HELLO! Once again, I have made some improvements to this chapter. Please take time to read it again, a lot has changed and you'll notice it's also a lot longer than before.

This chapter was rewritten on 13/01/17

Glaciafel

Lucy began packing her clothing for Team Natsu's mission, stuffing as many of the articles as she could into the duffel bag. With the amount of times her clothes were either ripped, sliced, or burned off, she knew she'd need as many garments as she could fit into the bag. The job was an S Class, just off the coast of Fiore, a small island needing help with a few lesser demons. Erza had estimated the mission to take roughly five days, a week at the most. Lucy watched her Exceed from the corner of her eye, a small smile on her face as she saw the peach fuzz ball roll around on the plush pink carpet, giggling to herself when the fluff tickled her nose.

Lucy turned back to her clothes, making sure she had everything she needed before zipping it up. Catching the cat's tittering laugh, Lucy let out a soft smile. She hadn't exactly planned nor did she expect to own an Exceed, but she wasn't exactly complaining about it either. At least Nyla wasn't annoying like a certain blue Exceed belonging to a Fire Dragon Slayer. Besides, Nyla had been hatched from an egg and her parents were nowhere to be found, she needed a place to live and Lucy was more than happy for the feline to live with her. Lucy watched Nyla stand on her legs, the cat dwarfed by all the furniture. Honestly, compared to Daphne and Cora, Laxus and Cobra's Exceeds, Nyla seemed pretty small. Maybe she was younger? Lucy wasn't sure.

Nyla bent down, her two front paws on the floor, her butt up in the air while bent down her face to to brush her cheeks against the carpet. All of a sudden, Lucy heard a knock on her door and turned around to see Cobra standing, staring at her. Lucy frowned, wondering why her senses hadn't picked up on the Slayer approaching. Was she so absorbed in watching Nyla that she hadn't detected him? Or perhaps the Poison Slayer was just entirely too stealthy. Once again, Lucy wasn't too sure. It could really be either.

"Nyla!" Daphne called out, flying over from Cobra's shoulder towards the cat playing on the carpet.

"Afy! Look this" Nyla squealed, unable to pronounce Daphne's named correctly. Lucy watched, letting out a small 'aww' as the two Exceeds hug. Her soulful chocolate eyes followed Nyla as the cat dragged Daphne towards the carpet, sweatdropping when her Exceed pulled Daphne down to feel the carpet too. Nyla may not be annoying like Happy, and she may be the most adorable kitten (apart from Frosch that is) but she was still slightly bonkers.

"Oi Cottontail, the Cookie Monster and Fluttershy are out in your living room" Cobra said, Lucy's eyebrows shooting up far into her hairline, her face contorting into one of bafflement as she wondered who Cobra was talking about.

"We're ready to head off on our mission" Cobra continued, Lucy finally clocking what Cobra was going on about. Jellal was obviously the Cookie Monster, with his insane love, borderline obsession for the chocolaty biscuits not to mention his bright blue hair. He was almost as bad as Erza when it came to them, however, unlike Erza; he could at least control his obsession. But Lucy would never, ever forget the day he had single handedly decimated the entire stock of cookies from Magnolia Bakery. Honestly, she couldn't fathom how he'd managed to clear out over a thousand cookies and not throw up from the sugar overload or where he'd gotten the money from to pay for them. To this day, both he and Erza were treated like royalty by the bakery. In fact, Lucy was almost a hundred percent sure that the only reason the baker had managed to open up branches in other towns was due to Erza and Jellal's legendary purchases. That left her with Cottontail, which no surprises were an allusion to all the times she'd been forced to dress up in a bunny outfit and Meredy with Fluttershy, where that make from though, she had no clue.

"Jellal and Meredy are here?" Lucy questioned, wondering why they hadn't come to greet her. However, as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Meredy bound in, small tears in her eyes as she hurtled towards Lucy.

