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

"I'm going to miss you." Rogue 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 the bed shift around me, knowing the pressure on my thighs meant 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.

Rogue pressed his forehead against mine, taking deep settling breaths in an attempt to gather some form of resolve. It made me feel better to see that he was struggling to pull away as much as I was struggling to let him go. One kiss wasn't nearly enough; I could have spent the whole day breathless in his arms and it still wouldn't be enough. I finally forced myself to untangle my hands from his hair, mourning the loss of the feel of it under my fingers.

I don't know how we finally managed to drag ourselves from the bed, but soon enough we were pulling on shoes and coats in the front hall. The reality that he was really leaving stole my ability to speak as he gathered his bag and pulled me out the door with him.

My focus was placed on the feeling of his hand wrapped tightly around mine as we walked, along with the shaking breaths that were doing nothing to satisfy the burning in my chest. I stared at my feet, trying desperately not to think about saying goodbye. I wasn't going to let myself dwell on my dark thoughts, not while he was still there, still standing beside me. I needed to keep up the wall, Rogue was worried enough as it was and I vowed to alleviate as much of his burden as I possibly could.

The guild was so close that I didn't need to keep it up that long; soon I would go right back to Rogue's house and let everything out. I just needed to keep myself together till then.

"Lu-chan?" I instantly pulled the lycrima from my pocket, and saw the concern on Levy's face.

"Give me a second." I didn't want to have a serious conversation in the open. "Go on ahead, I have a feeling this is about the mission." Rogue gave my hand a light squeeze as he pressed a soft kiss into my hair.

"I'll find you when we're finished the briefing." I nodded my approval before breaking away.

I found my way to a ladies room; there weren't many female mages so it was the most private place I could think of. Once I was inside, I took a deep breath to steel my nerve, and put the lycrima on the back of the counter so I could see her properly.

"Alright, tell me what's up."

"It's going to ok right? I've never seen everyone so upset about a mission before." Levy already had tears in her puffy red eyes, and I could immediately tell she had been crying before she called.

"I really don't know." I wished there was something I could say that would make it easier on her, anything that would take away the fear that was written all over her face. I couldn't, there were no words for a situation like this, no comfort that would give her the peace she wanted.

"Laxus wouldn't tell us any details." Anguish radiated off of her with every word. "He sent Gajeel, Lu-chan."

"It's serious Levy; they need him." She had started to sob out loud, and I began to panic. I had to put my feelings on the back burner; Levy was more important than my own fears. "I may still be pissed at Natsu, but he always pulls through in a fight, especially when the odds are against us. Gajeel might not even get any action at all." My poor attempt at calming her down, brought the smallest of smiles to her face; she hiccuped and wiped at her eyes, trying to look braver.

"So they told you that Natsu was going? I heard Laxus and Sting arguing over the Lycrima about you and him." The statement made me flinch, but I wasn't going to let it show. "Natsu begged Freed to take the collar off so you could go along, but Laxus wouldn't allow it."

"I don't need to go." I kept my tone completely even as I continued. "Fairy Tail Mages can take care of themselves. Plus, Rogue and Yukino are going. Why would they need me with all that fire power?" I forced the corners of my mouth into something I hoped looked like a smile.

"Will you be alright there without them?" I was tempted, for the briefest of moments, to tell her how horrible it was going to be. How much I was already starting to dread saying goodbye, but I stopped myself. Levy had enough on her plate without adding worrying about me to the stack.

"I'll manage." I gave her another weak smile. "Don't worry about me; I'm just fine where I am."

"Okay, I guess you could use the quiet." She laughed lightly, swiping at the tears on her cheeks this time. "Do you want me to come with you to the Sorcerer shoot; it's only a few days away right?"

"I can handle posing for pictures all by myself." She gave another small laugh, and nodded in agreement.

"If you need to talk I'm here to listen. You can call any time; I'm keeping my lycrima on me day and night while they're gone." I had to cover a laugh at that; I was fully intending to sleep with the damn thing on the pillow next to me.

