Bum Bum BUMM! Last chapter and longest chapter is a go, people! I repeat, a GO! Enjoy!

Chapter 35: The Verdict

Lucy

When Natsu was led back to his seat, murmurs and whispers erupted in the hall, causing the once quiet room to become a frenzy of talking. I stared at my legs and my shaking hands. I knew that I would need to calm down and stop getting so frantic because it would be my turn next. The whole room would want to know if I returned his love and how a girl like me could change someone so drastically.

"Next, I would like to call on a witness who was held as a slave for several months while her village was purged and destroyed. Erza Scarlet." I turned my head as Erza stood and was escorted to the front. She vowed her honesty and Gildarts began to ask her questions. About her village, about her relationship with Jellal Fernandez.

"So you were Zeref's personal slave?" Gildarts asked. Erza nodded tersely. "Were you aver abused by any of the other masters?" I knew Gildarts was trying to push Erza to defend Natsu. But I wasn't sure if she would. Erza had been tortured more than any of the other slaves. I wouldn't have been surprised if she wanted all of them in chains. I wouldn't be surprised if she wanted them all to be executed.

"I was tortured and abused both physically and emotionally by Zeref." Erza said firmly. "But he and his advisors were the only ones who hurt me. The only person who tried to care for me in that hellhole besides Officer Fernandez was Natsu Dragneel. He made sure I made it to Officer Fernandez' quarters and he always made sure I was taken care of. Zeref is pure evil, but he did not create Natsu. No matter what that boy did in his life, he turned out to be a good person, despite Zeref's influence. Thank you, Natsu." Erza bowed her head in Natsu's direction and I felt my heart swell in pride.

I looked over at Natsu to see him ducking his head at Erza in response. Gildarts smiled, satisfied with that answer and dismissed Erza. She walked back to our row and sat down, giving me a slight look of pity. I gulped at the look she was giving me, and tried not to think about what it meant.

"Now I would like to call on the Lady Levy who spent a good amount of time in Zeref's castle. She was a guest, but she was not treated like one." Gildarts said, gesturing behind him. Levy squeezed my hand one last time before standing up and walking to the front. She made her vows and sat in the witness chair. I wrung my hands in my lap as Gildarts asked his first question.

"Can you describe your experience in Zeref's castle?" Gildarts asked, stepping back slightly. He knew he didn't need to prompt her. She was ready for the questions. Unlike me, she'd probably rehearsed her answers in her head.

"I was brought to the castle to begin negotiations for my father. However, I was also there as an undercover to try and pull out more evidence to put against Zeref. I spent a week there with no negotiations held. I was not abused or beaten. But I witnessed abuse and horrible repercussions for those who stepped out of line. I may have been treated as a guest, but I was much more their prisoner. Zeref and his advisors did everything in their power to keep me from operating freely. I was even assigned a personal body guard." Her eyes flashed to Gajeel and even I could feel the tension and charged electricity between their two stares.

"At first I thought he was like the rest. Blind, ignorant pawns of Zeref. But then I realized that they were not as such. Gajeel Redfox was assigned to be my bodyguard and he was one of Natsu Dragneel's personal advisors. Natsu and his advisors were the only people in the entire castle who cared even a little bit for human life. They made sure I was not abused like the others. They made sure I was cared for and tried everything in their power to make sure I stayed out of Zeref's bad side. Several times, Gajeel discovered me doing something I knew I shouldn't have, such as breaking into Zeref's pffice or conspiring with a slave." Levy's eyes flickered to me. "But he never told anyone because he knew I would be punished for it."

"I implore you." Levy's attention turned to the jury. "I was never hurt or abused. But that was only because I was protected. Others were not so lucky. I was protected by the very people we all believe to be murderers. Look inside your hearts. See who the real enemy is." The room was dead silent and I knew that Levy had captured the hearts of everyone in the jury. I glanced over at Zeref's seat. He was looking down and I knew that Levy's testimony had gotten to him. He wasn't smiling anymore. He'd stopped smiling as soon as Natsu's name had been called.

"For our final witness, I would like to call Miss Lucy Heartfilia, heiress to the Heartfilia Corporation, who spent almost two months in their captivity as a slave."

