Once again, I'm apologizing for this taking me so long. I struggled with a few things on this chapter, but I believe it has all been worked out now. Thank you all for being patient, for supporting my story and me. You guys are amazing!Special thanks to LittleWonderland(also known as Wonder-chan) for giving me some much needed feedback on the issue plaguing me in this chapter.

Hiro Mashima owns all things Fairy Tail. I own nothing.

CHAPTER 8: AWAKEN

Rogue's POV

It was nearly 3 am when I arrived at the apartment I shared with my partner, Sting. All was quiet as I opened the door and eased myself inside. I was beyond tired, but I knew there was no way I'd be able to sleep. For one thing, I had to meet with Fairy Tail in a few hours and begin the search, but more importantly, I had promised Lucy I would return. For some unfathomable reason, that promise meant more to me than most oaths I had taken in the past. She had been through something horrific, and I just couldn't bear the thought of letting her down. I trudged down the hall to Sting's room, giving a quick rap on the door, before sticking my head inside. A head of messy blonde hair popped out of the covers and growled, "What do you want?" I opened the door further, walking into the room to stand by the bed. "I need your help. Get up." Before he could respond, I turned around and went back into the kitchen, dropping my worn body into a chair. A minute later, Sting stumbled in to join me at the table.

He glared at me with sleep deprived eyes, "This better be good Rogue; I'm fucking tired." I sighed deeply, "Sure as hell isn't good. You know that mission I accepted earlier today?" He laid his head on the table, yawning, "What about it?" I ran my hand through my hair briefly, before responding, "I didn't finish it; I need you to take it." His eyes jerked up to fix me with a stare, his curiosity quickly erasing the weariness. "What the hell are you talking about? Why didn't you finish the job?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. I grunted before explaining, "I was on my way through Magnolia when I heard someone screaming. When I went to investigate, there was this woman being attacked. I took the guy down, but before I could finish him off, I realized the woman was dying. She was bleeding out everywhere, so I left the bastard there and took her to the hospital." Sting gave me a confused look, saying, "That explains why the job isn't done, but not why I need to take it." I took a steadying breath and continued, "I need you to take it, because I'm going back, right after I shower. I need to catch the man who did this." He scratched his head, obviously even more confused, "Why didn't you just turn it over to the local guild?" Before I could respond, he realized who he was talking about, sneering, "Oh right, that would be the Fairies, wouldn't it?" I nodded my head slowly, "I've already spoken with Fairy Tail; I'm going back to help them track the guy down." If possible, Sting sat up even straighter, snapping, "You're going to work with them? Have you lost your fucking mind?!" I held my hand up to calm him down, replying, "I have to go back Sting; I promised her I would." Sting shook his head bewildered, "Why the fuck would I care about that? Do you have any idea what Minerva will do to you if she finds out about this?"

He was right, of course. Minerva would not take kindly to any part of this situation, least of all my aiding "the enemy". The sadistic woman had inherited the position of guild master for Sabertooth only a few months ago, after Sting had unwittingly killed her father, Jiemma in a fit of rage. I couldn't really fault him for ending the old master's life; I'd have done the same if Jiemma had attacked my Exceed, Frosch as he had Sting's. There was only one point of Minerva that I could find no fault in; she had told Sting that Lector hadn't died and could be brought back. She took her time returning the little Exceed, using him to pull Sting's strings for a while, but she did in fact do as she'd said. Of course, being the cruel bitch she is, she made sure to return Lector in a much worse state than he should have been, claiming it had happened when Jiemma had attacked the Exceed. This had caused Sting no small amount of grief and anger, as Minerva had waited over a month to return Lector, leaving his wounds untreated and causing his condition to worsen. It was still a bone of contention, between the two, but it had served it's purpose: to remind the entire guild who was in charge. I turned back to the conversation at hand, replying, "First of all, I realize what Minerva would say, but I am only going back long enough to find the man responsible. It is in the interest of all the guilds to capture him. Secondly, I made a promise; you don't have to understand it or like it, but I will honor it." He groaned loudly, gripping his hair in his hands, "Since when do you give a damn about some chick? You got her to the hospital; you did your part. Why the fuck would you go back?!" Somewhere between the exhaustion and the needling I was getting from Sting, my patience evaporated and I exploded. "I will decide when my part is done! You did not see the state she was in! You didn't carry her lifeless body miles to the closest hospital, watching her blood pouring out all over your clothes!" I screamed as I stood abruptly, pointing to the darkness staining the front of me. Shocked, he opened his mouth to speak, but I refused him the right. "No," I shook my head, struggling to calm down, "I'm not done. She is not some random woman, Sting, as you seem to be thinking. I know her; so do you. It was the Celestial Spirit mage from Fairy Tail. That is why I called on Fairy Tail. She is the reason I will help them find her attacker. She did not deserve what happened to her; you just...you have no idea what he did to her." I finished speaking and turn my head aside, breathing heavily.

