A/N: Hello again my patient beautiful people who put up with my crap and I love you for it. Got stuck on this one because I quite frankly wasn't sure how to go about handling Law's reactions, but I hope you enjoy it.

Cora let out a heavy sigh as she walked down the hall which led her away from Akainu's residence, after she had gotten changed, they talked in depth about the pictures she had drawn of the haunting faces that had been fading in and out of her memories, but she could feel the tense air between them. She knew he hoped for an answer to his proposal, but she just couldn't bring herself to say yes or no… even now… what should she do?

"Miss Cora?"

Her eyes left the floor as she looked over to the familiar young man escorting her back to the docks, she had been relieved to see it would be Tucker walking with her.

He gave her a little smile as she looked up, but he couldn't help but be concerned, she seemed really upset for some reason. "Are you ok?"

She offered up an apologetic smile. "I just have a lot on my mind is all."

Hearing her speak was still odd to him after spending so much time reading her notes but it was nice. "If you ever need a neutral ear I'm here for you, I'm pretty good at listening." He laughed a little. "That's what my girlfriend says at least."

"Oh?" She tilted her head a little. "I didn't know you were with someone." She didn't really know a lot about anyone to be honest… that was an understatement really, she didn't even know a little bit about most of the people she had come to know here…

His cheeks got red and lips turned up into a cheeky smile. "Yea, do you want to see a picture of her?"

She couldn't help but smile at the immediate change in his persona, he seemed almost giddy now. "I'd love to."

He reached into his inner pocket and produced a photo, worn around the edges from being handled so often but that just meant he spent a lot of time looking at this picture. "Isn't she lovely?"

Cora eyed the picture of the green haired woman in pigtails being held by him and both smiling brightly, they looked so happy and obviously in love. "Yes, she is." She couldn't help but feel a slight pang of envy, she felt like that would be really nice… To have someone love her like that.

"Her family runs a popular bakery in the civilian housing area of the base…" He went on without noticing the look on the woman face as he gushed. "I'm saving up right now to get her a ring, I'm hoping to propose to her this spring."

She looked up to him with as genuine a smile as she could. "I hope she says yes." She really did… and thinking on it more she wondered if she'd ever get that chance to be a bride… the idea sounded surprisingly wonderful and it was a thought she never even considered before but she really liked this idea that at some point, if she could find someone to love her like that, she could become someone's wife…

"Me too." He responded starry eyed before placing the photo back. "Seriously though Miss Cora, if you ever want to talk you can let me know. I'd like to be your friend."

Her steps faltered a bit as he said that. "Really?"

"Of course." He gave her a wide smile. "I've been feeling a little bad about everything that has been going on and how upset you've looked, you seem like you need an unbiased friend right now."

That made her smile. "Yes, I'd like that." It was almost a relief to consider it but being able to talk to someone who wouldn't push their own desires would be good. She's had so many things running through her mind lately just between Doffy and Sakazuki… she hadn't even talked to Law yet which she could only assume was going to add more stress…

"Ah, we're here."

His voice pulled her out of her internal ranting as they rounded a turn and she finally took notice to the smell of the sea. Before them the same group of marines waited with guns in hand and the yellow clad Admiral reclined on a makeshift seat of wooden crates.

"Oh, don't you look lovely Hana-neeee." He remarked on her change of clothes as he stood, no doubt it was another gift from his old friend. "Did you and Sakazuki-kun talk things out?"

She looked away with a sight redness in her cheeks. "Yes… I'm pretty sure we are ok now…" If you could call this tension between them now an ok thing.

"Ah, that's such a relief neeeee." He lit a cigarette and stepped aside to open a path to the sub. "Now to smooth things over with Law-kun, hm?" He gave her a lazy smile.

Cora only gave a nod of affirmation as she looked towards the ship that had been her home for months, would it continue to be that for her… or was it time to move on and continue to grow… "Um… Borsa-san, would it be alright if I stayed on the ship tonight?"

"Ooooh?" He smirked a little, he doubted Sakazuki would like that very much, but he didn't want to be the one to upset her. "I don't see why not but you know these men will have to stick around." He motioned to the squad still standing guard. "Just to make sure Law-kun doesn't do anything… Stupid." He added the last part with a smile.

