Enjoy.

Chapter 9

"I- I hardly know, sir, just at present- at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

'Magnolia Center for Long Term Healthcare.'

Thirty-three minutes away from her apartment.

Seventeen years, three hundred, and thirty-three days.

Layla Heartfilia had been dead for that long.

...Or so Lucy had thought.

You see, parents don't always tell their children the truth. Whether it's the smallest white lie to the most magical healing kiss, parents rarely ever tell their kid what's really going on. Why would they? The kid wouldn't understand, anyway.

No. Lucy Ashley couldn't rationalize it. Her father, she'd realized after digging through piles of documents she'd retrieved years ago from the Heartfilia estate, had lied. One big fat 'surprise your mother is alive' lie.

Magnolia LTC looked a lot warmer in person than it did on its website, Lucy had begrudgingly admitted when parking up. She'd spent the little time she had outside of handling the improved, less corrupt version of MagMa researching the place. Her father's records showed regular payments made to the hospital over the course of his life after his wife's accident. It wasn't clear what her mother had, but it was bad enough to end her up in a long term care facility.

She looked up at the big metal sign, proudly nailed above the entrance. The whole place just screamed 'welcome!' and it didn't sit well with her. Maybe it was anxiety over seeing her Mama for the first time in seventeen years, or maybe it was the anger she felt at having driven past this place dozens of times. Lucy was honestly surprised that she hadn't punched something yet. But that didn't mean she wouldn't...

Lucy walked into reception, stopping herself from admiring the delicate nature of the place. Every corner housed bright and friendly flowers- Alstroemerias, Daisies, and bright Gardenias. Fluffy critter toys sat on the reception desk, each waiting for a hug from a patient's young child. Even the windows were covered in uplifting posters, advertising the facility's activities, and games. It was all so positive! Damn them!

"Hello, Ma'am. Can I help you?" the lady at the front desk asked, smiling brightly at the headmistress.

Lucy must've been wearing her heart on her sleeve because the woman had the most cheery look in her eyes, ready to counteract any onslaught of anxiety the twenty-seven-year-old may be having. "I'm here to see my... My Mom." She managed to keep her voice even, not wanting an impromptu calling of a crash-cart when her heart inevitably stopped from stress.

"Would you like to give me a name, sweetie?"

"Heartfilia. Layla Heartfilia."

She distracted herself while the receptionist looked through the books, staring at the sickly pink scrubs of the receptionist's uniform. The woman's ginger hair just made Lucy think of some weird Battenburg cake.

Great! Now she was hungry too.

"Room 103, Ma'am. If you'll just sign in here, I can get a nurse to take you up there.

After scribbling down some weak version of her name, Lucy followed a male nurse up some stairs and to a room at the end of a short hallway. It looked to be a quaint sitting room, bathed in the natural light provided by the large bow window. The room's Victorian-style welcomed the accent of an unlit, most likely ornamental, fireplace, and a big brown bookcase on the wall opposite to the door. There were a few chairs littering the place, not all of them matching the aesthetic of the room, but only one was occupied. An olive-colored wingback chair positioned intentionally to get the best view of the gardens below.

"Ms. Heartfilia," The nurse spoke, causing the figure in the chair to turn their head. "You have a visitor." The nurse turned to Lucy. "You've caught her on a good day."

"What's wrong with her?" she asked quietly, half-scared to catch her mother's attention.

"Ms. Heartfilia suffered a traumatic brain injury which caused long-term memory impairment. She's actually one of our better cases. She has no problem moving, aside from a little sluggishness. It's just her memory that makes her unable to care for herself."

"Her memory?"

"Her case file mentions that she was down for a long time before they revived her after her accident. It resulted in damage to the hippocampus. Her memory varies day-to-day. She only remembers some days. A lot of the time, she doesn't even know where she is. It sort of works like Dementia, if that helps. She asks for you a lot, particularly when she's stressed. You're her daughter, right?"

Lucy nodded, letting the man continue.

"TBI isn't a case we usually take. We wouldn't have taken her if Mr. Heartfilia hadn't made such a generous donation. It's talked about even now, over a decade after. Santa Claus, we call him."

She let out a disbelieving laugh, somewhat startling the nurse. "I'm sorry. It's just I never knew my father to be kind enough to be considered 'Santa'."

"His money helped a lot of patients, Miss." He took a vase from the nearby table before excusing himself to rehydrate the dying flowers.

That left Lucy alone. Alone and facing an obstacle. She supposed it was like ripping a bandaid off. But then what if the wound was still bleeding, even after all these years?

She took a breath.

Then another.

Lucy allowed herself to walk over to the window, pulling her pantsuit skirt down to modestly cover her as she knelt beside the green chair. Sat there, almost as alive as Lucy remembered, was the blonde woman she called her mother.

"Mama?" She spoke, placing a gentle hand on the arm of the chair. "It's me, Lucy."

It took a second for the woman to even notice Lucy was there, continuing her void stare at the window.

"Momma?"

Layla turned to her this time, a gentle but tired smile gracing her face. "Lucy."

"Hi, Mama." Lucy's own smile grew, relieved to see her mother responding.

"Where have you been, Lucy? It's almost time for lunch."

Her daughter's smile shrunk at that. Lucy took her mother's frail hand in her stronger one, taking a seat on the chair next to her. "Momma, how old do you think I am?"

"What a silly question, darling." The woman giggled, amused by her daughter's foolishness. "You're ten."

Well, that just hurt.

"Have you opened your birthday present from your father yet? He was excited for you to open it, I know. It's a shame he's stuck at home."

And that was just uncalled for.

Her mother was currently trapped under the impression that it was her daughter's tenth birthday- 1st July x777. That birthday, Lucy recalled, was one of the happiest she'd ever had. It was also the last of the happy birthday's she remembered, the accident having taken place six days later.

She stayed and talked a while with her mother, playing along with the fantasy that she was ten years old and excited about her 'extra special' - Layla's words - birthday. The accident hadn't come up once.

It was only when the nurse came to inform her that visiting hours were over that she realized how late it had gotten. She grabbed the purse she had left on the floor, giving her mother a quick kiss on the cheek goodbye before turning to leave. Before she could, however, her mother's hand grasped her own, looking up at the younger Heartfilia with inquisitive eyes.

"You remind me of my daughter." The woman uttered, turning away absentmindedly, her words subsequently sucking out any happiness Lucy had gained from the meeting.

She pulled her hand away, gently as to not frighten her mother. "I'll see you soon, Mom."

She walked out, feeling more guilty than she ever had before.

Natsu had just driven up to his usual parking space in the visitor car park of Magnolia LCH. He only came here once a month to visit the wife of the deceased business conglomerate, Jude Heartfilia. It was a ritual he'd upheld on the seventh of every month for six years. The woman was his only lead to finding the remaining heir to the Heartfilia fortune. After all, he wasn't going to blame some poor middle-aged woman with a brain injury for her husband's transgressions.

His ritual was based on the hope that the Heartfilia daughter would one day turn up to visit her mother. So far, according to the facility staff, Natsu was her only visitor since her husband's passing. Finding Layla Hearfilia had been a breakthrough all to itself, but his case had hit every dead-end imaginable since then.

Today felt especially defeated. Three nights ago, Lucy had walked out of his house and run off without so much as a word of explanation. But, Natsu supposed, she didn't really need one. Girls always got a little antsy around him when they walked into his office. And he understood. Really, he did. Watching a guy obsess over their father's murder wasn't exactly the biggest turn on. Still, though, he'd been careless. He'd let her into a part of his life that he'd vowed to keep out of any future relationships.

What disturbed Natsu possibly more was the fact that she'd left in such a hurry. There were no excuses, no 'I'm sorry, this is too much'. Not a damn sound. Sure, it would've sucked if she'd been so blunt, but it was better than the current alternative. Waiting. Waiting for anything. A text. A call. Heck, even a damn message via Levy telling him to back off would do. Radio silence was absolutely killing him.

Maybe it was the whole getting involved with a family of an arms trafficker. Or maybe, it was the extensive collection of unreliable tabloid articles he had on the cryptid Heartfilia heiress. He didn't have any pictures of the woman! Her existence would be a matter of mythology if it wasn't for the solid proof of her birth certificate. He just wished he wasn't so crazy over finding her.

Natsu got out of the truck, making sure to lock it as he made his way indoors. He did his usual sign in at reception, getting into a light conversation with the receptionist.

"Ms. Heartfilia is getting very popular." Sandra, the reception nurse, spoke as Natsu scribbled his name down. He gave her a curious look, not knowing what the older woman meant.

"I know I missed last month's visit," He began to joke, putting the pen down on the clipboard it was chained to. "But you don't have to guilt me like that, San."

The woman chuckled, shaking her ginger curls, almost flirtatious. "You know we always miss you when you don't come, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh?"

"You're Ms. Heartfilia's second visitor this week. Well, third, technically. The same woman came yesterday and today. She's up there right now."

"Her daughter?" He barked his question, alarming the poor reception lady.

"Um, I can only assume so. They do look alike, I guess. Same golden hair." She'd barely finished her sentence by the time Natsu was racing off, up the stairs. This was it! Years of visits were finally paying off!

He turned the corner sharply, barely avoiding crashing into one of the floor's nurses. The staff member shouted a quick "Hey!", but failed to receive the attention of the impatient professor. Natsu hadn't even made it to the common room door before he heard it... that laugh.

He knew that laugh anywhere. The light-hearted tones singing through the air. It was his favorite sound to listen to, by far. He just never thought he'd hear it within the confines of this hospital. Especially not in the private living room of Layla Heartfilia.

"Lucy?" He questioned, stepping into the room. He watched as every single part of her body froze, all at once. Her hand remained glued to the older woman's from where they'd only seconds ago been engaged in a cheery, if not slow, discussion.

Her head turned slowly, locking on to the man at the door. "Natsu?" Her face paled.

"What are you doing here?"

Her teeth met her lip, dragging the abused skin until it bled without much prompting. She swallowed the gathering blood, using it to bide her time as her mind worked a hundred thoughts per second. "I'm here to visit my mother." They both felt it- the immediate understanding. The realization that they'd rung a bell that could never be unrung. They'd walked right into a volcano of erupting questions and burning, hurtful answers.

"Your mother?" He took a step further into the room.

"Yes."

They let silence descend between them- A necessary factor if they were both going to process their unexpected meeting.

"Lucy?" Layla croaked, unnerved by the sudden disturbance in the room. "Is someone here?"

"Yes, Mama."

"Ms. Heartfilia, it's me, Natsu." He walked to stand by Lucy's chair, directly in Layla's line of sight.

"Natsu, dear. How nice to see you." She croaked once more, her voice tired from so much activity.

"You two, Ms." He shared a look with Lucy, silently asking the headmistress why in the world she was here. They couldn't fight, though. Not here in front of Ms. Heartfilia.

"Lucy, dear. Have you met Natsu?"

"Yes, I have." Lucy nodded, offering her boyfriend a strained smile. She just hoped he'd behave.

"Oh, that's nice," Layla murmured, settling back into her chair. "Natsu is a nice gentleman."

"Not as nice as you, Ms." He chuckled, placing a hand on the back of Lucy's chair, earning a nudge from the younger girl.

"Quit flirting with my Mom!" She hissed loudly.

"I wasn't-"

"Yes, you were!"

Layla chuckled, watching the two squabble. Her brain was working too slow to keep up most days, but she managed to catch the spark flickering between her daughter and her other visitor. She knew there was something different about her ten-year-old daughter. Something more refined and elegant than the last time she saw her. Something more sensible. Natsu's birthday, she recalled numbers with ease, was a year before her daughter's. That would make him the perfect age to see her daughter happy with him. Maybe that's how they knew each other? It wasn't a matter she would press further, though. She could almost tell that their fire wasn't something she'd have to meddle in. Sparks just worked that way.

"Honestly, Natsu!" Layla zoned in on what her exasperated girl was saying. "You're like a kid in a candy store sometimes."

"Hey! I've seen pictures of you in college. You used to dress like a slu-"

"Not in front of my mother, idiot."

That shut him up, reminding him of why he'd been so eager to get there in the first place. "I didn't know she was your mother. Kind of an odd thing to leave out, huh?"

"I'm not doing this here, Natsu."

"She doesn't look dead." He ignored her. "Ms. Heartfilia, are you dead?"

Layla was honestly lost. She often felt lost during long conversations, even when the clouds in her mind were lessened, but this one just took the proverbial cake. "Dead?" She asked, her voice catching in her throat.

"Yeah. Ya know? Dead. Deceased. Void of life."

"Natsu, shut up!" Lucy warned, seeing her mother's concerned expression. Her anxiety only rose further when her mother turned to her.

"Why does he think I'm dead, Lucy?"

Lucy didn't know how to answer. Her eyes stared into those of her mother, searching for any answer. Layla Heartfilia always had the answers whenever her daughter needed them. This time, though, she found none. Her eyes welled with tears, her cheeks quivering as she fought them back.

"Darling?"

"Momma, I-"

"It was a joke." Natsu butt in. "I'm sorry, Ms. Heartfilia."

"Oh. I'm sorry, dear. I'm not quite engaged right now." the tiredness was evident in the older lady's voice.

"Mama?" Lucy turned to her, a fear creeping through her body. "Are you okay?"

"This happens sometimes." Her boyfriend explained. He placed a compassionate hand on Lucy's shoulder, not liking seeing her scared. "She gets tired after long chats."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to tire you."

"It's quite alright, dear." Layla's tired voice uttered.

Her eyes began to drift close, her head resting against the back of the chair. Her energy often got the better of her, but these days it seemed to be slipping away faster and faster. Layla knew what it meant. She didn't always, but when she was in the right mind, she knew. It was such a shame, too. She enjoyed having her young daughter back in her life, even if she couldn't figure out what had changed in the ten-year-old. It was rather odd, but she wouldn't let herself dwell. No. She would enjoy the moments she could get.

Natsu took his hand away from Lucy, offering a small wave to the drifting woman. "I'll see you next month, Ms. Heartfilia."

"Goodbye, Mama." Lucy also gave her goodbye.

Natsu gave Lucy a hand up from her chair, both of them walking towards the room's exit. Before they could, however, Layla made another noise.

"Lucy!" She cried, her shock muffled by her own hands.

The two younger adults looked at each other in surprise, both already out of Layla's sight. They turned back to the chair to see the woman struggling against an invisible force.

"Lucy, what are you doing?!" She cried again, evidently lost in some sort of daydream. Her eyes were open, staring blankly through the window.

Lucy's blood ran cold at her mother's words. She'd heard this sequence before. She knew what came next, and she had to stop her before she said anything more. She hastened back to the green chair, kneeling in front of her mom. "Mama, talk to me." She grabbed the older blonde's dainty hands, squeezing them in an attempt to ground her.

"J-Jude! Get help!"

"Mama, please. It isn't real." She turned to the stunned boy, still stood near the door, watching her. "Natsu, get some damn help."

He still didn't move.

"Go!"

Her shout made his feet finally work, pounding down the corridor in search of the nearest medical staff. By the time he got back, Lucy was sat on the arm of the sitting chair, arms wrapped around her mom tightly, rocking her slowly.

"I'm here, Mama. I'm sorry." He heard her whisper into gold strands. "I'm so so sorry."

Nurses pushed past him, tending to the forty-six-year-old with much urgency. Lucy still had her arms around the calming woman, whispering her mantra over and over.

"I'm so so sorry. I'm here, Mama. I'm sorry."

"Lucy, we should go." Natsu took the nurse's entrance as an opportunity. He'd seen Layla in a similar state to this already during his previous visits. Part of her injury meant the occasional nightmare, or daymare, or whatever. He knew she'd most likely be out for the remainder of visiting time, whether she worked herself in a further frenzy and had to be sedated, or whether she fell asleep from exhaustion. Either way, he had what he was looking for now. Or rather, who.

Lucy reluctantly pulled her arms away, stepping back from the working attendants. She knew what was coming, and she only wished she could stay a minute or even a few seconds longer. She followed the pinkette out of the living area, down the stairs, and through the reception until they were out in the parking lot. Natsu didn't even have to say anything. They both just got in his truck without a word, neither one bothering to fasten a seatbelt. They weren't going anywhere.

They sat there, similar thoughts stewing between them.

"You wanna explain, Miss Heartfilia?" Natsu asked curtly, throwing a snide glare towards his girlfriend.

She winced in displeasure. Out of all his names for her, this wasn't her favorite. "Please, don't call me that."

"Why not? That's your name, isn't it? Lucky Lucy Heartfili-"

"I said, stop it." She cut him off. "You have no right to be angry at me."

He scoffed, disbelief pouring out of him from every visible orifice.

"I had no obligation to tell you who I was."

"Your father-"

"My father was a no-good son of a bitch, Natsu." She turned to him blankly, feeling angry that Natsu would even begin to suggest that she was to blame for her father's doings.

"You said nothing when I told you your dad killed mine. You could've said at least something."

"I'm still finding out what he did for myself, thank you very much." She mumbled more to herself than to her writhing boyfriend.

"Lucy, he was evil. He was-"

"I know, okay!"

"No, it's not okay." He protested, his hands balled into fists on his seat. "I've been looking for you for years!"

"Oh yeah, because those tabloid articles are so reliable." She spat sarcastically.

"Well, you weren't exactly making yourself public."

"Why should I?" She questioned, staring her boyfriend down. "My life is my business. I don't have to tell you or the press anything about their precious long lost Heartfilia heiress."

"That's not what I meant."

"No. What you meant was why didn't I take responsibility for my father's crimes? Natsu, I didn't even know he'd committed any until last week, aside from a crap tonne of child abuse. But hey! Maybe we should convict me of that too, considering his blood runs through my veins? Is that the logic your using?"

"No, I-"

"Just shut it, Natsu. You don't know me. If you did, you'd realize that I'm not a Heartfilia anymore. I left that life behind when my mom died, and my father started abusing me."

"Abusing you? What?" His brow scrunched with unanswered questions, feeling defeated at the way his misconceptions had been well and truly squandered.

"I mean, I get it. Who wouldn't break up with the obviously spoilt girl who ran away from having everything handed to her?!"

"Wait, Lucy-" He couldn't stop her tirade. He'd well and truly set her off.

"I didn't even know Mama was still alive until I saw your stupid board! What other secrets do you know about me that I obviously don't remember?"

"Lucy, would you shut up, please?!" He finally broke her never-ending chain of words. He took a moment to breathe, glad to have the headmistress's attention. "I'm sorry. I don't mean shut up. I just need you to listen to me."

"Okay." She uttered, her little rant having taken a lot out of her.

"I'm sorry about your dad, I really am. He shouldn't have abused you, and we can talk about that another time if you want. It was wrong of me to suggest that you are in any way responsible for your old man's actions. I see that now. Look, Lucy. If you had been anyone else, and I mean that, I probably would be marching off to the lawyer's office to file any kind of lawsuit against you and your family that I can. But, I know you. At least, I think I do. I know the you that matters. I know the you you want me to know."

"Natsu..."

He offered her a small smile, slowly but surely gaining the same one in return. It didn't matter what secrets she had. It didn't matter that blood was thicker than water or that she was her father's daughter. She wasn't Jude Heartfilia. Jude Heartfilia was dead, and so were all his crimes.

Wednesday's update might be delayed a day or two. I have a shit tonne of college deadlines this week, sorry.

A big thank you to FairyTailxFanGirl, Copperreign12, and valerioux for your reviews. I read them, and I was thinking, "Yes! Yes! Yes!" the entire time. You all just kept asking the right questions! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I hope this chapter was satisfactory!

I didn't fit as much in this chapter as I thought I would, but that's really fine. It's a little weird to be sat in the middle of the action, conducting everything. Honestly, it's sort of daunting yet so much more exciting. We still have a ways to go with this story. I hope you'll stay for the ride because it's about to get a lot bumpier.

Once again, if you enjoy this story, please don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! It honestly means the world to me.