Hi everyone!

Welcome to day 2 of MidLu week! So happy to see so many people enjoying the pairing. A huge thank you to all of you who have reviewed and for those participating. GemNika and I are head over heels for all the love those two love birds are getting!

I will say, this idea was probably the first to hit me when GemNika and I began planning this week. I took one look at the prompt and the idea pretty much took over lol.

So, hopefully you'll enjoy it!

On to the reading!

Day 2 - Clock

There comes a time when the world gets quiet and the only thing left is your own heart. So you'd better learn the sound of it. Otherwise you'll never understand what it's saying."

Sarah Dessen, Just Listen

Lucy leaned up onto the table and captured a lock of hair between her fingers, mindlessly twirling it as she glanced around the guild hall. Everyone looked happy, content and without real cares. Erza was enjoying a cakegasm, the sounds she made were nothing less than obscene. Gray was busy trying to blend into the potted plant he was behind, in hopes that his love sick stalker didn't take notice of him. He was failing, epically as always. Bickslow was playing footsie under the table with a certain Iron Dragon slayer. Evergreen was apparently out on a mission with Lisanna and Elfman Natsu was busy trying to, or not trying to annoy Freed who was nose deep in a book. It wasn't very clear given the Rune Mage had the slightest lift to a single corner of his mouth. Everyone had come to the conclusion that he'd settled for the Fire Dragon Slayer when it became apparent that he'd never get into Laxus' pants. That was because he was busy sulking as much as she was.

Crime Sorciere was now officially two hours late. They were supposed to have been on the noon train, returning from their last mission together. Richard was going off to join his brother. Sawyer planned on going with Sorano to join Sabertooth. Meredy was getting married in the spring, much to everyone's surprise, to Lyon. That had been quite the shock. Cobra, or Erik she preferred to call him, was to join Jellal and Midnight there at Fairy Tail. Jellal wanted to start a family with Erza while Cobra and Laxus planned on finally coming out officially. Their relationship certainly was not a secret to most and Lucy was absolutely thrilled for them. Her brother deserved happiness and it was only too clear to her it came in the form of the cocky, bleach dump that was Erik. Midnight, he'd asked her to marry him two months ago on their one year anniversary.

Macbeth. Just his name brought a soft smile to her lips. At one time, she'd come close to hate him for the things he'd done to her and the guild. But after Tartarus, she'd gotten to know him on her trips with Erza to see Jellal. He was funny, sweet, highly intelligent, book savvy, gentle…everything she never would have taken him for. After countless conversations and repentant pleas, she came to see he had simply been led by a sense of misguided loyalty to a man who was supposed to be his father. Brain was a psychotic megalomaniac who'd used all of the Seis members as pawns in his own agenda. She understood in a way. While Jude hadn't been off his rocker in that sense, he did try to marry her off to the highest bidder and started a war between two guilds because of it.

They'd easily become friends and somewhere along the way, she'd fallen for him. And oh how she'd fallen hard. One day, they were merely friends. He was someone to converse with, laugh with, be herself with. Then the next she found herself hanging on every word, battling butterflies when he laughed or smiled, following him with her eyes as he moved. The time between visits became too long, he seemed so far away and when they were together, she couldn't get enough of him. Someone who was once an enemy that wanted her dead had become the reason she felt alive. He became the sunlight warming her skin on a spring day, the cooling wind that flittered through the leaves on a hot summer afternoon, the sweater that protected her on a crisp fall evening and the fire that heated her flesh on the cold winter nights. She had no doubts that she'd found her forever.

A sigh of boredom escaped her lips and she laid her head down onto her folded arms. She was missing him and was just ready for him to be there already. She glanced at the watch hanging from her bags and groaned. Three hours late. Watching the clock was doing her no good. She reasoned she could go home. Maybe re clean the whole apartment again because just maybe the first ten times she'd done it, she might have missed something. A book was always something to pass the time but then she was already waiting on the next shipment of new books to come in. Her lips pursed in thought and she sat up to unzip her bag. She pulled the communication lacrima from inside and stared at it for a moment before tossing it back in. If something were wrong, he would have called. She knew that and perhaps they'd simply missed their train and was due any moment. No negative thoughts Lucy. He'll be here.

"Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity."

― Henry van Dyke

Lucy tossed the dishrag onto the drying rack and turned to the give the kitchen one more once over. The counters were scrubbed and not one dish was left in sight. Mira had been kind enough to allow her to help and she was appreciative for the distraction. Reaching back to untie the apron strings, she pulled the fabric away and folded up neatly. She counted her steps to the swinging doors that led to the main hall of the guild. Exactly thirty three, another five and she was standing at the edge of the bar. The place had been crowded just hours ago and now there were only nine, counting herself. Laxus was now on the main floor, sitting with Bickslow and Gajeel. Erza was at the other end of the table with Freed, Natsu and Gray.

"Guessing you're all done in there?"

She gave a start at the sound of Mira's voice and forced herself to smile. "Yep, it's spotless."

The white haired woman gave her a knowing sympathetic smile and reached over to pat her hand. "I'm sure everything is fine."

The words were meant to be reassuring but they sank like a rock into the pit of her stomach. The anxious feeling she'd woke with had grown exponentially. Everything is fine. Just the thought made her pulse quicken and her breathing increased. She knew that was probably the case but one look at the clock did nothing to inspire more positive thoughts. Six hours and still no word or any sign of them. She could feel the beginnings of panic starting to set in and she closed her eyes. She pulled in a deep breath and mentally counted to ten before slowly releasing it. She couldn't allow worry to get the best of her. He was ok. They were all ok. They'd simply been delayed. The job took longer than expected and soon they'd all come walking through the door.

"Why don't you go sit with the others and I'll bring over some coffee."

She gave the She-Demon a nod and slowly made her way over to the table. The conversation came to a halt and every eye watched as she took a seat. She saw the distress she felt mirrored on the seven faces around her. Laxus and Erza more so than the others. But they were in the same boat as she was. They were all waiting for the person they loved to arrive. With no word on their whereabouts, it had them all on edge. Waiting for a gentle breeze to blow them off of their precarious perches. "Has anyone heard anything?" She questioned reluctantly.

"No," Laxus responded rather curtly. "None of 'em are answering their lacrimas either."

Erza nodded solemnly. "And we contacted Lamia Scale and Sabertooth, neither of them have seen or heard from them either."

She gave a small nod and slumped down in her chair. "Did anyone call Mountain Village?"

"Yeah," Gajeel grumbled. "Jellal turned in the completed job yesterday afternoon."

Lucy chanced a glance up at the blonde Dragon Slayer at her side. The tight set to his jaw, the working muscle in his cheek and the dull glaze over his beautiful electric blues told the story of his emotions. He was as scared as she was. She reached over and slid her hand into his, threading their fingers together. "They'll be fine," she said with as much truth as she could muster. "They probably just ran into some bad weather." His fingers gave hers a squeeze before he pulled her up against his side. That scared her the most. He wasn't one to be overly affectionate in front of others or show any outward displays of concern. But it wasn't just a hug of reassurance. He was clutching her to his side as a child would a beloved stuffed animal. And he was trembling enough for her to feel it.

"It's dark now and I am very tired. I love you, always. Time is nothing."

Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife

"Come on Luce, wake up."

The sound of Natsu's voice pulled her from dreamless sleep and her eyes fluttered open. "Wha-" She sat up mid-sentence and looked around to find herself still in the guildhall. She saw Laxus and Erza standing a few tables away. Packed bags sat next to them and they were talking in hushed tones. She reached up and rubbed at her eyes before glancing at the clock above the bar. Five after twelve. The darkness outside of the windows confirmed that it was midnight and not noon. It was officially twelve hours past when they should have been there.

"They're wanting to head out in a few," Natsu said to cut into the fog in her head. "Virgo packed you a bag. Gray and I are coming with you guys."

She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it when she took in the nervous set of the Fire Dragon Slayer's mouth and the concern in his eyes. They weren't going out because they'd heard from them. They were heading out because there was still no word. She felt tears well in her eyes but she blinked them away. Without a word, she got up from the bench and pulled her bag onto her back. A myriad of emotions threatened to engulf her but she kept them on the fringes of her mind. She needed to stay positive and not worry until there was reason to. Please don't let the- The guild hall doors burst open, ending her thoughts as she lifted her head. Her breath died in her throat at the disheveled sight of Jellal standing there with something, or someone on his back.

