Chapter Thirteen: The End of Needing to Run

Elka nodded as he squeezed her hand, his strong fingers kneading her skin.

She watched him turn towards the bathroom and remained rooted in place as he tugged on her hand.

He turned back towards her, "are you okay?"

Elka nodded and began to unbutton her ribbed thermal long-sleeved top, "there's no rush to get there," she murmured. Bane felt a rush of adrenalin spread from his brain and leech its chilly fingers through his central nervous system as she continued peeling off her clothes.

Elka watched as he slipped out of his charcoal-grey shirt that fit like a second skin. He let his shirt fall to the floor to land with his discarded jacket. She moved then, suddenly, her fingers driven by anticipation as she unzipped his pants and soon, they fell down his hips to land softly on the floor. Elka licked her upper lip deliberately and stepped close to Bane, she let her hand trace his growing length and closed her hand around his rigidity, squeezing lightly.

Bane murmured something unintelligibly against her ear and pulled her towards the bed. He sat on the side of the bed and pulled her against his warm heavily muscled chest and torso. She took in a sharp breath as he trailed his hands up the outside of her thighs, over her hips and rested on her waist.

"Beautiful," he whispered, mesmerized by the illumination of the juxtaposition of her soft curves and hard lines of her body. "Come here," Bane growled and yanked her towards him until she crawled onto him, ending up with her legs on either side of his thighs. He ran his hands up and down her naked back as she scooted closer to him. Before Elka knew what was happening, Bane pulled her tight against him and shifted them on the bed and she soon found herself lying on her back, looking up into his face.

Bane supported most of his weight with one arm and Elka responded by parting her legs further until he was pressed up against her body, shivering with anticipation at the feel of their bodies touching intimately.

He felt a shiver of anticipation run the length of his body as he slid down in the bed until he could press his lips above her belly button. He licked a warm path along the smooth skin of her belly until she broke out in goosebumps.

"You're choosing to share your life with me?" he murmured against her belly as he smoothed a hand up the inside of her thigh. Bane smiled against her bare skin as he felt a shudder run through her body when she felt his tongue trace a warm line towards her intimate femininity.

"I want you to marry me the day your divorce is final, will you? Will you be my wife?" he added in a choked whisper as he pushed her thighs further apart and teased her wet intimate center with long strokes of his tongue.

"Yes," she issued on a strangled moan as Bane slid his large hands up to cup her breasts. "Yes?" he growled against her wet flesh as he felt her nipples harden under his palms.

Elka managed a nod as he slid his tongue inside her smoothly, tasting her intimate center. Her soft moans made his cock ache and he groaned against her sensitive skin.

Bane smiled against her wet flesh as her flesh twitched under his probing tongue. He slid one hand from her thigh down to his hard cock, painfully rigid as each flick of his tongue pushed her closer to explosive ecstasy. He growled against her intimate skin as she began to gasp and buck her hips to meet his buried face.

He stroked the length of his cock in time with her hips as they rose to meet his face, he knew she was as close to coming as he was. "Let go," he murmured against her wet center and heard her cry out in pleasure before he rose up until he could pull her thighs tight on either side of his hips. Bane reveled in the rapid breathing he coaxed from her as he teased her tight opening with his fingertips.

"Tell me this is what you want," he said on a groan as he pressed his palm over her rapidly beating heart. "I want you to give me all of yourself," he whispered lowly and watched her bite her lower lip.

"I want…this," she gasped as she felt his eager rigidity press against her inner thigh.

His eyes seemed to see inside her as he moved his searing gaze across the blush that brightened her cheeks. Bane felt his scrotum lift and tighten against his body as a spark of fire started in his cock's nerve endings and he let his eyes linger on the hardened peaks of her nipples.

Bane inhaled deeply, feeling a sudden well of emotions. He was filled with a choking rush of vulnerability, feeling like an overturned turtle with its pale belly exposed, buzzards circling overhead. He felt anger and confusion begin to stomp down the naked defenseless sensation.

Elka felt his tension like live wires within his arms and his breath hitched as he stared down at her, searching her face as she returned his gaze, a light sheen of sweat across her forehead. She licked her dry lips nervously as she reached down and closed her warm hand around his throbbing cock and watched as his pupils darkened as she guided his hardness to her wet opening.

