Hi Everyone! Wanted to say sorry for this chapter being so late. I had forgotten about the Holiday weekend and I use my work computer to type and update. (I'm getting a laptop for Christmas so that wont be an issue anymore.) I'm realizing that we are catching up to what I have already written out pretty quickly. So I'm going to try to post every other Thursday! (I live in California so that may be Friday for many of you.) As usual thank you so much for all the reviews and comments for this fic. We are now at the point where I realized this was going to be more than a little one shot. So bare with the plot set up haha. I'm going to write more notes at then end of the chapter if you feel like reading haha!

CHAPTER 5

2:00 a.m. had come too quickly for Lucy. With the club now closed, the three girls stood outside of the building waiting for an Uber. The sidewalks were flooded with the club's revelling crowd while others huddled up on their phones.

This had to be the worst part of the night for Lucy. Tired, in very little clothing, and not wanting to head back home. She stared wistfully at the long line of cars coming to pick up the night goers. Though, standing outside cold and exhausted, Lucy would take this atmosphere of shared fleeting bliss over her being stuck at home alone.

"It says he's right down the street." Erza called out. Flashing her phone screen to the girls to show their drivers location. She began walking further down the sidewalk with Lucy and Levy following behind.

"Did you have fun Lu?" Levy asked beside her. She was walking barefoot and holding onto her white heels, making Lucy feel a bit larger.

"Mhm!" Lucy hummed, smiling back at her small friend. "As usual I'm just not ready to head back." Looking down at her feet as she walked, Lucy slowed her pace and tried to match their strides.

"I know Lu…But we will be back here partying it up again before you know it!" Levy assured her.

She knew Levy was just trying to comfort her, but Lucy couldn't help but feel worse. Her friends had so much more independence than she did. Being able to go out when they wanted, with who they wanted, wherever they wanted to go. It was something Lucy dreamt of. This once or twice a month outing that may come quickly for her friends, felt like ages apart for Lucy.

By the time Lucy and Levy caught up to Erza she had already found their ride home. Lucy watched as Erza spoke to the driver. Opening the front passenger seat, she turned back and yelled at the girls to hurry.

"We're coming, we're coming!" Levy hollered back. "Some of us got smaller legs than you!" Laughing, Levy picked up her speed.

Lucy looked back at the club where the rest of the crowd sat and mingled with their groups. A familiar sense of stress and anguish began to creep into her mind as the thought of home grew closer. She could feel her heart begin to speed up, the pounding muscle ringing in her ears. She wasn't ready.

'A few more minutes...that's all I need...' Lucy thought, not realizing she had stopped walking.

Erza then called from the car. "Lucy what are you doing? It's time to leave!"

Holding her breath, Lucy met Erza's gaze as the same sentence ran through her mind. 'Just a little longer…'

She glanced down at her phone and checked the time. It had been about a half an hour since the club closed and shooed them out. She wasn't in a rush to get home, and there were still plenty of people standing around chatting with each other.

"I-I'm..." Lucy bit her bottom lip and twirled her phone in her hands. A familiar idea forming in her mind. "I think I'm going to stay…" She began to speak, trying her best to sound as convincing as possible. "I want to hang back for a couple more minutes."

Still fidgeting with her phone in her hands, her eyes flicked around, as if avoiding eye contact would quell her friend's inevitable anger.

A heavy silence fell over the three and Lucy could feel Erza's stare burning into her skin. The heaviness causing her to continue her rambling. "I-I know you don't like when I do this, but I- I Just anothe–"

"Absolutely not." Erza's stern response immediately cut her off. Crossing her arms, the scarlet's eyes sharpened. "Lucy you know how much I dislike this. We are not leaving you here, alone. It-It's two in the morning for fuck sake!" She yelled. "I understand your father ca-"

The confrontation already had Lucy feeling disheartened as she allowed Erza's voice to fade off into the background.

'No.' Such a small word had so much power over her. She heard it often, and she hated it deeply. Not in a stubborn sense, but in a way that a simple two lettered word, could take away so much of her own liberty.

