Life has been so busy! I hope you're all still interested in this story with the delayed update. I've been working on this off and on since the last update, which is how it ended up so long. First time posting a chapter over 10k words! Special thanks to TheLochNessy – without running these ideas past you, this chapter would've been mediocre instead of awesome. Thank you so much!
XXX

Erik toyed with one of the hoops in his ears while listening to the approaching soul. It still surprised him how much the tiny pieces of jewelry enhanced his magic. The guy he was listening to would've been easy to hear even before having the earrings, but now the soundwaves had a new level of clarity. The small change gave him a new level of control over his magic without using the methods he'd been taught by Brain. The evil bastard had always trained them all to believe magical growth could only be achieved through suffering and sacrifice – the greater the better. But having a needle pushed through his earlobes was not something Erik would ever describe as suffering, so maybe Brain had been wrong. Maybe there was another way to gain power.

In the short time he'd spent around Fairy Tail mages, Erik had heard enough bullshit about the strength of friendship and love to know that's what their guild believed led to great power. He hadn't taken the time to really put any thought into the ideology until this very moment. It was something he would've dismissed as complete bullshit even two weeks earlier, but now he wasn't so sure. There was definitely an undeniable strength in the guild he was now a part of and he was absolutely sure none of them had harmed another with the intention of pushing them toward a power boost. They simply stood together, much like Lucy had stood by him without question after finding out he needed help.

Piercing his ears had been a simple thing for the blonde and was something she hadn't thought much of since doing it, but the gesture meant a lot to him. She cared in a way that made him uncomfortable, though not really in a bad way. It was just new and different and one more part of this thing with her that he needed to figure out before he fucked it all up.

But all of that could wait until later. He had to focus on picking up as much intel as possible from Mystogan's soul before it was completely out of his reach. Once he was fully focused on the task, it was fairly easy for Erik to decipher everything he was hearing, giving him much more information than he probably could've gotten during a verbal conversation. He mostly ignored the things about the Oracion Seis and the guilds that had reported to the Seis since he was intimately familiar with all of that.

There were things about Grimoire Heart that Erik felt like he should've known but somehow was unaware of. The Oracion Seis had worked pretty closely with Grimoire Heart, much more closely than either guild worked with Tartaros, so Erik spent enough time around them that he should've known all the vital information. It was possible he'd just never listened closely enough to pick up on their guild leader's hatred of Fairy Tail since, until now, Erik never had a reason to care. Though, he was a little surprised he hadn't noticed. From what Mystogan knew, it was clear the guild leader's deep dislike of the Fairy Tail guild wasn't something he made any effort to hide and planned to eventually act on. Mystogan didn't know many details about Hades' plans to eliminate Fairy Tail, so Erik knew he'd need to make finding out more information a top priority.

All of Mystogan's information on Tartaros was old news to Erik, like the fact that they were literal demons created by Zeref, though his own doubts about Zeref's modern day existence began to feel a little less sure as he listened to how fully Mystogan believed in the Dark Mage. For Erik, the guy had always seemed like some sort of old god worshipped by anyone looking for a quick power boost or hoping for assistance in some evil deeds, but Mystogan felt differently. The spy had seen too many signs not to believe the centuries old wizard was alive and well. It was a thought that left a twisting feeling in Erik's gut. If Mystogan was right, then Makarov definitely needed someone feeding him information because the world as they knew it could very well come to an unsavory end.

As the other mage neared Erik's spot, he focused on hearing everything he could about Zeref. There weren't many concrete facts, but enough rumors about sightings and other oddities that gave Erik an idea of where to start his search. His experience spying and gathering intel under Brain's direction would help him in this since he already had a bit of a network established. He would just need to pay a visit to those people to see what else he could learn.

The rest of what he heard was common sense shit that anyone with half a brain would know, like how quiet the last couple days had been with so many minor dark guilds eliminated by the Allied Forces. Nothing shocking there.

At this rate, the tired dragon slayer thought he might even be able to get back to Magnolia before the night was over. Spending most of the night walking back would suck ass, but it would be worth the trouble if he got to sleep comfortably for a few hours. He never slept well out in the open like this. Not to mention he would get back to Lucy that much sooner. He couldn't seem to keep his mind off of her.

During the journey from Magnolia to the coordinated meeting place, Erik had been mostly focused on Lucy. As the distance between them grew, he heard less and less of her thoughts, but that didn't matter. Her soul still stood out to him like a shining beacon in the sea of all others in Earthland, making it easy to keep up with what she was doing. Whatever the hell was going on with his inner dragon's instinct to mate was making his usually semi-stalkerish tendencies grow to embarrassingly obsessive levels. He could never let her find out exactly how closely he paid attention to her every waking moment. Erik hoped his need to keep tabs on her would ease once they were fully mated – a thought that almost made him smile. He still couldn't believe she had agreed to it. But now he was getting distracted. Again. He had to keep his head on straight.

When Mystogan finally arrived at the meeting point, the sun was dipping below the horizon, leaving them only a little time with natural light. Erik hoped whoever came through the portal - or whatever the hell it would be - from the guy's world would be fit to travel. If so, he planned to point them in the direction of wherever they wanted to go and then be on his way.

"Hello, you must be Cobra." Mystogan greeted with a dip of his head, to which Cobra nodded. When no further response was given, Mystogan asked, "What would you like to know before I leave?"

Shrugging, Erik said, "Not much. I already heard most of what you know." His words confirmed what Mystogan believed to be true about the former criminal, that he had some form of mind reading ability. Looking up at the dark, swirling cloud in the sky, Erik asked, "That's what an anima looks like, I guess?"

Nodding, the other man looked up as well while explaining, "Yes, it's a fairly small one, but it will be enough for me to travel back to my world."

