FicWad

Summer didn't think much about the strange woman she had met earlier. In fact, she didn't think much about anything other than the glistening frozen pond in front of her. She stood staring in amazement at the glittering expanse of ice. No one was skating right now, but she could see faint skate marks scratched all over the surface.

"Look at that…" She murmured. Bepo nodded his head as well, watching as Summer observed the frozen lake.

"Do you think they have a shop that sells skates?" She asked him.

"I saw one on the main street before." He responded. She gave a gleeful little giggle and ran back towards the town, pulling Bepo by the paw.

The shop was on the opposite side of the street from the clothing store. The front was similar, but instead of several small window it was designed with one large one. Two mannequins were posed in skating position. Summer stood outside with her hands on the glass. Her wide eyes took in the laced shoes and snowflake-patterned gloves the models wore. Bepo smiled, happy that Summer was enjoying herself. Suddenly, the awed expression changed to one of sorrow. She slowly backed away from the window.

"They're probably really expensive." She said. Shrugging with a sad smile, she gestured for Bepo to follow. He had to hurry to catch up, as she was already far ahead of him.

"Do you want to buy the ice skates?" An audible sigh escaped her lips, and she glanced back at the store windows.

"Yeah, but…" She paused. "I don't need them. It's just something I've wanted to do since I was a little girl." She stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets, hunching her shoulders in the process. Bepo looked at her in confusion.

"You've never been ice skating?" She shook her head. "Maybe Captain will let you buy them."

She felt the sturdy material of the jacket and shrugged. Her feet trudged through the soft snow slowly. "Maybe…" She said disheartedly. By this time, they had stopped on the street and were still looking back at the store.

'He's already been too kind to you. Don't take his kindness for granted. You're not on the streets anymore.'

After a few more seconds of staring, she shook her head and headed back with Bepo following close behind. "Come on, Bepo. Let's go back to the sub."

Law sat in his quarters reading one of his medical books, drinking the ever-present mug of coffee that sat on the desk. He'd started reading hours ago, but he still turned the pages with as much interest as he had when he had first picked it up.

Law was frustrated.

The book was a feeble attempt to get his mind off of one person in particular, and it had worked for the most part. The intensive scientific explanations and prodecural descriptions really took his full attention. But her face would slip into his subconscious every once in a while, and it would take longer for him to shake her from his thoughts each time it happened.

Running a hand through his hair with a sigh, he noticed his mug was empty. He pushed up from his seat, stretching his stiff muscles. Passing several men in the halls, he made his way to the kitchen.

The crew had moved back into the submarine after their stay at the inn. Much as he enjoyed the warm rooms the inn offered, he always slept better onboard the submarine.

Passing by one of the small windows in the hallway, he was surprised to see it was almost evening. The sun was close to the horizon, casting a faint yellow glow on the snow outside. It was then the aroma of cooking meat filled his nose and he once again turned towards the kitchen.

'Dinner should almost be ready. I should probably eat something.' He thought to himself, feeling his stomach rumble. He was starting to feel a little light headed, now that he thought about it. Perhaps dinner would be best.

The mess deck was packed with men, some playing cards and others already drunk and attempting to sing off-keys melodies. The laughing and shouting was almost deafening but he had gotten used to such noise. Tough and serious his crew might seem, but not one of them missed an opportunity to party.

He searched out his usual seat in the corner where he could observe in relative peace. Most of the commotion happened around the center tables, where the more boisterous engineers and medics tended to sit.

So it didn't come as a surprise to find Penguin and Shachi seated in the middle of the group, recounting the tales of adventures on some island previous. He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but judging from their hand gestures and the rambunctious laughter of their audience, it was quite a captivating story.

The door to the kitchen swung open and Summer hurried out with plates of food. She was greeted by hearty cheers and shouts to bring about the food to men first. He smirked as she just rolled her eyes and shook her head, replying with a patient 'You'll get it when you get it!' A light smile crossed her face as she served and weaved through the demanding crowd.

Her hair was messily tied up onto her head, where it fell down her back in tangled waves. A black apron with their jolly roger was tied around her waist, hiding her usual tank top and jeans. Her face was red, presumably from standing in front of the stoves and hot equipment of the kitchen.

He realized he was staring, but he decided that he didn't care. He was the captain. He did what he wanted. Why should he do anything otherwise?

Eventually, she brought over his own plate. Bepo had joined him, carrying over a special meal of raw salmon he had received from Casper. He hadn't failed to notice that she left his table for last, taking a loop around the room before coming back to his. Whether or not that was because of the fact that he was staring at her, he wasn't sure.

