"This is for the final points." Usopp started to explain as everyone got in their positions and I give a small smirk at Law, "Decided to join the game in it's final stretch?" He returned my smirk but shifted a bit to be ready for the ball. "It's our ball." Nami spoke up as she took the ball from Usopp and walked over to the backside of our side. "I'll serve, if you don't mind." I waded in the water to her. "Are you sure?" She asked and I nodded, "Yeah, just once." "Sure." She smiles and we switch positions and I turn to the men, spinning the ball just a bit in my hands. I tensed my legs a bit and when the whistle blew, I threw the ball up and then smacked it as hard as I could to the other side. Killer was quick with the rebound off his wrists and Sabo smacks it back to our side. Boa hit the ball backwards and Tashigi hit it back to the men. Smoker went for the ball at the same time Law did and they jerked back as to not collide with each other and the ball landed in the water. "Point for the girls!" Brook exclaimed from his position on the deck next to Usopp and Ace. "Woo!" Tashigi waded over to high five me and I giggled, "Nice shot!" "It's not over yet." Law smirked again as he took the ball and he positioned himself to serve the ball. He switched Killer and Smoker. Sabo shifted to the front. I positioned myself to the back "Nami, switch with Boa." "Got it!" Nami gave me a thumbs up and the two women switched positions. "Prepare for a long shot." I muttered to Boa as she stepped behind me. I glanced back to Law and gave him a small smile. He may have be amazing with strategies but I wasn't too bad at countering. Law threw the ball up and everyone tensed, but he caught us all off guard with a short hit to the ball. Tashigi jumped for it with Nami but they just barely missed. "My bad." I gave a sheepish smile. The girls waved it off and prepared for the next attack.

I leaned over, resting my hands onto my knees and took a deep breath, "This game is too long." We had probably started around close to 6 pm and it was like 1 in the morning. "Ah, so this is what being sick is?" I heard my boss' voice and we all turned to the patio door to see Thatch and Marco walking in with a couple of beer bottles in hand. "Uh...?" I stood and tugged my earlobe again, "I can explain." I turned to Koala, "Can you tag in?" She gave me the brightest smile, "Sure!" And took my spot as I lightly jogged over to the two eldest brothers.
All three of us took a seat at the picnic table out in the garden. Marco handed me a towel, "You seem cold." I accepted the towel and wrapped it around my body, "Kinda, we've been at this stupid game for hours." Thatch took a seat, "So what's the story Fae? You have never skipped work in the 2 years that you've been working for me." I sat down across from him, wringing out my hair, trying to figure out where to start. He took a sip of his drink and I wrinkled my nose at the strong smell, "Originally I skipped work because of a very personal matter..." I glanced at the little flowers. I didn't want to make eye contact as I thought about the sexual act that kept me from work. "Fae, my eyes are over here." Thatch spoke up and I looked back at him, "I know." He set down his bottle and then leaned forward a bit, "You know you can tell me if something is seriously wrong." "Why do you say that?" I asked. "You seem nervous." Marco cuts in, taking a seat next to me, "Is something going on in your relationship?" The two tense and slightly turn to glare at Law, who shifts around, probably sensing the dagger glare. "Oh, no!" I shake my head and chuckle lightly, "The relationship is going perfectly." They relax at my words. "We just had personal time and I woke up late, forgetting about work." I admit shyly, "I later left to spend the day with Robin and talk but the group happened to be in her cafe. We talked for a minute," I gripped at the towel, "...and then...I had a panic attack. Once it was over, Ace suggested that we have a game day to take my mind off of it and we ended here at the volleyball game." "Ah," Thatch give me a smile, chuckling a bit, "You could have just told me. You didn't have to lie." He leaned forward and took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Sorry." I cleared my throat, "It's just I guess sometimes I forget that I'm surrounded by trusted people." Marco leaned back a bit and then he frowned, sitting forward, "I thought you had gotten through really bad attacks." "I did but some random number had texted me triggering words." I told them. The air tensed again around me. "A random number?" Marco asked. He sounded quite serious. I nod, "Yeah. I can show you on my phone." I get up and hurry to go to my phone from the pool table.
"Here." I unlock the phone and then pull up the messages. I push the phone to them to not see the words. They both looked at the number and Thatch frowns, pulling out his own phone; scrolling through his contacts for a couple of seconds. "That looks like the exact number." Marco leans over Thatch's shoulder to get a closer look. His face changes to match Thatch's and they both get up from the picnic table, heading back over to the pool.
Marco caught the ball before Nami could smack it as Thatch calls out. "Ace." He makes some kind of gesture that he seems to understand and hurries over to his brothers. I hurry after them, "What are you guys doing?? Do you know the number??" I grab at Thatch's arm but he just pats my hand, "Stay here." Before moving my hand to Law's as he comes to stand next to me. "What are you talking about? What's going on?" I frown, confused and starting to worry. They don't answer me but start to make their way through the mansion.
I turn to look at everyone. We all shared the same puzzling look. "Okay, why don't we just relax in the pool?" Law suggests as he pulls over a large floaty. I shrug as Brook begins to strum his guitar to lessen the tension in the air. We lay down together on the float as Kid and Killer get out of the pool for more food.

