One Piece 1. Chapter 1

**AN: **So I've finally decided to put up one of my multi-chapter PaNa stories. What's important for you to know: This is an AU story, meaning Nami is _not_ a pirate, she's just a thief. Furthermore, I know that in the series she only steals from pirates, however that didn't fit into my scheme so I changed it. :P

Secondly, Both of them will seem a bit out of character at some points, but please keep in mind the context of the situation. I tried to make it obvious and explain _why_ they act the way they do but I'm warning you now. As the story progresses they'll fall back into the pattern I usually write them with, mostly. But for this chapter it might seem kinda touch and go for a bit. I'm aware of that but it's important for the plot so...yeah. xD

Third, Nami is _not_ insane. It's important to note that there is a "second voice" in her head but it doesn't mean she's nuts. It's basically the difference between listening to your head and listening to your heart.

Fourth, This is only a prologue, and yes I know it is _really_ freaking long but I couldn't really cut it in half...There's no place where I felt comfortable ending a chapter with, because you need to know the entire premises of the story before things can progress, (obviously.) So don't worry, I'm _pretty_ sure all other chapters will not be around 9,000 words. xD

Fifth, I don't own any part of One Piece nor it's characters. I'm just messing with them. :P

* * *

Nami slid the window open an inch at a time. _'Really,'_ she thought in aggravation. _'It should be a crime to let windows get this bad.'_

She accidentally moved her hand too fast and the annoying window squealed loudly again. The woman glared at it, as if that had any effect, and continued raising it higher and higher until she could slip through.

Inside the darkened room the thief made note of the lock on the door and the position of the furniture. She'd rather leave everything exactly how she found it, minus the valuables of course, so her little visit wouldn't be noticed. Carefully the copper haired woman crept around the desk to the walls, pressing her ear against them and tapping softly. Systematically she checked behind every painting, in every drawer, and even the ceiling fan.

Nothing!

It was absolutely inconceivable that the mayor of such a large city would have nothing of value in his office. The burglar crossed her arms across her chest in annoyance and sat at the desk to think.

Perhaps it was because she was so deep in thought she didn't notice the danger until it was almost too late. The rattling of the door knob broke her from her thoughts and her eyes widened as she realized someone was coming in.

With cat-like agility she slid out of the massive chair and under the desk even as the light was switched on. She held her breath as she counted her heartbeats. One, two, three…Whoever had interrupted her had not seen her. If they had they would have done something already.

Now was the next problem. How to get out from under the desk? If the person was coming to sit down she would be screwed.

She heard a muffled _'thump!'_ sound and carefully edged her way to the joint where the leg met the front of the desk. Using the smallest movements possible she peaked through the tiny crack.

The person who had interrupted her was a handsome man, probably in his early twenties, with blond hair held back by orange goggles; she smelled the cigar smoke before she saw it in his mouth.

The man had pushed back the heavy rug that lay across most of the office, (that must have made the noise she heard) and was fiddling with something on the floor.

The thief only had seconds to wonder what it was before she heard the telling click of a safe being opened and the small door swung up into her view.

'_Clever bastard.'_ She silently praised the mayor. _'Hiding it in the ground. You're good.'_

The blond exhaled a puff of cigar smoke and she noted he was looking tired. That could give her an advantage if things got rough.

But it seemed luck was still with her as the man pulled out a sheaf of papers, closed the safe, and stood. She saw his hands as he leaned down to move the rug back into position and then after barely a few heartbeats the lights went out again and she heard the door shut.

'_Lucky!'_

Moving silently Nami crawled back out from under the desk. She slipped over to the spot the man had just been at and moved the rug, careful to not make the same sound as he had. She smiled down at the safe hiding in the office floor.

'_Hello, my lovely.'_

Then her eyes narrowed. This was a new safe…and it had a damn good lock, she could already tell. This wasn't going to be a quick one to break…Exhaling softly the beautiful woman went to work. She had judged rightly. The safe was a total pain to open, and the treasure inside was disappointing to say the least.

There was another sheaf of papers like the one that guy had taken, several rolled up papers, and two small piles of cash. _'Really?'_ She thought viscously at the absent mayor. _'This is all you've got?!'_

Once again she was pulled away from her dark musings, this time by the sound of steps in the hall. With a string of curses flowing through her head she grabbed the two piles of cash, shut the safe, and hurried to move the heavy rug back into place.

There was no way she could get that bloody rug back into position and still get out. She was going to have to make a choice, and quickly. Furious at the sudden unlucky events she dropped the rug and began moving towards the window.

Her eyes widened in shock.

How had the damn thing slid mostly closed without her _noticing?!_ It should have made _some_ noise!! It was too late to fix the rug and too late to escape, the aggravated thief dove behind the desk, not even able to make it underneath before the door opened a second time.

Once again she held her breath as the lights switched on…this time for a much longer count. If it was that same guy he would know the rug had been moved…her only hope was that, if it was him, he would be so tired he would think he hadn't fixed it correctly.

For nearly a full minute there was no movement in the office, then she heard the foot steps approach, the _'thump!'_ as the rug was moved, and the clicking of the safe.

Too late she realized her mistake. She stared down at the two nearly insignificant piles of cash in her hands in horror. She had planned to be at least five streets away and drinking in a bar by the time anyone realized they had been robbed. Now here she was, the plundered money in her hands, and she was most definitely screwed!!

No, wait. Maybe…if it wasn't that same guy than maybe the person wouldn't know there had been money in the safe…so if it wasn't him she still had a chance to get out of here alive.

Though it was risky she had to know who was in the office with her. Moving painstakingly slowly she shifted enough to look out from around the desk.

'_Shit!!!!!!'_

It was him!!

Before she could formulate any kind of plan the safe opened again. The blond carefully placed the papers he had just taken out back in and then picked up the second set.

'_If he's tired enough to make a mistake like grabbing the wrong thing than maybe he hasn't noticed the money is gone…'_

It was a very feeble hope, but it was all she had, and so far her 'maybes' had been turning out okay. She bit her lip, praying as hard as she could while not letting him out of her sight.

He really did look tired…

The blond shut the safe again, and rubbed a hand across his eyes in exhaustion. She watched him stand and move the rug back into place and then turn towards the door, her heart beating quicker in anticipation. When he stepped towards the door she wanted to cry.

'_Thank you God!!'_ She prayed, her eyes closing in relief.

That was when he made his move.

Faster than she thought was possible the man had turned again, a rope appearing from nowhere, and somehow he was able to control it enough that it caught the lower edge of the window seal and slapped it shut, the panes shrieking in protest.

Then he was up on the desk, looming just above her, and there was no other choice but to fight. With the ease of long practice she snapped her Bo staff together, spilling the money in the process, and swung it at him with all her might. He had already moved again.

'_Shit!!'_ She thought again, feeling frantic. _'He's so fast!'

* * *

_

It really was not very long before she was sitting on the edge of the desk, facing the room, tied securely in his rope. The man was glaring down at her, no trace of his previous exhaustion evident on his face.

Nami took in a deep breath. She was already caught…her only chance at getting a light sentence was to control the conversation. Casually she crossed her legs and allowed the smallest smile to slip onto her face. "Well," She said with feigned calm. "What now?"

She could have guessed his answer. "What the hell are you doing here?" He snapped. His voice was deep and smooth.

"My name is Nami." She felt as surprised as he looked. Yes, she had meant to throw him off topic, but what on earth possessed her to _introduce_ herself to her captor?!

"I'm...Paulie…"

One point for confusion at least.

Then he shook his head and glared at her again. "I asked what you're doing here?!" He knelt and began gathering the stolen money she had spilled earlier. Either he didn't think much of her skill, or he had a lot of confidence in his own, and that of his rope.

'_Which…'_ she admitted silently a moment later, '_he has every right to be.'_

No matter how she twisted she couldn't escape, and he must have known that.

"Oh, you know." She said calmly. "It's such a lovely night, makes one want to take a walk you know?"

He glared at her briefly to let her know he was unimpressed with her attempts at frivolity.

Suddenly she was tired. Tired of running, tired of robbing, and so, _so_ tired of being made out to be the bad guy. "Look." She said quietly. "You have the money, why don't you just let me go?"

The man gave her an incredulous look.

"I'll promise not to do it again." She gave a half hearted smile.

"As if I would trust you. You're a thief." He said bluntly, then turned back to gather the rest of the money. Her cheerful demeanor slipped. "What gives you the right to judge me?" She said sharply, and then when he looked up at her, startled, she turned her face away. This was ridiculous. So what if she was tired…that didn't give her any excuse to…She sniffled and forced the tears back…that didn't give her any excuse to cry.

They were both silent for a moment, her because she was trying to put herself back together emotionally, and him because he didn't know what to say. Those words and tears had been genuine. If they weren't than she wouldn't try to hide them….maybe. The blond ran a hand through his hair. She could be just trying to con him.

"Why don't I have that right?" He found himself asking. "You tried to rob Iceburg-san." But the conviction in his voice had faded…it was almost like he was…offering her a chance to explain herself?

'_Like I'd believe that.'_

But she wanted to. She wanted to believe that there were still people kind enough to listen, even when things looked their worst...

She looked down at the desk so she wouldn't have to look at her captor.

"You said I should let you go…give me a good reason why." His voice was neutral now, no hint of his feelings.

"Are you seriously asking me to explain myself?" She said cautiously.

She felt the desk shift slightly and realized he had leaned against it on the opposite side.

"If you want me to let you go just because you don't want to get punished…" He left his sentence hanging. She understood his meaning though. Hope flared briefly and she tried to squash it down again. Guilty Nami realized she _wanted _to tell her story. She wanted someone to tell her she was doing the right thing. "We all do what we have to, to survive." She said instead.

He was silent and she cursed herself as a fool. Obviously he didn't really care what she had to say. As far as he was concerned she was guilty without a doubt, and there was no excuse.

"Why don't you tell me about it?"

The thief's eyes widened as she registered what he had said. '_No way.'_

"I'm saying if you've got a good reason you should tell me."

Against her will the burglar felt her tears welling up again. It almost didn't even matter if he was serious or not. She hadn't spoken to anyone except Nojiko in so long…

Before she realized it the story was spilling from her lips. The man next to her was silent as he listened, but she no longer felt it was damning. It felt so unbelievably good to talk to someone about it. It had been months since she'd seen her big sister, and months before that when they had last spoken on the subject.

It took the better part of half an hour to finish her tale, and when she was done she snuck a look at the man next to her. He was still leaning against the other side of the desk with his arms crossed, but he didn't look angry. Instead there was a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you have any proof?"

Nami bit her lip. Proof? Well it was natural he would want to verify she was telling the truth, and she felt the question was sincere and not driven by suspicion. What did she have on her to prove herself? The answer was obvious but she couldn't move her arms enough to get to it.

"Take my shirt off." She commanded then watched in amusement as the man choked. "What?!" He finally turned to look at her, his eyes wide, and a blush spread across his cheeks. She couldn't help the amused smile that flitted across her face. "I can't move my arms." She told him patiently. "My proof is on my upper arm so I need to remove my shirt." She indicated the form fitting long sleeved black top she wore.

The poor man looked around a little wildly…_'Shy. Very, very shy.'_ She thought, surprised at how fond she suddenly felt for him. She didn't even _know_ this man! Still…she forced herself not to smile outwardly…he _was_ giving her a chance after all.

"Er…"

"I'm not gonna run away." She said, the slightest hint of teasing in her voice. "So you _could_ untie me…I think we've already established you're faster than I am."

The blond looked at her, an almost panicked look on his face. "Er…"

'_Very shy…It's kinda…cute…a little.' _

Taking pity on the poor carpenter she lifted her eyebrows. "I'm wearing a tank top underneath."

The relief on his face was almost insulting. She wasn't bad looking by any stretch of the imagination so what was _his_ problem?! Grumbling inwardly she sat very still as he reached around her to loosen the knots. Aware of the dangers of getting to close to the rope with his cigar the blond reluctantly extinguished it and tossed the remains away.

"Don't try anything…" He warned…there was something in his voice that made her think he wasn't _quite_ as unaffected as he seemed. It occurred to her that if she wanted to get away she could simply by flashing him and then running while he had an epileptic seizure on the floor.

But…this shy man, who was obviously devoted to his employer, had given her the chance to explain herself. And he was untying her so she could prove herself. She…Nami felt her own eyes widen in sudden realization.

She didn't want to let him down.

He had done for her something that no one else could or probably would do…and she wanted him to know she was sincere about it. How…strange…

The carpenter, _'Paulie.'_ She reminded herself, was apparently having slight trouble with one of the knots because she heard him curse under his breath and then he leaned in, his arms still around her, to try and free it.

Still sitting perfectly still the thief couldn't help but take a deep breath…and with it came the smell of cigars, sand wood, and something else…a distinctly masculine smell that was quite appealing. To her own shock she felt a blush rising to her face. _'Geez girl! Get a hold of yourself!'_

But that accursed knot was still being stubborn so she wasn't released from his hold yet…trying to distract herself from the scent and the slight tickle on her cheek from his hair she began arguing with herself.

'_Okay…so he's freaking hot. So what? Calm down!!'_

'**Really, **_**really**_** freaking hot.'**

'_Argh! I know okay! Shut up!!'_

'**Just thought I'd mention it.'**

'_Well I already know okay?'_The blush was still struggling to reach her cheeks. Unintentionally she squirmed slightly and he turned his head to chastise her. "Don't…uh…"

All it had taken was that small turn of his head and suddenly they were nose to nose. The carpenter swallowed after trailing off and Nami bit down on her lower lip. Geez! This was a bad situation if ever there was one!

'**Really? Things are looking pretty good from where I'm sitting.'** The annoying part of her mind said smugly. _'S-Shut up!!'_

She needed to do something…anything!...to escape the suddenly charged atmosphere she found herself in. "Um…" Her own voice had never sounded so timid. Oh god! His eyes were such an amazing shade of blue!! "Are you going to untie me?" Though she hadn't stuttered her voice shook and she finally lost the fight against her embarrassment. Her cheeks flooded with color and she found herself copying him, swallowing hard while just staring into his eyes.

"Yeah…"

He was so close his breath mixed with hers as he replied in a soft tone, one she was sure he hadn't meant to make as insanely attractive as it was.

'**Damn! That was sexy as hell! Kiss him!!' **The other part of her brain commanded.

She was saved as the ropes around her suddenly slid down her arms and she was free. Hastily the blond jerked back away from her and the tense moment was….well not gone, but not as intense as it had just been. If he had waited any longer…

'_Gah! Stop it!!!'_ She shouted in the vault of her mind. _'Stop thinking about what could have happened!'_

"T-Thanks." She said quietly looking down at the desk again.

"Yeah…" His voice sounded just as unsure as her own. "Y-You had some proof or something?" He prompted and she nearly sighed with relief. Good, he was keeping her on track.

Then of course the fact that she'd have to take off her shirt, even if she had another one on, in front of him dawned on her. Now, under normal circumstances Nami was not a shy woman. She was clever and knew how to use her body to her advantage, teasing men but never giving in. This was not a normal circumstance…The thief shifted uncomfortably. She had never had a situation where she was genuinely _attracted_ to anybody before…and with the…moment…they had just had…She realized her hands were shaking.

"Yeah, gimme a second." Slipping off the desk to stand in front of him she hesitantly grabbed the bottom of her over shirt. What on Earth was wrong with her?! Why was _she_ suddenly the one who was being so shy?!

'**Oh for the love of…Stop being such an idiot, if you drag it out things will only get more awkward!'** Agreeing with that part of her head for once the cat burglar slipped her shirt up her torso, over her ample chest, and off her head. As she shook her head to release her hair from the neck of the shirt she caught sight of his face. He was still blushing like crazy but she thought she detected something else in his gaze.

'_You are imagining it.' _She told herself firmly. _'Get back to the point at hand.'_

The point…Leaving the discarded over shirt on the desk she reached up her slim right hand, crossing it over her body, to delicately touch her shoulder and the hated mark that was on it. "This is the mark of the Arlong pirates…" She said quietly. The bitter resentment and hatred she held for the fishman came back to the surface, though she tried not to show it.

Paulie hesitated for a moment, studying her. Uncomfortable, now for more than one reason, she looked down at the floor and didn't meet his eyes. She didn't know if he would know the mark or not…

He stepped back towards her and she repressed a surprised shudder of delight as his work calloused hand pulled hers away so he could look at her tattoo. He didn't drop her hand, though his attention seemed to be focused solely on her shoulder, and Nami realized she was still trembling slightly.

'_He must be able to feel that…'_

As if in response to her thoughts the shipwright looked back up at her and she shifted her eyes away again.

On his part he studied the thief's mark. He hadn't assumed wrong earlier. The horrible story she had just told him was her life. The question was…what was he going to do about it?

She was right….There was nothing stolen, (that he hadn't gotten back anyway) and for some insane reason Paulie was inclined to trust her when she said she wouldn't try to rob Iceburg-san again. That still left the other people in the city defenseless…she was an admitted thief, if he let her go than other people, citizens of his hometown, would probably be robbed instead.

So that was on one side of the argument he was having internally. The other side….was sympathetic. The hellish life she had been living since she was just a small child…again she was right. She was only doing what she had to, to survive. So there he was. Clearly stuck in a dilemma. Letting her go would be against his moral principles….and taking her in was also against his moral principles. _'Shit…What am I….suppose to do?'_

He looked at her but she avoided his eyes again. This woman…, who was obviously as tough as nails, had humbled herself completely in front of him. She had placed not only her life, but her fragile emotional state, into his hands and was now waiting for him to decide what to do with it.

He realized he was still holding her right hand, the small delicate hand he had pulled away from her arm. She had offered up the tattoo as evidence but the way she had held her shoulder before…said more than words that it was a shameful brand that she wished she could hide.

Despite the reason he had even met her was because she was robbing his mentor…Paulie found himself liking her. She had been dealt a shitty hand in life and she was doing the best she could with it…she put herself into dangerous positions on the hope, the smallest chance, that she might be able to get something. She _was_ tough as nails…but still so amazingly breakable. A total contradiction. And…he wanted to help her. _'__Shit..!'_

It dawned on the shipwright that he had been watching her in silence for several minutes. Her hair had slipped down to cover her face and her petite hand, still engulfed in his own, was trembling. With his other hand he picked up her discarded over shirt and then placed it in her hand, releasing her as he did so. "You can put that back on…" He said quietly.

Wordlessly she complied, still carefully keeping her face hidden from him.

In frustrated indecision he leaned back against Iceburg-san's desk. "Well…" He said out loud, pretending to be speaking to himself but really it was for her benefit. "Now what…?"

The lovely woman next to him relaxed ever so slightly and he realized she must have thought he was going to turn her in.

"You could let me go." She said again, and this time her voice was wistful. "I'll promise not to come back."

Paulie looked down at the floor too. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but he didn't like that idea. "Yeah, but what about the other people in this city?" He made his voice light, hoping she couldn't guess how agonizing he found the decision he was faced with.

