The Bounty

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Star Wars: The Clone Wars or any related titles, characters, plots, settings, etc. These rights are the sole property of Dave Filoni, George Lucas, the Walt Disney Company, and their various publishers and distributors. I own only the original elements of this story, the writing and publishing of which earn me no money.

Part II

"Get in," Bane ordered, already pressing the button that would close the cargo bay when Oche skidded inside. She landed hard on her left arm - thankfully, that wasn't the side that had been injured in their escape.

She just lay where she had landed, staring at the blaster bolt-seared ceiling as Bane took off, rocketing from the planet's surface at a speed that pressed her body against the metal grate of the floor. For as long as it took to reach the outer atmosphere and enter hyperspace, Oche allowed herself a round of self-pity. However, as her body took on the familiar lightness common to hyperspace travel, she sat up with a groan.

"Are ya proud-a yerself?"

Oche chose to study her injuries rather than look at Bane. She could tell from the growl in his low voice that he was not happy with her. She wasn't badly hurt, she confirmed, but the mild injuries still stung and the last thing she needed was to be chewed out by her fellow bounty hunter.

"Yeah, pretty much," Oche told him as he continued watching her with a sneer. "I'm a thief by trade, not a bounty hunter, remember? Usually, getting caught means that my mission is over, but I got away. That makes this a good day for me."

"Yer bleedin' on my floor," Bane told her.

Oche glanced down and shrugged. "It's human blood. It cleans up easy. Besides, I don't know what you're mad about. I'm the one who has to fix these pants… again."

She mournfully pressed a hand against her right hip, where a large tear in the fabric of her pants exposed her less dramatically torn skin. The scratches were shallow and the bleeding was already slowing. The most irritating injury came from her wrists. When the clone trooper who had caught her put a pair of binders on her wrists, she had managed to block the magnetic links from coupling completely, but the effort had left her skin pinched. Between that discomfort and the strain from breaking out of the cuffs, Oche's wrists were intensely bruised. They would take a while to heal.

Before she could struggle to her feet, Oche found herself lifted by Bane's tight grip around her waist. He was wiry, but Duros muscle was more dense than that of humans and he was more than strong enough to lift her… as he had shown on multiple missions when he had been forced to literally throw her out of the line of fire.

She grunted at the force of his grip - it had literally pushed the air from her lungs - but stayed polite. "Thank you."

"What did ya think y'were doin' back there?" Bane asked, not backing up or removing his hands from her waist.

"Uh, stealing the information we needed? That was the point of the job, yeah?" she asked, trying to take a step back so that the brim of Bane's hat would stop brushing against her hair.

His grip tightened, keeping her standing where she was. "An' the plan was that yeh'd get outta there soon as it got too dangerous," he argued.

"I didn't get shot this time," she debated, voice bright and relentlessly positive. "I'm getting better."

"Ya got lucky," he snarled in her face, shaking her slightly.

Oche felt her face tighten, but fought to keep her tone level and collected. "Luck and skill are interchangeable most days. Isn't that what you always tell me?"

"If ya had skill, ya wouldn't have almost gotten shot back there," Bane said coldly.

Finally having had enough, Oche twisted slightly and it was enough to escape his grasp. She paced a few feet, but turned back to continue their conversation. "And why is it okay if you almost get shot every time? Do I yell at you about your skills? No."

Bane rolled his red eyes. "Because I have the skills to back up my luck!"

"Why are you being such an ass about this?" Oche demanded, pushing herself into his personal space once more and giving a hard shove to his chest for good measure.

"'Cause I was worried about ya!" Bane snapped at her, stepping forward again so they were standing chest-to-chest. He scoffed, tugging the brim of his hat a little lower on his head. "I care about what happens to ya."

The atmosphere was abruptly tense and Oche tried to ease things back to where they had been. "Don't let Todo hear that. You always tell him that you don't care about your team."

"I don't care about ya as part-a my team," he admitted quietly, seeming furious at the admission. "I care about ya as a person."

"Wait, what?" Oche asked. "Are you being serious?"

His face twisted into barely suppressed rage. "O' course ya wouldn' know what I was talkin' about. Ya think I'm some kinda monster. Duros are good enough ta work wit', but we're just lizards after all, huh? That's what ya think. Shoulda known ya were just like everyone else-"

"Just shut up for a minute, would you, Bane?" Oche demanded loudly, grabbing the sides of Bane's jaw. She knew he was sensitive around the breathing tubes in his cheeks and avoided squeezing the area. Instead, she feathered her thumbs across the skin in a motion she hoped was soothing. "I was just surprised. I'm not rejecting you."

"Maybe… maybe ya should, though."

He was trying to avoid her eyes, but Oche wasn't about to let that happen. She kept her grip on him, ducking her head until she could meet his red gaze head-on. Usually, the bounty hunter picked a stance and stuck with it, so the sudden change of heart was a source of concern. "What does that mean, Cad?"

It was the first time Oche had ever used the bounty hunter's first name, and she could tell it had an impact. With his expression illuminated by the disconcerting flashes of passing stars, Bane admitted, "I was horrible to ya when I first made ya join my crew. I wouldn't blame ya if ya never wanted to see me again, but when ya didn't wanna leave right away, I- I thought maybe ya might-"

His face tightened and he made a move like he was going to try to jerk out of Oche's hold, but she planted a firm kiss on his mouth before he could try it. He gave in easily, just as he had every time they had kissed in the past. He was a bit of a sucker for physical contact, and it was one of her favorite things about him.

When they finally broke apart, neither of them went far. Staring at him from only inches away, Oche grinned. "If you remember, I've never had a problem with you being a Duros. In fact, I kissed you first."

Bane scowled. "Ya did not. I kissed you."

"Because I convinced you to," she dismissed. "Do you think I was staring at your mouth because I was trying to be subtle?"

"Shuddup," Bane told her, leaning in once more.

Oche pulled back just a bit, and he changed directions to nuzzle at the sensitive slope where her neck met her shoulder.

"Just so we're clear-" she cut herself off with a gasp at the overwhelming sensation as he nibbled at the muscles of her neck and shoulder with his sharp teeth. "-I like you, too."

Bane lifted his head and opened his mouth, but Oche pressed a quick kiss to his forehead before he could start talking. "That being said, you have three seconds to kiss me again or I'll shoot you myself."

He obliged.

Author's Note - Yeah, I did once get two requests in a row for Cad Bane fics! He's not an easy character for me to write, so these were terrifying. Still, I wanted to share them here just in case anyone was looking for Bane content. There doesn't seem to be much of it. I haven't written any more of this story, so this will be the last entry! Again, feel free to check out this story along with several others on my Tumblr, or request a fic of your own! Username: WanderingInkSplot.

Thank you for reading! If you have a moment and would like to tell me what you thought of this, I would very much appreciate it. Have a wonderful day!