Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters; that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Author's Note: This story was inspired by Flathead Lake in Montana. I was on Vacation, visiting my family, and drove around the Lake and BAM, right out of nowhere this story hits me hard. And please bear with me, it is my first attempt at a mystery like story… Not my normal Genre of writing. So if you do not like that, I politely ask you toturn around and leave now. Because I don't see the point in you wasting your time and mine.

Lucy stepped out onto the front porch of her new home, hands wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. She felt at peace, calm for the first time in her life. It amazed her that Lucy could feel like that with all that had happened in her short time on Earth. Smiling as she watched the eastern sky start to brighten, changing from the deep indigo of night into the brilliant hues of gold, orange, and red as the sun rose. As the light crept across the sky and horizon, she enjoyed how the lake seemed to glitter like a dark jewel with the coming of day.

Lucy smiled as she recalled something she read once in an old book her mother had. One of her ancestors had been a great writer. Their use of descriptive words, the way they worded what they wrote, was like epic prose. And this place she hoped was more than just a new start for her, but to help get her inspiration back to continue to write her light novels. Lucy felt as if this place had some mystical quality to it that she noticed as she had reached the cabin last night after dark.

Ul Milkovich had been waiting for her on the front porch as she pulled up and turned her old beat-up chevy off. And Lucy had been happy that Ul was as nice as she had been through their correspondence with each other. Immediately hugging Lucy and then leading her into the cabin. From there, the small chat had been made before Lucy got a short impromptu tour of the first floor of the place. Only making her fall more in love with it.

Lucy was amazed at just how big it really was and only had to pay ten thousand for it was indeed a gift, yet somehow she wondered where the strings attached to such a good deal would come creeping up to bite her in the ass. Sighing as she took a sip of her coffee, Lucy tried not to let her mind go down that dark path of being suspicious and skeptical of good fortune. Her life hadn't been a giant ray of sunshine, but it hadn't been bad, either.

The sound of an engine drew Lucy from her thoughts as she looked to the long winding driveway. Recalling that Ul had told her that the people who did the maintenance to the land and cabin would be up this morning. Said that it was a father and son, who had ties to the family who had initially owned the cabin. When the Ford Explorer pulled up and turned off, Lucy watched as a tall, dark-haired man with a distinctive scar on the left side of his face out and smiled at her. Lucy figured this was Silver Fullbuster.

Shifting her gaze to the other side of the vehicle as the second person stepped out. Lucy couldn't help but pause as she met the dark blue eyes of the young man, who just stared back at her in shock. Feeling a bit uncomfortable as he frowned at her after getting over his shock, Lucy gave a small smile and waved at them to join her.

"Oi, Gray, I get she is beautiful. But it is rude to stare and frown," Silver snapped. "Now quit acting like a flummoxed idiot and come meet the new owner."

Unable to help it, Lucy let herself chuckle at the man's antics. As she looked at him, she could tell that he had done it to break the tension that had been building.

"Yeah, yeah," Gray muttered.

Lucy watched as they made their way towards her. Silver pointing out areas that needed to be touched up after the last rainstorm that has blown through. As she listened and watched, she couldn't help but feel like this was all nostalgic. How or why she had not a clue. But Ul said the two were friendly people and hard workers in her employ. Which, for Lucy, was a good thing because she had no clue how to fix things like plumbing, electrical wires. Though she was good at gardening.

"Hi!" Silver said, thrusting his hand out. "I am Silver Fullbuster, and this idiot is my son Gray. Nice to meet you, Miss Heartfilia-Dragneel."

As she took his hand, Lucy shook her head as she greeted him back. "It is just Lucy. And I got the finalization papers before coming here; my last name is only Heartfilia."

The mild surprise that appeared on both of their faces had Lucy filing it away to ask about later — turning her attention to Gray as she held her hand out.

"It is nice to meet the both of you. Ul said you were a family friend of the original family that owned this place and helped around," Lucy said.

Gray just stared at her hand for a few (very long) seconds before he took it and gave it a quick shake. Used to this type of treatment thanks to growing up with her adopted grandfather and being around business people, Lucy tried not to feel hurt.

"Sure, nice to meet you, too," Gray mumbled.

Giving a small shake of her hand as she turned and headed back into the cabin. Figuring they'd follow her as they had a lot to talk about. She needed to know how much to budget for potential repairs, as well as pay them for their services rendered. Besides, she had manners that her parents taught her. Even if they were to work for her, she'd show them courtesy of coffee and the fresh croissants that Ul had left her the night before.

There were no words that could express her shock as she sat there, staring at all the paperwork on the coffee table. Her meeting with Silver and Gray had gone all day as they explored outside the cabin. Where she got a crash course on the two acres of land that now belonged to her, the wildlife (flora and fauna), and then the inside of the cabin. The history of the place had been touched upon but not explained, and Lucy got the feeling that there was more to this place than she had been told.

Sighing as she picked up the stack nearest her and went through it. Glad that she had held Grandpa Makarov do his finances for the company the last few years he had owned it, then helped Laxus after he took over. The cabin came with a hell of a trust fund that she didn't want to touch. It covered the cost of the people employed, as well as any damages that are incurred through the weather and age. And that the product that was found around the damn cabin was sold at an excellent price to not just the merchants in the town, but also the surrounding towns and cities.

Putting the papers next to her on the sofa, Lucy let her head fall back and stared at the fourteen-foot vaulted ceiling, knowing that there was another whole floor above and then and attic above that. She now had the keyring to open all the doors in the cabin when she felt ready. A part of her wanted to stay up into the wee hours of the morning and explore, but the rational, logical part won out and said she should finish her task, get something to eat and crash after a hot shower.

Her body agreed with that idea as the throbbing in her feet, calves, and thighs. It had been almost a decade since she had done that much physical activity. Not since her senior year of high school, and she had just turned twenty-eight. Smiling at the thought of her teen years, Lucy picked up that stack of papers, she just discarded and began to go through it. Sorting it into three piles or not important, important, and unsure at this time. Knowing that tomorrow she'd have to check in with Laxus or he'd show up on her doorstep to make sure nothing had happened to her.

Lucy didn't notice how that strange nostalgic feeling from earlier crept back upon her, leaving her calm and comfortable as she continues to work.

TBC!