This chapter is a little later in the day! I am so sorry, I have to babies teething right now and it's been exceptionally difficult to type with one hand. That being said I apologize for any mistakes... I couldn't delay the post any longer (7pm Est -5). I love you guys, enjoy!

"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, I believe she did."

"You heard Rogue, he wants you out." I gave them a pointed glare before I ducked into the kitchen. Their laughter followed behind me, but I decided to ignore them for the time being, there were more important matters that needed my immediate attention. With a deep breath I compiled a mental check list, trying my best to average out how long each task would take.

The first item of business was getting in touch with Levy, since she deserved to know the mission was over as well. I let the small amount of magic flow into the device in my hand, pulling up an image of the blue haired woman in my mind.

Her face came into view, her large hazel eyes wide with surprise.

"Lu-chan? Is everything ok?" The panic in her voice caught me off guard, but I recovered quickly.

"Couldn't be better, Levy-chan." I could feel the change in my voice, how light and carefree I already sounded, and it brought a soft smile to my lips. I watched the surprise and panic melting away from my friend as she went over what my words meant. "Gajeel should be on his way by now."

"Are you sure?" Happy tears had started to gather in her eyes, a shaking smile pulling the corners of her lips upward hesitantly. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"I just got the call, Rogue says they finished early." She let out a wet laugh before covering the relieved sobs, that were making her small shoulders shake, with her hands. It took her a few minutes to get herself under control, before she let a real smile brighten her whole face.

"So Rogue called you before Gajeel called me?" She was trying not to laugh, even if she wasn't doing a very good job. "That's interesting."

"I'm sure Gajeel would have call immediately too, but he was detained." I battled back my own fit of giggles as the image of Erza dragging the two dragon slayers back to the guild popped up.

"Lucy dear, you should stay a little longer." The lycrima was shifted so I could see Mira. "It's not fair that the mission took time from your visit."

"It's alright, Mira. I have an apartment to pay for, and promises to keep." I shook my head, laughing at the look of disappointment clouding her big blue eyes.

"But I want to be an auntie."

"You know what Mira, to be an aunt the child needs to be related to you. Maybe you should talk to Elfman; I'm sure he wouldn't disagree if you tell him it's a man's duty to expand your family." I watched as her expression changed, the brightest smile spreading across her face. Momentarily I felt guilty for shifting her focus, but I knew Elfman could handle it.

"Lisanna we have work to do!" Levy covered her mouth to hide a small fit of giggles as Mira ran off into the distance.

"I agree with Mira, you don't need to come back just yet." Her smile had become gentle and soft. "It isn't going to get easier from here on out; you should spend as much time together as you can."

"I don't expect it to be easy." I let out a soft sigh as I tried to decide how I was going to put it. "I think I've learned over the past two years that easy isn't all it's cracked up to be anyway."

"The complications will just make it sweeter!" Levy was filled with excitement now, her hands folded over her heart as if she were reading some sappy romance novel. "It's a beautiful story so far! I'm rooting for the two of you."

"We'll see where things go." I wasn't looking forward to sounding like a world class idiot for a second time. "Anyway, I'm going to get going now. Let the others know the news."

"I'm serious Lu-chan, I've never seen you look so smitten, not even with Natsu. Don't let fear get the better of you." Her eyes were sparkling with excitement, as she hopped up and down. "I may not want babies like Mira, but I do want to see you happy."

"Timing has been my enemy recently, but I won't let it intimidate me. I'm not going to let anything get in the way from here on out." I watched her eyes grow wide, stuttering as she tried to figure out what to say in response.

"You go get 'em girl!" Cana's voice called from a little bit away. "Don't you come back till you seal the deal!"

"I really need to go now, so I'll talk to you later." I rolled my eyes, deciding Cana's little outburst didn't dignify a response.

"Bye Lu-chan!"

I took a moment before cutting off the feed, letting all the relief I had been keeping a tight hold on run wild for the first time. A sharp squeal slipped out as I set the device on the counter; I hadn't realized how much hearing his voice would mean to me, it was like the first glass of water after spending days in an arid dessert. I could only imagine what it would be like when he was standing beside me again.

"Rogue coming home!" I giggled like a manic for a minute or two, repeating the phrase over and over. Soon I decided it was time to get the place ready for him, he was going to come home to a clean house, fresh linens and a hot dinner. It wasn't much, but I wanted to do something to make his return more comfortable.

There was nothing that could have stopped me from singing and dancing around like a lunatic as I started cleaning every surface I could find. I flitted back and forth from room to room getting the dirty linens and putting away the random reading materials that I had been using during the week, completely ignoring the rest of my surroundings.

