Chapter 23

Lucy nodded standing by his decision. "You will have a chance to earn it back Erza, but you must earn it" said Natsu. "Understood" Erza mumbled. "But until then, you are no longer privy to any information about any missions, nor do you have command over any of the members. Is that clear?" "Yes" answered Erza who tried to sound as strong as she could but Natsu and Lucy both heard the hurt in her voice. "Am I still part of the team?" she asked. "Yes Erza, you always will be" answered Lucy, kindness in her voice. "You will just need to work your way back up to second" explained Natsu. Erza nodded once more as Natsu said "we should all go home, it's late..and we gotta go grab Layla in the morning Luce." "Right" said Lucy. They all walked to the cars as Erza standing in front of her door looked at them and sincerely said "I'm sorry" "I know Erza and I accept it….just sorry isn't enough this time" replied Natsu sadly. They all silently got in the cars and drove off. "Is Jellal going to be okay with this?" asked Lucy. "Jellal will accept it whether he likes it or not. He knows about Erza's tendency to step over the line and it caught up with her this time" "Who then..who is going to be your second?. You know it would hurt Jellal to keep anything from Erza" Lucy said with compassion. "I know..and I don't want to do that to him either..I'm going to give to Gray. Gray may have question my lead but he always goes with my command anyway."

The next morning, Lucy and Natsu woke up and went to go grab Layla. "Heyy" Levy greeted sweet fully when they got there, "Hey Lev" said Lucy. "How did it go last night Pyro?" asked Gajeel. "Well…I won!" Natsu answered excited. "Yay, congratulations! Natsu" Levy said. "Thanks" "Way to go man" said Gajeel lightly hitting Natsu on the shoulder. "So where is my little dragon?" he asked eagerly. "Here I am daddy!" announced Layla as she ran around a corner and into Natsu's arms as he picked her up hugging her. "Ahh, there's my little girl" Layla giggled as she hugged him. "Hi mommy" "Hi baby" she cooed. "Ready to get going?" he asked her. "Yup, bye Levy, bye Gajeel" said Layla as she happily waved goodbye. They went out and put Layla in her car seat as Natsu pulled out of their driveway. "Where are we headed Natsu?" Lucy asked seeing him pull off in a direction. "Mafia base.. Gray needs to know" "You know Jellal already knows" Lucy said flatly as Natsu gave a sarcastic look. "Thank you, captain obvious" joked Natsu. "Just saying" said Lucy. Natsu rolled his eyes as he kept driving. They pulled up to the mafia.

"Go ahead inside, I'll grab Layla" said Lucy getting out of the car. Natsu walked right up to the door and went inside. Inside, he saw Erza, Jellal and Gray sitting downstairs at a table. They looked up at him as he approached them. Erza had a sullen expression on her face as Jellal and Gray had plain expressions. "What's up Natsu, we didn't expect you in today" said Gray. "I'm not, I just came to stop by quick" he said as Lucy and Layla came inside. "Heyyy" Layla greeted happily to the three of them who put small smiles on their faces. "So what's up Natsu?" asked Jellal. " Well , Gray, I need you to make sure none of the bastards in here cause any shit" "Ummm, isn't that Erza's job?" Gray said highly confused. "Let's go upstairs" he said . Still feeling confused, Gray followed Natsu up the stairs. Getting to the second level Natsu walked over to the balcony as Gray followed. You want to tell me what this is about, what do you mean I have to watch everybody. That's Erza's job. She's your second in command "She was..not anymore, congratulations you've been promoted Gray"" said Natsu bluntly. Gray looked down at Erza who was looking up at Gray and understood what Gray was saying. She looked at Jellal who gave her a knowing look. "You did this to yourself Erza" Jellal said quietly?" Lucy, what is going on?" Gray asked as she and Layla came up the stairs. "It's not my place to tell you Gray" "Natsu?" he asked desperate. " She got strike two and I'll let you know everything later" Natsu said firmly. Gray knew by the look on Natsu's face he wasn't saying anything more. "Okay, let's go" said Natsu surprising Gray as Natsu turned on his heels towards Lucy and Layla.