"Here." Was all she said as she set the food in front of him. He eyed the plate with interest; roasted chicken with vegetables and a bread roll. Inwardly, he smirked. He decided he hadn't teased his blonde crew member enough in the past few days.

'Time for some fun.'

"Miss Summer." She turned back around, having already been on the way back to the kitchen for her own meal. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking him what it is he wanted. He glanced down at the plate. "I do not think you have been informed of the fact that I do not eat bread."

She glanced down at the plate as well. Looking back at him, she shrugged slightly. "And?"

"I refuse to eat this. I demand another plate." He said, cocking his head to the side to wait for her angry outburst.

He was surprised to see the barest hint of a smile cross her face, only for an instant, before asking. "You won't eat it because you don't like bread? Really?"

This was not what he expected. The anticipated snap of her temper was what he had wanted to see. He raised a brow of his own in irritation as she snorted in amusement before taking the plate back up. To his further surprise, she swiped the bread off the plate and took a huge bite out of it herself. Swallowing the food, she grinned widely.

"More for me then!" Turning her back on the captain, she continued eating the last of the roll. "You don't know what you're missing! And no dinner for you!" She said in a singsong voice, disappearing back into the kitchen.

Law was left somewhat speechless in the corner seat as he stared after the strange blonde cook assistant. Shaking his head, he turned to Bepo who sat across from him.

"I will never understand that woman." Bepo looked thoughtful before answering slowly.

"Maybe she was just hungry." He supplied. The captain continued to shake his head, noting that his stomach continued to growl angrily. Bepo didn't know this, so the bear went back to eating his fish in delight.

Summer returned twice more; once to fill his coffee mug, albeit smirking knowingly the whole time as if she was privy to some big secret. The other was to clear the mess left by the men. She hadn't even glanced his way. Other than that, she seemed to stay in the kitchen during dinner.

The surrounding crew didn't say anything, so Law assumed this was a normal occurrence. Slowly, men retired to their own quarters for the night, leaving alone or in groups. Soon, there was only a handful of the crew left in the mess deck, and Law stood to return to his own room.

The sun had long since set, leaving the room lit only in the lights inside. Law glanced out the window at the black landscape. The snow surrounding them was empty. Only a few streetlights farther up the street lit up the main road.

Bepo rose from his seat as well. The bear yawned and made to walk out the door but only made it a few steps.

He stopped walking and raised his nose to the air, sniffing a few times with a look of concentration. Law noticed this and frowned.

"What is it?" He asked, watching Bepo carefully. The bear glanced out the window.

"Someone's coming." He said. Law looked out the window once more.

Unlike before, a dark figure was hastily making their way through the previously undisturbed snow. They were still too far away to make out any details, but it was obvious they were frantic or running in panic. The strangest part was they were heading straight for the submarine.

"Are they hostile?" Law asked, taking his nodachi from the bear who had been holding it during dinner. He hadn't even needed to say a word. Bepo knew him well enough to know when he wanted his sword.

"No, they smell afraid. It smells...familiar." He said in confusion. Law glanced at his friend curiously before turning his attention to the figure again. They were much closer now, and he could vaguely make out that the person wore a thick black or brown shawl or cloak.

"Shall we greet them, then?" The captain muttered, moving towards the hatch. Bepo followed, making sure not to alarm the crew to anything strange.

By the time they had opened the hatch and stood on top of the yellow sub, the person had almost made their way to them. From there, Law could hear the person's labored breathing and running footsteps. When he judged them to be no more than 40 feet away, close enough for his comfort, he called out.

"Unless you wish to die, stay where you are." His voice carried through the cold night air straight to their ears, and they hesitated before stumbling forward a few more steps. Narrowing his eyes, Law unsheathed his nodachi a few inches. Whomever it was didn't seem threatening, but looks could be deceiving.

"Please…" A female voice called. "Please help me." She sounded tired and desperate and frantic, a whole mix of emotions. He still wasn't convinced of anything.

"Give me a reason as to why I shouldn't kill you where you stand." He said, his tone as cold as the air around them. The woman gave a strangled sob, before falling to her knees.

"Please...they're after me…" She crawled towards them a few feet before passing out in the snow. He stared for a few seconds, but she didn't move. Law sheathed his nodachi with an exaggerated sigh.

"Great. Another woman I have to deal with." He said, jumping down from the roof to bring her inside.