Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by Hiro Mashima. I own this story based on Mashima's work

The hand of chance

Warning: profanity ahead

[Present day]

"Natsu, stop that," Lucy cautioned, bumping her boyfriend's shoulder, game controller firmly in hand. "That's cheating."

"It's not cheating, it's a legitimate move," he defended, shoving her back to her side of the sofa.

"Yeah, but you're using it over and over," she retaliated through gritted teeth.

"Then get better at blocking it."

"No. That's not how this works," she challenged. "You need something called a strategy."

In the end Lucy watched disappointed as her game character toppled to the floor.

"This is no fun," she said, dropping her controller on the sofa and getting up.

"Aw Lucy, come on, one more game," Natsu whined, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down next to him.

"Why? I've just played the same game 27 times!" Lucy grumbled, frustrated. "If we play one more game, I promise you, this relationship will not survive to the end of it."

She crossed her arms in front of her and looked at her boyfriend, daring him to ask her one more time.

Though it felt like it had been longer, it was only a week ago that Natsu and Lucy had started dating. Today Lucy was too tired to go out so the two decided on a quiet afternoon in. It was just Lucy, Plue, Happy, Natsu and Macao in the house. The rest of the family had gone out on various Sunday afternoon adventures with friends. It should have been a nice relaxing afternoon at home but it was turning out to be pretty lethal.

Uh oh, Natsu thought. Now I've done it.

He quickly relented. "Fine, let's change game."

"Naw, I'm not in the mood anymore," Lucy replied shortly. She picked up Happy and cuddled him lovingly.

Crap, he thought, his eyes bouncing in every direction trying to find a way to fix the mood he'd brought on.

His eyes landed on his phone on the coffee table.

No, not that. Definitely not that.

"Wanna listen to music?" he probed. "Dad's gotten me into this really cool 80s band. You've got to hear them."

"Nah, maybe later," she said distractedly, stroking Happy's fur.

Lucky cat, he thought jealously.

I suppose the mood's not right for the kissing thing. Natsu wondered, creeping towards his girlfriend. Maybe I could just try-

Before he could get any further with that thought something deep inside, something primal that had been passed on silently in his genes for millions of years, stopped him. Held back by a force much greater than himself, Natsu came to a grinding halt and leaned back quietly on the sofa. He couldn't understand why, but he felt as if his instinct had just saved him from making a very, very big mistake.

"Wanna play table tennis?" he tried again after a minute, remembering the Conbolts had a setup in the back yard.

"Nah Natsu. Sorry, but I'm really tired."

Natsu's eyes landed on his phone for a second time. He decided to bite the bullet. This was worth it.

It is, he convinced himself.

He took his phone regretfully in his hands and offered it to her.

He allowed himself a brief moment to mourn before speaking. When words came, they were full of sorrow.

"You- you want to … fix my playlists?"

This time, Lucy looked at him. Her heart warmed with a mixture of affection and amusement.

He must really want to make this better, she thought, remembering a few days ago when they'd been listening to music on a bench on the pier after work. She'd very kindly offered to correct some glaring mistakes in his playlists. And that's when Lucy had discovered this weakness.

He'd snatched desperately for his phone but she was too quick. She stretched it far above her head and well out of his reach. Adoring his playful but serious response, Lucy had entertained herself with threats, bringing her fingers as close to the 'delete' button as she could, and Natsu had come deliciously close to her, laughing as he tried to swipe the phone from her hands. They'd ended up jumping up from the bench they were on, Lucy giggling happily as Natsu chased her down the pier to get his phone. It was a happy memory, but Lucy had left it knowing how important his playlists were to him.

He's a really weird one, she thought as she watched him now, sitting miserably on the sofa. He was careless about so many things, but his memories, they were incredibly precious to him. To keep them close he carefully selected various tracks from his experiences and curated them into well-labelled, perfectly preserved playlists. He listened to them anytime he wanted to remember the things that were important to him.

She smiled at him. He really was precious.

"I'm really not angry Natsu. I'm just tired. How about a movie?"

Natsu's eyes lit up in excitement and relief. "Okay, an action?"

He looked so happy, Lucy couldn't say no.

"Okay, that's good," she agreed turning on the streaming app on the TV. Too tired to be bothered with scrolling through infinite titles, she handed him the remote. She could make it through anything at this point. "You can choose."

The boy's eyes shined as he took the remote. He looked as if he was receiving an award.

Well, that was easy, Lucy thought.

Note to self: the TV remote makes him docile.

Natsu selected a movie and as the opening credits ran Lucy settled comfortably into his shoulder, Happy curled on her lap. Sensing the cosier change in atmosphere, Plue jumped up next to them on the sofa.

Natsu looked down at her as she got comfortable on his shoulder. He smiled and put his arm around her so she could get more snug.

Note to self: movies make her docile.

He was not 20 minutes into the movie when he looked down and saw that Lucy was fast asleep.

Geez, really. You should've just taken the reception job, pervert, he thought, moving the locks of hair that had fallen over her face gently with his finger. He surprised even himself, he didn't know he could be so delicate with anything. Except maybe when he carried Happy when he was sick. Apparently, right now, not waking a sleeping Lucy was as important as not injuring Happy when he's sick.

But, as he watched over her, Natsu also felt like he was to blame for her being so wiped out. He'd been so greedy to spend time with her over the last week. She was probably tired every day after work but he'd kept suggesting one thing after another, just so he could spend as much time as he could with her before the summer ended.

Sorry. I won't be so impatient anymore.

He stayed like that watching over her for some minutes before turning back to the movie. The contours of her face were now thoroughly memorised and he was beginning to feel a little weird.

After a few minutes watching the movie he looked around. It was too quiet. He was bored. He looked down at Plue and Happy who were sleeping on the sofa. He couldn't disturb them either.

I wonder what Macao's up to?

Turning off the movie, he slid out quietly out from under Lucy, checking to make sure the three he was leaving behind were comfortable before heading for the kitchen.

First grub, then Macao.

While he was combing through the refrigerator he heard Macao's voice in the back yard. He seemed to be speaking with someone on the phone. They weren't arguing, but the conversation seemed serious. His ears perked up when he heard a familiar name.

"Makarov."

What's gramps gotta do with Lucy's dad? Natsu wondered. Makarov might have looked like a tiny, frail old man just running a Club, but Natsu knew he was admired and respected by everyone. He was like everyone at Fairy Tail's granddad, looking out for everyone. He wondered how Makarov knew Macao.

"You know I trust you, I do. But I'm worried," Macao was saying into the phone.

"I must worry. These are my kids. I don't want them getting hurt."

"Fairy Tail …" Macao hesitated, searching for the right words, "it's not their world. I don't want it swallowing them up. Not when they've come so far. Not when they're so close. I know you understand where I'm coming from here."

Natsu couldn't hear the words on the next end of the conversation but he guessed they were talking about Lucy being bullied by Minerva. What else could it be?

Don't worry Macao, he promised internally, the image of Lucy staring fearfully at the Fairy Tail insignia a week before popping into his mind.

Fairy Tail may not be Lucy's world, but it's mine. And I'll protect her.

I'll do everything in my power to protect her.

As he moved to close the the refrigerator doors his eyes landed on some markers by the countertop. He grinned mischievously as he reached for them, his brain already moving on to what he was going to draw on Lucy's sleeping face.

Natsu didn't think again about the one-sided conversation he'd overheard. Nor did he wonder whether a time would ever come when he might have to protect Lucy from himself.

It was an impossible question no one would ever think to ask.

§§§

Loke turned into the Conbolt's street ice-cream and lion plushy in hand. He hadn't seen her since the Festival and he couldn't wait to surprise her. It was his own fault he hadn't seen her in over two weeks.

He was too busy moping.

His hands clenched his bags as the memory of the way she'd looked at Dragneel appeared in his mind. He'd never seen her look at anyone the way she looked at him. The way her eyes found him in the crowd, lingered on him, the smile that she got…

Loke squeezed the unpleasant memory out of his mind, only for it to be replaced by an even more unwelcome one; Dragneel's arm on her waist. He was about to say something to Natsu about it when he realised that Lucy wasn't fighting it. That had hit him hard. Lucy was always very clear about her personal boundaries. She never let anyone get away with anything she was uncomfortable with - she wouldn't even let people close enough to try. But this time, she'd leaned into it. She was definitely fine with it. Loke couldn't intervene.

Loke stopped in his tracks and took a deep breath, reminding himself of everything he'd told himself over the last couple of weeks. It's not a big deal. They are friends. They get along well. Natsu's not actually a bad guy. He's actually pretty fun; that high-energy, playful, bonkers type of personality that everyone enjoys having around them.

The bit that had sealed it for him though was the recognition that Natsu was close to all of his friends. Lucy wasn't special. Lucy might have a crush on Natsu, but this wasn't anything Loke hadn't been through before. He'd been through many of them. Too many. And the one thing that was consistent through all of them was that those feelings were transient. Loke always outlived them.

That's right, Loke reminded himself as he strode confidently towards her house. This is the real thing.

Loke knew that Lucy had never experienced the real thing before. And the real thing, he also knew, was like nothing else in the world. It was a completely different experience entirely. Loke couldn't wait to kiss the girl he'd loved all his life like she was the most precious thing in the world and show her what the real thing was.

As he approached he saw a huge commotion outside of Lucy's house. A group of people were surrounding a very nice red sports car parked there.

Loke's heart dropped.

He had a very bad feeling.

Slowly, he turned towards the house. His anxiety only climbed the more he watched it. He felt as if roots were growing from his feet and burying themselves deep into the ground.

He couldn't move.

Only one thing became clear to Loke as he watched the house. He didn't want to go inside.

More than anything, Loke didn't want to know what was inside.

Instead, he turned around and headed home, his heart overflowing with impatience and frustration.

What the hell have I been doing?

I made a vow to stay beside her and protect her.

I've been so busy hesitating.

Over and over…

Just hesitating.

I've had a million chances to hold on to her.

…

I've been so busy protecting me, I've forgotten my promise to protect her.

…

I'm coming, Lucy. Just, please … please, just wait a little longer.

§§§

[Eleven years ago]

It was the height of summer. The sun's sweltering midday heat dared everyone to find shelter, but here he was, sat on a bench, in a park, watching a family have a water gun battle.

Gildarts Clive was a tall, heavyset man with long, unkempt brown hair and a stubbly beard. To say he was rough around the edges would be putting it mildly. But he had soft features and an air of friendly nonchalance that relaxed passers by. He felt more easygoing than he looked.

He watched the family as if there was no one in the park but them.

There was so much laughter.

What the hell am I even doing here, he thought to himself as he made to get up.

He was shoved back down by an equally impressive man wearing a suit. An actual formal, pretty decent-looking, suit. In the park - at midday - in summer. Gildarts was thrown, not by the man's audacity, but by his fabulously unsuitable choice of clothes.

This one must have a wife, he thought.

The man sat down authoritatively next to Gildarts and straightened his jacket. Gildarts raised an eyebrow at the aura of sophistication and influence around the fellow, but said nothing. The newcomer had felt it necessary to delay him, so it was only polite that he should go first.

However, that did not stop Gildarts' trained eyes from examining him. He had short, black hair, kept very neatly in place, with deep sideburns running down the side of his face. Gildarts thought that some of his lady-friends might go for the stranger's look, especially that rather refined-looking, designer stubble he sported. Gildarts was little impressed. He himself never really bothered with razors, creams and combs as such. They were a hassle.

The man wore two very large, very clunky, silver cross earrings on each of his ears which did not suit the rest of his image at all, but they at least raised his respectability in Gildarts' eyes. Looking down at his own military style cargos, brown T-shirt and heavy boots, Gildarts entertained himself with thoughts about what the rest of the park was making out of the pair of them sitting there together.

At length, the man spoke; a slow, deep, throaty rumble.

If this guy doesn't turn out to be a total creep I might just take him out for drinks. Gildarts thought, a sneaky scheme taking shape in his mind. The ladies will definitely be drawn to him … and right into Gildarts' net.

"You're just some dirty, despicable ol' bastard, aren't you?" the stranger said, abandoning the pleasantries and heading straight for the accusations.

In any other situation Gildarts probably wouldn't deny it. But here? He wasn't sure what the other man was getting at.

Do I know his wife? Gildarts wondered, readying himself for a quick escape.

In the silence the stranger closed the distance between them, a dangerous look on his face.

Oi, Oi, Gildarts thought.

"What're you doing here staring at that little girl like that, huh?"

Gildarts' jaws dropped. Is that what he looked like? Some sick, rotten bastard? He put both his hands up and waved them peacefully in front of him as the intruder inched closer. He looked absolutely deathly. And, now, seeing things now from the man's perspective, Gildarts could appreciate why.

"That's my daughter!" he practically shouted. "My daughter," he repeated, more convincingly this time.

The stranger didn't appear convinced but he backed down slightly and gave Gildarts some breathing room. Gildarts could see that his guard was still up. The moment he tried to make a run for it this guy would be on him. Even if he looked like some pampered, silver spoon-fed kinda guy, Gildarts could tell that if he wanted to, he could be deadly. He was no match for Gildarts, but still, this wasn't the place. And the guy's intentions were in the right place - even if he was completely wrong.

Gildarts took a deep breath.

"Look man, I don't know what this looks like," Gildarts defended, "and I know what that looks like," he added, indicating to the happy family across from them, "but that's my daughter."

The man just stared hard at him. Gildarts knew he was going to need to give him more than that.

"I gave her up for adoption when I found about about her. Her mom, my ex-wife, left her with me after she got sick, but what do I know about raising a kid? I was on tour in Guiltina for the kid's entire life. I didn't even know about her."

Gildarts paused and watched as the man moved back to his side of the bench.

"On tour?," the stranger repeated, suspicion still lacing his voice. "You military?"

"Yeah," was all Gildarts was able to answer. The stranger took the hint.

The man stayed silent, waiting for the rest of Gildarts' story, either out of personal interest or to clear his mind of suspicion, Gildarts wasn't sure.

"So a few years ago, I come back from Guiltina and find out my ex-wife's dead. That she'd spent the time she should have spent trying everything she could to get better, looking for me. And when she couldn't find me she left my daughter at the one place she knew I'd go when I got back; Fairy Tail."

The stranger's eyes widened, "Fairy Tail?"

Gildarts could see the man no longer saw him as a threat, but he was definitely interested in his story.

"Yeah, you know, that snazzy country club up east. I do some work for the owner there when I'm off."

Gildarts breathed a long, resigned sigh and slouched slightly on the bench, raking his hands though his hair. His eyes suddenly got a very faraway look.

"I've been a pretty deadbeat dad, and an even bigger deadbeat husband, but that man, Makarov Dreyar, I owe him everything. He didn't have to but he cleaned up my mess - and has never asked for anything in return."

Gildarts let the comment hang without further explanation but when sat up again he saw that the stranger was leaning towards him, eager for more of his story. Gildarts laughed at how obvious he was being. Like his earrings, the man's manners definitely didn't suit his image. Gildarts decided he liked the stranger. The atmosphere on the bench now could even be called amicable.

Drinks and dames may be on the table yet, he thought.

"So I come to Fairy Tail after I get back from Guiltina, right? And I hear that Cordelia, my ex-wife, came bawling at the gates at Fairy Tail begging to come in. This was a few months before I got back. She came looking or me, but they wouldn't let her in. Word got to Makarov that there was a commotion up at the front gates and he came down himself to hear Cordelia's story. Without even being asked, he arranged a bed for her the local hospital. He even brought in a young couple to meet Cordelia," Gildarts nodded across the park in the direction of what was now becoming a full-scale water war.

"They agreed to look after Cana, that's my daughter, until I came back. I heard they brought her every day to see Cordelia. Until the very end. Cord died in a safe place knowing Cana would be looked after. That's a hell of a lot more than I ever did for her."

The stranger glanced at the family. It didn't need to be said that Gildarts gave his daughter up for adoption when he found out about her.

"That was a few years ago. A few months ago I go into Fairy Tail and Makarov hands me a piece of paper. My daughter's been asking about her dad. Her family says they are happy for me to see her - if that's what I want."

Gildarts pulled a crumpled up piece of paper from his pocket and opened it. It contained a Magnolia address that the stranger knew very well.

Gildarts could see that his new drinking companion had worked out exactly what he was doing on that park bench. He glanced at the beautiful brown-haired girl - the splitting image of her mother.

"She's happy. They're really good people. What does she need to know me for?"

In response, the stranger did the most impossible thing. He nodded to the family.

"The one with the black hair," he said.

Gildarts looked over to see a little girl with short black hair playing with Cana. He looked back at the stranger inquisitively.

Surely not, this guy was way too put together.

"Her mom was an employee of mine. Fuckin' brilliant young woman. Had so much talent. So much ahead of her. This was just supposed to be for a short time, until she finished her degree." There was a long pause as Stranger found his next words.

He nodded sympathetically towards the little girl.

"Now I have to tell her that her mom's not coming back." His meaning was obvious.

"Shit," Gildarts swore.

"Yeah, well, I can't ask them to do that," he said, nodding towards the parents. "You said it yourself. They're good people."

"I came straight here from Fairy Tail," Stranger finished, making his point clear.

This time, it was Gildarts' turn to be surprised.

"Makarov?"

"Makarov."

"Son-of-a-bitch."

"When he heard I was looking for someone to take care of Ur's kid he said he knew some people right here in Magnolia. Ultear wouldn't have to change environments or schools. It was perfect." He looked at the little girl who was screaming with laughter. "They were perfect."

Gildarts breathed out a long, heavy breath.

"Life's shit full of coincidences, huh?" he exclaimed, unbelievingly.

This time, the stranger gave him a pedantic, almost pompous, look.

"Not coincidence. Chance. Even if you are always pretty much on the road and I live in Crocus, we both take shelter in the same place; Fairy Tail. The chances that two people, connected to the same place, might come to it with a similar problem and as a result find a similar solution is actually not as low as you might think. A similar cause, handled in a similar way, can lead to a similar effect. Not always. But there's a chance. It's as simple as that - no romantic notions like coincidence; coincidence is just the hand of chance. All it is in the end is probability."

Gildarts stared long and hard at the stranger. After some consideration he corrected his previous verdict.

This guy is definitely not a hit with the ladies.

In the silence the stranger got up and turned to leave. Before leaving, he reached over and handed Gildarts a card. He glanced at the bubbly, grinning brown-haired girl, water gun in hand, before turning back to Gildarts.

"If you ever decide that you're done with this life and you want something a little … closer to home, give this guy a call. Say Silver Fullbuster sent you."

Gildarts looked down at the card and, for the second time that afternoon, had to pick his jaw up from the floor. It was a direct line to Metalicana Redfox, owner of Iron Dragon Industries.

"Hey," he called after the stranger … Silver. "Is this real? Why are you giving this to me?"

Silver only needed a moment. When his voice came was reflective and quiet.

"Because we've all been touched by that same place. It might look like just a building, but its roofs and its principles stretch far. We might look different; we might talk different; we might come from different places and do different things. Hell, we even fight it out like the best of 'em. But in the end, we're all part of the same Fairy Tail family, wherever and whoever we are. And family will have your back."

"Call him," Silver encouraged before taking his leave.