AN: Chapter 22

So this one pleases me. For the most part lol. I honestly wasn't sure about what I had written at first for lily, but was reassured by my friend MsKtk that it was good stuff. In this chapter, two very important things happen. I hope you all enjoy and please review! Thank you those of you who do!

**New song called Big Girls Don't Cry, by Fergie ( I own nothing! )**

Depressica: yeah, this place has very intense training exercises and Finn likes how fast he is able to get better with his magic, but since the training is so hard on him, he dreads it at the same time lol and I was looking up names for his roommate and ace just happened to mean "Highest Rank" and I wanted Finn to have another friend who was quite powerful and kinda have an attitude that would conflict with Finn as well. Much like Natsu and Gray's relationship in the beginning of FT.

Finny-Kun Goddess: lol unfortunately, Leo is really failing his class XD he just told Finn that so Finn wouldn't think about Lily while he was away. Leo knows how important it is for Finn to be away from everything back home

Nyma: lol I love Leo too. I just want to hug him tight every time I write him. And good! That's what I'm hoping a lot of people who are against Lily atm will hopefully start to like her again. She's trying very hard to turn herself around. Haha yeah! My friend was like, you should have Finn start stripping while he gets better with his magic. And I'm like… yeah! That's a good idea! So that's happening now lol in the next chapter, we'll see how Gray has been doing. :) And that would be amazing if the two could take down Bora…. But that's another part of the story I'm not going to talk about just yet ;)

The dark haired girl looked down at the flyer, biting her lip as she read it over for the hundredth time. Hazel eyes looked up to the large purple letters decorating the outside of the bar, her nerves starting to get the better of her. Lily looked back down to the paper as her hands shook slightly. 'I'm already getting so nervous about this and I'm not even on stage! This isn't good… maybe I shouldn't do this… '

A sudden noise from the front of the bar made the girl jump. Her eyes shooting up to the man coming out of the door. Macao put a hand behind his head, laughing slightly. "Sorry about that, miss. I didn't mean to scare you."

Lily shook her head nervously. "That's ok, I was just, um.. Well… I was…" Hazel eyes traveled back down to the flyer in her hands. Macao raised a brow as he stepped closer to her. Once he realized what she was holding, his face lit up in excitement.

"Ah! You're here for the auditions! Excellent! I was starting to think no one in this town wanted the job!"

Lily shifted her weight in her shoes. "Well… I used to be in a band, and ended up leaving it. I guess I just miss singing. A friend of mine saw your flyer and told me to try it out."

"That's great! Come on in! The place is dead right now, so we can have your audition right now!"

Lily's head shot up quickly, her eyes wide and nervous as she spoke. "What?! R-right now?!"

"Yeah! Why not?" Macao put a finger to his chin as he spoke. "Say… you look really familiar… you wouldn't happen to be Redfoxs' kid, would ya?"

Lily looked down slightly. "Yeah…. I'm his oldest daughter."

Macao snapped his fingers as he smiled. "Thought so. You look a lot like your mother, but I can definitely see your father in you too. Anyway! Let's hear you sing!"

Lily followed Macao into the bar, her hazel eyes scanning the large room. Macao wasn't joking when he had said the place was dead. Not even the regulars who usually spent hours at this place were there. He walked her to the front of the stage, introducing his small band. Lily smiled at the older men, waving a hand as she said hello and introduced herself to them.

"So what band were you in, if you don't mind me asking?" Macao said as he picked up a pad of paper and a pen from one of the small tables.

"Well… I used to be the singer for Black Lotus."

Macao's eyes went wide. "The Black Lotus band?!"

"Yeah…"

"Damn! I knew Redfoxs' kid was in a band, never thought it would be one so popular! I'd love to give you the job right here, right now… but unfortunately I have to hear you sing."

Lily nodded slightly. "I understand." She said as she could feel her heart starting to beat faster.

"Now, I know since you were in that band, you are used to singing some pretty crazy, punkish songs… but would you mind singing this song? I have to have you sing something my guys know. Just makes things easier."

Lily looked down to the paper Macao held out to her, taking it from him slowly. Her eyes scanned over it quickly. She looked up to him and smiled slightly. "This song is perfectly fine. I think I can manage."

"Great! Now hop on up on stage and let's get started."

Lily swallowed hard as she nodded once more, her body hesitating to the few stairs leading to the stage on the side. 'I can do this… it's just a few people right now….' The script mages' heart began to beat harder in her chest. As if it wanted to escape her body as she approached the microphone, urging her to turn around and forget all about this opportunity. Lily shook from head to toe as she brought a hand up to the mic, looking out to Macao who had sat down at the table in front of the stage. 'It's just the owner right now and his band… but… what if I can't do this in front of him? And even if I can… what happens when it's a larger crowd?!' The girl turned around to check with the band, they all smiled and gave her the go ahead to start singing. Their hands beginning to play the song as she turned her head around to the front.

