Jenna had returned to her room with a racing and anxious heart, and she took deep breaths to steady her nerves as she wondered desperately how she and Bane continued to find themselves in such tense situations. It had been evident to her that Bane was skeptical of her uniform choice, but at the same time she had to wonder if, in some sort of way, he actually liked it. His eyes had so slowly wandered down her body as he observed each and every article of clothing and how it fit on her body, and when he had finally looked into her eyes they had been full of interest. But that look had faded, and been replaced with skepticism and maybe even annoyance.
Jenna sighed as she sat down on her cot, hating herself for thinking back to that moment. She could sense the muscles that lay directly beneath his shirt that she had been clutching, wishing she could feel them, and she remembered how his rough fingers had felt against her jaw. She wondered why she felt these intense feelings of interest toward him. Where were they coming from, and why was she having them? Especially toward the man who had ruined her life, and would ultimately break her if she made another wrong move.
Another, Jenna thought to herself. "Bane doesn't offer second chances," Isaac had told her, and Jenna lingered on his words. She appeared to have had annoyed Bane many times already, but if Bane didn't offer second chances, then had she messed up at all yet? If not, then why did Bane practice so much patience with her? She was nothing but a hostage to him; a worthless person who he would soon throw away once he was finished using her for what he wanted. But what did he want with her?
Jenna shook her head now, figuring it was useless to contemplate these questions. Her life had turned into a ticking time bomb, and there was nothing she could do about it. She picked up her towel from her previous shower, and after she collected her toiletries she headed to the door and opened it cautiously. She glanced around the basement, but once she saw no sign of Bane, she immediately started up the basement stairs and headed directly into the bathroom for a shower.
Bane wasn't sure why he had headed up the stairs to go outside, but once the cold struck his skin he figured it was because he had been so desperate to get away from Jenna. It was ridiculous, really, that he felt the need to avoid her himself now, but for the most absurd reasons. He had wanted to put an end to those moments between them, but he realized now that was going to be difficult to do. It would be simple for him to banish Jenna away from him, but he could he stay away from her?
It was all so aggravating. While he was accepting the fact that he could not stop those moments, Jenna still carried traits that were really beginning to annoy him. He thought back to the picture of her in the newspaper, and he remembered how much deep emotion her eyes carried. But so far, she appeared to be a trivial mess. She acted like a child, Barsad was able to confirm that, and her problems were barely note worthy. Granted, in the beginning, Bane had been planning on killing her, but when he decided to keep her around it was because of what her eyes carried in that picture. He was still interested in keeping her alive, she carried potential, but suddenly Bane found himself interested in seeing if she could redeem herself...
After her act with the clothes, Bane figured it would be a good idea. He wanted to see if she could defend herself, and prove to him that she wasn't as childish as she was making herself out to be. He had gone back inside to search for her, but when he found the basement and her room to be empty, he returned up the stairs and finally realized the shower was running, so he headed back outside to wait for her.
Jenna would have never anticipated what waited for her outside once she dropped her towel off downstairs and grabbed her cigarettes. She braced herself at the door, preparing for the cold, but once she opened the door and stepped out, she froze when she saw that Bane was outside. It was an odd sight to her, seeing Bane lean against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Isaac do something to the Challenger, but regardless, she forced herself to step down the stairs to stand where she normally did, and she tried to ignore the cold wind that blew through her wet and wavy hair as she lit her cigarette. When she exhaled, she noticed Bane had glanced over and was watching her, but she tried to ignore him as she glanced away to take another long, much needed drag.
Bane had never actually seen her smoke before, and he had to admit, there was something so appealing in the way she did it. Her fingers holding the cigarette looked so dainty and fragile – so easily breakable – but when his eyes watched her lift the cigarette to her lips the second time, his dark gray orbs watched her plump lips pucker around the cigarette before she removed it from between them. His eyes were still planted firmly on her as she exhaled before they slowly wandered down over the uniform she still wore, and he cocked an eyebrow at this. Her free arm was wrapped around her exposed hips as she openly shivered, and he had just rolled his eyes to himself over this when suddenly Isaac spoke up.
"Alright, finished," he was saying as he got out of the car, and Bane reverted his eyes from Jenna to watch as Isaac stepped out of the car. He wiped his hands on his pants before he stepped away from the car, and he glanced up to Bane. "Good luck," he mumbled with a sly grin, and he could tell Bane was grinning back.
"You really think I'll need it, Barsad?"
"I'll let you be the judge of that," he said. "Hey, Jenna!" He called her name when he turned away from Bane, and when she glanced in his direction he pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the car. "C'mere."
Jenna was already frowning as she stepped up to him, and her eyes instantly went to Bane as he stepped up to the open passenger side door.
"Me and you are goin' for a little spin!" Bane said loudly as he turned to place one foot in the car, and as he did Jenna glanced to Isaac with wide, panicked eyes, and a small noise of protest escaped past her mouth when Isaac placed the keys in her hand.
"Isaac, I – I can't drive with... him-"
"You'll be fine," Isaac mumbled to her in a soothing voice, but this didn't stop Jenna from nervously glancing at the car just as Bane closed the door. She swallowed as she looked back to Isaac.
"Where are we going?" She asked nervously. Isaac was staring into her eyes, and Jenna grew more anxious when he glanced away momentarily.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully, glancing back into her eyes finally. "Just follow his directions, and you'll do fine. Your driving was better today." Isaac was unsure why he was helping her and talking to her about this, but he could sense Bane getting impatient. "Now go," he said as he started to walk away.
"Wait!" Jenna instantly said as he turned around. "What if he doesn't tell me where to go?"
Isaac laughed as he glanced over his shoulder. "Bane may be powerful but he's not always so cruel. He'll help ya."
Jenna highly doubted this. "But how do I get out of here-"
"Left up there at the gate, and he'll tell you where to turn at the light. You'll be fine."
