A/N IMPORTANT!

First of all, the credit for this amazing idea goes to Gammagyro. Thank you so much for your support, your idea, and I hope this story isn't too horrible and that you enjoy it.

Second, This is Navis (Natsu x Mavis) however it's my first time writing this ship so please don't judge too harshly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairytail.

Summary: Mavis is a detective, investigating the death of her husband, Zeref Dragneel, with her partner, long time friend, and Zeref's brother, Natsu. Only, now Natsu's been kidnapped by the dreaded Bloodman, the scum who murdered her husband. Now, her only hope to save her friend is to bend to Bloodman's orders and meet him. She thinks that he must want to kill her but instead he asks her to... play a game of chess? Just what's going on here, who's Bloodman, and why does he have against her and the Dragneel brothers?

Mavis Vermillion. That was her name now, wasn't it? After all, she was no longer a Dragneel. Because her husband was dead. Mavis wished she could be anyone else in the world right now. If only it would stop this feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Zeref Dragneel

Her husband. That was him, yet, it wasn't him. For, he was dead. They had buried his ashes two weeks ago. He had been dead for two weeks, and she would still call out to him. "Honey, can you please pick up your shoes?" And she would still wait. There would be no answer. She would wonder why he was ignoring her, and then she would see the wedding ring. On the table. And the memories would come flooding back.

He had been dead for two weeks. She hadn't had the nerve to step inside their bedroom. Not once. Her heart ached for him. She NEEDED him back. She loved him with all her heart. She HAD loved him with all her heart. Now, he wouldn't be back.

She would give her arm and her leg just to hear his voice one last time.

She kept telling herself that maybe things would've been different if she had done something different. What if she had insisted that he not go to work at three in the morning? What if they had not called him to catch that serial killer? What if she kissed him one last time. What if he had ignored the phone call? All these what-ifs were tearing her apart. If only she had done things just a little differently. Would he still be with her?

She sat down on her couch, her lips trembling. There she went, thinking about him again. She really shouldn't. Not when he was dead, not when she was alive.

The only way NOT to think about him was to immerse herself into endless hours of work. Not just any work either. But the work of finding the man who killed her husband. She had never thought she could hate anyone with such a passion. But she despised the man who murdered him with her very soul.

She wasn't the only one either. There was one other who wouldn't rest until they found his killer. Natsu Dragneel. She knew the man blamed himself for her husband's death. She knew he did, because she blamed herself. Natsu was supposed to come over. He was supposed to help her work on the case. So far, the case was a bust. They only knew one thing. That the killer's name, was Bloodman. That wasn't much to go on either. It was the killer's alias. Not his real name. They had no leads. Her husband's killer was free to go about as he pleased. The thought made her shiver.

She sat there, for hours on that couch, waiting. She knew he really should be here by now. Natsu had never been late before. He was just as invested in this case as she was, just as addicted. Bloodman had murdered his brother after all.

After another hour Mavis got up and started pacing. Where could Natsu be? What was going on, where was he? She was getting worried. She didn't want Natsu to die. They had been working together for only two weeks, but they had known each other for years. Ever since Mavis met Zeref she had met Natsu.

And she knew that if she hadn't loved Zeref from the moment she saw him, she might've had feelings for Natsu. He was sweet, funny, and kind. But, there had been Zeref. He wasn't any of those things. In fact, he was always rather cold and could seem kind of mean. But Mavis knew Zeref had a good heart, and he had warm eyes. And there had been that gentleness she had never seen in Natsu.

"Stop thinking about him!" she growled to herself. "He's dead. You're alive. Please…" she begged staring at the ground. She could feel the tears coming. "Stop."

She almost wanted to forget how much she'd loved him. Because she loved him so much it had torn her apart when he died.

Now, Natsu was late and she couldn't stop herself from worrying. What if Bloodman got him too? Her paranoia had tripled ever since her husband's death. She was weary of every stranger, saw the evil glint in everyone's eyes. She always knew someone was out to get her.

So, when she heard the doorbell ring she jumped up from her position. Her breath hitched as she raced toward the door and threw it open. "Natsu!" she breathed, except, there was no one at the door. Absolutely no one. But then, who had rung the doorbell? She had no idea.

