Note: Sorry everyone, I fell off the grid (again) for a while there. The thing is, I've even had pretty much this entire chapter written in my notebook since my last update. I just didn't have any breathing room to sit down and transfer to my computer and then I had a lot of stuff going on in my personal life and just hit a wall and blah blah blah. You've heard it all before. I sincerely apologize for this delay.

Thanks for all your support everyone! It means so much to me! So here you go everyone!

Cover photo courtesy of fainttwinkling (tumblr)!


Where There's Smoke

Chapter 4

Tabula Rasa

Lucy was pulled from a dreamless sleep by the low murmur of a television and a muffled conversation. She sat up, the loud creak of springs protesting against her movements. She looked around the unfamiliar room, noting the torn and peeling wallpaper and a television with crooked antennas that she assumed was taken straight out of a time capsule. There was an empty twin bed next to hers, the blankets disheveled from someone occupying it recently. The room smelled musty and slightly salty and it felt as if the stench was clinging to every part of her, desperate to permeate everything it came into contact with.

Where was she? And how much did she drink?

She flung the limp comforter off of her, noticing she was still in her evening gown. She removed herself from the bed, touching her bare feet to the dingy shag carpeting.

"What did you expect me to do?" A familiar, hushed voice was barely distinguishable through the door that she assumed lead to an equally quaint bathroom.

Her face flushed as she recalled the party's events of the night before, focusing on the details that led her here. From meeting Natsu and then Bora to Bora threatening her and Natsu defending her. But when and how did she end up here?

She took cautious steps towards the door, intent on eavesdropping on the conversation to gain any useful information. Carefully, she pressed her ear to it.

He was on the phone and it sounded like he was arguing with someone.

"Well it's too late to turn back now. So she'll just have to stick it out."

He said nothing more until a gruff "yeah, whatever" and almost immediately followed by the door swinging open. She jumped back.

He looked caught off guard for a brief moment before turning to the rickety kitchenette. "Hungry?" He shuffled through the mini fridge, pulling out two items wrapped in plastic.

Lucy ignored his question for one of her own. "Where are we?"

"Hargeon." He tossed her one of the mystery meals. She clumsily caught it.

Hargeon? She thought as she unwrapped the food. It sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it. She examined the sub sandwich, silently doubting its edibility. She pinched the top of the cold, stiff bread and wondered if people actually ate this stuff and if they did, if they lived to tell about it. The sparse amount of ham and cheese didn't look much safer to her eyes. She took a small, tentative bite.

"It's a fishing village about a six hour drive from your home."

She nearly choked on the sandwich, looking up at him in surprise. This was the farthest she had ever been from her home alone. If she didn't have a small army of handpicked guards watching her every move and reporting in on her every ten minutes, her father would have kept her locked away in her home.

"I don't remember falling asleep." She muttered, still trying to absorb the new information.

"That's not surprising." Natsu said, eating his meal without a second thought as he scrolled through his phone. "You remember I told you that Bora tried to poison you, don't you?"

Lucy paled. "Wait, I was poisoned?"

"That drink he gave you. But it was just something to knock you out apparently. Which is good because I did not have an antidote handy."

"I didn't drink it though."

"But you had some. Even that little bit did quite a number on you, can't imagine what you'd be like if you drank the whole thing."

She was appalled by how casual he was treating the entire scenario, as if getting poisoned was just another way to spend Saturday night.

Although she did wonder if she should be surprised.

Here she was, in this unfamiliar motel in an unfamiliar town after she ran off with a complete stranger who was apparently skilled in martial arts, capable of striking fear into the hearts of dangerous men and talked about being poisoned as if it were just as normal and mundane as brushing your teeth in the morning.

Brushing your teeth.

She was suddenly self-conscious and she quickly brought a hand to her mouth, trying to trap any morning breath from escaping any further.

Natsu looked at her curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I need to brush my teeth." She said, voice muffled by her hand.

He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "then go do it. There's a toothbrush in there."

She rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

"Weirdo." He mumbled to himself.

