Author's Note:

This story is a gift for tsuiu on tumblr as part of the 2017 Fairy Tail Gift Exchange.

Within you will find action, ninjas, celestial spirits, shadow mages and heartfelt love.

~ Impracticaldemon

Ambush: A Fairy Tail Holiday Story

[I]

Scritch scratch scritch scritch.

'It was a dark and stormy night.'

Lucy flung her pen away from her and sighed. She glanced from the words on the page to her front window—which did indeed show wind-blown rain and occasional flashes of lightning.

Great. And so the writer's block continues…

The window pane rattled, and Lucy walked over to it, wondering if there were some way to seal it better. What she saw made her eyes widen and her hands reach for her whip and pouch of keys—neither of which she was wearing with the pyjamas she'd changed into before settling down to (try to) write. Below, a beautiful red-head in silvery armour was dodging a spiralling mass of black tendrils, her sword swinging methodically at an invisible opponent. She appeared to be shouting something, but Lucy couldn't hear any sound from the eerie tableau, which was strange in itself. It occurred to her that she couldn't hear the wind or rain either…

Lucy had acquired something of a danger sense over the years of travelling with Natsu, Gray and Erza. As concerned as she was for the woman fighting in the street below—probably needlessly, given who it was—the sudden prickles on the back of her neck made her turn from the window and scan the area behind her. She saw nothing, but just as she sprinted across the room to fetch the missing whip and keys, the ceiling collapsed inward in a cloud of wood splinters and plaster. Only honed reflexes allowed Lucy to avoid the debris and keep her eyes and mouth free of the billowing white dust. Absolute silence leant a surreal feeling to the proceedings.

A moment later, two figures stepped out of the cloud, hands forming sparkling circles as they moved quickly toward Lucy. They were mages of some kind, but Lucy had no idea what they were doing. They wore loose-fitting, but unornamented clothes in dark gray or green that somehow repelled the white dust that was quickly settling onto every surface of Lucy's main living area. Their eyes were concealed and protected by shadowy goggles, and scarves covered every other part of their faces. They had clearly come prepared.

Lucy scrambled backward, mind racing. Although there had been the odd personal attack over the years, very few people dared to challenge a member of Fairy Tail here in Magnolia except as part of a full-scale invasion. Not the real problem right now! Lucy winced as a crash signalled the end of her beautifully decorated Christmas tree. She'd left it up hoping to show it to Erza, who had missed the Guild's big holiday party for the first time in forever. What's Erza doing here anyway? She was supposed to be gone until the day after tomorrow… Okay, still not on-point.

Lucy had been taking careful, shallow breaths while assessing her unwelcome visitors, but an odd smell made her nose twitch. Damn! Is that…? Her head swam suddenly, and she could feel her eyes starting to roll back in her head. Loke! Virgo! Somebody!

A heartbeat later, the leader of the Celestial Spirits stood before her, wreathed in the golden light he affected when he was feeling even more dramatic than usual. "Hello, Lucy," he mouthed, smiling cheerfully. Then he blinked as he took in the silence, the destruction, and the advancing enemies. His stance immediately became protective, and his expression forbidding. "Just leave it to"—but at that point Lucy succumbed to the heavily chloroformed air being compressed about her head and collapsed. Her last conscious thought was that she really hated having to be rescued.

[II]

Four days without sleep and only the barest of sustenance had left Erza weaker than she had expected. Nevertheless, she was Fairy Tail's ace—their main trouble-shooter when it came to Guild business—and she had faced far more challenging situations. The difficulty wasn't power or ability, it was time. Lucy might still be kidnapped despite Erza's frantic race back to Magnolia. Those who had conceived the plan to take Lucy, or at least her keys, had been careful not to underestimate the celestial mage or her friends. They had planned carefully, prepared meticulously, and then waited patiently for Natsu, Gray and Erza to be out of town. Moreover, the final part of the holidays always seemed to cause a kind of stupor among the mages—although that might have been mostly the cumulative effect of several days of drinking, joking, and feasting.

