Sorry this took so long to come out! I have been very busy with Exams (I despise the one who created such a terrible abomination) And a bunch of other stuff so forgive me.

I own nothing!

Lucy sat with Riko as they waited for Jace to come from out of the bathroom. The train's lurching and pausing was causing Lucy to worry. Jace, much like his father, had horrible motion sickness. The boy really couldn't get all that far without becoming sick to his stomach. Lucy stood as the train stopped once again. It jolted forward once as Lucy struggled to struggle herself and the girl who held her hand. She looked down at her daughter as she heard Riko's small tummy grumble again. Lucy sighed as she looked down at her keys, brushing against them with her soft fingertips. Her eye softened as she looked at them. These keys held so many memories, so many things she just wanted to forget, so many things she had chosen to bury away. Now, with walking back into that same exact place opening all of the scars again.

Lucy gingerly pulled out one of her golden zodiac keys. The red label lightly feathered on, and the golden lion looking as ferocious as the first time she held the key. Lucy stroked the key as a look of regret took hold of her features.

"It's been awhile..." Lucy held the gold key and pointed it north, towards the door at the end of the train cabin, "Leo," A summoning circle appeared and glowed a bright golden light as the once cipher area was replaced with the presence of that of a male. Besides his hazel eyes and his orange hair, what stuck out most were his distinguished and yet delicate features. For some reason, he was on his knees. A look of sadness and concentration was there still, but as he slowly lifted his head, his eyes grew large.

"Lucy...?!" Loki looked up at Lucy, tears ran down his cheeks. "I-Is that really you?"

Lucy, who had also began to cry, placed her hand on his cheek as she knelt down before him. Lucy nodded, "Y-Yes, Leo, it's me. Lucy!"

"Lucy!" Loki leaned into her hand, his tears streaked down onto Lucy's hand. She placed her forehead to Loki's.

"I-I missed you, Loki!" Lucy sobbed while hugging Loki, "I-I have missed you so much!"

"W-What happened?! I couldn't open the gate for all of these years? Why? Why didn't you allow me to help?!" Loki cried as he hugged her, he trembled with her in his grasp.

"A-A lot of things happened. And, I couldn't open the keys for some reason..." Lucy said as she remembered the terrifying time when she couldn't use her keys...

There was blood everywhere. Lucy staggered as she stood before her two children, each only three, still too young to really know what was happening.

"Mommy!" Riko screamed as she stood behind Jace, tears running down her cheeks.

Lucy turned, the fear in her own eyes only made Riko feel worse. But as she took a moment to look at them, her eyes softened."M-Mommy's alright, Riko."

"Oh ho ho ho ho~ Mommy? They are your children?" Lucy's eyes grew large as she turned back to their attacker. A woman in a crimson cloak. Her yellow eyes glowed with a dark, twisted idea.

"Leave my children out of this!" Lucy screamed as she gripped

Loe's key tighter than before. She rose it up to the sky, her strength quickly draining. "Loe please! Please open your gate! PLEASE! HELP ME, LEO!"

Jace and Riko starred as their mother used up her draining magic to do something that was fruitless.

"Natsu?" The cloaked woman cackled. "He's long forgotten you! And so have you own pathetic little keys."

Lucy glared at the woman as she panted, exhausted, frail, lame. "I don't care about that!" She rose a protective arm before her children, "You will not hurt my children!"

The woman laughed as she rolled around the ledge in which her body was slung along. Her pink hair lay along cold stone. She laughed as she mocked the blonde. "You won't hurt my kiddies' Oh cry me a river, Lucy. String magic, resummon!"

Lucy watched the strings as they strung, as if someone was plucking them like violin strings. They quivered as the pulses went into the ground, as if they went unnoticed.

Or at least that is what it had first appeared. The ground suddenly began to shake. Lucy stared at the ground, unaware of what to do. Her grip on the key began to ache as she cursed at the keys for not opening.

'Why! Why won't you open?!' Lucy screamed at the keys in her mind. Tears streaking as her body shook 'Why?'

Lucy stared at the key, unable to move, as the anger and shock of the Celestial keys rebellion against her. As she stared at the keys, her mind was shattered when she heard the screams of her two children.

Riko and Jace were huddled together, staring in horror at the ground. For illuminated at vile yellow, similar to the woman's eyes. The strings seemed to pull something from the ground ever so slowly. The smell alone was unbearable.

"Lu-chan," The cloaked figure swayed back and forth as she looked down at the three people, "I guess you've never told your children what magic dolls are have you?"

