Steam wafted from the warm mug held between my hands as I watched the sun slowly rise over Magnolia. Dinner last night went well, but I wasn't able to get much sleep after talking through everything again with both Natsu and Igneel, the latter deciding to be argumentative about what I wanted to do next. While Natsu doesn't like the idea of bringing me into the fold in the fight against Jose and his corrupt company, Igneel flatly told me I was not to get involved.

As if it's his fucking choice. After the hell I've been put through, I deserve the chance to help take these people down. Things got a bit loud in the penthouse after that, and I ended the conversation with several colorful words, after which I stormed to my room, slamming my poor door with far more force than was strictly necessary. It's possible I could have handled the situation with a little more tact, but I'm not the only one at fault in this.

With a heavy sigh, I inhale the intoxicating scent of my morning mocha before taking a drink, enjoying the feeling of warmth that spreads through my chest as I swallow. My reverie is broken by the sound of the doors opening behind me. I don't turn to see who it is, as this is around the time Natsu usually joins me on the porch.

"Your mocha is already on the counter," I told him, my eyes still glued to the shifting colors in the sky.

"That's a warmer greeting than I was expecting this morning," Igneel said from behind me.

"I thought you were Natsu," I replied without turning around. "You're free to drink what I made, though. I can always make him another one."

"Lucy, I wanted to apologize for last night, and I want you to understand where I'm coming from." There was a short pause as Igneel settled himself into the chair next to me. "I feel as though I failed you when I didn't make sure the man who abused you was properly taken care of; you never should have gone through what you did, but you also should not have been put through additional years of torment. I am partially responsible for all of this, and I want to make sure you are protected and that no one hurts you again."

"I do not hold you responsible for the actions of sick individuals, Mr. Dragneel." He flinched a little at the name, but did not correct me. "And with all due respect, what I do is not your choice. I will help take down the bastard responsible for all that I have been through. Do not presume to tell me how dangerous they are, because I'm already well aware of that. And if you want to try to stop me, you will have to hold me captive, but know that - in my eyes - that would make you no better than they are."

There are a few minutes of quiet before Igneel speaks again, and I am able to take in more of my morning addiction, though it's not nearly as satisfying as it had been before that door opened.

"Natsu cares about you a great deal."

"I care about him, too," I tell him truthfully.

"I don't want him to lose you."

At that comment, I finally turned to look at him. Dark circles reside under his eyes, and I know I'm not the only one who did not sleep well last night.

"That's not really your choice either, Igneel," I said softly. "It's my choice, and it's Natsu's. Whatever happens between him and I is up to us, and no one else. I will stick around as long as he wants me here, and when he tires of me, I will leave."

"I don't think…"

Whatever he was going to say is cut off by the door opening. This time I do turn, and greet Natsu with a warm smile.

"Good morning," he said, his voice still a little rough from sleep. Almost immediately, he set his mug down on the table next to me before taking mine and doing the same.

"Natsu, what are y-" a small squeak left my mouth in place of my question when said crazy person whisked me out of my seat and into his arms.

Before I could protest, Natsu had turned and sat himself down with me on his lap. His right arm rested securely around my waist as he placed my drink back in my hands. A chuckle reminded me that this small series of events happened with Igneel sitting just a few feet away and obviously enjoying both his son's antics and my distress.

I sent a glare his way, but that only made his smile a little wider. Since my situation is not likely to change anytime soon, I leaned back against Natsu's chest so I could take advantage of his warmth.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Natsu commented at my contented sigh. "You're so stubborn you only let me protect you from the cold, and even then you almost argue about it."

Oh, how I want to defend myself against the accusation, but that would only prove him right. Instead I settle for turning my head so I can stick my tongue out at him. He responds in kind.

The three of us go inside once the sun is over the horizon, Natsu and I working together to make breakfast before we have to get ready for work.

Igneel and Natsu have a meeting this morning - I have a feeling it has to do with Jose and PLG, but I have to remind myself that not everything is my business, nor is everything about me, and I will be given any information which is important to my situation. Natsu escorts me down to the garage where we will be meeting Capricorn, who will be driving me to work.

"Be careful today," Natsu says as he caresses my cheek.

"I'm going to work, not to meet with a mob boss," I laugh, though I lean into his touch. I already miss him, even though he's still standing in front of me.

"I…" Natsu hesitates, his jaw clenching and relaxing before he releases a soft sigh and presses his lips to my forehead. " I know," he murmurs against my skin, "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. Hope your meeting goes well."

Neither of us move away, and I look up at Natsu, meeting his gaze. I can almost read the emotions in his eyes; they're the same as last week on the carousel, and I don't quite know what to make of it. Natsu hasn't kissed me again since the first night he did so. At first my insecurities made me believe that he thought I wasn't a good kisser, or maybe his interest had already waned and he was just being kind and trying to not hurt my feelings. The look in his eyes is telling me differently; it tells me he wants to, but he's waiting - for what, I'm not sure yet.

What I am sure of, though, is that now is not the time for these contemplations, as Capricorn has arrived, which means it's time for me to leave. I slide my hand over his and hold it there a moment longer.

"I promise I'll be careful at work if you promise to be careful at your meeting."

"Deal," he agrees as he reluctantly steps around me to open the car door.

I step in, and he shuts it behind me. Likely he's come to the same conclusion that if we linger longer, neither of us will get anything done ever again.

My day crawls by. I spend my time between checking on the updates and security sweeps of Natsu's computer and fixing code down in my office. There was an attempted security breach over the weekend, and I'm pretty sure I know where it came from.

"Heya, Lucy!"

I look up from my work to see Leo and Aries walking towards me.

"Hi," I say, more than a little confused. "I thought you weren't supposed to be hovering around me while I work…"

"We're not hovering. Sorry," Aries said shyly, nearly hiding her face in her hands.

"We heard someone tried to hack the system," Leo clarified, "and we were wondering if you needed help figuring out who did it, or securing the system, or whatever it is you do here."

"Are you a master hacker, Leo?" I asked, raising one of my eyebrows.

"Oh hell no!" His condescending tone makes my eye twitch, and a small part of me wants to kick him - including Igneel's lesson about following through. It's almost as if he can see the thoughts forming as he raises his hands in a placating manner. "Not what I meant, Princess. Just that there's someone on the team who might be able to help."

"Really? Who?" I spend some time thinking about who could possibly help with this, but no one comes to mind.

Leo and Aries look at each other, then answer in unison, "Crux."

I cannot keep the skeptical look off my face, even though I do give a valiant effort.

"Yeah, we know," Leo tells me without prompting, "but the man's been doing computer shit since before most people even had personal computers. Don't judge a book by its cover; Crux is practically a walking archive - even if he seems to spend more time sleeping than working these days."

For a minute, I thought about turning down the offer and going back to what I was doing, but then I recall ripping into several people in the last twenty-four hours because they either didn't think I was capable, or for not utilizing the resources available to them. I would be either an idiot or a hypocrite for turning down help - probably both, since I really don't know what Crux can do. If he's even half as talented as Leo claims, then I'm going to need him.

"Alright," I agree, "bring him by. We could use another set of eyes on this."

"Um...not today. He goes home around two," Leo looks rather guilty revealing this information.

"Sorry," Aries pipes up. "We can make sure he's here in the morning."

"I'd appreciate that," I told her while repressing a sigh. "Honestly, it's not like the work is going anywhere. Unlike what happens in the movies, tracing a hack takes time. The system is still secure, and we've locked everything down, so no one is getting in without putting in a substantial effort."

Checking the time, I see the work day is almost over anyway, so it's not like we could make much more progress than we already have today.

"We'll make sure he's here in the morning, Miss Lucy," Aries quietly assured me. "Are you going out today? Dinner, or shopping? Maybe out for a walk?"

"Not today," I reply as I shut down my workstation and pack my things. "It's going to be a quiet night with a fireplace, some hot cocoa, and a new book."

The three of us are just starting towards the elevators when Leo chuckles, presumably at my statement.

"I think you're forgetting something, Princess." He laughs as I look back at my desk, but everything is in order, and I have my purse and laptop. "No," he chuckles again, "aren't you training with Capricorn today?"

My heart sinks; I'd forgotten that my self defense training starts today. "Damn. Well, it's not like that will be the whole night. I'll still have plenty of time when we're done to read."

Aries and Leo shared a look, but didn't say anything as we stepped from the elevator into the underground garage. Capricorn was waiting for us next to the car and opened the rear passenger door as we approached.

"Are you ready to begin your training, Miss Lucy?" He asked politely as I stepped in front of him.

As excited as I had been before, I now felt myself a little nervous. Was I ready? Fuck if I know; probably not. But I knew it was something that I needed to do. I will not be a weak little victim anymore, and this was part of what I was doing to take my life back.

"Ready as I can be," I answered before slipping into the back seat of the car. The ride home was silent, and when we reached the top floor, Capricorn instructed me to change and meet him in the training room.

By the end of the night, I feel as if I've never been more exhausted in my life. Natsu and Igneel got home an hour into training, and Natsu decided to join in the training session. He made it just in time for what he called 'the fun stuff' - basic strikes and blocks, which were drilled into my head for over an hour, after which Natsu and I sparred. Though Natsu claims he went easy on me, I spent a fair amount of time getting knocked on my ass.

Four hours were spent in this fashion before Capricorn took mercy on me and called it a night. A hot shower and light dinner later, Igneel headed to bed while Natsu and I stayed curled up on the couch while some movie we've both seen many times played on the television. Questions came to mind about Natsu's day, but this was the first time either of us had been able to relax today. It felt far more important just to be in this moment, my eyelids feeling heavy due to the slow way Natsu's fingers slid through my hair again and again.

A soft sigh broke me from the trance I was being placed under, and I turned slightly so I could look up at Natsu.

"What's wrong?"

"Dad and I have to leave in the morning."

At this admission, I sat up, abandoning the comfortable pillow on Natsu's lap.

"What? Why?"

"I'm needed for business out of town."

The way he said that word let me know it was not just some quick trip to Crocus for a dinner meeting. He was going away to a location I was not allowed to know, doing things that would put his life in danger. I reached out for the comforting grasp of his hand as my mind went through myriad scenarios of what could happen to him while he was gone.

"How long will you be gone?"

That was obviously not the question he was expecting first, or at all. Some of the tension faded from his posture and he gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"I don't know," he answered, looking at our joined hands sadly. "A few weeks, at least. Hopefully not months this time."

I looked around the living room as I processed this information. While I didn't want him to go, I knew this would eventually be a possibility. A quick glance into his eyes told me so much more than his words did. Natsu didn't want to leave, either, and I knew he would stay if I asked him to. But doing that felt too close to taking advantage of him; even with everything going on with me, he still had responsibilities that were equally - if not more - important, and I could not be so selfish as to continue to monopolize his time.

"Will we be able to talk at all while you're gone?"

"For the first few days, yeah, but once we're on the ground there will be a communication blackout until the job is done."

I nodded in understanding, my mind debating my next words before I finally spoke.

"In that case, I'm calling in my favor."

The way his head cocked to the side at my words is too cute, and I almost lose the nerve to follow through. Almost.

"You promised me whatever I wanted when I spared your life at the wedding," I prompted. While I was hoping he would understand the playful tone of my voice, he immediately tensed up again in anticipation of my request. "I want you to sta-"

"Lucy," he barely breathed out my name, interrupting my request. I could see the conflict in his eyes; the hurt at what he thought I was asking. Gods, this man was dense sometimes.

Standing from the couch, I tugged at his hand, coaxing him up with me.

"Lucy," he tried again, as I led him into the hall. "I can't stay. I have to go on this mission."

"I know." I stopped in front of my door, still not relinquishing his hand. "And if I'm going to lose sleep worrying about you for the next few weeks, I...I just want one night that I know you're safe." I tugged at my lower lip with my teeth, wondering if I was crossing some sort of line, part of me not caring. "I was hoping that you would sleep with me tonight."

A mischievous glint sparked in his eyes at my words, and the corners of his mouth tilted up into a smirk.

"Just sleep, you pervert," I smiled back at him as I rolled my eyes.

Several minutes later, Natsu joined me in my room after we had both gone through our normal evening routines. My nerves were going haywire as we both slid into bed. I reached over to turn off my bedside lamp, which was followed by Natsu's arms pulling me against his chest. This is the first time I've willingly slept in the same bed with a man, and it takes a few minutes for my heartrate to slow down to an acceptable pace, and once it does, I find my voice again.

"Can I ask one more favor?"

Warm breath slides across my barely-covered shoulders as Natsu lets out a chuckle.

"I dunno, your last favor was a pretty tall order." His lips brush my skin as he holds me tighter for a moment. "But ask anyway, and I'll see if I can accommodate you."

"All I want is a promise. Just...promise that you'll come back home to me."

"Always," he whispered. "I'll always come back to you. I promise."

No more words were spoken before Natsu drifted off to sleep, his breaths evening out and his grip slackening just slightly. As much as I wanted to analyze the tone used and precise words Natsu had just spoken, I could not resist the pull of sleep any longer.

When I woke, I found myself alone in my bed. Looking to my clock for the time, I saw a piece of paper with three words written on it:

I promise

~Natsu

Thank you to all my new fave/followers! Your support means a lot to me. Special thanks to those who left reviews: BeachBumBabe, anneryoko, RequiemMage, jessifer89, Copperreign12, and 1986jao. Reviews keep me alive!

I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. TTFN, Lovelies!