~ Bad Boy to the Rescue ~

Staring out at the rain, watching it patter against her window was our dear perplexed Lucy Heartfilia. She sat on the cushioned window seat, hugging her knees close to her chest and leaning her side against the three-quarter length window. She didn't particularly want to be here but after what happened last night she found it impossible to be near Natsu. Hell, she couldn't even think of him without blushing like an idiot. And so here she was – in her old bedroom at the Heartfilia Konzern – far away from everything that could remind her of him. But that wasn't enough to stop her mind from being clouded by thoughts of him. In fact, the scene from last night replayed over and over in her head, rendering her unable to focus on anything at all.

By the time she awoke that morning, Natsu was already gone. For a moment, she thought that it was one of those dreams but then she went downstairs and saw Erza.

The student council president had just returned home after pulling an all-nighter and she looked quite the ultimate picture of death, sitting at the island counter, with her newly visible dark eye rings. Perched up on the high stool with a Styrofoam coffee cup nestled in her hands, she stared lifelessly into the distance until Lucy called out to her, "Erza."

"Ah, Lucy."

"Work piled up?" The blonde made a random guess.

"Yeah, all thanks to him." The redhead's blackened eyes looked pointedly at the log that was sleeping on the sofa.

"Natsu?" Lucy had turned around to follow Erza's line of vision.

She wondered what he had done this time but did not bother to ask. Seeing the pinkhead in question lying on the sofa motionless, Lucy blinked back her surprise and that was when it dawned on her; Natsu had snuck out in the middle of the night knowing that Erza would be back in the morning. If she had caught him so much as walk out of Lucy's room that morning, he could say goodbye to his remaining days for good.

The blonde continued to watch the sleeping Natsu from where she stood and she noted how he was openly sprawled atop the couch, lightly snoring. She was rather amused that even a raucous animal such as him could be so peaceful while asleep.

Then, the clattering noises of Erza getting up from the high stool brought Lucy back from her momentary daze. A blush coated her cheeks immediately when she caught herself studying Natsu. She reddened further when the events of last night flashed across her mind. Fortunately, the overworked student council president was too shagged to notice.

"I'm going to bed," Erza said as she slowly trudged up the steps.

Lucy gave a small sigh of relief once she heard Erza entering the bedroom. Then she picked up the take-away cup Erza had left behind, hoping that there might be some coffee left, only to find that it was completely empty. …she's going to bed immediately after drinking coffee? Geez, she must be really drained.

And from the looks of it, she's not the only one… Her wandering gaze fell upon Natsu, and in the next split second, recollections of last night filled her mind once again. Instantly, she felt her cheeks begin to heat up and she heaved a troubled sigh. This can't go on.

Lucy had hoped coming back to Heartfilia Konzern would provide her with more space. Yet, rather than clear her mind, the distance she had put between herself and Natsu merely made her feel more unsettled. If she would just dig deeper, she'd realize that she had already begun to get used to Natsu's persistent presence, and that his absence, at this point in time, would only serve to make her heart grow fonder.

A light knock at her door snapped her out of her wandering thoughts.

"Come in," she said.

The door opened just wide enough for the short and stout Ms Spetto to step in and she silently shut it behind her.

"My lady, your father has requested your presence in his study."

'Requested'… More like 'summoned'. Lucy scoffed in her head. Then she said, "Ms Spetto, how many times have I told you to drop all the formalities when it's just me? 'Lucy' is fine."

"My apologies, Lucy," she replied. "You know how uptight your father is about titles and everything."

The blonde sighed and reluctantly got up from her window seat. "I'll go see what he wants."

Maybe he thinks it's unusual for me to be back so suddenly and just wants to know why, she thought as she walked along the hallway.

Lucy knocked before entering and while she stood before her father at his imposing desk, she worried about what she should say if he asked her why she was back. But when he opened his mouth, she wondered why she even thought for a moment that he cared.

"There will be an important business function tomorrow evening. I was going to send a car to your place in the morning but I guess there will be no need for that now."

"Hello, father, it's nice to see you again too," she said dryly.

