I'm sorry this took a lot longer than I wanted. It took me a while to work out what I wanted exactly, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I hope you like it too. Also, this is the last chapter. We made it!

I don't own One Piece or any of the characters, I just like putting them in different situations.


"How did you sustain these injuries?" The nurse behind the desk asked while filling out some forms.

Zoro opened his mouth to tell the whole story, but Nami cut him off.

"We've been drinking a little tonight, and I went to go get something from the basement, and I tripped and fell down the stairs. I guess there was a nail sticking out and it got me really good." She laughed even though the pain was plain on her face.

The nurse looked skeptically at her. "And what about him?"

Nami looked at the slash on Zoro's arm and rolled her eyes. "He broke my favourite wine glass and a shard fell and cut his arm."

Zoro nodded with what she was saying.

The nurse sighed and directed them to have a seat and that a doctor would be with them shortly.

Zoro turned to Nami wondering how she came up with such an absurd but almost believable lie so quickly. It was almost like she had done this before.

"Nami, why did you lie? Those creeps will come after you again!" Zoro hissed.

"I need time to think about the best way to handle the situation. If I had reported it now, they would keep us both for much longer for questioning. The hospital is the first place the gang would check in this situation. That doesn't end well for anyone. We need to get out of here as soon as we can."

Zoro realized this situation was much more complicated than he thought. She mentioned her old gang. Why would they be after her after all this time? He would demand answers later, but for now she was right. They needed to get patched up and get to a safe place.

Soon, a nurse called Nami to a private area for a doctor to see her.

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Zoro got up and walked with her.

A second nurse stopped him as Nami reached the first nurse. "I'm sorry, Sir. This is for her only."

Zoro growled at the woman. "Let me through. I should be with her."

"Ma'am," The nurse in front of Nami spoke in a rushed whisper, "Did he do this to you? We can keep him here and get you to safety."

Nami looked from the angry Zoro to the concern on the lady's face beside her. "No, he didn't touch me." She replied in a loud enough voice for the other nurse and Zoro to hear. "It - It was my boyfriend. Zoro helped me escape. Can - can he stay with me?" As she spoke, she softened her body and posture. Her shoulder and arms came forward, her head down, her best vulnerable posture. It was her classic emotional manipulation technique and it always worked. Almost always worked she amended as Chew's evil smirk flashed before her eyes. There was nothing fake about it this time though.

"Of course, dear." The nurse put her hand on Nami's shoulder and led her to the room. "We can keep you together."

Zoro took a step toward Nami and paused. "I'm sorry." He turned to the nurse that had blocked his path. "I just…"

She smiled and patted his arm. "I understand." She strode away.

Zoro stayed silent as he followed Nami and the nurse to the private room.


They didn't have to wait too long for the doctor to see them and they were discharged. It must have been a slow night at the hospital.

"Nami, you should stay here the night. With those injuries… Even the doctor said so."

Nami shook her head adamantly, her disheveled curls bouncing. "No way. As I said before -"

"I know what you said." Zoro sighed. "Where will you go?"

Nami's stride faltered for a second. She tried to cover it but the furrow between Zoro's brows told her he had seen.

"You don't have a plan do you?" He growled. "You don't have to do this alone. Let me help you."

"Why do you want to help me so much? I've already asked too much. You had to go to the hospital because of me!"

Zoro stopped and turned to her. "We're.. friends, okay? This is what friends do." His voice was deep as he stared into her warm brown eyes. He desperately wanted to reach out and touch her, to assure her it would be okay. He knew that would be too much, so he kept his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Do you have a plan?" He asked again more softly.

Nami looked up into his emerald green eyes, his brow wrinkled with concern. She desperately wanted him to hold her tight against his broad chest again, feel safe in his arms. Friends or not, that was not an option. She lowered her gaze and sighed, shaking her head. "I don't have anywhere to go tonight. I'll find a hotel somewhere. Do you know of anywhere?"

"You can stay with me tonight." Zoro opened the car door for her.

"But-"

"But nothing. Get in the car, you stubborn witch. It makes the most sense. You'll be safe, whoever is after you will have no way to track you there."

Nami could see his point. After a moment she got in the car. "I refuse to sleep on the couch." She tried to put on her usual attitude. It wasn't quite there yet, but it was close.

Zoro barked with laughter as he walked around the car and got in himself. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

After what felt like a long drive, Zoro parked the car in front of a small bungalow. "This is me. It's not much but.." he shrugged, "Make yourself comfortable."

Nami got out of the car and looked at the little house. It was plain but looked after. Following Zoro inside, the interior was much the same. It lacked a feminine touch, but it felt comfortable.

She stepped into the house and saw the couch through a doorway. Hearing the deadbolt slide into place sent a wave of exhaustion through her. She laid down on the couch and grabbed the convenient blanket draped along the back of it. Must be his nap spot. Her eyes were already heavy and shutting. She didn't know why she felt so safe here, but there was something comforting about the little house.

"Jesus, you must be tired." Zoro had quickly changed the sheets on his bed and came back a minute later to find Nami asleep on his couch. "What about only a bed will do?"

