The Shackled Rune

by GemNika

Lucy becomes a solo mage after Makarov disbands Team Natsu for their destructive nature. Three months later, what she discovers on her mission will change her life forever. [Complete.]

11. Safety, Happiness, Hope

"Lucy?" Laxus asked softly once he found her lying curled up on the bed. He slowly walked over and sat down next to her, then started rubbing slow circles on her back. "What's wrong, sis?"

Lucy shook her head and closed her eyes, not wanting to see how much she was hurting Laxus. This is all my fault. Everyone's miserable because of me. Why doesn't he just leave? Then he could be happy. "Just… just go, Laxus," she whispered.

Laxus frowned as the scent of her single emotion started becoming clearer and mixing with her tears. Lucy's face was blank, but her voice had wavered slightly as if she was in pain. "I'm not leaving you," he said sadly. "You're my sister, Lucy. I'm not going anywhere."

She turned and burrowed her face in the blankets and mumbled, "I'm not really your sister, Laxus. You don't have any obligation to take care of me." I'm all alone without Freed. Laxus will go soon, just like everyone else. It's my fault that he'll leave too. If I had been stronger, Freed wouldn't have been taken… Then no one would have to pity me for being like this. Why am I always messing things up for people? "Just go… You'll be happier without me around, anyway…"

Laxus' eyes widened and he watched as Lucy rolled over to face away from him, curling around herself more. "No, I won't…" he whispered, looking down at where his hand had fallen onto the bed when she moved. "I'm not leaving. The last thing you need is to lose someone else that you care about…"

"I don't have the capacity to care about anyone. I know you love me, just the same as I loved you when I was still able to… Just leave… You and everyone else are better off without me around to make you miserable… This is all my fault…" Lucy was roughly pulled back and ended up laying on her back and looking up at a very upset Laxus. She blinked, then blinked again. He's upset again… I upset him… I just told him to go like I knew he would eventually. Why can't I just make people happy like I used to? No one ever got this upset with me before Freed was taken…

"This is not your fault, Lucy," Laxus ground out between clenched teeth as he straddled Lucy's legs and hovered over her.

"You're upset because of me," Lucy said while her tears kept falling. "Everyone's upset because of me… I'm not normal anymore, and you all just want Freed back… And you want me to be happy again… But, every time you look at me and see that I'm not better… It just…" Lucy paused, feeling the remorse inside of her growing in intensity. "It's m-my fault everyone's m-miserable," she cried, not realizing that her face had lost its blank expression and was replaced with a deep sadness. "All I d-do is make things w-worse for everyone…"

"That's not true," Laxus said as his anger instantly dissipated, his face becoming soft and the stormy depths of his eyes only showing her how much he cared. He lifted a hand and brushed away her tears before he said, "You don't make everyone miserable. The only thing you said that was true is that we want you happy and that we want Freed back," he whispered.

"You guys are holed up here w-with me… I make Ever cry. Bix doesn't smile anymore. And you…" Lucy winced when it felt like a sharp pain lanced through her heart at the thought of hurting the people that care about her. I failed everyone. Sharp pain. I make them miserable. It was like an arrow to her chest. I almost killed Gray. The pain swelled. I hurt my big brother. A sword slicing right through her, cleaving her in half, would have been less painful. I failed Freed. Lucy cried out as that last thought went through head, the sharp pains in her chest beginning to burn. It was like her heart was crumbling right then after so many arrows of guilt had pierced through it, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "Wh-Why does it have to hurt so much?" she sobbed, trying to curl in on herself to stop the pain inside of her.

Laxus watched it all happen right in front of him. Her eyes never left his, and he saw what little was left of her blank expression disappear completely, leaving only sorrow in its wake. Lucy broke down right before his eyes, and when she couldn't roll away her hands shot up to cover her face and muffle the heart-wrenching sobs she was letting loose. "It's okay, Lucy," Laxus whispered as he moved to sit beside her. "What do you mean it hurts?"

"I h-hurt everyone… It's all m-my fault!" she shouted, finally curling her knees up to her chest while she rolled onto her side. "Ever, Bix, the guild… G-Gray… You… EVERYONE! It hurts… Laxus, it hurts so much… I didn't m-mean to—" Lucy couldn't talk anymore, but she couldn't be near one of the people that had stuck by her side no matter what happened. Laxus was the one person in her life, aside from Freed, that truly loved her, and she'd done nothing but hurt him. Lucy tore herself from the bed just before Laxus could reach for her, and rushed back down the stairs taking them two at a time.

"Lucy!" Laxus shouted as he ran after her. He followed closely behind her through the living room, ignoring Evergreen's widened eyes and questions about what was happening, into the kitchen and out the back door.

Once Lucy's bare feet hit the snow-covered lawn she looked around her and broke down. There was nowhere for her to run to, and seeing the backyard only brought out painful memories. This is where I tested out my eye patch. That's where I talked with Aquarius after kissing Freed. Looking at the clouds with Laxus, and making shapes with them. Meditating in the grass with Ever. Bix chasing me around. Every memory she had swarmed her at once. The small barbecues they had as a team, watching the stars with Freed just before Fall started, swimming just before lunch when it was too hot outside to do anything else. Lucy dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she wailed as the memories of everything she had lost kept running through her mind.

Laxus slowly walked over to Lucy and knelt down next to her. He looked at her for only a moment, watching how her whole body shook with the force of her sobs, before he wrapped his arms around her protectively and pulled her into his chest.

Lucy tensed until she recognized the comforting warmth that surrounded her. Safe… I only feel safe with—"B-Big brother?" she whimpered.

Laxus nodded and felt tears welling in his eyes as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm here, little sis. I'm not going anywhere."

---

Wendy walked between Bickslow and Gajeel—who was still carrying an unconscious Gray on one shoulder—with a frown on her face. No one had known how bad things were, and she understood why the Raijinshuu were keeping it quiet: Fairy Tail was filled with caring people who just wanted to help, but there wasn't a thing that anyone could do to help Lucy by being close to her physically. Wendy glanced at Bickslow for a moment, then back at the ground and said, "Gajeel?"

"What's up, Squirt?"

"Can you tell me about Laxus and Lucy now?" she asked, still frowning at the ground.

Bickslow chuckled and said, "Gajeel, I think you're rubbing off on her…" When the Iron Dragon Slayer raised a pierced brow in question, Bickslow motioned to the younger Slayer and said, "I've never seen her looking so pissed…"

Gajeel looked down and chuckled. "Gihi, she's not pissed. She's thinking." He shrugged, then turned his attention to Wendy. "You mean the kin thing, Squirt?"

Wendy nodded, then looked up at her partner. "I don't understand it. I've never even heard of it before."

"There's a ton of shit your dragon didn't get to teach ya," Gajeel answered with a scowl. He glanced at Bickslow, then said, "Keep this shit to yourself, man…"

"Yeah yeah," Bickslow muttered, "Secret Dragon Slayer handshake and shit, I got it."

"Secret! Secret!" his babies chirped, though they didn't have their usually cheerful tones.

Wendy giggled, then looked at Gajeel expectantly.

Gajeel shook his head and said, "Dragons value three things in life: their mates, their young, and their kin. Mates and young are easy, and you know how that works." Thank fucking Mavis for that… I really don't wanna teach her about sex…

Wendy nodded, her eyes looking into right into the ruby red ones of her partner as he taught her yet another lesson that Grandeeney hadn't.

"Kin is more complicated," Gajeel said softly. "It can be your parents, siblings, or any other blood relative that you're close to. Blood relation doesn't necessarily mean you'll see them as kin when it comes to your instincts. It's how close you are to them, and the bond between you is almost like being their mate."

"But, they're not blood related," Wendy said thoughtfully. "He just feels like she's his sister."

Gajeel nodded. "That's where it gets complicated. Bunny Girl and Sparky are close enough that his instincts tell him they're related. That she needs to be protected. As far as his instincts are concerned, she's his to care for as his family, and the only ones he'll love more than her are his mate and young. It's not common for a Slayer to find kin outside of their own blood relatives, but when it does happen it seems like it was always supposed to be that way."

"So, he's trying to protect her?" Wendy asked softly. "That's why he wouldn't let me help when she was unconscious?"

Gajeel scowled at the ground. "Yeah, his instincts say he has to keep her safe, since she's weak right now. Kin's blood—just like mates and young—make our instincts go haywire."

"How can you tell that they're kin?" Wendy asked. "If we didn't already know them, how could we tell the difference?"

"When any of the three get sick, you take care of them and don't leave their side for very long, and you never get too far away from them—just like Sparky did with Bunny Girl. The biggest difference is when you smell their blood. When you smell the blood of your mate, it's your job to find what made them bleed and kill it. It's the same with your young—and it's the mate's job to care for them while you're away. When your kin bleeds, it's their mate's job to find the cause and get rid of it, and it's your job to care for them."

