A/N: Amidst work and other things going on, I managed to get this chapter up! Hope you guys enjoy!

Anyways, enjoy the update!


Lucy's POV

Time had stopped. My heart was pounding out of my chest as I stared into Natsu's level gaze, unsure of what to say. What could I say?

"Lucy?" Natsu asked.

I stood in silence. Every fiber of my being was telling me to run. Surely Natsu was going to do something? Even though we were friends, he was still a criminal, and I was still a cop. Listening to my instincts, I turned heels and took off in the opposite direction, a few tears streaming down my face. I was so overcome with emotion; I was already upset from the funeral and Natsu's revelation had set me over the edge.

"Lucy! Come back!" I panicked as I heard Natsu's voice behind me, followed by footsteps. I kept running, not daring to look back. But fate had other plans as my foot got snagged on a stray tree root and I went toppling to the ground.

"Are you alright?" Natsu appeared next to me.

"So, now that you know my secret, are you going to kill me?" I asked, my voice shaking as I looked up at Natsu.

"Just get up," Natsu reached out his hand. I reluctantly took it as he helped me off the ground.

"No Lucy, I'm not going to kill you. I'm not very pleased that you lied to me, but I also realize that you could've arrested me at any point in time so," Natsu said. I stayed silent, just wanting to let Natsu speak.

"When you befriended me, I realized that you were trying to get me to redeem myself, and I could tell that your friendship was genuine, and at this point, I couldn't even bring myself to hurt you, let alone kill you," Natsu explained. I breathed a sigh of relief as I sensed the truth in his words.

"I'm sorry, I never meant for it to get to this point. At first, I took the case to get a promotion at work. I had just expected you to be another shady drug lord without a single care in the world, but I assumed incorrectly," I said, looking to the side as I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"You turned out to be a decent guy with a hard life, and I knew that arresting you would only make it worse. So I figured that if I could befriend you and convince you turn yourself in, then I could work with some lawyer friends of mine to shorten your sentence," I continued my explanation. I could feel Natsu's gaze on me, but I still couldn't meet it.

"I was going to tell you, but you beat me to it," I sighed as I finished explaining. Natsu didn't respond, probably pondering what I had just told him. But I was surprised when I was met with Natsu pulling me in to his embrace.

"Even if all this started as a ploy, you have still been a truer friend to me than most," Natsu whispered into my ear. I smiled a small smile as I wrapped my arms around him, returning his embrace with equal emotion.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, letting go of him. He pondered this question for a moment.

"We just keep going as normal. I won't tell any of the guys who you are, and we can keep working on a plan to turn myself in," Natsu said. My eyes widened at the last words of his sentence.

"You really want to turn yourself in?" I asked.

"I meant what I said, that a life of crime is not what I wanted. If you really think that you can help me become a better man, then I trust you," Natsu said, smiling softly at me. There it was again. That tension I felt between us. I thought back to my conversation with Levy, the one we had on the way to the funeral. She told me that I possibly liked Natsu and I was too afraid to admit it. I honestly didn't know. We hadn't known each other very long, but I couldn't deny this pull that was between us. Clearly he felt it too; he had kissed me that night.

"Are you alright?" Natsu's voice broke me from my thoughts.

"Huh?" I looked at him, confused.

"You were staring at me quite intently," Natsu grinned a bit. I felt my cheeks heat a bit. He really was handsome, and his smile was honestly kind of cute.

"I was just thinking of everything that's been happening," I said. I couldn't deal with a feelings talk right now, so best to not let Natsu know that I was pondering the idea of possibly liking him.

"We should get back to Acalypha," Natsu said. I nodded as I began following him back to his car. I told Levy that I was riding back with Natsu, apologizing for making her wait for me. She understood, wishing me well before driving off.

"Ready?" Natsu walked over to me. I nodded, preparing myself for the most awkward car ride of my life. Despite his kindness, I felt a tense feeling between us, like something had changed. Would this revelation change our entire dynamic? Natsu said it wouldn't but I felt differently. I felt like the storm had just broke, and all hell was going to break loose.

Natsu eventually dropped me off back at my apartment. I stood at the staircase as I watched his van drive away, my head spinning with thoughts of today's events. I unlocked the door and walked inside, tossing my purse to the corner of the entryway.

