EdoLand

"Lucy, can I talk to you?" Laxus asked.

Lucy almost spit out her coffee onto the counter. She looked up at Laxus with wide eyes. She had gone over two weeks without talking to the man and she really hadn't expected him to confront her. Makarov said that he would at some point, but she hadn't been so sure. Thinking back, though, he may have just been saying that as a hint, meaning she couldn't and shouldn't avoid Laxus.

"Sure," Lucy agreed. She was glad that her voice didn't crack.

"Can we go somewhere more private?" Laxus asked. He smiled up at Mira, who was washing the bar just a few seats away.

"Of course," Lucy agreed, once again. She wrapped her shawl tighter around herself and followed Laxus out of the guildhall and down the street. She was hoping that he didn't want to go far, since her feet had been killing her lately. Luckily, he led them into a small coffee shop not far away from the guildhall. They both ordered a cup of coffee and sat down at a small table in the far corner of the room.

Laxus didn't say anything at first. He simply looked at Lucy with eyes that held a million questions. He wasn't sure what he wanted to ask her first. He was dying to know about her history with Gray. He wanted to know if she saw herself eventually getting married, for her to become Lucy Dreyar. He wanted to know why she got so mad at him that day, and why she hadn't apologized and came back to him yet. They have had fights in the past, and every single time whoever had yelled came running back. This time, though, Lucy just kept to herself. She hadn't even spent time with Levy and Juvia, which was another thing he wanted to bring it up. Despite the dozens of questions rolling around in his head, he didn't ask any one of them.

"So how's the weather been?" Laxus finally asked, shocking both of them.

"Pretty cold-"

"I guess you'd still think-"

They both spoke at once, then stopped at once. Laxus looked at Lucy with confusion, while the latter didn't fight the blush that rose to her cheeks. Laxus couldn't help but ask, "How on EdoLand do you think it's cold out?"

Lucy wrapped her shawl tighter around herself once again, fighting the shiver that threatened to overtake her due to the intense gaze she was caught under. She visibly relaxes when his features softened. His eyes fell on her stomach, making her tense once more.

"Why do you keep covering up your stomach?" Laxus asked, his eyebrows closely knit together. "You've been covering up a lot more lately than you usually do."

"No I haven't," Lucy said as an automatic response. She realized that she snapped and quickly apologized. "I guess I just haven't been feeling like myself lately."

"Does that have anything to do with your different scent?" Laxus asked. He felt guilty for asking once he saw her shocked face. "I mean, you smell fine! It's just a bit different now."

Lucy couldn't help but wonder if that was because she was a different person or if it was because she was pregnant. Probably both, she realized. Sadly, Laxus seemed to pick up on one of those changes, too.

"Lucy?" Laxus asked sheepishly. "Are you...pregnant?"

Lucy was going to deny the accusations, but she realized that she couldn't say no to the cute smile quirking at the corners of his mouth. She couldn't have hid her pregnancy from him forever, anyways. She hadn't told him in hopes that she would be back in Earthland. But from what Loke said, there was a good chance that her child would be born in EdoLand. If that happened, would her child even be able to return with no one to swap places with it?

Laxus mistook Lucy's look of horror as one of nervous approval. He moved to the chair beside her's and put his hands onto her stomach. "We're having a baby?" he asked. "We're having a baby!"

Lucy wished that she could tell him the truth, but she knew that she just couldn't. Not yet, at least.

X

Laxus wasted no time in dragging Lucy back to the guild. The sun was already starting to hide behind the horizon, so she was hoping that if the guild decided to have a party that Laxus would take her home within an hour or so.

Laxus threw the doors open to the guild with a huge smile on his face, one that rivaled the one he showed in the cafe. "Everyone, I have an announcement!" he yelled.

Makarov had heard his grandson's entrance from his office and ran out to see what was going on, fearing the worst. He was amazed to see Laxus holding Lucy close, a huge smile on his face, and Lucy trying to hide herself. He realized that Laxus knew.

