Chapter edited 8/25/18.

Freed, no matter how hard he tried, just couldn't get to sleep. Even when he'd start to doze he found himself waking up only a couple minutes later, listening for the sounds of Lucy's cries. He was so certain she'd wake up screaming he couldn't seem to lull his mind to sleep, and constantly found himself glancing towards the door. She'd woken up shaky but okay not long after her team left, and he guided her bleary-eyed self upstairs where she collapsed again without much convincing. That was good, but he wasn't sure how long the sleep would last.

Maybe he wasn't giving the blonde enough credit. She'd been tortured before and survived the experience mostly unscathed, always smiling like it didn't bother her. But this time it was like her spirit couldn't lift itself back up, either from the loss of her keys or the experience in general, Freed wasn't sure.

Either way, he was worried she'd have a full blown panic attack if he fell asleep, and the poor girl would suffer alone. She'd already suffered enough, he'd feel god awful if he left her to her own devices through something like that.

At least both doors were cracked open. He didn't have heightened hearing like Natsu did, and if she kept too quiet he might miss her cries through closed doors. Lucy left her own door open and he just followed suit, seeing no reason why he couldn't.

Glancing at the clock, he realized it was well on its way to four in the morning. At this rate he wouldn't get any sleep, and he'd be lucky to hold a conversation in the morning. How she managed to survive on so little sleep, he didn't understand. There was no way she was getting eight full hours like she should be, definitely not since he'd rescued her.

Noise outside his home caught his attention and he immediately sat upright, narrowing his eyes in the dark. No one should be prowling around at this hour; he didn't have enough neighbors around to blame it on someone else, and if either of their friends were back they'd make it obvious.

Leaping out of his bed he stopped at the nearest window, peering out. In the shadows he couldn't see anything specifically hiding there, but that didn't mean there wasn't danger hiding just outside his barrier.

Didn't she say this fellow's name was Midnight? Midnight and shadows seemed to go together, so logically there was a high chance someone could be hiding outside.

"What are you looking at?"

Freed flinched, glancing over his shoulder. While busy studying whatever he thought he'd heard he completely missed Lucy getting up, padding her way across the hall to his door. She remained just outside, bouncing uncomfortably on the balls of her feet like she wasn't sure if she could step into the room or not.

Giving the outside world one final glance he turned away, knowing his wards would alert him if someone tried to enter the house. If they didn't go outside tonight the threat really wasn't there, and he didn't want to alarm her if she hadn't noticed anything.

"Nothing, I'm just being watchful," he replied, forcing a smile as he approached. She was still wearing her outfit from before, Natsu's thoughtful drop-off sitting by the doorway to his room. He scooped it up on his way, handing the familiar bag off to her. In the light of his home he'd realized it was pink, one more personal thing Natsu brought with him from her apartment. "Here, I'm sure Natsu packed something for you to sleep in. He brought this by earlier."

Eyes widening, she gently took the bag in her hands, eyeing it like she was surprised. "He brought this by?"

"Earlier, he and the rest of your team are very worried about you. They just stopped by while you were sleeping to make sure you were okay. I'm sure they will come by and visit again when you are feeling up to having visitors."

She blinked, the action almost lost in the dark. If the moon wasn't out he might've missed the gleam in her eyes. She squeezed the backpack to her body, holding on until her knuckles started glowing white in the moonlight too. "Did... did you tell them about him?"

He frowned, tilting his head to one side. "Lucy, I'm not going to lie to your team. They are extremely worried about you and want to make sure you're alright. I know your frightened of him-"

"That's why I don't want them knowing!" she snapped, surprising him with her outburst. She reached out, smacking him across the chest to annunciate her point. Only then did Freed recall he wasn't wearing a shirt, but Lucy went on like she hadn't noticed. "They'll be in danger! Why do you think I didn't want to go to their houses, or my own apartment? He knows them, and if they go to fight him they will get hurt-"

"You should have more faith in your team," he remarked, cutting her off. "I know you're constantly worried about others safety, but they are some of the strongest mages in the guild. Do you seriously think someone who plays with nightmares can defy them?"

