Chapter 16

(Authors Notes: Yes it's a bit short. But I needed to let you know what's going on all over the map a bit. Moving some major chess pieces into position. The next one will be longer, I promise.)

Cana had locked down for the night and frowns as the feelings of nervousness and excitement her 'other' senses are picking up. So much so she nearly jumps out of her skin when a knock sounds against the metal shutters. She goes to ignore it when she feels a faint static that heralds the next much more firm, slower knocks against the shutter. Cana winces and looks down making a face.

Damn. I thought I had a little more time left before he found me.

Bang... Bang...Bang!

Guess not and he knows I'm in here. Or more than likely Freed is a little snitch.

"Cana. Open the door, before I do it for you." Sighing softly Cana walks to the door, opens it and lifts the shutters.

"Hah...Laxus. Honey. Hi. I was just thinking about you..."

"Oh? Is that why you left without telling me? Freed saw your bike..." The towering blonde looks down at her thoughtfully. Weighing her answers. Cana knew she was in deep poo.

"Well you see I needed some girl time with Lucy. Freed's a f-ing snitch."

He comes walking in, like he owns the place as she closed the door and shutters behind him.

I know he has a key...he could've come in any time he wanted to...the ass was just testing me.

Cana eyes him as he inspects one of the shifter replacements Lucy keeps on hand for buyers. It's shaped like a 8-ball.

"Where is my Hoshi-chan?"

"Eh..heh, about that. She's out..." Please don't ask, please don't ask...

"Where?" Damn you...and now your going to do that lean in and tilt my chin up giving me that look. On cue Laxus does just that. "Sweetheart...Where is Lucy?"

She sighs. "I'm such a sucker." she mutters irritated at her weakness. He simply chuckles in return.

The ripple of panic began at the edges of the crowd at the finish line. The stragglers having sent out the alert as soon as the first cop was seen. Levi comes running back in a panic. "NATSU!? It's a trap! Someone leaked! The whole Drifting group will get caught! The base of the mountain is completely sealed off! They have air support!" She pants out frantically. The words brought a bitter taste to his mouth. Of course they would want to make a point. And this would be the easiest way...dammit! He quickly ran through several scenarios in his head and kept coming up empty.

One way up.

One way down.

With eyes in the sky.

Lucy was there, and there really was no way for anyone to get up there and help her! For one moment Natsu's frantic thoughts almost gets the best of him, causing him to loose his hard won focus and dissolve into irrational anger and foolish spur of the moment actions. He couldn't afford to do that. Not now, not with so many watching. Not with Lucy's situation. But if he didn't do something quickly he felt like he would explode!

Spinning suddenly and with a speed that was scary Natsu punches the nearby Stop sign with all of his strength behind it snarling as he does so.

He sends the flat piece of red painted metal it flying wildly off it's metal pole, where it skips through the dirt for a few yards. Other riders scatter suddenly as the brightly red smoldering piece of metal speeds past them only to in-bed itself into the ground. All look nervously at their leader. This was a rare mood for the usually jovial man to be in. Sure he got into fights a lot but they largely seemed good natured compared to his true anger. All of the riders knew to keep their distance. Questioning him would probably start a fight that they could not finish, but he, not only could, but would be vicious about. Taking a deep breath he pulls out his phone and calls Lucy.

"I take it you heard."

"You know?"

"Yes, just discovered it a few minutes ago. I'm hoping this route hasn't changed too much."

"What do you mean?"

"I have an idea but I need to focus to do it. So I'm going to have to call you back. If it's this number, you know it worked. If not...well I'll use my one phone call to let you know."

"That is not funny, Luce."

"Wasn't supposed to be. OH SH-gotta go!"

*Click*

Natsu stares at his phone and glares grinding his teeth in irritation. He looks up at a worried and now nervous Levi then to a grim looking Gajeel and Gray. "Tell everyone to scatter and once their home or at HQ to report in via text to one of us. We can't afford to stay here."

Levy looks like she's about to balk but Gajeel simply picks her up to move off. "Gajeel! No Lucy is..."

"Able to take care of herself." The large man mumbles.

"How can you say that? You don't even know her! And Natsu's just leaving her..."

"He is not leaving her. Do you really think he's that kind of guy? She's got to have some sort of plan or else he wouldn't be able to focus on ordering us around. He'd be still worrying over her. Well worst than he still is."

"He's still worried?"

"Heh. Yeah. There's heat rising from the ground around him. It ain't that hot here in mid-September."

