Author's Note:

This chapter has been updated in my attempts to correct errors and make the story more cohesive. The rest of this author's note is the original text. Thanks to all of you for reading!

Well, this chapter took me a little longer than I had hoped, sorry! I'm hoping that I'll be able to get the next chapter out to you all as a little Christmas present. Send me lots of reviews and I just might be able to make it happen!

This chapter is not super action packed, but it is leading up to some citrusy action in the next chapter… or at least I think it is. Sometimes the characters don't do what I want, but I might just have to force the issue… Anyway, things are about to go crazy in this story, so hold on to your panties and enjoy the calm before the storm!

Please review!

- I do not own any of the Nolan characters used in this story; I only own my original characters and ideas. I am not making any money from this story.

Chapter Nine – Arms

The world is coming down on me, And I can't find a reason to be loved, I never wanna leave you, But I can't make you bleed if I'm alone
You put your arms around me, And I believe that it's easier for you to let me go
I hope that you see right through my walls, I hope that you catch me 'cause I'm already falling, I'll never let a love get so close, You put your arms around me and I'm home

- Christina Perri

Bane stared at the colorless floor at his feet, trying to collect himself. He could feel her rapidly beating heart under his hand, and knew that his own was pounding just as fast. His breath came out in harsh pants, and he could feel his whole body trembling with indecision. His mouth had betrayed him twice in a matter of minutes. Firstly by kissing the beautiful woman he was now pushing away from him, and secondly by telling her that he couldn't continue. He wasn't sure which betrayal bothered him the most.

In his mind he could hear two voices, his own and the voice of the woman he loved… the only woman he would ever love. Though his own voice argued that fact, Talia's voice reassured him that she was the only one for him. Her soothing voice wrapped around his mind, comforting him and telling him that she would always love him, would always be there for him, but that he had to do the same for her. His voice, however, was practically shouting that she was gone and that he should be focusing on the present, instead of clinging to a lost past. He felt completely confused and out of control, and he suddenly felt his conflicted emotions being replaced by something more familiar. Anger.

His breath had begun returning to normal as he pondered the situation, but when his emotions channeled into the common outlet of rage, it returned to an accelerated pace. His hands retreated from the exquisite chest they had been resting on, and they tightly clenched at his side. He finally looked up to confront the confusing and infuriating woman in front of him and was surprised by what greeted him. Her eyes were just as confused as his had been, filled with hurt, confusion and lust. But as soon as she saw the anger that had filled his eyes, her emotion withdrew into the blackness that suddenly filled her green orbs.

The confusion that had fueled his rage was brought back to the foreground for a moment, and he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing passed over his lips. He didn't really know what to say, he didn't even know what to feel, and then, just as suddenly as he had been filled with rage, it ebbed away. Leaving him feeling exhausted and alone, though he could still hear the whispering voice of Talia in his mind, it was no true comfort to him. She was gone and he knew it.

He turned from the blackness that was pouring out of the small woman's eyes, from her still heaving chest, and her parted red lips. He silently walked to the cot and dropped onto it, ignoring the faint squeal of protest that it gave to his weight. The tray of food lay next to him, forgotten. His elbows rested on his knees and he studied an old scar on his hand as if it had suddenly become fascinating. He knew that he had messed up, but he would never admit that to anyone. He was not one for apologies. True sorrow and repentance was shown, not spoken with meaningless words.

He could sense his Little One gliding towards him and had to fight the urge to flinch away from her, knowing that she was still full of anger. She didn't try to touch him; she just reached down and took the tray of food, slipping silently into the window sill to eat. Bane didn't know if he was relieved or disappointed by her behavior. Part of him was thankful to her for ignoring the situation, ignoring him, but there was also apart of him that pleaded with her to just touch him. That part of him wanted her to understand, and just come back to him.

