*Updated 08-05-2018*

Chapter 36 - We're all mad here

Vaas' head drummed and his eyes were heavy. He groaned loudly.

"Hermana." he mumbled and groaned again, "Hermana."
He rose his voice a little and coughed, forcing him to sit up. His head pounded even more as Vaas fumbled in his pocket for some tablets. He pulled them out and popped some, drying swallowing them which wasn't the best idea. He found a bottle of water on the floor and downed it, the effects of the drugs making him severely dehydrated as his throat felt sore.

Vaas tried to collect his thoughts but couldn't, nothing of the night before was coming back to him. Getting slowly to his feet, he opened the warehouse door, the harsh sunlight blinding him as he squinted.

"RAUL!" he shouted, "GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!"
Vaas adjusted to the light a little, only to see Raul jogging over. Vaas groaned again.
"Sup?" Raul asked, his tank removed, his body glistening with sweat.

"Where the fuck is Rosa?" Vaas asked.
The tablets had started working slightly, one of the Doctor's own special concoctions.
"I don't know." said Raul, "She stormed out of here last night, got on a boat and headed South. She didn't say why but she left the warehouse upset."

All of the thoughts from the night came cascading into Vaas' mind like a huge tidal wave. His eyes widened as he remembered; the drugs, the fight, the baby, Rosa leaving.

"Shit." Vaas whispered.
"What happened?" asked Raul.
"Did you say she went South?" questioned Vaas, his voice full of panic.
"Looked like it. Dude, what did you do?"

"We need to go over there, now." Vaas said, his mind buzzing.
He tried to walk past Raul but Raul put his hands out to stop him.
"Woah. Not a good idea. If you've had a fight, she'll need to cool off. Let her come back on her own terms." Raul explained.
"Hermano, you don't understan -"
"I do. Leave her. She'll be back, don't worry."

Rosa had arrived at Hoyt's island late in the night and had collapsed in a sodden mess on the beach. She had managed to fall asleep, the emotions tiring her out. She had been woken up by a privateer kicking her gently in the back.

"Hey, Rosa. Wake up. Come on."
Rosa blinked and sat up, her appearance messy and dirty. The privateer held out his hand and she took it, the man hauling her up.
"Thanks." she said, "Hoyt in?"

"Yep. Up in his office. Want me to walk you there?" the man suggested.
"Yes please." Rosa said quietly.
The two walked side by side, not saying anything. Rosa hung her head a little, not wanting the other privateers to look at her. The stairs of the building met her line of sight as she quickly went up them, until arriving outside Hoyt's office.

She gave a weak smile to the man who nodded and walked off. Rosa took a deep breath before knocking, her distinctive knock which made Hoyt swivel around in his chair. She opened the old door and was faced with Hoyt.

"Rosa." he said, "What on earth are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?" she whispered, her voice full of sadness.
"Of course." he said before he ran round his desk and wrapped his arm around Rosa's shoulder, "What's wrong, my English Rose?"
"Oh Hoyt." she managed to say before she became choked up.

Hoyt took her backpack from her and threw it next to his desk, sitting her down in his chair.
"What has that fucker done Rosa?" Hoyt growled, his fists clenched.
"We ... We had a fight, I was scared that he would hurt me ... so - so I came here." Rosa said, looking down at the ground, chewing her lip.

"What were you fighting about?" Hoyt asked and Rosa tensed up.
She could tell Hoyt there and then or she couldn't.
"N - Nothing." Rosa stuttered, "It doesn't matter. I've never seen him like that before, Hoyt. Something was different about him. I thought he was going to kill me."

"I'm going to murder that mother fucker." Hoyt spat.
Rosa touched his hand, a sign for him to relax a little.
"Do you want to talk about what happened?" Hoyt asked, "I'm not the best agony aunt but I'm the best fucking one you've got."
Rosa sighed.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather not. I just want some guidance. What do I do?" Rosa asked, "Do I go back? Or should he come here?"
"I'm definitely not the best person for this; Rich was." Hoyt sighed, "I don't know what you should do, Rosa."
"Oh gee, you're the best fucking agony aunt I've ever had." she said, sarcastically, her words biting.
Rosa pulled out her knife and stabbed it into the desk in anger.

"I never said I was the best, did I?" Hoyt said and he rubbed between his eyes.
"I think you have something of mine, Rosa." Hoyt said as he pulled Rosa's bag towards him.

He passed it to her and she looked at him. Hoyt signaled to the bag and she reluctantly opened it, dug to the bottom and retrieved the letter. She pulled it out and handed it to Hoyt, who snatched it off of her, getting to his feet.

"I always thought you might need this someday, Rosa. I don't know what you need it for, but hopefully it helps."
Hoyt stood behind her and dropped the letter into her lap. Hands trembling, Rosa picked it up and ran her finger underneath the flap, opening it. Inside the envelope was a folded piece of white paper and she slowly opened it out. Her eyes scanned down the page:

"We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice?
"You must be." said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."

Rosa just stared at the paper.

"Hoyt, what the fuck is that supposed to mea -" Rosa started but when she looked up Hoyt wasn't there.
Rosa flipped the paper over and saw there was a single sentence written on the back.
"You'll figure it out."

Rosa was really fucking confused. What was it supposed to mean? It was just an Alice in Wonderland quote and now Hoyt wanted to attribute some deeper meaning to it? Rosa looked down at the words again, with a frown.

Maybe Hoyt meant that Rosa's life, everything that had happened within it, was meant to happen. Her mother leaving her on that shipment boat and the boat arriving to Rook was her destiny in life. Rosa felt that Hoyt was using the quote to show her some level of acceptance for her life and the people which she encountered. Vaas being one of them.

She had left Vaas on North after he had exploded at her; her life and the life within her could have been in danger. She didn't even know if she wanted a baby. She was too young and had barely started her life with Vaas. Rosa didn't know what she could gain from an Alice in Wonderland quote, but she knew that there was something deeper within it. Something important.

"We're all mad here." Rosa said, repeating the words on the paper.

Rosa studied the note for a while, reading and re-reading it and racking her brains for answers. She couldn't figure out if it was just Hoyt trying to be a smart guy or he really thought the quote would help her. Rosa had a feeling it was the latter; Hoyt wasn't the type to fuck around.

Rosa sat up in the chair, alone with her thoughts, the only sound echoing through the room being the clock that ticked on one of Hoyt's side tables. Rosa knew that she needed to sort things with Vaas, for the sake of her and for this baby.

She didn't know what she was going to do and turned the chair, looking down onto the compound and thinking. She rested her hands on her stomach.

"You've fucked everything up. I didn't want this to happen. Nobody wanted this to happen. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do." said Rosa and her eyes brimmed with tears. There was only one thing that she could really do.

Sort things out with Vaas.

Hey guys! I'm back! Hope you all enjoyed a little break because I know that I did. I had a great birthday and thank you to those who sent me a message, you guys are the best! More action (I think) coming up in the next chapter and the ones to come, so you have that to look forward too. Happy reading!