Soon after Makarov's visit, they gave their orders to Jeoffery—Natsu requesting most of the menu and Lucy scrambling to find something after being so distracted by the conversation, then ultimately sticking with a simple salad. Natsu and Lucy barely had a few minutes to ruminate in the atmosphere before three waiters came in tow with their orders. It was impressive, until she realized Makarov probably guessed before Natsu ordered, hinting at the depth of their relationship, and throwing a salad together couldn't take much time at all. A man and woman balanced stacks of delicious cuisine in hand while the last man followed brusquely with a bottle of clearly expensive wine.

Seeing so much delectable food being placed in front of Natsu made her simple Florette Baby Leaf Salad, despite being fancy in its own right, a bit of a letdown.

Natsu rapidly started into his food, barely giving a glance to the waiters, who bowed before taking their own leave. Feeling embarrassed by Natsu's rudeness, Lucy gave them some small thanks and a sweetly awkward smile.

As Lucy started into her salad, her own stomach grumbling after exercising earlier, she snuck glances at her dining companion. The sight was disgusting, the man had barely any table manners, he was even a notch below Gajeel, whom was almost cartoon-like while inhaling his meals. Natsu scarfed down his food happily, every now and then asking Lucy if she wanted a bite of his baked bass or steamed greens. She acquiesced to the greens, turning her head to hide her smile when Natsu praised the chef excessively with loud clapping when she pronounced them delicious.

Lucy had never really seen this goofy personality of Natsu's before. Well, maybe when he was talking about his favorite burger place the other day, but apparently it only came out when it came to food. Maybe she should eat with him more often. Though as she watched him scoop a huge hunk of mashed potatoes into his maw, she reconsidered.

A few bites before Natsu somehow finished with his ten plates, and she was halfway done with her salad, the two were able to relax in their chairs and fully take in the scenery. "So what happened to Levy? Why wasn't she around to stop you from going into the men's locker room?" Natsu smirked, slowing down on the remains of his food to talk to her. Although Lucy suspected it wasn't because he was full, rather that he was savoring the last few morsels.

"Funny." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she shot him a blank look, playing with the last of her salad. Sighing, she gave him a real answer. "Levy wanted to get started on her assignments for next week, so she left me behind for the last hour." The bluenette, in her typical overly-studious ways, spent her Fridays off dutifully studying, like any college freshman she was sure. It was a miracle Lucy was able to get the girl to stay with her as long as she did, especially since the pixie wasn't known to enjoy any exercise that didn't stretch the mind. Lucy wasn't really into working out either, but she wanted to look decent for her upcoming photoshoot. She was no longer a part time model for Fiore weekly, but she did book jobs every now and then for clothing deals and the like. Her manager kept her busy every other month with something thanks to her socialite status. Her father hadn't liked the work, but it was better than her constant job for the magazine. He'd allowed her some freedoms to expand the Heartifilia name as long as it was in a positive light.

Her next photoshoot was going to be a little more risqué than her usual—she'd be posing for a famous lingerie brand and needed her body to be in tip top shape. Her father would have never let her do something like this, but after her manager basically begged her and promised it would be tasteful, she relented. It would also be a way to part from the overbearing control her father held over her, spinning the crazy situation she was in to her own benefit.

"Oh really?" Natsu snorted at the idea of any more studying than necessary. From his point of view, he had two businesses to run and school on top of that, so anything beyond what had to be done to maintain his academic standing never made it onto his list. "I didn't see you in the main area, where did you go to work out?"

Lucy noted the genuine curiosity in his voice with a raised brow. He seemed regretful that he didn't see her while they were there together.

"Levy doesn't like those machines, and I think jogging in place is boring. We join the open yoga class there every once in a while, then go swimming for a little more fun." Lucy smirked at Natsu before popping a carrot into her mouth, "I don't think exercise should be dreadful." she said, assuming Natsu kept a boring, unchanging routine if he spent most of time in the main room.

Natsu raised an eyebrow of his own at her sass, but was too busy thinking about how those yoga classes were probably the reason why she was so flexible to reply. She hadn't even complained when he put her legs next to her ears. He wondered if there were any poses she could show him later on.

