Sorry it took so long for this chapter. I got caught up in other fandom and other fics...that I may or may not post...Either way I'm glad to say I have found the flame juice for this fic again and I shall be vigorously writing for the next few days that I have off from work for it. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.

Lucy hates to admit it...but the white dragon slayer could dance. Not only was he twirling her around like a professional dancer, but there was absolutely no feet stumbling. Which was something she had to get used to when she was dancing with Natsu. Her annoyance at her current dance partner was partially forgotten as she was temporarily lost in the amount of spins and smooth steps he had lead her though. She actually started to have fun. She barely registered the song's end as she was too busy catching her breath from all the swirls and fast feet work. Sting took advantage of this and pulled her close, seeing as the next song was a slow jam. Still in a giddy spree, Lucy didn't notice his actions until they started swaying in a soothing manner.

"You should smile like that more," Sting commented when he saw her smile fade as realization hit.

Lucy was cautious now. No matter how hypnotic his swaying was, she could feel the firm hold he had on her waist, not allowing her an escape. In no way was it comfortable for her. Lucy wasn't dancing with just any old guy off the street. She was dancing with the arrogant Sting of Sabertooth. And she was 95% sure that everyone else in the room noticed it as well. She just wished the dance would be over. Until then she will have to dodge his stabs at conversation.

'One thing I have over him though is the name thing,' Lucy thought as she recalled him calling her Luigi. That made her feel somewhat secure. It surprised Lucy how gullible he was with that. In fact, it made her smile again. Sting, thinking that the smile was because of his comment, only said,

"See. Just like that."

Lucy chose to stay silent. No point in humoring the guy. Her reasoning was perhaps if she didn't acknowledge him so much, he would leave her alone. Kind of like playing dead to a bear attack. Yeah. That was her reasoning. Sting took note of her quietness. It didn't please him. He wanted to see her reactions. Her annoyance shining bright in her eyes. It was like a little game to him. If he succeeded in getting under her skin then he wins. If he doesn't, then it would be a loss on his part. Sting will just have to try harder.

"What's the matter?" Sting smirked a little. "Tiger got your tongue?"

Lucy scoffed. The amount of arrogance this person had in his body pissed her off a bit. Still maintaining her silent composure though, Lucy just ignored his taunting. With her type of body, she's used to ignoring certain comments. She'll just think of this as practice for trying not to lucy kick people off the face of the planet.

It wasn't until Sting slid his hands down to squeezed her hips hard that she yelped. She whipped her head around to glare right into Sting eyes. Their faces inches away from each other.

"What do you think you are doing?" Lucy's words were dripping with venom.

"Ah, so she can talk." Sting retorted amused.

"Of course I can talk. And I'll tell you that if you ever do that again, I won't hesitate to call on my spirits."

"Hey, easy now. I was just making sure you could still talk since last time." Sting insisted.

"Sure you were," Lucy huffed. Sting smirked.

I believe I'd call that a win.

Much to Lucy's delight, the slow music began to fade and the song finally came to an end. She immediately detached Sting from herself and began to walk away, eager to search for Natsu. Only Sting, as quick as light, grabbed her hand halting her in her steps.

"It was a….'pleasure' dancing with you." With that last sentence, Sting disappeared himself within the crowd of other guild members. Lucy shook off the irked feeling at him leaving her, instead of the other way around. The competitive side of her won't ever give her a break.

Whatever. It doesn't matter Lucy. Let's just go find Natsu.

After a minute or two of searching for her pink haired friend, she easily found him next to Elfman, who as always was going off about all the manly things.

When they both saw Lucy, Elfman exclaimed that Lucy's dress was manly. To which Lucy just laughed and nodded in thanks, knowing he meant no harm. Evergreen soon strode towards Elfman her face reddening with each step. Her voice was a higher pitch than normal when she asked him to dance with her. The two went off to the dance floor.

Next thing Lucy knew she was being pulled along towards the dance floor herself by Natsu. The song playing was slow and soft. Many people were already swaying within inches of each other. Natsu mimicked their stances by swiftly placing his hands ever so gently on Lucy's hips. Lucy, following the flow, put her hands on his shoulders. The usual cheerful mood between the two mellowed and allowed a tranquil moment to envelope the two. Natsu wasn't looking at Lucy and instead was having a stare down with the floor. He felt oddly nervous dancing so slowly with Lucy. It just felt….different now.

Snap out of it, Natsu. You came here with a mission. Figure out if Lucy is okay.

With all the determination in his body, Natsu lifted his eyesight to Lucy's, who had been enjoying the calm atmosphere. He's eyes were sharp and clear. They sent a wave of security to Lucy. She felt so safe around him. He was her support system. When Natsu broke the silence with a question however was when confusion came across Lucy's face.

"So, uhh. Lucy…"

"Yes..?" She drawled out waiting for him to continue. Natsu took a breath.

"D-DO YOU REMEMBER THAT TIME WHEN I WAS UPSET THAT HAPPY ATE ALL THE FOOD IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR WITHOUT SAVING SOME FOR ME?!" Natsu blurted out. Lucy sweatdropped laughing a little.

"uhhh, yeah..? Why are you bring it up all of a sudden?" Lucy was by far confused, and a little embarrassed seeing the people who were dancing around them turned to look startled by Natsu's sudden outburst. She was thankful that they just overlooked it seeing as it was Natsu.

"Well...I was so upset and moped about. And it was you who cheered me up by bring back more food. Remember that?"

"Natsu, I don't see the point."

"You helped me Luce. I just want you to know I'm here to help you as well." Lucy laughed at Natsu's directness.

"Well if I ever need cheering up from an absence of food, I'll call you right over." Teasing him was always a fun way to go.

"Luuuuceee. I'm serious. If you ever need something, anything at all, I'm here." Natsu urged as he pulled Lucy closer to him as if trying to prove it. Lucy's body was now brushing against Natsu's, her hands had slid down from his shoulders and were now resting against his chest.

'Does he know what this does to me?' Lucy thought. Not wanting to continue this train of thought however she shook her head. She looked at him in his eyes wondering what brought this on all of a sudden. When she saw the concern in his eyes she was filled with warmth.

'He cares.' She thought. Along with that warmth however came a pinch of remorse.

'But, as a friend, nothing more,' Her brain loved reminding her of that. She couldn't stop it from showing on her face and Natsu caught it, his eyes widen in response.

"Lucy…."

The urge to run nicked at Lucy as her throat grew dry. She couldn't have him digging any further than he has already. She needs to reassure him that she is fine and distract him from this topic. She won't let this happen here. She won't lose a friend here. Not now…..not ever. She should have know she wouldn't be able to handle herself with him alone. She quickly smothered her conflicting feelings and slapped a smile on her face. With a plastic giggle, Lucy stated,

"Haha, I already know that Natsu!" He looked at her seemingly smiling face and didn't feel assured. Before he could voice his thoughts, the song ended and Lucy broke away. She quickly made sure to lose his gaze by mingling with the crowd. She accidentally bumped shoulders with many people, she held her head down and meekly apologized. What Lucy did not realized was that one person who she bumped into was Sting. Immediately he started to smirk and try and tease her for not walking well. When she ignore him completely and continued to walk passed him, Sting felt a little neglected. Where were her fierce eyes? He forgot this feeling when he smelled a lingering scent of salty tears.

Lucy's throat felt raspy. Unshed tears pricked in her eyes. She needed a drink. She walked to the drink table to grab a cup of water. She downed the glass only to go for another one. The cold liquid soothed her nerves. What revived them back up was a hand on her shoulder.

'Why is he so persistent?' Lucy thought as she reluctantly turned around. What surprised her was not her pink haired friend however, instead the light dragon slayer. He looked indifferent when he turned her around. He wasn't wearing his signature smirk. His eyes didn't have any teasings within. He had a glass of beer in one hand and in the other a kebab full of chocolate covered strawberries. He motioned the fruit stick towards her as he drank from his glass. She wearily took it, her guard lowering since she was more worried about Natsu at the moment. Sting stayed silent. Lucy was very grateful for his quietness. Lucy however, just waited for one of his teasing to just come flying out of his mouth as she ate the strawberries.

"Aren't you worried about gaining weight?" He provoked trying to get her normal attitude back.

'There it is,' the blonde mage thought. She looked at him expecting to see his arrogant smirk and condescending eyes. Instead she was meet with his side profile as he looked on towards the dance floor. He sipped more of his drink. Lucy scoffed and bite hard into the next strawberry on her stick ignoring his question. What's up with him?

"I'll take that as a no, then?" They finally made eye contact and what Lucy saw surprised her. Without any malice, Sting was half smiling at her with a lone eyebrow quirked up. They didn't speak after that. Sting went back to his drink and Lucy went back to her strawberries. When the stick was strawberry-less, Lucy threw away the stick and headed upstairs towards a balcony without looking back.

Sting watched her walk away. The air around her was melancholy but at least she wasn't crying anymore. Sting decided not to follow after her thinking his presence would only disturb her more. It was weird for Sting though. Normally he would take advantage of a situation like this and assert his superiority. But something about the way she looked that split second when she bumped into him made him want to see her smile. She looked like she was about to crack as if something was weighing down on her and has been for a long time. He couldn't just leave her alone like that so he went to the buffet table and stuck as many chocolate coated strawberries on a stick possible. She was eaten a bunch before so she must love them. He grabbed himself a glass of beer. He needed some alcohol in his system to justify his bizarre actions tonight with this fairy. But again when he got to her side she was still a little bleak looking and didn't talk despite his prompts. So he just let her go.

Lucy wanted to be alone. She didn't want to be with a prying Natsu right now, nor an oddly indifferent Sting. Maneuvering her way through the people, she made it to the balcony doors and slipped out as silently as possible.

