Morning! Not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I know if I keep going over it, it'll change completely.

Please review! I read each and every one. They make my day.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, just this plot.

The Rebirth

Gray was stunned watching the small blonde as the light dissipated. Her hair seemed longer. Was that normal?

Lucy stood off to the side of the wool bed Aries made for her. Noting her surroundings, she figured her spirits made sure Gray was comfortable while he waited for her. The wool bed was big enough for her and Draco to lay comfortably while also leaving enough space for Gray to lay next to her. A small bag was placed nearby with various clothes scattered and a communication lacrima laying on top. 'He must have been speaking with Makarov while I was out.'

Draco was the one to break the silence as she cleared her throat. "I believe you deserve a break for the day, Starlight. I will send for you tomorrow when it is time for us to complete the final phase."

"Okay, thank you Draco." Lucy gave Draco a grateful smile and nodded her head in understanding.

Gray hesitantly stepped forward to take in the woman that seemed the same, yet different in so many ways. She stood taller, held herself with an air of grace even greater than what she did as an heiress. You could tell she had a new found sense of confidence within her, even if her training was not yet complete.

"You doing okay, Luce?" Gray asked the question in a guarded tone, not sure if she would come out angry or upset.

"Yeah, I think I am. I just need some rest." Lucy closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around Gray. Burying her face in his chest, she inhaled his winter pine and mint scent. A feeling of contentment and safety washed over her, calming the remainder of her wild emotions.

Packing up the small bag took mere moments and Aries was more than willing to dispel her wool bed. Soon, Gray and Lucy were headed back to their temporary home on the island. Lucy was quiet a reserved during the walk, causing Gray more anxiety than needed. He desperately wanted to ask about the last four days, but he knew she needed to relax and rest. Even though she was in a sleep like state for the last four days, it didn't mean she was resting. It appears she was more exhausted now than when she began. Gray resolved to keep his questions to himself until she decided to open up about the experience.

"Hey Gray?" Lucy's voice was timid, almost shy.

"Yeah?"

"What would you do if you learned that the life you thought you had was not what you thought it was?"

"I'm sorry, I'm not following."

"If the memories you had of your childhood were fabrications of an ancient spell."

The Ice Make mage felt as though she was telling him something of the experience she just had. Keeping a passive expression, he answered as honestly as possible. "I don't know. I would probably be pretty upset, but I look at where I am now and I wouldn't change a thing. Yeah, I lost my parents, but I gained an amazing family with Fairy Tail." He pulled the thoughtful blonde to a stop to look her in the eyes with his next statement. "Plus, I have you and I am not willing to give you up without a fight."

"Hmm… thank you." Lucy offered a small smile in exchange for the honesty of his words. She didn't feel as bad about being upset with her mother and Draco, but she knew Gray was right. She had an amazing family within Fairy Tail, and she had him. She was happy with her life and nothing could change that.

Phase Three- The Rebirth

"LUCY!" Draco skidding to a stop after deflecting another one of Lucy's slayer attacks. This was not the same little girl she trained all those years ago. This woman was full of passion and, at the moment, pure rage.

A small confrontation this morning broke out when Lucy made a small comment about not being able to thrust her own memories of her mother. Draco would not let such disrespect go unchecked, so she challenged the young female to a battle to exert her frustrations. Of course, Draco was using the skirmish to her benefit of training the celestial slayer, but Lucy was too angry to notice. In the beginning, every attack that Draco sent out, Lucy barely blocked or evaded. Now, after two hours of the same patterns, Lucy was about to evade and counter with the minimal number of movements.

Lucy stood crouched in the sand staring down her opponent. She knew her anger needed to be checked, but she couldn't bring herself to care right now. Someone needed to pay for all the moments she missed out on with her tatsu. The boys had no idea they were all so close at one point, even going as far as scent marking one another before splitting up. Then her promise to little Wendy. It broke her heart to know that she unintentionally broke the promise she made to never leave her alone, to always protect her. Nothing was going to stop her now, she will protect her family with every fiber of her being, even if it meant dealing death to those that opposed her.

"Starlight, I know you can feel the changes happening. I need you to reign in your anger and listen to me, else you'll hurt the only other occupant of this island. Would you do that to the man that has devoted so much of himself to you?"

