Chapter 17

(Authors Notes: I want to make a big thank you to all the followers and reviewers! I'm really happy that people enjoy this story. Even though I now have another one demanding attention I am so CLOSE with this one I have to finish it! So i'll be bouncing back and forth between this one and Bewitched.)

~Past (About three hours ago)~

The car came to a rough stop. Lucy carefully opened her eyes. It was dark. And she couldn't see much. But the car was still going tipped slightly backwards and she smelt no gas. All good signs. Maybe her memory was still as good as she thought. Shutting off her engine and her lights she looks around and up. Grinning she hops out of the car. Yep, this was it! Now she just had to lay low for a while... She was thankful she wore boots and that she never painted her car into anything garish. This cave was small, barely big enough for her car and to crack open her door, nothing more. It is very deep and works well when preventing heat sensors from picking her or the car up. There are vines and large bushes blocking the entrance all of which were resilient plants and bounced back because she sped back into it at such a high velocity it sprung back into place. She hops onto her still warm hood and smiles happily as the still warm engine wards off the slight chill of the air. Before she knows it she dozes off.

~5:30am~

She pops awake in surprise and groans softly. Her back was going to punish her later she just knew it. She knew she should have worn her jacket...her nerves where already twinging in pain. Groaning faintly she reaches into her pocket pulling out her cellphone she stares at the screen.

Oops. Natsu's going to kill me. She pauses as she hears the loud screeching of some large breaks, the sound startling her out of her train of thoughts.

Crawling to the entrance of the hidden cave she peeks through the foliage to get a better view of what's going on. She frowns when a eighteen-wheeler pulls up from the top. Not too terribly an odd sight. The road through the mountain connects to other roads, it's just not often used at this time of day due to the lack of lighting. Which is why it was perfect for the drift meet ups no driver of such a large machine with such a high center of gravity would want to drive on such a winding road without proper light.

Drifters where typically the crazy ones.

Not truck drivers.

And if she got her stars right it was only about four-thirty maybe five-thirty in the morning. Sun wasn't up...so they certainly wouldn't be on this road now.

Unless desperate.

Or hiding something.

She could tell that the gathering at the base had dispersed and that the eyes in the sky had left. But that didn't mean they didn't have people lying in wait. The truck actually stops not far down from her hiding spot. There where no identifying marks aside from a license plate, which she quickly memorized. No "How's my Driving? Any comments call 1-800-sucit" or anything. No company marks...it was blank. That was illegal, she was pretty sure. So the odds of them hiding something was good. She blinks as she looks at the back door. It was ajar the driver jumps down checks inside and locks it tight again before running back to the front. He seemed nervous and almost panicked as he looked within the darkness. It spiked horribly as he seems to register something. He hesitates for a moment but drives off again.

Lucy scans around carefully before standing up and looking back up the road. Taking a chance she goes back towards the finish line on foot. About half the way back she stops. Something in the growing light catches her attention. It's white and looks like a box of some sort. Curiosity riding her hard she walks over after making sure the way is clear. One side is bent and the contents are leaking slightly. Carefully picking it up by the non damaged side she opens it looking inside. "Test tubes?" on a whim she takes the box and trots back down towards the car and her cave. She has no clue what it is but maybe she could figure it out. She has to pull the car out of the cave before she could put the box on the passenger side on the floor mat. She didn't know what that leaking stuff was but she didn't want it staining her upholstery.

Starting her car she re-syncs her phone with her car. "Call Natsu." She calls into the car.

"Calling Mr. Good-with-his-hands-girl-go-get-some."

"Oh my g-I am going to KILL Cana!"

Natsu is sitting on the couch staring at his phone and Laxus is sitting there glaring at him. Cana rolls her eyes at them. "That's it! I'm going looking!" Natsu stands He goes to grab his phone with it rings in his hand his eyes widen as he sees the number. "Thank god." he goes to answer only to have it snatched from him by Laxus.

"Hoshi! Where the HELL have you been? Don't you EVER do that to us again!"

"Laxus!? Why do you have Natsu's phone!? I called the right number right?"

"Oh it's right, alright, You know better than to get caught. I took the phone from that pus...oi, HEY! Give that back~!"

"Lucy?"

"Natsu?"

"You weren't arrested?"

"No...it worked by the way. Sorry. I kinda fell asleep. Eheh..."

"Asleep...? What worked?"

"Yeah...ask Laxus..."

"I'll think about it. He's trying to take my phone again! Why didn't you tell me Laxus was your brother?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal. Wait you two know each other? Look can we talk about this later? Like face to face?"

"Fine. Where are you!?"

