Chapter 14 (Because everybody is really nice and I want to get this out before I don't have time to write. Not much else to say. Oh, one important note. There's a quick poll on my profile I'd like you all to take a sec and vote on. It'd really help me out a lot!

TFR: Thank you! I always try to update as soon as possible for you guys!

Well, remember what Serpent said. Everything in his Wonderland is affected by the current state of his psyche, and after what happened in his past, his psyche isn't doing so hot right now. I'm glad it's one of your favorites! Hope I didn't gross you out too much!

Ah Hare. Don't worry, he'll be back. Later. That's a good guess on the plot. Incorrect, but a nice guess. It's been hard not to give anything away thus far. It will all be revealed in due time, I'm just trying not to spoil anything for you guys in review replies. It's been harder than I thought it would be. ^.^'

Hahahahaha. But cliffhangers are so much fun!

Anna Banana: Uh-oh, don't have nightmares! They're not fun! Thanks! I'm glad the dinner party was creepy enough! Hahahaha, I'm glad it's that interesting. Well, Ace's psyche isn't in the best shape right now thanks to his past, so his imagination is twisted as well.

I'm glad you're excited! Another good guess on the plot. Yes, the dreams are rather killer. Hahahahahaha. I love terrible puns. XD

Thank you! That's nice to hear! I'm glad I haven't let you down! Hope this chapter is up to the same standard!

Anonymous (no signature): I'll try! Hope you like the chapter!

Anonymous reviewer (no signature): *inhale deeply* I…I can't really make a promise like that. Would it help if I put a warning in the author's notes at the top of the chapters that are going to be scary? I'm sorry if it's really too frightening for you, but that's part of the story. This chapter isn't going to be scary at all, if that somehow helps. :/ Sorry, but horror is really an element in this story. What I'd recommend is that you keep reading until it really does get too scary for you, then don't feel bad about leaving. I won't blame you for it. Sorry if I made the story too extreme!

Alright, that should be all the reviews. And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!)

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When Ace had come running up to the mirror, Whitebeard had felt the parent in him surge. Whitebeard had crossed the room almost instantly, pressing his hands up against the glass opposite Ace's. Looking into Ace's face he could plainly see fear bordering on panic. Whitebeard had wanted nothing more than to reach through the glass and hold the frightened child, his son, and protect him from all harm. To tell him that everything was going to be all right and make him believe it.

But he couldn't. For the first time, Edward Newgate had been completely powerless. Ace had looked up into his face, desperate to be saved and Whitebeard hadn't been able to do it. He saw something flicker in Ace's eyes, a trace of understanding, of sympathy. And then Ace had gone, leaving a last plea for salvation.

Now Whitebeard stood by Ace's unconscious form, staring down at him in thought. Behind him, he could hear Serpent and Thatch talking. Thatch was gesturing agitatedly.

"Why would Ace's own mind rebel against him and trap him like this?" Serpent was pacing. Whitebeard looked at her and realized she was just as worried about Ace as he was. She spoke without stopping her pacing.

"Mr. Savage isn't something that's naturally part of Ace's mind. He's…a corruptive influence. When Ace first created Wonderland, it was as a refuge. As Mr. Savage gained sway in Wonderland, he was able to start breaking it down. He's twisted the images that were meant to comfort Ace into real atrocities. Now Wonderland is a mass of horrors and nightmares. We have to be…delicate with how we deal with this." Thatch was confused.

"Why?" Serpent stopped her pacing, looking directly at Thatch.

"Because if we aren't careful, Ace is going to go insane." Thatch gaped.

"…What kind of insane are we talking here?" Serpent exhaled.

"Not the pretty kind. Basically, Ace's personality, in essence, his soul, is what we need to restore. If we don't hurry, one of Wonderland's other inhabitants could gain control of Ace instead. We have to get to and destroy Mr. Savage before he can take over." Serpent hesitated. "There's two problems, though." Marco turned around, coming to face her.

"And what would those be?" Serpent looked to him.

"The first is that in order to get Ace back, some of you are going to have to follow him into Wonderland. I can get you in, but…" She trailed off. Thatch was confused.

"Then what's the problem?" Serpent sighed.

