Lucy winced as the harsh morning sunlight pierced through her closed eye lids. Is it morning already? She groaned and turned onto her back. Rubbing her sore eyes, she groggily sat up in bed. For a second, she almost forgot where she was, and then all at once, everything came back to her.

Her eyes scanned the room for any sign of her friend, but not only was he not there, his belongings were gone too. And after what I did, who wouldn't leave? She winced, thinking back to the night before. She tightened her hold on her blanket as her chest constricted in guilt.

After a moment of silence, Lucy reluctantly climbed out of bed and got dressed. She put on a pair of tights and a sweater, not bothering to put any effort into her outfit today. While she was tying her hair up in her usual twin tails, she caught sight of her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes were puffy from crying last night, but that wasn't what had shocked her. What was shocking was the complete dullness in her eyes. She couldn't see any hint of life in her face at all. Even her hair seemed limp and her body, slumped. She stroked the end of one twin tail sadly.

Natsu… The image of his smiling face floated to the forefront of her mind, but it immediately dissolved into the memory of his silent back slowly disappearing from her sight as he walked out the door. She reached out her hand, but it only met her reflection. Why did I have to go and do that? She thought sadly. What made this time so different from the rest? Her hands dropped to her sides as she turned away from the mirror. Was it because he destroyed my time with Magnus? She shook her head. No, because he was being whiny about shopping? She shook her head again. That wasn't it. A small voice nudged at her from the back of her mind. Isn't it because you love him?

Lucy's heart thumped. Usually, her mind would automatically shut this part of her up, but with her defences on a low, the voice continued speaking. You're just disappointed in Natsu because of what he was like in Garnidelia. Admit it, you actually liked that sweet and caring Natsu, didn't you? That's why you blew up on him. Not because he destroyed something again, but because he was so different from the Natsu you loved.

Lucy, who had been subconsciously agreeing with this inner voice suddenly stopped and shook her head. No.

What do you mean, no? You obviously love him. Look how sad you are now that he's gone.

I am sad, but you're wrong; I don't like him when he's like that. She frowned, causing the shoujo manga version of Natsu to blink out of her mind. I like him just the way he is; rambunctious and hyper, not subdued and thoughtful, courageous and protective, not shy and wordy. Lucy froze. And I blew up on him for something so miniscule, and now, he's gone, she thought quietly.

She leaned down to grab her luggage in one hand, and the gifts in the other. She needed to find him. He needed to know that she was sorry, and that she wanted to make it up to him. She needed her partner back.

Lucy ran out of the hotel into a huge crowd of people. Tiptoeing as high as she could, she tried to peer over the sea of people in hopes of spotting a familiar pink head. But luck wasn't on Lucy's side. As she waded deeper into the crowd, she suddenly tripped over. While she managed to hold tight onto her luggage, the bag containing the gifts flew out in front of her and burst open, spewing its contents all over the streets.

Lucy quickly pushed herself off the ground to gather the gifts before they were stepped on. However, before she could even pick up the nearest one, a pair of hands were already handing her the bag refilled with all the gifts.

When she looked up, her eyes met the strangest shade of turquoise and her eyes widened in recognition.

"Magnus!" she exclaimed, surprised. Unlike yesterday, he was dressed casually in a t-shirt, slacks and a warm jacket. But still, he looked as good as he did the day before; she was attracting more than a few envious looks just by standing next to him.

"Hello, Lucy-san." He flashed his crinkly smile at her as she gratefully took the bag from him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. "I mean, not that I don't appreciate your help. I do." she added on hurriedly.

'Well, after yesterdays, er, incident, the store is closed for repairs now." He scratched his head awkwardly.

"Oh… I'm so sorry for that." She apologised again, bowing her head. "Was my payment yesterday really enough to cover the damages?" she asked concernedly.

"It's fine, Lucy-san, honestly." He reassured her. "The damage wasn't too great, so I should be able to reopen again tomorrow."

"Phew, that's good news." she sighed in relief.

"More importantly, are you okay?"

"Wha—oh, you mean the fall? I've suffered worse than this, no worri—"

"No, no." he interrupted her. "I mean, you don't look so well. Are you okay?" his brows creased into a frown.

Lucy touched her face self-consciously. "Oh, I'm fine." She said in a low voice.

"Okayy," Magnus looked unconvinced. "And what about your friend?"

"Who?"

"The one with the pink hair?" He made gestures at his own hair.

"…Oh." She attempted a smile. "Actually, I'm looking for him right now."

"You are? Then I shouldn't bother you." He said, excusing himself.

"But—"

"You should go look for him, Lucy-san." Magnus interrupted her. "He seems like a very important person to you." He said seriously, though he smiled gently.

Lucy stared at him blankly before a small smile appeared on her own face. "Mm." she nodded.

