The sun's golden light began the last arc of its descent among the foliage when they left the Ferris Wheel. Despite the fact that the alert of her kidnapping should have gone out hours ago, there was not a marine in sight. Vetica readjusted her scarf, and felt her stomach rumble. Bartolomeo looked down at her, clearly also hearing it.

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," she muttered, defensively.

"I saw a bar, a little ways back-dabe," Bartolomeo suggested.

Vetica considered the potential number of Marines that might linger in a similar place. "Was it seedy?"

Bartolomeo nodded.

"Fine. Let's go."

As they entered the pub, Vetica noted the gangs of misfits which littered the room's tables. He had most certainly been right about it being a seedy bar. Their hungry eyes watched the couple, more than likely because of their nice clothes. Perhaps Vetica had miscalculated, but where else were they going to eat?

They took a seat at the bar and were welcomed by a bald, elderly gentleman with one missing eye.

"Can I get'chu folks anyting to drink?" He drawled.

"Two beers, please," Vetica answered, carefully watching the two punks which had just risen to their feet behind them.

The barkeep left. Bartolomeo seemed to either not notice or care as the pair swaggered up, sneering.

The bartender handed Vetica and her companion their beers. Bartolomeo took a swig. One of the men pulled a knife from his pocket, leaning on the bar next to them.

"You tourists sure picked the wrong hang to walk into," he said. He flicked the blade's tip towards Vetica. "So I suggest you hand over your wallet, that is, if you don't want anything to happen to your cute friend here."

It took a lot of strength for Vetica not to scoff at the threat. This poor fool had no idea who he was talking to. She was no stranger to a knife fight. Bartolomeo didn't even acknowledge them.

Apparently she didn't hide her emotions well enough, because their mugger seemed to be growing more agitated by the second. Though with Bartolomeo's Barrier Barrier Fruit, it wasn't like anything too crazy could happen.

Bartolomeo took another drink of beer and looked at Vetica. "I don't really care what food you order-dabe. But nothing too expensive, okay?"

"Being stingy now," she teased. "I see how this is."

"Hey, I bought you the dress-"

"I'm pointing a knife at you right now dammit!" The punk screamed. He thrust the knife towards her again. "I will cut her!"

The expression on Bartolomeo's face went dark. He turned to their agitated assailant, fangs peaking out through his lips. Vetica watched with amusement as the blood drained from the young man's face.

A blue transparent barrier flew up between them and slammed the two punks against the wall.

Bartolomeo stood and crossed over to them, fingers crossed. He leaned in close to them.

"Even attempt to touch her-dabe and I'll crush your skulls. Understood-dabe?" He hissed.

Vetica felt her heart pound in her chest, but wasn't sure if it was from flattery or fear. On one end she dreaded seeing him enact violence, but the other end wondered just how far he would go for her sake. Whichever it was there was definitely some sort of primal instinct that the man elicited from her whenever he was like this.

Bartolomeo uncrossed his fingers and the barrier disappeared. He then straightened up as the two punks scampered off.

"You're crazy, man!" One yelled as he ran out the door.

The switch back to his usual jovial demeanor was almost instantaneous, as he made his way back to his seat. He beamed expectantly at Vetica. It was almost as though he was a small child awaiting praise for his actions. She looked around at the other pub patrons who had all migrated as far away from them as possible.

Then she smiled at him and handed over the menu. "I'll let you pick what we eat."

He happily accepted it and looked it over for a second, before raising his hand.

"Two burgers, old man!"

After eating they made the decision to leave as soon as possible, just in case the punks recognized Bartolomeo and decided to go to the marines.

The sky had darkened to a light purple, casting the dimly lit streets in a light blue hue. Vetica gently guided the bubble bike next to her, as they strolled through a grove which seemed to be getting ready for bed.

She watched as a man and woman kissed briefly in the lamplight before entering what looked to be an inn. She stopped. Bartolomeo did as well looking back at her.

"What?" He asked.

Vetica nodded from the inn to a dimly lit alley way where several men in unformed were lingering. Bartolomeo still seemed confused.

"We have no place to stay," she said.

"What about the inn-dabe?"

She shook her head. "No good. I'd bet a lot of money that those marines are waiting to raid every inn in the area to make sure you didn't sneak into one with me."

He nodded. "That's fine we can just stay on my shi-"

He froze. She supposed he realized the actuality of their situation. Vetica climbed on the bike, motioning for him to join. He took her hand and hopped on behind her. She spotted one of the marines motion their way.

"Wrap your arms around my waist," she instructed. "Makes it look like I'm in charge." His large muscular arms did just that, almost knocking the wind from her. "Too tight."

