Hello, and sorry you must feel a bit flooded with updates! I am writing a lot at the minute. I can't thank you enough for reading this story and I hope you keep on enjoying it (I do have a plan as to where to take this but also remain open to suggestions, please feel free to feedback or offer any ideas). This story is rated M for violence, gore, and eventual sex so please be aware.

Thank you especially to h for your support and feedback :)

Here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy it!

And suddenly reality comes crashing down on Alice as Vaas drives them away from the white mansion and down into the dark jungle. The breeze loses them and is replaced by moist, heavy air, and the vegetation is so dense that there is hardly any light filtering through the branches. Alice holds on tightly as the car wizzes through the trees. She risks a glance at the pirate and notices that he is smiling to himself. She wonders briefly if she should try making him crash the car, decides against it. She is convinced that he is taking her to her friends.

Eventually they seem to go up a hill again, and it gets lighter. They stop at a clearing about halfway to the top, and several pirates are already there. They carry their machine guns on their shoulder, wave at Vaas.

The view from the cliff bordering the clearing is stunning, but it is easy to forget its beauty as Alice's eyes settle over the five silhouettes kneeling on the floor in a straight line, hands tied behind their backs. Three of those are Jessica, Brad and Tim, the other two are an elderly married couple they met on the scuba diving trip. Sweet couple, reluctant to try spicy food but very friendly. They are sitting close to each other, their shoulders connecting, and the woman is crying.

She follows as Vaas leisurely walks to them. He pulls a series of passports from his back pocket and starts flicking through them.

"Mr and Mrs Cards. Cool name. Not so cool though, is the fact that your family doesn't love you. Either of you. No one is willing to pay to get you out." He sticks his bottom lip out, and Alice feels like smacking him. "Sad. You're worthless. Just like this fucker here" he takes a step towards Brad. "Bradley Hunt from Australia. No one's stepping forward for you neither hermano. Worthless, pointless, FUCKS!"

Suddenly extremely animated, Vaas walks over to another pirate and grabs his hand gun from his holster. He strides back to his hostages.

"OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!" He shouts, veins popping out along his muscular neck and shoulders.

BANG

Mrs Cards' head bursts into red mist.

BANG

Mr Cards' head explodes like a watermelon.

BANG

Brad's brains splash onto Tim's face and torso.

"AND YOU" screams Vaas as he pushes the smoking gun into Tim's temple. "HERMANO, YOU BETTER FUCKING WISH YOUR FAMILY SENDS OVER THE FUCKING MONEY!"

Tim's eyes are shut, his brows furrowed, his mind far away. Jessica is sobbing uncontrollably.

"Stop, please stop!" Alice begs without realising. "Stop!"

He is ignoring her, yelling at Tim to look him in the eye.

"Stop! VAAS!" Screams Alice, and the pirate freezes.

"Vaas!" Repeats Alice. "Vaas, please, stop! Wait!"

He turns to her, slowly, looking into her eyes. There is a little bit of brain on his shoe.

"I mean, please, will you stop for a second?"

"Say that again." His voice is calm, almost emotionless.

"Please st-"

"No, not that. My name. Say my name again."

Alice's heart picks up a beat. She has no idea where he is going with that. At least he is no longer tormenting her friends.

"Say it again." His hand goes to cup his ear.

"Vaas." Says Alice, and it sounds like a question even to her ears. Had she got the name wrong?

The whole of the pirate's face morphs from insanity fuelled rage into pure joy.

"WOOO!"

He walks around, smiles at his companions.

"You hear that hermano? Don't it sound sweet? Don't it sound good? How hot is my name on her beautiful lips?" He does a twirl, sits next to Tim and puts his arm around his shoulders.

"You heard that hermano? She said my name. She said Vaas."

"Vaas" says Alice, a bit more forcefully this time. "Please will you just... Wait for a second, and hear me out. I'd like to speak with you if that's ok."

"She's talking to me hermano" whispers Vaas into Tim's ear. He gets up, opens his arms, all smiles.

"I am listening."

"Can I speak to you in private?" Asks Alice, and she turns and walks away, refusing to witness his reaction to that.

She walks towards the jungle, not really knowing what she is going to say to him, and not being even sure that he is in fact following her.

"Ok nena it's far enough now no?" She jumps as his voice rings right behind her.

She looks at him. He feels very close, and he is frightening, so very frightening. His smell is all smoke and sweat and something metallic. She is alone in the woods with a maniac. She must be mad herself.

"Ok, so... You... Why did you bring me here?"

"I thought you might like to see your friends."

She searches for any sign of mockery but his face seems earnest.

"You killed Brad. And that couple. You just shot them, you stopped their lives like it was nothing."

She starts shaking, and she knows her lips are quivering. She can taste a salty tear pooling there.

