XIII.

And Here We Are

"'Take you'?"

Barsad grumbled in an undertone and shook his head, gripping Lily's thin arm.

"Take you where? The whole place is up in the air!"

He hissed, looking around the frantic crush of people who were all getting on with emptying Wayne's armoury. Glancing down at the young girl in his grasp, Barsad felt his anger and frustration melt away; she was shaking, trembling in her too-big overall-like clothes, freezing and sodden. Her mane of thick dark hair stuck to her grey hallowed cheeks and chattering jaw. She was clutching her prize to her chest; the broken cowl winked – still wet – from the confines of her hands that looked like white spiders against the dark of the mask.

She was pressed up against him, lost and tiny in amongst the rough masses. He saw her peep up at him completely unseeing; her dark eyes large and luminous, like a little lost puppy. He clicked his tongue off of the roof of his mouth and looked away, slightly annoyed with her for being so damned helpless.

"Alright, souris," Barsad began with a sigh, glancing back.

She ignored him but felt his grip lessen only to be replaced by a much warmer embrace as he threw his arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm to warm her,

"It's okay. Come on."

He uttered and gently herded her through the press of people. Lily's breath was uneven and she felt a cough about erupt from her throat. She gripped her chest and bent over, ducking right under Barsad's arm by accident; he whipped back and eyed the crowd frantically; he couldn't see her anywhere. Lily hacked and spluttered, she felt dizzy she coughed so hard, she thought her brain might burst out of her ears. She was pushed back, her wafer body carried along the commotion like a paper-thin shell might surf along a current. Sinking to her knees, oblivious to the throng of boots, legs and hands that marched past her, unseeing to her problem, Lily pressed her head to the floor and began to cough really hard.

Lily's vision started to flicker, she was frightened she'd bring up blood and held the broken mask closer to her chest, squeezing it as though she'd get some relief from the inanimate material. Suddenly she raised her head and felt her crown connect with something soft; peering to her sides she saw a knee, it was bent but was still eye-level with her with a hand rested on it indolently, and on the other side a boot. A very large boot. Lily looked up, her eyes rested on Bane's mask, and his eyes all glaring down at her; his body was hunched over hers like a protective casing. Her head grazed his chest as she craned her head back further to squint up at him.

Water was still dripped from his mask, making him appear to be akin to some wild, salivating beast. Lily shuddered underneath him; he glowered down on her, from his vantage point she looked tiny, the redness around her eyes striking. She looked so tired, so sick. She must have known because she looked away from him as he shook his head and rolled his eyes. She gasped when she felt his hand slip warmly inside her coat and press against her skinny abdomen and lift her easily from cold ground; for a second time he pulled her free of the danger and carried her through the commotion; everyone's eyes gradually turning to watch him lift her past them all and to safety.

Curled up against Bane's damp chest, Lily still held the Bat's broken cowl in her cold hands. Bane peered down at it but made no comment as they pressed on through the bustling ground floor of the complex which was now almost over-lit thanks to Bane's explosives.

"What's going to happen to him?" Lily whispered against Bane's collarbone.

The big man didn't answer straight away, he merely looked down and shrugged. Then finally said,

"The man of privilege should have learned our despair before he tried to combat it."

Lily nodded, her head felt light. Leaning against Bane, she sighed,

"I think I'm going to die..."

"Not yet. I bought your life. I determine when it ends." Bane replied staunchly.

With a shrug, Lily closed her dark eyelids and swallowed – grimacing as pain rocketed up her throat to her head.

Just as Bane cut a path through the mass of mercs, Barsad approached them; his expression looked repentant as Bane came up before him; Lily hanging from his arms as light as a spider's web. She gave him the most vacant of looks, her eye lids beginning to grow heavy. He looked from her to Bane and stipulated frankly,

"She just vanished, Bane-"

"As you were, Barsad." Bane interjected even more frankly.

Lily's eyes opened wider her head was lolling as she tried to follow what Bane and Barsad were saying. Bane's voice rumbled throughout his chest and reverberated through her arms wakening her a little. She saw Barsad give her a resentful glare before he stalked off. She shook her head weakly and waved her hand with great effort which stopped Barsad's departure and made Bane eye the girl in his arms.

"Thanks..." Lily rasped, her eyelids flickering. "Thanks, Barsad."

With that; the mercenary looked sheepish and nodded his head as he slipped round Bane to help with the quarry of Wayne's armoury.

"You shouldn't be angry with him...It was my fault, I fell behind."

Lily maintained with a frown puckering her brow. Her tone made Bane look at her carefully, she felt his warm hands press into her back and heft her slightly to get a better grip on her slight body.

"I'll remember that you said that."

He said strangely.

"Whatever..."

Lily breathed and her eyelids drooped closed. Bane watched as she to all intents and purposes, fell asleep in his arms; the Batman's broken mask resting on her tummy.