A/N: Ok, this chapter ended up becoming too long, so I broke it up into two. Now things will be very different compared to what one knows/understands in the manga. So please don't tell me that this or that is not what happens. I already know.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and its characters.


Ch 3: Over the Counter


It was as if time had stopped. Fists once aimed for faces went limp. Spells that were casted had stopped flying. It was just…silence. Silence all due to one female mage.

Erza.

..or Titania, whatever you wanted to call her. The queen of the faeries was here and her power seemed absolute. Those around her made it obvious.

The floor creaked as she stepped into the center of the mess hall…and what a mess it was. It was totally wrecked.

Erza gave quick looks to those around her, each returning it with a look of uncertainty. Her head quickly spun to meet Grey and Natsu, who had stiffened in her sight. They had their arms slung over each other, falsely smiling to greet the Requip mage.

She had no qualms about the ice mage; after all, she knew what they had been doing before arriving to this chaos. However, she glared at the pink haired male. He was their reason why they were gone; gone for two damn hours. In her opinion, two damn hours that could've been spent preventing what had occurred here.

"Natsu." She stated. Her face turned stony.

He flinched. This was not good.


Lucy shuddered. She felt the quick diminish of magic that had once been flying through the air. It just all ceased.

What power! She shuddered. She didn't even want to know what was happening to Natsu. She felt the tremors of violence inflicted on the poor fire mage.

"You…we…looking...here...Idiot!" Lucy understood partially. A bit of the conversation Natsu and Erza were having was muffled by her covering her head with her hands.

"S-sorry!" She clearly heard Natsu wail.

The next thing Lucy knew was the fire mage was flung over the bar. She then met face to face with semi-conscious Natsu. He had a huge tear in his vest along with a few scratches adorning his face. From the guild brawl or Erza, she didn't know.

"Hey….Luce..w-why are there t-two of you?" He sputtered out before his vision went dark. Happy had fluttered in nudging the unconscious mage.

"N-natsu! Natsu! Wake up!" Happy cried. The blue cat ignored the two Lucy's crouched behind him.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. She then turned to Faux-Lucy who seemed to be finally out of her data-absorbing state. "Master?" Gemini was also confused at the sight of the dragon-slayer.

"D-don't even ask." Lucy muttered. It was better to stay out of Erza's wrath for as long as possible.


Erza wiped her hands. Now there was another issue.

"The rest of you!" She declared to the guild.

They tensed.

"Clean this place up!"

"A-aye!"

"Yes Erza!"

Many of them moved simultaneously to pick up the fallen tables and stools. Barrels had been and many begun to bandage the slightly wounded. Loki, who knew he was at fault for the fight, was slowly trying to shuffle away towards the bar. He knew Lucy had hidden over there and he wanted to check on her. Adjusting his towel, he slowly slid against the wall, hoping not to identified by Erza.

If she sees me…I'm dead! Loki mentally stressed. Reaching for his face to adjust his glasses, he cursed. He didn't have his glasses. He then checked his fingers. No ring. He cursed again. He had forgotten his glasses were gone before the fight, he just recalled taking them off before his summoning. His ring however, must have fallen off during the fight.

"Fuck!" He cursed aloud. He quickly regretted what he had done. His head slowly turned toward the armored mage.

HerIts brown eyes were already glaring towards to the towel-sporting spirit.

"I..Uh…H-hey Erza!" Loki greeted weakly.

Recognizing the voice, Erza raised an eyebrow. "Loki." She recalled. She squinted slightly when she noticed what he was wearing. Well, more likely what he was lacking.

"Where the hell are your clothes?"

Grey who was being patched up by Kana couldn't help but snigger. He then felt a spike of pain after Kana tightened his bandages. "Shut up!" She hissed. She already had been berated about her drinking; she didn't want that to happen again.

"Well..uh.." Loki scratched his head. He couldn't really explain this, unless he wanted to drop the blame on Lucy. Staying silent for the sake of his master, he trailed off. She totally owes me for this.

