"Eustass-Love!" Abigail exclaimed as she stormed into his room once again. "Why did you deny my request for supplies, again!?" She threw the papers that she had been given and they scattered to the floor, her nicely written report on supplies she needed for their damn infirmary with the ever so eloquent 'Go Fuck Yourself' scrawled across the front page in his messy handwriting.

"Aghhhhh!" He let out a loud groan of annoyance as he pushed back his goggles. "Stop coming in here!" He stood up from the crouching position he was in, tinkering with one of his projects in the hopes of relaxing on this boring ass day. Instead he had to deal with her shrieking at him… again.

"I'll stop when you let me buy the supplies I need." She slammed his door behind her, knowing full well there was crew members eaves dropping outside the Captain's quarters. She wasn't exactly being secretive as she stormed across the main deck to get here. "You want me to teach my people but you the bare minimum of supplies and equipment!"

"I'm not gonna waste the Belli on things we don't need." He threw the wrench that was in his hand and took a few steps closer, he wasn't in the mood to deal with her today.

She folded her arms in front of her chest, glaring up to him as he towered over her. "I'm not asking you to pay for anything." She side stepped and walked past him, he smelt like he hadn't bathed in a few days. The theory backed up by the layer of sweat and smeared grease on his bare torso. "Just take these damned things off and I can take care of it myself." She lifted her arms and tapped the sea prism cuffs she wore, Killer had replaced the ones she had been bought in with a pair that they hand on hand. They weren't linked together so she had the freedom of moment with her hands and she had to give them credit for being prepared but it was still a pain in the ass regardless.

"Heh." He turned and watched her, staying close enough to her so she wouldn't mess with his things. "I take those off so you can use your logia powers against me…" He leaned down and brought his face close to hers, studying her expression. It pissed him off that after this long he still did not know what kind of powers she had regardless of how much he tortured her. "…Not likely, Captain."

She pushed his face away as she gritted her teeth, it was bad enough he hadn't bathed but that sent of metal on him always made her teeth ache. "Considering I've only tried to kill you twice in as many months compared to your five, I think I've earned some free time."

He grabbed the arm of the hand against his face, forcing it above her head as he walked her backwards till she was against his wall. "Only five times?.." His other hand closed around her neck, lifting her up with ease. "That's a pretty low number."

"Knock it off." She tried pushing against his chest to no avail, as if it ever worked anyways. His knee was pressed up between her legs, supporting the majority of her weight so he wasn't being particularly serious about hurting her right now… Still. He was pressed up against her now and she could feel him, all of him. "Eustass-Lo…"

He tightened his grip on her neck, stopping her from saying the rest of the name. "I hate it when you call me that." His face was dangerously close to hers now, close enough to smell the feint scent of cinnamon from whatever product she used. He breathed it in momentarily before letting out a snarl. "You piss me off…" The hand that was preventing her from breathing moved to the arm pushing against him, he joined that one with the one above her head. Holding them both with his massive hand and smiling at how helpless she looked now. "You talk to me like you're part of this crew and keep forgetting you're just a slave I bought on a whim." His free hand was on her cheek, thumb rubbing her lips as he grinned with that wide toothy smile of his.

She tried to pull her hands free but he had a good grip on her, he did this to her randomly, this display of his dominance to remind her of how much stronger he is. God did it piss her off. She snapped at the fingers touching her lips, teeth chomping together as he pulled his hand away in time. "Then why don't you start treating me more like a slave." She locked her eyes with his, silently taunting him back. It was all she could really do in situations like these.

His smile faded as he leaned in to let out a low growl next to her ear, he hated it when she did that. Giving him that 'I dare you' look while saying something like that… He didn't like being teased.

She flinched at the tingling sensation on her ear, that one was new and she could feel her cheeks getting warm. Damn…

He let go of her abruptly, her body falling awkwardly as he took a step back. "I'll have Heat take you out on the next island… assuming there are shops." He grabbed a tool from his workbench before disappearing behind his project without another word.

