ReaytheEagle: I have been there. I have SO been there. However, don't fail anything for this story. I can assure you, it is not worth it. It'll be here once you've passed your tests. Promise.
As for you others, I am feeling the love, and in return, I love all of you. You guys make writing this story so much more rewarding that I ever thought it could be.
Still, read responsibly!
As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!
"Lucy, over here!"
As Cana called out over the noise of the club, Lucy turned and headed towards the table in the back of the room. As she worked her way through the crowd, she saw Juvia and Levy both out on the dance floor. By the way they were moving, Lucy suspected they were on at least their second drink.
"About time you got here, lady. What took so long?"
"I was just finishing up some cleaning."
Cana groaned. "Your place is the cleanest thing I've seen outside of Loke's kitchen. I don't know what kind of cleaning you were doing, but I doubt it was more important that coming out here with us."
Lucy merely smiled and ordered a drink from the waiter as he dropped off Cana's beer. When he had left, she turned back towards her friend. "So? What's the occasion? We were just at FairyTail last night, why are we out again?"
"Do we need a reason?" Cana asked as she down half of her beer. "We wanted to dance, so we're here to dance."
"We danced last night," Lucy reminded her, "and you're not dancing."
"I already did."
Lucy grinned. "Liar. Your hair is still perfect, your ears aren't red, and you're not missing any clothes yet."
Cana squinted at her. "How would you know?"
"I helped you coordinate that outfit, accessories and all, and you're not missing a single piece."
The brunette scoffed, but there was a smile on her face as she lifted her drink again. "You know me too well."
"Is that even possible?" Lucy asked as she took her drink from the waiter, and laughed to herself when he stared wide eyed as Cana ordered another. When he had left, Lucy leaned forward and got serious. "Seriously, what is this about?"
Cana sighed. "I can't tell you until the other two join us. It was their idea. I only agreed to come along to make sure they're not too tough on you."
"Tough on me about what?"
The brunette shook her head. "I'm not saying anything else. This isn't my circus, my rodeo, my anything. Ask them."
Lucy sighed as she sought the other two in the crowd. She had a feeling they were going to confront her about how much she'd been hiding in her home the last week, but she couldn't exactly tell them why she'd been so anti-social.
Losing Natsu had been devastating, and she was trying to piece herself back together with only Loke's help. Although, Maverick and Oakley had been over more than usual as well. They tried to pretend they were just being friendly, but she suspected they knew she was upset and they were trying to keep her company to help make her feel better.
Loke had spent practically every spare moment at her place the last week. He'd even insisted on staying at night, to help make sure she wasn't plagued with nightmares. Thankfully, she'd avoided them so far, and she suspected they would stay away for a good long while. Having Natsu's gift made things easier. She never went anywhere without it, even in her home. If she was in her kitchen, it was on the table. If she was at work, it was next to her monitor. If she was in her room, it was next to her bed.
The hair on the back of Lucy's neck stood up and she got a strange feeling that she was being watched. She checked Juvia and Levy, but neither were looking her way. She scanned the crowd and eventually saw Aries sitting at the end of the bar. She smiled at Lucy and gave her a small wave, which Lucy returned.
It figured Loke would have someone watching her when he couldn't. She had been on edge ever since he told her why he was protecting her. Since their talk, he hadn't mentioned anything about being replaced again, so she was trying to be optimistic. She hoped his boss didn't decide to replace him with someone else. He was her friend, and she'd hate to lose him now. As she wondered if she could have any say about him staying with her with his king, she got so distracted she didn't see the other two come back to the table.
"Lucy! We're glad you could make it!"
The blonde raised an eyebrow at Levy. "Come off it, Lev, I know you only wanted me here to have an intervention."
Both she and Juvia glared at Cana, but the brunette merely snorted. "I said nothing, she figured it out on her own."
"It is not an intervention," Levy argued.
"We're just worried about you," Juvia added.
"And you've gathered here for my own good, yeah yeah, I know." Lucy leaned against the table. "Come on then, out with it. What are you guys so worried about."
"You've been avoiding us," Levy said.
"Not avoiding, just staying home," Lucy corrected.