Erza sighed, stepping toward him. "I know you're not supposed to be here. Unless..Lucy's here."

Loki paled. Still hoping to reach the bar, he continued to slide against the wall, pushing himself further into it. At that moment, he wished he could disappear. Hell, if Lucy could dismiss him at that moment, he would leave with no qualms. Since neither of that was possible, he stayed tight-lipped.

Noticing his silence and his reluctance to talk, Erza quickly grabbed him. "Where is she?"


Lucy and Gemini's eyes peeked over the bar front. Lucy could only worry for the Lion spirit being interrogated by Erza.

"Master, it's Erza?" Gemini gestured to the red haired mage.

Lucy nodded.

"She's talking strangely to Leo. Aren't you mad?" Gemini looked concerned.

"Terrified actually." Lucy murmured back to Gemini. Gemini sighed.

"Lucy." another voice called.

Lucy and Gemini turned to see who it was. Happy who finally noticed the duo, was glancing at the both of them. He raised an eyebrow. He totally needed a fish after this.

"Lucy?" He asked again.

They pointed to each other. There was no way they were telling who was who. Knowing Happy's inclination for switching sides they refused to tell their identities.

"Um…okay." He shrugged. "Well anyway-"He began before being hushed by the two girls. He waved them off. "Don't worry. No one will notice me here behind the bar talking to you Lucy…and other Lucy." He nodded to each one.

The girls glanced at each other, before nudging the cat on to continue.

He cleared his throat."You know, your boyfriend-"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Lucy hissed. Gemini couldn't help but giggle.

He gave her a side-glance before continuing. It seems she was the real Lucy. "Well then, your close friend that is a boy-"

Lucy sighed.

"Is being manhandled by Erza…and he's coming this way." He quickly finished before fluttering awkwardly to the side, dragging the comatose Natsu along.

"What?"

The sound of a small scuffle immediately flew into Lucy's ears. Suddenly another body flew over the bar top. It had landed where Natsu had been previously located. The body's strawberry blond was very distinctive. The towel was a plus.

"Loki?" The Lucy and Gemini cried. Lucy gave her doppelganger a strange look before turning her attention back to the male. He seemed fine.

Loki blinked shortly before glancing at the two girls. "Are you guys okay?"

The girls nodded.

Satisfied with their remark he turned his attention to something else. His eyes glanced further above their heads. Above them was the bar table. Something gleamed on it.

His ring.

"Ah…so that's where it went." He commented. Lacking injuries, he quickly got up and snatched his ring.

"Hey! Don't get up! Are you okay?" Lucy asked with concern. Without thinking, she stood up to check his injuries. Gemini who still sat under the bar, tried to pull her back down. Lucy refused. Her two spirits paled.

"Lucy.."

"Master.."

They said simultaneously. Lucy raised an eyebrow before noticing what she had done.

"…"

"I know you love me and all Lucy, but even I would've stayed hidden instead of facing Erza." Loki joked halfheartedly. Lucy could only glare.

Erza looked miffed.

"So there you are."

The trio at the bar had lots of explaining to do.


Hours later after the incident, Lucy found herself sitting on the second floor with Erza, Gemini and Loki. Having the spirits return to their realm for some short time had helped Lucy's reserves.

The twins had returned in their smaller selves and quickly found place in Lucy's lap. The small spirits would squirm often, causing Lucy to scold them quietly. It was the only thing she could do while avoiding Erza's glances.

Loki, who had found some clothing before his return, sat next to Lucy. His eyes would gleam at the stellar mage while she was preoccupied with the twins. He then shifted his view towards Erza. The brightness in those orbs of his quickly turned into a glower.

Erza raised an eyebrow at the sight. It looked so strange, especially knowing the lion spirit. His playboy mannerisms were infamous throughout the guild. Yet before her, he looked so tame. She surmised it was the spirit mage's doing.

