Onto the next chapter! Thanks for sticking with me, and major thanks to my beta, Deathsembrace137 - she's so cool!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

CHAPTER 23: GET IT TOGETHER

ROGUE'S POV

I walked into the kitchen, feeling my blood begin to boil. Did he not understand that loud voices freaked Lucy out? Did he struggle with understanding the language he seemed to speak so flawlessly? Or was he just stupid as hell? The reason for his ignorance didn't matter. What mattered was that he continued to scare her by doing things without thinking.

I dropped my hands to the counter before me, my hands gripping it tightly, turning my knuckles a stark white. I fought with myself, before finally acknowledged the other reason I was so unbelievably pissed. The idea of anyone thinking I could take advantage of a woman like that burned me up. The thought of doing something so despicable was truly abhorrent to me, and bile had climbed up my throat when Gray had spouted the vile insinuation.

A niggle of doubt slithered into my mind, chiding me for my anger at the man, reminding me how little we really knew of each other. It insisted that he had only been doing right by his friend, doing his best to protect the woman he considered his sister, but I wasn't yet ready to release my rage or allieve him of his guilt. He had barged into a situation with a woman who was precariously trying to balance her nightmare with real life, and the bastard's insinuation that I had less than honorable intentions could have put her even farther behind in her progress.

If she had lost faith in me, anything could have happened. She could have been lost to the darkness, with no one to stand there in the gap as a beacon of light for her. He had almost destroyed the last bit of stability she had in her life, and I had no intentions of letting him get away with it. He would learn today to think first before doing things so recklessly.

As my thoughts continued to race, I heard the two Fairy Tail mages enter the kitchen behind me, but I didn't turn around. I was still nowhere near calmed down enough to deal with him in a rational manner, and I hoped that he'd realize that and keep quiet until I managed to wrangled my emotions a bit more.

The silence swelled in the room, and I sighed, turning to level the dark-haired man across the counter with a cold look. Try as I might, I couldn't turn my emotions off, and I was certain that everything I felt was showing loud and clear on my face. It was a first for me, as I didn't usually like people knowing what was on my mind, however this time, I relished my inability to turn it all off.

No, I wanted him to see everything there was inside me, the fierceness of my protection of Lucy, my determination to stick by her side, and my disgust with the way he kept hurting her. Granted, it was accidental, but with what had happened to her, Lucy couldn't afford any more hurt or fear, unintentional or not. I held his eyes for a time, until the woman at his side shifted, drawing my attention away from the ice mage.

It didn't last long as the brunette opened her mouth, but then closed it shut a moment later, sending my gaze straight back to Gray. "You continue to amaze me with your ignorance," I bit out, the words holding only a fraction of my anger. There was still loads more to dredge from, and he would get a taste of it all before the day was up.

He grit his teeth at my words, and I could see it was taking all of his control not to snap back at me. I didn't much care. I wasn't here to pacify him, to make him feel better. I was here for Lucy, and I'd be damned if I was going to let his reckless behavior continue. Before he could respond, I elaborated, "Do you have no discipline? Can you not slow down long enough to assess a situation before you go barreling in like some animal?"

The words barely left my mouth and he exploded, his voice raising once again as he stretched himself over the counter. "Hey, you were in the bathroom with my sister, asking her to hand you your pants! What the fuck would you be thinking in my place?"

"You have once again proven my point for me. Have you forgotten already that your yelling only serves to frighten her more?" I sneered. "You believe that because Lucy knows you, because she knows how you are, that it will make a difference? It doesn't work like that, and by acting the way you do, you are going to end up losing her."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of threat?" he returned, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

I snorted at his show of animosity. "You are so concerned with finding hidden meaning in what I say, when there is no need. I say precisely what I mean. I do not lie, or seek to mislead by adding unnecessary words. You'd do well to simply listen."

"And why the hell would I listen to you?" he growled out, just as his friend placed a hand on his arm and said, "Gray, calm down."

"You should listen to me because I know what I'm talking about. If you keep doing the things you're doing, Lucy will never feel safe with you. You can stand there, trying to defend yourself, but it won't make a difference with me. I'm not here to assuage your guilt or listen to your excuses for your reckless behavior. I don't care what your reasons are, nor do I care what you think of me. I am here for Lucy, and Lucy only."

He shook his head, his ire rising as he spat, "You're going to educate me on what my friend will do? You don't even know her! You show up, acting like you've known her all her life, and suddenly we're the strangers. You think I'm going to trust you? Who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I think I'm the man who showed up when she needed help. I'm the one who saved her life, or have you forgotten that she was attacked? I don't need to have known her all her life to know that she needs peace right now, peace and someone to lean on to get through what happened to her. I don't care if you trust me or not. The only thing that matters is whether Lucy still trusts me," I fired back, my voice edging into a deeper tone.

"Of course I haven't forgotten she was attacked! That's why I was pissed that you had her in the bathroom with you," he explained loudly, though not as loudly as before.

