Surprise...I'm back! I really can't believe I have left it over a year since I posted chapter nine and I'm honestly so sorry to have made everyone wait. A lengthy writers block struck me early last year, as well as loosing all love for this story I didn't even want to draw anything. Something that worried my loved ones. With the pandemic, a much loved family member getting Covid and barely making it through and work I have tried several times to get back into writing and I even bought a laptop to make it easier to write, rather than on my phone. I finally had a brainwave a month ago and started writing again after doing some artwork of Natsu as a Dragon Shifter, which can be found on my Deviant art profile along with a few other doodles. Search for the same name as my username here if you're interested, new artwork will be uploaded periodically along with others when I finish them. I really hope my much loved readers are still wanting me to finish this as badly as I want to now. Much love!

Dragon Souls – Chapter Ten – Back in Edolas

Two days earlier…

It was a passerby that shouted the warning that alerted her to the accident that was about to happen.

In the entire history of what Lucy Heartfilia would propose were a bad idea, bringing not one but two Dragon Shifters across the veil and back to Edolas with her; especially when the more short fused of the two brothers had a knack for getting into trouble, currently the chance of getting back safe and sound to Earthland seemed slim at best, not without starting an inter-dimensional war between the two worlds at least!

Lucy looked over just in time to watch a taxi barely avoid the rear end of an expensive looking estate car, no thanks at all to the oblivious idiot who was pointing up excitedly as the traffic signals on the busy city thoroughfare changed from red to green.

Perhaps the fact that he had wandered straight into the middle of the left hand turn lane with absolutely no idea of the meaning of changing signals, or what the noisy metal boxes whizzing around at speed were even for; but either way, the pinkette was far too enthralled in the impromptu game of 'guess the next colour' to even pay in mind the honking of an angry middle aged businessman's car horn to realise he had very nearly been run over.

Natsu Dragneel was far more likely to cause more damage to the estate than himself with how thick his skull seemed to be. If she wasn't in disguise, she might have died of shame from the looks from passers by the three of them were getting at the odd display.

Maybe Zeref and herself would get away with telling an officer that Natsu had been in a tragic accident and was suffering from complete amnesia; should they be arrested for public affray…

Dragged from her mental musings, it was as though she were a spectator in a comedy sketch as Natsu was dragged by his pointed ear, kicking and screeching like a toddler, away from the middle of the busy road and back onto the sidewalk; Zeref shaking his head in disbelief as he made sure his younger brother caused no further distress to the people of the Royal City.

Nope…she wasn't holding out much hope that the Second Prince of the Fire Lands was going to behave for the rest of their trip either.

It hadn't actually been her idea to have two Dragon Shifters accompanying her on the trip back to her old world in the first place, particularly when one of those Shifters had a habit for setting himself on fire every ten minutes, challenging anyone who looked strong enough to a fight and had the table manners of a feral boar. Compared to his younger brother, Zeref was being perfectly well behaved and polite in amongst the hustle and bustle of a modern city. The raven seemed to take the local 'atmosphere' well in his stride, not a word was spoken between them as they finally arrived at the rundown part of town she had previously called home.

There was something extremely endearing to be found in the wonder and child-like innocence contained within Natsu's amber eyes, as he took in as much of the sights, smells and noises of the Royal City as his senses could process. Zeref on the other hand, although his eyes could not see the wonders his brother could; there was plenty for the older of the two to take in.

With it being slightly before nightfall, the hustle and bustle of the day's work was dulling in order to make way for the time to play. Overworked business people were popping to their favourite bars after work, restaurants and casinos were turning on their lights in order to tempt passers by as the rich and influential began to appear dressed in their finery and expensive jewellery.

This was the Royal City that Lucy remembered, for she was one of the few who saw it for what it truly was.

Trash littering the side streets, homeless begging for change outside of doorways before being constantly moved on by the owners; the smell of booze, sex and other substances hurt the back of her throat as she watched ladies of the night strutting down the red light district luring in cars driving slowly around for a lover for the night. Favours exchanged for jewel, no care given to who would be taking them home; as long as they got paid.

The deeper the trio walked into the outskirts of the city, the worse the feeling got, criminals hung out in groups in the shadows; scouting targets to rob or for a good fight. Lucy was glad of her disguise for one thing; she had always been afraid of walking through the streets in the dark, her flat was in the port district of the city, where merchant ships dropped off their wares from around Edolas. It was noisy, smelly and even worse for crime, drugs and prostitution than the city center. Many sailors would be drawn to the local taverns and a friend for the evening after days at sea and being confined to their ships.

It wasn't long before she noticed her glamour of a perfectly ordinary thirty something brown haired woman with blue eyes, black glasses and boringly beige business pantsuit; caused no reaction at all from the passing crowd. Personally she would never wear something the colour of bland porridge, but if it helped the trio stay undercover; so be it.

Compared to their regular attire as royalty, the brothers looked vaguely normal, which gave no hint as to the beasts within; so to speak. They were currently three colleagues out for a few drinks after a hard day's work, nothing untowards here folks!

