I'm so insanely happy that everyone is enjoying this fic. It wasn't supposed to be popular, it was just an experiment gone super sexy! The reviews have made me laugh, and smile, thank you all for that. Wednesday is now my favorite day of the week because I get to bring a little bit of misguided joy into the world. :) The ladies that are part of the Crack Fiction Liberation Army are to thank for a lot of my inspiration. Our forum is insane, and you should all come join us. I can only imagine the next couple projects that will come out of our conversations!

Enjoy this week's chapter, but as always read responsibly. I really encourage a pillow this week, along with a tissue or two.

Chrys ::Supreme Leader of the Crack Fiction Liberation Army::

It was a wonderful roller coaster ride of emotions, and I found myself completely drained at the end of it. My vision was hazy and the warmth was so comfortable that I didn't want to move. I decided to just close my eyes till Rogue decided he wanted to get up, that was fine. So long as he was still sitting there I could too.

I let my heavy eye lids slide closed and smiled, snuggling into his side.

The sound of a steady beating heart was the first thing I noticed when I woke up; my head bobbed up and down with the rhythmic inhale and exhale of my pillow. Under normal circumstances I would have immediately kicked who ever it was off my bed, yelling all the while, but the familiar comfortable embrace and the strong scent that belonged to Rogue stopped me from moving.

The night flashed through my mind as if it was a slow motion movie playing all the details back for me. We had a nice dinner, complete with wine and conversation. He had told me the stories behind most of the pictures on the mantel, even doing a rather hilarious impression of Sting during the first year they had won the tournament. He told me about how Yukino and Sting had gotten together shortly after the victory party for the whole dragon obsessed maniac trying to take over the world diabolical.

Rogue explained why he knew exactly what to expect from their fights. His friend was a great guy and all, but he didn't understand the concept that just existing wasn't enough to make something as complex as keeping your girlfriend happy work. Rogue was pretty sure that if Sting tried, just a little bit, they wouldn't have anything to fight about and they would leave him in peace. That was the part he stressed the most, apparently they tended to throw Rogue in the middle of their love spats.

I tried not to laugh too hard, before going into stories about Mira's match making catastrophes, and how the only one to work out in everyone's favor was Levy and Gajeel. He still didn't understand how that worked, but I assured him that not everything needs to make sense. The event had given Mira a small match makers ego, which could be dangerous for anyone who even looked at the opposite gender for longer than a few seconds. I really don't know how long we sat there at the table swapping stories, and laughing.

We discussed all sorts of different topics from our favorite colors to the fact that Gray had been the mastermind behind my little trip, and how his little note was permission for Rogue to pursue me in the romantic sense. (That had left us both blushing a bit) We talked about visiting the sweets shop in town that Erza loved so much, even though Rogue told me he didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Rogue had gone over his little collection of books as well, which lead to telling me about the guild library that he wanted to show me later.

The conversation tapered off as the bottle of wine emptied, and before long I insisted on cleaning up since he had cooked. After that was taken care of (with a quick stop in the down stairs restroom) we settled into the couch to watch the movies that were picked earlier in the night. I had taken full advantage of the horror film, pressing myself into his side, and grabbing fist fulls of his shirt whenever something popped up on the screen unexpectedly. The romantic comedy had been thoroughly entertaining, and I could see why Rogue liked it. The characters were well developed and likable; it had both of us laughing for a good portion.

When the second movie ended we were cuddled up so snugly that moving seemed nearly impossible.

We must have shifted during the night; I had fallen asleep sitting up, and I was absolutely laying horizontal at that point, I didn't even need to open my eyes to know that. My inner Lucy was practically purring in self satisfaction when I realized that my arms were wrapped around him (meaning that I was half laying on top of the man), and if the pressure on the top of my head was any indication, he had his chin resting there. I took stock of all the places my body was pressed against his, a sense of pride filling me as I realized that there were very few surfaces that weren't in direct contact with him, even our legs were tangled up.

Just a few days ago this would have melted me into a puddle of useless Lucy goo. Thank goodness, I won't embarrass myself as much if I can use my brain properly.

Two very tempting options came to my mind as I lay there, with closed eyes. I could burrow into his warmth and let myself savor the moment, or I could wake him up, make breakfast and insist that we spend the day doing something with just us again.

The feeling of his arm draped around my shoulders, and his hand threaded through my hair was making it extremely hard to make a smart decision. I should have opened my eyes and woken him up, started the day with a bright smile, but my body wouldn't listen anymore. He's sleeping, what could it hurt. I kept my eyes closed as I nuzzled against his shirt, sighing as a fresh wave of of comfort washed over me. Slowly I tilted my head back, pushing myself up ever so slightly until my nose touched something solid. I took a shaking breath, and pressed myself to the my lips were flush against his warm skin.

