Chapter 8
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I'll stay.

The words rang loud in her head, repeating themselves over and over again. It had been so easy to say it. Too easy. In the heat of the moment they'd rolled off her tongue with ease but now, the reality of the situation was setting in. She had agreed to stay with a criminal, a murderer no less, and in doing so her life would never be the same. She wished she'd had more time. A chance to say goodbye to her family before disappearing but that had been taken from her. She hated the thought of them worrying, especially when they'd already been through so much. She wished she could send them a note, explain that that she was safe and had left town so they wouldn't look for her, but she knew it wasn't an option. Not while it was still so unsafe.

Looking up at the stone ceiling she let her thoughts wander. What would become of her now? What would life be like here? Bane had warned her it would not be easy, but what exactly that meant she did not know. She had so many questions and not enough clarity, but despite the unknown, she did not regret her decision, for every thought, every argument led her to the same decision. She knew the future would be hard, maybe even dangerous, but she would take it all over the pain of losing him again.

She'd take anything over that.

Sitting up, she cast her eyes round the lavish room she would now call home. Silk sheets covered the king-sized bed she sat upon, a delicate woven net draped around it, protecting her from both mosquitoes and eyes alike. Red and gold tapestries hung from the walls, a dozen candles lining the way across a beautiful mosaic floor that led out to a private balcony overlooking the desert. Bane had remembered she liked to draw, leaving her a wooden desk with wads of expensive paper and ink pens at her disposal and a bookcase brimming with books. It was more than she could ever want or need. She knew Bane had wealth, but he was never one to flaunt it. Coming from nothing he knew he could get by on the most basic of necessities. He had no need, nor interest for materialistic things meaning that this was purely for her benefit.

Climbing from the bed she went to the wardrobe, gently tracing the hand carved flowers upon its handle as she threw open the doors to reveal an abundance of luxurious cottons and silks. The clothing here was different from home, designed for comfort rather than fashion with long loose dresses and garbs being the norm. Picking out a couple of items she held them against her body, trying to envision herself in them, of what her life was to become when she spotted a looming frame appear in the doorway behind her.

"How are you settling in?"

She turned at the sound of his voice. He cut an imposing figure even dressed down in a loose fitted shirt and black cargo pants.

"Okay" she replied nervously putting the garb back "Thank you for all of this, by the way, it's very generous of you."

"Is there anything else you require?"

"No." she replied quickly "No, really this is more than enough. Thank you."

He watched as she fiddled with her fingers anxiously. It had been 48 hours since her decision, during which he'd kept his distance, allowing her to come to terms with it in private though he could see it had taken its toll. The dark bags beneath her eyes filling him with concern. She'd barely made it last time, and this time would not be any easier. If she was to stay, he'd need keep her from getting too close to the edge.

"You're not hungry"

It wasn't a question. Her eyes following his gaze to the untouched plate beside her bunk.

"I've tried" she started "I just -"

"It's alright. I understand."

Her brows shot up in surprise; "You're not mad?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I told you" he said meeting her gaze evenly "things are different now."

They stared at each other for a long moment, unsure of what to say. He knew she had questions, as he had his own. There was a difficult conversation to be had but now was not the time.

"Come. Walk with me."

Hesitation flickered across her features, but did as he said, following him out the door and into the early morning light. She was very jumpy. Every movement, every noise seemed to startle her. He knew it would take time for her to settle, to trust him again but he accepted that, maintaining a safe distance as she wandered beside him in a state of awe.

The fort was as beautiful as it was old, with worn stone pillars, cracked stones and pitted steps. A white dust lingering on her hands as she traced the rough stone, imagining what life would have been like all those years ago. Sweat clung to her skin, her weak ankle beginning to burn as they navigated through an endless maze of interconnecting passageways, sunlight revealing faceless stone statues as they passed. He showed her everything, from the kitchens to the Great hall with its dozens of lined tables, to the courtyard with its strange stone pillars that stood so high above the ground that she wondered how anyone could possibly get up there. The temple was her favourite, though the darkness somewhat unnerved her. With a reassuring hand Bane led her deeper inside, the smell of incense filling her nose as they entered a musky room with soft chimes that whispered in her ears. A sea of mats lining the floor where a lone man sat crossed legged, a string of red beads in his hands that he flicked from side to side.

"What's he doing?" she asked quietly.

"Praying."

She turned to look at him, surprised; "I didn't take you as a man of religion."

His reply was flat and blunt.

"I'm not."

"Then why -?"

"Some come here to pray. Some to meditate" he said fixing her with a serious look "and others for forgiveness."

XXX

Lauren flopped back onto the bed, a thousand pillows cushioning her body as she tried to ignore the throbbing in her ankle. It had been a long day; she'd been on her feet longer than expected leaving her ankle swollen and sore. Sitting up she massaged it gently, imagining what Blake would say if he could see her now. His face came to mind with a pang of guilt. Everything had happened so fast; she hadn't had a chance to think about him. Where was he? Was he okay?

A knock at the door stopped her from spiralling. Getting up she crossed the room, peering through the peep hole to see Bane on the other side and unlocked the door. Her first night here had been a rough one, with her flying into a blind panic at the prospect of being locked in. Bane assured her that things would be different. Vowing to never lock her in again and had a locking system installed that opened from the inside besides the one key he kept but never used.

