Author's note: Hey everyone! It's been a while, but here is the new chapter! I hope you like it! I do not own Fairy Tail.

HIDDEN FEELINGS

CHAPTER 9

Lucy shifted comfortably in her fluffy bed, letting out a satisfied hum. She felt like this was one of the most comfortable, and relaxing sleeps she had in a while. Maybe, because the previous day had been so full. And the fact that she was lying in an extra comfy, double sized bed, with warm, freshly washed covers, was a pretty good factor for a nice sleep. Lucy decided to relax for a little while longer, and snuggled deeper under the covers. Besides, this day would probably be just as full as the previous one, with all the preparations for the ball, as well as with the formal event itself. After a while, Lucy finally decided to slowly get up, as she sat up on the bed and stretched her arms. She let out a long yawn, and noticed that Erza was already awake. The red haired girl was sitting comfortably on her own bed, and she was reading a book with a relaxed expression.

"Good morning, Lucy! Did you have a nice sleep?" she asked, as she put the book on the bed, and turned towards her.

"Good morning, Erza! Yeah, I had a wonderful sleep! How long you've been awake?" Lucy said, as she rubbed her eyes.

"Not very long. But, I thought I should relax a little while longer. I don't really mind sleeping in the woods, but I do prefer a nice, comfortable bed" Erza said lightly.

"I'm totally with you! Hey, what are you reading there?" Lucy asked curiously, noticing the book on Erza's lap.

"Oh, this? It's one of the books that you bought yesterday, the one which is about the two friends who develop feelings for each other. It's pretty interesting!" Erza said, as she raised the book.

"Yeah, I read a few pages last night. It is pretty good. Although, I thought that you'd be more interested in that pastry book I bought for you" Lucy mentioned.

"Don't worry, I intend to take a look at that later! Thank you, by the way! It was a very nice thought" Erza said, with a sweet smile.

"Don't mention it! I'm glad that you like it" Lucy responded lightly.

"Anyway, we should probably get up. The others might already be downstairs" Erza said, as she put the book on the bedside table, and got up.

"I'm not so sure about that, but you are right. We should probably get ready. Actually, I could use a good breakfast" Lucy agreed, as she got up as well. The two girls freshened up, changed from their night wear to their regular outfits, and got out of their room. They walked casually along the hallway, greeting the stuff members along their way, went down the stairs, and then moved towards the dining room. Once they got inside the dining room, they noticed that Gray and Loke were already there.

"Good morning, girls!" Loke greeted with a flashy smile, as Gray simply waved at them.

"You guys are already up? I was sure that we would get up earlier than you" Lucy said with some surprise, as Erza and she took their seats on the table.

"We haven't been up for that long, we only came here just a while ago. Come on, eat up! The breakfast is great!" Loke urged them, as he started feeling his own plate with eggs, bacon and tomatoes.

"Since when do you have such an appetite?" Gray questioned, with a raised eyebrow.

"We don't exactly have this stuff in the spirit world, you know. It's not like we actually need them, but they still taste good" Loke responded simply.

"I guess you have a point" Gray nodded in agreement.

"So, what's the plan for today? What shall we do?" Lucy asked, while she reached for the nearby bawls and took some muffins and a couple of croissants.

"We met that Geoffrey guy earlier. He said that Lord Blackwood wishes us "Good morning" and he will meet us later. He asked us to take our time with our breakfast, and then we should meet that Nathan guy on the great hall, to fill us in for the evening. Apparently, he has some sort of plan" Gray responded, as he munched his omelet casually.

"Then we should better have a good breakfast. We will probably need it, this will be a full day" Erza said calmly, as she reached for the nearest pieces of cake. The Fairy Tail mages finished their breakfast while chatting, and then moved to the great hall. They noticed a lot of the stuff going up and down, as the preparations for the ball were slowly starting.

"Good morning, dear guests! I trust you had a comfortable night?" Nathan greeted them with a sparkling smile, as the mages walked towards him.

"Yeah, everything was great! We all had a nice, relaxing sleep" Lucy said, with a smile as well.