It was evident that Isaac wasn't going to speak to her any further, and after Jenna watched him walk away for another quick moment, she finally started over to the car, taking a long drag from her cigarette as she did so. She pulled open the door and slowly got in, and from the corner of her eye it was obvious that Bane took up more space in the car than Isaac did when he sat there. He had moved the seat all the way back, and still his knees were practically touching the console in front of the dashboard. Jenna could feel Bane watching her as she stuck the keys into the ignition before she slowly turned them, the car roaring to life, and suddenly she felt as though she could not see over the dashboard. She straightened herself up in the seat before she glanced up to fix the rear view mirror before moving on to the side mirrors, and after a minute or so of unnecessary adjusting, Bane sighed as he turned to look out of the window.
"I haven't got all day," he said passively. Jenna swallowed as she glanced at him, and she looked away quickly when he started to look back at her. Finally, she placed her hand on the gear shift, and she put the car in reverse before she started to slowly back out. All was going well, until she suddenly heard something slam against the back of the car, and she slammed her foot down on the brake before she and Bane both glanced over their shoulders to look out of the back window. Her heart was racing, her mind barely able to fathom that she had hit someone, but she grew confused when Bane started to chuckle, and her eyes finally focused on Isaac grinning at them, his palms flat on the trunk of the car. Jenna's jaw dropped slightly as her eyebrows furrowed, and she started to turn around once she realized Isaac had slammed his hands down on the car to scare her.
"Isaac," she grumbled through gritted teeth as Bane turned around, still laughing, and outside the car she could hear Isaac cracking up as he stepped aside. Jenna was frowning as she continued to slowly back the car out, and she stuck her cigarette in between her lips so she could flip off Isaac as the car moved past him. Isaac found her gesture amusing, and he laughed harder as he shook his head.
"It's not funny," Jenna said in a low voice once the car was out of the garage, and she took her cigarette from her lips after she had inhaled to put the car in drive and correct the wheel before they slowly started to move forward.
"Oh, it's hilarious," Bane argued once his chuckling had died down. "We are not even twenty feet away from the building and already you are operating the vehicle with such caution. Perhaps I should have cleared my schedule after all..."
"You wanna drive?" Jenna asked in a rather rude tone as she glanced over to Bane, and when he looked over to her he noticed her eyebrows were raised in annoyance.
"No, I do not wish to drive," he replied in a tone that suggested this was obvious, and he decided to excuse her tone. "I am merely the passenger on our trip to town."
"Where are we going?" Jenna asked him.
"Your house."
"Why?"
"You will find out when we get there. Now go."
Jenna slowly looked away from him, and after she rolled her window down slightly, she finally accelerated the car forward, remembering to turn left at the gate to start off of the property.
Jenna could feel her hands shaking as she drove along toward the stop light, and she knew it was evident to Bane how badly she was unable to keep the car straight. She started braking the car earlier than necessary in front of the red light, but before she could come to a complete stop, Bane was already expressing his annoyance.
"Turn right at the light, there's no need to stop around here."
Jenna didn't reply as she did what she was told, and once she had successfully turned the car, she sped up and settled at a safe speed of forty. A short moment later, Bane sighed as he turned to look at her, and as Jenna struggled to take a drag of her cigarette and keep the car straight, she had just started to slowly glance at Bane when he suddenly leaned over to reach out and pluck the cigarette out from between her fingers. Her jaw dropped, her body freezing, but she closed her mouth when he tossed it out of the window before rolling the window up, and she jumped when he roughly placed his hand on the wheel to jerk the car back into the correct lane.
"You are awful at multitasking," he commented when he had settled back in his seat, and Jenna's eyes narrowed as she stared out of the windshield, finally exhaling the smoke from her drag that had been cut short. She placed both of her hands on the wheel, still struggling to keep the wheel straight, and her heart began to race when she heard Bane take another breath, preparing to speak again. "Speed up," he said loudly. "Accelerating the car is not going to kill you."
He waited, watching as the speedometer needle slowly moved up to sit on top of the fifty, and he sighed again before he leaned over to firmly place his hand on Jenna's knee. She gasped, holding the wheel tighter, and Bane stared at the speedometer as he pushed Jenna's leg down, forcing her to make the car go faster. Once the needle was on an acceptable number, he suddenly let go of her leg and leaned back in his seat. Jenna swallowed, knowing it would be a bad idea to glance down and see how fast they were going, but once she did she suddenly felt dizzy, and she jumped when she realized they were about to hit the curb. She glanced back to the road and quickly corrected the wheel, and at that moment she felt like jumping out of the car and facing her fate with the street. At this point, she figured anything would be better than this.
Fortunately for her, Bane proved her fears wrong and gave her simple directions until she had reached an area of Gotham she recognized, and from there she at least knew where she was going. She struggled to switch lanes in traffic and turn, and for the first time she finally noticed how heavily tinted the windows were when she realized that people in the vehicles next to her would try to look into the car and not start to hyperventilate. Once they were stopped at a light, she glanced over to Bane and stared at him for a moment, watching him as he stared out of the window with bored, tired eyes, his hands rested in lap, his knees barely touching the console. The closer they got to her house, the more anxious she became as she wondered desperately why he was taking her there, alone. What was he planning? Oh, no... Jenna thought sadly to herself. What if he was planning on killing her there? What if he had grown so fed up with her at this point that he was planning on killing her right next to her parents, which she was more than likely going to be forced to see again. Maybe not, Jenna thought to herself. But with further thought, what else was there possibly left to do at her house...?
"It's green," Bane's voice broke through the silence, and Jenna jumped at the sound of his voice. When she glanced out of the windshield, the saw the light had turned green, and just as the car behind her honked their horn impatiently, she immediately pressed her foot to the gas and started forward.