"It's only for a week, but I'll keep mine with me day and night as well. I'm here for you too Levy-chan, if you need me just call." She tried her best to give me a cheerful smile before letting the screen go dark.

For a long moment I just stared at the small device, my whole body going numb. I had to force myself to pick it back up before my body stopped listening to me completely. I sank to the floor, using the wall for support, feeling a wave of anxiety wash over me so strongly that my whole body trembled. I tried to fight it, but the information from Levy just drove home how dangerous the mission was going to be. Natsu and Gajeel only took on the most extreme missions together, it was absolutely frightening to think about what kind of enemy would need all that muscle. Not to mention I didn't know who else he was sending, maybe Erza and Gray would be there. Maybe Gajeel was going in my place, and even Wendy would be there. I couldn't bring myself to call back and find out, just how much of my family was walking into the line of fire.

"Lucy-sama, you're in here, right?" Yukino's voice startled me, but I couldn't bring myself to answer.

She carefully opened the door; her big brown eyes filled with concern when she realized that I was on the floor. I had been staring at the lycrima in my hands for at least five minutes, the numbness that was replacing every other feeling, making it nearly impossible to stand. It was a struggle just to get myself to meet her gaze before I attempted to speak.

"You're leaving now, right? " I heard the hitch in my breath as I spoke and realized that I had begun to cry. Yukino was rooted to the spot, just watching as I struggled to move. "The group from Fairy Tail... they are already on their way." As soon as I had the will power to stand up, I worked to get to the sink. One look in the mirror told me there wasn't much I could do to hide the evidence of my tears, so I abandoned the task all together. I focused my energy trying to think of something I could do that would make the situation better. There had to be something in my scope of power that would help the others.

Yukino followed me in silence as we left the rest room, to meet Rogue who was leaning against the wall a short way down the hall. I took a deep breath and ran my hand over my keys; it was a long shot, but I needed to at least try. I called out Loki, hoping he would agree to the solution I had come up with.

"Laxus is really pulling all the stops for his first act as Master." Loki shifted, adjusting his glasses. "Tell me what I can do to help."

"A conditional contract, will you enter one with Yukino?" I watched as his lazy smile turned into a deep frown, while a second idea popped into my head. I summoned Gemini, and had them copy me in my present clothing. "I need your help guys, will you enter a conditional contract with Yukino?" The carbon copy of me jumped up and down excitedly saying she would be happy to help.

"What do you mean a conditional contract?" Yukino had wide eyes as she looked at the two spirits.

"Lucy, this is a serious request, you know that right?" Loki didn't wait for me to say anything before folding me into a hug. "You need to be absolutely sure."

"Never been more sure of anything in my life." I mumbled into his jacket. "I can't sit here and do nothing." He didn't release me as his head turned in Yukino's direction.

"Yukino, will you agree to a contract with the condition that after one week, exactly seven days in the human world, that Gemini and I will return to Lucy?"

"Y-y-yes." She was shocked, it was clear.

"Gemini will be useful; in my form you can summon any spirits I have a contract with, the only draw back will be Freed's runes, which will react to Gemini Lucy the same as if it were really me. Make sure you are at least fifty feet from Natsu if you decide to use Gemini's key like that." Forcing my way out of Loki's grasp was hard, but I managed it. Yukino watched me with wide eyes as I walked over to her; I grabbed her arm and pried her hand open, so I could push the two keys into it.

"I might not be able to come and go as I please with you; I will need you to open the doorway when you need me." Loki leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.

"It's going to be a rough fight." She hesitantly added the gold keys to her own. "This is the only way I can help everyone."

"I wasn't aware there were things like conditional contracts." She whispered to herself.

"It's not something we do lightly, Yukino." I patted her shoulder before making my way over to Rogue. I wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his chest as I inhaled as deeply as possible. "I wish I could go with, but at least you'll have my power to back you guys up."

"I'm going on ahead, Sting is waiting outside." She was trying her best to give us some privacy, and I sent her a grateful smile before diving back into Rogue's chest.

"You didn't need to do that." He was struggling to stay calm, I could hear it in his voice.

"Yes I did." I tried for a soft smile this time, trying with everything I could muster to make him feel more at ease. "It makes me feel better to know that in a sense I'll be fighting too." I was proud of myself for keeping the turmoil of my inner thoughts out of my voice as I spoke.

"One week, then we meet at the bakery, right?" I nodded my head.

"One week that's all it is. I'll stay busy writing the training manual for Yukino, and I have my modeling job in a few days. It will fly by, and if it doesn't I'll have my lycrima with me, you can call when ever you need to."

When we pulled away, he pushed a copy of his house key into my hand, and hesitantly kissed me once more. It was a ghost of the first kiss, filled with worry and restrained longing. I could tell that he was aware of just how dangerous the mission was now, and it broke another piece of me to see the intensity of my own fears mirrored in his eyes.

I kept my distance as we walked back to the courtyard, fearful that I wouldn't be able to stop myself from trying to keep him from leaving if I tried to hold his hand again. Sting was saying his goodbyes with Yukino when we met up with them; she was telling him about the the extra keys on her ring, and how much it meant that I trusted her with them.

I refused to drop the smile I had plastered to my face as Sting and I watched them walk towards the path that lead to town, Lector and Frosh following in an uncomfortable silence.

Once they were out of sight I told Sting that I planned to spend all my time indoors, and that he didn't need to do anything else. I didn't wait for him to say anything in return as I focused on making my feet move towards the door to Rogue's house.

The second I was safe behind the closed door my jacket and boots were thrown off. I forced myself to keep walking till I hit the couch, pulling the blanket around myself as I let the walls come down. Tears soaked the blanket as I used it to muffled the sobs that were racking my whole body, there was nothing more I could do.

Uncertainty was something I should have been used to, but it never seemed to get easier to watch people you cared about head into a dangerous situation.

I had done everything in my power to give my friends all the support I could offer, it had to be enough.

It absolutely had to be enough.

Hours passed before all my tears ran dry, leaving my throat uncomfortably strained. I dragged myself off the couch and up the stairs; I didn't have to think about it as I pushed my way into Rouge's bed room. The lycrima was placed on the pillow before I crawled under the covers, pretending that they were his arms wrapped around me again.

.

.

.

One week, just one week.

.

.

.

Loki will watch his back.

.

.

.

Rogue will come back, he'll be alright.

.

.

.

"Lucy."

I didn't want to open my eyes, nothing in the world could make me leave the comfort of Rogue's bed.

"Luuuuucy."

Nothing was going to bring the reality of the cruel world back into my presence while I was wrapped in his comforting scent.

"Come on."

It didn't matter how long I had been laying there, how puffed and purple my eyes were.

"Lucy!"

Nothing mattered except convincing myself that he was fine, he was going to kick ass and come back completely fine.

"Come on, you've gotta get up." I growled at the intruder, my throat still too sore for words and rolled to the other side, burying my face into the pillow. "I get it, I really do, but you can't mope for a whole week." I became keenly aware that something was continuously poking me with quick jabs to the ribs. "If they call and you look like this it will worry both of them." The poking hit a ticklish spot, and I felt my body tense as a laugh bubbled out of me. I snapped my eyes open and rolled over to come face to face with Sting, who had the most amused smile I could imagine on his face. "So you're ticklish, I will have to remember to tell Rogue when he gets back."

"Out." My voice was small and rasping, and the single word only brought a bout of laughter from the man who was sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Promise you'll take a shower and eat, then I'll get out." I rolled my eyes and threw the covers off.

"Fine."

"Lucy, its breakfast time!" The all too familiar voice echoed up the stairs.

Three long days had passed since Rouge and Yukino had left for their mission, and this had become something of a routine with the blonde Master of Sabertooth. I sighed, grabbing my lycrima before rolling off Rogue's bed. I didn't bother closing the door behind me as I made my way down to the living room.