"LULU" Meredy bawled in anguish, throwing herself at the blonde. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise and before she could brace herself to catch the pink haired mage, the two were thrown onto her bed.

"Mimi, what's wrong?" Lucy asked in concern, hugging the Maguilty mage back.

"I can't believe Master put me on a team with two boys! Who am I going to talk to about my ships Lulu? Who's going to be there when I want to buy new shoes on a job? At least when Ultear was still here I had her… Jellal never wants to talk about boys or clothes and now Cobra's on our team and he's just as antisocial as Jellal but he's even meaner! He won't stop calling me Fluttershy Lucy" Meredy whined, Lucy cringing as the high pitch voice rang through her sensitive ears.

"Yeah… why is he calling you that again?" Lucy questioned, Meredy sat up and straddled the blonde, staring down at Lucy.

"I forgot to do the dishes again and so Jellal punished me by making me watch My Little Pony all day, I wasn't allowed to watch anything else. The characters and voices were so annoying I almost ripped my hair out. Somehow Cobra found out and he won't stop calling me Fluttershy because of my hair" Meredy complained, Lucy hearing a sigh as Jellal walked in.

"I could have made you watch Courage the Cowardly Dog instead Meredy, and you know how much the monsters creep you out. You also go overboard when shopping and we just don't have time for that when on a job, you know that" Jellal admonished, Meredy pouting. It was true, the villains in Courage terrified her to no end, with the disturbing artwork and their skin crawling voices; she just shuddered at the thought.

"Come on Pinkette, we have a job to complete" Cobra said, rolling his eye when Meredy blew a raspberry at him. He had no idea how she could be so childlike one moment and so serious the next. It didn't make sense; overall she was pretty damn cheerful and mischievous, her personality reflected in the sound of ukuleles but nothing would ever drown out how lonely she felt with the abandonment of her foster mother and her tragic past, especially when Cobra could hear the low hums of violas thrumming in the back of her soul that denoted her isolation.

"Mimi, you just have to get through these jobs and then I promise as soon as we have free time, we'll go out shopping alright? We'll make it a ladies day out with Erza and all the girls in the guild. We haven't had one of those in a while" Lucy assured, Meredy beaming in response. She quickly got off Lucy, a large smile on the pink haired mage's face.

"And Cobra, will you at least try and play nice? Maybe call people by their names for once" Lucy said, Cobra let out a tut, causing Lucy to sigh. Before she could berate him however, she heard a range of very familiar voices surrounding her home.

"Come on Happy, let's see what's taking Luce so long" Natsu called as Happy flew him to Lucy's window.

"She's probably stuffing her face full of fish, you know how much she's been eating lately. She really needs to slow down, she's already so heavy" Came Happy's reply, Lucy growling at the words. Oh she'd so fling that cat all the way back to Edolas when she saw him.

"Nah Happy, she's just a Dragon Slayer, we all eat that much. If anything she's probably in the bath and forgot the time. Hey! Do you think she'll let us join?" Natsu asked and Lucy blanched, Meredy giggling at Lucy's facial expression.

"Does Natsu join you for baths often Lucy?" Meredy asked, hand to her mouth as she snickered to herself, Lucy's face flushing.

"No! Of course not, he just breaks in and joins me" Lucy defended, stiffening as Meredy howled in laughter.

"Oh my gosh! Wait till I tell Mira" Meredy squealed, Lucy's expression turning into one of horror.

"Erza, are you sure we can just turn up at Lucy's house uninvited?" Wendy's sweet voice chimed as she questioned the older mage's actions.

"Indeed Erza, these are not good manners. In fact, this is setting a terrible example for Wendy" Carla admonished and Lucy could hear the clinking of Erza's armour as she shrugged, the small group quickly approaching her apartment.

"Lucy will not mind. After all, we have to leave soon if we are to catch our train. It's already late at night and if we don't catch the last train, we'll have to wait till tomorrow to start the job" Erza replied simply, her mind made up.