Her eyes went wide for a moment, did he really just say that? What the hell happened in that briefest of moments? "And the cuffs?" She asked hopefully.

"Yea, yea…" He waved a hand dismissively as he grumbled to himself, he wanted her to leave now.

"Now?"

"Get the hell out!"

A casqued of metal objects flew at her, his devil fruit power at work as the purple energy crackled around the random bits. She raised her hands to shield her face as a few bolts tagged her stomach painfully, she knew that she was pushing her luck now. For her own safety she retreated from his room with a sigh, that man confused her.

He waited till he heard the clicking of the door being completely shut before tossing the tool he had picked up, he had grabbed the wrong one in his attempt to act like he was going back to work. With a growl he ran his hand through his hair and pulled off his goggles, tossing them across the room as well. He was frustrated as all hell now, damn that look in her eyes… How was he supposed to get any work done with this aching in his crotch…

Outside his door she took a deep breath to calm her nerves, she couldn't deny that power of his scared her a little. She looked up and noticed the eyes of the crew mates on the main deck, with a little grumble she fled below deck to hide in her room for a while to relax. It had been an aggravating encounter but at least she'd be able to get those supplies now…

"Bones!" A voice called out from behind her. "Hey Bones!"

She paused when she heard the name, she had acquired the nickname from her Doctor in training. A good hearted boy but severely lacking in medical knowledge, it seemed most of his experience was hand on. She turned slightly to see the boy running up to her with a large smile on his face. "Hello Stich-love."

The kid, had the same outlandish garb as the rest of the crew. She almost found it amusing but just couldn't understand how a crew could love leather so much… Still, he was proving to be an excellent pupil. His desire to learn the trade was refreshing.

The boy came to a stop beside her, rubbing his nose as he laughed. "I'm glad I caught you."

"Oh?" She peaked a brow as she continued on with the boy at her side.

"Heard you went to see the Captain again."

That didn't surprise her, news traveled surprisingly fast on this ship. "Yes, he's finally agreed to let me get the supplies we need. With any luck the next island will provide enough to get our infirmary up to adequate standards…" His little giggle caught her attention. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." He had a large smile on his face and cheeks just a little rosy. "It's just… you're really starting to sound more and more like part of the crew."

Her eyes widened as her steps faltered for a moment, she really hadn't noticed it but Eustass had just mentioned something similar… "Sorry, I didn't realize…"

He put his hands up to stop her. "It's fine, we really don't mind." His rosy cheeks got even redder as he rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, I can't talk for the entire crew but… we really like you…" He started fidgeting with his fingers. "In fact, if you wanted to stay…"

She smiled at him softly and ruffled his hair affectionately, they really were a bunch of kids. She was pretty sure she was the oldest one on this ship, at least that's what the medical records of the crew mates told her… the ones she and her pupils managed to get done so far that is. "Why don't you meet up with the others and get a list started." She changed the subject casually before the topic of joining this crew could officially be brought up. "Bring it to me later so I can look it over, ya?"

"Sure thing!" He ran off down the hall, eager to get started. The others were going to be so excited.

She watched him go for a moment before returning to her stroll, this crew might have been downright violent and ruthless when it came down to a fight but they were a good crew and all of them believed in their Captain. It would be interesting to see how far they go in this new world…

It took longer than intended to return to her room, she was stopped on occasion by various crew members either wanting to say hello or ask about a condition but her thoughts were distracted by what had been said. She slipped into her chamber and shut the door behind her, she was lucky to have this room. Most of the crew had to share space but she was tossed into this supply closet, it was only about two arm spans wide but it was enough to fit a single bed and small writing desk. She had no problem sacrificing space for privacy.

With a sigh she fell onto her bed, it was true that she really did feel like part of the crew but still… her hand traveled to her opposite wrist and adjusted the sea prism cuffs a little. Those where her reminder that she wasn't one of them… she pushed the thoughts away as she reached into her bra, finger tips finding the piece of paper she had hidden here and pulling the small square from its hiding spot.

