Loud knocking roused Bane from his lustful state and stunted his throbbing manhood.

"What is it?" He growled in response to his second-in-command as his fingers twitched.

"We have a situation," Barsad called from the hall. "You need to come down."

Although Bane was furious that his liason with Parker had been interrupted, he nevertheless understood his duty. Dressing hastily, he followed Barsad down the spiral staircase, where he was greeted by the gruesome sight of the body of Christopher Ainsley-Wood.

"He tried to get away even though he was cuffed. He threw himself down the stairs, accidentally impaling himself," Barsad explained, indicating a gap in the gold-plated hand railing where a section of it had been ripped away, leaving two dangerously jagged edges at either end.

Bane's expression did not change as his eyes scanned the bleeding body of Parker's abusive husband.
"A fitting end," he rumbled. "Leave him there for now. I will bring her."

Back in the penthouse, Parker greeted Bane with a resigned expression, because she fully expected him to say that he had to leave in order to tend to some other business.

"Your husband is dead," he announced in blunt tones. It was the only way he knew how to deliver such news.

"What?"

"He is dead."

"Christopher... is dead? What...what happened?"

"There was an accident on the stairs," Bane replied. "He tried to run, fell on a section of broken railing that fatally wounded him."

"Oh my God," Parker gasped, as she cupped her mouth and rushed to the bathroom.

Bane followed and found her hanging over the toilet, enduring a mean case of the dry heaves. When she had settled down he took her arm and pulled her away.

"Come. I will take you to him."

"No," Parker said, shaking her head as she stared into the mercenary's eyes. "I think I'd like to see him alone, please."

"If you wish," Bane replied reluctantly. "It will not be pleasant for you."

Parker cautiously descended the stairs until Christopher's body came into view. He lay on his back with a deep wound to his mid-section. His shirt was soaked with blood as was the section of the hand railing that had been broken by looters.

She winced and looked away from the grisly scene. Although she felt faint, she eventually kneeled next to him and stroked his forehead gently.

"I wish things could have been different between us," she whispered. She closed her eyes for several moments, praying that one day she would be able to make an uneasy peace with the past.

Barsad helped her stand as she stifled a sob and shuffled back up the stairs.

The frowning mercenary was surprised when she rushed towards him, burying her face in his bulletproof vest.

It was an awkward moment, because Bane knew very little about giving comfort. His only experience was with Talia as a child, whenever she skinned a knee or didn't get her own way.

He wondered why Parker needed comfort following the death of a man who had routinely beat and berated her, and made her fearful. It was foolish of her to mourn the miscreant.

Instead of taking her in his arms, he merely rested his large hands on her hips. Parker responded with a shivering sigh and lifted her head to gaze into his hypnotic eyes. Her hands trailed down his vest, found his back brace, and for the second time that day she struggled to open its many fastenings.

Stunned by her actions, Bane smirked and let her proceed, reasoning that sleeping with him while Christopher's body was still warm would be a cathartic and physically liberating experience for her.

Bane shed his heavy vest as Parker pulled off her boots and led him into the bedroom.

His mask hissed and popped erratically as he slid Christopher's flannel shirt off her shoulder, exposing her breasts. It mattered little that she might be using him to make her pain go away, because the end result would favour him. He was the lover she deserved, and he was determined to have her, his legacy and all the glory that Talia denied him.

Tossing the torn duvet from the bed, he lowered Parker to the silk sheets.

"You are trembling," he observed as his dark chocolate gaze commanded Parker's eyes. His right hand moved to her waist, stripping off her athletic pants with ease."There is no need to fear me."

He regretted not being able to taste her, but he had no immediate access to his morphine injection. The mercenary was more than weary of the bonds of celibacy. He was erect and eager to plunge inside her. His unmasking would have to wait for another time.

His twitchy fingers dropped to his sides for a few moments, as if to contemplate his next move.

"Please. I need this now," Parker begged in hushed tones.

Bane growled, gripped her ankle and slid her off the pillows to the centre of the bed.

He was mindful of being too rough, but he was at the point where he could barely control himself. There was no time for pre-coital formalities. They both understood that they were headed straight for the main event.

"Then we are on the same page," he rumbled as he crawled on top of her, unzipped his cargo pants and parted her legs. He gasped at the sight of what Christopher Ainsley-Wood had squandered, and what would soon be his. Parker had the softest skin he'd ever touched, and he was pleased that none of Christopher's blows had inflicted any permanent physical damage.

"Do you know what they say about women like me? They say that we often leave one abusive relationship only to be trapped in another."

Bane's reaction was visceral.

"I am not like your husband," he croaked. Without further ceremony he thrust his stiff member inside her, only to regret it when she cried out sharply. It had never been his intention to hurt her or make her hate him, and he cursed himself for his lack of control.

His fears turned out to be unfounded, however, when Parker unexpectedly relaxed beneath him. Her head lolled sideways as she closed her eyes and sighed.

