The Bitter Forces of Fate

by ClownQween'69

Jenna's been thrown into a world she could have never prepared for. Forced to live in the dark dwells of chaos and pain, disarray overwhelms her every second when she realizes she cannot abandon her terribly deep interest in her captor, Bane. And what's worse? He cannot restrain his interest in her... Bane/OC *SPOILERS* (Rated M for a reason)

27. An Unexpected Message

Something firm was beneath Jenna, disallowing her from sinking into it as she was typically use to feeling upon waking up, but something lightweight and soft was laying on top of her, and keeping the entirety of her body warm and blocked from the cold that she could feel upon her face, surrounding her. She was lying on her left side, and she hadn't felt this comfortable in what seemed like years, with her right arm resting on the side of her body, her legs curled slightly back, and her left arm bent comfortably underneath her. The atmosphere around her was silent, except for some sort of fragile ringing noise – from a TV, perhaps? – and her eyes remained heavy.

Jenna wasn't sure when she had woken up, or what for, but for the first time in a long time, she had a difficult time opening her eyes. She didn't want to open them. She didn't want to move, even an inch. She was warm, secured, and comfortable, but her groggy mind would not allow her understand why. Wherever she was, Jenna just wanted to lay there and sleep forever, amongst the blend of firm and soft, warm and cold, and the ringing sound that was actually rather peaceful to her ears.

But Jenna couldn't sleep forever, especially not after what she had built up the courage to do last night. Being honest with herself, she was just surprised she had even fallen asleep in Bane's...

With a startled gasp, Jenna's eyes popped open, and she could feel the blood in her body freeze to ice the moment her eyes focused on Bane's dresser across from the open area of the bed, on the other side of the room. Her breath hitching in her throat, she darted to her eyes over to stare at the partially opened bedroom door, which was allowing light to enter the room from the lights in the main part of the warehouse, before she moved them the opposite way to look down onto his desk. His TV was on the rather still images of the cameras, which was casting more light in the room, and as realization swept over her, she finally pushed herself up with her left arm.

Taking in a deep breath before she pushed her hair out of her face, her body immediately began to shake as the cold rushed over her while she continued to look around. Oh my God...

It was difficult to believe. It was almost surreal. At first, Jenna had been convinced her actions the night prior had been a dream, but now, as consciousness continued to gradually come back to her, it all made sense: the firm mattress, the soft and warm comforter-type blanket on top of her, the ringing from the TV... Jenna could barely believe it.

Still shivering slightly and trying to catch her breath, Jenna turned her head to the left and looked down onto the bed, and her brow furrowed when she noticed 'Bane's' side of the bed to be completely made. The blankets were pulled all the way up and his pillow rested neatly on top of them. Her eyes narrowing, Jenna wondered if Bane had even slept next to her at all. If he had, she sure as hell didn't hear or feel him get into the bed, something she imagined would be difficult to ignore with a man his size. Or had she really achieved that much of a deep sleep?

She must have, she figured. Naturally fighting the norm, her back and neck had not given a harsh spurt of pain upon sitting up, and already Jenna was beginning to feel wide awake and rejuvenated. Unsure completely if she should be disgusted or relieved, Jenna finally threw the blankets off of herself and swung her legs off of the bed. The floor was cold as she stood up, and when she caught a glimpse of that light blue box, stacked in the middle of the others directly next to her, a shiver went up her spine, reminding her of what she had found in the box the day prior. Struggling to ignore the memory, Jenna turned to start out of the room, suddenly very desperate to go far from it, but when she caught site of her messy side of the bed in comparison to Bane's, she immediately paused, biting her lip. With a small grumble, she stepped back up to her side of the bed, figuring it would be in her best interest to make her half of the bed, as well, and after she had pulled up the blankets, smoothed them out, and fixed her pillow on top of them, she finally turned to exit Bane's room.

She wasn't stumbling sleepily as she walked, and when she paused at the door frame, the lights above weren't blinding. This sensation of feeling completely rejuvenated was almost foreign to her, but although her body felt better than it had in a while, her mind was left feeling disgusted and confused. She had been aware of her intentions perfectly: asking Bane if she could sleep in his bed had been her last resort into deeply desiring a better night's sleep than the ones she had been getting. But she could have never anticipated getting one of the best night sleeps she had ever gotten in her life time...

The basement appeared as empty as ever, and it was deathly silent as she started for the stairs, needing to use the bathroom and wanting to check over her hair and face before she ventured outside to ask Isaac for a cigarette. She was aware that she was still clad in nothing but Bane's shirt and a pair of underwear underneath, but Jenna didn't care at the moment. She figured it was still early –Bane was usually never in his room so early in the morning – and she figured it was safe to assume all of his men were still upstairs. But as soon as she began up the stairs and could see the main level, her heart skipped a beat when she noticed one of Bane's armed men standing by the closed bathroom door, his body and gun primarily facing it. Jenna swallowed as she quickly moved to hold down her shirt, and she silently cursed at the henchman, the mayor who was obviously in the bathroom, and Bane's orders as she finally reached the top of the stairs. She considered just heading outside right away, but her bladder was burning, and she was not prepared to use the bathroom inside the garage. All that left was Isaac's bathroom in his room, but if Jenna was to use it, would that upset him in any way?

I'll just tell him when I'm done, she thought to herself as she moved cautiously down the hallway. He won't be mad.

The thug was glaring at her and Jenna found she was unable to help but to do the same, and as she approached him, she continued to hold down her shirt, suddenly confident that holding it down was doing the trick from keeping anyone to see what was underneath. But just before she could round the corner, and as her eyes focused on Isaac's ladder, dread instantly filled her when she realized the thug would be able to see everything as soon as she began to climb it. Jenna swallowed. It was too late to turn around and get dressed, and her bladder was still burning. Fuck... Jenna thought sourly to herself.

But when she approached the ladder, she noticed from the corner of her eye the henchmen had glanced away with a rather disgusted look on his face, and this made her feel a little bit better about the climb. But even after she had started, able to climb it a little more easily due to the slight use of her right hand, she couldn't help but to glance down over her shoulder just to ensure the man was still looking away. He was, and before Jenna realized it, she had reached the top of the ladder.

Isaac's door was closed, and when she approached it Jenna left a few knocks on the wood before waiting. When a silent minute passed, Jenna knocked again, a little louder this time as she hoped she wasn't waking him up at a bad time, but when another silent minute passed, Jenna cautiously reached out and turned the handle before she gently eased the door open.

Isaac's room was pitch black and silent, and Jenna tried to remain as quiet as she could as she took a small step inside. Once she was all the way in, she gritted her teeth slightly as she reached over to snap the light on, hoping Isaac would not be in bed, and when she saw his unmade bed was empty, she finally let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her.

Even with Isaac's absence, Jenna's heart began to pound due to the memories the room brought back, but she purposely kept her eyes off of his bed, and instead focused on making her way to his bathroom, being extra careful not to run into any of his guns or weapons. Once she reached it, she turned on the light, stepped inside, and closed the door behind her.

After she had finished with everything she had wanted to do, Jenna stepped back into Isaac's room after turning off the bathroom light, and made her way to the door. Once she turned off the light and shut the door, she glanced over the railing to the main level and saw that the bathroom door was open and that armed thug was nowhere in sight. Letting out another sigh of relief, Jenna made her way down the ladder this time with a sense of security before she headed directly to the exit door, and after opening it and looking out to the garages, her eyes immediately focused on Isaac.

A light blanket of white covered the pavement, and upon glancing up, Jenna was shocked to see the sun was free of any clouds blockading it, leaving it free to shine down brightly. The rays did little for the temperature, however, and Jenna could already feel herself shivering as she stepped outside, well aware that she had been foolish enough to not have grabbed her boots, or at least a coat.

But figuring it would be better inside the garage, she lifted herself up on her toes and moved as fast as she could toward the garages, keeping her arms wrapped around her, and just when she was nearly ten feet from the garage, Isaac had finally caught sight of her. He cocked an eyebrow as Jenna neared, his eyes shifting downward to take in the clothes –or rather, lone shirt she wore, and once she had stopped in front of him, his eyes barely had time to meet hers before he was shaking his head.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Jenna's brow furrowed as she looked at him, but as soon as she had figured out what Isaac was referring to, he rolled his eyes and interrupted her.

"It's winter, Jenna! It's nearly January, and you're out here wearing that, and hopping over to the garage like a rabbit. Where are your boots? Your pants?"

"I-I didn't have time to grab them," Jenna replied as she glanced down, but she couldn't help but to glance up at him with only her eyes, which appeared to be glowing in the bright light. Isaac stared into them for a moment before he placed his cigarette in between his lips, and he shook his head again.

"Didn't have time," he mumbled, the cigarette dangling from between his lips as he began to shrug off his dark green, military style coat. Jenna watched him with those furrowed eyebrows again, and as soon as Isaac had removed both of his arms from the sleeves and held it out to her, she began to shake her head.

