Bickslow's POV

I didn't even register the frantic walk back to our hotel, Laxus carrying Natsu and Happy while I cradled her keys tightly in my hands.

As soon as I saw them, covered in... I can't even think about it. Something inside me just... died.

I hadn't felt like this since I'd watched my brothers murdered in front of me, and all I'd seen was her keys lying on the ground covered in red.

When we entered our room, I went straight to the bathroom to wash off her pouch and keys, scrubbing and scrubbing till they shone as though they were just created. I gently placed them on the unit, and turned to scrub my already clean hands till they were red raw.

Once again, I couldn't get rid of the image of her blood covering my hands out of my mind... my body was trembling and I gasped for air as I tried to force myself to stop imagining the worst... only to imagine things that she may be suffering through right now, alive.

I should have come last night! I knew something was wrong! This is all my god damned fault! You say you fucking love her Bix, but you can't even fucking protect her! You bastard! Whoever did this will die by their own hands, and I will laugh as they do so... Lucy... fuck!

I let out a shout and punched the wall, smashing through the white wall tile and into the wall cavity. I yanked my fist out and watched as my blood dribbled down my wrist to drip into the sink that was filled with soapy water.

A bead of blood gathered along my knuckles, slowly getting bigger as I clenched my fist tightly, watching the crimson liquid get darker as more blood accumulated, before the weight became too much and it fell towards the water. As soon as it hit the clear liquid, it dissipated in a spiders web of red, before disappearing without a trace.

I shut my eyes tightly, lifting my head and yanking off my mask, throwing it to the ground as tears streamed down my face.

My babies had been sitting silently beside her keys, surrounding them like a guard.

I forced myself to open my eyes, and stared blankly at the ceiling, before turning and picking up the pouch and walking back into the room.

Laxus had laid Natsu out on a bed, and was bathing his wounds with a rag. I watched as the piece of cloth scraped across the deep open gashes that covered his body, but he didn't even flinch. His body had completely shut down from pain.

He'd be permanently scarred. Happy had a few broken ribs and a slight concussion, but Natsu was close to death.

I sat down, watching Laxus wipe away the blood and bind the wounds with some bandages and ripped up shirts when he ran out, which was very quickly.

'Laxus.' I muttered, lifting a cloth so I could begin cleaning his other wounds. I sensed my friend look up at me rather than saw it; I was too empty, too far into my own grief and despair to look at him.

'I'm going to kill the bastard who did this.' I whispered, my voice taking on a deathly edge, but I ignored it.

'Tch. Only if I don't get to him first.' Laxus spat out, his lightning sparking angrily around the room, causing the lights to flicker before he managed to rein it in.

I took a deep, shaky breath before speaking again in a low whisper.

'Please... tell me she's alright. Tell me she's alive. I just... need to hear it... from someone else... before I go insane...' I could feel my heart breaking up as my body shook in anger and pain at the thought of her just not being.

'Bix, shut your fucking mouth. Of course she's fucking alright, we bloody well trained her for a reason. Besides, if she's not alive I'll fucking drag her back and kill her myself.' He growled out, his dragon instincts flaring up once again. I barked out a short laugh which held no humour behind it.

'I hear you. Arigato... I needed you to say it.' I whispered, my voice cracking against my will. Silently, we cleaned Natsu up as best we could.

Without Wendy, there was nothing else we could do. There was no point in getting a normal doctor, they would just do the same as us and tell us to pray; hopefully they would arrive soon.

'Laxus... did you catch a scent?' I asked, clenching my teeth tightly as I forced myself to think about Lucy's captor.

'No. There was some sort of strange magic cloaking it; couldn't get a whiff of the bastard.' Laxus clenched his fist tightly around the bloodied rag as he squeezed it out over a bowl of bloody water. I sighed and closed my eyes, blocking out the image of the blood dripping from the soaked material.

'All we can do is wait for the others to arrive this afternoon, and ask Natsu what happened. If he lives that long.' Laxus's voice had quieted to a whisper as he said that, and I opened my eyes to look down at Natsu. Sure, he was annoying as hell, always challenging Laxus to a fight, or me, or Freed; but he was a member of Fairy Tail, and at the end of the day was a member of our mismatched family.