Before she knew it, she was stopping the car along side the curb in front of her enormous house, and she couldn't help but to grow both relieved and nervous when she witnessed no limos parked outside the gates. The gate keeper was not in his booth, and upon glancing up to the house it appeared cold and empty. She swallowed as she shut off the car, Bane immediately stepping out of it, and she followed his actions. She locked the door before she started around the car, and when she noticed Bane was holding out his bare hand she placed the keys in it, figuring that was what he wanted. It was, and once he placed the keys in the pocket of his pants he glanced at her and nodded over toward the gate. Without a word Jenna immediately started over to it, and Bane watched as she effortlessly climbed the gate again. Her knee high boots appeared to give her good traction, and he noticed how easy it was for her to move and bend in her pants. Perhaps she had been smart with her choice of clothes...
Once she had hopped down from the fence, she started over to the booth and opened the gate, and she waited as Bane marched through them to start up the driveway through the forest of dying trees that surrounded their house. He reached out to grab Jenna's shirt, and he forced her in front of him as he continued to walk, and he pushed her slightly to make her walk faster. Her heart was racing so fast she was sure it was going to burst through her chest, but she tried to keep her composure once they reached the front doors. She reached out, shocked to see the door was unlocked, and when she pushed it open to step inside the first image she was greeted with was her dead mother laying on the floor on her stomach with a crooked and limp neck. The great hall reeked of death, and Jenna closed her eyes as she turned around. Bane watched her do this, and his eyes looked over to Mia's lifeless frame before he looked back to Jenna, who was now staring up at him.
"How is possible nobody has... found them yet?" She asked.
Bane shrugged as he looked out to the rest of the house. "Society doesn't care. Your parent's employers are free from them, and they don't care about the reasons why."
"But, the maids?" Jenna asked. "And the gate keeper, and the gardeners. The door was unlocked..."
Bane shrugged again. "Perhaps they notified somebody, or perhaps they did not. Regardless, this is no concern right now. I've brought you here, Jenna, to redeem yourself."
Jenna's eyebrows furrowed as she struggled not to take in too deep of breaths. "Redeem myself?"
Bane nodded before he finally glanced back down to her, and he took a step closer. "I kept you around because you held the potential to prove to me that you are more than just a spoiled brat who is too dependent. So far, you lack the confidence I had predicted you to have, and the mindset of somebody who is stronger and smarter than you appear to be."
Jenna was staring at him, her ears starting to ring, and she struggled to keep herself composed.
"I want you to find me something that will prove to me that you're worth keeping alive," he growled.
"Like... what?" Jenna forced herself to ask as she continued to stare up at him.
"Anything," Bane replied simply in a higher toned voice.
"What if I can't?"
Bane was quiet for a moment before he answered her. "Then I guess this was... all for nothing." He didn't offer her any more of an answer, and he started to walk away toward the kitchen as he left Jenna's shaking frame standing there. She felt dizzy, her body stiff as she stared down at the ground, wondering what she was supposed to do now. She was sure she was only mere minutes away from dying if she didn't find Bane what he desired, though she had no idea what that was. She glanced to her left to watch Bane slowly continue down the hall, and she bit down on her lip as she turned to start over to the stairs. She stepped past her mother, trying not to look down at her as she started up the stairs, and a strong shock ran up her spine when her eyes fell on her father, still laying in a pool of his own, dried blood. Blood still stained the walls behind him, and she felt even dizzier as she continued on to her messy room.
She opened the door and snapped on the light, her eyes instantly searching around the room as she wondered desperately what she was going to give Bane to prove herself to him. A diary? She wondered as she stepped into her room, trying to avoid stepping on any objects that had been tossed onto the floor. No, she thought to herself as she ventured further into her room, her eyes scanning over all the objects that lay on the floor. The last time she had written in a diary had been when she was ten, and all her entrees had been about how she wished she could have new parents. That book was long gone by now, anyway.
She had jewelry items that had been given to her by her grandparents who had recently passed, and though she cherished the items – or, at least use to – she knew these would not suite Bane. She opened her closet and ventured to the far depths of it, where old stuffed animals from her childhood stay lay. She shook her head a moment later, figuring it was useless. Everything she owned said nothing but 'spoiled brat', as she was now discovering, and she sighed as she stopped in the middle of the room, a feeling of defeat starting to over-take her. There was no actual object she could hand Bane; all she had was the truths she kept, locked down deep inside, and the hope that this would be enough for him. Frowning, she stepped over to her bed and lifted up the mattress, remembering suddenly what she had hidden there, and she quickly scooped up the items in her hand before she nervously started back downstairs.
She avoided looking at her parents bodies as she ventured down the stairs, her stomach twisting in knots at the smell in the house and the worried thoughts she was beginning to have, and she felt a lump rise in her throat as she started down the hall to the kitchen just as Bane had turned around from facing the wall to start over to her as well, his boots echoing throughout the house with each step he took. Once they had approached each other, standing just barely a foot away, Bane stared expectantly into her eyes while she stared up at him. Finally, she took in a deep breath and glanced down to the items in her hand – a map and an envelope stuffed with cash – and she handed them out to him, a shock running up her spine when his fingers touched her own.
"This is all I have," Jenna said with a sigh, and her tone surprised Bane. It was low and calm, and carried a tone of defeat and acceptance. He glanced up to her before he looked back down to the items, and he unfolded the map of the United States. Certain states had been circled and certain cities starred, and next to their red circles were sloppy notes Jenna had written about why she found that state to be suitable and appealing.
"That's my map of where I'd like to live, whenever I could have managed to get out of here," Jenna started, her eyes focused on the upside down image and writings as Bane looked over it. "I outlined the best routs to take in red, assuming I'd drive there, but when that failed I started looking in to flying. The envelope has plane schedules from all different years and money that I had been saving,"she explained further once Bane had started to open the envelope, and he pulled out the thick wad of organized cash and folded plane departure schedules. He looked over them quickly before he raised his eyes to look into Jenna's.
"But you never left," he said. "Why?"
Jenna shook her head with a frown. "Because I was scared," she said in a tone just above a whisper, and she let that feeling of defeat over-take her completely. It was a truth she had never admitted to anybody, and a truth she never planned to admit. It was something that she kept locked away under her 'tough-girl' facade, but with each day, Bane seemed to break through that outer shell more and more. Jenna glanced away from him now. "I didn't know how to move somewhere, alone, and I didn't know what I'd do when I got there. But I still saved up money, and drew on the map, because at least thoughts of getting out of here and knowing I could, helped."
