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Lucy stood with her arms crossed as she watched the two young Slayers talk happily, most likely relieved that they were saved. As she gazed upon Sting's face, she had to wonder why his mouth was covered in blood. It didn't seem to be his own as there weren't any major cuts on his face, just some bruises and a small split lip. She'd make sure he'd get a long relaxing bath when they got home, and she bet that Rogue's parents would be so happy to see him.

"Should we leave the body here?"

She turned around when she heard the question, frowning at the two Lamia Scale mages. "He can be eaten by the wild animals for all I care. I just hope he rots in Hell." She glared down at the pile of rocks that were covering the body.

Lyon slowly nodded, his own lips downturned. "I suppose there's not much else we can do, the knights would just bury him somewhere else anyways." He sighs.

"What a despicable man." Jura shakes his head, folding his hands in his sleeves.

"Thank you again for your help, I couldn't have rescued them without you." She gave them a soft smile.

"What kind of mages would we be to abandon a friend in need?" Jura gives her a small smile back.

She couldn't stop herself from throwing her arms around the Stone Mage, tears coming to her eyes. She felt him wrap his own arms around her and she sniffled. "I owe you two everything. If there's anything you need, just ask." She pulled back from the hug and gave them a warm, watery smile.

"We will keep that in mind." Lyon smiles back at her.

"Is he dead?"

The three mages turned when they heard the soft voice, Rogue and Sting had walked over to them with small frowns on their faces.

"Yes, he's dead." Lucy said, leaning down in front of the trembling dark haired boy and brushing his short bangs from his face. "He'll never hurt anyone ever again." She said softly.

"Did..." His red eyes trailed to the side, his fists clenching tightly. "Did I kill him?"

Her eyes widened slightly when he looked back at her, his gaze filled with hatred, fear, and guilt. She had no idea what that look meant, what was she supposed to tell him? The hatred made it seem like he wanted to be the killer, but the fear and guilt told another story.

"Wouldn't it be a good thing to get revenge?" Lyon finally asked.

Lucy whipped her head around and gave the Ice Mage a fierce glare, causing him to clamp his mouth shut. Rogue is just a kid, what the hell was he thinking saying that?

"I..." Rogue sniffled, his trembling relaxing slightly when Sting grabbed his hand. "If I killed him, then I would be no better than Neerus himself." He whimpered.

Lucy looked back over to Rogue with tears in her eyes. He looked so torn up about the whole situation, it broke her heart. "No, you didn't kill him." Relief washed over his face, but the pain in his eyes remained.

"Oh, then who did?" He asked, his eyes moving to look at the pile of rocks. He flinched slightly at the sight of the blood seeping from between the bottom rocks.

"Uh.." She looked behind her at the two mages, and they gave her small nods. She turned back to the younger boy and gently held his shoulders. "It was Jura." She hated lying, but she didn't know what else to do. Technically the impact against Jura's stone is what killed Neerus, so it wasn't a total lie, she just didn't want to mention the part that he was sent sailing through the air and crushed because of the Shadow Magic.

"Oh, okay.." Rogue sighed.

"Excuse me, Miss Lucy? Lyon and I must discuss our missions in private if you do not mind." Jura said as he pointed to where they would be.

"You go ahead, I'll talk with these two and you can find us when you're done." She nodded at them, waving as they walked off.

"You really came for us." Sting finally spoke up.

Lucy smiled softly and pulled him forward into a hug. "Of course I did. I came as soon as I discovered your location." She pulled back from the hug and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"How did you find us?" Sting wished that he could hug Lucy back, but he knew he shouldn't take off his handcuffs unless he wanted to experience what Rogue just did.

"Neerus left behind those guys that you took out. Aquarius is pretty persuasive when she wants information." She winked teasingly, giggling when he grinned.

"She does have a way with words." He nodded his agreement. It felt amazing to be outside, the fresh air filled his lungs and the soft breeze brushed against his heated skin.

"On a more serious note;" She frowned, bringing her hand up to cup his cheek. "Why do you have blood all over your mouth?" She used her other hand to silently summon Virgo, quickly thanking the maid spirit when she appeared with a rag and a bottle of water.

Sting's face fell. "Oh, I uh... I bit Neerus' hand when he put it on my face. He threatened to hurt Rogue and I guess my body just moved on its own." He mumbled.

She frowned as she used the wet rag to clean his face. "I'm glad it's not your blood." That explained why he came outside with a bloodied bandage wrapped around his hand, it definitely weakened him for their fight.

"M-Miss Lucy?" Rogue suddenly spoke, a small flush appearing on his cheeks when she looked at him.

"Yes, Sweetie?" She smiled, still wiping the blood from Sting's face.

