~ Florence Nightingale ~

The sky was dark and rain poured when Evelyn awoke late on Sunday morning, and immediately she knew that the day would waste away. She woke up with a decidedly lazy feeling, she did not need to take out her knives, or work out, or go out looking for trouble; she needed to read, reminisce and drink coffee, not laced with some kind of alcohol.

After a leisurely bath, she eventually emerged into her living room at lunch time still wrapped in her favourite powder blue robe, and decided to pour herself over some psychology literature on the couch, and listen to the sound of the rain on the large window. Loathe though she was to admit it, she loved the days when her body was aching to move, when she was chomping at the bit for action. Calm wasn't something Evelyn often felt, but she savoured it when she did.

As so often happened on days like these, she lay back and closed her eyes, book open on her chest as she allowed her mind to wander sentimentally to times that were by no means innocent, but that were by far sweeter.

Back Then

Lisa groaned at the pain in her feet and the inability to walk steady; she bunched her dress in her hands at her knees to keep it from trailing on the floor, the dark purple fabric becoming wet at the ends. It was late at night, and the centre of the city was quiet, save for her and her companion talking and laughing. They passed cafe's and stores, in one of the nicer areas; it was a long walk home.

"I want to find the person who invented heels and fucking skin them." She huffed, her ankle slightly giving for the umpteenth time. She knew the night was cold, but the mixture of alcohol and excitement made her numb to it. The pain her feet though she swore could only be numbed with strong anaesthesia.

"Well they were your idea princess." He said, straightening the front of his suit. "The dress is perfect though."

"Well it was your idea to go to prom." She pointed out.

"One of my best ideas ever." He smiled widely. "Come on, wasn't it worth it to see your old friend Natasha throw up down her $2,000 dress?" He put his arm round her shoulders tightly.

"The arsenic in the punch bowl was a beautiful touch." She admitted, smiling. "But these things are fucking killing my toes."

He sighed and shook his head, looking at her scowl and irritated by the slowness of their pace.

Stopping in his tracks and looking around, he spotted across the street a clothes store with items inside neither of them could afford if they sold their homes. The next moment, he had lifted a heavy looking metal trashcan, and tucked it under his arm.

"What are you doing?" She asked with trepidation.

"C'mere." He walked swiftly across the road and she followed him, frowning in confusion and practically hopping on her shoes.

"Shit!" Lisa yelled in shock, as he had taken the trashcan into two hands, and he tossed it through the clothes store window. The glass shattered into tiny pieces of blue glass and the alarm sounded. He used his foot to kick away the remaining shards in the frame and gestured her inside.

"Any pair you want, thirty seconds or less." He said with a flourish and a wider smile. "You'd think this kind of place would have shutters or something..."

Lisa grinned and lifted her dress to step through the hole, her heart hammering in her chest as she stumbled towards the shoe section through the dark store, and dug through the shelves, throwing aside stilettos, flats, heeled boots, sandals, until she found the most perfect pair. Black, real leather, heavy laced combat boots. She was in love.

"Hurry up sweetie!" He called, the distant sound of police cars echoed through the almost empty streets, and Lisa ran out of the store, boots in her arms. She climbed again out of the broken window, in her haste the bottom of her dress caught on a larger piece of glass, and tore a line down the middle, almost ripping up to her underwear but miraculously stopping just shy.

Laughing, she cursed and gathered up the loose ends. The cars were getting closer, they could see blue and red flashing lights reflected on the windows at the other end of the streets as she kicked off her shoes, and tyres skidded on the ground.

He turned his back on her and looked over his shoulder.

"Hop on, princess." He fiendishly grinned. Buzzing with energy and giggling with a mix of glee and fear, she hopped onto his back, putting her arms round his shoulders and neck, boots tightly in her hand. "Hold on tight." He sent off sprinting down the other side of the street, leaving her old shoes abandoned on the ground, while he ran shockingly fast for a person carrying the weight of two people.

Bouncing and laughing in his ear, Lisa and Jack fled from the sound of sirens.

