I think that was the most reviews I ever got at once on a chapter, thank you so much!
Especially if you've been supporting this story from the start :) I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support. I'm about two chapters ahead of this one, and boy oh boy is it a challenge. I think I know where we're going though :)
Thank you again for your kind words and amazing support. This chapter is perhaps a bit shorter, but it's so full of feels that I think it had to stand on its own. I'm travelling tomorrow so will not be able to update until Tuesday, and I don't know how I'm going to deal with that!
Enjoy :)
"You know, it's not even the kiss that told me something was wrong." Vaas ' eyes are dark, dangerous, out of this world. "She kissed me, did you know that? She. Kissed. ME!"
He hits his chest, his whole body erupting in rage. Then he calms, laughs, paces around.
"You're a good actress, nena. I believed you." He applauds her. "I was way in there, nena, I believed you, I was," he motions to the clouds, hidden above the trees. Laughs his mad laugh. "It's that bitch from the bar, no? She told you about this. Oh you played me so bad, nena!"
Tim aims his rifle and fires, but all that comes out is a click. Jammed. Vaas has not even blinked.
"But it's not the kiss, no, no, no, it wasn't the kiss, that made me think, 'Vaas, something is wrong here, something isn't right,she's playing you hermano...', no, no, no,what made me go after you this morning, nena, it's that FUCKING DOG!"
Tim throws his gun in anger.
"Alice, give me your gun." His hand is extended, expectantly, as he looks at Vaas. He doesn't doubt for a second that she will comply.
"That fucking dog, that ugly little shit, because nena, you were saying goodbye to that thing, you were hugging it like it was fucking beautiful, no? And then you fucking played me!" He's yelling again, hitting his heart, pacing wildly in front of them.
Alice feels like crying, because he is hurt, for real, and she feels nasty, she didn't have to kiss him, it was cruel, and she understands that now.
"I didn't...! Vaas, I wasn't playing you!"
"Alice it doesn't matter, pass me the gun!" Shouts Tim.
"I was saying goodbye!"
And she doesn't know why she's justifying herself. She's got nothing to apologise for, he abducted her, he did this, she's done nothing wrong! He's forced her into all of this, how could he not expect her to try and leave?
"Ridley, just pass me the fucking gun! NOW!"
Alice shakes her head. She doesn't want him dead.
"What the fuck, Ridley? Stockholm syndrome much? Give it to me!"
"No! Don't, don't, I don't want him to die!"
"Ridley! What are you doing? We're leaving! Now! Just shoot him, then! Come on!"
"There's- there's been e-enough k-killing, I can't, I..!"
She's walking away from Tim, she sudenly realises, and is now halfway to Vaas. He's yet to do anything, he's watching them, he's not even scared.
"He'll kill you, you idiot! He'll kill both of us! He killed Brad! He's a maniac, I know him, Citra told me everything, trust me he deserves to die!"
"Citra?" Vaas looks up to the invisible sky, laughs again, throws his arms in the air. "Citra's been talking to you? My sister's been talking to you? She's been telling you all her stories? Huh?" His laugh turns taunting, mocking Tim. "You're so fucked, white boy."
"Fuck this." Says Tim, and he reaches for his machete.
"Tim, no, wait!"
With a great battle cry, Tim goes for Vaas, his arm high, his eyes unseeing.
"Tim! TIM! Tim, just FUCKING WAIT!"
Alice's hands constrict like from a spasm, and the gunshot bursts loud in the clearing. The whole island must have heard it. She blinks in confusion. Where did that come from? There's only them three in the clearing. Them two. Tim is lying down, his chest all red, he's dead. But who shot him? It wasn't Vaas. Is there someone in the trees? She looks around wildly, pointing the smoking gun at the trees. Who did this? Vaas is in front of her, he is holding her face.
"Nena, nena, nena," he is whispering in Spanish, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her eyes, her lips, her hands. He's laughing. His eyes are so green, dark like the jungle itself. Alice shakes him off. What happened?
"Do it."
Do what? What's happening?
His hands are holding hers, and hers are still on the gun. He's guiding the gun to his heart, holds it there, pushes on Alice's fingers.
"Do it, nena, end this. I'll never let you go. You want to leave? Do it now. I'll never let you leave me. Do it."
He cannot be serious. And yet here he is, holding her holding the gun, pushing into his heart, looking into her eyes, whispering soothing things to her. But she cannot. She's not a murderer. Who killed Tim? Tim is dead. They failed. She's lost her ticket home. She is lost. All she's got is this maniac, and his voice that sounds so nice, these hot words he whispers in Spanish, does he love her,is this true? She needs him. He protects her.
"No," she begs, and more forcefully: "No. Vaas, let go. Let go!" She pulls herself out of his grasp, throws the gun to the side, away from them.
He takes a step towards her and she pushes him, frightened. He hardly moves, and she's put of all her strenght into it.
"No!"
"What do you want, nena?" The tone is serious, but not unkind. "What do you want?"