"Get Wendy!"

His strangled command sent everyone into action. Gray and Freed ran out the door. Laxus and Erza rushed forward and the sound that came from the first made her blood run cold. She watched as the blonde Dragon Slayer pulled the burden from the bluenette's back. The cape that was covering it fell away to reveal the bloody and battered body of Cobra. A sense of numb detachment settled over her as her eyes searched for any sign of Macbeth. Meredy came limping in, her clothes singed and shredded. Sorano leaned against her looking as though she were barely aware of where they were. The angelic mage's clothes were no better, her porcelain skin already bruised and marred by cuts and bloody scrapes. "Wh-where is he?" She whispered.

Her words unheard, Laxus picked up the unconscious body of his mate and rushed past her towards the infirmary. Slowly she inched her way towards the others, stumbling when Natsu rushed past her to help. The world became fuzzy around her, surreal. Erza barely caught her boyfriend's weight before it hit the ground and his pain-filled groan filled the empty hall. "Wh-where is he?" She repeated only to have it go unanswered again. Her eyes searched the outside world revealed by the open doors again. The parched conditions of her throat made it hard to swallow and her hand trembled as it lifted to clutch at her chest. Her heart pounded beneath it, the sound drowning out everything around her. If…if that's all that made it back then…

"-ce. Luce!"

Snapping fingers appeared in front of her face and she blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus on the pink haired dragon slayer in front of her. Despite the blur, she could faintly make out his lips moving. The sound of his voice was distorted, like a record player on the slowest setting. Balmy hands clutched at her arms and the world rattled around her. But whatever his message was, it was lost in the rush of water in her ears and the millions of thoughts running through her mind. He didn't come back. He's not here because he's dead. I didn't even get to tell him I loved him one last time… The edges of her vision darkened, tunneling around her. The bottom of the world fell out from beneath her feet. Suddenly she was falling and for the first time since she was ten years old, she prayed she wouldn't find the bottom. Without him, she didn't want to climb back up.

"Time is the longest distance between two places."

Tennessee Williams, The Glass Menagerie

Lucy watched the scenery fly by outside the window but didn't really see a thing. Her mind was too many miles ahead of them. When she'd come too, Jellal was able to tell her what had happened. They'd been ambushed on their way back to catch the train. They'd been caught completely unaware. It had been a swift fight but they'd only just managed to get the upper hand and win. It had only been by the grace of some unseen force. Cobra and Midnight had taken the most serious of the injuries, the latter being the most severe. Jellal had made a judgement call. Her fiancé couldn't risk being moved and they were closer to Lamia Scale than they were to Fairy Tail. He'd sent Sawyer there for Chelia and Richard had stayed with Macbeth. The rest of them had come to Fairy Tail.

"What do you mean he couldn't be moved?" Lucy bellowed, fear and anger flooding her usually calm voice. "You just left him?"

"Lucy," Jellal sighed. "His injuries, I…We couldn't risk moving him. Not in his condition."

"Again, so you just left him?"

"No!" Jellal growled, only to wince and bring a hand to his bandaged side. "Chelia was closer and…Lucy. You just need to go and you go fast."

The grave tone startled her and she swallowed hard. "Wh-what am I walking into Jellal?"

"I don't know," He frowned. "I really don't but it didn't look very good when I left."

She brushed away the tear that slipped down her cheek and glanced down at the watch on her bag. It had already been an hour since she boarded the train. She still had an hour left till she arrived. Time seemed to come to a crawl, giving her too much time to think. Memory after memory flooded in like photographs in her mind. The way he'd smiled at her the first time he'd said "I love you." His hands framing her face the first time he'd kissed her up on that lonely rise in the foothills of the Phoenix Mountains. The sound of him sighing peacefully in sleep as she watched him one early Sunday morning when she'd woken before him. The snowball fight he'd started last Christmas and Erik surprising them both by bursting out of what they'd thought to just be a drift. The sight of him rummaging through her makeup drawer and literally throwing half of the stuff in there out because it was "junk" or "crap." The shock she'd felt when he'd taken a knee in front of everyone in Fairy Tail at the Christmas Eve party. The stupid songs he'd sing to her in the shower and the way he'd toss popcorn at her when he wasn't interested in the movie they were watching.

"Luc-ugh. Are you, oh go-urh. It's gon-urgh!"

"Flame brain, shut the hell up. She doesn't need you barfing on her."

The sound of Natsu and Gray arguing pulled her from the hell her mind was putting her though. Any other time, she'd simply beg Erza to smack them both with her mighty hammer. But in that moment, the sense of normalcy was a comfort. She glanced between the two and reached over to tap Natsu on the arm. "Come on," She smiled. "Lay your head down and I'll rub your hair like I used to." The smug smile the dragon slayer shot the Ice Make Mage gave her a reason to chuckle. But all sense of humor flew out the window the moment her fingers touched his salmon colored locks. Her mind immediately began comparing. It wasn't as soft as Macbeth's. It was too short. It didn't feel as silky, too coarse. It wasn't the right color. Will I ever get to feel his hair again? The thought brought tears to her eyes and looked back out the window. "Thanks again for coming with me."

"Seriously Lucy? We wouldn't let you do this by yourself."

She glanced back across the private compartment and offered Gray a sad smile. "I know but you didn't have to."

"Bullshit, it's what family does." He slid his boot across the floor to knock it against the front of hers. "It'll be ok Luce. Just keep telling yourself that."

She gave a subtle nod of her head and turned her attention back out the window. She was trying to but the nervous knot in her stomach told her to be pragmatic. They were all mages. They knew the risks. Any mission they took could easily be their last. They'd all lost friends before. It was only by some miracle that most of them were still there. The war with Phantom Lord, Brain's idiotic scheme to use Nirvana to take over the world, the Infinity Clock, the Eclipse Gate, Tartarus. By all rights, even she should be among the fallen. Luck had to run out at some point. She'd even discussed it with him and it was his reason for wanting to leave Crime Sorciere. The mission was supposed to be the end of their separation and the beginning of their life together. The realistic part of her just knew they'd spun the proverbial barrel one too many times. This time he'd gotten the actual bullet. "I hope so," she whispered before taking another glance at the clock. Thirty more minutes. Please hang on Baby. Please.

"Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life."

William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury

"He's just been brought back for surgery ma'am."

"Ma'am? I need you to complete his paperwork."

"You may have a seat in the waiting room."

The arrival at the hospital had been a rushed blur. Nurse after nurse had directed her from one station to the next. Then there'd been a pile of papers she had to complete, giving any and all of his information as well as her own. She'd been asked to donate blood because their blood types were the same. Then when they'd gotten what they wanted, they again directed her somewhere else. Surgical waiting on the third floor, just follow the signs. Only the signs weren't exactly helpful. Thirty minutes she'd spent just wandering around the halls with an equally aggravated Natsu and Gray in tow. It was only by the grace of someone with a higher pay grade that they'd finally found Sawyer. He had more bandages than a mummy and his clothing had been exchanged for dull, blue scrubs. When she'd found him on his trip back from the vending machine, he'd immediately broken into tears.

"Lu I'm so sorry!"

"Sawyer, it's ok."

"No! It's not! I should've been the one caught by that trap, not him."

When he'd guided her to the surgical waiting room, Richard had practically done the same thing. His typical Kool-Aid man "Oh yeah" exchanged for sobs and repeated apologies. And while she forced a small smile and said it was ok, that it wasn't their faults, the selfish side of her wanted to scream why not them? Why was the love of her life laying in there instead of someone else? It was cruel for her mind to even go there and she wasn't a cruel person. But pain, anguish and suffering had a way of sparking even the tiniest bit of bitter held inside a person. She glanced up at the clock on the waiting room wall and felt the grips of despair. One hour. Two hours. Three hours had passed without anyone coming in for an update. She'd gotten up to ask the waiting room attendant but even that had yielded no new information.

"Yes. Miss Blendy is in there with the surgical team."

"The doctor will be out to speak to you when he's done."

"No ma'am. We do not know the status but I'll see if we can find out."

The tick tock became her heartbeat the longer she sat there. All conversation had ceased hours ago, leaving her to her own imagination and devices. Her heart cried out for hope. She prayed harder than she ever had before and to any entity she thought would listen. Occasionally, Loke's voice would sound in her head or from beside her when he forced open his gate. Virgo would pop out every so often to see if there was anything she or her companions needed. They were trying to be helpful, trying to console her but she pushed it away. The pragmatic side of her force fed the need to prepare for the worst. Their consolation and help needed to be saved for when the doctors came to deliver the news that she expected to hear.

"Which one of you is Mister Fernandes's next of kin?"

Her head snapped up to find a man dressed in green scrubs, his shoes still covered and his cap still in place. She pushed up from her seat and took the hand that Sawyer offered her. "Th-that would be me," she managed to squeak out.

"Ah. You must Mrs. Fernandes," He replied solemnly as he glanced at the others with her. "May we speak privately?"

Natsu spoke up before she had a chance to reply. "We're all his family so whatever needs to be said can be said in front of all of us."

She had to commend him on his very mature response. It wasn't a matter of thinking him incapable but he was never the one to step up and take the adult role. It surprised her and she couldn't be more proud of him than she was in that moment. His hand found hers and he gave it a squeeze as she watched the young doctor reach up to pull his cap off. This is it. Her knees threatened to buckle and the air in the room seemed to thin, making it hard for her to breathe. She watched him slide a hand into his pocket and she steeled herself for the blow she knew was coming.

""Mrs. Fernandes," He started. "When your husband was brought in, I must admit he was in very bad shape. He'd sustained numerous injuries to his abdomen and extremities and had lost a significant amount of blood…"

She felt the color drain from her face and her fingers tightened around the arm and hand she was clinging to for support. No no oh gods no…

"He was extremely lucky to have made it here as soon as he did. We were able to repair the abdominal injuries. Your Sky God Slayer friend is healing the other minor injuries he sustained so you'll be able to see him shortly. But oddly, what ultimately saved his life was this..."

She watched as his hand pulled from inside of his pocket and time slowed to a crawl as his fingers uncurled to reveal the muted gold object inside. The tears that she'd been barely holding at bay flowed as a bleat of comical laughter belted from between her lips. She knew the object well. It had once been her father's and his father before him. Without any sons for it to be passed down to, she'd gifted the ancient pocket watch to Macbeth their first Christmas together.

"That spear trap was definitely intended to kill but the one set chest high, that watch stopped it from hitting the heart. Ironically, despite the damage it took, it still seems to be working."

Without a second thought, she let go of her supports and threw her arms around the doctor's neck. He truly did not get the full satire of the situation and perhaps there were few who would. At one time, it was a clock that nearly ended her life at her fiancé's hand. It was a plan set in motion by a piece that her father had left her. And in the end, it was her father's watch that had ultimately saved his life. Irony did not even begin to describe. Tears of joy flowed as she offered a silent prayer of thanks to him for protecting her, even from the grave.

"Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life."

Brian Andreas

And there you have my interpretation of Clock. I thought the irony of her father's watch stopping the fatal blow, there by sparing his life, was fitting tribute given how it was his piece of the infinity clock that started everything off for Midnight's scheme to use her in the Infinity scandal. Two separate moments in time connected by satirical events.

Tomorrow is Pinup!

Don't forget…in just six days!

~BixLu Week, November 2015~

GemNika and I have officially lost our goddamn minds. So, we've created BixLu Week, and decided that it should begin on All Souls Day. What better day to give our favorite Seith mage some lovin'? The dates are from November 1, 2015 – November 7, 2015. And here are the prompts:

Day 1: Fix

Day 2: Hidden

Day 3: Home

Day 4: Doctor

Day 5: Vendetta

Day 6: Fluffy

Day 7: Space

Please let me know if you're planning on writing for either of these pairing weeks, so I can make sure to check out your stories! Get those fingers to the keyboard and get to work! I know I'm extremely excited to see what you all write!

As always, please R & R!

Till tomorrow…Big hugs!

Princess Nana