Lucy With No Last Name

By, The-Lone-Lemon

Lucy has escaped the harsh treatment of her father only to live on the run, constantly in fear of being caught. Her most recent safe house? In a town called Magnolia where she finds work at a bar called Fairy Tail. But Fairy Tail is no ordinary bar. Things may get worse before they get better, but Lucy finds some new allies at her side. (AU) Mature themes

The first thing she noticed standing in the doorway to her new apartment was the lack of a fire escape outside her second story window. At her last place she had thought that was a positive. However instead of keeping her safe, she had had to jump out the second story window to escape when they had caught up to her. She looked to the landlady; her portly figure and scowling disposition left Lucy thinking she would rather jump a second time than ask about it.

Maybe she would just get herself a rope ladder.

She handed the landlady a check with the last of her savings from the last town she had lived in. She would need to get a job in the next two weeks if she was going to survive here in Magnolia. She couldn't touch her trust fund for another year; otherwise her Father would know about it and be able to trace her location. If her father found her, she was as good as dead.

Fairy Tail was bustling in the early evening hours, the dinner rush blending into the ruckus night owls who were bringing to come out of the woodwork. Natsu and Gray were seated at the bar, staring out at the livening crowd. It was their night off, but even without being on door duty, both were still carrying. Fairy Tail was home, they had grown up here, worked and lived alongside the owner and his collection of motley orphans. Hanging out throughout the day, Natsu and Gray could often be found at the bar.

When asked what their official job titles were, most people would say they ran security at Fairy Tail. Both young men worked diligently to protect the bar and its inhabitants, most people never thought to ask what from. Those that did ask certainly did not get a straight or honest answer.

It was that evening that a skinny, tired looking blond walked in the front door with a sheet of paper clutched in her hand. The bustling thrall took no notice of her, but from the bar across the room a pair of honey green eyes pinned her instantly. Natsu tracked the blonde's progress, following the flow of her long wheat gold ponytail as it bobbed around the edge of the dance floor. She was making her way to the bar. Natsu's curiosity was peeked; it was rare to see a new face at Fairy Tail, especially one who was so… Natsu had no word for what it was that enthralled him, but it was different.

Down the bar, the blond was handing the paper to the bar manager Mirajane. Her large brown eyes were hopeful, and her face was upturned towards the bright light behind the bar. Natsu could see her features through the pale and drawn complexion and the purple bags under her eyes. The blond was a beauty.

Mirajane perused the paper, her eyes glancing back and forth between the woman and what he guessed was her credentials. Natsu could tell from the smile on Mirajanes face, the blond was going to be hired on the spot. She would run it past Makarov of course, and someone would dig up some info on her past, but Mira's judgments were always spot on.

Sure enough he watched as a radiant smile spread across her face and in her excitement she quickly hugged Mirajane. Mira had effectively just added a new member to the Fairy Tail family. Natsu watched as Mira showed her around the back of the bar, and handed her an apron. The Wednesday night crowd was a slow and Mira was a diligent trainer.

Gray gave him a low whistle, his eye following the progress of Mira and the Blond. The suggestive eyebrow wiggle was enough to make Natsu snort. The blond was petit, she had curves in all the right places, and she would be a hit at fairy tail with the night crowd. Some part of him did not like the thought of her getting hit on by droves of drunken men.

Blondie did look very comfortable behind the bar, her drooped shoulders had lifted and the timid expression she had when she entered the bar had vanished. Perhaps she could handle the drunken masses, but Natus didn't actually have to worry about that, he was here every night any ways.

As the weeks past Lucy fell into a very comfortable routine working at Fairy Tail. She had been lucky to apply when she had; Mirajane was grossly understaffed after her sister had gone away to veterinary school. Lucy's prior bar tending experience had been a perfect fit. She found herself working full time at the bar, as head bartender twice a week while Mirajane took her days off, and as a waitress and assistant bartender the rest of the week. She had Tuesdays off, but she often found herself back at Fairy Tail getting scolded by Mirajane for not taking a proper break. She was doing fine for her rent and her emergency savings was growing steadily.

