As a head's up, I've realized it was premature for me to use up the Fairy Tail name on something as trivial as a publishing company. It never gets any screen (page?) time! It's a little cliche, but I've switched it so the bar that they get together at all the time is the FairyTail Bar.

Also, I have included what I think is a surprise visitor. I don't know that I've seen him in any of the AUs I've read before. I think he's a little difficult to add if Lucy doesn't have her spirits, but when the idea came to me last night, I had to add him to the story. There was a gap between #18 and the chapter I was writing, so I decided to add in a chapter here before the next one.

As always, thanks for the love and happy reading!


Lucy watched as Natsu rubbed his arm for the third time in- she glanced at the clock- eleven minutes. She'd noticed his fidgeting while she made them breakfast, and when asked, he'd told her he was fine. She still wasn't sure if she believed him. The last time he'd been so fidgety had been the morning after she'd been cornered by that nightmare demon. He'd claimed he was fine that morning, too, but it was so unlike him to fidget like he was. If he was bored, he'd get up and go do something, and if something was wrong, he'd usually be very vocal about it, which ultimately led to him whining at her to fix it. The silence was uncharacteristic and bothered her.

As she stood to clear off the table, she glanced at Happy. The little blue demon had been quiet all morning, which was also very unusual. What was even stranger was the fact that he'd spent most of that time staring at Natsu like he was some strange animal in a zoo that he was trying to decide how to feed without losing a hand. Lucy supposed she couldn't be too critical. She'd been awfully quiet, too, caught up in what she'd seen the night before. What she found even more strange, was how her dreams had been unaffected by the men she'd seen. She'd been having minor nightmares since her run-in on Halloween, so she'd been certain she would have worse nightmares after the previous night. Even now, thinking about it made her stomach clench. Those men were in town again, and depending on how long they stayed, they might find out she was still here. She couldn't imagine what they'd do if that happened.

She turned on the water to rinse off the dishes as she spoke. "So, how was your evening? Did you get any plans made? Maybe pick a date for our trip?"

Natsu snapped out of his thoughts as he turned her way. "Uh, yeah, I did. We're leaving the day after Thanksgiving, if that's okay?"

The plate in Lucy's hand slipped and fell back into the sink. "Shoot." She carefully checked the dishes to make sure none had broken. "You know the day after Thanksgiving is this Friday right?"

Natsu nodded, a pink tinge on his cheeks. "Yeah, sorry."

She sighed. "That's not much of a heads up. Do we have to leave so soon?"

"I managed to snag a few cheap tickets because of the time, so I thought it best to move up our departure date. Is it early enough you can still get off?"

Lucy grabbed a towel to dry her hands. "I'll talk to Mira as soon as I get to work and see what I can do."

"Sounds good." Natsu stood from the table and moved towards the door as shoes appeared on his feet. "I'll see you after work, Luce. I'm going to go out for a walk."

"Might want to put on a jacket," Lucy said. "It's chilly outside."

He smiled. "Half fire dragon, remember? I don't get cold."

Lucy stuck out her tongue. "Rub it in why don't you?"

With a small wave, Natsu headed out, closing the door carefully behind him.

"Alright, cat." Lucy rounded on Happy, who was still looking towards the front door. "Spill it, what's wrong?"

Happy turned towards his plate to finish the last of his fish. "Spill what?"

"Something is going on, and I want to know what it is."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Happy tossed the last of his fish in his mouth and brought his plate over to the sink. "Thank you for the food," he said, flying back towards his and Natsu's room.

Lucy scowled after the Exceed, but couldn't do anything else as she checked the time. "Damn it. They're demons, why am I worrying so much?" Before she could get caught up in her thoughts again, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, turned on her 'Jam' mix and headed for her room to get ready for the day.


Lucy was a twitchy mess by the time she made it to work. She'd pulled a hood over her head and even put on her sunglasses, despite the darkness, but she'd still felt uncomfortable every time she passed a person on the street. Even when she'd been sure it wasn't one of them, she had worried that they'd expanded their group and some new member would recognize her and grab her.

She didn't allow herself to relax until she was in her cubicle with the blinds closed. When she finally sat down, she removed her coat, scarf and gloves, careful not to mess up her hair. She'd curled it in an effort to give herself a little boost for the day, and she didn't want to mess up right away.

"Good morning everyone!" Mira's voice floated over the room as she arrived, greeting the early morning workers like she did every day. Lucy finished stowing her gear and then stood to go talk to her boss.

"Hey Mira, you got a minute?"

The white haired woman turned as she opened her office door. "Of course, Lucy. Come on in, I just have to take my jacket off."

They made small talk until Mira had put away her winter clothes and moved to sit at her desk. "Alright Lucy, what can I do for you?"

"Remember when I told you that I would be taking some time off during the next year so I could go travel with Natsu?"

"Of course."

"Well, I'd like to go along for his next trip, but he's moved the timeframe up a little."

"Oh? When would you be leaving?"

Lucy borrowed Natsu's words, flinching a little as she said them. "The day after Thanksgiving."

Mira sat back as she looked over at her calendar. "Hmm, that's not very much time at all, is it?"

"No…" Lucy focused on her hands to keep herself from picking at her ripped jeans. She was jittery enough she knew if she wasn't careful she'd easily pick them apart.

Mira continued to study her. "Lucy, I'd like to run an idea passed you."

Lucy blinked up at her boss. "Um, okay?"

"How often will your temporary roommate be travelling?"

"I'm not sure. I think his plan is to leave the state once a month, maybe more?"

Her boss nodded. "How would you feel about giving up your portion of the magazine for a while and doing something else?"

The blonde fought to keep her fingernails off her pants. "Am… am I being demoted?"

Mira waved off her concern. "Of course not, silly. I was just curious if you'd like to forego writing about clothes for a few months and instead write about your travels with your friend." She giggled at Lucy as her mouth fell open and she continued to stare.

"You want me to write about travelling?"

"Yes. I think it could be fun for the magazine to have a travelling article. Laxus thinks so, too- I've already spoken with him. If you agree, then I will approve your late request. Also, for the time being, as long as I have at least a day's notice, I will accept your other late time off requests. Does that seem fair?"

Lucy didn't even hesitate. "Yes! Yes, Mira, that's amazing! I'd love to write about our trips. I can't believe I didn't think about it first!"

Mira laughed. "I'm glad you approve. In the meantime, I have an intern coming in that will be helping with your portion of the magazine. I hope you will be able to help her in your spare time, but it will be primarily up to her to complete the clothes section. Is that acceptable?"

"I can absolutely help, no problem." She quickly stood and moved to shake her boss's hand. "You won't regret this, I promise."

"I'm sure I won't. Now get to work. You have work to finish before Thursday."

"You got it." Lucy hurried to her desk, energy at an all time high as she started up her computer and got to work on her last few pages. She wouldn't let a shorter deadline stop her from finishing on time.


Lucy looked at the cart, going over the list in her hand once more. "...and skis. That's it!" She turned her cart and headed for the front of the store. She'd spent all of the previous day and most of the morning finishing up her work. When she'd told Mira at lunch time that she'd finished, her boss had allowed her to leave early so she could make sure she had everything she needed for her trip. With the following day being Thanksgiving, she only had the afternoon to shop.

As she made her way out of the aisle, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end again. She paused next to the display she was passing, using it as a reason to look behind her. Yep, there he was. There was a creepy looking older gentleman watching her from a few aisles over, also hiding his glances by pretending to look at a display. Lucy had noticed him when she first entered the store. He'd entered before her, holding the door open for her. Since then, she'd caught him several times watching her.

She turned again to make her way towards the registers. She spent the time walking and then standing in line considering the chances that the man was working with them. There were still three people in front of her when there was a tap on her shoulder, which made her jump.

Turning, she found a tall, very muscular man carrying a set of weights under one arm. He we wearing a pair of black jersey shorts, a white tank and a backwards ballcap with a blotchy white and black pattern that looked like a cow. He smiled, causing the golden hoop in his septum to catch the light. "Hi."

"Uh, hello."

He leaned down a little bit so that he could whisper to her. "I don't wanna scare you or anything, but there's a guy standing over near the door that looks like he's been following you around."

Lucy blinked up at him with surprise. "I actually noticed him a while ago."

He poked himself in the chest. "I'd be mooore than willing to walk you to your car if you want, to make sure you get there okay."

She glanced across the store worriedly. "Do you think he'd follow me? I just thought he was staring because, well…" She blushed and kind of gestured down at herself.

"Having a rocking body is no reason for him to be loooking at you like he is."

Lucy didn't respond to his compliment, or the way he elongated some of his words. He seemed sincere, and for some reason she couldn't put her finger on, she trusted that he was. She smiled up at him as she said, "I think I'd appreciate the company, thanks. My name's Lucy," she introduced herself, holding out her hand.

He took her hand in his large one and carefully shook it. "It's nice to meet you Luuucy, my friends call me Stier."

"It's nice to meet you, Stier." As they chatted, Lucy felt more of her tension melt away. For some reason, she felt extremely at ease with the muscular man at her side. While his appearance gave the impression that he was just another dudebro, it was obvious as she spoke with him that he cared about more than just his physical appearance.

As he paid for his weights, she waited for him to join her again before making her way to the parking lot. "You know, I was just thinking, those might not be enough for you," she said, gesturing at his purchase.

"Why dooo you say that?" he asked.

"You held those under one arm the entire time we were in line and it doesn't look like it was even a struggle for you. You might need some bigger ones."

He laughed as they made it to her car. "Yooou may be right, but these aren't just for me."

She unlocked the back of her car and he held onto her cart as she unloaded her purchases into the trunk. "Is he still around?" she asked quietly.

He leaned against her car, casually looking around the parking lot as she worked on putting down her backseat. "He came out, but he's sitting on the bench near the door. Don't worry," he said. "I snuck the cashier a note before we left so he has a heads up without alerting the guy. I'm suuure someone will come out and take care of him."

When Lucy pulled herself back out of her trunk, she was almost certain she saw Stier looking away from where she'd been bent over. They chatted a little longer, even after she was done packing up her car. About ten minutes after they exited the store, a man in a buttoned shirt and slacks came out to speak to the man sitting on the bench. After a while, the man stood and hastily made his way away from the building.

Lucy smiled as she finally opened her door to leave. "Hey, if you want, my friends and I like to hang out at the FairyTail Bar on Fridays. Maybe you could join us some time and I could buy you a beer as thanks for helping me out."

"I'm usually busy on Fridays, but maybe I could mooove some things around and come visit sooon."

Lucy smiled. "Let me know if you ever get the chance. I'm always with my friends, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind you joining us. I know for sure Cana wouldn't. She's always looking for fresh meat."

The man blinked at her in surprise. "What?"

Lucy grinned. "She likes to outdrink anyone she meets." She looked him up and down. "You're a big guy, you might be able to give her a run for her money."

He chuckled as his expression relaxed. "I've never been part of a drinking contest before, but I'll try anything once."

"She'll appreciate that, but you're under no obligation. I'm serious when I say she could outdrink an entire bar crowd of people."

Stier laughed. "I guess we'll have to see. In the meantime, you have a goood day, Luuucy."

"Thanks Stier, you too." Lucy waved at him as she got into her car. As he turned away, he pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. On the ring, she noticed a rather large keychain that looked like an axe. As he unlocked his truck, which was parked only a few spots from her, she pulled out of her space and drove passed him, waving again. He honked his horn in response as she smiled and left the parking lot.

When she arrived home, she grabbed most of her things and headed into her apartment. As she unlocked the door, Plue came to the door to great her. "Hey little guy. I need some space here, I've got bags to bring in."

"Want help?" came Natsu's voice from farther in the apartment.

Lucy scooted her cat towards the kitchen with her foot as she shut the door behind her. "Sure, that'd be great. The skis are a little unwieldy. It's only them and one other bag." Natsu appeared in the entryway as she finished taking off her shoes, sliding past her and out the door.

As Lucy took her bags back to her room, she noticed that Happy was missing. She knocked on Natsu's door as she passed by and called to him. When there was no response from inside, she went to her room to drop off her bags. Natsu appeared as she finished unloading the first bag. "Here you go," he said, grinning as he set the rest of her purchases on her bed. "So, have a good day? You looked pretty shot when you got home last night, so I didn't wanna bother you."

"Yeah, Mira approved my time off, but that moved up my deadline so I had to stay late to make sure I got my work finished. I got it done by lunch so I'm all set to go on Friday."

Natsu pumped his fist in front of him. "That's great! I'm all fired up now! This is going to be a great trip!"

"I hope so. It's been a while since I went skiing. Oh, there was something else Mira talked to me about." She explained to Natsu the deal she'd made with her boss. Mira had even come to find Lucy before she left to inform her that the magazine would would reimburse her for some of her expenses from the trip. Natsu lit up even more as at the prospect of using his trips to help her career.

"Oh man, now I have to plan even more epic adventures so you have something awesome to write about! You know, I read something about how there were people who went over Niagra Falls in a barrel-"

"Absolutely not," Lucy said, crossing her arms in front of her body. "No way are we doing that."

"Ah come on, Luce, it'll be fun! And it's not like it'll kill me."

"No. I'm pretty sure you couldn't get away with it anyway. We are definitely not doing that."

"Fine," he grumbled, crossing his arms.

Lucy studied him for a while. "How was your and Happy's day? I haven't seen him since yesterday morning."

"He's grumpy with me and won't tell me what's wrong, so he's been in our room all day. My days were pretty much normal. I finalized some reservations, so we're set to leave on Friday."

"That's great. I'm excited to go."

"Me, too." He glanced down at the bags on her bed. "I'll let you unpack your bags in peace and go get started on supper," he said moving back towards her door. "Any requests?"

"Whatever you wanna make is fine with me," she said.

He grinned. "Fish it is!" He ignored her shout as he hurried out of her room.

"Wait, Natsu! You know I don't like fish!" As Lucy hurried past the other bedroom door, she didn't see that it was cracked open, or that Happy stood on the other side of the door watching them as they ran past. The Exceed sighed as he thought again about what he needed to do. Despite knowing Natsu and Lucy wouldn't hear him over the noise they were making in the other room, he quietly closed the door.

He didn't like it, but he had to do it for Natsu's sake. Even if he didn't want to, Natsu was his best friend, and he was going to do whatever he could make his best friend happy. Needing some time to think, Happy propped open their window and hopped out to go for a walk, leaving the demon and human in the kitchen unaware of his absence as they continued to argue and laugh in the kitchen.


Stier = Taurus, in case that wasn't obvious. I know I made him act a little different (he totally checked out her butt), but a person who acts like the real Taurus would only get a Lucy Kick. Who'd like to see him again?