"God damn, where the fuck did these fireplace tools come from? What's with all these pokers? Lucy never keeps them here what the fuck" Gray grumbled to himself as Lucy heard him climb through the fireplace.

"Gray, they're always there and if you just let me fly you in, then maybe you wouldn't be having this problem" Frost replied.

"I just want to climb down for myself Frost. That damned Flame Brain said I couldn't get in on my own and I'm going to prove him wrong," Gray grumbled and Lucy simply sighed, shaking her head.

"But Gray, you're going to poke your butt on the metal thingies"

"Don't worry Frost, I'll be al- Mavis fucking Vermillion" Gray yelled as he slipped and fell down.

"Told you so" Frost teased.

"Jeeze, guess it's time to leave already" Lucy muttered, Cobra's eyebrows rising as her team all converged into her bedroom.

"LUCE! It's time to go" Natsu said cheerily, throwing his arm around Lucy's shoulder and smiling down at her. Cobra's eyes narrowed slightly and he caught himself before he could let out a growl. He backed up slightly, eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what was going on. Scoffing to himself, he shrugged it off. He'd think about this later.

"Oh hey Meredy, Jellal, Cobra" Natsu greeted, waving at the three. Lucy looked around, wondering where Happy was, until she heard him digging through her fridge.

"LUCY WHERE'S MY FISH?" Happy cried, flying through her doorway with a grumpy look on his face.

"I gave it to Daphne" Cobra said simply, Happy turning to Cobra in shock, his eyes watering.

"LUSHYYY! Cobra is such a meanie! He gave my fish away! Kick him" Happy cried, burying his face between Lucy's breasts as he cried. Lucy sighed in annoyance; she hadn't forgotten his words from earlier and simply grabbed him by his head, pulling his cheeks.

"My chest isn't your own personal pillow cat! And what was that about me eating more recently" Lucy growled out, Happy wincing at Lucy's words.

"I'm sorry Lucy! Please don't eat me," Happy cried, Lucy throwing him away and into the wall before sighing at Happy's saddened expression.

"I'm sorry about that Happy, I promise I'll buy you a fish when we get back, alright?" Lucy promised, Happy immediately perked up and flew at Lucy, hugging her breasts before flying over to Natsu.

"Sorry 'appy" Daphne apologised; Happy blushed at the cute wide-eyed look the Exceed sent him, her green eyes glistening.

"It's alright Daphne, Lucy said she'll buy me another one. Maybe next time we can share it instead" Happy said shyly, scratching his head. Daphne nodded quickly, flying and hugging Happy.

"I like that" Daphne said bashfully, a soft blush on her cheeks.

"What's going on here tom cat?" Carla questioned, hazel eyes narrowing at how close Daphne and Happy were.

"'appy said we can share a fish next time because I ated his" Daphne said softly, smiling at the blue Exceed. Carla's eyes narrowed further before she harrumphed, her arms crossed as she turned her head away.

"Hmpf, I see. Also, the past tense of eat is ate, not ated" Carla reprimanded, Daphne nodding. Lucy watched with an amused look at Carla's jealous look. So the white Exceed did care for Happy, despite all her chiding and the amount of times she had rejected him. This was going to be interesting.

"We have to leave now. Come on Cobra, Meredy. Or we'll miss the train" Jellal said, checking his watch. The two mages nodded before Meredy waved goodbye to the team that had gathered in Lucy's bedroom.

"Come on Daphne, we're leaving" Cobra said, turning to his Exceed.

"Coming Co," Daphne said, waving goodbye to Happy, Carla and Nyla.

"Alright, it's about time we leave too. Has everyone got what they need?" Erza questioned, the whole team nodding.

"Let me just send all this stuff to the Spirit World with Virgo and then we can go" Lucy said, summoning her Maid spirit to her side.

"Punishment time Princess?" Virgo questioned, appearing in a pink poof.