After vigorously brushing her teeth, Lucy looked at herself in the mirror, judging how unpresentable she appeared and imagining the meltdown her father would have were he to see her like this. Hair a tangled mess, eyeliner and mascara smeared under her eyes and her dress wrinkled from tip to toe. She groomed herself to the best of her ability, combing her hair with her fingers, wiping her face with a damp rag and smoothing the delicate material of her gown with the palms of her hands. It wasn't exactly pretty but it would have to do.

She thought about how out of place she not just looked but felt. This was nothing of the pampered, lavish life she lived. She knew her life was not the norm for people but to what extent the difference was, she hadn't the slightest clue. A life beyond the gilded gates of the mansion she was confined to. She could see more of the world – the real world – that lay right beyond this room. Or so she assumed – she highly doubted Natsu's grand plan of protection was to hole her up in some musty motel for days on end.

And that brought reality crashing back down on her.

Just what was she getting herself into? She still didn't know if she could actually trust this Natsu character, if that even who he actually is. He could likely be using a pseudonym. As far as she knew, he could actually be an extortionist or a murderer. Or worse, married.

She cracked the bathroom door open, staring him down incredulously.

He sat at the end of the bed, vigorously texting someone. He still wore his attire from the previous night, that scarf still draped over his shoulders. Why did he seem so indifferent about this whole ordeal?

Who exactly was he that he could whisk her away like this, using those sugary words to sweeten whatever lies he spoon fed her. She probably shouldn't trust him but she has already chosen to. But maybe, just maybe, she could use her womanly charms to lure some information out of him. He seemed like he might be a tough nut to crack but between the low cut neckline and high cut slit of her attire, she figured she had the advantage.

He never looked up at her. "Now what are you doing?"

She swung the door open, trying to act like she hadn't just been caught staring as she walked over and sat next to him, her leg pressed slightly against his. Still not even a glance her way. She was irritated that he didn't acknowledge her proximity but she stayed quiet, instead taking this time to observe him.

He was still the Natsu she met last night but there was a tension around him this morning that was easy to discern but not decipher. His eyes were sharp and intense, portraying a strength unfamiliar to her and hiding a mystery that she was curious to unlock. But despite the severity of them now, she knew the expressions they were capable of were soft and inviting, offering her the very gazes that ushered her along with him to this place.

She could see now the faint scars that marred his exposed skin, the worst of them, from she could tell, was the one on the side of his neck that she wanted to ask about but knew she shouldn't.

What kind of man was Natsu actually?

The faint sound of the news caught her attention.

"Heiress to the Heartfilia Conglomerate, Lucy Heartfilia, was allegedly abducted last night from a charity event hosted at the Heartfilia Estate by a mysterious man. Eyewitness accounts from the evening say they did not recognize the suspect and it has been maintained by Jude Heartfilia that he was not an invited guest. More to come on this developing story."

Lucy was stunned, eyes fixed on the small television screen. A picture of herself and a distant, barely recognizable security camera image of Natsu had flashed across the screen during the relay of entirely false information.

She was bewildered but Natsu was, as expected, entirely unfazed.

All of her thoughts came tumbling out in quick succession. "I-I have to call my father. I have to tell him that that isn't what happened. That you didn't do anything wrong, that you're innocent. That I'm fine. It's all just a misunderstanding. He needs to know." She stood up to make a call on the landline but as soon as she lifted the phone from the receiver, Natsu's hand was over her own, securing the phone on its resting place.

"No can do. You can't call under any circumstance."

"Why not? They think you kidnapped me!" She was adamant. Was this really no big deal to him? Just something to brush off like it was no big deal to have whoever was watching this think of him as some common criminal.

"Well…I kind of did. So it's fine." A completely flippant response and it left her dumbfounded.

She slipped her hand out from beneath his, voice shaking in a barely contained rage. "No, you did not! I came with you willingly." Once again, he was making her crazy. All of the engrained decorum out the window.

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "For your sake, I need you to listen to me." He leveled his gaze with hers, severity hanging heavily around them. "Under no circumstance, until I give you the okay, are you to contact your family or friends or dentist or whatever." He tightened his grip on her. "Please."

She was silent, looking into his burning eyes as she slowly nodded.

