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.]

21. A Walk Down Memory Lane

Lucy's fingers wove through Freed's as the dishes from breakfast were cleared away by the staff. After Christophe and Frances had been roused again, with Lucy having pulled herself together long enough to sit back down on the bed and cover her body with the blanket, everyone had continued with their own preparations for the morning. There was no discussion about what had transpired, and all she could think was that maybe her future in-laws were just going to let it slide. At least she'd had clothes on. She had no idea what would have happened if she'd been completely naked.

Conversation had been, thankfully, easy during their meal. The Raijinshuu and Christophe spoke while Frances and Angela sat in silence. Lucy really didn't think too much of it, considering she did remember that her parents were usually silent during breakfast as well. It just felt like they were a big family though. That the members of Fairy Tail that had pulled Christophe under their wing and had really accepted him. The smile on Freed's face when he saw how well Bickslow and the others were getting along with his once-younger brother was proof enough of that.

Now though, they were all waiting for the meeting that Frances was going to start. She noticed he was tense, and that there was just the smallest glimmer of hurt in Angela's eyes when she looked at the cup of tea that was still in front of her. Lucy had no idea just what it was about, but she was definitely curious.

Frances took a deep breath, then cleared his throat to gather the attention of the young mages, and Christophe, seated around the table. They were definitely a lively bunch, that much he was sure of, and he could see just how much life both Lucy and Freed's team had brought to his once eldest son's eyes and his smile. 'I see now,' he thought. 'What Jude tried to tell me before…'

"Yes, father?" Christophe asked softly.

"I am sure you are all wondering just what has possessed me to request your presence," Frances said slowly, his hands folding on the table. "I would like to give you something that was stolen from you. Something that should never have been taken in the first place."

Freed blinked and his brow furrowed. "Stolen?"

Frances nodded and forced himself to meet his son's gaze. "Yes. Before I give it to you, however, I must apologize." He looked to Lucy for a moment. "To both of you. It was my stupidity, and Jude's, that tore the two of you apart. And the way I raised you three boys did nothing to help matters. I hope that you can find it in yourselves to forgive me for what I've had a hand in doing, for the pain I have caused you both."

Lucy smiled softly at the look of remorse on the older man's face. "I forgive you, Frances."

Freed nodded. "As do I."

Frances shook his head, then looked to the far corner of the room where Marcus stood. With an almost imperceptible nod, the butler came closer with a wooden box held in his gloved hands. "I doubt you will feel so forgiving after…" He shook his head again once the box was set on the table in front of him, then removed a key from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and unlocked it.

Everyone leaned forward slightly when the box was turned to face them, baring five cloudy grey glass orbs nestled in crushed red velvet lining.

"I am not the only one that's guilty of hurting their children by doing what they thought at one point was the right thing to do," Frances sighed. "Jude was just as guilty of this as I am. The only difference is…" He paused and shook his head before turning his gaze to Lucy. "Jude realized the mistake we had made well before I did. It seems that losing his business returned him to the man he once was, the man I had befriended. That, and… Losing you."

"Me?" Lucy whispered.

"Yes. He loved you dearly, Lucy. When all of you disappeared on that island, he was distraught. The happiness you should have had this whole time had been taken away because of our idiocy, our selfishness."

"But, how would you know any of that?" Laxus asked skeptically. "No offense, but you don't really seem like you'd associate with a guy that wasn't rich like you."

Frances gave the hulking blonde that sat next to Lucy a sad smile. "You are correct in that, but… Jude came to me before he died. I would have turned him away, too. But… When I heard that he was dying, and that it was important, that it was about Lucy and Freed, I couldn't tell him no. We were best friends once."

"You…" Lucy took a shallow, shaky breath, feeling Freed's other hand closing over the one that was already clasped with his. "You s-saw my dad?"

"Yes. I… Well…" He let out a soft sigh and shook his head. He seemed to be doing it a lot as of late, but he realized a great many mistakes that he'd made since Lucy came to collect Freed from the estate. Pulling one of the five orbs from the box, he lifted it into the air and brushed his thumb over it twice. A gentle pulsing light spilled from it as the orb floated into the air, and the foggy grey coloring slowly leaked out to fill the air around them.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat when the fog cleared in a large circle and showed her father. Just as he'd been before he died, she assumed. His hair was longer than she remembered it, and his facial hair wasn't as well kept. There was a deep sadness in his eyes as he looked at the recording lacrima, along with years of what she could tell was hard work. "D-Dad..." Lucy whispered to herself, not noticing the way everyone looked from the image of Jude Heartfilia to the blonde with tears already welling in her eyes.

Jude laughed good-naturedly as he adjusted the lacrima. "I've always hated these silly things. They never work properly…" His eyes softened when a woman laughed and adjusted it again. "Thank you, Nurse Anne. I don't want my daughter to be looking up my nose the whole time."

Lucy let out a watery laugh.

Jude's eyes returned to the lacrima, and he smiled softly. "Lucy. If you're watching this, then I really didn't make it until you returned. I've been holding out hope for seven years now, and I don't doubt for a minute that you and your friends will come back one day. I don't care what anyone else says. Your guild is far stronger than most are willing to give you credit for, but I've seen it firsthand."

His words were cut off as he started coughing, then he let out a soft sigh. "If you're seeing this, Lucy, then it also means that Frances has finally come to his senses, just I have. I'm not sure if he'll have told you and Freed what happened, or why we did this, but I'd like to tell you now." He smiled widely. "And, if you've already heard it, then you can just humor me and let me get this story out. You might be the author, but this old coot of a father is where you got it from, young lady."

Lucy laughed again with everyone around her joining in. She couldn't remember her father ever having acted like this. How open and happy he seemed was like a dream come true. Honestly, it stung quite a bit to know that this was what she had missed out on by being stuck on Tenrou. She had missed out on his smiles and laughs, this sense of humor she'd never known he had. There was so much, Lucy realized, that she didn't really know about her father. And she wouldn't ever get the chance to know any of it now. He'd been gone for so long already.

"A long time ago," Jude began, "Frances and I were the best of friends. We met when Layla and I were just starting the business that you grew up with. There wasn't much to my name, and Frances seemed like he was from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. The better side. I envied him many things, because things came so easily to him. Still, we had so many things in common that it was hard not to become as close as we did. His wife, Angela, and Layla had much the same connection. In fact, Layla was pregnant with you while Angela was pregnant with Christophe. You two were born within a couple weeks of one another." He chuckled softly. "We almost considered trying to have you two engaged with a contract, because we thought your age would make it easier for you to get along."

While the recording played, Frances pulled two of the orbs from the box and handed them to Freed and Lucy. He had listened to the beginning of this recording a few times now, so he knew that there would be enough of a pause while Jude started coughing for him to give them a brief explanation. Just as he knew it would, the coughing started. "This is what was stolen," Frances said softly. "Your memories of the past you share. Brush your fingers across it twice. You're the only ones that can access them…"

Freed and Lucy glanced at one another curiously, then brushed their fingers over the cloudy surfaces of their respective orbs. Just as Jude's coughing stopped, with the image of a nurse helping him drink a glass of water dimming slightly, the orbs shot up into the air and exploded into millions of glittering pieces.

Laxus' eyes went wide as hundreds of images swirled in the air above them, seemingly running backwards in time and showing both Freed and Lucy getting younger and younger.

Lucy's grip on Freed's hand tightened as the images converged and stopped swirling around and around.

"Many years passed," Jude continued finally, though the image of him in the air had faded into the background and was overtaken by what was bringing the two young lovers to tears. "And you became friends with Freed. You brought the Justine boys closer together by making sure they all spent time together, but Freed was your best friend.

*.*

X769

A five-year-old Freed sat on the floor of the sitting room, stacking blocks on top of one another with a two-year-old Lucy sitting next to him. Their parents talked in the background, with his mother bouncing the newborn Avery in her arms while Christophe took a nap, but he had no idea what they were saying. She slowly settled two blocks that were already stacked on top of his castle, and he smiled when a little giggle left her. "Come with me," he whispered.

The blonde gleefully grabbed onto his outstretched hand, and Freed led her through the halls to the library. "This is my favorite place in the whole world," he said while leading her to the enormous couch. "Stay here, and I'll get some books. Okay?"

Lucy giggled again and waited on the floor, her small fingers fiddling with a block that she'd brought with her. Freed returned, his arms filled with colorful books, and carefully set them down next to her. "You don't rip pages, do you?"

Lucy giggled again and grabbed one of the books. "Pwetty pages!" she said while showing it to the green-haired boy. "Wead?"

Freed smiled and took a seat next to the blonde, pulling the book from her hands. "Once upon a time," he said softly as he held the book so she could see the pictures, "There was a princess in a tower…"

His young voice faded and the memory moved faster until Lucy yawned. Freed smiled down at the girl and pulled a throw pillow from the couch, along with a blanket, and helped her lie down against his leg. He continued reading to her while she fell asleep, unaware of his parents and hers standing in the doorway with smiles on their faces.