"No Virgo, can you just take my things to the Celestial World please?" Lucy questioned, Virgo nodded before disappearing with everything.

"Come on Ny, we're leaving now" Lucy said, walking to her Exceed and picking her up from her spot on the carpet.

"Yay!" Nyla squealed, perching herself on Lucy's shoulder. Team Natsu began their trek to the train, Lucy and Gray popping an anti motion sickness pill, courtesy of Levy and Freed's research as well as Wendy and Porlyusica mixing together the medicinal herbs and ingredients. Sadly, due to the amount of times Wendy had cast Troia on Natsu, he was immune to the pills and so still had to suffer. Lucy however was relieved that she'd never have to turn green at the thought of travel, like Gray and Natsu used to. Besides, they would be using a train to Hargeon and then catching a sea ferry to Borea and she did not need to feel sick during the whole ten-hour journey. Lucy stared out the train, Natsu and Gray lying on the floor of their coach due to Erza, who had to stop one of their fights.

"Lucy, would Nyla like some of my fish? Mira made me some for the journey but there's too much" Frost said, the brown and white furred Exceed flying over with the tuna. The fish itself was at least three times bigger than Nyla.

"Frost! You're supposed to share your fish with me. Besides, there's no such thing as too much fish" Happy whined, staring at his best friend in indignation.

"You already have some salmon from Mira and you don't like cooked fish," Frost argued back, Happy's eyes twinkling as he remembered the fish in his backpack.

"Ny? Would you like some fish?" Lucy questioned, Nyla shaking her head.

"No" Nyla squeaked out, however before she could say anything else, her stomach grumbled.

"Are you sure Ny, you sound pretty hungry" Lucy said, Nyla shaking her head again.

"What would you like Nyla?" Wendy questioned, smiling at the tiny Exceed. Nyla thought to herself, her small eyebrows furrowing before her face lit up.

"ASPBEWIES!" Nyla cried happily.

"Do you mean raspberries? I don't have any raspberries Ny, sorry" Lucy said apologetically, Nyla's face falling again.

"How about this, you can share some of Frost's tuna and then when we stop in Hargeon, we'll get some raspberries?" Lucy asked, Nyla nodding enthusiastically before sitting next to Frost, happily conversing with the Exceed while munching on fish.

"Erza? What's the job about exactly?" Wendy questioned, Lucy turning to the smaller Dragon Slayer.

"You didn't tell her Erza?" Lucy asked, Erza shaking her head.

"I'd told Natsu and Gray to tell her. Those idiots. We'll be going to Borea; it's an island of the coast of Fiore. It's known for dabbling in rare magic as the island is very old and likes to keep their traditional ways preserved. I thought that maybe we'd find Draco's key there. considering he hasn't been summoned in a while. If not, we may find someone who knows about it. The job itself well some lesser demons have been gathering around a mountainside due to the high concentration of Eternano there. It may seem small, but it's an S Class job so I assume that these demons are powerful" Erza explained, Wendy nodding.

"I'll try my best to help" Wendy said, Erza nodding with a smile.

"I'm sure you'll be extremely helpful" Erza reassured, Wendy beaming in response. Lucy smiled at the two before making herself comfortable and shutting her eyes, it was late at night and she knew she'd need all the energy she could get for their job.

"Lucy… Lucy!" Erza said, shaking the blonde awake.

"Hmmm huh?" Lucy moaned, batting her eyes open slowly.

"We're here in Borea" Erza replied, Lucy looking around, eyebrows furrowed.

"Already? What happened to the ferry? What time is it?" Lucy questioned, rubbing her eyes as she tried to adjust to her surroundings.

"It's twelve fifteen in the afternoon. We tried waking you, but it seems you were too tired therefore Natsu carried you" Erza explained, Lucy smiling at the pink haired Dragon Slayer in thanks. Natsu simply smiled back at her as he continued scarfing down his fire chicken.

