Another chapter for you all! This one actually flowed pretty easily. Thanks for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy! Big shout-out to my uber awesome beta - Love you Deathsembrace137!

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

CHAPTER 26: IT'S YOU

GRAY'S POV

I sank back onto the couch, stretching my arms out along the back, and sighed, "That was really good."

"Yeah, it was...no thanks to you," Cana giggled, elbowing me lightly in the side.

I lifted my hand to her face and gave it a quick shove, making her lose her balance and slip off the couch with a yelp. Clutching my stomach, I laughed at her legs all sprawled out, her body wedged perfectly between the couch and the coffee table. It wasn't a moment later I could hear Lucy's soft giggle, and I felt like cheering.

Hell, even Rogue was smiling at us. Wait, no...he wasn't even looking at Cana and me. His eyes were all for Lucy. Interesting...

"You're such an ass," she pouted, struggling to climb out of her cramped position.

"Well, if that's how you feel about it, then I guess you don't need any help getting up, huh?" I asked, smirking at her from my comfortable place on the sofa.

She huffed loudly, her tone especially snarky when she said, "Like hell. Quit being a lazy bastard and help me up."

I chuckled at her demand and offered her my hand. "You know, you'd catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

Using my hand, she levered herself up and off the floor, dropping loudly onto the couch a moment later. "It's 'bees' dumb ass, not 'flies'. And looks like I got what I wanted anyway," she proclaimed with satisfaction.

"Such a potty mouth. You should probably have you mouth washed out."

"Piss...off," she answered slowly, leaning closer to me, her smile all I needed to know that she was up to something.

In the next instant, I felt her hand just above my knee, and I blanched. "Oh shit." I barely got the words out when she squeezed, sending me jerking all over the place. "Cana...s-stop!" I snapped out in a broken laugh.

"I'm sorry. What was that? Couldn't hear you," she taunted, somehow managing to keep her hand on my thigh to tickle me as I thrashed all over the place.

I grabbed at her wrist, calling out my surrender to the sound of Cana's uproarious laughter and Lucy's tiny giggles. "Alright, I'm sorry...I'm sorry!"

By the time my torture ended, I was breathing heavily and cursing her for knowing about the one spot on my body that was ticklish. And now, I was ready for some payback of my own. I sat up quickly, realizing I had flopped my body halfway into Cana's lap trying to get away from her hand. It didn't make sense that I ended up there when she's who I was trying to get away from, but I hadn't exactly been in the proper state of mind to think clearly.

I had to admit that my present location had its benefits, namely that it put me close to her and made it so much easier to exact my revenge. I barely held in a maniacal laugh as I contemplated my options. I ran through a few ideas before I remembered something I used to do to her when we were kids.

Lifting my body up just a bit, I came down on her lap with a jolt, drawing an oomph sound from her mouth. She lifted her hands to shove me off, but she was far too slow to catch on. I ground my ass into her legs, moving in a circular pattern as I teased her, "How's that feel?"

"Ow! Get off! Oh my God, why do you have such a bony ass?!" she screeched, wriggling beneath me in an attempt to get away from my assault.

Making a final circuit, I slid off her lap into the seat beside her, giving her my best evil laugh. She rubbed at her legs as she looked over at me, her eyes narrowing in challenge before she began to inch closer.

Abruptly, Rogue broke in, calling a halt to our brief contest of wills. "Alright, that's enough of that. Lucy's getting tired, so quiet down."

I looked over to him and found Lucy curled up in his lap smiling sleepily at the two of us. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry Sis. It's fine. Go ahead and get some sleep."

Cana nodded her agreement, moving back to her previous spot on the couch. "Maybe we should go so she can rest, Gray."

"No...don't go yet..." Lucy trailed off, her expression uncertain once again as she looked down at her clasped hands. "It was...nice."

Hearing her words, I smiled, feeling tears prick my eyes. She wanted us here. Finally, Lucy was reaching out, and I wanted to scream with joy, possibly even cry with relief. My throat tightened with unshed tears, and I coughed, trying to clear out the mass that was making it hard to speak. "We can stay for a while, Lucy."