Bane continued to stare at her, and when she glanced back up into his eyes he was easily able to tell she was expressing the truth. If he were being completely honest with himself, he had been coming here hoping that Jenna wouldn't be able to prove herself, just so he could have more of an excuse to kill her. It wasn't the clothes that angered him, and it wasn't entirely how stubborn she could be; more so, it was these feelings they shared for each other, and the moments they constantly found themselves in. It was so against what Bane had ever expected, and although he didn't like it, he couldn't bring himself to avoid it, even when he tried.
It wasn't the objects that she had given him that actually were helping to redeem herself, but rather the fact that she was finally being truthful, and not holding back. Those emotions that Bane had seen in her eyes in that picture were starting to come forth and feed his curiosity, and although he wasn't sure if it was unfortunate or fortunate that it was working, he waited for her to go on.
"Look," Jenna said once she couldn't stand to hear his eerie breathing in the silence anymore. "I don't have any actual objects to redeem myself, or whatever. My whole life has been nothing but this," he raised her arms up, motioning to her house and the fancy objects within it. "But I've always hated it, and I've always wanted to get away. All I can offer to you is my word that I'll stop being so... childish, if it means that I won't die," she added in a lower tone.
"You claim your will to live is still strong," Bane replied. "Although you haven't been proving it much lately, what do you think you still have to live for? Your parents are dead, and though that could be thought of as a favor, they died by your selfish words of approval. Everything has been taken from you, your money, your freedom... what is causing you to fight on every day?"
"Hope that it'll get better," she replied honestly, her gaze fixed on the floor. She hated the talk they were having, and she hated how stupid she felt, standing helplessly in front of him as she told him her pathetic truths. "Clearly you don't want me around anyway, so what's the point of even defending myself?"
Just as quickly as it had faded, her snappy, confident tone was back in the words she spoke. Bane remained staring down at her, the truth lingering at the tip of his tongue, but he easily kept this back. "I could always use more recruits," he lied. "And in this case one just happened to fall from the sky without any hassle. I still feel as though you're useful for something, and I used this time to find out if it was still worth pursuing."
"Is it?" Jenna wondered as she finally glanced up at him, and he stared directly into her eyes. No artificial emotions were prominent in them, and instead her eyes carried sadness and even slight fear.
"What if it wasn't?" Bane questioned as he took a step closer to her, and Jenna sucked in a sharp breath. "What if I was preparing to kill you, right here, right now... What would you do? Try and run, or stand there and embrace it?"
Jenna realized finally that he wasn't going to kill her. Though his desire was probably strong, his desire to keep her alive was stronger. It was clear to her now that she had messed up, but it appeared as though she was the one person who Bane was offering a second chance to. If he wanted her dead, he would have done it by now, and not allowed her to try and redeem herself. If he wanted her dead, her words to redeem herself would have failed, and by now her life would have ended. But instead here he was, talking to her, questioning her, and procrastinating from doing the act.
"I don't know," Jenna answered in a small voice. "I'd probably just... stand here."
"Aww," Bane replied as he took a step even closer to her, and he let the map fall to the floor before he folded the envelope in half to place in his pocket. "I like to think you have a little more fight than that! Tell me, what would you do to try and save yourself?" He stared down at Jenna, waiting for an answer, but when it didn't come his eyebrows furrowed. "You've tried only once to harm me and get away by doing so, but you never tried again. Do I actually scare you that much now?"
"No," Jenna replied quickly in a stern voice as she raised her head to look up at him, but when he raised his eyebrows he watched her back down slightly. "You don't scare me," Jenna made herself go on, though at the moment she wasn't entirely sure if this true or not. Bane remained staring at her for a long moment, the silence nearly unbearable, and Jenna waited for him to speak.
"I guess we'll have to change that then," he finally said before he stepped past her to start over to the door.
–
His words had confused Jenna, and although a small feeling of dread overcame her, she forced herself to ignore it as she started the Challenger once they had made it down the driveway. The ride back was nearly silent, and once she had successfully retraced her previous path out of the busier parts of the Gotham streets, Bane directed her back to the warehouse. The majority of the time Bane stared out of the window, his knees almost touching the console, his hands in lap, but from the corner of her eye as she struggled to maintain her speed and keep the car straight, Jenna caught him glancing at her – and the speedometer – from the time to time. It seemed as though they had reached the warehouse in no time, and after Jenna had parked the car in front of the warehouse garage Bane was immediately pushing open the door to get out. Jenna watched for a minute as he walked over to the exit door, taking the stairs two at a time, before he opened the door and disappeared inside. She sighed to herself, but just before she could take the key out of the ignition there was a knock on her window. She jumped before glancing over, and she watched as Isaac mouthed something to her as he pointed inside of the garage. Jenna frowned, and immediately started to shake her head, but she could easily read the words from Isaac's lips: 'pull the car in'.
She put the car back in drive and stared ahead, feeling as though there just wasn't enough room to pull the car inside next to Isaac's truck, which now sat on the other side of the garage, but regardless, she eased her foot off of the break and mentally cursed to herself after she had easily parked the car inside the garage. Isaac met her at the door just as she started to open it, and he reached out to hold onto it as Jenna stepped out of the car.
"Where'd you go?" Isaac asked as he watched her step out. She appeared to be very unhappy, but her facial expression only made him feel as though she should just be happy to still be alive.
"My house," Jenna replied finally, and Isaac closed the door before Jenna handed him the keys.
"Why?"
"To redeem myself," Jenna mumbled as she turned to start out of the garage. She didn't want to talk about it, let alone think about it. That had been her second chance that Bane had so generously offered her, but now the heat was on. Just one more mistake – no matter how big or small – was all it would take for her to meet her bloody fate.
