A/N: This is a semi-AU. Fairy Tail isn't an official guild, more like the meeting place of a group of guildless wizards. The former Oracion Seis members are part of Crime Sorcerie. There really isn't a timeline, since I haven't finished watching/reading FT. Just after Nirvana, I guess. And the formation of CS. Okay, there isn't a timeline. Just ignore that and read the story!

This is dedicated to Eien ni Touko and Dragon's Host, the queens of CoLu and the cause my addiction to the pairing.

And happy birthday to me! :) It is my actual birthday today. And I am old. (Not really.) So like a Hobbit, I'm giving you a gift! I hope you like it! Leave me a comment as a birthday present, yeah?

Two figures stood outside in the snow, staring at the slightly glowing sign. "Well, we finally found it," one of the cloaked males grumbled to his companion. "Still don't know why Tattoo Face would send us here instead of coming himself. The redheaded demon is supposed to come here, right? I figured he would jump at any chance to see her again."

"You know why, Cobra." The other man gave him a poke. "If we're going to find anything about…your kind, this is the place to look." His comrade growled at the mention of his 'kind'. He didn't appreciate being categorized like that, as if he was some kind of animal. "They're said to frequent Fairy Tail. And as for the Titania, I really don't think we should worry about her. She isn't our priority. Finding answers is. Now stop snarling and let's go in. I'd like to get back to my girl sooner rather than later." The man who spoke pulled his cloak closer to himself. The man called Cobra resisted the urge to flip him off, albeit rather reluctantly. He opted instead to pull open the door and walk into the warm bar.

And instantly ducked, narrowly avoiding getting hit by an airborne tankard.

The place was a mad house. At first glance, it seemed like any other bar. Sturdy wooden tables and benches were littered about the room, seemingly without rhyme or reason. There was a place to hang cloaks and dry wet boots, (which both Cobra and Midnight ignored, preferring the anonymity cloaks offered). Flags adorned the walls and on the side opposite the door hung a bulletin board covered in papers.

That was fine. Even the brawl that was currently going on in the middle of the bar was okay. He was a member of Crime Sorcerie, brawls were nothing new to him. Bodies, fists, bottles, and chairs were flying through the air as Cobra and his companion Midnight made it up to the bar. That was fine. It was the thoughts that threatened to send Cobra over the edge.

If he had to describe it, it would be summed up in one word: chaos.

Fairy Tail seemed like chaos incarnate. He was sure if he stayed here for very long he would go stark raving mad. And yet all the souls and thoughts seemed to be on the same wavelength.

Wait, no, that wasn't right. There was one that sang on a different level. A purer, more bell like tone caught his ear and captivated it. He frowned as he heard the darker sounds of sadness, grief, nearly soul-shattering anguish, and pure exhaustion mixed in with the bright light of the natural sound of the soul. Who's soul sang so loudly and yet was so dark? And why?

The young woman behind the bar glanced up at the two of them as they approached with a smile that seemed rather forced. The bartender was very pretty, Cobra had to admit. And he never noticed what women looked like. Her hair looked like spun gold in the dim light of the bar. She wore it pinned up on top of her head, in a style Cobra vaguely recognized as what Meredy and Sorano called a French Twist. What that actually was, Cobra really…wasn't…sure. But it looked nice on the blonde woman. Her gray dress was a simple cut and she wore a gold shawl wrapped around her neck that sparkled and caught the light, just like her hair.

She set the glass she had been polishing down and leaned her elbows on the counter. "What can I get for you boys?" When her brown eyes met his indigo ones, Cobra vaguely heard a strange click in the back of his mind, like a chain connecting with another one. He didn't have time to examine the feeling, however, as Midnight spoke.

"An apple juice for me, please." The blonde raised an eyebrow. "You do have that, am I correct?" Midnight prodded. A tiny smile quirked the corner of her mouth upward. "Yes, we have apple juice. We actually have just about any drink you could imagine stocked." She turned away and poured Midnight a decent sized shot and slid it across to him. He nodded his thanks. Cobra stayed silent and didn't order anything yet, preferring to study his surroundings. After Midnight set his cup down, he pointed toward the increasingly violent brawl. "Is that normal?"

She smiled at him. "Yes, Fairy Tail can get a little excitable, especially after everyone's been drinking all night." Cobra's eyebrow went up. A little excitable? That was it? If so, he would hate to see what this girl's definition of chaotic was. "As long as there aren't any serious injuries or too many things get broken, we usually just leave everyone alone. But now they're starting to get out of control."