The members of Fairy Tail were the best part of her new life in Magnolia. Her fellow bartenders, the kitchen staff, and the regulars all welcomed her with open arms. There were many who had tried to make progress in getting to know her. Cana, another bartender often tried to get her drunk during her shifts so she could squeeze some personal details out of her.

But that was the only part of her new life she could not become comfortable with. Not because the members of Fairy Tail were not trust worthy, but because her three years moving town to town had taught her the fewer people who knew anything about her, the longer it would take for them to catch up to her. She had sacrificed so many friendships and given up so much of herself in order to keep herself alive. Lucy could not face the chance that her own desire for friendship and acceptance might likely get her, or god forbid someone else, killed.

Mira had not pressed when Lucy did not give her a last name, and she hadn't batted an eye lash when Lucy had begged her not to call her references, to just give her a week to prove she was an experienced bar tender. Those particular stipulations were often why she had trouble getting a job in each new town she relocated to. It was usually her curvaceous figure that got employers to overlook her need for discretion and ambiguity. Lucy had a feeling Mira had not been considering her plentiful chest when hiring her however.

Compared to the last few towns she had worked in, Fairy Tail was the most reputable and upstanding place she had worked. With the exception of the owner Makarov, very few of the regulars actually commented on her figure. The night crowd was another story. But after escaping her sadistic father and his henchmen, drunk boys were the least of Lucy's problems most of the time.

There were a few at Fairy Tail she did try to avoid. There were two men who ran security at the bar, a fact Lucy found fishy. She had never seen anything violent at Fairy Tail before and though, she could chalk it up to excellent security, the two men seemed like over kill. Especially when she factored in all the other strong men who were on payroll for similar things. There was Elfmen, also on security, and the owner's son Laxus, who did… something. There Was Bixlow and Freid, even Evergreen who was frankly a little scary. There was a number of others who claimed to work as bar backs and in the Kitchen.

Mirajane told her they had grown up with her, living in the apartments above the bar and considered Makarov to be their father figure. Mira cared for them all like a sister and they kept security at the club tight, even when they weren't around. The town whispered about strength of Fairy Tail, and it kept some of the seedier aspects of Magnolia City at bay. For that Lucy was thankful, but in person she though Gray Fullbuster's eyes were a little too sharp, and Natsu Dragneel ask too many questions for her liking.

Lucy forever had the fear in the back of her mind. The memory of her first escape from her father, that first attempt was a failure. Caught after two weeks, she was delivered to her fathers doorstep practically giftwrapped. After that first escape, her father had kept his word, selling her, like a slave, to one of his closest business partners.

For years Lucy had endured her fathers punishments. Her mother had been smart, her father could not touch her inheritance, even if she died there would be no way for him to aces it with out Lucy's permission. When she became of age to sign it over to him, Lucy's father had tried in vain to persuade her. His tactics grew more and more deceitful, escalating slowly in violence and terror. The final straw that had led to her first escape had been her father's threat to sell her.

She had spent 5 horrific hours in the care of her father's friend Jose. It had been enough. She had rolled her self, beaten and bloody out of a van traveling on the high way. Half hoping for escape, half hoping for death she had wound up in the hospital. A trusted friend who worked for her father had gotten to her first, with a bag of clothes and wallet full of cash. She handed her a train ticket and checked her out of the hospital.

Lucy was away from her father, but never free. The constant fear of being found by one of his men, or one of Jose's men, was paralyzing. She was always looking back and bolting at the first sign of or trouble, real or imagined. There had been no sign of her father or any of his business partners in Magnolia, she did not want to think of having to leave this place she had fallen in love with. But she knew she couldn't let that cloud her judgment. Her past was her present, and above all else she couldn't let Fairy Tail be dragged into her life. So she kept her lips sealed, especially around Natsu, who it seemed had a distinct interest in unraveling her secrets.

