Hand Over Your Women and Children
"Are you okay, Happy?" Lucy stroked the cat's head tenderly. He purred loudly and kneaded her thigh. She let out a sigh and raised her eyes to watch as Natsu dragged man after man from the burning building to drop them in the front parking lot before going right back inside for the next.
Eventually, he finished with clearing the Phantom Lord base and jogged up to where the blonde sat on the sidewalk.
"Check it out," he called, mischievous grin on his face. "While I was draggin' that lead head down, I found a safe," he reached into his pockets and pulled out two handfuls of sparkling jewelry.
Lucy's jaw dropped, "Holy shit!"
He snickered and dropped them back into his pockets, "This is gonna pay for the repairs to the school!"
Warmth spread through Lucy's chest and she smiled.
"Anyway," he crouched in front of her. "I think I got everyone. I can leave now with a clean conscience that I didn't kill anyone."
Happy jumped off of Lucy's lap as Natsu reached out to her. She put her good arm around his neck. He wrapped an arm around her back and the other slid under her knees but then he hesitated.
She glanced at him, "What's wrong?"
He released her, "Hold up. Lemme get something to wrap around my chest," he leaned back. "So I don't get my blood on you."
Lucy looked down at the open wounds on his chest and stomach. He stood and turned but Lucy grabbed his hand before he could leave. He stared down at her, eyebrow cocked.
"It's okay," she said quietly.
He cocked an eyebrow, "But won't you think it's gross?"
"If it's your blood… I won't mind. I could never think any part of you is gross."
He was silent as he stared down at her.
Her cheeks flushed and she looked away, "And I… I just want to leave this place… I want to see everyone else. Make sure they're okay."
Natsu hesitated and then gave a nod. He knelt at her side once more and gently scooped her into his arms and lifted her as he stood. Lucy put her arm around his neck again, wincing as her ribs screamed in pain at being moved. The pained expression didn't go unnoticed.
A shadow fell over Natsu's face as he turned and headed down the road. "Sorry I didn't get here sooner," he said softly.
Lucy stared up at him.
"If I had been quicker… you wouldn't have been hurt so badly," he continued. "I could've stopped that Gajeel guy from…" he gritted his teeth and looked away. "I'm sorry."
"Please don't apologize," Lucy whispered. "It only makes me feel worse considering that none of this would have happened if I never enrolled in Fairy Tail."
Natsu opened his mouth to protest but she interrupted.
"But I understand now," she stared down at her right arm curled against her stomach, pink Fairy Tail tattoo splattered with blood. "I won't try to leave anymore. I understand everyone's feelings. I… I want to stay with Fairy Tail. It's my home now." Tears pooled in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks as she turned her face up to stare at him. "Is that okay?" her chin quivered, "I want to stay with you and the others for as long as I can. Even if it's just a couple more years until graduation. I want to stay with Fairy Tail!"
Natsu stared down at her quietly for a few seconds before he graced her with his best and brightest smile, "Of course! Fairy Tail ain't the same without you, Lucy!"
She let out a sob and he blanched.
"Wh-what's wrong?" he asked frantically. "Why are you cryin' harder now? Do you hurt? Did I hurt you? Was it somethin' I said?"
She let out a laugh and hid her face in his scarf, "No… no. You're perfect. Thank you." She sniffed as the tears flowed faster. "Thank you so much…"
He smiled and glanced up at the bright morning sky.
"Hey Lucy," he said softly.
She peeked up at him, "What?"
"It's Saturday," he observed. "Looks like we're gonna miss our fishing trip, huh?"
Lucy looked at the sky. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh air. "Well…" she said quietly, "Fishing while they're biting is no fun anyway. Where's the challenge in that?" she smiled, "I'd rather go in the middle of the night so I can catch me a Natsu fish, swimming around lookin' for an easy meal."
Natsu grinned down at her, "Alright! We'll push it back then. Be ready later tonight," he winked. "I'm kidnapping you properly."
