Chapter Eleven:
Laxus smelled salt as he heard the running feet hurry down the stairs, door slamming in their wake. Sighing, he counted to twenty before his own office door came flying open. Mira stood there, hands on her hips.
"You need to talk to her," the woman spat, and Laxus could feel her magic just under the surface. "She's completely out of control."
"What did she do now?" he asked, finishing up the form he had been working on.
"Kinana has now taken refuge in the kitchens, in tears because of something Lucy said to her."
"Bunny brought up her past and said that nobody ever looked for Kinana because she's useless and as soon as a tool becomes useless, it's disposed of." Gajeel's head poked around the doorway. "Shrimp's with her now, and she asked me to come up and tell you that if you want to insist on Bunny Girl being watched all the time, you better remind her that we're not her enemies."
Mira glared at Laxus, and he pushed away from his desk. The blonde had only been awake for a week and she had already sharpened her tongue on the majority of the females in the guild. He had tried sending Freed and Bickslow in to watch her, but she went after them as well. Laxus had never seen Freed so emotional before, and Bickslow had disappeared for two hours after he left the infirmary.
"I'll do what I can," he muttered, heading for the hallway. "But she hates me more than the rest of you put together, so I can't promise anything."
Pushing open the door to the infirmary, he ducked instinctively as a cup came sailing towards him. It clattered harmlessly to the floor well in front of him, and he vaguely remembered Ever complaining that Lucy had thrown her plate at her once. Apparently it was a good thing that the blonde was only being served on plastic dishes, not that the guild kept many breakable dishes around anyway. Too much money to replace every time a brawl broke out.
As he moved further into the room, he dodged a bowl that was thrown, even though it fell far short, and glared at her as she reached for the spoon on her bedside table. "Don't you dare," he growled. Even though her aim was off and her distance was awful, he didn't want her thinking she could just throw things at people.
"I'll throw it if I want to," she snapped. "Didn't I tell you that I didn't want to see you? Until you get out of here, I'll keep throwing things. And because it's you, I'll make it hurt."
"Run out of words to hurt people's feelings?" he snapped back. "If you didn't drive off every female in the guild, as well as Freed and Bix, I wouldn't be called in to deal with you. Oh, and there's no way you could hurt me with a spoon. Even if it hit me, it's plastic."
"Is it too much to ask for privacy?" she said bitterly. "I don't know why you think I'm going to kill myself, but I don't need a bunch of people hanging around waiting for it to happen. Not that it could, because you don't allow me anything that could be weaponized. See," she indicated the spoon. "Plastic."
"Until we can trust you, you can't be left alone," he said simply. "And so far, all I see is a brat throwing a tantrum who needs a babysitter."
She glared at him. "Oh yeah? Well this brat is the only reason you have a guild hall."
Laxus shook his head. "You're going to behave yourself with Gajeel, who's going to come in and keep an eye on you while I try and find a woman who you haven't pissed off so much that they won't come up here and deal with your bad attitude. Unless of course, you're willing to have me move my desk in here and do all of my work here. Because if you drive off the next person who tries to take care of you out of the goodness of their heart, that's what's going to happen."
Lucy threw the spoon towards his head, but he caught it. "And that was the last straw. Your food now comes in paper dishes. No utensils. Good luck throwing things at people."
As he turned to leave, she shrieked in rage.
"I could gag you," he said, hand on the doorknob. "It would make my life easier if you insist on being difficult."
"If I'm so difficult, why won't you just give me my keys," she snapped. "They could take care of me."
"Not a chance," he said, and went out into the hall, motioning for Gajeel to enter. He heard the thump of her pillow hitting the floor, and said: "Don't give it back to her. She obviously doesn't want it."
Gajeel smiled grimly and went into the infirmary with the same look he had when facing down the Chariot event at the Grand Magic Games. Laxus sighed, and went down the stairs to see who would be willing to take another turn with Lucy.
Another week passed, and Lucy was still being unreasonable. Laxus's patience was wearing thin. The blonde had stopped throwing things, mainly because they had removed everything that she could throw, but nobody could get her to curb her tongue. Even Gajeel, who ignored pretty much everything said about him, was refusing to take a shift with her. So when Wendy and Porlyusica wanted a word with him after her checkup, he ushered them into his office and hoped that they had good news for him.
"Lucy-san's doing very well physically," Wendy said, her voice shaking. Lucy had been especially venomous that afternoon. "Mentally though…she's hurting."
"That child needs to get out of the guild," Porlyusica said grumpily. "She's at the point where she doesn't need constant supervision, but she still needs to be carefully monitored. Her body needs time to rest and regain strength, instead of jumping straight into things. Where does she live?"
"She's been living in a storage room since the guild disbanded," Laxus muttered. It was a tiny, cramped thing. Freed had shown him the room while they were looking for information on what Lucy had been doing for the mayor. He had been amazed at the Spartan feel to it, the only personal item being the giant map of Fiore with the guild member's names on it. Lucy had apparently been tracking the whereabouts of everyone since they had scattered.
