Chapter 13

A/N: Long time no type

Sorry about that- I have been kept busy with work and all. I wish I could freeze frame my life for a bit and just sit back and relax... ahhhh relaxation... what was that exactly? I have forgotten the feeling of a free day.

Anyway- I'll stop there with my ramblings and get on to the story! Yeah story!

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It did not hit her immediately, but Nami finally realized Sanji did not sugar coat her name with his response. There was not longer the ending he usually sung with her name. He was serious, it amazed her how serious he had become only in the last day or so.

"What did you say?"

"I asked you, if there was something wrong? You looked like you're... you're about to..."

"I'm just tired." She cut him off and answered quickly. Turning away, she did not feel like looking at him right now. Sanji was leaving... although he was not only leaving her; it felt as if she was the one who would be most effective. She did not really know why she felt like this, Sanji had never really solidified their so-called special relationship, however Nami had always deep down liked the attention and had hoped there would someday be more.

"Why?" She asked in a voice nothing more than a whisper. Her resolve was coming close to breaking down- clutching the baby tighter in order to keep her arms from shaking Nami finally turned and looked him in the eyes.

There was a time of complete silence between them. Both were searching the other's eyes for answers they had trouble saying aloud.

"Let's get some sleep." Sanji suggested letting a troubled sigh escape from his lips. "We'll talk about this in the morning." He added and turned.

"Wait... Sanji..." Nami called for him quickly before he had gotten too far away. Holding the baby in one hand, Nami reached out with the other. Grabbing his hand was almost like a reflex to her. The expression on her face mirrored almost timid-ness to Sanji, this was a shock to him because Nami was usually anything but timid. Their eyes met once again and she gave him a light smile. He returned it as he let her lead them down to her room.

As Nami changed into her night attire, Sanji went to work collecting his blankets from his bunk in the boy's room. They both had agreed it would be easier to take care of the baby if Sanji slept in the same room with them. Moreover, not to disturb the sleeping swordsman, the baby would definitely not be in the same room. A grouchy Zoro in the morning was something they were all trying to avoid.

When the cook returned to Nami's room, he found a heart warming scene that he wished he could witness every night. Sitting down on the couch like bed, Nami cradled the baby in her arms. Looking closer Sanji noticed Nami's long bare legs crossed hanging over the bed. Nami was clad in only a large white button up shirt, one that stretched down to nearly her knees.

It was just too much. Sanji tried to repress the heart shaped eyes and usual drooling when he saw her. It was hard, very hard. The urge to run and take a cold shower ran across his mind.

Once again, a silence hung in the air. Neither knew what to say, so to give himself something to do, Sanji began to fashion a bed on the floor.

He was stopped however with Nami standing up and approaching him. Looking again so unlike herself, Nami took his hand and led him over to the bed where she had Yukio already asleep.

"Nami?" Sanji sounded a little perplexed. "I...I don't think..." He was silenced as she sat down and patted the space next to her. Giving him a funny look, she had to laugh thinking what the current situation looked like. 'Love Cook... in his dreams.' She smiled inwardly.

"Sanji, can we talk?" She asked with a sigh. "And don't get any ideas..." She clearly added telling him to leave his heart eyes elsewhere. "I... I just don't want you to go."

"Nami..." Sanji sighed getting a check on his hormones and joined her sitting on her bed. He could not help but worry. She sounded so lost the past day or so. She was not her normal self. The strong and independent Nami he loved so much had almost been scared away.

"Nami, I have to go in order to be a father." Sanji began as he rubbed his hand on the baby's back. "What kind of life can I give him here?"

"But what about you? Your dreams..."

"He's more important. Besides, it is only until he's older. It's not like we'll both be gone forever."

Another silence endured as Sanji picked the baby up without really waking the tike up. Resting the sleeping baby to his shoulder Sanji relaxed back into the mattress. After a time Nami allowed her head to slowly dip down to rest on his free shoulder. Closing her eyes, Nami simple listened to the steady beating of his heart. Her lips formed a slight smile when she heard his pulse pick up-tempo as she relaxed against him.

"I can't help but know I'm going to miss you a little." She whispered opening her eyes and looking up at his face. Ever since they first met, those eyebrows of his had caught her fascination. Becoming bold, she reached up and touched his eyebrow. She let her hand then move down his strong jaw line.