Lucy turned just in time to see something vile, disturbing, and gruesome pulled from the ground. Riko shrieked as she stared at the creature in horror.

"Now, Now, now, Riko-ti," The cloaked swooned as she cackled, " My doll won't hurt you, as long as you don't show any fear."

Jace held his trembling little sister as they looked at the monster with horror. The monster had a human body, but it only had patches of skin throughout it's body. blood seeped from it's pores. It jaw hung open, teeth bloodied and yellow. You could see the wall of the building from the whole in the back of it gaped mouth. The thing wasn't breathing as it hung there by the strings in the woman's hands. It's body was mangled, crippled, missing limbs. The puppet's claws were yellow and caked in dirt and grime. It swayed against the winds strong current. It shook on its web like strings. Lucy knelt down before her children. She opened her arms; her eyes large, alarmed, and dilated.

"Jace, Riko, come here," Lucy's voice quivered as her strength diminishing by the second ,"slowly,"

Jace nodded as he looked down at his sister. She was terrified. Her caribbean eyes were large as she looked up at him. The girl couldn't speak much less move. As he slowly took a step forward he dragged Riko. With each step, the woman who lay upon her perch seemed to be waiting anxiously for something to happen. Lucy looked at her son as she looked a with more sense, and her eyes grew even greater in size, than they were before. It was a trap. On his clothes were small, discreet strings, ever so cleverly placed. Her eyes followed the strings to their origin with a feeling of frantiness and frenzy. As her eyes scattered, frantically following the string like a lost child, it ricocheted from walls, behind tombstones, snaking through the dirt as it finally traced back to one of the key things in the whole building. The creature's claws. It's dreaded, bloodied, caked claws. Lucy didn't know what to do. Somehow she had lost her voice. Before she even had a chance to react, she lunged at her children, knocking them to the floor. The strings connected to Jace's clothing snagged, causing the trap to unravel, the whole trap began to unwind, like a cobra taking its prey to devour it, leaving nothing but scraps behind. Lucy held her children close as she waited for something -anything- to happen. In a brief pause of relief, Lucy gasped as the sharp pain of tearing flesh and slicing pains entered her side. Lucy screamed in pain as she held her children closer to her body, making sure nothing happened to them.

Riko and Jace stared as their mother began to cough up blood, and her body shook. Tears in her eyes as she held them as tight as her body would physically allow.

The woman who sat on her perch howled with laughter as she stood. She swayed as she looked down at them.

" It seems as though you're in a rut now huh, Lu-chan?" The woman cued, "Why not try to summon one of your petty little spirits again?"

Lucy listened to the cackles of the woman. She gritted her teeth as she shakily took a key from her pouch, who's it was, she wasn't completely sure. She thrusted her hand into the air. Hoping it was Loki's she tried one last time.

"PLEASE OPEN! OPEN GATE OF THE CELESTIAL LION; LEO!" Lucy screamed as she put every bit of her little bit of magic into it. She could see her self conscious struggling to open the gate. Her hands almost opening the door. Her bloodied hands slipping on the gates handles, just as it was about to open.

"Loki!" Lucy screamed as her self-conscious self was being pulled away, "Please open!"

She could briefly see his standing figure. Only the blackness of his suit, and the orangeness of his hair. From the looks of it, he was with some woman, for she could someone with long hair beside him.

This felt Lucy's heart with the feeling of dread, and anger.

Tears streaked Lucy cheeks as her self-conscious was pulled away from the gate. As she looked at Loki's golden gate, she opened her mouth, "You promised to protect me. You said you'd never let me get hurt. What happened to that Loki? WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING MY FRIEND?! ALL OF YOU! WHY?! WHY!"

Her self-conscious was thrown out of the Celestial world. She felt as though she was being thrown out of Heaven, if that was even possible. She could see the clouds and the bright lights that shined in the bright lights. The sheer beauty of the pristine gates. It was all being taken away from her. Her hands were outstretched as she struggled to grab hold of the place once more. Anything, so that she wouldn't crash to the earth. She cried as she fell ever so faster, if felt as though it wasn't fair, it wasn't right. What had she ever done to them?

"I'm sorry ... to all of you... for making you hate me..." As she fell deep in her heart she knew she was lying, but at the same time her heart also felt it was true. The tears fell still, as the feeling of being forced out of a once glorious place now felt so real, it was happening again. She had nowhere else to go.