"No, I'm fine," she protested. "Thank you, thou-"

"You're shivering," Isaac pointed out, and he glanced down to her left hand before he reached out to grab her wrist. Turing her palm face up, he placed his coat on top of it, and when Jenna instinctively took hold of it, she rolled her eyes as Isaac backed away.

"Don't you need it?" Jenna asked, eying his black t-shirt and bare arms, one of his tattoos barely showing from underneath the sleeve. Isaac took a drag from his cigarette before he removed it from his mouth while Jenna went about putting on the coat.

"No," he replied, blowing out the smoke. "I have pants on. And boots. You, on the other hand, are clearly too dumb to dress appropriately for winter."

Jenna knew he was joking, but still she couldn't help but to roll her eyes again and grumble to herself. "Can I get a cigarette?"

"They're in the pocket," Isaac said, nodding toward the large pocket that sat on the right side of her chest. Jenna glanced down as she opened the pocket, parting the strong Velcro that kept it together as Isaac watched her.

"So we've gotta do something today that you're probably not gonna like," Isaac began once Jenna took out the pack, and she glanced over to him with a frown. "And there's no getting out of it."

"If I don't like it I'm not doing it, Isaac," Jenna replied, but she feared there was more to this than she realized.

"Bane's orders," Isaac added with a smirk. Of course, Jenna thought sourly to herself as she plucked out a cigarette.

"...what are we doing?" Jenna asked before she lit up, and once she did, she replaced the box and lighter back into the pocket before she looked back to Isaac, her legs still shaking, but Isaac's coat was admittedly warm.

"Target practice," he replied, "with that." He nodded in Jenna's direction, and upon turning around, her eyes immediately focused on the gun she had held the day before, an identical one sitting against the wall directly next to it, and three large and tall wooden boards with fresh target stickers applied to them. She turned back to him with widened eyes.

"No," she immediately began. "Why? I can't-"

"You will learn," Isaac assured with a nod. "And we're doing it because Bane told me to train you."

"Why?" Jenna stressed, already feeling herself become more anxious than what was probably necessary.

"You'll have to ask him," he replied as he took another drag while looking away. Jenna was glaring at him.

"Isaac, I know you know," she replied in a higher, slightly whining tone. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"It'll do you good to hear it from him," he assured. "I suggest you stop whining when you go ask, though."

Jenna closed her mouth and glanced away as she took a drag. She didn't want to learn how to use that gun. She didn't want to be trained, and she most certainly did not want to ask Bane about it. "Is he expecting me to ask him?"

"I'd assume so," Isaac replied. "Why?"

Jenna remained looking at the ground as she took another long drag. "I don't know," she mumbled. "I had to use your bathroom when I woke up," she told him suddenly as she glanced up at him, wanting to stray away from where their previous subject had been headed to.

"Why?"

"The mayor was in the bathroom on the main level," she replied. "And I couldn't wait. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Isaac replied, glancing away as he finished off his cigarette, but as soon as he had thrown it onto the ground, he paused, a rather shocking thought coming to his mind. "Was somebody outside of the bathroom door?"

"Yeah," Jenna replied. "Why?"

Isaac's eyes widened. "And you climbed up that ladder next to him, wearing nothing but that shirt? Bane's shirt," he pointed out. Jenna felt her face flush as she glanced down, her answer obvious. "Jenna," Isaac hissed as he shook his head again. "You are all over the place today! What made you think that would be a good idea?"

"He wasn't looking," Jenna began to assure, to defend her actions, but Isaac was already interrupting her.

"Yeah, not that you know of," he pointed out. "These guys around here don't like you. One of them already died for disobeying Bane just so he could kill you, and given the chance one would probably try it again. And here you are, roaming around the warehouse like this, making yourself look as easy and vulnerable as possible."

"You don't have much faith in the rest of the guys around here, do you?" Jenna asked, ignoring his last comment, but Isaac ignored her question.

"Just don't do that again. Bane and I won't always be around to protect you." He watched Jenna roll her eyes again before she lifted her head to look away from him, her arms crossed, her cigarette burning from in between her fingers. Isaac figured he shouldn't care so much about her well-being, but it was that fateful, friendly pull that existed between them, and Bane's orders. Bane didn't want her dead, therefore, Isaac would help to ensure she stayed alive. "I'm only looking out for your best interests," he said a moment later.

Jenna sighed, closing her eyes. "I know," she finally admitted as she looked at him again. "I'm sorry, I know. Thank you... you're right."

"I usually am," Isaac replied. "Now, you gonna tell me why you're more careless than usual today?"

Jenna felt her heart skip a beat as the garage suddenly felt ten times colder, and her lips parted as she glanced up to him. She knew she had made it evident to Isaac that there was, indeed, something wrong with her, but she feared telling him about her night would not end well. What if he gets mad? She wondered. He won't, another half of her argued. Besides, why the hell would he care?

Jenna thought back to a time when Isaac had gotten mad over Jenna spending so much time with Bane, and all that they had done. To this day she still wasn't very sure why he had been, but she was not prepared to deal with him holding a grudge against her again. As of late, however, it seemed as though those feelings would not return to him. He seemed pleased with the way the situation with Jenna and Bane was going, and he was always preaching at her to just accept his new attitude. Not only that, but Jenna was positive that were it to have happened in the past, Isaac wouldn't have even liked the idea of Jenna wearing Bane's shirt. But now, perhaps she would be able to tell him. Perhaps he could help her, but although Jenna was desiring some sort of guidance, she could not pinpoint what it was that she needed help with exactly.

"Well, um... you know how I hadn't been sleeping good on that cot?" She began, expecting Isaac to merely nod in remembrance while waiting for her to go on, but instead she noticed he narrowed his eyes on her, his body perfectly still.

"Hadn't?" He repeated, and Jenna realized now that Isaac already knew something dire had gone on.

"Yeah..." she went on. "It was really bad last night, and I couldn't take it anymore, so I, um... asked Bane if I could sleep in his room..." The tones in which she ended her sentence on made it seem as if she had asked a question, and as soon as she was finished talking she glanced down.

This, truly, was shocking to Isaac. He had seen Jenna grow tremendously these past couple of weeks, but he had not been aware she held the amount of confidence needed to ask Bane if she could sleep in his room, on his bed, with or without him, it didn't matter. Nobody in Bane's army ever dared to bother him after hours, unless it was a dire emergency, in which case they would always report it to Isaac first, so he could relay the message.

Although Isaac already knew the answer to his next question, he found himself asking it anyway. "Did he say yes?"

Jenna nodded as she forced herself to glance back up at him, and she took another hit from her cigarette. "He did," she replied verbally. "I was just as shocked as you are, believe me," she went on as she looked into his widened eyes, his own mouth agape.

"I can't believe you did that," Isaac said as he shook his head, a small smirk playing upon his lips. "I can't believe he said yes."

"Me either," Jenna mumbled as she glanced down again, taking another hit. "But the worst part about it is that I actually slept so good."

This was a complaint, and when Isaac glanced back over to her, he watched her close her eyes and shake her head. He laughed suddenly, a quick, breathless laugh, but it was sincere in understanding. "I'm gonna start calling you 'the Brave One'," he said, Jenna's eyebrows furrowing when she looked at him. "Nobody else would ever dare disturb him after hours. What time was it when you asked?"

"Like, one in the morning or something," she replied, watching as Isaac grinned to himself as he nodded.

"Yup," he confirmed. "You're now the Brave One. Or, actually, maybe not," he changed his mind. "Perhaps we should call you the Lucky One."

Jenna smiled, unable to help it. "Asking took some bit of bravery, didn't it?"

"Yes," Isaac agreed. "But bravery can still lead to death or a punishment. You got lucky with your outcomes. Therefore, you are the Lucky One."

"Fine," Jenna replied, taking another drag as she glanced out of the garage doors. "So... when do we have to do this? The gun stuff I mean."

Isaac let out another short laugh. "Gun stuff," he repeated with a roll of his own eyes. "As soon as you finish your cigarette and get dressed," he answered. "So hurry up."

Jenna found herself doing as she was told, and when she was a good three hits or so from finishing her cigarette, she put it out on the ground and immediately started for the warehouse door in the garage. Normally, she wouldn't want to rush herself with getting past what she truly wanted to do before having to do what she had to, but in this case, she found herself wanting to get this target practice out of the way as quickly as possible. While she wanted to know why she was being forced to do this, she wasn't exactly eager to face Bane at the moment, especially not after sleeping in his room the night before. How was he feeling about that today? Angry? Regretful? What would he say to her about it? Whatever it was, Jenna just hoped it could end on good terms, as most of their conversations did lately.

Once she made it to the basement, she headed directly to her closed bedroom door, her sights focused on the door only, but once she placed her left hand on the handle, turned it, and pushed her door open, she froze on the spot, her eyes immediately meeting with those of the mayor's. He sat on the floor directly in front of her, his arms and legs wearing those chain links, the other half of them having been mounted to the wall, which Jenna was positive had not been there before, and when her eyes darted from the left to the right, she noticed the room was bare of the cot, her end table chairs, and most importantly, her clothes. Panic immediately swarmed over her entire being as she forced herself to breathe, and finally, when the mayor moved his legs and the clanking of chains was heard, Jenna finally found herself backing away from the door. She turned her head and saw that Bane's door was open, a brighter light shining from inside of it, and she swallowed before she immediately began over to it.