"What? Oh no! Ny I'm sorry, I told you I'd get you some raspberries" Lucy apologised while Nyla just shook her head.

"It's alright Lucy, I bought some for her, it was my treat" Wendy said happily, Lucy thanking the Sky Maiden as she ruffled her hair.

"Here you go Lucy, we bought you a sandwich" Gray said, passing the food over to the blonde, who smiled in thanks before taking a bite out of it.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" Natsu asked as he finally finished his lunch, turning to Erza.

"We have quite a lot of daylight left. Let's split up and ask around. Natsu you're with Happy, Gray you're with Frost, Wendy with Carla and finally, Lucy you take Nyla. Meet back here around eight. I'll start here at the south and book us our hotel for the next few nights too and then I will speak to the Mayor about the job. It's an S Class but I should be able to complete it by myself tomorrow. If not, we will go together the day after. Do not be late meeting back here and if anything happens, send the Exceeds back to find me" Erza replied.

"What? No! I wanna go with Luce" Natsu whined, Erza whacking him on the back of his head, causing him to promptly agree with her plans.

"So, where should we go?" Wendy asked, Erza pulling out a map from between her breasts and unfolding it causing everyone to sweat drop as they wondered how she managed to store everything between the soft globes.

"Lucy, you take the centre. Gray, the north. Natsu, the west. Wendy, the east. Good luck everyone," Erza said before turning and making her way through the crowd, dragging her luggage behind her. Nyla flew over to Lucy and the two made their way to the village centre, waving goodbye to the rest of the team.

"Lucy? Where going?" Nyla questioned, looking up at the blonde's face.

"We're going to find Draco's key Ny" Lucy replied, Nyla nodding in response. The island was relatively small, inhabited by the one village and so the walk to the village centre was no more than an hour's journey by foot.

Lucy took in her surroundings, Erza was right; everything was old fashioned. They didn't even have cars or definite shops. Everything was sold in stalls and the only real buildings were the small hut like houses behind the stands, the tavern, a small inn and what Lucy assumed was the city hall, judging by the flags. Even the fashion was archaic, women walked around in long skirts and cotton shirts with high collars while men walked with slacks, a shirt and bowler hats. Had their government or country changed at all in the past century? Lucy didn't think so. Men were eyeballing her while women stared in horror, whispering about her attire. Lucy rolled her eyes. They mustn't get visitors from other more futuristically developed countries very often. She stopped by a small trinket kiosk, surveying the elegant pieces on sale before turning to the sales woman.

"Hi" Lucy greeted, the women responded with a kind smile.

"Umm, my name is Lucy. I was wondering if you knew any shops that sell magic items?" Lucy asked. The women raised her eyebrow in response before she began moving her hands in an elaborate fashion.

"Oh! Do you not speak? I'm sorry, I don't know how to sign" Lucy replied apologetically.

"Moira, it's okay, I'll help this charming young lady" came a raspy voice, Lucy looked at the hut, watching as an old man walked out. He was frail with bushy white eyebrows, a baldhead but a magnificent silver beard, like the woman he had a kind smile and a gentle demeanour about him.

"Hello young lady, how can I help you today?" The man asked.

"I was wondering if you knew any places that sold magical items?" Lucy repeated, the old man chuckling.

"My dear, you're in Borea. This land is rich with magic and everyone here is a mage. Every stall sells magical items. What kind of relic are you looking for?" He questioned.

"A Celestial Key, it would look something similar to these" Lucy said, pulling out her own keys.

"My oh my! What a large assortment of keys you have there. I don't think I've ever seen someone with those many before. Tell me, which key are you looking for exactly? Most stalls may sell Celestial keys, but if you're looking for something rare like the Zodiac then only the best of the best may have them" the man responded, stroking his long beard.