"What?, that's it?" exclaimed Gray. Natsu turned his head and amusingly said " I told you I wasn't staying." He said as they came down the stairs. "Gray I'll give you details later, come by the house if you want. Jellal, see you guys later" he turned back towards the door not giving Erza a glance at all. "Damn..what the hell did you do Erza" Gray thought. Couple hours later, Gray came by as Layla and Lucy were taking a nap. "you want something to drink?" asked Natsu. "Nahh" said Gray as he sat in the chair next to the island. "So what happened?" asked Gray serious. Pouring himself a drink, Natsu walked over and leaned on it. Looking down, Natsu said "It happened last night after the match. Lucy kept fucking telling her to stop but she wouldn't listen and End was already out" "Stop right there, you don't need to continue. I already saw what End can do, and if Erza wouldn't even listen to him, well then, that sucks" Gray said blunt. "Lucy kept trying to tell her, but she just wouldn't listen. She wouldn't listen to her during the first time I did MMA, she's not my damn wife and she sure as hell doesn't know me like Lucy does. Then this time, her freaking pride. It got in the way and END wasn't going to take it" "Are you going to stay mad at her?" Gray asked "No, I'm not even mad at her .I'm freaking frustrated because I know she's better then this but she's too damn stubborn and prideful..so hopefully with this, she'll finally accept that she is not the boss and will stop acting like it. Then and only then will she get her position back. For now, you are keeping it." "Understood" answered Gray as he nodded.

Lucy got up after a little while and came out rubbing her eyes. "Hey Luce" he said sweetly putting his arms around her as she sat in his lap and laid her head on his shoulder. "Hey Gray" she said half awake. "Hey Lucy. How you doing?" "Sleepy but good" she answered as Natsu caressed her cheek making her blush and giggle as she leaned further onto him. He chuckled as he looked at her with one of the most loving faces Lucy had seen. She loved it as she smiled at him then they both looked at Gray realizing he was still there. "Sorry" they apologized. "Hey, no apologies needed." Gray said relaxed with a grin. "So what's the plan now?" Gray asked. "Since you told me you were good with the MMA now" "Well" "All my time can be spent with my wife and child" Natsu answered cutting Lucy off but made her smile. "Natsu, you already have spent time with us" "I know Lucy but I promised you once the MMA thing was figured out, I would be there for you through your therapy and I meant it. Whatever you want to do" "Thanks Natsu" she said gently. "Saying that, I will be going out tomorrow to try out those options I wrote down" she announced to them. "Huh?" said Gray. "Different forms of therapy..something to replace my music" she answered simply. "I see" Gray looked more intensely at her face to see if she was hiding any emotions. "You don't have to worry Gray. I'm fine. I've accepted it now" she said with a reassuring smile. She looked at both Natsu and Gray and said "neither of you have to worry about me." "Luce, your my wife. I'm always going to worry about you. That will never change" "You're my friend and sister so I'm right there with Natsu. Won't stop worrying about you either" Gray said with a smirk.

"Thanks, you guys" Lucy said feeling grateful. "I'm going to get going, Juvia should be home soon" said Gray. "No problem "said Natsu as he bumped fists with Gray and waved to Lucy. Once he left, Natsu spun in the chair he was in with Lucy as she laughed. "So my love, what do you want to do now?" he asked with a cute smile. "Let's watch an action movie!" she yelled excited. "Oh something that isn't Disney or singing or cartoon" said Natsu relieved. "Exactly!, come on let's go watch something" she said jumping out of his lap. Running to the couch, she curled right up on to it as Natsu casually made his way over smirking at her. "What?" she asked innocently. "You are just so cute sometimes" he said planting himself next to her. Putting the blanket over them, he snugged Lucy into him. "So watcha want to watch baby?" "Death race!" "Definitely not a kids movie. Well alright, go ahead" he said as she clicked play.

Lucy was up the next day as Natsu and Layla still in their pajama's looked at her while they sat on the couch. "Where are you going mommy?" Layla asked seeing her all dressed and shoes on. "Mommy is going out for the day baby girl. Going to try some new things" replied Lucy with some cheer. "Really? that's great!" answered Layla happily. "Thanks baby girl" Lucy walked over and kissed them both as Natsu made his kiss last a few seconds longer before Lucy pulled away. He pulled her arm softly as she looked down at him. "I'm going to miss you have go alone?" "Natsu, this is the first time I've done something by myself for months. I need to do this" she told him in a reasonable voice. " I understand. I love you and proud of you" " I love you too. Thank you" she said giving him one more kiss. "You are all mine tonight" he whispered. "we'll see" she teased. "Be good for your daddy Layla" Lucy said as she walked out the door . "Bye mommy!" Layla yelled as Lucy did one last wave before shutting the door. "So what do you want to do today baby dragon?" he asked her curious. "I don't know daddy" she replied.