Natsu had finally found a word to describe the look in Lucy's eyes. Hunted.

It was not a look he liked seeing in the eyes of any woman, but for some reason unknown, seeing Lucy's big brown doe eyes shrink in fear whenever he asked her a question about herself, shook him to the core. The feeling that something was very wrong grew stronger every day he saw her.

Some days were better than others, he had once gotten her to speak with him for a whole 20 minutes before she got a sudden panicked look in her eyes and fled to the kitchen. He had learned nothing new about Lucy with no last name.

Natsu could count all he knew about her on one hand, though the lack of knowledge was not for lack of trying. He knew where she lived in Magnolia, that she was a skilled bar tender, she had grown up wealthy (he didn't think she realized he knew that one though), and that she was running from something very bad. He could not tell if what she was running from was her fault or if she had been the victim. However her timid nature, and the way she flinched whenever he or another man around her made any sudden movement led him to believe she had been the victim of something terrible. As a result, Natsu found himself being uncharacteristically gentile around her.

His views were shared by many, and Lucy was often the topic of discussion amongst the gang. Everyone was worried about her; afraid she might not let them in to help before it was to late. Master had let her stay past the conditional period despite knowing next to nothing about her, that alone told Natsu his own fears must be true.

Whenever they discussed in meetings what to do about her, Fights always broke out. Gray wanted to force it out of her, not with real force obviously, but with an intervention of sorts. Laxus wanted to do nothing at first and had said it was her problem let her deal with it. But Mira had given him THAT look and he had quickly changed his tune. Mira had suggested giving her time.

Master agreed that Lucy needed time, but also that for the safety of Fairy Tail, they could not wait forever. He agreed that when Gajeel returned from his mission, they would see if Gajeel had perhaps heard anything about the mysterious Lucy. He was one of the most versed in the underworld, having spent time working for some pretty bad people. Fairy Tail was his atonement, and he put his knowledge of Fiore's underbelly to work, helping Fairy Tail keep an eye on some of the less savory Gang activity in the area.

If Gajeel had no usable info, they would confront Lucy about her past. Natsu also planned to let her know about Fairy Tail. All of them here had come from desperate circumstances; Lucy needed to know she was not alone in what ever she was caught up in.

He often thought of the look in her eyes, the timid and fearful gaze that darted person to person assessing and looking fore escape. He thought of how nice it would be to replace that look with genuine happiness. For some reason he felt strongly that Lucy needed to find joy, and that it was his job to help her find it.

The next night Lucy was head bartender, running the show while Mira took her night off. Lucy suspected Mira had a date with Laxus, but the pretty blue eyed barkeep was tight lipped as they come. It was a Thursday, so the business was brisk but not booming like on Friday or Saturday. Being head bartender, Lucy was responsible for closing as well as counting the cash, and staying until the last patron made their drunken way out the front door. All told her hours kept her out past 2am. The bar was a brisk 5 blocks from her second story apartment and she had made the walk alone before, many times in fact. She didn't like showing anyone where she lived, though she suspected some of the "security" that worked for Fairy Tail had looked into at least that much about her.

She did her final check of the stock room and the kitchen, satisfied the prep for the next day had ben done correctly. Checked the bathrooms to be sure no one was left after closing, and sent the last of her crew home for the night. She had thought she was alone in the bar, a creepy feeling to be sure. A large building usually filled with noise and energy, almost felt dead inside when it was empty.

It was not empty however. Natsu had ben on the door that night and just as she was shutting off the lights he rounded the corner looming large and imposing. She hurried to turn the lights back on the fear clawing its way up her throat.

Natst must have seen her tense and the panic flash in her eyes, because he stopped where he was, his hands held up in front of him. He looked like he was attempting to calm a flighty mare, his body shrank down and he instantly softened his face.

"I'm sorry Luce, I didn't mean to come up on you like that! I was checking to see you were ok, when everyone left but you I got worried."