A Few Years Later

On the night of Joker's mob bank robbery, Evelyn stumbled into the nicer of her apartments, her vision swimming and the reek of beer, whisky and several other alcoholic drinks emanating off her. It had taken her several attempts to get the key in the door, and when she did she leaned her whole weight on the wood, falling into the dark living room. She giggled to herself, resting her forehead on the wood.

"Honey, I'm home!" She called, and 'honey' emerged from the bedroom, purple suit on but jacket thrown somewhere in the dark. She slammed the door closed.

"Are you drunk, Evie?" He cocked his head, combing his green hair away from his face.

She cocked her heavy head at him. "A tad."

He chuckled and stood directly in front of her, holding his arms out. The makeup on the right side of his face had rubbed off slightly, probably on her clean white pillow, and his hair was stuck up on one side. He grabbed sleep when he could, usually in bursts of an hour. It never failed to amaze Evelyn how long he could operate on barely any rest.

"Celebrating my victory, sweetheart?" He allowed her to fall into his chest slightly, draping her arms over his shoulders, and moving her face close to his.

"Yes." She breathed.

"Were ya proud of me?" He rested his hands on her waist, moving closer to her lips.

"Incredibly." She leaned further into him.

"You looked good in a clown mask." He said.

"Hmm..." She tiredly agreed and he kissed her hard, squeezing her before stepping back suddenly and causing her to fall heavily forward onto the ground.

"HA HA HA!" He cackled, doubling over as she hissed when her knees and hands broke her fall. She laughed as well, too dizzy and numb to care. Resting her head on the floor between her hands, he, still laughing at his own trick, knelt down beside her on the ground. "Y'know, drinking's bad for your health." He put his hand on her back of her head and stroked her hair haphazardly.

"So's knocking a professional killer to the ground you piece of shit." She grinned into the floor.

"Calm down pudding pie, it was funn- Oof!" Joker fell down backwards behind her when she drove her elbow sharply into his groin. She was properly laughing now, and through his groans so was he. She turned round on the wood floor and looked at him on his back, while he grinned up at the ceiling.

"I'll fucking kill you if you play me like that again you bastard." She crawled between his bent legs and put her hands either side of his torso. He put his hands under her armpits and expedited her trip by tugging her up so she fell entirely on top of him and they were face to face again, just horizontal.

"Will you kill me, angel?" He put his hand around her neck gently, not squeezing, just holding. "Or will I kill you?" His palm stayed on her throat.

She blinked heavily. "Do I have to pick one?"

"Yyyyyes." He ran his thumb over her bottom lip.

Thinking for a moment, as much as she possibly could in her state, she pursed her lips.

"I'd rather kill you."

"Really?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah I've seen you kill people sweetie, it's fucked up." She raised her eyebrow.

He laughed, moving his hands to her hair again and running his fingers through.

"I wouldn't kill you nasty, Evie. I'd make it quick and painless." He leaned up and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Such a romantic." She kissed him a little harder. "Glad to know I wouldn't be getting a smile on my face." Kiss.

"You've already always got a smile on your face." Kiss. "And I like it just the way it is, even when your lips have gone blue and there's worms in your eye sockets."

Evelyn chuckled against his mouth and they kissed like that for a while, he occasionally slipped his mouth to her jaw, and she to his, knowing she would be covered in greasepaint by the time they were done. He ran his hands down her back, and to her butt which he squeezed.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he spoke matter-of-factly. "Lie down I wanna fuck you now."

"Has thinking about me dead got you all hot and bothered?" She chuckled as he turned them over and positioned himself above her.

"No, it's made me wanna feel you at your most alive." He tugged his tie open. "I like you when your skin's hot."

By the time the sun had gone down in the evening, Evelyn had brought herself to put on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, (black, as all her clothes were), and found herself in front of her computer, drinking another cup of coffee and frowning at the screen. She was looking into John Daggett and his recent exploits, superficially only finding a few Gotham news websites speaking of his advancements in construction.

"Someone's suddenly awfully interested in cement." Looking over yet another news page she read. "John Daggett, CEO of Daggett Industries has created hundreds of new jobs, in his expansion of his truck driving workforce, transporting cement round the clock to various businesses."

