Lucy stretched her arms over her head as she emerged from what might have been an excessively long bath. It was nice to feel extra clean, she mused, and from a warm bath at that. The only way to have a truly warm bath in the fortress was to have Natsu there heating it, and while she was currently in the midst of understanding how their little relationship was going to work...she wasn't looking for him to see her without her clothes on.

They'd returned to Magnolia earlier that day and had talked with Gildarts, who had revealed rather interesting information that now made her nervous: out of the five members of Makarov's council and Makarov himself, only Gildarts and Natsu were now in town. After wishing Ultear and Meredy luck (the pair had chosen to go to the north, to visit Jellal in person), Makarov had taken Gray and Juvia to the Alvarez Empire and would be away for quite some time, hoping to return before things went south the following year. Lucy felt rather sad about that, having not even gotten to say goodbye to Gray and Juvia.

And then there was Laxus, his team, and the Strauss siblings, who'd all gone northwest. The Pergrande Kingdom was now in tatters and several guilds had sent members up to try and curb the violence that had taken place there in the absence of an official leader. The terrible mythics they'd worked so hard to avoid had all converged on the cities, apparently, and thousands were dead.

Lucy's stomach churned at the mere idea. Gildarts and Natsu had both insisted that it was for the better. Mard Greer had been worse than what was happening now, but Lucy wasn't so sure. No one had been dying under Mard Greer's leadership...but then, no one had been really leading, either.

What worried her the most, however, was Acnologia. He'd disappeared, destroying only the castle, apparently, and had vanished into hiding. When Lucy had tried to ask Natsu about it, he'd gotten snappy with her, and had refused to talk further about the subject. Instead, he changed it entirely, choosing to converse with Gildarts about Mavis and what was happening with the goddess of knowledge.

Gildarts had been clueless about it, but had admitted to feeling that Mavis was back and somewhere in the world. The answer had been enough to comfort Natsu that he wasn't going insane, which had made the god laugh softly. Natsu had never been worried about such things before.

Shaking her head, Lucy moved on.

"Hey, Happy," Lucy mused without much notice as she entered her kitchen, running her fingers through long strands of hair, combing it out. She started making some tea, setting the water to boil over the fire - and then paused, frowning down at the blue-furred cat currently waiting for her to take proper notice of him. He was perched in the middle of the floor with a purr in his throat. "Weren't you-"

Laughter that didn't belong to her bubbled up in her chest. "Natsu!" shouted Lucy, storming back out of the kitchen to find her partner sprawled comfortably on her sofa. He looked as smug as could be, stretched out with a lazy smirk on his face. "You climbed in the window again, didn't you?"

"You locked the door," he said with false innocence that made her want to throttle him. "Dunno why you bother. You know I'm comin' over."

"Because unlike you, most people would be stopped by a locked door," growled Lucy. She grumbled as she went to finish making her tea, adding some more things to make some for Natsu. She doubted he'd drink it, but she could offer at the very least.

When she came out, Natsu was exactly where she'd left him, looking perfectly happy to be there. "Honestly," she grumbled as she set the tea on the table before the sofa, seating herself beside him, "you could just knock. I'd let you in."

"Yeah, but it's not as fun." He leaned over and peered critically at what she'd made. Lucy wasn't surprised when he wrinkled his nose at the cup of tea and instead chose to snag the small cookies she'd put on the plate, popping them into his mouth one after the other. She managed to steal one from his hand for herself before giving up on the rest, instead grabbing her tea.

They sat there in peaceful silence for a few moments before Natsu drawled, "Lisanna found us an escort job." Lucy glanced at him for further explanation, curious as she lifted the teacup to her mouth. "We're gonna escort a family up to Kunugi. Shouldn't take us more than two or three weeks to get there and back. There's roads and stuff, so it won't be nearly as hard as getting to Crocus."

Lucy relaxed, relieved that their "break" wouldn't be very long, nor would it be hard. "Maybe we can accomplish Loke's exam while we're doing it," she suggested.

Natsu shrugged. "If he shows up. Have you made a contract with the other two spirits yet?"

"Yes," she said immediately. "I made one with each of them in the fortress." They'd both been incredibly grateful to her and had expressed their apologies for their behavior. Lucy had felt terrible for Cancer and Sagittarius. They were decent beings who wanted to do good, but had been forced to do the opposite because their keys had fallen into the wrong hands. When Lucy had asked how such a thing had happened, they'd reluctantly informed her that Sagittarius had been tricked into it. Cancer had come searching and had allowed himself to be blackmailed into Mard Greer's service in an attempt to save his fellow celestial spirit. Only then had their leader gone in search of them and been stuck.

Nine spirits, she thought proudly, touching where they hung at her hip, and she'd been told that no one else that could be remembered had managed so many contracts. It worried her a little, actually, that she'd managed to acquire so many now that she thought about it.

Lucy groaned softly as she stretched out comfortably, frowning to herself. "Hey, Natsu," she said quietly after a few moments, not looking at him as she lifted her teacup to her mouth, "can I ask you something?" He gave her a look, and she rolled her eyes. "I asked because I know it's not something you're going to like."

Natsu narrowed his eyes a fraction and Lucy wasn't surprised when his entire demeanor seemed to alter slightly. He remained comfortably relaxed on her sofa, his hand popping treat after treat into his mouth, but he held himself as if he were ready to fight. Lucy nearly sighed as wariness slipped into her mind - along with what she knew now to be a bit of temper. If he really didn't like it, he was going to throw a fit.

"Well?" he said when she gave it a moment.

Lucy calmly answered, "I want to make a plan for if things go sideways. If everything goes wrong with the Gate and Acnologia."

Natus's eyes became angry slits, temper overriding wariness. "No need. Nothing's going to go wrong. And if it does start going wrong, I'll fix it."

Lucy wasn't sure what he meant by that, but she got his meaning well-enough, and knew that he didn't care what "fix it" would take. If he had to "fix" the situation, then it would be done, regardless of who was hurt in the process.

Ignoring that phrase, she said, "If something happens with the Gate, and I go back to the time I came from-"

"You won't," Natsu barked, rocking forward with a snarl on his face. He really didn't like the conversation that was taking place. "You're not going anywhere, Lucy."

"-then you might be the only one left who knows as much as I do about the end result." She searched his gaze intently as the fire died from his lips, as he truly listened for once. "The one who knows all the little details. Well," she corrected with a faint smile, "the one who knows as many details as we can, considering they're the Lost Years."

Except for that one little detail, nagged the voice in her head, regarding him being the destroyer of Old Crocus.

Lucy ignored that little voice as Natsu reluctantly nodded slowly, seeing sense in what she was saying. "So what are you asking, Lucy?" growled Natsu, still not happy with the direction of this conversation. His eyes were blazing, his jaw set in a stubborn way that rarely meant anything good. "'Cuz I'm not gonna just sit around and let it happen if I'm there-"

"That's not what I'm asking," she soothed, though her heart fluttered with warmth at the fact that he was so determined to keep her there. He latched onto that warmth more fiercely than he had in a while, like a dragon protecting its hoard. "What I want you to promise is that if something happens to me, and Crocus and the Gate are still in danger...you do what you can to help the people around them. I want you to promise to protect those who need our help, that you won't leave them to be hurt simply because I'm not there."

She wasn't happy with the way she'd worded her hopeful request, as she thought it made her sound as if she was high and mighty and worth that much to the world she now loved and called home when she thought otherwise. She wasn't that important; she was merely trying to prevent something catastrophic - and now mostly for selfish reasons rather than the selfless reasons she'd started out with.

Natsu's nostrils flared as he considered, his eyes lazily watching as Happy sauntered over and clambered up to perch on the seat beside him. Lucy thought his hand shook a little when he began to stroke his familiar's back. Finally, he rumbled, "Demons don't promise things like that, Lucy. You're my Marked One. I'm not gonna promise to help someone else before you."

She'd not missed that little detail since their conversation had started: Lucy. Not Luce, as he'd taken to calling her. It attested to how unhappy he was, if the swell of emotions that nearly knocked her askew didn't tell her enough. He glared at her now, as if daring her to challenge his words.

"Natsu," she murmured with a heavy sigh, rubbing her hands down her face in tired exasperation. "That's not what I'm asking you either. I'm asking you to do it if I'm gone. If there's nothing you can do about my situation, and you have to choose between that and following in Igneel's footsteps."

It was the wrong thing to say. He bared his teeth at her, smoke curling from the corners of his mouth. "I'm not Igneel." She merely stared at him, refusing to give up on her demand. After what seemed like ages, the smoke drifted away, and he mumbled, "Fine. I'll do it, but only if...only if I can't help you. You come first."

That sharp, vicious sweltering heat slammed through her, and Lucy was startled to find that it was entirely hers. "Thank you," she murmured sincerely, reaching out to fondly brush her fingers over his cheek.

Just as suddenly as there'd been agitation, the annoyance was replaced with a sharp, interested look that she supposed should have told her that there'd be trouble. "Hey, Luce," said Natsu suddenly, not hesitating to invade her personal space. Lucy squawked, her teacup nearly spilling all over her as she nearly jerked away. She hastily set it safely on the table when Natsu paused, as if allowing her to do so.

"Yes?" she managed after a moment, not sure how she felt about this new part of Natsu that had appeared over the last few weeks. Since their conversation determining where they stood, he'd been doing such things. When she'd complained about it, he'd merely beamed like a devil and told her that he liked how she reacted.

"What's that feeling you just had?" he demanded, eyes boring into hers, and she was caught unprepared by the question.

She swallowed thickly. She'd been avoiding this small conversation, which he'd insinuated at least twice a day for the last few. She didn't want to explain it out loud, but Natsu was immensely curious about it for some reason. Lucy debated what to say for a few moments, her cheeks red. "Well, err…" He pointedly cocked a brow, not bothering to move away, and Lucy fought the urge to shove him away immediately, knowing it would only pique his interest more. Finally, she decided on saying, "It's...what you feel when you like someone more than you like an average person."

Natsu narrowed his eyes, confused. "I don't feel that for Happy. And he's not an average person."

"One, Happy's your familiar and not exactly human," Lucy sighed, lips twitching as she rapped her knuckles playfully on his forehead. He spluttered, yanking back. "And you probably do care for him like that to some extent."

"Not like you though," mused Natsu.

Lucy didn't bother to try and stop the large smile that crossed her face. "That's nice of you to say," murmured Lucy, though she could tell he didn't fully comprehend what he'd said that was so nice or why she thought as such. "Although if you ever feel like that to someone else, I might be very upset, considering I feel the same at the moment."

Natsu looked somewhat offended, but chose not to comment on it, instead stretching out comfortably on her sofa again. "You don't gotta worry about that," he said with surprising confidence. "I don't like the idea of feeling that with anyone else."

Lucy blinked at him, and then smiled brightly at him, entirely amused and pleased with his answer. "Good," she murmured, rising to her feet. She brushed herself off, eyeing the tea she'd been intending to drink but had long since gone cold. Shaking her head, she let herself lean over and kiss him lightly on the forehead, pretending she didn't see the eager look that suddenly sprang to life in his gaze. She grabbed the tray of tea and took it back to the kitchen.

Just as he enjoyed teasing her with his proximity, knowing it flustered her...Lucy found that it was quite enjoyable to tease him in turn, denying him what he clearly wanted.

Lucy was in the midst of washing dishes when she heard voices. Curious, she finished up quickly and returned to the living room. She paused in the entrance with a startled look on her face. "Leo," she said in recognition. She quickly corrected herself before they'd even looked over. "Sorry. I mean, Loke."

The celestial spirit looked far better than the last time she'd seen him. His suit was immaculate, his shaded eyes filled with more light and playfulness. The shadows beneath them were long gone, and his hair, though it stuck up in every direction, was vibrantly orange. When he smiled, she was reminded of the big cat he'd been named after.

"Hello," he greeted easily, "Lucy."

Natsu eyed him warily, gaze darting between him and Lucy, as if judging any possibilities of danger, although Lucy knew instinctively that they had nothing to worry about. Lucy made her way over, dropping back into the seat she'd been using earlier. Happy didn't hesitate to creep into her lap, purring his own greeting to Loke, who didn't hesitate to reach out and touch the blue-furred familiar's head kindly. Happy's purr grew.

"What can we do for you?" asked Lucy pleasantly, not daring to ask for more. Natsu had been the one to point out that Loke had likely experienced bad things under Mard Greer's control, and they should leave him to recover as he wished. It was rare that Natsu considered such matters, so Lucy had agreed simply for that reason. She would have agreed regardless, but still.

Loke's eyes sparked with a hint of mischief as he straightened, looking rather professional and formal as he clasped his hands before him. "I'm here to extend an official thank you from the Spirit King. He appreciates what the pair of you did for the celestial spirits - as do I." His gaze sharpened with fierceness. "And in exchange, I would like to offer a contract with you."

Lucy's eyes widened briefly and she rocked forward slightly. "That's not necessary," she protested. "I don't want a contract with you as a prize for helping someone who needed it, Loke."

Loke's smile widened. "Which is why I'm offering you one," he said gently. "It's not often that someone comes into contact with a celestial spirit and expects nothing. You'd be surprised by how many humans and mythics alike expect us to hand over a contract for any little reason. And as you were told, celestial spirits often change when they have contracts, forming themselves to what their contractor needs. Even Layla eventually fell into the habit of ensuring that we weren't changing ourselves for her."

Lucy bit her lip, glancing at Natsu, who had settled back to watch the interaction intently without interfering. In other words, he wasn't going to take part in the conversation and was content to see how it turned out. Returning her attention to Loke, Lucy said, "Alright, but only if you actually want a contract." She smiled at him in return. "It would be an honor to have a contract with you, Loke."

Eyes gleaming, Loke withdrew a gold key from his suit and offered it to her. Lucy gently took it, cradling the zodiac key she'd acquired in her fingers. Natsu leaned in to peer at it before moving away again, cocking his head a fraction to listen as the pair began to speak calmly and expertly about the complicated contract that was being made. It was different from the others, Natsu thought. Loke was stricter about what he wanted and didn't want; Lucy was fully willing to go with them, but requested that there be occasions in which the rules were forgotten entirely so long as it was a true emergency, citing the Eclipse Gate as the biggest one.

Loke had surprised them both by saying calmly, "Should the Eclipse Gate and Crocus be at risk of falling, Lucy, then you have permission to do with us as you wish, regardless of any of the contracts you've made with us. We seek to save lives - not end them - and have no desire to lose a potential Keeper to the Gate itself."

Natsu didn't miss the look Loke shot in his direction at that. It was a silent promise that they'd protect Lucy from being lost to time as well.

When they'd finished, Loke had declared the contract complete and moved onto the next matter of business she and Natsu had discussed several times over the last few days. Loke settled himself comfortably on the floor, seeming much more relaxed than he had been previously. His green eyes glimmered with seriousness as he said, "You're not ready for my test."

"Could you at least tell us what it is so we can get ready for it?" said Natsu, cracking a large yawn to show that he was already bored with the conversation. Lucy elbowed him for it, and he grunted, ignoring the flicker of annoyance that raced through him on her half.

"No. Part of it is the shock of it." Loke glanced between them. "I'll know when you're ready, so expect it at any moment." He paused, and then said, "Remember what I've told you though. It was effectively what killed Layla. Because of my test, Igneel was not where he should have been."

"As you've told us," sighed Lucy, rubbing her temples, and Natsu huffed. He didn't like the frustration and distress appearing in his chest. It made him want to throttle Loke until the celestial spirit gave them the information she wanted. Loke smirked at him, as if knowing precisely what he was thinking. Jerk. "Alright, we won't push it, but with next year…"

Loke's gaze grew serious again and he lifted his chin. "Whether or not I can give my test will depend entirely on you two, but I do think it'll be done before then, princess." Something ugly curled in Natsu's gut at the nickname, though he couldn't for the life of him understand what it was. It only grew when Loke flirtatiously smiled at Lucy, ruffling Natsu's feathers in a way he wasn't used to. He got the feeling that Loke knew about it, too, for the spirit threw him a broad grin before continuing.

"Regardless, you'll have the backing of the celestial spirits." Loke rocked to his feet, brushing himself off. "I'll be off. Please, Lucy, feel free to summon me whenever you need to and the contract allows. And it doesn't have to be explicitly for defense against mythics," he added, offering a wide smile. "Layla was a friend, and we don't mind being considered as such in turn."

Lucy smiled in turn. "Considering the spirits as friends would be an honor," she said simply.

Loke winked and vanished, and Natsu found himself frowning, wondering why he suddenly felt so crabby.


Some cute relaxation! We'll have a little job next (one that is shockingly big, I think ;)).

Sorry for not updating again last week! As I've mentioned, I've been struggling a lot lately, and it hit hard again. Hopefully this doesn't become a regular thing.

Thanks to reviewers (FairyTailxFanGirl, itsxoi, Uchida Akira, Lissuin, valerioux, AthomeinFairytail, fjsmothie, 52dreamer52, madaraswife, stranger1999, Bookwork129, Guest #1, BeautifulSamurai, Aloha1928, Sydneste, Guest #2, and nkukurichan!) as well as those who favorited and followed! I really appreciate your patience. :)