"In order to get into Ace's mind, he'd have to deeply trust you. Deeply trust you. And…after the incident with Jozu, I'm not sure if it'll be possible for anyone on this ship to get in." Marco straightened his shoulders.

"We have to try, in any case. What's the other problem?" Serpent turned to look at him.

"The problem is…" She took a deep breath. "I don't know who Mr. Savage is. He could be any of Wonderland's inhabitants. He's well disguised. At this point, the only one who knows is Ace. When Mr. Savage finds out you're in Wonderland and about what you're trying to do, he'll come after you, trying to kill you." Marco frowned.

"That is a problem. Not only do we not know who or what we're looking for, at any point we could be attacked and have no idea who the enemy was until the knife was in our back." Serpent nodded seriously. She stood, walking over to Ace's bed. She jumped up next to him, padding over the mattress until she was close to his head.

"Alright. I'm going to use Haki to see who, if any, Ace is willing to let in." Thatch blinked.

"Wait, you can use Haki?" Serpent rolled her eyes.

"Well, duh. How do you think I'm able to talk?" Serpent turned back towards Ace, shutting her eyes and extending her consciousness towards him. The room fell silent for several moments. Serpent blinked, opening her eyes. "I don't believe it…he's letting you in." Selma walked towards Ace, looking at Serpent.

"I'd like to be on the expedition. Ace might need medical attention." Serpent looked up at her with sympathetic eyes.

"That's a sensible thought, but Ace isn't letting all of you in." Selma's brows furrowed.

"Then who?" Serpent turned towards Marco.

"You." She turned to Thatch. "And you." The room fell silent again. Marco and Thatch were both surprised. When he had been awake, Ace hadn't exactly been…openly friendly. And yet here he was, entrusting his future, life, and sanity to them. There was a pause. Marco took a breath and stepped forward.

"Alright then-" Serpent raised her tail.

"Wait. There's one more." The room fell silent again, holding its breath. Serpent turned, a small, pensive smile on her face. "You." Whitebeard blinked. He and Ace hadn't even spoken since Ace had been shrunk. Once he overcame his surprise, he stepped forwards as well.

"Very well. How soon can we leave?" Serpent looked at him in approval.

"Whenever you like. There're just a few things you need to know before you go. Before going into Wonderland, you're going to pass through Ace's memories. Most of them will just blur by and you'll only get an image or impression, but you will see all of the memories leading up to when Ace first went into Wonderland. As with most PTSD patients, Ace doesn't like to relive the traumatic events immediately. You'll relive all the memories leading up to it. When you're watching the memories, you'll be standing off to the side observing. Ace will neither see, hear, or in any way sense you, nor will anyone else in the memory. Once you get to Wonderland itself, absolutely do not eat anything. If you do, you'll be stuck in Ace's mind. Forever. Also…there's a possibility that from here on out your mind will be permanently linked to Ace's. Most of the time it won't affect you at all, but you'll be able to communicate with Ace long-distance without any kind of vocalization and see what's going on in his psyche unless he blocks you out." They nodded. Serpent stood and stretched. "All right, then. Let's get started. Oh, also. If at any time you want to pull out and come back here, let me know. In the middle of memories you won't be able to pull out, but any time Ace goes to sleep, that's the end of a memory and I can pull you out safely. Make sense?" The three nodded. Serpent flicked her ears.

"Good. Well, then, come here." The three stepped closer, gathering around Ace's bed. Serpent looked at each in turn.

"Ready?" They nodded, faces serious. "Alright. Close your eyes." They all did. Serpent closed her eyes too, calming her mind and focusing deeply. "Good. Now I need you all to just let your minds go blank. If it helps, imagine yourself floating in darkness." They did. Serpent opened her eyes again, keeping the focus intact. She jumped silently down from the bed. She strode over to Thatch first. When she reached him, she reached up one forepaw and touched him gently on the leg. He crumpled to the floor. Serpent smiled to herself and nodded, heading over to Marco. She touched him and he also collapsed. She approached Whitebeard last. She paused before touching him, speaking quietly so only he could hear.

"…Bring him back, okay?" Her voice was tight with worry. Whitebeard smiled and gave a tiny nod. She touched him and he, too collapsed.