Lucy let out the breath that was keeping her chest tight. She tried to relax her shoulders but the wariness never fully left her eyes. Lucy could not help that. Natsu was a strong man, his presence was palpable and it made her restless being alone with a man like him, even such a large and familiar room.

"No it's ok, I was just double checking I shut off the lights in the office." Her voice was soft, but held no tremor; which Natsu took as a good sign.

With a smile he stepped towards the door holding it open so the light from the entrance flooded in. When Lucy shut the lights off inside, the light shone through the doorway like a beacon, to help her find her way out. Natsu stood at the entrance; the same hesitant smile on his face.

Lucy felt bad for making him so wary of her, but there was nothing she could do to stop her reaction to him. It was for the best that she kept him at arms length. The tremors she felt around him were unsettling and different, not like the fear she was used to feeling wash over her.

"Thanks Natsu, Goodnight." Lucy always kept it short with Natsu, they could both feel the undiagnosed tension between them. Lucy avoided it because it served her purpose; Natsu encouraged it because his curiosity would not let him leave it alone.

"Let me walk you home Luce. Its 3am." He had phrased it as a question, but Lucy could feel in his inflection he was not asking. Part of her aversion to men had been the need to escape the high handedness and the domination. For so long she had avoided these kinds of situations to keep from feeling like she was ever giving in to a man again.

Those same unidentifiable tremors she felt around Natsu often gave way to lapses in judgment. Though none had ever had a negative outcome. Perhaps his kindness tonight had been a sign.

"Its only 5 Blocks Natus, you really don't have to." They could both hear the real answer hidden in her deferral. Lucy could feel a thrill running through her. New and exciting, she was doing something that she had never let happen before. Not once had she considered letting Natsu take her home to be a danger. How long had it been since she had felt that kind of trust in another person?

"It's nothing Luce. Come on." Natsu felt the change, the shift was subtle and the result microscopic. But Mira had been right. He was sure, given time Lucy would come around.

The next day Lucy woke up refreshed. She couldn't remember the last time she had woken up feeling this light. She knew she needed to hold on to senses and remain alert, but as she tucked the hammer she slept with back under her pillow and double checked her emergency bag was still safe under her bed, she couldn't brush off the feeling of freedom she had allowed herself to taste last night.

As she walked to the bar, Lucy told herself today would also be a good day. Mira was back, she was working dinner to 11, and so she would get out much earlier. And Cana was lending her a book.

Natsu was already at the door when she arrived at 2pm. Last night she had let him in, even if it had only been a millimeter of ground gained, she would keep it that way. She smiled at him, it still had some of the reservation and shyness but it glowed brighter than any smile Natus had ever seen.

Inside the doorway Lucy stashed her purse and jacket in the staff room and snatched her apron, Mira had gotten her a pink one, with a cute bow on the pocket and her name stitched in the center.

When she finished tying the bow in the back she looked up ready to greet Mira at the bar, her good mood maintaining its buoyancy.

But that good mood sunk faster than she could even make a grasp to hang on to it. There was an unknown man sitting at the bar, the back of his shaggy black head and he wide build feeling unmistakably familiar. The sinking in her stomach began to translate into dread on her face. Mira called out to her, but the man heard and turned in his seat.

Red eyes, silver studs all in his face, a shocking scowl, and the memory of violent fists pounding her repeatedly, all slammed into her in an instant. In less than a second she had given up that millimeter, given up all she had found at Fairy Tail. Her time here was done she knew she had lingered to long, she just hadn't seen it because she had let herself become distracted.

Lucy saw recognition flash in his eyes; she couldn't let him say her name. One man connected to Jose was enough, she didn't need him to bring more so soon. She grabbed for the heavy crystal beer stein half full on the bar next to him, and slammed it with all her might into his temple. In a flash of blond hair and pink apron stings she had darted into the kitchen and out the back door. Speed was the only thing she had now. She would need to get to her apartment, grab her bag and run. Run faster and farther than she had in a long while.