Lucy gasped as she thought of the collateral damage their fight has caused on the sacred island. No doubt Gray was somewhere close by worried about her behavior and safety. He barely knew what was going on right now. She wasn't even sure if he caught on that she was, in fact, a dragon slayer. Suddenly, she felt guilty for all the times she yelled at Natsu for excessive damage. It was not easy controlling her power when her emotions were raging against her. Standing to her full height, she scanned the tree line looking for the missing mage.

Off to the right, behind a shield of ice, Gray was watching the battle carefully. He didn't dare intervene with the females. Some of the attacks were so large that the only way he could have avoided them was with a wall of ice; even that was melted faster than anything Natsu could do. He noticed the fighting stopped and chanced a peek around the think barrier. Lucy was scanning the tree line looking for something. He stepped out and whistled for his attention.

"Luce, what's going on?"

"Oh, Mavis! Gray!" Lucy looked close to tears as she ran over and tackled the confused man into the sand. "I thought I hurt you!"

"No, I'm fine. You should know by now that it'll take more than an irate dragon slayer to take me down."

Lucy froze. She never got the chance to tell Gray about her hidden abilities, but it looks like he figured it out on his own. "How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, kinda hard to miss with a roar the size of Natsu's dragon force. That's why I put up the ice wall."

"Ice wall?"

Gray chuckled. It seems like they were going to be playing twenty questions until she calmed down. "Yes, ice wall. Same one that I used to stop Racer all those years ago. Are you feeling better? I would like to get out of the sand."

"Oh! I am so sorry Gray. Please forgive me."

Gray laughed at the celestial maidens' behavior. "Lucy, stop. There is nothing to apologize for. What is going on with you?"

"I don't know. I found out some major things during the dream walk and it's messing with my head."

Draco chose that moment to walk over and join the conversation. "Remember what I told you the last phase would be?"

"Something about defeating my worst enemy, right?" Lucy quipped

"Exactly, it starts now." With that, Draco exited to the celestial realm with a shower of golden light and Gray and Lucy were left staring at the spot she was just occupying.

"What does that mean?!" Lucy screamed at the sky as she huffed and stormed off.

Shaking his head, Gray followed close by to ensure she didn't tear apart the island with her frustrations.

"Luce, why don't you tell me what happened in the dream walk? It seems like a lot of your anger originates from that." Gray was sitting on one of the large pillows within the barn, holding Lucy between his legs. They made it back to the building quickly after leaving the beach, but for once no one was there to greet them. Even Lucy's spirits knew to leave her alone for the moment. Which means it was up to Gray to help the woman work through her issues.

"It was all a lie Gray." Lucy's voice was barely louder than a whisper, but it was enough for him to hear.

"What was a lie? You are going to have to elaborate a bit there." Gray shifted Lucy in his arms so that she was curled up on his chest; her knees in her chest and her nose in his neck.

"My childhood; everything I thought I knew about my parents. It was a lie." Lucy paused to take a deep breath before spilling her long-winded story.

"Back when I was a little girl, Draco was contracted to my mother. As soon as they noticed I could perform magic, Draco offered to teach me dragon slaying magic because of some ancient prophecy." Lucy waved her hand in the air as she rolled her eyes. "Then the eclipse gate. No one knows, but all the dragon slayers that lost their parents after the fight with Tartaros, are actually from the past. They came through the gate when we were just kids. I knew them all, Gray."

Gray sat silently while Lucy took the moment to compose herself. He didn't want to risk saying anything that would either set her off or discourage her from continuing.

"I used to play tag with Natsu. I would watch the clouds with Gajeel. Sting and Rogue would sit in the library with me for hours just listening to me read. Then Wendy, dear Mavis little Wendy. I promised I would always protect and her watch over her as a big sister. I used to brush her hair and sing to her. We would cuddle together on the nights she couldn't sleep or had nightmares. I failed her Gray. I failed every one of them."

"No, you did not Lucy. You didn't fail them at all. What happened? I am sure that if they all knew you from childhood then they would have said something the first time they met you. Hell, Gajeel beat you for hours before Natsu showed up."

"That," Lucy spat, "was the product of my mother and Draco. I can understand why they did it to me, but it was not fair for them."

"What do you mean?"

Lucy sat up and took the pillow across from Gray. Crossing her legs underneath her, she looked him in the eye while continuing the story. "Draco was tasked with the slayers while my mother was dying from the effects of the gate. She knew it would happen, even predicted the change my father would make. So, Draco placed limiters on me to seal away all the memories I had of anything dragon related, which included my magic. For the others, their dragons altered their memories and everything was simply taken. It was within the same spell Weisslogia and Skiadrum used to make Sting and Rogue believe they killed them."

