I'm so sorry this took so long. It's given me a veritable fit! But I have finally conquered it and forced it into submission. lol Please pardon the fighting metaphors. I've been obsessed with fighting stuff lately thanks to Grimm and too many other shows to list. lol

Also, an announcement. GaLu Week is coming up very soon, and the prompts have been chosen. Hope you'll all contribute!

February 15 - 21

Selfie
Glasses
AU
Rules
Cosplay
On The Job
Haunted

Anyway, on to the story. Hope you enjoy, and please let me know your thoughts.

Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

CHAPTER 38: IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT

GRAY'S POV

I set the communications lacrima on the table in silence, everything inside me stilling at the information I'd just received. I couldn't quite believe what Erza had told me, couldn't get my mind to accept her words as truth. It was something I'd never thought possible. Even with all that had happened to Lucy, I had never once considered the possibility of her hurting herself.

It all seemed so surreal. That was something Lucy would have never done. Not our Lucy, and yet I was coming to understand that she wasn't quite our Lucy anymore. It hit me hard with all the grace of a linebacker that she had changed. I should have expected it. After all, I'd seen it with my very own eyes from her ability to touch and interact with her friends to her apparent trust of a man that had once been considered an enemy.

Still, I'd managed to convince myself rather skillfully that the changing had ceased. I'd been certain she would once again be my sweet sister, the one who laughed at the drop of a hat, who smiled at everyone she met. But this latest thing had me questioning the wisdom of that certainty. What if she could never find her way back to that bright, cheerful girl?

Of course, I would love her still. The blonde had wrapped my heart around her little finger long ago, and there wasn't a soul alive who could tear it away. But I was no longer sure how to help her or even how to address her attempt to take her own life.

The truth was a part of me was furious at her for even considering skipping out on me. It hurt that she could so easily leave like that, force me to live without one more person I cared for. Didn't she realize what that would do to me? To Fairy Tail?

I drew in a shaky breath, noticing somewhat peripherally that my hands were trembling. Slowly, I made my way back to the bedroom and dropped myself heavily into the chair beside Cana's bed. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and dropped my face into my hand. I felt cold all of a sudden, almost frigid inside. I hadn't thought anything could hurt as much as her initial attack, and then the second attack had come and demolished that belief, and still, I'd thought nothing could be worse. How wrong I had been.

How could she want to kill herself? I suppose logically, I understood her reasoning. She'd been through a terrible ordeal, things I couldn't even fathom. I got that. I got that she was scared, not just for herself but the rest of us as well. After this latest showdown with Tatankan, I could see why she'd feel that way, but killing herself? How could she think that was the answer?

A shaky sigh slipped from my mouth, and I cringed when I heard Cana shift on the bed. I looked up and found her blinking sleepily, a soft smile curving her lips. Her bemusement fell away a moment later when she noticed the state I was in. Her brow furrowed, and she turned more fully in my direction. "Gray? What's wrong?"

I gazed back at her silently, my mind still firmly denying what had happened. It was too much, first Lucy getting hurt, then Cana and the others, and now this? I didn't know how to deal with it all. I just wasn't strong enough. Suddenly, the dam inside me cracked, and I felt a tear spill from my eye.

"Gray?" She sounded moments away from panic as she reached out and latched onto my hand. "Gray, talk to me!"

My eyes filled, and before I could even spit out the first word, they were spilling over. "Lucy...she...she tried to kill herself."

"What?" Drawing back with a horrified gasp, Cana pressed a hand over her mouth and cried, quiet tears spilling down her cheeks. "She...she didn't..."

"No," I said softly, a wealth of gratitude swelling inside me at the thought of the shadow dragon slayer. "Rogue stopped her."

In that moment, I didn't think I'd never appreciated another being as much as I did Rogue. He'd saved Lucy in more ways than one, somehow always being there right in the nick of time and bringing her back to us. I couldn't imagine what I'd have done if we'd lost her, and because of him, I didn't have to.

"God...Gray..."

Her voice cracked as she reached for me, and I leaned forward and drew her into my arms, the pain and anguish of the past day finally finding its way out. I clutched her tightly to me, thanking the heavens for sparing her, for sparing them all, and I cried. I was a man lost, floundering in this sea of emotion.

"I can't do this..." I shuddered against her, my body shaking with the force of my sobs. "I can't...I'm not strong enough."

She pulled me close, lifting a hand to sift gently through my hair. "Yes, you are. You're the strongest person I know."

