A/N: Alright kiddies! New story time! I haven't been able to get this plot line out of my head, so I wanted to write it down before I got back to A Dragon's Appetite. If you haven't read it, go read it after this one! :D Now, this is an AU, with lots of LaLu and GaLe goodness. Those are going to be our main pairing, with bits of others here and there.

Anyways, I hope you guys like this. Please let me know what you think in the review section, even if it's constructive criticism. I wanna be the best writer I can be, and I need your input to do that. :) Thanks guys!

PS: Rated M for language, adult situations, and future lemons.

Hiro Mashima Owns Fairy Tail

The Incredibly Unpredictable Strings of Fate

Chapter One:

Never Knew What Hit 'Em

Lucy's POV

Tonight was another rowdy night at the Dollhouse. One of my best friends, Cana, was sitting in front of me with her usual barrel of beer while I filled another glass for another customer. Thank god it was almost bar close. I could get out of this horrible uniform and curl up in bed, reading a book. The thought made me look down at my revealing ensemble, just to make sure everything was where it should be. When our bosses first showed us the black tube top with white lace frill and the matching short skirt, we had nearly rioted. But after being threatened with another uniform that was even skimpier, we sucked it up and took it. The look was completed with a black leather choker edged with lace and two big black leather cuffs on either wrist. The thing was a nightmare to get into.

I could hear the table of men on the far left side of the bar harassing Levy, my best friend and fellow bartender. The same group of men that had been coming here every day for a week straight just to bother the blunette, constantly trying to get her to come home with one of them. One night, three out of the four even tried to follow her home, but thankfully we had planned a movie night so I was with her. I had called out Loke and Virgo, who took care of the nuisances for us.

But they were back again, just as fired up as always. Levy was trying her best to ignore them, but after one of them had gone to our boss, Lonnie, and spun a tale full of bullshit lies, she had to serve them and act pleasant. I refilled one of my guest's drinks before heading over to her, nodding my head to my side of the bar.

"Let's trade sides for a bit, okay? My side is full, so they can't just up and follow you. I'll keep them entertained." An evil grin made it's way across my face, and Levy mirrored it. The reason she was my best friend was because we shared a lot of the same qualities. If one of us were hurt, in trouble, or just in need of assistance, the other would do whatever we possibly could to help. In this case, it meant me saving her ass from the group of rambunctious college kids.

Levy went over to talk to one of our regulars and another great friend of ours, Cana, while I made a beeline for the boys. I stopped in front of the kid that was pretty much the leader, putting my hand on a cocked out hip.

"Look, you kiddos need to stop coming in here and bugging Levy. She has a job to do, and that does not include babysitting four overgrown gorillas."

"Oh, is that so? Your boss was pretty insistent we kept coming. I mean, he gave us a bunch of free drink vouchers, and last I heard he gave you a verbal beat down. I wonder, if we complained again, would you get fired?" He was now howling at me, two of his friends joining in and patting the leader on the back. I kept my mouth shut, waiting for them to finish, but the leader kept going on. "I mean, if you were gone, that would mean we got more of a chance with the slut mage anyways. So maybe I should!" He was back to laughing, not caring about a single person in this hellhole other than himself.

I put my hands on the bar and leaned in close to the boy who was still giggling. I put my lips to his ear and whispered, "Well, that would be great if it weren't for one thing. If I were fired, Levy would quit and come with me to another bar. You'd never see your little 'slut mage' again. Maybe next time I catch you following us home, we'll alert the cops. I don't think they'd be nearly as forgiving as Lonnie was. Or maybe you'll wake up one day, your severed dick glued into that oversized mouth. So what will it be, babe? Stop harassing my friend, the cops, or being a eunuch for the rest of your miserable life?" I was near hissing as I finished, pulling back to look at the plate-sized eyes of the kid I just threatened.

It was really a shame that they were such assholes – The four of them were pretty cute. Well, three of them were assholes; one of the guys always kept quiet during everything. I had even heard him asking the other guys to back off once. The men all wore the football jackets from the college they went to, Magnolia University. You could tell, just from a glance, the kids had everything handed to them in life. If they had just gone through some troubles without Mommy and Daddy Dearest helping them constantly, they might be good guys. Date worthy guys. But no, sadly, they turned into the stereotypical jock, taking whatever they wanted because they had parents who made all the consequences disappear.

"Bitch, you're crazy!" The leader said, unmoving for a second before standing up. My evil smile was back, and I licked my lips slowly.

