To Hell And Back

Chapter 3

"I guess you could say, I fell in love with you at first sight, Maria."

===================================

"You..fell in love with me?" Maria said as she looked at Xander straight in the eyes.

'He loves me..?' Maria thought for a moment, in complete joy before thinking that was impossible.

Maria has been through many relationships. Most men boasting about how they loved her and how beautiful she was. She was happy to receive such comments but knew that they didn't mean it. It usually happens a few weeks in, where they show their true colors.

She remembers the anger she felt. As well as, the heartbreak.

(Flashback)
"Come on, Maria. All you have to do is bend ove-" The sound of a hard slap echoed against the room.

"Like bloody hell, I'll ever bend over to you. You fucker." Maria hissed out and glared at him with seething rage.

"How dare you," She said as she watched him look back at her in shock and anger. "You think you could just walk in here and demand me to bend over like a whore?" She growled out and stared him down until he looked to the floor.

Maria sees his hands shaking a bit and looked toward his face. It showed a bit of fear. She continued to stare him down.

"I will not submit to you so easily, you scum. I don't just give away my body. I spent weeks of my time, getting to know and like you. Only for you to betray me and order me around like I'm nothing but a piece of meat." She teared up, her voice trembling slightly. But didn't let her tears fall in front of her ex-lover.

He looked back at her in fake remorse but she wouldn't have it.

'You will not toy with me.'

"Go to hell." She glared out and grabbed her things before she slammed the door to the room closed and never looked back.

When Maria got to her ship, she didn't speak a word to her crew and locked herself in her room for the whole day. The next day, she tried to stay cheerful for her crew. It didn't really work. They already knew something was wrong and realized it had to do with her ex-lover.

Let's just say that the newspaper they read the next morning about a corpse found in a back alley, had nothing to do with the crew. Absolutely not. Not at all.

They were pirates. Not assassins or anything.

Maria never suspected her crew's awkward silence as she turned the page.
-----------------------(End Flashback)

'Ever since then, I've been insecure of people saying they loved me, in a sincere way. I just can't tell their intentions and I hate feeling so..meaningless.'

Maria narrowed her eyes at Xander and thought back to what he said about loving her.

'I need to check if he is truly sincere.'

She, later on, asked Xander something she never asked someone before.

"Prove it?"

"Yes. Prove it." She said as she observed Xander's reaction.

He thought about it and after a few moments, He grinned.

"Alright. I accept your challenge. On the condition, that-" He looked around, thinking. Then he looked back at her in excitement.

"On the condition that My friends and I, could take a trip on your ship. " Xander said and smiled at Maria's wide-eyed expression.

"You want me to bring your friends and you to my ship?" She asked unsurely