Hey Everyone! I apologize for taking so long to update. I really don't know what to make of this chapter. So many ideas were going through my mind, it became difficult to write DX Please review and let me know what you think

I do not own Fairy TAil!


Chapter 11: The Second Stage: Acceptance

"So, what happens if the two of you try to get near her?" Levy looked up from her reading material to the two dragon slayers that sat across from her. She was rereading the book about dragons that she found a few days back, trying to see if there was any way to remove the mating mark from her best friend.

The script mage was worried. In fact, she missed Lucy, and had promised to herself that she would spend her time trying to find a way to help her out. From what Lisanna had told them before she left a sleeping stellar mage the prior night, Lucy was weak. Almost as if her life energy was drained from her, which only caused guild members to become even more worried.

Natsu let out a sigh, his expression pensive. "That's the problem. I don't know... but if anything should happen to her by another dragon's hands, according to ancient law, which are still in effect today, Sting will have every right to take that dragon, or person's life. The mate of the male dragon is considered to be his most valuable possession."

Levy stopped what she was doing to process what was just said. It was just completely unfair that the past would suddenly, un-conveniently, and without warning, come running into the present. Being with Natsu increases her safety, but then again, Natsu could also accidentally hurt Lucy, especially when he could be pretty reckless sometimes. "So, its a catch-22? What if, by some miracle, Sting does give you permission to go near Lucy?"

Laxus snorted, "Like hell he'd do that!"

"If he does," Natsu looked down at the table, "then the time is limited. Because even though being around another dragon slayer will lengthen the amount of time Lucy can be without Sting, the moment Lucy's mark transformed, her body gradually became dependent of Sting's."

Levy listened while scanning the page of the book. A small silence. "I hope you won't be upset when I say this, but I think Sting is the best person for Lu-chan." The script mage heard two low growls come from the dragon slayers, "Think about it. She's loyal to Fairy Tail, and we know that she's going to be with us until the very end, but when was the last time she thought of herself instead of the guild?"

"This isn't about that! We're talking about Sting Eucliffe here! Levy, you're supposed to be watching out for her, not push her into thinking that man is ever going to love her, because we all know how easy she can fall for any guy out there!" Laxus was growing frustrated.

Levy stood up, slamming the book shut on the table, "You obviously don't know Lu-chan well enough! What exactly is the real issue then? For Natsu, I understand, but what about you?" Laxus was taken aback. "Look, haven't you thought of the reason why Lu-chan left her home in the first place? She left because she wanted to see the world, and experience new things. Ever since her mother died, all she's been searching for is the unconditional love and undivided attention she's lost." Her voice lowered, "She's always been with us, but Sting is different; the complete opposite of who she is. But from what I can see, they both share certain things that makes them compatible with each other. And if what this book, and what you say is true, then what's happening now, is meant to be. Even if you get in the way, it only delays the process. It's bound to happen one way or another."

Natsu could not help but disagree with Levy. It just wasn't right that Lucy had no say in the matter. Once again, he blamed himself. If he could turn back time, he never would have made that bet. Sure, the mating ritual only occurs with a dragon's destined mate, but how often do dragons and people even find their soul mate? Maybe if Lucy was happy with Sting, then the fire dragon slayer would not have a problem with the white dragon slayer.

"There is nothing we can do that won't hurt Lucy," Natsu finally managed to speak. "I disagree with Levy, but on one hand, I do agree that for now, Sting is who's best for her."

Laxus looked incredulously at the fire mage, "Are you insane–"

"Laxus!" Natsu slammed his fist onto the wooden table. "Without Sting, Lucy would die. We have no other choice."


Sting was exhausted, tired, and incredibly pissed off. It took all his restraint to keep himself from taking his anger out on the blonde stellar mage even if it was her fault why he was upset. But for some reason, he just could not bring himself to hurt her. He had watched over her all night, noticing the different ways the moonlight would shine down on her skin. He would never admit it out loud, but he always thought of her as beautiful. He admired her strong will power and the courage she has just to save her friends and deep down, he knew, she belonged in Fairy Tail.

The selfish part of himself was the reason why he wanted to keep her away from all the people who cares for her and loves her. But he never wanted to show just how weak she made him which ended up in violent acts. He wanted to keep her all to himself. He didn't want anyone else to care for her or love her, because he knew, he felt, even if it was all beginning to come together now, that was what he was supposed to do.

The White Dragon Slayer frowned, lifting a hand to comb back his golden locks. He was confused, did not know what to think of what he felt. Admitting it to himself was one thing, but actually saying them out loud and confessing to Lucy was another. He just could not do it. One: he is a Sabertooth member and two: his pride just would not allow it. Heck! Why was he even thinking about confessing to her?

Movement from the bed caught his attention and immediately, he stood up from where he sat and walked over to the bed. He watched as Lucy stirred in her sleep. That's right...Lucy hates me. He could never confess to someone who he "hates" and who hates him.

