Sorry about the short chapter last chapter, but I wasn't that sure where I wanted to take it. But, I have recently gotten the movie and after watching it, I'm a lot more stable in where I want to take this. So, without further ado, I give you the next chapter. Hopefully, this will help get me on the right road to where I wanna go . . .

Thanks everyone who has liked and favorited this story. Reviews would be muchly appreciated, though :)

Remember: Read, Review and Enjoy!

- Nagiana

"Hey, you can get off of me, right the fuck, now!"

Natalie's teeth grit as she struggled in the strong grip of the man behind her, as did Marcia beside her. Kai, however, went along willingly, too afraid to fight back. "I'd be still if I was you, girl." Came the dark voice behind her, and it took her a moment for her to realize that the deep, heavily accented voice came from the man half carrying, half restraining her. "Bane doesn't like women who don't know their place."

Natalie gave a snort. "Bane? Who the fuck's Bane? I don't know him from Adam!"

"Natalie, just shut up and do what he says, okay?" Kai hissed, her eyes wide with fright, and immediately Natalie toned down her struggling, a look of surprise on her face as she gazed at Kai. Her friend tearfully returned her gaze, and Natalie gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but Kai didn't return it. They were on an elevator now, going up. After that, they had ridden for miles in one of those military HUMVEES. Outrunning the cops – outrunning Blake, probably. Did he know? Did he know his girlfriend and her friend, as well as his ex-girlfriend, had been taken by these men? Was he scared – terrified, even? Or was he calmly confident that they would find them and rescue them?

Teeth gritting in anger, she yanked herself forward before turning to gaze up at the man holding her. Cool blue eyes, short, dark brown hair, aquiline features. She would have thought the man handsome, if he was not instrumental in the capturing of her and her friends, as well as blowing up and robbing the bank her and Kai worked at. She then balked slightly. When had she started considering Marcia her friend?

"Where . . . are you taking us?" She asked, forcing herself to keep her tone cool and collected, and saw the look of amusement that appeared in this man's eyes. He glanced at his two compatriots, who smiled in amusement, as well, before he spoke something to them in Arabic. They chuckled and nodded and replied in Arabic, as well. The eyebrows of the three women furrowed in slight confusion before the man holding her, turned his attention back onto her.

"You'll see soon enough, pretty one . . ." He spoke, his voice low and holding quite the dangerous tone that Natalie couldn't help but recoil away from. Those words caused her heart to pick up a pounding pace in her chest while she slowly allowed the man to revert her attention back onto the stainless steel doors of the elevator. His grip was firm but gentle on her and the two warring grips nearly boggled her mind. Compared to the tight grips the other men had on Marcia and Kai, this man's grip on her was almost . . . reverential.

A 'ding' resonated throughout the small space when they finally reached their floor and came to a stop. Natalie's eyes flickered upwards to the panel above the doors where the numbers of the floors glowed a soft yellow light, and was surprised to see that they were all the way at the top. Were they at a condo? Her suspicions were proven correct when the man closet to the floor panel, took out a key and placed it in the lock. Turning it, there was another ding and the door slid open with a silent fluidity. Marcia and Kai were led out first but the man held her back. His voice lowered.

"This is to be your new home, pretty one. Not theirs, but yours. And a word of advice before we go in, if I may? Curb that barbed tongue of yours or you might find it ripped out by the very man who ordered us to bring you here." The words were spoken on an eerily calm voice, but they sent Natalie into all sorts of whirling frenzies. A thousand thoughts ran through her head, least of all why she was there, who had ordered her to be taken and why the hell had he told her that this place was her new home? She had a home, already – it was with Blake – she didn't want this one!

What the fuck was going on?

The man moved her forward and she went willingly, although her legs shook like they were suddenly made of jelly. By the time they had halfway reached the others, she was leaning on the man more than she would have liked to admit. He stayed silent, though, and allowed her to lean on him slightly.

Kai and Marcia were standing there in the middle of what looked like a living room, their two captors still standing silent and hulking behind them. Kai had a steady stream of tears building in her eyes while the brevity of the situation seemed to finally be sinking into Marcia's head. Their eyes connected briefly and Natalie tried to share a tremulous smile with the two women but it wouldn't appear on her face. She was afraid she was all out of hope or logical reasoning at this point.

The man forced her to a stop with another firm, but gentle hold on her elbow. They stood there then, in silence that was broken only once by Marcia's captor asking something to hers in Arabic. The eyebrows of Natalie's captor, furrowed in irritation and he barked something to him in reply. The two men looked sufficiently cowed enough afterwards, to say nothing further.