Lucy paused, shrinking back into herself. Whatever fire he'd ignited from telling her friends was gone, replaced by the same fear as before. "It's not just nightmares..."

"No, I imagine nightmares didn't make all those marks," Freed snapped, crossing his arms. He probably shouldn't be arguing with her and feeding the fire, but he knew there were plenty of things she was avoiding telling him. She took a step back from him, eyes widening as he broached the topic. "Half of them looked like someone intended to slice you in two."

She flinched, but didn't turn away. He was somewhat surprised she didn't drop her gaze, her prior actions making him believe she wouldn't speak to him about this. "You're not entirely wrong."

His expression softened, watching the way her shoulders dropped as she spoke, eyes dancing with amplified fear. "Look, you don't have to tell me everything right now Lucy, but you do need to be realistic. Avoiding telling me how he hurt you will jeopardize your friend's wellbeing if they attempt to engage him in a fight. We wouldn't want them, or anyone else, hurt the same way you were."

Nodding, her arms let go of the bag, letting it drop back to the floor so she could wrap herself in a hug, her shoulders shaking. Freed relented, deciding pushing any more would only cause her to break down, and it was far too early in the morning for that.

Bending, he picked up the bag and returned it to her again, forcing her to grip the strap until she managed to hold it. "Why don't you try changing? I'm sure you will feel better in your own clothes. I won't be able to sleep for a while now, so if you want you can join me downstairs. Company is always better so early in the morning."

Lucy nodded, taking the bag and practically running back to her designated room. Freed sighed as the door slammed shut, echoing in the quiet house.

Maybe he was pushing too much, but he needed to know. He was almost certain someone was lurking outside, and if he needed to fight he'd at least like to be awake to do it. Besides, it'd be way easier to guard Lucy if he could see her, and if he really knew what he was facing.

Turning, he made sure to grab a shirt before heading downstairs. Lucy may have been momentarily distracted when she was worried about her friends, but he didn't need her freaking out that he was half naked. If she didn't even like being touched he didn't imagine that she'd feel any better seeing him like that in the light.

Running his fingers through his messy hair, he grabbed his sword and headed downstairs. So much for sleep.

Lucy tabbed her fingers against the spine of the book, trying to focus for the fifth time. Freed gave her one to read earlier, though she could no longer recall the title. She had yet to focus on it, distracted by the man before her.

It was after dawn now, the early sunlight leaking into the room. Freed wasn't there any longer, off doing something in the kitchen. She hoped it had nothing to do with cooking, not after listening to him grumble to himself about the delicacies of fish for breakfast.

She annexed that plan pretty fast when he asked her what she thought of the idea, her expression saying it all when he quickly changed topics, thinking it might be best to order something in to eat later on. After all the horrifying things she'd heard about his cooking, she wasn't sure she could stomach it this morning. Eating was hard enough.

He had yet to come back into the living room, and she was starting to wonder if she had annoyed him. After all, she was leaching off of him, hiding out in his house like they were great friends or something. She knew he saw something outside last night, his eyes constantly glancing at the windows even as they sat downstairs. He didn't talk about it, but made her more worried. Did he think someone followed them?

Had he found her already?

Her hands automatically clenched around the book, small spasms dancing down her spine at just the thought. He'd left her in the basement when he'd had his fun, and she was certain if he found her again he would finish the job. If he was lurking nearby he'd snatch her up the moment she stepped out of Freed's home, precautions be damned.

Glancing towards the kitchen, she thought of the man who saved her. Of the Thunder Legion, Freed was the second strongest, only surpassed by Laxus who had Dragon Slayer magic on his side. It took a lot to beat him, and she knew Midnight would have to put up a fight if they faced each other.

