And behold, Part 3!

For the purposes of the plot, Lucy's father isn't like in the manga/anime.

Enjoy!

PART 3

"Remind me to never let Erza into the sword smithy ever again." I groaned as we walked back to the mansion.

"Aye, sir!" Happy flew above my head, cheerfully responding to my request before making loops. Damn cat.

The tour had taken up the entire day, mostly because once my friends had found something that interested them they refused to leave. Gray had gotten stuck at the pottery house where the craftsmen made the various sculptures and vases that litter the mansion's hallways. Happy, of course, didn't want to leave the fishing lake and Natsu had to be dragged out from the smelter's workshop. According to him, the flames tasted really good. Around the same time as Gray distracted Natsu by starting a fight, Erza caught a glimpse of an elderly man putting finishing touches on a sword and immediately swamped him with questions. How do he like his swords? What polish is best? What design did he like? It all ended with her challenging him to a sword fight and I had to bribe her with a full strawberry cake to save to poor man from destruction. I called a maid and asked her to tell the cooks to immediately start a massive cake when Erza cracked her knuckles and muttered something about already being acquainted with the cooks. I shuddered just thinking about what she did to them when they attempted to protect the cakes. Natsu and Gray kept their distance for some time after that little incident and ended up blowing up the lodging for a few ball guests. When I began scolding them for being destructive, Natsu grinned, kissed me, and said he was doing me a favor by chasing away the, and I quote, "slimy bastards". Then Gray told us to get a room right before he was pounded into the ground by an enraged Erza screaming bloody murder. It turned out that a servant had been bringing her the cake when some flying debris from the exploded guest rooms squished his cargo and effectively destroyed the cake. The boys barely escaped with their lives. A group of panicked servants came rushing with another cake and begged me to give it to the rampaging demoness since I was her 'acquaintance'. I handed it over to her as a peace offering that she graciously accepted and we finally, finally, managed to leave the scene.

"Lucy, this cake is really good." Erza mumbled around her bite. I struggled to keep my eyes from rolling; undoubtedly the cooks went all-out once Erza went insane.

"Luce, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Natsu smashed his fist into Gray's face, sending the ice mage sprawling and effectively ending their fight, before placing his arm across my shoulders. Gray jumped up with a desire for revenge only to be stopped with a dark look from Erza.

"I don't know. Maybe we should just take a break for a day, get ready for the ball and everything." I dreaded the day I'd be paraded in front of high society again. Natsu didn't say anything, but I knew he felt how my shoulders tensed up – his hand was lying on top of them, after all – and his fingers began playing with my hair.

"Sounds good." Gray agreed with a slight smirk as his eyes caught the sight of Natsu's fingers. I shot him a cold, steely gaze promising torture if he dared make a comment and he immediately put his hands up in defeat.

"Yes. Does the mansion have a training ground, Lucy?" Erza jumped topics so quickly that I needed a moment to actually register what she'd said.

"Um, I think so… maybe? If you ask a maid she should be able to tell you." I didn't have an answer for her and felt bad for any maid that happened to be the victim of Erza's interrogation. We were rounding the last bend when Natsu suddenly scooped me up without breaking pace and carried me bridal-style.

"What was that for?" I asked him, very confused at his sudden action. He merely grinned with too-innocent-to-be-true innocence and Gray groaned from somewhere to my left.

"He's telling them to back off." The ice mage clarified for me and I didn't need to look to know who it was. Probably another group of men who decided to try and scare Natsu away, only to see him carry me as if he did it every day. A very bold statement, if anything. I felt like groaning and punching Natsu to my heart's content for his possessiveness, but I had absolutely nothing against him and everything against the other men. Besides, none of the others would have been able to carry me for more than a couple steps. Natsu was basically killing two birds with one stone: proving his strength and showing his affection.

We split up at Erza's room and Natsu carried me all the way to my door. At that point I told him to put me down and go get ready for dinner, since his outfit had been dragged through hell and back during his spats with Gray. He left with a pout and I immediately went for a hot bath. It took longer that I thought it would, so I wasted no time in asking for maids to help me get into the curse of a dress that I'd picked out. It was a pretty thing, a burgundy bodice with a pale pink skirt, and fell into my category of simple. Despite my attempts at hurrying, I was still late for dinner and earned a disapproving glance from my father. Natsu frowned slightly at his food before diving in with a shrug. The servants were taking away our plates when my father cleared his throat.

"I have an announcement to make." He paused, as if making sure that he had our complete attention. "Since my daughter is already here and the preparations have been finished, the ball has been rescheduled for tomorrow evening at five o'clock rather than the day after. I assume that you all have busy lives and I have no wish to keep you here longer than necessary." He left the room right after, not bothering to wait for our reactions. Gray just shrugged, Erza began muttering under her breath about 'late notice' and 'problem', Happy kept eating his fish and Natsu watched me carefully. I followed Gray's example and rose with a shrug, bidding them all good night before walking back to my room. I was closing my door when Natsu walked past, his hands rubbing his temples and his mouth set in a confused frown.

"Natsu? Are you okay?" I called, pulling the door open to clearly see his face. He paused at the sound of my voice and shot me a wide grin.

"Yeah, I'm good. Good night, Luce." He replied cheerfully and kept going. I stretched out under the covers and quickly fell asleep, a part of me hoping my father wasn't serious about moving the ball. There was no way he would move an event like this the day before; he'd be too worried about inconveniencing his guests. That meant that he'd lied about the date of the ball from the start, but why? To remind me that I was under his power? I'd be lying if I said it worked.

XXXXX

"Lushy! Wake up!" Happy's frantic cries shook me from my sleep. I cracked my eyes open to the dead of the night and a panicking cat. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes as her stared me down with a frantic gaze.