"Driving on the way back. Found something interesting too."

"What?"

"You'll have to wait until I get back."

"Ugh, how long with that be?!"

"You are so impatient!"

"You would be too if you where waiting for news on the girl you like if she was arrested or worst in a wreck from trying something CRAZY!"

"Do not raise your voice to ME Natsu Dra...wait girl you like?"

"Uh...Uh...uh..." Laxus watches in faint irritation (and amusement he reluctantly admits) as the younger man's face starts to turn all sorts of colors.

"I'll talk to you when you get back bye!" he hangs up staring at the phone in fear. Cana is laughing. "FINALLY. Took you forever to admit it." Laxus is staring even harder at Natsu now. "You like my little sister?"

Natsu glares at him refusing to back down. "So what if I do?"

"You haven't passed my inspection to even say such things. Especially not date my sister."

Cana sighs and rolling her eyes. "Oh here we go..." she takes a swig of some beer.

Natsu bristles. "Lucy is an adult and now the only opinion I really care about is hers."

"That why you hung up on her?" Laxus looks smug

"Y-ah, damn."

"Heh, she hates getting hung up on. Sucks to be you slacker. You'll never be good enough for her!" Laxus leans down only to get a punch which sends him reeling back violently. "The fuck...oh hell no." Cana just steps out-of-the-way and opens the sliding glass door to the grass area. She steps aside and allows the ball of fists and cussing to sluggishly roll past.

Cana just watches in her nightie and drinks. "Yep...Lucy's got the taste. Expensive, yummy looking and quirky..."

Lucy frowns in thought as she drives down her street. She had to roll the windows down as the smells was starting to get to her just a bit. Strangely it make her aura sense go out of control. Even making it back was a bit of a struggle. But she was finally home and she could rest her 'eyes.' Pulling up in the back she frowns at the auric fireworks going on above her head. She pulls to a stop to look up in time to see at fireball hurl towards the ground. Squeaking in surprise she slams on the breaks just as Natsu slams down into the bed of a truck that was jutting out from below her awning. Slamming on breaks she jumps out the car. Looking up she glares. "LAXUS! What the HELL are you doing? STOP!"

"What? He started it~UGH!" his sentence is cut off as an old wrench is tossed upside his head. Lucy gasps as she turns to look at a standing Natsu.

And she really looks at him. And she couldn't stop the rapid beating of her heart. Truth be told she was just the least bit warm too. His clothes and hair are disheveled, his stance just as fierce as the look in his eyes. He jumps up and effortlessly climbs back up a vicious snarl as he climbs over the fence one story up. He does it so nimbly that Lucy has to blink at how quickly it's done (and make a mental note of how those arm muscles moved as he did so). Laxus is laughing manically. "This is interesting Salamander~! Real interesting!"

"Shut it, you freak!"

"You are better than before. Few years ago, you would've been out for the count after that!" He has to dodge suddenly as Natsu's back at Laxus's throat. Lucy runs up the stairs as fast as she can carrying her bulky box. She slides clumsily into her living room and stops again at the sight before her. She'd always known her brother was a brawler and on some level admired that about him. She'd never seen him really fight someone who could effectively fight back. Natsu, apparently was at least enough of a match that Laxus had to work. It's a fight that would be out of the movies or perhaps a MMA pay-per-view.

"C-Cana...?"

"Hmm? Oh! Hey welcome back!" Lucy declines to mention that the older woman was drinking before 8am as she figured it was moot. "Why are you just standing there! We need to stop them!"

"Nah. See, your kinda new to this. It's best to just let those two beat it out of each other. You'd only get hurt getting in the middle."

"They will kill each other."

"No, but they'll both be hurting. Been a long time since Laxus, had a fight like this. He's really enjoying it. Don't rain on his parade. Natsu's doing a lot better than before."

Lucy pauses and remembers what Laxus had yelled when she pulled up. "What do you mean before ?" she looks at her glaring at her. Cana blinks and stops drinking suddenly. "Ah...they didn't...oh shit. Great now I gotta do the clean up work. Yah might wanna sit down about that. It's kind of a long story."

Lucy leans back as she pulls off her boots. "I have time."

"Breakfast?"

"Beer is not breakfast."

"That's not true it's like liquid toast...made with yeast and all."

"Nah, I'm good thanks."

Cana leads a barefoot Lucy away from the cussing and fighting into the kitchen where she pulls out a frying pan and starts some eggs. "So...where do I begin?"

"The beginning is best."

"The beginning is back beyond either of us, you know. Are you sure about that?"