They stood there for what seemed like hours but which was probably only twenty or thirty minutes of excruciatingly long minutes. They were excruciatingly long minutes that made the fear run hot and thick through their veins and by the time they heard the elevator come to a stop, even Natalie, who had been trying so hard to be strong for both her and her friends, had tears budding up in her eyes.

The doors slid open and heavy boot falls began falling almost immediately upon the wooden floors. When the man came into view, Natalie immediately felt a hot ball of lead drop down into her stomach. It was the same man from the bank – the one built like a bull on two legs and with the metal headcrab like mask attached to his face. He had a man trotting alongside him wearing the same brown army fatigues as the three men holding them. This man, though, was speaking quickly in Arabic to the larger man, but he was either ignoring him or just not deigning to speak with him. When he caught sight of her, he came to a sudden stop, the man having no choice but to come to a stop, as well. His brows furrowed in confusion, and he looked quickly back and forth between Bane and Natalie for a moment before asking a quick question. The man holding her snapped an answer at him and immediately, the two men began arguing, with many gesticulations made towards Natalie, Marcia and Kai. The entire time, her gaze was locked with the bulls in front of her, and for a moment, she felt terribly insecure in her own body – almost suffocated. It felt like he was taking her out of her own skin and observing what she looked like underneath through a high-powered microscope – what made her tick, what made her afraid – who and what she loved - what kind of woman she was. It was incredibly invasive and incredibly unsettling.

When he spoke, his mechanical sounding voice through the mask, was almost amused. "Barsad, my friend," He spoke and immediately, the arguing came to a stop and the man holding her, gave a nod.

"Yes, Bane?"

"Don't you think it a little rude to be using a language that not everyone here is privy to?"

The two men stood there and gaped for a minute, before the one who had accompanied him up the elevator, averted his eyes to the ground in a clear submissive gesture. "Forgive me, Bane. It was callous of me." He spoke, his accent as heavy as all the others, and the man named Barsad followed suit by nodding in agreement.

"Forgive me, as well. I should have known better."

"Yes, you should have. But no matter – it cannot be helped now." Bane spoke before taking a step closer to Natalie. Barsad immediately released her upon this step, and moved away from her to stand behind his leader. Natalie swallowed hard, suddenly missing Barsad's presence behind her. She forced herself to stand her ground, though, and she caught that tiny flicker of respect in Bane's eyes upon seeing her little show of defiance. "It is okay, little one. You have every right to be afraid of me. In fact . . . you should be afraid of me. Very afraid." He then turned around and gestured to the surrounding space before she could speak. "But tell me - what do you think of your new home, little one? I spent quite a considerable amount of time acquiring it for you."

Natalie's eyes quickly scanned the space around them – at the bright yellow painted walls with the wood siding and the beautiful framed paintings hanging on the walls. She gazed at the beautiful cherry wood floors and the tall windows that streamed in sunlight that bounced off the walls and cast everything in life and light and flame. The furniture was beautiful, all warm colors and dark woods and leathers. An empty brick fireplace sat against the far wall with a plasma TV mounted above it and surround sound speakers. Three doors branched off from the main room, to what she deduced was a kitchen, bedroom (which had double doors), and maybe a bathroom, study or second bedroom. Overall, it was a very gorgeous space and looked quite a bit like . . . her and Blake's apartment.

Natalie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A spike of fear shot through her heart. "Have you . . . have you been stalking me?"

Bane gave a laugh that Barsad mimicked, although to a lesser degree. "I don't call it 'stalking' when I have those I claimed, shadowed by one of my men for your own protection. But yes, to answer your question, I do know where you live. I know what the inside of your apartment looks like, for I needed to, you understand? I wanted to give you a place where you would be more comfortable – a place whose decorations are naturally predisposed to soothe you. So I chose this place. It resembles how you have decorated your own apartment, but is luxurious enough to suit my tastes for you. This is where you are meant to be, Natalie. You are meant to be treated like a queen – my queen."

Natalie's eyes widened and she held up her hands and took a step backwards, away from him. She could see the looks of blind and utter terror on Kai and Marcia's faces out of the corner of her eye, but refrained from giving them her attention. While his attentions were on her, they were fine.

