Selina awoke to the sound of rushing water. She instantly knew where she was. It had been impossible to escape the events of the night before, even in her sleep. Her dreams had been invaded by Bane's ominous presence. He seemed to lurk in the shadows just beyond her perception. Selina tossed and turned as she waged a war within herself, one part of her trying to draw ever closer to Bane and the other wanting to run away. But she awoke before she could see who would win.

She threw her legs over the side of the cot as she tried to wake up. Earlier, after Bane had trapped her, Selina had searched her prison. Everything a person needed to survive was down there, even a toilet and a shower. She found a box of granola bars, the kind the military ate, as well as a few cans of various other foods. Selina had been too exhausted to do more than a rudimentary search of Bane's room. She took note of a map with a myriad of black crosses marking different parts of the city. And she also found canisters of what she assumed was the medicine Bane needed to survive. Selina had toyed with the idea of throwing them down into the sewage. It would have been satisfying to toss them away in the same manner he had tossed the pearl necklace. But ultimately Selina decided against such a petty act of revenge. Bane was too smart to leave her alone with his only means of survival. By this point Selina's eyelids had begun to droop uncontrollably so she gave up the search and simply grabbed a tank top of Bane's and retreated to a cot she had found at the opposite end of the chamber. Then Selina promptly collapsed into what she had thought would be a deep sleep.

And instead here she was with a foggy head, bloodshot eyes, and an insatiable rage. But that wasn't all Bane's fault. If Selina hadn't been so weak, if she hadn't allowed her emotions to come into play, she wouldn't be sitting in a sewer picking at her fingernails until they bled. She had become too cocky in the last couple of years. She had gotten away with so much Selina had thought she could just walk in and out of Bane's lair. Instead she had gleefully stepped into the spider's web. A voice in her head whispered that Selina was enjoying her current predicament. Her fists clenched in angry denial.

Selina rose to her feet, looking to let out her aggression. And that's when she saw a light shining from Bane's alcove. A smirk lifted the corner of her mouth. Her punching bag was home. Selina knelt down and stuck her hand underneath the cot. She ignored the filth and grime on the floor as she reached into the dark. She swiped away the spider webs and pulled out the gun that she had hidden there. Fortunately for her Bane's guards were sloppy and hadn't searched her. Selina double checked the clip, flicked off the safety, and slunk over to Bane's room.

As she approached, again Selina thought that she was probably making a stupid mistake. Her head throbbed and her body felt sluggish from lack of sleep. But the weight of the gun in Selina's hand felt too good to stop as did the thought of teaching Bane a lesson. It didn't even matter to her that she was only covered by a large tank top that barely covered her ass or her breasts that threatened to swing out the sides.

Selina peered around the corner, holding her breath with her gun at the ready. She could see Bane again sitting at the desk working on something. Selina wondered when the guy slept, if ever. The only difference was now he had no shirt on. Selina paused for a moment, admiring the width of his shoulders and the muscles in his back. Bane was pure masculinity personified. She shook her head, trying to clear it of the sudden rush of hormones, and stepped out from around the corner.

She took a step forward. Then another. Her bare feet didn't make a sound as she approached, her gun raised at the ready, aimed at his head. But Selina couldn't stop her heart from beating rapidly or her breath from coming quickly.

"Don't you know curiosity killed the cat?" Bane said to her without turning around, his pencil rushing across the paper. The sudden sound of his voice jarred her and Selina stumbled.

"Lucky for me your name's not 'Curiosity'," Selina said as she recovered, gun still at the ready. Come on, Selina, she told herself. Just pull the Goddamn trigger and get out of here. But in that momentary pause Selina's confidence crumbled. Here she was with no underwear on aiming a tiny pistol at Gotham's nemesis. This was ludicrous.

The silence was deafening. Selina felt like her cowardice had been exposed even though Bane still hadn't looked at her. To conceal her doubt, Selina calmly said, "Where did you get the name 'Bane' anyways?" She took a slow step back, but she was careful to never lose her aim on his head.