*.*

"You were inseparable after that first day in the library," Jude said, the reminiscent smile showing through in his voice. "Your noses were always in books, and you both wanted so much knowledge. There was something about your friendship, how quickly it happened and how much you two seemed to care for one another, that we just loved to watch. We never thought you would be as close as you were..."

*.*

X771

Lucy turned bright eyes up from her book when her best friend, now seven, set his pen down on the table with a triumphant grin. "Did you finish it?" she asked.

Freed nodded and slid the paper to the blonde sitting next to him. "I think this secret code is pretty good. Christophe and Avery should have a lot of fun with it."

Lucy laughed. "It's beautiful. How does it work?"

Freed pointed to the letters. "Take the original letter, and turn it to the right. Then flip it up so they're sitting back to back." He traced the first letter. "Then take the letter, how it's supposed to be, and turn it left, then write that in the middle."

"That's amazing," Lucy whispered with a wide smile. She turned to look at him excitedly. "Will you write something so I can figure it out?"

She waited while he grabbed another piece of paper, then watched as he wrote a small note. Once it was set before her, and the pen was in her hand, Lucy slowly deciphered the message without the key - because he took it away to make it harder.

She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Lucy is the best," she read softly.

Freed waited while she wrote something back to him, then took the pen and decoded the message with a smile on his face. His head rested on top of hers as he read, "Lucy and Freed. Friends forever."

*.*

Bickslow blinked back the tears in his eyes and slowly removed his visor to wipe away the few strays that had leaked down onto his cheeks. None of them had known just how long Lucy and Freed knew each other, but there was just something that hadn't added up when they were told about the marriage contract after the fact. Lucy had said that her spirits wouldn't explain why she couldn't remember her parents ever talking about it before, but now it made sense.

The reason her soul had reacted the way it did when Freed was taken made sense to him now. They had always known each other, in some way, and there was nothing that would keep them apart. He just couldn't understand why these memories were being showed to them now. Why couldn't the two remember each other? 'What the hell did their parents do?'

Jude sighed softly. "You always helped one another. No matter how trivial it was, everything was so monumental for the two of you because you were so young. We loved watching you learn as you grew older. And we loved seeing you learn to love one another. We saw it well before you did…"

*.*

X772

Freed sighed in frustration as he sat next to Lucy in the library at the Heartfilia estate. They were working together on their studies, with him going through his math exercises while Lucy continued working on reading. Their parents were sitting at the next table, with Jude and Frances reviewing contracts for their companies.

"Is everything alright?" Lucy asked.

He shook his head, then blew his shoulder length hair from in front of his eyes. "No…"

She turned to look at him, then laughed when she saw the ink spot on his sleeve. "Silly Freed…"

He turned when she pulled his hands away from the desk, watching as they were placed on her shoulders. She rolled up the sleeves, then he felt his cheeks heating up as she tucked his hair behind his ear.

"I don't think you'll ever remember to keep your sleeves and hair out of the way."

He grinned then. "But that's why I've got you with me, Lucy. You always help take care of me."

Lucy nodded happily, another bell-like laugh spilling from her lips. Her eyes suddenly grew brighter. "Will you teach me what you're learning?"

"Of course!"

*.*

Freed had never been able to remember just when he'd started doing that, rolling up his sleeves and tucking his hair behind his ear. It had seemed like he'd always done it, and he thought that maybe he had picked it up from someone. A tutor, maybe. But, as he watched the memory with Lucy by his side, he felt it. This was the truth. Mara hadn't been lying, not that he'd ever thought she would do that. He could feel it click into place, and the thought that the habit that was now second nature to him coming from someone else dissipated. He knew it was from Lucy, that she was the one that always helped him with silly little things like this. He just couldn't understand why his father would have this. Why would their memories have been taken away from them? 'I don't understand…'

"Time and time again, no matter what, you helped each other to learn and grow." Jude's fond laughter was halted by another cough. "There was no doubt in any of our minds about that. You and Freed were clearly meant for one another."

*.*

X773

A wide grin split Freed's lips as he clutched the weathered, ancient book tightly to his chest. He dashed through the library, on a mission to greet the six-year-old blonde that was on her way. Excitement had bubbled up in him and he nearly dropped his pen twice before tucking it, and his hair, behind his ear.

The door to the library opened, and Freed's steps quickened until he rounded a corner and skidded to a breathless halt in front of Lucy and her mother. "Freed!" Lucy giggled. "What are you doing, running in the library?"

He shook his head and laughed as he set the book down on the table, not noticing the curious gleam in Layla's eyes while he bowed respectfully. Once he was upright, he waited only another moment before closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around his best friend's mother. "Hello, Miss Layla. I missed you."

Layla laughed softly, her arms wrapping around the young boy's shoulders. "I missed you as well, Freed. We couldn't keep Lucy away though. She was begging to come over again."

After a few minutes, the two children were left alone in the library, and Freed grabbed the book and Lucy's hand, then nearly dragged her to the couch. "I found something amazing," he whispered, the sheer excitement showing through in his voice and nearly leaking from his pores.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"This book." He slowly opened it and brushed the dust from the pages while turning it to the bookmarked page. "It's a book on Rune magic. It's all about languages and rules and… And… It's just…"

"Wow! Freed this looks really hard!"

He shook his head then. "Not really. It's fun! You get to make all these rules and write runes for things. Like…" He hummed in thought, then snapped his fingers and turned to another page. "Here. There's a spell for putting magic into your eyes!"

Lucy's eyes dashed from one side to another while she skimmed through the text, then her brow furrowed when she looked at him again. "I don't get it."

Freed laughed and glanced at the door, then brushed his bangs away from his face and activated the small bit of magic he had. He watched as Lucy's eyes flashed with wonder, then settled his hair back in place. "Rune magic needs a pen or something to write with until you get really good at it," he said while pointing to the page she had been reading. "But this… It makes it so you don't have to use anything to write if you don't want to. It makes it part of you!"

Lucy's lips turned up into a smile, slowly widening until she was grinning. "That's amazing! My mom's keys have to be on her, or she can't use her magic…" She paused, then glanced at the door as well. "But, don't tell anyone I said that. She told me it was a secret."

Freed nodded. "Do you want me to do it for you, too? We could use the same magic!" When the blonde nodded, her hair bouncing wildly, he pulled the pen from behind his ear. "This is what I used," he said softly. "It's a magic pen that was on a shelf. It helps pull magic out of you when you're writing runes with it."

Lucy slowly laid herself down on the couch, smiling up at Freed when he lowered the pen to hover just over her left eye.

"Stay still, okay?" Freed whispered after making sure his sleeves her rolled up and his hair was out of his face. "It looks really weird, but I won't hurt you."

"I trust you, Freed," she answered. Silence reigned in the library while he worked, and Lucy fought the urge to blink. Once the pen was pulled away, she blinked repeatedly and carefully sat up while he wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "Did it work?"

Freed pulled the blonde to her feet and led her to a large mirror on the opposite side of the library. He pushed his hair away and activated his magic while looking at her matching brown eyes, then grinned when she visibly tried to use the magic within her and her left eye slowly changed color. The white part of her eye became black, and her iris and pupil turned a beautiful shade of purple. Just like his right eye. "Now," he whispered while holding her hand, "You'll always have a part of me with you. No matter what."

Lucy turned to look at the green-haired boy, then lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. "You're so sweet, Freed! Thank you!" She pulled back a moment later. "Do you know any spells?"

Freed nodded and grinned as their eyes went back to normal. He led her to the door when he heard a maid calling for them. "Reflect," he whispered, his arm looping through hers. "Next time we're alone, I'll teach it to you. It's so much fun…"

*.*

Lucy giggled with her hands held out in front of her. "Reflect!" Pale purple light shot out and wrapped around Freed where he stood in front of her, a proud grin on his face.

"Perfect!" Freed took a step forward, watching as the bubble surrounding him followed before disappearing. "Let's try a new one. I can't do it by myself yet."

Lucy nodded and followed his lead as he grabbed her hands. Their fingers laced together and were filling the small space between them, and she looked into his changed right eye. "Now what?"

"Picture a bubble," Freed whispered. "And let's make it silent."

Lucy nodded as he counted to three, then they said in unison, "Silence."

Purple light flashed in the room for the briefest of moments, and the children turned with wide eyes and brilliant smiles to see the walls covered in translucent purple light.

*.*

"It was like you were in your own little bubble," Jude laughed. "We trusted you to care for one another, so we ended up breaking quite a few conventions of high society when one family visited the other. We let the two of you play unattended, just as I had done, and just as Layla had done, when we were children."

Lucy turned to look at Freed, the opacity of her eye patch shifting until it was transparent. She sniffled softly when he reached up and lightly traced just beneath her eye. One that was now permanently different. She could remember the little details so much more clearly, each of them settling within her and making her feel as though she was finally whole again. Freed's magic had always been with her, not just from the day she had saved him, when Ansa slashed her face open with his sword. But… 'Why is it like this now, when I could change it back before?'

Angela gasped as she looked at Lucy and her son, seeing for the first time that Lucy's eye was, in fact, identical to how it had been in that memory of theirs, with the exception of her pupil being slitted now. 'I don't understand… What is all of this?' There were so many things she hadn't been aware of before, and now… Now she wanted answers.

