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Fleet Foxes - Your Protector

"I can't lose you," he said angrily, slamming a massive fist into the wall. Plaster dust was shaken from it's home, and chunks of drywall scattered across the floor.

"I'm not going to die!" ____________ protested. "I can take care of myself."

"NO!" he shouted. "You're small, weak and scared. You will."

___________ glared and narrowed her eyes. Bane knew he'd stepped over the edge. "I see." She spun away from him, and he heard her leave. He frowned.

"She'll come back," he mused. "She won't last a week on her own."

She wandered around the city, thinking about how the world came to be, how she ended up in Gotham, with a near-terrorist at her side and a bat at her heels.

"Hey hey hey." A dark chuckle met her ears. "It's that monster's whore."

She could almost see the red painted lips in the dark.

"Pretty little thing, I must explain," he cooed. "I rule Gotham, he doesn't. I rule the people. I instigate what I wish."

"Is that so?" ____________ trembled. This man wasn't one to be reckoned with; she'd heard the stories.

The figure emerged from the shadows. "Well, sweet thing, you see, I'm the Clown Prince of Crime! The Harlequin of Hate! The Ace of Knaves! Man of a Thousand False Fronts, Nemesis of the Knight, Mephistopheles of Mirth. Child, don't you understand? Gotham is my city!"

"Why bother me?" she said flippantly, though her voice shook.

"Because, doll," he purred. "You have information that I need." His arm snagged out and snatched a fistful of hair. He jerked back. "Be a good little kitten and follow me, okay?"

"Not a question is it?" she hissed, eyes watering.

"No," he laughed.

"You're an idiot," she snapped. A pair of dark brown eyes met hers, and then everything went black.

She woke up, the light in her face nearly blinding her. She groaned. She couldn't move her arms; they were bound to the chair.

"So, where is our metal man?" The Joker asked, crossing the room into the light.

"I'm not telling you anything," ____________ said coldly.

"Really?" the Joker asked, in mock surprise. "It's a shame I'll have to kill you. You are a rather lovely girl."

He reached out and brushed her jaw, then punched her. She tasted blood. She spat at him. He chortled.

"You are a real bitch," he guffawed, wiping the slimy saliva from his cheek.

He seemed to be lost in a laughing fit when suddenly he slammed into her. The chair toppled over and he held a knife at her throat, his face deadly serious.

"You wanna die? Cause it sure looks like it," he said, his yellow teeth gritted.

She kept a face of steel, and didn't say a word.

There was a loud boom and suddenly a dark figure appeared.

"I knew you wouldn't last a week," he sighed.

"So, come to save your lady love?" the Joker asked pleasantly. "The weather does allow, doesn't it? The sun was mighty warm this afternoon. Too bad the evening got chilly."

"I'm not here to make small talk," Bane said stiffly.

"You know, you're mighty fine," the Joker sniggered.

Bane remained silent, watching ____________ squirm against her bonds.

"There's a bed upstairs," the Joker howled, wiping tears from his eyes. "Or aren't you a lover of men? I mean, this foxy little lady is splendiferous, but what about me? Public Enemy #1? The KING!"

"I love not a soul," Bane said darkly. That struck ___________ hard. She winced.

"Who's decision is that?" the Joker asked darkly. "Hers, I believe. Look at her sad wittle face." He faked a pout before bursting out into incessant hysterics once more.

"I rule myself," Bane said impassively.

"Your mask says differently," the clown gasped, his laughter thickening the air.

Bane drew back into thought once more. "You are a fool." He picked up the chair and slammed it over the Joker's twitching body. A sickening crunch was heard, but the smiling man rose all the same. His laughing was slightly pained. __________ took the opportunity to disentangle her hands from the swollen mass of ropes. She kept her position, pretended to be trapped, praying she wouldn't get caught.

He flung a knife at Bane, and it lodged in his shoulder, beneath his shoulderblade. Bane flinched, and then plucked the weapon from his arm delicately. The Joker was agile, dodging Bane's swings and managing to get many of his own weapons under Bane's skin. Small knives were protruding from various places, blood oozing down his sweaty flesh.

"You are fast," Bane commented, after nearly two hours. His vision was dimming. The floor was a slick of blood and sweat and phlegm.

"Ah, how else would I survive in this disgusting filthpit?" the Joker wheezed, hurling a shuriken card at Bane. It lacerated his fingers.

"Fighting, not running," Bane said slowly, watching as the clown circled him. The Joker kicked him, and he snickered.

"On the ground, silly boy! The ground is dirty," the Joker laughed. "Just like me and my mind."

He kicked Bane's mask.

"No!" _____________ shouted, leaping from her spot on the ground. She slammed the Joker's head against the wall. "No."

Bane's vision faltered into a daze, his muscles burning with fire, his veins feeling like lead. Swells of agony wash over his skin. His thoughts began to ebb, dying into muddled suffering.

____________ rammed the Joker's head into the wall repeatedly until he tripped and slipped in the assorted fluids slathering the floor. His eyes closed and __________ knew he'd been knocked unconscious.

Bane began to murmur incoherently, whether from pain or loss of blood, ___________ didn't know. Perhaps it was both.

"Hey, hey," ____________ whispered, fumbling with his mask. "I'll fix it."

She finished and he took a shaking breath. She stood up, knowing he'd be alright.

The Joker moaned and rubbed his temples. "You little wench!"

She tightened her fists. Warm blood trickled down her shins, from her kneeling.

Her eyes were cold as ice. "I'll kill you."

"My little angel," the Joker whispered, advancing. ____________'s jaw jumped. "You're a fighter. Strong, aren't you?"

"Just shut up!" ___________ shouted. "Let me think."

The Joker licked his lips. "You're so pretty, that I'm not gonna kill you." He glanced at Bane, who was still gathering his thoughts. "He is another story." He pulled a pistol from his pants.

____________ twitched. The Joker cocked the gun.

"Right out of my boxers," he said happily. __________ kicked his arm and the bullet slammed into the ceiling. She shoved him down, kneeing him in the stomach. He laughed, his pupils dilating.

She took the gun from his hands, and shoved it in his mouth. She jerked him to his feet, and tied a rope around his chest, restraining him to the chair she'd been in previously. "Don't say a word." He pulled a razor-card from his pocket and dragged it across her cheek. Her tepid blood dripped onto his cheeks. The red slipped between his scars, and his smile lines. The white and black was mixed and smudged away.

"You know, I can't stay quiet for too long," he crowed as she dropped down beside Bane. She tugged the razorblades from his back and his arms and helped him to his feet. She tried to balance his massive body on her shoulders.

The Joker thrashed in the chair and it tipped.

Bane shoved __________ away. "I don't need your help, little one."

She pressed her lips together. They turned from pink to white.

They trekked home in silence; she had nowhere else to go. He didn't want to be without her.

They got back to the house they'd claimed for themselves. He plopped down on the couch. ___________ got a towel and wet it. She wiped the blood away, dabbing at the bigger gashes very gently. He could barely feel her dancing fingers. When he knew she finished, he stood.

She shied away. He put a giant hand on her shoulder. She shook.

"You did very well, little one," he whispered. She looked at him, her lip quivering, her eyes shining. She buried her face in his chest. He folded her into his arms gently, attentive to her bruises. She trembled like a leaf. Her cheeks were wet and sticky, but she didn't make a sound. She closed her eyes. He knew she was exhausted so he picked her up and moved her to the bedroom. He lay her down carefully and then followed suit.

She curled into him, her hot tears dripping onto his strong arms. His piercing, thunderous pulse tempted her back into the realm of sleep. He watched her for a while.

He knew he was too hard on her, but it was only to protect her. He couldn't let her slip through his fingers. She was much too important to lose.