"That's wonderful! Lord Blackwood would be pleased to know that his guests are enjoying their stay. I am glad to hear that, myself" Nathan said, with a satisfied expression.

"We noticed some movement around the mansion. So, the preparations for the ball have already started, haven't they?" Loke commented, as he looked around.

"Indeed. The preparations have started for some days now, and today they are entering their final stage" Nathan responded.

"What's the plan for today, Nathan-san? How do we proceed?" Erza asked, in a matter of fact way.

"The guards have already been briefed, and they are ready for tonight. During the ball, they will guard the mansion on the outside, and a number of them will be stationed inside the mansion. We hope that this will be a calm evening but, as you are probably aware, that seems like a long shot. In case of an attack, the guards will act in two teams. The first team's task will be to escort the guests and the stuff to a safe place, the underground cellars should do. The second team's task will be to defend the mansion, and fight off the bandits. Of course, I will be in charge of the second team. As you can see dear mages, we won't let you fight alone" Nathan explained with a small grin, as he folded his arms.

"That's a noble thought. But, we should be able to take out the bandits on our own. Our team is pretty strong. Besides, this is the reason that you called for us" Erza said subtly, trying not to sound offensive.

"I agree. You guys should better focus on protecting the people. We can handle those bandits" Gray said with confidence.

"I know that you can. But it's a matter of principle! After all, you are also our guests. Don't worry, the main force will focus on taking the people to safety. And if necessary, we can also count on David" the young knight said, coolly.

"David? You mean the cook guy?" Gray said, with a raised eyebrow, as the other mages looked confused as well.

"Oh, he is more than just a cook! In fact, this is more like his hobby. David is an accomplished swordsman. He is from a noble family, acquaintances of Lord Blackwood, and he recently visited the mansion, not only as a guest for the ball, but also to improve his training with me. Not that I had much to show him, he is already at a high level. And because he wanted to keep his visit quiet, at least until the dance, he simply joined the kitchen" Nathan explained, smiling amused at the mages surprised expressions.

"I see. I thought he seemed familiar" Lucy mumbled thoughtfully, tapping her chin.

"Wow, what a twist!" Loke exclaimed.

"Well, that's new! Any other surprises we should be aware of?" Gray said with a dry voice.

"Not any other that I can think of" Nathan responded lightly.

"It's fine. If anything, that's good news! It seems there's one more guard that we can rely on" Erza commented approvingly, as she folded her arms.

"Indeed. Now, I know that you were shown around the mansion last day, but I think it would be better if I gave you another tour. The more accustomed you become, the better" Nathan proposed.

"Sounds like a good idea. We wanted to check a couple of spots, anyway. It should also give us some more time, to discuss some details about the plan" Erza said, as the other mages nodded in agreement.


The evening slowly arrived, as everything was finally in place. The mansion had been decorated, long tables had been laid in the reception hall, filled with appetizing and flavorful dishes, and the band had already been set on the stage. The guests had already started arriving at the mansion, and the butler Geoffrey was at the entrance, welcoming them and showing them to the reception hall. Lucy and Erza were at the room, preparing for the ball, with the help of the young maids.

"We really appreciate your assistance, but we already told you. We can get ready by ourselves. There's no need for you to get in trouble" Erza said with some embarrassment, as Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Oh, it's no problem at all! It's our pleasure, actually!" Amy said, enthusiastically.

"Maybe we are bothering them. And they are just being too nice to tell us" Lisa said, timidly.

"What? No, you're not being a bother at all! It's just that, we don't want you to get any more tired. You've been pretty busy the entire day" Lucy said hastily, waving her hands in defense.

"That's good to know" Lisa sighed in relief.

"Don't worry about that, Amy is right. We really enjoy helping you. Besides, this evening we will have some fun too!" Margaret said coolly.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked in wonder.

"Lord Blackwood said that we are invited in the ball too! Isn't that great?" Amy said with excitement.

