A big thanks to Bkshp95 for pointing out typo and grammatical errors from the previous chapter and for helping me with the technical writing stuff. I really appreciate the support and all the help.

Also, to XxShyxX for giving out ideas and whatnot to make this story better.

Lastly, to a friend who helped me with this chapter, for her time and effort.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL

CHAPTER TEN

INTERLUDE

Lucy woke up and nearly panicked to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She sat upright on the bed with a mattress that was as soft as the one she had at her apartment and looked around her, finally remembering where she was. Smiling fondly to herself, Lucy recalled how last night's dinner went. Laxus had been kind enough and offered to wash the dishes after they ate and later on, he joined her at the living room with a bottle of cold beer while Lucy had been sitting on the couch and reading a novel.

"What's up?" she said, not taking her eyes off the pages.

"I think I'm done spending the night at Bickslow's," he said as she looked up to him, coming into a conclusion that his friends might have been aware of the whole deal between the two of them, otherwise he would be forced to stay somewhere else. "What I'm trying to say it that there's an extra room if you might want to move, but of course you are more than welcome to sleep with me."

"Don't push your luck," from where she was, Lucy could feel him smirk and sighed, closing the book. "I'll take the room."

"Can't say I didn't try but my offer still stands if you would happen to change your mind."

Lucy pretended that she didn't hear his remark and hung her head to the side. "Are you talking about the room across your study?"

Laxus nodded before taking a swig from his beer and licked his lips. Lucy blushed at the sight and cursed her own eyes for being drawn to such a simple yet inviting act. She cleared her throat and looked away.

"Why'd you lock it anyway?" she asked.

"That room wasn't always locked," he started to explain," since Freed or Bick would sometimes spend the night after missions or something like that but the latter started getting too comfortable and I happen to like my privacy."

Lucy smiled. "At least you don't wake up with him beside you."

The dragon slayer cringed and shook his head, not wanting to imagine himself waking up to find Bick's face with his tongue hanging out from his mouth right in front of him.

"I'd rather have you wake up beside me, Blondie." He made another pass at her, trying to overrun Bick's image with Lucy's gorgeous face. He meant what he said but of course, she had to roll her eyes at him.

"Whatever."

He stood up, finishing his beer. "Suit yourself but I bet you a hundred jewels you'll come knocking on my door when it gets cold on some nights."

"Try me." She crossed her arms and smirked at him. It strikes her as funny how they got along within a blink of an eye as if nothing happened and sure enough, she started feeling comfortable being around him once again. It was the same relaxed feeling that she had felt when they were at Akane.

Lucy had always imagined that her married life would consist of someone who was strong, brave, loyal, and handsome and had all the good qualities that she had dreamed and idealized and that means that she should also be madly in love with him just as he was to her. Lucy thought about Laxus she suddenly saw that he bore the same qualities that of the person that was her ideal husband except the part where they should be madly in love with each other.

Until now, she could not let the feeling and the reality sink in and she felt like she was caught up in a beautiful sandstorm, swirling away with the tiny grans of sand and then suddenly, with the wind's sudden shift, she was left lying on the ground, unable to grasp the whole situation of the new place where the wind had brought her. But above everything that had happened, she was quite glad that the night had turned out right, not because they did not fight but because she had accomplished to put her thoughts into actions by making things better for the both of them.

If there was one thing that she was glad about her marriage to him was that she never had to worry ever again about the rent. That doesn't really mean that she had to stop going on missions. She knew that she had to at least help him with the household expenses. Lucy made the bed and hit the shower, planning to head to the market later in the afternoon to buy groceries.

After getting dressed, Lucy went to the kitchen and had breakfast alone since Laxus had left early. When she was done, Lucy left and went to the guild, hoping that her team mates were there so she could go on a mission with them by tomorrow. It was bright and sunny when she stepped out and Lucy was glad to be out without dragging her heart behind her. When she arrived, Natsu was nowhere to be found but Erza was there, talking to Wendy and Charle. The blond walked up to Mira and asked for a strawberry milkshake.