"Bane," she whispered and arched her back against him, pressing their bodies closer together. "Please."

All he heard was her genuine want and need in her voice as he gripped her hips hard. "I thought I could take your heart by force, but now I know I can't," he murmured raggedly as he plunged himself deep inside her. "I swear our life together will be a fulfilled one," he said on a ragged moan and got into an easy rhythm of sliding his rigidity in and out of her. He varied his viselike grip on her hips and bumped her cervix as he sank himself inside of her, forcing a gasp from between her lips. Elka surrendered to pleasure of him plunging himself inside her, their intimate flesh wetly kissing.

He fucked her sweetly in deep long thrusts, plunging into her until she was breathless.

Elka let herself be engulfed by the sensation of him as he pushed in and out of her. Bane bent her knees and brought them up to his waist as he increased his rhythm as she lifted her pelvis to meet his. There was no sound except for their breathing as he let himself get lost in the feel of her body. He could feel her body tighten around him and he fought for control.

As she fought her feelings as he filled her, she let her eyes close. "No, stay here with me," he begged and kept his touch on her chin gently as he slowed the movement of his hips. "There you are," he whispered heavily as he filled her with impossible slowness, forcing a low moan from between her lips. "Tell me what I'm making you feel," he ordered with a breathless groan.

"Everything," Elka admitted lowly and repeated herself quickly when he surprised her with a sudden shift in his rhythm. "Everything," she gasped as her body fought a plethora of feelings and emotions from want and need to fear and loneliness.

"I'm the luckiest man in the world," he thought as he sank himself into her fully. Bane kept his eyes on hers as he buried his cock deep inside her, their pubic bones bumping.

Bane was overwhelmed with the feeling of her body gripped tightly around him. Her flesh was smooth under his hands and he wanted to drown in her fully. Elka looked up at him, seeing him for the first time as he filled her intimacy as he moved in and out of her body. His eyes never left hers and she found herself being pulled into the depths of his eyes, drowning in the ocean of pain that he had been swimming in by himself. His past was born in blood and he felt at the moment his orgasm came to fruition that he had found his home.

Bane gripped her body firmly and pushed his hips up against hers until the waves of ecstasy had finished washing over him. Bane carefully rolled them to the side, still firmly sheathed inside her. After his orgasm ebbed, he pulled out of her and wrapped his arms around her tightly, keeping her pressed up against his naked chest.

Elka sighed sleepily as Bane kissed his way along the line of her neck and without pausing, continued kissing a path over the bony prominence of her clavicle and pressed his lips on her sternum. She gasped as his mouth found her nipple, which hardened under the deft movement of his lips. Bane kneaded the supple flesh of her breast as she felt his hot breath against her flesh. He trailed his hands down her waist and settled on her hips as he settled behind her and pulled their naked flesh close.

They sighed simultaneously in contented stereo as he pushed her hair away from the back of her neck and pressed his lips against the base of her skull.

As they each caught their breath, inhaling and exhaling in the sex-scented air, back in Gotham City, Barsad caught up on a few hours of sleep in the cramped cab of his pick-up truck. He had stopped for a break on his way to pick up some surveillance equipment for Bane's last orders.

As Barsad drifted into an exhausted nap, back in the tangled sheets of the hotel bed, Bane's voice broke the silence.

"You're all mine as soon as your divorce is final?"

"Yes," she breathed within the circle of his arms, Thera was certain she felt him smile against her skin before he tugged the linen up and around them.

"Thank you," he whispered and all he let himself feel was her, he allowed himself to get lost in the sight, smell, taste of her before he reluctantly affixed his mask back in place.

They both drifted into an exhausted sleep, locked together, their naked limbs intertwined.

Bane emerged from their collective dreamless sleep first and felt strands of her hair tickling his nose, he slowly extracted himself from around her and walked softly to the bathroom. When he emerged, she was sitting up and tucking the bed linen around herself.

"How'd you sleep?" Elka asked and covered a yawn.

"Very well," he murmured, his gaze grew heavy and coaxed a warm flush to her skin. "And yourself?" he added as he returned to the bed and slid close to her side.

