A/N: Thank you all for such wonderful feedback. It's very much appreciated.

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Chapter Two

The cold wind blew through the old house, causing an unhealthy moan to escape from the high ceiling beams. It sent a shiver up Lucy's spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing upright. Apart from the faint sound of voices from downstairs, there was nothing but silence. She had no idea where she could have been taken. Somewhere rural by the sound of it – or lack of for that matter. Since she had arrived she couldn't remember hearing one car pass. One sound of a horn or a person yelling in the streets. There had been nothing. Just silence. If it had been under any other circumstances, Lucy would have found the quietness rather peaceful.

But all she felt was loneliness.

Her tears had long since dried up, the tattered blindfold crusting at the edges. This wasn't how it was meant to be. This wasn't how she was supposed to spend her time at university. She wanted to be independent. Learn to fend for herself and have fun in the process. It was hard being the daughter of a King. His parenting skills usually outranked by his royal duties. She had wanted nothing more than to have some time apart from him, but now, now she would give everything just to be back by his side.

The wind blew once again, the cold air causing her to shiver. She had been out with Juvia, her lady-in-waiting, and best friend. They had gone out for a meal and then to a local club where they had met up with some others from the campus. Wearing nothing more than white and blue dress that stopped mid-thigh, she was beginning to wish she had opted for her jeans instead. Her whole body was covered in goose bumps, and her blue stilettos which were now strewn somewhere in the alley behind the club had left her feet bloody and freezing. She could tell there was a cut on her knee which, most probably still had glass embedded inside, and a bruise on her knuckles from where she had got a lucky punch in.

Her dried up tears came back full force.

"Please . . ." She croaked out, not knowing if anyone could even hear her. "Please let me go . . . someone please help me . . ."

Exhausted from the night's events, Lucy leaned against the cold damp wall, the springs in the battered mattress squeaking under her weight. If only she had listened to Juvia. If only she had called it a night after dinner. She wouldn't be here otherwise. Locked away like a prisoner. Tied up like an animal.

When the lights had shut off in the club all hell had broken loose. There had been screaming coming from every direction, her name being called out over the noise. She hadn't had time to call back before a hand clamped tightly over her mouth, the glasses she'd been carrying crashing to the ground as she was dragged further and further away from the safety of her friends. She had kicked and flailed against her assailant's grip, but it had been futile. He was nothing but a wall of muscle.

The sounds of panicked screams had dwindled to a muffled hum as she was yanked through a set of double doors, darkness still engulfing her. There, her captors hand had been exchanged for a strip of duct tape; a blindfold tied tightly round her eyes. There was two by that point. Two bodies trying to quickly usher her out through an emergency exit.

They had spoken amongst themselves in angered hisses, struggling to manoeuvre her without being spotted. The cold night air had bitten at her legs, her tears and muffled wails brought no attention to passer-by's. She had been alone. She had dragged her feet, losing her shoes in the process. But it hadn't stopped them. She had taken her chances when one of them had let go of her to open the doors, to what she assumed to be, a van. Her fist flew out, cracking on of them square in the nose. His pained grown and cursing had brought her a sliver of hope of being spotted, but it hadn't. They just grabbed her, lumbered her into the back of the van before speeding off.

Her tears came back once again, the fear of the unknown crippling her. Where was she? What did they want? Was Juvia safe? Bowing her head, Lucy quietly began to pray.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid?" Her soft voice filled the room. "The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? When evil people come to devour me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident . . . Father . . . save me."

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It was a good couple of hours later before Natsu had the guts to step back inside. Zancrow had passed out on the couch, and Gray was silently snoring away in the armchair with his laptop hanging haphazardly off his knee. The only sound came from the TV. Sighing, Natsu turned off the TV, closed over Gray's laptop and began to head upstairs towards his room. A small grungy place that had an old ratty single bed and very little furniture. It was safe to say that it was no palace that they were hiding out in. The house had once belonged to the Zancrow's Grandfather. A nice guy, but since he died very little had been done with it, including cleaning.

Natsu couldn't stop himself from looking towards the attic as he headed for bed. He couldn't help but stop and think about the girl who was tied up, pleading for freedom. Freedom that he so desperately wanted to give. It was cold. Too cold to be wearing nothing but a dress. What if she was freezing . . . and she was bound to be hungry by now. Heading into his room, Natsu rummaged through his bag and pulled out an old sweater and a pair of sweat pants. They would probably keep her a little warmer.