But despite her satirical tone, Jude Heartfilia never once looked up from his paperwork since his daughter stepped into the study. In the next one… two… three minutes, she stood at the same spot, quietly waiting for him to carry on or make some snide remark in response but he didn't. And then it occurred to her that he might have forgotten about her as a result of being too engrossed in his work. How typical.

"So, an important business function…?" She prompted.

"What? Oh! You're still here?" Truly startled, he finally looked up. "Yes, an important business function. The client is very family-oriented and I have to close the deal with him soon. The party I'm throwing here tomorrow night is to help speed up the process." As soon as he said that, his attention went back to his paperwork and he began scribbling away.

He's already assuming I'll be there. Figures, I guess. He only ever calls on me when he needs something from me. It wasn't the first time her father had done this, but being ordered to show up and having no say in the matter whatsoever – it wasn't exactly something she could imagine herself getting used to. Today, however, she had spent all her willpower trying to and failing miserably at not thinking about the pink-headed idiot back in the city. Thus, she had zero energy left to go against her father and so she easily complied. Besides, she didn't really want to go back to Fairy Hills yet.

"I will be sure to leave a favourable impression tomorrow."

"Yeah, sure," he replied, distracted. "And as usual, I will allow you to invite one of your friends too."

"Thank you, father," she replied. "Then, I'll take my leave now."

Lucy politely bowed and left the study.

Back in her room, Lucy put her phone up to her ear and listened to it ring. After just four rings, her call was answered – by a recorded voice, that is.

"Hey, this is Loke. I can't come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I'll call you back, if you're a babe."

"…what?" Lucy stared blankly at her phone. She was confused because she had never reached Loke's voicemail before. Usually, if Loke couldn't answer her call, it would ring till the end and an automated voice would tell her: 'The number you are calling is not available. Please try again later.' But this time…

Lucy didn't know if she was thinking too much but this time, there was a nagging suspicion that wouldn't go away.

Did he just– Did Loke just reject my call…?

It's not as though Loke wasn't allowed to ignore her calls. No, Lucy was not that kind of tyrant. It's just that he never did, so the whole thing felt weird to her and she didn't know what to make of it. Nevertheless, she slowly came to terms with it and decided to try again.

This time, the call continued long after the fourth ring. Lucy was about to give up when it connected and a voice came through, "Hello?"

"Hello?" Lucy answered.

"Hey, princess," Loke's voice rang clear. "Sorry I didn't pick up just now. I, err… I was, uhhh, occupied."

Lucy frowned but did not get angry at him. "Well…" She contemplated whether to ask what was he doing. Instead, she decided to go straight to the point. "I just wanted to ask, are you free tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yea."

"What's going on tomorrow?"

"A dance ball… at my father's mansion."

"Wha– another one?"

"Yeah."

"Ahh… umm…"

It wasn't like him to hem and haw. "You're not free?"

"No, actually, I'm not. I already have plans tomorrow and I don't think I can cancel them."

"Ah, I see. It's alright." Lucy did well to mask the disappointment in her voice. Loke knew how uncomfortable such business events made her so he'd always cancelled his plans to accompany her before. I guess… even Loke can't always be there for me.

"Sorry, Lucy."

"It's okay," she replied. "It's pretty last minute after all. I'll just invite Juvia or something."

"I'm really sorry! I promise I'll make it up to you next time."

"Sure."

"Don't worry, okay? You'll be fine!"

"Okay, bye now."

Lucy ended the call. She didn't feel like calling Juvia up as she had said she would. It's probably going to be a terrible end to the weekend since Loke's not coming, she thought, but maybe it's about time I dealt with my own problems by myself.

The next day, Lucy woke up bright and early. She had an extravagant breakfast at the long table with her father in silence and then took a stroll in the garden. She stopped at her mother's gravestone and made a mental note to sneak out of the ball tonight should things get too much for her to handle. Then she read in the library until Ms Spetto reminded her it was time to prepare for the ball.

