Here we are guys! Next chapter! Thanks so much for continuing to follow this story. I love you all so much! Shout-out to my beta, LittleWonderland, who is finally back in the world of fanfiction! Anyway, on to the story!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail. I, obviously, do not.

CHAPTER 16: OUTTA HERE

Lucy's POV

I awoke the next morning still wrapped up in Rogue's arms, and I sighed, closing my eyes again, snuggling closer to hear the sound of his steady heartbeat. I realized I should be feeling embarrassed that I had spent the entire night so close to a man I barely knew, but I couldn't make myself push him away. He was the only thing that kept me safe, the one person who kept the nightmares at bay. I was being selfish, keeping him around to take care of me, but I just couldn't let him go. He was my air, in a world clouded with noxious smoke.

I shuddered at the idea of him leaving and turned my face towards his chest, breathing in his scent, bathing in the knowledge that he was still there. He hadn't left, just like he'd promised. I wasn't quite prepared to believe that he wouldn't eventually leave me, but I would hold tight to him for as long as he would let me. He inhaled deeply, and turned his body a bit, drawing me closer to his chest, as if even in sleep, he knew I needed him.

My attention was drawn away as the door to my room eased open. My heart climbed up my throat and I choked, struggling against my rising panic. Why was the door opening so slowly? Did he already find me? Of course, this would be the first place he'd look! I fought against the covers suddenly binding me to the bed and keened as a hand wrapped around the edge of the curtain. Then Rogue was awake, his eyes flashing as he jumped from the bed to put himself in the path of my would-be attacker.

I watched the shadows making their way up his body, as he prepared himself for battle. The curtain slid aside, and I slumped at the sight of a man in a doctor's jacket lifting his head to offer a greeting. His smile died as he noticed Rogue's tense form and me hiding behind him. The shadows slid away as the man looked around, as if searching for the danger Rogue had reacted to, before a stunned expression came over his face. "Oh, I didn't even think. I'm very sorry. I should have announced myself immediately," he explained, seeming more than a little contrite.

Rogue nodded briefly before turning to me. I realized as his hands came down over my shoulders that I was quaking, the adrenaline apparently wearing off enough to leave my body in shock. "Lucy, everything's fine. Calm down. It's just your doctor," Rogue told me, his voice soft and steady.

"It's not fine," I whispered, the realization haunting me, that staying in the hospital was as good as a neon sign indicating my presence. "I have to get out of here. He's going to find me," I continued, my voice coming louder at the end. I could feel the hysterics trying to set in, but I tried to keep myself calm. They'd never listen if I started freaking out.

The doctor stepped closer, his professional smile back in place, saying, "No, he won't, Miss Heartfilia. I promise, you're safe here."

"No, I'm not!" I yelled, any hope of keeping calm shot right out the window in the wake of his weak, though well meant, platitudes. This naive doctor didn't know that man; he had no idea what he would do, so why would I trust his judgement? "You don't know what you're talking about! This will be the first place he looks! I have to go," I decided, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, clutching at my stomach as the ache set in. I guess it wasn't done healing, after all.

Rogue pulled me towards him, as an understanding of the situation crossed his features, and I knew he had gotten it. "She's right. She's not safe here. We never should have stayed here this long," he said, addressing the doctor, his tone brooking no argument, "We must leave immediately."

The doctor protested, explaining that my injuries needed more time to heal, but Rogue cut him off, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders, "We are leaving doctor, and you won't be stopping us. We have our own healer. Trust me, Lucy will be safer with us."

We left the doctor sputtering his recommendations again, and hurried down the hall, hoping to escape the hospital with a minimal amount of fuss. The easier and quicker we got out of here, the less chance we had of him finding me. As we reached the bottom floor, the waiting room came into view, as well as dozens of people, all of whom suddenly seemed drawn to our appearance. I shivered at their stares, and tucked my face into Rogue's chest. I just wanted to hide. I couldn't handle all of them watching me, like they knew there was something wrong with me.

A sob slipped up my throat and Rogue reacted instantly, scooping me up into his arms and storming toward the door leading outside, his face a mask of fury as he growled at the spectators. They turned their heads away as we passed and I clung to my lifeline, desperately wanting some secret place of retreat, somewhere that no one would ever find us. He cut a path to the woods beside the hospital, his eyes darting around us, keeping a constant vigil for any sign of danger.

