A/n: mentions of self-harm.


She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep but when Liv woke, she was feeling well-rested. Having an actual bed to sleep in probably had something to do with her sudden increase in mood, despite what happened the previous day.

Vaas was livid with her for some reason.

When the Scavenger parked outside the gate, he almost yanked her by her hair into the outpost, taking her to a trailer on the far side of the base; the occupants inside Vaas vacated with a shout, ordering a pirate to bring him some supplies: a first aid kit and a rope; the latter she was confused with. Liv ignored his protests, most of which were in Spanish, and sat on an empty bed as he roughly cleaned and bandaged her arm. She said nothing, even when he asked her what her issue was.

Scratching in annoyance at the scar on his head, Vaas tied the rope around her wrists and left her there. Liv didn't even have the strength to attempt an escape, though she knew that Vaas most certainly had eyes on her. He was taking her breakdown hard for some reason. She honestly didn't care at the time; she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling until she fell asleep.

And here I am.

Liv stretched her legs and groaned, then sat up. There wasn't much in terms of pleasure to occupy herself with inside the trailer, but she was certain that she could find something to do. Her arm hurt terribly, but she didn't care. She found a magazine on a table in the living area and sat down on the couch to look at it; the text was in Spanish, but at least there were pictures. It was a bit hard to maneuver with the rope around her wrists though.

Partially through the magazine, Liv heard the door to the trailer open. She turned her eyes from the pages and watched Vaas storm in. He met her stare and raised a brow.

"The fuck are you doing?"

Liv raised the magazine and showed it to him. She didn't want to talk unless she had a reason to.

Vaas walked into the living area and sat down on the far end of the couch. She averted her eyes and continued to stare at the pictures; this article showed a sports car from America; a Chevrolet Corvette from the looks of it. Did someone have these imported? It seemed to feature cars from around the world.

"You know... I never took you for a sports car person," Vaas mentioned.

She wasn't, but with not much else to do, cars were the most interesting thing to her at the moment. She glanced briefly at the pirate, watching him scratch his brow in annoyance. As much as she didn't want to speak to him, it was probably safer too.

"I... Can't do much with my hands tied."

"I tied your hands, querida (darling) because you were trying to fucking kill yourself," Vaas mentioned.

Liv scoffed.

"If I wanted to die, then I would have done it years ago."

After her father died.

"What the fuck were you doing then?"

What was she doing? At the time she was trying to punish herself for thinking of Vaas as more than just her captor. But when she thought about it, clawing her arm was an ignorant and childish thing to do. It was mind over matter; she needed to remember who Vaas was the next time her body craved his touch.

"I was having a breakdown," Liv answered.

Her coworker was dead and another one's life was in jeopardy.

"Because of Barry?" Vaas asked. "You querida, (darling) are sentimental."

"I'm not used to seeing death or being the cause of it. I'm not you," Liv retorted with a glimmer of annoyance in her eyes.

It wasn't a complete lie. She had seen death before, but she was not a murderer. There was a difference.

"You are right about that," Vaas mentioned. "There is only one Vaas and he's fucking loco (crazy)."

Why did she have a feeling there was more to him than Vaas the pirate, or Vaas the murderer? Who was he before––

Liv groaned in annoyance and tossed the magazine down onto the table. For fuck's sake, she was doing it again. She was thinking of him as more than her captor. Her arm itched in protest.

"You have something to say?" Vaas asked.

No... No, she didn't. Taking a deep breath through her nose, Liv hummed in disgust. She smelled terrible; like a wet dog.

"Is it too much to ask for a shower? I can tolerate it, but I pity the person who gets stuck babysitting me."

Vaas snorted.

"You do smell like shit."

Groaning, he stood and ran his hand through his mohawk.

"Come on."

Liv raised a brow, but she didn't complain. She stood up and followed Vaas from the trailer, cutting across the lot to the one he slept in. He retrieved a backpack, then led her to the Scavenger, opening the passenger side door for her.

"No Carlos?" Liv asked.

"No fucking Carlos," Vaas retorted.

She hummed and got in. At least she had room. Vaas got into the driver's seat and started up the vehicle. He headed north up the road, reaching down to turn on the radio; a song began to play and Vaas turned up the volume. Liv had to admit it was good, despite the fact she didn't understand the lyrics. She swayed a little to the music as she stared out the window at the jungle as it flew by. This was... nice.

Liv was so lost in the music that she pouted when Vaas cut the radio down, parking the Scavenger at the base of a waterfall. She was both concerned and in awe.

"You like that, querida (darling)?" Vaas asked.

Liv raised a brow and turned to look at him.

"The song or the waterfall?"

"La cascada (the waterfall)," he answered with a grin. "Mama Morenita is the best song on the radio."

Liv hummed. 'Mama Morenita,' she'd have to remember that. It was catchy. Turning her eyes back to the waterfall, she smiled.

"La cascada (the waterfall). It's beautiful."

