Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Everything else belongs to someone else and that's the way of it.
The Truth Comes Out
"Game of Thrones refers to a fantasy book series that also resulted in a television show." Barsad informed Bane from his place at Bane's side, his second's face revealing nothing of his thoughts. "I looked into it after the cop told Kei to start calling him Khaleesi. The man they compared you to was a great warrior among his people who was undefeated in battle and the leader of a nomadic group called the Dothraki. His wife was given to him against her will by her brother, becoming his Khaleesi. It was insinuated to me that your Pet used this parallel to tell Kei he was fine, as over time the Khaleesi won her husband over and was also happy with him."
Bane supposed he should appreciate the fact that he hadn't been casted as a character who was a 'bastard, jackass, fuckhead' among other things. Unfortunately at the moment his brain didn't know what to focus on. The mysterious drug his Pet apparently needed to survive here? The fact that somehow Blake had effortlessly figured out Bane was laying a trap for them? And how had he done that so easily, exactly? There was also the question of whether or not he needed to investigate this book series more and punish his Pet for the comparisons depending on what he found there. His Pet as his wife. As his…mate. The name his Pet had whispered to him in the night. Or had he? Had it all been a ruse? Had he been wrong to think Blake had been talking in his sleep? Or perhaps the words had been intended for another of his Pet's previous lovers.
Where to start?
Grateful for the mask that hid his face and therefore his inner turmoil, Bane's gaze cautiously shifted over in Barsad's direction to find the man consulting something on his phone. It wasn't hard to guess what that might be. "Looking up Grey Worm?"
"Yes." There was something in Barsad's tone that suggested that while he wasn't angered about being assigned that character, something about it irked his second.
Remembering another comparison, Bane asked if he needed to punish his Pet for comparing Talia to this other woman, Cersei.
"I would say from what research I've done there are a few…personal choices made by Cersei that Talia would never make, but overall I think that she would not be adverse to their personalities being said to be similar."
One less thing to deal with, at least. "And your opinion when it comes to the failure of the trap?"
"His origin of birth and profession too often blind you where he's concerned." There was no hesitation in Barsad's matter-of-fact statement, the beta holding his gaze without flinching. "You stereotype him because of both while ignoring all the evidence to the contrary. I've read his police record, Bane. Even the superiors who didn't like him acknowledged his intelligence, tenacity, and dedication to the job. And on top of that training he also grew up on the worst streets Gotham has to offer and survived both physically and morally intact. One does not accomplish that without a great deal of personal strength and cunning."
Barsad paused then, probable to put emphasis on his final statement. "You dangled a carrot in his face and expected him not to see it for what it was. Put yourself in his place and tell me you would not have seen it for the trap it was."
Bane didn't even have to think about it. Of course he would have seen it for the trap it was. Which meant that when it came to his Pet he was being an even bigger fool than he'd original thought.
"You have copies of all his data?" He hadn't bothered to look at himself, assuming that if there was something in those files he needed to know Barsad would tell him. He'd been so focused on learning Blake for himself, so sure that he could see through all the man's masks…which had been a mistake. And not one he'd make again where his Pet was concerned.
"Of course. I'll send them to you immediately."
He hated to ask his next question, but Bane figured it best to take all the hits at once. "You believe he's manipulated me since he was given to me. Hiding his true nature?"
"To a degree. In his situation who could blame him for the attempt? But I also think you've gotten under his skin almost as much as he's gotten under yours."
Bane snorted in spite of himself. "Almost."
"You are both what the other would want in a mate if not for the diverging philosophies you have about the world and what needs to be done in order to save mankind from itself."
Shaking his head, Bane decided to move on to the next question. Which was what Barsad thought about this drug Blake apparently needed.
"He sounded genuine, when he stated that he'd end up dead if he didn't get it."
"Addicts usually think their lives are over when they aren't getting their drug of choice."
"He'd be showing more overt signs of withdrawal if he had a serious addiction to anything." Barsad countered. "You know that. No needle marks, mood swings, sensitivity or muscle spasms. There was also nothing in his police record to suggest he was ever suspected of having a drug problem. And they have mandatory testing as well, which he always passed without incident. No hint of drug use in his juvie record either. He said it wasn't exactly a lie, that it was a homeopathic remedy for a hormone disorder."
"He was going to steal rather than attempt to ask me for what he needed." That alone condemned the beta in Bane's eyes.
"If any of the ingredients could be used to cause harm you wouldn't have given them to him even if he had asked."