Frowning, she took off her glasses and put them on the table.

'He's only been doing this for the last few months, since Bane started working with him.'

Standing quickly, Evelyn left her computer and found her boots by the door. She had somebody to visit.

Taking the bike, it took her barely any time to get to Bane's apartment, (she was hoping he was there and not languishing in the sewers), and she walked through the entirely empty, derelict building to his door. It was perfect for Bane, the place looked as uninhabited as the rest of the building; the number on the door had even dropped off, making it entirely anonymous.

Knocking heavily on the door, she called: "Open sesame handsome, it's me!"

There was moment's pause before she heard the clunking footsteps from inside begin to approach the door. She faintly heard the scrape of the keyhole cover as he confirmed her identity, before the rattling of the locks could be heard, and the door opened.

Bane was already walking away when she entered, but she saw him holding his right hand with his left, and for a second caught site of blood running from his knuckles to his elbow. Frowning, she looked around for a victim and found it. A round hole in the wall between the living room and his bedroom had been knocked through, and bits of spackle and paint littered the floor around it.

"Shit, what games have you been playing?" She asked, frowning at the hole, and remembering when she had fought him. The man had obviously always held back with her, the wall was not a thin one.

The as usual stoic Bane did not reply, but moved calmly to the kitchen, taking from an otherwise empty cupboard a small green first aid kit and unzipping it. She didn't speak for a moment as he took out a rolled bandage, and began to wrap it round his knuckles. His work was clumsy though, as he was obviously not left handed and though Evelyn wasn't a medical doctor, it bothered her that he had not cleaned the wound.

Sighing, she walked over to him. "Okay, come here." She said, picking up the bag before he could protest and putting it on the kitchen table.

"I don't need your help." He did not speak cruelly, or even particularly rudely, his voice was calm.

"You 100% do, now please humour me. I'm in a good mood today." She said impatiently, taking from the bag a bottle of iodine and setting it on the table. He let out a long breath through his mask, before eventually conceding and walked over to the table, sitting down across from her.

"Thank you." She said with an exaggerated nod, and unscrewed the iodine. "This might sting." Her warning was met by a cold stare, and she smiled slightly to herself, before pouring a bit of the iodine onto a piece of cotton wool. Evelyn held out her hand for his, and he rested it on the table in front of her.

"So, bloody knuckles and a hole in the wall, what's that about?" She asked as she tabbed the grazed across all four knuckles and the bottoms of his fingers, watching his reaction. He didn't wince when the blue liquid touched his skin.

"It is of no importance." He said flatly.

"Your boss giving you trouble?" She smirked.

"I do not have a 'boss.'" He said firmly, continuing to meet her eye.

"Yeah you do." She said when he had barely finished his sentence. Bane was a little surprised by her insistence, and raised his eyebrow at her. "I might be nuts but I'm not stupid."

Setting down the soiled cotton wool on the table, she picked up a fresh packet of gauze and opened it with her teeth, allowing the silence between them to sit while she sat the plastic aside with the cotton wool. She gently picked up his heavy hand. It was the first time they had touched in a none combative situation since their initial handshake. His skin was hot, obviously from whatever had got his heart pumping before. It also occurred to her how small her hands were in comparison.

When she began to wrap the gauze, far more tightly than he had around his knuckles, she was shocked when he spoke.

"My associate has changed our plans without informing me and I was... Displeased." He gestured to the wall with his free hand.

"You could break your associate's neck..." She suggested lightly. He looked away and back at her, a look in his eyes for a split second that she couldn't place.

"No. That is not an option this time." He said. To her, he sounded tired, something she had not heard from him before. What ever had gone on between him and his 'associate,' had obviously effected him, and in a way she was glad that something could shake him.

After finishing his wrapping, she secured it with a piece of paper tape, the neat bandages perfectly in place.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

"Just call me Florence Nightingale." She grinned, letting go of his hand.

Bane experimentally flexed his fingers, and began to clear up the table.