Isaac laughed, and the sound only annoyed Jenna further as he followed her. "C'mere," he started as he reached out, and Jenna tried to keep her patience when he took a hold of her arm to gently force her to turn around. She took in a deep, annoyed breath when she glanced up to Isaac's grinning face. "Have a smoke and tell me all about it."
"I'm out," Jenna replied as she started to turn around, but Isaac tightened his grip and forced her to face him again, and she watched as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket.
"Take one of mine," he offered as he handed her the box, and once she accepted it he finally let go of her arm. Jenna sighed as she took out a cigarette, her thoughts making her feel dizzy. Would it have been childish to tell Isaac no and proceed inside, or was it childish of her to stay and listen to him? What the fuck ever, Jenna thought sourly to herself. She wasn't whining or complaining or yelling. That had to count for something, right? "So what did you have to redeem yourself for?" Isaac asked after Jenna handed him the back the pack, and as he waited for her to answer he lit one up himself.
"For being too childish and having a lack of confidence," Jenna mumbled before she exhaled, and she crossed her arms when a small breeze blew past and looked away.
"Well yeah," Isaac replied with a chuckle. "What else?"
"Being too dependent. And... being a brat." She rolled her eyes.
"Seems about right," Isaac said.
"Fuck you," Jenna said suddenly as she turned to face him, her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not going to stand here and list all of my faults. This is starting to become really fucking ridiculous."
"And your situation wasn't before? What, after somebody finally tells you to your face what your biggest problems are, you can't handle it? That's being childish."
"Yeah okay I'm really fucking childish," Jenna spat as she threw her cigarette on the ground before she turned to storm away, but Isaac was right on her heels.
"It's not that your completely childish, but your actions are! Like now," Isaac added firmly as he took hold of her arm again. Jenna struggled against him, trying to free her arm as seething anger burned inside her, but when it proved useless she stopped suddenly and allowed Isaac to turn her around. He was about to go on, but he stopped short when his eyes caught glimpse of Jenna's face behind her hair as she bowed her head. "Are you... crying?" Isaac asked, finally letting go of her arm. This only upset Jenna further, and she immediately raised her hand up to her face to wipe away the two tears that had fallen.
"You know I don't like people grabbing my arm," she said, proud that her voice hadn't quivered, but she wanted to kick herself when she sniffled shortly after. Isaac's eyebrows were furrowed as he stared down at her.
"Why are you crying?"
Why do you care? Jenna thought, but as a response she merely shook her head and started to turn around. As an instant reaction, Isaac reached out to grab her arm again to finish talking to her, but once his fingers touched the skin on her arm he immediately corrected himself and grabbed her neck instead. Jenna jumped as she was gently pulled back, and Isaac managed to turn her around again before he let his hand drop at his side. Jenna raised her glossy eyes to glare at him, and a grin slid onto Isaac's lips.
"You never said you didn't like people grabbing your neck," he said, surprised when Jenna let out a small laugh. He wasn't sure why he was making her stick around to talk to him, and he definitely wasn't sure why he felt the small urge to actually help her. He pulled out his pack of cigarettes again and plucked one out before he gently placed it in between Jenna's lips. The action surprised her, and she glanced up at him again as he held up the flame from his lighter to it. Jenna inhaled slowly, and Isaac took the lighter away only after Jenna took the cigarette from her mouth to exhale. "Why are you crying?" He asked again as he returned the items.
Jenna shook her head as she pushed her bangs out of her face with her free hand as she glanced away. "Because I've been thrown into a situation that's not fair. I get that I was a dependent brat now, but I was allowed to be. In a matter of fucking seconds I was taken from my life and suddenly forced to become something I'm not."
"Which is...?" Isaac pressed on as he took a drag from his cigarette.
"I don't know – brave... fearless... tough."
"Don't be going fucking soft on me, girl," he said now. "Just because Bane scared you today doesn't mean you're not those things. Remember when I tried to force you into the car? You wouldn't go in without a fight, and you were pretty strong. You fuckin' held a gun on Bane. Wanna talk about being brave and fearless? Fuckin' no one holds any sort of weapon on that guy."
"That was just stupidity."
"It was courageous," Isaac pointed out. "Defending yourself and your life like that? With an attitude of knowing that no one is going to take anything from you? Even though... everything was taken–"
"Is this supposed to be helping?" Jenna interrupted rudely as she finally glanced up to him.
"It should be," Isaac said. "I mean that. You are all of those things, you just don't let it be known, or practice it, because you're too busy acting like a scared or furious child if something doesn't go your way. Your situation is unique, and you should be lucky to even be alive still. I can't tell you how many people – women – went through that door only to never be seen again."
"Why?" Jenna asked.
"Why not?" Isaac returned. "Everyone around here needs... some sort of thrill now and again."
Jenna's eyes widened slightly as Isaac took another drag.
"Not Bane though," he went on. "He never partook in any of that stuff. In fact, he put a stop to it for the most part once his army grew. But you see what I mean? The fact that he didn't kill you blows my mind, still, to this day."
"Well it's just a matter of time," Jenna replied before she took a hit from her cigarette, not entirely believing anything Isaac was saying about her at the moment, although just the fact that he was trying to help her was slightly comforting.
"No, it's not. He offered you a second chance today, do you realize that? Like I told you, he doesn't do that. You fuck up once and you're fucking gone, no questions asked. He's only ever offered a second to chance to one other person..."
"Who?" Jenna asked as she stared at him.
"Me."
"Why?" Jenna asked. "What did you do?"
Isaac merely shrugged as he finished his cigarette before dropped it to the ground. "I'll tell you what. I'll tell you that story when I see improvement from you."
"That's not fair," Jenna replied. "What if that never happens?"
"Then I'll tell the story to your corpse," Isaac said with a snide smirk.
"Isaac," Jenna complained. "That's not fair. I'm terrified that I could die tomorrow."
