Chapter 14

Author's Notes: This one took longer than I liked to come out. Having school assignments and a full time job...and keeping up with my manga and anime addictions takes time. :( but here it is. It's a bit of a 'filler' chapter, I know but I wanted to give a idea of what each of the sections of the puzzle is doing right now.

A chubby hand tugs at the skirt of a young woman leaning over the display case filled with various sweets for the tempting. It must be something interesting indeed to have pulled the little one's attention."Mama Lookit~!"

"Not now honey. I'm trying to talk to the nice man here." The woman at the counter turns back to speaking with the bartisa. "Yes, I would like a quad shot in the dark with room for cream a scone and a apple juice..."

"Alright, will that be all for you~?!"

She was completely unprepared for the sudden shattering of the glass store front or the rain of bullets that showered through. Screams pieced the air and shouting she could feel when the pastry display case began to rain fragments. Her only thought being if she could get to her child fast enough and pray that they both make it out of here alive.

Natsu hummed to himself as he walked into Hardbodies thinking more about the shop owner than the things he had to finish for his bike. Last night had it's bumps but all in all he thinks it turned out pretty damn great. Humming to himself he opens the door. "Hey! LU~!" He stops as he stares at a unknown woman sitting in what was usually Lucy's place at this time of day. He doesn't remember her mentioning a new hire...and while he questioned Freeds sexuality he was pretty sure that he would've kept his hair color...and eye color as he seemed pretty vain about both..and probably wore more clothes. Who the hell wore a bikini top to work, out side of swimsuit models?

"Yo. You must be Mr. Mystery man hanging around my little Lucy-chan."

Great, another guard dog? Is that...alcohol?

"Uh...I'm Natsu...and You are...?"

"Cana. Cana Alberona." she takes a drink out of a coffee cup which proudly proclaimed: "Apathy, If we don't care enough, maybe the customer's will go away!" He blinks. "Uh..Nice to meet you."

"So, how's it going trying to get her in the sack?"

"Huh?"

"Cause she can be a bit slow. Dense really when it comes to people being attracted to her. Sometimes you gotta just beat her over the head and toss her over your shoulder all caveman like for her to get..."

"CANA!?" Lucy is standing in the doorway in her overalls and hair in one wild ponytail. Her face was very red.
"What? Just tryin' ta help ya." Lucy marches up and grabs the mug sniffing it.

"Really!? Do you know what time it is?"

"'bout 11."

"Exactly."

"It's 5pm somewhere."

"UGH! Do not embarrass me. Treat the customers right, and for the love of Mavis put on a shirt!" The woman just rolls her eyes.

"You know, if you showed some skin you'd have more men in here."

"For all the wrong reasons. Leave Natsu alone." Lucy sighs in frustration. "Come on Natsu, you don't need to be sexually harassed by Cana...she can do that to the customers." Cana pouts.

Natsu blinks both at the situation and at her wording. A slow, confident smile begins to grace his once blankly perplexed features. So...I'm firmly out of the category of customer, then. Good. But let's find out where I'm filed in her life...

Natsu chuckles. "She seems like a good friend."

"Yeah...if you don't mind her loose lips, drunkenness, tendency to nose into my business, and freaky ability to have HORRIBLE timing for interfering." She sighs softly before continuing ever so softly. "But I wouldn't trade her for anything. She's like a sister to me."

"And Freed's your brother..." Natsu laughs.

"One of them."

"Wait one?"

"It's like when I lost my family my new family got huge..oh yeah, I never told you about Laxus. I'm trying to keep him from coming home too much. He's kinda...overbearing."

"Right so Freed's the worrywart mom, Cana the meddling sister, and Laxus the overbearing big brother."

Lucy giggles. "Yes, but he's not so bad."

"Classic last words. He's not bad to YOU. He's your over protective older brother. He doesn't have any reason to keep me alive."

"Yes he does. If he hurts you is adorable little sister would become very angry and probably try and shoot off various parts of his body."

"Do you always threaten your family members like that?"

"Only to those I love dearly. Family gets the most gruesome punishments because they can handle it. Everyone else simply gets shot or broken bones."

"Remind me not to piss you off...especially not when your packing."

"I'm always packing. But no I wouldn't use my gun on you. For you would have to be something special...probably run you over."

