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

Author's Notes: Based on CoLu Week 2015, Prompt Family (Slight AR Lahar never died). And for the sake of this story (it pains me greatly as Lahar is one of my BAE's of FT) will be the obvious bad guy. So if you do not like that, I politely ask you to turn around andleave now because I don't see the point in you wasting your time and mine.


She was in love, yup, complete and utter love with the two-story, Brownstone house with a certain gothic flair to the design. This house was not the one that she had expected to be purchased for the situation as it was rather expensive on the housing market. And after all this (if it was still standing) it, would be all hers. Lucy had seen it while researching for her book and had asked to take a look at it. Love at first sight from the outside, and fell deeper at seeing the inside.

Giving a small sigh as she looked at the dark-stained pine privacy fence opened to a small, easily maintained yard with a vegetable garden in the back, several fruit trees on the side of the house. The walkway was cemented crushed rose quartz. Not hesitating as she kept herself from skipping down it, up the steps to the door. Lucy felt like a child as her mind conjured up the image of what the inside looked like.

How the polished walnut floors had gleamed in the small foyer before it shifted into the staircase to the second floor. Off to the right of the entrance was the dining room and kitchen, which had a beautiful, pale sandstone tiled floor. A floating counter separated the two rooms. And the tops of all the counters were sealed black granite. All the appliances were stainless steel and propane and natural gas run. Meaning the electric bill would be low... after the house was hers.

Shifting her focus as she spun, Lucy thought about how to the left of the foyer was a sunken living room in the same polished walnut flooring that leads to the backroom, which doubled up as both a mudroom and laundry room. With a door that led to the backyard. To her, it was utter perfection. A perfection she wasn't going to let her little minions ruin it at all. Nope, she would have Freed go through the house before she allowed them to move in and put up wards that would protect it.

"Alright, listen up," Lucy said loudly, drawing all attention to her. "We are going to look at this place, figure out how things will be set up and settled, who will room with whom. Then you will go with Erza to get your shit and come back, while I have Freed set up runes to protect the house from anything that could cause damage repairs or outright destroy it."

The look of affront on a few of the small, cherubic faces had her arching an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest. She waited until they all spoke up, saying they understood. With that, Lucy gave a small nod of her head, turned, and unlocked the front door. That excitement she felt earlier coming back twice as strong.


Cobra was amazed as he watched Lucy go from room to room, her soul ringing clear and loudly with her happiness. On the other hand, Freed was somber, calming, and haunting, almost like listening to Chopin's Nocturne. He was glad that the mini-brats were gone after doling out the rooms. The upstairs had a small bathroom for each of the four main rooms and a large one for the master. He was pleased he got his room and that Hisui had allotted a rather large budget to furnish the house, along with the monthly stipend to help with finances.

Then again, it had been amusing to hear Lucy state very clearly that Wendy got her room, as did she and himself. She stated that Sting and Rogue would share a room since they were already partnered for years and good friends (and because Lucy knew that Rogue would do his best [like always] to keep Sting from causing trouble). And that Laxus and Natsu would be roomed together (again for the same reason), leaving Gajeel to choose which room he wanted to bunk in. The fact that Gajeel had chosen to bunk with Sting and Rogue had made Natsu openly pout.

Now though, he watched as Freed was inscribing a complex set of rules that would ward against any elemental damage to the kitchen. Lucy was very precise because she wanted nothing to happen to this house, as he picked up on her giddiness and inner thoughts about this place when they arrived. Cobra was amazed at how evil she could be and that Freed was highly amused with it as well as she asked if he would set runes on the fridge, freezers, and all cabinets to sound a loud (borderline subsonic) screech if anyone but her or Cobra opened them.

Cobra had talked to her that morning at the Guild while waiting for Erza and Mirajane to herd the midgets about being able to poison them if they got too out of hand. The way she had stilled, her soul had gone utterly quiet (which was fucking creepy) as a dark, demonic smile curled her lips. But she had politely refused him after the sound came back to her soul, letting him know she was too much of a bleeding heart. Cobra had tried to explain a paralytic or hallucinogen wouldn't harm them. This had a few of the people in the Guild tensing up and imaging all kinds of shit that had him bursting out laughing. Only to laugh harder when they all realized he could hear them.

Determined to still bring her around to the idea of the two lesser of his Poisons, Cobra followed Lucy as she led Freed towards the living room to ward it next. Her soul sounded like the Electric Light Orchestra's version of Enter Sandman. An odd choice for a happy sound, but hey, he could deal.

TBC!

POST NOTES: Next story to be updated - Red String of Fate