I decided to turn this one shot into a short story. Here is the next chapter, finally!

Thank you to ShadowedSoulSpirit, the best beta ever! Thanks for sticking by me and taking the time to beta my writing!

Enjoy this chapter!

Lucy felt her consciousness being pulled away from her dream land, and back to reality. She struggled against it momentarily, wishing to prolong the images dancing behind her eyelids.

The colors here seemed brighter than she could ever remember before. The sun felt warmer, yet still not searing hot. She knew it was just a dream, yet she wanted to remain by the pool of water where the sun sparkled radiantly off the surface of the water and the warm breeze gently blew her hair and lifted her white sun dress.

Blades of soft green grass folded underneath Lucy's feet, filling the air with the earthy scent of spring as she moved closer to the water's edge. Birds sang joyfully from the trees above. This dream was perfect. She never wanted to leave.

"Hey! You over there! Do you know what time it is?" Lucy's head whipped around at the familiar voice, and a half-sob left her throat as she took in the visage of a little pink bunny standing on its hind legs while pointing an accusing paw at her.

"Kyaaahh!" Lucy's scream shattered the silence as well as the dream.

She sat up in bed with a start. Her hair clung to her face in a sweaty mess, and the sheets were tangled around her legs.

The silk sheets.

The black silk sheets.

In one swift movement, the sheets were kicked to the floor and Lucy was standing at the end of the bed staring at it accusingly. This wasn't her room!

There was no other furniture in the room besides a night stand made of metal which stood next to the bed. The walls were painted egg-shell white and her toes were sinking into the plush grey carpeting.

Her eyes widened in horror as she remembered last night.

She had allowed Gajeel to take her home. To his home, to be more accurate, and she had shared a bed with him!

Lucy's face turned an unhealthy shade of red as she noticed that she was clothed only in her matching set of lacy undergarments.

She had slept in bed with Gajeel while practically naked!

She could only think of one thing. Escape! She had to get out of here. Currently there was no sign of Gajeel. At least, he wasn't in the bedroom and she didn't hear any noises coming from the rest of the house. All she wanted was to avoid further embarrassment and definitely avoid a confrontation with the Iron Dragon Slayer.

After allowing herself a moment to wallow in self-pity, Lucy quietly crept to the door and nudged it open. She peeked out, and seeing no one there, made her way into the living room. There was a man's t-shirt lying near the couch. She assumed it was Gajeel's, but it was better than nothing.

For some reason the couch gave her the creeps, so she snatched the shirt up and retreated back to the bedroom.

After sliding the shirt over her body, she was pleased to find that it came to her mid-thigh. It definitely wasn't fashionable, but it was still fairly early in the morning. Most people would still be in bed.

Without giving herself a chance to change her mind, Lucy raced out of the house, barely sparing the time to close the front door behind her. She didn't stop running until she was safe in her own little apartment.

After locking the door behind her, Lucy tore the shirt from her body and threw it across the room where it landed on her writing desk. Ignoring this, she made a beeline for the bathroom. A hot shower would give her a chance to clear her mind and steel herself for the inevitable. She couldn't avoid going to the guild forever, and she needed to find Natsu.

Keeping her head down in an effort to avoid conversation, Lucy entered the guild. She hoped Gajeel wasn't there. She didn't know what to say to him, or if she should say anything at all.

Once she was settled at the bar and Mira had brought her a breakfast shake per her request, Lucy timidly glanced around the guild hall.

There was hardly anyone here. It seemed like most people were still out on jobs. Gray and Erza had yet to return, as did Cana and Gildarts. Juvia was sitting at a table by herself scribbling something furiously onto a piece of paper. Natsu also seemed to be missing.

"Mira?" The older take-over mage paused with a plate of food in her hands that she was taking to another mage.

"Yes, Lucy?" Her usual smile was in place, and she radiated happiness.

"Um..where's Natsu? Did he take a job?" She couldn't bring herself to ask about Gajeel. That would just get Mira going on a matchmaking kick.

"Hmmm." She shifted the plate to her left hand, and reached her right up to touch her lips in thought. "He hasn't been in yet this morning. Actually, neither has Gajeel. I wonder where they are?" Mira thankfully didn't notice the way Lucy's body jerked at the second bit of information she gave.

"O-oh. Thanks, Mira." Nodding to the blond mage, Mira left Lucy to her thoughts.

All she could think about was where Natsu was. He had a serious pounding coming if he thought it was ok to leave her alone in the middle of the forest for Gajeel to find her.

Her face burned again as she remembered what she had been wearing when she woke up this morning in Gajeel's bed.

Shaking the intrusive thoughts from her mind, Lucy looked up to see Cana and Gildarts entering the guild.

Gildarts had one of his arms casually slung across Cana's shoulder. Cana looked incredibly annoyed and slightly embarrassed.

Noticing Lucy, Cana shrugged her father's arm off and practically ran over to her. Gildarts looked hurt for a moment, then decided that it didn't matter and wandered over to the far side of the bar and ordered a beer from Kinana.

"Lucy! Oh my god, am I happy to see you!" Cana plopped down on the stool next to Lucy, and was about to begin her story about how awful it was going on a job with Gildarts when she noticed that her friend seemed off. "What's up with you?"

Lucy's eyes filled with tears as she thought about how she had been half naked in a man's bed that she hardly knew.

"Cana!" Lucy restrained from crying, and Cana leaned in close to her and patted her arm. "I'm so embarrassed."

"What happened?" Cana motioned for Mira to bring her a beer.

"I-I don't know! I went out into the forest with Natsu last night. He said it would be fun. He gave me this little package of mushrooms, and then left me alone!"

"What?" Cana leaned even closer. "Mushrooms? What did they look like?"

"Shhh!" Lucy glared at Cana, but no one seemed to have noticed. Mira was busily wiping out glasses behind the counter. "They were gold and sparkly, but that's not the point." She cut off any further questions from the card mage and ploughed ahead, "The point is that I woke up in Gajeel's bed this morning! Practically naked!" Cana's eyes bugged and a glass shattered.

Lucy groaned and covered her face with her hands. Mira had heard. She was never going to hear the end of this.

"I'm gonna go look for Natsu. I'll meet you back here in a little bit." Cana nodded and helped herself to some more beer while Mira just stood there with a dreamy look in her eyes. Not wanting to know what she was thinking about, Lucy quickly exited the guild.

She headed towards the last place she remembered seeing Natsu. The forest.

Almost an hour later, Lucy finally arrived at the little clearing that Natsu had led her to last night. She couldn't remember the way and stumbled over loose roots and rocks several times. She now sported scraped hands and knees and a small cut on her right cheek. Her shorts were dirty and her tank top was a little torn. Her hair was disheveled and she couldn't be angrier.

Natsu was squatted near a little patch of yellow flowers, pulling the petals off and stuffing them into his mouth.

"Natsu!" His head whipped up and he choked on the petals in his mouth as he sprang to his feet.

"Ack! Lucy! What the hell?! Where'd you come from?" His eyes were as large as dinner plates. Lucy stuffed her anger down inside her and stored it for a later date. Natsu was still frying.

"You left me all alone." Her voice was small and defeated.

"Noooooo." He drew the word out while picking at the lint on his pants. "I told you I would be right back, Luce."

"You never came back!" Natsu shrugged his shoulders and wandered back towards the flowers.

It was obvious to Lucy that he was in no condition for the beating that he dearly deserved. She would have to save it for later. For now he needed someone to take care of him least he ended up half naked in someone's bed. Lucy inwardly fumed at the injustice of it all, stalked up to Natsu, grabbed his hand, and began leading back towards her apartment. She wished she were mean.

Lucy was surprised to find Happy in her apartment when she got back with Natsu. Situating him in front of her television, Lucy snatched the dozing cat up by his long blue tail and held him upside down with his face right at her level.

"Happy. Wake up!" She shook the poor little exceed none too gently.

"Luuuucccyyy. How mean." Happy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned cutely. Lucy ignored this and shook him again.

"Tell me where Natsu got those mushrooms from!"

"I don't know! I swear!" He held his hands up in front of him as he begged for his life. Lucy was emitting an aura to match that of Demon Mira Jane right now.

Without ceremony, Lucy dumped Happy face first back onto her bed. She let her head fall into her slender hands as she muttered to herself. She still wasn't feeling all that well after frying all night.

The sound of shattering glass was enough to jerk Lucy back to reality and send her racing to Natsu's side. He had knocked a water glass over that Lucy had carelessly left lying about and cut his finger on the broken glass. It wasn't a bad cut, but he seemed mesmerized by the blood.

"Here. Let me help you." Lucy snagged a tissue from her desk, and pressed it to the cut on Natsu's finger.

"That's why I love you, Luce." He grinned up at her in the most adorable fashion. Lucy blushed and looked away while dragging him to his feet. She felt the last bit of anger that she had been harboring against Natsu for leaving her to her own devices while frying slowly ebb away. She just couldn't stay mad at him when he looked at her that way.

"Come on, you idiot." Natsu obligingly followed her to the bathroom where she proceeded to drop the bloody tissue in the trash bin, and rinse his finger. "You smell bad, Natsu. Ugh." A dainty hand came up to cover her mouth and nose and Natsu looked up at her startled at the revelation.

Smelling his own armpits, he made a face that clearly stated that he agreed with is friend. He was in desperate need of a shower. Without saying anything, Lucy turned on the shower head and shoved Natsu towards it. As he began peeling his vest away, Lucy exited the bathroom and closed it behind her. She could already tell that this was going to be a long day.

Gajeel was fuming.

Patherlily calmly sat on the end of his bed and watched his friend pace back and forth. Every few seconds Gajeel would stop pacing and turn to his little exceed as if he were going to say something to him. No words would come out, and then he would go back to pacing. His heavy boots made no sound in the thick carpet; at least none that could be picked up by normal humans.

"Grrr." Gajeel let out a growl and finally came to a standstill. "She took my shirt."

"Is that really why you are angry?"

Gajeel's mouth fell open. Of course Pantherlily would have to point out that Gajeel was circumventing the real problem here. He knew that the black exceed knew more about him than anyone. There would be no tricking him.

"Don't fucking start."

"Gajeel, Lucy is an attractive woman. It is only natural that-"

"I said don't fucking start." His voice vibrated with barely contained anger.

At least that's what it would seem like to anyone that wasn't close to the Iron Dragon Slayer. Pantherlily knew better. Gajeel was just frustrated with himself for letting the situation get out of his control. No slayer liked to feel helpless, and that's exactly how Gajeel was feeling right now.

He had only meant to help his guildmate when he carried the half-naked girl back to his apartment. She had been amusing, to say the least. He had perfect control of the situation until they had ended up in bed together. He had confided everything to Lily.

The feel of her bare skin against mine where are arms had been entangled made my skin tingle. The hair on my arms stood up as if it were charged with electricity. Bunny girl's warm breath fanned against my hand, which she was clasping tightly to her mostly bared chest.

I couldn't help it if the back of my hand was pressed against her warm, bouncy breasts.

She had been making little breathy noises in her sleep and trying to squirm out of my arms in her sleep. My mind was full of thoughts that I had never before entertained.

It wasn't that I had never noticed her looks before. Anyone that looked at the girl could tell she was fucking hot. I simply stayed away from her because of the Phantom Lord incident. I didn't want to cause anymore trouble for the people that had taken me in as one of their own without a second thought. Ok, so some of them had some words to say, and not everyone was happy at first. Now, though, they treated me as if I had always been with them. What more could I ask for?

As soon as the frying blond was in a deep enough sleep that my movements wouldn't bother her, I slipped from the bed and into the living room. Lily would be back sometime in the morning. He wouldn't tell me where he was going, and I didn't pry.

I had quickly made myself a sandwich and plopped onto the couch to watch a movie. Taking a shower would have to wait.

My eyes snapped open sometime later when I heard movements coming from my room. She was up, and I had dozed off. It was probably for the best that she hadn't woken up in my arms.

I jumped to my feet, darted to the nearest window, and bailed. You might call it cowardice to not want to face the girl in my room. I call it being fucking smart.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, she raced from my house wearing the shirt I had discarded last night while looking for her. Even then I couldn't help but admire her long legs, and the curve of her ass as my shirt flew up.

God. I had no fucking idea what was happening to me.

"Gajeel." Lily stood at the edge of the bed with his hands on his hips. "Get ahold of yourself. You did the right thing by helping her. You cannot help the compromising situation or that you are consequently attracted to her. You and Levy were never attracted to each other this way. Not everyone else may realize it now, but they will come to understand."

"What?" Gajeel blinked at his cat friend. "You sayin' you want me to tell her?"

"Well, yes. That would be the proper thing to-"

"No."

"What?"

"No fucking way. She doesn't feel that way about me. I'm pretty sure she's seeing the flame idiot. I mean, I don't think they've done anything, but he is clearly trying to claim her for his own."

"Then you are just as much an idiot as he is, Gajeel. She may not have feelings for you now, but she doesn't know you. You have to give her a chance to get to know you. Do something nice for her."

Gajeel stared at his closest friend and considered his words. All he knew was that there was this feeling inside him that he couldn't deny. He liked the Bunny, and he couldn't change that. Maybe he would have to talk to the only girl that he knew well enough to bring up these sort of things with. He knew she would be more than happy to help him win the affection of her 'love rival'.

There you go! I'm glad to finally have this out! Please review and let me know what you think. Even if you have left a review before, I appreciate feedback on individual chapters. The more reviews I get, the more motivation I have to crank out another chapter.

Also, if you are interested in Naruto, feel free to check out 'I'd Kill For You' on my profile.

There is also a poll for another Fairy Tail story I have been thinking about.

Until next time!