Meeting his eyes, she quickly pulled back her had and turned her attention back to little Yukio and his chubby baby cheeks.

"Kami-sama I hate what I've become." She murmured more to herself than to him.

"What?" Sanji asked looking at her.

"You..." She began. "You come into my life, help create a happy place... I cannot begin to tell you how much I do not even want to admit I enjoy it, but I do. And then you have to leave..." She stopped thinking about someone else who was exactly the same. It was funny how much her past was being mirrored these days. It frightened her a bit. Her mind could only question if she would ever find real peace for her heavy heart.

"Leave... just like she left too." Nami could not help but remember a darker time in her life. The pain of a loved one's departure was something Nami had a hard time dealing with.

Sanji felt his heart stop at the quiet comment Nami had said. She had definitely been acting weirdly ever since the baby had arrived. However now it finally began to dawn on Sanji to the real cause of the problem.

With a little bit of shuffling, Sanji was able to free a hand that he wrapped comfortingly around Nami's shoulder.

-

Nami had never slept so peacefully in her life. The soft skin that her head rested upon created the perfect pillow- it was soft yet firm and had a warmth she had only dreamt about for a long time. Nuzzling her face closer to the source of the warmth Nami thought she was once again in a dream. Well that's what she thought until she felt the figure beneath her move lightly. A hand gently intertwining its long fingers into her red locks. She became a little startled at how much she enjoyed someone playing with her hair. No one had really paid it any attention since the days Bellemere would put her shorter hair into little braids or pigtails.

Letting out a sigh, she allowed the slow massage of her scalp to continue as she lingered in a state of light sleep. They had been up off and on during the night. Yukio made sure they both remembered he was there. All the half awake memories of the night came back to her as she recognized a familiar voice calling to her.

"Nami," the voice rang again in her ears. The hand that had been stroking her hair now moved to cup her face. His hands were so gentle as he caressed her cheek, slowly waking her up. Nami gradually let her eyes flutter open and a tender smile from the man she rested next to was waiting her to awake.

"Good morning," Sanji's voice welcomed her to the new day as he stretched a little, trying not to once again awaken their alarm clock that slumbered on his chest looking very innocent. This image made Sanji smile. No matter how many times he was up with his baby, or Nami helped, the glow that the three of them gave off was beautiful. All concerns faded into the background as he tightened his grip around Nami, who let her headrest on his shoulder. She lay snuggling close to his side on the small bed with his arm had some time during the night wrapped an arm around her. He even could forget about the fact that his half taken off shirt was soaking with baby drool because he was enjoying waking up beside the woman he had loved at first sight.

For all the things that had happened to him in the last few days, his feelings for her never wavered. He had never really thought of himself being the domesticated type of a man. Sure, he flirted and knew how to compliment the ladies, however for this one woman he would give it all up. He was that serious and that scared him to a point; especially when the whole parenting thing seemed to be under control. He was even enjoying being a father... however as much as he liked the current surroundings, he knew that there was a job he needed to do.

As he made a move to sit up, Sanji found two arms wrapping around him.

"Not yet." Nami mumbled with a sigh.

"I'd love to stay with you, you know I do..." He assured her, however a single seductive movement of Nami's bare leg rubbing the outside of his black pants caused him to freeze. Remembering exactly what Nami was wearing at this moment, well rather not wearing- Sanji gulped at the temptations.

The shapely leg toned of a darkened cream moved from his ankle to his knee. All the while, the white shirt she wore rose up to the point Sanji could see the most alluring view of her thigh.

It was to this scene a heart shaped, nose-bleeding Sanji, with a seductively smiling Nami and baby both cuddled in bed that two head peaked down into the room.

"Yo Nami!" An all too familiar voice called out before they heard the sounds of their captain rushing down the stairs. Once the scene registered with the slow minded captain, Luffy froze looking at the group with an odd expression on his face. Back up by the door a shocked Usopp looked in blinking to try to see if his eyes were playing tricks with him.

"Zoro! I found Sanji!"

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A/n: Well it's not my best chapter... the next one is where more of the action takes place. I just wanted to have both characters seem to change their temperaments a bit with the responsibility of taking care of Yukio. Sort of like they both are forced to "grow up" and deal with feelings both had pushed aside for so long due to their pasts.

So anyway... I'll have the next chapter up soon because I want to re-jump start this fic As always thanks for the reviews and comments! They are enjoyed and appreciated. Ja Ne