"Tell you what, how about we invite some of your friends over. I know they haven't been here and I'm sure you would like to have some fun with them outside of school" "Really daddy!" she yelled in delight jumping on the couch making Natsu laugh. "Yes, baby girl, I mean it" "YIPPIEEEEEE!" Layla screamed. "Haha . come on little spaz, let's get you something to eat then we can started on setting up the house" said Natsu. Layla jumped off the couch immediately and raced to the kitchen. Natsu slowly took his time walking over as she tried jumping at the cupboards but couldn't reach making him chuckle. "Calm down baby dragon" he said grabbing down a bowl for her. She ran and grabbed cereal then handed it to him. Getting the milk out, she handed it to him as he poured it then set the bowl on the island. Scrambling into her seat, she started scarfing down her cereal. " Layla, easy baby girl. Your going to choke if you don't slow down" he said grabbing her hand with the spoon forcing it in the counter gently. "Okay daddy" she said with a mouthful. He nodded and slowly lifted his hand off her as she calmly took her hand and began eating her cereal slower. "That's better. Finish eating then when your done, go on and get dressed. I'm gonna go start making phone calls." He said walking away. He saw the stars in her eyes light up as he pulled out his phone and started dialing. Lucy had gotten to her first stop. "Hmm, well let's see how this goes." She said to herself as she walked into the humane society where there was a young girl at the front desk. "Hi , how may I help you?" she asked nicely.

"Hi, I'm Lucy, I called a few days ago..about possibly pet therapy." she said quietly. "Of course, absolutely. Follow me" the girl said upbeat getting up. Lucy followed her into the back and had Lucy sit back in a comfy chair. "I know you didn't go into details over the phone but from what you said, you've gone through a hell of experience and I apologize" Lucy face went down slightly. "I appreciate it." Sensing Lucy's sensitivity to the subject , the girl quickly hyped up and went to grab a puppy. Picking it up, she sweetly handed it to Lucy who gladly took it as the puppy started licking her instantly making Lucy laugh. "You are a cutie for sure" said Lucy.

For a couple hours, she was handed puppies and kittens making her happy. "This is wonderful, and they are cuties for sure…but this isn't what I'm looking for unfortunately. These puppies and kittens won't replace my music" she thought in her head as she set an eager puppy on the floor then stood up. "Had enough?" the girl asked. "Yeah. Thank you very very much for doing this for me..but I don't think this is what I'm looking for" said Lucy honest. "That's alright. I'm just glad these babies were able to bring a smile to your face" the girl said with a kind smile. "I'll definitely be coming back here eventually though. I'm sure my daughter would love to pick one of these cute little furballs" Lucy said scratching the head of a kitten. "Oh cat lovers huh?" "Ha, I'm more of a dog person but my husband and daughter love cats so I might be by sometime" "Wonderful. Here let me show you the way back out." The girl kindly gestured Lucy forward as Lucy stepped in front of her.

Shutting the door behind her, the girl led Lucy to the main entrance. " I hope you are able to find what you are looking for." "Thank you" said Lucy. She nodded her head and walked out to her car. Getting inside, she sat there for a moment before she pulled out her phone and called Natsu. Picking it up, she heard kids screaming in the back as Natsu said "Hey Luce" "Natsu?, what's going on baby? .what's with all the screaming?" she asked curious. "Kids. I called over Layla's friends over for a play date" "Really? Kids?. Natsu. Are you going to be alright?" she asked skeptical. "Come on Luce, you know I love kids and they love me" he said confident. Moving so he could get away from the screaming, he walked over towards the stairs. "How did it go baby?" "Well I went to try the pet therapy first, it was nice. Puppies and kittens were adorable…" "But. It wasn't enough was it?" he said finishing what she wasn't saying. "No..it's good for a bit but a couple hours with a pet isn't going to be enough." "That's alright Luce. You can still find something" Hearing the hope in his voice made her smile and gave her confidence. "Thanks Natsu." "Your welcome Luce" he said as he heard a loud excited scream that Lucy heard through the phone. "Damn Natsu, how many kids do you have at the house?" "Five" "Five?, Natsu, you sure you got" "I already told ya Luce, I, NOOO,Gotta go baby. Love you!" he yelled as he quickly hung up. Lucy chuckled holding her phone. "Five kids?...what was he thinking?" she thought. Putting her seat belt on, she started up her car and went off to grab something to eat. Then was off to try a couple painting classes. Pulling up in front of what looked like a house, she walked through and saw a whole bunch of girls sitting at painting easels with a older lady standing in the middle with a warm, welcoming smile.

"Welcome young lady to our painting class" "I wasn't sure I was in the right place for a moment, it looked like someone's house" said Lucy embarrassed. "Oh it's my house but don't worry your in the right place. I do painting classes a couple times a week here" the old lady replied. "Just go ahead and sit wherever you like" Lucy went and found a stool with an easel and then waited patiently. "Hello ladies, I know a lot of you have been here before but I also see some new faces among us. Let me start off by saying welcome. My name is Kristen. I've been a painter for about 45 years now. Used to do it professional but now I'm retired. I still love to paint so I thought I would start this painting class. These classes are for therapy, peace, relaxation. Anything to put your mind at ease. The only rule I have is no cellphones please. This is a place of peace and I promise , anything can wait for a few hours. We do have breaks so you can check your phone then if you want." She explained very soft-spoken making Lucy feel at ease. "Are we ready then?" she asked. Lucy and the other women all nodded their heads. "Okay since this is the first class for some then for today, paint whatever what comes to your mind. It doesn't matter what and just because it may not look the way you want it too does not mean the painting is bad. Painting is about expression. Just paint what you feel , see." Kristen nodded her head then went to sit at her easel. The room went silent as Lucy quietly let out a breath and picked up her paint brush. "Okay Lucy…whatever you feel" she thought as she dipped her paint brush and started painting. An hour went by before Kristen started slowly coming around the room glancing at what the girls were painting. Lucy saw her smiling as she walked around.

Getting up to Lucy after a few minutes, she observed as Lucy put down her brush. " I know it's not perfect" Kristen kindly put her hands out stopping Lucy from talking. "It doesn't matter sweetheart. Like I said before, painting isn't about perfection. It's expression and what your feeling being put down in front of you. It's freedom" Something in her words struck Lucy to her core as Kristen looked at her with caring eyes as Lucy nodded and got back to her painting. Another hour went by before Kristen called for a break. Pulling out her phone, she texted Natsu but didn't get an answer. After a couple minutes, she tried calling him but still didn't get answer. "Natsu, you big goof.. kids are making you run for your money. I'm sure" she thought lightly amused. The break ended as Lucy got back in her seat and continued her painting. Before she knew it, Kristen said that it was it for the night as the girls all thanked her. Kristen slowly walked over to Lucy as she was putting her stuff down. "Do you mind if I?" Kristen asked as Lucy surprised immediately said "of course, yeah go ahead" letting her see the painting.

Kristen carefully looked over it. "You've experienced a sadness in your life haven't you?" How did you?" "Colors are also a good way to tell what someone is feeling . These blues that you have here spread through this corner with these music notes, but I can see your trying to heal. You have these bright colors on the other side of this heart you have painted in the center. ..and also I saw something in your eyes before when I came over earlier" Lucy opened to protest but closed her mouth knowing there was no point. "You're a wise lady"

Putting a hand gently on top of Lucy's, she said "no sweetheart, I have just lived for a while and painting has taught me many things" "Hmm" said Lucy. " If I'm honest, ..I am trying to heal. I have lost something really important to me..and I'm trying to find something to help" a small tear dripped down Lucy's cheek as Kristen gently wiped it away with her thumb. "You are welcome here anytime then" "My name is Lucy" "Well then Lucy, you can come here anytime. As I said earlier, I hold painting classes a couple times a week, but you can come over time" "Really?" Lucy said shocked. "Yes sweetheart, I can see you are trying to heal and if coming here helps you, then you are welcome" "Ttthank you very much" she stuttered feeling honored shaking Kristen's hand. " Take this painting home with you. Help remind that you are getting closer" said Kristen. Lucy nodded as she carefully took the still drying painting in the tips of her fingers. "See you in a couple days Lucy" said Kristen sweetly. "Yes ma'am" said Lucy smiling a thankful smile as she walked to her car.