My eyes widened and I snapped my head to the front, not expecting this to happen so fast. The room had immediately erupted into murmurs and whispers. I realized that this was what everyone was waiting for. The girl who had broken Natsu Dragneel. The girl who had been stripped of everything and still survived. I gulped as Levy sat back down next to me and Gildarts stood by my row to escort me. I stood up, my legs shaking and my breathing picking up. I almost stumbled over, but Gildarts put his hand on my shoulder, keeping me upright.

Finally, I made it to the witness chair. The judge looked down at me and I immediately felt self-conscious. I knew I should have checked my makeup before entering. My lipstick was probably all smudged. He recited the vows to me and I raised my hand to swear on honesty.

Once I had, I sat down in the chair and clasped my hands in my lap. I knew every eye in the room was on me and my every word would be analyzed. I risked a glance up and saw my father sitting next to Charles McGarden in the back. In the row in front of them, my breath caught as I saw Gray with his arms crossed, giving me a strange look. I realized that he didn't know about me and Natsu. This was probably his first time finding out about it and I knew he wouldn't be happy about it.

"Lucy, I know this is hard for you. I don't want you to relive any bad memories, so if you feel sick or uncomfortable at any point, we can stop." Gildarts said softly. I looked up into his eyes and nodded quietly. I wouldn't need to stop. I was going to get through this.

"Can you tell me what happened to you when you were first taken?" Gildarts asked cautiously. He was wording his questions well. He was leaving it up to me to interpret my answers instead of just answering a direct question.

"The night of the gala, the mansion was attacked. I was knocked out and taken after being told that my father was dead. I was put up for auction as a slave and was chosen by the Dragon Slayer Gang." I began my story. I told the court about my first day and I felt alone and scared. I told them about Natsu and the things he had me do around his house. I told them about the slave quarters and the number of scars I had seen on Milliana's back. I told them about Erza and how she was whipped in front of everyone. I recounted how I felt when I found out that Natsu made sure she saw medical help. I told them about my discovery and the panic attack I had.

Then I told them about how I met Lady Levy. I told them how scared I was that she would face the same fate as me, but somehow, she managed to stay out of trouble even with Gajeels looking over her. I talked about Cana and how she was being beaten in front of me. I told them how scared I was and how I stepped into save her because I was stupid and yet I couldn't bare the sight of her without doing something to help. I told them about how Natsu nursed me back to health and how Zeref tried to intimidate me at the dinner.

Then I paused, getting to the touchy part of my story. I glanced up at Natsu, whose jaw was tight as if he was wondering how I would proceed. My father was giving me a questioning look and Gray was scowling. None of these reactions were helping.

"Miss Heartfilia?" The judge asked politely. I blinked and clared my throat.

"Yes, I'm sorry… it's just… hard. I-we… well…" I trailed off and blushed, looking away. "Natsu and I… we shared a moment." I took a breath and added, "an intimate moment."

"You slept with him?" Gildarts asked abruptly. I snapped my head up and gave him a strange look.

"No." I said firmly. "We never had sex." But we were about to. The words were hanging in the air as I glanced at Natsu whose eyes were a shade darker than usual. "I-he… it was consensual. I… I was falling in love with him" I managed to let out. The room fell silent again and I felt the weight of my words on my shoulders. I resumed my story, telling them about Gray and our plan of escape.

"But they caught us." I explained quietly, looking up to Zeref's row. My eyes found the demonic eyes of the woman who tortured me. She was grinning at me. She gave me a small finger wave and I almost threw up. I turned away, remembering the pain I went through and the despair I suffered through for three days.

"They caught us…. And… I was tortured." I raised a shaky finger to the woman whose eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them as she smiled broadly for all to see. "She tortured me. For three days. I was dying on her watch. And then… and then…" I almost couldn't continue as I tried to pull myself out of the hole of repressed memories.

"And then the police came." Gildarts finished for me. I looked up again and shook my head.

"The police never came. They were too late. If I waited for them, I would be dead now. No, it wasn't them who saved me. It was Natsu Dragneel. He saved me and nursed me back to health before the police came. Without him, I would be dead. Without him, it would be me on the list of the murdered. I owe him my life." I finished as my voice cracked and tears started spilling out of my eyes. I glanced at Natsu who was giving me an undecipherable look.

