Chapter 5

"How can you be so sure?" Makarov asked the moment he put the mug of beer at the table.

"I felt it, Gramps. His familiar Magical presence was the reason I collapsed." Lucy said with a serious face.

"What?" He almost choked on his beer.

"That's right. It wasn't fatigue or lack of Magical reserves that it happened. It was him." Lucy paused for a while and studied the Master's face then continued with her explanation. "It was like there's a huge pressure weighing my whole body down and then all of a sudden, everything went black."

"Hmmm…Lucy, listen to me…" Makarov turned his head towards the girl. He was serious too. "I think I know of a solution on how we can finally deal with him."

"What?"

"I can't explain the details to you now but I want you to keep this solution a secret from everyone, even to that fool grandson of mine or your teammates. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Master…I mean Gramps." Lucy corrected herself.

"Jellal."

"Huh, what?" Lucy was taken aback. Weren't they just talking about a way to finally defeat Mnemosyne? Where on Earthland the Jellal issue came from? Did the old man finally gone bananas? Okay, she got the 'don't tell that fool grandson of mine or your teammates' part but what else?

"I'm sorry, Gramps. But I don't actually get what you're trying to tell me."

"There's another reason why he joined the guild." Makarov started, his voice was barely audible.

"And what is that?" Lucy gestured for the old man to continue.

"He's here for you. You're the reason he came here." Ok, Master went from bananas to full blow nuts. Was he hooking her up with Jellal? Did he think that she's not worthy of being a Mrs. Dreyar?

"Eh, why?"

"He will explain it to you. For now, I want you to be ready." Ooookkkaaayyy, that was just weird and for the record, really irritating. Just when he was about to say something vital, he just went poof! Nothing! Seriously?

"Yes, Gramps." It was more of like a question than an answer. She was really confused by the Master's actions. What is happening here and what does Jellal have to do with any of this? Those were just one of the many questions she has in her mind.

"Lucy." Laxus called out from a nearby table. He was with a very happy Freed and the way the green-haired man was beaming and Bickslow was sulking, she could guess that rune mage was the Best Man.

"What?" She went towards them.

"Care to join us?" The blonde man smirked.

"Okay, but just for a while. I'm really tired and still drained." She sat down near him and rested her head on his broad shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He lowered his face to see her, worry stamped on his face.

"Yeah, I guess." She said weakly as she hugged him around his torso and put her head on his chest, closing her eyes. He smelled good despite the booze. 'How can he do that? Well, nobody knows and nobody cares because he's mine and mine alone. You hear that, Chico?! Mine!'.

"You wanna have some good time?" The innuendo in the way he stressed the word 'good' was too much for her to be mistaken. She opened her eyes and raised her head to look at him. He was grinning like an idiot.

"I'll think about it…" She put her fingers on her chin.

'God! I feel like I'm being turned on.' Laxus thought as he could feel the heat all over his body, especially in the hard bulging southern region

"Maybe…" This was it! The ultimate pinnacle for the adult life of Laxus Dreyar! "Next time." His heart sank down as Lucy chuckled.

'It's cold. It's barren.' Laxus thought.

"Laxus" Lucy called him. God, the way he said her name was music to his Dragon Slayer ears. His hope ricocheted. 'Maybe she changed her mind and we can make a Laxus H. Dreyar Jr. right here, right now.' Perverted thoughts raced through his mind at the thought of seeing Lucy in all of her full-pledged goddess glory.

"I love you." Okay, that was quite unexpected. Where's the let's-get-out-of-here-and-create-Laxus-Jr. speech? He looked at her face and saw something that made him forget all of his fantasies. She wasn't smiling anymore. Her face was so solemn, her eyes were set on the floor and her lush lips were quivering.

"Freed, Bickslow, can you leave us for a while?" This thing's private so he instructed his so-called subordinates to walk away.

"What's wrong? Is it the mansion?" He asked when the two walked a good long distance.

"Nope." She shook her head.

"What then?"

"Laxus, if I die, I want you to continue living, okay? I want you to be the next Guild Master." There, she said it. Ever since she felt Mnemosyne's presence in the stadium, memories of her supposed death came crashing through her mind. Maybe she only got lucky back then but sooner or later, even luck would leave her side. She just has to prepare.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" He seethed. He was angry at her. Dying? Seriously? What is wrong with her?

"B-But…"

"No, Lucy. No one is dying. Not you, not me, not anybody." He whispered to her but despite that, anger was still freakishly evident in his voice.