Suddenly his rough hands are cupping her face, the thumbs wiping at her cheeks.

"Shh, don't cry" he cooes. "I don't want to see my mermaid cry."

She moves out of his grasp as his thumb touches her bottom lip, tries to regain control. She's disgusted and feels like rubbing her lip. But he's followed her there, he's listened to her. Perhaps he will listen to her proposition, and regardless of what happens next, at least she will know she tried her best.

"I have a question for you. What do you want from me?"

Finally, it is out there. She may even get an answer.

"What do I want from you?" He asks, and there is surprise on his face. "I want everything, nena. Everything. I was drowning and you pulled me out. You sang to me. I heard your voice and now it is there" he points at his head, "and I want you to be mine. That's what I want from you."

Well. She wasn't expecting that, but now that it is said it makes her proposition all the more likely to be accepted.

"Ok." She swallows uncomfortably. "Then, I have an offer to make you."

"I like offers" he says, and his grin turns wolffish.

"I will be... Yours. If you agree to my conditions."

He keeps silent for a while, his face unreadable, and Alice wonders if she's angered him.

"You will be mine, huh? Just like that?"

"Well, not just like that, there are conditions..."

"That's not how love works, nena. You can't just decide to be mine. If I agree to your conditions, I want you to do this: never leave me, stay here with me on this island, stay faithful to me, and try your hardest to fall in love with me. Don't change me,but try to love me. Don't make me choose. Ok?"

"So... You'll agree to my conditions if I agree to try my best to... Love you?" She cannot help the nervous disbelief in her voice.

"Don't you mock me, nena. A mermaid and a pirate is a perfect match. You will be surprised." He straightens his back, crosses his arms on his chest. "Ok then, mermaid, tell me your conditions."

"Ok. Number one" she takes a deep breath. "Do not kill my friends."

"That's an unfair condition, I've already done that."

"You killed one. Don't kill Jess and Tim."

"Ok. They live."

"And don't torture or sell them either."

"Is that condition number 2?" He chuckles. "I'm just fucking with you. Agreed. But just to be clear, they can never leave the island anyway. They can fuck off and do whatever, but they can't leave."

"Agreed."

"Nena, if they leave, they die."

"Agreed" repeats Alice. "Number two" she thinks hard about this one. "Protect me. Against the other pirates, the jungle, everything."

"Now that's a bit rude, because you're my mermaid, of course I will protect you. What, you think I'm some savage? I agree to all your conditions so far. How many more?"

"Number three" she continues. "I want to be allowed to move around. I want to be able to leave the shack, visit the doctor if I want to, drive around, take walks."

"Now" he frowns, "this one we need to negotiate." He rubs his chin, deep in thought. Points a finger at her. "See, this island is not safe. You will be free to walk around the camp, and free to drive up to the doctor's house, but only there. Any other place you want to go, I need to come with you. If you don't respect this, the agreement is over and I will sell your friends. That Jessica looks expensive. Understand? You can walk around the camp, you can go to the doctor's house, everywhere else is off limits. Unless I come with you. That's for your own safety. And I want you to learn to shoot a gun. Are we ok?"

"Ok."

"Any more conditions?"

"One more" she says, and he groans, shifting foot. She is losing him, and needs to make this quick. "This one is not negociable. You must never... Force me into anything sexual."

That stops him, effectively captures his full attention once again.

"You can't rape me. Even if I'm your... Your girlfriend, you can't rape me. Ever. If I say no, it is no. Do you agree?"

Now, he does actually look angry. So angry in fact that his whole body starts shaking, muscles rolling under his rough skin as he starts pacing around.

"FUCK!" He screams, punching the air. "FUCK!" He stops in front of her, raises his hands like he's about to grab her face, walks away again.

"Is that what you think of me? HUH? I agree to this fucking condition. And I got a couple of conditions for you too." He yells, charging towards her.

He suddenly calms, counts on his fingers.

"My first condition: I don't want to hear you say sorry or please to me. I fucking hate those fucking words. My second condition: you stop this." He is pointing at her face.

"My... Face?"

"That scared look on your face. I hate that look. You stop looking at me like this. Understood?"

She nods.

"Ok. Lastly, you said to me that I can't rape you. Now, I have a suggestion for you: from now on, you will be the one to set the pace. Meaning, sirenita, if you touch me in any way, then that gives me permission to touch you too. So if you hold my hand, from then on I can hold yours too. If you hug me, I can hold you. If you kiss me, I can kiss you. And I won't rape you. That ok with you, nena?"

"Ok."

He holds his hand out, his smile wide and menacing.

"Deal?"

After a last minute hesitation, Alice shakes his hand.

"Deal."

And down the hole Alice goes, without he slightest idea in the world how she is going to get back out.