Hey everybody! I know this update is really delayed. I was in New York for a while and I'm just settling back down into my routine life. I'm trying to get a new chapter for all of my stories, so please bear with me. And I just want to thank everyone who has been favoriting and following. It makes my day when I see those emails in my inbox.

Natsu: OI! Author lady! Why are you talking so much?! Just hurry up and start the story already!

Me: QUIET YOU! OR I WON'T PUT ANY DRAGONS IN THIS FIC!

Natsu: *gasp* How dare you!

Me: I dare to do anything I want! I'm the author.

Lucy: Now, now…stop fighting…..

Me: Stop trying to protect your boyfriend, Luce! *gets angry for no reason*

Lucy: Huh…..STOP SHIPPING US TOGETHER YOU CRAZY AUTHOR!

ME: YOU WANT TO BE SHIPPED WITH HIM!

Lucy: I DO…UGH SHUT UP!

Natsu: Only I can call Lucy, Luce!

Me: Shut up, you fire lizard!

Lucy, Natsu, and Me: * death glare at each other before getting into a fist fight on the floor*

Levy: Should we stop them?

Evergreen: Nah… I already got popcorn. *eats popcorn as she watches us fight*

Gajeel: Gihihihi….Salamander is getting his butt kicked by girls…. How sad.

Lucy and Me: IS THAT A PROBLEM?! *Lucy and I kick Gajeel in the face*

Me: Just because we're girls doesn't mean we can't kick butt!

Cana: Here here! *raises a mug of beer*

Lucy: Hey Supchild…

Me: Yeah?

Lucy: I've noticed that most times your little prior and post story conversations with us, all had a theme. Does this one have a theme too?

Me: Not really….I just started typing. Well anyway let's start the story while Gajeel and Natsu are knocked out!

Lucy: Please read and review.

Levy: Don't forget to favorite and follow.

Cana: And enjoy the story!

Me: See ya at the end~ *flashes peace sign*

Chapter 10: Is There No Other Option?

Master Makarov's POV:

The guilds were all gathered in a rather large room. It was about the size of a large ballroom and I was convinced that it was as such. But Lucy told us that it was a parlor. She told us that it was not a ball room but a parlor because the floor were carpeted. No one danced on carpeted floors. I sighed and took another sip of my tea. Lucy had left us alone with enough cake and tea to feed a large army. I wasn't used to this kind of thing and neither were my brats. I could see the frustration on their faces as they tried to eat their cake in neat bites and sip their tea quietly. To put it bluntly, they were all failing horribly. I chuckled at their grief and I watched as several of my brats shot glares my way. The only two people of Fairy Tail not having problems with the whole 'eat daintily thing' was Erza, Levy, Mira, and Lisanna. I guess the guild is maybe a little bit too rough and rowdy, but if it wasn't rowdy then it wouldn't be Fairy Tail.

The doors to the parlor opened and Lucy walked in with the two twin Guardians right behind her.

"Rin is everything set?" Lucy asked looking at the blue haired girl. Said girl looked up from her cake and grinned.

"Everything is ready and on standby. Give the command and we'll be on our merry way."

She nodded and turned to look at all of us.

"I would suggest that you all hold on to something." A magic circle formed beneath her feet. "House...Forward.."

With those words I could feel the floor beneath my feet shaking. Mages were clinging to chairs trying not to fall over. The house yanked itself out of the foundation but it began to slip down the side of the steep mountain it rested on. It was then that I noticed that the tables and chairs in this room were bolted to the floor. Lucy moved us in here so we wouldn't roll around and break stuff. The House began to slowly right itself and started moving forward.

"Now that is over, I believe it's story time." Lucy glanced at Tora and Taiga and they visibly flinched. Lucy walked across the room and sat down where our guild was and motioned for the twins to sit with Blue Pegasus.

"Lucy dear, if you don't mind, I have a couple questions.." Bob said looking at the Celestial mage. Lucy was drinking something in a teacup but stopped when Master Bob addressed her. She set the cup down silently and looked up at the Blue Pegasus master.

"I had a feeling that you would. We have quite a bit of time until we get to our next destination. We shall use this time to clear anything up you don't understand." Lucy said, looking all of the guild masters in the eye.

"Ok then. I want to know why Blue Pegasus has a Guardian."

"That's an easy one. Blue Pegasus is a Guild so it has a Guardian. All guilds have Guardians, whether there are Dragon slayers or not within the guild."

"Then where is ours?!" Goldmine shouted.

"I believe your Guardian joined the rebellion recently. The G.O.G had yet to find a replacement. But don't worry Master Goldmine. You'll meet your Guardian soon."