She roused slightly and looked at him with bleary eyes. "Oh. Right. Just this once it's fine. Thanks for letting me stay here." She mumbled.

"I'm not about to let an injured woman sleep on my couch while I sleep in a comfy bed." Zoro scooped her up again and walked down the small hall toward his room.

He was getting tired too, didn't have all the adrenaline coursing through him, so she was considerably heavier than before. Her weight felt nice in his arms though, her head leant against his shoulder. He knew he was being greedy, but he enjoyed the moment while it lasted.

He set her down on the edge of the bed in a sitting position. "If you want a clean shirt you can grab one from the second drawer" He pointed to a small set of drawers against the wall. "Bathroom is the next door down the hall on the left."

As Zoro turned to leave the room Nami grabbed the hem of his shirt. "Zoro…" Her voice was so soft she didn't know if he would hear her.

Just then, there was a loud clang from outside. She flinched and inadvertently pulled on his shirt harder. "Can you.. will you.. stay….. Please?... I'd feel better if you were here".

Zoro turned around and looked at her. Did she know there wasn't anything he wouldn't do if she was the one asking? No, she was just a scared and vulnerable young woman right now. Not the manipulative loan shark he had fallen for.

Looking at the slashed and bloody shirt she was still wearing sent another wave of rage through him. He wished he could have protected her more. Gotten there sooner. Taken the knife wound for her. He turned away, unable to face her any longer.

He unhooked her fingers from his shirt and crossed the room to his dresser. He pulled a shirt out and tossed it at her. "Put this on first. I promise, nothing will happen to you here, Nami" his voice was deep and raspy with rage and concern.

"Thanks Zoro."

He heard the rustling of cloth as Nami changed.

"You can turn around now." Her voice was soft and hesitant.

Zoro turned to see the fiery red-head sitting in his bed, wearing his oversized T-shirt. It was what he had secretly been wanting and exactly the opposite of how he had wanted it to happen.

Changed into Zoro's clean shirt, she dropped her bloody top to the ground. She couldn't read his face - there were too many emotions under his cracking mask of stoic indifference. He didn't make any move for the bed or the door for some moments. His stare brought into stark clarity what she had just asked him moments ago. She desperately wanted his strong arms around her and his deep, even breathing to lull her to sleep but she couldn't ask him again. He had already done so much for someone he disliked. Their last conversation in her shop flashed across her mind. Leave me out of it.

"I'm-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. You've already done too much for me…." her voice trailed, cut off by emotion; a tear rolled down her cheek.

Her voice broke the man from his inner turmoil. He crossed the room and gently sat beside her on the bed. "You need sleep." He murmured.

She slipped under the covers and laid on her side away from him. She felt his weight settle behind her. Due to the pressure of the blankets, she could tell he was on top of the blankets. Hesitantly, his hand settled on her hip. She knew she was being greedy, this was probably the last situation he wanted to be in. But she would savour it for the moment. She could already feel herself falling asleep with his solid, warm presence at her back.


When she awoke, she was alone. Her shoulder and chest pounded; her mouth parched.

She gingerly got up and headed to the bathroom to inspect herself. She splashed water on her face and combed out her hair with her fingers as best she could. Feeling a bit more human, she gingerly lifted her shirt to inspect the wound. It was bad. Dozens of little stitches crossed her arm changing into butterfly stitches across her chest where the wound was shallower. It would definitely scar. Better than the alternative she supposed.

She opened the medicine cabinet in search of Tylenol to dull the pain.

She emerged from the bathroom and found Zoro in the kitchen making eggs.

"Would you like some?" He grunted.

Her stomach growled as she nodded silently. An awkward silence between them grew longer and longer. Each caught up in their own thoughts about the other.

Nami wanted to thank Zoro and apologize for intruding. But she knew he probably still despised her and it was probably best to leave now but she was so hungry.

Zoro wanted to make sure she was okay and to know what she was going to do today but knew that she didn't care about him and had only called as a last resort.

A door down the hallway slammed closed. Nami flinched.

"That's my roommate, Luffy."

A moment later the black hair man appeared in the kitchen. He stopped dead in the doorway when he noticed the strange red-head in his kitchen.

"Hey! Aren't you that loan shark? Didn't Zoro pay you off already?"

Zoro looked up from the stove trying to signal to the oblivious Luffy to stop talking.

"But you're wearing his shirt,"

Zoro visibly paled as dread washed over his face. Nami blushed at the implication and shook her head "I'm sorry to intrude -"

"Does that mean he finally confessed to you?!" The care-free man barreled on excitedly.

Dead silence dropped on the room. Even Luffy realized the mood had shifted.

"Wh-what?" Nami finally broke the silence, her cheeks flushed even more. "I don't think -" She turned to Zoro whose face was a tad more pink than usual. "Is that true? You have feelings for me?" Her voice was too high, too hopeful. She shouldn't sound so happy.

"So what?" Zoro snapped back angrily, glaring at the eggs in the pan, clearly missing the tone of Nami's voice. "You've never cared for me so it's irrelevant. And you." he whipped around to face Luffy, pointing the spatula as if it were a sword. "What have I told you about running your mouth. You're gonna get in trouble."

