When Lucy first opened her eyes, she couldn't help but feel miffed. She had been minding her own damn business in a busy, and very public cafe during lunchtime when she was attacked. For once, she thought she was doing everything right on her "how to not get kidnapped" mental checklist, yet here she was. Kidnapped.
She wasn't entirely sure why, by whom, or how she had been kidnapped, but they had to have been fairly talented to have grabbed her mid-day without causing a scene while she was out and about in Magnolia. All she knew is that one moment she was sipping coffee and reading a book, and then she blinked and now she was here. Where "here" was, she wasn't entirely sure. The room she was currently in was like a prison cell in a medieval dungeon: all stone walls and metal bars with no windows, just the sound of dripping water from the ceiling. Cold. Empty.
She wasn't tied up, but she wasn't comfortable either. Besides what she had on her when she was attacked, there was nothing else in the room with her. Lucy's cup of coffee steamed in her left hand, and the book she had been reading was still being held open in her right. Her celestial keys were on her belt along with her whip. Instead of a chair, however, Lucy found that she was sitting on the floor, the rough texture of the rock biting into her thighs and partially exposed butt cheeks.
Lucy was still working through her shock at the change in scenery, which was probably the only reason she was not screaming her head off just yet. Instead she drank more coffee. Maybe she just fell asleep sitting at the cafe. She could always hope, right?
Not even a minute later, Lucy's brain decided that she was not, in fact, sleeping while still sitting at the cafe. However, it seemed the chemical mixture to help her feel a healthy dose of fear was still being blocked by her brain's need to inspect and catalogue the day's events. The buzz of her brain was maybe the reason why she only noticed after the cell door was opened and then shut again with a loud BANG that someone else had joined her. Lucy's eyes traveled slowly up from the pair of black boots that appeared in front of her to a pair of loose fitting black pants. The pants were partially covered with a white toga looking sash that draped over the shoulder and chest of the wearer's black shirt. Lucy recognized the clothes before she reached the face of the man standing in front of her. Zeref.
But. Why? Isn't he dead?
Lucy's eyes finally landed on Zeref's face. At least, for the moment, his eyes were not the angry red color they were when he was preparing to kill. Lucy blinked. The thought of, maybe I can go back if I blink again, quickly dying in her mind when the image of Zeref was not replaced by the glass windows of her favorite cafe.
And now her Saturday was most likely ruined.
Lucy carefully set down her coffee and then moved her bookmark from its holding place near the back of the book to her current page to mark her place before closing the book. Given the fact that she had not been mistreated in any way, Lucy found that she was able to keep relatively calm. It also helped that her brain refused to believe that Zeref, who was supposed to be very dead, was standing in front of her. He had died with First Master Mavis at the end of the war. Therefore he was not, could not, be standing in front of her right now.
"You're not screaming," Zeref stated dully.
Lucy frowned a bit when she answered, "No, I'm not." There was an awkward pause as Zeref looked down at her with dead eyes. "Should I be?" Lucy questioned. "I mean, I am practically an expert at getting kidnapped, so …"
Zeref's face remained blank, but his head tilted cutely to the side at her response. "An expert…" he mumbled.
Another awkward silence filled the room. It stretched for a full five minutes during which Zeref continued to regard Lucy with sullen, dead eyes and Lucy attempted to look at anything besides the man in front of her. She even went as far as picking her coffee back up to take a deep drink to ease the weirdness of the situation.
"How long until he comes for you?" Zeref said, sounding rather board and uninterested.
"What? He who?"
"Natsu. How long until he gets here?"
"Uuummm…" Lucy was trying to think. Was she here just to lure in Natsu? How atypical. Usually she was kidnapped for the use of her family name or keys. Hardly ever had she been captured specifically to grab Natsu's attention. Although, she had to admit that Natsu's response rate to her kidnapping situations was 100%. She guessed that was reason enough for the casual observer to believe she has some sort of special bond with the Slayer that made it easy for him to pinpoint her location and rescue her. To bad Natsu was out on a solo mission with Happy and wouldn't even notice she was gone for another two months, three months tops.
"Well," Zeref prodded.
"Why should I answer you? Aren't you dead?"
Zeref blinked. His eyebrows scrunched ever so slightly. Lucy was unsure if he was displaying annoyance or anger. Maybe he had something in his eye. This is ridiculous, am I dreaming?
"Yes. Well, No."
"Wha?"
"I am not really dead. No. Tell me when Natsu will get here."
Lucy felt a bit stunned. If he wasn't dead then what the hell had actually happened? Did Natsu know his brother was still alive? Was that why taking so many long term missions? Had she messed up when rewriting the book of END?
"Why do you want to know anything about Natsu?"
"He is my brother." Zeref stated this fact as if it explained everything.
