A/N: Back at it again! Hope you guys enjoyed this update. Also, whoever the last person to review Chapter 6 was, can you send me a PM saying what your review was? It is the one review that I can not see. Anyways hope you enjoy!


Lucy's POV

So much had happened over the past two days that had my head spinning. First off, I had found out my father had been stricken with pancreatic cancer. Secondly, I had mistakenly gotten too drunk and Natsu of all people had taken care of me. Third, Natsu even insisted on accompanying me to visit my father with the intentions to learn his location to use his him as leverage but then changed his mind because of a painful past that he had poured out to me last night. I had been completely blindsided by Natsu's change of character.

"Really? He seems like a nice boy,"

My father's words rang in my ears. Was it possible that Natsu wasn't as twisted as I had originally believed? His file had made him out to be this cunning, ruthless, cold-blooded killer. But all I had really seen from him, aside from his everyday smugness and breaking into my apartment, was common decency.

"A life of crime is never what I wanted. I still don't want it. But it is the only thing I have ever been good at. And I've gone too far down this road to come back,"

Was Natsu really telling the truth? Had life dragged him down so far that he became someone he never wanted to be? Part of me wanted to believe him, that there was a good man buried underneath, but I also knew that it could be a trick. After all, I had only known Natsu for a few weeks now. But I did feel that his file may have been over exaggerated.

"Do you think Natsu could be a good guy?" I turned to look at Erza, who was busy polishing her work shoes. She looked up at me, a look of surprise on her face.

"What makes you ask that?" Erza sat the shoe down as she came to sit on the bed next to me.

"I've just been thinking about everything that happened. The random acts of kindness, the open dislike for his criminal life. What if he isn't as bad as his file says?" I said. Erza looked away, pondering my words for a moment.

"I suppose. But why does it matter to you all of a sudden?" Erza asked. I had actually anticipated this question; it was one that had begun to plague my mind after Natsu shared his past with me two days ago.

"Because, aside from a life of crime, he seems to just be a depressed and lonely man. What if all he needs is a fresh start and maybe a few friends?" I said. Despite my previous conversation with Natsu, I could sense that something between me and him had changed. I could tell we were on the road to a somewhat of a friendship, and denying it would just be pointless.

"Why would you want to be friends with that man?" Erza looked utterly repulsed. I couldn't blame her though.

"I know. He is a criminal and I am a cop. But Erza, you should have heard the story he told me. He clearly isn't happy with his life. Even my father called him a good man. Maybe instead of sending him to prison for life, I could try to help him. Maybe convince him to turn himself in and then work a little magic with the judge so he doesn't have to serve a long sentence. I mean, aren't you the one who used to tell me that everyone deserves a second chance?" I looked at Erza, remembering my first day as her partner.

"Anything else we need to go over today?" I asked as I handed Erza the rest of the case files.

"Nope, that is everything," She said, sliding the files into her bag. I waved goodbye as I began to walk away, but I was stopped by Erza's hand grabbing my arm.

"A word of advice; you're going to meet a lot of good people who have made mistakes, especially in this line of duty. Just remember that everyone deserves a second chance," Erza smiled at me as she headed for the exit. And from that moment on, those words would run through my head every time I had made an arrest.

"I don't know, Lucy. What if it is all an act?" Erza said.

"I had considered that option, but I believe he was sincere. No one could conceive a terrible story like that. And not to mention how he randomly took care of me and randomly hugged me. He wants help Erza, he is just too afraid that he is beyond it," I said. She stared at me for a moment before sighing.

"Does this have to do with the dream you had about him?" My eyes widened a bit. I had almost forgotten about that.

"You think I have feelings for Natsu?" I laughed at the thought. I had NEVER looked at Natsu in the romantic sense, and that dream had been nothing more than my brain's reaction to finding him attractive, for whatever disgusting reason. Erza eventually shook her head, probably coming to the same conclusion that I had.

"Look, I can't tell you what to do. Just be careful," Erza said, taking my hand in hers. I squeezed hers slightly as I nodded.

"I promise," I replied, giving her a small smile.

"So how are you going to begin this friendship?" Erza let go of my hand, gazing at me with a quizzical look in her eyes.

"I guess just work our way in to it? If it doesn't work and Natsu ends up really not wanting help, then I will stick with original plan," I said, figuring it was the best idea.