"Fairly well," she said as he pressed a piece of paper into her palm.

"What's this?" she asked as she stared down at the multiple number sequences he had written in blue ink.

"That's the routing and account number of a savings account where we're headed, the Good Justice can transfer your money there."

Elka scanned the numbers as Bane added quickly. "The account only has your name on it."

She raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise, "only me?"

"It's your money," Bane stated factually, "and it is staying your money."

Elka nodded and slipped the torn paper in her oversized handled bag after she glanced at the bedside clock. "I'll call him later; he won't be up yet," she added as she started to climb out of the bed.

Bane nodded, "would you like me to reheat you some coffee?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm going to clean up first," she said.

Bane traced his fingertips along the line of her jaw. "It'll be waiting for you," he murmured.

He watched her gather a couple fresh towels and close the bathroom door behind her.

Bane regarded the closed door for a moment before sorting through a battered duffle bag to find something to change into.

Behind the bathroom door, Elka regarded her reflection and wet the end of a washcloth to rub under her eyes before she cranked the tub's faucet to hot. She had been thinking of a shower and then glanced at the deep porcelain tub and the growth of hair under her armpits. She set a cheap razor on the edge of the tub as it filled and dumped a few capfuls of a rose-pomegranate bubble bath under the flowing water.

Elka caught her nudity in the mirror's reflection. She paused at the sight of her naked state, her eyes running over the bruises, abrasions and oval marks from his fingerprints that were painted across her warm skin. She squeezed her eyes shut as fatigue and repressed achiness caught up to her, a sudden deluge of emotions threatened to smother her, she felt hot tears fill her eyes and run down her face.

"I'm going to miss seeing Albert and his personalized coffee, he's what my dad would've been like," she thought and wiped away a couple tears.

She flinched when he quietly opened the door, also suddenly assessing her bare skin, the imperfections on her flesh from his hands. "I'm sorry," he muttered as he started to leave and pull the door shut.

"Don't leave," she called before the door slammed shut. Bane froze, able to see her through the remaining space in the doorway. "Please come back in here."

"Why do you want me to do that?" he whispered, vulnerability staining each syllable.

"Because someday you're going to be my husband and we're going to have a life together."

Bane pushed open the doorway but kept his body outside, she continued in his silence. "You can and should see everything, the good and the ugly," she said and dropped her hands that she had been crossing over her breasts.

"Nothing about you is ugly," he growled as he walked towards her, slipping off his own clothes until they were both completely bare to each other's eyes and brushed his fingertips against her lips.

Bane held her eyes captive as he easily scooped her up in his powerful arms, soon he was holding her as though she was already his bride and lowered them both into the steaming bubble bath. The translucent bubbles popped when they made contact with their bare skin, the warm air held the heady scent of roses. Bane settled against the tub, the back of his neck resting on the curved edge as Elka shifted in his arms until she could recline against him.

He dropped his arms around her, his hands resting under the water against her belly.

As they soaked in the hot, scented water and Bane pulled her wet, naked body closer, hours away in the posh Gotham City penthouse, Calvin ended the call with the detective in charge of Elka's supposed abduction case. Calvin profusely apologized for wasting the detective's time and energy and casually offered season tickets behind the plate if the detective wanted to root for the home team in style for the season.

As Calvin got into a pressed dress shirt, the not so naturally blonde file clerk slept under the designer duvet cover, Bane and Elka eventually got out of the cooling soapy water and crawled back between the cotton layers of the bed's simple linen.

Bane slept better than he had the entirety of his life, for the first time, no one was in pursuit of him and Talia was dead. She would no longer be able to rail against him with threats and heartless emasculating taunts.

There was no longer a ticking clock, reminding him to keep moving. No urgency to flee, escape or never stop running.

He was free.

She was free.

They were free.

Three Months Later

Downtime Gotham City was buzzing with overzealous conservative pride after the polls closed and news stations were preparing to call the winners.

The election ended with red, white, and blue balloons being dropped on the newly elected Senator Calvin Green. Standing next to him was a striking redhead with a pronounced little belly. She at one point had been an intern in the Justice's office and soon was working overtime for all hours of the night and was set to deliver a summer baby with the good justice.

