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"please, please don't go! i can't live without you, you are my dreams, my hopes, my prayers, my ace!"
she screamed and screamed, it couldn't be, this must've been a dream. there was just no way that he was dying, the love of her life, the strongest man she had ever known, her ace. she cut down anyone near her, friend or foe, she shoved past them to reach his falling form. their eyes made contact and she could see his fearful smile on his face still, tears formed from her eyes and streaked her face. no, no, no!
"ace, love, please, you can't leave me here. we didn't get to have that wedding you always wanted, or those three little kids we always dreamed of, please, don't go."
she was almost there, just a few more inches and she would catch his falling form. his body had been impaled by that admiral, the one with the ugly mug and shaking fists. it wasn't supposed to be like this, they were going to save ace and bring him back home and after that, they would continue to travel the world. they were going to get married in the spring and then have their first kid who was due in mere months, and two more after that, and as many more, as they wanted.
she caught his body, his warmth was leaving it, it had never felt so cold before not even when they were on winter islands, it was just so cold.
she laid his back on her legs, her arms cradling him while her tears continued to fall down her face and onto his chest, "stay with me, ace, please."
her arms gripped him for dear life, he could barely keep his eyes open, the pain was so numbingly agonizing. his arms weakly raised so his hands could cup her face, the sobbing girl lends into his last warmth, "i have loved you with my entire soul, i will always love you. i will meet you again in my next life and every single one after. i couldn't save us this time, my atlantis, but i will the next time we meet... my atlantis, my sweet, sweet [y/n], i love you more than life itself, please keep luffy and our future safe."
she cried more and more, he was slipping away from her, and she could feel it all coming to an end soon, "no, no, no please i can't do this without you! don't say goodbye, ace! ace! ace!"
his hands that once cradled her face went slack and fell by his side. she didn't know what happened next but soon luffy and another's arm wrapped around her and screamed something into her ears. she paid no attention to them, thrashing to get out of their arms to be able to get back to her love.
"let me go! let me go now! i can't leave him, i need to be next to him, please! please let me be next to him."
her voice broke into gasps of air as she tried to reach out to his fallen and bloody body. she pled and pled to whoever was taking her away from her ace, she couldn't leave him when he needed her most now. her breathing was rapid and short, she couldn't breathe anymore. everything was caving in on her. it was all happening far too fast, they were supposed to get married and then they were gonna settle in a cozy little town with their little family.
"why did this have to end, my atlantis."
her world went black, nothing mattered to her anymore. without him, she could not live, he had been her everything, her only salvation in this damned world.
-
when she opened her eyes, two weeks had already passed. two weeks since ace had died. her world felt hollow, it felt empty and dark, it had never felt like that when ace was by her side. ace, the thought of him brought tears to her face. god, she felt sick all over again, eyes tracing over the room to find anything to pour her guts out in. there by the side of her bed, she grabbed the bin and hurled whatever was in her stomach.
a quiet knock was heard on her metal door, that's right she had no idea where she was. she let no answer out from her lips but the door swung open anyways. a man stood at the door, the bright light from the outside illuminated his tall form, it was law. she had met him only once but she could not forget a man like him.
"you're up. how are you feeling?"
her crusted and teary eyes only glared at him, "like the love of my life just died right in front of me."
law gave no reaction to her, he simply walked over to her bed and sat on the chair by it. he gave her an empty look before crossing his arms, "you're pregnant, and yet you still went into battle, how stupid are you?"
the women gave no reaction to his words, "have you ever been in love, law?"
"no, it's useless."
"then you have no right to question my actions."
law gave a snarl, "as a doctor, i have every right to question you. you put your child in danger."
she threw an angry fist at the man, "my child is none of your concern, bastard."
law caught the weak throw with ease, his hand gripped her wrist tightly, "if you loved that man so much, you should cherish the last of his blood in you more carefully."
the room became quiet after that, he tossed her limp wrist back to her. law got up from the chair and started to head to the door when a weak voice broke his stride.
"love."
he turned his head to the sad sight of the once strong woman who was now nothing but an empty shell, "what?"
she crossed her arms carefully around her growing stomach, "love. my love for ace is still alive."
law's narrowed eyes gave her one last sad look before he turned back to leave the room, "then if you love him so much, love that child more."
as he closed the door he heard her quiet cries. he thought luffy had been bad when he had woken up but this, this had been a different more heart-wrenching loss.
-
it was another 2 weeks before law saw her again, and this time she had left her room to go to the now above-water submarine. she was dressed in a white gown, her hair was loose and fluttered with the wind, "luffy, where is he?"
law leaned on the door frame of the only entrance to the deck, taking in her willowy form, "i can take you to him, but i don't know if he's ready to see you yet."
she turned around to look law in the eyes, they were so, so tired and weak. the [y/n] that law had met before marineford was one to be amazed by, even he had to realize that she was truly a beauty of the sea, even now in her worst state, law could see why ace would never let her leave his side, "take me to him, i may have lost the love of my life, but he has lost his brother. mourning with another is always better than mourning alone."
law nodded his head, "follow me then."
-
he took her ashore and stayed close enough to watch her but far enough to give her space to be by herself. they ventured deep into the forest before they could see the black-haired boy who remained crouched in front of a rock. [y/n] slipped past law with ease, she watched the beaten and depressed body of the once so loud and bright boy she had ever known, weep for those he had lost.
she stopped a few feet away from his defeated form before crouching down, her trembling hands reached out to press a hand on the poor boy's back, "don't lose hope, luffy."
luffy jumped at her touch, turning around to face her silently crying face. god, even when she cried she was beauty unlike any he had ever seen. she was ace's girl, the only female apart of whitebeard's crew, their princess, and his brother's lover. he wanted to yell at her to get away from him to stop looking at him with those eyes, the eyes that looked at ace with so much love.
