I am so late with the next chapter and I am so sorry about it. Real life was just not letting me concentrate on this fic. I am going to try and update it as regularly as I can now.

Second, I said in the previous chapter that Sanji died 10 years ago.. but I realized that it doesn't fit with the story I have planned.. So it's 3 years now.

Hope you like the chapter!

WARNING: there is minor graphic description of burnt flesh in the chapter.

Chapter 2

Bonney had broken down the moment she had seen Sanji, his face was a majority of bruises and his torso was tied in tight bandages. IVs were pinned into his veins, an oxygen mask was placed over his face and his long legs were hidden under the blanket. But none of those were the reason.

What got to her was listening to the heart monitor, the heavy breathes released, watching the soft twitch of the eyelids, all the signs showing that Sanji - though hurt, was alive and breathing.

Nami had tried consoling her, hadn't left her side till Bonney starting breathing properly again. She had then left the siblings almost alone - one cop was placed at the corner of the room, two more outside the door.

It had taken Bonney an hour and half to shift from the sofa in the distance, to stop staring at Sanji like he was a ghost and sit on the uneasy chair next to the hospital bed.

She had brushed Sanji's hair with her fingers, watching the features on his face - his eyes had dark circles under them, and the curls were removed from his forehead. His nose looked a bit more sharper and his lower lip was definitely fuller. He also had a goatee and a sorry excuse of a moustache. But underneath all that, she could see the semblance of the brother she remembered.

A knot formed in her throat and she gulped painfully, her eyes suddenly pricking as flashes of her brother before he left that day ran across her eyes.

Sanji grinned at her, his teeth shining white in the sun and blonde hair bouncing to cover one side of his face, tickling the dimple on his left cheek as he bent a little lower to hug her goodbye. Older though she was, Bonney was a few inches shorter than him and Sanji's puberty was filled with a growth spurt.

He hugged her tightly almost picking her off her feet, "Uhhhh! I wish you could come." He groaned before letting go.

"Yeah well," Bonney grinned, patting his shoulder "Second time you're meeting him, I'd rather not be playing gooseberry. Plus, remember when you left your skype logged into my desktop last week?"

"Yup!" the 'p' popping as Sanji bent to pick his bag from the trunk.

"Yeah, I read that. I really don't wanna be there. Our room walls are thin and I've heard enough for a lifetime."

Sanji looked horrified, jaw hanging open and staring at her in disbelief, "Why would you do that?"

Bonney shrugged, turning to shut the trunk and lock it.

"Oh my poor poor sister!" The laughter could be heard clearly in Sanji's voice as he acted horrified, one hand placed over his chest dramatically, "Oh! Your poor eyes!"

"Oh!" Bonney closed her eyes and turned sideways- equally dramatic, hiding her face in her bent elbow while her other hand splayed out to the other side, "The horror! It's blinded me! Go to church, my son. Cleanse yourself and atone for your sins!"

Sanji laughed again and Bonney joined in while he extracted another bag from the backseat.

"Alright," he pressed a small kiss against her cheek, "see you in a month."

"Yes. Call when you reach. And take photos. Remember, you're sight seeing for me too!"

"Yes ma'am!"

A small salute and he turned around to walk over the entry, passport at the ready while he carried the baggage with the other hand, his black jacket ruffling like always behind him, hair blowing with the wind.

The security guard checked the ticket and identification then stepped aside to let him in. Sanji turned with a wide smile and waved a final time before entering.

Tears welled up in her eyes again and she bit her lip to hold back her sob.

When Zeff and her had received the news of the hotel fire killing many, one of them Sanji, they had refused to believe it. They had hurried over to Paris, and the police had escorted them to a room with all the charred bodies hidden under thin white blankets accompanied with the rotten smell of burnt flesh and hospital sanitizer infused in one.

They made them stand next to the body labeled '3' and showed them the ring found on the finger, the half burnt shoes the body had, the chunk of hair left on a small space on the scalp and then proceeded to show his wallet - half burnt. The id had been burnt too, leaving behind a part of Sanji's brow curl and blonde hair in the photograph and his name on the other side.

When Zeff had asked to see under the blanket, the authorities warned them that it was gruesome and not what he would want to remember of his son. Zeff insisted, saying that ignoring it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Bonney had been quite, unable to process fully the meaning of it all but then they removed the blanket and she saw a body the same height of her brother, covered in third degree burns, skin rotten and disfigured, some places void of any, the flesh burnt to the core, the bone's black visible. there was no skin on the face, one dead blue eyeball staring nowhere the other socket empty, red flesh still sticking to the skull and jaw in places…

They had been right, she didn't want to see him that way.

