Missing Piece

Chapter 40

Law blinked at the sudden question. The first thought that came to mind was why, yet the words that left his mouth were much different. "She was a kind and caring doctor who passed in the line of duty." Law wondered if she caught on to the slight white lie in the end. She was killed, mistaken to be passing on the "contagious" disease known as Amber Lead, after choosing to stay to try to save more lives.

"My mother too. She died when I was six." Charlotte confessed after a moment's pause. He wasn't particularly surprised by that, but he hadn't expected it either. He waited for her to share more on how or why she passed. She didn't.

"My father too." Law added after a moment, filling in the empty space with unasked news. He wondered if Charlotte would have picked up on the fact that he was from a family of doctors. He turned to her, and swallowed the words that he was about to say out loud. What about yours? The question was not unusual, yet as he turned towards the brazen and reckless woman, the question felt strange.

Even if Law hadn't asked, she could feel the question with how the topic just ended. A father? Who's my father, Mom? Charlotte stared silently at the face looking back at her, waiting as if imploring her to answer on their behalf. The reflection's expression still one that Charlotte couldn't quite read. Charlotte shrugged after a while, allowing her head to lean against the cool metal rail again.

"Do you think we could have been normal if they hadn't died? I wonder if we'd be like Elora and Ignacio, married with children. Maybe not with children that old yet." She chuckled lightly, wondering what kind of life her mother had wanted for her. She knew probably not one with hands as stained as hers. Her mother would be disappointed in her.

Law said nothing about the self-depreciating laugh. "Who knows." He answered honestly after a while. His mind traveling back to earlier that night where they fed the twins. When they played house as if they were normal civilians. "It's hard to say, but I know one thing for sure." She turned towards him, and Law realized then she was genuinely curious. His lips curled into a wicked smile. "Life would be much more boring than it is now."

She blinked at the crazed statement and the even crazier look in his eyes and laughed. "Your insane. You know that!" A rare smile graced his face as he watched the colour refilling her features. He smiled back.

"Says the one who loses displaced body pieces like forgotten change." The amount of time Charlotte continued like normal after being diced up was too many to count. Still eerie each time. Just like how he'd assume how jarring being diced would be. Shachi and Penguin still freaked out after all these years.

Her lips twisted higher, and she pulled herself onto her feet and turned to face him directly, much more awake now. "Why fear when there's no pain or lasting damage?" She pressed her face close to his, grin ever widening. A dare—a challenge to deny. "You'll put me back together, won't you, Doctor?"

Law matched the grin. Taking up the challenge with a step forward until he has her trapped between his arms and the rail keeping her from falling into the cursed water below. Elora's warning echoed in his head. That woman—she knows neither friend nor foe. Only survival. My advice is to stay away. Stay far, far away. "That's one tall expectation from the one who did the cutting." His ability activated and a small blue dome surrounded the two of them. "And what if I don't feel like putting you back together?"

She hummed lightly, calm despite the threat that hung in the air and the slight crackles of his Room around her. She gave him a closed-eyed smile. One that surprised the doctor. It was so pure. Honest. Trusting. "But you do. Every time."

A low chuckle escaped his lips with a sigh, and Charlotte's eyes fluttered opened, curious. Charlotte jolted when a forehead pressed against hers setting her skin alight. Law sighed and his warm breath fanned across her face. Their proximity, or lack thereof, suddenly registering with the huntress. She could feel the fuzziness of his hat pressed awkwardly against her head. The cold of the bar biting into her back. His tattooed arms on either side of her, blocking off any escape routes. She was trapped. And their proximity waws practically nil. Her body tingled with warmth still. Longer than the usual copy time. She swallowed thickly, nerves jumpy all the sudden, and she adjusted her grip against the railing behind her to steady herself.