Just at that moment, a golden flash of light in the upper window told Erza that Loke had been summoned (or arrived on his own, Lucy's spirits being what they were). She told herself firmly that she was relieved, and ignored the thread of annoyance that assailed her whenever the Zodiac's Lion came to Lucy's aid. There was no real reason for irritation, after all, although his constant flirting had become more pronounced of late, in Erza's opinion.

With her usual perfect timing, Erza dodged another black coil of—well, whatever it was—and then deliberately stumbled. She'd already faked one stumble, and this time her unseen opponent took the bait. A thin red line appeared on the underside of Erza's left forearm, but that was the only damage she took as she stepped past the invisible weapon and slammed her mailed fist into the person's face. She thought she felt the intruder's nose break, but it wasn't easy to tell without the sounds she was used to. I'll have to add fighting in silence to my training routine; I seem to forget how disconcerting it is.

Her concern for Lucy was growing, so she pivoted and kicked her opponent in the direction of the source of the unpleasant, smoky tentacles. It felt as though her kick had landed squarely in the middle of the person's chest, and a sudden thinning in the smoky mass in front of Lucy's door suggested that the magic wielder had been hit or knocked off-balance by their colleague's airborne body. Erza caught a quick glimpse of a very determined young face with a black tattoo on one cheek before the fog closed in again.

Enough of this. Trusting fully to her combat instincts, and ignoring her fatigue with the ease of long practise, Erza flung herself at the shadow mage. She felt a lancing pain in one leg, but it only took seconds to immobilize the young woman who was clearly behind the coils of mist. At least, it should have taken mere seconds. Instead, the other mage went limp in her arms and then seemed to dissolve away. Shadow magic like Rogue's? Surely we would have heard something like this…

Erza suddenly realized that she had stopped moving. At the same time, sound had returned to the world, and she could once again hear the wind howling and the rain pouring down. Surprised by her moment of inattention, Erza raced up the stairs to Lucy's apartment. The door was closed and locked; no sound came from within. Mentally apologizing to Lucy, Erza wrenched the door open and hurried inside.

At first, she couldn't find Lucy; the door opened onto the main living area, which was a shambles, but more or less empty. Despite everything, Erza noticed the few decorations still clinging to the walls, as well as the tumbled Christmas tree looking strangely disconsolate with its broken branches and shattered ornaments. Rage bubbled in her chest at seeing Lucy's home invaded and its peaceful holiday atmosphere destroyed. On top of that, Lucy had promised to keep her decorations up for longer than usual, so that Erza wouldn't miss them.

A globe of golden fire flew from the kitchen area and left a dark crater on the living room wall. Erza rushed toward the kitchen, recognizing Loke's magic. It was only chance—and the way that her eyes had lingered on the fallen tree—that caused her to see Lucy's key pouch rising from the small table beside her bed.

"Oh no you don't!" To her surprise, the shout was audible. Perhaps their enemies were running out of magical power? Even as the pouch disappeared from sight, Erza flung herself at whoever was lurking by the bed.

"You again!" The invisible figure seemed enraged, but Erza had a firm grasp. "You weren't supposed to be here!"

"Well the gods know that you aren't supposed to be here," Erza retorted, shaking her prisoner. "Who are you? Why did you try to rob Lucy?"

The invisibility wavered, and Erza discovered that she had indeed broken the man's nose. He seemed supremely indifferent to the pain, however. Whoever these people were, they were well-trained and not cowards—after all, this mage had taken a direct hit from Erza, followed by a kick to the chest, and he had not only stayed conscious, but focussed enough to run into the house and to try to steal Lucy's keys. There was a black tattoo on the man's face, just below his left eye; now that she was closer and in better lighting, Erza could make out a stylized dragon with half-furled wings plummeting down across the cheek like an oversized black tear-drop.

Instead of answering Erza, the man tried to bring his hands up to box Erza's ears, no doubt hoping to jar himself loose. While he was very fast, he couldn't touch his captor, who easily evaded the attack and started to yank at his shirt, where a suspicious lump looked very much like Lucy's pouch. Just as Erza was yanking the keys free, a black shadow formed at her feet, causing her to stumble off-balance to avoid sinking through the floor.