Bonney blinked out of the memory of that day, looking at her very alive brother and gulped. That was then. That was three years ago. What had happened, why were the evidence framed… She didn't know, and for the time being, she didn't want to either.

Right now Sanji was here and alive, and possibly in some trouble and she would do all that was in her power to keep him safe.

His hand was lying in a lax position next to her, Palm facing slightly up and fingers slightly curled, and she held it in her own, feeling the warmth of his living body and the mild beat of his heart. As if he had been waiting for it, Sanji closed his fingers around her hand to hold her in place, his body relaxing visibly.

Bonney sighed, also relaxing, the truth of the moment finally settling in her.

Sanji is alive.

000

Tony knocked once, wanting to warn the feisty lady, before opening the door slowly and peeking in.

The pink haired lady had stormed into the building yesterday with Johnney and Yosaku trailing at a safe distance behind her, both sprouting various injuries. No one tried stopping her, somehow, no one had the guts to, but it did attract some laughs at the officers' expense. Usopp had tried to confront her, asked her very timidly as to why she was here and she had glared him to the ground.

Right now, she seemed to be sleeping, head resting on crossed arms as she slumped over the bed next to Sanji's unconscious form. She was drooling a little and her deep cut tank top did very little to hide her… Stuff.

Tony entered the room, asking the cop sitting in the corner staring at her breasts to leave so he could proceed with his check ups. He picked the extra blanket laying on the sofa, and gently wrapped it around Bonney's sleeping frame, before walking over to check on Sanji, starting by checking the progress of his face bruises.

The bruises were healing well and the oxygen level was a healthy 99 on the monitor. Tony shifted the knob to cut off the air supply and then removed the mask, keeping an eye on the monitor as he moved further down. The shoulder and right arm were exposed all night and were mildly cold to touch so he shifted the blanket a little to set the arm under it - all done carefully so as to avoid waking Bonney up.

Sanji had high pain tolerance, Nami had told him that he barely grunted when Zoro was beating him. He also had high drug tolerance indicating previous use. Urine examination and blood work had come up clean though so it had possibly passed out of his system before they could test it or it was one of the new drugs that they had caught Doflamingo with - it didn't show on tests yet.

Yesterday, Tony had to administer alarming quantities of painkillers before he could start working on Sanji's ribs and bruises. The blonde had still not passed out so the doctor injected him with more nerve relaxants.

So, it was not a surprise that Sanji was still asleep, it was actually good for him, his body was hurt and overworked by the looks of it. Apart from the beating Zoro gave him yesterday, the man had clearly faced abuse in the past. Scars ran all over his back, wrists, thighs, calves and ankles. His hips were in a similar state and there were untreated wounds in his anus and around the base of his penis.

Tony didn't know what the reason was for Sanji holding his tongue, but it was obvious to everyone on the case now that it was related to Bonney. And no matter how Tony saw it, he couldn't help but see Sanji as a fighter.

000

Someone tapped Sanji's shoulder and he blinked awake, the blanket he had snuggled into on his seat dislodging itself as he moved. The air hostess was giving him a rather genuine smile, "We'll be arriving at the destination shortly. I would request you to please, fasten your seatbelt and pull your chair upright."

"Oh.." Sanji mumbled, his brain still sleep addled, "oh... Do I have ten minutes to use the restroom, my lady?" He asked, realising just then that he slept throughout the flight. Ace would be there to receive him and Sanji probably looked a mess right now.

"Five minutes, top, sir." She smiled again and proceeded to wake other costumers, her smile going a little more tight as she approached them.

Sanji sighed in his seat, giving himself another few seconds to wake up before bending to pick his carry baggage and stood up to walk to the washroom. It was empty, luckily. He locked himself in, kept the bag on the small counter and turned to lighten himself. Once done, he proceeded to wash his hands and face.

The reality of the moment started to dawn upon him slowly as he realised that he was finally going to get to meet Ace. After four years in a long distance relationship, he would get to meet his boyfriend. His grin spread from one ear to the other as he fished out his toothbrush and toothpaste. He'd slept for 8 hours, his mouth stank.

About five minutes later, Sanji left the washroom, feeling refreshed as he took his aisle seat, sliding the bag under the seat in front of him and buckling his belt, excitement evident on his face as he tried, fruitlessly, to control it.

"Good evening everyone." The intercom went on as the pilot started to make the landing announcement. "We will be touching down in Los Angeles International Airport shortly. The temperature outside is a calm 18 degree Celsius..."

