Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations I put all my poor victims in. Everything else belongs to somebody else and that must be how it remains for obvious reasons.

I Thought I Saw

Waking up with a low groan of pain, Blake stared up at the ceiling and mentally taking stock of his body's complaints for what seemed like the hundredth time since his mind had been able to focus on evaluating instead of simply screaming in pain along with him. It was better, a lot better, he noted, like he really was a teenager again and going through a really bad growth spurt. This kind of pain he could deal with. Work through.

Bane was gone, and it was morning again if the light coming through his windows was anything to go by. He'd spent most of the previous afternoon and into the night talking to his captor, wanting to keep the man beside him as a shield and…God save him, a sort of teddy bear. The man's presence had been soothingly familiar, which just went to show how easy Stockholm syndrome could come up to bite you on the ass as far as he was concerned. But Bane wasn't someone you wanted to mess with and the man had made his feelings concerning Venom quite clear. He wouldn't let anyone use that stuff on him again, and he'd promised him. That he had no idea what Bane's word meant to the criminal was somewhat problematic, but on this point he was willing to believe the man had meant his words.

Throwing aside his covers after his mental evaluation was done Blake forced himself to get up and walk very gingerly towards the bathroom, his bladder demanding he empty it. When that was done he trudged over to the sink to wash his hands, absently glancing up at the mirror to get a look at how bad the damage was there.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Mouth dropping as he automatically turned the water off Blake very slowly moved his body this way and that to give himself different views of his physic, dropping the pajama bottoms he'd been wearing so that he could get the whole picture.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph. He had a six pack. And his ass…he had the most perfect, ideal ass he could have ever, in a million years, have asked for.

"And no one to share it with. Figures."

Without warning an image of Bane came to mind, but the detective ignored it easily enough since he was too busy taking in every improved muscle. He'd always been slender, with a high metabolism, so putting serious muscle on would have required a strict diet and a workout regime that would have ate up all his free time. Work and a life came before vanity, so the best body he'd had was in high school when he'd still been doing gymnastics regularly.

Running his hands over his taunt stomach, whistling low under his breath, Blake grinned like an idiot over the change. It went without saying that this new body wasn't worth the agony of Venom, nothing was save protecting the lives of innocents, but while it lasted he was going to enjoy this lone benefit.

His gaze turning towards the shower Blake took a couple steps towards it and then stopped, a considering look coming into his eyes. Someone might hear it running and it would be far better to keep everyone thinking he was still out for the count as long as possible. Especially the unknown someone who had power equal or superior to Bane's, Blake thought with no small amount of hatred. Because someone had given the order that he be exposed to that inhuman drug and it hadn't been Barsad or his master. And with all the mercenary's underlings thinking that he belonged to Bane…who but someone with a great deal of sway would have dared think they could act against him without Bane's permission? There was someone else involved, someone from the League of Shadows perhaps? That psycho Ra's al Ghul's replacement? Maybe Bane wasn't even really in charge, maybe he was just following orders and was hiding the real villain here.

And maybe he just didn't want to believe that the guy he couldn't help but be a little interested in wasn't the criminal mastermind behind the destruction of his city, Blake acknowledged, not about to lie to himself just to feel a little better about it. But either way…he'd been told not to visit the West Wing of the house and right now everyone would be underestimating him and his ability to get around.

Mind made up the detective moved as fast as he could back into the bedroom, knowing where to look as he retrieved clothing from the dresser of whatever teenage boy had occupied the room before him. Layering on clothes, just in case he had the chance to make a run for it, Blake did what he could to prep for the outside elements and then retrieved the lone weapon he'd found in the room. It was a letter opener in the shape of a sword, the unknown teen a fan of 'Game of Thrones' apparently. Not the ideal weapon, but it would work.

Adrenaline pumping now at the thought of freedom Blake couldn't believe how messed up his mind was that he actually felt a little bad for thinking to repay Barsad's help from the day before by running away and thus getting the mercenary in charge of him in a lot of trouble. Bane wasn't known to suffer failure well…what if he killed Barsad over it? Would it be considered an offence punishable by death? Surely not, he was just a distraction for Bane after all.

Bane had also protected him yesterday….dammit! Stupid, completely messed up conscience.

Making a sound of frustration Blake marched over to the nearby desk, borrowed a piece of stationary, and left a quick note telling Barsad he was sorry for the trouble the man would get in for letting him escape if by some miracle he managed to get out without getting a bullet in the head. That was the best he could do where Barsad was concerned. And as for Bane, well he'd thanked him already and he really didn't owe the man for yesterday because it would never have happened if the damn mercenary had just left him the hell alone and let the other cops retrieve him once the area was clear and…and…

Crud.