"You do remember that Rogue dislikes surprise visits to his house, don't you?" Another voice said when I was about half way to my destination.

"Rogue isn't here right now. Trust me you'll be glad you came with. She's really good; I swear I might steal her from him just to cook for me."

"You're later than usual, Oh Great Master Sting." I folded my arms over my chest with a soft smile. "Hello, Rufus."

"Miss. Lucy has he been forcing you to cook for him this whole time?" Rufus had taken his hat off letting his long blonde hair flow almost freely. His smile was filled with amusement, and I let myself laugh before answering.

"Yes he has, are you going to scold him for it?" I asked teasingly.

"Who's forcing? I bring you what you need and you cook. It's a fair trade!" I ignored his outcry as I walked the rest of the way to the two of them.

"It'll be nice to have you join us, Rufus." I took the bags from Sting's hands and made my way into the kitchen. "Don't get into trouble while I'm not watching, Sting."

"You're the best!" Sting called.

"Isn't that supposed to be Lector's thing?" I called back.

"I'm going to nap while you're cooking, can't get into trouble if I'm asleep right?" I heard the distinct sound of him jumping onto the sofa. A sigh slipped out before I let myself laugh at his childish antics.

"I'm sure you'll find someway around that." I heard Rufus laugh at whatever Sting was mumbling and went back to focusing on my task.

Mira always said that you could depend on a man to come home for dinner, if nothing else. I'd never put much stock in those words, but with Sting it was glaringly obvious that his internal clock was directly linked to his stomach. The day Rogue had left, Sting took it as his personal mission to keep me company, and that meant forcing me to eat as well (and since he couldn't cook, and I wouldn't leave, it came to me cooking dinner for the both of us). He camped on the couch that night, refusing to leave until he was sure I was finished with my little break down. It was strangely comforting to have him there even if I wasn't going to tell him that. Some how he had managed to talk me into an arrangement where he would come to check on me at meal times. After studying his reactions, I came to the conclusion that he was leaning on me for support in the only way his pride would allow. Once I aware of it, I was happy to give what little comfort a good meal could provide.

When I had everything ready, Sting was already up and crossing the space. He took the weight of the serving tray from my hands so I could get the plates and silverware. He called out to Rufus who was engrossed in one of Rogue's books, it took three tries to get his attention. When he finally realized that we had both started to call him Rufus apologized and joined us at the table.

"So, you will have to make due with the food at the guild for the rest of the day." I pointed a fork at the two blonde men before stabbing a sausage. "I have to head to Crocus in an hour or so."

Sting protested for a good twenty minutes as I washed the dishes, trying to convince me that I didn't want to go. I explained to him, at least three times, that Mira would destroy me if I didn't go and that I could really use the money. Eventually I just ignored him as I got my things together, allowing Rufus to drag him back to the guild so he could catch up on paper work that he had been neglecting for the past few days.

Crocus was bustling with activity with all the mages gathered for the special edition shoot. The holiday spreed was always a big deal, and all the models looked forward to it almost as much as the swimsuit edition. The moment the staff spotted me I was whisked away to change into a revealing little red number with fluffy white trim and a matching hat. The rest of the models were wearing a variation of the same get up, each one geared to enhance their natural beauty.

"Lucy, is it true that you dumped Natsu?" One of the other girls asked, I could never remember her name.

"Uh, I was never dating Natsu." It was so easy to say that I actually found myself laughing.

"Ren said that you were with Rogue from Sabertooth at the Master's Ceremonies, rumors have been flying since then." Sherry had an innocent smile, but the sparkle in her eyes told me that she was up to something; that woman was always up to something.

"What kind of rumors?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"They're saying Sabertooth is trying to steal you so they have the only two Celestial mages left." I had to laugh at that.

"I'm a Fairy Tail Mage through and through, there is no way I would ever leave my guild. Well, with the exception of the council disbanding us, but I really hope that never happens."

"So you're involvement with Sabertooth is more personal?" I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, as a flurry of questions and comments came at me from all sides.

