Disclaimer: As always we'll own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in.

I'll Get Warm

There were too many things to say, so many words that wanted to be expressed but were strangled internally by either Bane's sense of self-preservation or squashed by the feelings he had for Blake that wouldn't allow him to severe what little bond they might have at this point. Silence was often best when one didn't have control over one's words, Bane told himself, refusing to acknowledge the fact that part of his reluctance to continue this argument was that he didn't want to. He didn't want to fight, and wasn't up to it even if he had been itching to continue the verbal sparring.

So he settled back into the couch with the determination that he wouldn't speak, but would pay rapt attention to the film and then at the end tell Blake everything that was wrong with it. And make sure that his cop knew that he didn't think he was trash, Bane mentally added to his to do list, because he should have said that earlier but had been too caught up in everything else to do so.

Given the title of the film Bane had expected it to be a movie about someone getting everything they wanted for Christmas since giving and receiving material objects seemed to be the main purpose of the holiday for everyone but Blake. But what it was was a depiction of the life of a fairly ordinary man named George Bailey who had, in the course of his life, done noble things that had completely altered the futures of his town. A man who'd given up a life of travel and adventure for the sake of others, and who felt in many ways that he'd failed and that the world would have been better off without him because he couldn't see the impact he'd had on others until an angel had shown him otherwise.

And though his attention was fully on the television screen, his concentration completely absorbed in the plot, Bane still noticed when Blake got off the couch for a minute to retrieve a blanket that had carelessly been tossed over a chair at some point.

When Blake sat back down he was closer to him, the reason becoming apparent when the other man spread the blanket out so that it not only covered Blake from the waist down, but his own lower half as well. He hadn't been cold…but the gesture warmed him as he murmured a quiet thank you.

"You're welcome."

Neither spoke for the rest of the movie, Blake the first to break the silence when the credits started rolling, signaling the end.

"So, what did you think?"

"It was beautiful." Was Bane's honest reply. "It suits you."

"Thanks. I think." Pushing aside his side of the blanket Blake got to his feet, lifting his arms to stretch and get the blood flowing again before he turned to look at Bane. "So are you feeling better now?"

Bane considered denying the man's observation, but instead nodded his head. And he did feel a little better, though he didn't expect that to remain true once the effect of the movie and being with Blake wore off. Reality wasn't like the films; there were no happy endings here.

"Good. No one should be grumpy on Christmas."

"Aren't you unhappy, spending Christmas here?"

Having knelt down in front of the laptop to turn it off Blake paused, glancing over his shoulder at Bane for a moment before turning back to what he was doing as he shook his head. "I've had worse Christmases than this. I mean sure, there are places I'd rather be at the moment, and it would be great if you weren't holding my whole city hostage, but all in all this doesn't even make the top five of my 'Worst Christmases' list."

"You're being held hostage."

A chuckle greeted that statement. "Yeah, and that sucks, but I stand behind my earlier statement."

Okay, now Bane had to ask what had happened to the man in the five worst Christmas experiences Blake had ever had.

"Well technically speaking the Christmas after my mom died is number one, but I just remember my dad crying a lot and that I-I asked Santa to bring her back for Christmas and obvious that wasn't happening. The most vivid worst Christmas was when I was twelve and everyone in the house ended up with extreme food poisoning because my foster mother couldn't cook worth a damn. It's why I'm so turkey-phobic and anal about checking on it constantly. Everyone was throwing up or curled up in a ball of misery that Christmas."

As they headed out of the room Blake continued his recollections, recalling Christmases where there was no electricity or presents, or the first Christmas he went through after accepting that there was no Santa Claus, which had been incredibly depressing for him and had really casted a dark shadow over the whole holiday. So yeah, he summed up, he had a warm roof over his head, amazing food to eat, no one was ill, and the company hadn't been horrible considering he'd been surrounded by people who would have sent him into icy waters to drown if not for Bane. So yeah, he'd had worse Christmases, but watching 'It's A Wonderful Life' generally made any Christmas better.

"You enjoy it because you are like George Bailey, devoting yourself to the people around you at your own expense."

Blake sounded both flattered and embarrassed when he thanked Bane for the comparison. "I'm not in his league, but thanks. And actually what I like most about it is the idea that all our lives after intertwined and that when we do our best and live good lives we make other people's lives better, even if we don't know it. Like that song 'Through Heaven's Eyes'."

"I am unfamiliar with it."

"Yeah, should have figured that. It's from an animated movie based on the story of Moses. You know who that is, right?" When Bane nodded Blake continued his explanation. "So anyway the song comes after Moses leaves Egypt after accepting his true heritage, causing him to give up the rights and privileges of being a prince. He's left feeling like he's been reduced to being nothing, but his future father in-law makes him see things differently through this song."

