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!

Hi everyone! I'm so, so sorry this took me so long to get out. Christmas ended up being a bit overwhelming for my household (I have a four year old boy… need I say more?) and I just couldn't get the time to write this. Anyway, here it is! And it is complete with all the citrus goodness I promised! I hope you all like this chapter and that it lives up to your expectations. Things are going to go crazy in the next chapters and the relationship between Tiana and Bane will become difficult. We'll also be seeing the darker side of their nature soon. So, enjoy the warm fuzziness while it lasts! 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 Ten - Iris

And I'd give up forever to touch you, 'Cause I know that you feel me somehow, You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, And I don't want to go home right now
And all I can taste is this moment, And all I can breathe is your life, When sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight

- Goo Goo Dolls

Tiana sat staring into the cold greyness surrounding the mountain complex that she called home. She had just returned from her second solo mission, an intelligence gathering assignment in Gotham. Now that Talia had gone off in search of Bane, Ra's had been sending her to do the missions that he normally would have sent Talia on; the missions that took the charms of a woman. It didn't particularly matter that she was hardly a woman, she looked the part and so the job was hers.

Her father was busy training the man he hoped would someday assume control of the League, and it had been determined his city needed to be purged. The city of Gotham had grown too corrupt to be saved in her father's estimation, and it would have to be removed from the map in order to bring balance back to the world. Tiana thought that her father's plan was a bit extreme, but it was not her call. She had been sent to find a person that could oversee the task of getting their toxin in the water of Gotham. It had taken her a week to locate a suitable candidate, and then an additional week to convince him that it was in his best interests to perform the task. The man was a doctor at Arkham Asylum, and it was apparent that he was probably at least as crazy as most of his patients. He was also highly corruptible, and it had only taken a few evenings of using her feminine charms and the promise of money to get the good Doctor Crane to agree with the plan.

She had alerted her father of her find, and he flew her back immediately. That had been three days before, and he had yet to take the time to meet with her. She was not particularly perturbed by his lack of interest, because she was happier when she was not around him anyway. She was also aware that today was the day that Bruce would face his final test. He would face his fears, and then he would show that he was willing to execute justice. Tiana had been watching Bruce, and she had her doubts that he would be willing to kill a man, his sense of justice seemed to be different from her fathers. Ra's, however seemed quite certain that the young man would do as he was told.

Tiana had not been invited to take part in Bruce's final test, and so she sat outside watching the world go by. She figured that the test must be nearing its end, and she was curious to see what the result would be. Her fingers lazily dropped to the front of her right hip and gently rubbed at the itch that was blossoming there. Beneath her fingers lay a hidden tattoo, something her father would have been furious to know about. The tattoo was of a small hawk soaring through the air, and she was surprised when she saw that same bird, flying high in the sky above her as she rubbed the image on her body. She thought that hawks were magnificent predators and they possessed the one thing that she knew she never would, freedom. The birds were rare this high in the mountains and the sight of one made her smile.

And it was with a smile that she was suddenly flying through the air just like the bird above her. The explosion behind her lifted her into the air with an exquisite pain to her back, and then she was soaring. Soaring into the darkness that was her home…

Tiana found that she was suddenly awake and back to her current reality. It was still the middle of the night and the darkness of the room was close and comforting to her. She could make out shapes and outlines in the darkness, and was surprised to find that Bane was not beside her. Her eyes swiftly scanned the room and she found him standing hunched over the small sink in the corner. His face was drawn and she could tell that his pain was becoming unmanageable. She slid her hand into the small, hidden slit in the mattress and withdrew the last two syringes of morphine.

Gracefully she moved to his side and took his arm into her hand, turning it so she could find his large veins. Though the morphine worked when it was simply injected into his muscle, she knew it was much more effective when placed directly into his veins. Though she couldn't see them, she could feel the slight pulsing of the blood moving just underneath his skin and she carefully inserted the first needle. Once the first dose of morphine had been fully injected, she switched to the other arm and repeated the procedure. She figured with a double dose, injected straight into his veins, he would be relatively comfortable for about six hours. Tiana let her hand drift down his arm until she held his large hand in her own, then turned and gently pulled him back toward the bed. She was slightly surprised when she felt him stop behind her and slightly pull her back to him. She didn't really want to deal with any more conflict, and nearly just dropped his hand and went back to bed alone. But it was the fact that she would be alone that stopped her, that turned her around to face him. She was able to see his luminous eyes in spite of the darkness of the room, they seemed to be practically glowing, and she briefly wondered if she had given him too much morphine.