"Poor Natsu, I bet he never saw it coming."

"I heard they got into a major fight over you!"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"I bet he's built, he's always wearing so much clothing you can never really tell."

"Alright Ladies, we're ready for you." I let out a sigh of relief when we were ushered onto the set.

The whole shoot lasted three hours, three very long hours of dodging questions and comments from all the other models. When it was finally over, I said a quick goodbye to the people that mattered, and set out to head back to Sabertooth. Originally I had wanted to stay the night, because I knew how exhausted I would be, but I figured I could just relax in the carriage on the ride back.

"I've decided you are never going back." I rolled my eyes at the man who was stuffing his face like the food was going to sprout legs and run from him. "Seriously you have to stay, forever."

"Don't be stupid." I resisted the urge to smack him upside the head, since Rufus and Orga were there. "I have to go home, promises are important."

"So come back when you're done." Sting didn't hesitate to refill his plate. "Then never leave again." He nodded to himself, as if it was only natural that I would do as he suggested.

"You know that I can't do that. My rent is going to be due in a little bit; I have to get back to work." I shook my head as Rufus let out a small laugh.

"Hello, just stay here, no more rent, no more problem." He paused in his feeding frenzy to give me a large happy smile that faltered when he realized just how red in the face I was. "You like staying here right?"

"Sting, I think you might want to stop propositioning her, it might not go across very well with Yukino." Rufus said gently. "Or Rogue for that matter."

"You can't offer a house that doesn't belong to you either." Orga wasn't even attempting to hide his full bodied laughs.

"I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Rogue comes up with the same idea." Sting shrugged his shoulders. "Think of it as me doing him a favor."

"You are such a good friend." Rufus rolled his eyes.

"I know, sometimes I amaze myself." I couldn't help but laugh at the size of his ego.

"You're getting way ahead of yourself." The food was gone by this point, and Rufus decided he would take care of the dishes this time around. I thanked him before turning back to Sting. "You should wait more than a week or two before you move in with someone."

It was like we were old friend as we sat around the table laughing together. I was rather thankful for the three of them; since they filled my week with enough distractions that I only had a few days left before we expected Yukino and Rogue back.

"Lucy." My heart rate skyrocketed at the sound of his voice. I pulled the small device from the pocket of my apron with a bright smile.

"Hi Rogue." He was beat up, with bandaged around his forehead, and a freshly split lip.

"We finished two days ahead of schedule, thanks to Gemini." Yukino pushed her way into the viewing screen; she had a bright purple bruise sprouting on her round cheeks, but other than that she looked fine. "Gemini Lucy managed to seduce her way in and get the information we needed to infiltrate, it was awesome."

"What? That never works!" I shook my head then let a relieved giggle bubble up. Gemini had been useful, everything was alright, Rogue was coming home.

"We would have been done sooner, but Natsu rushed in like an idiot with Gajeel on his tail." I laughed openly knowing that was exactly what my friends would do.

"Erza was so pissed off she knocked them both out." Yukino started laughing too.

"I'm glad you're both ok." I felt the relief race through me, lifting the weight that had settled in my stomach. "Oh, Sting here." I passed the Lycrima over so he could talk to Yukino.

"Why are you in my house?" I tried really hard not to burst out laughing at the stern tone he was using.

"Enjoying a home cooked meal." The smile on Sting's face got even larger than before. "I might have to keep her locked up in the guild at this rate."

"Sting, you leave Lucy-sama alone!" Yukino had a dangerous tone to her voice.

"Rufus and Orga are here too." I couldn't restrain myself much longer. "They have been lovely company."

"You will get out of my house, right now." Sting passed the lycrima back to me as if it had burned his hand. "We can do the bakery in the morning Lucy; I need to have a chat with my 'friends'."

"That sounds good to me." The smile on my face grew as Yukino started dancing around singing that they would be home in just a few hours. "I'll have food ready when you guys get here." I let the screen go dark and worked my way into the kitchen.

"Did she just sell us out?"

"Yes she did."

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