In spite of everyone's insistence otherwise, I did not eat much of a breakfast this morning; I was far too nervous to have more than a slice of toast and my life-giving coffee. Because of this, the incessant cramping of my stomach woke me from a blissful nap. I tried to stretch, but this was a futile effort with the way Natsu was wrapped around me - his right arm around my waist, keeping me flush against his back, legs curled up against mine with one foot hooked haphazardly around my left ankle, and me using his left bicep as a pillow. With his face nestled in my hair, his soft snores nearly lulled me back to sleep, but my stomach let out an obnoxiously loud growl. The answering growl from behind me sent me into a small fit of giggles before I attempted to turn and wake Natsu so we could find something for dinner.

"Natsu," I called softly to him, and received absolutely nothing in reply.

With only my arms free from Natsu's grasp, I reached behind me to see if I could irritate him enough to rouse the sleeping dragon. Mission unsuccessful, as my fingers sifted through his hair instead of poking at his face; I took a few moments to enjoy the softness of it and scratch gently at his scalp. He emitted a soft noise that almost sounds like a purr and I pulled my hand away, formulating a new plan of attack now that I have my bearings.

"Natsu, it's time to wake up." Or else… I added in my head. No response. "Oh, the things you make me do," I said softly.

Sliding my index finger into my mouth, I coated it with saliva until it's almost dripping off, then reached around and poke my wet finger directly into his ear. The results were instantaneous, but not quite what I was hoping for.

"What the fuck?" Natsu jolted awake, throwing himself backwards away from my offending finger to the edge of the bed, his strong arms taking me with him.

Unfortunately for me, he put a little too much effort into escaping and rolled off the bed, dragging me along for the ride. As soon as his back hit the hardwood floor, I was released to experience my own crash landing beside him. I'm unable to hold back my laughter at the confused look on his face.

"What the hell just happened?" Natsu's voice was thick with sleep and his hair flattened on one side of his head from drying during our nap.

Unable to answer, I just shook my head and tried to calm myself. It's not working at all, but I did try. Natsu raised a hand to his ear, likely still feeling the dampness that caused this situation, and the look on his face changed just slightly. He glanced at the ceiling, possibly to see if there's a leak, then turned his eyes on me.

"Is this your doing?" There's a slight amount of humor in his serious tone as he sat up.

"Possibly," I answered, letting out a snort of laughter as tears slid from my eyes.

"I thought I could trust you." Natsu's head drooped for a moment before he looked up, a fire in his eyes as if he's just accepted a challenge. "You betrayed me, Lucy - while I was sleeping no less - and you will pay for your betrayal."

Neither of us remained stationary as he spoke. I made it to my feet first, backing slowly away while he eased himself up and began to stalk closer.

"Natsu, please," I said as calmly as possible, both hands in front of me in a placating manner while I took another step back. "Let's be reasonable about this…"

A slight shift of his weight onto his back foot was the only warning I got before Natsu lunged towards me, but I was able to remain just out of reach as he pursued me around my spacious room. After lapping my room twice - both of us managing not to fall as we ran over my bed both times - I tried to make it to the safe haven that is my closet, my heart racing and the room alight with our combined laughter and taunting. Just as I grasped the handle, I was swept into his arms and spun away from the door and back to my bed. Natsu sat himself down with me across his lap, one of his arms holding me loosely against his chest, both of us panting for breath.

"Now that I've caught you, whatever should I do with you?"

"Let me put on some warmer clothes so we can go get dinner?" My words were hopeful, but I had a feeling I wasn't getting off that easy.

"Nice try." Natsu held me a little tighter and rested his head on my shoulder as he supposedly thought about what to do next. I raised up my hand to push his hair out of my face, but couldn't help playing with the soft strands instead. The almost-purr noise began again and he slumped forward over me a bit. "You're gonna put me back to sleep doing that."

"You'll miss out on your favorite pizza if you go back to sleep now." Natsu and I stood from our positions and I was pushed protectively behind him as soon as my feet hit the floor. "At least, it was your favorite when you were just a little shit; who knows what you prefer now."