('Best thing I never had' by Beyonce partial song)

There was a time
I thought, that you did everything right
No lies, no wrong
Boy I must've been out of my mind
So when I think of the time that I almost loved you
You showed your ass and I, I saw the real you

I grabbed a hair brush and started dancing around the bathroom.

Thank God you blew it
I thank God I dodged the bullet
I'm so over you
Baby good lookin' out

I used to want you so bad
I'm so through with that
Cause honestly you turned out to be the, best thing I never had
Oh you turned out to be, the best thing I never had
And I will always be the, best thing you never had
Oh, best thing you never had!

Oh baby, I bet it sucks to be you right now.

I didn't even care that my singing was horrible, I just wanted to belt out what ever came into my mind, as I got ready to see him.

Rogue was on his way back, nothing else in the world was more important than that.

It took two hours to get everything in order before I worked my way back into the kitchen to cook, hoping that I had diverted enough time so that the meal would be hot when the four of them returned from their mission. There was plenty left to do, but I still took my time with each step so that I made the process stretch out for another hour, give or take.

The meat had just gone into the over when I let myself give into the day dreams that had been whispering at the edges of my over stimulated imagination. It wouldn't be long now, Rogue would walk through that door soon. I began to imagine what it was going to be like to see him after the short separation.

The door opens, the bag dropped to the floor.

I can't stop myself from running right across the room, wrapping my arms around him.

He hisses as pain from his injuries becomes more apparent.

I stand back allowing him to slowly remove his jacket and boots before leading him over to the couch.

Slowly I inspect him giving each set of bandages a kiss till I work my way up to his split lip. Then to the bandage wrapped around his forehead.

"Welcome back!" Sting's voice echoed; I felt myself flinch and cursed silently that I forgot to physically kick him out.

"Why the hell are you still in my house?" Rogue sounded almost too tired to care, but he still managed a threatening growl.

"Waiting for the food to be ready, why else would I be here?" I shook my head, the man had just eaten enough to feed an army and he was still expecting more.

"None of this is for you!" I called from the kitchen, as I stirred a pot that had freshly mashed potatoes in it.

"The brat went straight to the guild, I suggest you head there too."

"T-t-the food is almost done, you can't kick me out after smelling that! I won't be able to sleep without at least a taste."

"What about 'none of this is for you' didn't you get?" I peaked my head out of the kitchen, sticking my tongue out. "I thought you left hours ago."

"And miss the show? No thank." Sting shot a suggestive wink in my direction, and I realized that he had been watching me dance around while I was cleaning. Rogue looked from Sting to me then back to Sting, and I could see him bristle at the blush rising on my cheeks. I ducked back into the kitchen, gathering everything I would need to transfer the meal to the dinning area.

"Get out."

"Why are you mad?" I could hear the confusion lacing Sting's voice, and knew he was digging himself a deep grave.

"Get. Out. Now." I had to bite my lip to keep quite as I listened to Sting begin to stutter; Rogue could be extremely intimidating when he wanted to be.

"B-but-" The argument was cut off by the sound of flesh against flesh with the distinct sickly crack of breaking bones, followed by a slamming door. Poor guy probably had a broken nose for his effort. I would need to let Rouge know that it wasn't anything inappropriate that happened, and that Sting had actually been rather helpful over the past few days.

"That smells really good." Rogue's breath fanned out across my left ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I let out a small squeak when his arms wrapped around my torso, his chin settling on my shoulder. I hadn't even heard him approaching, so I had no time at all to prepare myself for the contact.

"You're hungry, right?" I licked my lips trying to bring some moisture back to my mouth as I spoke.

"Yeah." His grip tightened slightly.

"It's just about done." I tried my damnedest to keep my focus on the stove top as I felt his cheek brush up against mine. "Will you get the plates, I'm anxious to hear all the details about your mission."

Rogue sighed, the sound filled with disappointment, then disentangled himself from me so he could do what I had asked. It gave me enough time to put my head back on straight before I brought the food out. So much for my day dreams, at least I didn't need to smack the blonde for ruining the moment since Rogue had already taken care of it.

I sat on the opposite side of the table, my elbows propped so I could rest my chin on my laced fingers.

"Five Guilds got the call, so it was the usual group." He informed between bites of food. "Yukino made sure to get a position as far from Natsu as possible, after she told him off again, of course."

"Naturally." I had to suppress a giggle at that statement.

