Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters; that right belongs to Hiro Mashima.

Author's Notes: This story comes from some serious personal experiences. If you have/know someone who is going through this. Be strong. Be by their side. Show you care and love them even when it gets to the point you want to give up, don't. Because you'll regret it and lose something you can never get back.


Lucy frowned as she stared at Canna. This woman 'was' one of her best friends. But in the two months she'd been out of Rehab, Canna did not seem to get it into her thick skull that Lucy did not want to drink.

The silence from those in the Guild only made Lucy anxious, as if she was being peer pressured to drink. Though that wasn't true, her mind kept trying to tell her it was. And being around liquor almost every day made it hard (already) to stay on the proverbial bandwagon.

But enough was enough!

"No, Canna, I do not want a drink now or in the future," Lucy said, biting out each word. "I have repeatedly told you I don't drink anymore. That it's bad for me due to my violent words and actions while drunk."

When Canna pouted, Lucy knew it'd be troublesome.

"You're no fun anymore," Canna whined, slurring her words. "One drink won't affect you, Lucy. Don't be so stiff."

The words spoken stabbed Lucy in both her heart and consciousness. She could feel the frown morph into a scowl. Lucy felt sad at the choice she had to make, so taking a deep breath to calm and steady herself.

"I am sorry you feel that way, Canna Alberone," Lucy said loudly and clearly for all to hear. "And since you feel that way and don't seem to respect my choice, I guess we cannot be friends anymore."

The shock in the depths of Canna's brown eyes let LUcy know Cannon had not, even though she'd have consequences for her actions. The alcohol flush on Canna's face faded as she quickly sobered.

"Lucy, that's petty," Canna snapped, clearly sulking.

"Canna, I care about my mental, emotional, and physical health," Lucy said, shaking her head. "And I'd hope all my friends would respect my choices. I knew at some point I'd have to take losses when my 'friends' did not respect my choices."

As anger flooded Canna's face, Lucy turned and met the gazes of the others in the Guild. She hoped they understood the line she'd drawn in the proverbial sand.

Then without a word, Lucy left the Guild. The silence was oppressive, and she didn't want anyone to see her break down and cry. Knowing she'd see them regularly at the Guild, it would hurt deeply to have to cut a friend from her life.

000000

Bickslow was stunned at what he heard. He'd chosen to leave Pepe with Lucy since he had to do a mission to pay rent, and Lucy was still without her keys and on probation for another four months.

He had moved in with Lucy so he could help her. That had been a learning experience as she was a neat freak, and he was moderately a slob. It took the better part of a month to find a middle ground and make it work.

"She is too petty and thinks she is better than me now she's gone to rehab and quit drinking."

The sound of Canna's complaints had him frowning. So Bickslow finished his report of the mission and went downstairs. He purposefully made each step heavy on the stairs to draw attention to himself.

When he reached the first floor, Bickslow removed his helmet and walked to where Canna sat at the end of the bar. He wanted her to see the disappointment he felt.

"What? Are you upset that I'm bitching about Lucy?" Canna yelled at him. Her breath was so saturated from the alcohol she'd consumed that he felt lightheaded.

He knew she was beyond shit-faced. However, he could find it in himself to care.

"Yes, I am upset. Because since Lucy came back, you've done nothing but try to force her to drink. Do you think that since Lucy is usually a forgiving person, she did not have a breaking point?" Bickslow said, using a low tone. "then you deserve to lose a friend. Lucy has lost a lot. She hid her pain to be the bright and happy person we all knew and loved. And because of that, I included, we never cared about her issues. Hence her falling to the bottom, Canna. She has been denied her magic, the bonds with her Spirits, which I know you understand how much that means to her."

His words had Canna going still. Her flushed face paled rapidly. Yet he didn't give her a chance to respond and continued to speak.

"Lucy is banned from missions for another four months when she receives her final mental health check," He said in that same low tone. "So she, a prideful, independent person, must rely on others to care for her. And all you can say is she is petty? Then you don't deserve to be her friend."

Turning to leave, he saw Gildarts glaring at him.

With a tilt of his chin, Bickslow walked past him, speaking softly so only Gildarts could hear, "Take care of your daughter. Otherwise, she'd ruin herself when reality hits after sobering fully."

Gildarts was one of the few who knew his past. So Bickslow knew he'd deal with Canna as he should.

The sight of a sobbing Lucy curled on the couch pained him like hundreds of needles stabbing at his heart.

"Boy, go and comfort her."

He knew Papa was correct since there was a brand new, unopened bottle of Jack Daniel's on the table. It made him glad he rushed home.

Walking to the couch, Bickslow sat down and stroked Lucy's head. Hsi's phobia of being touched had him keeping a slight distance. But he was patient, having gone through this himself.

"You know, don't you?"

Not pausing in stroking Lucy's head, he said yes to her.

"Am I a bad person? Was I wrong to make that choice?"

Closing his eyes, Bickslow shifted and pulled Lucy to him, hugging her lightly as he rested his chin on her head. His skin started to crawl at the physical contact.

"No, Lucy, you are not. And no, you did not do anything wrong," he whispered to her. "Canna did not respect you or your choices. You have to put yourself first. And I know it hurts, and seeing them occasionally will hurt. But, Lucy, you are not alone. YOu are a brave, Intelligent, strong, and beautiful person. And there are loads of people in the Guild that love you, including me."

When Lucy stiffened, he wanted to kick himself for telling Lucy she was not only beautiful but loved. He had become more attached to her over the year and a few months since bringing her home that night, falling-down piss drunk.

And he still feared she'd reject him even after learning his secret.

"Bicky, thank you."

Those three words had his eyes burning with tears. HE could feel the gratitude and genuine honesty in them.

"You're welcome. Let's take this step by step Lucy, together," he said.

His answer was her arms wrapping around him as she hugged him. The action had him wanting to push her away, yet some of him enjoyed the warmth he was receiving from her.

TBC!