But she didn't want Freed or anyone else fighting for her. She just wanted everything to go away, including the memories. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. Freed was notorious for his rune magic, so nothing could get inside without them knowing.

I imagine nightmares didn't make all those marks.

Freed's words from earlier echoed in her head, causing her to shudder. He was right, nightmares didn't shred her back or beat her senseless. They didn't slash her or stab her or-

She thought she felt something on her shoulder and flinched, clenching her hands tighter. No, she didn't want to be touched-

"Lucy-"

Dropping the book, she grabbed at her arms, digging her nails in until she felt little jabs of pain. He couldn't touch her here, they had to leave her alone-

"Lucy! Open your eyes."

Eyes snapping open, she looked at Freed who was sitting on the table in front of her now, hands wrapped around her shoulders. She blinked, forcing herself to calm down enough to slow her breathing, telling herself she didn't need to cry.

It was just Freed. He wasn't out to hurt her.

"Let go," he continued, sliding his hands down her arms until he met hers, prying her fingers out of her skin. Looking down she could see dark patches beneath her broken nails where she assumed blood pooled. She was pushing hard, she just hadn't noticed when she broke the skin. "Don't do that to yourself, there's no need."

Lucy nodded, adverting her eyes. At least he was wearing a shirt now, which was a step up from this morning. She's intruded on his room, so it wasn't all that much of a surprise that he was half dressed, but it still made her blush.

He wasn't trying to make her uncomfortable, she had to remember that. But only two days - three now, it was morning - passed since her ordeal, and she wasn't going to just get over it. This was different than the other times she'd been captured and beaten.

Usually it was for an audience, with a bunch of people beating on her. Rarely was it one person, and it was even less common for the experience to last more than a few hours, maybe a day. Staying in the basement for almost a week...

She fluttered her eyes, forcing back the tears before Freed could notice. He'd helped her out so much, she didn't want to look totally helpless in front of him.

She needed to do something. Automatically, her fingers drifted towards her hip, stopping short when she recalled that she wouldn't be seeing her spirits again anytime soon.

Freed noticed, gaze softening a little. "We'll find your keys Lucy, don't worry."

A choked laugh escaped before she could stop it, startling the man in front of her. "No, I'm… I'm not worried about that. He promised to return them when they are finished."

He narrowed his eyes, studying her again. She knew she'd used the term they just then but couldn't quite make herself care. Freed wasn't pushy, at least not yet. He had some semblance of knowing she needed time to think, and while she knew that time was limited he wasn't going to force her to talk just yet.

She couldn't tell him how grateful she was.

A pound on the front door had her jumping up, immediately bracing her arms in front of her, prepared to fight. Freed watched her move, the subtle shake of her arms as she held them out to protect herself a clear sign she wasn't doing well.

Lucy ignored his eyes, focused intently on the door. An intruder wouldn't just knock.

"It's Laxus," he grumbled, drawing Lucy out of her fears. "Evergeen told me he'd be stopping by, he just got back into town. I thought he'd wait until later to actually come by."

"Oh," she replied, letting her arms fall down to her sides again. It couldn't exactly be called relaxing, but at least she wasn't so tense. "Laxus."

Freed smiled, stepping away from her towards the door. "I set the wards specifically so that our friends wouldn't trip an alarm, but they couldn't just waltz in. If this was really an intruder we would know. Even takeover magic wouldn't be impervious to my runes."

Despite herself she smiled, surprised how thoughtful he could be. For someone she spent so little time with up to this point he was awfully considerate of her needs and fears.

Then again, he was the only one to see her in that basement, so he was the only one who had any idea why she was so hesitant…

"Yeah, yeah," Laxus said, cutting into something Freed was in the middle of explaining, "Bickslow gave me the whole rundown. Everyone's already running around at the guild. I heard Natsu's team went to Crocus to check out that house."

