Before anything else, I apologize for this late update. Major writers block, etc.

Chapter 5

"Momma?" young Lucy stepped out of her room into the dark hallway of the large mansion. She was fast asleep on her bed until she heard a terrified scream distinctly similar to her mother's. It was dark. Too dark that she could barely register her surroundings. "Mommy?" Her voice was a whisper.

Another scream had the young girl covering her ears, tears welling in her eyes. From the distance, the door to her parent's bedroom opened, and a dim light casted shadows from the room. The faint sound of a window opening and the rustle of leaves was all she heard as her hands fell on her sides.

Eyes wide, the tears began to fall as the shadow of a limp, swaying figure in the room, had her screaming in terror.

Lucy woke, sweat glistening on her skin under the rays of moonlight shining through her glass window. Her eyes were wide, and tears slowly beginning to form were gradually falling down her cheeks. "Oh God..." Her breathing was heavy, and she felt as if she was being suffocated. Pressing her hands to her forehead, she allowed herself to cry, soft sobs escaping her lips.

It was that dream—no— a memory re-occuring in her dreams. It has been years since she last had it. Months of psychological therapy had her forget about her own witness to her mother's death, but now—. It was all coming back to her; the reason why she was so persistent on taking revenge.

Taking slow, deep breaths, she eventually calmed down and knew that she would not be sleeping anytime soon. It was so vivid, so traumatizing. Still, even now, it continued to haunt her.

After a few minutes sitting on her bed, trying to forget about the nightmare, she decided to grab herself a glass of water from the kitchen downstairs. It was dark in the house, and it frightened her. Shadows were casted from the dim lights in the hallway and down the marble staircase. Every now and then, her head would turn one direction to another, afraid that she would relive the memory of her mother's death.

Why now? Lucy thought to herself as her eyes flickered to the darkness the stairs led to. Why was she so afraid after all those months? She bit down on her bottom lip, the taste of blood on her tongue.

She was suppose to be strong, with one purpose in mind. Images of a dead body, pale cold, someone crying, a child screaming for her mother, her father unable to believe what she continued to scream about...nobody believed her, because after all, she was a child traumatized and depressed that her mother was gone. They came up with excuses. Something about making it all up, her imagination running wild after such a tragic event. After all that, she was sent to see a doctor, and when she returned, her father had remarried with Rufus' mother.

Someone touched her hand, and she nearly screamed had Sting not placed his hand over her mouth. Her heart was beating rapidly, and eventually slowed after realizing who it was. She slapped his hand away from her mouth, "What the hell are you doing scaring me like that?!"

Sting smirked, "Hey, you were the one standing here like you were afraid to go downstairs. Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark?" He laughed, but his eyes scanned her form. She was wearing nothing but her bra and underwear. For some strange reason, it annoyed him that she would carelessly dress like that outside of her room. "Why the hell would you go out wearing that?!"

Lucy, having forgotten she slept in her undergarments that night, blushed, but acted as if she could care less. She actually enjoyed watching Sting look at her with hungry eyes, "So what? And no, I am not afraid of the dark!" Her own eyes took in his form, clad in nothing but his boxers. They were both shameless with what they were wearing. "I just can't sleep tonight that's all."

"You and me both," Sting replied as he grabbed her hand and led them downstairs into the kitchen. He flipped the lights on and took a seat on the island, while Lucy grabbed herself a glass of water. Sting's eyes watched her carefully, the way she had to push herself into her tip-toes, just to reach the glass, and especially when she bent over to pull the pitcher out of the fridge. Her undergarments left little to his imagination.

Lucy frowned after taking a drink, "You act like you've never seen a girl in her underwear before."

Sting looked away from her enormous chest that seemed too big for her tight, lacy, white, bra, and met her eyes, "I've never seen you in your underwear before."

The female blonde laughed, "Consider yourself lucky. You're the second guy to ever see me like this."

"Second?"

Lucy nodded, taking another drink of water, "Loke's the only guy I've ever allowed to see me in my underwear, if not, completely exposed."