Turning back out the door, he stopped. He couldn't exactly dress her, and he very much doubted that she was in a state to do it herself blindfolded. How could he hide his identity from her? Rummaging through his bag once more, he came across a baseball cap, a pair of sunglasses and the old scarf that Igneel gave him.

Hat in place, sunglasses on and scarf wound tightly round his mouth, Natsu made his way for the attic once again.

Unlocking the door, Natsu stepped in to see Lucy in the same position. She was huddled in a ball on the bed, sitting as far into the corner as she could get. He could see the panic in her face as she heard his footsteps getting closer. A sight, he was beginning to realize, he would never find easy. She choked back a sob as she tried to scoot even further into her corner.

"Don't be afraid." He spoke softly, his voice a gentle lull.

Toes curling, she whimpered. "W-what do you want?"

He was silent for a moment, nerves kicking in unannounced. "I – uh – I came to bring you some clothes." It was her turn to go quiet, an almost unnoticeable tilt of the head showing her confusion at his chivalry. "I'm going to take that blindfold off and untie you . . . let you get dressed."

"You could let me go!" She bargained, desperation in her voice. "I swear I won't mention anything that's happened."

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Natsu squeezed his eyes shut. If she kept begging him like that, he knew he'd slip eventually.

"I wish I could." Was his hoarse reply. "Believe me, I really do."

Natsu moved closer to her, her whole body tensing as he reached behind her head to untie the blindfold. He watched as she slowly became accustomed to the dim room. The only source of light coming from the rays of the moon through the window. Her eyes looked worse than he had expected. Red, swollen and teary. He literally felt his heart wrench as she looked up at him. He was only thankful that the sunglasses hid his own glassy eyes. The scarf covering his trembling lip.

"I'm going to untie you now." He said, picking up her wrists. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you, ok?"

Nodding with uncertainty, Lucy watched as her captor gently began to pull at the knots in the cords. They were tight from all the pulling that she had done, but soon, he had her free.

She couldn't help but wince as he unwrapped the cable from her wrists. They were swollen and bloody, purple bruises forming round the wounds. She slowly began to move them as he began the same task on her ankles, which in the end looked just as bad.

"I'm sorry." He practically whispered, never taking his eyes off the marks that had been left behind as he held her foot. "Are they very sore?"

Stunned once again, Lucy slowly looked down at him. She couldn't tell if he actually cared, of he deserved and Oscar for his performance.

"No . . ." She replied, uncertainly. "They look worse than they feel. My feet are a bit sore and I think there is glass in my knee, but apart from that, physically, I'm fine."

He gave a small nod, clearing his throat before standing up. "I'll – uh – I'll have a look. If you want me to, that is." Shuffling on his feet, he handed her the clothes he'd brought. "I'll turn around. Give you some privacy."

Stunned, but grateful, Lucy nodded. True to his word, he turned away from her, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. If she didn't know any better she would say that he felt just as awkward about the whole situation as she did, but still, she kept her eyes on him the full time. Unzipping her dress, she let it fall to a heap around her ankles. Immediately met with the cold night air, she wasted no time inspecting the clothing he had brought her; quickly pulling on the oversized blue sweater and grey sweatpants.

Bending, she picked up her dress, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as she stood up. "Uh, you can turn around now."

Doing as he was told, Natsu felt the wrenching in his chest again at the sight of her. She looked so tiny in his clothes. Like she would get lost in them at any moment. As she sat back on the bed, he knelt before her, gingerly motioning for her to roll the pants leg up so he could look at the gash on her knee. Dried blood crusted round the edges of the wound, purples and blues staining her ivory skin. Looking up at her for permission, Natsu gently took hold of her leg and slowly began to pick out a piece of glass from the cut.

Wincing at the pain, she let him pull the glass from her knee. "There you go." He practically whispered, tossing the shard behind him. "It looks pretty clean."

All she could do was stare at him, the reflection of herself in his lenses bouncing back. Rolling the leg of the sweatpants down, she scuttled back on the mattress, tucking her hair behind her ear once again.

"Thank you." She whispered as he stood, creating as much distance between them as he could. "You're . . . you're not what I'd expected in a kidnapper."

He crossed his arms again, shuffling slightly on his feet. "How so?"

"You're different," she replied with a shrug of the shoulder, "kind, almost . . . I can barely tell if it's genuine or just part of your plan to lead me into a falls sense of security."

"I'm not trying to be anything." Natsu said. "I have no reason to be an asshole. Like I said earlier, this is nothing to do with you."

"Has it to do with my father?" The fear in her eyes returned, but she hid it well. "Is he in danger?"

The worry for her father hurt his heart. She was a princess. He was a commoner. But in that moment, they were equals. Fear didn't pick and choose based on status.