"I brought dinner" he announced "I thought you maybe hungry seeing as you haven't ate all day."

On que her stomach rumbled. His words reminding her of how ravenous she was.

"Thank you"

He placed the tray on the table with his back facing her.

"Now that you've made your – decision, there are some conditions you should be aware of."

She froze; "conditions?"

He nodded.

"Like what?"

"The League is like a living organism. It's made up of all kinds of people from all walks of life, but everyone must play their part. Everyone has a role, a job to do and that includes you."

"What kind of role?" she asked cautiously.

"Don't worry. I already have something in place for you."

His reply did not fill her with confidence.

"You are not to be alone, at any time outside of this room. You will have a guard assigned to you until further notice."

"What? Why?!"

"It won't be forever" he assured her "but it will put my mind at ease until you are able to be on your own."

She didn't like it, but it was better than not going out at all.

"Fine. What else?"

"You're not to leave the grounds or to contact the outside world. You may go wherever you wish within the complex, but you do not leave the walls. There are dangerous people in these parts. People who won't hesitate to kill on sight."

"Hence the guard?"

"Exactly."

"Okay. Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes. But perhaps we should leave that for another time."

She swallowed hard; "okay."

"I'll leave you in peace" he said heading for the door "Leave the tray outside when you're done. I'll have someone collect it when you're finished."

"You're not staying?"

Bane stopped. Mealtime had previously been a source of conflict for them. He knew her words were out of habit. He hadn't given her the choice back then, but he would now.

"Do you want me too?"

Her reply was instant; "Yes."

With a nod he crossed the room, saying nothing further of matter as he took a seat and began serving.

"Have you eaten?" she asked gently, trying to hide her limp as she joined him at the table.

He shook his head, his eyes zeroing in on her ankle.

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"Nothing" she replied quickly. Too quickly.

"Do you honestly believe that you can still lie to me?"

She held a gaze a moment longer before giving into the pain with a sigh.

"Okay fine" she admitted flopping into the chair opposite him "it's a little tender from today."

His eyes narrowed; "tender?"

Damn. She'd forgot he didn't know. She'd left in such a hurry the night of the attack that her medication and aids from the hospital had been left behind. There was no moon boot or crutches to out her and with everything that had happened, she had all but forgotten about it.

"Its nothing-"

"Lauren" He warned.

She really didn't want to have this conversation. Bane had always been ridiculously over the top when it came to her health, but she knew that there was no getting out of this now.

"It's from before" she admitted softly.

A deathly silence filled the air. His hand curling into a fist as he made sense of her words.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was afraid of how you would react."

He turned away with a snort, repulsed with himself. He knew she had been injured in the blast. The memory of her bruised and bloody, lying helpless in the ash had never left him but he did not know the extent of her injuries. How could he? Barsad assured him he had delivered her to Gotham General, but it seemed her wounds were more severe than he feared.

And it was all because of him.

"I'll take you to the doctor in the morning" he stated flatly "have him look at you."

She nodded in agreement, not daring to object; "Okay."

They sat in silence. An awkward tension hanging in the air. They hadn't spoken about before, about what happened though she had many questions. Had he looked for her? Where had he been all this time? Biting her lip she kept her eyes lowered, anxiety building in her chest until she pushed her plate aside, unable to avoid the inevitable any longer.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He heard the pain in her voice. The sting of betrayal in her words.

"I thought it was for the best."

"How?" she whispered, "How was that for the best-?!"

"I did what I did to keep you safe. With me gone, you had a chance at a normal life – to start again. I didn't want you to live in fear, worrying whether or not I was coming back."

She turned away, not wanting him to see the tears in her eyes. Of course, he'd done it to keep her safe, but it didn't make it any less painful.

"After you left. After I realized, I couldn't cope" she murmured "I didn't eat. I didn't sleep. All I could do was think about you. Reliving that day, over and over again wondering what I could have done differently…how I could have saved you."

"I didn't intend to cause you any pain."

"But you did" she whispered, a painful sob escaping her lips "because dead or alive, being without you – it was unbearable."

She had the same look in her eyes as she did then, her pain tugging at something deep inside of him, something which he hadn't felt since the day she left. Slowly he reached out, her skin soft and cool as he took her hand in his.

"I'm sorry."

She shuddered at his touch, her eyes finding his as their fingers entwined together, the rough of his skin filling her with a mixture of peace and confusion.

"Come on" he urged softly "Let's get you to bed."

She nodded in agreement, holding onto to him tightly as he helped her to the bed. Leaving her to her privacy he headed for the door when he stopped, meeting her gaze from over his shoulder.

"Just so you know" he said, "I thought about you too."

Hello and happy new year!
Sorry the upload is a little late, been struggling with motivation and what not considering were in lockdown #3 here in the UK but I got there!
I've got a few chapters almost ready to go so there's lots to come your way! I wanted to thank all of you who are still reading my fanfic and are following my journey, it really means a lot. Especially, these days. So thank you, it means the world. I hope you are still enjoying it, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I hope you are all staying safe and well.
Until next time
xoxoxoxoxo