"LOKE, WHERE IS LUCY?" Jude roughly shook the unconscious man.
"No shaking the patients!" the woman with the long pink hair tied up in a bun smacked him upside the head. She stomped away, grumbling, "Stupid humans!" under her breath.
Jude waited until Porlyusica was on the other side of the infirmary, leaning over Alzack's unconscious body before he turned back to Leo and shook him again.
"Wake up, imbecile!" he hissed.
Scorpio glanced around the room quietly for a moment, noting the broken windows and the graffiti tagged all along the walls.
"This place is ghetto," he said.
"Perhaps we should have done a little more investigating into the school before allowing Lucy-sama to enroll," Capricorn agreed.
"Not much we could do after she forbade us from stepping foot within a block of the place," Taurus said.
Jude shook Leo violently, as if he was expecting money to fall out of him. The redheaded man let out a loud groan and he immediately dropped him back down to the bed. The five men crowded around as Leo roused.
His bloodshot eyes peeled open and he gazed up at the five faces of his comrades. They all let out a collective sigh as he started struggling into a sitting position, hissing at the pain in his abdomen.
"Shit," he groaned and leaned his back against the metal frame of the bed. He clutched at the wrapped wound in his side. "Boss… what's going on?"
"Where's Lucy?" all five men asked at once, Capricorn adding 'sama' after her name.
Leo's eyes went wide, "Fuck… that Phantom kid took her… I gotta go save her!" He slid to the edge of the bed but Jude restrained him from standing.
"Do you know where he took her?"
Leo hesitated, "No…"
The men let out a collective sigh.
"Damn it," Jude ran his fingers through his hair. "If I have to go another minute without knowing where my daughter is… I'll go insa—"
Shouting from the courtyard outside the window drew the men's attention. They all rushed to the broken windows and peered outside.
"They're back!" Cana was yelling, waving her arms over her head. "Natsu and Lucy! They're back!"
Jude, Scorpio, Taurus, and Sagittarius all leapt from the window and started sprinting across the courtyard. Capricorn went to Leo and pulled his arm around his shoulders. Together they climbed through the window and followed, Leo stumbling weakly against Capricorn's side.
As soon as Jude caught sight of his daughter, bloody and bruised, being carried by the pink haired boy in much the same condition, relief, along with cold fury, spread through his body. He regretted killing Jose. The man deserved much worse for what he had done to his precious daughter.
"Lucy!"
Lucy lifted her head from Natsu's shoulder and turned towards the shout, tired eyes blinking slowly. When she saw her father and the others running towards her, tears filled her eyes. She sat up, wincing as her broken ribs protested.
"Everybody…" she called.
"LUCYYYYY!" tears streamed down the men's cheeks as they ran up to her, arms out.
"Whoa, whoa!" Natsu took a step back as the men surrounded them. "Hold up, psychos! No touching!"
"Natsu it's okay," Lucy removed her arm from around his neck. "You can put me down."
He stared at her unsurely for a moment but eventually did as she said, giving each and every one of the men a hard stare. He was strangely comforted by their tears and overjoyed expressions. As soon as she was on her feet, Jude pulled her into his arms.
Lucy cried out in pain as he crushed her to his chest.
"Sorry!" he instantly loosened his hold on her. He peered down at her face worriedly, "Are you okay? Oh God you're covered in blood… and your arm…"
"I'm okay Daddy," she whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I'm sorry I made you worry."
"Oh no…" he hugged her again, gentler this time. He buried his hand in her hair, tucking her face into his collar. "No… my baby girl… My sweet daughter… I'm so happy you're alive…"
Leo pulled his arm from around Capricorn's shoulders and limped slowly up to Natsu, who watched Jude fawn over his daughter worriedly. The pink haired boy turned to him as he drew nearer. He grinned wide.
"Hey cat guy! Still alive eh? I'm glad."