Wendy furrowed her brow and nodded. It made sense that a Slayer would care for their own mate, and that the mate would care for their young. "But, Lucy doesn't have a mate… And she wasn't bleeding from an injury from out here—there's no one that attacked her…"

"She doesn't have a mate, you're right," Gajeel started as he tried to work out how to put the concept into words. "Freed would be the closest thing to a mate for her… Sparky sees her as sick, so he's taking care of her. Adding in her blood makes him go a little berserk, especially because she's not being attacked. It goes hand-in-hand with her being sick…" Gajeel winced and shrugged. He wasn't the best with his words, but he had to make the effort so Wendy could understand it. Over the past six months, they'd found out just how little Grandeeney had taught her before disappearing, so Gajeel took her under his wing to make sure she learned what she should have years ago.

Wendy thought for a moment then said, "So, her blood makes him feel more protective over her, and that's mixing with how he is already because she's sick?"

Gajeel sighed in relief and nodded. "Exactly, Squirt."

"What else is there?"

"You treat kin the same way you would treat your mate or young when it comes to affection: nuzzling, purring, growling, taking in their scent, all of it. Mates have sexual desire and heat behind their affection, and along with everything else you also tend to bite them more often, even if it's just a playful nip here and there; no matter what kind of affection you show you're mate, there's always a heat to it because you're marking them with your scent to ward off anyone else. When you show affection to your young, it's gentle and playful; your young is the next of your line, perfectly innocent, and any affection you show them is just like any other parent—except you mark them with your scent to let others know whose line they're from. Kin is somewhere in the middle… To most people it would seem like your kin is your mate, unless they can see the lack of sexual desire behind your affection. The only thing that is a big tell is the lack of biting—biting a mate is a reminder of their mark, and you don't really bite anyone else, except maybe when playing with your young. When you show affection to your kin, you're marking them with your scent so everyone knows whose protection they're under. Make sense?" Gajeel asked softly.

Wendy thought for a moment, then nodded with a small smile. She thought back to what she had seen between Laxus and Lucy: how he was cradling her, the way he nuzzled her hair and took in her scent even though he was sobbing, the small comforting circles he drew on her arms with his thumbs. Laxus was gentle and tender with Lucy while he cared for her like that, and the few times Wendy saw his eyes, there was love in them along with his fear. It was the love of a sibling, nothing more and nothing less. I see now, she thought, then she took a step closer to Gajeel and nuzzled his arm briefly before saying, "Thanks, Gajeel."

Gajeel smirked and let out a small laugh and ruffled her hair. "No problem, Squirt. Someone's gotta teach ya."

After listening to Gajeel's little lesson on Dragon Slayers, Bickslow realized that the raven-haired mage was completely right. It was strange to everyone when Laxus and Lucy bonded so quickly, and got so close, but after no time at all it just felt as if it had always been that way. Once they had come back to the house on Christmas, Laxus never left Lucy's side for long, and he was the only one she would let close to her. Bickslow had seen how careful Laxus was with Lucy, and now the way he had found them sleeping the week before in the office made sense. He watched Wendy and Gajeel interacting while he taught her, and a small smile stretched across his face. Wonder if they realize they're doing the same thing… "So…" Bickslow said hesitantly, "How does the kin thing even start?"

Wendy looked from Bickslow to Gajeel and raised her eyebrows. "Yeah… Is it like mating? It just happens because it's fate?"

Gajeel shook his head and smirked. "Nah. You build the bond with the person, and your instincts take their cue from how deep your feelings run. But it has to be mutual."

"Huh?" Bickslow asked.

Gajeel rolled his eyes, but when he saw Wendy looking just as confused he sighed. "Sparky and Bunny got to know each other. They got closer, and eventually started to love each other like they're really siblings."

"Right…?" Bickslow said slowly.

"So, when Bunny came into the guild Sparky could tell something was wrong, because of how close they already were. That's why he went up to her so quickly. And why she let him touch her when she cut Flamebrain for getting too close. When Sparky found out she was sick—that she couldn't feel anything—his instincts went into protection mode. He probably didn't know it was a Slayer thing for him to refuse to leave her side."

"But, if it's built on the bond they have already, then wouldn't it still be what Laxus would do?" Wendy asked.

Gajeel thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. He loves her and would do anything for her, so he wouldn't leave anyway. The Slayer part just makes him a dick about it."

Bickslow chuckled and shook his head. "Damn… Guess that explains a lot then… Is it cool if I tell Ever about this? Might help her feel better."

Gajeel shrugged. "Do what you want. I'm gonna have to talk with Sparky about it anyway, since he didn't have a dragon to teach him this shit. Make sure he knows what's what. You're his teammates, so I don't see a reason to keep it from ya… But, Bunny's his biggest weakness until he finds a mate."

"So, does that mean that Master's his kin too?" Wendy asked.

"No. Sparky's related to him, but they're not close. He loves the Master as his grandfather, but he's not nearly as close to the old man as he is with Bunny Girl," Gajeel answered.

"But, that bond was made before she got sick, right?" Wendy asked again.

"Right. It wouldn't have happened if they didn't already love each other, and if they weren't as close as they are." He paused for a moment, then added, "Bunny Girl's lucky that she's his kin… If she didn't have Sparky, I don't think there would be any easy way of helping her… Especially since she's so damn stubborn…"

"You said the kin thing goes both ways," Bickslow said after a few silent minutes. When Gajeel nodded, he asked, "So, Lucy's instincts will tell her to help Laxus, right?"

Gajeel stopped and furrowed his brow in question while he looked at Bickslow. "Normally, I'd say yeah. She'd help him anyway, but her instincts make her more determined to help. But, now? I guess her instincts would try, but she doesn't really feel anything…"

Bickslow smiled softly as they all started walking again. "She helps him too, y'know," he said happily. "Last week we found the two of them asleep in the office, and after they woke up and Lucy got back to work Laxus told us what happened. He said that she told him there was no reason for her to live if Freed wasn't alive either, and he lost it." Bickslow paused and frowned as he pushed past the more personal side of what Laxus had said to them, then continued. "He broke down in front of her, and laid his head on her knees… She didn't realize she was doing it, but she started running her hands through his hair, and then moved so he could lay on her stomach while she was holding him. After a while, they fell asleep like that until we found them later on."

Wendy smiled softly and said, "Maybe she's better than we thought…"

---

Evergreen watched from the doorway with a tear in her eye as the snow continued to fall around the blondes in the yard. Lucy's voice wasn't monotone, and the short glimpse she'd seen as the blonde girl had run past showed her that Lucy's face wasn't blank either. Lucy was in pain, but with the way she had screamed out that she was sorry, Evergreen knew it wasn't physical pain. Lucy… Evergreen sighed and looked back the girl on the lawn for another minute before heading back inside. He's the one that can help her right now.

Lucy shivered and moved closer to Laxus when a strong gust of wind whipped past them and covered them in a fresh dusting of snow, though her crying didn't calm down in the slightest. "I'm s-sorry, Laxus… I n-never wanted to hurt you…" she whispered through her tears.

"It's okay, sis. I know you didn't mean it," he whispered back.

"B-But I hurt everyone!" she cried. "Whether I m-meant it or n-not… I… I can't do this…"

Laxus pressed a soft kiss to her hair and shook his head while he said, "You can do it, sis. You're not alone—you've got me, Ever, and Bix. And we'll have Freed back soon." When Lucy shivered again, he realized how long they had been outside in the snow. Laxus carefully picked her up and carried her back inside. He went right up the stairs, but instead of going to Freed and Lucy's room, he took her to his own room. He carefully sat down on the bed, with Lucy sitting sideways in his lap and shivering, and held her as long as she needed him to.

"But… what if we don't get him back, Laxus?" she whispered. "I'll n-never be normal again… I n-need him to—" Lucy hiccupped and curled closer into the warmth Laxus provided. "I don't want you to h-hate me!"

"Shh, just relax," Laxus whispered, rubbing soothing circles on her arm with his thumb. "I could never hate you, Lucy. I'm not going anywhere." He felt Lucy nod, and then she shivered again causing him to frown. She's cold. He quickly readjusted and pulled the blanket down so he could lay them down. "We'll get him back. But, if for whatever reason we don't, you'll always have me, okay?"

Lucy felt warmth surrounding her, mostly from Laxus' arms around her and her face pressed against his chest, but there was also the blanket he had pulled over them. Everything smelled like her big brother, and the sense of security she felt helped to soothe her at least a little. "P-Promise?" she whispered, sniffling as her cries finally died down. She still felt like her heart was in pieces, and as though nothing could possibly make it better, but she didn't want to let go of how safe she felt.

Laxus smiled and squeezed Lucy lightly. "I promise." He held her for a few more minutes and then asked, "Lucy, why did you say that it hurt? What was hurting you?"

Lucy burrowed closer to Laxus and sniffled again. "My heart… All the guilt I feel for hurting everyone… for… For failing Freed… It just hit me and…" Her tears silently fell, and her voice cracked as she continued. "And now it just feels like it's broken… I don't think I can fix it…"

"Sure you can," Laxus said softly, brushing his fingers through her hair. "And everyone will be there for you to help you out, okay?"

