"Cece, come on… We have to keep going."

The scene was beginning to darken as the sun began to dip below the horizon. My younger self sat beneath a large oak tree, head resting on her knees. I struggled to contain my tears, only to have them continue to stream down my face. Phillip sat beside me, his hand patting my shoulder to try and gain my attention.

"It's getting dark… I want to go home." Phillip muttered, hoping that the two of us would return to the place we had considered our home.

I gave my head a shake, refusing to look up. "No, we can't. Not now." A whimper escaped my lips as I tried to continue. "You heard what they said. Rouge will be happier now that I'm gone."

Phillip frowned, curling up against my side, understanding that we would be staying outside for yet another night. "But… He'll come looking for us, won't he?"

My mind flashed to the words Jiemma had spoken before forcing me to remove my guild mark. A shiver went down my spine. "Even if he does, I won't be able to face him." I took in a sharp breath to keep myself from sobbing. "I'll never see him again." It was then that I lifted my head to look at my friend. "But I promise… No matter what happens, I'll be here for you. I will protect you with my life, okay? You and me against the world."

A smile returned to Phillip's face as he hopped into my lap, forcing my legs to stretch forward. He made himself comfortable and heaved a content sigh. "As long as I have you, I'm alright."

The cat's eyes closed and soon, he was pulled into a peaceful sleep. Despite my tears continuing to fall, I leaned back against the tree and tried to calm myself so Phillip could sleep without trouble. I ran my fingers over top of his head and listened to his quiet murmurs. I could protect him all I wanted, but what would I do without a home? I could barely manage to feed us the last few days outside of wild berries.

I wasn't sure when I had managed to fall asleep, but when I awoke, the moon was high in the sky. My gaze moved down to Phillip and found he was still fast asleep and I smiled softly. However, as quickly as the smile formed, it fell into a frown as I looked up and found a small old man standing before me.

Trying not to awake him, I held Phillip closer to my chest. "Who are you?" I snapped, not sure if the man was a threat at all. His size certainly said he wasn't, but I knew better than to underestimate anyone in this world. "I don't want any trouble."

The man shook his head, smiling. "Neither do I. I was just passing by, is all." He held his hands behind his back. "It's dangerous to be out here at night, do you not have anywhere to go?"

I narrowed my eyes. "No, but that's none of your business. I'm just fine."

He hummed. "Are you?" He questioned, cocking his head to the side. "Those tears you've shed tell a different story."

My body tensed. He knew I had been crying, did it show in my face? Last time someone noticed my tears.. I had lost everything. "I don't cry."

"Really? Goodness then I'm a bit more concerned about the red stains on your face." The man chuckled, his grin shining towards me. "My name is Makarov, who are you child?"

Makarov? That name sounded familiar, I had heard it somewhere, but I couldn't place where. Maybe it was the tone of his voice, or his choice of words, but his presence began to lessen my anxious feelings. "I'm… Felicity.. Felicity Cheney."

"Well, Felicity, it would seem you're in the market for a new home." He stepped closer and held a hand out towards me. "I'm the guild master of Fairy Tail, a guild full of people who consider each other family. I would love to have you come and join us." When he noticed my hesitation to take his hand, he continued. "I don't know what led you to being out here tonight, but I promise you, where I'm taking you, you'll never be able to feel alone like this again."

I stared at his outstretched hand. Did I take his offer? Phillip still considered returning to Sabertooth an active idea, and would joining another guild this soon upset him? When I snuck a glance at my best friend, I knew he wouldn't be upset in the slightest. But.. was I ready?

My hand moved away from Phillip and slowly, I reached towards Makarov's hand. I looked at him once more. "Before I agree… I need to know that no one will know that I am at Fairy Tail. At least for now, no one outside of the guild can know I'm there."

The man's smile never even faltered at my statement, he didn't care in the slightest. "Your secret is safe with us as long as you want it to be."

At his words, a small smile formed on my lips. "Then I'm happy to come with you." Our hands conjoined and I knew we would be safe.

The days turned into weeks as Fairy Tail worked hard to build the guild back to its original glory. It certainly wasn't easy, but everyone was helping out in one way or another. I would've thought the war with Phantom would've left us broken, instead it brought us closer together.