From the front door Natsu heard Mira scream. Being so early the bar was fairly empty, but Natsu ran from the door into the main room anyway, expecting the worst. He took in the scene, Mira holding a towel to Gajeel's bleeding temple, a cracked beer mug laying at his feet, and no Lucy in sight.

"Natsu! Lucy just attacked Gajeel and ran, I don't know what she was thinking. As soon as she saw him she turned white as a sheet." Mira continued to press the bar rag to the cuts on Gajeel's face. He looked slightly stunned.

"Lucy? You have Lucy Heartfillia here?" Natsu couldn't tell if Lucy had given him a concussion, his speech was not slurred but he did sound slightly in shock.

"Do you know her? She never told us her last name." Urgency was building in Natsu, for Lucy to do this there needed to be something seriously wrong. He had never seen her react like this, even when she had been grabbed by some of the rowdy customers, she only ever shrank away. Lucy had never resorted to violence.

"Natsu, Jose has been looking for her for two years. She is the reason I got out. I couldn't stomach what he made me do to her." That would explain Gajeel's shock. If they were one and the same, to Gajeel Lucy was a ghost of the past he was trying desperately to atone for.

"You are sure its her?" He was calling Gray and signaling Mira to follow him as Gajeel stared listlessly after the path the girl had followed.

"I couldn't ever forget her."

Natsu was off like a rocket, Mira close behind. He had given Gray her address over the phone, and no other words were needed. Gray would get there two minutes after them. Gajeel hadn't said much, but the few things he had revealed about Lucy were earth shattering. Natsu trembled at the look in Gajeel's eyes. Lucy was the final straw for him, the last and most terrible thing Jose had ever made him do. It was a past he couldn't run from, but it seemed running was all Lucy had been doing.

They needed to get to her apartment before she was already gone.

Lucy always kept spare keys and of her Identification on her at all times. The first time she had been forced to flee, she had to find a way to retrieve her wallet before she could run, it had cost her precious seconds. Now as she pulled the spare key from her back pocket, she was glad she had checked her bag that morning. There were very few things spread around her apartment that she needed to grab.

As her meager belongings were hastily being shoved into her bag, Lucy heard the fateful sound of the door nob. Her panic grew and she abandoned the rest of her things. She moved to pull the rope ladder out from under her bed. It snagged on the bed frame and she tugged and tugged listening or the shattering of the doorjamb, wondering which would give first.

She heard the fateful splinter and knew the rope ladder was a lost cause. She kept the hammer in her hand, and moved to the window. The door gave way at last as she tossed her bag to the ground below. Falling from the second floor would be dangerous. She looked down to where the bag had dropped knowing she had no time to hesitate, she began to throw one leg over the windowsill.

A hand grabbed her at the elbow and the panic she had been holding at bay washed through her in an uncontrollable tidal wave. Lucy lashed out, fighting for her life. She tried to angle the hammer to strike her opponent but couldn't move her arm against his strength. She screamed and thrashed as she was hauled away from the window. Her legs swung hard against the man holding her. He was trying to subdue her, pin her so she couldn't move.

Fear and panic gave her new strength to fight. But then she felt the hammer plucked from her hand. The loss of her weapon a devastating blow to the small hope she had of still escaping. The pain in her heart became overwhelming and she gave in for a moment, limp still screaming her refusals to be taken anywhere.

Natsu was trying to be gentle, letting her strike and wail on him as he tried to speak sense to her. It was obvious to see she was willing to risk anything to avoid being caught by who ever was after her. She had been poised to jump out the window when they had gotten there. His heart was breaking all the while Lucy struggled against him.

It seemed to last forever, her fits of violence against him. But in under a minute he had managed to gently pin her hands in one of his. He was blocking her legs and he had gently pushed her against the wall with his body. One hand was covering her mouth in attempt to keep the landlady from showing up at such an inopportune time. Natsu could still hear her soft pleas muffled by his hand, begging her not to take her back there. She still hadn't realized it was her friends who had caught her.