As soon as Natsu's fork hit his plate after his last bite, Jeoffery was back with another woman in tow asking to take the dishes away.

"You're not going to finish your food, Luce?" Natsu asked when one of the staff reached for her plate.

"It's fine, I'm done." She waved the girl on to continue and take it. Natsu didn't say anything, only giving her a look until even after the servers left. Lucy huffed.

"I'm not that hungry right now, don't worry. Plus, I don't what to ruin the effect of my workout." Lucy finally responded, folding her arms defensively as she bristled under his daunting gaze. "I don't know how you do it, Natsu."

Trying to change the subject, Lucy continued on, "Anyways, look at this view, it's so nice of the Head Master to set us up out here!"

Natsu leaned back in his chair with his own arms crossed. Studying Lucy with his eyebrow cocked, not falling prey to her change of subject. He decided to go along with her when he noticed the tense set of her shoulders as she looked out along the sea line, deciding he didn't want to create even more drama between them, especially in Gramp's restaurant.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." Natsu finally stated, staring at Lucy until she looked at him from the corner of her eye and straightened her shoulders in embarrassment, realizing he wasn't talking about the view. He smirked at her demure behavior as he caught her eye and sent her a playful wink, before finally chancing a glance at the sea she'd been staring at throughout the night. Running his tongue along the edge of his teeth he had to admit it was pretty grand. The way the waves hit the shore created a soothing sound effect, and the crystal-esque shimmering of light on the water from the all-encompassing moon gave off a relaxing tranquility.

Lucy felt Natsu's large, warm hand fall back on her thigh, closer to her knee rather than high on her thigh as he usually did. Usually it was possessive, to show everyone that he 'owned' her or something. Lucy found herself not minding it this time, almost welcoming the warmth that he provided against the soft breeze of the sea.

Lucy looked back at Natsu slyly from the edges of her vision, not wanting to alert him that she was staring. She finally took in his look for the night, now that she could do so unobserved. Natsu was dressed in a basic black t-shirt with a metal feather chain dangling from his neck, a dark blue, almost black, jean jacket, and slim black dress pants tapered to his legs along with the same Louboutin leather boots from that morning. She didn't know where he got the outfit, but she had to admit he looked great in it. It was so casual looking yet fancy enough for this type of restaurant. A person obsessed with fashion like Lucy would always appreciate a man who could dress himself.

With the way his perfectly messy hair danced in the soft breeze over his powerful, pensive gaze, tall nose with the sparsest of freckles and a small, half-hidden scar, full lips formed into his typical brooding frown, and strong jaw that had the smallest vestiges of a shadow after a long day, Lucy couldn't help but think that if he weren't such an asshole she wouldn't find it so hard to admit how irrefutably hot he was. She could've easily gone gaga over him—it wasn't like she had ever been afraid of admitting a man was good looking before.

Sighing away her thoughts, Lucy focused her attention back on the ocean, picking up her wine glass to take another sip. Unfortunately it's crashing waves, tumultuous and roily, only reminded her of her relationship with her father. Dark thoughts wound into her mind and took her from the peace of a moment ago. She'd avoiding speaking her thoughts on the topic, but now seemed the time. "I'm surprised he hasn't come looking for me yet."

Lucy could feel Natsu's attention turn to her as she spoke. "He's always been distant, but I always felt like everything that he did concerning me was ultimately to protect me." She didn't know what had come over her to suddenly divulge her insecurities like that. Maybe the calm atmosphere and relaxing scenery, or Natsu's unusually soft behavior. It was something that she had been thinking about ever since she'd been captured initially, a weight settled into her heart once she realized that he wasn't coming. A question at the back of her mind wondering if he really just didn't care anymore.

Natsu watched her speak, noticing one hand twist at the wrist, languidly undulating the wine she held in her cup, while her other clenched under the table in her lap, unconsciously moving towards his own on her leg. She needed support handling the emotions he was all too familiar with. The look in her eyes as she looked out to the moon, brown eyes shining, not necessarily with anger but hurt and confusion, she was a reflection of himself when he used to stay up all night in the woods after training. He'd stayed in an area of space that reminded himself deeply of his old man. They used to spend hours in the woods of their yard practicing how to make a campfire, building things out of wood, or counting the stars. It was the only place he felt he could let the veil of his anger down and his real feelings come out. The deep internal ones that asked if his whole life was a lie, his mother never wanted him, did his father not too? He let his wife and now his son go so easily. Who was the man he'd spent so much time with, really?

