A/N: I just want tell you guys how much I love you! I'm so glad you're liking it so far!

Chapter Eight:

Levelheaded Companion

Gun maintenance was becoming a compulsive behavior. Grace was aware of this. Evidently, so were the other marines. They didn't say anything, but she could see it in their when they stumbled across her and her dismantled firearm wherever she was at the time. In the locker room, in the rec room, in the crow's nest, curled up with her back against the mast on the deck...Her crew-mates were concerned. But if anyone mentioned her behavior—or even so much as opened their mouth—they were rewarded with a snappy insult or just told to get lost. She was being mean. She kinda felt bad about it, but her self control was shot. She hadn't been sleeping well, and not just because guilt was eating away at her.

In the days after meeting Shanks again, old memories started to resurface. At some point in time, they had been considered happy, but now they just tore her up inside. When she closed her eyes, the redhead morphed into somebody else, somebody that had her eyes and hair. She started having nightmares more frequently. She was exhausted.

She ended up taking it out on whoever got too close. Besides Vice Admiral Garp, the only ones that didn't start avoiding her were Warren and Tully. The former would make some snide remark whenever she was rude to him and shut her up, and the latter just wasn't affected. Any mean thing she had to say just rolled off him like water off a duck's back.

Grace was about to start taking apart her pistol again when somebody placed their rifle on the coffee table in front of her. She looked up at Warren. "The fuck do you want?" she asked.

"I just figured that since your gun's probably squeaky clean already, you could clean mine instead, lass." he replied. "Ya know, so you're at least bein' more productive that way."

She considered telling him to fuck off, but...her pistol really couldn't be any cleaner than it was. And it really didn't matter what gun she was cleaning, she just needed something to do with her hands. She put down her pistol and snatched up the rifle. Warren strolled out of the rec room, leaving her all alone with her thoughts. But she didn't want to think, so she swiftly started disassembling the rifle. She was partway through cleaning the barrel when somebody walked in.

It was Tully. "Oh. There you are." He crossed the room and stood on the other side of the table. "Maintaining your guns again?"

"This is Warren's." Grace replied.

"Oh." He stood there for a second and then held out his shotgun. "Wanna do mine too?"

She glared at him. "What am I, everybody's slave?" she snapped. But she reached for his gun all the same.

Tully went over to the dartboard and plucked the darts from it. "Nah, we just resist pawning our boring work onto somebody else." With the darts in hand, he moved away from the board to stand behind a little strip of tape on the floor. "Speaking of..." He spared a glance at the guns and the cleaning kit on the table. "You seem kind of, um...obsessed."

She didn't reply, and thankfully Tully didn't push it. He just threw his darts. The time passed by in relative silence, until Grace finished maintenance on all the guns in front of her. She pushed herself to her feet with a sigh, suddenly restless. "Your gun's done." She started towards the exit.

"Wait!"

Grace paused mid-step and raised an eyebrow at the brunette.

"Um..." He scratched his chin. "Wanna play darts? Or a card game?"

She couldn't be sure, but she thought he was acting kinda shifty. She narrowed her eyes. "...What are you hiding?"

"What? Nothing! I'm not hiding anything!" His eyes darted around the room rapidly, settling on the board games on the shelf. "You wanna play monopoly? Let's play monopoly, kiddo!" Grace promptly exited the rec room and made her way onto the deck, ignoring the other marines who practically dived out of her path.

She looked around for anything suspicious, anything that would require someone to distract her. She froze when her gaze landed on the silhouette of an island in the distance. She recognized the shape of those mountains. Suddenly, she remembered that it was July and swore. "Son of a—" Grace turned on her heel and marched towards the helm. "Vice Admiral Garp, you bastard!"

The man standing near the wheel—not steering it, that was someone else' job—slowly turned his eyes to the steaming marine. "Somebody was supposed to be occupying you."

"We did our best." Tully's voice beside her made Grace jump. She hadn't realized he followed her. "There wasn't anything else we could've done."

"Yeah, we could only do so much to stall her." Warren added. He was sitting on the staircase leading up to the helm. The pieces started falling into place.

"...Is that why you had me clean your gun?" When the blond shrugged, Grace threw his rifle at him. "You fucker!"

He caught it easily. "She-devil." he retorted.

"It's just a little birthday vacation, Everett." Garp piped in.

"I don't need a vacation!"

"Yes you do; you look like you're gonna keel over."

"And you've been actin' a right bitch for a week now, so this is just as much for us as it is you." said Warren.

"Yeah, and you clearly have some issues to work out, so..." said Tully.

Grace knew when she was outnumbered. She begrudgingly resigned herself to her fate. She supposed it could've been worse. It had been a long time since she'd been home, if she could call it that. She kept her eyes fixed on the island as it drew closer. As the ship got nearer to the wharf, Grace thought she could make out someone familiar standing on one of the docks.

"Alright, boys, time for faze two." said Garp. Puzzled, Grace turned to question him, but someone grabbed her wrists and restrained them behind her back.