"I meant what I said; a life of crime is never one that I wanted. We will find a way to turn myself in,"

A single tear rolled down my cheek as Natsu's words rang in my ears. It wasn't really what Natsu said that was upsetting me, but more so the message that was behind his words. It was the one main reason that I partially disliked my job. Sure, some criminals were just terrible people who did terrible things. But some of them, much like Natsu, came from horrible lives and did what they thought was best in a bad situation. Some of them have been abuse victims, or they have real mental problems that require some much needed love and care. And when it comes to someone like Natsu, someone who needs out of a life he never wanted, it just breaks my heart sometimes when I have to put them away. Don't get me wrong, I'm not just dismissing his crimes. Every action has necessary consequences, but I also know that trauma, pain, grief or loss can drive a good person to do terrible things.

"Am I just way in over my head?" I groaned as I flopped on the couch, covering my face with my hands.

Sometimes this life just became too much. I loved my job for the most part, but some days I imagine what my life would be like if I had chosen a different path in life. I had sabotaged myself. I thought that getting close to Natsu would help convince him to turn himself in, but now, I cared too much about him to be responsible for his actions that would involve affecting his future. Whether it was a good idea or not, Natsu was now one of my good friends; we had only known each other for a few months, but I had grown fond of him. I chalked up my earlier thoughts on my feelings as nothing more than my grief projecting itself into a somewhat romantic attachment to Natsu. I was almost certain that my feelings for Natsu were nothing more than that of close friends, but that didn't change the fact that I couldn't put him away.

Sighing to myself, I turned to look at a picture of my father that I had on the nightstand. I grabbed the picture as a few more tears strolled down my face.

"I know you wouldn't approve of this next decision I'm going to make, but I'm just lost, Dad. I'm sorry," I cried out as I held the photo close to my chest.

I let myself grieve for a few moments before I set the photo down and wiped the tears from my cheeks. Reaching in my pocket, I grabbed my phone. I scrolled through my contacts until I found Laxus' number. I hit the call button and waited for his answer.

"Hello sir, I need to speak to you about something,"


Natsu's POV

"How was the trip?" Gajeel asked as I walked into the warehouse.

"Sad," I said, not really in the mood to talk. Gajeel clearly picked up on this as he nodded before walking away.

My head was reeling with the force of the emotions that had struck today. The secrets were out, Lucy now knew that I was aware of her true identity, and I honestly couldn't lie when I say that it kind of hurt when I saw her be scared of me. While it is true that I had planned on disposing of her at one point in time, I knew now that I could never hurt her. She had become a permanent piece of my life. She was trying to help me change for the better, something few people had the patience or love to try and accomplish. She was able to see the light in the darkness, something that I had struggled to see myself. I could never repay her for that.

"I need a drink," I said to myself as I entered my office. I walked over to the fridge and grabbed the bottle of whiskey I had. I ripped the top off and just began chugging. I needed to make a change. I couldn't just sit and watch as Lucy did all the work to try and fix my broken life. I had contemplated my options on the ride back home, and I now knew what I had to do. The guys weren't going to approve of this decision, but I didn't care anymore. The guys needed a better life than this too, and it was time that things finally started looking up.

"Sting!" I shouted the blonde's name, waiting for him to arrive as I set the whiskey bottle on my desk.

"You called, boss?" The blonde appeared in the doorway.

"Gather the crew, I have some news," I ordered, walking around my desk to sit in my chair. Sting nodded as he disappeared to round up the gang.

A few minutes passed before the crew entered my office, a mixture of expressions on their faces. I rarely had meetings, and they never spelled good news, and this time was no different.

"So, some of you may not approve of this decision, but I've made up my mind," I began to speak, rising from my chair.

"I've been taking a long look at my life, and I've been reassessing my idea of a better future. Gray, Sting and Gajeel know that a life of crime is never what I wanted, but most of you don't know a lot about my pained past," I scanned the room as I spoke, unnerved when I saw the expressions unchanged.

"I won't go into too many details, but I fell in to crime because it was what I was good at. I failed a lot of things in life, but crime was something I seemed to get right. But this isn't a life. This is a life sentence. I sold my soul to become what I am today, and it is someone I am not proud of," I began to see the looks of realization appear on my crew's faces as I continued.

"I want to be able to enjoy my life without constantly looking over my shoulder. I don't want to hide in the shadows anymore. So I've decided that I'm shutting down the operation," I finished speaking. I heard a couple gasps and murmurs move around the room.