"Yes. The better I understand all of this the less I'll feel like I'm missing parts! It's been driving me up the wall. Freed has the same mark as Natsu and Freed keeps acting like I burned him if I ask him how he got it! I know it has to do with Fairy Tail it's like all over this city!"

Cana looks at her and pulls up her nightie displaying some really cute lace panties and a black tattoo just like Freed and Natsu's. "Cana..."

"I know I know...*sigh* Let me think for a second..."

Cana was one of the "older" young members who was around not too terribly long after many of these things were put in the place or in the process of putting it into place. Cana had the dubious ability to become almost a non entity when she needed. She discovered this during early childhood and instead of finding it upsetting she realized that it was a gift. When she wanted to be noticed she was when she wanted to be unnoticed, she was. Even now it was very handy. People talked. She looks fondly at Lucy. No doubt it's where she adapted her technique from.

Fairy Tail was founded two generations back from before its present master. One cannot be born into the position of master, but earn it. Makaov Dryer is the present master and had earned his position many years ago. Lucy nearly choked on her coffee. "Grandpa!? No...he's the head of Dreyar Automotive."

"That's one of his titles."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Lucy mutters to herself just a bit hurt. She declines to focus on the sound of a door downstairs or the grunting and cussing that's risen in volume.

"Dunno. Maybe he wanted to protect you from something." Lucy suddenly looks down. "Or ME from everyone else." The brunette frowns at that but declines commenting. "Makarov, did more than just support the business structure of Fairy Tail but started something the previous owners didn't." We still operated both with and around the law but he took it a step further to help the community and our reputation. Fewer questions. He just didn't expect it to work out so well or for him to love it, in some ways more than any other part of his job. "An orphanage. Most of us came from there. We had no families, lost them or perhaps where never wanted by them." Cana looks sad for a moment but shakes it off. The old man had seen that many of them where just lost, sometimes, wounded and just wanted to matter to someone. "Many of the older members and their wifes took us in. A bit like a foster family but with no moving around. We all went to school together, had most holidays together. We where like one huge family. We are eternally loyal and on our eighteenth birthday we can choose to join Fairy Tail fully, or move on with our lives. No obligations just love and acceptance from your family when you returned to visit." She places a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. "Sure...we aren't always the best actions wise but they made it so we could all get an education, start businesses like, Everafter and even, to a certain extent even yours, Lucy. Your Grandfather certainly had a hand in this. Though, I was shocked to find out that you where Laxus' little sister. I didn't know he had anymore family except the old man. Maybe that's why he's so protective of you."

Lucy looks a bit irritated. "Or more like he wanted to protect you all from ME." she looks down sadly. Cana sighs but declines comment on that. It would only side track from the subject at hand. Lucy absently nibbles a piece of bacon as she thinks. "So your like "The Family...but not in a mafia sense."

"Yeah...but we are if you mess with what's ours. We're informants for the right price, if you will. We do cause some problems with destruction and stuff..like racing..streaking...nothing serious. And we kinda police the other real families in this city. We don't really care what they do in other cities but we are occasionally called in."

"SO...let me get this straight. Fairy Tail is a group of family businesses that have banded together for a...greater good. Rather than just making it ahead."

"It's a little of both. To be honest. We have our...moments. Point is we were all wards of Fairy Tail rather than the government. Frankly, we liked it better that way. We could actually have a life and even though it was a bit twisted, a family." She smiles and lifts the edge of he night-gown showing her black tattoo. "Whenever we see this, we know we're home or meeting with someone who was from home."

Lucy is working on the eggs now. "But Levy and Gajeel are already adults, that doesn't explain them."

"Not everyone who needs a family and love are orphaned children. Sometimes the loneliest people in the world are the oldest." Cana sits next to her and wraps an arm around her companionably. "It's like the glue that keeps this town together. With out Fairy Tail I would not have met Laxus or you. Bisca wouldn't have Askua as Azlack was a Sleeper undercover when they met. Freed would never have met Laxus, nor would Laxus have met you."

"GET HIM LAXUS! TEACH THAT BOY YOU CAN'T MESS WITH A REAL MAN!" Cana blinks the moment completely broken.

"Are you sure Freed's not...you know?"

"Yes. I think he's crushing on Mira."

"You're just saying that."

"Nope. He turns all pink both to my eyes and physically."

"Whoa...guess you can't judge a book."

Crash!

Lucy blinks towards the living room. "I think what was just my coffee table." she stands and marches out. Freed turns back. "Oh, Good Morning Lucy...what on earth are you wearing it? You look fabulous!"

