Law sat alone in his room, the oil keeping his lamp alive was nearly spent, flickering away in the intense darkness that threatened to envelope the room and swallow it whole, but the raven haired boy ignored the dimming flame by his side and focused solely of the thin paper sheets sat in his lap, studying each one with great interest.

They were letters from Eustass Kidd, a man that Law was very determined to understand.

According to what (Y/N) has told him before, the red head was the closest being to be called a perfect rebel, he was a true man of ethics, he worked with the earth and it's unruly nature, and Law was fascinated with his mind, if he could crack what made him tick, a genuine rebel, then he could perhaps learn more about (Y/N).

Opening the most recent letter, the royal pressed his thumb on the yellowed paper, feeling his esophagus contract in apprehension, every letter made him feel as if he was given another puzzle piece, one that many players failed to complete and assemble for years.

'Hey fucker

Now about thos questions of yors, no I don't know the terms alpha, pack leader or mate, (Y/N)'s actually the only rebel I've ever heard use them, and she's never ben able to explain to me what they mean either, so yo're on yor own for that.

Her nightmares thouh, she hasn't had thos for years, if she's really having them again.. I hate tellin yo this but just cuddle her, that always chases them away, even if it looks like shes going to attack yo, just hug her and everything will be better again, but don't yo fucking dare try and use that as some excus to be near her fucker (Y/N)'s fucking mine.

I actually have a question for yo too, would you mind asking her something for me? When is she gona come back and finally ditch yor sorry ass?

AND IM HER ONLY ALPHA YO HEAR!?! YO'RE JUST A FUCKING SUBSTITUTE YO NOBLE BITCH!!'

Eye twitching at the pathetic chicken scratch of words, Law speculated whether his parents would question his sanity if he burned this in a nice toasty fire while smirking at the ashes.

But he decided against it, these letters could come in handy whenever he needed to look back on them, or perhaps if he needed something to back up his work, but then again he might have to end up explaining to someone as to how he actually met Kidd in the first place, and that in itself was a land mine just waiting to be set off.

Sighing at his predicament, Law only slouched back in his chair, "damn, that woman really did change me, I would have never considered doing something like this in my life" at that was solid truth, if word got out that Trafalgar Law was researching rebels, a profession that was greatly looked down upon and practically abandoned in their society, he could possibly find himself becoming more of a recluse just to keep himself relatively safe, and that was a possibility close to becoming that of a hermit.

"Law! Dinner is ready! Meat pie tonight!" Smiling at the sound of food, his stomach softly gurgled as a pleasant scent filled the room, blowing out the light, Law jumped out of his slouch and raced down the stairs, only to frown seeing the seat at the table beside his still vacant.

(Y/N)'s appointments have been becoming more frequent and longer than Law liked, even though the (H/C) haired girl did seem to have some serious trauma, he never thought it was bad enough for this, all in all, the noble was actually beginning to regret coming to his parents and the school about the issue, something just didn't sit right with him once she first started missing classes.

"Is (Y/N) still gone?" He knew it was a supid question, that it was only going to get one answer, but for once, he was proven wrong, "actually, she should have been back by now, although when we called the school board they said she was going to be late this time" a cold sickly feeling squirmed in his gut, one that almost made him taste bile on his tongue when he sighted the usually tantalizing dish being brought to the table.

"Did they say why?" Rocinante shook his head, glaring down at his plate with an expression that nearly matched how the teenager felt, "they refused to say a word, so I am going to the school after I eat to check what might be going on" Law didn't relax even when his mother sent him a decent smile, as he stiffly picked up his fork, he suddenly noticed the way his arm was moving on its own- he was quaking, eyes widening at the sight he immediately clamped his other hand over the other in an attempt to stop.

But he didn't, he couldn't stop the shaking, the fear scraping his organs from the inside out, the look of worry in his eyes, the idea of them all finding out who (Y/N) really was, was striking him to the very core with anxiety.

He was stupid, he never should have done all this, a miscalculation that could accidentally kill his love, but even more than that she was his closest friend, and just the thought of her being discovered over something he dragged her into, dispite his good intentions, it can still end badly.

Frowning even deeper, he noticed how everything felt so off place, ever since (Y/N) arrived, the dinner table was never this- dare he say it, never this quiet, never this empty, it felt so unnatural, and no doubt the other two also saw it as clear as day, they've grown too used to having her around, to having her fill in the silence that they never knew was there, she became an anchor to their drifting ship of a family.

Thinking back to when he went to her village for the first time, Law remembered the strange spectacle, seeing all the people in their own respective homes just walk out with their plates, pots and dishes, everyone just gathering together in the middle of the town and eating all together as a family, how they all laughed and socialized so intimately as if it was all some big celebration only they did together, he momentarily recollected the memory, how happy it was, and he couldn't help but feel how envious he was.