Sting's eyes narrowed. The name was oddly familiar, but he could not quite remember as to where he heard it before. Either way, if Loke was the only one to ever see her naked, it only meant one thing, Lucy did not go around in the middle of the night having sex with strangers. Then again, it also meant she was not a virgin anymore and the thought alone was enough to make his blood boil.

Unconsciously, Sting reached out to touch her shoulder "Lucy..." When the female turned to meet his gaze, he had nothing but all seriousness in his voice, "You need to be more careful on who you hang out with."

Lucy smirked and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, "Don't worry Sting-kun, I can take care of myself." She slowly cupped his face and pressed her lips against his, sliding her tongue over his surprisingly soft lips.

Sting, still in shock, could feel as she lifted herself on his lap, all the while, pushing herself against his whole being, her breasts pressing against his naked chest. He was confused and dazed, and before he could respond to his movements, she pulled away, licking her lips.

Narrowing his eyes, Sting pull her back towards him and returned the kiss with much more force. His tongue darted into her mouth dancing with hers, while his hands slid over the soft skin of her slim, slender waist.

Lucy pulled away once more. This was her chance to finally have Sting as her pawn. "Yes, Sting-kun. I'll be your girlfriend." And with one last peck on the lips, left him to process what just happened.

Lucy pulled off her heels as she jumped over the gates of a large mansion. Security guards were making their rounds, but making it to the third floor balcony was simple enough for her without getting noticed.

It was still dark. After she left Sting alone, she had slipped out of her own balcony, restless and decided to take action on her own.

Looking through the glass door, she noticed the room was empty; no one around. She stepped into what looked to be an office. An office desk at the center and over it were piles of paper.

Lucy smirked. It was too easy. She quickly rummaged through the files, trying to find anything that might have something to do with her mother's death. There seemed to be nothing of the sort. She kicked the drawer on the side of the desk in frustration, causing it to open and reveal a locked briefcase tabbed: Layla H.

She was about to grab it when she felt a cold metal press against the back of her neck. "Who are you?"

Lucy didn't turn, thankful she had worn a mask to hide her face. She knew that voice, though she rarely heard it. He pressed the gun harder against her skin, "Leave before I have to kill you."

When she turned, Rogue was giving her a hard glare. She smirked, "You didn't take me as the type who could kill, Rogue-kun."

The man before her seemed surprised that she knew his name, the light of the moon illuminating his face. His grip on the gun tightened, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Lucy reached for the case, unafraid. She raised it to show him, "This. I want this." And before Rogue could react, she ran to the balcony and jumped. Disappearing in the shadows of the large trees.

Natsu took a seat beside Erza, across from Gray, who was seated next to Sting, who seemed to be lost in thought. It was strange for him to be so quiet, and especially without a date. "What's up with you?" The pink haired teen nodded towards the blonde.

Sting swallowed, unsure of how exactly to put his new relationship into words. Heck, he never even wanted to be in one. But why was he so afraid to deny what Lucy had said? It was his chance to have her all to himself.

He had been right on point when he assumed her to be dangerous. She saw an opportunity when his guard was down, and got him into this mess he never even wanted. She was sly, cunning, and something he never should have gotten involved with, but the temptation was too difficult to resist.

Gray raised an eyebrow, "Are you blushing?!"

Sting looked away, because he was indeed blushing. When had he gotten so soft? Especially when it came to the demon currently taking over his mind. "Shut it, Gray.

A shadow fell on the table, cutting off the interrogation. They all looked up to finally see Rogue after days of his absence. He greeted all of them with a nod and took a seat next to Sting.

While the others ordered their food, Rogue could not help but think back to the night prior. There was a feeling in his gut that he knew exactly who had stolen a file from Jiemma, but then again, it seemed rather impossible. It had to be someone who was trained their entire life in the martial arts to be able to pull off such dangerous stunts. That and the fact that whoever the thief was, was able to make it past their security.

"What's with you two?" Natsu raised an eyebrow at the silence emanated by Rogue and Sting. "I mean its completely normal for Rogue, but for Sting? Something's up."

"It's nothing," Sting mumbled, giving Natsu an annoyed glare.

Gray coughed, "Now, now. We all know this guy has been sexually frustrated for days now— hey! You didn't have to freaking hit me, bastard!" Gray placed his hand over the now sore spot on his head, where Sting had intentionally hit him.