"Don't be," Isaac said as he stepped closer to her, his eyes glaring directly into hers. "You've gotten a second chance, that means that there's something about you that Bane likes. I don't know what, you don't know what, but if you stop being so childish, what he likes will come through, and you won't have to be scared anymore."
Jenna's eyes narrowed on him, and an odd feeling had crept upon her due to Isaac words. He spoke them so clearly, and he sounded so sure of himself. Perhaps he had once gone through something similar. Jenna wanted to ask him, but she knew she would not receive an answer.
"Your move today with the clothes? That was brave, and said a lot about you. You proved us wrong," Isaac started again. "You've managed to find a way to match the uniform, move easily, and look good all at the same time. You know more about yourself than you think. Just start being more smart, have some confidence in everything you do, and I can guarantee things will get better."
Jenna was still staring at him when he stepped away to turn around to head over to the car. She watched him for a moment before she glanced away, and she let her cigarette drop to the ground. Isaac seemed so sure on his advice, and now Jenna was positive he was offering her advice that he had experienced himself. She had to be truthful with herself, Isaac's advice and compliments had comforted her some, but she knew it would be easier said than done. Either way, she had to appreciate that someone around here was offering her help, for it wasn't for Isaac, Jenna figured she would have been killed already.
"Isaac?" She spoke his name, and when he turned around he saw that she was staring at him. "...thank you."
Isaac grinned, but he didn't reply, and once he turned around to lift up the hood of the car Jenna finally turned around and started inside herself.
For some reason or another, Jenna never expected the building to be so warm when coming inside, but she welcomed it as she made her way downstairs. Isaac's words were still making her feel a little better, though at the same time she was still completely filled with worry. It was so easy to decide to stop acting like a child, though at the same time Jenna wasn't entirely sure how she was supposed to that when she couldn't even pinpoint when she was. At the same time, the majority of her didn't even want to change anything about herself. In this sudden, new situation, she was scared, and trying to fend; how did that make her a child? Just because this giant gorilla had ripped her away from everything and was full of nothing but threats, didn't mean Jenna had to change who she was. She found it to be ridiculous.
Little did she know, the giant gorilla was standing in the middle of his room when she started by, and upon glancing over this thick shoulder, he watched her start past before he turned around to turn off his giant TV.
"Jenna," he spoke her name, his bone-chilling voice stopping her in her tracks, and she slowly turned around just as Bane stepped out of his room. "Come here."
Her heart had started to race, but she tried to ignore this as she slowly stepped up to him. Why would she be in trouble? She hadn't done anything wrong since they returned. So why was she becoming so nervous as she finally stopped a few feet in front of him. "What?" She tucked her hands into her pockets, and she watched as Bane's eyes roamed down her body to watch her do this before he quickly reverted them to stare into hers, the aqua blue color shining through the dimness of the basement.
"What were you and Barsad talking about?" He had been watching them outside on his TV due to the various cameras he had planted around the warehouse, and Jenna's body language had heightened his curiosity. Because he could not hear what they were saying, he figured he'd ask her.
Jenna stared at him for a moment, wondering how he knew they had been talking, but after she figured Bane could predict she had been having a cigarette and had ended up talking to Isaac since he was out there as well, she decided to drop her confusion. "Just..." she started, stopping herself before she could say 'nothing'. She knew Bane would not accept that as an answer. "...about where we went."
"What about it?" Bane pressed on, causing Jenna to wonder why he even cared. How was it that with each step she took around the property, things got weirder and weirder?
"About why I had to redeem myself," Jenna replied.
"And why did you?" Bane asked, his voice low and lingering through the respirator. Jenna furrowed her eyebrows, and she could not stop herself from quickly replying before she thought her words through.
"You were there," she said quickly, only to pause a moment later when Bane let out a slow and steady breath.
"Remind me." He started to turn around, and once he had stepped back into his room, Jenna could not stop herself from stepping inside herself, and once Bane heard her footsteps, he immediately turned around to glance at her.
"For being childish and dependent or whatever," Jenna replied. Bane remained staring into her eyes for a long moment before he finally turned around all the way to step up to her.
"Tell me, did today's... task... help you to understand what will no longer be tolerated?"
Jenna glanced down as she crossed her arms. "I guess," she mumbled, only to jump due to Bane's booming voice.
"You guess!" He asked loudly as he took another small step toward her. "It is beyond me, Jenna, how after all of that you can stand there and tell me that today did absolutely nothing for you."
"I- I didn't... mean that," Jenna instantly started to correct as she took a step back, her back hitting the wall next to the open door, and she could feel her shoulders hunch up slightly when Bane took a step forward to place his hands against the wall on either side of her, trapping her. He stared down into her eyes, and Jenna didn't dare look away from his harsh gaze.
"Then perhaps you should start thinking before you speak," he told her. "You already have one strike against you and I can guarantee you will not reach two."
Jenna's lips thinned, and though she was unsure why she was feeling so frustrated suddenly, she couldn't stop herself from feeling that way. "If I say I will, am I free to go now?" She asked him firmly, her heart starting to race. "And yes, I thought that through before I said it."
Bane let out a low, lingering chuckle, and he observed Jenna suck in a breath as he raised his hand to touch his fingers to her neck. Her body had frozen completely, her eyes glued onto his, and a shock not only ran up her spine, but Bane's as well as his slid his large fingers around her neck, Jenna's lips parting when he squeezed on it slightly. His eyes had dropped to her lips, and he stared at them for a moment before he returned his eyes to stare into hers.
"You need to learn when it's appropriate to be sarcastic, and when it is not," he told her patiently. "Around me, it's not such a good idea, and you can't seem to understand that I am the only thing standing in between you and death," he growled. "I constantly wonder why I even keep you around in the first place."
