Disclaimer: I don't own FT

The words ran through the Fairy Tail wizards like a knife.

"K-Killed?" Juvia stuttered. Lucy nodded solemnly.

"But then why search for the armour?" Gray asked, "If all Judoc Lysander's descendants are dead then the armour shouldn't serve any purpose."

"I was hoping to find a way to extract the magic from the relics. If I could do that, then maybe it could be used in a last ditch effort. It's hard to take in, but these guys are serious. We have to try everything," Lucy responded, looking once more at the pauldrons, "I think I found the answer to this puzzle before you arrived. There are five pressure plates hidden in the shadows. If you stand on them all at the same time, the bars should release. But if someone steps off one plate, they'll go back into position."

"So all we have to do is stand on the plates?" Natsu said, looking around the room to find one.

"I would have done it with my celestial spirits, but summoning five would take out most of my magic power. I was already tired from the Bandit guys, and then you came along and now I don't think I could summon one." The blonde stated, looking particularly unamused.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Gray blurted, scratching the back of his head nervously, "still, let us make it up to you. We'll help you now."

This made Lucy smile.

"But even with five of us, there are five plates. We still need someone to retrieve the pauldrons." Erza noted.

"I have an idea!" Natsu exclaimed, holding up the body of a dead Shadow Bandit, "We can use this guy!"

"Er... I'm pretty sure that's not how Lysander's descendants intended the plates to work, but if it gets the job done..." Lucy trailed, smiling awkwardly and wondering what sort of people she had become embroiled with.

Natsu pulled the body over to a pressure plate he had found. The weight of the man made the stone move downwards. One set of bars making up the cage retracted.

"I can't believe that worked." Lucy admitted.

"We will stand on the other plates," Erza said, smiling, "it's only right that you get the armour. You did all the work, after all."

Lucy blushed slightly at the acknowledgement before nodding. The members of Fairy Tail searched for a plate to stand on, and she watched as each set of bars disappeared with childish excitement. When Juvia finally stood on her plate, the pauldrons were free for the taking. Lucy held them in her gloved hands, treating them with the utmost delicacy.

"Here they are," She whispered, "I can feel the energy in them."

She passed them around the group so that they too could marvel at the sensation.

"I don't get it," Natsu spoke, handing the armour back to Lucy, "why can only Lysander's family wear the armour? Can't I wear it?"

"I'd guess that anybody could wear it," Lucy answered, carefully wrapping them in cloth and storing them in her bag, "but you need to have Judoc's blood to master the armour and use its magic."

"We should get out of here and talk outside." Erza interrupted, feeling drowsy from the heat. The others agreed, and they made their way out of the cavern and back through the long winded passages. Juvia once again helped them with the water.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted as he sat on the lakeside. A faint 'aye sir!' could be heard from the distance as the blue cat flew back to the group, hovering next to the dragon slayer, "Meet Lucy. She's gonna help us kick some ass!"

Happy seemed content with this explanation, giving Natsu a high five. The sun was setting in the west, orange clouds drifting away.

"We should camp here tonight," Gray suggested, "going back to the guild at this time is unsafe, and we need the rest."

"Juvia is fine with this if she can share a tent with Gray-sama!" Juvia squealed, causing the ice mage to look uncomfortable.

"Would you like to stay with us tonight?" Erza asked Lucy politely, "Gray is right. Going anywhere now would be unsafe."

Looking at the group of friends, Lucy felt her heart fill with warmth.

"I'd love to... if you don't mind of course." She answered shyly, glad to be included.

"Nah, we're glad to have you here." Natsu grinned, slapping her on the back.

He started a fire on some wood he had gathered as the two tents were set up. Erza cleaned her wound with some of the water given to them by Jude, and accepted Lucy's offer to dress the cut, both of them settling down on the floor, resting comfortably against a log. Happy offered the spirit mage a fish, which she kindly refused.

"Sorry about the wound." Lucy said. Erza waved off her concern.

"Barely a scratch," She replied, "your skills are admirable. Do you travel alone?"

"Yes. Its just been me and my spirits for three years now. I've always been lonely, so the silence gets bearable after a while..." Lucy answered, "My father never gave me the chance to socialise except with the staff. It's one of the reasons why I left."

"Our lives are indebted to him, though. He saved us." Erza said. The blonde smiled.

"He's not a bad person, he just never had time for me. I'm glad he saved you. Time can change everyone."

"Why else did you leave home?" Gray inquired, sitting on the log rather than sitting against it. Lucy sighed, remembering the moment clearly.

Flashback -

"Lucy! Come in child, you'll catch death out there in the rain!" An old woman babbled, bony fingers grasping a skinny wrist protruding from a cloak. A crack of thunder seemed to shake the earth itself.

"Sorry I'm late," Lucy said, enjoying the warmth of the hut. She sat on a stump as the old woman settled into her pink polka dot chair, "I argued with my father again."

"Hm. That Jude Heartfilia needs to slow down and realise what he has. Putting business before your daughter is despicable," Mary asserted, taking a small sip of tea, "he hasn't been the same since your mother died, bless her soul. You have her face, you know. Lucky too, I should think. I have a feeling Jude isn't exactly the rosiest apple that fell from the tree, if you catch my meaning."

Lucy laughed awkwardly, "Of course."

"Are you strong, Lucy?" Mary asked, peering into innocent brown eyes with her own piercing blue ones, "Could you take on the world and win?"

"I'm only sixteen, Mary-sama," Lucy replied, wondering where exactly the conversation was going, "I don't think I could take on anyone and win."

"That attitude holds you back. Grow a spine. I have a feeling you're gonna need to, because there's something you need to do." The old woman said. Lucy remained silent, surprised.

"The world will face a reckoning of the likes it has never seen before. You, child, must do all you can to stop it." Mary revealed. Lucy almost laughed at her.

"A reckoning?" She echoed. Mary nodded.

"Yes. Hell itself will stamp across the lands, draining the world of everything good. The plan is being set in motion, I have seen it in my dreams, I have a feeling. If you leave on the morrow there is a good chance that when it begins, humankind will be in a good position. You are special, Lucy. You will make the difference. I'm afraid my sanity is slipping every day, but I'll help you as much as I can."

Seeing the expression etched on Mary's face made Lucy's drain of all colour. Mary was a seer, her dreams and feelings never wrong.

"B-but I can't do all of this alone!" Lucy exclaimed, panic filling her heart.

"How can you be alone when you have meh?" A voice asked. Lucy swivelled around.

"C-Capricorn! Loke! All of you!" She called out in surprise, her celestial spirits stood in the hut, smiling confidently.

"These spirits will protect you on your quest, child. Never be afraid, I have a feeling that everything will be okay," Mary spoke quietly, "now let me tell you everything I can, beginning with Moros."

That night, Lucy packed her main belongings. The next morning, she was gone.

End flashback -

"You were pretty young then, huh?" Natsu stated, impressed, "We should fight one day!"

"F-fight?" Lucy stammered, looking confused.

"Where are your manners, Natsu?" Gray patronised, enraging the dragon slayer, "You have the brain of an animal."

Natsu's reply was to kick Gray off the log, initiating a fight. Juvia of course stood cheering Gray on.

"You'll get used to it. They always fight." Erza said in response to Lucy's bewilderment.

After Erza eventually broke up the fight, the topic shifted to sleeping arrangements.

"We have two tents," Gray told, opening one rucksack, "maybe we should split it by gender."

This suggestion visibly crushed Juvia. Erza, Lucy and Natsu however thought it was a sound idea, and so that was how they would sleep. As they waited for the sun to set, they settled around the fire and fell once more into friendly conversation.

"So... Fairy Tail... the strongest guild in Fiore," Lucy began, "you're all very close."

"We're family," Natsu stated, hooking his arms around Gray and Juvia's necks, "Fairy Tail is home to us."

"Only through teamwork did we manage to become the strongest guild," Erza added, "we all look out for each other. We share every joy and every pain."

Lucy simply smiled, trying to remember if she had ever felt such a bond as they felt for each other. They chatted for a while longer as darkness gradually passed over them.

"We should sleep now," Gray said, "we have a lot of walking to do tomorrow."

With those words, the tents were swiftly set up (with Natsu becoming increasingly frustrated as he struggled with the assembly) and 'goodnight's were uttered.

"Were you ever scared?" Juvia later asked as the three girls laid in their tent, Erza in the middle.

"Many times," Lucy admitted, "I was only young when I left. But at the same time, it taught me to be strong. My spirits were always there for me, but also taught me to be self-reliant. There are times where they can't help me, so I have to take care of things alone."

"You said you've already found the boots and gauntlets," Erza interrupted, "where did you find those?"

"I found the boots first after a lot of reading and searching two years ago. They were buried in a coffin with the skeleton of one of Lysander's great-great-grandchildren. It was guarded by old magic, but I managed to defeat the protective shade that attacked me. Then I took them."

"You were seventeen?" Juvia said.

"Yes. I grew up very quickly by myself."

"And the gauntlets?" Erza inquired. Lucy grimaced, the candlelight casting shadows on her face.

"With those I was less lucky. I managed to locate them through Mary's scattered ramblings. They were in a desecrated church hidden in the altar. I didn't realise a trap was set though. I triggered it and lost my four fingers to a sharp blade." She told, removing her left glove and showing them the metal prosthetics taking the place where fingers should have been.

"Looks like we both have a bit of us missing," Erza jested, "my right eye is artificial too."

"Juvia's missing piece is Gray-sama." Juvia mumbled sleepily before rolling over and closing her eyes. Lucy and Erza looked at the girl uncomfortably before deciding to retire too.

The candle was blown out.

–

Rays of sun penetrated the tent, the sound of birdsong in the air. The leaves on the trees that weren't rotten were brushing gently against each other, pushed by a warm breeze. The waves of the lake softly lapped against the edges.

'A perfect day to be in the arms of your lover,' Lucy thought, burrowing further into the warmth of the body pressed against her, 'wait, what?'

Opening an eye and craning her neck, Lucy could just make out a flash of scarlet hair. Arms were wrapped tightly around her abdomen, a forehead buried in the crook of her shoulder. Lucy felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Er, Erza?" She whispered, not wanting to wake up Juvia who was loudly snoring at the other end of the tent.

The girl in question did not move. The blonde put a hand over Erza's left forearm, shaking it gently. Erza mumbled something incomprehensible before opening her eyes. After a few seconds passed, the situation sank in.

"Lucy!" She exclaimed, jumping quickly to her feet, "I-I apologise!"

"It's okay." Lucy replied, leaning on her elbows.

"I-I should have told you I move around quite a bit when I sleep," Erza said, blushing furiously, "please, don't get the wrong impression, I'm not some sort of pervert that hops into people's bed for their own twisted desires-"

Lucy laughed, "It's fine, honestly. You're cute when you're all flustered."

Erza felt as though she could faint, her skin hot to the touch. 'C-cute?'

A pillow suddenly thwacked her across the face.

"Juvia is not a morning person," A form huddled under the blankets muttered, "Juvia would prefer to be woken up at a later hour. Or by Gray-sama. Juvia is not picky."

"Hey!" Natsu called, his face peeking in from the zip opening of the tent entrance and startling all three inhabitants, "Rise and shine! I'm bored!"

"I've had this all morning," Gray stated as he cooked breakfast over the fire, voice weary, "it's like being a parent."

"You should give girls their privacy." Erza scolded as her foot slammed into Natsu's face, sending him flying away from the tent. Happy laughed as his lifelong companion complained loudly and rubbed his head.

–

Once the group had packed up, they discussed where they were to go next.

"We should go back to Magnolia and tell them what we've learnt." Erza suggested.

"What're you gonna do, Lucy?" Natsu asked curiously. Lucy thought for a moment.

"Try to find the next piece of the armour, I guess." She responded, though inside she was not quite happy with this choice. Neither were any of the Fairy Tail members.

"Nah, you should come with us," Natsu argued, placing a hand on her shoulder, "we need you and your brains."

"You've helped us a lot," Gray agreed, "and we could help you with everything. Having the whole of Fairy Tail behind you has got to be better than doing this alone."

"I think Levy could help with the reading," Juvia added with a smile, "you would get along."

"What say you, Lucy Heartfilia?" Erza asked, her own smile reassuring.

Lucy felt tears prick at her eyes. She let them fall down her face, dotting the floor below.

"I've never been part of a group before," She confided, gazing at their friendly faces, "I've never felt this welcome since my mother passed away. I'd love to go with you."

Natsu cheered as they engulfed her in a welcoming hug. Lucy accepted the embrace, feeling as though her luck had finally changed.

–