Unbelievable but true, here on time comes the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea and the OOC-ness. Rest is Oda's

Enjoy!

I woke up early, bearing in mind that I had slept more that twelve hours. My first conscious thoughts were of Kid and his family. The next were of my mother. She was probably worried sick, when I didn't show up yesterday. "Or she just doesn't care anymore…"

What should I do if she really didn't care anymore? I felt ill and sat up in the bed. My restlessness woke Kid, who blinked at me tiredly. "Coffee…?" He murmured and I smiled a little. He sat up and brushed a few strands of fiery red hair from his eyes. Yawning he wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me back down. I yelped in shock and protest. Tightening his grip, he buried his nose in my neck and chuckled. "Changed my mind…" I gasped when he started kissing my sensitive shoulders.

Needless to say that I only got my coffee much later and only after negotiation my way out of the bedroom. Leaning against the fridge I looked at my boyfriend. The weight of today's task lay heavy on my shoulders and I could hardly swallow the coffee around the lump in my throat. As if reading my thought Kid said: "It'll be fine. Trust me; she's probably so scared of losing you over this that she won't say anything against you anymore." I shrugged. My mother could be surprisingly stubborn if she wanted to, and I had not yet figured out if she was up for acting stubborn on this one.

"Can we walk to my place..?" "You're trying to delay the inevitable, Law." I sighed. I knew that I was just trying to get out of this as fast as I possibly could, but I was scared, really scared. And I even had a good excuse. "My mother probably had the late night shift yesterday. It's still rather early, you know." Kid checked the kitchen watch and had to admit that I was right.

In the end I almost regretted my decision of walking. It was freezing cold outside and we had a long way to go. "Kid…" "Hm." "About that invitation from your family… Is there any chance I could get out of that one?" He laughed and met my slightly hopeful gaze.

"Let me spell it out for you… My family is stubborn. They live by their own rules and seriously, they just don't understand that you – or I for that matter – could have different plans than joining their dinner tomorrow. So, the answer is no. You just have to show up." I sighed. It was exactly what I had feared. Not that I disliked the Eustass family, but if my mother was not working tomorrow night, it would be just plainly unfair to her if I was not there.

We arrived at my place and I decided that I had fare more pressing matters at hand than a New Year's dinner. Fumbling out the key, I opened the door and walked up the stairs. Kid was close behind me. My heart beat too fast when I looked around the flat and saw the light in the kitchen burning. "Mom…?" I heard a chair scraping over the kitchen floor, then hasty footsteps and my mother came into sight. She looked as tired as I had felt yesterday and her eyes were red and puffy. Within a few seconds she had reached me and flung her arms around me, nearly knocking me off my feet.

I threw a look over my shoulder and saw Kid smiling softly. He carefully closed the door and leaned against it, not making a single noise. "Mom… Are you all right?" She held me a little tighter and started mumbling something into my hoodie. "Mom, I don't understand a word. Let go. We go to the kitchen, get some tea and sit down. Then we talk, ok?" I felt her nod, then she reluctantly loosened her grip, almost afraid that if she let go, I'd disappear.

I grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, pushing her back to the kitchen, then into a chair. Kid followed us with some distance. Neither of us was quite sure what my mother's reaction really meant and I didn't know if she would take it too well to see my boyfriend right now. I put the kettle on and rummaged through the cupboards looking for tea.

When I placed the cup in her hands she looked up. "Law… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was just." She stopped mid-sentence, noticing Kid's presence for the first time. He had put on a dark grey button down and met my mother's gaze almost shyly. I thought he looked absolutely adorable. And apart from his wild red hair, he even looked like a decent, nice guy. He was a decent, nice guy. He just didn't look it most of the time, you know.

My mother had her eyes still fixed on him and I saw him squirm a little under her intense gaze. Finally she spoke. "So… You're Eustass Kid, right?" He nodded. "He was with you the last two days." It wasn't a real question, but Kid still gave a short nod. My mother sighed. "I won't lie to you. I am still pretty shocked about all this. And I really expected some grand-children at some point." "Mom!"

She laughed then, offering me a warm smile. "I shouldn't have said all these things. I didn't mean them. Sure, sometimes I actually did think another man would have been good for you." I raised an eyebrow. She laughed a little and shook her head. "It's fine, Law. Really. It's just strange." I nodded and felt the weight being lifted from my shoulders. My mother got up. "It's almost lunch time, what do you think about some pasta?" Me and Kid grinned.

Over lunch, my mother explained to me that she would have to work the next evening, which was just fine with me. "Kid's family invited me for dinner tomorrow." "Actually I think they would kidnap you from wherever you are if you dared to not show up." He smirked at me and my mother looked a little shocked. "They're fine. Just a bit over-enthusiastic." She nodded, still not entirely convinced, but didn't say anything else.

Kid went home soon after and I and my mom spent the rest of the day sitting in front of the TV, watching crack. At some point I got up and made coffee and when I came back my mother looked up at me, her eyes focused on my ear. Oh, right. "Christmas present…" She smiled. "You really like him, don't you?" I nodded, blushing a little, which made her laugh. I struck out my tongue and sat back down. "What would you have done if I didn't tolerate the relationship..?"

An icy fear gripped my heart and I forgot to breathe for a moment. Swallowing audibly I looked down into my cup. "I don't know. I don't know how this relationship is going to continue. I'm just glad I didn't have to choose. I love you, mom, you know that, right?" My mother smiled and nodded. "Never stop asking yourself this question, Law. Me and his family may be ok with your relationship, but you will have to face people's hate and intolerance sooner or later. Society can be cruel when they don't understand something…" She trailed off and I wondered what she was referring to. There was obviously something, but I guessed she didn't want to talk about; not now at least. She got up and pressed a soft kiss on my hair. "Don't listen to your silly old mother. I know you boys will be fine. Good night, darling."

This chapter is incredibly precious to me. It's not only slightly based on a personal experience, but also on society in general. I know nothing much happened here. Still, I feel this is something really important... I am a emotional person, 'kay?

Also, my huge thanks to all the readers & reviewers... I love you guys. Just seeing that still someone cares about this story is just... wow.

Read & Review please - Thanks!