A/N: I'm here with chapter four! Read and review!
Dedicated to 'TheCurseDoll- Beelzenef' for being such a cutie! (And for writing amazing Gruvia and Jerza stories. :D )
Levy took one look at Lucy's disturbed face before deciding that it would be better if she didn't ask Lucy what was wrong and rather, let her tell the matter herself to Levy when she was ready to do so.
Lucy's face was buried in her palms and she was shaking uncontrollably. As the good friend Levy was, she sat next to Lucy and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Oy, shrimp…" Gajeel came into view from the kitchen. "Ju…" he began but trailed off after he caught sight of Lucy. He glanced at Levy who signaled at him to leave. "I'll be outside" he mouthed before going back into the kitchen. Levy heard a door click twice after a few seconds and she turned her full attention to Lucy.
"Lu-chan?" She asked quietly.
Lucy's sobs got louder and it pained Levy to see her best friend so hurt. "I'm right here." She said as she gently stroked Lucy's shoulders.
Natsu slammed the brakes with such force that the car almost lifted itself as it stopped. He pulled the key out of the ignition, got out, and slammed the door so loud that it got the attention of a few passer-by's. But he didn't care. Lucy was hurt, and it was his fault because he was the one who messed up and took her to the wrong place.
Natsu raced up the front stairs and started unlocking the door. In his anger, he tried to insert the key the wrong way and he cursed. He kicked the door once before opening it right, and then shut it with a thud.
Clenching his fists, he wished he could just kill that bitch who'd hurt Lucy, his everything.
"She said… she said that…" Lucy tried to say in between her sobs. She'd shared the story with Levy once, but she kept repeating one line over and over again. "She said that I should abort my baby so that Natsu wouldn't abandon me."
Levy felt anger boiling within her at those words. Who the hell did that bitch think she was to tell Lucy those toxic words? Levy wasn't a cruel person, but here, she found herself wishing that this person who'd dared to hurt Lucy would be dead.
Levy didn't know how to comfort Lucy, but she had to try. "Lu-chan…" she soothed, "Would Natsu ever, ever, abandon you?" She asked. "Who bought you a whole wardrobe for accidentally burning one dress, huh? Who called you every single night to tell you that he loved you? Who kissed you in front of everyone just to prove how sorry he was for breaking your favourite vase? Natsu did, didn't he?"
Lucy looked up at Levy through glossy eyes. She continued softly, "He dated you for seven whole years, never hurting you once. He proposed you in front of your father and friends, even when he knew that your father didn't like him. He took you into his home and took care of you when your father passed away. He made this child…," Levy pointed at Lucy's stomach, "… with you." She stopped. "He'll never abandon you, because he loves you." She smiled at Lucy.
"Natsu must have felt terrible when you left him like that you know?" Levy added after a few minutes of silence.
"I know." Lucy said without any emotion. "What do I do?" Lucy asked Levy, the tears rolling out once again. Thinking back on it, Lucy felt horrible for just leaving Natsu. The Natsu she knew would be blaming himself right now for getting this mess started.
"Do what you always do." Levy said with a smile. "Apologize, talk and love." Upon those words, Lucy smiled for the first time in a few hours.
"I should call him and ask him to pick me up." Lucy pulled out her cell.
Levy snatched the cell from her hands. "The radiation's bad for the baby!" She scolded. "I'll call him for you."
Lucy smiled at her best friend. Everything would be all right now. Or so she thought.
Juvia's car pulled up on the street. She hesitated before opening the door and even considered turning around and returning home. She was going to meet Gajeel after one whole year and she didn't know how to approach him.
She decided that this wasn't the time to turn away like a coward. If she could settle everything here, she could have a new start, a second chance in the same life.
She made up her mind and got out of the car and went up till the doorway and considered knocking. But she didn't have to since she heard a voice from her side.
"Didn't think you'd actually come." She turned around to meet the eyes of an old friend.
"Gajeel." she said.
"What do you want?" Gajeel asked rudely but Juvia knew better than to be offended at his habitual rudeness. And besides, Gajeel deserved to be rude to her.
"I want to apologize, Gajeel."
Somehow, Gajeel winced at that statement. He had his reasons to. He took a look at Juvia. A short dress, high heels, and a huge confidence in every word; this was not the Juvia Gajeel knew a year ago.
