Here is an update, finally! Do not fret! This story will continue until it's finished, promise that!

Disclaimer: Don't own One Piece.

The young woman looked around in the crowded bar. She and her new examinated classmates had decided to celebrate their finished psychology studies with a fierce party night out. She had quite enjoyed it until now.

But it their group had started to dissolve, and somehow she had found herself alone at the bar. She declined an offer about another drink from the bartender, and turned to look out over the crowd moving on the dance floor. She felt a light brush against her shoulder and she twisted her head in the direction.

A man that looked to be in his middle twenties, probably around her own age, had walked up beside her. He looked rather drunk, and Rouge groaned discretely. She hated when this happened.

"Hello there", the man said with a slight slur to his voice. "Want me to buy you a drink?"

Rouge gave him a strained smile. She wasn't rude usually, but she really didn't have the patience when it came to drunkards.

"No thanks, I was just about to leave anyway."

She figured she could head home anyway, since there was no use in being there if she had lost sight of all of her friends. But her company wasn't quite pleased with her answer.

"Stop being such a prude", he said and grabbed her arm in a hard grip. "Just let it loose you know."

Rouge wrinkled her nose as his breath almost only made of alcohol hit her nose.

"What are you doing?" Rogue asked offended. "Let me go."

She tried to wiggle out of his grip, but it didn't help. She felt uneasiness well up inside of her. This one would be tricky to get out off.

"Excuse me, I think the lady told you to let go."

Both Rouge and her unwanted admirer looked over to the new voice that had just spoken up. Rouge met the gaze of a well built man, with dark hair and a handsome mustache.

"What?" said the drunken man, quite confused and very annoyed. "Fuck you man."

"I'd rather not", the dark male said with distaste. "Now leave her alone, before something unpleasant happens."

The drunkard opened his mouth to protest yet again, but didn't get a chance as Rouge planted her fist in his face. The man was knocked out of his seat and fell down to the floor. Rouge snorted and started to walk away, leaving both males in a very surprised state. She surely wasn't some maiden in distress that needed to be rescued. She could handle herself thank you very much.

"That was amazing!"

Rouge looked back over her shoulder, and saw to her slight annoyance that the man who had tried to help her had followed her through the bar.

"Thanks. I really don't need to be looked after", she said with a dry voice.

"I can see that", the man said, still sounding very impressed with that he had seen. "I wasn't planning to be a hero or anything; I just wanted to stop him from being an asshole. But now I very much would want to know about you."

The man quickly stepped in front of Rouge, stopping her affectively. He stretched out his hand towards her, and met her skeptical look with a blending smile.

"I'm Gol. D Roger."

"Un deux trois, un deux trois, un deux waah!"

Mr. 2 quickly ducked as a pot plant flew for his head and smashed against the cream-colored wall behind him instead. The transvestite quickly recovered and rushed behind the muscular built Mr. 1, who had been standing beside him; he hadn't even flinched when the object soared through the room. The warning, a pulsing vein in his boss' forehead, had been the only warning, but Mr. 1 was a professional and was trained to notice even the smallest thing.

Crocodile shoot his second in command a venomous gaze and sat back in his chair again. He brought his hand up to his face, slowly massaging the bridge of his nose while looking somewhere deep in his mind for his lost calmness and patience. Normally, it was unusual for Crocodile to lash out like that during his work, but these days, Mr 1 had started to notice how his boss had become more edgy every time they met.

"S-sorry Zero-chan", Bon Kurei stuttered quietly, still from behind the safety of Daz Bones back.

Crocodile didn't answer, just waved at him not to bother. The two workers shared a discreet, yet knowing glance with each other. They weren't Crocodile's best and second best men for nothing. They had, of course, noticed the turmoil of emotions Crocodile had been in for the last couple of weeks. His annoyed, yet amused frowns to his phone, that later turned into almost unnoticeable quirks in the corner of his mouth, that then turned into a downright pleasing boss. He had even started to greet the receptionist, whom no one ever noticed. Then one morning, his foul mood was back in full force, and unlike every other time when he had gotten a bad deal or lost a client, this mood didn't seem to disappear. It just got worse. Everyone in the office respected Crocodile greatly, but as soon as the warning signals could be heard and people fled the field, dreading to meet with their storming CEO.