Natsu looked away from Lucy after noticing her bite her lip in vexation. He could tell she needed to release her feelings, even if it was to someone she didn't like i.e. him.

"Then forget about him." He said, taking her closed fist in a lax grip, soft enough that if she didn't want it there, she could move away.

Lucy's eyes widened, "W-what?" She asked, turning to him and noticing that he wasn't looking at her at all. She paid no mind to his hand over hers even as her fist loosened.

"Does he love you?" Natsu asked, bringing his gaze to hers. No emotion in his eyes as he asked it, playing with her hand until the ends of her fingers were captured under his thumb, holding her securely yet softly.

"That's the thing…" Lucy smiled sadly, "I don't think he does."

Natsu nodded along to her words, his long, strong body relaxed as it draped over his own chair towards her, clenching his jaw before he spoke. "Then forget about him. Face him at your own pace." Natsu squeezed her hand meaningfully. "Until then push him out of your mind."

Lucy sat there looking at him dumbfounded, she hadn't expected that. To be fair, she didn't expect him to say anything at all. She finally glanced down to see her hand held delicately in his, igniting a small blush on her cheeks. Natsu squeezed her fingers one more time before letting them go and placing his hand back on her knee.

Lucy looked up in time to catch Natsu tilt his head and smirk at her. Lucy couldn't help but shake her head and smile back. "That's really bad advice you know."

Natsu grinned, "Who said I was good at giving advice?" He shrugged. He could relate to her, and as he looked into her big brown eyes watching the torrent of emotions slowly wane, he could see that she understood. That didn't mean he knew what to say to her, though. When he was in that space, there wasn't much people could tell him. He could tell her that her father loved her, but he wasn't sure that was true. Then again, if he told his story to someone who didn't know his dad, they'd probably think the same. Maybe Jude did love Lucy but had a fucked-up way of going about it, but telling her that wouldn't fix her problems. He wasn't that great with his words, so the best he could give her was a moment of relief from her pain.

She seemed to appreciate it enough as she continued to smile. Natsu's own started to dim when he noticed something at the edge of his vision, fixing his gaze back on his companion before she noticed.

Lucy's thoughts, although better than the dark spot they'd entered, started to turn back to Natsu. It was sweet of him to try to help her in any way, even if it was only so much. She got the feeling he identified with her experience more than he let on.

The same soft look in his eyes from earlier started to make her blush as she remembered her previous perusal of his looks. Turning away quickly before he could catch on, Lucy ended the connection. Although she couldn't ignore her heightened attention of his hand back on her leg.

"Lucy."

Said woman jumped in her seat, sweat tickling her skin at the thought of him noticing her focus.

"Y-Yes?"

Natsu kept his gaze on her, sliding up his hand from the top of her knee, close to the usual place he touched her at the top of her thighs, under even where her dress ended. Lucy's skin tingled as he stared at her deeply, feeling a little rapturous from his attention as she looked into his eyes, although wary of what he could want. With the way he was looking at her, he might say she had something on her face.

"Give me a kiss." Whatever she thought he would say, it wasn't that! Lucy's breath stopped in her throat, embarrassed by his blunt sexual desire for her even now. Although his request was a little random, it made sense for him to want affection from her after such a deep moment, even if they weren't actually together. Maybe she was sucked into the depths of his intense gaze, maybe the moment felt perfect and she wanted to feel like the lead in the romance novels she often read. Her situation certainly felt fictitious. Maybe she drank a little too much wine, or maybe she was feeling a little amorous herself, but Lucy couldn't stop herself from putting her almost empty glass down before leaning into Natsu, suddenly lost when she noticed the amber flecks hidden in his eyes twinkling from her assent.

Natsu's hand on her thigh tightened its hold when he noticed her moving in, taking his other hand to place along her jaw and guide her further to him. He watched raptly as her sooty lashes fluttered demurely before closing, her soft cheeks growing pink from his proximity, and her luscious pouty lips parting for him as they closed space.

