A/N: Hey guys! I'm trying not to rush into the courtship, so it shall be more gradual, and in the next chapter I'm planning to tell you about Bix's childhood, or Laxus's, and will put it up tomorrow if my computer doesn't suddenly spontaneously combust! :) Will be doing a time skip though, there's only so much I can take talking about martial arts training! ;) Enjoy! xx

P.S. Thank you so much! We've reached 300 reviews! I've read every single one, and I really appreciate all of what you've said! I hope you carry on enjoying my fanfic! :) xxx Love you all!

Laxus's POV

I grunted as Bix walked past me, wishing me luck. I knew I was going to need it.

I saw how training her had effected Bix's control, and I knew I wasn't much better when it came to her.

I smirked as she grimaced as I approached; she obviously thought I was a strict trainer.

'Alright blondie. Sit your butt on the floor in that weird meditating pose you do. Got it?' She looked up at me, frowning slightly in curiosity, before doing as I asked, taking a deep calming breath and slowly releasing it.

'Okay. I know you usually shut your eyes when you're meditating, but this time you're going to keep them wide open. Hold out your hands, and picture your magic flowing down and making a tiny, controlled ball of energy. You won't get it for a while, so be prepared for failure.' She nodded at my instructions, before clenching her jaw tightly in concentration to do as I asked.

I walked around her, assessing her posture and the tenseness of her muscles.

'Relax blondie. You meditate a lot right?' She nodded, still focusing on the gap between her hands.

'Well, pretend you're doing that. Go into that mind state, but don't shut out your senses. That makes you vulnerable to attack.' After another ten minutes of watching her sweat and strain, her muscles were tighter than a spring; no matter how many times I told her to relax, she just tensed up all over again.

I placed my hands on her shoulders, and felt her jolt in surprise as I slowly moved my fingers across her shoulder blades.

'I told you already blondie, relax.' She let out another breath, allowing her body to release the strain it had accumulated from her anger at not being able to do as I asked.

Slowly, I took my hands off of her, watching closely as she took deep breathes before opening her eyes. She seemed to glare at the space between her hands, and suddenly a blue spark exploded between them, making her hands fly apart and she screamed before falling backwards in shock.

'Laxus! I did it!' She squealed, jumping up and throwing her arms around me, pressing her body against mine. I froze momentarily before laughing slightly, and pulling her off me.

'Kind of. That was far from controlled blondie, that was rampant; no control whatsoever. You need to be able to adjust the power settings on that one blondie, that's the point. You learn to fine tune that control you'll be a pretty decent mage in no time.' She pouted up at me, narrowing her eyes before slumping on the floor again.

'Ok, how do I control it then?' I frowned, looking up at the clear blue sky, trying to find a way to describe it to her. I smirked as I figured out a good way to tell her what to do.

'Right blondie. You're a holder magic user, so you pump your magic down your arm and into your key, right?' She nodded, blinking up at me.

'Ok, do you ever pump every single ounce of magic into one gate opening?' She frowned and shook her head, her long golden hair flicking around and slapping lightly against her red cheeks.

'No, that would be wasteful, besides, it may harm the spirit coming out of the door, or break the door and key itself. It would be like slamming open a cupboard and ending up wrenching the door off in your hands.' I smiled, knowing it would get easier now.

'Right, so you limit the amount of magic flowing into your keys so you don't destroy them, you just use enough to open the gates, correct?' She nodded again.

'The rest of my magic goes towards fuelling my spirits powers and life force on Earthland. The ethernano and magic on Earthland is harmful to my spirits if they're here for too long, my magic helps support them. Laxus, what's this got to do with anything?' She whined, frowning at me again. I rolled my eyes and sat down on the floor in front of her.

'All you have to do to stop your hands from exploding is limit the power going down your arm, like when you're opening a gate. Imagine your magic is like a huge mess of threads, all screwed up in a tight ball. All you have to do is pluck a small couple of threads to use, channel them, and then connect them in the gap between your hands. Simple enough blondie, I thought you were smart!' She scowled at me, considering what I said before nodding.

'I think I can do it...' I shook my head as I stood up and ruffled my hand across her hair, the silky smooth strands coming lose from her pony tail. As the wind blew, the smell of her hair permeated the air.

Strawberries? She really loves them, huh? I smiled as she glared up at me, before reaching back and pulling her hair out of the band, allowing it to fall across her back and shoulders like a curtain of spun gold.

Damn, why's she so freaking beauty- No! Laxus stop it, focus. You're training her so she doesn't end up hurting herself. That's more important right now. Stop that train of thought right there.

I shook my head, thankful I was stood behind her as she evened out her breathing, her shoulders lifting with each smooth intake of air, before relaxing as she exhaled.

I swear I could feel the air whooshing out of her mouth and caress my face, the smell of her was everywhere. I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to not think about how her body moved with each small inhalation.

Damnit! Okay Laxus, you got this... Her eyes opened up and she stared at the gap between her hands, biting her bottom lip between her pearly white teeth...

Crap! Distraction, distraction... Come on Laxus, you can do this! She'd released her lip from her teeth, and I felt myself relax slightly, before her tongue slashed across her dry lips, her eyes not moving from the gap between her hands.

Shit.

I somehow managed to hold my groan inside and I quickly walked so I was stood behind her and she wouldn't see my flushed cheeks at her actions.

'Keep at it blondie, I'm getting a drink.' I muttered, quickly walking inside the guild to the men's changing room where I'd left a bottle of water in my locker along with a spare set of clothes.

'How you holding up?' Bix was standing out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist and he used another towel to dry his hair with one hands. His babies floated behind him, dripping with water as they laughed at my grimace.

'Damn woman. She's gotta be doing this on purpose.' I drank down half the bottle of water as Bix grinned at me in sympathy.

'Tell me about it man. Take a good cold shower once you're done; it helps.' He clapped a hand on my shoulder as he walked across to his locker to get dressed.

I grabbed another bottle of water to take out for blondie. She'd been out for hours now, and as far as I'd seen she hadn't had a drink.

Lucy's POV

I had heard Laxus say he was leaving, but I didn't acknowledge him. I was absorbed in my task, focusing on the trickle of magic I'd picked out, slowly guiding it down my arms.

It was much easier to channel my magic into my keys, they had a direct link to my magic, so were funnelled straight into the object.

However, there was nothing for my magic to home in on; it was purely my willpower that was guiding it.

I swallowed my spit, my throat parched and my lips dryer than sandpaper. I was really thirsty, and my body was aching from where Bix had managed to tackle me to the ground. The sun beat down on my bare shoulders and legs.

Great, now I'm going to get burned and have horrid tan lines.

I forced all my thoughts and negative feelings into the back of my mind, focusing on where the threads of my magic where. I gave them a harsher shove, and watched as they easily slid along my forearms, collecting in my palms.

I let out a deep breath as I tried to force the magic to bridge the gap and form a mini ball of energy like Laxus had described for me.

I felt beads of sweat running down the side of my face and neck as the magic refused to exit my body.

I knew my magic flowed into the air around me when I meditated, but when I did that I had no distractions, as Laxus had said I always shut off all my senses and feelings.

Without that detachment, my mind and body were screaming at me for releasing my magic like this; it was unnatural and weird. I gritted my teeth, a drop of sweat beading on my cheekbone as my breath came out in rough gasps.

Finally, the barrier that was stopping my magic from exiting crumbled around the force I pushed it with, and the blue spark flashed, before it steadied slightly, my hands shaking with the effort of holding it there.

I bit my lip had as I tried to force it into the shape I wanted it in, ignoring the sweat dripping from my face.

'Lucy! STOP!' I heard Laxus shout from beside me, and my concentration broke. The spark disappeared and I fell backwards, my limbs like jelly.

Instead of hitting the ground, Laxus caught me tightly in his arms. He glanced down at me, frowning as I smiled up at him.

'I did it!' He shook his head, and pulled a handkerchief out from one of his pockets, before dabbing at the sweat on my forehead before gently dabbing at my lip.

I winced from pain, and realised that it wasn't sweat dripping from my chin, it was blood. I'd bit on my lip too hard and had cut it.

How did I not notice? I thought, forcing myself to sit up. He handed me a water bottle, and I smiled before guzzling all of the contents in record time.

'Listen blondie, never force your body to do something it's telling you that you shouldn't be doing, you got me? As soon as you felt that wall, you shouldn't have pushed through it. I should have said, didn't think you'd get the hang of this that quickly though.' He laughed sharply, running a hand through his blonde spikes as he looked away from me.

I could feel the guilt that resonated from him.

'Hey, it's not your fault. I should have waited for you.' I smiled slightly as he looked back at me, locking his eyes to mine, his stormy grey eyes capturing mine in their emotion filled depths. I could see pain clearly in those metallic orbs, but it was quickly covered up before he turned away, releasing me.

He stood up, pulling me upright with him and I couldn't help but bump against his body, my muscles not responding to my head.

He grabbed my waist to stop me from falling, his large hands easily reaching around to my back, his long fingers pressing against my bare skin.

I flashed him a smile, before stepping back, forcing my body to respond.

'Thanks Laxus, I'm good.' I grinned as I shifted my weight from foot to foot.

'If you say so blondie. Anyway, that's it for today. Go get some rest. Bix will be here at 9 tomorrow morning for your hours training, and I'll be here for 10. So get a good nights sleep.' He said gruffly, refusing to look at me as he walked across to the bench where his cloak rested, grabbing it before practically jogging inside the guild.

I frowned, confused.

What was that about? I shrugged, before gingerly making my way to the guild. I needed a milkshake... oh, wait. Right. My spirit and the barmaid had conspired against me and my supposed waist line that never changed.

I sighed, before I brushed my finger tips against Plue's key, grinning as he popped out of the air in a poof of smoke and gold light.

'Pun, puuunn!' I laughed as he shivered in the bright sun and grinned up at me.

'I guess smoothies will have to do.' I said to him as he trotted forwards ahead of me to open the door.

'Though I think I'll take a nice, hot shower now.' I grimaced as I realised how grimy my skin looked and felt.

'Come on Plue! Shower time!'

'Pun, puuunn!' I laughed and headed for the girls shower room, almost skipping at the thought of a shower, but my body protested at the strain, and I instead hobbled there, groaning as I clutched at my aching back.

Ever's POV

I waved Lucy over to sit with me as she emerged from the direction of the shower rooms, clutching her small white dog spirit (that really looked like a mini snowman) to her chest.

She grinned, and immediately walked over to my direction after placing her order to Mira.

'Hey Lucy, how was training with the boys?' I waggled my eyebrows at her.

'I can tell you got hot and dirty out there.' I winked and laughed as she swatted my arm, pouting at me as her face reddened.

'Ever! You've been spending far too much time with Bix and Cana!' I chuckled quietly as I took a sip of my iced water, glancing across towards Elfman, who blushed crimson as he met my gaze. I grinned before turning my attention back to Lucy.

'Ever, I'm really confused.' She groaned, resting her head against the wood after releasing her spirit to sit on the table beside her. The cute little thing reached out and patter her head.

'Punn.' It said, and I wondered how on earth she understood it, before I addressed her problem.

'What's up? You're getting training from two of the strongest men in our guild. There shouldn't be a problem unless you really don't like them... or do you like them too much?' I smirked and raised my eyebrows, before her hand pressed over my mouth and she desperately looked around.

'Ssh! You know Mira's been manic these past few days! I hear she's found a new pairing, and I do not want her attention transferred over to me!' I laughed behind her hand as I nodded my understanding. That was the precise reason me and Elfman had been very careful; not even allowing anyone from the guild to see us together.

'Fine. Want to come back to my place to talk?' She nodded, smiling in relief up at me.

'LUSSSHYYYY!' The blue cat suddenly flew into Lucy's chest, snuggling between her breasts. For a moment I thought I saw an evil glint in his eyes, but quickly dismissed it as he looked up at her with watery eyes.

'Natsu's being meeaaannn!' Lucy patted the cats head sympathetically.

'What's he done this time Happy?' She sighed, looking across at Natsu, who was squaring off with Gray.

'Natsu burnt my fish! Now he's going to fight Gray and Erza's away! Lushy, they're going to ruin my fiiissshhhh!' I turned to see a smoking table, and the charred remnants of a fish, along with a plate full of fish that was so far untouched.

Lucy sighed as she stroked Happy's head.

'I'm sorry Happy, I'm too tired to deal with them two right now. Look, there's Lisanna! I hear she scares them just as much as I do!' Happy looked up at her tearfully, before flying across the room to the youngest Strauss sibling.

'Here you go Lucy, strawberry smoothie filled with fruity goodness.' Mira appeared behind her and placed a glass down in front of my friend.

Hmm... friend. I like that.

'Mira, you are a lifesaver. Though I'd really love a milkshake...' She sighed as she took a sip from her smoothie.

'Ah well. How'd training with Bickslow go then Lucy? He was a perfect gentleman I presume?' Mira looked straight at Lucy, a glint in her eyes.

'Yeah, it was good. I hurt muscles I didn't know I had. Then Laxus goes and exhausts me magically; I feel like I could go to sleep right now.' I watched Mira's face change from her happy smile to an evil glare as she heard Laxus's name, and choked on my water at the look on her face.

Laxus! What did you do!? I thought, desperately trying to imagine what he could have done to make Mira so mad.

'Laxus? I didn't see him arrive this morning.' Lucy shrugged, finishing off her smoothie before grabbing my hand after scooping Plue up with one arm.

'Thanks again Mira, gotta go. Come on Ever.' I looked back as I was dragged off towards Fairy Hills, and saw Mira turn to glare up towards Masters office.

What's up with her? I thought, trying to imagine all the reasons Mira would be angry at Master...

I guided Lucy to my room, watching her face as she entered my room. She looked over all of my statues, and smiled at the decoration and colour scheme I'd implemented.

'Nice place.' She said, dropping onto the sofa and groaning.

'Okay, what's up Lucy?' I asked, sitting down opposite her as I flicked my hair over my shoulder. She nibbled gently on her lower lip, careful to avoid where she'd cut it.

'Um... Ever, how do you know if...' She squirmed in her seat, hugging Plue tightly to her chest. I leant forward before gasping, my eyes wide.

'Oh my Mavis! You're pregnant aren't you?!'

'NO!' She screamed, tightening her hold on her spirit and making him squeak in protest.

'Then what?' I asked, feeling exasperated suddenly at how awkward she was acting.

'How do you know... if you love someone or not?' Her eyes were tightly shut and she gently hugged Plue to her chest as I laughed lightly.

'Is that all Lucy? Wow, you really are clueless about this kind of stuff, aren't you?' I said, smiling softly as I got up to sit beside her, ready to listen to her worries, and try my best to help.