"Sting?" Lucy slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She looked around. It was still dark out, and she could only assume it was early in the morning. Normally, she would have yelled and freaked out over having someone at her home unexpectedly so early in the morning, but somehow, she knew it was Sting.

"Go back to sleep, Lucy." Lucy's lips parted, her eyes widened. It was the first time she ever heard him say her name without adding any insults. She smiled, before she felt her body responding to his command. She laid back down, her eyes coming to a close.

Sting let out a deep sigh, and for a moment, the room was silent. "You can come near her, Rogue."

The Shadow Dragon slayer slipped into the room silently through the open window, two exceeds following behind him. He watched as Sting looked at the sleeping celestial mage. "I see."

Sting did not respond but rather continued to watch over Lucy. He has never been so unsure of himself; of his actions and emotions. They were wrong, and this "bond" they had was never supposed to surface any unnecessary emotions.

"It's not possible, Sting. There is no way to remove that mating mark. And the only way for you to be rid of responsibility for her, is to kill her." Sting's body grew rigid. There was no way he could ever kill her, let alone think of killing her. "Then you're going to have live with it. I've told you countless times the consequence of your actions. Killing her would immediately send you into a depression. If you were to die, the same would go for her. There's no escaping this, Sting."

"I know!" Sting hissed out in anger, "I know." Whether they liked it or not, they needed each other. "Tell Sabertooth members I'll be away for a while and not to go looking for me. Tell them I've gone off to train."

Rogue nodded and silently slipped out of the room with Frosh, Lector staying behind. "Neh, Sting? Are you staying here with her?"

Sting nodded. If being away from Lucy caused her pain, then he would stay as close to her as he could. "I don't want blondie dying out on me. She'd be useless if she was dead." There was no emotion behind the words. He was confused, and it was making him upset that he doesn't know what to do with the situation.

He crouched down beside the bed, once again combing his hair back in frustration. He looked down on the floor, "Lector... I messed up..."

"Sting-kun..." The exceed looked worriedly at his partner. It has been so long since he last saw him seem so unsure and emotional. The last time was back when he found out that the man he idolized had disappeared and the guild he so admired had become nothing but failure. But this time, it was more than that, he looked like that young, naive Sting he had first encountered years ago.

"Maybe, if I was more like... like Natsu-san..."


When Lucy woke up the following morning, she was left in complete, utter shock. She was not sure whether she was still asleep and dreaming, or maybe her mind was beginning to play tricks on her. When she sat up, the last thing she expected to see was the white dragon slayer standing in front of the kitchen stove, with a spatula in hand, cooking something that...smelled incredibly delicious. Lucy's stomach growled, and her mouth watered.

"Fairy-san!" Lucy squealed as Sting's exceed suddenly popped up in front of her. "You're awake." The stellar mage placed a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She was almost sure she would have a heart attack if not today, maybe the next.

Sting turned from where he stood and smirked. Lucy looked like a mess in those sheets and he was sure she would lose her temper at some point during the day. He turned back to the food. This was going to be the first time he would prepare food for someone other than Lector, Rogue, and Frosh. It was an odd feeling, but if he was going to stay at her place, he might as well make himself comfortable.

He had come to the conclusion that sure, Natsu was probably more of a gentleman than he is, but that did not mean that he did not have qualities that girls like Lucy would fall for. Yes, he was going to try to impress her, but no, he wasn't going to start acting like a nice guy just because. Lucy has no choice either way because they are tied together.

Lucy climbed out of her bed and walked over to the bathroom, quickly washed herself and brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. When she walked to the kitchen, she merely watched as Sting cooked. She was not exactly sure what he was making, but it smelled so good, she was dying to try it. Embarrassed, she took a quick step back and distracted herself to admiring her rather plain room.

"You–you stayed up all night watching over me..?" she looked down. "Thanks."

"Tch. Yeah right. Like I'd ever do that," Sting turned, two full plates in one hand. He placed them on the table and took seat, his eyes never leaving Lucy. "Well? Aren't you going to sit down?"

Lucy looked up, her face a dark shade of red. She reluctantly took a seat across from him and watched as he served part of his food to his loyal exceed. The stellar mage examined the plate before her; cheese omelette with gravy mushrooms and sausages were laid out for her to eat. Her stomach growled, causing her to blush for the second time that day.

Sting looked away, suddenly not feeling too hungry. "When did you last eat?"

"Since I last saw you..." Lucy reached for the fork and took a bite of her food. Her eyes widened, "Sting this is really good!"

Sting would have smiled at the comment, but he could not help but frown. "You haven't eaten in two days?" When Lucy did not look up from her food he scowled, "tch. Stupid blondie."