"The Celestial Dragon, Draconis"

"My! I don't think any of the stalls on this island will have what your looking for dearie. The key of the dragon is the rarest of them all, a legendary key indeed. I am nearing to hundred and thirty-three and the last time I heard of that key was in my twenties, back when I was a young chap. Last I heard, the key disappeared after its master was killed by a wretched demon in a land far away from here. Sorry lass" the man replied, and Lucy was disheartened. How was she supposed to find the key now?

"What do I do now?" Lucy thought out loud, the man's eyebrows dropped and taking pity on the blonde, he turned and pointed to a large snow covered mountain.

"You may have some luck trying to locate your key over there. Right at the top is a cavern. There is a route you can take, a path carved into the mountain. The journey is arduous and the road is slippery but it should only be a couple of hours to travel up there. Long ago, it harboured a dragon. It may not be what you're looking for, but perhaps it's a start? Although I'd advise you to be careful, lots of lesser demons have been cropping up around there due to the high concentration of Eternano, however since there's still a lot of daylight left, you should be fine. As long as you return before sun down that's when they start to materialize" the old man warned and Lucy nodded.

"Thank you, kind sir" Lucy said, bowing slightly before turning and running towards the mountain.

"Lucy? Why we going? Erza said stay centre" Nyla asked.

"I know she did and normally I wouldn't dare to disobey one of her orders but I feel like I have to go there" Lucy replied, and Nyla's face scrunched up.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because something up there seems really familiar to me," Lucy replied. Soon the two were at the foot of the mountain, Lucy staring up at the top.

"Ny, do you think you could fly me up part of the way? It could reduce the time considerably. I'd fly up myself, but I don't exactly know how to use or summon my wings yet" Lucy said, turning to her Exceed.

"Ny will do it!" Nyla said, nodding her head in determination. She sprouted her wings and grabbed Lucy by her collar. The peach coloured Exceed flapped her small wings and managed to lift Lucy up a considerable height off the ground.

"Well done Nyla! Now, let's get up there" Lucy said, Nyla nodding in happiness before flying the mage up. However, it only lasted for a couple of minutes and they'd only made it a few hundred metres before Nyla got tired and dropped Lucy on the ground.

"Nyla is sorry! Nyla will try again and help Lucy," Nyla said, tears forming in her eyes as she panted.

"Hey! It's alright, you helped plenty. Just get some rest alright," Lucy said, hugging the cat tightly. Nyla nodded, sniffling against Lucy's breasts. Really, Lucy berated herself, she should have known better. Nyla was probably only a couple months old; she wouldn't have nearly as much power or experience as the rest of the Exceeds.

Lucy began the trek upwards, Nyla shivering and burying herself closer into Lucy's warmth as they got higher. Eventually, even Lucy's higher than average draconic body temperature couldn't help her. Virgo suddenly appeared, a fluffy winter coat in hand. Lucy thanked her spirit before dismissing her. She carried on the walk, and a couple of hours later, she found herself at the entrance of the cavern. She entered the cave, feeling the strong presence of Eternano around her. She sniffed the air, eyes narrowing at the smell. As she thought, the smell was familiar, but different at the same time, it seemed like it was fading. Before she could identify it, she heard a thudding heartbeat deeper into the cavern. Lucy quietened her breathing before slowly making her way further into the hollow until she spotted a very familiar figure kneeling on the floor by what looked like bedding made of hay and cotton.

"Gray? What are you doing here? I thought you were further up north," Lucy said, but instead of replying, Gray exhaled deeply.

"Gray? What's wrong?" Lucy asked, quickly walking up to her fellow Dragon Slayer.

"This is where Glaciafel and I lived" Gray replied, brushing the hay softly.

"Glaciafel?" Lucy wondered out loud, Gray nodding.

"Mhm. She was my dragon" Gray said before lying down on the bedding, staring blankly at the icy ceiling.

'No wonder it smells so familiar, the scent is almost the same as Gray and his magic' Lucy thought to herself.

