Part Two: Rose, Interrupted

I wake up to the sweet sound of absolute silence. I love a good, quiet morning. When the traffic is dead and the sun isn't all the way over the horizon—that's my favorite time of day. I sit up in bed and stretch my arms up high before looking at my clock. My eyes nearly bug out of their sockets when I read the time: 9:03AM! My first class starts at 10!

How in the world did I oversleep? I soar out of bed and begin scavenging through my closet for something cute, simple, and easy to wear. Unfortunately, my closet barely contains any of those three categories. One side is strictly professional for my part time job as a sales associate. The other side is lounge clothes, such as jogging pants, tank tops, flips flops, and other lazy wear. Somewhere in the very middle lies my very limited supply of school clothes.

I snatch up a pair of black cargo pants with a lime green tee with a picture of the green video game dinosaur named Yoshi plastered on the front. I grab a pair of matching flip flops, my brush and hair products, then head for the bathroom.

Inside, I quickly brush my teeth, shower, do my hair, and then get dressed, not in that order. I hate late mornings! It throws off my entire day. But, somehow, I'm dressed and ready by 9:40. It's takes almost fifteen minutes for me to get to Gotham University, so I'll have to book it and hopefully avoid the police. Looks like there'll be no time for breakfast either, which really sucks.

I'm just grabbing my backpack and hurriedly sliding on my flip flops when I notice a dark shadow sitting on the couch. I drop my backpack and stand straight up, staring at the shadow. That's when I remember...

"Oh, uh, good morning!" I say in a tight voice to Bane, who is sitting on one of the living room sofas, watching the morning news. He's dressed in a familiar brown coat with fur on the inside of its flipped out collar. His face looks amused by whatever is happening on screen. It doesn't' sound like cute, stumbling puppies or push-up walruses.

"Good morning, Rose!" he says in a happy voice. He doesn't look away from the screen. "Are we headed to class this morning?"

"Yeah," I say, still in shock. How had I forgotten that I was currently sharing my apartment with a terrorist? I suddenly feel a headache coming on as I realize that I can't leave him alone here, which is a big dilemna. "I've got to call Blake."

I fumble around in my purse for my iPhone. Once I find it, I whip it out and call Blake. He answers pretty quickly.

"I was expecting a phone call from you," he greets me.

"Good, because I'm curious about your other expectations for today. What are Bane and I supposed to do about college? I have class in less than twenty minutes." I would have been a bit meaner had Bane not been ten feet away.

"Simple: take him with you," comes Blake's response.

"I-I can't do that!" I whisper-yell while turning away from Bane's curious eyes. All I can think about are the mobs of angry people waiting to get their hands on him and I out there. "It's dangerous!"

"We have police around campus if anything goes wrong," he assures me. I scoff inwardly. Yes, from what I'd seen two months ago, the police had been pretty useful when it came to restraining Bane and crowds.

"Don't worry; you'll both be perfectly safe," Blake says. I don't reply at first. I know it's wrong, but I'm really worried about my own safety at the moment. I'll be in the car with a known terrorist and be in class with people who'll want to kill both of us. I think Bane can handle his own safety. Me, not so much.

"I hope so. Goodbye, Detective." I end the call and drop my phone into my purse with a heavy sigh. Well, this wasn't how I planned for my day to start off but it looks as if my only choice is to go with it and pray for the best.

I grab my keys from the counter and nod at Bane. "Ready?" I don't know if I'm referring to being ready to leave or ready to face the city he was previously going to destroy.

"Of course!" Bane replies lightly as he stands from the couch. "The world cannot wait for us to be ready before it continues to spin."

"That would be great, though," I joke in a tiny, scared voice. Today is not gonna be an easy day for either of us, I'm afraid.

We head out of the apartment building, only earning a few horrified stares from the other tenants. My car, a silver Mustang, is parked in the back of the building, so we go around there and hop in.

"Don't forget your seatbelt," I remind him in as much of a teasing voice as I can muster up. My voice is shaking with fear; having Bane this close and with no hope of escape is terrifying.

"I don't suppose the police will be concerned about my safety if they pull us over, Rose."

"Ha, very true." I snap my seatbelt on anyway before starting up the car. I've always been self-conscious about my beat up '96 Mustang but never as much as right now with Bane studying the inside like it's a homework assignment.

"Do you like hip-hop?" I ask in an attempt to pull his attention away from my car. He just looks at me. "Okay, just tell me if it annoys you."

