Chapter Twenty: The Flame of Love and Lust

A chicken and an egg are lying in bed. The chicken is smoking a cigarette with a satisfied smile on its face and the egg is frowning and looking put out. The egg mutters to no one in particular, "I guess we answered that question."
-Author Unknown

"What was Uncle Marco like, grandma?" Mia asked, speaking for the first time that day, as she sat at the window and slowly moved a needle with thread tied to it. Faye looked up from her lap, her own piece of fabric and needle in her hands. Acel ran around the front yard of her cottage, ordering an imaginary crew around as he captained his ship – The Eternal Fire, he had called it. Faye almost cried when she heard him.

Faye smiled softly, putting her small hobby down and weakly pulled her leather bound book into her lap. Mia looked up at not hearing any verbal response.

She found her grandmother smiling down at something on one of the pages of her book. Mia sat her embroidery down on the window sill and walked over. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Faye looked up. She weakly moved the book into Mia's lap and pointed with a skinny finger to sketch and coloring of a man with tan skin and an odd hair style.

"Marco Callaghan was the First Division Commander of the Moby Dick. He was, in all sense, the second in command of all Whitebeard Pirates. He was called 'Phoenix Marco' due to his Devil Fruit's power..."

"He ate a Mythical Zoan fruit, right?" Mia finished, looking up from the sketch. Faye smiled and nodded.

"He was the brother of my father – many could never tell that we were related due to me have inherited my mother's looks, but we had the same eyes." She explained, fingering the sketch with affection. "…the same bright green that stood out against the blue of the ocean."

Mia smiled fondly as she looked from the sketch to the eyes of her grandmother.

"He always called me Pixie, and was constantly chasing your mother around like he used to do with me."

"When did you last see him?" Mia asked, resting her chin on her hand. Faye's smile fell ever-so slightly.

"It was right before your mother's tenth birthday… he was still Captain of the Moby Dick."

"And?"

Faye looked up, pulling herself from her faint memories. Her smile was sad. "He died a few months later from a heart attack. Marco always thought he'd die in battle, protecting those he loved, but his heart couldn't take the stress of what he had lived through any longer, and gave out."

Mia looked down, feeling the emotion of loss swell in her chest. What if he had lived … would she have gotten the chance to meet him? Would she have gotten the chance to see what he was like?

Would see have gotten the chance to see what it meant to live the life of a pirate? Mia had thought so many times of what the life of a pirate was like … she had even gone as far to decide on the idea that when she turned seventeen, she would leave home and become a pirate. But she was only thirteen, and had plenty of time between now and then to completely decide.

"But he was an amazing man that left an even more amazing legacy."

Mia smiled brightly again at the happy tone of her grandmother. "Tell me some more, grandma."

Faye chuckled weakly, splaying her hand over the page in her book. "Of course."

OF MEMOIRS AND MAPS

"What's wrong this time, eh, Pix?" Marco asked me as he climbed up through the hole of the Look Out and sat beside me. I shrugged and kept sketching in my book I could feel him roll his lazy eyes, but I didn't see it. I couldn't look at anybody nowadays. Marco looked over my shoulder at the sketch and sighed.

"He obviously knows you like him, Faye, and I'm positive he's got some feelings for you, too. What's the problem?"

I mumbled something, but even I couldn't hear it.

"Hm? What was that, eh?"

I mumbled again, a bit louder, but still too low. Marco grabbed my hand and stopped me from scratching another line on the parchment paper. I finally looked up, bags obviously gathered under my eyes; the green had lost its sparkle and had faded into a dull plant color.

"I'm about to throw you off the ship and let Ace be an idiot and go and try to save you again," he frowned as he spoke to me. I couldn't help the tiny smirk and snort of a laugh. He smirked back; I looked back down. He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye.

"I'm serious, Faye. Talk to me, or I'm throwing you overboard."

I chuckled, my chest huffing dryly as I did so. I shook for a moment with amusement before sighing in defeat and closing my book.

"I do like him," I finally spoke loud enough for him to hear me. Marco nodded and sat back, his lazy eyes never leaving my exhausted looking face.

