I had an absurdly hard time with this chapter.

You guys are absolutely fucking amazing!

I don't own FT, the Pradesh Family, or Criminal Minds which inspired the first scene.

"She knows something," Loke said, summoning himself into Lucy's brand-new office. The private office had surprised her. It was near Kaleb's and had a great view of the mountains.

"Come on in," Lucy said absently as she poured over financial reports.

"She's acting weird. Not her normal obsessive weird but like-"

"It's not like I'm doing anything in here," Lucy muttered, largely ignoring the pacing spirit.

"The woman is scheming and manipulative and I don't believe for a moment that it's merely the fact that you're a dragon slayer-"

"I'm really busy here, Loke."

"So you don't want to hear about how I think that Cassiopeia actually knows where her key is and won't say something?"

Lucy froze as her friend's words processed. "Okay," she said giving him her undivided attention.

"Thank you. I think that Cassi knows where hers and the others' keys are."

"Why won't she say?"

"Anna might've made her promise. Or it's not so much that she knows where they are but going on around them that has her in a tizzy. Anytime that there's been a female celestial wizard of any skill, she's tried to persuade their spirits to try to find the keys. But she's up in arms, driving all of us nuts."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"No. Anna was careful to be secretive. She went as far as to leave her keys in Bosco at the time."

Lucy hummed as she stood and started for the door.

"Where are we going?" Loke asked.

"We are not going anywhere. I'm going to talk to Kaleb."

"Harsh, Lucy. Though, if you're not going to marry me, he's a good second option."

"I'm not marrying anybody. And you're not a general option. The knight bond with Cris is bad enough. Being with Kaleb would mean staying here. And I have enough jewel in my savings that I could go anywhere. Become anyone."

"I dunno. I think Lucy Pradesh sounds fairly interesting." Before she could hit him, Loke disappeared.

"Meddling spirit," she said.

It had taken three days and plying Thane with coffee and scones, to get a handle on Kaleb's schedule. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he started the day with two hours in the gym before heading into his office. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he spent the first half of the day either training with other mages or working with in the guild's research and development lab. Generally, if he was in the lab, he needed to be reminded to eat lunch as Lucy had learned. The guild tended to party and relax on the weekends, so he took that time to be around the other mages.

The view from her office included a bit of the training grounds so she was headed to the guildmaster mansion. She walked in and sat on the arm of the couch.

"I think we need to put a temporary lead on Team Burgos while Solomon is on paternity leave. Somehow, they managed to chase a monster five miles into a town before killing it."

"How bad?" he asked.

"Pretty bad. About two…" Her voice trailed off as she looked up from the tablet screen. Kaleb had walked out in nothing but a white thong causing Lucy to swallow. "You're…uh… They-" Lucy continued to stammer and make half-articulate words.

Kaleb watched her curiously. Her eyes roved everywhere, and he could hear her mind memorizing every detail of his body. However, it was almost as if her mouth had disconnected from her brain. That, in itself, he found humorous.

Can you please put on some clothes? she finally asked.

Are you sure you want me too?

Not entirely but I still need to string words together into sentences.

He still didn't understand why she wasn't trying to play out one of the many fantasies that he was cataloging for future use. For her sake, he did go back and put on his pants. She wanted him. She wasn't hiding behind music like she usually did.

"That's not much better," she said when he walked out in just his leather pants. "It's also my turn to pick lunch and we're leaving the guild, so you need clothes."

"Fine. Did the computer give any recommendations?" he said as he walked back into his room to put on a shirt.

"Linda Fallwell."

"She'd have made a good match except she'd dated Ludolf. They were nearly promised before she started seeing someone else."

"Ouch. Okay. Nicolas Medvad?"

"He could work. And since it's a temporary assignment, it'll keep from having to come up with an excuse to get out of the team. Last one was expensive."

"All right. I'll send a notice."

"Thane can do that."

"Yeah, but I'm already in the system. And sent."

He stepped back into the living room with a smile for her. She sighed. It was Saturday, so she wasn't especially surprised that he wore a casual white button-down shirt with only the circlet around his head, the choker, and a few of his rings.

The restaurant that Lucy had picked out was Fioran. She'd been wandering through the city the day before. It wasn't until she'd had her favorite chicken and rice dish that she'd realized that she was a little homesick. Not enough to be looking forward to the ball with Farron, but a bit.

The two sat down at a table, amicably talking. Lucy had borrowed a book on mage technology. She was on the second volume but was still having trouble with some of the math. Instead of trying to write out where she was getting stuck, she'd let him into her mind palace so that he could see where she was getting stuck. More often than not, they'd forget to use their words.

Do you realize that was third time she's been by in ten minutes? Lucy asked as their waitress left the table.

Kaleb had heard the waitress's thoughts. That she was coming by in the hopes that he'd make the first move. Once upon a time, he might have entertained her, but it was the blonde across the table from him that he was most interested in. She was humming Chopin and still trying to finish the hypothetical code he'd given her.

The fourth time the waitress came to refill their drinks, she left a note: I get off in thirty minutes. Would you like to share pleasure?

Lucy read the note upside down and giggled. My Boscan isn't the best but I'm pretty sure the syntax is wrong.

It is. That's all you have to say?

I'm surprised it took so long? She gave him a confused look. You're a healthy, Boscan man. A frankly beautiful one at that. Why wouldn't she want to share pleasure with you?

