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 folks, we're getting close to the end now. I think there will probably only be two or three more chapters before the big ending. I want to thank all of you for sticking with me for this long, and I hope that you will all stay until the bitter end.

Thank you to the guest reviewers that I couldn't personally thank from the last chapter! All of you that review, follow, or favorite this story are so important to me. I couldn't do this without you. Keep it up guys!

OK, just a little shameless self promotion here... I have a Warrior story that I recently started that is in the Warrior section (obviously). It is called Your Guardian Angel, and I would love for you all to check it out.

All right, I'll let you guys enjoy this latest update. Thanks!

- 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 Sixteen - It's Been a While

Why must I feel this way? Just make this go away, Just one more peaceful day

And it's been awhile, Since I could look at myself straight, And it's been awhile, Since I said I'm sorry

And it's been awhile, Since I've seen the way the candles light your face, And it's been awhile, But I can still remember just the way you taste

And everything I can't remember, As fucked up as it all may seem to be, I know it's me, I cannot blame this on my father, He did the best he could for me

- Staind

"Bruce, I would like to introduce you to one of our fiercest soldiers. He is a very impressive fighter, and I think he will be a good sparring partner for you. His name is O'Reilly." Tiana stepped from behind her father as he said the fake name he often used for her. She had seen this man from a distance a few times, but this was the first time up close. She thought that he was rather handsome in a broken sort of way. His features were defined and aristocratic, and she could tell he had grown up in privilege, even if he hadn't seen it in years. She knew everything that her father knew of him, and possibly more, but she was still curious to discover what kind of a fighter he was.

She watched him impassively as he briefly studied her, his eyes widening in surprise and dismay. "Surely you are kidding, he is hardly more than a child!" She narrowed her eyes at him, and shook her head ever so slightly. She knew that her father would not be pleased by his response to her.

She watched Ra's out of the corner of her eye, and saw that his expression did not change in the slightest. He had a lot of hopes pinned on the man in front of her, and he wasn't going to blow them by showing his irritation regarding such a small matter. "I assure you that he is much more than a child. His stature may be small, but he has been training since birth and is quite skilled. This will be an excellent exercise for you, Bruce." Ra's inclined his head at Tiana's petite form. "You will learn that you should never judge an opponent simply on their size or age. Fight stances!"

Tiana was quick to get in position and as soon as she saw her father's hand move to indicate that the fight was to commence, she threw her first kick. It hit Bruce square in the stomach, but he took the hit well and moved away from her in a defensive maneuver. The fight continued like this for several moments, and she knew that if he didn't start landing strikes soon, they would both pay the price. She landed one more solid punch and then left herself open for a retaliation hit, pretending to have been thrown off balance by the force of her own punch. She was pleased when she felt him strike her lightly in the stomach.

It seemed that the small hit that he gave her - and the fact that she didn't die from it - gave him more confidence, and he began truly fighting her. She could tell that he had worked hard to train himself in the arts of fighting and he had been learning quickly from her father, but he was no match for her. She had no intention of letting him know that, however. She was well aware that at the stage he was at in his training he needed his confidence boosted, not reduced.

She hit him in the jaw and then spun to miss his incoming kick, but she had missed the fact that the kick was only a feint. Instead of kicking her, his hand reached out and grabbed her head to slam it to his knee. However, he only got her hood and a few strands of hair, and she pulled away from him without thinking of the ramifications of exposing her face. She moved to attack again, but when she saw the look on his face, she was suddenly frozen.

"You're a woman..."

The shudder of tires hitting the tarmac roused Tiana from her sleep, feeling as tired as she had before she dozed off. The past 48 hours flew through her brain in sharp resolution and she couldn't fight the weary sigh that passed through her lips. It felt as though nothing was going as she had planned. She had stayed all night with Bane, only leaving once he had given in to sleep as the sun rose. She had felt very melancholy as she left the old warehouse, but she knew she had to move on with her attempts to save Gotham, and the two men she cared for. What she had not been expecting was that Blake had completely disappeared. She spent 18 hours straight searching for him, and had found no sign of him. She felt that his disappearance couldn't bode well for their situation, and after some serious thought she had decided that her only choice was to move on and go to the original Batman. She would have to go and collect Bruce Wayne.

Though she had thought about going after him several time over the last several weeks, she had always dismissed the idea. She knew that Bruce had given up his mask and had left Gotham for a real life, but she also knew that he had an unnatural protectiveness over the people of Gotham. That could make him unpredictable, and difficult for her to manage, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She only hoped that she would be able to convince him to leave the fate of Joker and Bane in her hands. She just needed him to protect the people from the threats they had created, and she would find the way to stop her friends. She also wouldn't mind if he took care of the Riddler. He tended to leave a bad taste in her mouth lately.

