Welcome everyone!

It's the last day of BixLu week Can't believe it went by so fast. As long as it took me to write it all…two weeks gone in the blink of an eye. But I enjoyed every moment of it!

A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed and participated. So glad to see so many crack shippers, you guys rock!

This chapter was inspired and written around the song Steller by Incubus watch?v=7JRZHevbsUM

But onto the reading!

Day 7 - Space

Meet me in outer space

We could spend the night

Just one shot. It's all he wanted. Just one shot with her but she was always with someone. And he couldn't rightly blame her or the ones ahead of him. She's beautiful. Not just in the conventional ways either. Sure, in the sense of appearances she was a fucking supermodel to him. Long honey blonde hair, a heart shaped face with large, doe brown eyes, a perfect button nose and the most gorgeous set of full, pink lips. Her body on the whole was amazing. She stood much shorter than he, not much over five foot and four inches he gathered. Atop her chest sat the most voluptuous set of breasts he'd ever seen. Her waist was thin, pulled in tight to accentuate the flare of her hips. She was perfectly hour glassed and even Sir Mix-a-lot couldn't argue with her measurements. But that was all superficial, just the surface to the true beauty that he knew to lie beneath.

Never in his life had he met someone with a soul like hers. It was pure and without a single blemish. Everywhere she went, she was always bathed in the unpigmented light that radiated from within her. She was honest, even when others didn't want to hear it. She loved fully and without any prejudices. Everyone was wholly equal in her eyes and her heart was always open for those needing a home. Her generosity often knew no bounds. If giving her life was what it took to save even the most insignificant of people, she would. No matter the situation, even when she'd been beat and broken, she always had a smile. Tears streaming down her face, that light bringing beam of radiance still found a home on her lips. The biggest and brightest feature though had to be her aptitude for forgiveness. It didn't matter what one had done to her in the past, she always readily forgave and welcomed him or her back into the warmth of her embrace. And that was part of her downfall.

For a couple of months now he'd watched her dicking around with her current flame. The retarded asshole that the guy was. Bickslow hated it and hated him. He couldn't remember the guy's name or give a shit enough to bother remembering, he preferred to refer to him as Asshole Number Ten. At first he chalked it up his disdain for Number Ten to just his usual jealousy, the desire for someone that would forever belong to someone else. But then he started taking note of the little things. Number Ten seemed more interested in every woman in the room except the beauty at his side. Then there were the little spats, as she called them. He'd stepped in on the first one he'd witnessed, out in the street in front of her apartment. She hadn't been too happy about it but the guy was a major cocksucker. It wasn't a spat or fight, it was just him belittling her. For someone so damn bright, she was seemingly oblivious to the douchery she chose to expose herself to in dating the guy. Hell. The crackhead, Dan, that had been involved with the Infinity Clock would've been a better choice.

But, then came the sadness when she'd caught Number Ten with another woman. While he was thrilled that her eyes had finally been opened, he wasn't so happy about the way it had left her. Almost no one seemed to notice, or at least, they gave the impression that they didn't. She came into the guild hall every day, the same tight smile and disenchanted laugh. Her team was the worst. Erza was too absorbed by her unhealthy obsessions with Cake and Jellal. Gray was too busy trying to avoid, yet not avoid, Juvia. Natsu and Happy, well…they were their usual oblivious, moronic selves. They teased her about it when they weren't completely ignoring her. Not one single person around him took note of the lack of light in her eyes or the way her lips would tremble when she was sitting alone. They didn't bother to see that the title of her book hadn't changed despite claims to have started on another. If they did, they just didn't comment. It was sickening and today was just another one of those days.

Watch the earth come up

I've grown tired of that place

"Natsu…"

"What Gray? It's true, isn't it Luce?"

The celestial mage gave a slight lift of her shoulder. "I guess…"

"You're a dick, Flamebrain," Gray frowned as he slapped the Fire Dragon Slayer on the back of the head.

No one bothered counting anymore because it took all of 0.0001 seconds for Natsu's fists to ignite and he was off, chasing after the Ice Make mage. Bickslow shook his head as he watched the two bust through two tables. Others were pulled into their spat, inciting a full on brawl as always but his attention returned to her. He watched intently as the small, blue exceed landed next to her. His little paw came up to pat the down trodden Blonde on the back.

"It's ok Lushy," Happy smiled. "We still love you even if he doesn't anymore, fat and all."

God I wanna kill that little piece of shit.

"Bickslow."