She frowned, head craning around, as she moved to the side and shouted, somehow making herself heard over the fight. Her hands rested on her wide hips, drawing Cobra's not-so-unwilling attention to her generous curves. "Elfman! Give Gray his clothes back! Gray, if you and Lyon don't stop stripping, I'm going to throw you out into the snow! Juvia, Sherry! Quit gawking at them and make yourselves useful helping Lisanna start straightening up! We do have other customers besides you people!" Shouts of assent went up and things started to calm down a bit. The blonde sighed and began wiping down the counter.

Cobra leaned against the bar, studying the blonde. The bone-deep exhaustion and sadness was coming from her, he was sure of it. He briefly skimmed over her mind. If he was right…bingo, found what he was looking for. She knew about their targets. Better yet, she seemed to be close to them. Not for the first time, Cobra was glad that he had Soul Listening magic. He would test her, just to be sure. "I'll have the Heartfilia special." If he hadn't been waiting for it, he would have missed the look of surprise that leapt into her eyes then vanished as fast as it came. Her smile returned, but this time it was a bit more sincere. She was looking at him as if seeing someone else, someone she cared very deeply about.

"All right, then pick your poison. What element?"

"Poison." Lips twitching slightly in shuttered amusement at the irony, she nodded and turned away to prepare his drink. Before she could, a voice down the bar hollered for a refill. "Just a minute, Cana! And this is the last time! You and Bacchus have had more than enough for one night! Mavis knows I don't need to be dragging your completely sloshed bodies out again for the sixth time this week," she mumbled, turning away with a shake of her head.

"You know what I am," he tested the waters carefully, studying the back of her smooth neck. She didn't look up from where she was filling a mug with ale. Grabbing a slim flask from a high shelf, she pivoted and dumped half of it in the tankard. She waited to speak until she had slid the mug down the bar to its waiting keeper.

"Well, if you're like my brothers and sister, then yes, I know what you are." She seemed very calm for someone who was face to face with a legendary Dragon Slayer. Wait, had she just said brothers and sister? What? Outwardly calm, he caught a sniff of saltwater and painful, hopeful turmoil in her soul.

"What'll it be?" She swiftly changed the subject. As much as he wanted to pursue the subject, he allowed the change. If only to avoid her tears… Where had that thought come from?

She ducked under the bar for a moment, and reappeared holding a basket full of bottles. His keen nose caught the smells of different hazardous materials. "I've got cyanide, strychnine, liquid nicotine, arsenic, bleach, chloroform, hemlock, and nightshade juice."

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure if I should be worried that you have such ready access to over half a dozen deadly substances and are so calm about handling them. Aren't you worried at all?" He asked curiously.

The blonde woman shrugged. "When you make a Heartfilia special, you learn quickly not to get too concerned. And no, before you ask, I've never spiked an innocent customer's drink, no matter how much I've been tempted."

"That's…reassuring?" Cobra leaned away from the woman, who simply winked at him and sorted through the poisons. Her slim hands danced among the colored bottles, sometimes lifting one to examine it, and setting others aside for later inspection.

He was fascinated by her hands, fascinated to a degree that vaguely alarmed him. They were so delicate compared to his larger ones, and yet they seemed to contain a good deal of strength if the scars and callouses were any indication. On the back of her right hand, a pink symbol had been tattooed. He recognized it as the Fairy Tail symbol. (How could he not? The thing was plastered on almost every available surface in the bar.) Six rings adorned the first, middle, and pinky fingers of each hand. He was intrigued and tried to peer closer to see what decorated the rings. On her right hand, in order, was a amber lightning bolt, a ruby flame, and a circular black stone, most likely onyx. On the left, an aquamarine shaped like a gust of wind, an iron ring, and a diamond stone shone brightly. Why did she have so many rings?

Cobra resisted the urge to smack himself. He was obsessing about the hands of a woman he didn't even know. What was the world coming to?

"All right, does a Dark 'n' Stormy, which is hemlock-laced rum mixed with ginger beer and lime, with a bleach chaser sound good?" Blinking, he quickly schooled his expression and shrugged.

"So long as you don't kill yourself making it, I don't care what you do." She nodded and began mixing the drink. "Why do you have so many poisons on hand, anyway? That's not really normal for bars, you know."

She (he really needed to find out her name, but didn't want to invade her mind again) chewed her lip and gave him a hooded look. "A few of our regulars are fond of a dash of poison in their drinks, so I try to have a good stock on hand. Freed always brings me back something exotic from his travels." She fiddled with something underneath the bar, pulling out a glass and pouring his drink. "There you go!" She said brightly. "I'll be here if you need anything else." He nodded his thanks. "Oh! I'm Lucy by the way. And you are?" Her blonde head tipped to the side curiously.

Cobra swallowed, the hemlock and rum biting all the way down, and exchanged a glance with Midnight. The bicolored haired man raised a single eyebrow, silently asking, What are you waiting for, permission? I'm not in charge of this mission. You are.

"I'm Cobra," he answered gruffly. "That's Midnight." Lucy's eyes widened, her mouth turning into a perfect 'O', and she pointed a finger at a startled Midnight.

"I've heard of you! You're Yukino's boyfriend! I knew you looked familiar." She snapped her slim fingers, looking very pleased with herself. Dragon Slayer and best friend stared at the blonde girl.

"You know Kino?" Midnight leaned forward, a hint of menace in his voice. If she knows about Kino, does she know about the rest of us?

Lucy laughed, either not noticing the implied threat or just ignoring it. "Yes, Kino and I are good friends. She works at Sabertooth two towns over and we get together for lunch pretty often. Two of my brothers regularly go to Sabertooth, the idiots." She smiled softly but a scream of overwhelming sadness ripped through her soul at the word brothers. Cobra jerked back, startled. Had something happened to them that made her so upset?

Cobra was about to seize the opportunity to ask her about her 'brothers' when a faint 'gihihi' had his spine tensing. Lucy didn't look at all alarmed. On the contrary, her expression changed from one of tired, forced smiles to brilliantly happy. The darkness in her soul slipped away temporarily. Cobra could almost see the shocked joy suddenly surrounding her.

"Gajeel! And Lily! You're back!" She cheered, half diving over the bar in her eagerness to greet the man. Cobra turned very casually. The scent of iron filled his nose, along with a hint of ink and kiwis. Cutting his indigo eyes to the side, he saw the man Lucy was so happy to see. He was tall with thick, bushy black hair. Piercings covered his face and he seemed to have a permanent scowl etched into his face. Next to him stood a giant panther. Outwardly, the pair seemed threatening, but Cobra could hear affection directed toward the blonde in their thoughts. Both sat and Lucy leaned forward to kiss the big man on the cheek. If she was any happier, she might spontaneously combust.

Lucy was all smiles as she turned away and quickly began preparing drinks. In record time, they were sitting in front of man and cat. It was as if Midnight and Cobra had never been there. "There you go," she bubbled. "One iron infused brandy and one glass of kiwi juice!" She propped her chin on her hands and grinned at the man she called Gajeel. Unnoticed by the man, a single tear traced its way down her white cheek.

"So, now that you finally decide to show up, you leave Levy behind? Didn't you know I would want to see her?" Lucy's memories supplied the image of a pretty blue haired woman, one who was always surrounded by books and ink. Sister. Best friend, the memories whispered. Another image sprang up at those words; a pink haired man with a fanged smile and dancing eyes. Best friend. Brother. Love was in every word and memory.

"No, sorry, Bunny. The Shrimp was too beat to come down today. We just got in about an hour ago. I figure she needed to rest, then tomorrow she can come see you and you girls can have a girly squeal fest. It is good to see you again, Bunny, even if you do look sick." The big man gulped down his drink and tipped the glass in Lucy's direction, silently asking for a refill. She smiled and obliged. Cobra watched their interactions carefully, without making himself obvious. Midnight had dozed off, arms crossed and head bowed. The rest of the bar had quieted down to a low hum of conversation. There was the occasional howl of drunken laughter that was quickly hushed. Cobra shuddered. The female drunkard had a very…racy mind. He might have to pour that bleach chaser on his brain…

"Well, no matter. I'm just so glad to see you. And I'm fine, really. Just a bit under the weather." Her smile faded and she became very serious. "Don't ever do something like that to me again, okay? This past year has been hell." Outwardly, she seemed calm but underneath was a different story. Her soul thrummed in agony as more memories surfaced.

Tearstained pillowcases.

A pretty smile hiding a shattered heart.

Nightmares that only ended with screams and sobs.

Pleading whispers, begging them to come back.

A man with spiky orange hair holding her close and whispering that it will be okay, they'll come back.

Days where even smiling felt like it was too much, but the nights were no better.

Catching a glimpse of black, blonde, blue, or pink hair and having her heart leap with anticipation, only to have those hopes smashed to the ground.

Wishing, hoping, praying that they would come back to her before she wasn't there for them to come back to.

Cobra's own soul hummed in sympathy. If she had been through all this, it was a miracle she was still standing.

Six images surrounded by black appeared in her mind's eye, five men and one girl. One of them was the man from her earlier memory, another the man in front of her. The other three were very different. One had black hair covering one eye. The other two were blonde and looked as if they really could be Lucy's brothers. The blue haired girl was special to the blonde, like a precious little sister. So many memories associated with them flooded his mind. Torture, tears, forgiveness, love. They all mingled together to form a picture of Lucy Heartfilia's relationship to the Six Dragon Slayers of Fiore.

Family.

Gajeel nodded, reaching forward and covering one of her hands with his much bigger one. "We won't, I promise. We've missed you, too, Bunny." Lily patted her other hand, before saying goodbye and leaving for home.

A soft smile curled her lips up. She squeezed Gajeel's hand. How is she not falling apart when one of her loved ones had finally returned? Why was she not reacting with more excitement? Cobra could hear how her soul sang with joy at seeing the man she called brother home. But the other images were still there. They must not all be home. When they were, would her soul sing even louder?

"Good." Her shoulders suddenly slumped and exhaustion filled every line in her body. "It's a good thing we're closing soon. I'm not sure how much more of this I can take tonight." She waved a hand at the semi-chaos.

Gajeel touched her cheek. "Why don't you go home, then, Bunny? Surely no one will miss you."

She shook her head. "Can't. Lisanna and Kinana have gone home already and Mira is still away with Freed and Ever. Right now, I'm the only bartender. And I'm not going to throw everyone out. It's closing time soon, anyway." She glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "Yeah, it's already 2am. Everyone should be heading home soon."

"Do you only have to close up?"

"No, clean and close up." She waved her hands as Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "It's fine, really Gajeel! I've been doing this every night for the past year." Ever since you left, was her unspoken thought. Both seemed to hear it linger in the air. "Besides, Taurus and Loke help me. So it's not like I'm cleaning the entire bar by myself."

"I'll help," Cobra heard himself say suddenly. Both heads swiveled in his direction, as if suddenly remembering he was there. "Midnight is still asleep and I had some questions about Dragon Slayers." Lucy was doing a remarkable impression of a fish while Gajeel gave him a measuring look. The other Dragon Slayer, (for what else could he possibly be?), didn't seem like the trusting type from what Cobra gathered from his thoughts, but he actually seemed to be considering the offer.

"If it's okay with Bunny, I don't see why not. But Loke has to be here." Lucy shot Gajeel a look of pure shock. He's actually leaving me alone with a male he doesn't know? But Gajeel gave Cobra a knowing look. He clearly knew something Cobra didn't. There was something deeper here, some sort of Dragon Slayer thing Cobra, frustratingly, didn't know about. "I'll come back tomorrow, Bunny, and bring Shrimp." He glanced at Cobra. "And maybe I can answer some of your questions."

Gajeel tugged Lucy around the bar so she was standing in front of him. With a deep sigh, the dark haired man pulled her in a firm hug, a hug that Lucy reciprocated eagerly. "Stay safe, Bunny. We'll all be together again soon." Cobra felt like an intruder in what was a very, very private moment. Gajeel's lips brushed Lucy's temple and she sighed. Her head rested on his chest trustingly. They were brother and sister, a bond that could never be broken, no matter what happened. Gajeel released her and backed up. He tossed the blonde a smirk. "See ya tomorrow, Bunny!"

She waved goodbye to her brother, then turned back to the rest of the bar. With a flash of golden light, a orange haired man appeared, kissed Lucy on the cheek, then began rounding up all the drinkers and herding them toward the door. Lucy moved back to the bar, tidying up as she went. Cobra joined her and they worked together in silence. Until Cobra couldn't hold back the question he had been pondering all evening.

"So what's with the rings?" Cobra asked as he straightened out a table. Lucy looked in his direction then dropped her eyes. He glanced at her worriedly. He barely knew the girl, but already he seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her moods. Right now, she looked about ready to fall apart at the seams. She had done a good job hiding it while there were others around, but she seemed to be fine with him seeing her distress.