But Gajeel also noticed the lack of two distinct features of Juvia's personality. She lacked the third-person speech and the honorifics she'd assign to every person she'd meet. For reasons unknown to him, but known to the depths of his heart, Gajeel missed the way she'd call him Gajeel-kun.
"Oh yeah?" he blurted out, seeing that Juvia was clearly waiting for a response.
"Yes." Juvia replied, looking Gajeel in the eye. "I want to apologize for everything."
Gajeel could see that Juvia was trying to be strong but nevertheless, her eyes were starting to water.
"I know I did wrong, and I don't have any justifications for what I did, and neither do I have the right to justify my actions." She continued. "But I want to go back and correct my mistakes and I know I have to start with you and Levy."
"Why?" Gajeel questioned. "Why choose us?"
Juvia took a shaky breath. "You're the closest to family I have." She tried to smile. "That's why."
As much as Gajeel wanted to stay strong, push her away, make her beg for forgiveness, he couldn't. The iron walls he'd built around his heart to keep Juvia out were crumbling at the sight of Juvia crying in front of him, wiping her eyes furiously. Gajeel couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning to get back the Juvia he knew. And if the Juvia he knew was the prize, he was willing to let her back into his life.
"Come over here." Gajeel rarely hugged people other than Levy, but today, he hugged his best friend.
"Let's go inside." Gajeel tugged at her hand and opened the door.
"Guess who's here." Gajeel called out to Levy who was still seated on the couch with a much better looking Lucy.
Levy and Lucy turned to see Gajeel and then behind him, Juvia. Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of Juvia, and at the sight of Lucy, Juvia froze.
Lucy's eyes reddened with rage as she pointed an accusing finger at Juvia. " It's her." Lucy screeched. "She's the one, Levy."
Levy's face went pale as Lucy's accusation struck her. Juvia was the one that hurt Lucy? She looked back and forth between the two girls while Gajeel gave a curious glance to Levy.
Juvia was looking at the floor while Lucy glared daggers at her. Uncomfortable silence followed.
Lucy broke it. "What's she doing here?" She half-yelled at Levy.
"Woah, woah." Gajeel came in between them. "She's a friend, bunny girl."
"She's a friend?" Lucy asked incredulously. "Nice friends you keep." Lucy snickered.
"Lu-chan…" Levy was speechless. As much as she wanted to defend Lucy, she just couldn't reject Juvia. Not when she was back after one year. Levy looked at Gajeel helplessly.
Gajeel opened his mouth to say something, but Juvia beat him to it. "I'm sorry." She said, looking up at Lucy.
"Sorry?" Lucy started laughing with no humour. "What a joke!" She rubbed her eyes. "You say you're sorry? After what you made Natsu and me go through, you don't deserve forgiveness!" She screamed at Juvia.
Juvia flinched. 'You don't deserve forgiveness!'
Lucy was saying something else now, but those words kept echoing in Juvia's mind. '… Don't deserve forgiveness!'
A tear drop fell on the ground.
Juvia's whole body began to shake violently. Just when she was beginning to change, just when she decided she would change, just when her friends were going to accept her again, everything was over.
No. Juvia corrected herself. Nothing had ever begun to end. 'May be,' she thought, 'Gajeel invited me inside to see me suffer. May be he already knew that this girl was talking about me.'
But a small voice inside whispered. 'No, Juvia. Gajeel didn't know anything.'
"Get out!"
Juvia came back into reality as Lucy pushed her back. "Get out!" She was screaming at her, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You don't deserve friends like these! You don't deserve anything! Get out!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gajeel and Levy standing still, helpless looks on their faces, not knowing whose side to pick.
Gathering up the last bits of her dignity, she took hold of Lucy's wrists, which were pushing her out.
"I'll leave." She said. "I'll never come back here." She chocked on her tears. "I'll never be a bother again." She shut her eyes, hoping to stop her tears. "I'm sorry for… for everything." Juvia turned around and ran to the door. She yanked it open and hurried down the front stairs of Gajeel's house; the house she'd never return to.
…Only to meet the murderous eyes of Natsu Dragneel.
"You…" he spit out.
A/N: Hey again guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm being mean to Juvia now, but I'll be nicer to her from the next chapter. I promise! And also, we're gonna meet Gray in the next chappie! But that's enough spoilers for now. Any one wants to give any ideas on what Natsu should do to Juvia?
Review!
~ Mystery