Here is the much longer chapter I've been working on. I hope ya'll enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!

"Natsu?"

Natsu kept pacing and running his hand through his hair. Lucy knew the moment she fucked up the moment she saw Natsu react after what she said. After their discussion, they made their way to her apartment to give Natsu some time to process the information. It's been a solid week since she had told him, and he's been back almost every day to discuss it.

"I'm from a family of vampires! How is anything going to be normal? I thought you didn't know anything about Zeref."

Lucy nodded, "I don't know them, but I've been around long enough to know the stories about how we Vampires came to be. They are like fairy tales, myths to us! I didn't think Zeref was even real until I was told that I am possibly sired from him. But if Zeref is true, then that means Acnologia is real."

Natsu faced her eyes wide, "Who is Acnologia?"

Lucy sighed, the one-story vampires told newly turned ones to scare them into submission. "He is what you call a vampire hunter, but he's also a vampire making him difficult to kill. We use him to scare new vampires into not making a mess."

"So, what does this mean for me?" Natsu sat down on a chair, head roasting in his hands.

Lucy kneeled down and grabbed his face, "It means that you are still you, Natsu. It changes nothing. You are a descendent from them, and many people have the same last name and aren't related."

"Have you ever met another Dragoneel?" Lucy didn't answer. "Exactly my point!"

"Natsu, please. You are still a dragonslayer, and who your biological family is doesn't matter. It's who you are now that matters. They are like your very long list of greats in their uncle or something like that. It's in the past."

Natsu scoffed. "Yeah, well, we see how you deal with them. It's in the past and doesn't matter crap. You practically write, and you are so obsessive of your past."

Lucy met his eyes the sudden realization of his outburst hit him. "You're right, Natsu. But you aren't me. You don't have your odd quirks on overdrive as I do. I can't tell you how to feel, but I can tell you that this information doesn't change anything about who we think Natsu is."

"Thanks, Luce."

Lucy grabbed him and pulled him tightly in her arms. "Now, how about we go get Erza and Gray and go on a mission."

"Are you sure? Have you fed?"

Lucy raised her brow and looked over at the empty blood bags sitting on the counter. After Erik had left, she began finding other ways to get human blood that didn't hurt anyone, and well, she loved the thrill and strength it gave her. Natsu and Gray weren't too keen on the idea but after describing the pros and cons. She needed her strength now more than ever.

"Trust me. I'm good. We need a sense of normalcy. This is getting depressing anyways." Lucy grabbed her go-bag, pausing at the slight scrape on the floor. She didn't know how or when it got there. Lucy stood straight, looking to Natsu, who was just sulking in her kitchen as he looked at the fridge full of blood. She looked around one more time just to be sure nothing was out of place.

"Is something wrong?"

Lucy quickly turned, "no, I'm ready to go. Let's grab your stuff. Levy did a protection spell, right?"

Natsu looked around, trying to find what was bothering Lucy so much. "Yeah... what is wrong with you?"

Lucy grabbed her bag, brushing her hair out of her face. "Let's just go." She looked back at her apartment and locked the door behind her. Both went out and made their way to the guild. Lucy felt the side glares from Natsu as he tried to gauge what happened. Both pushed through the heavy doors. Gray immediately looked over his shoulder to see who it was. Lucy and Natsu stopped in front of the mission board.

"Oh, let's do this one!" Natsu pointed to the small little poster.

Lucy rolled her eyes, "we are not finding a lost puppy. We need something big and worth a lot of jewels."

Erza had joined them. She pulled one off the board. "This one is the one."

Lucy took it. Help Wanted: Kidnapping of my daughter in Crocrus by an unknown supernatural creature.

Lucy frowned at the spot where the poster was placed. Several older posters of the same listing were there hanging. She knew from experience that this girl was probably dead by now.

"I don't know, Erza. We may not even find her."

Natsu snatched the listing. "All the more reason to go. This person is grieving and needs closure even if she is gone."

Lucy felt it then. The flutter of her dead beating heart. She always thought it was weird how she is practically dead yet was still slightly warm and still bled when cut. Her heart still pumped blood though it wasn't as fast as it used to. She looked to Natsu, who was practically giving her the saddest, most endearing puppy dog look.

"Fine. Let's go give this man some closure."

The train ride was quiet. Lucy watched the humans on the train go about their lives without a care in the world. A mother and a child sat in the seat across the aisle. The child was leaning against her mother, slowly falling asleep as her mom rubbed her fingers in soft circles on her forehead. A life that she wanted for herself, a family. Her life was taken from her too fast. She was betrothed to marry before she had died. The thought of him and the life she could have had made her chest tighten.

"Lucy, is everything okay?" Erza leaned in her hand on Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy shook her head, shoving those memories deep down inside, locked away. She wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "I'm fine."