"I see, so when we make it home, you will know about the past, but they won't."

"Correct. To top it all off, my father knew everything. It's why he was so adamant about getting me away from Fairy Tail. Even going as far as hiring Phantom Lord. He knew I was friends with Natsu. Then he found out Gajeel was with Phantom. In his mind, Gajeel was always the leader of the group and they all listened to him so he must have been the strongest, which he was, but my father didn't realize that a dragon gains strength when fighting to protect something. We all know how that turned out in the end." Lucy looked down at her fingers while she allowed time for the information to sink in.

"After all of that was out in the open, seeing my mother pass again and reliving everything through cube was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. Of course, looking back I could see plenty of times we could have made different choices that would have saved us a lot of pain and grief, but we can't help that."

"Ahh, Luce. I am sorry that you had to go through all of that again. Especially knowing what you were going to see." Gray pulled Lucy back into his arms as the tears started to fall from her eyes. Not being able to endure the pain with her, all he could do was comfort her the best way possible.

Lucy reached a point where her tears stopped and her sobs calmed to hiccups. The mental strain of the last few days was astounding. If she was going to figure out the riddle of a challenge from her mentor, then she was going to need some proper rest.

"Would you like to shower with me Gray?"

Stunned, Gray sat still for a moment while contemplating his answer. He missed running his hands across the toned curvy body in his lap, but was now the best time for such things? He was unsure, but if Lucy was offering, maybe it would be okay.

"Sure, I'll get the water started. Why don't you take a moment for yourself to relax?" Gray stood and strode over to the small bathroom. It may not have been very big, but at least they could both fit into the shower on days like today.

Lucy laid back on the large pillow when Gray turned the corner into the bathroom. Staring at the ceiling, she thought of all the different things she learned from the last week. The slayers were her family. She thought she was alone in this world when she learned of her father's death. To know that she had brothers and a sister so close by, it made her heart warm. No doubt they would all be ecstatic to hear the news. Natsu would probably demand a fight after learning of her latent abilities. Gajeels smirk would be legendary. Calling Sting and Rogue in would be a necessity. 'Rogue…maybe I should start calling him Ryos again?' Even bringing in Laxus and Cobra to join the slayer party would be a must. Regardless of how the reunion happened, they would all need to be together to restore the memories they lost. Draco mentioned something about being able to, but she hasn't brought it up again. Probably not until the final phase of her training is complete.

The final phase of her training. 'Ugh, why can't I just get normal instructions? Maybe a guide book? A map?'. Hopefully it'll be easier than that so called walk she just finished. Draco did say it would be a mental strain on her; harder than anything she has ever come to face. That was the understatement of the century. Surprisingly, watching herself fight those countless battles while in Fairy Tail frustrated her more than anything. How many times did she have to be saved because she didn't know of her own power; her own strength. She could have easily fought with her guild when Phantom came calling. She would have been more than useful during Nirvana. Fighting in Edolas, she could have broken the lacrima with Gajeels help. Maybe she would have been a contender for the S-class trials alongside Cana? So many times, she felt like a useless crybaby, needing to be rescued and she could have saved herself.

She sacrificed Aquarius

Didn't they think that it would have been a good thing to know when Tartaros came knocking down their doors? She summoned the Spirit King for Mavis's sake!

Anger and resentment bubbled up once again. 'Dammit!' It was way too easy for her to get angry with anything and everything. Controlling her temper would have to be her number one priority while still on this island. The last thing she needed was to make it back to the mainland and accidently take down a building or two with a toddler sized tantrum. Standing, she made her way to the bathroom while stripping out of her clothes. Gray was probably more than ready for her and she has just been sitting there staring at the wooden beams of the ceiling.

Gray had been waiting for Lucy for the last five minutes. They had plenty of hot water, it was heated through a lacrima brought from the celestial realm so they could enjoy hot showers after training. His main concern was Lucy. She seemed out of it ever since she finished that dream walk. Easy to anger, hard to calm. Worse than Natsu on the destructive scale.

She didn't seem at all like herself. She has been acting like one of her own worst enemies. Maybe that was it? Her worst enemy is herself. It would make a lot of sense, she would not be able to see if unless something dramatic happened. If brought up by anyone else, the situation would only get worse. Plus, how was she supposed to defeat herself? Somehow, he would need to contact Draco and ask these questions, especially if Lucy won't.