That didn't happen though, and he sat on the bed by himself for several hours. She had finished her food and returned the tray to the drawer in the door, quietly slipping into the window again, instead of going to the bed like Bane had hoped she would. After the first hour had gone by, Bane had begun to actively hope she would come to him and that they could perhaps talk over what had happened, but she stayed in the window. She wouldn't even glance in his direction. After two hours he had to seriously fight the impulse to go to her and beg her to talk to him. And after three hours he was mad again.

Her indifference had become maddening and her silence seemed to be screaming at him. He rose to his feet and was shocked by the level of pain he was experiencing. It was almost too much for him, and it made him finally remember the words that the beautiful woman had spoken right before he had assaulted her lips. Now that he remembered her words he knew that he could no longer let this silence between them grow. He would have to be the one to approach her; he had become all too sure that she was not going to come to him.

Slowly he approached her window hiding spot, and watched intently for any sign that she knew of his presence. She looked calm and serene as always, but in their time together he had come to notice the slight tells that she had; the way that her left little finger would twitch minutely against her leg, how every fifth breath would slightly hitch and her chest would jump slightly. His eyes were suddenly transfixed upon her chest, watching it rise and fall, the magnificent curve of her breasts that led to her slender waist hypnotizing him. He ripped his eyes back up to her face and jerked back slightly when he found her staring at him, a mixture of amusement and irritation filling her face.

Tiana had felt an influx of conflicting emotions when Bane had told her that they had to stop. She was definitely confused; he had been the one to initiate the kiss after all. She was also rather hurt, because she knew what had stopped him, or more accurately, who had stopped him. It bothered Tiana to know that even in death, her sister was preferable to her. It seemed that Talia would always have what Tiana wanted, and there was nothing that would change that. Not even death.

She had counted the seconds that Bane allowed his hands to rest on her, knowing that all too soon it would be over, and then he would never touch her like that again. She had watched while he fought with his own demons, just waiting for him to be ready to explain what she already knew, that he didn't want her. When his hands had finally left her body she had felt like crying out from the loss, but held back. Bane had then lifted his face, and she had expected that she would see remorse for the kiss they had shared, and then they would go back to how they were before. Instead, she had seen that his eyes were full of rage, and it had shaken her deeply, shattering the walls she had forced into place. Tiana had quickly shut down, feeling the anger filling her own chest. She had not tried to hide the emotion from her eyes, simply letting it pour forth. It had only taken a moment for the flame to die in Bane's eyes, but her fire still burned brightly. He had turned away from her, a move that nearly caused her to unleash the fury that was suddenly filling her every molecule. Instead she just watched him as he moved to the bed, and sat down on it, studying old scars on his hands.

She had then noticed the half eaten tray of food, and her mood had softened slightly. She knew the lack of food provided to them was a real problem. She could feel it in her ever hungry body, in the way that her strength was slowly deteriorating, and she was greatly disturbed by the effects it was having on Bane. The pain was sapping enough from him; he needed whatever strength he could get, and definitely was not getting it from the little food he was eating. She had tried to tell him several times that she had eaten before him, just so that he would eat it all, but it never worked. She also was well aware of his attempts at fooling her. Feeble as they were, they were touching. She knew that she needed to eat, and so she had taken the food and sat in her window retreat. The space between them was palpable and she had to fight her body to maintain it.

Over the last month she and Bane had become close, and though they rarely spoke, their bodies were almost always lightly touching. They had both silently conceded that they would share the small bed, and so they were in near constant contact while resting upon it. She somehow felt colder for the lack of his warmth, and it wasn't just her body that was chilled. She had silently eaten the food that he left for her, and then returned the tray to the door, never speaking to the man that had just kissed her, and touched her in such wonderful ways. She could still feel his lips on hers and almost reached her hand up to see if he had somehow left a permanent mark on her.

She had gone back to the window, and though she tried to meditate, she had been unable to focus in any way. So, instead she had surreptitiously watched Bane. She could tell that he was conflicted and that her actions were not helping him in any way, but she found that she didn't mind the idea that he was suffering for his actions. She was all too aware of the suffering it was causing her. And so she remained in the window for one hour, two hours, three hours, never moving or letting him know that she was even aware of him at all.

