Okay, Author's Note, commence! Hi, um this is my first time writing fanfiction so I hope you like it so far! Sorry the pacing is a little slow, it should pick up soon! I've read your reviews and I just wanted to say thank you very much! I was nervous as I wrote this, and practically hysterical when I posted the first chapter. Your reviews picked me right up though! THANK YOU! Maybe you just skipped over this to get right to the story, or maybe you aren't continuing it, either way I'm still grateful. *Does happy dance* Believe it or not it actually took me this long to actually post an author's note, part of me is whispering in my head, "Noooo, stay in here where it's warm and safe and no one actually reads you, just the story… shhhhh….." I silenced that voice with an imaginary pillow. Anyway (crosses fingers that you don't dislike me after that weird admission), here you go, enjoy!

That night I stared at the window as I sat on the couch, waiting for Natsu to climb through the window. My foot tapped the ground in quick rhythms, daring the window to allow a pink-headed boy to cross the threshold. As the minutes passed I didn't move, even though my wet hair from my recent shower dripped on to my PJ's, or when I felt my butt starting to go numb. With each passing second my anger was inflating, growing and expanding inside my chest. I needed him to come; I had to know who that man was.

I finally let out a small growl and stood up suddenly, before storming to the kitchen. I grabbed from the fridge a water bottle and chugged it. When it was half way empty I slammed it down on the counter and my gaze ended up floating to the window. Damn it, why didn't he trust me? Why did he think I couldn't protect myself, and for that matter who the hell was the stranger? I had the strong urge to throw a table suddenly. This was so frustrating!

"If Natsu doesn't come over here with answers soon…" I never got to finish that thought when I heard a small tap on the window. I turned quickly ad rushed over, only to end up being slightly disappointed. It wasn't Natsu, it was Happy. His small blue form was hard to make out against the night but I could see his slightly pink nose and wide eyes. Sighing I opened the window, allowing him to come in.

"You better have a good excuse on why Natsu isn't telling me what I need to know," I said to him.

Happy sat on my bed and let out a sigh. "Lucy, if I knew then you would know." I frowned at his slightly slumped shoulders; it wasn't like him to act so down. He always seemed to be full of energy, granted it was stupid and silly energy, but energy nonetheless.

"Did he not tell you?" I asked in confusion. They told each other everything as far as I was concerned. The cat and the mage had been best friends for practically their entire lives.

Happy shook his head, saying sadly, "Aye." I sat down next to Happy and gently scratched his head. "Sorry Happy, it seems were both in the dark on this aspect."

Suddenly Happy jumped up in a sudden range, I recoiled in surprise. "This is not cool Lucy! Natsu and I are, were nakima…" Suddenly tears started to form at the edge of his eyes. "This could put you in danger too," he mumbled, slumping back down on the bed, his previous rage forgotten. "He's acting so strange, looking angry all the time. Nakima don't keep secrets to each other like this." His voice had gone wobbly.

I nodded, understanding. If anyone was to be deeply hurt by Natsu's actions it would be Happy.

"Can I stay here tonight Lucy?" Happy asked. my eyes crinkled in concern, it must be really bad if he didn't want to go home to Natsu.

I nodded reluctantly. His face, a moment ago bathed in sadness, suddenly brightened. He and Natsu were so alike, they changed moods so quickly I couldn't help but think with amusement. My amusement quickly turned sour at the thought of Natsu.

I stared at the wall frowning. It was really bothering me how Natsu was acting. Moving past my anger I realized how unlike him it was, he never turned on his friends. It had to be really serious for him to even hint towards acting this way. I let out a sigh, maybe if I talked to Master he'd tell me, since Natsu was hell bent on not telling me.

"You're sure Natsu didn't say anything about it, Happy?" I questioned. Happy, looking like he was about to fall asleep shook his head slowly.

"All he said was that he needed to protect you from him with a scary expression on his face…" Happy mumbled before letting out a loud yawn. I patted Happy on the head and said to him, "Go to sleep, you look tired."

