A/N: Notes at the end of this chapter was kinda sorta important.
Also thanks guys for the love and feedback for this story thus far.
It was barley even morning when the alarm went off, the sounds of guns rang in the air and dogs barking and snarling waking Alice with a fright. Vaas was fast getting to his feet pushing Alice aside and telling her in a hushed tone to stay put, of course being slightly tired still and dark outside Alice did so leaving this to Vaas and his men. Into the darkness he disappeared leaving Alice alone in the shanty only to overhear sounds, it seemed someone or something was attacking, though Alice didn't hear any counter attacks from guns, there were no growls or animal sounds apart from dogs which the Pirates seemed to be letting lose therefore it could only be one thing. The Rakyat where attacking. It was a bold move on their behalf, they barley used weapons like guns, believing in the fact that all they needed where knives and melee weapons.
Rubbing her eyes and yawning Alice tried to remain alert but it was clear that she was still tired and exhausted, her body having still recuperated from her fainting episode she had. Maybe it was because Alice became so use to all the turmoil in this island that she had lost the sense to be utterly alert before she never heard the footsteps creeping in the darkness until it was too late. One hand wrapped around her waist and hoisted her up onto her feet the other holding a knife which was aiming towards her chest. In a single effort to live Alice lashed her right hand out and pushed against the dark skinned arm not knowing who her assailant was. Pushing backwards she tried to get out of their grasp but she was too weak and again her assailant tried to stab her again. Weakly Alice tried to block the attack but she failed as the knife dived deep into her flesh and pulled out in a single and almost effortless manner causing Alice to collapse to the ground and gasp.
She'd never thought she would ever scream in her whole entire life until that very moment when the sensation of pain made her body quiver and shack, her hands bloody in her own mess as she tried to apply pressure, the man who had attacked her left in a rush not finishing off their job. A price they would later pay. As her vision began to darken all Alice could think of was why? Why did she have to pay for a price that was not hers? Why did she fight and yet never fight enough to get away always believing her fairy tale ending was around the corner?
Someone shouted and yelled in anger, the floor boards vibrated with the force of heavy footsteps, but the darkness was too great and Alice had lost all sense and motion, her body collapsed to the ground in a heap as blood began to pool around her. All she knew was that she had been stabbed but where exactly was unknown, perhaps the man had hit a vital point and Alice would quickly bleed out to death engulfed by the madness of her own mind but fate would not have that. Alice was a warrior and like a phoenix she would rise from the ashes, perhaps it was the cruelness of God if such a thing existed or maybe it was the fact that a part of her was still determined to keep fighting, to keep living that fairy tale she dreamed of.
A blinding sensation pulled her out from her inner darkness, so much that I somehow caused her eyes to weep as Alice let out a painful moan unsure if this was heaven or hell, though a familiar lingering scent filled her nostrils as she started to gain back her vision. That old musky scent of the old man no doubt. Every fibre in her body ached and Alice couldn't help but clutch the area that seemed to hurt the most. In more than one way she was amazed that somehow she had survived as her eyes started to adjust. For a moment her fingers trembled at the touch of something soft near her lower rib which forced her to cock her head up to see there was a large white patch on her lower side just near her stomach with a wrap that seemed to go all the way around her from her torso down to her pelvic area just for reassurance.
Sitting up and squinting through the pain Alice tried to come to terms with herself that she was indeed alive, the feeling of the pain only helped with the well of tears that rushed down her cheeks but Alice did not moan or groan despite the utter pain in her body that called for her to scream and shout and break down but she didn't she sat up and took in a long and painful deep breath until she opened her eyes fully and brushed away the remaining tears. Unlike before Alice found herself in a small cosy room, it seemed like a children room with pink fluffy plush toys and a cliché pink theme that decorated the room from every inch. Only then did she wonder just exactly how long had she been here, days or perhaps a few short hours?
Another long deep and painful breath made Alice wake herself up a little more, she didn't feel good and assumed she had probably lost a fair amount of blood but she had a feeling she was in the care of the doctor and just on cue she heard the old man walk up the stairs and enter the small room. His plastered face was pale and grim looking, the wrinkles around his features made him seem sad and lost for words, but it was his baggy eyes that made him look the worst as he seemed to sniffle and force a smile on his face before taking a seat beside her.
