A/N: Happy New Year EVERYONE! 2013 is finally here, thank god!

I literally just finished this chapter a few minutes ago. I'm so proud of what I've written! I didn't want it to be humorous, but I wanted it to feel a little special. I hope it worked out alright! And, we finally find out what happens to Gray in this chapter. Is it a good thing... or a bad thing?

Chapter Twenty-One

Lucy POV

I took a step back, unable to register exactly what was going on. So I tried to work it out.

1) I have been cloned by my father who thought I was going to die.

2) My father, who had grieved for me in the past, now wants me dead.

3) Gray is more than likely dead at this moment and our mission to save him has failed.

4) I am going to die… I just know it.

"Like we'd really believe you" Natsu roared, jumping in front of me as if to protect me. "Come and give it a shot!"

The clone version of me smiled sweetly, pulling a large blade from… somewhere. I cowered a little behind Natsu. There was no way Natsu could tackle her with his bare hands, not with a blade that size. She took a step into the room, her smile becoming twisted. "Just like Gray, I was created with heightened senses, meaning, I'm faster than you, stronger than you, and certainly smarter than you. Do you really think I'd let you land a punch on me?"

She was right, of course. Why would Jude not make the perfect daughter? A daughter who would rebel against him, listen to him, and do his dirty work. If Jude ever thought I would, then he had another thing coming. This Lucy was, no matter how I looked at it, clearly prettier than me. She wore her hair down, and it had been curled unnaturally into beautiful ringlets. Her blue eyes were clear as fresh water and she stood just that little bit taller than me. She certainly looked for graceful…

Or she would have been if she wasn't holding that blasted blade.

Ezra stepped forward as well, pulling on her fighting gloves which she'd hidden in her pocket. I knew she was equally serious about this.

What was I going to do? I couldn't fight, at least, not like Ezra and Natsu. They were stronger than I would ever be. I couldn't hide either, there was nowhere to hide. There was no doubt in my mind that the minute she broke past the two of them, she'd come straight at me, slicing me in half.

Or she might cut off my head…

Or if she was sadistic enough, she'd slice off Natsu's and Ezra's legs then continue to slice me into little pieces while they were forced to watch.

Trust me, having these thoughts cross my mind scared me senseless. It shouldn't matter anymore, I was going to die… and so was Natsu and Ezra…

…And Gray…

I'd hoped to have seen Gray one more time and tell him the truth that was bubbling up in me. I had fallen in love with him, was in love with him… and we'd die never having those words spoken between us.

Did Gray love me too? That would have been nice, knowing if he did. Every time I saw him watching me, part of my heart would flinch, the other would race. Ur would have liked it if Gray and I got together, and she was like a mother to me and a daughter to her. It would have been nice.

And it would just never be.

Leon would take care of her, wouldn't he? She'll grieve for Gray, her only son, but she'd live. She had to live, for Leon's sake. And what about my friends? Levy would never really understand what happened today, and she'd be alone. And Mira, Ezra's friend, she'd go nuts hearing Ezra had died. Would she come and extract revenge…? Then there was Juvia; even though she was in a relationship with Leon, she still had strong feelings for Gray. She'd blame me for sure, I just knew it.

"Lucy, look out!"

I hadn't realise the fighting began, but the next thing I saw was the clone racing towards me, ready to attack…

I was going to die.

…And then she fell to the ground in a heap.

…What?

"Are you ok?" I recognized the voice, but it took me a moment to get over the shock. A hand brushed a strand of hair away from my face and I realised who I was staring up at.

Gray.

He was alive, pale and worn, but alive. I could feel the tears bubbling at the edge of my eyes.

He was alive!

"Gray!" he turned his face away from mine, snapping me back to reality. Ezra clutched her arm, bleeding heavily from a gash. Natsu had a few smaller cuts on his face, arms and hands, but relevantly unscarred. "How did you escape?"

Gray shrugged, dropping the fire extinguisher onto the ground. I hadn't realised that was what he used to strike the clone. "Thankfully for us that Ur and Igneel have friends. The minute she-" he gave the clone a disgusted look "-and Jude left, he unbound me and helped me regain my strength. They'd already begun with… you know… so I feel like shit. I should be alright in a few hours. I don't know about you, but if I don't get off my feet soon…" he made an expression. Gray would collapse from exhaustion; I could tell by the way he trembled. He barely had strength to move, yet he came out of nowhere and protected me. I could feel the tears now running down my face. Gray noticed instantly and turned back, wiping them away. "I'm sorry Lucy, were you scared?"