Then, her gaze drifted downward to see a note, right on her doorstep. Mavis frowned and slowly bent down to pick it up. That paranoia was settling in again. Was it the killer? And as she read it, her eyes widened in horror. The note read,

My dearest Mavis Vermillion,

Did you like my last way of gaining your attention? I thought it was very fun, his scream was a pretty thing.

Now, meet me at the Fairytail pub house, come alone, and do so at midnight tonight. If I find you have disobeyed me, or show up late, I promise you that your husband won't be the only Dragneel to have died by my hands.

-Bloodman

Mavis had to read the note over several times for everything to click in her head. She felt extreme disgust and anger. How dare he! How dare he talk about her husband like he wasn't a human being, but a toy for his own amusements. She felt like gagging when she read the part about her husband not being the only Dragneel to die. Her mind instantly went to Natsu. He hadn't shown up tonight. He had promised he was coming tonight. Natsu never broke his promises.

Mavis peered over at the clock, it was already 11. She had only an hour to get to the pub. She had only an hour to prepare. She had only an hour to save Natsu's life. She needed a strategy. This thought sent her reeling. She didn't want to remember, but she did.

I need a strategy. This one, he's a whole lot tougher than the rest. It was the annual chess tournament at our school. I always entered. I always won. But this was different. His black eyes glimmered with amusement, his mouth quirked upwards in the tiniest of smiles. I was so busy staring at my opponent that I didn't realize it was my turn until he said it was.

Blushing, I turned to the chess board and stared at each piece in concentration. Hundreds of outcomes were rolling through my mind, but not many of them were in my favor. He had backed me into a corner. I needed a strategy.

I had more pieces than he did. However, I had lost my queen. I understood the meaning of sacrifice, but only a fool would sacrifice the most powerful piece on the chessboard. I knew from the moment I lost her that my chances had gone down by a lot and I cursed myself for being so incompetent. Why couldn't I think straight? Well, besides the fact that this boy was smarter than anyone else I had come across. That was more than a little distracting, however that wasn't what was tripping me up. It was the small smile that rested on his face that gave me goosebumps. That little smile and those big black eyes that looked like they held the answers to the universe. "Checkmate." I said, looking down. I hadn't even realized I was still playing, too deep in thought to pay too close attention. I had become so used to the motions that I hadn't even realized I was winning. The boy sighed and that small smirk of his grew a little wider.

"Good job, I haven't had anyone beat me before."

"Well, neither have I." I told him. Those black eyes twinkled with mirth and before I could stop myself the words tumbled out of my mouth without my consent. "What's your name?" I asked. The boy licked his bottom lip and I flushed red. I shouldn't even be paying attention to his mouth. So, I forced my eyes back up to his, even though those felt like they were stripping away any intelligence I once had.

"Zeref." He responded. "My name is Zeref Dragneel."

Mavis yanked herself out of the memory. Even though only five minutes had passed, it had felt like her life had just flashed before her eyes. She swallowed and walked out the front door. How had she beat Zeref? She hadn't had a solid strategy at all. She was just going through the motions. That felt like all she did now. Now, she felt like the only joy in her life came from spending time with Natsu. Even then, she wasn't sure if the joy came from being with Natsu himself, or if it was only because she could think about slamming the scum that murdered her husband in a cell for the rest of his miserable life.

"No plan, no information, and only the gun at your hip." She swallowed. "Yeah, everything's going to be just fine.

Then, she got in her car and started toward the pub.

When she arrived she started to assess her surroundings. There were several people in the pub. The smell of alcohol assaulted her, and she grimaced as she walked further into the meeting place. Mavis wasn't sure what exactly she was looking for, but thankfully, she didn't have to look anywhere. Almost immediately after she stepped into the pub a tall man walked toward her.

He had spiked yellow hair and crazed red eyes. She took a few steps back, weary of his approach. "Are you Mavis Vermillion." Mavis swallowed and nodded.

"I am." Her voice sounded more confident than she would've thought in this situation. The man smirked devilishly his eyes sharpening in a way that Mavis found both repulsive and terrifying.

"Then follow me." He said. She didn't want to. Every impulse in her body told her not to follow him. But she had no choice. She couldn't lose Natsu too. The only one who loved Zeref as much as she did. So, despite her better judgement she followed him deeper into the pub.