"Actually, he said that the entire stuff of the mansion is allowed to come to the dance! In fact, he insisted that we all attended. That's why he hired some extra stuff, just for the event" Margaret added, with a wide smile.

"That's really nice of him" Erza commented.

"You both look really beautiful!" Lisa said, as the young maids looked the Fairy Tail girls with sparkling eyes.

"You are very sweet! Now you better get ready yourselves! We can finish up the last details" Lucy urged them.

"Alright then! Come on girls, let's get ready!" Amy yelled enthusiastically, as she got out of the room, followed by the other two maids.

"What sweet girls!" Erza commented, with a fond expression.

"They really are! So, are you ready, Erza?" Lucy said, as she turned towards her friend.

"I think I am" Erza said, as she fixed her elegant ponytail.

"You look great, Erza!" Lucy said, as she looked at her friend's outfit, which was a formal, crimson dress, with matching red heels.

"Thanks, Lucy! You look great, too!" Erza commented, with a sweet smile. Lucy was dressed in formal, light pink dress, with a large ribbon tied behind her back, and white heels.

"Thanks! Come on then, let's rock this party!" Lucy said excitedly, as she made her way out of the room along with Erza, who simply shook her head with an amused expression. The two girls walked down the stairs, and moved towards the reception hall, causing several heads to turn towards them, and they made their way inside the room.

"Well, there sure are several guests around here. Where are Gray and Loke?" Lucy said, as she looked around.

"I am sure they are around here, somewhere" Erza said simply, as a young man moved towards them.

"So, our fine guests have finally joined the ball!" he said, with a charming smile.

"David? I thought we would see you around here. I barely recognized you" Erza said with some surprise, as the brown haired noble slightly bowed.

"I'll take that as a compliment! And may I say that both of you ladies look simply wonderful!" David complimented, still smiling charmingly.

"That's very kind of you! You look pretty good yourself" Erza said with a smile as well, while Lucy rubbed the back of her head with a goofy smile. David was dressed in a black, noble outfit, with a crimson and gold embroidery, brown gloves and boots, and had a seethed sword hanging from his brown, leather belt.

"Why, thank you, my lady! I'm flattered!" David responded.

"I hear that you are pretty good at swordsmanship. I would like to spar with you, at some point" Erza said simply.

"That would be my honor! But, that's a topic for another time. I can see that your company is coming this way. Please, enjoy the rest of the dance!" David said, as he gave another small bow and moved inside the room. Lucy and Erza turned around, and noticed the rest of their team, walking towards them. Both of them were dressed in neat, black, formal tuxedos.

"There you are! We thought we'd never find you in this crowd" Gray said with some relief, as Loke and he moved closer.

"Well, we only just got here" Lucy said.

"I guess I wouldn't have to look very hard. I would just need to look for the most beautiful girl in the room!" Loke said with a flirty smile, as he lightly grabbed Erza's hand.

"There you go again, Loke! It looks like you're in a mood" Erza responded calmly, but unable to keep a slight blush.

"I can't help it when I'm around you! May I have this dance, my fair lady?" Loke asked, as he made a slight bow.

"Sure! This is a dance, after all" Erza replied, as they moved towards the dance floor.

"Very smooth, Loke! Now I need to come up with something, myself" Gray thought with some frustration, as he turned towards Lucy, who simply looked at him with a sweet smile. Gray gulped hard, and took a deep breath. "Um, you look very beautiful, Lucy" he said with some nervousness, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"Thanks, Gray! You look quite handsome yourself" Lucy mumbled, with a slight blush.

"Thanks, I guess. So, would you like to dance?" Gray proposed, as he moved closer, and gently took Lucy's hands.

"Yes, I'd really like that!" Lucy responded eagerly, her face having almost the same shade with her dress. Gray smiled joyfully, and led Lucy towards the dance floor, still holding her hand. He turned around, and wrapped his hand around Lucy's waist, gently but firmly, and held her hand in the air, in the same pose that Lucy had showed him two days ago, at the forest. Lucy smiled happily, and put her arm on Gray's shoulder, as the music filled the room. The two of them started spinning around the reception hall in harmony, their moves being elegant, fluid, and in total rhythm with the soft music. Lucy raised her eyebrows in surprise, Gray seemed to be much more comfortable than the last time they practiced.