She gave a feeble laugh. "I meant leave the city."

'_And then what?' _He wanted to say. _'What happens if you get caught again?'_ She had tried to put up a fight when he had first sprung at her but she wasn't very strong. She could be over powered easily and then…

The shipwright didn't realize it as he cursed aloud. He didn't like the picture forming in his mind of what might happen to her…She was young and vulnerable, and he did not want her out there on her own, doing dangerous shit like this again.

"How much do you have left to…?" He asked quietly.

He saw her fingers dig into the edge of the desk but there was no emotion in her voice when she answered him. "Seven million."

Seven million….she was so close and yet still so far away…Paulie ran a hand through his hair in frustration. His feelings churned turbulently inside him, and he felt even worst. If he let her go...and leave Water 7…she was so close…what if she became careless? Or tried to steal something that was too heavily guarded? What if she was caught again?

It kept coming back to that….the idea of her getting caught by some ruthless asshole made him angry. Others wouldn't understand what she had been through, they would lock her up, or hurt her, or…or do something worst. She was absolutely beautiful after all. His brow furrowed angrily at the thought of what could happen.

"No."

Though he hadn't meant to speak his thoughts aloud he didn't retract it. He was just going to have to tell her…"There's no way I'm letting you leave this city." He said firmly.

"I see." Her tone made him look over at him again. She had raised her head, looking proud, with her mouth in a hard line and he realized she had misunderstood.

"I'm not turning you in, but I'm not letting you leave." The shipwright tried to explain himself; he wasn't good with shit like this. "You'd get into too much trouble…"

He trailed off as she slowly turned to face him, the impassive mask cracking and anger burning in her eyes. "You won't _let_ me leave?" She said softly, her voice layered with anger. "_You_ won't let _me_ leave?" She said again. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

His own anger began boiling to the surface. "Yeah, _I_ won't let you leave." He pushed off the desk to cross his arms, looking down at the petite woman from his superior height. "The trouble your kind attract-"

"_My_ kind?!" Her voice had gone from anger to fury. "You don't know jack shit about _my_ kind!" She snapped. "What the hell do you know? Safe in your big city, without ever having to worry about-"

He stepped towards her until they were almost touching. "You're the one who doesn't know shit!" His voice matched hers in anger. He just wanted her to be safe for fucks sake! And she was having a freak out at him. "I'm not throwing you in jail Nami, but I can't let you go wandering around on your own! You'll get into too much damn trouble!"

"What trouble?!" She snapped back. "I'm _so_ sorry for how much trouble I must have been. If you were gonna keep me prisoner here in the first place you should have said so!!"

"What makes you-"

"I wouldn't have wasted my time with talk!" She interrupted again. Hastily she swallowed, as if stifling a sob, but continued to glare up into his eyes.

"Wasted your…?" The blond's hands balled into fists. She _regret_ telling him the truth?! What the hell?!

"Yeah!" Her hands had also balled into fists and though she was several inches shorter than him she wasn't intimidated. "There are better things I could have been doing, like _rotting in jail_!" Then she added very softly, "You don't even give a shit so why did I bother?" Her voice was filled with bitterness.

Finally pushed past his limit at her stubborn refusal to understand he shouted at her. "_I don't want anything to happen to you!!"_ If he had been less angry than he probably would have blushed at his confession. "I don't _want_ you to leave!! I don't _want_ you to keep looking for treasure! I don't _want_ you to ever have to go near that fish bastard again!"

He was breathing heavily when he finished. The beautiful woman's face had lost its anger and was instead looking absolutely shocked. "You…?" She bit down on her lower lip again, still looking up at him, but somehow she had a very fragile look on her face.

"Is it too much to ask that you stay safe?!" His voice was still angry though he was no longer yelling at her. "If you go back out there sooner or later you're gonna get caught again! And you can't be naive about what might happen to you…" He took in a deep breath, trying to regain control of his anger, and then let it back out. "There are terrible people out there Nami, and I don't want them getting their hands on you."

The small thief had been watching him as he ranted, and he started in surprise when tears suddenly spilled over her eyes and onto her cheeks. "You…?" Her voice cracked then she dropped her head into her hands and began sobbing. "No one's….no one's ever cared if I…" Her words dissolved back into tears.

Paulie watched her, wondering what he should do. He wasn't good with this emotional shit…it occurred to him that the only reason he was uncomfortable was because she _was_ crying. He…He didn't care that he had just told her all that…It was very strange and not at all like him but…he wasn't embarrassed that he wanted her to be safe, even though they were practically strangers!

They stayed like that for a few tense moments. Her cries lessened and finally she wiped her face and looked back up him, though she didn't meet his eyes. "I um…"

'_Well this is fucking awkward…Good job idiot! How the hell are we supposed to get out of this?'_

Nami, for whatever reason, didn't ask about what he said. "I can't just quit…I've got…My village is depending on me, even though they don't know about my deal with Arlong…I can't leave them there like that." She reached up with one hand to push her hair behind her ear and he noticed her hand was trembling again. "I'm…so close to being done…it…"

He watched with interest as her face began getting redder and redder, a fierce blush spreading all over. "It…shouldn't take me very long…" She said in a surprisingly meek voice. "After I finished…I could…"

Still feeling remarkably free of his own embarrassment he watched her struggle, feeling slightly amused. Nami didn't seem like the type of person who had trouble with her words like this often. But despite how cute…_'Yes, cute.'_ She was being she was still saying she wanted to go back out there.

"I could come back…" She finished in a near whisper, her whole face burning so much she looked like she had a fever. Feeling almost dazed the shipwright grinned inside. She wanted to be here…well, she was okay with it at least…And that was something. But…

"No way."

She finally looked back up at him, a frustrated look on her face that he could relate too. "It's not safe. Even if you could make all the money in one go it's too damn dangerous!" She opened her mouth to protest and he shook his head, leaning down so he could look her in the eye. "No, Nami. I'm not letting you go out there…If you can't leave your village as it is then we'll find a way to make the rest of the money. But you're not going to try stealing it."

The beautiful woman had an interesting reaction to his words. First she looked furious, then she looked embarrassed, but when he had said "we'll find a way" her mouth had dropped open into an "O" of surprise. Well…shock was a closer term.

"_We_ will…?" Her voice was suddenly breathy and weak, like she couldn't believe her ears.

Paulie had always been shy, with everyone but especially women, and especially beautiful woman like her. Though he didn't understand how or why, whatever it was that usually held him back was now the thing driving him forward. And he couldn't help but enjoy the strangely liberating feeling…the freedom to say what he thought without reservation. "Yes." He said quietly, closely watching her face. "We."

For a moment he thought she might faint, but then she did something that took him by surprise. Leaning down as he was to be at eye level he was at the perfect height for the petite woman to suddenly throw her arms around his neck and hug him fiercely. "Why…?" Her voice was cracked and muffled as she had buried her head on his shoulder. "Why would you _do_ this for me…?"

His arms came up automatically to enfold her in his own hug. She was so tiny…so beautiful and delicate….the carpenter found himself burying his nose in her hair, aware of the scent of cherries, as he held her. "Because I can." He whispered next to her ear. "Because I want to…"

Her shoulders shook and he realized she was crying again, silently this time. With his usual uncertainty still absent Paulie didn't have a problem reaching up to pet her hair gently, the silky strands sliding through his fingers. "It's okay." He found himself murmuring quietly to her.

Nami held onto him, trying to control her sobs of gratitude. This night had been a crazy roller coaster of emotions, and the thief felt exhausted. Finally she took a deep breath, aware that she really should let the poor man go. What must he think, having her sob all over him like this?

'**He doesn't seem to mind much.'**

'_What?'_ She sniffled as she turned her face away to rest on his shoulder. She knew she should probably be feeling horribly embarrassed but she was just so tired…

'**How can you **_**not**_** be paying attention to this?'** The voice in her head almost sounded exasperated. It finally registered that he was holding her gently and petting her hair.

"Sorry." She said quietly, still facing away from him. "I…guess I'm a little tired…or something…" She felt the heat in her cheeks. It looked like she wasn't tired enough to be embarrassed after all.

"It's okay." He said again quietly. Hesitantly she released her arms from around his neck and he followed her lead, allowing her to slip away from him. Hastily she wiped at her eyes, she must look absolutely horrible.

"I…" Whatever she was going to say was lost as the office door opened again and the mayor himself strode in. "Paulie, what on earth is taking so-"

He cut himself off mid sentence, looking back and forth between the two. Nami swallowed, feeling nervous and self conscious. What was he going to say? This looked really bad, her all in black, the rug still out of place, and most especially the money Paulie had left on the desk.

The president of Galley-La Company raised his eyebrows as he looked at his apprentice, silently asking for an explanation. The carpenter with her cleared his throat and then stunned her completely.

"Sorry Iceburg-san…I met up with a friend of mine and we ended up talking." Though she was looking at the floor she saw him motion towards her, and her breath caught. He had just lied…lied to his boss for her!

"I'm sorry, I forgot all about those papers I was getting for you." He sounded so calm as he reached past the pile of cash and picked up the stack of papers he had originally taken out of the safe.

"…..I see…." The older man said, his voice neutral. She wondered what it was he thought was happening. Still feeling uncomfortable she didn't dare look up, even when she heard the rustle of papers as they changed hands.

"Iceburg-san, can I uh…Can I come back in tomorrow and do this? We've still got a lot to talk about."

She bit her lip again…His willingness to help her…to talk to her…was this for real? The cynical part of her said it was some sort of trap, but she…she _wanted_ to believe him.

'**Whether it's a trap or not…what have you got to lose, huh? And do you really think he would trick you? He just lied to the mayor's face to keep you out of trouble…'**

'_I know, I know…But it's just…Can this really be happening?'_

Struggling internally she didn't hear the mayor's reply but she jumped slightly when Paulie suddenly took her hand again. Though she hadn't meant to look up she found herself meeting his gaze again. "Wha…?"

The blond smiled ever so slightly. "I said, are you ready to go?"

She blinked and looked towards the door. Mayor Iceburg was still standing there, watching them carefully, but his face was blank. For some bizarre reason, looking at him, Nami was reminded of Gen-san whenever he would catch her doing wrong. His eyes had an "I know you're guilty" look in them.

She felt the shipwright next to her squeeze her hand gently, bringing her eyes back to him.

"Um…yes?" She said meekly. The poor woman felt totally off balance, combined with her exhaustion she had to choose…whether to believe or not…She made a decision. She'd trust him. Whatever he had in mind, wherever he was taking her, she'd trust him.

"Yeah…" She said again quietly. "I'm ready to go."

"Right. I'll see you later Iceburg-san." Leading her by the hand Paulie passed his mentor without incident. "Of course." Was all the older man said, allowing them to leave the office.

They continued on in silence, down the halls of the large building, out into the fresh night air, and past the gate…The cat burglar shivered, half from the cold and half from the realization that she really was still free. She wasn't going to jail.

"Are you okay?"

He was still holding her hand she noticed. "Yeah…" This, she decided, was the strangest situation she had ever been in. Here she was, walking to who knew where with a man who was practically a stranger, and who was somehow still one of the people she trusted most in the world. Nami had lived most of her life emotionally blocked off from others. She didn't trust people, with her life how could she? But suddenly here she was, trusting this stranger completely, and realizing she wanted to be completely honest with him in return. "I'm…" She tried to think of what to say to explain herself. Finally she settled on her most pressing problem. "I'm really tired…" She admit, reaching up to wipe one hand across her eyes. She certainly had enough reason to be.

"I'll bet." He said. "I'm pretty damn tired myself."

"Long day?" She guessed. He let out a sound that she guessed was affirmative. Still feeling bemused she followed him, amusement rising to the surface as they made "small talk" all the way to a mid-sized apartment complex.

He stopped and looked up at the building, wincing slightly. Before she could ask about it he spoke. "Damn if…I forgot the elevator is broken right now. I fucking hate stairs."

She was surprised by herself as he made her laugh. "How many floors up?" She asked, a genuine smile creeping onto her face, unbeknownst to her. The shipwright with her looked down at her and then back up at the building. "Three floors."

She sighed theatrically. "How will we _ever_ manage that?" Good humor sparkled in her eye she took the initiative to step towards the building. "Smart ass…" She heard him mutter without malice. "Alright, let's go."

Though she didn't want to admit it the walk up the stairs _was_ tiring. She felt ready to drop from exhaustion by the time he lead her to his door. He dropped her hand, which made her instantly feel cold, and began searching through his pockets, cursing quietly until his hands finally found his keys. He let her in, and she took a quick look around.

The door opened into a tiny kitchen that led into an equally small living room. Stepping past the counter and bar and into the living room she continued her examination. To the left there was a short hallway, leading to a room with a closed door, a bathroom just to the right of it, and on the right side of the living room there was another door, this one partially open, enough that she could see the edge of a bed, the blankets half tumbled to the floor.

She really was interested but she was just so tired…It suddenly occurred to her they hadn't actually discussed what they were here for. He had told the mayor they still had things to talk about…

Paulie brushed past her, pulling of his jacket and then flopping onto the couch with a tired grunt. "Have a seat." He gestured to the other end of the worn out piece of furniture and she sank onto it gratefully. Feeling self conscious again the thief watched her companion, who had pulled off his goggles and was unconsciously fiddling with them, frowning thoughtfully.

Waiting for him to speak the petite woman had to stop herself from yawning loudly. It had been late when she had invaded Galley-La HQ, then after all that crying, and the amount of time it had taken to get here from there…Nami guessed it was somewhere around one in the morning and she could feel her body starting to drag.

"How'd you get to Water 7?"

She blinked. It wasn't the question she had expected but she pulled her wits together to answer. "I was in Loguetown in East Blue when I read an article on the Sea Train…They had just finished the tracks and were giving their grand launch, so…"

The shipwright nodded, he probably already knew about the sea train, the article had been where she had first seen Iceburg's name after all.

"When did you get in?"

"Two days ago." She hesitated before adding, "I had to take time to stake out my target." It wasn't that she thought he had forgotten, but his insistence that she would be caught again was because he didn't know how thorough she usually was. Tonight had just been unlucky was all…

'_**Was**_** it unlucky?'** The voice in her mind prompted. **'If he hadn't caught you then you wouldn't be here now would you? And we both know you're glad you are.'**

Finding herself blushing again she looked down at her lap, hoping he hadn't noticed. _'Shut up!'_ She thought angrily. _'I don't know of any such thing! He's just…I'm…'_

Unable to think of a phrase to describe how she felt, even in the vault of her own mind, she stopped, squirming slightly as the other voice was smugly silent.

"How long until you have to drop off more money to your hometown?"

Still looking down she frowned. She didn't want to talk more about Kokoyashi Village tonight…in all honesty she just wanted to sleep…

"There's no set time." She said quietly. "I go back whenever I feel like it." She rubbed a hand against her tired eyes, accidentally yawning.

Paulie looked over at her when he heard her yawn. He was damn tired but she looked almost asleep where she sat. Her eye lids were drooping and he could tell she had to force herself to stay awake.

They didn't have to figure everything out tonight, but here was the tricky part. How was he going to keep her from just up and running away in the middle of the night? He rubbed his thumb against his goggles. It seemed that, so far at least, the best way to make her comply was to keep her off balance.

"Good." He murmured quietly. "We'll have time to collect enough then…"

She looked up at him again but he head her off before she could try and argue her way out of the situation. He was going to help her, and she was just going to have to deal with it.

"We don't have to hammer out all the details right now, it's late." He made a show of looking at the clock on the kitchen wall. "There's a second bedroom that's never used down that hall." He pointed to the left. "If I let you go to sleep you still gonna be here when I wake up?" He asked bluntly.

Her gaze had followed his finger when he mentioned a bedroom, but now she pulled her tired eyes back to his. He was looking at her seriously, silently demanding that she comply.

'**You want to anyway.'**

Whether that was the case or not she found herself nodding slowly, chewing on her lower lip nervously. It would be better if she ran away. She still didn't understand _why_ he wanted to help her, but she shouldn't dump her troubles on other people…the fact that he had listened to her story should be enough for her.

But the other part of her brain was right. She _did_ want to stay. Maybe it was exhaustion, maybe not. But whatever the reason was Nami wanted to be here. She could always leave tomorrow, (she vaguely remembered Paulie promising his boss he'd be back the next day) but maybe…just for tonight…she could let herself rest.

"I'll be here." She promised quietly.

Tension drained out of the blond's shoulders and she briefly wondered what he would have done if she hadn't promised to stay.

'**He'd probably stay up all night to watch over you so you **_**couldn't**_** leave.'** The voice snickered. **'Or maybe he would've tied you up again.'** Nami ignored the suggestive tone the voice had as it laughed at her expense. _'I never realized I was so masochistic.' _She thought back. _'But obviously I've gotta be.'_ The other voice laughed again and then went silent.

Paulie had stood and held down a hand to help her to her feet. "Lemme make sure there are blankets and pillows in there." He muttered. The cat burglar felt the tiniest smile slip onto her face when she realized he was blushing again. Wondering if she dared teasing him she took the offered hand and followed the shipwright down the short hall and into the unused room.

There was a single sized bed, luckily equipped with pillows and blankets, and after making sure she would be okay with them the blond made a hasty retreat, his cheeks still pink.

Nami slipped off her black boots and allowed herself to curl up under the blankets, facing the small window as she tried to think.

She couldn't allow Paulie to help her.

It didn't matter if she _wanted_ help, or if he wanted to help her…she could not drag someone else into the struggle for her village. It was….very sweet that he wanted to help her, and again, listening to her and letting her cry had gone a long way in reversing the cynicism she looked at the world with. But in the end he was just a kind stranger who had helped her when she needed it. To allow him to do more was only being selfish.

Sighing sadly Nami hugged the pillow. But _oh_ how she wanted to let him help her. To have someone else to rely on, someone else who cared what happened to her…Deep in the back of her mind, where she tried not to go; there was still the longing for someone to take care of her. But what happened to Bellemere-san and Gen-san had forever erased the security of that option. Asking others for help only got them hurt and she was unwilling to do that to the shy, gentle, shipwright.

The copper haired woman rolled onto her stomach and let her exhaustion carry her off to sleep, still feeling unhappy.

* * *

Paulie lay in his own bed staring up at the ceiling. Tonight had not gone as planned at all. From trying to stop a burglar to hearing her life's story, then lying to Iceburg-san and bringing her into his own home…If anyone else had done such a thing he would think they were crazy. But no matter how he looked at it he had done the right thing…or the closest thing to it.

The _right_ thing to do would be to hunt down the asshole fishman who had caused all the turmoil in that poor girl's life and kill him.

But, since that wasn't really an option, _'Right now.'_ He was just going to have to try and deal with things as they came. _'First things first though…'_

What was he going to do about Nami tomorrow?

She had promised to remain here that night, but the hesitant way in which she agreed made the carpenter think she wasn't planning on this being a permanent arrangement…...He was.

