So sorry this chapter has been such a long time in coming. Let's just chalk it up to crazy life getting in the way of my writing. Good news? The craziness is gone, so now maybe I can update faster now! Huge shout out to my Beta - the best in the world, LittleWonderland. And thanks to all of you out there - the ones who follow, favorite, and review! Much love to you all!

Hiro Mashima is the owner of the amazing Fairy Tail world and characters. I just love putting them into rough spots, and making them fall in love!

CHAPTER 13: NOTHING

Levy's POV

I entered the hospital with Wendy at my side, the sound of our footsteps punctuating the silence that had followed us since we left the guild. I was beyond nervous to see my best friend. From what Erza had said, I wasn't sure if Lucy would be happy to see me or not. It would be so hard not to rush forward with a hug, but Erza had warned rather stringently about that.

I tried to shape the girl I knew into the picture the red-haired girl had laid out for me, but my mind wouldn't accept it. I simply couldn't imagine her as anything, but a bright, smiling, happy Lucy. And that's what was worrying me. I didn't want to go in there and react in a way that made her uncomfortable, but I honestly didn't know how to prepare myself. I knew how her condition had been described, but those were just words. My eyes had yet to see it, so my brain refused to process it.

We started down the hall on the 4th floor, following Erza's directions easily, and before long stopped in front of the door to Lucy's room. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the door knob, as I tried to collect myself. Wendy looked over at me in question, so I nodded my head at her and pushed my way into the room. I stopped just inside the door, as Gray's head came up to level me with a small smile. He raised a finger to his lips, and pointed to the bed.

I turned to get my first glimpse of the girl I called best friend, and threw a hand over my mouth to cover the gasp I felt rising. Tears pricked my eyes, as I took in the sight of her battered face, and whispered, "Oh, Lu-chan..." She was curled up into a man, who I could see instantly was Loke. He was lying stretched out on the bed with her head resting on his chest, as his arms hugged her tight.

I heard a sniff behind me, and reaching back, I grabbed Wendy and pulled her to my side. Tears were slipping down her cheeks as she tried uselessly to wipe them away. Gray stood and drew up next to Wendy, leaning down to whisper, "She's going to be okay, especially now that you're here."

Wendy squared her shoulders and faced the bed, as Loke's eyes popped open to look at us. He offered a tired looking grin, before waving us over. We walked over to the side of the bed, and Wendy lifted her hands to hover over Lucy, as her magic began to move over the still girl's body. Loke breathed, "Thanks for coming, Wendy. She won't admit it, but she's hurting a good bit. She won't let them give her something for the pain."

The sky dragon slayer scrunched her brow in question, "Why won't she take anything?"

"She won't say, but I suspect she's afraid she'll have nightmares and not be able to wake up," the orange-haired man sighed, as he looked down at the blonde in his arms sadly.

Wendy nodded sagely, as her hands moved steadily, before her eyes once again began watering. She took a shuddering breath as she looked up at the man holding her friend, and simply cried. I laid a hand on her arm, asking softly, "How bad is it, Wendy?"

She looked up at me, stuttering, "I-it's horrible. W-what he did to her is s-so horrible. T-the damage..."

"Can you heal her," Gray asked, cutting her off from going deeper into her description. I imagined he couldn't handle any more.

"I can heal much of it, but I'm afraid there's nothing much I can do for the s-scars. He just cut too d-deep," she muttered, as her eyes continued leaking.

My fell at her words, knowing the physical reminder would make it even harder for Lucy to move on from her horrific experience. Wendy continued her healing, as our silence permeated the room. Suddenly, sound erupted as Lucy began screeching in her sleep. She flailed her arms, fighting to get Loke's arms away from her.

"No! No! Let me go!" she yelled as she swatted her would-be captor's arms away.

Loke tried to hold her down before she could harm herself, frantically calling her name, as Gray, Wendy, and I looked on, helpless and horrified. She bucked against him, crying out in desperation, seemingly unable to hear Loke's voice. It was like her mind was trapped in her nightmare, and nothing Loke said or did could bring her out. In fact, it actually seemed to make it worse.

Suddenly, Gray rushed forward to command, "Let her go, Loke. You're making her panic more."

"But she's going to hurt herself!" the lion Spirit sputtered, his voice full of confusion.

