Author's Note: Hiya! It was brought to my attention by silera35 that I messed up and said Lucy is staying in #3 the first chapter. Until I can figure out how to change it permanently, just know that Gajeel is in #1, Gray #2, Natsu and Wendy #3, Lucy #4, Erza #5, Mira #6, Levy #7, and Juvia #8. And lots of love for silera35 and MSAC for reviewing about the exceeds, the general consensus is that the exceeds will be non-magical, which is okay with me (Imagine Gajeel trying to force his love on Panter Lily, and Happy chasing a disinterested Carla around the house lol). Also, silera35 is super sweet, so extra kisses for him/her! And extra kisses to Kenime for the sweetest PM, you should check out Kenime's story, it's adorable. Hope you enjoy Chapter 4, and don't get too pissed off at Laxus, he has his reasons. And apologies for making Loke a bad guy, I have the whole story mapped out, and I'll try to make him better in the end, maybe even add a little Lories for those fans. Xoxo and see you at the end!

Natsu looked over Cana's shoulder, not even trying to pretend he wasn't looking for someone.

"Obvious much? Lucy's in the kitchen." smirked Cana. Natsu pushed past Cana, walking toward the kitchen. Lucy saw him heading toward her and shrieked, scrambling for somewhere to go. She didn't want to see him and have to admit her blunder over his name so soon. Luckily, no one else was in the kitchen to see her step into the empty cupboard, closing the door behind her. She pressed her back up against the far wall, trying to calm her breathing. Why was she so damn nervous?

Natsu looked around the kitchen and saw no one. "Cana! I thought you said she was in here?" He called. Cana didn't answer or didn't hear him, so he started to search, thinking that she could be trying to find something in the kitchen. Natsu opened the cupboard, not really expecting to find anything, but there Lucy sat, looking up at him with wide saucer-eyes.

Natsu stifled a laugh. "Are you hiding?" He asked. Lucy swallowed.

"No, just thinking."

"Can I join you?" Lucy nibbled her lower lip and nodded. Natsu sat down next to her and closed the door, engulfing them in darkness. Lucy didn't miss how their hips and shoulders touched, sending jolts of electricity through her. They sat in silence for a moment before Natsu spoke.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, nudging Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy answered honestly. "About how much of an idiot you must think I am for thinking your name is Nasty."

Natsu laughed. "It's okay, it happens. I'm Natsu."

"Natsu." Lucy tested his name on her lips, liking how it sounded.

"So, Lucy, who are you?" asked Natsu.

"Who am I?"

"Yeah. I'm curious. Like, what are your favorite candies? Do you hate crabs? Is there some reason why you transferred?"

"Um, I like Kitkats, I think crabs are creepy, and yes, there are reasons why I transferred." Lucy sighed, picturing her father and Loke.

Natsu carefully slung his arm over Lucy's shoulders, which she flinched at. "Care to tell?"

Lucy mumbled and drew her her legs into her chest, burying her face in her knees.

"I'll take that as a no. Can I guess?" Lucy was quiet, but Natsu took that as a yes. "Were you bullied? Bitchy best friend? Clingy boyfriend? Vengeful slutty ex?" Lucy grunted a yes.

Natsu licked his teeth, waiting to comment. He didn't really like his teeth, his canines were pointed giving him the appearance of a wolf. Or a dragon, as he liked to think. "So, vengeful slutty ex. What's his name?" He asked hesitantly. He wanted to know more about Lucy, but not scare her off.

"Loke." Lucy murmured. Natsu heard the breathy way she said his name and realized that she had once held feelings for this guy, but obviously something had gone wrong.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked. Lucy looked over at the man, and she could barely see the outlines of his strong jawline and dark eyelashes in the darkness, but he seemed warm, and Lucy had become far too accustomed to the dark these days. So, she told him the story.

Lucy had met Loke at a dull dinner her father had set up to scout out Loke's family during freshman year. Loke had pulled her aside and fed her some sappy pick up line about feeling sad for fallen stars, and she had eaten it right up. They had started dating secretly after that until Lucy's father told her he wanted her to start seeing the boy to strengthen the bonds between their two families. Lucy had been thrilled that her father liked Loke too, and they immediately became public.

About a week before junior year started, Loke had told her to meet him in the gardens, where he had proposed to her. She had been afraid of what her father would say, but he reassured her that her father had approved, so she accepted, blissfully happy.