"You have any idea who's the unlucky asshole coming back from the other end?" When the answer didn't come immediately, Erik looked back at Mystogan and focused his magic on the other man's soul, which was now ringing with guilt. Hearing the details of the other person's identity was disappointing. His plans to travel back alone and in peace were all shot to hell.

"Yes, she's a member of Fairy Tail who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Neither I nor Master Makarov felt it would be prudent to inform her family that she is still alive, since we were unsure of whether or not she could ever return to this world." Mystogan paused, the remorse he felt over the young woman's situation was clear even without Erik listening in on his soul. "I've been communicating with an ally in Edolas who will be traveling here with her."

Erik's posture straightened as he prepared to run at the first sign of trouble. "Why the hell is someone else coming across? I'm not going to be the fucking sacrificial lamb for your informant to get here."

"You misunderstand. Pantherlily is an exceed, which means he is capable of interdimensional travel without the required exchange." Mystogan looked back up at the anima, something he had done several times throughout the conversation. The man started unraveling his head wraps as he thought about how much he'd stand out if he remained in his current outfit. While removing the now unnecessary layers, he continued speaking, "Pantherlily no longer wishes to remain on Edolas due to issues within the hierarchy of the exceeds living there, so he has chosen to travel here to live amongst this world's residents."

Erik was already way ahead of the guy, having heard all this beforehand while listening to the guy's soul but not understanding it without the proper context. Now it all made sense. The cat-man Erik had heard details of from Mystogan's memories was actually the same type of cat two of the other dragon slayers had, but this one could transform and worked as some sort of spy for the self-exiled prince living inconspicuously on Earthland. The cat had been keeping Mystogan up to date on the distasteful activities of his father by sending letters through the anima, which reminded Erik to ask, "How the hell do I avoid getting sucked up into one of these things?"

With Mystogan's face finally exposed, Erik nearly forgot what his question had been. "Shit, you really do look like Jellal."

A humorless smile tugged at Mystogan's lips. "Yes, unfortunately, we are one and the same in appearance and name. It has made living in this world difficult at times." Erik didn't doubt that at all. Being the doppelganger of a child-slave gone slave master/evil mastermind would make anyone's life difficult. Remembering the question, Mystogan said, "I plan to stop the individual behind the creation of these anima as soon as I arrive in Edolas, but if I fail, just avoid the dark, swirling clouds."

"Helpful." Erik muttered sarcastically. He would have to make sure to warn Lucy. It would really fuck up his plans to keep her around if she ended up in a parallel world he couldn't get to.

Dropping his coverings to the ground, Mystogan stood in only a plain shirt and pants with his magical staffs strapped to his back. Looking back up to the sky, he said, "It's time." With a quick glance at Erik, he suggested, "You should move, just to be safe. I doubt you'll get pulled along but it isn't worth the risk."

Erik turned to jog far enough away to be a good distance outside the shadow of the dark cloud but still close enough to see. With a brief wave, Mystogan disappeared slowly from existence. A few seconds passed by as nothing happened, but then another form seemed to materialize where Mystogan had just stood. A young woman that looked, unsurprisingly, a lot like the demon barmaid stumbled a few steps before falling to her knees. After another moment, a gray cat with wings appeared just behind her, gliding gracefully to the ground. The exceed transformed into a humanoid shape and then helped the girl to her feet.

Thinking maybe he could slip away while the two gathered their bearings, Erik started to walk away, but stopped short with a curse when he heard a deep voice shout, "Hello! You must be the one we're supposed to be meeting here."

Turning back to the pair, Erik started walking slowly in their direction. The two did the same but didn't make it far before the young woman cried out as she collapsed again. Even with the distance between them, Erik could hear her body strain as it transformed into some sort of large rabbit and then into the shape of a big cat before settling back into human. Her thoughts became frantic as her body struggled to acclimate to the sudden influx of magic flooding her reserves after being totally empty for so long.

After another failed attempt to stand on her own, the young woman – Lisanna, Erik picked up from her thoughts – just knelt on the ground. Pantherlily looked at Erik as he said, "I'm not sure we'll be able to move tonight." Looking up at the now empty sky, the exceed added, "The anima will not be appearing again for some time, possibly never again, so we will be safe here for the night."

Well, now there was no way he could get out of this. He couldn't just leave the two of them, as much as he wanted to. Lucy would definitely find out after they arrived at the guildhall and started talking about their struggles to locate the place, and then Erik would be stuck dealing with an angry blonde. The headache wouldn't be worth it.

Eyeing the exceed, Erik said, "You look strong enough to move her over to those trees," he gestured with his chin in the direction he meant, unwilling to even remove his hands from his coat pockets, "so get her over there and I'll find shit for a fire."

"Fair enough." Pantherlily complied without another word, leaving Erik to complete his task alone. It would be a long fucking night, but at least he had a lot to think about to pass the time.

XXX

Rough hands running along her bare skin sent a chill across Lucy's entire body, leaving her nearly shivering in need. As he kissed his way up her stomach to tongue a nipple, she gripped his thick hair tightly while moaning in delight. Her legs wound around his hips to pull him closer, giving her the friction she so desperately needed. The next moan that left her lips came out as his name, making him press up onto his elbows to look down at her face as he said, "No, Erik is dead. I'm only Cobra now."

The dream suddenly shifted to replay the night she'd witnessed Erik losing control as he tormented Brain, but this was different. Graphic details that hadn't been part of that night played out before her. Blood and body parts were strewn about, too many to have come from just a few people. Cries of agony filled the air, a chorus created by the voices of those she'd seen tortured by Cobra during the time she'd been trapped by Midnight. Maniacal laughter made Lucy's heart race as she watched Cobra – she refused to think of this version of him as Erik – pull something vital from Brain's chest.

Rough shaking snapped Lucy free of the nightmare. She sat up abruptly as she looked around her, still feeling as if she might be cornered by the darkness trapped within Erik, but found only Loke kneeling next to her on her bed. With both hands now gripping her shoulders, Loke forced Lucy to focus on him. "Princess, it's alright. It was only a dream."

A shaky sob slipped free with her next breath as she stared at her friend. The gnawing pit of fear in her gut seemed to dissipate a bit as his words sank in. Her voice trembled slightly as she whispered, "It was a dream."

Loke nodded and then pulled his keyholder to his chest as he held her tightly. "Yes, you're safe." A few tears slipped free, wetting Loke's suit jacket before Lucy could calm her frantic emotions. Once she felt like her heart wouldn't beat out of her chest, Lucy sat upright and wiped at her eyes as she said, "Sorry. I hope my nightmare didn't pull you away from something important."

"Nothing at all, Princess." Loke smoothed her sleep mussed hair down as he added, "Besides, I'll always take advantage of an opportunity to join you in bed."

Lucy laughed softly at his over the top flirting and hit him weakly with the back of her hand. "Pervy lion. You're always up to no good."

Stretching out on Lucy's bed, Loke wrinkled his nose when his head hit the pillow. "Ew, this pillow stinks." He pulled it out from under his head to switch it with the one Lucy had just been lying on and then said, "Much better. This one smells like you. That one stinks like something bitter."

Lying back down, the blonde sniffed the pillow but didn't smell much. "Kinda smells like Erik, but it doesn't smell bitter to me."

With a dramatic eyeroll, Loke said, "Of course it doesn't stink to you. You liiiike him."

"Ugh, you sound like Happy." Lucy pulled the blanket up to her chin, getting comfortable on her side facing Loke as she tried to forget the details of the horrible nightmare. Having some company was definitely helping, even if he was about to get annoying. She could feel it coming.

"You don't have to settle for him, Princess." Waggling his eyebrows suggestively, Loke purred, "Spend one night with me and you'll never think about another man again."

She pulled an arm free of the blanket to slap away the hand he was trailing down her side as she said, "Not in a million years."

Clicking his tongue with a disappointed huff, Loke pouted, "You don't know what you're missing out on, but I guess I can just stay here until you fall asleep. At least I'll still be able to say I spent the night in bed with my lovely Princess."

"You're trouble." Lucy's tone sounded annoyed but she wasn't really. She was actually grateful to have such a good friend in Loke, even if he was a giant pervert sometimes. Putting up with his ceaseless flirting was a price she was willing to pay to avoid being alone after such a terrible nightmare. Waking up alone and afraid was a situation she was all too familiar with. She'd been traumatized by spending too many nights alone as a child, trapped in the claws of night terrors after her mother died. Since her father refused to allow any of the staff to comfort Lucy and she'd been too young to regularly summon either of the spirits she had at the time, she was forced to endure the suffering on her own.

Already feeling more relaxed, Lucy said quietly, "Thanks for staying. I don't think I would've gone back to sleep tonight if you weren't here."

"Anything for you, Princess." Loke slipped his hand beneath the blanket to link his fingers with hers, knowing the touch of another person would help her relax fully. Just as he expected, she squeezed his hand in thanks and then fell asleep quickly.

When she opened her eyes again, early morning light was filtering in through the windows. It didn't look like the sun had even risen yet. The company she'd invited into her bed was nowhere to be seen, as expected, but another uninvited guest was now occupying the spot Loke had been in. Natsu was hugging her pillow tightly as he snored gently and drooled on its cover, making the anger she felt at him the day before flare back to life.

Lucy placed one foot against the pillow hugged to his chest and used it to shove him off the bed. The thump and yelp she heard when he hit the floor were satisfying. "What the hell, Luce?" His head popped up as he spoke while trying to get back in the bed. The same foot met his forehead, stopping him in place as Lucy threatened, "I'll Lucy Kick you into the wall if you get back in this bed."

Natsu's shoulders slumped in defeat as his attempts to lie back down ended. In a whiney tone he said, "I bet you didn't kick Loke when he got in your bed."

"He was welcome here, unlike you. I'm still mad at you."

"Aww," The whining became more dramatic, "What are ya mad at me for?"

Using the foot that was still pressed against his forehead, Lucy shoved until her best friend fell backwards. "Don't play stupid. It's not cute."

She rolled over, taking the blanket with her as she wrapped it around herself to prevent him from being able to get back into it. Always one to ignore danger, Natsu sat on the edge of the bed with one leg under him as he faced Lucy. "I only want what's best for you. That guy's no good and he's not going to treat you right."

Pulling her face free of the confines of her blanket burrito, she looked at Natsu, noticing how serious he looked as opposed to his playfulness moments before. "What makes you so sure about that?"

Shrugging, he tried to explain, "I dunno. He just doesn't feel right. He's not like other people."

"And you think I haven't noticed that?" The eyebrow she raised was another warning sign that Natsu chose to ignore.

"Doesn't seem like you notice any of the bad things about him." He suddenly sounded accusatory and bitter. "He's been forcing this bond thing with you for days but you're just going along with it. You watched him torture a guy but that didn't seem to change anything for you, either. And now he's already disappeared but you're still acting like you should be loyal to him."

"You act like I haven't seen you do horrible things to people during a fight. How many times have you burned someone so badly that they would carry lifelong scars without magical intervention?" When he opened his mouth to argue, she cut him off, "Don't act so judgmental over his actions when you have no idea what that guy did to him. I'm not saying torturing someone is ever excusable or acceptable, but you should try learning more about Cobra before deciding he's just some violent maniac. And anyway, of all the things you said, the only one that has any weight is the part about the bond, but he and I have already talked about that."

"And?" Natsu looked a little too hopeful.

"And I decided I want it. I told him yesterday before he left – which I was fully aware of, by the way. It's not like he just disappeared without a word."

Natsu narrowed his eyes at her, so she narrowed her right back at him. When he opened his mouth, she cut him off again by saying, "Just stop. You're not going to change my mind. I'm not even sure I believe you're trying to keep me away from Cobra because you think he'd treat me badly. I think a big part of your motivation is just wanting to keep me to yourself, with or without a romantic relationship."

His mouth snapped shut and a quiet growl of frustration came from his throat. After a moment, he said, "You're my partner, not his. Now you'll want to go on jobs with him instead of me or the rest of the team. Won't be long until I don't even see you anymore."

Lucy's exasperation was clear as she said, "You think I'm just going to run off with him? My entire life is here. I'm not leaving it and he knows that. Why do you think he joined the guild?"

"Because he needed our help."

"That's part of it, but that's not why he's staying." Attempting to defuse the conversation before it turned into an all-out argument, Lucy said, "Natsu, you'll still be my best friend. Cobra's role in my life is something entirely different.

Natsu looked away, hating that things were heading in this direction but knowing there was nothing he could do about it. "I hate this. You're my family. I don't want to lose you and I will, no matter what you say now. You'll be his mate, which means he'll be your whole world. I won't even matter anymore."

"Natsu, that's not true at all." Guilt and frustration warred inside Lucy. She knew her friend had some serious hang ups after losing Igneel at such a young age and then only having the guild as a pseudo family since then, but she didn't know what to do in this situation. She didn't want her relationship with Erik to put a strain on her friendship with Natsu, but it seemed inevitable at this point. After an uncomfortable silence, Lucy unrolled from her blanket and sat up to put her arms around Natsu. "You'll always be more than just my best friend. You're family to me, too. Before you brought me to Fairy Tail, I hadn't felt like I had family in a long time but now I do. I love you, Natsu. There doesn't have to be anything more between us for you to remain part of my life."

His arms tightened around her a little more as he inhaled her scent and rubbed his cheek against her hair. Lucy had realized awhile ago that it was some kind of dragon slayer marking thing, though she wasn't exactly sure what it meant. It seemed a little like a dog peeing on a tree, but she didn't complain. She just let him do it and leaned a little more fully into the hug.

When they broke apart and he tried to lay back down on her bed, she said, "No way. I'm sleeping alone. I want at least a few more hours before getting up for the day, so go away."

"Fine," the whining tone returned as he stood up, "but I'm coming back later so you can cook me lunch." It was clear to Lucy that he was testing the waters to make sure he was still welcome to come around, likely still feeling some insecurity about the changes happening in her life.

Lucy made an affirmative hum as she slid back under the blanket. When she didn't hear the door or window open, she opened her eyes again to see Natsu staring in confusion at the giant hole in her wall. "What the hell happened here?"

Closing her eyes with an annoyed sigh, she said, "I'll tell you later. Go away."

XXX

A smoothie slid across the counter to Lucy at almost the exact moment she sat on the barstool. She hadn't ordered one and wasn't the least bit hungry since she'd just had lunch a couple hours ago, but she wasn't about to pass up a freebie. The sweet smile on Mira's face was a little scary when she leaned against the bar directly across from the blonde. "You're looking a little tired today, Lucy. Didn't sleep well?"

Not willing to divulge the details of her horrible dream, she simply shrugged and said, "Not really. How did you sleep?"

The smile on Mira's face widened as she said, "We're not talking about me." Looking over her shoulder, the barmaid waved down Kinana, who walked over to join Mira in leaning against the bar while smiling creepily at Lucy. The blonde fidgeted uncomfortably under their intense scrutiny, the feeling of cold sweat breaking out across her back had her wishing she'd just stayed hidden in her apartment. Eventually, Mira broke the silence, "So, Natsu came here very early today to get breakfast," before she could even go on, Lucy let her forehead fall to the wooden countertop with a loud groan. Taking that as a very positive sign, Mira continued, "And he was very worked up about not being allowed to sleep in your bed anymore."

Lucy's groaning continued as she started thumping her head against the bar. A hand stopped her skull from making contact again as Kinana's soft voice said, "You should stop doing that. It'll leave a bruise and then Cobra will want to know what happened."

The soft giggle that came from Mira was not encouraging. Lucy sat upright with a dramatic sigh. She pulled the strawberry smoothie – which she now knew was a bribe – close enough to take a sip before she finally gave in. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." Mira's voice was laced with a demonic delight that left Lucy wondering the consequences of leaving anything out.

"Well," Lucy couldn't control the smile that split her lips as she said, "he's my boyfriend now." The excited squealing from Mira was enough to turn several heads. Lucy did her best to shush the woman but it was of no use. The squealing and clapping continued for several seconds. Though, the hearts in Mira's eyes were enough of a deterrent for the other mages to turn their attention elsewhere in fear. Everyone knew what that meant and not a single one of them wanted to be caught up in one of Mira's baby scheming plans.

When her excitement died down enough to speak, Mira exclaimed, "This is fantastic! How long until I can plan the baby shower? No – no babies, yet. You have to get married first. Can I plan the wedding?"

Lucy knew her face was bright red as she shook her head frantically. "Mira! That's way more serious than the way things are right now!"

"You can't lie to me Lucy." Mira looked at Kinana conspiratorially. "Did you know the dragon slayers take mates?" The blonde wondered how in the world the barmaid knew that, but assumed she'd been keeping tabs on any information she could get on all things related to love. Turning back to Lucy, Mira's smile turned more devious as she added. "I'd be willing to bet money Cobra thinks things are that serious."

"I think he does, too. He's clearly very attached to you." Kinana's time with Mira had obviously left an impression that Lucy thought may not have been a very good one.

"Did someone say something about betting?" Cana's voice joined in the conversation as she dropped onto the stool next to Lucy.

Dropping her face into her hands, Lucy groaned and wondered if she'd be able to sneak away. As if she sensed Lucy's mental planning, Mira put an end to the thoughts by saying, "Lucy was just giving us all the details of her budding relationship with Cobra."

Slapping the blonde's back roughly, Cana congratulated her, "You go girl! I hear dragon slayer dick is the way to go, but I haven't gotten a ride on one yet."

Unsure of how to even respond to that, Lucy looked at the other two women, and then gaped like a fish when Kinana said, "Have you tried Gajeel? He always looks a little lonely in the corner."

The group of women all turned their attention to the table Gajeel had claimed as his own, seeing the man in question staring at them in disbelief before shaking his head and turning his attention back to his bite-sized pile of metal. Looking back toward the other women, Cana said, "Nah. It would probably be fun, but I'm not into the whole broody thing."

"You say that now, but imagine the things he could create with his iron." Kinana's softly spoke words had Lucy's head whipping in her direction fast enough to cause whiplash. "Kinana! Are you even the same person I met a few days ago?"

With a soft giggle, the barmaid-in-training answered, "Spending time with MiraJane has done a lot for me."

Throwing an arm around the younger woman, Mira said, "Yes, our little Kinana is blossoming into a woman!" Never one to get distracted easily, Mira focused on Lucy again as she said, "So, Lucy, how far has your relationship with Cobra progressed?"

Lucy's eyes widened and her cheeks puffed out as she looked for anything to take the attention off of her. As if summoned by the blonde's desperation, Erza busted through the front entrance of the guild with a very distraught looking young woman in tow. Seeing the group of women at the bar, Erza guided Wendy over to them with Carla following closely behind. Lucy was surprised to see the girl since she had assumed Wendy returned to her guild along with the others in the Allied Forces, but apparently, there was a lot she had missed.

Seeing tears brimming in the girl's eyes, Lucy slid off her stool to wrap her arms around Wendy. "What's wrong?" The young dragon slayer clung to Lucy's waist as she finally released her pent up sadness. She had been trying so hard to be strong while traveling with Erza. The woman was an undeniable force of nature, making Wendy feel like she would look weak if she broke down, but she just couldn't hold onto the grief anymore. Something about the blonde soothed Wendy and made her feel like she could just let go.

When the girl only continued crying and didn't say anything in response, Lucy looked up at Erza for an explanation. "Forgive me for assuming you were aware of the situation. Miss Wendy had been staying at Fairy Hills since we returned from battle to lend support to anyone recuperating from injuries. Today she was prepared to leave, so I offered to escort her back to her guild since it would be improper for a young woman to travel such a great distance alone. We left as soon as the sun rose and made it to her guild in good time." The redhead paused for a moment, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable with whatever she intended to say next.

The pregnant silence was broken by Wendy sobbing, "They're all gone."

"Who's gone, honey? What happened?" Lucy asked as she ran a comforting hand up and down the girl's back.

Squeezing Lucy tighter, Wendy said, "My guild. All of them are gone. None of them were real. When we got there, the guild master told me the truth."

Looking back at Erza, Lucy asked, "What does that mean?"

"It seems they were all projections created by the illusionist leading the Cait Shelter Guild." With a heavy hand, Erza patted Wendy's back as she said, "I'm sorry for your loss, Wendy, but you are not alone."

The crying increased as Wendy exclaimed hysterically, "I am alone! First, I lost Grandeeney, and then I finally had a place to belong with my guild, but now they're all gone! I don't know what to do. I have no friends, no family, I have nowhere to go."

Lucy moved her hands to Wendy's shoulders so she could push the girl back enough to look her in the eyes. "Wendy, that's not true at all. I'm your friend and I'm sure Erza feels the same way," the redhead patted the girl's back roughly while agreeing as Lucy went on, "and I know you feel a connection with Natsu. You told me yourself right after we met. Remember? You said you feel like you've always known him."

The young girl nodded as she wiped at her eyes, her breaths coming in hiccups as she tried to calm down. Carla hopped up into Wendy's arms, comforting the girl as she said, "Child, you are not alone. I'll always stay with you and it's clear that you've already made a place for yourself here at Fairy Tail. Perhaps we should speak with the master about joining the guild."

"That's a wonderful idea." Erza said as she put an arm around Wendy's shoulders. In as gentle a voice as she could manage, the warrior woman suggested, "We could talk to the master right now, if that's what you wish."

Biting her bottom lip roughly, Wendy looked from Erza to Lucy and then glanced around the guildhall. She saw Natsu and another dragon slayer she hadn't met both watching her closely, as if they were waiting for her decision. The other members of the guild all looked happy as they talked amongst themselves at their tables and she even saw a few people that looked to be about her age. Finally, she nodded as she hugged Carla a little tighter while saying quietly, "If you really think it will be ok, then we can go talk to the guild master."

Erza reassured her, "Of course it's fine. You'll make a wonderful addition to our family."

Lucy smiled at the girl as she said agreed with Erza, "Fairy Tail is the best. You'll see."

As Erza led Wendy and Carla upstairs to speak with Master Makarov about the girl's situation, Lucy returned to her barstool and took a sip of her now melted smoothie. Cana was still seated next to her, having remained in her spot to watch the scene playing out with the young dragon slayer. When Lucy's thoughts had settled, she said, "I can't imagine what it would be like to go through something like that. Having everyone you've spent years with turn out to be illusions? That would be terrible."

Cana nodded, her demeanor clearly intoxicated as she said, "Poor kid. That's some crazy shit to deal with at such a young age."

The conversation flowed between Lucy and Cana for a while, both of them sharing their own issues with losing family, until the blonde slipped away from the bar unnoticed by Mira. She had been lucky to avoid any further questions from the barmaid or her budding assistant. As dinnertime neared and the guild became busy with hungry mages in search of food and alcohol, the two women were too busy to pester Lucy with more shipping questions.

She sat at the table shared by Gray and Natsu, talking with the two and laughing at them when they started bickering, but her mind wasn't in the conversation. She felt unusually distracted, thinking about Erik almost nonstop and wondering when he would be back. He told her he would be back that day as long as nothing went wrong and she had a feeling he would be walking in at any time, though she couldn't logically think of an explanation for the feeling. Somehow, she just knew. As the minutes ticked by, there was no doubt in her mind he was close to the guildhall. It felt strange, almost like a new instinct that made her more aware of him. She wondered if it had anything to do with his dragon slayer magic but she had no idea how she could find out.

When the feeling became almost unbearable, Lucy couldn't pull her eyes away from the doors. Even Natsu's voice didn't fully draw her attention when he asked, "You alright, Luce?"

Her voice was distant when she finally answered, "I'm fine, but I feel like something is about to happen." She wasn't about to say that she thought Erik was coming. It sounded weird in her head, so she didn't think it would go over too well with her overprotective teammates.

Curiosity had both Natsu and Gray staring at the entrance to the guild. With all their eyes glued to the doorway, none of them missed the moment the doors were cracked open as a young woman slipped inside quietly with an exceed hugged to her chest. Reacting nearly instantaneously, Natsu stood up from his seat fast enough to knock the chair backward while Gray said loudly, "What the fuck?"

The focus of everyone nearby turned to their shared table and then moved to look at what had the majority of Team Natsu staring at the entrance. A loud clatter sounded as Mira dropped the tray she had been holding, spilling the forgotten meal on the floor. Her voice was full of frantic excitement as she shouted her sister's name, "Lisanna!", while running toward the door.

Finally pulling her gaze away from the scene playing out, Lucy looked back at her companions but found only Gray still at the table. A quick glance told her Natsu was slowly walking to the entrance as if he were caught in a daze. Without looking away again, Lucy asked Gray, "Who is that?"

"That's Lisanna. She's MiraJane and Elfman's sister. She's been dead for years, or at least everyone thought she was dead."

"Wow. That's just crazy. I wonder what happened to her." Lucy mused aloud but her focus was divided. The awareness she felt for Erik in that moment had her wondering why she didn't see him yet. When the doors had opened, she'd been expecting him to step through, so she'd been shocked to see a young woman around her own age.

The happy reunion happening at the entrance slowly made its way over to a table, which quickly became packed with several curious and excited guildmembers. Lucy felt a little guilty for not joining them, but she didn't know Lisanna at all and felt like she would be intruding by introducing herself now. Instead of doing that, she just stayed in her place and watched as Mira finally released her lost sister and the girl turned a shy smile on Natsu. The expression had Lucy wondering about the history between the two, especially since he seemed equally happy to see her. It was definitely something Lucy would be asking him about later.

Movement at the entrance drew her attention, but with everyone focused on the heart touching moment, no one else seemed to notice Erik's head poking through the door. He made a quick jerk of his head gesturing for Lucy to join him outside, and then disappeared again. Lucy had to bite her lip to stop from smiling as she stood up to make her way outside.

"I knew you were here." She didn't try to contain her smile anymore when she was finally outside facing him. His lips pulled into a small smile of his own before he said, "I know. I could hear your bitchin' all the way here."

"I wasn't bitching about anything!" As they started walking together, Lucy linked her arm through Erik's while he kept his hands stuffed in his coat pockets.

"Sounded like bitching to me." Erik pitched his voice higher to imitate her thoughts, "Where is he? He said he would be here. Did something go wrong? Why hasn't he come inside the guild yet? I know he's out there."

Lucy laughed and then leaned her head against his shoulder as she said, "That's worrying, not bitching. Get it right."

Erik only hummed as he focused on her soul trying to pick up the details of something strange he'd heard. When she said 'worrying', a glimpse of something she was trying to suppress floated to the surface for a moment. She wasn't only trying to hide it from him, she was attempting to forget it entirely, which gave him even more motivation to discover her little secret. When he uncovered it, he almost wished he hadn't. His steps faltered a bit, prompting Lucy to look at him in concern. "You had a nightmare about me?"

Her gaze dropped back to the ground as she watched the cobblestones for a moment before answering. "Yeah, but it was just a dream. Nothing to worry about."

"Stop trying to cover the shit up and just let me hear it." His tone was rougher than he intended but this could become a problem. Erik didn't know how he would handle it if Lucy developed a fear of him.

With a sigh, Lucy focused on the details of the nightmare she had and then waited silently for Erik to say something about it. She could tell he heard it all, or at least enough of it to bother him, because his posture went from casually relaxed to stiff and uncomfortable. The air between them became awkward as the silence continued, leading Lucy to feel a little guilty for having the dream at all. She knew it was irrational to feel guilt over a dream but she couldn't help it.

As they neared their apartment building, Erik didn't stop Lucy from pulling her arm free of his, even knowing it was unnecessary for her to move away from him to pull her keyring from her belt. She was actually trying to create a little distance between them, expecting some sort of rejection after upsetting him. He wasn't really sure how to reassure her fear since it was driven by an insecurity he hadn't caused, that fault lay solely with her father, and it wasn't like he had any experience doing anything other than ignoring people's internal shit.

Once they were inside her apartment, Erik remembered something he'd been curious about the day before as he'd been traveling away from Magnolia. He continued ignoring Lucy's rapidly spiraling thoughts and walked through the hole between their apartments to see what she'd been up to after he left. Inhaling lightly, he picked up her scent most strongly in the direction of his bathroom, so he went there to investigate. When he opened the door and flipped on the light, he froze in shock at what he found.

"Fugi," he called out and waited until she stepped through the hole to ask her, "where the hell did you get all this?"

Mildly embarrassed by his reaction, Lucy said, "Um, well, the shower curtain, floor mat, towels and things on the sink are from a department store downtown. The soaps are all from a specialty shop. I know dragon slayers' noses can be irritated by strong scents, so I looked for something mild that smelled good."

She watched as he finally stepped into the small bathroom and started opening the various soaps in the shower, sniffing each one before placing it back almost exactly as she had arranged them. He closed the shower curtain fully and then stared at it for a second, almost as if he were admiring the pale gray and white striped pattern. When he finally turned around to face Lucy where she still stood in the doorway, he ran a hand across the gray towel hanging from the rod in the wall before asking, "Why?"

Lucy opened her mouth and then closed it again, even more embarrassed by the explanation. She knew he had to be hearing it from her head but assumed maybe her thoughts had been too busy for him to clearly pick it out from everything else running through her mind. With a small, self-conscious shrug, she answered, "Your apartment is still so empty. Most people decorate their new place immediately to make it their own, but I figured you didn't have anything. Then I realized you probably haven't ever had a place of your own before, so I just wanted to do something nice for you. It wasn't really a big deal. I had a little extra money left from – "

Her rambling words cut off when Erik closed the distance between them to hug her tightly. The shock of his actions had her frozen for a second since he hadn't ever initiated any gestures of affection. Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist and turned her head to rest her face against his chest as she said, "You're welcome."

"I don't remember saying thank you." His quick answer made her laugh, which seemed to immediately lighten some of the weight pulling her down into the depths of her abandonment issues. Hearing this change, Erik kept her held tightly against him, paying close attention to the way her insecurities seemed to fall away the longer they stayed in contact, as if the physical sign of his affection reassured her. Erik didn't understand how something so small could make such a big difference, but he was glad he'd at least figured out how to make her soul stop sounding like it was crying.

With her whirlwind of thought slowing down, he could more easily hear her and knew she was wondering if he wasn't mad at her anymore. Knowing he couldn't just ignore this like he would with anyone else, he said, "I was never mad at you. It was just a fucking dream."

Lucy melted against him at those words but he could hear she was still unsure. Somehow, she always knew when there was more to what he said. Before she could ask why he'd reacted badly, he said quietly, "I just don't want you to be afraid of me."

She lifted her head to look up into his eyes, sliding her arms from where they'd been circling his waist to wrap them around his neck as she said, "I'm not afraid of you. Never have been. You're not as scary as you think you are."

He huffed a small laugh at that before saying, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

They leaned in at the same moment to press their lips together, the kiss starting out slow and gentle but quickly becoming heated. As their tongues intertwined, Lucy's hand moved from behind his neck to slide down along his shoulders and over his chest, feeling the firm muscle hidden beneath his layers of clothing. He felt along her tiny waist down to her full hips, taking advantage of her short skirt by lifting the material out of the way to palm her ass. When she moaned into his mouth, he lifted her up and turned to press her back against the open door where it rested against the wall. With her legs wrapped around his hips, Lucy ground her core against him and let her head fall backward. His mouth immediately went to her neck, sucking on the soft skin hard enough to leave a dark spot before letting his teeth graze the area, teasing his dragon instincts into life.

With her arms wrapped his neck again, she held him tightly against her while one hand drifted up into his hair, pressing his mouth more firmly against her neck. Lucy's voice was full of need as she said, "Why do I want you to bite me so badly? It doesn't make any sense."

Erik pulled his mouth away from the spot, pressing his forehead against her neck as he said, "It's the damn dragon. I want to fuck you and leave a mating mark on you, so I guess you're feeling some of that through me."

Hearing how much she was not ready for that, even if her body was saying otherwise, Erik let Lucy's legs fall back to the floor when she loosened her hold on him. He only moved far enough away from her to keep their bodies from pressing together, not wanting to even be that far apart. Lucy said, "That has me wondering what other effects your magic is having on me. I've never been able to feel you near me until now. How did I even know when you were getting close earlier?"

"Dunno," he said unhelpfully, but it wasn't like he had any answers for her anyway. All her thoughts about a dragon's mate receiving the dragon's magic and then being able to use parts of it were about as far as he'd gotten in figuring the whole thing out, so she didn't need his input. He'd rather do other things with his mouth, like licking his way down the cleavage she had on display in her ridiculously low cut shirt. When he acted on that thought, she arched her back, pressing her breasts further against him when he bit her pebbled nipple through the fabric. Her brain was almost too scrambled to even say, "We have to stop."

He ignored her long enough to knead both breasts and run his tongue along her tits again before saying, "We don't have to fuck. There are other options." His hands drifted down her sides until they reached her hips as he pulled her against his growing erection.

Lucy could barely control herself as she pressed against him in return, wanting nothing more than to be naked and moaning on top of him. Or maybe under him, or bent over in front of him. She let her head fall back with her eyes squeezed shut and exhaled heavily as she tried to rein in her imagination. "Maybe in a minute. If you keep touching me now, I'll just say forget waiting and then wonder later if it was too soon."

"You think too much." Erik stepped back to lean against the counter, having to fight the urge to do the opposite and press against her again. "Go cook whatever the hell it was you were planning before coming over here and I'll take a shower."

"Good idea." As she turned to walk away, she felt a sharp sting as Erik popped her butt. "Hey!" She shouted as she looked back at him.

With a crooked grin, he said, "You liked it."

She only shook her head with a small laugh as she forced herself to walk away.

The entire time she cooked, she thought about sex. There was definitely some truth to the compulsion Natsu told her about. Her sexual thoughts included wanting Erik to bite her, something she'd never thought she would be into. At least, not the type of biting that included fangs like some sort of vampire story. Erik's fang might not be like the books she had read, but they were definitely pointy and she wanted them in her skin while another part of him was inside of her.

Erik wasn't in much better shape. His dick was half hard throughout the duration of his shower. It had been a long time since he masturbated, but he seriously considered doing it as the warm water flowed over him, adding a physical sensation to the teasing he was getting from hearing Lucy's thoughts. They came across loud and clear to him, giving him every little detail of what she wanted.

He hardly spent any time enjoying all soaps and shit she'd gotten for him with his mind so distracted. His movements were methodical as he went through the steps of washing the dirt and sweat from his body and hair. When he finally stepped out of the shower, he opted not to put his dirty clothes back on. Instead, he wrapped the towel around his waist to walk across to Lucy's apartment in search of the black pajamas her maid spirit had given him.

Lucy's stove, tiny countertop and sink were all along the wall with the makeshift doorway, so she didn't miss the moment he stepped through the hole. He was still mostly wet and only partially covered. The towel did nothing to hide the unmistakable bulge at the center of his hips, letting Lucy know his mind was in the same place as hers.

"Just looking for my clothes." His falsely innocent tone was given away by the smirk he couldn't seem to keep from his lips. He was most definitely a tease. Nothing he could ever say would convince Lucy otherwise.

Choosing to ignore him, though it was difficult, Lucy went back to assembling the bowls of beef and vegetables over rice. She did her best to focus on only the food so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing his little stunt had her imagining all sorts of things they were supposed to be avoiding. Because she was so focused on her task, she didn't hear him approaching her with quiet steps. He leaned into her fully with his arms on either side of her to rest his hands against the countertop, trapping her in place. His lips pressed against the spot just below her ear that was so sensitive, teasing her again before he said, "That smells good."

"I was thinking about throwing yours away."

One of his hands moved to rest against the dip of her waist as he slid his fingers beneath her small shirt. "That would be a wasteful."

Finished adding food to the bowls, Lucy turned around to face Erik. The move pulled his hand out from under her shirt but put her in what was probably a more dangerous position. "You're doing your best to tease me with something I can't have, so I thought I would do the same to you."

His smile was wide enough to show a hint of fang, which was ridiculously sexy to the blonde in that moment. "My Fugi is turning wicked." He dipped his head enough to nearly brush her lips with his as he said, "I like it."

She couldn't take it anymore. She crashed her lips into his, kissing him hungrily as her hands slid beneath his soft, black shirt to tug it up over his head. They parted long enough for him to fully pull it off and toss it away, then their mouths were back together, tongues intertwining as their hands explored. Erik's hands moved beneath Lucy's short skirt, cupping her nearly bare cheeks. When his fingers hooked into the waistband of her panties, Lucy grabbed his wrists to stop him as she said in a pained voice, "We can't."

"I know. I'm not trying to fuck you. Just let me take care of you." Worries eased by his words, Lucy went back to feeling along the contours of his lean muscle while he pulled her panties down. When he lifted her up to set her on the counter before kneeling and then placing her knees over his shoulders, she got the idea. His tongue was almost instantly against her womanhood, licking in a long stroke up to her clit, where he sucked gently to tease the sensitive bud. The intensity of the feeling after being denied release for what felt like an eternity had Lucy crying out in pleasure. Her head flew back as her eyes squeezed shut, all her thoughts seeming to cease as all she could focus on was the way he worked her body.

Erik felt like he couldn't get enough of Lucy. He wanted nothing more than to be inside her, but this would be enough for now. She tasted like heaven and the way she moaned sounded almost as good as the way her soul sang. It called to him, pulling him in by his magic until he was lost in her, just like every other time. She was quickly becoming everything to him, more important than anything else in life. With her hands in his hair, she pressed his face thoughtlessly against her center until he could hardly breathe, but it didn't matter. He didn't need air.

When Lucy finally came, it was like an explosion. Her entire body trembled as she moaned her release. She ground her clit against his tongue, drawing out the orgasm until she was shuddering from the overwhelming sensation. After a few seconds, she realized she was still fisting Erik's hair tightly, so she released her hold and stroked her fingers along his scalp. He closed his eyes as he rested head against her thigh, letting her continue running her fingers through his hair while he worked on convincing himself not to slid his dick into her amazingly wet pussy.

She didn't bother speaking since she was sure he knew what she wanted. He leaned back far enough to let her slide her legs down from his shoulders as she got off the counter. She straddled his hips when he leaned back against his heels and she kissed him roughly, holding nothing back from him as she poured everything she felt and thought into him. Tasting herself on his lips was insanely erotic, making her need for another release build but she wanted to make sure Erik was taken care of.

He unbuttoned her top, shoving it down her shoulders to free her breasts fully. Without a bra in the way, he had instant access to the full mounds which he took advantage of with his mouth. He held her tightly against him with one hand against her lower back while the other squeezed her ass, encouraging her to continue grinding against him. Never in his life had he cum like this, but he was pretty sure it was going to happen now. The pants he wore were so thin that he could feel her wetness soaking the fabric and the heat of her unclothed pussy as she ground against him. It wasn't as good as sex, but it still felt fucking amazing.

Lucy pulled his head up from her breasts to kiss him again, feeling like she just couldn't get enough of him. Another climax was building up inside of her as they thrust against each other. With her bare breasts rubbing against his chest, she felt overwhelmed by sensations. She felt complete with him – his taste, his smell, the feeling of his body against hers – she'd missed him so much and they'd only been apart for a little more than a day. It was only now that she realized it wouldn't be long until she loved him. She just hoped he felt the same way.

The thoughts coming across to him from Lucy were almost enough to distract Erik from his nearing orgasm, but not quite. When she cried out as she came again, he thrust against her roughly a few more times before finding his own release, spilling it against the fabric that hardly separated them.

He held her tightly against him as they both panted heavily, but his mind was not as relaxed as hers. She had been open with him about expecting to fall in love at some point, but he hadn't put any thought into it. At the time, it had just been part of the conversation, not something he expected to become a reality. He had no idea why anyone would love him, especially not someone like her. It wasn't that he had confidence issues, he just knew how he was – an asshole with a lot of fucked up shit in his life. Well, it was too late for her now. She'd chosen to be with him and now that he knew she loved him, even only partially? He was never letting her go.

Now he needed to figure out if he loved her too, since that's what she was waiting on to complete this thing with him. He had told her he wouldn't lie to her again and he planned to keep his word, so he would wait until he figured out the answer before saying anything.