In my defense, I did warn you that I was an asshole.

I don't own the Pradesh family or FT.

When Lucy collapsed, Zen dove down to cover her. His teeth were bared and growled when Kaleb tried to approach. Having seen his attack through Vander's eyes, Kaleb put him to sleep so that he could get to Lucy. Two of the mages that had already returned to the ship carried Zen to the med-bay, but Kaleb wasn't paying attention to them.

Her clothes were soaked through. Her breathing was shallow and fast. He couldn't find her pulse. One of his hands was pressed the gash but it was deep and wide. The other was leaving bloody streaks on her face.

Cris! It's Lucy.

I'll be- Shit! Meredy.

Instead of Cristoff, Laxus appeared. He slid next to Lucy.

I can't find her heartbeat.

"That's because it's not there. Let her go," Laxus said.

What?

"The electricity will fry you if you don't let her go."

Once she was on the ground, Laxus pushed a bolt of electricity into her heart. Followed by a second one when her heart didn't start.

"Come on, damn it. Don't you dare die, Lucy," Laxus said, barely keeping his composure.

Kaleb was struggling to focus. He could sense Lucy fading. When Monoceros appeared, he almost sent her back. Lucy couldn't afford to use the amount of magic the spirit used when she summoned herself.

"She can't afford to have you out," Kaleb choked.

"I know, but if I don't, she will die." The spirit had waited for as long as she could, but the situation seemed too dire.

On the ground, Meredy was shoved into the path of the structure failing started by the west wing's collapse. She was conscious but trapped.

Cris!

Kaleb almost told Laxus to stop. The beeping electronics telling him that Laxus's electricity was wreaking havoc with them as he pulled power from them to keep defibrillating her heart. Despite that, her heart was only lasting a few beats before stopping again. It was only Monoceros's healing magic that allowed them that much. Even Cristoff couldn't raise the dead. He didn't tell Laxus to stop because he couldn't.

Lucy's magic was wrapping around her keys. Trying to hold onto her contracts which would be voided on her death. Monoceros loved her for that.

"Mr. Kaleb, may I borrow your magic?" Monoceros said. Kaleb held out his hand unquestioningly.

Laxus was still using his magic to keep Lucy's heart beating while Monoceros used Kaleb's Immaculate Light to channel the magic that Lucy was lacking into keeping her mostly stable until Cristoff arrived.

Emzadi had shoved Cristoff away from where he was digging his mate out. She could handle it, but their queen needed a healer.

When Cristoff appeared on the deck, he could smell the poison and already festering infection. Both Laxus and Kaleb were halfway to accepting that Lucy was gone. That thought nearly stopped Cristoff from reacting. His magic, even the healing mists, were wrapping around Lucy instinctively.

There was too much damage for Monoceros to deal with on her own. The unicorn was meant for poison, magic, and the occasional broken bones. Lucy's magic wasn't strong enough. Not focused enough.

If they lost Lucy… Cristoff glanced at his brother. The lacrima in his choker was pulsing and he was no longer projecting his thoughts as he struggled to reign in his emotions. Lucy wouldn't begrudge Cristoff the fact that he'd gone to protect his mate first. That he'd been so focused on Meredy that he hadn't recognized the shooting pain of his bond with Lucy. He'd hate himself though.

Ba-bump.

The sound was subtle. Laxus, who was still hyper focused in search of the sound, noticed it first.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

The sound was followed by a soft sigh. That, Kaleb heard.

"Lucy?" he murmured, stroking her hair out of her face.

"She's going to be out of it for a while," Cristoff said.

Monoceros returned to her realm as soon as the poison had flushed from her system. It turned the slayer's mist a noxious orange color. By that time, Vander, Bickslow, and Erik had arrived. Erik inhaled it and became a giggly drunk that Bickslow steered out before the stressed lightning dragon slayer electrocuted him.

Despite being a little shaky on his feet, Laxus didn't hesitate to punch Vander. "I said, unharmed." He put off punching Cristoff until Lucy was stable and in the med-bay. By that time, Emzadi and Meredy were both aboard as well.

Once everyone had returned to the two ships and they were in the air, Kaleb settled next to Lucy and listened to the music of her mind. When he was stable enough to trust himself, he reached out to his family.