"Lucy." Erza began.

Much like everyone else in the guild, she had stiffened at her name. Her spirits around her tensed as well. They knew what she was feeling. Their bond just amplified the effect.

"Where have you been?" Erza questioned. She honestly worried for the blonde mage before her. Having her disappear like that was something Team Natsu didn't need. She hoped she got a good answer, after all concern for her teammate had topped her 'importance' list.

Lucy sighed. The panic in her mind had eased. She expected some yelling or a slap to the face but the question always came first. She hoped this was the last time. She had to find master really soon and get this all sorted out. "I already told a few people in the guild before-"

"We can't tell you." Loki interrupted. His voice stern. It seemed he knew where this was going.

Erza and Lucy looked at the spirit.

"What do you mean?" Erza commanded. She didn't expect such a simple answer. There was no way this was going to end like that. She turned to Lucy hoping she would say something else.

Lucy, noticing Erza, nudged Loki to allow her to continue. He went silent. "As he put it so eloquently," She gestured to Loki. "We really can't tell you."

"Is this some kind of joke?" Erza questioned. "Lucy, I missed you. You disappearing for three years is something I can't take lightly." Her agitation was slowly taking root.

"I know but I-"

"No you don't! You don't know." Erza's fingers clenched the hem of her skirt. Glancing downwards, she whispered a few words.

Lucy's eyes widened at what she heard.

"…we thought you died."

"D-died?" She stuttered. Out of all things she heard from the guild, this was new. When she returned, they looked so happy. She didn't even realize they were thinking when she was gone. They never even told her. Lucy guessed it was because she never really asked.

"You guys, thought I died?"

Erza nodded slightly.

"A few months after you left, people kept on pouring in saying they saw 'a key mage with blond hair'. We loved those simple rumors. They kept us believing you were okay. The guild knew it was unhealthy to believe that a simple rumor could mean you would return, but at least it kept us thinking that you were alive. That was understandable." Erza commented before clearing her throat.

Her voice went stony at that moment.

"Suddenly nothing came in. No rumors, no villagers telling us they saw you. It was as if you just disappeared. Just like when you first left. We already thought the worst. That was about a year ago."

Lucy understood why; but keeping to her vow of silence on the issue, she kept silent. Erza continued.

"And here you are…sitting. Tightlipped on what had happened three years ago. Lucy, we..I.-hell all of us want to know what the hell happened in these past years." Erza yearned for some response. Anything would satisfy her troubled mind. Knowing if Lucy was unharmed during that time would be even better.

The mage in question said nothing. Her face was downcast, her eyes hid behind a curtain of hair. She wanted to ease Erza, but until Master came around nothing could be told.

Erza looked to the spirits for some reassurance. Loki immediately turned away. The twins, who had moved of Lucy's lap and onto her other side, had also turned their heads away.

Something snapped in the red haired mage. Quickly, she moved towards the crestfallen blond. Erza grabbed onto Lucy's shirt, lifting her out of the chair. Lucy's spirits immediately became wary. "Why the hell are you doing this? To yourself? To us?!" Erza yelled, tears slowly flowing down her cheeks.

Lucy refused to look at her. She felt her heart tearing into pieces, still the silence was all she could bear. She could feel Erza's angry breaths and her fingers clenching and unclenching in the fabric of the shirt Lucy wore. Lucy winced when she felt herself pushed back into the seat.

Taking a quick glance at Erza, she squeezed her eyes shut. Erza's raised hand made it obvious what she was going to do.

Her spirits however were not going to take this sitting down. They lunged.

A set of elongated arms however, had stopped them. One grasped onto Erza's wrist and flung her back. The armored mage had recovered easily.

The other arm roped around the stellar spirits, pushing them back onto the seat they shared with Lucy. Retracting his arms, the owner clapped lightly.

"Hey, hey! Don't get so carried away…" Makarov bowed his head towards the group before him.