"You know… you've never told me how you met. I know about your parents and Ur, but not about Glaciafel" Lucy said as she lay next to him, trying to offer her friend some comfort. They'd done this a lot over their friendship, sleeping next to each other when they were sad and lonely. Unlike Natsu, who always tried to cheer her up, Gray knew exactly when Lucy needed to just ride out what she was feeling and vice versa.

The two had spent many a night sitting together, curled up in her bed as they spoke about their past and families. Gray had always been there for her, on the death anniversaries of her parents, when she had lost the Grand Magic Games, the aftermath of the Games when she tried to overcome the trauma of both the dragons and seeing her future self die. And she'd paid him back in full, being there for him on the day his parents died, the day Ur died, the day Ultear had disappeared and many other moments. However, despite it all, Gray had never mentioned Glaciafel because the wounds hadn't healed yet. Unlike his parents and Ur, Glaciafel wasn't dead; she'd simply abandoned him. In fact, Gray like Wendy, Natsu and Gajeel had no idea what had happened to his dragon. Lucy curled up next to Gray, her head on his chest, tucked under his chin as his hand wrapped around her waist, his other under his head. They let each other's comforting scents fill their noses, breathing deeply Lucy tried to keep Gray anchored to reality and stop himself from drowning in his own memories, something she was all to familiar with.

"It was after Ur sacrificed herself and before I joined Fairy Tail. I was around nine, wandering alone with nowhere to go. My parents had been killed, and then Ur, both lost to that fucking demon. It was in the middle of a storm, I had somehow found myself at the entrance to this massive grotto that radiated strong Eternano and it was late so I decided to camp out there for a bit. I entered and there she was, this massive white dragon" Gray began, Lucy listening carefully.

X775

A nine-year-old Gray stared at the enormous dragon in front of him, his eyes wide as his heart beat erratically in his chest cavity. His mind yelled at him to turn around and run as far away as possible, but it was almost like he was frozen, paralysed by both his fear and her beauty. She was white, with scales made of ice that glistened like diamonds whenever the light caught them. Piercing white eyes bore into his soul and two long brown horns protruded out of her head. She sat, staring at him with her silvery gaze, a blank look on her face as she took in his figure. She moved slightly and he was almost blinded by the light radiating off of her. She bent her head down, her nose sniffing him before exhaling loudly.

"What brings you here child?" She asked, her voice soft and silken.

"I-I-There's a storm outside so…" Gray stuttered out, the dragon nodded and turned to place her chin on her claws before shutting her eyes.

"You may stay till it stops" She replied and Gray nodded, walking slowly towards one of the walls before sliding down so he was seated.

"Thank you. My name's Gray. Gray Fullbuster" Gray introduced, the dragon opened one eye to look at him before closing her eye again.

"Mine's Glaciafel, the Ice Dragon Queen" Glaciafel replied, Gray nodding. He stared in wonder at the dragon, scooting slightly closer. She radiated a cold wind and breathed out frost whenever she spoke. It was a welcome chill, the cool air running over his spine, causing him to shiver slightly.

"So you use ice magic then?" Gray questioned, Glaciafel looked at him before turning to lie on her side so she could gaze at him more clearly.

"Yes, just like you" She answered, Gray nodding in awe.

"How did you know?" He asked, puzzlement present on his face.

"I can smell your magic. That and you'd need to be familiar with ice and the cold if you walk around like that, especially in a storm" Glaciafel replied, an amused tone to her voice.

"Damn! When'd that happen?" Gray wondered out loud, noticing that he'd accidentally stripped. He looked around, realising that he couldn't find his clothes anywhere.

"I must have lost them in the storm" Gray thought to himself, Glaciafel lifting an eyebrow.

"What were you doing out there in the storm anywhere? Where are your parents?" Glaciafel questioned, growing more intrigued by the small boy.

"My parents are dead. I was living with Ur but… she died too" Gray responded causing Glaciafel's gaze to soften.