"It's fitting in more ways than one, Kitten," his pencil paused as he deliberated how much he wanted to tell her. "From the time I was conceived I caused only misery and ruin. When I was rechristened with it, 'Bane' seemed more fitting than any other name ever given to me," Bane said this casually, as though it was an everyday occurrence. But it pained Selina. She knew those same feelings. "It is nothing short of my destiny," Bane finished with a note of finality.

Selina's hands trembled. With just a few words Bane had become humanized. He wasn't simply a monster that she could easily dispose of. Without knowing the exact events of Bane's life, she now had an idea of how he felt. And it wasn't all that far removed from her.

She forced her mind back to the current situation. Just because Selina could relate to him on a primal level didn't mean she was all warm and fuzzy inside. She was still pissed off and wanted to beat the shit out of him. "Since you're being such a good boy," Selina said as she relaxed her stance slightly, "let's continue with 21 questions. Question number 2, where did you get that scar on-"

He was up and on her in a flash, before she could even react. Bane grabbed the gun in his large hands as Selina tried to keep her grip but it was no use. Her hands were slick with sweat and she was no match for his brute strength. Bane turned her gun over, inspecting it. It looked so small and feeble in his palms. "Not bad," he said as he shrugged his shoulders, "but a weapon is only as powerful as the person holding it." Bane flicked the safety back on and threw it to the side.

And that was when Selina hit her boiling point. Her fists clenched and she wouldn't have been surprised if smoke started coming out her ears. Furious at Bane for his little comment and for shattering any illusions she had about her strength, Selina lost the sliver of control she had been holding onto. She grunted as she swung her fist at his head. Bane ducked, annoying her further. She swung with the other arm for his gut, but he stepped back. Selina flung her leg out in a round house kick as Bane evaded her. This continued for some time. It was a strange dance of sorts. He swerved as she swung. Occasionally she was able to connect, briefly satisfied with herself. But Selina never got any reaction out of him. Bane was silent, the only sound Selina's grunts and pants. In a way, Selina enjoyed the exercise. She was getting out everything she couldn't put into words. Her frustrations, her anxieties, her pain. And she could've sworn that somehow, by the look in his eye, Bane understood.

Selina was pounding her fists into his chest. Wham, wham, wham, wham. And then she realized that Bane was no longer moving. He was just staring down at her, amusement twinkling in his eyes. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as she was suddenly thrust out of her trance. Bane seized her wrists, stopping her persistent fists. "If you are done lashing out at me due to your own inadequacies," Bane said, his hands more effective than any handcuffs, "I have something for you." Bane walked away as Selina wondered what the hell he was up to. She wouldn't have been shocked if he threw a grenade at her and asked her to catch it.

Instead Bane came back holding out something as though it were some kind of peace offering. It glittered in the light and as Selina grasped it she saw that it was a choker. It was rather simple, just a few silver embellishments with an emerald at the center. She didn't know what to say. Selina looked up at Bane, but immediately looked down again. She did not want to know what was going on in his head. She forced herself to give a short laugh and ignore the butterflies in her stomach. "Finally, a man who keeps his word. Just my luck he's a terrorist and lives in a sewer."

Bane stepped back. The wall between them was back up. Selina couldn't help regretting it. But she was safer this way. He returned back to his desk as he told her, "Get some sleep. You'll undoubtedly need it for the days ahead."

"Care to let me in on your little plan? No?" she sighed. Selina would be getting no reaction out of Bane's back. The exhaustion hit her and Selina slowly made her way back to her cot feeling somehow altered. Selina couldn't name how or why. She wondered how else she would change in the days ahead. For the better or the worse? Maybe Bane knew. He seemed to be able to read her mind so maybe he could also read into her future. No matter what happened he'd have a hand in shaping it. And in shaping her. Selina slipped on the choker before she laid her head down feeling comforted by its weight around her neck. It was an oddly familiar sensation. She thought of Bane's hands as she drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Finally another chapter lol. I'm back at university so updates will be slow but this is one story I am determined to finish! Thanks for reading and reviewing as always. Some of your reviews just make me so happy XD