The fresh clean air made her feel immediately better seeing as it calmed her to her core. The night sky was twinkling full of stars, The dark black background contrasted greatly with the sparkling orbs. She started looking for constellations subconsciously. She had found Orion easily. She thought back to her knowledge of stars and Greek mythology. Orion was supernaturally strong hunter with many legends on his origins and ends. She looked Northwest of Orion to find Gemini, the twins. She absently ran her fingers over keys. She recalled her performance in the Grand Magic Games when she called forth on Gemini and tried to cast the Urano Metria spell. Lucy relived her memories from the games and just overall her life. She lost herself in thought. She didn't register someone else entering the balcony.

The arm tightly wrapped around her neck tugging her towards the big breasted female was her indication that she wasn't alone anymore. The person mumbled a bit incoherently, her alcohol coated breath abundant. She took another swig from her wine bottle before she spoke.

"You know Lucy, wine is fancy and- hic' -stuff but I wish I had my keg," Cana spoke way too close to Lucy's face. Still Lucy laughed and tried to squirm out of the drunken girls grip unsuccessfully. Cana in turned whined, "Lushy, do you not like me anymore?" Cana really needed to lay off the alcohol for a while. Then again Lucy supposed hell would freeze over first. When the drunkards wondering hands crept up and got uncomfortable close to Lucy's chest, a full fledged blush appeared on the latter's face.

"Cana! Stop groping me!" Lucy yelled with a cry. She escaped from the grasp and the two just started at each other. It wasn't long before they broke out into laughter and full blown cackling though. Their giggles rang out into the night as the muffled banquet music was only a rumble in their ears. After the two caught their breaths Cana took another long drink of her wine bottle. She then extended the bottle towards Lucy offering some to her. Normally she would decline the offer but considering she wanted to just forget about all her worries she happily took the bottle sipped some. She almost handed the bottle back to Cana but the girl miraculously had already another bottle in her hands.

Where on Earthland did she have that?

Lucy continued drinking, feeling a little weird for not having a wine glass and instead drinking straight from the bottle. Cana broke the silence that had settled between them.

"How was dancing with Sting?" Cana asked taking a side glance at Lucy to see her reaction. She wasn't disappointed as Lucy huffed and took a prolonged gulp from her bottle.

"I wasn't dancing with him. He forc-"

"Oh honey, you were dancing with him alright. Rather closely too. The whole guild noticed." Cana wrapped her arms around the blondes hips and mimicked Sting and Lucy's show earlier. While doing so some wine had sloshed around in the bottle still in her hands and almost spilled. Lucy just pushed the drunkard off of her careful not to spill her drink in the process. "Natsu was steaming." Cana added the last part on a whim.

"He was just being annoy- wait….Natsu was mad?" Lucy questioned with slight wonder in her voice. She couldn't help it but her heart skipped a beat. The card mage only chucked a bit to herself before whispering under the breath,

"Girl gots it bad." Lucy however heard it and hastily grabbed Cana's bottle seeing as hers was now empty. The celestial spirit mage griped about how everyone practically knew of her crush and welcomed the burning sensation of drinking more. She felt more than a little buzzed. She regrets taking the bottle from Cana. She should have known this was going to happen. It always happened when she is around the card mage. Lucy could feel her face glow red a bit. She never did have a good alcohol tolerance. Her muscle began to relax. Suddenly she felt extremely sleepy. Lucy felt Cana take the bottle away from her.

"Alright there, take it easy." Lucy leaned into Cana, feeling too uneasy to stand on her own. Cana just held her up as best as possible all while Lucy spouted drunken nonsense. Her mumbles ranged from her rent to Natsu to even her story. Its amazing how alcohol can affect a person and make them so vulnerable. Lucy didn't know how long they stayed like that. All she knew was she wanted to go home and sleep off the intoxication. Cana wanted to get back to the party but didn't want to leave her friend in the hands of a random fate if left alone.

A deranged smile found its way onto Cana's face as she thought of a devious plan. She knew Lucy wouldn't like it. In fact she would probably hate it. She might not even talk to Cana again for a while since she'd be too caught up in a pouty fit. But considering nothing good will come of it otherwise if Cana left it alone, why not poke the bear with a stick? She set Lucy down on the ground against a wall making sure she was fine before she went in search of the other person for her plan. It wasn't long before she came back with said person in tow. She told him about Lucy and how she ended up in her drunken state. Least to say the dragon slayer could smell the alcohol on her breath and easily believed her. Cana suggested that he take Lucy home and care for her. Earnestly the dragon slayer agreed and picked Lucy up bridal style. Cana watched as he jumped over the balcony with Lucy in his arms. He landed perfectly and headed off in the night.

Cana gave herself a pat on the back thinking she just did a good deed. She went back inside to join the party which was still in full swing. The results of her little plan wouldn't be revealed until morning. She walked up to her normal group of drinking buddies. Bacchus challenged her to another drinking battle to which there was no way she was going to back down from. One little comment that he made though amused her.

"You look like you just committed an evil crime."

"Whether or not it was evil is up for debate," she decided with a drunken giggle as she settled into the bar stool ready for the competition.

I like this chapter...but it has its flaws I'm sure. Review and perhaps tell me what you think? :P

Until Next time!