"I admire your tenacity, if not your goals," Erza muttered, regaining her footing and leaping away. One hand gripped her sword, the other Lucy's keys.

Both the shadow and the man with the broken nose vanished immediately. Although Erza could still sense the invisible one, she was becoming more and more anxious to find out what had happened to Lucy. She moved quickly, but with caution; the debris-strewn floor wasn't a serious problem, but it would be better to avoid being hit by one of Loke's energy blasts. A splash of icy water made her start slightly, and informed her that rain from the winter storm was coming into Lucy's apartment through the ceiling. The robbers must have damaged the roof as well.

The kitchen was as much of a disaster as the main living area, although at least the ceiling was intact. Loke had retreated behind a golden barrier, and appeared to be having some difficulty resisting the combined attacks of his two assailants. This was surprising, but Erza made short work of the stand-off. It was a near thing, in fact, because even as she took out one enemy, shadowy tendrils came through the wall behind Loke, reaching for Lucy.

"—za, nice to see you!" Suddenly Loke was audible.

"Behind you, Loke!"

It was a testimony to their faith in each other that Loke immediately reformed his barrier behind him, leaving Erza to deal with his second assailant and occupy the first, who was recovering with the same speed as the other members of this unusual team of robbers. Even as Erza dove between her opponents to stand back-to-back with Loke, Lucy stirred and then sat up with a groan that quickly resolved into defiance.

"…uggggghhhh… I'll get you for that, you cowards!"

The battle raged for only a short time after that. Her keys restored to her by Erza, Lucy wasted no time in summoning Virgo to back up Loke, who could then fully turn his sun-like abilities on the shadow-summoner. Lucy's head was pounding from the chloroform, but it was nothing compared to the pain she felt upon seeing the wreck of her kitchen. Loke commented afterwards that it was the rage on Lucy's face that had finally scared off her enemies. In any event, within moments of Virgo's appearance, the attack had abruptly ceased. Somehow, the two ninja mages—or whatever they were—had vanished as effectively as their colleagues before them.

After a short silence, Loke put an arm around Lucy's shoulders and pulled her close. "Well, that was odd," he remarked to nobody in particular. "Good thing you showed up when you did, Titania. We weren't expecting you."

"Nobody expects the Scarlet Inquisition," muttered Lucy, unaware that she was quoting from an old comedy routine. She was shaken, but also very, very angry.

"What happened?" Erza demanded, ignoring both of them. "Are you hurt, Lucy? I almost got here in time, but they were moving very fast." She pulled Lucy away from Loke, and made a point of checking her for damage.

Loke gave Erza an understanding smile that made her cheeks darken, but she remained focussed on Lucy, who was shivering slightly, despite her forbidding expression.

"Well, I missed a lot of it, obviously, but I'll tell you what I remember…" Instinctively, Lucy leaned into Erza's warmth. The other woman's over-the-top sense of responsibility was hard to take at times—that and her passion for acting despite crippling stage fright—but Lucy was extremely happy that her friend was back in Magnolia. Erza was as crazy as any of them, in her own way, but she was unwaveringly kind, loyal, and generous, as well as being a one-woman army. She made Lucy feel safe.

[III]

Virgo was waiting to speak by the time that Lucy had given her brief description of how she'd been attacked and eventually rendered unconscious. Lucy turned to her celestial maidservant, discovering with some surprise that Erza was still holding her close. Of course, that was just Erza's way—at least, it was with Lucy.

"Yes, Virgo? I'm sorry I kept you waiting—oh, and thank you for your help earlier!"

"There is no need for thanks, hime-sama. Unless it is punishment time?"

"No!" Lucy replied firmly—not that her repeated negatives ever changed anything.

"Then, if you will please come this way, hime? I have secured the bed area."

"Secured it from who?" demanded Erza.

"From whom," Lucy corrected automatically, wincing when Loke's amused expression suggested that the grammar lesson could have waited.

"From collapsing," Virgo said calmly. "I have also cleared a path to the bed, and cleared off the bed itself. You should rest now, princess."