Paulie stopped, his eyes widening as he went over that last thought in his mind. It was true…When he told her he wasn't letting her leave the city he had meant it…he wasn't going to let her go out and have to fight for survival in the world again. Unconsciously he had decided he was going to take care of her on a permanent basis…In whatever way was necessary. And after hearing her break down and confess that no one else cared if she even lived or died, in addition to her reaction at his insistence he would help her, it became obvious that she _needed_ someone to take care of her, someone she could trust, and he was going to do that. _'Whether she likes it or not.'_ He promised himself silently.

Having lived for years with only herself to depend on she would, undoubtedly, try to convince him she didn't need help. That or take the first opportunity to run. But not tonight. Tonight she was dead tired. Besides, she had promised him and if he couldn't trust her than how was she suppose to trust him?

This brought him back to his first thought. What was he going to do about her tomorrow? He was going to have to go to work, and he was pretty sure she would know that…so how was he going to keep her from running off and disappearing before he got home?

And he couldn't keep a continual struggle with her about it. Eventually she was going to have to accept that he wasn't letting her go, and that she would just have to accept his help. So what could he do to prove he was serious and get her to stay…? Short of tying her up any time he had to leave her alone.

Exhausted he ran a hand through his hair, yawning and stretching. He wasn't going to be able to come up with anything tonight. He'd just have to deal with tomorrow when it came…and try to figure out _how_ to make seven million beri, hopefully _before_ he got home so he would have a plan to present to her.

Paulie yawned again, and then let his mind clear…sleep was the priority right now.

* * *

**AN: **So that's the beginning of that. See what I mean about not being able to cut it into sections? I had to get through the robbery, get them home, and explain their individual points of view before the chapter could end. xD Again, I realize their characters were kinda...out there, but really...if _you_ were in that kind of situation what would you do differently? I tried to keep things flowing together without making them so out of character I'd want to gnaw off my own legs...Don't ask, just don't. x_x

I'd appreciate any comments you're willing to give me. Obviously, _I_ like the story's premises, but I'd really like to know what others think. And if you have any suggestions on what I can do to make it better that would be awesome too. I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. :D


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Yay~! Thanks guys, I'm glad to know you liked it. I apologize again that it was so long but...Whatever. I'm trying to keep the chapters shorter now. Anyways, thank you again for reviewing and please let me know what you think about this chapter too. ^-^

I do not own One Piece...It makes me want to cry. *sniffle*

* * *

He woke up the next morning with the problem still on his mind. Distractedly he got ready for work and then went into his living room to look for his jacket and light a new cigar. It looked like she was still asleep…

Shuffling around quietly he debated whether to check on her or not as he made himself a cup of coffee. Leaning against his kitchen counter as the machine percolated he glanced down the hall at the door, noticing it was open a crack…

…Did she leave already?! No way, she had promised she wouldn't!!

Quietly he made his way down the hall, close enough to peek through the small space…the carpenter felt the sudden tension drain out of his shoulders. Her bright orange hair could be seen peaking out of the blanket as she slept. Backing away just as quietly he scolded himself inwardly. Where was the trust he had told himself to have last night?

When his coffee was done he leaned against the kitchen counter again, drinking it slowly while he pondered what to do…

The _'thump!'_ as her bedroom door hit the wall brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to find Nami, disheveled from sleep, trying to put on one boot while hopping down the hall at the same time. Before he could even speak she asked, "What time is it?!" in a stressed tone.

"….It's about twenty to nine, why?"

"Argh!!"

Finally she sat on the couch, seeming to realize that sitting for a minute to put her shoes on would take less time than her frantic attempts.

'_What the hell…?'_

"Nami, what..?"

Not looking up she finished one boot and grabbed the other. "My hotel room, Dammit!! If you're not checked out by ten they charge you for an entire extra day!!!" The petite woman sounded outraged and the shipwright couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at her. "And this is important because…?"

"'Cause all my stuff is there!" She said this like it should have been obvious. "Like hell I'll let them charge me another day when I was gonna check out today anyway!!"

Having finally won the fight against her boots the thief jumped back up looking determined. "How do I get to the hotel Anselmo from here?" She started towards the door and he narrowed his eyes at her, moving in front of it and blocking her way.

"This isn't some lame excuse to run away is it?" He asked suspiciously.

She gave him an outraged look.

"Like I'd lie about something like that! When I leave I'll let you know before it happens!"

'_So she IS planning on leaving...'_

She tried to dodge past him and he blocked her again. "And what were you _planning_ on doing, if you're not running?"

To his utmost amusement the petite woman stamped her foot at him. "Paulie!" She nearly shouted. "I have to get my stuff!!"

Casually he leaned against the door so she couldn't open it. "I'm asking you if you're going to try running away." Despite her obvious frustration and his flash of suspicion earlier the shipwright found himself relaxing, and he noticed his usual phobia of talking to beautiful women hadn't left him a stuttering mess. It appeared the strange calm that had fallen over him last night was still there.

Nami glared up at him…if looks to kill he'd be a pile of ash. "Where I go and what I do is nobody's business but my own!" She snapped. He watched as she took a deep breath, her fists clenched at her side. "I'm….grateful for what you did last night, but I…" She said with forced calm then paused, looking indecisive. Frowning slightly Paulie folded his arms across his chest, still leaning on the door. "I'll be fine…" She said finally, looking down at the floor. "Thank you for your concern but I don't need any help."

'_Well at least I understand her enough to guess this would be her reaction…'_ The blond let out a sigh, it was entirely possible he _was_ going to have to guard her all day. "You don't _want_ help." He said firmly. "You need it though, and I told you last night, I'm not letting you leave this city."

Instantly she was glaring at him again…it appeared the beautiful woman was not very patient. Paulie couldn't help it…he smirked at her angry expression…Which, of course, only made her more furious.

"You…!" She didn't even know what to say. "You stubborn, arrogant, idiotic…!!!" She continued shouting abuse at him for several more minutes but when she began repeating herself he pushed himself off from the door, stepping closer until they were practically touching and she had to look up to glare at him.

"I told you that I'm not letting you leave…and I don't care if you're happy with me or not about it, it's for your safety, which you don't seem to care about." The last part was said with frustration. "You can't be caught and killed if you don't put yourself in danger in the first place."

She opened her mouth, probably to continue her verbal attack, but he continued before she could.

"I don't care Nami." He said firmly. "I'm not letting that happen, and if it means I can't let you out of my sight until you accept it then that's what's gonna happen."

Apparently she was speechless with anger again. "You are…!!" He saw her fists clench again and he wondered briefly if she was contemplating hitting him. "I _do not_ need help!!" She shouted. "How the hell do you think I was able to collect 93 million beri, huh?! One night of bad luck and suddenly you're-" She cut herself off, eyes widening as a thought occurred to her. Then a smirk of her own settled on her face.

"So you're not gonna let me out of your sight, huh?" She said challengingly. "But I seem to recall you have a job to go to…And I doubt they'd let you drag me along. You-"

"I would really hate…" He cut in. "To get fired, but if that's what it takes…" He trailed off and shrugged, taking a gamble. He was betting she would give in because she didn't want to cause him trouble…and losing his livelihood would count as serious trouble.

Nami blinked. "You wouldn't!!?" She gasped.

Looked like she _was_ taking him seriously then. "You know that for a fact, do you?" He met her eyes again and knew she was trying to see if he was kidding or exaggerating…

…Finally she lowered her eyes back to the floor. "Idiot…" He heard her mutter, but her voice wasn't furious like it had been, it was filled with confusion. "You're an absolute idiot…"

Paulie shrugged. She'd probably be calling him that for a while, but she'd get used to him eventually…he hoped. "Is that all settled then?" He asked calmly. "Weren't we going to go get your stuff?"

Ignoring her squawk of protest he turned back to the door, pulling the apartment keys out of his jacket pocket as he did. "Well? Let's go."

The blond hid a smile as he looked over his shoulder and saw her fuming, seeming to not know what to say, before she stomped after him angrily.

* * *

'_He's insane.'_ The copper haired woman told herself. _'He's mentally challenged. Damaged in the head.'_ She had been silently insulting the carpenter for several minutes as she walked with him, hopefully to her hotel.

'**I think it's pretty sweet actually…'**

Nami huffed, not wanting to fight with herself again. _'Like I care what you think! Where the hell did you come from anyway?! And why don't you go back there and leave me the hell alone?!'_

The voice sounded almost amused. **'No can do sweetheart. Once I'm out I'm here for good.'** Nami glared down at the pavement as they walked. She didn't want to talk to Paulie right now and she didn't want to talk to the intruder voice in her head. _'Great. Now I'm going nuts on top of everything else!'_

The voice sighed, this time sounding exasperated. **'I'm not an invader…'** It told her in a patronizing tone. **'I'm just one of your own emotions…one you never noticed, because the emotion that I represent wasn't ever given a chance before.'**

She looked around again, but when nothing looked familiar she went back to glaring at the sidewalk. She was _not_ going to encourage random voices in her head to talk to her…especially when they talked back.

'**Hmmm…'** The voice suddenly snickered. **'You just don't like that I'm winning.'**

'_You are not!'_ The thief bit the inside of her cheek angrily. How did one go about ignoring a voice that could hear their every thought?!

'**Aren't you the least bit curious about my purpose?'**

'_NO. I don't give a damn about you and whatever emotion you "represent." You can piss off!' _She thought viciously.

'**I suppose I can leave you alone…God knows you're not very good company when you're being too stubborn to listen…But let me just remind you…'** The voice paused and the tone seemed somehow gentler. **'That man might be pissing you off right now, but he's doing it because he cares. Who, besides Nojiko, would even notice if you died? No one. Don't hate Paulie for caring about you.'**

Despite her best efforts the thief could feel a slight blush rise into her cheeks. _'He doesn't…He's just…' _Her inner denial trailed off. She didn't know. There was just no reason for a stranger to suddenly act this way!! Going so far as deliberately losing his job?! Her anger rose up again, replacing her confusion.

'_This is blackmail! I __**should**__ just let him lose his job! It would serve him right!'_ But it wouldn't…He didn't deserve any of the bad luck that followed her to fall on him. She'd known him less than a day and already he might be in trouble…

Nami's eyes widened. Of course she knew in her rational mind that it had been less than a day…hell it wasn't even 12 hours ago that she had met him! So why…_'Why is he so…familiar?'_

Blackmailing her he might be, but the entire confrontation in his kitchen should have been filled with confusing doubt and hostility. They were still strangers to each other! The scene that had happened back there belonged to people who knew each other and were close…

Nami pushed aside her anger, momentarily, trying to figure it out.

Pretty much since she had met him she had been treating him, on some level, like he was her best friend. And while she didn't know how he usually acted with strangers she was pretty sure the situation was the same for him…

And even when she reminded herself they were strangers, as she had just been doing, it didn't change the feeling of familiarity. Her anger at him didn't erase the camaraderie. She still trusted him in spite of the completely unprecedented things he did, like holding her hostage because he didn't want her to get hurt.

That thought should have brought her anger all back, but it didn't. In fact, Nami found that a small smile had wormed its way onto her face. He might not have tied her up or thrown her in jail but he certainly was holding her hostage…and part of her was okay with that.

This was big trouble.

All the reasons she had given herself why she _shouldn't _involve him were becoming harder and harder to hold onto. It had just been such a long time since she had…

"Nami?"

"Eh?" The copper haired woman looked up, realizing they were in front of the hotel Anselmo. "Oh, right…" She needed to stop being so distracted!!

She walked towards the building, this time the carpenter following her.

* * *

**AN:** If anyone can guess where the name 'Anselmo' comes form...Uh...I'm make you cookies? It's a lot harder to promise something over the internet I've noticed. If you can guess than...I'll write any one shot of your choice...which isn't that great a prize, but it's all I've got in virtual space. :P


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:** Er....Okay, I guess I must be missing something. More than one person guessed Anselmo comes from some singer (that I have never heard of. xD) but no one knew _what_ the heck I was talking about so...We'll call this a draw. :P (If you're curious it comes from Strong Bad...and if you don't know what that is then you are missing something wonderful in life and I _highly_ recommend going to Homestarruner. com, without the space obviously...this website hates all others. D:)

Thanks for reviewing guys!! It makes me a happy happy chicken!! :D (Don't ask....I'm insane and I know it.) I'm not sure how fast I'll be able to update this one...(sorry!) but that's really only because I'm kinda addicted to a different story I'm writing, (or 8. xD) so it's been harder for me to get these chapters done...But I'm on chapter 5 now, and when I get that one finished I'll put up another. :)

I do not own One Piece...which causes me much mourning. :P

* * *

Paulie followed her inside the building though not directly to the front desk, choosing instead to hang back and take a look around the lounge. He'd never been here before, why would he need a hotel room when he had his apartment? And he wondered why Nami had chosen this one in particular. The shipwright was distracted from his thoughts though when he heard the desk clerk's hassled voice.

"Please miss, I can't change the policy!"

Nami had folded her arms across her chest and was glaring at the young man, who was beginning to sweat nervously. Though she had her back to him Paulie could imagine the look on her face and he coughed into his hand to disguise his grin.

"It's only 9:48." She said stubbornly. "I'm checking out right now."

The poor man tried reasoning with her again. "But miss, you can't check out if you haven't emptied your room…" He cut himself off, and the blond assumed her glare had intensified, but when she spoke again her voice was sweet. "So my stuff just has to be out of my room right?"

"Er…yes miss. I can't check you out if your room isn't empty." He sounded relieved, thinking she was finally listening to him. "Okay then." She said sweetly. "Just one moment."

Then she turned and looked back at Paulie and his grin dissolved. "What?" He said almost defensively when she walked back to him. Rather than answer the copper haired woman fished out a key from somewhere inside her clothes and tossed it at him. "Room 304."

"Eh?" He looked down at the key and then back up at her. She wanted him to…? "Oh no." He said firmly. "I'm not letting you out of my sight yet."

The thief sighed with aggravated patience.

"Paulie…" She said reasonably. "I'm asking you to get all my stuff…._Why_ would I run away when you've got that?"

Oh…He hadn't thought of that.

Apparently the look on his face told her he had gotten it. "There's a bag on the bathroom sink so be sure to grab that…" She leaned towards him and said in a quieter voice, "There's also a black bag under the bed…_Don't_ forget that bag."

Without giving him the chance to reply she turned and made a bee line back to the counter and the young man gulped as she came closer.

Feeling a bit like a servant the blond could do nothing but go and get her things…Though on the plus side this meant he could get them home and the chances of her remaining were greater. As she said, why would she leave if he had her stuff?

Room 304 wasn't hard to find, and when he opened the door he was amused to see that she was a bit of a slob…amused for only a few seconds before realizing _he_ was going to have to clean it up.

Grumbling under his breath the shipwright moved around grabbing clothes off the floor and tossing them onto the hotel bed. There was a black bag sitting on the small table that he assumed those would go in. Mindful of her instructions, and how pissed she would be if he didn't do it right, Paulie retrieved the small bag from the bathroom counter, (Thank God she at least kept that clean…he didn't want to have to deal with…all that girly shit she undoubtedly had..) and then dropped to his knees to get the black duffel bag from under the bed.

He grunted in surprise when he tried to pull the strap. What the hell did she carry in here, bricks?! Just like a woman to carry so much shit…He dragged the heavy bag out and tossed it onto the bed as well. Ignoring his curiosity he shoved the rest of her things into the first bag and did a quick check of the room to make sure she hadn't left things somewhere he wouldn't be able to find them.

Satisfied he had collected all of her things he gave his watch a quick glance and then swore. 9:53. Nami would be pissed as _hell_ if he didn't get her out on time…

Walking back down to the lobby with her two bags Paulie thought about her…Nami was a total stranger…and at the same time he felt like he _knew_ her really well…well enough to guess what her first reaction would be this morning, enough to guess she wouldn't call his bluff about losing his job, and enough to know she wasn't the sort of woman one kept waiting if they could help it. The petite thief had a hot temper, that was for sure…but then again, so did he. The blond smirked. '_This will be interesting…'_

Nami was smiling a bit smugly when he returned (at 9:59) and if he had to judge by the desk clerk's face the blond guessed she had managed to check out before they tried to extort more money from her. _Tried_ being the key word…he wasn't sure what would have happened if they hadn't let her check out while he got her things but he was sure it would have been unpleasant…

"Got everything?" She asked him brightly.

"Yeah…" _'I hope so…'_ He didn't finish his thought aloud, instead choosing to hand her the lighter bag and walk towards the hotel's main entrance. A second later she had caught up with him, still smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

Once outside the blond paused to light a cigar.

"Where to now?" She asked in a mild tone that he didn't trust at all. The shipwright raised an eyebrow at her but she kept smiling serenely.

Where to indeed…

He had told Iceburg that he'd be back in today but if he went in without her she would skip town. (He _wanted_ to trust her, but he knew it would be foolish to do so about that so soon…Nami was going to need to be watched carefully until she capitulate, and accepted his help.) On the other hand…if he brought her _with_ him he was in for the teasing of his life, which was something he'd rather avoid…Lulu in particular would _love_ to have something like Nami to hang over his head…

"I'm starving, let's get some breakfast."

Paulie blinked at her as she nodded decisively and began marching away. Well…it was somewhere to go anyway…shrugging the blond caught up with her in two steps.

"What kind of food do you want?"

She looked up with a thoughtful expression on her face, her black bag swung up to rest on her shoulder. "Dunno…What's good around here?"

She seemed awfully relaxed now…Paulie watched her carefully, and if she noticed it she was ignoring him. There was something different about her now…something had changed between the argument at his apartment and leaving the hotel and he wasn't sure what it was. Resolving to keep an even closer watch on her he took the lead again…there were at least a few restaurants around here that served decent food.

* * *

Nami chose one that had tables outside, and she settled herself quite comfortably into one of the decorative chairs, making sure to keep both bags close.

She was aware of the way Paulie was watching her…she _was_ a thief after all…if she couldn't even notice that then she would have been dead long ago.

'**Yeah, like that's the only reason you noticed…'**

'_I thought you were gonna leave me alone.'_

The other voice didn't answer and the beautiful woman resolved to ignore anything else it said…she was actually feeling pretty good and she didn't want to deal with strange voices in her head that were encouraging her to do stupid things.

'**What stupid things have I encouraged you to do?'**

She leaned one hand onto the table and began tapping her fingers against the glass top, firmly pushing any thoughts about the strange argument she had been having with herself into the back of her mind.

'**Spoil sport…'**

The voice went silent again, almost sullenly, and Nami caught a smile forming on her lips…She was feeling…wonderful, actually. She should still be angry with him…he _was_ keeping her prisoner after all…but for some reason she couldn't muster up that emotion…all that was there was a blank contentment. Though she _wished_ he would stop looking at her like that…

Her coppery hair slid down off her shoulder as she turned to look out at the scenic view…Water 7 was actually a really pretty place…she breathed deeply, letting her eyes flutter shut…When was the last time she had felt like this? Just so…peaceful…

She finally allowed the smile onto her face, eyes still closed as she spoke. "Stop looking at me so suspiciously…You're gonna make me think you don't _trust _me or something." Her little smile was threatening to become a full blown grin…it was so nice to be open like this…

With her eyes closed she couldn't see his face but she heard his chair shift and she guessed that she had startled him…making her smile just a bit wider.

"You're being pretty complacent compared to this morning…I'm just wondering what you're up to."

Well…seemed _he_ didn't have a problem with being honest either.

Nami finally turned back to look at him but he had looked away. "Up to?" She asked, artfully innocent. "Whatever do you mean?"

He turned back to answer her but then stopped. His mouth opened but no sound came out and she raised one eyebrow. Her natural instinct was to tease him but he was saved by the waitress who had come up behind her. "Can I take your order?"

Nami looked up at the pretty little blond, who was looking right back at her, with a speculating look on her face that the thief didn't trust.

"Good morning Paulie-san." The young woman turned to look at her companion, and the cat burglar resisted the urge to raise her eyebrow again…Did he come here a lot of something?

The shipwright didn't answer; instead he had buried his nose into the menu, a slight blush on his cheeks.

Well…this was an interesting development…Brushing her copper colored hair out of her face the cat burglar felt a cool smile grace her face when the other woman looked back at her.

"Uh…What do you want Nami?"

Refusing to look at her companion she glanced at the menu…she wasn't that hungry anymore…

"Coffee please."

He was looking at her again but she ignored him, for a different reason this time. After a second he placed his order, real food, and the waitress smiled at him flirtatiously. "Sure thing Paulie-san! Be right back." And then she disappeared back inside.

"I thought you were hungry." He leaned back in his own chair, with his head tilted back, letting the cigar smoke rise into the air in a thin trail.

"Coffee can fill me up." She answered…Great…now her relaxed mood was gone…_'For no damn reason too…'_

'**Are you **_**really**_** that stupid or are you doing this just to irritate me?'**

'_Shut up…'_

She looked out over the water canal streets again so she wouldn't have to converse with him…She had thought he was just super shy…but it appeared that wasn't the case.

'**You're over reacting.'**

'_Over reacting means there's something to react too and there's not.'_

'**How about the fact that you're jealous because you think he has a girlfriend?'**

Nami's eyes narrowed and she shifted in her chair so she could cross her legs…She didn't care in the least if he had a girlfriend or not…

'**Sure…'**

But she didn't rise to that bait either. If she was a little…annoyed…that he had…acted so nice to her when…

'**When what?'** The other voice said in a snarky tone. **'When he's taken? I thought you weren't interested.' **The argument would have gone on longer but a different waitress, this one a brunette with green eyes, came out to bring them their drinks.

"Here you are…" She said cheerfully as she set the steaming cup of coffee on the table. "And here _you_ are, Paulie-san…" Then she giggled and went back inside as the shipwright across from her turned an even brighter red.

Without looking back at the table she picked up the hot mug and brought it to her lips…for some reason her hand was shaking…and she was feeling less annoyed and more pissed off.

They sat there in awkward silence for a few more minutes. Nami didn't know what the blond was thinking but she didn't really care to know either. She was just…

Finishing her coffee she set the empty cup on the table, still not looking at her companion. Finally he spoke again…"What are you so angry about all of a sudden?"

Arching one delicate eyebrow she turned back to him. "I beg your pardon?" She said in a deceptively sweet tone. He had been frowning slightly and her words made his frown deepen. "I said, what're you so angry about?"

Nami brushed her hair off her shoulders, feigning indifference to his question. It appeared he was still being bluntly honest.

'**Unless that's just how he is…'** If he hadn't been looking at her she would have given a cold smile at her inward voice…it no longer sounded as sure.

Unfortunately for Paulie his breakfast arrived, brought out by yet _another_ waitress. The blush that had been on his cheeks came back and he looked down again.

The redhead smiled, even though he wasn't looking at her. "Here you are Paulie-san!" Her voice was cheerful but there was an edge of teasing in it. Under the table the thief's hands clenched.

'_Still think I'm over reacting?'_ She snapped into the vault of her mind. She didn't even care that she was right while the annoying voice was wrong…

'**You don't actually know what's going on though…'** The other part of her mind continued to sound unsure, the slightest hint of depression in its tone. _'Serves you right!' _She thought viciously, ignoring the fact that she was saying it, technically, to herself.

"Would you like more coffee?" The waitress was addressing her now…and though she was angry it was less awkward when she had _something_ to keep her from talking to him.

"Yes."

If the redhead was offended by her tone it didn't show and she slipped back into the café without another word.

The carpenter was giving her a puzzled look, the red in his cheeks once again fading, but she continued to ignore him. If he couldn't figure it out then-

All three waitresses came out, the redhead holding her new cup of coffee. Nami picked it up again as soon as it was set on the table, looking away furiously…

"Paulie-san!" One girl said cheerfully. "It's such a nice surprise to see you!"

"How come you don't come in more often?" The second asked. The third only giggled as all three flirted with him simultaneously.

Since she wasn't looking at him she couldn't begin to guess what was happening on his part, but she could tell the blond had started choking slightly, and she guessed he was blushing again…Probably embarrassed to be caught with so many girls at once, though none of the three seemed to mind the others company.

While Nami drank her coffee, and Paulie began sputtering, another female voice suddenly intruded into the situation…very loudly.

"Now that's enough out of you three!!"

The speaker was a middle aged woman who had apparently been passing by and decided to interfere. She was a large woman with wild reddish-orange hair, and three children behind her.

"Off with you!" The woman commanded. "Shoo! Shoo!"

The thief, unable to look away any longer, was surprised and confused to see the three waitresses laughing as the woman waved her hand at them. Paulie had turned in his seat and was looking at the woman so she couldn't see his face.

"Sorry, sorry! It's just so rare to get an opportunity like this!!" The redhead laughed and then went back inside without a fuss. The blond and brunette smiled at both the older woman and the shipwright. "Sorry Paulie-san!" One said cheerfully. "But you know…you really _are_ welcome any time!"

He looked up at them briefly, and Nami was confused again to see him glaring at them, before they both waved and followed the other woman into the cafe.

The intruder was looking down at the blond and shaking her head.

"Thanks Maki-san…" He mumbled while looking at the table top.

'_Wha…?'_

"Paulie!!" The older woman began chiding him. "You have _got_ to learn when to tell them off! Otherwise things like this will just keep happening!"

The copper haired woman looked back and forth between his companion and the wild looking woman.

The blond was just looking down at the table top, taking her chastisement silently. "I know I just…"

"Oh, and who's this!"

She had turned to look at Nami now and she was smiling in a friendly way. "_She's_ obviously not giving you trouble." Though the cat burglar didn't understand this the shipwright began choking again, his face burning even brighter than before.

"I'm Maki." The woman introduced herself in a confident voice. "This is Yuuga, Akihito, and Sho." She motioned to the three boys with her, two of which bowed politely and the third hid behind her, looking out from his hiding spot timidly.

She was…extremely confused. Looking again back and forth between her companion and the older woman she finally reached up a hand, and Maki immediately took it in a firm handshake.

"I'm…Nami." She felt dazed…Who in the world was the crazy lady and what had just happened?

Paulie seemed to have recovered, somewhat. The blush was still there but he looked up at Nami with almost a warning in his eye before turning back to Maki-san.

"Maki-san this is Nami." Though they had just introduced themselves to each other he did it anyway. "Nami this is Maki-san…"

The oldest boy, Akihito moved past his caretaker and without preamble jumped onto the carpenter's lap. "Paulie! Guess what?" The kid said in excitement. "Michael made Hoichael eat a _worm_, and he got sick, and puked everywhere, and now Michael's grounded for a week!!"

The thief watched them with barely hidden confusion. _'Who __**are**__ these people…?!'_

Yuuga had begun snickering as Akihito told his story and now he moved away from Maki-san and towards the table too. "That's not all…he has to do the dishes _and_ iron the clothes for a whole _month!!_"

"Hey! Hey!!" Moving fluidly despite her size the older woman sat at the table with them, the third boy, Sho keeping pace with her so he could remain hidden. "Is that how we treat each other?! Maybe you two would like to help Michael with his chores?" The two boys immediately shook their heads, their smiles replaced with solemn looks. "No, Ma'am!" The chorused.

Maki-san nodded and turned back to the shipwright who was smiling slightly. With Akihito in Paulie's lap, and Sho hiding behind the other woman, Yuuga had no place to sit so he came right up to the bewildered thief and said, "Hey lady! Can I sit with you?"

Blinking rapidly while trying to catch up with the situation she nodded without thinking and the next second found her lap full with the exuberant child.

"Er…sorry…"

She looked back over at the blond who scratched the back of his neck uncomfortable. "Uh…"

"Aren't you usually at work by now?" Maki-san overrode whatever he was trying to say, seeming unconcerned with Yuuga's open behavior.

The carpenter looked at Nami, uncertain about how comfortable she was with a strange child in her lap, but the thief found herself smiling ever so slightly. Maki-san seemed a bit insane…but she found herself liking it…and the cheerful children who were with her.

She shrugged to let him know it was all right and he looked back at the third adult at the table, either not noticing or ignoring the boy on his lap as he began swiping some of the carpenter's food.

"I uh….Usually I am but…" His shyness seemed to drop away somewhat and he grinned at the older woman. "I'm playing hooky to hang out with a friend of mine." He motioned towards Nami who felt the smallest fluttering in her stomach…

'**Well now…You shouldn't have doubted him…'**

Nami picked up her cup of coffee, sipping slowly to finish it off. _'Oh, like I was the only one.'_ Her inner voice laughed a little. **'You were, 'cause we're the same aren't we?'** She ignored that in favor of listening to the other adults talk.

"Playing hooky?" Maki-san smiled. "That's not like you." She gave him a sly look. "You'd rather spend time with your _friend_ here than go to work, eh?"

Both carpenter and thief turned red at this, and he went into a flurry of denial. "No, no, no! I just…I mean…" It was a wonder he didn't have a heart attack. "We haven't seen each other for a while so I…"

Maki-san laughed at him. "That's fine, that's fine! Though, what will Iceburg-san do without you?" She chuckled again.

Reaching over from his place on Nami's lap, Yuuga also began stealing food from Paulie's plate. The carpenter definitely noticed it this time but he seemed resigned to letting them have it.

"I'll be going in at some point today." He said confidently, giving her a look. Whether it was because he thought his threat had her cowed or not it appeared he was actually going to leave her on her own for a while…

Nami dropped her gaze. That would be when she'd make her get away…_'I guess…'_

'**Awwwww, how sweet! You're sad that he's leaving you alone!'** The cooing of the other voice in her head had the thief's teeth clenching immediately. _'Shut the hell up!!'_ She shouted inwardly. _'I can't stay here and that's final!'_

If he was stupid enough to leave her alone, in spite of all his threats, than he shouldn't be surprised to find her gone when he came back. Raising the mug to her lips the petite woman finished her rapidly cooling drink, looking away from her captor as she did. She didn't want to see or know what he was thinking…

"Well, that's good. That poor man would be lost without you boys there." Maki-san was saying. Still smiling she forced herself back out of the chair, motioning to her two children who hopped off their laps, and looked back down at them. "Well have a fun day catching up, you two! And Paulie…" He looked up at her and she chuckled. "Try to drop by sometime soon, the kids miss you."

The shipwright nodded obediently… _'Paulie and obedient aren't two words I would put together.'_ …and waved good bye as the small group began wandering away.

* * *

**AN:** I wasn't really sure where to cut off so I figured this was as good a place as any. I tried to make it obvious that Paulie's shyness hasn't gone away. it just doesn't really effect him with Nami...as much anyway. I can't imagine him being able to brush off _everything_ she does/says. :P

Also I should mention...Maki and her kids are from episode 318 (I don't remember it's name!) where Zoro gets "adopted" by that family in Water 7. xD I freaking _love_ that episode and I've fallen in love with that family so I decided to go more in depth with them (in a different story actually. :P) and I remembered that Paulie was mentioned as helping her (the mom) paying her debts, so I decided to add them in here. ^-^

Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** So I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this is probably the last update for a while. I've got major writer's block again. D: (I gotta go re-watch your videos Aska, lol!) Well, the problem isn't exactly writer's block, it's that I have to many _other_ ideas floating around that want to be written. x_x But I went back and re-read all my PaNa stuff yesterday....lol, I'm awesome. Is it terrible that I love my own stories and they make me laugh my head off? xD I'm not narcissistic, I swear!!

Pikinanou: I don't know if you read this but I want you to know that I do love the second idea you've given me, and I am totally excited about writing it...The problem is I don't know _how_ to play poker. xD I gotta wait until my hubby can teach me. lol!! So I'm not ignoring your idea I'm just stuck a bit. If you've got any others though I would _love_ to try them!!! You're a genius, and I bow to your superior imagination! :P

I do not own One Piece or it's characters. :)

* * *

"Um…Sorry about that…"

Nami crossed her legs as she looked back at him, one eyebrow quirked. "What was that all about?"

The blond began eating the remains of his breakfast. "Uh…Maki-san is…um…Well I've known her for a long time so…" He shrugged. Apparently he didn't know what else to say about it.

Pretending she was only vaguely interested she pointed behind her at the café. "And them…?"

Coughing slightly in embarrassment Paulie looked down at the table again. "I don't even know them…" He grumbled.

"Huh…" The copper haired woman leaned back in her seat. "They seemed to know you." Though it was a statement there was also a question behind it but her companion only shrugged. "That happens to me a lot actually…" He sighed in aggravation and then turned back to his food.

'_Happens a lot…?'_ The thief's eyebrows had risen to her hair line…_ 'Random women come over and flirt with you…And they all know your name…?'_ But she didn't voice that thought, instead she said. "What's happening next?"

Paulie looked down at the two bags at her feet. "Guess we could take those back…It's better than hauling them all around the city."

She wanted to make a quip about him hauling _her_ all over the city but there was something else more pressing. "Thank God…" She said in a quiet voice. "I want to change…"

She looked down at her form fitting black shirt and loose black pants. _'Ugh…I really want a shower too but…'_ Maybe she'd take a quick shower when he left…she'd still have time to escape afterwards…_ 'And brush my hair.'_

Pushing the disobedient strands back behind her ear the thief fished out a small amount of beri to pay for her coffee. While she had been contemplating showering and clothes her companion had finished off the rest of his breakfast and had placed his own amount of beri on the table.

Taking this as a cue, and not wanting to stick around to meet the three airhead waitresses again, Nami stood and grabbed her first bag. Before she could reach for the second though Paulie had picked it back up.

"Oh yeah…" He said, looking at her with a questioning face. "What the hell do you keep in here?"

The two began walking away, and thankfully none of the waitresses called them back. His question surprised her. "You didn't look?" She had assumed he would…it _was_ a heavy bag after all.

"It's your stuff." The carpenter shrugged. "The only things of yours I saw were what you left lying around." He smirked at her and she remembered the state her room had been in when she left it…Well it was too late now but she couldn't stop the faint blush that wanted to creep onto her face. Thankfully he didn't press it, satisfied with her reaction. "Seriously though," He went back to his former subject. "What the hell do you carry in here?"

The fact that he hadn't looked through her things was….well, it was really sweet…and there was now the added bonus of seeing his reaction when she _did_ show him what she kept in there. "I'll show you when we get home." She said with a grin…which evaporated as she realized she had just referred to his apartment as 'home.' "To your apartment…" She corrected herself quietly, looking away from him with a blank expression on her face.

She was grateful again when he didn't mention her mistake, and the two walked in silence for several moments before the apartment building came into sight.

She heard her companion sigh and she peeked at him in enough time to see him wince at the building and mutter, "I fucking _hate_ stairs." Again before he moved forward.

While trudging up the three flights of stairs the blond reached into his pockets in search of the apartment keys, and when he found them he said, "Catch." And tossed them to her.

She caught them on reflex, staring down at the shipwright who was a few steps below her. What was he thinking?! She was a thief and he _knew_ that!!! You don't give your apartment keys to a thief!

He didn't seem to notice her shock as she stared first at him and then the key ring in her hand. Instead he frowned at her for stopping on the stairs and said, "Let's go."

Feeling her hands shaking she continued up the stairs, her emotions were a churning mess again… _'Why would he…I…He can't trust me with these!'_ Besides the shock at his seemingly stupid action there was something else she was feeling…A warm glow of gratitude…mingled with anger at him.

'**What in the world do you have to be angry at? He trusts you, that's what it means!'** Her inner voice was back and it was annoying again.

'_I don't want that trust! I never asked for him to trust me like this…!'_

If he trusted her…She could hardly think it but, if he trusted her than what would he think when she up and disappeared on him…? Placing trust in someone like her was foolish…And it put her in an even worst situation. She didn't want to break that trust but there was no way to avoid that!

Which…might have been his point.

Her eyes narrowed as they finished the last flight of stairs. Paulie was a sneaky one…So far he had been throwing her off balance at every turn…and it was possible that this was just another way of doing it…

Ignoring that for a moment, she had reached the apartment door, she looked back at him. "Which one?" She asked shortly. If he noticed her tone he didn't show it. "The one with the blue top."

She singled out the key he had specified and used it on the door, letting it swing open to allow the two inside. She dropped the key ring onto his kitchen counter immediately…She didn't want anything to do with them! And turned back to look at the shipwright who had wandered into the living room without concern.

Grunting he dropped the larger bag and allowed himself to fall backwards onto the couch. Breathing deeply he closed his eyes, and reached up to mess with his cigar. He seemed totally relaxed…

After a minute of watching him he opened his eyes again. "Thought you wanted to change?" He said mildly and then went back to smoking his cigar peacefully. She glared at him, which of course he didn't notice, but let it drop off her face as she remembered…

"Oh yeah…You can look in that bag while I change." She said, her voice sweet and innocent. Eyes still closed he shrugged indifferently. "Maybe..."

She stomped past him with her bag of clothes and into the second bedroom, muttering uncomplimentary things about him and his easy going attitude. She had wanted to see the expression on his face when he opened her 'work bag'…Though he had annoyed her she _was_ grateful to get out of these clothes…Shoving past the clothes Paulie must have just thrown into the bag she dug deeper until she found what she was looking for. Her favorite pair of high heeled sandals, the blue ones, and claimed a skirt and shirt to go with it.

The yellow skirt was fairly short, which she didn't mind, with two connected white circles on each side of her hip. The shirt was white with a large blue strip across the chest that matched her shoes. She changed quickly and picked up her sandals.

As she reached for her hair brush she heard Paulie's shocked voice. "What the hell?!" Grinning, he _had_ checked after all! She grabbed the brush in one hand, her shoes in the other, and went back to the living room, smiling cheerfully.

"What's that?" She asked innocently.

As she had suspected he had opened the huge bag and was staring down at its contents in a sort of shocked awe. "What the-" He cut himself off immediately as he looked up and saw her.