Lily stood there on stage, her eyes wide in fear as her mouth opened slightly, wanting to speak words but the fear getting the better of her nerves. The band behind her looked at each other and replayed the opening notes, waiting for her to begin. After a few minutes, Lily finally spoke into the mic. "I… I'm sorry… I just need a minute…."

Macao half smiled as he spoke. "You're nervous, it's ok. Just take your time."

Lily looked down at her feet, her thoughts roaming. 'It's not just that… so much is bottled up inside of me right now… it's not just my nerves. I know that now… I've had a lot of time to think about it. The reason why I can't sing right now… it's because all that I've done over these years… its finally caught up to me. Everything with my dad… everything with Chrono… I don't have many friends who support me anymore… let alone ones who don't call me a dragon. And the last friend I had left in my life… left.' Lily brought a hand to her chest, gripping her jacket lightly as her eyes shut tight. 'Finn… I can't do this without you… I just can't… you always were there for me when I had no one else… always there to support me… always believing in me and my singing...'

Lily's eyes shot open as she could hear his voice ringing through her head. She could see him, standing beside her now. A smile over his face as he spoke.

"I think you should just go in there with an attitude of not giving a damn about anyone else but you. You're a strong individual and I don't think you should ever doubt your abilities Lil. You don't need me to do this. I know you can do it. I believe in you."

The dark haired girl shook her head slightly, her eyes returning to the band behind her. 'You're right… I don't need anyone else. I can't let doubt in when you're not here. I just need to believe in myself.' She wiped a tear from her eye as she spoke. "Ok… sorry about that. I think I'm ready now."

The band all smiled as she turned around. Lily took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, all of her guilt from her past actions coming to the surface. 'I have to let go… to be able to sing in front of anyone again… I just have to let this all go…. I can do this. I will not let myself be affected by my past anymore. If I want this change in my life… I have to want it… more than I fear it.'

The girl could hear the band starting up behind her. She took in one last breath as she opened her mouth close to the microphone.

Da da da da.

The smell of your skin lingers on me now.

You're probably on your flight back to your home town.

I need some shelter of my own protection, baby.

To be with myself and center,

Clarity, peace, serenity.

Lily brought her hand up to the mic, gripping it lightly as she sang.

I hope you know, I hope you know,

That this has nothing to do with you.

It's personal, myself and I,

We've got some straightenin' out to do.

And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket,

But I've got to get a move on with my life.

It's time to be a big girl now,

And big girls don't cry

Don't cry

Don't cry

Don't cry

The dark haired girl glanced down as her eyes closed softly, slowly opening them back up after a minute.

The path that I'm walking,

I must go alone.

I must take the baby steps till I'm full grown, full grown.

Fairy tales don't always have a happy ending, do they?

And I foresee the dark ahead if I stay.

I hope you know, I hope you know,

That this has nothing to do with you.

It's personal, myself and I,

We've got some straightenin' out to do.

And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket,

But I've got to get a move on with my life.

It's time to be a big girl now,

And big girls don't cry.

Lily smiled as she closed her eyes once more, imaging herself and Finn as kids.

Like the little school mate in the school yard,

We'll play jacks and Uno cards.

A slight blush came over her face as she thought back to when they were young, how she would always hug Finn tightly, telling him she was his best friend. She remembered how he would always have reddened cheeks when he gave her his valentine card every year. All of many memories of their friendship were flooding her mind.

I'll be your best friend, and you'll be mine,

Valentine.

The girl opened her eyes and stretched out her arm, her hand open as if she was reaching out for someone as she sang.

Yes, you can hold my hand if you want to,

'Cause I want to hold yours too.

Lily brought her hand back to her chest, gripping it lightly with her other free hand. A wide smile over her lips as her blush covered her cheeks.

We'll be playmates and lovers, and share our secret worlds.

Her smile faded as the images and thoughts in her head vanished, her mind going back to the present. Her heart began to ache as she remembered everything that happened a month ago before Finn had left. All of the bad memories of the fights between her father, and Chrono, and what had happened to her and Finn. She shook her head, wanting those memories out. Never wanting to think about them again.

But it's time for me to go home.

It's getting late and dark outside.

I need to be with myself and center,

Clarity, peace, serenity.

Lily's hands went back up to the microphone, taking out from the stand as she took a couple steps backwards, singing with some confidence.

I hope you know, I hope you know,

That this has nothing to do with you.

It's personal, myself and I,

We've got some straightenin' out to do.

And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket,

But I've got to get a move on with my life.

It's time to be a big girl now,

And big girls don't cry.

Don't cry

Don't cry

Don't cry

Lily looked out to Macao who was clapping excitedly. A wide smile came over his face as he made his way up to the stage, taking Lily's' hand into his. "All I have to say is, you're hired! I knew you could sing, but there was something more that you brought to the stage just now. I could definitely see it. And I'm sure the guys won't object to having you as their new singer, am I right guys?"

