Disclaimer: All rights of Fairy Tail go to Hiro Mashima!

Her muscles were sore. Fatigue overwhelmed her body as she ran further and further. She pushed her body to keep running, faster and faster. Adrenaline was her only companion as the same mantra played in her head. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. How long had she been running? Drops of water fell from the sky as her heart pounded in her chest. She wouldn't be able to run much farther. The air numbed in her longs as it became harder to breathe with every passing minute. All the oxygen seemed to disappear from the air. Her fist was clenched around a bunch of golden keys as she turned right and ran further before hiding behind a tree. Hoping the forest would hide her presence in some way. Who was she fooling? He could hear her, even worse, he could smell her. Her body functions gave up as her muscles contracted on their own in a shiver. Finally feeling the cold midnight air, she tried to think between the rustlings of leaves. She heard small twigs breaking, something was getting closer. He was there. She forced herself to get up and started running again. Trying to get away from the inevitable outcome but her legs wouldn't cooperate. She hid behind another tree.

Don't get caught.

Don't get caught.

She looked around the tree and there he was, staring straight at her. For a moment, she was frozen in fear as those pitch-black orbs stared in her brown ones. Her hope crumbled. How foolish of her to think that she could run. Nothing would be able to stop him. Tattoo marks were visible all over his body and face along with those big brown horns visible through his pink hair. She couldn't turn away from him as his eyes didn't let her. She backed away, trying to postpone what she couldn't outrun.

It's over.

He's got me.

I'm done for.

His eyes looked straight through her. The boy showed a grin. She took a step back but a tree blocked her way. She had nowhere to go. The boy's grin widened in seeing her distress. In less than a second, he appeared in front of her. His claw took hold of her neck cutting off her oxygen as his sharp teeth blinked in his wicked grin.

"Going somewhere?"

Droplets of sweat trickled her face as she woke up in anguish, trying to process what happened. No flash of pink hair, no sign of a forest. Right, she was in her room at the mansion. No boy was chasing her; it was just another one of her wicked dreams. That stupid brain of hers, keeping her up like this. Shouldn't a person be able to sleep at night and dream about jolly things? The fear and adrenaline was still rushing through her body. She sighed... She really needed her sleep. This had been going on for weeks already.

"Stupid brain, leave me alone!"

She reached for a glass of water on her nightstand, still shivering slightly and suddenly her bedroom door opened. She freaked out and accidentally pushed the glass off her nightstand. It crashed on the ground as she held her arms crossed in front of her face in a defending reflex. She looked at the door and a raven-haired man rushed through the thick wooden frame to get to her.

"Gray?! You scared the hell out of me! Why are you in my bedroom?!"
"I was checking if you're alright, ok? I heard you screaming from across the hallway!"

Feeling guilty of waking him, she answered him sheepishly with a smile.

"I'm fine Gray don't worry so much about me. You'll get wrinkles."

The last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her. She was having enough trouble as it was. He walked towards her bed, careful not to step into the broken glass and observed her. Her hair was a mess, sweat gleamed from her face and the bed sheets were spread out in chaos.

"Did you have another nightmare?"
"So what if it was? You should put on some clothes anyway."
"I'm already wearing-"

Gray looked down and was surprised to find his abs exposed as he was only wearing a pair of boxers. Damn. Lucy took a reserve jogging pants and T-shirt from her night cabinet and gave it to him.

"Here, it's yours. You left them in the hallway yesterday."
"Thanks."

He put on the clothes and went to get something to clean up the glass on the floor. Even though Lucy asked him not to, he told her that she would forget it and step on it in the morning. After he put the glass in her litter bin, Lucy made some space for him and patted the spot next to her on the bed. He sat next to her and they leaned against the wall behind the king-size bed, listening to each other's breathing patterns for a while until Lucy calmed down.

"So, what's wrong? Was it the same nightmare again?"
"Unfortunately my mind has the scary capability of being dark and demented. That's what's wrong."
"It's getting worse, isn't it? Can't you fight him in your dreams? It's your dream after all."
"I wish I could. But it's not like a real dream. I find myself trying to change it but I can't. It's like a movie and I can only act my part. I don't want to fight him and only run. I run and I get caught. Who dreams of a boy with pink hair anyway? I don't sleep anymore because of those stupid dreams! If this continues, my father will notice the dark circles under my eyes."
"You'll be fine. I'm here, so try to rest."
"But I'm scared, Gray. Even if it's a dream, it feels so real ..."

He pulled her closer to him and laid his chin on her head. The thought of feeling those claws around her neck again was nauseating and her need to sleep disappeared completely.

"You should go, Gray. Or you won't be able to work properly tomorrow. I won't sleep anyway."
"I'm going nowhere. Just try to sleep, ok? I'll be here."

This felt like home, someone who cared. She listened to his steady breaths and slowly felt herself drifting off to sleep again from the steady rhythm.
Gray was worried. As the night went on, he could finally understand how serious her nightmares were. The first sign was her mumbling. He whispered that she was fine and he was there for her, told her she didn't have to be scared. He thought it helped, because the mumbling stopped. But after a couple of minutes she would talk louder in her sleep.

"Ono sundavar freohr … blöthr… skulblaka vard onr hjarta…"

He tried to wake her up, but he couldn't. She seemed to be in some kind of trance repeating those strange words. It became worse until she woke up herself. Terror displayed on her face. He held her in an embrace and tried to comfort her.

"It's alright. I'm here. He didn't get you Lucy. You're safe in the mansion."

After a while, she would stop her apologies and get back to sleep. She awoke another four times after that. Gray had his own demons, but this wasn't right.
Something was up. And he didn't know how to help.

And so my second fanfic begins... This idea has been in my head for AGES. Really, I'm glad I put it on paper.
(If you are wondering, the language is from the elves in Eragon :D )
Reviews are always welcome! They keep me motivated while my editing improves ;)

Title: Aloe Blacc - Ticking Bomb

Thank you for reading!