A/N: Hey guys, I know I'm posting this chapter a day early, but I realized that Sunday may not be the best time to post... I mean, who wants to read fanfics when the Walking Dead is on? XD Actually, since I know some of you work and others are in school and etc. what day of the week works best for you for me to post new chapters?

I also just want to thank you guys who are reading this story! I was really worried about it slipping under the rug because... Well, the Oracion Seis is kind of overlooked in the Fairy Tail fandom, AND I even struggle with getting into stories about OC's, so the fact that there are so many of you that have read this far is so friggin inspiring! Every view, review, follow, and favorite encourages me to keep working on this fic, so thank you! 3 3 3

Chapter 10: Midnight, Cookies and Milk

The door softly closed behind her. She released a breath and walked the hall to the living room/kitchen area of their home, where Mirajane was brewing tea in her nightgown and humming to herself.

"Did she fall asleep?" Mira asked as Dreamer came in and sat on the sofa.

"She was out before I even shut the door," Dreamer laughed in response. She stretched out and stripped her jean vest off before making herself comfortable.

"That's not surprising," Mira giggled. "It was quite an exhausting day for her." She brought Dreamer a cup of rose-honey tea on a little saucer. Dreamer bowed her head thankfully and sat the saucer down on the coffee table.

"Yeah," she agreed with a warm smile. "This is her favorite time of the year, when the animal carnival travels through town." She could still remember the first time she'd taken Syllest, nearly five years ago. The little toddler had been so overjoyed at seeing a baby panda that she nearly fell into the exhibit. Dreamer chuckled at the memory.

Mira sat on the sofa next to Dreamer and placed her own cup on the table. "It really is a shame that Piper didn't come, though. This is the first time in four years that he's missed it."

Dreamer gave a weary sigh. Her eyes fixated on the tendrils of steam rising from her porcelain teacup. "He's mad at me," she said with a sad frown.

"Because of the Midnight thing?"

Dreamer had finally explained the situation to Mira after the incident in the guild hall earlier that day. Mira was supportive as always. Piper on the other hand… Dreamer had tried to get a moment alone with him after watching him walk out of the hall when everything was going on. He'd made it very clear that he wasn't interested in talking. Sorry, Doll. I gotta go babysit—no time to chat.

"I understand him being upset," she said. She finally picked up her cup and sipped. "But he doesn't have to take it out on her."

"Oh, Dreamer, don't be silly." Mira wrapped her arms around her neck in a comforting hug. "Piper loves Syllestra. He'll make it up to her. That's the kind of person he is. He just needs time to think, that's all." She pressed her cheek warmly against Dreamer's, nearly crushing her in the embrace now. "Don't worry. Everything will go back to normal in a few days."

Dreamer smiled and returned the hug. "You're always so optimistic, Mirajane."

"Not always." Mira straightened up a bit, but continued to lean on her friend's shoulder.

Everything will go back to normal.

Except it wouldn't. There was no "normal" anymore. Dreamer had brought a stranger into the guild. That shook up the entire dynamic of "normal." She wasn't sure Piper would be satisfied until Midnight was gone. The thought of it all made her jaw clench in frustration.

"Mira… What if… What if I made the wrong choice?" Rescuing a member of the Oracion Seis—refusing to turn him in to the council—bringing him to Magnolia, to Fairy Tail… "If he decides to act out, I'll have put everyone in danger. All of my friends… Piper, Jezran, you… Syllest." Her hands were trembling when she tried to pick up the cup again. "If anyone gets hurt because of him, it will be all my fault."

"Don't be silly," Mira looked warmly at her. "Even if he did decide to act out, no one at Fairy Tail would let him get that far. Erza and the others already beat him once, remember? And the rest of the guild wasn't even there to help! Imagine what would happen if he tried to pick a fight with all of us."

Dreamer nodded slowly.

"But I don't think that's going to happen," Mira continued. "This isn't the first time you brought a shady stranger to the guild, after all." Her high voice was suggestive and she gave Dreamer a thick-lashed wink.

"Yeah, but Piper wasn't an assassin," Dreamer countered, knowing exactly what Mira was referring to.

"Maybe not. But no one thought he was a good guy, either. No one… except you." She straightened up and folded her hands in her lap. "You believed in Piper the same way you believe in Midnight now. Which is why it's kind of silly for him to be so mad at you." She giggled. "I don't think it's a bad thing that you see the good in everyone, Dreamer."

Dreamer smiled and finally relaxed a little. "You're right. Thanks Mira."

"That's what best friends are for!" Mirajane said, exuberantly. She picked up her own cup of tea and took a drink, before suddenly shrieking and spilling it all over her white nightgown.

"Are you okay?!" Dreamer jumped up. "Was the tea too hot?"

