Misleading The Marquis

21 - Bane

Bane felt a fear that was too deep to be described as panic when he opened the door to the library to find Malcolm reaching for Gina's arm. She was leaning against the wall, using it like a crush for support, leaning away from his brother. In that instant, Bane knew to his core that she was everything he had ever been waiting for, more than he could ever deserve, that his life would be forever sliced into two pieces: before and after George. Her hair was primly tucked in at the side of her neck, her yellow day dress pulling the golden tones from her irises as she looked up at him. And he read in that moment, that instant as he opened the door - relief. She was relieved to see him. Despite what he'd told her that morning, despite meeting his more handsome, charming younger brother - on some level Gina was relieved to see Bane instead. And there was Malcolm, reaching for her... for his wife, who felt more like his wife than Cora ever had despite their long courtship, their public engagement, their wedding planning, their ceremony - none of it had cemented Cora to him the way that Gina's face did in that exact moment.

"George?" he spoke her name harshly, reached for her without waiting for his answer, and pulled her across the threshold, out of his brother's grasp and into his side. She leaned on him, glanced up at him, and he saw her chin quiver ever so slightly as if she might burst into tears. Bane wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing her cheek into his chest, touching her hair without even realizing it. "You're alright," he breathed it like a promise, and felt her exhale sharply at the words. It was a moment of trust. George trusted him. And Bane wanted very much to be worthy of it, for the first time since seeing Cora locked in his brother's embrace, he wanted to forfeit his soul to another human being... perhaps this one would not break him.

But then they each looked to Malcolm, still standing there, staring at them.

"What are you doing?" Bane growled, but not too harshly, and not quite lunging at his brother - he was George's only crush to be fair.

"I- I - just -" Malcolm stammered, staring with his mouth wide open now.

"He was surprised," George answered for him quietly, not moving from where she'd snuggled against Bane, "He knows my cousin... seems he had us confused."

"Ah," Bane grunted, realizing with a stab of pain just what that must've felt like the morning he arrived to collect George.

"No - that's not -"

"Bane, I need to sit down," George was saying, pushing against his hold on her. Bane was pulled from the murderous feelings towards his brother by his wife's request. In a moment though, he'd settled George on the leather sofa with her leg resting on a footstool, an afghan thrown across her lap for warmth. She looked pale, tired... Bane reached down and smoothed a flyaway behind one ear, letting his fingers linger against her skin for just a heartbeat. She smiled weakly at him, eyes worried again.

"Name of all the saint's," Harry muttered, and Bane looked up to find both men staring at them in pure bafflement. Suddenly self conscious, Bane broke contact and turned from George to berate his brother agin.

"Why are you here?" he demanded of Malcolm, and watched as the younger man retrained a flinch, perhaps subconsciously, but it made Bane feel like a beast just the same.

"This used to be my home," Mal said, rallying despite his obvious fear of his older brother, he stood straight and tall, meeting Bane's eye.

"Well you ruined that didn't you?" Harry shot at him icily from where he stood leaning against the fireplace.

"If there wasn't a lady present - Truman, I'd teach you -" Mal started in, turning to scowl at his brother's best friend.

"What, little pup? What would you teach me? How to betray a man within an inch of his life?" Harry spat back, shoving away from the fireplace to take several strides towards Mal, "It's been two years since you showed face here and now -" Harry was spewing in a near rage.

"You think you know everything don't you -" Mal returned with just as much pent up emotion. Bane sighed heavily, watching the two men that had meant the most to him in the world go at each other's throats. And it was all over him. What Mal had done to him, what he had taken from Mal, what Harry thought he owed Bane. It had become such a tangle, but one that could be ignored ever since Mal's abrupt departure after Cora's funeral two years previous. Without his little brother around, Bane and Harry had simply never discussed the matter again. Bane felt the heaviest weight of guilt, and Harry probably sensing this did not want to bring it to light again.

"You come here to torture him -" Harry was shouting.

"I torture him?!" Mal was shouting back, "He took everything from me!" Bane flinched and looked down at the stones on the floor. Mal was right. And that fact alone made it nearly impossible to look his brother in the face. He'd been relieved when Mal had run away, simply for that reason.

"If you hadn't needed to wet your -" Harry began, finger pointed.

"I LOVED HER!" Malcolm shouted back, roaring in wounded anger. Bane wondered if he should intervene, if Malcolm would actually lunge for Harry as he looked about ready to do. But the guilt he felt towards Malcolm... it held him back... Harry was wrong... Bane deserved everything Malcolm could bring against him for what he'd done.

"Gentlemen."

The room went still, except for the sound of the clock on the mantle and the crack of the fire in the grate. All three pairs of eyes turned to George where she sat like a crippled little empress, if a leather sofa could be a throne.

"The room please," she said, giving the tiniest gesture with her hand towards the door, "I came to speak to my husband... alone."

It was nearly as if she'd asked them to walk backwards down the main road, the way all three of them stared at her. Bane, with a glowing warmth in his chest, and the smallest amount of fear mixed into it. He, the Beast of the North, feeling just the small tremor in the presence of his little wife who couldn't take the stairs by herself at the moment.

"Gina -" Harry began sternly, jaw clenched, and Bane could almost hear him prepareing to tell her not to interfere.

"The room, Harry," the command was crystal clear and cut like diamonds through the charged air of the library. Bane watched as Gina's countenance stayed placid, civil, lady like and Harry's went from clenched jaw, to affectionate loyalty in an instant. Bane felt a bit miffed at that... he'd only met her yesterday after all.

"Of course, Lady Brisbane," Harry replied, dropping the tension from his shoulders to give Gina a short bow before he moved out of the room. Malcolm looked after Harry, then to Bane and finally at George who was coolly staring at him.

"Oh - oh - yes, of course," he agreed quickly, then half stumbled from the library, slamming the door behind him as he went.

Finally the room went still, as the newlyweds listened for the sound of footfalls moving down the hall, leaving them well and truly alone. Bane let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding since Harry and Mal had started their argument.

"Well that's over at least," Gina sighed as well, shifting ever so slightly on her throne. Bane stared at her and began to chuckle.