"I swear, you're lying. No wait. He's bi. Definitely bi..." Cana intones staring at the green haired man with a critical eye. Lucy ignores both and starts yelling.

"YOU TWO STOP IT! I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU BOTH IF YOU MESS ANYTHING ELSE UP...!"

She's cut off as a lamp is suddenly murdered. Cana pats her shoulder.

"Here. Watch and Learn." She clears her throat.

"Natsu, I will call Erza and Laxus your on the couch for a month."

Both freeze.

"Not Erza!"

"Aw come on Cana...it was just getting good."

"I mean it. Now you just broke somethings. Someone needs to clean it up and set about getting replacements."

""Yes ma'am..."" Lucy just stares at her in shock.

"You learn it after a while." She shrugs. Freed perks. "Sounds like an excuse to redecorate!" he hurries off. "I'll get the Ikea catalog! I'm seeing shades of blue! Maybe something like Modern Country"

"Oh come on you really have to hear it in that one."

"He is metro sexual." Lucy shrugs.

The boys go about cleaning, both Natsu and Laxus, snapping at each other at a moments notice as the girls both work to make enough breakfast for both. The table was set when the kitchen door swings open with Natsu carrying the box Lucy had brought up. It had gotten forgotten in the scuffle. "Uh what's this? It smells weird and it left a funky stain on the rug, we can't get out." Lucy perks. "OH I forgot about that. "I wouldn't get any of that on you...it messes with my senses when I smell it." Natsu frowns in thought.

"I did feel irritated when I was fighting him but now that I think about it..it did get worst when you came upstairs." Cana looks at him. "You two have been snapping at each other a lot out there. Usually you can be somewhat civil."

"Hold on. I'll go get something it can sit on." Lucy pulls out a tarp and puts it down before allowing it to sit back down on the floor in front of her couch. Now that the coffee table is gone it actually frees up a lot of space. Maybe side tables are a better idea? She shrugs and walks back into the kitchen to wash her hands. She finds the men all glaring at each other and Cana drinking a harder drink than usual. Lucy blinks in irritation as she attempts to file away the information she's getting. Laxus looks up at Lucy. "So chibi. Where were you?"

"In a cave. I fell asleep. Sorry, I didn't mean to make anyone worry."

"OH, that one? I forgot about it. Good girl, I knew you learned well." he rubs her head, fondly. Lucy seems to just put up with it. Freed smiles, just as proudly. Natsu waves his hands. "Alright, hold up. Some of us are in the dark here."

Cana nods. "That would be me too. What cave?"

Lucy sighs softly. "There is a hidden cave, covered over by vines and bushes up there It only fits one car and you have to hit the thing just right or the bushes and vines will break giving away where you are. I went there and waited everything out." She sighs and leans on her hand. "Forgot to put on my jacket...I'm going to need a hot shower...ugh."

At that comment something dark flashes across both elder men's faces before quickly being covered over. She smiles at Natsu. "I'm really sorry for making you worry. I truly meant to call you earlier have you slept at all?" She brushes a hand over his forehead causing the three others to stop what they where doing and stare. Natsu suddenly freezes at the sudden contact and fights down the urge to lean into it.

"I uh..."

"Nope, poor boy was up all night worried about you." Cana jumps in with a knowing look at Natsu. Lucy immediately looks contrite. "AH, here, let me make a fresh pot of coffee for you. You like it black right?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Awesome. Give me a few." She smiles brightly at him as she hops up and starts to make a pot. Laxus and Freed stare at Natsu like he's their new prey. Cana fights the urge to laugh. Lucy continues to speak though forestalling any action.

"What do you know about that route up there and the big rigs?" she asks in general. Laxus frowns faintly as he leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. "They don't mess with that place before full sun up. For the very reason we frequented the place they hate it." Natsu had never really thought about it, but they where right. The curves on that mountain where sharp and vicious, bikers, racers and drifters love it. But anything with a high center of gravity probably attempted to avoid it if possible. Lucy turns and leans against the counter as the glorious smell of liquid caffeine feel the room. "Exactly. That box out there came from one that was barreling down the road at about Five-thirty am."

Natsu blinks. "Full sun up just happened what...twenty minutes ago...almost seven thirty."

"Exactly. Why drive such a thing on such roads without enough light to see by?"

"Your late." Cana suggests.

"Your guilty." Laxus snorts. Lucy nods as she pulls down mugs and starts to fill them. "Right. That came off that truck."

