved her away from the drums when the chemical reactions began to create a fragrant toxicity in the air. She watched him pour the remaining chemicals, "tell me about this soup," she said as she picked up plastic pieces from the ground and scooped up blood stains from the floor which she added to the fourth industrial drum.

"I picked it up overseas but tweaked the recipe once I got home, I added some extra sodium hydroxide and a few other secret ingredients."

"So how long's the process?" she asked as he pounded the steel lids back onto the heavy-duty drums.

Bane affixed another lid before he answered. "In about four hours, these drums will be filled with a tan liquid that resembles and feels like mineral oil."

"That'll do it," Thera said and watched him put the final lid on the last drum, sealing the still-warm corpse that would soon begin to fall apart.

Bane and Thera cleaned up the last of the evidence and sealed it into the fourth drum before Thera smoothed her hand down the outside of his arm until she could grasp his hand tightly and tug, adding in a whisper, "let's get you cleaned up."

Bane looked nowhere but her, all of his senses were focused on her and he let her lead him across the sprawling yard to the front door. Thera kept her hand in his as she grabbed the potent bourbon and two glasses before taking them both to the bathroom. "Sit down," she said, letting go of him only to pour them each several healthy-sized shots into each glass. "Are you injured anywhere?" she asked as she passed him a glass and noticed his bloody nails and a good laceration on his forearm.

"Just a few scratches," he answered, he hated how boastful he sounded when he stated that simple fact.

She nodded, not reacting in any visible way if she thought he was bragging. She plugged the bottom of the tub and cranked the faucets until near-scalding water began to gush forth and fill the tub. She squeezed a plastic bottle with a blurry picture of a rose and a pinkish transparent blob was destroyed in the rushing water. Thera adjusted the temperature as the water took on an assertive floral scent and crossed back to where he had settled on the closed toilet seat lid.

Thera eyed the level of the tub's rising water before she kicked off her shoes and stayed standing as she peeled off her socks, conscious of his immediate attention. Bane blew out a low breath as she deliberately pushed her pants down before unzipping her sweatshirt until she was left in her generic grey bra and panties.

She shivered and had enough blood flow left to blush and giggle, "it's cold." Any words Bane may have had died the moment she turned her back on him and unhooked her bra and tossed it on the floor before she slid her panties down her thighs until she could sink into the scented bath water.

Bane made his sore fingers move as fast as they could as he unlaced, unbuttoned, and unzipped his blood-soaked clothing until he stood naked in front of her. He dropped his mask on the counter and drained his glass of alcohol and clumsily refilled it under her wordless gaze.

His mind made him aware of the phone call Talia was waiting for, the phone she was waiting to hear from was on the kitchen table.

Thera swallowed hard as she let her eyes run over his bare skin, his cock hung heavily between his strong thighs. His voice brought her eyes to his, "may I join you?"

She licked her lips before she nodded and he joined her in the bathtub, sinking down into the luxuriously hot water, perfumed bubbles clinging to his wet, naked skin. They both let themselves enjoy the hot water embrace them. Thera squeezed the excess water out of a washcloth and rubbed a white block of soap on the small towel and held her hand out towards him.

Bane let her carefully and thoroughly scrub his hands, grooves of his knuckles and painstakingly cleared his cuticles of every bit of blood. She dunked the towel in the water and squeezed the cloth before she methodically scrubbed his skin clean and removed all the coagulated fleshy bits that had gotten lodged under his fingernails.

Thera slid closer to him, practically on his lap as she moved the wet cloth up the center of his chest, the cooler air and her close proximity made his nipples harden. She gave a shrill squeal as his hands shot out and gripped her wet hips and yanked her more assertively onto his lap, the water sloshing over the sides with his enthusiasm.

Thera dropped the cloth and let her hands fall onto his shoulders as he squeezed her taut flesh, feeling electric and wanting to be consumed by her in every way. He slid a hand up the middle of her back and gripped her wet hair that she had pulled back into a low bun that fit perfectly into his strong hand and tightened his fingers into a fist around the damp bundle of silken strands.

He felt fiery lust building inside him and was so caught up in his post-adrenalin and introduction of alcohol that he didn't hear her moans turn painful.

Bane was immediately brought back to the present moment when she flailed her arm, the back of her hand brushed his nose with a surprisingly accurate hit with how far he had yanked her head back and hyper-extended her neck. "Please, please, please, please, please, please, please," he heard her chanting and released her as soon as he saw what he was doing.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly and more assertively than he wanted as she started to scramble away from him. Even in his impaired state, he was faster, more agile and encircled her, thwarting any movement. "I'm sorry, that was a mistake, I'm sorry, I have no excuse," he stammered in a rush, apologizing for far more than just the current moment.

