Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail or The Infernal Devices

Sitting down in the dining room felt strange, to say the least. Lucy Heartfilia was in front of him, the mundane girl he had met with Will long ago. Realizing he had no where else to go, Zeref had turned to the one mundane he knew in London for help. It wasn't the best solution to heal his aching heart, but it was a plan. Right now, he needed a plan to keep moving, otherwise he'd drown in a sea of sorrow.

There was tension in the room, with Lucy's father eating at the head of the table. "I'm glad you could return and speak to me further, Mr. Dragneel," Jude was saying, smiling over at him. Lucy was silent, dressed elegantly with her hair pulled up and a pearl necklace lining her throat.

Turning towards him, Zeref kept his expression blank. "Yes, I have been thinking about it for some time. Fairy Tail Cruises would benefit greatly through a merger, and I see no reason why not to move forward with such a plan," he commented. "I've…been going through some delicate issues, as of late. Sadly, the company has been neglected in recent years, but it is still running strong."

Jude smiled, raising his wine glass to take a sip. "Of course. I had similar issues when Layla passed on. It took all of my strength to focus on work and to keep our company running. Lucy will be a fine wife for you, and with your level head and logic, I know the company will be in good hands."

It had been a few weeks since he had left Magnus', and since then, he and Jude had finalized their plans. This dinner was a repeated thing for them, always similar words with the same meanings spoken between himself and Lucy's father. He had agreed to the offer of Lucy's hand in marriage, in return for merging their companies as one. If he was to blend in amongst mundanes, he would need to do it well. Perhaps Lucy was not the best of ideas, but it was the only one he had at the time.

The girl had hardly spoken to him since agreeing to the arrangement. She kept to herself, hiding away in her room or going out with Levy. Tonight, she was present, but she was just as miserable as she appeared to be every night. "Yes, I suppose it will be," Zeref stated calmly, watching the man rise to his feet.

"If you'll excuse me, I do have some more business to attend to," he told them, smiling over at Lucy. "Best of luck to you both, why don't you take this time to get to know each other a bit better?"

This was typically when Lucy would leave, moments after her father returned to work. Tonight, however, Zeref decided to at least try to be more civil. "Ms. Heartfilia…I am sorry," he began quietly, seeing the girl pause and look towards him. "I know you do not wish to marry…however, I have little other options. My friends…the people you've met, they believe me to be dead. It is my intention to let them continue believing as such, thus Zeref Dragneel needs to vanish from their world."

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, her brown eyes harsh. "Yeah, like that makes it any better." she argued. "You aren't human, I know that much, and you have problems. That doesn't mean you drag others down with you, no matter what you are. I told you before, I hated my father for trying to do this to me. I'm not marrying you just because he tells me to. If I have to, I'll run away and never come back."

With his eyes calm and focused, Zeref folded his hands on the table. "What if it isn't a true marriage?" he asked quietly. Lucy blinked at him, her eyes widening slightly as her angry scowl transformed into a blank line on her face. "I…I will admit, I do not love you, Ms. Heartfilia. My heart is elsewhere, and I do not think I will ever move on. The one I love is better off without me. That is why I've come to you. You've seen the monster I can be, when I am at my worst. Would you truly wish that upon anyone?"

Glancing towards the end of the table, Lucy bit her lip in hesitation. "I…no, but it still doesn't make sense to me. How could you marry someone, but not have it be real? I'm not signing up for a life of pointless indifference and misery…that's just plain stupid."

Making sure her father was not returning, Zeref continued on. "You would be welcome to leave at any time, Ms. Heartfilia. I offer complete freedom, unlike what most husbands would do. I desire your name alone, the ability to transform my name into something else in terms of recognition. If you find love elsewhere, so be it. Enjoy your time with him, for love is brief and never lasts for long." A darkness hung in his tone, his black eyes distant. Thinking about Will, Zeref nearly felt tears begin to form again.

Shaking his head, Zeref turned back towards Lucy. "First things first, I want to know what you are," Lucy stated harshly. "Nothing against you or anything…but I just can't imagine myself marrying someone that isn't human."

There was a pause as Zeref debated what to do. This would break the Law, revealing the shadow world to this girl. Technically, marrying her meant he should have his runes stripped, but officially he was declared dead now. "I…I suppose even I do not know, anymore. At one point in time, I was what is called a shadowhunter, a being with angelic powers that fights against demons in the night." Eyeing Lucy, he saw the girl was taking the new remarkably well. Her brown eyes were steady and calm, making him wonder how she ended up being so level headed.

"Things changed, over time. I lost my family, and another being, a warlock, took me and experimented on me for years. Ultimately, I became possessed by a demon and gained magic as a result, which is what you've observed thus far," He explained. "The first attack…that was the demon taking over my mind. Later on, in the park from what I've heard, is when I myself gained a demonic nature. Now, I am free of possession, but the magic still remains. As a result, I am immortal and posses black magic that kills the world around me."

Taking a deep breath, Lucy grasped her glass and stared into the liquid inside. Her eyes were conflicted, her lips pursed lightly as she slowly moved to take a drink of her water. "Alright," she stated at last. "I won't be your wife, Zeref, but that doesn't mean I won't help you. We are the owners of a massive railway operation, so I can easily get you transport out of London."