"No!" Mira lunged across the coffee table, totally ignoring the spilled tea, and picked up a folder laying there. "Freed gave this to me earlier and told me to file it and I totally forgot!" She stood up and made for the door as if she intended to run all the way to the guild hall in a see-through, soaked nightgown. "I have to file it tonight because collection comes before the guild hall opens! How could I be so stupid?!"

"Mira, wait!" Dreamer called after her. "Breathe! I'll take it to the guild hall for you, okay?"

Mirajane turned her head and looked wide-eyed at her, her hand still on the doorknob. Dreamer crossed over to her and gently placed a hand on hers. "You relax. I'm still dressed. I'll go file this for you."

"Are you sure?" Mira asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Dreamer took the folder from her hand. "I'm feeling restless anyway. A walk would be good for me."

Mira finally let go of the doorknob and leaned back. She folded her arms over her chest and granted Dreamer a gleaming smirk. "You just want to go see Midnight!"

Dreamer blinked then scowled. "What?! Mira, no! He's restricted to the boy's dorm at night anyway, you know!"

"So, if you come back late I'll know where you've been." Mira was as innocent as she was devious.

"Oh, God, don't do this to me, Mirajane Strauss." Dreamer sweat dropped and watched as Mira began to act out a scene she was fantasizing in her head. She was throwing imaginary pebbles at a window.

"Midnight! It's me, Dreamer! Come down and dance with me in the moonlight!" She gave a dramatic twirl and grabbed Dreamer by the arm to make her dance with her. "It's so romantic!"

Dreamer pulled away, flustered. "Yeah, not gonna happen."

"Why not? I think you'd be cute together!"

"Mira! He's a member of Oracion Seis! Have you seen him?" Eternal sweat drop.

"It would be so cute! He's like the night sky and you're like the moon and stars! Perfect balance!"

"I'm leaving." Dreamer groaned and opened the door while Mira continued prancing around and acting out her scene. "Besides, I thought you were still hooked on the idea of Natsu and Lucy."

"Nalu!" Mira squeaked. "They're perfect for each other, Dreamer! The other day, I saw them fighting about—"

Dreamer rolled her eyes and shut the door with a chuckle while Mirajane continued on. There was nothing that girl loved more than imagining perfect couples in a fantasy little world of hers. A week ago it was Gray and Erza. Just one of the remarkable traits of Dreamer's loveable roommate.

Tonight it was Reedus on night-shift. He was sketching to pass the time. Dreamer waved at him when she came through the doors.

"Hello, Reedus. I'm just here to file something. Which reminds me… Where do I put stuff to be picked up by collections?"

"Oui, in the mail room. Outgoing box," Reedus pointed with his paintbrush toward one of the many guild hall doors.

"Thank you so much!" Dreamer nodded and headed in that direction. If she remembered correctly, she could get to the mail room by going through the kitchen. This should only take a moment.

The guild hall was always so different at night. During the day it was constantly abuzz with activity. And the guild member numbers seemed to be multiplying by the day. At night, it was eerily silent. Some people stayed behind to finish paperwork, study, or simply to be away from home—but those people usually hung out in the library this late at night. The rest of the hall was echoingly silent. Dreamer still hadn't gotten used to the new guild hall for this reason.

She swung the folder at her side and walked toward the back of the kitchen.

He was so still that she almost didn't see him standing there, behind one of the counters. In fact, had it not been for the fact that it would be impossible to miss those blood-red eyes from a mile away, she might not have caught him watching her. It was that rouge gleam that she glimpsed in the corner of her eye that made her stop in her tracks.

"Macbeth?"

The dark wizard was standing as still as a statue, his eyes narrowed at her. It would have been a really intense, terrifying moment, if not for the fact that he was holding a glass of milk and cookies.

"What are you doing here?" Dreamer asked, gaping at him.

"What does it look like?" He snapped back. He closed the fridge door with an elbow and showed absolutely no shame in the spoils of his night raid.

"I thought Freed's enchantments kept you from leaving the dorm at night." She glanced at the glass of milk and then back up at his harsh expression.

"Don't remind me." He sneered. The purple ring of light still glowed faintly around his ankle, marking his limitations. "The rules would keep me in the dormitory if that's where I was when the sun set, but your pathetic boyfriend ditched me this afternoon. Without an escort, I'm stuck here."

"He's not my boyfriend," Dreamer said quickly, not sure what made her feel the need to be so defensive.

Midnight gave a bitter smirk. "You might want to tell him that."

A long silence ensued. Dreamer was rooted to the spot, folder still clutched in her hand. She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what. The hard look in Midnight's eyes showed that he still felt no fondness toward her. She didn't blame him. It seemed like very few people liked her much right about now.

"Are you going to leave me alone or do you want to stand there and mock me?" He hissed finally.

"I'm not mocking you," she said.

"Oh really?" He bared his teeth and slammed the plate of cookies and the milk on the counter. "A fairy standing less than ten feet away from me, the same one who's responsible for taking away my freedom, and I'm completely powerless to kill you." He laughed without humor. "You might as well spit in my face."

