Lucy walked into the guild holding Plue in her hands and sat down at the bar, ignoring the concerned glances the guild was throwing at her. Lucy had made a mistake and is in the state of denial and regret. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat when a particular pink haired mage walked in the doors and went straight to the mission board. Neither of them looking each other in the eyes when he got Mira to approve his mission before he left. This interaction didn't go unnoticed by a particular dragon slayer sitting upstairs and that didn't go unnoticed by Mira who was watching trying to figure out what was going on. Lucy let out a heavy sigh and dismissed Plue before she dropped her head down to the bar as she sifted through her thoughts.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Mira asked while wiping the bar.

"If I tell you then the whole guild Mira and this is something that doesn't need to get out." Lucy said blankly.

"Have I told anyone about who has you heart? I think not, not spill the details so you can cheer up." Mira said as she sat her rag down.

"It's true that someone has my heart and now they don't deserve me after what happened last night." Lucy said still avoiding to look Mira in the eyes.

"I know it has to do with Natsu with how you two were acting, but why would that effect the guy you love?" Mira asked trying to figure out where she was heading with her story.

"You know that Natsu just lost Happy and that he has had a thing for me since he brought me here. I went to see him last night, to check on him after his loss and he clinged to me. I didn't want to be rude and push him off, so I just let him be while he wept." Lucy said finally lifting her head to look at Mira.

"So how is that bad and how does that effect you know who?" Mira asked still confused.

"Once his tears stopped flowing, he kissed me and moved his hands to settle on my chest. As I fought to gain control, he whispered to me to give him the happiness he has been craving since the beginning. And I couldn't bring myself to deny him what he wanted. Now you get why the guy that has my heart doesn't deserve me and why I feel so guilty." Lucy finished while looking to read Mira's reaction.

"And that was your first, wasn't it?"

"Yes, and it shouldn't have gone to him. That's not how I planned my first time, but you can't tell anyone especially him." Lucy said sternly.

"I won't tell him, but what are you going to do now?" Mira asked curiously.

"I don't know, he still doesn't know how I feel about him. And now he never will, I mean who wants someone that has that big of a mistake marking their life." Lucy asked while laying her head back down and watched as Mira walked away.

Unknown to Lucy, the man she had fallen for had heard her story from upstairs. As he looked down at her, he wondered why she loved him and said that her heart is his. He watched as she sighed again and got up and left. As soon as she was out of the door, he walked downstairs to the bar and waited for Mira to return with the beer that she knew he wanted. When she came back, she avoided looking him in the eyes and that irritated him to know end because she wasn't going to start the conversation that he had just witnessed.

"I know you know I heard her story. Now are you going to tell me why she is interested in me?" Laxus asked.

"How did you know it was you?" Mira asked as she thought back to the conversation.

"Well I know it's not Natsu because of her story. And Gajeel is mated with Levy so that leaves me to really hear her story. That and everyone else is taken at the moment and Lucy isn't the one to cheat. You knew that I would listen because you know of the thing that I have for her." Laxus said chugging his beer.

"You're right, it is you that she loves. But it looks like she has given up after last night's events. So now the question is what will you do?" Mira asked still avoiding the man.

"I'll have to fight for her and show her that what she doesn't matter to me, I mean I have bigger mistakes marking up my past than a one night stand." Laxus said watching Mira's eyes light up.

"That could work, but after you fight for her, will you surrender to her? You're not the type of guy to just settle down. You're still facing your own demons, so after helping her will you let her help you?" Mira asked hoping he would finally let someone in his life.

"I'll try to let her in, but that's if I can get through to her that what she did is fine with me." Laxus said walking away.

Mira watched as he went back to his team and put his sound pod on. She wondered what he had in mind to get through to Lucy, but didn't have time to really think because the master had called her up to his office. As she went upstairs, she looked at Laxus before continuing on down the hall. When she got to the door, she knocked and waited to enter. When she got the 'come in' from the master, she opened the door and closed it behind her. She walked over to the chair sitting in front of his desk and sat down while waiting to hear what he wanted.

"Mira, I need you to get Lucy for me."

"She isn't in today, master. But I can tell her to see you whenever she gets in." Mira said.

"Is she doing ok? It's rare that she isn't in the guild."

"She's handling some personal issues right now."

"I see, well if you could tell her that I need to see her I would appreciate it."

