AN: Ha! I told you I'd return someday! Honestly, I'm not sure what my updating schedule will be like but I just felt so bad for leaving everyone hanging for so long. So yay! I'm finally back! (You should know that I feel so guilty about my long absence that I'm actually updating while I'm on vacation!) But to get down to it...I like this chapter. :) Paulie is wonderful and I freaking adore them; you should know this by now, but I thought I'd reiterate.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...well, nothing of any real value anyway. xD

Impatiently the shipwright stood next to the store's counter. He didn't know how long Nami would sleep for and he'd rather be home before she woke up…

"Here you are Paulie-san!" The wizened old man finally brought him the item he had ordered. "Thanks." He grunted; it wasn't that he disliked people he just wasn't…good at dealing with them. Hastily he put the money for it on the counter and then left quickly.

The blond moved through the streets of his hometown absently, inwardly he was going over the list of things he needed to do today…First of all, (besides giving Nami the small trinket in his pocket) was taking gold to the gold exchange, and then finally paying off his stupid debts.

Though he was still extremely uncomfortable with the idea of using Nami's money he was smart enough to see that dealing with his smaller debt first was the best plan…and he knew that if he accepted her help she wouldn't leave without telling him.

When his apartment building came into sight he made his habitual sigh, he hated stairs, and entered. Since he didn't have anyone with him he could go up his 'normal' way though…Moving his right hand up the rope hidden in his sleeve the blond grinned slightly when it caught; it took him much less time to get there this way…

Letting himself in Paulie looked around, (it didn't seem like she was awake yet,) and moved quietly towards the living room…

"Morning."

Though he would deny it if anyone asked, the carpenter jumped at the sound of her voice.

Smirking the petite woman moved past him and into the kitchen. Where had she come from anyway…? The smug grin didn't leave her face as she began making coffee. "Where'd you run off to?"

As unbalanced as ever when he was near her the blond sighed. "Had to get something…" Of course, now he was here and he had no idea how to present it to her…

"Uh…here…" Fighting a blush he pulled the small metal piece out of his coat pocket and placed it on the counter, then quickly went in search of his lighter so he could have a cigar…he was a bit too embarrassed to look her in the eye.

If she was surprised it wasn't in her voice. "Thanks." The beautiful thief picked up the apartment key he had made for her and slipped it into her clothes.

He was grateful she didn't make a big deal out of it, but he at least wanted her to know why…

"I figured you were getting tired of being dragged all over the city so…"

The coffee machine cut him off by beeping loudly. "You want some?"

His lips tilted upwards, (he couldn't seem to help it!) and he nodded. "Yeah."

There was a comfortable silence as the two adults drank their coffee; and when she was done the copper haired woman rinsed her cup absently before looking over at him. "When are we going shopping, you have no food here…"

Having just taken a sip of the hot beverage the shipwright choked and ended up coughing as he tried to swallow and laugh at the same time. "We could go now if you want." His voice was tinged with laughter.

Briefly he remembered his list of things to do but it was easy to banish from his mind…he could always do it later…

She shrugged casually. "Yeah, sure. I'm starving."

He snickered slightly again as he re-opened the apartment door. "What…after all the food you ate last night…? And here I was thinking you ate less than a mouse." He teased gently.

"Hey!" She tossed her fiery hair as she passed him in the doorway. "I hadn't eaten anything else yesterday so I was hungry!"

The shipwright probably would have goofed off the rest of the morning but Nami pointedly reminded him of the gold waiting to be exchanged. Grumbling quietly, (he was still not pleased with taking her money,) the blond had watched her carefully measure out what she guessed would be 8,000 beri in gold and dump it in a sack. Then the copper haired woman had handed it, and the 17,000 beri, over to him saying, "Just do it Paulie, it won't hurt you to let me help." In a firm voice.

He would have liked to point out how big a fight she had been putting up, but Nami had already turned away from him and went to her room. He was reminded of the morning before when she had sent him off to get her things…There was a definite hint of "master and servant" in her attitude sometimes, and Paulie was less than pleased at it.

Of course it was his errand he was running but the way she almost dismissed him was annoying and he didn't want her to make it a habit.

He was several blocks away before it occurred to him that he had left her alone without thinking about it. He had in the early morning but she had definitely still been asleep when he left so…Sighing the blond continued on; he had to let himself trust her sometime...might as well start now.

The he was loathed to admit it, (even to himself,) not having the constant worry of 25,000 beri weighing on his mind was wonderful. It was amazing how much something could stress a person without them even realizing it…

After the gold exchange the reluctant shipwright had gone to the loan sharks office to pay his debts…though it had been amusing to see their reactions. The leader had sat in his chair, one hand over his heart, as he stared at the amount in shock. But that had been the only pleasant part about it…Having to accept Nami's money to free himself was…The shipwright had uttered several curse words as he had gone on to his next chore of the day. Well, it was done now and he couldn't change that. What he needed to focus on was how to raise seven million beri, and quickly. He had agreed to the persistent woman's terms but that didn't mean he was comfortable with them…The faster the money was raised the less she would be out there "working."