I glanced over at Cana and found her with an overwhelmingly bright smile, her eyes shining with happiness. "Go take your nap. We'll be here when you wake up."

Lucy looked at us with wide eyes, her lips lifting slightly before she turned her gaze up to Rogue. "Can I..." She bit her lip, hesitant to ask her question.

"You want to stay here?" Rogue asked, seeming to already know what Lucy was trying to say.

She nodded, her expression hopeful, and he agreed with an amused grin, settling himself into the loveseat and shifting her into a more comfortable position. "That's fine, as long as you rest," he said.

Lucy gave him a soft smile, her expression sleepy, when all of a sudden, a flash of blue zipped into the room. "Lucy!"

"Happy? What are you doing here?" I asked, shocked at the Exceed's abrupt appearance. Hadn't he been on a job with Natsu?

The little blue cat hovered above our heads holding a sack in his hand, and said, "I came to see Lucy."

"Well, Lucy needs to sleep for a little while," I explained, motioning to her bleary eyes.

I watched Happy droop a little at not being able to visit with his friend, and I couldn't help feeling bad for unintentionally messing up his plan. Luckily, Lucy understood and saved me. "You wanna take a little nap with me?"

At her invitation, his entire countenance lifted, and he shot towards her, dropping his burden and burying his little face into her stomach. "I missed you, Lucy!" he cried, lifting wide tearful eyes up at the blond.

She wrapped her arms the Exceed, brushing her fingers through his blue fur. "I missed you too, Happy."

"We brought back your rent money, Lucy. Now you don't have to worry about anything."

"You got my rent money?" she asked in soft wonder.

He nodded sagely, his face far more serious than I had ever seen it before. She picked him up then and gave him a kiss, before setting him back into her lap. "Thank you, Happy. That was really sweet of you."

I sat there eyeing the small sack of money, and tried to keep my face neutral, tried not to sneer at Natsu's gift. I fought to remind myself that it was Happy's gift to Lucy too, but I wanted so badly to track the pink-haired dragon slayer and smack him for having the audacity to do this. What right did he have to insinuate himself into her life in any way after the way he'd treated her?

But I had to keep Happy in mind. If I refused the money on Lucy's behalf, it wouldn't just be rejecting Natsu's help. It would also be casting Happy's help aside as well, and I couldn't do that to him, especially when he seemed so determined to take care of Lucy. Besides, I could see how much it meant to Lucy that the little Exceed was here and that he'd tried so hard to be there for her. I wouldn't mess that up for the two of them just to spite Natsu.

So, to keep the peace, I tried to force my face into a blank mask, and thought I had succeeded when a hand closing over mine let me know that I had failed miserably. I looked up from our joined hands and found a look of concern on Cana's face. She knew what was going on inside me, knew I was battling with my anger. She always seemed to read me so well.

The brunette gave my hand a quick squeeze, her eyes asking if I was okay. I held on tight, feeling a wave of gratefulness for her presence beside me, and nodded once. She smiled, bumping her shoulder into mine, her way of letting me know she was there. I kept her hand and closed my eyes, pushing the wild emotions away, willing them to let me go.

All the while, I took comfort in my friend, letting her assurance wash over me, and with a sense of peace, I opened my eyes. I looked down at the bag of jewels and didn't feel that oppressive weight of bitterness. I knew it was still there, but for now, I could leave it alone and concentrate on this moment.

We looked on as Lucy cuddled with Happy, petting him until he quieted down and his eyes closed. Within no time, the small cat was snoring, as if he hadn't slept in days and had finally found what he needed to drift off. I smiled at them, glad that Lucy was able to have another part of her life back. She needed everyone she loved right now.

"Alright, now it's your turn," Rogue said, placing his hand on the back of Lucy's head and pulling her into him.

Lucy lifted her lips in a half-smile, and nodded, too tired to argue. "Okay."

The moment her face made contact with him, Lucy gave an audible sigh, and her eyes slid shut. She nuzzled into his shirt like a cat trying to find the perfect spot, and then she grew still, her face relaxing into an expression of contentment. Moments later, her breathing evened out, and she was gone.

I watched her and had to shake my head. I'd never seen her fall asleep so fast. For as long as I'd known her, she'd had a routine - read for 10 minutes, toss and turn for another 5, and then finally pass out. But with Rogue, he'd put her head on his shoulder, and then a minute later, she was out like a light. It was astounding.

"What?"

Hearing the man's voice, I looked up and found him studying me in the same way I had been studying the two of them. "Sorry, I just...I've never seen her pass out so quickly," I explained.

"Neither have I," Cana agreed, her tone an odd mix of somber amusement.

Rogue shrugged lightly. "She gets really tired still. It'll be a while before she feels like herself again."

"I don't think that's it. Well, not all of it at least," I argued. I had seen Lucy when she'd been hurt and exhausted, granted not as badly as she'd been this time. Regardless, the point was that Lucy had always had a hard time getting to sleep, and it was always worse for her when she was exceptionally tired or injured. No, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that Lucy's sudden ability to go to sleep had more to do with Rogue than anything else.

"I think it's you," Cana said quietly, her words perfectly mirroring my thoughts. "You make her feel safe. That's why she doesn't have trouble sleeping."

The dark-haired man shifted under the weight of our stares, his brow furrowed with discomfort. "It's not a big deal. I'm just helping her out."

"Right." I nodded slowly, not buying it. He may not be able to see the unusually strong connection they seemed to share, but I certainly did. Granted, I didn't know a lot about situations like the one Lucy was in right now, but I simply couldn't believe it was just a case of a victim trusting her savior. It felt like there was so much more to it than that.

"Look, you wanted to know why I was worried about Lucy hurting herself earlier. If you want to know, we should talk about it now while she's asleep."

His sudden change of topics threw me off, but I knew what he was doing. He obviously didn't want us looking too hard into things. It was easy to discern that he was an immensely private man, most likely with a slew of things he kept hidden, and though the idea of such a man taking care of Lucy should have scared me, it didn't. I had seen enough to know that she mattered to him, that he would protect her at all costs, and that was enough for me.

MIRA'S POV

I hurried through the guild on my way to the Raijinshuu's table, my brow furrowed in concern. I'd looked over a short time ago and found Freed still looking worn out, his back bowing as he slumped in his seat. Anyone who had ever met him knew that Freed was not the type of man to slouch. He always stood tall, proud, and the act of sitting down had never changed anything in that regard.

He had been steadily edging lower in his seat, and it was easy to see the toll his day's activities has taken on him. He needed to get some sleep. Levy had passed out a couple hours ago, and finding the couch she had been on empty, I realized that someone must have taken her home for some much needed rest. The poor girl was exhausted.

Before I could go any further, the guild doors swung open, and Natsu walked in. It was such a strange sight, his calm entrance. Normally, he would burst through the doors, sending them flying back into the wall and shout out a greeting to everyone. It was taking some time for me to get used to seeing him arrive so quietly, and for a moment, a part of me actually missed his wildness.

Still, it was nice to see that he was taking this seriously and learning how to be more considerate. In fact, it had been a shock to see how much he had grown and matured since everything had happened. I guessed, in a way, he was finally becoming a man.

Our eyes met and I called out to him, "Hey Natsu! How was your mission?"

"We got the whole reward this time."

"That's wonderful, Natsu. I'm so proud of you!" I gushed. What a difference from just a week ago.

He shook his head at my praise, giving me a serious look. "It's not that big of an accomplishment, Mira. I should have been doing that all along."

My heart sank at his words. He was being so hard on himself. I had wanted him to learn from his mistake, to take something away from this whole experience so that he could become a better man, but it seemed that it had only served to further highlight his list of mistakes. "Natsu..."

Something must have shown on my face, because he raised his hand to stop me. "I'm only saying the truth, Mira. I'm alright. I just...wish it hadn't taken me so long..."

He trailed off, his face filled with sadness. There was nothing I hated more than seeing someone so unhappy. He was family, and I wanted all my family to be okay. I gave him a quick hug, patting his back as I pulled away. "Oh Natsu, the important thing is that you're trying. That's all that matters now."

"No, what matters is taking care of Lucy," he corrected, drawing himself up to his full height. "That's why we went on that job in the first place."

I smiled at him, glad to see him determined once again. Anything was better than seeing his face marred with despair. "I thought that might be why you and Happy went when you did. Speaking of Happy, where is he?"

His shoulders slumped a bit, but he tried for a smile. "We passed Lucy's on the way here, and he wanted to visit her. So, he's going to give her the money from our job."

"That's good. I'm sure she'll appreciate it, Natsu."

"Sure...Um, I'm going to find another mission to do in a couple of days. I want to make sure Lucy has everything she needs," he muttered, turning towards the mission board.

I knew it had to hurt him not to go with Happy to see Lucy, but there was no way to change the way things were at the moment. Until Lucy decided she was ready to forgive Natsu, there was nothing anyone could do for him. It was a shame he'd had to learn that lesson the hard way.

Shaking my head sadly, I turned and continued on my way to check on Freed. He shouldn't still be here. He needed to go home and get some rest, and that's just what I intended to tell him.

Putting a stern expression on my face, I marched over to their table, stopping just beside him. "Freed, what are you still doing here. You should be in bed resting."

He lifted his head and gave me a weak version of his usual smile. "I will be heading that way soon, Mira. No need to fret."

"There is no reason for you to still be here," I replied stubbornly, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Perhaps," he acknowledged before smoothly changing the subject, "I see Natsu has returned. I must say I found it quite odd that he left on a job during such troubling times."

I sighed, arching a brow at him to show that I knew what he was doing. "It was for Lucy. He and Happy wanted to get the money for her rent," I explained.

His face lit up marginally as he turned to his group. "What a wonderful idea. We should do the same."

"Sure. Cosplayer could probably use the extra dough," Bixlow agreed with a shrug as his babies hovered behind him.

Laxus nodded his consent as the final member of their team sniffed lightly behind her fan. "Of course we would help."

"Whoa. Wait a minute there." I frowned at the group as a whole. "You can't possibly expect Freed to go out on a job right now. Look at him. He can barely sit properly."

Freed struggled for a moment in an attempt to correct his posture and argued, "I most certainly can. I shall be fine on this job."

His proud boast however was for naught, the words belayed by his body tipping slowly over the side of his seat. "Yes, I can see that," I replied sarcastically before turning to his friends, "He needs to stay home. The three of you can go. I'll look after him."

"Why do you insist upon talking about me as if I weren't even here," he grumbled. "I am not a child." He crossed his arms over his chest, intent on arguing the point, when suddenly he pitched sideways, causing Ever to reach out and stabilize him.

Laxus's brow furrowed for a moment, his mind clearly in thought as he watched Freed carefully. Then he nodded once. "Agreed." Finding Freed about to protest, he clarified, "She's right, Freed. You know she is. We'll take this one while you get some rest. There will be other times."

Still not ready to give up, the green-haired man huffed, "How can I be of help to Lucy if I am to remain here to nap like an infant? I would be of more use out there where I can do something."

"You are doing something. You'll be regaining your strength for when you need it. Besides, you've done more than enough for Lucy today. Let someone else carry it for a while," I assured, resting my hand on his shoulder.

"Yes Freed. Go rest for today. We'll handle this and be back before you know it," Ever encouraged with a brisk nod.

The weary man sighed. "Very well then. I shall retire for the rest of the day."

He rose unsteadily to his feet, and I moved in close to him, slipping my arm around his waist to help stabilize him. "I'll help you."

Offering a final glance at his friends, he allowed me to lead him to the door, albeit rather grudgingly. I bit back a grin at his slight pout and turned toward the bar to search for Kinana. Catching sight of her, I called out, letting her know what I was doing, before turning back to my patient.

"Let's get you home."