The four of them traipsed into the living room and looked across the wreckage to Lucy's downy bed, which looked shockingly pristine amid the disorder. Virgo was good at what she did. Unfortunately, a fallen tangle of wood and dull shards of glass lay not far from the bed.

"My tree!" Lucy wailed. She'd forgotten, and for the first time since the invasion of the thieves—robbers? Yes, robbers, since they had been fully prepared to assault Lucy in the course of stealing her keys—Lucy had to brush tears from her eyes. They were tears of anger, she assured herself. "I kept it in perfect condition for you Erza! I thought we could enjoy some hot chocolate together when you got back! Argh! Although—why are you back so early?"

Erza picked Lucy up, cradling her close. This should be ridiculous, thought Lucy. I mean, we're practically the same size. Still, it didn't feel ridiculous, it just felt nice. Probably because she's so strong. Though I'm glad she's switched out of her armour. This turtleneck sweater really suits her, actually.

"Virgo is right, Lucy," Erza said firmly. "You should be in bed."

"I can tuck her in," offered Loke, smirking a little.

"No," said Erza, her eyes narrowing.

"No thanks," said Lucy at the same time, "although I don't know why you're all trying to get me into bed, since something still needs to be done about the hole in the ceiling—and the roof."

"Yeah, most people don't go for the 'rainstorm' look in their living room," Loke said cheerfully. "Then again, maybe it's the next big thing, along with dragon tattoos, silencing spells, and unknown shadow magic."

"Har har. I guess I'd better get some boards in place, at least until morning."

"Ah, let us fix up the ceiling—temporarily, at least."

While Lucy and Erza looked on, a number of celestial spirits came and went, including a few that Lucy didn't recognize at all. She would have liked to say hi, but Loke gave her an unusually serious look and shook his head. Not long afterwards, three good-sized boards were held up across the gap in Lucy's ceiling by Taurus and then pinned into place with Sagittarius' arrows. It was functional, if not elegant. When everything was done, Loke shooed the celestial spirits away, telling Lucy to save her thanks until the next day.

"But—"

"Trust me, there's somebody else you need to thank first. She ran, drove and—to put it bluntly—hijacked a train in order to reach you in time."

"How did you—" Erza stopped, conscious of having given herself away.

"But—" This time Lucy craned her neck around to try to peer into Erza's face. Erza just held her closer, and the most she could do was make out the patches of red on her friend's cheeks.

"Virgo—thank you for all your hard work!" Lucy was pleased that not everyone had disappeared on Loke's command.

"I have acquired a new brazier for you, hime," Virgo told her, bowing. "This is a high-efficiency model perfect for keeping you warm during cold and blustery winter nights."

Lucy nodded, mentally adding the cost of a new brazier to list of things she probably needed to pay for at the nearest shop.

"I'd be more than happy to keep you warm at night, Lucy, you know that," put in Loke, his eyes suddenly hard to make out behind his glasses.

Before Lucy could reply, Erza told him that Virgo's acquisition would no doubt be more suitable, and Virgo asked him whether he could be considered 'high efficiency'. Suddenly feeling very tired, Lucy closed her eyes, trying to ignore the voices around her.

"Well, time for us to go!" Loke announced, much to Lucy's relief. "Just remember Lucy, I'll always be there for you—whatever you need."

"I believe she's asleep," Erza said quietly. "Good night, Loke. Thank you for looking after Lucy. She is fortunate to have you as a friend." Lucy thought there was a slight emphasis on the final word.

For some reason, Loke chuckled. Then Lucy felt him go, and Virgo with him. Her celestial spirit friends were great, but they were even stranger than her guild-mates at times.

"You're not off the hook, Erza," she said, as the red-headed warrior tucked her into her soft, soon-to-be-warm bed. "I'm awake, and you still haven't told me why you're here. You were on a Guild job for the Master, weren't you?"

She got silence in return, and looked up to see Erza standing beside the bed, her expression stern. Lucy was also able to see how white the other woman was, and how exhausted.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Erza—you normally just hop into my bed, or my bath, whenever it suits you! I think my dresser's pretty much dry and intact, get yourself some PJs and let's talk."