His hand left hers and lightly touched her cheek, brushing a lock of her long hair back behind her ear. His voice was soft as he moved closer to her, "You know I was wrong before; I can do this, and I will." She felt as if she would practically explode when she felt his lips touch hers again. This time she didn't feel the slight hesitation that had been there before, and she was overwhelmed by his warmth. His mouth had barely connected with hers when she felt his tongue seeking entrance. She was quick to reciprocate his action, even though a part of her mind was screaming that this was bound to end only in disappointment and frustration. At that moment she was beyond caring.

She felt Bane's hands running up and down her sides, caressing her soft curves. Her breath suddenly caught in her throat and she felt slightly light headed when his hands slipped underneath the coarse fabric of her shirt. His large hands were calloused and hard, but his touch was soft and gentle. His mouth pulled from hers and mimicked the actions she had performed on him only hours before, skimming her jaw with kisses, ending at her ear. His hands lengthened their movement and she felt her pants being slightly lowered on her hips. Her body tensed slightly, and she noticed that he was acutely aware of her reaction when his hands resumed their shortened path.

Bane's mouth moved back to hers and she could feel that he had tempered his haste a bit, being considerate of her need for slowness. She realized that her hands were resting lightly on his firm butt and suddenly understood why he had begun to move with a more frenzied pace, so she slowly moved her hands up his body and placed them onto his shoulders, massaging in synch with the motion of her tongue.

As they stood together, slowly beginning to memorize small parts of each other's topography, Bane's hands slowly began to lengthen their trajectory once more. This time when they came to rest on her bare thighs, she didn't stiffen, and when one of his hands lightly cupped her breast, his thumb barely brushing over her nipple, she let out the first true moan of pleasure that had ever passed through her lips. Her vocalization was all the encouragement that Bane needed, and he began caressing her with more purpose. He still moved with slow and considerate strokes, but there was a new intensity in his hands as they touched her body.

It seemed as if Tiana left the world for a moment, because she suddenly discovered that she wasn't wearing any clothes, and Bane was pulling his shirt off in front of her. Her eyes widened at the sight of the expanse of flesh that was Bane's chest. It heaved with his heavy breathing and the muscles rippled beneath his scarred skin when he reached out to caress her hip, running his thumb over the small tattoo that she had been thinking of in her sleep, only a few minutes before. Then his hand moved up her side, to gently massage her full breast again. His voice came out as a hoarse whisper, "It is a tragedy that you have been forced to wear those clothes. Your body is a marvelous piece of artwork."

Bane pulled her into his arms again and for a moment he just held her close, letting their bare torsos meld together. Tiana felt a slight nervous tug in the pit of her stomach when his arms changed position and lifted her to him and carried her to the small bed. He put her down on her back and then lay down on his left side looking down at her, inquisitively. "Little One, we will only do what you want. There is no reason for you to be nervous or afraid. Do you understand?" Tiana opened her mouth to speak, but nothing seemed willing to come out, and she decided that nodding her head would have to suffice.

She looked up into his expressive eyes, and could see that he was trying to decide if she really wanted to continue. She could feel that she was now the one suffering from conflicted emotions. So much of her wanted to continue, but a small sliver of her told her that if she did, she would end up hating him just like she hated every other man she had shared her body with. That little sliver in her mind tried to tell her that in the end she didn't know how to make love, only how to use sex to get what she wanted. It only took her a couple of seconds to realize the only thing that she wanted was Bane, and she told that stupid little part of her mind to shut the hell up. Looking deep into his stormy eyes, she cleared her throat, "I want you… all of you."

Bane's eyes darkened with lust and he leaned forward, kissing her lips softly. His lilting voice was equally soft as he spoke against her mouth, "Then you may have me." He deepened his kiss and she felt one of his hands slipping into her thick hair, his fingers twining in her curls. His other hand rested on her stomach for a moment before slowly moving down to rest lightly on her fiery red mound. He continued to kiss her passionately without moving his hand for several moments, allowing her to become accustomed to his presence on the most intimate part of her.

