She doubted anyone knew she was there; maneuvering around the building's security hadn't been too difficult. Still, she wasn't arrogant enough to believe they didn't suspect someone might be coming. The air was dry and thick in the dark space where Lucy waited. Dressed all in black, Lucy blended into the darkness. It was quiet—too quiet for Lucy to be at ease as she shifted her weight on her stiffening feet, but the quiet wasn't the only reason for her uneasiness. The other reason also explained why she was crouching in a suffocating air duct in the middle of the night. The same reason that caused the uneasiness she felt in her heart.

Enough time had passed to observe the room below, and the time for action had come. In quick movements, she checked the ammunition in both of her black pistols before removing the safety on each. She hadn't come all this way to play things safe. Taking a deep breath, she dropped from the air duct into the room below. She landed with both pistols held out to either side, quickly taking note of any possible details she couldn't have seen from above. Just as she had observed, the room was empty except for a single figure tied to a chair situated in front of a large window.

Her eyes swept the room several times, but no threats revealed themselves…yet. Putting the safety back on one her pistols, she sheathed it into its holster as she made her way towards the window. The figure looked up, and his black eyes widened in shock as he stared up at her.

"Lucy!"

"I've come to rescue you, Gray." Smiling down at her best friend, her heart released a little of the tension within it. He was here, and he was alive. However, he still wasn't safe. Not until she got him away from this place and out of the grasp of the one who had taken him in the first place. Until Gray was truly free.

During the middle of the night, Lucy had awoken to find Natsu tucking her into a bed. Seeing that he had returned, Lucy hounded him for the answers he was meant to retrieve from his informants. The information he had gathered pointed to this abandoned building - abandoned, except for the members of the rival Boss's forces that guarded the area. Natsu had taken it upon himself to distract the majority of the Boss's men. It was up to Lucy to find Gray and make it out undetected. A job for which Natsu had trained her day and night for the past four days to prepare her, albeit reluctantly. Even though her heart beat furiously in her chest, ready or not, she would face the wolves of the mafia.

The ropes that tied him to the chair were fastened tight around his wrists and ankles. Lucy cut the ropes that bound his wrists, first, with a knife she had hidden in her boot. Gray rubbed the sore skin around his wrists before taking the gun she offered him. Crouching down, she sawed away at the bindings around his ankles. After a minute of cutting, Gray was free.

"What are you- No- Why are you…" Gray stood, his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to sort out what question to ask her first. He shook his head, clearing all of them aside. "You shouldn't be here," he said finally.

"But I am." She switched the knife to her left hand and retrieved her other pistol once more. "And now we need to leave."

"This is dangerous. You should have just left me here. You could have gotten yourself killed coming here," Gray argued. His concern for her over his own safety had always bothered her. He was her best friend. She knew he would have done the exact same thing if their situations were reversed. He would risk his life to save her, so why, then, could she not risk her life to save him?

"And you would have been killed if I didn't come," Lucy argued back.

That possibility had been running through her head the moment she found out Gray had been taken. The thought of never seeing her best friend again had driven her to do things she never would have thought possible. She could never forgive herself if she just left him. He had done so much for her already that risking her life was the least she could do. Gray opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off by hugging him. She was just happy that he was alive. That she made it in time. Everything was going to be alright. Lucy had her best friend back, and she didn't care what dangers she had to go through to make that happen. It was something she would do all over again if it meant she could save him.

"Gray, let's not argue about this." She pulled away from him, smiling. "We need to leave before-"

The door to the room burst opened. Gray and Lucy whirled towards it, guns drawn and pointed at the opening.

"What's this? The princess has a gun." Natsu stepped into the doorway. His trademark smirk scrawled on his face. The gun he held was pointed directly at Gray's chest. "Does he even know how to use it?" he asked, directing his question to Lucy as he stepped further into the room.

"Want to find out?" Gray glared, not lowering his gun.

"Careful now. That's not a toy. You might shoot yourself," Natsu mocked.

The two of them glared at one another, the tension between them filling the room. Lucy scowled. This wasn't the time for them to be at each other's throats. Especially when both of them had guns.