To even find such beings walking among the mere normal non-magic folk of Edolas, was a feat unto itself; one which would no doubt cause a sensation were the men and women walking among the dusty sidewalks, driving their vehicles and such were made aware of exactly who (or what) were walking among them, disguised as regular citizens. Lucy herself would have been thoroughly against the idea of crossing the veil between the magical splendour of Earthland, for the gaudy and grim life of sin to be found in Edolas; had she not been accompanied by not one, but two bodyguards.

Oh, but these were not merely two guards…but Dragon Shifters; not that anyone in this world would have any idea what that meant. The blonde felt extremely glad that the two brother's were on her side and had been ordered not to cause any unnecessary ruckus.

Lucy, as an avid writer could just picture the scene, brother dragons descending upon the city of a trillion lights, screams of terror piercing the smoggy air as a fierce red fire Dragon and a sleek and swift black flame Dragon gazed menacingly down at the tiny humans below -

She was quickly brought out of her vivid daydream by the sound of several car horns sounding out at once…to find Natsu trying to challenge a mini-van to a Blood Feud.

Not that the vehicle could fight back!

"Come on, there's gotta be someone I can fight in this -" hissed the angry pinkette.

Natsu on the other hand? Well he wasn't exactly subtle…

"Let's not…" Lucy deadpanned.

With a groan of exasperation, she pulled the hot-head away from the road with a wave of apology to the snooty middle aged woman sitting in the driver's seat; causing the car to drive away with an angry squeal of tires on the pavement.

Lucy, had been made well aware of the risks by Councilman Makarov of bringing two Dragon Shifters across the veil and into the human realm, added to that the revelation that Natsu and Zeref and herself would not be able to use their own magic, as such was the covenant agreed upon a millennia ago when the Dragon's banished humans to Edolas.

Makarov had found a few loopholes though!

Phase one of the plan was to turn on Lucy's old cell phone, turn off the caller ID and send an anonymous text message to her cousin, posing as her 'contact' and telling her to meet at a predetermined time and place to exchange the money. Not that Michelle was any the wiser at the actual fate that was going to befall her should everything work out according to plan.

With her supposedly still missing, Lucy had been given a disguise that would not look out of place on the grimy streets of the Royal City. Even if she felt the age she looked at the present time with what she was wearing; her blending in was of paramount importance to their success in this mission. It was to be about stealth and -

With a shout, Natsu suddenly ran into a snooty woman in her mid sixties, who was trotting along the sidewalk dressed in an emerald green dress and a fur coat made of the fluffiest looking bear hide that Lucy had ever seen. When he started trying to wrestle the coat from her, Lucy shrieked in anger for the twentieth time and Natsu was promptly carted off into the crowd by his older brother, leaving the blonde to follow with an exasperated sigh.

Why had Makarov thought that bringing an excitable, overpowered toddler to a whole new world and expecting him to behave was a good idea again?

Oh…that was it! Zeref was to disguise himself as Michelle's contact and somehow get her alone to kidnap her, drag her through a magical portal into another dimension to confess to her crimes and find out what she knew about Lucy being brought to Earthland and their enemy; before Makarov was to decide what to do with her. All while keeping Michelle oblivious to the existence of said other dimension she had been brought to in the first place. There had been a few other key details known only to Zeref, who, as their 'leader' of sorts; had been privy to, like the fact that their magical disguises only worked for so long before they returned to their normal appearance.

So time really was of the essence in this mission.

Lucy was almost desperate to get back home to Ignis. While she had spent far longer in the city of sin than she had in Earthland, the longer she walked around her old home; the feeling she didn't belong increased. Sure, the knowledge that Lucy didn't exactly fit in here wasn't old news; but being here now felt entirely alien to her.

This place of lights, cars and the hum of the city; was no longer home.

For Natsu and Zeref, it was a completely different experience. New and exciting, it was odd to see the handsome brothers in normal human clothing; not the royal regalia of Princes.

Natsu had refused to cover his wild pink locks, but had resorted to tying it back into a low ponytail; it suited him funnily enough, but Natsu's new look wasn't helped by his excited laughter, gaining odd looks from passers by as he enthusiastically poked the lid of a nearby trash can back and forth on its hinges; grinning at Lucy as it squeaked harshly.

"He's been knocking 'em back since lunch-time!" Lucy had laughed uneasily at an old man who had simply been walking his dog through the park when his plain as ordinary day was interrupted by a guy in a grey suit, seemingly so drunk that he had forgotten how and what a bin was for!

Then there had been the moment the oblivious pinkette had walked straight into the road to ask a man on a moped why his 'metal horse' was without a head, making Lucy squeak as he nearly got run down. With a loud string of swear words from the confused rider, Natsu had then raised his fists and challenged the 'noisy metal beast' to a fight.

Yes...Lucy never imagined seeing Natsu Dragneel, Prince of the Fire Lands getting ready to battle a vehicle…or several in his instance.

He had then given up trying to fight the moped when spotting a gaudy looking red dragon, outside of an oriental restaurant a few feet away; bowing to it respectfully with his palms together. While she knew it was meant as a gesture of deep respect in Earthland; in Edolas his actions were not.

People had really stared at him then!

