Here you go guys! Hope you enjoy this new chapter. Kudos to my beta, Deathsembrace137 - she's amazing and fantastic!

Hiro Mashima owns all things Fairy Tail.

CHAPTER 22: TAKE IS SLOW

ROGUE'S POV

Lucy's eyes widened at my words, her gaze locked onto mine as if she was waiting for me to retract my statement. That was never going to happen. She needed me, and I'd promised her, not to mention myself, that I would be here until the day she was okay. She'd struggled with belief that the day would come, but I knew she was strong enough to get there. I just wished she had my conviction.

"Believe in you?" she asked, her voice cracking from her obviously overwhelming emotions.

"Yes," I said, nodding to emphasize my point, as I continued to cup her face in my hands, "Do you trust me...to be here for you? To be honest with you? To protect you?"

She bit her lip in contemplation, her eyes never leaving mine, as she slowly agreed, "Yes."

"Good, then believe me when I tell you that I will help you get there. I'll help you get to the point where you feel like you have faith in yourself like I do. Until then, just keep trusting me. Believe in me," I explained simply. I gave her a long look, willing her to see my determination and dedication, before I asked, "Can you do that, Lucy?"

The blonde took a deep breath in, and closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly pulling herself together, shoring up the last bit of strength she possessed. Then her lids lifted, and she stared at me with those expressive brown eyes. "I can do that."

I couldn't help the small grin that fought its way to my face, and honestly, I couldn't find a reason to care. I was proud of her. I knew she was afraid, nearly all the time, not just of the man who had hurt her. There was also her fear of the future, her worry that she'd never be a whole person again, that she wouldn't be able to be close to her friends again. She was consumed with fear, on every side, from every direction.

Yet, here she was, taking a step in the direction of facing those fears, allowing herself to touch me in a way that wasn't about receiving comfort. Sure, it had only been a moment, but every second counted in this battle against her demons. Every step she took towards feeling safe with touching someone was a step towards gaining her freedom.

She couldn't see her progress, didn't believe she could do it. I knew better though. I could see in her a fierce warrior, a woman who hadn't given up when she was attacked, someone who withstood torture and abuse the likes of which I'd never before seen, and she was still here, living and breathing. She hadn't gotten through this by being a coward. No, Lucy Heartfilia was a fighter - the strongest, bravest, most amazing survivor I'd ever met.

It was hard for me to understand how she saw herself as weak, someone who should have been able prevent all she'd been through. She was so hard on herself, calling herself pathetic because she couldn't stop her attacker, because she was afraid. What Lucy didn't seem to realize was that feeling fear didn't make you weak. She had stood up to the man, had fought with everything she had, even though she was terrified, and she was still fighting day after day, trying to get her life back.

Sure, she stumbled at times and doubted herself. Who wouldn't after all she'd been through? None of that changed that she had braved her way through hugging her friends. She'd pushed through her fear enough to touch my face. She may not see it, but she had taken great strides towards getting back what she had lost.

I was determined that she would get there, that she would one day be able to stand on her own, knowing her worth and her strength. I wanted her to realize she was already all the things she wanted to be. One day, she'd see what I had already found in her. There was no doubt in my mind.

I stood to my feet, running my hands through my hair, suddenly noticing how gross I felt, and thought out loud, "I need a shower." Turning to Lucy, I decided to tease her a bit, see if she would respond, "Am I starting to smell funky?"

"What?" she squeaked, blinking her eyes rapidly as she considered her answer, "You smell..."

"So, I do stink," I acknowledged quickly before she could finish her statement.

She shook her head in a nervous attempt to dissuade my assumption, and I almost laughed at her panicked expression as she explained, "No, you don't. I was going to say you smell like...you."

She shrugged her shoulders a bit as though embarrassed, and finding a small splash of pink across her cheeks, I smiled. Though most wouldn't find this encouraging, I was excited. It showed that she was focusing on something other than her attack or her fears. It meant that she was connecting with someone, relating to something positive, even if it was just a bit of ridiculous joking.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I couldn't help but ask, thinking that she'd catch on to my plan.

Sadly, she remained serious and said, "I like it. You smell like the outdoors."

Well, I thought, Rome wasn't built in a day. It would come in time, and we had made good progress pulling her out of her shell for one day. I wasn't going to push her any more right now. She'd done well, and I was feeling more confident that she'd find herself again eventually. Now, back to the issue at hand.

"Thank you, Lucy. Now, I really do want a shower. How about you?" I asked.

"Um...I like baths more," she responded.

I nodded my head and suggested, "Why don't you go first?"

"No, you can have yours first, but um...what about..." she trailed off, not finishing her question. Her voice sounded strained, and I could see worry beginning to make its way over her face again.

"Lucy, what is it?" I inquired, kneeling down in front of her so I could see her better.

She bit her lip, blinking quickly as if to push away unwanted tears. A moment later the first one escaped, sliding down her cheek as she mumbled, "What if he...I don't want to be in here alone."

Ah, so that was it. How the hell was I going to handle this? I couldn't put us both in the shower. She trusted me, but she sure as hell wasn't ready to see a man naked, not even me. Besides, that wouldn't just make her uncomfortable. I wasn't about to expose my body to a woman who'd just been attacked.