Ah...there it is. He smiles to himself as he shrugs out of his riding jacket."Well that makes me feel so much better..." And it did.

"You should. I don't take getting blood on my cars lightly." she laughs as she climbs into her latest job, a 69 Camero done in red with white stripes. It was a convertible, but it still didn't make him want to ride in it. But if he could end up in Lucy's lap afterwards it might not be that bad...

He has walked over to his temporary work area. He's pulled on a metal working face mask and is starting to play with his blow torch. He had wanted to add some customized metal working to his bike. Having no nearby metal working areas that would accept such jobs, and having some skill of his own working with blow torches he had decided to do it himself. Gajeel was to come today to help him work with it. Natsu never wore a apron and Lucy having once mentioned it he had simply shrugged and said: "I won't catch." She had looked curious but had not questioned him on it. The subject of powers had not come up but he could see moments when she seemed to look as if she was going to say something but then would decide against it. He kept his peace. She would come to truly trust him and tell him on her own.

About a hour into their work Gajeel comes through the garage door and looks around like everything was offending him by it's presence alone. Which Lucy's come to understand is his normal expression. Natsu looks up. "HEY your late."

"Shut it. Be glad I came at all. Your seams look like shit. Just because you melt it doesn't mean your done. Gimme that."

Natsu glares but hands it over.

"So how's it going?" The bigger man murmurs absently.

"She'll think about it."

"Uh yeah I was actually referring to you trying to get with her. But that's intrestin' too." Natsu glares at him again. "Slowly...but well. I didn't break her window trying to throw rocks at it to get her attention, unlike some people I know..."

"HEY! We agreed not to talk about that."

"Especially since she still thinks some vandals did it. Honesty is the foundation of your relationship I see..."

"Shut up you jackass!"

"Make me!"

Most people would be rather upset that there where presently two fit men attempting to have a fight while holding dangerously hot metal and a blowtorch, Lucy however, just grins. Though she did wonder when that became normal around her usually quiet shop. So far, from what she has noticed, Natsu's closest male friends usually end up fighting. First he and Grey, now he and Gajeel. Though they would never agree that's the case. She could tell easily as though they might verbally and physically fight their aura's never changed their strangely harmonious relationship. Gajeel had a gift with metal working...somehow it just made what he wanted in record time. The shaping bending and molding was Gajeel's job. Natsu however, could get the blowtorch to the perfect height and light it in no time and maintain it. He somehow never had the flame too high or too low and the metal stayed warmer longer after he worked with it allowing Gajeel to manipulate it longer. It was a very odd way of working. But she couldn't argue with results as each piece was finished quickly. She hears more footsteps and looks back

"Levy? What are you doing here?"

"You have two muscle bound men sweating and working in your garage...one of which is my boyfriend. Why wouldn't I be here? I want to stare too. I brought pop." Lucy blinks and blushes faintly. She had always been a bit oblivious to men, usually. Probably because she hung around them too much. But if she took a mental step back to simply observe part of her perked and admitted that Levy was quite right. Metal working was hard and hot work. Thus it had a very high probably of producing hot hardworking men...yeah. Though the starting products weren't bad either.

"Alright, I can see your point. Cana's here too so don't go giving her any ammo."

"Oh fun...wait. No that's bad in the present situation..." Levy looks off at Lucy's glare before she sighs.

"She's just being annoying nothing big."

Levy snorts in elegantly. "No she sees what Bisca and I saw, only with *her* you can't argue that she's making it up seeing as she just got here." Lucy huffs and goes to stuff her head into the engine again.

"OOOh, no arguments this time either. *gasp* what happened? You have to tell me."

Lucy shushed her. "He has creepy good hearing. Hush!"

"Huh? oh...yeah...he does. He told you about that?"

"What?"

"Nothing never mind. Anyway the race is coming up soon. SURE you don't want to race?" Sitting up Lucy looks at Levy thoughtfully something just on the edges of her speculation. "I' was thinking about it...but I don't want the headache of racing under no name. Brings up unwanted questions and situations." Lucy intentionally answers as if she hadn't already decided. She was curious about her friend's involvement in this. She eyes Levy's aura out of the corner of her eye.

"You could always ask..." she lets it hang off earning her another sigh from Lucy.

