So, here we go, my friends! The update has arrived! Thank you guys so much for continuing to follow this story, for adding it to your faves list, and for leaving reviews to let me know how I'm doing. I love hearing from you all, so don't hesitate to ask questions and whatnot! My beta has been crazy busy, so for now, my work is un-Beta'd, but that doesn't change that she is, in fact, extraordinary! Three cheers for LittleWonderland - if you get a chance, go check out her amazing work!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. However, I am the one who put Lucy is such a sad predicament...

CHAPTER 14: HAVE FAITH IN ME

Lucy's POV

I clutched at Rogue's shirt, knowing in my head that what I was doing didn't make sense, but finding it impossible to change it. I knew my friends loved me, I knew they would never hurt me, especially Gray and Loke, but that dream...Suddenly I was back in it, that monster shoving me into the wall, grunting against me as I fought to push him away, but no matter how hard I fought, I couldn't escape the dream just like I couldn't escape him.

I felt a fresh bout of tears pour down my face as the images took hold of my mind. His face swam up from the deep, dark prison I thought I'd locked him in. His eyes so cold and empty, his mouth sneering at my pain, laughing at my screams. The reality kept hitting me of what he'd done to me, and I couldn't face it. I didn't want to know what I was anymore.

He'd taken something from me that I never believed anyone could steal...who I am. It was gone. I didn't know how to laugh anymore. I wasn't sure it was possible after this; what could I possibly find funny in a life such as this? Everything was gone. Not just me, but everything. My relationship with my friends, Natsu, freedom, safety...hope. There was just nothing. Nothing but Rogue.

Somehow he was safe. I breathed in his scent and felt completely safe. I didn't know why, and I didn't really care. He'd come back, just like he said he would, and he was holding me and letting me soak his shirt in my tears. He hadn't been close to me before...this. I didn't know anything about him, other than he'd saved me and I needed him. I needed him to keep the evil away.

Once again, my memory betrayed me, dragging up things I didn't want to see. I couldn't stop them from coming, and I couldn't keep my mouth from echoing my words from...before. "No...no, please. Don't do this. Don't touch me!" I found myself suddenly screeching, and Rogue let go instantly, his face a mask of horror and shock.

I sat dumfounded, hurt that he'd retreated, until he said sadly, "I'm sorry, Lucy. I thought you wanted..."

Then I realized, he thought I was talking about him. "No, no," I shook my head, reaching out for him, and begged, "Don't go. Don't leave me. It wasn't for you. It wasn't you." I bit my lip as he remained out of reach, and crumpled back onto my bed, the anguish rolling over me again. I felt so hopeless; I would never get over this. I'd never get past it, and if Rogue left me now, I didn't think I could go on. The horror would eat me alive. The darkness was coming. I could feel it, and without a doubt, it would swallow me up.

"Lucy," he called, hesitation evident in his voice. I felt the bed dip down as he set his weight beside me, and I looked over to him through my hair. He grasped my chin, raising my face up so he could look at me, and said, "It's okay. I'm not leaving."

I watched his face, waiting for the indecision to show, but it never did. I scooted closer to him, desperately needing the calm he always projected. Maybe he could banish the thoughts in my head. He was like a beacon of peace in front of me, and I found myself unable to hold back. I didn't know why, but I needed him like I needed my next breath. I couldn't do this, be this person, without him.

He leaned back, reclining against the elevated head of the bed, and opened his arms to me. I needed no further prompting, and scrambled into his lap. He sat frozen for a time, as I curled into him, my legs across his legs, arms wrapped around his torso, and my face buried in his chest. Slowly, his arms made their way around me, and I could breath again. My cries tapered off with a shudder, as the tension left my body.

"I won't leave until you're okay," he murmured softly, his mouth moving against my head, so only I could hear.

I sighed, as my future stretched out in front of me, bleak and sad. He didn't understand, that was never going to happen. I didn't know I had spoken the words aloud, a soft mumble, but still, he'd heard it, and his words reached me once again, "Then I will still be here."

His words rushed over me, and I sank into him further, as the last bit of anxiety I'd held washed away on a trickle of hope. He'd given me just the smallest ray of light, and I wondered if that little bit could be enough. The irony was he was the only light I could see, and he was the master of shadows.

Rogue's POV

I sat there stunned at her whispered words. It was never going to happen. Did she honestly believe she'd never be okay? Her hopelessness pulled at me, and I found myself offering solace in the only way I knew how. "Then I will still be here." I hadn't thought about it, hadn't considered my words at all in fact. The truth was, the end result remained the same. I knew what things lurked around the bend, and I knew I wouldn't have her face them alone. So, regardless of the unconscious words that had escaped my mouth, I knew they were the truth. The road before her reached out long and hard, and I would walk it with her.

She heaved a sigh as she nuzzled closer to my chest, and I kept her against me as her body went lax. I'd never held another human in my arms in such a way, never offered comfort with my body. I never realized how compelling it would feel to offer that small bit of myself in sacrifice for another. Holding her, it was as if I could now breathe easily. I hadn't even noticed how tense I was until the weight was suddenly gone. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, wrinkling my nose as the scent of the hospital and her blood drifted up from her hair. Her scent, the one that was wholly her, was all but gone in the wake of the other, stronger smells.