Vander had requested pleasure from one of the mages Kaleb had brought. With the exception of his sisters and Farron, his siblings were seeking comfort with their significant others. Xally was on the intercept working the med-bay while flirting with a mage who broke his arm.

Emzadi was giggling at Laxus who was fielding calls from Wendy and Gajeel. The kinship bond, strengthened by the fact that Lucy was a queen, had reverberated back to them. Kaleb wondered if the other slayers would end up in Bosco. It was fortunate that Natsu didn't know where Lucy was. Lucy's thoughts concerning him were kinder than Laxus's.

Between Vander's memories of Zen's reaction to Lucy and his own, Kaleb and Cristoff decided to keep Zen asleep when he'd started to stir. They weren't sure what he was capable of but the Saberfox had stronger defenses from the outside than the inside.

How's Lucy? Arman asked.

Stable. Cris says she'll recover but… He sighed, not wanting to think about how close he'd come to losing her.

She's a fine woman. How's Zen?

Sleeping. Cris is keeping him asleep. He attacked Van to protect Lucy. And me when she teleported on board. It's safer to keep him asleep as long as Lucy is unconscious.

I understand. I can't even begin to imagine the trauma he's suffered. How much healing did Cris have to do?

Dad, don't ask questions that I'm not sure you want the answer to. Kaleb could hear Arman's pain in his silence. While he was physically fit, Cristoff noted multiple diseases that probably would've killed him within the next few years.

She's waking up.

Lucy felt heavy as she woke up. The comforting sensation of Kaleb's magic ceased as soon as he realized that she was regaining consciousness.

"Where am I?"

"The med-bay of the Saberfox," Kaleb said softly.

She turned her head to look at him. He was sitting next to her, looking haggard. His eyes were red, but there was an unmistakable relief in them.

Are we still in Pergrande? she asked, feeling too exhausted to even speak.

"No. We'll land in Pelerno in a few hours."

Zen? The coliseum?

"I put him to sleep. Cris is keeping him that way. He panicked when you collapsed. We couldn't get him to calm down. The coliseum was destroyed. By the way, there are four irate dragon slayers aboard this craft."

And you?

"I can't begin to express how I feel at the moment. I was terrified. I'm furious. I'm relieved. Meredy was in the middle of a fight. Cris was distracted. I nearly lost you." Kaleb let her into his memory of the moment.

I'm sorry. She cried. In his memory, she could feel the pain of his certainty that she was dying.

"I'm going to wrap you in pillows and lock you in a tower," he said, kissing her.

If that tower includes you, chocolate, and lots of naughty sex things, I'm okay with that.

"'Naughty sex things'?"

Yup. Chocolate on you. Chocolate on me. Oo… Strawberries too.

"You nearly die, and this is how process it."

I've nearly died a lot. After a while, you learn to just embrace the fact that you didn't. And so, when not every inch of me hurts, I want to fuck you for at least three hours. She smiled and reached out for his hand. And then I want make love to you and remember why you're where I want to come home to.

He kissed her, trying to force as much passion as he could into that kiss without hurting her.

"You've spent too much time around Vander. His mouth is rubbing off."

Shut up and come cuddle me.

.~*~.

Zen woke up in an unfamiliar room. The bed was more comfortable than anything he could remember and he more rested than he'd ever been. It made him nervous until he felt it. Once his eyes were open, he immediately searched out Lucy who his magic told him was there, ignoring the presence of the other people in the room. She was in the back of the room, leaning against another man with long, white-blond hair.

The presence of the two men sitting close to him almost made him lash out but Lucy seemed unperturbed. He wondered if part of the reason she clung to the other man was that she was still hurt and decided that he couldn't risk hurting her further.

That was when he got a good look at the two men. There were enough similarities in the younger man to the older man that Zen knew they were family. It took longer for him to realize that he recognized those features in his own reflection.

"You're my father and brother, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm Arman and this is Farron. These are your adoptive siblings: Cristoff, Xally, Emzadi, Bickslow, Vander, and Kaleb." Arman pointed each one out as he said their names. Arman moved forward twice then changed his mind before finally just hugging him. "It's good to have you home."