Luffy averted his gaze looking bashful and mumbled "It needed to be said though. And she's sitting in our kitchen early in the morning. What else was I supposed to think?"

"Zoro I…" Nami took a deep breath and ploughed ahead. If this was genuine; it was her only chance. "Zoro, I like you too". Her gaze dropped to the counter. "Ever since that first day you walked into my office."

Zoro stared at her incredulously. "But - all those things you said? About being just a cash source…"

"I'm in a dangerous business." she said haughtily looking up at him." I can't go fawning over every good looking guy that walks into my shop. Besides, I can read my clients and you hated being near me from the start."

"Maybe at the start," Zoro started " but…"

"But he's been talking about you a lot recently!" Luffy finished Zoro's thought somewhat incorrectly.

Zoro shoved a plate of eggs at Luffy. "Eat and keep your mouth shut". Much more gently, he slid a plate over to Nami. "Besides all that. You owe me an explanation."

The man slid the last eggs into his own plate and placed the pan in the sink. Silently he led the way to the living room.

Nami sat on the couch and looked at the eggs in her lap. "I might as well start at the beginning. I was part of the Arlong gang... initiated when I was a child. I was with them for many years and it was…." her voice trailed off as many memories of Arlong's cruel smile and so many horrible incidents flashed across her mind. Despite her will, her voice started to shake. "It was bad. It was really bad. When I was 19, I demanded out of the gang. Arlong didn't like that so I… I killed him. The whole gang fell apart shortly after that. Nobody suspected me. I fell into the shadows and escaped. I don't know how they found out after all this time." She couldn't bear to see the look on Zoro's face. The pity and horror that was inevitably there. She stuffed a little bit of egg into her mouth. "That's pretty much it."

"I see" Zoro's voice didn't give any indication of his thoughts. "The police never interviewed you for his murder? They didn't suspect you?"

Nami shook her head. "They never found the murder wepon and I made sure to have a solid alibi. Not that the police really even investigated the case too heavily. They were much more interested in who would fill the power vacuum than who offed the bastard."

"So there is no reason for you not to report this to the police. There was no motivation for those guys other than cash."

"I suppose that's true. I could charge them with breaking and entering, assault, and robbery. Plus I know their names and faces if they aren't still tied up in my office. It's unlikely though, we didn't take their knives away, so they probably escaped." She mused.

Zoro grunted in agreement. "You should do that today."

"I will also need to let Robin and Franky know what happened. But I left my phone in my room."

"I'll come with you to get that and some clean clothes. Then we are going to the police station."


The next 24 hours seemed to blur together in Nami's mind. She and Zoro were both kept at the station for hours and asked hundreds of questions. Nami stayed a second night at Zoro's until her bodyguards were back. To both their secret disappointment, Zoro slept on the couch that night. Robin and Franky, who insisted on getting the next flight home, were back just over 24 hours after the incident.

With both of her body guards at her side, she almost felt relaxed in her home again. She had asked them to stay in her guest room for a while.

Chew and Kurobi had gone to ground, the police hadn't been able to catch a trace of either of them. But they had found the 3 other guys right away. Nami didn't think they had instigated it, but they deserved to be locked up. The third guy had not been part of the gang and Nami didn't remember what he looked like for the sketch artist, so she didn't think there was a good chance at finding him. But he had had his arm good and properly broken, so it was easy to track him down at the hospital.

She doubted Chew or Kurobi would come after her again but she took precautions. She would not allow an opening to present itself like that again.

She had not opened for regular business since the weekend. A few days later, as she was tidying her office, she heard a knock at the door. By the time she made it to the hallway, Robin was already at the door. There was a brief chat and the woman stepped back to let Zoro into the hall.

"Hey." Zoro stood staring at her for a second. She knew she was a real sight to see. Her split lip was scabbed over now and the bruise on her cheek had turned a vibrant yellow and purple.

"Hey" She replied.

Zoro shook his head to clear it and continued. "I thought you might like some help getting this place in running order again. I remember seeing a couple holes in the drywall and thought you might like a hand…"

"Thanks Zoro. That is very nice of you." she turned toward her office and waved in the general direction of the second floor. "You know where the tools are." The smirk on her face was clear in her voice.

Once everything was back in place in her office, she left to find Zoro still in the hall, this time holding a drywall patch and smoothing out some putty. "That hole over there," he nodded toward a much larger hole a few feet away, "is much too big to fix. You'll have to replace that whole panel of drywall."

"Thanks for everything, Zoro."

"No problem." He replied casually.

"No, I really mean it. I would be dead without you." Her voice was so sincere he looked away from his work and into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Let me treat you to dinner. Anywhere you want." She continued.

Zoro grinned at her. "Anywhere?"

"Anywhere." Nami's eyes twinkled. "Friday night. Pick me up at 7. And dress smart."

Zoro smiled softly . "I'll be here."


Thank you so much for all our support and seeing this through to the end with me. I hope you enjoyed it.

Until next time,

~Tanima