Strolling into Galley-La's main gate the blond snorted. "Working, my ass…" He muttered to himself. "Being impatient and reckless is more like it."

With the problem still haunting his mind Paulie had spent the next few hours at work. Thankfully he wasn't extremely busy, so his wandering thoughts hadn't gotten him into trouble.

He was so preoccupied he failed to notice that his co-workers weren't teasing him. Instead they acted normally to him while giving each other significant glances out of his sight. Unbeknownst to him he was a major topic of gossip that day, and had been since their visit yesterday. Much speculation was had on the mysterious "old friend" of his that appeared out of nowhere, but no one was willing to face his wrath and ask about it.

The other foremen's reasons for leaving him alone were even simpler. He was so obviously not paying attention that teasing him would do no good. The shy man's usual self-conscious reactions, to a number of issues, was legendary…And more often that not it was because of his reactions he was teased. With little chance to hear his embarrassed stuttering there was no point in teasing him.

In fact, it was nearly noon before Paulie spoke to anyone again.

The blond foreman had decided on a quick lunch break, which the others quickly took advantage of, and the young carpenter suddenly found himself in a quiet deli; surrounded by his closest friends.

He looked around the table suspiciously but the other men were all ordering food and ignoring him. Feeling a bit resigned he gave in and placed an order as well. The waitress, a cheerful girl with dark blue hair, had smiled flirtatiously at Lucchi and then left them alone.

"So…" Lulu started innocently. "How's Nami-san?"

Paulie rolled his cigar while suppressing a sigh. 'It had to happen eventually…' He told himself. Not meeting any of their eyes he answered in a weary tone. "She's fine."

"That's good." The older man's voice was filled with good humor. "Keeping busy while you aren't there?"

Across from him Kaku snickered under his breath.

"How would I know what she's doing when I'm not around?" The blond retorted, still keeping his eyes down cast. It suddenly occurred to him that he was curious himself as to what she might be doing, but he squashed that thought and moved it to the back of his mind for later.

"Kalifa said she's living with you?" Tyselin's voice, as always, could be heard over any crowd and Paulie found himself sinking lower in his chair, his face burning. "She's crashing at my place while she's in town is all!" He protested weakly.

Like a shark sensing weakness Lucchi went in for the kill. "In the guest room or yours?" Hatori asked cheekily. The others laughed when he inhaled in surprise and then doubled over, coughing like mad. The familiar burn had covered his face as he reached for his water. He drained half the glass of the cold liquid before daring to reply. "In my guest room asshole! It's not like that and you know it!" He pointed a finger threateningly at his co-worker whose face didn't change as usual. "Don't make implications about Nami like that!"

Kaku and Lulu's eyebrows rose simultaneously.

"So we can comment on your promiscuity as long as we leave Nami-san out of it?" The dark haired man asked slyly.

Paulie choked again and Lulu leaned over to pound on his back. Sucking in a deep breath of air the shipwright reluctantly doused his cigar before looking back up at the tattooed man who was grinning at him unrepentantly.

"As if there was anything to comment on." He said through gritted teeth. "All I'm saying is-"

"Not to insult your girl, oh I'm sorry, your friend, we got it." Hatori interrupted. The pigeon made a cooing noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh. "You're awfully protective of her, aren't you?"

Unintentionally he winced. That was actually a little too close to the truth for his comfort. Being reminded of the petite woman's words made him sigh…He was really over protective, but he really couldn't help it. His thoughts were interrupted by Kaku.

"How long has Nami-san been in town? She didn't say yesterday…" The older carpenter's voice was polite but curious. It was Paulie's turn to snicker quietly. Unable to get any information out of her it looked like he was getting ready to drill him for the facts. The copper haired woman was a sneaky one alright…

"Paulie?"

"Eh?" The four other men were all looking at him expectantly and he realized his mind had begun wandering again. "Er…what?" He reached up to rub the back of his neck uncomfortably, the admiration at Nami's flawless ability to manipulate people fading when he realized he didn't have that same advantage.

"I asked you how long Nami-san has been in Water Seven…?"

"Uh…" Thankfully he recalled that he did know the answer to that. "Five days."

"Oh?" The thin shipwright sipped from his own water glass. "Why didn't you bring her in to meet us before?"

"I didn't bring her in to meet you." He retort immediately. "I had to talk to Iceburg-san and I didn't want her to get lost or something." He would have to be very careful about this subject…Nami would kill him if she found out he had told his boss she was "suicidal," he didn't want to think about what she would do if everyone knew… "Besides…She didn't know how to find me so it was a couple of days before we met up." The blond shrugged casually.