"You shouldn't be in here," Natsu said dryly.

I, on the other hand, happened to be doing a lovely job of not hyperventilating while trying to remember what the fuck in my room could be used as a weapon. Of course, I would have made sure to hide a few things around if I'd have known Jose's lackey would be popping into my bedroom. Maybe rational thinking would be better in this situation… Natsu did tell me I didn't have to worry about him spilling the beans about his identity, so does that mean the man leaning against my door can be trusted? Time to find out.

"A gentleman would at least introduce himself before intruding into a lady's room," I said, looking him directly in the eye and giving what I hoped was a polite smile.

"My apologies, Miss Heartfilia," the man replied, taking several steps closer and extending his right hand to me. "You may call me Ghost."

I slid around Natsu to take the offered hand. As had been drilled into me, I spun under his arm, switching my hold and twisting behind him to plant his hand between his shoulder blades. When I had the hold where I wanted it, I kicked the back of his left knee and guided him to the floor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ghost. I do not appreciate having surprise visitors in my room." I tried to keep my voice calm and level, but I'm not sure how well that's working. "You are currently just an intruder in my house, so I would like you to give me one good reason not to turn you over to my security team for handling."

"Some warning about this would have been nice," Ghost commented, but his words were directed at Natsu.

"I told you not to do anything that could be perceived as threatening and to let me know when you were on your way. Instead, you announced yourself after skulking in the shadows for who knows how long," Natsu lectured, his eyes finding mine before he continued, his voice only slightly softer. "Nice follow-through and use of footwork. You've gotten faster - and obviously stronger, which means you were holding back against me yesterday. Your technique could still use a little refining, though."

"You're seriously critiquing me right now?" I raised my right eyebrow at him, daring him to say more.

Much to my dismay, Ghost easily pulls himself free of what I thought was a solid hold on his wrist before turning and standing to face me. The desire to step away from him was strong, but I stood my ground instead, planting my hands on my hips as he towered over me.

"He's not wrong, Miss Heartfilia. I mean no harm to either of you. Natsu is my godson, and I am sworn to protect him. And you," he sighed, "the last time I saw you before today, you were just a broken shell of a girl that I helped pull from the depths of Hell. Aside from not being bruised and cut up, it didn't seem like much had changed… maybe a little more fire behind your eyes."

A quick glance at Natsu let me know at least the first part of his statement is true. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I've grown a lot in the past three months or because I'm in familiar territory; either way, I didn't feel any type of panic attack coming on from how I reacted to a strange man appearing from fucking nowhere, so I at least have that to be proud of. My head was spinning with this new information, but there were other, more pressing, matters to attend to before addressing everything else.

"Alright, so let me get this straight…you brought pizza?"

Ghost gave me a bewildered expression while Natsu laughed so hard he was snorting. Since my stomach was trying to digest itself, I decided to tap my right foot impatiently as I waited for an answer from the man standing in front of me. While it's obvious he didn't bring the food offering into my room, the deep breath I took let me know there is indeed pizza somewhere in the house.

"Whatever, I already know the answer anyway. Now please, if you would be so kind, get the fuck out of my room so that I can get dressed." My words were punctuated with a slight glare and a firm finger pointed towards my door. He left with a nod, closing the door behind him.

"You might want to put some clothes on, as well," I said over my shoulder as I headed into my closet. It took practically no time for me to pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater, rounding off my less-than-fashionable outfit choice with a pair of fuzzy slippers.

Natsu was no longer in my room when I exited the closet, instead waiting for me outside my door. We followed the enticing scent of fresh pizza and the drone of voices to the dining room, and I was more than a little surprised by the sight that greeted me. The whole team - plus Ghost - were seated around the table, talking animatedly and devouring food like there would never be another meal after this one.

The twenty-person dining table had always seemed so excessive when I was younger, but for the first time that I can remember, it felt a little too small. I pulled Natsu to two seats that were left open for us, sitting myself next to Ghost and leaving Natsu to sit next to Aquarius. I did not miss the forlorn look he gave me when he sat down, but I did ignore it in favor of grabbing a few slices of the pie in front of me.

