A/N: I'm a little nervous putting this out so quickly after the last one, but most of it was originally going to be included in the last chapter, it just wouldn't fit on DeviantArt so I had to split it... I hope you enjoy!

They didn't speak about the circus until they were soaking in the hot tub, Lucy in her favorite white bikini with the pink flower on the breast and Natsu in his usual black and orange flaming swim trunks. Happy sat in a small floatation ring they nabbed from the pool. Shina had been relieved yet full of questions upon seeing them, and they were more than a little unhappy with how little they could tell her before retiring for the evening with a tray of offered snacks and beverages.

"Didn't we learn anything?" Lucy whined, dropping her head back against the side of the hot tub. Her hair was still up, keeping it from getting it wet. From where she was sitting, the water came up to just below her collarbones; but the hot tub itself was unusually deep in the center.

Although he wouldn't admit it, Natsu felt discouraged as well. "We know Linkin is a key player. He has to be."

Lucy scowled. "I don't like his magic."

An image of Lucy in the wizard's arms flashed in Natsu's mind, causing him to grind his teeth in irritation. I don't like him. "There's something in his voice."

"I don't know what you have against him," Happy interjected.

"Are you crazy?!" Lucy snapped.

Natsu held up a restraining hand, turning inquisitive eyes on the blue Exceed. "Happy?" Happy looked at him with a calm, pleasant expression that did not fit their circumstances one bit. He'd acted strange the first time Linkin was on the stage, but then when he came on the second time it was even worse… "Do you remember what happened tonight?"

Appalled by the question, Happy gently splashed the water with his little blue paws. "Of course I do! We saw one hell of a show, that's what happened!"

Natsu and Lucy exchanged a worried look. "And?" Lucy pressed.

"And Natsu got a little overprotective a few times," Happy deadpanned.

Lucy couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips, or the pink that dusted her cheeks, especially when Natsu scowled at Happy's comment but didn't deny it either. Instead, he folded his arms across his chest, his eyes narrowing. "Happy, do you remember anything about Linkin's voice?" Natsu's question made her look at him sharply.

His voice? What's he getting at, she wondered.

"Why? You jealous?" Happy taunted.

What. The. Hell. Natsu's hands curled into fists once more, their temperature rising. How is Happy still being affected?! How long does this shit last?! What is this exactly?! "No Happy," he grumbled.

"I think we figured out part of the problem with communication between the villages," Lucy volunteered, earning her a look from Natsu and Happy.

"What do you mean?"

"Linkin. Clearly his voice does something. Alters perception, maybe? Maybe he even makes it where they can't speak ill about the circus, or they can't understand anything bad about the circus?"

Natsu looked back at Happy, his scowl deepening. He hated that Happy had somehow gotten drawn into this. But how had Lucy and he not been affected? His eyes slid back to Lucy with a sigh. Well, relatively had been affected for a moment too. "Happy, what were the guards doing during the show?" He was the one to bring it to his attention after all, although it was before Linkin came on the second time…

"Keeping everyone safe." His answer was immediate and without pause, which made Lucy shudder.

"Why would they need to keep them safe?" she asked when Natsu's eyes widened.

Happy looked confused by all the questions. "It's a big show with a lot of people. You never know."

Natsu's eyes narrowed and his jaw set firmly. "Happy, I think you should go to bed." His voice was unusually harsh and gruff, clearly showing his agitation.

"What?! Why?!" he pouted, his eyes wavering as he spun in his ring to face his best friend.

"Because it's been a very long day and clearly you're tired."

"But," he went to argue before the look in Natsu's eye told him it was better not to. "What about you?"

"We'll be in shortly," Lucy answered for him, smiling sweetly. "Go on, Happy. Warm up the bed for us." Her cheeks immediately darkened at her words, but for once Happy didn't pick up on the chance to say something, or so it seemed.

Happy was already out of the hot tub when he grumbled, "If you want to be alone together, all you have to do is say so."

"Happy!" the two shouted as he left them, Natsu splashing him as he tottered away.

Once Happy was gone, Lucy couldn't look at Natsu. It didn't make sense. Happy said stupid stuff about them all the time, and it never bothered her this much. And for once, even Natsu was being quiet in his rebuttal, his eyes dark and brooding. What's going on?! She wanted to groan in frustration, but then she also didn't want to alert Natsu to her discomfort either.

Minutes ticked by as they sat in uncomfortable silence. Lucy had retreated to the opposite side of the hot tub, resting her head against the wall with her eyes closed. Natsu had stayed where he was, but was resting his arms along the rim, glancing at his partner periodically as she appeared to be either meditating or resting. Linkin's hold on Happy bothered him, and when he wasn't glancing at Lucy, he was looking at the cabin, concern for his Exceed best friend gnawing at him.