His face turned bright red again and for a few seconds he could only stare at her, stuttering, while she calmly took a seat and began working her brush through her hair. She grinned, pleased with his reaction not only to her possessions but also to her looks.

"N-N-Nami!!" He finally managed to get out. "You…!" She could tell he swallowed hard and tried again. "You shameless woman!!"

Well, she hadn't been expecting that…

"Go put some more clothes on right now!!"

The thief allowed a small giggle to pass her lips as she turned her head back to him, flipping her newly brushed hair out of her face. "No." She said calmly.

The blond choked, his face burning so brightly he looked like he had a fever. "W-What…?!" His hands were visibly shaking as he stared at her. She was amused…** 'And excited.'** …to note he was having to struggle to keep his eyes on her face.

'_Oh shut up.'_ She wasn't really angry this time though…It _was_ a boost for her ego that he was behaving this way…But if he thought he could control her he was sadly mistaken…

"I'm comfortable." She told him calmly, leaning down to begin latching one sandal. "I'm not going to change."

He stuttered again. "You…! I…!"

Ignoring this she reached over and began fastening the other shoe. "Now, unless you plan on changing me yourself, I'd suggest you just accept that this is what I'm wearing today."

She _almost_ felt bad when she saw the look on his face. The shipwright looked like he was close to having a heart attack.

'**Don't be too mean…You'll kill him!'**

'_He won't die from embarrassment.' _She argued inwardly. _'Besides, if he thinks he can keep me hostage here and I won't even complain he's got another thing coming!!'_

She stood…Oh it was so nice to be in clean clothes! Even though she would have preferred a shower first…and gave him an unconcerned look. "Weren't you going to work or something?" She smiled at him serenely as she went to put her brush back away.

In her room, _'It is __**not**__ my room!'_ … She put her brush back with her other things…He would be going soon and she…Well she would be running soon…

The enjoyment she had felt at embarrassing him melted away. This was…She…

'**Just admit that you don't want to go!!'**

The thief's face hardened again. _'I'll admit no such thing.'_ She thought coldly. _'Leaving him alone is the best thing I can do for him…'_ She wasn't going to be the cause of his death for trying to help her...

Still…Sighing heavily she plastered a smile on her face and waltzed back into the living room. The carpenter's face was still flushed but he was glaring at her as she stepped back into the room and she stopped…feeling the briefest moment of panic. Had she teased him too much…?

"You think I'm an idiot don't you?" He asked her.

Nami blinked. "Eh…?" She really was confused.

The blond stood, towering over her even with her high heels, and moved out past the couch to glare down at her with folded arms. "Did you really think I'd fall for that?"

Confusion mounting she looked up at him. "Fall for…?"

"You're coming _with_ me." He said in a voice that meant it was obvious. "There's no way in _hell_ I'm leaving you alone."

To her horror the cat burglar felt her face flooding with color again.

'**Yay~!! I knew he wouldn't let you go that easily!'**

She was too stunned to even chastise the other voice. Paulie was still glaring at her but then he shook his head and turned back to grab his jacket off of the couch.

"What do you want me to do with this?" He motioned the bag of gold that was still lying open on his coffee table. "Um…I'll put it in my room…" She murmured.

Her inner voice snickered as she bent to gather the gold that had dropped out of the bag. **'Your room huh?'**

'_Shut up…'_

"Why the hell are you carrying that thing around anyway?" He wasn't looking at her anymore…

"I was going to make a drop off at home soon." Straining she picked up the heavy bag. "It's around two million." Why had she told him that…?

He had turned back to look at her with wide eyes. "Two…? How much do you usually gather before you drop it off?!" For some reason the blond was beginning to look a little pissed off again.

It was hard to move while holding the monstrously heavy bag and she wished he wasn't staring at her while she did so. "However much I feel like!" She snapped back.

Paulie rolled his eyes at her and took the bag easily. She glared up at him as he swung it onto one shoulder and moved towards the second bedroom. She wanted to say something but she didn't know what so she just glared at him as he dropped the bag inside the room and shut the door.

"Ready?"

Her eye twitched ever so slightly in anger. "Do I have a choice?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Are we going over this again?" His tone was mild but he was still looking angry and finally she just gave up.

"Fine, let's go!"

There was always the possibility that she could slip away from him at the shipyards…

* * *

**AN:** Who was able to guess what was in her second bag? :P Easy I know, but I got a kick out of writing his reaction. So for those of you who wondered if Paulie's shyness was gone....it's not. :P But think about it...she was wearing all black clothes that covered her completely until this point in time so he had no idea how she _usually_ dresses. :D (oh yeah, and I thought it was cute she referred to the apartment as 'home'. She's already getting used to him, whether she likes it or not. :P)

I couldn't really work in why it pissed him off that she was carrying around so much loot but it's 'cause it makes her a bigger target for _other_ thieves and bad guys, and he doesn't like that. :P Hope you guys enjoyed it, and thank you for reviewing!! I love reading them! ^-^


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Okay, I don't know what happened but it was a happy thing because today I was able to write two and a half chapters for this story! Yay~!! I wanted to continue but it's around midnight and my inspiration has gone to bed, and so must I. :P

Thanks guys for supporting me, even when it takes me forever to update, and I hope you like it. :D

I do not own One Piece.

* * *

Nami was sullen as they walked to the shipyards…but he had figured she would be. It was more than a little annoying that she thought he was stupid enough to think she would be cowed into submission by a single threat. _Obviously_ she was the type of girl who would need to be convinced, not blackmailed. The only reason he had resorted to blackmail this morning was because he couldn't think of anything else to do with her…In fact, he _should_ be thinking about what he would tell his mentor when they got there, otherwise he was going to be stuck with that problem a lot more…

He glanced back at her briefly. She had her arms crossed over her chest as she followed him, looking sulky and adorable…But on the other hand she was flashing _way_ to much skin for his comfort, and she knew it. Her reaction to his embarrassment was evidence enough of that, but did she have to…The shipwright blushed furiously just thinking about it…tell him he'd have to dress her himself if he wanted her to wear something else?! It had been completely unnecessary to tease him that way and he resented how easily she had fallen into the hated pattern…It seemed like in one way or another _every_ woman he had ever known enjoyed teasing him…

He grumbled under his breath and re-focused on where he was going.

The gigantic Dock No.1 doors came into sight…Iceburg-san would probably be in his office…but he couldn't just bring her with him…not if he was going to explain things without her jumping in to shout at him.

So instead of going into the main building he led her through the side gate and into the shipyards…he knew _exactly_ what to do with the stubborn woman.

Behind him he heard her gasp and he swung back around quickly.

Nami had stopped and was staring around the shipyard's compound with wide eyes. "…Wow…" She murmured softly and he smirked.

"What? You didn't bother checking the shipyards out before you jumped right in?" Her insistence that she was thorough and that last night had only been bad luck annoyed him…It didn't matter _how_ thorough she was if she was caught.

The petite woman's eyebrow rose challengingly at his tone. "Iceburg's office is on the other side of the building…and the main doors on this side. Tell me Paulie, _why_ would I want to go through the main doors?" Tossing her fiery hair off her shoulder she crossed her arms to glare up at him. "I know the layout of the building, and if I had to leave a different way than I came in, I'd _prefer_ it to be relatively close to my break in point."

He frowned…he wasn't sure what to say to that and it annoyed him. Undaunted by his expression the thief bat her eyelashes up at him, a smirk playing with the corners of her mouth. "Try to think these things through next time before you bring them up, alright?"

Ignoring how his frown morphed back into a glare Nami sauntered past him. "Weren't we going to talk to someone?" She asked in a sugary voice. Clearly she felt her point had been made and that she had won the argument.

As he moved past her to lead her further in he whispered, "Lot of good that did you last night, huh?" and heard the small angry noise she made in response.

He led her past the HQ building entirely, without further arguing from either of them, and finally spotted the man he was looking for. Hiding his grin he motioned her forward again and she reluctantly followed.

"Hey Tyselin!"

The giant man turned as Paulie called to him. Tyselin was in his late 40's with longish black hair and a gray beard, he was at least a foot and a half taller than the blond, and though he was older than the normal shipwrights his skills were still amazing. The older man was enormously strong, and with his size he looked very wild and fierce, but Paulie knew perfectly well that the other carpenter was one of the nicest men in the city.

"Woah~! Paulie!!!" The taller man's voice was raised in a constant shout, (which he privately believed had to do with the fact that Tyselin was going deaf and thought he needed to speak louder so _others_ could hear him.) "You're really late today!!"

He shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, I guess. Hey Tyselin…Can you do me a favor?" The enormous man grinned down at him widely, pleased that he had asked. "Of course I can!! Whatever you need!!"

Now he couldn't hide his grin and he motioned Nami forward again, who had stopped to stare up at the wild giant with raised eyebrows. "This is Nami, a friend of mine."

Hearing her name the thief looked back at him. When she saw his smug face her eyes narrowed, but he had already continued. "She's visiting for a bit and I don't want her getting lost while I go talk to Iceburg-san…Would you mind keeping an eye on her and making sure she doesn't wander off?" He tried to give an innocent smile but hearing the petite woman behind him curse he knew it was more like a smirk.

Tyselin looked at him and then her, and then him again. "Ah!!" He said, seeming to understand. "Sure, I'll keep your friend out of trouble for a bit!!"

Paulie gave a quick salute. "Thanks man, I'll be back soon." And then turned back towards the building. Walking past her he paused briefly. "Try not to get into trouble." He murmured then walked away. He could just imagine the look on her face…

Whistling cheerfully the shipwright continued on towards the Galley-La Headquarters, and his waiting boss.

**

* * *

Paulie's "friend" he had left her with seemed determined to keep her entertained and after a few moments of showing her around she found, to her surprise, that she _was_

.

Tyselin-san was loud, and seemed almost crazy, but he was funny and soon the petite thief found herself laughing as the giant man told her more about the place and people where they worked. It was made funnier by the fact that _everyone_ could hear him and sometimes the things he had to say were…not the nicest.

"Oh!!" The big man pointed at a group of carpenters leaning against a work table, seemingly on break. "That's Jansen's group! They're a bunch of slackers!!" Said group all jumped at Tyselin-san's voice, and within seconds it seemed they had all found something to do. Nami couldn't stop herself from laughing each time something like this happened.

It took a surprisingly short amount of time to make a complete circle around the shipyards, and eventually they returned to the work station he had been at originally…Though now it appeared to be occupied by a dark haired man decorated with tattoos across both arms and chest, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses.

"Ah!! Lulu!!"

The man, Lulu she assumed, turned at the sound of his co-worker's voice, trying in vain to push down one stubborn lock of black hair that was stuck in a point. As soon as he had tamed one another would spring back up in its place.

Stopping in front of the new carpenter Tyselin-san grinned down at her. "Nami-san, this is Lulu!! Lulu, this is Nami-san!!" The other man took her hand in a firm handshake, one eyebrow raised behind his dark shades. "She's a friend of Paulie's!" Tyselin-san added belatedly.

Now both of the shipwright's eyebrows raised, incredulous, and the lovely woman inwardly smirked. Outwardly though she fluttered her eyelashes flirtatiously, allowing a sweet smile onto her mouth. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lulu-san."

**

* * *

Kalifa had given him the go ahead but Paulie stood outside his mentor's office nervously…He knew what he was going to say…and he knew Iceburg-san would probably be able to tell it was a lie, (sort of…) but he couldn't really think of anything else he could do…Until Nami calmed down and accepted how things were he was either going to be stuck without coming into work, or he'd have to tie her up in his apartment…And neither thought was appealing.

Taking another deep breath, and ignoring the lovely blond woman who he knew was watching his back curiously, the shipwright reached out and opened the door.

The mayor was sitting at his desk, his eyes running over a list of papers when the younger man entered. "Hello Paulie." He said without raising his eyes. "I had expected you a bit earlier than this."

Though there was no chastisement in his voice the blond winced. He hated the idea of letting Iceburg-san down at all… "Sorry sir…" He said quietly. "I…do you have a moment…?"

His mentor motioned him near as he finished reading the paper he was on; leaning back in his chair and slipping off his glasses…Paulie couldn't help but notice how _tired_ he looked.

Steeling himself again the younger man took the initiative to speak before his teacher. "Iceburg-san…there's something I need to tell you…about Nami…" Feeling self conscious he looked down at the floor when the purple haired man had raised his eyes.

"Yes…?" From his tone the younger carpenter could tell his mentor was expecting a confession about last night…Unfortunately that wasn't what he was here for.

"Iceburg-san…" He licked his suddenly dry lips nervously. "Nami is…Nami is…" It was much harder to say out loud than how he had practiced in his mind. "Nami is suicidal sir."

He didn't need to be looking at him mentor to know he had blinked in surprise. That wasn't at all what he was expecting.

"We've been friends for a long time sir, and…She's just…gotten into a place in her life where she's been out doing dangerous things…" That was true at least. His annoyance at her risky actions rising again, he allowed it to be heard in his voice. "She's been doing stupid things…thrill seeking, and risk taking, and…" The blond ground his teeth around his cigar. "She wants to go off and do something that will _definitely_ get her killed and I…" He paused before continuing. "I can't let that happen sir…She's…" Unhappily he felt the blush rising to his cheeks, but he knew it made his story more believable and if that was what it took…Swallowing he finished. "She's important to me, sir. I can't let that happen…"

Iceburg-san was quiet for several moments.

"And I'm guessing you have a solution to that…" He finally said, no hint of his feelings in his voice. Still looking at the ground the younger man shrugged slightly. "Not a perfect solution but…" He raised his eyes slightly, still feeling nervous. "I'm letting her stay with me for the time being…" He paused again, thinking how best to frame it. "Well, it's more like I won't let her leave." He admit. "If I did she would go out and die…"

Suddenly all his frustration at her idiotic choices made him angry all over again. Without realizing it the blond had begun pacing in front of his mentor's desk. "She's being so stubborn!" He nearly groaned. "Why can't she just accept the fact that I'm not gonna let her go out there and get herself killed…?"

Iceburg-san clearing his throat brought Paulie's attention back to his teacher and he felt his blush deepen. "S-Sorry sir." He murmured feeling embarrassed.

"Do you have a solution to your friend's problem?" The president asked again, this time with a soothing edge in his tone.

"Er…Yes sir…It's a pretty complicated problem, and it might take a while but I'm sure I can fix it…it's…" He finally mustered the courage to look up and meet the master shipwright's eyes. "It's keeping Nami from doing something stupid _before_ I'm done that I wanted to talk to you about…"

Iceburg-san nodded for him to continue.

"I…She…" He took in a deep breath and started again. "I can't leave her alone sir…Which means I won't be able to work for a while…um…unless…" He scrubbed the back of his neck, feeling it burning with embarrassment still. "I-I was wondering if I could do some half days and just bring her with me…?" He asked meekly. "She won't be any trouble while we're here-"

His teacher cut him off with a raised hand. "How long do you think you will need to keep that schedule?"

Paulie swallowed again…He had no idea…If he could get Nami to agree without being an idiot about it than not that long, but if she insisted on being stubborn until the money was raised…

"I don't know sir…hopefully not too long but…Nami is stubborn." He said again. "I honestly don't have any idea how long it will take to get her to agree with me."

The blond shrugged helplessly. He didn't like lying to Iceburg-san in the first place, and he didn't like not being able to give him a clear idea of what was going on…

His teacher tapped his fingers against the desk, a sign that he was thinking it over, before rising from his large office chair. "Let's go speak with your friend." The older man said calmly. "Maybe I can help you guess how long it might be."

Paulie felt a nervous wave of panic. He didn't want Iceburg-san and Nami to meet…He couldn't put his finger on the reason why but he _really_ didn't like that idea.

But what other choice was there…?

Feeling anxious he walked beside his mentor, through the HQ's halls and out into the bright sunshine of the worker's compound. He had left her with Tyselin, but even if he didn't know where he had left her he was able to guess instantly where she _was_…

There was a large group of carpenters and shipwrights…mostly the younger men, gathered around Tyselin's desk, appearing enthralled with something in that area.

Not realizing it Paulie groaned as he made his way over to the crowd. Somehow…he really should have expected this…Nami was sitting on Lulu's desk, enchanting the men around her and wrapping them neatly around her fingers.

Muttering under his breath the blond pushed his way into the crowd and towards the woman at the center who was the cause of so much trouble. "Nami!" He snapped when he was close enough for her to hear him. "Nami!"

The petite thief looked back at him and fluttered her eyelashes in a distracting way before turning back to her group of admirers. "Excuse me fellas." She said sweetly. "I've gotta go now, but it was _so_ nice to meet all of you."

Immediately there were protests at the idea of her leaving but after catching a look at Paulie's face those complaints stopped and it took only a few moments for the area to clear. The shipwright's annoyance faded just as quickly as it had come as he remembered he was going to have to introduce her to his mentor.

Glancing nervously at the president he moved closer to her. "Iceburg-san wants to talk to us." His voice was quiet and he used the pretense of helping her down off the table to lean in so she could hear him. "I uh…I'm not sure what about…"

The copper haired woman gave him an unreadable look as she took his hand and slipped from the table top. What had happened last night was the obvious thing to think, but Paulie was more worried about his teacher saying something to give away the conversation they had just had in his office. There was a reason he hadn't brought her with him after all.

**

* * *

She couldn't tell what he was thinking from the look on his face, and that worried her. Iceburg-san was standing next to Lulu-san and Tyselin-san, nodding his head at whatever the younger man was saying but his eyes remained glued to her.

This was bad…

The fear of jail had faded last night but the mayor's knowing gaze brought it all back to the surface and the jittery young woman almost wanted to hide behind the carpenter with her.

Lulu-san finished whatever he had been saying and the two other men waved goodbye cheerfully before going back to their work. The purple haired man came towards them; for a second she wanted to run but then Paulie's hand brushed against her arm and he whispered "Its okay." Next to her ear. Raising her eyes briefly to the man next to her Nami forced her body to relax…He was looking calm as the other man approached, and she was reminded that he had lied for her last night…she had no reason to doubt him.

"Nami-san?" The mayor's voice was neutral as he reached out his hand. "We met last night."

Keeping her own tone light she followed his lead and took his hand to shake it. "Iceburg-san, I apologize for keeping him so long." She turned to motion towards the blond. "We just had a lot to talk about."

"That's alright. Paulie hardly ever takes breaks."

In her peripheral vision she could see the man they were talking about looking back and forth between them, a vaguely suspicious look taking over his features and she nearly laughed. In spite of herself Nami found herself relaxing. His wariness as the two discussed him was…cute…and the thief allowed the slightest hint of a smile to slip onto her face.

"What can I do for you today Iceburg-san?" The older man's blank face didn't worry her anymore…if anything she was reminded of Gen-san again, and she certainly knew how to deal with _him_.

Both shipwright's with her blinked as her attitude shifted completely.

The mayor glanced briefly at the blond but brought his attention back to her quickly. "Paulie was telling me you've gotten into a little bit of trouble that you need help with."

