Her alarm woke her the incessant trill grating on her ears as she rolled over to hit the clock on her bedside table. As she reached for it her hands fell short and she couldn't work out why. Thinking she was wrapped in her quilt she tried to pull it off and was met with warm skin and not material. As she tried to free herself the hold only became tighter and she heard a grumble,

"Can you turn it off," the deep male voice asked and Nico felt her face flush.

"You'll have to let go of me," she murmured her voice a husky drawl and she heard a growl of some sort and glancing over she saw hungry eyes with strands of green hair falling in to them.

"Not going to happen," he told her as he moved closer so that his skin was against hers from her shoulders to her toes. As he had moved she stretched out again and managed to hit the clock silencing the alarm as his arms tightened around her again. "What time is it?" he asked on a yawn that Nico could feel all through her body as his chest expanded behind her. She glanced at the clock and turned her head towards him finding him looking at her expectantly a sparkle of mischief in his eyes.

"A little after eight in the morning," she said as his lips kissed the base of her neck.

"Too damn early," Zoro growled as he rolled on to his back bringing her with him so that she was curled up on his chest. "I think we get a lie in after all the work we put in last night." Nico felt the heat suffuse her face as she had sudden flash backs of the night before.

They had only meant to get to her apartment to dry Zoro off, but as soon as the door had closed behind them the thought of getting him dry was the last thing on either of their minds. His lips had found hers and as their clothes hit the floor, hers in the silent shush of crinkling fabric and his with wet slaps on the wood. All bets were off.

He nipped her shoulder and tilted her face to his so he could kiss her,

"Good morning," he told her the self-satisfied smirk on his face was all she needed to know; he was very pleased with himself for the position he found himself in. He pushed her hair over her shoulder running it down her back; his fingers catching in the small knots that their passionate natures had put in to it.

"Do you want breakfast?" she asked after a few minutes of silence; not sure how to act as she had never been in this position before. As she glanced up at the chiselled features of Zoro's face she realised that he was in the same position as she was and it made her giggle. It was nice to finally find a place that was out of his depth. She had spent so long thinking that it was her that was permanently out of her depth with him. He kissed her forehead softly before running the pad of his thumb over her lower lip in the most tender of caresses. After a few second of intently watching her, he shook his head and brought the covers over them again.

"I want to stay here, just a little bit longer, we can get breakfast later." He yawned again and as he pulled her in close she could feel his breathing level out and he was asleep in an instant. She kissed the centre of his right pectoral and felt her eyes flutter closed again as she fell in to a warm and contented sleep.

When a phone rang a few hours later the pair groaned as they fumbled and scrambled off the bed to find the offending article. Nico was frustrated as she was woken from a dream where Zoro had told her that he loved her, not that he hadn't already she admitted to herself. This time it was different, he wasn't talking about her past, he was talking about their future, he was talking about roots. He had been talking about forever. She knew it was stupid, but that stability was what she wanted in her heart of hearts; hidden from everyone else.

Zoro was also unhappy at the stupid phone that was ringing as he had been woken from a dream where Nico showed him that her ballet training hadn't gone to waste as she took to the stage in Sleeping Beauty, but the Prince had fallen ill and at the last moment he had to storm the stage to wake his princess. He watched as her hair fell across her naked shoulders and a warm burn started in the centre of his chest.

He had no idea what he was feeling in that moment, but he did know one thing he didn't want it to end.

Nico finally found the phone, realising it was his she handed it over and received a kiss in return. Zoro glanced at the caller and his eyes widened, he picked up the call and Nico could hear laughing on the other end of the line,

"Hooooo Zoro!" she heard Luffy jeer, "So you didn't come home last night! A Gentlemen always come home!" Luffy chastised making Zoro shake his head with a grin, before he pulled Nico in to his chest his heat warming her through. "So if you are free we are having a wii tennis tournament since Nami says it's going to rain."

"I said there was a sixty-eight percent chance of rain!" Nico heard Nami shout from what she could only imagine was behind Luffy,

"She said it's going to rain." Luffy repeated and Nico could hear Nami sigh.

"We'll be there," Zoro said casting a glance at Nico and she nodded,

"Yosh!" Luffy squawked, "He's bringing Robin-san! Sanji you need to clean up!"

"What are you talking about bastard?" Nico heard Sanji curse.

"Well you made mess," Luffy stated as if the fact was obvious,

"The hell I did shitty captain!" Sanji grumbled, "It is not my fault that you can't eat without making the place a sty." Nico felt herself chuckle and Zoro trapped her within his limbs as he fell back against her pillows.