She couldn't stop her body from tensing when his finger slowly slid into her slit, but when it lightly brushed against the nub hidden within; she was equally unable to halt the moan of pleasure that exploded forth. Bane deepened his kiss briefly and then his mouth left hers and slowly moved to her neck, where he began gently nibbling and sucking, eliciting reactions that she hadn't even known she could feel. His finger slowly, slowly moved down her slit, finally reaching her opening. He lightly probed her, and a single large finger began to enter her tight depths. As his finger moved into her, his thumb began doing slow circles around her sensitive core.

Her body was in the throes of insane pleasure, feeling things she had never even known to be possible. She could hear Bane breathing hard and knew that her own breathing was more like a mewling pant. When she felt him starting to pull his hand away from her she almost cried out in frustration, knowing that she was so close to something she had never even thought really existed. Instead of crying out, her hand shot down and tightly gripped his hand to her wet depths. A quiet moan passed out of Banes mouth, but he still pulled his hand from her grip.

She felt his weight shift on the bed and realized that he was removing his pants. She felt a slight shiver of fear, but knew that it was silly to be afraid. She heard the rustling sound of fabric hitting the cold floor, and she felt a new warmth gently throbbing against her thigh. Bane took her hand and moved it from where it was resting on her lower stomach to carefully place it on the part of him that was throbbing against her. She gasped when she felt the extent of his enormity. Though her hands were small, she was still shocked to discover that her fingers weren't even close to being able to reach around his girth. She slowly caressed his length, marveling at how warm and velvety his flesh was in her hand. Her touch was rewarded with an animalistic groan and she felt Bane shift slightly beside her.

Tiana rolled onto her side and wrapped her leg lightly around Bane's muscular thigh, pulling him closer to her. She twined her arm around his neck and firmly kissed him, letting her tongue push his lips for access to his warm mouth. She felt his hand move down to grip her waist and he swiftly shifted her so she resting on her back once again, but this time he was resting above her supporting his weight on one hand. Their lips were still locked together in a fervent embrace and Tiana felt her body begging for something it had never even whispered at wanting. Her pelvis was twisting and shoving at Bane's, and she was moaning against his lips.

Bane slowly shifted his weight forward, and lightly rubbed his tip against her sensitive center. She looked into his eyes and whimpered, "Please… please…" Pushing her body up and wrapping both of her legs around his waist she moved against him, and heard him moan deeply and gasp against her mouth. But he pulled away from her slightly and moved his mouth to her breast, his tongue making lazy circles around her nipple, and then she felt his hand back at her slit. His finger slowly entered her again, and then she felt the slight stretching to her walls as he slipped in a second finger. His fingers rubbed her wall with a slow 'come hither' motion and his thumb began its slow circles once more. The pleasure she felt was incredible, but she was feeling an equal measure of frustration. She was desperate for release, and was becoming more and more certain that there was only one way she would get it.

After what felt like an eternity, Bane moved his mouth back up to hers and while still stimulating her with his thumb he pulled his fingers from her depth and prepared to enter her. It had been ten years since a man had been inside her, and even then she had never dreamed of a man so large. As he began pushing into her hot core her hands curled tightly into his firm shoulders, and she clenched her eyes shut as she felt the burn that came from stretching to accommodate him. He went very slowly and gently, obviously aware of the discomfort he was causing her and trying to lessen it as much as possible. He pulled his mouth from hers and she felt his warm breath against her ear, "I'm sorry Little One. It will not hurt for long. I promise." Instead of going back to kissing her on the mouth, he lightly skimmed his lips against her jaw as he finished entering her tight opening. Without his mouth covering hers, she was unable to restrain the slight whimper of combined pain and pleasure that had been trying to escape from the moment he began pushing into her. When he was finally all the way into her he held there for several moments, giving her time to adjust to him.

The burning began to subside and she was able to notice the feelings he was causing within her again. There was a new kind of burning building inside of her and she pulled back from him slightly. Bane immediately knew that she was ready for him to begin moving, and he slowly withdrew and slid back into her. Though it was still slightly painful, this time it also sent shivers of pleasure coursing through her. After several more long strokes the discomfort was completely replaced by pure pleasure, and quiet cries slipped from her lips with each of her panting breaths. Each stroke brought her closer to the edge; an edge that she didn't even know was inside of her until then. Then, all at once, she was riding on a wave of ecstasy unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her entire body shuddered with pleasure, and somewhere distantly she could hear the sounds of her cries mingling with the deeper groans of the man above her. She could feel her muscles contracting around him and knew that the extra tightness was pushing him ever closer to his own cliff of pleasure.