Red faced and more than embarrassed, Lucy dragged him away while Natsu grumbled how she was disrespecting the Dragon God Ignia.

Zeref on the other hand was the perfect tourist, well behaved and quietly asking questions when something confused him; as though Lucy were a mother taking her rambunctious and naughty toddler and his well behaved brother on a field trip. While the older brother couldn't see the city, nor at first was he used to the amount of people ebbing and flowing through the city streets; he soon learned to dodge around the hustle and bustle.

"While your birth world is fascinating, the smell is..." Zeref grimaced apologetically, hoping not to offend Lucy; though it was not needed.

"Awful, I know." Lucy giggled in sympathy, realising the smell of gasoline and industrial smog must be much worse for him; Zeref's sense of smell heightened by the loss of his sight. He opened his mouth to ask another question, before Lucy felt Natsu grab her hand and pull her towards a window of a pet shop.

"Why is that little guy in a tiny cage? Whoa, what the hell is that thing?!" Natsu almost yelled in her ear, pointing at an adorable white fluffy puppy; barely a few months old asleep in the window. The other thing he pointed to was an apparently empty glass box with faux branches in and a lamp off to one side, it took her a moment to notice one of the branches had long spindly legs.

"Oh! That's called a stick insect; they camouflage their body to look like a branch –" Lucy began to explain but Zeref laughed.

"We have those in Earthland, Natsu wasn't one for learning when we were children unless it was food or fighting."

"But why is this puppy in a cage...was he bad?" Natsu asked, looking down at the now awakened puppy with the saddest eyes Lucy had ever seen; her heart melted as the puppy licked Natsu's hand through the window. While the shop was evidently closed by the lack of persons within, the window was lit up in advertisement of what one could buy for eighty thousand jewels.

As cute as the little puppy was, a month of Lucy's rent seemed rather pricey; now that she thought about it.

"No...this shop sells animals as pets, they don't want them escaping so keep them in pens and cages until they are sold." Lucy put her hand on Natsu's shoulder as his fingers clenched against the glass, she could imagine him using his blistering heat to melt the glass; were he able to use his magic in this world to liberate the animal from his small confines.

There was a stony silence for a few moments, before Natsu decided to take action; and she no longer had to imagine it.

Lucy didn't know how to react as her eyes widened, in roughly two seconds Natsu's hand had punched through the glass and made a hole big enough to quickly grab the excitedly yapping puppy without injury from jagged glass; her expression horrified as it jumped eagerly into the pinkette's arms. Lucy protested as she was pulled away by a grinning Natsu, who didn't seem to understand what he had just done; Zeref followed behind quietly shaking his head. Several yells of surprise and calls of 'thieves!' followed them into the bustling crowds, as the pinkette stuffed the happy white fluff ball into his suit jacket.

"Y-You can't just steal a puppy, Natsu! Go and put him back!" Lucy hissed as they ran quickly a few blocks away, not far from her apartment.

"He wants to come home with us, don'tcha buddy?" Natsu grinned down at the cute white dog, who yipped happily in agreement. The shocked blond looked down at the little dog for a moment, the little cutie yapping again.

"Can you speak to him?" Lucy asked, surprise evident on her face; her cheeks turning pink from the shortness of breath from running so quickly in a short amount of time.

"Not speak, but our Dragon side can sense the feelings of other animals; fear, happiness and sadness. It's a handy ability to have sometimes." Zeref explained, catching up to the puppy pilferer and his unwitting sidekick. "While I feel sorry for this animal for being cooped up in a tiny cage, you can't just take him, Natsu." Zeref scolded, though seemingly taking this behaviour in his stride.

"Yeah, I know...I'll send some gold to the shop owner or something." Natsu rolled his eyes and grumbled at his older brother.

Lucy wanted to tell Natsu that a lump of solid gold was probably double the cost of the puppy in this world, but they could use the extra to have the window fixed. Not that she would want to be there when the owner discovered a hole had been punched through his or her shop window display...she'd rather not explain to Igneel that his youngest son had been arrested for dog-napping and property destruction!

His father would probably congratulate him…since Igneel seemed to be the sole cause of Natsu's mischievous nature.

"Let's get to my apartment and pack my stuff before this bonehead decides to commit another crime." Lucy sighed, jabbing a finger at Natsu; who grinned cheekily along with a suspicious looking round lump barking in agreement from within Natsu's jacket.

So…they were keeping the puppy?

While the main reason for their journey to Edolas was to essentially kidnap and bring Michelle to Era for questioning, to try to find out their enemy; their other purpose was to go and fetch Lucy's belongings and bring them back to the castle at Ignis. It wasn't as though she had many sentimental items, but what she did want to get were her large collection of books, some basic clothes and underwear and most importantly; Lucy's letters, photos and items belonging to her mother.

Makarov had let them borrow a device or three from his vast collection of oddities and magical items, a small locket that could be used to open portals between the two worlds; with great discretion of course. It would do no good for the locket to fall into the wrong hands, so of course Lucy had it clasped tightly around her neck. Makarov had offered it to Zeref, obviously thinking he was the most responsible of the three; when the older Dragneel had remarked it wasn't his colour, they all groaned.