On the fourth day after he had proposed, a maid who was a friend of Lucy's had told her to go to the gardens at sun down because she wanted to show Lucy something. Lucy had waited there for a while, until she finally realized the maid would not be meeting her, but then she heard voices coming. She quickly dove behind the nearest tree and peered around the trunk, and watched as Loke led a woman with pink hair and a fluffy white dress over to the tree she was hiding behind, pressed her up against it, and started to kiss her senseless, whispering sweet nothings into the woman's ear, as Lucy quaked with fright at the thought of her fiance finding her.

On the fifth day after Loke proposed to her, she told her father about him cheating on her.

On the sixth day after Loke proposed to her, her father told her she was going to have to marry him anyway to expand the business, and she left.

Natsu sat, stunned at what the blonde beside him had been through in the last couple of weeks, and filled with happiness because she had trusted him enough to tell him about it. He pulled Lucy in for a hug, and fizzed with joy when she quickly reciprocated, burying her head into his shoulder. Lucy started to sniffle, and Natsu ran his hand through her hair, trying to calm her.

"Cana! Are the drinks in the cupboard?" asked a deep voice, which Natsu recognized as Laxus's. Natsu only had a moment to realize how the position they were in must have looked, Lucy bent over Natsu's knee, her butt way up in the air, her head buried in crook of his neck, their arms wrapped around each other before the door opened and Laxus, Cana, and Mirajane came into view.

"God, Cana, did you invite one of your slutty-ass friends again? Never mind, there's no need to ask, only one type of girl gets it on with Natsu in the cupboard at a party." scoffed Laxus.

"What. The. Fuck. Laxus." hissed Natsu, fuming. How dare he come to such ridiculous conclusions when he didn't even know Lucy!

"Yeah, yeah Natsu. Having fun 'what the fuck'-ing. It's not my business" Laxus moved to close the door, but Natsu stood up and punched Laxus in the face, leaving Lucy on the floor, stunned. Was Natsu trying to defend her honor or something? Because as much as Lucy wanted to punch Laxus herself, he was really tall, much taller than Natsu, and extremely scary due to his lightning-shaped scar over one eye, and she didn't think fighting him would be a good idea.

"What the hell Natsu?" asked Laxus, cupping his chin where Natsu hit him.

"Take it back." Natsu seethed.

"Take what back?"

"Lucy is not a slut. Take it back."

Laxus stared at him for a moment before realizing Natsu was serious, and then he barked out a laugh. "No way. This skank was trying to get into your pants, of all people's. That makes her a fucking slut."

Mirajane gasped as Natsu hauled off and socked Laxus again, this time in the stomach. Laxus doubled over clutching his stomach, and Lucy ran off, fighting back tears. Natsu chased after her, pausing only a moment to give Laxus a heated glare. Laxus made to go after him, but Mirajane grabbed his arm. "Oh, no you don't. We need to talk." said Mirajane, pulling Laxus into the cupboard.

Cana stood in the middle of the now-empty kitchen, then took a sip from her flask. This was ending up a lot more interesting than she anticipated. She walked back into the living room that housed Erza, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Romeo, and Wendy and called out, "Who wants to play truth or dare!"

Lucy ran out the front door, bursting into tears, not caring who saw, Natsu hot on her heels.

"Lucy!" He shouted. "Wait!"

"Go away!" She cried, then felt him grasp her upper arm and spin her around so she faced him. He cupped her cheek and wiped away a tear.

"Lucy…" He whispered. Lucy scrambled away from him, trying to put as much space between them as she possibly could. "Lucy! What are you doing?"

"I said go away!"

"Why?"

Lucy backed away from him until her back was against Natsu's house, and she slid down the siding until she was sitting, and then pulled her legs into her chest, sobbing. "Just… please…"

"This is about what Laxus said, right?" Natsu ran his hands through his hair, spiking it up even more. "God. Damn it Lucy, don't listen to him. He has no idea what he's talking about."

Lucy sniffled. "I don't even care if he's knows what he's talking about or not, it still hurt."

Natsu stomped in frustration. "I just can't believe that he would say that. He doesn't even know you." Hesitantly, Natsu took a step forward, and when Lucy didn't protest he sat down next to her. Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder, and Natsu could feel the wetness of her tears through his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her under his arm, and he felt her palms press against his chest.