Arching one eyebrow she looked at her companion who had the grace to blush. "Did he now?" But she could chastise him later, so she re-focused on the man in front of her. "He exaggerated, I'm sure." She spoke confidently. "I've got a bit of trouble but it's nothing that I can't handle." This time she did allow herself to smile, looking at the older man with a whimsical grin.

The blond next to her grunted but she ignored him again.

"I was under the impression that Paulie _wanted_ to help you…"

Nami prepared herself to brush the offer of help off…If she could convince the Galley-La president that she didn't need to be baby-sat then Paulie would have no more ground to stand on…But Iceburg was quicker. "And, since you two are such old friends, I'm sure you wouldn't mind letting him lend a hand." His voice was still mild and his face was still politely distant, but something told her the mayor was going to be as troublesome as Paulie…

Her eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't know what her companion had told his boss but it probably wasn't good. "But surely you need him here?" She asked sweetly. "I'm fine, and I really wouldn't want to distract him from his work." Innocently she smiled at the carpenters. "I appreciate your concern but really…I've just got a little bit of trouble with money, but it's not that bad."

Again the older man's eyes flickered to the blond before coming back to her. If only she knew what the idiot had told him…!!

"It's not a little bit of trouble…" She sent her own look to her companion but he ignored the warning in her glance. "You need help and I'm going to help you!!" He crossed his arms across his chest, glaring down at her. Ignoring Iceburg briefly she glared right back up at him. "I don't recall asking for you to butt in! I don't need help!"

"Yes you do!!" He insisted angrily.

"No I don't!!"

"Yes you do!!"

"No I don't!!"

"Yes you-"

"Enough!!"

Startled the two looked back at Iceburg who was shaking his head at them. At the work bench behind him Lulu and Tyselin had both stopped what they had been doing and were watching the argument with mild amusement. Another man, a tall, thin man that she hadn't met yet, had joined them at the table and he was also watching them, eyebrows raised.

"Children," Iceburg said drying. "Don't you think you could settle this easier if you weren't shouting at each other?"

She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, they _had_ been acting childish, and her only comfort was that his face was also burning a dull red. The mayor's blank mask had dropped away and she was even more embarrassed to realize he was _also_ smiling at them in amusement.

"I don't know what your situation is…" The older man began, his voice much more relaxed. "However, I can't imagine letting someone help you causing more problems."

He turned to look at the other shipwright, who was looking at the ground, embarrassed. "I'm a bit surprised thought Paulie." He waited until the younger man looked up at him before continuing. "Money isn't usually your strong point." He said mildly.

While this didn't make sense to her the blond gasped and then suddenly began swearing heavily. She raised an eyebrow at him as the carpenter turned away from them both, the stream of swear words continuing, becoming more… colorful.

Iceburg, sensing her surprised confusion, cleared his throat to recapture her attention. "I take it you don't know about Paulie's little problem?"

She sent a quick look at his back but when he didn't turn she looked back at the mayor and shook her head slowly.

"Koo koo!! He's an idiot is his problem!!" She blinked, but the purple haired man didn't seem surprised. He turned to look at the new speaker.

From behind Iceburg another man was walking up, a tall man with dark, wavy hair, wearing a top hat and a pigeon on his shoulder. The man's face was completely blank and when the voice spoke again it didn't come from him. "This moron has wracked up a huge amount of debt!!"

Again she jumped in surprise. The pigeon, wearing a tie of all things!, shook its feathery head and continued. "He gambles way too much! Koo koo!"

"Eh….?!" She hardly even noticed his words, too entranced by the unusual sight. "Why are you…" Then it clicked. "You're a ventriloquist, right?"

The dark haired man tipped his hat to her as the 'pigeon' spoke again. "My name is Hattori and this is Rob Lucchi, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Dazed the copper haired woman reached out her hand and the carpenter, rather than shaking it, kissed the back and released her. As if it was some sort of signal the other shipwrights began moving closer too. The thin man with Lulu and Tyselin reached out and shook her hand. "I'm Kaku, it's nice to meet you Nami-san."

"Yeah…Nice to meet you too-"

She was cut off by the blond carpenter who had apparently gotten over his fit of anger. "I completely forgot all about that!!" He groaned. The other men, even Iceburg, shook their heads at him. "How can you forget something like that?" Lulu said in exasperation. "You owe like, 25,000 beri don't you?!"

The subject finally catching up with her the petite thief looked up at her companion with raised eyebrows. He was so deeply in debt and he had just _forgotten_ about it…?!

Paulie was scrubbing a hand through his hair, frustration written all over his face. "I dunno…It just wasn't important at the time…"

He suddenly looked down at her, a worried, unhappy look on his face. "I'm so sorry…!" His voice was absolutely sincere and the cat burglar felt the warm flush in her cheeks again. "I didn't mean to forget, but I can take care of that later, after we deal with your problem…!!"

Her eyes widened.

'_He's in debt by 25,000 beri and he __**still**__ wants to help me?!'_ Nami's hands trembled and she hurried to clasp them together behind her back so he wouldn't notice. _'Why…?'_

'**Because, dumbass, he cares.'**

For once she ignored the snarky voice. She needed to say something to him, and quickly, or he would wonder what was wrong with her.

'**What **_**is**_** wrong with you? He wants to help you so just let him!!'**

"You don't need to worry about it Paulie!! I told you, I can take care of it myself!"

She wasn't sure what she was feeling…the sudden revelation of how much money trouble he was having on his own made her feel….worried. Worried _for_ him…But it was his insistence that he would still somehow help her raise the 7 million that bothered her the most. It was…totally unprecedented! How could someone push aside their own substantial troubles to help someone like…her?

Her words had been automatic, trying to reassure him that she would be fine so he could focus on his own worries, but the blond's eyebrows drew down when she said them.

"We're not having this argument again Nami." He said firmly. "I'm helping you and that's final."

The thief snapped out of her dazed state of mind. How _dare_ he continue to presume she would let him help her!! "Oh no you're not! You've got your own stuff to worry about! Let me worry about mine!"

Before the fight could break out completely Iceburg stepped back in. "Just a minute you two…" He turned to the other man. "Paulie…considering what you told me in my office, I think it's fine for you to take some half days." When the blond brightened though the mayor continued. "_But_…" He cautioned. "You've gotta find some way to deal with your debts…You've let them go for far too long already…"

Paulie nodded at his mentor, his face ashamed, and Iceburg turned back to look at her. "Nami-san…I don't know your entire situation," He said again. "But I doubt you'll be able to get away without him helping you, he's just too stubborn." The purple haired man shook his head, in apparent exasperation at his apprentice's willful nature, but continued. "I suggest just accepting his help for however long you need it, that's what friends are for."

She opened her mouth to protest but the older man leaned in and spoke in a soft tone so the other shipwright's couldn't hear him. "Please Nami-san. Paulie's been in trouble for a long while and this is the first time he's actually been willing to try dealing with it…" Iceburg looked at her seriously, but there was a hint of pleading on his face. "I'm sure it's only because he wants to help you, but by _letting_ him help you you'll be helping him…please?"

The thief looked at the master carpenter helplessly. What could she possibly say in a situation like this? She didn't want Paulie to get into trouble, and the idea of being able to help _him_ out made her heart stir pleasantly, but she'd have to give in and accept his help….'_Or,_' Her mind said. '_I could make him __**think**__ I've given in…_'

Shaking her coppery colored hair out of her face she raised her voice so the blond could hear her. "Oh all right…Since you've insisted Iceburg-san."

She ignored the triumphant look her companion was giving her, focusing instead on the mayor. "Thank you sir, for lending him to me for a while." Then she smiled impishly and added in a sweet voice, "I'll promise not to break him."

Hearing the other carpenter choke she gave in and let herself laugh, joined by his co-workers, as the president shook his head slightly. "See that you don't." He said in mock seriousness when their laughter had died down, making the blond choke again.

Nami smiled widely at the group. She wasn't sure how long she would be here…but at least she was sure she'd be able to enjoy herself.

* * *

**AN:** So!! I freaking love the carpenters...and having God-like powers (in my own stories at least) I decided that they're not bad guys. So there!! But I was amused to mess around with them a bit...and I will continue to do so...you have been warned!!

About Paulie's explanation to Iceburg...He lied. That's about the gist of it. :P No really, from _his_ perception it's not that far off the mark, (going out and doing dangerous stuff that might get her killed=suicidal in his brain.) so that would be why he made up that story...and of course he had already said they were old friends, so that's the cover story they're stuck with now.

For those of you who asked about Paulie's gambling debts...xD I love him madly but I can _totally_ see him forgetting about them. But that's okay because it also ties in nicely for the next chapter. :P

Um...Can't really think of anything else...I don't really like the ending but I couldn't think of a better way to end the chapter so...It sounds all final like but...whatever. It's not the end. Comments please? I'd like to know what people think, not just of my random plot but also if there's anything else you enjoyed about it. I've found it's hard to improve when I don't know what people do and don't like. xD


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Urgh...The class I'm in is the hardest one yet...Have you ever avoided something your entire life and then suddenly had to take a class about it? And not just that, the class is geared towards teachers so unless I submit an assignment from a "certain point of view" I lose credit. I freaking hate it when you try to learn something just because you want to know it and others have to suck all the enjoyment out of it. Okay, I'm done bitching now. xD

Can't think of anything to say about this chapter except that I'm sorry it's late and it's about damn time right? :P This chapter might be one of my favorites so far but I'm having a hard time deciding on where to go from here. I don't want things to become too mundane but there are certain things that have to be established before I move forward in time, you know? Anyway...I've been wanting to write, I really have, I just haven't been able to. I am so frustrated. :(

I do not own One Piece.

* * *

They didn't stick around the shipyards for very long…For some reason Paulie got very nervous whenever one of his co-workers or his boss spoke to her, so after maybe half an hour the blond finally managed to pry her away from Lulu and Kaku, who both gave him smug grins, and back onto the water metropolis' streets.

"They're all so nice!" Nami gushed, aware of the annoyed look her companion had on his face. Her lips tilted upwards into a smile…which changed into a fixed grin on her face when she remembered the deal she had made…She was going to have to let him help her, _'Or let him __**think**__ he's helping me,'_ for at least a few days…possibly as long as a week, otherwise he'd get suspicious.

The thief half expected the second voice in her head to accuse her of stretching her stay out but it was oddly silent. As she followed the shipwright the silence stretched uncomfortably, not just from him but that other part of her mind she had gotten used too.

"So what now?" She said out loud.

Paulie made a distracted sound and she realized they he was staring at the ground as they walked, deep in thought. _'What's he so preoccupied with…?'_

Seeing as he wasn't going to talk to her the petite woman sighed deeply and stretched her arms above her head, then let them cross behind her neck and stay there.

They had been walking for a few moments when the copper haired woman was bumped, roughly, by a man passing in the other direction. "Sorry…" He mumbled. In her peripheral vision she saw her companion turn to see what was happening.

Eyebrow twitching in annoyance she stopped walking and waited, her arms sliding down to settle on her hips as she glowered at him.

"Sorry." He said as he attempted to leave.

The chain attaching her stolen purse to her body jerked as he tried to move further away. Unprepared the thief stopped and looked to see what his newly acquired loot was caught on. His eyes widened just before she brought her Bo staff down on his head in annoyance.

"Yeowch!!!" Clasping the forming lump on his cranium the would-be thief dropped her purse and whimpered in pain.

She snagged the chain and pulled it up, resettling her money back where it belonged while she glared at him again. "Idiot…" She said coolly and then turned back to the blond whose eyebrows had risen in surprise.

"I was a better pickpocket when I was ten." She sniffed disdainfully as she passed him, not bothering to give them cringing man another look. "Let's go." She added firmly; continuing in the direction they had first been heading, waiting for Paulie to catch up with her…which he did a few steps later.

"What was that all about?"

The cat burglar sniffed again in disgust. "That idiot had absolutely no idea what he was doing…!" Her tone was faintly outraged. "No finesse whatsoever."

Aware that she hadn't really answered his question, but not caring, the copper haired woman continued on, muttering uncomplimentary things about other thieves in general. She heard him snicker.

"What…?!" She snapped.

"Why the hell are you so _offended_ that guy didn't get your stuff?" The tall man shook his head at her while reaching up to roll his cigar in his mouth. Whatever he thought about her stopping that little robbery was kept off of his face, leaving her with no guesses of his feelings on the matter.

"It's the principle of the thing!" Eyes flashing dangerously she looked up at her companion, even as they continued on their way. "I haven't had to teach an amateur like that in years!" The blond continued to smirk in that irritating way. "Oh, forget it!!"

She stomped after him for several more moments before she heard his slight groan. Her face jerked up from staring at the ground, thinking something was wrong, but felt another wave of annoyance when she realized they were _back_ at the apartment…

'_Him and those stupid stairs!!!'_

But Paulie had already walked towards the complex door and paused to look at her when he realized she wasn't right behind him. It would have been nice to taunt him in some way, but that would be contrary to her plan; so instead she walked forward again, saying, "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

* * *

The shipwright let them back into the apartment and immediately the irritated little thief slipped past him and stalked towards her room…She had yet to stop muttering insults under her breath, and he suspected some of them were directed at him.

Setting aside his amusement at her antics Paulie's mind returned to the problem at hand…How could he have been stupid enough to forget his _own_ debts?! Nami must think him an idiot…Which, at the moment, he couldn't dispute.

Feeling the familiar frustrated anger creeping up on him the blond turned to make another cup of coffee, his first having been abandoned hours ago when his companion had insisted on leaving. He leaned against the shorter counter top, both elbows propped on it as he began thinking again.

25,000…

Groaning slightly he dropped his head, letting the fingers of one hand run through his longish blond hair in aggravation. He was such an idiot!!! No wonder it took Iceburg-san's interference before Nami agreed to stay…he was an absolute moron and she must have seen it from the beginning.

The sound of her in the hall, (her delicate looking sandals made a distinctive sound) made him look up in time to see the petite woman storm into the living room; her temper had not improved. Again it made his lips quirk but he forced the full smile away when she glared at him.

"If I'm staying than I am at _least_ getting a shower!!" She demanded.

Though he choked slightly Paulie regained himself quickly. "Of course, Nami." He said mildly. "That bathroom's fully functional." He put his hands down flat on the counter top in a gesture of peace as she continued to glower at him.

"What's got _you_ so down?!" Her question startled him no less than the tone in her voice which had lost its angry edge. "I've been outvoted, so I'm staying…" It was said almost jokingly, and he realized she truly was trying to cheer him up.

Though he would have liked to deal with it in private, his idiocy was going to cause trouble when he was _supposed_ to be helping her…so she at least deserved the truth…

"I'm…real sorry I forgot…" Feeling unbelievably uncomfortable the blond absently put one hand behind his head to scratch his neck. "I uh...I hadn't thought about it for a while…" His cheeks began heating up as he confessed his stupidity to her, but the copper haired woman was looking at him thoughtfully.

"How much did you say it was…?"

'_Ugh…Why's she gotta __**ask**__?!'_

Feeling his discomfort rising quickly he coughed and hoped his answer would satisfy her. "25,000…I'll deal with it…somehow."

She nodded, the thoughtful look still on her face, and said, "Just a second." In confusion he watched her turn and disappear back down the hall and then heard her rustling around, a few curse words drifting to him.

His curiosity began rising and finally he stepped out from behind the counter to see what the petite woman was up to…She was digging around in that giant sack of gold he had left by her door.

Paulie blinked. What…was she doing…?

His question was partially answered as she triumphantly pulled out two huge wads of cash. Giving the money only a brief look she dove back into the bag, golden trinkets slipping out and onto the floor around her unnoticed.

"Where are they…?"

Without realizing it Paulie had begun moving closer, his curiosity now almost even with his embarrassment. Nami pulled out another wad of cash and dropped it next to the others. "One more…I know you're in here!" He doubted the thief knew she was speaking out loud…she was so damn cute…

He might have asked her what she was doing but the three piles of cash next to her unclothed leg grabbed his attention. Unthinkingly he squatted and picked up the green bills, his anger immediately overtaking both curiosity and embarrassment.

"Nami!!?"

She pulled her head back out of the large sack, strands of her coppery hair mussed from her struggle inside it. "Hmm?" She no longer looked angry herself, or even annoyed; she just looked over at him, her face innocent.

"Why is there _blood_ all over this…?!" He held up the few beri he had picked up and brought it close to her face. She blinked but the only thing that changed was the genuine confusion that settled on her features….She really didn't know why he was so angry…

"Is this yours?" His tone was lower as he tried to control the rage he felt.

"'Course it's mine." She said in bewilderment. "All this money is mine…"

He cut her off, his breathing suddenly harsh. "Not that!!! This blood…Is _this_ yours…?!!"

She _still_ didn't get it!! Looking at him curiously the thief shrugged. "I dunno…" She said in an unconcerned voice. "I've handled a lot of beri over the years…It might be…"

The shipwright realized his hands were shaking so he dropped the money and placed them both on the ground, leaning against them so they wouldn't do something he would regret.

"Have you bled over money so many times that you don't even remember?"

He had meant it as a rhetorical question but she answered. "Yeah, I've bled on some of it."

Her casual dismissal of the subject made him want to yell at her but he breathed deeply on his cigar, determined to not lose control. "And that doesn't _bother_ you at all, does it?!!"

It seemed she had finally guessed at the source of his fury because her eyes widened and then they softened. The beautiful woman dropped the bag she had been digging around in and shifted so she was facing him.

"Paulie…" Her tone was soft, understanding mixed with something else…pity maybe. "This is for my people's lives…do you think bleeding a little bit is enough to stop me?" Shaking her head slightly she reached out one delicate hand and laid it on his arm which was so tense it was almost shaking.

"Yeah…there have been some bad things happen in the past, I won't deny that, but isn't the whole point of me being here so I won't _have _to bleed for it anymore…?"

They both froze breifly. He couldn't tell which of them was more surprised by her question; for a second the two stared at each other, not knowing what to do. But then she swallowed and finished what she had started.

"I-I'm…not going to promise that I won't take risks." There was a warning in her eyes to let her finish so he clenched his jaw, grinding the edge of his cigar, and listened. "But I promise I won't leave the city until the money is all gathered…" Again he would have protested but she shook her head. "That's all I'm willing to promise Paulie…I've spent most of my life doing this…You can't really expect me to kick back and let you deal with the rest. I've…worked too hard, and for too long, to be pushed aside now."

"I'm not trying to push you aside!" He protested.

In return Nami gave him a disbelieving look. "And how exactly are you not? You won't let me leave, don't want me to try stealing, what exactly were you expecting me to do while you finished what _I_ started…?"

"I…" He stopped. In reality…He _hadn't _really thought about what she would do…He just hadn't wanted her to get hurt by running around recklessly.

She seemed to see the answer in his eyes so he dropped them to the floor unhappily. She had a point, a damn _good_ point, and he didn't want to admit it.