They left out the backdoor and she followed him down the alley toward where she hoped Natsu was. "I brought her to you." The yellow-haired man said.

Mavis watched, terrified as a dark clad figure stepped out of the shadows. She hadn't even noticed him. That thought made her shutter. "So, you did come." He said almost like he doubted she would come at all. Mavis gulped and clenched her fists. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure they could all hear it.

This was the guy, Bloodman. The one who had murdered her husband. She had known she hated him, but the strong urge to grab the gun at her hip and shoot him was a much stronger impulse than what she was comfortable with.

She was honest with herself, no matter how many lies she told to anyone else. That's why she allowed herself to accept the fact that she could shoot this man and not feel the least bit guilty about it. Those thoughts made her nervous and scared, but she felt them. She felt them in her gut, and she knew she couldn't deny them.

She had loved Zeref. This man had killed him. He had broken her heart. When Zeref died she had lost a piece of herself. She had known him since high school. She had married him when she was only 18 and she had stayed with him for over 2 decades.

She would've been married to him until she was as old as eighty. She would've died with him, she would've adopted children at some point, as she was unable to have them herself. She would've been happy and content for the rest of her life. Until this man had come along and killed not just her husband, but the happiness of all her plans.

He had killed the love of her life. And when he had died a piece of her died too. And now, she was determined to fill the hole that he had ripped in her life. And if the only way to do that was to kill him, then she would happily do so.

It made her feel like an awful person, but for once she didn't care. She knew that killing was wrong, but she didn't care. She knew she was better than this, but she didn't care.

She had imagined saying so many things to him, but the only words that tumbled out of her mouth were, "You killed my husband." Only four words but saying them left her breathless. The man chuckled. This filled her with even more anger. How dare he? She told him that he had killed her husband and his only reaction was to laugh. Her heart clenched, and her wide eyes hardened. The tears had almost slipped, but she refused to cry anymore. "Where's Natsu?" she growled. Maybe they had already killed him. That thought made her stomach churn.

"Natsu? Who is that?"

"Don't play dumb." She knew he knew. There was no way he couldn't. Her husband had always been an intelligent man, there was no way just anyone could kill him. Either that, or his brute strength must've been incredible.

Mavis gulped and glared up at him. It took every ounce of strength in her not to shoot him. She had to know if Natsu was well. She had to know, and she couldn't make her move until he made his. The man smirked.

"So, how about we play a game of chess?" the man asked, smirking. The little smirk that made her freeze. The smirk that gave her goosebumps. She narrowed her eyes.

"A game… of chess?" she asked. The man leaned forward so that he was bent over her.

"Why yes, you are good at that, aren't you?" Mavis hesitated wondering what his angle was.

"I… yes, I am. What are the stakes."

"The stakes… hm, how about that friend of yours. If you win I'll give him back and both of you can go on your merry way. If I win, however, I get to kill you both." He said. Her breath caught in her throat. Those were very high stakes. She gulped.

This was what she thrived for though, she was invincible. She would not lose. "I accept your terms." She said. His smirk widened ever so slightly and he motioned her forward.

"Then come, play with me." He said. She followed him into a sketchy building with cracks in the ceiling and walls. A room completely cement.

But it wasn't the décor that caught her attention, but the person in the center, tied to a post and gagged. "Natsu." She gasped. Overall, he seemed unharmed, no cuts or bruises which honestly surprised her. She thought she would come here to find him gravely injured or worse… she didn't even want to think about that.

Next to Natsu was a chess table, all the pieces set up. They were fine pieces too, it was an expensive set. Slowly, she sat across from the man, staring him in the face. He was cloaked with a mask and there was clearly something altering his voice. She couldn't even begin to guess who was under those clothes.

"You may go first. You are the white pieces after all." He said. Mavis nodded and moved one of her pawns. Before the game even began she started predicting his movements.

As they played Mavis was beginning to understand that this was no average player. He was very strategical, and calculated as smoothly as she did, making the game very slow. Mavis could feel herself start to sweat from exhaustion and her eyes narrowed in concentration.

But all the while her opponent remained poker faced, with that cool, steady smirk. It never faltered once, despite the fact that she was winning. She knew it, he was good but there were cracks in his strategy that she exploited. She lost herself to the feeling of sweat and the joy from such a hard game. It had been a long time since someone had been able to challenge her and almost win.