Captain Lafar looked down upon the race from his areal view and smirks. The order had been clear. Make an example. Get the gangs attentions and make sure they want to think twice about starting anything like before. The mother that had gotten hurt had started a media circus. Mest had gone in to try and learn somethings but even with him being bugged and asking questions, all he heard was the same rumors they had been hearing and a lot of car talk. Frankly, he barely followed any of that. But none of this made sense. No one here seemed to know any real reason why there was violence. The meet itself was amazingly peaceful. Just a bunch of car and bike nuts having a gathering and even choosing a road that most people avoided to be used at 3am.

None of this sounded like cold gangs that fight, kill and not care about collateral damage.

He needed more information.

Looking down he frowns there was a 50 yrd section of tree overhang. So far none of the drivers have seemed to notice. But he would have to keep his eyes peeled.

Lucy looks up at the trees in faint hope. I have to time this perfectly. It's been some time so...hopefully I don't screw up and spin out...but first.. As soon as she enters the tree line she begins to do several things at once. She begins to ease off the gas while simultaneously reaching for her radio. Flipping a switch in her center console all of her lights main lights shut off leaving only her head lights on and tail lights. About halfway to the end of the line she quickly down shifts to help her stop quickly, pulling the e-break. She fish tails to the side and while her car's nose facing the edge with the 100ft drop on a good day, hits the gas after shifting into gear.

"Please, let this work!"

"Are you leaving?" Gray looks at Natsu. "Everyone else is gone. Even the other groups are almost cleared out. You know their going to come here."

Natsu sighs. "Yeah I know. I just...I don't like feeling helpless. I asked her to do this. If she gets caught or hurt it's *my* fault."

"Hey, either way. She needs us outside of the jail house. Come on." Natsu sighs and allows himself to be lead off.

Very reluctantly.

Three Hours Later...6am

Natsu is at Hardbodies banging on Lucy's back door. Cana goes to answer only to be pulled back by her arm and shoved behind a larger body. "Go put some clothes on. You know how I feel about you wearing that and answering a door."

"But me wearing only bathing suit tops and jackets are OK for everyday wear." Glaring at the broad back in irritation she crosses her arms. Laxus would hear nothing of it and yanks the door open.

"Cana~! Have you heard...!?" The rest of the words are frozen in his throat as he stares up at the last man he has wanted to see in a long time.

"The fuck are you doing here?!" Natsu glares. The large blonde looks down at him in irritation. Obviously just woken up as he's only wearing his black satin sleep pants, hair disheveled. "I could ask you the same question with one more too. Where the hell is Lucy!?"

"Why do you care!? Why are you here!?"

Cana jumps in. "UH...I'm kinda engaged to him...yeah. Did I forget to mention that? Sorry. I was too preoccupied by other things."

"Whatever, is Lucy here?"

"No. Wait she's supposed to be with you" Cana glares at him.

"She was until the race, then..."

"Race what race?" A blonde thundercloud leans down.

"Dr~"

"The one you two where going to right!?" Cana jumps in. "A heh."

Laxus frowns darkly. "Drift? She's drifting again!? Why did you not tell me!?" he glares at Cana.

"I didn't think it was important..."

"Not important!? How could you...?"

Natsu frowns faintly Had Lucy disobeyed her family wishes in agreeing? He was momentarily guilty that part of him felt a odd sense of pleasure if that was the case. At any rate, Natsu was not about to let Cana be fussed at by this guy for something she didn't do... "Look...it's kinda my fault. I asked her to do it..."

Laxus stops and glares at Natsu. "You. Did this?"

"Yes, I needed a drifter for the first race...a friend of mine introduced us."

"And...she drove tonight?"

"Yes." Natsu glared up at his elder. Laxus, leader of the Raijinshu a sleeper street unit of the N-Gage sect. Rarely used and if so often well away from Magnolia. "I was worried about you being chosen as the leader of the Riders..."

"Yeah?"

"And now this."

"Uh...boys, please." Cana stepped forward to forestall a fight.

Natsu glares at Laxus muscles tensed for a fight.

That he doesn't get. "THANK GOD! You did what I couldn't. So far so good!" he slaps Natsu on the back a few times nearly knocking him to his face as he laughs his raucous attention grabbing laugh.

Which was startling.

Natsu, though not overly tall was not easily pushed around.

The slap was good natured but intentional. He was clearly letting him know that he was not to be messed with. Deciding to ignore the action Natsu, without missing a beat, responded, not in kind but in a way that would ensure he remains seen in the same light as before Laxus left. For the moment at least.