"Truck drivers always make sure their doors are shut and locked tight. No real driver would forget that. And even if they did they'd check for lost items." Freed supplies. Lucy shakes her head. "Real driver. No identifying marks. No company name, no 'how's my driving' sticker nothing. When he did stop to look at his back he was in a near panic. Simply closed the back and took off. I was curious and walked back up towards the top and found that box in there. There are a lot of little vials in there. The smell of the stuff makes my powers go over board."

Natsu nods. "Maybe that's why Laxus and I want to tear each other's throats out, even now. It...stinks." Cana looks worried. "Maybe we need to get rid of the box? The vials are still sealed right? The box soaked up what broke. If we use some gloves and dispose of that the other vials should be alright right?"

"I hope so...if not the thing will have to go." Lucy supplies. "But the timing is convenient isn't it? Right after a race then a police raid, when everyone else is steering clear of the area here comes that carrying a drug that reacts with all of our abilities." Lucy brings a tray with the coffee over and pulls out the cream. She sits and fixes her coffee. Laxus looks at Lucy as she rubs between her shoulder blades and makes a pained expression. "Hoshi-chan. Go take a hot shower and change. We need to go to HQ, with that box. We are out of our league here. But Porlyusica may have some ideas."

"Who?" Lucy frowns in thought as she stands up with her mug.

"The Pink haired woman who hates people." Cana supplies. "I hate dealing with her."

"But she knows what she's talking about and had the ability to test the stuff. If it affects all of us and we're gifted she'll want to know that it is. If it's being distributed we'll have to stop it." Lucy sighs but nods. "Yeah...I won't be long." she walks out.

Once both the bedroom and bathroom door close Laxus suddenly looks tired. "Damn. I thought that this was over."

Freed stares down into his cup. Cana and Natsu look confused. "What was over?"

Laxus looks up at them. "You know that Lucy isn't my blood sister." Cana nods. Natsu looks confused. "I knew you two smelled different but...it happens in families..."

"Not that differently. Anyway. This stuff reminds me of the stuff Gramps brought home with her. He wouldn't tell me anything just that we should stay away from it. It Made Lucy really sick at that point. Made my stomach churn and everything pissed me off. But It's the same feeling."

"Whoa, wait, wait. The old man took Lucy in? I thought you just where close...why isn't she already apart of Fairy Tail? Why the HELL didn't he just tell me!? " he stands up eyes, just a tad irritated. Here he was busting his butt trying to earn her trust when technically it was already there for the organization at least. Then Lucy wouldn't have to be so alone...

"None of this makes sense."
Laxus glares up at him and unfolds his arms revealing his tattoos. "It does when he was trying to protect the rest of you idiots from her."

"What?"

"Look, Lucy wasn't always nearly this stable. And you guys where crazy, all over the place as kids. Can you imagine what would've happened if her stuck her into that setting?" Natsu reeled back as it struck.

As much as he wanted to argue that they would've helped her adapt...there was not guarantees. He's not even sure if his ability to help her was new due to his maturity or if it was always there. "If she was overwhelmed you would've just helped her right?" Laxus sighs.

"It ain't that simple. I can't always be there. The last time she went out of control she killed one man and the other is only just now capable of functioning in society." Freed stares at him at that one.

"K-killed? I thought she only hurt one. Laxus you didn't tell me about that."

"I didn't want you to freak out on me. She needed people around who would help her confidence and be sensitive enough without feeding her fear. She doesn't know she killed the other man, and if I have my way, she won't. Got it?" The large blonde man glares at all present. For once Natsu submits to his order. Lucy was strong and capable, but he's not sure she'd be able to handle the thought of having killed someone with her powers. She already had a love-hate relationship with them. All powers on some level respond to the owners thoughts and feelings about their powers which is why Natsu always felt so out of control. He thought that like fire, his powers would need only great strength to control. Sighing and closing his eyes.

But it was more than that.

Oh so much more.

He had to not just accept that part of himself but also learn the best way to deal with it. And Brute force isn't what always works on controlling fire. Sometimes it's something as simple as wetting the kindling or just letting it burn out. With Lucy, it's more than her confidence and understanding how to control her ability. She's got that probably about as good as she'll ever get it. It's accepting it as apart of who she is and that it's not a bad or evil thing. If this ever comes out before she has that idea firmly in her mind...

He opens his eyes and looks at him. "I'll try to help her the best I can. Apparently I do what you do for her." Laxus lifts a brow at that and isn't sure he's too keen on the idea but declines to comment as the younger man continues on. "Your going to have to tell her eventually." He leans back in the chair and rubs his eyes with one hand as he grabs the mug with the other. "It's been my experience that secrets of that kind of size always come bursting out of the closet the more you pack it in. You'd better hope she's strong enough to handle it when it does. Mavis help us if she can't."