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 have finally reached the conclusion. I hope you like this little chapter and that you will be kind enough to share your thoughts with me in a review. They really mean the world to me. I also want to let you know that I am currently editing the whole story and adding chapters where I feel they are needed. I have finished editing the first seven chapters, and I will be updating them every day, starting tomorrow. Though there are no major changes in those first seven, chapter eight is almost completely new, and chapter nine will also be very different. If any of you are interested in reading the updated chapters, I would love to hear what you guys think of these changes. Chapter one will be up tomorrow morning and chapter two the next day, and so on after that. Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this process. I have never completed a project of this size, and the only reason I did this time is because of all of you. Thank you for your support.

And now, I bring you the epilogue!

Epilogue

I'm so tired of being here, Suppressed by all my childish fears, And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave, 'Cause your presence still lingers here, And it won't leave me alone, These wounds won't seem to heal, This pain is just too real, There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears, When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears, I held your hand through all of these years, But you still have all of me,

You used to captivate me, By your resonating light, Now I'm bound by the life you left behind, Your face it haunts, My once pleasant dreams, Your voice it chased away, All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal, This pain is just too real, There's just too much that time cannot erase

- Evanescence, My Immortal

Tiana stood on the wooden balcony, her hands resting on the roughhewn pine banister, the wood warm under her hands. Early morning sunlight shone down on her face and a faint breeze shifted a sheer, white dress around her legs as she looked down at the landscape before her. Tall evergreens danced with the wind high in their boughs, but the vibrant greenery of the few deciduous trees also played their part in the majesty of the hillside. The shadows that shifted on the rough, pebble strewn ground rivalled any abstract in the Louvre, and the sound of the chortling creek that ran at the bottom of the hill was music to her ears.

A smile filled her face when she spotted the two people at the water's edge. Though they had their backs to her, she knew exactly how they looked from the front as well. One was a boy of four or five, with sandy hair that in spite of a short haircut seemed to always to be going in a hundred different directions. The boy had sparkling blue-green eyes that always radiated happiness, and a mischievous smile that was incredibly infectious to those around him. The man was large, hulking even, with a bald head and a menacing mask that hid his handsome face from the world. It couldn't hide his deep stormy eyes, which held fathomless stores of emotion. She loved both of these people with the entirety of her soul, and she felt joy whenever she saw them. They were her family.

The boy held a small, homemade fishing pole and the man was obviously trying to explain something to him, though the boy seemed more interested in just figuring it out on his own. After a few moments of muffled speech the large man shrugged and stood up, mussing up the boy's hair affectionately.

The boy cast the line out, making it to the shady alcove on the far side of the small brook. The large man nodded approvingly, and they stood still for a several minutes while Tiana watched them, her small smile still on her face. She felt incredibly content, and as if there was nothing else in the world that mattered.

She was about to turn away and go down the steps to join them when she heard a triumphant yip from the boy. The man instantly started helping the small boy to pull the line in, since it didn't have a reel, and before she knew it there was a fish on the shore beside them. The boy jumped with excitement as the man carefully pulled the hook from the fish's mouth and displayed it to the boy.

Though she was far enough away from them that she shouldn't have been able to hear them, somehow their voices clearly traveled to her ears. The boy's voice was excited, but also concerned. "She looks scared."

The man's voice was strong, yet also distorted by the mask on his face. "Death is frightening to some, but her death will be to keep us alive. It is a valiant sacrifice she makes for us."

Strangely, the boy glanced up at her, then quickly looked back at the man shaking his head, the smile gone from his face. "I don't want her to die. I want her to have a real life." He paused and looked up at the man, taking a deep breath. "Let her go."

"I can't let her go. I need her."

The boy shook his head fiercely, "No, you have to let her go. It's not fair."

The man still held the fish in his left hand, but he put his right hand on the boy's shoulder. "Life is not fair. She made the choice to make this sacrifice, and I have to honor her choice.

A cool breeze raised goose bumps on Tiana's body as she listened to the man's sorrow filled voice. Somehow she knew that this conversation was no longer about the fish. She wanted to turn away, but was instead pinned to her spot.

The man gently lowered the fish back into the water, and opened his hand, but the fish didn't leave his grasp. "See, she wants to be here. I'll stay right here until she decides to leave. And then… well then I will follow her into the river."

Nine months had passed since he had climbed into Wayne's flying machine, Tiana clutched to his chest. Nine months of struggle and hardship, pain and fear. He had known his Little One was as good as dead when he had felt her fingers fall from his face and watched her eyes shut, but he refused to give up on her. He had made the decision to use the communication device in the helicopter as he rose above the city because he knew he had no other choice. He could not help her, and he needed someone that could. He didn't know who would be on the other end when he called for help, or if there would be anyone at all, but he was still surprised by the response he had gotten.