What do I do? What do I do? What have I done?
There's a moment's hesitation, during which Alice steels herself, considers her limited options, and Vaas holds her gaze, his arms open.
"What do YOU want with me?!" She is yelling at him.
"I told you." He's ever so calm. "Everything, that's what I want. You're up here, nena," he points to his head, "and in there." He points to his heart. "Youre like a sweet cancer to me. You're not gonna leave me. You're gonna have to erase me if you want to leave me."
They stay silent for a bit. When Alice takes a step back, he takes one forward.
"What do you want?" He asks again.
For a few seconds more, four exactly, Alice braces herself. She wants to live. When she reaches for him he is ready, meeting her halfway. Has he known this all along? She doesn't care. She wants to live.
Alice has not kissed many men in her life. She kissed a boy when she was 12, did not enjoy it, then kissed and was kissed by her ex boyfriend Eric. So technically, that's two men if you include Vaas. The thing is, Alice isn't the most sexual person in the world. It's not that she doesn't enjoy sex, it's that it's just not a the top of her likes and dislikes. Neither is kissing, for that matter. She's learnt not to expect enjoyment from kissing and from sex. And from kissing Vaas, Alice has never even expected anything. She's limited her goals to taking it without showing disgust, and with as little discomfort as possible. She'd quietly hoped that she would be out of his grasp before they even got beyond first base. When she'd jumped forward, Alice had kind of been thinking of hugging him, having decided to go with the version of the story that went a bit like 'I was saying goodbye to you because I do care about you, please don't kill me', but Vaas' lips had gone straight for her own, and now they are kissing. Well, he is kissing, and she is returning it as best she can.
And it's not half as bad as she thought.
His hands are holding her head in place, his lips pushing and pulling, warm and demanding against her own soft ones. Then the pirate shifts, tilting his head to the side, getting even closer to her still, diving his tongue into her mouth, burying his fingers in her hair and pulling it as his other hand trails down her arms, her waist, her back, grabbing and letting go, and when she lets out a noise from the back of her throat neither of them can tell if it's out of pain or pleasure. But Vaas slows down, eases his hold on her hair, his tongue becomes coaxing and no longer brutal. His hand on her back is still firm, but he no longer digs his nails into her flesh. He just holds her to him, kissing her mouth, gently inciting her to respond to his tongue. And when she does, it is him who makes a noise, and it is as if his fingers are shaking.
Alice puts her hands on his chest and clings to his red top, unsure whether to push him away or hold him close.
"Alice" he breathes against her lips. Then, he kisses her cheeks, her neck, leaving a hot,electric trail wherever his lips touch her skin. "I knew you wanted me." There's a wicked smile in his voice.
"I want to live," manages Alice, and she unconsciously pulls him closer.
"No," his hands are brushing her hair off her face, he is smiling his crazy smile again. "No,no,no, nena, living means nothing, you wanna be alive, truly alive, that's what you want."
Her body molds perfectly against his, she doesn't know what he means by that, isn't living and being alive the same thing? Kissing him isn't so bad, in fact it is rather good, and that's a euphemism. Her whole body is responding to his touch, and Alice realises she has never been this turned on by a simple kiss.
Probably because there's nothing simple about this.
He's kissing her again, softly,reverently, and now she is seeking him as much as he is seeking her. Her hands unclench, and her fingers reach his rough chin, touch his neck. With her eyes shut it is easy to forget. Easier to seek that relief and comfort he is so happy to give. She presses closer still.
Alec's voice echoes in her head: 'perhaps'. Not no, not yes, perhaps. Alice starts pulling away.
"Vaas!"
Vaas lets Alice slip out of his arms and turns to his pirates as they arrive in the clearing.
"You ok man?" This pirate actually sounds northern american.
"Took your sweet fucking time hermano."
The pirate looks at Alice, then back at Vaas, scowling.
"That fuck," Vaas points at Tim's dead body. "That sick piece of shit tried to take my mermaid away."
"A lot of the boys are dead, Vaas."
"He fucking killed them."
"What is she doing?" Asks the other one, suspicious.
"What is she doing?" Repeats Vaas. He walks to the pirate. "What is she doing?" The other one shifts foot nervously. "What she's doing, hermano, is getting shit done. She's killed that white boy. She's one of us. Now why don't you move your stupid white boy ass away from here, stop asking so many stupid questions and start cleaning this shit up, huh? Citra sent that white boy. Now go. Disappear."
Alice is relieved. For some reason, Vaas has chosen to keep her part in the attempted escape quiet,making it sound like she was being taken away by force. He said she'd killed Tim, and Alice is still unsure of who did it. It can't have been her. Hopefully whoever actually did it will be too scared of Vaas to come forward.
As the other pirates leave, Vaas walks back to her, takes her hand.
"Let's go home now nena, ok?" He kisses her hand. "Don't you worry."
He kisses her hand again, looks her in the eye.
"You're alive now."