"I...don't...care," I reiterated slowly, breaking the words apart intentionally to give myself time to calm down. Too bad it didn't help. I wasn't sure there was any amount of time that would be enough to settle the rage inside me. However, there was more that needed to be addressed, and I was just pissed enough to finish it.

I slammed my hands down on the counter between us, leaning forward on the island, and finally let it go, allowing my fury to wash all the stiff coldness from my body, "And as for your shit about you and your friends getting pushed to the side, no one has made you a stranger to her, and she sure as hell doesn't deserve all that bitterness you're spewing about it. She can't help how she feels, but you know what? She's been fighting hard to conquer it, and then you come in here, like a bull in a china shop, running roughshod over all the work she's put into trusting someone. I realize that you're angry that she's chosen me to be there for her, but you need to get over it and be whatever she needs you to be."

Gray's face went white at my words, the color draining from his skin instantly. "M-my God..." he stammered, his tone completely horrified, "I was angry at her. I-I didn't even realize."

I leaned back, and nodded. Finally, he was getting it, and now, he'd be able to get out of his own way. He'd be the brother she needed him to be, patient, understanding, careful. It was a shame that it had taken such a blow-up to make him see the whole picture.

"Gray? What do you mean? Why would you be mad at her?" his companion asked confused.

"It's actually a fairly common reaction in a situation like this. It's hard for the people closest to the victim to handle it when they aren't the ones chosen to be there. In Gray's case, he's like Lucy brother and felt like he should be the one she'd trust implicitly. When she reacted badly to him touching her, he was okay. He could handle it, even if he didn't understand it, but when I came into the picture, it changed. Without knowing it, he was angry and hurt that she had chosen someone over him. It only made it worse that it was me," I explained shortly.

The woman named Cana moved closer to the grave ice mage, and seeing his pained expression, wrapped her arms around him. He stood there unmoving, and whispered, "How could I be mad at her? It's not her fault...how could I be so horrible?"

"Gray, stop it. You're not horrible. This hasn't been easy for anyone, and no one expects you to be perfect," she consoled, turning his face towards hers.

"I do! I can't keep bumbling around like this. I'm hurting her, and I...I don't want that," he cried, his frustration overwhelming him.

The brunette tugged him toward the couch, pushing him down effortlessly and plopped down on the table in front of him. I watched as she grabbed his hands, shaking them to gain his attention, and said, "Look at me." He lifted his head slowly, his eyes swimming with unshed tears, and she continued, "We are going to mess up, Gray. We won't mean to, and it'll probably eat at us, but we don't know what we're doing here. Maybe it's time we start listening to someone who does."

She glanced over at me quickly, before turning back to her friend. "Listen, Lucy loves you, and she knows you love her. Yes, you've screwed up, but you can't stay there. You have to pick yourself up and try again. So, you get it together. Do you hear me, Gray Fullbuster? You've never been the type to give up, so you knock this guilty bullshit off," she finished, her eyes tearing up as she looked at him.

"You're one bossy bitch," Gray muttered, with a slight laugh, before jerking her forward into a hug, and whispering, "Thanks Cana."

She gave him a squeeze and pulled away with a smile, "Anytime."

I watched their interaction with interest. It was such a foreign concept to me, having so many people looking out for each other. Minerva looked down on these people, mocking their bonds of friendship, but seeing it in action, I realized how wrong she was. Those connections she belittled made these people into a tight-knit family, and that was a force to be reckoned with.

My attention returned to the pair as Gray stood to his feet, moving back towards me. Before he had gone more than 2 steps, I heard an odd sound, and I raised my hand to him, telling him silently to stop moving. He took my cue and stilled, waiting for my direction as I tilted my head towards the noise.

Realizing it was coming from the bathroom, I moved past the Fairies quickly straight through the bedroom. They followed right behind me, neither saying a word as we came to the cracked bathroom door. My jaw tightened as I heard Lucy's mumbled cries. I couldn't understand what she was trying to say, but I reached out for the door and then stopped. I couldn't go in there. She wouldn't want a man to see her like that.

"Damn it!" I cursed, jerking my hand back. Turning to Gray, I shot him a worried look, before turning to his companion and said, "You'll have to go. We can't...she might have hurt herself."

"What are you talking about? Why would you say that?" the ice mage asked uneasily, his face becoming panicked again.

"Because she already has," I snapped, pushing the woman towards the door, "You have to go now."

Gray shot me a look, clearly saying that he'd expect an explanation later, as Cana eased open the door, calling out, "Lucy? I'm coming in, okay?"

I listened as she moved into the room, speaking softly to Lucy. I hated that I couldn't go to her. For once, I wasn't able to be there for her, and I felt helpless standing here waiting while someone else went in my place. Suddenly, I got a flash of understanding, and I realized this must be what Gray felt like all the time.

No wonder he seemed to hate me. I didn't know if I could abide this feeling constantly. Turning my head to the man beside me, I did something I never did. "I'm sorry I was so hard on you. I think I understand now."

His head jerked around, appraising me before he nodded his head and said, "Thanks. I'm sorry I was such an ass to you. I can see you care about her."

What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

A/N: So, was Rogue too hard on Gray? Let me know what you think...