Silence permeated the room for several moments, as if Sting was struggling to find his words. He began much quieter than before, "Rogue, I don't understand why this is so important to you. So we know who she is; it's not like she's a friend. Why are you so determined to do this?" Glancing back, I sighed at the perplexity in his expression, "You wouldn't understand and I don't wish to talk about it anymore. Do you intend to take the job or not?" I didn't have time to sit around and debate this any longer; either he would choose to help me or he wouldn't. I was at the point now that I didn't care one way or the other. I was officially at my limit. My friend seemed to have realized this, and responded simply with a nod of his head. As I reached in my pocket to retrieve the job request, he grabbed my arm, stopping me. I looked up to him confounded by his actions. He stared at me oddly, stating, "Give it to me after we get to the hospital," before walking past me to his room. I stood there baffled by his complete turn around; he'd been completely against it just a moment ago. What the hell changed his mind? I shrugged off his odd behavior and made my way to the shower. I couldn't wait to get out of these disgusting clothes; the sight of her blood was disturbing me to no end. I was no stranger to blood; I'd certainly seen my fair share before this incident. It had never bothered me before, but for some reason the fact that it was her blood all over me, made me feel slightly ill. I washed quickly, making short work of the blood on my body, before heading into my room to dress. Throwing on a black shirt and pants, I glanced over to the bed, looking for Frosch. I smiled gently at her small form; she was snuggled into the covers, her typical attire having been discarded. I hated to wake her, but I knew she'd be upset if I left her here again, especially with Sting, and likely Lector, leaving as well. I nudged her a bit, my mouth quirking a bit as her lips smacked. "Frosch," I called softly, "Wake up, Frosch." Her eyes popped open at the sound of my voice, squealing, "Rogue! Fro missed you!" I caught her as she launched herself at me, chuckling again. "I have to leave again Frosch; do you want to come with me?" I questioned. Her head bobbed before she hopped down to get her frog suit. I gathered her up after she'd dressed, and we went into the kitchen to find Sting already dressed, holding a snoozing Lector. Sting jerked his head to the side, saying "Let's go." I nodded shortly, walking out of the door, my companions just behind me. I'm coming, Lucy.

Lucy's POV

I opened my eyes to a brightly lit room and a ceiling I didn't recognize. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my vision. I couldn't see very well out of my left eye, and everything hurt. I tried to shift into a more comfortable position and cried out as agony erupted over every inch of my body. I stilled immediately, tears coming to my eyes. Suddenly, a flash of golden light enveloped the room. The light dimmed and there was Loke, happiness and pain warring in his eyes. I choked at the sight of him; I had thought I would never see him again. "Loke..." I rasped, hot tears pouring from my eyes. I lifted my arms up to him, grimacing as pain shot through my shoulders. He ran to me, sobbing over and over again, "Lucy I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..." He gingerly wrapped his arms around me; I stiffened for a moment, panic attempting to grab me. I quickly pushed it aside, relaxing into his embrace. He felt safe and warm; he was my Spirit, my friend. He would never hurt me; he had tried to save me. With that thought, all the events of the previous day came flooding back to me, and I didn't want to remember it, not now. His hands gripping my head as his mouth assaulted mine, his fist smashing me for turning my head...the pain...the screams... I shuddered violently, my breath becoming haggard. Loke leaned back, his face as ravaged as I felt, and spoke softly, "You're safe now, Lucy." My lips trembled as stared into his eyes, "I-I couldn't stop him; I wasn't s-strong enough." His eyes flooded and he clutched me to his chest again, "Lucy, stop...please s-stop. It w-wasn't your fault; it was m-my fault we almost l-lost you." I whispered softly, my heart aching at the depth of his guilt, "Don't say that. I'm still here Loke." We stayed like that for a moment before our attention was drawn to the door opening to reveal none other than Natsu Dragneel. Loke pulled back, a small smile on his face. He glanced behind him to nod in Natsu's direction, before turning back to me, "I'll be back in a little while; I need to let everyone know that you're awake." Light sprang up around him, and as he began to disappear, he called out, "I'm so glad you're going to be okay Princess."

My mind had frozen at the sight of my supposed boyfriend, and all I could see was him kissing Lisanna. He spoke softly as if he was nervous, "Luce..." and all I could hear is his voice telling the white-haired take-over mage that he loved her. I waited for the anger and hurt to come; I waited for it to rip me apart the way it had before...before everything. I waited, but it never came; instead a coldness settled into my heart at the thought of the man I had loved. I suddenly didn't care anymore; it was like he was a stranger to me. I felt nothing, but this blank emptiness in all the places where my love for him had existed. He studied me, confusion settling on his face as I continued to watch him warily. I wish Loke hadn't left; the safety and warmth of the last few minutes had gone with him. My mind oddly pointed out that I used to find that same safety and warmth in Natsu. He slowly began walking towards me, and panic rose up with every step he took. He stopped suddenly as the door swung open again, and the rest of my team walked inside. Their eyes took in the fact that I was staring at them, and they rushed at me, yelling out my name. I tried to reason with the fear, telling myself they were my team; they wouldn't hurt me. It made no difference at all. All that mattered was that I was trapped, and they were coming at me so fast. My heart beat spiked and I began hyperventilating. I couldn't breathe; it was like the fear had wrapped itself around my throat, squeezing tighter and tighter. I struggled for breath, before screaming, "No!" I pushed against the bed, trying to scoot backwards, as pain exploded through my arms, stomach, and chest. "No..don't touch me..." I sobbed uncontrollably. I couldn't seem to help myself; the panic was clawing at my insides. They're going to touch me; they can't touch me. I curled into a ball, my eyes searching the room for a man I already knew wasn't there. "Rogue..." I whispered brokenly. Everything hurt and there were too many people here. They were going to touch me and I couldn't stop them. I can't stop them; I'm not strong enough. I heard Natsu's voice, saying, "Luce...calm down...it's okay." My eyes shot open; I hadn't even realized I'd been rocking myself with my eyes closed. When did he get so close? No, I don't want him to touch me. I shook my head, whimpering, "Get away...don't touch me..." I threw my hands over ears, frantically shouting, begging Rogue to come back; he promised he'd be back. Where are you? You promised...

A/N: This chapter made me cry. I seem to continually do that as I write this story, but I knew this story was going to be like this. Poor Lucy broke my heart; she's so lost inside herself.