To Bane's surprise Blake started to sing the song, not that he was complaining as he listened intently to the lyrics as he pointedly didn't look in the other man's direction in case that would stop him. The song did indeed fit with what they'd been talking about, particularly the first part of it. And he knew that gold meant nothing in comparison to water in a desert, and was very familiar with the capriciousness of fate. Blake alone, in such a short span of time, had changed his own plans…and who he was before he'd seen the shifts coming.

"I can see why you would remember that particular song."

"Yeah, best part of the movie. I never liked the story of Moses…or a lot of Bible stories really. I mean when you're a kid you get the Disney version of them so to speak, but when you really think about them they reminded me of some of the many reasons I don't go to church unless I get guilted into it."

"Your homosexuality damns you in the eyes of many religious sects."

A dismissive sound greeted that statement. "That doesn't help, sure, but there are a lot of other religious views I've got more of a problem with. I don't like belonging to groups that think they're superior to others, especially when they condemn and threaten people who are different for not thinking the way they do. If that damns me after I die, well then heaven or whatever you want to call it isn't the place for me."

"To damn you would be unforgivable."

He could see that Bane meant that, and it was nice-but both of them had very different lines when it came to their understanding of right and wrong. So instead of thanking him Blake opted to lighten the mood so to speak.

"Well depending on what god you're talking about they're known to be pretty unforgivable." He'd spent plenty of time around believers and nonbelievers, so he was fairly used to this particular conversation. "I figured a long time ago that worrying about that sort of thing is pointless. Living a life I can be proud of is what matters, and if my time's coming soon I reached that goal, so I'm good."

Opening his mouth to respond to that Bane closed his mouth just as quickly, swallowing the syllables that would have come together to form words that would have conveyed his intention to save the man if he could.

It was instinct that had Blake asking Bane what he'd been about to say.

"Nothing of importance."

"Right…I'd say pull my other leg, but we're on stairs."

Bane couldn't help it, he had to laugh.

)

The sound of it had Blake stopping in his tracks, his full attention on Bane as he was overcome with the wish that he could hear what Bane really sounded like when he laughed. Not mechanized and filtered, but Bane's true voice, the one that was hidden just like his face. But as the saying went, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride, Blake acknowledged, telling himself to just enjoy the fact that he'd made Bane laugh hard enough that the other man had actually grabbed the railing for a moment.

When Bane stopped laughing, which didn't take very long unfortunately, Blake decided to try again, stating that since he was standing, would Bane care to say what he hadn't said before.

A long pause, long enough that Blake thought the answer was going to be no, and then Bane did answer.

"What's the best Christmas present you've ever gotten?"

Okay, he so had not seen that coming. Not remotely. "My best-seriously?" His question greeted with a nod Blake didn't know what to say at first, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to think of the answer he hadn't expected to need. It helped that he'd never gotten very many. "Well I guess it would be the first five seasons of Cold Case burned onto DVD discs for me. Not that I'm a proponent of illegal downloading, but it's the producers own fault for not putting the series on DVD yet. I've always planned to buy every season when they did get around to selling them, just so we're clear."

When Bane just stared at him without commenting it belatedly occurred to Blake why he was being asked this.

"Is this about what I did to Osito?"

The stairwell got very cold in a finger snap, Bane's voice reflecting that without a hint of his earlier laughter. "What did you do to him?"

"Ah…you haven't been back to your room." And very aware of the fact that his bones would break many times over if he was thrown off the stairs from their current height, Blake hastily backed up until his back hit the wall, his hands coming up defensively. "I didn't damage him! I don't have a death wish, remember? Plus destroying your teddy bear on Christmas…I'd have to be pure evil to do that."

The temperature warmed a little, but Blake was pretty sure he wasn't off the hook and wasn't surprised when Bane ordered him to show him what he'd done.

Not about to argue Blake started moving up the few remaining stairs, heading down the hallway towards Bane's room with the other man at his heels. He'd thought his plan funny, a joke that Bane would hopefully appreciate in the spirit it had been meant…but now he was thinking he should have run the plan by Barsad first.

Opening the door to Bane's room Blake motioned him inside, thankful when the other man went in first in his haste to make sure that the stuffed animal was indeed undamaged. This way he could remain close to the door, just in case, though he wasn't foolish enough to think he could get away if Bane was determined to catch and kill him.

Just as he'd left him, Osito was sitting on Bane's bedside table…wearing a bright red sweater and holding a sign that said 'Here's Hoping For A Better New Year'. The bear was also standing guard over a plate he'd piled high with cookies for Bane to enjoy when he got home.

"The sweater, it was actually on this really ugly Christmas decoration slash figurine thingie I came across before when I was going through the decorations. Very memorable and I figured-it covers some of the battle scars if nothing else."

