Chapter One:

A Beautiful Stranger

It was a dark and gloomy day in Magnolia. Ugly grey clouds covered the entire town and rain began to fall, slowly covering the town in a blanket of ice-cold water. As the rain intensified, people rushed out of the streets to the warmth and comfort of their homes and awaiting families. With that being said, not a creature was in sight.

By the time she reached the entrance to Magnolia, she had already found herself dripping water like a leaky pipe, and chilled to the bone. With teeth chattering she pulled her thick brown cloak a little more taut against her body, and trudged through the slick, cobblestoned streets. She was able to keep herself going due to her extreme need to make it to her destination.

Before long the streets began to widen and turn from cobblestone to earth, causing her to halt and glance up for a moment in order to catch her breath and get a hold of her new surroundings. Somewhere in the not-so-far distance, she could make out what seemed to be a fairly large building, lighted from the inside. She grinned as she began her small hike up the winding path that would lead her to-

She lost her train of thought as her vision began to blur and the earth shifted slightly beneath her. Before she knew it she was lying on the ground growing unconscious. The last thought that crossed her mind was that of her only goal, her only way of reflecting for the crimes she had committed, and the poor children involved…

"Damnit! I knew I should have brought an umbrella!" Romeo murmured to himself as he ran up the streets of Magnolia. Soaked to the bone, the child mage pumped his legs as hard as possible so as not to spoil the supplies needed for the Guild kitchen. A wide smile appeared on his face when he spotted the lights of the Guild in the slight distance. This sense of approaching his destination made him speed up more and more until he tripped over what seemed to be an oddly shaped rock, and abruptly face planted into the damp ground.

Cursing, he rubbed the mud off of his face and got back on his feet again. Just as he was about to keep going, he heard a low moan come from what he thought to have been the odd rock. Leaning his face in closer, he gasped as he made out the blurred form of a human body. Reaching out his hand, he shook the person to see if he could get another reaction, but there was none. He then rolled the body over to find a beautiful young woman, yet very blue in the face, unconscious and slightly shivering.

Scared, Romeo yelled, "Oi….OI! Who are you? What are you doing collapsed in the middle of the road? Hello? HELLOOO? "

Placing the basket of supplies on the ground, he moved to pick her up and place her on his back. He found that she was surprisingly light and automatically adjusted to her weight, running as fast as he could up the hill and into the doors of Fairy Tail.

Everyone in the Guild seemed to be as merry as ever, despite the downpour outside. Mirajane was chatting with Kinana while washing dishes, Lucy was happily chatting away with Levy over a newly published book, and Natsu and Gray were arguing over some petty subject like always. Everyone was doing their own thing, like usual.

Giggling with Kinana, Mira sighed and looked at the entryway. "I wonder where Romeo is. He's been out for quite some time now. I hope he's alright with this horrible weather we're having outside." Kinana placed a hand on Mira's shoulder and smiled, "Of course he is okay. He probably just got sidetracked along the way, but I'm sure this weather will have him here in no time." Turning to face Kinana, Mira smiled, "Sigh. You're right, I do tend to worry a little much on these things. He is a very distracted boy though." They both laughed a little to themselves as they began washing dishes again.

At that moment Romeo burst through the doors and dropped to the floor with the unconscious girl at his side. He panted and wheezed as the Guild members all turned their heads in shocked silence to the child and his new friend. Macao was the first to break the silence as he stuttered, "R-romeo? What…Who? What happened?"

Romeo looked up at his father who was rushing to his side to check the matter out. Whipping his head to his right, he moved the girl slightly more towards him and explained his encounter to his father. "Please dad, I don't know what's wrong with her, but I know she had to be coming up here for a reason. Help her!" Romeo shouted as he began to shiver more.

Macao nodded and instructed, "I need someone to take this girl to a spare room and get her changed and warmed up while I take care of Romeo." He glanced around the room and locked his gaze on Mira and Lucy, who had made her way to the bar to converse with the two barmaids. "Got it." Both girls rushed over to the stranger and carried her upstairs and down the hallway into what could be called a guest room of sorts.