"What—" Of course she struggled. "Warren, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Sorry, lass." he said.

She would have cursed him out but she was distracted by Tully stripping her of her sword and her pistol. "Garp says you can't have these during your time off."

She was speechless for exactly two seconds, and then she redoubled her efforts to escape. "You can't do this, ya crooked knuckledraggers! Crusty chodes! Seagull fucking cockbites!" Its not that she didn't understand why they were disarming her, but she still didn't like it.

"Quit makin' this harder than it needs to be, lass!" The hoisted her over his shoulder, dodging her flailing limbs. "Hurry an' dock so we can be rid of her!"

Try as she might, Grace couldn't break free of Warren's hold. She punched and kicked but the guy was built like a brick wall. "What am I supposed to do if something happens!?"

"We're not gonna be more than a day away, so you can just call us up, lass. Now quit kickin' me."

She only stopped squirming when she saw the dock under his feet. When she was unceremoniously dropped onto her ass, she glared up at him. "May you be cursed with limp-dick for the rest of your life." He only waved his middle finger at her in response before turning around and boarding the ship. As it sailed away, Grace let herself fall onto her back. She suddenly felt like she could sleep for days.

A face leaned into her field of vision. "Long time no see, Snowball."

She blinked up at the girl standing over her. She had long, chestnut brown hair tied into a side ponytail and light brown eyes. She was wearing a minty green sundress. "Hi Valeska..." she replied. "They took my weapons."

"Yeah, I figured. The old guy told me you've gotten into a weird little habit? What's up with the compulsive gun maintenance?"

Grace sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't wanna think about anything."

"Hm..." Her best paused. "You look like you could about twenty hours of sleep...Nightmares kicking your ass?" The marine didn't respond. "Alight, up and at 'em, Gracie. Let's go home, okay? I'll make you some tea to help you sleep and you can conk out for a while, and then we can talk about what's bugging you. And then maybe figure out what you wanna do for your birthday."

Grace groaned as she sat up. "I don't care about my birthday."

"Yeah but I do. I wanna have some fun and eat cake and shit." Valeska snorted when the marine made a face. "What, you don't wanna spend time with me? Aren't I your best friend?" she asked, feigning a wounded tone.

"So my birthday is about you now?"

"It is if it'll get you hang out with me. Now get a move on, Snowball."

Grace went, and the brunette did exactly as she said she would. She made some chamomile tea that actually had the marine giving into her exhaustion. For the first time in the last weak and a half or so, she enjoyed a nice dreamless sleep.

Shanks looked around at the sleepy little town as he stepped off the ship. It was quiet and tranquil and no one really spared a second glance at the pirates moored in their shipyard. It must have been one of those neutral islands, the kind that didn't really care who stepped foot on it as long as no one caused any issues. It seemed like a nice place to kick back and relax for a while.

As he was looking around, he heard Buggy trying convince Rayleigh that he didn't have to babysit them.

"I know last time was pretty bad, but this island isn't a part of the government! There's no way it'll end up like that again!"

"You say that now, but you two have this funny way of getting into trouble even when it seems safe. Are you forgetting about the other times you failed to get the things we told you to?"

"But there was this demon marine after us those times!" Buggy insisted. Shanks tried not to smile at the thought of that marine. He still couldn't get over his last encounter with her. "She was scary! What were we supposed to do?" She certainly had given them no other choice but to come back empty handed more than once.

"It was one marine. And not even a decently ranked one. You're telling me you couldn't handle that?" Rayleigh replied.

"Come on, Buggy. We messed up. Let's just deal with the consequences." Shanks said. The sooner they made the first mate believe they learned their lesson, the sooner they'd be able to move about freely without somebody breathing down their neck. Buggy grumbled under his breath but complied. They headed into town in search of a place that sold large quantities of alcohol.

When they started asking the locals, Shanks took the time to really take in the atmosphere of the island. It really did feel neutral in every way. It wasn't aligned with the government, but also not a pirate's turf. It didn't have too many people or any notable landmarks except for the lighthouse up on a cliff on the beach. The people looked like they were accustomed to the repetitive routine of civilian life and it didn't look like anyone wanted to change that. Shanks thought it was kinda boring. But he could see himself drinking himself silly and then stretching out on the beach for a snooze.

Shanks suddenly stopped in his tracks when he laid eyes on an unexpected sight. His companions walked on ahead of him when he slowed to a stop, eyes fixed on a familiar head of silvery white hair. His heart started beating just a little bit faster. There was no denying it; he kinda had a little crush on her. She wasn't wearing her uniform. Instead she was in civilian clothing. She wore a light purple tee-shirt and black sweat pants with some simple sandals on her feet. It was kind of odd seeing her in something casual.