"I was worried you might not wake"
His words sent a shock wave through Alice but she maintained herself with another deep painful breath reigning in her emotions, those raw emotions of pain, hate and the sensation of betrayal but why? Had she not killed poor innocent children, Joe and even an outpost and yet now did she only feel that divide between her and the Rakyat people? Nodding her head and clutching her lower rib cage area Alice too tried to force a smile on her face. Fate had been too cruel to her that it only desired her to endure more, from being starved to becoming pregnant and now to top it off as being stabbed and almost dying.
"I feel like I'm 100 years old right now"
Alice tried to joke but she could not force the laughter out of her vocal cords nor the smile, she felt that tight grip inside her throat that made her feel like she was almost suffocating but she took in a few long deep breaths and let the silence overcome the two, the cool air that came in through the barricaded window was almost refreshing but Alice knew she would be a fool to try and get up and brush this all off. Of course she wouldn't be able to get up knowing she'd lost some blood but it wasn't' just that, it was the fact she could feel her body tremble with fear.
"Vaas will be here soon"
Those words should have filled Alice with joy but instead it made her feel resentful, why she did not know but all she knew was that Vaas would not be in a pleased mood and Alice was already weak as it was that she knew if he did do anything wrong to upset him then she'd end up with a hole through her head for sure this time.
"May I please have a drink of water before he does?"
The question was out of the blue but Alice needed to say something to break the silence but it didn't seem to help much as Alec stood up and nodded, his tired and exhausted expression spoke a thousand words to her in just a single second as she lowered her head to the ground and heard the man exit down the stairs, each step of his weight caused the wooden floors to creak like that in an old eerie house. Shifting in her seat Alice crossed her legs and tried to think positive, her eyes flicked up to a small plush unicorn, it had a pink sparkly horn and a fluffy pink mane and tail, its black beady eyes and stitched on pink lips seemed adorable and Alice was tempted to pick it up and snuggle up to it but she dared not to do so. This wasn't her place and she had learned well not to disrespect anyone thanks to Vaas, but at the same time Alice wondered why all this girly stuff, she'd never seen Alec with a child here and she never heard anyone speak of him having a daughter or granddaughter for that matter.
Yet the room was decorated specifically for a little girl no older than 5. All the childish things in the room made Alice put a hand to her stomach, her instincts soon kicked in but something odd moved beneath her flesh, it was faint and it wasn't anything but a little vibration if that but it was there, it was her child moving for the first time. Alice would have been about four months by now but the feeling filled her with joy, she wanted to stand up and jump for joy but her body was overdone, in the end she was happy to feel the movement it reassured her the child was still ok and she trusted that if something bad had happened to the child then surly the doctor would have said something….surly he would have.
A sound from below came, it was Vaas he was yelling and seemed agitated and Alice didn't blame him as she could hear him storm up the stairs into the room when he stopped dead as if his heart had stopped. Looking into his green eyes Alice wondered if he thought he was seeing a ghost or not, at first she was shocked and unsure of what to do but as Vaas took a step towards her she could only stand up and walk towards him wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and taking in a long deep breath of his intoxicating scent. The pain in her lower side was more than worth it as Alice took a step back and looked up at Vaas, the two where about the same height of course but Alice always felt that she had to look up at Vaas no matter what. Taking his hand in hers she placed it against her stomach, for whatever reason it was Vaas didn't protest, he didn't even bother raising his voice, it was so un-natural for him and yet at the same time Alice welcomed.
What was wrong with Alice in this madness for she had totally lost the plot of who she was, what she was trying to do with the mixture of raw emotions and her instincts confusing her every step of the way knowing that Alice would reconsider again and again her escape and slowly dwindle into the madness that the people on this island knew only of. At that time the moment was bliss, it was peaceful with Vaas hand against her skin and the lingering silence that followed with it, but it was all too short lived.
Widening her eyes Alice felt herself hold down the scream boiling on the inside of herself, her teeth jammed down onto her bottom lip piercing the soft flesh. Falling to the ground Alice felt her body tremble as a wave of oncoming pain passed over her, this wasn't just any pain, it was in her lower pelvic area and Alice could feel that something was terribly wrong as she clutched her stomach while Vaas hunched over her, he was screaming for the doctor, the sound of his voice tore Alice's world into pieces. Something felt wet between her legs and as Alice raised her hand up to her gaze she realized it was blood. Her blood.
Her eyes widened with fear as the pain continued and Alice was no longer able to hold it in anymore letting out a cry that was both that of a Mothers plea and a shriek for revenge as her emotions spiralled into insanity. Every part of Alice was screaming for this not to happen, every inch of her soul was screaming on the inside and outside for this to just be a nightmare but the pain was certain and the proof was there. Alice was miscarrying.
