(Hey again! I'm back! So…yeah. Not much to say. Oh yeah, I didn't have time to write PM replies to all the reviews, so I'm posting the responses here, okay?
Son Goshen: Hahahaha I'm glad the suspense is that intense! Well…he's Teach. If he were anything else, he'd be OOC. Sorry for the delay in update!
Senteur Canelle: Hahaha and so you shall! …Eventually. C: I'll do my best!
Azab: Yeah me too. But sadly he's needed alive for the story. XP
DinieLuvYunho: Well…you'll have to see. ;) Teach is a real bastard, I'm with you on that one. Hahahaha well, I'm sure Marco was constantly on his case about being so reckless. XD And yes, they are adorable. C: Well…we'll see. He's not going to be in this chapter, but we'll get a scene or two with him fairly soon.
Ujvari: Hahaha good to hear from you! *hugs back* You're welcome! Aw, thanks! That was one of the things I was worried about, so I'm glad it came out legible. :) Oh I despise the f*ckers. But I'm glad they're IC. I know, right? I thought you'd like that moment, based on our prior conversations. c: Oh yes, fake fruit is definitely useful. Hahaha sorry for the wait. It's true, you do have two very valid points there.
Anjelle: Thank you! Yeah…well, it certainly is useful! :D Aw, thanks! Yes, for all that it was a shorter chapter, it did progress the plot, so I'd call it a success. C: You're welcome! Sorry for the delay!
Squishy: Thanks so much! :'D I'm sorry for the delayed update, but I will be continuing this story and it will eventually see conclusion. Hahaha
Alrighty. Again, my apologies for not responding in PMs and for the late update.
OH BTWS! In this chapter I reference a story called Kill the Rabbit by Mountain97. Why? Because it's one of my favorites. C:
STRONG WARNING: this chapter contains VIOLENCE, LANGUAGE, and INDIRECT SEXUAL REFERENCE.)
~And everything is screaming~
30 seconds. That wasn't a lot of time. But it was better than two seconds, which was what Ace calculated he had if they rushed him. He could still put up a good fight, but versus all of them? And unable to use his devil fruit? He didn't like those odds. He hoped Teach didn't know exactly how cornered he had Ace right now. Ace had next to no options. In 30 seconds, he and Thatch could put enough trees between them and Teach that bullets would be ineffective, and he knew Thatch could run damn fast. They could get to the ship, if they really bolted. But…there was still the issue of the ship not being ready to sail as soon as they got there. They'd have to pull up or cut off the anchor, ready the sails, not to mention turning the damn thing around. The ship wasn't equipped with a cannon, either, so once they got there they wouldn't have any kind of technological advantage. But still…
30 seconds with Thatch was better than two by himself.
Ace swallowed and took a deep breath. He still didn't really like this, but it was the lesser of two evils.
"Alright. Untie Thatch so we can get going and I'll give you the fruit." Teach raised an eyebrow.
"Who said anything about letting Thatch go with you?" Ace blinked. Shit he does know how much of an advantage he has. "I said I'd give you a thirty second head start." Ace grit his teeth. 30 seconds is better than two. You can get away, lose them in the woods, loop back and see if you can get Thatch. Or something. Ace snorted. Yeah. "Or something." That's helpful. But it's better than getting caught now.
He tossed the fruit to Teach.
Before it even touched his hands, Ace had turned the other way and vanished into the trees.
As the adrenaline of combat faded, Ace's fatigue returned two-fold. He was in trouble. Big. Trouble. He needed to rest before he made some kind of stupid mistake or otherwise screwed himself over. But where could he go, that Teach and his crew wouldn't find him?
With the 30 second head start, Ace had been able to lose them in the trees, but he had nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. And he needed somewhere to hide, for a few hours at least, so he could get some rest. Ace stumbled again and swore. This was bad. He had enough trouble not falling asleep on good days. It'd be a miracle if he didn't faceplant and get his idiot, narcoleptic self captured within the hour.
He needed help.
And, with Thatch incapacitated, there was only one person Ace could turn to.
Ace knocked on the door again, casting a glance over his shoulder. Sneaking into the city hadn't been easy with the marines still searching for them, but thus far Ace had remained undetected. At least by the marines. He could only hope the same held true of Teach and his crew. If they knew he was here…
The door opened to the face of a familiar, blonde woman. Patricia. She blinked at him in surprise, then looked behind him hurriedly.