She had found it surprisingly easy to get a set of fake papers and get on a plane to Italy, and the seven and a half hour flight had given her plenty of time to think over what she needed and wanted from the man her father had been so impressed by. In all reality she had been impressed as well, though for completely different reasons. She had seen that he was unwavering in his beliefs and that he would do what he thought was right, regardless of the consequences he faced. He was the same as her father in that sense, but Ra's had lost his soul when he lost his wife, and Bruce still held firmly to his. Tiana had thought on many occasions that he would make a fine leader for the league, and that he would bring true balance to the world.

As soon as the plane reached the gate Tiana made her way out, and through the airport. Though she had never been to Florence she was relatively familiar with the layout of the city. Ra's had insisted that as part of her training she needed to learn as much as she could about most of the world's major cities. Her knowledge was outdated, but fortunately the main grid hadn't changed all that much. After finding a local map and consulting it for several moments, she found her location and destination in relationship to Il Duomo, and charted her trip. After she started her journey through the busy streets she lost her bearings on two occasions, but quickly got back on track by finding Il Duomo's incredible figure on the skyline. She found that the weather was much warmer in Florence, and by the time she had walked the three miles across town she was covered in a sheen of sweat.

She looked up at a simple, yet elegant old building that was home to some of the more modest wealthy citizens of the area. It had been a mansion in its earlier life, but now each of the three levels were home to a different family. Or, in the case of the third floor, a couple.

She made her way to the front door and walked in as if she belonged. The clothes she had stolen for the trip encouraged that belief, with their modest and classic lines. She made her way to the stairs and swiftly climbed to the third floor, walking to the large, oak door with purpose. When she reached it she pulled out a keyring, and pretended to fight with the lock while she used the lockpick that she had on the ring instead. It took her less than five seconds to unlock the door, and she walked in like she owned the place. She had known the minute the pick had slipped into the lock that the happy couple was not home, and so she felt comfortable while she wandered around the opulent home and settled on the pristine, white couch to wait for their return.

She didn't have to wait very long before they walked in the door, smiles on their faces, and a Versace shopping bag in Selina's hand. They froze when they saw her sitting on the sofa, the smiles leaving their faces in a way that made Tiana want to laugh.

"Bruce... Selina... how nice to see you both..." Tiana couldn't help the small smirk that crossed her lips as she addressed them. In reality, it was rather far from nice to see either of them, but she reminded herself that desperate times did call for desperate measures.

She noticed that Selina started moving toward the side of the room in order get around her, and she shook her head slightly at the older woman, stopping her in her tracks. She returned her attention to Bruce and watched as comprehension dawned on his face.

"Tiana?"

Bane had uncharacteristically spent most of the day sleeping after his Little One had left, and he had then prepared for an evening of wreaking havoc on the people of Gotham. He was only a short distance out of the warehouse, headed toward their hidden vehicles, when a familiar and imposing shadow first entered his vision. Bane was fascinated by the apparition before him, and he briefly wondered if he was still dreaming, but it became apparent almost immediately that he was wide awake. And if he was awake then that meant the man in front of him was indeed the Batman, and that was truly intriguing.

Bane stepped toward the caped figure hidden in the shadows and cocked his head as he studied the man. As of yet the man hadn't spoken and that alone seemed strange, Wayne had always felt the need to talk, asking questions and trying to show criminals the error of their ways. The longer that Bane looked at the Batman the more intrigued he became, he could be almost certain that this man was shorter, and carried himself with a slightly different posture. It seemed that the Batman had been replaced.

Bane was pulled from his reverie by a gravel filled voice that most definitely did not belong to the late Bruce Wayne, no matter how hard this man was trying to copy that rough tone. "What did you do with her, Bane? What have you done to Tiana?"

He couldn't even begin to organize the emotions that were flying through him at those questions. On one level he was amused by them; as if he could do anything to that woman, but the idea that this man thought that he would made him quite angry. And then there was the the fact that this Batman was calling his Little One by name... by her real name. He could see no way that this man having that information was a good thing. There were only two ways he could have obtained the knowledge. First, there was the possibility - however unlikely - that he had obtained it with force, in which case his Little One was hurt somewhere. That, however, seemed quite unlikely considering the fact that the Batman was asking him where she was... The second option was rather appalling to Bane; that she had willingly given the information to the man. If that was true it meant she was not an enemy of the Batman, and was therefore in no way a friend to Bane.

That thought made his chest constrict painfully, and he was unsure how he should react; mainly, he wanted to beat this new Batman until he could see the life float out of him. Then he would continue to pummel him for several more minutes... just for good measure. His restraint was great however, and he simply clenched and released his fists several times, and then spoke to the man, hiding the low growl that tried to escape as he addressed him. "I have no idea who you speak of... I did not know any of the people that were killed in the blasts, nor am I aware of the names of those who were stopped from departing the city last night." He paused and took a menacing step toward the caped man who had shifted slightly out of the shadows. He no longer hid the growl from his voice as he continued. "I suggest that you check with missing persons if you have lost someone."