This was a lie, and both Jenna and Bane knew it. Right before their eyes, another moment was starting to happen, and though Jenna's heart had started to slow down, those shocks had not stopped running up and down her spine. Her body took over her mind completely for the moment, and she could not stop her eyes from wandering over Bane's black shirt before they slowly slid back up to look into his eyes. She finally released a slow breath when Bane's eyes traveled over her the same way hers had, and he paused on her chest just long enough to watch her release a breath before they slowly wandered back up to stare at his hand around her neck. He didn't want to do it, he knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't stop himself from curling his fingers back, ever so slightly. His eyes closed at the feel of her skin, but once he realized how far he had curled his fingers back, his eyes quickly snapped open before he glared back into hers, his fingers stretching out to hold her neck again. His rough fingers on her neck was like nothing she had ever felt before, and she couldn't help but to swallow as she continued to stare at him.
Suddenly, Bane could not remember where he had been meaning to take their conversation, and this angered him more than anything. He wanted to keep Jenna around so she could serve as more help to him, but the only way he could train her and get her to do what he wanted was to keep up with his threats. But how could he do that when some sort of moment always developed any time they were in the same room together? When she was around, he could not stop himself from speaking to her, or even moving closer to her, he realized now. Logically, he had wanted to grab her neck to instil fear in her, and even squeeze it harder than he had been, but he realized now his body had only wanted to feel her soft skin again. Mind over body, he told himself. He sucked in a sharp breath as he glanced away for a moment, bowing his head slightly, and Jenna grew confused and slightly frightened when he suddenly glanced back at her.
"Alright," he said, his tone completely different now. It did not carry frustration or anger, this time, it carried slight annoyance and... casualness? "These... moments that are continuously happening between us... need to stop."
Jenna's eyes widened at his words. She had never expected Bane to actually speak out loud of these moments, though at the same time he had just confirmed her biggest theory: whatever she was feeling, Bane was definitely feeling it too. Her heart had started to race as she anticipated for him to go on, though at the same time, she found herself dreading what he was going to say next.
"Do you agree?"
Oh my God, Jenna thought nervously to herself. Did she agree? To be honest, at that moment she had absolutely no clue, but she knew the right thing to do was nod her head.
"Then I want you to do something," Bane started. "So we can get on to more important topics more quickly, without further interruptions." He slowly slid his fingers from her neck, and although the lack of pressure there felt good, it also left Jenna feeling cold and... empty? Jenna struggled to keep her composure as she watched Bane close his door before taking a small step back as he lowered his arm. "Because you are just as much of an aid to this problem as I am, I want you to do whatever your thinking of doing, right now. Then, I will do the same to you."
Jenna's jaw had dropped, but as quickly as it had, she corrected herself and closed it as she searched for the right words to say. "...W-what?" Was all she could manage to say.
"You heard correctly," Bane went on. "These... feelings... need to end, and the only way they will is if we get all these desires out of the way, right now." Like Jenna, he could not believe the words he was speaking, but Bane was not one to beat around the bush. He wanted these feelings gone, and he wanted them gone now. He had a theory suddenly that if he just allowed them to get it all out, right here and right now, then they would no longer feel these desires. He couldn't go on with these constant distractions any longer. "Come on," he pressed on. "I won't hurt you."
Jenna remained leaning against the cold wall as she stared at him. Her mind was struggling to hold her back, but her body was already disobeying and overpowering her logical thoughts as she leaned away from the wall to take a small step closer to him. She was instantly reminded of the sight of his muscles, and how his arm had felt under her hand. This was a one time only opportunity: Bane was allowing her to act out on the small desires that overwhelmed her thoughts. Not only did she want to do it, for some God awful reason or another, but Jenna figured if she could do what she wanted just once, then she wouldn't want to anymore, at all. She moved slightly closer to him, her eyes dropping to his stomach, but before she could reach her hands out to him, the room started to spin, her arms halting suddenly at her sides, her hands shaking as her mind screamed at her to just turn and leave, and she was suddenly reminded of Isaac's words to her: "have some confidence in everything you do."
Jenna bit down on her lip. Did Isaac's words apply to this situation as well? Jenna was unsure, but she left any logical thoughts behind her as she finally reached her hands out to take hold of the bottom of Bane's shirt in between her fingers, and Bane's eyes widened slightly when she began to tug it upwards.
Never in a million years had Bane expected for her to that. He had been waiting for her to simply reach out and feel his arm again, but her actions simply proved that whatever she was feeling toward him, the desires were burning her alive. But regardless, he lifted his arms up slightly to assist her with taking the shirt off, and once it reached a point she could not reach, he reached behind him and slid it over his neck and head before he let it drop down to the ground. With a racing heart that was making it difficult to breathe, Jenna stared at his chest for a long moment before her eyes wandered down his stomach and onto the large belt that he wore, before they slid back up to his shoulders. Her hands were still shaking slightly, but nothing held her back from moving even closer to him to place both of her hands on either of his forearms. She bit her lip again as she slowly moved them up, and she gasped when she suddenly felt Bane place his hands on either side of her waist, his eyes staring at the lower half of her body. As her hands traveled up and over his muscles, Bane's traveled down, and once his fingers roamed over her prominent hip bones, he squeezed on them due to increasing anger, hating how badly he was enjoying her touch. Jenna's teeth clenched slightly at the pain, and as a response she dug her nails into Bane's skin as she moved her hands back down, scratching him along the way. Bane let out a large breath at this as he squeezed on her hips harder, his eyes suddenly raising to look at her lips, and when the impossible thought of actually desiring to kiss her came into his mind, and when a strong sense of pleasure overcame Jenna due to both of Bane's hands being on her, they both lost it.
Jenna gasped when Bane squeezed on her hips even harder, his fingers sure to leave bruises, and she grew even dizzier when Bane suddenly spun her around to start pushing her back toward the adjacent wall behind the door and next to the dresser. She quickly moved her hands to place on his chest, and she dug her nails into his skin again as she dragged them down and over his stomach. She grunted when she suddenly hit the wall, her head smacking against the concrete, and before Bane even knew what he was doing he was grabbing either side of her black tank top to rip from her body. The sound of her shirt tearing in half only drove Jenna further, and she ran her hands back up his chest to firmly grab his shoulders just as her shirt fell to the floor, exposing her lacy, black bra and rather large breasts that it covered.