A cool British voice had come through the speakers, "Mr. Bane. Master Wayne told me that I might expect contact from you, and that your friend is need of medical assistance. I have taken the liberty of making my way toward the caves under Wayne manner. I will meet you there and assist her in any way I can, if that suits you sir?" Bane remained in shocked silence for several seconds before he had been able to quietly voice his agreement.

The few minutes it had taken him to arrive at the desired location had felt like an eternity, and every drop of blood that he could hear drip onto the floor only illuminated the fact that his Little One's life was spilling out of her with each passing second. When they arrived he had found Alfred waiting just as he had said he would be, a gurney at his side and a conflicted expression on his face. He visibly put his feelings aside as Bane climbed out of the cockpit with the still form in his arms, his voice authoritative as he instructed Bane as how to help him.

Though Alfred had stated that he was no surgeon, Bane had been impressed with his skill. The old man had stopped her internal bleeding, stitched her wounds, and given her several transfusions of blood, but after he was done his white head had shaken sadly. "I'm sorry my young friend, I do not think she will survive this. I did what I could, but one of the bullets has completely severed her spine and there are still bone fragments in her system. I was not able to find them all."

His words had infuriated Bane, and he had nearly killed the old man as thanks for his help, but somehow he had restrained himself and only nodded curtly. He had spent the rest of that night at her side, holding her hand and doing whatever he could to keep her comfortable. The sound of dripping water concealed the sound of her breath, but he was able to see the steady rise and fall of her chest. Somehow she was breathing on her own, and her heart and never completely stopped. He knew that it was foolish to hope, but still he did, even going so far as to pray to gods that had never listened to him before.

It made no difference though, she had not stirred that night, nor had she stirred in the nine months since then. Over those months they had covertly traveled halfway around the world, only staying in places long enough for this doctor or that doctor to attempt to treat her. Though some had shown him confidence when they first examined her, they all walked away shaking their heads the same way the old man had. At least those that walked away at all. There had been an extraordinary amount of ineptitude, but there had been a few doctors who had done good work.

There had been several surgeries over those first few months. One to remove a bone shard that was trying to puncture her spleen, a second when her right lung abruptly collapsed, and a third to remove a piece of bone that had lodged at the base of her skull. After that final time under the knife the doctor had given him a contemptuous look, pulling his long gloves off with disdain. "That woman is as good as dead. She will never wake up, and even if she does she will be of no more use than a cow without an udder. She is a vegetable." Bane had needed to find a second doctor for his Little One's post op care then, and a deep hole to put the other man's body into.

After that he had refused any further medical care for her and had moved them to one of his safe houses in Southern Siberia. He had stayed with her as long as he could, but his duties to the League soon called to him and he was forced to leave her, sometimes for weeks at a time. He would always rush back to her side, hoping there would be some change, some stirring of her mind, but he would always be disappointed.

She would simply be lying on the large bed, blankets tucked tightly around her body, her graceful arms laying on top of them. Often he would find the old woman that he left to take care of her sitting beside her, reading something to her in Russian. Other times the only sounds would be the steady drip of the IV sending her life giving nutrients, and the calming crackle of flames in the fireplace.

That was how it was at that moment as he sat in the chair at her bedside, holding her small hand in his big one. She had lost weight over the months, though he did everything in his power not to let that happen. Her pale skin stood out against high cheekbones, her fine bone structure now easily visible. In spite of her weakened condition he could still see her strength, though it seemed few others agreed with him. Those few that had come to see her since they had settled into the mountain cabin - Wayne and his Cat, Joker and his apparent love, Maddy, and even Alfred on a few occasions - had all agreed that she looked at peace, but Bane disagreed. He recognized the expression on her face, it was deceptively peaceful, but it was actually a look of pure determination.

It was her determination that kept bringing him back, even when Bruce had told him two days earlier that he and the Cat would be leaving the League. The damn Cat was going to have a kitten. Wayne had graciously agreed to come back to the League and help Bane run it, at least until the joyous news had been shared. Now Bane was on his own, which meant he would have to leave Tiana alone with her old caretaker, probably indefinitely. There were few men left in the League after the madness of Gotham, and of those men that remained only Barsad would have been capable of filling is shoes, even temporarily. Unfortunately, Barsad's skills were needed for important missions around the globe and he couldn't stay at the League complex to lead the men, no matter how much Bane wished he could. He had considered taking Tiana to the new complex, but after some thought he had decided that she would not be safe there. There were just too many men that were relative unknowns. If he could not trust them to control themselves and follow his orders while he was away, he could not trust them to stay away from his Little One.

