Hello fanfiction it has been a while...(understatement of the century)...hahaha life. Well let's just say I'll be popping up here and there whenever inspiration hits me ;) Please enjoy and thank you for reading!

Au. Fairy Tail. GrayLu. Because there was a chance meeting in Neverland before Fairy Tail came along.

Standard disclaimer applied.

There was a time when I was alone, nowhere to go and no place to call home. My only friend was the man on the moon and even sometimes he would go away too…

-Ruth B. (Lost Boy)

"Get back here, you little thief!"

The boy hastened his pace along the crowded market streets leaving behind an angry vendor too out of shape to go after him. Ignoring the twinge of guilt settling in the back of his conscience, he reached for one of the three juicy apples he had snatched.

He watched from where he sat, hidden from view, as the crowds of people walked by. If anyone would have spotted him, they'd see a dirty looking kid hanging out by the alley, poor, hungry and probably a runaway.

But that wasn't true…he had parents.

He had parents.

"Gray, we'll be back soon. Okay?"

The frown on his dirtied face deepened as he blinked away his tears. His mother lied, no one had come back. Not his parents, not his sister, Ultear, who abandoned him after their parents passed away.

People's views were lies. He might be eight years old and alone, but he knew what had been true.

Shooting one last glance at the crowd he decided it was time for him to find Lyon and Juvia—

"Let m-me go! Let me g—uah!"

Gray watched as the blonde girl struggled against her captor's hold just a few feet away from him. Was she being kidnapped? Wait, he shouldn't even be getting involved and that big guy looked scary too. He turned away ready to set foot to find his friends, when he remembered something his father always mentioned during his ice mage training. The times when he was ready to give up because he wasn't able to icemake anything.

"Don't let these failures cloud your heart Gray," Silver reached out and laid a hand on his son's small shoulder "soon you'll become stronger than me. It may seem impossible right now, but your old man learned a lot by moving forward and doing the right thing. One day you'll be faced with impossible things…"

The apple in his hand was gone in a second as it zoomed by hitting its intended target square in the face. Gray quickly grabbed the girl's wrist as the man cried out in surprise. He pulled her away and started towards the alley's entrance. "Where the hell do you think you're taking her?"

Lucy was confused as to why the boy stopped trying to run away, just as she was going to grab onto the arm that still held her wrist she watched in amazement as the floor below her kidnapper turned to ice.

Her brown eyes widened as they landed on the boy in front of her.

"Far away from you."

Gray turned and started running again. He didn't stop until he was sure that no one had followed them. It wasn't until he caught his breath that he realized that he still had the girl's wrist in his hand. "Ah—Sorry."

It also took him a moment to figure out where he had taken them as well.

Damn. This isn't good. Better get her out of here before Lyon and Juvia come back with the others.

It was one thing to bring in a new comrade to their hideout, but to bring a girl who was not like them and had a good life? Gray eyed the girl's pink dress, even if the dress had a smudge here and there, there was no hiding the fact that it expensive …Gray knew the other kids wouldn't be too happy. Just as he was about to make a suggestion, he felt a warm hand latch on to his own. The small girl was smiling brightly up at him with her big brown eyes, suddenly he started feeling very uncomfortable.

He stuttered quickly untangling their hands "H-Hey what are you doing?"

Lucy's smile fell and her eyes watered "I-I…I wanted to say, thank you for saving me," she sniffled a bit before she brushed her arm across her eyes. When her arm lifted away she smiled once more brightly at the boy who now stared back at her.

"Thank you!"

Gray sheepishly scratched his head in embarrassment "No problem."

She smiles softly, until she finally returns her attention to her surroundings. They were far away from the market streets that she was certain of, her eyes landed on the huge old tree in front of them. Her breath caught when she caught a glimpse of the treehouse hidden by the falling branches. Lucy is left in awe, but she wants to ask if maybe she can go inside the treehouse and they could play.

Gray mentally kicks himself when he sees the girl pointing up towards the treehouse. He was supposed to get her out of here before the others got back.

"Hey what's your name?"

Lucy was startled for a second "Lucy. It's Lucy H-"

"Where do you live Lucy? Do your parent's know your missing? Do you know how to get back home?"

Lucy puckered up her lips in annoyance. Why was he asking all these questions? He was a strange boy. But even if she knew where she lived, she doubted her father would want her back home. She really didn't think he was looking for her. The cold glares, the silence, the empty dining table; that was not a home she wanted to go back to. What she wanted was her mother…

Tears started flowing from her eyes.

Gray started panicking "Lucy, w-what's wrong?"

"I don't—I don't want to go back! Please don't make me go back" there was a dull ache piercing his chest as she cried.

"It may seem impossible right now, but your old man learned a lot by moving forward and doing the right thing. One day you'll be faced with impossible things…"

Gray kneeled in front of her, trying his best not to cry as well. He didn't really understand a whole lot yet, but he understood enough to know that Lucy was a girl who definitely had someone back home waiting for her. Or maybe he was wrong, but he knew that there was at least someone out there waiting for her. He needed her to understand.

"…so become strong and never give up."

Lucy stiffened when she felt a warm hand petting her head. Tears started welling up once more as she started tracing the cracks on the ground, as she traced the scrapped knees, the torn shorts, the badly worn shirt and the boy's kind sad smile.

There was something in the way he stared at her while she cried, that made Lucy think he was much older than she was, even though it looked like he was only a year older.

"There's someone that misses you, right now."

He watched as Lucy defiantly shook her head through her tears.

"Go back home Lucy."

"B-But you don't understand-"

"You don't belong here," he watched as his words stroked at her nerves as she scooted away from his touch.

He had told her to go away because this wasn't a place for children like her who had things made for them. Gray knew he was intentionally hurting her, but it was partially true and she looked like she had a future ahead of her. If he wasn't mean and made her leave soon the others would arrive and make her cry even more. Why? Because kids who lived in the streets, kids who were lost like he was were mean, envied, and held grudges sometimes.

Gray sullenly watched as she ran away. He did the right thing, and maybe his father was proud. It was only when her small figure could barely be distinguished from the distance that he cupped his hands around his mouth and bellowed "BECOME STRONG AND NEVER GIVE UP LUCY!"

And it wasn't until ten years later that he met her again as a Fairy Tail member.