"We know you're upset about something," Juvia said, looking a little ashamed. "Juvia saw you crying in your kitchen when she went to see you earlier in the week."
"And we know you've been spending a lot of time with Loke." Levy put her hands on her hips. "What on earth could you possibly be upset about that can be solved better by him than us? We're your best friends!"
"He's my best friend, too," Lucy argued.
"But it's different," Levy insisted. "We've known you a lot longer."
Lucy had been trying to find a way for days to explain her predicament without having to lie too much to her friends, and had yet to come up with a suitable story.
As far as they remembered, she'd had a friend kind of staying at her place, but mostly traveling and using her home as a place to store a few things. She'd gone on a couple trips with them, but they'd never met the person and couldn't remember if it had been a guy or girl.
"Is this still about that person that stayed with you that you never let us meet?" Juvia asked.
Lucy wondered how much she could use of the truth to fabricate enough story to placate her friends. "A little, I guess."
Levy leaned forward, her gaze sharp and serious. "Tell us the truth, Lu, were you dating him?"
Surprised, Lucy leaned back. "What?"
"Wasn't it a girl that was staying with her?" Cana questioned.
"I don't know, because Lu never let us meet them." Levy practically climbed on the table so she could lean as close as possible to study Lucy. "You've been crying and avoiding people, and you've been sad ever since you returned from your last trip. Did he hurt you? Were you dating the person staying with you and he broke it off? Do we need to go hurt him?
"The last time you were like this was after him."
Lucy was only a little surprised that Levy had managed to put most of the story together. Luckily for her, it was also close enough to the truth that she could spin it as the real story. "Yes," Lucy said, letting her voice break a little.
Juvia grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Oh Lucy… I'm so sorry."
"Sorry my fanny," Cana said as she sat forward.
"You were dating someone and never told us?!" Levy yelled.
"Seriously guys." Lucy tried to wave it off. "It's not that big a deal, calm down."
Levy slapped her hands on the table. "I will not calm down. You hid a boyfriend from us!"
"I didn't hide-"
"Lying by omission is still lying," Cana said. "You've used that one often enough on us. Why didn't you tell us about him?"
"Why are you saying it's not a big deal when it clearly was?" Levy demanded.
"Because I'm trying to pretend that it wasn't," Lucy snapped. "He left. He's not coming back. I have to move on."
"Perhaps we should give Lucy the chance to explain," Juvia said. "She must have had a reason for keeping all of this from us. Let's hear her out."
"You're right," Cana sighed. "And here I came to make sure you two didn't bombard her with questions."
"I am sorry," Lucy said. "It's just… it's complicated. I thought it would be better this way."
"It's just so unlike you," Levy said with a frown. "And I still don't understand how Loke would be able to help you more than us."
"He- he kind of knows him. I found out after a while that they'd kind of met before, so it's easier to talk to him about what's been happening. You guys never met him-"
"Who's fault is that?" they all asked simultaneously.
"-so it's been easier to talk to him."
They grumbled a little, but eventually agreed. For the next half hour, Lucy did her best to tell them as much of the truth as she could. All the while, that feeling of being watched continued to grow. She glanced at Aries occasionally and always found the angel casually watching while speaking to a man sitting next to her. Lucy wondered why she didn't feel so hunted while Loke was watching.
When she'd finally made it through her story, the girls had finished being angry and were as sympathetic as they'd ever been. They encouraged her to dance, drink, and even talked about her moving on since he "clearly didn't deserve her, if he'd given up someone so wonderful."
Lucy did her best to move passed those comments. She couldn't judge them, and appreciated that they were being so supportive. Even if they didn't and couldn't ever understand just what she was going through, she knew just by being there for her they were helping.
It was hours later, when they were leaving the club, that they all decided it was time for an impromptu sleepover. Once they were assured Lucy could get home on her own, they all went their separate ways so they could go to their respective homes and get a change of clothes.
As Lucy began her own walk, she realized she felt quite a bit better after talking to them. Loke knew the whole story, sure, but the support of your best girlfriends was just better when it came to healing broken hearts.
Not to mention she was still a little angry with him for his role in forcing Natsu out of her life.