"That shit outpost doesn't have a shower and if you don't mind sharks taking a bite out of your ass, then you can bathe in the ocean," Vaas explained as if he knew what she had been thinking.

She shook her head.

"This is fine."

The water was going to be cold though.

Liv opened the door to the best of her ability and got out. The area was shaded for the most part, but someone passing by in a vehicle might be able to see her. It was for the best if she bathed in her clothes; she'd be able to kill two birds with one stone. But how was she meant to wash with her hands bound?

"Do you think you could undo these?" She asked as she showed him the rope.

"Fuck no!" Vaas exclaimed. He pointed to the waterfall. "Get in and I'll wash you."

Her eyes widened. No fucking way! She wasn't a child.

"I'm not going to run, Vaas. Please."

The said man uttered under his breath in annoyance and unsheathed his knife.

"Always giving me that fucking sad ass look, like I kicked your fucking dog."

He cut the rope and allowed her a moment to rub her wrists before he tossed the backpack into her arms.

"You have five minutes before I come in there."

Vaas leaned against the Scavenger as Liv walked towards the pool at the base of the waterfall. She sat the backpack down and opened it, humming in relief as she saw a bottle of shampoo and a bar of soap, along with an extra pair of clothing; she assumed these were Vaas' and that he most likely had them in the backpack for the next time he showered.

"Um... Do you mind if I wear these?" She asked.

He motioned his hand at her, urging her on; she took it as a yes. Liv took the items from the backpack and left the clothes inside, then walked to the water's edge. Her fear of snakes made her hesitate to remove her shoes, so she kept them on and walked in, shuddering as the cold water bit at her ankles.

Please don't let there be snakes in here. Please.

The waterfall scene from 'Six Days, Seven Nights' popped into her head and her face immediately heated up in embarrassment. She'd faint if one slithered into her pants.

Liv slowly walked in until she was at the base of the waterfall. She opened the shampoo bottle with shaky hands and leaned her head beneath the water, allowing her hair to get wet. It was colder than she had thought.

It's mind over matter. Do it all in one go.

Stepping beneath the water, she got her entire body wet, then jerked back to lather the shampoo in her hair. Once she was content, Liv tucked the bottle between her thighs so as not to drop it and scrubbed herself with the soap, making sure to clean her skin and clothes. Rinsing off, she hurried back to the Scavenger, squatting near the bag with her arms around herself.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."

She was so damn cold. But at least she felt clean.

Liv reached into the bag and took out the clothes, standing. Vaas was watching her with a brow raised; she narrowed her eyes.

"Can you turn around?"

"Can I?" He asked with a grin.

She almost turned up her eyes.

"Por favor y gracias (please and thank you)."

Vaas snorted then holstered his knife, walking around to the driver's side. Liv grabbed the bag and stood as close to the back of the Scavenger as she could, removing her wet clothes. She hid them away with the bath products and then put on Vaas' black tank and green camo-printed pants; both were too big for her, but at least they were clean and dry.

Holding up her pants, she shouldered the bag and got in the passenger seat. The scent of tobacco permeated the air and Liv twitched her nose; Vaas puffed at a cigar, offering it to her once he caught her staring.

"I don't smoke cigars," she mentioned, turning him down.

"Cigarettes? Pot?" Vaas asked.

Liv slipped off her shoes and brought her legs up onto the seat.

"Pot on occasion."

"Always keeping me surprised, querida (darling)," Vaas declared with a snort. His eyes trailed over her shivering form, noting that her eyes were dull and heavy with sadness, like a porcelain doll with one too many cracks, abandoned on the top shelf.

"How was your bath?"

Liv ignored the strange look he was giving her, assuming it was because her bra could be easily seen, and averted her eyes to the picture-worthy scenery.

"It was cold."

The walls of the outpost were nowhere this stunning. She sighed a moment later, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Vaas.

"Where is your mind?" He asked.

"Nowhere in particular," Liv answered. She leaned her head against the window. "I just... Wish I could take some pictures."

Vaas snorted.

"You like my island? It's beautiful, no?"

She agreed with a nod.

"There's a lot to like."

There was also a lot to dislike about it; Vaas and the pirates for one. Liv hummed and turned her eyes to Vaas; he was watching her with interest.

"Are we seeing Chris today?"

She wasn't sure she was ready for whatever horrors he had in store for the actor, but the sooner she got the day over with, the sooner she and Chris could get away from the pirates.

"Not today, querida (darling). You are not happy," Vaas answered. He leaned in and poked her cheek to stress his point.

Liv raised a brow. Of course, she wasn't happy.

"I'm fine."

"When a woman says she is fine, then she is not fine. But no worries, I'm gonna fix you," Vaas mentioned.

An air of dread surrounded her.

"I'm not broken, Vaas."

The said man simply stuck out his tongue and then started the engine.

But I'm not.

Was it in her eyes? And what the fuck did fixing her entitle?

Liv reached down to the belt loop to grasp her keychain, but she realized with a silent gasp that it was in the bag with her wet clothes.

What was he going to do to her?