Riko and Jace shook their mother, who had become unconscious. The woman had retreated with her demented puppet as their mother tried to summon a celestial spirit one last time. Her blood was all over the two children, both looked horrified as they tried to pull their mother back into consciousness. After an hour of trying, Riko began to sob while rocking back and forth. She lay on the ground, huddled besides Lucy. "Mommy, get up! GET UP!" Riko screamed.

Jace looked at his mother as he cried. He grabbed his mom, and with all his might he tried to move forward. Jace struggled as he dragged his mother forward, "C-Come on, R-Riko, l-lets g-go,"

He held his hand to his little sister while trying to balance with the weight of his mother on his shoulders.

Riko could only stare at her older twin brother... Tears streaked her cheeks. "Momma... Momma... I want momma..."

"Momma's right here!" Jace cried desperately as he thrusted his hand struggling to be the strong one. No matter how hard he tried it wasn't working. He couldn't be the man that their family needed to protect them. But... he was only a child. He wasn't a man, no matter what his mom told him. He may be a big boy, but a man is different from being a so true. Jace knew he was only so big. Jace's pleaded with Riko to take his hand. He wanted to get out of there. He wanted to go home, go visit Grandma again, and give her flowers.

He wanted to go back to how it once was. He just wanted to see his mommy smile again.

Lucy hugged Loki tighter, "I-I thought you all hated me..." She held him closer to herself as she cried. "I am sorry for what ever I did, that made you hate me!" She sobbed on his shoulder as Loki gave her a tight squeeze.

"How... could we ever hate you?!" He cupped her tearing face, and looked intently into her eyes, he was crying as well. He held her for a moment, until they both stopped crying and rose to their feet. They just continued to smile at one another, both almost completely oblivious of Riko who only stood not even a foot away.

Riko seemed rather rigid, staring at Loki in silence; much colder than her normal childish stare. The girl seemed frightened, scared, and downright angry. She remember Loki. Riko knew Loki quite well, and vise versa, but she could never forgive him for what he did to her mother. Riko glared as she stared up at Loki. She was so busy that she did not realize that a little boy was behind her, waiting to get through.

"Oi, Moyashi," The boy hissed as he tried to get through, "Move."

Riko turned to look at the boy who insulted her. Riko's glare caused the boy to jump, to him, it was similar to a certain red headed mage. Riko looked at the boy's face as her eyes travelled down his body, she realized he wasn't wearing any pants. The boy realized she was staring, and he also looked down. He blushed as he realized he was only wearing boxers that were a rich cerulean blue.

"Your pants..." Riko's glare wore off as she looked more curious than mad now. '"Are a pretty color."

He nodded numbly as his face became a tomato. "T-Thanks..."

Riko nodded. "You're welcome."

"U-Um-" The raven haired boy stuttered when someone called his name.

"Star!" The boy turned to see a larger image of himself. The only difference was in which was the annoyed look on his face. For he also was in his boxers. Riko looked up at the man with large caribbean blue eyes. "You left your clothes in the train cabin..."

Star turned to look up at his father, his face still the color of a tomato. "D-Daddy!"

He knelt before his son, a look of curiosity on his face. "What?"

"Riko, come on, dear let's go get you something to eat, shall we?" Lucy called over her shoulder as she held out her hand, waiting for her daughter to take her hand.

"Excuse me," Riko bowed before Star and his father. Star looked disappointed and confused as he nodded while watching her run off with her mother, past a man with orange hair and glasses.

Star watched his father's mouth hang open as he watched the man approach them. "Loki? What are you doing here? Where have you been?"

Loki grinned as he held out his hand to help Gray to his feet. Gray looked completely stunned as he just stared at Loki while taking his hand. "Well it's a long story,"

"I've got the time." Gray responded. Loki grinned,

"How about you help then, and we can talk?" Loki smiled.

Gray paused for a moment. He thought for awhile, it had been a year since he'd seen Loki at the guild. And now he just randomly appeared on this train... But if he was just randomly here that meant...

"How...?"

"I was summoned,"

"Y-You m-mean-"

Loki nodded, a smile on his face as he entered the men's room. "Lucy is alive."

Gray could only stare as he remembered the frail blond woman who had taken the small child's hand and walked off with her. That woman was Lucy. She was Lucy. Lucy was alive. She was alive. Gray looked down at the ground, shock and surprise on his face as he stood there.

Lucy was alive! Gray felt the tears roll down his cheeks as he looked down at the ground.

"She's alive." Loki said quietly as he looked around the bathroom. "Hello?"

Gray couldn't help but smile as he sunk to the ground, a look of pure happiness on his face. "She's... Alive!"