Finally she had seen Bane slowly rise to his feet, and was very aware of his pain level. He had gotten comfortable enough with her to stop trying to hide what he was physically feeling, and his face cringed slightly at the discomfort. She knew that he was somewhat angry with her, and the feeling was more than a little mutual. Tiana had also noticed a new look as it spread across his face and she realized that he had not even thought about his things until that moment. So, when he approached her it was no surprise, she knew that he was only coming to her because he needed his mask. One of them would have eventually caved, but his need made him cave much faster. She was glad that she wouldn't have to be the one to give in this time.

She felt his eyes on her and raised hers to meet them, but had been mildly surprised to find him staring at her chest. At first she had become rather angry, but it turned out that she merely found it funny after a second. When his eyes had jumped back up to her face and she had seen the immense embarrassment that resided there, she couldn't stop the light of laughter that filled her eyes, even if she was able to stop the sound from exiting her lips. When she saw the slight flush that had taken over his flesh it caused her to dismiss all the residual anger that tinged her. She also felt a slight flush rise to her cheeks in response to the lust she could still see in his eyes.

They had looked into each other's eyes for several seconds, and she could feel the distance between their faces slowly shrinking. She knew that if she just let the silence hang she would be able to feel his lips against hers again. There was nothing in the world that she wanted more, and so she let that silence fill the room. Her eyes watched his, letting the lust return to them, allowing him to see how badly she wanted him. She didn't care if it was right or wrong, didn't care if the kiss caused horror or happiness. She only knew that she wanted it.

It took several moments, but finally she could feel the whisper of his lips against hers. It wasn't a kiss, but it was a touch nonetheless, and her heart leapt at the contact. She slowly snaked her hand toward his neck, but his large mitt caught her wrist and gently returned it to her lap. His lips still didn't fully touch hers, and she was beginning to get tired of waiting, she almost moved forward to truly kiss him, but she was cut off by his voice. Her ears heard the soft words as she felt them on her lips, "I need you Little One, and I need your help. I must have my medicine, and I know you can help me get it. Please…"

Tiana pulled back with a quiet sigh, and looked Bane in the eye. She could see a longing that matched her own, as well as the restraint she knew he worked so hard to achieve. After several long seconds she pulled her face further back from his, and with a second sigh she nodded her head. "I can't get you the mask right now, but I think I can get you the drugs and a syringe at least. I know it's not as good, but it will have to do."

Bane had pulled back as well, and looked at her with a mixture of interest and trepidation. His voice was surprisingly powerful, "You already have a plan…" It was not a question, simply a statement, and she nodded her head slightly. "And what is this plan of yours, Little One?" His voice was nearly merry in its tone, but Tiana was able to see the suspicion that filled his eyes.

She debated lying to him, she was certain that he would be none too fond of her methods. Methods that her father had been sure to instill in her, methods that made her stomach clench in disgust. She would do them for him though, whether he liked it or not, and she was quite sure that he would not like it. She knew that she was silent for too long when Bane raised his eyebrow, prompting her to answer him. Finally, she slowly shook her head, "No, I don't think you need to know that just yet." And with that, she dropped out of the window and curled onto the bed, her back to Bane. She would not be conversing anymore tonight.

Bane ran a hand over his head, still marveling at the feel of it without the mask. Looking down at the tightly curled form on the bed made him feel more conflicted, so he turned back to the window. The faint light that shone from the shadowed moon did little to relieve his confusion, however. He was all too aware of what she planned to do to procure his medicine. Knowing that she had been trained by Ra's Al Ghul, he was certain that she must have gone through a similar education as Talia.

He considered letting the subject go until he knew she was ready to discuss it, ready to tell him her plan, but he feared that she would just go through with it. That was something he could not allow to happen. He was willing to let most people do what they would, especially when it was of benefit to him, but some things had changed in the last 90 days. He was no longer willing to watch a woman give up her body and soul, just for some cause. Regardless of what that cause was.

