Disclaimer: Do not own Bane or any TDKR related shenanigans. Kali Blake is mine.

"Well hello dollface."

The voice was hesitant, quiet, yet she knew it. He'd been talking to her for a long time now. Minimal conversations. A cool hand touching hers.

She had been coming to the surface more frequently, but it was uncomfortable there. She felt pain there, and uncertainty. But this time, she decided she would push further.

Her eyes cracked open, feeling like glue was holding them together. She hissed at the pain the lights above her caused. A few moments later she tried again, turning her horrifically heavy head tot he side this time.

"Welcome back."

Her father sat beside her in his usual clothing, minus the obnoxious purple coat. He looked exhausted. His makeup was smudged, and his eyes were severely blood shot. He looked worried. A coldness filled her, like she was being lowered into ice water.

"Bane?" She asked, terrified by how small and weak her voice was.

"He's fine."

"Where..." Kali's throat was so dry, she resisted the urge to cough.

Her father got up, and returned a moment later with a cup of water, and a straw. She took a few sips. The water felt foreign to her.

"Home. You've been asleep a long time."

"Home?" Kali asked, looking around her.

She was on a rather plush bed, and suddenly realized where she was. The house Bane had bought her. An IV dripped slowly next to her, along with a steady heart monitor. She tried sitting up, but the Joker pressed a hand to her shoulder.

"Best not to move until the doctor gets back. Don't want to damage all the work we've done to you." He said gently.

The heart monitor sky rocketed as images came flooding back. She had felt numb, but she knew she was dying. And Bane was dying too. She had... died.

She remembered staring up into the sky, with the warm sun flowing over her. And she remembered wild flowers raining down around her. She had been dead.

"Is Bane here?" She asked, trying to swallow the overwhelming sorrow she felt suddenly.

"Yes. He's been awake about a week. If you promise not to move, I'll go get him." The Joker said, giving her a stern look.

She nodded.

How could she possibly be alive? She didn't know much about the human body, other than to kill it. She knew her wounds had been utterly fatal. The aorta was impossible to repair once it had been damaged, especially by a gunshot. Kali had felt herself bleeding out inside. She couldn't be alive...

The door creaked open. Kali glanced up, and managed a small smile. Bane was wearing some kind of vest, more like a really large full upper body corset. He looked uncomfortable as he walked, and sat down slowly. He was not wearing his mask.

Kali did not know what to say. There was not supposed to be another day. No more wards to share. The end had not come.

"What happened?" Kali managed to say finally.

"The Bat got the bomb away from the city in time." Bane said, a harsh bitterness in his tone.

But then he smiled at her, his eyes crinkling at the edge. It was a wonderful smile, one she saw so rarely without the mask.

"Your father actually never went very far away, and when he found out our plan failed, he came back. He had found the doctors the League of Shadows uses for all of our advanced procedures, and they brought you back. You were only dead a few minutes. As I've been told, we have both had extensive surgeries. We've both been in induced comas for about two months now." He explained.

"The vest saved your life." Kali said, taking a few deep breaths. So she had been dead...

"We have some very fancy hardware in us now. You have a plastic aorta now, along with a lot of meddling with your internal organs. I have a complete metal rib cage. This contraption, " He motioned towards the odd vest-like article, "can come off in about a week."

Kali let out a laugh, and even though it hurt a little bit, it felt good.

"What about your mask?" She asked, looking at his face.

"The compound wore out faster than expected. However, the doctors were able to replicate a new one. I now have an implant that pumps it through my blood stream. The compound lasts much longer, and only needs to be replaced once a year. No more mask."

Kali smiled. They were both alive. By some miracle, they were alive.

"So... what now?" Kali asked, stretching her legs slightly. They felt terribly stiff.

Bane sighed heavily.

"Now... now my dear, we live the life we were meant to. We can travel the world, see everything there is to see. We can be together." Bane said, smiling slightly.

He leaned forward, and very gently kissed her. A cough interrupted them.

"Pardon the interruption. The doctor's here to examine Kali."

Bane smiled against her lips and stood.

"She's all yours." He said, and then the doctor, an older looking man with plenty of smile lines, appeared at her side.

Some time later and Kali was finally allowed to sit up, by herself. She felt sore, and stiff, and terribly weak, but moving felt good. With the Joker by her side, hands lightly on her shoulders just in case, she slowly stood up. She was wobbly, stiff, and being upright made her dizzy for a moment. Slowly, carefully, she made her way into the living room.

She sat on the couch, and the Joker suddenly let out a laugh that startled her. He went into the kitchen, and slid the repaired glass door open. Kali let out a squeal as a big black fur ball came flying at her, and suddenly Harley was licking her everywhere.

"He showed up about a month ago. Just came right up to the door and walked in. I assumed he must be yours, especially because he slept outside your door every night." The Joker said. "He's quite the handful."

Kali could tell her father had a lone-hate relationship towards Harley. It amused her. That day, the day everything was supposed to end, Kali had never dreamed she would be in her house, with her dog, Bane, and her father all at once. She never thought about anything after the end.

In its own twisted way, she had her happily ever after

Reviews!

Yes, lovely readers, this story is finished. But aha! A sequal is in progress! So, thank you my lovely readers for your massive support and reviews. I'd like to thank GypsyWitchBaby, CLTex, atiketook, ZeeIternity, Book Finer, ElektraMackenizem sphalerite, and MarineLvr84 for your reviews, and everyone else, guests included! And yes, there shall be a sequel! Prologue here:

Bane and Kali now have the life they'd always dreamed of. No end of the world shenanigans, no one trying to killing them, and no one to answer to. Yet, their dream life is not everything it seems. Bane still harbors a hatred for the Bat, and suffers from the loss of his beloved Talia, and his failure to destroy Gotham. Kali seems to be following the footsteps of her father, growing more and more unstable as her past haunts her, and the need to mkae the world pay grows. Can they survive their past?

Also, much humor and Kali/Bane. Let me know what you think! Keep an eye out, sequel coming soon!