"Knock it off, you two." Lowering her gun, Lucy stepped between them. Gray immediately lowered his gun, but Natsu held his up a beat longer. "We need to focus on getting out of here without the enemy knowing we're here."

"I don't really know the layout of the building," Gray admitted. "I was always blindfolded if I changed rooms."

"Don't worry, Gray," she smiled. "We already came up with a plan to get out of here safely."

"There's no need to worry about that now," Natsu declared. His manner was relaxed as if being in the middle of an enemy's territory was an everyday occurrence.

"He can't be serious." Gray looked at Lucy incredulously.

"I am serious." He glared at Gray. "While you were busy being the captive princess, I took care of your weak captors. Not everyone is as useless as you."

Gray bristled at Natsu's comment, and Lucy looked at him in shock.

"All of them?" Lucy asked.

"I told you I would take care of the surveillance," he smirked.

Without Natsu's help, she wouldn't have found where Gray was being held captive. Together, they had planned his rescue. However, when Natsu stated he would take care of the surveillance in the building, she didn't believe he meant every person that could spot them.

"You shouldn't underestimate the Salamander's abilities." Gold Pistol appeared in the doorway, several of his goons flanking either side of him. "The hallways are littered with the unconscious bodies of the rival Boss's men."

"Gold Pistol," she gasped, caught off-guard by his sudden appearance. "Why are you here?"

"To collect the treasure, of course." He rubbed his mustache as his eyes found Gray's.

Lucy's body instinctively moved so that she was fully in front of Gray. There was no way she was going to hand her best friend over to him. She had just freed him from one mafia boss. He wasn't going to be held captive by another.

Pointing her gun at Gold Pistol, Lucy glared at the boss of the Italian mafia. "I won't hand Gray over to you."

Gold Pistol's men instantly raised their guns and pointed them towards Lucy, their fingers on the trigger.

"Lucy, don't." Gray put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her, but she just shook her head.

"I won't let him take you," she whispered fiercely to him.

"Put your guns down," Natsu demanded Gold Pistol's men. Hesitation flickered in their eyes. They couldn't let a threat to their boss go unpunished, but they also didn't want to earn the wrath of the Salamander either.

"If you fools don't do as the Salamander demanded, Juvia will have you all killed." Juvia's voice echoed through the room and the men immediately dropped their guns. They parted for her and her long legs carried her into the room. Lucy shivered at the sight of her. She was gorgeous in a white silk blouse and black leather pants, with bright blue heels. Yet, her eyes were steel as she glared angrily at the men.

"Gray is standing right there," she yelled at them. "What were you thinking? If you shot that impy blonde, you would have shot Gray as well. I should have you all killed for even putting him in that danger in the first place."

"Juvia, my dear," Gold Pistol cooed. "They were only trying to-"

"No excuses," she growled. "His life is more important than anyone else's in this room."

Gold Pistol stiffened at Juvia's words, shooting a glare of his own at Gray, before composing his features into a brilliant smile. "You are absolutely right, my dear. To show my apology, why don't you take your fiancé and go to the country villa tonight? I'm sure you both have had quite enough time apart and need to put this awful ordeal behind you. Some much needed alone time is called for don't you think?"

Instantly, Juvia's demonic demeanor transformed into that of a lovestruck girl. Gold Pistol knew how to flip her mood and disarm her fury. Her anger tossed aside, Juvia turned away from the men and smiled brightly at Gray.

"Gray, dear!" She sang. "I've missed you so much, darling!" Running towards him, Juvia stopped when Lucy redirected her gun towards her.

"Don't come any closer," Lucy demanded. Her palms were becoming sweatier; her heart beat faster. She hadn't planned on Gold Pistol or Juvia being here. She wasn't expecting to confront two mafia forces tonight.

Juvia's mood shifted again, her dream-like gaze turning into a nightmarish glare. She held her hand up, stopping her men from reacting.

"Lucy, please." Gray's grasp on her shoulder tightened. "It's okay."

"No, it's not!" Lucy cried. "I worked so hard to rescue you."

"I never asked you to do that," he shouted.

Stunned, Lucy whirled around to face her best friend. Gray stared down at her, his face hard. She tried to search his eyes, but they were emotionless.