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Images, scents, sounds, textures, emotions, all flew by in a blur. Within moments of each other, Marco saw Ace as a toddler, walking hesitantly across a wooden floor then, abruptly, a somewhat older Ace holding a baby with wide brown eyes and a mess of black hair. He watched Ace age, growing taller, stronger, faster. He saw all the little dramas of Ace's life unfold. The first time Ace caught a wild animal in the woods near his house, making a birthday cake for Luffy's 4th birthday, the year Ace and Luffy's house had burned down in winter and they had to hike through snow for 2 days to get to Fuushia Village, Shanks' arrival at the tiny island, the time Ace had been shot protecting Luffy from bandits, everything spun and whirled by in a myriad of colors. Marco saw a story he had never known existed, watching his brother's childhood.

Finally the images stopped, and Marco realized he was standing on a grassy hill. Beside him were Thatch and Whitebeard. They too looked a little overwhelmed by everything they had just seen. Looking around, Marco recognized the area as a favorite place of Ace's. It was a cliff, an outcropping, really, that overlooked the sea. It was on the western side of the island, so it had a lovely view of sunsets. Marco looked around, searching for Ace who he knew must be close by.

Ace hiked through the woods, looking around himself. All right, where are you? The sun had set maybe 10 minutes ago, and the warm summer night was full of the chirping of crickets. Ace saw a dim glow coming from a field in front of him. Ah. There you are. He moved forward into the grassy expanse, not seeing Marco, Thatch or Whitebeard.

The field was full of little globules of light. They floated lazily through the air, drifting around like leaves on a lake. Ace approached slowly, coming up next to a clump of the lights. He lifted the jar he had brought with him, swinging it quickly, scooping up several of the lights and screwing on the lid before they could escape. Ace lifted the jar close to his face, grinning at the fireflies inside. Luffy's going to love this. He pulled a small knife from his pocket, poking holes in the lid. Looking up, he took a moment to observe the sky. Looks like it's really going to start raining soon. I'd better hurry. He turned around, heading back into the woods to begin the hike home.

As Ace neared the house, he looked up and blinked in surprise. The lights in the house were already lit. Ace's brows furrowed. I left Luffy at Makino's… He glanced to the pier, and instantly his mood plummeted. Oh shit. Anchored in the harbor was a large marine vessel. He's going to be pissed at me for being late for dinner. Ace sighed and prepared himself for a long and pointless argument. It really was a regular occurrence. Whenever Garp came home he and Ace would always get in at least one fight while he was there. Ace resigned himself to this fact and stepped through the door.

Shutting the door behind him, he turned around to face Garp who was seated at the kitchen table. His arms were folded across his chest. Seated next to him was Makino. On Garp's other side Luffy sat, pouting. Garp frowned at Ace.

"Where have you been? You're late." Ace sighed.

"I was just getting something." He turned to Makino, bowing politely. "I'm very sorry for being late. I didn't know you would be joining us for dinner." Makino smiled.

"Don't worry about it, it's perfectly-" Garp's hand pounded on the table.

"That doesn't answer my question." Ace ignored him, walking up to Luffy. He smiled and brought out the jar. Luffy gasped and stared at it in wonder, studying the glowing insects contained inside. Ace smiled warmly at his little brother.

"Try not to break the jar, okay? You can put these in your room." Luffy grinned and scampered out of the kitchen up to his room. Ace turned back to Garp. Garp was frowning at him.

"Why would you give him a jar of bugs?" Ace crossed his arms, smile falling from his face.

"Luffy likes to have a light in his room at night. It keeps him from having nightmares." Garp scowled.

"My grandson doesn't need a nightlight. I raised him to be a strong marine, no marine I know is afraid of the dark." Ace scoffed, feeling outrage.

"You? Raise him? Please. You've had nothing to do with his growing up." Garp scowled.

"I'm his grandfather. Of course I've raised him." Garp's temper was rising, and so was Ace's. Ace's arms fell back to his side, fists clenched.

"Fine. Prove it. What's his favorite color? What was his first word? How old was he when he walked for the first time? Huh? Oh, wait. You weren't here for any of that. Excuse me, I forgot. Honestly, how can you even claim to be a part of his life?" Garp stood. Luffy came back into the room, but neither noticed him. Garp glared at Ace, and Ace glared back just as hard. Garp spoke.