Lily's head turned to the older men behind her, all of them urging her to stay as their singer. She smiled softly as her head turned back to face Macao. "I would be honored if I could sing here. I would only be able to do a few nights a week, is that ok?"

Macao wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders as he walked her down off stage. "That's perfectly fine, my dear! I just need a little extra something to get some more people in here."

"It's Lily. Or Lil if you prefer. Oh and um… if you want, I could write songs for the band to play. I'm pretty used to coming up with the music along with new songs too. If… that's ok with you. I'm not sure how these things work and all."

Macao let out a hearty laugh. "You can do whatever you want kid! It's your band now! You just might have saved my ass along with this bar! If you want to take over and write songs and new music for them to play, who am I to stop you?"

Lily shook her head as she raised a hand. "Oh, no, please… I don't want to take over the band. I'm just the singer. I just think that some new songs will help get some more people in here. I'll make sure to run it by the rest of the guys before we perform anything. I honestly just want to sing."

"Hmm… I like your attitude, Lily Redfox. I think you'll fit in just fine here. If you want, you can come by and practice with the guys whenever you want before we open up the bar any day of the week. They'll be here."

"Thank you. And thank you so much for giving me a chance. I promise I won't disappoint you Mr. Conbolt."

"Please, if I'm going to be your boss now, call me Macao."

The dark haired girl smiled as she headed for the front door of the bar, waving a hand up in front of her as she said goodbye. "Thank you, Macao."

As the girl stepped out of the bar, she took a deep breath of relief. She smiled to herself as she thought. 'I did it. I actually was able to sing… after I let it all go… I was able to sing again… and if felt so good! I can't wait to get started with the guys!'

Finn fell back to the ground with a thud, his roommate putting his hands to his hips as he watched Finn stand back up. "What's the matter with you Finn? You're acting totally different from yesterday."

Finn shook his head slightly as he stood back up. "Yeah… I know… sorry Ace. It's probably that storm that's going to be coming soon… I just… freeze up and I can't do what I want to do with my magic."

Ace threw his hands behind his head. "So why don't you just get over your fear of the storms? Then you wouldn't have to worry about sucking during training. You think this is bad, just wait til they start you up with next month's training exercises."

Finn looked away angrily from Ace. "It's not that easy… if you could feel what I can when it storms—"

The fire mage waved his hands in a circle as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. I know. You don't understand because you can't feel the same thing I do when it storms. I know. You've mentioned it a few times before. I just figured since you came here, you'd want to try."

Finn clenched his fists tightly as his head hung down. 'I did come here to become better… I just don't think I could do it in a month is what I'm trying to say… it just seems impossible….'

Ace looked up to the sky as the dark clouds rolled in quickly. "Maybe we should just call it quits for now. That storm does look pretty bad…" Ace looked over to Finn who had said nothing. Before the fire mage could say anything else, the rain came pouring down onto the students practicing outside. They all ran to the nearest building, scooping up their training equipment as they did.

Ace turned as the other classmates ran inside, escaping the rain. The fire mage put his hands to his mouth as he yelled out to Finn. "Oi! Finn! You coming inside? It's raining cats and dogs out here!"

Finn could feel it deep within him. That feeling he always seemed to get when a storm was rolling in. He was already feeling that increase of power thanks to the rain, but something greater was going to pass over the academy. Finn looked down to his fist as the rain washed over him harshly. The ice mage clenched his fist tightly as he turned his head towards Ace. "I'm not coming back inside." Finn walked out further onto the outside training area, leaving the fire mage completely confused to what Finn was planning. 'I'm not running this time… I'm going to face this fear I feel when a storm comes in. I came here to become better… and the only way I can do that is to let go of this fear.'

The ice mage could feel his fear surfacing, his chest getting tighter as he looked to the sky. Thunder began to rumble through the dark cloud as lightning flashed above Finn. He shook uncontrollably, his body freezing in place as the rain came down harder, the thunder getting louder, as if it was angry the ice mage was testing its power it was giving off from above.

Finn shut his eyes tightly, his head hanging down as he clenched his fists. 'This… this is such incredible power! I want to unlock it… I want to be able to use this at will. If I can just get past this fear, I think I can become better. I didn't leave home so I can be mediocre with my magic somewhere else…. I left because of everything between my parents… trying to protect Rain, the stress of taking care of dad… and… Lily…. I left all of that behind me. I'm going to move forward. I'm going to become stronger. I will get past this fear. I want this power now… I cannot keep fearing it for the rest of my life. If I do that… I won't be able to move forward with my magic training.'

Finns' head shot up to the angry sky, his voice loud as he shouted at the booming thunder. "I WILL NOT LET YOU HOLD ME BACK ANYMORE!"