"I'm so sorry Lucy." Natsu whispered.

"For what?" She sniffed.

"For everything." He said, and he meant it. For Loke and for Laxus and for anything else. How could anyone do anything so bad to this girl? She was so beautiful, so perfect inside and out. Right then, Natsu vowed that he would be there for Lucy no matter what. That he would protect her.

"Laxus, I cannot believe you said that."

"Mira, baby-"

"Don't you dare try that." Mirajane and Laxus stood in the cupboard, nearly pressed against each other in the dark. Mirajane rubbed her temples. "I can't believe you. I can't believe you! What were you thinking? Never mind, you weren't thinking-" Laxus sighed, annoyed at Mira's tirade, and then leaned in and kissed her.

Mira melted against his lips for a moment, savoring them, before pushing away. "Laxus, no! You-" Laxus pushed his hands under her hair and pulled her back in, tangling his finger in her hair. Mira groaned and turned her head to the side, intent on finishing her thought. Laxus just pressed his lips against her jaw line, seeing that it was offered to him so perfectly. Mira gritted her teeth. "Laxus, you have to apologize to Lucy."

Laxus snorted. "That little slut praying on Natsu was Lucy? The one who's living here now?"

Mirajane fumed. "She is not a slut! Laxus, if you keep saying things like that about my friends, I swear I will!"

"Will what?" whispered Laxus, whose ministrations had brought him to nibble on Mirajane's earlobe. Mirajane pursed her lips, thinking of what she could do if she had to carry out her threat, and promptly kneed Laxus in the groin. He collapsed on the floor, holding his sensitive bits.

"What the hell Mira?" He moaned.

"If you keep saying things like that about my friends, I will do that again. You will apologize to Lucy." stated Mira.

"Dammit Mira… You're lucky I love you so much." Mira leaned down and pecked the top of Laxus's head.

"I love you too."

"Gray?" asked Cana, a lilt in her voice.

"Dare." He said firmly. Cana pretended to consider for a moment, though everyone knew what she was going to dare him to do.

"I dare you to kiss Juvia." Gray swallowed, and looked over at the shocked bluenette.

"And if I chicken?"

"Then you have to streak through school tomorrow." What a sigh that would be. Juvia smiled a little. She would win either way, but she really wanted him to kiss her.

"Fine." Gray sighed, and moved closer to Juvia, ignoring how fast his heart was beating.

Juvia licked her lips nervously, and Gray sweared that some day he would do that for her. But not today. Today would just be a peck.

Gray clutched Juvia's chin in his thumb and forefinger, Juvia felt her heart skitter and she parted her lips.

Gray couldn't take the look Juvia was giving him. She looked so innocent, and she looked… almost scared of him. Afraid of what would happen if he claimed her lips as his own.

Gray leaned in so his nose was pressed against the base of her nose. "You don't have to if you don't want to." He whispered.

"Juvia… Juvia wants to." After those words Gray pressed a quick kiss against Juvia's mouth. Juvia closed her eyes as Gray pulled away.

Gray's eyes drew over Juvia's blissful expression and he just couldn't help himself. He wanted her to look, to feel, like that all the time. He circled his hand behind Juvia's neck and crashed his lips back on hers. Her eyes opened in surprise for a moment before she returned the kiss. Cana wolf whistled once, but they barely heard they were too hung up on each other.

Gray groaned against Juvia's mouth. She tasted so amazing, like sea salt and caramel. Gray probed carefully at the seal of her lips with his tongue, and she opened them. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, loving how strong her taste was here. Then he realized that the kiss was going on way too long for a dare, so he pulled away from her, fighting his urge to just live in that moment forever.

Juvia gaped at him for a second, wondering what had moved him to kiss her so passionately.

"Are you okay, Juvia?" He asked softly.

"Juvia is feeling lightheaded…" Juvia whispered, then crumpled into Gray's lap, unconscious.

"Oh shit." mumbled Gray.

"Look what you did to her!" cackled Cana. "So, who's next? Ah, Gajeel and Levy!"

Levy's face conveyed pure shock, but Gajeel was quickly working out what would most likely happen next. "Hell no, Cana! Come on Shrimp, we're going back to my house!"

