(Alternate version of chapter 7 since some people didn't seem to really like it. Some of the text is the same, but a lot of it is different, so I recommend reading the whole thing. Shishiochan, Gundum-grrl, let me know if this version is more suited to your tastes. C: To those of you who liked the last one: pick which version you like better. They'll both lead into the next chapter, so if you liked the other one you don't necessarily have to read this one.

Warning: this chapter contains violence, language, and 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. Like you did with Thatch? That trap would have been perfect if I hadn't miscalculated how far the mixture would spread. Ace was mentally smacking himself for that blunder. Because of that, he'd lost a helluva lot more than just time. Teach now believed he had the devil fruit. Ace couldn't be entirely sure that he didn't. He'd taken the one Thatch had indicated, but had he been indicating the fake one or the real? And, most of all, he'd had to leave Thatch there. That one definitely weighed the most on his conscience. Ace wanted more than anything to loop back and try saving him, but he knew he wouldn't be doing either of them favors by getting himself caught.

When they'd passed under the tree he'd been hiding in, Ace had been able to pick up some of their plans, after all. They were going to turn Ace and Thatch into the marines. And they only needed one of them. Thatch's life, for now, was safeguarded by their future schemes. If Ace was caught, though, they wouldn't need both of them. There'd be no guarantee of either of their safeties. This was the closest he could get to protecting Thatch short of saving him, which was definitely very, very high on his to-do list.

All in all, Ace had really, really fucked up. He didn't want to fuck up any more, so he needed to get some rest or resolve the situation. If he wanted to resolve the situation in any way that didn't most likely involve his imminent capture, he needed sleep. 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, the-"

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." Teach snarled.

"I'm telling you, he's not fucking here. Did I help him for that mission? Sure. But that was a secret, for obvious political reasons, so sorry I just didn't spill the whole story to some stranger. But no. Portgas D. Ace, Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, wielder of the Mera Mera no Mi, is not in any of the rooms of this building. At least, not to my knowledge." A short silence followed.

"…Then you've lost all value to me." Teach's voice was cold. Ace's eyes widened. Shit! He released Patricia, launching himself at the stairs, towards the door-

Fpew.

The sound of a gunshot, muffled by a silencer.

Ace slammed into the trapdoor with enough force to break the lock and make his shoulder scream in protest. The door slammed open and Ace was out in an instant.

Eve was already dead.

But Ace was still moving, knowing to hesitate would be a mistake. His eyes locked onto Teach who was grinning victoriously, smoking gun still in hand.

"Hiya Ace." He'd known. He'd known Ace had been here all along. Ace snarled at him, pulling his fist back, preparing to attack-

A tearful, blonde blur raced past him.

"You BASTARD!" Ace's eyes widened and he instantly changed his course of action, reaching out, trying to stop her-

Fpew, fpew.

Teach wasn't that accurate of a shot, especially not with a moving target. One bullet caught Patricia in the shoulder, the other in the stomach. She collapsed with a cry of equal pain, fury, and despair, blood already staining her dress. All the same, she struggled to rise again, clutching at the injury to her stomach. She stared up at Teach, tears streaming down her face. "I'll kill you for this!" Teach snorted, disbelief and mockery clear in his face and voice.

"I'd like to see you try."

"How about me? Would you like to see me try?" Ace snarled, furious, as he vaulted off the desk at Teach, fist already alight. Teach's eyes snapped up to him and he barely managed to dodge, singeing his arm as he fought to evade. Ace didn't stop there, though, using his other hand to draw his knife, the keen blade slicing a thin gash in Teach's chest. Teach gasped in pain and Ace spun to face him once more. Teach would die for this. For Thatch's bruises and cuts, for that tiny red hole in Eve's head, for Patricia's pained gasps coming from the floor behind him. Ace straightened slowly, murderous intent flooding off him in waves, glare hard enough to melt steel. Teach pressed a hand to his chest before drawing it back to study the blood on his fingers. His gaze shifted back to Ace, and his look changed to a glare as well. He held up the bloody hand like evidence.

"The devil fruit you gave me doesn't work. You're going to tell me why," he said coldly. Ace shook his head.

"No, in fact. I'm not. And I'm sick of you telling me what to do. So here's an order for you, Teach." Ace's eyes were as frigid as glaciers. "Die."

He launched himself once more at Teach, a combination of flame and blade work alternately brightening the room. Teach was hard pressed to retaliate, and soon sported a number of burns and cuts. He managed to dodge the majority of the blows, however, and none of the injuries were as deep or irreparable as Ace wanted them to be. Ace was pushing him back steadily, and in another few bouts he knew he'd finally be able to spill that fucker's blood. They separated for a brief respite, both panting from exertion, still glaring steadily at each other. Ace could tell Teach knew he was going to lose this fight, could tell Teach was looking for some kind of out. But there is nothing that will stop me from killing this man, right here. Right now.

"If you want that blonde bitch to live, you need to get her to a doctor, now." Teach said breathlessly. Ace's eyes widened and he hesitated. …Well, so much for that. Ace was frozen in indecision. He couldn't let Patricia die. But he couldn't let Teach get away, either. This was his chance to end that traitor's life. But could he really do it at the cost of another? Ace took a deep breath, still glaring at Teach.

He slowly resheathed his knife, allowing the flame on his left arm to flicker out. But his glare didn't lessen, and it didn't break until Teach backed out of the room. It was only once he'd been gone for a few seconds that Ace turned away, hurrying across the room and kneeling by Patricia's side.

"You're going to be fine," Ace said calmly. His panicking wouldn't do her any good, even if internally he was nervous about the amount of blood around her on the floor. He tore off strips from his shirt, planning to use them as makeshift bandages. "I'm going to take you to a doctor and everything's going to be alri-"

"Don't, Ace." Her voice was soft as she gently pushed his hands away. "Don't." Ace grit his teeth.

"Patricia, if I don't stop the bleeding you'll-"

"But that'll take time, right?" She coughed quietly. "That's what you don't have right now, Ace." Her eyes turned serious. "You need to catch him." She smiled weakly.

Ace reached down, trying to apply the bandages anyway. "Patricia-"

"Don't." He looked at her face again and found her crying. She swallowed. "Don't. I…I don't want you to." Tears leaked down the sides of her face and into her hair. "Don't you get it? There's nothing left for me anymore. Nothing good in my life. No family, no friends. All I had was Eve. She's…everything to me." She smiled at him. "I can't live without her. So let me join her. Please." Ace's hands shook, stained with her blood. He swallowed thickly. She reached up and weakly clasped one of his trembling hands between both of hers. She smiled at him quietly. "…It's alright, Ace. This isn't your fault. I want this." He still hesitated, and she saw it. Her eyes were dimming, but she continued smiling at him. "Go." Ace stood slowly.

"…Goodbye, Patricia." She grinned weakly at him.

"Kick his ass."

(A/N: Hope you liked this version better. If not…I'm sorry. I tried to answer to all of the critiques you guys left, and I hope this is somewhat more what you're looking for. If it's not…I apologize, but I'm not writing a third version. Review, let me know if you found this better.

-Stuff'nStuff)