Sorry about the long delay, this has been written for awhile, I've just had a very busy couple of weeks at work and haven't been able to find the energy to write more. I'm starting to regain my energy, so hopefully you won't have to deal with anymore delays... no promises, life does seem to enjoy getting in the way of writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or the characters, they belong to Eiichiro Oda.

She stood on the dock, the waves churning around her, as she watched the yellow submarine pull away. Her refuge, her temporary home, the one place her hunter couldn't reach her; drifting off into the horizon before submerging into the dark blue depths of the Grand Line. After a few moments of staring at the now empty ocean, Nami finally turned to follow after the quiet captain who had already gone ahead of her, heading into the completely desolate town he had found her in only a few short weeks before.

At that moment he was her rock, her support; his calm, confident demeanor all she had to hold on to without her normal companions by her side. She was finding herself truly greatly to Law for the sacrifices he was making for her, as well as her crew. He had even gotten involved to the point that he had found himself injured, his wounds from the previous island still healing.

They were silent as they entered the town, Law leading the way as he shouldered a heavy pack with supplies and rations in the island's searing heat. Nami hadn't remembered any details from her short time on the island before the Heart Pirates had rescued her, luckily the crew had warned her of the extreme climate, but even then she could feel the full weight of the sun bearing down on her in the humidity, her shorts and bikini top already feeling sticky to her skin. Even Law had changed into a simple black tank top, his yellow jolly roger emblazoned on the front, and a pair of cargo shorts, looking just as at ease as he did in his normal hoodie and jeans.

She had no idea where they were headed, especially since the port town was supposed to be abandoned, but she figured Law had some idea of where he was headed, at least she hoped he did. The dirt roads running through the village had weeds blooming in them, years of disuse allowing the vegetation to take over once again. The same could be said for the buildings, many of which had collapsed, the few that still stood made of sandstone and brick, far more durable against the harsh environment, even if they, too, fell victim to the overgrowth of vines that snaked up their walls.

Once they had reached what appeared to be the center of the town, Nami found herself frozen in place, her eyes glued to a large, dry fountain decorating the plaza. She stared at the broken chains wrapped around a stone statue on the outer rim, and a dark brown stain that had set into the concrete below it. At the sight of where she must have been bound, her fear came back, the memories of her time in captivity returning to her after she had worked so hard to force them from her mind.

Her dark thoughts were broken, though, when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention up to Law's frowning face, his expression actually showing a small trace of his concern for her as he pulled her away from the fountain. He guided her down a small path between sandstone buildings, his arm around her shoulders as they went, as if holding her back from running off in fear.

"Sorry you had to see that," he suddenly said after stopping in front of a building a few blocks from the fountain, "we weren't exactly worried about cleaning up the mess when we found you."

Nami just nodded, her eyes downcast, once again trying to push her memories back into the deep recesses of her mind. As she stood there centering herself, Law moved towards the building that they had come to, pushing against the door to find it unlocked. After a quick glance around, he went back to Nami, grabbing her wrist before leading her into the empty home and up the stairs to the bedrooms. Being at risk as they were, Law had already decided they'd stick together, especially since he was the young woman's only defense against her mysterious pursuers abilities, thus they would share a room while they waited for her crew to come.

Dropping their things in the center of the room, Law took the time to survey the space, leaving Nami to get as comfortable as she could. He had picked the house primarily because it was tucked away into the town, plus it was one of the few in decent shape he could see. It seemed the island had been abandoned very suddenly, as such the house still had its furniture in place, even if it was dusty and falling apart, it was still better than nothing. The room he had decided they'd take was a surprisingly large master bedroom, complete with a separate seating area that held a couch he'd most likely take for himself, giving the young Navigator the large bed tucked into a corner. There was even a balcony he could keep watch from, the view of the city being adequate enough that he might have a chance of spotting their enemy if he did in fact come for them.

After looking out over the town, Law turned to see Nami sitting on the couch, her face blank as she stared at her clasped hands, obviously feeling nervous about his plan leaving her so vulnerable. With a small sigh, he moved to sit in front of her on the coffee table, leaning his face down to catch her distant gaze.

"I don't want to see you moping around here while we wait," he said, giving into the urge to pinch her check, which quickly gained her attention as she looked up at him in shock. "We have some time to kill, might as well find something to entertain us until someone else shows up."

"He's not here yet?" Nami asked in confusion, swatting the captain's hand away so she could speak.

Law shook his head slightly before answering, glancing out the open balcony door as he spoke, "I've been using 'Observation' since we landed; I haven't sensed anyone else on this island yet."

"Well, I guess that's good, at least for now."

The dark doctor grunted in turn, lifting himself up from the coffee table so he could sift through their things, pulling out a box he had tucked away as a last thought before they left. As he came back to the table, he couldn't help by grin smugly at Nami's confused expression, her eyes examining the box in his hands as he set it down to open it and reveal the chess set hidden inside.

