Lucy stumbles her way into her apartment. The time had been flowing away and after Heidi's mom had come for getting her lost daughter she had stayed at the guild with Grey, Levy and Erza and just a few minutes earlier realized the late hour. She yawns and expects to be greeted by her dragon slayer and got a little confused when the home was completely empty.
"I guess he´s having fun then." She said more to herself than to the little dog that was following her.
"Puuun puun." Plue said and had already funded her box of candy.
"Well he can break himself in if he wants to." She murmured and locked the door. A light flash got her attention when a certain lion came through the gate on his own.
"Loke, is there something wrong?" Lucy asked worried. The lion just shrugged and looked at her.
"Well, I was going to ask you that question…"
Lucy smiled. "Why? I´m fine as always."
Loke didn´t believe his young blonde master. "It´s just that the spirits are getting a little worried. We all can feel you pretty well since our linking to you and lately it´s like something change within you. Like a pain in here." Loke put a steady hand over Lucys heart. "Don´t try to fool us, or yourself."
Lucy backed away, she felt just fine. What was he talking about?
"Like I said before, I´m feeling great. Nothing has happen to me. I think I should know if my heart were aching."
"Yeah I guess." The lion sighed. "Well it´s my job to protect you, even if it is from yourself. Don't hesitate to call me out… I´m a really great advisor too." Loke laughed and disappeared again, not wanting to dry the blonde on her magic.
"Stupid Loke." Lucy groaned as she started to get ready for bed. She put on her ordinary night dress, brushed her teeth and enjoyed the silence for a change. Then she cuddled her way into her bed with a relief sighed, Plue was gone to his own world and Happy had followed Carla and Wendy home. That cat wasn´t much for companion, she thought and tried to find a good spot. When she didn´t find it she got mad, since when was her bed that big and why was she so cold. Lucy frowned and got another blanket from the box under her bed. But it didn´t help at all, she throw the blanket away as her mood began to sank. Angry at the world Lucy was unable to get any peace for her sleep. She therefor decided to write on her story, and sat down at her desk, but not a single word would come.
"Aarrgh." The blonde screamed as she throws her pencil on the floor. "This is hopeless, what´s wrong with me?"
She watched the time, it was over midnight and she would normally be asleep by now.
"Maybe a walk would help…" she thought and put on a big sweater with some old pants and Natsus jacket of course.
It was silent outside, only a few drunken men disturbed as they started to whistle after the young blonde and scream inappropriate lines. Lucy just ignored them and kept on walking, knowing that it wouldn´t help to beg them to stop.
"I wonder if I should go back to the guild? No I can´t do that, they will start teasing me on why I´m not able to sleep. I should go a little more then turn around and walk home again. Maybe the park… yeah I would really like to see the park right now." She thought and started walking a little faster, the park was only a ten minutes' walk and she felt very carefree when she walked over the bridge. There were no street lamps placed in the park, but it didn´t matter the moon was bright enough and throw an unlimited shine over the river and trees.
"Beautiful." She sighed there she stood over the bridge and watched the moon glisten in the water.
"Just like you sweetie." A dark voice said and made Lucy turn around just to see one of the men before. He was tall, with short brown hair and a horrible breath of alcohol.
"What do you want?" Lucy asked in high voice, backing away from the approaching man. But he caught her very easily and dragged her body close.
"Just talk, maybe a kiss or two." The man laughed in her ear.
"Let go of me." Lucy screamed, started to get really scared. This wasn´t what she wanted, not having this filthy man touch her. She felt sick in her stomach as she realized that her keys were still at home and he was to strong. But Lucy wasn´t bad either, with a big growl she raised her knee and kicked the man hard between his legs.
"You little witch." He screamed in pain but his grip on Lucy got lose and she started to run. But he was faster; she could hear him getting closer to her. She kept her eyes on the end of the bridge, soon she would be out in the street and somebody could save her…
"Just you try and touch her again." An angry growled was heard and Lucy saw a big ball of fire shouting through the air just some inches from her head.
"Natsu." She screamed in relief as her notice of the dragon slayer standing on the other side. A warm feeling appeared, there he was! Just a few meters more and she was safe in his arms.