I'm here with you.

So? I have no right to tell you that you can't.

It was at that moment that he realized something that had never occurred to him: that he could fall for someone that he'd never shared pleasure with. He wanted her to throw a fit. He wanted her to claim him.

Almost as if she could sense where his mind had gone, he saw her imagine kissing him. She grabbed his hair and pulled him into a kiss in the middle of the restaurant. It was so vivid that he almost touched his lips because he was certain he could feel hers on them.

Sorry. You weren't supposed to see that, she told him, a blush coloring her cheeks.

I don't mind. I'd mind even less if you actually did it.

She looked into his eyes, looking for a lie in his words. Instead, he allowed her to enter his mind.

"Here," she said, flopping down in the seat across from him.

"I'm not hungry," he said, not looking up.

"That's impressive since it's been six hours since I dragged you out of here to eat lunch."

He blinked and glanced at the clock. It was still a bit early for supper, but he normally would have stopped for a snack. There'd been an incident with a team and a dark guild along the Seven border. Initial reports had indicated that the team would have no problem. The team got out alive but just barely. A retrieval team had to be sent out and now the dark guild was taunting them.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I'm not ten anymore."

He saw a flicker of a memory. Her father throwing a rice ball she'd made him on the floor. Her running out crying because she'd wanted to spend her birthday with her father.

"Sorry," he repeated, regretting that he'd reminded her of her father for even a moment.

"Here," she said, handing him the pastry container and coffee. He sipped the coffee, smiling at the fact that she knew how he liked it. He opened the pastry container and stared the dessert. It was a triangular, flaky, he honestly didn't know what it was. "Most people eat it with their hands."

He could tell by her tone that she was enjoying the confusion on his face. She was very nearly giggling at the trepidation before taking pity on him and gave him a fork. The flaky layers wanted to fall apart, and he understood why it was normally eaten with their hands. When he finally took a bite, he moaned slightly. It was sweetened with rich honey with a slight nutty undertone.

"It's called baklava. It's a Midish dessert. There was a café near my apartment in Magnolia that had the best coffee and desserts. I know how much you like honey, so I thought you'd like it." She smiled as she stood. "I'll come back in a few hours with actual food."

Thane would remind him to eat but Lucy didn't give him an option in the matter. She respected when he was busy and would bring him food, but she'd sit there and bombard him with operatic music until he ate. Part of him didn't understand how he couldn't black her out like he could most people.

The following day, he asked Thane where he could get baklava. It surprised him when Thane said that the closest place was in Tahoe, the next town over.

Lucy blinked owlishly as the memory ended.

"You went that far for me."

"You were having a bad day."

"I don't know if I said thank you for that."

She smiled. "I'd do it again. We should get going though. Emi wanted to see me before Farron picks me up.

"I thought that wasn't until later."

"I need a dress. He was originally going to enlist Emi to do that, but I begged him not to."

He laughed when she relayed the exhausted mess she'd been in that last time she'd gone shopping with his sister. "I warned you."

Emzadi was waiting for them at the guild.

Save me, Lucy said to Kaleb when she saw the annoyed expression. However, it was too late, and the dragon slayer had grabbed Lucy and was half dragging, half carrying her into one of the privacy booths.

"Um…Emi. You're a beautiful woman but I'm really not into you," Lucy said when Emzadi released her.

"Hilarious. I want to mate Laxus."

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it?"

"What else am I supposed to say? You and I both know that it's up to the female dragon to claim their mate."

"Yeah but-"

"But he's still considering Mira. Who he's known half his life. Who left him. Though, knowing that he's still emotionally constipated, she probably never knew they were mates. But if you don't say that you want him, he's going to assume it's a fling. Woman up and go get your man."

"Big words coming from you."

Lucy flinched.

"You're planning on leaving as soon as you get the keys, aren't you?"

"I…don't know," Lucy admitted. "The knight bond with Cris was unplanned." Lucy sighed. "I should go finish getting ready."

"How many nights are you supposed to be in Fiore?"

"In theory, just tonight but he said to pack an extra change of clothes. Apparently, there's some trade issues that he's struggling to secure so if he gets an opportunity, we might stay an extra day. If it takes any longer than that, he'll just send me home."

"When is Laxus due back?"

"I'm not sure. I don't have my tablet with me. Tomorrow, I think. Freed only took this job to have an additional excuse to get out of the ball."

"Yeah, I know." Emzadi paused then slowly smiled. Suddenly, Lucy understood why they always said her smile was terrifying. "So how often have you been having meals with Kaleb?"

"Uh…" she murmured while trying to figure out if she could get out of the booth and trigger her meteor spell before Emzadi stopped her.

Kaleb!

Sorry. Can't hear you.

Cancer. Your hair. And I really don't care how many fantasies you've heard concerning it.

Hm… Fine.

While Emzadi did let her up, there was something sneaky in her gaze. Something terrifying.

*.*.*

Lucy was not above acknowledging that she was hiding in her room until Farron arrived to pick her up. When she admitted that to Farron, he laughed. The two chatted amicably during the flight though he noticed that she started getting quieter as they approached the landing in Crocus.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I'm just beginning to think the Fiorian gentry is like a black hole. It's impossible to get far enough to properly escape it."

"You could if you married a Boscan."

"Ugh. Not you too."