Even still, she found herself smiling as she headed towards her home.
She had a few things to get ready before the girls arrived.
Go now…
The shadows quivered and then a large portion detached and headed for the target.
Now that it was night, there was nowhere he couldn't go.
His prey didn't stand a chance.
Leo landed gracefully on his feet and looked around. The city was just as he remembered it, even though he had not visited in a few decades. There was more foot traffic, but that was to be expected when the demons worked to make their way up into the nicer realms.
The building he was in front of hadn't changed a bit though. With a little smile, he headed inside, ignoring the looks and jeers sent his way.
Most demons didn't like angels, and his kind were liked least of all, since contracts with guardian angels meant the pool for them was a little smaller. Only by a fraction, of course, but the demons still took it personally.
Once he entered the building, he didn't even stop to speak with the demons at the front desk. He climbed the stairs to the top floor and headed for the farthest office from the front door. It had been some time since he'd been there, but he knew where he'd find the enforcer of demon contracts.
He stopped outside the door to gather his thoughts before knocking on the cool stone.
"Enter," came the voice from within.
Leo went into the room and close the door before turning to face the desk.
Erza hadn't looked up. She continued to scan the papers in front of her, occasionally making notes with the red pen in her hand. "What is it?" she asked.
"I was hoping to have a word," Leo said, taking a few steps forward.
Erza looked up, surprised. "I wasn't expecting you. What are you doing here?"
"I had a couple questions, and it seemed like a better idea to just come to you and ask them."
The demon nodded. "I appreciate you trying to be forward. What questions do you have?"
"It's about Lucy," he said.
"The contract was completely cancelled and the paperwork banning Natsu from the human realm for the foreseeable future has been completed. You have nothing to worry about from our end concerning the Heartfilia heir."
Leo's eyebrow rose. "Is that so?"
"Yes, I saw to it myself." Erza gave him a similar look. "Was there anything else?"
"Well, I didn't come to ask about that, but I am glad that it's been taken care of."
"Then why are you here?"
"I was actually curious about Lucy specifically, not her contract with Natsu or his ban."
"Oh." Erza returned to her paperwork. "Well I know very little about Lucy, so I don't know what you think I can help you with."
"When we left Lucy' place, I went to find our friends and you were supposed to go check her office."
"Correct."
"And after clearing her office, you were supposed to return here."
"Also correct."
Loke crossed his arms as he focused on the demon, determined to catch every nuance of her reaction to his words. "So why is it that a gift of Natsu's was overlooked in her office?"
"As I said, you know Lucy better than I." Erza looked up at him. "If I missed something, it is because he hadn't interacted with it recently enough for me to know he'd been involved in its acquisition." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "I hope you are not trying to imply that I might have left it on purpose?"
"I was merely asking how it managed to slip under the radar."
Erza looked down again. "I apologize for missing it, but one little thing isn't going to mess with your job. She may wonder where she got it, but humans have short memories. She will either keep it because it is pretty or dispose of it in some way. It hardly seems like something you need to worry about."
"That by itself doesn't, no, but combined with Lucy somehow managing to shake my memory wipe has made my job very difficult in the last week."
Erza's pen stopped moving. After a few moments, she looked up, her face blank. "It sounds to me like you must have messed up somehow, since you were the one who wiped her. Insisted on being the one to wipe her."
"When I left, she didn't remember. I checked my work." Leo raised an eyebrow once more. "Tell me, where did you go after you conveniently didn't grab the dragon from her office?"
Erza's gaze darkened, but Leo barely noticed as alarm bells sounded in his head. He froze as he tried to pinpoint the problem.
The demon shot to her feet, alarm breaking through her anger. When their eyes met, they spoke at the same time.
"Lucy's in trouble."
So I could spread this out a bit. I had a few ideas for some things Lucy could do with her friends, a few hang out sessions with Maverick and Oakely, and even Loke taking her out for a friend date, but with there being less than two months until I'll be too tired to know my own name, I've decided that this is the best course of action. I may write those scenes later as an add on, but for now, I'd like to keep the story rolling, so my apologies if this feels too fast for anyone. It feels that way to me too, but I'm still determined to get this done before our little one gets here.