"They were a gift from my family." She stood in the middle of the bar staring at her hands. "I woke up one morning and they were gone. All six of them, without even a goodbye. A box on my kitchen table was the only thing they left behind." Lucy held up her hands. In the dim light, the gemstones glittered. "One for each Dragon Slayer, representing their elements. There was a note that said something about I'll be under their protection if I wear them or something." Her lip quivered and he could hear her chanting in her head, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry! Shoulders shaking, she sank to the floor and covered her face. "They left me," she repeated. "They left me. Like everyone does. Why didn't they even say goodbye?" Lucy's deep brown eyes met Cobra's indigo ones. Hers were full of unshed tears.

Unbidden, he moved fluidly to kneel by her side. With a cry, Lucy threw herself in his arms. Normally he wouldn't allow anyone to touch him, but something told him that her touch was one he would welcome, not spurn. As Cobra rubbed her back, the floodgates opened. His Soul Listening told him this was the first time in a year she had allowed herself to weep so openly. And for her to cry in front of him, a complete stranger…

She trusted him, he realized.

She trusted him.

Unused to having someone trust him so implicitly, he wasn't really sure how to react. Other than patting her back, he didn't know what Lucy wanted from him. So he just held her in the middle of a messy bar.

Gradually, her sobs slowed and she rested her head against his heart. "Why do I trust you?" She whispered. "Why do I feel as if you are the only person in the world I feel truly safe and at home with?" Cobra felt as if he were choking on his heart.

"I…I don't know." He could have smacked himself for stuttering. "I don't know," he repeated. "But I feel the same way." She sat silently in his arms. The orange haired man had vanished and Midnight was still sleeping at the bar.

"I think we should start over." Lucy's sudden quiet statement took Cobra by surprise. Her deep brown eyes gazed steadily at him as a tiny smile curled up her lips. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia, sister of the Six Dragon Slayers. It's nice to meet you."

He smiled back at her. "I'm Erik, the Poison Dragon Slayer. It's nice to meet you, too."

As the weeks and months passed, Cobra was a frequent visitor to Fairy Tail. He always insisted that he only went for Slayer meetings and training, but Crime Sorcerie knew better. After all, Sorano was Yukino's big sister and a friend of her sister's was a friend of hers. Between Yukino and Midnight, the Slayers and Crime Sorcerie knew all about the blossoming relationship between the Poison Dragon Slayer and the golden haired barmaid of Fairy Tail. Gajeel was unbearably smug about the whole thing, claimed that he knew his sister and the other Dragon Slayer would get together someday.

Slowly, but surely, they grew closer. There really was only one way for their story to end.

Or rather, begin.

A year later, another ring adorned Lucy's left hand. Perched on her ring finger for all the world to see was a silver nightshade shaped ring with a deep purple amethyst set in the center.

Now the whole world would know that Lucy Heartfilia belonged to all seven of the Dragon Slayers of Fiore.

But most of all to Erik, the Poison Dragon Slayer who had mended her heart.

A/N: YAYY! LONG COLU! It's a little over 4k words, my longest one-shot yet! It was originally going to be much, much shorter, like maybe 1k words. But then it kind of took on an angsty life of its own. ;P

So the whole storyline was like Fairy Tail was an unofficial guild based in a bar that the Dragon Slayers went to all the time. Then one day all of them just left Lucy, their adopted sister who they took to Fairy Tail, behind with no goodbye. I tried to make her reunion with Gajeel a bit more happy and full of feelings, but I suck at writing that sort of thing, so I kept it kind of calm, (because the DS would totally go away for a long time then come back all, "What-ho! We're back!"), but with interior heartache with Lucy. Not sure if I captured the feelings just right, but it was written in spurts and trickles, so yeah.

I LOVE IT! And Cobra. Oh, I love him. So so so much. And we had headcanon Midnight with apple juice, MidKino, and his mannerly, calm self. And Dragon Slayer Sibs! With Lucy/Gajeel brotp! AHHH! The whole instant connection/chain/finding soulmate/dragon mate thing was sort of inspired by Eien ni Touko's story Mellifluous, which is great. And Gajeel totally called it. ;)

A Dark 'n' Stormy is a real drink. I've never had it (I don't drink at all) but I looked up drinks containing rum and found it. It wasn't a super girly drink, so I thought it would be good for Cobra. :)

Don't forget to check out MidKino Shippers, the group I started for MidKino week in Jan-Feb! All the prompts are in my profile. :)