! The door suddenly slammed open, interrupting the couple's embrace. Garp and trapped whirled around to see Gypsy standing in the doorway, face red and blotchy, with her fists clenched so tightly her fingernails were drawing blood.
! "How dare you?!" she hissed, hurt and anger pouring into each syllable she spoke.
! Trapped's eyes widened as she took in the situation. Without much thought needed, she quickly arrived at the conclusion that Garp was by no means worth enduring Gypsy's wrath. With a hurriedly muttered excuse, she slipped out of the room, leaving a silent Garp to deal with the soon to explode Gypsy.
! As soon as the door closed, Gypsy stalked over to Garp as he folded his arms expressionlessly.
! "Her?" she exclaimed, disdain showing clearly through her voice.
! "It's none of your business," Garp answered tonelessly.
! "None of my business?!" Gypsy's voice bordered on a screech. "After what we did_, you claim that it's none of my business?!"
! A hint of emotion flickered on Garp's face, but he swallowed it. "We didn't do anything. You said so yourself - what happened that night meant nothing at all."
! "I said no such thing!"
! A vein twitched in Garp's temple, as his emotions began to boil over. "No? Well, you certainly acted that way! Why, with the way you've been whoring around with the Supernovas and the Strawhat guys -" Before Garp could finish, he heard the sound of skin meeting skin, and his cheek started to smart. He stared at the woman before him speechlessly, as he held a hand to his face. "You…"
! Before he could find the right words, she abruptly fell against him, her arms clasped tightly around his large back, her face buried into his neck.
! "Gypsy...?" he said cautiously, the muscles in his neck flexing, evidence of his age and experience.
! "You silly man," she whispered into his shirt. "_They are the ones who mean nothing to me."
! He paused, letting her words sink in. His arms slowly wrapped around her thin waist, offering support to her clearly emotional self. "Gypsy…"
! "All my life, I've been looking for that one man who could grant me happiness. After years of searching, I thought I'd never find him, that he didn't exist. So I decided to make up for it with several men." She paused, and cleared her throat a little, clearly embarrassed. Garp stroked the back of her head, silently urging her to continue.
! "That was until I found you," she murmured, a gentle tone to her voice that Garp had never heard before. "You... you're all I want, Garp. You've tamed this wild, wild gypsy."
! Garp sucked in his breath, stunned at the words he was hearing. The words he thought he'd never hear, at least not from the one woman who had been haunting his dreams.
! Gypsy lifted her face to meet Garp's eyes with her own teary-filled ones. "Say something?" she whispered, the vulnerability shining through her voice.
! His low, aged voice spoke in that vibrating timbre she so adored listening to. "I love you."
! A wide smile spread across her face as joy filled her, and he matched it with his own grin. "I, Garp, love you, Gypsy. You're the only one I'll ever want. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
! Letting out a squeal unmatched by the happiest of women, Gypsy wrapped her arms around Garp's thick neck and started peppering kisses on his forehead, cheeks and chin. Garp chuckled, and pulled her closer for a soft, gentle, sealing kiss.
! And as the sun slowly set on the seas, its fiery rays poured into the room through the windows, seeming to set them afire with a light incomparable. A light that symbolised their love, their bond, their relationship, which would never again be torn apart.
! The End.
! That means no payback, Gypsy.