Lucy shook her head and whispered, "I don't want to feel like this… It's too hard… I wish I couldn't feel anything… like before."

"Don't wish that, Lucy," Laxus answered back, his tone soft even though his heart ached.

"Why?" she asked softly, then sniffled. "At least I could do something when I couldn't feel anything…"

"What do you mean?"

Lucy sighed and said, "It's why I ran away from the table… I'm useless if I can't think about anything or do any research. There's nothing that I can do… It's like I'm giving up on him if I don't keep going…"

Laxus frowned at her admission. "Sis, that's not true at all. Taking a break to rest or take care of yourself doesn't mean you're giving up. You're human, just like the rest of us, and everyone has their limitations."

"But, what if… What if the time that I took to sleep or eat is the difference between whether or not we get to him in time?"

"In time for what? As far as we know, Freed's safe there," Laxus said softly. It was strange to him that he was finally seeing what Lucy had been thinking about—at least a portion of it—concerning Freed. He was starting to understand why she had been pushing herself so hard.

"They could be… they could…" Lucy whimpered and buried her face in his chest as her tears started flowing again. "Wh-What if they're t-torturing him again? Or… If they k-k-kill—"

"Lucy," Laxus said firmly, "Freed's not dead. You know he's not. I doubt they're going to torture him now that he's back. I mean, his dad went through all of that to get him to come home, he wouldn't lay a finger on him."

Lucy shook her head and looked up into Laxus' eyes. "He w-would… His dad used to b-beat them… All three boys and even his wife when they w-weren't behaving properly."

Laxus' eyes widened, and a low growl rumbled from his chest at the small piece of Freed's past he had learned. "Freed can take care of himself, Lucy. He's a Fairy Tail mage, a member of the guild's strongest team, and the smartest guy we know. Fairy Tail mages don't give up… You have to remember that."

Lucy shook her head and whispered, "I know that, but… I just w-wish he was here! Then I would know he was safe…"

Laxus sighed and pulled her closer, then said, "This is why I'd rather see you like this than empty like you were… You're talking to me about it instead of keeping it to yourself… At least now I know how I can help you…"

"How?" Lucy asked while she laid her head on Laxus' chest again, the single word making it seem as if she was a small child.

"The same way you helped me." Laxus lightly squeezed her again and kept running his fingers through her hair. "You said I make you feel safe," he whispered. All I have to do is follow my instincts. They won't steer me wrong when it comes to taking care of her. She needs me here.

"You do… Ever since I saved Freed that night, you've made me feel safe," Lucy replied. She paused for a moment and furrowed her brow, then said, "I… helped you?"

Laxus nodded before nuzzling her hair and squeezing her lightly. "You've been comforting me any time I get close," he whispered. "I didn't want to say anything about it, in case you didn't realize you were doing it. I didn't want you to stop…"

"I've noticed it from time to time," Lucy admitted. "I didn't understand why I was doing it when I couldn't feel empathy for you, or the actual desire to make you feel better, but I just accepted that it's something I didn't have an answer to."

"Bix thinks that the closer we get to finding Freed, the more you'll go back to normal," Laxus said softly. "That would explain why you wanted to hug me after we talked to Crux."

"But why did I have to get all of this back?" she asked sadly, though her voice was slowly becoming more monotone again.

"I don't know, little sis." Laxus paused and frowned when he sensed a change in her scent. Everything she had been feeling was slowly fading away, back into nothingness. "You okay?"

Lucy nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm tired, Laxus… Can I sleep here for now?" she whispered.

"Any time you want," he replied softly, placing a single kiss to her hair and nuzzling it again while he closed his eyes. He listened to Lucy's breathing even out almost immediately, and smiled when she snuggled closer to him. "Love ya, Lucy," he whispered.

---

Freed sighed as he was escorted to his father's study by the butler along with Christophe and Avery. He kept his gaze on the floor, not caring that each piece of furniture and art that he walked past was at least a century old. What does he want this time?, he thought as they took the last few steps to the study door.

"Your sons, sir," the butler said softly when he had been granted entrance, "Just as you requested."

"Send them in, Marcus," Mr. Justine answered while never taking his eyes from the contracts in front of him.

"He will see you now," Marcus said as he held the door open, silently closing it once all three young men were inside of the study.

Freed sat directly in front of his father, with Christophe to his right and Avery to his left. They waited in silence until their father explained what he wanted, and then made it clear that he expected them to speak.

Mr. Justine sat in utter silence for ten minutes before he smirked and pulled out a red pen. He circled three clauses on the copy of the contract he had been reading so that his lawyers could close the loopholes before they sent the official copies out to their business associates. Please, I wouldn't allow a single loophole to get past me, he thought smugly. He put down his pen and sat back in his chair, looking at each of his sons for a moment. Freed, the eldest and the one whom he'd had the highest hopes for, became his biggest disappointment—mainly because he had strayed so far. There was no way he would let anyone bearing the Justine name associate themselves with such disgusting filth and vagrancy as those that inhabit mage guilds. Christophe, the middle child and the one that Mr. Justine wished was the eldest. When Mr. Justine had discussed finding a way to return Freed with his sons, Christophe had been against it on principle; however, he also wanted Freed to return so that he wouldn't be forced to give up his apprenticeship in another company that was close to his father. Avery, the youngest and most coddled of his children. While Freed's dealings with magic were unsavory and disappointing, Avery had been a disappointment since birth. He'd grown up with no spine, no sense of masculine dominance that was necessary to survive in high society. The boy was a wimp and a pushover, and far too emotional.

Freed stared at the edge of the desk, letting the patterns of the wood grain change as his eyes shifted slightly. It was a game he and Lucy had played countless times, trying to see what their eyes would perceive as images because the human mind craved a sense of order. Wood grain, clouds, stars, they had done the same thing with anything they could find. Just the simple act of looking at the wood right then made Freed's heart ache with longing for the beautiful and brilliant blonde woman he'd fallen in love with. Usually, he was left on his own between meals, and he spent all of his time in the library where he knew no one would bother him. When it was explained to him that he couldn't stay holed up in his room sulking, because it made him look insane and his father wouldn't have that, Freed had chosen the library instead. Even as a child, he'd spent all of his spare time in there, so it wasn't much of a stretch to do it now that he was back.

"Freed, how are you adjusting to living a civilized life again?" Mr. Justine asked with a small smirk.

"My life was more civilized before, sir," Freed answered, his eyes never leaving the desk and the grains. A rabbit, the moon, a horse eating an elephant…

"You must be joking," Avery chuckled. "Mages are disgusting. They don't know the first thing about being civilized."

Freed didn't say anything. Avery had spoken out of turn, and everyone knew it. Freed wouldn't make the same mistake as his brother. All I have to do is lie low, do what they ask, and I'll be left alone. Lucy will be safe as long as I'm here…

Mr. Justine raised an eyebrow and glared at his youngest son, but chose to ignore the small outburst. Well, Avery at least learned that much… "What do you mean, 'more civilized'?" he asked.

"I mean exactly that, sir," Freed answered. "There was a lack of sterility in the atmosphere in which I lived. I was free to make my own choices, and was surrounded by individuals that put not only their faith in me, but they put their lives in my hands. It was civilized in the sense of a lack of secrecy and underhanded dealings between myself and my friends. Instead of living as if I had no emotions, because you view them as a weakness, I was able to embrace them fully. I found—"

"That's enough," Mr. Justine said firmly. "Mages are, as your brother said, disgusting. They are vile abominations that shouldn't be allowed to live in this world."

"Then I am also a vile abomination, sir," Freed said blankly. "I will always be a mage, regardless of your determination to change that."

"Preposterous," Mr. Justine said with a chuckle. "You're here, and not with your little mage friends. That is proof enough that you are not one of them. You're better than them. You're a Justine, and Justines—"

Freed removed his gloves and stood up, glaring at his father defiantly. He clenched his fists and then slowly lifted his left hand to show the vibrant, green Fairy Tail guild mark that still sat there proudly. "I have told you before, and I will tell you again until the day you die. I will always be a Fairy Tail mage." He dropped his hand, before he continued, his voice full of the emotion he had tried to mask. "You know nothing of the life I lived while I was away from this prison. Being a member of high society does not make us better than anyone else. We are all humans, and should treat each other as such. At least when I was still with my guild, I helped people. I have saved the lives of thousands over the years, by putting more than a pathetic reputation on the line. I would have sacrificed my own life so that others could continue living. What do you do while you sit behind your desk and smirk at insignificant loopholes in contracts? Do you help anyone aside from yourself and your business associates?"

Mr. Justine's eyes narrowed and he stood slowly to his full height, standing a full two hands-breadths taller than his wayward son. "You have no right to speak to me in such a manner, Freed," he said, his voice cold and calculating. "Now, sit down."

"No."