Leo grabbed Natsu's shoulder and pulled him in. Natsu's eyes went wide as the man hugged him tightly, not saying a word for a long moment. Lucy glanced over her shoulder and watched the exchange.
"Thank you," Leo finally said. "Thank you for saving her…"
Natsu grinned and hugged him back, "Don't mention it. She's my family too after all."
Lucy smiled tenderly.
The others finally managed to pry Jude off of his daughter and then took turns hugging her, testing to see if she was real or just a hopeful figment of their imagination. Taurus threw his arms around her and lifted her off her feet, earning a shriek of pain from the girl.
The other men then went about punching the large man away from her and cursing him out for not being careful enough.
"I'm sorry!" tears dripped off the dark skinned man's chin. "I got too excited! Lucy forgive me!"
Lucy laughed and moved in to hug him tenderly, "It's alright. I'm just happy I'm here to feel all your love."
Everyone started excessively sobbing then, moving in to surround her in a giant bear hug. Natsu grinned and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched.
What a funny bunch.
"Your wounds aren't even that deep!" Porlyusica slapped the back of Natsu's head. "Go waste someone else's time with those puny scratches!"
"Aw c'mon!" he pointed at the newly cleaned gash in his chest, "This one at least deserves some stitches!"
"Such a baby!" she pushed a cart over to him. "Do it yourself then! I have more important things to attend to!"
Natsu grinned and grabbed the needle and the absorbable thread as the woman left the room. He didn't hesitate to start stitching himself up. He was no stranger to home medical care after all.
Jude watched from the doorway as the boy did a crummy job of running the thread through his skin.
So this is the famous Natsu, he pursed his lips as he examined him. He wasn't what he had expected. He seemed awfully fit for a high school student. His prominent abdominal and chest muscles were impressive. Not to mention his wide shoulders and wiry but strong arms. Jude ran his eyes over the boy's cheerful face and wild pink hair. There was an air of mischief and fun around him that was undeniable. And yet at the same time, he reeked of danger and fire. Jude could practically smell the burning stench of his pyromania seeping out of his pores.
As if we need more pyros in the world, Jude narrowed his eyes and scowled, oblivious to the hypocrisy in his thoughts.
What on Earth did Lucy see in this buffoon?
"You gonna stare all day, Pops?" Natsu called, surprising him. His golden eyes lifted and locked onto the older man. "You know you can come in, right? I don't bite." He looked back down at the wound he was halfway finished with stitching up. "At least, not without being provoked. Or really hungry."
Jude moved into the room, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You look like this isn't the first time you've had to stitch yourself up," Jude observed.
Natsu shrugged, "Doctors cost money."
"Hm…"
"Besides," he reached the end of the wound and tied off the thread before snipping the extra off with the pair of small scissors on the cart. He tossed the needle and the scissors down and then leaned back on the palms of his hands to stare up at Jude curiously. "I'm not really in to relying on people outside of the family, and Porlyusica is a demon lady to deal with so… I'm all I got, basically."
Jude stared at him silently for a moment.
Natsu met his stare, "Did you need something, or are you just really impressed by my handsome good looks?"
Jude snorted and sat down on a wheeled chair next to the bed Natsu sat cross-legged on.
"Natsu," he said. "You got yourself a dick?"
Natsu cocked an eyebrow, "Last time I checked."
Jude narrowed his eyes at him.
Natsu touched the waistband of his sweats. "Wanna see it?"
Jude's eyes narrowed even further, "Am I the only one you've offered to show it to?"
"Today."
Jude leaned back on the chair and glared darkly at him, "I'll get to the point, son."
"That'd be nice."
"Have you performed in sexual acts with my daughter?"
Natsu leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, grinning wide, "You're interesting. I like you."
"Answer the question, boy."
"Nah," he said. "We haven't done anything like that."
"Do you want to?"
He shrugged, "Nah."
"What, my daughter's not good enough for you?"
"That's not it," he insisted. He stared across the room and scratched the back of his head with a frown, "That stuff just isn't the type of thing I spend a lot of time thinking about."