My head shook in denial. "No, I'm not." I knew what I was capable of, what I could handle, and this was more than I could bear. Everyone I loved had a target on their backs, and it felt like there was nothing I could do to protect them. "I nearly lost you and Lucy. We nearly lost all of you, and...and there wasn't a damn thing I could do."

"Gray..." she hummed gently, "We're all okay. I'm still here, and so are Lucy and Natsu and Levy and Happy. And it's going to stay that way. We're Fairy Tail, right?"

Her voice was soft and broken with tears, but it was firm with belief, her trust in me and our guild shining through. And that was just what I needed to hear. Warmth sparked inside me at her unshakable faith, calming the fears and uncertainty in my heart, and I latched onto it and held on for dear life.

In that moment, she saved me, reminding me of who I was, who our family was. She cut through the darkness that threatened to swallow me whole, her hope shining a light as bright as the sun in all the shadowy corners Tatankan's arrival had created. My tears eased, and I sucked in a deep breath, the first comfortable one I'd managed since the call. I let myself rest against her as my heart slowed, and then I lifted my head.

She watched me quietly, her eyes softer than I'd ever seen them, and I couldn't help pulling her back in. I didn't know what I would have done without her. She'd been a good friend, one of my closest for years, and yet it almost felt like more. She'd done for me what no one else had been able to do since the start of this whole thing. She'd given me back my strength, and she'd done it by sharing her own.

It meant something to me, more than I could have ever expressed with words. So I held her and prayed she would understand.

Long minutes later, she cut through the silence. "We should probably go."

"Yeah. I want to check on Lucy." She swept her fingers through my hair a final time, and I sighed as I drew away. "You okay to make the trip?"

"I'm fine, Gray. Don't worry so much," she said, an understanding smile lighting her face.

My mouth lifted marginally at her insistence. "You know that's never going to happen." I stared at her a moment longer before standing up and holding out my hands to assist her to her feet. She stood with only slight trouble thanks to Wendy's healing, and I nodded. "I'll get out of your way so you can get dressed."

I paused just in front of her, and she gave me a questioning look. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, lifting a hand and brushing a lock of hair from her face. "I will be..." Cupping her face, I leaned in and pressed my lips to her forehead. "Thanks Cana."

ROGUE'S POV

I lay there in Lucy's bed listening to the steady hum of voices downstairs. I knew they were attempting to be quiet, but with me being a dragon slayer, their efforts were essentially useless. I could hear everything they said and did, from each tearful sob of the women to the concerned grunts of the men. As I'd known they would be, everyone was shocked and heartbroken by Lucy's attempt to end her life, but none of them seemed to know what to do next.

I could relate. Only a handful of years ago, I had been in that very same boat, only no one had been there to save my friend from herself. I sighed as I looked down at the blonde snuggled so close to my side and felt that knot of tension ebb.

I'd made it in time. She was safe...for now.

But she wasn't out of the woods yet. I knew that now. I'd become complacent, thinking we had made it through the worst of it. I hadn't expected Tatankan to pull such a ballsy move or that Lucy would choose to quit. But I should have. I should have anticipated all of this. I was the one with experience. I'd seen it all go down before, so everything that had happened in the past several hours was on me. My fault. And that meant it was my responsibility.

Though, looking at Lucy curled up against me, it didn't feel like a responsibility. It felt...necessary somehow, like breathing. I had to be here, right here by her side, fighting every nightmare and fear with her. I couldn't walk away from her any more than I could have Frosch.

It was a bit startling to think she had grown to mean so much to me already.

I glanced further down the blonde's body and couldn't help a soft smile at my little partner curled up so snugly against Lucy's belly. She'd barely left the blonde's side in the last hour, stating rather firmly that the pretty Fairy needed hugs to get better. She'd taken it upon herself to give Lucy all the hugs she would require. It was strange how similar the two of us were in regards to Lucy. She'd somehow managed to capture us both, inciting a loyalty Frosch and I wouldn't normally feel for someone we barely knew. And yet, here we were.

And that was the thing. Frosch was my family. My attachment to her was understandable, expected even, but Lucy... She'd slipped in beside the little Exceed in no time flat, claiming herself a spot in my heart and my life before I could even ascertain that anything was happening. And I wasn't quite sure what to do with that information. What did it all mean?

"Rogue..."

The voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I cursed myself for not noticing anyone approach. I had to do better than this. Lifting my head, I found Natsu watching the woman sleeping in my arms quietly. His face was as serious as I'd ever seen it, but the look in his eyes was devastating. It was easy to see how he felt. From what I'd seen, the fire mage had always worn his thoughts for all to see, never ashamed of the way he felt, but never had he been more open than he was at this moment.