"What are you talking about? Why would we leave-" Gajeel threw bluenette over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Put me down!" screamed Levy, pounding Gajeel's chest with her tiny fists. Gajeel did not comply, he just threw a wave in Cana, Gray, and Juvia's direction, and left with a screaming Levy over his shoulder.

Cana snorted. "Well, that's one way to get a woman to come home with you."

Gray hoisted Juvia up princess-style and made for the door. "Where are you going?" whined Cana.

"I have to take Juvia home. I don't think she'll be waking up any time soon." said Gray, looking down at Juvia sleeping form in his arms. She made the cutest little whistling noise when she exhaled.

"Fine." Cana grumbled, then turned with a cheeky grin to find that Wendy and Romeo had also disappeared.

Gray walked out of Lucy's house, shut the front door behind him, and looked out at the U-shaped curve of the houses. He saw no one out there but him, so Gajeel and Levy must have disappeared into his house already, and Natsu and Lucy must have gone somewhere. Gray jogged over to Juvia's house, and fumbled with the handle.

"Dammit." The door was locked. Gray sighed. He had two options: feel up Juvia to see if she had the keys on her and risk her waking up and noticing, or take Juvia to his house and have her sleep there and risk her fainting all over again from realizing she slept at his place. And if she realized, then she might get ideas.

Gray shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He wouldn't touch her, if he did it would be the equivalent of taking advantage of her. He trundled toward his house, listening carefully to the sounds of Juvia's breathing, making sure not to disturb her as he went.

When he came to his door he slid his key out of his pocket and twisted it in the lock until it clicked, then let himself inside. He closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. He was home.

His house was all deep blues and it smelled of rain. He didn't like things in excess, so the rooms of his home only had the bare necessities. He tiptoed up the stairs, then walked into his room, the only room in his house that was cluttered. Gray preferred to have everything he would need in reaching distance, so most of his stuff was in his room.

Gray carefully tucked Juvia into his bed, taking off her boots and fur hat and then pulling the blankets up to her neck. He leaned down and brushed his lips over Juvia's right eyebrow for a second, before grabbing a discarded blanket from a chair. He would be sleeping on the couch tonight.

He threw one last look at the bluenette who was toying with his heart strings, and then went to try and sleep in a place where her blissful expression after he kissed her didn't haunt him.

Natsu had somehow convinced Lucy that the perfect way to get her mind off of everything would be a movie night at his house, so now she was standing awkwardly in his living room, her hands fisted in her skirt, bunching it up.

He had some quick thinking to do. If they wanted to watch a movie, there were only two TV's in his house, in Wendy's and in his rooms. His room he knew was an utter disaster, so he couldn't take Lucy there. He hoped someday Wendy would forgive him.

"My room's this way!" said Natsu, leading Lucy to his sister's room, praying that Wendy had cleaned earlier today. He opened the door into the blue room and, thank all the gods who listened, it was clean, and didn't look to girly. He was suddenly very thankful his sister was a feminist so her room was devoid of pink.

Lucy smiled at him, and sat on the bed. Natsu gestured at his sister's neat collection of movies under her TV. "You can pick something, I'm going to go to the bathroom." He said.

Natsu tugged off his shoes and skidded to the bathroom in his socks, only stopping to throw his shoes into his room. He locked the bathroom door behind him, then turned on the sink faucet. He cupped the water in his hands and splashed his face.

"You can do this. She's just a girl. An insanely beautiful, awesome girl. Just, be cool, okay?" He whispered to himself. He shook his head. Was he really giving himself a pep talk?

Before he could continue his ridiculous speech to himself, he walked back to Wendy's room, finding Lucy scrutinizing his sister's DVD collection.

Lucy held up a copy of Fruits Basket. "I never pegged you as a romance-anime watcher."

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. Shit, she was going to find him out. "Well…" He laughed nervously.

Then Lucy drew out a bright purple bra and dangled it in front of him. "I also never pegged you as a 32B. I'm learning a lot about you today. This is your sister's room, right? Why didn't you take me to your room?"

"Well, um… my room isn't really clean right now." He muttered.

Lucy smiled at him. "How about I go to the bathroom, and you clean up." She didn't wait for him to respond, just sashayed to the bathroom. He watched her hips sway until they disappeared and he heard the bathroom door lock, and then he rushed into his room. He gathered all the clothes he had scattered around his room, not caring if they were clean or dirty (It's not like he had them separated or anything anyway.), and shoved them into his closet. He picked up all the little things he had scattered on his floor and swept them under his bed, and then frantically arranged his sheets and pillows into a presentable format.