"Happy? What's wrong?" I mumbled, inwardly cursing him for waking me up and ready to go back to sleep.

"It's Natsu!" That had me leaping out of bed.

"What's wrong?" I struggled to keep from shaking the damn cat. He swallowed and the tears fell.

"He's really hot and he's whimpering and he won't wake up no matter what I do!" Happy had to finish while chasing after me as I ran out of my room. My bare feet pounded against the marble floors and I ignored the worried cries of maids that I passed. I practically slammed the door to Natsu's room open to find him tossing on his bed, the stench of burning sheets hanging in the air like smoke. I ran over to him and felt his forehead, only to jerk my hand back as my fingertips burned. Sweat formed a glistening layer on his skin and I could see faint outlines of scales under his eyes.

"Happy, go get Gray and Erza." I snapped at the cat. He darted out immediately and seconds later Erza appeared in her Heart Cruz pajamas.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" She asked and took a moment to drink in Natsu and the smell. I reached out and grabbed Natsu's hand, ignoring the burn as I tried to give him something to ground himself with.

"I don't know. Happy came into my room wailing that something was wrong and when I came in he was like this." Natsu let out a quiet whimper and his hand squeezed mine to the point of death. I clenched my teeth and bore it, not letting Erza see that his death grip hurt. Gray came rushing in with a chunk of ice already in his hands and he tossed it to me. I caught it with my free hand and placed in on Natsu's forehead. To our shock, the ice immediately began to sizzle and melt into a pool of cold water. Gray swore and made a new one while I watched Natsu. When the first ice block was completely gone I applied the second one and Natsu's hand cooled down slightly.

"Princess, here is the antidote." Virgo's sudden appearance had me jump in surprise. She held out a vial with a dark blue liquid. I took it slowly and asked Erza to hold Natsu's chin up while I poured the stuff down his throat. He responded almost immediately, settling down with a low sigh and relaxing his death grip on my hand. A million thoughts were running through my head, none pleasant and most not practical.

"Antidote to what?" I asked the spirit. My thumb began rubbing circles on the back of Natsu's hand.

"He had been poisoned with 'febra', known for the intense fever the victim receives. The poison paralyzes the body's immune system, rendering any self-defense systems useless. It takes little more than a teaspoon to fatally poison someone. As a Dragon Slayer, he normally burns through poisons in his system but the febra doesn't allow his body to remove the poison. With the antidote he should be fine in a few hours." Virgo made a stiff bow. "Punishment time, Princess?"

"No! Thank you for the antidote, Virgo." I would never be able to understand her desire for punishment.

"What are the side effects of the poison?" Erza asked thoughtfully.

"Very high fever and memory induction. I will be going now, Princess." Virgo made another bow and disappeared. We all looked at Natsu in horror.

"Whatever he's seeing, it can't be good." Gray murmured. I remembered Confusion Bringer all too clearly, the panic and pain it caused.

"You guys should go to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day. I can stay with him to calm him down if he wakes up." I told them, hoping that at least one of them would be able to see where I was going with my thinking.

Erza nodded. "If he wakes up it'd be best for you to be here. If you need anything don't hesitate to call me." She got up and left, dragging Gray with her. I locked the door behind them, jamming the lock to prevent any snooping maids from entering. If Gray or Erza came running they would simply break the door down, so a lock wasn't an obstacle for them. I settled into a chair with a random book and was halfway through when he snapped awake and shot out of the bed, stumbling slightly. His eyes darted around the room in sharp, frantic movements and his breaths were coming out in short gasps.

"Shh, Natsu, calm down. It's okay." I stood up slowly, setting the book onto the cushion while keeping my eyes on him. "It's okay."

He looked at me without any focus, only hearing the sound of my voice but not recognizing it. I walked up to him and slipped my hands into his. He froze for a few seconds at the contact before squeezing my fingers slightly, as if testing to make sure they were real. The things he must've seen…

"Luce?" He spoke softly, uncertainly.

"Yes. It's me, Lucy. We're in your room in my father's mansion. He invited us to a ball. Erza and Gray are here too, but they're in the room next door. You're safe, I'm safe, we're all safe." I went through the list slowly, keeping my voice steady. His eyes slowly took on focus and he locked his gaze on mine. Emotion flickered like little fish in his eyes, going from disbelief to confusion to fear. My own worry was growing by the minute, but I took great care to hide it from him. He needed stability, not more confusion.

He moved without warning and engulfed me in a tight hug. Burying his nose in my hair, he took a long breath, his fingers clenching the fabric of my pajamas. I wrapped my hands around his neck and gave him time to assure himself that I was there.

"Please don't leave." He whispered. I blinked at how shaky his voice was.

"I won't, I promise." I told him gently. He relaxed slightly with a long sigh and I felt his fingers play with the back of my shirt.

"Luce?"

"Hmm?" I leaned my head against his shoulder. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"I-I saw you back in that place… when t-they were… and you…" He shuddered at the memory and tightened the hug. I felt my heart crumble for him, the pain and fear he must've experienced being back in the cell.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay. I know, you don't have to tell me. They can't do anything anymore. Everything's okay." I gently raked my fingers through his spiky hair. "C'mon, we have to get some sleep. I won't leave, I promise."

I led him to the bed and climbed in with him, letting him place an arm around my waist and pull me close without complaint. His face was buried in my neck and his warm breath tickled my skin. I fell asleep to the rhythmic beating of his heart against my back and dark thoughts buzzing around in my mind.

Virgo had said it took a teaspoon to be fatal. A teaspoon. Sprinkled over his food. Natsu frowning at his plate and rubbing his temples afterwards. Had he been poisoned during dinner? If so, who and why? The men who'd come for the ball? The maids? A stranger? My father?