"You tried to kill him not even six months ago. Why would I ever let you near him again?" Lucy was surprised at her ability to keep herself from all out screaming at the man in front of her. Brother or no, how could he expect her to cooperate when everyone she had come to know as family was nearly obliterated because of him.
Suddenly Zeref was crouched down in front of Lucy so that he could be at her eye level. He stared blankly for a few moments before he started talking, "When Mavis and I kissed, intending to finally die together, we did. We died. My curse was broken by the One Magic that I had searched to control all of this time. I can finally reach for happiness and not be terrified of destroying it. I want to reconcile with Natsu. I want my family back."
"How are you alive? Is First Master alive as well?" Lucy couldn't help the curiosity burning through her. She needed to know if this was somehow her fault. After all she had not just re-written the book of END, she had added to it too.
"Mavis is upstairs. Apparently we were given a second chance due to some sort of binding magic. It forced us back to life so that we could try again." Zeref was now staring into Lucy's eyes as if reading the secret she had kept from everyone. Lucy couldn't help but stare back trying to search for some resemblance of a human soul behind the blank look of Zeref's face.
"Natsu won't notice I'm gone." Lucy said quietly. She had found the flicker of sincerity she was looking for buried deep in the blackness. She didn't doubt his words.
Zered now wore an expression she recognized. He was confused. "He always comes for you. I studied your history together, he …"
"He is on a long term mission," Lucy interrupted. "He still has another two or three months to go before anyone expects him to be back. Even then..." Lucy stopped. Looking down into her coffee she still was gripping, she focused on forcing back the tears and choking sob that wanted tear free from her throat. God, why is this still so painful. Lucy forced herself to take a deep breath before continuing, "Even then, he wouldn't be the one to look for me."
Zeref's look of confusion intensified. "Unexceptable," he said. For the first time there was some sort of emotion in his voice. Disappointment, maybe? Lucy wasn't sure. Goosebumps raised on her arms at his tone, and she felt the beginnings of fear coil in her stomach.
After a pause Zeref seemed to snarl in her direction and looked like he might yell, but then he forced himself to turn away. He sat down completely, one leg folded under him and the other bent at the knee, and took several deep breaths. Lucy couldn't help her involuntary response to flinch away. Her reaction made Zeref's head hang in shame.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"If you want your family back and to reconcile, then why did you kidnap me?" Lucy asked softly.
The dark wizard huffed in response. Lucy thought he might not answer, but then he sighed and replied, "It is the only way I know how to do things."
"Does Mavis know I'm here."
Lucy almost laughed and then wanted to cry when she saw the man's face fall into an adorable pout that reminded her so much of Natsu that it physically hurt. "No."
Lucy pushed the reminder of her once friend to the back of her mind, knowing she needed to stay focused on the possibly volatile man in front of her. "May I suggest something?" she asked quietly.
Zeref nodded so Lucy continued, "If you want to gain Natsu's trust, you probably shouldn't initiate contact with him by taking one of his nakama away. You should have just come to the guild, we …"
"And start another war?!" Zeref half shouted, his voice bitter. "Like Fairy Tail would give me any chance to state my case before blowing be off the face of Earthland."
"How are you in love with First Master and still so ignorant of the way her guild operates," Lucy muttered quietly. Zeref still managed to hear her apparently because her sentiment was met with a deadly glare.
Lucy thought about it her predicament and the obvious desire of her kidnapper. She knew that she could help and get things sorted out with the guild. She could help the brothers come together in peace. And didn't she owe at least that much to Natsu after everything he had done to keep her safe over the years. Before Lucy could open her mouth to tell Zeref she would help him, she was interrupted.
"Why? Why did you say he wouldn't come look for you? I know Natsu, he would never leave a friend behind." Zeref was again trying to reach her soul through her eyes. "Especially you."
There was a time not too long ago when words like that would make her blush and feel warmth pool in her chest. The thought of being someone special to Natsu had always made her heart beat faster and her lips curl into a smile. But now she could only shudder and feel cold. She had done this to herself and it was too late to regret her decision.
Before Lucy could answer, not that she wanted to answer, the door to her cell opened. Mavis peeked in, her long silver-blonde hair dusting the rocky surface of the floor. Her green eyes sparkles with mirth in the dim lighting as she smiled at Lucy. Her gaze turned serious as she shifted to look at her love. "Zeref dear, why are you entertaining guests in the dungeon?"
"Uuhh, ah, um," was the stuttering response of the most famous dark wizard in Earthland history. Lucy couldn't stop herself from giggling. Zeref glared in her direction again. Lucy got the feeling that he was blaming her for Master Mavis's appearance, but didn't stop giggling.
"Lucy dear, let's head upstairs and you can tell us why you left yourself out of Natsu's book," Mavis grinned mischievously. Lucy gulped.