I plug in my iPhone and "Kiss It" by Dev pours out of the speakers, followed by the steady bumping of bass. I mouth the words along with the song, not comfortable with singing in his intimidating presence, as I slide on my eyeglasses (which are a necessity for driving) and back the car out of my space and getting on the highway.

Gotham City traffic is no joke. Drivers care absolutely nothing about cutting you off, honking at you for no reason, and sending you that special finger. You have to be a considerably calm person to drive these streets. You also have to be smart and lock your doors, unless you want someone to hijack you like they're playing a mean game of Grand Theft Auto: Gotham City.

We're at the longest red-light in history when Bane finally speaks, interrupting me from my jamming session. Every college student that drives to school knows that morning dose of your favorite music always leads to a better day.

"You look afraid, Miss Rose!"

I glance over at him before lowering the volume of my music somewhat. "Well, I am." And not just because you're about five inches away from me. "I mean, people are really mad about what you were planning to do to the city."

"And you?" he asks after taking a breath. "Are you angry with me?"

"Heck yeah," I answer without thinking. My eyes widen as I realize what I've said and I quickly backtrack. "I-I mean, I don't like the idea of being blown to smithereens as much as the next person. I never felt really...angry, though. I was scared, for the most part," I admit. "Scared for my family, who live in another city. I didn't want them to hear about my death in the news."

Bane's breathing intertwines with the lingering bass in the car. "Would you like an apology?" he finally asks.

I can't say I'm not surprised by his question. I look at him and the hope in my heart falls away as quickly as it came. He's teasing, of course. His eyes look unsympathetic as he watches me, waiting for my reaction. What was I expecting: a normal person behind the mask? Nope, I guess he's as unremorseful as the day he snapped that poor scientist's neck on live television.

"It wouldn't make a difference now," I say a bit coldly as I turn the volume back up. My grip tightens on the steering wheel and I keep my gaze focused on the road ahead of me. I feel his eyes on me for a few more seconds before he decides to focus on something else.

After a few more minutes of driving, we make it to Gotham University. The time is 9:52. If I hurry, I'll still make it and have time to explain my "situation" to the professor before class starts. I park near the English building and hop out of the car.

"Just ignore the stares," I say to Bane as I sling my polka dotted backpack over one arm and grab my purse. Bane climbs out of my car and stretches himself out to his full height. My car is a bit compact so I know the ride wasn't a comfortable one for him.

"I welcome looks with open arms!" he says as he cracks his neck. He locks eyes with one girl running late to class. Her face goes completely white before she screams and jumps back in her car. She speeds away, leaving a trail of dust behind her. I know the feeling. I wanted to do the exact same thing when the police dropped him off in my living room. Heck, I'm still tempted to do that now. The only thing holding me back is the thought of getting a deduction in my grade for missing a class.

"We should hurry before we cause too much of a scene," I warn him as I start walking as fast as my legs can carry me. Bane catches up in no time. His easy strides are just long enough for him to keep up with my perceived fast pace without him breaking a sweat. He looks as if he's out for a morning stroll while I'm power-walking.

The reactions of the other students are basically the same as the first girl's. They either shriek, run, or stare. Bane ignores them all as he stares around at the large campus. He looks impressed with GU's sizable campus and gothic adornments. GU's gothic exterior and interior were part of the reason I accepted the full-ride scholarship to the school. That and it's impressive English and Creative Writing programs. Once I heard that big name authors like Steven King, James Patterson, and others had all attended Gotham University, I knew that I had to be there.

My Creative Writing classroom is thankfully not a long walk away. We make it to the door with five minutes to spare.

I look at Bane. "Let me explain what's going on between us to the professor so he can give a heads-up to the other students before you come in, okay?" I offer.

"And what's going on between us, Miss Rose?"

A nightmare, I want to say. "I don't even know myself," I say aloud before going into the classroom. Professor Hawkings, my young Creative Writing teacher, gives me warm, welcoming smile as I approach him.

"Ah, good morning!" he greets me while using my real name. "Bright and early today, aren't you?"

"For once," I joke back with a smile only my Professor can get out of me. I sincerely like this man. He shares my passion for the literary use of imagination and the brilliant workings of the human mind… plus he's drop-dead gorgeous. If I were just a few years older and not in his class... I would still not approach him. I've always been shy about letting guys know I like them. It usually ends with my feelings being hurt.

"I actually need to tell you something." I say instead.

Professor H's, as I like to call him, eyebrows raise. "Really? What is it?"

I take a deep breath and tell him every detail of the crazy new plot called my life. Professor H listens with a furrowed brow sometimes nodding, sometimes frowning. In fact, he frowns the entire time. When I finish up my story with how I have Bane right outside the classroom at this very second, his frown drops into a small "o".