"[y/n], don't... don't tell me to not cry for him, that it'll get better, don't tell me to not lose hope when my brother is dead! ace is dead! because of me- because of me, his stupid brother who he always had to protect! so stop whatever you were going to say, just please... go away..."
luffy wept more and more into his hands, [y/n] who had retracted her hands with hesitation, couldn't help but cry for luffy now. her body moved on its own before she could tell it to not touch luffy again, but he had to know. luffy had to know that ace was not gone, as long as they were both here, alive and well, ace would continue to live on through them, but most of all; ace would live on through the child inside her body.
"he may be gone but luffy, he is still alive, because of us he will continue to live. but also through his child..."
luffy gasped, all the air in his lungs was quickly out of his body from her news, "wha- what are you saying?!"
she took his bandaged hand into her own, and with a soft smile she brought it to touch her stomach, "in here, ace's child is growing. in my stomach, ace's blood will continue on and luffy, it'll be your job to keep him out of trouble from now on, is that okay?"
luffy was stunned, his voice caught in his throat, instead of what he wanted to say to her, an anguished cry came out instead. he warped his arms around her stomach and he cried, some tears in anger that ace was gone, some in sadness because he no longer had any of his brothers by his side, and lastly in happiness because ace's kid was going to be born into this world, and he was going to be there to watch them grow and to help raise them.
[y/n] placed a soothing hand on top of the boy's head, and tears fell down her face as she spoke to him, "we couldn't save him in this world, but he left me a gift that will save us. my atlantis, who loved so much couldn't leave without a gift and this unborn child will be our hope and his lineage. so do not lose hope, luffy. for my sake, and for our child."
-
4 years later...
"atlas can't stop talking these days, all he keeps asking about is his dad, about you ace."
[y/n] smiled softly at the big gravestone that immortalized her lost love and captain. she had placed a mixture of flowers down, some pink carnations, daffodils, and gladiolus. a perfect bouquet to send her atlantis and captain a message of her love and loss. she took a deep breath, the air was clean and fresh, opening her eyes to take in the view, her finger traced his name and a sad smile bloomed on her face, "i miss you every day but I'm safe and I'm happy. i will never love someone the way i love you, but i have found new love with atlas and the others. luffy is still going on his crazy adventures and his crew is as rowdy as ever. I've actually joined on a few of them," she let out a small giggle, "and you were right, he's nothing but trouble but he sure is an amazing person to have with you. and law... i don't think you ever got the chance to meet him but if you did, haha, i'd bet you fight him the moment you were to meet him."
[y/n] stood up and stretched her arms above her head, her arms wide open as she grinned at the two headstones, "I'm happy, i never thought i would be after you died but ace... but i think I'm getting back to who i was before you left us."
"mama!"
[y/n] turned her head quickly to see a little boy with black hair and a toothy grin come running towards her with a tall man striding behind him, she caught him in her arms and spun him around, "hello my little atlantis, how was your little exploration with law?"
law rolled his eyes and huffed before the little boy could respond, "he nearly got eaten by a snake, and guess what? he got mad at me for not letting him get eaten by it."
the woman laughed at him before snuggling the little boy with her face, "now what did i say about doing dangerous things, atlas?"
atlas, the child of ace and [y/n], whined as he threw his arms dramatically in the air, "papa doesn't know how to have fun! i was safe the entire time!"
law, who snaked an arm around the woman's waist and gave the little boy a funny look, "you were only safe because i was there, brat!"
the little boy pressed his lips together before giggling and laughing, "you're always gonna be there to save me, so it's okay!"
the doctor rolled his eyes before taking the small child from his mother's arms and blowing a raspberry into his chubby stomach, causing the child to laugh and giggle maniacally. [y/n] took the sight before her with so much love.
it had taken her a while to even grow close to law but once atlas had been born, law had been the biggest helper when it came to the little boy. the relationship wasn't sudden, it had taken a lot of time for her to see him as anything more than a friend but atlas grew attached to him, and from there, so did she. but still there was an ache in her chest, she couldn't help but imagine it was ace by her side who was playing with their child.
law saw the look on her face, his calloused hand that wasn't holding onto atlas, gently cupped her face, "he would be so proud to see how strong you are and how much atlas has grown. ace deserved to see you like this, [y/n]."
his name brought forth a dull ache in her chest again but she shook it off, she placed her warmer hands on top of law's cold ones, "he does, but so do you, law. ace will always be my first and greatest love, but you law, you are the light, the one that i can no longer imagine my life without. so," she took her hands off of laws that stroked her face in love, and placed it on his face, much like she had down when she had lost ace but instead of tears of lost on her face, there was a smile of pure happiness, "thank you, law. for loving me when i felt that i could no longer love, for showing me that it is okay to find new love, and for allowing me to love another as well."
a slight blush formed on law's face, a small smile on it as [y/n] placed a kiss on his and then on atlas's forehead, "and thank you for loving my son as your own, my heart."
they stayed like that for a while, just basking in each other's presence as atlas soon fell asleep. they only left the two gravestones once the sun fell, their hands interlocking with one another as they walked away...