Sighing, Zeref pressed a hand into his hair. The sensation of his smooth, straight locks of hair filled his fingers, making him at least mildly calmer. "No…I do not wish to leave London. There are people here I must watch, my brother and Will…" he trailed off, his voice cracking on Will's name. Despite being dead to the shadowhunter, Zeref still felt the need to protect him.

There was a small amusement in Lucy's smile, a light in her eyes as she shook her head. "I see how it is…that's the one you love, isn't it? The boy from the other day, the one you said you wouldn't kill even as a demon," she questioned. Zeref was stiff, swallowing slowly before giving her a slight nod. "Well, if you just need a place to stay and lay low, Levy and Gajeel might be able to help. Their wedding is soon, but I know she wouldn't mind the extra company…provided you give her some space to get ready and everything."

The thought of living with a girl already meant to marry another did not seem right to Zeref. This Gajeel would likely not be pleased with the arrangement, so he shook his head slowly in response. He was about to speak more when Jude returned, this time guiding another man towards them. The man had graying hair, though his face was rather unwrinkled and showed fewer signs of age. Some of the hair curved around to his chin, a slight beard neatly trimmed framing his face. His gray eyes matched his hair, and a small smile danced along his lips.

Smiling, the blond clapped a hand on the man's shoulder. "I am sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Mortmain called upon me at the last moment. He wished to meet with my daughter once more, even though I already explained that she was now taken," he commented. "Mr. Mortmain, this is my soon-to-be son-in-law, Zeref Dragneel."

The name was quite familiar to Zeref's ears, leaving him on edge as he examined the mundane. Something felt off about him, a certain energy around his body that made Zeref almost certain he wasn't all that he appeared to be. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Dragneel." Mr. Mortmain stated, bowing slightly with a smile. "I've always admired your boats. They are quite magnificent when sailing the seas, and I myself have never been skilled enough to design such beauties."

Jude stepped out, leaving them alone once more as he returned to his work. Rising to his feet, Zeref approached the man in front of him. "Yes, it takes a bit of imagination to master the art," Zeref replied calmly. "However, I assume you'd understand much about mastering things, wouldn't you? After all, how else would you have earned your title, Magister?"

A spark seemed to light in Mortmain's eyes, a dark amusement Zeref understood all too well. "I should have known you'd be bright enough to figure it out. Fooling you…well, it was worth the attempt at least. Your father has grown impatient. He desires results at this point. So long as he gets what he wants out of you, he says you are mine to do with as I please. I promise you, I have much planned for our partnership in the future, Mr. Dragneel. After all, there is someone in mind that I'd very much like to see alive again. I hear you excel at such things, don't you?"

Clenching his hands into fists, Zeref realized this may come down to a fight. "Lucy, get out of here," Zeref ordered, forgetting manners for just a moment.

Startled by the sound of her first name, she rose to her feet and ignored him. "No way, I'm not leaving you. I may not know you well, but I know you enough to call you my friend, Zeref. I'm not letting a creep like this win so easily," she stated, a smirk on her face.

He didn't want to see her plan, not when it would likely only cause her more pain. He turned to command her to leave once more, but that was when Mortmain took advantage of his distraction. He felt something press against his wrist, making him glare harshly back at Mortmain. Zeref's eyes burned into the man's head, but something clicked into place. A small black bracelet seemed to have encircled his arm, dark and taunting as the metal seemed to shine in the candlelight. As soon as it was on, the restless energy of his magic vanished from his senses. This bracelet, it acted just like his ring, only now Mortmain was in charge of removing it.

"You gave us the idea, actually." Mortmain stated, seeing the shock in Zeref's eyes. "Acnologia knew about your own version of this spell, so he decided to utilize magic dampening spells himself. It works like a charm, especially if your target is distracted by a lovely young lady."

Glaring at the middle aged man, Zeref stood tall. "You will not get away with this." he threatened. "I have connections everywhere. You do not know how far my roots have spread, nor what power I have at my command."

Laughter echoed from Mortmain, his eyes bright with amusement. "Is that so? Last I heard, you were dead," he commented. Zeref tried to hide the twitch of his mouth, but he knew he had failed. "We have eyes and ears everywhere, my boy, even amongst the Clave. Try a bit harder, if you wish to evade us next time."

Mortmain reached out, grabbing Zeref's arm. He began to drag the boy forward, towards the exit of the dining room. Turning his head towards Lucy, Zeref focused on her. "Lucy, please…tell them Mortmain is the Magister. They'll know what it means." he begged, before realizing just how difficult this would be. That was when he realized he did not care what happened to himself, so long as his power did not end up abused by this man. The Church of All-Hallows-The-Less, go there and you will find them. Also…please, do not tell them of my survival. Mortmain must be stopped, but they are better off thinking I am dead.

Unsure of if the girl heard his telepathy or not, Zeref was dragged out of the room. Hopefully, the ward was only strong enough to prevent powerful spells, not the simple telepathy he often used when in dangerous situations like this. When he continued to resist, Mortmain took further measures to force him along. Something slammed into his head, leaving him with a headache as his vision blurred in an instant. The Heartfilia Mansion faded away in an instant, as he fell into a void.

Zeref's acting a bit impulsive now...but he really has no idea what he wants to do. Still, I wanted to bring Lucy back into the story some more, so this was my idea on how to do it. Feel free to review and let me know what you think!