"So," she sat back in her chair, "Cement?"

He paused in picking up the cotton wool and and the spare bandage that he had abandoned. "Excuse me?"

Evelyn smiled at his disconcertion, another rarity from him.

"I looked into Daggett's projects over the last few months, from since you started working with him, and he's become heavily involved in various construction companies, particularly with an emphasis on cement." She stood up from the table and walked to the adjoining kitchen. "Now what could that be about?"

"You are quite the investigator." He said, handing her the trash to throw away.

Dumping the trash in the can, she shrugged. "Well I was having a lazy Sunday, thought I'd try and get my head screwed on a little straighter while I had some time to kill." She was then opening and closing the cupboards. "Do you have any other food than high fibre cereal?" She held up the box with disgust.

There was a pause in which he watched her move round the kitchen, heavily banging drawers as she opened and closed them.

"Eating is rather a more complicated process for me than you." He said eventually.

Raising her eyebrow and pointing at his mask, she cocked her head.

"Maybe I should get me one of those, get rid of some of this muffin top I'm starting on." She tapped her side, which he had notice no change in. The rain lashed the window heavily, and the wind whistled through the gap in the frame. The place was old and falling apart, so it was not surprising that the whole room quickly cooled down when the wind picked up. Evelyn opened the fridge and found a shelf full of beers that she had left.

"Aww, you kept my beers." She grinned, taking one out and cracking it open on the counter. "You wanna try some Chinese food? And we can talk about cement?" She took a long gulp.

Bane's eyes crinkled slightly.

"Is this an effort to see me without my mask?"

"Partly." She admitted, attempting to look coy, leaning on the counter.

Seeming to consider her a moment, he eventually nodded. "As you wish... Order the food." He said, moving his hand. "There is something I would like to speak to you about, and it seems you will stay anywhere where there is food."

"First of all, fuck you. Second of all, you're right. Where can I find a menu?"

After the copious amounts of dishes Evelyn had ordered arrived, she set it out on the dining room table, opening each container and setting down two large plates in their places, as well as forks: Evelyn had never mastered the delicacy and she doubted Bane could hold one without snapping it. He had disappeared into another room, and she loaded both their plates with each meal she had ordered. Her stomach rumbled at the smell of the food.

"I'm going to be such a fat old lady when my metabolism catches up with me." She mumbled to herself.

Bane re-entered the living room, holding a small black leather case. He sat in his chair and she sat in hers and he made a space on the wood and opened the leather case. Inside sat a syringe and a few sealed packets of hypodermic needles, as well as a clear glass vial she recognized immediately. Morphine.

She could feel herself watching him closely, momentarily forgetting about her food as he seemed to forget she was there while he methodically opened the packet and removed the plastic cap from the end of the needle. Then, he unscrewed the vial, morphine filled the syringe. Bane stretched out his left arm and flexed it, until the already rather prominent veins pressed against his skin. Without a wince, he stuck the needle in part way and injected the drug.

There was a moment when he closed his eyes and waited for it to take effect.

Then, he began to take off the mask.

It occurred to her how unceremonious it was. She had known him a few months and never seen his whole face, but now he was going to just take off his mask and eat mediocre Chinese food in front of her. If her life were a movie this would have been a main turning point; there would have been tension building music and she would hold her breath and wait to finally, finally see his face. But this was just normal, he was just doing something that he needed to do like brushing his teeth or going to the bathroom.

Evelyn was finding herself watching him intently, holding her bottle in her hand and keeping any smart comments to herself.

On either side were two metal places with raised circular component, with he tripped with his fingers, seemingly needing to apply some pressure. With a hiss, the metal loosened from the leather enough for him to pull the two pieces apart, while they still stayed connected, and pull the contraption over his head.

Once the mask was off, she found her mind blank of anything funny or clever to say for a moment. There were pink imprint marks on his face where the mask had obviously sat for a while, which would fade in minutes, but she was taken aback by the scars around his mouth and nose. In the time she had known him she had wondered about what was under that mask; what was so ugly and messed up that he had to hide half his face behind leather and metal.