His heart fluttered at the nickname. "Sting really helped me back in that.. place. He's my friend and I want to stay with him so... can I, um, join Fairy Tail too?" This lady gave off such a calming aura, her smile so sweet that he could practically feel the cavities forming.

Lucy beamed at him and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! We would love to have you, Rogue." She wiped off the last bit of blood before handing the rag to the unusually silent Virgo, the spirit disappearing soon after.

"Y-You mean it?" His eyes flickered with life, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Yes, but what about your parents?" The thought suddenly came to her, passing the bottle of water to Sting so he could drink some.

His smile left, replaced by a frown. "I don't have any, I only had Skiadrum." He said sadly.

"His dragon." Sting added, handing the bottle to Rogue after he was done.

She was most likely going to financially regret this, but her heart told her that she needed to do it. "Would you like to live with us?" She smiled gently at the shocked boy.

"Live with us?" Sting looked at Rogue with a large smile. "You'd be like my brother, then!"

Rogue blushed as he looked between the two blondes. "A b-brother?" The only family that Rogue ever knew was Skiadrum and Frosch, he never thought that he would be able to have his family grow so suddenly like this. He knew that he already cared for Sting, but he barely knew Lucy. Though, the longer he stared into her warm eyes, the more he wanted to experience why Sting loved her so much.

"You can view me however you like. Sting sees me as his best friend, but you can call me your sister if you'd like." She giggled at his nervousness, pulling him into her arms. He was tense, so she brushed her fingers through his hair to ease him. "Or just a guardian." She placed a kiss on the top of his head. "Or even a mother." She pulled away and stared into his wide eyes. "But don't feel forced to agree."

Rogue nervously twiddled his fingers together. "B-But you don't even know me." He whispered.

"Your name is Rogue, and you're a Shadow Dragon Slayer. Sounds to me like I know you." She smiled.

Sting grinned widely at her words. They were the exact ones she used on him when they first met. Your name is Sting, and you're a White Dragon Slayer. Sounds to me like I know you. The memory replayed in his mind and his heart swelled at how long ago that was. He loved Lucy, she was his best friend and saviour. And now, she was doing it again for someone else. She really had a thing for attracting Dragon Slayers.

"I guess you're right." Would it really be okay? She didn't give off any negative energy, and her smell was so calming. He trusted Sting, so if Sting trusted her then he would too.

"So then, what do you say?" She watched as he passed the last bit of water to the small green cat.

He stared at her in silence for a moment. He really wanted to say yes, but the thought of losing them like he did Skiadrum scared him. His gaze moved to Sting, he was staring at him so hopefully that it filled him with warmth. "I'll come."

Lucy flinched as another scream echoed in the empty guildhall. They had all went to Lamia Scale to check on Sting as it was closer out of the two guilds. Jura had said he knew very little about lacrima, and they hoped that their guild master would know more. Their master then explained that because of the way the lacrima was implanted- with magic concealing cuffs on- that the only way to release Sting from his binds was to have the lacrima infuse all at once the same way Rogue did. Sting was scared, but Lucy promised he would be okay. They waited until the rest of the members were gone, leaving only Jura, Lyon, and their master. The room that Sting was in had runes around it to keep the magic from destroying the guild.

"This is taking longer than Rogue." She stopped her pacing and glared at the door.

"You are imagining it, Rogue only seemed quick because we were not expecting it." Jura placed a hand on her shoulder to try and reassure her. Another scream sounded and he frowned when she flinched again.

"He's in so much pain, it needs to stop." She whimpered, taking steps towards the room until Lyon blocked her path.

"Rogue was fine after, you have to trust Sting. Do you not think he's strong?" Lyon glanced over at the boy sitting on a couch, his legs pulled to his chest and his arms wrapped around them.

"Of course he's strong, he just sounds so-" Another piercing scream had Lucy shoving Lyon out of the way. Just as she was about to grab the handle, her body suddenly froze. What the hell? She couldn't move!

"Please calm down, Miss Lucy." Rogue spoke just loud enough to hear.

She was able to turn her head to look behind her, her eyes softening at the sad look on his face. His shadows left her skin, the dark tendrils slowly seeping back into his own shadow. Her shoulders dropped and she made her way over to the young mage. She sat down next to him on the couch and wrapped an arm around him.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worried." She smiled when he stiffened. He still wasn't quite used to how affectionate she can be, but she knew he would warm up eventually. Sting was the same at first too, he was confused and nervous whenever she hugged him.

"It hurt a lot, but the pain leaves pretty quickly when it's over." Rogue informed her, his body relaxing as she brushed her fingers through his recently washed hair.