*.*

X774

Lucy's legs kicked back and forth while she sat next to Freed on a bench. They looked out across the gardens behind her home, and she sighed happily. "I want to join Fairy Tail," she said quietly, making sure none of the staff that might have been around could hear her. "Will you come with me? When we're older?"

"Fairy Tail?" he asked. "What's that?"

"Mama told me about mage guilds. She said that's the name of the guild she would have joined if she didn't stop using magic all the time."

Freed smiled and carefully held her right hand in his left. "A mage guild…" After a silent minute, he nodded. "I will go anywhere you would like, Lucy. We'll always be together, and if that's what you want… Then yes." After another moment's hesitation, he asked, "Will we get guild marks?"

Lucy looked down at their joined hands and lightly squeezed. "Here," she whispered with a small laugh. "You should get one to match your hair!"

Freed smirked at the blonde. "Maybe I will. I bet yours will be pink."

"Of course! It's my favorite color!"

He sniffed petulantly. "I thought green was your favorite."

Lucy giggled and tickled his side, following as he jolted and tried to scoot away. "Only on you, silly."

*.*

Freed let out a small chuckle as he looked down at where his hand was clasped with Lucy's. Had everything about them really come from their past? He had originally decided to get his guild mark on his hand, when he joined the guild, because it had just felt like the right place to put it. There had been no explanation for it at the time,and he never really put any thought behind it. Something in his gut had told him that was where it was meant to be. And now… Now he knew why.

It had really been Lucy all along.

'We let you dream, and laugh, and just be young. As free as you could be while living in such a confined life. It was what Layla and I were adamant about. We didn't want high society to make you jaded, Lucy."

*.*

X774

"The end," Lucy said with a flourish.

"You have quite the imagination," Freed laughed. "I wasn't aware bullfrogs could have quite so many adventures with mice."

She grinned and leaned back on the couch in the library at Freed's home. "It's too bad you're the only one that hears my stories."

"Christophe and Avery do, as well," he mused. "However…" He paused and a small smile played across his lips. Slowly, he grabbed her hand and led the blonde through the library, then stopped in front of the fiction section. "You could always write books like these. Then everyone can enjoy them!"

Lucy blushed and looked down at her feet. "I don't know… Do you think I should?"

"Definitely," Freed nodded, his face serious. "You're a great storyteller."

She nibbled her lip indecisively. "M-Maybe I will," she whispered, a smile slowly forming while she looked back up into his deep green eyes. "I'll be an author one day."

"What will you write about?"

Her head rested against his shoulder while she clutched herself to his arm. "Our adventures as mages. Everything we do in Fairy Tail."

*.*

"We wanted your innocence to stay intact, to see that twinkle in your eyes when you woke up in the morning, or when you thought of a silly story that made no sense to us." The wistful tone of Jude's voice brought the tears in Lucy's eyes streaming down her cheeks. "Because we could never see just how vast your imagination was."

*.*

X775

Lucy wished Christophe a happy birthday as he dashed past her, chasing Avery with a fake sword. Her eighth birthday had just passed, and she slowly walked through the gardens of the Justine estate with her hand placed in the crook of Freed's elbow. Because lunch was already finished, they had some time before the adults would come to collect them, before they needed to be on their best behavior for the dinner party Frances was holding.

Freed smiled down at Lucy while he waited for her to take a seat near a fountain, then took his place next to her. Instantly, their eyes were drawn to the clouds. "I see a book."

Lucy lifted a gloved hand and traced the clouds as she said, "There's a dragon."

"Flowers."

"A rabbit."

"Lightning bolts."

"Where?"

"Over there," Freed laughed, pointing to the odd-shaped cloud formation. "I love lightning."

"I heard there was a lightning mage in Fairy Tail," Lucy sighed, blushing when Freed held her and like he always did. "He's supposed to be related to the guild master."

"Is that so?" When Lucy nodded, he grinned down at her. "Well, I hope we get to meet him one day. I would love to understand his magic."

*.*

Laxus blinked away the tears in his bright blue eyes. No way in hell was he going to cry over this. He knew that Bickslow and Evergreen were already well on their way to bawling. Lucy and Freed had been crying since the start - which was understandable under the circumstances. Frances looked so fucking ashamed of himself, and Angela… He didn't know what to make of her. Christophe just looked… Well, he looked so lost and guilty. Did that mean maybe he had something to do with all of this?

Regardless of that, Laxus couldn't let himself get overly emotional. Even though he realized that this was the moment, when Freed was only eleven and Lucy was eight, that the two had first talked about him. The first time his best friend had shown any interest in who he was, and it wasn't based on anything more than wanting to know more about his magic. Not his family, or anything else. Freed had never cared about shit like that. He wanted knowledge, to understand the world around him better than he did before.

Add onto that, his baby sister, the blonde that he'd taken as kin, knew about him when she was so young. He didn't know how or why, but something about that fact had his heart warming. He'd been so lost back then, but here these two were, hoping to one day meet him. Wishing that they could get away from the stuffy high society life, just to come to the guild. To the place they all called home now.

Laxus found himself looking down at his hand when Lucy's slender, strong fingers closed over his, then up to her shining eyes. And the dam broke as soon as she smiled at him. As soon as he heard her whisper, "I love you, Big Brother."

Jude sighed heavily. "You would come to us in tears sometimes, because of what Frances did to Freed. And all we could do was hold you, and say that Freed wouldn't leave you behind. That Frances would never hurt him too badly…"

*.*

X775

Lucy wrapped her arms around Freed once they were standing in the hallway alone. A small whimper and the way he flinched had her pulling back with a frown on her face. "What happened?" she asked worriedly.

Freed pulled her to him again, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He couldn't see the look in her eyes. He could never stand it when she looked like she was about to cry. "Avery got in trouble for playing a prank on Marcus," he whispered. "I-I stepped in for him, and said I did it…"

"Freed…"

"I'm okay," he whispered. "Just a few bruises. I-I'll be alright…" Slowly, he moved her arms that were hanging limply at her sides, and put them over his shoulders. "It doesn't hurt here."

Lucy hugged him tightly when the first small cry crawled up her throat.

"Please don't cry. I'm okay, Lucy."

"B-But he… Wh-Why would your dad hurt you?"

"He says it's to teach us a lesson. I don't understand it either, but… I won't let Avery get hurt if I can help it."

Lucy pulled away and waited as Freed swiped his thumbs over her cheeks. Their foreheads pressed together for only a moment before she grabbed his hand and led him down the hall. To the music room.

Freed smiled and sat down at the piano bench with the blonde. He brought his hands to the keys and started the rolling bass line for 'Heart and Soul', waiting for Lucy to play along.

Slowly, her sadness melted away with each note they played together. She found herself laughing at Freed's astounded expression when she started improvising. Without looking at the keys, and letting whatever her fingers did of their own accord just flow from her, Lucy looked to her best friend. "I'll always protect you, Freed," she whispered. "I promise."

Freed smiled. "You're an angel, Lucy."

*.*

A soft laugh spilled past Jude's lips. "But Freed protected you too. You always took care of one another, just like friends are supposed to do."

Angela blotted her tears away, studiously ignoring the man she'd married that was sitting right next to her. She knew very well just what he'd done to their children over the years, the harsh punishments and everything else. It had never been easy, living with Frances. Except for the times when Lucy and her parents were around. 'I've missed Layla so much…'

*.*

X775

Lucy led Freed through the gardens, then out to a less tended portion of the property. A tall, marble fountain, covered in vines stood proudly in a little copse of trees. It was only visible if you really looked, which she had while exploring one day. The water was perfectly crystalline. As clear as could be.

Freed watched in wonder as Lucy snuck a golden key out of her bodice and dipped it into the water. The liquid swirled violently while she called out the incantation, then shot up into a pillar and slowly fell back into the fountain once a blue-haired mermaid appeared. "Wow…"

"Aquee, this is Freed Justine," Lucy said politely. "Freed, this is Aquarius. She's Mama's friend, but I'm allowed to use her key sometimes."

"You're…" Freed shook his head with wide eyes. "You're a Celestial Spirit…"

Aquarius smiled tenderly and placed her urn on the edge of the fountain while taking a seat, letting her tail swish lazily in the shallow water. "I am."

"This is amazing…"

Lucy giggled. "Yeah, Aquee's my favorite. She plays games with me in the bath sometimes." She paused and pushed out her lower lip. "Unless she's on a date with her boyfriend."

Aquarius laughed and patted her blonde hair. "Well, spirits have lives of their own, Lulu. Don't forget that, okay?" When Lucy nodded, she looked down to see that Freed's hand was tenderly holding Lucy's. "You know… I think you would make a great husband for my little Lulu."

Freed and Lucy blushed profusely.

"Promise to take care of her, Freed?" Aquarius asked firmly.

All of the embarrassment Freed had been feeling dissipated in an instant. His eyes hardened and his face turned serious. "You have my word, Aquarius. I will always take care of Lucy."

*.*

"And then everything changed…" Jude sighed again, his tone somber. "I'm sorry that this happened, Lucy. And I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive both Frances and myself for causing you so much grief."

