Chapter Two

"I can't believe my luck! Everything was going so well!" Lucy moaned as she got down on her hands and knees to look under her car for her missing keys. She didn't care that she couldn't get into her car, she could always call a locksmith to get her some new car keys and her apartment wasn't that far from where she actually was. No, what she was panicking about was her apartment keys were on her key chain as well. She could always walk home but how would she even get back into her home. Her face paled considerably as she thought about Plue her new puppy. "Oh no! What am I going to do?!" Lucy was in a panic by that moment and she frantically banged on the backstage door that she had just exited, hoping that Levy hadn't gone too far. Lucy jumped back when the door suddenly flew open and the relieved smile slowly turned into a worried frown. Standing before her was a guy around her age with unruly, raven black hair and icy cold blue eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her and she gulped a little. "U-um... I'm sorry but I uh... I lost my keys..."

The boy continued to give her a scrutinizing look before opening his mouth. "So?"

Lucy stared at the boy before she felt her cheeks heat up in her embarrassment. "So can I please go in and look for them? I can't get into my apartment without them!" The girl snapped a bit, her patience wearing thin as the boy just continued to stare at her. Lucy took another look at him only for her to sputter a bit as she noticed that he was missing something. "Where's your shirt?!"

The boy quickly looked down only to choke a bit as he quickly looked around. "I was just wearing it I swear!"

While he was distracted, Lucy managed to sneak past him and quickly headed up the stairs to the main platform. She tried desperately not to get into anyone's way as she searched the floor looking for her keys. 'Come on, it shouldn't be that hard to find something silver!' Lucy thought to herself, finally making it back to where she and Levy had stood to watch the concert together. Lucy quickly got back down on her hands and knees and started searching under the many cords and wires, trying to spot a sliver of what she was looking for.

"Lu-chan?"

Lucy paused what she was doing and looked behind her to see Levy standing there with a very confused look on her face, and that's when Lucy broke. Heat infused her cheeks in mortification as tears started falling from her eyes. It started slow and soon escalated into sobs as Lucy cried harder. "L-L-Levy! I-I lost m-my k-k-keys!" Lucy managed to stutter out. "H-how am I supposed t-to feed Plue?! Where am I g-going to s-sleep?" She wailed a bit but calmed down a bit as she suddenly felt someone hugging her. "Levy...?" She sniffled.

"Lu-chan, don't worry, I'll help you find your keys." Levy tried to soothe the crying girl.

"B-but I've looked everywhere! I don't know where else they c-could be!"

"Well I guess that leaves us with no choice." Levy smiled as she helped the girl up into a standing position. "You'll just have to stay with me."

Lucy gave the smaller girl a small smile but then she frowned and a few more tears trailed down her flushed cheeks. "I can't... we just met... besides don't you live in a trailer and stuff? I would take up so much room! And what if I snore?! I don't want you to have to deal with me and you be exhausted and-and-"

"Woah there, Lucy!" Levy laughed as she pulled Lucy's hands away from her face after her miniature freak out. "Calm down. I don't live in a trailer! You missed the beginning of the concert so I guess you don't know, but everyone here is staying in Magnolia! We're all originally from here so it's like we're coming back home!" The bluenette smiled happily. "Tonight was like a welcome home concert for everyone. It'll be the last one for a while unless it's local."

"What about Plue...?" Lucy asked quietly. "I can't just leave him alone..."

"We're still going to look for your keys but I don't think one day will be terrible, does he have plenty of food?" Levy tried to reason with the distraught girl.

Lucy nodded numbly. "I didn't know how late I was going to be tonight so I made sure that he had a little extra food and I just filled his water bowl... I could always get a locksmith tomorrow, I don't think anyone is really going to be open right now..." The girl sighed heavily before giving Levy a small grateful smile. "Thank you for calming down... I'm just worried about everything..."

"Well don't worry, let's go look for your keys, and if we can't manage to find them today we'll just get replacements tomorrow, alright?" The bluenette suggested and Lucy nodded, still a little glum.