His thoughts were cut short when Lucy finally made it to the bathroom. The couple took their time washing one another and enjoying the feeling of the hot water running along their skin. Relaxing after the waves of warmth, they took to the bed to wrap themselves up in on another and as many blankets as Lucy could find.

Warmth. Gray was really, really warm. Blankets and pillows surrounded him on all sides and if he had not seen the tut of blonde hair tickling his nose, he would have thought someone tried to bury him within a pile of linen while he was sleeping. Groaning, he moved slowly so he didn't risk waking the woman using him as a pillow. Sliding out from underneath her, he started peeling away the fluffy layers until his nose found the cool rushing scent of fresh air. He rolled out of the mass and attempted to replace them before standing from the bed. Looking back, he could see that Lucy literally piled every pillow and blanket around them while they were sleeping. 'Huh, kind of looks like a nest.'

A flicker of movement in his peripheral vision prevented him from diving too deep within his thoughts as his attention was brought to the woman sitting in the corner of the room. Draco was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. The dark blue color of her hair glinted in the sunlight, showing the various strands of gold woven throughout her tresses. She was inspecting her claws, one hand stretched in front of her while the other was tucked underneath the outstretched arm. Pausing when Gray took in her face, she did not make a move, just simply blinked to shift her focus to the naked man standing in the middle of the barn.

"Good morning, Gray. Might I suggest clothes before you unleash your barrage of questions?" Her nonchalance threw him off, but he wasted no time in tracking down a random pair of athletic shorts that were littered throughout the barn. He really needed to get a better handle on the stripping habit.

Skipping the pleasantries, Gray set into his task, knowing Lucy would be awake shortly. "I am assuming you came to answer my barrage of questions?"

"If that is what you wish. No need to worry about waking the little one. After the stress of the last week, she will be asleep for a while. Especially since she was only able to fully relax for the first time, last night. So speak, Ice Mage, I'm not going anywhere."

Gray relaxed his posture and took up one of the cushions lying on the floor. Getting the questions out and answered would be the best thing for him to be able to help Lucy, so why was he nervous? All he had to do was open his mouth and form words, yet he could not seem to get around the lump caught in his throat and the panic gripping at his heart. What if he couldn't help her like he thought he would have been able to? During the second phase, all he could do was sit and wait. She when through everything on her own and he was determined to not allow that to happen again; no matter the dragons' answers, he was going to support her.

"What does she need to do to defeat her worst enemy?" Clear cut and precise; Gray voice was strong and sure as it rang out against the silence enveloping the room.

"I already told her, she has to figure that out on her own."

"I have a theory that her worst enemy is herself, is that true?"

"More than likely, her anger and resentment towards the past seems to be making it that way."

"So how can I help her?" The million-jewel question; he needed to know.

"I am not sure you can help her, Gray. This is something she must overcome on her own. Whether it's the actual anger or it stems from a deeper fear, she must face and defeat it on her own. The only thing either one of us can do is support her. You may be able to guide her to the beginning of the path, but you cannot walk it for her."

A shift of the blanket pile broke the intense conversation and Gray sat still holding his breath. When no more movement occurred, he sighed in relief and turned to ask the final question. "When all of this is over, what happens then?"

"Yet another pressing matter, young one. We still have time before it needs to be addressed, but it has to be done soon otherwise no one is going to like the outcome."

Gray and Lucy once again found themselves sitting in the sand on the beach having a staring contest with Draco. The last few minutes were spent in silence while the tension continued to build within the small group. Lucy sighed heavily before she shifted her body to lean against Gray. He did not mind supporting her weight, his arm behind him planted firmly to prevent them falling backwards into the sand. Draco raised a delicately shaped eyebrow at the blondes' actions before she decided to break the atmosphere that was eating away at them.

"Okay, I know I am not the only one that can feel the tension within this little pow wow. Let me have it."

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she attempted to decipher the meaning of her words. Let her have it? Have what? "What are you talking about Draco?"

"All the anger and hostility that I know you're attempting to hide right now. Let it out. There is no one on this island that is better equipped to deal with you right now than me. So let it out; all of it."

Heat rose to Lucy's face as her frustrations from the past week resurfaced. Shifting her feet beneath her and standing to her full height, Lucy shot a glare at the Celestial Dragon before closing the distance between the two.