Laxus turned to grab Lucy's stomach gingerly with both hands. "We're pregnant!"

Loud cheers erupted throughout the guildhall. Many came up to congratulate the two, and many started drinking and celebrating. Laxus promised Lucy that he would make sure they went home early before going to celebrate with the Thunder Tribe. The pregnant blonde stood stunned, tears forming in her eyes.

"Awe, I can picture it now! Cute babies! Blonde hair with black eyes? No, black hair with brown eyes. Oh, what if you had twins? This is so exciting!"

"What?! Another Popsicle-Dick? No way! Luce, tell me he's lying!"

"Lu, this is great! Your baby will love books, that's for sure!"

"They better not steal my fish!"

"Stupid Tom-Cat!"

"Who cares? Let's just drink!"

A gasp flew out of Lucy's lips. She hunched over and put her hands to her ears, wanting to drown out the voices. She could hear them so clearly, the words of her dear friends, the words she would be hearing if she and Gray had been announcing her pregnancy back in Earthland.

"Now, now, my children, let's not get too hasty! I'm sure Lucy would like a peaceful evening."

"Yeah right, Old Man! She needs a party!"

"Metal-Head is right for once."

"What's that, Flame-Brain?"

"Hey, those are my lines! Sorry, Babe, I got to take care of this."

Lucy fell to her knees, her breathing heavy. Why now? Why think about this now?

"Lucy?"

The blonde's head snapped up when she heard someone say her name. Her eyes widened when she saw Gray kneeling in front of her, a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Do you want me to ask Wendy to look at you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I'm fine. I just…" She wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him. There was so much she wanted to say to Gray Fullbuster, the love of her life, but what could she say to the Gray kneeling before her? "Can you take me home?"

Gray seemed startled, but he didn't deny her. He simply glanced back, no doubt looking at Laxus, who was drinking at the bar with his cheeks already a healthy shade of pink. He then glanced over at Juvia, who was playing with Iris. "Yeah, I can."

Lucy jumped to her feet. Gray gave her an odd look, no doubt surprised by her sudden change of mood. The two walked out of the guild, unnoticed by everyone but Makarov, who shook his head slightly.

When Gray and Lucy got back to Lucy's apartment, the blonde sat down on the couch. Gray sat beside her on the opposite side, watching her noticed how she would seem happy, sad, confused, then happy again. "Lucy," he said gently. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

With no warning, Lucy began to cry. Her shoulders shook and violent gasps left her lips. Gray, completely startled, gave her an awkward hug to try to comfort her. He may have known the blonde for years, but he really had no idea how to comfort her. "It's going to be okay," he told her. "If you're worried about being pregnant, I'm sure Laxus will try to tie the knot before it's born."

Lucy began to cry harder.

Gray was beyond confused. He assumed she was upset because she was pregnant and worried about having a bastard child, but that didn't explain why she cried more at the idea of being with Laxus. He pushed her shoulder back and looked at her face. "Lucy, do you not love Laxus?" He didn't think Lucy was the type to date someone just to date someone, but there weren't many other explanations.

"No!" Lucy yelled. Just as the day she fought with Laxus, she was so overpowered by her emotions that she didn't care if she followed her cover story. "I don't love him! I only love you, Gray!"

Gray flinched as if he had been hit and stood up. "Lucy, you now I'm with Juvia," he said.

Lucy realized what she said and stood up, as well. "No, I didn't mean that," she said hurriedly, hoping if she spoke fast enough she could take back everything she just said. "I don't love you. I don't want to break up you and Juvia."

"You meant that," Gray said, shaking his head. "It was all in your voice. You really do love me, Lucy." He was already at the door, having been taking steps back this whole time. "I'm sorry, but I only love Juvia. I don't think we should be around each other anymore."

As Gray closed the door behind him, Lucy realized that she just lost a lot more than a friend. No, she lost the only connection she had to the father of her baby.