Christophe's eyes widened in shock. Freed had always been careful about how defiant he was of their father. He was smart, reserved, and usually willing to go along with their father's wishes for the sake of keeping the peace within the house. The only exceptions had been when he had stepped in for Avery during his beatings because he felt as though he needed to protect his youngest brother. Freed had even tried to intervene during Christophe's own beatings, and all it had accomplished was one more person being abused. Did he really just… He did… Freed told him 'no'!

"What. Did. You. Say?" Mr. Justine whispered through gritted teeth.

"I said, 'No,'" Freed answered, his own glare rivalling that of Laxus himself. "You view yourself as someone who is above all others he encounters, and you could not be more wrong. I will speak to you in any way I wish, because you are not above m—"

Freed's rebellious words were cut off by a solid punch to his jaw from his father. Mr. Justine smirked and straightened himself before also adjusting his suit jacket. He took slow, deliberate steps around the desk until he was standing a foot away from his eldest son, whose head was turned away. "What was that, Freed?" he asked.

Freed slowly turned back to his father, the darkness inside of him pushing against his iron will to break free and rid the world of the horrendous man in front of him. "I will speak to you in any way I wish," Freed repeated. "You are not above me, and you never will b—"

Another solid hit to his son's face. Mr. Justine lifted one eyebrow slightly when the harder hit only turned Freed's head again instead of knocking him to the ground. "Why don't you fight back, Freed? You're a mage, surely you can do something to stop me."

Freed smirked, licking the blood from his lip while he turned back to his father again. "There are a great number of things I could do to stop you, father. However, I will not use my magic against someone who can't properly defend thems—"

Another series of hits to his face and torso landed, but Freed didn't move an inch.

"Father, stop!" Christophe said quickly, standing to his feet. "He's done—"

"Christophe," Freed said quietly, shaking his head slowly. Don't get yourself in trouble over me… I can take care of myself. Freed started talking again, to his father this time, and his words were only halted by a hit to the face or stomach. "It is not the… Fairy Tail way… to injure someone using your magic… when they have none to… counter it. It doesn't matter… how many times you beat me… I will never let them down." Freed sighed and side-stepped a kick that was meant to knock him to the ground, grabbing his father's foot and upending him right there. He looked down at his father with disdain and shook his head. "I've told you before, and I'll say it again. I will stay, but my presence here is not for any of your benefit. I am here, what more do you want?"

"You should be thankful, Freed," Mr. Justine said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "This is your fate, you must accept it and stop this sulking. It's pathetic."

"There is a great difference between what I feel and sulking, sir," Freed answered with rage in his eyes. "I am not thankful that I was born into this life, nor am I thankful to have endured what I have at your hand this past year. You forced me to return, and I am here because of the leverage you hold over me. Nothing more."

Mr. Justine smirked as Freed turned to walk away, seeming as though he hadn't take a single hit. "Exactly, Freed," he said slowly, "You'll stay to keep her safe. You had better learn your place, otherwise I'll make an example out of her. She'll have more than a scar when I'm through with her."

Freed paused for only a moment, bristling with unbridled rage at the threat that hung in the air. "You're right. She's the only reason I'm still here… There won't be any reason for any harm to befall her. I won't leave…" he said as he walked out of the study towards the library. I'd do anything to see her again, he thought sadly, but being away from her is the only way to know she's protected. I'm so sorry, Lucy…

Mr. Justine walked back around his desk and sat down, pulling another contract towards him and reading it while his two youngest sons waited for him to say something. "You may go. This is a lesson, boys. You should always know your opponent's weakness, and exploit it to gain the upper hand."

Avery and Christophe nodded as they rose and silently left the study. Avery smirked and turned to his older brother, then said, "Well, that was interesting."

Christophe nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. What did he mean 'keep her safe'? Who is Freed protecting?

---

When the group of mages was almost to the guild, Bickslow looked over at the two Dragon Slayers and said, "So, what are you gonna tell everyone when we get there?"

Wendy shrugged, then looked at Gajeel.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "What do you want us to tell them? I'd rather not say a damn thing, but I know they'll ask Squirt unless she hides at my table."

Bickslow chuckled before his slightly raised spirits instantly dwindled. "Well, they know Lucy hurt him. And it won't hurt to tell them that she was using Freed's magic on the guy."

Wendy nodded, frowning again while she mulled over what had happened. "I don't think they need to know why she did it. That's between her and Gray. Well, they all know that he got too close to her, so I guess that's okay to talk about…"

Gajeel nodded in agreement. "Isn't she writing a letter to Master?"

"Yeah," Bickslow said, "We'll just keep it basic until tomorrow. Master can answer the questions from everyone after he reads it."

"Well, we're definitely not talking about what happened with Sparky…" Gajeel said after a few silent minutes. "No one needs to know about that shit. Bunny Girl's his kin, so it makes sense that he would react the way he did, but…"

Wendy smiled and wrapped her arm around the pierced arm next to her while looking at Bickslow. "But, they don't need to know that." She blushed slightly when Gajeel's arm pulled away from her grasp only to drape heavily over her shoulders. When she looked up at the older Slayer, she saw a proud smirk on his face while his ruby eyes kept looking at the road ahead of them.

Bickslow smirked at the two before they walked up to the doors of the guild. "Man, this is gonna suck so fucking hard…"

Wendy reached over to pat Bickslow's arm lightly, and when he looked at her she gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure Evergreen has called Master by now. Just go right to him, and then you and Levy can get the books you need for Lucy."

Bickslow gave the young Slayer a soft smile and nodded. He opened the doors just after Gajeel pulled his arm away from Wendy, and threw his indifferent mask back into place while they walked through the guildhall.

"OH MY MAVIS!" Juvia screeched. "Gray! What did she do to him?!" She quickly rushed over to the trio entering the guild, her screams having caused everyone to go completely silent while they watched.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "He'll be fine. Chill the fuck out."

"Why did she do it?" Juvia asked softly, her fear over Gray's safety soothed by her old friend's words—they were crass and vulgar, but she was used to it from him. "What kind of sick, twisted monster would—"

The Water mage's words were cut off by two very intense growls: one was low, and it rattled through her bones while it reverberated around her, while the other was decidedly higher, but no less menacing—and both were filled with promises of endless hours of pain. Wendy snarled at Juvia and shook her head before stalking off into the guild towards the infirmary, while Gajeel glared at her. "You don't know what fucking happened, Juvia," Gajeel seethed, letting out another growl. "He fucking deserved everything she did to him."

"How can you say that?!" Juvia asked with wide, unbelieving eyes.

Gajeel just shook his head and said, "Stripper needs to go to the infirmary. If you wanna talk to him, Wendy's gonna wake him up soon."

"Answer me!" Juvia shouted as Gajeel started to walk away. She roughly grabbed his arm, and took a small step back when he turned to growl at her again. He looked the same way he had when he was in Phantom Lord. "Answer me, Gajeel," she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"No. None of your goddamn business." He looked around the guild to see everyone watching them, then sighed and continued walking towards the infirmary. "Bunny Girl's writing Master a letter about what happened. He'll get it tomorrow, and then he can answer all of your nosy little fucking questions if he thinks it's alright. Me, Wendy, Bickslow, and Evergreen aren't saying a fucking thing." He turned to look back at Juvia and said gruffly, "You fucking coming or what?"

Juvia jumped and nodded before rushing after Gajeel, leaving Bickslow alone at the entrance. Bickslow sighed and walked over to Makarov who was sitting on the bar. "Master," he said softly while he sat down on a stool, "Did Ever call you yet?"

Makarov shook his head. "How is everything, Bickslow?" he asked softly as the guild went back to normal.

"Better," Bickslow whispered, motioning to Mira for a beer and nodding his thanks when she instantly handed him one. He took a swig then said, "She's a little better now. Don't know what made it happen, but it's something…"

Makarov nodded then asked, "And Laxus?"

Bickslow sighed and said, "He'll be alright." Bickslow knew that Makarov worried constantly about his grandson, and he'd taken it upon himself to talk with the guildmaster about what was happening at the house so he was kept in the loop. Bickslow told Makarov the day after they had found Lucy and Laxus sleeping the office what had happened, and how much better it made things for a little while. Pretty sure the only reason he's so accepting of this shit is because I'm telling him what's going on… Bickslow hated keeping something like that—his honesty with Makarov—from Evergreen and Laxus, but the old man deserved to know how they were doing. "I need Levy's help. Got a lead from one of Lucy's spirits, and she needs more books."

Makarov brightened and grinned. "Jet," he said softly as the Speed mage came to the counter to pick up his food, "Please have Levy come see me right away. I have something important to discuss with her."

"Of course, Master!" Jet said with a smile. He turned and used his magic for a small boost in his already fast speed, and relayed Makarov's message.

"Yes, Master?" Levy said softly as she stepped up to the bar.

"It seems Lucy needs your assistance," Makarov said gently, then motioned to Bickslow who had just finished his drink.

Levy turned and looked expectantly at the Seith mage. Bickslow pulled the list out of his pocket and handed it to her, saying, "She got a lead. Apparently what she was reading before was a dead end, but her spirit gave her this. Can you help me find these in the guild library so I can take them back to the house?"

Levy grinned and read the list, then frowned and cocked her head to the side. "She was reading law books before. Why would she start reading literature?"

Bickslow shrugged. "I have no clue. Her spirit said it could help…"

Levy nodded, then smiled when she re-read the titles. "Well, it's a good thing you asked for my help. These aren't in the guild library at all." She giggled when Bickslow's head shot up to look at her through his visor. "I have all of them at my place. I can bring them by if—"

"No," Bickslow said firmly, "No one's coming by the house again. Not after what happened today."

"I won't make the same mistake as Gray," Levy said testily. "I know her very well, Bickslow."

Bickslow scoffed and shook his head before he snatched the list from the short blunette. "Everyone here knows her, Levy. That's not the point. Point is, she—"

"Shrimp," Gajeel interjected, crossing his arms over his chest and standing a few feet behind the Script mage. When she turned to look up at him, Gajeel shook his head. "Bunny Girl can't see anyone right now. Especially after what happened. It's not safe for anyone but her team to be in that house."

"You and Wendy were there for hours," Levy reasoned. "You guys are just fine."

"That's because Squirt was dealing with the idiotic Stripper."

"And what were you doing?" Levy asked, raising her eyebrow while she challenged the intimidating Slayer.

"What any partner does. I had her back in case she needed me," Gajeel answered simply. "Just help him get the books."

"Evergreen and I can take them to the house tomorrow," Bickslow said while he started drinking another beer. "We'll take good care of them."

Levy sighed, then looked hopefully at Makarov. "Master?" she asked softly.

Makarov shook his head and said, "I must agree with them, Levy. Bickslow and Evergreen took Gray to the house so someone could see what was happening with Lucy. Based on him now being in the infirmary, I cannot allow any of you to go anywhere near her."

"He just got too close to her," Levy pleaded. "She's my best friend! I won't make the same mistake!"

"Tch, Shrimp you hug her every time you see her," Gajeel snorted. "You gonna tell me that you won't be tempted to keep with your normal routine?"

"I know how to control myself," Levy snapped.

"Levy," Bickslow whispered, "Tell me something…" He paused and looked at the angry woman, then said, "When you think about what happened with Freed, and how Lucy reacted to it, what do you feel?"

"Sad," Levy said instantly.

"Why?"

"Because he was taken away. And she's hurting because of it. Lucy's my friend, I care about her," Levy answered while looking at Bickslow like he'd lost his mind.

"Do you feel bad for her?" Bickslow asked.

"Of course I do! No one should have to go through something like that!" Levy shouted.

"If you were talking to her right now, would you want to try and make her happy?"

"I don't know how I'd do it, but I would try—"

Bickslow sighed and nodded, looking back down at the bar. "That's why you can't see her…"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Levy seethed.

"Here's a question…" Bickslow whispered, keeping his gaze focused on the bar top, "Would you try to make her happy for her sake? Or would you be doing it so you didn't feel guilty for not doing anything?"

"I…" Levy frowned and cocked her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" She understood the question he had asked her: whether her willingness to help Lucy was based on what was best for her friend, or if it was selfishness on her own part so she wouldn't feel like a failure. She had wanted to say it was for Lucy, and it always would be, but there was a surprisingly large part of her that wanted to feel better about everything that was happening. That part wanted to make Lucy happy again only so Levy herself wouldn't feel like a failure as a friend.

"Everyone just wants her to be happy," Bickslow said with a sneer. He chuckled darkly before looking at Levy who had taken a step back. "They pity her. They just want her to be normal. You all would do anything in your power to see her smile again, but it's not that simple. She knows you care about her, and some part of her cares about you guys too… But Lucy doesn't need someone else coming into the house trying to push their shit on her. Didn't work when Gray tried, and it won't work if you do it either."

"But—"

"Shrimp," Gajeel said sternly, "He's right. She doesn't need to see someone that's gonna make her feel guilty for not being the way you want her to be."

"She can't feel anything though... That's the probl—"

"It's not a fucking problem, Levy!" Bickslow shouted. How many times do I have to deal with this shit?! "Yeah, it sucks that she's not better. It sucks that Lucy's not her usual happy-go-lucky self. But it's not a problem that she's like this. What happened was the only way she could cope with him getting taken. If she was crying her eyes out, you'd be there to help her with whatever she needed. After a couple of weeks, you'd get tired of it and say she needed to move on."

"I wouldn't say tha—"

"If Lucy's gonna get better, it'll be on her own fucking terms—just like everything else she does. It's not gonna be from people like you and Gray trying to get her to see what's wrong with her so she can fix it just so that you can feel better about it. What Lucy needs is support for what she's going through, not people telling her everything is okay, and how she should go about getting better. It seems like everyone in this guild is so over-confident in their abilities that you guys think she'll miraculously be okay when she sees you! She needs our help in finding answers to bringing him home, not to making her the way you want her to be!" Bickslow paused and took a deep breath, then looked over at Makarov. "Master, she knew that you put his sword up there. We didn't tell her, but I guess she overheard us talking about it at some point… She said she would have felt betrayed by it, just like the rest of the team did."

Makarov's eyes widened, then he glanced guiltily up to the empty plaque before looking back at Bickslow. "Betrayed?"

Bickslow groaned and stood to his feet, ready to leave any moment. "Because you all acted like he's dead! You guys can talk all you want about wanting to help her, but when it came down to it, you treated the only thing that was left of Freed as something to remember him by. You acted like he wasn't ever coming back. Laxus, Ever, and I disagreed with your decision to do it—not that you even had the fucking courtesy to ask how we felt about it—but we kept it to ourselves because we thought maybe it would give everyone the motivation to help her get him. All it did was make everyone fucking complacent, as if that's just how it was supposed to be. 'Freed's gone, we should remember him.'" Bickslow knew he was shouting, but he couldn't find it in him to care any longer. Twice in one day, he had lost his temper with his own guild mates, and now he was yelling at the guildmaster. He grimaced down at the list in his hand, then looked back at Makarov. "When Ever calls, let her know I already relayed the message. Lucy's writing you a letter about what happened, you'll get it tomorrow when Ever and I come by. If you have questions, call Laxus and he'll answer them. No one is seeing her until she decides they can. She almost killed Gray, and we refuse to let someone else in the house just for a repeat of today. If Laxus hadn't stopped her, we would have lost her for good… If the guild has questions, they can ask you tomorrow. I'm tired of getting shit from everyone about what's going on, so," he paused and turned to face his guild mates, "From here on out, if you wanna know what's happening… Ask Master."

Everyone watched in utter shock as Bickslow stormed out of the guild, shaking his head and muttering about everyone being an asshole. Gajeel turned back and glared at Levy. "Happy, Shrimp?"

"Why would I be happy, Gajeel?" Levy asked softly, staring at the closing doors with guilt written across her face. Lucy almost killed Gray?

Gajeel rolled his eyes and walked back up the stairs to the infirmary, then bumped into Wendy as she opened the door to leave. He looked down at her for a second then sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I heard," Wendy whispered. She closed the minimal distance between them and wrapped her arms around Gajeel's waist. "Wanna go get some ice cream?" she asked with a small smile.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and snorted while he wrapped an arm around her tiny shoulders. "Why would I wanna get ice cream, Squirt? You know I don't eat it."

Wendy looked up at her partner and grinned. "Because it's Wednesday! The ice cream shop by your house got a special order in this morning!"

"What are you talking about?"

Wendy giggled and pulled back, beaming. "I told the owner a few weeks ago about you not liking ice cream because it was too sweet. He said there was a specialty shop that could make any flavor you wanted, so I had him order some for you! He didn't know what I meant, and he thought I was crazy when I placed the order… But, I got you steel, iron, copper, and lead ice cream, and little metal shavings in each flavor for sprinkles! He told me that everything would be in today!"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and stared at the young Slayer. "You ordered specialty ice cream… that's metal flavored… for me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Wendy said happily, "That way you can try different ones and find out which is your favorite! Pantherlily always get kiwi sherbet, Carla gets vanilla, and I get chocolate… You just sit there and scowl at people!"

When Gajeel heard Wendy's reasoning, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Gihi, looks like we're getting some ice cream then, Squirt." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smirked while he led her out of the guild, not caring what anyone else saw. It wasn't often—if ever—that someone did something nice for him just because they could. Wendy had decided that she didn't want him to miss out on something she enjoyed, and took it upon herself to include him in it the only way she knew how. Gajeel unconsciously pulled her a little closer while they walked in a comfortable silence to the ice cream shop, and smirked when she nuzzled his side for a moment. She's the one that always drags me along to get ice cream… Guess it can't hurt to try it out…

---

After finally separating from Avery, Christophe walked through the halls of his father's estate in deep thought. Freed had been gone for eleven years, leaving just before he had turned seventeen to join a mage's guild, and now he hardly looked a day over twenty-one. It was odd to see the eldest of the three looking as though he was now several years younger than Avery, but Christophe couldn't find it in himself to care. His older brother was back, which meant that Christophe wouldn't have to sacrifice the apprenticeship he had worked so hard to achieve just to run his father's company. A pang of guilt struck him as he realized just how much Freed must have sacrificed in returning.