So she's not as involved in this as she or I think. Which means Natsu's actually doing all these things on his own? Oh my, I think I am impressed more than before. The Captain's standings just jumped a few spaces in her book.

"I know and by the end of today, I probably will." she pulls out the faulty valve and frowns at it's state, her mind elsewhere. "But there is more. Something's brewing in Magnolia and I don't like it. They encroached on to No man's land and I want to make sure it's not the locals. They would never do that." The azure headed student just looks at Lucy. "Going to poke?"

"At least a reading of the groups. Some balance has been thrown and I don't like it."
"What would you do with information once you got it though? It's just us and technically if your not on a hunt even your bounty hunting license won't protect you."

"I know but at least with the knowledge I would have a means of figuring out their next move and protecting my shop and The Chamber. We did nothing to warrant being caught up in this. And I'm not about to sit idly by while all hell breaks loose around us without a plan of defense."

Levy leans against the car. It was already starting. The pop up gang clashes had stopped and was now more of a war. The two groups clashing at any moment whenever any group met. Though they seemed to everywhere the other one was. And that wasn't normal. Gangs had set places they frequented and they where militant about knowing which places where under who's control. For them to just suddenly start overlapping. That was weird and no gang head would allow it. Despite what outsiders thought organized crime was called 'organized' for a reason. There where unspoken rules to be adhered to. When you didn't there where consequences and the enemy of your enemy will be the 'friend that may take you out for breaking the rules.

Kinda like politics.

Lucy had no doubt figured all this out.

Looking at here brown eyed friend, covered in oil and a pair of fairly unattractive overalls, and can't help but laugh at the dichotomy she presented. Blonde and cute but brilliant and cunning, (that was a rude stereotype anyway...). She was dirty and practical as needed but a stickler for being clean and liked cute things and nice smelling body-washes. Loyal to her friends but finicky about who gets to be one. It's small wonder why Natsu was curious. There where many layers to Lucy, despite how predictable she can be. Predictability does not denote simple or shallow Levy has learned. She leans into the engine and looks at Lucy. "Over lunch you can ask him to ride under their name. It would also serve as a form of protection. Not many people want to mess with the 'Riders and they all steer clear of the girls in that group. I should know."she looks smug.

"Because I'm sure you have men just lining up trying to steal you away from tall, dark, riveted and brooding over there."

"Hey!"

"It's true though. And he probably tells you to stay in the car a lot." The small girl puffs her cheeks out in annoyance before crossing her arms. "Maybe that's true but..."

"You kinda like it because it means he cares for you, I know." warm brown eyes smile knowingly at her. "You guys are so cute."

"Shut up." But there's no heat in the comment. Both girls start as some of the police cars in front of the Chamber suddenly run screaming off and speed by the front of their shop. Lucy shivers slightly. Levy looks at her knowingly. "What?"

"It's just...the emotions. This has rattled them, badly." Levy turned on her cell phone and turns on the police scanner app. She twists her mouth in ironic amusement as she remembers she and Lucy's first scanner and how it had to be mounted in her car...and the wires. Oh Technology, how you make life easier...and lazier.

Freed sat there looking more than a little irritated. He'd rather be making sure the horn dog kept his hands to himself at Lucy's shop than being here but even he had obligations.

"We may have to call him back." The red haired woman says softly over her tea causing he and two others to stop. She's looking up at the TV with hard eyes. Mira walks over placing down a tray of refreshments. "Yes, it's getting harder to contain this. We have to stop it." All eyes watch as paramedics strap down a woman on a gurney. A child held by a cop just stares in shock as he's wrapped in a blanket tightly. That looked familiar, disturbingly so.

That was the look Lucy had when she came into his and Laxus's life. The linguist sighs and has to agree. This was not acceptable.

"Their casting suspicion on us with all this. We cannot tolerate it." the long haired brunette with glasses at the end of the table spoke up. Evergreen always had a slightly haughty air to her voice but he could detect the faint tremble of her rage.

"Only we cannot find Master Hades and Brain is dead and left as a warning. We can only assume one of two things. That Master Hades is somewhere in the same condition of Brain or that he is hiding to keep from having Brain's fate."

"Or he's the master puppeteer." Bixlow suggests ominously.