He stepped away from her, going and grabbing a duffel bag and shuffling through it, tossing some clothes her way. "Get changed. We have to leave here."

"Where are we going?"

"I'll explain on the way just go change."

She looked at the oversized clothes and then looked at him. "Are these your clothes?" She really didn't need to ask.

"Obviously." He replied as he went digging around the bag more. "Sorry but it's all I have for you. This wasn't exactly planned."

"These won't fit me." She said, feeling slightly awkward.

He tossed a belt to her. "Now they will."

She frowned. "I'll just wear this." She motioned to the crumpled evening gown she was still wearing.

"That's too conspicuous. No one casually wears getups like that and people around here will be looking for you. You can't stand out."

"And wearing oversized men's clothes isn't conspicuous." She countered, completely straight-faced.

"It's at least less than what you have on."

Huffing, she reluctantly obliged and headed back into the bathroom.

She stripped herself of her gown, folding it carefully. It was pointless, she knew, but it made her feel better. She pulled the shirt over her head and pulled the jeans on. Even with the aid of the belt, she was swimming in the jeans and the shirt wasn't much better. Not to mention she had to tie the whole absurd look together with the same strappy heels she wore last night. She rolled the cuffs of the jeans and tied the shirt at her hip so at least it wasn't so bad but it could hardly be classified as an improvement. She certainly looked as ridiculous as she felt, which wasn't exactly an easy feat to match.

Accepting her fate of world's worst dressed, she picked up her folded gown and stepped out of the bathroom. She glared, her irritation directed straight at him. His back was to her but she had an odd feeling that he knew she was looking at him – and that she wasn't happy.

"If you're that irritated about what you're wearing, feel free to wear nothing." He said without turning around.

"Won't that attract more attention?" She retorted sardonically.

He stood up, the duffel securely on his shoulder. "Nobody would be looking at your face so I'm sure it'd be fine."

The blush covered her face instantaneously, creeping down her neck and up her ears. He's so…frustrating!

She turned her nose up, feigning superiority, a futile cover to her obvious embarrassment. "I expect a change of clothes wherever we're going."

He waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, princess. I'm sure someone will have something for you."

She grimaced at being called princess but said nothing.

"C'mon, let's get moving." He opened the door, looking left and right before motioning for her to follow along. He opened the passenger door of a compact SUV and tossed his small amount of luggage to the backseat and went to the driver's side, leaving the door open for her. She climbed in, securing her seatbelt.

The engine revved to life and Natsu drove them out of the parking lot.

"So, where are we going?" She asked for the second time.

"Do you know," he began, "much about the world outside your home?"

She hesitated, taken by surprise by such a loaded question. She wasn't certain how to even begin to answer. She knew what she read about but as far as firsthand experience, she really had none to speak of. All the parts of the world she had seen had been just as lavish and sheltered as her home. She knew she was wealthy, there was no question about that. She knew she had more than the average majority but she didn't know to what degree. She was fully aware of the shallowness and loneliness of the world but as far as the cruelties and evils, she had not the slightest clue. And if she tried to answer then she feared she would come to realize her ignorance was greater than she ever imagined. She took it to be quite shallow to want to spare herself that thought so she answered in the most plain, sincere way she could.

"Not really…"

Natsu nodded, apparently figuring that would be her answer. "I'm not really the best one to explain it. A lot of that stuff goes way over my head." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I won't really go into detail. The boss can handle that." He paused, trying to figure out how to phrase his next sentence. "I just wanted to mention it because you may be surprised by some of what you see and hear. Just how hard it is for the people out here. So I just," he rubbed at the back of his neck, clearly awkward, "I just wanted you to be prepared."

She hadn't known Natsu long at all, she hadn't picked up his nervous tics or the subtleties of which expressions reflected which moods. She had grown accustomed to reading people from a business standpoint, using that to gain the advantage in transactions and relations. And though Natsu was still difficult to read, she could see, if only slightly, that this was the most open he could comfortably be.

And so she decided to keep her response simple. "Thank you." He nodded and she smiled. "So that's something to remember as we head to wherever it is we're going."

"Ah, yes."

"Which is…where?"

He grinned. "To meet my friends."