All they had to do was summon a portal between her bedroom at her flat and the one at the castle in Ignis, this way was much quicker to transport over a hundred books and her other belongings between the two worlds.

There was also a strange pair of identical rings that the brothers were wearing on their right hands, to what these oddities did; Lucy would not find out til later on in their trip.

She gathered it had something to do with their proposed disguises later on, she just hoped her own disguise would last the night! Apparently Makarov's collection was a tad finicky to control, particularly when Lucy had no idea how long her magical energy reserves would hold out.

Now in front of the entrance to her dingy apartment, her door key thankfully still worked in the lock, meaning her apartment had not been emptied and the locks changed in her absence; as far as she knew her cousin did not have a key. It would be difficult to explain why Lucy was standing in her apartment if Michelle was there, when the blond was supposed to be 'dead'; at least in this world. Lucy had no idea how long it would take for the authorities to declare her legally 'dead' before her things were given away to her next of kin; it had been a week in this world.

They shouldn't be bothered by anyone while they organised her precious items, Lucy had never even met her neighbours in the few years she had been here, let alone have anyone who cared enough to notice her lights on. She could have been dead in her apartment for weeks before someone had cared to report her missing, or report the smell coming from the apartment - Lucy quickly shook that depressing thought from her mind and looked over the tiny space she had once called home.

Everything was exactly how she had left it the morning she had disappeared, it looked as though it needed a dust but that was about it; it hardly looked as though she had gone anywhere. Lucy saw that her flimsy shoe rack was still by the hall closet, books still piled onto the too small bookcase; her coffee table and the kitchen counter. There was even her pan of half eaten scrambled eggs still sitting on the side, now smelling foul and looking disgusting after nearly a week of sitting there to go mouldy.

"I'm surprised I haven't been robbed yet." Lucy chuckled, trying to mask her unease at being back here; mentally going over the locations of her most cherished mementos and which things to grab first as she walked down her hallway as though she had never left, like she hadn't been transported into an entirely magical world filled with dragons, magic and adventure. The two brothers followed her into the tiny square she called her living room, barely large enough to hold a threadbare two seater couch with a hole in the left cushion; and an ancient television set she had found on the side of the road for free after an estate sale that no one wanted.

"This place is –" Natsu murmured, his gaze not one of pity but of confusion.

"Yeah, it wasn't much, but it was home." Lucy grimaced, her currently blue eyes taking in the sofa, mismatched third hand furniture and peeling wallpaper. She much preferred the cosy and inviting bedroom she called home in Earthland, to this.

"Igneel, Natsu and I lived in a wooden shack for years...trust me this is a paradise compared to that." Zeref smiled, easing Lucy's nerves slightly even though he had no idea what he was looking at; from the smell alone he guessed it wasn't much.

She very much appreciated the gesture, all the same.

"Yeah...you have a new home now." Natsu added with a smile.

Lucy set to work gathering as many bags, boxes and baskets as she could find, before using the locket as she had been instructed to open the portal in the wall between her living room and bedroom. She was about to make a start on emptying her main bookcase, before Natsu winked at her and she watched; mouth open as the pinkette shrugged off his jacket, the puppy that the pinkette had stolen away from the pet store jumped to the floor; before Natsu picked the heavy bookcase up in one go and strode off into the portal as though nothing happened.

Followed excitedly by an unsuspecting white ball of fluff as he trailed unreservedly after his new master.

"Wow...I could have used those muscles when I was hiking my double mattress up six flights of stairs by myself when I moved in." Lucy whistled appreciatively, before she saw the pointed look of amusement on Zeref's face and she blushed cherry red.

This was the second time she had been caught gawking at that fabulously toned ass...

The older Dragneel brother seemed to delight in teasing the sexual tension between his younger brother and herself, much to both of their chagrin. Why did anything to do with Natsu turn her into a mushy little girl? She really had to get her blushing under control...

Thankfully, with Natsu carting off more than seventy percent of her book collection; it didn't take long to pack up the rest. Natsu returned after a few more journeys to receive a gratefully cold glass of water Lucy passed him for making quick work of her books, he offered to be the one to lift heavy loads, while Zeref and Lucy did the packing. It was quite surreal to be sitting on her cream rug in Edolas with two Dragon Shifters in her tiny apartment, sorting through her belongings; but she was extremely grateful to them for helping her. As much as she loved her new home, there was something sad about the thought that she would probably never come back to this world; maybe it was the memories she and her mother had made as a child. As she brushed her hand delicately over her mother's favourite book, a charming story of a young boy who was raised in the jungle and learned to speak to the animal's who looked after him; her heart clenched in longing.

What she wouldn't give for her mother to see her now, off on a thrilling adventure of her very own; Lucy missed Layla terribly, this book was definitely coming with her to her new home.

"We'll make plenty of new memories, Luce." Natsu whispered gently into her ear as she felt something warm and wet trail down her cheek; a single tear dropped onto the photo Lucy had just picked up of herself sitting in her mother's arms. She had been five years old, and she still had that little pink sun hat with the white ribbon bow; it was the first thing her mother had made her. It was precious, just like the letters she wrote to a mother who could no longer read them; but cherished all the same. She turned her head to press a slow kiss of thanks to Natsu's cheek, his eyes fluttering closed briefly before he leaned into her touch.