But Mr. 1 and Mr. 2 had had their eyes on their beloved boss, and just as the times before in Crocodile's strange behavior, they understood that this obviously had to do with the young blonde Crocodile had been seen with.

They watched as Crocodile absentmindedly glanced at his phone, then reached for it slowly. His eyes roamed the screen a second, before he seemed to catch himself in the act of daydreaming. He got a pissed off expression and slammed the phone back on his desk so hard that the screen was sure to shatter at any given time. This pattern had been going on for days, and it seemed as if Crocodile hadn't gotten the reply he so desperately wanted, and needed.

He looked up and recoiled in his chair, as if he just now noticed that his employees still stood by the closed door.

"Why are you still here?!" he roared, probably a little embarrassed that he had been caught dreaming off... again.

Bon Kurei squeaked and rushed to the door, not wanting to get another innocent plant thrown his way. Why did Crocodile's secretary insist on giving him new ones?

Daz Bones followed his colleagues example, in a much calmer manner. But when he was about to leave the room, he stopped and turned back towards his boss, meeting his gaze with full force.

"You know, boss, whatever happened and whatever you did, you should probably try to mend things. This cannot continue, the company will be ruined."

Crocodile raised his right eyebrow in a skeptic manner. To anyone else it looked as if the raven told him off, but Daz Bones knew the look actually was asking something like 'and what do you suggest?'.

Daz Bones smiled softly and turned away, starting to walk out of the office again.

"My therapist told me that every path of mending starts with recognition and acceptance of the problem. Talking about it is apparently supposed to help."

Crocodile stared gruffly at the closed door to his office. He had not hired Bones for his social skills, and yet he was probably right. It irked the raven to his bones that his right hand man had noticed his mood, but then again, he had probably not been so subtle.

He caught himself glancing at his downturned phone again. A frustrated groan escaped him, and he brought his hands up to scrub over his face in irritation. He knew he wouldn't hear from Doflamingo, and he had known it from the time the blonde walked out the door that night. Yet it still hurt, waking up and living through another day without distractions from the blonde to get him though his tiring schedule. Had his work always been so dull? Had his days always been so long and his classes always so monotone? Had his home always been so empty and big? No it hadn't, but before Doflamingo's ugly mug, he hadn't known what to miss. The minute the door closed behind Doflamingo, Crocodile knew he had fallen deeper than he thought, and he had been an idiot not to realize it. It had been too late.

He had hoped he was just imagining it, that the raw pain was because everything changed so drastically, but almost a whole week had passed, and Crocodile only felt worse. Mr. 1 was right, it couldn't continue like this… he couldn't continue like this.

Once again he reached for his phone, but this time he had actual business with it. He frowned when he saw the fresh cracks in the display. He would have to get a new one, again. It would be the third time this week.

He quickly dialed the number he knew by heart, and anxiously waited as the ringing tone echoed through his head. He would for once not ever think this. He would just do it. Rip it off quickly, like a band aid.

"I've done something really stupid"

Crocodile's words echoed inside Rouge's head, and it had continued doing that all morning. He had finally called her after many days of silence. She had assumed he was busy and didn't want bother him, even thought she had thousands of issues regarding the wedding that she wanted to discuss with him. The gods knew she wouldn't get any decent help from Roger. As soon as he spoke, she knew that his work hadn't been the reason for his silence. At least not the only reason.

"I need to talk with someone... you, about it. Can you meet me at home?"

"I'll be right there. Wait for me, okay?"

She sat at her best friends kitchen table, a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of her and a depressed Crocodile on her side. He didn't look good at all. He had even give her coffee to drink. Rouge hated coffee; Crocodile knew that.

He wasn't as well dressed as he usually was. His slacks had wrinkles and he only wore a simple white shirt, no waistcoat or jacket over it. His skin looked sickly pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. It didn't look like he had gotten much sleep the last nights.

Rouge really didn't want to pressure him into talking, but she knew nothing, and she was a very curious person. She was practically dying here!

"Crocodile", she coaxed with a gentle voice. "I really want to help you, but you have to tell me before I can do anything. You don't have to describe every detail, if it's too hard on you. But at least the important stuff, so I can be of any help."

She saw that he heard her, and she saw he was struggling with words. The man had never been good with emotions.

"You know what. I'll guess and you'll nod or shake your head. Then you can start explain when you're ready, just like in old times. How about that?"

The shadow of a small smile actually danced over Crocodile's features. It was like he was thrown back to his childhood again, when they were kids and he was crying because of his parents fighting or the bullying from his classmates. She was always there, comforting him and lurking him to tell her and she always made it all feel better. Would she get him to feel better now too? He doubted it, but it was worth a try, so he nodded.

"Great", Rouge said with a comforting smile. "It's Doflamingo, isn't it?"

Crocodile nodded, he wasn't surprised that she knew: Rouge was a sharp girl.

"And you have been arguing... fighting maybe?"

Another nod.

"Was it jealousy, he saw you with a employer or client or something?"

This time he shook his head.

"Okay, whatever it was, he got really mad and left?"

More nodding.

"You haven't heard from him since then?"

"No."

Rouge was more surprised at the meek voice Crocodile had, than that he actually spoke.

"He... I said something I shouldn't have. He entrusted me with something, and I just threw it back in his face."

Rouge sighed inside her head, and gave Crocodile a comforting rub on his back. The both knew Crocodile's trouble with expressing himself with the right words. He had stepped on so many toes, Rouge's included. But she had never seen him so affected by his own actions like he was now. To Crocodile, pride was everything. That was what he had been raised to believe and it was a trait Rouge hadn't been able to neutralize. If he could throw away his pride for someone, then the person must be very special to him.

"Then the solution is simple", Rouge started and squeezed a broad shoulder. "You have to go and apologize."

Finally, Crocodile looked over at her, his usually grumpy face on.

"It's not that simple!" He hissed. "What I said was unforgivable! I-"

"I didn't say you would be forgiven", Rouge interrupted with a stern voice. "You are being punished for what you said. But right now, so is Doflamingo. You have to go and let him know that you understand that what you said was wrong and that you didn't mean it. Then its Doflamingo's choice, weather you deserve to be forgiven or not."

Crocodile looked at her with a now sober expression on his face. Rouge had always been so clever, so good with people and understanding feelings. He was proud of her for that, and also secretly jealous. He understood what Rouge was talking about, but that didn't mean he liked the task.

"What if he doesn't answer?"

"He will, because he's not a person that would ignore it."

"And..." Crocodile started with a big gulp. "What if he doesn't forgive me?"

"... Then that's life, and you'll just have to accept it."

Crocodile's body slumped down at the answer he was dreading yet waiting for. His face hit the wooden surface of the table, hard. Rouge flinched at the loud smacking sound, but Crocodile didn't make a sound.

"I don't want to."

Rouge smiled at the childish act, so very much like the young Crocodile.

"Stop being such a baby, Crocodile!" Rouge shouted, laugh in her voice. "Be a man, and do what is right!"

The only answer she got was a groan.

"Well, do you want to be miserable for the rest of your life?" She asked, getting a little irritated.

They sat in silence, and for a moment, Rouge thought that she had reached thorough him this time.

"I will not go there. Better to be unwise than get a flat refusal... and I do not beg for forgiveness!"

Rouge pouted in annoyance, and she who had thought she had gotten to him this time. She wrapped her arms around her friend and hugged him closely to her, even though she moved more towards him in the process. Because even if Crocodile tried to hide it, Rouge knew he felt miserable.

"Oh Crocodile" she mumbled silently into his back. "You always make it so hard."

Two days after her talk with Crocodile, Rouge walked down the busy street with a tune humming in her head. She felt cheerful, and had become giddier and giddier the closer her wedding got. But it wasn't all sunshine. A lot of planning had been made, and a hell lot of work too. She as lucky to have Roger at her side, but probably even luckier to have Rayleigh and Shakky helping out. She loved Roger, and she couldn't imagine a future without him, but he wasn't the kind of planning person she thought you had to be to own company. Apparently Rayleigh had a lot of work there too.

Right now, she was on her way home after she had visited the Baratie. Zeff, the head chef, was an acquaintance of Roger, and he had been more than happy to help them with the wedding menu and the catering. He was very skilled, and Rouge had taken a great liking to him. He reminded her a little of Garp, and she absolutely adored the elderly man.

She passed a crying child that was scolded by its mother, probably annoyed with her child's behavior. That made her think of Crocodile, and her mood changed from giddy and excited to concerned. The man hadn't been himself for many weeks, and it had been both good and bad changes. Unfortunately, it now seemed to be a bad change.