Soon enough , both girls were on the floor scrounging around looking for the keys. It was rather difficult with the rest of the crew packing up around them and giving them some odd looks. The girls ignored the looks as they searched, and it gave them both some time to actually try and get to know one another. They had discovered that they had many things in common besides just music. Levy and Lucy were lovers of the written word and both owned quite a lot of books. Lucy revealed that one day she was hoping to be an accomplished writer and Levy had admitted that one day she hoped to be an inspired publicist after a few more years. Lucy had announced that she was a freshman in college at Magnolia University and Levy had managed to contain most of her excitement as she declared that she was going to the same college in another two weeks time. The two continued to chat for at least another hour before Lucy sighed dejectedly.

"I don't think they're here..."

Levy sighed a bit. "I think you're right... how about we go get something to eat and then head over to my place? We'll call a locksmith in the morning to get you into your car and your apartment, does that sound alright to you?"

Lucy nodded, a pout on her face. "Thanks Levy." She commented quietly before standing up with Levy by her side. "So... where do you live exactly?"

A grin crossed Levy's pixie like face. "Oh you're going to love it!" She grabbed onto Lucy's hand and started dragging her towards a nearby exit. "It's not that far at all, oh this is going to be so much fun!"

The girls didn't notice a pair of sharp eyes watch them leave. A boy watched with curiosity as the two left, the exit door slamming behind them. Grinning in amusement, the boy turned around to head back to the stage where he had left his guitar when his world suddenly shifted and his legs slipped out from underneath him. Falling hard on his hands and knees, he suddenly felt something tear into the skin of his palm and he yanked his hand away from the offending object, hissing in slight pain. Sitting back on his haunches the boy frowned as he viewed his hand that was now stained ruby from the jagged wound in the middle of his palm. Looking around quickly for the offending object that had caused the injury, obsidian eyes latched onto a clip filled with keys. There had to be at least 5 or 6 keys on the small clip. Grasping them in his his uninjured left hand, he pulled them closer to his face and inspected them. Shrugging, he stood up, clipping the keys to his belt loop, and continued towards the stage. He grabbed his guitar and slung it over his right shoulder before calling out to a small girl with dark blue hair that was up in twin tails.

"Yo Wendy!"

Lucy couldn't believe her eyes as she viewed Levy's place. "Is this a dream?"

Levy stood beside Lucy, her arms behind her back as she grinned at the shocked girl beside her. "Nope."

"It has to be a dream..."

"Nope."

"But..."

"Lucy, it's not a dream. Can we go inside now?" Levy asked, her lips quirked into a smile.

Right in front of them was a beautiful three story Tudor styled home that was almost squished between two other buildings, one of them being a quaint coffee shop. The decorative half-timbering on the second floor made it interesting as it sharply contrasted with the tall, narrow windows that had small window panes in each of the three giant windows on the second floor, the two main windows on the bottom floor, mimicking the upstairs slightly except that the ones on the bottom were arched. She could see at least two massive chimneys on either side of the steeply pitched roof with little decorative chimney pots, that added a little extra endearment in Lucy's opinion. The biggest difference that Lucy could see between the first floor and the second was the fact that the first was covered in weathered brown and red bricks, while the second floor had the decorative half-timbering. It was absolutely breathtaking. Right out front on the beautifully constructed home was a large sign that read 'McGarden's Treasures and Books' in brown and white so that it matched the home.

Lucy swung her head to the side to look at Levy with shock evident on her face. "You live in a bookstore?!"

"Above it actually." Levy grinned as she set off towards the magnificent home. "My parents met here, and one day the owner offered it to them because she was getting too old to keep up with it. Of course my parents jumped on the opportunity, they didn't know it at the time but my mom was pregnant with me after everything went through." Levy explained a little bit. "When my parents passed away, I took over the business for a few years before I was offered another position with being the assistant production manager. I had my friend Laki take over while I was away, and now we're doing the business together while I'm in town for the next few years. She knows that I'm busy with 'Roar' so that makes things easier when I just have to jet off." Levy grinned at the dumbfounded look on her new friend's face.

"That's amazing Levy!" Lucy gushed as the two finally took some steps forward and managed to make it inside the bookstore. The taller girl was immediately enthralled with everything that her eyes landed on and it took a while for Levy to usher her friend upstairs to her home.

"Oh wow! It's so nice!"

Levy's cheeks tinted a slight pink. "Thanks..." She said shyly. "I'll make us some tea, and while it's going, go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I'll try and find you something to wear!" The bluenette commented as she went through an open doorway where Lucy assumed the kitchen was located. A few moments later found both girls sitting in comfortable silence as they both sipped their teas. Lucy was now dressed in a very large baggy black shirt that Levy had managed to scrounge up while Levy was dressed in her favorite orange night gown, a pair of ruby red glasses perched on her nose.

Lucy fiddled with them hem of the large shirt and gave Levy a curious look. "So how is it that you have a shirt like this in your home?" She asked a bit coyly and almost burst into fits of laughter as Levy started coughing as she choked on her tea, the hot liquid going everywhere and Levy immediately jumped up in a hurry, a dark blush on her cheeks.

"I'll go get a towel!" She managed to squeak out before making a beeline to the kitchen.

Lucy covered her mouth as a stray giggle escaped. 'So it looks like Levy has a secret boyfriend...' She thought silently and waited for Levy to come back. Once the bluenette did, the two girls cleaned up the mess before Levy yawned excessively and announced she was tired and was going to bed. She showed Lucy where her room was going to be before gliding to her own bedroom and closing the door softly behind her. Lucy took a few minutes to survey the room before shrugging and shutting the door behind her as well. The room was rather nice, swathed in dark blue's, the bed neatly made with two doors on the left that Lucy assumed was a bathroom and closet. She slid the covers on the bed back before getting in and settling down against the pillows. She was extremely grateful to Levy who had opened her home to her, they had only known each other for a few hours, but she felt like she had known the girl for the past couple of years. She could truly see herself becoming best friends with the small pixie like girl. Lucy smiled, as her eyes drooped a little, she was happy that she had met the girl, despite everything that had happened that day.

Next thing Lucy knew, it was morning and she was listening to the birds chirp in the nearby window. She giggled a bit before slipping out of bed and pulling on her freshly laundered clothes from the night before. She made sure the bed was made and everything was in their rightful place before she exited the room; her mouth instantly watering at the smell of eggs and bacon wafting throughout the home. She walked down the short hall and entered the kitchen only to see Levy standing at the stove.

"Morning Lu-chan!" The petite girl grinned at the other occupant with a glowing smile. "I got some numbers for a locksmith for you this morning! They're over there by my cell on the table." Levy pointed in the direction with the spatula that was held in her right hand. Lucy walked over and picked up the cell since hers was dead, and glanced at the notepad beside it, her eyes bugging out a little.

"Some? Levy it looks like you wrote down at least thirty numbers!"

"Did I?" The bluenette turned around to look at the pad that Lucy held up and then shrugged. "Oh well, better safe and sorry!" She grinned again and turned back to breakfast.

Lucy shook her head before dialing a few numbers, after settling down with the fifth number she called she sat down at the table as Levy placed two steaming plates of eggs, bacon and pancakes on the table, one in front of Lucy and then one for Levy herself. After cutting off a bite of pancakes and popping it into her mouth Levy groaned in ecstasy, "Don't get me wrong, I love being on the road to be with 'Roar' but a good home cooked meal is literally like the best."

Lucy giggled a bit and ate some of her own meal. "The locksmith should be at my car in about a half hour or so." She commented and couldn't help that laugh that escaped when all she heard was another moan of pleasure coming from her new friend.

It took a few moments but soon enough both plates were empty and Lucy was doing the dishes for Levy.

"You know you really don't have to do that..." Levy mumbled to the taller girl who just shrugged in response.

"It's the least I can do after all the trouble I've caused... I wanted to make breakfast as a thank you but you had already beaten me to it." Lucy laughed at her new friends pout. "Don't worry about it."

"Well then I'm calling someone to give you a ride back to your car." Levy declared and before Lucy could stop her, the bluenette was already out the door and she could hear her talking to someone almost immediately.

Lucy sighed exasperated, however the smile that slipped onto her lips said that she really didn't mind at all about the circumstances. Finishing up the dishes and wiping her hands on a nearby cloth was what brought her the thought of how many times she had smiled in the last couple of hours. 'Far too many to count, that was for sure' Lucy thought before putting the towel back where she had found it. Normally, these thoughts would never bother her so much, but that was because Lucy hadn't smiled for real in so many years. 'Probably since my mom died...' Shaking her head to rid herself of these thoughts, she made her way out of the kitchen and into the living room where Levy was just hanging up her phone.

"Good news! Our ride will be here in a few minutes, he doesn't live too far from here so I knew that he was our best bet to getting things done." Levy declared. "So how about we go wait for him downstairs? You can look at the books while we wait!"

Lucy's eyes brightened up at the prospect of a new book or two and immediately left to go get her shoes that were by the door. Slipping on her pink converses she stumbled down the stairs in her excitement only to burst through the door and stand there for a few moments taking it all in. She felt as if she were in another time, another place, soaking in history and ink. Seconds passed by when she made a beeline for the romance novels since she was a sucker for them and then traveled over to the cookbooks, she grabbed a book from each before stopping by the Mystery & Crime section and grabbing at least three novels there. With her five books she went up to the front desk to see a girl her age there with round black glasses perched on her nose, her lavender hair was piled up into a high pony tail and her brown eyes seemed to be smiling at Lucy as she scanned her books.

"You're Levy's friend right?" She asked quietly.

Lucy nodded back a little shyly. "And you must be Laki."

Laki laughed and nodded. "I'm Laki Oiletta, it's nice to meet you." She held out her hand and Lucy grabbed it, another smile working its way onto her face.

"Lucy Heartfilia!"

Laki dropped her hand. "Heartfilia?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry..." She dropped her head in embarrassment.

"Oh no! Please, don't worry about it!" Laki waved her hands, trying to grab Lucy's attention, who looked up in confusion this time. "I was just a little surprised! Don't worry!"

Lucy tucked her hair behind her ear in nervousness. "Really?"

Laki gave her an incredibly warm smile. "Of course! I'm truly sorry about what happened, I was honestly just surprised!"

Lucy gave the lavender haired girl another smile before nodding her head, telling her all was forgiven. Laki finished ringing her up and Lucy handed over the money before taking the bag of books from the girl and waving one last time behind her and exiting the bookstore, meeting up with Levy outside at the coffee shop next door.

"Wow Lu-chan! Find a couple of things?" Levy commented as she sipped her hazelnut scented dark coffee.

"I did! I'm so happy that I kept my money in my pocket, otherwise I wouldn't be able to pay for anything today." Lucy commented as she sipped her own coffee. She had managed to get a caramel frappuccino with extra caramel and whip cream. "So when is your friend going to be here?"

A low rumbling sound caught the attention of Lucy as Levy grinned. "Now."

A/N: Thank you for finding and liking my story! This is my first NaLu and I'm trying to build up everything which is why Natsu is mentioned seldom and why I haven't actually described Lucy yet. In the last story I had a song in it, it's called "Unity" by Shinedown, I think it describes Natsu and Lucy perfectly which is why I chose it as the first song, so you guys should go check it out!

This chapter is dedicated to my niece Ally as today is her birthday. We almost lost her at one point and it's hard to believe that she's 4 now! Unbelievable! In any case, if there's a song, I'll try to do a quick announcement so that you guys can look it all up!

Thanks again for reading and I hope you continue to do so and tell your friends about it!

~*~Sanity Challenged~*~