As soon as he heard the bathroom door open he was leaning against the wall, a picture of poise. "Hey." He said with a toothy grin, trying to sound alluring. Lucy just started to laugh at him. "Hey! What is it? Stop laughing at me!" He protested. Lucy swallowed a breath and controlled her laughter. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You just have something in your teeth."

"What?" He yelled. "Damn it. Where?" He asked, grinning as wide as he could. Lucy started to laugh again, but she managed to touch the tooth where the offending piece of food was wedged before doubling over in laughter. Natsu frantically scraped at the space between his teeth until a popcorn kernel came out. He couldn't even remember the last time he had popcorn, but Lucy didn't have to know that. He flicked the kernel into his trash can.

"So what do you want to watch?" He asked. Lucy squatted in front of his DVD collection, which unlike his sister's, wasn't organized. Lucy selected two movies, and held them out to him.

"Okay, Goonies or Sandlot?" She asked.

"Goonies." said Natsu. He didn't need to consider debating it, Goonies was the obvious choice. Adventure, money, pirates, and a little romantic subplot.

"Correct choice." smiled Lucy, handing the DVD to Natsu. He put the DVD in, and when her turned around he saw Lucy had taken of her shoes, and was currently making herself cozy under his blankets.

"Hey, no fair!" He complained. he squirmed his way under the blankets too, even though he didn't need them, and Lucy was a blanket-hog, he was still happy.

As the opening scene played out and the Fratelli's got Jake out of jail, both Natsu and Lucy tried to subtly scoot closer to each other. By the end of the movie, Lucy's sleeping form was tucked under Natsu's arm, her leg flung over him, holding him like an oversized teddy bear.

"Lucy?" Natsu poked her until she roused. "I need to take you home. We have school tomorrow."

"Eh?" She mumbled. "I'm just… I'm gonna sleep here tonight." She turned so she wasn't facing him anymore so there could be no arguments.

"Okay." He grinned, then let himself drift off to sleep.

At about three in the morning, Natsu heard Lucy say something. The timbre in her voice made it clear that she was distressed. Natsu bolted awake and looked down at Lucy's sleeping form next to him. She was babbling. Sleep talking.

"No…" She moaned. "Loke… Loke, no! Father… father, where are you? You have gone far, far away…" Lucy giggled then, and it was a bone-chilling thing. "I am alone, so alone… always and unforgivingly alone."

Natsu's brain struggled to keep up with her string of words. So Lucy had some unresolved issues with her father. What did she mean by gone? And why was she sleep talking like this? His sister used to sleep talk, but it was always nonsensical, unlike Lucy's speech.

Lucy started to thrash, sending the sheets flying. "Alone, alone, alone…" She chanted.

Natsu wrapped his body around her, drawing her into his chest. "Shhhh..." He whispered, brushing the blonde hair off of Lucy's face. "You aren't alone, okay?"

Lucy turned to face him, her eyes squeezed shut but her mouth open in a creepy grin.

"My dragon…" She sighed. "You protect me, do you? You keep me in my tall tower, safe from harm. From cruelty. Someday you will have to let me see the horrors of the world, you know. But not tonight. Tonight we are safe. Tonight I am yours to hide."

Natsu added spouts creepy poetry when sleeping to the list of things he knew about Lucy. She cuddled closer to him, her breath returning to that of someone sleeping, not scarily prophesying.

He set his mouth in a firm line, hoping that Lucy wouldn't keep muttering to herself. It was weird.

Lucy tugged on his hand, and he let her move it so it was wrapped over her midsection. Curious, he let her rearrange him so he was holding her against his body, as close together as possible. He buried his head in her hair and fell back asleep. She didn't talk again that night.

Author's Note: So this was a pretty long chapter. Does everyone like the sleep talking Lucy? It's going to have a very important role later… (laughs evilly). I am really enjoying writing this, and I hope you are enjoying reading it. Next chapter: First day of school! There will be uniforms, and some funny Nalu and Gruvia. I hope to have the next chapter posted by March 4. Drop a review if you liked/want me to change/add something to the story. All ideas are valid and appreciated! Thank you for 22 followers and 9 favorites, I can't believe that people are actually reading and enjoying my story!

Kisses,

Chattre