Loki's smile disappeared as he looked around the bathroom, as if looking for someone.

Gray looked up at Loki curiously, "Why are we here?"

"I am looking for her son," Loki said as he turned to look at his nakuma,"Jace,"

Gray nodded as he saw the door of the main room open, in walked his own son, Star.

"Daddy, I'm hungry." Star's stomach grumbled as he stood before his father. Gray nodded. He looked at Loki then back at Star.

"Well how about this," Gray stood while extending his hand to his son, "You help me find Jace, and then all four of us will get something to eat?"

Star frowned as he looked up at his father. "Daddy, do I have to? Why do I have to help find some kid with a girl's name?"

Gray smiled as he ruffled his son's raven hair, as he looked down into his son's blue eyes. They were only blue, just like his wife's, Juvia's, blue eyes.

As he was about to respond, one of the stall doors was kicked open, all three of them turned to see a small boy stand before them. The child's hair was pink, spiky,unruly. It went out in every direction. The boy's pink hair was similar to Natsu's in the way that it seemed a lot courser than it appeared to be. The back of the child's hair laid on the back of the small boy's neck, in small tufts of hair. His caribbean blue eyes were large like Lucy's own large, kind, and sincere eyes. The only difference was his eyes burned with anger as he looked at all three of them.

"My name isn't girly!" Jace screamed as he thrusted his thumb to his chest, "It's a nickname for Jacob! A man's name!"

Star snickered behind his father. "Your name is still girly. Girly boy."

Jace glared at Star as he snorted. "No it ain't! What's your name? Penelope?"

Star stepped away from his dad. "It's not Penelope, you moron! My name is Star! Like a big star!"

Jace paused for a moment. He gave Star a look that said 'And you call my name girly.' "That's a girl's name! Star is a girl's name!" Jace snickered as he stuck out his chest, with a large smile on his face. "Star,"

Star glared in return to Jace's insults. "Shut up, loser,"

"You just up, stripper!" Jace snapped.

"I'm not a stripper!" Star shouted.

"I'd hate to interrupt this little dispute, but, you want to go find your mum, correct?" Loki said as he patted Jace's head. Jace looked up at Loki looked up at Loki in silence. His face looked gaunt as he looked up at Loki.

"... okay..." Jace huffed as he crossed his arms, looking away.

Loki smiled, "Come on,"

Riko sat at the booth as she ate away. Lucy watched her with pained, soft, brown eyes. She barely touched her food. Lucy had been eating smaller and smaller proportions. She looked gaunt and frail. She seemed to be much weaker than she had been six years ago. Her long blonde hair hadn't lost it's shine surprisingly, but she was extremely pale. Riko looked up at her mother. To her, she was still as beautiful as ever. Her delicate features were still as delicate as that of a rose. She shone like the sun in Riko's opinion, but she couldn't hide the fact that her mother was becoming weaker. And even after the attack last year, she hadn't eaten at all, and she wasn't able to talk for the first four months. She wouldn't even move from her bed. The world had been placed on her shoulders too early.

What Riko didn't know was that, Lucy barely had enough money to make it on the train. And even now, she had to scrape together the means to feed Riko and Jace. It was like feeding two Natsus.

"Mommy?" Riko asked as she looked up at her mother with a face just like hers.

"Yes dear?" Lucy smiled warmly as she looked down into the warm eyes of her daughter's.

"I found papers on your desk, mommy. There was a bunch of thingys I didn't get."

Lucy looked at her daughter. She nodded as she sat beside Riko. "Like what?"

"Um..." Riko reached into the pockets of her skirt and pulled out an yellowed paper. Lucy stared down at the paper as Riko showed her the paper that she pulled out.

"..." Lucy pursed her lips as she put her arm around her daughter's shoulders.

"Um, what does 'magicae febris*' mean mommy?" Riko looked up at her mother, as Lucy squeezed her daughter.

"It's a sickness,"

"A sickness? Are you sick mommy?" Riko looked confused and worried as she looked up at her mother.

"..." Lucy looked away from her daughter's piercing gaze. She didn't know what to tell her daughter. She couldn't just blatantly lie to her daughter. What do you tell a child when they ask you these kinds of questions? Lucy's lip trembled as she looked out the window. Would she lie to save her child's innocence? They had already gone through so much already... Lucy bit down on the bottom of her lip.

"Mommy..."

Lucy could not face Riko as she said the words. Tears threatening to fall. "N-No dear. Mommy's alright. Okay, sweetie? Mommy is alright."

Riko looked down at the foot that sat before her. She knew her mother was lying, she wore her heart on her sleeve. If only her mother knew. Her mother was sick. And she wasn't even gonna tell them. Riko no longer felt hungry as she sat there. Instead she felt sick to her stomach. She kicked off her shoes onto the ground as she looked up at her mother. Lucy was still staring out of the window.

"Mommy, I'm gonna go find Jace." Riko slipped off of the booth and onto the floor. Lucy turned to look at her daughter walking off.

"Wait Riko," Lucy scooted off of the booth to follow after Riko, "Mommy will come with you-"

"No mommy!" Riko screamed as she turned away from Lucy, "You don't feel good mommy. And mommy is doin' a no no by lyin. B-But I don' wanna make you feel bad. Sit mommy, I'm a big girl now. I can do it! Riko don't wanna be trouble, wike last time!"

Lucy stared at Riko. Riko peaked over her shoulder at her mother. Lucy could see the tears run down her babish cheeks. The look that Riko was giving Lucy made her heart stop.

"Riko..." Lucy couldn't take her eyes off of her daughter as she took a step closer to Riko.

"Mommy, leave me alone! Mommys who lie are are baddies! Mommy, why are you bein' a baddie?" Riko turned to face her mother this time. Her eyes all red and puffy, while snot began to run from her nose. She looked that same way she did all but a year ago. Lucy halted. Not aware of that she too was on the verge of tears. The memories all came back. All of the horrible things she had put them through. All of things she had done. All the things that she had pushed them to do in which cause them to cry.

If only she hadn't taken them on that mission.

If only she wasn't sick.

If only she was a better mother.

If only she was able to them happy.

If only she had never left.

If only she wasn't a coward.

Riko backed away from her mother as she looked up into her mother's face. Tears streaked her face.

"Riko, please, understand-" Riko turned away, now feeling ashamed. The tears welled up in her eyes. She just made her mother cry. What kind of daughter made her mother cry?! Riko bolted out of the room, ignoring her mother's shouts and pleases.

Tears blinded her path as she tripped and stumbled against the train's lurching, pausing, and sudden stopping. She just ran, wanting to get away from her mother's crying face.

Natsu wobbled to the cafe area of the train as he held onto the sides of the seats trying to get into the room. Someone had told him that the train was stopping in a few moments, but for some reason, he needed to get to that room. It smelled of Lucy. The sweet taste of vanilla, and the scent of lilac. The scent was tantalizing but so alluring that he couldn't help but follow it. He followed like a bee to honey. How weak it made him feel. She was like his kryptonite, but at the same time she was his coffee, his medicine, his rise, and his downfall. She was his everything. She was the only one who could make him feel this way. She was the only one he cried over for the past six years on end. Lucy was the only girl he ever loved.

Natsu held onto seat as the train finally stopped on a rest stop to replenish diesel and to let people on and off the train. Natsu sighed under his breath as he stood up, looking around. He felt better instantly. He laughed obnoxiously as he started to walk quickly to the cabin where the food was being served. As he was about to meet the door, a little girl bursted through them and ran into him.

"WHOA" He fell over at the child impact. The little girl looked at him with large blue eyes. Tears glistened her cheeks as she stared at Natsu.

"The guy from earlier." The child stated bluntly.

"Riko!" A frail looking woman cried as she bursted out of the dining hall herself. She looked panically around with her large chocolate brown eyes. Her blonde hair fell around face beautifully as her eyes laid on the small girl who lay on top of Natsu. The woman grabbed up the small girl and pulled her into her arms. Tears fell down her cheeks. "Riko... Mommy is so sorry! Mommy is so sorry!"

Riko looked so miserable as well as confused as she hugged her mother. "Mommy, I'm sowwy! I'm sowwy!"

The woman stroked the little girl's long blonde hair. "You didn't do anything wrong, Riko. You just got upset..."

"Mommy, the guy who I sat wit earlier." Riko said as she broke away from her mother's grasp. Lucy looked up as she began to speak.

"Sir, I am so sorry for my daughter- You see she has this little problem with wandering off-" Lucy stopped. Her mouth hung open, her shoulders slumped as she stood to her full height. "Natsu?"

"Lucy?"

And scene. This chapter was a blurb of sick time, headaches, and thoughts thrown into one for me. This has been sitting in my hard drive waiting to be posted, so I decided to post it today. Yeah. Well I hope you liked it. I hope it wasn't too rushed or too confusing. Reviews, follows, and favorites are always welcome! See you next chapter. Thank you for being so patient with me!