"I-I don't understand? Tell me; you don't actually want to go with her? Right?"

"Whether I want to go with her or not doesn't matter. This is my choice to make, not yours."

Her eyes widened, unable to believe what she was hearing. This isn't supposed to happen. She thought. He's just being forced to. Yeah, that's it. Lucy convinced herself that that was the case. Gray only said that because he didn't believe he had any other options.

Leaning in closer, she lowered her voice so that only Gray could hear her words. "Don't worry. I'll figure something out. Natsu and I…we'll create a distraction, and you can escape. There's a parked car, and the keys are-"

"Lucy. That's enough." Gray shook his head at her. "I don't want to see you get hurt because of me. What's the point when there's no escaping this?" he whispered, defeat etched in his tone.

Tears dripped down her cheeks as she watched the resolution set in Gray's eyes. He meant it. He was going to sacrifice himself for her. He was going to let Juvia and Gold Pistol win, for her. What kind of sacrifice was that? Didn't he realize how that would make her feel? Was she that powerless she couldn't even save her best friend? Was all that planning and careful preparation for nothing? Lucy shook her head furiously. This wasn't going to happen. This wasn't going to end this way.

Lucy looked around the room, seeing Gold Pistol and Juvia - and their armed guards. Gray was right. There would be no escape from them. Regardless, she wanted to protect Gray. She wanted to rescue him, and she would. She had to. Stepping away from him, Lucy pointed her gun back at Juvia. It was her love that had trapped Gray. It was her fault he had to sacrifice himself. If she wasn't here then he would be free. Lucy would free Gray, no matter the cost.

"For once, the princess is right," Natsu sighed as he pointed his gun at Lucy.

"Nat…su?" Lucy looked at him in shocked. What was he doing? He was pointing his gun at the wrong person. Gold Pistol. Juvia. They were the enemy. Natsu was supposed to be her ally. She couldn't have gotten here if it wasn't for him. She searched his face for a sign, a hint that this was just a ruse, yet he stared back at her. His eyes said it all. He was serious.

Natsu's betrayal cut deep. She thought that she could trust him. Now, everything he told her, everything that he promised her were all lies and deception. Treasure. That was where his true loyalties laid. Natsu had promised he would help her. He had promised he wouldn't hand Gray over to the Italian Mafia, but it seemed like those were promises he just couldn't keep. She, however, had promised to rescue Gray, and she wasn't about to break that promise. Not for anything.

Gray reacted instantly, moving to aim at Natsu, but Natsu moved quicker. He knocked Gray's gun out of his hand, before moving behind him and hitting him with the butt of his gun. Gray collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Salamander!" Juvia yelled in fury at the same time Lucy called out Gray's name.

"He's not dead," Natsu said in his defense. "Now take the princess and leave."

Juvia threw another glare at him before snapping her fingers. Two men departed from Gold Pistol's side and reached for Gray.

"No!" Lucy cried as she whirled towards them. Natsu turned on her, knocking her gun out of her hand and sending it flying across the room. The men reached Gray and picked him up off the ground.

"Don't touch him," she gripped her knife tighter, lunging towards them. But once again, Natsu was there to interfere. He caught her wrist, tightening his grasp around it. The knife dropped from her hand, clattering at her feet. He moved around her, pinning her arms against her back, restraining her.

"Stop! Leave him alone." She kicked and pulled against Natsu's grasp, but despite her efforts, his hold remained steadfast.

"Let me go, Natsu," she roared, desperately trying to break free. Her mind couldn't process what was happening right now. Gray was being taken from her again. Her best friend was in trouble, and she couldn't do anything. "You can't- I won't let you take him! Gray. Gray! GRAAAAYY!"

She was forced to watch as Juvia's men carried him to the door. Juvia flipped her long blue locks over her shoulder as she looked back at Lucy. "Wait," she ordered her men. She walked back to Lucy who was still struggling in Natsu's arms.