"Didn't know how to find you…?" Hatori cut in. "Why not? Shouldn't she have known you work at Galley-La…since you're such good friends and all."

Paulie took up his cup of water again to buy himself time to think. "Actually," He said carefully as he set the glass back down. "She knows I'm a shipwright but I don't think I've ever mentioned where I work…She just knew I was still here in Water Seven."

Inwardly he resolved to sit down and talk to the beautiful woman soon…It would be much easier to deal with everyone else if he knew what their "story" was…

"Where's she from then?" Lulu asked. The teasing tone had begun fading from his nakama's voices, to be replaced by genuine curiosity. The younger man paused uncertainly…and was saved from answering by the arrival of their food.

As the pretty woman set out their individual means his mind worked feverishly, and by the time she had left them again he had an answer…of sorts. "Nami's not from Water Seven," Paulie took up his fork and looked down at his food, hoping they couldn't detect his nervousness. "She came here a long time ago with her dad and that's how we met; but it's been years…"

The others also dug into their meals so he was given a break.

The five foremen of Dock No.1 walked back to the giant shipyards, talking amicably, and ignoring the admiring looks they were receiving from the other citizens of the Water metropolis. They were used to it by now…

Moving past the gates they separated again, each moving off to his own work station, for which Paulie was grateful. The little interrogation he had just suffered through wasn't nearly as bad as he had feared it would be.

The blond reached his work table and began absently unrolling the set of prints he had been working on a few days ago; then spent several minutes enjoying his solitude as he worked.

It was the familiar ruckus by the gates that finally drew his attention away again. With a sigh he dropped the plans and began moving closer…it was his job as the head foreman to sort things like this out after all.

The two groups of men were glaring at each other, their leaders speaking furiously in loud voices at the center of the crowd. Paulie began pushing his way through and after a second the first group gave way.

"Alright, what's this about?"

Zambai turned to look at him, dismay on his features. "Yo, Paulie-san." Only the Frankies could be so informal… "These pirates are on the wanted list, so we're taking them in!" His men shouted encouragement from behind them, which was then silenced by an annoyed look from the carpenter.

"You're the head foreman here, right?" The pirate captain demanded, bringing the blond's attention to his side. "These wretches assaulted us as we were coming to check on the repairs for our ship…Is this the way you treat customers?" He sounded outraged, (not that Paulie cared,) but he turned back to the bounty hunters anyway.

"You already know the rules Zambai." His voice was brisk and irritated. "While in our shipyards pirates are immune…You want to fight them you wait until their business with us is done." In the first few months of Galley-La the rule had been establish to cut down on damage costs…marines, pirates, bounty hunters, it didn't matter…the only people allowed to take action in the shipyards were the workers, and that was only if their customers needed to be convinced to pay.

The Franky family was giving him sullen looks; yeah, they knew the rules alright, and yet they continued trying to get around them…Why Iceburg-san didn't just sit down and talk to their leader he didn't know…though, if he had to guess, it was because the two men who had been raised together could be in the same room for barely a minute before they were fighting…

"But Paulie-san…" Zambai began whining. "We really need the money this time!"

The blond opened his mouth to respond in the usual way, ("I don't care, do your business here or get out!") but then stopped, his eyes widening as Zambai's words really registered. "What'd you say…?" The shipwright grabbed the older man's arm, unaware of the excitement in his voice.

"Er…" Uncertainly the dark haired leader looked around; not wanting to be on the receiving end of the foreman's insanity if it came to that. "I said we really need the money…we haven't gotten a good bounty in a while and we're running out of food…"

Paulie responded absently, looking at the idea forming in his head from every angle. "You wouldn't have this kind of trouble if you'd stop wasting your money on booze and gambling…"

The group stirred, muttering at him in annoyance, which he ignored. "Hey!" Zambai grumbled. "We don't wanna hear that from you!" By now though the blond was past caring…unintentional though it was, the erratic dismantler had just solved his problem. A grin came to his face, which only unnerved the other man more.

"Right Zambai," He began again. "You know the rules. Unless you've got business here than leave, you can pick up their bounties later."

The shipwright ignored the squawk of protest from the pirates behind him.

"Alright, alright…" Grumbling and making a show about it the Frankies turned to leave. "You'd better not forget this Paulie-san!" He waved them away, barely keeping his excitement from leaking out onto his face as he turned to the second group. "You got a ship here right? Go talk to your representative and quit causing trouble." Again he ignored the captain's self-righteous complaints.

Grinning widely he crossed the shipyards and went into the HQ building…He'd have to remember to thank Zambai sometime for giving him the solution he needed…

AN: Lol, Paulie is so cuuuuuute! Sorry if the next few chapters seem dull; I know I've said it before but let me just reiterate...There are a number of things that need to happen within the next few days, (story wise,) before we can skip forward in time. So while the next few chapters might seem kinda boring, they are important. :)

I hope you guys liked; please R&R!