*.*

X776

Lucy made her way to the library as soon as her parents gave her leave to find Freed. She knew exactly where he would be. What she hadn't expected was to find him kneeling in front of the fireplace with tears steadily streaming down his tormented twelve-year-old face. "Freed," she gasped. "What happened?"

"F-Father burned it," he whimpered, still staring at the roaring fire and the blackened pages within it. "My rune book… H-He found me reading it before you came and… A-And he…" A sob bubbled up as her arms wrapped around him. "It was my f-favorite one…"

"Shh," she whispered, pulling his head to her chest and removing her gloves to run her fingers through his hair. "It was just a book, Freed."

"B-But… That's the one with our eye magic in it," he cried. "H-He said… He said magic was a waste of time!"

"Your dad is wrong. Magic is amazing, and wonderful. Look at all the things you've done with it."

"B-But…"

Lucy shook her head, slowly rocking her crying friend from one side to the other. "No, Freed. I love your magic. It's beautiful, and it makes you want to learn more and more. No one could do it as well as you do."

He sniffled loudly, allowing himself to cry in her arms for as long as he needed. Eventually, his tears slowed, and he let out a shaky breath while he felt her fingers dancing along his scalp. "I love it when you do that…"

Lucy smiled softly into the green strands just in front of her face. "I'll do it for as long as you'll let me, Freed."

"You have my permission to touch my hair whenever you wish, Lucy," Freed whispered with a grin. He shifted and pulled Lucy down to properly sit on the floor next to him - instead of kneeling in front of him - and kept his head against her shoulder. "You're the best friend I could ever ask for…"

*.*

"When Frances found out that Freed was using magic, he was furious. He didn't want to believe that his son would do something like that, so he burnt that book. Frances told me to make sure there were no books on magic in my home, because if there were, then Freed wouldn't be allowed to come over anymore. He didn't want his son associating with magic at such a young age."

Frances felt everyone's eyes turning to him, the mages from Fairy Tail nearly burning him with the intensity in their gazes. He had been such a fool before. He'd known just how important that book was to his son, because the boy had begged him not to. Freed had been on his knees, pleading desperately for his father to just spare that book. And he hadn't listened.

*.*

X776

Lucy bit her lip nervously while she walked down the hall to Freed's bedroom from where she'd slept the night before. She ducked behind a slightly opened door when she saw Marcus making his way out of Freed's room, then tightened her grip on the package in her arms. Once he was out of sight, she ran as quickly as possible to her friend's bedroom and closed the door behind her.

He wasn't there, but she knew he was still getting ready in the bathroom. So, Lucy took a seat on his already made bed and set the package on her lap. A minute passed before Freed left the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to head down to breakfast.

Freed's eyes went wide when he saw Lucy sitting on his bed, but he still smiled when he took a seat next to the blonde and she hugged him. "Good morning, Lucy."

"Happy birthday, Freed," Lucy whispered happily. She pulled back and placed the wrapped package in his hands. "Open it now, before we go down, okay?"

He nodded and tore the paper, his smile widening into a large grin while tears formed in his eyes. "M-My favorite book…" There, in his hands, was the exact book that his father had burnt a month prior. The one that he had found that taught him about runes and that held the Eye magic he and Lucy shared.

Lucy squeaked when he dropped the book to the bed and turned to hug her as tightly as he could manage.

"Thank you, Lucy. Thank you so much!"

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I saw it in the library at home. Daddy won't miss it. It was so dusty that I was sneezing for the whole day."

"You're the best friend anyone could ask for," Freed whispered, his voice thick with the emotions swelling in him. "You always know how to make me smile, Lucy."

Lucy giggled and innocently kissed his cheek. "That's because I love you, Freed."

Freed blushed while he sat back and smiled at her. He slowly lifted the book and brushed his fingers over the cover, then moved to hide it under his mattress. As he stood, he took Lucy's hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow as he led her to the door. "I love you too, Lucy."

*.*

A soft smile found its way onto Freed's face as the memory of that day, his thirteenth birthday, settled into him. He still had that book at home, sitting among his hundreds of tomes on magic. It was one of the few things he'd taken with him when he left home to join Fairy Tail. He'd thought it was just a book he'd found in the library and had been lucky enough to keep hidden from his father. Was that what had happened to him? Were his memories just taken and augmented? Everything concerning Lucy being in his life before was gone, and his mind had been tampered with. But for what?

"That was when he found out that Layla used to be a mage. That she still had her keys and hardly used them. Frances wasn't happy about it, but when your mother got sick… I found you using her keys too. I was too distraught by the thought of losing your mother. I blamed Freed for your interest in magic, refusing to see that you were just taking after Layla, and keeping a part of her with you. I couldn't see that it was natural talent that you'd inherited from her, and not some silly little hobby." Jude let out a soft sigh. "I was so stupid…"

*.*

X776

"I love it when you play 'The Tempest', Freed," Lucy hummed while she sat on an armchair next to the piano, listening to the final notes of the song as he turned to smile at her.

"It's your turn," Freed said. "Have you finished writing that song for your mother?"

Lucy sighed and sat down next to him. "No. I can't figure out how to end it. It just keeps…"

"Looping?"

She nodded, then started to play the introduction, just the high notes with her right hand. "Do you think you could help me?"

Freed nodded, watching as Lucy lifted her left hand and started the running bass line. Up and down, the haunting tones filled him. His eyes slid closed at the same time as hers, just listening and hoping to find something that could help the blonde draw it to a close. Finally, his eyes opened and he gently placed his hands over hers. "Maybe…"

Lucy turned bright and hopeful eyes up to him. "Maybe?"

"Maybe… It doesn't need an ending," Freed whispered. "It's for your mother, after all. Why should it end?" He let out a soft smile when he saw the sadness flash in Lucy's eyes. "She'll get better, Lucy. I'm sure of it."

She nodded slowly, looking down at where he held her hands. "Maybe you're right, Freed. Maybe… I shouldn't end it. Mama will get better, so…"

"Exactly," Freed said as he wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders. "Would you like to dance with me? Father said there is a party coming up, and I need to practice so I don't embarrass the family."

Lucy nodded, her smile slowly losing its sad quality as he turned on the record player in the corner of the music room. She took his hand once he returned to her side and followed as he led her to the center of the room.

Freed felt heat rising to his cheeks when Lucy smiled up at him as they got into position. Slowly, they started to move. And then he stumbled.

Lucy giggled when he stepped on her toes. After a quick mumbled apology from the boy, they started again. And he stumbled again. "You really are a bad dancer, Freed," she laughed.

"No," he grumbled. "Boys are supposed to lead, and you're trying to do it."

She frowned at that. "Girls can lead, too. Let me teach you."

He sniffed petulantly. "No. I know what I'm doing."

"A gentleman would at least consider what a lady says," Lucy huffed, "Instead of just ignoring her."

Freed blinked when she pulled away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Lucy?"

"No, you're being mean. I bet you're going to dance with other girls at this party, so maybe I shouldn't teach you. That way you can step all over their toes, too!"

"Lucy…" Freed frowned when she turned sad eyes to him. "I don't want to dance with other girls. Just you."

"Promise?"

Freed nodded, smiling hopefully. "Will you teach me? You can lead every time we dance."

Lucy's eyes finally softened and she moved back into position. "Fine," she grumbled. "But only because you're really really bad at this. And I don't want you getting in trouble."

Freed bit his lower lip in concentration while they started to dance, letting Lucy take the lead and show him what he was supposed to do. "Why is this so hard?"

"Because you think too much," she laughed. She pulled him to a stop, then grabbed his shoulders and roughly shook them. "Loosen up, Freed. Gimme a good wiggle."

"I do not wiggle, Lucy."

"You need to."

"No."

"Who's teaching whom, here?"

Freed grinned. "Well, if you're going to use 'whom'... I guess I'll have to wiggle."

Lucy laughed when Freed did just as she'd asked, wiggling his whole body and letting his arms flail wildly. "Perfect!" She moved back into position when he blew his hair out of his eyes and grinned down at her, then carefully tucked his hair behind his ear. "Ready now?" she whispered.

Freed nodded. He bit his lip in concentration again as they moved, then looked up to Lucy's face from his feet in surprise when she flicked him right between the eyes.

"My face is up here, Freed. If you look at your feet, then I won't have any by the time I'm ten. You'll stomp them right off." When he pouted, she rolled her eyes with a tender smile. "Don't think, silly."

"That's impossible."

"Fine, then don't think about dancing."

"But that's what we're doing…"

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "This is going to take a while," she giggled.

*.*

"Things got worse, but we did everything we could to keep it from you. I told Frances that any differences between us shouldn't be taken out on the two of you, when you were so innocent. You didn't know any better, and we just needed to make sure you didn't continue down that path."

Laxus smirked at the deep flush on Freed's face. It was no secret to the Raijinshuu that he was actually a horrible dancer. There wasn't a single rhythmical bone in the Rune mage's body that was capable of moving in time to the music. No matter what type of music it was. He was more than graceful, but put him on a dance floor… It was painful.

"I am not that bad now," Freed whispered when Lucy giggled.