He looked up at Papa who was hovering next to his shoulder. The oldest of his Babies was always the voice of reason. Even in the privacy of his mind, the soul took on the adult role. He sighed before resigning with a nod. "I know but that little shit didn't need to add the last part. She's not fucking fat."

"Well," The totem said telepathically. "Perhaps she needs someone to remind her of that."

He turned his attention back to find her slowly making her way towards the door. Without her bag no less. She looked lost, defeated even and his heart ached for her. He wanted nothing more than to fix it for her. But he didn't see himself ever having a shot. Not with her. She was out of his league, an angel of the highest caliber and he was just a lowly man with too many demons. His magic was considered too odd and his eyes too scary. Those who didn't outright fear him, thought him a complete freak. Sure, those in the guild put up the front that they accepted him. But he knew what they thought in the deepest recesses of their hearts. Even his own team, as much as he loved them and their loyalty to each other, kept him just shy of arm's reach. Laxus was the only one who'd been brave enough to admit he didn't understand his magic but that he accepted him as he was. Freak or not. It was part of the reason why he'd follow the Lightning Dragon Slayer to the ends of the earth and the lowest levels of hell. The guy knew his deepest secrets yet still accepted him without question.

Bickslow didn't see her being so receptive to his past. Forgiving or not, he'd not only wronged her but there were things he'd done prior to coming to Fairy Tail that he wasn't so proud of. He'd hurt people, innocent people and had used his magic to do it. Even his foster parents had not escaped the rage and dark that had consumed him after his real parents had been murdered. There was a time he'd considered joining a dark guild and almost had until Laxus had blown into his life. Since then he'd done all he could to make up for it but there were some things you couldn't atone for. Attacking Fairy Tail and her before he knew her was one he couldn't accept forgiveness for.

Won't you come with me?

We could start again

"Go after her Bickslow."

"Yeah Bicks," Pupu concurred as he came to land on the table in front of him. "She needs you."

He sighed as he looked at the door she'd disappeared through before giving a shake of his head. "No. She deserves better. She's hurting and she needs someone who can heal her."

"You can save her Bicks." Pipi's voice joined in the telepathic fray. "We believe in you."

"Save the Cheerleader, save the World."

"Pepe," Popo scolded. "Shut up and be serious for once. You can save each other, go get her."

He eyed the five totems, contemplating whether he should or not. What would he say if he did? Telling her it would be ok wasn't enough. "I don't know guys…"

"How about you just listen to her?" Papa suggested.

"Or kiss her till she believes?"

"Pepe!" The other four shouted in unison.

"What? It works in the movies!"

A bark of laughter burst from his lips and his hand flew up to clamp over his mouth. A glance across the table found Evergreen and Freed staring at him, curiosity clearly written on their faces. He just gave them a shrug of his shoulders before looking back at the door. "I don't think that shit really works in real life Pepe," He thought. "But you really think I should?"

"Yes," Papa replied solemnly. "Now's as good a time as any if you really want that shot."

"Yep and we'll help," Pupu added.

Before he could convince himself they were wrong, Bickslow pushed his chair back and left the table without a word. He could feel his teammates' eyes boring into his back as he made haste towards the table she'd been sitting at. He snatched the bag up off of the floor and rushed out the door. They were right. He'd never know if he didn't try. The worst thing that could happen was she friend zone him. And that would be ok too, it would mean he got to be a part of her life. Even if it wasn't in the capacity he truly wanted.

"I still vote he kisses her when we find her."

"Pepe!"

How do you do it?

You make me feel like I do

Two hours. Two whole hours and every shop, café and alley in Magnolia had been checked. All without a single trace of Lucy. After the first thirty minutes, he and his babies had separated. They went one direction and he went the other, staying in contact telepathically. Every single time he'd ask or they offered up that she hadn't been found, a parts of him begin to lose hope. He had reasoned that despite an answer at her apartment, she could have very well been holed up inside. It had only been by a stroke of luck that he'd run into Laxus, who only offered up an address after a stern interrogation. If the guy wasn't not so discreetly knocking boots with a certain Iron Dragon Slayer, he would have thought that perhaps he had designs on the Celestial Mage.

He'd been ready to call it quits when Pepe's glorious little voice piped up that he found her. She was in the one place he'd never thought to check. With the dying light of day, he probably should have. It was the cliff side out on the edge of town. He'd seen her go there more times than he could count as it always took her past his home. The lights from town didn't reach up that high, providing an unobstructed view of the night sky and all the space one could want to breathe. Granted he'd often go up there for the sunsets because it got him high enough to see straight out into the Calm Sea. The colors dancing over the water as shadows descended over the city below. It was like he was Batman and Magnolia was his Gotham.