Bane was inside, and Jenna's eyes found him leaning over his desk, his right hand placed on top of it, fingers sprawled out while he wrote something down with the other. Still standing at the frame of the door, Jenna lifted her left hand to leave a few small knocks on it, and when Bane leaned up slightly and glanced over his shoulder to see who it was, Jenna took in a deep breath through her nose.

"Why is the mayor in my room?" She asked him, frozen at the door, and she watched Bane place his pen down before he stood at his full height to turn around and slowly approach her.

"I've relocated him to a more... suitable area," he explained simply .

"In... my room?" Jenna confirmed, raising her eyes higher and higher the closer Bane got to her, the sound of his boots amplified with each step he took. He nodded. Jenna swallowed again, confused entirely. Why had Bane moved the mayor into her room? Where was her cot? Was she seriously expected to sleep in that room with the mayor in there, as well? And on the cold, hard ground, no less? Jenna's heart was racing, and she began to wonder if there was more to this than met the eye. Clearly, Bane had gotten rid of her all her items. Was this it? Was this Bane finally getting rid of her? Had Jenna's request last night been the final straw? Had his granting her permission to obtain a wonderful night's sleep been a form of torture before he ultimately took her out? ...Was this target practice going to prove to be something else entirely...?

As Bane stared down at her, he watched her facial expression grow from confused to absolutely terrified as she stared down at the ground. "What is on your mind, Jenna?" He inquired, rather amused by the look on her face.

"W-where's my stuff?" She asked, swallowing to soothe her dry throat, and she looked up at him again. Bane continued to stare into her eyes, and without even so much as a blink, he nodded toward his bed. Thinning her lips, Jenna's eyes wandered in the specified direction, but when she saw nothing out of the ordinary on or near his bed, she glanced back to him in just enough time for him to step out of her way, and silently invite her into his room. Jenna hesitated for a moment, but before Bane could lose patience she took a cautious step inside, and when Bane remained silent, she figured she was to walk over to the area he had nodded at.

Able to feel his gaze on her, Jenna slowly rounded the bed, but once she had reached the furthest corner, she found her packed and zipped bag of clothes and her toiletry bag to be sitting on the floor, directly in between the bed and the boxes, with her boots, black coat, mirror shard and the knife Isaac had given her on the floor next to them. Her lips parted then, and without thinking she immediately turned back to Bane with slightly widened eyes.

"I took the liberty of moving your belongings in here," he explained, turning to take a step closer to the area in between the desk and bed. "Since the mayor is being kept in your room for his last night alive, you will sleep in here."

A tremor ran throughout Jenna's body. What the fuck is going on? She wondered desperately to herself. She had been so sure that Bane was planning on executing her, but she had never expected for this to be happening. Bane was moving her into his room? How could that be?

"After tonight then," Jenna forced herself to speak, clearing her throat when her voice came out sounding rather hoarse. "What will happen?"

"You will remain in here," Bane replied simply, and at that moment Jenna knew he was not going to explain his reasoning. Sure, Bane had been being 'nice' to her, but this was above and beyond that attitude.

"I don't understand," Jenna admitted, shaking her head slightly. "Why?"

Bane knew she would ask this question, and he had prepared his answer already. "Reasons that do not need to be discussed right now. They are not important. Simply accept this change, and do not worry about my reasoning."

Jenna licked her dry lips as she turned back to face her belongings on the floor. She knew Bane had reasons as to why he was doing this, but she was aware that she would probably never hear them. This was a problem, however, for she could not wrap her mind around what was happening.

"There are rules, however," Bane spoke up suddenly, his voice dropping an octave from behind his mask, and Jenna listened to him let out a hissing breath as he stepped closer to her. "Considering your habits that I observed you carry out in your old room, all of your belongings must always be kept where they are now: in. Your. Bags," he spoke clearly. "We will find a designated spot to keep your mirror piece, if you so choose to keep it, and your knife, which I'm sure you would like to keep, but other than those two items, your clothes and other belongings must always be put away, do you understand?"

Jenna immediately nodded, her heart still racing and thumping against her chest as she stared at her bags. She so desperately wanted to try asking him again why he had already made this arrangement, but she was still certain she would not receive an answer, and she most certainly did not want to annoy Bane, especially when she would be sleeping in his room every night now...

"Do I still have to knock before coming in?" She asked.

"I would prefer it you did," he replied. "This is still my room. You are merely a guest. Also, this room is not for you to spend 'alone' time in. The monitor on the wall is not for TV shows or spying on my men around the facility. You may spend longer periods of time in here when invited or if I have granted you permission."

Jenna was nodding. "Okay," she replied, expressing her understanding, and she hoped the single word would be enough to prove to Bane that she did understand. But at the same time, she had to wonder what she would spend the rest of her days doing, now that she didn't have her own room to hide in.

"And I'm sure I do not even have to worry about you smoking in here, am I correct?" He waited, and when he saw Jenna nod he went on. "Smoking will be done outside only... even though it is a harmful habit that you should think about breaking," he couldn't help but to add, thinking back to the many times he had desired to see Barsad quit.

A strike of worry stung through Jenna, but upon reflecting back to his words, she calmed herself down, telling herself that he was not going to force her into quitting. At least not now...

"I can assume that you rested rather... peacefully last night?" Bane asked her, turning to lean against his desk, his eyes still focused on the back of her head. "You woke rather early, and your body does not appear to be in the battered stage it was before."

Jenna swallowed. "I did sleep good," she found herself admitting, feeling dizzy as soon as the words rolled off of her tongue. She finally forced herself to turn around, and she began to play with her fingers in front of her stomach. "T-thank you," she said, unsure if this was the proper thing to be said or not.

"We will see how this works out," he replied. Jenna nodded as she quickly glanced away, dying on the inside as she wondered wildly what good this arrangement would do for him. Just because he was on better terms with Jenna didn't necessarily mean he had to have her in the same room as him every night, did it? Jenna finally let out a silent breath, deciding she'd better just accept it was something that she would never understand fully.

When Bane stood up in front of her, Jenna abandoned her thoughts and glanced up to him. "I suggest you get dressed, and meet Barsad in the garage for your training," he told her now, his eyes wandering down her body, and it shocked him slightly to see she was still wearing his shirt. He began to turn to leave the room, but Jenna speaking up halted him in his tracks.

"Why do I have to do this?" She asked. "I-I'm not trying to complain, I just-"

Bane surprised her when he chuckled slightly. "I am well aware that you are not complaining to me on the outside, Jenna, but on the inside I can only image what terrible thoughts are running through your head. Tomorrow I will need all the assistance I can get with the task that is to be performed. I have gathered all of my men at the warehouse as well as others who do not take residence here. Tomorrow, sheer panic will erupt with the single sound of a shot being fired into the crowd, and I will need everybody, armed and prepared, to ensure we can escape the panic, unharmed, before carrying out the rest of the tasks that lie ahead."

Jenna felt herself shivering again as she thought back to how ruthless Barsad had been with his gun. Was Bane seriously expecting the same behavior from her? "I don't understand," she said again, furrowing her brow as she glanced down slightly. Bane continued to stare at her, and as he watched Jenna struggle to figure it out for herself, he took a few steps in her direction before he was standing directly in front of her, and once he had stopped, Jenna finally glanced up.

"Tomorrow we kill the mayor in front of the public eye," Bane answered her silent question, his eyes bouncing back and forth between hers. "The plan has been discussed and accepted. All you need to do is master your training to the best of your abilities, and follow your orders from there."

Jenna was shaking her head, already finding so much wrong with his plans of involving her. "I can't just learn how to shoot that gun in a day," she protested, and she found herself stammering when Bane narrowed his eyes on her. "I-I mean I've never done a-anything like that, and I'm scared of... messing up tomorrow."

"You are not scared of messing up, Jenna," Bane argued calmly. "You are scared of what will happen if you do." His eyed narrowed on hers more, and he titled his head slightly to gain a better look of her face when she started to lower her head. "What's already got you acting like this, Jenna? I had been expecting an argument, or some measure of force to drag you out to that garage, and if not, a mere, silent nod from you, accepting what is expected of you. But yet, here you are, trembling, and stuttering through your words. Why?"

Jenna swallowed. She most certainty did not want to lie to Bane, but at the same time she did not want to tell him the truth. She was barely able to fathom, herself, just how shook up she was due to learning her new sleeping arrangements. It was something she would have never thought was possible of happening, even in the past, before her punishment. But now that it was, she had a hard time picturing how it would go. At the same time, she knew she would fail at training, and ultimately fail with her tasks tomorrow. Her mind was unable to focus on anything else.