"Yeah," Lucy laughed. "You really are, sweetie." His grip on her hand tightened for a moment and she looked over to see a fond smile pulling up his tear-stained cheeks. "I'm still willing to teach you, though."

Jude let out a heavy sigh, his voice still carrying through the room. "We were idiots, Lucy… We should have realized the potential that was in the two of you, and we should have nurtured it. You were both so smart…"

*.*

X776

Lucy frowned as she sat on the picnic blanket beneath her favorite tree, glaring at the grin on Freed's face. "I give up. What's the longest word in the dictionary?"

His grin stretched even further. "Smiles."

"Huh? No it's not. Porcupine is longer than smiles…"

"There's a 'mile' between each 's'."

Lucy blinked slowly. "That…" Slowly, she smiled. "Do you have any idea how many words I was thinking of?"

"Yes."

She giggled then. "One day I'll outsmart you, Freed!"

Freed laughed and held a strawberry up to her lips as a peace offering. While she took a bite, he whispered, "I'm sure you will, Lucy. If anyone could do it, it's you."

*.*

"Oh my god," Evergreen cooed while blotting the tears from her eyes. "Freed, you were adorable!"

"Yeah, what happened?" Bickslow chuckled before sniffling.

"Nothing," Freed answered. "I am still just as precious."

Christophe hid his laughter behind a cough, earning a playful glare from his brother. "I would not use precious to describe you, Freed."

"Then what word-"

"Nerd," the rest of the room, his parents included, said in unison.

Freed's mouth clamped shut and Lucy nudged his side gently. "It's okay," she whispered. "I love nerds."

"The candy," Laxus chuckled, then grunted when she elbowed him without looking away from her fiance.

"Not the point."

Freed shrugged. "I accepted my nerdiness long ago. I will take it as a compliment."

Jude's voice drew everyone's attention back to the swirling images in the air. "You and Freed kept using magic, and we had already signed the contract for your engagement by the time your mother died. I know that she gave the contract to her spirits for safekeeping, and I didn't blame her for it one bit. Before she died, Frances came to me and said we were cutting all ties. That he had already destroyed his copy of the contract, and he expected me to do the same. The things he said about you and Layla…" There was a pregnant pause. "I couldn't let you be around someone like him. And all I could hope was that Freed wouldn't end up being the same."

*.*

X777

Freed walked through the Heartfilia estate on a mission to find his best friend. Layla was still sick, and he just knew that Lucy wasn't taking it well. From the whispers he heard from the staff at home, Layla wasn't getting better. In fact, she was getting worse. Lucy wasn't in the library, her room, or the music room, and no one knew where she was. Jude hadn't known either, but he seemed to be preoccupied with talking to Freed's father, so that left the teen to find her on his own.

And he did. At the old fountain that she summoned Aquarius in, where the two of them would go to spend time together more often than not lately. She was kneeling on the ground with her mother's keys in her small hands. Without a moment's hesitation, he knelt beside her and pulled the crying blonde into his arms.

"S-Someone said… She's not gonna make it…"

"They don't know for sure, Lucy."

"But… I heard the doctor telling Daddy… M-Mama doesn't have long…"

He frowned and gently stroked her hair. "Then why are you out here?"

"Because I didn't know where else to go. Everyone is too busy to waste time on me now."

He sighed and shook his head at that. "I'll never be too busy for you, Lucy."

"Because we'll always be together?" she whispered, a small glimmer of hope in her trembling voice.

"That's right. Always."

They were silent for a time before she spoke again. "I hope my parents don't make one of those contracts to make me marry someone. I heard Ms. Spetto talking about it… "

"I feel the same way," Freed nodded. "But you'll have to get married eventually."

Lucy smiled up at him, her nine-year-old eyes shining with tears. "Then I want to marry my best friend! You always tell me we'll be together forever."

Freed blushed. "I'm much older than you, Lucy."

"Three years isn't that much."

He laughed softly at the pout she gave him. "Well, I can't think of anything better than that," he finally said. "I want to spend forever with my best friend, too."

"So we'll get married then?" Lucy giggled.

"Definitely." He grinned. "Maybe I'll ask you to marry me with a riddle."

*.*

"Layla kept getting worse, and I was at my wit's end on what to do. I couldn't let you be near Freed, or Frances, but I could see how upset you were any time you asked to see your friend. We couldn't come to an agreement on anything anymore. And I know that all you wanted was Freed's comfort while your mother was so sick." Jude coughed again, then groaned tiredly. "I tried to make things work with Frances, to salvage our friendship… But somewhere along the way… I lost sight of what was important."

Christophe looked over to his parents, seeing the guilt sitting plainly on his father's face and the pain simmering in his mother's eyes. Slowly, his blurred gaze swept over to his brother and future sister-in-law. He had known they were close when they were younger, but he'd never been told why Lucy disappeared from their lives. 'I thought they just stopped talking.' Freed had grown so distant when Lucy disappeared. He wasn't himself anymore, but everyone had simply chalked it up to him getting older, being a teenager. 'It was because of magic. That's why…'

"So, I called Frances, and I explained what was going on. He suggested we make it so that you two couldn't remember one another. I thought it was a good idea, considering just how distant Frances and I had become. I didn't want you to lose out on happiness because you were still clinging to your friendship with Freed."

*.*

X777

Lucy looked up at her father's stern face as she walked toward the waiting carriage with him. "Why isn't Mama coming with us?"

"She is still feeling unwell," Jude answered shortly. "She needs her rest, Lucy."

She nodded, looking down at her hands as they took a seat and went on their way. She didn't pay attention to where they were going, and the next thing she knew… She was sitting in a large chair, surrounded by darkness. "D-Daddy?"

"Quiet, Lucy. This is for the best."

She looked down as a clear glass orb was placed in her hands. A man wearing dark robes, with his face hidden in shadows, placed a hand on her head and pointed a finger at the orb. "Think of Freed Justine," he whispered to the girl. "Everything about him. Every memory you have of him and the Justine family."

Lucy nibbled her lip nervously, then did as she was told. A scream tore itself from her throat, echoing in the darkened room until she lost consciousness.

*.*

Lucy frowned as she listened to the mysterious man's voice. Something about it was familiar, but she couldn't place just what it was.

"Frances had a few contacts in the Magic Council, and we both got in touch with him. I never knew his name… He took your memories away two months before your mother died, and locked them in a lacrima. Each and every one that concerned Freed was taken from you, and because there were so many that involved myself and your mother as well, those had to be taken too. We had to make sure you would never remember him…"

*.*

X777

Freed silently followed his father into the carriage, his head bowed respectfully. 'I miss Lucy,' he thought sadly.

Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting in a large chair and looking up at a hooded man. An orb was settled in his hands, and he turned to his father. "Father, what's-"

"Silence, Freed," Frances sneered. He turned to the other man. "Don't erase everything. Change what you can and remove that Heartfilia girl."

"That's pretty risky. Are you sure?" the man asked.

Freed gasped. "What? Get rid of Lucy?! NO!" He whimpered when a hand connected with the side of his face, then turned back to see his father scowling down at him.

"I said… Silence, Freed," Frances hissed. "You have no say in the matter. You will do this, and you will forget everything about that family. They're beneath us."

"B-But… I love Lucy. Wh-Why would-" Freed cried out when he was smacked again. "I-I'm sorry, father."

"That's better. Stop your snivelling, boy. Men don't cry."

Freed nodded, but his tears never stopped. He looked up at the hooded man when a large, tan hand was placed on his head. "Please," he whispered. "Don't take my best friend away…"

"Frances…"

Frances sighed, his voice growing more distant as he walked away from his son. "Do what you need to, Brain. I'm not watching my son disgrace our family name."

Freed cried out when the hand holding his head tightened. "F-Father! Make him stop!"

"Think of Lucy Heartfilia," Brain chuckled. "Everything about her and the Heartfilia family. You won't remember a thing…"

Freed screamed in agony as his memories were torn away, his vision tunneling until everything went dark.

*.*

Lucy's eyes were wide as she stared at the fading memory. "Brain…" That was why the voice was so familiar. She would never forget that psychopath. She turned to Frances, her eyes burning with fury. "You… Our memories were taken by the leader of the Oracion Seis?!"

"That was before he created the guild," Frances sighed, refusing to meet her gaze. "I had no idea he was-"

"Sis, I think you're gonna break Freed's hand."

Lucy blinked and turned to her fiance, then squeaked when she saw him trying and failing to pry her hand from his. "Sorry."

Freed shook his head in silence, then tenderly kissed her knuckles. He reached up with his handkerchief and slowly dried her tears, then the two looked back up to the images that were dancing above them once Jude spoke again.

"You were listless for so long after you lost Freed. I never told Layla what Frances and I did, and I know that she thought you were upset because she was sick. She used to hold you as much as she could, and try to make you smile… But it never came. What I did… I took your smile away."

*.*

X777

Lucy sat alone at the piano in tears, wishing with everything she was worth that she could play a song for her recently deceased mother. She knew there was a way that she used to cheer up by playing the piano, but she couldn't remember.

"He's missing," the blonde whispered to herself.