Jude pursed his lips, "Do you like women?"
"Sure. I've seen Lucy naked a few times and—"
Jude's hand moved to his gun at his hip.
"Cool it!" Natsu held his hands up. "It was completely accidental! And I didn't do nothin'! I swear!"
Jude took a deep breath and left the gun where it was.
"Be more careful what you say in front of me from now on," he suggested in a low voice. "I killed Jose over a lie. Don't think I won't kill you for less."
Natsu dropped his hands again and nodded.
Jude held his stare, "What are your intentions with my daughter?"
Natsu didn't answer for a moment. He blinked slowly, keeping steady eye contact with the fierce, older man. Finally, he said,
"I don't exactly know what kind of answer you're looking for with that question. So instead, I'll just tell you what Lucy means to me," he leaned forward, eyes turning serious. "Ever since Lucy joined Fairy Tail, she's become a member of my family. Which means that she's special to me. I consider her my closest friend. My partner. I love her and I would lay my life down to protect her if that's what needed to happen."
Jude let his words sink in for a moment before saying, "You seem pretty steadfast. Why is it that you feel this way for Lucy?"
Natsu smiled brightly, head cocking slightly to the side, "That's what it means to be family. You protect the people you love, no matter the risk."
"So you admit that you love her."
"I said it two times, didn't I?"
Jude stood. Natsu watched him curiously as he loosened his tie from around his neck.
"Listen to me, Natsu," he said in a low voice. "Lucy is a powerful woman. Despite being her father, there's nothing I can do that can control her. When she sets her mind on something, there's nothing I or any of the others can do to stop her." He started unbuttoning his white shirt.
Natsu cocked an eyebrow.
Jude reached into his shirt and grabbed the leather strap hanging loosely around his neck. He lifted it up and over his head and walked up to Natsu. He held out the strap to him, displaying the black key decorated with a sun engraving that hung from it.
"Take it," Jude said.
Natsu took the necklace from him unsurely.
"I can't always watch over her," Jude said softly. "She won't allow that." He glanced away. "So I'm deciding to trust you." He buttoned his shirt up once more. "Keep that key with you. It's proof."
"Proof of what?" Natsu frowned. "I don't get it."
"From today on," Jude tightened his tie, "You are Salamander, an official member of the Heartfilia Keys."
"How does the cast feel?" Leo tapped on the hard white plaster wrapped around Lucy's right arm.
"I feel helpless," she admitted, scratching at the skin that jutted out at her elbow. "I can't believe I have to keep this on for eight weeks…"
"It'll go by fast," he reassured her. "Soon you'll be smackin' us with both hands again."
For good measure she slapped him upside the head with her left hand.
He grinned and rubbed the spot. His green eyes softened and he gently reached out to stroke her blonde hair.
"I'm so glad you're okay," he said softly.
"You mean besides the four broken ribs and the two broken bones in my arm?" she cocked an eyebrow.
He laughed, "Well, you deserved those."
She gasped and slapped him again, "How dare you! I did not!"
He grinned and pulled her out of her chair and onto his lap, wincing when her hip made contact with his stitches. He hugged her around the stomach and pressed his face against her bosom.
She pounded on his head with her cast, "Let me go, pervert!"
"Shush and let me hug you, damn it!" he pinched her side.
Lucy settled down and reluctantly placed her arms around his shoulders, "Jeez," she muttered. "What's with you? So clingy all of the sudden…"
"I was really scared," he murmured. "I felt like such a failure…"
Lucy gulped and rested her chin on the top of his head. They sat like that for a few minutes before Lucy said, "Remember when we were kids? The first time I ever tried to run away was right after Mom died and I didn't want to go to the funeral."
Leo turned his face to the side, "Yeah. You hacked the door to the garage and hid in Layla's truck."
She nodded and rubbed soothing circles on his back. "I was scared and confused… I didn't know what was going on and everyone kept crying and trying to comfort me but I didn't know why… I locked myself in there for hours, huddled by the pedals in terror. I just wanted my Mom."