Warmth flowed through her as though she was wrapped in a warm electric blanket, Natsu wound his arms around her tightly; indulging in the moment briefly before they went back to work.

"I'm looking forward to it, Natsu." Lucy whispered back, noticing a certain older brother walk into the living room, before he grimaced and darted back out again quickly; not wanting to interrupt. Lucy felt the handsome pinkette chuckle regardless and shake his head.

"For someone so smart, 'Ref sure knows when to pop up at the most inappropriate times." Natsu chuckled quietly.

"I was never here!" Zeref called distractedly from the kitchen, as Natsu and Lucy joined him; where he seemed to be investigating the complexities of how to operate a microwave oven without the foggiest idea what it looked like.

"What does this do?" The older brother asked with genuine intrigue, as though he was mentally taking notes of everything he came across; an eager student learning the ways of this world direct from a source.

"It is called a 'microwave' and it uses radiation to cook food quicker than it would normally take to cook with a fire. I guess that is the most simple explanation." Lucy giggled, walking into her bedroom with a large suitcase; she doubted Natsu would blow anything up with his older and wiser brother around.

At least she hoped so…did her neighbours have home insurance or not?

"I don't see any waves…" Natsu called, and not that Lucy could see; narrowed his eyes at the glass door, as though he thoroughly expected to see water crashing round in the square metal box with complicated numbered buttons on. "Oh well...this is going to Ignis." Natsu rubbed his hands together with gusto and lifted the microwave from the kitchen counter-top and nearly yanked the plug from the socket.

"We can't take this home with us." Zeref sighed, Lucy could hear them bickering from her closet and she giggled. Best not to tell him about the fridge then...or the hoard of chocolate hazelnut candy bars she had stashed in her biscuit tin.

Natsu seemed to have developed a soft spot for the Edolas treat since she had given him a taste several days ago.

"Why the hell not 'Ref? This would save the cooks hours when preparing meals!"

"There is no way to power this device in our world, just because it would make food faster..."

"Oh…well that sucks."

Lucy giggled at Natsu sounding like every teenage boy she had ever met from Edolas and quickly tuned out their argument as she sat on the floor, removing the wobbly floorboard under her bed, where she kept her most treasured belongings; the main items she had come back for.

"Phew...still there." Lucy sighed in relief as she opened the box of letters, photos and decorative set of twelve keys that for some reason were themed to the dozen zodiac signs. How or why these had come to be in her mother's possession, Lucy had never found out; but Layla had treasured them, so in return she would take great care of them too.

"Huh...this looks complicated…do you wear this to exercise in?"

Lucy squeaked in surprise, stuffing the one golden key she had picked up into her pocket before closing the box and stuffing it into the suitcase by her side; turning in horror to find Natsu standing by her open underwear drawer. Held aloft between his raised arms was a racy red and black lace bra with see through cups. She had bought on a whim to impress a previous boyfriend and had not gotten the chance to wear it, and while they had finally admitted to finding each other attractive; she wasn't quite ready for Natsu to see her in that bra just yet...thank you very much!

There was a sly grin on his face as Lucy all but tackled him to the floor, pulling the lingerie from his rough hands and stuffing it into the bottom of her suitcase.

"Keep your hands out of my drawers, pervert!" Lucy hissed quietly as Natsu laughed at her as she got to her feet; the pinkette following her as she grabbed handfuls of bras, underwear and even a few negligees she had paid a silly amount of money for and put them into her suitcase. Natsu raised his eyebrows at her in surprise and a bashful look on his face.

Y-You're taking all that...to Ignis?" Natsu gulped, normally so confident about teasing her; but right now he looked as bashful as Lucy did.

A rare bout of bravado made her smile secretively at the Dragon-Shifter.

"Maybe if you're a good boy you might eventually get to see a few."

Lucy mentally whooped in triumph as Natsu switched from embarrassed, to aroused; biting at his bottom lip. He snaked a hand around her back and pulled her hips towards his.

"Tease." He growled gutterally and lowly, his dragon-like eyes narrowed into slits; as though he were fighting against transforming. Lucy suspected his dragon soul was fighting to break through and wanted to ravage her mercilessly; the thought made her flush a cherry red. The blonde whimpered as Natsu lowered a fanged tooth to nip at her collarbone through the shirt material, a sudden spike of heat thrumming in her veins as she was desperate for him to -

"If you two would mind jumping on one other when I'm not around to hear every single word, I would greatly appreciate it." Zeref drew monotonously from the kitchen, causing his younger brother to roll his eyes and pull away from a very red faced Lucy.

"I swear if he cock-blocks me one more time." Natsu hissed, obviously more than a little frustrated at the sudden intrusion. Lucy giggled nervously and raised a hand to pat the pinkette sympathetically on the shoulder, clearing her throat as she bent down to close her suitcase. Natsu had gone back into the kitchen by the time she stood up, grabbing the handle and wheeling the pink case into the living room.

"You all set, Luce?" Natsu asked with a smile, his arms full of snacks.

