It is also kind of the calm before the storm because this story is coming to a close and I am not sure if this chapter is too quick or jumbled, but I hope it is perfect for a good build up. This chapter actually is inspired by one of my favorite songs, but the remix version. The lyrics are delish and I feel like they go really well with the story. The song is:

La Roux - In For the Kill (Skream Remix)

Enjoy!

P.S. I hid an allusion in here to, if someone can find it I will see about making another lemon one-shot on the side for Ren and Bane. Whence the story is finished, of course.

Chapter 18: Kill

Ren was yet to open her eyes, simply out of fear that she would not find who she had fallen asleep with. She had heard no breath alongside her, she had felt no warmth at her backside, no skin on skin contact, but she wished for a moment that he would be there. Instead she amused herself with the idea that he was there, that he hadn't turned back into a monster, or fly away like Cupid. But the smile that caressed her sleepy features danced off of her lips and traveled away, somewhere she would never find it again.

He wasn't there, she knew he wasn't there and he certainly wasn't in the bathroom showering, or in the kitchen making food. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew. It wasn't just a sense, it was a deep feeling, a wrench painfully unscrewing her heart from its place in her chest. She tightened her grip on the white covers that she held firmly to her chest, her back facing the other side of the bed. Her eyes clenched shut and her lips started to tremble, with her eyes still closed a senseless tear came down from the very rim of her right eye. In her sideways position it slid down her cheek, leaving a river in its wake. She sniffled and wiped it away with the sheets, slowly rising up and turning her body straight. She didn't open her eyes, she held the covers right to her breasts and with one hand reached for the other side of the bed. Her hand went through thin air until her palm touched the inner side of cold snowy fabric. Her eyelids bated over her vision before creaking open, her body trembling as her tear stained face came upon the barren spot beside her. She gulped and then averted her gaze to the blank wall ahead of the foot of the bed.

R'as al Ghul had told her that everyone had their balancing point and that his was his daughter. The balancing point is something that brings you both pain and joy, how Ren had associated this pond with those things in her life she had never known.

Ren's mind had drifted to the pond as words as clear as day came running through her mind.

She had thought of many reasons as to why the pond signified such things to her and most importantly it signified more. This was where R'as had taught her how to fight with a katana, this was where she ran off to when Bane had yelled at her for not completing her duties...

Bane.

...then of course this was a pond.

Bane was her balancing point; he was there to test her, there to force her past her limits. He was there to bring heartbreak, to make her sad, to make her strong and independent. He was there to throw her in a pit, there to hug her and protect her. He had always been her balancing point, it was never the pond. It was him.

"Master, if you could go back in time and change your life, what would you do differently?" Ren had said.

"There are moments in which I wish I could go back in time and take all the sadness away, but I have a feeling that if I did, all the joy would be gone with it."

...

She didn't have to see to know who it was, the sound of an inverted breath and the feel of strong bricks beneath her was enough to give her a hint. It was Bane and instead of guarding Talia as he should have been, he had been guarding her.

He had been there for her ups and downs, he had been there to tell her the truth and one day he would be there to tell her he loved her. But he didn't promise and that made her hurt. Then again, that meant nothing, he brought her happiness and that made her forget the hurt. It made her forget the scar on her abdomen, the darkness in the pit of her soul, the loneliness. It made her remember that she was still a human, sometimes she would forget that fact.

Ren wiped her tears away with a shaky finger, she stood up from the bed, the sheets crawling from her body with silent cries.

Her eyes darted to the case at the corner of the room. Empty. And then she remembered that the swords had been left on the kitchen counter after... Ren tried not to blush as memories came surging back between her nerves, she had more important matters to handle.

She then began searching the floor for her discarded garments; underwear was all that she could find in the bedroom so she went on her way towards the kitchen. She remained cautious, she wouldn't make the same mistake as last night. Although not recognizing that another was in the penthouse was perhaps that one mistake she would never regret.

She tiptoed into the kitchen area, bare with only her underwear on. She picked her bra up off of the floor, then her leggings and her long-sleeved shirt. She wondered why Bane hadn't had the manners to pick them up for her before he left. He was in a hurry, the recesses of her mind assured her. He regretted nothing. Right?

She felt a slight pinch of sorrow at her back at the delicate remembrance that he had left her to awaken alone. Once she was dressed in her attire she had managed to find her boots neatly sitting side by side on the counter beside her swords. She was grateful that Bane hadn't taken them with him in retaliation of her and whatever she might have done to make him leave. She shook her head, he couldn't have left because of her, right? She tried to push all thoughts of him away, she really needed to focus on the tasks at hand.

She slid on her boots and tucked the leggings in before grabbing the sheath and wrapping it around her shoulder. She then began towards the elevator, subconsciously pressing the button that had been stained by her fingerprints many times over. She did everything out of pure routine, she had been down this elevator a lot before the events of the pit. However, she realized that this would be the last time she would ever set foot in this exact elevator, more likely this exact building.