Lucy blinked, wishing she hadn't gotten distracted at the beginning of the conversation. Her friends were running towards danger? That was the last thing she wanted! She didn't want anyone else to be in danger for their crazy ideas.

She had to be the one to confront them and retrieve her spirits. She'd already let them down once…

Her feet moved before she realized what was happening, carrying her to the entranceway as the pair continued talking. Laxus noticed first, peering around Freed to catch a glimpse of her as she hesitated by the wall, unsure if she wanted to move any closer.

Freed glanced over his shoulder, giving her a gentle smile. He was very encouraging so far, and she could see the hints of surprise in his eyes. Evidently he hadn't expected her to come out.

"Laxus just stopped by to see how you are doing," he explained, crossing his arms as he shifted to the side. Laxus didn't enter the house, studying her carefully from the doorway. His gaze wasn't the usual intimidating stare down that she was used to, but laced with something thoughtful behind the expression. To say he was concerned might be going a step too far, but he couldn't exactly be surprised to see her. He had to have known she was in the room.

With all the wounds healed, Lucy knew she at least didn't look awful. But the gentle knocking of her knees had her grabbing at the wall, leveling her gaze with Laxus. If she couldn't handle a member of her guild she'd be no match to the battle ahead.

And she would not lose twice.

Forcing a smile in return, Lucy felt herself closing her eyes as she tried to catch her bearings. The door was open a while now, and that didn't sit well with her. She had no idea if Freed's wards lapsed if the barrier was physically opened. "Hi Laxus."

He didn't respond for a moment, and when Lucy opened her eyes again she found him staring back with the same penetrating gaze. She couldn't gauge his expression, but could tell the gears in his head were spinning.

After a moment he nodded, jutting his head to one side. "Well, you don't look half bad, blondie."

Blondie.

She tensed, eyes widening as she let go of the doorframe to take a step back, hands shaking as she stared at the pair with widening eyes.

"You're never going to escape me, blondie. I'll always be by your side, an long-lasting presence to haunt your days. Do you think my mark will leave just because the wounds may heal? It doesn't matter how far you go, how detached you become. I will never let you forget me."

"Lucy?"

"In dreams, while you're awake, while you're screaming, you will always think of me. The others are fools to forgive! We will not be appeased! Until I can dream in peace no one else will either, not even you."

She screamed, the feel of hands digging into the tortured skin of her back caught her off guard, ripping the cry straight out of her throat. She couldn't control the wave of pain that swept over her, momentarily blinding her resolve to not give in to the beating.

"Just sever the contracts," he snapped, voice wavering in her mind as she thought to stay conscious. Momentarily he pulled back, distracted by the person on the other side of the room. "I don't care how you get the keys, but take them! Blondie can't do anything with her spirits if the contracts are broken and besides, we need the spirits free."

"…down," someone said, gently pushing her back into something soft. Lucy jolted, forced out of the sudden flashback. She tensed, finding herself no longer in the entranceway of the home.

Freed's home.

And Laxus was nowhere to be found. She didn't even sense his presence nearby.

Blinking, she tried to level her breathing out. Sometime between hearing Laxus call her blondie and being dragged into the memory Freed pushed her back into the living room and forced her to sit down on the sofa. Clenching her hands to grip the sofa she closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself.

She was a mess. So far whenever she interacted with almost anyone she panicked for one reason or another. How was she going to face her friends?

Her enemies?

Freed sat on the table in front of her, looking just as disturbed as she expected. He folded his hands between them, focusing on her with too much intensity. "Who called you blondie?"

"I… what?" she asked, thrown by the question. Maybe he was too observant for his own good.

"Blondie. You reacted pretty badly when Laxus said that, but you don't seem to mind when I do. Something Midnight called you?"

She resisted the urge to flinch, silently chastising herself. She was too easy to read. "He… it's not something he's called me before."