She had realized that even thought she had tried to bring him out from his shielded world, she would never be the right person to do that. Doflamingo had showed her that. It had to be a person that who could really show what Crocodile was missing, and not just describe it form him. She had hoped that Doflamingo would be that person. Actually, she still hoped he would be that person. Crocodile just needed to swallow his pride and fear for being abandoned, or he would never be able to move on.

She quickly turned around a corner, hoping to take a less busy way back to her home, when she abruptly bumped into someone just exiting from a small shop. Stupid place to put a door just around the turn of the corner.

She couldn't hold in the small grunt of surprise, and she reflexively lifted her hands against the other's body to shield herself from the impact.

"Oh, I'm very sorry miss. Are you… Rouge?"

Before Rouge looked up to see the face of the person she had collided with, she could feel the texture of feathers under her hands she had used as shield. Therefore, she wasn't surprised when she looked up into purple tinted glasses belonging to Donquixote Doflamingo. Speak of the devil…

"Doflamingo!" she exclaimed, not really believing her luck.

She had wanted to talk to the blonde, but hadn't known how to get a hold of him. Crocodile had refused to cooperate, muttering that it wasn't her business, and it really wasn't. However, that was nothing that had stopped her in the past, and it wouldn't stop her now either.

"How are you?" She asked with a kind, yet hesitating voice.

Doflamingo probably heard the caution in her voice, because he gave her a apologizing smile.

"Well, in all honestly, I have felt better. But I guess you know what happened?"

Rouge tilted her head, trying to read Doflamingo's face, but it was hard when the glasses covered his eyes.

"Not the details, just that Crocodile was a huge ass."

That made Doflamingo chuckle. The deep rumble made Rouge spine prickle, and she almost couldn't stop the shudder from showing.

"Well, I guess you could sum it up like that… well, it was nice to see you again Rouge. Good luck with the wedding."

Doflamingo quickly sidestepped her and continued the way she had arrived, but before he could turn around the corner, Rouge reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Doflamingo!"

The blonde stopped abruptly and turned back to look at her with a surprised face.

"Eh, I", Rouge stammered, embarrassed over her own straightforward behavior. "I'm sorry Doflamingo, but I feel like I really need do talk to you. Do you mind?"

The blonde's expression changed from surprised till skeptical.

"Well, Rouge. If it's about Crocodile and my fight, then I'm sorry to say this, but you really have nothing to do with it."

"I know!" Rouge shot back, almost desperately. "Crocodile has told me that as well, but I still feel that there are some important things I should tell you, if you are willing to listen, of course."

They stood like that for a few moments, and for Rouge it felt like hours. She could almost feel the cold sweat forming from the tension and exasperation in the air. Finally, Doflamingo's posture relaxed, and he gave her an uncharacteristically kind smile.

"Fine, I doubt there's anything you can do to make it worse. How about I treat you to a coffee? There's a place I know around the corner just down the street."

"That would be lovely, thank you", Rouge said, truly grateful for this opportunity.

Doflamingo took her to a small coffee shop not so far away from the street where they had bumped into each other.

Frankly speaking, Rouge had thought she would be taken to some flashy new place that screamed of same mundane originality as all the other new places, but when she stepped inside she immediately felt at home. The atmosphere were calm and welcoming, and the dark furniture made a great contrast with the light flooding in from the big windows. It was a small shop, but thankfully not crowded. Doflamingo seemed to be familiar with the place, as he walked over to an empty seat further inside the shop with confident steps. He nodded his hello to the barista, who waved back happily with a sweet smile on her lips.

"Just give your order over the counter an come sit down, they will come with it later", Doflamingo said to Rouge over his shoulder before he himself sank down in a comfortable-looking armchair.

Rouge quickly went to the counter and ordered a Chai latte, a sweet hot drink with Earl Grey-tea, coffee, milk, sugar and spices like cinnamon and cardamom. It was a drink that didn't even taste like coffee, so it was perfect for her sweet tooth.

"I like your taste", Doflamingo said with a grin when she joined him by the small coffee table. "It suits you."

"Eh… thanks?" Rouge said with a raised eyebrow.

What a weird thing to say, but then again, Doflamingo didn't seem to be the sanest person around.

The barista was extremely quick with their orders, which Rouge was thankful for. It felt much better having something to do while talking about this with Doflamingo.

She let the wonderful taste of Christmas flow through her throat and warm her belly, before she took a deep breath, preparing herself. She caught Doflamingo's eyes, and he looked as ready as her.

"Well", Rogue started. "I guess there's nothing to wait for, so I'll stop waste your time and go right ahead.

Doflamingo waved of his hand for her to continue.

"I first met Crocodile when we were kids, and I had just moved to the neighborhood. He was the first kid somewhat close to my age that I met, so I tried to make friends with him. It wasn't an easy task."

While she spoke, she noticed how Doflamingo stared down at his cup filled with American coffee, but his gaze was intense, and she knew she had caught his attention. Pleased, she continued.

"It took a few weeks to figure out why he was so guarded around everything and everyone. Whenever he took a step, his parents where there to lecture him about it. Failure was not an option, and everything not according to their standard, was failure. However, his parents themselves didn't seem to care about following their so called 'standards'."

Rouge took another sip of her hot beverage, steeling herself for what she was about to say. Whenever she thought about it, she had never been able to stop herself from tearing up, but it wouldn't gain her anything in this situation. Doflamingo would probably just think she was doing it to change his mind about Crocodile.

"His father was a workaholic, always neglecting his wife and son, but he was quick to lecture about every single thing Crocodile did, especially when it came to showing affection. When he hugged his mother, his father was there and told him to behave like a proper man should. When he petted an animal, his father yelled that he was weak and often scared the animal away. His father even had the audacity to correct me when I tried to comfort him in the park once, a twelve year old and an eight year old. I wasn't a psychologist then, but my interest for the human mind probably started there. I didn't understand that then, but later Crocodile confided in me that it probably was because of his mother's behavior. Their marriage had been kind of arranged, but his father cared for her deeply. She, however, did not, and she wasn't very subtle about her affairs. At least not towards her husband, and especially not towards Crocodile."

Rouge took a deep breath and leaned back in her own armchair. She could feel the angry and upset tears burn in the corner of her eye, but they would not fall… not this time.

"So, Doflamingo, this probably the main reason for Crocodile's mistrust for others, and I know it doesn't give him the right to act however he like, but I still felt you should know. I guess Crocodile never told you anything about it. He wouldn't have told me either unless I had seen half of it myself."

Rouge then went silent, waiting for Doflamingo to take in everything she had told him during their coffee break. She hadn't won him over, and she hadn't thought she would be able to do it either. She would, however, do her best too smooth over the cracks as much as possible. After a very long moment of silence, she decided to speak up again, since Doflamingo didn't.

"I think we both can agree on Crocodile being the most ignorant fool there is when it comes to his own feelings, but I know him, and I know that since he met you he has been both cheerful and more open than I've ever seen him. You were good for him Doflamingo, and I hope that whatever big fat mistake he did, it's not too late."

For the first time since she had started talking, Doflamingo rose his gaze and met hers. It was a calculating look, and Rouge heart sank, if only a tiny bit. She had hoped he would be at least a little more taken by Crocodile's sad upbringing.

"What's done is done, and honestly speaking I don't know if an apology will help. If he ever gets his sorry ass to do it, I'll have to see what I feel then. I'm man ruled by my emotions most of the time Rouge, at least when it comes to my private life, so I'll have to see how I choose to react when the time comes… if it ever comes. Thank you for the talk. Don't worry about the drink, it's already paid for. Enjoy it, and say 'hi' to your fiancé from me."

With those words and hard tone, he rose and walked towards the door, leaving Rouge alone and dejected.

She sunk further down in her seat with a big sigh. That could have gone better, but at least he had listened to her.

"Rough day honey?"

Rouge looked up and noticed the barista smiling kindly towards her.

"Erm… kind of", Rouge said with a sheepish smile. "And it's not over yet."

"Ha, tell me about it", the barista said and frowned at five noisy women who walked inside, laughing and yapping, looking a little tipsy.

Rouge gave the barista an apologetic smile and left. She would make Crocodile realize that Doflamingo was who he needed, even if she had to drag him to the blonde herself.

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the loooooong wait. But now the chapter is finally here! I'm so grateful that you're still with me even though it's been such a horrible wait. You people are amazing. There won't be this long until next chapter, promise!

Would love for you to review, even if you yell at me for being so damn slow on updating!

Love Milow