Bane was still waiting for an answer, and when Jenna realized this she cleared her throat and merely shrugged at him, finally lifting her eyes to look into his. Bestowing him with no answer wasn't exactly the same as lying, was it?

Bane studied her face for another moment before he finally stood straight again. "I will ask you this question again later, but for now you are wasting precious time. Get dressed, meet Barsad, and he will answer the rest of your questions."

Jenna watched Bane finally turn and exit the room, pulling the door shut behind him, and once the door clicked into place, Jenna finally let out the breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Her heart was still pounding against her chest, and she felt as though everything around her was spinning wildly, and closing in on her. She glanced up and looked around the room, feeling her lips go dry again, and she licked them before she finally turned to head over to her bag.

After she had dressed quickly in her usual, uniform-like attire, she grabbed her coat and a hair rubber band from her toiletry bag, and after zipping up both of her bags and pushing them out of the way as far as she could, she immediately started upstairs, putting her hair up in a high ponytail as she went.

Isaac was still waiting for her in the garage, his truck bed loaded with all the necessary items they needed for the day, and when Jenna glanced down to look at him as she neared, she saw he looked rather annoyed.

"What took you so long?" He asked. "We don't have all day to this, Jenna."

"I'm sorry," she replied quickly, her biting tone causing Isaac to immediately pause and glare at her. "Something... came up."

"Like?" He pressed on. He tried to wait as patiently as he could, but after watching Jenna's lips part and close as she struggled to find an answer, his patience was lost, and he dug his keys out of his pocked before he started around the truck. "Just tell me in here."

Frowning, Jenna quickly climbed into the cab of the truck, and as soon as she closed the door, Isaac started the vehicle and began to back out of the garage.

"Where are we going?" Jenna asked him once he switched gears, corrected the wheel, and headed straight. She expected him to follow the road, but when he suddenly made a sharp left turn to head completely off of the road and the slightly snow-covered field, she held onto her seat as the truck bounced. When she glanced over to Isaac, he finally replied.

"Near the creek," he answered simply. "So what's got you acting like this? Same issue as before?"

"Yes," Jenna found herself answering quickly. "But now it's become... worse."

"What is it then?" He asked, glancing back over to her. During the next silent minute, Isaac made it closer to the creek, and he turned his truck slightly to drive along side it, heading directly toward more, vast fields across from the warehouse's property.

Jenna was shaking her head, but she knew she had to answer him if she wanted his advice, though she still wasn't sure what advice he could give her. "Bane moved all my stuff into his room," she forced herself to answer as she kept her eyes focused out of the passenger side window. "I guess I'll be sleeping in there... every night now..."

She didn't give Isaac any time to reply before she was immediately turning to glance at him, and she had a difficult time reading the look that was on his face as he drove on. "That is..." he finally spoke up. "A rather unexpected turn of events."

"I know," Jenna mumbled. "I-I don't know what to think of it. I don't know what to do. Do we have to do this target stuff today?"

Isaac nodded. "We do," he replied, and he let out a long sigh a moment later as he started to press down on the brake.

"You're mad now," Jenna pointed out as she glanced down, unaware that Isaac had glanced down to her once the truck had stopped, and he put it in park.

"Mad?" He repeated. "I'm not mad, Jenna, I'm... truthfully a little annoyed."

Jenna swallowed before she cautiously glanced over to him, and she watched him push open his door. He was annoyed? She wondered. Why? I knew I shouldn't have told him any of this...

"Sniping requires a clear mind, relaxation and patience," he went on before he could get out of the truck, his eyes focused on the side of her face. "And now, I fear you're going to be unable to achieve at least any one of those." Without another word he finally got out of the truck, and with narrowed eyes Jenna glanced up and turned her head to watch Isaac take out the target boards from the bed of the truck before he started toward the front of the truck. She followed his movements with her eyes as she felt her frustration morph her facial expression. He was annoyed because she wouldn't be able to shoot well? With a roll of her eyes Jenna shook her head, crossed her arms, and glanced out of the window.

After Isaac had secured the targets in the ground, he jogged back over to the truck, and once he was inside, he flipped the truck around to start driving the opposite way. As he drove, he glanced over to Jenna a few times before he finally spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"You," Jenna replied, but her tone wasn't as biting this time. "I don't understand you sometimes."

"Why?" he asked her now. "Because I'm annoyed that this target practice is practically ruined?"

"Yes," Jenna replied, turning to look at him finally, and Isaac couldn't help but to grin.

"Why does that bother you? Were you seeking my advice on the matter?" He watched Jenna glance away, her answer obvious, and he couldn't help but to roll his own eyes. "I can't help you sort out every little issue, Jenna. This was something Bane decided suddenly, and I had no idea about it. I don't know what to tell you. I'm just annoyed because this happened at a pretty bad time. He didn't leave me much time to train you, and I don't think he realizes to the full extent what it takes to use these guns accurately and precisely. He's more of a close range guy, you know?"

Jenna was shaking her head, and she remained silent as she stared out of the window. But within a few more minutes, Isaac was stopping the truck, and when Jenna finally looked around, she saw that he had still driven alongside the creek, but that they had gone far beyond the warehouse. Jenna stared at it for a moment before she followed Isaac's actions with getting out of the truck, and with a small sigh she headed to the back in just enough time to watch Isaac hop up onto the bed and take out the two rifles he had packed away. Thinning her lips as anxiety began to creep up on her, Jenna watched Isaac jump off of the bed now, each gun held up in his hands, and he nodded over to the direction he was headed in, signaling for Jenna to follow. Her boots crunched down into the light layer of snow that covered the field as she moved to put her coat on, and once she had reached Isaac, she watched him carefully set one of the guns down before he knelt down onto the ground himself, still holding the other in his hand. Jenna followed his actions, and once she was kneeling beside him, she glanced down to the gun once Isaac started talking.

"Now, this is a Barrett M107 long range sniper rifle," he began to explain, his eyes focused on Jenna to ensure she was focused on the gun in his hands. But when Jenna closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, he realized he had already lost her.

"Isaac..." she complained. "I don't know what any of this means. Do we really have to do this?"

"Yes, Jenna, we do," he replied. "This rifle is a semi-automatic, holds ten rounds right here in the magazine–" he pointed to the detachable magazine, glancing up to Jenna as he did so, and once he saw she was still looking at the gun, he went on. "The range from the scope reaches nearly six thousand feet, but that's a lot more than we'll be needing today and tomorrow."

Jenna swallowed as she shifted her weight, and already she could feel her head throbbing as her hands began to shake. "Isaac..."

"Jenna, please," Isaac spoke quickly as he glanced back over to her. "This is important. I need you to pay attention."

"I know, I know," Jenna went on. "It's just, I'm not made for this stuff, you know?"

"That's irrelevant," Isaac replied. "That's why I'm training you. Now just shut up, have an open mind, and do what I tell you."

"Fine," Jenna mumbled, knowing there was absolutely nothing she could say or do to convince Isaac otherwise. "But I'm just gonna tell you now that telling me about the gun won't do you much good."

Isaac smirked slightly. "I am just reciting the basics to you Jenna. It's good to know a few things about the weapon you will be handling, wouldn't you say so?"

Jenna stared at him for a moment. "I guess, but not when I don't understand a word your saying. Like magazine? Semi-automatic?"

Isaac sighed. "The magazine is what holds the rounds, or the ammo," Isaac explained as he removed the magazine from the gun to show her. Jenna's eyebrows furrowed.

"As in the bullets?" She asked, glancing up to him. She had been positive she was correct with her deciphering, but just when she began to wonder why Isaac couldn't have referred to them as 'bullets' in the first place, she felt her shoulders slump when he made an indecisive face, his eyes squinting as he lifted the corner of his lip with a shrug.

"Not really," he replied. "That's incorrect, but in your case, sure." He replaced the magazine back into its spot with a loud click, and Jenna felt the confusion coming over her again. "Semi-automatic just means that the gun fires a single round each time the trigger is pulled, ejects the spent round, chambers a new cartridge, and resets the action. Then it repeats." He glanced up to her, and he smirked slightly when he saw Jenna's blank stare as she stared at the gun. "Do you follow?"

"Barely," Jenna mumbled. "Am I supposed to take a final exam on this shit before I can use it?" She wondered sarcastically as she lifted her eyes to glare at him. Isaac was still smirking at her.

"There might be," he replied."Hopefully you were paying attention, because now it's time to use it."

Jenna bit her lip when Isaac handed her the gun that he had been holding. She wrapped her fingers around areas of the gun she figured were safe to hold, the fingers on her right hand just barely holding it, but before Isaac let go, he tightened his grip and pulled the gun and Jenna closer to himself.

"Do not put your finger anywhere near that trigger 'till I say so, understand?"

"Yes," Jenna replied quickly, her eyes focused intently on his, and she felt her heart skip a beat due to the sheer seriousness in Isaac's voice. He stared into her eyes for a few minutes longer before he finally let go of Jenna's gun to pick up his own. She stayed put as she watched him turn around with the gun, and before she even had a few seconds to collect her thoughts and try to get over some of her anxiety, Isaac was already motioning her over.

