Lucy was relieved to see the last of the girls leave. It had felt good to talk to them and finally admit to the guild that was constantly eating away at her, but she was exhausted now. All she wanted to do was curl up and sleep. Loke appeared soon after she'd changed into her pajamas and just held her for a long time. She was thankful for the spirit, he always knew exactly what she needed. Finally he stood and wordlessly made his way into her kitchen where he prepared her a nice cup of cocoa, handing it to with a soft smile.
Lucy set the cup down a few minutes later, studying the spirit intently. He studied her back and neither of them said a word for a long moment.
"Loke," She whispered, finally breaking the comfortable silence. "What happened last night-"
He held up a hand, interrupting her, "I know. It was wrong of me to kiss you like that, but you seemed lost. Don't fear, Princess, it will not happen again."
Lucy nodded in relief, thankful that he understood the difficult position she was in.
"However," He added after another moment of silence. "Should you ever need my service, for anything, you can call me. I realized that I cannot replace Bickslow, but if you ever need someone, for whatever, I will be here."
He kissed her hand gently before vanishing back to his world. Lucy stared dumbfounded at the spot that he had been sitting for a long time. She'd always known that Loke had crush on her, at least, since she'd saved him. She hadn't realized just how deep his feelings for her ran though. To think that he would be willing to take a backseat to anyone, to allow her to use him for whatever she was in need of.
She blushed, silently scolding herself for even thinking about him in that way. Loke was a friend, a good one, and she couldn't ruin it by using him in such a way. Could she?
Bickslow was finally leaving the guild as Mira started turning out the lights for the night. He hadn't said or done much the whole night except what his guild while he thought, but he really didn't want to go home to his empty apartment. He shivered as he thought about how awful it was last night without Lucy to greet him with a laugh or her cooking.
At that moment, more than anything else, he wanted to run to her apartment and tell her that he'd made an awful mistake, that he wanted and needed her to be in his life. He shook his head after a moments, knowing that it was the loneliness that was making him feel that way, and continued on his walk home.
Disappointment still managed to flood through him when he flicked on the lights to his place to find it utterly devoid of life.
"Just how I feel," He muttered, kicking off his shoes and removing his helmet.
He rubbed his head, remembering once more that he really needed a haircut. He was subconsciously picked up his communication lacrima, determined to call Lucy and ask her to send Cancer over, when he remembered that he couldn't do that kind of thing anymore and set it back down with a sigh.
"Daddy."
He looked up, grinning at his 'Babies'. He'd forgotten that they were still following him around for the day.
"Hey, kids," He answered as they floated in front of him.
"Daddy, where's mommy?" Pippi asked, floating in front of him.
Bickslow's face fell as he gathered the dolls in his arms.
"Mommy's not going to be coming around anymore, kids," He whispered.
"Why?" The five echoed each other as the floated around him.
He sighed, unsure how to explain it.
"She's just gone," He whispered.
"Gone, gone," Pappa repeated sadly.
Bickslow nodded, just as sad.
He remembered the first time the dolls had seen Lucy after Bickslow had told them to call her mommy. They'd come flying in, tackling her as they yelled 'Mommy, mommy.' She'd been delighted to hear it, knowing they called Bickslow 'Daddy.' After that she started calling them her kids and would always bestow a kiss upon each of them.
Then when they'd lost the baby that had changed. Their calls of 'mommy' must have seemed less loving and more mocking to her and often she would burst into tears until Bickslow finally told them that they couldn't call her mommy anymore. Not to her face anyway. He still wasn't sure which had broken her heart more - when they called her mommy or when they stopped.
He sighed and laid back on his bed, no longer feeling hungry. He missed his Lucy a great deal, but he was determined that it would be better for them to be apart. After all, it had only been a day since they broke up, so of course he was going to miss the girl that had been a big part of his life the last few years. Rolling over he studied the picture she had framed for him. In it she was sitting on his shoulder, pulling her mouth open to stick her own tongue out. Of course, he was sticking his out as well. It was one of the few times she had gotten him to wear regular clothes without his visor and the two seemed so goofy looking together.
She had laughed so hard when she saw the picture, pointing out to him that instead of looking crazy and fierce like he did, she just looked like a little kid mimicking him. He agreed, but secretly he thought it looked adorable and had demanded she let him keep a copy. He sighed and pushed it into a drawer. The last thing he needed or wanted was to be reminded of such a happy time.
On the other side of town, Lucy was contemplating the same picture, smiling fondly at the memories it conjured up. She had taken it out to remind herself why getting into a relationship with Loke, especially now, was a bad idea. Instead she found herself recalling all the memories she had of Bickslow - good and bad. This was a bad idea, she knew, but if it kept her from accepting Loke's offer then she was determined to do it every single night. She couldn't date a spirit, it wouldn't work.
She wondered if she really meant it after the third time she said it or if she was just trying to convince herself of it.
AN: Oh my goodness! Thank you for all your reviews and likes! I was a little worried about writing a Bickslow x Lucy pairing, but you guys have put my mind at ease. I'm so glad that everyone is liking it so far.