The sound of light footsteps approached the bed, reminding me abruptly that we were not alone. I blinked at the small girl moving slowly towards the bed, trying to reform my mask of indifference. Unknowingly, I had given them a glimpse into my soul, and I didn't like that. That wasn't something I was interested in showing them. No one knew those parts of me, not even Sting. Frosch had seen more of me than anyone else, but still she had only seen a fraction of what hid there. There were things that no one else needed to know, things that haunted me every day, things that I'd spent my lifetime trying to forget.

A small voice brought me out of my dark thoughts, and I looked over to the little Dragon Slayer in thanks. "Excuse me, Rogue. S-sorry to bother you," she began, her nerves showing in the shaky sounds she made, "I came here to try to heal Lucy, but when she...um...got upset, I..." Her words came to a halt as she began wringing her hands in worry. Before I could respond, Gray walked up behind her and put his hands on her delicate shoulders, explaining for her, "She wants to try to heal Lucy while you're here with her. She can only do it when Lucy is calm and still."

I nodded my head, before directing my attention to the woman cuddled up to me, and asked, "Lucy, can you handle that?" Although she had shut her eyes some time ago, I knew she was aware of what was going on, and I didn't want her to feel like she had no choice. She'd had enough taken away from her, without all of us making decisions for her. She needed to feel like she had some control over her life, and that was going to be difficult enough without the rest of us adding to it.

Her eyes fluttered open to look up at me, then off to the side, taking in the sight of the blue-haired girl standing next to the bed. Lucy stiffened at seeing her so close, but I tightened my arms, reminding her that I was here. Her muscles relaxed as she gave a quiet response, "Hi Wendy." The petite female lifted her lips in a gentle smile and said, "Hey Lucy. A-are you okay with me trying to heal you? I'll have t-to be close, but I promise I won't touch you."

The blonde moved her head in affirmation, before clenching her eyes tight and shoving her face back into my chest. Her breathing became ragged, her tension growing with every step the young Dragon Slayer took, but she held herself still. Wendy steadied her hands over Lucy's body, moving them in a sweeping motion from her head to her feet. A tear slipped down her cheeks, as her hands began glowing, casting a light over the still form of her patient. With each second that passed, Lucy began to relax her stiff posture, her pain seeming to melt away.

Wendy took a step back with a wavering smile, as Lucy opened her eyes again. I could see that the young healer was trying rather valiantly not to cry while Lucy was watching her, but her efforts proved fruitless as her sad eyes began to leak. "I'm s-sorry" she mumbled before tripping over her feet to leave the vicinity. She came to a halt as Lucy called out to her, in a voice filled with regret, "Wendy, thank you." The blue haired girl nodded once and then promptly rushed from the room.

Gray sighed as he made his way to the door, stopping only long enough to say, "I need to go after her, but I'll come back, Little Sis." As the door shut behind him, Loke stepped forward, uncertainty written all over his face. "I-I'm going to go back for a while, Princess. Call me if you need me." His voice roiled with dejection, and as he turned away, Lucy snaked a hand out and grasped his arm. "Loke, I'm...I'm sorry," she said, fixing him with watery eyes, "I'm sorry I hurt you."

Her head slumped down as she cried, and Loke knelt down before her and swept a hand over her hair. "There's nothing for you to apologize for, Lucy. I'm here when you need me, for whatever you need. If Rogue is the one you need, that's okay too." He leaned forward, and placing a light kiss on the crown of her head, slowly faded away. She sniffed against me for a time, before slowly raising up into a sitting position. "C-can I have some water?" she asked timidly.

I sat up, leaning over the side of the bed to get her cup from the table. Handing it over, I watched as she quickly gulped down the refreshing liquid and lowered the cup into her lap. Facing me, she looked up, fear consuming her brown eyes, and questioned, "If I go to sleep, will you still be here when I wake up?" I took the cup from her hands and placed it back onto the table, before catching her eyes with mine, "I told you that I wasn't leaving, didn't I?"

"Y-yes, but..." she began, stopping when I smoothly cut her off.

"There are no buts to that statement," I said, making sure she understood my intentions, "I said I was staying, and I meant it. Now, how are you feeling?" She seemed to be moving a lot easier than before, but I wanted to be sure that Wendy's healing had done some good for her.

Taking a moment to assess herself, she answered, "My head still hurts some, but everything else feels better."

"Good, now come rest. You may be feeling better, but your body is still going to need time to recuperate," I commanded, waving my hand for her to join me again. She bit her lip slightly, her face turning shy, as she crawled back into her spot beside me. She laid down, curling into my body once again, and began to settle. Silence permeated the room, before being broken by her voice, whispering as if in confession, "Rogue...I'm scared."

Her words pierced my heart and my answer came too suddenly to hold back, "Do you trust me?" I held my breath, waiting for the verdict, hoping for all the world that she affirmed it. Why, I could not understand; I knew only that I wanted her faith more than I'd desired anything else in my life. The answer to this question had somehow become more important to me than I knew how to handle.

She froze in my arms, not daring to move as she thought over my question. Then she shuddered, her words spilling from her mouth a moment later, "Y-yes."

I sighed, not caring that our connection made no sense, not worrying about what would happen in the future. I could do nothing but breathe over a well of relief, telling her, "Then relax and know that I will keep you safe."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Lucy's POV again. It's been a while since we've seen through her eyes, and she was begging to be heard. I have a little bit of a surprise for you next chapter! I've had only one person figure out a part of what I've been planning, but next time, you'll all be in the loop! Until then...