Mistake. Mistake. Mistake.
The word echoed in Natsu's head as he made his way back down to the guild hall in a daze. The hall was a buzz with all the mages that were milling around. All the tables and chairs that normally were situated in the middle of the room had been shoved to the side to make room for make-shift beds. Those who typically grouped together during missions had claimed beds next to each other, making the situation feel like one big happy sleepover. Natsu looked over the room without really seeing anything.
"Natsu! Oh, Natsu!" Lisanna's voice barely cut through the haze that had taken residence in Natsu's brain. She was waving frantically trying to get his attention, her face plastered with excitement. "Natsu! Come here!"
Natsu wove his way through the bodies, all the faces a blur. When he reached Lisanna, she was standing with a group of people that included her brother, Elfman, who was standing next to Evergreen. On Lisanna's other side were the remaining members of the Raijinshuu, Bickslow and Freed. When Natsu got to Lisanna, she parted to reveal Gajeel who was standing over Levy. In Levy's arms was a small bundle, the sight of which caused Natsu's heart to stutter.
"Meet Koemi." Lisanna cooed. Her face melting into happiness at the tiny bundle that was squirming in Levy's arms.
Going up to Levy, Natsu kneeled in front of her to get a better look at the tiny Koemi. "Did you want to hold her?" Levy asked, smiling at Natsu as his attention abruptly snapped to her.
"Uh." He hesitated, glancing at Gajeel.
"Hold the damn baby, Salamander." Gajeel practically barked, "Just don't drop her, or I'll break you. Gihee."
"Gajeel." Levy reprimanded before shifting her body so that she could hand Koemi to Natsu. Taking the tiny bundle from Levy, Natsu shifted so he sat on the bench next to her. Koemi's head was so tiny it fit in the palm of his hand. Her arms waved in the air for a moment before settling down by her sides. Mewing softly, she opened her eyes. Deep chocolate eyes looked back at Natsu, watching him curiously.
"Hello." Natsu whispered, leaning forward while at the same time raising one of her fists to kiss it. Koemi's hand unclenched, shooting downwards, and grabbed onto his scarf with all her strength.
"Oop." Levy laughed, reaching out to free Natsu's scarf from her daughter's grasp so Natsu could sit up again. "She doesn't have any motor skills yet, so she just grabs onto anything in front of her."
Natsu gave a small smile to Levy before turning back to look at the baby in his arms. Despite the child not being his own, he felt strongly about wanting to protect her with all his might. Koemi began to make soft whining noises.
"Time for another feeding." Levy said as she reached to take Koemi out of Natsu's arms, "Excuse me everyone." The group parted and dispersed as Levy made her way to the kitchen where she would have more privacy to nurse her child.
Gajeel's strong hand clasped down on Natsu's shoulder, giving it a heavy-handed squeeze. "What happened between you and Lucy?" He murmured, knowing Natsu could hear him but no one else. His eyes remained on the path his partner had taken.
Natsu slumped forward, remember his earlier distress. His heart clenched in pain. Dropping his head in his hands, he whispered, his voice choking "I don't know."
Gajeel removed his hand. "Give her time, but maybe next time, find the right words before you open that big mouth of yours?" With that he walked away, leaving Natsu alone in his misery.
"Have you seen Warren?" Lucy inquired of Erza. The redheaded woman was sitting with Makarov at one of the tables pushed off along the side of the hall, discussing the mission she had just returned from.
Erza looked at Lucy, if she noticed the red rims around her eyes that marked Lucy had been crying, she didn't mention it. "He went to lie down in the infirmary for some quiet. Why? Is everything alright?"
Lucy nodded, "Uh, yeah. Just that I've been in contact with Captain Mandal, and he has requested to have a talk with Warren about the contractor he hired last December."
Erza frowned, "Why did Captain Mandal speak with you?"
Lucy bristled are Erza's tone, "We ran into each other one day when I was shopping. We got to talking over lunch. Why? Do you think me incapable of handling relations with the council?" She shot back.
"Now, now, Lucy." Makarov interrupted, "I'm sure Erza wasn't implying any such thing. It's just curious that he would seemingly seek you out when he had already established contacts here at the guild."
Rai targeted me? Lucy wondered, blinking at the thought. "Why would he-" She shook her head again, "That's not the point. The point is, together we think we have discovered the source of the magic seal, and we need the contact information of the businessman Warren was working with."
Erza stood, slamming her hands down on the table in front of her as she did, "You found it?" She grabbed Lucy's arm, dragging her along, "C'mon. We need to find Warren." She called back to Makarov over her shoulder, "Sorry, Master. I'll tell you the rest later." Makarov just waved his hand, flipping it at the wrist as he gulped down his beer.
Erza, still holding onto Lucy, went up the stairs to the infirmary where they found Warren curled up on top of one of the beds. Dropping her grip on Lucy, she walked over to him and shook him, speaking loudly in a commanding tone, "Warren. Wake up. We need you to contact Captain Mandal at the council."
"Wha-what!?" Warren jolted awake from Erza's ministrations. Rubbing his eye, he looked up at Erza, "Who?"
"Captain Mandal." Lucy said, stepping forward, "He visited us before we left to work with Crime Sorciere. We need to find the man you were working with about the city repairs."
Warren sat up, "Captain Mandal. Got it." He placed his fingers to his temple, working on getting in contact with the council. After a few moments, he lowered his hand. "He's asking us to prepare a meeting room. He has some news. Apparently its not good."
"Did he request anyone in particular?" Erza demanded.
Warren shook his head. "No, just those he had met with before, and any others who can work in this weather."
"Alright." Erza grabbed Warren's arm as he moved to make himself comfortable on the bed again, "You better come too. We will need you to gather everyone." She dragged him out of the room, Lucy following close behind.
Ten minutes later, those of Fairy Tail who had been present at the previous meeting, were gathered in the same meeting room they had used during that time. Lucy made sure to keep her distance from Natsu, barely being able to look at him as the pain was too much.
Captain Mandal came strolling into the room, dressed officially in his council uniform. Behind him were two other council members, the patches on their uniforms indicating they were lower ranking individuals working under the captain. They stopped next to the door, taking up a post on either side of it as Rai continued into the room.
"Greetings everyone. I'm sorry about the abrupt meeting, but we have an urgent issue." He moved further into the room, looking everyone over. His face was extremely serious. "As many of you are aware, there have been multiple cases of Freezings throughout Magnolia, leading us to believe that the city is the epicentre of what we are now deeming an attack on the citizens." He paused, looking over the room, his hands clasped behind his back. Despite his small stature, he was very much in control of the room. Lucy couldn't help but admire him. "Since the start of the snowstorm, more Freezings have begun springing up all across the city."
"No!" Lucy exclaimed. She covered her mouth, horrified at her outburst as the room turned to look at her. The faces that looked at her displayed the worry and terror she felt. Her eyes met Natsu's without thinking. She could see the anger that rolled off him in waves, his eyes hard and icy as he returned her stare. Lucy looked away, her heart thumping painfully.
Rai nodded solemnly at Lucy, before addressing the rest of the room again, "We are requesting Fairy Tail's immediate assistance in evacuating Magnolia's citizens, as well as conducting a search and rescue mission throughout the entirety of the city." He turned to Erza, "I assume you know your people well enough to issue orders." Erza nodded, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, visibly trembling. "Good. We are moving our command post to here. " He waved forward the two men at the door. They opened it to allow another group of councilmen to enter, each of them carrying supplies to set up a base of operations. "The council is sending more reinforcements, but they won't be here until tomorrow. By then we fear it may be too late. As seen in Lucy's case, three days is more than enough time to encase an entire room." He looked back over the room, surveying those who stood around him; all of them displayed visible anger at the knowledge their city was under attack. "I would like to speak to Warren," He paused and nodded to Erza, "After you have finished organizing everyone, of course. Dismissed." He saluted the room, clearly in full captain mode and forgetting he was addressing unlisted.
The next little while was chaos as Erza began barking orders. She immediately sent Gray, Natsu and Wendy out as they had the best skills to deal with the snow and rescue efforts. "Make sure you have your communications lacrima on you at all times." She barked, "Check in whenever you find another Freezing so we can mark it down and send medics your way." They nodded as they bolted from the door.
Warren was essential at executing Erza's orders. He stood next to her, calling in mage after mage, as Erza directed them to go out into the blizzard to help the citizens of Magnolia. Less than half an hour later, every inch of Magnolia, and the farmlands beyond, had been divided amongst search parties. The entirety of Fairy Tail mages who were currently able to help had left the hall.
Erza walked over to Rai, "Captain Mandal," He turned towards her, nodding at her to continue, "I am leaving to join the efforts. I leave Warren in your capable hands. He can contact anyone easily, as well as provide you with the information you are looking for."
"Thank you, Erza." Rai said as Erza nodded, reequipping to her flame empress armor as she left the room.
Lucy stood at the edge of the room, unsure what her role was during this moment. Rai was now busy talking with Warren, both of them engrossed with looking at a map of Magnolia laid out on the table in the centre of the room. The room was abuzz with uniformed men and some Fairy Tail mages who were better at logistics than physical jobs, Levy among them. Koemi was tied into a sling across her back, sleeping as her mother worked with the council to coordinate calls from those out rescuing citizens.
Taking a deep breath to calm her frayed nerves, Lucy walked over to join Levy.
Several hours into the rescue efforts, Mirajane entered the room holding a large pitcher and cups. She walked around the room, handing cups and pouring drinks for those working. She walked over to where Lucy and Levy sat together.
Calls that had been flowing in during the beginning of the rescue efforts had begun to slow down drastically so that the two women were sitting quietly next to their communication lacrimas. Warren had been helping direct the calls to those available to talk, keeping the process running smoothly.
"You two look worn out. C'mon." Mira set the pitcher down with the extra cups, leaning over to help Levy who had been rocking Koemi in her arms. As she straightened, she turned to Warren, "Take these two off the call list, they need to rest." Warren nodded; his fingers raised to his temple as he talked to someone through telepathy.
Levy and Lucy followed Mira out of the room. Levy yawned, briefly covering her mouth before stretching her arms above her head. "They seem to have a handle on things now." She sounded exhausted.
Mira turned to frown at Levy, "You should have left an hour ago." She chided. "Koemi is just a newborn, you need to save your energy for her."
"I couldn't sit back and do nothing." Levy replied, her shoulders slumping. "Is there somewhere I can lie down?"
The main hall had been turned into a massive infirmary for those found in rooms encased in ice. Those who had been found safe and sound were evacuated to the outskirts of the city to be transported to a large gathering hall outside of Magnolia currently under temporary control of the council. Some of those who had been in less serious stages of a Freezing had been sent with them; only those in serious condition had been brought to Fairy Tail. Lucy could see Porlyusica wandering from bed to bed, administering medication as she went. There were other medics from the council who were currently working under Porlyusica's expertise scattered throughout the room.
"The infirmary upstairs. It's currently unoccupied as we have left it open for those working to rest in." Mirajane looked out over the increasing sea of people being treated for Freezing, "While we can at least." She handed baby Koemi to Levy who then made her way upstairs to rest. "How are you doing?" She asked Lucy.
Lucy sighed, "I've been better. This is a little overwhelming for me, however."
Mira frowned in sympathy, "Let's go have a cup of tea." She grabbed Lucy's hand, leading her into the kitchen. She began puttering around as Lucy took a seat on a chair tucked into the corner, usually reserved for Asuka who liked to help Mira in the kitchen on less busy nights. As Mira worked at her task, she continued to talk with Lucy, "Is everything else alright? I must say I was surprised at the distance between you and Natsu."
Lucy flinched at Mira's words. She didn't really know what to say. She had been struggling with her interaction with the fire mage during the quiet moments as she worked in the command centre. When Natsu had asked her to marry him, at first she had felt a tinge of elation, but that elation quickly faded as she remembered what she had seen upon his return to the guild. Lisanna draped on his arm, her mouth intimately close to Natsu's as she whispered into his ear. They had looked like the couple they were always meant to be, making Lucy feel like she was the other woman. She didn't want Natsu marrying her out of obligation when he could be with his first choice.
Lucy placed her hand over her abdomen, "Mira. I'm pregnant." She whispered; her gaze fixed on the floor in front of her. All sounds in the kitchen stopped.
"Oh Mavis." Mira whispered. Lucy heard her shoes clack against the floor as Mira came to kneel next to Lucy, her hand on Lucy's knee, "Is it Natsu's?" Lucy nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Does he not want a baby?" She asked, confusion thick in her voice.
"I don't know. He didn't say anything when I told him." Lucy choked out, her heart clenching, "He just asked me to marry him."
Mira gasped softly, "What did you say?" She prompted.
"I told him no." Lucy cried, "I don't want to be an obligation to him. He clearly loves someone else."
Mira lifted Lucy's chin so that she would look at her, "Who?" Mira's eyes were dark with rage.
Lucy swallowed, scared at invoking Mira's wrath. "I don't know." She lied, "But it's clear by his actions."
Mira searched Lucy's face, her brow furrowing at Lucy's words. Lucy was worried for a moment that she would accuse her of lying. "I don't know what actions these are, but Natsu has been head over heels for you for over a year, Lucy." Lucy let out a sob, "Oh Lucy." Mira pulled Lucy into an embrace, rubbing her back as she continued to sob, "I don't think Natsu would be one to marry you merely because he felt obligated. Don't you know, Lucy? Natsu loves you. More so than anyone."
"What about Lisanna?" Lucy's voice was choked and garbled from her tears.
Mira pulled back to look Lucy in the eyes again, her expression softening. "Lucy, Lisanna and Natsu have been close since they were kids, but their love is different than the one he feels for you." She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket, handing it to Lucy so she could blow her nose. "Whatever made you think that Natsu was in love with Lisanna?"
Wiping tears from her face, Lucy looked down at the floor, "Macao and Wakaba mentioned that they had planned to get married when we returned from Edolas." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "And Lisanna kissed him when they got back earlier today."
"What?" Mira said in shock, "Kissed him?"
"On the cheek. But she was all over him."
Mira laughed, before quickly coughing, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh." She coughed again, trying to regain her composure, "Lucy. Lisanna and Natsu have never been, and I doubt will ever be, anything more than friends." She raised her hand to wipe away some of Lucy's tears, catching her eye and smiling in encouragement, "I don't mean to be offensive, but I think pregnancy hormones might be hindering your judgement a little here. Remember who the father of your child is. He's not very good with his emotions or words, he's much better at actions and pronouncements."
Lucy sniffled, staring at Mira with wide eyes. What she was saying made sense, deep down Lucy knew that, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something between Lisanna and Natsu.
"Do you love him?" Mira asked.
"Yes." Lucy whispered. It was the first time she had confirmed it out loud to anyone. Her tears began overflowing again, making her vision blurry.
Mira patted Lucy's knee, pushing off the floor to stand, "Let's skip the tea. You've had a lot on your mind, I think its better if you rest." Mira helped Lucy to her feet, supporting her with an arm around her waist as she led the crying woman upstairs.