It wasn't difficult to get lost in the mesmerizing gaze of the homicidal villain of Gotham, and Parker did so as Bane stroked her with a deliberate pace that left her nothing short of euphoric. Moaning, she pressed her face against his shoulder while he moved in and out of her. As the tingling in her belly began to build toward a perfect storm, she wrapped her legs around the mercenary's waist. Christopher was all but forgotten.

Bane thrilled to the feel of her lips against his skin as he increased his speed. Celibacy had cost him too many years, and he was a fool for ever agreeing to it. With a determined growl he pushed Parker to the limit, plunging into her at a relentless pace. The bed shook violently as Parker raised her hips to meet every thrust.

Nature insisted on having its way, and Parker could feel her release coming far sooner than she wanted. With a startled cry she let it wash over her as Bane paused to share in her pleasure. He came soon afterwards, groaning with relief as he collapsed next to her. His long, dry spell had ended.

Their coupling was brief and messy, but they each got what they wanted.

When their breathing had calmed, Parker rolled on top of him and rested her head on his chest. "No looking back, no regrets, and no accusations of impropriety," she said, echoing his own words as her forefinger gently traced his muscular arm.

Several days later, a tense Talia met with Barsad in a corner of the cold sub basement of City Hall, where Barsad continued to crow about the night he'd found Christopher Ainsley-Wood skulking up the stairs to his and Parker's penthouse.

"Oh stop it, brother," Talia said, annoyed by his braggadocio. "He was of no further use to us, since you and Bane emptied his safe. You shouldn't have bothered with him. Haven't I warned you not to get too involved with the locals?"

"I had nothing else to do, Talia! Besides, he was a classic case of everything that's wrong with Gotham. You shoulda seen the bastard's face when Bane said he was fucking Parker. It was priceless!"

As Talia tapped her foot impatiently, Barsad accurately sensed that something was bothering her.

"Bane should be here, but of course he is not. Come with me, brother," she said hastily as she took Barsad's arm. "I want to show you something."

Together they travelled in a black GMC Yukon to the parking garage of Bradbury Mansions, a luxury apartment building next door to the Montana.

"What are we doing here?" Barsad asked as they took the least damaged elevator to the 8th floor.
"You'll see." She led the sniper down the hall to penthouse number 821 and accessed the newly repaired lock with a passcode.

"Don't turn on the lights," she cautioned as she gestured to a bank of windows at the opposite side of the ransacked penthouse. "We must not be seen."

"Uhhh... that's the Montana across the way," Barsad observed. "Are we gonna spy on Parker?"

"Of course we are going to spy on Parker! And Bane," Talia preened. "Come now brother, you never struck me as the type who would pass up an opportunity like this!"

Barsad followed her to the windows, where one floor below at the Montana, Parker and Bane could clearly be seen through the broad windows. They were in bed together, their tangled bodies engaged in a rhythm beneath the sheets.

"Holy shit..." Barsad whispered in wonderment while Talia handed him a pair of binoculars. His mouth dropped open as he witnessed Bane grip the back of Parker's neck with one hand, lift her leg with the other and ram himself into her while the sheets fell to the floor.

"He was telling the truth! He is fucking her!"

"Indeed. Remember when you first reported the husband's capture and death, you said you thought Bane was bluffing when he claimed to have taken Parker to his bed. Something about that didn't sit right with me, so I began surveillance. It turns out he has been making secret visits up here for days. I must say, it's very careless of Parker not to close the blinds," the daughter of Ra's al Ghul observed dryly.

"Fuck me. There goes his long record of abstinence!"

"It was my father who enforced celibacy upon him," Talia reminisced. "Bane agreed to it because he was grateful to Father for rescuing him from the pit, and for protecting me. He maintained his celibacy even after Father ex-communicated him, because he had come to truly believe that it made him a more effective commander. Now I understand that it was only a matter of time before the dam burst."

Barsad lowered the binoculars for a moment and pressed his nose against the window.

"'Atta boy, brother," he cheered. "Send it home!"

"Hush," Talia frowned. "You see before you the kind of mischief a man can get into once all work has been completed and there is nothing left to do but wait for the bomb to explode."

Barsad's deep set blue eyes smouldered as he looked away from the window and reached across to unfasten the large buttons of her coat.

"Tell me about it."

Talia shivered as Barsad slid his hand inside the wide belt of her skirt and pulled her against him.

"You're insatiable, brother," she sighed as Barsad pulled off her coat. "Have I told you I like that in a man?"

With one well-toned arm she shoved Barsad into the waiting embrace of an art deco couch, kicked off her shoes, lifted her skirt and climbed on top of him. It was a routine they both knew well.

As Barsad set his armoured vest safely aside, Talia tore open his zipper, hissing when the sniper eagerly shoved his member inside her.

"They know nothing of what we have," Talia panted as she rocked against him, unleashing a wave of powerful sensations inside her womanhood. "They are merely fornicating. They do not know what it is to truly make love," she whispered into Barsad's ear.

Much later, Talia and Barsad adjusted their clothing as they readied to leave.