"I told you, we have some time to kill, might as well do something with it," he explained, his smile widening when Nami let out a small laugh before settling onto the floor across from him so she could help set it up.

The pair played until darkness descended, when they were forced to light candles to just barely see by. It was then that they decided to have one of the small meals they had packed away, taking seats on the couch as they ate.

"How long do you think we'll have to be here?" Nami suddenly asked, mindlessly picking at her food as she spoke.

Law only shrugged next to her, sparing a glance in her direction before turning his body to recline on the couch and face her as he spoke.

"It could be a few days, it could be a whole week," he answered honestly, "it depends on how quickly my men find your crew. As long as this mystery man focuses on you, your crew should be able to get here quickly enough."

The orange haired navigator nodded somberly, leaning back to frown up at the ceiling in thought, obviously not very happy with his answer, as reasonable and honest as it was. The doctor didn't want her to think on their situation too hard, knowing it would only cause her unneeded stress, which was likely to take a toll on her already unpredictable temper, so he felt it best to change to a lighter topic. Reaching out with his foot, Law nudged the young woman in the side, turning her attention back to him as she glared and swatted at the foot pushing against her.

"Tell me about what you did during those two years you weren't with Mugiwara-ya," he prompted with a grin, giving her one more push for good measure before pulling his leg back in.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she answered, smiling widely as she took advantage of him changing the topic.

"Try me."

"I was on a sky island," she explained, pointing up to the ceiling to emphasize her statement, "studying the New World's weather with the scientists on Weatheria."

"A sky island?" Law asked, grinning in amusement as she nodded, "I had heard some rumors of their existence; never thought I'd hear from someone who had been to one."

"It's actually the second one I've been to; the first time around was to Skypeia with most of the other Straw Hats," Nami went on, detailing her time on both islands to the captain, her excitement carrying over to him as she spoke.

"Interesting," he said, "you certainly found yourself in the best place to train and improve yourself."

"We all did, really, but it made the two years away worth it in the long run," Nami said with another nod before stretching herself out on the couch, smiling innocently at Law's frown as she rested her feet in his lap.

Her smile melted with a shriek as the doctor quickly grabbed a foot, sending her a deadly smirk before tickling the sole. Nami tried to pull away before he got any more ideas, but found herself stuck as he continued to torture her. At the back of her mind she realized how odd it was to be laughing considering where they were and what they faced, but she still took full advantage of the reprieve from her ever-present anxiety.

In a vain attempt to fight back, the navigator used her free foot to poke at the man's side, hoping to prod at a ticklish spot, thankful that his uninjured side was closest to her. Unfortunately it didn't matter as he quickly latched onto that foot, too, and began tickling at both appendages as best he could. Nami could only continue to laugh as she pulled her feet back and forth, trying desperately to escape.

Somehow, though, her attempts at freedom ended up pulling the doctor closer to her before he lost his balance and fell atop her. Her laughter died quickly as she helped stop his fall, her hands going to his chest to hold him up even as his arms landed on either side of her head to do the same. They both stayed there staring at each other in shock for a few silent moments; their eyes locked, their faces only scant centimeters apart, and their breath mingling as the magnetic pull they had both been feeling for days resurfaced once more.

Just as Law felt himself leaning in closer, he clenched his hands into fists before pushing himself up and off the still stunned woman. He turned his head away from her to look out the open balcony door before speaking, his jaw clenched as he pushed out the unwanted emotions and urges running through him.

"You should get some sleep while you can," he quietly remarked, just barely registering when Nami pushed herself back against the opposite armrest, putting much needed distance between them, "he's still not here, at least as far as I can sense, so you should be fine for now."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine; I'm a light enough sleeper, so I can doze off for a bit before going on watch."

Nami just nodded, letting out a sigh as she picked herself up from the couch and moved to take out her nightshirt to sleep in. After quickly changing in the bathroom, the navigator moved to settle into the large bed, noticing as she did so that the captain had moved to stand on the balcony, leaning his tall frame onto the railing as he stared out into the peaceful night.

"Good night," she called out.

"Night," he grunted back, his attention still fixed on the dark town.

Law listened as the woman sank into her bed, the covers rustling as she got comfortable before stilling again as she began to let sleep take her. Even as he told himself to keep his distance, maintain a professional, almost cold, relationship with the woman, he still found his mind wandering to the times he had found himself drawn to her. In that very moment he was holding himself back from following her into bed, the brief glimpse he had just gotten of her in the button down shirt she still hadn't returned to him, had him biting his cheek to keep his rather unclean thoughts out of his head.

He honestly didn't know how long he was going to be able to hold out against a natural seductress, a woman who was pulling him in without even trying. All he knew was that the next few days, or however long they had on that island, were going to be the longest few days of his life.

Thanks to all my reviewers so far! You're all the best!