Suffocation can be an easy task when a conflict like poison rises into the air choking out all that breathe it in even if it was just for a minute.

''Lucy!'' Mira-Jane shrieked her name when Lucy met eyes with the blue-eyed girl only now realizing she was there watching the whole love scene she just had with Natsu.

'''Hey! don't! yell!'' an airport security guard yelled making people laugh at the irony that wasn't going to stop the gull like woman from screeching her name again.

Lucy blushed crazily before rushing towards Mira-Jane and past her but she was going to follow her anyway. ''Mira please I have to go to work now, I can't talk for long.'' ''I can't believe what I have just been blessed to witness.'' ''Don't tell anyone!'' ''Why not?'' ''J-Just not yet I want to be there to surprise everyone..'' she said flustered by Mira-Jane's captivating hug.''I swear I'll hold this secret.'' she wrote down on her mental notepad 'Keep Lucy's secret' so of course she would. ''Who will you tell first?'' ''I don't know but I have to pick up the real MVP first.'' ''Who?'' Mira was puzzled by the identity of Lucy's savior.

''My father is the one who broke the ice for me and told me everything.'' her cinnamon colored eyes twinkled. ''I need to get gifts for him but he knew?'' Mira said gratefully imagining Jude yelling at the shy blonde girl. ''I'll tell you and the girls all about it later.'' ''I left my car and I need to get it so I'll see you later?'' ''Sure, of course, you'll see me later, I need to move Makarov into my house and then go to work.'' Mira hopped into her car waving goodbye and looking like she was going to cry tears of joy of course.

When Lucy found the $300 ticket she didn't bat an eyelid. ''I wonder which corrupt cop wrote this ticket.'' she sighed but she really didn't mind it if that was the cost for her love she was winning at life.

Love and mercy are hard ingredients to gather in this world so those who possess them are highly praised and remembered for longer than their lives.

''Finally! I've been waiting a while now,'' Jude whined when she opened the door only stopping his banter to receive her heartfelt hug and Plue's love bites on her fingers. ''You'll never know how much this means to me.'' she hugged him tightly but she would never know the degree of happiness he felt when she was happy, until one day when she will children of her own.

''You honestly, look like you tried to fight a tornado,'' Jude said looking at her windblown, crazy hairdo and rosy cheeks. ''But you still look precious,'' he said hugging his smiling little girl again before she could come up with a mean comeback about his appearance.

''We've gotta go now,'' Jude said offering to drive and let Lucy wallow in the pool of her thoughts. He smiled gently hearing his daughter humming in the backseat holding her laptop and clenching her telescope necklace unconsciously. Lucy looked out the windows at the peach sky that was coming alive with a cherry colored streak of linear clouds, at the same time the sky looked as if it were going to cry tears of joy very soon as the sky was peppered with dark clouds that floated on by trying to hold their feelings to themselves.

''It looks like it will rain a little later,'' Lucy said in a dazed manner watching birds dipping up and down under the linear clouds making the morning even more beautiful. ''Sweetheart who do you want to be your doctor?'' Jude asked looking into the mirror to see her for a second and meeting her chocolate orbs that were now filled with thought. '''Mr. Seam.'' she smiled. ''Why's that?''

''Because he is your friend and you trust him.'' ''Besides I still feel anxious over this treatment.'' ''It will be alright.'' he said smiling bitterly. ''Then I'll be able to leave you to your life.'' ''Like for good.'' she sat up straight and twisted her face getting upset now. ''I don't want you to leave, I want you to stay with me.'' Jude looked at her again quickly and then shifted his sight back to the road and traffic.

'I thought you didn't like me anymore.'' ''That you would be kind of happy when I left..'' ''Where are you going?!'' she yelled at him not understanding why he was starting this.''No! you're my father, my family I need you to stay.'' after what felt like forever Jude pulled into the Red Charm hospital parking lot. ''I wasn't going to go far.'' he said softly. ''Just somewhere I couldn't bother you.''

''WHY would you bother me?!'' ''I was angry because you left but I've forgiven you now.'' she said in a calmer manner. ''If you try to leave again I swear I won't leave you alone.'' she threatened to make him feel better. ''Mama would want us to stay together,'' she said lightly squeezing his shoulder when she met him outside the car. ''I love you, Natsu loved you before I could admit that fact so why should you leave?''

''Thanks,'' Jude said holding her hand and taking light steps into the hospital. ''I wish you the best sweetie,'' he called after her as she went down the hallway to the psychiatric part of the hospital. ''Same to you,'' she replied waving her hand.

I've found the heart I lost when you went away many years ago, The heart that's 50% you & 50% me, The one who always finds a way to make me happy.