True.
"He is coming to us. Or so he said. Better to seek him so that we can find out what he wants. If death is the only alternative he won't lie or evade once we make it clear he must come clean."
His Pet had a highly developed self-preservation instinct so Bane didn't disagree with that. Instead he motioned for Barsad to follow him as they left the otherwise empty room they'd duck into so that there would be no distractions when his Pet and Kei started talking about this plans regarding his attempt to trap them.
As they started walking down the hallway in the direction the other two men had gone after lunch Bane noted that Barsad had pulled out his phone again and appeared to be scrolling through something with a barely noticeable frown on his face.
"Who is your character in this series they speak of?"
"He's the commander of an army known as The Unsullied. 'The warrior-eunuchs of Astapor whose reputation for combat is without equal'." Barsad added in a tone that suggested he was quoting from the site he was reading from.
"Eunuchs?" Bane repeated, knowing that that was most likely what had perturbed his second. Especially as the boy currently conspiring with Bane's Pet was causing Barsad as many moments of trouble as his own Pet was giving him.
"Apparently they are all males taken as slaves. Up to the age of five they are chosen and then castrated because their masters believed that to do so would eliminate their bloodlust and sexual urges on the battlefield. Make them less emotional and easier to control."
"They did not kill their masters for this offense?"
"Apparently not."
Bane didn't understand that.
The look Barsad gave him suggested his second felt the same.
And in synch the two walked in companionable silence as they went looking for the two men looking for them.
)
His Pet didn't look furious when he came into sight. It would seem that his earlier tantrum had calmed Bane's Pet to some degree or the cop was merely demonstrating the cunning and strategic nature he hadn't given the man credit for previously. Though it didn't appear that his Pet intended to use his wiles or sex to get what he wanted currently. No, the look in the beta's eyes suggested that he was a man on his mission. And he'd complete said mission come hell or high water. Possibly regardless of the cost.
Kei, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to the tension now in the hallway. No surprise.
"Hello again. We were on our way to find you." Blake's expression was cool, as was his tone. "I keep forgetting to give you this list of chemicals I need for a homeopathic medication I'm on due to a hormone imbalance I've had problems with since puberty. My last dose is starting to wear off, as you saw from my somewhat extreme behavior yesterday, so it would be a really good idea to get me what I need as soon as possible. I know how to make it on my own and if you're worried it's not what I say it is, or don't trust me with something, I'm fine with being watched while making it and will even prepare a dose for both Kei and I, which he's willing to take to prove that I'm not trying to kill myself with it."
As arguments went Bane acknowledged that his Pet had thought this through. He might have almost believed it. Or at least he hoped he hadn't been so naïve that he'd have bought that previously.
"You have a list?"
Nodding his head Blake pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and offered it to Bane's second, who took it and immediately started reading over the list.
Turning his head and looking down Bane did the same.
He recognized some of the ingredients listed, but not all of them. At least not by the name Blake had written. And those he recognized weren't, to the best of his knowledge, likely to cause death if someone were to ingest them. At least not in the amounts his Pet was requesting.
And then Barsad made a sound, one that had Bane looking up to see that Barsad wasn't still reading the list anymore. No. He was staring at Blake in horror, his skin visibly paler.
"Barsad."
But Barsad didn't so much as glance at him. All his intention was focused on his fellow beta.
"Umbra?"
Bane's Pet went very still for a moment, and then nodded.
Umbra? Umbra was Latin for shadow. It also referred to the innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body. What did a shadow have to do with any of this?
"We have three fourths of what you need. I can get the rest in the next twenty four hours at the most."
Bane's head whipped around to stare down at Barsad in disbelief. "You think to give it to him without my permission?" He'd be angry, but Bane was more stunned than anything else. Barsad had never overstepped his bounds like this before.
"My apologies. But he needs this as soon as possible. It's imperative."
"Why?"
Barsad looked at him. Looked at Blake. And then met Bane's gaze squarely.
"Umbra's a street drug. It hasn't made its way out of North America for the most part which is why you probably haven't heard of it. It's a drug taken by omegas that allow them to pass for betas. He needs it because if he doesn't get it he will not only present as an omega, but also go into heat as soon as his last dose is out of his system. A result of his body's urges being suppressed for so long. And in this case he would go into heat as an unclaimed omega in a compound filled with unclaimed alphas. When he said people would end up dead if he doesn't get this he was speaking the truth."