Leo nodded, "Jude was freaking out so bad that he sent me into the ventilation system since I was the only one small enough to fit."
Lucy smiled, "I could hear you crawling around in there and I left the truck to look for something to beat you with."
"I still shudder at the sight of tire irons," Leo shivered.
"I don't know how long you chased me around that stupid garage…" she chuckled. "You kept screaming about me causing problems and being a selfish brat."
"The same could be said about you today."
She poked him in the spine. "And then when you finally caught me you sat on me and started farting."
Leo sputtered and loosened his hold on her waist, leaning back in the chair, laughing boisterously.
Lucy grinned down at him, "You were so gross back then!"
"I was an asshole, wasn't I?" he smirked up at her.
She giggled, "Still… you got me to calm down. I think you understood that if I was mad at you, I wouldn't be sad."
"I don't think I was that smart back then."
"No really!" she insisted. "I distinctly remember how you ticked me off and called me a snot faced diaper rag and rubbed my nose in your armpit and then you let me hit you with that tire iron a few times and when I finally calmed down, you hugged me and said it was okay."
"I dunno, Luce. I think you knocked my head a little hard and I forgot where I was," he said.
She smiled and poked his nose. "You told me everything was fine and you explained it to me. Death. You said that I wasn't going to see Mom for a long time but she wasn't gone forever. You said that she moved far away and was living on in a different place, waiting for when everyone else would meet her. Do you remember where you said she was waiting?"
He grinned and looked away, "Nah… But I'm sure it was a totally inspirational analogy about heaven and life and all that shit."
"You said she was waiting for me in a rubber band factory and that it was okay if I took my time meeting up with her because she was having fun shooting the rubber bands at the other people waiting around. You told me she started World War Rubber and that she was leading a march against the Rubber Band Man and you convinced me that was what that song by The Spinners was about."
He snickered, "I stand by that story."
"The point is…" she squeezed his chin between her fingers, "You saved me that day. I was about to give in. I wanted to hide forever in that garage. I was scared and sad and lonely and you showed me the light. You and everyone else have always been there, guiding me every step of the way. I am who I am today because of you."
"I've ever received a greater insult."
She flicked him in the forehead and he slumped back in his chair, eyes rolling back in his head.
"Hell's flick!"
"I'm trying to make a touching speech and you're ruining it," she scolded.
"Apologies, Princess. Please continue."
"Anyway… I love you, you stupid perverted cretin. Don't ever call yourself a failure ever again because that makes it sound like I idolized a failure all these years and that means I'm aiming for failure myself."
Leo grinned and squeezed her around the waist, "You idolized me?"
Color flooded her cheeks and she instantly struggled to climb off of his lap, ripping at his arms, which only tightened.
"How could I idolize a pervy loser like you?" she exclaimed, kicking at his legs frantically. "Let me go!"
"Aww!" Leo stood, clutching her to his chest like a ragdoll as he carried her out into the hall. "Jude! Scorp! Cap! Everybody get a load of this!" she fought him as he dragged her into the living room where the others lounged in front of the TV. "Lucy-Goosey considers me her idol! Can you believe that shit? This little brat actually looks up to me!"
"Noooooooo!" she whined, twisting in his grasp to beat on his face with her cast. "No I don't! I didn't mean to say that! I'm just too hyped up on pain meds that I didn't know what I was talking about!"
"Loke?" Jude frowned. "You idolize Loke? But Lucy… Sweetie… what about me?"
"What about you?" Scorpio scoffed. "What about me? I'm the only one in this room that can open a bottle of beer with my nipple."
"No one wants a stupid talent like that," Capricorn said. "No one here knows more about literature than I."
Sagittarius raised his hand, "Best aim out of the lot of you."
"Moo! Best physique!" Taurus flexed his massive biceps.