"Alright, so the stance we're gonna use is called 'Prone'," he began. "Basically you lay on your stomach, and most of the gun's support will be due to the bipod," he explained as he motioned to the two leg-like stands on either side of the gun. "So before you bring it up, your broken arm won't be a problem for this, although I suggest you use your left hand for the trigger."

Jenna's lips parted in protest, but she quickly held herself back from talking when Isaac turned toward her more.

"Now, lay on your stomach," he advised. "Keep the gun pointed that way and don't touch the trigger."

"Isaac, I know," Jenna grumbled as she struggled to keep the gun pointing in front of her while she lowered herself onto her stomach. Instinctively, she bent her legs at the knees to lift her feet in the air, but when Isaac saw this he couldn't help but to grin slightly as he set his gun down before standing up.

"No," he began as he knelt down behind her. He reached up to grab Jenna's ankles, and as soon as she felt his hands on her she couldn't help but to jump slightly, and she held perfectly still as Isaac lowered her legs. "Keep your legs spread," he advised as he stood up now, and Jenna swallowed as she kept her eyes focused on the ground, listening to Isaac move behind her. She jumped again slightly when she felt Isaac use his own foot to kick hers gently, correcting their position to lay sideways on the ground, and once he was satisfied, he knelt down by her side again.

"Put your right hand here to hold it for support," he went on, waiting for Jenna to place her hand where he had said to. "And keep the back of the gun placed tight against your shoulder." He reached out to fix her hold on the gun, and he watched her flinch when he pushed the rifle back some so it was pressed tightly against her shoulder. "How's that feel?"

"It hurts," she complained.

"Holding this way will cause the recoil to be absorbed through your body. It'll help with your accuracy," he went on, ignoring her comment. "Now the targets are directly in front of us. Hold the gun like I said, look down the scope, and tell me if you can see them clearly."

Taking in a deep breath, Jenna tightened her hold on the gun as best she could with her right hand before she lowered her head slightly to glance down the scope. "I can," she replied, surprised, again, with how large they appeared to be.

"Do you see the scope's dot on whatever you're aiming at?"

"Yes," Jenna replied, keeping her eyes focused on it. She jumped a moment later, however, when she felt Isaac nudge her legs with his boot.

"Keep them spread," he commanded, and he ignored Jenna's sigh as she spread them out again, forcing herself to keep her feet in the fixed position Isaac had put them in. Jenna kept her sights focused through the scope, but when she felt a slight pressure against the gun and a clicking noise reached her ears, she glanced up and over slightly to look at Isaac.

"The safety's off," he announced. "Now look through the scope, aim for the center of one of the targets, breathe, and just relax. Clear your mind, and focus."

Taking in a deep breath, Jenna looked through the scope again, but when she felt her finger instinctively place itself on the trigger, she quickly moved it away with a jerk of her hand, and she took in another breath. Relax? She thought. How could she relax? Here she was, being forced how to learn how to use this gun so she could ultimately use it during one of their real missions. She knew they were expecting her to kill somebody; she highly doubted Isaac was training her so she could be used as mere back up. How could she relax knowing she would be ending somebody's life tomorrow...

And clear her mind? How was she supposed to do that when all she could focus on were Bane's new arrangements? She would be sleeping in his room. Every night. Right next to him, in his bed. When she slept in his room the night before it was to simple catch a break, obtain one good night of sleep before she returned to her cot. But now Bane was taking matters into his own hands. He was forcing her to sleep in his room, whether she wanted to or not, but what scared Jenna the most was when she began to realize that perhaps she actually wanted to. But could she? It was wrong, it was disgusting, it should be undesirable, but at this point she found herself already getting addicted to the sweet sensation of a deep, restful sleep. But was it worth it in Bane's room? In his bed? Next to him, listening to him breathe beside her, feeling his every movement beside her, feeling his bare skin against hers...

With the amplified, echoing sound of a shot being fired, Jenna jumped as she moved back while she pushed the gun forward, and as her shoulder began to ache and her ears began to ring, her jaw dropped as she stared down the field, wide-eyed. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she glanced over to Isaac, who appeared to look confused.

"What were you aiming at?" He asked, picking up his own gun to glance down the scope. "You didn't hit anything, Jenna."

"I-I'm sorry," she forced herself to croak out, and she cleared her throat as she glanced forward again, suddenly unable to clear the image of sleeping next to Bane from her mind. "Isaac I really don't think I can do this." Lowering his weapon, Isaac glanced over at her.

"You have to, Jenna," he replied. "And we're not leaving here until I see improvement. What happened?"

"I don't know," Jenna replied, deciding quickly she would not tell him the exact images her mind had been flashing her. She felt her body tingling with an odd sense of warmth and pain, and she shut her eyes tightly. "I just–"

"You're not relaxed, you're not focused," Isaac said. "Just take a minute and think back to something that made you feel relaxed, or happy. Picture it, take a deep breath, and try again."

"Is this what you do?" Jenna asked, glancing at him again.

"I used to, but I don't need to anymore," he replied. "Years of experience. Now try again."

Sighing, Jenna pulled the gun closer to herself again and looked down the scope.

"Where are you aiming?"

"The middle target," she replied, struggling to keep her index finger off of the trigger. Isaac became silent beside her, and desiring nothing more than to be done with this, Jenna followed his advice and closed her eyes, deciding the first calming memory that came to her would be the one she would focus on. But as soon as she closed her eyes, and allowed her body to relax, she found she was standing outside, just underneath the opened, garage door. Tears were falling from her face as she kept her head and gaze down, but suddenly there was a gentle hand against the side of her face. A thumb moved across her cheek to wipe away one of the tears, and as the memory went on, she felt herself relaxing. She focused on the target, struggled for a moment to line up her sights with the green dot inside the scope, and she took in a deep breath as she let the memory go on.

That comforting hand was still on the side of her face, gentle and warm, but when Jenna finally pictured herself to glance up, she couldn't help but to gasp in real time when her mind flashed her a picture of Isaac staring down at her, a cigarette fixed loosely in between his lips. Jenna's lips parted as she placed her finger on the trigger, but despite the feeling of her heart skipping several beats, she found she was completely relaxed, and after she took in another deep breath, just as she exhaled slowly, she pulled the trigger.

She couldn't help but to jump again due to the recoil, and she winced when more pain shot through her shoulder to be carried out to the rest of her body, but as the ringing in her ears faded away from the shot, she glanced over to Isaac, watching as he stared down the scope of his own gun, and she swallowed when she felt her heart skip a beat again.

"Well you hit it," he said, more enthusiasm in his voice. "That's a good start. What were you thinking about?"

"Uh..." Jenna immediately began to stutter. "J-just... nothing," she replied quickly. Why had her mind gone back to Isaac, and what they had done just before their ultimate betrayal? That wasn't a very relaxing thought, given all that had come after it and the repercussions they had faced. But if this was so, then why had it helped to relax Jenna?

"Well, it worked," Isaac assured. "Try it again. Aim for the middle, you were borderline the very bottom of the target."

Jenna fixed her position on the ground, but when she went to hold the gun closer, she frowned as she moved her arms around a bit.

"What's wrong?" Isaac asked as he turned to look down at her, and he watched Jenna carefully set the gun down, his eyes staying focused on it for a moment before he lifted them to look up at her.

"This fucking coat," she complained under her breath as she tried to push the sleeves up, but when this failed, she quickly fixed them before she let out a sigh. She began to take the coat off, but when Isaac noticed her instantly began to shiver, he began to shrug his own off, and by the time Jenna had discarded her coat next to her, Isaac was handing her his.

"Don't you need it?" Jenna asked him again, watching as he shook his head. Without another word, Jenna put the coat on, and after she pushed up the sleeves, she laid back down on her stomach and pulled the gun closer to herself. Isaac leaned over to help her hold and the position, and after he checked the position of her spread legs and feet and became satisfied, he leaned away from her.

"Alright, do whatever you did again. Focus a little harder this time."

Jenna looked down the scope, deciding she'd go with a different thought this time. She was quick to think back to how Isaac had just given her his coat, how he was always giving her his coat, and she took in a deep breath, feeling as though she was just realizing, again, how thoughtful and helpful he really was toward her, even in the smallest ways. But the smallest ways always seemed to mean the most...

She pulled the trigger, her ears ringing as the booming noise echoed on, and after she flinched again, she glanced down the scope to see where she had hit.

"You're a little higher, but still far below the center," Isaac said. "That's good. How do you feel?"

"Shouldn't we be wearing some sort of ear protection?" Jenna asked as she looked over to him. "And my shoulder is fucking killing me."

Isaac laughed. "Your ears are fine," he assured. "And just think, tonight you'll get to sleep in Bane's bed. It'll take care of that pain quickly."