"But we don't know anything and the Rider's haven't discovered anything lately." Erza says rubbing her forehead. This had to be handled and soon. Master was starting to be looked at a little too closely for all the wrong reasons.

Things where proceeding along as expected and those faires could do nothing to stop it. One wrong move and they where going to be implicated and without information they where sure to make a bad move. After all...*he'd* been the one to train their own master. Even with time passing the way it has Markolov was the same. His bleeding heart and desire to be too good would always do him in. By the time they figured this out it would be too late anyway. He eyed the product critically. It was only a vial to the untrained eye. But to those that knew knew just how much he was holding.

Just think. This little vial no bigger than my pinky is worth more than 100-grand. Fool countries made it illegal but there are still places that would pay good money to get their hands on samples of this. He was just being a good businessman after all it's nothing but a play of supply and demand. And their certainly was a demand...

he just chuckles as yet another 16-wheeler rolls out of the warehouse. It was truly good to run the chess board. There where no surprises that he he didn't already predict and have a plan in place for. It is a pity when you are a true master of the game because you can find no real challenge. No opponent that you can truly count as your equal...

pity really.

But such is the fate of a genius. We all have our burdens we must bare.

Cana starts from her doze on the front counter and frowns. That dream had been particularly specific and vivid. She frowns down at her coffee cup. Go figure since she got the good stuff this time around. She props her head up in her hand eyes narrowed in thought. Her ability was very useful most of the time, vague 15% of the time, and a pain in the ass every other day. It also didn't help that alcohol aided in her ability to see. It's not that she particularly enjoyed drinking so much. Though it was a lovely stress reliever. It made visions much easier for her to receive. There was some technical jargon Lucy theorized. Something about the booze making her physical senses dulled thus making the mind more receptive to the visions...something like that. Whatever. It worked. And apparently, the better quality of the alcohol the more vivid the visions and dreams become. And this one wasn't one that was a very a clear one. It actually looked more like a sci fi thriller than a real vision. What did vials, 16-wheelers and, a race have to do with anything? And why the impression of speed? Did it have to do with the race? UGH. This is why I don't bother with telling too many people what I see. How could I explain it? Not without looking more crazy than usual. Drunkard is easy to fix to people. Cray-cray isn't quite so easy to fix. Never mind the fact that apparently she's really hard pressed to get drunk in the first place...and her liver is in excellent condition, thank you very much. It's rather like her body was completely built simply to facilitate her ability. Convenient.

Glancing back into the garage she can't help but smile. Lucy was finally getting more friends. She looked at ease and laughing. It was a long time coming. Having had similar experiences in her early childhood and the problem of abilities as well, she was very much aware of how such experiences could easily turn you into a jaded bitch. Cana was rather proud that she removed the 'bitch' part and was now only firmly in the jaded category. She just hoped she made it at least a entertaining experience. Glancing over at Natsu she smirks.

He'd certainly grown up. I'm not surprised he doesn't remember me he was very young and very scared. Not that he would admit it now. Last I heard he had a sister and was being groomed to take over a segment of the Shadow area of the company. Wonder how that turned out. Taking a swig of water from a bottle she kept near by she sighs and returns her mind back more important problems. She had to figure out that vision and report to Master. The urgency of the vision speaks of little time.

Yet another thing I tend to hate about this visions, they never give you TIME to do anything...pretty damn rude of them too.

Having been volunteered to pick up lunch Natsu grimaces as he eyes the 'deathtrap' that was known as Gajeel's car. It strangely reeked of ginger too. Initially curious about the source Natsu was confused by the strangely bulbous, brown and cream looking stick. Sniffing it he sits back in surprise having never seen what it looked like un processed. "Ginger?"

Gajeel looks over. "Yeah...fresh. Only way I can get shit done. Dunno how you just use those damn tabs. Ain't strong enough." Natsu is staring at it curiously. "I'm on a bike...I'm taking a piece of this." he snaps off a piece and just shoves it into his mouth.

"HEY, That's mine!" Natsu ignores him as he shoves the bags of food into the back seat and under his legs. He has to fight a wince at the strength of it's bite both in his mouth and overwhelming his smell. BUT on the plus side he was only irritable and only mildly queasy rather than completely useless and begging to be put down. It made the idea of eating the roasted chickens they had picked up much more appealing. Well many things regarding food are way much more appealing than the idea of vomit. He had to find out where metal head got the stuff. It's pretty useful...even if it was hard to chew. Then again the guy he got it from has been known to take chunks out of metal pipes...this was probably nothing. Rolling his eyes Natsu turned his mind to more important things.