"But I'm your Daddy!" Jude pouted. "I changed your diapers! You couldn't even sit on Santa's lap unless I held your hand right next to you!"
"Jude, shut the fuck up," Leo said. "She obviously idolizes me for all of those times I put the entire club to shame with my incredible karaoke prowess."
"Lucy-sama was never around when you did that though," Capricorn pointed out.
"My skill was so poignant that she could feel it in her soul at night when she slept."
"Oh everyone shut up!" Lucy writhed against his arms. "I don't idolize any of you! You're all losers in my eyes! The only person I idolize is—"
The front door burst inwards and maniacal laughter filled the house. Everyone whirled in the direction of the front foyer through the archway at Leo's back. Jude and the others whipped their guns up and aimed at the figure that bounded inside the house.
He was dressed in black, with a ski mask over his face, but the white scarf around his neck gave him away immediately.
"BAHAHAHAHA!" Natsu cackled and turned towards the living room's entrance. "I'M A KIDNAPPER! HAND OVER YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN!"
Lucy sighed, "Natsu, what are you doing?"
"DID I STUTTER? WOMEN AND CHILDREN. HAND THEM OVER."
Leo carried Lucy over to him and stood beside him, turning to face the living room. Natsu glanced up at him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I'm practically a child," he answered simply.
"Okay I've changed my mind," Natsu took Lucy's left hand and tugged. "I'll just take the women."
Leo released the blonde, lips pouting out. "But I wanna come…"
"BAHAHA!" Natsu pulled Lucy onto his back, hooking his hands under her thighs. "YOU'LL NEVER SEE YOUR PRECIOUS WOMAN AGAIN! Until tomorrow morning. See ya!" he spun and bounded out the door again, Lucy's laughter trailing behind.
Everyone turned to Jude expectantly, waiting to see his reaction to the 'kidnapping.' The man's eye twitched, but he lowered the gun without complaint and sat on the couch once more. Leo closed the front door and joined the others.
"Not gonna chase after him, Boss?" Taurus asked.
"They're just going fishing," Jude replied. "Besides… don't forget that there's a merger that boy needs to convince Lucy to call off."
The men fell silent as the elephant in the room crushed the once lighthearted atmosphere of the Heartfilia household.
Author's Note: It's a little bit short. And also, I was basically rambling, trying to make it past 4,000 words so I could call it good. I'm also trying to finish up a chapter on What It Means To Be so I can post that before I go to my cousin's 18th birthday party tomorrow. I'm so excited to be able to kick his ass legally now. He's seriously like my favorite person ever. Such a nerd. One time, he came over to my house and invited me out to dinner and then asked me to take him to Old Navy so he could look for some shorts. As we were leaving the store, the cashier lady was all, "Have a good night!" And my cousin was like, "You too." And then as he was passing through the door he was like, "NOT." Then outside on the sidewalk he was like, "I feel bad for that. It was totally rude. I'm a bad person." He also never ceases to get me with the good ol' "Guess what?" "What?" "CHICKEN BUTT." thing.
No, listen. This is how great he is. One time, at a family bbq, he called for everyone to be quiet and was like, "Everyone! Everyone. Please shut up. I have something to announce." And once everyone was silent, he said, "My mom is pregnant." And then everyone yelled at him to "SHUT THE HELL UP JAKE." Because of course his mom was not pregnant and he was just trying to rile us all up, as if our drunken uncle wasn't already doing a fine job at that. Also, one time I chucked a rock at his head and he cried and I laughed really hard.
Okay, that's basically all I have to say today. I'm really tired. I might have to wait to update the other story. Ugh. My life. What is it about.
Love you all! You mean the world to me! Remember that you can always message me for any reason and I will reply! Don't forget to stop by the Facebook page for NaLu pictures and videos! Kiss kiss! Hug hug! Okay not kiss kiss. Sorry but I'm not a fan of putting my lips on strangers. Even if you were covered in chocolate. Okay that's a lie. I'd be all over that.
Love-Moo