Gray shook his head, yelling, "Loke, let go - that's why she's freaking out! You aren't going to calm her down that way! She doesn't know who's touching her!"

Loke paused for a moment, before heeding Gray's words, and slipping from the bed, left Lucy hysterically thrashing on her own. I watched as his eyes took on a mournful sheen, and felt my heart break. I hugged myself as I shot a teary gaze at Gray and Loke. This was worse than I had expected. How could she possibly learn to live with this, if her dreams were consumed with the man who'd harmed her? How could we help her if we couldn't even get near her?

"Rogue...No...want Rogue..." she whimpered as she quieted down, her form slumping down into a haphazard pile on the bed.

Gray edged closer to the blonde, calling to her softly. He continued talking to her until she raised her head and fixed the dark-haired man with a watery stare. She opened her mouth a few times, before the words managed to ease themselves out, "G-Gray, I want Rogue. I just want R-Rogue..." Her voice trailed off as she curled into herself and began rocking back and forth.

We needed Rogue; she was calling for him, after all. Maybe he could do what we could not.

Warren's POV

"Damn! How the hell does he keep eluding us like it?!" Laxus growled, his face a mask of fury.

We had been following the trail of the man who had attacked Lucy all over Magnolia, and had just stopped for a short break. He never once left the city, but he'd been looping and circling around the area as if he'd known that he'd be tailed. Everyone's nerves were just about shot. We had no idea where Lucy's attacker was taking us, and his ever-winding trail was making it all but impossible to hazard a guess. This definitely wasn't going the way we'd planned so far.

"Warren, please give Master an update on our progress, or rather lack of progress, I should say," Erza rasped out, tension evident in her posture.

I nodded my head briefly, touching my hand to my temple, as I reached out to Master's mind. The connection snapped into place, and I called his name.

"Perfect timing, Warren. I need to speak with Rogue at once," Makarov fired back, his voice anxious.

Turning, I scanned through the scattered group and found the Shadow Dragon Slayer. "Rogue! Master wants to talk to you - sounds urgent!" I yelled to him over the noise of the grumpy mages. The sound grew silent as my words rang out, each person suddenly facing me, seeming to know that something was amiss.

Rogue walked closer, asking somewhat nervously, "What do I need to do?"

"No need to do anything; I'll connect you to him. Just don't fight me; it's a little unsettling at first," I explained quickly.

I reached out to his mind as gently as I could, knowing how disconcerting it could be the first time. A few moments later, and the two were ready to talk. "Go ahead, Master," I thought.

Rogue jolted a bit as Makarov's voice made its way down the path. "Rogue, I need you to come back as soon as possible. Levy has just returned from the hospital; things are not good at the moment," he said, gravely.

Rogue straightened immediately, as he spoke, not just in his mind, but aloud for everyone to hear, "What's happened to Lucy?"

The others crowded closer, as if to somehow hear the conversation taking place in our minds.

"She apparently had a nightmare and began fighting Loke. She won't take comfort from anyone, won't let anyone near her. She's asking for you. At this point, I believe you're the only one she'll allow to help her," Master answered.

I watched as the man clenched his jaw, worry on his face for all to see. "I understand. I will leave immediately."

Master breathed a sigh of relief, and ended his conversation with the man. I hurried to tell Makarov of our rather frustrating difficulty finding the man responsible for Lucy's condition. Disappointment clear in his voice, the old man instructed me to call our group back to the guild, as it was getting late. Besides,this man didn't appear to be leaving the area any time soon. Why the fool was staying close by was anyone's guess, but it made very little sense to me. What could he be doing here?

"Rogue, what's going on with Lucy?" Erza asked, drawing me from my thoughts.

The questioned man partly turned to her, offering a blunt answer, "Lucy's been dreaming about the man who attacked her. She just woke up from one and refuses to let anyone near her. She's asking for me, so I'm leaving."

"We're all leaving, actually," I voiced, as looks of disbelief shot at me from all directions, "Master wants us back at the guild. He doesn't think Lucy's attacker is going anywhere, and he wants a better plan."