Feeling his lips on hers was ardent as usual. For such a rough guy, she expected his lips to be the same, and while they felt like a man's lips, they were soft, tender on hers as if he were teaching her their own secret language. He was a good teacher; she was getting the hang of it after only two days. He pulled her lips closer to his with a quick suck, opening her mouth further with his own before lining her lips with his tongue. The move was teasing and sent a striking feeling down to her core. Lucy stuttered a whimper, she was always amazed at how talented he was with his tongue.

This kiss felt a little different than the others, instead of learning and reciprocating the language of love, Lucy's mind went completely blank as the look in his eyes after their coupling in the locker rooms came to the forefront of her thoughts. It evoked a wave of feeling which she rode down the kiss, losing herself until she more so felt than heard Natsu's rough moan into her mouth at the face of her passion. His arm tightened around her body, shackling her as she almost completely fell on top of him.

Lucy pulled away from the kiss, trying to calm down with her forehead pressed against Natsu's. His hand lay along her jaw as his thumb caressed her cheek sweetly. His other arm slowly loosened its tight grip. Lucy was so lost in the moment she was surprised when she heard the sound of a phone camera going off and whispers.

Lucy looked up at their small audience, still panting as she saw a group of two guys and a girl taking pictures of them, arguing amongst themselves when they realized they were caught before scrambling away.

Lucy looked down and away, backing up from and breaking her connection with Natsu before pulling her hands through her hair.

Natsu couldn't find it in himself to be surprised at her retreat but felt a little hurt when she slapped his arm off her waist, avoiding his eyes as if he could turn her to stone.

"Natsu, how long does this have to go on for?" Lucy asked, fixing her considerably hiked-up dress before sitting back in her seat.

Leaning back into his chair, Natsu sighed softly before returning his disposition to his usual emotionless façade. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean," Lucy glared at her wine glass as she picked it up and swished the remaining contents around with graceful flicks of her wrist. She blamed the beguiling liquid for making her forget who she was with. "We don't love each other, so how long do we have to put up this ruse that we do? How long until the public can pin us as a love-less couple who are only with each other for gain?"

Natsu chuckled, imagining his father had to deal with this same conversation with his mother. It was amusing that history was repeating itself.

All he had to do was wait a couple years for Lucy to run off with the enemy. "Don't worry babe, just give me an heir and sign off your father's company to them, then I will happily leave you alone."

Lucy's heart tightened hearing that, more hurt than she'd expected.

Natsu snickered, not having to look at her to know she was pouting. "Or just sign everything off to me after our marriage and it will be over quicker."

"That will never happen." Lucy snapped.

"Oh, hello." Lucy froze, not prepared to hear such a familiar voice again. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Lifting her head to their visitor, Lucy's emotions were conflicted seeing whom it was. "Lisanna…what are you doing here?" The white-haired girl was busy staring at Natsu with a flirtatious smile. He gazed back, emotionless besides his scowl getting a little deeper.

Lisanna was dressed in a sexy silver number. It was sleeveless with thin straps, the material dripping low on her bust to show her perfect breasts just a couple sizes smaller than Lucy's, while the sequined fabric draped along her body was analogous to the ocean waves. The hem of the dress reflected the party look of the ensemble, stopping just at the tops of her thighs. Silver studded Manolo Blahnik's to match and Lucy couldn't help the itch she had to buy the same ones; they were gorgeous. Lisanna seemed to be sparkling, thanks to the diamonds on her wrists, neck and ears, only emphasized by the white of her freshly cut and styled pixie hair. All and all, Lisanna looked great, no one could deny that. Lucy thought she walked right off of a red carpet somewhere while simultaneously taking runway pictures for a fashion magazine.

Sharp blue eyes finally graced her a look when she realized she would receive nothing from Natsu, giving Lucy what was supposed to be a friendly smile as she placed a hand on her hip confidently. "I just came to say hello to you Lucy, long time no see right?" Lisanna smirked. There was a bite to her words that Lucy could hear, nor was she ignorant to how the girl's nose turned up when she looked at her, a contrast to the more welcoming attitude given to Natsu.