"Good luck!" Magnus said loudly as he walked away. He raised his hand in a wave which Lucy returned, before breaking into a run in the other direction with her two bags in tow.

Unsurprisingly, looking for one person – even if he had pink hair and tended to stand out wherever he went – was tough in such a big town. Lucy had searched for one hour straight before she collapsed on a nearby bench in exhaustion. What was I thinking? She panted, her breath visible in the cold air. I should just finish the shopping without him. I don't even know if he's still in town, she realised.

Her heart dropped. Somehow, she found herself looking forward to this big reunion. Them spotting each other from a distance, dropping their bags and running towards each other with open arms, embracing each other while tears of joy were shed and apologies made… Okay, so she got that out of a book, but a girl could dream, right?

Lucy sighed as she leaned back on the bench, tilting her head up towards the sky. Ah, it's snowing, she realised. Aside for the snow storm back in Magnolia, it hadn't snowed at all in any of the places they had travelled to. A small snowflake landed on her nose, causing her to shiver. A few more landed on her arms, legs, and head, the small snowflakes creating little dots in her clothing. I guess I should finish the shopping here and head to the next town before sundown, she thought lazily.

She stuck her hand into her purse waiting for her skin to make contact with paper, but there was nothing. She sat up in panic, and immediately began pulling things out of her purse in search for that one scroll of paper. Her wallet, some receipts, a notebook, a few pens, a spare pair of earrings… it all came tumbling out onto the bench, but still, no list. Lucy's facial expression grew more and more distressed.

Could I have left it in Magnus' store yesterday?, her mind was reeling with worries. No, it can't be. I remember putting it back into my purse. I was reading it last night! Could it be… Her hand slowed in realisation. Did I drop it this morning when I fell?

Lucy stood up from the bench and quickly gathered her things. Maybe it's still there!, she thought, preparing to run off again, when suddenly—

"Lucy!"

Her head whipped around at the familiar voice. Lucy felt her heart soar even before her eyes met his atrociously pink locks. "Natsu", she whispered, her eyes widening.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy." The usually cheerful fire mage had a solemn look on his face as he held a present box out to her, complete with a huge ribbon she knew couldn't be his handiwork. She noticed a familiar sheet of paper sticking out of his pocket, and the bags of gifts that pooled at the bottom of his feet.

"Natsu…" she repeated dazedly, taking the package from him. "What is thi—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted. "I just don't understand why you're angry with me, Lucy." He scratched his head. "But I don't like it when we fight. We're supposed to be best partners. So, please, stop being angry with me." He wore an expression of concern.

Lucy looked at him, then at the gift in her hands. She pulled the end of the ribbon and watched it unravel. Slowly, she lifted the cover of the box. Her eyes immediately widened and she looked up to stare at her teammate. "But Natsu—"

"Do you like it?" A grin was beginning to form on his face, which made Lucy want to smile too, but she shook her head and pushed the gift back to him.

"I forgive you, I really do. And I'm so, so sorry for what I said last night. I shouldn't have said any of it. I know it hurt you, and I wish I could take it back, Natsu. Really." She said, looking at him apologetically. "But this," she gestured at the gift. "I can't accept this."

Natsu's face, which was about to break into the biggest smile, displayed a frown. "Why? Don't you like it?"

"No, it's not that. I love it, I just—it's too expensive. I can't take it." She pushed it towards him and turned her head away, because inside of that box, nestled in soft tissue, was a square of sparkly red fabric that made her heart skip a beat. Lucy gulped.

"Uh, yes you can." Natsu rolled his eyes. "See? You're already holding it."

"No, no. You hold it!" She pushed it back to him.

"No."

"Natsu, please take it", her voice in-between despair and hope.

"Nuh uh. It's for you, Lucy." He put his hands behind his back, then stuck his tongue out at her cheekily. "I want to see you wear it." He added.

Lucy blushed lightly. "I— Natsu… Thank you." Her voice wavered a little and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you." She whispered.

"Lucy! Why are you crying?" Natsu panicked. "Did I do something again? Tell me!"

Lucy bonked her friend on the head lightly. "They're tears of happiness, you idiot." She giggled, wiping away her tears. She picked up half of the gift bags and hooked her arm around his. "Come on, Natsu. Next stop, and we can walk if you like." She said generously.

"Really?" He exclaimed excitedly.

Lucy nodded.

"Awesome!" Natsu pumped his fist into the air. "Let's go, let's go!" he chanted happily. Lucy just smiled. She wouldn't have it any other way.

Okay, maybe she would have had it another way; preferably a way that involved transportation. It occurred to her that it was probably not her best decision to agree to walk in the snow to a town that would take 2 hours by train. But by the time she began to regret it, they were already far from any sign of life; or more importantly, transportation.

At least Natsu is happy, she thought. In fact, he was so happy about the lack of ground motion that he still had the energy to march on even though she had slowed down to a crawl a long time ago. But despite the fact that her legs were slowly giving out on her, she couldn't be glum about it. Natsu's good mood was infectious, and she found that she could ignore the aching pain in her heels as long as they carried on their cheerful banter.

But it was kind of weird. They had been walking for at least 3 hours but the landscape around them still looked as abandoned as it had been an hour ago. Even weirder still, this town they were supposed to be at, Gimmlestone or something, wasn't on any of the official maps Lucy had brought along. So really, they were relying on Natsu's sense of smell to get there.

Wait, shouldn't The List have directions or something?, she suddenly realised. Lucy stopped walking to take out the list. It was slightly crumpled with a few food stains on it, thanks to the short period of time it spent in Natsu's pocket. She rolled it open until the part where the gifts in Magna were stated.

Magna

Massimo's Magic Emporium

Asuka - Plush pony (live edition)

Evergreen - Enchanted fairy wings

Gildarts - Magic-suppressing rings

Jet - Friction-resistant boots

Rarity:

Erza - Peeping mirror

'Mystogun' - Peeping mirror

Fiore Outfitters:

Wendy - Dress #09182 (pre-booked)

Bisca - Dress #07182 (pre-booked)

Levy - Dress #10293 (pre-booked)

(Lucy was bewildered at this item, but was immediately convinced upon seeing the dress. Even if Mira was a demon and schemer, there was no denying her good taste.)

Prints & Posters:

Freed - Posters of Laxus (pre-ordered)

Warren - Posters of Wendy and Cheria from the Grand Magic Games (pre-ordered)

(Lucy didn't even want to see any of those gifts.)

Train Station:

Kinana - An all-expense paid trip to visit Cobra

Lucy looked up at Natsu and the multitude of gift bags that he was carrying. Thanks to him, they managed to buy everything from Magna with time to spare, but that wasn't what she was looking for. Lucy rolled open the scroll to the next portion. There it was: Gimmelshtump. Exit from the south of Magna and continue straight on until Gimmelshtump, she read. What kind of directions were those?!

"Lucy! Lucy!" Natsu called her from ahead. "I just smelled something incredible, let's go!"

Lucy quickly rolled up the list and tucked it in her purse. "Wait for me, Natsu!" she said, running to catch up with him. She huffed and puffed as she followed his running figure up a steep hill. When she finally caught up to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder to support herself. "Natsu," Lucy wheezed, "Why'd you suddenly start running?" She panted heavily.

Natsu didn't pay heed to her question. Instead he began pointing at something excitedly. "Lucy, look, look!"

Below the hill, shrouded in mist, Lucy could make out a small town; even smaller than Garnidelia, though it surely seemed much noisier. The sound of cheering and Christmas carols wafted up to where they stood, and Lucy and Natsu looked at each other grinning.

"We're finally here!" Lucy whooped.

"Food!" Natsu yelled happily at the same time.

Suddenly feeling revitalised, Lucy sped down the hill alongside Natsu into the nearest place that offered food and warmth. Having worked up the appetite walking all the way there, it didn't take long for the two to devour their dinner and return back to the streets of Gimmelshtump, ready to get back to Christmas shopping again.

By then, night had fallen and the streets were dim, with only the warm glow from street lamps to guide their way. Despite that, the streets were still teeming with people, and plenty of stores remained open.

"Natsu, we should get some shopping done tonight before we sleep!" Lucy shouted over the noise of the crowd.

"But I'm tired, Lucy." He whined, dragging his feet.

"Come on, Natsu. What happened to all that energy you had when we were walking here?"

"But now my stomach is all warm and fuzzy, it's making me want to sleeeeep." He tried to reason, rubbing his stomach.

"Don't be a wimp, Natsu." Lucy retorted before she stopped to ask for directions. "Excuse me, would you happen to know where this shop is?" She pointed at the shop's name on Mira's list.

"Oh honey, that's in the town over yonder." The motherly-looking woman pointed north.

"Okay, thanks." Lucy replied, before the sentence truly hit her. "Wait, town? You mean, it's not in this town?!"

"That's what I said, dear." The woman was now looking at her peculiarly.

"B-but isn't this Gimmelshtump?"

"Oh no, dearie. This is Gimmestump. Don't worry, it's a common mistake. Honestly, I don't know what our mayor was thinking, naming our town just like that other one."

The woman rolled her eyes, but Lucy was too shocked to even hear her side commentary. Wrong… Town…?! EHHH?!

Suddenly she felt the air beside her head grow very warm. "Lucy?" Natsu popped his head out beside hers. "What's wrong?"

"Natsuuu" she wailed, turning to look at him. "We got the wrong town!"

"You mean this isn't Gimmestump?"

"It's not—Wait, did you say Gimmestump?"Lucy stopped her rant to stare at him blankly.