"I know this means a loss of income for most of you and I am sorry for that. I can't stop you from continuing individually, but just know that I am out. I want this warehouse cleared out and any evidence of our presence destroyed," I looked at Gray and Gajeel in particular. They both nodded as the crew began to exit the office. I walked back behind my desk and unlocked the bottom drawer, pulling out the lockbox that I had. I opened it and grabbed every bit of cash that I had stored. It was only a couple thousand, but I was going to need it now that I was essentially jobless and homeless.

"Time for a fresh start," I said as I took one last look around the office before walking out of the warehouse.

"Take the van, go find your fresh start too, man," I walked over to Gajeel and handed him the keys.

I exited the warehouse without waiting for a response. I walked down the alley out to the main road. I kept walking, unsure of my destination as my feet dragged along the sidewalk. I continued through downtown, ignoring the rain that had began to pour from the sky. I kept walking as I reached a familiar neighborhood, a certain apartment complex in my view through the pouring rain. My feet had taken me to Lucy's, and I knew they had made the right decision. I was craving her presence right now. I continued through the heavy rain as I got to the stairs to her apartment complex. I climbed the stairs as I walked to her door, knocking heavily a few times.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?" I instantly felt a wave of relief wash over me as she opened the door.

Without even speaking, I pulled her into my embrace, pushing my face into her shoulder. She hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arms around me, her face pressed into my chest. A few tears fell from my eyes, soaking in to her shirt. We stood there in silence, holding each other, thoughts racing through both of her minds. Eventually I let go of her, wiping the wet hair away from my eyes.

"Sorry I got ya' all wet," I chuckled softly.

"It's alright. Come in," She stepped aside, allowing me to enter. I smiled softly as I walked inside.

"Do you have a towel I can use?" I asked. Lucy nodded as she disappeared in to the hall for a moment.

"Thanks," I said as she returned with a towel. I wiped it over my wet hair, before draping it over my wet shirt.

"So, there's something I have to tell you," Lucy broke the silence.

"I have to tell you something too," I replied. She nodded as she led me over to the couch. I couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, admiring the fact that even in a pair of simple sweats and white tee that she was still beautiful. I didn't even bother to stop the thought from crossing my mind this time.

"Go ahead and go first," I said, sitting down next to her. She took a deep breath before locking her eyes with mine.

"I just got home and couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I don't want to be responsible for ruining your life when you turn yourself in," She began to speak. My heart fluttered a bit. Even amongst all her grief and sadness, she was torturing herself over me. No one had ever bothered to put me first. I stayed silent as she continued.

"Don't judge me for this or try to talk me out of this because the deed has already been done. But I gave up my job as a cop," My eyes widened as I stared back at her. This girl, this girl that I had only known for a couple months had just quit her job for me. She had given up her career because she was worried about ruining my future. Nobody had ever given this much of a shit about me. This girl was honestly so fucking amazing, and I really didn't deserve it.

"I know it may seem stupid and I-," I cut Lucy off mid sentence as I quickly pressed my lips against hers. I didn't know what to do or how to feel, but I knew that no one had ever gone this far for me. I kissed her with every ounce of emotion that I could muster. It took a few moments before she kissed me back. The kiss quickly became more erratic as we both gave in to the heavy emotions inside of us. I pulled her closer against me as she was now lying on top of me. I slid my tongue between her lips, eliciting a slight moan from the blonde as my tongue explored her mouth. I couldn't explain what I was doing. I just needed her.

I kissed her for a few more moments before removing my lips from hers. I quickly moved my lips to her neck and began kissing down the soft skin as I tugged at the bottom of her shirt. She moaned softly as her hands clutched my sides. I felt her hands explore the muscles on my chest as I sucked on the soft skin of her neck. I felt her begin to unbutton my shirt as I moved my lips back to hers. I kissed her fiercely, a jolt of electricity shooting through me as her soft, rosy lips moved against mine. I then felt a wave of confusion as she seemed to stop.

"Natsu… We can't… Not right now," Lucy spoke between her fevered kissing. I stopped tugging at her shirt, pulling my lips away as I looked up at her. I knew she was right. We were both giving in to emotions, and this wasn't the right time. We both needed to figure out our lives first. And I didn't want to make her do anything while we were only friends.