He had only arrived that morning and after he had discussed Tiana's status and care with the hunched old woman, he had sent her home for the night. He would tell her the following morning if she would be required any longer. She was a good woman and he was pleased to have found her, but she lacked the physical strength to tend to Tiana in all of the ways she needed. He knew that if he was forced to stay away she would soon begin to whither and get bed sores, due to the old woman's inability to turn her, or carry her outside.

Knowing that, he had bundled Tiana up after dismissing her feeble caregiver and carried her out to the wide porch that overlooked the cold landscape. It was the first day of spring, but the only sign of it was weak sunshine and the faint song of birds high in the trees. The hillside was covered in a thick blanket of snow, the trees ornamented with icicles as long as Bane was tall. The frozen river beneath them looked as though it might break free of winter's hold soon, but in that moment it remained frozen in time, just as his Little One did.

He had sat with her in his lap for hours, until the sun had slipped behind the trees. The shaded porch becoming too cold for her, even with the mountain of furs and blankets that he had her covered in. So he had carefully carried her back into the warmth of the cabin, bathed her in the large copper bathtub, and placed her back in the bed. And now it was time for him to tell her everything that he had to say. Though everyone told him she would not understand and that it was pointless to explain what was happening to her, he still felt that he had to try. She had to know that he didn't want to let her go, but that he could no longer stay.

His thumb rubbed the back of her hand as he looked at her thoughtfully. "Little One, I know you're out there somewhere and I can only hope you hear me." He paused, gathering his thoughts before pressing on. "I owe my life to you - in more ways than one - and so do the people of Gotham. They will never know that, but I do and I want you to know that. I will never forget what you did for me, or what you taught me that day."

He stood and shifted her small body over on the bed so he could sit beside her. Once he got settled on the edge of the mattress he once again took her hand in his own, noting that it seemed warmer than usual. "I have put the League back onto a path of righteousness. We are working on Gotham again, but I have gone back to the beginning, and we are trying to bring about change with good works instead of bloodshed. So far, it seems to be working." He looked down at her, wishing he could hear what she thought about the change in the League's direction. Would she approve? He thought she would, but perhaps not, it had always seemed that she knew him better than he knew her.

"I can't stay here with you, but I can't leave you. If I leave you here Dasha will try to care for you, but she will fail and you will only suffer. I don't even know that you are not suffering now." Bane sighed, but it sounded somehow aggressive through the mask, not conveying the true emotions he was feeling. "Many months ago a man said that to kill you would be a mercy. I told him I was grateful for his thoughts and that I would show him mercy as well. Oddly he did not find it a mercy when I killed him, even though he thought it would be for you." He paused, thinking through what he was about to say. "At the time I knew without a doubt that the man was wrong… today… I'm no longer so certain."

"What would you do Little One? Would you accept your defeat, and kill me? Give me the mercy so highly sought by many? Or would you leave me to slowly waste away in the prison of my failing body?" When he put it that way it was a simple decision. In fact, it was no decision at all. She was not with him any longer and it was only cruel to continue to tie her soul to the broken body. "Yes, Little One. I think I know what you would do. You would do what needed to be done."

His left hand remained fiercely holding hers, but his right hand moved up to gently cradle her head. He bent his head down to the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply; needing one last breath of her living scent. He remained there for a moment, savoring her warmth and the feeling of her faint breath caressing his shoulder through the fabric of his shirt. His breath was hitching and he fought back a sob that begged to escape his chest, speaking once again with a shaky voice, "I'm sorry I failed you Little One. It seems that I am fated to live without love in this existence. Perhaps it is for the best."

He straightened and began shifting his hand so that he would be able to swiftly break her neck, ending her suffering. He was in position for the kill, but held back for another instant, suddenly unsure. He almost pulled away, but then shook his head, willing his resolve to return to him. He had only just begun tightening his hand around her frail neck when he felt a warmth envelop his left hand.

His right hand jerked roughly back and he looked down at his other hand in disbelief. Had he imagined the movement simply because he did not want to believe she was gone? It was impossible to tell just by looking at their hands. Though it seemed as if her fingers were more entwined with his, he could not be sure. He watched her intently for several minutes, the seconds marked by the steady drip of her IV fluids. There was no change, and he had been a fool to think there had been. He repositioned his hand at her neck, closed his eyes and sent her a silent farewell, wherever she was. His hand cautiously tightened and shifted, preparing for the moment when he would move quickly, ending it all.

"Bane…" The wind whispered his name and he continued his precise movements. "Bane." It was no wind. His hand left her neck and moved to her damp cheek. He slowly opened his eyes, to be greeted by those fire filled emeralds he loved so deeply.

She was awake.

That's it everybody. Please check out my updated chapters in the coming days, and let me know what you think. I'm also interested to hear if anyone would like to see a prequel featuring Joker and Maddy, or a Sequel to this story. I have ideas for both, though no firm plans. If you guys want to see either of them then you will need to let me know! Thanks!