She frowned, trying to think of who it might be. Who might have the answer of how to make her smile again. The blonde brought her palms to her eyes as her head started pounding, but she refused to give up.

Eventually, her nose started to bleed, and she collapsed backwards off of the piano bench. "Freed…" she whispered absently before losing consciousness.

*.*

"We found out, over time, that not everything had been completely erased. You used to get flashes here and there, and I had to return you to the man that took them away for him to clear those memories as well."

*.*

X777

Freed's eyes darted across the newspaper as he finished his breakfast. He frowned when the picture of a beautiful blonde woman caught his eye, the headline reading, 'Layla Heartfilia Dead at the Age of 29.'

His frown deepened when he saw the little girl pictured with the woman. She seemed vaguely familiar. Her bright brown eyes, and wide smile. As the servant went to take his empty dish away, he looked up into the young woman's hazel eyes. "Why does this girl look familiar?"

She laughed. "You won't trick me, Freed. That's your best friend, Lucy. Silly thing." She rolled her eyes and walked off.

He looked down at the picture again, then put a hand to his head and stumbled away from the table. Down one hall and another, he finally made it to the safety of his bedroom before collapsing. "Lucy…"

*.*

"More and more of who you were was leaving, and even though I knew you were using your mother's keys so you had a friend to talk to, I couldn't do anything. I kept telling myself that I would talk to Frances when you were old enough to be married, and see if maybe his mind had changed. I wanted to see the man that Freed grew into without you before I could give your memories back."

*.*

X778

Lucy pulled the Water Bearer's key from the fountain with tears in her eyes. Without hesitation, she lunged for the mermaid spirit and wrapped her arms around the woman.

"Lucy?" Aquarius whispered worriedly. "What happened?"

"Aquee, why am I so sad all the time?" she cried.

Aquarius sighed and hugged the blonde. "I can't say, Lulu…"

"Why do I feel like there's someone missing?"

"You… You mean, your mom?" she asked carefully, her eyes wide and filled with concern.

Lucy shook her head. "Someone else… I see him when I'm sleeping sometimes… but, I don't know who he is… He's so familiar, but then I wake up with a headache."

Tears trickled down Aquarius' cheeks, soaking into the blonde hair her nose was nestled in. "I'm so sorry, Lulu. I wish you could remember who he is… That… That must be so hard…"

"Is he real, Aquee? Is there someone I can't remember?"

"..."

"I wish there was… I wanna have a friend with pretty green hair like in my dreams…"

"I know, Lulu… I do, too…"

*.*

"What I hadn't realized, though," Jude said sadly, "Was that… By taking Freed away…"

*.*

X778

Freed let out a slow breath while reading under a tree. Christophe and Avery practiced fencing with one another a short distance away. He turned the page, mumbling the translation of the ancient text to himself when his two younger brothers ran up to him with wide smiles.

"Freed, let's play hide and seek for old time's sake!" Christophe said.

"Yeah, remember how fun that was?" Avery nodded.

Freed slowly lifted his gaze from the book, a bored expression on his face. "You are mistaken," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "I never played such a game with the two of you. If you will excuse me…" He didn't want to be bothered, and he stood to start making his way inside where he could get some peace.

Christophe grabbed Freed's arm with a scowl on his face. "What are you talking about? We played it all the time!"

"Yeah! Every time Lucy came over, she'd get you to play with us! Now you just ignore us…"

Freed's brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at his brothers. "Who is that?"

"You must be joking!" Christophe shouted, looking at Avery whose mouth was hanging open in shock. "The two of you have been friends almost her entire life!"

"Did you get into a fight?" Avery asked. "She hasn't come over in a long time… We miss her…"

"If this is some sort of prank, then I refuse to be fooled by it. I do not know what you're talking about." Freed sighed and clenched his eyes when his head started pounding. "Now, I will take my leave."

"It's not a prank, Freed… Why are you acting like you don't know Lucy?" Christophe looked on as Freed dropped his book and put a hand to his head. "... Freed?"

"I…" Freed mumbled. "I don't… know… Wh-Who that… is…"

"Lucy Heartfilia!" Avery bellowed. Freed dropped to his knees a moment later, and Avery fought against Christophe as the middle brother tried to pull him away. "She's blonde with brown eyes and a pretty smile. She makes everyone happy when they meet her. You and Lucy usually sit in the library all the time, because you both love books more than anything! But she still got you to play with us! Come on, Freed! You know who Lucy is!"

"Avery," Christophe said as he pushed their younger, green-haired brother back. "Go get father…" He quickly moved to kneel on the ground as Freed curled in on himself.

"Stop…" Freed whimpered. "I-I don't… I don't know… anyone named… L-Lucy…" His eyes clenched even tighter when he felt as though his skull was shrinking around his swelling brain. "S-Stop… Please…"

"Stop pretending, Freed!" Avery spat. "Just admit you know who Lucy is!"

"Avery, enough! Go get father! Something's wrong with Freed!"

"Not until he admits it!"

"L-Lucy… I… I know… her?" Freed's eyes opened to reveal nothing but a blur around him, the edges of his vision wriggling with darkness.

A quick memory of sitting beneath a tree while Christophe and Avery played off in the distance wavered until Freed saw a flash of a blonde girl falling from a tree and right into his waiting arms while they all played together.

"She… She's my best…" Freed loosed a bloodcurdling scream when pain exploded behind his eyes, blinding him and forcing his quaking body to completely crumple to the ground. His hands pulled at his hair as he tried to stop the pain. He tried to focus on something else. Anything else. But he couldn't.

Christophe gasped when Freed's ears and nose started pouring blood. "Avery! Get father now!"

Avery's eyes were wide as Christophe straddled their thrashing older brother and tried to keep him still. "F-Freed…"

"NOW!" Christophe bellowed. Once Avery turned and started running back toward the mansion, he grunted and laid himself over Freed. "What happened to you?" he whispered.

"AHHHHH!"

*.*

Everyone present stared at the memory that slowly morphed into a tiny mote of light and fluttered down to the stunned Rune mage. No one knew what to say, except for Christophe.

"That's why you told us to never talk about the Heartfilias to Freed," Christophe said, as he looked over to his father. "This is why… It… It hurt him when he thought about her, because you took his memories away."

"Wait," Bickslow frowned. "You're saying you made Freed's brothers keep it a secret?"

Frances nodded. "I was told later," he said, with a quivering, guilt-ridden voice, "The more Freed's memory was jolted without the lacrima to ease everything back, the more life-threatening it was when he had to go back and get it erased again. He told me that the last one, this one… It was the last time he could do it without giving him complete amnesia. Freed would have lost everything."

"And you didn't think that was maybe a good enough reason to just give him everything back?" Evergreen asked.

Frances shook his head. "No. I just ensured that the staff and everyone else understood that Lucy's family, or anything related to it, would result in severe repercussions. I made sure that no one could make it so Freed lost all of his memories."

Freed was visibly trembling as he reached for Lucy's hand again. When he felt her gently squeeze, he turned to meet her gaze. "I…"

Lucy nibbled her lip for a moment, watching as the Rune mage took a slow breath. "Are you alright?"

He nodded quickly. If he was being honest, Freed was far from alright. He was spooked beyond belief, and he didn't know how he was supposed to deal with each revelation that came about. If anything, he just wanted this to be done so he could curl up in Lucy's arms and try to sort through everything. If anything, he wanted to be back home. He wasn't sure if he wanted anymore memories if this was what he had gone through at the hands of his father. 'He's supposed to love me, and yet… All of this…'

"I took everything from you, Lucy," Jude whispered. "I took the one you loved more than anything. The pain I felt from being on the verge of losing Layla was pushed onto you. I made you suffer, and then I pushed you away in my own grief. I forgot about what had always been more important than anything. I forgot to make sure you were happy…"

*.*

X780

Lucy smiled shyly at the older green-haired boy that she kept meeting here and there during the ball she and her father had been invited to. Her father had said that she had to go, because there would be suitors there that she was required to meet. She didn't care about any of that.

This boy was different from the others. He didn't really smile, but she just knew that it would be dazzling when he did. His green waistlength hair looked so soft that all she wanted was to run her fingers through it. He was dashing, with those deep green eyes and the beauty mark beneath his right eye. Thin, handsome, with a sword buckled on his belt around his red jacket.

No matter how many times they separated to attend to one matter or another during the ball, they always seemed to bump into each other. Taking a glass from the same waiter, while they were forced to dance and switch partners - which, she found it oddly endearing that he was utterly hopeless when it came to dancing - and now, as she stood on the balcony that overlooked the gardens. All she had wanted was some fresh air, to be away from the suffocating atmosphere inside. It seemed he wanted the same thing.

"Hello again, Miss Lucy," he chuckled softly while looking up into the night sky.

"Hello, Freed." Lucy turned to look back at the party inside, then out across the gardens that she wasn't familiar with. Suddenly, she turned back to him and grabbed his gloved hand with one of her own. "Come with me."

Freed blinked in surprise, stumbling after the surprisingly strong blonde. "E-Excuse me?"