The man got scared from Natsus flames; he shoots down on his stomach to avoid it and managed to get Lucy in the fall. She felt his hand gripping her ankle, in panic she twitched the leg trying to avoid his touch and fell. The bridge was slippery and made her fall right down in the ice cold water beneath. She tried to keep her head over the water surface but it was hard, her body screamed in protest of its cold surrounding and she couldn´t scream. Soon the warmth took over her, a sleepy feeling and then with a last sigh she let go and disappeared in the dark water, letting the black surrounding take her once more.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid girl." Natsu growled as he carried the cold blonde mage in his arm. The flames still sleek over his skin after his anger and then trying to find her in the water. He heard her heart still beating as he hurried into the quiet guild. A few of his friends were sleeping on the floor but he walked right over and lay down Lucys body on the bar desk. He didn´t have to say anything, his roar was heard over the whole city and then Mirajane came running through the doors.
"Natsu what is this all about?" She went silent when she saw the nearly lifeless Lucy there.
"Bring her to the infirmity, I´ve to go to Fairy Hills and get Wendy. Make sure she´s warm but not too quick."
Natsu nodded, he was still so angry that he couldn´t say a word. He really wanted to kill the man who had hurt Lucy, but when she fell in the water it was no question that he would jumped after, and that left the man to run away.
Lucy seemed so tiny and weak as she was lying in one of the white beds; he started to get her of the wet clothes knowing that she would kill him later. In only her underwear he wrapped her body around one of the blankets. Still freezing he took out a few more of them. She trembled under all her layers of blanket and started to breathe heavenly, like it was hard for her to keep fighting. Natsu gazed at the time, it had been nearly five minutes since Mirajane left for Wendys help, why weren´t them here yet.
"Don't kill me Luce." He whispered and then crawls down under the blankets. He pulled her body closed to his and started to increase her body temperature. Her breathing calmed down a bit as she smiled and pressed against him a little closer.
"Lucy – san!" Wendy said with a high voice as she came running into the room with Mirajane, Carla and Wendy after.
"Wendy, finally. Help her." Natsu said relived.
"You might have to move Natsu- san." Wendy said a little shy. Natsu nodded and tried to get out of the bed, but Lucys grip tighten on him as she didn´t want to let him go.
"Can´t you just heal her with me here?" Natsu said when Lucy cuddled up against his breast one more time.
Wendy nodded; she put her tiny hands over Lucys body and closed her eyes. Natsu watched and then Lucys blue lips turn white and then light pink. He smiled when the color on her cheeks came back and slowly her heart started beating strong like before.
"She´s going to be fine now, but she might have a fever tonight. I can´t take that away but her condition are otherwise stable again." A tired Wendy smiled towards him.
"Thank you Wendy." Natsu said and sighed. Lucy was sleeping deep in his arms now and he could sneak out from the bed without her stopping him.
"Always." The little girl said and tried to hide a wide yawn.
"You should go home and get some sleep. Sorry for disturbing you Wendy." Mirajane said. "I follow you home again, are you going to stay here?"
Natsu met the white haired mage gaze and just nodded. "Happy are you staying too?"
"Aye." The blue cat answered low as he had jumped up on Lucys bed.
The girls left leaving Natsu and Happy sitting silently in the room.
"Natsu…" Lucy whispered in her sleep and turned around. "Natsu?"
The fire mage went to checking on her, she had started to sweat and turning back and forth in the sheets.
"Hey Lucy, take it easy" Natsu tried to calm down her but she didn´t respond. Just kept on throwing her body and then she started to scream.
"What´s wrong with her?" Happy asked nervous as he had fly away do avoid Lucys kicks.
"I think she´s having a bad dream." Natsu said close- bitten as he thought about the man on the bridge. The blonde girl worked her up even more, Natsu had to grip her waist and push her back in bed. In one simple movement he jumped in and captured the scared celestial mage, she tried to get free from the sudden prison in his arms but he refused to move. A few moment later she relaxed, the heart still beating fast but she kept her silence and let Natsu hold her still.
"It worked." Happy sighed with a relief. "Don´t ever let go Natsu, I never want to see that again."
Natsu just nodded, he never wanted to see Lucy hurt again either. It hurt him to much seeing her like this, Lucy are supposed to be strong and healthy. Kicking him hard for the jokes he made and then laugh next to him a moment after. This was wrong on so many levels, nobody should live for trying to hurt another human being in this way. Natsu growled low again, but went silent by Lucys simple touch. She was safe, and that was all that matters right now…
Authors note: Sorry for hurting Lucy!Gaah but I was feeling a little bit dark...
Hope you liked the chapter though. Now I´m going to bake a really good cake, cause her in Sweden we have harvets- festival right now... yaay... It´s really fun and kind of sweet to! :)