He was grinning, but already Jenna could feel her anxiety coming back. "Isaac!" She scolded. "That's not funny. What about relaxation? The fuck am I supposed to do now?"

Isaac was still laughing. "Now that I think about it, all this did come at a rather good time. You've gotta be able to achieve that focus no matter where you are, or the situation at hand. Consider that more training." He watched Jenna roll her eyes before she finally glanced back into the scope, and just when she had fixed her position, Isaac smirked as he glanced forward. "Plus it's just fun to mess with you," he added.

Jenna rolled her eyes again, wondering how the hell she was supposed to focus again when all this dread was surrounding her, but she paused suddenly, a new thought coming to mind. What if Bane wasn't making her sleep in his room? What if he wasn't forcing her to do what she didn't want, after all? It was clear that Jenna was desperate for more restful sleep, but what if ultimately Bane was simply helping her, and doing her another favor? Clearly he must understand how difficult it will be for Jenna to adjust, but she'd be foolish to think that Bane wouldn't be going through the same difficulty. It wasn't an act of forcefulness, it was an act of... kindness...

Jenna pulled the trigger, jumping again due to the recoil, though this time it didn't feel as bad. Her arms weren't pent up in her tight jacket, and she had been more prepared for the feeling. Before she had time to glance down the scope again, Isaac was already taking.

"That's a lot better," he said. "You were just below it." He lowered his gun and glanced over to her. "See, this isn't that terrible, is it?"

Jenna found herself shaking her head, and she smiled at him slightly. Maybe not now, she thought. But tomorrow will be a whole different story...

–

Target practice droned on for Jenna for a a good majority of the day, but fortunately for Isaac, he was able to watch Jenna improve more and more as the hours went on. Constantly correcting her position, her hold on the gun, her breathing and relaxation, by the time practice was up Jenna was doing better than he could have imagined, and he couldn't help but to be proud.

"I'm impressed," he told her after he collected the targets and began through the field and toward the warehouse, lighting up a cigarette as he drove. Jenna had just finished hers, and she tossed the butt out of the window and into the snow. "I didn't think it would go so well honestly."

"Me either," Jenna agreed, though she couldn't surpass the exhaustion that had overcome her, or the anxiety about tomorrow. She had since then given Isaac his coat back, and when she turned to him, she glanced at the coat before she licked her lips in thought. "Am I supposed to wear my black coat tomorrow though?"

"It'll be cold," Isaac replied. "Unless you have a different coat?"

Jenna shook her head, feeling slightly frustrated as she thought back to how difficult her black coat had made it to use the gun properly. The sleeves did not allow for her to comfortably bend her arms the way they needed to be to hold the gun, and she had a feeling that it would be a good idea to avoid any and all possibilities of screwing up tomorrow as best she could. "Do you think I could go to my house and find a new coat?" She wondered aloud as she looked at Isaac again.

"I'm not the one to be asking," he told her, glancing at her as well for a second before he looked forward, just as they had reached the warehouse's property. Jenna remained silent as Isaac maneuvered the truck to the garages, and as soon as he had parked outside of them and turned the truck off, Jenna turned to him.

"Do you think Bane would let me?"

"It's hard to say," Isaac said as he pushed open his door, Jenna following his actions, and after she had closed hers she looked at Isaac from over the truck bed. "It's worth a shot though," he added.

Nodding to herself, Jenna turned around without a word to begin over to the exit door, deciding it definitely was worth a shot. Granted she was far less than eager about the mission tomorrow, she was still determined to avoid any mistakes on her part. She could only imagine what Bane would do if she were to make any...

Jenna barely had any time to realize how much more warmer the warehouse was than outside as she ventured to the dark basement, and straight to Bane's door. It was closed, no light shining through the bottom, but regardless, Jenna lifted her left fist and knocked. The basement grew silent as she waited, and after a moment had passed, she lifted her fist to knock again, hoping she was not disturbing him. Just as she bit down on her lower lip, however, she heard a door opening behind her, and upon turning to face her old bedroom door, she watched one of Bane's men step outside of it before her eyes fell on Bane, stepping out after the man. Turning his head and immediately finding Jenna, he began over to her as the thug closed the door before he started for the stairs.

"Jenna," Bane greeted as he approached her, Jenna holding her ground all the while. "How did it go?"

Knowing he was referring to target practice, Jenna nodded slightly. "Good, I think," she replied, watching Bane nod. His breathing stopped suddenly, and Jenna interrupted him before he could begin talking again. "I had a question... actually," she spoke quickly, deciding she really didn't want to discuss her practice anymore than necessary. The sound of Bane's breath escaping through the mask returned, and Jenna felt a chill run through her as she listened to it while Bane waited for her to continue. "I-I was wondering if I could... run to... my house-" she stopped short suddenly, studying Bane's features. "And get a new coat," she continued quickly. "The one I have now is... no good for... shooting."

"I was under the impression you were shooting targets, Jenna, not your coat," Bane replied, his eyes narrowing on hers. He watched her lips part in confusion as she thought back to his words, but once she realized he was only joking, she smiled slightly as she shook her head, her smile fading quickly.

"No, I mean wearing it. It's hard to bend my arms, and it's just uncomfortable." She cleared her throat as she glanced back up to him. "I just figured for tomorrow that it would be smart to wear something more comfortable," she went on quickly, "so I can... perform better."

"Perform," Bane repeated as he nodded. "I'm surprised that you're even concerned about your performance tomorrow. Truth is, I find it hard to believe how rather... well... you are handling this."

Jenna shrugged. I don't have a choice, she thought, but aloud she said: "I figured complaining won't do any good here."

Bane nodded. "Indeed, you are right. You may venture to your house to obtain a new coat, but... Barsad must go with you."

Jenna couldn't help but to furrow her eyebrows as she narrowed her eyes on Bane, for she had quickly picked up on the tone that overcame his voice. His pitch had dropped to a lower octave, and he seemed almost unsure as he spoke those words. But after a few long seconds had passed, Jenna quickly nodded.

"Okay, thank you," she said.

Bane didn't say anything else to her, and instead he walked past her to open his door and step inside. Jenna listened to him behind her, and once his door closed, she started for the stairs.

It appeared as though Isaac had just finished with unloading his truck by the time Jenna approached him, and as soon as he glanced over at her Jenna spoke up.

"Bane said I could go, but you have to come with me."

"Now?" Isaac asked, his own brow furrowing.

"If... that's okay," Jenna went on, watching Isaac turn away with a sigh.

"Alright," he said, digging out his keys from his pocket. "Dom, carry those up to my room. Leave them outside of the door," Isaac commanded to somebody who had been standing in the garage as he pointed to the two gun cases he had just placed on the floor. The man nodded, and as he approached the gun cases Isaac unlocked his truck and got inside in unison with Jenna.

"Thank you," she said, looking over at him as she put on her seat belt.

"Let's just be quick," Isaac said as he began to back away from the garage. "I have a lot I need to get to before tomorrow."

Jenna nodded in understanding, deciding she would have been quick regardless. She wasn't thrilled about going to her house, and she most certainly did not want to stay there for longer than necessary.

–

The ride into town seemed to go by quick. While Jenna managed to smoke two cigarettes as she stared out of the window, Isaac kept to himself, keeping his music on a moderate level, and every now and again when Jenna glanced over at him, she would watch him mouth the words to the songs as he drove along, his sleepy eyes focused in front of him while he kept one hand on the wheel. They listened to mainly rock songs, some of the songs a bit slower or gentle than the more upbeat ones. Jenna figured this music was suiting for Isaac, especially since she had never pictured him liking any type of music. Sometimes, however, just as a new song would start, Isaac would quickly reach out and skip the song, and after the forth or fifth time of doing this, Jenna began to get suspicious. What were the songs he was skipping?

But before she had time to contemplate it too long, Isaac was parking along the the curb on the street adjacent from hers. Jenna grew confused, but she decided not to question Isaac as she stepped out of his truck in unison with him, and she immediately began to shiver as they both crossed the street and began toward her house, their boots crunching in the snow and ice. But as soon as Jenna caught sight of her old house past the trees, she felt her jaw drop as her eyes wandered all over the yellow police tape that had been wrapped everywhere around her house. She stopped just before they could reach the drive way, and once Isaac heard her fall back, he stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.

"What's all this?" Jenna asked, turning to look at him. Isaac merely shrugged.

"Your house has been quarantined," he explained. "Police access only for the investigation of your parents murders, and your disappearance. Or, murder," he added with a smirk.

"But then we shouldn't be here," Jenna argued as she took a step back, but she stopped in her tracks when Isaac grinned and reached out to grab her left wrist.

"They did this before the attack on the police stations, Jenna. They have more important things to worry about then patrolling your house to investigate a murder they already know the answer to. We're fine. C'mon." He tugged her closer to himself before he turned to head over to the house, but as soon as they reached the fence, he finally realized his fingers were still clutched around her wrist. Clearing his throat, he finally let go, and he glanced over to Jenna before he nodded toward the fence. "You think you can climb that still?"