Watching Bane walk across the room to pick his bear up Blake studied his body language for signs that he was in trouble. Seeing the hint of lines around the man's eyes that made him think Bane was smiling, Blake couldn't help but smile in return, relieved that he was apparently off the hook.

And then, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a flash of color that struck him as off.

Turning his head Blake stared in surprise at what had been set on the other bedside table, which had been bare except for a lamp when he'd come upstairs to change for dinner and leave his little surprise for Bane. "What the hell?"

Walking over to get a better look Blake whistled at the huge flower display, reaching out to finger a petal while he looked over at Bane to ask where he'd gotten them from.

"The university greenhouses." The bear still in his hands Bane couldn't help but turn his head to look at Blake as the other man obviously admired the flowers. It would appear that the detective was the sort who appreciated such things, man or not. That had been of some concern to him originally, when he'd meant to give them to Blake.

"Ah. Gotcha." Though he wouldn't have taken Bane for the type to go out of his way to pick flowers, Blake thought as he counted all the various shades. Appreciate their beauty, yes, but not enough to go out of his way to get them and bring them back here. "I didn't know they came in so many colors. I guess that's why the name refers to the Greek word for rainbows, right?"

"That is correct. The Greek goddess Iris, who was personified by rainbows, was a messenger between the heavens and earth, connecting the gods to humanity."

It had been a long time since he'd had to study Ancient Greece in school, but that did sound sort of familiar. Not that he wanted to get into a discussion about the old stories, as most of the gods had been douches in his opinion. Especially Zeus.

And… "You're staring, Bane."

"Why did you put Osito in this sweater, and leave me these cookies? What do you hope to gain from it?" Talia's words were still ringing in Bane's ears, but they were fainter now, more muted as his ears perked up to hear what Blake would say. He loved the sound of the other man's voice.

"Now that question I saw coming. And to answer it…mostly I thought your reaction would be pretty damn funny and it's Christmas. Even during World Wars they'd call a ceasefire for Christmas, so this was my way of saying we were at peace for the day. Of course I figured today would be fight free with you not around…should have known that wouldn't be the case." Which annoyed him, but he was still, stupid as it was, glad that Bane had come back before midnight. That he'd gotten to see him before he turned in for the night. "You don't look mad, but just in case…?"

"I'm not angry with you."

"Okay. I'm going to head to bed then." Turning to leave Blake couldn't help but steal one last glance at the riot of colorful blooms. "It's weird-I mean I wonder why you didn't see it there before. Osito. You're usually more observant than that."

"They're for you."

Blinking, sure he must have heard wrong, Blake asked Bane to repeat what he'd just said.

"I picked them for you. For Christmas." He hadn't meant to say it the first time, the words had just slipped out, but he couldn't take them back now. It was too late on so many levels.

Jaw dropping in shock, Blake didn't know what to say to that as he looked back at the flowers, then at Bane again, the mercenary watching him but saying nothing. He'd-he'd never gotten flowers from another man before. Once from a woman who'd wanted to thank him for recovering her wedding ring after it had been stolen and pawned, but that hadn't been a…a…romantic gesture. A sweet, old fashioned, adorable gesture that was just-Bane had gotten him flowers.

Ears flushing red, he could feel them and didn't even care, Blake blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I'm a little disturbed that your bio on me was so thorough you know my favorite flower. That's just fucking creepy, actually."

"I didn't know. They're my favorite."

"Oh." Now he really didn't know what to say.

"I'll carry them into your room for you. The vase is heavy."

Nodding his head dumbly, he was at a complete and total loss for words at this point, Blake hurried over to the main door to open it for Bane, who set Osito aside on the bed and came over to lift up the vase and carry it out of the room.

Together they walked down the hall to Blake's room, Bane setting them down on the bedside table for him once they'd arrived at their destination.

"Thanks. Thanks all around. They're really…beautiful." He'd found his words, finally, but he was still looking and sounding like a bashful teenager and Blake knew it. Damn, how did Bane keep doing this to him, and how the hell did he make it stop?

It was of some small consolation that he was pretty sure Bane thought the same where he was concerned at least some of the time.

)

Note: Forgot to mention that for Chapter fourteen there was also the mentioning of the teacher Cogsworth who was obsessed with time. Fast forward to chapter eighteen, with the ottoman being like a dog, as in the movie, and the rose perfume refers to the Beast's rose and the lesson of beauty being dangerous. Chapter nineteen is Talia's warning against Blake, referencing the sorceress's speech, as well as Bane giving her a rose, but her reducing him to a beast through her actions. This chapter it's the line 'I wonder why you (I) didn't see it there before', and Bane giving Blake flowers, which he accepts and he allows Bane in, bringing him closer to the man he is.