He's Back

Cara covered a yawn before going back to shelling her beans.

"Tired, dear?" Mrs. Tone asked.

"A bit." Cara yawned again. "For some reason I didn't sleep well last night. Maybe I should take a nap later."

"That would be best." Mrs. Tone smiled.

The two of them sat underneath a tree in the gardens. It was late morning. The sun was growing warmer, making Cara's mind drift to going for a swim at some point. Perhaps after lunch, and a nap, she could head to the beach for a while. Maybe she could catch some crabs for dinner while she was there. It had been a while since she and her mother had crab cakes.

Suddenly, out of no where, a solid force slammed into her. Her bowl of beans went flying and scattered about the ground as her shoulder slammed onto the solid dirt beneath her.

"Ouch! What the heck was that?!" Cara growled.

"Well, that's some way to greet your best friend."

Cara's eyes blinked rapidly. Turning her head she came face to face with Ace's grinning mug. "Ace?"

"That's right!" Ace nodded. "Did you miss me?"

"You're... here..."

"Hm? Of course I'm here. I told you I'd come back to see you."

"Huh." Cara tilted her head in wonder if she was dreaming or not. Small specks on the ground caught her attention. She looked to find her hard work scattered. Anger tapped her chest. Pulling back her fist, she threw it at Ace's face. The young man went flying away from her. "Ace! You jerk!"

"What was that for?!" Ace sat up rubbing his cheek, dirt swirling around him.

"Look at what you did!" Cara jumped to her feet and pointed at the beans. "I spent all morning on those!"

"Huh?" Ace blinked cluelessly at the beans. "So?"

"So?! What do you mean 'so'?!" Cara stomped her foot. "You did this and you're going to pick them up!"

"What? Why should I?"

Cara stomped over to him, grabbed his ear, and pulled him back over to the mess. She pointed down. "Pick. Those. Up. Now!"

Mrs. Tone laughed.

The two teens looked at her.

"What's so funny?" Cara asked.

"You two. You remind me of myself and my husband at your age," Mrs. Tone said. "We didn't get along so well at first either. But as time went on we learned we were rather attracted to each other."

"Please don't start with that." Cara rolled her eyes. Then she noticed a pondering look on Ace's face. Was he considering Mrs. Tone's words? Surely not. He couldn't be. She shook it from her head. No they weren't going to end up like Mr. and Mrs. Tone. Ace was a pirate. Cara was trapped on this island. She tapped her fist on Ace's head. "Get to work. Or I'm going to hit you again."

"Fine." Ace pouted as he grabbed the bowl and started picking up the beans. When he was done with that Cara got him to help finish up the beans.

A few hours later, Cara and Ace waved to Mrs. Tone and left. Cara glanced at him. "So how long are you here for?"

"Already trying to get rid of me, huh?" Ace smirked.

Cara rolled her eyes. "Sure. Why not?"

Ace laughed. "We're going to be here for a couple weeks at least. I have some great news, actually."

"Oh?"

"I'm the second division commander now."

Cara missed a step, stumbling forward a bit before regaining her balance. "What? Really? Aren't you kind of young and new to the crew still to be a division commander?"

"I thought the same thing, but everyone was okay with it." Ace glanced up at the sky.

Cara's gaze followed his. Ace seemed to be rising fast through the ranks of pirates. Was it too fast? He made a name for himself rather quickly after becoming a pirate. He has a devil fruit that's extremely powerful. He's on the crew of one of the most famous, and strong, pirates ever. And now he's a division commander?

"Hey..."

Cara jolted when a flick came on her forehead. "Ouch."

"What's that look for?"

"What look?" Cara rubbed her forehead. She stiffened when Ace's nose almost touched hers.

His eyes were intense, focused, questioning before they softened. "You're worried about me."

"I am not!" Cara knitted her brow. Was she that easy to read?

Ace chuckled. He placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry. I'm okay."

Cara sighed. She licked her lips then parted them to speak, but was stopped by a familiar shrilling scream of Ace's name.

"Ace!" Lita, and the other girls who had been mobbing Cara at ever turn they could, came running up to them.

Cara groaned.

Ace tossed her a questioning glance before the girls surrounded them. They all spoke at once.

"I can't believe you're here!"

"We were wondering when you'd be back!"

"Cara has told us a lot about you! You are her hero!"

Cara rolled her eyes skyward before slipping away from them a few yards. The girls filled in her space. She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the scene before her.

"Girls, please." Lita tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Let the man breathed." She gave Ace a flirtatious smile and batted her lashes at him. "It's nice to see you again, Ace. We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Lita." She held out her hand. Ace took it. "Oh my. You're so warm. Is that your devil fruit? Or are you normally so hot?"

Cara hammered down a gag. Lita was being such a shameless flirt. But it always worked. The guys always fell for her.

"It's my devil fruit." Ace pulled his hand away, earning a frown from Lita.

"I see. So what are you doing?" Lita asked. "We're going to get some ice cream. What to come with us, Ace?"

"No. I'm here to see Cara."

Lita cast Cara a frown. "Oh, well, she can come, too. I guess."

"Don't strain yourself." Cara waved a hand and marched passed the group. "Do what you want, Ace. You're a pirate, after all." Without warning, Cara was suddenly in Ace's arms and flying through the air. "Ace!"

"What? You said do whatever I wanted." Ace gave her a toothy grin.

"And that means carrying me?" Cara glanced down. They were well over twenty feet in the air.

"In a way," Ace said. "You didn't want to be around those girls. So we're leaving."

"And where are we going?"

"You'll see." Ace landed on his feet, kicked off, and continued to make flying leaps over the island until they landed at the secluded beach where Whitebeard and his crew docked when visiting the island.

"You brought me to the beach?" Cara eyed the ship. The rest of his crewmates must have been in the village.

"I thought you could use some quiet time." Ace shrugged as he started gathering some wood. "And some lunch. I'm starving."

Cara couldn't deny him. She was going to go home for lunch but that was out of the question. Lita and the other girls were sure to show up there. Hopefully they wouldn't think to come here.

But someone did. About a half hour later Ami and two men came walking up to them. One of the men had brown hair and dressed in what looked like a chief's outfit. The other had curly black hair, overweight, and gave Cara an uncomfortable feeling.

"I thought you might be here." Ami sat down beside her friend. "I saw you and Ace bouncing through the village before. Escaping from Ace's fan club?"

"You got it." Cara nodded.

"I guess that explains the screaming girls we passed on our way here," the brown haired man said. "They were asking everyone where Ace went."

The black haired man laughed, revealing missing teeth. "They were crazy."

Cara remember then who these men were. Thatch and Teech.

"These are two of my crewmates under my command," Ace said as he placed a pan over the fire. "We're about to eat. You're all welcome to join us."

"Great! I'm starving!" Teech said.

"It's a wonder we ever have food left with you two around." Thatch shook his head.

"A big eater, huh?" Cara looked at Teech then at Ace. "You two have something in common then."

"Hey, I don't eat as much as him." Ace nodded at Teech.

The small group settled in to food and story telling of the crew's adventures on the sea since Ace last left the island. After that they got on the ship and sailed around the island a couple time before pulling back into the docks and heading back into town to touch bases with her mom.

"And why are you in my bed instead of on the ship or in a hotel where you belong?" Cara glared at Ace as the man laid beside her in her bed.

"Because I can. Now go to sleep. I'm tired." With that Ace fell asleep.

Cara shook her head with a sigh. Lying on her side she watched as sleep for a while. As she closed her eyes a smile appeared on her lips. She was glad her was here.