I nodded, trying to smile at him to show him I was alright. "You look older," I said before I had time to think. He did look older, mature… handsomer…

"I feel older," he laughed softly. "Clones have a unnatural habit to age quicker."

"But you're not a clone…"

"The process is different," he agreed softly. "Clones are made from the DNA of someone who is alive or was alive. A test tube baby… like me… was created from the DNA of two people. However, we're still both a science experiment." There was a sad look on his face. He turned towards the tubes and frowned. "They're all brain dead."

I followed his eyes to where he was looking. He was referring to the other clones of me. "All of them?"

"Yeah… it's cruel to see them like that. Being brain dead is no better than being dead. The body is still alive, but the brain doesn't function…" Gray shook his head and pulled away. "Let's destroy this place. They deserve better than this."

Natsu helped Gray turn off the machines that were keeping the clones alive. It was like watching a piece of myself die, but there was a satisfaction to it. They were no longer suffering.

Once they were certain all the clone's machines were off, Gray snapped a few cables and made a small fire. "Let's get out of here." Natsu quickly snatched the dairy Igneel had left and ran from the room with Ezra. Gray picked up the clone and ushered to me to get out. I didn't ask him why he felt the need to save the clone version of me, and I didn't ask what he was planning.

We followed the long corridors for a moment before the fire alarms went off. Once we were in a place where people would find us, Gray placed the clone down, grabbed my hand and told us to follow him.

As we ran, Gray explained what was happening. After being saved by the professor who was a friend of Ur and Igneel's, the professor implanted something into Gray, something Igneel was meant to give him, but never got around to. It was something that would keep his heart alive, make it stronger. He'd no longer have issues with it. He also explained they'd spoken to Igneel over the phone. Igneel had contacted the police and would wait for us outside the Lab. The police and the firemen would be here in moment. Igneel would explain there were four teenagers caught up in the mess, four teenagers that needed protecting. Igneel would explain what Jude was doing and would present notes and journals he'd been gathering over the years. It would be enough proof to convict Jude of his crimes.

Gray was meant to start the fire, it was the signal the police and firemen needed. They'd wait five minutes. In that time, Gray, Ezra, Natsu and I would be in the company of Igneel, who'd take us back to the hospital once the police and firemen had arrived.

Gray also explained that Igneel had never really been that far, but had been working with the police to convict Jude, and had been since his "disappearance". Natsu looked relived to hear that. I was too, knowing Igneel had been watching and protecting us afar. Gray explained that he'd met with Igneel before going back to Jude's place. It was where everything was set into motion. The only thing he didn't count on was Natsu, Ezra and I coming to his rescue. It didn't matter, it made Jude look more guilty.

We travelled through corridors I didn't recognize until the sunlight hit our eyes. just as Gray had said, a tall, red haired man leaned against a long, black car with towels and bottles of water. Natsu bolted straight past us and into his arms, almost in tears. Ezra, Gray and I approached a little slower. Just as Gray was settled onto a seat in the car, the police, fire trucks and ambulance arrived. It took them only a few minutes to fine Jude and arrested him. Some other men who'd been working with Jude were also arrested. The clone was also found and pulled from the fire.

In less than twenty minutes the Lab was ablaze and for the first time in several years I felt like a weight had dropped off my shoulders. I felt something change in me, a peace I never felt before.

Igneel placed a hand gently on my shoulders. "Do you regret anything?" he asked softly.

I looked up at him and shock my head. "No, this is how it's meant to be." I was quiet for a moment. "What happened to the other clone, the one who woke up but was replaced when I came out of a coma?"

"Her life support was turned off a long time ago," Igneel replied. "This was what she wanted too, Lucy. She wanted to see this all end as well."

"Was she happy… before…?"

"She wanted this, so yes, she was happy."

That was all I wanted to know. In the car on the way back, I felt myself slowly drifting the sleep while I cuddle up with Gray who'd long fallen asleep. The last thing I was aware of was my phone going off and Natsu answering it before telling Igneel that the operation was successful, that Ur was alright.

I fell asleep with a smile on my lips.

A/N: Gray is ALIVE! Yay! And Jude gets arrested! YAY! AND IGNEEL COMES BACK! YAAAAAAAAY! I hope htere isn't too many mistakes there. I checked it, three times, but it's hard to spot mistakes just after you've written it =D

Don't know how many chapters are left, but I'm aiming for 25 being the last. Let's hope the future is kind to them.