A/N: I think I might update this story tomorrow again. I'm writing Chapter 12 now and I just love it. This chapter is kind of short, as is the next one, and I really want you all to read 12!

Next to Update: Love the Ice

Please review :)

Lucy mumbled in her sleep as she snuggled closer to the warmth beside her. She hummed in delight when she felt a muscular chest press against her bare skin. She was fast asleep, that is, until cries entered her dream. The sound wasn't familar, but she could tell that it was a man's.

"Laxus?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. The cries were still ringing in her mind. Was it him crying? She's never heard him cry before, but it sounded like it could easily be him.

Opening her eyes completely, she watched the sleeping form of Gray beside her. It may not have been the best idea for her to sleep with him, but she couldn't really think of a reason not to. Besides, she was sure that this was all a dream.

An image of Laxus laying over her dead body flashed through her mind. She sat up abruptly, gripping her head tightly. Images started flashing through her mind, some of the two of them at school, others of them haning out at their house, them kissing in the laundry room so Makarov wouldn't catch them, spending time together in his bedroom when the old man was out of the house, and the day she moved in. Laxus laying over her dead body flashed between each happy scene. It wasn't long before she was shaking and sobbing. What was this madness? She just wanted it all to stop!

"Lucy?" Gray called out sleepily. He became worried when he saw how she was shaking and crying. He sat up and easily pulled her into a hug. "Hey, Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, petting her hair.

Lucy looked up at Gray with wide eyes. "What have I done?" she whispered. She pushed him away, which led to her falling off the bed. She scrambled to find all her clothes and put them back on. She realized that even if this wasn't all real, she still chose to sleep with Gray, which was still cheating.

Midnight appeared in the room, sitting at the foot of Gray's bed. Gray and Lucy both almost jumped out of their skin in surprised. They really wished he would stop doing that. "Well what do we have here," Midnight laughed. "So the horn-dog managed to shag the virgin?"

"I-I'm not a virgrin," Lucy stuttered nervously, blushing.

Midnight put his manicured finger under her chin, lifting it up to meet his gaze. "Ah, but you are. You've been with the same man since you were fifteen. You're so innocent to love that you would jump into the arms of a man that's had more woman than you could even imagine."

Hurt flashed acrossed Lucy's face. Had he really slept around that much? It made her feel even more dirty for cheating on Laxus simply because it was with someone like that. "What are you even playing at?" she snapped, looking up at Midnight. "Why are you torturing us all like this? What do you have to gain? What are we even doing here? How did we get here?"

"You're asking a lot of questions, girl," Midnight sneered. "I'm afraid I can't answer any of your questions right now. But, I'll leave you with this." He stood up and went over to the door, gripping the handle. "Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. Stop wasting your time on people who don't love you. If you're with someone simply to stay sane, is it worth risking such happiness? And if your happy with someone, isn't that the exact definition of sanity? One of the definitions of sanity is the ability to tell the real from the unreal. So let me ask you this: is this all real or a false reality that your minds have created? And if this is all a false reality, are you happy here? Is it keeping you sane, or is it keeping you happy?" He left the room, gently shutting the door behind him.

X

"I really want to know what that guy is playing us for," Natsu mumbled. He was curled up on the couch, Lucy at the other end. Erza and Gray were playing ping-pong. It seemed that every so often the game would change. Just an hour before it was an air-hockey table.

"Doesn't it sort of seem like he's trying to help us, though?" Lucy asked shyly. Ever since her talk with Midnight that morning, she had really been questioning if he was a bad guy or not. "I mean, has he actually hurt us? Emotionally, sure, but not physically. All those harmful games he had us play didn't actually hurt. It was more like our bodies thinking it would hurt and us being afraid."

Natsu shivered. "I don't know, but I had a dream last night. It was really terrifying."

Lucy slid over closer to him. She put a hand on his knee. "Do you need to talk about it?" She hated that pained look in his eyes. After being together for so long they all began to truly care for each other.