"That look," Juvia noted as she peered into Lucy's eyes. "You're not going to stop trying to take Gray away from Juvia." It wasn't a question. It was a fact, and both Juvia and Lucy knew it. Lucy had meant it when she said she wasn't going to hand Gray over to Gold Pistol or Juvia. She would rescue her best friend from their clutches no matter what. Her mind was set, and her heart was steeled. The mafia, Natsu, no matter who it was, she would go against anyone who got in her way. Even though she was powerless now, she would keep fighting. She wouldn't give up. Never.

"That simply won't do," Juvia sighed as she shook her head. She kicked the hilt of the knife at her feet, just like she had done back at Gold Pistol's manor. However, this time, she didn't order her men to kill Lucy. Plunging the blade deep into Lucy's chest, Juvia did it herself.

Lucy woke with a start, her body drenched in a cold sweat as her hands clawed at her chest for a knife that wasn't there.

It was just a dream, she thought as the remnants of it trailed away, bringing into focus the reality around her. Weak sunlight filtered into the room as Lucy tried to untangle her limbs from the bed sheets. In her struggle, she fell off the bed and landed heavily on the floor. Lying there, Lucy was still shaken about what she had dreamt. Despite the fact that she had never handled a gun in her life, the dream had seemed so real.

"It was just a dream." She tossed her head aside, picking herself up off the ground. Somehow, saying the words aloud gave her more reassurance that they were the truth.

There was a bathroom connected to the bedroom she had woken up in. Lucy headed towards there to splash water on her face. Looking at her reflection, her eyes were red and her cheeks were crusted with dry tears. Dark circles framed her eyes, giving Lucy a distant and tired expression. She washed her face and finger-combed her messy hair. It had been awhile since she had looked this bad. The stress was taking its toll on her. It had only been one day, but not knowing where Gray was, if he was alright, or if he was even still alive weighed heavy on her heart.

When she walked downstairs, the smell of coffee gave her senses a jolt. Entering the kitchen, she saw Natsu setting dishes onto the island and paused. Flashes of her dream overlaid reality, and remembering Natsu's betrayal in her dream made her flinch. He looked up and began to smile, but frowned at her appearance.

"You look awful," he stated.

"Good morning to you, too," she mumbled as she made her way to the coffee. Walking past Natsu, she tried to act normal. There were already two mugs set out, and Lucy grabbed one, pouring the fresh brew into it. Cream and sugar containers were marked next to the coffee pot, and Lucy helped herself to some of each. Pulling out a stool at the island, she sat down and grabbed a spoon, mixing the contents of her coffee, lost in thought.

In her dream, Natsu had pretended to be on her side. He helped her to find Gray only to hand him over to Juvia in the end. She gripped her mug tighter, remembering how Natsu had restrained her, stopping her from helping Gray. His betrayal had forced her to helplessly watch as Gray's freedom was once again stolen from him. And then the knife…

"Lucy!"

Flinching, Lucy almost knocked over her coffee. Some of the contents spilled onto her hand, making her wince at the pain.

"Why are you spacing out?" Natsu grabbed her hand, quickly walking her over to the sink. He flipped the faucet on, and cold water poured over her hand, dulling the pain. He held her wrist gently, but all Lucy could envision was him gripping it tighter to get her to drop a knife she wasn't even holding.

"I'm fine," she snatched her hand away from him, spraying water everywhere. "Sorry, I-"

"Don't worry about it." He turned from her as he flipped off the faucet. Grabbing a dish towel, he mopped up the water on the floor. Once he was finished, Natsu tossed the rag onto the counter. Lucy grabbed a napkin and wiped the spilled coffee away before sitting down again.

"Did you even hear what I was saying?" Natsu leaned against the opposite side of the island, staring at her curiously.

"Um…."

"Thought not," he sighed. "You're acting really weird this morning. I mean, weirder than usual."

Natsu was right. Lucy was acting weirder than usual. That dream she had was throwing everything off. She had to get it together. After all, it was just a dream. Natsu was going to keep his promise. He hadn't betrayed her, so she shouldn't be acting like he had. They would rescue Gray and return to New York safely. Gold Pistol and Juvia wouldn't get their hands on Gray. Lucy could still save him.