"Look…" Sighing the small woman shifted so she was leaning against the hallway wall, her legs outstretched. "You really aren't giving me much of a choice here…I'm a thief. I've been a thief for too long to just drop it like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. "I promise I'll be carefully, _and_ I promise not to steal from the good citizens of the city."

Suspiciously he looked at her again but she was looking at the opposite wall. "If you aren't-"

"Pirates who come to get their ships repaired, however, are another matter."

He raised his voice in protest but she ignored him. "You don't know how good I am Paulie; you really don't…So at least let me prove I can do it."

He also shifted until he was leaning against the wall. "How?"

He heard her small laugh. "Like I said…I was a better pickpocket at ten then that guy will ever be." She turned to look at him again, and impish smile on her heart shaped face. "I can pick a pirate's pocket easily…and I'll do it at Galley-La alright? So you'll be right there if I get into trouble."

She had added that last bit just to pacify him, he was sure of it…but her plan was logically sound. No one would care if a pirate was robbed, and she would be in his sight, not off by herself where she might get killed…Frustrated he realized that she had covered all his reasons for not letting her go.

Unconsciously he reached up to mess with his cigar again. "You won't try robbing their ships?" He asked guardedly. Her answer was less than reassuring. "Not at first, no."

The blond found himself sighing deeply. She had beaten him…But she had said… "You won't go robbing their ships until you prove you're good to me then…" He nodded slightly to himself as if it was settled; but was extremely relieved to hear the thief next to him give her own sigh of acceptance.

"Deal."

Incredulously he looked at her, she was holding out one hand, her eyebrows raised in challenge. "Shake on it Paulie." She commanded him. Grumbling somewhat he did, engulfing her small hand in his own briefly before dropping it again.

Feeling uncomfortable again, for more than one reason, he looked back at the beri scattered around them. "What's all this for anyway…?"

He had hoped to change the subject to something he was less…emotionally involved in, but her answer made him groan inwardly.

"You're not going to like it…" Did she have to sound so damn cheerful about it?

"Just tell me now, so I won't have to get pissed off later."

Nami laughed and began gathering the beri next to her. "You're going to help me, but you've got your own financial problems, right?"

His breath escaped in a surprised '_whoosh!'_ and he turned his head sharply to look at her. Undisturbed she continued, "Makes sense that we clear up your problem first then, doesn't it?"

As he grasped the plan she had made his eyes widened and he spoke without thinking. "Hell no!!" The copper haired woman glanced his way but continued piling the money together. "Why not?"

Why was her voice so calm…?!

"Because I…! You…!!" The blond finally did give into his frustration, by thumping his fist against the carpeted hallway floor. "Damn it Nami!! It's not right!!"

"Not _right_?" She repeated sarcastically. "And what exactly is right about you helping me gather _seven million beri_, without letting me help you with the money we've got right here?" She waved one hand around at the gold and beri still scattered around them.

Again her eyebrows rose in challenge and he could do nothing but stare at her in helpless anger. "While you…I…"

"Uh-huh…" This time it was her voice that sounded decisive…and he doubted she was waiting for him to agree with her. "You'll just do what you want no matter what I say, won't you?" He accused her. Her eyes sparkled and her lips lifted into a full smile. "Now you're getting it."

She reached up and pat him on the cheek sympathetically and then turned back to the over sized bag, beginning to shove the dropped gold back into it. Paulie stared at her back; it felt like his brain wasn't working…but then he had a flash of insight that made his eyes widen again.

Seriously he took her by the arm and pulled her around to face him. "One thing Nami…" She was giving him a startled look, though he couldn't detect any anger…yet. "If you help me like this and then run away…" He paused so she could tell he was being dead serious and not bluffing this time. "I _will_ find you."

He felt the little shiver go through her and saw her swallowed hard. The shipwright had expected that to be the end of it; but Nami, never one to accept without a fight said, "I'm not saying I will but…how would you expect to find me…?"

He released her arm and moved to help gather the scattered money. "I got no need to find you…I know where you're going." He heard her sharp intake of breath but for once it didn't make him smile, instead he met her eyes again, which had gone wide and slightly fearful.

"You can't…!" Dropping the wad of cash again, and ignoring how the bills fluttered away to separate places, she reached forward and grabbed a handful of his jacket. "Paulie, you absolutely can _not_ go there!! He'd…" She choked a little and when she spoke again there was real fear in her voice. "He'd kill you…don't you dare-"

"Don't run."

The petite woman stopped ranting and stared at him. "W-What…?"

"I'm saying I won't go there…as long as you don't run away." He took a deep breath and then let it out again; closing his eyes briefly he took his cigar away from his mouth and held it in one hand. "As long as you keep your promise I'll keep mine…And I'm not willing to promise anything better than that."

Her small hands were shaking, he could feel the vibration on his collar from where she was holding his coat, but he didn't say anything about it. Instead he reached up gently and pulled her hand away, dropping it before going back to cleaning up the floor.

Nami didn't move; she stayed in a kneeling position on the floor, and when he glanced at her quickly he saw that she was staring ahead blankly. Thankfully the coffee machine chose that moment to beep loudly, alerting them to the fresh drink. He had pushed all of it into a pile next to the bag; looking at her once more, which she didn't notice, he stood and walked back to the kitchen.

The situation was at once easier to deal with, and more complicated.

The copper haired woman's reaction told him all he needed to know…She _had_ been planning on running…The shipwright raised his coffee cup to his mouth and blew on it gently before drinking any.

He fervently hoped she had changed her mind…because he had meant everyone word he said. Kokoyashi was in East Blue, he would be able to find it easily, and she knew that.

The whole mess would be a whole lot easier if she just gave in…

* * *

She wasn't seeing the living room even though she was looking right at it. Her eyes weren't registering anything, neither were her ears…the only thing that she could focus on was Paulie's words…

It was possible that he had been bluffing earlier, in fact she strongly suspected he was…after seeing him with his nakama she was sure that he loved his job…But this was not a trick…neither was it an idle threat…If she ran away he would go there…and he would most certainly die…

Unaware her eyes widened again; the horror of that thought echoing in her head.

'**We're staying.'**

It wasn't a request but Nami couldn't even work herself up enough to fight it in her mind. _'Yes…There's no way…I could leave now…'_

She didn't know if he was aware of it, but with that one promise he had locked her here completely. She couldn't even think about running now…

Swallowing thickly the cat burglar stood up, her body feeling slightly shaky, and moved back into her room quietly.

* * *

**AN:** Kekekeke, I love Nami. And I loved writing her reaction to that guy trying to pickpocket her. lol! And that thing with Paulie and the stairs is from a private joke, in case you were wondering why I keep bringing it up. Poor boy-o, I'll fix them eventually I promise. :P

Like I said, I really enjoyed this chapter, partially because they _finally_ worked some stuff out, and partially because of Paulie's awesomeness. :D She wasn't expecting that, lol.

I'll just mention this breifly again but the reason I'm having such a hard time writing (besides my demon class) is because there are certain things that have to happen in the next few days but it's hard to go through them without making things seem kinda boring. :( I don't want the story to feel flat but I can't really jump ahead until I have everything set into place so...blah. Yeah.

Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!! I need the encouragement lately. :(


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Okay, first I apologize it's been so long since my last update. Like I said before there have been...things. Lots of things. In fact I had meant to update before but last week my husband had an allergic reaction to something and I've spent the whole week taking care of him. :( There have been other thing as well but if I go into it I'll mostly just be bitching anyway so on to my second apology...I am so soooooo sorry but I've decided that all of my stories are going to have to go on hiatus for a while. :( I am really truly sorry to do that to you guys (I hate it when stories I am reading go on hiatus!) but there has been a lot of stuff and so I haven't written anything in like...almost two months. So please don't be angry! I promise that when I start updating again this will be the first one I update! And I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. :)

(Oh and also...I apologize because this chapter is a bit boring but there are things that need to happen so...blah. Sorry!)**  
**

* * *

Unsurprisingly they were both very quiet when they saw each other again.

Nami had sat in her room for at least an hour before even venturing back out, and Paulie, unused to days off and not really knowing what to do with himself, was in the living room, fixing a shelf that had been broken for ages.

She didn't say anything; instead she moved over to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee though it had cooled considerably. Keeping her eyes fixed on the counter she spoke softly. "There's about 17,000 beri in cash, the rest can be taken into a gold exchange…Its easier to transport when it's all in beri."

The shipwright carefully fit the shelf back into place and began replacing the books that had been piled there before. "Ah…It probably would be." He agreed in a neutral voice.

He looked around, a bit nervously, realizing he had nothing to do now that the shelf was fixed. The awkwardness only lasted for a moment; Nami had taken her coffee and had retreated down the hall.

Feeling a bit depressed the blond sat on his couch, his eyes still idly searching for something he could do…there was nothing. The apartment wasn't really very big so there wasn't a lot of furniture…Finally deciding he'd take up a book he jumped when Nami's door opened again.

He stood and acted as though he was looking for something to read, using the opportunity to glance down the hall at his new house mate. Her face was no longer worried; in fact she looked kind of peaceful, as she went into the bathroom and shut the door. Belatedly he remembered her demand to shower earlier.

To his embarrassment he felt his cheeks heating up again and quickly shook his head, determined to rid himself of all thoughts of the petite woman and showering. Resolutely he picked out a book and tried reading it, though he realized not a single thing had sunk in.

The knock on his apartment door surprised him. He didn't really have visitors…ever…

Unconcerned, the shipwright moved through the kitchen and opened the door, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he glared at the two grinning people in the hallway.

"Shouldn't you two be working or something?" He grumbled but moved back to allow them in anyway. Kaku's eyes were bright as he ushered the beautiful woman in first. Kalifa, the smallest hint of an amused smile on her face, entered gracefully.

"Shouldn't _you_?" She said slyly.

He ignored her as he shut the kitchen door behind them. "Seriously though…" His voice reflected his curiosity. "Why _are_ you here?" The secretary hardly even left her post, and never during the day.

Kaku's grin deepened.

"Well…Kalifa never got to meet your friend." He said with an innocence the other man didn't believe for a minute. His eye twitched. He couldn't believe they would…oh wait. Yes he could.

Grumbling he let them into the living room.

"It wasn't nice of you to leave me out Paulie." Kalifa said mock seriously. "I would really like to meet your…_friend_."

He ignored her tone, though the slightest blush tinged his cheeks at her suggestion. The laughter in their eyes increased as he flushed slowly. "But…since we don't know where she lives we…"

In mid sentence his face turned a bright red. If they found out Nami was here…! He swallowed as they both raised their eyebrows at him; but, unfortunately for him, the water from the shower shut off at that moment, drawing the two visitor's attention.

"Do you have a guest over Paulie?" Kalifa gave him an arched look.

"Was that the shower?" Kaku twisted slightly in his chair to look down the hall and then choked. Unable to resist Paulie also looked, aware that Kalifa was leaning past him to see as well.

Nami… _'That shameless woman!'_ …exited the bathroom in nothing but a large towel and turned towards her room. The sudden choking noise of the two males grabbed her attention though and she turned to look down the hallway back at them. "?"

For a second there was silence, and then the petite woman smiled cheerfully. "Hello again Kaku-san." Behind him he heard the lovely blond chuckle and then felt her haul on the back of his jacket, moving him back out of sight of the enticing woman. Kaku received the same treatment; though the poor carpenter's only comfort was that his co-worker also had a shocked look on his face.

As Kalifa was the only one left in her sight she smiled back at the younger woman. "Nami-san I presume?" Her voice was completely polite, with no hint of her enormous enjoyment evident.

Since he couldn't see her Paulie had no idea what she was thinking but he swallowed hard as he heard her answer. "Ah, that's me! And you are?"

"I'm Kalifa, Iceburg-san's assistant."

"Kalifa!" The blond man choked again when he realized he had spoken aloud. He couldn't believe even _she_ would be evil enough to stand there and have a conversation while Nami was only in…in…

His whole face was burning now, though Kaku seemed to be recovering just fine. The secretary glanced at him briefly, her eyes dancing mischievously, but then she turned back to the copper haired woman in the hall. "Perhaps you'd join us when you're ready?"

Whatever action Nami must have done made the blond woman's eyes sparkle and her smile widen, but the young shipwright was relieved to hear her say, "Of course! Why don't I go get dressed?" And then the sound of her door shutting.

His relief was short lived; as both his visitor's leaned in to taunt him.

"So your _friend _is living here Paulie…?" The other man could hardly contain the glee in his voice and the shipwright he was teasing almost groaned; without a doubt it would become public knowledge at work and then there would be no break from it…

"Oh my Paulie," Kalifa leaned against him in a way she knew he hated. "I had no idea you two were…like that…"

Giving up entirely Paulie put his face into his hands and did groaned, which made his companions laugh. "It's not like that!" Though it was harder for them to hear with his face covered the shipwright didn't dare look up at them. "Nami's a…an old friend!" With relief he remembered the story he had told the others. "We've known each other a long time, and she's only _visiting_ the city so I let her crash here!"

Well…that wasn't entirely true…He had no intention of letting her leave but…Like hell he would confess that to _them_! Swallowing hard again he looked up warily…not that hiding was going to help him any…

Both of them were still grinning widely, immensely enjoying his discomfort, which was made worst when Nami's door opened again and he heard her strolling down the hall.

This was…so bad…

* * *

Seeing one (technically two) of Paulie's co-workers had surprised her, she hadn't been expecting company. But, judging by Kaku-san's face, they hadn't been expecting her either…Kalifa-san on the other hand had gotten an almost maniacal look in her eyes, which Nami took to mean her companion was going to be teased forever. Pulling on a dark purple tank top to match her short white shorts the thief couldn't help but grin a bit maniacally herself.

'_I knew I was going to get along with all of them…'_

Firmly fixing a polite smile onto her face she exited her room and sauntered down the hallway at a slower pace…If she appeared too eager or too hesitant she would be included in that teasing after all…

Arriving, and being the center of attention, she smiled brightly at them. "Hello again Kaku-san." The thin shipwright smiled at her politely as well. "Nami-san…"

Moving gracefully she came closer to the couch so she could shake the other woman's hand. "Kalifa-san, it's nice to meet you."

The tall blond gave her a sweet smile. "Likewise…I apologize I was unable to meet you earlier, I had other duties to attend to."

She shrugged casually before moving towards the small kitchen. She didn't bother looking at Paulie since she _knew_ he would be avoiding her eyes at all costs…but that didn't mean she couldn't talk to him. "Hey Paulie…where do you keep the coffee?"

"Second shelf above the oven…" As she had suspected his voice was filled with embarrassment. "Thank you!" She chirped. Keeping herself busy with the coffee machine Nami took small chances so she could see what was happening in the living room.

Kaku had leaned back in his chair, his extremely long legs stretched out before him. Kalifa was lounging comfortably on the couch, trading a significant look with the carpenter she had come there with.

Her _own_ carpenter was looking down at the ground, his face all the way down his neck burning a bright red.

'**So he's **_**yours**_** now is he?'** The voice sounded far too smug.

'_And here I thought you were going to leave me in peace…'_ She mock sighed in her mind, ignoring the question.

'**Well **_**your**_** poor carpenter is going to have a heart attack and die of embarrassment if you don't do something.'**

Her chocolate colored eyes flicked up again, taking in the three members of Galley-La. Without saying anything his co-workers _were_ making him suffer, to the point that she took pity on him and decided to help out.

"So Kaku-san…Kalifa-san…Did you meet each other through Iceburg-san or were you together before working for him?" She kept her voice innocent as she leaned against the counter, waiting for the machine to percolate.

Her guess appeared to be right as it was their turn to blush vividly.

"Oh no…we're not…!" The rosy color in Kalifa's cheeks darkened and she carefully avoided looking at him. "Ah ha ha…Nami-san…" Kaku put one hand behind his head as he laughed nervously. "Our relationship is only friendship…"

"Ah, like me and Paulie then…?"

Both of them jerked slightly as they looked up at her.

Lifting one coppery eyebrow she smiled at them; a clear message that said, "You leave us alone and we'll leave you alone."

They got the hint.

Both of them blushed again but dropped it, choosing instead to agree with her. "Ah yes…Like that…"

Feeling slightly smug she looked at her companion. Paulie was looking at their two guests with a startled expression…obviously he hadn't ever caught the tension between them.

Blinking in surprise he lifted his eyes to her and she let a tiny smirk on her face. The shipwright looked even more amazed, shifting his head so he could look back and forth between the three of them.

The subject was dropped completely by unanimous vote.

"Would either of you like some coffee?" The petite woman asked instead.

"Ahem…Yes please Nami-san." The lovely blond gave her a grateful smile when she delivered the steaming cup. "Kaku-san? Paulie?" Both men shook their heads and with a shrug she poured her own cup and came to sit on the couch, settling herself comfortably between Paulie and Kaku-san on the small chair.

"Are you natives of Water Seven?"

Actually she didn't even know if _he_ was a native of the city…but the more they discussed other things the better…if they were going to keep pretending they were "old friends" than she would need to know about him…not to mention create a better story of her own past…

The blond woman gently sipped her coffee, crossing her legs delicately as she did so. "Neither of us are actually…I came to this city a little over two years ago." She paused politely to allow him a chance to answer, which he took. "I came here about four years ago."

"Why did you choose this place?"

Kalifa shrugged slightly. "I didn't actually have anywhere else to go…I was lucky enough to arrive just when Iceburg-san needed a secretary, so I applied and got the job."

Kaku-san let out another little laugh. "Just about every shipwright in the world dreams of coming to Water Seven, Nami-san…Do you know much about its history?"

She barely paused to think…not knowing the history of a city wouldn't lead them to any suspicions. "I'm afraid not."

The lanky man smile widened and even Paulie cracked a small smile.

"This is a city for shipwrights and carpenters; here everything is based on skill…The more talented a person is the higher up on the "food chain," you could call it…People come from all over the world to have their ships built here because of all the skilled people who are gathered together." He paused and looked at the blond next to her for input but the younger man just shrugged for him to go on, so he did.

"The Galley-La company was founded by Iceburg-san…he took all the fighting factions of workers and united them, in effect he saved this entire city. It's why when the elections for mayor came up he won by a landslide…"

Kalifa chuckled slightly and added, "I believe the two other candidates put _themselves_ out of the running when they heard he was asked to run."

The others also chuckled and Nami watched them, a lonely feeling in her chest that she tried to ignore…It was obvious he inspired a lot of confidence in his followers; and not just that…loyalty, trust, inspiration…Iceburg-san sounded like…well what she had thought of Gen-san when she was a very young girl...when he had been her hero...

Not liking where her thoughts were going the thief pushed them away and tuned back into Kaku's explanation.

"Anyway…everyone in the world became aware of his genius, which has only helped the company flourish more, which in turn is good for the city." He laughed slightly again. "That's why every shipwright and carpenter in the world wants to come here; most of us hero worship Iceburg-san."

Again he gave the younger shipwright a look, which became puzzled when the blond didn't speak up. Whatever he was avoiding, he wasn't doing a very good job of distracting the others so they wouldn't press him…

* * *

Keeping her voice light and interested Nami continued asking questions of them both, smoothly dodging any questions related to herself or how she knew Paulie.

After nearly an hour the two visitors, seemingly frustrated with her quick thinking and vague answers, gave up trying and decided to leave. Smiling serenely the copper haired woman thanked them for letting her "chat your ears off" and waved cheerfully while Paulie let them out.

When the front door was shut he turned and looked at her; a slightly awed confusion on his face. "How the hell did you _do_ that…?"

Grinning widely she finally let all her pent up laughter out; clutching her stomach and leaning against the kitchen counter she panted for breath. The blond continued to stare at her, which in turn kept her giggles going, until finally he shook his head and muttered, "You're insane…"

Controlling herself she smirked at him smugly. Though she was itching to taunt him on his inability to defend himself from embarrassment she didn't. Instead she put her hands on the counter and placed her heart shaped face in them. "So what's for dinner?" She asked cheerfully.

Not a question he was prepared for apparently. "Dinner…?" He repeated blankly. She shook her head at him. "You _were_ planning to eat again today weren't you? All I've had is coffee you know."

His eyes widened, he had probably forgotten that, and then he looked around the small kitchen guiltily. "I um…I don't think we have much…" His cheeks were tinged pink. "I think I'll have to go shopping or something…"

Nami chuckled quietly but let it slide. "Let's do it tomorrow, I'm hungry _now._"

Shrugging and still looking embarrassed he agreed. "Alright whatever…What do you want…?"

* * *

Later that night Nami was curled up in her bed, thinking back over the events of the day…The sudden permanence of her situation being at the top. It was…just so hard to believe! Twenty-four hours ago hadn't she been convincing herself there was no way she could remain here…?

And why the hell was she so comfortable with this arrangement?

'**Are you actually wondering or is this one of those things that you'll bitch about knowing later?'**

With a slight groan the petite woman rolled onto her stomach. _'There's no getting rid of you is there…?'_ The question was more a reflex than anything…voices in the head didn't usually vanish just because you wanted them too….But, back to the question…

'_What? Are you saying you know? 'Cause if this is more of that 'you want him to take care of you' crap-'_

'**No, it's not.'**

Well…since making itself known in her mind the voice had teased and annoyed her, this was the first time it sounded so serious…Even reminding her that Paulie was only trying to help had been more a gentle rebuke…

Pushing those thoughts aside, (though, being a voice in her head, it probably knew they were there anyway…) she answered.

'_Alright then….Why am I so comfortable here?'_

'**You have spent years running; either away from villains, or back home to drop off more money…Since making your deal with Arlong you haven't taken a moment to really rest…'**

Nami frowned slightly. Okay, well…that _did_ make sense…

'**You aren't uncomfortable because this isn't a vacation for you. Paulie might be an ass about it but you at least know that you're still progressing towards your goal…'**

Interested she broke in quickly. _'__**You**__ think Paulie is being an ass…?'_

There was the equivalent of a snort of disgust. **'I'm not any happier that he would do something so….reckless…! In fact, I'm pretty pissed that he would hold us here by using himself as bait…'**

She knew exactly what the voice was referring to…The thought that Paulie would follow her to Kokoyashi still gave her a chill.

'**Anyway…The point is that you're still working, but you're also **_**safe**_** for the first time in a long time…'**

It paused before adding in a weary tone, **'You don't want to hear it but deep down you **_**are**_** glad…because he **_**wants**_** to take care of you, not because **_**you**_** want him too. It's his feelings for you that make you so comfortable here.'**

The voice fell silent and…she really didn't know what to think…

Breathing deeply the thief rolled back onto her back to stare at the ceiling, ignoring all anger and just focusing on finding the truth.

What was it…that she really wanted…?

* * *

The shipwright stared at his bedroom ceiling, his emotions a tangled mass inside of him. At least they had survived the first day…though if it was going to be the model of days to come he was going to have to seriously re-think how this would work…The blond shuddered at the thought of another day like today…

But…Nami was staying. Definitely and without a doubt, she was staying here.

He didn't know what Iceburg-san had said to her, (and he really _wanted_ to know) but the sneaky woman had "agreed" to his terms…and then she had _really_ given in…

What did it mean that he had to "put his life on the line" to get her to stop being so stubborn and just accept help…? At least he knew that she cared enough that she didn't want him to die.

Paulie smiled ironically at the thought. So she didn't want him dead, great. That wasn't a very big step in the direction of friendship…

Sighing he pushed that away, he'd have to deal with that more later…Instead his mind focused on the unexpected visit from his friends…The blond smirked. He had no idea how she had done it, (and he had been there!) but not only had Nami cut off any teasing before it started, she had effectively kept them completely in the dark regarding the…situation she and him were in…not to mention revealing Kaku and Kalifa's feelings for each other.

He chuckled a little grimly. Oh yes, there would be _much_ retribution…

But back to the point…Nami was damn slick…She had manipulated the entire conversation to her liking…And she had gotten him to agree to letting her "work".

The smile was instantly wiped off his face.

He still couldn't believe he had agreed to it in the first place! When sitting in the hall together it had all sounded so reasonable; and besides, she would be right where he could see her…if anybody, pirate or otherwise, tried to hurt her he would severely kick their ass! Still…He really didn't like the idea of her taking any such risks…But, there was also the fact that he _had_ been trying to keep her at a safe distance from danger, effectively placing her in the equivalent of an "ivory tower" and sealing her off…Which he had no right to do, no matter how much he worried for her safety…

Taking in a deep breath again and then letting it out slowly the carpenter looked up at his ceiling, feeling gloomy again. Nami was at least willing to try reassuring him, setting limitations on herself; considering how over protective he was being it was surprising the beautiful woman hadn't decked him…His lips quirked upwards again, and knowing her she _might_ if he made her mad enough…

The blond chuckled to himself. Nami was so…fiery, so passionate, and demanding, with such a large presence he was constantly finding himself surprised at how petite she physically was.

And…again his smile faded as he became aware of where his thoughts had been going…if he didn't learn how to control himself, and soon, he would be in danger of tripping over the very important line between "love" and…whatever the hell he felt now. He wasn't even sure…adoration maybe? Something close to that.

Yeah, it would be extremely easy to fall in love with her…Which was not something he was prepared to deal with…yet.

The blond groaned. He had known her for less than _two days_! And before knowing her he hadn't even bothered with women; they were all shameless teases and that was that. But now there _was_ Nami, (who was also a shameless tease) but had the ability to make him think of things he hadn't ever thought before.

And, God help him, he _wanted_ to think about it.

Feeling frustrated Paulie forced himself to close his eyes; he had to sleep tonight. There was stuff he needed to do tomorrow, so sleep…he needed to sleep…

* * *

**AN: **Awww..poor confused Paulie. But he's so cute. :P Again, sorry it seems like not much is happening in this chapter, I have to set things up before I can start skipping ahead in time you know, so...blah, whatever. xD And I'm sorry this is the last update for a little while, I don't know how long it will be but I promise this will be the first story I update when I come back! And, of course, I am still and always will love all comments, questions, or suggestions, so please feel free to do so. :)**  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**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!


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:** No, I'm not dead. Just having lots of stuff going on the last two months, which makes it difficult to do much writing. Sorry guys, :( But rest assured that I haven't given up on any of my stories and I promise to slowly continue cranking out chapters. (Actually I was able to write two of the most important chapters for this story but they're like...still far away from that point in time so it didn't really do any good. xD) Thanks for still sticking around and giving me opinions, I really appreciate them and I'm sorry that my ability to respond has dwindled. I'll try to shake myself out of this depressed-like state, so don't worry. Thanks guys, you're awesome. :)

* * *

Nami was bored.

Lounging on the couch the copper haired woman looked up at the apartment ceiling. Even though she now had a key and could go exploring any time she wanted to she hesitated. Without a map she wasn't sure she could find her way back to the apartment building…Navigating on the open ocean was different from navigating inside a city, especially one the size of Water Seven. The only route she was familiar with in any way was the shortest route between the shipyards and Blue Station; she _had_ been planning on boarding the sea train as soon as possible after robbing Iceburg-san...

Since practically forcing her new house mate to go out and do what he was supposed to the petite thief had gone through all her clothes, taking advantage of the closet in her room and putting them away, calculated exactly how much she had in gold, and had even browsed the shipwright's book shelves curiously.

It had been hours now and she had nothing to do…even playing with the glittering gold and jewels wouldn't relieve her boredom.

She hoped Paulie would come home soon…

Flushing at the thought she pushed herself back up in annoyance. Her thoughts were a confusing mess…last night she had tried to sort out how she felt and what it was that she wanted…and now hours later she was _still_ trying to figure it out.

Her only consultation was that the voice in her head hadn't offered any other opinions or "advice." Actually it had been completely silent for hours now…

'_Are you still there…?'_

Immediately the lovely woman felt ridiculous; where would it have _gone_ since the last time it had spoken to her? There was a peel of laughter in her mind and she sighed. **'I'm here.'** It responded in amusement.

'_Lovely.'_ She snapped back. _'So why have you been so quiet today?'_

'**Don't be nasty.'** It answered mildly. **'There's no reason to get snippy with me.'**

'_Right.'_ She sighed again, one hand slipping into her hair to twirl it around on her fingers. _'Well then…Anything to add?'_

'**I don't think the question you should be asking yourself is what you want.'** It answered thoughtfully. **'That's too broad a subject, which is why you're getting all tangled up, right?'**

She didn't have to answer; being inside her head it already _knew_ that was what the problem was…She had no idea what it was she wanted, and every time she tried to figure it out she only confused herself.

'**So what will you do after you've bought Kokoyashi back?'**

Unintentionally she gasped out loud. That was a subject she had hardly ever aloud herself to think of… _'I'll deal with what happens then when it's time…'_ It was the same answer she had been telling herself for years.

'**And you could get away with telling yourself that because you were alone…But you aren't anymore. What do you think will happen with **_**him**_** after you've bought your village back?'**

Though she was alone Nami felt her heart speed up and she automatically looked around nervously. She didn't even know how to _begin_ thinking about that…What did Paulie want from her? What would he expect after he helped her raise the seven million? She just didn't know…

'**Alright, laying that aside for now, what you told him yesterday is true. You've been a thief for most of your life now; do you really think you could just **_**stop**_** when the need is over? What will you do…help Nojiko grow and sell oranges?'**

The copper haired woman bit down on her lip. Another question she didn't have an answer to…_'Aren't you supposed to be a part of me? How come you're coming up with all these stupid questions?'_

'**So they're stupid because you're too scared to think about them?'** It asked her in a snarky tone. Nami fidgeted uncomfortably. _'I'm not __**scared**__…I just…'_

She had no excuse. These were things she didn't _want_ to be thinking about…

'**Fine then.'** The voice said in irritation. **'Why don't you try answering this one…How do you feel about Paulie?'**

Again she inhaled sharply. She didn't want to think about these things…!

The door opening caught her by surprise and the petite woman's head jerked slightly as the person she had been thinking about let himself in, her cheeks blooming red. The blond was grinning from ear to ear and he had a sheaf of papers in hand. "Ah!" He said when he saw her. "I'm glad you're here…look!"

Her face flushed even more at his words though she knew he hadn't meant them in the way her brain was insisting on taking them. Shaking herself the cat burglar dropped her eyes to the papers her companion had tossed on the coffee table.

"Wanted posters…?" She asked.

Paulie dropped to his haunches on the opposite side of the low table, his bright blue eyes reflecting his excitement. "Galley-La has certain rules about dealing with pirate customers." He started. "While pirate crews are our clients they have immunity with us…After we've done our jobs they'll sometimes get caught and taken in, but even the marines know better than to try making trouble while they're at the shipyards."

His voice embodied his excitement too and Nami found herself lowering her eyes again, she hadn't even realized she had raised them; his handsome features were animated as he explained whatever it was that had made him so happy.

"Okay…" She murmured, to let him know she was listening.

"The rule is well known and I wouldn't break it anyway but…" He held up one finger to emphasize his point, anticipation in his voice. "But, I can find out when every ship is done, as soon as a wanted man leaves the shipyards with his ship done he's fair game again."

Her eyebrows drew down in confusion. "You want to…?"

"It wouldn't be hard to collect on them." He said earnestly. "It still might take a while but we could definitely save up quicker than just relying on what either of us could make..."

He continued but her mind missed it, her eyes widening and her breath escaping her chest as his plan finally made sense to her. He wanted to _chase down_ known criminals…? ! And he said _she_ was reckless!

"Paulie!"

The blond stopped and blinked at her in his own confusion. "What?" He asked her blankly. The fact that he was missing the obvious only annoyed and worried her more.

Slamming one hand on the coffee table in between them the thief glared at him. "No way!" She snapped angrily. The shipwright's eyebrows rose as he looked at her in surprise. "Why…" She cut him off. "You won't let me go out robbing pirates, which _avoids _confrontation I might remind you! But _you_ want to deliberately fight them for their bounties…Do you not see a problem with this?"

Her frustration continued to rise as the carpenter across from her began grinning again. She opened her mouth to yell at him more but he beat her too it. "Annoying isn't it?"

He ignored her eyes, which flashed dangerously, and continued. "For one thing Nami, I know how to take a person by surprise." He deliberately didn't mention their brief fight in Iceburg's office though she could tell he was thinking about it as his grin changed into a smirk. "Secondly, I'm more than capable to handle myself against a few pirates." He chuckled. "And lastly, you're _still_ going to be out robbing them. Why should I avoid danger when you're running straight for it?"

His voice had changed while speaking too, now reflecting the smugness that he felt. Furiously she began berating him. "You have no idea how talented I am! I can get away with robbing them because they won't even know it until I'm long gone! You…!" Her shouting continued for several minutes as her companion watched her calmly. When she began repeating herself he stepped back in.

"Tell you what Nami…" He leaned both elbows against the small table in between them. "I won't go bounty hunting if you won't go thieving." His smirk widened when she began sputtering at him angrily, but then it slipped off his face and he took a deep breath.

"Look…" His tone had changed to reflect his seriousness. "Neither of us really want the other in harm's way, right?" His cheeks were tinged with color even as hers flushed. Meekly she nodded. "But there isn't really another way. Seven million is a hell of a lot Nami. Trying to earn it by any other means would take a long time…too long." He paused and her eyes flickered up to his before dropping again…sometimes he was so _intense_…The copper haired woman realized her breathing was light and shallow; she tried to correct it immediately, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Your people's lives depend on this…" His voice was soft and gentle, which didn't help with her confusion. "That means we gotta take a couple risks."

She wanted to tell him he shouldn't risk anything for her…she told herself that she _should_ say it…but instead the young thief just stared down at the stack of wanted posters, her face reflecting her feelings. Unaware of what she was doing Nami reached up with one arm, crossing it over her chest and touching the shoulder that had Arlong's symbol. If she didn't say something to diffuse the situation she might start crying again…

"You're co-operative all of a sudden." She mumbled and then stopped, not knowing how to put what she felt into words. He had been picky and over protective and now had suddenly reversed completely…

The blond seemed to have guessed what she was thinking because he chuckled. "Like I said…its annoying isn't it?" The smirk was back on his face she could tell… "Shut up…" She retorted weakly, to which he laughed quietly again.

'**If you don't say anything he's going to think you're okay with this.'**

She didn't bother to argue; instead the young woman looked back up at the blond. "I don't like this." She said bluntly. "You're the one who's being reckless, you know!"

The shipwright gave her a half smile, though his eyes were still filled with amusement. "You're underestimating me, Nami." His voice was teasing as he used her own words against her. Unthinkingly she stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh again, and breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Paulie rocked backwards on his heels and then stood, stretching slightly.

"Well," He grinned down at her. "I've got the rest of the day off…What'll we do now?"

Following his lead the thief stood. "Iceburg-san said you never take days off, why's that?" She reached up and began twisting one lock of coppery hair again, watching her companion who shrugged.

"Usually it's 'cause I've got nothing to do outside of work."

"Nothing?" She repeated lightly. "What about family and friends?"

If the blond was surprised by her question it didn't show. Instead he shrugged again before giving her a side glance. "Speaking of…we should get our story straightened out before I get asked more questions."

"Questions? Who's been asking you questions?" As if she couldn't guess…

"Well Kaku for one…"

She nodded, releasing her hair as she slipped past him. "I figured that would happen. What did you tell him?" Careful to keep her eyes away from his the cat burglar pulled a book off his shelf and began flipping through it randomly. He had a couple of interesting books, and at least one on Navigation that she hadn't already read.

"I said you came to Water 7 with your dad a long time ago and we became friends."

She heard him rattling around in the kitchen but she kept her face buried in the book, thinking deeply. He knew she was an orphan…at one point she had felt that Gen-san was the only father figure she would ever need; her unwanted break from the affections of the Kokoyashi villagers had been…well sometimes it still felt like _he_ had died that day too...

...Sometimes she thought that would have been better…

Shaking off the well of depression she spoke again. "So you've lived here your whole life?"

"Ah." She wished she could tell what he was thinking but his voice was bland. "I was born here."

Tracing a finger down the page as her eyes followed the words unthinkingly Nami nodded, she had guessed that to be the case. Awkwardly she paused before asking her next question, feeling like she was prying. "Do you have any family...?"

He didn't even pause, as if he had been waiting for her to ask. "Nope. I'm an orphan." In her peripheral vision she saw him saunter back into the living room with a steaming cup in hand. His face was calm, which in turn calmed her…She had been wondering about him, about his life and history, and though she had the perfect opportunity to ask she had been worried about being too invasive, the past could be a painful thing after all.

Taking a deep breath she casually turned and leaned against the wall, the open book still in her hands. "And when was it that I came here with my dad?" She kept her voice light and airy, hoping he hadn't guessed her feelings.

Paulie shrugged. "I wasn't specific so…whenever you want." There was half a smile lurking at the corner of his lips as he brought his drink to his mouth. "But it would have to be before I turned eleven."

Curiously she peeked over the top of the book. "Why's that?"

Again the blond shrugged. "That's when I met Iceburg-san so he would have known if you came here later."

The thief relaxed again. This was a relatively safe topic of conversation. "How did you meet him?" She slipped into the chair next to the couch and settled herself comfortably. It was possible she would get to find out about him after all.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry about the shortness of the chapter; the next isn't much better but at least it's got a bit about his past in there. I've set the plot out more decisive and clearly, (before it was a "Oh, that would be cool, I should make that happen!" sort of thing.) So the chapters are set out by content, which I've found makes it easier to write. I still don't know what the schedule will be like and I'm sorry, things are just kinda...difficult. (And no, I don't mind talking about it, I just feel like I would be bitching and moaning if I wrote it down here. You are free to ask and I won't be offended. ^-^)

Thanks again guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, (even though it's so short!)


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One Piece, Humor, Romance