Preparations began at two and only finished three hours later. It began with a manicure and a pedicure, followed by a milk bath. And when she got out, a maid helped dry her hair before Cancer, a professional hairstylist, came to style it. Lucy's father had already chosen her outfit for her and it was as ostentatious as she had expected it to be. A professional beautician helped with her make-up and then Ms Spetto put her in a corset. With the help of the first maid, they tightened the corset until Lucy could barely breathe. Finally, the blonde slipped into the dress, but the tiring preparations only ended after her maids accessorized her with a matching ruffled tulle choker and after she stepped into her high heels.

When Lucy looked into the mirror, she could not recognize herself. Sure she looked beautiful, but this was not what she wanted; this was not her. When she looked into the mirror, all she saw was a doll-like young girl dressed in a ruby pink dress with lavender pink frills – she could not see herself.

Just one night, Lucy tried to convince herself. And then she sighed.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Ms Spetto had remained in the room with her after everyone else had gone.

"Oh, nothing," Lucy replied without much thought.

"Do you not like the dress?" Ms Spetto's black eyes filled with concern.

"No, no, it's not the dress. The dress is gorgeous."

"Then are you not happy with your hairstyle? Do your shoes feel uncomfortable?"

"No, not at all. It's nothing to do with any of this," Lucy gestured toward her outfit. "My shoes feel as comfortable as high heels would. Don't worry, Ms. Spetto, the preparations are more than satisfactory. It's just that I've never liked father's dance balls all that much and today I will be all on my own."

"You're never alone, my dear, unless you choose to be."

Ah… she's right. How could I forget?

"Thank you, Ms Spetto," the girl finally smiled.

Soon it was time and the iron gates to the Heartfilia estate opened, allowing a constant stream of cars to enter.

Standing by the side of the main stairway with her father, Lucy watched as couples waltzed in 1-2-3's and vibrant coloured ball gowns fanned out as they twirled round and round. Lucy loved ballroom dancing, but today she had obstinately refused everyone's dance requests just to spite her father.

Of course, Jude wasn't too pleased about that. But he couldn't force his daughter to get out onto the dance floor, so instead he simply made sure she had a smile constantly plastered to her face.

"When they arrive later, be nice. Even if you don't like them, act nice," he talked down to his daughter.

"Yes, father, I know how to act appropriately."

"Well, so far you certainly haven't shown me that you do. Your behaviour tonight has fallen short of my expectations."

"The night has only just begun, father."

"Does this imply that you will do better from here on?"

Lucy sighed. Trust him to turn her words against her; she could never win an argument against her father in this house.

"Here they come." Jude spotted them walking through the tall giant double doors and went forward to greet them as did Lucy.

Lucy had expected to see a wrinkly, old businessman, perhaps accompanied by a secretary, but instead, she saw two good-looking young men – one black-haired and one light blond.

"Welcome! I'm glad the two of you could make it!" Jude reached out to shake hands with them.

"When the Heartfilia household throws a party, I simply can't turn down the invitation," the black-haired one replied while shaking his hand.

At the back of Lucy's mind, she thought that this was a whole lot of bullcrap but nevertheless, she maintained a pleasant smile on her face.

"This is my daughter, Lucy," Jude gestured toward her.

"How do you do," she curtseyed politely.

The black-haired one slightly bowed his head, while the blond did not respond.

"Lucy, this young gentleman is Rogue Cheney and this is his partner, Sting Eucliffe. Together, they run the Cheney-Eucliffe Foundation."

"Pleasure to meet you." Again, only Rogue spoke while Sting looked indifferent.

Then her father made the most absurd suggestion. "Lucy, why don't you have a dance with Sting while I show Rogue to the refreshments bar?"

Lucy was so outraged by his request that her smiley façade nearly dropped. She took a quick glance at Sting's reluctant arms-folded posture and wasn't sure she wanted to be dancing with him. But, she wasn't going to blatantly defy her father.

"This way, if you would…" She led Sting to the dance floor and separated from her father and Rogue.

Lucy stood awkwardly with Sting by the side, wondering whether he was going to take the lead now or whether he was ever going to speak.

"Do you–"

"You can drop the act now." His words pierced right through her mask.

"What- I mean, excuse me?"

"The Cheney-Eucliffe Foundation has met a financial crisis; we can't even afford to continue funding our charitable beneficiaries. We need your father's investments to pull through so there's no way we can refuse any offer he makes right now."