And then another thought hit her. If Bane knew what her apartment looked like, then it was safe to assume he knew everything about her life. He knew quite obviously where she worked, or how else would he have known which bank to show up at? He knew about her relationship with Blake, he most probably knew about Billy and even Gam Gam. He probably knew Billy was an inmate at Blackgate and that Gam Gam could be located at a retirement home on the outskirts of Gotham. He had walked the halls of a life that she had thought personal – that only those she invited, could walk with her. Those strong, deadly hands of his had run over the pictures of her and Blake in their glass frames hanging on the walls and propped strategically throughout the apartment. They've been on the jersey sheets of their bed, on her clothes, her furniture – her life! And when had he actually been in her apartment, for that matter? Had he been careful to only enter it when they were gone, or had he . . . had he been bolder and moved through the hallways there when he knew they would both be asleep and unaware of the danger that was lurking in the shadows of their home? Had he bore witness to her and Blake's little shows of affection – their teasing and their laughter and their smiles and their lovemaking? Had he witnessed all of that, or none of it at all?

This man was insane, he had to be, and the thought made her almost light-headed with fright. Oh, what had she found herself into?

"Okay, uh, look, I don't know who you are, but this is crazy!" She spoke, as she quickly – almost in a panic – gestured to the space around them. Her heart pounded in her throat and tears filled her vision but she quickly blinked them back before they could make more of an appearance. Her head throbbed – she was developing a headache – and her voice tightened for a moment as she shook her head and as her eyes adopted a pleading look. She was scared out of her wits and all she wanted was to go home. She wanted to go home and pop in a movie and curl up on the couch. Then, when Blake got home, she wanted to pop in a movie and curl up on the couch with him! She didn't want to be there – she didn't . . .

She wanted Blake!

"Please . . . I'm not your queen!"

Another look of amusement speared through Bane's eyes and he chuckled as he moved forward and placed a strong hand on the small of her back. She felt the warm flesh of his hand through her shirt and shuddered as she allowed him to move her forward. She closed her eyes when he steered her to stand in front of Marcia and Kai. "Oh, but you are, my little one. For you will rule over the crumbling ruins of this city beside me, and this . . . this will be your palace," She bit down on her bottom lip as he continued: "And a queen also needs her court, does she not? So, you may choose one. Only. One. To remain beside you."

Natalie swallowed hard and opened her eyes. She found herself standing face-to-face with two very frightened women, one with eyes full of pleading tears while the other gazed at her wide eyed but with a strength that surprised her. It was to Kai's tearful, pleading eyes that she was drawn to, and it occurred to her that she would pick Kai. She would pick Kai every time because it was Kai she loved. She didn't love Marcia. Quite the contrary, she was pretty sure she loathed the woman just as much as she loathed her.

Bane gave a third chuckle and seemed to read her mind. "Do what you want with them, but keep this one – the timid one, alive. Kill the other when you're done with them. Barsad, show the little queen to her bedroom. I have an appointment to keep and she should not bear witness to what is about to happen."

The room sprang into motion then. Marcia and Kai began ardently struggling in the grasps of their captors as they grinned and closed in on them. Two more men entered the room then, hands empty of their guns but pistols strapped in holsters to their sides. These were grinning too and when it finally sunk down into the heads what of the three women just what was going to happen, Natalie shook her head and jumped forward.

"No – no, you can't do this!"

Barsad jumped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist and yanked her backwards before she could even attempt to intervene. She had no choice but to follow him as he struggled with her back towards the double doors behind them. "Kai – Kai, sweetie, I'm-I'm sorry – Bane! Bane, don't you dare allow this!" She screamed, but the bull man ignored her as he made his way back to the elevator, flanked by the man who had accompanied him in earlier. Her teeth gritted in anger and her eyes filled with furious tears as the four men grouped around the two frightened women and as Barsad finally managed to reach the double doors with her kicking and screaming and trying her damndest to get out of his grip. She was stronger than she looked, much to his surprise.

Wrapping one strong arm around her waist, he reached a fumbling grasp behind him and upon grasping the doorknob, pushed it open. Quickly throwing her inside, she landed, dazed, on the bed. He darted in himself and managed to close and lock the door right when she regained her balance and lunged at him from off the bed. Turning around, he caught the tearful, sobbing woman around the waist, right when her fists flew and started beating at his chest.

"Let me go – let me go, you fucking bastard -!"

"Stop, St-Stop it – fucking stop it!" Barsad barked before he finally managed to get her down on her feet with one hand wrapped around her wrists and while managing to keep her in one place. Turning tear-stained eyes up onto him, his lips pursed and his teeth grit. "You go out there right now, and the same things that those men are doing to those women, will happen to you, too, and I won't be able to stop them like Bane could. In fact, if you do go out there, then don't expect Bane to help at all. Quite the contrary, he'll think such stupidity should be rewarded!"