"Was Lucy in the house last night?" Rogue's question surprised all the men in the table.

Gray and Natsu both shrugged, seeing as they were not at home the night before. Gray was out on a date with another girl, while Natsu was with Erza, which only left Sting.

Sting sighed, "Yeah. She was home all night. We both couldn't sleep and talked for a bit." He bit his bottom lip, the events that occurred the night before replaying in his active mind. Why did she have to be the one who was constantly on his mind? She's up to no good and he knew it, but for a reason unknown to him, she kept haunting his thoughts and dreams.

"Why? What's up?" Gray gave Rogue a curious look. It was not everyday that Rogue asked questions regarding their new housemaid.

"Nothing. Just wondering." was his only reply.

It was quiet for awhile until a waitress came up to their table and took their orders. No one mentioned Lucy anymore, their conversations becoming casual with the usual banter between Sting, Natsu, and Gray, while Erza would clench her fist tightly, impatiently waiting for her strawberry cake.

From the entrance of the café, the subject of their previous conversation walked in, along with a blue-haired teenage model, both catching the attention of every male in the room, aside from the oblivious group (and probably the loudest in the room), who were too engrossed in their own arguments to pay attention.

They were gestured to sit on a booth just a few tables from where the group sat. Lucy smirked, while Juvia tried her best not to drool over Gray Fullbuster again. Lucy tried her best to hold back the laugh threatening to escape her lips at her friend's lovesick look. "Juvia, I'm telling you, if you act like you could care less about him, he's going to start coming after you. He knows you like him, so if you start suddenly ignoring him, he's going to start questioning himself. Lyon already told me he would be more than happy to help you out, too."

Juvia sighed in resignation, "You're right. Juvia just has to be patient for now." After placing their orders, Lucy stood up, Juvia giving her a questioning look, "Where are you going?"

The blonde female could not help as a smirk curled on her lips, "I'm going to say hi to my boyfriend, excuse me for a minute."

Lucy turned and began to stride towards the table where Sting sat. Erza and Natsu were the first to notice her, seeing as the other three had their backs to her. And when Lucy intimately placed her arms around Sting from his shoulders down to his torso, their jaws dropped. She could feel him stiffen, "Sting-kun, I didn't know you were coming here, too."

At the sound of her voice, he relaxed a little, but realization that he had some explaining to do to his friends made him suddenly nervous as they gave him narrowed looks.

"Do you mind if my friend and I join you?" after an approval from Natsu and Erza, Lucy motioned for Juvia to come to the table. Lucy sat next to Sting and Juvia between her and Gray, who looked like he wanted to make a run for it. "Everyone, this is my friend Juvia Lockser. You probably know her. She's a swimsuit model." Erza seemed interested enough as she bombarded the blue-haired teen with questions regarding her job.

Lucy turned to Sting, who, at the same moment also decided to look at her. She smiled sweetly at him, "Neh, Sting-kun, do you want to come with me to a party tonight?"

At that question Juvia smiled, "That's right! It's my second year anniversary as a model, and I would love for all of you to come. Of course, it's advised you bring a date, as I have an escort myself. Lyon-sama will be my date for the night."

"Lyon?" Gray's eye twitched in irritation at the sound of his name. If he was correct into thinking that it was the same Lyon he had as a rival back in highschool, then hell was going to break loose tonight. And why the hell was Juvia ignoring him like she did not know him.

A small sound came from Juvia's phone, and everyone watched as she read the message before standing up, "I'm sorry. It seems it's time for Lucy and Juvia to go." At that Lucy nodded and stood up as well, "Thank you for allowing us to sit with you. Please, feel free to eat the food we ordered, seeing as it would only go to waste." She quickly placed money on the table and went on ahead outside.

Lucy said her goodbyes, and purposely brushed her arm against Sting's before following Juvia out the building. Juvia was already in her car by the time the blonde got outside, "What is it Juvia?"

They got in the car, Lucy in the driver's seat, while Juvia reread the contents of the message, "Gajeel was able to unlock the case. And Minerva has confirmed that she will be attending the party tonight. Juvia's curious, why is the witch involved in this?"