He loosened his grip, and they rode off to find a more secluded Grove. It took almost an hour, but they did eventually find a suitable cave-like root structure to settle for the night.

Vetica balled up her scarf and normal clothes to form pillow on one end of the nook, while Bartolomeo changed into his usual pants. He claimed that his disguise was too uncomfortable to sleep in, which had been the only reason why the woman had allowed him to even remotely strip in her presence. Though she didn't mind the view of his back too much.

Once he reached for his jacket, Vetica stopped him and motioned for him to hand it over. He pouted, but complied.

"You get my presence; I get a blanket," she explained.

Then they went to sleep. At least, Bartolomeo did. Vetica was consumed by sudden waves of racing thoughts which stirred her awake every few minutes or so: some were of work, some were of the day, and some were of why exactly the man had brought her there. She still couldn't understand of all the things he could have done while waiting in paradise he decided to kidnap her. She imagined most pirates usually wanted to visit the many brothels and bars the Archipelago had to offer.

A shaky snore caught her attention. The source was Bartolomeo who lay crumpled up in the fetal position a meter away. His arms were shaking lightly, and Vetica lifted the jacket up to let the evening breeze hit her skin. She shivered, quickly withdrawing into the coat's protection; she had not expected the temperature to drop so significantly. The man also seemed to shiver again. She groaned and stood.

She went over to his side and laid down, throwing a portion of the coat over him. Bartolomeo let out a satisfied sigh, shifting closer to her. Chills ran up Vetica's spine as his hands brushed her back.

Despite having less coverage than before her body felt unbearably warm. Her mind was off racing again. She wondered how long it had been exactly since the last time she had been this close to him. Had her heart thudded this hard in her chest the last time?

There was a small murmur of nonsense from the man behind her, as he shifted positions again.

What if he was actually awake? Vetica was too anxious to turn around and check. He probably wasn't though. Barty wasn't an idiot, but she wouldn't classify him as being the craftiest tool in the shed. He was more of a man of action, like when he had pressed her up against the wall and nipped her neck the last time-

Vetica grasped her head, curling up in near agony. Why was she suddenly remembering that stuff!?

Just then a hand landed on her waist, causing her to bolt upright. Next to her Bartolomeo had apparently shifted in his sleep again. She roughly threw the man's arm back at him.

"Idiot!" She yelled,

Very slowly, he man's eyes began to open. He looked around him blearily before his eyes settled on Vetica. He lifted a hand to her cheek, and smiled.

"This is a nice dream-dabe," he said, stroking it lightly. Then he attempted to sit up and collapsed with a frown. "My bed's really uncomfy."

Vetica swatted his hand away. "That's because this isn't a dream you moron."

Bartolomeo's eyes grew wide and he leapt to his feet, leaving the poor woman face to face with his morning wood. She covered her view with one hand.

"Ah! Vetica-Senpai! What a-" he seemed to actually be waking up now. "I thought you went to sleep over there-dabe!"

"I did! But you were-" she stopped. He clearly didn't remember being cold. She considered the potential scenarios. "I was cold… okay?"

The man nodded and settled back down next to her. Vetica laid back down, but her head was starting to get muddled again.

"Hey, Barty," she whispered. He made an acknowledging grunt. "Aren't you scared about going to the New World?"

"Huh?" He replied, sitting up slightly. "Why would I be-dabe?"

She sat up, as a sudden surge of frustration passed through her. "Because you could die. Don't you know that the survival rate for the trip to Fishman Island alone is only twenty-five percent?"

The man smiled. "Then I'll die a pirate, just how Luffy-Senpai was prepared to."

"But what about Granny and the other people who care about you? How do you think they'd feel?"

Bartolomeo shrugged. "Sad, I guess-dabe. I'm sure Gambia is talking to her a lot while we wait-dabe."

A part of Vetica wanted to smack him for being so careless, but the cold wind of realization, which washed over her, made her weak. He seemed to have picked up on her moment of weakness, and leaned in close.

"Do you not want me to go-dabe?"

"No, that's not it," she said.

If he didn't go to the New World, she could kiss all her hard work goodbye. She hadn't essentially broken the law, for half a rookie story, but he had just equated her to Granny. Nobody meant more to Bartolomeo's crew than Granny and Luffy. Yet here he was spending time with her instead.

As she watched him settle back down, she wondered how she would feel if she really never saw him again, never heard his voice again. As obnoxious as it was, she supposed she'd feel sad, and, if she was wondering about their relationship now, how would she wonder if she had no chance to ask?

"Barty," she said. "Do you remember that night?"

There was something of a shocked squeak from the man. He cleared his throat.

"Some-dabe," he admitted.

Vetica leaned over him, to better see his face. She had to know just how honest he was being with her. "Do… did… did you like it? Being with me?"

The proximity made it difficult for her to get the words out. She watched his face flush, and that same look of helplessness she had experienced the morning after came back. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears, as she rapidly studied his face.

"Answer me," she said.

Bartolomeo looked away from her. "Yes."

The second after felt like it lingered in the air for a full minute. Each blink moved in slow motion, as he glanced back at her. Vetica made her decision. She stood and pulled her dress off over her head.

Bartolomeo gasped and scrambled away from her. "Vetica-Senpai, wha-what-what are you doing?"

She approached him slowly, with each step straining to not let her own nerves show. She knelt next to him.

"Do you want me?" She asked. Any nerves she had at this point were overwhelmed by the sheer need for answers.

He avoided looking at her, an uncomfortable smile spreading across his lips. "We-well-dabe, I- I- I…"

A hot wave of embarrassment flooded over the woman. Why was he not answering her? Was he attempting to reject her, or did some weird part of the man think she would be mad if he said "yes"? She had not put herself in an uncomfortable position to not be answered.

She grabbed his face and turned it towards her.

"If you do," she stated slowly, her own voice shaking from the overwhelming adrenaline. "I'm willing to give myself to you."

Bartolomeo looked at her. The tension suddenly released from his body. The look in his eyes changed from scared to longing. A large hand gently brushed her hair. Vetica's face was on fire.

"Do you want me?" She repeated.

Without a word his hand cradled the back of her head, and he pulled her into a kiss.

In an instant she recognized the warmth of his lips, and, like greeting an old friend, fully embraced them. His tongue found its way into a familiar tangle with hers, and with clumsy anticipation, they attempted to strip each other of the remaining clothes in their way, before falling into the grass.

Her fingers explored the ever shifting terrain of his back, as he kissed his way down her neck. With each kiss Vetica moaned and let her fingers tease through his hair, as he showed her just how appropriate the epithet she had selected for him was.

Then, in a roar of impatience, the two came together in a culmination of, what could only be described as, ravenous desire, never paying any mind to the idea of being caught.

Her life did not matter. Her badge did not matter. At that point, she was consumed by only the knowledge that this could be the last time she would see ever see him, feel him, or hear him moan her name again.

As Vetica cuddled with Bartolomeo underneath his jacket, she couldn't help but wonder if this entire experience was just a vivid dream. For all she knew, she could wake up in her quarters at Marie Joies any minute, but the warm body next to her told a different story, as he clutched her too tight, like one would a teddy bear.

"You're so soft-dabe," he murmured, pressing his face against her back.

She squirmed to get slightly looser in his grip, before settling down. "I'm glad you think so."

"I wish we could stay like this forever-dabe," he purred.

Vetica cleared her throat. "Yeah that would be nice."

"Marry me-dabe."

All the air left The woman's body at once, accompanied by her comfort and potentially her soul as well. "Hold up! What?"

She turned on him, only to find his expression was a serious one. Her heart rate sped up. She shook her head.

"Now you're just being sappy," she said. She turned away from him once more. "Everybody knows pirates don't get married. Don't be idiot."

"Okay," he stated, as if she had only corrected his grammar. "Be my woman."

Vetica sat up, peeling him off of her. Bartolomeo followed, clearly confused by her sudden cold demeanor.

"What is it?" He asked. "Pirates have women-dabe."

Vetica picked up her dress, but the man had pinned her against the cavern wall before she could put it on.

"I can't be your woman, Barty," she protested.

"Why not-dabe?"

Vetica could feel herself beginning to shake. She clutched the dress to her chest, hoping the quake would not travel into her voice as well.

"Because you are a pirate… You're a pirate, and I'm a reporter. I work for the government. I could lose my job."

Bartolomeo's pupils dilated, and his breathing slowed. "So-dabe?"

The pheromones in his breath suddenly began to affect her own tension. Her arms went slack.

"So... I like you, but I'm not just going to give up my dream for you," she explained, softly. He lifted a thumb to her lips. "Even if this was amazing, I've worked too hard to give up now…"

Bartolomeo then kissed her gently, making Vetica feel weak.

"I could just not return you-dabe," he whispered as they parted. "After all, I did kidnap you-dabe."

It would have been more alarming to Vetica had the man's eyes matched his threatening words, but the expression in them was one of pleading. They were sad, desperate eyes. The kind that made her not want to say no.

She sighed. "How about this?"

The man looked confused.

"I'll make a deal with you," she stated calmly. "If you can survive 3 years in the New World… then I will let you be my man."

"How can I know you'll keep your word?"

Vetica scowled at his question.

"What do you want me to do? Tattoo it on my ass?"

Bartolomeo grinned.