She eyed the vivre card as it twitched in her hand, it was the only personal possession she ever dared keep on her person. A good thing too… a few weeks back she was allowed to call her contact with the transponder snail they had on board so she could have her sword and other personal effects returned to her. This little piece of paper would guide him to her as it always did… she just hoped he'd show up soon. He had only been a few islands behind them when she called but he did need to find her ship before coming to this one… where was her crew? She let out another sigh as she tucked the paper away and closed her eyes, maybe she could take a nap…

A knock at her door stirred her… did she fall asleep at all? Hell… She sat up with a groan, rubbing her head… huh, she could tell her hair was a disaster…

Another knock, this one was harder.

"Yea, just come in." She pulled her hair tie out and started combing her hair with her fingers but paused as she saw the door open slowly. "Kil-love…" She whispered the name, mainly out of shock. He had never come to her room before… so what reason did he have? Out of everyone on this ship it was him that unsettled her the most, she didn't like not being able to see his face…

He eyed her for a moment, the plaid over shirt she always wore was hanging off her shoulder and streaked hair fell freely. She must have just woken up… his eyes moved to her bare stomach were a handful of fresh bruises had formed. "You made him mad again." He spoke calmly as he pointed to the marks.

She looked down, only now noticing the bruises from where Eustass had flung the bits at her. With a little sigh she rubbed the marks before returning her attention to her hair. "Nothing new…" She really couldn't remember the last time she didn't have some sort of bruise her mark on her since coming onboard.

"You should try to do it less." He folded his arms in front of his chest as he continued to watch her groom herself, mildly entertaining the idea of giving her one of his hair brushes since she still had no personal possessions of her own.

She gave him an 'Oh, please' look as she stood up to straighten out her clothes. "You know damn well just breathing in his general direction could make him mad."

He left the door open as he took a few more steps inside to close the distance between them. "Point taken." She barely had anything in this room but still it felt cramped to him, granted his own room was the second largest on the ship next to the Captain's… well, second largest singular room. Everyone else roomed together in some sort of fashion except for Kid, himself and now this woman. Even Heat and Wire shared a room…

"You never said what you needed…"

Her voice got him to focus back on the task at hand, she was putting her hair up now. Such a simple action seemed oddly attractive, that or it was the way she seemed so relaxed doing it. Still, he was here for a reason and didn't need to be getting distracted. "You…" He reached up and grabbed her arm, pulling her over to him easily. Her body had tensed up the moment he touched her, not surprising though considering who he was and how little they had spoken.

"Wha… what are you doing?" She spoke in a tone louder and more frightened then she had intended but she wasn't used to being grabbed in such a way by anyone other than Eustass… which was almost sad considering.

He didn't respond as he reached into his pocket and produced a key, holding it up and waiting for her to make the connection.

She stopped struggling against his grip as her eyes focused on the metallic object in his hand. "Is that…"

"A show of faith." He said simply as he unlocked the cuff to the arm he was holding, followed by the other. "You'll eat with the rest of us from now on." With that he took the cuffs and turned to leave, having nothing more to do here. He did want to ask about her similarities to Law and if she knew him but decided it would be pointless…

She rubbed her wrists, relishing in the feel of how light she felt now. Those damn stones where heavy… ah! "Thank you!" She called out to him just before he disappeared out the door.

"It was the Captain's decision, not mine." He paused long enough to say that before disappearing completely from view.

She stared blankly at the open doorway for a moment before she finally closed it gently, she had to admit that she was in shock as to how this happened. Not complaining by any means, just… confused. What had made the Captain decide to remove her restraints now instead of when they docked next, however far away that day was… Part of her wanted to ask him but she decided against it considering they were, quite literally, at each other's throats a short while ago. Besides, she had wasted enough of the day with taking that nap. Stitch should have a proper list started by now… She'd talk to Eustass later…

The remainder of the day went productively, free from the sea prism cuffs her spirits were notably higher. The remainder of the afternoon was dedicated solely to the infirmary and her students, making the ever growing list of supplies and medical books for the impending shopping trip. With any luck at all the next island will have a decent selection, that combined with the things she was having brought to her should make it much easier to show these kids more than verbal instructions.