"Is that all you needed?"

"There is one more thing. I heard a rumor about Laxus and I need you to tell me if the rumor is true."

"What is the rumor that you heard?"

"I heard that he found a girl that he wants to pursue, do you know anything about this?"

"I do, now if you'll excuse me I've got to tend to the bar." Mira said as she hurried out of the room before he could ask more questions.

As she was walking down the hall, she heard the master call for Laxus. She looked at him with an apologetic look before heading down stairs to give Cana another barrel of beer. She knew that Laxus would have an easy time convincing his grandfather about letting Lucy in his life. As her thoughts raced about blonde hair babies, she shifted her thoughts to why the master would need to see Lucy. As soon as she got back to the bar, Gray was there with a mission for Erza and himself. She then started to think about why they aren't taking Lucy and if the rest of team Natsu knew what happened between them. As she approved the mission she saw Laxus walking back to his table with his head hung low.

Back at Laxus's table, Freed noticed how much his leaders' mood had changed. He looked to Evergreen and Bixslow for help but noticed that they were not paying any attention. After looking at his teammates in disbelief, he turned his attention back to Laxus who was now staring at the green haired mage.

"What do you want Freed?" Laxus asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was just wondering what the master might have said to put you in a bad mood."

"He said I have to find Lucy and help her."

"And that's a bad thing?" Evergreen chimed in.

"Dude, we all know you care for her, so what's the problem?" Bixslow asked.

"Now is not the time for me to confess to her. Something happened and she needs time to work through it. If she knew that I knew what happened it would hurt my chances with her but the old man wants me to look out for her and help her."

"So go to her and see if she trust you to open up herself. If she does then pay attention to her body language and to what she says." Evergreen said holding her fan in front of her face.

"And why would I need to do that?" Laxus asked.

"Dude, if she's talking but her body tenses up or the tears start rolling then you know she's telling the truth. But if she shows no emotion and is completely still then she is lying." Bixslow said.

"Miss Lucy does seem to where her heart on her sleeve." Freed said.

"Fine, but I'm telling you that she wants to be alone." Laxus said. As he was walking down the stairs, he noticed Mira calling him over.

"Laxus, take her tis shake. If you know anything about her, you know that she loves strawberries. And take this bag of candy, if I know her she has Plue out talking to him. Oh, and whatever you do, don't call her Blondie this time."

He gave a simple nod and took the shake from her hands and headed out the door. He instantly picked up on her scent and followed it to the park, where she was walking with a snowman which he was guessing was Plue. As he started walking, he noticed that she stopped walking to sit under a tree. As he got closer to her, he saw her physically tense with his arrival. He kept his distance and sat down next to her, while setting the candy and shake in the middle of them.

"You know you don't have to be scared of me." Laxus said.

"…" Lucy couldn't talk, what was she supposed to say to him, and why was he here?

"If you want me to leave just say so, but don't ignore me if you want me to stay." He said.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's fine." He said, trying to figure out what he was supposed to say.

"Um…are those for me?" She asked as she gestured to the shake and candy.

"Yeah, I figured you might want something to cheer you up, if only a little. And I was told that Plue would be with you and he likes candy, so please tell me that's Plue."

"Yes it is, thank you."

"For what, I haven't done anything." He said while looking straight into her eyes.

"Look, you don't have to lie to me. You're a dragon slayer so I'm guessing you heard me talking to Mira this morning."

"I did, and I figured you would want to be alone. But I couldn't find myself to leave you alone, not when you're hurting."

"Not that I care or anything, but why do you care what I feel like?" Lucy said sipping on her shake.

"Because, I've never shown it but I've liked you for a long time now. I understand if you want to be alone, but you have to understand that what you did didn't affect my view on you."

"How can you sit there and say that? Last night was the first big mistake I've ever made in my life. I don't deserve your love, or for you to even care."

"Lucy, I've done far worse things than one night stands. Like Fantasia, I still beat myself up over it and yet you were one of the first ones to forgive me and my team."

"You've changed since then, I've seen it when you helped us on the island. You didn't deserve to be treated like you did for so long, because you learned from your mistake."

"Yes I have changed, and it's all thanks to you. I watch you day in and day out and I see how positive you are and how you handle the different situations you are put under. I love how you stay by the side of your teammates, how you never give up. You are the light of the guild, and I am merely one of your followers."