White noise buzzing in his ears, Bane looked at his Pet. Just looked at him. And remembered.
He remembered Talia's mother. The closest thing he'd ever had to a mother. Remembered the way their fellow inmates in The Pit had thrown themselves against the bars trying to get closer to her, especially the closer she came to one of her heats before the put her into isolation. The words they'd hurled at her like weapons, the atrocities they'd threatened to unleash upon her if they ever got their hands on her. What they had done to her when they'd gotten into their cell. What had been left of her afterwards.
But more than that he remembered the promises she'd extracted him when he'd presented as an alpha. Promises about the sort of alpha he'd be. How he was supposed to treat omegas and protect them from those who would harm them. And he'd…how could he ever face her given what he'd done, however unknowingly? How was he going to tell Talia what she'd accidentally done when she'd given Blake to him? How could they live with what they'd done to dishonor her mother's wishes? He-
The feel of fingers slipping between the straps of his mask and his skin and pulling got Bane's attention with a start, Bane coming back to find himself gasping for air and looking into Blake's eyes.
"Figured that would snap you out of it. Breathe. Just breathe, Bane."
He'd stopped breathing?
Staring into his Pet's eyes, Blake's hands having shifted to just cupping his cheeks while-while Barsad kept a firm, strong grip on one of his arms while Kei had his other. He told them to let go of him automatically, but not Blake. He didn't want those hands to leave him.
"You're…"
"An omega. Yes. Technically. Not for much longer given how long I've been on the drug but-Bane, I need you to give Barsad permission to get me what I need. You have to see-it's not just about the heat thing. You could isolate me, as inhumane as that would be for everyone, but, Bane…think about what this would mean long term. If I revert back then it wouldn't just be the heats you'd have to worry about. What about when I get pregnant, huh? I mean the years of taking Umbra might have done enough damage that getting pregnant won't be as easy as it would have been, but research shows that as long as we don't reach the point of no return we can still get pregnant once the drug's out of our systems. And ANY children I have would be born Pets according to the rules here. That means our children would be born SLAVES. As PROPERTY. Could be sold and abused and yeah, I know you wouldn't let that happen but what if you aren't around to stop it? What if it's what Talia or her father wants? Think about that."
Bane was thinking about it. And the conclusions he was coming to wiped all other thoughts from his mind.
Children. Their children. He could have children.
Bane had learned very early in life not to want anything. There were things he needed like food, water and air, yes, and those needs he controlled as much as he could. But things he wanted…he didn't let himself want things for himself. He had goals and plans, yes, but the majority of them weren't for his personal benefit. His lord and Talia's wants were his in the sense that he would do whatever he could to achieve them, but it wasn't the same. He would say his happiness didn't depend on their success, even if happiness was never meant for him. A few moments of it at most seemed to be his allotted amount.
But if he'd allowed himself to want one thing, to just have one thing that he wanted for himself to come true…he would want a family. A family that was his and his alone. Talia's mother had cared for him, but she hadn't been his true mother. Talia…Talia was her father's daughter first and because of that she would always side with him even against Bane. Had allowed Bane to be sent away from her side for a time without a word of protest. His biological parents had never been a part of his life. His own father had damned him to the living hell of The Pit in his place.
He was of The Pit, and therefore had never been fit to have a mate. Not an omega one. And while adoption was a possibility he'd considered Bane wanted, on a primitive, elemental level, for children that came from him. That were his flesh and blood. Who were his in every way and therefore could never be taken away from him.
And now here was his Pet telling him that he could give him that. That he would give him those children if he wasn't allowed to have this Umbra drug.
)
"We are so fucking screwed, aren't we?" Blake asked Barsad, who shared a look with the omega that spoke grim volumes. They both knew, in their bones, what Bane was going to say when he stopped slipping into shock over the things he was learning about his Pet. Both had been around alphas all their lives and knew an alpha with breeding on his mind when they saw one. Bane was going to knock the cop up as soon as humanly possible and neither of them stood a chance in hell of talking him out of it.
"There's a small outpost near here that the two of you can stay in during your heat. It's isolated enough that no one should bother you and I'll arrange for a security detail made up of betas to remain in the area since Bane won't be up to protecting you both."
"He better be up." Was Blake's pissed off response to that, though he kept his hands on Bane's cheeks to center the alpha. Already acting as an omega would with his mate.
"What do you mean?"
"He better be up because if he makes me turn omega, I'm so using my heat to fucking ruin him for life."