By evening the list had been completed and she moved on to the task of helping to create medical records for the crew, which was not going smoothly at all. There had been so many injuries that the majority of the crew couldn't remember what scar came from where or how many times they'd broken the same bone. Not to mention those members of the crew that refused to cooperate at all, the main culprits being Eustass and Killer.

Still, she made much more progress today than any other and dinner was a welcomed experience. It was her first time eating with everyone, she had come to learn that whenever the weather cooperated they liked to eat out on the main deck in the moonlight with torches to fully illuminate the ship. Even the Captain ate with his crew out here. She liked how lively they were, much more so than her own crew that weren't the type that particularly indulged in much song or dance.

To either side of her sat her student, pointing out random crew mates and the stories that might be attached to them. Stitch was well into his sixth bottle of beer while Neddy showed her the beat to clap to for the current song being sung. The tune cued some of the others to begin banging the deck or tapping utensils together into makeshifts instruments, it was really quite impressive the musical range that random objects had and this crews apparent ability to play them. It was really the first time she genuinely laughed since coming onto this ship.

On occasion her eyes would wander up to the forecastle deck where Eustass and his main group apparently liked to sit, killer was beside him with Heat and the man they called Wire on the other side. She currently had no opinion on the last guy considering she had never spoken to him but she wondered if she'd get along with him… suddenly she burst into a renewed laughter as she saw Killer eating, she wondered if that mask ever came off but with the way the cucumber sticks where sticking out from the holes in his mask the answer was evident. Randomly, when she was looking up there, her eyes would meet with Kid's and they'd both look away quickly… How silly of a sing to do…

She smiled a little to herself, her mind wandering to the events that had happened during these past few months. Granted she had to continuously deal with him trying to kill her but in all honesty the attempts, if you could really call them that now, had been getting less and less violent as compared to that first day of being dangled by her neck on from the main deck. Now it was more of a customary butting of heads and displays of dominance instead of heartfelt murder attempts.

To be honest… she felt as if she might actually miss these guys when she finally left. Well, some of them anyways.

It wasn't until much later that the commotion of dinner had settled down, leaving only a skeleton crew still on the deck to watch over the ship while everyone else slept… Mostly everyone that is. She wished that she could be one of those people slumbering peacefully in their beds but she had made the mistake of looking over some of the new medical records that Stitch had brought to before laying down and before she knew it hours had past.

She set down the folder in her hand and rubbed her aching eyes, she had been straining them too much lately trying to read without her glasses. She was farsighted and typically could only read with her specs on, especially if what she was trying to read was the hurried noted of a young boy with terrible handwriting… perhaps she'd had penmanship to their studies as well…

With a sigh she pushed herself away from the desk, she should go to bed. She wanted to sleep. Yet, she knew her mind would just keep nagging her until she finished. Perhaps she'd be able to find some coffee in the kitchen on upper deck…

Slowly she made her way through the halls of the ship and out into the fresh night air, her feet bringing her out and away from the stair well se emerged from. It was typically a quick turn to another ascending set of steps to bring her to upper deck but as the salty breeze his her she couldn't help but breathe it in deeply. She missed the feel of the cool night's air on her skin and the moonlight shining down on the ship. This was her favorite time. It reminded her of home in the North Blue and it reminded her of her ship… She was always the first to take the night watch so that the others could sleep and often she would let them sleep, minding the ship till the morning hours so that they could rest…

She sighed to herself as she turned away from the bow of the ship so make her way to the stairs… only to pause as a light caught her eye, there shouldn't be any lights lit right now… She tilted her head slightly and found that the little gleam was coming from beneath Eustass's door… Why would he be up this late?

Her eyes traveled to upper deck where the helmsman was standing watch and making sure the ship did not drift off course as the crew slumbered, it didn't seem like he noticed her. Quietly she slinked back to the wall beside the steps she had emerged from, her back pressed against the wooden supports as she looked further up to the crow's nest. She knew there was someone up there as well but he had no reason to look down towards the deck… She inched her way over to his door and paused in front of it, chewing her lips as her hand hovered over the wood, she intended to knock on it. A first by all means since she was typically kicking it in followed by an uproar of cursing from both parties… but right now she didn't want that. It was bad enough that there were already rumors about the bruises on her neck she's sustained from his displays of superiority, also known as strangling for the sheer fun of watching her struggle for air, that apparently resemble 'hickies'… at least that's what Neddy was telling her… so what would those rumors turn into if they saw her visiting his room so late at night? Granted, it wasn't entirely insulting since he was fairly attractive in his own right but the ten year age difference was a bit… deterring.

To hell with it. She gave one last look around and slipped into his room without giving a complimentary knock, the ship was too quite right now and she doubted that the thumping on the door would go unnoticed. She eased the door shut behind her and waited there. "Eustass-Love…" She called in a voice just barely louder than a whisper. It felt almost odd waiting here beside his door when she was so used to storming about his room during one of their quarrels plus there was no telling if he was decent…

"The hell…" Came the response from further back, a creaking of springs signaled his large form moving from the bed. He walked around his work bench, which hid his bed from view, and cocked his head to the side as he stared at her. Was he really seeing that woman waltzing into his room in the dead of night?

She remained silent as he emerged from the back, free from all his typical accessories and makeup with only the lizard print pants he was known for clothing him. He must have bathed as well considering he wasn't coated in seat and grease like he was before.

"So the only way you know how to enter a room is by kicking in a door or sneaking into one?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he scowled at her, what could it possibly be this time.

"I didn't want the others to hear me coming in."

He arched a brow and gave her a 'you can't be serious' look. "Because you give a shit every other time."

She put her hands on her hips, quickly becoming just as agitated as he was. "Well this was supposed to be different than every other time but luckily I don't have a problem admitting when I'm wrong!" She let out a huff of agitation and turned to leave, she should've known this was a bad idea. Her fingers touched the handle just as a bolt ricocheted off the wood beside her head causing her to pause as she flinched.

"Hold it."

Her hand hovered over the door knob, waiting for any more projectiles he might try to fling. "Either invite me in or let me leave, I'm not in the mood to stand here all night." She turned her head slightly so she could watch him in case he tossed anything else.

He clenched his jaw a bit as he glared at her trying to ebb the anger that built up so easily when they were near each other. "You're already inside." He grumbled as he turned, waving her to come back. It was too late to be having a pissing match with her. He went back to his bed, sitting down on the edge of it as he grabbed the newspaper he had been reading to find where he left off.

She followed him back and sat on the edge of his work bench which was directly across from him. "You read a lot more than I would have thought."

"I like to be informed." He turned to the next page without looking up at her. "What do you want?"

She slightly tapped the side of the bench with her heel, still debating on if she should say what she planned to say… Still, tit for tat and all that… "The next time I try to kill you…" She said with a little sigh. "Douse me with water." She looked away a little, it was almost embarrassing that she could be stopped so easily and it wasn't particularly something she wanted getting out. She did have her pride as a prate after all. "I can't use my devil fruit powers if I'm wet."

He peered over the edge of his paper with a raised brow and mildly bewildered expression. "Why are you telling me this?"

She rubbed her wrists, there was still a phantom ache from the heavy stone cuffs that she had worn up until this afternoon. "A show of faith…"

He watched her for a moment, she was intent on not making eye contact. She had been like that at dinner too… He had to admit that she was amusing to watch then. Clapping her hands to the beat of the music and singing along with the rest of the crew… It was getting harder to remember that she was still just a slave. "I'll keep that in mind." He set down the paper and put his elbows on his knees, still watching her carefully. "Is that all?"