The trees finally disappeared and he stepped out into the clearing, immediately spotting her sitting near the cliff's edge. With the sun finally below the horizon, he could see her clearly. Her legs were crossed indian style and her back was hunched over to prop her face on a hand. He strained to hear anything other than the sound of cicadas singing in the trees behind him and the breeze blowing through the leaves. For the briefest of moments, he thought he heard her sniffle and he took a step back. But apparently his babies weren't having any of that as they pushed him from behind. He stumbled towards her and shot the wooden totems a dirty look, swatting at them silently with his hands. "Don't fucking do that!"

"Just get out there and talk to her already."

He started to argue but thought better of it. He knew his babies better than he knew himself. They'd only trump him by calling the blonde's attention to him anyway. There was no turning back now and he knew it. Nervously, he wrung his hands as he slowly made his way over the grassy knoll. Already, a few stars were twinkling in the indigo sky. "Mind a little company?" He called out as he got closer only to be rewarded by a shriek of surprise, her entire body jarring.

"Shit!" She exclaimed as she looked back. "God, Bickslow, you scared the crap out of me."

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered as he reached up to pull his visor off.

Pepe flew past him and stopped just above her head. "You should be, she could have fallen off the side."

"Shut up," Bickslow warned.

Papa flew over and practically rammed his wooden body into the younger one. "Pepe, behave."

"Hey," The totem pouted. "I'm just saying he can't go saving the cheerleader or the world if she falls over the edge."

"If you weren't a wooden totem, We'd push you over the edge," Pupu teased as he flew in to hover near the Seith Mage.

How do you do it?

It's better than I ever knew…

The sound of an angelic choir that was her laugh sliced through the air and the pleasure centers of his brain. It was a sound she hadn't made in some time and he realized he'd missed it. Her eyes were puffy from crying and he could distinctly make out the drying tracks on her flushed cheeks. He hated to think of her crying up here all alone but he understood the need for space. He hated the thought of anyone seeing him cry.

"Are they always this animated when you're alone?"

"Unfortunately, they are usually worse," he grimaced as he moved to take a seat on the grass next to her. He set the bag next to her and gave her a small smile. "You forgot it at the guild and figured you'd want it."

"Thanks," she whispered with a small smile of her own.

"It's not true," Pepe said as he floated down to land on her knee. "I'm always the best behaved."

Pupu let out a snort as he came down to land on the grass between the two mages. "If you were going for pervert of the year maybe."

"Guys," Popo chided. "How about we all shut up and leave her alone?"

Pipi floated down to gently land on the Seith Mage's shoulder and shyly whispered. "Are we bothering you Cosplayer?"

A soft smile settled on Lucy's lips as her head tilted. "Absolutely not." The small totem let out a soft giggle and she turned her attention back to Bickslow. "You taught them to call me that?"

"Uh…" He stammered, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. "They might have heard me call you that once or ten times?"

"Her name is Lucy, you dolts," Papa groaned.

"Lucy?"

The celestial mage looked down at the totem in her lap. "Yes?"

"Can we keep you if we save you?" Pepe pleaded.

"Save me?" Lucy laughed with a questioning look painted on her face as she glanced between the mage beside her and the five totems.

Bickslow was on the verge of screaming. They'd talked him into coming after her and yet they would be the ones to ruin any chance he'd have with her. If you guys don't shut the hell up… "Uh, ignore them. He's jacked up on sugar."

She looked down at Pepe in her lap before looking back at him, blinking. "Sugar? They…they can eat?"

Pipi's totem fell from the Seith mage's shoulder, hitting the ground and rolling as he whined dramatically. "We do," He cried. "And he starves us Cheerleader. We're so famished."

"Pepe and Pipi!" Papa shouted scornfully.

The celestial mage looked at his five babies, amazement clear on her face as she laughed. "They're so adorable Bickslow!"

"You should kiss her now while we have her enamored," Pepe whispered not so quietly.

Meet me in outer space

I will hold you close if you're afraid of heights

Bickslow face-palmed himself and sighed in frustration. This was so not helping him. "Papa, take them home." He watched as Papa rounded the others op, shooting a glare at the two youngest to get them moving. "I'm so sor-" His words were cut off by a tiny voice that shouted from within the tree line.

"Save the cheerleader, save the world!"

"Pipi!" He shouted before giving her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, they can get a little…"

"Rambunctious?"

He let out a bark of laughter. "That's putting it mildly though they don't usually act like that in front of others." It hadn't occurred to him earlier and the thought slammed into him like a train. They never really spoke much around others, even his team. They'd act up a little around Laxus but that had always been it. Typically if they felt the need to talk, it was all done internally. "They must like you," he thought aloud.