Lucy looked up, a shadow of a smile on her lips, "You know, you're blonde too, blondie." She watched as Sting's eyes narrowed. He obviously did not like being on the receiving end of insults. "But I really want to say thank you. For...watching out for me, and for cooking, too."

"Lucy..." His tone of voice caught the stellar mage off guard. That was the second time he used her name in a non-condescending tone. It was almost scary. "There's something I–"

"I know, Sting." At this, the white dragon slayer could not help but look at Lucy with surprise written on his face. "I've gone over it in my head countless of times. Why my body only responds to your voice. Why I feel so weak when you're not around, and even the white dragon scales on my hand. I've come up with so many different solutions, but only one really made sense. I was in denial." Sting watched as Lucy looked down, tears falling from her eyes, "I...I knew that something happened between us, but I was so scared! I felt like I betrayed my whole family, like I've betrayed my best friend. So I denied everything, and made myself forget. But at some point I had to accept the fact that I've given myself up to you..."

Sting was tempted to reach out to comfort her, but decided against it. He wanted to apologize for getting the stellar mage into such a mess, but there really was not anything he felt sorry for. "The truth is, I was hoping that the spell would work on you." Lucy looked up, her eyes wide. Lector, merely listened, somewhat surprised that Sting would reveal his true emotions to a fairy. "Lucy, a little over seven years ago, there was this guild that I've always admired. And more than anything, my goal has always been to join that guild and be strong enough to be worthy of membership...Fairy Tail was my goal. Right next to that was to surpass the rumored strongest dragon slayer in all of Fiore. And then, I heard he began to work with a team, a female mage to be exact. And I was upset, angered, because it was from you that he was getting all his strength from. I swore that when the time came, I would not only take his title, but I would take you from him as well..."

Lucy did not know what to make of what Sting had just said. "I saw the way he looks at you, like you were his life. Even before he got together with the take-over mage. At the Grand Magic Games...when Minerva attacked you, they all ran up to save you. Lucy, I've always wanted to take you away from Natsu-san. And I can bet even now that he will still protect you."

"So when I got the chance, I used the mating ritual and it worked. I never thought it would, and if ever it should not, then I always had the contract to use against him. I hurt you, abused you, I was frustrated with myself. And each time you mentioned Fairy Tail or his name, I couldn't control my anger. I hated you, but at some point, I couldn't seem to keep you away or stay away from you...I forgot about Fairy Tail and right now I could care less about becoming stronger. Something about you...It's making me forget about what's important..." the white dragon slayer ran a hand through his hair, his teeth clenched in frustration.

Lucy could not understand what was going on. "I'm...your mate?" It was all that she had processed during his explanation. Her eyes were shadowed by her bangs. She did not know what to think, or what to say. She felt like she turned against her entire guild without being fully aware of it. She stood up, her hands balled into fists, "Sting...please remove this bond...I can't–"

It was as if Sting's personality changed in a mere second, because the next moment, Lucy felt herself be held tightly by the arm. Sting eyes were a dark color, no longer their natural blue, similar to what had happened not too long ago. "And then what? So you can be with Natsu? Or Laxus? You think you can just run away from this?" white dragon scales were beginning to appear on his skin and it frightened Lucy. "Why do you think they haven't showed up yet?"

The stellar mage was frightened. It was almost like Sting was not his usual self, like something else had taken over. "Sting...please let me go..."

"Shut up! Those idiots won't ever be able to come anywhere near you unless I say so," Lucy's eyes widened. Now she understood. They could not come to her unless they were permitted to. Natsu did not hate her, he must be worried. She winced at the pain of his hold.

Unconsciously, her eyes moved to meet his. She froze, and watched as they gradually turned into their natural blue, the desperation and anger clear. The sadness evident. His grip loosened, "I'm...sorry," but Lucy took hold of his arm instead. Taking his face between her hands, she leaned in and closed the gap between their lips.

"Sting," Lucy leaned in closer to him, "Don't cry," It was ironic, really, because she, herself was crying. But somehow, seeing Sting so vulnerable brought out the need to protect him. She felt the moisture that fell from his eyes against her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a close embrace. "It's okay...I won't leave you."


Gajeel stood by the door, listening to Natsu and Laxus pace back and forth, as well as watching the script mage continue her reading. He had to agree with her. Being the oldest out of the dragon slayers, he knew more about mating than anyone else, and Levy was right on point when she said that Sting was who was best for Lucy.

A sudden chill crept up his spine. He turned around, only to face the she-devil of Fairy Tail, an sweet, innocent smile upon her face. "Neh, Gajeel-kun? Don't you think it's about time you chose your mate?"

At those words, the iron dragon slayer blushed, "That has nothing to do with you." Mirajane let out a soft giggle, and proceeded to walked past him to attend to the bar. "Besides, what if it doesn't work?..."


I decided to add that little part in the end:3

REad and Review please! Thankyou