So, how was I supposed to fix it where she wouldn't be more traumatized, but also make it where she felt safe. Then it hit me, the perfect compromise. I just needed to check one thing. "Hang on a second," I muttered, hurrying into the bathroom to check the color of her shower curtain. Finding the material to be a thick, dark purple color, I let out a sigh of relief and returned to Lucy.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. You'll come with me into the bathroom, I'll undress in the shower and then turn on the water. Then once I'm done, you can hand me my clothes, and I'll dress in the shower. How does that sound?" I suggested, feeling rather pleased with my plan that was both practical and creative.

"Alright," she agreed, hesitation sounding in her voice just a bit, but she stood up, ready to follow me to the bathroom.

I nodding quickly, before grabbing clothes out of my bag and setting them on the sink. I waited until Lucy put down the lid on the toilet and sat down, before shutting and locking the door. I stepped into the tub, sliding the curtain closed and stripped down quickly, wanting to get us both out of this situation as fast as I possibly could.

I stuck my arm out of the crack closest to the door and dropped my dirty clothes on the floor, as I asked, "You doing okay, Lucy?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she answered softly.

GRAY'S POV

I stepped up to the door, knocking softly, knowing Rogue would be able to hear it no problem. He was a dragon slayer after all. We waited for a bit, but as the minutes passed and no one answered, I got nervous. I knocked again, this time louder, but still got nothing.

We turned to each other, both of our faces filling with fear, so I reached into my pocket for my key to Lucy's place and unlocked the door. Cana had already pulled out her cards, choosing two out of the stack, and with another glance, we pushed open the door and walked in.

"Rogue!" I shouted, loud enough to make sure not only he, but also Lucy could hear me. I knew there was a chance that I had given away our presence if Tatankan had somehow made it in here, but I wasn't about to freak Lucy out again like I'd done the last time, just in case everything was fine. "Lucy!"

Suddenly hearing a noise from the bathroom, we ran forward, catching the tail end of a conversation, "Shit. Lucy, hand me my pants before they come in."

What the fuck... I turned to Cana, seeing the same question on her mind, and I snapped. How dare that sorry bastard take advantage of her after her attack! Fury swept through my body and I reacted, kicking the door hard, sending it flying inward. Lucy's eyes went wide and she flinched, slipping off the toilet to huddle in the corner of the bathroom.

I blinked in confusion at the scene before me, wondering what was going on, when the curtain ripped open to reveal a glaring, obviously furious Rogue...with no shirt on...his hair dripping wet...obviously from a shower...with Lucy in the same room...

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I snapped, feeling my confusion ebb and my anger explode again.

"Gray," Cana mumbled, tugging on my arm, trying to pull me back into Lucy's bedroom, "Calm down."

I flashed hard eyes at her and yanked my arm back, shouting, "Calm down? Are you serious? He had Lucy in here while he was damn well naked! How the hell can you tell me to calm down?!"

A low rumble sounded behind me and I turned to see Rogue bearing down on me. "You should listen to your friend there. You scared the shit out of Lucy," he snarled, his voice cold and threatening despite the fact that he hadn't raised it above his regular volume.

Hearing his words, I looked over his shoulder, finally taking in Lucy's position on the floor. She'd drawn her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around her legs, and she was staring at me like she was waiting for me to hurt someone. Damn...I did it again. "Lucy," I spoke softly, changing my posture to show I was calm, "I'm sorry. I thought he had done something to hurt you."

She bit her lip, studying me for a moment before she responded in a quiet, yet unwavering voice, "Rogue would never hurt me."

I watched as Rogue walked back over to Lucy, holding his hand down to her, and without hesitation, she took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. She seemed to have no reaction to the fact that he was still shirtless. She wasn't scared, or nervous. She was completely fine.

Cana came to stand beside me as we watched them interact, and I could see the puzzled look on her face. I could relate. Her inherent faith in Rogue still struck me every time I saw it. It was stunning, yet hard to fathom when you considered that they'd barely known each other before he'd rescued her.

Rogue all but ignored our presence as he placed his hands on her shoulders and asked, "You okay?"

She nodded up at him, but kept quiet until he continued, "So, how about your bath? You want to get one now?"

I watched as her eyes lit up a bit, and I smiled at the small display of life, before she glanced at us and said, "But what about..."

"It's fine, Lucy. Go ahead and take your bath. We can wait," I answered quickly, not wanting her to miss out on something I knew she loved just to appease us.

"See? It's fine. You go grab yourself some clothes, something comfortable, and I'll start your water," he instructed, giving her a gentle nudge toward her dresser while he turned to the tub, going through the motions of getting her bath going, even making sure the temperature wasn't too hot.

Lucy moved past us, waving awkwardly at me and offering a soft, "Hi Cana," before continuing on. The woman beside me returned her greeting as Lucy gathered up her clothes and moved back to the bathroom, stopping right in front of Rogue.

"You ready?" he asked, and waited for her affirmation before moving out of the room and saying, "Okay, I'll be right in the kitchen. I'm going to make us something to eat for lunch. If you need anything, just yell. I'll hear you."

She took a deep breath and nodded her assent, turning back to set her clothes on the sink as Rogue pulled the door closed. Suddenly, Lucy squeaked, "Not all the way!"

"Alright," Rogue answered easily, leaving the door cracked a few inches. He waited to make sure she wouldn't object before he turned to me, his eyes flashing with anger once again, and said, "Come with me."

He walked past the two of us, moving swiftly to the next room, and I sucked in a deep breath at what I knew was coming next. I'd screwed up again, and he apparently wasn't going to let it slide. Shit. I turned to Cana, and motioned for her to follow me. This was not going to be pretty.

A/N: Uh-oh, guess who's gonna get it?! lol