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"Aquarius?" She called out.

"My sweet daughter."

"Mom? Where are you?"

The back of her mindscape was lighting up, a soft white glow permeating through the darkness.

"We have always been connected, River, I've always been here. Just follow the line and see through my eyes."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." She said hurriedly moving towards the light.

It felt like moving through molasses, the light. Thicker than air as she struggled to walk normally, sweat perspiring on her brow and she forced her body through the dense light. When she was through, her sight cleared and suddenly she wasn't herself.

She was seeing through Aquarius' body.

"Find me."


"So, what's the real plan here, boss? Just gonna go around wrecking havoc wherever we go with the Celestial?" A man asked. River couldn't see his face, her mother's face was covered with a thin soft material, but she could hear and feel everything around them.

The chains that rattled at Aquarius' wrists and tail. The bitter chill of wind that cut through whatever camp they were at. The smell of smoke and rain, heady and overwhelming. Her body, no Aquarius' body, feels exhausted and weighed down.

"The plan, you irritating incendiary fool, is to get that former Master of hers to come to us." Another voice said, harsher and full of venom, and also male.

"Which is working. She's been following us all around the different continents." A woman added, her tone smug. River watched as she, as shadowy as her figure was perceived, walked up right in front of her. "I believe it's time to up the ante."

A sudden burst of light shook River back into her subconscious.

"Fuck! Fuck, mom are you okay?" She called out, fear and worry coursing through her.

"East! Travel East! To the Per….nde King…! It's wh…I am bei…. Eld! Fi….M….! Find me!" Aquarius shouted, her voice breaking up with their disappearing connection.

River felt, more than she saw, her mother's mind slip away from their shared 'scape. She screamed in frustration, hitting the ground with a closed fist, feeling both of them echo mutely off of her skull.

Slowly, she pulled herself back to her center, relaxing once again so she could wake up.

She had news to share.


"Of course these people are after me! When are people ever not after me?" Lucy exclaimed, pacing angrily back and forth in front of River.

Cobra huffed loudly from his spot next to Bixslow, knowing damn well that this whole thing was going to be a shit show. The Thunder Legion themselves felt varying degrees of pity and exasperation for the Celestial Mage- after all, Lucy had been kidnapped for one scheme or another many, many times before. Laxus and Gajeel both grumbled at the implication of someone trying to set a trap for Lucy, both letting out little growls as their dragons raged beneath the skin.

"But we'll have to go anyway." River replied, sagely. She swallowed against the lump in her throat, guilt and worry and fear all colliding in her body making her head pound, her stomach recoil, and her eyes sting with unshed tears. Her mother's voice replayed over and over in her head.

Lucy sighed, hands on her hips and eyes closed as she fought off an oncoming headache. "But, we'll go anyway."

"You can't be serious!" Evergreen exclaimed, looking up at Lucy.

"We have to." Lucy stated, grimacing. "Despite knowing that it's a trap, and these people wanting me for gods know what, Aquarius is being held outside of the Celestial Realm. And after Loke, I won't let another spirit be kept prisoner away from their home."

As if being summoned, said spirit appeared in a burst of glittering light. Dark glasses sat low on the bridge of his nose, green eyes glowing as he gazed at them, hair longer and wilder than any of them- save for River- had seen, and a crisp, pressed all black suit hugged his body.

"Damn, Kitty, you're looking better than the last time I saw you." Bixslow joked, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he grinned cheekily. Cobra snorted and rolled his eyes at his perverted boyfriend.

"And you're looking just as ridiculous as the last time I saw you." Loke retorted, pushing up his glasses. "Tell me, how's your ass after we kicked it? Still sore?"

"Yeah, you wanna kiss it better?" Bixslow asked, tilting his head cockily.

"As entertaining as it is to watch you two exchange barbs back and forth, we do have other pressing matters to get to." Freed interrupted, chastising the two men. Lucy sent him a grateful look and turned to Loke.

"You know you'll have our support, Princess, with or without your magic. We've become strong enough for that over the years." Loke said, tone and persona shifting to something softer.

Lucy nodded. "I know, but if shit goes sideways, I want you to take my keys and keep everyone's gates safe from these people." Gajeel made a disgruntled noise at her statement.

"Not to underestimate these guys, but they won't be able to get you with all of us around." The dark haired man stated. He shifted into a more upright position, wincing when his injuries throbbed in aggravation.

"This is going to be a dangerous rescue mission. We don't know what these mages can do, if they're affiliated with anyone, or why they're even after Lucy in the first place." Gajeel started before cracking a vicious grin that Lucy should not have found as attractive as she did. "But, we've got a lot of power ourselves and what we've all been through…"

Evergreen matched his determination. "We can do this."

"Of course we can." Laxus scoffed. "These guys can't hold a candle to what we bring."

"We're still going to have to be cautious." Loke stated firmly. "Like, Gajeel said- we don't know why these guys want Lucy in the first place. Not to mention that this is still a trap."

