FicWad

"How are you feeling?"

Liam tried lifting himself into a sitting position on the bed. When his arms started quivering Summer gently helped him up. He grimaced a little and gave a nod in thanks.

"Still really stiff and sore, but otherwise ok." He stubbornly scratched at the bandages wrapped around his chest, earning a small glare from Summer.

"What did Law tell you about doing that?" She asked, to which he sighed heavily.

"I'm telling you, I can get up and start walking. I'm fine now." He moved to swing his legs over the side of the bed, but Summer stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"Ah ah, sit your ass back down in that bed and stay there until Law tells you you can leave." He slowly leaned back, and she laughed at his pained face.

"What are you laughing at?" He whined.

"Nothing, just that medics make the worst patients."

"Shut up…"

"Sometimes you're just as stubborn as Law." He leaned all the way back against the cot and sighed again.

"Are there any books or something lying around? I'm losing my mind just sitting here." With a grin, she stood and left the infirmary in search of reading material.

"I'll get you some. And don't even think about getting up while I'm gone because I will know and I will hurt you." She pointed two of her fingers at her narrowed eyes and then turned them towards Liam. This earned her a small grin before she was out the door.

In the hall, Summer smiled quietly to herself. The sub hadn't been the same without Liam's quiet confidence and subtle sass. She'd missed having someone to talk to in earnest. Sure, there were others on the sub she was friends with, but Liam had been the first person she'd bonded with when she'd sneaked on board the yellow submarine.

Finding Shachi and Penguin's quarters, she rapped loudly and waited. There wasn't an answer. They were probably in the engine room or the mess deck, and she didn't want to intrude, so she went off to look in Liam's room for books.

Opening the door slowly, she peeked her head inside. Liam's room was neat and orderly, just like she would expect it to be. Like the rest of the quarters on the sub, it was pretty spartan. A closet, a dresser, a side table, a bed, and some personal items were all that decorated the inside. Closing the door behind her, she paced across the floor to the small bedside table. Opening the top drawer, she moved a few pictures over.

Something caught the light and Summer picked it up in curiosity. It was a necklace, with the pendant in the shape of a bird. Distracted, she eyed the purple gems in the place of the eyes and smirked.

'Just like mine.' She wondered.

Deciding that she had snooped enough, she returned the bird back to its spot in the drawer and closed it. A search of the bottom drawer proved futile and she stood up with a sigh.

'Who else has books?' She asked herself. Immediately, she remembered who and set off toward his quarters.

'I hope he's in here.' She rapped on the door and waited. For a moment, there was nothing. She was starting to leave when soft footsteps approached the door, and a moment later it swung open.

An exhausted-looking Law stood behind it, eyeing her curiously. "Do you need something?" He asked softly. She gave a small smile.

"Liam was asking for something to read, and I was wondering if I could borrow one of your books? I know you have lots of them in there." She gestured behind the captain. He unconsciously rubbed at the sleep in his eyes for a moment, which Summer didn't miss.

'He really needs more sleep.' She thought idly. Giving a small nod, he opened the door slightly for her. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You want me to come in?" She stuttered, to which he raised a brow.

"I'm currently in the middle of something. I assumed you would pick one of them yourself." It took a moment to recover from her surprise. Realizing she was gawking, she tried to explain.

"Well I just...you know...it's your room so I thought…" He grinned at her disjointed thoughts.

"Thought what, Summer-ya?" She glared, fully aware that he was enjoying her distress. Well, she wasn't about to give him front row seats to her own stupidity and social awkwardness.

"Whatever." She said, pushing past him into the room. The room was dark, and her eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighting.

Law's room was colored much darker than those of the crew. The walls were darker grey and the furniture inside seemed to match the gloomier tone. There wasn't much inside, just like the rest of the rooms, but it seemed more...sophisticated and...scholarly.

It wasn't as neat as Liam's either. Books were everywhere. Books with pages opened lined the back edge of his desk, where a small lamp was on and his usual mug of coffee steamed. The bookshelf at the back was filled to the brim, and small sheets of paper stuck out here and there.

'Stop staring and grab a book.' She mentally shook her head and moved towards the bookshelf.

"Which ones can I take?" She asked. He returned to his seat at his desk without looking at her.

"Anything on the shelf. Just don't lose any of the loose paper."

Turning back to the shelf, she scanned the shelves. A finger on her chin, she examined the spines meticulously as she read the titles.

'Diseases of South Blue And Their Treatments. Medicinal Plants. Basics of Human Anatomy and Physiology. Cranial Surgical Procedures.'

"What do you think Liam would like?" She wondered aloud.

"How would I know that?" Law asked, exasperated as he flipped a page of his book. Now Summer huffed in annoyance, spinning on her heel and placing a hand on her hip.

"Well, you know him better than I do. I know he wants to be a better medic, but I'm not sure exactly what he likes to study."

Placing his coffee mug down and pushing up from his chair with another sigh, he straightened and walked over to the bookshelf. His eyes quickly scanned the titles until he found one he liked.

"Here." She took the book and flipped it over to the cover.

"Advanced Guide to Toxicology?" She read, and he nodded in response.

"Liam-ya has always been interested in curing poisons and toxins. I don't believe he has read that one yet."

"Ok, I'll make sure to bring it back once he's done."

"One more thing." Law said, and she looked in surprise at the second book he held out to her. It was the Human Anatomy and Physiology book she had seen earlier.