"Huh?" comes his intelligent reply.

"I've been encouraging her to get out and everything. At least drive on her own, and the like. But she was so stubborn." Cana just face palms. Natsu looks confused.

"Uh...yeah..cool. Anyway, I take it she's not home yet?" Laxus stops and gets dangerously still.

"No. I assumed she was with you still..." He lets the sentence trail off meaningfully. Natsu looks up at them in irritation.

"They set a trap for all drifters. Some one of the meet, leaked. They where lying in wait at the bottom." Laxus looked like he was ready to kill something.

"So...my baby sister could be sitting up in a jail cell right now?"

"She said if she got there, she'd use her call to call me but I haven't gotten a call yet. She had a plan but said that if it did work she'd call from her phone. Nothing on that end either." Laxus takes a deep breath. Trying to calm and find his center again. Lucy would kill him if he surged out her entire house. Cana has her eyes closed and shakes her head. "Nothing. I'm not getting anything in regards to her." Laxus curses. "Then we're stuck waiting." Natsu growls softly earning a responding one from Laxus. "I would really like to beat your face in. But I can't really fairly do so as you didn't know this would happen I'm assuming."

"Since when are you ever concerned about being 'fair?" Natsu snorts.

"Since I think Lucy might get angry with me for beating up a friend for something he technically had no control over, even though it would make me feel really good right now. You are lucky." Natsu doesn't keep the challenge from his eyes or response this time. He's tired and doesn't give a hot damn that he's not keeping the mask up. He'd been pleasantly distracted, teased, distracted again but not so pleasantly, chaffing at all the male attentions a woman he already considered his was getting from less than worthy men. Now that very same woman was essentially missing, after driving into what was essentially a trap, and there wasn't anything he could do about it at the present. He felt guilty because he had put her up to it in the first place. Then he's getting shit from a elder in the group who was giving him crap for his lack of ability to do anything.

To say that the pink haired man was not in the mood would be a understatement.

"Try it and we'll see how much time has changed us both. I may not go looking for fights all the time, but I finish them now. I am not one to under estimate Laxus. Especially not right now when someone I was responsible for is possibly captured or hurt. I'm not in the mood to play with my victims, which is, I promise you, what you'd be right now. It would be quick and I would attempt to break as many bones as possible just to try and set a new personal record for my own amusement. I think, for the sake of our history together, you'd want to enjoy our fight more and come out with bruises. I suggest you wait until we find Lucy and make sure she's OK. Then I will gladly accommodate you and your need to be alpha dog but until then, this is my jurisdiction. Stand down."

The tone he used was enough that both Cana and Laxus sat up to take notice. It was not overly loud but rather a soft commanding one with the promise of much pain if the warning was not heeded. Cana, stares at Natsu in more than a little nervous shock. Up until this point Natsu's always been the sweet, lovable, and fight prone guy that was slowly working his way into Lucy's heart. Nothing that hinted at a dark streak like this. She fights a smile. Not many people dared to talk to Laxus like that. Lucy sure has the taste. All the men around her have a protective streak a mile wide and seem to end up butting heads over her some how. How the hell does she do it?

Laxus looks at him pensively remembering the gun-ho, loud, oblivious, fight mongering youth he left about six years ago and comparing him to the man with the steady eyes he was now. The difference was subtle but startling. Gone was the blind blazing recklessness of youth replaced with the controlled burn of man who spent his time harnessing all his assets to make sure he won by any means necessary. His eyes held the predatory gleam of someone just waiting for his prey to make the wrong move and be taken out. They held no aggression but a wary readiness and the confidence of one accustomed to backing up his words with works.

You can sure pick them can't you Old-man?

Maybe after they find Lucy, he wouldn't mind having a brawl for old times sake with Natsu...

Maybe for once it won't end in one hit.

Holding his hands up in surrender he steps back. "Fine, fair enough. I won't test you now. But if anything serious has happened to Lucy, I will and we'll both see how much we've both grown. I won't hold back. Lucy is very precious to me being one of the few family members I have left. If she has a hair missing on her head, I will do everything in my power to end you."

The Dragon rider captain meets Laxus' eyes again. But this time it's with a gleam of respect. As if Laxus actually met his expectations for once.

"It would disappoint me if you did not."

Raijinshu- "Thunder God Tribe" In my world Lucy was temporarily apart of it but only as a mechanic for the cars and bikes used. She did occasionally drive typically as a partner to Laxus for tag team races and especially for tag team drift or drift ballets. She was not technically a full member as she was not inducted into Fairy Tail.