That face he made caused a shiver to run up her spine, he may look friendly, but she was beginning to think he could be a really terrifying man. She gave him a little bow and stepped passed him. "I'm off then, have a good night Borsa-san."

"Good night, Hana-neeee." He waved her off and watched as she boarded the sub just as a marine came to him with a salute.

"Admiral Kizaru, sir, what should we do if Law attempts to leave with the girl?"

The taller man took a long drag of his smoke and merely offered up a lazy smile. "I doubt he'll be stupid enough to endanger her knowing we'll do what we must to stop him from leaving… but just in case he is that reckless aim to disable the ship, ok?" He tapped away the ash and gave the marine a deceptive smile. "We have to do our best to make sure Hana doesn't get hurt or else Sakazuki-kun might get very angry, neeee."

The color on the marines faces within earshot drained a little at that thought and all saluted fervently with a "Sir, yes sir!"

Bepo and Penguin were waiting just inside the hatch as she swung it open, they both exchanged unsure glances, but it was the mink that stepped forward first. "Welcome back Miss." He pointed over his shoulder. "The Captain is in his room, he was waiting for you to come back."

Cora smiled up to the big bear and hugged him unexpectedly. "Thank you Bepo and I missed you."

That made him blush a little as he picked her up in a big bear hug of his own. "I missed you too Miss, you have a pretty voice."

The Vice-Captain merely sighed and crossed his arms, not really sharing in his shipmate's joy. "You made us worry, what were you thinking going with a man like that?"

She blinked a little confused as Bepo set her down, considering how Law had been reacting she wasn't sure if he was talking about Doffy or Akainu. "I… I'm sorry." Best not to ask or else he might go into a rant. "I'm going to talk to La-kun… hopefully you'll all understand in time but… I want him to know first, ok?"

Once more they exchanged looks but Penguin just shrugged and stepped aside. "Guess you shouldn't keep him waiting then."

She simply nodded and trotted down the hallway, this was the one place she could never get lost, especially since it was the one place she could feel Law's presence so easily. A few turns led her to where she needed to be and for a moment she paused in front of his door, her fist hovering just above it… this didn't seem nearly as terrifying when she was playing through this reunion in her head.

Before she could find her courage, the door swung open, Law looked down at her wanting to grab her and pull her into him but he still didn't know how to react to finding out about her involvement with Joker… but he couldn't deny just how relieved he felt to have her back on the sub.

"May I come in?" She asked meekly, barely able to make eye contact as he continued to stare at her silently with those sad eyes of his.

Without a word he turned and went back to his spot on the bed, leaving the door open as his way of telling her yes. What the hell was he supposed to say to her? How was he supposed to react? He had played out this moment in his head over and over while she was gone but now that she was back all of that planning went out the door.

Cora took a deep breath and followed him in, shutting the door to allow them some much needed privacy before joining him on the bed. It seemed like forever of the two of them just sitting and fidgeting their thumbs before she finally built up the nerve to speak of the things that had been told to her. "Doffy… Ah…" She paused seeing him wince at the name. "Doflamingo… told me that you were once part of his crew."

That made him scoff. "A long time ago…" He clenched his hands together, trying to pretend it was that man's neck in between them. "Did he also tell you about Cora-san, the man he murdered?"

Now it was her turn to cringe, the sheer venom in Law's voice as he spoke scared her a little and the similarity between that man's name and hers made her heart ache. Was he reminded of this person every time he said her name? Was she now nothing more of a reminder of that pain? "A little… yes." She chewed her lip a little as she fiddled with the hem of her kimono. "He told me that if I wanted to know who Corazon was then I should ask you because the one that he knew was a lie…"

"He would dare to talk down about him even now!" Law snapped, he saw her recoil and tried to calm his fury. He really shouldn't be surprised… that demon of a man was the lowest of low. "Cora-san was a good man…" He said as he took a deep breath to steady his emotions. "He saved me from my sickness and the world of death I resigned myself to."

The sadness in his voice was almost overwhelming, she had never heard him speak with so much sorrow before… "He was secretly a marine?"

He merely nodded, granted that was still a subject he didn't know much about. He had only discovered that information out in Cora-san's last moments and he was never really able to follow up on it until now. He had hoped to use his status as a warlord to find out more about him but they weren't very forth coming with his files and he wasn't exactly open to the idea of telling the marines why he wanted such information. "Cora… I need to know…" He looked up to her and locked his gaze on hers, he had to know… "Why did you go with him? What did he want with you?"

