"BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T SAVED ME DAMN IT!" She yelled back at Rock, tears streaming down her face.

This display caught Rock completely off guard. He watched as the fearless gunslinger's arm slowly dropped to her side as she fell to her knees on the deck of the PT Boat. The Cutlass slipped out of her hand and clattered down beside her leg, as Revy began to sob into her chest.

"You -sob- didn't even -sob- try -sob- to save -sob- me. Why -sob?" Revy got out between sobs. She had finally done it, she had given voice to the one truth she never wanted to admit. She needed Rock. For lack of a better phrase, he was her proverbial rock; the last piece of her humanity, and in this moment, she was clinging to it like a life line.

Rock, for his part in this, was stunned speechless. He desperately tried to wrap his head around what was unfolding before his very eyes.

What does she mean I didn't save her. She specifically told me not to save her. And she told me I should do what she says. Unless this whole time, she's been trying to tell me something with every insult and punch. Because a woman usually means the opposite of what she-!

Rock's heart almost stopped in that very moment. Revy was never this emotional, for any reason. All she did was shoot people, drink, and smoke. She'd often tell Rock he was wasting his time when he attempted to save anyone. But now she was bawling her eyes out because he hadn't tried to save someone. He hadn't tried to save her. The only person who mattered to Revy, he foolishly believed, was Revy.

Rock had always thought, especially after the various arguments they had been involved in, that she, and had told him as much, was happy with how her life was; carefree; the living embodiment of "A Pirates Life for Me". She often laughed at him for his "normal" appearance while they were committing crimes, saying he had a "white collar" look. Rock couldn't believe he had missed everything she had been telling him; to be fair though, it can be hard to think when you are in constant danger of being shot by your volatile coworker. But this... this was the the proverbial "Custer's Last Stand" for the infamous Two Hands. She was betting all her cards on this one play; not even knowing how to explain to him, the depth of emotions she was wrestling with. That despite her selfish nature, she did care about more than just herself. She cared about Rock. She needed Rock, more than she could ever express.

The silence aboard the PT Boat cut through the both of them like a knife, broken only by Revy's sobbing. Rock continued to stare at her as she looked down at the deck, refusing to look up at his face in fear of what she was sure she'd see on it; his final fall into the darkness or his suicide. Her head only snapped up when she heard a splash off the side of the boat. She looked up at Rock, to find his arm outstretched over the side of the rail, his hand empty. He had thrown the gun over the side of the boat, into the black abyss of dark, swirling waters. While a part of her was pissed, as guns weren't cheap (especially when you had to buy them from the Rip-off Church), but it was overruled by a sense of confusion at what Rock had just done. She watched as he slowly turned towards her, his eyes hollow, but brimming with tears. He began his slow stride over to her, stopping when he was directly in front of her, followed by him crumpling down to his knees on the deck. He stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"Revy, I'm-"

He was cut off by her jumping across the small gap between them and wrapping her arms around his neck. At first Rock thought she was going to strangle him to death, as that was what one would typically expect from her. But after a moment of keeping his eyes closed, prepared to die, he noticed that she wasn't attempting to cut off his air supply. She was hugging him, albeit tightly, nuzzling her face into his chest, and crying. Tentatively, still on high alert, Rock put his arms around the gunslinger's back and held her close, laying his head atop hers, tears brimming in his eyes as he too began to cry. The two broken people sat there, hugging each other and crying, as the many walls between them came crumbling down. The truth had finally come out, and it had broken the two hardened individuals.

Unbeknownst to either of the two emotional persons on deck, there was an audience in the control room of the "boat from wars past". Dutch had seen this whole exchange from the beginning, when Rock had walked out on deck holding the gun. This is what had prompted him to tell Revy to offer the former salary-man some beer. As he sat and watched, drinking his own beer, Benny had walked in, intent on finding another drink. He had paused though when he looked out the window and noticed Revy had her Cutlass pointed at Rock. He was about to say something, but Dutch put a finger up to stop him. They both then sat there, watching and listening. It wasn't until Rock returned Revy's hug did Dutch finally speak.

"About damn time"

"What do you mean Dutch?" Benny asked, confused.

"Those two have always had unresolved issues with each other. Seems like they finally dealt with them just now" Dutch simply answered.

"You sure that's what happened? Benny asked again. "Seems more like Rock finally snapped and so did Revy. I figure Revy will probably still shoot him. About as normal as things get around here if you ask me,"

"Na, its more than that. Those two are the living embodiment of the conflict of ideologies. The naive delusions of an idealist and the cynical nihilism realist. One might say they would never be in sync. But in reality, they are the flip side of the same coin; despite those two being too stubborn to see it. One cannot exist without the other. The realist, Revy, needs the idealist to give them a hold on reality; someone or something to defy; a moral compass to ignore. The idealist, Rock, needs the realist to show them that life isn't always going to fit into their preconceived notions; yet also gives them a ideal to strive for. In all reality, they are perfect for each other"

Benny looked at his employer with a mix of both terror and awe at his logic/insight.

"You know Dutch, I never pictured you for a match maker" Benny teased, taking another sip of his beer.

"Fuck that. I could care less about their love life. As their employer, I'm more concerned with my boat getting shot up, or getting dragged into another defunct moral mission. I don't need unnecessary conflict between my crew members, its bad for business. This just happens to have worked out in my favor"

"Maybe" Benny relented, still not sure what to make of his boss. He took out another smoke and lit it before continuing.

"Won't matter how long I know you Dutch, you'll always find new ways to surprise me"

"It's what makes life exciting" Dutch replied, a cocky smile on his face. "And what's the point of living if you can't get excited?"

"Speaking of exciting" Benny replied, a coy smile on his face. "How long you wanna bet before they start doing it on the boat?"

Dutch let out a grunt as Benny offered the bet.

"If I had my way, never. Or at least I wouldn't know about it" Dutch paused, taking a drag of his cigarette. "But since you seem eager to lose some money Benny-Boy, I think I'll take you up on that"

Benny had no idea how quickly he was going to lose this bet.

A/N: And here we go! A second Rock and Revy chapter. I know this one is shorter, but it felt like a perfect place to end. The scene with Dutch and Benny has been a favorite to write. I always imagined Dutch as the smartest of the Lagoon Company. And as Benny said he's smart and eccentric. So I wrote him as such. The next chapter will get us back to 47/Val. I will note, it is hard writing for several different people. But I felt I would be doing y'all a disservice if I didn't write about everyone

-NightSteed out