"Are you supposed to be telling me all this…?" Lucy was wary of him.

"Do you think I would lie about something like that?" Sting snapped at her. "In any case, I don't have any intention of making small talk with you and I can tell you'd rather be somewhere else. So let's just end it here."

"Even if you say that…" Lucy glanced over at her father. He would never let me off if he finds out I left Sting alone. "I'll go get us some food okay? Wait right here."

In her extravagant pink gown, the blonde carefully made her way to the buffet table. She picked up one of the plates, some metal tongs, and went forward to the luxurious banquet.

Foie gras… fresh oysters… pan-seared scallop… The young lady piled them on. When she got to the meat station, she saw Aed the live-in chef grilling up a steak.

"One more rib eye please, medium rare!" She and another guest ordered at the same time.

Lucy turned to look at whoever just said the same thing as her and her jaw dropped when she saw that it was none other than the simple-minded, hot-blooded, pink-headed Natsu Dragneel.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" She shrieked at once, forgetting that she had an image to maintain.

"Are you seriously asking me that? When your family was the one who sent an invitation to my family in the first place?"

"What are you- Oh." Right, his father is Igneel the energy tycoon.

"What a weirdo."

"As if you have any right to call me that," Lucy rebutted, resisting the urge to stick her tongue out at him childishly while she was at it.

"Your steak is done, my lady," Aed the chef cut in.

"Give it to him, I'm done here," she said and then she hurriedly walked off.

Natsu gladly accepted the steak on his plate before chasing after her.

"Wait up!"

"What do you want?"

He eyed her full plate and asked, "Are you finishing that all on your own?"

"Of course not!"

"Then, is he here?"

"Who?"

"That guy."

"Huh?"

"Your boyfriend!" Natsu spat the two words out distastefully.

"Loke? No, he couldn't make it tonight."

"What?" Natsu was stupefied.

Once that week, the pink-head had visited one of the business classes because he hadn't decided what to study at Fairy Tail Academy. It happened to be the same one that Loke was in and he remembered that orange-haired guy talking loudly on his phone.

"Oh, my sweet lamb, calling to see how much I miss you? Are we still on for dinner this Sunday? Of course, I'm more than up for it. Mmhmm, okay, can't wait to see you!"

He had been making plans with some other girl.

And yet he told Lucy he couldn't make it? What a jerk. Natsu felt his blood boil at the mere thought of it.

He looked at the oblivious blonde before him and couldn't decide whether to tell her about it or not. In the end, he didn't, because no matter how much he didn't like Loke for being a lousy boyfriend, Natsu would never tattle on him behind his back and ruin their relationship like that – he was not that despicable.

"Hey! Where're you going?" He called after Lucy when she walked away from him again.

"I don't have time to play around with you," she said.

The girl made her way back to Sting with Natsu persistently tagging along. The pink-head's eyebrow twitched in annoyance when he saw who Lucy was rushing back to.

Tch, Sting Eucliffe.

"Sorry, that took a while," Lucy said as she passed the plate to the light blond male.

"Hey, spiky-haired dude, you can have this too," Natsu nonchalantly handed over his steak.

"Huh?" Without much thought, Sting took that plate as well.

"Alright, let's get outta here!"

"Ehhh–?!"

Without warning, Natsu grabbed Lucy and he made a break for it through the gaps in the crowd.

"Wait, Natsu! Stop!" She shouted when they turned into an empty corridor. "I have to stay in the ballroom!"

"Do you really want to go back there?" He looked back without slowing down.

That question silenced her and Natsu already knew her answer. "Then, come with me!" He said with his sunny smile and Lucy could not argue with that.

With his hand firmly gripping hers, she held onto him for support as she kicked off her heels and began to match his speed. Together, the two of them ran, away from the people, away from watchful eyes, away from everything else.

They got to the other end of the mansion and slowed to a stroll along another endless corridor. This one, however, was definitely far away from the party and it had ceiling-to-floor windows all along one side which allowed the dim, mellow moonlight to filter in. Now that she was barefoot, Lucy's full-length ball gown dragged across the floor when she walked. But she didn't care.