His heart was there for the viewing, and it pained something inside me to see the desolation there. I knew that feeling well, had felt it more times than I could count, and I knew the destruction it could cause. There were parts of me I'd lost along the way, things I'd long ago given up trying to get back. I couldn't help wondering if it was the same for my fellow slayer.

"Natsu."

His head came up at my call, and he blinked as if coming out of a daze. "Rogue, I just...I wanted to..." His voice lowered to a painful whisper as he fought to finish. "Thank you...for stopping her. I don't know what I would have done..."

He trailed off, swallowing hard as he returned his gaze to his former girlfriend. It seemed strange to share that sentiment with him after the way things had gone in the beginning, but the truth was I felt the same way. Maybe we'd never find anything else to come together on, but when it came to Lucy, it appeared we were of the same mind. Neither of us wanted to know what living without her would be like.

I couldn't decide how I felt about that. A part of me wondered just how deep his feelings still went for her. Had he changed his mind about the white-haired girl he'd become involved with?

I could feel a heat filling my chest at the thought, and my arms unconsciously shifted tighter around the sleeping blonde. Maybe it was ridiculous, but I didn't like the idea of Natsu trying to win her back. He'd hurt her once, and as far as I was concerned, he shouldn't get the chance to do so again. Friends, I was fine with, but more than that didn't sit well with me.

And I had no intention of delving too far into it to figure out why.

Once more, Natsu drew me from the drifting path my mind was taking.

"I just...I can't believe it..." He shook his head, and his eyes flooded with guilt as twin tears slipped from his eyes. "I didn't even know..." He looked up at me, and like a punch to the gut, his anguish hit me. "I was right there, and I didn't have a clue she was going to-"

"Natsu." I had to stop him. Already, I felt like an ass for harboring distrust for him, and with every word he uttered, I only felt worse. "She didn't want you to know. She didn't want anyone to know, because she didn't want anyone to stop her."

He nodded, swiping a hand beneath his eyes. "But you...you figured it out. You knew what she was trying to do."

"No, I didn't." I shook my head, a short bitter laugh slipping from my mouth as I glanced in Lucy's direction again. "I foolishly believed she was fine. It wasn't until I arrived and found her bed empty and the note on the counter that I knew something was wrong. I got lucky."

He winced at my explanation. "If you'd been even a minute later..."

"Don't go there."

My words were swift and final, probably more than a little terse, but I didn't want to revisit that line of thinking. I couldn't. The thought of her being gone tore me up, ripped my insides up more than anything else ever had. I refused to entertain it any longer. She was fine, and she would stay that way indefinitely if I had anything to say about it.

Natsu drew back at my vehemence, but I saw understanding spark in his charcoal eyes a moment later. He nodded and gave Lucy one last look before fixing me with a stare. "Tell her...tell her I'm glad she's here."

I nodded and watched him make for the door, his shoulders tipped down and his back slightly hunched. It had to be the first time I'd ever seen him so uncertain and broken. The man normally exuded pride and confidence, but his faith had been shaken. I'd learned long ago how hard it was to come back from that. It would take time, but I had no doubt that as Lucy progressed in her recovery, so would the rest of her friends. They just needed to know she was going to make it, that there was still hope.

And there would always be hope. I'd make sure of it.

STING'S POV

It had taken a bit of maneuvering to gain access to the Fairy Tail guild, and even more to be allowed access to the upstairs room that housed Rogue and his little blonde. The tension in this place was strange, thicker somehow and almost palpable. I couldn't help wondering if something else had come about in my absence.

In all honesty, I'd considered leaving Rogue to his own devices. I'd tried to reason with him, tried to show him how dangerous he behavior was, but nothing had worked, and I'd be damned if I kept after him like some whiny ass woman.

Still, I hadn't been able to leave Magnolia. The sense that something was wrong had preyed upon my mind, and I just couldn't escape it until I knew for sure the sorry bastard was fine.

Now that I'd arrived though, I knew I'd made the right choice. Something was up, and it took no real detective work to understand it revolved around Rogue's girl. The Fairies were staying tight-lipped about the circumstances, but I wasn't an idiot. Anyone could do the math.