Sanji tuned out the rest of it as he tried to peek out the window of his neighbour. All the shutters were now up. He still couldn't see anything other than evening clouds at this angle. Restless, he settled back and stared at the no smoking and belt sign that had been lighted up. Staring... Not looking, his mind elsewhere as he remembered every moment in the past four years when he had yearned to just meet Ace... Hug him, hold him, kiss him... All of those were now bubbling together in his heart.

Was Ace going to be late? Sanji wouldn't be mad if he would... He had heard that LA traffic was bad... Was the flight late? It definitely took off on time.. Should he ask the attendant? No.. That would be silly.

What would Ace be wearing? Sanji had hinted that he liked him with open hair... The man usually tied it into a bun to keep it out of his face, he was a fire fighter after all. But still... In the late night Skype sessions before Ace went to sleep, he usually kept his hair open and they were usually a mess and Sanji loved it. He liked the way they touched his face... Hid it from time to time when he tried to shy off.

His heart fluttered harder as he remembered those moments and the ones when Ace was so exhausted that he fell asleep mid chat. His snores were soft... But then it could be bad microphone connection... And his face went fully lax as he cuddled the comforter, looking innocent and vulnerable. Sanji never cut those sessions till he had had his fill of watching the man sleep, like a stalker.

It quite embarrassed him at times, that he could be so romantically attached to a person.

000

The grin on his face was shining... Sanji was giving off an aura so positive and so impatient - it showed and affected the people near him. He stood infront of the luggage carrier belt, bouncing on the toes of his feet, controlling the urge to leave the bag and just go out to where Ace might be waiting.

A kid sitting on the trolley held by her mommy was looking up at Sanji, curious expression on her face as she looked at him shifting, leaning back and forth to see if his luggage had been added to the belt. Sensing eyes on him Sanji looked down, the girl continuing to gaze at him, looking for a reaction.

Sanji smiled at her, warmth filling his heart when she let out a childish giggle and shied away to look at her mother overhead, chubby fingers going in her little mouth to gnaw at them, glad to have him smiling at her. He chuckled back and shook his head, returning the gaze to to the slowly emerging luggage, to see that his brown bag was finally out and slowly making its way to him.

A few minutes later, he was walking towards the visible exit sign, stepping fast and in an urgency, scanning the crowd outside. There was definitely a rush and there were many people, some seemingly as excited as him, who wanted to hurry out. Readjusting his carry bag he breathed a sigh of relief when he exited the air conditioned hall and walked out into hot air, the sounds of traffic and people greeting his ears as he scanned the crowd, heart thumping against his chest, looking for a sign of the freckled face.

"Sanji!"

He heard his name over the crowd and snapped his head to the left, trying to spot the owner of the smooth baritone. His heart leapt to his throat when he finally saw him, tall and lanky, dark eyes curtained by black hair, grinning as he waved at Sanji, the excitement on his face only rival to Sanji's.

Sanji didn't realise when he started moving but he was now practically running towards the man, heart hammering and calling out Ace's name once before slamming into him, enveloping the bigger man into his arms, hugging him tight, the embrace returned with equal favour, laughs erupting from both of them.

Sanji couldn't believe it... He was finally meeting him. Meeting Ace after four years! The distance had seemed to be a part of him all that time, hanging at the back of his head, making him feel lonely at times, when he craved to be with Ace, craved for the older man's company, craved to just be there with him. And now that he was finally with him, all those moments felt like they never existed, like he was never alone and never away from his love.

A chuckle sounded in his ear as Ace lifted Sanji from his feet for just a couple of moments, his strong muscled arms keeping Sanji in place as the blonde laughed at the tactics, before setting him down. Ace placed a kiss on Sanji's head from where it was hidden under his jaw, nuzzled into his tan neck. "Welcome to LA," he murmured, voice so low and smooth, so different from the digitalised voice that he heard over Internet and phone, it made Sanji sigh.

He finally pulled back, out of the embrace, a little reluctant to let go, only to grin up at Ace. "It's good to be here!"

Ace nodded, eyes set on the blue ones and he leaned a little closer, halting midway, seeming to remember that they were in public as he cast a look around, cheeks pinking up a little. "We should.." He mumbled, stepping back and bending to pick Sanji's bag.

"Sure," Sanji muttered, still a little dazed, stepping alongside Ace as the man turned to walk towards the cabs. It was then that he noticed that Ace had indeed left his hair open and he was wearing a black loose red tee with black jeans. Falling a step back for a second- on purpose- Sanji noticed the snug fit the jeans had around the quaint hips. Blushing, he looked ahead again, as Ace hailed a cab.

Sitting in the back seat with Ace turned out to be a really quiet affair. They both looked out the window awkwardly as the car hurried through the streets, their hands lying at the centre, close but not touching. The radio was playing and the music and the RJs were the only thing that filled the silence. Even the cab driver seemed a little uncomfortable.

The sun was setting when the cab reached the designated street, Ace pointed at a huge apartment complex that the driver pulled over to. Standing on the path as Ace dislodged his luggage and paid the driver, Sanji looked up at the skyscraper and felt his heart beat a little faster with a mild burn on his cheeks. This is the first time he was going to visit Ace's apartment. It was making his foolishly nervous.

Heaving a sigh, he turned around when Ace thanked the driver. Sanji smiled at the driver who nodded to both and then took off. Ace turned to gleam at Sanji, the warm tones of the surrounding softening the expression more so and Sanji couldn't help but grin back.

"So.." Ace started, bending to pick Sanji's bag as Sanji bent to pick the carry on, "As you can see… it's a very comfortable street. Very homey."

Sanji nodded, looking around for the first time. Of course he hadn't noticed anything, too focused on thinking about what would happen once they entered Ace's apartment. But now that he looked around, it really was very comfortable. There were convenience and medical stores as well as a couple more of apartment complexes, a park where the parents were now fitting their kids into evening jackets or people were working out. There was also an icecream parlour and cafe joint which Sanji was not going to complain about.

Against the sunset, the whole area felt warm and cozy… natural almost.

"It is homey." He agreed.

Ace hummed, the motioned Sanji to follow him up the stairs and through the scanning doors. "This is the lobby, you can put in any complaints and stuff you have here. The lady sitting is very understanding and the cleaning and fixing staff is very consistent… I live on the 13th floor, so I usually take the lift.." Ace kept talking about any and everything in the surrounding as they rode on the elevator. The blonde couldn't help but notice that Ace's cheeks were starting to grow a little pink and so were his ears.

Sanji felt the aura add on to his nervousness and licked his lips time and again, feeling them dry up faster than normal. There was a ding announcing their arrival on the 13th floor and Ace lead the way to the door on the right. There were only three flats per floor, it seemed.

After a little fumbling, Ace finally opened the door and bent cordially, "after you, sir." He chimed and Sanji chuckled as he stepped in and stood in a broad corridor. Ace followed him and closed the door behind him.

"This way.." He motioned to a door on the left, leaving the bags on a small table set at the entrance. Sanji followed him through the door to enter a luxurious living room. A simple black sofa set and a TV along with a coffee table. The walls were full of pictures or other decorative pieces and a Play station was attached to the TV.

"Wow…" Sanji murmured, a little distracted from his initial awkwardness. The place resonated with comfort and it was helping him relax. "This is…" He turned, beaming at Ace, to compliment him on his tastes, but was unable to complete the statement as the older man was suddenly hugging him, tighter than he was at the airport, his strong arms encasing and pulling Sanji against him and head coming down to rest on the blonde's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you came." Ace whispered, and Sanji's heart melted as his own arms came up to wrap around Ace's shoulders, feeling so warm and comfortable, he never wanted to part.

"So am I." He kissed Ace's jaw, the only bit possible for him to reach. Ace's hold on him increased at that, before relaxing a little and finally facing Sanji fully. He hesitated for a moment and Sanji read the concern in his eyes flash, before they both leaned in and their lips finally met.

A tingle spread down Sanji's spine, strong and gripping, numbing his brain and body where he stood against Ace, calm and happy, lips stationary for a few seconds, both breathing in heavily, before Ace took the lead and kissed Sanji properly.

Lips moved in sync, arms holding the other tight and close together- neither wanting to part. Sanji had his eyes closed as he felt Ace's lips move against his, felt the minor lick of his tongue, felt the occasional bite of his teeth, felt the warm wetness between their moves and he couldn't remember a more happy moment in his life.

All those years spent feeling lonely and alone, vanished faster than smoke in the clear sky.

They parted after a while, short of breath, panting into each other's mouth, still holding each other close.

"I love you.."

A ringtone suddenly rang shrill, disturbing the mellow quiet and the couple jumped for a second before Ace hurried to get his mobile out from his back pocket. He looked at the screen and handed the phone over to Sanji, who received it, a little surprised. Before he looked down to see the caller id, Ace leaned him and gave him a quick peck on the lips, followed by an adoring lick and Sanji blushed furiously.

Huffing and looking down at the id as Ace finally stepped out of Sanji's space, the blonde saw his sister's name and number displayed on the screen. Raising his eyebrows, he answered without delay. Heaven and hell knew that Bonney hated it if the rings went long.

"'Ello!"

"Sanji?"

"Yes?"

"Where is Ace?"

Sanji turned sideways to see that Ace was nowhere in the room, 'I.. don't know. Why do you have Ace's number?"

"Why wouldn't I, dumbass? You're in another country, how am I supposed to contact you without Ace's number?"

"Yeah, but.. I didn't give it to you!"

"Oh, no.. I asked him using your skype the day you left it logged in."

Sanji groaned. Bonney was an amazing and cool elder sister but she had issues when it came to people Sanji got close to.

"Don't groan! Rude! How was the flight?"

"It was fine" Sanji said, shrugging out of his jacket, folding it and placing it on the top of one of the sofas neatly, phone held in place between his shoulder and ear. "Tiring, even though I slept throughout the journey."

"I see," there was a pause, then, "you should rest, don't do anything that could tire you out more."

Sanji sank into the sofa cushions and sighed, "you're not making sense."

"I'm saying that there is no need to rush things. With Ace. In any way."

Sanji let his head fall back on the sofa head, his eyes closed, "are you telling me not to have sex with him tonight?"

There was no answer from the other end and Sanji grinned to himself. His sister was such a worry wart. He had a history of making himself easily available in his past relationships, he didn't blame her.

000

"You are Ms. Bonney Black, sister of Sanji Black, daughter of Zeff Rhett Black?"

It was Bonney's turn to be sitting in the interrogation room. In front of her were Nami and Zoro. Nami was doing the talking while Zoro was sitting at her side, listening intently.

"Yes," Bonney replied. She was in the same clothes as last night, eyes a little swollen and red. She was a little concerned that Sanji hadn't woken up, but Chopper said he needed the rest.

"You claimed yesterday that your brother, Sanji, died 3 years ago?"

Bonney nodded.

"Who informed you about it?"

"We got a call from Paris police. Sanji and Ace were supposed to go sightseeing there. The lady never said her name… We didn't even ask."

"Ace!?" Zoro spoke up, suddenly, his eyes sharp.

Bonney turned to look at him, still angry that the man had hurt her brother. "Ace was Sanji's boyfriend. Sanji left Toronto to meet him in LA and they left for Paris a week later."

"Do you remember the dates?" Nami asked.

"We held the burial on 15th July so about 3 weeks prior."

"Tell us what you were shown when you reached Paris."

"There were two officers who took us first to the site, Grand Tesero, I think. There had been a fire. Sanji and Ace had died in it."

She stopped suddenly gulping strongly before going on, "they.. they took us to the hospital - Drum, there were many families there… and they showed us Sanji's body."

"Only Sanji?" Zoro said sharply.

"Yes.. They said Ace's body took more damage and had already been transferred back to LA. His father was some big shot so they had made arrangements."

"How did you know it was Sanji?" Nami asked.

"I didn't. And obviously now I know It wasn't. They just showed us some identification and some other personal belongings. His face was burnt off, we only had the proofs to go on. And the body had his clothes and hair."

"You didn't go for DNA testing?"

"No, Sanji was adopted. We had no clue who his birth parents were and if they were still alive. So no."

"There are more ways to get DNA tested." Zoro said, "I'm sure his room had a few of his hairs? That would have been enough."

"I mailed his hair to them personally, they never got back to me and always shut me out when I called them."

"That didn't seem suspicious?"

"No, it seemed like something lazy police officers would do. However, Zeff and I didn't really accept Sanji's fate for a long while. We.. Specially dad did all that we could to find a way around it. But a few months later, I guess it sunk in. Zeff wasn't able to deal with it."

Bonney paused, looking down at her fingers, blinking furiously. Nami and Zoro gave her the quiet she needed.

A few sniffs and throat clearing later, Bonney looked up.

"You never tried contacting Ace's family either?"

Bonney shook her head, "Dad blamed Ace.. he said if Sanji never went to meet him, this would never have happened."

Bonney suddenly looked remorseful as she stared at her nails. Nami and Zoro exchanged a look.

"So, no." Bonney continued, "Dad blamed Ace but he knew the other family lost their son too. I am guessing his family felt the same way, they never contacted us either."

"One last thing, Ms Black and then you can return to your brother. What were the names of the officers you dealt with?"

Bonney's face twisted in anger when Nami asked the question, "oh, I remember them clear as day. Unhelpful brats. They were Vergo and Monet."

To be continued...

If you liked the chapter, please do drop a review. They mean the world to me and motivates me to write.

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I also got a few messages saying they love 'slut Sanji' and I would recommend you to read Spit It Out written by Helauditore. I have been glued to that fic for more than an year now and I don't think I will ever leave it. It's my favorite. The top on the list of 'best fics written ever'.

Till next time!