"Fine, you want me to let go? Yes, I'm frustrated. I'm pissed off and I feel like I have been betrayed by those I placed my trust in. You were supposed to be a second mother to me. Once my own was gone, you should have been there for me to protect me from my father and the loneliness I felt daily. I had no friends, no other family. My father tried to sell me to a perverted man twice my age! Where were you? Hiding on a plane of the spirit realm that no one could reach without a contract being made. My own mother told you to hide an important part of myself from me. Do you have any idea how many times this power would have been useful?! How many times I felt useless as I sat and cried over needing to be saved time and time again. I WAS ALMOST SCARIFICED TO A FISH CLOCK!" The anger poured off Lucy in waves as she felt her body changing with the intense emotions rolling through her. Ignoring the tingling sensations, she focused her attention back on the dragon who had not moved once during her outburst.

Voice lowering to a reserved tone, Lucy lowered her head in shame as she allowed her bangs to cover her face. "The worst part of it, I thought sacrificing Aquarius was my only option while fighting the demons inside of Cube. If I had known that I had these abilities, maybe I would still be able to call on my oldest friend. She may have tried to drown me, but she was loyal and I knew I could always call her if I needed anything."

Lucy's speech ended with a choking sob. The heart wrenching sob was accompanied by the woman falling to her knees clutching her chest. Draco dropped to her knees before her and wrapped her in a comforting embrace. Her angry shifted to sadness and guilt as she attempted to come to terms with her own actions. Draco figured that Lucy would blame herself for the choices she made while she remained unaware of her power. Back when the plan was devised, both Layla and Draco believed it was the best and only option; now the ancient dragon was not so sure. SO much pain and heartache surrounded her child from the trails she had to face on her own. She should have been there to guild and protect her. Maybe if she had, she would have been able to avoid most of the near-death experiences she frequently found herself in.

Draco buried her face in Lucy's hair before mumbling out, "You're right, Starlight. I have failed you."

"Wha- What?" Lucy stilled and her sobs ceased.

"I have failed you, I should have been there for you and I was not. How can I call myself your mother, or even a mentor, when I essentially left you to die in that mansion? I thought I was doing the best thing for you, but I left you defenseless with a magic you did not refine. You had to teach yourself one of the most intricate magics and you did it all while fighting for your life. You are truly Layla's child. She would have been so proud of you." Draco grabbed Lucy's face within her petite hands. Placing a kiss on her forehead, she let a few of her own tears fall. I promise you, Starlight, I will not fail you again. From now on, you won't even need my key to summon me, just think to me and I will be there. No matter where the key is or how much magic you have. Never again will you be alone."

With the truthful words from Draco, Lucy broke down once again. For so long she missed her mother. So long she spent wishing she could just call her. Now she would be able to. Her family grew exponentially within one day and she couldn't be happier.

With a smile and small giggle, Lucy felt a weight being lifted off her chest. An internal click caused her to gasp and she looked to Draco for an explanation.

"Well that was anticlimactic." Draco chuckled through her tears. "Congratulations, Starlight."

"What just happened?" Gray had been watching the exchange silently from his seat in the sand. He felt the emotion rolling off the confessing women, he saw the moment Lucy decided to let go of her anger and forgive those closest to her. Her facial expression afterwards warmed his heart until it confused him.

"That, my Icy Prince, was the final phase. I am guessing I was my own worst enemy?" Lucy looked to gray with a grateful smile. "I became so focused on the anger I felt from learning of everything, I lost sight of one of the most valuable people in my life. My own mother."

Draco nuzzled Lucy while pulling her back into her arms. "Don't fret, little one. I knew this day would come and I deserved every ounce of your anger. Now, not to ruin the good moment, but we still have some work to do."

"How much more work are we talking about?" Lucy looked hesitant to learn the answer to her question. It's been a long three weeks and they only had a few days left on the island. The last two being spent on packing and preparing for the long boat trip. Hopefully the ride back will be quick.

"Not that much. Just going over the spells I already taught you and learning a few more, which I know you will be grateful for."

Draco stood and brushed the sand off her black pants before she strode over to Gray. "Would you care to assist me?"

Pure terror crossed his face as Gray recounted the last time Draco insisted on his help. Getting trapped in another bubble was not his idea of helping.

Reading his thoughts, Draco was quick to reassure him, "No worries, I will not be trapping you in anything today."