I made my way up the stairs in silence, a sense of dread settling deep in my gut, and I paused as I approached the door and Natsu came shuffling out. He brushed past me without a single acknowledgement, his chin tucked down and his eyes cast to the floor. It was...weird. I'd half expected him to be pissed that I'd ratted him out to his guild about the white-haired chick, but he didn't seem to even recognize another presence close to him.

My brow furrowed, and I glanced down at Lector who'd flown up into my arms. "That was strange."

The little Exceed nodded, then pointed toward the door Natsu had just closed. "Is that where Rogue is?"

"Yeah, let's go see him."

I took a deep breath, trying to quell a sudden rise of nerves, then turned the handle and stepped inside. My gaze was immediately drawn to the only occupied bed in the room, and I stilled as Rogue's eyes slid open and caught sight of me.

"Hey-"

"What are you doing here?"

The words were cold, probably the coldest he'd ever uttered to me in all the years I'd known him. His expression though was damn near glacial, what I imagined Fairy Tail's ice mage looked like when he got really pissed. But beneath his frosty exterior, there was a fire raging. I could see it in his eyes, the normal red color all but blazing with heat.

"Rogue?" I kept my voice calm, somehow instinctively knowing I needed to tread carefully. "What happened?"

Hadn't I asked this already? Hadn't I come to this very room only hours ago and asked the very same thing?

"I asked you a question," he growled, easing his arm out from around the girl at his side and slipping bonelessly from the bed. He stalked toward me quietly, his eyes narrowed into violent slits. "What are you doing here?"

I took a step back at the severity of his tone, and then recovered it when I realized what I'd done. Why the hell was I backing up? And what was I going to tell him? I had a bad feeling and wanted to check up on him? Yeah, that would go over well considering how pissed he'd been when he left me in the streets. Adding in how pissed he seemed now, and I was no longer sure what would appease him.

So I went with what I thought would have the best chance of calming him down. "I thought I'd check up on Lucy."

Instantly, his eyes went molten. "Liar!"

The word was a hiss of venom as he advanced on my position. It was the angriest I'd ever seen him, and I rushed to push Lector out of my arms. I wasn't sure what Rogue was capable of like this, and I wasn't about to take chances with my little friend.

My concern was justified a fraction of a second later as Rogue smacked both hands against my chest, sending me flying back into the wall behind me. I barely had time to look up to see shadows spilling out from every inch of his body and then he was on me, pinning me to the wall. He leaned in, his normal placid expression replaced with one of complete disgust.

"I should have been here!" he spat, his body quivering with barely restrained fury.

I swallowed thickly at the murderous rage in his eyes. "Rogue, I know you're pissed at me for not telling you the truth, but this is a little-"

"You think this is because you deceived me?" His tone went deadly, and then he hissed, "She tried to kill herself!"

My eyes went wide, and I couldn't help but glance in the blonde's direction. I hadn't expected that. I wasn't sure what I'd expected, but her wanting to die certainly hadn't been it. "I...I didn't know."

It had to be the most pathetic response to something so serious, but what the hell could I say?

Rogue seemed to agree with my sentiment though, his jaw tightening as he gave me another smack against the wall before letting go. "Of course you had no idea," he sneered, "Considering what could happen to someone else would be too much effort for you."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, you sorry son of a bitch, that this is your fault!"

Suddenly, I was pissed, and it felt good. Sure, I'd kept the truth to myself about the girl's reason for sending Rogue on his way, but I didn't make her do what she'd done. "How the fuck did her trying to kick the bucket become my damn fault?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I knew they were a mistake, a grave one if his expression was any indication. But it was too late to take it back or explain it away because the next thing I knew, Rogue's fist was slamming into the side of my face. And he didn't stop there. I'd barely hit the wall again when he was grabbing for me again, his fist coming down with deadly intent. "I should have been here! If you had told me the truth, I would have been here, and she wouldn't have done it!"

My ears rang as he hit me again, and distantly, I could hear both Exceeds crying out for him to stop, but Rogue couldn't seem to hear or see anything but his rage.

His arm reared back, preparing for another attack when a soft voice called out. "Rogue, stop!"

Instantly, the dark-haired man stilled, his head whipping around to the girl in the bed. "Lucy..."

"Rogue, don't do this," she said, her eyes filling with tears as she reached for him.

His hand tightened around my shirt, and then he turned back to me, leaning in with a harsh whisper. "Be glad I made it back here in enough time to stop her..." He let the words hover there for a moment, his tone leaving no room for doubt of what he'd have done if that hadn't been the case. Then he stepped back and scowled. "Now, get out of my sight, and don't come back."