Grace was looking somewhat irritated. Or maybe just on edge? She leaned slightly forward with her arms crossed in front of her chest, glaring at a brunette girl who stood her ground with her arms also crossed. They seemed to be in the midst of some sort of stand off. Shanks wondered what was going on. He glanced towards Buggy and Rayleigh, neither of whom seemed to care or notice that he was getting distracted. He crept closer to the girls to hear their conversation. He partially hid behind the corner of a building and peered out curiously.

"Get out of the way."

"No."

"Valeska." The way the name was said suggested the marine was trying to get her way, but exhausted her other options.

"Grace." The brunette mimicked her tone, not at all moved. She sighed. "No guns allowed, remember? Not if you're just gonna do that thing you've been doing." It was only then that Shanks noticed they were standing near some sort of weapon shop.

"Let me at a sword at least."

"If I do that, I have a feeling you'll wind up sharpening or polishing it or whatever until your vacation's over. So no."

"But Val, you don't understand! I'm... I..." Grace broke her stance and ran a hand roughly through her hair. She was stressed.

The brunette shook her head. "You're gonna talk to me. I'm not letting you avoid that."

"But...But what if pirates show up, huh? This place isn't as safe as you think it is!"

"Well I don't see any pirates around here, do you?"

Grace opened her mouth to respond, but something made her glance in the eavesdropping redhead's direction. When their eyes met, a kind of accusatory look crossed her face. "Yes, actually."

Shanks smiled a little apprehensively. He didn't know quite what to expect after their last meeting.

Valeska looked on with wide eyes as her friend stalked towards the boy who was backing away with his hands up and sheepish smile on his face. "Why?! Why do you show up everywhere I go?!"

"I don't really know myself, doll." the redhead responded. "I guess it's just fate..."

"Well, stop it! You only bring me trouble when you''re around!" Grace growled. "Why are you even here? What business does the Pirate King have in a place like this, huh?"

"Relax! We just came around looking for booze. No big deal!"

Strange. Valeska looked between the bickering duo with a perplexed expression. Well Grace was bickering. The other one was trying not to piss her off. The boy was apparently a pirate. Grace wasn't being friendly, by any means, but she had yet to get violent. What's going on here? The last time Valeska had seen the marine near a pirate, she hadn't hesitated to beat the ever-living hell out of him, or at least she tried to.

"Just scram already!" Grace's agitated voice made Valeska start paying attention again. "Get off my island!"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders. "I can't yet. We have to get what we came for. Anyway, I'm glad to see you're not all cold like last time." His body language had changed slightly from just a few minutes prior. It wasn't anything drastic, just a subtle switch from backing off to leaning a little forward and smiling as he looked directly at Grace.

Wait a second... "What is actually going on here...?" Valeska asked. The redhead seemed to remember that she was there and scratched his cheek sheepishly.

"Oh, right!" He stepped around Grace and held out his hand to the brunette. "I'm Shanks!" he said with a smile.

The brunette was about to reply when the redhead was yanked away by the back of his shirt. "Who said you could talk to her?" Grace asked as she pulled him away.

"I just wanted to introduce myself..." The pirate looked at her with a pout.

The marine rolled her eyes. "Fine. Pest, this is Valeska. Val, this is Pest. There, you know each other. Now get lost! I don't want to look at you anymore." she said looking increasingly irate.

The brunette thought that Shanks looked just a tad crestfallen. "You seem extra grouchy today, sweetheart...If that's possible."

"Would you just—"

"Oi, did you forget what we came here for?" The three teens looked over at the man who spoke, and Valeska felt her mouth fall slightly open. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, you know..." Shanks rubbed the back of his neck with a guilty grin. "Just hangin' out..."

"Go hang out somewhere else..." Grace grumbled, and the redhead pouted at her. She didn't seem to notice, though. She was glaring daggers at the infamous Silvers Rayleigh.

Valeska shook her head, regaining her composure. "Hey, Grace..." She grabbed the hem of her friend's shirt and tugged. "Don't you think it's time to go?" she murmured. She didn't want to risk the chance that the marine might end up doing something stupid in the event that the situation got worse. She was already aggravated and looked like she was about ready to challenge the Roger Pirates to get out of their town. Frankly, Valeska wouldn't put it past her to try, even if it was a fool's errand. "Seriously, let's go."

The marine hesitated for a moment, but she relented and started walking away with the brunette.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart!"

Valeska looked back in time to see Shanks smiling as Rayleigh gave him a light push to get him moving the way he wanted go. What on earth...? She heard her friend huff in annoyance as they rounded a corner. "That bastard..." she muttered. A moment of silence went by after that with Grace lost in her own thoughts with a troubled expression.

The brunette needed details, about everything. "So...You wanna tell me what's up with lover-boy?"

"What," Grace looked at Valeska sharply, "are you talking about?"

She raised her eyebrows, and then gripped her friend's wrist. "C'mon, Gracie. Let's go have a little chat. It's about time we did."

A/N: Boy, Gracie is a little slow, huh? Anyway, I feel like not too much happened this chapter... Tell me what you guys think! See you next time!