''When you feel like your drowning in madness hold my hand tighter and it will be just fine in a minute.'' Natsu hoisted Lucy up to her feet during the high school orientation when he unexpectedly showed up just when she felt bitter in her 'endless' loneliness. ''It will and it shall,'' she said sitting down on the MRI machine's bed enjoying the color and feeling of her sleek hospital gown.

''Mr. Seam will be with you shortly.'' an assisting nurse she knew said and she waved at her. '' I'm kind of shocked that you're here, what are you here for?'' she asked approaching holding a notebook and writing down notes of what Lucy told her about her mind as neatly as she could manage.

''Oh! that's awesome.'' the nurse smiled when Lucy told her something good happened to her today not giving her details because she promised Mira, plus everyone thought she was already married. ''I was sure you were married?'' ''No I lied.'' the nurse laughed at Lucy's frankness and wondered where she got it from. ''I hope I will have an awesome day today as well.''

''I'm sure you will-'' Lucy trailed getting nervous because Crawford was here now. ''Calm down the treatment doesn't start officially until later in the week,'' he said reassuring her. ''Please lay down and stay still.'' ''We're going to do a PET brain scan first normally and then while stimulating your fear.'' ''w-why?'' ''That way we can see if there is a major difference and the areas of the brain affected.'' ''You know the drill strap in and we'll start.'' ''We will do this again after you've been treated.'' he smiled gently assuring her of her future goals when she came out of the machine the first time.

She released her breath and tried to calm down closing her eyes for a second.''Okay I'm ready.'' she regretted her choice as soon as she was in the machine and they started feeding her thoughts of loneliness, she couldn't remember what Crawford said but it did the trick but when she was attacked by the creature that crawled up her legs and jumped into her face she passed out.

''Lucy are you up now?'' Jude asked sitting by her bed in the children's ward watching her blink rapidly coming to her senses. ''I'm up,'' she said her voice was hoarse but she didn't remember screaming. ''What happened?'' he asked worried about her sudden collapse. ''I don't know we were just finding out what my brain looked like..'' ''Under pressure right?'' ''Kind of but I don't remember what was said.''

Lucy looked pale, she smiled looking out the window watching the sun gently bask the city skyline.

Jude sat watching the early flowers from his window. ''You think we should plant more flowers around this hospital later?'' he asked his daughter who was mesmerized by the winds soft presence among everything. ''Yeah flowers are always a wonderful sight.''

''Unless you're being haunted, they're not.'' he always had an excuse to ruin someones fun. ''What sense does that even make?'' Lucy looked crazily at her father who just said something weird. ''You have the strangest ideas.'' ''Your mother loved me for it.'' he laughed but Lucy stayed quiet when he mentioned her mother she felt like she was remembering something from earlier. ''Oh I forgot to tell you.'' ''Hmm?'' ''Your friend Levy called because she heard you were going to receive treatment, and to tell you she would try to stop by tonight.'' 'hOW DOES SHE KNOW i'M RECEIVING TREATMENT?' Lucy thought to herself that everything she does reaches her friend's ears.

''At the hospital?'' ''Oh no I'm taking you home, you look like you've seen and fought with demons.'' Lucy laughed weakly and laid back down letting her father tuck her in. ''I'm going to go and see other patients but I'll be back for lunch with you.'' ''Bye.'' Lucy closed her eyes and thought of Natsu 'What could he be doing now, he should have arrived in the Philippines already.'

It had been four hours since his flight took off and she missed him dearly already. Lucy rolled over to face another female patient who was looking directly into her eyes but she didn't register that fact and in turn looked deeply into the girl's syrup colored eyes. Flashback- ''Natsu you are so short!'' Lucy recalled what she had said one June day after his birthday on the 2nd when they were both fourteen years old. ''I'm a day older than you and three inches taller.'' she had told him something he already knew but that didn't change the fact that she had offended the young pink haired boy.

Lucy patted Natsu's head laughing out loud, he tried to tiptoe but she just did the same. ''I'm going to be taller than you one day.'' ''What's makes you so sure?' ''My family members are tall so I should be too.'' ''Okay one day but not today.'' she giggled squishing his face in her palms and making him blush with her baby noises. 'I'm not even that small!' he yelled but she continued to hurt his already wounded pride.

''But your just so cute to me Aw!'' Natsu bit his pouting lip. ''Don't cry.'' Lucy widened her eyes at his trembling bottom lip. ''I'm not going to cry, I'm going to get you!'' Natsu charged and Lucy ran through the house giggling wildly and screaming ''You can't catch me your legs are too short.'' only making him even angrier. ''Okay Natsu lets make a truce to stop this!'' she had bargained from the safety of her room.

''I'll stop teasing you if you stop chasing me.'' ''Deal.'' he huffed in the hallway tired and sweaty from chasing her around for half and hour. Lucy opened her door and walked into the kitchen exhausted drinking water and handing Natsu a glass, but as soon as they were done she said. ''You know you're seriously scary. ''How so?'' ''Well it is always scary when small people-'' Lucy squealed when Natsu tackled her like she didn't know that was coming. ''We had a deal,'' he said pinning her to the couch hurt by her betrayal. ''Okay let's study we have things to do.'' she laughed kicking him off of her.

-End of flashback. Lucy laughed out loud also recalling all the teasing she received when he grew an inch taller than her.

The girl who was silently staring at her blinked and she realized she looked crazy so she rolled over to think to herself utterly embarrassed but not the slightest bit sorry for her own joy.

A dreamer is able to walk on the clouds, hail at taxi to mars and back to the stars where you know, we reside displaying ourselves in the constellations

It was a cool temperature of 77.9 F but to him it was rather hot for the first time because of the delicate situation he was in.

Natsu was sweating as he walked alone through rows of dirty and flimsy, paper-like houses in the slums that housed nearly 22 million people.

He had split from his crew but he could distinctly hear the voices of his squad calling in English and Tagalog. ''Wait please we are here for everyone!'' right now over 1000 packed trucks were moving through the 'neighborhoods' feeding people and handing the packages to share with their families and even though many were orphans they received packages as well. ''Bless your soul.'' a young girl weakly whispered when Natsu helped her eat and gave her water to drink, she was bone thin and looked as if a breeze could take her to heaven. Natsu wore a grim and serious look on his face, he was glad he was here in the Philippines as he already examined and helped over fifty patients by himself.

Laxus set up a quarantine for the sicknesses that was sleeping one neighborhood, he fed and assured people that it wasn't something to kill them but in fact something to help them. ''Lord shape our hearts.'' Natsu gasped through his almost white dust clad, mask watching a boy who looked like he had already died wobble towards him, his eyes filled with tears as he gently took the boy who wore nothing at all in his arms.

''Can you save him?'' the girl asked him identifying herself as his older sister. ''I pray I can.'' Natsu broke up pieces of bread and fed the boy who succumbed to the taste and sensation of water. ''What is that?'' the girl asked with a bit of alarm in her voice. ''I'm trying to numb his pain.'' Natsu flicked his syringe and injected the boy who whimpered but could not talk, after it was done he went back to eating food from Natsu like nothing had happened. ''He will be alright.'' Natsu smiled tearfully. ''And one day he will surely speak.'' the girl who introduced herself as Tala which meant something like a bright star.

''and his name is?'' ''he doesn't have one.'' Natsu looked at the boy carefully helping him drink the water, there was no remorse in his little eyes he was even happy looking as a blessing had descended him so suddenly. ''Nothing stuck with him maybe because I was the one trying to name him.'' she smiled bitterly taking a bite of an orange Natsu handed her. ''Don't think that way I'm sure any name you came of with was perfect.''

Tala looked up and began to cry lowly his praise pierced her fragile heart. ''Don't ever doubt yourself, sweetheart.'' ''What about Jonah?'' he suggested after a minute. ''What does that name mean?'' ''Dove because he is like a little white bird.''

Natsu said patting his white hair gently while holding him to rest his bony legs. ''He is four?'' Natsu asked. ''Yes how did you know?'' but he didn't respond to her question.'' Okay, Tala let's go.'' ''Where?'' ''To the hospital.'' ''Who will pay the bill?'' ''My hospital will we are funded by many countries but we are the only ones who will do the work you see.'' Natsu picked Tala and her brother Jonah up in his strong arms and walked them back the car that was to be driven by Jet who gasped when he saw them adding them to the many children already there eating together. ''Don't be scared and hold out hope always for when you recover you will have people waiting to adopt you both together as a package.''

''A family? who would want us?'' ''People with big hearts sweetheart.'' he smiled at the blue haired girl who started to cry again. ''Bye-Bye angel!'' she called to him as the door was shut but Jet was sure to tell her his name was Natsu Dragneel the hopeless lover of Lucy Heartfilia because he talked too much sometimes.

I think of you in everything I do you've made an angel out of me and I hope I've...I know I've made you proud.

Lucy could just see Natsu running to and fro through the glass of her backseat window as Jude drove home that night with plans to drop her off, cook a quick meal for her, and return to the hospital and see the new patients in place of her. ''What is that?'' he asked himself out loud cutting into her love-filled thoughts that were 100% Natsu. ''What's what?'' she asked feeling the car slow down and then stop, Jude was gazing at something outside through the pelting rain and darkness the headlights guiding his sight. ''Just a second.''

he grabbed his vine covered umbrella and got out of the car walking around a giant heap of things that were obstructing the road. He squinted and moved out of the way to see better what it was realizing it was things from Lucy's apartment he gasped and picked up the small box that contained pictures of their family while covering his mouth with one wet hand as he had dropped his umbrella reading the wet red eviction notice that was plastered on about everything.

''Since no one on the premises belongs to Magnolia hospital, the tenants have to, therefore, evacuate as mentioned in the contract.'' Jude had never heard of that part of the contract and he had lived there since he was twenty, back when he worked in the Fairy Tail ward. 'They didn't even give us one week or alert us.'

''What is it?'' Lucy asked garnering her father's attention he looked at her 'paler than normal' skin and into her tired cinnamon eyes. Jude pursed his lips she had to know what was going on but how could he tell her immediately when she looked so weak, he sat the wet box that contained Layla's pictures as it was the only thing valuable to the two of them left because even the food was stolen out of her wet refrigerator. 'Anything they liked they took.' he thought worried about Plue.

''Hey move your car!'' a voice broke through the loud winter rain. ''Gajeel?'' Lucy asked recognizing the man's voice before he came around to see what the deal was. ''What are you guys doing here?'' Gajeel asked and Jude showed him the paper pressing a finger against his own lips with a stern look on his face. Gajeel read the notice twice before telling a white lie. ''Levy feels sick so she wanted Lucy to come over to our house, so here I am.''

''I think that's an awesome Idea.'' ''Okay then let's go,'' Gajeel said with unusual optimism. ''Why is this happening so fast?'' Lucy asked. ''Ah ah, don't say anything or you'll hurt your throat,'' Jude said closing his door and steering his car in the opposite direction to follow Gajeel to his house.

When Lucy arrived at Levy's house she was ridiculously tired she didn't even realize the house smelt of oranges and cinnamon thanks to the pot of peels and sticks Gajeel put on the stove saying something about how Levy liked the scent during the winter or the fact that Levy looked surprised to see them and looked healthier than ever.

Jude returned to the hospital leaving Lucy in the Redfox's secure and kind care, Lucy climbed into their bed after new sheets were put there laying beside Levy snuggling close to her while Gajeel went back the hospital for the night.

''Levy I have so much to tell you when I feel better.'' ''Okay tell me when you do.'' the older but smaller woman replied thinking about the wicked act Ivan and his thugs had just committed against such a sweet person. ''I will~'' Lucy trailed drunk with the sleep that was consuming her, she tried to wake up but Levy hummed a tune that sent her into dreamland where she dreamed of her experience earlier that day.

''Picture Layla.'' Mr. Seam had said. ''Now picture her walking away from you voluntarily,'' he said his voice calm and serious. ''Now picture those that you love doing the same.'' with those words he roused the monsters that haunted her all her life, they crawled up her legs. ''have you ever thought that Layla didn't die of natural causes?'' he asked triggering her mind and making her hurt herself as the monsters viciously attacked her knocking her out as she shouted overwhelmed they got what they wanted taking a piece of her memory with them.

''Is that true?'' Mariana the nurse asked. ''No she did die of Natural causes I just needed to stimulate her mind.'' Mariana went back to what she was doing scribbling away and thinking ''how mean! why would you ask something like that?''

Crawford looked at Lucy amygdala the part of her brain that was in charge of fear and the part that was clearly affected. ''This is going to be harder than I thought.'' he said biting his pen studying the displayed images.

If you push me down like that you can bet I will get hurt but I will get an even bigger excuse to stand back up again this time even taller than before.

Lucy sat on the stool in the morning chopping tomatoes because she insisted on helping Levy prepare breakfast and snacks, she sliced through the juicy red flesh contemplating her revenge against Ivan, 'I shouldn't be rash about this, I need to get him in court.' 'I have to collect Plue my poor puppy.' she remembered her little white dog and nearly cut her finger in anger. 'I will exact my revenge, Ivan has to go behind bars and those who work with him.' 'Who are those who work with him?' she could only imagine while enjoying the smell of Levy's fresh roses, a petal fell and caught Lucy's attention. 'We will reap what we sow.' 'the truth is sure to find us all before this is over.'

End of chapter-

2:24 AM

I am seriously filled with stress over my online Spanish classes because if I wanted to back out of them I would have to pay a fee.

Sigh wish me luck.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the depressing world problems, Lucy problems, and mine. :)

-Peace