Lucy's focus then turned to her breathing. Noticing the shortness of breath and racing heart. Her chest squeezed as she tried to concentrate on anything else, but the thought of her home would not diminish…That place...she felt trapped, claustrophobic, the walls slowly closing in on her in every waking moment. Unable to have a say, unable to leave, unable to be herself. It was suffocating.

Lucy took a couple of deep breaths and tried to recompose her mind, but the drowning feeling would not dissipate and Erza's stern words rang louder in her thoughts. She knew it was a stupid idea, that this would be her response...but she couldn't go home. Not yet. She wasn't ready to surrender this impunity.

"N-NO!" Lucy yelled, hitting her limit. "I-I can't go back! N-Not yet..." The tone not only shocked her friends, but herself as well. She wasn't even aware if she had interrupted Erza in the middle of her argument or not.

The poor driver, who was probably just as stunned by Lucy's outburst, cleared his throat. Gaining the three girl's attention. "Hey I don't have all night…If you're girls aren't leaving-"

"No! We are leaving!" Levy interjected. "Sorry sir, please give us one more minute." She reassured the man that he would be tipped well and then mumbled Erza's name, her voice hinting to hurry things along.

Erza stood with her foot in the car door, her gaze remaining fixed on Lucy's, but Lucy did not budge under the intimidating stare. Watching as her friend seemed to contemplate her cries.

"I'm sorry" Lucy pleaded, "But please understand…" The unfinished explanation was unnecessary. Her friends knew her situation, and this wasn't the first time Lucy made the strange request. It wasn't a very common occurrence, but there were some nights she had to be alone to collect her thoughts.

"There are still people out waiting." Lucy pointed to the crowd behind them. "I'll stay with them the entire time and keep my phone on me. Texting you, like I always do." Lucy smiled, the only convincing action she could give her friend at the moment. "I just need some time to myself before I have to go back."

Erza dropped her head, looking down at Levy through the car window, then back to the driver. With her lips pressed in a fine line, she sighed heavily. "It will just be the two of us." She told the driver.

Lucy felt instant relief as air returned to her chest and her jaw relaxed into a smile."Thank you! I promi–"

"Fifteen minutes!" Erza cut her celebration off. "You have to keep us updated the whole time, and if you decide to stay longer, you call me." She ordered.

Lucy nodded her head, quickly agreeing with her demands. "I'll stay by the entrance of the club the whole time." She promised. Running up to hug Erza tightly, she thanked her friends multiple times. "Thank you thank you thank you." She beamed, leaning into the window and hugging Levy. "Both of you are the best."

"We know." Levy smiled. "Now get in already, Mom." She teased Erza before settling back into her seat.

After a few more reminders from Erza, and Levy arguing that Lucy can handle herself, the relieved driver finally pulled away from the club. Lucy waved goodbye as she watched the car speed away.

Taking a deep breath in, she then strutted back to the entrance.

…

The crisp air brought a clear sense of mind to Lucy. Inhaling deeply she let herself relax against the wall of the club and stared at the stars. When she was arguing with Erza she could feel the panic begin to bubble in her stomach. She hated how much control the uneasy feeling took over her, causing her heart to race and her chest to tighten as the world around her became muddy. It was not pleasant.

Just after a few minutes she could already feel her body calming down. She felt bad for making her friends feel so uncomfortable, but they had an understanding of Lucy's situation.

Lucy was the heir of the very successful business, Heartfilia Konzern. Her father, Jude Heartfilia, started off as a merchant with her mother, Layla. Quickly, their business grew into what it is today. Owning many of the properties and smaller businesses in the area, the Heartfilia name was known by most.

Though this played a role in Lucy's strict upbringing, it wasn't until after her mother's passing that her father truly restricted her life. In fear of losing Lucy as well, he had her life completely planned out and totally sheltered. Limiting her outings to only school and anything regarding the Heartfilia business. Barely allowing Lucy to leave their estate.

With the loss of her mother, her father couldn't bear to look Lucy in the eyes, the resemblance was far too painful for him. So, he put all his time and energy into his work. His office became his home and Lucy was left to be cared for by the estate's staff.