"That is probably wise. I will get you a dry top as well, Lucy. I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner that your own pyjamas were damp."

"Oh no, no problem!" Lucy waved her hand in front of her face in a "no need" sign, but Erza ignored the gesture , and found dry pyjamas for Lucy and herself. In fact, she had her own pyjamas, since she'd crashed at Lucy's so often in the past.

"I'm going to go see if the bathroom is intact," Erza commented. "See you in a minute."

Lucy frowned after her as she hurried into the bathroom and closed the (mercifully intact) bathroom door. Erza seemed oddly nervous. She'd never been like this before with Lucy. Puzzled, Lucy got changed—it was nice to be completely dry!—and dove back under the covers.

While she waited for Erza to return, a suspicion crossed her mind, something that she'd wondered about once or twice in the past. Erza was an affectionate person, perhaps unusually so given the way that many with backgrounds like hers tended to be reclusive. The point was that Jellal had disappeared with the former Oracion Se—with Crime Sorcière—and Erza had seemed content to hang out with her friends. But was she satisfied with friendship? She was unquestionably devoted to her friends

"Now will you tell me why you're here?" Lucy asked Erza a few minutes later.

Erza was sitting opposite Lucy in the bed, a spare blanket tucked around her shoulders. The red hearts on her pyjamas were adorable, although Lucy had to wonder whether somebody else had stitched on the swords on the collar and cuffs. Erza's own attempts at handicrafts often went awry.

"… While I was looking into the Guild matter for Master Makarov, I came across indications that an unknown group of mages was searching for the Zodiac Keys. The rumours I heard about them weren't pleasant. Naturally, I pursued the matter, and when I realized that they were already on their way here I moved with all appropriate haste. With Natsu away with Happy pursuing his latest challenge, and Gray off communing with the snow, and Wendy spending time with Levy and Gajeel out of town… I deemed it necessary to return."

"I don't always need rescuing you know!"

"You were unaware there was a problem! Any mage is at a disadvantage when caught off-guard and without their friends nearby!"

"I suppose that's true, but still…"

"If it will make you feel better," said Erza, "I would do the same for any of my friends."

"Oh." Lucy's tone was flat. She was caught off-guard by how disappointed she suddenly felt.

"Although…" Erza leaned forward, and slowly took one of Lucy's hands in hers. The faint red was back in her cheeks. "I have had a knot in my stomach since hearing of the danger to you that is not quite the same as with the others. I have told myself many times that friendship is more important to me than anything. The problem is that I sometimes think that, that we could be friends and maybe, ah, maybe something closer."

Erza's voice had grown very soft. Lucy waited with bated breath for her to continue. She had no desire to move her hand.

"But, well, you have so many close relationships with people, and I didn't know if it was possible to be special to you when we are surrounded by special people. On the other hand, since I've already gone this far"—Erza laughed, but she sounded far more nervous than amused—"I suppose I might as well tell you all of it. The thing is, you are truly warm-hearted. You are kind to your enemies and loyal beyond all reason to your friends. You are courageous in the face of insurmountable odds, simply because you have decided not to let anyone fall!"

"That sounds like you, not me!" Lucy interrupted. "I get envious, and want new things, and sometimes I'm not brave! Quite often in"—

Erza drew Lucy to her and stopped her protests with a kiss, feather-light but also firm.

"We are alike," she told Lucy. "But you bring a joy and optimism that sometimes fails me, and I—well, I like to think that I'm there to be your shield while you're sorting out what's right." Erza's strong hands closed around Lucy's upper arms. "I hope… I want…"

Erza's brown eyes glimmered with emotion, but she obviously couldn't bring herself to look up into Lucy's face. Lucy was blushing fiercely. Nobody had ever, ever told her how they felt about her in such a way. In fact, nobody so special had ever confessed to her at all. She almost wanted to dart across the room and commit everything to paper, before she could forget the words… the feeling… Then she stopped herself, remembering that Erza needed an answer.

"Let's try that again." Gathering up her courage—it still seemed very strange—Lucy leaned forward to bring her lips to Erza's. This time neither of them pulled away so soon.