"I am your captain!" Luffy commanded sounding like an authority figure for once,

"I REFUSE!" Sanji shouted and Nico could hear the sound of pots being thrown together,

"Yeah?" Luffy asked laughing, "I refuse your refusal!" He told Sanji in no uncertain terms,

"What did you say?" Sanji asked and then all Zoro and Nico could hear was crashes and bangs before they were replaced with the dial tone. Zoro shrugged his shoulders while Nico felt worry gnaw at her gut.

"It's fine they usually end up fighting. It will all have blown over once we get there." He told her with a smile as he ran a hand along the curve of her spine taking time to caress each and every vertebra.

"You live with Sanji and Luffy?" she asked her interest piqued thinking that Nami would have been there to visit Sanji. Zoro nodded and then added,

"Chopper, Usopp and Nami too!" At that admission, Nico felt her eyes cross, "We all rent a two-bedroom apartment, Nami gets a room to herself and the rest of us bunk in the other room, it sometimes feels as if we are always at some sort of summer camp, but I don't think I could live anywhere else." He pulled her flush against his chest, "But I could be persuaded," he chuckled darkly as he grazed his teeth across the translucent skin of her neck making her take in a sharp breath. She leant in to the touch; her want obvious and Zoro felt his need stir as well, but thinking that they should make an appearance he drew away from her with a groan. "If I don't stop now we will never make it out of here," the smile he gave her was wolfish and the heat from his gaze seared her skin.

"Luffy wouldn't approve," she found herself saying with an uncharacteristic giggle which caught Zoro so off guard he groaned again as he placed a kiss on her shoulder. She felt a little of her old manipulative self; surface as she glanced back at him over her shoulder, her eyes hooded as she asked,

"And that would be such a bad thing?" Zoro dropped his hands from her soft curves as he groaned once more, she knew how to push his buttons, she had been doing it all along; before they had ever spoke, before she even knew he existed and as she sat there watching him with languid heat in her gaze he almost gave in. Instead he laughed heartily and scooted off the bed,

"I'll get in the shower first," he told her a warm and lusty smile curving his lips as he ran his gaze over her from head to toe. "If we don't go over all that will happen is Luffy will hack in to your records, find this address and storm in to the place." He shook his head a little colour in his cheeks as he looked directly in to her eyes, "And I am not sharing you with anyone." At the possessiveness in his stare Nico gulped, the heat of his gaze banked a little, but it was by no means gone and she felt it tingle through her skin, "I will keep you," he muttered mostly to himself and Nico felt the yearning she had in her dream begin again.

What would it be like to have him say those words again? Would she be able to respond this time?

An hour later and they were strolling up a long sweeping drive way in front of a large block of apartments.

"You live here?" Nico found herself asking as she took in the grandeur of the building before her, each window from the first floor up had a balcony and the windows for each room were wide affording the tenant an amazing view of the cityscape.

"Yeah, sharing comes in handy for some things," he said with a laugh as he keyed in the code for the front door. After a series of clicks and beeps the door swung inwards, "After you," Zoro said holding the door open for her, she ducked under his arm and turned with a smile as he followed her over the threshold. He took her hand and led her to a bank of elevators nodding at a security guard as they went by him. When they were enclosed in the small metal box Zoro pulled Nico in to his chest and kissed the crown of her head softly.

"I'm sorry for what may or may not happen when we get through the door," he told her his voice soft as he leant over her and pressed the button for the fourth floor the cuff of his shirt raising the hair on her neck as it brushed her bare shoulder.

When she had come out of the shower after the phone call he had been sat on her sofa his wrinkled shirt half buttoned as his hair stuck up at odd angles. Looking at his dishevelled appearance she had taken in a deep breath to calm her erratically beating heart. When he heard her footsteps he had looked up at her from under his hooded eyes and she noticed that he swallowed hard as his eyes took in the small towel wrapped around her body covering her from her chest to below her hips. She watched as he balled his fists as he tried to control himself.

As his lips grazed the shell of her ear she felt the heat between them flare again and she almost gave in. Each time she fought it, it was getting harder and harder to resist.

After what seemed an eternity of his arms around her waist the elevator doors opened on to an empty and plain corridor, Zoro took her hand again.

"It's this way," he murmured leading her to the left. They walked by at least five doors before he stopped and swiped a card in front of a scanner making the door unlock and move two inches back before he pushed the door inwards letting her enter the apartment first.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold she could hear the commotion going on in the main room,

"It's my turn!" She heard Usopp shout,

"No it isn't!" Sanji replied; his voice reasonable.