"Good morning, Lucy-san!" Wendy greeted her with a bright smile as Lucy joined them. She missed playing with Wendy's hair, trying different up-dos that suited the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Morning, Wendy. How are you?'

"I'm doing fine! Thanks for asking."

Lucy sat beside Erza who acknowledged her with a smile.

"Where's Natsu?" Lucy asked her.

"He's probably at home yet. Do you need anything from him?" Erza cut the cake delicately on the plate in front of her.

Lucy nodded. "That's weird. He's usually here by this time around. I wanted to go on a job with you guys. Have you found anything interesting on the board?"

Erza took out a mission flyer from her pocket and handed it to her. "I got this yesterday but we can go tomorrow since Gray hasn't shown up yet and I still have to archive this month's job reports for master."

"Now that you mention it, Erza-san, I haven't seen Gray-san too." Wendy said, touching her chin with her finger.

Lucy totally forgot about him. They were in the same team and it was only natural for them to take on a job together but it totally slipped her mind. Erza noticed Lucy flinch and bit her tongue. She should have lied instead and told Lucy that Gray was out on a solo mission or anything. For some reasons she did not want them to meet or have the chance to see each other just yet, especially now that she was aware of her feelings for the Ice-Make mage. She had to do something about it to confirm her suspicions and she had to act fast. Erza finished her cake and left the girls.

Erza stormed out and headed towards Fairy Hills where she knows Juvia would be. She knocked on the door of her room, which was opened after a little while with Juvia who was in the middle of getting dressed. Erza concealed her surprise when she saw the changes inside her room. One, the color of the paint was changed and Gray's pictures on the wall were no more and second, the mini-Gray plush toys were nowhere to be seen as well and the room looked plain to the point that it was dull.

"Sorry for intruding, Juvia. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Juvia shook her hand and let her in. She sat on the edge of her bed and wore her stockings.

"What can Juvia do for you, Erza-san?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, Juvia but I need to talk to you about something important."

Juvia looked at the Requip mage and led her to the couch where they could talk face to face. She noticed the seriousness in Erza's demeanor and wondered what could be up this early.

"All right, Erza-san. What is it?"

Erza paused for a moment, trying to decide the right words to say, knowing that the topic that she was about to bring up was a sensitive one for the Rain Woman but either way she wanted to cut to the chase.

"I'll go straight to the point, Juvia. Do you remember when we talked to you?"

Erza waited for her to nod before she continued.

"Remember when you told us that you have decided to give up on Gray?"

Juvia nodded again.

"I know this might make you uncomfortable but trust me, it's hard for me too. I would really appreciate it if you would tell me some things that I'd like to know. I don't mean to force you on this. I know this may not seem like me but I want to prevent any more misunderstandings. I don't like seeing family hurt, my friends too. You are all important to me and I want to help in any way that I can."

For a while neither said anything. Once again, Erza thought if she was making the right move but she was sincere in her cause for doing this and what she said was true. Before Erza could speak another word, Juvia, without warning, let out a laugh that sounded as if she was mocking her. Erza could only look at the Rain Woman as she laughed, holding her stomach and wet in the eyes.

"Ah," Juvia finally calmed down, "Juvia is sorry for bursting out like that and Juvia thinks that she knows where this is leading to but Erza-san, is that really it?"

"What do you mean?"

Juvia looked at her with empty eyes and it struck Erza how eerily calm she suddenly was.

"You want to protect Lucy-san, is that what you are trying to say? Everybody is always trying to protect Lucy-san. Juvia is really envious of her."

"No, Juvia. I did not mean it like that," Erza was starting to get nervous. She did not expect that it would turn out like this. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not but… Look, Juvia, all I wanted to know-"

"Juvia will tell you, Erza-san. Juvia can see how much you are worried for Lucy-san and how much you care for her but you see, don't you think that you should be more worried about Gray-sama instead?"

"Gray? Why?"

