{Author's Note: Be for warned the following chapter contains: Character Death, (insert sobbing and crying here) Violence, and disturbing death scene. This is a short chapter, Rating is um T-M for the entire story. This Chapter is probably a solid T. PLEASE be sure to view "Lucy" by xOxLxIxVxEx as that is the work that inspired this story. A huge massive ginormous THANK YOU to xOxLxIxVxEx for giving me permission to post this. :) This is my first ever Fan fiction of any kind ever. Please be honest but don't be hateful or petty. Don't forget to Review after you read thank you thank you thank you and hope you enjoy! End Note}

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Fairy Tail, if I did the Fairies would be ruling the world and whipping people with their totally awesome tails!

Chapter 1

In That One Moment

Natsu grinned, that half crazed look in his eyes once more as he faced the mastermind they had come to stop. He was gonna enjoy beating this guy for kidnapping Lucy. He had planned to sacrifice her for her powers as a Stellar Spirit mage as part of some bizarre, ancient ritual to gain immortality. Natsu had managed to free Lucy. She was still fighting the second in command, while Gray and Erza were busy with the dozens of followers outside the temple.

They had given Natsu the opening to go save Lucy. Now that she had her keys, and her whip, his girlfriend could take out one man. They had been dating for almost seven months now, even though they had been together as Nakama for almost five years. The master mountain mage was powerful, and Natsu was needing to use more of his magic than he had expected.

'Damn! No wonder this was an S class mission, but that fifty million jewels, and an all expenses paid cruise is soo gonna be worth it! Lucy in a bikini all day for a week!' Natsu shivered at the thought.

"You can't stop me! I've won! I've won, and you have no idea that it's already too late! MWAHA ha ha ha ha!" The master mountain mage shouted at Natsu from across the massive room.

"What nonsense are you dreaming?! Just 'cause you finished your stupid chant ain't gonna save you from my fire! Besides, you forgot the sacrifice, you stupid, old fart!" Natsu shot back with a laugh.

"There's still time, you fool! There's still time! So long as the sacrifice is in the temple, I have all the time I need! Soon! Soon, you shall tremble before me, you who is nothing but a mere mortal! I shall possess the immortality of the Stellar Spirits!" the old man crowed triumphantly.

He was trying to buy more time. He couldn't take much more from this fire flinging, half crazed, childish upstart. Fairy Tail had sent the one team he had needed them to, but he had not accounted for the dragon slayer actually still having so much power left when he reached the ceremonial rooms.

"Phht! Like I'd let you kill my girlfriend just so your ugly, old wrinkles could creep along the Earth forever!" Natsu laughed, trying to blow off the disturbing idea that Lucy wasn't safe, even though Natsu was right there.

He turned, and looked at her. Yep, still wiping the floor with that apprentice looser, just as Natsu expected. She flashed him a smile, and returned to her fight. Natsu turned back to his opponent. It bothered him a little, but he shrugged it off. He had never let Lucy die before, and he wasn't gonna start now. He launched into the attack again. A few fierce moments later, the mountain mage was down for the count. Natsu grinned, proud of himself again, but the smug look melted off his face as an ear piercing shriek of pain rang out.

"Lucy!" Natsu was running.

He raced towards the hall that connected the twin ceremonial rooms. As he turned the corner his heart dropped. Lucy was on the floor, the mage's apprentice standing over her with a bloodied knife, somehow shimmering in, and out of view like he could become invisible.

Natsu roared, suddenly filled with more hatred than he'd ever felt before, as he flew into the guy. He was spent. He needed fire to eat, but there was nothing around. It took him several minutes to beat the other mage down without using his fire.

When Natsu turned to Lucy, Loke was kneeling at her side, crying, almost sobbing. Natsu moved to where she lay on the floor. The blood pool still growing.

"What the HELL! What, what happened?! Where were you, Loke?!" Natsu accused as he rushed to Lucy, lifting her off the floor. Her eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. She was so cold! Tears flooded Natsu's eyes.

"She didn't call me! I-I-I didn't...I had...No warning! I didn't know! I heard... her scream, I heard you...call her! That's...why...I came! And she was...was like THIS!" Loke sobbed, disbelief and despair thickening his voice. He was shaking his head as he stroked Lucy's long, golden hair. He had failed her.

Loke fell into utter shock, starring blankly at his beloved Lucy. He couldn't accept this. She wasn't dying. She just needed some sleep. It wasn't her blood that he was sitting in, it was someone else's. Lucy was fine. If she was ever in real trouble he would know, he'd feel it. Just like he always had. She was fine. This was just her, and Natsu playing a really not funny, and very sick joke on him. Loke just had to watch her long enough and she'd sit up, and laugh, and tell him it was a joke. Just payback for all those times he'd told her something, or did something that he couldn't take back, and said he was joking. The Lion Spirit continued on with his mental break down in silence.

"Luce? Lucy?" Natsu called her gently. He started to cry, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Lucy. Lucy, please, I'm sorry."

Lucy's eyes fluttered open as Natsu's hot tears fell on her face. She smiled.

'He's okay. He's safe. Everything will be okay now,' she thought through the searing pain in her back. She couldn't talk, her voice wouldn't come. It was so hard to breathe.

"Lucy, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I-I-I thought...I mean I gave you your keys. You had your whip. I untied you. I'm sorry! Please Lucy! I'll warm you up! We can go home now. I won't make you come on another mission that you don't want to do, Lucy, I promise! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Natsu sobbed.

She was so pale, so cold. There was so much blood! He couldn't think of how to stop all that blood. He didn't know how to make it okay again. Even though she was smiling, he could see the pain.

"Lucy? You'll be okay, right? We're gonna have a lot of fun on that cruise together. Just tell me what to do, Luce. I'll do it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please Lucy, I'm sorry," Natsu cried as he watched her glittering eyes slowly fade. She sighed with a deep shiver, then she was suddenly limp. The few tears that had streaked her face beginning to dry as Natsu waited for her to reply. She never did, and never would.

"Lucy. Lucy? LUCY!" Natsu shook her, desperate to get her to answer him, to blink, to make that empty stare go away. He tried to call even a hint of his fire to warm her, but he had nothing left. She wasn't breathing any more. He buried his head in her shoulder as he was racked with bone jarring sobs. Natsu jumped violently as the most horrified scream he'd ever heard shattered the very air around them. He glared up at Loke, then suddenly began shaking his head 'no' as understanding settled on him.

Loke's hands were twisted in his ginger hair as he stared at the ceiling with the most agonized look on his face. He couldn't feel her. He couldn't feel his princess, his Lucy. The bond was gone. How? Why? Why hadn't he known that she needed him? Why hadn't he felt that she was in danger? Why hadn't he felt the warning like he had every other time? Loke threw himself onto the floor face first sobbing like a man that just had everything within him shatter.

To Loke, that's exactly what was happening. Lucy was his princess. She was everything to him. His very reason for living, and Loke had failed to protect her. He had sworn to give his life for her, yet here he was, alive, and well, while she was not. He hadn't even fought to protect her. He had failed, utterly, completely. It was unacceptable, inexcusable, unforgivable. There was nothing he could do now beyond live with that ultimate failure until he simply faded away.

"Wha-What the hell is going on?!" Natsu shouted as he reached for Lucy's keyring that was still hanging from her hip. The keys had begun to glow brightly. Suddenly, one by one they began to vanish, until the only one that remained was Leo, The Lion.

"The bond is gone. The contract is broken. The keys relocate to be found by new mages," Loke whispered without looking. His voice was empty, as though he was responding without being aware of either the question, or of his answer.

"What the hell are you saying?! Lucy can't loose her keys! She needs them! How will she fight without them?!" Natsu was screaming at the Lion Spirit.

"She's, she's," Loke couldn't say it.

"No. NO! Lucy's just sleeping! She's just resting, she's fine!" Natsu argued, shaking his head, and rocking back, and forth with her still held tightly in his arms.

Loke didn't respond. He didn't want to believe it either. He didn't have the heart to make Natsu accept it. Neither of them moved until Gray, Happy, and Erza arrived nearly two, and a half hours later.