"Shit. What the hell are you doing here?" she hissed. She opened the door more, dragging him inside. "Did the marines see you coming here?" She closed the door behind him, bolting it. Ace stumbled at her pull, and she looked a little more apologetic. "You're not hurt, are you?" Ace straightened, waving her off.
"No. I'm not hurt. But I need help."
"Jesus. Do you know what time it is?" Ace blinked, looking at her again. She was in a nightgown, her hair up in a messy bun, no makeup or perfume to be found. She'd been asleep. "I swear to God, if you woke up Eve… She had enough on her plate without you and your damned mission. It took me an hour to convince her to come to bed." Ace blinked, eyebrows rising in surprise. Patricia seemed to realize what she said and instantly went prickly, defensive. "What? You got a problem?" Ace raised his hands.
"Hey, I'm no hypocrite." It was Patricia's turn to look surprised. She glanced him up and down, seemingly reassessing him.
"…Oh." Ace pulled a tired smile. He was practically asleep where he stood.
"Listen…the mission was a success, but something went wrong and I need a place to stay, just to rest for a few hours. Do you have an open room, even just a floor I could sleep on?" Patricia regarded him warily.
"…Are you hiding from someone?" Ace sighed. She was perceptive.
"Yes."
"What will they do if they discover us hiding you?"
"I'd tell them I broke in and you didn't know I was here."
"Would they believe you?" Ace was silent and Patricia's face was grim. She sighed.
"…Listen, I'm really sor-"
"You can stay in the cellar." Both Patricia's and Ace's heads snapped to the source of the voice. Eve. She, too, was dressed for sleep, wrapped in a robe. Her hair was sleep-tousled and her eyes tired, but she smiled softly.
"I don't think it's a good idea-" Patricia started, Eve looked at her almost sharply.
"Well I do." Her eyes softened, and her gaze turned to Ace. "Can't you see? He has someone he's trying to get home to." Patricia still looked on the fence, and Eve turned her gaze to her. "I know you're worried. But Ace isn't the type to ask for help unless he really needed it. He's too damn proud for that. So he really needs us, and he deserves to see his significant other again, don't you agree?" Patricia hesitated, conflict in her eyes. "What if it was me? What if I was on some distant island asking for help, fighting to get home to you? What if someone refused to give that help?" Patricia's shoulder's slumped, the fight leaving her eyes.
"…I'd travel halfway 'round the world just to kick their ass." Ace, seeing the two, felt heavy with homesickness. He missed Marco fiercely. But all the same, he smiled at them.
"You two are really something special."
The cellar, as it turned out, wasn't your ordinary basement.
The door was hidden under Eve's desk in her office, a hidden switch needing to be flipped to open the door. The wood of it blended perfectly with that of the surrounding boards, and the seam between floor and door was undetectable. Ace doubted even he could have found it.
Eve, being bound to one floor by her wheelchair, couldn't actually go down with them, so Patricia led the way. Within, the chamber was surprisingly cozy. Wood floor, simple table, and a bed in one corner. A small window, no doubt disguised, led outside, venting in fresh air. Patricia placed the candleholder on the table and turned to reascend. She looked back over her shoulder at him.
"I'll come wake you in a few hours, okay? I expect you'll want to get out of here before noon?" Ace nodded. She moved again to leave, and he grabbed her wrist.
"Listen…I know you're not altogether happy I'm here, and I don't blame you for that. I just wanted to really, honestly tell you how grateful I am that you let me stay anyway. Thank you." Ace said the words calmly, face serious. Patricia met his eyes vacantly for a moment, then a slow smile came to her face.
"You're welcome." She said warmly. She turned away, voice dropping back to snippy sarcasm. "Now get some sleep, asshole."
Patricia, as promised, woke him several hours later. Ace couldn't remember the last time he slept so deeply, and woke feeling unbelievably better. He sat up and stretched, feeling how the fatigue had dissipated from his limbs. Patricia watched him stoically from her place beside the table, where she absently set out a simple breakfast. Fruit. Bread. Tea. It was a plain meal, but to Ace it currently looked like a feast. He sat down at the table, reaching for an apple.
Patricia let him eat in efficient silence, but once he sat back to enjoy the tea at a more relaxed pace, she spoke.
"So what's it like, being a uke?" Ace spewed his tea across the table, embarrassed blush turning his face bright red to the very tips of his ears.