Lucy didn't buy it, but she was never one to be overtly rude when it wasn't called for. Smiling, she tried greeting the girl properly. "Excuse my rudeness, how are you doing Lisanna? Did you join your sister's company after graduation?"

"It's been nice," Lisanna's words were clipped, not even trying to make her "smile"—a bare twitch of the lips—come off nice. Changing the subject quickly and speaking more fluidly, Lisanna continued, "How do you know Natsu?"

"Uh…" Lucy felt more than a little whiplash at the quick change of subject.

"It's just," Lisana said, putting one freshly manicured finger to her lips to pose as if in thought. "I didn't know you were into whiny little virgins, Natsu." She finished slowly, emphasizing each word. She smiled fully as Lucy's face turned mortified, before turning fully to the pink haired man. "Don't you miss me Nats'?"

The man in question crinkled his brow at the nickname, "What are you doing here Lisanna, really?"

Finally noticing the atmosphere, the glasses of wine, and the dress Lucy wore, Lisanna ignored his question in preference for a new line of thought. "Wait, are you on a date?" Lisanna giggled, looking at the embarrassed ire on Lucy's face before turning to the stony façade of Natsu's. "I don't know what you expect from her Natsu, she's not going to give it up. This girl has an iron padlock on her junk. Isn't that right Lucy?"

"Lisanna—"

Her eyes narrowed when they didn't react the way she expected. Lucy only looked away and Natsu sighing before saying her name again. He shifted in his seat as if he were about to get up and kick her out. "Oh wait. Let me guess..." White tendrils fluttered as she shook her head to look between them. "You," she pointed at Natsu, "popped her cherry!?" She finished, pointing at Lucy.

Lisanna doubled over in laughter after she saw them both freeze at that line of questioning. "Oh, that's too good. Perfect little virgin Lucy got her purity stolen by a criminal. How did Daddy Warbucks feel about that, Lulu?"

Natsu glared at the girl "Lisanna—" he growled, the threat in his voice ignored as she cut him off.

"How was it Lucy, was it everything you ever dreamed?" Lucy watched the woman's face crinkle hatefully towards her, tears forming on her tear ducts so suddenly that Lucy didn't know how to react. As affected as Lisanna seemed right now, Lucy was able to put the pieces together. There was something between Lisanna and Natsu. And since Lisanna had been captured almost the same way Lucy was all that time ago, her reaction to Natsu only assured Lucy's that her previous worries were not false.

"Why haven't you called me back Natsu? Wasn't I good enough for you?!" Lisanna stepped closer to the table.

"Lisanna, you know that's not how it was." Natsu sighed, shaking his head as she came even closer.

Lisanna let out a little scream and stomped her foot, whipping her attention back to Lucy, "Oh really? You're just that good in the sack then aren't you Lucy, huh? Or do you just really love virgin pussy that much, Natsu?" Lisanna glared, leaning towards Lucy threateningly. Before she could get close, Natsu stood up between them, holding her back.

Lucy stood, no longer confused. Natsu must have hurt Lisanna the same way he did her. She didn't know just how far their relationship went, but far enough that seeing Lucy brought back all of Lisanna's pain. Lucy felt sick. Her stomach roiled and threatened to spill out what she'd eaten of her salad. Her head felt full and her eyes hot, taking in the rage and hurt coming out of Lisanna's blue eyes onto her.

"He's mine bitch, he's mine!" Lisanna shrieked. Lucy stepped back, unsure of what to do. Looking towards the main restaurant, she wondered why no one came to stop the scene yet.

"Did he tell you while he was fucking you how good you felt too?"

"Lisanna! You know that—"

"How good did it feel when he bent you over the couch and fucked you until you couldn't breathe?"

Lisanna yelled, tears flowing down her cheeks. Natsu was still holding her by her arms away from Lucy.

Lucy, heard her words through a fog, unable to believe it. "What?"

"Lis?" Everyone looked towards the entrance when they heard the voice from the newcomer. Magenta hair curled in bountiful waves blew with the soft wind, revealing a concerned face. Sherry looked towards Lucy, taking in her shell-shocked visage before focusing back on Lisanna and Natsu holding her.