"Oh darling, you ain't seen nothin' yet." At that, the leader made a mad dash for the door, causing the other three to look between him and me. Two of the others followed quickly, leaving a single one behind. It was the quiet one, which kind of startled me. I went to turn to him, planning on letting another threat out, but he raised his hand at me.

"Look, I'm sorry about my friends. They can be assholes, sure, but Marco honestly thought your buddy liked him. He gets a bit crazy sometimes, but that still doesn't excuse his attitude." He stopped talking for a moment, making sure I was listening. I didn't know what to think. I know I must have looked like I was in a complete state of disbelief, because he laughed. "Yeah, I know he never had a chance. It was pretty obvious that she had never told him she was interested. But he's one of those guys that goes crazy around hot chicks – He even said you were one of the best looking chicks here, besides your friend over there. Which I completely agree with. But, anyways, here's the money from our tab. Marco won't drag us back here after tonight, so you don't have to worry anymore." He gave me a smile, reaching into his back pocket to get his wallet.

I was momentarily stunned, not expecting one of the dickweeds to be so.. nice. I just watched him put the bills on the counter, plus another few as a tip. I flicked my eyes back to his face, speechless. He had left us a $60 tip.

"This is for all the times Marco didn't tip, by the way. So, yeah. Uh," He looked down, shuffling his feet. He looked like he was about to say something, but I cut in.

"You're a nice guy, you know? I remember all the times your friends were being obnoxious, you were different – you weren't there when they followed Levy and I home, and I know you always tried to rein them in. Basically, what I'm saying is I noticed your efforts, and I appreciated them. Your friends may not be welcomed back, but you are, okay?" I smiled at him, reaching over and taking the empty glasses off the bar.

"Well, thanks for noticing. I just wish your friend over there did, and she'd stop murdering me with her eyes." He nodded over to Levy, who was half-listening to a drunken Cana talk about God knows what. She was in fact glaring at the remaining man, but when she looked at me, I gave her a thumbs up letting her know everything was okay. Suddenly she smiled, turning back to Cana.

"I'll talk to her tonight about everything, and let her know what happened. Hey, uh," I bit my lower lip, debating on finishing my thought, "If you ever come back in here, ask for Lucy. That way I'll be able to serve you." I smiled, glad I said it because the kid blushed a bright red.

"Uh.. uh, yeah, su-sure.. And uh, my name is Sawyer, just s-so you know." I was chuckling at this point, unsure of how a college kid with his looks could get so shy all of a sudden. He'd been fine when they were talking earlier. He was handsome, tall, and had the kind of muscles a girl would drool over. A mop of blonde hair sat on his head, reaching just under his strong jaw. Thick lashes surrounded bright blue eyes, and his smile was damn near perfect.

"Hey Sawyer, I'm Lucy – even though you know that already." I laughed again, sticking out my hand in a handshake. Never in a million years would I have guessed I would be happily teasing one of the men that had been harassing Levy. Well, again, he hadn't – he just had bad taste in friends.

"Yeah, I guess I do. I should probably catch up with Marco and the others, but uh. Thank you for not calling the cops on us or anything. See you soon, Lucy." He was smiling, a small blush still gracing that gorgeous face, as he waved and left. As soon as he was out of earshot, Levy raced over and looked at me expectantly.

"I'll tell you everything after our shift, Lev." I winked at her, a smile playing at my lips for the rest of my shift.

Levy, Cana and I were walking back towards my apartment, all talking about what had happened tonight. Levy was near weeping with happiness at the thought of Marco leaving her alone, and Cana was just laughing hysterically at the name 'Marco'.

"I swear, I thought he was about to piss his pants when you whispered in his ear! What did you even say, Luce?" Levy asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"I told him he could either stop bothering you, get the cops called on him, or he could wake up one day with his severed dick glued in his mouth. I think he chose to stop bothering you!" I matched her smile for a second, wagging my eyebrows at the two before we all dissolved into a mass of giggles.

"Oh Lucy! This is why we love you so much!" Levy said in between her fit of laughter, leaning over to hug me.

"I second that! No one has as much spunk as you do, girl." Cana put her arm around my shoulders, giving me a hug as well.

We were all still laughing and talking as we reached my and Levy's apartment building. Cana waved before heading off in another direction, leaving us to walk inside. Both of our apartments were on the same level, right next to the others. That's actually how we met all those years ago. She had been my only friend for years now, until she introduced me to all of her other close friends. Now I had a group of amazing girlfriends who I would do anything for. I was one lucky lady. We reached the third floor and walked together, a companionable silence hanging over us. When we finally reached our places, Levy hugged me quickly and waved as she walked into her home.