"That won't work," Wendy said nervously, looking at Porlyusica. "I think part of the reason she's so angry is because she's cooped up in the guild, constantly seeing people she's angry with. If she could get out, she wouldn't have these constant reminders. And I think she needs her keys back."
"Not until she stabilizes," Laxus said firmly. "So if she can't stay in the guild, where is she supposed to go?"
"Send her home with someone," Porlyusica snapped. "Surely there's someone here who has the room for her?"
Sighing, Laxus reached for the drawer where he kept the guild member's profiles. "Thank you, both of you. I know she's not the most agreeable patient…Porlyusica, would Wendy be able to explain Lucy's care requirements to whoever takes responsibility for her?"
"She will be able to oversee the girl's recovery from here on out," the old woman said. "I'm going to go back to my forest and if you disturb me in the next six months, you will be in pain."
Rolling his eyes, Laxus said: "I understand. Thanks for your help in the meantime. If you need anything, just send word."
"If something happens to the girl though, call me," the old woman paused at the door. "I don't mind her as much as I mind the rest of you humans."
The surprise must have shown on his face, because she muttered: "The girl came to me a few times when her injuries were particularly bad. Her spirits forced her to."
Nodding, Laxus turned back to Wendy. "Thank you Wendy. If you'll excuse me, I need to find a place for Lucy to stay. Do you have any opinions?"
Twisting the end of her hair with her finger, Wendy said: "I'd say she could stay with me, but I'm staying with Alzack and Bisca until I find a place. We don't have room for her, and I don't think I could handle Lucy-san on my own…or that Asuka should have to hear what she's saying."
With a grimace, Laxus nodded. Lucy had changed from the sweet girl who never said anything unkind to a venomous snake who spat at everyone she came across. Even when Yukino had called on the communications lacrima, Lucy had driven her away. There was a thought… "What about Yukino? Sending Lucy away from Fairy Tail might help."
Immediately, Wendy shook her head. "Lucy-san shouldn't leave Magnolia. As angry as she is with the people in Fairy Tail right now, I think she still loves the guild. And if Team Natsu hears that she's at Sabertooth, they'll go there to find out why before they come home. Which could be very bad."
"Well then…I was thinking I'd ask the Strauss siblings, Levy, and the Raijinshu. They're reasonably close to her and would be able to rotate through taking care of her."
Wendy nodded. "Those are probably the best choices," she agreed. "But I don't know if she'll take them."
"She doesn't have a choice," Laxus said bluntly. "If it's what you say needs to happen, she's getting out of the guild."
"Laxus-san," Wendy said, fidgeting uncomfortably. "I…when I was at Lamia Scale for that year, Lucy and I wrote to each other. And on some letters I…I could smell blood. But I never said anything…"
"None of us said anything," Laxus said gently. "It's not your fault Wendy. She's angry with all of us, and for good reason. It will take her time to forgive us."
"Okay Laxus-san," Wendy murmured, getting up to go. "Would you like me to ask the Raijinshu and the others to come up?"
"I suppose that would be best," he groaned, not looking forward to the conversation he was about to have. "Who was sitting with Lucy?"
"Cana," Wendy said, fidgeting again. "She swore she was sober, and I believe her. I think Mira told her that if she sat with Lucy for a while, completely sober, Mira would pay her alcohol bill tomorrow."
"Damn," Laxus muttered as Wendy left. If Mira was bribing Cana into sobriety for a few hours and offering to pay the tab for the next day, she had to be desperate.
In a few minutes, his office filled with the people he had asked for, and Gajeel, who had come in with Levy. Sighing, he said: "Wendy and Porlyusica say that the next step in Lucy's recovery is moving her out of the guild and into a home for the duration of her recovery."
"She's well enough that they're letting her out of the infirmary?" Levy asked.
"Apparently," Laxus grunted. "They think that being cooped up there isn't doing much for her mental state. Since she was living in the guild before, we have to find another place for her to stay, and it has to be a place where she has near constant care. She doesn't need to be watched at the same level that she is now, but someone has to be nearby at all times."
"So you want one of us to take her into our home, Laxus-sama." Freed's voice was cold, and it was like a knife in Laxus's heart. After hearing about what had happened to Lucy, and his role in it, most of the guild was still angry with Laxus, but Freed and the rest of the Raijinshu had been angrier than most. Apparently they had spent time with Lucy while he was away, and the trio had grown quite close to the blonde. His captain was particularly frigid with him nowadays, and Laxus couldn't blame him. He blamed himself for the whole matter.
"That would be ideal. Now, I understand that it's a lot of responsibility, so I'm willing to help pay for her upkeep and replace any lost income from jobs. Is there anyone who's interested in taking her in?"
Levy frowned. "I'm sorry, but I'm currently crashing on Gajeel's couch. There's no way another person could fit in his house."
"We're too busy helping you with the organization of the guild, Master," Ever said, her voice haughty. "Most night's we're here late, working on paperwork. It would not be ideal for Lucy to stay with us, even though your room has opened up since you moved to your new house."