"No." He answered. "No, it's not like that at all. As . . . horrible as it sounds . . . you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, Princess."

Lucy stared up at him, her big brown eyes glistening. She wanted to believe him, and if she was perfectly honest with herself, she already did a little. But she couldn't allow herself to confuse his acts of 'kindness' as anything other than self-seeking motions. She wasn't locked away in this attic for a vacation. She was there because he wanted something, and with her there he knew he could get it. She didn't want to think of anything bad happening, but she knew she couldn't rule it out either.

"I don't know if I should believe you," she croaked, her usual sweet voice sounding hoarse and raspy, "but if I don't . . . then where's my hope?"

Natsu watched as she covered her eyes, her small body heaving as she began to cry again. He could only imagine how she was feeling. She had spent her whole life in safety, never having to worry physically or financially. To find herself locked away with complete strangers would be the biggest knock to her.

"Then do believe . . ." He finally spoke. "I promise you, you'll be safe. Your family will be safe. I'm not going to let anything else happen to you. You have my word."

Again, Lucy looked up at him and with her tears dying down, gave a small nod. Sniffling, she wiped her nose on the long sleeve of the sweater before running her hands through her long hair. She could feel the dirt and grit through it, a twig or something stuck in the back. Oh, what she would do for a bath right then.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Natsu asked nervously. "Food? Water?"

"I need a bath." She replied, too embarrassed to meet his gaze "I . . . I need to wash the dirt off me."

Natsu could relate. He wanted nothing more than to lock himself in the bathroom and scrub away until the dirt and guilt were gone.

"Uh, sure." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "We only have a shower though, so . . ."

"That's fine." Lucy answered, standing up once again, the pain in her torn-up feet crippling. "I just need to . . . be clean."

"Okay." Natsu nodded. "The other two are passed out so I'll take you down now, but we have to be quick. I don't want any drama."

"Okay."

Hobbling slightly, Lucy followed Natsu to the door. The pain in her feet was beginning to become unbearable, and Natsu noticed. She held on to the walls and boxes that lay strewn about as she slowly joined him. Opening the door, Natsu turned to her, and without saying anything, gently picked her up bridal style. He could feel her body tense once more at the contact, but he couldn't let her tackle the stairs in as much pain.

"Sorry." He mumbled, her grip on his shirt loosening.

He quickly carried her down the stairs, peering round the door into the hallway to make sure that Gray, and especially Zancrow were still sound. With a small sigh of relief, Natsu set her back on her feet before leading her a few feet down the hall towards the bathroom. Lucy couldn't help but stare in horror when he flicked on the light, and in all honesty Natsu could understand why. The once cream wall tiles had, over the years, turned a sickly nicotine stained shade of yellow, the linoleum flooring tearing at the door way and round the cracked toilet.

Fit for a princess it most certainly wasn't.

"Uh . . ." Natsu stuttered, "to work the shower you need to turn it up to max and wait a few minutes. After that you can change the temperature."

"Thank you." Lucy murmured, wrapping her arms around her tiny waist.

"I – uh – I need to keep the door open a little . . . Just in case." He said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lucy could tell that he was obviously uncomfortable about the situation, but all she did was nod slowly. Giving a slight nod in return, Natsu went out of the bathroom and lent against the wall by the door. Soon he could hear the running water and the rustle of the shower curtain. Sighing, he took off the sunglasses and pulled the scarf down from his face. He took down his hood and removed his hat, sitting all the items on the small table which sat beside him. Running his hands through his hair, Natsu sighed again. He looked at the floor, and then back up, his eyes setting on the mirror in front of him. It had a clear view of the inside of the bathroom, and Natsu soon found himself sliding down the wall to sit on the floor when he caught a glimpse of Lucy's bare back as she pulled his sweater over her head.

He was many things, but a peeping tom was not one of them.

Resting his head against the wall, Natsu closed his eyes, memories of Igneel flooding his mind. You're going to make something of yourself one day, kid, just you wait . . . You think no one cares about you, well here's something, I do . . . I'm proud of you, son. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise . . .

He could feel the tears burn the back of his eyes.

"I'm going to make it better, Dad." He whispered, a single tear running down his cheek. "I'm going to make it better . . . I promise."

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A/N: Well guys, what did you think? Lots of dialogue here. I really hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks once again to everyone who read/reviewed/alerted/favourited this story and my other story/semi-autobiography 'The Good Girl'. It means so much. Please drop a comment and let me know what you think of this chapter.

Thanks, my lovelies xoxoxo