The police scanner chatter Levy had pulled up had bothered him. That coffee shop was a common place for their people to hand out at. Thankfully he had ordered them to steer clear of such places just in case, looks like it paid off. Frowning he remembers how Lucy had watched the cop cars as they sped past with a unreadable expression. Lucy tended to wear her expressions in the open. It made talking to her a wonderful experience, you pretty much knew where you stood with her at any given point. Which for him was a good thing as sometimes he missed the more subtler hints by people. But when she shut down like that it had rattled him and for reasons he had yet to fully identify, and frankly it was very hard to do so with metal head here fussing about the quality of his seams. H e knew his limits...having the patience to work with metal wasn't one of them. That's what he was here for.

Heat plates of metal it to a lovely glowing amber?

Sure.

Play with the blowtorch for the next few hours?

Hell, he was easy to please, it burns and makes a neat noise. Gladly.

Spend , possibly, countless hours meticulously bending and shaping a piece of metal into a pretty shape?

Ugh. Not so much. Takes too long.

Whatever possessed him to want to add metal parts to his bike again...? Oh yeah...an excuse to spend more time with Lucy. He grumbles slightly as it brings him right back around to the very person that started off his thoughts. A specific blonde he had very nearly asked out last night. What stopped him? Why didn't he ask her? Oh that's right.

He was a chicken-shit.

The rose haired man shifted and growled irritatedly in his seat more so from the uncomfortableness of that realization than the car's seat.

Natsu Dragneel feared no one.

Except, apparently, curvy blonde haired, brown eyed mechanics with a love of fire arms.

And Erza. Can't forget her. Ugh. But not for the same reasons.

Oh and a pissed Mira.

At least with Lucy he has a lot of warnings before she truly gets angry. He can back off a subject or calm her down before staring down the barrel of her gun or being on the receiving end of a Lucy-kick. But, if he was truthful, there was certain things he couldn't quite place about the object of his affections. Her history beyond a certain point seems to disappear. Even with Levy's considerable skills with the computer it's like Lucy Does not exist before age five. Then where where those moments where she becomes unreadable, as if she's remembering something she'd rather not. And her love of jackets. It's not really too cool yet but she insists on wearing light sweaters and track jackets. At first he just shrugged it off as necessity, fashion choice or habit due to her wearing a shoulder holster. He'd had to discard those ideas after he personally witnessed her show discomfort of the heat but refuse to take it off, despite the nice tank top she wore underneath and thus lack of holster. Yes, it was disappointing as he was looking forward to a better view but all that aside, he couldn't quite figure it out.

"Oi."

Maybe he should just ask her? They are on very good terms now...

"Oi."

Maybe better terms if he'd get off his lazy ass and ask her to go steady...

"Oi..!"

Groaning softly he thumps his head onto the passenger window.

Gads he sounded old. "Steady." Who said that anymore? Obviously, him. Maybe 'girlfriend' would be...

"OI!"

"What!?"

"Your making weird grunting noises in my car. That's sick. Stop it."

"Not like you don't do that."

"Yeah but it's my car. I can do that."

"Now who's sick?"

"Whatever. If ya, wanna know something ask. Don't be stupid. Bunny-girl likes ya."

Natsu, who had been revving for a fight stops in surprise at the sudden redirection of the conversation. "What makes you think this is about that anyway?" Gajeel cuts a annoyed glare over at Natsu.

" 'Cause I did the same thing. And that's the advice you gave me. So I'm givin' it back. She likes ya, go ask her out, and stop being a pussy. There, I said my part and I don't owe you shit anymore."

"For the record if you ever owe me shit we are going to need a long talk about what is an appropriate gift and what isn't. How would you know she likes me that way?"

"I have a girlfriend who is her best friend and still isn't sure how good our hearing is. I hear things. A lot of stuff I don't wanna hear either. You should thank me, by the way. Quit being a smart ass."

"At least I'm smart about it."

"Wait till we get out this car."

"Any time, ass. Anytime."