And her biscuit tin; much to her dismay…so much for her secret stash of chocolate bars!

"I should have known your nose would sniff out my treat tin." Lucy pouted. "Come on, let's get the rest of my belongings back to my room before this bottomless pit eats everything."

She was still not used to the buzz of electricity that fizzled across her skin as she passed quietly through the portal; but as she stepped onto the fur rug that surrounded her bed, Lucy smiled at the feeling of contentment. The room was an absolute mess and it would take her hours to organise the items cluttering the stone floor; but she couldn't wait to get back and make her new room more homely.

"So what is the next part of Igneel and Makarov's plan? Michelle replied to my earlier anonymous message telling her where and when to meet…but how do we go about kidnapping her?" Lucy asked Zeref, who was the last one to pass through the swirling blue and white portal humming ominously against the wall. Natsu was preoccupied with his third chocolate bar as the three of them stood in Lucy's room; completely ignoring the disarray around them in favour of more pressing matters.

"We need to get to the meeting point before Michelle does, Councilman Makarov told me to try and get Michelle alone…Natsu and I will subdue her and find somewhere inconspicuous to open the portal back to Era." Zeref explained calmly, as though he had gone over the plan a hundred times in his head.

Knowing that the raven was smart meant that he probably had entertained a dozen scenarios before settling on the most probable successful outcome.

"What about me?" Lucy asked, taking the locket from under her white shirt to hold in her hand, ready to summon a second portal to the dingy diner where they would carry out phase three.

Natsu and Zeref looked at one another before smiling at the blonde in disguise.

"You just need to sit pretty and watch, we'll take care of the rest." Natsu promised with a suspicious looking glint in his amber eye.

She wasn't sure what to make of that look, but she had a feeling of foreboding that his plans involved causing yet more of a ruckus…

Lucy briefly entertained how she would look in an orange jumpsuit and handcuffs as she was led into a dark and dingy jail cell.

She shuddered.

—-

Lucy had briefly caught a glimpse of her reflection in the diner window before she realised that something was wrong. Michelle was barely a few minutes away when there was a strange flicker on the back of her magically tanned hand and her form briefly flickered back to her normal pale skin and blond hair.

With a hiss of alarm, Lucy got to her feet and stumbled blindly towards the women's bathroom; ignoring the filthy floor and water stained mirror in favour of staring in disbelief as she felt her magical reserves draining as her glamour magic ran out.

At the worst possible time too…and just when things had been going well!

"No! No no no…not now!" Lucy hissed as the brown hair and blue eyes dissolved into nothing, the long strands of her usual golden blonde tumbling in waves down her back; pretty brown eyes stared back at her own reflection in horror as she realised she was trapped in this dingy bathroom.

Lucy couldn't go outside without her cousin spotting her from a mile off and blowing this whole mission wide open!

Tears filled her eyes as she quickly took her phone from her pocket, opening her phone-book in order to call Zeref on an ancient looking brick she had bought for cheap from a convenience store a few hours earlier along with a throwaway sim card that could be discarded or destroyed later on. It had taken a hot minute to teach the older of the two brothers how to press the green 'answer call' button; even longer to teach him what to press to open a text message and to hold the device up to his ear to talk to her.

Rather him than Natsu…

Quickly pressing 'call' on the throwaway number, Lucy paced around in a circle by the sinks as she waited for the Dragon Shifter to answer her call.

"Luce? Is that you -" A rough sounding man's voice came through slightly muffled through the speaker. Lucy would have laughed when she heard another male voice speak softly through the phone too, had she not been on the verge of a complete and utter panic attack. "You have it the wrong way round, Natsu. Lucy told us to speak into the bottom of the device."

Trust Natsu Dragneel to not have paid attention when she was explaining how to work the cell phone properly!

"Y-Yeah…it's me." Lucy spoke shakily into her cell.

"Why are you upset? Has something happened?" Natsu's new and concerned voice spoke in alarm, before she heard static on the other end and who she assumed was Zeref spoke.

"Michelle has just sat down by the door to the establishment. Where are you?"

"I-In the women's bathroom. I sat down to wait for Michelle and I felt my magic running out, luckily I got to the bathroom before I changed back. Oh, Zeref…what do I do? I can't leave the bathroom like this, she will spot me a mile away!" Lucy panicked and began to feel icy cold dread crawling down her spine as she tried to find a solution to her dilemma. "I'll blow our cover if I don't find something to cover me…oh I can't go to jail, I'd be a walking disaster -"

Just her luck that her magic decides right in the middle of the most important part of their mission, her earlier musing of just how long the magic reserves given to her by Makarov had been an eerily correct foreboding of what was happening right this minute.

Curse her luck…

"Calm down, Lucy. Just stay where you are and hide if you can, Natsu and I have…acquired…a vehicle that I believe is large enough to fit us in. I will keep your cousin distracted. I will send word when we have her, do you understand?" Zeref spoke calmly, as though Lucy's calamity were nothing more pressing than one discussing the weather; it definitely didn't help to calm her raging nerves.

