A/N: thanks for the story favs :)


Bex knew something was wrong before she'd even opened her eyes. She had a bad headache, which meant she hadn't eaten in longer than usual. Even when she was being fake sick to avoid Vido, she still ate a bit, just to keep Noah off her back.

She also noticed immediately that she wasn't in her chair, or even Zaeed's or the one in the living room. It felt like she was lying on a hard bench. When she heard the low hum of an engine, she realized she was in the back of a shuttle. She couldn't hear anyone talking, but it was obvious she wasn't alone. Every once in awhile, she heard the scrape of fiberglass on metal as someone shifted in their seat.

She kept her eyes closed and pretended to still be asleep until the shuttle landed, when someone roughly shook her.

"Wake up, Rebekah."

She was instantly fully awake and staring into Vido's cold eyes. She tried to sit up quickly, but lack of food made her dizzy.

"What, no comeback this time?" he sneered as he pulled her up.

"Where's Zaeed?" she asked, trying to keep fear out of her voice.

"Don't worry your little blond head about Zaeed. He'll be here."

"Where –" Her next question answered itself when the door of the shuttle opened. She immediately recognized the warehouse they were parked in front of as one of the ones the Reds had used in the past.

Vido chuckled darkly at the look of terror that passed over Bex's face. "Welcome home, Rebekah."

"Why are you doing this?" She was stalling for time, though she had no idea how that was going to help her.

He said nothing as he yanked her up by her arm and dragged her from the shuttle and into the warehouse. Most of the company was waiting inside.

He shoved her at Noah, who was standing near the door, looking like he was questioning every decision he'd ever made in life.

"I need her ready as soon as possible," Vido said. "I don't care what you have to do, but get her strength back. Go!"

Noah took Bex by the arm and made a show of dragging her from the room, though he was much more gentle than Vido had been. He led her down a short hallway to a large kitchen and set her on one of the bar stools by the island in the center.

"Where is Zaeed?" she asked again as she watched Noah mixing the ingredients for what looked and smelled like a protein shake.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since last night after you went to bed. He and Vido were arguing, louder than usual, and I stepped in before they started punching each other, or worse."

Bex frowned. "Worse? Oh. You mean they might have decided to shoot each other?"

"Exactly." He poured the protein shake into a glass and handed it to her. "Drink."

"But –"

"I'm trying to help you, kid. Whatever Vido told you about the job here was a lie."

"He said it was a security detail that had requested a biotic," she said, taking a tentative sip of the shake.

"That's not even close to what he's planning." Noah sighed heavily. "He made a deal with Pike; he sold you back to the Reds in exchange for this place. He's setting up a base here."

Bex inhaled sharply and choked on the shake. "He sold me?" she croaked when she finally stopped coughing.

"Yes."

"Does Zaeed know?"

"Yes. That's what the fight was about last night."

"Then how did I get here?" Bex tightly gripped the glass. "He wouldn't –"

Noah plucked the glass from her hand, though she was still so weak, there wasn't even a small chance she'd shatter it. "No, he wouldn't. After I separated them, Vido went down to his office in the base and Zaeed went to bed. As far as I know, he was still in his room when Vido took you from yours."

Bex shuddered. The thought of Vido being in her room, the only place she truly felt safe, made her sick. Suddenly, she was angry. She glared across the island at Noah. "You could have stopped him. You knew all this was gonna happen and you just... let it."

He shook his head. "There wasn't anything I could have done. I was down in the med-bay, taking care of a bunch of idiots who got drunk and then decided to pick a fight with the batarians Vido just hired. Besides, even if I'd been there in the apartment, there wasn't a damn thing I could have done on my own. If I'd tried to stop Vido, I'd likely be dead right now and you'd be in the hands of one of those batarian bastards. Believe me when I tell you, you do not want to mess with one of them, especially if you've got no way to defend yourself."

Bex scoffed but said nothing as she tried to drink the rest of the protein shake. She'd never liked them, but at the moment, she needed her strength back up. There was no way she was letting herself get taken in by the Reds again; she wouldn't last the night.

Finally, she choked down the last of the shake and stood up. She knew she likely wouldn't make it far, but she had to at least try to escape.

"What are you doing?" Noah asked, walking around the island to stand in front of her. "You can't –"

She shook her head as her hands lit up. "I'm sorry, Noah, but I can't just sit around and do nothing. I'm not going back to the Reds."

"Bex, please." He took another step toward her and she threw him back against the wall beside the door.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she ran past him and out into the hallway.

"Do you ever stop trying to run away?" a cold voice said from somewhere behind her. She spun around and saw Vido standing a few feet away, holding a pistol. She automatically took a step back, her hands glowing again, but he quickly closed the distance between them and took her by the throat. "You're not getting away this time, Rebekah."

She struggled to loosen his grip as he swiftly carried her upstairs to his new office where Pike and Devin were waiting.

"Still a pain in the ass, I see," Pike said as Vido threw Bex to the floor.

"Exceptionally, yes," Vido said. "Endlessly coddled by my ex-business partner."

Ex? That meant –

A door on the other side of the room opened and Zaeed, badly beaten and barely standing on his own, was pushed into the room by two batarians.

"I believe you gentlemen know Zaeed Massani?" Vido said with a look of contempt as he glared at Zaeed.

Bex scrambled to her feet and tried to run to Zaeed, but Pike reached over and pulled her back by her hair so she was standing between himself and Devin.

"You're not going anywhere 'cept with us," he snapped. He glanced at Vido. "We done here?"

Vido nodded, not to Pike, but to the batarians. A moment later, they opened fire. Bex ducked just in time and scrambled back across the room. As the bodies fell, she felt a strong hand push hard on her back, causing her to stumble and fall down the stairs. Her head hit the railing on the landing and she struggled to stay awake.

As she lost consciousness, she heard Vido's voice, sounding very far away. "Now, partner, what to do with you."