"Good morning," Thatch's warm smile makes me smile back as I walked into the bakery. "Morning." I take my apron off the hook and turn to him as I tie it around my waist, "So where did you guys go last night?" He glances in my direction from the batter that he was currently making, "Oh just a little visit." "Visit..?" I tilt my head. "Can you pull the cookies out of the oven on the end?" He asks as he turns to go into the backroom to grab something. "Yes sir!" I turn to the oven on the end, grabbing the mitts on top, and pulling out the freshly made cookies. "Mm smells good!" A voice comes from the front of the house and I peek out around the corner to see Ren and her little girl. The girl was pressing her face against the clean glass that was keeping her grubby little hands from grabbing the freshly made desserts. "Good morning, how can I help you?" I set the cookies on the cooling rack and stepped out to the front. "Oh I just recall from my best friend that you worked here and I thought I'd stop by to say hello." Ren explains as her daughter starts to run around the store, looking at everything. "I want cookies!" "Well it's nice to have you stop by, would you like to buy anything?" I asked her, doing my best to keep my happy front. "Oh, well..." She pauses as she looks at everything before turning to the girl, "Would you like some cookies?" "YES!" She shouted as she hurried back over to Ren, grabbing onto her skirt, "I want that one!" She pointed to the triple layer brownie cookie. I grabbed a small plate and walk over to where it was sitting in the display, "Would you like a corner?" "I want the chewy inside!" She squealed happily and I giggled lightly, "Sure, no problem." I take the knife and cut out a piece before handing it to the girl, "Here you go Sweetheart." She snatched it from my hands as her face lit up like the fourth of July. She squealed happily again, jumping up and down a bit. Ren bent down to her, "Now what do we say?" "Thank you!" She grinned and I grinned back before waving off Ren pulling out her wallet, "It's on the house." "Are you sure?" She questioned, "I have money, I can pay you." "You can just spread the word a bit more about the cafe in return." I explain and she gives me a warm smile, "You're so generous, just like Allen said you were. You know I didn't know that you two were acquainted." "Oh yeah," I swallow slightly. Just keep smiling. "I know him from a few years ago." "He said you used to be a cop." She continues, "It's kind of weird to see that this lovely baker used to fight crime in the city." "Aha, it was not a bad job but just a little too stressful." I gripped the bottom of my apron below her line of sight. "Oh really?" She tilted her head, giving such a innocent look, "What was so stressful?" "The constant call in." I replied softly. Her phone sudden rang. "Oop, excuse me." She reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone, answering the call, "Oh hi baby!" I couldn't make out who was on the other side. "Huh? Oh, just talking to Fae at her job. You know she works at the Devil Fruit Factory." She said before she pulled the phone back away from her face for a second, "Come on Nala, time to go shopping." She called to the girl before heading to the front door, giving me a warm smile.
My entire body stiffened.
The girl turned to her mother before she grumbled, "I don't wanna!" "Nala, let's go, we can come back to order more later." Ren said more sternly and the two left the store. My grip tightened on the apron. I could feel my chest tightening as the world started to spin before my eyes.
Nala? There was blood on the floor.
Her name is Nala? It pooled up in a single spot underneath Nala.
...Nala, I'm sorry....
Nala!
"I'm sorry!" I jumped and turned to see Thatch giving me a perplexed look. His hand had rested against my shoulder, "Sorry about what??" I blinked and let out a shaky breath, "I uh...?" I glanced around to see that I was still standing behind the display. I was safe in the bakery. There was no blood on the floor. And the little girl was no where to be seen. "Fae, you look like you've seen a ghost." His warm but calloused hand rests against my cheek. "Here, let's take a break." He carefully grabbed my forearm and led me into the backroom, sitting me down in a chair. The back of his hand made contact with my forehead before he bent down to my level, "Fae, what's wrong? Ever since the wedding cake you've been jumpy, spaced out, and having terrible attacks." I looked down at my lap, gripping at my jeans. My mouth opened but the words got stuck in my throat again. Thatch rubbed my hand, "Maybe we can help you." "He's out." I whispered. "He?" Thatch frowned a bit. "He got out of jail." I take a glimpse at his face, "Allen Walters is out of jail and he named his little girl Nala..."
He leans forward and pulls me into a tight hug, "I'm so sorry." I bury my face into his shoulder and try to relax. "I'm so scared  Oniisan."

Thatch was in the front of house for the rest of work. He talked to everyone, leaving me to the cover of the backroom. It was so hard to get through the day. Sometimes I would just start cry or feel so dizzy. I had to take so many breaks.
At lunch, I ended up in the bathroom, hovering above the toilet dry heaving.
Cleanup after closing time felt ridiculously slow.
"Fae," Thatch's voice pulls me from my thoughts "The trays don't go there." I frown and look at what was in my hands and then set them down roughly on the counter, "I'm sorry." I huff, "I can't seem to think straight." "Didn't you have medication?" He asks. "I ran out of my prescription and my doctor was arrested for selling drugs to minors." I lean back against the wall, "They won't fill it again until they go through my medical history to make sure I actually need it." "Maybe that is also why the panic attacks are so bad. Withdrawals?" Thatch suggests. "When did I run out of my meds?" I mutter to myself looking at my phone, trying to remember exactly when I ran out. I shake my head a bit, "Monday, maybe?" "Why don't we take you to the clinic and see what they can do to help you." Thatch walks over. "No, no, I can't let Law know." I scratch at my head and then tug at my earlobe. "You've been with Law for three years and have yet to tell him?" Thatch sighs. I cringe at the disappointment. "Fae." "I didn't tell him because it was all over." I rub my eyes, "It was supposed to be all over! He was in jail! I was piecing together my broken life!" I smack my leg in annoyance "I worked so hard for three years!" I stand, "Three years! And now it's all falling apart!!" I grit my teeth and chunk my phone across the room. It smashes hard against the wall and I shove my chair back out of my way "Three years Thatch!" "Okay, why don't we calm down." Thatch mutters. "I don't need to calm down!" I kick the chair again, taking deep breaths, "I want my life back!" I rush over to the counter and start knocking things down into the floor, "I want it back!"