"Sorry," Lucy laughed half-heartedly. "It's the jet lag. I"ll be fine after some coffee." To emphasize this, she took a huge swig from her mug. The coffee was still hot, and it slightly burned her tongue, but she ignored it.

"If you say so." Natsu stared at her for a moment, an eyebrow lifted as he contemplated something, but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"What were you saying again?" she asked, switching the subject.

He picked up his own mug and took a sip. "I was asking if you wanted something else for breakfast." Natsu gestured to the spread laid out before them. Flaky croissants were stacked in a basket next to different jams and spreads. A bowl of mixed fruit sat next to a plate of scrambled eggs and turkey bacon. Lucy's stomach growled. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten.

"This looks great," she exclaimed, reaching for a croissant.

"I also told you I found your princess."

She dropped the croissant back into the basket. All thoughts of food and her growling stomach rushed out of her head. Instead, they were replaced with thoughts of quickly getting to Gray.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" She stood up fast, looking towards the door. "We need to leave now. I can be ready in five- no, three minutes." Her eyes scanned the room, searching for her duffle bag. She could have sworn it had been here last night.

Natsu picked up the croissant she had dropped back into the basket and placed it on her plate along with a spoonful of the scrambled eggs and two strips of bacon.

"Grape, strawberry, or apricot?" she heard him ask, stopping her manic search for her duffle bag.

"What?"

"There's grape, strawberry, and apricot jam. Which one do you want? Or do you just want butter?" He waved a butter knife over the selection of jams, waiting for her response. Lucy looked at him confused. He had just told her he had found Gray. They needed to go save him before Gold Pistol's men found him first. Before the rival Boss decided he no longer needed Gray alive. She was about to tell him so, but Natsu stopped her.

"I know what you're about to say," he sighed, putting down the knife and picking up a piece of bacon instead. "And there are two things we need to do before we go."

"What's the first?" Lucy eyed Natsu suspiciously.

"Eat breakfast." The bacon gave a satisfying crunch as he bit down on it, punctuating his sentence.

"Natsu!" She threw up her hands exasperated with him, her fury starting up.

"Look," he said as he reached for another strip of bacon, waving it around as he talked. "In order to actually go and rescue your friend you have to do two things to make sure that happens. One. Eat breakfast."

Lucy was about to ask how eating breakfast would save Gray, but Natsu wagged the bacon strip in front of him as a means of silencing her before he continued. "You need energy. Your brain won't operate properly if your body is low on fuel. And since you're not physically capable of protecting yourself, then you need all the mental strength you can muster."

Despite the fact that Lucy was distracted by the waving strip of bacon Natsu brandished while talking, he did have a point. Grumbling, she sat back down and tore into her croissant.

"What's the second thing?" she asked as she swallowed, her hand reaching for the apricot jam.

Natsu just smirked, before crunching on the piece of bacon he held. "We'll get to that."

Lucy rolled her eyes, not even bothering to protest. "Fine. At least tell me exactly where Gray is. He's still in Italy right?"

"He's in Venice… somewhere."

"Somewhere?" Lucy arched her eyebrow. "You mean, you still don't know where Gray is being held?"

"We'll find out more when we get there," Natsu responded, smearing strawberry jam inside his croissant.

Compared to searching a whole country for Gray, singling his location down to one city should have made Lucy happier. However, just knowing the city wasn't very helpful. If they went to Venice and started searching randomly for Gray, then the rival Boss could find out and move him somewhere else. Even worse, the rival Boss could get spooked that someone was close to finding Gray and then….

"So… we pretty much still don't know anything," she groaned not wanting to think about what the rival Boss could possibly do.

"Hey," Natsu protested. "I found out quite a lot actually. We'll find your princess if we go to Venice, that's for sure. The rival Boss is located there and won't be leaving anytime soon," he explained.

"And how could you possibly know that?"

"It seems your friend isn't the only person this other boss is after." Natsu passed her a bowl of fruit and made another for himself. "He's looking for someone else as well."

"There's someone else besides Gray who could influence Juvia? Does she have a best friend? Maybe that's who the Boss is looking for," Lucy suggested, trying to envision who that might be.