"What the fuck kind of question is that?!" he choked. Patricia laughed at him, at his tomato red face, at his expression.
"So I take it you're a virgin, then?" Ace blinked, and the expression of embarrassment dropped from his face, replaced by almost…bitterness.
"…That's subject to debate," he said quietly. A look of confusion came to Patricia's face.
"What does that mean?" Ace turned his back to her, walking to the window for a breath of fresh air. He was silent for a moment.
"…Do you know what happened to Eve? How, exactly, she got put into that wheelchair?" His voice was serious. Patricia looked at him in concern.
"Yes…I was one of the girls that found her…" she said carefully. Ace's eyes closed softly as he tried to fight back memories. He took a deep breath.
"…Eve…wasn't his first victim." Patricia's brows furrowed. Is he implying…? "There's a reason I was so willing to take out a contract on his life." Ace rubbed at his hands, at the spot in the center of his palms where a knife had been driven through them years ago. Patricia remained silent, and Ace took it as a cue to continue. "He was serving under the command of a certain nightmare named Edward Hare. I was a prisoner aboard the ship. 10 years old. Hare, for his own sick amusement, was trying to break me, and so one night he came to my cell, 11 men in tow. Including James White." Ace swallowed, his hands clenching into fists. "…You can guess what happens next." Patricia was stunned into silence. After a pause, Ace continued.
"…It makes me sick. Him breaking Eve's leg like that…Hare broke my legs so I couldn't run away either. It's like White was some kind of perverse copycat. And believe me, the world doesn't need another Edward Hare." Ace's face pulled into a snarl. "White deserved the death he got and worse. The world is better off without him." A long silence passed, then Patricia spoke again.
"…Does Marco know?" Ace wondered how Patricia could possibly know the exact nature of his and Marco's relationship, and his confusion showed on his face. Patricia elaborated. "Eve told me." …That still didn't explain how Eve knew, but Ace let it drop.
"Yes. He knows." A sad chuckle escaped him. "…I don't know if he's being nice or is just that naïve, but Marco…he says it doesn't count. Says I'm still a virgin." Ace looked down, old pain in his eyes. "I find it hard to believe him, most days."
Silence followed, Patricia wanting to comfort Ace but not knowing how to go about it, Ace lost in bad memories.
Tap, tap.
Eve's foot against the door. Shutting it. Locking them in. It could only be opened from the outside.
Ace and Patricia's heads snapped up to the ceiling, the origin of the tapping. Patricia swore under her breath and Ace looked at her in confusion, picking up on her quietude and not speaking. She looked at him, but did not audibly speak.
"There's someone here." She mouthed. Ace's eyes widened and he looked back up at the ceiling. Patricia tapped his arm, attracting his attention again. "We'll probably be able to hear what they say, if we stay quiet." Ace nodded and listened, tuning his ears for any sound. It was muffled at first, but eventually he was able to make out what was being said.
"…was here." Ace's eyes widened. Teach.
"Portgas D. Ace? The pirate? What would he be doing here? I was under the impression he was aboard the Moby Dick. Isn't that generally where the Commanders stay?" Eve's voice. She was doing perfect, her voice the perfect amount of confusion and disbelief. Footsteps marched across the floor, towards Eve. A resounding slap followed, loud enough that the blow itself must have had a great deal of force. Patricia surged towards the stairs, towards the door, meaning to batter it down if she had to, but Ace grabbed her, wrapping one arm around her waist and the other clamping over her mouth. She writhed in her grip, but he held her tightly against him.
"Listen to me!" He whispered in her ear. "If you attract attention now and they find me down here? Eve's going to be in a much, much tighter spot. Trust her. She can deal with this." Patricia subsided slowly, the logic of Ace's words sinking in. He didn't let go, though. He knew exactly how much self-restraint he'd have in Patricia's position, and if he didn't trust himself not to go up those stairs under the same circumstances, no way was he trusting someone else not to.
"Don't lie to me, bitch. I already know about how he got those floorplans from you." Another set of footsteps followed, quicker, more like a jog. They stopped at the door to Eve's office.
"He's not here- Oh. Hello, pretty." Monocle. Ace recognized his voice.
"You were saying?" Teach said, sounding bored.
"We searched the building. Ace isn't here, and we didn't find any trace of him." Teach sighed in annoyance.
"Very well. I guess we're done here." Teach said.
"Can I have the whore?" Ace and Patricia both stiffened. A short pause followed.