The answer appeared to be a few small white scars peppered around his mouth and nose, save for one deeper pink injury that reached from the bottom of his nostril, over his lips and to his chin. Really, the scars there did not seem that severe; she remembered the scar running down the back of his neck to the bottom of his back though, clearly whatever had happened to him had happened to his whole body. On his face, it was the scar across his lips that was most severe.

'His lips also being some of the fullest I've ever seen on a man.' Evelyn unconsciously licked her own. 'Definitely not ugly. Nope.'

When she found her voice, she made a joke. "That's what all the fuss is about, huh?" She stuck a fork in her noodles and twirled. "I've seen worse."

He didn't reply, but carefully set down the mask on the table and put away the syringe and morphine.

"Can I touch it?" She asked. He looked up at her, raising his eyebrow. It was so odd to be able to read the entirety of his facial expressions when she spoke. Her eyes were on the mask on the table. After considering her for a moment he picked it up and handed it to her.

It was heavier than she expected, it took effort to hold it up in front of her eyes. She couldn't imagine wearing it on her head.

"Wow. The mechanism is so intricate, it circulates and recycles a liquid painkiller from here, I'm guessing," she tapped the mouthpiece with her nail, talking more to herself than to him. "It's released as a gas, and you inhale it directly into your nose and mouth, constantly." When she looked back at him, he nodded in confirmation. She let out a slight breathy laugh, genuinely impressed. "Fucking genius."

Carefully putting it back down, she tucked into her food, shoveling copious of shredded beef in some kind of sauce.

"You should try the chow mein it's the shit." She said through her food.

Bane marvelled at how fast the switch from her speaking like an academic to speaking like Evelyn could be flipped.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full."

Evelyn paused again. His voice was far softer than she expected without the mask, it still rumbled in his chest but it didn't sound menacing, it didn't echo. He just sounded like a mortal man.

Shoving more food in her mouth purposely in the hopes of irritating him further, she spoke again.

"Does it gross you out?" She asked, deliberately muffled and grinning. He didn't reply, but the corners of his mouth did turn up slightly before he began to eat as well. It was comical to her how small the silverware looked in his huge hands and how odd it looked to see him doing something as normal as eating. "First words I hear you say sounding like a normal human and it's a lecture, jeesh." She took a swig of beer. He was drinking water.

"The sound of the mask is part of its appeal." He downed his water quickly, and filled it up again from the pitcher.

"So it's not just functionality, it's theatricality." Evelyn looked at it on the table. "I get that. I think you're pretty intimidating without it though." She gestured to him.

"I would not wear it if it wasn't necessary." He said.

Eating a dumpling, she considered her next question.

"Why do you need it?" She asked, and there was a long pause, he focused on his food. "Look, no jokes or digs, I just want you to talk to me, you know a lot about me, we're having dinner, why have it in silence?"

Bane looked at her for a moment, taking in her rare earnest expression, and sipping his water. He would allow her a small piece of information, he decided.

"I was badly beaten in the prison I was born in, years before my escape. The medicine there was crude and haphazard, and perhaps ended up doing more damage than good. Without the mask I am in constant pain; the injection of drugs helps, but those only last for a brief time, as I'm sure your medical experience will tell you." He explained.

Evelyn felt a jolt in her stomach. "You were born in a prison?"

"Put there is a child, to serve out my father's sentence." He said calmly.

"What the fuck kind of place was this?" She frowned.

"It is known as the Pit, a place where many men are thrown and left to die. A true prison." He said, meeting her eye. "Escape is nearly impossible."

"In Morocco? I've read about it," she said, "I assumed it was a myth."

"No myth."

"Shit." She stopped eating, but he continued. "So your accent is..."

"As I said, many men are thrown in the Pit, I grew up hearing languages and voices from all over the world."

"That makes sense." She nodded. "And I thought I had a fucked up upbringing."

Again, she coaxed the most imperceptible of smiles from him, and they both continued eating as if they had been talking about the weather. She didn't so much mind the silence at this point, it was a novelty to her to watch him without his mask on; she wanted to commit his face to memory so when the mask was back on, she could picture what he looked like.