I was ready to pinch myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming as he turned, trapping me between his chest and the back of the couch. My head was now cradled against the swell of his bicep as he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. He was awake, I should have opened my eyes to make sure before doing anything.

"Morning." I couldn't bring myself to care as he kissed my forehead again, even if it did turn out to be just another dirty dream I was going to enjoy it. My free hand was already working to free his hair from the tie he use to hold it back.

Way to go me!

"Morning." It was the most articulate thing I could come up with as his hand pulled away from my hair. The tips of his fingers ghosted down my back till he reached the part of my hip that lay exposed thanks to my shirt riding up around my stomach. I liked the way it felt to have his warm, rough hand wrapped around my hip. I liked it so much that I abandoned my pursuit of freeing his hair in favor of shifting so that our hands were completely free; I wanted both his hands free to set my insides of fire.

Finally I decided to open my eyes, half hoping it was a dream, the other half praying that it was real. I had effectively tucked myself underneath of Rogue, my free hands touching and absorbing the way the muscles of his now exposed chest tensed under my finger tips. It was like I'd found a rare treasure, and I wanted to examine it at my leisure. The corner of Rogue's mouth had curled into a smirk as I started to play with the last few buttons of his shirt.

However, a cough from the other side of the room signaled that our time was up.

I felt a growl rumble in Rogue's chest.

"Put my house key on the table and get out." It wasn't a dream, I'm was really doing this. I let my hands fall, biting my lip as my cheeks grew hot.

"Frosh was getting tired of waiting, and no, I'm keeping my key." Rouge took a deep breath, leaning his forehead against mine with his eyes closed. "Say thank you for bringing the little guy home." He hesitated for another moment before pulling away, and marching across the room. I watched the two men enter a very quiet argument as Rogue started dragging Sting into the kitchen. Frosh made his way over to me, his big round eyes full of excitement.

"Will you make pancakes today?" I couldn't fight back the need to gather the exceed up and give him the biggest hug I could, without crushing him to death of course.

"Of course I will, right after I take a quick shower." I set him on the blanket with a soft smile.

"I guess things went well last night." Yukino gave me a suggestive smirk, bursting into laughter when the heat in my cheeks doubled.

"I'm going to take that shower now." I let a small laugh out, not meeting her gaze.

"I bet you need it, I'm sorry we interrupted." Yukino was doing a very good impression of Cana's lecherous grin, and I suddenly felt the need to smack her upside the head. I fought it back as I got to my feet, shivering from the lack of Rogue's warm body against me.

"I swear the next person, or spirit that interrupts will be getting a whip to the face." I whispered before pushing past her to the stairs.

When I returned wearing much warmer clothing, Sting had already taken over the smaller of the two couches, claiming that he was going to take a nap while Rogue went upstairs to take his shower. I tried not to watch him go as Yukino dragged me into the kitchen, excitedly exclaiming that I was going to tutor her on the ways of being more feminine in the domestic sense. We laughed as I agreed under the condition that she would teach me how she learned to float over rocks in heels. As we prepared breakfast I explained everything I was doing, from the proper way to use the knife down to the signs to look for before you stop cooking the meat (undercooked meat seemed to be her biggest problem).

After a long while we set everything up at the small dining table, pleased with the progress we had made. It wasn't as awkward as the first time we all had breakfast together; Yukino and I carried on a nice conversation about other things I could teach her that would make cooking a meal by herself possible. Lector (who had been eerily silent till that point) offered the idea that I should write out a manual for her that included proper fish cleaning techniques; it was a good plan so I told him I would work on it. Sting seemed to like that idea as well, since he was forbidden from getting anywhere near anything that had to do with cooking.

After a little bit of praise from the red exceed, the dishes were gathered. Yukino and I migrated into the kitchen to clean up the mess we had created. The conversation stayed light, as I told her little bits about the night before. She gushed over how absolutely romantic our little date was, and emphatically emphasized how jealous she was. Sting didn't seem to have any idea what romance was, and she had been begging Rogue to talk to the blonde man for as long as they had been a couple. The jealousy in her eyes was familiar now, and finally I could place it. She didn't want Rogue per say, she wanted the situations, the tension, and the intensity that came with the whirlwind that was our unclassified relationship. It made me feel all that more self conscious about where things were going between the dark haired man and myself.

Once everything was back in its proper place, Yukino and I stepped back into the other room, chatting happily about what else I might be able to show her.