Bane had never done anything like this before, but suddenly it seemed as though it was near impossible to stop. He pressed his fingers firmly against her collarbones before he slid his hands down over her breasts and over her stomach, and the strongest dizzy sensation washed over him when Jenna let out a low moan. He growled suddenly, the sound only arousing Jenna further, and she couldn't help but to moan again when suddenly Bane grabbed her hips and lifted her up to hold her against the wall. As an instant reaction she wrapped her legs around his waist and over the giant belt he wore, and she squeezed them together, pulling him closer to herself, and she felt herself freeze momentarily when she realized she was suddenly at face level with him. She stared into his dark gray eyes, too dizzy to determine the emotions they held, but it seemed that as soon as she had looked into his eyes her own were sliding closed when Bane wrapped his fingers around her neck again, squeezing it harder than before. Her air supply was being cut short rapidly, but she brought her hands back up to scratch him again on the back of his shoulders, hating the way she enjoyed the breath he released at this. When she opened her eyes again, her aqua orbs immediately focused on the right curve of his neck, and before she could stop herself she was leaning over to touch her lips against his skin.
The biggest shock of her life sprang throughout her body once her lips made contact, for she was finding herself desperate to do something with her lips. With all the encounters with the opposite sex she had had, these moments always started with some type of kiss, but Bane's mask made that near impossible. It was unfair, she thought. These moments were so unlike anything she had ever felt, especially now, when it was hard to stop herself from doing what she wanted when she wanted, and she couldn't even kiss the guy. But regardless, Jenna was determined to find a way.
Bane's eyes had widened at her actions, and just when his mind was shouting at him to stop, he lowered his hands to hold onto her hips again, and he squeezed on them just as he felt Jenna bite down on his neck.
Jenna's eyes had snapped open and widened when she heard Bane let out an actual, low moan, the sound unlike anything she had ever heard as it traveled through his mask, and she could not help the moan that escaped past her immediately after as she bit down harder. The mix of actual pleasure and slight pain brought on by Jenna was catching up with him, and just when he felt her tongue trace the area he had bitten, he squeezed on her hips almost as hard as he could. Just when Jenna tilted her head back to let out a noise of pain, Bane pushed her hips against the wall before he suddenly took a large step back, letting her fall to the floor. As she caught her balance and struggled to stand, Bane had taken another step back, realizing quickly that his plan had failed... miserably.
He was breathing in and out deeply as he stared at Jenna's boots, and when he slowly raised his eyes to look into hers, he forced himself to look away. "Get out," he harshly told her suddenly.
Jenna was barely able to hear what he had said or comprehend it as she struggled to catch her breath and hold her body weight up, and her body began to shake as realization of all that they had just done caught up with her. By now, Bane had turned around, his back facing her as he raised his hands up to place against the back of his neck, and Jenna had been so caught up with staring at his flexed muscles that Bane's loud and growling voice scared her more than it should have.
"Get out."
She jumped, panic overcoming her as her eyes widened, and she bent to down, struggling to pick up her shirt. Once she had finally managed to grab it, she stumbled over to the door, threw it open, and immediately stepped outside, using her ripped shirt to shield herself, although the basement was fortunately empty. She hadn't bothered closing the door, and instead she desperately started over to her own room, but as soon as she had kicked open the door, she jumped when she heard Bane's slam shut. He was shaking his head to himself as he paced about his room. How could his theory have gone so wrong? He had expected Jenna to merely feel his arm again while he felt her skin for a few moments. He had never anticipated for anything like that to happen. It was completely unreal, and completely uncalled for. He growled to himself again as he turned around on his heel before reaching out to pick up the remote from his desk to firmly press the button and turn his TV on.
Jenna leaned against her closed door now with closed eyes as she struggled to breathe and catch her balance, her and Bane's actions running rapid through her mind. She knew she had been desiring to at least touch him again, but she never would have expected for that to escalate so quickly. Where the fuck did all of that come from? Not only from her, but from Bane as well?
She pushed herself away from the door as her arousal strongly lingered on, and she threw her torn shirt away from her and onto the floor as hard as she could. She began to pace around the room as well, and she fisted her fingers into her hair before she pulled on it, hating herself for how ridiculously turned on she still was. For the time being, however, it was not the person who was causing these feelings or what she had done that was bothering her, but rather it was how she was going to relieve herself from these feelings. Fuck it, she thought to herself, and she stopped pacing suddenly before she stepped over to her cot. She pulled back the blanket and got in, rested her head against the pillow, and she let out a large sigh as she stared up at the ceiling while she started to undo her pants, ignoring the fact that her boots were still on. She was alone, and she was desperate to relieve her arousal. What other way was there?
She lowered her hand down under her underwear, her eyes sliding closed as she ran her finger over her clit. She let out a sigh as she did it again, and again, moving her fingers faster and faster. She was anticipating for someone to barge into the room, but at the same time she didn't care, for all she wanted was these feelings to go away. She figured that if she could just finish herself off, then all of those desires would be gone forever.
Five minutes passed quickly, and once she had made herself come, her eyes closing tightly as her lips parted to allow quiet and low moans to escape past, she removed her hands from her pants and opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling as she struggled to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, the room still spinning, and though she did feel relieved, her mind was not ready to let her forget all that she had just done with Bane. Now, it was time to be serious, although the idea scared her. Suddenly, she didn't want to be alone with her thoughts, and suddenly, this all seemed like something she could not keep to herself and deal with alone. Now, it was time to talk to her only friend who could perhaps talk some sense into her. Now, it was time to talk to Isaac...
Friday was my birthday, and I would just like to mention that I got a VERY awesome, GIANT Bane cardboard cutout, and a KILLER, GIANT Joker tattoo. If you would like to see them and gain a new friend along the way, add me on facebook! (Lacey ClownQween Michele)
Also, life has been incredibly stressful, and reviews help me feel better more than you know :) As always, thank you for reading this story! You guys are the best!