"Natsu…" Lucy jumps at a noise from the kitchen.
"Call 911." I tell her nudging her toward the door. "I'll go look."
"No!" Lucy snaps latching onto my arm "lets leave and call the police."
"Don't do that."
Lucy freezes, her nails digging into my arm as Lucy stares at Owen.
"Come on, Lucy." Owen says holding his arms out "you're not afraid of me." he took a step toward us… her.
"So quite lying to everyone and making me look like the bad guy." His features shifts, his hands shake.
"Get out of here, Owen." Lucy snaps trying to hide her fear but I can hear it. "this isn't your house and you're not welcome here."
Owen walks around the sofa and takes a seat.
"Come on, Lucy." He pleads with her. "just a few weeks, while I get back on my feet."
"No." Lucy shakes her head "no, I can't I don't want you in my life anymore, Owen." Her hearts pounds in her chest against my arm.
"You cause too much chaos." She says, "you never do what you say you're gonna do."
"Come on!" he yells "one more chance, Lucy, that's all I need." He reaches for her hands but I push her back and stand between them really wish Grey were here right now I think.
"she said leave." I try to sound as intimidating as Grey would but even I know it falls short.
"Get out of the way." Owen shoves me aside.
"Natsu!" Lucy reaches for me but Owen catches her hands and steps between us.
"Come on Lucy, you know how mom is." He says "I need someone like you to watch out for me."
Lucy shakes her head "no, no you never do what you say you're gonna do." Her chest hiccups and she's trying not to cry.
"that's enough!" I grab him by the shoulder and yank him back. he doesn't seem all that steady now.
"You're not part of this." Owen snaps at me, chest to chest with me. He's short but he doesn't look weak. "this is family business."
"Natsu is my family." Lucy clutches at her chest as she tries to get herself under control.
"Exactly," I say, "so get out of our home."
"Lucy!" Owen yells past me "Lucy come on don't be a b—"
"Eh." I snap thrusting my hands into his chest "you don't call her that."
"move!" Owen shoves me back and into Lucy and makes me knock her backward. She catches her self but that's it. This is it. I'm not going to let him do this anymore.
I tackle him to the ground the way Grey showed me. I ram my arm under his chin.
"Natsu, no!" Lucy yells but she's frozen in place, she's scared and I'm not Grey.
I thought getting hit in the club was hard. Owen's punch knocks the wind out of me and has me seeing stars. He shoves me off with embarrassing ease.
"You're gonna sic your pathetic boyfriend on me?" Owen demands, Lucy's phone already to her ear. She backs away from him .
I have an intruder in my house." Lucy's voice is urgent. I push myself to my feet and grab him again.
"Natsu, please." Lucy cries at me.
"Stay away from her, Owen." I yank him back. My only advantage is that I have more leverage because of my height. Even that is not helpful when his elbow hits me in my core and drops me to my knees.
"Owen, stop it!" Lucy yells at him "this is why I can't let you back in!" She sounds angry and sad and worst of all… defeated. Lucy never gives up… I didn't think she knew what it looked like.
"You're gonna call the police one me again." Owen growls, reaching for her but to my surprise she strikes out. Her palm must hit his sternum because he's gasping for breath.
"Please hurry." She says to the phone while she runs around Owen and yanks me to my feet.
"Enough, let's go." She pulls me out of the apartment and onto the street barefoot and in her night shorts and tank top and keeps me locked in her arms. She's stronger than I ever thought before.
"Morning Lucy." The hot dog guy greets her, he looks like he just opened up. He looks her up and down and frowns.
"Everything okay?" He asks
"Everything's fine, Felix." She forces a smile and I can tell by the look in his eye that even the hot dog guy isn't falling for it.
"What's wrong?" he asks.
"Lucy!" Owen yells, finally regaining his breath. "you just hit me." he laughs "make sure to tell the police that when they get here." He paces back and forth "all I'm asking is one favor." He yells at Lucy. "One."
"I gave you everything!" she yells back, she never yells, not like this, not so hurt and and… angrily.
"you and mom both, I told you guys the last time was the last time and it was and I'm happy now." She dug her nails deeper into my arm.