"Is there something wrong, Lucy?" Gray asked, noticing her wondering expression.

"No, everything is fine! Almost perfect, I might say. You've become much better since the last time we danced" Lucy commented.

"I'm glad to hear that! I wanted to make this a special night for you, a night when you would be able to enjoy a good dance, with a capable partner. So, I practiced" Gray said, with a hint of pride.

"That's so sweet of you!" Lucy said with a fond expression. "But, who did you practice with?" she continued, as she tilted her head in curiosity. Gray didn't answer at once, instead he made a slightly scowling expression, as something that happened earlier that day, came to his mind.

FLASHBACK

"You want to dance with Lucy at the ball, don't you?" Loke said.

"Of course I do" Gray responded vividly.

"And you are thinking about talking to her about your feelings, right?" Loke asked again.

"Yeah, it crossed my mind" Gray mumbled.

"Then how are you going to do that, if you don't practice?" Loke said intensely.

"I'm not going to dance with you!" Gray said with the same intension.

"So, you want to start stepping on Lucy's feet again?" Loke asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Can't you at least call for one of the female spirits so I can practice?" Gray sighted.

"No, I'm the best dancer. The only one who could probably dance as good as me is Aries, but she is way too shy. So, stop complaining and pretend that I'm Lucy! Here, grab my waist!" Loke insisted, as Gray and he had been in dancing pose all this time.

"This is so messed up! Out of all your ideas" Gray groaned.

"You'll thank me later! Now let's do the steps again" Loke said simply, as they started practicing.

FLASHBACK

"Well, it's not really important! The important think, is that I got better. And we are here, now" Gray responded hastily, as he slightly sweatdropped. Lucy tilted her head in curiosity, but decided to shrug it away. A little further, two other individuals were enjoying their own dance.

"Have I mentioned how beautiful you look, this night?" Loke said with a flirty smile.

"Only about a dozen of times! Do you find it that strange, Loke? Or is the ladies' man out of lines?" Erza said, with a teasing smile.

"Ouch! That hurt, you know!" Loke said with fake disappointment. "It's just that, I'm not used to seeing you all dressed up, like this! I'll come up with something better, just give me some time" he continued coolly.

"Or maybe, you could try something better than smart lines" Erza responded, with the same expression.

"Is that a challenge, then? I'm game!" Loke said, as he smoothly spinned Erza around, and got behind her back. "How's that? Am I doing, any better?" he whispered close to her ear, causing her expression to take a deep, crimson shade.

"It's an improvement!" the red haired girl said, keeping her voice steady, as Loke brought her in her previous pose with another smooth maneuver, although this time she held her a little closer. Meanwhile, Gray and Lucy continued their dance, as Lucy casually moved closer, and leaned on Gray's chest. Gray felt his face heat up, and decided that this was a good moment.

"Hey, Lucy! May I, ask you something?" he said, trying to keep his composure.

"Mm? Sure, what is it, Gray?" Lucy said simply, as she lifted her head and looked at him directly in his eyes.

"You know, for the past couple of days, I've been having some, thoughts" Gray started, as he tried to come up with a way to voice his feelings, but nothing seemed right at that moment. So, he decided to simply talk the way he felt. "We've been friends for quite a while, right?" he continued, a little more casually.

"Yeah! Ever since I joined the guild, actually" Lucy responded.

"That's right. And, we've been through a lot of stuff, haven't we?" Gray continued.

"That's one way to put it! We've certainly had a lot of adventures. Why are you saying all this?" Lucy said curiously.

"Well, what I'm trying to say is, we are pretty close, right? I mean, you are one of my best friends" Gray said. He stopped, and took a deep breath, before he continued. "Actually, I've been feeling something different, lately. I find myself, constantly thinking about you. When I look at you, when I see you smile, I feel, light, refreshed, happy! There's this fuzzy feeling, burning inside me. And when you are not smiling, then I want to be the one to make you feel better, to make you smile again" Gray finally said, holding Lucy a little closer, who looked at him with wide eyes.