She wanted to talk to him too, and decided on a question that had been playing on her mind.

"Who's Batman?" She asked suddenly. He smiled for real; the first time she had seen him do this; his teeth were just slightly crooked, which delighted her for a reason even she didn't know.

"You do not need to know that information yet."

"Okay, just tell me to make me smile then." She shrugged.

"Some other time, perhaps." He said, and both continued to eat until her plate was almost clear; he had seconds and thirds. She was not surprised it took a lot of food to sustain him, and guessed he most likely wasn't able to eat on a whim during the day.

The meal for him was clearly over when he winced and clenched his fist hard on the table. She quickly handed him his mask back, as he clearly fought not to make noise. With his brow furrowed, he placed the mask over his head and covered his mouth, clicking the two metal plates on either side into place, so a faint his could be heard from the contraption.

"Jesus, the morphine didn't even last an hour." Evelyn genuinely pitied him in that moment.

Bane touched the mask, ensuring all was in place. "Indeed. If you have the ability to develop revolutionary pharmaceuticals, let me know."

"Chemistry is not my area of expertise, so I can't help you there." She said, with a small smile.

He nodded, not having actually made the suggestion in seriousness.

"But I might know someone who can help you."

"Truly?" He looked at her. Evelyn thought she sensed hopefulness in his once again rasping, echoing voice.

"Just keep looking into Arkham security." She said, nodding. "And we'll see."

When Evelyn had finished another beer, she checked her watch and realised how long she had spent eating and talking with him.

"Well, it's been fun, you can pay me for dinner whenever." She wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood. "I think it could make things very awkward between us if you owe me money." Picking up her coat and throwing it on her shoulders, she headed for the door.

"Goodbye." He said, not reacting to her rambling jokes. It dawned on her as she approached the door something he had said earlier.

"Wait, when I bandaged your hand you said you wanted to talk to me about something." She straightened the collar of her leather jacket distractedly. "Was that important or can I get to bed?" She spoke distractedly, fully intent on leaving as she put her hand on the door handle.

"Ah yes." Bane said calmly. "Who is Amelia Smith?"

The man could not have said better words to make Evelyn feel as if she had been slapped across the face or punched in the gut. All colour drained from her face, her blood ran cold and she froze facing the door, her fists clenched at her sides.

"What did you say?" She spoke quietly, hoping she had somehow heard him wrong. Her heart hammered in her chest but this was not from excitement or thrill. Turning on the spot to face him, she found him at the table still, looking at her evenly and unperturbed.

"No, go on, ask me again." Each word was bit out, and she closed her eyes, keeping a handle on her fury, as well as the spark of fear that had ignited deep inside her, making her feel sick.

"You do not share a surname with her, but it appears you do share a mother..." He spoke casually, lightly.

'Why is he doing this to me?' She looked at him evenly, but she could feel herself shaking.

"...From who you were estranged," he continued, "So you have never met the child, and yet you frequently deposit money in a bank account for her. Very strange indeed."

His willingness to eat with her and remove his mask suddenly had a very obvious motive.

"This is why you've been so chummy tonight, isn't it? Why you've been so fucking talkative with me." She put her hand on her forehead, angry with him but more so with herself and embarrassed at how easily she was fooled.

Once again he did not answer.

"What do you want from me? Do you wanna here my family history, huh? Well you're not gonna get it, I think you know e-fucking-nough already." She pointed at him harshly.

"I will find our whether you tell me or not." He said simply.

"Find out what?" She snapped.

"Why you have taken interest in this half sister you have never contacted." He said. "Why you paint yourself as a cold unattached killer but still secure a future for a child. That is what I will find out: whether or not you truly do have a heart hidden somewhere."

Evelyn had no argument, because he was right. How could she not tell him what he wanted to know? He had done his homework and he could hurt her now. She sighed, and ran her hands through her hair, so terrified that she could tear it from the roots.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you the whole boring story motherfucker." She took off her jacket and dumped it roughly on the table in a heap. "Amelia was born when I was busy burning down the city with Joker, and then my useless mother killed herself when the kid was only a baby."