"Oh, no, you don't want that one." Ghost tried to take the plate from me, earning himself a slap on his hand while I fended him off.

"I swear to gods, if you try to take this from me again, I will gnaw your fucking hand off."

Both of his hands were pulled away as quickly as they had invaded my space. Everyone else at the table laughed, several nearly choking on their food at the interaction. Ghost looks like he's about to say something, but was cut off by an unexpected source.

"Whatever you're about to advise, just keep it to yourself." For those who don't know my cousin, Laxus' voice would probably sound borderline bored, but knowing him as long as I have, I could hear the deep amusement in the undertones. "Lucy's more stubborn than a barren of mules, and that wasn't an empty threat she just threw out."

That drew another round of laughter from the table and a horrified look from Ghost.

"Don't say I didn't try to warn you," he grumbled before digging into the food on his own plate.

"You're gonna want this. Trust me." The words caressed my ear as Natsu leaned close and passed me a beer as I was preparing to take my first bite.

I just accepted with a shrug before sinking my teeth into the hot, delicious slice of Heaven. The effect was not immediate; it was another two bites before I could feel the tingle of the jalapenos speckled on top of my slice, and another two after that before my mouth was fully engulfed in flames. My hand reached for the beer in an instant and I chugged the whole thing before reaching for the one in front of Natsu to calm the inferno.

Everyone was laughing again, this time at my expense, but I couldn't care less.

"What did I just put in my mouth?"

"Beer," Natsu commented unhelpfully, earning himself a huff and a glare from me. "It's called 'Dragon's Lair' and it's the best pizza ever made."

"I did try to warn you," Ghost added.

"You," I pointed to Ghost, "shut it."

He mimed zipping his lips, but couldn't hide the smug smile at being right. Not that he was, the pizza really is the best, just a little spicier than I had been expecting. Who the fuck am I kidding? It was a lot spicier than I anticipated, but like hell I'd actually voice that, but I can at least admit it to myself. To save myself from melting my insides, I turned to several cheesy breadsticks for help. I will not admit defeat! Or give up my pizza, because it's too good not to eat no matter how much I know I'll pay for it tomorrow.

I managed to get my hands on four slices of Dragon's Lair before Natsu devoured the rest. By himself. The man is a bottomless pit. Sipping on my fourth beer, my brain feels a little fuzzy, but the quantity of fucks I have to give is at zero, so I turn to our unexpected guest for the answers I had been wanting since he announced his presence well over an hour ago.

"What exactly are you doing here?" That probably could have come out better, and a little more clear.

"Eating pizza and drinking beer, just like the rest of you."

For a moment, I thought I would be fine. Just fine. No problems whatsoever with this man I don't know - even though almost everyone else seems to - waltzing into my house and my room with no warning, then trying to take my chosen deliciousness and giving me more sass than Laxus' friend Fried used to when they were teenagers. That lasted all of three seconds before I was seething.

Ever the observant one, Natsu had an arm around my waist before I could begin what was sure to be a long-winded tirade.

"Angry-Lucy isn't really something any of us need right now," Natsu informed Ghost, who seemed too amused by the reactions of those around him. "You know damn well what she was asking."

"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "Wasn't sure what I would be walking into earlier with Porla; was more than a little surprised to see both of you here. One a little more than the other." Ghost looked pointedly at Natsu before taking a sip from his bottle. "After we left, my shift was over, so I decided to come back and see if you had a plan in place or if you were just going to wing-it like you usually do and get yourself into deeper shit than you already are."

My already-short temper flared at his words. Not because of the words themselves, but because they were directed towards Natsu instead of me.

"And whatever you've got in mind," he continued, "it's pretty low to drag Miss Heartfilia into it for use as bait… especially taking into consideration how close you two seem. Or are you just using her as a means to an end?"