"Come on Luce, it's us. It's me, Natsu. I'm not taking you anywhere." He was whispering close to her face, husky tones uttering deep reassurance. She seemed to further calm down and her sobs became less frequent. Her big brown eyes, red and puffy from so much crying opened slowly. As though she was refusing to let herself believe this was not her world crashing down.

He removed his hand from her mouth and released her wrists. She could very well think he was in league with Jose. She had no idea Gajeel was no longer Jose's right hand man. She could believe all of Fairy Tail was against her. But Natsu could see the look in her eyes. Once they were hunted, guarded and full of fear, but now they were stripped bare. She had no fight left in her, no choice but to trust him.

"Natsu." Lucy's voice broke, she started to slide back down the wall, but he caught her up in his arms. Mira and gray were behind him, Mira's cheeks were tear stained and she softly brushed Lucy's bangs form her face.

Gray was holding the bag she had tossed two stories down to the street. In his best friends, Natsu could see all the emotions he was keeping a tight lock on within himself. They were clear to read, reflected back in Gray's face. Lucy had passed out in his arms and Mira led him to lay her on the bed until they could get a car here to pick them all up.

The Story of Lucy with no last name had just begun to unravel. The whole guild would want to hear it, but Natsu could not subject her to that. She would eventually need to decide if she wanted to stay with Fairy Tail. But weather she chose Fairy Tail or not, Natsu was choosing Lucy.

Some time later in the evening, Fairy Tail had closed early. After the dinner wave had ended, the nightlife had been abruptly cut short. Guests were ushered out unceremoniously and the door was locked behind them.

All the regulars were there, and there had been some special additions, called in to address this serious situation. Erza was present with her partner Jellal. They were working undercover in connection with a government operative who was also a Fairy Tail member named Mest.

Gajeel was standing at the front next to the master's chair, his shaggy head bowed and two bright whit butterfly stiches could bee seen on his temple.

"Gajeel, remember this group does not hold your past against you. What ever information you have on our newest prospective member Lucy please share." The master spoke in benevolent tones addressing the assembly. Mira was sitting across from Natsu, and there was a steady stream of tears rolling down her face. There was a sick feeling in Natsu's stomach at the thought of Gajeel sharing what he may have done to Lucy. It almost felt cruel to make the man go through with this. But they needed to know, and Gajeel needed to feel the absolution of admitting his wrongs.

Gajeel's own voice was dead, the usual gravel given over to a deeper less human rumble, and his eyes looked hollow. This was how he had looked when first arriving at fairy tails doors. He had thrown himself upon the mercy of Makarov and spent two years proving is loyalty. Natsu clung to the remembrance of all the aid Gajeel had brought to them, and the times he had saved lives by bringing valuable information back from dangerous missions.

" Lucy is Lucy Heartfillia, heiress of the Heartfillia estate. Her mother is dead, and her father is a greedy ass hole. The heartfillia fortune is Lucy's; her father cannot touch it without Lucy's permission. Her mother was able to create the documents before she was killed. Witch really pissed off daddy dearest. When I worked for Jose, Jude Heartfillia sold Lucy to Jose, literally as a sex slave. From what I understood, the sale was only temporary, another way for Jude to get Lucy to give in. She was untouched by another man, though it was clear she had been violently abused before. I do not know all of those details. When he handed her over to Jose he was shouting at her that if she wouldn't hand over the money, he would use her to make money."

Gajeel was getting pail, though his grumbling voice broke only once. He was not a man for showing emotion, but he remorse was palpable.

"Jose was a very cruel man to work for, he was constantly testing the people who worked for him, checking to see if they were still loyal to him above all else. My loyalty was waning. I had seen what he did to women, and I wanted to part of it. I had joined with him because he had the largest connections in black market weapons trade. But I was quickly roped into his other dealings. We only had Lucy for about 5 hours. Jose demanded that I 'tender her up'. There was no way to say no to Jose, I was afraid what he would do to me, and the girl, if I refused. This was a test of my loyalty. I tried to be as gentle as I could with out him noticing, but it was no use."