The Batman released a quiet, humorless chuckle and stepped fully out of the shadows. "I suppose it is possible that you don't know the name of the woman that entered your lair last night, but based on your current demeanor, I think you know exactly who I am referring to."

Bane could suddenly sense someone approaching from behind, and for a moment he feared that his Little One had turned on him completely. He didn't dare turn his eyes away from the new Batman, but he tuned his other senses in the direction of the oncoming footsteps, and was relieved to discover that it couldn't possibly be her. The weight in the steps is much too great, and he could hear the clicking of expensive men's shoes. That made for two likely possibilities, Joker or Riddler. Bane just couldn't imagine Batman - this new one or the old one - working with someone that wore wingtips. This knowledge allowed him to refocus all of his attention on the current threat of the caped man in front of him, and he moved forward predatorily. He was about to make his attack when he heard the footsteps halt a few feet behind him and a familiar, and annoying voice piped up.

"Oh looky, its the Batman! Come to play one of my games?" Bane recognized the voice as belonging to Riddler, and he had a sudden change of plans. Why not rid himself of an annoyance and test the new Bat, all in one move? He saw the Batman open his mouth to respond, but before he was able to, Bane struck. He only landed a single, hard punch and then swiftly retreated. When he reached Riddler he gave him a hard shove, causing the man to crash into the Bat, throwing both of them further off balance, and causing them to start a scuffle between them. Bane quickly retreated further into the encroaching darkness in order to watch the fight unfold. He knew that if the Batman didn't get rid of the Riddler, then he would be forced to make his move, but he was optimistic that even this foolish rookie would be able to handle the idiotic Riddler.

He watched the short fight with interest. It was obvious that the new Batman was nowhere near the caliber of fighter that Wayne had been, but he was able to hold his own against Riddler. Riddler fought dirty, but he was slow and his muscles were accustomed to using scissors and writing, not throwing punches. They dodged and bobbed for nearly a minute before Batman landed a solid hit to Riddlers right temple and the man sagged to the ground. The Batman was quick to look for Bane, but he had melted into the shadows and was certain that he would not be found.

After several seconds of searching, the Batman gave up and addressed the issue of the now unconscious Riddler. Bane watched him extract several lengths of cord from somewhere in that miraculous suit of his, then truss Riddler up quickly and efficiently. He picked Riddler up, slung him over his shoulder awkwardly, then trudged off into the night.

Bane remained where he was for several moments, waiting to see if he would return, and was rewarded by a glimpse of him shooting by on that blasted, rocket shooting, motorcycle of his. "He really does have too many fun toys..." He was startled by the voice behind him, and had to repress the urge to jump at the unexpected noise. Instead he abruptly turned and growled at Joker before striding back to the warehouse. His interest in the night had left him, and he simply wanted to embrace the quiet so that he could figure out what the future held.

The Batman's words echoed in his head, 'What did you do with her, Bane? What have you done to Tiana?' He could only wonder what the answer was to that question. What had he done? And more importantly, what had she done to him?

Gordon walked into the precinct, coffee in his hand and bags under his eyes. He had only slept a total of two hours since the first bomb had gone off almost 48 hours earlier, and he could tell that he was getting way too old for that kind of schedule. It had seemed like things were improving before the explosions; they had caught almost all of the escaped crazies, and the Batman had been helping him in many ways. The new guy was actually a much better team player than the old Batman, and though he missed the other man deeply, he had to admit that the change in relationship was refreshing.

Everything seemed to be as in order as was possible considering the situation as he made his way down the hall and toward his office. When he reached the door he glanced through the frosted glass as he turned the knob, and was surprised to note the vivid color that showed through the opaque glass. Drawing his gun, he slowly opened the door and searched the room. What he found was shocking; there sat the Riddler, tied to his chair with more rope than Gordon had known was available in the city of Gotham. The Riddler was wide awake and trying to thrash in the chair, but as tightly bound as he was, all he was able to accomplish was a slight shudder. He was gagged, and tucked into the black fabric was a slip of the bright white paper Gordon associated with Batman.

He holstered his gun, set his coffee on the corner of the desk and walked around to the tightly bound man. When he reached out to remove the slip of paper the Riddler reared back as if he expected a punch, and Gordon had to grip the back of the man's head in order to halt him long enough to get the paper. He opened the note and read the neat script.

This is just a taste of what I want to deliver. I need your help to accomplish it, however. Meet me on the roof tomorrow night. Alone. We will stop these madmen for good this time.