The dark chuckles coming from behind me are more than a little surprising, and Natsu tightens his grasp enough to give me a reassuring squeeze. He doesn't have to say it; I know he's not using me.

"You're outta line, and so wrong in your whole analysis of the situation. Except one thing: I don't have a plan, but I'm also not the one in charge here." Ghost's eyes scan the table, likely trying to figure out which member of my team is running the show. Natsu waited, playing with a loose strand of my hair until his godfather was looking at him again. In his analysis of the room, he never seemed to take me into account at all. "Still wrong, Old Man. Lucy's the one using herself as bait. She's the one with the plan, and with how she was able to handle Jose this afternoon, I'm thinking she's doing a damn good job so far."

Ghost leaned back in his chair, one hand rubbing at his chin in apparent contemplation of what Natsu was telling him. His eyes were on Natsu only a few seconds longer before turning to me. I leaned into the warmth radiating from the man beside me as I felt everyone watching me for a reaction that I refused to give.

"What game are you playing at here, Miss Heartfilia?"

"Lucy," I answered curtly. "And I'm not playing any games."

This seems to be turning into a battle of wills between us, and I refuse to lose. No one at the table is eating anymore, and as I glance around at my team, I notice all of them - as well as Gray and Laxus - are watching intently to see how this will unfold.

"Alright, Lucy. Then what are you hoping to gain from this? Just turn down the contract requests until your father recovers and let him handle the rest. This business is not something you should be getting involved in."

"I'm already involved." I clench my jaw, trying hard to keep a level head. "And my father can't do anything about this situation, since he was murdered by that fucking bastard's son several years ago. I hid it from the world because I had no desire to appear any more vulnerable than I already was…am…fucking whatever, it doesn't even matter right now." Pausing for a breath, I notice Ghost preparing to speak again, but I have no intention of relinquishing my rights to speak.

"Before you start thinking that I'm in this for revenge, or some petty bullshit, I'm going to clarify that that is not what's going through my mind. You may have helped pull me from the depths of Hell, but I've been living in Purgatory since that day. I've been confronted and attacked more times than I can even remember without consulting my notes, and roughly three months ago I figured out it has all been part of a greater scheme to use my father's business to hurt people… so many people." My rant tapered off as a tightness grew in my throat. I have to get this out before it all burns me from the inside out.

"You want to know what I want to get out of serving myself up on a silver platter?" He nodded once in response; I'd expected words, but I seem to have quite the captive audience. "Not revenge. And not for me. I want to make sure that two dangerous men cannot hurt innocent people ever again; I want to be able to stop people from being kidnapped from their homes and sold against their will to whomever is willing to pay for them. And I know this whole thing is bigger than me, and I sure as fuck know it's dangerous, but if I can stop even one person from suffering as I have suffered, then whatever I have gone through and will go through will be worth it.

"And before you get any ideas, I'll tell you the same thing I told Igneel months ago: there is a way to stop me getting involved." He raised an eyebrow at me, and I felt Natsu's arm tense around me. I forgot I hadn't told him about the conversation I was having with his dad when he stepped onto the porch a lifetime ago. "Lock me up. Find a safe place for me to stay, and lock me away like a princess in a fucking fairy tale. But the second you do, you will turn into one of them - at least in my eyes. So, by all means… stop me."

Silence filled the room and it was deafening. Sometimes I do not know what the hell possesses me to open my mouth and spew my truths, but now it's all laid out. Ghost seemed beside himself, his jaw locked; I could see in his eyes that he wanted to say something, but what exactly that is, he seems disinclined to share with the rest of us. Not that anyone else is saying anything either, and the lack of sound grows deeper as the seconds tick slowly by.

"I told you not to piss her off." Natsu finally broke the tension in the room, earning a surprising laugh from Laxus. The two hadn't really butted heads after that first incident, but they were far from friends, barely acknowledging each others' existence for the past few days.

"You ready to tell me why you showed up here unannounced?"

"Yeah, but we should probably talk somewhere a little more private."