Erza pressed, "What were you thinking about?"

"How my life would have been if I wasn't turned. I wanted a family and to grow old. I may have been a celestial mage, but I would have had a normal life. With the exception of magic slowing my aging process just a bit, but I wouldn't be stuck in my seventeen-year-old body." She had so much to live for back then. More importantly so much to learn about her magic and family. Lucy reached behind her and traced the top of the tattoo on her back. Her mother was supposed to tell her about what it meant. She knew it had to do something with her magic, but that was it.

To Lucy's surprise, it was Gray who was the first to speak. "I'm sorry for being such an ass to you. I should hold it against you with what you are. It wasn't your choice."

"Thank you, Gray. It means a lot to me."

"Next stop is Clover Town!"

Once the train stopped, the team headed out on the streets, Erza leading them.

"First, we will put our things in the motel, and then we will head over to Mr. Benson and see if he has any idea where his daughter is."

The Benson house was beautiful. Lucy looked at every detail as they walked up to the door. The elegant etchings in the railings and a porch looked over the beautiful estate. It reminded her of Erik's home.

A maid opened the door she looked them over carefully. "Who are you?"

"We are from Fairy Tail. We saw your listing about Mr. Benson's daughter being missing."

"Oh! Someone finally took the job! This is so exciting. We have been waiting for months for someone to help. Right, this way!" Lucy went to step in but was stopped by the invisible barrier that vampires are doomed to run into if they haven't been invited in.

"What are ya doing, Luce?" Lucy looked over to the maid, whose smile immediately disappeared.

"Your friend will not be invited in. We have made this place safe from Vampires since the destruction of Magnolia. The rest of the humans may have forgotten or not care anymore, but the Benson family will never forget. Your friend can wait out here. Don't even think of compelling anyone in the town. We put vervain in the water."

"Lucy isn't like that. She is part of our guild. She came to help." Erza said.

"It doesn't matter. It is Mr. Benson's order."

Natsu went to say something, but Gray put his hand on his shoulder. Lucy nodded to Gray, "You guys go; I'll go around town and gather some intel."

The closed, and Lucy stood on the porch, anger, and guilt hitting her. All those people she had killed. Their faces still haunted her to this day.

She headed down to town, people happily walking the streets. It was almost peaceful on the streets. Everyone was waving at each other and just seemed so carefree. Lucy entered the pub called Emerald Blues, the smell of strong liquors called to her. The cravings seemed to consume her as she walked the streets. The pub was Irish-themed and had old worn tables that looked to be from old barrels.

The bartender looked her over and smiled just a bit, "a little early for a drink, don't ya think?"

"I'm a bourbon enthusiast, and I've had a bad day."

He poured her a drink, "here you go."

Lucy unfurled the job listing and took a sip of her drink. "Have you seen this girl?"

He took the paper and furrowed his brows. "She went missing months ago. What are you some kind of cop or something?"

"Do you know anything or not?"

She watched him as he contemplated. She knew he had information. Small towns talk especially about rich families. He refilled her cup.

"I only know the rumors that go around, but the most common one is that she was kidnapped and no one saw her again. They think it was to get ransom money, but the Benson's never paid it off to get her back."

Lucy shook her head, "why would they not pay it to get her back?"

The bartender shrugged as he began cleaning a glass. "Word around the block is that their daughter Amy was into some weird shit. This one-woman came in saying weird shit like vampires were in the town and witches trying to start a massive spell. I don't know like I said weird shit."

Lucy grabbed her phone and quickly texted Natsu found out vampires and witches might be involved. Meet you at the motel. Lucy grabbed her drink and finished it. "Thanks, man, I should get going."

"Good luck finding her. The town definitely misses Amy."

"Thank you. I'll do everything I can to bring her home."

Lucy left the bar feeling the slight buzz of the bourbon. Drinking had always seemed to help keep the cravings away. By the time Lucy got to the hotel Erza, Gray, and Natsu were already in the room debriefing.

"How'd it go with Mr. Benson?"

Natsu glanced at Erza, who nodded.

"Well, once you left, he was upset that you are in the town, but after speaking with him, we were able to get him to calm down to focus on what really matters, his daughter. He believes that she was taken by a group of Uh witches or vampires."

Lucy nodded, "yep, that's what the bartender said, but he thought that was crazy shit talk." She needed a shower. The smell of the bar still lingered on her.

"I wouldn't shower in there if I were you."

"Gray, put your clothes on. I have to wash up; I smell like booze."

"There is vervain in the water supply, remember? Crap, where are my pants."

Lucy entered the bathroom anyways and closed the door. She turned the tap on just to a drip so she could test the water. Her skin burned on contact. She felt like the world was constantly against her as she tried to live a normal life and reinvent herself. She looked at her reflection, her skin still from the lack of feeding. Her throat burned slightly as the thirst crept its way through her. Vervain was in the water supply. Then it probably contaminated the animals too. She shook the thoughts away and left the bathroom.

Natsu was grinning like an idiot, and Gray was shaking his head in warning. "Lucy, do Vampires pee?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, "I'm dead. What do you think?"

"Told you. You owe me ten jewels."

Natsu sighed and handed Gray ten jewels. Lucy sat on the bed, wishing she had brought more blood with her than the three just in case blood bags. Lucy went to the mini-fridge and signed in relief, seeing the bags left untouched.

"What are you going to do if you run out of bags?" Natsu asked with a worried tone.

"I'll leave town for a few hours a d come back. I just want to get out of the god-forsaken vampire-hating town."

"Do you remember the Benson family at all? He said his family was in Magnolia when your vampire coven destroyed it." Gray asked.

Lucy frowned at the question. Her memories of that time only consisted of blood and destruction. "When I turned my humanity off, I didn't really care about what I was doing. It was about surviving and living in the moment. I don't remember who I killed or spared. But something is off about the family. I dug a bit in the records building, and they have files blacked out left and right."

Erza nodded, "I agree. Something is off, we all need to be alert, and when we find this girl, we are leaving. I don't want to risk Fairy Tail's location. He wanted to know what we were." Erza used her Requip magic and changed into her pajamas. If only Lucy had the ability to change into any clothes she wanted.

She grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the door. Suppose this was a vampire-free zone that may also mean other creatures as well. Lucy would rather die than let her friends get hurt.

As the others slept, Lucy's mind drifted off. Her magic was only getting stronger, while Erik's dragonslayer magic was now nothing but a speck of his power before he turned. What was balanced in her magic? Hers could decimate cities if she let it. She felt the warmth of Loke's light ebb into her. The calming ever-presence that made their friendship stronger than ever. For all Lucy knew, she was one of the last few celestial mages on this earth. Natsu sat on the floor by her, startling her from her thoughts.

"Why did you start drinking human blood again?" It was an innocent question, but she could tell more was hidden under his curiosity.

"I need to be ready, and animal blood doesn't satisfy the craving enough to matter. Every time o entered the guild. The hunger is so intense. I'll still drink animal blood, but human blood in moderation will help control my thirst. And before you ask, no, I haven't killed anyone. It's easy to grab, eat, and erase." She placed her arms around her waist and squeezed. The thought of blood made her stomach twist in ways she didn't think were possible.

"So they don't remember it?"

"They don't remember me or what happened. They can go on with their lives without the whole vampire crap. I can tell someone to move on with their lives."

"Can you compel other vampires?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, only the originals can do that. The first immortals can compel any vampire, and it's almost impossible to break the compulsion. That's why Midnight used other ways to keep me in his control." Lucy waved off the conversation, "enough of this, tell me, what made you bring me to Fairy Tail?"

She waited for Natsu's response as he checked to see if the other two were asleep. "I saw you give up, and I remember feeling the same way as a child looking for my dad. I don't want anyone to feel so hopeless that they are ready to throw in the towel."

She didn't know what to say as she realized that she had given up and was ready to die. To end her misery once and for all, and he had saved her. "Thank you. It means a lot to me. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow we can go save that girl and give her a life worth living."

Lucy looked back, and Natsu was sound asleep, mouth hanging wide open with drool pooling down his cheek.

She heard it then, footsteps of multiple people trying to quiet their steps. Lucy looked back at her friends and left the hotel room as quietly as she could be. The halls were dim, and the carpet smelled like mildew. She could hear the people snoring, their blood flowing through their veins. The closer she got to the stairwell, she heard the sound of hushed whispers. The stairwell door creaked as it opened slowly. Lucy peaked down the stairs and sighed in relief as she saw teenagers who were drunk and trying to sneak back into their hotel rooms. It was like a weight on her chest lifted. She had been paranoid. A sudden sting on her back had her gasping in pain.

"What the hell?!" She turned only to be reshot with what looked to be a dart in her chest.

A young man stepped closer to her, "tranquilizer darts with vervain." Lucy groaned as she felt her body give and her vision blurred.

She felt the cold concrete that her cheek was uncomfortably resting on and her blood dripping down her wrists. They had bled her to weaken her. I definitely feel like crap, she thought. Maybe she was dying, and she'll just wake up.

A groan escaped her chapped lips as she sat up. It was a jail cell, and the bars were wet with what could only be vervain. A girl was cowering in the corner of the cell accords from her. The girl met Lucy's eyes. The realization hit Lucy seeing the similar facial features from the picture on the listing.

"Oh my god, Amy?