He nodded mutely, lying down next to me, curled up like the cat he was. In a few seconds time he was fast asleep. I sighed and stood walking to the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror, frowning at the person who stared back. Why was that man interested in me? The way Natsu said it, it was as if he was specifically after me, coupled with the man's creepy grin, and Master's rampage I got a really bad feeling. I stared at the pink Fairy Tail mark on my hand for a few moments.

I tried to quell the uneasy feeling that rested in my stomach ever since Natsu's fight with the stranger. Nothing bad would happen, right? My eyes stared hard at the mark before finally I thought forcefully, "I am a part of Fairy Tail! I refuse to let something like this make me nervous! I will be fine, it's not like I'm powerless if something does happen."

I suddenly smirked at the memory of using my Lucy Kick. I also had my Celestial keys who were ten times as powerful as almost anyone, certainly more powerful than that stranger, I thought, disregarding Natsu and his words.

Later, after I had worked a little bit on my novel, I laid down next to Happy and whispered into the silent room, "I'll be fine," before drifting off to sleep.

As I entered the guild the next morning, with Happy flying slightly behind me, my eyes searched for Erza. I found her as she was yelling at some drunken looking members of the guild. It looked like everything had turned back to normal, everyone as rowdy and rambunctious as before, including Erza, returning to her usual strict and confident self.

I hurried over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to me, blinking in surprise, acting like everything was normal, like she wasn't holding a guy in a choke hold. "Oh, Lucy, what can I do for you?" she asked, dropping the guy as he and his friend quickly scrambled away, casting me grateful looks.

She didn't notice that they had gotten away and I wasn't keen to notify her, sometimes she scared me a little bit. No correction, she scared me a lot.

"Erza, do you know where Master is?" I asked. Erza frowned at me in confusion.

"Well, I think he's in his office upstairs. Why do you need him?" she said.

I gave her an apologetic smile, saying it was kind of personal. The red head nodded not quite understanding, but respecting my privacy. I thanked her once again before moving to the back of the guild, climbing up one of the sets of stairs. Meanwhile Erza finally noticed her previous targets had snuck away and was in pursuit of them. "WHERE ARE YOU TWO? I A GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON ON MANNERS!" she shouted. I winced in sympathy for the two poor souls.

Once at the top I walked to the door in the back and knocked hesitantly. A voice said from inside, "Come in."

Opening the door revealed a small room with a big desk sitting directly in front of me. Seated on a chair that was raised was a small older man with a gray mustache and hair with a strange orange and blue striped hat sitting on his head. His jacket and pants were orange to, matching the hat. He glanced up from the papers on the desk he had been staring up and said, "Ah, Lucy what a pleasant surprise."

"What brings you hear today?" he asked kindly. I came in and stood directly in front of his desk.

"Um," I said, suddenly nervous, "Master, I have to ask you something, it's about the stranger from yesterday."

Immediately his face clouded over and he asked quietly, "What you could you possibly need to know about him?"

I shifted uncomfortably at his sudden mood change. "Well, um, it's just that when Natsu picked a fight with him, he was a little strange." I hesitated before continuing. "He stopped for a moment before leaving and stared at me, than Natsu was freaking out about him, insisting that he needed to protect me. Natsu won't tell me anything about it, but I have the feeling I need to know who he is, just in case," I finished, finally taking a breath.

Master seemed frozen before muttering to himself, "Natsu didn't tell me that. This changes things…"

"Master?" I asked. His eyes widened, realizing he had talked out loud. "Master, who is he?"

Master let out a sigh before saying, "Unfortunately it is not my place to say who he is, but I will talk some sense in to Natsu. For now though, just be careful. He isn't someone you want to come across in a dark alley."

Hearing even Master warn me about him was a little nerve racking.

I nodded, trying to repress a sigh. I still hadn't found out who he was, and what he wanted with me. Nodding, I turned to go but he stopped me, saying, "Lucy, don't be to disheartened by Natsu's refusal to tell you. His intentions are good; it's just hard for him to talk about these things. He really does want to protect you." He gave me a reassuring smile. "I'll talk to him, don't worry."

I frowned, feeling more confused than ever but said nonetheless, "Thanks Master," before leaving his office.