Just imagining the guild without him in it was just too... quiet. The spark that was Natsu would be gone, plus cosplayer would be sad. He was like a brother to her, her best friend. If he died, she'd feel responsible if I knew her.

I stared at Natsu's chest as he wheezed in a painful breath, his chest raising slightly as his lungs expanded, before he let out the air with a silent gasp of pain.

'He'd better not die.' I choked out, looking up as Laxus chuckled slightly.

'I know what you mean Bix. Let's hope they get here soon.' I nodded and gripped onto Lucy's keys before walking over to the window, staring out at the busy streets below as people laughed and joked, walking along happily; completely unaware of the pain, guilt and fear that hung like a smog in the room.

I ground my teeth together, jealousy rising up within me as I looked on and saw their carefree happiness. It made me sick. Just above them someone was on the verge of death, fighting for his life, and the one woman who made me feel almost human was severely injured and not here.

I glared out of the window; my hand tightening around her keys as I forced my eyes shut and remembered her.

Her smile that lit up a room and made me want to smile with her; her voice that echoed in my mind, her laugh that made the darkness and guilt around my heart disappear. Her light touches that made my skin tingle as though a bolt of electricity had shot through my body, her kindness that radiated off of her and made people want to come as close as they could to her, just to get a small sample of that pure nicety, which became more and more addictive the longer you were with her.

Mavis help the bastard that hurt her, because he's going to regret breathing once I'm done with him.

Suddenly, a shot of gold sparking blue light crackled behind me and an angry yell ripped through the air.

I spun round to see one of her spirits standing there and searching around him, his eyes dulling when he realised she wasn't here, before filling with panic.

'WHERE IS SHE?' He screamed; his red hair burning with orange flames and feathers appearing around his forehead as his nails extended into claws.

'We don't know.' Laxus said, refusing to look up from his vigil over Natsu. Nick's head snapped round to stare at me, his eyes showing his pain and fear. He looked down to see my hand clutching her keys, and his eyes widened as he stepped forwards, before snatching the keys from me; his flames dying out immediately. I allowed him to hold them, watching as he stroked the leather pouch, his nose wrinkling before he ran to the toilet.

I exchanged glances with Laxus as we heard him vomiting.

'You can still smell it; can't you?' I whispered, and watched as Laxus nodded his head slowly before running a shaking hand through his hair.

I leant against the wall and slowly sank to sit on the floor, my hands covering my head as I rested against my knees.

I heard Nick walk out of the bathroom, and slowly looked up with dry eyes. I'd exhausted my tears long ago.

'She's hurt, badly. I can feel the pain. Right here.' He spoke almost robotically as he placed a hand over his left stomach, gently soothing the spot before talking again.

'I can feel where the knife pierced her skin; she's losing blood still... if I don't get there soon she'll...' He broke off, his voice croaking to a halt, but we knew what he was going to say.

My babies let out a pained squeal before flying over to me and hiding beneath my jacket to cry silently.

'Can't you go to her?' Laxus snapped out, turning to face us with pain filled eyes.

'Do you think I'd be here if I could get to her?!' Nick spat out, his voice laced with venom as he lashed out at Laxus, his tears teetering on the edges of his eyes.

'Whoever has her has blocked her location from the spirit world somehow. Don't ask me how, cause I don't fucking know. All I know is she's dying and if we don't get there soon it'll be too late!' Nick ended up shouting as his tears finally spilled over his cheeks and dripped from his face, his hands clinging tightly to her key pouch. He dropped to the floor on his knees and screamed out his sorrow as we watched on in shock.

It'll be too late! It'll be too late... too late... too late...

The words reverberated through my mind, stabbing and breaking my heart as the seriousness of the situation smacked me with full force.

"Hey Bix! What d'you want for dinner later?"

No... she couldn't die...

"Bix! Wakey-wakey! It's time for training!"

I needed her... without her I was just...

"Bickslow! Stop teasing Ever and help me get some firewood you big weirdo!"

No... No! I won't let her go... she can't leave me alone...

"Bix, why d'you hide your true self from everyone? I love you for you, and so would everyone else, if you gave them the chance ya know."

Without her I was nothing... without her I was a murderer, I was scum!

"Bix, why'd you even still feel bad about that? What you did was justified! So quit being a baby and see what I see in you!"

She was my forgiveness... my salvation... the only woman I'd ever loved... trusted...

"Bix, let's go to Akane Resort with the others after we get home, yeah? It'll be fun!"

'Lucy...' I heard my voice whisper as I too dropped to the ground on my knees once again and stared down at my hands that were covered in blood... dripping in it. I watched on terrified as it soaked into the floorboards, when I saw her face reflected in the crimson liquid, laughing up at me with a happy glint in her soft, caramel eyes.

I shook my head, closing my eyes as more tears flowed down my face.

'She can't die... no, no, no, no please Mavis no, don't do this... no, no, no, no!'

Please don't leave me alone Lucy... I love you...

Laxus's POV

I felt something break in my chest as I heard Nick speak the forbidden words I had refused to even think about.

I couldn't let the thought linger, or I'd lose my mind.

It was too late though; now the words were in the air and stabbing like knives at my mind, heart and body as the unavoidable images of her bloody, lifeless corpse filled my mind; tearing apart the last ropes that attached my mind to sanity and which stopped me from going on a wild rampage to find her.

I forced myself to restrain the animalistic dragon instincts that were roaring for me to go find her, to save her, to claim her as mine. I bit hard on my cheek and tasted blood as I locked those urges away in my mind and looked at Bix. He was knelt on the floor, his eyes blank with terror; a look I hadn't seen since I'd found him alone in the forest with some floating wooden dolls.

His hands shook as he stared down at them, silent tears flowing freely down his face as he rocked back and forth slightly, his body shuddering as he muttered to himself, shaking his head desperately.

I could see he was sinking into an uncontrolled abyss of pain and agony at the mere mention of the possibility of her death.

'Bickslow! Stop it. She wouldn't want to see you like this.' I spat out at him, sneering as he looked up at me with sightless eyes, before blinking and returning to a semblance of his usual self.

He nodded silently, and stood before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

I let out a ragged sigh and clenched my fists tightly, my nails digging into my palms as the dragon tried to force its way to the fore.

'Laxus...' Nick's voice grumbled from the ground, and I turned to look at him.

My eyes met his pure red flaming irises that held a promise of death and vengeance.

'I know you both love her... but you don't love her as much as I or the rest of her spirits do. This bastard is ours. We all feel her pain, her fear, the agony of not being able to use the magic... they're blocking it off from her and filling it up somehow... she's holding up somehow, but not for much longer. The guy who's doing this... the mastermind... the planner, the man in the shadows... we see her nightmares of him. Only a vague shape, but he is ours.' I nodded sharply as the fury and anger he felt poured off his body.

Slowly he stood up and walked over to me and handing me her key pouch that reeked of her blood despite Bix washing it off.

I sat silently as Nick began to heal Natsu, watching the golden light pour from his palms.

'Where's the lion?' I asked as I watched Natsu's skin slowly knit itself together, the sinew and muscle joining together under the ministration of the light.

'Loke can't come. He's been driven almost mad from her pain that transcends to us all. He's pouring all of his magic into locating her.' I watched as Nicks light slowly dimmed before sputtering out.

'I've healed his most serious injuries. He'll survive till the dragon slayer gets here.' Nick turned to face me and nodded his head towards the keys in my hands.

'Clean them off properly. It's killing us all that we can still smell her blood on our keys.' He choked on the words as he started to step away from us.

'We have a direction for you; head north, up the mountains. She's somewhere there.'

'Thank you Nick. You can have the mastermind, but me and Bix have the bastard who hurt her.' Nick grinned darkly at me, his teeth sharp and glinting evilly.

'That's if Loke and I don't get to him first.' He disappeared straight after before I could respond, and left me to look down at Natsu, who seemed to be breathing more easily now.

I ran my fingers across the golden rough edges of her keys, feeling them buzz slightly beneath my fingers.

"Laxus! Quit calling me that! You're blonde to you stupid dragon slayer!"

I smiled slightly at the memory of her voice filled with her false anger.

"Laxxuusss! You're ruining my hair!"

I smiled sadly at the memory of the feel of her silky hair beneath my hands, and flexed my fingers unconsciously as I imagined the soft strands of gold...

"Hurry Laxus! Dinner's going to be ready and Freed was cooking tonight! Mavis do I love his fried chicken!"

I laughed quietly to myself at the memory. She sure loved to eat Freed's food...

"Jeez Laxus! What was that for!? You know I hate it when you spark me!"

I took a deep breath as her face appeared in front of my eyes for a moment, her hair ruffled slightly and her cheeks pinked as she pouted up at me with a soft glare.

'You better stay alive blondie... Bix needs you... hell, I need you...' I muttered, trailing my fingertips across her keys before taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the metallic and spicy scent of her blood that clung to her keys and pouch like a limpet to a rock.

I could hear Bix hitting the wall in the bathroom, over and over again as he mumbled to himself, trying to deny even the thought of her death from entering the realm of possibility.

I knew how he felt.

I walked over to the bathroom and opened the door, before grabbing Bix's wrist as his bloodied fist was about to meet the tiled wall once again. He resisted for a moment, before slowly turning his tortured and pain filled eyes on me.

'They'll be here soon. Fairy Tail shall avenge her pain. She will live, and we can show her captors the true meaning of Hell on Earth.' Bix closed his eyes and nodded as his babies butted against him in an attempt to support him.

'Don't let it take you Bix; she'd be sad to see it.' I whispered, staring into his dark red eyes and smiling sadly as he jerked out a nod.

I released his wrist and let it fall to his side as we both exited the room to sit and stew in our thoughts, planning on what to do when back up arrived.

Lucy's POV

Darkness...

I'd opened my eyes only to find myself surrounded in more darkness... but this time there was pain... emanating from my side and my wrists.

I jerked my body to find I had been shackled to a wall, and dangled by my wrists in cast iron shackles.

I shivered, my short skirt and thin shirt not enough clothing to hold back the chill of the air. My short clung to my back like a second skin, and I shivered as I noticed the ice cold water that was dribbling down the wall behind me in rivulets, soaking my clothes.

I looked down, and couldn't suppress a groan of pain as my stomach stretched around the wound that asshole Xavier had made.

Tch! And I thought he was hot! Forget it! That guy just lost any chances with me! I glared at the wall before my body was wracked with another spasm of shivers. I looked up at my hands, and saw blood dribbling from my shackled wrists, and my fingers were tinged blue.

Crap! That's bad... I thought, slowly moving my fingers so they were touching my palms. I winced at the pain that shot through my body as my frozen finger tips made contact with my slightly warmer palms.

I distracted myself from the pain by looking around the dank, dark cell that smelled of stagnant water and other more unsavoury smells.

Ew. Smells like something dies in here... I felt vomit pushing its way up my throat, and held it back through sheer willpower.

I tried to use my magic to contact Loke, but as I reached for the reserves I held inside my body, I felt a spike of pain surge through my bones and screamed as something that locked away my magic and attacked me from the inside.

I swore, my teeth chattering and my dry lips aching painfully.

I heard someone laugh from outside my cell, and my head snapped upright to see who was there, only to see an endless darkness.

'HEY! WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT?' I shouted out, gritting my teeth to stop them from chattering as I spoke. All I got in response was a cold, emotionless laughter that echoed around me and stroked against my cold skin like slime.

'YOU'LL REGRET THIS! FAIRY TAIL WILL COME FOR ME!' I heard the laughter again, but this time it had a harsher edge.

'I hope they do...' My mouth dropped open at his words and I felt my heart clench in fear at the murderous voice. I looked upwards from where the husky whisper had originated and nearly screamed as luminous red eyes glowed in the dark, their depths filled with cruel intent and evil.

The creature laughed again, the malicious sounds bouncing off the walls and echoing in the darkness.

I felt my eyes widen as my heart froze in fear.

'No...' I whispered before something smashed into my head and I fell back into unconsciousness.

There was one thing I learnt from that encounter; it was that Fairy Tail was about to walk into a trap, and from the magic I sensed from the strange person who had been laughing, this was going to be a difficult fight to win.

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry I haven't updated for the past few days, I've had family visits, and a friends 18th Birthday, so I've been busy, and I've been in a bit of pain too, my backs being a weirdo, and my wrists have been achey, so I just didn't feel like wriint. I felt a tad better today, and had some time, so updated for you all! :)

I'll try and update more often as I usually do this week, but I still have family visiting, so I might be busy. :)

Also, please remember to write a review, they really spur me on when I feel down or have trouble with writing. Also, I love reading your ideas and opinions about my work, so comment if you want please! XD

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to writing more for you all! xx :)