A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed/favorited/followed. I'll do my best to live up to expectations!


When they finally arrived breathless in Magnolia, it was nearly morning. Dawn peeked over the horizon, coloring everything in pale shades of blue.

"Welcome to Magnolia," Natsu said, gesturing grandly to the town before them even as he struggled to catch his breath.

Lucy grinned. "Is this where the troublemakers live?" she asked, likely thinking of the officials' earlier conversation.

"Wait," Natsu said. "Do you know about Fairy Tail?"

She shook her head.

Natsu was suddenly very nervous. "Aw, man. They're gonna kill me for bringing you here."

"Who is?"

"Look, it's just a refuge for scumbag good-for-nothings like me. So don't go around beating people up, okay?"

"If you keep quiet about my identity, I agree."

"You mean that you're the—"

"Yes. Please. You saved me back there, and now you're offering me shelter. I can't just refuse it, given the situation we're in. In return, I'll just be an ordinary mage for a little while. Deal?"

"Got it. Deal," Natsu said. They shook on it. "Ah, here it is," he said. The Fairy Tail Tavern was sandwiched between a bunch of other buildings, towering over them at several stories high. Most taverns weren't so large, let alone several stories, but Fairy Tail was a little special.

Natsu pushed through the doors. The familiar musty scent of alcohol and aging wood greeted Natsu as he breathed in the Fairy Tail air for the first time in a while. Nobody was in the main room, so he had Lucy sit down at the bar and hopped behind the counter.

"Want anything?" he asked, getting out some glasses.

"Just water, please."

Natsu grinned. "Aw, come on. It's on the house."

Lucy shook her head. "Really, I'm just thirsty. Water is fine."

Natsu began filling the glasses with ice. "Eh, I guess it's for the best. I'm not much of a barkeep; mixing drinks is Mira's job."

"And just what do you think you're doing?" They turned to see a woman in the doorway wearing only a black bra and shorts. Her hair was in a ponytail, but she pulled out the hairtie to let the silky brown curls cascade onto her shoulders. Natsu saw Lucy tense.

"I brought a guest," he said quickly before Cana could get hostile. The last thing he needed was for Lucy to feel threatened and go all Celestial Spirit on them.

"You've never come back with a girl before," Cana noted, sauntering over.

"Did you even sleep last night, Cana?" Natsu said, observing the beer mug in her hand.

"Nah, who's got time for that?" Cana said. "I can sleep when I'm dead." More like she'd sleep when the sun came up. "Anyway, who's the girl?"

"My name is Lucy," Lucy said, suddenly looking very shy.

"I'll have you know that we run a respectable establishment," Cana slurred. "A respectable. Establishment."

"I don't doubt that," Lucy said quickly, looking a little bewildered.

Cana swirled her mug. "I can see it in your face. It's in your eyes. You're from a well-to-do family, am I right? Miss Celestial Spirit."

Lucy started for a moment, but quickly recovered her composure. "Celestial mage, actually," she muttered.

Cana grinned widely. "That ain't what they call you."

"I'm just a normal mage."

"I'm not sure what you do counts as 'normal.' Lucy, was it?"

"Yes, please."

"Lucy…?"

"Just Lucy."

"How could you tell she was the Celestial Spirit?" Natsu said. Lucy had wanted to keep that a secret, but if it was that obvious, that deal they made might become worthless.

Cana shrugged. "Hard not to notice."

Natsu knew what she was talking about. When Lucy had first appeared before him last night, he had known right away who she was. Even without the wolf, he would've known. There was just something about her.

Speaking of that wolf… "Hey, what happened to your animal?" Natsu said.

Lucy looked up. "Plue?" She jangled her keys. "He's a celestial spirit, too. I sent him back for the time being."

"Oh yeah, where's Happy?" Cana said.

"Had to leave him behind. There were circumstances." He glanced at Lucy, the reason he had to suddenly run in the first place. Happy would have noticed Natsu's absence by now. Natsu was already planning to stop by Fairy Tail while he as in the area, so Happy would know to look for him here.

"Who's Happy?" Lucy asked.

"Natsu's cat."

"My friend," Natsu corrected.

Cana snorted. "I still can't believe your best friend is a cat."

"Happy's not just a cat," Natsu insisted.

"Whatever you say, idiot."

"I don't want to hear that coming from a drunk."

"At least I'm a drunk who runs a tavern. What do you do exactly?"

"I survive," Natsu said, clenching his jaw. "Not everyone's lucky enough to have a job."

"Half of Fairy Tail ain't got a regular job, but you're the only vagabond. Why don't you try calling this place home sometime, eh, Natsu?"

"Not until I find Igneel."

"Whatever. Oh, and you should know that Erza's coming back today."

Natsu shivered. There was nothing he feared more in this world than Erza Scarlet.

"So, Lucy, what brings you here with Natsu?"

They looked at each other. Natsu shrugged. Lucy turned back to Cana.

"There were some circumstances."

Cana clicked her tongue. "So it's a secret for now, eh? Well, regardless, there's nowhere for you to stay here. I mean, I'd love to welcome a new girl into the dorms, but there's just too many of us there already. No spare rooms." She added under her breath, "Though Erza takes up half of 'em anyway."

"It's more than enough that you're letting me rest here," Lucy said.