She pushed herself away from the bench, fully intent on leaving now that she had evened the debt… but paused a moment as something else popped into her mind. "Why did you become a pirate?" It was a silly question but everyone who went to sea had a reason, this man may have been violent and ruthless to jack up his bounty so high but his men looked up to him and admired him. What dream did he have that wasn't as shallow as money or fame? She knew it couldn't be those reasons, she had seen what crews looked like that followed a Captain for such a frivolous cause and these people… this crew… they had real heart.

His eyes narrowed as he continued to watch her, what the hell kind of question is that? His body tensed as he clenched his hands together, if she laughed… he wasn't above killing her for real this time… "I'm going to be the King of Pirates."

That response shocked her as she finally looked up to him, grey eyes widening a little. The look on his face was intense… and she could tell that he really believed it.

His knuckles cracked a little as he tensed his fists once he saw her lips turning upward into a smile, just one hint of a laugh…

"I look forward to it."

"Eh!" That wasn't what he was expecting, she was still smiling but there was no condescending tone to her voice… and the look in her eyes was a lot softer than any look she's ever given him… she really meant it..

"Good night, Captain." She offered up one last smile as she turned to leave, she suddenly felt very tired and her bed sounded really good right now.

He could feel his cheeks redden, it was the first time she called him that and what she said about his dream… she didn't laugh at all… what the hell. He reached out quickly, grabbing her arm as she turned away from him and yanking her back forcefully.

She let out a little noise of surprise as she suddenly felt herself falling backwards, she was off balance as is so his pulling sent her tumbling awkwardly. She landed on the bed with a little bounce, with a sigh she tried to adjust herself… and to think they were having such a nice peaceful moment… "Eustass-Love…" Her body tensed a little as she felt the familiar feeling of having his hand at her throat but it did not tighten. "What are you…"

"Shut up." He said it softly as he pinned her, one hand holding the arm he had grabbed above her head and the other tracing the line of her jugular up and down the short distance. He had positioned himself above her, straddling her leg as he held her there. "You really piss me off…"

Her muscles eased as they stayed in that position for a moment, her free hand which had been pushing against his chest now just idly laid against the smooth skin. His eyes where scanning her, moving from her neck to her lips and further down… She could feel her cheeks getting hotter the longer they stayed in this position.

"Don't come into my room so late at night again…" His hand moved to her face, fingertips touching her lips softly as he caressed him. "Unless you plan on wasting my time more productively."

His fingers were tickling her lips but she didn't snap at them like she typically would, she found herself doing the same thing to the firm skin of his pectoral that he was doing to her lips but she couldn't remember when her hand started to caress him in such a way. "I'll keep that in mind…" She could feel his body against her leg, it was only then that she questioned if she'd fight that urge… would she stop him if he… No, she pushed the thoughts away. Of all the terrible ideas she could ever consider… She knew he thought the same, his hand might have been touching her tenderly but his eyes told her that he was talking himself out of something that he wanted…

Abruptly he pushed himself away and sat back on the edge of the bed with his back to her. "Out." He said it simply as he kept his eyes on the ground.

She didn't need to be told twice as she pushed herself up and away from the bed, her feet carrying her out the door way in a retreat that she tried to make look not so hurried and desperate. She knew her cheeks were still burning… What nonsense… letting herself get so worked up over a man that takes personal enjoyment in trying to kill her… What was that anyway? Why did they… Argh! She growled to herself as she retreated back down the steps to the safety of her room.

Once more Kid found himself waiting to hear the door close behind that woman before letting out a loud growl of annoyance. He fell back onto his bed, gripping his face in frustration. "What the hell are you doing?!" He spoke to himself as he laid there. He couldn't even pretend like this was the first time he had gotten himself worked up… Hell, it wasn't even the second. He'd have to try and not let them be alone together anymore… he couldn't let that line be crossed. You didn't do that with ship mates, it only causes trouble… Shit. He growled again at his own slip up… now he was thinking like she was a member of his crew… Damn it…

What should he do…

To Be Continued…