A/N: Hello everyone! This is my new multiple chapter Fairy Tail story! This story follows the cliche mystery dinner story. You know the one where everyone is invited to a dinner and one of them ends up being a killer and slowly picks the all off one by one kinda thing? I thought this would be a really cool concept with these characters! This story will have Nalu in it, along with minor mentions of Gray/Juvia and Gajeel/Levy, and some Grey/Erza bonding! I really hope you enjoy, and please leave a review! I'm also thinking of doing a collection of Nalu oneshots, so if you want to see that leave some prompts in the review box too! Thank you and I hope you like it!
Lucy walked into the entry way to Fairy Tail, watching the other mages have polite conversation or be engrossed in another banter. She made her way over to the bar where Mira Jane was, cleaning some glasses with a content smile on her face.
"Morning Lu-chan! How was your night?" The white haired mage asked.
"It was okay, took me a while to get to sleep. How was yours?"
"Sorry to hear. Oh mine was fine!" She set the glass down in the counter, reaching for another one to clean before she stopped. "Oh! I forgot to tell you. An invitation came for you in the mail." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small beige envelope with 'Lucy Heartfilia' written in fancy script on the front.
"Thank you Mira Jane, any idea who it's from?" The blonde wasted no time in carefully opening the envelope, pulling out a white card.
"I'm not sure. I received one as well, along with many others in the guild, but none of them have a name or return address."
"Huh, that's weird." Lucy commented, scanning the invitation quickly.
'Dear Lucy Heartfilia,
You are hereby invited to a grand dinner at the Harrison Estate.
The dinner is to celebrate with some of Fairy Tail's finest mages.
We hope you can attend this Saturday at 8PM, dress your nicest.'
The invitation had no other information other than the address to the Harrison Estate written at the bottom. Lucy bid another thank you and farewell to Mira, walking over to an empty booth, rereading the note.
"So you got one too?" Grey's voice called out to Lucy, startling out of her reading daze.
"Oh, yeah. Mira just gave it to me this morning. Wait, you were also invited? How many are there?" The blonde questioned, gaze falling back down to the mysterious note.
"Not sure. I know Erza and Natsu got one too, and Mira Jane. I think I saw Levy with one earlier." He commented, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you think about this?"
Lucy merely shrugged. "Sounds fun, sure it's a little creepy. But come on, how many times do we get invited to something like this? I'm definitely going!" Her eyes lit up at the thought.
"You mean you aren't suspicious about this?"
"I mean yeah, a little I guess. But don't ruin the fun. Not everything is a trap Grey." She said simply, putting the card neatly back in the envelope. She was just about to strike up a different conversation with the ice mage before Erza joined the two, sliding in next to Grey.
"Good morning Lucy." The red-head said with a smile, gaze falling on the card Lucy held in her hands. "So you received one as well?"
"Yup." Lucy said, popping the 'p'. "Looks fun, are you going?"
"I plan too. It causes much interest. I saw Gajeel, Juvia, and Elfman had one as well."
"It did say Fairy Tail's best. I wonder why Master Makarov wasn't included." Lucy said. Erza opened her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted by a certain dragon slayer slamming into Lucy, thrown from a fight he'd gotten himself into. Lucy yelled his name, but it was muffled by the back of his vest. Lucy pounded on his back, hoping to get the other to move off of her.
"Sheesh fine Luce, I'm moving, I'm moving. It was an accident." Natsu said, before grinning broadly. Lucy huffed, sitting up and straightening her hair before shoving Natsu, which only caused him to chuckle. "Did you guys get an invitation too?" Natsu practically yelled at the group, excitement bubbling out of him.
"We all did, and many others." Erza answered simply, raising an eye ow at the pink haired mage. Natsu went on, explaining his abnormal excitement for such a fancy event. Lucy tuned him out, instead thinking about Grey's suspicions on the evening, wondering if she should have some of her own.
The excitement went on for several days about the event, those invited buzzing with anticipation for Saturday. The total invitation list included Team Natsu (including Happy, who insisted he come along), Mira, Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, Wendy, Cana, and Elfman. An odd bunch, but it stuck true to the invitation's wishes. They were some of Fairy Tail's best. The Thunder Legion however wasn't included, nor Master Makarov, which made many confused. Most were excited, but were told to keep their guard up. Only Grey and Erza seed to be extremely suspicious of it. And of course Gajeel only grunted in response, not seeming to care either way.
Finally the day had come, Lucy had already had her dress picked out. It was a simple light blue color that has a halter top and a slit up the right leg. She'd also helped Wendy pick something out, the girl struggling to find something appropriate. They settled on a yellow dress, perfect for the girl's age and size. Natsu, Grey, Erza, and Lucy had all agreed to arrive there together. They took a train as far as they could, leaving Natsu sick and groggy laying in Lucy's lap. Lucy eventually got over her fear of her dress being ruined by Natsu getting sick on it after he eventually fell asleep.
The train only took them about 3/4's of the way there. The rest had to be done on foot through roads into the woods. They could of gotten a car, but it was a nice night and they wanted to give Natsu's stomach a break before a big meal.
"It's kinda hidden back here, at least a couple mile walk form the train station, and this road looks like it's barely used." Grey noted.
"Oh relax, you're just freaking yourself out about this. Can't you guys enjoy one night without assuming it's another trap?" Lucy stated, Natsu voicing his agreement with the blonde, Happy chiming in his with signature 'Aye!' as well.
Grey and Erza mumbled some more suspensions and Lucy simply rolled her eyes, moving swiftly to the front of the group, Natsu joining her.
"You think what they're saying could actually be true?" Natsu asked her, trying to loosen his tie from around his neck.
"I don't know, maybe. But they get worked up about everything. I just think that we all do need a nice night out together, and this seems perfect." Lucy said, smiling at her team mate. Natsu returned the smile, still loosening his tie.
"What's up with your tie?" Lucy asked.
"Too tight, Erza tied it in some kind of crazy knot. She made me leave my scarf at home for this mess." He said, stopping to try and further untie the knot. Lucy chuckled, stepping in front of him and shooing his hands away. Quickly she'd undone Erza's fancy knot and re-tied it with a simple, yet looser, classic knot for a tie, laying it flat against Natsu's chest. She hadn't realized how close the two had gotten until she could feel his breath on her when he thanked her, a blush forming on her cheeks as she stepped away.
"No problem." Lucy began walking again, this time Erza and Grey were father ahead, the pair having to jog to catch up with their teammates.
Within minutes they'd arrived at the mansion, even Lucy was taken aback by how large it was. Huge oak doors loomed over them, an over-sized knocker perched at just the right height. Natsu shrugged, and pulled back on the knocker, knocking three times before letting his hand drop. Nearly instantly the large doors opened, and a tall yet skinny man opened the door for them. He wore what seemed a typical butler's outfit and had a grey mustache. He was older, so it appeared like his eyes didn't open all the way, and he has wrinkles across his face.
"Good evening members of Fairy Tail. Right this way please." He said, in an older crackly voice. He bowed, gesturing with one hand into the Grand Hall. A large double staircase was divided by a fireplace, a warm fire already lit. The ceiling was at least three stories up, with a large chandelier hanging down from it. The old man shut the doors behind them and guided them down a hallway to the right, the dark wood that made up the house giving a creepy atmosphere. Lucy shivered. Down the long hallway was a room with a large mahogany table set out. At least 13 seats were set, a few already taken by other Fairy Tail members. Levy and Gajeel had already arrived, waving the group over. The room was almost completely opposite to the Grand Hall. The room was brightly lit by candles and more chandeliers, along with a second fireplace with a fire roaring. Soft classical music was playing as the four entered the room, sitting towards the middle of the table. Lucy sat with Levy on her left and Natsu on her right, while Erza sat across from her and Grey across from Natsu. Happy insisted on his own seat, sliding next to Natsu, eyes widening at the sight in front of him.
"What do you think?" Levy asked excited, taking Lucy's hand and squeezing it.
"The place is beautiful, and all these decorations..." The table was filled with them, the multiple dining dishes and utensils covered up each place, and large candle sticks and carpets with flowers or flower petals covered the rest of the table, leaving almost no room for food to be placed.
"I know right! It's stunning here. Gosh -" Levy's thoughts were interrupted buy Mira, Elfman, and Wendy walking into the room. Everyone smiled and returned hellos, Mira sitting across from Levy and Elfman next to her. Wendy walked around to sit across from Happy, landing herself next to Grey.
There were only four seats left, one next to Wendy and Happy, and the two at the heads of the table. After a few minutes of chit-chat between the friends, Cana and Juvia eventually walked in, Cana moving to sit next to Happy and Juvia next to Wendy, seeing as it was closet to Grey.
A couple minutes went by after everyone had arrived before any members of the house came in. Finally, the door opened and in walked a middle aged woman and man. They were both extremely well dressed. The woman in a formal and tight fitting maroon dress that shimmered when she walked, her dark hair tied into an updo and expensive looking jewelry lied across her neck and wrists. The man had on a velvet suit, salt and pepper hair neatly combed back and thick soled shoes. The man was a good two feet shorter than his assumed wife, the two taking the seats at the opposite ends of the table. Lucy thought she recognized the pair from somewhere, they seemed extremely familiar to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
"Welcome, members of Fairy Tail, we thank you all for coming!" The woman proclaimed, smile stretching across her face.
"Yes! Thank you for joining us for such a lovely meal!" The man replied, Natsu snickering next to Lucy at the man's height. Lucy quickly stomped on his foot, forcing a smile at the couple. Natsu groaned at the pain caused from Lucy's heel but stop his antics.
"Thank you for having us!" Lucy replied with a smile, earning a dirty look from Natsu.
The owners of the estate finally sat down, folding their hands neatly in their laps.
"I am Margaret Harrison, and this is my husband, Reynolds Harrison." The lady responded, gesturing towards the short man at the opposite end of the table, who merely grunted in response.
"Remind you of someone?" Natsu muttered with a smirk to Lucy, pointedly wagging his eyebrows at Gajeel. Lucy only rolled her eyes in response.
"Can't you at least try to be polite?!" She grumbled through gritted teeth, moving to smile at Mrs. Harrison when she noticed her fowl expression.
"We recently put out word for a mission for us, inquiring that a few talented mages recover a stolen family heirloom for us. And Fairy Tail did well with supplying those mages." Margaret explained, pointedly looking at Erza. It clicked in Lucy's head. A few months ago they'd taken on a quick job to restore a lost necklace to a rich couple. Lucy had almost forgotten about that mission until now, recognizing a necklace that the woman wore as the one that Team Natsu had retrieved for her. When they'd taken the job no names were mentioned of the owners of the necklace, nor did they meet at the Harrison Estate, or Lucy would of recognized it as well.
"This is a dinner to thank those for returning such a special it to us, and for the other mages of Fairy Tail for doing amazing work for the community." Margaret said, placing a hand over her heart. Lucy smiled, glancing around at the table of her friends. She noticed Grey's puzzled face and was about to say something to him, but he opened his mouth before she could.
"What is this really about?" He questioned, voice like steel.
"Grey!" Lucy responded, giving Grey a sharp look and a kick under the table. Grey simple returned her glare, his intense gaze going back to focus on the owner of the estate. The woman didn't seem surprised by his outburst, in fact, she just sighed, rubbing her hands clad in white gloves together.
"I should of known, inviting a group of such talented young wizards would make this hard to cover as merely a celebration dinner."
This caused some eyebrow raises across the table. Natsu's face went from teasing to confused instantaneously, and Lucy's moved that way as well, tensing in her seat.
"We did invite you here to celebrate with us. But also, we've had some growing concerns about our safety.." She said, looking across the table to her husband, who's brows were now knit together.
"Then why didn't you just send out for another mission?" Levy asked.
"I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that. You see, we're afraid it is someone at this table who is threatening our safety." This statent caused mass confusion from the group, and Natsu began to get angry.
"Are you saying you think someone from Fairy Tail is going to hurt you?! Because no one at Fairy Tail would ever do something like that!" He stated menacingly, hands clenched together in fists. Lucy placed her hands over his, tugging slightly at his balled fingers in an attempt to calm him down.
"Now now, please remain calm. We've just been receiving some very threatening notes ever since our mission was completed, and every return address on these notes are from the Fairy Tail guild. Now, normally we would involve the police, however we prefer to keep our issues private. There's no point in any gossip starting because of this. These notes include very... personal information about our family and this estate that we couldn't afford getting out. We decided it would be best to handle this matter as humane and civilly as possible, which is why we invited you here.
"Why just us?" Cana asked, speaking for the first time that night.
"Well... We did ask for Master Makarov's help. We simply asked him who he thought went on the most mission, or heard the most neighborhood gossip I should say. I can't think of another way that any of you would of found out the secrets of this estate without hearing it in your travels... or by word of mouth." She said, pointedly looking towards Mira, who everyone knew collected the most gossip in Fairy Tail, being one of the most popular members that everyone came to to confide in.
Before Margaret could go on, explaining their debacle, two knocks came at the door and the butler, along with three other staff members it seemed, came in, pushing a cart filled with covered trays. "The appetizers, Mrs. Harrison" Said the butler, the other staff members moving to fill up water glasses and wine glasses, then moving on to place the covered dishes in front of each person. The motioned for people to uncover the dishes, a warm bowl of soup waiting in front of every guest.
"Thank you Lester." Margaret replied, waving him off with a single flick of her hand. The butler bowed again, moving towards the door. Natsu had already started to eat, his first spoonful of soup nearly in his mouth before the lights all switched off immediately, a gust of wind coming through the open door and snuffing out the candles, the fire somehow extinguishing as well. After about 15 seconds in the darkness filled with the panicked whispering of the Fairy Tail members and the Harrisons, the lights switched back on, and the sight made many scream.
The butler was pinned to the large wooden door, by a knife through his back.