"Sounds reasonable. But are you sure you want to do this? You were really adamant about your dislike for him, and your desire to lock him away," Erza pointed out.

"Oh trust me, he is paying for his crimes either way. But don't forget, someone once did the same thing for me," I glanced over at Levy, who was busy reading a book with her headphones in. Few people knew this, but before I enrolled in the police academy, I was homeless and stealing just to provide for myself. When I had turned eighteen, my father told me that I needed to scrounge enough money together and find a place of my own. I was working as a waitress at some crappy diner at the time, with a horrible boss that underpaid all of his employees. Levy had also been working at this diner at the time, and one night, she had accidentally spilled a fresh pot of coffee on one of our most important regulars. When he complained to the manager about what had happened, I stood up and took the blame for Levy, since I knew she needed the job to help pay for college. The manager had quickly fired me that night. When I returned home, I explained to my father what had happened and how I wouldn't be able to save enough money to move out until I found a new job. Instead of supporting me, my father told me about how it was stupid to sacrifice my job for a fellow coworker. He took my phone, my computer and told me to pack up whatever clothes I could fit in to a bag and to get out. So that night, I packed up my belongings in the only suitcase I had and left my father's house. I wandered the streets for a few days before I discovered this women's shelter downtown. They were overcrowded at the time, but they agreed to let me stay for three weeks as long as I was actively looking for a job. I tried applying at different places, but no one wanted to hire a homeless girl that had been fired from her first job. So I stayed at the women's shelter, stealing from farmer's markets and random gas stations just to get a decent meal since the shelter mostly served slop. One night, as I was returning to the shelter from a gas station run, I came across Levy leaving the bookstore nearby. We began talking, and I told her about my current situation and what had happened after that night at the diner. She then offered to let me stay with her for a few weeks and would help me find a job. She said she wanted to do something for me since I helped her keep her job that night at the diner. So I moved in Levy and we began searching for possible career options. That is when we found the site for enrolling in the police academy. They offered a ton of career options in law enforcement, as well as normal schooling for people enrolling without degrees. After giving it some thought, I decided that I wanted to become a police officer so I could help people just like Levy had helped me. So I enrolled in the academy, and that is how I wound up here. I could never repay Levy for what she done for me, but maybe I could pass on her good will by helping Natsu.

"I suppose," Erza voiced her agreement. She went back to polishing her shoes. I sat up to put my shoes on, stretching as I did so. I guess if I was going to try to be friends with Natsu, I had to get things moving. Of course there was still the issue of him breaking in to my apartment and trying to have Erza killed, but that could all be handled later. No matter what happened, Natsu was going to pay for his crimes. But for how long completely depended on him. I grabbed my keys, saying a quick goodbye to Erza and Levy as I headed out the door. I took a deep breath as I walked to my car, nervous about how all this was going to play out.

"Here goes nothing," I said as I got in the car. Starting it up, I backed out of the parking lot and took off down the road towards the warehouse.


Natsu's POV

"Sir? Layla is here to see you," Sting poked his head in to my office. I looked up from the game I was playing on my phone, nodding for him to send her in. What did this girl want now?

"Hey," Lucy said as she entered my office. I was a little surprised when I noticed that her tone didn't contain any of its usual malice or dryness.

"Hey?" I set my phone down, leaning forward in my chair. She rubbed the back of her neck, pondering her words for a moment.

"Are you busy right now?" Lucy's gaze averted mine, like this question made her nervous. What was going on with her?

"Not particularly," I stood from my chair as I walked around to the other side of my desk. I leaned back against it, looking directly in her eyes. My confusion and surprise expanded as I noticed there was none of her usual repulsion on her face. What was happening? I was so confused right now.

"Did you maybe uh… want to go get some food?" Lucy looked down at the floor as she asked. My eyes widened a bit. Did this girl just ask me on a date?

"Like a date?" Lucy's head shot up, a look of surprise on her face.

"No! Just figured I could repay you for buying me food the other day" Lucy said, rubbing her arm a bit. I was even more confused now. Didn't this girl hate me? So why was she trying to hang out with me? Guess I better find out what her intentions are.

"Uh, sure," I said, grabbing my jacket from desk chair. Lucy nodded as she turned and began to walk out of the office. I shook my head, still confused by the whole deal. Nonetheless, I followed after her.