Mr. Justine had called both Christophe and Avery into his study a little under a year ago to discuss his wish to return Freed to the estate to take his rightful place. They had all seem a glimpse of him in the crowd during the Grand Magic Games, and that was when they realized that he hadn't died as they thought. With renewed determination, Mr. Justine was set on bringing Freed back, and was willing to rely on his sons to get the job done. Christophe hated the idea of forcing Freed to come back, because his older brother had left for a good reason: their father never liked magic, and Freed was a mage. Even though he was perfect for the role of taking over his father's company, everyone could see that it wasn't what he really wanted. The day Freed left, Christophe had watched from the sidelines while his mother and Avery cried, but he never let anyone know just how proud he was of his big brother for finally taking his life into his own hands. I yelled at him that day… He wasn't being selfish… I was…

Christophe sighed and looked at the doors he was standing in front of. The library. He chuckled drily as he realized he had unconsciously come to the one place he knew Freed would be. Slowly, he opened the door and walked in, closing it silently behind him. He didn't have to look far to find the Rune mage. Freed's jacket was draped over the back of an armchair, and the green-haired man was sitting in another with his back to the door. Christophe could tell that Freed was reading, and silently laughed when he saw at least three distinct piles of books on the floor around the chair. He always did that, he thought as he quietly walked over, Grabbing all of the books he wanted to read and piling them up near him; all so that he didn't have to get up to get another book. Christophe paused and furrowed his brow when he heard Freed take a shuddering breath. What happened next had Christophe completely at a loss for words.

I can't do this, Freed thought while he stared at the pages in front of him. I miss her so much. He felt hot tears making a searing path down his cheeks, but he didn't care. No one ever came into the library aside from him. The servants knew he was here, so they would just open the door when it was time for a meal and let him know how much time he had, then they would wait outside for him. Freed grimaced at the thought of spending the rest of his life away from Lucy, confined to this library because he couldn't bear to be anywhere else. He loved books, loved knowledge, but even the thought of reading something reminded him of her. Lucy wanted to become an author, and the few snippets of her novel that she'd allowed him to read had shown Freed that she was beyond talented when it came to it. Focusing on the page in front of him, Freed's sorrow overwhelmed him, and he slammed the book closed before throwing it across the spacious room where it loudly thudded against one of the bookshelves. He dropped his head to his hands, roughly digging his fingers into his hair, and curled in on himself while he openly sobbed.

Christophe's eyes widened in utter shock at Freed's actions. He never would have imagined that his brother was capable of anything remotely close to what he had seen. Freed cherished books as if they were living things, and he had just thrown one across the room. Christophe hadn't seen his brother cry often, but when it did happen Freed was always silent as his tears fell—still holding the mask that they all had to wear in place no matter how upset he was. Freed was strong, probably the strongest and most resilient man Christophe knew, and seeing him so broken tore into Christophe's heart in a way he had never thought imaginable. He took long strides over to the armchair and knelt in front of his brother, placing a hand gently on his shoulder and dropping his own indifferent mask to let him see how devastated he was.

Freed flinched when he felt a large hand on him, but he couldn't stop the tears or heartrending sobs that left him. "D-Don't… Don't t-touch me…" he cried, finally willing himself to pull away.

"Freed," Christophe whispered sadly, leaning forward to try and comfort his brother. He stopped when he saw that Freed's sleeves were rolled up. What… happened to him? Christophe's worry over what had upset his brother was intensified as he looked at the scars that littered Freed's forearms and wrists. They crossed over one another again and again, but they didn't travel past his wrists. Those look like—Christophe's eyes widened when he saw the distinct markings on Freed's wrists that could only have come from one thing: shackles. "Freed, please talk to me," Christophe pleaded, finally breaking from his shocked stupor and leaning forward again to place both hands on Freed's shoulders.

Freed grimaced and shook his head. The last person he expected to understand what he was going through was Christophe. He was just like their father, and Freed knew that he always would be. "N-No…" he whispered angrily, "J-Just… leave m-me alone…" He tried to pull away from Christophe's grip, but was stopped when it tightened.

Christophe sighed and slid his hands down Freed's slender arms, noticing how Freed tensed when his fingers brushed over the exposed scars. "What happened, Freed?"

Freed dropped his hands from his head, keeping his face hidden from his brother. "He… He wanted m-me to come b-back," he whispered.

"That can't be right," Christophe said incredulously. "He's a lot of things, but this?!" he nearly shouted, motioning to Freed's scars.

Freed nodded. "Sh-She… saved me. And now I'll n-never… I'll n-never see her again!" he cried and lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother. Before Freed could worry that he had overstepped any boundaries, Christophe roughly pulled Freed down onto the floor with him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders while he cried. "I l-love her, Christophe…" he sobbed, "I'm m-miserable without her…"

Christophe held his brother, giving him all of the comfort he needed in that moment. "I'm sorry, Freed," he whispered while rubbing what he hoped were soothing circles on Freed's back. I never knew… I'm so sorry I helped him take you away…

---

Evergreen sighed when she put down the lacrima. She had just called Makarov, and he quickly informed her, rather guiltily, that Bickslow had already relayed her message. Then he had apologized for what had happened recently with the guild, and for displaying Freed's sword the way they had without at least consulting his team. When Evergreen looked at the time, she realized she still had an hour before she needed to start cooking dinner. With a small smile, she looked back at the lacrima and watched it light up as she called the one person that could make her smile. Once the handsome face appeared on the orb, her smile widened. "Hey, sweetheart," she whispered.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Elfman asked, his deep and masculine voice oddly soft and tender while he spoke.

"Better than before… Sort of…" Evergreen's smile became unsure and then she sighed and shook her head.

"Wanna tell me about it?"

Evergreen nodded, and once she saw the blue background and posters on the walls—and realized he was sitting in his bedroom—she started telling him everything that had happened since she had left the guild with Gray and Bickslow.

"That's not manly at all," Elfman muttered with a frown. "Why would Gray say that to her?"

Evergreen sighed and shrugged. "Because he's an asshole… Regardless, apparently she's getting better… She started crying and actually feeling remorseful while we were at the table—"

"No way!" Elfman nearly shouted, his eyes wide and a small smile on his face. Sure, it was weird to feel happy that Lucy was crying and guilty, but any emotion was better than none at all.

Evergreen smiled sadly and nodded. "She randomly got up and ran out of the room, and Laxus went after her. She was crying really hard up there… I could hear it through the ceiling… Then she came running down the stairs and rushed outside…"

"What the hell?"

"Exactly. She fell down in the yard and started screaming about how she was sorry… Laxus brought her back in and took her upstairs. They've been quiet for a while now," she mused, then giggled. "They probably fell asleep again."

"Heh, Mira still thinks it's weird," Elfman chuckled. "She's not jealous, but she says siblings don't cuddle up next to each other and sleep."

Evergreen rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, please! You told me that she and Lisanna both sneak into your room during thunderstorms! You guys do the same thing!"

Elfman let out a bellowing laugh and nodded. "That's what I told her! She just shook her head and said that she only comes in because she wants to check on us…" When Evergreen rolled her eyes again, he whispered, "She's the one that's afraid of the storms. Lisanna only started doing it because she thought that's what she was supposed to do. Now she does it because it's just our thing."

Evergreen nodded and giggled again. "This is the most I've laughed in a long time…" she said wistfully.

Elfman smile softly at her and said, "I've missed your laugh. And the way your roll your eyes at me…" He chuckled when Evergreen rolled her eyes dramatically and giggled. "Even how you smack me with that damn fan of yours!"

Evergreen's heart melted, and she set the lacrima on the table before she propped her elbows on her knees and set her chin in her hands. "I love you, Elfman," she whispered dreamily.

"Love you too, Ever," Elfman replied with a wink.

Before Evergreen could say anything else, there was a sharp knock at the door. Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned back to the lacrima. "Hey, there's someone… at the door," she said uncertainly. She picked up the lacrima and carried it with her while she walked down the hallway.

"I thought you said only Fairy Tail members could get through the runes around the perimeter," Elfman said softly.

Evergreen nodded absently, then put a finger to her mouth so Elfman would stay silent. Just in case it was a trick of some sort, she wanted to try and let Elfman see what was happening. "Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me, Ever!" Bickslow yelled. "Open the damn door, these things are heavy as fuck!"

Evergreen rolled her eyes and swung the door open. "Since when do you not use your totems to help you carry your books?!" she nearly shouted as the Seith mage came into view.

"Since my babies have been given a special delivery for Lucy," Bickslow muttered while he carried everything inside.

"Spec—" Evergreen paused and looked down at the lacrima, then smiled at Elfman. "Hey, I've gotta let you go for now. I'll call you before bed, okay?"