Lucy's eyes narrowed ever so slightly before she replied, "That bitch...when I was still in middle school, my father introduced her to me, but I, under a different name, and she always found a way to make me look bad in front of my dad and stepmother. But what was worse was on the first day during our last year before I moved. She bullied me, tearing my school uniform into pieces in front of everyone, and shoved two guys at me. The whole year everyone called me a whore, a slut, and guys would come at me, and I couldn't tell anyone because her father sponsored the pretty much ruled the school, and made sure no one befriended me or talked to me. She embarrassed me and made me look like an idiot. I don't normally hold grudges, but I make exceptions, and she's one of them. And what perfect coincidence that she's Jiemma's daughter."

"She's your what?!" both Natsu and Gray yelled in the building while stuffing their mouth with the extra food they considered themselves lucky to have. Sting had to cover his ears, while Erza smacked both their heads down on the table.

"It just happened alright?" Sting barked back. "I never even planned it, and suddenly she's my girlfriend."

Swallowing the food quickly, Gray met his gaze, "So, you're going to the party whether you like it or not, huh? I mean, we're all coming too, of course."

"Like hell I'm going to let some chick order me around!"

Erza raised an eyebrow, "It's a party, Sting. It's Lucy we're talking about. And Juvia said she needs a date, so you might as well go. Unless you want her to go with someone else? We all know she always has that Loke kid to go with her."

Sting froze. After what Lucy mentioned about Loke the previous night, there was no way he was going to let her go with him. But why should he care about who she goes with? It's not like he actually likes her. In fact, he just wants to get under her skirt. Those short, mini dresses she always wears. Shaking his head, Sting stood up, "Whatever. I'm out of here."

"Sting, if you could give me a ride to your father's company?" Rogue stood up as well, nodding goodbye to the other three. When they reached the parking lot, Rogue held out his hand to stop his friend, "Sting, this is your opportunity to get some information about Lucy. Last night, someone broke into your father's office, in his home, I don't know why, but I have a feeling it was Lucy."

Sting looked at him incredulously and disbelieving, "But she was in the house that night."

"But you weren't with her the whole night, therefore you're only assuming she was. If it was Lucy who I encountered last night, you have to be careful Sting. She's after something that involves your family."

Sting grimaced, "Like I give a fuck about that family. I doubt it was Lucy. Even I can barely get past my father's security, what can a girl who has a hard time walking in high heels do? On the other hand, you're right. This is my chance to unravel the mystery behind Lucy Heartfilia."

"So what's your plan?"

Lucy stood in front of Loke in her undergarments, after trying on several outfits for the party until she could finally make her decision. "Oh Loke, there's a reason why I insisted that Sting come with me to this party. How disgusting is it that she's head over heels for her own brother."

"I don't understand, Lucy."

A sly, devious smirk curled on her lips, "Wouldn't it just be embarrassing if she confessed her love in front of all the wealthy, and well known people and maybe even those who consider her, her friends?"

Loke watched as she slipped on a lace band on her upper thigh, carefully securing a pistol between her skin and the fabric. "Let's have sex tonight?"

Lucy let out a small laugh, "I'm sorry Loke, I'm taken."

"You're not going to have sex with him, are you?"

"I won't lie, I wouldn't mind trying. And don't you dare give me any of that crap, Loke. I know you've already hooked up with Yukino." Lucy couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips as Loke turned a bright shade of pink. She had to admit, she would not mind if the two got together. They both seemed happy when she saw them on Juvia's living room couch. "You're so cute, Loke. Don't worry about me. Me having sex with Sting should be the last of your worries."

"Just be careful Lucy. I don't want you broken physically, or emotionally."

Lucy half heartedly glared at her friend, "I will never, ever fall for Sting Eucliffe."

Okay, so first and foremost, again, I apologize for the super late update and thankyou for all the reviews/faves/follows.

Second, I'm not quite happy with how this chapter turned out. It turns out that I needed another chapter before shit actually get's real. haha. sorry about that.

I'm really lacking the motivation to write this story, but I promise I will get it done. School will begin soon, and I am an arch major so I'm not quite sure how updates will go.

Well, that's all,

Please review! thanks so very much!:)