We slipped away in near silence, Rogue making his way deep into the forest, before stopping to set me down on a stump. "Are you okay? Hurting anywhere?" he asked, kneeling in front of me.

I shook my head. "I'm okay. They just kept l-looking at me, like they knew..." I trailed off, turning my head aside in shame.

Rogue's POV

"Knew what?" I asked. When she didn't answer, I reached out, tugging her face back around to look at me, and repeated myself, "They knew what?" Why was she acting like this?

Her eyes met mine as a tear slipped down her face and her words tumbled out, softer than most people could hear, "Like they knew I was filthy."

My throat closed at her admission. Not this...not again. The rage swept over me again and all I could think of was ripping her attacker's head off his shoulders. A part of me wanted to go back to the night of the attack, and kill him where he stood, but I knew, had I taken the time to do that, Lucy wouldn't have survived. I knew I'd done the right thing, but everything inside me screamed out for vengeance, for her pain, for her sorrow, for every single time she doubted herself. I would make him pay; there was no doubt. Even if it took the rest of my life, I'd find him, and then he'd wish he had never so much as breathed in her direction.

I pulled myself back to the conversation and found her once again looking at the ground. I put my hands to her cheeks, and lifted her gaze to mine again, and told her firmly, "Don't you ever say that again. You're not the filthy one. He is. Do you understand me, Lucy? Don't you believe that about yourself."

Her weary eyes flowed as she gave a tiny nod, a barely discernible acquiescence to my demand. I could see I hadn't convinced her, but it wasn't something she could come to terms with in a minute, or even a day, week, or month. It could take her years to feel differently. I sighed and took her hands, pulling her up to stand, and asked, "Should we go to your guild?"

Her face came alive with fear, shaking her head violently, as her hands gripped mine tightly, and begged, "No, please. I can't go there. I don't want to see them all. They'll know."

I should have known she'd have that reaction; it had been foolish to even ask. Before I could offer another suggestion, she spoke again, her voice choked, "Please Rogue. Don't make me go there. I just wanna go home."

Seeing her like this tore at me; I couldn't tell her no. She'd been through far too much, and all she wanted was to be in a familiar place, somewhere she still felt safe. I took a deep breath before sweeping her tiny frame back up into my arms, and said, "Alright, home it is. You'll have to tell me how to get there, though."

She slumped against me, the tension flowing from her body almost instantly, and quickly gave me directions. Seeing we had 20 minute walk ahead of us, I urged her to rest, nodding in satisfaction as she settled her head against my shoulder and promptly fell asleep. I walked through the trees, my hearing attuned to our surroundings as a I kept a close watch for any hint of that sick bastard.

We made it to the edge of the woods near her home uneventfully, and seeing no danger, slipped across the cobbled road, heading swiftly towards her apartment. I jostled her awake as we reached the small building, needing her to point out which one was hers. I took in a deep breath, pulling in the scents of the area, searching for the telltale stink of her assailant. I relaxed, when I didn't come across his stench, and carried Lucy up the stairs towards the second floor. I set her down and instructing her to wait, sank into the shadows and edged my way under her door. I raced through the house, inspecting every inch, before reforming myself and unlocking the door to draw her inside.

Erza's POV

I ran from the hospital, tension marking my every step. Lucy was gone, thankfully with Rogue, but what worried me was that none of us had considered that she shouldn't be in the hospital. Here we were, chasing Tatankan all over Magnolia, but not coming any closer to catching up with him, and the real concern should have been how easily he could find her. Lucy and Rogue had done the right thing by leaving immediately, but I couldn't help but fear for her. I had no idea where they'd gone, and it wasn't like Rogue could leave her there to come inform us of her location.

I burst through the doors to Fairy Tail, instantly drawing everyone's attention, and hurried across the guild to Gray. He met me halfway, his expression apprehensive as he grabbed my arms, and asked, "Erza, what's wrong? Why aren't you at the hospital with Lucy?"

"She's gone," I answered, struggling to talk past my labored breathing, "She and Rogue left the hospital. We did it all wrong, Gray."

"What the hell do you mean, they left? Where are they?" he asked, his eyes wide, voice edging toward panic.