"you never did a damn thing for me!" Owen yells at her.
"Now listen here…" Felix rests a hand on Owen's shoulder. "you don't talk to a lady like that first off, boy." Felix looked him up and down. "especially not this girl right here."
"Yeah." Owen scoffs as sirens sound in the distance. "she always was good at fooling people into thinking she was so perfect."
"I never said that." She snaps, "you and mom said that to mock me."
"Oh, we know, Lucy, we know." Owen threw his hands up "you can do no wrong." he spits at her "you're perfect, everything you do and touch is perfect."
"I think you should leave before the police get here." Felix says because of course, Lucy would be friends with the hot dog guy on the corner and he would stick up for her… because Lucy is just that kind of person you stick up for.
"get off me!" Owen shoves Felix back into his stand.
"Felix!" Lucy exclaims, she turns back to Owen with an expression I'd never seen before.
"Owen, you're such a jerk!" she yells "this is why I left you behind, you didn't want to move forward and after almost three years you still haven't." Lucy is angry.
The police pull up a minute later and Owen runs over to them. "officer." He says "Officer."
"Sir," the officer's hand rests on his holster "please step back." the officer squints at Owen and then his eyes find Lucy.
"Lucy." He smiles at her and leaves his partner to talk to Lucy. He comes over and rests a hand on her shoulder "it's been so long…" he nods "I'm glad." He's not much older than us.
"It was good for a while." Lucy smiles at him.
"How do you know him?" I ask, there was not a single reason I could think of for Lucy to know an officer.
"I used to get these calls a lot." The officer supplies. Lucy shifts from foot to foot and drops her eyes to the ground.
"Did they finally get it under control?" The officer asks. Lucy shakes her head slowly, almost shamefully.
"I took your advice," She says "almost three years ago now."
"I see." The officer glances back at Owen "He just find you or something?"
"I guess." Lucy shrugs and lifts pain filled eyes to Owen "he showed up a few times when I wasn't home and then he was in my apartment this morning."
"In your apartment?" The officer asks. Lucy nods wrapping her arms around herself.
"He dropped a package off for her yesterday." I explain to both of them.
"Birthday present?" the officer asks. Lucy nods and then something seems to register in her.
"Is that how you figured out my birthday?"
"Yes, I wasn't sure if it was even true but then he said, 'you never know how many of these she has left' and…" I look to the officer "I think he was threatening her. The officer and her exchange a look. Lucy breaks the exchange first and leans into me.
"You should fill your, friend in about this guy and your mom." The officer tips his hat.
"Hey, Tuck." The other officer meets his partner halfway.
"What is it Ger?" Tuck asks.
"Mr. {insert name} says this woman over here hit him." Ger looks like he's about go for Lucy but Officer Tuck rests a hand on his holster and fixes Owen with glare.
"I'm familiar with this one, put him down for breaking and entering, stalking and assault."
"What!" Owen screams "that's bull—"
"Add on resisting arrest. Officer Tuck smirks at him.
"Are you serious?" Owen's voice cracks and both officers put him in the back.
"Stay safe, Lucy." Officer Tuck drives away and I take Lucy's hands in mine and make her look at me.
"Is it a thing, Lucy?"
She takes a breath and meets me eyes and nods "it's a thing."
Dear Natsu,
I don't know what to do, Natsu. I know I should tell you and I know you think it's because I don't trust you to protect me but it's not. It's not that I promise. I just wanted to forget about him and my mom and everything. They brought out the worst in me and I never wanted you to see that.
I promise, I'll tell you soon. I don't know when yet but I'll tell you soon.
Lucy
Author's Note:
Thanks so much for reading and I have an announcement
so this story is going to be published on amazon and barnes and nobles available as an ebook and a paperback
I am also discussing a contract with one of those webnovel companies where it posts so many chapters free and then the rest are paid for so I'm super excited for that
you can see the preorder live on amazon right now under
Every Reason I Loved Her by nunchi goya
I'm so excited for this and really appreciate all the support here. this version of it will stay up as obviously the fanfic version isn't what will be published.
XOXO