"This is truly unfortunate news," Professor Hawkings says while patting my back. If today were a normal day, I'd be giggling like a schoolgirl on the inside right now. But, I have Bane outside, waiting like a disease to burst into my system.

"He just needs to be with me at all times. We'll sit in the back so that we won't disturb anyone," I beg. "He won't be any trouble at all."

I hope.

"Of course he can come into my classroom," Professor Hawkings says with a kind smile. "I'll warn the students ahead of time."

I grin. "Thank you so much, Professor Hawkings!" I say, while refraining myself from hugging him.

Too much, too soon, girly. Perhaps one day, in the distant future…

I clear my throat. "The police gave me something to control him if he ever gets out of hand." Right now, I'm glad Bane's able to come into my first class without a problem. One problem down, a million more to go!

I head back out into the hallway where I find Bane leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He's staring down some poor girl attempting to get into our classroom.

"Hey, Bane! We can go in now," I say in a cheerful tone, successfully pulling him away from the nearly-crying girl. The girl rushes past us and into the classroom, where she proceeds to bawl to her friends about who's outside of the door.

I sigh and walk into the classroom, with Bane right behind me. The chatter in the classroom instantly dies away. Even Professor H seems speechless at the sight of Bane in his classroom. Everyone watches as we make our way to the back of the leveled classroom. I sit in one of the chairs and motion for Bane to do the same. He listens without question, for which I am grateful. Maybe if people think I've got a good handle on him, they'll feel safer. Think is the key word here.

"Hello, fellow classmates!" Bane says in a loud voice, breaking the silence that followed us into the classroom. My eyes widen and I send Bane a warning glare, which he promptly ignores. "I hope there aren't too many hard feelings concerning my actions in the past."

Darn it, did he want people to hate him? Grumbles sound throughout the room and I'm sure I heard a couple of threats here and there. Thankfully, Professor Hawkings begins speaking, saving us from further torture.

I reach over and tug Bane's coat sleeve lightly before leaning over and whispering, "Don't get them riled up. Everyone here was affected by that bomb scenario and I don't want things getting chaotic. Just, please, tread carefully."

I'm surprised by Bane's low, rumbling reply. "Chaos is always necessary. It's the one thing to remind people of how precious their own normal lives are."

Before I had long to feed this into my mind, I hear a loud voice breaking into our little bubble in the back row.

"That freak belongs in prison or six feet under. He's the reason those prisoners broke into my house and put my dad into a coma."

I look down and see Trevor glaring up at us. Tall, dark-haired, and burly, Trevor is on the football team and he's really good at it. He's not very good, however, at being kind to others. I understand his pain and I have things I'd like to tell Bane myself, but Trevor's face tells me he only wants to hurt Bane.

Bane's face only looks amused as he meets Trevor's hate-filled gaze. Bane's next words nearly silence the entire room. "Your father was not strong enough to stand with the rest of us during Gotham's reckoning." He pauses to inhale. "His current status may be all he's entitled to."

"What the h*** did you say?" Trevor climbs to his feet and glares at Bane, his chest heaving. "Why is he even here? He doesn't belong with people like us! He's the one who should be in a permanent coma!"

"Is your father's permanent?" came Bane's chilling reply. "Should the plugs be pulled already?"

Trevor's face crumples and in a flash, he's heading towards us. Judging by the look on Bane's face, this is exactly what he wants. I have to stop this. Professor Hawkings looks frozen in place as he watches from the bottom of the classroom.

Never one to speak up in class, it takes all of my strength to climb out of my seat and stand between Trevor and where Bane is watching, still seated. I put my arms out and give him an intense look.

"Pl-Please ignore him. He's still in rehabilitation," I say as calmly as I can manage.

"He should be dead!" Trevor screams over my shoulder at an unmoved Bane. "He should be! He shouldn't be here with us!" He stops to glare at me. "And you're the person letting him be here? You're just as bad." His hand draws back in a fist and I know that my face is about to be in some serious pain.

Luckily, the other football members in the classroom grab him and hold him away from me. They drag him from the classroom, still kicking and screaming. I stand where I'm at for a second, waiting for my heart to return to its normal pace.

"Sorry," I say to the classroom before returning to my seat by Bane. I can't even bring myself to look at him. Why does he insist on torturing these poor people? Blake said he was ready and willing for rehabilitation. Obviously, one of them lied.

I can feel Bane watching me but I bury myself in my notebook, taking notes furiously on Professor H's lecture, and trying not to let anyone see the tears burning in my eyes.