"You shouldn't praise me like that, I don't deserve it."

"Lucy, you made a mistake and there is nothing wrong with that. No one is perfect and if we don't make mistakes then we will never learn the true value to life. Think about what I said, I'll always be by your side no matter what you've done." Laxus said then got up and left.

Lucy sat there thinking about how her love for him soared through the roof and how she saw herself. She was shocked when he openly confessed to her. She tried to follow what her heart was telling her but was getting to caught up by what her head was telling her. She still couldn't understand why he fell for her when she had done something unforgivable. She was amazed to see how easy it was to talk to him, and wondered if it would feel just as natural with her in his arms. After thinking for a long while, she decided it would be best to go to the guild to thank him for the company. When she walked in, Mira instantly pulled her off to the side.

"What are you doing back so soon, Lucy? I would've figured you would at least take the whole day off."

"I came to thank Laxus and you. I know you're the one who gave him the shake and candy, so thank you."

"It's fine, I just know how much you love my shakes and I also knew that the moment you left the guild you called Plue out."

"I did call him out, did you need anything else?"

"Right, I almost forgot. The master as asked that I summon you, he said that he needed to talk to you. But other than that, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'll get there with time, thank you for listening this morning." Lucy said as she walked off to the stairs.

As she climbed the stairs, she noticed that everyone was watching her. She brushed it off and went to see the master to see what he wanted. When she entered the office, she saw him setting on his desk with a beer mug sitting beside him. She took a seat in front of him and waited for him to speak, but when he never did she got nervous.

"Um, master. Mira said that you wanted to see me."

"Child, Team Natsu is disbanded for a little while. Is there another team you would like to join?"

"Can I ask why we are being disbanded?"

"Because of the damage that three of the members cause. It's not you so much, but I think that everyone needs a little break. Also, this morning I was watching the guild from my office and it seems that something has happened between Natsu and yourself."

"It's nothing that I can't take care of, but I think this break couldn't have come at a better time."

"Child, it's best if things are talked about. Would you like to talk to me about what happened?"

"I think it's best if I don't, but I have talked to someone."

"Good, if you need anything come and see me. My door is always open for you."

"Thank you." Lucy said.

As she left the office, she looked down the hall to Laxus's table and noticed that he was to busy talking to his team. She decided that she should thank him properly and walked up to his table. They all stopped and watched as she approached.

"Do you guys mind if I borrow Laxus for a minute?"

"I don't know cosplayer, we're getting ready for a mission."

"Oh, leave her alone. Of course you can talk to him." Evergreen said hiding behind her fan.

"Um, thanks." Lucy said as she followed after Laxus who was heading to his office.

"So what did you want?" Laxus asked as he took a seat behind his desk.

"I just wanted to say thank you, you know, for this morning."

"You know you already told me thank you."

"I know, but it really meant a lot to me that someone other than one of my girlfriends were there for me."

"I see."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Have you ever considered my feelings, I told you how I felt and all you can say is thank you."

"How can you say that? And why are you acting like this now that we're at the guild?"

"Look, it's just how I am. Like I said earlier, I have things that I'm still working on. This and the way I act, it keeps me from getting hurt any more than I already am. Is that fine with you?"

"No, it's not fine with me. You want me to let you in when you can't even extend the same courtesy. How is that fair?"

"It's not, but like I said, I'm working on it."

"Well, when you get back from your mission come and find me so we can talk someone. I can't explain it but when I'm just near you I feel safe. I don't want to hurt anymore, but I've taken far to much of your time so I'm going to go." Lucy said before opening the door and walking out leaving a very stunned Laxus.

As Lucy walked back out and down the stairs, she noticed that his team was watching her. She flashed a smile to Mira before walking out of the guild for the second time that day. After what seemed like forever, Freed got worried and went to see if Laxus was alright. However, when he got to the office, the door was open revealing a still stunned Laxus. He walked in and noticed that the slayer didn't move so much as an inch.

"Laxus, if we don't leave now we are going to miss the train."

"…"

"Laxus, what did she say to you?"

"Uh, did you say something Freed?"

"We need to leave if we are going to make to the train in time."

"Right, is everyone ready to go?"

"We are."

"Then let's get this over with so I can come back and think so things over." Laxus said getting up from his chair and walking out to see his team ready.