"And why did you choose to help the child?"

"Because she is my sister." Evelyn said through her teeth. "And no fucking amount of murdering, torturing or stealing can stop me caring about what happens to that little girl." She sat at the table and ran her fingers through her hair again. "I don't know why I care, but I do." She looked at him. "And that's it."

'Stop talking, you're going to get upset and then you'll have to fucking kill yourself.'

"As far as anyone looking from the outside is concerned she's an orphaned kid with no family to members to speak of. Bar one. Doctor Evelyn Mason, rich sister who prefers to keep her distance from her estranged family but who puts money into a bank account for her periodically." She tapped her finger on the table, not meeting his eye.

"When she turns 18 and leaves the orphanage she'll 'inherit' a lot of cash from a family member she never met and who doesn't even have the same surname as her, and that's all she'll know." Bane watched Evelyn's face as she spoke, showing more emotion than he'd ever seen her show.

There was upset evident in her eyes, and that was what he had wanted, but it did not please him to see.

"Have you met her?" He asked.

Evelyn laughed dryly. "Of course I haven't met her. As if I would risk that." She chewed the inside of her mouth. "Putting her in that orphanage when I was sent a letter asking what I wanted done with my sister from that fuck up of a family; keeping my distance from her for her whole life; not even owning a picture of her." She looked genuinely pained, and the feeling in Bane's chest at the sight of her heartache was strange to him. "It was all to keep her safe."

"Safe from what?"

"Safe from ME!" She hammered her hands frustratedly on the table. "Safe from people like Scarecrow, Joker, Gamble, Falcone, Maroni, you." She spat. "Safe from every fucking nutjob and piece of shit in this city; people who wouldn't hesitate hurting a child to get to me. Hell, putting money in that account for her was a risk 'cause as you've proven, it's not impossible to find out who Ms. M is." Evelyn looked at her hands on the table. "I have got a lot of blood on my hands, but I will not have hers on my hands, I will not."

There was a long silence in which neither person spoke, and the only sound in the room was the hiss of Bane's mask . Evelyn could not look him in the eye, she just kept looking at a fixed point on the table, her entire body feeling both burning hot, but like she needed to shiver. The feeling of being totally drained enveloped her as well, she had just poured out to him everything she had tried to keep secret, the most important of her secrets, and she felt weak.

Bane stood slowly from his place at the table and she tensed up, she was already prepared to stab him in the neck if she had to. In that moment she wanted to.

"Does it frighten you that I know who she is?" He asked with a softness that surprised her.. She had barely noticed that he was now standing only a few paces beside her. Feeling the need to be eye level with him, she stood, tilting her chin up, and made herself look him in the eye.

"It does," She said bitterly. "And that's exactly what you wanted, isn't it?"

Once again he did not speak, just looked as her eyes icily stared him down in hatred. He knew fear when he saw it though, he knew he had found her weak spot, and was again wondering why it did not please him. Slowly his hand rose to her face, where he ever so gently touched her cheek with his bare knuckles, and her she flinched slightly. Evelyn was not sure what was happening, his skin created a searing heat and though he was being gentle, she could feel the strength behind his touch, it came off him like palpable energy. His eyes bore into hers so intently that she thought she would have to back down just to escape form the intensity.

She did not understand this game. Her heart beat harder than before.

"No harm will come to that child." His thumb just slightly brushed her skin. "I swear it." He said, and as Evelyn looked into his eyes, and she listened to his words, she would swear he was telling the truth. Slowly, she nodded, and his hand was gone from her face.

She left the apartment with haste.

Think this might be the longest chapter yet, I hope you're all into that. I'll hopefully have the next chapter out soon, and I'm thinking of having a little look at Bane's point of view for longer periods than the odd sentence.

Please do review this one, I really want to know what people think because I quite enjoyed writing it, and I think there's a nice bit of progression in their relationship that I hope doesn't feel too rushed.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and favourited as usual. x

- L.S.