I thought I could do this. I really did. Bane's silent for the rest of class but the damage is already done.

The rest of my classes are about the same, minus my face almost being punched in. By the time my last class is over, I'm ready to go home, bury myself in the sheets, and never resurface. Bane has remained silent throughout the day. The only sound that alerted me that he was still alive during the day was the constant heavy breathing coming from his mask. Ever since the confrontation (which he clearly egged on) in Creative Writing, he had fallen silent and now he doesn't say much at all.

Fine by me. The quieter he is, the less chance there is of my teeth getting knocked out.

I leave the radio off as we drive through the foggy streets of Gotham City. As promised, I'm headed for the grocery outlet on the other side of town. I'm not sure if I'll be buying for one or two people at the moment.

"You're just as bad as him."

Trevor's words pound against the inside of my head like a drum, giving me a headache. Am I really a bad person for opening my home as a refuge to someone who contemplated the death of an entire city?

Yikes, that sounded bad.

I thought I was doing the right thing but now, I'm not too sure. The pain of two months ago is still so fresh. The hurt is still evident on too many faces. Besides that, Bane doesn't seem to actually want to change. He's still bent on causing chaos wherever he goes, no matter what scale it might be on.

Should I really help someone who doesn't want to be helped?

The police department is coming up. All I have to do is drop him off and life can return to normal. Back to my normal, quiet life, when no one had noticed me. I can have that again if I get rid of him. Would anyone pick up the torch, though, if I were to drop him off? Someone would. Someone would have to, right?

I think of last night, when Bane seemed slightly human for the most fleeting of moments. "I thank you for your hospitality, Miss Rose. It's been quite unexpected."

Maybe he only acts like that because he knows that's what people expect of him now. There's always the slightest chance that that's why he acts like a self-entitled jerkwad.

My hold on my steering wheel tightens as we approach the police department. I shoot Bane a wary look. He's still staring out of his window, looking as alone as I felt when I first moved to the city. Heck, as alone as I still am.

I watch with a twisted gut as I pull the car past the police department.

I release a breath I didn't even realize I was holding in. Please, tell me I just made the right decision. This is the man who tried to blow up Gotham City, who didn't feel the least bit remorseful about it, who almost got my face punched in by a football player. Did I really want to give up six months of my normal life for a life of almost certain insanity for someone like him?

I guess so. For now.

"Did you have an okay day at school?" I ask in a gruff voice. Although I've decided to let him stay with me, I'm still a bit sore about him not caring in the slightest that he was the reason I almost got beat up by a dude.

"It was enjoyable...for the most part," he replies after a brief pause.

"Great. We won't have to go through that again until Thursday, thankfully," I say with the briefest of smiles. "Maybe next time, don't egg people on, okay? It's a bit too soon for that." Heck, it will always be too soon for any mention of the nightmare he and his cohorts caused two months ago.

Bane doesn't acknowledge my plea in the least. I want to reach up and strangle him but I refrain myself. I know he heard me, at least. I don't think he'll listen to me, but it's out there.

We pull into the parking lot of the grocery outlet. Thankfully, there are only a few cars in the lot.

"Wanna help me pick out groceries?" I ask with a grin as I hop out of the car. "We're likely to starve with what I have left at the house."

Although he doesn't look too keen on completing a task as mundane as grocery shopping, he gets out of the car and follows me inside. I grab a cart from the front of the store and look around. I've never been good at stuff like this. My mom's awesome at grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking—all admirable traits for the perfect woman. I'm not good at any of this stuff. Hopefully Bane doesn't mind too much.

"I think we need eggs, milk, bread, butter...y'know, the staples," I tell him as I push the cart lazily down the empty aisles. My forearms are resting on the handle and I walk slowly so that it doesn't veer off course too badly. "Then we can stock up on all the good stuff."

As I gather all of the items that we need, I try my hardest to ignore the terrified looks from the other shoppers. One look at Bane and they drop their groceries and run. I wonder if it annoys him, amuses him, or even bothers him at all.

"Gotham will never be as great a city as it could be while populated by such weak people," Bane says off-handedly as I'm stocking up on fruit juice. "Terrified, they run from anything they don't understand."

Or run from anything that wanted to kill them, I silently add. "You can't really blame them," I say as we head for the checkout lines. I'm almost too afraid to say it but I do anyway. "You did try to kill everyone in this city not too long ago."

"No one was ever truly in danger's path. Only the weak and the feeble-minded who did not welcome Gotham's reckoning were on the brink of destruction."

I shake my head. I just can't wrap my mind around his twisted way of thinking. He seems to think it's his duty to put people like me into his mindset or something like that. But everyone has a mind of their own, right?

I bring our cart up to the terrified clerk, who's staring at Bane like he's a ghost. "Hi," I say in my most pleasant of voices. "How are you today?"

"Pr-Pretty good," the young clerk says as he starts scanning our items, never once taking his eyes away from Bane. He swallows. "And yourself, ma'am?"

"Good, thanks for asking," I reply. Being raised in the south definitely improved my manners, a trait that is barely recognized in such a fast-paced environment like Gotham City. Fortunately, it seems to put the boy at ease. At least, a little.

The clerk finishes ringing up our items and gives me the total. I pay him that plus ten dollars extra, just for being a good sport.

"Th-Thank you, ma'am!" he stutters as he pockets the ten dollar bill and tips his visor at me. He shoots another nervous glance at Bane. I smile and wave at him before pushing the heavy cart out of the store, with Bane following behind. As strong as he looks, he should be the one pushing this stupid cart around, but I won't be the one to tell him that.

"Being kind to others is in your genes," Bane says suddenly. I'm in the middle of overstuffing my trunk with groceries. I pause and look at him. He's giving me one of those unreadable, deep looks again.

"Uh, what? Y-You mean the money?" I ask while elbowing down the last plastic bag into my trunk. Fudge, I need a bigger car. "He deserved it for not running away and still serving us."

"Even when you know nothing of the contents of someone's heart, you help them. It is an admirable trait." He breathes in. "And a foolish one."

I close my trunk and swipe at my bangs, not sure of how to respond. "I think you should always give someone the benefit of the doubt, don't you? It's not foolish to be nice to people." Maybe he should take notes. Hmph.

"Perhaps," is all he says, basically brushing off my comments.

I push the cart to one of the parking lot holders before jogging over to my car. Bane's already inside, so I hop in and start 'er up. "Dark Side" by Kelly Clarkson is playing on the radio. I pull out of the parking lot and we head out, back to the safety of the walls of my apartment.

After hoisting bags upon bags of groceries up flights of stairs with absolutely zero help from you-know-who, I plop down on the couch and exhale.

Today has been literally exhausting. I mean, physically and mentally. No one said this job was going to be easy but no one mentioned that I'd be ready to pull my hair out after just one day. Bane is a real handful, to say the least. For someone like me, who's way too nice to people and a complete pushover, he is a nightmare.

Right now, Bane has retreated to his room. Can't say I'm not relieved. I need a break in the worst way. Having him tied to my hip 24/7 is going to take some getting used to.

Still, I know that I won't give up on him. No matter what might happen, I'll try my hardest to help him find his place in Gotham City. I know how it feels to be alone, to feel like no one in the world gets you. True, I don't go around plotting to destroy cities... But the point is, I just can't bring myself to abandon someone who needs help, even if they don't necessarily want it.

I climb up from the couch and pop a pizza into the oven. I'm staring out the window nearby when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

"Hello?" I ask without looking at who it is. The only people to ever call my phone are my mama and my best friend. No need to check.

"Give him to us," a chilling voice whispers into my ear. I pull my phone away from my ear and look at the screen. The person blocked their number.

"Who is this?" I ask, bringing the phone back to my ear.

"Give us Bane or suffer the consequences," the voice whispers.

"Who the heck is this?" I ask again, this time in a much louder voice. "How'd you get this number?"

"Bring him to Seventh Street three Sundays from now...or else."

The phone falls silent. I glance at the screen and see that the call has ended. I place my phone on the counter with a shaky hand and hug myself. Of course people are going to want Bane. I hadn't been thinking of it before, but it was only a matter of time before people started seeking him out once the news that he was free got out.

I look over at Bane's room. The door is shut. I can only imagine what he's doing back there. Reading? Plotting revenge? He's certainly not answering phone calls from people who want him and I dead.

I'm not sure what kind of threats these people have in mind for either of us, but I'm afraid.

-o-o-o-o-oo-o-o-o-o

Cerulean: It's only gonna get worse from here, girlie.

Just to give you guys a sense of what direction this story is heading in, it's pretty much going to be about Rose's and Bane's friendship and how he gets along "trying" to be a citizen. Later on in the story, it's going to turn into more of a adventure/action story. There will be plenty of drama and craziness in these first chapters as well! Thanks a bunch for reading and a big, big thanks to my reviewers! :)

Next time we have: magic omelets, a trip to the library, and a new crush for Rose! Stay tuned!