"Is this the guy…?"

That was all Lucy needed to hear to confirm the truth. Choking back a sob, the blonde picked up her purse and walked past Natsu and Lisanna.

"Lucy…"

She didn't listen. Lucy kept her head down as she moved past Sherry, walking as gracefully as she could out of the restaurant. She wiped the tears that fought against her hold and ran hot down her cheek, with the loud chatter from the main room of the restaurant surrounding her, she ignored the curious glances thrown her way as she walked out of the door.

"Ma'am?" Lucy ignored the valet, rushing past him to get into a cab that sat by the restaurant in the busy downtown district.

"Fairy Tail University Please."

Natsu stared blankly at the door Lucy left through. His mind was loud with Lucy's name yelling in his head. He didn't think before he took his first steps toward the door, ignoring the girl next to it all together as if she was never there.

"Natsu!" Pale arms wrapped around his torso and a thin frame fell on his back before his long strides could take him halfway to the door.

In that moment, the full realization of what just happened flooded into his mind. A growl vibrated from his chest unbidden as he tried to suppress his rage. Sherry, taking the full brunt of his change in visage jumped with a squeak, moving as far from the entry way and his line of sight as she could.

Lisanna, who couldn't see him, only tightened her hold, pressing her face flush into his back whimpering with dramatic tears.

Natsu pulled her arms away from him and quickly turned towards her. Using his height over her to dominate her vision he made sure his words were clear. "Lisanna, listen good and listen well. There is, was, and will never be anything between us."

Blue orbs widened to full mass as she looked up to him, stumbling back as he stepped towards her. Shaking off his intense glare with a twist of her head as she realized she had nothing to fear from him, Lisanna jumped back into his arms. "Natsu please, I know you feel something for me! All that time we spent together, it's nothing compared to whatever you did with that whore!" she cried, letting her tears run unchecked as she looked up at him pleadingly. Hands grasped his shirt in a tight grip.

A deep rumble left Natsu's throat, scathing words coming to mind that he quickly shut out with a deep exhale and clenched jaw. His hands wrapped around her biceps and he pulled her away from his body and right in front of his face. She stuttered a step as he held her tightly. "There has never been anything between us Lisanna, I bought you from that man and took you back to your home, that was it." His face was stony as his green eyes glared down at her.

She sobbed shortly when she saw the conviction in his gaze. "We did more than just that." Her voice warbled. "And you know it."

"We never had sex." He growled, feeling a twinge of empathy when her lip started to wobble.

"You held me. All through the night Natsu." She stated, forcing the memories back through his mind.

Natsu closed his eyes, "We're done here. Don't ever come looking for me or contact me ever again." He let go, making her stumble away on her high heeled shoes. His grip having been tight enough to pull her almost to his height.

Turning away from the girl, he started back towards the door, the magenta haired girl still as far from it as she could get.

"Wai-!" Natsu turned the side of his head towards her, sending one final glare in her direction before continuing on and finally leaving.

"…A-are you okay?" Sherry asked, looking at the mess her friend was at the moment and unsure how to proceed. Lisanna's face was red and patchy from tears, her makeup smeared, her face tense with badly controlled emotion.

At the sound of Sherry's hesitant voice, Lisanna didn't skip a beat. "Shut up, tramp." Lifting her head, the white-haired girl strutted back out to the dining area.

Sherry scoffed, "What a bitch."


AN: Hello everyone! I would've gotten this out sooner but after word updated on my laptop I lost a good chunk of it. So of course I had to go through the steps of denial and anger to finally get the motivation to rewrite it all, haha. I hope it came out better than what could have been, but you guys will be the judge of that.

I know a lot of people don't like the Lisanna is "evil" thing. Unfortunately, Lisanna was too perfect for this character in my opinion and it fits well when you think about how all the characters know each other. There will be more explanation of that in the next chapter. Plus my Lisanna isn't evil, she just had a hard life given to her and she's handling it the best way she can. Plus who doesn't love a little drama?

Lucy and Natsu also bonded a little more here, only for it all to go tumbling down. I wonder if it will continue in that cycle?

Don't worry there's more to come!