Disclaimer: Don't own Bane or any TDKR related content. Kali Blake is mine.

Bane was furious. He had used every single one of his well honed skills, and still he had lost her. He didn't lose civilians, ever. Yet something told him Kali wasn't just a civilian anymore. Suddenly everything made sense.

Talia had seemed a bit off since Bane got back. Every day when he returned to the cavern she seemed apprehensive, although she hid it well. She knew Kali was here. She had answering to do, but first Bane had to find Kali. He moved the mask slightly free from his face, just enough to smell the air better. He'd lost her. He retraced his steps slowly, watching for any movement around him as he prowled. Twenty minutes later, and still nothing.

Kali had nearly fallen when she quickly made a turn into a narrow side alley. She found a space between two brick columns that lined the back wall of what used to be a pizza place, and squeezed herself tight between them. She held her breath, and smiled when she heard Bane thunder by. It wouldn't be long before he came back. Kali saw a fire escape and climbed it up to the roof. Crouched low, she crept along the edge of the rooftop, watching as Bane stopped not far from where she was.

He slowly made his way back, passing her. Pleased with herself, she headed in the opposite direction, into the part of the city where everyone always seemed to be lurking about. She could hide well there.

Bane stalked into the cavern. The atmosphere shifted uncomfortably, and Talia looked up to see the anger burning in his eyes. She swallowed, part of her nervous, the other part relieved. She'd been waiting weeks for him to find Kali, waiting for his reaction. Anger, she had expected. But there was something else there, something that told her she was lucky he loved her or she'd be dead.

He came to a halt before her, his anger only showing in his eyes, as he crossed his arms.

"Why?"

The question was simple, but under it were many waves of confusion, anger... She would not lie to him.

"She proved herself worthy of joining our cause. She more than served our purpose. Without her, we'd have been struggling for recruits. I let her loose when her services were no longer required."

"You had her trained." Bane growled.

"This city is a dangerous place for weak people. I would think you'd appreciate me teaching her to defend herself."

"You brought her here to die with the rest of us. That is not the life I wanted for her. She's mine, you should have asked me-"

"She is not yours!" Talia burst out, and for the first time her jealousy and hatred for Bane's pet got out.

Bane stared her down, and she could see the pieces were coming together alarmingly fast. He had always had that talent.

"You tried to have her killed." Bane breathed.

The house, the blood... she proved herself worthy...

"I did what I thought was necessary." She said coldly.

Bane did not say another word. He went back to the surface, promptly killed three men, and then firmly decided he was going to find Kali.

Kali walked through a grocery store, picking up what was left of the food. Although they had supplies coming in every week, it went fast. The city was desperate, hungry, exhausted. Soon, it would be done.

Kali saw that her father had found men of his own, as she saw on a regular basis men running around with clown masks on. How much chaos could one cause in a city that was already defeated? Her father must have been bored. Kali was on high alert for Bane, knowing he'd probably never stop looking for her. She couldn't go back to the apartment now, and she was searching for a new place to stay.

She noticed a man lowering a note down a drainage pipe using fish wire. Probably some communication between him and the hundreds of men trapped under the city. Kali wondered if she should intervene, but then again, what did it matter? That's when she saw his face.

When she'd come to Gotham, she had searched records for any more information about that fateful day. This man had a striking resemblance to the man who had saved her, William Blake. This must be his son. She'd found, in her searching, that Blake and his wife had been killed not long after the man had saved her, and that their son had been sent to the orphanage. She left him to his business.

Kali scoped out many of the buildings, but many were occupied by far too many people for her comfort. She wanted somewhere alone. As she wandered the many streets, Bane had taken to the rooftops again, searching. Waiting.

Kali passed a street full of the rich luxury homes, but did not dare try to live in any one of them. They were raided constantly, and if someone was found living there, they shared the fate of the rich slobs who had lived their previously. A walk out onto the ice. Just down the street, a group of people came flooding out of one the homes. Kali recognized the clowns, and rolled her eyes. What shenanigans was her father getting into? Then she noticed the men had with them a group of civilians.

Five civilians total, looking miserable and ragged as they were dragged and shoved onto the street. Kali realize two were women, and one had a small child held tightly in her arms. Kali knew what the men planned to do with the women before they had a chance to act on such notions. Kali placed her small bag of groceries down on the steps beside her, and approached the group as rage fed the fire.

One turned and noticed her approaching, and got the attention of the others.

"Well hello there gorgeous. Come to join the party?" One sneered, coming close, reaching out to touch her.

With one swift move she snapped his wrist, and he screeched as he stumbled away from her. The others descended in a flurry of fists, and then they had guns. Kali had to move fast. It was over in two minutes.

Kali had just broken the neck of one, and twisted to finish the other, to find the barrel of his gun against her head. He held the gun in his other hand, and she had broken his dominant one completely. She had also broken his ribs. He grinned, breathing heavily, as he cocked the gun.

Bane heard a sudden explosion of gunfire not far from where he was currently searching, and he hopped from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of the sound. The firing ceased, only to be followed shortly after by a single shot that echoed loudly. A finishing shot. Bane came to a stop, looking down over a group of bodies. Then he saw the backs of two people hurriedly leaving down an alley. One was wearing an oddly purple coat... the Joker. The other was Kali.

So she'd met with her father after all. Bane decided to follow them from a distance. He would not lose her again.

Kali sat on a table, feeling dizzy as her head throbbed. The damn idiot's gun had gone off right next to her head, grazing her temple, and her eardrum had been damaged and had started bleeding.

"Pull your hair back." A voice instructed from behind her, and her father appeared holding a small red plastic box.

He pulled out a few gauze pads, some cotton balls, a tiny bottle of rubbing alcohol, a small tube of antibiotic gel, and some tape. He moved beside her, eyes squinting slightly as he prodded at the wound on her head.

"Luckily you won't need stitches, but this is going to scar." He said lightly, and then let out one of his feral chuckles. "It'll match the one on the other side."

Kali smiled slightly, but she was beginning to feel nauseous. Her balance had gone haywire. He put some alcohol on a cotton ball and with no hesitation wiped it over the graze. Kali hissed slightly as the burning pain added to her overall discomfort. He wiped at it again with a new one, and then smudged a layer of the antibiotic gel over the cut. Folding up a piece of gauze, he held it over the cut and then taped it in place.

"I can't do much for your ear." He said as he placed a cotton ball in her ear, and taped gauze over the entire thing. To keep the blood from getting everywhere.

"That's fine. I'll figure something out." Kali replied as he stepped away and put everything back in the box.

She was relieved her had been there. She had been trained to disarm someone holding a gun to her head, but the guy was already about to pull the trigger when she had turned. Lucky for her, the Joker was good with a gun.

Kali hopped down from the table, and nearly feel backwards as the floor seemed to bounce under her like a wave. Steady hands grabbed her by the shoulders and guided her to a couch. The Joker's current residence was plain, but he had managed to get the heat working, a rare luxury in a near powerless city.

"Take it easy, girl. It will take time before things settle in there." He said, lightly poking her forehead.

He put a glass of water in her hand before moving back into the kitchen. Kali leaned back, taking a few sips, and closed her eyes. Deep, calm breaths...

"Your masked friend followed us here." He said from somewhere behind her.

Kali sat up stiff, heart pounding. She wasn't ready for that, not now. She glanced through the windows around her.

"He's out there somewhere. But I don't think he's going to bother us. I have guards posted around anyways, we'd know if he was coming. I think you'd give him a run for his money." The Joker said with a smirk, sitting in an armchair across from her. He passed her two pills, Tylenol more than likely. She took them without a second thought.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands. He pinned her with one of those mesmerizing stares, and Kali couldn't help but shudder as she looked into her reflection.

"How much longer do we have, anyways? I think we have a week. Maybe two. Hmm?"

"I'm not sure. I'd have to find out. But it's coming soon." Kali replied as she began to feel suddenly, terribly drowsy. Shit.

"Sorry kiddo but you need to sleep, you're not going anywhere for a while." Her father said, getting up.

She fought the swelling darkness, but it was soothing and as she gave up and let it wash over her, she felt a blanket being thrown over her.

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