"It isn't even raining!" Nami told them exasperated,

"But it is GOING to rain," Luffy huffed, Nico and Zoro walked around the corner to see the disaster area that was the living room, the sofas had been pushed to the edges of the room and the carpet was covered in crushed snacks Sanji and Nami were stood in the centre holding wii-motes while on the television were two miis that were in the middle of a match. Or that would be in a middle of a match if Sanji and Usopp weren't arguing, Nami returned an easy ball that Sanji had managed to hit while telling Usopp that it still was not his turn and managed to sneak it by his mii that was stood looking at little lost on the large television screen. The screen filled with the word CONGRATULATIONS as balloons covered all the players on the screen and a little animated Nami jumped up and down in much the same way as the real life Nami. She stood shaking her behind as she waved her hands above her head.

"Ha!" she shouted at Sanji, "I beat you!"

"You cheated!" Sanji informed her rather loudly, "And you didn't even want to play,"

"Sore loser," she replied sticking her tongue out at him in a playful show of spite. Zoro cleared her throat and everyone turned to them.

"Ho Zoro!" Luffy laughed, "So you finally grace us with your presence." Nico felt the colour rise in her cheeks at all the attention, but Zoro didn't seemed to be bothered by it.

"Who's winning?" he asked as he pulled Nico across the room and placed her on the sofa across from the window that was now being streaked by rain. Luffy jumped up off the table where he was stood,

"Look Nami you were right! Look it IS raining!" Nami shook her head as if she was going to argue with Luffy, but thought better of it. Nico looked at all the faces around her and swallowed; all these people who she didn't even know and had never met before that night as the library. It was these people, they set her free. Nami sat down next to her with her head tilted to the side.

"He told you didn't he?" she asked not needing to elaborate. Zoro stood off to one side a sheepish look on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"It may have come up," he replied for Nico and Nami raised her eyes to him; shame and panic in her eyes, Nico watched as out of nowhere Sanji's foot connected with Zoro's jaw and he stumbled back holding his cheek.

"You took her to see that drag queen's show didn't you!?" He nodded and another foot spun in to his middle taking him to the floor, Nico sucked in her breath at the brutality of the movements. She had imagined that Zoro would defend himself, but he just stood there and took it, like he had yesterday when after saying she forgave him she pounded on his chest with her fists trying to hurt him; how she felt she should hurt.

That was the thing though, she didn't hurt. She thought she should feel betrayed, Zoro had withheld information from her; it could be classed a lying, but it was for her own good. He hadn't kept his knowledge a secret to keep her in the dark or to manipulate her; he had good as said that if she wasn't interested in him he would walk away. He would leave her even though he loved her and had loved her from afar for a long time. He hadn't told her everything about his knowledge of her to protect her. She had no idea what Bon Clay… Bentham she reminded herself; had gone through, but Zoro knew her well enough to know that she would tear herself apart with guilt that he had sacrificed himself for her. He knew that she didn't think she deserved saving, but he also knew what had happened to her; how Crocodile had manipulated her and used her weaknesses to his advantage.

She had wanted to hate him. She had wanted to hate all of them, but she couldn't. There was nothing to hate. They had willingly put themselves on the line for someone they didn't know on the word of another criminal.

She had hit his chest yesterday after his words had sunk in and after her pent up lust had been spent. She had tried to hurt him until the tears came again and he held her wrists limply bringing his lips to her curled up fists. He didn't try to stop her, he didn't push her away and he didn't pull her closer. He let her set the pace like he always had. Knowing that everything he had done was to protect her she closed the distance between their lips and kissed him soundly. That was what had led to him being in her bed this morning and what led to her walking across the room to kneel at his side now.

Sanji had stopped kicking him and he was sprawled on his back looking at the ceiling. She leant over him and saw the smile on his face. She ran a hand over the stubble that was covering his jaw as she felt the bruise with her fingertips before she kissed him softly.

"Let's get you cleaned up," she murmured to him as she moved to stand. Zoro complied not saying a word and with a move of his head showed her where the bathroom was; she linked their fingers together and pulled him to the door he had acknowledged. As soon as they were through the door in to the deceptively large room she shut the door and dragged his shirt off over his head making his eyebrows shoot up his forehead. She smiled softly at him before she probed the bruise on his chest with her fingertips. Sanji must have the feet the size of a sasquatch as the bruise spanned the area from his pectorals to the midpoint of his abdominals. The skin red and raised it a vicious looking welt. His cheekbone was not much better his cheek had swollen and his eye was starting to bruise a violent purple. Zoro shrugged as if it was nothing, but it didn't feel like nothing to Nico.