"You see, Erza-san, Juvia ran into Gray-sama and he was hurting really bad. He was hurt because of Lucy-san and nobody knows except Juvia but Juvia can't do anything about it. Not anymore."

"I don't understand…"

"Exactly. Nobody understand, not even Juvia. Juvia knows that you are worried about them but it's got nothing to do with you. What Juvia is trying to say is that even if it concerns you, you should leave it to them. We can't do anything about it anymore. Gray-sama is hurting because of his feelings for Lucy-san and I'm not so sure about Lucy-san but I think she feels the same way for him but what Juvia doesn't get is why Lucy-san married Laxus-san. It's up to them now, Erza-san. What are you so afraid of?"

It never occurred to her that Juvia would react like this and now that she finally found what she had been looking for, now what? What was she supposed to do? Should she keep Lucy away from Gray forever? Of course, that would be impossible but it was not the pressing matter. Both of them were important to her, equally, and after knowing that it was no only Lucy who was suffering, Erza finally felt the weight of Juvia's words. She really was unfair.

"What was I thinking?" Titania shook her head somberly.

He felt like shit.

When Gray opened his eyes, he had no idea what time or what day of the month it was. He had been drinking like Cana and everything felt so far away from him- his thoughts, his dreams, his nightmares, Fairy Tail… everything.

He felt like he had spent his days thinking all the time but when he tried to recall what he had been thinking about, nothing comes to mind. It was as if he had spent his days floating in the outer space but he was not seeing anything, not hearing anything, not feeling anything except the pain in his chest. Was dying a better option?

What he found off was that he could not cry. It's like the tears inside him were frozen like his ice. Gray sat up on his bed and groaned. His body felt sore and heavy and he wondered if it was because of the lifestyle that he had been keeping lately. Not bothering to wear a shirt, he went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water to ease his parched throat. He stood up by the sink and parted the curtains on the window to look at the outside world.

Another day. Another lie.

Anothey day to make himself believe in the lie that he had created inside his head and it was tiring. Maybe it was time for him to get up, punch Natsu towards Edolas, take on a mission or something. He had spent his days alone and he felt like he was going crazy. Just then, he heard a rapping on his door. Gray went downstairs, passed by the mess inside the living room and opened the door to see a shock of scarlet.

"E-Erza?"

"Can I have a moment?"

Gray moved to the side to let her in, closing the door after her. He parted the curtains on the living room, finally allowing some sunlight to come in. From the corners of his eyes, he saw Erza, tight lipped, as she shivered slightly on the couch.

"So, what's up?"

Erza looked at him as if she was gauging him. Juvia had been right. He smells like Cana now.

"Are you sober?"

Gray laughed dryly at her question, his eyes half-dull and half-amused. "What does that even mean?"

"I'm being serious here, Gray."

"As I was," he said plainly. "What is it? Are we going out on a mission? Perfect timing then. I was just getting prepared to go to the guild."

He remained standing as he shifted his weight on his left foot. Erza could tell that he was still not himself and let out a sigh. Her nerves were still loose after seeing Juvia and now she had to handle someone who was emotionally wrecked.

"Can you sit down, please?"

The Ice-Make mage looked at her as if he was trying to process what she said. Erza had no idea what he was thinking and repeated her words once again. This time, he heard her loud and clear.

"I've been told that you've been drowning yourself in alcohol lately."

Gray snorted, wrinkling his nose. "No shit."

The scarlet-haired mage prayed for patience inside her head, trying so hard not to glare at him.

"I understand that you're not having the best of times but I think it's time for you to stop drinking and get back on track. I know it's easier said than done but you should accept what happened and move on."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Erza looked sharply at him. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Gray. Drinking yourself to death won't solve anything. I know you're hurt about Lucy but trust me, this is not easy for her too."

"Not easy for her? For all I know she could be dancing around in her wedded bliss." he scoffed. "You talk like you know everything."

"No," she shook her head, " and I don't know everything but I know well enough to tell you this. It might take a while for you but you're not alone in this. So get up and stop moping here. Lucy wants us to go on a mission."