"Gray…" she whispered, with a flushed expression.

"What I want to say is that, you are really special to me! You are so gentle, so smart, so caring about those you hold dear, so beautiful! And, I would really like to spend more time with you, Lucy!" Gray said slowly. "Um, you get what I am trying to say, right?" he added with some uncertainty, feeling nervous all of the sudden.

"Of course I do, dummy!" Lucy said, unable to hold back a small laugh, slightly amused at the dark haired mage's awkwardness. Her heart was beating so fast though, that Lucy wondered how come Gray hadn't heard it yet.

"Good!" Gray sighed in relief. "So, what do you think?" he said slowly.

"Gray, I…" Lucy started saying, but suddenly a loud crash was heard, as several black dressed, hooded figures fell from the roof with ropes, and landed on the floor. At the same time, more hooded figures came from the garden.

"Seriously?! Now these guys appear?" Gray growled, fuming, as he turned towards the commotion.

"These must be the bandits we've been expecting!" Lucy said, with a serious expression.

"I was wondering when these guys would show up!" Loke commented, feeling frustrated, as well.

"That's what we've been expecting! Time to take them out!" Erza said with a calm voice, but something told Loke that she was a lot angrier than she let out.

"Quickly! Spread out! Find the jewels! Take whatever you can!" the leader of the bandits said with a gruff voice.

"Guards, to your places! First team, escort the guests to safety! Second team, rally to me! Let's drive these intruders out of here!" Nathan gave the orders with a strong voice, as he unsheathed his sword. The guards responded swiftly and with coordinated moves, most of them rushed to guard the guests, while the rest of them moved against the bandits, along with their captain.

"Come on! Let's show these that they picked the wrong party to crash!" Gray yelled, as he dashed towards the bandits.

"I'm right behind you!" Lucy said, as she reached for her belt and drew one of her golden keys. "I open the Gate of the Bull, Taurus!" she said with a loud voice, as the large spirit appeared out of a bright light.

"Muu! Leave them to me, Lucy-san! Rampage!" Taurus roared as he charged, while Lucy attacked as well, drawing her magical whip.

"Regulus! Give me strength!" Loke said, as he surrounded his fists in a golden light and attacked, along with Erza who requiped to her regular armor, and summoned two swords, each to her either hand.

"So, these are the Fairy Tail mages, huh? Quickly, go for the vault!" the leader of the bandits instructed a group, as most of them had spread over the hall.

"Give everything you have, now!" one of them said angrily, as he cornered two young girls, who yelled in panic.

"Not so fast!" David said, as he swiftly got in the middle, and landed a hard punch on the bandit, knocking him out. "Quickly, get them to safety!" he said, as some nearby guards came, and took the relieved girls with them, while David drew his sword, and dashed towards the bandits.

"He is pretty good!" Loke commented with a smile.

"Indeed! Nathan-san wasn't kidding about him" Erza agreed, as David skillfully took out more of the intruders. Meanwhile, another group of bandits had cornered the young maids, who tried to defend the guests. Catherine stood between them and the bandits with a decisive expression.

"You will not hurt these girls!" she said strongly.

"Cat-chan! Watch out!" Amy yelled worried.

"Move it, woman! You should not mess with us!" one of the bandits said angrily, as they slowly moved against them, but they were suddenly knocked away by a purple blast.

"No one threatens my dear subordinates!" Lord Blackwood said intensely, as he lowered his cane.

"Lord Blackwood!" Catherine sighed in relief, as the younger maids widen their eyes in awe.

"That was awesome!" Amy said excited, as the other maids nodded in agreement, vividly. On the other side of the room, it was the bandits who seemed to need help.

"You wankers dare to interrupt my dinner? Do you have any idea how long it took me to prepare all this? Come here!" Gordon roared furiously, as he chased away them away, swinging around a wooden spoon.