"Ah, geez, I think I got us lost." Natsu looked around only to see their shadows cast against the fancy wallpaper.

"I don't know where we are either," Lucy admitted.

"What? Isn't this supposed to be your house? And here I thought we would be able to do something more fun if we ran away."

"This might have been where I lived the earlier parts of my life, but I don't have anything to entertain you with," she said, almost apologetic. "I can't even show you around because I don't remember where exactly what is anymore."

"Oh well, guess I'll be the one to entertain you then," Natsu replied. His eyes glistened playfully in the dark.

"And how are you going to do that?" Lucy challenged him.

"With a game!"

"What game?" What could we possibly play over here when there's nothing around?

"Let's have a race."

"What?!"

"Whoever reaches that flower vase over there first wins." Natsu pointed into the distance.

"No! I don't want to race!"

"Why not?"

"I'll definitely lose, especially in this frilly dress!" Lucy complained. "Besides, where's the fun in racing?"

"I'll give you a head start."

"No thanks," she declined.

"Then, if you win, I'll grant you a wish."

"Ohh? Any wish?" Lucy was finally interested.

"Sure," Natsu nodded. "Just name my punishment."

"And what if you win?" She asked.

"If I win, I get to ask you twenty questions."

"No, twenty is too many."

"Ten?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Five then."

"Ok."

"On your mark…!" Natsu yelled and Lucy held up as much of her dress as she could with her two hands. "Get set… GO!"

The two of them took off down the hallway and for the first time in a long while, Lucy let all her troubles go as she ran with all her might towards that flower vase. She was fast but Natsu was faster and he eventually arrived first.

"Ahhh, I told you I would lose!" Lucy whined.

"Hehe!"

"But, Natsu…"

"Haah?"

"Since I ran so hard, can't you just grant me my wish anyway?" She pouted.

"No way, Lucy, you lost fair and square!"

"But still…!"

"What is your wish anyway?" He asked.

"Forget it. If you're not going to grant it, I'm not gonna say it."

"What!? Now I'm curious. Tell me!"

"No."

"Quick! Tell me, what is it?"

"Don't wanna!" Lucy stubbornly refused.

"Okay, fine, I'll grant it. What is it?"

"Really?"

"Yea, so hurry up and tell me what you want."

Lucy took a step back and let her gown drop to the floor once more.

"Dance with me," she said.

What––?

Natsu was momentarily stunned. The way the ethereal moonlight reflected off of her features was mystifying, and he was also slightly taken aback by that simple yet troubling request, but how could he say 'no' to those eyes?

He sighed and gave in.

In an exaggerated gentlemanly action, he held out his hand to her in an invitation and she took it. In one swift motion, he swept her into his embrace, one hand firmly holding onto hers and the other strongly around her waist. And then he took the first step into a waltz.

For someone who didn't fancy ballroom dancing all that much, Natsu was pretty good at it. As they glided effortlessly across the tiled floor in time to the imaginary music, he spun her round and round and round… Because he was with Lucy, even dancing became enjoyable for him and he was glad that the deserted corridor stretched on and on endlessly.

When they got tired, the waltz turned into a slow dance. Lucy placed her hands around Natsu's scarfed neck while Natsu now wrapped both arms around her waist, and even though her chest was touching his, he looked only at her eyes.

"Are you satisfied, my princess? Can I ask my questions now?"

"Go ahead," she replied. "But think carefully; you only have five."

"All thanks to your frilly dress," he teased.

"Hey! I didn't choose to wear this."

"But it's nice."

"You think so?"

"Sure, it's got similar colours as my hair."

"Hah! Of course you'd like that!" Lucy let out a hearty laugh. "But even so, I wouldn't have worn this if it weren't for my father." Comparing her eye-catching dress to Natsu's simple formal ensemble that consisted of nothing more than black pants, a black vest worn over a white shirt and his scarf, Lucy felt envious. She admired his boldness and freedom, and she hated how she couldn't even go against her father's will when it came to her outfit for that evening. She resolved to stand on her own two feet someday.

"Ok, first question," Natsu said and Lucy paid attention at once. "Why were you with Sting?"