Lucy's eyes popped open. She seemed to have a lucky streak when it came to getting 'attacked' by her friends.

Makarov jumped off the railing on which he was standing. He walked over to the seating area which Lucy was in and lifted himself onto a chair that suited his fancy. Makarov then gave a look, acknowledging the girls.

Lucy glanced over to Erza who had tear stains on her cheeks. Erza turned away in frustration when they exchanged glances. Lucy couldn't help but smile faintly. It looked as Erza believed she still had an image to uphold. Putting the thought away, Lucy quickly turned to Makarov.

"Master..the seal?" Lucy squeaked.

"What seal?" Makarov answered. He scratched his chin, looking as if he was trying to remember what Lucy was talking about. He perked up. "Oh that seal!" He guffawed . He quickly mumbled a few words before thrusting his hands out at Lucy.

Immediately a bright light flashed. Those watching had shielded their eyes just then.

Lucy felt a gust of air shoot up from below her. She quickly embraced the feeling. The spell Makarov casted caressed her magic. It pulled on something and she felt it gently leave as the spell ended. It was as if a huge weight was taken off her chest. Soon after the short burst of magic, the wind and light had died down.

She was finally rid of that damn seal. She couldn't help sigh in relief. The seal that had prevented her from talking about anything that occurred during her mission was finally gone!

Makarov coughed. All eyes were on him. Lucy's celebration was cut short. "Well then, since that's finally done and over with. I'll need info on how you did with my request Lucy. It wasn't supposed to take that long." He then turned to Erza. "Natsu's here, correct?"

Erza nodded, her emotions back in check. Lucy noticed she had cleaned herself up quickly. A newcomer wouldn't even expect that Erza had broken down before.

"I see." He crossed his arms. "Well then, meet me in the master chamber tomorrow. We have lots to discuss." Jumping out of the couch, he sat in he began to head for the stairs. "Oh and before I forget.." He paused before turning back to face those behind him. His sight honed onto Lucy. A smile appeared on his face.

"Welcome Back." Nodding, he then hurried himself down the stairs.


Lucy yawned. She sank into her bed, nuzzling the soft cotton fabric beneath her. She had missed her bed, her apartment, and her 70,000 jewel rent….well not so much the last part.

Erza had told her about the apartment after Makarov left. Lucy was extremely grateful for what they had done with the apartment. Erza shrugged it off.

Lucy had quickly explained to her why she was so reluctant to speak. It was the damn seal. Erza immediately understood. The armored mage also wished to discuss more but told Lucy to rest for the night. She had also told Lucy to be prepared for a huge Q & A session in the morning.

It was a miracle that Erza let her off easy that night. Lucy was eternally grateful. Being thrown over bar was something she would never be fond of.

After the whole event the twins had left on their own accord, not before slipping something to Loki, who stayed shortly. He then helped walk Lucy home and readjust to the apartment. The whole time he acted like a total gentleman. Lucy noticed he had been acting like one for quite some time, but she couldn't help miss the wild lion she was once accustomed to.

At his time of departure, Loki had given Lucy a chaste kiss on the cheek. In response, her face turned a pink hue. She remembered the smile on his face before he disappeared through his gate. It took her breath away. It always had.

Lucy sighed, flipping herself over onto her back. She pondered for a moment, thinking. Immediately her thoughts lead to Loki and then her compromising position on the bed. Groaning, she decided to stop thinking down that path before Loki appeared again in something more revealing.

As if the towel wasn't enough.

Brushing away the dirty thoughts, she reached towards a small leather-bound book on her nightstand. Her mind quickly went back to memory lane. Specifically, memories all about the events that occurred three years ago, which seemed to be foggy in some parts more than others. The book in her hands contained everything her mission had stood for.

Smudged ink and yellowed paper filled the binding but one name which was written by its lonesome on the cover always stood out:

Layla Heartfilia.


Ch. 3~Fin

A/N: Hm....there's more to come.....