Our conversation, however, was cut short as angry voices rose in the living room.

"So we don't send anyone at all, it's as simple as that!" Rogue growled.

"I can't do that, and you know it!" Sting hissed back. "I need to rely on the rest of you to handle missions like this, that's my job now. Trust me if I could go with you, I'd be there in a heart beat."

"Are you absolutely sure you can't send anyone else?" Rogue sounded absolutely defeated as he dropped onto the couch.

"There isn't anyone else qualified, Rufus and Orga are both out of jobs that will keep them away for several days." Sting ran a hand through his hair, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Yukino needs to go too, they need a minimum of two mages."

"Why can't Lucy-sama go?" Yukino asked with pleading eyes.

"We went over this already." He looked like he was at his wits end. "It was the first call I made this morning, Laxus wants me to keep her here; he said to lock her up if I have to."

"How is that fair?" Yukino whined.

"How long will they be gone?" Sting turned to me, his face going pale at the tone I was using; I'd been told it was similar to the business end of one of Erza's best swords. "I asked you a question, how long?"

"A-a week or so." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to combat the sudden unease that was tightening my stomach and twisting it into knots.

"They need to leave as soon as possible, because it's urgent right?" I refused to let them see my face, squeezing my eyes tighter to fight off the tears that were burning the back of my eye lids.

"Laxus is sending-" I shook my head, not willing to hear the full severity of the job Rogue was about to go on.

"Yes or no, Sting."

"Yes." I choked back a sob, and forced a smile onto my face, holding all other emotions at bay while I looked at the three of them.

"Then they need to get going." I tilted my head to the side. "It's still ok for me to stay here right, Rogue."

"O-of course it is." I could see the uncertainty cross over his face, but I needed to keep up the act, I could cry once they were gone.

"Have a safe trip, I'll see you in a week." My resolve was slipping, as he got up from the couch and started to walk towards me. I refused to cry in front of him again so I turned and walked up the stairs making my way to the spare bedroom as their voices carried.

"Meet me in the office as soon as you're done."

"Come on Frosh, you're coming with us."

The rest of their conversation was silenced when the door closed behind me. I covered my mouth to keep the broken cry silent, not wanting Rogue to know.

It was stupid to think that we could be just a boy and a girl getting to know one another.

What the hell was I thinking would happen?

We lived in different cities, belonged to different guilds, and our jobs were dangerous.

I didn't want to feel this way every time we had to say good bye. There would never be a moment of peace when we were away from each other.

It wasn't going to work, no matter how much I liked him, this couldn't happen.

As much as I wanted to stop right there, sever every tie and run, I couldn't.

I fell so hard, so fast, that now I can't imagine walking away.

A knock at the door startled a sob out of me. I wiped at my eyes with the back of my hand, cursing under my breath at how I was acting. It was a job; one short, lonely week and then he would be back, we could pick up where we left off.

My mind didn't let go of the sickly feeling that had my stomach twisted. It was obvious that Fairy Tail was involved, that could only mean it was a dangerous job, worry washed over me in waves at the thought. Anything could happen, and the fact that I was forbidden from going meant that Natsu would be there. Would he know what was going on? Would he take it out on Rogue? What was the job, how many guilds were involved, would he come back in one piece? Another sob ripped itself from my throat against my will.

"Lucy, please let me in." I took a deep breath, steeling my nerve before opening the door.

"You should be packing." I forced the smile onto my face, not caring that my eyes were already red and puffy. "The sooner you leave the sooner you can come back."

"I don't want to go at all." He said firmly as he reached out to pull me into a hug, his hand cradling the base of my neck as he pulled me against him.

"I-" The words wouldn't come, I couldn't make it harder on him or myself by saying that I didn't want him to go either. I really didn't want him to go, I wanted to stay by his side longer. He was some sort of anchor in a sea of complete uncertainty, the lifeline that made everything else in my life suddenly make sense. I wrapped my arms around his back, bringing him as close to me as I could, filling my lungs with his unique scent. It soothed me enough to think clearly; I had to say something to get across how I was feeling. "When you get back, I want to go down to the bakery I was telling you about last night. They make an espresso based desert that isn't super sweet; I want to see if you like it."

"And what if you've gone back to Magnolia before I get back?" I pulled back just a little, leaning my forehead against his shoulder.

"Then I'll meet you there, Magnolia isn't that far, remember?" Yes, that was the whole point of this; Gray wanted me to see just how close our guilds were, that we had a common stomping ground. My friends had wanted me to know that I could make it work, if that was what I really wanted.

"How will you know to meet me there?" He whispered the question against my ear.