"That's your first question?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"Just answer it."

"My father ordered me to accompany Sting because he's one of his business associates this time," she replied. "But then, somehow, the guy knew that I was being forced and he initially wanted to let me off. I guess he's actually a nice person huh? How do you even know him anyway?"

"Long time ago, I met him once through one of my father's thing," Natsu intentionally kept his answer short and vague. "Next question, what do you see in that lion-mane dude?"

"Who, Loke?"

"Yeah."

"Are you going to ask about all the men in my life? Why do you want to know what I think of Loke?"

"I'm the one asking the questions here," he reminded her.

"Fine," Lucy resigned to her loss. "I like Loke because… He's brave… and loyal," she was thinking up the answer as she went along. "He always stands by me and protects me. He goes out of his way to help me."

He sounds more like a bodyguard rather than a boyfriend, but whatever, Natsu thought. "Then, have you ever considered going out with me?"

"You?" She looked him in the eye to find out whether he was serious.

And he was.

"Umm…" Lucy thought carefully. "Quite frankly, no… not really…"

"Brutally honest, aren't you?"

"Well, I–"

"It's ok. I intend to change your mind."

"If it makes you feel any better, I actually think you're a decent catch."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yea."

"Hmm, what's this? You can be pretty sweet when you're trying to be nice huh?"

"Then what am I when I'm not?"

"Sexy as hell."

Lucy blushed on the spot. She remembered when he had said he loved how she's so mean but she hadn't anticipated such a straight reply.

"Ahhh, I love it when you turn pink because of me," Natsu teased her again.

"W-W-What! You and your perverted preferences–!"

"That's why you should dump him and go out with me," he said, half-jokingly.

"Just get to the next question already, will you?"

"Okay, okay… Since your answer to my previous question was 'no', why did you kiss me back that night?"

His question hit her like a train and Lucy found herself struggling to come up with an answer.

"I… I didn't mean to at first," she nervously avoided his gaze. "It just– somehow… kind of, happened. I don't know…"

"Was that why you ran away?"

"When did I run away?"

"Why else would you be here in your father's mansion?"

"That's one question too many."

"Then just answer the fifth one. Why did you run away?"

"… …I wanted some space to think…" The girl hesitated.

Natsu patiently listened to her answer.

"…about you and me. There're too many things I don't understand and I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts, that's why… …"

Lucy lowered her gaze, no longer looking into his eyes. The slow dance also came to a stop and she pulled away from him. Nonetheless, Natsu kept one arm around her waist, refusing to let her distance herself from him. He then gently tucked a stray blonde strand behind her ear with his other hand and with that lingering hand, he cupped her face, tilting her head up again so he could see her brown eyes. Her cheeks turned pink at his affectionate touch and she couldn't turn her eyes away from him.

That was when Natsu leaned in for another kiss.

Lucy didn't push him away immediately. She was absorbed in that moment and when his lips met hers, she felt how it was vastly different from his fierce assault the other night. Tonight, instead of unrelentingly forcing himself on her, he softly nibbled her lips. But all the same, it sent her pulse skyrocketing and it drove her nuts.

She liked it so much that her eyes rolled to the back of her head but Lucy fought the urge to return his kiss for she didn't want to act on lust and other feelings she couldn't understand. She wanted more time to sort them out, and so, she lightly placed her palm against his chest, telling him to wait.

Natsu respected her and he let her go. However, in his low, husky voice, he made it clear to her for the very first and last time.

"Just so you know – that won't be the last time I try to make a move on you. I've done it before, and I intend to do it again, and again, and again. So prepare yourself! And don't ever try to run away from me again."

Lucy could only gape, dumbfounded by yet another one of his fearless confessions.

"See you in school tomorrow!" He waved a hand in the air as he coolly strode off.

Eh… what is there to say about this chapter? Err… Natsu's outfit that I've described is the one from ep125, the Balsamico mission.

Writing this chapter has been fun! Hope you like it as much as I do!

Also, I'm intending to write a field trip chapter later on but I'm not sure where they should go. Any ideas? I'll take up your suggestion if I can use it ^^ (just pm me or leave a review to let me know)

Thanks for reading!