"I see. So you are all alone, just like me," She mused, Gray nodding. Suddenly, a thought appeared in her head. She bent her head down, her gem like eyes peering deep into his obsidian eyes.

"What is it?" Gray asked, backing away slightly. Glaciafel lifted her head before standing up on all fours, her scales clinking against each other as she moved towards the entrance.

"The storm is receding, I'll be able to return to my home soon" Glaciafel thought out loud. Gray's heart dropped, he hadn't known her long, but after months of travelling alone, he'd finally found someone to talk to.

He didn't know why, but he felt as if he were home with her. Maybe because her magic was similar to Ur's, or maybe because her eyes were the same pearly colour as his mother's. Whatever it was, he wanted to stay with her. For as long as he could. He didn't want to be alone anymore, Gray thought to himself, his eyes tearing up. He just wanted to be home with his mother and father, or back with Ur as she scolded him for stripping in public. Being alone sucked; no one tucked him into bed anymore or cared what happened to him. He frantically rubbed his eyes as he realised he was crying again. Glaciafel smelled the telltale scent of saltwater and knew the child was tearing up. She knew the loneliness he was feeling, she knew it all too well and her heart gripped for him.

"Would you like to come with me?" Glaciafel asked, cocking her head to the side to look at him. His face lit up and he grinned brightly, nodding enthusiastically.

"Yes!" He exclaimed, Glaciafel laughing at his enthusiasm.

It had been a while since she'd had a companion. Dragons grew up in packs and hers had been disbanded when their alpha returned to the stars, so for a century she'd been lonely, wandering the planes of Earthland. She'd met Igneel, Grandeeney and Metalicana in her travels but they all had their own foster children that they were bringing up, even Weisslogia and Skiadrum had found some young brats. Children that were being brought up as Dragon Slayers. Maybe she could bring up her own, continue the tradition of raising Dragon Slayers. It had been a while since she'd done so, all her children were long dead but maybe, she could raise one more, she thought to herself as she looked at the boy. After all, he already knew Ice Magic.

"Come on then" Glaciafel said, she bent over and bit his boxers before gently placing him onto her back.

"Hope it's not too cold there" she teased, Gray blowing a raspberry at her. He carefully brushed against one of her scales, it was hard and sharp; he'd have to be careful not to cut himself on them. But the cold it radiated was as familiar to him as Ur's magic and her scales were almost like the icy thorns on her Rose Garden spell. Gray's heart clenched as he was reminded of a spell he'd never be able to witness again. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts before clinging onto one of Glaciafel's scales as she spread her wings, getting ready to take off.

Soon, the blizzard cleared and Glaciafel bat her wings before taking off at an immense speed.

"She sounds nice" Lucy said, Gray nodding, as he held onto Lucy tight. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, as he took in deep breaths, letting her refreshing scent wash over him. He never knew what it was, but there was something about Lucy's scent that always soothed him, even after it changed.

"She was. She was also very laid back, with not a care in the world. She took care of me for two years, teaching me everything I know but then… just like mum and dad, just like Ur… she disappeared too" Gray said, clenching his fist as he tried in vein to stop the tears from falling down. However, despite all his efforts, a single drop fell down and onto Lucy's shoulder.

"Why did she abandon me? Why does everyone just leave?" Gray mumbled quietly, his voice muffled by Lucy's skin, forgetting that Lucy's ears were just as sensitive as his. Lucy turned over so that she could face Gray, brushing his tear away before moving her hand to intertwine her fingers with his, squeezing his hand in comfort. She rested her forehead against his own, staring deep into his dark blue eyes.

"Not everyone does Gray. I'm not leaving any time soon,"

And that ends the rewritten versions of my chapters! Hopefully you've enjoyed all of this, although I'm pretty sure not much has changed with this chapter. But it's 6:46am and I have yet to fall asleep (:

Please review, they always make me so happy!