It was a hot day at the end of summer. Most of the members of Fairy Tail were in the Hall, relaxing and avoiding work during such a scorching day. It could wait. Most people just sat around with drinks in their hands and a group around them.

I sat with Lucy leaning on me, Levy and Gajeel across from us. We were just talking back and forth about basically nothing. Then Gajeel and I started arguing about if Igneel or Metallicana would win in a fight and the girls just started doing their own thing, Lucy flipping through a magazine with one hand on her stomach like she did when she thought no one was looking and Levy with her nose in a book.

Then the doors of the Guild Hall flew off of the places where they should have been with the sound of rushing air.

People had scrambled out of the way and I had my arms around Lucy in an instant. The table flew over and I kept her close to me, my bodying hitting the floor first. Everyone looked up at the shadows in the doorway as they came into focus of the sunlight.

A woman with long legs, a dark smile, and a quill in her hand.

A man in a suit with a cigarette in his mouth and an oversized lighter in his hand.

A young guy with a laughing sort of smile that held no sort of kindness.

What looked like a dog with black hair and a snarling mouth.

The woman in the front seemed to be in charge and she soon stepped forward, her quill touch her gave us a wide smile.

"So, what's this we hear about a secret weapon?" She said it so casually, no one reacted until she said it in a much more bitter way. "We don't like not being given a little bit of a very powerful thing, Fairies. Now, someone talk."

"What the hell are you going on about?" Master Makarov said from his seat in the back center of the Hall.

"I do not like to repeat myself, old man," she leered. "Besides, I think I've had enough talking. Boys, find it."

Suddenly, there were fights everywhere.

I was up in a hurry, keeping myself in front Lucy was we shoved through the groups of people.

"Oi! Salamander!"

I turned around to see Gajeel with Juvia and Levy next to him.

"Natsu, get Levy and Juvia and the baby and get them out of here. I gotta jump in this fight." He told me.

Levy looked freaked out, but like she was only leaving to calm Gajeel down. Juvia looked like she just wanted out of the hall. I looked at her and sure enough she had the crying baby hugged to her chest.

I nodded. Lucy grabbed Juvia's hand and Gajeel ran back into the fight. I wanted to too, but I had to get the girls out first. I'd have time to come back.

We jogged out the door, Happy flying quickly behind us. The sound of the fight dimmed as we got to the field with the tree that we all knew well. I stopped and let the girls catch their breaths.

"I'll be right back," I said, giving Lucy a quick kiss. "I'm gonna go help them. Juvia, Levy, please stay with her until I g-"

I got cut off by the sound of feet hitting grass as the woman, the leader, gracefully fell out of the branches of the huge tree and landed behind Lucy. She was so quick. Her hand flicked and the calligraphy of what I saw as solid script magic lit the air in front of the two of them. Knife.

She held the blade in her hand, one arm around Lucy's chest, one holding the blade to her neck.

"Alright then, how about we have a little talk, Natsu," she said with a little smirk. "I hear you know something about this secret weapon."

"Who the hell are you?" I shouted, motioning for Happy to get Juvia away without taking my eyes off of where the women held Lucy. "Let go of her. We can talk. Just stop."

"Just call me Arabella. Arabella Deadlock. Now talk, boy," she said, only tightening her grip. "What do they mean weapon?"

"Natsu, don't say anything," Lucy said, her eyes locked with mine. Secret weapon. Our secret weapon. The baby. They had this all mixed up.

"Hush," the woman sneered, "I didn't ask you to speak, did I? I was talking to your little boyfriend. So talk faster or she won't ever do it again, Dragon Slayer."

I felt the flame flare on my hands, but Lucy shook her head carefully.

I looked in Lucy's eyes at that moment and realized I had to make a choice right now. If I didn't tell her anything, she'd kill her. If I said too much, I didn't know what she'd do. I wasn't gonna just lose my family right when I was excited about it. I wanted to fight, but I couldn't save them if I tried to get to her fast enough. It would only take that same smooth flick of her wrist as she had done with the calligraphy and I'd never be able to save them.

I let the flames fade off of my hands, and held them lightly up.

"Oi, you've got this all wrong." I said stiffly, taking slow step towards them. "There's no weapon. Not a new type of magic or anything like that."

"Natsu..." Lucy whispered.

I looked only at the woman now. "The talk is all about the power of a person."

She raised a thin, quizzical eyebrow. "Oh? A mage?"

"In the making," I responded with a vague smile.

She looked back at me with squinting eyes for a moment, unsure of what I meant. Then, it dawned on her and she chuckled, loosening her grip on Lucy enough to look at her instead of me.

"Ahh... I see. Well, what good news," she said, her voice so thick with sarcasm I could feel it in the air. "And here I thought Fairy Tail was hiding a strong new magic. A baby, huh?"

Lucy just stared at me with eyebrows close together and her hands holding the woman's arm away from her. She looked so scared and I needed to get her out of this.

"Hey! Let's get this talk over with," I called. "I want to get back to my drink."

She turned back to me with lowered eyelids and a dark smirk. "Oh, we're done now, boy. For now."

And she flicked her wrist, colored smoke formed in the clearing. When it cleared, she was gone. Lucy was kneeling on the floor with her hands on the grass.

"Lucy!"

I ran over to her side as fast as I could, skidding my knees on the grass to lean next to her. I put a hand around her and helped her stand. She was a little wobbly, but she seemed fine. I scanned her over one more time and let out a breath.

"Are you alright?" I asked, holding her in front of me. "She didn't hurt you at all, did she?" Her neck had a little scratch but nothing more.

She nodded, taking slow deep breaths with her arm around her midsection. "Just... A little shaken up," she responded quietly.

I nodded. "Come on... Let's get you two home," I said, picking her up in my arms. Her arms wrapped around my neck as we walked and I thought I heard her sobbing.

...

Well, one more chapter on ^^ thank you, readers. Every view is appreciated. Any questions or comments, feel free to send them my way. Until next time...