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

Author's Note: Flathead Lake inspired this story 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 story… Not my usual genre of writing. So if you do not like that, I politely ask you to turn around and leave now because I don't see the point in you wasting your time and mine.

Each breath came out in a heavy pant as she pushed herself to run faster down the trail. She needed to get to the lake; it was urgent. She had made a promise and needed to keep it. Lucy couldn't recall what promise, just the urgency of getting to the edge of the lake to keep it. Taking a deep breath through her nose and exhaling it through her clenched teeth, Lucy jumped over an upraised root with practice eased.

Already she could hear the faint sound of water lapping against the soft sandy shore. Allowing a smile to dance at the edges of her mouth, Lucy put on one last burst of speed, breaking the treeline. The brilliant light of the full, blue-moon caused her to flinch and squint as it glinted off the water's calm surface.

"You made it. I was worried you wouldn't be able."

The pounding of her heart from running changed by the wonderful deep timbre of the voice. A male voice. Spinning where she had come to a standstill, Lucy felt a calloused, cold hand cup her face as lips were pressed to her forehead. It made an odd calm spread over her person as her body relaxed, slumping against the taller body of this guy. Her mind was trying to figure out who this was because she hadn't heard this voice before. Nope, she remembers if she had. But yet, she did know this person. He was trusted and almost vital to her existence.

"My darling star, will you tell me what took you so long tonight?"

When the hand cupping her cheek slid until the fingers were under her chin and lifting it. Eager to see the face of this guy who was making her heartbeat out a staccato cadence in her chest.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Groaning as she rolled over, Lucy let her hand slip from under her blankets and fumble around until it found her small alarm clock and smacked the button to turn off the alarm. It was that same dream again; of course, there were subtle differences. The biggest was the guy that she knew yet knew she didn't know. And it was bothering her greatly because the sleep she was getting was less and less.

Lucy shifted to sit up with care, allowing her thick, fluffy blanket to fall from her body. Biting back a cry, Lucy looked down at her legs that were still under the blanket. They were cramping as if she had just run hard as she did in the dream. This was another thing that was bothering her because those dreams felt so fucking real.

Giving a small shake of her head, Lucy bent forward and grabbed her legs, and began to rub them briskly. She was not out of shape, so to speak. And in school, Lucy had been on the track and field team and a placer in the competitions. This, though, was just insanity. How and why was her body reacting like this after a dream? Wasn't that just not possible?

Then again, waking up from a dead sleep, standing before the attic door after dreaming about walking to it was disturbing. Once the cramp pains in her calves died down, Lucy swung her legs over the edge of the bed. The feel of the cold, polished wooden floor and suppressing a shudder. It was gradually getting colder outside now that summer was over. Shooting a glance at the alarm clock, Lucy knew she had to get up and ready to go; Juvia was coming over, and they were going to go jogging on the back trails of the property.

This had Lucy feeling a little better. It had been only seven weeks since she met the strange woman, but they had formed a fast and easy friendship. The Lockser Family had old ties to this place and had all sorts of information and documents that the City Hall didn't have. However, Lucy wasn't blind, either. She was an outsider, and the residents of the sleepy town had been a bit standoffish before, but now they stared when they thought she wasn't aware. Their faces looked worried or horrified as she became closer to Juvia.

The one time Lucy had brought it up, Juvia had looked confused and something else. She hadn't been sure if she saw something in the woman's eyes or not, so Lucy had written it off and not brought it back up. Still, it stuck with her, just like that gut feeling that had led her to actually hire a P.I. to follow her ex-husband and divorce him. Besides today Juvia was going to show her on the back trails where the late fall berry patches were so they could pick some and make freezer jam for the winter. Then go over some of the older journals and a copy of the original cabin architecture plans.

The soft laugh from Juvia as Lucy set a fresh cup of tea on the table before her guest. Tilting her head to the side in curiosity, Lucy didn't have to wait before Juvia patted the spot on the small two-seater next to her. Getting the message loud and clear, Lucy plopped herself down only to have Juvia put the journal in her lap. There, stuck to the yellowed paper, was a faded black and white stock photo of a young man covered in some thick goop that could be mud. Turning her gaze to the opposite page, she read the faded entry.

12th May 1891

Today we had help from a neighbor and his son cleaning up the horse stalls in the barn. Of course, it was amusing to watch the young man try to showboat for the two girls. My own daughter and our neighbors stayed with us while her parents had gone across the lake to sell off some of the homemade furniture.

It never ceases to amaze me that boys will never change no matter what year or century. Poor young G- got in over his head and had been chased by my husband's stallion he was still breaking in. And when screams of horror had brought me from my kitchen, I saw a young man standing there looking upset covered in horse shite. I grabbed the mini camera and set up while he glared dejectedly at my daughter and friend and took the candid shot.

This is one for the records. I wonder if these bumbling youngsters will figure out who likes who before things get rather awkward in the coming years. Both the girls are a year younger than him, yet they are all thick as thieves. I will have to query to see if a marriage match would be possible? I hope so. My daughter deserves to be happy.

U.F.

Lucy gave a soft chuckle of amusement at the passage. It was clear that the one writing was the mother of one of the two girls. And considering the date, it wasn't unheard of to do a marriage match. And that she wanted her own child's happiness first meant a lot to Lucy. Taking a quick peek at Juvia, she saw a faraway look on her friend's face. One that spoke of fond memories. Not wanting to intrude, Lucy decided to shut the journal and grabbed the sheaf of papers Juvia had said was the cabin's original design. Stating clearly that her ancestors had helped build the place from the foundation up.

It made her eager because the cabin had a root cellar that was still there, but no second floor or attic when it was originally built. Carefully pulling the papers from the oiled, hard-leather tube, Lucy felt her breath hitch in her throat. The excitement was beginning to build in the pit of her stomach. This was something she wanted to know, to figure out what changes had been made to the beautiful cabin she now called home.

TBC!

NEXT STORY TO UPDATE is Midnight Love Song