"No more questions. Thank you Miss Heartfilia." Gildarts walked over to me and helped me out of the chair, escorting me back to my bench. I was still crying and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the tears the stop streaming down my cheeks. I sat down as Levy handed me her handkerchief, whispering soothingly in my ear. I could barely hear her as the judge slapped his gavel on the table.

"Now the jury will discuss. We reconvene once the decision has been made. Dismissed." I let out a breath as the jury rose and went out the back door. I didn't want to move as Natsu and his advisors were escorted out, followed by Zeref and his own line of advisors. The woman, Kyoka, looked over at me and blew me a kiss before leaving. I shivered, trying to dispel the sound of her laughter over the sounds of my screams.

Slowly but surely, the courtroom emptied until it was just me, Levy, Erza and some rows behind us. My father walked over to my row and sat down in the row in front of me as Gray came to sit next to him. We sat in silence for a while until Gray turned around to look me in the eye.

"An intimate moment?" He asked. I blushed hard as my father whirled around to look at me.

"What the hell are you thinking? He is a murderer. He said so himself. You can't love him. You are Lucy Heartfilia. You can't do this." He ordered. I was about to retort when levy stepped in.

"All due respect, Mr. Heartfilia, I think Lucy has a right to think for herself. She's been under slave labor for two months. I think she deserves some freedom with something as trivial as her own feelings. I'm just worried about the verdict. At no point did Zeref look scared until Natsu came up. I don't know what happened, but I don't like it." Gray stared at Levy and then something in his brain shifted, because his eyes went wide and he jerked up.

"Levy, Erza, come on. We need to check something." He said abruptly. It was almost instant when Levy and Erza stood. It was as if they understood exactly what he was talking about. I was lost as the three of them all but sprinted out of the courtroom. I stared after them with my mouth hanging open.

"Lucy, I love you. I only want what's best for you. You need to get rid of this infatuation." I turned back to my father who was still staring at me like nothing had happened just a second ago. "Natsu is a gang member. He had been raised to kill people. And he admitted to killing in the courtroom. The most lenient he could get is ten years. You have a whole future ahead of you. You have to forget about him."

"I love him, dad!" I said suddenly, causing my father to pause. "He may have flaws, he may have killed, but he a good man. He is inherently good and he stayed good through everything he was put through. All things considering, he could have turned out a lot worse from the way he was brought up. I love him because he was always good even when he was at his worst. He is not evil. He is not Zeref."

"Maybe not. But that doesn't change the fact that he abused you. He took advantage of you and I don't care what you say, I know it wasn't consensual, at least a first. He seduced you and I won't have him worm his way into your heart."

"He's already in my heart dad. You're too late. And you know what I think? I think you don't hate him because he's killed. I think you hate him because he was there when you weren't. He protected me and kept me alive when you couldn't. You feel guilty because you could have called off the operation and you didn't. You feel upset because instead of a father protecting his daughter, it was a master protecting his slave. He save me and you can't bear the thought of anyone else in your position. I don't think it's him you hate, father, I think it's yourself."

My father sighed and looked down for a few seconds before looking back up at me. I was surprised to see his face had changed slightly. He wasn't angry anymore. His face had softened and he was looking at me with nostalgic eyes.

"You remind me so much of your mother. Her father didn't approve of me either. But she fought for us. Now that I see you fighting for him, I see her. It is true, I feel bad that I wasn't there to protect you. But you are right. He was there and I wasn't. So I'll give him a chance. But don't get your hopes up. He's still in deep trouble. It will be a miracle if he can get out of this with less than five years in prison."

I wanted to protest, but I realized that he was right. No matter how I looked at it, Natsu would be tried as an adult and he'd go to prison for a long time. I didn't want to think about it, but I knew that I would have to face it. The verdict was coming whether I wanted it to or not.

It felt like days before people finally started filing back in the courtroom. Gray and Levy still hadn't returned and I was getting worried as Natsu and Zeref were escorted back to their aisles. As people started to settle in, I noticed that the jury still hadn't been seated. I glanced in the back and scanned the room, but Gray was still nowhere to be seen. What was going on?

Suddenly, the door in the back burst open and a police officer ran to the front of the courtroom, leaning up to the judge and whispering harshly in his ear. The judges eyebrows raised and he looked shocked, and a little scared. His eyes flickered to Zeref and I forced myself to look over to that group of people. Zeref's face was grim and brooding. He was looking around him cautiously, like he was expecting something that wasn't happening. His advisors didn't look so smug anymore. They were staring at their hands or at the ground. Something was not going according to their plans.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there has been a technical difficulty, please wait a moment." The judge said. He hopped off his seat and walked down the aisle of the courtroom, not looking at anyone.

We waited for another half an hour, but I could barely register the time passing. I was looking over at Natsu's aisle. He hadn't looked at me yet but I wanted him to look at me just once to show me he was okay. That we were okay. That's we'd be okay no matter what happened.

His eyes flickered to me and left before turning back when he realized I was looking at him. We stared at each other, locked in a intense conversation. There were no words exchanged, but it didn't matter. We didn't need words. He was saying goodbye. He was apologizing. I was apologizing. I was trying to convey as much love as I could in my stare. I was trying to tell him that I wasn't going to give up. It wasn't over yet.

The door slammed open, pulling us out of our stare. The judge stormed back inside, a vein popping on his forehead and tufts of his mustache sticking out. I stared wide-eyed as he passed and turned my attention to the door again as Gray, Levy, and Erza took seats in the back. I stared at them, but they avoided eye contact with me. Something was very wrong.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, once again I apologize." The judge found his way back up to his seat and whacked his gavel, causing everyone's attention to turn back to him. "I was informed of some foul play with the jury members and after an investigation, we determined that the jury's verdict would not be fair due to foul pay and fraud." His eyes flickered to Zeref and I understood. "So instead, I will be making the final verdict."

Now I understood what all the hustle was about. I understood why Gray and Levy had to leave. And now I understood why Zeref had been acting so smug throughout the entire procession. He had paid off the jury, and luckily, Gray had managed to figure it out and stop it. and I wasn't too sure if it was good thing or not. If Zeref had paid them off, Natsu would be free. But at the same time, Zeref would be freee as well.

"In the case of Zeref Dragneel and his nine advisors: Mard Geer, Kyoka, Tempest, Jackal, Franmalth, Torafuzar, Ezel, Seilah, and Keyes. Each advisor with receive three lifetime sentences of incarceration. They will be sent to a high security prison and serve out their time with no chance of release, no matter of good behavior or paying a fine. Zeref Dragneel will receive five lifetime sentences with three of them served in solitary confinement. He will be held at the highest security prison, far from the reaches of his advisors."

Claps and cheers were heard throughout the hall as Zeref and his advisors were escorted out. I watched as Zeref turned his head to lock eyes with Natsu one last time. I couldn't see the exchange but I understood that this was probably the last time they'd ever see each other. No matter what kind of bad blood they had, Zeref had been Natsu's only parent. Even though Zeref was probably the worst father in the world, he was always there for Natsu and that was going to leave a mark on both of them.

"In the case of Natsu Dragneel and his six advisors: Gajeel, Wendy, Sting, Rogue, Cobra, and Laxus. The advisors will be sent to a detention facility for six months for good behavior along with two years of probation once released. Wendy, as she is under 18, will be sent to a juvenile detention camp while the others will be sent to a much larger facility. Natsu Dragneel will face five years of incarceration that can be reduced due to good behavior and paying a fine, with another five years of parole once released. Case closed." The judge whacked the gavel, making me jump slightly.

I swallowed the bile in my throat as Natsu and his advisors we escorted to the back. Natsu turned around as he was leaving and found me. I felt tears well up in my eyes as his irises clouded with an emotion I could decipher. It felt like a million years that we stared at each other.

Then he smiled and his teeth shown wide. A breath hitched in my throat and I felt the first tears slip out of my eyes. His grinned widened and he winked.

"See you in a bit, buttercup. Don't miss me too much."

Then I burst into tears.

End.

Hold you're horses! Before you all start, hold up hold up! There will be one more chapter after this, an epilogue. Don't think I'm going to leave you all hanging.

K thanks bye! Leave a review! How do you think this story should end?