His intensity took her back for a moment but out of everyone she wanted him to know about it the most. "He knows about my sister." She said with mild excitement that she did her best to contain as she dug her treasure from its hiding spot.

"What?" That seriously shocked him. "How does he know about her when the marines don't?" But knowing that little tidbit made it obvious as to why she went with him… that would be the only thing he could think of that would make her act irrationally. Which was a little bit of a relief to be honest… it helped to reassure him that she could never be one of his agents.

"This part is a secret, so please promise me you won't tell." She held up her pinky and looked at him with as serious as an expression as she could muster, Doffy warned her it could be bad if word got out that she was related to him even by marriage.

He couldn't help but smirk, she still had such a childish side. Still… he slipped his finger in hers to seal the promise.

That made her smile as she reached inside her Obi to obtain the picture she kept with her as well as the new one that Doffy let her take. "Look at this." She set them side by side for him to see.

His eyes got a little wide as he eyed the new picture, it was old… from when Doflamingo was younger and that woman definitely looked like the one in the other photo… there was someone else in the picture too but the corner was torn off… still, he could see that stupid heart pattern shirt that he used to hate so much… "Cora-san?"

She blinked at his reaction and pointed to the torn section. "Is that who was here?" So her sister knew both of them… but could that mean… "You never saw her when you were with them?"

That caused him to frown as he held his chin in thought. "No… I'm sure I would've remembered her… how was she connected to them?"

Now it was her turn to frown, she had really hoped this picture would have reminded him of something but she supposed if there was nothing to remember then it wouldn't have done any good anyways. "Doflamingo said that she was a Donquixote… that she married into his family but he wouldn't tell me who she was married to…"

Law's eyes grew wide as she rambled on about her disappointment about Joker not telling her everything, his thoughts stuck on that last key bit of information… for her sister to take on that families name she would have had to marry one of the brother's… Obviously it couldn't have been Doflamingo… but if it was Cora-san then why had he never mentioned her? It must have been before he, himself, had ever joined with the Donquixote Pirates but why would Cora-san not tell him about this person and what happened to her to make it so she wasn't around?... Was she killed before he joined?

"Law?"

Her voice drew him out of his thoughts and returned his attention to her, he was so deep in his ponderings that there was no telling how long she had been watching him. "Sorry, I just can't make sense of this… there has to be more to it…"

"I know, I want to find out more about my sister's connection to Doflamingo… that's why he offered for me…. To come to Dressrosa…" Seeing how he had been reacting to all this before she could only imagine how badly he'd receive that news…

"What?!" He yelled, a bit louder than he meant to. "You can't be seriously considering going there?!" He had heard rumors that that's where the Donquixote family had been living but this confirmed it.

Yep, that's pretty much what she was expecting. "I do want to go there." She gripped the fabric above her heart as if the action would give her strength as she locked her eyes with his. "I know that you don't trust him but I really believe he won't hurt me!"

"NO!" He stood up now, his fury building up once more. "Like hell I'd allow that!"

"It's not your choice!" She yelled back.

He winced at the sharp ringing in his ear when she raised her voice, whatever it was that controlled her voice seemed to only dampen it not completely suppress it.

"I know… I know he hurt you and I'm sorry for that!" Tears weld up in her eyes at just the thought of it, Law was so important to her and Doffy killed the person who was most important to him. So she knew that this was cruel of her but… "But, so far, he's the only one that knows about my sister! The only person who can give me back my lost memories! She might be the only family I have!"

His mouth opened to argue more but she was in full on tears now, he could only imagine what this was doing to her… she was so damn soft… with a deep breath he laid a hand on her head to try and calm her. "Baka…" He whispered the word as he sat back down and pulled her into a one-armed hug. "You have a family…"

That caused her heart to thump heavily in her chest. Did he mean to say… "La-Kun?" She leaned back a little and wiped away her tears as she looked at the conflicted expression on his face.

He sighed a little as he pet her head affectionately, this was always the easiest way to calm her. "You have a family here, I know it's not the same but… sometimes it can be better." He spoke from experience, he treasured his memories of his sister and parents but with the crew he has now he's been able to create good memories and have a connection with people he never thought he'd be able to do after losing Cora-san. "So, please, stay here with me."