"Getting in was the hardest part, after that it was obvious that they weren't trained to go up against Guild Mages. There were only about fifty that could give any of us a hard time."

"So they were over reacting?" I felt a bit of anger rising up at the stupid Council for being a bunch of whiny jerks.

"Not entirely, Dark Guilds aren't supposed to exist let alone take over a legal organization that is more than willing to take on dodgy jobs like assassinations. Death's Head Caucus had been recruiting mercenary guilds to take on contracts, so the handful that were prepared were trouble."

"Mercenary Guilds aren't much better than Dark Guilds sometimes, so the idea of them teaming up doesn't sound pleasant at all." He had finished eating so I decided that was enough information for the time being. "I'm really glad it's over."

"Hopefully the message gets across, and we won't have to do something like that again." I nodded in agreement before clearing the table, Rogue attempted to help but I pushed him back into his seat with a soft smile.

"Take it easy for a while, I can handle the dishes." I needed time to organize my thoughts, to decide what I wanted to say.

There was nothing I could do to prepare myself for his answers, but at least I could have my questions ready.

Where do you see this going?

How often can we make time to see each other?

Will this be just a little thing or something more serious?

What are you're expectations? I've never been in a relationship before, and I have no idea what to expect.

H-h-how many women have you been with?

With a deep breath I walked back into the other room to find that Rogue had moved to the couch; his eyes were closed, with the smallest of smiles playing across his lips. I made my way over to sit gently beside him, just in case he had fallen asleep. One eye cracked open, and the smile spread a little wider before he pulled me into his side. Words escaped me as he pressed a soft kiss into my hair and whispered something I couldn't make out.

The tension slipped from my shoulders as his scent surrounded me, pulling me into a state of comfortable bliss. All my questions were pushed to the back of my mind as his arm locked around my waist. A sighed eacaped me before I took in a deep breath, filling my lungs to capacity with the scent that had started to fade from his bed. I had to place it's origin, silently hoping it was a soap or shampoo that I could go out and buy when I felt like I needed the comfort it offered me.

It was so unique that I was sure it was something I had never been exposed to before, but as I investigated it a little deeper I found hints of bergamot; the citrus and earthy tones were similar to the Earl Grey tea my father had always favored. As I investigated even deeper underneath that, there was something that was far more difficult to put into words. My mind's eye gravitated to a scene where I was standing in the middle of a forest during winter, right when the sky opens up letting the first snow of the season dance on the wind. Even if it was cold and foreign at first, the longer I stood in the patch of wood the warmer and more enchanted I became with the beauty of the scene. Still there wasn't a name for the earthy, chilled scent of this man.

I had never had such a hard time pinning a name on a smell before. Natsu, for instance, was the sweet smell of a marshmallow abandoned inside a campfire, it was distinct and completely appropriate for him. Rogue's however was something that couldn't be expressed as a singular item, his was as intricate as the scene in my mind.

A complex scent for a complex man, how fitting.

"I missed you." I buried my face in his chest, hiding the flush on my cheeks at my open admission. I felt his arms tighten around my back as a second kiss was delivered to the top of my head.

"I missed you too." Without giving my actions much thought I swung my left leg over his right, shortly followed by the other as my arm snaked around his back.

"Just so you know, I can't blame Sting for being amused, my singing isn't really that great." I snuggled deeper into his hold willing the embarrassment to float away. "He deserved it though, for making fun of me."

"I'll have the brat explain to him what is, and isn't appropriate to do with someone who isn't his girlfriend tomorrow." He sighed and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over us. A smile spread across my face when he shifted so that we were both more comfortable.

"I should probably speak in his defense, but I don't feel like it." That got a small laugh out of Rogue.

"How did your thing for Sorcerer Weekly go?"

"It was more of an interrogation than I had been expecting, the gossip mill is well informed." I groaned as I remembered the hours of none stop whispered comments and questions. "I wish they would use their networking skills for something more productive."

"Sounds horrible."

"It was absolute torture! I would gladly take on a man eating plant, all on my own, if it meant getting out of their busybody web." I was rewarded with another small laugh.

"That's good to know." I yawned, the stress of the whole affair catching up with me. The conversation about relationships was going to have to wait, since I could barely keep my eyes open.

"Don't forget the bakery in the morning." I yawned again, before snuggling deeper into his hold. Sleep came with overwhelming swiftness this time around, and I fell into dreams before he could even reply.

I smiled at the man on the other side of the table as I took my fork and stole a small piece of the cake on his plate.

