Curse you, plot bunnies! I'm supposed to be doing my homework!

Anyways, this can be seen as a sequel to my one-shot, The Gift of a Mother's Love, but can be read alone. Not a lot of dialogue in this; dialogue is my strong suit, but I wanted to move a little outside my comfort zone. Enjoy!

Edit: Made the end less corny. I like this new one better.

When Ace dies, he isn't sure what he is expecting.

Not that the afterlife was weighing heavily on his mind as breathing grew increasingly difficult. No, the fact he had broken his promise to his precious little brother and wasted everyone's rescue efforts took precedence over that. That fact gnawed at his insides painfully, that his selfishness was going to cause his family pain. He can only hope Luffy, Marco, and all them can get through it in one piece.

Anyway, now that the actual "dying" part was over and done with, he is mildly curious about what comes next. He'd never been particularly religious, and, let's face it, he was a criminal. Not to mention he had been the biological son of a "devil." Did that mean he would go to Hell or Purgatory or whatever? Because none of that sounded like much fun.

All of the choices considered, he is not expecting to open his eyes and be looking up at a red and purple sky.

Ace sits up almost immediately. There is no fire, no brimstone, no gently burning flames of woe. He is sitting on a white, sandy beach, with the ocean glittering beautifully to his left. The sun is setting, painting his surroundings gold and red. The air is cool and pleasant. Every now and again, a wave crashes against the beach, sending salty spray through the air and all over his face.

The first thing he does after sitting up is press his hand to his chest. There is no gaping hole where Akainu pierced him; the injuries he sustained in Impel Down aren't even there. His hands fly to his head, and he feels the stiff leather of his favorite hat- which he is sure he lost back on Banaro Island.

By all means, it is as if he has simply fallen asleep on a beach on an island his crew has stopped at. For the briefest of moments, he wonders if everything- Impel Down, Marineford, dying- was simply a bad dream. This thought is instantly dismissed, for his memories of all three are too clear and too vivid.

Ace stands up and adjusts his hat, critically examining his location. There is the ocean, the beach, and not much else. There isn't even another person there to wonder with him about just where the heck is-

Wait, scratch that. There is someone else here.

Ace narrows his eyes. Standing on the far end of the beach is a lone figure- a woman. She is looking at him, not even minding that the sea kept washing over her feet. Curious and hoping to get a much-desired explanation, Ace starts to walk towards the woman. As he grows closer, he is able to get a better look at her and finds her to be vaguely familiar.

She is a pale woman in her thirties. She is wearing a simple blue dress and has a pretty hibiscus blossom tucked into her hair. She has wavy strawberry blond hair that falls to her waist, and sad, warm brown eyes. Across her cheeks is a sprinkling a childish freckles-

It's when he notices the freckles that Ace finally realizes that he knows who this woman is. He realizes he knew from the moment he first saw her clearly, but his mind had refused to register it.

She smiles at him sadly- she knows what realization he has come to. Gently, she motions him to speak- to say anything, as long it's something...

Ace swallows the thick lump that has formed in his throat. He feels nervous and happy and sick and he has no idea why.

You know why, his mind tells him.

Ace ignores the voice and steps a little closer. Finally, he works up the nerve to say the words that now echo endlessly in his head.

"... Rouge?" he manages to say without stuttering.

She nods.

"... Mom?"

Rouge nods again, but this time tears begin to well up in her eyes. It's clear hearing him call her that has made her happy beyond words. She is still able to find them though.

"Hello, dearest," she says in an almost whisper.

Then she is is running. Ace doesn't know why right off the bat and honestly he doesn't care- he is still in shock. Rouge runs up to him- her son- and throws her arms around his shoulders. She hugs tightly, as if afraid to let go. Her embrace is warm and soft and everything a mother's touch should feel like.

The initial shock wears off and Ace finds himself returning the hug as his mother buried her face into the crook of his neck. It feels like the right thing to do, and he doesn't mind, despite not being much of a hugger. The feeling he has right now from this makes the action completely justifiable.

He doesn't care how cliche or corny it is- for the first time since he left the Moby Dick, he feels like he's home. He feels just as loved as he did when he was with Luffy and the Whitebeard Pirates, if not more so. It's not a bad feeling, and he has a hunch it's not going to go away any time soon. He doesn't want it too.

But best of all, he now has a chance to tell her something important. Something he wanted to tell her since he heard that tone dial recording. Something he had already told his brothers- sworn and ship alike.

Something Rouge deserves to hear after everything she did for him.

"Ace..." she whispers.

Ace holds her tighter, and tells her.

"Thank you for loving me."

Remember to review and favorite if you liked it! And also, since I can be a jerk...

OMAKE

Ace furrowed his brow. "... So, you've never met anyone named Sabo over here?"

Rouge shook her head. "Can't say that I have. I've met Thatch, and some of the other people you mentioned, but 'Sabo' isn't ringing any bells."

"But are you sure?"

"Sweetie, if he was a friend of yours, I would have found him. You can trust me on that."

Ace was perplexed. Sabo had died nearly ten years ago. Rouge should have met him by now, unless...

... Unless he wasn't dead.

Sabo wasn't dead.

Sabo... was alive?

"... THAT BAAAAASSSSSTTTAAARRRRD!"

Rouge sweatdropped at her son's enraged and tearful display. She got the feeling Ace was both happy, angry, and sad at the same time. In any case, she decided now would not be a good time to introduce him to his father.

Maybe when he could decide on one emotion and stick to it.