Jenna nodded. "I think so." Regardless of Isaac's reassurance, Jenna's heart would not stop racing as she placed both of her hands on the fence, and as soon as she pulled herself up, using her left hand mostly, she placed her feet on the fence before she began to climb, Isaac staying below her all the while, just to ensure he could catch her if she was to fall. Jenna hadn't noticed this, and by the time she was jumping down from the top of the fence and hitting the ground below, Isaac had already climbed the fence with ease, and they began toward the house.

An odd sense of dread began to swarm Jenna as they made their way to the front door, which had been blockaded by a thick sheet of wood. Rather than worrying about how they would get in the house, Jenna glanced all around her surroundings as she openly shivered, her eyes wandering all over the police tape. A lump began to rise in her throat, but she quickly swallowed it back as soon as they had reached the front door.

"Stand back," Isaac advised. Jenna immediately did as she was told, and as soon as she stepped off to the side, she watched Isaac kick down the wood from the door, and she couldn't help but to jump as the wood cracked with a loud boom. Behind it, Isaac had managed to kick most of the door off of its hinges, and with another kick he sent the door flying back into the house with an equally as loud booming noise. Her heart now pounding, Jenna followed Isaac into her old house, and as soon as she stepped inside, she felt goosebumps cover her arms as she looked around. It was immediately obvious to her that her parent's body's has been removed, and while she was thankful for this, she couldn't help but to wonder where, exactly, they had gone, or who was to be taking care of it. Pushing the thought aside, she ventured further into the house, glancing past her shoulder and out of the door, but after she had done this for the third time, Isaac spoke up.

"Stop, Jenna, nobody is coming. You're fine. Even if they do we'll be able to get away with ease."

When Jenna glanced over at him, she couldn't stop her eyes from wandering down his body before stopping on his handgun holster that sat at his hip. Jenna swallowed before she flashed him a small smile, and she nodded.

"I know," she assured before she sighed. "Hopefully I'll be able to find something in my mom's closet."

"Good luck," Isaac replied with a smirk as he turned to glance up at the various pictures on the walls. "This space seems so much smaller when it's not crowded with people."

At first, Jenna glanced at him with a furrowed brow, but when she suddenly remembered the first time she had met Isaac, her features softened, and she couldn't help the grin that overcame her face.

"You know, I always forget that you were there that night. You were so... different."

Isaac chuckled. "I was pretending to be somebody I'm not, Jenna. That's why."

"Well yeah, but still. Even thinking back I mean, it was still you, you know?"

"I'm not sure I follow," Isaac replied as he turned back to her, and he took a step closer to Jenna, who was standing in the middle of the great hall.

"I mean, you had been nice and came off as helpful, even then. When you were at the stupid party and lying about be a chauffeur."

Isaac's grin faded into a smirk, but the expression was still sincere. "I had been faking it at the time, before I could have ever imagined that one day it would all become real."

Jenna smiled, and she glanced down with a nod.

Isaac remained staring at her for a few seconds longer when Jenna finally lifted her head, but just as he realized what he was doing, he quickly glanced away and blinked before he casually looked at her again. "It's shame we took you away from all this before you could experience the culture," he teased as he raised his arms up slightly to gesture to the entirety of the house.

Jenna laughed, realizing immediately that he was referring to what her mother had said that night. "Yeah, such a shame," she replied, though suddenly she wasn't sure if she meant this, or if she was only kidding as well. When Isaac's smirk finally faded, Jenna nodded to herself before she finally turned around, deciding now would be a good time to get her coat. But as soon as she turned around, she was quick to notice a blinking red light on their telephone that sat on top of one of the tables near the stairs. Her eyes narrowing on it, and her curiosity heightening, she stepped over to the phone, and just as she reached it, Isaac turned around to glance at her.

"There's a message," Jenna announced, unable to help but to feel a little uneasy about this suddenly. Who would be calling her house months after her parents had died?

"Just leave it," Isaac advised as he took a few steps toward her, but Jenna was already pressing the button to listen.

"You have one new message," the machine began. Jenna kept her eyes focused on the machine, and once Isaac had stopped next to her, he glanced down to stare at the side of her face before his own eyes roamed over to the phone. "First new message, received Thursday, April 27th, at 8 o'clock, PM." Once the message began, it was nothing but silence, the soft humming from the machine being the only noise, until an unfamiliar voice began to speak.

"Hello... Miss Silvera..."

Jenna felt her heart sink into her stomach as she listened to this random man's voice. The pitch of it was slightly higher, but while his words came out sounding shaky, his voice had an odd soothing and gentle tone to it as well. The recording went quiet again, and Jenna finally leaned away from the table.

"It's probably just somebody calling for my mom," Jenna said as she took a step back from the table, suddenly uninterested to hear what the rest of the message was. But she noticed how Isaac was keeping his eyes focused on the phone now. He hadn't missed the fact that this random man had said 'miss' Silvera. Because of this, Isaac felt as though this message hadn't been for Mrs. Silvera...

Jenna hesitated for a minute before she pointed her thumb toward the stairs. "I-I'm gonna go run up and find a-"

"You don't know who I am... but I know a lot about you... Jenna..."

Jenna immediately froze as soon as she heard her name, and when Isaac glanced up to look at her, she hadn't even noticed this as she began to step forward to the phone again.

"It was all because of your good friend, Rodger here, that I learned about you. He was... more than willing to fill me in about you, Jenna, but his parents weren't as... willing... to talk." The recorded voice took in a shaky breath before he continued, and Jenna felt a chill run up her spine as her lips parted.

"But no matter, talking or no talking... I saved them from themselves. I, Mister Victor Zsasz, granted them a gift, Jenna... a gift that I'm ready to grant your best friend. But upon being here... in this filthy, disgusting and worthless house!" The voice shouted suddenly, causing Jenna to jump, but as the man took in a few, steadying breaths, he immediately continued in a gentler tone of voice. "I came to realize that you... are who I am really seeking. I've been away for some time now, you see... and I decided to have a little... fun with this. I may spare your friend, or I may not, but the rule of the game is simple. If I don't hear from you within the next twenty-four hours... your friend will blissfully suffer in my hands due to your mistake. It is the ultimate sacrifice... and I must admit, I cannot wait to see how this plays out..." The voice paused to take in another deep breath, and Jenna felt herself melting into a puddle on the floor. But before she or Isaac could reach out to stop the message, the voice began to speak again.

"The mark – your mark... is calling me, Jenna... And I will not be denied it..."

The recording stopped, and as silence filled the house, Jenna reached out to place her hands on the table to steady herself while Isaac glanced over to her.

"Who is that?" He asked, his voice completely gone of any playfulness, and instead had been replaced solely with a serious harshness.

"I-I don't know," Jenna replied, completely baffled and scared by this sudden happening. This random, creepy guy had Rodger and was supposedly prepared to kill him if Jenna didn't comply with his demands. Her breath became hitched in her throat as she closed her eyes, and suddenly she thought back to her dream. She was able to recall nearly every detail: how scared Rodger had been, his pleas, his gruesome death... Now it seemed as though her dream was about to become some sort of sick reality. She couldn't let Rodger die, she wouldn't, especially after it seemed his parents had already passed on. He didn't deserve it. He had been her only friend...

"Isaac," Jenna immediately began as she turned to him. "We've gotta go-"

"No," he interrupted quickly.

"But he has Rodger! I can't just let-"

"I said no, Jenna," Isaac repeated as he immediately began for the door. "Go get your coat, then we're leaving." He turned away from her to peer out of the door, looking side to side, ensuring they were still alone.

"I don't care about the damn coat anymore, Isaac, please!" Jenna's eyes widened as she took a step closer to Isaac, who had since then been standing by the door, waiting for her. He kept his eyes focused on hers, and Jenna shook her head slightly. How could he just stand there and easily decide not to do anything about this? "He lives right down the street, please can't we just-"

"Do you want the coat or not Jenna? That is the reason we came here, regardless of... that," he trailed off slightly as he turned his head away. But when Jenna remained silent, he finally turned back to her. "What's it going to be?"

"I don't care about the coat," Jenna replied in a sterner tone of voice. "Isaac, please just-"

"Let's go then," he interrupted, and before Jenna could get another word in, Isaac was already turning and marching out of the house. Feeling tears burn behind her eyes, Jenna forced them to stay at bay as she unwillingly following him out of the door, and she fumed silently to herself as they approached the fence. It wasn't fair. How was it that when Jenna wasn't even near somebody, they still ended up getting hurt? Assuming this random man was with Rodger right now, they still had an opportunity to save him. This didn't mean Jenna had to sacrifice herself, for she knew Isaac would be more than capable of putting an end to this Victor Zsasz guy. After, they would leave, and Rodger still wouldn't know where Jenna had gone. It would work out so well, and it would severely help Jenna in knowing that Rodger wasn't in danger anymore. Why wasn't Isaac willing to help her with this, of all things?

Isaac remained silent as they both climbed the fence, and as soon as they had reached his truck, he yanked open his door, got in, and started the car all in the same motion practically. Jenna was shaking her head to herself as she closed her door, and in a desperate attempt to get through to Isaac, she turned to him.

"Isaac, please just listen to me. I don't understand why we can't just go there real quick and make sure everything is okay, just to see-"

"We can't, Jenna, because it is not an order, and it would put you in danger," Isaac replied as he threw the truck in gear, and he immediately began to take off down the street. Jenna remained staring at him, her brows furrowing in frustration.

"So what, because this isn't one of Bane's orders you can't help me?"

"When I'm with you, I have only one lasting order, to keep you alive," he said. "Assuming that guy is there, I'm not going to chance it. Regardless of what happens to Rodger."

"Isaac, I know you don't know him or care but he's my friend. He-"

"Yeah, some friend he is, ratting you out to that psycho guy, Jenna, can't you see that?"

"He didn't!" Jenna practically shouted at him as her body began to shake, even though she couldn't be sure of this. "Isaac please, Bane's orders or not, we have to help him! Please!"

"I will not go against Bane, whether he has given me an order or not," Isaac nearly shouted at her himself, and as the after effect of his voice faded from the cab, Jenna gnashed her teeth together as she turned to face forward, her arms crossed now.

"You have before..." she mumbled to herself as she glanced out of the window, positive that she had said this only in her head, but next to her ,Isaac's head whipped around to face hers.

"What?" He asked, glancing at the road for a moment before he looked back to the back of Jenna's head. "What did you say?" He wasn't sure why he was even asking this. He had already heard her, but something inside of him wanted to hear her say it again, just so he could be sure. "Jenna-"

"I said you've fucking done it before, Isaac," Jenna replied quickly as she turned to face him with raging eyes. "Don't look so surprised, Isaac, I was there." Jenna shook her head, feeling hurt swarm her. She didn't want to argue with Isaac, let alone yell at him, but she couldn't help the scared and hurt emotions that now had a dominate hold on her. She wanted to save Rodger, but she was beginning to realize she wouldn't be able to...

Isaac was staring at her still with wide eyes, and when he finally turned back to the road he felt a shock run up his spine and sting his neck. He reached his hand up to run it over the area before he slammed his hand back down onto the wheel, unsure really as to why they had even been arguing. Surely, Jenna had to realize why he couldn't just swing by Rodger's house. Bane knew nothing of this situation, he hadn't ordered Isaac to do anything about it, and he still had to prepare for tomorrow at the warehouse. But suddenly he could not get Jenna's comment out of his head.

You have before...

–

The ride back to the warehouse was as silent as ever. Isaac kept the radio off as he drove silently, speeding down the roads as the sun began to set, while Jenna kept her gaze focused out of the window, her arms crossed as she bounced along silently in the cab. She felt hurt, she felt scared, and she felt guilty for what she had yelled at Isaac. They had gotten past that betrayal, both with Bane, and with themselves. She had said that in the heat of the moment; she had been angry that Isaac was unwilling to help her, though as the ride went on, she began to understand why he couldn't. Still, she wanted to take it back, but the longer she went without talking, the more an apology seemed irrelevant. She had said it, she had meant it, and now there was really no taking it back.

Jenna's words repeated in Isaac's mind over and over during the entirety of the drive. The trip had been primarily pointless, he realized. On one hand, Jenna hadn't even gotten a new coat, but on the other hand, he had learned of a new, developing situation, and while it was random, it definitely had the opportunity of becoming dire. He wasn't worried about Rodger. He was somewhat worried about this Victor guy coming after Jenna. But he knew he didn't stand a chance. He didn't know where Jenna was, nobody did, and Victor would have a rough time going through Isaac and Bane. But even though Jenna would remain safe, he knew he had to tell Bane about the incident.

By the time he pulled up to the garage and shut off the engine, Isaac felt as though he was ready to speak to her about what to do with the situation. Even though he was not prepared to help Rodger, truthfully he had come to dislike seeing Jenna upset. "You should talk to Bane about it, see what he says. That's what I'm going to-"

"I was already planning on it," Jenna returned coldly as she pushed open her door, and Isaac watched her with parted lips as she immediately began toward the exit door, her stride long and angry, her hips swaying side to side as she grew further away. Isaac watched her go for a minute before he let out a sigh, and as soon as he took out the keys from the ignition he pushed open his own door.

The only thing on Jenna's mind at this point was saving Rodger, and the thought kept her from realizing what she was doing, or how fast her feet were carrying her. Before she knew it, she was stopping at Bane's open door, and with her lips thinned, she immediately raised her fist to knock on the frame of the door. Bane immediately appeared from the other side of the room, but Jenna had no interest in wondering what he had been doing. Bane kept his eyes focused on her as he approached, able to tell immediately that something was wrong.

"Where's your coat?" He wondered.

"Somebody left a message at my house," Jenna began, ignoring his question, and finally, as the weight of the realization of what she was doing fell upon her, she took in a shaking breath as she glanced down. "It was some guy, threatening to kill Rodger..."

"Your friend?" Bane confirmed, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared down at her. He watched Jenna nod before she finally glanced up at him.

"He said if I didn't contact him within twenty-four hours of the message, he was going to-"

"You?" Bane repeated. "As in you contact him specifically?" He watched Jenna nod, and he narrowed his eyes on her, baffled by this random situation. "What was his name?" He asked.

As soon as Jenna opened her mouth to speak, a different voice interrupted her.

"He said his name was 'Victor Zsasz," Isaac answered as he approached the two. Bane glanced up while Jenna looked over her shoulder, and she let out a breath through her nose as she turned away. "He called yesterday at 8 PM, and left a message explaining the developing situation."

"Which is...?"

"He has her friend held up at his house," Isaac went on as he motioned to Jenna. "He's killed her parents, and is waiting to kill the boy until he hears from Jenna, via phone call or a visit in person. I've never heard of this guy before. He's going specifically after Jenna."

As Jenna listened to Isaac go on, she began to realize he was speaking to Bane as if she wasn't there, and she most certainly was not about to fade away from the dire topic at hand.

"I need to know if he's alright," she quickly chimed in as she turned around before staring at Bane, and when both he and Isaac looked at her she went on. "He's my friend, and it's not fair that he has to suffer."

Bane couldn't have asked for a more random situation to develop, even if he tried, and he was definitely not pleased with the timing of this current one. Bane glared down at her for another moment before he turned back to Isaac. "How did this person learn of her?"

"The boy, I'm guessing. He must have told him about her, in hopes of saving himself."

Jenna's jaw dropped as she looked at Isaac then back to Bane. "We don't know that," she immediately started. "Bane please, I-"

"I will not have you visiting a man that is set on killing you, Jenna. And I most certainly will not send my men out on something so trivial."

"Trivial?" Jenna repeated as she took a step closer. "This is my friend's life we're talking about! I-"

"It is a matter of yours as well, Jenna. As for right now there is nothing I am willing to do. Was anybody else around the house?" Bane asked as he turned back to Isaac.

"By the time you want to it could be too late!" Jenna argued as she took another step forward, but as soon as she did, Bane caught a swift hold of her upper arm, and Jenna flinched as he calmly forced her to turn around. He gently pushed her into his room, and without a word he closed the door. Jenna's jaw hanging slack, she immediately turned around to face the door, instinctively reaching out to turn the handle, but she stopped just before her hand could touch it, her mind warning her that would be a terrible idea. Closing her mouth and grinding her teeth together, she listened to Isaac's voice as he and Bane began to walk away.

"The house and surrounding area were empty... we..." Isaac's voice faded away, and as soon as Jenna could hear nothing but the sound of their retreating footsteps, she rolled her eyes to herself as she turned to take a step forward into the room. It seemed as though she had been getting through to Bane, or at least had had his full attention, but as soon as Isaac approached them, his attention on her was lost. Of course Bane would take Isaac's word before Jenna's, she knew and understood this, but she knew Isaac would explain the situation in such away to make it seem less dire than it really was. Jenna paced around the area in front of the door for a minute as she let her mind run free, wondering what that guy was doing with Rodger right now. Bane had said he was unwilling to do anything for right now. Did that mean Jenna still had time? Was she running out of time? Was she too late...?

Swallowing, Jenna finally plopped down on Bane's side of the bed, but as soon as she realized where she had sat, she immediately scooted over to her side of the bed, and she shook her head to herself as she crossed her arms, her back leaning against the pillow. How could she sit by idly while her friend was in danger? Why couldn't Bane – especially Isaac – realize how important this situation was to her? Now, how could either of them expect her to try her hardest tomorrow when her mind would be focused solely on this?

Whatever it was that they were discussing, Jenna hoped they would make the right decision...

---

As always, thank you so much for the reviews and support guys. I can't even begin to describe how much it all means to me. Please leave me a review with your thoughts, I wanna know how you feel about Victor Zsasz suddenly coming into play! If you'd like, you can find a list of links to my facebook and various other Tumblr accounts. Add or follow me! I love talking to my readers!

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!