"…I see no reason why not." Teach said, sounding morbidly amused. Footsteps, Teach's, moved away from Eve and towards the door. "Just be back to the house in two hours." Teach left. Footsteps again, leading from Monocle towards Eve. They were slower, measured. He drew up next to her, and a moment of silence followed.
"Don't touch me." Eve said, voice deadly cold. Patricia flinched in Ace's grip, and Ace's eyes widened.
"Oh? And why not?" His voice was still cool, unperturbed.
"Because I don't bat for that team, dickhead." Eve snided. Another slap.
"You're a whore. You 'bat' for whoever pays." Monocle snarled. A short silence, then Monocle yelped in pain. "Ah, motherfucker!" Another slap, and this time Eve cried out. "You bite me again, and I blow your fucking head off!" Patricia was quivering in Ace's grip, and Ace swore he could almost hear her thoughts. Let me go please she needs me I can't just sit here and let this happen please let go! But he couldn't. They'd kill Patricia, or worse, take her too. Eve wouldn't want that. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't get through the door.
"Get the hell away from me, you creep! Let go! Let go!" There were the sounds of a struggle from upstairs, then of something heavy hitting the floor. Eve cried out, and Ace knew it had been her. Ace swallowed thickly. Eve couldn't run. Couldn't escape. Couldn't effectively retaliate. She was helpless, powerless. A fresh warmth touched his hand and he realized Patricia was crying. She struggled against his grip again, writhing and squirming, her desperation apparent. But Ace wouldn't let go. Because Eve wouldn't want her up there right now. Wouldn't want her to see this. Wouldn't want her to die.
Ace did his best to block the next minutes from his mind, his heart feeling like lead.
It was finally, finally over. Patricia had gone limp against Ace, sobbing, tears flowing down her face, down his hand. Ace heard Monocle standing, leaving, heading for the door. But then he stopped. About five feet away from Eve he paused, turning back to face her.
"Please." It was Eve's voice. Quiet, tearful, broken. "Please." And then a sound that froze Ace's heart.
A gunshot, muffled by a silencer.
Patricia heard the sound and, in a moment of unbelievable strength, wrenched out of Ace's grip, flying up the stairs. She flung herself against the wood, her momentum breaking the latch on the door and her collarbone, but she didn't care. Tears stained her face, and upon seeing the room, a wretched cry tore out of her throat.
Eve lay on the floor, dress askew, tears staining her face, trailing from her still-open eyes, spot of crimson, like a rose, on her forehead.
She was dead.
Patricia stared at her in incomprehension for a moment, shock momentarily freezing her mind. But then it caught up.
And her heart split in two.
Rage, uncontrollable, uncontainable fury surged in her soul, and she turned to the sniper, to his curious, bored face. "You BASTARD!" She launched herself at him, sprinting across the floor towards him, tears running down her face. "I'll KILL YOU for this!"
"Oh. The whore's girlfriend?" He smiled coldly. "How cute."
Another bullet, a dull thud.
Ace sat against the wall of the cellar, head in his hands. Tears escaped from his eyes as well. He heard Monocle's retreating footsteps. Heard him reach the door and leave. He didn't move though, remained motionless in that basement. He felt cold. Frozen. He was pathetic. Useless. Not strong enough to even save two beautiful girls, two beautiful souls. They died because he brought Teach here. It was his fault, and he should never pretend otherwise. How could he even be thinking about saving Thatch? He couldn't save anyone. Ever. Because he was weak. And he hated it, hated himself.
Ace didn't know how long he sat down there. Eventually, he stood, limbs creaking from long-stillness. He walked up the stairs, numb. Spent. What he saw in that room broke his heart afresh.
Patricia, in her last moment, had turned her body so she'd lie next to Eve when she fell.
Ace approached slowly. Patricia, like Eve, had a circular hole in the middle of her forehead. She'd died painlessly, instantly. Ace knelt by her side, reaching out and gently closing her cloudy eyes. He wiped the tears from her face as well. He turned to Eve next, repeating the process. He swallowed thickly.
Ace wondered if, in that last moment, Eve had begged for life or death.
He already knew what the answer was for Patricia.
(A/N: …yeah. Sorry…? Ummm…I don't really know what to say. My writing sure has gotten depressing lately, huh? *awkwardly scratches back of head*
Well…I don't really have anything else to say, so…yeah. I'm going to go hide in a corner now. Please review.
-Stuff'nStuff)