One Piece: Unforeseen

| Kitako Island (Part 3) |

"Letta, why don't you let Mae stay here for the night?"

Letta stepped into the backroom, buttoning her coat to leave for the night. "Not tonight."

Rue looked down at Mae, who was curled up on the floor and fast asleep with a paintbrush in hand. He couldn't restrain a smile. She looked so peaceful. His smile dropped when he saw that she was beginning to shiver. Slipping out of his coat, he draped it over her.

"She doesn't need that," Letta dismissed. "We're headed home."

Rue let out a long-drawn-out breath. "I was thinking..."

Letta snorted and rolled her eyes. "Here we go again. It's never good when you start to think."

He ignored her comment. "Maybe you should stay here for the winter. I have a spare room. It needs some tidying up, but it shouldn't take long to dust."

"And why would we do that when we have somewhere to sleep?"

"I'm aware of your shack." Walking to his desk, he slid open a drawer and began to shovel through it, looking for the key to the spare room. "This winter's gonna be rough. People talk like it's gonna be the coldest winter that we've had in years."

Letta's eyes fluttered with another eye roll. "And what's your point?" Dropping to a knee, she tried to rouse Mae from her sleep.

Frustration flooded through Rue and he slammed the drawer closed. The entire desk shivered and Mae squirmed in her sleep. "Letta, that shack isn't gonna keep your daughter warm at night!"

Letta's eyes sharpened. "She'll be fine. We have extra blankets this year."

"You have extra blankets?!" Rue choked out disbelievingly. "Letta, that's not enough! Don't you remember what happened last winter? Mae almost died from the harsh temperatures! If you don't let her sleep here this winter, I'll-"

"You'll what?"

"Damn it, Letta! I'll fire you!"

Letta recoiled and bit the tip of her tongue.

Taking a step toward her, he stared up at her challengingly. "And I'll make sure that the next job you get is the lowest paying job on this island."

"You're an ass," she snapped, scooping Mae into her arms.

"An ass that cares about the well-being of that child."

"Fine. If you want her for the winter, then take her." Trudging over to him, she shoved Mae into his arms. "I don't care."

"Nnn..." Mae groaned grumpily, burying her face against his chest. She wasn't enjoying the noise that was interrupting her sleep.

Rue bounced her up and down, trying to sooth her back to sleep. When she finally settled back down, he raised his eyes to Letta. With a calming sigh, he regained his composure and lowered his voice. "And what about you? There's room for the both of you."

"Me?" Letta scowled, already half-way out the door. "I'm going home."

And that was the end of their conversation, the room lapsing in silence.

Disquieted, Rue sunk back and sat on the desk. He was disappointed in Letta. He couldn't understand how she could be so unsympathetic towards her own daughter.

She was known to be a cold woman, but he figured that she would've changed her ways when Mae was born. He should've known better though. Letta was more than unpleasant the minute she found out she was pregnant. She treated her pregnancy more like a plague than a blessing.