Thera nodded slowly and surrendered herself to his formidable embrace as he continued with a litany of apologies. She shifted in his arms and reached for the faucet, "this is starting to cool off, I haven't even gotten to my hair."

Bane watched her half-turn to adjust the hot faucet, delighting in the side-view of her breast and the water making the skin of her belly glisten. She turned her attention back to him after shaking her damp hair free and picking up a bottle of two-in-one shampoo and conditioner. She dumped some in the center of her palm as she slid back onto his lap, settling close as she rubbed the coconut combo onto her scalp until she brought forth a thick soapy lather under her touch.

Bane had to fight to not claw his hands everywhere at once on her bare body as he forced himself to keep his grip ironclad on her wet hips as she rinsed her hair until the strands were squeaky clean. He tried to steady his nerves and slid his eyes to the right and let his gaze fall on their empty glasses, he thought he was being subtle but looked back to find her gaze on him. "Do you want a refill?" she asked.

"Somewhere more comfortable," he said lowly.

Thera nodded and dropped her hand down along the side of the tub for one of the two towels she had dropped there earlier and began to rise. More water splashed around them as he yanked her back and fought with trying to speak coherently and not grope her until he could forget himself in her naked skin and warm intimate center. "Are you okay?" she asked in a semi-frantic state and he rushed back to the present as he realized he had fallen still and silent with his hands firmly keeping her close.

He started with a nod, "yes, I'm just tired with the extracurricular activities tonight," he admitted.

Thera nodded in as close to understanding as she could, without having ever directing taking a life. She rose from the water and he allowed her to that time, she wrapped the towel around herself and passed him the other. She waited until he accepted the half-folded towel before she slipped a purple robe over her wet skin. She let the towel drop from underneath the violet cotton before she picked up the empty glasses and bottle before she opened the bathroom door and let out a rush of fragrant steam as she walked towards the kitchen and called over her shoulder. "I've got some muscle relaxers and painkillers in my purse; I'll get them and some ice."

Bane watched the empty doorway before he pulled the plug and let the water begin to drain. He roughly dried his skin with the faded towel and dragged it across his shoulders to capture a drop of water that was rolling down his shoulder cap and walked to the small bedroom. He sat down heavily on the side of the bed as he heard her in the kitchen opening and closing the freezer and the clink of ice cubes hitting the empty glasses.

He tossed the damp towel on the floor and rubbed his hands across his eyes and forehead as he groaned lowly, the adrenalin that had been surging through his body began to dissipate and left him acutely aware of how much his body ached, exhaustion threatened to drown him. He looked up as she walked into the room wearing the plush robe and holding two squat glasses with three square ice cubes swimming in an amber puddle.

Bane gave her an exhausted small smile when she crossed the room and sat down next to him, "take these," she said pulling two yellow triangular tablets and a peach oval pill from the robe pocket and settled them in the center of his open palm.

"Why do you have these?"

"Sometimes a chardonnay and opiate chaser is just what the doctor in me ordered."

She watched him swallow the pills and continued to stay silent as he rubbed the back of his neck and drank half his glass, the ice cubes clicking against his teeth. She shifted on the mattress until she could maneuver behind him, "let me," she whispered and slid her hands across his shoulders and kneaded her fingers against the bunched-up muscles of his upper back and neck. Thera could feel the tension dancing in his muscle fibers, "relax," she murmured.

Bane closed his eyes as her fingers moved across the firm muscles under his warm skin, she was pleased to hear him sigh heavily and let his shoulders slump under her touch which she soon deepened, dragging her touch through the webbing and intersections of his heavily corded muscles and ropy ligaments.

He squeezed his eyes shut tight as her warm palms smoothed down the plains of his shoulder blades and massaged lower to the tension that was practically vibrating through the warm flesh of his lower back and flanks. Bane drained the glass with two painful, throat-burning swallows and mumbled something unintelligibly that made Thera pause and lean closer. "What did you say?" she whispered.

"You're being an idiot," his mind started to screech at him before he shut down those thoughts. Thera shifted to give him space as he turned towards her. The smile he gave her looked tired when he stated to speak. "I was thinking that yes, alcohol and pharmaceuticals are a nice soothing balm but not good enough."

"What would help you, besides a lot of needed rest?"

"You."

"Me?"

Bane nodded and moved lightning fast despite his overwhelming fatigue to grab her upper arms and abruptly pushed her back onto the mattress. Anything Thera had wanted to say, from a sigh to a scream was stifled when he crushed his lips to hers, cutting off even the possibility of an exhale.