They weren't savages, they were a happy community that did what they wanted, he remembered how all the kids did stupid things that night, got into so much trouble, how the adults only laughed and shook their heads at their antics, how did his people not see that? How amazing and mysterious they were in their own way? (Y/N) and the rebels revealed to him an entire galaxy of possibilities to explore.

Forcing the last bite of pie that unfortunately tasted nothing but sludge in the middle of his stress, Law choked the piece down before collecting his used dishes, "may I be excused?" He cursed hating how desprate and rushed he sounded, he was freaking Trafalgar Law, he was supposed to be in control damnit, but this was different, (Y/N) was at risk and he needed to eliminate all this stress here and now.

He felt his face heat up in frustration seeing the curious, concerned expression in their eyes, biting his upper lip when his mother opened her mouth, the family suddenly paused hearing a knock on the front door, and faster than he would have liked to admit to, Law was the first at the door.

As he almost hysterically fumbled with the locks and chains keeping their front door clasped shut, the teenager couldn't help sweating when he felt his parent's gazes burn into the back of his head, he could easily imagine the looks of confusion and worry on their faces from his behavior, because Law didn't want to notice it, but he was certain he was acting differently then what was considered normal, he was certainly slipping.

Nearly ripping the offending slab of wood off it's hinges, Law was close to losing his head when he saw the girl standing there only- it wasn't her standing there.

Eyes shrinking into the size of pins, Law's stormy gaze stood frozen at the recognizable pale chest littered with scars and rippling muscles, daring to look up, his hair stood up on end meeting Smoker's serious scowl, the sickening feeling in his gut went ravenous, the boy was tempted to keel over and cry in agony from the sheer discomfort tearing up his organs from the inside out.

But all he did was stand there, weakened, frightened, and just barely keeping himself from fainting, and just when his vision dared to grow fuzzy, Law was suddenly reminded of his parent's presence when Chloe suddenly invited him in, worriedly, how Rocinante had the officer take a seat in their warm living room, tensely, the atmosphere was definitely set with his presence.

Law couldn't remember when he took a seat between his parents on the sofa, he also didn't remember when they grabbed some cups of coffee either, but he didn't bother to try and remember anything when words finally got through to his ringing ears, "what is happening, Smoker?" Rocinante's voice was freezing cold like the howling wind outside, seeping all the frigid air into his bones, Law vaguely recalled a time in his childhood when the blonde used that tone of voice all the time.

Closing his eyes almost frustratingly, the silver haired man sat back off the edge of his seat, the boy sharply caught a bead of sweat go down the man's jugular, suddenly giving him the thought of beating the man down and biting into it- only to watch him bleed out, vividly blinking away the random thought, Law nearly missed what the officer said in responce.

"We're taking the kid back" the world stopped, not the one around him, but his inner world, the one he created where everything was alright, where his parents were happy, and his friends were all fine, where (Y/N) was by his side and perfectly safe, but in that moment, that world was just shattered.

Law couldn't understand anything, he couldn't hear the words spill out of Rocinante's mouth as he began to yell, he couldn't shake out the mute ringing in his mind as his father suddenly started to react violently by grabbing onto Smoker's coat, he didn't react when his mother suddenly pulled him into a protective hug, he couldn't see the tears spill onto his shoulder, couldn't hear her muffled cries.

When the noble finally woke up from his stupor, Smoker was long gone, with a messy trail left behind, his father was fuming, and crying at the same he noticed mid-thought, and his mother as still griping onto his like a lifeline, sobbing into the artificial warmth of his sweater, one could say the family looked hysterical, insane almost.

"W-what" his mother choked on her next sob, looking up to meet the confused look in her son's face as Rocinante instantly ran over, wrapping his arms protectively around his son's and his wife's waists, frowning down at them both, "what just happened?" The pure emotion in his own voice shook Law to the core.

"She- Law I'm so sorry baby, she- she was taken back" he prayed to god his mother didn't feel the wild thump in his chest as she carefully went on, "th-they took her to the palace, Smoker said (Y/N)'s actually..a special case, so she..she's to be kept in the castle with Cipher Pol nine" Law felt the cold overcome him, even when both his parents kept him close, it still felt like he was surrounded by snow in the dead of winter.

Feeling like everything was about to fall apart, the raven was just about to let out a sob when Rocinante suddenly slipped something onto the table, and on further inspection, Law identified them as three golden brown pieces of paper cut in the shape of curved rectangles, tickets to the palace.

"Smoker gave these to me, he said (Y/N)'s part of something big, and the whole town's going to be invited, these are our tickets" sniffing down at the slabs of glitter and shine, Chloe shook away her tears, "th-this is our ticket to see her?" Frowning down at the offending slips of paper, both of the parent's stares settled on their only son, "Law, what is going on?" The question made Law want to choke, realizing his parents both knew he was in on the loop, even though he himself didn't know exactly what was going on.

But he was going alright, he was going even if it meant he came back a rebel.