"I'm still better than you. I'm his family, at least." Ace stepped back as if struck. Makino stared at Garp in shock. Garp continued, anger driving him past all boundaries. "The best you can do is pretend to be part of his family. But it's a lie. If he knew the truth, he'd hate you too." Ace's eyes were wide and he stared at Garp. Garp pressed on. "This entire world hates you, it's about time you faced up to that. Even your father-" Some of Ace's anger returned.

"If you think I give a fuck about my father-" Ace rarely swore, and Makino blinked in shock. Garp cut him off, continuing his angry speech.

"And it's not just your father. Your mother must hate you now too. She's dead because of you. Her bones are sitting on some god-forsaken spit of rock, unmarked and unburied because you existed. Nobody is ever going to care about you. You'll never find kindness or love. Every instant you live, you live in solitude. You're going to die young and you're going to die alone." Ace stood, head bowed, hands clenched so hard into fists his arms were trembling. His head was bowed, bangs covering his eyes, scowling. Makino stared at him, waiting for his response. A moment of silence passed. Ace's voice was hesitant and uneven.

"I…" Ace's scowl deepened, his head bowing further. A single tear slid down his face. He looked up, tear-filled, hurt eyes meeting Garp's. Instantly Garp's anger melted. Ace squeezed his eyes shut. "I wish I had never been born!" Ace spun and ran out the door. The rain had started, and it was coming down in buckets. Everyone stared after him. Makino spun around and slapped Garp hard across the face.

"How could you do that? You told me the whole story, how you promised Rouge to raise him like your own, but would you do that to Luffy? Take his greatest fear and insecurity and turn it against him? How could you?" She turned and ran after Ace, calling after him. She had taken maybe 20 steps when she ran into a man. She stumbled and would have fallen but he caught her before she tumbled to the ground. Makino looked up to see Shanks' face staring down at her. He looked almost as surprised as she felt.

"Makino, what are you doing out in this rain?" Makino blinked, taking a moment to get over her shock, she suddenly remembered.

"Ace! He and Garp got in a fight and he got upset and ran away! I-I need to find him before he gets hurt or sick." Shanks' face had gone dead serious. He thought for a moment, then spoke.

"Makino, what direction did Ace run?" Makino pointed in the general direction Ace had gone. Shanks noted the direction in his head, then turned to look back at Makino. "Alright. Thank you. I'll go find Ace. You stay here and look after Luffy until I get back." Makino nodded and the two headed off in their separate directions.

Ace ran full-tilt. He sobbed as he ran, tears mixing with the rainwater flowing down his face. It's…It's not true. It's not. He desperately tried to convince himself that Garp had been lying, that the words had just been insults and nothing more. He paid no attention to where he was going, smashing haphazardly through the trees and undergrowth of the forest. He came out into the field where he had caught the fireflies earlier that evening, though it now felt an eternity ago. Still running full speed, he tripped over a rock and fell hard, skidding a little on the ground. He pushed himself into a sitting position, folding his legs up against his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. He continued crying, bitter tears flowing down his face. He was soaked to the skin but had no real desire to do anything about it.

Ace heard footsteps approaching and straightened, hastily wiping away his tears and trying to look as if he hadn't just been crying. Shanks sat down beside Ace, soaking wet as well. Ace had his face turned mostly away from Shanks, trying to hide the evidence of his tears.

"Captain…I-I didn't know you'd be back this soon." Shanks sighed. Ace had developed a habit of hiding his emotions when he was upset or sad. At first he only did it to Luffy, keeping his younger brother protected from all of his worries, but now he did it towards nearly everyone. Ace had had to be an adult from a very young age, and he seemed to believe that part of that was having to be strong for everyone, taking all of their problems in but never sharing the burden of his own. It made Shanks…sad. Shanks studied Ace for a moment, coming to a decision. He reached over and scooped Ace up, one hand near Ace's shoulders and the other under his knees. He lifted the boy and cradled him against his chest. Ace sat stiff for a moment, unsure. Shanks spoke quietly.

"Ace…you're always so strong for Luffy, but no one's ever been there to be strong for you, have they?" He felt Ace shudder, and looking at his face Shanks was near sure Ace was trying hard not to cry, though it was hard to tell in the rain. When he spoke, his voice was shaky.

