Lucy woke up early one morning. She wanted to make breakfast for the two of them; she gently turned around in her bed to face her sleeping friend, celestial spirit and now loving boyfriend. She gazed affectionately at Loke's sleeping form. They had been together for just over a year and a half and Lucy couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. Loke had been staying in the human world for the last year, with occasional visits back to the spirit world. Those short trips did not quite replenish his magic energy, but every little trip he took helped him so he can remain in the human world. He stayed with her at her place and to her, her home felt more like a home with him around. She gently stroked his hair and smiled. Loke suddenly reached out and wrapped his arms around the blonde, which startled her, a gasp escaping her mouth.

"Morning to you too, Lucy," Loke said as he pulled Lucy closer to him.

Lucy snuggled closer to him; the warmth from his body was coaxing her to remain in bed a little longer. However, Lucy was determined to make breakfast for them this time. Ever since they got together, Loke cooked every single meal for them. He was an amazing cook and Lucy was not going to complain about it. Someone making her meals every day? Who would not want that? But Lucy felt guilty and she wanted to do something for him; he had been a wonderful boyfriend thus far and she felt it was time for her to show him how much he meant to her. She moved her head and looked to see what Loke was up to. To her surprise, he had fallen back asleep. She frowned as she thought that maybe he was exhausted because he had not been back to the spirit world lately. She then realized that he was likely exhausted from their late-night series binge they did together. Loke had found a new mystery series from the lacrima visual store and he was really excited to watch it. Lucy, being an avid mystery fan herself, could not say no to a mystery series she had not seen before and so, the two of them spent the majority of the night binge watching as much of the series as possible. Even though Lucy was exhausted and wanted to go back to bed, her determination to make breakfast for Loke was enough to keep her awake. She carefully wiggled herself free from Loke's arms and slowly got out of bed. She slipped on her slippers and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up. When she was done, she took one last look at the man sleeping in her bed before she stepped out of her bedroom.

In the kitchen, she had grabbed everything she needed to make breakfast. Lucy planned to make smoked salmon eggs benedict for the two of them. It had been a while since she last made eggs benedict; it was her specialty and she hoped she was not rusty. She placed the English muffins in the toaster, ready to be toasted when it was time. Before she began, she tied her hair up into a messy bun, and left a few stray strands to frame her face. She set a saucepan filled with water on the stovetop and set it on a very low heat, allowing the water to gradually warm up to a light simmer. She placed a stick of butter into a bowl and settled it over another saucepan to melt as the water warmed up. She then grabbed a couple of eggs and separated the yolks into a stainless steel bowl, discarding the egg whites. She added some lemon juice and began to whisk the mixture until it thickened and doubled in volume. The water in the saucepan was already at a light simmer when she was done. She removed the melted butter and then placed the egg mixture over the water, being careful not to let the bowl contact the water. She whisked the mixture as fast as she could; she did not want it to scramble. She then slowly added the melted butter into the mixture and continued to whisk. Once the sauce had thickened and increased in volume, she removed the hollandaise sauce from the stove top and whisked in some cayenne and salt. When Lucy was satisfied with how it looked and tasted, she grabbed a small wire trivet and placed it in the saucepan she had used. She carefully placed the bowl of hollandaise sauce onto the trivet and covered it. She checked to make sure the heat was still set low and mentally added a note to herself to keep checking on the sauce every so often while she continued to make breakfast. She placed another pot of water onto the stove and waited for it to boil. While she waited, Lucy began to cut some fruit. She stopped a few minutes into her task when she noticed the water was boiling. She turned down the heat slightly and waited for the boiling to subside. She then cracked four eggs and dropped them gently into the water; she decided to go medium for the poached eggs. Lucy wasn't sure how Loke liked his eggs, but after observing a few of his sunny-side up eggs, she deduced he liked his medium and not overly soft and runny. She set a timer for the eggs; Lucy knew she was going to lose track of time while she prepared breakfast and she did not want to overcook the eggs. She pushed a button on the toaster to begin toasting the English muffins. When the English muffins were perfectly toasted, Lucy grabbed them from the toaster and placed two on each plate. She then placed a few slices of smoked salmon on them. The eggs were also done; she carefully scooped each egg and placed it on top of the smoked salmon. Her stomach rumbled, practically telling her to feed it. She ignored it and continued her quest to make Loke the best breakfast he has ever had. She went back to the stove to check on the hollandaise sauce; it was a little too thick for her liking. Lucy added a few drops of water and stirred it a few times. When the hollandaise sauce was ready, she removed it from the heat and spooned a generous amount of sauce over the eggs. She added some capers over the hollandaise sauce and smiled at her creation.

"Loke is going to be so amazed with this!" she thought to herself and giggled in excitement.

Lucy covered the two plates and went back to cutting fruit. While she was busy cutting fruit, Loke had come downstairs, enticed by the scent coming from the kitchen.

"Something smells really good here…" he said, as he tried to figure out what his girlfriend was up to.

Lucy turned around, a bowl of fruit in her hands. "Oh, morning Loke. I was hoping to have this done before you got up."

"How can I continue to sleep when my princess was nowhere to be found?" he said and pouted.

Lucy couldn't resist the current look on Loke's face; it was too cute. She walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"I won't be going anywhere, so don't worry," Lucy said and smiled.

Loke smiled and took a seat at the table. "So what does my Lucy have planned for today?"

He reached forward to lift off the cover of one of the plates. However, Lucy swatted his hand away.

"Oh no you don't," Lucy tut-tutted, "it's not done yet. Turn around and close your eyes."

Loke obliged; he turned around and closed his eyes. Lucy took a quick look to ensure his eyes were closed and he was fully turned away. She then removed the covers from the two plates and placed two empty little bowls on the plate. She placed the fruit she had prepared into them. After making sure everything looked perfect, she went to the sink to place the large bowl she had in hands.

"Alright, you can turn around now and open your eyes," Lucy said, excited.

The lion spirit turned around and when he opened his eyes, he was surprised at what was presented before him. In front of him, were two beautifully presented eggs benedict dishes and a bowl of sweet and juicy looking fruit. His stomach immediately rumbled in delight, leaving him blushing and Lucy giggling.

"Wow, Lucy," Loke said in awe, "you made this?"

Lucy nodded. "Yup, I sure did. I may not look it, but I'm a pretty good cook myself."

"I haven't had eggs benedict in a long time..." Loke said, "this looks really good."

Lucy smiled as she took a seat across from him. "Well, dig in."

"Don't mind if I do," Loke happily obliged.

The two of them began eating their breakfast. Both their stomachs were slowly feeling satisfied now that they were being fed.

"This hollandaise sauce is amazing, Lucy," Loke commented in amazement.

"Thank you," Lucy replied proudly, "I made it from scratch."

"Really?" Loke asked, "you didn't use the instant stuff?"

She shook her head. "Nah, that stuff doesn't taste the same as the real deal."

"Hollandaise sauce isn't an easy thing to make...I'm impressed Lucy."

"Thank you."

The two continued eating, while talking about what they should do today. When they finished, Lucy grabbed both their dishes, placed them in the sink and began to wash the dishes. Loke got up, intent on giving Lucy a hand. Lucy put up a hand to stop him.

"I made the mess, remember?" Lucy said and winked.

Loke blinked, taken aback. He wasn't expecting Lucy to use his own words on him.

He sighed in defeat. "You got me there, beautiful. I'll go get changed then and will meet you in the living room?"

"Sounds good," Lucy replied, "now shoo!"

Loke laughed as he vanished back to the celestial spirit world. Lucy smirked in triumph as she continued to wash the dishes. When she was done, she went upstairs to her room to get ready for the day. She and Loke had decided to catch a movie today and then take a nice stroll around the park before going out to eat lunch; it had been a while since they went out on a date and Lucy wanted to look her best. Her last mission resulted in a hefty reward and given there were no damages done, she actually had money to spend on herself, minus food and rent expenses. While Loke rested in the spirit world after their mission together with Team Natsu, Lucy went shopping. She had bought herself a cute white denim skirt, an adorable baby blue sleeveless top that had ruffles on the front, a pair of gold star drop earrings and a cute little white purse with a light blue bow. She decided that today would be the day to wear her new purchases. She put on her newly bought purchases and took a quick glance in the mirror. Pleased with how it looked on her, she sat down in front of her vanity and proceeded to apply some make up. She brushed her hair and pondered over what to do with it; she eventually decided to wear it down. She gave herself one final look in the mirror, grabbed her new purse and went downstairs to meet Loke.

When Lucy arrived downstairs, Loke was already in the living room waiting. Lucy giggled when she saw her boyfriend; they once again had coordinated their outfits without even talking about it.

"We have to stop doing this," Lucy said as she approached Loke, giving him a kiss on the lips.

Loke raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

Lucy pointed at what she was wearing and then pointed at his outfit. "That."

Loke chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Lucy, pulling her closer to him. "It's not my fault it worked out this way. I can go change if you want."

Lucy shook her head. "No need, Loke. Besides, you look great today."

Loke looked at Lucy, taking in every detail that was presented in front of his eyes. "I may look amazing, but nothing can compare to the beauty presented before me. You look absolutely stunning today Lucy."

Lucy pouted. "Today? You mean all the other days I don't?"

Loke panicked, his eyes shifting nervously as he tried to come up with an explanation. Lucy smiled and put a hand to his cheek, grabbing his attention.

"I'm just teasing you, Loke," Lucy said and winked, "I know what you meant."

He breathed a sigh of relief and mentally scolded himself for falling for her trap. He suddenly remembered something and he quickly dug into his pocket.

"Here, Lucy," Loke said and smiled as he handed her a little red box, "I got you a little something."

Lucy looked at him with surprise. She wasn't expecting a gift; they had already exchanged gifts for their one year anniversary. Lucy didn't know what the occasion was. Loke looked at Lucy; he knew what she was thinking.

"No special occasion, Lucy," he said reassuringly, "it's just something I wanted to get you."

Lucy took the gift from his hands and proceeded to open it. "You didn't have to…"

The rest of the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. What was inside the little box had her speechless. Inside, was a beautiful gold hair pin with sparkling diamonds embedded throughout. The pin was in the shape of the Leo constellation – the diamonds representing the individual stars that made it up. There was one diamond that was larger than the rest and she wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but that diamond sparkled the most. However, she knew what that diamond represented – Regulus, the brightest star within the Leo constellation. Her eyes softened with warmth as she looked up at Loke.

"Thank you…it's beautiful Loke."

Loke gently picked up the hairpin. "May I?"

Lucy nodded as Loke gently affixed the pin in her hair, loosely pinning up her bangs. Looking at his work, he smiled. "Beautiful."

Lucy went to the mirror by the front door to examine herself. The pin looked absolutely gorgeous. It looked a little expensive and she was scared to find out the cost. She decided she was going to take good care of it and make sure to never lose it. Loke appeared beside her and Lucy wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest.

"I love it Loke, thank you."

She tilted her head up as Loke bent down to capture her lips. When they parted, they smiled. Lucy then went to slip on a pair of white heels, leaving her slippers by the door to put back on when they returned from their date. She took Loke's outstretched hand as he waited for her outside and closed the door as she stepped out.

"Well, shall we?" Lucy asked after she locked the door.

"We shall," Loke replied as he held out his hand for Lucy.

She happily took his hand, lacing her fingers in between his. They looked at one another and smiled before they headed to the theatre.

The movie came and went and before Loke knew it, it was over. He was not the type for chick flicks, but he knew Lucy wanted to see this movie and given that he would do anything for her, Loke sucked it up and agreed to watch it. To his surprise, the movie was well done. It was not just a simple fluffy romance, but it had a really good story line; it reminded him of Romeo and Juliet. He even cried at one point in the movie! The two of them left the theatre, hand in hand, conversing amongst themselves about what they had just watched.

"What a beautiful ending!" Lucy exclaimed, "I really thought Annabelle was going to let it end that way, but I was so surprised with her decision to stop the wedding!"

"I know!" Loke agreed, "I'm so glad Tyson chose to be with Annabelle, rather than that bitch Carina!"

Lucy laughed. "I'm glad you enjoyed the movie, Loke."

"I'm normally not one for chick flicks, but this one was more than just a chick flick. The drama, the suspense…the cast was exceptional!" Loke replied.

Lucy smiled. "Well, did you want to- "

"Loke, darling!" a female voice suddenly called.

A young woman with long black hair ran towards them and immediately threw her arms around Loke, leaving the lion spirit stunned.

"V-Valerie?" he managed to finally utter out.

"Valerie…?" Lucy asked and looked at Loke, hoping he had some kind of explanation. She figured she must have been one of Loke's ex-fangirls that had not received the memo yet.

Valerie looked at Loke and smiled widely. "I'm finally back! Did you miss me?"

"I uh…" Loke started. He did not know what to do, nor did he expect to see her of all people.

She suddenly leaned up and seized Loke's lips, surprising both him and Lucy. Lucy's eyes widened in shock. The way this woman was acting was as if she was Loke's girlfriend. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she looked at the man she thought was her boyfriend.

"What's going on? Why isn't Loke saying or doing anything?" Lucythought to herself.

After Valerie pulled away, she looked at Loke and raised an eyebrow. "What? You missed me that much that you don't know what to say? Oh you!"

She laughed as she hugged Loke again. She noticed his hand was entwined with another from the corner of her eye. She looked up at him and then looked at the woman the hand belonged to.

"Who's this Loke?" Valerie asked, as she narrowed her eyes at him.

Loke finally found his voice, but before he could answer, he felt Lucy roughly pull her hand away from his.

"No one." Lucy said bitterly, "he must have mistaken me for you."

Loke looked at Lucy, panicking at what was unfolding before them. He could tell Lucy was angry. His heart dropped when he saw a single tear fall from her eye. But before he could explain himself to her, Lucy bolted off.

"Wait Lu- !" Loke shouted as he tried to follow her, but something was holding him back.

Valerie had her arms wrapped around one of his arms. "Oh Loke, my darling…If you missed me that much, you should have said something!"

Loke pulled his arm away from her grasp and put some distance between the two of them. Valerie looked at him, confused, but smiled.

"Oh you! No need to be shy around me. I know I was gone for over 5 years, but I had no choice but to go. Now, I'm finally back and we can now pick up from where we left off."

She moved forward, but Loke put a hand in front of him, stopping her from going any further. He had to make things clear to her and find Lucy as soon as possible. He needed to explain things to her, before it was too late.

"Valerie, listen," Loke said, "I know you considered us an item, but we never were. None of you were."

Valerie smiled. "Oh my darling Loke…I knew you were seeing other women then, but I paid no mind to them. I knew you were a playboy, but I always felt that you and I were different. My love for you has never changed –"

"Stop it, Valerie. That's enough!" Loke said sternly.

The tone of voice Loke just used startled Valerie. From the times they were together, he had never once spoken to her in that manner. She fought back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"B-but Loke darling, I love you…I've always loved you, ever since the first time I saw you. Even while I was away, my heart never wavered and I persevered until I was able to return to you…" Valerie said desperately.

Loke sighed. He knew his playboy ways would catch up to him eventually. He hated making women cry; his heart broke to pieces the moment he first saw Lucy cry, even more so now that they're together. He knew had to set things straight. He took a deep breath to prepare for what's to come.

"Look Valerie. Thank you for loving me, but I'm afraid you've wasted your feelings over a lousy guy like me. It was fun back then, but I never loved you or any of the other women…my actions in the past has mislead you and I am really sorry," Loke said as he looked at the woman in front of him, "I never thought that I would actually fall in love with a woman, but I did and she means the world to me now."

Valerie blinked back tears as she processed what she had just heard. Her sad eyes suddenly turned angry. She gritted her teeth as she fought hard to keep a bunch of not-so-child-friendly words from coming out.

"So I was just something to pass the time with, huh? I was just a good time to you? You fucking jerk!" she yelled before slapping Loke across the face.

She slapped Loke again as hard as she could before she stomped off in anger, muttering a string of curses as she left.

Loke rubbed his sore cheeks. "Well I definitely deserved that…ouch…"

He heard voices muttering in the background and looked around. His face immediately flushed as he noticed everyone in the vicinity was talking about what had just transpired. He chuckled nervously, wanting to go disappear back to the spirit world right at that very moment.

"That was wonderful, Loke! Good job! I think we can call it a day!" a male voice called.

Loke looked around trying to find the source of the voice; he could have sworn that sounded like Gray. He soon spotted the male in question, along with Erza approaching him. It seemed Gray was holding a camera of some sort.

"Erza? Gray?" he asked when they were within earshot, "what are you doing here?"

"That was wonderful, Loke!" Erza praised as Gray nodded in agreement, "it looked very convincing. I'm sure our viewers will love it!"

Loke blinked in confusion. "What's…going on…?"

He looked at Erza, and then Gray, who nodded his head towards the surrounding crowd.

"Oh…it was all an act," someone said.

"It looked really convincing! I thought that dude was a jerk for real too," another voice commented.

Loke watched as the crowd before him dispersed, muttering amongst themselves over the scene that was "filmed". He finally clued in when the last of the townspeople left the area.

"Thanks guys, I owe you one," Loke said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Erza stepped forward, a finger poking his chest, hard. "Actually, you owe Lucy."

"That's right, Lucy!" Loke shouted. In the midst of the humiliation he was feeling, he had almost forgotten the current problem at hand.

Gray rested a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Go find her Loke."

Loke nodded as he booked off in the direction Lucy had gone earlier. Gray and Erza watched as the celestial spirit disappeared from view.

"Think they'll be alright?" Gray asked as he continued staring in the direction Loke had run off to.

Erza nodded. "I think so. If things take a sour turn, we can always show Lucy the footage to help speed things along. Our client isn't in a hurry to have his camera returned to him yet."

Gray shuddered thinking about their client. The one that hired them for this "mission" was none other than Jason from Sorcerer Magazine. He was an overenthusiastic and rather loud individual. He wanted them to go and film each member of Fairy Tail and their daily life. As it was Erza's turn to be filmed, Gray volunteered (more like forced) to follow Erza around and film her day.

"Anyways, let us continue," Erza said and smiled into the camera, "I see a nice cake shop I want to try. Care to join me, Gray?"

He looked at Erza, about to decline when she shot him a "you will join me or die" glare. He gulped. "I-I'd love to…"

Erza smiled. "Good. Then let us eat cake!"

The requip mage walked off towards the cake shop, with Gray following begrudgingly behind.

Loke looked all over town for Lucy, but he could not find the blonde anywhere. He even went to their special spot at the park, but she was no where to be found. He highly doubt she went back to the guild. He decided to try one final place, which he was currently standing in front of: her home. He reached for the knob and turned. Unfortunately, it was locked. He wondered if she even returned home, but then he remembered he could sense her spiritual energy. Loke closed his eyes and focused, trying to find that energy he was so familiar with. He smiled as he opened his eyes – she was definitely inside.

He knocked on the door. "Lucy? Are you in there? It's me."

He waited for a response or the door to open, but after several minutes, neither happened. He knocked on the door again, this time harder and more desperate.

"Lucy!" he called louder this time, "I know you're in there! Let me in, please! We need to talk! Lucy!"

He waited again, hoping his girlfriend would come down and let him in and most importantly, give him a chance to explain himself. Again, there was no response. The lion spirit sighed. He didn't want to resort to summoning himself to her, but desperate times called for desperate measures. He ran to a nearby alley, away from prying eyes, to call upon his celestial spirit powers.

Lucy was in her room, her heart and head a mess. Her make up was ruined from her crying. Her tears left light black trails that traversed down her cheeks and her eyes were red and swollen. Part of her knew it was just an ex-fangirl that didn't know, but the way how Loke handled the situation really upset her. The image of Valerie kissing him popped up again in Lucy's mind. She sniffled, allowing her tears to freely fall again. And the way that woman threw herself at him, like she was his woman, also angered Lucy greatly. She didn't know what to make of this situation. She glanced at his gate key, hoping it would help her. Suddenly, she heard knocking followed by Loke's voice. Her heart wanted to open the door and forgive him, but her mind told her to not do it – that he needs to learn from this and understand how she feels. She also needed time to calm down and sort out her feelings. When the knocking stopped, she waited to see if he gave up. A second round of knocking ensued, this time harder and more desperate, followed by Loke's desperate pleas. Lucy couldn't face him; she didn't want to face him. Not right now. The knocking finally stopped and she waited again. When enough time had passed, she went to her window to see if Loke left. She felt a sudden wave of celestial magic appear in her bedroom and she turned around, her eyes widening. Loke appeared, in his celestial spirit form and no longer donning the human form he had earlier.

"Lucy!" Loke exclaimed desperately. He was relieved that he finally found her, "please let me explain everything!"

Lucy couldn't find her voice. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. She really wanted to run into his arms; the desperate look he had on nearly shattered her resolve. Instead, she simply shook her head and held up his gate key. His eyes widened in shock as he heard the words he didn't want to hear.

"Close…gate...gate of the Lion…" Lucy said softly, in between sobs.

"Lucy don't-!" Loke called before he disappeared.

She held his key tightly against her chest as she fell to her knees and cried. She cried really hard, finally letting all her emotions out.

When Lucy finally calmed down, she was mentally and physically exhausted. The image of Loke's face appeared, before she closed his gate, had left the blonde heartbroken. The expression he wore when she called out those five words left her feeling guilty for doing that to him. She could have let him talk, hear him out. But instead, she chose the coward's way out and shut him off. She mentally slapped herself.

"Stupid Lucy! You stupid, stupid girl!" she scolded herself.

She got up and looked out her window, hoping Loke was outside waiting for her. Her heart sank when he was no where to be seen. She laughed at herself. She was pathetic.

"You just sent him back to the celestial spirit world…of course he wouldn't be outside…" she said sarcastically to herself.

She noticed it had started to get dark outside, which surprised her. She didn't think she was moping for that long. She sighed. She was too tired to process everything that had happened today and Loke was probably hurt after what she did and probably didn't want to see her, even though she wanted to see him, despite being upset. She decided to go clean up and get some rest.

"Perhaps some sleep might help clear my head…" she thought to herself as she slowly made her way to the bathroom.

Loke was sitting outside on a rock in the celestial spirit world. He sighed, feeling completely dejected. He glanced at his watch; it was set to Earthland time. He purposely bought himself a watch so he could watch the time, in the event he had to return to the spirit world for longer than he intended. It was currently 1 am in Magnolia, the next day. It had only been a few minutes in the spirit world; time flowed slowly there. One day in the spirit world worked out to be 3 months in the human world. It took all of Loke's energy to stop himself from summoning himself back to her. The look on her face…the tears…it pained him greatly to see her that way. And he knew that it was his fault. She had every right to be angry at him.

"Damn it!" he shouted in frustration, as he punched the ground beneath him.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but not from punching the ground. For the first time in his whole immortal life, he cried.

"Lucy…I'm so…I'm so sorry…" he said in between sobs.

Footsteps could be heard coming his way and he quickly wiped his eyes. He looked up to see Virgo and Aries standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Loke…" Aries gently said to her friend. She didn't know what to say to console him, other than to apologize for what had happened between him and Lucy.

"It's not your fault, Aries," Loke said and smiled, a sad smile at that, "it's my fault…I knew my past would come back and haunt me."

"Well, that is what you get for playing around, big brother," Virgo chastised.

Loke sighed again. "I should really go back and talk to her. Apologize to her. I can't sit here and do nothing…"

He got up and was about to summon himself to Lucy, when a familiar voice interrupted.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a female voice said.

Loke looked toward the direction of the voice. "Aquarius…"

Aquarius approached the trio and smirked at Loke. "So, it looks like the playboy here finally got what he deserved."

Loke flinched. Aquarius' words stung his already wounded heart. Aries looked at Loke, feeling sorry for him and then shot Aquarius a glare.

"Aquarius! You didn't need to say that!" Aries shouted meekly.

Aquarius merely shrugged. "He knows I'm right though."

Loke looked down sadly. He knew Aquarius was right. The water bearer spirit looked at the dejected lion spirit and sighed. She floated over and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up and was surprised to see a kind expression on Aquarius.

"Give Lucy some time," she said and smiled, "she will call you when she's ready."

"Aquarius…"

"Going now to try and talk to her won't do any good," Aquarius continued, "she's upset and needs some time to cool down and sort through her feelings. I'm sure she will realize it was just a misunderstanding."

"But…but how do you know?" Loke asked. He feared the longer he waited, the higher the likelihood he was going to lose Lucy, "how can you be so sure?"

Aquarius winked. "You forget, I've known Lucy since was a little girl. She's been through enough for me to see the kind of person she is."

Loke chuckled. "You know, for someone who's so harsh at most times, you do know the right things to say."

The water bearer spirit glared at Loke for that comment. She went off in another direction, waving to the trio behind her. "Now, go mope somewhere else if you intend to continue to do so. I don't want to keep seeing that pathetic face of yours."

"Your words sting, Aquarius!" Loke shouted, feigning hurt, as she disappeared.

He sighed and he looked at his watch. It was now after 2 am in Magnolia. He really wanted to summon himself to her, to check on her and to make sure she was okay, even if she didn't want to see him. But after hearing Aquarius' words, he didn't want to be away from the spirit world in case she tried to summon him. If he was in the human world, she wouldn't be able to call on him. And if he wasn't able to go to her, she would think he didn't want to see her. Loke didn't want her to think that.

"But given it's just after 2 am, Lucy would likely be asleep…right?" he thought.

Loke suddenly stood up, startling Aries and Virgo. He decided to take a quick peek and make sure she was alright before he remained in the spirit world for the next little bit. He gathered all his celestial magic and focused. His body shimmered out of existence and reappeared in Lucy's living room. He opened his eyes and looked around. It didn't look or sound like she was awake. He carefully tiptoed up the stairs towards her room. He carefully opened the door to the bedroom and poked his head inside. It was completely dark, except for the moonlight that shone in through her window. He quietly walked towards the bed and found Lucy sound asleep. He noticed her face was stained with fresh tears and he frowned. He reached out and gently caressed her cheek, wiping away the tears that coated her lashes with his thumb.

"I'm really sorry Lucy…" he muttered quietly, "I hope you'll give me a chance to explain myself…"

He noticed the covers had slipped off of her. He picked up the blanket and carefully brought it over her body, being careful not to wake her. He noticed a tiny glimmer near her chest. Loke paused what he was doing and he looked down. He noticed she had his gate key and the hair clip he had gifted her earlier in her hand, clutched tightly near her chest. He smiled as he covered her with the blanket. He bent down and lightly placed a gentle kiss on her head.

"I love you," Loke whispered, before he disappeared back to the spirit world.

Lucy awoke the next morning. She gave herself a good stretch before sitting up on her bed. She looked at the time and noticed it was well past noon. Then she glanced around her room. She felt strangely warm, like someone took care of her last night. She glanced down at the gold key and hair clip she had in her hand and shook her head.

"It couldn't have been Loke…he's probably upset with me…"

She had a hard time falling asleep, despite going to bed rather early. But eventually, she managed to fall asleep after some difficulty. She even had a dream where Loke came to visit her, telling her he was sorry and that he loved her. Lucy smiled. Even though it was a dream, it made her happy. She felt a lot better than she did yesterday; she felt her head was a lot clearer, but her heart was still heavy. Her stomach rumbled in protest and she laughed.

"Well, that is what I get for skipping lunch and dinner yesterday…" she said to herself as she slipped on her slippers.

Lucy got out of bed and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and clean herself up. When she was done getting dressed, she left her home and headed to the guild, deciding that having Mirajane's cooking would help her feel better.

When she opened the doors to Fairy Tail, she was surprised that it was quiet in the guild hall. She walked inside and looked around. She found some members sitting and quietly chatting amongst themselves.

"Lucy!" Mirajane waved as she called from the bar area, "come and have something to eat!"

Lucy smiled as she made her way towards the bar area.

"You read my mind, Mira," Lucy replied as she sat down, "I'm starving!"

Mirajane giggled. "What would you like for lunch?"

Lucy put a finger to her lips as she thought. "How about…some soup and a sandwich?"

"Coming right up!" Mirajane said and winked before going to the back to prepare Lucy's order.

Before Mirajane left, she left a glass of orange juice for Lucy, in which the blonde appreciated. She was thirsty. As she slowly sipped her drink, she wondered whether she should call Loke later and have a talk with him. Part of her knew it was a misunderstanding and she knew that that Valerie woman was one of his ex-fangirls that never got the message. From what Loke has told her, he never had a serious relationship with any of the women he flirted with – Lucy was his first one. She just overreacted and let her emotions take control. However, how Loke reacted had also upset her. Lucy sighed as she blew bubbles into her orange juice.

"One tomato soup and turkey bacon club," Mirajane said as she placed a bowl and plate down, snapping Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Thanks Mira," Lucy said as she placed her drink down and began having a little bit of soup.

As she was eating, Lucy kept wondering if she should summon Loke today or continue giving him the silent treatment. She was no longer as upset nor angry as she was the other day. And she missed him greatly. Seeing him in her dreams last night made her realize how stupid she was for behaving as she did the other day. She sighed.

"Something the matter Lucy?" Mirajane asked as she dried some dishes, "men troubles?"

Lucy looked up. "How'd you guess?"

Mirajane winked. "Call it women's intuition."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "I was stupid for overreacting…"

"Then why don't you apologize to him?" ⁸Mirajane asked.

"But…he was also in the wrong too…" Lucy countered.

"I see…" Mirajane nodded in understanding, "well, this will not go anywhere if neither of you are willing to take the first step. You and Loke make such an adorable couple! I'd hate to see you guys fall apart over some silly disagreement."

Lucy blushed. She didn't want to talk about her problems anymore.

"Where is everyone anyways?" the blonde asked, hoping to change the topic, "it's surprisingly so quiet here at the guild."

"Most of them are off on missions today," Mirajane replied, "that is why it's so quiet. All the fight-starters are away."

Lucy laughed. "I see… so that's why."

Gray and Erza returned to the guild hall shortly after. They spotted Lucy with Mirajane.

"Lucy!" Erza called as she approached the blonde.

Lucy turned around and smiled. "Hey Erza! Hey Gray!"

"Loke not with you?" Gray asked as he looked around.

Lucy looked down, her smile turning into a frown. Erza elbowed Gray in the stomach, causing the ice mage to grunt in pain. Erza grabbed the camera Gray was holding and held it in front of Lucy. The blonde looked at her friend, confusion written all over her face.

"What's…this?" Lucy asked.

Erza placed the camera in Lucy's hands. "Give it a watch."

Lucy turned it on and her eyes widened to see Loke on the screen. He was at some kind of gold smith and jewelry shop. The camera had zoomed in, allowing Lucy to hear everything that was going on.

"Are you sure? This isn't going to be cheap…" the shopkeeper said, worried that the customer in front of him will not be able to pay for his request.

"Don't worry," Loke said confidently, "I have more than enough for this."

The shopkeeper eyed him wearily. "W-well if you are sure…I will need a 1,000 jewel deposit then."

"Done," Loke said as he placed some bills on the table, "I will square up with you tomorrow when I come to pick up the final product."

The video fast forwarded, bringing Lucy to the next day. She saw Loke at the same shop again. Her eyes widened as she saw what he was holding in his hand. Lucy unconsciously put her hand on the hair clip in her hair.

"Is it…is it to your liking?" the shopkeeper asked nervously, most likely worried he would not receive the final payment.

Loke smiled. "It's perfect. Just like her…"

The shopkeeper smiled. "She's a lucky one, having someone like you."

"I'm the lucky one actually," the lion spirit replied as he placed some more bills on the table, "here. 4,000 jewel as promised. I also added an extra 1,000 jewel as a bonus for you for getting this done so fast and at such top quality."

The shopkeeper's eyes widened. He then bowed profusely. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"No, thank you!" Loke said smiling before he turned around to leave.

"He…he had this custom made…" Lucy muttered under her breath.

The video fast forwarded again, bringing Lucy's attention back to the screen. Her eyes widened once more.

"This…this was yesterday…"

The video showed Lucy getting angry and running off, leaving a surprised Loke alone with Valerie. She watched the exchange between them, watched as Loke kept putting distance between them. Her heart felt more at ease, now that she knew it was what she suspected. Tears fell from her eyes when he heard that she was the one that he loved, the first woman he ever loved. She couldn't watch anymore and she gave the camera back to Erza, who gave it back to Gray. Lucy hastily wiped her eyes.

"W-what were you guys doing recording him?" Lucy asked once she calmed down.

"Jason hired us to film each members' life," Erza replied, "he wanted to do an inside scoop for the guild and thought having us show our lives outside the guild would be interesting."

"We spotted Loke a few times, and given his popularity, we thought we should include him in Jason's story," Gray continued for Erza, "but don't worry, we will be deleting the last part. We just happened to be there when that happened and used it to help Loke, and you."

"Help Loke?" Lucy asked, confused.

"A lot of people saw the exchange between him and that woman," Gray explained, "he looked super embarrassed, like he wanted to crawl into a hole."

Lucy couldn't help but giggle. "Thank you."

"You should call him," Erza suggested, "I'm sure he's waiting."

Lucy nodded. "Can I take this to go, Mira?"

"Of course, just give me a sec," Mirajane said as she grabbed Lucy's dishes.

She later reappeared with a bag. "There you are Lucy. Now, go get him!"

"Thanks, Mira," Lucy said before she headed out of the guild.

The trio watched as Lucy disappeared behind the doors. Mirajane smiled.

"Looks like you guys gave her the push she needed," the barmaid said.

Gray nodded and Erza smiled. Gray held the camera up, pointing the lens at Mirajane.

She smiled excitedly. "Is it my turn already?"

"Yup," Erza said, "shall we give them a show, for old times sake?"

Mirajane wiped her hands on a towel before leaving the bar area. She cocked her head from side to side and gave her arms a good stretch. "It's been a while, but I could use a good spar."

"Well, let's go find somewhere with less buildings and people," Gray suggested, "I don't think Makarov would appreciate another bill from the city."

"Agreed," Erza said as she followed Gray and Mirajane out the doors of Fairy Tail.

Lucy ran home as fast as she could. She quickly placed her leftovers in the fridge once she got inside. Standing in the living room, Lucy focused her magic as she held out Loke's key.

"Open, gate of the Lion, Loke!"

A golden light appeared and disappeared as quickly as it came. Loke was left standing a few feet away from Lucy.

"H-hey Lucy…" the lion spirit said nervously.

Lucy smiled. She ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him. Loke was stunned at first, but then he smiled, returning her embrace with his own.

"I'm really sorry, Lucy," Loke said as he pulled away. He looked at her, a serious expression on his face, "Valerie really caught me off guard…I had totally forgotten about her and didn't think I would ever run into her. There was never anything between us."

Lucy smiled. "I know. I knew she was one of your ex-fangirls that didn't get the message. I was just too upset to see it…"

She looked down, a blush tinting her cheeks. "And…and I'm sorry for sending you away…"

Loke pulled Lucy into another hug. "It's okay."

They remained in that position for a while. Loke pulled away first. He looked down at Lucy.

"So…so we're okay now?" he asked.

Lucy tilted her head up and placed a kiss on Loke's lips. "We are more than okay."

Loke smiled widely, feeling relieved that this matter has been put behind them, as he bent down to capture Lucy's lips once more.

A/N: Happy new year everybody! I tried to have a new chapter up before 2020 ended, but I managed to have one for the first day of 2021 lol. Again, I had too much fun writing this, so it got too long haha. Hope you all enjoyed this new chapter as much as I had fun writing it =)