Placing her atop the bed, they removed her hooded cloak and hesitated for a minute. "Wow, she has a lovely face", whispered Mira. Lucy nodded her head in agreement as she examined her soaked clothing from head to toe, and said, "Yes, she does. And a body to boot." The two Guild mates also had gorgeous looks as well, but they couldn't help but admire this beautiful stranger.

Completely changed into warmer clothing, they placed the girl underneath the covers and placed her drenched articles of clothing in a nearby basket. "I'll go make some tea for when she wakes up. Keep an eye on her for me?" Mira said as she walked to the door and glanced back. "Of course!" Lucy agreed. As Mira left, Lucy found a chair and placed herself by the edge of the bed and looked upon the girl. "What are you doing in such horrific weather making your way up here?" She mused.

Darkness. It was all she could see. Somehow she knew she was unconscious and in a dream state of sorts, which is why she shouldn't have been so surprised when the grim yet so familiar scene played against her eye lids.

The lighting is dim and there is a thunder storm playing in the background. Turning in a full circle, I find that I am in a familiar place. A house. Home possibly? I guess there was once a time when there was a place I could call home. Looking around more closely I can see the kitchen on the right and I seem to be looking into the family room. Turning my head to the left slightly I can see four people seated on the sofa.

But wait.

That number is wrong. There should be two more people. Children. Oh. But that would make sense. They're too small to see over the back of the sofa. Taking a few steps closer to look at them more and find the small children, I hesitate. Why do I have a grim feeling about this whole scenario playing before me? I then look up to find a person standing in front of the seated family. Family…Yes, that sounds right. A mother, father, an older son, a daughter, and twins, a boy and a girl. I start to smile at the thought of a family, but then hesitate.

This is wrong.

This seems so wrong.

Keeping my gaze locked on to the newly found person in front of the family of six, a sense of fear rises from deep inside me. I freeze as I watch the horrid scene in front of me.

"No! No! Stop it! What are you doing? Leave them be! They were so peaceful and far from harmful! Stop! Stoooooop!"

She woke up, hazel eyes wide with fear, and screaming at the top of her lungs. Panting with her body soaked in sweat, she ran her fingers through her long brown hair and over her tanned face. She then halted suddenly feeling another presence nearby. She whipped her head up to find two girls staring at her with concern. She gasped and recoiled as far back as she could.

"No wait! Its okay, its okay! It was just a nightmare! Don't worry, you're safe now!" Lucy said as she reached to the girl cowering as close to the wall as possible. The girl shivered and slowly glanced around getting a feel for her surroundings. She slowly calmed down and sat properly on the bed facing the two girls.

"How did I come to be here in your quarters? Am I anywhere near the Guil-" She stopped suddenly as she got a good look at Lucy.

"Layla…? Wha-?"

Lucy, a little shocked at hearing her mother's name, shook her head slowly. "Um, n-no I am Lucy…Layla was my mother's name." Lucy then gazed down at the floor as the girl rubbed her eyes and apologized. "O-oh, I am sorry. I didn't…I…." I am so sorry.

The girl lowered her head and an awkward air filled the room. Finally Mira got up and brought a cup of tea over to the bed and handed it to the girl.

"Here. I made this fresh for you to help bring your temperature up a bit. I'm Mira by the way. We are both members of the Guild here in Magnolia: Fairy Tail. One of our younger Guild mates found you on the path outside and carried you here. You were unconscious and freezing cold so we brought you upstairs and changed your clothes."

The girl nodded in understanding and then suddenly reached up to her neck feeling for her precious choker when she heard that her original clothes were gone. She sighed in relief as it was still locked around her neck. She then proceeded to check her wrists and ankles for her other "chokers" of sorts. Lucy and Mira shared a questioning look as she did so, and then shrugged it off. The girl took a sip of the delicious tea and was very grateful for its warmth.

"So, who are you?" Lucy suddenly asked. To be honest, it kind of ruffled her feathers that this strange girl, of whom she had never met, seemed to know about her beloved mother.

The girl took another sip of tea and placed it on the bedside table. She sighed, placed her hands in her lap and gave a grim smile. "I am Vico Robinson. And I have come here to repent for my past sins that have affected some of the Guild members here. Including you, Lucy Heartfilia."