"I hope neither of you have to experience this ever again. I'll be here to protect you, I promise." She would train her ass off, she needed to become stronger for them. Well, before all her training she needed to find a bigger place to live and higher paying jobs. Sting had lived with her for over a year and slept on a pullout couch, but now that there were two kids and two exceeds to take car of, she needed to get a proper room for them. She could probably only afford a two bedroom apartment, the two Slayers would have to share a room.

"Thank you." Rogue brought his hand up to stifle a yawn. He was beyond exhausted, but he wanted to wait until Sting was okay. Lucy had mentioned that they would be staying in a spare room at Lamia Scale for the night before heading back to Magnolia.

"You can rest, you know." She said as she watched his eyes droop.

"I wanna be awake for Sting." He mumbled sleepily.

"I'll wake you up when he's ready, sound good?" She chuckled softly when he gave a lazy nod before his head dropped to her shoulder. This poor boy had been through so much, she should have been making sure he was okay before panicking about Sting. Rogue recovered fine after his magic outburst, and Sting actually had supervision as well as an understanding of what was happening. She knew that she should trust Ooba Babasaama, but it was hard. She had already lost Natsu, she didn't want to lose Sting too.

Lyon walked over to the pair and sat down next to Lucy. "He should be ready for a visit soon." He reassured her.

She turned her head to face him and gave a gentle smile. "Thank you for everything, you have no idea how much this all means to me. You're amazing, Lyon." She blinked away the burn of tears before they could fall again, his eyes softening.

He hesitantly reached a hand forward and rested it over hers on the couch, watching as her eyes widened slightly. "You're very welcome." He smiled back.

Lucy felt her heart stutter at the gentle look he was giving her, and she turned her hand so their palms touched. With a small blush, she laced her fingers with his and squeezed lightly. She saw his own blush bloom at her actions and she thought he was quite cute. He had been nothing but helpful and kind to her, she was truly grateful. He was actually a lot different than she thought after officially talking with him. Their talk in the forest was fun, and his little joke was a nice surprise. He was definitely interesting.

The doors to Sting's room suddenly burst open, a panting Ooba Babasaama standing in the entryway. "He's all set." She grinned, stepping away from the room.

Lucy shot up from her seat, releasing Lyon's hand and rushing to the room. She saw Sting sat on a table, a pained expression on his face and sweat coating his exposed skin. "You're okay." She whimpered, running over to him when he looked up at her.

Sting smiled weakly when she hugged him, ignoring the aching in his body so he could hug her back. "I told you I would be." He rasped, nuzzling his nose in her hair and closing his eyes. He had missed her so much, he didn't want to have any of them go through all of that again.

"I promise I'll protect you better, I won't let you get taken away again." She sobbed. She couldn't fight the tears anymore, she was so relieved to see him. She did her best to hide her tears from Rogue, but she couldn't hide them from Sting.

He slowly brought a hand up and carefully stroked her hair. "We'll protect each other." He whispered.

She sniffled before pulling away, brushing his short bangs away from his face. "You're such a strong boy." She smiled before kissing his forehead.

"I learned from the best." He thought for a moment before chuckling quietly. "Well, two of the best."

She felt more tears fall and pulled him into another hug. "When did you become so sweet." She lets out a watery laugh. She felt his shoulders shake from his silent laugh, giving him one final squeeze before pulling away.

"Where's Rogue?" He asks as Lucy hands him a bottle of water from a desk to his side.

"He's sleeping, I told him to rest up while we wait for you." She watched as he slowly nodded before sipping at his water.

He pulled the bottle away and wiped away the droplets of water on his chin. "He- uh, Neerus, I mean- was crazy. I've never been more scared of someone in my life." His face showed the pain he was feeling in his heart. "He did awful things to us." He whimpered.

She brushed her fingers through his hair and hushed him. "You don't have to tell me if you're not ready. Hell, even if you're never ready, that would still be okay."

Sting stared into her caring eyes, his heart replacing the pain with love. He then looked down at his stomach, poking a finger to his skin between his ribs and dragging it down. "He cut me open..." He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "While I was awake." He heard her gasp and he flinched slightly. "He put the lacrima in me, and I think he healed me after I passed out."

She could see the way he trembled in fear, and it broke her heart. If Neerus wasn't already dead, she would have tortured him herself. "You're safe now, he'll never hurt another person again. Ro-" She cleared her throat before starting again. "Jura made sure of that."

He sighed and looked back up at her. "That's true."

She took the bottle from him when he finished the water. "It won't be an easy recovery, but I know we can do it together." She kissed his forehead once more before stepping back. "Now, let me go wake up Rogue. He wanted to see you." He nodded and she turned to take her leave to wake the Shadow Dragon. It was going to be a financial struggle to take care of them, but she couldn't deny their need for each other. It was kind of peculiar that opposite elements got along so well- she was so used to Natsu and Gray fighting like morons- but she was happy that Sting found a friend like a Rogue. She would do everything in her power to take care of them.

"Welcome to your new home." Lucy smiled brightly as she opened the door to her apartment for Rogue. After a long rest and a million thank you's to the Lamia Scale members- and an extra wave to Lyon- they bid their farewell and headed for Magnolia. Lucy insisted that they settle in at home for a few days before she took them to the guild again, she didn't want to overwhelm them.

Rogue hugged Frosch to him a little tighter as he timidly walked into the cozy looking home. "A real home, Fro." He looked down at his excited partner with a small smile.

"Ours?" The green cat looked up at him gleefully.

"Yes." His smile grew a little and he placed his friend down so Lector could show him around.

Lucy walked further into the room, placing her bag down and taking off her shoes. "You'll have to sleep on a futon for now until we can afford a bigger apartment and two beds." She turned to face the two boys who were also removing their bags and shoes. "It might be pretty crowded for a while with three people and two cats, but we'll have to make it work for now until we get a new place. I'll talk to the Landlady later and check the prices."

The two boys nodded and Sting turned to Rogue with a smile. "I'll show you around!" He grabs Rogue's hand and leads him further inside the home.

"O-Okay." Rogue says as he's pulled along.

Lucy smiles softly as she watches Sting and Lector give their tours. They were all so adorable, but she could already feel the lightness of her wallet. Sting ate so much as a Dragon Slayer, and now she had two living with her. She was so glad that her kitchen was fully stocked at the moment so she could actually cook them a meal. She wondered if Rogue was a vegetable hater like Sting was? She also needed to learn if he knew his allergies, Sting had no idea what his was and they found out the hard way that he can't have bananas. But before any of that, she wanted to contact someone for information while the boys were distracted.

She grabbed her communication lacrima from her desk before walking over to the small storage room, shutting the door behind her and sending a burst of magic into her light lacrima. She sent another burst into the ball in her hands and waited for him to pick up.

The blonde man appeared in the lacrima and he smiled widely when he saw who was calling him. "Cool! It's Lucy Heartfilia! Are you calling for an interview?" Jason asked excitedly.

"No, Jason, sorry." She smiles at the grinning man. "I was just seeing if you had some information for me."

His face then turns serious. "You know I can't give out personal information, it's against my rules."

She waved him off with a chuckle. "I know that, this is different." Her smile falters slightly and she lets out a small sigh. "I'm in a bit of a predicament and I need to speak with Laxus. Has there been any recent sightings of him?" She watched as the man hummed in thought before moving away from view, distant rustling of papers heard as he looked for something. She didn't particularly want to talk to Laxus, but she needed to know all that she could about Dragon Slayer lacrima.

"Sorry, Lucy." Jason sighed when he came back into view. "The last time anyone saw Laxus was almost four months ago. He was last seen heading out to sea by himself."

Her eyes widened slightly at that. "Do you think that he was on the island too?" She asks in surprise. It would be the most logical explanation. He was a guild member for a long time, and the Master's grandson, he had to know about Tenrou island. She remembered overhearing Freed and Bixlow talking about how the First Master's grave was on the island, maybe Laxus was the sentimental type and happened to go to the island at the same time as the guild. Either that or he was really good at hiding.

"That's what I thought too, but there's no real way to be sure." He frowns.

"Thank you for looking into it for me, Jason. I owe you." She smiles once more.

"How about an interview?!" He asks in excitement once again.

She chuckles and nods. "I'll give you a special interview with me and the four newest members of Fairy Tail. Call me back tomorrow so I can talk to them and we can set up a day." Her smile widens when he bounces in his seat.

"Cool! I can't wait!" He shouts, waving his goodbye before their connection disconnected.

Her smile fell when the lacrima went black. There were only three people that she knew of that would be helpful with her Dragon Slayer lacrima issue outside of Laxus. One was Master, which was an obvious no. Then Laxus' dad, but there was no way she could track down that psycho. That only left one person, one that she would rather not speak with. Hell, she'd be surprised if he even spoke to her after what happened, but she didn't have much of a choice. If she wanted to get information quickly about the lacrima, then she needed to do it. It was for Sting and Rogue, she would do anything for them. Even if it meant seeing him again.

Looks like she would be taking a trip to the magic council and requesting a visit with Cobra.

Finally a break from all of the darkness, I'm gonna write some more wholesome moments to take the edge off of that wild beginning to this story. Lucy taking care of young Sting and Rogue is just too cute.

Drop a review, Baby!