Natsu shook his head. "Juvia closed herself off when her mother passed away. She doesn't allow herself to get close to anyone. And besides that, no one wants to be her friend. They're too fearful that they'll make one wrong move, and they'll end up with concrete shoes. She may be surrounded by people who respect her, but the truth is, Juvia lives a very sheltered and solitary life."

For a moment, Lucy felt sorry for Juvia. She felt as if she could relate to her in more ways than one. The loneliness. The seclusion. She had enough experience of her own to know how those things can make a person feel. Maybe she's just like me when I first met Levy and Gray. After all those years alone, maybe that's why Juvia is holding onto Gray so tightly. The feeling of the knife Juvia plunged into her chest in her dream resurfaced, and she froze. Placing her hand where the wound would have been, Lucy felt her sympathy vanish.

"I don't think the person the rival Boss is looking for is connected to Juvia. I think the person is somehow connected to the princess," Natsu stated.

"To Gray? But that wouldn't make any sense. Sure he's been commissioned by prominent people before, but he's never established a relationship with any of them that could be twisted to another's benefit. Gray's just an artist."

"Exactly how well do you know your friend?" he asked.

"I know Gray," Lucy snapped, irritated by Natsu's indication that she didn't.

Natsu sat down his mug and stared at her seriously. "Are you positive you can say you know everything about him? That you know he's not hiding something from his past?"

Lucy was about to respond, but certain memories surfaced that gave her pause. Thinking about it now, Gray never really talked about his past. Neither did she; but they both avoided that subject. All she knew about his past was that he had grown up in New York with a dream to become an artist. In the years that she had known him, Gray never mentioned anything about his family or his childhood, and he had never asked Lucy about hers. It was another unspoken rule between them. The past was in the past, never in the present.

"I know who he is now, and that's all that matters," she said finally, stabbing her frustration into a piece of fruit.

"Really?" She felt Natsu's mood shift. He narrowed his eyes and they held the same glint of darkness she saw last night. "Even if he did something horrible in his past that shouldn't be forgivable… If he committed a thousand sins, you wouldn't care? You can look away from all that he's done before he met you and say it doesn't matter. Like it never happened at all?"

'It's the name of my sin.' The memory of Gray muttering a name in his drunken state, and the explanation he had given her were indications that there was something in Gray's past that still haunted him. It might be the same reason why he never fully opened his heart to anyone. If Lucy knew all his secrets, would that change anything? Would it alter their friendship? Everyone had secrets, a past they didn't want to define them. Something to bury deep inside yourself in order to have a hope of moving on.

Whatever his secrets were, Gray would still be her best friend. His history before they met was his own, but the one they shared, the memories, their friendship was something she wouldn't question. It was something, that couldn't be overwritten.

"Gray is Gray. Despite his past and despite his secrets, he's still my best friend. Like I said, what matters is who you are now." She meant every word she said as she matched Natsu's gaze.

"What matters is who you are now…" He repeated, softly. "Do those words only apply to him?"

Before she could even think about responding, Natsu pushed off the counter. "I should have made more bacon." The breakfast spread was nearly devoured. Natsu had polished off the last of the bacon strips and scrambled eggs, collecting the plates and depositing them into the sink.

Natsu stared at the empty plate the bacon had been on, sadly. He seemed to have shifted back into his usual demeanor. "You can never have too much bacon. Or meat."

"Yeah, I suppose," Lucy noted, taking the hint to change the subject. She was finishing off her bowl of fruit and the last remnants of her coffee as she watched him move about. She was surprised at how much she had eaten. Breakfast was usually several cups of coffee back in New York. But once she set her fork down, her stomach was gratefully full.

"Thanks for breakfast," she said, taking her bowl and mug to the sink. "So what's the other thing I need to do before we go save Gray? Do I need to create an alias? Swear a treasure hunter's oath? Make my bed?"

Of course Natsu would say something silly. If eating breakfast was the first task, then the second one had to be something just as ordinary. Although, she was slightly hoping it was the first thing she suggested. If Natsu was known as Salamander, then maybe she could be known as-

"Oh yeah, that." He turned to her with an innocent-looking smile stretched across his face. "You need to marry me."