Elfman smiled and nodded. "Sure. Go teach Bickslow how a real man carries books," he said with a grin. They said quick i-love-you's, and the screen went black.

Evergreen pulled half of the stack of books from Bickslow and huffed as they walked into the office. "So, special delivery?" she asked once the books were sitting on the now empty desk.

"Yeah. Some messenger was standing at the edge of the runes when I walked up," Bickslow said while he stretched his arms. "Said he had an important letter for Lucy, but couldn't get past the runes to deliver it. I had my babies carry it just in case it was a trick—like some crazy explosive envelope shit or something—since I can just transfer their souls to something else if I need to."

Evergreen nodded, then looked at the envelope sitting pressed between the totems. "Well, let's go take it upstairs in a little bit. They're still up there, so they probably fell asleep again."

Bickslow nodded and listened to Evergreen recount what had happened while he was away. He frowned when she told him what had happened with Lucy, and his frown didn't leave as he told her what had happened at the guild. Finally, he sighed and took off his helmet to run a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna have to tell Laxus about what happened… I kinda feel like shit for snapping at everyone again, but…"

Evergreen walked over and patted her friend on the back consolingly. "It needed to be done, Bix. It might be nice to go to the guild and not have everyone breathing down our necks about what's happening."

Bickslow nodded, then said, "Maybe. Let's get up there. You've gotta make dinner soon…"

As they made their way up the stairs, Evergreen smirked and said, "Wanna help? Might do you some good to learn how to cook."

Bickslow chuckled. "Sure." The pair paused when they saw that Laxus' bedroom door was open, looking at each other in confusion before shrugging and walking to Freed and Lucy's room.

"Where—" Evergreen started to ask when she saw that the room was empty. She slowly turned and raised an eyebrow when she looked at the open door down the hall. She slowly walked over to Laxus' room with Bickslow just behind her, and her eyes widened in shock when she saw the two blondes sleeping in Laxus' bed. Usually, Lucy would sleep under the blanket while Laxus laid on top of it next to her; this time, they were both under the blanket and Laxus was lying on his back with Lucy's head on his chest, and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. "Laxus?" Evergreen whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her if he was awake.

Laxus' eyes slowly opened and he saw Evergreen and Bickslow standing in the doorway to his room. "What's up?" he whispered, motioning for them to come in.

Evergreen sat at the foot of the bed while Bickslow leaned against the dresser. "Lucy got a letter," Evergreen whispered. "There was a messenger by the runes when Bix came back, so he brought it inside."

Laxus nodded, then looked down at Lucy and smiled. She'd gone to sleep on her own because she felt tired. He didn't blame her one bit for feeling that way, since she hadn't been sleeping well and she'd thoroughly exhausted herself with everything else that day. "Sis," he whispered, pulling his hand out from under his head to push her bangs away from her face. "Time to wake up."

"Mm-mm…" Lucy mumbled, nuzzling the warm chest she was laying on and wrapping her arm around Laxus' waist more tightly. "Comfy…"

Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow chuckled softly before Laxus nudged Lucy a little bit. "You got a letter while we were sleeping," he whispered. "Could be important."

Lucy nodded, then lifted only her arm from Laxus' waist and held her hand out behind her while she kept her eyes closed. Once the envelope was in her hand, Lucy curled her arm back around Laxus' waist and cuddled closer to him. "All done," she whispered groggily.

Laxus rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on, open it up and read it."

"You can go back to sleep afterwards, Lucy," Evergreen said with a soft smile. "I still haven't made dinner, so you've got some more time."

Lucy sighed and nodded before her eyes creaked open. She slowly rolled onto her back and blinked repeatedly until the sleep left her eyes. Her fingers lightly trailed over the wax seal on the envelope, and when she recognized what it was, she shot up to a sitting position and tore the envelope open. The words were blurry, so she blinked again and again to try and get them to clear up.

"Sis, I took off your eye patch when you fell asleep," Laxus said while he sat up. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the small piece of black fabric, then handed it to Lucy.

Lucy quickly put the eye patch back on, running her finger lightly around the edge of it to activate the runes that held it in place, and read through the letter once. Twice. She put the letter down and her mind instantly started racing while she stared at the bedspread. After a minute, she felt Laxus' hand touch her arm and Lucy quickly shook her thoughts away. She folded the letter back up and put it on the bed before turning to wrap her arms around Laxus' waist.

She's hugging him?!, Bickslow thought happily. It had to be a good sign that Lucy was initiating some form of comfort from Laxus. She usually just stood still while Laxus hugged her, but now? Lucy had gone out of her way to hug him.

"Everything okay?" Laxus asked softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer while he rubbed his eyes.

Lucy shook her head and closed her eyes. "Can't think…" she whispered. "Not right now…" When she felt Laxus lightly squeeze her while he sighed, she added, "Can I go back to sleep now?"

Laxus' brow furrowed as he looked down at Lucy. "Why can't you think right now, sis?" he asked, looking from Lucy to the shocked mages that were staring at her. Lucy's voice was going back before she fell asleep, he thought, It didn't stay that way… Laxus couldn't understand it, but it seemed as though she was fluctuating between no emotions at all and a small amount. He didn't want to bring it up to her, just in case it might cause her to lean more towards the emotionless side again.

"Too much to think about," she whispered. "I don't want to start bleeding again…"

"Lucy, talking about it might help," Evergreen said softly. "You can tell us what you're thinking about…"

"Yeah, and then you can just focus on what you're telling us instead of everything else," Bickslow finished with a nod.

Lucy looked up at Laxus, silently asking what he thought, and he smiled down at her and nodded. "Let's give it a shot," he said. "If you start getting distracted, or if it doesn't seem to help out, then you can stop."

"And we can go and get some tissues just in case you do start bleeding," Evergreen encouraged with a soft smile.

Lucy looked over at Evergreen, then to Bickslow, then to the letter. "You… You want to help…" she whispered.

"Of course we do," Bickslow said. "All you have to do is tell us what can help, and we'll do it. Oh, I got your books by the way. I had to buy them, but I guess it just means you guys can add them to the library."

Lucy looked up at Bickslow, staring right into his eyes. Her brow furrowed as she felt the guilt that was still sitting deep inside of her turn into something else. She kept staring, noticing how silent the room had become, but she was waiting to see what emotion would come. If she had to gauge how much she had in the way of emotions, it would probably be a little less than a quarter of what she was capable of. A sense of warmth pushed away the guilt until it was almost completely gone, and Lucy's eyes widened when she realized what it was.

"Everything okay?" Laxus asked.

Lucy nodded, and pulled herself away from Laxus' embrace. She pushed the blanket off of her legs and slowly stood up, never taking her eyes away from Bickslow's.

What is she doing?, Bickslow thought as he watched Lucy walking towards him. He could see something in her eyes, but he had no idea what it was. She had looked surprised for a moment, then it was as if she was content with something.

Lucy walked right up to Bickslow, and when she was right in front of him she carefully pulled his arms away from his body where they were crossed over his chest. When she let his wrists go, they fell limply to his sides. "You bought them for us?" she asked softly.

Bickslow nodded, completely unsure of what to do with Lucy so close to him. He and Evergreen hadn't been nearly this close to her physically since Christmas Eve, and she had even touched his hands. "Yeah," he whispered, "I would have borrowed them from Levy, since they're not at the guild, but she wanted to bring them by herself…" He paused when he heard Laxus sigh, then added, "No one's gonna come by to bother you, though. I made sure of it…"

Lucy tilted her head to the other side, then said, "I want to try something. Will you help me with it?"

Laxus' eyes widened when he heard her. That's what she said to me before she—

Bickslow nodded eagerly and said, "Sure, what do you need?"

Lucy replayed what happened with Laxus in her head, and wondered what would happen this time. "Just… Stay still." She took another step forward and placed her hands on Bickslow's stomach. She saw Bickslow's eyes widen further in shock and slid her hands around him, recreating the exact same scenario that she had done with Laxus. Her head was turned to the side and lying gently on his chest, her arms were around his waist, and she was pressed lightly to him with her eyes closed while she took deep breaths.

Bickslow looked up at Laxus and Evergreen with his jaw hanging open. Laxus' expression mirrored his own, and Evergreen had started silently crying with a smile on her face. "What do I do?" he mouthed to Laxus.

Laxus pantomimed wrapping his arms around Lucy, and nodded in encouragement when Bickslow slowly lifted his arms and slid them around Lucy's shoulders. After a moment, his head lowered to lay his cheek on top of her head.

They stood in complete silence for a solid minute before Lucy squeezed Bickslow lightly and whispered, "Happy…"

"Huh?" Bickslow asked.

Laxus grinned and said, "She wanted to see if she could feel anything by hugging you…" When Bickslow's head shot up to look at him incredulously, Laxus nodded. "She did the same thing with me earlier. It's why her eyes are closed: she's focusing on how she feels. You make her happy."

"I… I do?" Bickslow whispered, looking back down at Lucy with a smile on his face.

