Stepping into the cold chill of the night, Lucy unlocked her phone and thumbed her way through the contacts. Levy...Gajeel...Carla...Wendy...her school, her father, her father's work, her home...finally it landed on Natsu, her thumb hovering just above tapping it. As she lead the way down the familiar route, Lucy could feel herself hesitate...should she call him? Back when they were still kids, when they were still friends, Lucy would've called him in a heart beat, no hesitation...but now, here she was on Friday night walking in a shady part of town, trying to avoid the leers and looks of the people around her, trying to avoid the question Loke had asked. He knew and they both knew it.

"Lucy, you need to call some one, what about Natsu -?"

Anger surged through her at her celestial spirit's suggestion. Turning to face the spirit, she glared and was about to say something when she saw the look in his eyes. Fear. Worry. When he gently and slowly reached out his hand towards her, the blonde could feel herself cowering away from his touch. Her mind flashed back and Loke's worried face was replaced with that of her father's angry one. So red from drink and emotion, even now away from him, it made her cower in fear! Instead of out in the street, under a lamp light with her celestial spirit, she was back in the library...

Once again, she was knocked against the bookshelf from her father's punch, the spines of the books a welcome embrace. Her fingers clinging to the crisp and musty pages, some falling to the ground with her, dragged by her desperately clinging fingers as she curls in on herself. Jude's anger hurts her ears, shouting incoherent words about Lucy spending all the money he worked so hard to earn. Calling her a whore for spending time with that "pinkish haired freak" and yelling at her for things she did not do.

"Lucy, you need to calm down!"

Lucy could feel her whole body shivering, arms wrapping around her as a figure lead her away from the lamplight. Fear spiked through her gut as she struggled, trying to get loose from the one that held her! The figure called her name over and over again, begging, pleading, demanding for her to stop screaming and just listen! It took a cold blast of water from Aquarius forcing her gate for Lucy to remember where she was. As she owlishly blinked around, Lucy took in the dark ally. A garbage bin and garbage overflow was off to the side, a bent fire escape and graffiti on the walls reading "Live unto your last breath" in large letters just under and slightly to the left of the ladder. The ground the two were standing on was so filthy and covered in a slippery muck, Lucy was glad that she had Loke to hold her up while she regained her feet.

"Thanks Loke...I'm sorry, I just -"

"You don't need to explain to me, Lucy."

Her cell phone in her hand started to buzz and jingle, jerking her out of her reverie. As she stood staring at the screen, her heart skipped a beat, her eyes filled with tears. The screen was flashing with a picture of Natsu at the wheel of his truck, elbow bent out the window as his right arm lay against the wheel, bent at the wrist. His pinkish hair was blowing in the wind, dark eyes shining, a grin on his face. Just looking at the picture caused Lucy's breath to hitch, and again her thumb hovered over the answer button. Still she was hesitant...

Should she answer? If she did, what would she say? Yeah Natsu, my dad beat me again so instead of calling you like you said, I took Loke to an abandoned warehouse where I like to hide when my world collapses around me! We'll forget the fact that we argued and chat tomorrow like nothing is wrong, okay?

Right, that would totally work...!

Tired of standing in the muck and stench of the ally way, she allowed Loke to lead her out of the dark ally and into the light of the street lamps. Still her phone buzzed until finally it stilled in her hand, only to beep a moment later with a message. Tucking her phone in her pocket, the two made their way to the abandoned warehouse she spent her time while she ran away.

The building that stood before the Celestial mage and spirit was a building long condemned and so old and crumbling, it wasn't worth the cost to even rip it down. There was a notice board stapled to a stick in the ground that warned people away. All sorts of warnings: Collapsing building, construction zone, blast zone, no smoking within three hundred feet, not allowed to enter with out steel toed boots, hard hat and reflective vest, chemical waste. You thought of it, this board either had once held the sign or was currently holding it. Lucy ignored them all.

The first time she'd come here, she was in to much pain, to filled with anger to even bother looking at the signs. Over time, she'd managed to explore the whole of the ruins, not finding any dangers of what the sign was talking about except "collapsing building". Just looking at the empty glass-less windows, the missing roof, shreds of blue tarp, hanging like tears...this whole building screamed Do Not Enter!

Just like any other time, Lucy walked right passed the signs, up a crumbling but still sturdy stare case and into a little room she'd managed to find. It was tiny, but there was enough room for her sleeping bag, an upturned crate for a side table, the books she brought with her, a flashlight, extra batteries and the little space under to store her bag. It wasn't much, but over time with Loke's help, she'd managed to at least make a sort of makeshift bed, boards carefully balanced and weighted down for a makeshift roof.

That's where she sat now, knees to her chest, chin on her knees. Fidgeting with her phone, she noticed there was a message waiting for her. Fear spiked through her as she thought it might be her father, but she hit the button to call her voice mail anyways. Putting the phone to her ear, she ignored Loke's questioning look and gasped at the voice that came out from her phone.

Lucy, It's Natsu...I can understand why you're not answering your phone, but I wish you would. I was going to call your home phone, but – well...it just didn't seem like a good idea...Look. Lucy. When I got home, Wendy gave me such a chewing out for what I'd done and how I reacted...I need to apologize. Please, call me back? I just need to know that you're okay. Please...I need to say I'm sorry and that I need to talk to you about -

"End of message. To erase, press one. To keep, press two. To call back, press three."

With a sigh, Lucy let her hand fall limp to her side, the mechanical voice ringing out to loud in the semi darkness. When she looked for Loke to ask him for his opinion, he was no longer there, probably gone back to the spirit world. As she heard the tinny sounding message play three more times, Lucy finally sighed and pressed the number three button, again holding the phone to her ear. After a few minutes, a voice finally answered, relief clearly heard in every word.

"Lucy?! Lucy, are you okay? Where are you!?"

"N-Natsu...Natsu, I..."

Unable to say anymore, she hugged the phone to her chest, sobs racking her whole body. Gently a hand removed the phone from her grip, speaking softly into the phone.

"Natsu? Loke...yes, it happened again...Mm. She locked my gate..."

Lucy only half listened as Loke spoke to Natsu a moment longer. As he hung up and tucked the phone beside her, fading into the celestial spirit world, his last words spoken to Natsu rang in her ears, a constant whisper, over and over.

She's in the usual spot...it was really bad this time, Natsu. Today wasn't the day she was supposed to run...