He felt like he stood in the darkness for hours, but in reality it was only minutes. He slowly turned back to the bed and sat on the edge, feeling the substantial sag underneath him. He reached his hand out, and stealing himself, gently shook the soft body next to him. His voice was firm, yet kind, "I know that you think this conversation is over, but it isn't. I aware of what you are thinking, and I will not have you do that. We will fight our way to the mask, and then we will leave this place… together. That is final."

She did not turn to face him, but he could feel her take a deep breath under his hand. "No Bane, we will not fight our way out of here. I know you already know my plan. It is one that Talia would have agreed with, and that is why it bothers you. You fear that I will allow the darkness to consume me; but what you fail to understand is that I welcome the darkness, for it devoured me many years ago..." Bane could feel her breath shorten and speed up, and knew that she was deeply upset by the prospect, regardless of what she said. "I do not relish the idea of using my body to procure your medicine, but I will do what is necessary."

Bane sat silently watching the woman's small shoulders rise and fall with her breathing. He tried to think of the right words to say, the words that would change her mind. He knew there was no way that he would let her execute her plan. It was simply unacceptable. He had allowed Talia to do those things because in all reality it had been her mission. He had allowed her to run the show in spite of how much he hated it, because it was her plan. This time it was different, now he was running the show. It was his job to get them out of the asylum, and he would figure out a way to reach his mask. He still figured that they would have to fight their way out in the end, but he would try to find another way if he could. He still held a slim hope that some of his men would somehow aid in his escape, but not knowing who was left out there did not give him a great deal of faith.

The longer he stayed sitting watching Tiana, with his hand lightly resting on her arm, the more certain he became of one fact: He was beginning have feelings for the small woman, feelings that he was not entirely comfortable with. He was beginning to care for her, and not just in the way that he had cared for his closest men, his friends. They also weren't the same as he had had for Talia, there was no blind devotion, but there was something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something that made his heart beat faster and made him feel like there was a molten rock in his gut.

He knew that Tiana had finally fallen asleep when he could see her breathing even out and he gently reclined on the bed beside her. He lay on his back staring up at the ceiling through the darkness, feeling oddly out of place. His body only lightly touched her sleeping form and it somehow felt wrong. He slowly turned onto his side and wrapped his large arm protectively around her slender waist. Sensations surged through him when she sighed in her sleep and snuggled tightly against him. That was when he realized that he was falling in love with the small woman.

He knew that he would always love Talia, and he would realize her dream for Gotham, but he had found someone else worthy of his care. She was his now, whether she knew it or not, and he would take care of her. This time he would not fail.

Barsad stood in the large warehouse facing the strange man he had brought to Gotham. The longer he was around the man the more he understood why Bane and Talia had refused to include him in their plan. As it turned out, it was the same reason why they hadn't released the prisoners from Arkham. This man was utterly mad. Brilliant, yes; but also frightfully insane. He was almost beginning to regret his decision to bring him there, but knew he had exhausted all the other options. He had to get Bane out of that ridiculous place they were keeping him, and this man had guaranteed that he would have him out in no time.

Well, it had already been almost a month, and Barsad was not pleased. He had called this meeting to find out what the holdup was, and now he was being forced to listen to the madman's nonsense. Finally, he had had enough and raised his hand, cutting the other man off in mid-sentence, "Riddler, you made me a guarantee, and you have not delivered your end of the deal. I have given you everything that you have asked for, but now I have run out of patience. If Bane is not free in three days' time; I will kill you. Do you understand me?"

The man looked at him with his crazy and intelligent eyes, opened his mouth then closed it again. He looked around at the other six armed men in the warehouse, and finally nodded, then his strangely high-pitched voice started up again, "Yes, yes, yes. Our little puzzle is coming together nicely. We just have to break it now. No trouble. Three days will be fine..." And then he waltzed out of the building as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Barsad almost hoped that he failed, just so that he could kill him. He was simply too annoying…