"O-Okay, if you're sure. I'll hide in one of the stalls -" Lucy began, entering the stall nearest to the door; just as the main door to the women's bathroom swung open slowly, the blond barely getting the door shut before a redhead walked in wearing a vintage animal print mini skirt and a graphic t shirt with more rips and holes than fabric; a bold statement in make up and fishnet stockings styled with some combat boots.

Interesting choice, but Lucy wasn't one to judge someone on how they dressed. What mattered more was the fact that the redhead was intruding on the blond's hiding spot. The sound of running water from the sink helped to disguise Lucy's voice as she hissed into the phone.

"I've got company, just try not to let Natsu find any trouble while I wait here like a good little girl, okay?"

"I'm pretty sure trouble finds him, Lucy." Zeref deadpanned on the other end of the line.

With that, Lucy hung up and tucked her phone away for safekeeping, she opened the door slightly to peek out at the rest of the bathroom; finding the redhead hunched over her at the sink, washing her hands. It was then that Lucy chose that moment to strike, opening the door quickly and quietly; the older woman barely had a moment to look up from the sink to see the smartly dressed woman with long blond hair deliver a quick blow to the back of her neck. With a surprised squeak, Lucy grinned as the redhead collapsed into a heap on the floor; knocked out cold from the blonde's swift aim.

It had taken her three long days to perfect that move, taught to her in advanced self defence class by an amused Anna, her niece successfully knocking an unwitting palace guard unconscious. He'd woken up an hour later with a sore neck from the fall, but none the worse for wear. It was either a karate chop to the back of the neck or a 'Lucy kick'...that one tended to cause a bit of a loud noise.

So kung fu Lucy it was!

"Sorry…but I'm kinda in the middle of something here." Lucy grimaced apologetically as she bent over to grasp her hands underneath the armpits of the sleeping redhead, with a grunt she pulled her backwards into the stall she had just emerged from; making sure to lean her against the door to keep it shut. With a sigh, Lucy let go of red as gravity let her fall backwards against the door. The blonde just hoped no one found her -

She was torn from her thoughts by the sudden warming of her left pocket and a blinding golden light glowing through the beige fabric. Lucy looked down before she quickly dug a hand into said pocket and gasped in surprise as she was immediately engulfed in the same golden light as the object in her left hand.

As quickly as the golden light appeared, it vanished; leaving Lucy to stare at herself in shock.

For Lucy was no longer staring at the familiar blond waves and big brown eyes she had grown used to for the last few years, for standing in her place was the redhead woman she had just knocked out.

Wiry russet coloured curls now sat atop her head, pencil thinly drawn eyebrows sat above bright green eye shadow and pink lips. Lucy opened her left hand in shock as the warmth slowly vanished, for sitting in her hand was one of the seemingly ordinary golden zodiac keys that her mother had so revered. The symbol of the zodiac for the month of May to June upon the key's head.

"Gemini." Lucy whispered in a voice far raspier than her normal airy one.

Shaking her head and having absolutely no idea how she had found enough magical energy to conjure such a perfect copy of the unconscious woman laying barely six feet away; Lucy took out her phone again.

Even her first attempt at transformation magic hadn't been this good, sure the brown hair, blue eyes and glasses had been enough to disguise her true self from the rest of the world; but she had looked strikingly similar to her original self if she had truly been honest.

No, this had something to do with the golden key. Gemini was called 'The Twins' wasn't it? Perhaps what she had spent her entire life believing was an ordinary but fancy key wasn't a simple key at all!

She felt power rushing through her that strangely reminded the blonde of her beloved mother, either way, Lucy wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth and she smiled at her changed reflection as she held the phone up to her ear as the call was answered on the other end.

"Lucy, is that you?"

"Hi Zeref, I think I might have accidentally found a solution to my disguise problem, it's kinda hard to explain…where are you?" Lucy asked happily.

"About to walk in, let me just say that I will never allow Natsu to control a vehicle ever again." Zeref sighed in dismay, making Lucy giggle. What on earth the pinkette had done while behind the wheel of a car did not bear thinking about as she listened in.

"Great, now do exactly as I tell you and my cousin will not suspect a thing…" Lucy whispered.

—-

"Hello, my car has broken down just down the road and my phone is dead...might you have a phone I could –" Zeref spoke exactly as Lucy had told him to, approaching the man standing behind the counter of the diner with an easy smile.

"I've got a cell phone you can use, sugar." Lucy walked confidently up to Zeref and winked, even though he wouldn't see it; normally white eyes a pretty oceanic blue to disguise the loss of one of his senses. Not that anyone who didn't know him would be able to tell that the young man was blind, he moved around perfectly fine on his own.

The two walked off together to a deserted corner of the diner and sat down away from prying ears.

"I thought you said you'd run out of magic?" Zeref whispered, looking confused as he faced her.

"I did…then this redhead walked into the bathroom, I knocked her out and stuffed her into a bathroom stall. Suddenly there was a great flash of golden light and poof! I became her identical twin." Lucy rasped croakily, gesturing with her hands with a dramatic flair. "Geesh, I feel like I've smoked forty a day for the last twenty five years." She added with a grimace.