"Doesn't Liam already know that stuff?" She asked curiously. She took it, hesitantly.

"That one is for you to study." She frowned, but he continued. "Learning the basics of the human body could potentially improve your sword fighting, and improve your technique with your daggers. You might be able to aim your attacks better. And you might just learn something." He said, walking back over to his desk. Looking over them one more time, she pressed the books against her chest.

"Alright, if you say so. Just get some sleep alright? You look like crap." He only grunted in reply. There really wasn't any reason not to learn this stuff, so she shrugged and walked back out the door leaving Law to his own studying.

"Where'd you get this?" Liam asked, turning random pages in the Poisons book. His attention was rapt on the illustrations inside and the formulas and ratios it contained.

"Law gave it to me. He said you hadn't read it before and that you were really into poisons and stuff." He nodded absently, still glued to the book in front of him.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Is there anything else I could get you?" He glanced up and smiled.

"Nah, thanks for the book though. Now I get how you felt when you first got here."

"Oh yeah, you're right! I forgot about that." She laughed, thinking back to when Liam had been the one to take care of her. The situation was almost exactly the same, but the roles were switched.

"Makes you think, doesn't it?" Liam wondered, his eyes taking on a faraway look. Summer watched him in curiosity, and before she could stop it, the sentence burst from her.

"I saw that necklace in your drawer." The change was instantaneous. His eyes took on a sudden clarity but there was no expression behind them, as if something inside him had shut off.

"Yeah?" He asked tonelessly. She frowned slightly in worry.

"I'm sorry for snooping, but I was looking for books for you to read. I-I was just wondering who it was for."

He looked away, and she couldn't see his expression. Summer knew she had said the wrong thing, and all she could hope now was that he wouldn't explode in her face.

"Someone I used to care for deeply." His outward appearance was calm, but she knew better. Summer gulped, cautioning a glance at his face that was now turned towards her.

"Umm...what happened to them?" His jaw tightened and there was an uncomfortable pause as he sorted his emotions with an effort.

"She loved another man."

"Oh...I'm sorry, Liam."

"Yeah...I am too."

Neither of them said anything else, retreating into their own thoughts. Liam awkwardly cleared his throat in the uncomfortable atmosphere and Summer stood up hurriedly, causing the stool to fall backwards to the ground. The banging reverberated throughout the room.

"I-I should probably...go now." She tried straightening the stool again, sputtering excuses as she went. Liam just watched her with sorrow in his eyes.

"Yeah, you probably should." He dug himself deeper under the thin covers, turning away from Summer. "Captain might be looking for you or something." She furrowed her brows.

"Why would Law need me?" With a sigh, he shook his head closing his eyes.

"Nevermind."

"But-"

"Just go." He said quietly. She grabbed the Anatomy book from the side table timidly, as if he would suddenly bite her if she got too close.

"...Ok."

She swiftly turned on her heel and pushed out the double doors of the infirmary. Once outside, she slid her back down the wall. Hanging her head in her hands, she closed her eyes and let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

'Why does this always happen?' She thought. '/Why do I always open my damn mouth and ruin whatever friendships I do have?' /She was thankful that there was no one in the hallway with her at the moment.

For the first time in a long time, she cried.

Pururururu...pururururu...purururu...gatcha.

"Report."

"Captain, I've picked up a ship on the radar." Jean Bart said, watching the small green dot at the very edge of the monitor. He narrowed his eyes as it dropped just below the range of detection for the third time that hour. A few moments later, it drifted back on the screen.

"I'm assuming they're not just passing us by?" Law guessed.

"They've been following us for the past two hours, right at the edge of our perception."

"I'll be down in a moment." He hung up the snail phone and so did the navigator.

A few minutes later, Law walked through the navigation room door and approached the screen. He eyed the dot and narrowed his eyes, straightening up in thought.

"Why am I only hearing about this now?" Jean Bart was unfazed by the slight accusation.

"They've not been aggressive in their movements up to this point. At first I believed they were simply crossing paths with us, but they've drifted in and out of our radar's reach several times now. Only in the past hour have they stayed for prolonged period of time."

"Interesting…" Law said, more to himself than to the ex-captain. He rubbed his goatee in thought, staring idly at the screen as the ship once again drifted out of their detection. They both watched as ten minutes later the ship reappeared.

"Keep an eye on their movements. As of right now they aren't a threat, but as soon as they break their current pattern alert me."

"Aye, Captain."

"Commander Mona, please report." Marine Headquarters said through the den den mushi. She gave an audible sigh and rubbed at her forehead.

"Still in pursuit of the Heart Pirates. We haven't had any luck as far as leads to their whereabouts."

"We've had several reports of a kidnapping on Elysium for Mrs. Scarlet Winslow. No solid information can be obtained at this point, but the staff of the household state that a pirate crew with a female assassin infiltrated the mansion and took the lady of the house." Commander Mona's brows furrowed.

"How could they just kidnap someone with such protection like that? Surely somebody saw more detail than that?"

"Negative, no positive I.D's were made. Most of the staff were caught by surprise or couldn't remember major details."

"Dammit…" She muttered, squeezing her hand into a tight fist. They were always so close, just never close enough.

"We did get a report of a yellow vessel heading west of the island, however. We suggest you start your search in that direction."

Well, it wasn't much but it was a start. "Roger that." She hung up the snail phone and leaned her head back.

That helpless feeling just wouldn't go away.