I unlocked my door and walked in, using my heel to shut it before I walked over to my desk. Plopping down on my comfortable chair, I took my pen out and a notebook that was almost completely full. Turning to one of the only pages left, I started writing.

Dear Mom,

Today was another hectic day at work. I can't believe I've had to work for so long! I haven't had an actual day off in over a week and a half – Lonnie's doing, I bet. He just likes to look at my butt in this weird fetish uniform. Oh, mom.. I really miss you!

Oh! By the way, guess what? Those creepy guys that always harass Levy? I scared most of them off. One stayed a bit longer, and we talked for a while. He was actually really nice, which surprised me. He's from Magnolia University, too. I wonder if I'll have any classes with him next semester? I can't wait to start going to college again; it's been way too long. I just hope it's better than Sabertooth University was. Sometimes I do wonder how the old gang is, but then I remember what happened. I wonder if it would have ended up differently if you were here? If you had given me some motherly advice, and I didn't just go barging in head first into everything..

Anyways, I just wanted to tell you that I love you, and I'll write to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Lucy!

I smiled at the letter before flipping the notebook shut, placing it back where it was originally. Getting up, I headed towards my bedroom to grab some fresh clothes, and then went to go take a shower. Nothing sounded better than relaxing tonight.. Especially since I had to work tomorrow, again. It was a Saturday night, so it would be even more hectic than usual. At least I had Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday off. A soft sigh escaped my lips as I walked into the warm spray of my shower, letting my thoughts go.

"Mira! Can you ask Lonnie to tap another keg, please? We're almost out of beer again!" I yelled at my white haired friend, who was running to their boss's office as soon as I finished. As predicted, the night was in full swing. The Dollhouse was packed full of people, some at the bar, some dancing on the makeshift dance floor, and others off in groups just talking.

I ran to a table with three girls, a huge smile on my face as I saw who my next customers were. "Juvia! Cana! Erza! I can't believe you guys made it out here!" I leaned in and hugged each one.

"Of course we came, Cana told us what happened last night and we wanted to make sure those punks didn't come back again. If they do, I swear, I will shove my-" Cana stopped Erza midrant with a hand over her mouth, knowing the reequip mage would go on forever with her threats. Though, with Erza, it was more like a promise. The woman was extremely protective over her friends, and the fact these guys bothered Levy for so long made her angry.

"Lucy took care of it, so don't you worry! Plus, one of the guys was kinda cute. I think Lucy may have made a new friend," Cana purred, wagging her eyebrows and me. I shook my head and grabbed the order tickets from my short apron.

"Juvia thinks that Lucy should go for it. Lucy hasn't had a date in forever, and must be dying of hornyness!" Juvia quipped in, making everyone laugh.

I stared at Juvia with a stunned look, eyebrows raised. "Oh, and how do you know I haven't just hooked up with anyone? Besides, it's not like your situation is better than mine. Don't you need more batteries for your boyfriend?" I stuck my tongue out at Juvia, teasing her. Juvia flipped her middle finger up, laughing. We always teased one another like this – Both Juvia and I hadn't had a date in awhile, the both of us focusing on work instead of men.

"Juvia has a stockpile of batteries, just in case Lucy runs out. Juvia knows how much time Lucy spends with her man."

I was about to reply when Mira came back out, waving at me. I raised a finger to let her know I'd be there in a second, then got down to business.

"Alright, what will you sexy ladies be having?" I asked, winking at the trio.

"Hangman's Blood for me, Lucy." Cana replied. Cana adored the drink, which was made out of her favorite things; rum, gin, brandy, and porter. At least she didn't ask for a barrel of it this time.

"Zombie for Juvia, please!" Juvia smiled, the name being the only reason she liked the drink. It wasn't too bad, made up of fruit juices and a few types of rum. It just got the water mage really drunk, really quick.

"And I shall have a Hanky-Panky, please." Erza answered. The drink was named poorly – it was a fairly sophisticated drink. Vermouth, dry gin, and Fernet Branca made for a stiff but delicious cocktail.

I nodded and walked away, heading over to Mira who was looking nervous. I arched a brow at her, curious as to what got her friend all worked up. "Everything okay, Mira?"

"Yeah, and I got the keg's are all set up. But two guys just came in, asking for you. I think one of them is Levy's stalker. Or at least a friend of his. Did they start stalking you, too?" Mira laid a hand on my shoulder, voice laced in concern. It took me a moment before I realized Sawyer must have come and requested me, like he said he'd do yesterday.