Grabbing another piece of stationary Blake quickly wrote down ten really good books he'd enjoyed reading and informed the mercenary that he'd be missing out if he died before reading them.

And calling himself every kind of idiot the detective hurried over to place the two pieces of paper on top of his pillow and then headed for the door, listening carefully and then letting himself out when he heard nothing. No one there, he noted, and adopting as silent a tread as possible began to make his way down the hallway to the main staircase. And arriving there he took in the lay of the land, surprised to see that he recognized the front foyer.

The Parrish estate. He'd come here once to arrest the owner's teenage son for drunk driving. The décor was still hideously expensive and overdone, in his opinion, and that had made it memorable. And it also told him that he was outside the city, dammit. It would be a hell of a long walk back and the chances of getting recaptured before he made it would be high since he wasn't exactly a boy scout. So he'd have to steal a car, that would be his only chance since all the other houses in the area would be abandoned by now and he wasn't up to the trek on foot.

Crap.

Pushing that aside the detective continued on his way, moving as quickly as he dared towards his first target. And moving from room to room he found nothing of interest until he opened the last door on the right, stepping into a room that had obviously been the master suite. The bed was huge and there was only a single blanket on top, one obviously taken from somewhere else given its size. The bed's original covers, a garish red, were in a heap nearby despite the fact that they were obviously pricy. He had to admit that the fact that the bed had drape things, like in the Harry Potter movies was cool. Now they would definitely keep the sun out better than the crappy shades he had at home, but were probably a bitch to clean.

The décor around the bed had been trashed, but that wasn't a loss from the looks of things. It was an obvious playpen with sex as the theme, the size of the bed the only selling point Blake could see besides the drape thingies.

But the size of the bed…was this…where Bane slept at night?

Curiosity and a gut feeling had the detective looking for some sign that Bane did use the bedroom, brows furrowing when he saw something that definitely didn't belong on a bedside table that had been hidden from his sight originally by one of the bed drapes.

"A teddy bear?" A very messed up looking teddy bear, Blake corrected, one that had been repaired by someone who obviously had no idea how to sew. There was also an opening in the bear's back too, one that no one had bothered to stitch up. Yet someone had cared enough to put it under glass, to keep it despite its appearance. And had used…what looked distressingly like human hair to sew an ear back on.

"Call me crazy, but I don't think you belonged to a previous tenant." The Parrishes were all about appearances and even on the slight chance that one of them had kept a stuffed animal from childhood they would have gotten it repaired properly. This teddy bear belonged to someone who hadn't even had access to thread at some point. So as illogical and mindboggling as it was, the most logical conclusion was that this belonged to a current resident of the house. Maybe even Bane if this was indeed the mercenary's lair.

Glancing towards the bed again Blake tapped his fingers against his thigh thoughtfully, a small grin crossing his face as a way to test his theory came to him.

Walking over to the bed he climbed on it and on his hands and knees shuffled over until he reached the lone pillow at the top, pressing his face into it. It was indeed Bane's scent that greeted him, the hint of morphine a dead giveaway. Poor bastard had to wear it even to bed, Blake thought with a shake of his head, unable not to feel pity for the man, especially now that he knew what it was like to be a victim of Venom.

But he wasn't here to play around on Bane's bed, especially since that wouldn't be fun without-yeah, not going there. Time to think about something else.

A slit in the back of the bear, one Bane carried around with him on his travels-could there be something inside it? The remote maybe?

Scrambling off the bed and moving back to the table as quick as a flash, Blake lifted up the glass case and setting it aside was reaching out to turn the bear so that the back was facing him when some animal instinct told him that he wasn't alone just before the outraged snarl reached his ears.

And turning his body to face the storm Blake saw Bane coming towards him like a predator moving in for the kill.

He didn't think or speak, he just moved, Blake running for the terrace doors and throwing one open without glancing behind him. And knowing Bane would be on him in mere seconds Blake took the necessary steps and vaulted over the balcony, not knowing what he was jumping into but praying it was better than whatever Bane would do to him when he caught him.

The snow was deep, thank God, and there was nothing underneath it to hurt him when Blake hit the ground. He'd been trained how to fall properly, and though it knocked the wind out of him and made the aches in his body that much worse the detective got up and started running as soon as he had air in his lungs. And he kept running right up until his foot went through the snow and the ice underneath it.