"So Linkin is clearly a problem," Natsu grumbled when he couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"And that Lady Sinara," Lucy breathed. "But there has to be more than just them."

Natsu was more than a little surprised to find her eyes wide open when he looked back at her. Her chocolate orbs were soft and gentle when he looked into them, calming as they always were, but then they shifted, and he saw something flicker in them – something that made his fists clench and warm and his stomach tighten nervously. This circus was making him do that a lot. "Luce?"

She averted her gaze. "When I was going through the mirrors," she started, "I felt something."

He pushed away from the wall and leaned toward her. His emerald eyes were dark and intense, his internal fire glowing from their depths when she finally looked back into them. "What?"

"It's hard to explain."

He scooted closer, resisting the urge to take her hands in his as he now sat beside her. "Try."

Sucking in a deep breath, Lucy closed her eyes. A shiver worked down her spine at the memory. "It was like that strange mist or fog we kept feeling at those villages we came to – like it was there but it wasn't?" She opened her eyes again to see Natsu nod that he understood. "I didn't recognize it at first, but I felt that when passing between the mirrors. I think they might have something to do with tomorrow night."

Natsu swallowed, his brow furrowing. Everything about this job was so confusing! "How?"

Lucy threw her hands up in exasperation, inadvertently splashing them both. "I have no idea! I wish Levy were here."

A pang of hurt hit Natsu's chest at her words but he quickly shoved it aside. "Can you ask the old cross guy?"

Her eyes lit up only to darken again a moment later. "No, he's not contracted for these days."

Natsu gaped. "Seriously?!"

Lucy did the only thing she could do and shrugged, smiling sheepishly. It was part of being a Celestial Wizard after all. The contracts she made with her spirits stated that they could be called upon on certain days and those days only. She wasn't supposed to break that and just call them whenever she felt like – that didn't respect the bond between spirit and wizard (she still hated to consider herself their master). True, their contract could evolve over time, which often meant that it became more flexible, but Crux wasn't one of those – at least not so far. They had been fortunate during the Grand Magic Games that they needed him and it was his days… (1)

"Damn it," Natsu grumbled, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned back against the side of the hot tub once more.

"We'll figure something out. We always do," she offered with a smile.

Reluctantly, Natsu raised his eyes to meet Lucy's; his gaze more serious than it normally was as his emerald eyes bore into hers. "I think we need to make Happy stay behind."

He expected more of an argument than he got. Instead, Lucy's shoulders just slumped before she leaned back against the wall. "Because of Linkin?"

"Yeah." His eyes moved to their room, where a soft light could be seen from inside. "Linkin's voice clearly affected him, more than either of us, and I don't want him getting hurt tomorrow." Bracing himself for a Lucy Kick, he looked back at his partner. He knew she'd want to know. "It affected you too, Luce."

Lucy could feel his gaze, but couldn't bring herself to meet it. Instead, she found the bubbling water of the hot tub incredibly interesting as she swallowed nervously. "W-was it bad?"

Natsu chuckled. "You mean like Bora?" Her eyes snapped to his, narrowing angrily as blood rushed to her cheeks. "No. It didn't last long."

"Oh, thank Mavis!" she sighed, dropping her head back and closing her eyes in relief.

"I still don't like it."

Lucy opened her eyes, staring at the starry skies above them through the rising steam from the hot tub. To talk about a job this much was unusual for them. Then again, they didn't always have jobs that required this much planning in the first place, and the longer they were on this job, the more complicated it became. Plus, Natsu was not a man of words; he was a man of action. So the fact that he was sitting in the hot tub, strategizing and discussing his concerns with her spoke volumes about the importance of the job, or his level of concern… "I'm not staying behind, Natsu," she warned, her voice low and dangerous.

"I wasn't asking you to." He was the picture of innocence when she looked at him, and she knew he spoke the truth. He simply needed her to know how he felt.

"It's going to be hard enough convincing Happy," she sighed.

Natsu smiled, his grin reassuring. "I think I've got that covered."

Cocking her head to the side, Lucy allowed a smile to cross her own lips. "Oh, really?"

His grin widening and showing his fangs, Natsu nodded. He already knew exactly what he'd say, even if he wasn't exactly thrilled about saying it – but Lucy didn't need to know that. And he'd certainly make sure she wasn't around to hear any of it. "Of course!"

Sighing, Lucy allowed herself to relax into the water once more, her eyes drifting closed. Natsu watched her a moment, his smile leaving his face as he tried to relax as well. Although he couldn't explain why, he felt the undeniable urge to say something, anything that would make Lucy feel better about the day's events – or better yet, take her mind off them completely. His smile returned when he had just the right idea.

Lucy was finally relaxing, the bubbles gently soothing her taut muscles, the silence calming her mind, when strong arms were suddenly on her; the grip rough but familiar as they slid around her waist and promptly pulled her beneath the water. Unsuspecting as she was, water quickly filled her mouth and she squirmed, fighting against the tight hold of her "captor" until she landed a good kick in a taut stomach. A burst of bubbles before her was evidence of the air rushing from her attacker's lungs, and suddenly she was free. One kick off the bottom of the hot tub was all it took for her to rush back to the surface and cough out the water she very nearly inhaled. "Natsu!" she shrieked.

Natsu popped up from the water at nearly the same time she did, coughing and sputtering, but still laughing. "Stop laughing!" she cried, her hand going to her ruined hair. "Are you trying to drown me?!"

Just trying to distract you, he thought to himself as he dropped below the water to dodge a Lucy Kick. "You ruined my hair!"

He cocked his head to the side, raising the same eyebrow as he folded his arms across his chest. "I don't know. Looks the same to me."

Lucy's frown turned into a determined grimace as she lunged, this time swinging a fist that he easily caught. His hand enclosed around hers, jerking her to him before she even knew what happened. The soft squeal of surprise and look of utter shock on her face only made him laugh as he fell over backwards, dragging her with him as they went back under the water once more. "Natsu!" Lucy screeched as they fell, her voice partially cut off by the water.

Natsu's back hit the bottom, Lucy's body colliding with his as he rebounded. It wasn't a new sensation for either of them – they'd roughhoused in and out of the water often enough – but it still sent a shock down his spine that made him loosen his grip even though his gut reaction was to tighten it. When Lucy placed her hands on his chest and her feet on either side of his hips to push off from the bottom, he was shocked into total stillness, a wave of heat rolling off of him that was hidden due to the heat of the water.

Lucy emerged from the water spluttering and spitting water, but giggling. One thing Natsu was certainly good at was cheering her up. She expected him to rise to the surface right behind her, and when he didn't, her heart raced, fearing he hit his head on the bottom. Without hesitation, she went back under to try to find him. She dove for him at the same time he went to come up as their foreheads collided with a solid thunk. "Ow!" they both yelled, one above water and one below.

"Geez, Luce! What the hell?!" Natsu cried once he came to the surface, rubbing his aching head.

Holding her head in nearly the exact same spot, Lucy glowered at the fire dragon slayer before her. "Serves you right for trying to drown me. Twice."

A wicked grin crossed Natsu's features that made Lucy's stomach flip. "I could make it three."

Lucy froze like a rabbit under the eye of a hawk, the pain in her head forgotten as Natsu leveled her with eyes that made her want to both melt and scream at the same time. "Pass!" she cried, tensing for the attack she could all but sense coming. She should have known better than to think they would actually relax in the hot tub…

Her intuition proved true as Natsu lunged for her a third time. This time Lucy grabbed the edge of the hot tub and launched herself over the side, jumping to dry ground. The moment her feet touched the stones, she ran, darting to her towel (which she simply grabbed but didn't have the chance to do anything else with), and then toward the patio stairs that led to their room. To her dismay it was quite the distance away, and Natsu was fast. To compensate for this, she grabbed two ends of her towel and spun it, creating a whip.

He was rapidly approaching – there was no mistaking his pounding footsteps. Just when she felt he could reach her, she turned and flicked her wrist like she would if she were using her whip. The towel extended out behind her, the end snapping wonderfully against Natsu's toned abs. He grimaced but kept charging forward. "Lucy!"

Squealing, Lucy turned all of her attention on getting away, but it was too late. Natsu scooped her up in his arms before throwing her over his shoulder and changing directions, heading back to the hot tub, still running at full speed. "Natsu!" she cried, pounding on his back. The appearance of stones under his feet had her cringing in preparation for what she was sure was coming.

As soon as Natsu slowed, he pulled Lucy from his shoulder into his arms, bridal style. He took two steps up, climbing the side of the hot tub before jumping, launching them higher into the air than was necessary. Lucy shrieked at the wind rushing past her ears and pressed her face against Natsu's chest, even though he was the source of her current predicament. They hit the water hard, but Natsu absorbed most of the impact, water sloshing over the sides and onto the rocks. When he launched them back to the surface, they were both cackling. "You can never escape me!" Natsu teased.

Still in her partner's arms, Lucy couldn't even be mad. Their mad dash had been exhilarating, and since Natsu hadn't flung her into the water, she hadn't been hurt. Their laughter was immediately cut short by the sound of a door slamming.

"Oh my goodness! Are you two all right?!" It was Shina, her voice pinched with worry.

Emerald met chocolate, wide with mirth but mixed with a pinch of guilt, before turning over Natsu's shoulder. Their positioning was precarious, as it looked like Lucy was in Natsu's lap, at least from Shina's perspective. The discarded towel and wild hair did not help their position any. "Sorry if we disturbed you!" Lucy called in reply. "We're good!"

Shina rose an eyebrow above the rim of her glasses, but she simply shook her head and retreated back inside. In all her years running the B&B she'd seen it all…

Completely unaware of how things looked from Shina's perspective, the two in the hot tub burst into another fit of laughter, Natsu's arms still loose around Lucy, although he had released her legs. "I can't believe you did that!" she giggled.

Feigning indignance, Natsu pointed to the angry red mark on his side. "I can't believe you whipped me!"

Stepping out of his arms, Lucy dunked her head under the water to right her hair, brushing the now numerous rogue locks back from her face. "You deserved it," she taunted with a shake of her head.

Natsu couldn't help the fact that his eyes dipped when Lucy emerged from the water. Her back was already arched and her bikini already drew his eyes as it was – the water cascading down her curves just made it worse. Before she could see him, he shook his head, his eyes narrowing, and stuck his tongue out at her to cover the warmth he felt rising in his cheeks. "So did you," he grumbled.

Lucy's smile was faltering, but still playing with her lips – a coy smile that always made Natsu's stomach flip – as their eyes met. Their gaze lingered, longer than was necessary, as their souls seemed to connect through their eyes. If Lucy listened to romance novels, she would have moved toward him, but she knew she didn't live in that kind of world – and Natsu was not that kind of man. Even though her heart was still racing from their brief play and she secretly longed for more, she sighed, pulling her eyes from his to where her towel now lay as a dirty mess in the middle of the yard. Natsu followed her gaze and jumped from the hot tub, retrieving his and holding it out for her. "Come on. Let's go inside."

It would appear her partner would never stop surprising her as Lucy left the hot tub and gingerly took Natsu's offered towel, wrapping it around herself and following him as he led the way inside. "Thank you."

He smiled at her over his shoulder. "Don't thank me yet. I call shower first."

Lucy's mouth fell open. "Since when do I not have to insist you shower?!"

True to his word, Natsu darted to the room, beating Lucy to the bathroom and locking her out with a wicked cackle that made her bristle even though she was inwardly smiling. She got her revenge by eating more than her share of the snacks Shina had provided them – the snacks they had saved for after their dip in the hot tub. Taunting him with the food actually sped up his shower, and he all but leapt from the bathroom covered in nothing but his towel wrapped around his waist. "Don't eat it all!"

Lucy paused with a piece of cheese halfway to her mouth. His tanned skin was still glistening with water, the towel hung low on his hips, and she lost her breath, her mouth hanging open in surprise. Wow, she breathed, her heart rate picking up in her chest at the muscular perfection before her. Then she remembered whom she was drooling over and shook her head. No! I can't think of him like that! Regardless, she had to swallow dryly before she could speak again. "Put some freaking clothes on!" she hollered, throwing the piece of cheese she was about to eat at his head.

Natsu simply smirked and caught the cheese before it could smack him in the forehead. "Don't wake up Happy," he chastised, keeping his voice low even though he had been shouting a moment before.

Eyes narrowing dangerously, Lucy threatened a Lucy Kick as she passed him, grinning when Natsu flinched, and took her turn locking him out of the bathroom.

Showers completed, snacks eaten, and sake sipped, the duo finally crawled into bed, careful not to kick the sleeping Happy at their feet. It felt odd to sleep in such a large bed compared to Lucy's tiny one, which had Lucy feeling both relieved and yet lonely at the same time. She had grown used to Natsu's warmth at night, the fire dragon slayer unable to get much distance in the small space they so often shared (whether she agreed to it or not). With such a large bed, there was a large gap between them, which made her shiver and curl into a ball trying to warm herself.

"Luce?" Natsu whispered, feeling her shiver. He disliked the large space between them as well, but was biding his time for Lucy to fall asleep before he closed the distance, rightfully fearing the Lucy Kick he so often got for sneaking into her bed at home.

"I'm fine, Natsu. Just a little cold."

There was a moment of hesitation before Natsu scooted closer, his heat immediately at her back. His arm hovered over her waist for just a moment before he draped it over her – something he always did when he snuck into her bed, only she wasn't usually awake when he did it. When she simply sighed and shifted back to snuggle against him, the relief that flooded through him was tangible – Lucy could feel his body relax against hers like a physical sigh. "Better?" he murmured, his breath hot on her neck.

Scarcely suppressing a pleasant shudder, Lucy nodded. Her hands were together under her pillow, but part of her wanted to hold his hand that held her. She resisted. "Thank you."

He shrugged, his eyelids already growing heavy now that Lucy was in his arms. "Of course."

As much as Lucy wanted to sleep, she couldn't. She laid there, her eyes wide open, staring into the dark before her. A gentle breeze had picked up, creating waves of movement in the trees outside their patio window. She focused on that, trying to allow the imagery and the sound of the wind to lull her into sleep, but couldn't. Her mind kept returning to the strange mist that was there and yet wasn't, and to the wizards who could control how a person perceived their surroundings or confine them by casting a spell. She remembered the clown crawling from the barrel, her mind recalling the image it had conjured rather than what had actually happened; reminding her of the terror she felt at being chased by one of her greatest fears. Before she knew what she was doing, she was gripping Natsu's hand, her entire body trembling as she buried her face into her pillow. If the circus had her this nervous, what would tomorrow bring?!

Lucy's distress caused Natsu's eyes to open, bleary as they were, and he pulled her closer. "What is it, Luce?"

"I can't sleep."

The sound of her heart pounding fearfully woke him up more thoroughly and he pushed himself up on his elbow. He pulled his hand from her grip, trailing it to her shoulder where he gently pressed to get her to roll over. She did, her eyes wide and wavering in the darkness as her chest rapidly rose and fell. Her heart was racing even more than before, causing his brow to furrow with worry as his eyes searched hers. "What's wrong?"

The tone in Natsu's voice was soft and gentle, something Lucy rarely heard. It wasn't that Natsu didn't care; he was just often too exuberant, too brash to control how he spoke. The entire trip, she was seeing a side of him she rarely, if ever saw, and it made tears rise in her eyes.

"Luce?!" Natsu pressed, smelling salt in the air.

"I'm scared," she whispered, closing her eyes in a meek attempt to hide her tears.

He lay back down, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She snuggled into his chest, wrapping her own arms around his waist as she sniffled. "It'll be fine," he murmured into her hair. He knew better than to tell her not to be scared. There was no way around the fear – they just had to get through it. "You're strong. We'll get through this together," he soothed, his hand rubbing up and down her back.

Lucy inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent that was Natsu. He smelled faintly like cinnamon and spices, the scent often amplified when he used his magic. The aroma was soothing, Lucy closing her eyes and relaxing in his protective embrace with a gentle sigh. Her breath on his bare chest made Natsu shiver, his arms tightening around her as he gently nuzzled her hair. Like Lucy, he deeply inhaled her scent – the scent that calmed him the most – vanilla and strawberries. "I won't let anything happen to you," he murmured, closing his eyes as he made the solemn vow.

A gentle smile tugged at the corners of Lucy's mouth as she nuzzled into Natsu's chest. How could this man, who could drive her bonkers one minute, make her want to melt the next? She could try to fight it as much as she wanted, but she knew her heart was lost to the fire dragon slayer, and if she could choose whom to face such a terrifying mission with, it would be him. It would always be him. There were many things that drew her to him, but chief among them was his fiercely loyal heart; and her ear, pressed against his chest, listened to its steady beat. The sound was strong and even, slow and calm, soothing her into a state of peace that made her eyelids heavy as Natsu's warmth enveloped her in a blanket of strength, respect, and protection. "Thank you, Natsu," she breathed; her voice barely audible as sleep finally took her.

A/N: Well, here's some fluff for you, before things get crazy! I know the last two chapters have been shorter, but it's all in preparation for what's to come. Comments and reviews are always welcome! And of course, thank you, thank you, thank you for favoriting and following this story! It's taken on a life of its own (as so many of mine do) and I'm so happy you are enjoying it!

(1) I honestly don't know when Crux is contracted, but I thought it was important to incorporate somewhere that Lucy's contracts include dates/days where she can call on her spirits. I feel that tidbit has gotten lost through time and that makes it appear she can call on any of them whenever she feels like. This may have changed and I'm not aware of it. In which case, I'm sorry, but it fit the story, so I'm keeping it. ;)

As always, I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. They all belong to Hiro Mashima, who loves to toy with our hearts. There would be a lot more romance if I did!