"Help! This guy is crazy!" the bandits yelled, trying to run away. One of them nearly bumped on Geoffrey, in his haste.

"Out of my way, old man!" he yelled angrily, but he let out a grunt, as the butler bashed him with his silver tray.

"Mind your manners, young man! You don't want to mess with an angry butler!" Geoffrey said calmly, as he dusted his tuxedo. Slowly, the fight seemed to turn in favor of the guards, with the Fairy Tail mages taking out most of the bandits, and reaching their leader.

"You guys have caused enough trouble! Time to get over with you" Gray said, as he cracked his knuckles.

"Meddling mages! We won't go down that easy!" the leader of the bandits said angrily, as most of the remaining bandits gathered around him. They all attacked at the same time, throwing smokescreens, and drawing their weapons, but the Fairy Tail mages took them out swiftly, with Gray knocking out their leader with a strong blow.

"That settles it!" the dark haired mage said, as the guards cheered triumphantly. The mansion had been defended successfully, and all of the guests had been escorted safely to the wine cellars. Aside from some damages to the mansion, everything else seemed to be in order. Lord Blackwood was pleased that no one was hurt, and wanted his guests to continue having a good time. So, he had hired another group of mages for that evening, which specialized in fixing up things. The mansion was quickly fixed, and the ball resumed with even more vigor than before. Everyone went back to dancing, except for some particular mages, who could now relax, and enjoy the night.

"That was quite a lively party, wasn't it?" Loke said cheerfully, as Erza, who had changed back to her evening gown, and he, decided to spend the rest of the ball, admiring the garden from one of the balconies.

"It was fun, sure. Actually, I wouldn't mind if we didn't have that raid. Then again, if it wasn't for that, we wouldn't be here in the first place" Erza said, with a relaxed smile.

"Exactly! See, it's not that bad to look at things in a positive way, once in a while. Now, we can just chill, and enjoy the view. And I can admire my lovely companion!" Loke said, as he put his arm around Erza's waist, who smiled warmly, and held her closer. Down in the garden, Gray and Lucy have also decided to have some privacy.

"It's a very beautiful night, isn't it?" Lucy said, as she stared at the clear sky.

"Yeah, really beautiful" Gray said vaguely. Lucy turned towards him, and stared at him, her chocolate brown orbs locking with his own onyx blue ones.

"You know Gray, about those things that you said earlier… All those wonderful things! I never had the chance to answer to you" Lucy said slowly, as she leaned closer. "Gray, I… The way I feel about you is" the blond girl whispered, but Gray put gently his finger on her lips.

"It's okay, Lucy! I think, I know" he said softly, with a small smile. Lucy smiled back joyfully, with a flushed expression, as Gray wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug. A light night breeze blew pleasantly, bringing some flower petals with it, which passed around the lovely couple. Gray was no longer confused, he was no longer uncertain. He finally knew what he was feeling, and most importantly, he knew what she was feeling, as Lucy gazed upon him with a fond expression. Slowly, he leaned closer, feeling the need to finally say what he wanted to say for so long.

"I love you, Lucy!" he whispered softly, as Lucy smiled warmly. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and clenched closer to him, as Gray tightened his hug, holding her firmly and gently at the same time. Lucy then opened her eyes, and looked at him with a flushed expression.

"I love you too, Gray!" she said warmly.

"I couldn't be happier to hear that!" Gray mumbled without thinking, unable to hold back his happiness.

"Maybe we could continue that dance, then? The music started playing again" Lucy suggested, with a cheerful smile.

"As you wish, my lady! I am at your service!" Gray said, as he took a small bow and kissed Lucy's hand. Lucy giggled, as the couple started dancing freely in the moonlit garden.

Author's note: I know it has been a while since I last updated this story. Between being busy with several stuff, and having ideas about other stories, I didn't really have the chance. Lately, I got some new ideas about this story, so I decided to finally continue it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I would really like to know, what you think about it. Reviews and thoughts would be greatly appreciated. The next chapter will be out soon. Until next time!