"It's good right?" He had been suspicious of the desert when I ordered it, but he agreed to at least try it. "It's not extremely sweet, with the dark chocolate and the coffee. Erza hates it, but I think it's better than strawberry cake. Don't tell Erza that though, I don't want to die."

"It's still a little on the sweet side, but I could handle it every once in a while." He took another experimental bite as I went back to my coffee.

"Frosh, likes the fishy cakes." The little green exceed informed me before directing all his attention on said treat.

"You can thank Happy for that, he's here so much that they added it to the main menu."

The conversation turned back to Rogue explaining the rest of the mission since we had both fallen asleep in the middle of our conversation the night before. It was so nice to wake up with his arms wrapped around me that I wasn't sure how I was going to manage sleeping normally. I quickly pushed those thoughts aside, wanting to savor our time together rather than dread the departure. I flagged down our waiter and ordered another coffee, and a Petite Fleur.

I was half way through my second cup when I realized we weren't alone anymore; I tried my best to ignore them, but that was nearly impossible when the pink haired woman took it upon herself to join us.

"Sooooooo, it seems there is some truth to the rumors." I wanted to slap the grin off her face for interrupting our lovely little mid morning snack, but I didn't want to spill my coffee. "Poor Natsu, I really feel sorry for him."

"Did you need something Sherry?" I gave her a overly sweet smile.

"Yes, and you know exactly what I want to know."

"So it's my secrets your after?" I whispered with a wicked little smile. "Sorry to be the one to break this to you, but I don't have any."

"What do you call this?" She pouted and looked back and forth from Rogue's side of the table to mine.

"I can't be certain, but I believe normal people call it a date." Shock took over, her mouth forming a perfect O.

"Being single goes over much better with your fan base." I didn't even know why Jenny and Sherry were there let alone why they were there together. "Just look at Sherry, she lost half when she got engaged to Ren, and another quarter after they got married."

"The ones that are left are my real fans." Sherry gave Jenny a sour look before turning back to me.

"What a terrible fate, I guess my career is completely over before it even began." I turned to give Jenny the same sickly sweet smile I had given to Sherry. "It's a good thing Fairy Tail is filled with pretty faces, after all I've never ranked higher than three at the Miss Fairy Tail contest."

"Ladies, I believe it's in poor taste to interrupt like this." My unexpected savior shot a wink over his shoulder and I had to cover my mouth to hide my amused laugh . "I'll try my best to keep them occupied." Hibiki steered the women out the cafe door seeming rather pleased with himself.

"I can see why you'd take the man eating plant." Rogue shook his head.

"A forest of man eating plants." I amended with a giggle.

"That seems a little much."

"Women are scary creatures." I took another sip of my coffee and offered a soft smile. "Don't worry though, I have no intention of letting them get the information they want."

"What kind of information?" He leaned in just a little, his chin resting on one fist.

"Details that proper ladies don't repeat." I fought off the sudden need to hide my face as the blush bloomed a deep crimson over my cheeks. I gave a coy smile as I continued. "I'm perfectly happy to keep it all to myself."

I wasn't sure what to make of the grin he was giving me, but I guessed it was a good thing since he felt the need to pay the bill and pull me out of my seat with Frosh following just behind. He wrapped an arm around my waist as we walked, an action that was becoming very common recently. I wasn't arguing though, it felt nice to have his warm hand resting on my hip.

I expected us to head to the guild, but Rogue stopped at his front door and sent Frosh on ahead. I half wanted to ask what had gotten into him, but there was something about the grin on his face that was keeping me silent. Once our outwear was put away, his hand wrapped around mine and he lead me up the stairs and into his room.

"Did you stayed in here the whole time?" A part of me questioned why he would ask that, but then I remembered, Dragon slayer's nose.

"Y-yeah." I really doubted that there was a word that could describe the deep shade of red that I turned when I realized that washing the linens hadn't been enough to hide that fact from him. "I did." His grin grew even wider as he pulled me over to sit on the bed with him.

"I kind of like having your scent in here, maybe even a little more than I should." Before I could say anything to his admission, his lips were covering mine, and all rational thought got kicked to the curb. My hands moved up to undo the tie in his hair so that I could enjoy the feeling of threading my fingers through it. Rogue was quick to respond, pulling out the small elastic bands at the ends of my braided hair and pulling his fingers down to undo the loose design. He pulled back, resting his forehead on mine. "I think it might be ok to ask now, do you want to make this a permanent arrangement?"

"If that means I get to do this all the time, then yes." I leaned forward and kissed him again.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we have relationship lift off! TBC