"Bane and Parker are still at it," Barsad observed, glancing out the windows again. "I'm never gonna be able to look him in the eye again without seeing the image of him porking her."

"Enough!" Talia spat as she slipped into Miranda Tate's heels. "I'm going to speak to him about it."

"Aw, now. Don't tell him you've been spying on him," Barsad admonished. "Let him have his dignity."

"Don't worry, brother. I won't embarrass him, even though he thoroughly deserves it," Talia assured him. "Come. I've seen enough for tonight."

The following day, Talia slipped away from Wayne Enterprises to confront Bane in the sewers.

Her Miranda heels clicked loudly on the cold concrete floor as she approached the mercenary in his underground command centre. She found Bane seated on a bench by the wash, reading a vintage paperback copy of 'In Cold Blood'.

"The men are gossiping, Bane," Talia announced. "There is a rumour that you have broken your vow of celibacy and taken a socialite to your bed. Parker Ainsley-Wood."

Bane's frowning gaze met hers, briefly acknowledging her presence before returning to the book. He was neither surprised that she knew, nor did he care.

Annoyed by his indifference, Talia pressed on.

"You know what my father always said. Intercourse weakens the legs."

Bane put down the paperback, raised his musclebound body, and rounded to face her.

"Then your knees must surely knock," he countered.

"Don't be crude! You know seduction is key to my role. It is however, a dangerous distraction in yours!"

"On the contrary, my dear. I have never felt more focused or powerful," the mercenary replied. "Like you I am free of sexual constraints. You have always championed my celibacy while openly flaunting your own appetites. Now it would seem that the chickens are coming home to roost."

"Of course, Bane," Talia said quickly. "I do understand you. "Since you conquered an entire city, it only makes sense that you would want to take a beautiful, wealthy and corrupt woman of Gotham to your bed as a symbol of your victory. Just like all the great conquerers throughout history. It is the cherry on top, so to speak. The ultimate spoil!"

"I'm glad you understand, my dear." It pleased him that Talia assumed his dalliance was about sex and power. The daughter of Ra's al Ghul must never know that it was really about procreation and permanence.

"Does she please you, brother? She is a distant and damaged woman. I doubt she has the capacity for true passion."

"I possess her in a way that her husband never could," Bane boasted. "She responds to me in kind."

"So that's the way it is," Talia snorted. "Instead of loathing you as she should, she revels in your body. This city and all of its people are corrupt and depraved. The sooner we burn it down, the better."

"You must be patient, my dear. The end will surely come," Bane assured her as his eyes smiled.

Talia turned her back on him, intending to leave. She'd grown impatient with their strained relationship over the past several months, and she'd been unable to shake the growing notion that he was plotting something.

She suspected as much because she too was plotting. As soon as Gotham was destroyed, she planned to return in triumph to base, to be feted as the greatest Demon Head of all.

Bane's accomplishments would be ignored by the League elders who like Talia's father had never approved of him. She felt a twinge of regret over what was inevitable, but the Demon Head was her birthright, not Bane's.

"Why don't you love me?" Talia implored, faking vulnerability as she turned to face him again.

Bane sipped tea from his cup with a metal straw that slipped neatly through one of the mask's cylinders.

"But I do, my dear. Since the day you were born."

"You know what I mean, Bane! Why don't you love me as a man loves a woman? As my father loved my mother."
The mercenary's gaze settled on her in astonishment.

"Perhaps because I can clearly recall changing your nappies."

"But surely you've noticed I'm a grown woman, Bane," she intoned dramatically. "We are equals now, and it only matters that I love you as a woman loves a man."

"Have you not made similar declarations to other men?"

"Yes, but I don't love them. It's my role to say those things to men, but I love only you! Don't you understand, you blind fool?"

Bane grunted in disbelief, refusing to have any of her manipulative nonsense.

"If it will help our relationship, then I will step down from the League after Gotham." Talia insisted. "I will submit to your authority as my lover and as the new Demon Head. You'd like to be Demon Head one day, wouldn't you?"

Bane's dark eyes glittered dangerously.

"I don't believe you are capable of relinquishing your crown, my dear. Nevertheless, when I become Demon Head it will be because I earned it, and not because you stepped down."

"Very well," she conceded as a slight smile tugged at her lips. She had fully expected Bane to call her bluff, and he did not disappoint.

"Just remember, Bane. Unimaginable pleasures await you in my bed."

Bane dumped the now cold tea into the wash and placed his cup on the desk.

"Unimaginable pleasures that a hundred other men have sampled. I'm afraid I must decline your offer."

"Have it your way, then," she conceded. "The offer remains open should you tire of your rich plaything."

Talia smirked as she retreated to the surface. The game was on. Bane's unexpressed ambitions had finally come to light.

When I become Demon Head, he had said, "it will be because I earned it..."

She had every confidence that he was going to try to earn it in Gotham.

Author's note: Perceptive readers will have noticed hints in previous chapters of something going on between Barsad and Talia. Glad it's out in the open now! Thanks for reading. :)