Each morning, Phillip dragged me to the construction site to help out. I was quite reluctant, but there was no use in refusing. After my part in the war, I was worried my fellow guild members would think I was a part of their family. My thoughts were proven true each time I showed up to help. Guild members that had avoided talking to me in the past came forward to even simply just say hello. It was odd to say the least.

As we went into our second week of construction, I actually found myself conversing as well. It wasn't much, but I did engage more than I ever had before. It was something I would never admit, but I was enjoying myself quite a bit. It finally felt like I was a part of something. At the same time, I still couldn't help thinking that I was wrong in connecting with them.

"Everyone!" The elegant voice of Mirajane rang through the area. "We have the job board back up for anyone who needs to start taking jobs. We appreciate all the help you've given us, but we know you all have bills to pay."

I looked up from my work to make eye contact with Phillip. We both seemed to share the same thought. Rent was due next week and although we had enough money, we wouldn't have much left for food and other essentials. I stood up straight and brushed off my pants before heading over to the makeshift request board.

A few others gathered around us and it was clear a lot of us needed some extra money. This war really was draining our funds all around. Even as a guild, we were spending more on lumber in the last couple weeks than we had on alcohol in the last two months. Which was a small fortune to say the least.

"What are you thinking Phillip? Action filled or calm this time around?" I questioned, my eyes scanning the board.

"Well…" Phillip glanced over my shoulder. "I was actually wondering if someone else could come with us? And maybe they could pick?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Someone else? Phillip, you know I can't do that. It's already a miracle I've been conversing around here lately. Just pick one out so we can get going."

The cat pouted and turned back to the board, eyes scanning the requests. Maybe one day soon I could adhere to his desire to bring others with us, but I wasn't quite comfortable with that yet. I knew he understood, but I still felt a bit guilty.

Before Phillip could pick out a job, I felt a hand clap against my shoulder. I tensed up and moved to smack the person, but they spoke up to stop me before I could. "Hey, princess, what job are we taking?"

I took in a breath to keep myself calm. "Hayden, you'd be wise to remove your hand before you lose it."

"Oh, feisty today." Hayden chuckled and let his hand return to his side. "Phillip! My main man!" He reached over and gave my mint friend a high five which he happily returned.

Main man? I questioned, glaring at the redhead with distaste. Both him and Phillip had been spending more and more time together and although I wasn't going to put a stop to it, I didn't have to be happy about it.

"You should come with us on whatever job we take." Phillip spoke to Hayden, his statement grabbing my attention. "Then we can take a bigger paying one."

"Phillip.." I stated lowly as a warning. "We'll be just fine on our own."

Hayden seemed to ignore my statement. "I'm game! Let's see…" He trailed off, looking at the board. As he did so, I shot Phillip a glare, only to have the cat shrug his shoulders. "This one!" Hayden pulled a request off the board that was asking for us to take out a group of bandits not far from Hargeon. A simple enough job that seemed to have a big pay out.

"Perfect, let's go tell Mira!" Phillip announced and went to fly away only to have me grab the back of his shirt and stop him.

"Hold on, I'm not going anywhere with him so stop trying to pull a fast one on me." I glared over at Hayden. "I don't know what you two thought you were going to do here, but Phillip and I are going alone."

Hayden groaned. "Come on, Cece, I don't care if you don't want to come, but I would really like to go on a job with Phillip here." He gestured towards my friend, who was nodding his head. "So how about this. You stay here and sulk around and Phillip and I will go by ourselves."

I frowned. Who did he think he was?! I never went anywhere without Phillip and it was the same vise versa. He had to be joking. However, when I looked at my best friend, I saw that he was excited by the idea. He wanted to go on with the job, even if I wasn't there.

"Fine, go. See if I care." I growled, letting go of Phillip to allow him to fly freely. "Then you're paying rent this month Phillip."

Phillip's face lit up despite my clear disdain towards the situation. "Thank you Cece! This means so much to me!" He reached over and plucked the request from Hayden's hands and went flying towards Mira to let her know they would be taking the job.

Hayden stayed standing next to me, a smile on his face. Though, when he spoke, his words were painted with disappointment. "You know, there's nothing wrong with making some friends. I don't know what makes you push others away, but some of us really are just here to help you." Before I could respond to him, he followed after Phillip without another word.