The ice mages eyes widened slightly as he glanced down at his right arm. His skin was burning. Finn could feel immense power beginning to swell within him. 'What… is this?' Finn could feel his heart beating faster, his gut telling him to trust in this feeling, not to fear it this time. The ice mage closed his eyes softly as he let out a breath, his hands falling down to his sides.

Ace stood from the doorway of one of the buildings everyone had ran into. He watched Finn stand out in the middle of the training area, letting the rain attack him fiercely as the lightning and thunder continued to try to discourage the young mage. Another classmate came up from behind the fire mage.

"What's Finn thinking?! He could get struck by lightning if he stays out there!"

Ace continued to watch his roommate, intrigued by what the ice mage had planned. "No… I think he knows what he's doin…" Ace said as he grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

Finn slowly brought his right hand up to his face, holding it vertically, inches away from his nose. Solid blue eyes opened slowly, his voice low and demanding as he spoke. "Freeze."

The classmates' eyes widened as his jaw dropped. He watched as Finn had completely stopped the rain in its place. Others behind him and Ace began to emerge to the door, watching intently as well. They watched in awe as an icy mist formed around the ice mage. The ground around Finn beginning to turn into a solid sheet of ice around him, making its way closer to the buildings. Everyone inside began to panic as the crackling sound of ice formed closer and closer to them. Ace stood his ground as he watched the large sheet of ice stop just before his feet. He grinned as his eyes peered out to his friend. "He wasn't kidding when he said he had a great power inside of him when it stormed."

Finn looked over his arm, a red glow was coming off from it now. He watched as a strange symbol began to form over his wrist and up to his elbow. 'Is this the power that I've felt this whole time? The power that dad was talking about?'

Finns' thoughts broke off in his mind as a flash from the sky caused him to look up. A bolt of lightning was crashing down right where he was standing. His eyes grew wide as he watched death coming straight for him. The booming sound of thunder closely followed the bolt of lightning. Finn could feel his heart stop as the sound filled his entire body, the instant fear making him freeze up. He could hear his roommate shouting his name as he ran out towards the ice mage. Time was moving slow in the ice mages head. He clenched his jaw down tight as he stared at the bolt. He let out a yell as he thrust his right hand forward.

Ace stopped in his tracks as a flash of silver light blinded him. His arms came up instinctively over his face as he grunted. He waited a few minutes, letting the smoke settle around him before he looked back up. His brown eyes went wide as he saw Finn, panting heavily as he held onto his right arm that was stretched out forward. He had somehow frozen the bolt of lightning that was about to hit him dead on. "How… how is that even possible?!" Ace asked himself softly as he watched Finn begin to wobble slightly.

Finns' own eyes were wide as he breathed heavily. Disbelief washed over him as he stared at the jagged ice before him. His right arm bore a black symbol now, smoke rising off from it slightly. 'I… I did it…'

Ace ran to Finn as the rain began to fall once more, catching him as the young mage started to fall backwards in exhaustion. The fire mage grinned as he gripped Finn's shoulders. "You crazy son of a bitch! What are you thinkin?! You trying to kill yourself out here just so you can unlock some secret power?!"

Finn smiled weakly as he spoke. "Sorry man. I just had to do this. I will say I wasn't expecting a lightning bolt to come straight for me."

Ace let out a laugh as he helped Finn to his feet. "You probably pissed off the gods up there! No wonder they were trying to take you out! But hey! Look at you! Freezing lightning now… that's going to be one hell of a reputation you're gonna have around here now."

Finn grinned as he closed his eyes softly. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I just trusted my gut and let go of everything holding me back in the past…"

"Well let's get ya back to the room, you could definitely use some rest after that showdown."

Finn looked down at his right arm, the strange mark slowly beginning to disappear from his skin. His head moved up slightly to see the dark clouds beginning to disappear, taking the harsh storm with it. He smiled as he no longer felt the fear inside of him. It was gone. All he felt now was power surging through his veins. A different sensation than before. The ice mage welcomed this new feeling. It's all he had ever wanted. 'Now all I have to do is work on controlling this power. I felt it try to take over me when I used it… I don't want to be the one who is being controlled… for once in my life… I want to be the one in control.'

Ace pushed past the crowd of students who had formed back around the door to see what had happened. They whispered as the two wizards walked past, their eyes shifting from them to the ice still covering the ground outside. One of them scratched their head as they spoke.

"Soo… does this mean school is canceled until they can get this ice thawed out?"

AN: I also would like to say, yes I know it's impossible to freeze lightning… but it's an AU story and I can do what I want :P I wanted Finn to be facing a scary situation and something that would cause him to have to use that power and forget the fear inside of him to save himself and grow stronger.

Side note… be prepared for some feels in the next chapter… caz there will be some… hopefully lol