"I would say she could stay with us, but I'm usually running the bar, and Lisanna's been helping me. We could help out, but I don't think we could take her on for a long term commitment. Plus, we don't have the room. Lisanna and I share, and she shouldn't have to sleep on the couch."
Laxus sighed. "Okay, does anyone know of someone who has the time and space to take in Lucy who won't cave after she goes after them with her tongue?"
The room was full of negative replies, and he sighed again.
"Wait, I have an idea." The room turned to look at Mira, who was smiling brightly. "She should stay with Laxus!"
"Don't you think that would be counter-productive to her recovery?" Freed asked icily, and Bickslow nodded while Ever glared.
"She's the worst when he's in the room," Levy murmured, and Gajeel grunted in agreement.
Lisanna and Elfman looked uneasy, but Mira continued on as if the entire room hadn't just shot down her plan. "I know she's angry at him, but she's never driven him out of the infirmary like she's done with the rest of us. Plus, didn't Ever say he just moved to a new house? Surely he's got room for her."
Dumbstruck, Laxus said: "I do have the space, but last time I checked, I was still Master here. I'm up to my ears in paperwork!"
Mira flapped her hand at him. "You just said Lucy doesn't need constant supervision. Your paperwork can be taken to your house. If you come to the guild a couple of hours a day, I'm sure we can manage without you for the rest of the time. And while you're here, we can all rotate through keeping an eye on her, so that way nobody gets particularly burnt out. Plus, if she's angriest at you, you need the most time to make it up to her. It all makes sense."
Freed nodded slowly. "If Lucy stays with Laxus-sama, then she will be slightly out of town, giving her a relatively isolated space with few memories to recover in. The land his house is built on is quite tranquil as well; perfect for recovery. Laxus-sama spends most of his time doing paperwork in his office right now, which can be done off-site. The Raijinshu need to be able to move about in town or the guild while we continue our projects, but we can each take a few hours off each day to give Laxus-sama an opportunity to come and do work here. Because of his ability to teleport, Lucy will be able to get to medical care quickly and we will be able to move quickly between his house and the guild."
"There, you see? It's perfect! Now, when are we going to move her?" Mira clapped her hands together.
"Hold on, I don't have anything set up in the spare room yet!" Laxus protested, but Mira only shrugged.
"Go out and get what she needs and set it up. We can move her tomorrow."
"How do I know what she needs?" he grumbled, but Levy stepped up.
"If you get the furniture, I could get the rest of what she needs. I used to go to her apartment all the time, so I know what she likes."
"I'll help you Levy," Ever said, stepping towards the bluenette. "As long as you don't mind me making a few stops while we're out."
"Not a problem. Laxus, what size bed are you planning on getting?" Levy asked, and Laxus wondered if his grandfather ever had to deal with a mess like this.
"Twin," he mumbled, trying to picture how the room would be laid out.
"Don't forget to get a desk," Levy said, turning to leave the room. "Lu-chan likes to…she liked to write."
Sighing, Laxus reached for his coat. Apparently he wasn't going to have a choice in the matter.
***Hi all! Before I say too much, I've got a note from my beta!
Hey all! So you haven't met me yet, but I've been the beta for both Strength of Spirit and Still Standing. I was just as surprised as a lot of you were when I first read this interpretation of Lucy, but I'm working with Rhose to try and make sure she doesn't become too OOC. To respond to a few of the concerned reviews, our reasoning behind Lucy's character in this fic is that almost two years of isolation made Lucy doubt some of her friendships and now she's at the point where she can finally share the feelings that she's forced herself to ignore during that time. But from here on out, the plot tends to focus on how Lucy, Laxus, and the rest of Fairy Tail heal emotionally. I personally love reading reviews so I can argue with Rhose about plot and character (you guys give me some leverage!) as I edit and proof things, so keep 'em coming! I have a bit more influence on this fic, so hopefully you'll be hearing from me again soon!
So, she said most of what I wanted to cover, but I'll just reiterate a bit. I know this Lucy is a shock to you. It was a shock to me too when I first met this Lucy. But when I thought about it, everything just made sense. You don't go through what Lucy's gone through without having a lot of mixed up emotions, and right now they're all bubbling to the surface. And don't be too hard on Laxus. He's struggling with a lot himself right now, between the guild and Lucy's situation. He's just trying to do what he thinks is right. Also, for those of you who think he should give her back her keys, let me explain. Laxus and the rest of Fairy Tail saw Loke and the rest help Lucy with her plan to die, and Loke even admitted that it was something Lucy had discussed with him beforehand. Nobody besides Lucy knows what other plans she put in place, so Laxus feels its safer to keep her away from people who might let her (or even help her) hurt herself. Because Lucy's been in such a bitter, angry state, she hasn't been able to successfully prove that it's not going to happen, so therefore, no keys. She'll get them back soon, with a few provisions, but it takes some time for her to calm down.
As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!***