"So what am I supposed to do?" She hissed, her expression full of hatred that he would even suggest such a thing. "Am I just supposed to sit here and listen to them being raped and beaten? One of them is my friend – my best friend! And the other . . . well, we've never exactly gotten along, but that still doesn't mean I would wish that kind of hell on her - on any woman for that matter!"

Barsad's jaw hardened. "You think I agree with what they are doing? You think if I wasn't in here making sure you didn't do something stupid, that I'd be out there too?" He gave a sharp laugh and a shake of his head. "For your information, princess, I don't. And Bane doesn't believe in rape, either, as shocking as that might seem to you right now. But he's also smart and he knows that with the kind of men he's being forced to deal with on a regular basis, sometimes . . ." He trailed off and licked his lips. "Sometimes, morals are meant to be overlooked."

Natalie gazed at him for a moment before yanking herself free of him. He allowed her to go with a wary eye and a tense posture as he waited for her to try to lunge past him again, but it wasn't needed. Upon turning, she moved over to the bed, where she took a seat. Shifting with her back planted against the wooden headboard, she tucked her knees up under her chin and wrapped her arms around them. Sobs and pleads for mercy could be heard through the doors behind him, and she gave a sharp, bitter laugh that accompanied the shaking of her head. "He told me he chose this apartment because it would be comforting to me. How does he expect it to comforting to me now? Every time I walk through those doors, I'll have to face the fact that my best friend was gang raped in the middle of the living room!"

Barsad shook his head, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "They should be leaving any moment. It won't happen here."

She gave another sharp laugh. "And that's supposed to make it better? The knowledge that my friend wasn't gang raped in my living room but somewhere else is supposed to make me feel better?"

He gave a shrug and a shake of his head. "If it did, I'd question you."

She sat like that for a long time – until the sun slowly began to sink down below the horizon. Eventually, Barsad left his vigil by the door and moved to take a seat in a nearby armchair. Rubbing his hands together for a moment, he hung his hand and ran his fingers through his hair. She watched him for a moment before swallowing. "So, uh . . . what made you loop yourself in with Bane?" She asked, and Barsad chuckled.

"And this is coming from a woman who doesn't even know Bane from Adam?" He asked, and she looked away.

"Well, by the way he went on about how I was his 'queen' and I would 'rule the crumbling ruins of the city alongside him', I started assuming he's crazy. And I also assumed from the sheer size of him, that's he's very dangerous. And judging by the amount of men he can utilize at any moment, I can also assume he's powerful. And intelligent, if he brought down a bank without being caught. So, I repeat the question: why are you with him?"

"Because he isn't crazy. In fact . . . he's probably the sanest man I've ever met."

Natalie shook her head. "How can you -"

"Even the most insane man always has a method to his madness. What is evil in a world where Hitler and Saddam and Caesar, thought he was doing good? What is . . . insanity when the insane man thinks himself sane? Are they even real, in such a world as this one?"

She gave a small smile. "Dostoyevsky." She spoke and Barsad nodded, a look of respect entering his eyes.

"Very good. You know others?" She nodded.

"Sun Tzu, Marx, Hobbes, Socrates – the classics as well as modern day. I was a Lit Major in college. How I became a bank teller with a masters degree, don't ask . . ." She trailed off, and he nodded.

"Good. Bane will like you more if you can hold intelligent conversation with him. He detests those who he considers ignorant."

"Well, something tells me that's 3/4ths of the earth's population." She muttered caustically, and Barsad refrained from allowing his lips to turn upwards into a smile. After a moment, she gave a feeble nod.

"So, I am . . . this is real, then?" Barsad gave a slow nod and for a moment - a split moment in the ripple of the fabric of time - she thought she caught a glimpse of sympathy in his eyes. However, it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Aye. This is all very real, pretty one."

They stayed silent for a moment before he got to his feet. The sounds had long died down in the living room. "They are gone. Good – I'd hate to see what would happen if Bane returned and they weren't," He glanced at her. "You should take a shower and rest. I daresay you'll have quite the day tomorrow." He spoke and she nodded as he moved towards the door. "I shall wait Bane's return."

"Barsad, wait!"

He stiffen slightly before turning around. His expression was hard but a little hesitant when their gazes locked. She gave a small smile. "Thank you." She spoke, not quite sure what she thanking him for. And quite obviously, he wasn't either, for he hesitated a little more before finally speaking:

"Don't – not yet. For I was the one who gave him intelligence on you. I was the one who walked the hallways of your apartment - your life. I was the one who put you in this situation. And for that, you have my deepest apologies."