Lucy nodded and pulled her head away, and felt a very dulled sense of happiness replacing her guilt, just like hugging Laxus had replaced it with safety. "You make me feel happy, Bickslow," she whispered and realized that the corners of her mouth had turned up into a small smile.

"Holy shit," Bickslow whispered, feeling tears of joy welling in his eyes as his smile turned into a wide grin. He saw that smile from her, and it was like his whole world stopped as he realized he was the reason for it. She's happy. Her smile's come back. We're helping her… "That's fucking awesome."

Lucy giggled—the sound only a ghost of what her usual laughter was—and nodded again before laying her head against Bickslow's chest. "I'm happy that you bought those books for us," she whispered. "Freed is going to love them."

Bickslow chuckled and nodded. "No problem, Lucy."

Evergreen couldn't have been happier in that moment. Lucy was feeling happy, and hugging Bickslow. It was the first physical contact she had allowed with anyone aside from Laxus, and there was no way for the Fairy mage to hold back her tears of joy. A small part wished that she had been the one that Lucy had decided to hug, the one that made her happy, but it was drowned out by the knowledge that Lucy was getting better. They were doing something right when it came to helping her, and the sight of Lucy and Bickslow only firmed Evergreen's resolve to keep helping Lucy in any way she needed.

After a few minutes, Lucy pulled away and sighed. She looked up to see tears pouring down Bickslow's face and shook her head. Her hands slowly raised and she wiped away his tears before saying, "Don't cry, Bix… Be happy…"

Bickslow chuckled and said, "I am happy, Lucy."

Lucy nodded and smiled again, then turned and walked back to the bed and sat down. She tucked her legs back under the blanket and laid her head on Laxus' shoulder while he wrapped an arm around her, then picked up the letter she'd received.

"What does it say?" Evergreen asked softly. It'll happen one day, she reminded herself, Whenever Lucy decides she wants to hug me, I'll be more than happy to help.

Lucy looked from the letter to everyone else. "We need tissues and a pen… and a stack of paper."

"Why the writing stuff?" Laxus asked as Bickslow left the room to get everything with a grin. Heh, that's how I felt too…

"Because while I'm talking about the letter, I want someone to take notes on it. Later on, we can see if there are any connections to be made with what I already know from my research. Plus…" Lucy paused, then looked at Evergreen and Laxus, then to Bickslow when he came back in the room. "I want to hear your input on what's happening. You three might think of something that I haven't, because you each see things differently. My biases could miss something crucial, and now I see that I should have asked for your help before…"

"It's all good, sis," Laxus whispered. He watched Bickslow walk warily over to the bed, still unsure of whether he could come near Lucy even though she had hugged him. When Lucy didn't react to him being so close, Bickslow visibly relaxed and put the box of tissues and a hairbrush next to the letter, then sat down at the small desk in the corner of the room and got ready to write.

Laxus raised an eyebrow in question, and Bickslow chuckled. "Lucy's got bedhead. Figured you'd wanna fix that."

Laxus looked down at Lucy's golden hair and chuckled along with Bickslow, then moved so he was leaning against the headboard. "Come here, sis."

Lucy looked over at Laxus and nodded, then readjusted so she was sitting cross-legged between his open legs. She pulled the elastic band out of her braid, then pushed it over her shoulder and set the band in his outstretched hand. "The day after Freed was taken, I sent a letter out to someone I thought might be able to help. This is her response to my inquiry." Her eyes closed for a moment while she felt the small tingling sensation across her scalp from Laxus unbraiding her hair.

"Who's it from?" Evergreen asked.

"Hisui E. Fiore," Lucy answered.

Everyone gaped at Lucy: Laxus stopped brushing her hair, Bickslow dropped the pen on the desk, and Evergreen fell off of the bed. "So, you just casually wrote a letter to the Princess of Fiore… and she answered you?!" Evergreen shouted in shock as she stood up and brushed herself off before taking her seat again.

Lucy nodded and a small reminiscent smile curved across her scarred lips. "We became friends after the whole Eclipse Gate incident, and we write to each other from time to time." Lucy sighed and shook her head, then felt Laxus start brushing her hair again. "I told her what happened to Freed, and gave her a brief synopsis of everything his father's done from his torture until now. Then, I told her my plan to find a way to bring him back to us so that his father couldn't legally take him away again, and I asked if she had any advice."

"What did she say?" Bickslow asked softly.

Lucy looked down at the letter, running a finger over the royal crest at the top of the page, then read it aloud for everyone.

Dearest Lucy,

First, you must know that I am truly happy that you have found someone for whom you care so deeply, and he is a lucky man to have captured your heart. It pains me greatly to learn of your loss, and I wish I was able to give you good news. I don't know when you'll finally receive this letter, and I hope that anything I write is not information you've already found on your own. The Justine family is not like your own—while Jude was a self-made man, Frances relies on his lineage that dates back centuries. This lineage is what has given him a higher status within society, and his own business acumen only cements his right to that position in the minds of his peers. As the eldest son, Freed Justine is legally bound to his father's estate by tradition, and there are few ways to separate him entirely from that fate. The first is an official renouncement of his claim as an heir; however, Frances will have to sign a contract recognizing Freed's choice, and submit it through the proper channels, along with more paperwork to recognize the next eldest as legal heir. The second option is for Frances to disown Freed; however, based on the severity of his actions to return Freed to the estate, I am sure that this is not a viable option. The third, and final, option is—

Lucy stopped and stared at the next few words.

"Lucy?" Laxus asked softly as the scent of tears slowly filled his nose. "Sis, what's wrong?"

Lucy shook her head, wiped her tears away and tried to continue reading. Her voice caught in her throat, and finally she carefully handed the letter to Evergreen and then leaned back against Laxus. Her hair wasn't braided yet, but it didn't matter to her. She felt Laxus' arms wrap around her, and slowly turned and pulled her knees to her chest, nuzzling his chest to try and feel something other than the guilt inside of her that had started to swell again.

Evergreen read through the letter to find where Lucy had stopped, and then gasped. She looked from the paper to everyone in the room, then took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and read it again. Finally, she cleared her throat and continued reading.

The third and final option is an engagement. In the event that Freed was engaged, his fiancée would have the legal means to demand his return, as only she would rank higher than his own father in this situation. I wish there was more that I could do, but the monarchy is unable to intervene without the potentiality of inciting a rebellion against us for favoritism. While I would love nothing more than to strip the Justines of their title and power—especially because Frances abused the loopholes in the laws to sanction torturing his own son—my hands are tied. I can say that if you find a way to bring him back, feel free to call me. If I'm able to help in some way, please let me know. I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor, Lucy Heartfilia. Please remember that you are not alone in this, and I look forward to hearing from you again. (P.S. If you do decide to call, make sure it's after midnight. I'm always alone by then, so we'll have privacy.)

Best wishes, Hisui.

Evergreen sighed and folded the letter before placing it on the bed. She looked over at Bickslow and saw the smile he'd had before from hugging Lucy had completely vanished while he stared at the blank paper in front of him. She turned to look at Laxus and watched as he frowned while he continued comforting Lucy. Lucy herself was silently crying, and it broke Evergreen's heart to see her like that.

"Bix," Laxus whispered as he looked over at the Seith mage. "Come over here, man."

Bickslow raised an eyebrow, then slowly stood up and walked over to the bed. As soon as he was standing next to it, he saw Laxus move over and motion for him to sit down in the now vacant spot. Not knowing what else to do, Bickslow saw down and leaned against the headboard, then gasped when Lucy's hand shot out and her fingers laced with his. He looked from the closed eyes of the crying blonde girl up to Laxus with unasked questions lurking in his eyes.

Laxus sighed and said, "She feels safe with me. You make her feel happy. She needs us, man." Laxus looked over at Evergreen, sitting at the foot of the bed and staring at the letter. Before he could say anything, a small voice spoke from just in front of him.

"E-Ever?" Lucy whispered through her tears.

Evergreen's head shot up to look at Lucy. She called me… "Yes, Lucy?"

"C-Could you come h-here?" Lucy asked, reaching out her free hand towards the end of the bed and keeping her eyes closed.

When Evergreen made no move to come closer, Bickslow leaned forward and dragged her across the bed until she was sitting right between his own legs and leaning on his chest. "She wants to hold your hand, Ever. Help her out," he whispered while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Evergreen looked from Bickslow to Laxus, then to the hand that Lucy held out to her. "But…" she whispered, completely unsure of herself in that moment. Over the course of two weeks, every attempt she had made to help Lucy had failed. Laxus had been close to her right away, and Bickslow had gotten close to her as well.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes and looked over at Evergreen. She sat up slightly and Laxus' arms loosened just enough for her to move so she could readjust herself before snuggling closer to him. "I've got Laxus to keep me safe. Bickslow to make me happy," Lucy said as she reached over to take Evergreen's hand, lacing their fingers and giving her friend the best smile she could manage.

"What can I do?" Evergreen asked sadly as she looked at their intertwined fingers.

"What you always do, Ever," Lucy whispered, closing her eyes again. "You give me hope."