Movement caught her eye and with a sneaky glance towards the entrance of the diner, where her stomach jolted as a slime-ball approached Michelle; who looked less than impressed by her eager visitor.

"Now's your chance to swoop in like a knight in shining armour and rescue my cousin from the clutches of a terrifying troll!" Lucy tittered excitedly. "Remember what we discussed."

"My name is Michael Farley, I'm twenty nine and on the way home from visiting family. I work in the city where my pregnant wife of two years is waiting for me." Zeref deadpanned as though reading off an script on television.

"Pregnant wife?" Lucy looked confused for a moment, pretty sure she hadn't told the raven to say his wife was pregnant; before Zeref gave the blonde in disguise a wry but proud smile as his eyes filled with an emotion she could only describe as pure unadulterated love.

"Shhh…no one but Mavis and I know yet."

With that nugget of information, Zeref…or 'Mike' in this instance, got to his feet and strode confidently over towards the far table to 'rescue' Michelle.

It was a few moments before things clicked into place and Lucy gasped in shock, a smile so big it caused her eyes to water settled on her changed face as she let the happy news sink in.

Mavis was pregnant!

She spaced out so badly as her mind conjured up images of cute little toddlers with blond and black hair running rings round their mother and father that when she came to her senses ten minutes later; Zeref and Michelle were leaving the diner.

"Shit…" Lucy hissed and grabbed her phone, following after the pair as silently as she could, just in time to see them stop in front of a bright red breakdown van and a portly man covered in grease getting out of the drivers side door. From the abstract tyre tracks carved into the parking lot that made her think that the pinkette had waltzed around the dirt with the red van; she assumed the 'mechanic' was Natsu in disguise. He spoke even though he looked ready to throw up, Lucy did not hear the conversation until she saw Zeref and his brother grab hold of Michelle through the window.

No one in the diner paid them any mind, so she wasn't worried about anyone alerting the police. Lucy pushed open the door to the diner in time to hear Natsu the mechanic angrily hiss at the blonde's tearful cousin.

"You see, bitch…you've pissed off some pretty important people. Throwing Lucy off a cliff in exchange for hush money? Well…we got a few questions for ya." Even though he was in disguise, Natsu's words were enough to send a thrill of excitement at the reverence he spoke of them.

Feeling just the slightest bit of pity for the woman as Michelle was knocked unconscious, hoisted up and tossed unceremoniously into the swirling blue and white portal. Lucy walked towards the scene and crossed her arms with a shake of her russet head.

"Geesh…you couldn't have been a bit more gentle with her?" Lucy rasped at the brothers. Natsu's currently chubby face giving her a grin complete with missing front left tooth.

"Course…but she doesn't deserve it. Now are we gonna get home or what? The less time I spend in this rust bucket of death the better!" Natsu grimaced with a pale and sickly face.

"Yes, let us return to Earthland before Natsu crashes into any more trees." Zeref sighed, using his fingertips to rub his temple.

"Speaking of the rust bucket of death…where did you get the van?" Lucy asked warily, her eyes leveling straight on Natsu.

"Found it at a place down the road, some fat bald guy got out the thing so I followed, knocked him out and we jumped in, I took his disguise but it took us a while to figure out what all the buttons and levers do but -" Natsu explained, giving Zeref's look of complete bemusement a smile.

"I will never as long as I live get into a contraption steered by you, Natsu."

Lucy groaned and shook her head. She should have known that Natsu would have knocked an innocent man out and stolen his van, she just hoped they got back without any further incident.

—-

It was much later, back in Earthland, her home; that Lucy found herself once again in the Council of Elders' chamber at Era. Hidden in the shadows with Lord Igneel, Natsu and Zeref.

Watching as Makarov worked his magic to make her cousin, or the woman she had called her cousin for the better part of her life; confess to her murder, or so Michelle believed was Lucy's murder.

Well it was sort of surreal, actually.

The venom and obvious hatred that the older woman had spent years harbouring for the blonde was evident in her admission that Michelle would have pushed Lucy from that cliff even without the millions of jewel payment; had she known just how much better she would feel. The thought that someone wanted her dead so badly they were willing to risk everything, the thought made her extremely sad.

What had she ever done to Michelle to warrant that?

The simple answer had been, once she had let her mind go over it.

Love.

Lucy's love for her, for everyone, something Michelle had never experienced for herself; but Lucy couldn't bring herself to hate the other woman for it. She was disappointed. So as she stepped into the light to face her cousin for what she hoped was the last time; Lucy looked at the older girl with her power burning brightly around her, causing her entire body to glow a beautiful gold.

As she spoke the last exchange with her dear 'cousin' before she was sent back home to Edolas to face trial for murder, Lucy Heartfilia had no idea what the fates had in store for the woman instead.

"I won't give you the satisfaction of hating you."

Jude had done exactly what he was told, as he sighed and brought his weathered hands to run across his tired eyes. When the man had gotten a moment alone, a single tear had fallen down his wrinkled face; eyes falling out of focus as the weight of what was about to happen settled within his chest.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. Please forgive me."

Once again, I'm so sorry for the really long delay in posting the next chapter. It's been a long time in the works and I will be back soon with the next chapter...its gonna be a fun one!