"Like me?" She asked, peering over at him curiously. "I must admit that I didn't realize they had so much personality."

"Well they used to be like you or I, real people with lives."

She seemed to think it over before giving a nod of her head. "True, I guess I just didn't think about it that way."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Most don't really."

"I'm sorry."

Bickslow looked over at her, his brows furrowing. The reticent expression on her face confused him because he couldn't figure out why. "For what?"

She frowned and looked down at her hands, folding and unfolding them in her lap as if she were nervous. "Not knowing much about your magic," she said softly. "I should though. It's apparently not so different than my own. Where I have spirits, you have souls. They're all people, with feelings."

"Yeah. They are," he frowned. So that's what had her back to the way she'd been when she was in the guild. "Cos- I mean Lucy, you really have nothing to be sorry over. We haven't really spent a whole lot of time together to know."

She gave a subtle nod of her head before an odd silence fell over the area. He tried not staring but it was hard. Even with night setting in, the moon had risen to bathe the area in light. The night time luminescence radiated off her golden hair, creating a halo effect around her. How anyone in their right mind would cheat on her was beyond him. She was perfection personified in his eyes and he didn't even make it past her face. The frown from earlier returned to her lips and he looked away with a sigh. He just wanted her to smile. Always.

"So why-"

"Do yo-"

Bickslow laughed as they both started speaking at the same time. It seemed to instantly erase the growing awkwardness set in by the silence. "You first," He smiled.

I need you to see this place…

Lucy gave him that award winning smile he missed, his breath catching when he realized it wasn't the fake one she'd been giving those in the guild. "I was going to ask if you knew anything about the stars?"

"No but I'd like to learn if you ever feel like teaching," He grinned.

"I feel like teaching…"

"Then I'm completely up for learning," He smiled.

The moment she started speaking, even the air around her changed. The smile she wore had a childlike enthusiasm behind it. Her face took on an incandescent quality, shining brighter than he'd ever seen before. Adoration, worship, affection. It all seemed to emanate from her very pores. She began pointing out different constellations and telling a bit of their story. She told of Virgo, the virgin, who was also known as Astraea who'd lived on Earthland during the Golden Age of man. She was never seen in the night sky without her scales, Libra who was the oldest of the constellations. Scorpio, or the scorpion was believed to be the cause of the great hunter, Orion's death. He'd been sent by Apollo who feared for his sister Diana's chastity. The big and little bears' story was sad, almost tragic. Callisto, the big bear, had been seen by Jupiter and he coveted her to the point of deceiving her by appearing as the goddess, Diana and raping her. Juno, Jupiter's wife, became enraged with jealousy when Callisto bore Jupiter's son and transformed her into a bear. Years later, when that boy was only fifteen, he came across the bear of his mother and was about to kill her until Jupiter took mercy. He stayed his hand and transformed him into the Little Bear. The king of gods then placed them both into the heavens to roam the night sky for all eternity. How the hell she kept all of this straight in her head was beyond him but her sheer intelligence alone was a turn on.

"Draco though," She smiled as she pointed to a group of stars. "He's an interesting one."

Bickslow turned his attention from the night sky to find that during their conversation, she'd moved closer. When she turned her face to look at him, he thought he could feel her breath on his skin. "Wh-why is that?" His voice sounded as breathless as he felt.

"He has a couple of different stories," She nearly whispered as her eyes dropped for a brief moment. "The…uh…most popular being that Gaia gave Hera a golden apple tree when she married Zeus. Hera put the tree in the garden to be guarded by the Hesperides and a dragon called Draco. Heracles asks Atlas to gather the apples while he and Athena held up the sky. Atlas, thinking he could trick Heracles into holding the sky forever, gladly accepted the mission but said that it was guarded by a dragon. Hercules responded by throwing his spear into the garden, killing the dragon and clearing the path for him. When he returned with the apples, Heracles slipped the sky back on Atlas' shoulders and Hera placed Draco in the night sky as a reward for his service."

It might be the only way

That I can show you how it feels to be inside of you

The vanilla and coconut scent of her surrounded him as a breeze blew across them, whipping her hair between them. He couldn't resist reaching up to pull the errant strands from her face and tucked them behind her ear. Just the brief brush against her skin left his fingertips tingling. The unhindered view of the night sky was forgotten as he found himself drowning in a sea of mocha. "Th-that's pretty cool," he managed to get out of his dry throat. "Sad but cool."

"Uh huh," she hummed. "Ah-another neat one is the story of him was from the Titan war where it was the giants and the gods fighting. He was one of the giants and he attacked Athena. She threw his twisted body into the heavens before he was able to unwind himself, forever trapping him there."

"Do you even realize how beautiful you are or how perfect your soul is?" The question slipped out before he could process what he'd said. He saw her eyes widen in surprise, the sound of her soft gasp setting him into motion. Before he could doubt himself or take the words back, he leaned in to close the small space between him and pressed his lips to hers. Just the simple touch of their lips nestled together was like heaven. She smelled even better up close and felt like silk beneath him. She stiffened for the briefest of moments before he felt her soften into pliancy. His hands came up to frame her face, stealing the opportunity when her lips parted in a sigh to deepen it. Their lips slanted and he was sure he could hear angels singing as his tongue swept over her lips, tasting strawberry and mint perfection. He had only thought himself drowning before but it wasn't until he felt the shy, hesitant flicker of her tongue against his that he knew he was utterly lost.

There was no sense of urgency or passionate lust. Rather the soft, tender exploration of her mouth robbed him of his breath. And just when he thought he would suffocate, he found her breathing into him. It was something he had never once experienced but something he knew he didn't want to be without. He didn't know how and the thought scared the crap out of him but he knew at that moment, without a shadow of a doubt that he was completely head over heels in love with her. He'd move heaven and earth to protect her and offer up his own soul to save her. "Go out with me," he whispered against her lips when he broke for air.

Her eyes fluttered open and he saw a flash of…something in their depths. "W-what?"

"Go out with me," he repeated as he pulled back a little so that he could see her entire face. "I know...you just broke up with the asshole but give me just one chance and I promise I will make sure you don't regret it." He saw tears fill her eyes and it suddenly felt like he was on pins and needles as she nervously worried her bottom lip between her teeth. The sound of his racing heart filled his ears and a sense of true fear swept over him as her silence remained. She's going to say no. Please Mavis don't let her say no. I'll do anything, give anything. It doesn't matter just please don't let her sa-

"Yes."

His hands dropped and he pulled away, his shoulders sagging. "I figured that would be th-What?" His head snapped back up to gape at her.

She gave a slight shrug of her shoulder as she looked away sheepishly, the corners of her mouth twitching. "You asked me out," she whispered. "And I said yes."

"I told you kissing her would work!"

"Pepe! They weren't supposed to know we're still here!"

How do you do it?

You make me feel like I do

"Pipi! Pepe!" He growled as he slapped a hand over his face. "I'm going to bu-" The sound of laughter cut him off and he slid his hand down only to gape at what he saw. All five of his totems were there. Papa, Popo and Pupu hovered above her with the two youngest ones all but buried in her chest. Even more astonishing was the fact that her arms were wrapped around them as she smiled at him despite the single tear that was slipping down her cheek. They never touched anyone and no one ever touched them other than him. "I…" He couldn't even find the words to say.

"We do like her," Papa stated rather matter of factly.

Popo floated over to land on his shoulder. "And we're sorry for what we did to you Cosplayer. So is Bickslow."

"I know," she smiled. "I forgave you all after it ended."

"But why?" Bickslow awed.

She giggled as Pepe floated up to nuzzle into her neck. "Because it wasn't your fault and I knew deep down you were really a good person."

"You really are an angel," He smiled shyly.

"No," She chuckled. "I'm just a girl who happens to love the stars."

"He could show you the stars."

"Pipi," Papa sighed. "It's not nice to make promises you can't keep."

"Ok maybe not the stars but we could get her closer."

"The stars huh?" Lucy chuckled.

Bickslow grinned as he pushed himself up to stand, offering a hand down to her. "Perhaps not the stars," He laughed as he helped her to her feet. He waited for his babies to float down low enough so that he could step onto the platform they created. "But if you hop on with me then I can show you a whole new world."

She looked down at the empty space beside him before giving him a questioning look. "Is it shining, shimmering and splendid?"

He grinned as he pulled her up beside to, wrapping his arm about her waist to steady her. "Only your heart can decide Princess."

How do you do it?

It's better than I ever knew, yea

And now we know how it all began! Bixy is such a romantic. He's so much more than the pervy, joking person people see him as. At least in my eyes hehe.

I am so glad to see so many who enjoyed. GemNika and I are over the moon with all the responses and participation. You guys helped make this week a huge success! Thank you from the bottoms of our hearts!

But, now it is back to working on Sound Pod. That one has some interesting times to come and I'm excited to share it with you.

Big Hugs!

Princess Nana