"Okay," he said. "Then go do something about it, eh."

I do not know what my uncle meant at that time, but I soon found out that talking about it actually helps. Of course I decided to go talk to the girls about it, not Ace. They helped me enough to where I knew I had to talk to him about it, sooner or later that is. I picked later. I was not going to talk to him. I moved down from the lookout with my book still under my arm and quickly went into the dining hall. I was going to hold out on talking to Ace, as long as I could.

And luck would have it, that I would find him in the dining hall. He was sitting amongst his crewmates eating plates of food, and I could not help but notice the way his freckles stretched over his face when he smiled. And notice the way that the crossed out S on his bicep would wiggle when he moved his hand. And notice the way his grin made my fingers tremble, causing me to drop my book.

They looked up at the thud, and I ducked to pick up my belongings and quickly get out. When I reached out to grab a few scattered papers, Ace's warm hand got them before me. Looking up in surprise, he smiled as he handed me my papers, standing from his squatting position. I stood also, quickly brushing my hair from my face and then back and forth from over my shoulder to behind my back. It was one of my few ways to tell I was nervous.

"Hey, Faye, haven't seen you in the past few days." He greeted, although I knew he was nervous also. We hadn't spoken much since the incident of going overboard, but I knew he didn't regret it. "Take a chat with me?" he asked, presenting his arm for me to take.

The crew was forgotten, and I smiled, nodding.

My book was the only thing keeping me to the ground. Ace's skin was warm against mine – no, better than warm. It was this amazing heat that made my blood sizzle in my veins that I never wanted to end. He led me from the mess hall to the quarter deck, taking over the large wheel from one of the Thatch's division's men. I stood off to the side, not sure of what to say.

Good Lord, I sounded like such a whimpy little school girl. I was a woman! I should be playing hard to get!

But when I took the fact that Ace's mentally was also in the equation, I kind of understood why I was acting like such a teenager. Then again… maybe I wasn't giving him enough credit?

We looked out over the ship, watching as a select few of crew members lazed about the deck and others were hard at tying off sails to the three large masts. Whitebeard wanted to go to another island where there was talk of Devil Fruits; he also knew that this source could be trusted. It was one of his old division commanders who had left to make a name for him.

"Excited to get off the ship?" he asked out of nowhere, and I instantly knew how we were going to get through today… with awkward moments of slow small talk. I hated small talk. It was just a waste of breath that I knew I would need in sixty years, so I went ahead and got through it.

Like a band-aid; if you pull it slow and 'gentle' it hurts like a bitch, but if you do it quick, you only feel a tad sting at first.

"We kissed."

Ace blinked, taken back by my bluntness before looking forward over the Grand Line again. "Yeah?"

This time I was taken back. Yeah? That's all he could say!

"We kissed." I said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world – and it was. Half the Whitebeard Pirates saw it happen. And that's a lot of pirates.

"What are you getting at, Faye?" He seemed uncomfortable under my hard look. I almost pushed him off the ship…

"That's why I haven't been talkin' to ya!" I finally came out with. But after my second of frustration, it turned into pure embarrassment, and I backed away, holding my book in front of me and looking down at my feet like they were the most interesting thing in the world.

And Ace's laugh didn't help.

"That's why you haven't been talking to me?" he asked, even though I had just surely told him that, that was the case. I hit him. Hard. With my fist. In his shoulder. He jumped back, reaching up to rub where I hit him. "Ow, Faye! What was that for, you crazy woman!"

I glared at him, my eyes narrowed and my lips pursed. "Ya're so insensitive!" I yelled, reaching out to hit him with my book instead. He was able to jump back from that one, but he let go of the wheel… and the ship was completely forgotten as he quickly ran from me and my heavy book. The ship was a rocking mess as we played a sick game of cat and mouse. I don't see why he didn't just throw a fireball…

Oh, because if he did and it burned my book, I was surely going to push him overboard and make sure he died a slow and painful death. (I'm sure he knew that.)