"Oh, Cana," Natsu said, "can you tell everyone that there might be soldiers or guards or whatever coming to look for us? We kinda blew up a mansion in the middle of an evil secret meeting."

"You what?"

"What do you mean 'we?'" Lucy said, scowling.

"Lucy, me and Happy have a place outside of town. No one really knows where it is, so we should be safe there. I don't got an extra bed, but there's plenty of space so we can find somewhere for you to sleep. Or if you don't mind my hammock."

Lucy smiled, a genuine smile that reached all the way to her eyes. "I'll sleep on the floor if I have to. But having a roof over my head would be amazing. Thanks." Wow. Her smile was pretty.

Natsu realized he was in a daze when Cana's hand on his shoulder snapped him out of it.

"Good luck," she whispered in his ear, and walked away laughing. Natsu knew he must be ten shades of red right now. But that unexpected smile of Lucy's just wasn't fair.

"Do you wanna rest here more or go back to my place and nap?"

Lucy hopped to her feet. "Let's go. It's been a long night and I'm exhausted. I'm sure you are, too."

They left Fairy Tail behind for now. Natsu could check in with everyone else later, once he'd gotten some rest. He hadn't felt so exhausted in a while, but a night of running and fighting and running some more had him ready to fall over. If it weren't for Lucy, he'd have just fallen asleep at the bar, but he wasn't about to leave her without a place to stay. He'd say it was out of the goodness of his heart, but really he was just afraid she'd turn on him.

"Home sweet home," he said when they reached the cabin he shared with Happy in the woods. He fished a key out from between the floorboards and unlocked the front door. Inside, it was dusty and cluttered, but it smelled like home.

"Nice, uh, place," Lucy said, gingerly stepping inside.

"Haven't been back here in a while, so it's a bit messy," Natsu said.

"I see." She looked disturbed, and he didn't blame her. Yes, it was dusty, and there were random objects strewn everywhere. He wasn't one for cleaning or organization even when he was home. And he hadn't been home in what, two years?

"Maybe it's better if you sleep on the hammock," Natsu said.

"Isn't that your bed? But then where will you sleep?"

"The floor." He stretched and sat down. "I don't mind the dust. Hey, can you throw me a pillow?"

"Hm?" Lucy looked around. "Ah, here?" There was a small pile of pillows where he usually slept.

"Yeah. That's my hammock. You can have it."

"Are you sure?"

"Will you stop hesitating and just take it?" Natsu snapped.

"Okay, okay."

"Happy'll wake us up when he gets home, so don't worry about sleeping in too late. Then I can introduce you to the Fairy Tail people."

"That girl seemed…nice."

"Cana? She's an alcoholic. Well, I guess we've all got our issues which is why we're there in the first place."

"I take it that Fairy Tail is more than just a tavern."

"To the people who go there? Yeah. It's like a family." Natsu lay back on the pillow Lucy had tossed him. "We all have our own reasons for finding refuge there. That dude in the secret meeting was right, though. We are a bunch of troublemakers. For example, the city actually owns this land. They think this cabin is abandoned, which most of the time it is, but Happy and I always squat here so it's basically our house. Can't afford a real place, so this'll have to do." Natsu laughed to himself. He stretched his legs out straight and sprawled his arms out beside him. He wasn't gonna lie, he did want his hammock, but he'd already let Lucy have it and he wasn't about to take it back.

"Speaking of that meeting," Lucy said, "what did you think of it?"

"It's weird," Natsu said immediately. "Something's weird about them. The king, Seven, their Lord or whatever…"

"It makes me wonder which lord they were referring to, but they didn't give a name. And if they're conspiring against the king, and it's international…"

"I didn't even know there was a big government meeting there, and I was in that town for a while."

"Stealing?"

"Surviving," he emphasized.

"Looked like stealing to me."

"'S not like I steal from poor people."

"Then why'd you run when I saw you?"

"What criminal wouldn't run? You're the Celestial Spirit. You take people like me and turn them in to the authorities."

"Though it would seem some in positions of power are even more corrupt than I already thought," Lucy said, her expression pensive. "Say, Natsu. What do you think of our king?"

"The king?" Natsu scratched his head. "Well, I don't think much of him at all, to be honest. I mean that in the literal sense. Politics aren't my thing."

"I hate him," Lucy said. She sounded almost…wistful. Sad. "Well, I suppose you could already guess that much. He's got a bounty out for me, after all. He's really a tyrannical man. But if government officials are plotting something involving the king, I can't just ignore it. If only I'd been able to hear more of what they're planning."

"Are you asking if you should go after those men?" Natsu asked.

Lucy laughed bitterly. "I guess I am. I just find myself suddenly put in a strange position. Evil plotting against evil. Whose side should I take?"

"Then don't take anybody's side. Just do whatever's right and don't worry about sides. It's not like either of them are your allies."

"Yes, but whether I decide to take action or not, that decision will support one side or another, be it my intention or not. And I don't want any bad outcomes to be on my conscience."

"How about you just sleep for now?" Natsu said. It was getting harder and harder for him to keep his eyes open, but this girl kept on talking.

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Maybe sleep will do me some good anyway. Thank you for the bed, by the way."

"No problem. It's better than you getting me arrested." Natsu yawned. "'Night, Lucy."

"It's morning, Natsu."

His consciousness was slipping, but he thought he saw her smile again, laughing at her own bad joke. "Whatever. Goodnight."


A/N: Thanks for reading!