He sighed. "My parents left me when I was younger. An old friend of my dad's kind of showed up at my doorstep promising to look out for me. He payed for my apartment and tried his best. All I ever did for him was cause trouble." It looked like he was about to cry. "I would go partying all the time and bring home pills, weed, or whatever I could get my hands on. He always searched my apartment and took away whatever he found and yelled at me for it. I always yelled at him, saying he shouldn't waste his time on trash like me." He chuckled a little. "The damn bastard. He would always hit me hard on the head then hug me, saying he would never give up on me."

Lucy smiled. "He sounds like a nice guy." She noticed how Natsu was leaning onto her. She started running her fingers through his hair. "What about your dream?"

He tensed up for a moment before relaxing. "I had a dream that he came to my apartment and...found me dead." He took a deep, shaking breath. "Gildarts was so scared."

Lucy gasped and coughed on an invisble substance. "G-Gildarts?" she stuttered.

"Yeah?" Natsu asked, an eyebrow raised. "You know him?"

"Do you mean Gildarts Clive, as in the teacher at Fairy Tail? Cana Alberona's father?" she asked.

"Whoa, Cana?" Gray asked, turning to face Lucy and Natsu. He ended up getting hit in the head with a ping-pong ball, but he didn't even notice. "You know Cana?"

"She goes to Fairy Tail a grade above me. We've been friends for years," Lucy explained. "How do you know her?"

"Oh, me?" Gray asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, you know, friends." Natsu raised an eyebrow at this. He recieved a glare in return. "My cousin met her one time and made me stop being around her for a while since she was a bad influence for Wendy."

"Oh, who's your cousin?" Lucy asked. "Maybe I know him."

"You probably don't," Gray said, shaking his head. "He goes to Mermaid Heal."

Erza perked up at this. "I definitely know him, then."

"Jellal Fernandes?" Gray asked. "Ring a bell?"

Erza was shocked. She dropped her padel and fell back into the wall. She began breathing heavily. Gray quickly helped her to her feet and had her sit on a chair. "Jellal...impossible," she muttered.

/Jellal knocked on the door to Erza's house. The door opened, revealing Erza's mother. "Oh, Jellal! What a lovely surprise! Please come in," the woman said, stepping aside. He thanked her and went inside.

"Is Erza home?" Jellal asked. "She left her bag at school. I was dropping it off for her."

Erza's father came into the room at the sound of Jellal's voice. "Here to see Erza, eh?" he asked in a teasing voice, poking the young man in the ribs. "I haven't heard anything about it, so I'm guessing you haven't manage to snatch her up yet? Come on, we both know that she can't be in the market for much longer. She isn't exactly a troll, if you know what I mean."

"No, sir, we're just friends," Jellal laughed. He held up Erza's schoolbag. "So is she in her room?"

Erza's father let out a hearty laugh. He patted Jellal's shoulder. "I can see the look in your eyes. I know you would tap that in a heartbeat."

"Nathan!" Erza's mother gasped.

"Right, right. Sorry," Nathan chuckled. "Anyways, she's up in her room. You can go on up."

Jellal nodded and went upstairs. He didn't bother knocking on Erza's door, since he's been in there so often. When he swung the door open, the schoolbag in his hands dropped to the floor. His eyes were wide with horror. The room before him was a total mess. Pieces of clothing were everywhere, patches of blood here and there, and Erza collapsed on the floor. He ran over and lifted her into his arms, not caring that she wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment. He looked at the fresh wounds and scars on her skin. Her body was cold and lifeless. Without warning, dozens of tears dropped from his eyes and onto her cheek. They rolled down her chin, dripping onto her chest, disappearing into her cleavage. His mouth was wide with a silent scream.

"I'm so sorry," he finally spoke in a broken tone. His forehead dropped to hers. "Please don't leave me." His shoulders started to shake. "No, come back. I love you so much. I can't lose you."/

She had that dream just the night before. There was no way. It seemed as if they all have someone special to them that they are suddenly remembering.

What /was/ Midnight playing at?