Lucy had become numb to the solitude. Her mother died when she was young, if she hadn't carried so many of her mother's features, she would have forgotten what she looked like. And though she had the staff to rely on, it didn't change the neglect she had felt.

If it wasn't for Erza and Levy, she doesn't know where she would be right now. It was their idea to start sneaking out of her home. They learned her schedule and would text and plan their outings. First starting off as a couple hours at the local mall, then to house parties, and now in their older age, clubbing and bar hopping. Lucy smiled to herself as she enjoyed the exciting memories. They truly helped ease the loneliness.

Now composed, Lucy decided it was time to leave and checked her phone, a text from Erza was already waiting for her.

Erza: It's been almost 15mins.

Lucy chuckled at the bluntness and replied, letting her know she was just about to schedule an Uber.

Erza: Good

Lucy responded with a heart emoji to her stern friend and began walking to the edge of the sidewalk. When Lucy opened up the rideshare app, she was stopped by a man's voice.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Lucy turned to face the stranger. He was wearing dark clothing and a baseball cap that helped cover his face. Through his long dirty blonde hair, a hazel eye peered down at her.

She immediately felt uneasy, clenching her phone to her chest, she hesitantly responded. "Yes?"

The man's lips curved into a smirk, deepening Lucy's discomfort. "Are you waiting out here alone?" He pried.

Lucy's gaze flickered to the many people standing around them, taking note of the ones in arms reach and the red flags this man was giving off. She cleared her throat. "No. My friend stepped away for a moment. They will be back any minute." She lied, trying her best to seem as unfriendly as possible.

But the man only stepped closer. "Who would leave someone such as yourself alone?"

Confused by the statement, Lucy didn't have time to react before he quickly snatched her free hand and pulled it up to his lips, placing an unwanted kiss on top of her fist.

Disgust instantly took root as a sensation of a thousand insects skittered over her skin. She immediately tried to pull her hand free but the man's grip tightened. "M-My friends are wai–"

"It's not nice to lie, you know." His smirk growing into a toothy grimace. "Your friends left you." He yanked on Lucy's wrist pulling her closer. "I watched them leave while you stayed behind." He whispered.

Lucy's unease and disgust quickly turned to fear. She felt sick to her stomach, a pit forming as she tried to look around for help. Suddenly the many people that were only an arms length away, now felt very distant.

Her throat became dry and her words caught as the man began to drag her through the crowd. She was not supposed to be out. If she caused a scene, what would happen? Would people find out who she was? Would her father find out? If she were to call someone...Would they be able to help in time?

"Since your friends are in fact not coming back. Why don't I help you find a ride?" He turned back towards her. The cold smirk growing wider across his hidden face.

Lucy began to panic, his grip was strong and painful. She searched the thinning crowd, looking for her friends she knew were not there. She needed to get out of his hold, no matter what.

Grabbing onto her phone tighter, she focused on the back of the man's head. She knew she couldn't take him on in strength, but with surprise on her side, maybe that would be enough to escape his grip. What would happen after that though? Would she be able to outrun him? Find someone to help? It didn't matter, right now her main focus was getting out of his grasp.

Preparing to twist her wrist free, a glimpse of a familiar salmon pink color caught her eye in the front of the club. With hope thumping through her chest, she set her sights on her goal.

Hello Again! How'd you like the chapter? I know it's a bit messy, but I'm hoping I get better the more I write LOL. As some of you may know, I usually color manga panels. That does take up a lot of my time, since doing art is what I enjoy the most. So please keep that in mind if I become behind in updating. I saw some people say they were sad Gray gave up so quickly on Lucy, and though I love y'all wanting some Graylu, I didn't want this to be a love triangle thing. (Plus they just met and I don't think a man would care that much lol.) Do you guys have any idea where this is going? I'm going to try and keep it lowkey, but I did tag it and maybe you got some hints off of Zippi44's art. Haha Thank you again! You all are lovely! Feel free to message me on Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr!