This one… this one did not go where I thought it was going to go.

As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!


Lucy stared at Loke as though he had spontaneously grown a second head. "You… what?"

"I made Natsu leave. Well, that's not entirely true," he corrected, "but I convinced the ones with the power to do so to end your contract with Natsu."

The blonde sat back in her seat, completely stunned and unsure how to react.

Loke was her friend. Had been for about a decade. He was a flirt, sure, but he'd always been as solid as any of her other friends. He'd been in her corner constantly since they became friends, a rock that would support her no matter what was happening in her life.

And he was claiming that he was the one who sent Natsu away.

"Wait…" Lucy leaned forward, the wheels finally starting to turn. "You said contract. What contract?"

Loke took a deep breath and let it out as he leaned back in his chair, just out of swinging distance. "The contract you formed with Natsu the day he arrived. The day that you somehow managed to summon him."

Lucy shot out of her chair, her fists curled in anger. "How do you know about that?"

Loke looked her in the eye, refusing to back down. "Because he's not the only magical being tied to you, Lucy."

Lucy's leg swung out but he caught it before it could connect. "Why?" she asked, not even trying to pull her leg back.

Loke pushed her leg away and stood. He had known she'd get mad, but hadn't expected her to get physical quite so quickly, and he wanted space to defend himself. "Because I am bound by the terms of your family's contract and the rules set forth by the angel king."

"The angel king?" A harsh laugh escaped her. "You work for the angel king? There is such a thing as an angel king?"

"Yes," Loke answered as he watched her movements carefully. "I'm sure Natsu told you about some of the other realms. There is only one angel realm, and the king that resides there is what you would call my boss."

"Who are you?" she asked, her anger sharpening her gaze and giving her cheeks some much needed color. "Who are you?"

"My real name is Leo. Leo the Lion, head of the Zodiac, the strongest of the guardian angels in my realm."

"Guardian… angel?" Lucy began to giggle. Her giggles turned into laughter, and then loud, hysterical guffaws. "You're a guardian angel?!"

"Yes, Lucy. I am your guardian angel."

Tears began to fall and Lucy's laughter slowly turned into sobs. Loke felt helpless as she curled in on herself, trying to stem the sobs that continued to come. He wanted to help her, to comfort her, but he knew coming closer at that moment would only make it worse.

"Some- guardian," she eventually gasped. "You-" More sobs were wretched from her mouth, making words difficult for a while.

"You sent away the person- that I love. And for what?!" she screamed, her anger suddenly stopping her tears. She hiccuped and then shot forward so quickly, Loke barely dodged her fist as it tried to collide with his stomach. "Why Loke?! I love him, WHY DID YOU SEND HIM AWAY?!"

Loke continued to try and protect himself, but with her anger and the wild way she was swinging, he was afraid he'd hurt her. She swung out with her leg, not even aiming at him, and connected solidly with the underside of her kitchen table, knocking over the far chair and scaring Plue, who bolted from the room.

With no other choice, Loke shot forward and wrapped an arm around her, pinning her arms to her sides. Then he put his hand to her forehead, knocking her out. He sighed as she finally stilled, her breathing long and even. With care, he picked her up and brought her to her room so he could lay her down.

He could feel her anger, and her sadness, and the uncertainty that plagued her, even in sleep. Whatever she had been up to lately, it was obvious that she hadn't been sleeping enough. He'd never seen her react to anything the way she'd reacted his news. Lucy was usually so much more level headed. He'd expected anger, yes, but he'd also expected her to ask questions, to learn the why of his actions and the full truth of what was happening before she'd throw any swings. He'd been prepared to allow her that, to let her get out her aggression, but he couldn't do that until she'd slept. It would be better for both of them if she was able to sleep first.

Before he covered her, he used his magic to heal her leg, which was still trickling blood and swelling already with a large bruise. Once she'd been tucked in, he pulled out his phone and left the room.

He dialed his restaurant and the phone was answered after one ring. "Loke's Celestial Dining, this is Aries speaking, how may I help you?"

"Aries, it's Leo. Can you lock up and come over to Lucy's please?"

"Of course," the other angel answered. "I'm sorry, do you need me to bring anything?"

"Just yourself, please. Thanks."

"You got it."

Loke hung up and then held the phone in front of himself, pondering his options before placing a few more calls.

Lucy had already been away longer than planned. Her work and their friends would be okay for a few more days.


When Lucy finally woke up again, she felt incredibly stiff. She rolled and stretched and rolled some more, loosening up every muscle she could. When she eventually stopped moving, she opened her eyes slowly to see her ceiling above her and Plue curled up on the other pillow, where he usually slept at night. At least, where he slept when Natsu wasn't…

It all came back to Lucy in an instant and she shot up in her bed and looked around. She was alone, her room a little messy, but otherwise how she usually kept it. There was still no sign of Natsu, except for the small crystal dragon on her bedside table, which she leaned towards and quickly pulled into her hands with a deep sigh. Having it close helped, and right now, she could use all the reassurance she could get.

She thought back to her conversation with Loke and realized she had many more questions than answers. She could admit she had reacted poorly, but thinking back, she attributed that to her lack of sleep. If he'd been right, she'd been locked up in her apartment for almost a week with her papaers, trying to write down every single thing she could remember about Natsu and their time together.

Every conversation.

Every adventure.

Every laugh.

Every touch…

Tears threatened to fall once more, but she held them back. First things first, she needed to find Loke.

First to apologize for her behavior and then to figure out just what was going on. She got up to grab her robe from her chair, but halfway across the room she stopped. Her free hand made its way into her hair and she realized it was clean. She didn't remember the last time she'd taken a bath, but she could smell her soap and shampoo on her skin. Lucy frowned as she grabbed her robe and pulled it on with jerky movements.

"It wasn't me, you know."

The voice, so unexpected, had her whipping around and throwing the only thing in her hand. A split second too late, she realized she had messed up.

Loke merely raised a hand and the little dragon froze in midair before floating back her way. Lucy carefully took it in her hands again and held it to her chest.

To her surprise, Loke didn't look well. His hair lacked its usual perfect spikes, and his suit was ruffled and clearly slept in. He looked sad and tired, and all around run down. His shoulders even slumped as he put his hands in his pockets and gave her a small smile. "I had Aries come over and give you a bath, so I didn't see anything I shouldn't have, I promise."

Lucy was having trouble figuring out where to start, so she just nodded and said, "Thanks. I needed it, I think."

Loke's only response was a small smile. "I'm sorry about what I did."

"You mean with Natsu?"

"That too, but I was referring to knocking you out."

Lucy nodded slowly. "Unless I'm misremembering, it was probably your safest choice. I, uh…" She crossed her arms, pulling her robe tight around her. "I didn't get much sleep the last week. I reacted poorly. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I deserved it." Loke swallowed. "Do you mind if we sit and talk? I'm sure you have questions, and I still have a lot to tell you."

She nodded. "Sure. I'd love some tea."

"And probably something to eat," Loke said a second before her stomach growled. His smile was a little bigger as he added, "You've been sleeping for nearly twenty hours. Come on, I can throw you something together pretty quick."

Lucy's mouth began to water at the mention of food. Dragon still in hand, she followed him out of her room and towards her kitchen. "I would kill for some mozzarella sticks and garlic bread. And a strawberry ice cream shake."

"Your wish," he said and moved towards her fridge, "is my command."

"I don't have any of those things, Loke."

"I can still manage," he said. He grabbed a small bag of shredded cheese, the last few slices of her bread, and the little cart of ice cream from her fridge. "You know, I do run a restaurant, so I know a thing or two about cooking."

He pulled out a plate and a large glass and set them down next to his ingredients, then raised his hands to hover over them. Swirling golden light emanated from his palms and the food began to glow. A few seconds later, he sighed and the light flashed, revealing a small pile of garlic bread, a little pyramid made of mozzarella sticks and a strawberry shake, complete with spoon and straw. He grabbed the dishes and set them in front of her on the table with a smile. "Eat up."

Lucy immediately bit into a piece of garlic bread with a scrutinizing expression. "Is this why your food always seems to come out so quickly?"

"Nope, just good staffing," he said and took the seat across from her. His smile faded as she continued to study him. "Where do you want me to start?"

"With the angel bit. Why do I have a guardian angel? How do I have a contract with you that I don't know about when I had to make one with Natsu, and who's all in the Zodiac? When you said you were the strongest, were you referring to yourself, or the group as a whole?

"Why does it sound like the king has an interest in my family and what are the terms of the contract my family supposedly made, and which family member made it? Did you lie about being my friend so you wouldn't have to tell me about your position as my guardian angel, and if so, why are you telling me now? If you-"

He cut her off. "Lucy, you'll need to give me time to talk if you want the answers to all those questions. And for the record," he said, his eyes fierce, "I did not lie about being your friend. I am your friend, recent actions aside. Keeping our identity, and your importance in the matters between all of the realms, secret was the first condition on the contract the Heartfilia queen created with us. I had to find a way into your life, yes, but being your friend was not a lie. I need you to believe that. Please."

Lucy watched him as she ate, taking in his words and his expression. She nodded slowly as he finished, and said, "I believe you. I'm not happy about the lies, but I do believe that you care about me the way a friend should."

Loke's shoulders slumped and he let out a breath as his head fell forward. "Thank the gods. I thought for sure I would have to do more to convince you."

"I'm still mad at you, and it will take some time for me to forgive you, if I ever do, but I believe that you care about me. I don't think you would have stopped me earlier if you didn't. You were protecting me as much as yourself, and I appreciate that."

Loke nodded and then leaned back in his chair, his smile a little more engaging. "So, you want me to start with the angel thing, correct?"

"Yes."

For the next few hours, Loke talked and talked and talked, pausing only when Lucy asked more questions. He told her about the prophecy, the Zodiac's role in protecting her family line, her family's importance in maintaining the separation of the realms, the flaw that had brought Natsu into her life, the steps they took to make sure she could find her 'natural end,' as foretold in the prophecy, and his decision to ignore the king's orders and tell her about everything since he'd been unable to erase Natsu in the first place.

"So your boss is going to be mad?"

Loke gave her a half smile. "He already is. For the time being, I'm still your guardian angel, but I suspect he is already in the process of choosing someone else to take over for me. Ignoring his orders is tantamount to betraying the entire realm, and I will more than likely be severely punished once he has figured out how to respond. For the moment, I'm saved by the fact that he is busy trying to fix things so that you can slip back under the radar and be safe again."

Lucy nodded, her dishes gone and replaced by a cup of tea that Loke kept warming on occasion with his magic. "So Happy was right, then? I'm really Natsu's mate?"

Loke nodded. "Once I figured out he had bonded to you, that part of the prophecy made more sense. One and two making a couple wasn't just bad math. You are the one, being a human, and he's the two, having both demon and dragon blood.

"Unfortunately, with bonded dragons being as they are, we couldn't allow him to stay with you. Once you two bonded- and if the stories are to be believed, a bonded dragon cannot go long without performing the ritual- it would break the prophecy. You would not be able to find a natural end, and the realms would falter and rejoin, no matter what we did it to try and stop it.

"If that happens, it'll be the end of everything your ancestor sacrificed her life for. She wanted the realms to become whole again once the races could get along, but that just isn't going to happen anytime soon, if ever. If the realms are allowed to rejoin, the demons would run rampant and destroy everything they could get their hands on and kill anyone in their way. Some of the races would be okay for a while, like the dwarves in their mountains, but others, like the humans, would likely be wiped out right away. With no magic to defend yourselves, they would eat you alive and burn the remains as they moved on to the next realm.

"We just can't let that happen," he said, his expression fierce. "It is the duty of the Zodiac to protect the Heartfilia line, to preserve that bond that keeps the realms separated, until it becomes permanent with your death. Which sounds morbid and terrifying, I know, but the whole point is that you live out your life and die naturally.

"If we fail at protecting you, either by letting Natsu bond to you and making a natural end impossible, or by allowing Zalanoon and his ilk to use your blood to make the other end of the prophecy come true, we can never make that right again."

"Couldn't you just use someone else to cast the spell?"

"No." He shook his head, his face grim. "The spell requires someone who cares for all the races equally. Those that still remember the other races after all this time hate the others, or are at best indifferent. Even when they all knew about each other, your ancestor was the only person in the entire origin who was able to cast that spell.

"It was a one time thing, Lucy. It can't be redone. Either we protect you until you die, old and gray, or it'll be the end of the realms as we know them."

"Not that I don't appreciate that you're there to protect me," Lucy said, "but you're telling me that a prophecy, something convoluted that someone said at some point in the distant past that can be interpreted any number of ways, is keeping me from not only being with someone I love, but stopping me from possibly living forever? And I'm just supposed to follow along like a good little girl and not say anything?"

"Lucy, I'm telling you to try and help you understand. Remember, I'm supposed to keep my mouth shut."

"Then perhaps you should have done that," Lucy said getting to her feet and moving to the sink to clean out her cup.

"Lucy, I tried-"

"You didn't try hard enough." She put the cup down with a little more force than she intended, the clang echoing around the room. "Knowing doesn't make this any easier. In fact, it might be more difficult to accept now."

"Lucy-"

"You are keeping me away from Natsu." She gripped the edge of the counter so tightly her knuckles protested. "You have no idea what he's done for me in the last few weeks."

"I probably don't, but I'd rather not hear the gory details if you don't mind."

She turned around and glared at him. "He's helped me, Loke. He's fixed what I thought could never be fixed."

Loke frowned as he studied her. She was on the verge of tears again, but he could tell it was something besides Natsu that brought them to her eyes. She was staring off into space, with a look he'd rarely seen in her eyes. Not unless someone had brought up…

"Lucy, what are you talking about?"

She had to try a few times before the words would come. "Do you remember… my last boyfriend? The one that… the one that the girls never say the name of?"

He nodded. "I'd always wondered, but I didn't think it was my business to dig into it."

Lucy nodded and had to try hard to speak once more. Loke needed to know. For all he was doing to protect the realms, he needed to understand what she had lost by him taking Natsu from her.

"I found out later that he wasn't really interested in me. It was a rouse to keep an eye on me for… for my father." Loke opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat as she continued.

"He was part of a gang that my father eventually hired to kidnap me, but instead, they held me captive and tried to get more money out of him."

She turned around and stared hard at the little crystal dragon on the table, using it to bolster her courage enough to continue.

"They did things to me that… made it hard for me to trust men again. That gave me nightmares. Until…" Her voice broke and she could only whisper the last words. "Until Natsu…"


This took an unexpected turn, and when I followed it, I found the perfect place to finally bring this up again and explain. Did you guys forget about the nightmares? Did you wonder what happened? Well answers are finally coming.