As Calvin adjusted his flag tie and smiled a wide bleached set of teeth at his delegates, many states away, Bane walked across a lush, fertilized lawn and through a massive garden to the sturdy chicken coop that Elka had disappeared into. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon and it was chilly enough to see your breath.

Bane leaned against the rough wood doorway of the coop. "You're going to get cold without a coat," he said to Elka's back.

She turned towards him holding four fresh light brown chicken eggs. "These are still warm," Elka said and let herself be swept up in the sand colored afghan he had stretched open in his embrace.

"I'll make breakfast if you get the coffee started," she added as he closed his arms around her.

Bane pulled her tight enough for her breath to leave her chest. "I started the coffee before I came out here, so I would have more time for this."

Elka barely had a chance to take a breath before his lips descended on hers. He felt the chill from the brisk air produce a shiver throughout her body and he pulled the afghan tighter around her. "Let's get back inside."

She nodded in agreement as they climbed the deck stairs and she warmed up by the fireplace that dominated the living room wall.

As Elka rubbed her hands together by the crackling logs, Bane brought her a mug brimming with the near scalding Columbian house blend.

He waited until she took a few too hot sips before speaking. "Are you happy here with me?"

She turned to him and gently set her free hand on his forearm. "Yes, are you?" she asked quickly.

Bane tugged her mug from her hand and set it on the mantle. He pulled her into his arms, enveloping her in his formidable frame. She felt fragile encircled by him and let her head rest on his chest. Elka closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat strongly under her ear. When he spoke, his voice rumbled through her chest and teased her ear as the sound amplified and flowed into her. "I've never felt this way before. While you were still asleep this morning, a courier dropped off your finalized divorce papers. You are no longer attached to Calvin."

"We need to celebrate tonight," she practically squealed, and he let her worm out of his grip and throw her arms around his neck.

Elka had left the television on but the volume a near-whisper when she went to collect the morning eggs. She turned her face to the other side as she pressed her ear against Bane's chest and caught sight of the Breaking News logo flash across the screen and the brunette news anchor with the piercing blue eyes and basketball-sized tits began addressing the camera.

Elka pushed away from Bane when images of the newly elected Senator Calvin Green and her freshly ex-husband appeared on the screen.

Bane froze when his eyes followed her gaze.

He already knew the content of the breaking news story.

Elka fumbled for the remote and pressed the grey volume button until the serious tone of the buxom anchor filled the room, competing only with the crackling of the logs in the fireplace and her heartbeat which began to pound in her ears.

Elka watched the news anchor's glossy red lips form words, her pink tongue appearing briefly as she overly annunciated her words.

"The following footage may be too graphic for some viewers. You're seeing video from the rally of the newly elected Senator Calvin Green, also a Justice for Gotham City's high court. Justice Green was assassinated on the steps of the Capitol Building as he addressed his supporters. The Gotham City police department has set up an anonymous tip line for any information."

Elka turned off the television and turned towards Bane, her expression neutral and unreadable as she met his eyes.

"Are you responsible for that?" she asked as she gestured towards the television with the plastic remote control.

Bane regarded her silently, not needing to qualify her asked and answered question. "When I walked through the garden this morning, I noticed there are a lot of tomatoes ready to be harvested. There'll be too many to use at once," he stated instead.

Elka held his eyes and was quiet for so long Bane began to feel a spike of worry pierce the pericardial sac containing his rapidly pounding heart. He thought about the phone call he had received right before the courier arrived with her divorce papers.

He had answered Barsad's call with greedy anticipation of words that made his hands shake.

"It's done," Barsad led with and described staring down the scope of the rifle and aiming the red bead at the center of Calvin's privileged forehead. He squeezed the trigger and watched the Good Justice's cranium explode and paint the cement with the colorful enthusiasm of a Jackson Pollack painting.

"May you finally find peace brother," Barsad said before he ended the last verbal exchange he would ever have with Bane.

Bane could breathe again when Elka turned off the television and gave him a small smile.

"It sounds like spaghetti night then; I'll make extra sauce and freeze it."