His thrusts became much faster and harder, and though it brought a faint hint of pain it was also bringing her back to her precipice before she was even anywhere close to recovered from her first trip over the summit. His thumb was moving much faster, matching the intensity of his thrusts, and she knew that they would both be toppling over that cliff any minute. And then they were swallowed by the crimson wave of pleasure so intense that everything but the sensations that coursed through them were lost. Her hands clawed at his shoulders and she felt his mouth hungrily kissing her. The world became black, but not in a cold and frightening way, in a warm and wonderful way.

After a few more slow and shuddering pumps Bane came to a stop and sprawled lightly on top of her, supporting some of his weight on his elbow, but placing a fair amount of it on her body. Instead of it feeling constricting or uncomfortable, it was comforting and secure. She had experienced something she had never known was possible for her, she had found unbelievable pleasure with a man, and this was just a part of that. She had never allowed herself to enjoy sex when it was part of a job, but this had only been for the pure joy of expressing their feelings for one another. And it was then, as Bane's large frame rested on hers, that she realized she loved him with every molecule in her body and in every way she could.

She had loved him from that first moment she had seen his broken form in the hellacious pit they had found him in. Though at the time she had loved him in a very different way, being only a child she had not been capable of the types of feeling she now was experiencing, but she had loved him all the same. And now she had been able to express all that she felt for him, and she couldn't help but feel that he must care for her as well. Though she couldn't imagine that he felt as deeply for her as she did for him, it didn't dampen her happiness. She had never been as content as she was in that moment.

She was pulled from her reverie when Bane slowly pulled out of her and rolled onto his side, leaving his leg resting across hers. His hand rested on her stomach for a moment, then slowly moved down to her hip and she could feel his fingers brushing over the tattoo there. She was almost positive that he was able to see the image on her body, but could hardly believe that he would be able to see it in the darkness that filled the predawn room. Her thoughts were confirmed when his voice softly broke the silence of the room. "What is this?"

She ran her fingers between his, intertwining her smaller hand with his larger one, and her fingers touched the same skin as his. "A dream…" Her voice was husky and she was surprised that her throat was a little sore from all of the noise she had just made. She would have been embarrassed, but was unable to feel anything other than contented exhaustion.

Bane's fingers stopped their exploration and moved back to her stomach, where he gently rested his hand again. "You dream of birds?" His tone was curious, but also slightly sleepy and she thought that this conversation would most likely end in a few moments, because one or both of them would be sound asleep. She actually had to think for a moment to remember his question before she was able to answer him. "No, I dream to be a bird…" And then she fell into the most wonderful and dreamless sleep she could ever remember experiencing.

Bane lay looking down at the beautiful woman next to him, her words still hanging in the air as she slept ever so sweetly. His hand lightly trailed over her stomach loving the way that her soft skin felt under his fingers. He memorized the contours of her beautiful body with his eyes, while he considered her words. He could understand the sentiment behind them, could even remember wishing for the same thing when he was a child growing up in the subterranean prison. What was confusing to him was how she had gotten the tattoo, and why she would have wished for something like that when she had been free. It made him wonder if perhaps her childhood had been a prison in its own way.

He considered the little he knew about how she had grown up and it was quickly apparent to him that any life with Ra's Al Ghul would have been a dark and frightening prison. Though he had initially tried to respect the man that had rescued him, he had found it nearly impossible. The man had incredible and worthwhile goals, but his means of achieving those goals had often been horrible. In some ways he was even more brutal than the men in the pit had been. He held nothing in reverence, except his version of balance, and all was fair in his attempts to realize that end. The more he thought about the man that had led the League of Shadows, the more he realized that this woman had been little more than a tool to him. And he knew that tools were often kept securely locked up.

He continued to lightly stroke her body as he began to drift to sleep. He could feel the edges of his pain returning, but he thought he would most likely sleep relatively well for at least a few hours. He also knew he would not be spending another night in the asylum. He had decided they would be leaving that day, though he hadn't yet completed his plan. He hoped it would come to him while he slept, and if not he would figure it out once he woke. He was not concerned with the details at this point, they would come. And with that calm assurance he fell to sleep.