Although, we were inevitably stopped by Marco as a crowd of the guys ran up to try and get control of the wheel and rudder. I blushed in embarrassment. Marco glared lazily at the two of us before sighing and running his hand through his odd hair.

"Come on, you two, eh." He ordered in his I'm-older-than-you-so-shut-up tone. I followed, Ace beside me. The whole time, we pushed and nudged at each other, me glaring and Ace grinning his infamous a-thousand-suns-were-a-candle-compared-him smile.

Marco ended up throwing us in a broom closet… a broom closet of all things. So, with his huge muscles (Mmmmm…) and my moderately sized chest, we were a little too close for comfort as I glared at him and he grinned sheepishly at me.

"So, uh…" he started, scratching his cheek. "How have you bee-"

His words were interrupted by my lips and I'm sure he didn't mind one bit. And so there we stood – more like Ace stood me clinging onto him like a koala bear – in the broom closet, kissing and groping like a bunch of teenagers. And, of course, that's how Marco found us, half an hour later…

He needed Ace to help with getting into port and letting the anchor down?

I waved my uncle away; I nearly melted when flame boy's lips found their way to my ears… My ears were one of my sensitive spots. Marco frowned and continued to pester us with needing Ace, but I didn't miss the lazy grin on his lips.

"Gawd, Marco, fine!" I pushed Ace away from my neck, already feeling a few busted vessels swelling, and dropped to a standing position on the floor. "Give meh a second ta talk ta 'im?" I requested and he nodded, closing the door. We were alone again …

Ace grinned down at me; his arms wrapped snuggly around my waist.

"I used ta hate ya, ya know?" I started, finding the pattern of freckles on his shoulders interesting.

"No you didn't." I looked up at him in surprise. He just kept grinning. "I saw the way you looked when Mia was flirting with me. You wished I was flirting with you."

Was I really that easy to read?

"But then after Smoker and all that, your expressions got harder and harder to read." I gave him a look. "I'm not as stupid as I look, Faye. I only put that on in front of the guys. We all like a good laugh."

I still kept giving him my look, but it faded away when he kissed me again… I could get used to this.

"I'll see you in a little while, Faye," he murmured to me, prying my fingers away from his shoulders as he left me alone in the broom closet. And as I watched him walk away, my eyes zoning in on the large tattoo on his back, I wondered if this was love… or lust. In my heart, I held no true appeal for Ace… but in my stomach, where the butterflies liked to practice flying, I knew I wanted him for more than his personality and stupid grin.

Stepping forward to get out, my foot connected with something… Looking down, I found the familiar orange hat he usually went nowhere without, laying on the floor. Bending over, I grabbed it, looking at the few scorch marks and smiled, remembering when I first made it. That color was hell to die into brown leather …

Still smiling, I placed the hat on my head and continued to my bunk, my book under my arm yet again.

But it seemed, at the moment, that I didn't care if it was love or lust. I was living life at the fullest and I had a hot guy to carry around on my arm.

"Faye!"

"Wha'!" I called turning and glaring at the male that called out for me. He smiled with his lazy eyes.

"Don't play with fire, you might get burned."

That earned him my middle finger and a very loud smack on my ass saying Kiss it.

Ha ha, Marco, you're so fucking funny.

A/N: Well, I missed Ace's birthday by an hour… Oh well. xD

Happy Christmas, Merry New Year, and everyone pie the Flame boy! It's his birthday. (Yesterday.) :3

This was supposed to be more centered on Marco and Faye, but Ace (the sneaky little bastard) somehow got in there… Oh well. You got some lip action in return. :3

Hopefully I'll have a much better plot-filled chapter in a few days. I don't go back to school until the tenth and I need things to feel my days, right?

Oh! Look at this! Chapter twenty. We're in the twenties, guys! This is the longest story I've ever written! AWESOME. Go me~ :3

Review and get New Years love? :3

Xoxo. Bri & Faye & Ace & Mia & Anne & Marco & the Whitebeard Pirates.

PS. If you didn't get the quote, think about this…

What came first, the chicken or the egg?