Shame colored Dreamer's cheeks pink. "I'm sorry you see it that way… But, at least here you're not trapped in some little cell, right?" She said this mostly to erase some of the guilt she was feeling. "Here, you can sneak around at night for milk and cookies." She managed a teasing grin. He did not look amused.

"I'm so grateful." The sarcasm was like poison.

Dreamer sighed, regretting her choice to take Mira's place. She was regretting quite a lot of things this week. Fate didn't seem to be giving her any favor.

"I'll leave you alone. I'm just dropping something off." She took a few steps under the weight of his unblinking glare. She paused and looked back at him. "Oh yeah, I forgot to thank you." She smiled as cheerily as she could and resisted the urge to use her magic on him, to make him at least a little bit more friendly. She made a silent vow to never use her magic on him again.

"Thank me?" His eyes narrowed even more.

"For standing up for me today." She fought his glare with her own calm countenance. "You knew you couldn't fight off Natsu and Erza, but you still stood up to them when I offered to take your punishment. That was kind."

He actually laughed. A bitter, mocking laugh. "You must be dreaming. I didn't do that for you. You are dreaming if you think I'd ever waste my breath on you. Your friends can beat the hell out of you for all I care. I just didn't want to pass up an opportunity to taunt the mighty Titania, Erza."

Dreamer forced herself to maintain the smile. "I know you say that, but… I think, deep down, you're the kind of person who wants to defend the weak and powerless—because no one defended you when you were trapped in the Tower of Heaven."

Midnight's fist slammed hard against the wall. Pent up rage now shone in those red eyes. "Listen, girl. The only thing I care about is my own freedom. I enjoy the slow and painful suffering of those who are 'weak and powerless.' Those without power don't deserve to be protected! If they want freedom, they need to get stronger so that they can crush those that take it from them." His voice was impassioned, but also shaky. The rage and the fear. They always went hand in hand with this man.

"Are you going to crush me, too?" Dreamer asked. She was the one responsible for his imprisonment here. By that logic…

"Yes." He leaned over the counter toward her, baring both canines. He continued in a low, threatening voice. "There is nothing I will savor more than listening to the sweet lullaby of your screams when I finally get the chance to kill you, Dreamer." He spat her name out like it disgusted him.

Dreamer's smile finally faltered. She looked at the ground, sorrow eclipsing her face. Not because of his threats or his obvious hatred toward her, but because they just proved what she feared most. That Midnight might never be redeemed. He might always be trapped in those painful emotions. He might never find his freedom…

His fingers loosened when he saw the defeat in the woman across from him. Cream-colored hair draped down, covering her cherry-blossom eyes.

"I can take you to the dorm if you'd like," she offered suddenly, her voice still gentle, despite his cruel words.

"You'd still help me? Even after that?" He was incredulous. Why did she take his threats without flinching?

"Just because you're cruel, doesn't mean that I have to be," she replied, firmly.

Midnight didn't seem like he knew how to respond to that. He scoffed and turned his head. His bottom lip jutted in something like a pout. It almost made Dreamer laugh. She had a feeling he wasn't used to people responding to him with kindness. But she refused to be lured in by his hate. The chances of his redemption were slim to none, but… There was still a chance.

"No way," he said, still pouting. "I'll sleep here."

"Okay," she gave a slight giggle. "It's pretty easy for you to sleep anywhere, though, isn't it?"

"Stop smiling," he commanded. "Haven't you heard anything I said? I hate you." There was still anger on his face, but his eyes were more guarded now. Cautious.

"I know." The sadness on the corners of her smile. "But you like cookies and milk," her eyes glimmered. "Which means you can't be that bad."

He rolled his eyes and picked up the plate of a mountain of cookies. "You think dark wizards only eat the flesh of our enemies or something?"

"Or something."

The air had changed between them. Dreamer knew he was still angry. And she knew that, in the heat of that rage, he probably would like to kill her. But she refused to believe he was all evil. Scared and furious, and… lonely. There was an innocent child in there somewhere—a little boy who liked milk and cookies and pouted when he didn't get his way. There was hope for that little boy. There had to be.

"Now will you leave me alone?" He sneered.

"Yes." Dreamer smiled widely and headed for the door again. "Goodnight, Macbeth. Enjoy your cookies."

He didn't respond, but she knew his eyes never strayed from her until the door closed. She took a deep breath when she was away from the kitchen. She felt a mixture of relief, sorrow, and hope—a confusing combination of emotions.

Macbeth… That was the name of the boy trapped in the shell called Midnight. She wanted to set him free, so badly. But she knew she'd never be able to. Not unless he fought with her to break that shell from the inside. He had to want to be free. To be really free, that is. Not the perverted idea of freedom Brain had implanted in his head.

She remembered what Mirajane had said. It wasn't a bad thing that Dreamer saw the good in everyone. It wasn't a bad thing that she saw the good in Midnight.

She hoped that one day he would see it too.