"What food places are near here?" Lucy asked as we began walking down the alley that led to the main road.

"There's this good Italian place on 9th street, about two blocks from here," I said, shoving my hands in my pockets.

"Works for me," Lucy said. We continued walking, neither one of us saying anything. A heavy air hung between us, but for once, it didn't contain the mutual feeling of dislike. Was I right when I thought that something between us had changed? After walking a few more minutes, we arrived at the restaurant.

"Two please," Lucy told the host as we stepped inside.

"Right this way," the host grabbed two menus and took us to a booth in the far corner.

"Your server will be right with you," he set the menus down in front of us before walking away. When Lucy shifted uncomfortably, I supposed that it was time to figure out what was going on.

"Why did you want to hang out with me tonight?" I asked, crossing my arms against my chest.

"I told you, I just wanted to repay you for buying me food that one day we visited my father," Lucy said. I wasn't buying it however.

"I know that isn't true. If this was just about paying me back, then you would have just given me some money later that day or something. But instead, you invited me to go out somewhere, meaning you wanted to spend time with me," I said, smiling to myself a bit. I was pretty damn smart. Well, for a drug dealer anyway.

"Fine. It's about-," Lucy stopped mid-sentence as our waitress approached our table.

"Welcome, my name is Violet and I will be your server tonight. What can I get you started with to drink?" she glanced at both of us.

"What beers do you have?" I asked.

"We have Budweiser, IPA and Blue Moon," I nodded as I considered it for a moment.

"I'll take a Blue Moon," I said. She nodded, turning to Lucy.

"What about you, dear?" Lucy considered it for a moment as well.

"Just a cup of coffee for me," Lucy said. The waitress smiled as she wrote our drinks down.

"Be right back with those," I nodded as the waitress hobbled off to get our drinks.

"So what were you saying?" I turned back to Lucy, meeting her brown eyes as our gazes locked. I had never really noticed, but she had really beautiful eyes. Wait. What did I just think?

"I was just thinking about the story you told me and about how you couldn't really make any friends. So I thought that maybe we…," Lucy cut off the end of her sentence as she rubbed her arm, visibly nervous.

"That maybe we could be friends?" I guessed. Did she really want to be friends with me? Had my story really affected her so much? I found it hard to believe. A cop wanting to befriend a criminal? But even I couldn't deny the strange change that had been occurring between us.

"I know we have our differences. But you took care of me when you didn't have to, you drove me three hours and back to visit my father and you trusted me with your past. So yes, I am willing to try if you are really serious about everything you said," Lucy said. I was about to respond until the waitress appeared with our drinks.

"Have you decided on something to eat?" I shook my head as I glanced at Lucy.

"I'll give you a few more minutes then," Lucy smiled at the waitress before she walked away.

"I thought you hated me," I said once the waitress was out of earshot.

"I did. But you've been mostly kind to me and I felt bad after hearing your story. I still think your personality has some rough edges, but maybe all you really needed was a friend," Lucy took a sip of her coffee as she glanced at me. I honestly didn't know what to think or feel right now. No one ever wanted to be friends with me. What should I say? For all I know, she could be tricking me so I would let my guard down and she could arrest me easily. But at the same time, she could be sincere. Should I just take a leap of faith? If worse came to worse, then I could always dispose of her like I originally intended.

"Sure, I guess," I said. She gave me a small smile as she continued to sip at her coffee. I began sipping at my beer, thinking about everything that was happening. I would be lying if I said that I didn't fully trust me. But, I couldn't deny that growing feeling of happiness inside me; someone actually wanted to be my friend. This whole experience was still new to me; I mean sure, Gray and Gajeel were my friends to an extent, but I never really did anything with them. The only real friend I had ever known was Lisanna. So perhaps Lucy was right. Perhaps all I needed was a friend to help guide me. But would Lucy prove to be that friend? Or would she betray me like everyone else in my life?


A/N: And that's a wrap. Now I know this may seem spontaneous, but I honestly had no idea to make Lucy and Natsu start being friends so they could eventually work their way to a relationship. I tried to justify it the best I could with Lucy's backstory. And I tried to make it seem rocky with Natsu still questioning his trust for her. So I hope that it didn't turn out horribly. Drop a review and let me know your thoughts! Thanks for reading and see you for the next one.