Disclaimer: As you all know Fairy Tail belongs to the amazingly talented Hiro Mashima-sama

A/N: *Bowing on her hands and knees* I apologize profusely for being away for so long, I will accept what ever punishment you guys want to hurl at me. I am so sorry!

But here it is for the first time in nearly 6 years a new chapter for you all.

* Laxus' P.O.V*

"Oh my grrrr." I groaned, rubbing my head as I returned to my 'dragon cave'. A surprisingly fitting nickname Mira had given my office years ago that had stuck. Damn those two love sick fools and their infernal noise making. It had made this mornings hangover darn near unbearable and I was usually so good at handling them too.

I flopped back onto my couch, closing my eyes and letting the comfort of the thing envelope me. It was my favourite napping place in the whole world and I often spent many a night sleeping here just because of how quickly I normally fell asleep on it, compared to my own bed. Which always felt far too big and empty, to fall asleep quickly too.

As I lied there, for kami knows how long, trying to return to the blissful escape that was sleep. Hoping that if I could just drift off I could escape the haunting replays of last nights events. Not that any of them had been bad for me particularly, bar one.

It was solely one memory from the night before that kept playing on loop in my head, tormenting me. Remembering the sight of that dumb bastard with MY WOMAN made my blood boil...

I took a breath to try and slow my thought process for what felt like the millionth time already.

"She isn't mine." I whispered to myself covering my face with one of my arms. It didn't seem to matter though. I could say those words out loud or in my head over and over for eternity but they never seemed to help me. They never stopped the longing I felt for the woman in question, never halted the way her voice held me captive as she spoke or stopped the way her smell intoxicated me every time it caught a hold of my senses. Nothing could stop the way when she laughed it made the whole world's time stand still for that moment.

"This is infuriating." I growled, rolling onto my side and buried my face into the back of the couch. Block her out already, you can do it! She's just a woman, a single woman after all. You could have your pick of any female you wanted in or out of the guild...bar the ones with boyfriends already. So why the hell could I not get this one particular girl out of my head?

Why had she been stuck there since I'd first laid eyes on her through the communications lacrima, all those years previous? Better yet why had I been an ass to her at that point? Then again I'd been an ass to pretty much everyone back then so, I knew it was no excuse but they say hind sight is a lovely thing. It probably hadn't helped her see me as anything other than an ass though, so really I had no one to blame but my self that she had fallen for another guy.

With that old feeling of regret washing over me I finally felt sleep reclaiming my tired body.

"Laxus come on we have to follow them." Lisanna begged, pulling at my arm. I really didn't want to, just thinking of seeing what might happen between those two outside was making all the alcohol I'd consumed wish to leave my system immediately.

"Why should I care what happens between those idiots." I growled, keeping my face firmly blank. No way in hell could I let that meddlesome madam know of my true feelings for the blonde she wished to stalk into the night. Especially not with her current schemes. The thought of her even suspecting my feelings for Lucy Heartfilia made my blood run cold.

"You don't have to man, we only need those dragon ears of yours to tell us what's happening." My teammate laughed sticking his tongue out. I knew if I didn't go along with this I would never hear the end of it from anybody, especially Mira. Considering she was going to get proposed to as well tonight I really did not want to cause any ruckus that could ruin her evening, or Freed's for that matter.

"Fine." I snapped, heading toward the upstairs balcony that gave a pretty good view over the back yard of the guild. It was also the only place to eavesdrop without Natsu finding out.

"It's not polite to compare a girl to a panda."

The first words of their conversation floated up to my ears as I leaned into the door frame, while everyone else (mainly Lisanna and Bixlow) crouched down by the railing and looked on to the scene below.

"What's going on?" Lisanna hissed, concern evident in her speech. I sighed. Why couldn't they have roped Gajeel into being their hearing aid? I knew why. I was the only other person who knew of their plans, but still. It was unjust, as Freed would say.

"I think he made Lucy cry again, and he's comparing her to a panda. A cute panda." I retorted trying to keep any sign of emotion from my voice. Lucy really would make a cute panda.

"Maybe I should have keep those too apart after all." Lisanna whispered keeping her eyes fixed on the on going melodrama unfolding below. No shit sherlock, how many times did the poor girl need to have her heart broken by the same guy before you found her some one who actually wants her? Mainly ME!

"Ouch."

Hearing her walk into Freed's ruin wall made me wince due to the sound it made.

"That had ta hurt." Bixlow winced. Mirroring my own response to the sound of face meeting magical barrier.

"You okay?" Natsu's voice floated up to my ears again. "Huh, why is there a ruin trap here?"

"They're about to read the requirements." I grumbled. Dreading what Freed had been requested to input into the barrier to allow them to leave. Knowing Lisanna and Mira it was probably something physical...

"A passionate fish." The words snapped me out of my internal babble and caused me to chuckle.

"What?!" My fellow guild mates inquired in unison.

"Why did Freed say the requirement was a passionate fish, to leave? " I was trying so hard to keep myself from full on breaking down in laughter at this point.

"Fish?" Bixlow spoke confusion apparent in his tone of voice.

"It's supposed to be Kiss not Fish." Lisanna grumbled irritated. "Can that idiot not read!"

This caused me to chuckle again as Lucy pretty much said the same words below us, just without the irate tone. I thought that dragon of his had taught him how to read.

"This is a kiss." I heard the blondes voice take on a seductive tone that sent a shiver of desire shooting down my spine. Who knew she could make a kiss sound like it would be the best thing on the planet.

"I hope this doesn't back fire on us!" Lisanna muttered grabbing hold of Bixlow's arm. Everything instinct in me was screaming to look away but I just couldn't, hearing her say those words had my attention fully drawn to her, even though I knew what was coming would be torture to witness.

Seeing the change from hesitant to willing to return the kiss in Natsu nearly caused me to let out a warning growl at the pyro maniac. Smelling the change of hormones and the rising levels of lust in the pair, caused my heart to drop into my stomach. I had to get out of here and quick! Before the scene below broke me or I charged down and started beating the pink haired mage...In a fashion he had done only a short while ago to Sting. I took one more glance back longingly looking at the blonde mage...

"Laxus." A voice was calling to me. But who was it? For some reason it seemed like a voice that was extremely special to me.

"Hmmm." I grumbled, having difficulty prying my eyes open. "Where am I?"

"In your office." The voice spoke again softly. "That must have been one hell of a dream, to have you this confused."

"Dream..." I felt reality slam back into the forefront of my mind. That was right it had just been a dream, well actually more like a nightmarish hell-scape. Trying to pull myself back into the here and now I pushed myself up into a sitting position holding my head in my hands. Urg this damn headache just wouldn't budge.

"Here have some water."

I lifted my head and accepted the glass of refreshment from none other than Lucy herself...Why was she here in my office?

"Thanks." I mumbled, before downing the cool revitalizing liquid I had received. Seemed like the fates had it in for me today, I was being tortured in my dreams and in the waking world also. What had I done to deserve this kind of punishment? Recently I mean.

"No worries." The blonde smiled at me. "Hows the head?"

"Feels like I've got a carnival living in it." Serves me right, after what I'd witnessed last night I'd pretty much tried to drown my sorrows by drinking the entire bar. Not my smartest move, as everything after Freed's proposal was a haze of nothingness.

"You did get more hammered than normal last night." She replied, concern laced in her voice. "This will help with the pain."

She handed me two tiny white pills, which I assumed to be some type of pain killer and another glass of water to take them with. I nodded my thanks at her this time not wanting to speak as it made the thumping between my ears worse. Then swallowed the medicine along with the second glass of liquid, and felt a wave of gratitude wash over me, for just how caring this girl was.

"Feeling any better?" With this she handed me a small plate of food. Can't take pain medicine on am empty stomach, only idiots do that...

"Yeah," I nodded, accepted the plate and gingerly started to nibble on the sandwich. My stomach, not liking the idea of food however was churning something fierce, but I was manly enough to put it in it's place. "Thanks again."

"You should really be thanking Bixlow, he handed me the tray and asked me to bring it to you. He said he would have but he was swamped helping handle everyone else downstairs. Though I had been heading this way to see if you were here or not, so it killed two birds with one stone."

"I will." I mumbled, feeling my chest sink a little. So it wasn't her idea to come check on me after all. I mean it shouldn't have surprised me, she didn't see me in that way. I was merely her fellow guild mate, some one she viewed as family only. Wait she's been coming to check if I was already here? Why?

She stood up as if too head towards the door seeing as her job of caring for me was now over, then seemed to stop and turned back around to face me with an odd expression on her face. Maybe this had to do with why she was on her way to see me in the first place. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure." I responded, anything to keep her in this room talking to me for as long as possible. Just her sent alone was enough to help soothe this retched hangover. I also enjoyed spending any time I could get with her..maybe I should get monsterly drunk more often. Somehow that didn't seem a likely option, if I wanted to make her fall for me. Despite Cana's best efforts, alcoholism was not a sexy trait.

"Well." She began looking a little unsure of herself. "You said something to me last night and I...well...um...wasn't sure what you meant."

"What did I say?" Oh Frick, feeling the blood drain from my face and all trace of moisture evaporate from my mouth as I barely managed to let those words slip past my lips. This could be bad, I'd been so wasted last night it was highly likely I could have let my real feelings slip without meaning too. Please for the love of Mavis do not have let me said anything too idiotic. But that definitely told me all about why she had been on her way to find me.

"It was weird really." She began. "I was about to head home, as everyone had either left or passed out, and you kinda pulled me to the side and said the strangest thing."

I did not like where this was heading, not one bit. I better not have confessed to her. I silently vowed to never drink again.

"You said that I deserve to be someone's first choice, not their back up plan." She crossed her arms as she finished speaking and tilted her head to the side in thought as if what drunk me had said had caused some reason for her to think something over.

"Because it's true." I wasn't sure if it was the shock of hearing her say words that I'd been thinking for the last month straight or just the left over alcohol in my system causing the truth to blurt out like that, but now I really felt like an ass. 100% Asshole is what they should just change my name to from now on. Why had I just said that?! If she was truly happy with Natsu or with working towards getting with the dude, then I should just support them quietly from the back ground. Hell I'd smelled the hormonal reaction between the two last night as they'd shared that kiss. I knew I didn't stand a chance in hell of ever getting with her, though I had tried to spend more time with her over the last month, be a pillar of strength, help with Asuka when they'd come to the guild.

But maybe that had meant nothing more to her than comradely. Like how she viewed Loki's help or Lisanna's. Maybe it had simply build up a better friendship between us and not caused her to see me as a potential partner, like I'd secretly wished it would. I shook my head at how hopeless I sounded, even if she never viewed me in the way I wished she would, I would still be her family, her nakama, have her back through thick and thin, because at the end of the day I loved the blonde haired woman stood before me and if she only needed me to be her friend and nothing more I would happily hold back my emotions for her and just keep things as they were between us. I'd be her guardian from afar, watching over who ever she decided on in the end and make sure they were happy.

"Do you mean that?"

"Huh?" I startled out of my internal monologue at the question. I hadn't said anything I was thinking out loud had I? Dealing with this type of situation when hungover was not a S-class thing to do.

"That I deserve to be a first choice." Her voice cracked a little as if tears were being held back. Thank fu... *Author desperately making noise to hide laxus' potty mouth...well thoughts.* I hadn't said any of that out loud.

I nodded my head to confirm that what I had said was my true feelings on the matter. Then I smelt them, the things I dreaded the most in this world. The fresh scent of salt in the air could only mean those dreadful things were falling from Lucy's eyes. Tears!

"Don't cry." I called out panicked. I was never any good when woman cried, it was so frustrating, not knowing what to do to fix a situation. Not knowing things, made me feel powerless and that was one of the things I hated most, aside from people crying.

"I'm sorry." She sniffled from between the hands that had encased her face to hide said tears. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

I stood up from the couch, swaying a little as I made my way over to my crying guild mate. Like I said I never knew what to do in these situations, but I knew enough to know sometimes actions could calm a situation a hundred times better than words. So I did what I had only ever dreamed about doing. I put one hand on the back of the blondes silky head, wrapped the other arm around her waist and pulled her in tight to my chest.

"You deserve the very best." I whispered, sure she could hear my voice vibrating through my chest. I allowed my eyes to close and tried my best to push aside my own euphoric feelings at having the woman I loved in my arms, to allow Lucy a safe place to let her woes out. Gently stroking the back of her beautiful hair, in a soothing manner, like I had read about in books. I would wait for her to let out all her tears, before even thinking about uttering another syllable. It didn't seem like words were necessary at this point any way. We just stood there the two of us in our own little world, and I prayed that it would keep on going for as long as possible, because I knew when it ended my heart would probably break all over again.