So the next chapter is up!

I'm gonna post another soon since I've been so inconsistent. Might as well ply you all with tokens of appreciation.

I'd like to thank everyone who has either followed, favourited, or reviewed this story. I really appreciate it…Enjoy!


The gravel crunched under Lucy's and Levy's feet as they walked, the only sounds from the girls as they made their way towards Lucy's house. After the situation had been handled, the old man whose name was Makarov, had told Erza to escort them home. The walk had been a chilly and awkward affair with Erza's stern and suffocating presence, Lucy's wallowing in both fear and guilt and Levy's stunned silence. Erza had departed a scarce five minutes ago leaving Lucy and Levy to go the rest of the way, which was not much, by themselves.

The tense atmosphere between the remaining two girls was punctured sporadically by the cry of cicadas and toads and whatever other nocturnal creatures that decided to fill up the void. The pale moonlight illuminated Levy's face, and magnified the lingering shadows of fear and doubt with the eeriness.

Lucy stopped a few paces from the gates but Levy continued. Perhaps she was caught up in her thoughts or maybe she was just blatantly ignoring Lucy's actions. Whichever reason was unimportant to Lucy.

"Say something," her voice was soft but loud enough to carry over to the other girl. Levy paused then glanced back.

"Like what?" Her ocher eyes where hollow and seemed haunted.

"Anything!" Lucy replied, "'I told you so!' 'How could you do this to me?' 'I hate you!' Anything!" Lucy gulped. "Just…just don't ignore me. Please. I'm sorry."

Levy's eyebrows drew together slightly and her lips pursed, "I know that you're beating yourself up enough already, what sort of friend would I be if I just made you feel worse? In fact…I was the weak one. I just stood there like a complete fool. I don't know what would have happened if Erza hadn't come," her voice cracked, "I was scared. But you jumped in front of me. I still couldn't move. Why was I so weak, Lu?"

Her empty eyes glistened before she burst into tears, small shoulders shaking as she brought her hands up to her face.

Lucy quickly ran to her and embraced her but Levy pushed her away.

"I don't need your pity. I-I need to go. I'll call you sometime." Levy turned back and trudged in the opposite direction with Lucy staring at her slight frame. She stopped then turned to look and Lucy.

"Please don't blame yourself, Lu. I'm not mad at you, I just need…I don't know, I need time. I'm not usually like this." She spat the word out in disgust. It was obvious to Lucy that Levy was taking this really bad but she was going to respect her friend's wishes. If it was one thing she knew really well was the feeling of being bombarded with comfort so much so that it became forceful and did nothing but make you feel as if you shouldn't be acting like that, and that you should get over whatever it was quickly.

"Alright, but you don't blame yourself either. You can't always be strong Levy. It's okay to cry."

Levy smiled weakly at her, her eyes watering again but quickly turned and walked away. Lucy watched her slowly disappearing form for a while before quietly buzzing the gate to let her in. Of course she was uneasy about Levy walking home alone after their particularly violent and unsettling ordeal, but coddling Levy was not going to do anything right now. Besides, what were the odds of something else happening to either of them tonight? That would just be preposterous, no one could have that much bad luck. These thoughts were mulling around in Lucy's head as she was quickly identified and allowed through.

The guard manning the gates urged her to hurry inside, looking exhausted and worried. She paused, taking in his disheveled appearance and the lack of other patrolling guards. Usually the night shift was most important, so something had to have happened to dwindle the numbers.

"What's the matter?" She asked kindly but slightly suspiciously. He hesitated, grey eyes flickering with uncertainty.

"Just hurry inside Milady, please."

The pleading tone in his voice propelled Lucy forward. What had happened in the few hours she had gone? A slow, sick feeling of dread welled up in her gut and the fear that was forgotten from early rose with a vengeance. The guard was looking too nervous and jittery for it to be nothing.

She rushed inside quickly. The place was unusually still. On a normal occasion, even though it was about ten at night, some maids would still be bustling in preparation for the next day or just general noise from the living would be heard, but this - it was different. It reminded her of when… she paused, heart stopping for a second, and her mind drifted to one thing Lucy knew could shake up the entire household at this magnitude…mom.


Sorry about that cliff hanger but it is essential for plot development and yes, there is an actual plot. While this is predominantly romance, I like to spice things up so it's not just girl meets boy and the usual clichés. I hope I'm doing a good job of making the characters realistic if I'm not then guys please leave some advice as I am still developing my writing style. Constructive criticism only please.

Much love.