"Yeah, Gimmestump. That was our next stop, right?"

Lucy pulled the list out of her purse and quickly rolled it open.

Gimmelshtump

Directions: Exit from the south of Magna and continue straight on until Gimmelshtump

Potions & Other Remedies:

Juvia - Love Potion

Macao - Youth Potion

Those are terrible gift ideas! Lucy thought. Wait, I'm going off topic here. She put the list directly in front of Natsu's face and said loudly. "See, see! It's Gimmelshtump, not Gimmestump."

Natsu just stared at the list blankly before laughing nervously. "Did I mention that I'm not a good reader?"He said, backing away.

"Natsu." Lucy's voice took on a menacing tone as she shoved the list back into her purse and began advancing upon the now pale-faced dragon slayer.

"Eeek!" Natsu yelped and began running away. "What happened to no more fighting, Lucy?! We're best partners, aren't we?!" He wailed as he ran. The crowd parted to allow the two to run by; one screaming pink-haired boy being chased by a busty blonde chick… and were those demon horns on her head?

"NATSUUUU. YOU'RE SO DEAD WHEN I FINALLY CATCH YOU!" she yelled.

After a lot of running and yelling, Lucy finally ran out of stamina and Natsu decided it was safe to approach her… within a 5 feet radius, of course.

"Lucy…" He called her tentatively.

"Argh, Natsu, now what do we do?"She complained. "It's too far to travel tonight. Should we travel tomorrow? But then, we'll be behind schedule. Well, it's not like we're not already behind schedule. Ugh, not to mention we walked all the way here for more than 3 hours for nothing!" Lucy had begun talking to herself.

"Lucy, I don't understand. Why don't we just shop here?" Natsu interjected her monologue.

"What are you talking abo— Hey, that could work!" Lucy's face turned from annoyed to excited and Natsu, a little more smug. "But that would mean needing to actually choose gifts." She took out the list and read through the part that was meant for Gimmelshtump.

Gimmelshtump

Directions: Exit from the south of Magna and continue straight on until Gimmelshtump

Potions & Other Remedies:

Juvia - Love Potion

Macao - Youth Potion

Pablo's Portraits:

Reedus - A new set of paint brushes

Nab - A replica of the request board (pre-ordered)

Makarov - Portrait of Lucy (pre-ordered)

Mages' Must-Haves:

Vijeeter - Enchanted socks

Elfman - Self-assurance manual

Cana - Self-refilling bottle

Sewn 4 U:

Gray - Invisible clothes (pre-ordered)

Grocer's:

Max - Broom bristle cleaner

Oh god, these are terrible gifts. She looked up at Natsu in horror. Except maybe for Reedus' and… who was Vijeeter again? She frowned.

Meanwhile, Natsu was peering over her shoulder, now figuring her wrath had already worn off. "Pfft, invisible clothes? For that stripper Gray?" He burst into laughter.

"I know, terrible, right?" Lucy nodded her head sagely. "We should totally get all these people different gifts."

"No no, let's get the stripper, pfft, invisible clothes!" Natsu burst into laughter again.

Lucy bit back her own laughter. "We shouldn't, it's not the right thing to do." She said, though a smile was beginning to play on her lips.

"Aww, Lucy. You're no fun." He pouted.

Lucy put her hand across her mouth and coughed to hide her own amusement. "Well, firstly, we should get to a hotel first. I think we can start tomorrow." She said, changing the topic.

"Okay!" Natsu agreed happily, his sad emotions tied up and thrown into the gutter. "I get to sleep with you tonight, right?"

"I didn't agree to that, Natsu." She said, beginning to walk around looking for a place to stay.

"But Luu-uucy, I haven't slept with you for two days."He whined, causing a few people to look suspiciously in their direction. Lucy noticed this and began walking faster; Natsu had to jog to catch up with her.

"So?" She said in an unamused tone.

"The bed is always more comfy when you're in it too." He said in a childish voice.

Lucy looked to her right. He was giving her the puppy dog eyes again. She looked away and groaned. "Fine, but you're doing all the gift-carrying tomorrow." She stated her condition.

"Okay!"

"And we're taking the train to the next town." She added on.

"Eh?! But—" He protested.

"No buts, Natsu."

The dragon slayer slumped, his face already turning green at the thought of it. Lucy looked at the sight before her and grinned widely. Well, at least things were back to normal now.

Note: I know I said I would upload everything before Christmas Eve, but it took longer to write than I thought. There's two more chapters to go, and maybe an epilogue much later. Hopefully I can finish it all by New Years, and I will definitely finish it, so don't worry.

Anyway, to all the lovely readers, followers and favourite-rs (?), Merry Christmas! Or for some of you, Merry Christmas Eve! Thanks for all the support so far 3

Note: I wanted to draw some parallels to the pre-antidote with the post-antidote.