Growls went up from all quarters, as everyone packed their meager belongings to head back. I could understand their aggravation, but I also knew where Master was coming from. We had spent an entire day cruising around Magnolia, looking for him. We were wasting time. We weren't going to find him this way. It was wiser to come up with a plan of attack or a trap. We didn't have the time to waste, chasing our tails anymore. That evil man was out there, and Lucy wouldn't be safe, until he was caught.

Rogue's POV

"That's fine that you all are heading back, but I'm not waiting. I can move faster in the shadows on my own," I said, as I turned and began walking off. I needed to get moving. It was taking all I had to stop and answer questions, when what I really wanted to do was fade into the shadows and be gone from here. I needed to get to Lucy.

Sting strolled over, looking lost again, and asked, "So, you're serious? You're going to stay?"

I looked at Sting and felt myself losing patience with him. When had I ever been the type to say I was doing something and then do the opposite? Why question me about something I'd already answered? I took a breath, calming myself down, before I replied, "Yes, I am staying. I already told Lucy I'd be back."

"Why are you doing this, Rogue? I just...don't get it," he muttered, looking for the world like someone had told him grass would longer be green.

I knew he was struggling to understand my reasoning, but what could I say? I didn't have all the answers to that question. How could I explain what I didn't fully understand myself. "I don't know how to explain it. You're just going to have to realize that I'm not leaving her until I know she's going to be okay," I said, my blank face firmly intact.

Sting sighed as he shook his head, "I hope you know what you're doing, man. You know what could happen if Minerva catches wind of this. I don't get why this girl is so important to you, but whatever. Call if you need me; I'll have my communications lacrima with me."

A slight tug lifted the side of my lips as I murmured, "Thanks, Sting. Trust me, I know what could happen to me. I just...can't leave yet. And thanks for taking that job for me. I'll keep in touch."

We nodded our goodbyes, and with Fairy Tail watching on, I dissolved into a shadow and shot forward in the direction of the hospital. I flew past trees and building, barely registering that I was moving faster than I normally bothered with. I could feel the anxiety crawling up my throat as I thought of Lucy scared and alone. I knew that she wasn't actually alone in that hospital room, but if she was refusing everyone, she might as well be alone. And that just didn't sit well with me.

I had thought I was doing the right thing by leaving her there with Gray and Loke, and carrying on with the plan to catch the bastard who hurt her, but it was becoming pretty obvious that it hadn't been the best idea. I thought she'd be okay with Loke, seeing as how he was able to get close to her, without her freezing up and freaking out. I wonder what happened to change that. Was it just the dream?

I blasted through the hospital doors and took a moment to coalesce into a solid form before rushing upstairs and down the hall to her room. As I got closer, I could hear a small keening sound. It took no time at all to recognize it was Lucy, and it struck me like a physical blow. I pushed open the door and raced inside, my eyes immediately going to the huddled form on the bed. She rocked herself back and forth, as her voice continued its call.

I didn't bother with the other people in the room. They didn't concern me; Lucy was my focus now. After she was okay, then I would worry about them. I quickened my steps to her bedside, and leaned over to speak softly to her, "Lucy, I'm here."

Her head flew up to look at me, and crying out my name, she threw her arms around me. She pressed her face into my chest and sobbed, "Rogue, w-what if he comes back..."

I stood there, shocked, my arms thrown up in the air above her, unsure of what I should do. I hated to see her like this, and I had no idea how to comfort anyone. Still, I had to try. I took a breath, letting my hesitation drift away, and I wrapped my arms around her trembling frame. "He won't hurt you again, Lucy. We won't let him, I promise," I told her, finally glancing up at the trio of people on the other side of the bed.

The little Sky Dragon Slayer seemed shocked to see our interaction, while the Lion Spirit watched us with sad eyes, suddenly reminding me of the man beside him. Loke was obviously running the gauntlet of emotions just like Gray had earlier today. A part of me felt a pang of sympathy, but i also couldn't help being thankful that Lucy had not pushed me aside as well. My arms tightened around her at that thought, and quickly eased off again, when I couldn't figure out why I felt so grateful she still wanted me here. After all, if Lucy pushed me away, then I'd be free to go back to business as usual. Back to my normal life, to Sabertooth. For some reason, that no longer sounded so good.

A/N: Oh, look another sweet RoLu moment. Sigh...makes me so happy. Rogue will always come to her rescue.