"Shanks…" He gave a suppressed sob. "…do you hate me?" Shanks blinked.

"Of course not. Why would I ever hate you?" Tears were definitely coming down Ace's face again.

"Because everyone does. I'm-I'm alone. I'll always be alone." Ace put his face in Shanks' shoulder, sobbing in earnest once again. "…I'm going to die alone." Shanks inhaled, squeezing Ace slightly. He came to a decision.

"No, Ace. You're not alone. I'm here. I'll always be here. Whenever you need me, I'll be there for you. You and Luffy both." Ace continued crying into Shanks shirt, and when he spoke, his words were muffled and indistinct.

"You promise?" Shanks held Ace tighter.

"Yes. I promise."

They stayed in their positions for maybe 15 minutes. Shanks fell into a kind of trance, what with the rain and the wind and Ace's crying. It was the quiet that roused him from this trance. He looked around, feeling like something was missing. Looking down he saw that Ace had stopped crying. Shanks turned him slightly so he could see his face. Ace's eyes were closed, his face relaxed. Shanks chuckled to himself and stood, ignoring his creaking and stiff joints.

"Oh, Ace. Only you could fall asleep in a torrential downpour." He began making the long walk back.

Makino met them at the door. Her face was deeply worried, but when she saw Shanks holding Ace, she heaved a sigh.

"Oh thank God." She looked up at Shanks, who was dripping wet. She smiled, seeming to sense the connection that had passed between the two. She stepped aside. "Please, come in. We need to get you dried off before you catch your death." Shanks stepped inside, carrying the sleeping Ace. Makino studied him for a moment. "Ace's room is the second door on the left upstairs." Shanks nodded to her and walked up the stairs, moving slowly in an effort to keep them from creaking. He walked down the hall to Ace's room, opening the door with an elbow. Inside, was a relatively simple room. One wall had a bookshelf on it full of books of varying thicknesses. The rain drummed against the room's window, which overlooked the main road of Fuushia Village, and, eventually, the great grey expanse of the sea. The rain drummed against the window rhythmically. Shanks walked towards Ace's bed. Lightning flashed in the sky, followed by a loud peal of thunder. The bed gave a squeak of fear. Shanks blinked in surprise, then allowed a smile to form on his face.

"Pirates can't be afraid of thunder, Luffy." The wording was similar to one of his usual jabs at the boy, but his tone was soft. Luffy's head came peeking out defiantly from under the covers.

"I-I'm not afraid! Who's afraid of a little thunder?" Lightning flashed again and Luffy jumped, covering his head with the blankets. Shanks suppressed a laugh and walked over to the bed.

"Hey Luffy, scoot over." Luffy did, and Shanks gently set Ace down, bringing the blankets up around him. Luffy latched on to Ace, and Ace threw an arm over him. Luffy was asleep almost instantly. Shanks smiled fondly at the brothers. As quietly as he could, he stepped away from the bed and walked out of the room. He shut the door quietly behind him and walked down the stairs. Makino was in the living room, standing next to the fireplace. She smiled as Shanks walked in.

"…Thank you." Shanks shrugged.

"No problem." Makino studied him for a moment. She nodded her head at Shanks' coat.

"Give me that. If you keep wearing it while it's all wet, it'll do you more harm than good." Shanks smirked and handed her the coat. She hung it up near the fireplace to dry. "I think you should stay here for tonight. It's really raining out there, and the last thing you need is to get wet again." Shanks chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, where should I sleep?" Makino nodded to the couch.

"This should be fine, right?" Shanks smiled and nodded again. "Great. I'll go get you a blanket." Shanks lay down on the couch, folding his hands behind his head. The image of Luffy and Ace sleeping wandered into his mind and Shanks smiled, closing his eyes.

Yes. I will always be here when you need me. That's a promise.

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(A/N: Yes, this chapter was about as far removed from the last as you can possibly get. I feel like…just about everyone was OOC. Oops. Sorry. I'll do better in future chapters, I promise.

On a different note, really, please do take the poll on my profile, it's important.

I don't really have much to say besides the fact that my next chapter may not be out for quite some time. I can't really give you a definite date of when I'll be back to writing, but hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later. Well…I guess I'll see you when I see you. Thanks for your continued support! ~Mountain97)