Yelping in surprise as he stumbled, soaking his two pairs of borrowed pants that much more in the freezing pond water in the process. Getting his leg out of the water Blake stumbled away from it, knowing his only chance now was to get the car garage and steal a car because in his new condition exposure would kill him for sure. Already the wet material was freezing up on him.

But as he rounded the house he saw Bane patiently waiting for him on the steps, watching him without any sign that he was even remotely aware of the wind blowing over the chest covered only in a sleeveless black top. There would be no getting past the man, and he wasn't dumb enough to think he could take Blake despite his body's recent improvements.

So there was nothing to do but keep the man off balance and interested in figuring him out, Blake taking a deep breath for courage before walking over to the man who watched his every move with unnerving focus.

"You can beat the shit out of me after I shower."

And on that note he started up the stairs and headed back into the house, leaving Bane to follow him from behind.

)

Following Blake up the stairs, ridiculously curious as to what the man was up to, Bane remained silent as the cop trudged towards the room he'd been assigned without deviation. He'd expected the detective to fight him or start begging him for mercy; that was what most people did when faced with his wrath. Blake was acting like nothing had happened.

Blake was stripping off his clothes.

Mouthing dropping just a little in shock behind his mask Bane moved on autopilot, eyes widening ever so slightly when the detective removed the last article of clothing, his last pair of pants, and gave him a perfect view of the other man's bare ass before it and the rest of Blake disappeared into the bathroom.

Moments later the sound of water running made it clear the man had been serious about taking a shower before they discussed anything.

Leaning back against the bathroom counter Bane waited patiently, using the time to decide how he should punish the other man. Blake hadn't harmed Osito, he'd have killed him if that were the case already. He'd told the detective not to go near that area, but in retrospect that had probably guaranteed that the man would do precisely that. Logically he should punish Blake swiftly and brutally for disobeying him, Bane knew, but that defeated the purpose of why he'd decided to keep the detective in the first place. And hadn't Blake suffered plenty already, because of the Venom?

And why exactly couldn't he stop glancing in the direction of the shower and the body he could see through the foggy glass?

That he was still wondering that when Blake stepped out of the shower and started toweling himself off was downright mortifying.

"You think nothing of appearing naked before me?"

"Why should I care? It's not like I interest you sexually." He'd had to share a room with someone in foster care and then the home plenty, and that plus locker rooms had insured that he didn't give a damn if anyone saw him naked. It wasn't like he had anything to be ashamed about, especially now.

That was true, Bane acknowledged. Or at least…he'd never found anyone's naked body…he was only looking to observe the changes brought by the Venom.

Feeling like a puppet, or a servant trailing behind his master, Bane once again found himself following Blake out of a room and into the bedroom, the other man retrieving fresh clothes to put on before coming over to stand in front of him, looking him dead in the eye with that stubborn chin of his out as he asked what his punishment was for disobeying him.

"I haven't decided."

His answer had obviously caught Blake off guard, the man giving him a suspicious look that suggested the detective thought he was being manipulated somehow.

Silence followed as they stared at each other, the quiet broken when Blake asked if the teddy bear in the other room was his.

"Why?"

"Because if it is I can fix it. Or at least sew it up so that it won't come apart on you anytime soon. I took home economics in high school, I knew I'd have to cook and do that other stuff for myself once I turned eighteen. It won't be pretty, but I can…if you want. In exchange for a lesser punishment."

He was well aware of how ragged Osito was getting no matter how hard he tried to keep his old friend in one piece. His hands were too big to wield a needle properly, and asking anyone else to do it would be admitting how much he valued the stuffed animal, thus making him seem weak. No one entered his room or went through his things without his permission, and though Talia might remember the bear from before she would never expect that he'd kept it all this time. To entrust Osito to someone else…he couldn't do it. Not that.

"You could stay close while I fix him. I would never deliberately wreck something like that."

"Something like what?"

"I still have a teddy bear from when I was a kid too. His name is Toto after the dog from 'The Wizard of Oz'. Don't ask me why, I don't remember."

Surprised, he'd never met another grown man who'd admit to having a stuffed animal still in his possession, Bane asked why he'd kept it.

"Because hugging him was the only thing that made life bearable when I was a kid sometimes. He was there when I needed him, so now I take care of him instead. I can help you take care of yours, if you'll let me."

)

Last chapter's reference was Dr. D'Arque, as in Monsieur D'Arque, the man who ran the insane asylum. Today's is Osito as the positive sides of the rose. He symbolizes Bane's hope, and the possibility of one day being loved and saved.