With different eyes

Oh how nice it is to be home

Lucia's POV

I wake up again, with a buzzing head and half frozen. Shivering, I hoist myself to my feet and look around. There is snow everywhere and I can't see Ace anywhere. Couldn't he have chosen another island? He better not be eating roast venison somewhere while I'm freezing to death. "Ace?" I ask into the silence of my head. I wrap my arms around myself, after all I'm only wearing Roger's shirt. I pull up my nose that has started to run and look around. Surely Ace must be around here somewhere? "LUCIA?" I hear him call out in panic. "Ace, where the hell are you?" I ask, shivering. This is going to give me a really nice cold. "Where are you? I've been looking for you for an hour!" Ace says worriedly. "I'm out here somewhere in the middle of nowhere and there's piles of snow and it's bloody cold!" I say whining. I need to get out of the cold or I need something warm to wear, a shirt is definitely not suitable for this weather. "Keep talking, don't fall asleep!" I hear Ace say seriously. I nod and look for a shelter. Somewhere it must be a little warmer. I see a rock formation that will at least protect me from the wind. I quickly go there and crawl into the small hollow. Please Ace hurry. "Ace I am in a rock formation please hurry!" I tell Ace and send him the picture I saw. "Lucia hold on a little longer, I'll be with you soon," I hear Ace say. My body has already stopped shaking. Which is not really a good sign. "Lucia tell me something!" Ace says sharply. "I'm tired, Ace," I say languidly. "I'll be right with you Lucia, I can already see the rocks!" roars Ace and I can already see a glow of fire nearby. I hope Ace doesn't burn down the forest. Already I see Ace poke his head into my shelter. Quickly he grabs me and presses me against him. Ace is so nice and warm. I press myself closer to Ace and slide my hands under my armpits to warm them up. Ace is glowing like a blast furnace and he doesn't seem to mind the cold much. He just lets flames wander over his skin again and again. By now there is quite a storm raging and Ace looks around quickly, then just starts running. I try to keep my five senses together so I don't fall asleep. Suddenly the wind stops whistling around our ears and I open my eyes, which I didn't even realize I had closed. Ace has taken us to a small cave. It's narrow and doesn't go very deep but it protects a little from the cold. Ace sets me down on the floor and puts his hand to my cheek, "I'll be right back!" He takes his hand away and I immediately miss the warmth. He storms out of the cave and I'm left freezing, but it's not long before he storms back in with his arms full of firewood. He throws the wood on the ground, then makes a circle out of stones and stacks the firewood in it. Thanks to his devil powers, he has quickly lit the fire and immediately comes to me. He lifts me up in his arms and sits down with me on his lap. I immediately snuggle closer to him to chase away the cold. Ace looks at me worriedly and puts his arms around me. Slowly I get warmer again and can relax a little. "Was the Moby anywhere nearby?" I ask Ace wearily and he nods. "Yes she is anchored nearby at a village. But as frozen as you were, we never would have made it there." Ace says and rubs my back with his hands. I just grumble, really just wanting to sleep. "I'll go get them tomorrow while you wait here near the fire!" says Ace, but I barely notice. Tired, I rest my head in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. Then I can no longer resist sleep and surrender to the darkness.

Narrator's POV

Ace notices Lucia falling asleep. He hopes that nothing has happened to her, and that she has just fallen asleep. He quickly pushes her away from him and looks at her, she seems to be breathing calmly. Relieved, he moves her a little more comfortably against him and closes his eyes. He will not sleep, but watch over her. Ace thinks about how best to take her to the Moby. He can't take her, at least not in those clothes. But he's also reluctant to leave her here, at least until she can defend herself. He just can't let her out of his sight, but luckily he has the help of the whole crew now, only how does he get her there? He hears the shouts of men in the distance. Have they gone in search of them? Ace listens intently into the storm. There again, a male voice, is that Marco? Again the voice and this time Ace is sure that it is Marco. Ace puts Lucia near the fire and steps out of the cave. "MARCO HERE WE ARE!" yells Ace into the storm. Ace listens into the storm and as Marco's voice sounds the closer. "ACE, CONTINUE TALKING!" he hears the distorted voice from Marco. Ace roars into the storm again and again, letting his fire flare up. After some time, a shadow is seen in the storm. A short time later Marco is standing in front of him. He wears a thick winter jacket and as soon as he is with Ace he takes him in his arms. "I'm glad you're okay!" Marco says, and you can see his relief. Ace is happy to see Marco again, he had really missed the others over time. Marco lets go of Ace and asks, "Is the little one asleep or how come you can move?" Ace laughs and says, "Yeah she's sleeping in the back of the cave, but that's not why I can move!" Marco looks skeptical and asks, "How can she be back there in the cave when you're standing in front of me?" Then a light seems to dawn on him and he says, "Please don't tell me she has a body of her own. Then I'll have to watch both of you!" Ace laughs and turns to go back to the cave. By now Lucia has curled up there and is sleeping the sleep of the righteous. Ace bends over her and then looks at Marco. Marco walks up to Lucia and bends over her as well. When he sees what she is wearing, Marco quickly takes off the jacket and wraps Lucia in it. "The little one has to get into the warm right away, this is hardly enough. Wait here I'll get the others and a pair of blankets we can't transport her like this." He says and strokes Lucia's hair worriedly. By now she is part of the crew and he worries about her as much as anyone else. Ace nods and says, "I'll stay here with her!" Marco grins and thinks to himself, "As if anyone could separate you from her now!" The way Ace is looking at Lucia right now, Marco has the feeling nothing in this world could be dangerous to her anymore. For that, you'd have to get past one hell of an angry firebug. Marco grins wider and leaves the cave to inform Whitebeard. He is already visibly worried about his lost children. Ace sees the flaring of Marco's wings before he is swallowed whole by the storm. Ace lifts her back up in his arms and hopes the others will hurry. Lucia still seems to be shaking and was pale. Ace presses her against him and lets his arms burn again and again, hoping that she will get warmer again. Ace moves closer to the fire. Concerned, Ace keeps an eye on the entrance and hopes that Marco will hurry. It seems like an eternity before he hears voices again. And already Marco is back in the cave and he has brought a lot of blankets. He must have robbed the whole crew! Marco quickly approaches the two and wraps Lucia in the blankets. He has also noticed Lucia's trembling.