It took Vaas to hold Alice down and for Alec to inject Alice with a sedative that put her too sleep in hopes to ease things but even while she was drained of all her physical abilities and trapped in her own mind filled with torment and hate, Alice still had enough strength in her to let out one final scream, one that was filled with pure rage. As for Vaas all he could do was hold her until the sedative had finally kicked in and only then did he place her on the bed before he sat patiently on the far side watching Alice, flicking a zippo lighter in hand, his dark rimmed eyes glared down at the laying frame of Alice while he could hear the doctor nearby him mumble something, something that was important to Vaas that was for sure.
There was a shit tone of blood on the floor and the small bed frame Alec had put Alice on surly would need new sheets and probably a mattress, but that wasn't Vaas' concern. It was clear what had happened but Vaas as he sat and listened for Alec to speak the thing he wanted to hear the most, the feel in his body burned on the inside out with hate and anger. Of all the things he knew couldn't happen did happen. First Hoyt demanded Alice to be removed from his care and for what? Health? Hoyt sure did know how to piss Vaas off but there wasn't much Vaas could do to defy his own Boss and now this happened. Taking in a deep breath Vaas sat up and searched in his pocket for the lone joint he had rolled up before coming to get Alice, it was badly bent when he pulled it out and decided it wasn't worth the time wasting over it.
"Poison. None toxic to a full grown human but…I should have seen this coming, the blood tests seemed fine I….I…"
"Its fine hermano"
Was all Vaas could say in return to Alec's petrified look and stuttering words. Rubbing his forehead with his thumb Vaas looked around the room, he felt uneasy now, uncomfortable with his own emotions and unsure as to how to express his feelings. Sure he wanted to use Alice up to piss off Citra, make it clear that even if Citra did take him down then she'd need to go running off after his little brat, but there was more to that. Knowing Citra well enough Vaas knew that bitch would get jealous, she always was like that, so demanding and so clingy it pissed him off and forced him to leave the Rakyat. Standing up and walking down the stairs, Vaas left the gloomy room with an unconscious Alice and a paranoid Alec. No doubt the old man did his best there was no way either one of them could have prevented this, not really anyway.
Once outside and the cool salty air hit the man's nostrils and pale face, Vaas closed his eyes and felt that wave coming over him, the pure rage of his emotions turning into a hurricane on the inside unsure of its course or its purpose. Everything just seemed so fucked up, a perfectly good thing now wasted and Vaas wasn't even sure how to go about it anymore. Another deep breath and Vaas found himself fishing for the small pill packet in his other pocket before finally pulling out a single ecstasy pill and popping it into his mouth.
For now it would ease his wary mind and take away the pressure building inside of him, but when he was coming down Vaas knew exactly whom to direct his whole entire anger at. Citra had destroyed everything he once had and she was still doing the exact same thing even though Vaas had been so determined in ruining everything for that bitch, of course he should have acted, it was Hoyts fault for letting Alice have that sense of freedom, if Vaas had of had it his way he knew that Alice would have been fine…perhaps. From behind Vaas came a faint voice, it was Alec but the Pirate Lord had nothing more to say or do with the old bastard as he sent a menacing glare at the old man and curled his upper lip to reveal his teeth, a snarl of sorts and a display of fuck with me and I'll kill you. Slowly the old man backed up into his house closing the door in the process knowing that it was one heck of a death wish to even take a breath around Vaas while he was in such a chaotic state.
Once the old fool was behind the old wooden door, Vaas turned and set off out towards his personal fort, not the small island he ruled with but his fortress hidden in the depth of the jungle, once there he would plot to carry out his rage, he'd assault and destroy the natives, any of their supplies will be taken from them, heck Vaas was even willing to blow them all up for such an act of crime which they had committed against him, but first thing was first Vaas needed a damn good drink.