"What do you mean Lucy?" I asked staring at the girl. She turned to look at me. Her eyes devoid of all emotion.

"We are going to the Rebellion Headquarters. We will be joining the rebels."

"What?! Are you out of your mind Lulu! Those rebels want nothing to do with the guilds!" Rin shouted, rising to her feet. Lucy didn't respond to her comrade's outburst at first. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes you could see the rage, clearly in her eyes.

"I am well aware of how the rebels operate Rin. But there is no other option. In order to protect the future of this world and defeat the demons, this is a necessary action that we have to take."

"There HAS to be another way! I won't go to those traitorous dastards and beg for help! We can fight the System ourselves!"

"Hmph...do hear how stupid you sound Rin? Defeat the System…..If that was possible don't you think we would have done it already?! You want us to go attack the System and get ourselves killed or worse reprogrammed?! Then who will protect your guild, huh? Did you already forget your oath?!"

Rin glared at Lucy before glaring at the floor.

"I know...but I'd rather face the System the the rebels…." Rin muttered.

"I know Rin...I know. But I'm running out of options. We can't run forever. Eventually we're going to have to face our fears and the System. If we're going to face the System, we need more people on our side."

"I get it… But do you have a plan B if things with the rebels don't go well?" Rin asked, sitting back down.

"I do. I have a plan B." Lucy said, sighing. She pinched the bridge of her nose and covered her face with her hands. "Ok. Next question!"

"Who are these rebels you guys are talking about?" Cana asked, gulping down a mug of alcohol. I sweat dropped with the rest of Fairy Tail. It still amazed me to this day at how Cana always managed to have alcohol no matter where she was.

"I'll let Rin take this one." Lucy said snatching the mug out of Cana's hand while glaring. Cana pouted for a bit but pulled out another mug when Lucy turned her head.

"Well the rebels are former G.O.G members fighting to bring down the G.O.G. But they are probably the most disorganized people you will ever meet." Rin said.

"Nah! Natsu has them beat on the whole disorganized thing." Gray said, smirking at Natsu. Before anyone could blink, Natsu had tackled Gray to the ground and they yelled insults as they exchanged blows. I suddenly felt a demonic aura, thinking it was Erza, I turned around and saw Lucy death glaring at the poor boys. They stopped fighting immediately and started trembling.

"If you two morons even scratch my furniture. I will hang you to the lighting rod by your toes. Am I understood?" Lucy said, her voice causing the temperature in the room to drop several degrees. Gray and Natsu nodded vigorously, too scared to speak.

"I'm glad that we understand each other. Continue on Rin." Lucy said, smiling. It was amazing how this girl could go from a scary demon to a sweet ball of sunshine.

"All of the rebels are fighting for different things. Some just want to be free of the System. Others want to run the G.O.G. Most want to the fame and recognition that they think they deserve for working in the G.O.G. But all of them don't believe that Arab even exists. But he is real, and he's coming to destroy everything. The world as we know it won't be around for much longer. The return of Arab will be a bigger calamity than the coming of the ten thousand dragons."

The room was silent as that bit of information sunk in. I was shocked into silence. I couldn't even imagine something worse than that. The destruction and death that came because of those dragons was horrendous. Something worse than that was unfathomable…

"Is there anything you guys want to know?" Shin asked, looking rather bored.

"Yes. There is two thing I want to know." Lucy said, glaring at Shin. "I want to know why you recruited two kids from the Nightmare Program." Lucy then turned and looked at the twins.

"And I want to know why you two were reduced to having to steal to survive."

"What's the Nightmare project?" Wendy asked. Lucy frowned and sighed.

"Well it was an exclusive project, where the G.O.G took children and tried to….I guess make an army of powerful children. There were children there from 12 to 3 years old. There was once even a bunch of newborns being tested on. It was a sick and twisted program. I knew that is was going on. EVERYONE knew what was going on, especially when they would hear the screams of children at night. But there was nothing we could do without the threat of being reprogrammed. It was called the Nightmare project because it was a living Nightmare for those kids. The children lived through a never ending pain and torture. They forced magic onto those children before their bodies could handle it. The lucky ones died and the unfortunate ones somehow managed to adapt to their magic and became part of the G.O.G. By the time that program started I was already an active member of Team 0. But I did help train the kids that managed to survive the System. That's where I meet Tora and Taiga." Lucy turned to the twins and smiled slightly. "I managed to get them out of there and the rest is history…"

I could sense the anger radiating from everyone in the room except the Guardians. I used to hate this organization now I HATED them. How could you force children to go through such a thing?! Anger and silence reigned throughout the room before it was interrupted by Taiga clearing her throat.

"We're sorry Lucy-nee. We didn't want to steal but we had no choice. We couldn't...no we WOULDN'T go back to our Father. He sold us to those despicable dastards who turned us into….this.." Taiga said bitterly. She clenched her hands into two tight fists and glared at the floor. Tora scooted quietly over to Taiga and wrapped her arms around her sister. Taiga returned the hug after a moment. I smiled at the sight. It was heartwarming to see such a tight bond between siblings.

"Now Shin, why don't you explain to me why you would recruit two kids who had been through the Nightmare project?" Lucy went to back into demon mode and everyone around her scooted a good distance away, except for Natsu. Poor Natsu….poor stupid Natsu…

"Well first they tried to rob me…"

"Tried to rob you? Ha! We robbed you blind!" Tora said, smirking at the ninja.

"Tora that isn't something you brag about."

"Sory Lucy-nee….."

"Continue Shin." Lucy demanded.

"Well I recognized them and told them to come with me to meet you, after I got my wallet back. I knew that the System would eventually search in that area and I didn't know what it would do to escaped Nightmare kids. So I thought it would be better if they were with us...so yeah…" Shin finished lamely. He was trying to stay calm and collected but I could tell that he was afraid of what Lucy might do to him. I laughed silently. Lucy could be a fearsome girl when she wanted to be.

"I'll accept your answer….but I'm still mad. I won't help you if Lola tries to kill you." Lucy said, still glaring at Shin.

"So you admit that that old hag is evil and is trying to murder me!"

"Yes she is trying to kill you but I never said the other stuff…"

Suddenly a giant rock slammed into ninja boy's head. He almost fell out of his chair but somehow managed to stay up right.

"YOU EVIL OLD WITCH! I WILL ASSASSINATE YOU!" Shin yelled, glaring at an old woman who was smirking in response.

"Shin. Respect your elders. This is why you can't get a girlfriend." Ace said, smirking. he was surrounded by the some of the women who made up his extensive fan base.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear that from a conceited lap dog. You're so desperate to get her to look your way but she never will! She has that lizard to-" Shin didn't get to say anymore because Ace leaped up from his chair and tackled Shin to the ground. Another fist fight broke out and this time they almost knocked over a very expensive looking lamp.

"What… the hell did I say about fighting around my furniture…." Lucy had gotten to her feet and her magic was swirling around her, dangerously.

"Uhh…." Ace and Shin had stopped mid fight and stared at Lucy stupidly.

"FIGHT SOMEWHERE ELSE MORONS!" Lucy then proceeded to Lucy-kick them into the wall, miraculously, without making a hole in the wall. After a few moments of silence, everyone burst out laughing. The tension that had been there before had disappeared and everything was alright.

"Hey! I've gotta question." I turned to look at Nasu and saw a rarity. Natsu looked serious. I had only seen that look on the fire breathing boy when he fighting a tough opponent. He was staring straight at Lucy and she was looking right back. They appeared to be having a mental argument that wasn't going so well. And now the tension is back. Oh joy! I was getting too old for this kind of thing.

Natsu's POV:

Lucy knew what I was going to ask and she was mentally pleading for me not to ask. But I didn't care. I knew that something was in that letter that affected Luce in a big way.

"Luce….. What was in that letter you got? And why did that sludge demon thing say you only have so much time to reply?"

Lucy weakly at me before letting out a deep sigh. I could tell that she was stressed out. She had the weight off all of our lives resting on our shoulder. I knew that Luce would do anything to protect us, even if it meant she hurt herself.

"It's my ultimatum. If I see that we can't work things out with the rebels then this is the only way I can see any of surviving what's to come." Lucy said. She slumped down in a nearby chair and ran a hand through her hair. "Arab said he would make a deal with me if I complied with one thing. He would destroy the System with his demon army if I opened the Gateways."

"Lulu….no…. NO! You can't… You WON'T do that you hear me! I am prepared to die to prepared to die to protect the guilds and our world! We all are" Rin gestured to the Guardians around the room. "It would be the end of everything if you opened the Gateways!"

"I know… I KNOW! BUT WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO. I'VE RUN COUNTLESS STRATEGIES THROUGH AND THEY ALL END THE SAME WAY! WITH EVERYONE DEAD! I've been backed into a corner and I can only see one way out…" Lucy voice faded off towards the end. She tugged at her hair in frustration and I could smell tears forming in her eyes. I was about to walk over and hug her when Rin marched over and slapped Luce.

"I don't know who you are but you're not the Lucy Heartfilia I know. My Lulu doesn't know the meaning of the words 'give up'. We completed the impossible because we never gave up! When we were bleeding to death, our bones broken, and our hopes crushed, we cursed the heavens, got up, and beat the stuffing out of whatever dastard pushed us down. I'm going to fight the System and Arab until the day I die. And when I die, I'll drag those dastards down with me. Until they are dead, not even the Grim Reaper himself can take away my soul." Rin said. Her eyes were shining with conviction because she meant every word she said. Luce looked up at her friend and smiled. She stood up and took the letter out of her pocket. She burned the letter in a blast of celestial fire. She locked eyes with Rin and they did their little mental communication thingy.

"Damn straight…" She turned to us, a fire burning bright in her eyes. "There is a giant training room up on the roof if you guys want to fight. I'll be in the library. I need to come up with a new strategy. There is a war we need to win."

After she said that, everyone let out a loud resounding cheer. We were going to come out on top. We had to. As long as there was breath in our bodies, we wouldn't give up. I watched as the guilds all rushed up to the training hall to practice their magic. Normally I would love to brawl but I was worried about Luce. I followed her scent to the a room that was just down the hall from the parlor we were in earlier. I pushed the heavy oak doors open and I felt my jaw hit the floor. From ceiling to floor there were shelves filled with books. The floors were hard wood but they were fluffy rugs spread about in random places. There were windows scattered around the room and the ceiling was a stained glass angel looking down at you. (AN: This is my dream library. And yes people do have dream libraries)

"Natsu! Did you get lost on your way to the training room?" I heard a voice call to me from above. I looked up to see Lucy standing on one of the higher landing staring down at me.

"No. I came to find you." I said, staring up at her. Her hair was hang down around her head. I personally thought she was more beautiful than the angel in the ceiling.

"Well come on up and we can chat...but not for long I've got a lot of work to do." She pointed to the staircase on my right and motion for me to come on up. I ascended the spiral staircase, all the while I kept my gaze trained on Luce. For some odd reason, I couldn't stop staring at her. After a millennium, I finally reached the landing that Luce was on. I kept staring at Luce as I approached and I could tell she was uncomfortable from her pink face. I stared at her for another minute before I wrapped her in my arms.

"N-natsu?! W-what are you-" I squeezed her tighter making her squeak in surprise.

"I don't know why Luce….but I feel like that if I let go of you, I'll lose you." I rasped out. I put my head on top of her head and breathed in her scent.

"Natsu….Natsu there is a really big chance that I might die. I'm a Guardian so I'll be on the front lines when Arab attacks." Luce said quietly. I hugged her tighter. Now I really wasn't letting go. As if she read my mind, she let out a small giggle at my childishness.

"Natsu. I'm going to give my all to try to survive this. But there is something I want to tell you just in case my death in battle in inevitable." Lucy slightly pulled away from me and looked into my eyes.

"Natsu…..I love you. I've loved you ever since you saved from Phantom Lord. I never had the guts to tell you because I didn't want the G.O.G to come after if something like this ever happened. I know you probably don't feel the same but...I love you Natsu." Lucy smiled up at me and pulled herself out of my arms and started to back away. It took me a moment to process this information but all of a sudden I had it. Lucy Heartfilia loved me…

Before Lucy could take another step back, I wrapped her in my arms again and claimed her lips with my own. Lucy was mine. And she would survive whatever came next because I would protect her. She had to survive because if I lost her I didn't know if I could survive. I finally released her lips and I stared down at Lucy's flushed face.

"Luce...You don't know how long I've been waiting for this. I never really knew what love was until I met you. Lucy, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise. I love you Lucy."

I claimed her lips again and in that gigantic library we exchanged 'I love you's and kisses until we both fell asleep on a sofa. Neither one of us noticed the glowing eyes, glaring at us. Or the jealous growl of a dog.

"I won't allow it. I won't let him take away Lucy…"

I did it! I know another short chapter. But I have a reason! I'm doing another poll! I want all you readers out there to help me come up with a Guardian for Quarto Cerberus! I know what you thinking… "This author lady is making us do all the work" But I'm not….well maybe a little.. But I loved it when people sent in ideas the last time so I wanted to try it again. Here is what you need~

Name

Age

Gender

Magic before and after the Judgement program

Back story

Any other noteworthy things

And remember that this Guardian is a rebel, so do you want the character to be on the side that fights for the glory or the side that fights just to take down the System and not for the guilds. Or a completely different side. I am open to all and any ideas. I'm planning on updating my other main story, What Happens in Rome, Stay in Rome tomorrow. Please give it a try! Thanks for reading and do stop by that beautiful little box at the bottom of the page and slip me a review. I would gladly appreciate it! Now off to bed with me~ Night home slices! *grins and flashes the peace sign*

Supchild has left the building….