Lucy laughed and glanced at him over her shoulder. "Come on. I've heard Lord Aurus has the most amazing hedge maze."

"Hedge maze?" Freed asked, pulling her to a stop just inside the entrance. He looked up around them, his eyes scanning their surroundings before looking back at the grinning blonde. "And… You would like to enter this place… With a stranger?"

Lucy gave him another shy smile, a light blush on her cheeks. "I thought it would be fun, solving the puzzle. Would you like to?" Her breath stuttered when he grinned down at her, and she found her own smile widened when he turned and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow.

The pair made their way through the maze with ease, then took a seat on one of the marble benches surrounding a magnificent fountain.

"Why do I feel like I know you?" Lucy asked.

"I am not sure, but… I do feel the same way." Freed looked down and pulled his gloves off at the same time Lucy did, and the fingers on his left hand brushed over the ones on her right as they both moved to set their gloves down. His gaze shot up when he felt the smallest spark between them, and his brow furrowed when he saw the briefest flash of purple in her left eye.

"There's just… something about you," Lucy whispered as she leaned closer to him, scrutinizing every detail she could take in as her head unconsciously tilted to one side.

He gulped at her proximity, his cheeks flaring brilliantly. Between one moment and the next, something urged him to throw caution to the wind. And, for once, he did. Freed closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers.

As quickly as it began, it was over, and Lucy blinked in surprise when he only pulled back an inch. Just his lips on hers, the barest of contact. Still, she found herself smiling at the mysterious teen she'd met. "I should be upset that my first kiss was stolen," she giggled.

Freed's blush deepened along with hers. "If you would allow it, I would be willing to give you a proper first kiss under more traditional circumstances," he whispered.

She giggled again and shook her head. "Not traditional. But… I'll allow it right now…?"

Another smile broke out on his face, and Freed tenderly grasped her hands, lacing their fingers together. He took a slow breath, then leaned forward again. Once his lips met with hers, he felt as though the runes he practiced in secret had finally told them everything he needed to know about the world.

Lucy's eyes fluttered open and she looked up as his eyes opened as well. Without thinking, she reached up and tucked his bangs behind his ear, smiling when she was able to see both of his beautifully deep green eyes. "I hope you can be one of the suitors my father is making me meet soon."

"And why would that be?"

"Because you make me happy," she answered automatically. "I feel like I've met you before… Somewhere… Maybe… Like I dreamt you existed."

Freed nibbled his lip, placing his hand over hers where it was frozen on his cheek. "I would like that very much, Lucy," he whispered. His eyes closed again as her slender fingers gently pulled him closer, a small smile on his face that melted once they kissed again.

*.*

Lucy's fingers were pressed to her lips as she stared at Freed in shock. "W-We…"

Freed nodded numbly. "It appears we did."

"You what?" Laxus growled with narrowed eyes. Lucy looked like she was barely thirteen in that memory, and the older brother in him was ready to punch Freed's lights out if they did anything more than kiss.

Lucy laughed breathlessly and shook her head, never taking her eyes away from her fiance. "Freed was my first kiss," she whispered. "Both times, apparently."

He remembered the first time they had kissed - after she had saved him from Ansa - and what he'd said to her then. How he wanted to give her a proper first kiss under more traditional circumstances. It all came right back around. Everything he and Lucy had been through in their relationship circled right back around to moments from their lives together before. Before everything had been taken away.

"It's always been you," Lucy whispered with a soft smile, missing the looks that the Raijinshuu shared with Freed's brother.

"Always," Freed whispered back with a soft chuckle.

"I still had happy memories with Layla, times that I could look back on. You didn't have any of that, and I'm the reason why… Your heart was broken, Lucy. But you never understood why it was like that. Now I know that I didn't just take Freed from you though. I took your mother, and I took myself, away. So much of your life was intertwined with knowing him, with being his friend, and that meant you lost happy memories with everyone else too."

Frances took a shaky breath and removed the fourth orb from the box as the last of Lucy and Freed's memories settled into the pair.

"Lucy," Jude sighed. "There's something that I want you to see. This is the last gift I can give you. It's everything I have left of the life I once had with you and your mother."

Everyone in the room watched as Frances sent the orb up into the air, utterly silent as another memory was played for them all.

*.*

X772

Jude smiled while looking down at his excited five-year-old daughter's face. "You can see Freed soon, dear," he laughed.

"Yes, Daddy," Lucy giggled. "I'm just excited! We get to stay the night!"

"We do," Layla answered as they were led down the halls to where Frances and Angela were waiting. "All weekend, even. Mr. Frances says that the Sakura Festival is the best out here."

They all stopped when Marcus announced them, then Jude and Layla grinned down at Lucy who was quite literally bouncing with her excitement. "Say hello," Jude gently reminded her.

"Right! Hello Mr. and Mrs. Justine!" Lucy smiled.

Angela and Frances chuckled and greeted the bubbly blonde. "Freed and the boys are outside, Lucy. If you would like to go and play," Angela said, glancing out to see her eldest son sitting beneath a tree and reading a book.

Jude let out a soft sigh as Lucy giggled and ran through the open doors and out into the yard, her young legs carrying her as quickly as she could manage out to her best friend.

She was on a mission, as she always was when it came to Freed, and all four parents watched with soft smiles on their faces when Freed realized she was there and finally put his book down. He jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around the blonde when she jumped, then spun her in a circle with a wide smile on his face.

"You would think they haven't seen each other in years," Layla sighed.

Frances chuckled, then he quirked a brow. "Jude, why isn't your daughter dressed appropriately?"

Jude looked over the jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt his daughter was wearing, and smirked. There wasn't a single thing wrong with her wearing those clothes. Just because she was a young lady didn't mean that she couldn't dress like normal girls her age.

"Lucy complained the last time we came by," Layla laughed softly. "She said that she couldn't play with Christophe and Avery while she's wearing a dress."

When Frances and Angela openly gaped at his wife, Jude pressed a hand to her lower back in support. "Lucy also enjoys practicing her gymnastics in her free time, and she can't do that in a dress either."

"Oh, she's so good at getting him to come out of his shell," Angela sighed happily. They all watched as Lucy smacked Freed's hand away from his book when he tried to pick it back up, then pulled him by the hand over to his brothers so they could play together.

Christophe covered his eyes as Avery, Freed, and Lucy ran off in different directions. Avery hid in a bush, Freed hid behind a tree, and Lucy vaulted herself into the same tree to hide in the branches. The blond boy found his older brother first, then Avery, and all three started looking for Lucy.

Avery grinned and pointed up in the tree when he found the blonde, causing the other two to come running over. She carefully started climbing down, and Angela gasped when Avery tried to help her down, causing the blonde to slip. Within moments, Freed was beneath her, his arms outstretched and catching her with ease. While Lucy was settled on her feet, smiling all the while, Christophe started to scold Avery, who looked close to tears.

Lucy placed a hand on Christophe's shoulder, then shook her head and hugged Avery. "She takes after her mother," Jude sighed happily when he saw her calming the youngest Justine down and starting another round of hide-and-seek. They watched the children for a little while longer before Freed and Lucy decided to come inside with her hand in his elbow and smiles on their faces.

"Thank you for catching me, Freed," Lucy said softly as they walked in through another door, heading toward the library.

"I'll always catch you, Lucy."

She giggled. "You will? What if you're not around at the time?"

"Alright," Freed laughed, "As long as I'm around, then."

"But what if you fall? Can I catch you, too?"

"I should hope so. Unless you don't want to catch me."

"Of course I do! We're gonna be together forever, Freed."

Jude watched the children's retreating backs with a smile on his face. One that widened when Freed's arm wound around Lucy's waist at the same time as hers did around his.

"I love you Lucy," Freed said once her head rested on his shoulder.

"I love you too, Freed."

Jude pulled a handkerchief from his pocket at the same time as Frances did, both men handing the cloths to their teary-eyed wives.

"It seems our decision to write this contract is a sound one," Frances said.

"I agree," Jude nodded slowly. "I doubt they'll object to it like so many others do."

Layla sniffled softly and shook her head. "As long as they're happy together, I'll sign it. You know I don't like these things, but… Only if it's Freed."

"Agreed. And we'll tell them about it when he comes of age, yes?" Jude asked while turning to look at Frances.

"Yes, once Freed is eighteen, we'll sit them down and tell them," Frances replied. "She'll only have another year before she can legally marry, so it won't harm business to postpone the marriage until then."

"Well," Angela said, turning and leading the others to the drawing room, "Let's go and finish the contract."

*.*

Lucy blotted her eyes quickly to rid herself of the steady stream of tears running down her cheeks. It had been so long since she'd heard her mother's voice so clearly. While she now had memories of countless moments with her parents, and with Freed, from over the years, this was something special. Precious. A gift from her father of the day that both families had decided to sign the contract for her engagement to her best friend, the one she had loved for as long as she could remember - rightfully so, now.

As Jude started coughing again, Frances pulled out the final orb and looked down at it with troubled eyes. "I… I have one left," he said slowly, returning his gaze to his son and future daughter-in-law. "This is my own memory, just a copy. After I realized what Jude had been trying to tell me when he came to me, and after I realized just how right he had been, I made this to show you that day."