"You knew what would happen if they found out I knew." She stated not needing to ask the question as she watched this tanned skin being taken over more by burst blood vessels. He smirked and rubbed the back of his neck as he watched her from his hooded eyes. They stood in silence for what seemed to be an eternity to Nico, but at length Zoro cleared his throat and began to speak, his voice a low growl that seemed to hang in the air between them.

"Nami thought I was stupid to fall for you from afar, so she told me that I needed to get to know you. It was because of what she said that when I saw you on campus that I thought to approach you. Sanji told me if I ever made a move on you that he would kick me." He shrugged, "So I got kicked…" he breathed out slowly, "But he also told me that if I ever 'manned the fuck up' and spoke to you, his words not mine," he scrubbed his face with his hand sighing, "I shouldn't let you know how I knew everything and I should never let you know about how we got you out of… you know… the situation you were in."

"Why?" she asked leaning against the sink as he sat on the edge of the bathtub looking suddenly tired.

"Have you not had enough truth to last you a lifetime in the last day?" he asked her in response as he rolled his head on his neck making the tendons snap and pop. Nico thought about what he was asking and he had a point, she was still trying to reconcile all that she knew with all the people she had known.

But that was the thing with the truth, when people gave it to you it was the hardest thing to turn from. She had a chance to find out everything that had always eluded her and she was not about to let that slip through her fingers.

She wasn't going to live with another set of what ifs she was going to make her own decisions and her own path. She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her waist looking as if she was trying to keep herself together. Zoro closed the distance between them and pulled her in to his chest, she soaked up the heat of his skin and felt it warm her.

"He honestly didn't think you would be able to handle it," his voice was soft, but even Nico could hear the anger at Sanji in the way he said the words,

"So how did I do?" she asked as if it was a test that she had to ace and it made him laugh. He kissed the top of her head,

"You passed with flying colours," he told her, "You didn't have to forgive me," he finished his voice almost sounding desperate, but she knew if she looked in to his eyes she wouldn't see anything close to desperation there and it would be as if she had imagined it.

"I did," she whispered, the words sounding far louder than she had intended in the silent room. "How could I forgive Bentham and not forgive you?" she looked in to his eyes and saw the warmth there,

"That isn't how forgiveness works," he told her,

"Maybe mine does," she slung back with the barest curl of her lips.

"I will take everything I can get, still up for wii tennis?" he asked cupping her cheek,

"Will Sanji be kicking you again?" she asked pain clear in her eyes as she glanced at the bruises that had developed further,

"I won't let him." Zoro stated puffing out his chest making Nico giggle in a way that she was starting to like, but when she looked in to his eyes she saw that he was serious, "I mean it there is no reason for him to kick me again, if he does try anything Love Cook loses his foot. I let him do this, because I deserved it. Luffy could have lost his newest recruit and recruits are his family, Nami could have lost her best friend; I was risking a lot for something that could have blown up in all of our faces, just so that when I look at you I didn't have that gnawing guilt of knowing all your secrets." He tapped his chest before he spoke again, "This pain is just fine. I did this because I'm selfish and I want you to myself. I don't want anyone else to have you, not anymore." Nico felt that a part of her should have been angered at his possessive Neanderthal attitude, but when she saw the look on his face she couldn't bring her to hate it. No one had ever wanted her with such devotion; after her parent's death she had taken what she thought was love wherever she could find it. Which had led her in to more trouble than she could ever put in to words, but as she looked in to his warrior eyes; she saw forever. It terrified her, but at the same time thrilled her.

She knew that he understood there was still things they had to overcome, but at this moment in time a normal rainy day playing wii tennis is what they both needed.

"I'll beat you game, set and match." she told him over her shoulder as she walked to the door a distinctive swing to her hips. Zoro laughed as he pulled his shirt back over his head,

"Nico," he said softly making her still with her hand on the door handle, "You already have," she sucked in her breath as she opened the door and stepped back in to the main area where Usopp and Luffy were having a match and making it look like the most painful experience of their lives. She glanced over her shoulder and found his eyes on her watching her gait as she swayed her hips and felt the blush on her cheeks. "Game, set and match," he told her with a nod as he punched Sanji in the shoulder making the tall blonde curse a blue streak. Nico turned to Nami who was in the same place she had been when they had stepped out, she patted the seat on the sofa beside her and took her hand as she sat down.

"You need to tell me everything," Nami chortled, "These idiots never tell me everything," she leant in to Nico and lay her head on her shoulder, "You need to tell me how you go Zoro in that dress shirt. That has to be a good story," Nico giggled again and nodded, placing her head on top of Nami's sighing as she watched Zoro take one of the wii-motes and take on Luffy with the agility of a panther. She looked down at Nami and took a deep breath,

"Well he promised me a date..." she laughed, "It could have gone better..."