For the trip was short lived and as Vaas had planned, he got himself a large bottle of rum and sat down on the short shitty wooden chair before a bamboo made table which wasn't the sturdiest of tables. Here in his own personal fortress where sounds of madness, screams of horror and pleas with sobs along with the madden cackles of his own men, his most trusted of all men. Here in this utter madness was a surreal escape for the Pirate Lord as he watched his men do this work, skinning and torturing prisoners while someone was starting to cook up meat, yet all Vaas could really do was sit and drink away, he needed to calm himself and the pill wasn't doing the job he was looking for, sure he felt a bit giddy but he wanted to push aside the pain, he wanted to just move off and away but a lingering feeling within him prevented him from doing such. It was a mixture of Guilt and Regret; he hated this feeling the most, Regret. For there where many things the Pirate Lord regretted, for example he regrated not killing his sister when he had the chance, he regrated making his first kill for her, the fact that he believed in her lies up until that one particular day…
Out of nowhere a dark clad figure emerged, a red scarf was draped over his neck covering his lower face, his bald head was covered in scares and for once Vaas could see why this man often wore a red bandana despite his so called 'title'. Musing over the man as Abel approached, Vaas kicked out a seat and smiled a toothy grin as if nothing was the matter, but even his best knew that something was up as the dark skinned man took the offer to sit down alongside his own boss. Rare was it to see Vaas engage with others like this, he never had friends and he didn't think it was worth even keeping anyone close yet the woman named Alice had gotten under his skin, she was amazing in every way from her wide hips to her attitude to never give up, she was a warrior much like himself and Vaas saw a lot of himself in her more than he ever would in any other person.
"Boss, I heard of the raid attack, is your Trophy ok?"
While Abel sat in an uncomfortable pose trying to hold his shacking hands, Vaas already could guess that this man before him only cared for the damn woman rather than his own boss, it made Vaas slightly annoyed but instead of out lashing to this man he simply folded his arms and shook his head trying to appear normal but it wasn't as easy to hold back the words that where flooding his mind. For Vaas was an emotional wreck, he knew that, but right now all he had was himself to complain to and Abel was up there with Carlos.
"You know Hermano you're a really good fucking asset here. I mean you came to me years ago asking for a job and then boom when I gave it to you look what happened."
Pointing to the side of his head at his left eye Vaas motioned to the fact that Abel had lost his eye during a brawl with a tiger, it was history between the two one of which they would laugh off but that was Vaas on his good mood, today was not the day for laughter and Abel got the hint pretty fast as he straighten up in his seat appearing alert.
"See the thing is I don't fucking know anymore, a Bitch like her comes along and then I find myself in this fucked up situation…"
Pinching the bridge of his nose Vaas squinted closing his eyes unsure of how he himself should even feel, was he angry because he had high hopes for a brat to piss of his sister or was it the fact that he had indeed started to develop feelings for Alice? It wasn't like the Pirate Lord didn't try to stop it from happening, he always distanced himself that moment he felt himself get too close but something had changed. When Alice was with Buck, Vaas felt lonely, he realized that the absence in his bed drove him insane and not just sexually but he needed her, wanted her, like a drug she was to him and he needed a double dosage of her every single day. Then today when he wanted to take her away from the Docs he found himself absorbed by this emotion, one he did not understand or comprehend and of all things Alice just had to place his hand on her stomach but why? Was there something he was missing, could it be that…?
"I think we strike at the Rakyat now while we still can, it's late and they will be most weak during these hours"
As if speaking Vaas own thoughts Abel leaned in, he didn't smile, he didn't even have any sort of emotional expression on his face, he just sat with a rather emotionless look, one of which was understanding and Vaas welcomed it raising his bottle of rum in the air and letting out a chuckle not giving away his inner thoughts or feelings, why should he feel for a bitch like Alice? Yet there was something he couldn't put aside, something that was strange yet familiar, a feeling he was trying to force back but one that just wouldn't give up. If only someone would put a bullet to his head.
Little more was said between the two, the other pirates kept to the own until Vaas gave the order and thus began a night of bloodshed and one of which would continue until the mad crazed Pirate Lord would feel satisfied but it would never last long, it never did.
A/n: All the past Chapters Have been leading up to this, Firstly the start of Alice's feelings for Vaas and vice Versa, then her embracing her fate and becoming stronger with the crafty help from good old sir Buck (don't worry he does come back in the chapters later) and everything alongside that has been to build Alice up until she is faced with a situation she can't fight or prevent and neither can Vaas. This divide between the two will cause for a few things to rise, one Alice now has even more reason to stay, screw with Citra and even more reason to remain by Vaas side as well as cause the two 'love birds' to embrace their true inner feelings.
I know some of you guys where hopping Alice would have the child and the series would end there but I couldn't let that happen, this is the true start of Alice becoming a far better warrior, sure she has killed and done horrible things but not of her own accord, now you guys get to see the more Vaas like Alice in future chapters. So please I hope you all enjoyed and I hope I haven't ranted a bit too much in my explanation as to why I've been doing all this crap in previous chapters.
Thank you all, let me know what you guys think and also don't forget there is a few more things to come, about 10 or so more chapters left so plenty of fun.