Lucy sighed heavily. They all knew what they needed to do, but the pros and cons were almost evenly matched. It was dangerous, but they've fought in wars before. They didn't know what type of magic these mages had, but when did they ever go on normal missions. Don't even get her started on affiliations, considering a lot of people within Fairy Tail had shady backgrounds. But this was important.

This wasn't about her own safety.

This wasn't even about renewing her bond with her mother-like figure anymore.

This was bigger than that.

This was about River, and more importantly, this was about getting Aquarius back home.

After all that she'd been through, Lucy owed her that much.

Her freedom.

They needed to do this for them. For mother and daughter.

Aquarius testing her be damned.

"So, we're in agreement then." Lucy said, looking at all of them. They all nodded, even River.

"Are you coming with us?" She asked, look at the dark haired woman.

"I may not have left this place in a long time, but I won't waste an opportunity to help save my mom." River replied, "Abandonment issues aside, it never hurts to have a little extra help and power on a mission like this." She smiled wolfishly, her eyes glowing with the telltale sign of her own magic.

"Let's get after it then." Bixslow added, cheekily. They all chuckled at his enthusiasm.

Loke turned to Lucy and clasped her shoulder firmly, meeting her fond gaze with his own.

"I'll let everyone know what's happening. We'll be ready for you when you call us." He murmured quietly. Lucy pulled him into a hug, her chest tight with overwhelming emotions.

The end never seemed so close as it did now. Hope bloomed within her, kindling the flame of her resilience.

"Thank you, Loke." She whispered.

He hugged her closer, tightening his grip.

"Anything for you, Princess."


Pergrande Kingdom. A vast country ruled by the royal family and protected by the Knights of Morpheus; four elite wizards of renowned skill and virtue. The only thing was… they didn't particularly like Celestial Wizards. Which was a problem for Lucy.

"Tracing the bond puts Aquarius close to the capital, I can't use my keys anywhere close to there, but I'm not worried about it right now." Lucy said, pointing to Aquilles, the capital of Pergrande, on her map.

They left as soon as Gajeel was healed, with River doing daily check-ins on her mother to keep tabs on the mages and to try and find out more information on what they were dealing with. So far, she hadn't learned anything new, other than there were possibly six to ten people all of them with various magics, but she couldn't see anything due to Aquarius blindfold.

"So, we avoid the guards and stick to blending in. We do what we did in Bosco, seek out information about shady characters and try not to fuck anything up." Laxus said, coolly.

"It's going to be a little different here," Freed started, staring intently at the map. "Pergrande's military patrol everywhere within the capital. It's not going to be as simple as going into pubs and brothels and seeking out people to give us info. Firstly, because they don't have things like brothels, and secondly, most of the guards themselves frequent the bars when they're off duty, not to mention the Knights of Morpheus."

"The Knights of Morpheus? Sounds like a bunch of weak dickheads to me." Cobra grumbled, crossing his arms in indignation.

"You're not wrong. They are like a miniature Magic Council for the kingdom. Imagine four Erza's with the strength of Jura and the cunning of Jellal. They're ruthless and not to be messed with." Lucy added with a sigh. She rolled up the map and tucked it into her pack.

"So strong dickweeds." River replied with a grin. Lucy snorted and nodded in agreement. They were, if the rumors were true, but she did respect them for all that they do and have done for their country.

"Let's focus on the guards then." Gajeel said simply.

They turned to look at him, confused. He rolled his eyes at their obtuseness, before shrugging his shoulders.

"Look, working as a spy, and briefly with the Magic Council, has taught me that guards know just as much as any degenerate on the street. With a little persuasion, they might be able to tell us what we want to know." He explained. Lucy hummed in thought, pinching her lip as her brain raced with plans and contingencies.

"We'll go with that for now." Lucy stated finally, before continuing, "It's not a sure fire plan, but it's a start. Now, come on, we've got to make it to the train station before the night is up."

With that being said, they started the trek to the nearest train station. They made a couple of stops along the way to rest and eat and buy more supplies from merchants on the road. Gajeel stuck close to Lucy the entire time, exchanging tactile touches as they progressed towards the station. Brief brushes of lips on foreheads, cheeks, and knuckles. Light, teasing touches grazing hips, shoulders, and the smalls of backs. Running fingers through each other's hair. It made Gajeel's dragon purr in satisfaction and was a balm against Lucy's soul. The others smiled when they caught them doing their dance around each other; a small relief against the growing pressure of their journey.

The sun had dropped out of the sky by the time they made it to the station; the colors fading from burnt orange to gray to a purple-black with the star just peaking through the waning light of the sun. The group was overall dead on their feet as they bought tickets for the last train to Aquilles- a hefty amount of jewels that Laxus dished out and waved off the complaints of everyone, telling them that he had more than enough saved up to buy the train station at this point. Lucy wasn't going to complain and gave him a half hug as thanks, which he accepted with a closed mouth smile and ruffled her hair before boarding.