A low growl escaped my lips. He was crossing a line he didn't want to cross. Even if part of me wanted to know he was right, I still had protecting those I loved on my mind. He couldn't even begin to understand that and he needed to stop acting like he did.

I turned on my heel to leave the area only to come face to face with Master Makarov. I stumbled backwards, taken off guard by his presence. "M-Master, I didn't realize you were there."

The small man smiled. "Being small has its advantages." He shuffled through his pocket and pulled out a letter. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your brother is on the move."

He handed me the letter and I gave it a quick scan. Ever since I had joined Fairy Tail, Makarov had promised that my presence here would be a secret. He had kept his word for years despite him wanting me to confront my demons. That being said, whenever Rogue went out on a job, an informant from near the Sabertooth guild would send word of where he was going. Usually, Makarov would handle the logistics, however, this time was different.

"He's.. Coming to Magnolia." I clutched the letter in my hands, my heart beginning to race. Not once over the years had Rogue come here. I was honestly surprised he hadn't. A couple years after I left Saber, I had been informed that my brother had been searching for me, going from guild to guild trying to find which one I had joined, if I had joined one at all. Seeing as this was Fairy Tail's domain, there was no way he was here for a job. He was looking for me.

Makarov nodded. "It would seem so." He clutched his hands behind his back with a frown. "You know how I feel about the situation, but if you would like to leave town for the next few days, I will make sure no one here gives out any information."

My eyes closed as I processed the information. This wasn't the time to see him, I would need to leave. But the best option for that was getting ready to leave already, and it wasn't an option I was very fond of.

The guild master reached over and patted my leg. "Go with them, child. It certainly can't hurt." It always astounded me how much the old man seemed to understand how I was feeling. "And if you go, you'll have to split the jewels three ways, more for you and Phillip!"

I deadpanned. Smart old man… I reached over and handed him the letter to keep. "Fine. Thank you.. I appreciate all you've been doing for me." I glanced around the guild, surveying who was there to try and calculate who would be the most likely to spill my secret. When my eyes landed on a certain pink haired pyro, I looked back to Makarov. "Hey Gramps… Can you make sure Natsu isn't anywhere near here?"

A roll of laughter came from the old man. "I'll see what I can do." Another thing I was thankful for, Makarov was well versed in his children. He completely understood that if anyone were to obliviously tell Rogue I was here, it was Natsu.

"Much appreciated." I sent him a soft smile before holding a hand up. "I'll be back in a few days. Send word if Rogue isn't gone by then." When he nodded in agreement, I made my way over to the bar where Phillip and Hayden were still chatting.

At my appearance, Hayden raised an eyebrow. "What? Coming over to kick us out, Princess. I promise, we're almost done-"

"I'm coming with you."

At my statement, their eyes widened. This was out of left field for them. Even Mira, who was standing behind the bar, seemed taken aback. Not once in my time in Fairy Tail had I gone on a job with anyone other than Phillip. That wouldn't be changing, but I was desperate. And I'd be damned if I went on a job without Phillip by my side. Sadly, that just meant Hayden had to tag along.

"You're joking." Hayden commented, leaning against the bar in shock. "You? On a job? In my presence?"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't question it. I don't trust you to protect Phillip and since this is so important to him.. We all can go."

Phillip was overjoyed as he flew over and hugged my arm. "Thank you so much, Cece! I promise, I'll still pay the rent and even buy you a nice meal! You're the best!"

My hand patted him on the back. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get used to it." As I finished speaking, Mira had stamped our job request as approved and handed it back. I took it in my hand and nodded towards the white haired model. "Thank you, we'll be off."

She smiled proudly at me. "I hope you have fun. Tell me all about it when you guys get back!"

"Yeah.. I will." I muttered, trotting off towards the exit that was still a gaping hole in the wall. I gestured for the boys to follow me. "Come on, we don't have all day."

"Aye sir!" The two of them ran to catch up with me, both of them displaying dopy grins on their faces.

All I had to do was get through this trip and I could go back to how things were. Just a few days of the unwanted company. I could handle that much. I just had to keep a level head.