Not since him.

She hadn't even noticed that she backed him into a corner until she said, "Checkmate." The man sighed, looking exhilarated.

"That was unexpected." He said. She smirked slightly.

"What?" she growled. "Have you never had anyone beat you before?" she could tell his eyes must be shining with amusement because he barely contained a chuckle.

"Not quite, I've only been beaten once before." he said. Hmph, the player must've been pretty good.

"Alright, whatever." She grumbled, standing. Her muscles were tense, she honestly didn't expect him to let her and Natsu go. Not without a fight. But he stepped back.

"I am a man of my word. You and your friend may go. You will never see me again." he said, backing up. She whipped out her gun and pointed it at him.

She shot, but he was quick, nimble and easily dodged bullet after bullet. "Stay still!" she growled. This time he did laugh.

"I can't do that now, otherwise you'd hit me." She had to admit that no person would stand still when being shot at, but he still must repent for killing her husband. As he disappeared out the door and into the darkness of the alley, she saw his smirk one last time. For an instant she saw Zeref's smiling features flicker through her mind.

Zeref?

Then, she shook her head. Stupid brain, making up stupid things. She turned around and walked back into the building. She was angry. How could she not have gotten him?

"You will never see me again."

She had to see him again. She had to put a bullet between his eyes. Mavis sighed and dropped to her knees, quickly untying Natsu. She could see her friend starting to come to. She at least had Natsu. Natsu who had been with her throughout the tragedy of her husband's death. "Mmm." He groaned, his eyes fluttering open. Mavis felt her heart skip a beat at that. She was so filled with relief and joy. "Wh-what happened?" he asked.

"Natsu!" she cried and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him too. After a minute or two she felt Natsu's arms wrap around her too.

"Hey, sorry if I scared you. They caught me off guard." Mavis shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm just so happy you're alive. I'm never letting you out of my sight again!" she sobbed. Natsu smiled softly and hugged her tighter.

"Hey, it's okay, you're never going to lose me."

"Please don't say that." She whispered. She knew for a fact she could lose him right now. She knew everything could be taken in an instant. However, she was willing to believe that it wouldn't, if Natsu was. "I love you." She said. She loved him because he was with her. She loved him because he had always been with her. She loved him because he understood. And she loved him because only he had loved Zeref as much as she did. No one would ever be able to understand. No one would ever be able to love him as much as they did. No else. Just Natsu and her. Just them. That's why she loved him.

"I love you too." And she knew Natsu loved her for the exact same reasons. Finally, they pulled back, Mavis, feeling better and more alive than she had in weeks. Natsu smiled at her. It wasn't Zeref's smile in the slightest. Natsu's smile was big and open and expressive. Zeref's had been small and controlled, but kind all the same.

Mavis felt her heart melt slightly at his smile. She knew she cared about Natsu right now more than anyone else in the world.

At that moment Natsu's smile turned sheepish. "So, I know I've just been kidnapped and all but… would you want to go with me for a cup of coffee." Mavis's grin widened. She hated coffee.

"Yes."

A/N So... yeah, I'm sorry if some of your were hoping for a kiss, but it just didn't fit, and I wasn't comfortable with it so it would've sucked. Now, some of you might be going, WHAT? WHO'S BLOODMAN? TELL US RIGHT NOW! Sorry, I won't. There are some pretty huge and obvious hints that it's Zeref, but I'm going to let you decide for yourself if it is or if it's simply a coincidence. Bloodman here is just an alias, he is not who he is in he show I decided, so he could be anyone. I will tell you this however, I did delete a scene. I really wanted to just tell you who it was, but If figure it's more fun to leave it to you. You guys seriously have no idea how much I wrestled with deleting the scene and telling you who Bloodman was.

This idea concept of Mavis being a detective hunting down Bloodman and Navis was given to me by Gammagyro. If you have requests I will take them and do them as long as it includes Zeref and is rated T or below. To contact me you can either review or pm (private message) me. If you want I will give you credit for your ideas or if you don't care, that's okay too.

Thank you everyone for reading, reviews, constructive criticism, and ideas welcome and appreciated! :)