"But he did," Freed reasoned, pushing her to talk a little more. He didn't come out and demand an explanation like Lucy believed many of her friends would, but he sure knew how to pick at the sensitive subjects. "And I believe it's acting as some sort of trigger-word for you now. I told Laxus to stop referring to you like that for now before I sent him away. I'm guessing it's something he would address you as before torturing you?"

Lucy bit her lip, hesitating before she replied. She didn't want to talk to anyone about this, Freed included. "Yes."

"Did he call you anything else?"

She scoffed, hands flying to grip her knees. "He called me lots of things, Freed. Lots of horrible things. Blondie just stuck. It was his favorite endearment."

He nodded, eyes seeming to bore into her. Unlike with Laxus, Freed's gaze made her want to squirm. It was more penetrating, more perceptive of the situation. She could see the questions beneath his gaze. "Lucy, he only tormented you, right? He didn't force anything else on you did he?"

Dropping her gaze, she felt the color disappear from his cheeks. "Did he rape me? No... he didn't have time for that. It was all about getting their happy ending. He had a one-track mind. He wasn't going to focus on that. But… but if I hadn't lost my spirits when I did, I-I don't know."

Freed leaned forward, momentarily giving her hand a squeeze. She thought she saw something like relief dance through his eyes. "Thank you for telling me that, Lucy. Nonetheless, it doesn't change the severity of what's happened. Why don't I order something for lunch? You look ready to drop right now."

She forced another smile. "Well, it's a lot to handle. I can't… I didn't even handle myself with Laxus and no matter how scary he can be, at least I know him. Pathetic, huh?"

Frowning, he shifted from the table to the sofa beside her. Momentarily she thought she would panic, but nothing happened. If anything she felt a little better having him closer. "There's nothing pathetic about you, Lucy. You're a very brilliant wizard, and you survived something quite terrible. You will adjust to things in your own time accordingly. Forcing it will only make it harder."

Almost immediately, she relaxed. Even if he dug at her for answers, he didn't push past what he believed to be a safe limit. Lucy greatly appreciated that, wondering how she would cope if he didn't let her handle things at her own pace.

Seemingly happy with her relaxed posture, Freed stood and headed to the kitchen. "I will order something in, I'll be right back."

Once in the kitchen, Freed took a moment to try and compose himself. Placing his hands together in front of him he focused the frenzied magic energy inside him, knowing he'd need to look for some sort of release today otherwise he was likely to cause something in the house to break.

It was his favorite endearment.

How could anyone find a nickname endearing while torturing another human being? And why did he pick something so common, something she would hear all the god damn time and have to grow accustomed to whether or not she liked it? Why did he got and steal her keys, why did he fucking torture her-

Freed forced himself to stop that train of thought before he lost control of himself. The Thunder Legion wasn't known for being one of the most elite teams in Fairy Tail for nothing. He could feel his Dark Écriture magic bubbling up inside him, his right eyes blossoming to life as the magic inside threatened to take over.

He had to calm down. Overreacting would do no good, and it wouldn't provide the comfort Lucy seemed to be yearning for. If he lost control right now whatever limited trust she had in him would b shattered.

At least he had an idea now where the extent of the torture ended. But if he hadn't passed by the house when he did and found her, she may not be telling him the same story…

Shaking his head, he swept the very idea straight out of his head. It didn't matter what may have happened, here and now she was doing okay and she hadn't been raped. From the sounds of it all her physical fears were simply because of the torture inflicted on her body and mind. She was practically in pieces when he found her, and that kind of torture would fracture anyone's mind.

Straightening out, he dug around in the drawer for any sort of takeout menu. If he stalled any longer it might seem suspicious. He'd have to find a way to blow off magic power sometime later in the day.

A/n: I don't always take almost a month to update, but when I do it's usually to come back with a so-so chapter. Next up we get to play with some magic and see Lucy want to progress! Maybe we'll even get an idea of who the culprit is aiding Midnight.

Until next time dearie's.