"Laxus, please…" Lucy silently pleaded, tightening her hug on the man and burying her face on his chest.

"What's got into you?" He scoffed. Try as he may to cover his fear, the word 'die' always brought him into despair. Lucy, on the ground, beaten and battered, body covered in bruises, coughing and bathing in her own blood, and bidding him a final farewell was his worst memory. It was the nightmare that haunts him every time he closes his eyes. He tried to ignore it and assured himself that he will always protect her but there were times that his own insecurities cloud his mind. There will always come a time when he won't be there.

"Mnemosyne's back, Laxus…" She trailed off. He was taken aback by her statement but in a second, in that very moment, sitting in a wooden chair in a humble place called Bar Sun, he resolved to triumph over his own fears and protect this woman who was grasping him tightly for her dear life. He'll defeat him and put an end to Lucy's source of despair.

"Everything's gonna be alright." He patted her head and when she looked up at him, he wiped those tears and smiled at her.

"Thanks, Love." Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him senseless.

"Now, about that Laxus Jr." He managed to say, breathless when they broke up the kiss.

"Still a no." She smiled and resumed their not-so-discreet way of public display of affection.


Late night walks were one of the things that could keep Erza's mind calm. Except, her mind wasn't in any way calm and she wasn't in any way in her own mind. She was, by far, drunk in a level Cana could only consider a rival.

She'd told herself over and over again that what she saw that afternoon was nothing but merely a coincidence. Jellal was only concerned for Lucy because well, she collapsed in the stadium. It was the heat. The heat. But the more she tried to assure herself, the more she found herself questioning her own reasoning. And the more she drank some booze.

"Speaking of which, it was December, how on Earthland was it very hot?" She asked herself, tipsy and swaying from left to right.

"Maybe I'm going crazy. First, I reacted so inappropriately in front of my guild mates then this! I'm talking to myself!" She just sighed and continued walking. Nope, more like wobbling.

"What's with you, Lucy!" She shouted in the dark, black sky. It was a good thing it was very late. People were sleeping in the comforts of their own bed. And it was a fortunate thing for her that she could let loose all those tears she tried so hard to hide.

"Jellal, what's wrong with you?" Erza, out of balance, tripped and bruised her knee. She punched the ground so hard that her metal gloves cracked and her knuckles bleed.

"Who's there?" She stood up and scanned the area when she heard some rustling. No one answered.

"Requip! Heaven's Wheel Armor! Blumenblatt!" Living up to her reputation, Titania requipped in an unimaginable speed despite her drunken state and readily launched dozens of swords flying into every direction.

"Hot-headed as always." A man appeared. He had a graying hair and there were lines near his eyes and beard on his chin that indicated his old age.

"Who are you?" Erza pointed a sword in front of him.

"My, my, my, have you forgotten me already?" The man smirked.

"Oh, well. It can't be helped. I'm wearing a cloak when we first met." He released an exasperated sigh that was much exaggerated to be true.

"Wait, that voice…" She trailed off. Understanding dawned upon her features as she lowered her weapon. She knew the man. It was him. The reason Lucy was taken away from them for months, the reason her life was almost snatched away from her.

"Mnemosyne."

"Ah, finally! The way you spoke my name was music to my ears." He chuckled.

"What do you want?!" She growled, raising her sword again.

"Oh, nothing much." Those were the words that escaped his lips just before a swords were dangerously trapping his neck in all four corners.

"Spill it." There were no traces of humor in the red-haired girl's voice. She was dead serious. The man only chuckled and all swords and armor were disintegrated.

"What the hell!" She cursed.

"Not a chance, Scarlet." He jumped a good distance from her and landed softly and smoothly on the balls of his feet.

"What are you up to? What are you going to do with Lucy?!" She bellowed, pissed on how the man could quickly seal her Magic.

"Me? Actually, it wasn't me that will do something to her." The man grinned and disappeared into thin air. That was all Erza could hear and see before everything went blank and the only thing that's in her mind were two words.

"Kill Lucy."


A/N: Well, hello everyone! I am sorry that I wasn't able to update like I used to. Told you so! But I really did kept my promise. I'm squeezing writing the chapters in my already busy schedule. Please be patient with me. Anyways, I am thankful for those was able see the design of the wedding dress I made using MS Paint. I'm sorry if it wasn't professionally drawn like other fan arts. And also I really want to give my greatest gratitude to the people who kept their faith in me, the people who reviewed. :)

Paname, XxShyxX and Kuro-fudo-no-otoko. Love you three :)