"What day?" Freed asked.

"The day he asked me to do this," Frances chuckled sadly. "Let me show you…" His fingers brushed over the orb twice and it floated into the air.

*.*

X791

Frances looked up from his desk with a scowl on his face as a brief knock sounded at the door. "Enter."

"Jude Heartfilia to see you, sir," Marcus said, nervousness showing through every syllable.

Frances sneered and clenched his fist around his pen. "You know very well that… man… is not welcome here. Freed is dead, and that daughter of his disappeared long ago. There is nothing for us to speak about."

"Yes, sir," Marcus replied. He turned to leave, then paused.

"Is there something else?" Frances asked, his eyes returning to the contract before him.

"It is just that… Well, I do not mean to be presumptuous, sir."

"Then stop speaking."

"Sir," Marcus said as he took a step closer to the desk. "He says he is dying. I know that he does not have anything you can gain from, but…"

Frances set his pen down slowly, his brow furrowing. "Dying?" he whispered to himself, his gaze slowly lifting to look at the butler. "Are you sure?"

Marcus nodded. "Yes, sir. He said that he would have sent a letter to announce himself, and he understands if you wish not to meet with him, but… It does seem rather important."

"Probably wants a loan," Frances grumbled. After a moment, he sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Fine. Bring him here."

Marcus nodded and disappeared, bringing Frances' old friend a few minutes later. Slowly, and with great care, the butler led Jude across the room and settled him in a chair. Frances instantly took notice of the box held under his arm, and his brow lifted curiously.

Once Marcus left the room with a deep bow, Frances turned his hardened gaze back to the blonde across from him. "Jude."

"Hello, Frances," Jude said with a tired smile. "It's been awhile."

"That would be the understatement of the century." Frances shook his head and lifted his pen to continue working on the contract before him. "What is it you wished to speak with me about?"

Jude sighed heavily and was silent for a time. Long enough for Frances to spare him a fleeting glance. "It's about their memories," he said, his grip tightening slightly on the box now sitting in his lap.

"There is nothing to discuss, then," Frances scoffed. "Freed is dead. And good riddance to that no-good son of mine."

Jude blinked in confusion. "Dead?"

Frances nodded. "Yes. That guild he joined… Fairy something… They were wiped out. Slaughtered. Avery thought it would be best to inform me, but I don't see the point. He was such a disappointment."

"I see," Jude sighed. "It was on an island, yes?"

Frances nodded. "Something like that."

"Well, I know those children aren't dead," Jude said with a soft smile. "I have faith that Fairy Tail will pull through."

"It's been almost seven years, Jude. You're delusional."

"I'm not delusional. What I am, Frances, is dying." Frances frowned and set his pen down before looking into Jude's aged eyes. "You remember the contract we made?"

"Which one?"

"About their memories, Frances."

"Yes."

Jude lifted the box and placed it on the desk, his fingers gently stroking the uneven wooden surface. "When I lost everything, my business and everything else, I made sure to take just one thing. Lucy's memories."

"This is pointless, Jude. She is better off without them, considering Freed is dead."

"They're not dead," Jude said with a fond smile. "Regardless of that, I know I won't be able to see her by the time she comes back."

"Where has she gone?"

Jude shook his head and chuckled. "One adventure after another. Frances… I'm dying. I want Lucy to have her memories back, but I won't be here to do it myself. We signed that contract when we agreed to take their memories. To give them back when Lucy turned eighteen, if she hadn't already married, and if you and I could agree to both children having them."

"I know all of this. What's the point?"

Jude looked deeply into Frances' eyes. "I want my daughter to have her memories. I want her to be happy, and to realize that her life wasn't as bad as she remembers. She wasn't always alone, or crying... Frances, haven't you ever felt guilty for what we did to them?"

"Why should I?" Frances spat. "It was necessary, Jude. I refused to let him associate with… mages."

"And now he's part of a mage's guild," Jude chuckled. "That seems to have backfired."

"He's dead, Jude."

"He isn't. None of the ones that were stuck on that island are dead. I don't know what happened, but I know they're still alive. I can feel it." Jude coughed, and worry flickered in Frances' eyes when he didn't stop. "If you want to allow it, then give them back their memories... As per the contract, I'm giving my permission for Lucy to have hers as long as Freed gets his as well. They should decide for themselves if they want to be together now that they're older, not some contract... I see that now... I only wish that we had taken time to consider what they were losing…"

Frances slowly reached forward and opened the box, raising a brow when he saw three separate orbs nestled inside. "And the other two?"

"One is my memory of the day we signed the marriage contract," Jude sighed happily. "They were so sweet then… So young and innocent…"

"And the other?"

"A message for Lucy," Jude replied. "I won't be here to tell her all the things that I wish I could… That I've been wishing I could say since we parted ways. I want her to understand why this happened, why you and I were so stupid."

"We were not stupid, Jude. It needed to be done."

"We were, and I've regretted that decision ever since Layla died. I took away who my daughter really was, all because you and I couldn't come to an agreement. We were too blind to see the forest for the trees. I could write her a thousand letters, and it still wouldn't be enough. She… Lucy needs to hear this from me, Frances. I want her to have the chance to see me one last time, in the event that she's even willing to listen at all…"

"It seems you had a falling out with her?"

"You could say that," Jude sighed. "She wanted to follow her own path in life, and I was trying to stop her…"

Frances frowned when Jude began coughing. Again and again until eyes fluttered closed and he slumped forward in his chair. "Jude?" he whispered. "Jude!"

"..."

Frances jumped from his seat when he saw the smallest speckling of blood on the tissue Jude had been coughing into. He rushed around the desk, summoning Marcus as he went to kneel at his old friend's side. "Jude," he said worriedly. "Jude, wake up…"

He ignored the tears welling in his eyes as a doctor was called, and instead put his own stoic mask back in place while he signed the forms necessary and watched Jude being wheeled away from the estate. "If, by some miracle," he whispered to the unconscious man as he watched the staff carefully loading him into a carriage, "If Freed is alive… He will need to discontinue his use of magic for him to get his memories. I will do this for you… Old friend…"

"Sir," Marcus said softly from the doorway. "They need to know where to take him…"

"A hospital, Marcus." Frances didn't look away from the window, refusing to let his butler see just how much this was affecting him. "I will pay for any expenses that are incurred. Make sure he is well taken care of, and comfortable…"

"Yes, sir… I will make sure no one disturbs you." Marcus bowed and quickly left the room.

Frances let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes while the carriage started moving away from the estate. "Jude," he whispered. "I… I wish w-we had more time…"

He was alone, and free to do what he pleased, which meant that Frances finally allowed himself to let everything go. He broke down in tears, not trying to hide them. His old friend, the best friend he'd ever had, was dying. All that time spent apart, over what should never have been an argument to begin with… Wasted. It was all wasted. "I'm s-so sorry…"

*.*

Freed and Christophe stared at their father in astonishment. They had never known him to be an emotional man, unless he was angry. But this? They could hear his torment over everything, saw his reflection in the window while he watched Jude being taken away. They had seen the tears and anguish sitting plainly on his face.

"Father…" Christophe whispered.

Frances shook his head in silence, shakily pulling a handkerchief out to wipe the moisture from his eyes.

"My dearest Lucy," Jude said tenderly. "There was so much of your mother in you that I could never be anything but proud to call you my daughter. I'm sorry that it took losing everything for me to see that you were always the woman I wanted you to be. And I'm sorry that I never got to tell you this in person. You deserved the world, and while I wanted to make sure you had every opportunity to do just that… I stood in your way. I ripped Freed from you, tried to take your magic and your choices away, tried to keep you locked in a cage…"

Lucy looked up as her father's face appeared in the grey fog above them, a sad smile on her face. This was what she had always wanted to hear from him. The real apology that he had never had the chance to give her for everything that had happened. Yes, she had forgiven him for it, but...

"I know now just how difficult I've made your life, and I am truly sorry. I hope, by the time you return and hear this, that you and Freed can be together. I hope you still love one another, just like Layla and I loved each other." He paused and his face grew serious. "And Freed… If you are listening to this, know that you have always had my blessing to marry my daughter. Please, take care of her. Love her with your whole being, and…" He smirked slightly. "Stop writing on my daughter's eye, young man."

Freed blanched. "Wh-What…"

The room was filled with Jude's booming laugh. "Oh, I can just picture your face right now. I hope you are both happy as mages in Fairy Tail, and I can only wish that you will have all of the adventures you can dream of. While Freed is the reason I tried to get you away from that guild in the beginning, Lucy, I eventually decided that I needed to just let things happen as they may. You two were always drawn to one another, even without your memories. Just… Don't forget to make me a grandpa at some point. I might not get the chance to see your children, but I know they will be loved and safe. You two won't ever make the same mistakes Frances and I did. You're too smart for that."

Lucy leaned into Freed's side, silently crying with a smile on her face as his arm wrapped around her.

"I love you, my Lucky little Lucy. I love you to the stars and back." A soft smile graced his face as the image faded and the fog in the air cleared, leaving the Fairy Tail mages and the Justine family in tears.