"You're making it sound as if I'm a sore loser, Erza but I think you shouldn't worry too much about me."

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror, Gray?"

"I…" there was hesitation in his voice. "I don't think I'm ready to see her yet. She probably doesn't even know anything."

"If not now then when? You can't run away from this… from her. Sooner or later you know that you won't be able to dodge this anymore so you might as well get it done and over with and yes, you're right. Lucy doesn't know anything."

"Is that so?"

Titania shrugged her shoulders, in dilemma whether or not to be blunt but she knew that Gray might take it badly and all her efforts might go to waste. It was not in her nature of be dictatorial, especially when it comes to the feelings of those who are precious to her but this was the least that she could do now.

"That leads me to this. I meant what I said that you should move on. It may not be easy at first but in due time, I know you can. You're a strong man, Gray. Childish at times, yes, but you're the one who can think calmly in bad situations. I'm not sure if I should be asking you this but I think that you should at least be happy for Lucy."

Gray ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. Erza could tell that he was having a difficult time and hoped that things would get better quickly. The only person in their team who had no idea of the internal turmoil going on between the most of them was Natsu, given how dense he is but Erza finally understood what people meant when they said that ignorance is bliss.

"You're asking too much from me, Erza," Gray said. "I don't think I can be happy for her nor even support her but you said that she had no idea and I'm sure she doesn't even have a clue so it's fine. I'll keep my mouth shut. I think it's better if I act like nothing ever happened although I'm still quite surprised how you happen to know all of this."

"I have my ways," she said and smiled. "Thank you, Gray."

All the paper works was making him go soft, all thanks to his grandfather who was currently supervising him. After passing his finished work earlier this morning, Makarov yet again presented him with another high pile of more papers and what annoyed Laxus was that the files were long overdue and the council had issued several warnings about the reports that Fairy Tail had failed to submit long ago. Jus what the hell had the old man been doing all along?

Laxus looked up and saw that his grandfather was dozing off for the third time now. Could it be because he's getting old or maybe it's purely because he was just lazy? The dragon slayer took a piece of scratch paper from the desk, crumpled it, and thre it at the old man who only snored in return.

"Dammit."

He stood up and left the office. From the second floor, he immediately saw his wife at the hall, chatting away with Levy while tying up Wendy's hair in twin tails and could not help but imagine a blond haired little girl instead. He groaned at his own thoughts, thinking when had he started getting all this paternal ideas from. He walked down the stairs to get a drink from Mira. The Thunder God Tribe was still currently away on a mission and it looked like his grandfather won't be letting go of him soon.

"There! All done!" Lucy said.

Wendy stood up and faced Lucy, bowing in thanks. Charle crossed her paws in front of her chest and nodded.

"Don't you think it's time for you to cut your hair a few inches or so, Wendy?"

Levy and Lucy looked at the sweet girl and nodded.

"She's right, Wendy. Maybe you can ask Mira or Lisanna to cut it for you."

"You think so?" The Sky Dragon Slayer took a bunch of her hair and studied the ends.

"I know what's best for you, Wendy." Charle humph-ed and Lucy laughed as she stood up.

"Well, I should go now," Lucy said. "I don't think Erza's coming back any time sooner and Natsu's fighting again." She glanced at this best friend who was currently involved in a fight.

"Where are you going, Blondie?" A voice behind her made her jump. Lucy turned and saw him with a glass of juice.

"Oh, hi Laxus," she said with a smile. Levy observed their interaction while Wendy, on the other hand, backed away slightly, intimidated by the older man's presence. "I'm going to the market to buy groceries."

Laxus suddenly reached out from his back pocket and took out some jewels, handed it to Lucy who instantly shook her head.

"No, it's fine."

"Take it, Blondie," Laxus insisted.

"I told you, it's fine. I can't just leech off you and I figured that we should at least divide the expenses," Lucy blushed. "I mean, we're married after all."

She was surprised at his actions, completely not expecting him to be quite the responsible man. She was flattered but she wanted to be fair. It was the least that she could do.

Laxus knew how stubborn she can be and nodded his head, keeping back his money. He was actually glad that Lucy was already thinking like a wife should when it comes to their marital arrangement.

"All right, then," he said. "I should go. I still have some work left upstairs. See you later Blondie." He winked at her and turned on his heels, leaving her blushing like mad. He only winked at her yet she felt so giddy in her tummy. Beside her, Levy snickered and Lucy could almost swear that the Solid Script mage will tease her about it next. What Lucy didn't know was that Mira overheard everything as she approached them.

"My, my," Mira smiled sweetly at Lucy, "Now that's something I would like to see everyday."

Lucy only sweat-dropped while Levy giggled, hoping that one day the same thing would happen to her.

"Stop it, you guys. Anyways, I'm leaving."

Lucy left the guild as the girls waved their hands at her, bidding her to take care. She had been feeling lighter lately and wondered how easy things become when you put your mind and heart to it. She headed straight to the market, thinking of what to buy and what to cook later for dinner. Laxus was a dragon slayer and Lucy, having gotten used to Gajeel and Natsu's appetite, knew how to exactly proportion the meals that she would sometimes prepare for them. She remembered the times when they would give her money a run, especially Natsu who constantly raids her kitchen empty.

She missed the times when she would wake up in the morning, finding him sleeping next to her. She missed Erza and the rest, hanging around in her living room and ending up staying for the night. She sighed deeply, knowing that it might be next to impossible now that she's living with Laxus. Without warning, Loke appeared beside her with a wink.

"How are you faring, My Love?"

Instead of calling him off, Lucy allowed him to stay. "I'm fine, Loke."

"Is Laxus treating you well?" The lion spirit asked.

"Surprisingly, he is," She answered.

They turned on the right, almost close to the bustling market.

"That's good to hear, Princess. If he wasn't then I'd sever his head although I still can't believe that it would be him."

"Me too, Loke. Me too but it doesn't matter now. I'm trying to pick up my mess."

"But are you happy?"

Lucy stopped on her tracks and asked herself the same question. Is she really happy or she's only been going with the flow. She had been too preoccupied in trying to think of ways to set things right but lately she never had the time to think about herself at all. Lucy knew that she can no longer be selfish and she knew that she could no longer afford to go through depression once again.

"Who knows?" She said. "I don't think that matters anymore but don't worry too much, Loke. I'm fine for now."

"All right then, Princess," he grinned. "But keep in mind that we're here for you. Aquarius was worried but I doubt she'll tell you that."

Lucy laughed, remembering the time when Aquarius popped out, telling her get a grip on herself.

"I know and thanks. Now, come on. Let's get some shopping done."

After two hours of going here and there, Lucy finally finished with the groceries and headed home together with Plue since Loke went back to the Spirit World. She fixed the things that she bought and did the laundry before heading back to the guild.

Gray fidgeted in his seat, unconsciously stripping away his shirt, leaving the poor piece of clothing on the floor. He came in with Erza who waited for him while he took a shower. When he looked at his own reflection in the mirror for the first time in days, he saw a pale face, almost unrecognizable and asked himself how Cana had managed to keep herself looking just fine even if her diet consisted only of booze.

"Oh look, the Ice Princess finally graced us with her presence." Natsu smirked at him.

"Get lost, Fire Bitch." A tick appeared on Gray's forehead, standing up to face him.

"What did you call me?" Natsu inched closer to him.

"Fire Bitch." Gray moved dangerously close to him, the side of their head touching together.

"Are you two fighting?" Erza glared hard at them.

"No, ma'am!" The two of them chorused, completely forgetting the fact that Erza was there. Gray was aching to fight Natsu since it had been a while and he could use a good punching bag at the moment.

"Good. Now sit, I want to eat my cake in peace."

"Aye!" Natsu and Gray sat side by side across Erza

The guild door opened, revealing a golden hair that glimmered from the sun's rays. Sensing his best friend, Natsu called out to her and waved his hand to get her attention. Lucy approached them and felt her heart thump at seeing him once again. As she got closer, Lucy noticed that he was paler than before and there were bags under his eyes.

"Lucy, we've been waiting for you." Erza said, moving to the side to give her space.

"Sorry, Erza. I had some shopping to do."

"Hey, Lucy." Gray greeted her with a small smile that made her feel nervous. It's been a while since she last heard his voice. She wondered when did she get so jumpy being around him. Was it after she boldly asked him to sleep with when she was drunk? All she knew was that her skittishness only worsened when she came back from her trip at Akane.

"H-hi, Gray," she said, looking at him but blurring her eyes. "It's been a long while."

"Yeah, Gray. Where have you been anyways?" Natsu said as Happy settled himself on Lucy's lap, greedily munching on a fish.

"Somewhere out there." He said with a bored tone.

Erza cleared her throat to get their attention as she placed the mission flyer on the table. Lucy saw the reward money and her eyes budged out from their sockets. Their mission was to take down a dark guild that had been terrorizing and taking over Pareas, a small town located near where Cait Shelter used to be.

If she was still living in her own apartment, for sure she would feel way beyond happy but knowing how destructive her team could be at times, she did not let her hopes up.

But wait, if they would divide the reward money among them, minus an estimated percent of deduction, she would still be left with more than enough for groceries. She could buy new books or clothes.

"Lucy, are you listening?" Erza said, her strict-mode on.

"Ah. Sorry, yeah. I was just thinking about the reward money."

"So, as I was saying, we'll meet tomorrow at 8 o'clock at the train station. We don't know the details yet but we'll come up with a plan after we meet up with the town mayor. The trip might take long, probably five days or even longer depending on how things will turn out. Any more questions?"

"Nope, but can Wendy come?"

Erza raised an eyebrow at Natsu. "What for?"

He suddenly turned pale and green at the thought of riding a train. "Uh, you know. I need her, Erza."

"You're such a pussy, Natsu." Gray teased him.

"Shut up!"

"Aren't you ashame-"

"Enough!" Erza slammed her hand on the table, making Natsu and Gray sweat while Happy only looked at them like he knew better. "You can ask Wendy if she wants to come with us but if she's busy, leave her be. Do you understand?"

Erza thought that it would be advantageous to bring Wendy since she's familiar with the place.

Natsu grinned. "Yes, ma'am." He quickly left and looked for the Sky Dragon Slayer with Happy flying behind him.

"By the way, Lucy," Erza turned to her. "Shouldn't you ask permission from Laxus first?"

"What for?"

"Simple," Titania said. "He's your husband. If anything happens to you during the mission we're the one who's going to be responsible for you. You should discuss this with Laxus first."

"I know you mean well, Erza," Lucy reasoned, "but I'm sure nothing bad is going to happen."

"No, Lucy. I insist you ask him first if he will allow you or not. Every single time we go out on a mission we risk our lives. I'm sure you're aware of that."

"My god. Can't I decide for this? I don't think he's going to mind anyway."

Erza and Lucy started to argue until Erza left without changing her mind. Lucy knew that she was being unreasonable but she couldn't see Erza eye to eye in this. She suddenly felt that she was being stripped away with the freedom that she had when it comes to her life.

"She's right, you know." Gray said, looking deeply into her eyes as Lucy frowned.

"I know," she sighed, "but I just don't get it. Erza said it's only for formality but I don't like it."

"All you have to do is ask him and I can see no harm in that. Your husband might worry." He spat out the words bitterly, keeping in mind of his own position.

"Worry?" Lucy scoffed. "Yeah right. As if he will. For all I know he's only trying to keep up with this farce. I don't think he would even care if something happens to me."

That caught Gray's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, really." Lucy bit her lip and asked herself why she was making a big deal out of this. Gray was right.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Laxus left the office. He was finally done with today's work and he was itching to go home to rest. Going down the stairs, he caught Lucy's scent and wondered if she was done with the groceries. He scanned the guild and saw her talking to Gray. His clenched his teeth, glaring daggers at the Ice-Make mage who was, by the way, half naked.

He was not pleased with what he was seeing and what's more was that he couldn't hear what they were talking about, not with the noise around. It must have something do with being a dragon slayer or the fact that he knew Lucy was in love with Gray but he didn't like her talking to him. He quickly went to where she was and a pair of cold eyes met his.

"Lucy!" His tone was harsh but he was was looking at Gray.

Lucy whipped her head to the direction of the voice and found his towering figure behind her.

"What's up?"

He moved to her side and took her by the wrist, dragging her away. "We're going home."

"Wait, hey!" Lucy tried to pry her wrist away from his grasp but Laxus was stronger than her. He suddenly lifted her up like a sack and within a spilt-second they disappeared with a crackle.

"Tch." Gray was pissed. He was still talking to Lucy and it was rude of Laxus to interrupt them and just disappear like that. What's more was that he treated Lucy roughly but he was bothered at her words. What did she mean when she told him that he won't care if she went out on a mission or not? The feeling that there's something fishy about the whole thing came back to him. What the hell was going on?

Mira came over to him, smiling. She handed out a glass of water to Gray.

"Oh my. Isn't he a little too possessive of her?"

"If I were him, I'd be too." He finished the water and stood up. "I'm going home."

"What the hell was that for?!" She was fuming when they arrived inside the living room. Laxus only shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing, really," He said. "I just thought we could go home together."

"Well you should have asked me nicely, you know." Lucy spat out but Laxus didn't say anything. Instead, he took off his shirt and Lucy found herself gaping at the sight of his muscles. Noticing her silence, he turned to her and smirked.

"Like what you see?"

Blushing, Lucy glared at him and stormed off to the kitchen. How could she get so flustered at a time like this? But she did like what she just saw and would not honestly mind to see it over and over again. Sure, they were married and there is no doubt about it but what 'are' they really? Friends? More than friends but at the same time less than that? Lucy doesn't know how to find the precise and right term to determine the kind of relationship that they have and how could Erza possibly think that love would blossom between the two of them?

Lucy sighed and looked at the clock. She was just in time to make dinner. A little after 7 o'clock, the two of them sat across each other on the dinning table in silence. Lucy thought if it was the right time to ask permission from him about going with her team on a mission tomorrow. Somehow she felt nervous and Laxus, perceptive as always, noticed and asked her.

"If you've got something to tell me, Blondie, just spit it out."

Lucy poured herself a glass of water and looked at him, biting her lower lip.

"Okay, you got me there," she said. "Erza told me to ask you if you would allow me to go out on a mission with my team tomorrow."

Laxus raised an eyebrow and suddenly understood. The only married couple that were both Fairy Tail mages was Alzack and Bisca but it was fine since they were a team. He and Lucy on the other hand were from two separate teams and he kind of had an idea where Erza was coming from but even if Lucy did not ask permission from him, he won't mind but with what happened earlier, he don't think he coul.

"You're staying and if anyone's coming with you on a mission, that will be me."

Lucy looked at him, aghast. "They are my team mates! Are you telling me that you get to decide in this? You've got to be kidding me!"

"You can pick out a mission tomorrow. End of discussion."

Laxus stood up without finishing his meal and stormed off to his room. He hated doing this to her, just when things were starting to get better for the both of them. There was no way of knowing what could possibly happen to her and it was better to take a weed out of its root than to just cut the grass above the surface.

TBC

This is a filler chapter and I would like to apologize in advance if this was a little bit boring.

Also, I might get really busy next week with exams and schoolwork but I'll try and update before the holiday season starts since I'm leaving for vacation.

I'd also like to say thanks to those who reviewed, liked, and hit the favorite button for this story.

I want to make this story better for you guys so if you have any suggestions or comments on how I can make this better, please do leave me a message. I'd be glad to hear from you.

Thanks again!

Until then!~