Natsu's eyes were tunneling in and out in front of him, his whole body was unbearably warm and he could feel his chest rumbling with fury. Sitting hear listening to this was almost unbearable.

" He had plans to take her out of the country, but before he left he insisted she be marked, the way he marked all his other girls. Usually it was with a tattoo, but Jose said this one was special. He Branded her. Used a blowtorch and a giant brand of the phantom Lord symbol. He made me hold her down." Natsu was shaking. The rage was so white hot he didn't know what to do with himself. Across the table Mira continued to sob quietly, her voice a gentle respite from Gajeel's graveled tone.

"I saw it, when I helped put her in bed. We changed her into some sleep clothes, and its there on her back." To Miras left, Erza nodded once in confirmation.

"I knew that was the end for me. There was no way I could stay in this business working for men like Jose any longer. In the van on the way to the airport, it was me the girl and the driver. Jose had taken his private car. I made sure the girl was bundled up in the blanket and waited until we were by an embankment. I opened the door and told her to roll. After she was out I took out the driver, Jose didn't know anything had happened for hours. That night I came to you."

The tale had exhausted Gajeel everyone around the tables was looking away form each other and the silence was heavy. Natsu couldn't bear it. The scraping of his chair on the wooden panel flooring was jarring. Without a word he headed towards the stairs to the room where the girl in question was sleeping in his bed.

Master Makarov stood and put his hand on Gajeel's shoulder. Master guided him to his own seat where he sank down and let out a shuttering sigh.

"Members of Fairy Tail. What is to be done about this?"

At the top of the stairs Natsu stood in a hallway, staring at his door. His name was on in it, in letters shaped like flames. The thought of fire made him sick at the moment, conjured images of smooth pale flesh burning under scorching metal. He swallowed thickly, and pushed the door open.

Lucy was laying on her stomach her face towards the door. Her eyes were open, but she looked exhausted, like she wanted to sleep but couldn't close her eyes. From the time she had arrived at the door to the Bar looking for work to now, she had changed so much. Even if the changes had seemed small at the time, he could look back and see the difference from the hunched skinny thing that had come in that Wednesday night to who she was now. There was still a lot that could get better, but just seeing her put on a little weight had been an achievement. And now he knew why. He sat down on the floor in front of her face. Her eyes were still puffy but less red.

"How are you Lucy?" it seemed like such a stupid way to start a conversation with this woman who was so obviously not ok. Having just heard details of possibly the 5 worst hours of her life, he had no idea where to start but the present.

"I'm so sorry Natsu, did I hurt you?" her voice was soft, he was sure her throat must be sore from screaming herself horse. He flashed her a roguish grin.

"I am fine Luce! Not a scratch on me. Though we may have to help you brush up on your fighting skills." He let the joke fall flat, knowing he would not get more than a half smile out of Lucy. "You shouldn't apologize either Lucy."

Her eyes were close to spilling over and she was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "Thank you Natsu."

"What do you have to thank me for Lucy, this is what friends do for each other." Natsu's face was serious, his eyes were unbearably kind, and his voice brokered no argument.

"I'm thanking you for stopping me from jumping out a two story window for no reason." Her voice was soft and broken. She knew there was about a 50/50 chance that fall would have done serious damage. Natsu paused a moment before he replied, keeping his eyes on her face as she looked up at him helpless but determined.

"Are you saying you would have jumped if you had a reason Luce?"

Lucy answered him no hesitation. " Yes. I've had to do it before."

His face grew hard, his eyes like stone. But somehow Lucy knew it was not directed at her, she felt no fear.

"Sleep Lucy, you wont have any reason to jump out windows while I am hear." She smiled a tearful smile, the second largest he had seen all day.

He sat facing the door and listened to her breathing slow as she fell sleep. Her long tapered fingers wound their way into his hair unconsciously. He leaned his head back into her hand and sighed aloud.

"If you do ever have to jump. I'll be there to catch you Lucy."

This was part one of possibly three. I think.

I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought!