Hi guys, Just wanted to make sure you know I intentionally skipped the date I plan to make it come back in flashbacks at some point. So don't worry you'll get to know what happened on that day. Peace :D

"LUCY!" she heard Natsu shout her name, tilting her face up to unbury her face from her phone and the text message Mary had sent her asking how the date was going. Confusion took over her body as a panicked Natsu dashed towards her, leaping at her. A small burst of flames shot urgently from the soles of his feet. That's when her ears were overwhelmed by a loud blast, moments later Natsu's body collided with hers, his arms securely around her as the back of his shirt ripped open, not even a moment after that they were hit with a powerful rush of scorching hot air that succeeded in sending them flying along with a few civilians. Lucy's eyes shut for a second at the hit hearing individuals that were further away scattered around in a panic. With cracked open eyes she realized that there was a wing sprouted from Natsu's back wrapping around her.

Lucy closed her eyes again tightly startled by the brilliant bright onslaughts of flashes that followed from beyond Natsu's shoulder. She'd grabbed fistfuls of his shirt just before Natsu lost his footing due to the rapid explosions which sent them flying backward into the woods, on her skin she could feel Natsu was warmth… he was warmer than normal. Lucy cracked open her eyes ever so slightly, she could see his clothes from his shoulders and back had burnt away red scales branching off from his back. The next thing Lucy felt was the crash. Her back took on most of it despite Natsu's barely conscious effort to protect her as he fell into a roll.

When they finally came to a stop Natsu was on top of her, his scales and wing slowly receding with the threat gone, "L-Luce, y-you alright?" he panted and coughed a little winded after taking a jab to the stomach and a blow to the back of the head from uplifted roots in the roll. He received no answer… Despite feeling so tire Natsu used what little strength he could to look at her to find her looking at him. She was talking to him… but he couldn't hear. What was she saying? She looked worried as she planted her hands to either side of his face. Natsu smiled a little, "You're not hurt," he mumbled his eyes half-lidded his vision got a bit fuzzy. "Good." He managed before falling face-first into her bosom.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted when he slipped unconscious blood began to drip down to his forehead. Filled with worry and concern Lucy pushed on his shoulder struggling to roll him off her so she could get a better look at his injuries. "Natsu!" She yelled again as managed to get out from under him after giving up on trying to roll him, she didn't have that strength. Instead, she lifted his upper half and with some shifting managed to wiggle her way out from under him, "Natsu?!" She called out again as while rested his face on her legs, tracing the movements of the blood she found a big gushing cut just beside Natsu's right ear, hearing people screaming and chattering in the distance she did the only thing she could think to do, "HELP! WE NEED HELP!" she yelled out, as she did what she'd seen on some doctor shows she'd watched with Natsu. Lucy took off her shirt ball it up and pressed it to the bleeding wound, "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME!"

~oooOOOooo~

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Lucy groaned her eyes cracking open to bright lights, she flinched as the brightness brought a sharp pain to her head. "Well, good morning!" A voice said from beside her startled her. Lucy's eyes scanned over the young woman that couldn't be much older than herself, the woman was beautiful her red hair far darker than the blush that coated Lucy's face. "You must be Lucy." The woman spoke again from beside her as she turned in her chair to see her better. Their brown eyes locked as the redhead stretched out her hand, "I wish this was under better circumstances, but my name is Erza Scarlet. I'm a good friend and coworker of Natsu's … it's a pleasure to put a face to the name."

This woman… She remembered her… She was one of the kids that use to play with Natsu all the time on the beach! And she was the one that ate some of the cake she'd made him to cheer him up. 'So, her names Erza…' she thought as her brain tried to process the rest of the last sentence. Put a face to the name? What? Lucy blinked confused, "Excuse me?"

If the girl hadn't looked so clueless Erza would have thought that she was being a stuck-up bitch. Erza smiled slightly, "It's an expression. It means I've heard a lot about you because Natsu talks about you a lot, but I've never had the pleasure of meeting you face to face." She explained.

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Lucy's lips pulled back into a small bashful smile, "R-Really, he talks about me that much?" she asked feeling flattered by the knowledge. Not missing how Erza looked towards Natsu's sleeping form with an evil grin.

"Indeed, he does." The redhead tells her, her eyes shifting from Natsu to his heart monitor. It was clear she was trying to hold back laughter, but Lucy failed to see what in this situation seemed so funny. When Erza snorted Lucy noticed a strange twitch from Natsu's closed eyes, "In fact, he talks about you so much I have no idea how he gets his work done."

"Ugh, Erza stop it already." Natsu sat up releasing a groan signaling he was awake, his face a bright red which only grew brighter as his name left Lucy's lips and she tackled him in bed. He'd had the urge to take his pillow and chuck it at his friend, but Lucy was literally shielding her whether she realized it or not.

Erza rolled her eyes, "Freedom of speech." She tells him with a snickering when he sent her a glare at the words and a flash of his middle finger. Natsu then proceeded to call her a smart ass but the redhead ignored it, "So good of you to rejoin us in the land of the living!"

Lucy pulled away glancing between the two friends in confusion as Natsu frustratingly leaned forward and over the bed towards Erza essentially taking her with him, "I was never dead!" he shouted.

Lucy couldn't help but shift her gaze between the two at the amusing but pointless friendly argument, "I know! You've been pretending to be asleep for the past half an hour." Erza tells him in a matter of fact manner.

Natsu huffed falling back into a sitting position on the bed, his arms snaking their way around Lucy, "Liar." He accused his cheeks still withholding a red tint.

Erza gave him a dull stare, "Your resting heartbeat is in the sixties and you've been in the seventies for the last thirty minutes. It even shot up to the eighties when I spilled the beans about you talking about Lucy at work ALL the time." She tattled making his heart monitor beep like crazy when he looked towards Lucy whose eyes shifted to said machine.

Natsu pushed her away enough so he could grab at his chest and quickly pulling the heart monitors leads off his chest with a soft snap causing the machine to flatline, "T-That doesn't mean I was awake!" he says.

Erza giggled taking Lucy's attention as she waved her index finger from side to side, "No-no, but you every now and then opening your eyes under your bangs does." She tells him with a wide grin.

Natsu glared, "Has anyone ever told you to keep your eyes to yourself." He questioned.

Erza hummed thoughtfully for a moment her hand cupping her chin as her hand index finger tapped at her cheek thoughtfully, "No, I don't believe they have." She replied.

"Keep your eyes to yourself then!" Natsu spat out in frustration. The girl was like a human lie detector!

Erza gave him a dull stare, "And why would I do that? It's so much more fun to rat you out whenever you start playing possum." She continues playfully poking at his weakness.

"Not funny." Natsu chants out stubbornly as if him saying so would get her to end the conversation.

A big smile came to her face, "It is, actually!" she resisted the urge to laugh at the face he made.

Natsu's eyebrow twitches at this, "I pay ya, ya know!" he reminds her. Being interrupted as the nurse rushes in to find out why he was flatlined. She tried to fix them but Natsu told her he wanted them off and that he was fine.

As soon as the woman scurried out of the room the conversation continued as if it hadn't stopped, "True but you hired me not just for my smarts but for my all-seeing eyes so deal with it." She says with a confident nod.

Natsu shook his head, "My God, where the hell is Jellal when I need him!" he complained about the absence of the other male presence that was usually within the room to help him when Erza turned into a sarcastic smartass.

Erza's eyebrow corked up, "Your God? You don't say? And here I thought he was just mine…" she tells him with a snicker as Natsu held up both hands shooting up both his middle fingers in her direction at her words. Meanwhile, Lucy contemplated what the hand motion could possibly mean. Erza closed her eyes holding up an index finger, "To answer your question though my boo thing is getting me a coffee." She tells him poking him in the side with said index finger.

Natsu swatted her hand away denying her the poking game all of them use to play when they were young. He was injured enough for one day… And though all the times he'd played with this girl he'd been physically injured many times… by her! And not on purpose! "Such a kiss ass." He comments with a huff, "You know he's just…"

"Kissing up to ensure he gets laid tonight? Oh, I know~" she cuts in a big grin mounting her face, "And he will most definitely be getting laid tonight." She announced after hearing a familiar shuffle of footsteps outside the door.

Natsu rushed to cover his ears with his hands and Lucy blushed at the girl's openness, "Why do you always feel the need to share these things with me?" Natsu asked one of his many best friends.

The door opens catching Natsu's attention, "I think the real question is why you're still so shocked that she shares things like that with all of you." A dark blue-haired man spoke from the door, the tattoo on his face catching Lucy's attention. Jellal's eyes shifted from Natsu and Erza to her, a smile came to his face, "Hi there!" he says walking into the room to hand Erza her coffee and a slice of strawberry cake. Jellal turned back to the blonde taking steps towards her, he held out his hand for her to take. Not wanting to be rude she wordlessly rested her hand within his, "You must be the famous Lucy," he continues giving her hand a slight tug as he leaned down planting a soft peck to her cheek, "thank you for calling us about this idiot."

Natsu growled at the action glaring daggers at Jellal. Lucy blinked confused about her own feelings it was strange to her how when Natsu did something like that she felt so different about it, "Uh, no problem." she mumbled out. When he released her hand, she reached up touching the spot that his lips touched. She felt strangely unfazed but what the man had just done. If anything, she just found herself unbearably confused by the action. It seemed harmless enough…

Natsu fingers irritatedly tapped at his arms skin, his leg equally agitated fidgeted beneath the covers, and an eyebrow twitched, "Jellal, you bastard, keep your lips to yourself!" he tells his friend jealously. Not even he'd gotten a kiss yet! The room grew quiet aside from Erza enjoying her surprise cake. Natsu roared out in frustration, pointing his finger at Jellal, "What the hell Erza you're not gonna say anything?!" he whines feeling like Jellal just stole something from him...

Erza shrugged carelessly, "We've met her now, she's family." She began as she sliced away another piece of cake with a plastic fork. Stabbing it mercilessly with the forks plastic prongs before bringing it towards her lips, "Besides you know Jellal always greets with a kiss to the cheek it's a greeting nothing more nothing less and is perfectly harmless." She reassures him.

Natsu shot her a dull stare, "So says the one who got jealous when her man started talking a little too much about Luce the other day." He counters.

Erza finished her cake placing the plate down gently on the small nightstand beside the bed, she waved him off blushing at the memory with closed eyes, "All in the past-All in the past." She told him nonchalantly. Erza reached up rubbing at the back of her neck hoping to relieve some embarrassment, "I just needed to get laid. I get over emotional when I don't get laid in a timely manner, so I did get laid and I'm all better now!" she explains.

Natsu blinked at this knowledge, "Just stop... please stop." He begs.

~oooOOOooo~

"Dammit!" He growled biting at his finger in anger, "Did he fuckin see it?" he questioned out loud as he sat within the darkness of his apartment. Sitting crisscross on the couch as he watched the reporter on tv. It was all over the news.

The man narrowed his eyes at the bright screen that illuminated the room, "Police still have no suspects in the bomb explosion that occurred late last night at a restaurant well known for their amazing dishes inspired from around the world. So far, we've heard there was one with serious and a handful of minor injuries. Police have yet to find a clear motive for this bombing. I'm Shelly Knight with this morning's news." The newscaster tells.

The man ground his teeth in frustration at the lucky pink-haired bastard that managed to survive the blast. Watching as they put the young man into the back of an ambulance and a worried Lucy jumping into the back of the vehicle.

"If anyone has any information you are urged to call…" the news reporter said before he grabbed the remote and chucked it harshly at the tv. Seemingly effortlessly the remote shot forward smashing apart as it hit the tv's buttons turning the apartments only source of light off with a soft buzz.

Huff Huff Huff

He panted a little after releasing some of his pent-up rage at the tv. What in the hell did she see in a guy like that! Why was it always him?! Why couldn't she just look at him! He reached into his pocket pulling out his pocketknife as he glared at his coffee table angrily before stabbing the knife down piercing Natsu in the photo of him and Lucy he'd taken in his surveillance. Natsu was scribbled on with black sharpie, and his eyes burned out from the many cigarettes he'd smoked today, "I'll have to try harder."