"Sorry, I just can't believe that you did something like that for me," I said, sitting up as she got off of me. She blushed slightly as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"But what will you do about money?" I asked. I began to reach for my wallet in my jeans, prepared to give her everything I had for the sacrifice she had made.

"Actually, I looked through some of the documents and it turns out I get a couple hundred thousand in inheritance, so I can use that to live on until I find other employment," I relaxed my hand as she explained her situation.

"But what did you need to tell me?" Lucy asked, looking at me with a gaze of slight concern.

"Well, I sort of shut down my operation today," Lucy's mouth dropped, her eyes watering slightly.

"I thought about everything I was telling you, and I knew that I couldn't just let you do all the work to help fix my broken life. So I decided to make a real change," I smiled softly at her, feeling a little proud of myself for taking my first step.

"What about your home? What about your income?" Lucy asked, her eyes filled with even more concern. She was honestly too cute when she worried about me.

"Don't worry. I can lay low at some motel out of town or crash with one of the guys," I said, shrugging a bit.

"That's still hiding away though," Lucy replied. I sighed a bit, knowing she was right.

"You could uh… always stay with me?" My eyes flicked over to Lucy as she spoke. First this girl gives up her job for me, and now she is offering me her home. What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as her in my life?

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, I mean you need a home and we're friends, aren't we?" She smiled warmly at me. My heart fluttered again as she smiled at me. Genuine kindness was still an emotion I was unused to, and it filled me with an all too fleeting warm feeling.

"Well if you're sure, then I accept. I will make sure to pay my share and do my share of the cooking at stuff. I can't exactly get a job as a wanted criminal, but maybe I can do odd jobs around the city like mow lawns or something for extra cash," I said, moving a bit closer to her.

I was fighting every urge inside me to kiss her again. I mean, this girl, who had walked into my warehouse with the utmost hatred for me when we first met, was now offering me a better future. I needed to find some way to repay her. And I knew just what I could do for her.

"Well, welcome to your new home then," Lucy chuckled slightly.

"Thank you so much, truly. But I've got run somewhere really quick. Be back soon, yeah?" I said, standing up from the couch. Lucy nodded as I walked away, and I headed out the door to go plan my surprise for Lucy.


Lucy's POV

It had been about twenty minutes since Natsu had left, and I could still feel the heavy air hang around me. I brushed my lips softly, still feeling his against mine. I couldn't lie that it took all my restraint to stop it. It was a release of emotion, one that I both knew we needed. But, I also knew that if we did anything now, whether we were friends or whatever, that it would get messy.

"Back already?" I said to myself as I heard a knock at the door. I opened it, prepared to see Natsu standing on the other side, but to my surprise, it was Lisanna.

"Lisanna?" I stared at her for a moment, bewildered.

"So this is your apartment. Good; for a moment I thought my associate gave me the wrong address," Lisanna said, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What do you need?" I asked, my voice wavering a bit. I didn't want Natsu to come back and see Lisanna here.

"Well I haven't heard from you since our last exchange. Just wanted to check and see how the operation was going," Lisanna glared at me slightly.

"There's been a bit of a complication, I'll call you later," I began to close the door, but Lisanna stopped it with her arm. She looked at me for a second, her nose twitching as a strange expression loomed on her face.

"That smell… that cologne… I recognize it," She said, sniffing for a moment. I gulped, keeping silent. I felt a bit nervous as I saw the dawn of realization flood her expression. That realization quickly turned to anger however.

"He's been here hasn't he?!" Lisanna shouted. I didn't know what to say. So I just stayed silent, looking at the floor.

"You like him, don't you!" Lisanna screamed even more. Her anger was quickly becoming more frantic.

"No it isn't l-" I was stopped mid sentence as Lisanna kept shouting.

"You're a damn fool, Lucy. Natsu destroyed my life and it's only a matter of time until he destroys yours. So good on you, let him break your heart. But mark my words, I will ruin him with or without your help," Lisanna said before she stormed off down the hall. I breathed a sigh of relief as she walked away. Now Lisanna was after Natsu, and it was all my fault. What a hole I had dug for myself.


A/N: Finally broke this out. Life has been a whirlwind. Some death, some other things. I cranked this chapter out as much as I could day by day. Thanks for being patient. Hope you enjoyed! Be back soon with the next one.