She didn't flinch when the elevator called her name and opened up to the icy lobby of the tower. She saw familiar faces; mercenaries, members of the league of shadows, individuals that had respected her, individuals that thought she was dead. They looked on, straight faces turning into wide eyes and dropped jaws. She tried to pay no attention to them, she needed to meet up with Foley and the other officers. They were so stunned that no one apprehended her as she crossed the distance from the elevator to the clear glass doors. Some of them gulped as she passed, others kept their lips tight and their expressions only as shocked as they allowed, but the surprise written between the lines was obvious.

Exiting the building released a weight on her chest that she hadn't known was there, it made her look back once to the past and then forward to the task at hand. John would have released the police officers already and Foley would be preparing them for the biggest fight Gotham would ever see: to the courthouse she went.

Judgement day. Empty streets, dust in the air, snow lining the sidewalks, God silently whistling the tune of death. Ren was familiar with the day, the time of day as the sun peeked over the high skylines, and the exact moment the tip of her boot touched cold asphalt. She wasn't rushing with her steps, focused and patient as she crossed a series of streets and alley ways to get to her destination.

Her steps were interrupted by a familiar face: John, he was making his way back from the tunnels leading into the sewers. The cops were out and they were ready. He saw her from across the street, just down that street would be the courthouse. It was unusually silent at the courthouse, not a soul roamed aside from the few mercenaries that were patrolling, a majority of them inside the building. It was no surprise to Ren, why would anybody waste their time with politics and justice on their last day?

John grabbed her arm and pulled her into an alley way as he came up by her side with one steady stride.

"Where were you?" He asked with a worried undertone, she parted her lips to say something, but her throat closed up and no words came out. He shook his head breathlessly, the exhaustion and adrenaline alike weighing down on him. "I've been looking all over for you. Come on, we have to go get people out of here." John tugged on her arm, but she wouldn't budge.

"I have to stay here John and fight. I went to retrieve these." She pulled her arm gently from John's grasp and brought it up to grab a handle of one katana. She slid it up from its sheath at her back, it made a sifting noise once free of its home.

"Are you crazy? They have rifles, turrets, and tanks, while you brought swords." Ren didn't reply and sheathed the blade again. "Look, the men don't have weapons. This is a suicide mission, we need to go and get the kids out of here before the bomb goes off."

"I'm sorry, John, but I came here with a task and I intend on completing it. Go." She placed a hand on his shoulder and nudged him in the direction he had been going. "Save them."

"What about you? What if you don't make it?"

"Sometimes you have to have faith in the impossible." She said, then turned and continued towards the courthouse. John watched as she left shortly after, then he went sprinting in the direction of the orphanage. The mercenaries had started to exit the building in masses as the officers began to form an army not far from the steps themselves. The crowd of Gotham's finest parted as she made her way towards the front, to her surprise there stood Foley.

"How nice it is to see you again?" He greeted with a strong reluctance. Her lip quirked up and she shook her head, stopping beside Foley to scan the defensive populous of mercenaries. He eased his glove-clad hands over the creases in his uniform, sweat pouring from his brow in the cool air.

"We might die today." She said softly, Foley's expression showed unease at her words. He glanced over at her to find that she was completely stoic, her eyes narrowed in their destination.

"I k-know." He stuttered out with a sigh. "I said my goodbyes." He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"At least you have people to say goodbye to." She replied, trying hard not to remember Bane's absence that morning.

"I just wanted to say..." He cleared his throat and straightened his arms at his sides. "Thank you."

"For what?" He shrugged.

"For helping us fight back."

"But I am the reason you are here." She retorted, tilting her head in his direction for an answer. He was staring at her with a firm expression, shaking his head.

"We both know that's not true." Foley had grown to respect Ren and to her that was important. She crossed her arms, no more words were needed, more mercenaries pouring out of the courthouse. Tanks rolled in, directing their turrets towards the officers. Barsad peaked out from the front of the crowd, his rifle hanging across his vest and a speaker phone in hand. The mercenaries began to unite behind him as they too formed an army across from the officers.

"Disperse. Disperse. Or be fired upon." He shouted into the speaker, waiting patiently for the cops to do as he said. Ren took a deep breath and a cautious step forward, the others followed.

"There is only one police in this city." Foley said. Bane exited the courthouse, holding the lapels of his brown coat and watching intently as the crowd moved forward. Ren's eyes locked onto his and the world seemed silent and still for a moment, but Bane quickly looked away, waving his hand.

"Open Fire." He ordered carelessly, before stepping away and back into the courthouse. Ren clenched back tears, her fists tightening at her sides. One of the Tumblers aimed its turret a the army of cops and opened fire, Ren didn't run away as cops flew back several feet and others began to separate from the group. She took another steady step forward, her teeth clenched, she reached up to pull both katanas from their holster on her back. She held them out, the police scattered around. The Bat wing came gliding out over the crowd, it's weapon blasting the two tumblers that had opened fire. The cops collected themselves and began to shout in jumbled words of rebellion throwing their fists in the air. They started sprinting towards the group of mercenaries, the mercenaries doing the same.

This was war.

Ren stopped walking as cops came flooding forward from behind her, one after the other. Her blades remained gripped in her hands as she looked up and saw thrown fists and wild kicks. This battle wouldn't be about how much power one had, but what one could do. Her eyes darted to the stairs of the courthouse.

She had somewhere to be.