"Communication lycrima, I'll keep mine with me." I could make this work, I had to make this work. I didn't want to let go of the way he made me feel, not for anything in the whole world. "You can call when you're on your way back."

"Alright." I felt him relax a little. "I should probably try to pack now." He pulled away, breaking my hold.

I wanted to protest, but the words died in my throat as he grabbed my hand and led me down the hall. My heart started hammering when I realized that he intended to take me in the room with him. I held my breath as he opened the door and lead me inside, only letting it out when we reached the center of the room. Rogue let my hand go as he went to his closet, pulling down a bag to shove his things in.

I let my eyes wander around, taking in the dark wooden furniture, dark curtains, and brilliant red comforter on his bed. I swallowed hard, knowing that my newly awakened perverse mind was going to have a field day with this new information. I could already feel the steam billowing from my ears as images collided, making a very realistic scene play out in the darker regions of my mind. I couldn't fight my feet as I moved towards the large four poster, or my hand as it ran along the soft cotton comforter. Before I realized what I was doing, I was already face down on his bed, letting myself sink into it. It was almost as good as being wrapped in his arms with how strongly the comforter smelled of him.

I was going to end up sneaking in here at least once, while he was away, I was certain of it.

I struggled for a moment with that thought before adjusting myself so that I was watching Rogue rummage through his drawers. My chin ended up laying on my crossed arms, my feet swaying as I hummed to a song that suddenly popped into my head. My antics seemed to amuse Rogue since he was laughing, quietly, but still laughing.

The smile came back to my face, a genuine one this time as I watched. I was worrying to much, Rogue was strong, and intelligent; I was sure he wasn't going to needlessly put himself in danger the way my former partner did. Yukino would make sure to bring him home in one piece, and as much as I didn't want to think about it, the rest of my old team was more than likely to be there too. Erza and Gray would always make the mission priority, but I knew they would keep a close eye on him for me.

It took him ten minutes to collect everything and set it up by the front door down stairs. When it was finally finished, he hesitantly took the space next to me on the bed mirroring my child like pose. I turned my head, laying it on the surface of his bed to get a good look at his face; he did the same with a small troubled smile. The new plan I had come up with was calling me to go with the sensation of wanting to make it clear to him that I would do everything in my power to be there when he got back.

"One week isn't that long." I reached over to brush the hair out of his face so I could watch him more closely. Rogue was study my face as well, looking for something before he spoke himself.

"A few days apart was torture." He admitted, and I felt the heat rise to my cheeks. "You're going to be ok, being here alone, right?"

"I'll manage." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Sting will probably come by too, around his meal times in hopes that you'll cook for him. Feel free to kick him out."

"Aren't you two supposed to be friends?" I couldn't contain my laughter as he rolled his eyes.

"It doesn't make him less of a pain in the ass." He waited for my little fit of laughter to die down, before putting the serious face back on. "I have to head up to the guild now."My words hadn't been enough to take away the uncertainty in his voice; I couldn't let him leave feeling that way. I rolled onto my back making sure that I was as close as I could get, feeling braver than I normally would have.

"You'll have my old team to back you up, there is no doubt in my mind that you'll be back in no time at all." I gave him a bright smile, brushing the back of my hand across his cheek. I could feel my pulse spike as his eyes slide closed.

"I'm going to miss you." He caught my hand as it dropped away from his cheek, his crimson eyes finally opening again. I couldn't look away, not even when I felt to bed shift around me, knowing the pressure on my thighs mean he was back in the position I had forced us into only two hours ago.

"I'm going to miss you, too." I'd never imagined just how much I would miss him, and he was still right there next to me, pulling me closer. We'd been interrupted so many times already that it was a major shock when his lips brushed against mine, it last a split second as we both waited for something to pop up and ruin it again. Silence greeted us and I let myself go. I pulled my hand out of Rogue's and let both of them run up his chest, over his shoulders and firmly thread through his hair, pulling him down to fully cover his lips with my own. His soft sweet lips were everything I imagined and more; they would absolutely be the end of me. There was no way I could ever let him go now, not when I felt like it would mean the world would crumble and fall away the instant his lips left mine.

I needed this, his arms around me, his scent filling my lungs. I lost my breath as he grew more insistent, kissing me like it was the last time he would ever get to.

As suddenly as it had started he pulled away, leaving me a heaving pile of boneless flesh underneath him.

"I have to go." He said weakly.

"I know." I answered with a soft smile.

I love you all for being awesome readers! Next week's chapter will be awesome, too! hehehe I got it up before 10 am this week! (-5 eastern standard time)