"There is only one person in this room that does not have my complete trust," I told him bluntly. "Everyone else here is privy to the information I have on your boss, his son, and their business. So unless you'd rather be in a more comfortable room, I don't see a point in relocating."

"I wouldn't try arguing with her about this," Natsu said before Ghost could get a word in. "She's already managed to out-stubborn dad several times. Lucy will win against whatever argument you put up, and even if you think you've won, she'll just lead you to a room fitted with mics and cameras so everyone will watch and listen in whether you think they should or not."

I could hear the amusement in his voice, and something that almost sounded like pride.

"Here is fine," Ghost gave in without a fight. "I wanted to make sure the two of you weren't going off half-cocked because of some idiotic scheme my godson whipped up as soon as he got back from a mission."

"How'd you know I-"

"You think for one second Jose didn't know you - not one of your teams, but you - were in that fucking building when it blew? He could have sent in reinforcements, and would have if you hadn't been there. With all the blood you left behind, it was easy to convince him you were either dead or laid up in a hospital halfway across the continent."

I gave Natsu a scathing look at the mention of mass amounts of blood. He made it sound like it wasn't that serious, but obviously it was. The look I received in return let me know we would discuss it later, privately.

"Now you know it's not Natsu's plan, and it's been months in the making." That earned me some arguments from around the table. Understandable, since I didn't let any of them in on what my brain was doing with the pieces it had been putting together. "What? I'm not going to share half a plan with all of you, only for it to get picked apart and shot down before it's fully-formed. It got us here, and me successfully through today's meeting." That shut them up pretty quickly. "Unless you would like to tell me otherwise? I only know what I saw, but he seemed to believe me."

"Jose is a sexist pig, and as far as he's concerned, women are only capable of two things: pleasuring men, and housework. On the drive back to his house, he was practically giddy with how easy it would be to manipulate someone so clueless as you." He paused long enough to thank Virgo for the fresh round of alcohol. I hadn't even noticed mine was empty until cold glass touched my hand. "If you're as clever as Natsu seems to think you are, then you will absolutely come in handy, but I need to know that you have the patience to follow through with whatever it is you have in mind."

Laxus laughed again, and I realized that was the only contribution to dinner at all. He spent most of the evening listening and observing what happened around him; more specifically, he spent most of his time watching how Natsu and I interacted. I just know I'm going to get an earful from him about this.

"Dude, my little cousin has exactly two modes."

My eyes narrowed as I contemplated throwing an empty bottle at him to get him to shut up. Before I could even move to reach for one, Natsu had pushed them out of easy distance and winked at me. If I weren't busy trying to pay attention, I would start plotting my petty revenge right now.

"Mode on: patience of a fucking saint. Mode two: we're doing this right the hell now. And there's no in-between."

"Jerk," I spat at my cousin, grabbing a small bit of crust off Natsu's plate and throwing it at his head. "I can be plenty patient and level-headed, thank you very much."

"As you can see, Lucy also manages to keep an even temperament at all times," Natsu joked from behind me.

Ghost smiled at the turn we had taken towards playfulness, which greatly eased tensions in the room.

"Looks like the team got a bit bigger. I was trying to keep Natsu out of this, since he is quite talented at getting himself into trouble without me helping him along," Ghost told everyone.

"Hey!" Natsu protested the comment.

"Don't I fucking know it," I mumbled after, earning another shout from Natsu.

We all settled down a bit after that, allowing Ghost to elaborate on why he'd been working for such a douche since shortly after my rescue, the plan, and what his ultimate goal was. With a full team now at his disposal, the timeline could probably be moved up from taking years to just months - if everything went to plan.

While I tried to protest the outcome a bit for moral reasons, in the end I was persuaded to agree. Phantom Lord would be disrupted by one or both going to prison, but it would ultimately continue on as so many other 'organizations' have before them. To really end this and be able to dismantle PLG, Jose and Bora would have to die.

This chapter took me for-fucking-ever to write. At this point, I will be a happy camper if just one person lets me know it doesn't suck.

Anyway... thanks to everyone who faved, followed, and commented. Y'all keep me going.

TTFN