I shook my head in response, "I don't know. All I know is the doctor said that Lucy was freaking out about getting out of there because it was the first place that bastard would look for her. You see? We shouldn't have left her there. She wasn't safe!"

The ice mage's face went white as he went over the implications of this discovery. "The hospital would have been the first place anyone thought of taking someone hurt that badly. Oh God, he could have taken her again," he whispered, horrified at the possibilities.

His hands shook against my arms, as Juvia walked up behind him. She placed a hand on his back, and spoke quietly, her voice a mix of gentleness and determination, "Gray-sama, we will find her. Juvia knows we will, but you must remain calm. Now, where would Lucy go?"

At her words, Gray's eyes lost their haunted look, and he nodded at her, breathing deeply in a bid to center himself. I grasped my chin in my hand, thinking quickly, "Well, she'd probably go where she feels the safest." My eyes widened as they met Gray's, both of us calling out at the same time, "She went home!"

The two of us scrambled out of the guild, leaving everyone behind as we raced towards her apartment, praying with all we had that our instincts hadn't led us wrong. We slowed as we reached the stairs, taking a breath to calm our heartbeats, and climbed the stairs quietly. I turned the knob, and finding it locked, pulled out the spare key I'd had made a while back and unlocked it. Sharing a tense look with Gray, I pushed the door open, and we slipped inside.

Calling her name softly, we walked through the kitchen, headed towards her bedroom, when a rather furious looking Rogue shot around the corner, coming right at us. "What the hell are you doing sneaking in here like that? You scared the shit out of her!" he growled, his anger palpable in the near silence of the apartment.

"She's here? She's okay?" Gray asked, his voice cracking in relief.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer sneered, before turning around to head back the way he'd come, calling over his shoulder, "She was okay before you two morons decided to freak her out again. I had just gotten her calmed down."

I felt my hackles rise at his insults, but I pushed them aside. He was only trying to look out for Lucy, and Lucy wanted him there. As long as that was the case, I'd put my pride away and deal with it. Besides, I reasoned, he had a point. Thinking over our actions, I realized that once again, we hadn't thought it through. The way we came, all quiet, could have easily made her think it was the man who'd attacked her. After all, our group had never really been the quiet type.

"You're right, Rogue. I apologize for our entrance. We'll be sure to announce ourselves next time, and not just barge in." I tilted my head down in a gesture of submission. Though I didn't like this man deciding things for Lucy, it was obvious that he knew better than us what to do in this situation. I was also surprised to find that he honestly seemed to care for her.

He looked back, giving me a brief nod, before slinking back into Lucy's bedroom. We followed just behind him, and found Lucy on her bed, huddling in the corner. As Rogue neared the bed, Lucy launched herself at him, her arms locking around his neck. The man turned to us with a look of frustration, as if to say, 'See what you did?', and slipped an arm under her legs, lifting her up off the bed. He passed us, heading straight for the couch, and sat gingerly down, making sure she wasn't hurt in the process.

Rogue stretched his legs along the couch, settling Lucy between his body and the back of the couch, her legs thrown over his lap, and her head tucked in close to his chest. I watched as he pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her shoulders. I was stunned, and looking at Gray, I could see that he felt the same way. Lucy was completely at ease with him, no fear, no anxiety. She was calm. I stood there, unable to open my mouth because words had abandoned me.

"Sit. You're making her nervous," Rogue stated, and I arched a brow at him. She seemed fine to me. Why would he assume she was nervous?

Then I noticed her hand clenched tightly around his shirt, and I sank down into a chair, pushing Gray into the one beside me. Lucy's hand slowly relaxed as Rogue bent down to whisper something into her ear. She turned her head a bit, just enough to take in the sight of us sitting across from her, and offered a tentative, "Hi."

A smile lit my face as I gave her a little wave. I looked over to Gray as he started to speak, "You okay, sis? We were worried when we didn't know where you were."

She nodded a bit and answered softly, "Couldn't stay there. H-he'd..." Her voice trailed off as she began to shake.

"Shh...he's not going to get you," Rogue told her, tightening his arm around her shoulders, "Remember what I asked you?"

She took a deep breath and nodded, answering his question simply, "I trust you."

A/N: Next time, we hit a hard spot in Lucy's recovery...