"Oh! Don't worry; if it's who I think it is, we're fine. What table are they at?" Mira told me, and I headed over to the side of the bar farthest from the dance floor. As I was walking, I scanned the crowd, looking for the mop of blonde hair I associated with Sawyer.

I saw it, and another head of blonde, in the far corner. I walked up and smiled at the shorter blonde, before turning my gaze to look at the man next to Sawyer. Oh, he was delicious. He had shorter hair than Sawyer's, but it was the same golden honey color. A scar carved in a lightening bolt pattern framed one of his eyes. Over here, the bar was dark enough where I couldn't quite figure out the exact color of his eyes, but I had a feeling they would be gorgeous any color. He was huge even sitting, tight muscle glued onto an amazing body. I was nearly drooling when I wretched my eyes from him, back to Sawyer. He had a weird look on his face, while the new guy just looked smug.

"I'm so glad you came back! What can I get you two?" I kneeled down as I put my ticket pad on the table, pen poised for their orders.

"Just two beers, please. And of course I did, I wanted to make sure Marco didn't come back," Sawyer seemed happy that my attention was mostly on him, which sort of confused me. We had just met last night through his friend that was basically stalking my best friend. Why would he be weird about where my attention was?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and turned to the hulking man on my other side. "You here as muscle just in case? I'm pretty sure we could have handled ourselves if the dude ever came back here." I teased, causing the man to smirk again.

"Actually, I'm here because my cousin basically dragged me. Though, I can see why." He winked at me, causing a slight blush to appear on my cheeks.

"Yeah, this is my cousin Laxus – He's from another city, visiting us. He's leaving soon." Sawyer added quickly, drawing my attention back to him.

"Well, not too soon. I still need to see if I want to go to MU or not."

"You didn't even like it when you went on the tour, though!"

"Well, I didn't give it a fair chance, now did I, Sawyer?"

I watched the two argue about the college, biting back a smile. The two were more like brothers than cousins. I got up and backed away, though the two didn't even notice I left. What an interesting family.

I got back to work, bringing my girls their drinks and then the two muscle-bound blondes theirs. Then I began refilling other tables, helping people at the bar, and bringing people the food that they ordered.

By the time it hit bar close, I was about to fall asleep on my feet. Levy and Mira followed my zombie-like walk out the back door, where we met up with Cana and Erza. Earlier in the night Juvia had to head out, saying she had a blind date. I hope that went well, at least.

"So, Lucy, I saw you talking to Laxus and his cousin tonight," Mira teased, flinging an arm around me as we walked in a line.

"Oh, you know Sawyer and Laxus? Sawyer was a friend of Levy's ape friend. The only nice one of the bunch, if you ask me." I replied, shaking my head and putting a hand on my stomach. I was hungry.

"I don't know the Sawyer guy, but I know Laxus. There's a rumor he might be transferring to MU next semester. He's an incredible mage, or he was when we were teenagers. I worked at his grandpa's restaurant as a waitress, and he cooked there sometimes. Nice guy, a bit quite. But you two would have cute babies, Luce." Mira kept talking, walking slightly in front of the girls and turning around, almost lecturing me about all of his good qualities.

"Cute babies, really? I just met him tonight, and that was only when I served him and his cousin drinks. He is pretty cute, though." I rolled my eyes as we entered the 24/7 diner right down the street from the Dollhouse. This was our Saturday ritual; Mira, Levy and I would work until bar close, and then the other girls would have our breakfast here with us. Each of us got the same thing every time, too.

The waitress came up and greeted us, taking our orders quickly before hurrying off to the back. As she left, Mira got a devious look in her eye. "So, you think Laxus is cute? What about his cousin?"

"Anyone with eyes would see how hot Laxus is. But that over confident attitude almost kills me – if he was a bit less cocky, I would swear I met my dream man. Those muscles!" I sighed, acting like I was petting his said muscles, which got the girls laughing. "And Sawyer is incredibly good looking, but I don't know. If he hangs out with guys like Marco, the face he shows me might not be his true one." Shrugging, I watched Mira suppressing a giggle. Erza and Cana were sitting on the same side of the booth as Mira, both looking like they were about to explode into a laughing fit.

I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow in question before I felt a breath on my ear. Screaming, I jerked around to see a grinning Laxus and a frowning Sawyer. My eyes blinked owlishly before I remembered what I said about them just a few seconds ago. As soon as I remembered, my face turned as red as a tomato.

Just my fucking luck.