Evergreen, River, Freed, and Bixslow passed out shortly after arriving at their seats, each of them leaning against each other and Cobra at the same time; the latter just huffed and hunkered down to get comfortable, closing his eyes to try and get some sleep. Laxus put all of their packs up above them, before chuckling at the sight of the passed out mages. He gently moved Freed and Evergreen to his side, letting them use him as a pillow instead of squishing Cobra up against the window. He pulled his headphones on, letting the soft rock lull him into a meditative state. Lucy smiled softly, wishing she had a camera on her to capture this moment.

A tug on her hand pulled her attention away from the scene and she looked at Gajeel, who gestured her to follow him. They walked down the aisle before stopping at the doors to one of the onboard bathrooms. He pulled her inside quickly, clamping a hand over her mouth as she yelped in surprise.

"Gajeel, what the he-" He cut her off with a deep kiss, clutching her hips tightly as he pressed her up against the sink.

She moaned softly as their lips slipped against each other and tongues slid against each other. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and his hands glided down to grasp at her toned thighs, groaning at the plush feel of them, before lifting her to sit on the counter. It was like the cave all over again, desire and passion heating the air around them. Lucy pulled back with a gasp, her chest heaving as she tried to calm down her breathing, and leaned her forehead against Gajeel's with closed eyes. The dark haired man watched her with soft red eyes, his hands flexing against her legs as he fought against his urges. A rumble started in his chest, vibrating and echoing through Lucy, causing her to shiver slightly.

She opened her eyes languidly, her fingers tangling in Gajeel's long hair, as she pulled him back to her, slotting their mouths together again in a slow kiss. Lucy sighed against him, contentedness flowing through her veins and relaxing her body. The man softly stroked her thighs and pulled her closer, making a spot for himself between her legs, and gently mapped his way up her body. He pressed one hand at the small of her back and one hand at the nape of her neck as he led her into a slow grind. She gasped at the friction against her sensitive clit, moaning at the feel of his slowly hardening cock pressing against her.

They continued like this for a while, pushing and pulling at each other, as their lust grew more wild and passionate. Groans and low chuckles and moans and gasps filled the air as they writhed against one another, hands pulling at shirts and dipping into pants. Lucy gripped Gajeel's ass in a firm clasp, biting back a noise at the feel. He huffed against her mouth, eyes filled with mirth as he pulled back to look at her.

"You're such a weirdo." He murmured, giving her a brief peck. She giggled and flexed her hands on his ass.

"What can I say? I appreciate a good ass." She replied with a sly smile. "And this ass is top tier, Love." He growled playfully, nipping her chin before nosing at her neck and leaving soft, wet kisses in his wake.

"Well, I did work hard for it, but as much as I would love to continue this," He said between kisses, "We should probably get some sleep before tomorrow." He pressed his lips to her temple, taking a moment to enjoy the skinship between them.

Lucy hummed and pulled her hands out of his pants, languidly running them up and down his back.

"We should." She agreed, but didn't pull away from him. "Even if I want you to fuck me right now, the bathroom on a train, is probably not the best place to do it."

He snorted. "Not ideal, no. Don't you worry though, Baby, we got a plan after all this remember?" He stepped back and helped her down from the counter, and began adjusting their clothes.

"Mm, I remember. A week away, just you and me, no contact, and preferably a beach." She said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again when he was finished. His hands laid possessively against her waist as he gazed down at her.

"Let's make it a month. I don't plan on letting you out of that bed when we get there." He promised, grinning sharply as he waggled his studded eyebrows. Lucy snorted in laughter, pushing his face away.

"Stop that!" She giggled, smiling warmly at him. Her eyes shined with affection at his ridiculousness.

"Besides," She continued, her mood and expression shifting towards something more impish. "I don't plan on letting you out of bed when we get there."

He raised a brow at her boldish statement.

"Oh yeah?" He breathed out, clutching at her tighter.

"Oh yeah, sweetheart, you said you wanted to mate the fuck out of me. I'm going to wring you out to dry." She said, pressing one last kiss against his lips before breaking their embrace and opening the door.

He chuckled and followed her out, slinging an arm around her shoulder.

"Sounds like a great plan, Bunny."


It's all coming together. They know vaguely what's happening, they've got some semblance of a plan, and they've got a new party member joining them. But, see if you can guess the mages that took Aquarius. I've got some twists and turns for y'all.

Note: Pergrande Kingdom is a kingdom in Fiore, but there's literally no information on them other than someone's fanon wiki. So, I sort of went in they took, but it's definitely not going to be the same.

Also, more GaLu moments. I don't know if I'll end up writing a sex scene for them in this story, I may just do a one shot continuation, but it's still all up in the air for now.

Sorry for my absence as well, this is the first time in while that I've felt up to writing anything, including fanfiction.