"We're behaving like children," murmured Lucy. "I'm sure everyone else has managed to find somebody to kiss by now."

"I don't care about that," whispered Erza. "I care about your good opinion first and foremost. Your expression always tells me when I—or Natsu, or Gray—are going too far. If I am frightening you, then I know that I have lost control—have lost sight of what is important."

Desperately needing to break the tension, Lucy giggled. "Cute clothes."

Erza looked taken aback, then a little hurt, and then she laughed. "Cute armour."

"You're the only person I know with cute armour."

"Ah… probably?" Erza sounded embarrassed and slightly proud at the same time.

"You slay monsters in the morning and strawberry cake in the afternoon."

"Yes?"

"You're too serious, but you also try to enjoy life as much as humanly possible—and you make damn sure that so does everyone else."

"I'll try not to be bossy…"

"Impossible!"

Lucy knew that her face was as red as Erza's, but… it was worth it. Wasn't it?

"I-I can try to be less bossy?"

"Erza… I want you to be you. I mean, it would freak me out if you suddenly tried to change. Though, I can be bossy too."

"I'll look after you when you're tired!" Erza managed a small smile. "I'd like that."

"You're allowed to make dessert."

"I can knit now, too," Erza insisted.

"I saw the results. If knitting is that important to you, then we will learn to knit together!" Lucy knew that it was a reckless promise, given how seriously Erza threw herself into her projects, but if that was the price of potential happiness, then so be it.

"I'm good at repairs and rebuilding."

"You are, I admit that, but sheesh! Look, you're embarrassing me—I mean, obviously—but, argh! Erza! You're gorgeous and talented and stronger than just about anybody in the world, and incredibly brave... You so don't need to convince me that you're worth loving"—Lucy broke off, chagrined to have used the L-word so easily.

"But you are all of that and more," Erza told her earnestly, completely oblivious to any problem.

"Fine. You are in charge of home repairs—your timing's perfect, by the way—oh, and I'm guessing that contractors don't give you any grief!"

"What? No! Lucy?" Erza peered into Lucy's face. "Um. There is a proper tradition for these things." She cleared her throat. "Will you go out with me?"

"I will even stay in with you. I mean, yes, I'll go out with you."

"Can we go on dates?"

"Duh." Lucy was slowly relaxing into the idea, and it all seemed quite reasonable now. The idea of going out for dessert with Erza (and occasionally preventing mayhem), and holding hands with Erza, and admiring nice clothes with Erza… And cuddling up together—she could read and Erza could polish her weapons... "What do you read?" Lucy asked out loud.

"Oh! Well, um, nothing in particular, you know…"

"Hah. Romances then."

"… Maybe…"

"And I'll never have to worry about being ignored by stupid waiters who think that women eating alone aren't worth their time…"

"I'll slay them for you."

"… Yeah, you know, I hope that's a joke."

Somehow, they managed to get past that first, awkward, funny and not-so-funny bit. They kissed, and turned red, and then kissed some more. The room was very cold, despite the exceptionally efficient brazier, so they snuggled together under the comforter.

"You really move fast," Lucy teased Erza, as the latter gently brushed Lucy's golden hair aside in order to kiss her neck.

"I did it all in order," Erza told her. "First I rescued you from evil, then I told you how I felt about you, then I kissed you—and you know I'll stop if you ever mind—and then I persuaded you to let me lie with you in bed."

"Erza!"

"Well?"

"… All in the space of one evening."

"I'd already waited long enough."

"I'm disappointed about the tree. It looked perfect and I thought you might appreciate it better than some of the others."

"I'm sorry I missed it. But maybe... maybe we can shop for new ornaments together?"

"Tomorrow you'll have to figure out who this new black-falling-dragon-tattoo-cult is..."

"That's tomorrow."

Lucy smiled to herself in the darkness. If Erza was willing to put off duty until tomorrow for her sake, then that was truly love. Even though it hadn't quite been what Lucy had expected.

A/Note: I hope you have enjoyed this story! As always, comments, reviews and so one are very much appreciated. I wish you well in 2018! (^u^)/