Her cheeks reddened a bit, she wasn't even really sure why… out of everyone she had been spending time with he was the one that she really never felt awkward around. They've even spent so much time sleeping in the same bed or laying her head on his lap… so why did him saying that cause her heart to quicken… why now… She had thought she had been becoming more independent; she had been going out on her own, finding new friends and making her own plans for her future… so why was her resolve so easily swayed by him asking her to stay?

He hugged her again, pulling her into him so he wouldn't let those sad eyes of hers distract him. "I promise I'll do everything I can to help you find her." She was such a trusting person, he honestly feared what might happen to her if he let go of her… he kept treating her like a nuisance for so long but now when he had the chance to be rid of her, he couldn't stand the idea. Was is purely out of spite for the two others trying to claim her?... Or was it something much more personal…

She buried her face in his chest, not believing she'd be able to look him in the eye without crying… why? Why did he have to do this now… "Why are you doing this…"

That statement caught him off guard and he jolted a bit, she didn't say it in a way that was cruel, but it still stung. "What do you mean?"

"I thought you'd be happy if I left…" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "I thought I was just a burden to you."

He sighed heavily, that wasn't a surprise, gently he leaned her back so he could look at her. No more of this hiding faces from each other. "You are a burden…" He smirked as she got a pained looked then gave her a playful chop to her head. "You stress me out and make me worry…" He wiped away the streaks of tears on her cheek and felt her relax a little, understanding the tone in his voice. "But I really don't mind it that much, in fact…" He paused, still not sure if he wanted to admit this. "I find it hard to focus on things when you're not around."

Once more her heart thumped heavily in her chest. "La…" His words weren't helping her confusion at all but it felt good to be hearing him saying these things. "I don't know what to do…" She admitted after an achingly long pause. "I trust you… and Doffy…" She knew saying that nickname would hurt him and when he winced she couldn't help but feel a little bad but she didn't like forcing herself to use Doffy's full name anymore. "And… I trust Sakazuki."

That caused him to arch a brow, what did that Admiral have to do with all this… wait… "He asked you to stay here didn't he…"

She looked away with a sigh. "Yes, after I left with him to talk about the flashes of memories I've been having he asked if I would stay."

"And become a marine?"

She shook her head with a little smirk. "No, could you even imagine me being a marine."

He couldn't help but let out a laugh. "No, I guess not." Despite his smile that didn't really sit well with him, if she wasn't meant to join them then it really only left one option. He had a long list of reasons for her not to go to Doflamingo but rationally the resources she could use here to find her sister is better than anything he could offer… but he refused to admit it out loud.

He let out a sigh as he leaned back onto the bed, head propped up on his arm and eyes focusing on a very familiar spot on the ceiling that he's spent many a night getting acquainted with. "Let's take a break…" He didn't know how to continue the conversation and quite frankly it was starting to stress him out, so he could only imagine what it was doing to her. "Come here." He waved her down, this wasn't something new. They laid together like this often and it was only now that he was regretting he didn't allow it to happen more.

It surprised her a little that he was being so willing to do this but she wasn't going to complain, she laid down beside him and placed her head on his chest. The steady sound of his heartbeat was relaxing and she found she had missed this more than anything.

As she got comfortable he began to stroke her hair again. "When do you have to go back to the base?"

"I don't… not tonight." She started to rub his stomach to soothe him like she used to do. "I already asked permission to stay on the sub tonight."

"So, I'll at least have you for one more night…" He sighed a little.

That pained her a little. "You're making it sound like you'll never see me again."

He didn't want to admit it but he couldn't help this sense of dread filling him… would his desire to just be around her really be enough to convince her to stay… would it even be fair to ask her to stay knowing she'd be giving up her best chance at finding her sister… "Why don't you tell me about her… Kite, I mean. Tell me about what you found out about her, I'd like to know."

She smiled a little at that, he was honestly the first to show any interest in wanting to know about her… Granted, she supposed Doffy wouldn't have to but it was still nice to be asked. "Alright… But it might take a while."

That made him smile. "We got all night, right?"

"Yea…"

To Be Continued…

A/N: So… we've finally reached the last stage my dear readers. The next chapter will see Coracias making her choice. I'll wait a bit for any last minute votes before I begin writing the final chapter and I hope you've all enjoyed it.